text stringlengths 8 5.77M |
|---|
Q:
how to submit a form via ajax from modal box using jquery
I'm having a tough time submitting a form using ajax from a modal box.
$( "#modal" ).dialog({
autoOpen: false,
height: 300,
width: 350,
modal: true,
buttons: {
"Submit Form": function() {
$("#my-form").submit(function(event) {
event.preventDefault();
$.post('myurl', function(data) {
$('.result').html(data);
});
});
},
Cancel: function() {
$( this ).dialog( "close" );
}
}
});
When i try to submit the form by clicking the "submit form" button nothing actually happens.
All I'm trying to do is submit the form via ajax using the modalbox button. Then the controller would return a simple text "form processed" and then the .result will be updated with the response from the controller.
Edit
My html form looks like this:
<form id="my-form" action="myurl" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<fieldset>
<legend>Upload file</legend>
<p>
<label for="fileData">File</label>
<br />
<input id="fileData" name="fileData" type="file" value=""/>
</p>
</fieldset>
</form>
A:
You can use the jQuery Form Plugin which has an .ajaxSubmit() function. Should be something like this:
$("#my-form").ajaxSubmit({
success: function(response) {
$('.result').html(response);
}, error: function(e) {
$('.result').html(e);
}
});
beforeSubmit - pre-submit callback
success - post-submit callback
error - fail-response callback
|
1.25 - Full bed strung at 26K/57lbs? on a couple of Youtek Prestige MPs.
It was perfect for me, felt like poly with plenty of feel to it.
However, 16 euros is too much for a string that breaks easily. If your elbow feels weird and you still want that poly feeling, it's cheaper and better than X-One Biphase. |
Q:
How can i extract href from this html using selenium?
I want to extract href from the following html using selenium:
<div class="resultsContainer clearfix" data-index="0">
<div class="tableItem eventType">
<span class="tileNumber">1. </span>
<span class="miles">0 mi</span>
</div>
<div class="tableItem eventTime">
<span class="tileNumber">1. </span>
<ul>
<li class="placeName clearfix">
<a class="placeName" href="/en/home/play/facility-listing/facility-details.html?facilityId=777EMBARCADEROROAD-CA-94301">Rinconada Park</a></li>
<li class="timeNumber phoneNumber">(650) 463-4900</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="tableItem eventSize">
<ul>
<li>
<span class="eventNameType"># of Courts:</span>
<span class="eventNameValue">9</span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="eventNameType">Court Size:</span>
<span class="eventNameValue"> 36', 60', 78'</span>
</li>
<li>
<span class="eventNameType">Indoor Courts:</span>
<span class="eventNameValue">No</span>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="tableItem eventLocation">
<ul>
<li class="mileValue">0 mi</li>
<li>777 Embarcadero Road</li>
<li>Palo Alto, California, 94301</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div class="tableItem eventMoreInfo">
<div class="seeMoreBtn">
<a class="btn primaryBtn" href="/en/home/play/facility-listing/facility-details.html?facilityId=777EMBARCADEROROAD-CA-94301">MORE INFO</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
The selenium(Python) code that i'm using is as follows:
import time
from selenium import webdriver
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
from selenium.webdriver.common.action_chains import ActionChains
# ----------------------------------------------HANDLING-SELENIUM-STUFF-------------------------------------------------
driver = webdriver.Chrome()
time.sleep(5)
driver.get('https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/facility-listing.html?searchTerm=&distance=5000000000&address=Palo%20Alto,%20%20CA')
wait = WebDriverWait(driver,5)
time.sleep(5)
links = driver.find_element_by_xpath("//div[@class='seeMoreBtn']/a")
print(links.text)
time.sleep(3)
for link in links:
print(link.get_attribute("href"))
driver.close()
Following is the webpage from where i want to extract the links using the xpath above(more precisely links under MoreInfo button section)
On executing the above code i'm getting this error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "E:/Python/CSV/scraperscrapero.py", line 23, in <module>
for link in links:
TypeError: 'WebElement' object is not iterable
But the above XPATH on this page contains 5 Buttons of MoreInfo.
I just wanted to get those five links which are under a tag of Button MoreInfo
A:
You have used find_element instead of find_elements.
Please change the below line and then check
links = driver.find_elements_by_xpath("//div[@class='seeMoreBtn']/a")
|
[/caption]
An international team of astronomers has identified two new tidal streams in M31, the Andromeda galaxy. They are more-or-less intact remnants of dwarf galaxies that M31 has otherwise ripped to shreds.
One team – using the Suprime-Cam camera on Subaru – discovered two new dwarf galaxy shards by mapping the sky density of red giants in M31’s outskirts; the other – using the DEIMOS spectrograph on Keck II – separated the M31 red giant wheat from the Milky Way chaff.
In a project led by collaborators Mikito Tanaka and Masashi Chiba of Tohoku University, Japan, the astronomers used the Subaru 8-meter telescope and Suprime-Cam camera to map the density of red giants in large portions of M31, including the hitherto uncharted north side. This led to the discovery of two tidal streams to the northwest (streams E and F) at projected distances of 60 and 100 kiloparsecs (200,000 and 300,000 light-years) from M31’s nucleus. The study also confirmed a few previously known streams, including the little-studied diffuse stream to the southwest (stream SW), which lies at a projected distance of 60 to 100 kiloparsecs (200,000 to 300,000 light years) from M31’s nucleus.
The Spectroscopic and Photometric Landscape of Andromeda’s Stellar Halo (SPLASH) collaboration, a large survey of red giants in M31 lead by Puragra Guhathakurta, professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, has followed up with a spectroscopic survey of several hundred red giants in Streams E, F, and SW, using the Keck II 10-meter telescope and DEIMOS spectrograph at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Analysis of the spectra from this survey yields estimates of the line-of-sight velocity of the stars, which in turn allows M31 red giants to be distinguished from foreground stars (in the Milky Way). The spectral data confirmed the presence of coherent groups of M31 red giants moving with a common velocity.
Stars spread over the vast reaches of a halo in a big galaxy like the Milky Way or M31 are characterized by old age, few elements other than helium and hydrogen (i.e. low metallicities; astronomers call all elements other than hydrogen and helium “metals”), and high velocities. The exceptional nature of these halo stars, when compared to stars in a galaxy’s disk, reflects the early dynamics and element formation of the galaxy when its appearance differed significantly from what we see today. Consequently, the halo provides important insights into the processes involved in the formation and evolution of a massive galaxy. In the best Big Bang model we have today – ΛCDM (Lambda Cold Dark Matter) – the outer halos are built up through the merger and dissolution of smaller, dwarf, satellite galaxies. “This process of galactic cannibalism is an integral part of the growth of galaxies,” said Guhathakurta.
The smooth, well-mixed population of halo stars in these large galaxies represents the aggregate of the dwarf galaxy victims of this cannibalism process, while the dwarf galaxies that are still intact as they orbit their large parent galaxy are the survivors of this process.
“The merging and dissolution of a dwarf galaxy typically lasts for a couple billion years, so one occasionally catches a large galaxy in the act of cannibalizing one of its dwarf galaxy satellites,” Guhathakurta said. “The characteristic signature of such an event is a tidal stream: an enhancement in the density of stars, localized in space and moving as a coherent group through the parent galaxy.”
Tidal streams are important because they represent a link between the victims and survivors of galactic cannibalism – an intermediate stage between the population of intact dwarf galaxies and the well-mixed stars dissolved in the halo.
The Andromeda galaxy is a unique test bed for studying the formation and evolution of a large galaxy, said Guhathakurta, “Our external vantage point gives us a global perspective of the galaxy, and yet the galaxy is close enough for us to obtain detailed measurements of individual red giant stars within it.”
One of the next steps will be to measure the detailed elemental compositions (“chemical properties”, in astronomer-speak) of red giants in these newly discovered tidal streams in M31. Comparing the chemical properties of tidal streams, intact dwarf satellites, and the smooth halo will be of particular significance, Guhathakurta said. Mikito Tanaka put it this way: “Further observational surveys of an entire halo region in Andromeda will provide very useful information on galaxy formation, including how many and how massive individual dwarf galaxies as building blocks are and how star formation and chemical evolution proceeded in each dwarf galaxy.”
At the present time, detailed studies of the chemical properties of tidal streams, intact dwarf satellites, and smooth stellar halos are possible only in the Milky Way and M31 galaxies and their immediate surroundings. Existing telescopes and instruments are simply not powerful enough for astronomers to carry out such studies in more distant galaxies. This situation will improve greatly with the advent of the planned Thirty Meter Telescope later in this decade, Guhathakurta said.
Tanaka’s team published their survey results in a recent Astrophysics Journal (ApJ) paper (the preprint is arXiv:0908.0245), and Guhathakurta’s team presented their results on the newly discovered tidal streams earlier this month at the 215th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington, D.C.; they hope to have an ApJ paper on these results published later this year. You can read an earlier SPLASH paper, “The SPLASH Survey: A Spectroscopic Portrait of Andromeda’s Giant Southern Stream”, published in ApJ (the preprint is arxiv:0909.4540).
Sources: University of California, Santa Cruz, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. |
Finch beaks point to a Creator who provides
Finches have been identified as part of a created kind that has diversified
considerably since the Flood of Noah’s time.1 They
are well known for their variation in beak size and shape. These differences
in beak morphology between various species of finches are associated with differences
in diet. It appears that these differences have played an important role in
allowing birds to fill numerous ecological niches around the world.
Not by chance
Both creationists and evolutionists recognize that finches share common ancestry.
So why are different beak shapes characteristic of different species of finches?
Darwin popularized the idea that variation could be acted on by natural selection
to produce the variations in beak shapes he observed between different species
of finches on the Galápagos Islands. While naturalistic mechanisms may play
some role in producing the patterns we see today, creationists have pointed
out that they are insufficient to account for the variety seen within created
kinds.1
One issue to address is the source of variation. Is it really random, as is
commonly believed, or were creatures designed to be able to vary?
Beaks can vary in three dimensions: length, width, and depth. The morphology
of the beak in an individual adult is determined during its development. Research
on Darwin’s finches is revealing molecular mechanisms that account for
these differences in development. Two distinct developmental phases are responsible
for determining adult beak shape. The details are fascinating and contradict
the assertion that variation is random. Rather, they reveal a purposeful design.
The first step: prenasal cartilage formation
Six different species of Darwin’s finches (Geospiza) were compared
and it was discovered that expression of Bmp4, a gene that plays important
roles during development, was correlated with depth and width in finch beaks.2 The
time, place, and level of expression were all found to be important. The sharp
beaked finch (G. difficilis) has a small symmetrical beak that appears
to be relatively unspecialized; it was used as the reference species. In this
species Bmp4 expression is first detected in the area of prenasal
cartilage formation at embryonic stage 26. By stage 29, the cartilage is apparent
and expression continues in a limited area surrounding it. Ground finches have
deeper, wider beaks. In the species with the greatest width and depth (G.
magnirostris), elevated Bmp4 expression was detected by stage
26. In the other two species of ground finch, elevated expression was detected,
but not until stage 29. The last two species, both cactus finches, had more
pointed beaks and did not show the relative increase in the expression of Bmp4.
Were creatures designed to be able to vary?
The scientists ran several other tests to confirm that Bmp4 is actually
responsible for the differences in beak depth and width. The results highlight
the importance of where in the embryo the increased expression of
this gene takes place. When they artificially increased the level of expression
in a chicken embryo at the appropriate stage of development, the results depended
on where the increase occurred. When it was in the mesenchyme region where
the prenasal cartilage forms, it caused a deeper, wider beak, as is characteristic
of ground finches. When the increased expression was in the nearby facial epithelium,
the beaks were narrower and smaller. Thus, time, place, and degree of gene
expression are all critical factors affecting final beak morphology.
A separate study found that increased calmodulin expression is correlated
with greater beak length.3 Calmodulin
is a ubiquitous calcium-binding protein involved in a variety of calcium-dependent
cell functions. An elongated beak enables cactus finches to probe flowers for
food. Again using local upregulation in a chick embryo’s mesenchyme the
researchers were able to show that it resulted in a longer beak. So, beak length
is regulated separately from depth and width during this stage of development.
The second step: premaxillary bone formation
The premaxillary bone also contributes to the final shape of the beak. It
forms later and appears to be independent of prenasal cartilage formation.4 Another
study was done which found that differences in the expression of several other
genes (TGFβIIr, β-catenin, and Dickkopf-3) were
correlated with differences in beak shape. Increased expression of these genes
was correlated with increased beak length and depth, while beak width remained
relatively unchanged. Again, when and where they were expressed was important.5
Is anyone selecting?
It is apparent that differences in beak shape can result from shifts in gene
expression during the complicated development process. So the next question
is how does a particular beak shape become characteristic of an interbreeding
population (species) of finches? The standard answer is natural selection.
But how can nature select if it has no mind? It cannot. However, the term is
used by biologists to describe a potentially valid biological concept.
It is possible that certain individuals in a population have traits that are
advantageous and allow them to be more successful at surviving and producing
offspring. Others may have traits which hinder their survival and/or their
ability to produce offspring in a given environment. Since those with the advantageous
traits should leave more offspring for the next generation, those traits should
become more common in the population.
One example in finches that seems to fit this concept involves the disappearance
of many adult birds from a medium ground finch (G. fortis) population
following periods of drought.7 A high
adult mortality was recorded, which appeared to be from the loss of a previously
abundant food source. The remaining birds tended to be larger and better able
to exploit the remaining food source.
Evidence of provision
While the explanation seems plausible enough, other factors may be involved.
The most obvious is bird behaviour. If some individuals find an environment
unsuitable, what would stop them from migrating? In this case they could still
have offspring, but they would be living elsewhere. In a similar way, if a
new niche became available, it might be invaded by relatively few individuals
that had traits that fit well with the niche. In this case the high proportion
of those traits is not from less fit individuals dying off early as much as
it is from adapted individuals moving in and founding a population in that
area.8 So both migration and the founder
effect are also plausible explanations for the observation that some traits,
like beak shape, have become characteristic of different populations.
There is evidence that bird behaviour has been involved in shifts in the traits
of Darwin’s finches. After the severe drought, hybridization between
medium ground finches (G. fortis) and common cactus finches (G.
scandens) appears to have restored some of the variability in beak size
that had been lost during the harsh drought conditions.9 This
was helpful as some previous food sources became available again after the
rains returned. In addition to the behaviour of the birds affecting the pattern
of traits in a population, there could also be genetic or epigenetic factors
which affect them (e.g. gene conversion, heritable epigenetic changes, phenotypic
plasticity). Environmental factors could signal common traits to undergo rapid
readjustment, as seen in captive foxes, even after generations of stable traits.10 So,
while ‘natural selection’ may have played a role in some cases,
it is important not to glibly attribute all shifts in traits to it. Doing so
obscures what is really going on.
Which way does the beak point?
It is fascinating to learn about a portion of the complex developmental pathways
that are involved in developing bird beaks. These well-designed networks are
impressive as they coordinate the development of the beak in a way that the
components properly fit so the beak is functional. Even more impressively,
the design does not result in a ‘one-size-fits-all’ beak, but provides
for adjustments so the beak can be useful in a wide variety of habitats. Two
dimensions can be changed in concert with each other (such as width and depth
in the first stage) or independently.
Not only must the beak be able to form, but it must
be properly integrated with the rest of the body so as to be functional.
Though these findings were interpreted within an evolutionary worldview, they
don’t support the conjecture that beaked finches evolved from a beakless
ancestor. Certainly there is evidence that the birds have adapted to different
niches because the shape of the beak can vary between individuals. Changing
the final beak shape requires that all the information for beak formation already
be in place. Not only must the beak be able to form, but it must be properly
integrated with the rest of the body so as to be functional. All this suggests
considerable planning and foresight was involved in the design of beak formation
in birds.
The evidence fits very well in the creation model. Both birds and sea creatures
were created on Day 5. Then, God blessed them and said, “Be
fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the
birds increase on the earth” (Genesis 1:22 NIV). In learning
about beak development we catch a glimpse of one way God has provided for birds
so the earth can be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18). The harsh realities of death
are recognized as effects of the Fall (Genesis 3; Romans 8:19–22). Yet
in the midst of this, God still provides. He gives birds wisdom so they can
survive (Job 35:11), which is evidenced by their behaviour in finding food
sources and a mate. There are certainly many ways God has provided for them
that we have yet to learn as we continue to study them. What an awesome Creator
we have!
Though often bone is formed on a cartilage template, these two development
phases seem to be independent in this portion of craniofacial development.
Mallarino, R., Grant, P.R., Grant B.R., Herrel, A., Kuo, W.P. and Abzhanov,
A., Two developmental modules establish 3D beak-shape variation in Darwin’s
finches, PNAS108(10):4057–4062, 2011. Return
to text.
In ground finches there was expression in a broader area within the mesenchyme
compared to that of cactus finches. In the large ground finch, expression
also appeared earlier. Return to text.
Darwin, C., Journal of researches into the natural history and geology
of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world,
under the Command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N., 2nd ed., 1845. Return
to text.
6,000 years of earth history. That's a long time in our opinion! Over 8,000 free web articles on creation.com. That's a lot of information! Take advantage of this free information but please support CMI as God provides. Thank you. Support this site |
/* eslint no-console: 1 */
console.warn('You are using the default filter for the users service. For more information about event filters see https://docs.feathersjs.com/api/events.html#event-filtering'); // eslint-disable-line no-console
module.exports = function (data, connection, hook) { // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
return data;
};
|
Tyler Rai Barriss – the 25-year-old man from southern California who SWATted an innocent man who was killed in a subsequent police shooting – will plead guilty to 46 new federal charges, according to local news outlets in Kansas, where victim Andrew Finch lived and where Barriss is in prison.
A federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday also names two other men who were allegedly involved in the fatal SWATting incident: Casey Viner, of Ohio, and Shane Gaskill, of Wichita, Kansas. Both have been charged and have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges.
The new charges, filed in California on Wednesday, also list four unindicted co-conspirators: Twitter user “@INTERNETLORD” of Des Plaines, Illinois; “@TRAGIC” of Gulf Breeze, Florida; “@THROW” of Grand Rapids, Michigan; and “@SPARED” of Greenwood, Missouri.
According to prosecutors, Gaskill was the intended victim of the SWAT, which grew out of a Call of Duty game in which two teammates were disputing a $1.50 wager. Apparently, one had accidentally “killed” a teammate in the first-person shooter game.
According to court documents, Gaskill at one point saw that Barriss (@SWAuTistic) was following him on Twitter, so he allegedly gave him what turned out to be a former address – a house that he owned and which Finch was renting – and taunted Barriss to go ahead with the SWAT.
What @SWAuTistic is pleading guilty to
SWATting, which takes its name from elite law enforcement units called SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) teams, is the practice of making a false report to emergency services about shootings, bomb threats, hostage taking, or other alleged violent crime in the hopes that law enforcement will respond to a targeted address with deadly force.
In the recording of the emergency call that cost Finch his life, a man said he’d shot his father in the head. The caller also said he was holding his mother and a sibling at gunpoint in a closet. He said he’d poured gasoline all over the house and that he was thinking of lighting the house on fire and committing suicide.
Police surrounded Finch’s Wichita home, prepared to deal with a hostage situation. Finch, curious about the flashing police lights outside, went to the door. He then followed police instructions to put up his hands and move slowly. But at some point, authorities said, Finch appeared to be moving his hand toward his waistband as if he was going to pull out a gun.
A single shot killed Finch. He was dead by the time he reached the hospital. Police said the innocent man was unarmed.
Barriss was arrested in December 2017, charged a month later, expressed barely tepid remorse that veered off into
I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION
@SWAuTistic – one of Barriss’s alleged aliases – claimed credit for placing dozens of these calls, calling in bogus hostage situations and bomb threats at roughly 100 schools and at least 10 residences. He also claimed responsibility for bomb threats against a high school in Florida and a bomb threat that interrupted the net neutrality vote.
According to the new charges, Barriss made dozens of hoax threats between September 2014 and December 2017 to places around the country, including that he had shot people at homes; planted bombs at Harvard University, a shopping center, schools and other buildings; and that he had planted bombs in a high school and a movie theater and was outside each armed with a gun.
He allegedly targeted high schools, hotels, television stations, shopping centers, an apartment complex, a Philadelphia museum and West Virginia University.
The long list of charges includes bank fraud: one such alleges that Barriss and a co-conspirator used someone else’s credit and debit card to purchase a NASA hat, a belt and shoes. He’s also been charged with involuntary manslaughter, making false/hoax reports to emergency services, cyberstalking, making interstate threats, making interstate threats to harm by fire, wire fraud, and conspiracy to make false/hoax reports.
His trial was originally set for 1 October, but his defense attorney said he needed more time to prepare. His new trial date is 7 January 2019. |
Now you can buy Complete Radiators, Complete Clutch Disc, Radiator Parts and Radiator elements from Matara Rohana Motors (Pvt) Ltd, in Sri Lanka. We are selling all type of radiator parts in Matara area for reasonable rates. Contact us for all type of Radiator parts in Matara. |
1. Introduction {#sec1}
===============
Situated in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, mitochondria are essential for normal cell function. Notably, these dynamic, double membrane structures gained considerable attention in recent years due to their role in Ca^2+^ homeostasis, interorganelle communication, cell proliferation, and senescence, as well as the orchestration of various signaling pathways some of which determine cell commitment to death or survival \[[@B1]\]. Most importantly, their vital function in cell physiology is by providing the cell with energy in the form of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). The latter, taking place in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), is composed of respiratory chain complexes I--IV and F~o~F~1~-ATP synthase (ATP synthase). The OXPHOS allows for \~30 molecules of ATP to be made per one molecule of glucose or 15 times more than by glycolysis.
Mitochondria also contain their own genome which encodes proteins essential for OXPHOS function. Maternally transmitted human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is circular, double-stranded helix which encodes 22 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs, and 13 core proteins that assemble in and determine the efficiency of all but succinate dehydrogenase (complex II) complexes of respiratory chain. Its copy number varies between cell type and developmental stage and lies between 10^3^ and 10^4^ per cell to meet the energy requirements of any specific cell type at a given time. In healthy humans, mtDNA population was initially thought to be uniform or homoplasmic, although recent studies suggest that this is only true for \~10% of individuals \[[@B2]\]. Upon cell division, mtDNA replicates and mitochondria are randomly segregated between daughter cells. Consequently, mutations in the mitochondrial genome give rise to heteroplasmy where normal and mutant mtDNA populations coexist resulting in genetic drift toward either pure mutant or wild type \[[@B3]\]. Over time, the percentage of mutant alleles may increase leading to decline in bioenergetic capacity. Once the threshold is reached, mitochondria fail to make enough energy and symptoms appear. Over 200 \[[@B4]\] debilitating, life-threatening, and therapeutically challenging diseases, termed mitochondrial diseases, have been linked to mutations in both mtDNA and nuclear DNA encoding for mitochondrially localized proteins. Major difficulties, first diagnosing the disease and then providing a treatment, lie in the complexity and heterogeneity of these disorders both in terms of genetic variation and clinical phenotypes. Yet, they all share a common element---decreased energy supply as a consequence of mitochondrial dysfunction. Within this group of disorders, commonly observed mitochondrial abnormalities include mitochondrial network fragmentation \[[@B5], [@B6]\], decreased OXPHOS capacity \[[@B7]\], increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) \[[@B8]--[@B10]\], and Ca^2+^ deregulation and alterations in mitochondrial ultrastructure \[[@B11]--[@B15]\]. All of these features are consistent with impaired regulation of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP), a conserved physiological process in mitochondria of all eukaryotes.
2. The Enigma of the Mitochondrial Permeability Transition {#sec2}
==========================================================
The PTP is a cyclosporine A- (CsA-) sensitive high-conductance channel in the IMM which is triggered by Ca^2+^ and potentiated by ROS. Once activated, it allows for unselective diffusion of \<1500 Da solutes and water across the IMM. Two states of channel openings have been identified: short in duration, so-called flickering, and long-lasting openings. The former are thought to serve a physiological role by allowing for a quick exchange of solutes (e.g., Ca^2+^, oxygen radicals) between the mitochondrial matrix and the cytosol required for signaling \[[@B16]\]. Long-lasting openings result in mitochondrial depolarization, ATP consumption rather than generation in attempt to maintain IMM potential \[[@B17]\], burst in ROS, impaired cellular Ca^2+^ homeostasis, mitochondrial swelling, and release of proapoptotic factors into the cytosol to initiate cell death \[[@B18]\]. Thus, the openings of long duration are detrimental to mitochondria and mark the point of no return in cell life and death.
While the great deal of information has been collected about the regulation of the PTP (see \[[@B18]--[@B21]\]), its exact structural components remain the province of further experimentation. The initial belief that the PTP forms at the adjoining sites of the IMM and outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) through association of a variety of proteins (e.g., VDAC, TSPO, and adenine nucleotide transporter (ANT) \[[@B22]--[@B24]\] among others) in each membrane has not been supported by rigorous genetic tests \[[@B25]--[@B28]\]; mitochondria missing these proteins still displayed a CsA-sensitive PTP opening (see \[[@B18]\] for extensive review). These findings prompted a multidisciplinary resurgence in the quest for the identification of the proteins that form the regulated channel defined as the PTP.
2.1. ATP Synthase as a Structural Component of the PTP {#sec2.1}
------------------------------------------------------
It is important to recognize that the PTP is exclusively an IMM event \[[@B23], [@B29]\]. Consequently, recent studies suggest that ATP synthase forms the long-sought PTP \[[@B30]--[@B35]\], but exact molecular mechanism of pore formation within the IMM or ATP synthase specifically has yet to be established. Mitochondrial ATP synthase is evolutionary conserved enzyme of the IMM, whose main function is to make ATP from ADP and phosphate. This multisubunit complex is made of 17 different proteins that are assembled into two main domains, the membrane extrinsic catalytic sector F~1~ (formed by subunits *α* and *β*, three copies each) and membrane intrinsic proton-conducting sector F~o~ (made of subunits c, which in mammals forms an 8-member ring, a, and supernumerary subunits e, f, g, A6L, DAPIT, and 6.8PL) \[[@B36], [@B37]\]. They are connected through central and peripheral stalks comprised of subunits *γ*, *δ*, and *ε* and subunits b, d, F~6~, and OSCP respectively \[[@B36], [@B38]\]. Two approaches to manipulate ATP synthase have been employed to test this theory, and two major hypotheses on the role of this complex of proteins in PTP formation have emerged in the last 5 years (discussed below).
### 2.1.1. Dimer Hypothesis {#sec2.1.1}
The first hypothesis proposes that PTP is formed by PTP-specific conformation of dimers of ATP synthase when it shifts from ATP-synthetizing to ATP-dissipating nanomachine, the "dimer" hypothesis. In a seminal work, Giorgio and colleagues \[[@B30]\] have demonstrated that purified bovine ATP synthase dimers, but not monomers, can conduct currents when inserted into planar lipid bilayers which are activated by Ca^2+^ and oxidizing agents. These currents were closed upon addition of ADP/Mg^2+^ (established PTP desensitizers) and correlated well with the currents observed in patch clamped IMM preparations (mitoplasts) attributed to mitochondrial mega channel (MMC), an electrophysiological equivalent of the PTP \[[@B39], [@B40]\]. These findings were later supported by similar studies in yeast and Drosophila \[[@B31]--[@B33]\]. Interestingly, even though channel activities of ATP synthase dimers were observed in all species tested and possessed the same regulatory pattern (i.e., were activated by Ca^2+^ plus thiol oxidants and inactivated by ADP/Mg^2+^), their maximum conductance state differed, varying from 1 ns to 300 ps to 53 ps in *B. taurus*, *S. cerevisiae*, and *D. melanogaster*, respectively \[[@B30]--[@B32]\]. These results imply that the pore diameter may vary between species.
The "dimer" hypothesis was further endorsed by studies of yeast PTP in strains lacking ATP synthase dimerization subunits e and g. These mitochondria could handle about twice as much Ca^2+^ compared to wild-type preparations before the yeast PTP occurred \[[@B31]\] and do not swell in sucrose-based media upon PTP opening \[[@B33]\]. Further, Carraro et al. have demonstrated that in contrast to what was previously believed, dimers are still present in mutant mitochondria. They are less stable, however, and require crosslinking with Cu^2+^ to be detectable by BN-PAGE \[[@B33]\]; thus, they were missed in previous studies \[[@B31]\]. In support of these findings, the cryo-EM structure of yeast ATP synthase dimer revealed that subunits e and g do not directly participate in dimer formation, but rather facilitate it through contacts with subunits b and f \[[@B41]\]. Interestingly, when put in planar lipid bilayers, Cu^2+^-stabilized dimers devoid of subunits e and g conducted Ca^2+^-dependent channel activity, yet with 10-fold lower currents than controls. These currents could be further reduced by eliminating the first transmembrane domain of subunit b \[[@B33]\]. Thus, the full conductance channels might reflect the long-lasting PTP openings that result in mitochondria demise, while the low conductance channels observed above could well reflect the flickering state of the PTP with distinct physiological roles, e.g., a quick Ca^2+^ release as observed in Drosophila \[[@B32]\].
### 2.1.2. c-Ring Hypothesis {#sec2.1.2}
An alternative or "c-ring" hypothesis has been the subject of much controversy. This hypothesis is primarily advocated by Bonora\'s group \[[@B35], [@B42], [@B43]\] and supported by findings gathered by Alavian et al. \[[@B44]\] and Azarashvili et al. \[[@B45]\]. It proposes that the central component of the PTP is constituted by the c subunit of the ATP synthase. In HeLa cells, interference with c subunit expression levels has resulted in a change in PTP opening probability. While downregulation caused its desensitization, overexpression resulted in sensitization \[[@B43], [@B44]\]. Moreover, when purified c subunits were added to isolated mitochondria, excess c subunit induced the PTP, and when added to bilayer membranes, conducted currents that were cation selective \[[@B45]\] rather than showing lack of selectivity normally associated with PTP function \[[@B46], [@B47]\]. An additional study \[[@B44]\] detected PTP resembling currents upon c subunit incorporation into proteoliposomes. In support of c-ring being an important player in PTP formation, Morciano et al. discovered 1,3,8-triazaspiro\[4.5\]decane derivatives as ligands of c subunit. These molecules delayed PTP opening upon Ca^2+^ overload and were protective in *ex vivo* models of ischemia-reperfusion injury \[[@B48]\].
Mechanistically, supporters of this model propose that, upon excess Ca^2+^ and ROS, dissociation (rather than association as suggested in "dimer" hypothesis) of dimers and detachment of F~1~ sector would allow for conformational change of c-ring which would then form the PTP \[[@B42]\]. The major issue with "c-ring" hypothesis is that significant structural alterations have to occur upon relatively modest change in the surrounding environment; they need to be quick and reversible. First, F~1~ sector would need to be removed from F~o~, and second, the lumen of c-ring would have to be emptied of lipids to allow the passage of molecules upon PTP opening. Neither is an easy task. Indeed, it was experimentally determined that as much as 2M urea is required to dissociate F~1~ from F~o~ and it is hard to believe comparable conditions would form in the mitochondrial matrix \[[@B18]\]. Moreover, Zhou et al. have performed atomistic simulations of c-ring from two species, *S. cerevisiae* and *B. pseudofirmus*. Their results concluded that hydration of the lumen of the c-ring pore, required to allow the conducing state to form, is highly unlikely \[[@B49]\]. Regardless, even if hydrated under certain circumstances, the channel would not be only anion selective but also the predicted conductance values (2.5 ps for K^+^ and 116 ps for Cl^−^) would be inconsistent with properties of the PTP \[[@B49]\].
Lastly, Walker laboratory disrupted all three genes encoding for c subunit in order to determine if it is involved in PTP formation. He et al. \[[@B50]\] reported that, despite the loss of c-ring (alongside with a and DAPIT), mutant cells still displayed a CsA-sensitive Ca^2+^-induced Ca^2+^ release and membrane depolarization typically associated with the PTP that was comparable to parent cells. However, Neginskaya et al., while testing the same cells, found that mutants lacking c subunit are more sensitive to Ca^2+^-triggered membrane depolarization and thus, by inference, PTP opening \[[@B51]\]. Further, patch clamp analysis failed to register typical to PTP-conducing channels (\~1.5 nS) in mutant preparations, yet observed the emergence of much smaller, 300 pS channels \[[@B51]\], putting subunit c back in contention as critical component of the PTP, be it direct or indirect.
### 2.1.3. Additional Studies {#sec2.1.3}
In tests of ATP synthase as a fundamental component of the PTP, Walker and Bernardi\'s laboratories have taken two distinct approaches. Walker\'s group generated HAP1 clonal cell lines lacking select ATP synthase subunits and has established that subunits c, b, OSCP, a, and A6L (as set by Masgras et al. \[[@B52]\]) are dispensable for pore formation \[[@B50], [@B53]\]. It is important to note that in cells devoid of subunits c, b, and OSCP, ATP synthase fails to assemble properly \[[@B50], [@B53]\]. Regardless, all of the lines created showed comparable sensitivity to Ca^2+^-induced PTP activity (including Ca^2+^ release and mitochondrial membrane depolarization) to wild-type controls and sensitivity to CsA. The additional finding of one of these studies was that PTP activity was desensitized by CsA in OSCP-null line \[[@B53]\], a rather unexpected observation refuting the previous findings \[[@B30]\] of OSCP subunit being the PTP-modulating binding partner of the mitochondrial peptidyl-prolyl *cis-trans* isomerase D (cyclophilin D, CyPD), thus introducing yet another mystery into PTP complex. However, despite the fact that the "pore" of the PTP must form in the membrane, the essential role of membrane subunits e, g, f, and 6.8PL in mammalian PTP formation has yet to be established.
Bernardi and colleagues, on the other hand, sought to determine the sites of action of major PTP regulators, namely, Ca^2+^ and pH, by site-directed mutagenesis of individual proteins within the ATP synthase complex. They have found that Ca^2+^ binding to catalytic site of the *β* subunit, possibly by replacing Mg^2+^, would cause local conformational change which would propagate through OSCP subunit and lateral stalk of ATP synthase to the IMM to form a pore within transmembrane subunits of the enzyme. The T163S mutation in subunit *β* rendered HeLa cell mitochondria less sensitive to Ca^2+^-triggered PTP opening and to cell death, as well as decreased the number of apoptotic nuclei in zebrafish embryos \[[@B54]\]. In subsequent work, this group identified a unique histidine of the OSCP (H112) as responsible for the PTP inhibition at acidic pH. Hek293 cells in which this His was changed to Gln or Tyr were refractory to (i) MMC inhibition and (ii) prevention of Ca^2+^ overload-induced mitochondrial swelling upon pH switch from 7.4 to 6.5. Further, mutant cells failed to be protected from cell death at acidic pH upon anoxic conditions \[[@B55]\]. Molecular dynamic simulations suggested that protonation of H112, similarly to what was modelled for subunit *β* T163S mutant \[[@B54]\], would cause a conformational change in enzyme\'s lateral stalk which would then prevent channel formation. Finally, the elegant study led by Guo et al. \[[@B56]\] identified an evolutionarily conserved residue within yeast subunit g (R107) as a target of phenylglyoxal, an established PTP modifier \[[@B57], [@B58]\].
2.2. ANT: Reemergence of an Old Player {#sec2.2}
--------------------------------------
While studying the MMC properties in mitochondria lacking c subunit, Neginskaya et al. observed that the detected lower conductance channel was inhibited by CsA, ADP, and bongkrekic acid \[[@B51]\]. Latter features closely resemble channel activities previously reported for purified ANT \[[@B59]\].
The ANT is an integral IMM protein of solute carrier family which facilities ADP exchange for ATP between cytosol and mitochondrial matrix. It was included in the early models of the PTP for several reasons. First, it was found that its ligands, atractylate and bongkrekate, modulate the PTP. The former favors PTP opening and the latter favors PTP closing in the presence of Ca^2+^ \[[@B60], [@B61]\]. Second, ANT copurified with VDAC and hexokinase in detergent membrane extracts and displayed properties resembling those of PTP after reconstitution in liposomes alone or in concert with VDAC and CyPD \[[@B59], [@B62], [@B63]\]. Later studies determined that mitochondria from the ANT1/2 null mouse livers, although losing a detectable response to atractylate, bongkrekate, and ADP and being less sensitive to Ca^2+^-induced Ca^2+^ release, still underwent a CsA-sensitive PTP. These studies led to conclusion that ANT is not essential for PTP formation \[[@B28]\]. However, this early study missed the third isoform, the ANT4. ANT4 is predominantly expressed in the testis, but, at least in the mouse livers, steps in once ANT1/2 are ablated \[[@B64], [@B65]\]. Mitochondria lacking all three isoforms showed striking resistance to Ca^2+^-induced PTP opening and greatly reduced channel conductance in patch clamped mitoplast. The detected currents were not inhibited by ADP/Mg^2+^ \[[@B65]\]. Moreover, recently, ANT1 was identified as a likely voltage sensor of the PTP. Study led by Doczi \[[@B66]\] confirmed that the absence of ANT1 results in delayed PTP opening in response to Ca^2+^ overload and treatment with H~2~O~2~ in patient-derived fibroblasts, as well as cultured cells, and demonstrated that cells lacking ANT1 require higher voltage threshold for Ca^2+^-induced PTP activation \[[@B66]\].
Taken together, great progress has been made in recent years in attempt to elucidate the long-sought PTP. A wealth of findings supports the notion of ATP synthase as being a PTP-forming entity \[[@B34]\], yet does not conclusively provide the site and mechanism of pore formation, and it appears that ANT \[[@B65], [@B66]\] plays a more important role in this phenomenon than initially thought.
3. Evidence of PTP Involvement in Mitochondrial Disorders {#sec3}
=========================================================
Compromised PTP activation is recognized to play a pivotal role in vast variety of human disorders \[[@B18], [@B21]\]. The most studied pathologies that include ischemia-reperfusion injury of different organs, muscular dystrophies, and central nervous system diseases are reviewed in \[[@B18], [@B20], [@B67]\]. One of the outcomes of prolonged PTP opening is the reversal of ATP synthase to function as ATP hydrolyzing rather than synthetizing enzyme in an attempt to maintain the IMM potential. In this scenario, not only OXPHOS-derived ATP is lost, but ATP derived from glycolysis and mitochondrial substrate-level phosphorylation is also consumed \[[@B17], [@B68], [@B69]\] which eventually results in bioenergetic crisis. Importantly, compromised energy metabolism is the central dogma of mitochondrial diseases \[[@B70]\]. Below we overview the evidence linking the PTP and mitochondrial disorders in four disease paradigms.
3.1. Leber\'s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy {#sec3.1}
-----------------------------------------
Leber\'s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is the most common mtDNA disorder and is most often, but not limited, to mutations in genes encoding components of complex I; additional genes include *MT-ATP6* \[[@B71]--[@B74]\] which encodes ATP synthase subunit a. LHON is characterized by (sub)acute loss of central vision which may affect both eyes simultaneously or start in one and then, within several weeks or months, affect the other. The loss of vision is due to degeneration of retinal ganglion cells and the optic nerve \[[@B75], [@B76]\]. The use of cell lines containing nuclear DNA from one cell and mtDNA from the other (cybrids) proved to be crucial in characterizing mtDNA-related phenotypes. Studies in cybrid cell lines harboring mutations known to cause LHON revealed that these cells (i) are sensitized to Ca^2+^- or oxidative stress-triggered membrane depolarization and cell death compared to controls \[[@B75], [@B77]\] and (ii) their mitochondria depolarize if challenged with respiratory chain or ATP synthase inhibitors in a ROS- and Ca^2+^-dependent manner \[[@B78]\], effects that could be counteracted by CsA treatment. The ability of CsA to defer cell death prompted a trial of its oral version (Neoral, Novartis) in LHON patients with acute, strictly unilateral optic neuropathy aimed at preventing the involvement of a second eye. The primary end point of this study---the preservation of visual acuity of the second eye---was not achieved \[[@B79]\]; thus, the trial is considered as failed. Yet, it did delay the involvement of the second eye to the median interval of 28 weeks compared to 6-8 weeks reported in the literature \[[@B79], [@B80]\]. Several reasons for the lack of prevention of disease progression could be put forward. First, CsA might not have been the best drug to test. Due to its immunosuppressive abilities, the drug has to be administered at well-controlled doses. Importantly, the presence of the drug in blood does not mean that it reaches mitochondria in retinal ganglion cells at therapeutic concentrations. The drug has to cross the blood-ocular barrier first, and studies in rats and rabbits did not detect CsA in the ocular tissues upon oral or intravenous administration \[[@B81], [@B82]\]; similar studies in humans revealed detectable CsA levels in aqueous humor only upon severe uveitis \[[@B83]\]. Moreover, CsA (as discussed below) and all the molecules acting on CyPD only desensitize the PTP, but do not block it. Second, it might be that in order to reach the maximum protective effect, treatment must be started before the pathological process had set in. It is worth noting that 4 out of 5 patients of this study presented with subtle abnormalities of the central visual field of the second eye indicating that degenerative process might have already started \[[@B79]\].
3.2. Neurogenic Muscle Weakness, Ataxia, and Retinitis Pigmentosa (NARP) {#sec3.2}
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NARP syndrome was first documented in 1990 \[[@B84]\] and most commonly is due to a point mutation m.8993T\>G in mtDNA (when mutational load is between 70 and 90%) which falls into *MT-ATP6* gene encoding ATP synthase subunit a \[[@B9]\]. This mutation results in biochemical traits such as impaired OXPHOS, increase in ROS, and higher mitochondrial potential \[[@B8], [@B9], [@B85]--[@B87]\]. Studies in m.8993T\>G osteosarcoma 143B cybrids revealed that NARP cells were more sensitive to PTP opening and cell death upon ROS, Ca^2+^, lipid, bongkrekic acid, and amyloid *β* challenge which was largely attenuated upon antioxidant treatment.
3.3. French-Canadian Variant of Leigh Syndrome {#sec3.3}
----------------------------------------------
An interesting case with contradicting data is presented by studies of mitochondrial function in fibroblasts from patients harboring a mutation in \[[@B88]\] and the mouse livers lacking \[[@B89]\] the leucine-rich pentatricopeptide repeat containing (LRPPRC) protein. *LRPPRC* gene encodes a protein that stabilizes mitochondrially encoded mRNAs; its absence results in severe defects in the assembly of OXPHOS complexes IV and V \[[@B89]--[@B92]\]. Mutations in *LRPPRC* cause the French-Canadian variant of Leigh syndrome, a disease characterized with a sudden metabolic acidosis which often results in early death \[[@B93]\]. Fibroblasts from affected patients presented with mitochondrial network fragmentation, impaired oxidative phosphorylation capacity, lower membrane potential, and increased sensitivity to Ca^2+^-induced PTP opening \[[@B88]\]. The opposite effect in terms of PTP opening was detected in mitochondria coming from the mouse livers lacking LRPPRC. In this model, loss of LRPPRC resulted in multifaceted bioenergetic phenotype, which includes aberrant mitochondrial ultrastructure, OXPHOS defects, reduction in *MT-ATP6* transcript, and impairment of ATP synthase assembly. Yet, these mitochondria were less sensitive to Ca^2+^-triggered PTP opening and almost refractory to CsA treatment despite expressing twice as much CyPD compared to controls \[[@B89]\]. While the first finding enforces the notion that ATP synthase dimers function as PTP-forming units, the latter is quite unexpected because CyPD is viewed as PTP sensitizer and treatment with CsA displaces it from its binding site releasing PTP sensitization. The most plausible explanation for higher CyPD levels causing resistance to Ca^2+^ overload rather than sensitization is that the PTP-regulating CyPD binding site (probably on ATP synthase) has been lost in this model.
3.4. Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-Like Episodes (MELAS) {#sec3.4}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MELAS, first reported in 1984 \[[@B94]\], is a condition that affects many organs, most severely the muscle and the brain. It can be caused by point mutations in a number of genes, the most common being m.3243A\>G in *MT-TL1* encoding mitochondrial transfer RNA \[[@B95]\]. As it is true for all mitochondrial disorders, the disease is rare, its pathogenesis is not fully understood, and disease management is largely supportive \[[@B96]\]. Mitochondria in MELAS fibroblasts show elevated resting Ca^2+^, decreased membrane potential, and higher ROS, are swollen with disintegrated IMM, and tend to accumulate around nucleus \[[@B15], [@B77], [@B97]--[@B99]\]. Studies in cybrids harboring m.3243A\>G mutation determined that mutant cells are more sensitive to H~2~O~2~-induced cell death which could be deferred by Ca^2+^ depletion or CsA treatment \[[@B77]\]. Involvement of PTP in this pathology was further supported by findings of Cotán et al. This group reported that cultured fibroblasts from MELAS patients contain mitochondria with reduced membrane potential, increased oxidative stress, and sensitized PTP opening \[[@B99]\].
4. Pharmacological Targeting of PTP {#sec4}
===================================
In spite of the importance of the PTP in a variety of disease paradigms, its potential as a drug target is currently not fully exploited, in part due to yet unresolved its molecular identity as discussed above. An extensive list of drugs has been reported to delay PTP opening in *in vitro* studies. However, the majority of these drugs have limited efficacy, are active only at high doses and/or affect PTP indirectly, and thus, are of little relevance for clinical use (see \[[@B100]\] for extensive list and commentary). Only CsA, an 11-amino acid cyclic peptide, best known for its immunosuppressive activities due to binding to cyclophilin A, and its nonimmunosuppressive derivatives Debio-025 (Alisporivir) and NIM811, proved to be useful PTP inhibitors. Although these compounds played a crucial role in establishing PTP as a major player in numerous pathologies \[[@B18], [@B101]--[@B109]\], they desensitize the PTP (by displacing CyPD from its site of action) rather than affect the pore itself and thus afford limited efficacy \[[@B110]\].
Recently, significant efforts were put to fill this void. They can be divided into two classes: (i) phenotypic screens for small molecules affecting PTP directly and not acting on CyPD and (ii) rational drug design-based search for novel small molecule CyPD inhibitors.
4.1. High-Throughput Screens for CyPD-Independent PTP Inhibitors {#sec4.1}
----------------------------------------------------------------
A number of groups aimed to discover novel, CyPD-independent small molecule inhibitors of the PTP with the prospect of targeting the channel directly. It would allow the drug-treated mitochondria to resist to higher stress stimuli than could be achieved by targeting CyPD. In all three screening campaigns (as detailed in \[[@B110]\]), the osmotic swelling of isolated liver mitochondria upon Ca^2+^ overload was followed in the presence of test compounds. In two of the studies, the initial hits were then improved through extensive medicinal chemistry optimization strategies and subsequently tested against a variety of PTP-inducing stimuli.
Fancelli et al. tested commercial library of FDA-approved drugs and identified cinnamic anilides as their most potent series. The best of these compounds not only delayed PTP opening *in vitro* in response to Ca^2+^ overload and oxidative stress \[[@B111]\] but also were protective *in vivo*. For example, compound 22 reduced infarct size in a rabbit model of acute myocardial infarction, yet no significant improvement over CsA treatment was observed \[[@B111]\]. In a subsequent study, this group established that treatment with another member of these series (GNX-4728) increased the lifespan of G37R-hSOD1 mice, a murine model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, by nearly 2-fold. Moreover, the treatment prevented motor neuron and mitochondrial degeneration, attenuated spinal cord inflammation, and preserved neuromuscular junction innervation in the diaphragm \[[@B112]\].
Using similar strategy, Roy et al. screened the NIH Molecular Libraries Small Molecule Repository collection consisting of \~360,000 molecules \[[@B100], [@B113]\]. Among validated hits, compounds from the isoxazole \[[@B113]\] and benzamide \[[@B114]\] chemotypes proved to be most promising. Original library compounds exhibited PTP inhibitory activity comparable to CsA (\~200 nM) in isolated mouse liver mitochondria and were effective in permeabilized mouse and human cell lines. Importantly, upon several medicinal chemistry optimization rounds, a number of isoxazole analogs effective at low pM (or 10,000-fold lower that CsA) were developed. These compounds prevented PTP opening triggered by Ca^2+^ and by oxidative stress, did not interfere with ATP synthesis or hydrolysis, and were not toxic at effective concentrations \[[@B113]\]. In addition, they demonstrated that isoxazole 60 is beneficial in a zebrafish model of Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. Phenotypes of these fish closely resembled clinical traits of human disease \[[@B109], [@B115]\] by displaying severe myopathy, motor deficits, and ultrastructural defects; all phenotypes were greatly improved upon addition of isoxazole 60 to fish water \[[@B113]\].
Finally, Briston et al. \[[@B116]\] performed a screen on cryopreserved rat liver mitochondria which retained their functionality upon thawing. After testing 50,000 compounds, the group identified ER-000444793 as their most potent molecule. Although this compound delayed PTP opening upon Ca^2+^ overload in both rat and human mitochondria, it was about 2-fold less effective than CsA. It is worth noticing that, in contrast to other studies, no medicinal chemistry optimization has yet been reported.
4.2. Rational Drug Design Studies in Search for Nonpeptidic CyPD Inhibitors {#sec4.2}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
To date, a CsA molecular target in mammalian mitochondria, the CyPD, is the only universally agreed upon component of the PTP complex. Yet, it plays a regulatory role rather than forming the pore itself; mitochondria from mice lacking CyPD still undergo the PTP, although require higher Ca^2+^ and oxidative stress loads \[[@B117], [@B118]\]. Nonetheless, physiological effects that are sensitive to CsA are routinely defined as being due primarily to the activity of the PTP despite the fact that the majority of the 20 cyclophilins encoded by the mammalian genome show some sensitivity to CsA \[[@B119], [@B120]\]. As a therapeutic agent, CsA shows unfavorable drug-like characteristics, such as high molecular weight, limited solubility, poor bioavailability \[[@B121]\], and a low blood-brain barrier permeability \[[@B122]\]. The latter is of extreme importance as it renders CsA family drugs unsuitable for treatment of neurological disorders. To address these limitations, several groups took rational design approach to look for novel drugs.
In 2005, Guo et al. \[[@B123]\] reported the discovery of novel quinoxaline derivatives; the best (GW5) showed selectivity for CyPD over cyclophilin A, yet it was effective in preventing Ca^2+^-induced mitochondrial swelling and Ca^2+^ release only at high *μ*M range. No further developments have been since reported. Subsequently, Valasani et al. \[[@B124]\] used virtual screening, molecular docking, and CyPD-pharmacophore studies to design and synthetize pyrimidine-based ligands. Yet, the ability of these compounds to inhibit CyPD and the PTP in biological systems awaits verification. Shore at al. built on previous work of Guichou and colleagues \[[@B125]\] and synthetized a group of urea-based small molecule inhibitors of cyclophilins \[[@B121]\]. The most promising compound (19) bound to CyPD with *K*~d~ of 0.4 *μ*M, delayed pancreatitis toxin-triggered mitochondria depolarization and inhibited subsequent necrotic cell death in freshly isolated pancreatic acinar cells. Lastly, Roh\'s group has recently reported several distinct classes of urea derivatives which exhibited plausible binding with CyPD according to *in silico* molecular docking studies \[[@B126]--[@B129]\]. In these studies, compounds were protective against A*β*-induced mitochondrial depolarization and cytotoxicity while they did not affect ATP levels or cell viability *per se*. Yet, the concentrations used (5 *μ*M) are rather high and no experimental evidence was provided that these compounds inhibit CyPD or exert their actions directly through the PTP. Summing up, while plausible efforts were put to increase the selection of CyPD inhibitors and thereby augment their efficacy in modulating PTP opening, further studies are needed to increase their potency, address the selectivity towards CyPD, and show efficacy in animal models.
5. Conclusions {#sec5}
==============
The molecular entity of the PTP is the matter of active investigation, which favors ATP synthase as a prime suspect, yet recent studies suggest that other proteins, like ANT, might also contribute. Early on, it was recognized that preventing PTP opening by treatment with PTP inhibitors would be beneficial in a wide range of therapeutically challenging human diseases. Thus, significant efforts with some promising results were invested in developing PTP-specific inhibitors that would overcome the major drawbacks of CsA, yet further studies are needed to advance them from research tools to therapeutics.
A consequence of PTP opening is the disruption of mitochondrial ultrastructure, dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential, cessation of ATP synthesis, and cell death as a consequence of resulting bioenergetic crisis---a primary characteristic of mitochondrial disorders, a diverse group of diseases with no available treatment yet. Several studies have demonstrated that cells harboring pathogenic mutations are more sensitive to Ca^2+^ challenge and oxidative stress, effects that could be counteracted by CsA treatment and, potentially, by novel small molecules directly targeting the PTP. These data suggest that PTP might be a viable option as a drug target and thus should be further explored to establish a definite link.
This work was funded by the Fondation Leducq (16CVD04).
Conflicts of Interest
=====================
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
[^1]: Guest Editor: Ulrike Hendgen-Cotta
|
São João, Pernambuco
São João is a city located in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Located at 240 km away from Recife, capital of the state of Pernambuco. Has an estimated (Ibge 2009) population of 22.287 inhabitants.
Geography
State - Pernambuco
Region - Agreste Pernambucano
Boundaries - Jupi and Jucati (N); Palmeirina (S); Angelim (E); Garanhuns (W).
Area - 244.44 km2
Elevation - 716 m
Hidrography - Mundaú River
Vegetation - Caatinga Hiperxerófila
Clima - Tropical hot and humid
Annual average temperature - 21.4 c
Distance to Recife - 240 km
Economy
The main economic activities in São João are based in agribusiness, especially beans, manioc; and livestock such as cattle, sheep and chickens.
Economic indicators
Economy by Sector
2006
Health indicators
References
Category:Municipalities in Pernambuco |
Q:
JavaScript RegExp including flags in pattern
var str = 'TEST, STRING';
var regex = new RegExp('^(.*)('+str+')(.*)$/i');
console.log(regex);
Output
/^(.*)(TEST, STRING)(.*)$\/i/
But I need the following output:
/^(.*)(TEST, STRING)(.*)$\/i
A:
The flags should be the second parameter to the RegExp constructor.
new RegExp('^(.*)(' + str + ')(.*)$', 'i');
^ ^^^
The syntax of RegExp constructor is
new RegExp(pattern[, flags])
|
What is up Drama Alert Nation
I'm your host, Killer Keemstar
Let's get right into the news
into the news
Our first story is coming from FaZe Clan or should I say phase?
420 money more videos got leaked
of them doing
Marijuana!
The first video shows FaZe Teeqo
taking a
a huge bong rip
and then the second video had FaZe
Blaziken smoking a blunt on a jetski
Who the fuck are you DJ Khaled?
And then the third video
which apparently is a challenge video
Is FaZe Rain
Trying to roll a blunt blind
Roll it
Now FaZe Rain did respond to all this in a video. He uploaded a video titled "The Truth"
Where he explained, that he's glad all this came out.
So he can stop..
hiding his Marijuana use
And even though this stuff coming out about FaZe might be
seen as bad well
the stuff that came out today about
Optic is even worse. That's right. We're talking about the optic house
Allegedly, there are a bunch of girls that were over there
underage drinking
They're like sophomores to seniors in high school a bunch of these pitchers got leaked from the girls
Snapchat of them clearly
Drinking in the optic house and our source sent us a video of them showing their yearbook proving that these girls were high schoolers now
I reached out to the owner of optic gaming hacks to let them know that we are about to report this story
And this is the statement from optic gaming "Hey team today we found out that strict
houseguest protocols were not followed and we are now establishing a better security process" ok optic
That's your statement, but this is my statement to optic gaming
Gentlemen you are rich you are
fucking famous
There should be no need to have high school girls in your home the party wind your rich and famous
What the fuck did Jay Z say I think he said something along the lines of I got 99 problems?
But a bitch ain't one hit me
I mean, it's bad allegedly these girls range from 16 to 18
But still even if they're 21 and older collect the cell phones at the goddamn door
Why you letting these bitches take pictures in your house for clarification when I said bitches, I meant girls
Feminist don't murder me also
in the news last night YouTube broke
I mean it fucking broke
It wasn't working reports came out to the Youtube app and website not working as users see
500 internal server error rather than videos and not only that but when YouTube was down a bunch of channels were showing zero subscribers
And I have a sub counter like a physical thing and it went to zero and then it went back here
I'll show you the video roll it hmm. I wonder how many subs I have
What?
whoa
Oh they fixed it fixed it
won't no, no don't do me like this ah
So yeah that happened when I'm glad we're back to normal
also in the News A
Top-10 channel did something fucking scummy as shit a YouTube channel by the name of most amazing Top ten
Uploaded a video titled top 10 crazy ways schools will change in the future
Showing young kids in like sexual positions now after getting some hate they sense change their thumbnail
Where I just want to publicly say Danny Burke you're a fucking creep or whoever made this fucking thumbnail in this video
Go fuck yourself also
in the news
KsI, is finally coming back. I mean, I think he tweeted out this I think it's time
I actually talked to you guys video coming soon doo doo doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo
Do-do-do-Do-do can I upload a fucking video also in the news?
Roman atwood and his wife had a baby last 30 tweeted out the wait is finally over
congratulations to the new Mom and Dad ah
and now
For our final story, and this is really really good news
So be prepared to be excited be prepared to be happy if you have
Champagne pop Passion open ladies and gentlemen the most famous Instagram model in the world
Christian burns has been terminated on Twitter his twitter account now reads that the account has been suspended
It's most likely because this fucker like threatens to kill people and stab them on Twitter, but good job Twitter
I support that one ladies and gentlemen that's it for the news today
I do not have a patreon all I want in return is for you to slap a like on this video
so if you enjoy drama if you loved rumbler make sure you subscribe with you know the
Notification bell on so you don't miss the news and slap a like on it drum alert nation now over two million Thirty
Thousand
Subscribers, my new game is going to be epic
|
Patients' experience of oxygen therapy and dyspnea: a qualitative study in home palliative care.
Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom in advanced cancer patients. Our preliminary work shows that in the home palliative care population sampled for this study, the prevalence of dyspnea is 29.5% and of those, 26.2% used oxygen therapy. Previous studies suggested that oxygen therapy can be a burden to patients. This study seeks to report the prevalence and describe the experience of dyspnea, pattern of oxygen use, and patients' perceived benefits and/or burdens of oxygen therapy in home palliative care patients receiving oxygen therapy. Qualitative in-depth interviews, using an interview guide, were conducted with eight participants in their homes. Thematic analysis was performed using a framework approach. All patients in this project used oxygen most of the time. The descriptions of shortness of breath varied and were nonspecific. The patients identified more advantages than disadvantages. The advantages of oxygen use included increased functional capacity, patients' perceiving oxygen as a life-saving intervention, as well as a symptom-management tool. The identified disadvantages were decreased mobility, discomfort related to the nasal prongs, barriers to accessing oxygen therapy and noise related to the equipment. The advantages of oxygen usage outweighed the disadvantages for this sample of patients in the home palliative setting. |
RECEIVING a diagnosis, even a bleak one, can bring relief to patients. But if the disease is “low prestige”, or a solid diagnosis is not available, patients can be left isolated, depressed, lonely, and even retraumatised.
Associate Professor Louise Stone, from the Academic Unit of General Practice at the Australian National University, told MJA InSight that patients with medically unexplained symptoms made up as much as a third of a GP’s practice.
“It’s the patients who have fatigue, non-specific pain, who might fall into the fibromyalgia cluster, or the chronic disease cluster,” she said. “The diagnoses are often quite fluid because they’re about syndromes rather than a solid diagnosis.
“And those patients live in a terrible void, where they’re seen by the community as malingering and not having anything real because they can’t come up with a disease name that anyone believes.”
Speaking in an exclusive MJA InSight podcast, Associate Professor Stone, who is a practising GP specialising in mental health issues, said: “Then of course, there’s a cluster of patients who have terrible backgrounds and multiple layers of trauma on trauma on trauma and it’s, quite frankly, not surprising that they’re turning up with physical symptoms.
“For all of those patients, the disease prestige is very low – they’re often spoken of disparagingly as ‘heartsink’ patients. People put up all sorts of boundaries to manage them or try and exclude them from services because they’re very hard [to manage].
“But they suffer, and they die. And they often die by suicide because the pain becomes unbearable. They’re often excluded from working, they’re excluded from the social world and they suffer greatly.”
Patients with no diagnosis or “low prestige” diseases required a change in thinking from GPs and other practitioners, Associate Professor Stone said.
“We need to think of these patients as a cluster and we need to think strategically about how, as a health service, we’ll respond to those patients.
“At the moment, most of them end up in general practice, but [many] end up not seeking health services at all because they can’t face a situation where they feel their pain is invalidated. They end up not being screened for things and not having their hypertension diagnosed and all sorts of other negative consequences.
“We need to have a non-emotive discussion about how as a community we’re going to respond to that large number of patients – patients with medically-unexplained symptoms can be up to 33% of our patients in primary care. They’re not a small group and they certainly do suffer an enormous amount of illness and disability.”
Associate Professor Stone is the author of a Perspective about disease prestige published by the MJA.
“Disease prestige is the way in which a disease is socially valued,” she told MJA InSight. “Disease prestige doesn’t imply that support is not deserved. It’s just that there’s a hierarchy. There are some diseases that attract a lot of public support and attention, and the public dollar as well, and there are diseases in medicine that we value more highly. If we look at the curriculum of medical schools, we know that some diseases get more attention – cardiology for instance.”
High prestige diseases, she said, were often characterised by commonness.
“That might be because there are more people in the community who’ve had exposure to someone with cancer, for instance. Common things get more support, although that doesn’t always work – emphysema, for instance, is very common but it probably wouldn’t come in under the high prestige label.
“Having someone famous who has had the disease – the Kylie Minogue effect on breast cancer – makes it much more able to be discussed.
“Diseases that you can talk about without shame [are often high prestige]. Diseases shouldn’t be shameful, but people are much less likely to talk about their anal cancer than their brain cancer. It’s much easier to write a public campaign about brain cancer.
“Diseases that make people feel uncomfortable tend to fall down the list as well. It’s interesting what Hazel Hawke did for dementia because dementia was a very low prestige disease, but in the past 10–20 years there has been much more attention.”
High prestige also means more research dollars, she said.
“It gets money, frankly. The publicly funded campaigns, such as the ones from the National Health and Medical Research Council, try very hard to allocate funding according to prevalence and according to burden of disease, but there are always private funds and philanthropic organisations that will lean towards diseases that they believe are important.
“You’ll always get a lean in public funding towards cancers. If you look at most of the research institutes’ websites, they’ll have curing cancer in them fairly [prominent] on their front page because it attracts funding.
“And you can understand why. This isn’t a deliberate thing – we are human, and humans don’t necessarily behave in logical ways. The idea of children dying of cancer is terribly evocative and awful and it’s the reason why we often see children’s cancer spearheading a campaign to raise funds.”
In her Perspective, Associate Professor Stone concluded that: “The lower the disease prestige, the greater the need for doctors to fill the void in validation and support.
“We need to consider issues of justice and equity, not only across populations but also between diseases, and we need to create overt clinical, educational and research priorities that recognise the complexities of funding the breadth of illness that occurs in the community.
“Suffering should not be hierarchical, and care should not be predicated on the prestige that a disease attracts.”
To find a doctor, or a job, to use GP Desktop and Doctors Health, book and track your CPD, and buy textbooks and guidelines, visit doctorportal. |
Aggressive treatment of acute respiratory insufficiency.
Treatment of patients with severe acute respiratory insufficiency included application of end-expiratory pressure to an optimal level, precise cardiovascular monitoring, and adaptation of conventional respirators to provide intermittent mandatory ventilation. Of 90 patients with acute respiratory insufficiency secondary to trauma, sepsis, or complicated surgery, 65% survived. Mortality appeared to be independent of the level of end-expiratory pressure required. The goal of therapy was maximal reduction of intrapulmonary shunt without significantly decreasing cardiac function. In the group requiring more than 20 cm H2O end-expiratory pressure, shunt decreased from 48% at 5 cm of positive end-expiratory pressure to 21% at the optimal level. In only 6% of the entire group was significant pulmonary dysfunction present at the time of death. Most deaths (75%) were deemed secondary to failure of multiple organ systems, occurring late in the hospital course. Pneumothorax was recorded in 10% of the entire group. Acute respiratory insufficiency should be rapidly reversible in most cases if aggressive measures are employed with the intent of reversing functional impairment rather than improving arterial oxygenation to "satisfactory levels." |
## @file
# Library producing Pci Express Helper routines.
#
# Copyright (c) 2013 Intel Corporation.
#
# This program and the accompanying materials
# are licensed and made available under the terms and conditions of the BSD License
# which accompanies this distribution. The full text of the license may be found at
# http://opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php
#
# THE PROGRAM IS DISTRIBUTED UNDER THE BSD LICENSE ON AN "AS IS" BASIS,
# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
#
##
[Defines]
INF_VERSION = 0x00010005
BASE_NAME = PlatformPcieHelperLib
FILE_GUID = C153F460-5D8A-4d44-83BB-A8AF5CEF132C
MODULE_TYPE = BASE
VERSION_STRING = 1.0
LIBRARY_CLASS = PlatformPcieHelperLib
#
# The following information is for reference only and not required by the build tools.
#
# VALID_ARCHITECTURES = IA32
#
[Sources]
PlatformPcieHelperLib.c
SocUnit.c
[Packages]
MdePkg/MdePkg.dec
MdeModulePkg/MdeModulePkg.dec
QuarkSocPkg/QuarkSocPkg.dec
QuarkPlatformPkg/QuarkPlatformPkg.dec
[LibraryClasses]
BaseLib
PcdLib
IoLib
DebugLib
TimerLib
QNCAccessLib
IntelQNCLib
|
Introduction {#s1}
============
Environmental concern has resulted in a renewed interest in bio-based materials. Among them, plant fibers are perceived as an environmentally friendly substitute to glass fibers for the reinforcement of composites, particularly in automotive engineering (Wambua et al., [@B125]; Suddell and Evans, [@B118]; Summerscales et al., [@B120]). Due to their wide availability, low cost, low density, high-specific mechanical properties, and eco-friendly image, they are increasingly being employed as reinforcements in polymer matrix composites (Bledzki and Gassan, [@B16]). In literature the term biocomposite is often used to define a polymeric matrix reinforced by natural fibers. The increasing number of publications during last 10 years including reviews, reflect the growing importance of these new biocomposites (Bledzki and Gassan, [@B16]; Mohanty et al., [@B91]; John and Thomas, [@B68]; Satyanarayana et al., [@B115]; Summerscales et al., [@B120]; Faruk et al., [@B44]). Indeed, their complex microstructure as a composite material makes plant fiber a really interesting and challenging subject to study. Research subjects about such fibers are abundant because there are always some issues to prevent their use at large scale (poor adhesion, variability, low thermal resistance, hydrophilic behavior). The choice of natural fibers rather than glass fibers as filler yields a change of the final properties of the composite. One of the most relevant differences between the two kinds of fiber is their response to humidity. Actually, glass fibers are considered as hydrophobic whereas plant fibers have a pronounced hydrophilic behavior. Composite materials are often submitted to variable climatic conditions during their lifetime, including unsteady hygroscopic conditions. However, in humid conditions, strong hydrophilic behavior of such reinforcing fibers leads to high level of moisture absorption in wet environments (Célino et al., [@B24]). This results in the structural modification of the fibers and an evolution of their mechanical properties together with the composites in which they are fitted in Dhakal et al. ([@B42]); Symington et al. ([@B121]); Placet et al. ([@B108]). Thereby, the understanding of these moisture absorption mechanisms as well as the influence of water on the final properties of these fibers and their composites is of great interest to get a better control of such new biomaterials. This is the topic of this review paper.
About plant fibers
==================
Origin of plant fibers
----------------------
In nature, there is a wide range of natural fibers which can be distinguished by their origin. Precisely, natural fibers are divided into three categories including animal fibers, mineral fibers, and plant fibers (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). In the present paper we will focus on this last group. For details about the other kind of fibers, interesting readers could refer to (Speil and Leineweber, [@B116]; Champness et al., [@B27]; Blicblau et al., [@B17]; Fu et al., [@B49]). As can be seen in Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}, plant fibers could also be classified according to their location in the plant. For example, bast fibers as flax, hemp or jute (Mohanty and Misra, [@B90]; Summerscales et al., [@B120]) are extracted from the stem of the plant whereas other fibers could be extracted from seeds (cotton) (Chand et al., [@B28]), fruit (coconut, pineapple), (Arib et al., [@B5]) or even the leaves of the plant (sisal) (Mukherjee and Satyanarayana, [@B93]; Li et al., [@B77]). The origins and properties of these different fibers have been described in a detailed review paper by (Faruk et al., [@B44]). Vegetal fibers are extracted from the plant using widely known and controlled processes in the textile industry. Some authors studied the influence of growth conditions and extraction processes on their properties (Keller et al., [@B70]; Coroller et al., [@B33]; Martin et al., [@B86]). As an example in Martin et al. ([@B86]) works, moisture sorption and mechanical properties of flax fibers were found to be dependent upon the degree of retting.
![**Classification of natural fibers \[inspired by Baley ([@B11])\]**.](fchem-01-00043-g0001){#F1}
Chemical and structural organization
------------------------------------
### Chemical composition
Plant fibers are mainly composed by sugar based polymers (cellulose, hemicelluloses) combined with lignin and pectin. Additional components, such as wax or oil could be found as well as structural water (De Rosa et al., [@B41]). Climatic conditions, age or degradation process influence the chemical composition which varies from plant to plant and within different part of a same plant. In their literature review (Faruk et al., [@B44]) listed the range of the average chemical constituent for a wide variety of plant type.
Cellulose is the major constituent of such fibers. It is a linear polymer chain consisting of D-glucopyranose units joined together by β-1,4-glycosidic linkages. Hydrogen bonds between the different macromolecules give the assembly various interesting physical properties, including the ability to form crystalline structures. As a result, cellulose has a semi crystalline form: there are both highly crystalline regions and amorphous regions. Crystalline cellulose displays six different polymorphs with the possibility of conversion from one form to another. The cellulose I crystal form, or native cellulose, also comprises two allomorphs, namely cellulose Iα and Iβ (Sugiyama et al., [@B119]). The ratio of these allomorphs is found to vary from plant to plant. In bast fibers as flax, jute or hemp, cellulose Iβ is found to be predominant (Sarko and Muggli, [@B114]; Nishiyama et al., [@B101]). Crystalline regions are called crystallites. The threadlike entity which arises from the linear association of these components is called the microfibril; it forms the basic structural unit of the plant cell wall. These microfibrils are composed by several thousands of cellulose chains. Their diameter can be measured by X-ray diffraction. It is in the nanometer range, between 5 and 30 nm, depending on the authors and the type of fiber (Näslund et al., [@B97]; Fink et al., [@B47]; Eichhorn et al., [@B43]; Astley and Donald, [@B8]). In the longitudinal direction, the Young\'s modulus of these microfibrils is about 137 GPa (Sakurada et al., [@B111]). These features provide their good mechanical properties to plant fibers. In most natural fibers, the microfibrils orient themselves at an angle to the fiber axis called the microfibril angle. This angle has a significant influence on the mechanical properties of the fiber. The lower it is, better the properties are (Bourmaud et al., [@B20]). Cave developed a technique to measure it by using X-ray diffraction (Cave, [@B23]). It varies from plant to plant. Resources on cellulose can be found at references (Eichhorn et al., [@B43]; Heinze and Fischer, [@B60]).
### Structural organization
Plant fibers have a multi-scale structure and they can be used at different scales for composite materials reinforcement (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Indeed, fibers could be conditioned as fabric yarn (Madsen and Lilholt, [@B81]), bundle of fiber or even unit fibers (Baley, [@B10]; Placet, [@B105]). A bundle of fibers (Figure [2B](#F2){ref-type="fig"}), is a gathering of several elementary fibers, linked together by a ten micrometers wall mainly composed of pectin and lignin. This wall is called middle lamella (Morvan et al., [@B92]). Plant fiber yarns consist of a large number of relatively short plant fibers that are twisted with an angle to the yarn axis in order to provide axial strength to the yarn (Madsen et al., [@B79]). The unit fibers have a multi cell wall structure (Figure [2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). The section is polygonal but usually assumed as circular for the calculation of mechanical properties. Basically, it is represented by a hollow polyhedron, decomposed into several walls and layers. The external wall is called the primary wall. It presents a relatively small thickness compared to the total thickness of the fiber. This wall is essentially composed of pectin, low crystalline cellulose, hemicellulose and waxes in a lower amount (Gorshkova et al., [@B55]; Zykwinska et al., [@B132]). The secondary wall, which represents about 90% of the total section, is divided into three layers. It is mainly composed of cellulose microfibrils oriented parallel to each other and embedded in an amorphous matrix composed of hemicellulose, pectin, and lignin. The three layers are different from each other because of their different thickness and structural organization (microfibril angle, chemical composition). The thickest layer is the S2 layer. It represents 70--80% of the secondary wall thickness. Thus, the fiber properties are largely governed by the feature of this layer.
![**Multi-scale structure of the flax fiber \[Célino et al. ([@B24], [@B25],[@B26]) inspired by Baley ([@B10]) and Morvan et al. ([@B92])\]**. **(A)** Stem of a flax plant, **(B)** bundle of flax fibres, **(C)** represntation of an elementary fibre, **(D)** the S2 layer of elementary fibres.](fchem-01-00043-g0002){#F2}
In first approximation, the unit fibers can be considered as composite materials with an amorphous matrix of hemicellulose and reinforced by cellulose microfibrils which are oriented in parallel and form a helix angle with the axis of the fiber. In the S2 layer, this angle is about 10° (Figure [2D](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). In the other layers, the microfibrils are not oriented at the same angles as shown in the schematic representation of Baley ([@B10]). The hollowed part is called the lumen. It gives the fibers a tubular structure.
Physical and mechanical properties
----------------------------------
As mentioned before, plant fibers have the properties to compete with glass fibers as reinforcement for composite materials. Because of their low density, they have good specific mechanical properties, particularly concerning their stiffness. Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} presents the important mechanical properties of commonly used fibers (Oksman et al., [@B102a]; Satyanarayana and Wypych, [@B114a]; Bodros and Baley, [@B18]; Ochi, [@B102]; Summerscales et al., [@B120]; Bourmaud, [@B19]; Faruk et al., [@B44]).
######
**Mechanical properties of different fibers (Oksman et al., [@B102a]; Bodros and Baley, [@B18]; Ochi, [@B102]; Satyanarayana et al., [@B115]; Summerscales et al., [@B120]; Bourmaud, [@B19]; Faruk et al., [@B44])**.
**Fiber** **Density** **Young\'s modulus (GPa)** **Tensile strength (MPa)** **Elongation at break (%)**
----------- ------------- ---------------------------- ---------------------------- -----------------------------
Flax 1.54 27.5--85 345--2000 1--4
Ramie 1.5--1.56 27--128 400--1000 1.2--3.8
Hemp 1.47 17--70 368--800 1.6
Jute 1.44 10--30 393--773 1.5--1.8
Sisal 1.45--1.5 9--22 350--700 2--7
Coconut 1.15 4--6 131--175 15--40
Cotton 1.5--1.6 5.5--12.6 287--597 7--8
Nettle 1.51 24.5--87 560--1600 2.1--2.5
Kenaf 1.2 14--53 240--930 1.6
Bamboo 0.6--1.1 11--17 140--230 --
E-glass 2.5 70 2000--3500 2.5
Carbone 1.4 230--240 4000 1.4--1.8
As seen in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}, the properties of plant fibers may differ for a given fiber. In fact, the major problem, with such fiber is the high variability of their properties. Thus, in literature, there is a large amount of data showing relatively wide distribution. First, this variability can be explained by differences in the fibers chemical composition and structure (microfibrillar angle, crystallinity, defects) due to the environmental conditions during the growth (Bourmaud et al., [@B20]). Secondly, it can be explained by different testing methods employed or different environmental conditions (relative humidity, temperature, speed loading, number of sample tested) (Placet et al., [@B107]). Moreover, as mentioned before, plant fibers can be investigated at different scales (fiber bundles or unit fibers). In the literature, there are mechanical data from both fibers bundles (Madsen et al., [@B79]; Charlet et al., [@B30]) and elementary fibers (Baley, [@B10]; Placet et al., [@B108]). When testing is performed at the bundle scale, there are slippage effects of the fibers relative to each other in the middle lamella. Thus, generally, the properties of fiber bundles are lower than those of the elementary fibers. Charlet et al. ([@B30]) studied the mechanical behavior of the middle lamella of flax fiber bundles. Authors showed low shear strength of this interface which can explain the weaker mechanical properties of bundle.
As mentioned in Structural organization, a plant fiber is a composite made of three polymers (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin), in which the unidirectional cellulose microfibrils constitute the reinforcing elements in the matrix blend of hemicellulose and lignin. This structure could be built as multi-ply construction with layers P, S1, S2, and S3 of cellulose microfibrils presenting different angles to the fiber axis (Figure [2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Then the elastic properties could be calculated using classical laminated theory (Gassan et al., [@B51]). Transition scales models should also be used to predict hygro-elastic properties of such fibers. Mori and Tanaka models for example should be developed as described in Fréour et al. ([@B48]). In order to take into account the disorientation of microfibrils reinforcement, methods presented by Lacoste et al. ([@B71], [@B72]) should be used. Mechanical properties of these three polymers have been widely studied in literature. Tashiro and Kobayashi ([@B122]) and Gillis ([@B54]) for example, presented data about cellulose. Moreover, Cousins, in the 80s, helped to build a valuable database for the lignin and hemicellulose properties (Cousins et al., [@B39]; Cousins, [@B37], [@B38]). Because of its specific structure, plant fibers have an anisotropic behavior. In the longitudinal direction, they have good mechanical properties via microfibrils whereas in the radial direction mechanical properties are lower and more variable because of the amorphous blend properties.
Plant fibers show a specific behavior under mechanical cycles. Baley ([@B10]) was the first to show that the Young\'s modulus of flax fibers increases with increasing the number of cycles (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). Moreover, a plastic deformation appears after the first cycle. To explain these results, the hypothesis of a new arrangement of the microfibrils in the fiber with an increase of the crystallinity degree has been proposed by the author. Then, the more the microfibrils are aligned with the fiber axis, the better will be the mechanical properties in this direction.
![**Young\'s modulus evolution of flax fibers vs. number of mechanical cycles (Baley, [@B10])**.](fchem-01-00043-g0003){#F3}
A similar effect has been shown by Placet et al. ([@B108]) for hydrated hemp fibers. Crystallization of plant fibers under tensile test has been highlighted by Astley and Donald ([@B8]) using the X-ray diffraction. Reorientation of microfibrils during the tensile test has also been confirmed by various studies (Keckes et al., [@B69]; Burgert, [@B21]; Placet et al., [@B106]).
The mechanical performance of plant fibers are influenced by different parameters including: the cellulose content, the microfibrillar angle, the fiber diameter, the temperature, the presence of defects and the water content inside fibers. The latter case will be the purpose of a next section.
As cellulose is the stiffer component of natural fibers, the higher the cellulose content is, the better will be the mechanical properties. The microfibrillar angle has also a major influence on the elastic properties of the plant fibers. In fact, the weaker is this angle, better are the properties because plant fibers behave as a composite material which presents better mechanical properties in the reinforcement direction. Regarding the influence of diameter, most studies conducted on plant fibers in traction showed that both the Young\'s modulus and tensile strength increased when the diameter of the tested fibers decreased (Baley, [@B10]; Andersons et al., [@B4]; Charlet et al., [@B31]; Duval et al., [@B42a]). Recently, Placet et al. ([@B107]) found out the causes of this dependence while studying hemp fibers. Using a mathematical model and reconstructing a 3D image of the fibers, they showed that their Young\'s modulus is dependent primarily on the size of the lumen and secondly on the diameter of the fiber outer layer. The temperature also affects significantly the mechanical properties of such fibers. It can lead to the emergence of defects resulting in a decrease of the overall mechanical properties of the fibers (Gassan et al., [@B51]; Stamboulis et al., [@B117]). The occurrence of defects in such materials is also a source of variability of the plant fibers mechanical properties. These defects can appear during the different extraction and processing steps of the fibers and especially during the stage of retting (Bourmaud, [@B19]).The influence of all these parameters has been studied in details by Mukherjee and Satyanarayanna ([@B94]).
Scientific obstacles to their efficient use as reinforcement in composite materials (research topics on natural fibers)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"} summarizes the advantages and drawbacks of these fibers. In fact, nowadays, there are some issues that prevent their use at a large scale, in composite materials. These different points constitute interesting research works.
######
**Advantages and drawbacks of plant fibers**.
**Advantages** **Disadvantages**
-------------------------------------- -------------------------
Low cost Hydrophilic behavior
Recyclable Dimensional instability
Zero fingerprint CO2 Low thermal resistance
← biodegradability →
Renewable resources Variability
Low density Anisotropic behavior
High specific mechanical properties Discontinuous
Good thermal and acoustics isolation
Non abrasive
One of the main disadvantages related to the use of natural fibers as reinforcement in composites is the poor adhesion between fiber and matrix. In composites, the matrix acts as a binder to transfer fibers stiffness in the material. If its adhesion with the fibers is weak, the composite will not have desired properties. In addition, it will be vulnerable to the environment in which it will be used and its lifetime should be shortened. A lot of researches are conducted to improve the adhesion of the fibers with polymeric matrix by modifying the fiber surface. Two approaches are proposed by the authors: physical treatments (plasma, corona treatment...) or chemical modification (maleic anhydride, organosilanes, isocyanates, sodium hydroxide, permanganate, and peroxide...) (Gauthier et al., [@B52]; Hill et al., [@B61]; Gassan and Bledzki, [@B50]; Tripathy et al., [@B123]; Mishra et al., [@B89]; Mohanty et al., [@B91]; Bessadok et al., [@B14]; Islam et al., [@B65]; Alix et al., [@B2], [@B1]). Unfortunately, the treatments proposed in the literature don\'t always make it possible to keep the integrity of the fibers, as well as their natural character.
Another disadvantage of such fibers is the variability of their properties depending on the batch, the variety and even the location of the fiber in the plant. For example, comparing the mechanical properties of flax fibers, located at different positions in the stem (Charlet et al., [@B29]) showed that flax fibers located in the center had better mechanical properties than the others.
The low temperature resistance of these fibers constitutes another drawback. Thus, the process temperature of the composite in which they are fitted should not exceed 200°C. Beyond this temperature, the fiber integrity is not guaranteed. The use of natural fibers implies a restriction about the choice of the matrix.
The resistance of such fibers to fungus can also raise some problems (storage conditions, process conditions, use in humid conditions).
Finally, the hydrophilic nature of fibers is a major problem for their use as reinforcement in polymers. In fact, it has been showed that the absorption of water by the plant fibers results in a decrease of the composite performances in which they play the role of reinforcement (Rangaraj and Smith, [@B110]). Research has to be carried out to understand absorption mechanisms in such fibers. The following section is a literature review about their hydrophilic behavior as well as the influence of water on their properties.
Hydrophilic behaviors of natural fibers
=======================================
For their use as reinforcement, the hydrophilic nature of plant fibers has to be considered with carefulness for several reasons. First, during the life cycle of the material, water absorption could induce a volume change of the fibers inside the composite, leading to the development of internal stresses. On the other hand, during the polymerization process of the matrix above 100°C, a vaporization of water trapped inside fibers could occur, leading to their shrinkage. These swelling and shrinkage of the fibers surrounded by the matrix generate internal stresses at the fiber/matrix interface and can eventually lead to the damage of the latter and to a significant degradation of the initial properties of the composite. The works of Rangaraj and Smith ([@B110]); Dhakal et al. ([@B42]); Le Duigou et al. ([@B73]); Hu et al. ([@B64]); Assarar et al. ([@B6]) deal with water sorption of composites reinforced by bio-based fibers. For example, in their work on the water uptake of a flax fiber composite material (Assarar et al., [@B6]) showed an increase of the water content absorbed, compared to a material consisting of the same matrix reinforced with glass fibers. Le Duigou et al. ([@B73]) studied the behavior of a composite PLLA/flax in immersion in seawater. The weight gain curves showed the influence of the cellulose fibers. The saturated moisture contents of the specimens were around 5.6%. As a consequence, adding flax fibers has resulted in a 17-fold increase in weight gain compared to unreinforced PLLA. The apparent diffusion coefficient was also significantly higher. Similar results were advanced by Lee and Wang ([@B76]); Chow et al. ([@B32]); Alix et al. ([@B2]). Secondly, Le Duigou et al. ([@B73]) showed a loss of the mechanical properties of the composite and an irreversible damage of the fiber/matrix interface during wet ageing. As mentioned before, this interface is a critical area considering the moisture absorption. The water diffusing in the composite material creates hydrogen bonds with the fibers, which can lead to the reduction of the interactions between the fibers and the matrix. Dhakal et al. ([@B42]) showed an increase in moisture absorption with the volume fraction of fiber, for composite polyester/hemp immersed in water at 25°C. The relationship between volume fraction of fiber and water content was also clearly shown by George et al. ([@B53]). In their work, Dhakal et al. ([@B42]) showed a loss of mechanical properties in bending with the amount of water absorbed. According to them, the moisture absorption leads to swelling of the fiber, resulting in the occurrence of micro cracks in the matrix. Then, as the composite cracks and gets damaged, capillarity and transport via micro cracks become active. The capillarity mechanism could involve the flow of water molecules along fiber/matrix interfaces as well as a process of diffusion through the bulk matrix. This could result in a debonding of the fiber and the matrix as shown on Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}. Eventually, those micro cracks create swelling stresses leading to the composite failure (Bismarck et al., [@B15]). Debonding effect and micro cracks were also observed in the case of other bio-based composites (Chow et al., [@B32]; Hu et al., [@B64]). Concerning the evolution of the stress at break of biocomposites, there are some inconsistencies in literature. On the one hand, Dhakal et al. ([@B42]) show the tensile stress of hemp fiber reinforced unsaturated polyester composites increases about 22% after water immersion. On the other hand, Assarar et al. ([@B6]) show a slight decrease of the tensile stress of flax/epoxy composites after immersion (about 5%). Such a trend is not completely consistent with (Le Duigou et al., [@B73]) works which present a large decrease of the stress at break (50%) when flax/PLLA composites were immersed in sea water.
![**(A)** Matrix cracking, **(B)** Fracture running along the interface, **(C)** Fiber/matrix debonding due to attack by water molecules (Dhakal et al., [@B42]).](fchem-01-00043-g0004){#F4}
Finally these studies highlight the following main points: - A significant influence of the hydrophilic behavior of cellulose fibers on the maximum moisture absorption capacity of the composite they reinforce.- An early damage of these kinds of composites, due to swelling and shrinkage effect of fibers. In order to study the durability of such composites materials, it is thus relevant to understand water interactions occurring in plant fibers alone. In the following sections, the link between the microstructure of the fibers and their hydrophilic behavior will be studied and the influence of water on their properties will be investigated through a review of the literature.
Link between microstructure and hydrophilic behavior
----------------------------------------------------
The hydrophilic behavior of plant fibers, is mainly due to two factors: their composition and their specific structure. Generally, one of the most important factors controlling the water diffusion phenomenon in polymeric materials is the molecular interaction occurring between the diffusing compound and the substrate. The diffusion phenomenon is subjected to the ability of the polymer molecular sites to establish hydrogen bonds with the water molecules. In plant fibers, components which have polar groups and thus are responsible for absorbing moisture are cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and lignin (Berthold et al., [@B12]; Célino et al., [@B25]).
Some authors have studied the water absorption in cellulose (Magne et al., [@B82]; Nelson, [@B99]). They showed that the water absorbed by the cellulose has very different properties from the free water. In their works, Nakamura et al. ([@B95]) showed a significant decrease of bound water fraction in the cellulose as the crystallinity degree of the cellulose increases, by using a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. They also revealed that water molecules bind to the 3 hydroxyl of the glycosidic units of the amorphous phase while the absorption of hydroxyl sites on the crystalline phase is unpredictable. Based on these findings, it would appear that the moisture diffusion in the cellulose takes place mainly in the amorphous phase. Thus, most of the models used in the literature to describe the hygro-elastic behavior of plant fibers consider cellulose microfibrils to be 100% crystalline and then insensitive to moisture absorption (Neagu and Gamstedt, [@B98]; Marklund and Varna, [@B85]).
According to Davies and Bruce ([@B40]), hemicelluloses which constitute the major part of the amorphous phase in plant fibers play an important role in the storage of moisture. This hypothesis is confirmed by the results of Pejic et al. ([@B104]), who observed a significant decrease of the saturated weight gain of hemp fibers after removal of hemicellulose and lignin. In addition, Cousins ([@B37], [@B38]) showed that their mechanical properties significantly decreased with the moisture absorption.
Pectin, located in the middle lamella and the S1 layer are composed of highly polar carboxyl functions. These groups have the ability to create hydrogen bonds with polar solvents such as water. Depending on the retting rate of the fibers, their content varies (Martin et al., [@B86]). So, when fiber bundles are subjected to a humid environment, moisture uptake is more important than in the case of a single fiber, as the middle lamella mainly composed by pectin is a preferential area for water absorption.
Another factor determining the high level of moisture absorption in these fibers is their particular structure. These fibers are porous and have a high exchange surface. Thus, when the fiber is subjected to a humid environment, water can be stored inside the free volume of the structure. Currently, the porosity content in plant fibers is an unknown data.
To sum up, the diffusion of water is influenced by the fiber structure at different scales. At the unit fiber scale, the fiber exhibits a complex multi cell wall structure. This structure can in first approximation be assumed to behave similarly to its thicker layer S2 which usually constitutes more than 80% of the total diameter (Gorshkova et al., [@B55]). Actually, this layer is assumed to be a composite material with an amorphous phase (matrix) reinforced by a rigid crystalline phase (cellulose microfibrils) (Hearle, [@B59]). At this scale, diffusion of water would take place in the amorphous region. Besides, these regions are mainly composed by hydrophilic polymers (hemicelluloses and lignin). At the bundle scale, diffusion is privileged trough the interface between fibers. This interface is called middle lamella. According to Morvan et al. ([@B92]) the middle lamella is principally composed of pectin where the carboxyl functions make easier the absorption of water by hydrogen bonding. The last structural factor influencing diffusion is the general porous structure of natural fibers. Water could be trapped inside pores.
Sorption mechanisms
-------------------
The precise mechanisms governing the transport of water in these fibers are still uncertain. The moisture absorption in these bio-based materials could be due to both diffusion phenomena and the effects of capillarity.
According to Bessadok et al. ([@B14]), at high relative humidity when the water concentration exceeds a certain threshold, there is a relaxation of the existing voids in the structure, which leads to a significant swelling of the material. In fact, it seems that water enters in the fibers and breaks the secondary bonds between the macromolecules of cellulose. Then, water molecules could link to the network via hydrogen bonds resulting in a swelling of the material (Pejic et al., [@B104]). Hatakeyama and Hatakeyama ([@B57]) studied the interaction of water with hydrophilic polymers. They showed that the water was more or less linked to the network of the material, highlighting the presence of bound and free water within such structures. The amount of bound water depends on the chemical structure of the material. This water is bound to the network by hydrogen bonds, breaking the existing bonds between the hydroxyl groups of the polymer chain.
Techniques for quantification and visualization of bound and free water are: DSC, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), Raman spectroscopy and infrared spectroscopy (Hatakeyama et al., [@B58]). In NMR, it is possible to characterize different types of water, the molecular motion of the bound water and the water interactions with specific polymeric chain of the material in which they are inserted (Popineau et al., [@B109]). Using DSC, Nakamura et al. ([@B95]) visualized and quantified these two types of water in cellulose samples. According to their works, there are actually three types of water called as follows: "freezing water," "freezing bound water," and "non- freezing water," The first term refers to free water while the two others are respectively, water weakly and strongly linked to the network. The amount of "non-freezing water" is directly related to the molecular structure of the material. Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR) has also been proved to be well adapted to study water sorption phenomenon since it allows characterizing molecular interactions involving potential sorption sites for water. In literature, FTIR spectroscopy has been widely used to study water transport in polymers and particularly to study the water sorbed into epoxy resins (Fieldson and Barbari, [@B46]; Cotugno et al., [@B35]; Feng et al., [@B45]). Recently Célino et al. ([@B25]) studied the water sorption on three natural fibers (flax, hemp, and sisal) using Fourier Transformed InfraRed spectroscopy. The spectral information enabled both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the moisture absorption mechanisms. The main chemical functions involved in the water sorption phenomenon were identified (Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}) and the absolute water content of the fibers was determined by using a Partial Least Square Regression (PLS-R) approach. Moreover, diffusion kinetics were plotted using this technique. More detailed analysis (by deconvolution of the OH valency band for example) could lead to the quantitative determination of the free and bond water proportions, as described in different previous works on polymer-water mixtures (Cotugno et al., [@B36]; Mensitieri et al., [@B88]).
![**Infrared spectra bands impacted by increasing relative humidity for sisal fiber**. *p*-values scores (used with a threshold of 0.05), indicating significant impact of the water uptake on the FTIR bands, were marked using red dots (Célino et al., [@B24], [@B25],[@B26]).](fchem-01-00043-g0005){#F5}
Concerning the diffusion kinetics, most of the authors historically used a classical Fick model to represent the diffusive behavior of such fibers subjected to hydrothermal ageing (Gouanvé et al., [@B56]; Bessadok et al., [@B13]). Recently, other authors proposed using the Parallel Exponential Kinetics model (PEK) to analyze the absorption and desorption curves of different cellulose fibers (Hill and Xie, [@B62]; Xie et al., [@B128]). They suppose that the diffusion process is limited by the swelling of the material and not by the diffusion phenomenon. This model represented by a double exponential, divides the diffusion kinetics into two first-order kinetics: a slow kinetics and a rapid kinetics. The physical sense of this model has been discussed by Hill and Xie ([@B62]). In their work, the PEK parameters for sorption have been evaluated by the authors in terms of two Kelvin--Voigt elements arranged in series. Then, the force constant in the spring of each Kelvin--Voigt elements have been determined to be the equilibrium moisture content for each process, whereas the viscosity of the dashpot is represented by the time constant for each kinetic. Indeed, the adsorbed water vapor molecules exert a pressure within the cell wall leading to a dimensional change, which is equivalent to the extension of the spring in the Kelvin--Voigt model. The spring modulus therefore defines the water content of the system at infinite time (MC1, MC2). Moreover, the rate at which water molecules are adsorbed or desorbed by the system is a function of the viscosity of the dashpot in the model. The more rapidly the matrix is able to deform, the faster the rate of water ingress or egress into or out of the cell wall.
More recently Célino et al. ([@B24], [@B25],[@B26]) proposed to use Langmuir theory to explain the diffusion kinetics of several fibers in immersion. In this model developed by Carter and Kibler ([@B22]) 35 years ago, the moisture absorption can be explained quantitatively by assuming that absorbed moisture consists of both mobile and bound phases. Molecules of the mobile phase diffuse with a concentration and stress independent diffusion coefficient D~γ~, and are absorbed (become bound) with a probability per unit time γ at certain sites (for example: voids within the polymer, hydrogen bonding, and heterogeneous morphologies). Molecules are emitted from the bound phase, thereby becoming mobile, with a probability per unit time β. This model is well adapted with the structure and composition of plant fibers because it takes into account free and bound water.
Concerning the sorption isotherms, the water content is directly related to the relative humidity by following a sigmoidal relation, as described by Alix et al. ([@B3]); Gouanvé et al. ([@B56]). That kind of sorption isotherms are in a good agreement with the Park\'s model (Park, [@B103]). This model assumes the association of three mechanisms describing the three parts of the curve (Figure [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}) It is often used to explain the sorption isotherms of hydrophilic and porous media, as cellulosic fibers (Bessadok et al., [@B13]). The first part of the curve could be related to Langmuir\'s mode (RH \< 10%). At these relative humidities, water is sorbed onto specific sites by hydrogen bonding. As previously discussed, the specific sites could be hydroxyl functions of amorphous cellulose and hemicelluloses or carboxylic function of pectin (Célino et al., [@B25]). When relative humidity increases, there is a saturation of these specific sites of sorption. Then, the water concentration increases linearly with relative humidity as Henry\'s law describes (until RH = 65%). This behavior could be explained by the porous structure of fibers where water is free to diffuse. The third part is well described by a power function that represents an aggregation phenomenon of water molecules. Indeed, at high relative humidity, water concentration is too important, and water molecules link together to form clusters. Moreover, it has been shown that fibers immersed in distilled water at room temperature could absorb 100--200% of water by weight depending on the kind of fiber (Symington et al., [@B121]; Célino et al., [@B24]) whereas in 80% relative humidity, the water content reaches about 10--15% (Watt and Kabir, [@B126]; Xie et al., [@B128]; Célino et al., [@B24]). Other sorption mechanisms could explain such a gap between immersion and vapor humidity conditions.
![**Equilibrium water vapor sorption isotherm for modified agave fibers at 25°C \[inspired by Bessadok et al. ([@B13])\]**.](fchem-01-00043-g0006){#F6}
Effect of water on natural fibers properties
============================================
The moisture absorption in these hydrophilic fibers leads to a modification of their physical and chemical properties. Indeed, the interaction of water with hydrophilic materials may cause multiple phenomena as dimensional changes, modification of the mechanical, and chemical properties, and so on... Water can have a plasticization effect on the structure or, on the contrary, form stable hydrogen bonds leading to an anti-plasticizing effect (Hatakeyama and Hatakeyama, [@B57]).
Dimensional changes
-------------------
For synthetic composites, the relationship between the amount of water absorbed and the dimensional change is well documented (Weitsman, [@B127]). In the case of bio-composites, fibers are considered as anisotropic and hydrophilic, requiring to change models classically used for transversally isotropic and hydrophobic fibers. Quantitative information about the hydro-expansion coefficient of these fibers would be therefore an important factor for the development of new models adapted to these biomaterials. Some works have been published on the swelling of bio-composites (Madsen et al., [@B80]; Masoodi and Pillai, [@B87]). For instance, a study based on the deformation measurement of composites reinforced by hemp fibers, showed that the hydro-expansion coefficient increased with the fiber content in the material (Madsen et al., [@B80]). These results have also been observed by Masoodi and Pillai ([@B87]) on a jute/epoxy bio-composite, showing that natural fibers have a strong influence on the dimensional changes of composites in which they are fitted. At the fiber scale, few study has been led to measure this coefficient despite the swelling is recognized to occur. Indeed, plant fibers have an unstable dimensional behavior. When subjected to a humid environment, they swell, resulting in the formation of internal stresses in the structure. For example, during their drying, natural fibers lose water so that shrinkage in their transverse direction could be observed. Moreover, dimensional changes of natural fibers depend on their composition. Lee et al. ([@B75]) studied the hygroscopic deformation of cellulose microfibrils by AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy). They showed that the characteristic times of water uptake and dimensional change of the sample are not in the same scale. Indeed, there is a delay time of swelling or shrinkage of cellulose fibrils after sorption phenomenon. Hygroscopic strains may be reversible -in this case they are predicted by the hydro-expansion coefficient- or irreversible due to structural defects.
Using a hygro-elastic model applied to an elementary fiber considered as a multilayer\'s hollow cylinder, (Neagu and Gamstedt, [@B98]) highlighted the parameters influencing the hydro-expansion coefficient on wood fibers. They found that the parameter the most influential is the microfibrillar angle of the S2 layer.
Influence on mechanical properties
----------------------------------
Concerning the influence of water on the mechanical properties, several authors showed a relationship between moisture and mechanical properties of plant fibers. Although this influence has been clearly demonstrated, the different results of the literature are not consistent altogether (Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}). Indeed, Davies and Bruce ([@B40]), observed experimentally a tendency to a decrease of the Young\'s modulus with increasing relative humidity for flax and nettle fibers (decrease of the Young modulus of flax fibers about 23% when relative humidity varies from 30 to 80%). This trend is also highlighted by Symington et al. ([@B121]) for flax, and Ho and Ngo ([@B63]) for hemp and coir fibers. However, other studies show an increase of the Young\'s modulus of fibers with relative humidity up to a specific threshold of water absorbed (Symington et al., [@B121]; Placet et al., [@B108]). Particularly Placet et al. ([@B108]) show the young modulus of hemp fibers increases about 20% in the 25--80% relative humidity range. This increase in stiffness could be explained by a rearrangement of the microfibrils and the surrounding molecules acting as a matrix (Placet et al., [@B108]). This rearrangement could be activated by the swelling of the fibers. Beyond a certain moisture content threshold, the decrease of the Young\'s modulus could be explained by the plasticization of the fiber. In fact, the formation of hydrogen bonds replacing bonds in hemicellulose macromolecular network could make the material more flexible and compliant. Astley and Donald ([@B7]) studied this possible realignment of microfibrils during the hydration of flax fibers using X-ray diffraction. They highlighted a structural evolution of the fibers during dehydration. Thus, they proposed a model taking into account the reorganization of microfibrils during the water molecules desorption (microfibrillar angle varying from 15° to 11° for the dry sample).
######
**Literature review of the moisture absorption influence on the mechanical properties of plant fibers**.
**Kind of fiber** **Hygroscopic conditions** **Young\'s modulus evolution** **Failure strength evolution** **Elongation at break evolution** **References**
-------------------------------------- ---------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- ----------------------------
Flax and nettle 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70% Decreases Not significative effect Davies and Bruce, [@B40]
Flax and sisal Maximum for RH = 70% Van Voorn et al., [@B124]
Flax 30, 66, 93% Increases and stabilizes at RH = 66% Stamboulis et al., [@B117]
Hemp 10, 25, 50, et 80% increases Maximum for 50 \< HR \< 70% Placet et al., [@B108]
Jute, flax, sisal, hemp, coir, agave 65, 90% et immersion Increases until a threshold, then decreases (depend on the fiber) Not significative effects increases Symington et al., [@B121]
Concerning the effect of water on the maximum tensile stress, the different results of the literature are consistent. It is often observed an increase in the stress at failure with the relative humidity, up to a threshold value of RH = 50 to 60% (Placet et al., [@B108]) or RH = 70% (Van Voorn et al., [@B124]). Above these relative humidity, the tensile strength decreases. The absorption of water inside the fiber can lead to a rupture of the hydrogen bonds between the matrix of amorphous phase and the crystalline fraction of the fiber. This would reduce the tensile strength. The literature review reveals an increase of the fiber elongation with increasing the water content. Water acts as a plasticizer and softener of the structure.
Another phenomenon, highlighted by Mannan and Robbany ([@B83]) and more recently by Placet et al. ([@B108]), is the rotation of the fibers in the presence of moisture. For a static loading, the authors showed that the rotation angle increased with relative humidity. In the same work Placet et al. ([@B108]) observed a remarkable increase in the stiffness of the fiber during tensile tests through relative humidity cycles of RH = 50% to RH = 80%. The elastic modulus is increased by 250% from its initial value.
The diversity of these results in the literature is once again to be linked with the test conditions and variability factors of these fibers (growth conditions, extraction condition, storage condition...)
Structural modifications
------------------------
Structural modifications have been highlighted by several works. For example, in their research paper, Nakamura et al. ([@B96]) suggest that the amorphous phase of the crystalline cellulose might become crystalline in the presence of bound water. Further tests by XRD show that the absorption of moisture in cellulose I results in an increase of the crystallinity degree. In connection with this increase of crystallinity, the authors showed an increase in tensile strength of hydrated cellulose I. The evolution of the crystalline structure of the fibers during drying was also investigated by Célino et al. ([@B26]) through calculating the total crystallinity index or TCI described by Nelson and O\'Connor in the 60s (Nelson and O\'Connor, [@B100]). This method supports the existence, in the cellulose infrared spectrum of both crystalline and amorphous characteristic bands. Then it is possible to estimate the fraction of the crystalline cellulose in the sample by determining the ratio of intensity of these bands. Results showed a decrease of the crystallinity degree with the decrease of the water content inside fibers, testifying the action of water on the cellulose macromolecular network. When water is removed from the sample, hydrogen bonds created between the water and the hydrophilic sites of the fibers are broken, leading to a relaxation of the macromolecular network and a decrease of the crystallinity degree. Recently, this hypothesis was confirmed by a XRD study on wood fibers submitted to hygroscopic cycles (Toba et al., [@B122a]).
Summary
=======
Composites reinforced with natural fibers have developed significantly over the past years because of their biodegradability, low cost, low relative density, high specific mechanical properties, and renewable nature. These composites are predestined to find more and more applications in the near future since a lot of studies are led to understand and improve their properties. The understanding of the hygroscopic behavior of these materials is a key issue in order to use it in different weathering conditions. Many studies are examined, reviewed and highlighted in this paper regarding the link between the microstructure and the hydrophilic behavior of plant fibers, the influence of moisture on their properties as well as the final properties of the composites they reinforce. Water sorption in fibers and their composites has been found to significantly affect their dimensional and structural properties. Water sorbed in such fibers could be divided in two kinds of populations i.e., free and bound water. Free water is trapped inside the porous structure of plant fibers, whereas bound water could link to specific polar sites. These sites could be well identified by using spectroscopic techniques.
Further research is required to develop chemical or physical treatments which could reduce their water uptake. Moreover, investigations have to be conducted in order to take into account the swelling of fibers inside the composite and evaluate the internal stresses. In addition to that coupled diffusion model could be used in order to take into account the effects induced by mechanical states on the diffusion of moisture. Then, upcoming investigations could be focused on the use of more advanced multi-physics theoretical approaches dedicated to the modeling of the moisture uptake occurring while the heterogeneous, local swelling experienced by the reinforced polymer is accounted for Youssef et al. ([@B129], [@B130]); Sar et al. ([@B112], [@B113]).
Conflict of interest statement
------------------------------
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
[^1]: Edited by: Giuseppe Mensitieri, University of Naples Federico II, Italy
[^2]: Reviewed by: Giuseppe Mensitieri, University of Naples Federico II, Italy; Giuseppe Scherillo, University of Naples Federico II, Italy; Salvatore Iannace, National Research Council of Italy, Italy
[^3]: This article was submitted to Polymer Chemistry, a section of the journal Frontiers in Chemistry.
|
13 F.3d 407
NOTICE: Although citation of unpublished opinions remains unfavored, unpublished opinions may now be cited if the opinion has persuasive value on a material issue, and a copy is attached to the citing document or, if cited in oral argument, copies are furnished to the Court and all parties. See General Order of November 29, 1993, suspending 10th Cir. Rule 36.3 until December 31, 1995, or further order.
Robert D. TILLETT, Plaintiff-Appellant,v.Donna E. SHALALA, Secretary of Department of Health andHuman Services, Social Security Administration,and John Doe, Defendants-Appellees.
No. 93-4081.
United States Court of Appeals,Tenth Circuit.
Dec. 30, 1993.
1
Before MOORE and BRORBY, Circuit Judges, and VRATIL,** District Judge.
ORDER AND JUDGMENT1
2
After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed.R.App.P. 34(a); 10th Cir.R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
3
Plaintiff appeals the district court's grant of the Secretary's motion to dismiss. Plaintiff filed an application for disability benefits on October 1, 1980. That application was denied initially, upon reconsideration, and after a hearing before an administrative law judge (ALJ). Plaintiff pursued no further appeal of that denial. Plaintiff applied for benefits again on March 26, 1986. The 1986 application was denied initially, upon reconsideration, and after a hearing before an ALJ. The Appeals Council denied review of the ALJ's decision. Plaintiff filed suit in the district court and it remanded the case to the Secretary for further development of the record. An ALJ again denied plaintiff's claim, and the Appeals Council denied review. Plaintiff appealed to the district court. The district court again remanded the case to the Secretary, this time to analyze plaintiff's claims in light of recent developments in the law.
4
On the second remand, the Appeals Council determined that plaintiff was disabled as of September 1980, but awarded benefits based on plaintiff's 1986 application, and only as of the date of that application. In addition to the evidence that had been considered in the previous proceedings, the Appeals Council based its decision on a 1991 medical evaluation by Dr. Paul Ventry, which included assessment of plaintiff's medical records and condition from as early as 1979. Plaintiff's 1980 application was addressed as follows:
5
The Appeals Council notes that the claimant filed an initial application for a period of disability and disability insurance benefits on October 1, 1980. That application was denied initially on January 5, 1981, and after reconsideration on March 25, 1981. On March 26, 1986, the claimant filed a second application for a period of disability and disability insurance benefits. Section 404.988(b) of Social Security Administration Regulations No. 4, provides that a determinaion [sic] may be reopened within 4 years of the date of the notice of the initial determination for good cause, as defined in section 404.989. The Appeals Council finds that the initial determination dated January 5, 1981 is not subject to reopening.
6
Appellant's App. at 10.
7
Plaintiff maintains that consideration by the Appeals Council of the medical evaluation which encompassed medical evidence as early as 1979, constituted a de facto reopening of his 1980 application. He argues that, because his earlier application was reopened de facto, he should be awarded benefits as of the date of his 1980 application, in addition to the benefits awarded based on the date of his 1986 application.
8
We have no jurisdiction to review the Secretary's refusal to reopen a claim for benefits. Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. 99, 107-09 (1977); Brown v. Sullivan, 912 F.2d 1194, 1196 (10th Cir.1990); Taylor ex rel. Peck v. Heckler, 738 F.2d 1112, 1115 n. 6 (10th Cir.1984). Further, there was no de facto reopening of plaintiff's 1980 claim; the Secretary expressly refused to reopen the claim. See Brown, 912 F.2d at 1196.
9
The judgment of the United States District Court for the District of Utah is AFFIRMED.
**
Honorable Kathryn H. Vratil, District Judge, United States District Court for the District of Kansas, sitting by designation
1
This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36.3
|
Friday, March 27, 2009
how to make nice border - Photoshop tutorial 2
This is my tutorial number 2 in youtube. In this short video i show how to make nice border in fastest and easiest way.PSD file can be downloaded from here: http://uploading.com/files/WXO3ROSX/photoshop_tutuorial_2_border.psd.html |
Downregulation of N-cadherin expression inhibits invasiveness, arrests cell cycle and induces cell apoptosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.
Some studies have demonstrated that N-cadherin is upregulated in more invasive cancer cell lines and tumors and plays a key role in intercellular adhesion. However, the understanding on the roles N-cadherin plays in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is still poor. Our data showed that knock-down of N-cadherin in ESCC cell line (EC9706) could arrest cell cycle at G0/G1 phase, induce cell apoptosis, reduce the invasiveness in vitro, and inhibit the tumor formation in vivo. These results suggest that N-cadherin is an important factor in the progression and metastasis of ESCC and N-cadherin may serve as a potential molecular target for biotherapy of ESCC. |
[Tendon transfer in pediatric foot deformities].
Tendon transfer surgery plays a central role in the treatment of pediatric foot deformities. Tendon transfers are essential for balancing in neurogenic deformities but also important for the treatment of congenital or idiopathic deformities. Furthermore tendon transfer represents an important management tool for revision surgery of failed treatment in foot deformities. Complications and pit-falls which can potentially lead to failure may occur during the indications and planning of the transfer as well as during the surgery. The identification and analysis of possible pitfalls and complications as well as their management is the central issue of this article. Knowledge about possible problems and their management are essential for successful treatment of pediatric foot deformities. |
The American Tea Cup Regatta - where it all began
As sailing tries to broaden its base, the most desirable Olympic boats for the new and developing sailing nations are the single person boats, one-designs which are relatively inexpensive to build, the Laser and the windsurfer.
Almost 200,000 Lasers have now been built.
The boat's history began in 1969 when Canadian yachting journalist and boat designer Bruce Kirby was commissioned to design a dinghy small enough to be carried on a car roof rack. The design was for a camping equipment supplier, however that original design was never taken up.
The plans remained in Kirby's file until the following year when One Design and Offshore Yachtsman magazine, of which Kirby was the Editor, held a regatta for boats under $1000 at the Playboy Club at Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. It was called 'The America's Teacup Regatta'.
The first prototype, weighing in at 109 pounds, was named the 'Weekender' with sail number TGIF, the abbreviation for 'Thank God It's Friday'. (That was Hans Fogh's idea - he was another Canadian Finn sailor and the sailmaker and the first sailor to helm the dinghy.)
This week Kirby described the early days of the Laser.
‘There were two boats of note at the Teacup Regatta, one was the Weekender and the other one was the Windsurfer.
‘The Weekender was brand new, on that weekend. It had never been in the water before - literally, it had never been launched. In fact the hull and the masts arrived separately – but the windsurfer had been around for about three years.
‘The kid who sailed the windsurfer in the America’s Teacup Regatta was Matt Schweitzer, the 14 year old son of the inventor of the windsurfer Hoyle Schweitzer, who filed for a patent on the windsurfer in 1968.
‘It was really funny because young Matt had to a 720 in one race and of course he just spun the board with his feet and kept on going. It was the darndest thing. The middle of the boat never moved, just the ends of it spun around twice and he just kept on going.
'‘Our prototype boat in that America’s Teacup Regatta weighed only 109 pounds, it was 25 pounds under what turned out to be the proper weight. Hans explained that it had too much weather helm and so the builder Ian Bruce, built a second boat with a mast slot, so the mast could be moved back and forth while we played with the helm on the boat.
'In November of 1970 at the Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club, Ian asked a science student at McGill University ‘have you got any ideas for a name? We’ve got this boat ready to be produced and we don’t have a name for it yet.’
Bruce Kirby
.
'Weekender was the only name we had and none of us really thought that was the right name.
'This young lad said ‘why don't you call it something scientific the young people will identify with?’
'And Ian said ‘do you mean something like Laser?’ And the kid said ‘yeah, that would be a great name.'
'Ian yelled down the table at me ‘how about Laser?’ And I said ‘that sounds pretty good.'
'And so it was the Laser...
'The first legal boat that weighed what we decided was within the range had the mast and everything in the right place, was built in December 1970, my boat was the boat from which all other Lasers has been copied. I sailed it for 18 years.
'We put a 100 on the sail, because of the two prototypes that had gone before. I eventually changed that to a zero because it didn’t make any sense to have a 100 on the sail and the builder had forgotten to put a number on the hull, which you have to do.
‘The number on a Laser used to be underneath the bow - the bow-eye on the old Lasers, the number used to be under that. Later the number had to be put on the transom, I think the US Coast Guard specified that.
'We sold 141 Lasers at the New York Boat Show in 1971 and on she took off from there.'
They certainly did take off and by the time of the Australian launch, one of the images used in the campaign was hull 6222 and one of the first boats sailed in Australia was 8000.
Laser 6222 September 1973 - Modern Boating (Australia)
PSA
Kirby continues.
'In 1989 the Mystic Seaport regatta (at Mystic Connecticut) asked could they exhibit it (my boat) and its been there ever since.
'Mystic is a magnificent museum but it is nearly all old stuff – timber boats.
‘And among the exhibits is my good old Laser Zero. I think it was the first fiberglass boat in the museum.
'It was hand laid up and it was very nicely built, very stiff. It held its stiffness and quality for years and years. It was sailed hard - a lot. I think it is probably still a good boat. It started off Tangerine Yellow, but the sun took its toll and in its last few regattas the colour was listed as awful orange.'
Kirby concluded by saying ‘And now we are ticking to Laser number 200,000. But that is another story……’ |
Summary and links to news stories of workers' struggles around East Asia during July 2012 and related resources. The most important stories appear on my Twitter feed as soon as I find them: http://twitter.com/spartacusnews.
This month there has been news from Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Once more I've included quite a few links in Indonesian and Chinese - if you can't read those languages, I recommend getting a browser plug-in such as Google Translate to get an idea of what they're about. Alternatively, just look at the pictures - molihua.org (the Jasmine Revolution site) is especially good for these.
The most important stories:
Cambodia 5: Strike over wages at Tai Yang garment factory in Phnom Penh (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Cambodia 10: Strike against sacking of union members at Horus Industrial Corp in Phnom Penh (link 1)
Cambodia 20: Strikes over wages and right to organise at several garment factories (link 1)
China 2: Protest against new city leader and president of China in Hong Kong (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21)
China 2: Protest against building of alloy plant in Shifang, Sichuan Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21) (link 22) (link 23) (link 24) (link 25) (link 26) (link 27) (link 28) (link 29) (link 30) (link 31) (link 32) (link 33) (link 34) (link 35) (link 36) (link 37) (link 38) (link 39)
China 4: Strike against layoffs at CIMIC ceramics company in Shanghai (link 1)
China 7: Protest over unpaid wages by road workers in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province (link 1)
China 10: Strike at Daisho Group in Huizhou, Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 10: Strike over restructuring at department store in Haikou, Hainan Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 13: Strike over change of management at NVC Lightening Holding Limited in Chongqing, Wanzhou and Huizhou, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
China 13: Protest over unpaid wages by migrant workers in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 16: Strike over unpaid wages and working conditions at construction site in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 17: Protest over unpaid wages in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 17: Protest over wages by migrant workers in Liupanshui, Guizhou Province (link 1)
China 19: Strike against privatisation of bus company in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province (link 1)
China 19: Strike against layoffs and trade union inaction at brewery in Wuhan, Hubei Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 23: Strike for wage rise at electronics factory in Foshan, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
China 24: Protest over unpaid wages by migrant construction workers in Xiamen, Fujian Province (link 1)
China 26: Strike over failure to pay promised wage increase at machine power plant in Changping, Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 26: Strike over wages by cleaners at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in Guangdong Province (link 1)
China 28: Protest against proposed waste pipeline in Qidong, Jiangsu Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21) (link 22) (link 23) (link 24) (link 25) (link 26) (link 27)
China 30: Strike over print factory relocation in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
Indonesia 10: Protest over wages in Purwakarta, West Java (link 1)
Indonesia 10: Strike against outsourcing and for improved benefits at PT Dharma Anugerah Indah factory in Surabaya, East Java (link 1)
Indonesia 12: Protest against outsourcing in Jakarta (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Philippines 12: Strike over wages at Radio Mindanao Network in Davao (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12)
South Korea 16: Strike over wages and hours at Hyundai Motor (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
Taiwan 20: Strike over unpaid wages at RPTI International power systems company (link 1)
Taiwan 24: Factory occupation over unpaid wages at Hualon textile factory in Miaoli County (link 1) (link 2)
All reports ordered by country and date:
-Analysis
6: June strikes show collective bargaining gaining traction in China (link 1)
Burma/Myanmar
16: Protest for Return of Seized Land in Rangoon (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
Cambodia
2: Protest against firing of worker for organising at Wai Full Garments in Kandal Province (link 1)
5: Strike over wages at Tai Yang garment factory in Phnom Penh (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
10: Strike against sacking of union members at Horus Industrial Corp in Phnom Penh (link 1)
13: Protest by garment worker for higher wages in Phnom Penh (link 1) (link 2)
18: Protest against union deal with employers, Thai Pore garments (link 1)
20: Strikes over wages and right to organise at several garment factories (link 1)
China
1: Protest against pollution in Shanghai (link 1)
1: Work-to-rule over hours by firefighters in HongKong (link 1)
1: Protest against construction of waste disposal plant in Fuyang, Anhui Province (link 1) (link 2)
2: Protest against forced resettlement in Inner Mongolia (link 1)
2: Protest against land seizure in Jiaozuo, Henan Province (link 1)
2: Protest against new city leader and president of China in Hong Kong (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21)
2: Protest against building of alloy plant in Shifang, Sichuan Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21) (link 22) (link 23) (link 24) (link 25) (link 26) (link 27) (link 28) (link 29) (link 30) (link 31) (link 32) (link 33) (link 34) (link 35) (link 36) (link 37) (link 38) (link 39)
3: Protest against pollution in Lufeng, Guangdong (link 1)
4: Protest over unpaid wages in Humen, Guangdong (link 1)
4: Strike against layoffs at CIMIC ceramics company in Shanghai (link 1)
5: Protests against layoffs by engineers at heavy machinery manufacturer Sany in Shenyang, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
6: Protest against demolition of school in Huidong County, Guangdong Province (link 1)
6: Strike against increased taxi rental by taxi drivers in Shanghai (link 1)
7: Protest against land seizure in Xianyang, Shaanxi Province (link 1) (link 2)
7: Protest over unpaid wages by road workers in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province (link 1)
10: Strike at Daisho Group in Huizhou, Guangdong Province (link 1)
10: Strike over restructuring at department store in Haikou, Hainan Province (link 1) (link 2)
11: Protest over pensions by army veterans in Changsha, Hunan Province (link 1)
12: Protest against land seizure in Yangshan County, Guangdong Province (link 1)
12: Protest against mining by villagers in Yangshan County, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
13: Protest against forced abortions in Zhejiang (link 1)
13: Strike over change of management at NVC Lightening Holding Limited in Chongqing, Wanzhou and Huizhou, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3)
13: Protest over unpaid wages by migrant workers in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province (link 1) (link 2)
15: Protest against land seizure in Foshan, Guangdong Province (link 1)
16: Protest against land seizure in Qingtian, Zhejiang Province (link 1)
16: Strike over unpaid wages and working conditions at construction site in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province (link 1)
17: Protest over unpaid wages in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (link 1)
17: Protest over wages by migrant workers in Liupanshui, Guizhou Province (link 1)
18: Protest against police brutality in Chongqing (link 1)
18: Protest against land seizure in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province (link 1)
19: Strike against privatisation of bus company in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province (link 1)
19: Strike against layoffs and trade union inaction at brewery in Wuhan, Hubei Province (link 1) (link 2)
20: Strike against illegal taxis by taxi drivers in Xinxiang, Henan (link 1)
20: Protest against land seizure in Shanwei, Guandong Province (link 1) (link 2)
22: Protest against land seizure in Renhuai, Guizhou Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
23: Strike for wage rise at electronics factory in Foshan, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
24: Protest against police brutality by tour guides at Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province (link 1)
24: Protest over unpaid wages by migrant construction workers in Xiamen, Fujian Province (link 1)
25: Protest against gender discrimination in Beijing (link 1) (link 2)
26: Strike over failure to pay promised wage increase at machine power plant in Changping, Guangdong Province (link 1)
26: Strike over wages by cleaners at Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital in Guangdong Province (link 1)
27: Protest against police brutality in Huai'an, Jiangsu Province (link 1) (link 2)
28: Protest against proposed waste pipeline in Qidong, Jiangsu Province (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14) (link 15) (link 16) (link 17) (link 18) (link 19) (link 20) (link 21) (link 22) (link 23) (link 24) (link 25) (link 26) (link 27)
29: Protest against 'patriotic' education in Hong Kong (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
29: Protest against police brutality in Chengdu, Sichuan Province (link 1) (link 2)
30: Protest over failure of rural credit unions to pay in Xuchang, Henan Province (link 1)
30: Strike over print factory relocation in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province (link 1) (link 2)
31: Protest over redundancy pay at bank in Maoming, Guangdong Province (link 1)
Indonesia
9: Protest against iron-sand mining in Kulonprogo, Yogyakarta (link 1) (link 2)
9: Protest against land seizure in Stabat, Sumatra (link 1)
10: Protest over wages in Purwakarta, West Java (link 1)
10: Strike against outsourcing and for improved benefits at PT Dharma Anugerah Indah factory in Surabaya, East Java (link 1)
12: Union workers close road front of Grahadi in Surabaya (link 1)
12: Protest against outsourcing in Jakarta (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
19: Protest against land seizure in Ogan Ilir, Sumatra (link 1)
25: Protest over employment status of workers at PT Nittoh Presisi Indonesia by metal workers' union in Bogor, West Java (link 1)
28: Protest against coal terminal in Lampung (link 1)
30: Protest against construction of house for official in Jakarta (link 1)
30: Protests against land seizures in Lampung (link 1)
31: Protest in land seizure in North Lampung (link 1)
Japan
1: Protests against restarting of nuclear reactor in Tokyo and Ohi (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
12: Strike over forced more to part-time work for older worker at US Army and Air Force Exchange Service facilities in Okinawa (link 1)
16: Protest against nuclear power in Tokyo (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8)
17: Protest against deployment of new US military planes in Okinawa (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
29: Protest against nuclear power in Tokyo (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5)
Philippines
12: Strike over wages at Radio Mindanao Network in Davao (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12)
16: Protests against government policy (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6) (link 7) (link 8) (link 9) (link 10) (link 11) (link 12) (link 13) (link 14)
27: Protest against threatened arrest of union members in Manila (link 1)
South Korea
3: Protest against free trade talks with China (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4)
11: Strike for media independence at MBC and YTN (link 1) (link 2)
16: Strike over wages and hours at Hyundai Motor (link 1) (link 2) (link 3) (link 4) (link 5) (link 6)
26: Protest for job security and working conditions by financial industry workers in Seoul (link 1)
Taiwan
2: Protest against privatization of state petroleum company (link 1)
20: Strike over unpaid wages at RPTI International power systems company (link 1)
24: Factory occupation over unpaid wages at Hualon textile factory in Miaoli County (link 1) (link 2)
30: Protest against petrochemical project in Yunlin County (link 1)
Vietnam
25: Protest against land seizure in Hanoi (link 1) |
Faustino Oramas
Faustino Oramas Osorio (4 June 1911 – 27 March 2007), better known as El Guayabero, was a Cuban trova singer, tres guitarist and composer. Most of his repertoire consisted of sones and guaracha-sones, many with double entendres in the lyrics. His composition "Candela" gained international fame due to its inclusion in the Buena Vista Social Club album.
Career
When he was 15 years old he began playing the maracas as part of a septet of sones known as La Tropical made up by some friends with the purpose of enjoying and performing at the country dances. During the 1940s, he began his career as composer with "Tumbaíto", a song that was included in Libertad Lamarque's repertoire and title he used as an alias for some time. Afterwards, he composed two sones, "Como vengo este año" and "El Guayabero". He composed the latter when he was performing as tres player in the Trovadores Holguineros ensemble. Pacho Alonso, the well-known Cuban musician, first heard the song and then recorded it in a long-playing record that toured across the world. Later on, the Orquesta Original de Manzanillo used the refrain in a tribute to Faustino who, since then, was known as "El Guayabero".
Skillful master of the double meaning, the Cuban's idiosyncrasy, his ingenuity, witty remarks and his love for highly erotic themes amusingly disguised are some of his main features. Unlike most trovadors, Oramas played sones rather than boleros, though this was also true, to some extent, of the famous Trio Matamoros. His preferred instrument was the tres, which is a typical instrument of the son; most other trovadors such as María Teresa Vera or Carlos Puebla played the Spanish guitar. However, his backing groups usually included a Spanish guitar in the basic rhythm.
He composed the song "Candela" of the Buena Vista Social Club (1997) recording, which was a worldwide hit. Wim Wenders directed a documentary film of the musicians involved, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) which was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000.
Compositions
Oramas composed over fifty numbers. He mostly sang his own compositions, which he could perform at any length by adding or subtracting verses. His signature number was "El Guayabero"; other popular numbers included "A María Elena", "Como baila Marieta", "Compositor confundido", "Contigo mi china", "El tumbaíto", "La triguenita", "Las mujeres de Bayamo", "Los abuelos se rebelan", "Mi son retosón". In most of these compositions the rhythm and the poetical structure is rather similar. Four-line verses are interspersed with two or four repeating lines, and the whole or part may be repeated, perhaps several times. The real content comes in the language, which is amusing, human, topical, sometimes vulgar, always entertaining. Rather surprisingly, his work has not been analysed by Cuban writers until recently, although he was well known in the eastern provinces. Indeed, it is difficult to find his name in the various histories of the trovador movement.
Discography
El Guayabero: sones del humor popular (1982, Siboney LD-224)
El Guayabero: sones del humor popular (1987, Siboney LD-342)
El Guayabero (1990, Siboney LD-466)
El tren de la vida (2006, Eurotropical)
References
Biography
Category:1911 births
Category:2007 deaths
Category:Guaracha singers
Category:Guaracha songwriters
Category:Son cubano musicians
Category:Cuban songwriters
Category:Male songwriters
Category:Cuban male singers
Category:Cuban guitarists
Category:Male guitarists
Category:People from Holguín
Category:Deaths from liver cancer
Category:Deaths from cancer in Cuba
Category:20th-century Cuban singers
Category:20th-century guitarists
Category:20th-century male singers |
[Compulsory psychiatric treatment and the patients' perspective].
Topic of this article is an investigation on the patients' perspective of involuntary treatment in psychiatry. The results of two studies are presented. The first study surveyed 40 patients involuntarily admitted to the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy of the University Hospital of Tübingen, Germany, according to the commitment law. The interviews were carried out within the first days of admission. The second study carried out a retrospective follow-up of 47 court-committed patients; the mean period between commitment and follow-up was 29 months. The majority of patients evaluated the involuntary treatment as not justified--both in direct context and in a long distance to it. A substantial part of the sample, however, showed insight into illness and treatment at the time of follow-up. Extreme positions were preferred; an ambivalent attitude was rare. It is necessary to pay attention to the events around the involuntary treatment individually and to offer systematic aftercare. |
John Foxx/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- A Taliban spokesperson sent out a routine email last week, accidentally publicly CC'ing the names of everyone on his mailing list, ABC News has learned.
The names were disclosed in an email by Qari Yousuf Ahmedi, an official Taliban spokesperson, on Saturday. The email was a press release he received from the account of Zabihullah Mujahid, another Taliban spokesperson. Ahmedi then forwarded Mujahid's email to the full Taliban mailing list, but rather than using the BCC function, or blind carbon copy which keeps email addresses private, Ahmedi made the addresses public.
"Taliban have included all 4 of my email addresses on the leaked distribution list," tweeted journalist Mustafa Kazemi, a prolific Kabul-based tweeter with more than 9,500 followers. "Quite reassuring to my safety."
The list, made up of more than 400 recipients, consists mostly of journalists, but also includes an address appearing to belong to a provincial governor, an Afghan legislator, several academics and activists, an l Afghan consultative committee, and a representative of Gulbuddein Hekmatar, an Afghan warlord whose outlawed group Hezb-i-Islami is believed to be behind several attacks against coalition troops.
The Taliban routinely send out press releases to their mailing list, often claiming responsibility for attacks against Afghan and coalition targets. They are known for exaggerating casualty figures. In recent weeks, the Taliban have increased the number of emails they send out, growing from just a handful every week, to several per day. Most of the emails are sent from Ahmedi's account. The increase coincides with the end of the annual Taliban fighting season, prompting one local journalist to joke, "I guess when fighting season ends, emailing season begins." |
Q:
How much memory for unit test suite is ok?
I have ~700 tests with ~1500 assertions, tests are running on sqlite on RAM drive. I run this using phpunit /dir/name, without any additional suite setup.
The tests are written well (I hope so), the app and each one test runs fast and the memory usage for each one is not big (never bigger than 10M).
Everything is ok once the tests are running separated. But when I run all the tests together,
PHPUnit reports memory usage about 450MB.
Is 500M ok? Shall I update the memory_limit to 700MB to be safe?
How to avoid such a memory usage?
I understand that the answer is depends on the app, but I wonder which memory level can tests for a medium level app reach.
Update:
We are using transactions and rollback db changes in tearDown()
A:
PHPUnit instantiates a test case for each test method and each argument array for each data provider before running any tests. To boot, any exception and assertion failure has a reference to the instance that threw it. This makes it very important to unset any instance variables you assigned to the test in tearDown() as MasterCassim said.
But it mainly means that you have to accept a growing memory requirement as the number of tests increase. If you generate code coverage as well this jumps considerably. Our main website project runs with a limit of 2GB.
You can run the tests in separate processes, but you'll pay a high price in increased run times.
Note: Issue #10 is supposed to address this, but I don't know what the status of it is in 3.6.
|
Products Size
Size
Please Select
XXS
XS
S
M
L
XL
XXL
XXXL
Add to Cart:
Description
Already known for its ability to work a sense of individuality into wardrobe essentials, Ted Baker takes things one step further with its Garment Dyed collection. Crafted from pure cotton in a classic Henley silhouette, this Potta T-shirt has undergone a special wash process that not only adds to its soft feel, but also introduces variations in colour that keep your look unique. Channel the British brand’s contemporary take on smart-casual dressing by wearing yours with turned-up chinos and leather sneakers. Model : Ted Baker T-Shirts 1228 Qty. : 94 |
g) assuming g is positive.
g**(-5921/78)
Simplify (m**7*m/m**8*m*m*m**(4/9)*m*m**(-3))/(m**3/((m*m/m**4)/m)*((m/((m**(2/19)*m)/m)*m)/m)/m*m**(3/4)) assuming m is positive.
m**(-4241/684)
Simplify (h**(8/3)*h*h**(-3/5)*h*(h*h**(2/7)*h)/(h*(h/((h/(h/(h*(h/h**8)/h)))/h))/h))**(2/27) assuming h is positive.
h**(-556/2835)
Simplify j**(6/23)*j*j*j**(-3/31)*j**22*j**(-31)*j*j assuming j is positive.
j**(-3448/713)
Simplify ((w*w/w**(-3/8))/w*w**6*(w**(2/9)/w)/w**18)**22 assuming w is positive.
w**(-9031/36)
Simplify (((s*s*s**2/s*s)/(s/(s/((s/((s*s**(-5/4))/s)*s)/s))))/(s**(-5))**(-26))**(2/27) assuming s is positive.
s**(-19/2)
Simplify (((u*u**(1/2)*u*u)/u*u**(2/11))/(u**(-7)/((u/((u/u**6)/u))/u)))**(1/25) assuming u is positive.
u**(69/110)
Simplify (t**(-7)*t**6*t**0/((t**(-3/4)*t*t*t*t)/t))/((t**0/t)**(-11/7)*((t/t**(1/4))/t)**8) assuming t is positive.
t**(-79/28)
Simplify (n**3/n**(1/4))/(n**(3/10)*(n/n**(1/4))/n*n)*(n*n**(-1/12))/n**2*n**1/(n**0*n) assuming n is positive.
n**(37/60)
Simplify (s**(36/5)/s)**(-27)*(s**(-5/2)*s)**(-11) assuming s is positive.
s**(-1509/10)
Simplify ((((l**6/l)/(l*l*l**3))**(8/3))**(-33))**36 assuming l is positive.
1
Simplify ((i**(-3))**3/(i**(-1/2)*i)**14)**(1/23) assuming i is positive.
i**(-16/23)
Simplify ((a/(a/(a/(a/a**(-5)))))/a**0)**(1/30)/((a**(1/3))**(-8/9))**8 assuming a is positive.
a**(119/54)
Simplify ((l/(l/l**(2/5)))/l)**(-1/6)/((l*l*l*l**(2/7)/l*l*l*l)/(l/(l/((l/(l*l**(2/7)*l*l))/l*l))))*((l**(4/7)/l)**12)**34 assuming l is positive.
l**(-12763/70)
Simplify ((j/j**(-1))**(20/13))**(-48)*((j*j/j**(-5))/j**(-6))/((j/(j*j**(-2/7)))/j)**(-5/4) assuming j is positive.
j**(-49353/364)
Simplify ((s*s/s**(-2/7))/s*s*s*s**4)**(5/7)/(((s*s**(2/15)/s)/s**5)/(s*s*s**1)**43) assuming s is positive.
s**(102217/735)
Simplify (w**22/w**(-7/4)*w**(5/6)/w*(w*(w**(1/30)*w)/w)/w)**(-2/77) assuming w is positive.
w**(-1417/2310)
Simplify r**(-4/5)/(r/r**(-18))*(r**(-3)*r)**(26/5) assuming r is positive.
r**(-151/5)
Simplify ((y**0)**(-3/5)/(y**(3/5)*y/((y*y*y*y/((y*((y*y**(2/13))/y)/y*y)/y)*y)/y)))/(y**(-3/8)/y**(1/10))**(-24/11) assuming y is positive.
y**(173/143)
Simplify n*n*n**(-19/3)*n/n**14*n**(-24)/n**(-6) assuming n is positive.
n**(-106/3)
Simplify (r**(-1/13)/r*r*r**(8/3))/(r**(-1/4))**(16/7)*(r*(r/(r**(1/4)*r))/r*r*r**(2/27))**(3/23) assuming r is positive.
r**(246287/75348)
Simplify ((o*o/o**(-1/2))/((o**(1/3)/o)/o))/(o**(-38)/(o/o**(-21)*o)) assuming o is positive.
o**(391/6)
Simplify (((a**1*a)/(a/((a/a**(2/3)*a)/a)))/(a/a**(-5)*a*a/((a**(-2)*a)/a)))/(a**(1/8)*a*a*a/a**(-2)*a**(-5/4)*(a**(-4)*a)/a*a*a) assuming a is positive.
a**(-253/24)
Simplify (((w*((w/w**(-10))/w)/w)/w*w)/(w**19*w)*(w*w**(-10))**(4/7))**(-12) assuming w is positive.
w**(1272/7)
Simplify (y**(-16)*y*y*y)/y**31*(y*y**(2/79))**47 assuming y is positive.
y**(331/79)
Simplify (((x/(x/x**(-1)))**21/(x/x**(2/5)*x**3))**(-20))**25 assuming x is positive.
x**12300
Simplify ((h/(h/(h**2*h)))**(2/23)*h*(h/h**(5/6))/h*h**(1/9))/((h*h**(5/7))/h*h**6*(h**(2/5))**8) assuming h is positive.
h**(-135853/14490)
Simplify (o**(1/4)/o**(-19))/((o/(((o/o**29)/o)/o))/(o/(o*o**(-4)/o))) assuming o is positive.
o**(-27/4)
Simplify ((f**3*f/(f/f**(-3/5))*f**(-5)/f**(2/3))**44)**(-36) assuming f is positive.
f**(25872/5)
Simplify (q**(1/5)/(q/(((((q*q*q**(-1)*q)/q)/q)/q)/q)*q*q))**(36/5)/((((q/q**0)/q)/q)**(4/25)*((q/q**(2/15))/q)/q**(-2/7)) assuming q is positive.
q**(-3628/105)
Simplify ((((r*r*r/r**(-1/13))/r)**(-1/14))**(-27))**(-1/25) assuming r is positive.
r**(-729/4550)
Simplify (((b*b/(b/(b*b**(1/5)))*b)/(b**19*b))/(b*b**(-2/55)*b*b/b**(1/21)))**(1/7) assuming b is positive.
b**(-22772/8085)
Simplify (a**(-1)/((a*a*a**(-1/4)*a)/a*a))/(a**(-5/2)/(a**(-2/21)/a))*((a/(a/a**(-2/5))*a)/a)/a**(-1/3)*a**(-6)*a/(a*a**(-2/21)/a) assuming a is positive.
a**(-439/60)
Simplify (((h/(h/h**1))**(-1/4)*(h/(h**(2/7)/h))**47)**46)**(-45) assuming h is positive.
h**(-2327715/14)
Simplify ((o/o**39*o*o**(2/7)*o)**(-8/5))**(12/5) assuming o is positive.
o**(960/7)
Simplify j/(j**3/j)*((j**(-5/2)/j)/j)/j*j*j*((j*j*j**(-5))/j)/j*j*j/(j**6*j*j)*j*j**1/(j*j/j**(3/5))*((j**(1/5)*j)/j)/(j/(j*j/j**(3/5))) assuming j is positive.
j**(-143/10)
Simplify (x/(x/(x*x**4/x*x)))/x**(2/11)*(x**0*x)**32*((x*x/(((x/x**(-3/5))/x)/x))/x**(-4))**(2/13) assuming x is positive.
x**(27029/715)
Simplify ((x**1*x*x**3*x**(-6)*x**(-1/11))**(3/10))**(-10) assuming x is positive.
x**(36/11)
Simplify (((s**(-4)*s**(-6/7)/s*s)/(((s/(s*s**0*s))/s)/s)**(-35))**(-19))**18 assuming s is positive.
s**(262998/7)
Simplify o/((((o**(-7/5)*o)/o)/o)/o)*o**0*(o**1)**(-9)*(o/(o/(o/(o**(-2)/o*o))))**(1/2)/((((o/o**4)/o)/o)/(o/o**0)) assuming o is positive.
o**(29/10)
Simplify (((c*c*c/c**(-2/3)*c)/c)**(-1/46))**(-36)/(((c/(c*c/(c*c**2)*c))/c)/c**(-1/2)*(c**0/c)**(-3)) assuming c is positive.
c**(-29/46)
Simplify (((w/w**(3/4))/w**(-1/3))/((w**4*w)/(w*w*w*w**1*w)))/((w**(1/6)/w*(w**(-1/2)*w*w*w)/w)/(w/w**(-1)*w*w*w**(1/4))) assuming w is positive.
w**(25/6)
Simplify ((x**(-1/6)*x/x**(1/2))/(x**1*x/x**(-6)))/((x*x**(-3)/x)/(x**(-2/15)/x)*(((x*x**(2/9)*x*x)/x*x)/x)/x**(4/5)) assuming x is positive.
x**(-65/9)
Simplify ((x/(x/(x/(x*x*x*x/(x/((x/((x/x**(-1))/x))/x))*x*x))))/x**(2/21)*x**(-25)*x**3/x*x)**(-17/4) assuming x is positive.
x**(8959/84)
Simplify (c*c**(-2/9)*c**5)**(-2/27)/((c**0*c**(1/8))/((c*c*c/(c*c**(2/15)*c))/c**(-3))) assuming c is positive.
c**(32209/9720)
Simplify (c/(c/(c**(-3/7)*c*c))*c/(c/c**0))**24/((c**(-1)/(c*c**(3/2)))/(c/(c**0/c)*c)**3) assuming c is positive.
c**(703/14)
Simplify (((r*r**(-2))/r)**(-1/5))**2/((r**(-1))**46)**(-6/11) assuming r is positive.
r**(-1336/55)
Simplify (b**(9/5)/b**(-3)*(b*b*(b**(-2/39)/b)/b*b)/(b/(b/b**(-2/31))*b))**(-1/6) assuming b is positive.
b**(-14548/18135)
Simplify (x*x/(x/x**(-29))*x/(x*x**(-33)))/(x*x**(-16/9))**(-27) assuming x is positive.
x**(-16)
Simplify (((b*b**39)/((b/(b/(b/(b*b/(b/(b**(-5)*b*b))))))/b))/((b/(b**18/b))/((b**24*b)/b)))**(1/36) assuming b is positive.
b**(13/6)
Simplify (((y**(-1/10)/y)/y)/y*y*(y/(y/(y**(1/23)*y)*y)*y)/y)**(2/15)/((y**(-2/7))**(1/5)*(y/y**(-1/5))/y**8) assuming y is positive.
y**(79489/12075)
Simplify (b/b**(2/9)*b*b**(-1/6))/((b/(b*b**(1/3)*b*b))/b)**(2/45)*((b**1)**(2/7))**(-25) assuming b is positive.
b**(-2035/378)
Simplify (z/z**(-2/11)*z*z**(-3/8)*z*(z/(((z/z**(2/3))/z)/z))/z**(1/2))**(-36) assuming z is positive.
z**(-3939/22)
Simplify ((c**(2/5))**(-47)/(c**(2/23)/c*c*c*c**(-1/3)))/((c**(-4/7)/(c*c**(-1/7)))/((c/(c**(-2)*c)*c)/c*c/(c/(c/(c**(-9)/c))))) assuming c is positive.
c**(-12377/2415)
Simplify ((h**(-18)/h)/h**23*(h*h*h*h*h**(-7))/(h**3/h))**(1/27) assuming h is positive.
h**(-47/27)
Simplify u**(-3/7)*u*((u/u**(2/11))/u)/u*((u/u**(-7))/u)/u**6*(u*((u/(u*u/u**0))/u)/u)**24*u/(u*(u/(u**(1/2)/u))/u)*u*u**(-2) assuming u is positive.
u**(-7563/154)
Simplify ((h**0/h*h)**(-45))**(-1/25)*(h/(h/h**(6/11)*h))/(h**5/h*h)*(h*h*h*h/(h/(h**1/h))*h)/(h**3*h) assuming h is positive.
h**(-60/11)
Simplify (d**(2/5)*((((d*((d*d/d**0*d)/d)/d)/d)/d)/d)/d*(d**(-2/15)*d)/(d**34*d*d))**(-10/3) assuming d is positive.
d**(1102/9)
Simplify (n*n**(-1))**29/((n/(n*n**(1/5)))/(n**5*n*n))*(n/n**(5/4)*n**(6/7))**(-29) assuming n is positive.
n**(-1457/140)
Simplify (((v/(v*v*v**7))/((v*v**(-3/8))/v))/(v**11*v/(v**2/v*v)))**(4/37) assuming v is positive.
v**(-141/74)
Simplify (c**0*c)**(2/7)/(c**(-2/7))**(-9/8)*c*c*c**7*c*c**(-7)*(c/(c*c**(-1)*c))**(-18) assuming c is positive.
c**(83/28)
Simplify (((a*(a/(a*a**(-2/21)))/a)/a**4*a**(-9)/((a*a**2)/a))**(2/53))**(1/12) assuming a is positive.
a**(-313/6678)
Simplify (((q*q**(2/3)*q*q*q*q)**(1/27)/(q**1/q**2))**(-2/25))**(-21/4) assuming q is positive.
q**(343/675)
Simplify (i/(i**(-2)/i*i))**(-2/93)/((i/i**6)/i**6)*i/i**(1/9)*i**(1/4)*(((i/(i*i**(-2)*i))/i)/i)**(8/13) assuming i is positive.
i**(166247/14508)
Simplify (q*q*q**(-6)*q/(q/q**(3/2))*((q/(q/(q*q**(-2/7)*q*q)*q))/q)**(-10/13))/(q**(-1)/q**(-2/3))**(-3) assuming q is positive.
q**(-737/182)
Simplify ((c**4*c*c**2*c)/(c**(-2/13)/((c/(c**(-1/4)/c*c))/c)))/((c**1)**(-4)/(c/c**(5/2)*c*c/(c*(c*c**5)/c))) assuming c is positive.
c**(359/52)
Simplify (((m**(2/43)*m)/(m/m**(-8)))/(m**(2/3)/(m**(2/7)*m)))**(-28) assumi |
<generatedTop>
<k>
false ~> .
</k>
<stuff>
<bar>
0
</bar>
</stuff>
</generatedTop>
|
Although the glomerulus has long since been known to be compromised of four resident cell types, the contributions of the endothelial cell, mesangial cell, and podocyte to glomerular architecture and function have garnered virtually all of the research attention to date. In contrast, very little is known about the normal biological function of parietal epithelial cells (PECs), and how these cells respond to injury in disease states. Despite originating from the same mesenchymal cell as podocytes, mature PECs represent a distinctly unique cell type as they constitutively express different genes, and readily proliferate when injured, contrasting from the typically quiescent podocyte. The overall goals of this grant proposal are to provide novel insights into the biology and function of PECs in health and disease. In the first aim, we will test the hypothesis that PECs have a critical role in the handling of albumin in the glomerular ultrafiltrate. We propose that PECs lining Bowman's basement membrane form a second glomerular permeability barrier, distinct from the conventional glomerular filtration barrier (which comprises the endothelium, GBM, podocytes). We will test the hypothesis that the well-defined tight junctions and junctional proteins between neighboring cells are abnormal in experimental disease causing increased albumin permeability into the peri-glomerular space. Studies will be conducted in cultured PECs and in experimental models of podocyte and PEC disease in Ksp-EYFP mice (PECs are green) injected with different types and sizes of fluorescent molecular probes as tracers. We will also test the hypothesis that PECs normally take up filtered albumin into vacuoles for lysozymal degradation. However, when proteinuria is marked in primary podocyte disease, we propose that increased uptake leading to excess intra-PEC albumin content is then injurious. The second aim tests the hypothesis that a critical function of PECs is to serve as local precursor cells that transform/differentiate into podocytes when podocyte number decreases. We have crossed Ksp-EYFP mice (green PECs) with nephrin CFP mice (blue podocytes). Podocyte apoptosis and thus loss will be induced in two mouse models (diphtheria-toxin receptor specifically in podocytes;anti-podocyte antibody). The migration of fluorescent cells (PECs) will be carefully monitored in a serial fashion and trans-differentiation into podocytes established based on dual expression of green fluorescent tag concurrently with podocyte-specific proteins such as WT-1 and synaptopodin. Concurrent PEC cell culture studies will augment the in vivo experiments. In summary, these studies are aimed at providing important and novel information into the normal function of PECs, and how PECs respond to direct injury and to injury of their neighboring podocytes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Kidney disease is increasing at epidemic rates in the U.S. One out of ten adults has some form of kidney damage. The overall goal of this grant is to delineate new paradigms in the biology of parietal epithelial cells, so that ultimately new strategies can be developed to reduce the burden of kidney disease |
Characterization of polyampholyte comb-type copolymer DNA carriers.
The authors have reported several comb-type copolymers, consisting of a polycation backbone such as poly-L-lysine (PLL) and hydrophilic side chains of polysaccharides, for controling the assembling structure of DNA-copolymer complexes (1-3). The DNA-copolymer system consists of two phases: compacted DNA-polycation complex and highly hydrated glycocalyx. The latter plays multiple roles in reducing the aggregation of the resulting complexes and increasing the solubility of the complexes (2-3). Furthermore, the grafting degree of the copolymer affects the DNA conformation in the complex, permitting regulation of DNA compaction. The comb-type copolymers with a higher degree of grafting induce little compaction of DNA and stabilize DNA duplexes and triplexes by shielding the repulsion between phosphate anions of DNA. The grafting chains also reduce the nonspecific interaction of the PLL backbone with proteins. |
<?php
/*
* this file is part of magerun
*
* @author Tom Klingenberg <https://github.com/ktomk>
*/
namespace N98\Magento\Application;
use InvalidArgumentException;
use N98\Util\OperatingSystem;
use RuntimeException;
/**
* Class ConfigLocator
*
* Has all the information encoded to retrieve the various config files
*
* @package N98\Magento\Application
*/
class ConfigLocator
{
/**
* @var string
*/
private $customConfigFilename;
/**
* @var string
*/
private $magentoRootFolder;
/**
* ConfigLocator constructor.
*
* @param string $configFilename
* @param string $magentoRootFolder
*/
public function __construct($configFilename, $magentoRootFolder)
{
$this->customConfigFilename = $configFilename;
$this->magentoRootFolder = $magentoRootFolder;
}
/**
* Obtain the user-config-file, it is placed in the homedir, e.g. ~/.n98-magerun2.yaml
*
* @return ConfigFile|null
*/
public function getUserConfigFile()
{
$userConfigFile = null;
$personalConfigFilePaths = $this->getUserConfigFilePaths();
foreach ($personalConfigFilePaths as $personalConfigFilePath) {
try {
$userConfigFile = ConfigFile::createFromFile($personalConfigFilePath);
$userConfigFile->applyVariables($this->magentoRootFolder);
break;
} catch (InvalidArgumentException $e) {
$userConfigFile = null;
}
}
return $userConfigFile;
}
/**
* Obtain the project-config-file, it is placed in the magento app/etc dir, e.g. app/etc/n98-magerun2.yaml
*
* @return ConfigFile|null
*/
public function getProjectConfigFile()
{
if (!strlen($this->magentoRootFolder)) {
return;
}
$projectConfigFilePath = $this->magentoRootFolder . '/app/etc/' . $this->customConfigFilename;
if (!is_readable($projectConfigFilePath)) {
return;
}
try {
$projectConfigFile = ConfigFile::createFromFile($projectConfigFilePath);
$projectConfigFile->applyVariables($this->magentoRootFolder);
} catch (InvalidArgumentException $e) {
$projectConfigFile = null;
}
return $projectConfigFile;
}
/**
* Obtain the (optional) stop-file-config-file, it is placed in the folder of the stop-file, always
* prefixed with a dot: stop-file-folder/.n98-magerun2.yaml
*
* @param string $magerunStopFileFolder
* @return ConfigFile|null
*/
public function getStopFileConfigFile($magerunStopFileFolder)
{
if (empty($magerunStopFileFolder)) {
return;
}
$stopFileConfigFilePath = $magerunStopFileFolder . '/.' . $this->customConfigFilename;
if (!file_exists($stopFileConfigFilePath)) {
return;
}
try {
$stopFileConfigFile = ConfigFile::createFromFile($stopFileConfigFilePath);
$stopFileConfigFile->applyVariables($this->magentoRootFolder);
} catch (InvalidArgumentException $e) {
$stopFileConfigFile = null;
}
return $stopFileConfigFile;
}
/**
* @return array
*/
private function getUserConfigFilePaths()
{
$paths = array();
$homeDirectory = OperatingSystem::getHomeDir();
if (!strlen($homeDirectory)) {
return $paths;
}
if (!is_dir($homeDirectory)) {
throw new RuntimeException(sprintf("Home-directory '%s' is not a directory.", $homeDirectory));
}
$basename = $this->customConfigFilename;
if (OperatingSystem::isWindows()) {
$paths[] = $homeDirectory . '/' . $basename;
}
$paths[] = $homeDirectory . '/.' . $basename;
return $paths;
}
}
|
Most governments don’t acknowledge it. The Sudanese president dismisses it. Darfurians demand that it be recognized. Academics, activists, and lawyers dispute whether it is still occurring or whether it occurred at all. International Criminal Court (ICC) judges debate standards of evidence surrounding it. The nature of recent attacks this past week by Sudanese government forces and militia allies against defenseless civilians potentially augurs its resurgence. And if a fledgling peace process continues to move forward, then any evidence of it ever happening may well be swept under the rug.
The “it” in question is Darfur’s genocide. Seven years after a small rebellion in western Sudan by Darfurian insurgents unleashed a massive counter-insurgency strategy by the Sudanese government and its Janjaweed militia allies, the debate continues: What should be done about the genocide? How can justice and peace simultaneously be pursued?
The ICC’s recent ruling that genocide charges against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir are possible gives new life to the issue. And responding to a YouTube question posed by the Enough Project, President Obama appeared to reverse his administration’s stated policy of an “ongoing genocide” by referring to it in the past tense. How do we make sense out of all this?
In our eight trips into Darfur over these past seven years, we have never met a Darfurian who does not believe genocide has occurred. But genocide is ultimately the subject of international law. The Genocide Convention states that the crime pertains when a party intends to destroy – in whole or in part – a particular group of people based on their identity. Although judges will ultimately rule on this, we believe the evidence for genocidal intent is there.
Eyewitness reports this past week of aerial bombardment of villages followed by attacks on civilians populations by armed horsemen echo back to a period just a few years ago when much of Darfur was literally on fire. These reports are emerging simultaneous to a series of framework ceasefire agreements, thus complicating the Darfur landscape further. What we do know, though, is that these recent attacks and their aftermath reinforce a disturbing trend: evidence of the human rights crimes that have been and are being committed is being concealed and compromised.
The ruling party in Sudan responsible for the bulk of the crimes in Darfur is covering up the evidence for previous and ongoing human rights crimes in five unique ways. The international community must act now – in the context of peacemaking efforts – to blow the lid off this elaborate and deadly cover-up.
First, most of the aid agencies that were thrown out last year by President Bashir were working quietly to support survivors of sexual violence and to protect thousands of women and girls from rape. One of the principal tools of war in Darfur has been systematic rape, a factor in any argument supporting the existence of genocidal intent. By removing most of the groups that were protecting or caring for rape survivors, the cover up is on.
Second, the Khartoum regime has systematically denied access to the United Nations/African Union observer mission to investigate attacks on civilians, so many of these attacks go unreported and the culpability remains mysterious. The observer mission has had no access to the areas of recent government attacks, and thus the UN mission has been totally silent in the face of major attacks. What is the role of this hugely expensive mission if not to observe and report? Denial of access is part of the Khartoum regime’s ongoing cover-up of new crimes, so the false argument can be strengthened that rights violations in Darfur are a thing of the past.
Third, there continue to be humanitarian black spots, areas where aid agencies simply can’t go, such as the areas affect by this week’s fighting, leaving over a third of Darfur unreached by food and medical aid. We don’t know the scale or scope of this problem, but we do know that when access is denied or when aid agencies are expelled, people are much more at risk of disease or malnutrition, which have been by far the biggest killers in Darfur.
Fourth, Khartoum has systematically denied access to journalists and human rights investigators, and repressed independent Darfurian civil society groups, thus robbing us of another means of independently ascertaining what is happening today in Darfur, or gathering evidence about past crimes. Illustratively, there is a total media blackout of the attacks being undertaken now in Darfur.
Fifth, the Bashir administration has intimidated aid agencies and UN bodies so no independent information gets released about human rights issues, because to do so would mean certain expulsion for the responsible organization.
So when the word genocide gets raised and debated, we would make a plea to spotlight what is happening now to cover up the human rights crimes that have been and are being committed, losing the evidence to the vast sands of the Sahara Desert. We also hope that debate can eventually fixate on how to integrate the need for justice into more intensive peace-making efforts in both Darfur and southern Sudan. For peace to have a chance, peace efforts must be leveraged with real consequences for crimes against humanity, whether they are called genocide or not.
John Prendergast is cofounder of Enough, the project to end genocide and crimes against humanity at the Center for American Progress. He is the author with Don Cheadle of the forthcoming book, “The Enough Moment.” Omer Ismail is senior adviser to Enough and also serves as vice president for advocacy at Darfur Peace and Development.
---
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. |
Q:
Find all the solutions of the congruence $12^x \equiv 17 \bmod 25$
I need to find all the solutions of the congruence $12^x \equiv 17 \bmod 25$.
I don't really have an idea how to approach this..
I tried to write it as:
$12^x \equiv 17 \mod 25$ $\Leftrightarrow$ $(3*2*2)^x \equiv -8 \mod 25 $ $\Leftrightarrow$ $ 3^x 2^x 2^x + 2^3 \equiv 0 \mod 25 $ $\Leftrightarrow$
$ 2^x(3^x 2^x 2^{3-x}) \equiv 0 \mod 25 $
Is that the way to solve it? and how should I continue from here? thnk you very much
A:
As said in the comments, you can ultimately reduce to check a finite number of cases. I'll illustrate a standard method which often lessens the number of cases to check. The idea is: since a congruence $\pmod{p^m}$ is also a congruence $\pmod{p^k}$ for each $k<m$, you need not consider the cases for which it fails $\pmod {p^k}$ for $k<m$.
By Euler theorem, since $\operatorname{gcd}(12,\,25)=1$, solutions for $x$ are determined $\pmod{20}$.
Moreover, if $12^x\equiv17\pmod{25}$, then $$12^x\equiv17\pmod5$$
So, $x$ solves $$2^x=2\pmod5$$ as well.
Which is true if and only if $x\equiv 1\pmod{4}$.
So you only need check integers in the form $x=4k+1$ such that $0\le x\le 19$ (hence, $k=0,1,2,3,4$) and such that $12^x\equiv 17\pmod{25}$.
\begin{align}12^{4k+1}&\equiv17\pmod{25}\\12\cdot 12^{4k}&\equiv17\pmod{25}\\12\cdot(-6)^{2k}&\equiv17\pmod{25}\\12\cdot11^k&\equiv17\pmod{25}\\-2\cdot12\cdot11^k&\equiv-34\pmod{25}\\11^k&\equiv16\pmod{25}\end{align}
Now, \begin{array}{c|cc}k&11^k&\mod{25}\\\hline0&1\\1&11\\2&-4\\3&6\\\color{red}4&\color{red}{16}\end{array}
So, $k\equiv4\pmod 5$, hence $x\equiv17\pmod{20}$
|
Max Bauer
Colonel Max Hermann Bauer (31 January 1869 – 6 May 1929) was a German General Staff officer and artillery expert in the First World War. As a protege of Erich Ludendorff he was placed in charge of the German Army's munition supply by the latter in 1916. In this role he played a leading role in the Hindenburg Programme and the High Command's political machinations. Later Bauer was a military and industrial adviser to the Republic of China under Chiang Kai-shek.
Rising in the army
Bauer was born in Quedlinburg. He began to study medicine in Berlin, but then enlisted as an officer candidate in Foot Artillery Regiment 2 (heavy artillery) in 1888. The following year he attended the Kriegs-Schule in Hanover and then was commissioned. After regimental service, in 1898 he was appointed Adjutant to the Artillerie-Prüfungskommission (Artillery Testing Commission). In 1902 he took command of a battery as a captain. An observer of the Russo-Japanese war (1904-5), he was impressed by how Japanese 28 cm mortars demolished Russian forts. When he returned in 1905 he joined the fortress section of the General Staff as their artillery expert, which made him conversant with the leaders of German industry, science, and engineering. Unable to obtain authorization to develop a new heavy mortar, he ordered one from Krupp nonetheless. When the War Ministry learned that a prototype was completed they wanted Bauer dismissed, but the firing tests were so impressive that further development was authorized in 1911. Meanwhile, in 1908 he moved into the mobilization section of the Staff directed by Erich Ludendorff — they became staunch friends. Ludendorff regarded him as the “smartest officer in the army”. In the following year Bauer was appointed as a General Staff Officer, remarkable because he had not had the customary specialized schooling. Helped by his contacts in industry, he studied how the German economy would function during a European war.
The first years of World War I
When the war came Major Bauer was posted to the Operations Section of Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL, Supreme Army Command) as head of Section II, which was responsible for heavy artillery, mortars, and fortresses. Earlier in 1914, the first of the Krupp 42cm mortars, nicknamed "Big Bertha", and its concrete-piercing shells were ready. They smashed the forts in Belgium and northern France. In 1915 the huge guns forced the surrender of the formidable Russian fortifications in Poland, like Przemyśl, before dealing with the Serbian strongholds at Belgrade. For developing the mortars Bauer was awarded the Pour le Mérite and an honorary doctorate from the University of Berlin. (In 1918 he received the Oak Leaves for his Pour le Mérite. During the war he was awarded 25 German and foreign medals.)
Before the war he had worked with the chemist Fritz Haber to transform nitrogen from the air into explosive precursors, which let the Germans make war despite the Naval blockade of Germany preventing continued imports of supplies of nitrates that had come from Chile before the war. When the adversaries deadlocked in their trenches along the Western Front, Haber suggested that they could break through by releasing a cloud of poisonous chlorine gas, which is heavier than air. Bauer provided funds and scientists already in the army. Bauer, Haber and Duisberg, the head of the chemical cartel, and their horses were poisoned at the first field test; all were invalided for days. He was present at the first attack, which cleared the defenders out of miles of trenches defending the city of Ypres, but was "heartbroken" because Supreme Commander Erich von Falkenhayn had mounted only a diversionary attack, divulging their top-secret for almost no gain. Bauer continued to support the development of new gases, tactics to use them effectively despite protective masks, and Haber's mobilization of scientists for the war effort.
Section II of OHL Supreme Army Command carefully evaluated how their weapons performed on active service. For instance, in 1916 they produced a modified field gun that could be elevated to 40 degrees, compared to its former 16 degrees, and their light howitzer's range was increased 43 percent to . They formed a unit to develop assault tactics using storm troopers. Their first tank, introduced in May 1917, was too large and unwieldy, few were produced, so they had to use captured enemy tanks. Krupp and Daimler designed a light tank, but production was not authorized until French light tanks showed their value, consequently they could not be available until April 1919.
Bauer strongly opposed Falkenhayn's plan to attack Verdun in 1916 along a narrow front on the right bank of the Meuse, because their flank would be vulnerable to French artillery on the left bankhe was spot-on; before long they had to attack the left bank as well. While arranging artillery support before the attack he stayed at Fifth Army headquarters where he became a fast friend of its commander, Crown Prince Wilhelm; they kept in touch thereafter. In the first salvo of the attack a 42 cm shell struck Fort Douaumont, a key to the defense. It did not penetrate the reinforced concrete and sand layers: the Verdun forts were stouter than any the mortars had fired on hitherto. Later that year Bauer was dismayed by Falkenhayn's insistence along the Somme front on packing infantry into the foremost trenches to repel the attacks, where they were chewed-up by the Entente's artillery preparations. Bauer decided that Falkenhayn must be replaced by his friend Ludendorff, who had displayed virtuosity on the Eastern Front. Supported by junior officers at OHL he tirelessly lobbied the highest echelons of the army and government against his superior, with criticisms of Falkenhayn like "...his decisions were half measures and he wavered even over these." Falkenhayn was replaced on 29 August 1916 by Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg as Chief of Staff with First Quartermaster General Ludendorff as his associate. To Bauer this was his greatest victory.
Total War
The new commanders resolved to wage total war. OHL Supreme Army Command was reorganized, Bauer's Section II was responsible for heavy artillery, mortars and fortresses. Bauer set highly optimistic goals for weapon production, for instance tripling machine gun output, in what became known as the Hindenburg Program. His industrialist friends welcomed the orders but needed more workers. Skilled men were released from the armed forces and a bill making most men and women subject to national service was proposed to the Reichstag, which rejected the most extreme measures, like shutting the universities except for their medical schools. Compelling women to work was unnecessary, because already more were looking than there were jobs. The bill that finally passed was almost useless. Soon Bauer had a staff officer for propaganda and another stationed in Berlin for political liaison. Despite their exertions, "Unable to control labour and unwilling to control industry, the army failed miserably...."
Lieutenant General von Höhn's draft of a manual describing defense in depth was rewritten by Bauer and Captain Geyer. The crux was that any attackers who penetrated a lightly manned front line would be destroyed by counterattacks. Defense in depth became German Army doctrine through the Second World War.
OHL relied on his political judgment. Ludendorff and Bauer saw eye to eye: to them "To govern means to dominate." So of course they despised Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg who tried to govern by consensus and hoped to negotiate a peace. They lobbied fervently against him. Bethmann was pressured into agreeing to unrestricted submarine warfare, which brought the United States into the war. On 10 June 1917 Bauer gave Matthias Erzberger, a leading catholic Reichstag deputy, a private, pessimist briefing, including his assessment that the U-boats could not win the war. Bauer had misfired. Instead of backing the struggle with a stiffer spine, Erzberger tabled a resolution for a negotiated peace without annexations. OHL fought back fiercely. The Crown Prince visited Berlin to pressure legislators. Bauer stayed in the capital, in the thick of the fight. Hindenburg and Ludendorff came there to threaten to resign. The Kaiser told them "there could be no justification for their presence in Berlin." They retreated to Headquarters to tweak their tactics. On 11 July 1917 Hindenburg and Ludendorff telegraphed their resignations unless Bethmann Hollweg was replaced and immediately released the telegrams to the press. Bethmann Hollweg resigned. The resolution was amended to call for "a peace of equilibrium" and passed by 212 to 126. It was ignored by the new Chancellor Georg Michaelis. OHL Supreme Army Command was in the political driver's seat, but their only objective was total victory.
Bauer worked with Krupp on the development of antiaircraft artillery and of the Paris guns that fired shells but failed to dent civilian morale.
In 1918 OHL unleashed a series of massive attacks to bring victory. Each attack began with a multi-million shell hurricane artillery bombardment. Bauer assembled the guns that were commanded by Colonel Bruchmüller. Repeatedly they broke through British and French lines. After four successful months an attack on the French along the Marne River was bloodily repulsed and then on 17 July 1918 the right flank of their salient pointing towards Paris was crushed by a powerful, joint French and American attack led by massed tanks. Bauer realized that the war was lost and that "in decency” it should be ended. He notified his industrialist friends. Bauer and the Crown Prince agreed that Germany needed a dictator, their choice was Ludendorff. Their misreading of the nation's political situation was exposed when Ludendorff was dismissed on 25 October so despised that for safety he fled the country. Vice-Chancellor Friedrich von Payer, the only member of the administration also in the Reichstag, excoriated Bauer for his un-military political meddling. Bauer took this dressing-down as a tribute to his invaluable work; but he retired from active service on 31 October 1918, a few months after being promoted to Colonel. A close student of the war described Bauer: "There is a strange mixture of force and weakness, calculation and abandon, intelligence and illogic in this man."
Post-war
He wrote about his experiences and national policy during the war. In 1920 Bauer and Ludendorff were among the leaders of the right-wing Kapp Putsch, which seized control of the government. They were forced out by a nationwide general strike. Ludendorff was let off but Bauer had to flee the country. He worked as a military consultant in the Soviet Union, Spain and Argentina. He returned to Germany in 1925 following an amnesty for all those involved in the Putsch.
In 1926, Chinese engineer Chu Chia-hua, president of the Sun Yat-Sen University in Canton, contacted Bauer for advice on military and business opportunities in China. In 1927, Bauer visited Chiang Kai-shek, who hired him as a military adviser, wishing to use his contacts to acquire more weapons and industrial assistance from Germany.
In 1928, Bauer returned to Germany to make contacts with German industries and the army. However, the Treaty of Versailles restricted arms production. In addition, he was persona non grata to the German government as he had participated in the Kapp Putsch. Nonetheless Bauer was able to establish a China trade department and to make contact with the secret German military mission in Nanking.
When Bauer returned to China, he advocated formation of a small core army supported by many local militia forces. Chiang did not use these ideas, since the militias would have concentrated military power in local hands. However, Bauer did manage to have the Whampoa Military Academy moved from Canton to Nanking, it became the Central Military Academy, and to staff it with German military advisers and instructors. He invited 20 German officers to China to work as instructors in military training and military intelligence. Officially, Bauer was Chiang's economic adviser and encouraged him to develop infrastructure.
Max Bauer died in Shanghai, of smallpox, on 6 May 1929, perhaps as a result of having been intentionally infected by one of his Chinese enemies, as he was the only person infected with the contagious disease in the region where he contracted it. He was buried in China with military honors. His ashes were later returned to Germany and buried at Swinemünde on 5 August 1929.
See also
Sino-German cooperation
German-trained divisions of the National Revolutionary Army
References
External links
further info of Max Bauer
Murphy, Mahon: Bauer, Max, in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War.
Category:1875 births
Category:1929 deaths
Category:Deaths from smallpox
Category:German military personnel of World War I
Category:Infectious disease deaths in China
Category:People from Quedlinburg
Category:People from the Province of Saxony
Category:Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
Category:Kapp Putsch participants |
In January, Brian Michael Bendis brings "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "All-New X-Men" together for a crossover titled "The Trial of Jean Grey." We spoke with "Guardians" editor Steve Wacker about the story.
The Uncanny Avengers guest star as a time-shifted Cyclops faces his older brother Havoc in "All-New X-Men" #12, and CBR has an exclusive preview of Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen's June 5 release! |
The administration of hormones to control the reproductive process in domestic mammals such as horses, sheep, pigs, cows (bovine) and goats is well known in the art. One approach to managing reproductive processes in domestic mammals involves the direct administration of gonadotropins to domestic animals. Gonadotropins are produced by the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland and are characterized as follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Typically such hormones are extracted from porcine pituitary glands and employed in cattle or other domestic animals to control or enhance the ovulatory process. One gonadotropin preparation is the follicle stimulating hormone FSH-P available from Schering-Plough Corp. FSH-P has a relatively high and variable content of luteinizing hormone, and while effective in producing an ovulatory response, is less than desirable in terms of fertilization rates and production of transferable embryos. Another formulation which is effective in producing superovulation in cattle comprises a follicle stimulating hormone composition which contains a low, controlled amount of luteinizing hormone to produce a high ratio of follicle stimulating hormone to luteinizing hormone. This composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. B1 4,780,451 to Donaldson.
As disclosed in the patent to Donaldson, the gonadotropin hormones FSH and LH can be administered to the animal by intramuscular or subcutaneous injection in order to stimulate follicular development in the ovaries. Gonadotropin treatment is usually started between days 9 and 13 of the estrous cycle. Two or three days after administration of the gonadotropin hormones, prostaglandin F.sub.2.alpha. (or an analog), hereinafter referred to as PGF.sub.2.alpha. is injected in order to terminate the luteal phase of the estrous cycle prematurely by lysing the corpus luteum. Estrous occurs about two days after regression of the corpus luteum and lasts about half a day followed by ovulation with fertilization of the ovum occurring a few hours after ovulation.
Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) can also be administered in order to stimulate ovulation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,711 to Hodgen discloses the administration of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) subsequent to the administration of a GnRH antagonist administered in an amount effective to initially suppress gonadotropin levels. The GnRH antagonist, specifically antide, and the GnRH can be controlled to achieve a desired suppression of endogenous gonadotropins levels over an extended time interval. |
Managing Pension Plans
A Comprehensive Guide to Improving Plan Performance
Dennis E. Logue and Jack S. Rader
A oomprehensive guide to improving plan performance. Explains everything you need to know for successful management of any pension plan from how pension plans help sponsors manage their workforces to the latest in investment and risk management.
Managing Pension Plans
A Comprehensive Guide to Improving Plan Performance
Dennis E. Logue and Jack S. Rader
Description
Pension funds are big business. They are important to employers, employees, governments, and society at large. With the increasing concern over dwindling retirement benefits and the effect on public awareness of recent pension fund crises, managing pension plans has never been more critical--and the pressure on those who are responsible for them has only intensified. Destined to become the classic resource on pension plan management, Managing Pension Plans explains everything you need to know for successful management of any pension plan--from how pension plans help sponsors manage their workforces to the latest in investment and risk management. With concise and practical guidance on ways for achieving optimal finance performance, Managing Pensions Plans is an
indispensable resource for pension fund trustees, boards of directors, managers, and administrators of both public and private pension plans as well as for the money management firms, consultants, actuaries, and accountants who serve the pension fund industry. Logue and Rader, two of the world's leading experts on the subject, explain all the financial, legal, economic, accounting, and managerial issues that those who make pension fund decisions must juggle--in language that non-financial managers can understand, yet with sufficient depth to be useful to financial managers as well. The authors synthesize the latest in capital market and financial economics research to help those involved in pension management improve their decision-making in all the critical areas, including: choosing the
optimal form of pension plan, formulating and implementing the plan's investment strategy, selecting and monitoring pension plan managers, measuring the plan's performance, and managing financial risk. In addition, the book describes in detail the responsibilities of fiduciaries, revealing how to be both a prudent fiduciary and a capable decision maker. Additionally, Managing Pension Plans offers candid advice on how pension managers can improve fund performance by being more effective shareholders. As pension fund management and performance increasingly affect the success of organizations as a whole, this book will be indispensable to anyone--from fund analysts to board members--who influences pension fund decisions.
Managing Pension Plans
A Comprehensive Guide to Improving Plan Performance
Dennis E. Logue and Jack S. Rader
Reviews and Awards
"Managing Pension Plans is superb! Logue and Rader have created a coherent and readable work on an important and complex topic. As pension funds become critical for insuring financial security for millions of retirees, Logue and Rader fill a tremendous need by providing a credible and comprehensive guide for financial and nonfinancial professionals, business students, and fund trustees."--Charles M. Elson, Professor, Stetson University College of Law
"What a book! Logue and Rader's Managing Pension Plans is a definitive study of decision making around pension funds. Clear, accurate, and thoughtful, the book provides both scholar and practitioner with the history, development, landscape, and nuances of today's pension fund industry. A thorough and impressive work that no pension fiduciary or institutional investor should be without."--Sue Toigo, Chairman, Institute for Fiduciary Education (IFE)
"Managing Pension Plans is essential for anyone who wants to know about pension fund management. Logue and Rader have distilled an complex subject into a comprehensible work. Their excellent book fills a void, providing an accessible, yet complete guide for finance professionals, students, and anyone involved in the pension plan decision."--John D. Finnerty, Partner, Cooper & Lybrand L.L.P., and Professor of Finance, Fordham University |
--TEST--
SPL: FixedArray: Testing setSize() with NULL
--FILE--
<?php
$a = new SplFixedArray(100);
$a->setSize(NULL);
print "ok\n";
?>
--EXPECT--
ok
|
Man Dies After Hydroplaning Car Strikes Him
On Thursday, September 12, a man who was cutting the lawn outside a church was killed by a vehicle that lost control due to slick roads and crashed into him.
The car was driving on Highway 94 when it lost control, hydroplaning, flipping over multiple times, and striking the man.
Valente T. Zapata, 59, was an employee of T.J.’s Lawn Services & Landscaping. He worked for the landscaping company since 2008. Zapata was the sole provider for his family who are still living in Mexico. Zapata came to the U.S. on a work visa and has been sending money home regularly to support his family. According to Carie Brown, wife of the owner of the landscaping company, Zapata was a very kind man. Brown said that Zapata always worked hard and never complained.
The accident happened in the Orchard Farm area at 4795 North Highway 94 near Trinity Lutheran Church around 7:30 a.m. Laurel Schneck, 48, of St. Charles was traveling south on Highway 94. She was driving her 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer around a curve when it began to spin out of control. She lost control completely and the car drove off of the highway, striking an embankment, and flipped over multiple times.
Zapata was working on a lawn close to the church’s parking lot and as the car flipped it struck him. He was killed at the scene, according to Sgt. Al Nothum of the Missouri Highway Patrol.
Schneck was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. She needed to be cut out of her vehicle by firefighters who arrived at the scene before she could be transported to the hospital. She was treated for minor injuries.
Reverend Doug Gaunt had never met Zapata but he confirmed that the curve in front of the church can be very dangerous. “We’ve had numerous crashes there over the years,” he said. “In my first 10 or 15 years here, I’d see maybe a dozen a year.”
There has been work done on the area in an attempt to reduce the number of accidents. Widening the road and restructuring the ditch have helped somewhat, but Gaunt says that even so, multiple crashes occur annually. After two brothers died in an accident on Highway 94 in 2004, the state began a project to make the road safer. That accident was also caused by wet roads and the brothers’ car ended up losing control and colliding with a pickup truck. In 2006 the state began widening the road.
But drivers should still be careful. You do not need to be speeding in this stretch of the road to get into an accident. If the roads are wet, as you are heading around the curve, you could easily lose control, as many others have done.
St. Louis Auto Accident Attorney
Taking weather conditions into consideration is something that all drivers should do. Even if there is no downpour currently going on, remembering that a little dampness on the road could drastically change driving conditions is crucial.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, contact The Hoffmann Law Firm, L.L.C. to discuss your options. |
Introduction {#Sec1}
============
Ketocarotenoids are a special group of carotenoids characterized by the presence of one or several carbonyl groups in their ß-ionone rings. The electron-withdrawing effect of keto moieties on the carotenoid's conjugated π-system results in a slight shift of absorption maximum from 450 nm (yellow) to 470 nm (red). Thus, ketocarotenoids are easily recognizable by their red hue. Due to their excellent anti-oxidative characteristics, ketocarotenoids such as astaxanthin and canthaxanthin rank among the highest-value products on the carotenoid pigment market^[@CR1]^. While market demands are still being met mainly by the chemical industry, the interests in ketocarotenoids produced in biological systems has witnessed skyrocketing growth in the recent years^[@CR2]^.
In contrast to non-ketolated carotenoids such as ß-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, violaxanthin etc., all of which are ubiquitous among photosynthetic organisms, the biosynthesis of ketocarotenoids is limited to a small groups of organisms including several marine bacteria^[@CR3]^, the fungus *Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous*^[@CR4]^, microalgae^[@CR5]^ and flowers of *Adonis aestivalis*^[@CR6]^. Most prominent among these species is the unicellular green alga *Haematococcus pluvialis*, which can accumulate astaxanthin at very high levels up to 7% of its dried weight^[@CR7]^. Huge algal farms growing *Haematococcus* for astaxanthin extraction have been established in several countries including the USA, Israel and China^[@CR8]^. Industrial production of astaxanthin in *Haematococcus*, however is hampered by several limiting factors such as the alga's slow growth rate and low cell density, high risk of contamination^[@CR9]^, parasitic disease^[@CR10]^, high energy cost for induction of carotenogenesis (requiring high light intensity) and difficulty breaking the thick cell wall of haematocysts^[@CR11]^. Thus, there is a great and obvious need to develope new, alternative biological platforms for ketocarotenoids production.
Significant efforts have been made to engineer the ketocarotenoid biosynthetic pathway (especially of the high-value astaxanthin) into already existing carotenoid biosynthesis of model organisms such as bacteria^[@CR12]^, cyanobacteria^[@CR13]^, yeast^[@CR14]^, higher plants^[@CR15]--[@CR17]^ or microalgae^[@CR18]--[@CR20]^. The experimental strategy often involves the introduction of the key enzyme, ß-carotene ketolase (BKT) derived from an astaxanthin-producing organism, into the host's cells. The results of these approaches vary from complete reddening of plant tissues due to pigment accumulation to only trace amounts of detected ketocarotenoids. Due to the promiscuous nature of the enzyme, a large number of intermediates or side-products are accumulated in conjunction with the target ketocarotenoid^[@CR21]^. The dearth of isoprenoid precursors and metabolic sink prevent the maximal efficiency of carotenoid biosynthesis^[@CR22]^. Spatial separation of enzyme--substrate is another factor that might result in low production of ketocarotenoids^[@CR23],[@CR24]^. Feedback-inhibition of carotenogenesis due to its own excessive end-product has also been reported^[@CR25]^. Overall, these studies reflect the complexity of ketocarotenoid biosynthesis and the fact that in many cases introducing a foreign protein in a metabolic network only represents the first step of metabolic engineering.
For at least 70 years, the unicellular green alga *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii* has served as a model organism for research on photosynthesis, flagellate structure and function, chloroplast biogenesis, light perception, cell--cell recognition and cell cycle control, among many other biological processes^[@CR26]^. *Chlamydomonas* also belongs to a limited number of microalgae whose transformation has been routinely achieved by thoroughly developed molecular toolkits^[@CR27]^. It was long assumed that *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii* does not accumulate ketocarotenoid. This assumption was disputed in 2011 when large amounts of ketocarotenoids, including 4-ketolutein, 4-ketolutein esters, astaxanthin, astaxanthin esters and canthaxanthin, were detected in *Chlamydomonas* diploid zygospores^[@CR28]^. A ß-carotene ketolase variant, termed CrBKT, was identified earlier from sequencing data of *Chlamydomonas* genome^[@CR29]^. Functional analysis in *E. coli* showed that CrBKT is a diketolase (i.e. able to add carbonyl groups to both ß-ionone rings) capable of converting ß-carotene to canthaxanthin and zeaxanthin to astaxanthin with high efficiency^[@CR12]^. CrBKT is highly expressed in *Chlamydomonas* zygospores, while in vegetative cells its expression is kept at minimal level. This pattern explains the lack of ketocarotenoids in these cells. CrBKT has been successfully utilized to introduce astaxanthin production into *Arabidopsis*^[@CR12]^, tomato^[@CR16]^, tobacco^[@CR15]^ and rice^[@CR17]^ among other species.
While commercial production of ketocarotenoid in *Chlamydomonas* zygospores is not economical (the zygospore maturation alone takes at least one month!), vegetative *Chlamydomonas* cells have shown a great potential as host for production of a wide range of high-value compounds and biotechnological products^[@CR30]^. In this paper, we report about our approach to engineer the ketocarotenoid biosynthetic pathway into *Chlamydomonas* vegetative cells by overexpressing its native enzyme CrBKT. The resulting transformants accumulated canthaxanthin and also displayed significant changes in chlorophyll content. These findings indicate a cross-talk mechanism between ketocarotenoid- and chlorophyll biosynthesis.
Results {#Sec2}
=======
Selection of *Chlamydomonas* strain for ketocarotenoid metabolic engineering {#Sec3}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Studies in *Haematococcus pluvialis*^[@CR31]^, *Chromochloris zofingiensis*^[@CR5]^, *Agrobacterium aurantiacum*^[@CR3]^, *Xanthophyllomyces dendrorhous*^[@CR32]^ and *Adonis aestivalis*^[@CR6]^ have indicated that ketocarotenoids are synthesized from carotenoids. Two types of reactions are usually involved: ketolation (i.e. addition of the carbonyl groups to the ß-ionone rings) catalyzed by ß-carotene ketolases (BKT/CrtW/CrtO) and hydroxylation (i.e. addition of the hydroxyl groups to the ß-ionone rings) catalyzed by ß-carotene hydroxylases (CHYb/CrtY/CrtR; Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}). Like many other secondary metabolic processes, the enzymes of ketocarotenoid biosynthesis are promiscuous: They can accept a wide variety of substrates. For example, CrBKT can process ß-carotene to echinenone, echinenone to canthaxanthin, zeaxanthin to adonixanthin, adonixanthin to astaxanthin, α-carotene to 4-keto-α-carotene and lutein to 4-ketolutein^[@CR33]^ .Figure 1Biosynthetic pathways of carotenoids and ketocarotenoids in *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii*. In the lower right corner is the numbering of ß-ionone ring as well as positions where hydroxylation and ketolation reactions take place. In order to direct cell's resources towards biosynthesis of highly valuable canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, we identified two competing side pathways---the α-carotene biosynthesis and xanthophylls cycle---that need to be eliminated. These pathways are highlighted in coloured boxes.
To streamline resources towards the biosynthesis of highly valuable ketocarotenoids---canthaxanthin or astaxanthin---competitive metabolic side pathways can be silenced. As depicted in Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}, such pathways include the biosynthesis of α-carotenoids and those of xanthophylls cycle pigments (violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and neoxanthin). Silencing these pathways requires disruption of the conversion steps of lycopene to α-carotene and of zeaxanthin to violaxanthin. In *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii*, there have been successful reports of CRISPR-Cas9- and RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene knock-out/knock-down^[@CR34]--[@CR37]^ but these techniques have not been well established.
*Chlamydomonas* strain CC-4102 (genotype *npq2-2 npq1 lor1)*, in which both the α-carotenoids biosynthesis and the xanthophylls cycle are defective, has been previously isolated and characterized^[@CR38]^. This strain is characterized by reduced non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), accumulation of zeaxanthin as well as the near absence of lutein, violaxanthin, antheraxanthin and neoxanthin. Surprisingly, even with such defective photoprotective mechanisms, CC-4102 cells can still grow at both low- and high light conditions. These findings suggest that zeaxanthin protects cells from photooxidation. For ketocarotenoids metabolic engineering, strain CC-4102 holds several advantages over the frequently used CC-124 or CC-4350 *Chlamydomonas* strains. The absence of many major carotenoids leads to less clustered chromatograms, making it easier to detect newly formed ketocarotenoids. Their absence also reduces the possibilities of side products -- unwanted ketolated substances due to the promiscuous nature of CrBKT. The major carotenoids of CC-4102, ß-carotene and zeaxanthin, are good substrates of CrBKT and the respective products, canthaxanthin and astaxanthin, are high value ketocarotenoids. Consequently, we chose strain CC-4102 for the ketocarotenoid metabolic engineering experiment.
Transformation and selection of *Chlamydomonas* strain CC-4102 {#Sec4}
--------------------------------------------------------------
We transformed the algal cells with CrBKT-overexpression vector pChlamy4 CrBKT V5H via electroporation. We selected transformed CC-4102 cells under either mixotroph or heterotroph conditions, as detailed in "[Materials and methods](#Sec9){ref-type="sec"}" section. In both cases, we obtained numerous zeocin-resistant colonies (184 colonies from mixotrophic selection, 56 colonies from heterotrophic selection: the corresponding transformation efficiencies were 184 and 56 colonies/µg vector DNA, respectively). Transformation with another ble2A bicistronic vector, namely pBR9 mCherry^[@CR39]^ provided a similar efficiency (186 colonies/µg vector DNA). Most of the CrBKT transformants displayed a dark green color indistinguishable from non-transformed cells. Only on plates cultivated under heterotrophic conditions did we observe four pale green colonies, whose green color seemed much less intense compared to the surrounding dark green ones. We termed such lines DARK-PALE 1--4 and grouped them separately for later analysis.
We extracted genomic DNA from 96 zeocin-resistant lines and performed PCR to confirm the integration of the overexpression construct into genome. We used primers 1479 and 1491, which spanned from the selection marker *ble*, over 2A sequence to the very end of *CrBKT* gene (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). Successful integration of the intact *ble2A-CrBKT* resulted in amplification of a 1288 base pair (bp)-long fragment. For comparison, we combined transformants into three groups: dark green lines from mixotrophic selection, dark green lines from heterotrophic selection and pale green lines (named DARK-PALE lines) from heterotrophic selection. As presented in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}, the PCR-positive rate among DARK-PALE lines was 100% (4/4), while we observed much lower rates (10% and 5.8%) in other two (dark green) groups. Figure 2The overexpression vector pChlamy4 CrBKT V5H. Half arrows represent binding positions and 5′-3′ direction of primers used for PCR screening and insertion mapping of transformants. Also shown are the sequences of adaptors and adaptor primers used for insertion mapping. Oligonucleotides 389 and 390 annealed to form asymmetric blunt-ended adaptor. The short strand was extended after first round of PCR. Table 1Whole cassette amplification (PCR with primers 1479 and 1491).Number of coloniesTransformation efficiencyPCR-positive/testedPercentage (%)Dark green, mixotrophic184184 colonies/µg DNA4/4010Dark green, heterotrophic5256 colonies/µg DNA3/525.8Pale green, heterotrophic(DARK-PALE lines)44/4100
Pigment analysis of transformants overexpressing CrBKT {#Sec5}
------------------------------------------------------
The pigment profiles of all dark green transformants, regardless of whether they were from mixotrophic or heterotrophic selection, were almost identical in pigment profile compared to non-transformed CC-4102 cells under the same growth conditions. On the other hand, there were significant changes among DARK-PALE transformants (Figs. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}, [4](#Fig4){ref-type="fig"}). In all DARK-PALE lines, the chlorophyll-to-carotenoid ratio was strongly reduced by a factor of 2 to 3, causing a pale green color. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of canthaxanthin---the diketolation product of ß-carotene in at least two DARK-PALE lines (DARK-PALE 1 and DARK-PALE 4). These data indicatie that in these lines CrBKT was expressed and functional. We estimated canthaxanthin concentrations to be about 10% of total carotenoid concentration (0.1 pg/cell). There was no astaxanthin. We also noticed the presence of many minor peaks whose absorption spectra were similar to those of chlorophyll *a* or chlorophyll *b*. We assume that these minor peaks might be either from degradation of chlorophyll or were accumulated intermediates from chlorophyll biosynthetic pathways.Figure 3HPLC analysis of pigments extracted from DARK-PALE1 transformant as well as from DARK-GREEN 1 and non-transformed CC-4102 cells. Peaks identification: (1), (2), (3), (4): putative chlorophyll degradation products, (5): chlorophyll *b*, (6): lutein, (7): zeaxanthin, (8): new ketocarotenoid, (9): chlorophyll *a*, (10) and (11): ß-carotene. Below are absorption spectra from 280 to 640 nm of peaks (1), (2), (3), (4), (8), as well of chlorophyll *a*, *b* and canthaxanthin. Peak 8 is identified as canthaxanthin based on identical retention times (peak 8: 10.06 min, canthaxanthin: 10.00 min) and similar absorption spectra. Figure 4Comparison of chlorophylls/total carotenoids ratios of all PCR-positive CrBKT overepxression transformants. Four DARK-PALE lines display significantly lower Chl/car ratios than both non-transformed CC-4102 cells as well as all dark green lines. (\*) denotes statistical significance (*p* \< 0.05) compared to non-transformed cells under same growth conditions.
Insertion mapping of DARK-PALE transformants {#Sec6}
--------------------------------------------
We mapped the 5′- and 3′-flanking regions of DARK-PALE 1 and 3′-flanking region of DARK-PALE 2 (Table [S1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"} and Fig. [S2](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}, Supplementary Material). In DARK-PALE 1 5′- and 3′-end mapping yielded different insertion sites in different chromosomes. Such ambiguity was also encountered by Zhang et al*.*^[@CR40]^ and Pollock et al*.*^[@CR41]^, who explained it by co-integration into insertion site of extracellular DNA fragments derived from other cells lysed during electroporation. None of our discovered insertion sites could be associated to the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway, thus though still incomplete, our insertion mapping implies that the expression cassette was randomly integrated into genome. Therefore, it is rather unlikely that the reduction of chlorophyll content in DARK-PALE lines was caused by disruption of chlorophyll biosynthetic genes.
Influence of light on ketocarotenoid- and chlorophyll-biosynthesis in DARK-PALE transformants {#Sec7}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Initially we heterotrophically maintained DARK-PALE lines, i.e. in darkness on TAP-YP agar plates supplemented with zeocin (20 mg/L). We attempted to grow DARK-PALE cells mixotrophically on zeocin-containing TAP agar plates in the light but they repeatedly failed to grow. It turned out that the decrease of zeocin resistance was responsible for this failure. Light-cultivated DARK-PALE cells survived zeocin concentrations up to 10 mg/L but died completely at a concentration of 20 mg/L. Dark-grown DARK-PALE cells survived all tested concentrations (Fig. [5](#Fig5){ref-type="fig"}a). Intriguingly, light-grown DARK-PALE cells no longer showed the distinctive pale green color. Instead, they were dark green similar to non-transformed CC-4102 cells. HPLC analysis revealed the return of non-transformed chlorophyll/carotenoid ratio (Fig. [5](#Fig5){ref-type="fig"}b), as well as the absence of canthaxanthin in light-grown DARK-PALE cells (Fig. [S5](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}, Supplementary Material). The presence of an intact expression cassette was confirmed by PCR in both dark- and light-cultivated cells (Fig. [S6](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}, Supplementary Material).Figure 5Changes of pigment profiles of DARK-PALE cells under light and dark conditions. (**a**) Light-cultivated DARK-PALE cells return to dark-green color and do not survive high zeocin concentration of 20 mg/L. (**b**) Comparison of chlorophylls/total carotenoids ratios of dark- and light-grown DARK-PALE cells. DP = DARK-PALE.
Discussion {#Sec8}
==========
Confirmation of the intact integration of the overexpression cassette's intact integration into the genome by PCR resulted in very low positive rates: 10% among mixotrophic- and 12.5% among heterotrophic transformants. Such very low integration rates are unusual for the bicistronic ble2A system. Other publications have reported much higher rates of antibiotic-resistant lines harboring the gene of interest: 70%^[@CR42]^ 93%^[@CR43]^, 51.3%^[@CR44]^. With plasmid pBR9 mCherry, mCherry-fluorescence was detected in 76% of zeocin-resistant colonies indicating that the incorporation rate of the mCherry gene into *Chlamydomonas* genome was high. PCR amplification for the *ble* gene resulted in positive results for all zeocin-resistant transformants (data not shown), data that confirm the presence of *ble* gene required for zeocin resistance. We postulate that in all PCR-negative lines, the expression cassette was fragmented and only the *ble* gene was incorporated into the genome. According to the transgene integration model proposed by Zhang et al.^[@CR40]^, extracellular DNA is subjected to digestion by sequence-specific endonucleases before and during entry into recipient cells subjected to transformation. Cassette fragmentation and the subsequent low co-integration rates could be caused by sequence-specific cleavage of the CrBKT gene by such endonucleases.
In this approach, ketocarotenoid production in *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii* was associated with a decrease in chlorophyll content. This report is not the first time that such a correlation has been observed. Higher plants engineered to produce ketocarotenoids have much lower leaf chlorophyll contents compared to their non-transformed controls^[@CR45]--[@CR50]^. In microalgae such as *Haematococcus pluvialis*, *Chromochloris zofingiensis* and *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii*, ketocarotenoid biosynthesis is also accompanied by degradation of chlorophyll^[@CR28],[@CR51],[@CR52]^. The mechanism behind this correlation is not well understood. However, its understanding is important to improve ketocarotenoid production in photosynthetic organisms. In higher plants, interference to chlorophyll biosynthesis could be avoided by limiting ketocarotenoid biosynthesis to non-photosynthetic tissues such as flowers or roots. Obviously, such options are unavailable in microalgae.
In CC-4102 cells, the predominant carotenoid is zeaxanthin, followed by ß-carotene. CrBKT can convert zeaxanthin to astaxanthin and ß-carotene to canthaxanthin with high efficiency^[@CR12]^. Remarkably, we only detected canthaxanthin. We hypothesize that substrate and enzyme spatial separation is responsible for the absence of astaxanthin rather than low enzymatic activity. One of the first ketocarotenoid metabolic engineering attempts in *Chlamydomonas* was carried out by Leon et al.^[@CR18]^, in which the authors overproduced HpBKT from *Haematococcus pluvialis* but could detect only 4-ketolutein, ketolation product from lutein, rather than astaxanthin and canthaxanthin. The authors attributed this finding to the enzyme's inaccessibility to its substrate ß-carotene. In a more recent publication, Perozeni et al.^[@CR20]^ also attempted to overexpress CrBKT in *Chlamydomonas npq2* mutant, but their study differs from ours. They directed CrBKT to the thylakoid membrane via fusion of the *psaD* chloroplast transit peptide (cTP^[@CR53]^) to its N-terminus. As a result, both astaxanthin and canthaxanthin are detected in their psaD-CrBKT transformants. In our study, we intentionally did not include cTP because there is evidence of an intrinsic cTP in CrBKT sequence, both from *in silico* sequence analysis with PredAlgo^[@CR54]^ as well as fluorescence translocation assay^[@CR20]^. The lack of astaxanthin leads to the assumption that CrBKT was expressed and imported into chloroplast but not into thylakoid membrane, thus leaving it unable to metabolize zeaxanthin. Further studies will be needed to elucidate the exact location of CrBKT in *Chlamydomonas* chloroplast.
DARK-PALE transformants reverted back to dark green color when they were grown under light and lost ketocarotenoid production. This phenomenon persisted even when TAP-YP agar was used instead of TAP, indicating that a difference in medium compositions was not the reason for this phenomenon. Furthermore, promoter activity did not underline this difference because the HSP70/RBCS2 promoter is active under both light and dark conditions^[@CR55]^. Loss of the transgene via genomic instability can also be excluded. Insertion-mediated disruption of the light-independent protochlorophyllide reductase genes (the so-called "yellow-in-dark" mutations) causes similar phenotypes^[@CR56]^ but this explanation is inconsistent with our insertion mapping results. We postulate that interference of CrBKT overexpression with chlorophyll biosynthesis is likely the reason for the observed phenotypes. This phenomenon could explain why no ketocarotenoid-producing transformants were recovered from mixotrophic plates, even though there are more colonies on them. It is entirely possible that several transformant lines on mixotrophic plates were indeed capable of producing ketocarotenoids under the right conditions (dark, heterotrophic medium). However, being cultivated under the "wrong" conditions (light, mixotrophic medium), they failed to display the desired phenotype and were subsequently rejected during screening.
In this study, we showed that it is indeed possible to engineer ketocarotenoid pathway into *Chlamydomonas* green vegetative cells for production of the valuable pigment canthaxanthin. Despite this success, the usefulness of our transformants as a ketocarotenoid production platform is still limited by a number of factors including low ketocarotenoid concentration, interference to chlorophyll biosynthesis and the loss of phenotypes under light. In the bigger picture, these difficulties represent the common problems usually encountered by algal metabolic engineering and underscore the fact that our understanding of these organisms, despites three quarters century of intensive research, is still limited.
Materials and methods {#Sec9}
=====================
Microorganisms and cultivation conditions {#Sec10}
-----------------------------------------
*Chlamydomonas* strain CC-4102 (genotype *npq2-2 npq1 lor1 arg7 mt* +) was obtained from the Chlamydomonas Resource Center, University of Minnesota USA. Algal cells were cultured mixotrophically in liquid or agar solidified Tris--Acetate-Phosphate (TAP) medium^[@CR57]^ supplemented with 200 µg/mL [l]{.smallcaps}-arginine and at 25 °C under cool white daylight from fluorescent lamps (60 µE/m^2^ s); or heterotrophically in TAP medium supplemented with 0.3% peptone and 0.2% yeast extract (TAP-YP medium^[@CR34]^) in the dark. For vector construction, *Escherichia coli* strain DH5α was cultivated at 37 °C in standard LB medium. For selection of algal and bacterial cells, zeocin (InvivoGen) and ampicillin (Carl-Roth) were added to final concentrations of 20 and 100 µg/mL respectively.
Construction of CrBKT-overexpression vector {#Sec11}
-------------------------------------------
The plasmid pChlamy4 has been generated and distributed by Thermo Fisher as a vector optimized for protein expression in *Chlamydomonas reinhardtii*. The plasmid also yields higher levels of transgene expression and improved transgene stability by utilizing the bicistronic strategy, in which the selection marker, *ble* zeocin resistance gene from *Streptoalloteichus hindustanus*, is linked directly to the gene-of-interest's sequence via the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) 2A self-cleaving sequence^[@CR42]^. Gene expression is driven by the strong constitutive HSP70/RBCS2 promoter^[@CR55]^. For subsequent protein detection and purification, the plasmid also harbors dual protein tags, namely 6xHis and V5.
We chose a truncated CrBKT in which a 116 amino acid-long sequence at its C-terminus was removed without affecting the protein's activity (GenBank: AEA35045.1^[@CR12]^) for overexpression in *Chlamydomonas*. The truncated CrBKT coding sequence was kindly donated by Dr. Jürgen Breitenbach, University Frankfurt, amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers 1502 and 1534 (Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}) and cloned between the *Xho*I and *Xba*I sites of plasmid pChlamy4 (Thermo Fisher). Due to the presence of an *Xba*I site within the CrBKT sequence, the PCR products were instead digested with *Bcl*I, which created cohesive end compatible to *Xba*I-overhang. The resulting plasmid harbors the bicistronic construct of *ble* and *CrBKT* linked via the FMDV 2A sequence. At the C-terminus of CrBKT, there is the dual epitope V5-6xHis (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}).Table 2List of primers.Primer5′-3′ sequenceDescription1502AATA CTCGAG ATG GGC CCT GGG ATA CAA CCUsed for amplification of CrBKT1534AAAA TCTAGA GA CGC CAG GGC TGC GCCUsed for amplification of CrBKT1563GCC ATA TGC ATG GCC ATC5′-end mapping primer1564CGC ACC AAT CAT GTC AAG CCT CAG CG5′-end mapping nested primer1565CTG GGC CTG GAC AGC ACC3′-end mapping primer1566GGC GGG CTG GGC GTA TTT GAA GCG3′-end mapping nested primer1147GTA ATA CGA CTC ACT ATA GGG CAdaptor primer1148TGG TCG ACG GCC CGG GCT GGAdaptor nested primer1479GAC CAG GTG GTG CCG GAC AAC ACCScreening primer1480TTG CTC TCC ACG TCG CCC GCC AGC TTCScreening primer1491AAAA GTCGAC CGC CAG GGC TGC GCC GCGScreening primer
Nuclear transformation of *Chlamydomonas* {#Sec12}
-----------------------------------------
Nuclear transformation of *Chlamydomonas* was attained with electroporation using modified protocol of Shimogawara et al*.*^[@CR58]^. Briefly, *Chlamydomonas* was grown mixotrophically in TAP liquid medium supplemented with 200 mg/L [l]{.smallcaps}-arginine. Algal cells in early *log* phase (cell density 1--3 × 10^6^ cells/mL) were harvested, washed and concentrated to 3 × 10^8^ cells/mL in GeneArt MAX Efficiency Transformation Reagent for Algae (Thermo Fisher) following the manufacturer's instructions. The cells were then dispersed into 250 µL aliquots. Five µg of *Sca*I-linearized plasmid was subsequently added and the mixture was chilled at 4 °C for 5 min. Electroporation was conducted with BioRad Gene Pulser system with 0.4 cm-gap cuvettes (BioRad). We chose the exponential decay mode with parameters set at 500 V, 50µF capacitance and 800 Ω resistance, which typically yielded a time constant around 50 ms. After electroporation, the cells were allowed to recover at room temperature for 15 min before being transferred to 10 mL fresh growth media supplemented with 40 mM sucrose, shaken overnight and plated on selection plates containing 20 mg/L zeocin the following day. Half of the cells were recovered and selected mixotrophically in TAP-arginine medium under 20 µE/m^2^ s white light while the other half were heterotrophically recovered in TAP-YP medium in the dark. Colonies appeared on agar plates after 2--3 weeks. We also established the following controls. For negative controls, cells were transformed without DNA and then recovered and screened under either mixotrophic or heterotrophic conditions. For the positive control, cells were transformed with 5 µg of linearized pBR9 mCherry plasmid^[@CR39]^, then recovered and screened under mixotrophic conditions.
Isolation of *Chlamydomonas* genomic DNA and PCR {#Sec13}
------------------------------------------------
Genomic DNA from *Chlamydomonas* was extracted using a modified cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method^[@CR59]^. Briefly, cells were either harvested from 2--5 mL of densely grown liquid culture or scraped (a spatula full) from agar plates, washed with double distilled water (ddH~2~O) and resuspended in 500 µL lysis buffer containing 2% w/v CTAB, 100 mM Tris--HCl (pH 8), 1.4 M NaCl, 20 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 2% v/v freshly added ß-mercaptoethanol. The samples were incubated at 65 °C for 1 h and extracted with a standard phenol--chloroform extraction protocol. DNA was precipitated from the aqueous phase with 0.7 volume of isopropanol. The DNA pellet was washed once with 70% ethanol, air-dried and dissolved in 20 µL ddH~2~O. To remove RNA and reconstitute DNA, the samples were treated with RNase A (1 mg/mL) overnight at room temperature.
We performed PCR with Biotherm Taq polymerase (Genecraft) and 10--50 ng of extracted genomic DNA. Due to the high GC content of *Chlamydomonas* genome, we added dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to the reaction mixture to final concentration of 5% v/v.
Pigment extraction and analysis {#Sec14}
-------------------------------
We extracted pigments from *Chlamydomonas* with 100% methanol. We measured the sample's absorption at 470, 652 and 665 nm with a WPA Biowave S2100 UV/Vis Diode Array Spectrophotometer. The total chlorophylls and carotenoid concentrations were estimated with the following equations^[@CR60]^.$$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\usepackage{wasysym}
\usepackage{amsfonts}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\usepackage{amsbsy}
\usepackage{mathrsfs}
\usepackage{upgreek}
\setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt}
\begin{document}$$ \begin{aligned} & {\text{c}}[Chlorophyll\,a]\,\left( {\upmu {\text{g/mL}}} \right) = {16}.{72} \times {\text{A}}_{{{665}}} {-}{ 9}.{16} \times {\text{A}}_{{{652}}} \\ & {\text{c}}[Chlorophyll\,b]\,\left( {\upmu {\text{g/mL}}} \right) = {34}.0{9} \times {\text{A}}_{{{652}}} {-}{ 15}.{28} \times {\text{A}}_{{{665}}} \\ & {\text{c}}[Total\,carotenoids]\,\left( {\mu {\text{g}}/{\text{mL}}} \right) = \frac{{1000{ } \times {\text{A}}470 - {\text{c}}\left[ { Chlorophyll\, a } \right] \times { }1.63 - {\text{c}}\left[ { Chlorophyll\, b } \right] \times { }104.96}}{221} \\ \end{aligned} $$\end{document}$$
For high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis, we sequentially extracted pigments with 200 µL methanol, 200 µL acetone and 200 µL chloroform. We combined the organic extracts and added 1,000 mL dH~2~O. The lower phase which contained chlorophylls and carotenoids was collected, dried under a stream of dry nitrogen gas and finally dissolved in methanol. We separated pigments on a C30 YMC-carotenoid column (YMC, Japan, 250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 µm particles) using a published protocol^[@CR61]^. The mobile phases contained Solvent A: 81% (v/v) methanol, 15% methyl *tert*-butyl ether (MTBE), 4% H~2~O; and Solvent B: 8% methanol, 88% MTBE, 4% H~2~O. We applied the following gradient program: 0--30 min: 0--67% Solvent B; 30--35 min: 100% Solvent B; 35--40 min: 0% Solvent B. We detected pigments with a variable wavelength detector (VWD) model G1314A (Agilent) set at 450 nm. Absorption spectra from 280 to 640 nm were recorded with diode array detector (DAD) model G4212B (Agilent).
Mapping of transgene insertion sites via genome walking {#Sec15}
-------------------------------------------------------
We mapped the insertion sites of transformants with the genome walking method described by Siebert et al*.*^[@CR62]^ and Pollock et al*.*^[@CR41]^. Briefly, genomic DNA was extracted from *Chlamydomonas* transformants and digested overnight at 37 °C by a mixture of three blunt-end cutting restriction enzymes: *Eco*RV, *Nru*I and *Pvu*II. We prepared a blunt-ended adaptor from two oligonucleotides: one 8 nucleotides (nt)-long (oligo 389) and the other 48 nt long (oligo 390; Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}). Prior to annealing, oligo 389 was phosphorylated for 2 h at 37 °C by T4 polynucleotide kinase (NEB) in 1 × T4 ligase buffer supplemented with 1 mM ATP. We mixed 500 pmol of phosphorylated oligo 389 and 1,000 pmol of oligo 390 in 1 × Green buffer (Thermo Fisher) to a final volume of 40 µL, heated to 95 °C for 5 min and slowly cooled down to 4 °C (a rate of 1.5 °C/min) in an ordinary thermocycler. In the following step, we ligated the adaptor to the blunt end of DNA fragments at 16 °C overnight. The ligation mixture comprised 40 ng digested genomic DNA, 4 µL adaptor, 1 mM ATP, 8 units of T4 ligase (Thermo Fisher) and 1 × T4 ligase buffer. After the reaction was stopped by heating at 65 °C for 20 min, we diluted the ligation mixture 1:10 with ddH~2~O and used it as the template for PCR.
For amplification of the upstream- and downstream flanking sequences of the transgene, we performed two rounds of PCR. Using adaptor-ligated genomic DNA fragments as template, the first round of PCR utilized an adaptor primer (primer 1147) and a gene-specific primer (primer 1563 or 1565). In the second "nested" PCR, we diluted PCR products from the first round 1:50 with ddH~2~O and amplified them using adaptor primer 1148 and gene-specific primers 1564 and 1566. The positions of these primers are shown in Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}. Both PCRs utilized touch-down programs to minimize nonspecific amplification (Fig. [S1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}) with high-processivity Taq polymerase (Genaxxon). We cloned nested PCR products in the *Eco*RV site of pBluescript II SK( +) via TA cloning^[@CR63]^ and sent them for sequencing at Mycrosynth Seqlab (Göttingen, Germany) using the M13 Forward (-20) primer (TGT AAA ACG ACG GCC AG). We then compared sequencing data to the *Chlamydomonas* genome database on Phytozome (<https://phytozome.jgi.doe.gov>).
Statistical analysis {#Sec16}
--------------------
We determined statistical significance using Student's t-test, namely the \"Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances with Analysis ToolPak Add-in\" of Microsoft Office Excel 2007.
Ethical approval {#Sec170}
----------------
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Supplementary information
=========================
{#Sec17}
Supplementary information
**Publisher\'s note**
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
=========================
is available for this paper at 10.1038/s41598-020-67756-2.
We want to express our gratitude to Dr. Jürgen Breitenbach, University Frankfurt, who kindly sent us the plasmid containing truncated CrBKT sequence, and to Mr. Marcus Geißler, Plant Biotechnology and Metabolic Engineering, Biology Department, TU Darmstadt who provided us valuable support in our HPLC-DAD experiments.
N.T.T. and R.K. conceptualized the study. N.T.T. performed all the experiments. R.K. supervised the work and provided insight for discussion. N.T.T. and R.K. wrote and reviewed the manuscript and approved the submitted version.
The authors declare no competing interests.
|
Q:
How do I satisfy a 3rd-party shared library reference to stat when I'm creating a shared library shim rather than an executable?
I am the new maintainer for an in-house Python system that uses a set of 3rd-party shared C libraries via a shared library shim that is created using a combination of swig and a setup.py script. This has been working well until recently.
The 3rd-party shared C libraries were updated for new functionality and now I get the following run-time error, after a clean build, when I try to run our main Python program (which imports the generated shared library shim):
-sh-3.00$ python ams.py
ImportError: /usr/lib/libz4lnx.so: undefined symbol: stat
I found a discussion thread from 1999 that explains that the problem is that stat is not present in libc.so.6, but rather in libc_nonshared.a, and provides a solution: Link against the c library, by adding -lc to your build command line.
http://www.redhat.com/archives/pam-list/1999-February/msg00082.html
I've added 'c' to the list of libraries in the setup.py script, but this doesn't change my results. I suspect that this is because I am creating a shared library shim rather than an executable.
How can I satisfy the 3rd-party shared library's reference to stat, given my build environment?
My build system is:
-sh-3.00$ lsb_release -a
LSB Version: :core-3.0-ia32:core-3.0-noarch:graphics-3.0-ia32:graphics-3.0-noarch
Distributor ID: CentOS
Description: CentOS release 4.6 (Final)
Release: 4.6
Codename: Final
My gcc version is:
-sh-3.00$ gcc --version
gcc (GCC) 3.4.6 20060404 (Red Hat 3.4.6-10)
My Python version is:
-sh-3.00$ python -V
Python 2.3.4
A:
As it turns out, while moving to Centos 5.3 was probably a good thing in the long run, the actual problem turns out to have been the way that libz4lnx was built on the DVD that I was originally using. In the process of moving to Centos 5.3, I also moved to a newer build of the libz4lnx library. Today, while testing something else, I used the library from the original DVD and got the exact same undefined symbol error when running the Python program. Switching back to the newest DVD (some two months newer) solved the problem again.
|
2016 USPS Rate Increase Notice
Last Updated: Aug 30, 2017 04:07PM EST
Please note: As of January customers will see an increase in cost for standard USPS services. These changes in rates are outlined in this comprehensive notice from the United States Postal Service. Increase in rates will range from 9.4 percent increase, to 21.6 percent. |
MANILA (UPDATE) - Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras is set to file a case of inciting to sedition or inciting to coup d'etat against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV next week.
This as Trillanes is facing arrest following President Rodrigo Duterte's proclamation that voided his amnesty, reviving coup d'etat and rebellion charges filed against him for leading uprisings in 2003 and 2007 when he was still a Navy officer.
Paras, a former lawmaker, said the fresh charges stem from Trillanes' alleged efforts to prod soldiers to mount a mutiny against the President and for supposedly calling the Chief Executive "insane."
"Bilang isang mamamayan na Pilipino, maski nasa gobyerno po tayo, maninindigan tayo laban sa isang tao na binabastos nya ung gobyerno. Binabastos niya ung presidente," he said in a phone interview.
(As a Filipino, even if I am in government, I am taking a stand against a person who is mocking the government. He is mocking the President.)
Paras earlier filed charges of grave threats against Trillanes over statements the senator allegedly made against him on the sidelines of a Senate inquiry in June.
Trillanes has yet to issue a statement.
-- Report from Arra Perez, ABS-CBN News
|
Strategic Market Leadership
Pondering Political Correctness
Tue, 2016-02-02 14:08 -- tomjonez
Last week I wrote an article entitled, “Leadership and Political Correctness – 5 Questions” (Click here to read).
It was amazing for me to see the written responses - and to hear the comments from those people with whom I interact locally. The topic of political correctness seems to have hit a discussion stream that is on the top of many people’s minds of late.
One reader, and friend, wrote a response that I am providing in its entirety. Ed McCahill is a seasoned and accomplished tech-industry executive who in more recent years has served as an astute financial advisor to many in the Puget Sound Region.
I believe that you will find that Ed’s thoughts are worth taking a few minutes to ponder…
Ed McCahill writes:
Great question, Tom, especially in this election year! Another core question for me is "How does the current climate of political correctness affect a leader's followers or subjects?".
The decisions made, or deferred, by a leader can have a very significant downstream impact on their people. Understanding a leader's perspective (political, business, spiritual, etc.) goes a long way towards shaping how a follower reacts to the impacts of their leader's decisions or deferrals. If we agree with the leader, then we will be more upbeat about the impacts of their decisions. However, if we disagree with them, then life can become a burden and the people can get quite restless.
My observations are that it works the same way in politics, business, church and family. The media reports on politics and business, mostly, but all four spheres of life are impacted by how a leader's followers align their views for or against their decisions/deferrals.
Most importantly, perhaps, is how they perceive the reasons and motivations underlying the leaders' decisions. The more politically correct the decision, the better for some folks and the worse for others.
I trust that for all of us who are chewing on this topic, Ed’s reflections will help us to be more discerning as we seek to sift through the many “politically correct” agendas and messages pouring through the media in this season. |
Q:
lxml parsing atom - empty results?
I am trying to get the titles and links out of the atom_sample.xml I have attached with the same code it was working for other rss feeds.
from lxml import etree
tree = etree.parse('atom_sample.xml')
root = tree.getroot()
titles = root.xpath('//entry/title/text()')
links = root.xpath('//entry/link/@href')
print(titles)
print(links)
Results:
[]
[]
With the other rss file from Issues with python 3.x multiline regex? this was working flawlessly.
A:
I think your problem is that lxml.etree parses your xml file with xml namespace {http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom}:
In [1]: from lxml import etree
...: tree = etree.parse('atom_sample.xml')
...: root = tree.getroot()
In [2]: root
Out[2]: <Element {http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom}feed at 0x7f198e8da808>
I am not sure how to get rid of this namespace easly, but you could try one of answers to this question.
Anyway as a workarrond I use to add <namespace>:<tag> to each part of xpath and use xpath method with namespaces dictionary as a parameter. For example:
In [4]: namespaces = {'atom':'http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom'}
In [5]: root.xpath('//atom:entry/atom:title/text()', namespaces=namespaces)
Out[5]:
['sample.00',
'sample.01',
'sample.02',
'sample.03',
'sample.04',
'sample.05',
'sample.06',
'sample.07',
'sample.08',
'sample.09',
'sample.10']
In [6]: root.xpath('//atom:entry/atom:link/@href', namespaces=namespaces)
Out[6]:
['https://myfeedurl.com/feed/00',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/01',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/02',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/03',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/04',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/05',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/06',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/07',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/08',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/09',
'https://myfeedurl.com/feed/10']
|
Adarsh housing scam: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan will now face prosecution, after the Governor gave his sanction. Adarsh housing scam: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan will now face prosecution, after the Governor gave his sanction.
Maharashtra Governor C H Vidyasagar Rao gave approval Thursday to the CBI to prosecute former chief minister Ashok Chavan in the Adarsh cooperative housing scandal.
The decision comes a week after the state council of ministers gave their consent to initiate the probe against Chavan in the case.
Raj Bhawan sources said: “The Governor has given sanction to the CBI to prosecute Ashok Chavan.” In 2013, then Governor K Sankaranarayanan had denied permission to the CBI to prosecute Chavan.
In first remarks, Chavan called it a case of “political vindictiveness of the BJP government”.
“The CBI’s re-application to prosecute me in the Adarsh case is illegal. They are targeting me as I have been voicing my concerns and exposing government failure in the state and at the Centre,” he said.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis rejected Chavan’s allegation and defended the decision of his cabinet to give a go-ahead in the case, holding there was sufficient ground for it.
“The CBI said that after the last Governor rejected permission to prosecute Ashok Chavan, a new set of facts were discovered which clearly proves quid pro quo, that is, he gives permissions and his close relatives get flats. Thus, the CBI once again asked the Governor to permit it to prosecute Chavan,” Fadnavis told PTI.
A Lok Sabha member from Nanded and the state Congress president, Chavan had to step down as Chief Minister after the scandal in 2010. He was among 12 persons chargesheeted by the CBI in connection with the case.
He was chosen by Sonia Gandhi to lead the state Congress after the rout in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
The CBI alleged that Chavan suggested inclusion of civilian members in the Adarsh housing society, meant for war veterans and widows of defence personnel, to secure flats for his relatives in the complex situated at Colaba in south Mumbai.
The Adarsh Commission report stated that the allocation of flats to Seema Vinod Sharma, Vinod Sharma and Madanlal Sharma could not be pure coincidence. While Vinod Sharma is Chavan’s brother-in-law, Madanlal Sharma is his father-in-law.
The report has also objected to his decision as Revenue Minister in overlooking non-deduction of 15 per cent recreation ground while issuing additional floor space index to the multi-storeyed building in Colaba.
“The Adarsh CHS had never applied to the Ministry of Environment and Forests for Coastal Regulation Zone clearance through Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority,” the report stated. Environmental clearance was mandatory since the land on which the residential structure was built falls in the CRZ-11 category.
CBI spokesperson RK Gaur told The Indian Express Thursday: “We have got the sanction to prosecute and the same has been communicated to the trial court.”
However, trial in the case by the special CBI court in Mumbai will commence only when all petitions before the Supreme Court are heard and decided.
CBI sources said the Governor’s reply will be vetted by the legal department of the agency which will prepare its case, in case Chavan decides to contest the Governor’s decision.
“Chavan has the option of applying before the Supreme Court against the prosecution sanction granted by the incumbent Governor as the erstwhile Governor, K Sankaranarayanan, in 2013 had turned down the CBI’s proposal to prosecute Chavan,” CBI sources said.
The agency has cited the report of Justice Patil Commission of Enquiry as fresh evidence while appealing before the Governor to review its decision in October 2015.
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd |
6park
6park () is a Chinese Internet forum specializing in community-written news, launched in 2003. Its Chinese name means a place which made people are reluctant to leave. It is a "mega-BBS" with forums for subjects as diverse as economics, health, marriage, and online movies, etc., but its style is unique and unrelated to other mega-BBSes such as 2channel. Meanwhile, it is worth noticing that 6park is becoming one of the most important Internet platforms for oversea Chinese people.
It is often critical of the Chinese government and for that reason is blocked by Chinese censors, though it has a large community of overseas Chinese students and expatriates from around the world, especially outside the United States. Moreover, this website is the first Chinese network which managed by the users themselves.
It has been mentioned in news sources such as Hua Sheng Online as a way for Chinese people living overseas to get news. The website provides news from China, as well as translating news from foreign media (such as newspaper, television and websites).
References
External links
Category:Internet forums
Category:Chinese news websites |
INTRODUCTION {#sec1-1}
============
Anthracyclines are the most frequent cause of iatrogenic congestive heart failure ranging from acute reversible minor to irreversible reduction in the left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction and death despite preventive measures.\[[@ref1]\]
Serial surveillance for cardiotoxicity in patients receiving anthracyclines has most commonly centered on the assessment of LV systolic function by standard echocardiography.\[[@ref1][@ref2]\]
The development of new quantitative echocardiographic techniques, such as ultrasonic strain (S) and strain rate (SR) imaging,\[[@ref3]\] has enhanced our ability to noninvasively assess regional myocardial function.
We investigated the LV function, using Doppler derived S and SR imaging, in long-term survivors affected by acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with a low cumulative dose (≤210 mg/m^2^) of anthracyclines, and in presence of a normal global LV systolic and diastolic function, as assessed by standard echocardiography.
MATERIALS AND METHODS {#sec1-2}
=====================
The study population was recruited between January 1983 and December 1990 at the Pediatric Oncology Service of Second University of Naples and studied at the Pediatric Cardiology outpatient clinic of the same University.
All patients were affected by ALL: Of the original 112 patients diagnosed in that period, 44 were excluded because died of disease, 30 declined the invitation to undergo Echocardiogram, and 16 were excluded for inadequate echocardiogram. The remaining 21 patients, who were in continuous remission, presented no cardiac symptoms, have been treated with a low cumulative dose of anthracyclines (≤210 mg/m^2^), and had received the last dose at least 10 years previously, were considered eligible for the study.
In this group, mean age at diagnosis was 3.6 years (range 1-11 years) and the mean of follow-up interval from last dose of anthracycline was 15.7 years (range 11-20 years). The mean cumulative dose of anthracylines was 180 mg/m^2^ (range 120-210 mg/m^2^). All patients were recruited in Associatione Italiana Ematologia-Oncologia Pediatrica-ALL protocols. In detail, 1 patient was enrolled in 8201-protocol; 5 patients in 8202 protocol; 12 patients in 8702 protocol; and 3 patients in 8703 protocol.
The control group consisted of 21 healthy subjects, comparable for age and sex. All patients and controls gave written informed consent to participate in the study. The study protocol was approved by our institutional ethics committee.
Both the standard echocardiographic study and the color Doppler myocardial imaging (CDMI) data were digitally stored and all the measurements were performed off-line by 2 independent observers who were blind to the clinical status of the subjects.
Echocardiography measurements were taken with a System Seven (GE, Norway). LV measurements were taken from two-dimensional guided M-mode tracings.
The standard echocardiographic study has been performed following a standard methodology.\[[@ref4]\]
The myocardial performance index (MPI), defined as the sum of isovolumic activity (isovolumic contraction time and isovolumic relaxation time) divided by ventricular ejection time, was measured following a previously described protocol.\[[@ref5]\]
All CDMI data were acquired at a frame rate of 220 ± 15 frames/s (GE Vingmed System Seven; 3.5 MHz). Our methodology for CDMI study has been previously described.\[[@ref6]\]
Peak systolic S and SR values were used for the analysis.
Statistical analysis {#sec2-1}
--------------------
The normality Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed to determine whether continuous variables were normally distributed.
Data are presented as the mean value ± standard deviation (SD). A comparison between groups of continuous variables was performed by using the Student\'s t test, whereas skewed distributed variables were compared by using the rank Mann-Whitney *U* test. Categorical variables were compared by using the chi-square test.
A *P* value \< 0.01 was used to reject the null hypotesis. All the analyses were performed using a commercially available package (SPSS, Rel 11.0 2002. Chicago: SPSS inc).
RESULTS {#sec1-3}
=======
[Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"} summarizes the clinical characteristics of the two groups.
######
Clinical and standard echocardiographic characteristics of the studied sample
Studied variables ALL patients (*n* = 21) Controls (*n* = 21) *P* value
---------------------------------- ------------------------- --------------------- -----------
Age (years) 24±4 24±4 \>0.9
Sex (M/F) 12/9 12/9 \>0.9
Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) 118±18 115±10 0.53
Diastolic blood pressure (mm Hg) 70±10 75±10 0.15
Heart rate (bpm) 77±10 75±10 0.56
IVSEDD (mm) 7±1 7±1 \>0.9
PWEDD (mm) 7±1 7±1 \>0.9
LVEDD (mm) 4.6 ±0.4 4.7±0.4 0.42
EF (%) 64±4 64±5 \>0.9
E (msec) 90±12 87±14 0.46
A (msec) 52±11 48±8 0.18
DT (msec) 153±21 143±44 0.35
IVRT (msec) 76±11 71±10 0.13
MPI 0.40±0.06 0.39±0.05 0.56
IVSEDD = Interventricular septum end-diastolic dimension, PWEDD = Posterior wall end-diastolic dimension, EF = Ejection fraction, DT = Deceleration time, IVRT = Isovolumic relaxation time, MPI = Myocardial performance index, ALL = Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
The normal children did not significantly differ from patients in age, sex, heart rate, and blood pressure. Both groups had similar standard measurements of LV systolic and diastolic function (LV ejection fraction and mitral E/A ratios). The LV MPI in the study patients was not statistically different from that of normals \[[Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}\].
Longitudinal S and SR were similar to those measured in healthy subjects \[[Table 2](#T2){ref-type="table"}\].
######
Peak systolic longitudinal strain values (%) of the studied sample
Studied variables ALL patients (*n* = 21) Controls (*n* = 21) *P* value
------------------- ------------------------- --------------------- -----------
A4C
Basal septum −18±3 −19±3 0.29
Midseptum −18±2 −22±3 0.29
Apical septum −18±3 −24±5 0.12
Basal lateral −18±3 −19±2 0.21
Midlateral −18±2 −20±4 0.31
Apical lateral −19±3 −23±3 0.12
A4C = Apical 4 chamber view, ALL = Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Radial S (17 ± 3% vs. 55 ± 6%, *P* \< 0.0001) and SR (2.1 ± 0.3 vs. 3.0 ± 0.8 1\\s, *P* \< 0.0001), assessed on the midsegment of the posterior wall from the parasternal views were significantly reduced when compared to healthy subjects \[[Table 3](#T3){ref-type="table"}\]. One patient (5%) had both peak systolic radial S and SR \< 2 SDs below the mean of normal subjects.
######
Peak systolic radial strain and strain rate values of the studied sample
Studied variables ALL patients (*n* = 21) Controls (*n* = 21) *P* value
---------------------- ------------------------- --------------------- -----------
Strain (%)
SAX
Posterior wall 17±3 55±5 \<0.0001
PLAX
Posterior wall 20±5 55±5 \<0.0001
Strain rate (1/sec)
SAX
Posterior wall 2.1±0.3 3.0±0.8 \<0.0001
PLAX
Posterior wall 2.0±0.5 3.1±7 \<0.0001
SAX = Parasternal short axis view, PLAX = Parasternal long axis view, ALL = Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
DISCUSSION {#sec1-4}
==========
Doppler derived S and SR indices unmask early systolic abnormalities in long-term survivors of ALL treated with low cumulative dose of anthracycline.
Radial myocardial deformation is involved in systolic dysfunction, while longitudinal myocardial deformation is normal.
This finding may seem surprising since in several cardiac disease (coronary artery diseases or valvular heart diseases) longitudinal dysfunction generally appears very early as the first stage of subclinical myocardial damage,\[[@ref3][@ref7][@ref8]\] in contrast radial strain deteriorates later when ejection fraction starts to decrease.
Conversely, in our study we found an earlier involvement of the radial function. The possible explanation of this earlier radial functional deterioration may be related to the different mechanism leading to cardiac dysfunction in in long-term survivors of ALL treated with anthracycline.
Indeed, oxidative stress plays a major role in anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy, stochastically involving myocites.\[[@ref2]\] The longitudinally directed fibers compose only a small portion of the myocardial mass,\[[@ref3]\] while myocardial fibers responsible of the radial function are quantitatively more represented,\[[@ref3]\] and thus more exposed to oxidative damage.
On the contrary in coronary artery disease or valvular heart disease the subendocardial layer, responsible of longitudinal function, is the first to be involved.
Significant abnormalities of S and SR occurred in presence of normal standard echocardiogrphic Doppler measures of LV systolic or diastolic function.\[[@ref1][@ref2][@ref9]\] These changes occurred at cumulative dosages as low as 100-210 mg/m^2^. In our sample, only four patients had a cumulative dosage between 200 and 210 mg/m^2^.
Of note, in our study MPI was not able to discriminate patients from controls. This finding is in agreement with previous report demonstrating that MPI is able to detect changes in global myocardial function in presence of a cumulative dose of antracycline ≥ 200 mg/m^2^.\[[@ref9]\]
In this preliminary study, the myocardial deformation indices appear to be a more sensitive noninvasive technique for detecting subclinical LV dysfunction than other echocardiographic measurements.
Study limitations {#sec2-2}
-----------------
This study was conducted using color Doppler derived S and SR. Thus, we are limited by angle dependency and we can only assess radial function at the level of the midsegment of the posterior wall. For the same reason, reliable CDMI data were obtained in all patients from the apical 4 chamber view, while relible data were obtained only from 80% of our patients in apical 2 chamber view. Conversely, color Doppler derived imaging is the only way to fully resolve SR which is less load dependent compared with S.\[[@ref3]\]
**Source of Support:** Nil
**Conflict of Interest:** None declared.
|
Q:
for loop with only terminating expression vs while loop
Whilst browsing the Apache ActiveMQ source code, i came across a funny looking for loop..
for (;beforeEndIndex < size;) {
synchronizations.get(beforeEndIndex++).beforeEnd();
}
Whats the benifit of this over using a standard while loop?
E.G.
while(beforeEndIndex < size){
beforeEndIndex++;
}
A:
Both do exactly the same thing.
The major difference between a for loop and a while loop is that the for loop limits the scope of the iteration counter to within the for block where as a while loop requires you to declare the iteration counter at least one block higher. In this case, as the for loop declares no iteration counter variable, there is no difference.
|
.cpu generic+fp+simd
.global p
.comm x,4,4
.section .rodata
.align 3
.type p, %object
.size p, 8
p:
.xword x
|
Images
Classifications
G08B13/12—Mechanical actuation by the breaking or disturbance of stretched cords or wires
G08B13/126—Mechanical actuation by the breaking or disturbance of stretched cords or wires for a housing, e.g. a box, a safe, a room
G—PHYSICS
G08—SIGNALLING
G08B—SIGNALLING OR CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS
G08B13/00—Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
G08B13/02—Mechanical actuation
G08B13/14—Mechanical actuation by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles
G08B13/1481—Mechanical actuation by lifting or attempted removal of hand-portable articles with optical detection
Abstract
A compact, self-contained device for placing inside a package or other enclosure to detect unwanted disposition of its contents. The device includes a sensor for detecting an environmental condition that indicates unwanted disposition of the contents of the package. The device also includes a compact interface for communicating information about unwanted disposition. Environmental conditions indicative of unwanted disposition include an increase in ambient light to indicate the opening of the package, excessive acceleration from dropping of the package, and excessive heat or cold. The user may arm and interrogate the device by modifying the environmental condition perceived by the sensor. For example, a device using a light detecting sensor may be armed by covering and uncovering with a finger. A device using an acceleration detecting sensor may be armed by tapping on a hard surface. Because it is compact and self-contained, the detecting device can be made to look like a piece of packaging material for concealment.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the detection of theft, tampering, dropping, or other unwanted disposition of the contents of an enclosure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a compact device capable of detecting, storing, and retrieving information about such unwanted disposition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The contents of an enclosure such as a shipping container or storage locker are often susceptible to theft or damage from mishandling. In many cases, no obvious evidence of the theft or damage can be seen by inspecting the enclosure or its contents. A thief might be sophisticated enough to remove only a small number of valuable items from a package and then reseal it, making it appear that the package was not disturbed. In many cases, the shipper and receiver of such packages are unwilling to make a thorough enough inventory and inspection to detect such pilferage. Many times, the missing valuable items are attributed to a miscount of the product before it was shipped from the manufacturer, leaving the manufacturer to bear the cost of the theft.
Damage from mishandling is also difficult to detect, especially with fragile shipping contents. A package might be dropped off of a loading dock, causing breakage of items that are inside smaller packages. The damage will not be evident until the end user of the fragile product opens the smaller package. At this point, it is more difficult to determine who is responsible for the breakage.
Some products that would be shipped or stored in an enclosure are vulnerable to environmental conditions such as temperature extremes, excessive humidity, and magnetic fields. These products include sensitive electronic devices, magnetic media, and living organisms. When such products are shipped or stored, the environment in which the package containing them has been placed must be controlled. Even if no theft or breakage has occurred, such products can be damaged by remaining too long in a particularly hot or cold area or passing through a magnetic field. There is no way to easily determine if such damage has occurred by inspecting the package.
Electronic devices are described in the patent literature that detect unwanted access to a container by monitoring some sort of physical connection to the container. U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,396, issued to Stobbe on Feb. 23, 1993, for example, calls for a loop of wire or optical fiber to be engaged with the container so that it will be broken if the container is opened. U.S. Pat. No. 5,615,247, issued to Mills on Mar. 15, 1997, describes a pair of cables that are threaded through the door handles of a cargo transport container. These devices detect unwanted access to the container by a disruption of the physical connection to it.
These devices cannot easily be made inconspicuous because they require a physical connection that will be disrupted if the container is opened. The '247 patent teaches away from making the monitoring device inconspicuous by specifying a rotating pattern of lights on the cables. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,197, issued to Denekamp et al. on Jun. 7, 1988, acknowledges the conspicuousness of an electronic monitoring device using a sensor physically attached to the container. This patent teaches a system including both active and decoy monitoring systems, specifically designed to overcome the fact that each of the monitoring devices is readily apparent to personnel accessing the container.
Applicant has found that a more compact detection device would be desirable because it would not easily be noticed by someone who would tamper with the contents of a shipping or storage enclosure into which it has been placed. A smaller device would be desirable for many other reasons even if concealment were not the objective. A compact detection device would add less to the size and weight of a package in which it is placed for shipping. If the device were used to detect temperature extremes, it could do so faster and more accurately because it would have less thermal mass. A compact device used to measure acceleration or shock would add less mass to the physical system on which it is mounted, and would thus tend not to affect the measurement as much. A smaller device would cost less to manufacture as well.
Compact indicator devices are available that change their physical state to show whether the package to which they are affixed has been subjected to an undesirable environmental condition. These devices undergo some irreversible chemical reaction or mechanical operation when subjected to disposition that could damage the contents of the package to which they are affixed. Such disposition includes excessive humidity, temperature that is too high or too low, angular displacement from vertical, and excessive shock.
These passive devices require specific mechanical or chemical compositions that are especially formulated for the type and severity of the environmental stress to be detected. They are not programmable for specific types and severity of stress. This complicates manufacturing and inventory if a broad range of requirements is to be met. The mechanical deformations and chemical reactions are often not reversible, so the devices must usually be disposed of after use. Cost and limited availability of chemical compositions may be significant as well.
These devices are limited in the amount of information that they can provide about such unwanted disposition because of their simple state-changing mode of operation. A simple pass/fail indicator shows that environmental stress has occurred, but it does not give any more information about the environmental stress. More information is often useful to estimate the extent of damage or to identify the responsible party. If several parties are involved in the shipping of a damaged package, for example, the responsible party cannot be identified without knowing when the damage occurred. Such information could include the severity of the environmental stress as well as the time and date of its occurrence. It might also be useful to know the frequency and duration of stressful events. None of these details can be recorded with a passive state-changing indicator.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a compact, self-contained device that could detect and record information about unwanted disposition of the contents of an enclosure. It would be desirable for device to record information more detailed than that provided by a passive indicator device in spite of its small size. It would also be desirable for such a device to communicate the information in a format compatible with its compact form.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a compact, self-contained device that can be placed inside an enclosure to detect unwanted disposition of its contents. The device has a sensor for detecting an environmental condition, which indicates unwanted disposition of the contents of the enclosure in which it is placed. Such environmental conditions include, among others, excessive acceleration from dropping of a package and excessive heat or cold. According to one of several aspects of the invention, the sensor detects an increase in ambient light to indicate the opening of a package in which it has been placed. Due to its self-contained, compact nature, the detecting device provided by the present invention can be easily concealed, costs less to manufacture, and adds little to the size and weight of any container into which it is placed.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a record of the unwanted disposition is provided. This record may be more detailed than that provided by a passive state-changing indicator without a significant increase in size and cost from such an indicator.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a compact interface format compatible with a compact, self-contained device is used for receiving user commands and communicating the record of unwanted disposition.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the opening of a package is detected from an entirely self-contained, inconspicuous device that can be placed inside the package without any physical connection to it.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, a detailed record of unwanted disposition may be provided. This is advantageous in that a party responsible for the unwanted disposition may be identified through a record of the time and date of unwanted disposition. Damage may also be estimated through a record showing the severity of the environmental stress, as well as the frequency and duration of stressful events.
According to still another aspect of the invention, a user interface for arming, retrieval of data, or both arming and retrieval may be provided with the same sensor used for detecting the unwanted disposition. The user simply modifies the environmental condition perceived by the environmental sensor in a time-related pattern. In an embodiment according to this particular aspect of the invention, the sensor detects changes in the level of ambient light and the user covers the light sensor in a repeating sequence to enter the appropriate arming or interrogation command. In another embodiment of the invention, the sensor detects high levels of acceleration and the user taps the device containing the sensor in a repeating sequence to enter the appropriate arming or interrogation command. By using the sensor for responding to user input, this aspect of the invention helps to achieve compactness.
Additional aspects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follows, and from practice of the invention itself.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the figures of the appended drawing, wherein like designations denote like elements, and:
FIG. 1 is an overall block diagram showing the general configuration of a device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention using a light sensor to detect an increase in ambient light and to accept an arming command, and using a room and wireless transceiver to accept an interrogation command and communicate the record of unwanted disposition.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention using a thermal sensor to detect an increase in temperature and to accept an arming command, and using an LCD display to communicate the record of unwanted disposition without any interrogation command.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention using an acceleration sensor to detect mishandling of a package, a dedicated input to accept arming and interrogation commands, and an infrared transmitter to communicate the record of unwanted disposition.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the invention using a magnetic field sensor to detect harmful magnetic fields, separate dedicated inputs to accept respective arming and interrogation commands, and an audible transducer to communicate the record of unwanted disposition.
FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of the invention using an accelerometer sensor and a technique for sending user input using the sensor.
FIGS. 8a & 8b show an embodiment of the invention using a tilt-detecting sensor and a technique for sending user input using the sensor.
FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the invention using a light detecting sensor, constructed to have the appearance of an IC tube stopper, and a technique for sending user input using the sensor.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing electronic components used in a preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, a compact device for placing in an enclosure and detecting unwanted disposition of its contents includes an environmental sensor 110 for providing a signal indicative of unwanted disposition and a detector 100 for responding to the signal. The signal is transmitted to a reporting unit 130 in detector 100, which is enabled by an arming unit 120, for providing information about unwanted disposition. The information is recorded by an information storage unit 140. The record from information storage unit 140 is retrieved with a retrieval unit 150 and communicated to the user via a compact interface 160. A record of the time of unwanted disposition may be provided to information storage unit 140 by a real-time clock 170. A battery 199 serves as a self-contained power source to provide electrical power to detector 100, as well as any power required by environmental sensor 110.
Most of the functional blocks shown inside detector 100 are preferably implemented as software functions executed by a single microcontroller, as will be discussed below with respect to FIG. 10. Environmental sensor 110 and detector 100 are located in the same compact device and form a single unit. They are shown as separate entities solely to illustrate the interchangeability of different types of environmental sensors in the several embodiments of the present invention that are described below with respect to FIGS. 2-6.
In the description and claims that follow, the term "enclosure" is intended to encompass any portion of space surrounded by a protecting or containing surface in which items are placed whose unwanted disposition is to be monitored. The term naturally applies to shipping and storage containers, but also is intended to include such enclosures as desks drawers or cabinets. Unwanted disposition can be theft or tampering of items in an enclosure such as a package. An exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described that detects the unwanted disposition of theft or tampering of a package's contents by sensing additional light from opening of the package. However, it is to be understood that the term "unwanted disposition" encompasses any environmental condition or act that is detrimental to the contents of the enclosure. Other examples of unwanted disposition include dropping of a package, exposure to excessive heat or cold, placing a package upside down, and exposing a package containing magnetic media to magnetic fields.
Referring again to FIG. 1, an arming command is sent to arming unit 120 by a user to activate reporting unit 130 for detection of unwanted disposition. An interrogation command is sent to retrieval unit 150 for retrieving a record of the unwanted disposition from information storage unit 140. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, these two commands are sent by the user using the same environmental sensor 110 that is used to detect unwanted disposition. Thus, no additional input devices are needed for user control of the device. This allows an extremely compact device to be constructed.
In this exemplary configuration, user input is applied to environmental sensor 110 through a time-related pattern of user modification of the environmental condition it is designed to detect. The output of sensor 110 is then applied to a decoder 180, which extracts the user information from the time-related pattern. If no valid time-related pattern is detected by decoder 180, no arming or interrogation command will be sent to arming unit 120 or retrieval unit 150. If, however, a time-related pattern of changing environmental condition is detected by sensor 110 and decoder by decoder 180 as being either an arming command or interrogation command, the appropriate command will be set to arming unit 120 or retrieval unit 150. Of course, the time-related patterns will be different and distinct for arming and interrogation commands.
There may be more than one type of arming or interrogation command for different modes of operation. For example, the device may be armed to operate in either an absolute time mode, reporting the date and/or time of unwanted disposition, or in a differential time mode, reporting the amount of time that passed between arming of the device and the unwanted disposition. In addition, a separate arming command may be used to erase or preserve the record of unwanted disposition currently stored in information storage unit 140.
The use of environmental sensor 110 for user input provides significant advantages over an embodiment with a separate input interface. However, an optional arming input 190 may still be provided along with an optional interrogation input 195. If separate inputs are used for controlling arming unit 120 and retrieval unit 150, the encoding of their respective user commands may be simplified somewhat. For example, it may be sufficient to arm the device by simply pressing a small push button or membrane switch used for arming input 190. Of course, a single input may be used with encoding for asserting both the arming and interrogation commands. Decoder 180 could be connected to the common input, rather than environmental sensor 110, to differentiate the arming and interrogation commands and activate either arming unit 120 or retrieval unit 150, as appropriate.
Environmental sensor 110 generates a signal that is proportional in amplitude to a particular type of environmental condition. As will be discussed with respect to FIG. 2, sensor 110 may be a photocell that generates a signal proportional to the level of light reaching it. Alternatively, sensor 110 may be a thermistor used with a circuit to generate a signal was amplitude is proportional to temperature. An embodiment using such a circuit will be described with respect to FIG. 3. As yet another alternative, sensor 110 may be an accelerometer that generates the signal proportional to the amount of acceleration to which it is subjected. An embodiment using an accelerometer will be discussed with respect to FIG. 4. Many other embodiments are of course possible, several of which will be discussed with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6.
When reporting unit 130 has been enabled by arming unit 120 through the arming command, it becomes responsive to the signal from environmental sensor 110. When the signal from sensor 110 passes a certain threshold, reporting unit 130 reports an unwanted disposition to information storage unit 140. Reporting unit 130 may have a glitch rejection capability for differentiating between merely transitory noise or glitch signals from environmental sensor 110 and genuine indication of unwanted disposition. Reporting unit 130 may also activate real-time clock 170, which in turn sends information about the date and/or time of the unwanted disposition to storage unit 140. Real-time clock 170 may operate in either an absolute time mode, reporting the date and/or time of unwanted disposition, or in a differential time mode, reporting the amount of time that passed between arming of the device and the unwanted disposition. Arming unit 120 may control the mode of real-time clock 170, depending on a particular type of arming command sent by the user. The report of unwanted disposition from reporting unit 130 may include information about the magnitude of environmental stress and duration of its occurrence, as well as the date and/or time of its occurrence. If multiple records of unwanted disposition are stored in storage unit 140, the frequency of unwanted dispositions within a given time frame may also be determined. The times of the first and last records of continuous unwanted disposition may be used to compute the duration of environmental stress. If the interval at which multiple records are reported from reporting unit 130 is fixed, the duration of environmental stress may also be computed from the number of sequential records in information storage unit 140.
Retrieval unit 150 accesses the record of information storage unit 140 and sends that information to compact interface 160 for transmission to the user. Compact interface 160 transmits this information in a format that is compatible with a compact device. It may be desirable to use a compact wireless transmitter to communicate this information to the user, as will be discussed with respect to FIGS. 2 and 4. Although the information provided by retrieval unit 150 is more detailed than the sample "stressed/not stressed" indication given by a conventional passive indicator device, it may still be limited enough in scope to be transmitted directly to the user with a simple display format. Embodiments using an LCD readout and audio transducer will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 5, respectively.
Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment 200 of the present invention will now be described in detail. This embodiment detects opening of the package in which is placed by sensing additional light entering the package as it is opened. A light sensor 112 performs the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. Light sensor 112 comprises a solid-state optical sensing component such as the HI-T520 phototransistor manufactured by Hitachi. The phototransistor is mounted in the inventive device so that ambient light will fall on its semiconductor material. The phototransistor is used as part of a conventional amplifier circuit to produce an electrical signal whose amplitude is proportional to the amount of light falling on the inventive device.
The output of light sensor 112 is sent to reporting unit 130 and decoder 180. Decoder 180 waits for a particular pattern of output signals from photocell 112. FIG. 9 shows how the user asserts the arming command by blocking and unblocking the ambient light from light sensor 112 with a finger 910. The preferred sequence is for the blocking and unblocking to be repeated three times in two seconds, but other sequences may of course be used. When decoder 180 of FIG. 2 determines that the output signal from light sensor 112 has undergone significant deviation three times in a two second period, it activates reporting unit 130 through arming unit 120. Arming unit 120 waits a set amount of time before activating reporting unit 130. This allows the user to complete packaging before the device begins detecting an increased amount of ambient light from that which would be found inside a sealed package. Once activated, reporting unit 130 monitors the signal from light sensor 112 for evidence of increased ambient light that indicates opening of the package.
Reporting unit 130 compares the signal from light sensor 112 to a threshold value. This threshold value is selected to be greater than the signal produced from the light that reaches the inside of the package. The threshold value should not be made too large, however, because the package may be opened in a darkly lit area. One of skill in the art will recognize that reporting unit 130 may be configured to respond to more than just a threshold value. A gradually increasing amount of light will enter the package as it is opened, and reporting unit 130 may be configured to recognize this time-related increase in the amplitude of the signal from light sensor 112. With such a configuration, an exact threshold value is less important than the characteristic increase in amplitude associated with an opening of the package.
Once it has detected that the package has been opened, reporting unit 130 requests the current time information from real-time clock 170 and creates a record that is stored in information storage unit 140. Preferably, this record includes the amount of light detected upon opening as well as the time and date of opening. It is useful to know the amount of light that entered the package when it was opened because this can provide clues about where the unauthorized opening took place. If light sensor 112 includes chromatic sensors that can provide information about the spectral content of the light, this spectral information may be reported by reporting unit 130 as well. This spectral information may provide evidence of where the unauthorized opening took place by comparing the recorded spectral information with the spectral content of the light available at each suspected location.
Information storage unit 140 stores the record in a preferably non-volatile memory, although battery 199 shown in FIG. 1 provides a self-contained power source so that a volatile memory may also be used. Non-volatile memory is more reliable because the record from information storage unit 140 could be retrieved even if battery 199 shown in FIG. 1 has lost power and needed to be replaced.
Referring again to FIG. 2, a user wishing to review the record from information storage unit 140 sends the interrogation command to retrieval unit 150 through a compact RF transceiver 162, which performs the function of compact interface 160 of FIG. 1. Retrieval unit 150 then obtains the record from information storage unit 140 and transmits it to the user through RF transceiver 162. The use of an RF transceiver allows the information in storage unit 140 to be accessed without even opening the package in which the inventive device has been placed. A shipment of many packages, each having a device constructed according to the invention, could be inspected quickly and automatically by polling each device with an interrogation command through RF transceiver 162.
RF transceiver 162 contains, in this exemplary embodiment, a single-conversion frequency-shift-keying (FSK) receiver. In transmit mode, the local oscillator for the receiver is FSK modulated to provide a transmitted signal. RF transceiver 162 is normally in receive-only mode, awaiting an interrogation command from the user. RF is transmitted only in response to the interrogation command, so the transceiver architecture may be half-duplex and thus greatly simplified. To preserve life of battery 199 shown in FIG. 1 and possibly allow unlicensed operation, the RF transmitter operates at a very low power level. One of skill in the art will recognize that the present invention may be practiced using many possible modulation formats and configurations for RF transceiver 162. Indeed, the receiver architecture used for RF identification tags may be easily adapted for the purposes of the invention. A suitable device is the DTR-900 miniature Data Transceiver manufactured by the Radio Design Group Inc. If a custom transceiver is to be built, it could be centered around a UAA2080 receiver IC and a UAA2081 FSK transmitter IC, both manufactured by Philips.
Preferably, a single microcontroller performs the functions of decoder 180, arming unit 120, reporting unit 130, information storage unit 140, retrieval unit 150, and real-time clock 170. Some of these functions may be performed by distinct blocks of circuitry within the microcontroller, while some functions may be performed as different sections of code executed by the microcontroller. A more specific description of the microcontroller configuration will be given with respect to FIG. 9.
Those of skill in the art will recognize that there are many different types of environmental sensing devices and compact interface formats which may be used in numerous combinations to provide a compact device for placing in an enclosure and detecting unwanted disposition of its contents, in accordance with the present invention. By way of example, several such combinations forming other embodiments of the invention will now be described, beginning with respect to FIG. 3. The purpose of these examples is not to limit the present invention to what is disclosed, but rather to provide a fuller description of the breadth of the present invention in encompassing many different combinations of environmental sensing devices and compact interface formats.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is configured to provide information about the severity of temperature stress to the contents of the package in which is placed. In this example, the only data transmitted to the user is the maximum temperature encountered and the duration of time in which temperatures above a certain maximum threshold were encountered. Although it can be very important for certain uses of the invention, this information is limited in scope. Thus, it can be transmitted continuously without the need for an interrogation command.
Referring to FIG. 3, a thermal sensor 113 performs the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. Thermal sensor 113 comprises a thermistor such as those manufactured by Sensor Scientific, Inc. The thermistor is mounted in the inventive device so that its temperature will quickly reach that of the ambient temperature. The thermistor is used as part of a conventional amplifier circuit to produce an electrical signal whose amplitude is proportional to the temperature of the inventive device.
The output of thermal sensor 113 is sent to reporting unit 130. In this embodiment, the user asserts the arming command with arming input 190 of FIG. 1. After receiving the arming command from arming input 190, arming unit 120 may wait a set amount of time before activating reporting unit 130. This allows the user to complete packaging before the device begins detecting temperatures that would not be acceptable for shipping. This might be important if the contents must be refrigerated, and the device is armed at room temperature. In this case, it would be desirable for arming unit 120 to activate reporting unit 130 only after the package has had time to be refrigerated. Once activated, reporting unit 130 monitors the signal from temperature sensor 113 for evidence of excessive temperature.
Reporting unit 130 compares the signal from temperature sensor 113 to a threshold value. This threshold value is selected to coincide with the signal amplitude from thermal sensor 113 at the highest limit of acceptable temperature. Once it has detected that the device has encountered excessive temperature, reporting unit 130 creates a record that is stored in information storage unit 140. In this example, this record simply consists of the maximum temperature encountered and the duration of time during which excessive temperatures were encountered. This information may be useful, for example, in determining whether valuable biological samples have been damaged in transit by a transitory failure of refrigeration. If the failure were only momentary, no damage may have been incurred.
In the embodiment of FIG. 3, the information contained in information storage unit 140 is relatively limited in scope. Thus, it may be transmitted to the user continuously in a compact interface format. In this example, retrieval unit 150 continuously retrieves this information from information storage unit 140 without the need for an interrogation command. The information is sent to a compact LCD readout 163, which performs the function of compact interface 160 of FIG. 1. A tiny four-digit readout, much smaller than a wristwatch face, is used to alternately display the maximum temperature encountered and the total number of minutes in which excessive temperatures were encountered. In this example, it is assumed that there would be no need to know the total duration of excessive temperature beyond 999.9 minutes because the maximum possible amount of damage would have been sustained within that time. A small indicator on the LCD readout that alternately displays "Temp" and "Time" allows the user to interpret the alternating display as showing maximum temperature or duration of excessive temperature.
FIG. 7 shows a compact device 400 constructed in accordance with the invention that detects excessive acceleration. This embodiment of the invention uses an acceleration sensor for both detection of unwanted disposition and user input of the arming and interrogation commands. The user takes device 400 in one hand 710 and taps it on a hard surface 720 three times in succession to enter the arming command. After three taps, the microcontroller detects the arming sequence and issues the arm delay enable signal to signify the start of the arming delay sequence. To retrieve information from device 400, the user enters the interrogation command by tapping device 400 on hard surface 720 five times in succession.
Device 400 preferably contains a printed wiring board, which will oscillate at a fundamental frequency when device 400 is tapped on hard surface 720. This oscillation damps out quickly due to the filtering effect of hand 710 holding the device. Thus, three or five distinct taps for the arming and interrogation commands, respectively, will be detectable by decoder 180, shown in FIG. 4, if a reasonable delay is present between taps. Decoder 180 may include some simple analog or digital lowpass filtering to reject the higher frequency oscillation inside device 400 while still preserving the lower frequency acceleration spikes from tapping device 400 on hard surface 720.
FIG. 8 shows how the user arms the device 800 that is similar to device 400 of FIG. 7. The difference between device 800 and device 400 is that device 800 detects off-axis acceleration rather than the magnitude of acceleration detected by device 400. Stated simply, device 800 is a tilt detector for packages that must remain upright during shipment. To arm device 800, the user takes it in one hand 810, tilted backward as shown in FIG. 8a, and sharply tilts the device forward as shown in FIG. 8b. The user enters the arming command by repeating this tilting three times in succession. To retrieve information from device 800, the user enters the interrogation command by tilting device 800 five times in succession.
Referring now to FIG. 4 for a further description of device 400, an acceleration sensor 114 performs the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. Acceleration sensor 114 comprises, in this example, an EGA series miniature accelerometer manufactured by the Entran® Company. The accelerometer is used as part of a conventional amplifier circuit to produce an electrical signal whose amplitude is proportional to the acceleration to which the inventive device is subjected.
The output of acceleration sensor 114 is sent to reporting unit 130 and decoder 180. Decoder 180 waits for a particular pattern of output signals from acceleration sensor 114. In the preferred embodiment, the user asserts the arming command by tapping device 400 on a hard surface three times in two seconds, as described previously with respect to FIG. 7. Other sequences may of course be used as well. When decoder 180 determines that the output signal from acceleration sensor 114 has undergone significant deviation three times in a two second period, it activates reporting unit 130 through arming unit 120. Arming unit 120 waits a set amount of time before activating reporting unit 130. This allows the user to complete packaging before the device begins detecting excessive accelerations. The acceleration forces encountered in handling a device as compact as device 400 may be significantly higher than what would be acceptable for a large package in which device 400 might be placed. Accordingly, it may be desirable to delay the activation of device 400 so that it detects such acceleration only after it has been packaged up. Once activated, reporting unit 130 monitors the signal from acceleration sensor 114 for evidence of excessive acceleration from mishandling.
Reporting unit 130 compares the signal from acceleration sensor 114 to a threshold value. This threshold value is selected to be greater than the signal produced from normal acceleration encountered with reasonable handling of the package. Once it has detected that the package has been mishandled, reporting unit 130 requests the current time information from real-time clock 170 and creates a record that is stored in information storage unit 140. This record will show the magnitude of acceleration and when the acceleration occurred, and may also include the shock spectrum to provide information about the nature of the shock. This information may help to determine whether the mishandling was of an accidental or malicious nature.
Information storage unit 140 stores the record in a preferably non-volatile memory. A user wishing to review this record sends the interrogation command through acceleration sensor 114 in the manner described above with respect to FIG. 7. Retrieval unit 150 then obtains the record from if storage unit 140 and transmits it to the user through an infrared transmitter 164 using an infrared light-emitting-diode (LED), which performs the function of compact interface 160 of FIG. 1. The record is transmitted to the user in digital format through on/off keyed infrared radiation. Of course, the user will need to use an infrared receiver to demodulate and decode the on/off keyed infrared signal. The design of both infrared transmitter 164 and a corresponding infrared receiver is well within the capabilities of one skilled in the art, as evidenced by the millions of infrared remote control units presently available for television receivers at very modest cost.
Referring again briefly to FIG. 7, the LED for infrared transmitter 164 is mounted so that its output will be visible outside of device 400. A possible arrangement of electronic devices in device 400 is shown. These devices include an accelerometer 750, which is the active element for acceleration sensor 114, a microcontroller 730, a compact battery 740, and a crystal 760 for controlling the oscillator inside microcontroller 730. The compactness of device 400 becomes evident by comparison to hand 710 of the user.
Referring now to FIG. 5, an embodiment is described using a magnetic field sensor 115 to perform the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. Magnetic field sensor 115 comprises a Hall-effect device, such as the Monolithic Integrated Magnetic Field and Current Sensor available from Fraunhofer Institute in Germany. The Hall-effect device is mounted so that it detects any magnetic flux impinging on the inventive device. The Hall-effect device is used as part of a conventional amplifier circuit to produce an electrical signal whose amplitude is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field.
In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a separate arming input 190 and interrogation input 195 are used to send the arming command to arming unit 120 and interrogation command to retrieval unit 150, respectively. Arming unit 120 responds to the arming command from arming input 190 by activating reporting unit 130. Reporting unit 130 compares the signal from magnetic field sensor 115 to a threshold value. This threshold value is selected to coincide with the signal amplitude from magnetic field sensor 115 at the highest acceptable level of magnetic flux. This threshold may be set just below the lowest level of flux at which erasure of magnetic media would begin.
Once it has detected that the package has been subjected to excessive magnetic flux, reporting unit 130 requests current time information from real-time clock 170 and creates a record that is stored in information storage unit 140. This record will show when damaging levels of magnetic flux were encountered.
Information storage unit 140 stores the record in a preferably non-volatile memory. A user wishing to review this record sends the interrogation command through interrogation input 195. Retrieval unit 150 then obtains the record from information storage unit 140 and transmits it to the user through an audio transducer 165, which performs the function of compact interface 160 of FIG. 1. The record is preferably transmitted to the user through audio transducer 165 in the form of synthesized speech, although less sophisticated schemes such as Morse code could also be used.
While several embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to FIGS. 2-5, those of skill in the art will recognize that many additional types of environmental sensing devices may be used in accordance with the present invention. Three of these are briefly described now with respect to FIG. 6. The elements in detector 100 are shown in greater detail in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6(a) shows an embodiment of the invention using a humidity sensor 610 to perform the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. This embodiment is configured to detect humidity outside acceptable limits, record the duration of those conditions, and report the results. A suitable humidity sensor is the UPS series of resistive relative humidity sensors manufactured by Ohmic Instruments.
The humidity sensor is biased via a supply voltage and returns a somewhat linear output voltage as a function of relative humidity. A high or low threshold is set so that the input to the microcontroller is triggered at an appropriate humidity level. The threshold is preferably adjustable with a variable resistor to meet the needs of the user.
FIG. 6(b) shows an embodiment of the invention using a pressure sensor 620 to perform the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. This embodiment of the invention is configured to detect barometric pressure outside acceptable limits, record the duration of those conditions and report the results. A suitable pressure sensor is the EPL surface mount miniature pressure transducer, manufactured by Entran®.
The pressure sensor is biased via a DC supply voltage and returns a current that varies as a function of absolute or gauge pressure, depending on the type of transducer used. The current is converted to a voltage via a resistor, which is then voltage divided down to provide the required threshold pressure setting.
FIG. 6(c) shows an embodiment of the invention using a sound level sensor 630 to perform the role of environmental sensor 110 of FIG. 1. Sound level sensor 630 comprises a microphone whose input may be filtered to provide the proper frequency response in a given bandwidth. In one configuration, the sound level detected is filtered and compared to a fixed threshold, which is set to the acoustic levels determined to be damaging.
Because of its compact, self-contained nature, the present invention is useful for providing a concealed detection device. In such an embodiment, the device is concealed in a surrounding shell of packaging material so that it is not easily detected when placed in a package. Suitable packaging materials for concealing the device include, for example, a foam packing "peanut", a desiccant bag of the type commonly shipped with integrated circuits to minimize humidity, and an inner packaging box which is to be placed inside an outer package.
The surrounding shell of packaging material may actually form an enclosure for the other components used. In such an embodiment of the invention, the surrounding shell of packaging material becomes part of the device. By way of example, FIG. 9 shows an embodiment of the invention that is a device 200 constructed to look like a stopper of a tube 920 of integrated circuits (ICs). Tube 920 is an industry-standard integrated circuit packaging tube, usually constructed of an anti-static material, which is packed with ICs lined up end to end. These packaging tubes always have some sort of removable stopper in each end to prevent the ICs from falling out the lower end of the tube. Device 200 is constructed to look like a normal tube stopper to the casual observer. A small aperture in the end of device 200 conceals light sensor 112 while still allowing it to sense ambient light around tube 920 and its modified stopper, device 200. As discussed above, the user arms device 200 by tapping finger 910 over light sensor 112 in a repeated sequence. The additional use of light sensor 112 to accept user input makes a significant contribution to the compactness of device 200.
The type of packaging material used as a surrounding shell for concealment is selected in accordance with the type of environmental sensor used. In the example of FIG. 9, an aperture is provided to allow light to reach light sensor 112. An embodiment of the invention using a light sensor may also be surrounded by a desiccant bag because the material used in such a bag is translucent. A light sensor in a device that is concealed in this fashion will produce a signal with somewhat lower amplitude, however, because light reaches it after passing through the surrounding shell of the bag and desiccant. Similarly, a device using an accelerometer that is concealed in a desiccant bag experiences less forceful acceleration peaks because the surrounding material has a cushioning effect. This will change the signal threshold that should be used for detecting unwanted disposition, but the correct threshold may be easily determined for any suitable type of packaging material used as a surrounding shell.
Referring now to FIG. 10, an arrangement of electronic components includes a microcontroller 1010, preferably a PIC12CE519 microcontroller manufactured by Microchip Inc. The PIC12CE519 is presently available in a very small surface-mount package, and lends itself to use in a compact device. The PIC12CE519 has an internal oscillator, so no external crystal is needed. However, an internal oscillator in microcontroller 1010 may be controlled by a crystal 1040 for enhanced accuracy of time and date records.
A suitable device for RF transceiver 1030 is the DTR-900 miniature Data Transceiver manufactured by the Radio Design Group Inc. This device has a serial input and output that allow a simple connection with I/O pins of microcontroller 1010.
Photocell 1020 is biased to trigger a digital input of microcontroller 1010 at a particular light intensity as determined by the requirements of the end user. Alternatively, microcontroller 1010 may receive a signal from photocell 1020 through an internal A/D converter. This allows more sophisticated detection of unwanted disposition by responding to a time-related increase in signal level from photocell 1020. In addition, glitch filtering can be done with a simple digital filtering operation on the signal received by such an A/D converter.
While the invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, those of skill in the art will understand that many combinations and permutations may be devised without departing in any way from the invention. For example, there are many combinations of environmental sensing devices and compact interface formats that will be apparent to one of skill in the art upon reading of the specification and drawing. Although environmental sensing devices have been described for detection of such conditions as increased light from opening of an enclosure, excessive or off-axis acceleration from dropping or tilting of a package, and temperature outside specific thermal limits, one of skill in the art will readily appreciate that the invention provides for the detection of other environmental conditions for determining if a particular type of unwanted disposition has occurred. Similarly, one of skill in the art will easily be able to devise numerous different types of compact interface formats including, for example, PSK-modulated digital radio, a sequence of light flashes from an LED, or audible tones to preserve compactness without deviating in any way from the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that all such combinations and permutations fall within the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims.
Claims (24)
I claim:
1. A self-contained, compact device for placing in an enclosure and detecting unwanted disposition of the contents thereof, comprising:
a) an environmental sensor responsive to an environmental condition indicative of unwanted disposition for generating a signal indicative of unwanted disposition;
b) a reporting unit enabled by the arming signal and responsive to the signal from the environmental sensor for providing information about the unwanted disposition;
c) an information storage unit responsive to information from the reporting unit for storing a record of the unwanted disposition;
d) a compact interface unit for communicating the record of the unwanted disposition in a compact format; and
e) a compact surrounding shell of packaging material for presenting the appearance of a unit of ordinary packaging material.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the information about the unwanted disposition includes information about magnitude of environmental stress and duration of its occurrence.
3. A device for placing in an enclosure and detecting unwanted disposition of the contents thereof, comprising:
a) an environmental sensor responsive to an environmental condition indicative of unwanted disposition for generating a signal indicative of unwanted disposition;
b) a reporting unit enabled by the arming signal and responsive to the signal from the environmental sensor for providing information about the unwanted disposition;
c) an information storage unit responsive to information from the reporting unit for storing a record of the unwanted disposition;
e) a compact interface unit for communicating the record of the unwanted disposition in a compact format; and
d) a decoder coupled to the environmental sensor and coupled to the arming unit, configured to accept the arming command in the form of a time-related pattern of user modification of the environmental condition.
4. The device of claim 3 further comprising a real-time clock for providing time information to the information storage unit, wherein the record of unwanted disposition is marked with time information related to its occurrence.
5. The device of claim 3 wherein the environmental sensor is responsive to light and is configured to generate a signal indicative of additional light caused by opening of an enclosure.
6. The device of claim 3 further comprising a surrounding shell of packaging material for presenting the appearance of a unit of ordinary packaging material.
7. The device of claim 3 wherein the information about the unwanted disposition includes information about magnitude of environmental stress and duration of its occurrence.
8. A device for placing in an enclosure and detecting unwanted disposition of the contents thereof, comprising:
a) an environmental sensor responsive to an environmental condition indicative of unwanted disposition for generating a signal indicative of unwanted disposition;
b) a reporting unit enabled by the arming signal and responsive to the signal from the environmental sensor for providing information about the unwanted disposition;
c) an information storage unit responsive to information from the reporting unit for storing a record of the unwanted disposition;
e) a compact interface unit for communicating the record of the unwanted disposition in a compact format;
f) a retrieval unit responsive to an interrogation command from a user and selectively enabling the compact interface unit, for selecting the record to be communicated in response to the interrogation command; and
g) a decoder coupled to the environmental sensor and coupled to the retrieval unit, configured to accept the interrogation command in the form of a time-related pattern of user modification of the environmental condition.
9. The device of claim 8 further comprising a real-time clock for providing time information to the information storage unit, wherein the record of unwanted disposition is marked with time information related to its occurrence.
10. The device of claim 8 wherein the environmental sensor is responsive to light and is configured to generate a signal indicative of additional light caused by opening of an enclosure.
11. The device of claim 8 further comprising a surrounding shell of packaging material for presenting the appearance of a unit of ordinary packaging material.
12. The device of claim 8 wherein the information about the unwanted disposition includes information about magnitude of environmental stress and duration of its occurrence.
13. A method of detecting unwanted disposition of the contents of an enclosure, comprising the steps of:
a) providing a sensing device;
b) arming the sensing device by modifying the environmental condition perceived by the environmental sensor in a time-related pattern, the arming device being armed thereby to detect an environmental condition indicative of unwanted disposition;
c) placing the sensing device in the enclosure;
d) storing information about unwanted disposition when such disposition is detected; and
e) communicating the stored information in a compact interface format.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein information about unwanted disposition includes time information related to its occurrence.
15. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of interrogating the sensing device to select the stored information to be communicated.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein the step of interrogating the sensing device comprises modifying the environmental condition perceived by the environmental sensor in a time-related pattern.
17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of transmitting a wireless command signal to the sensor device for arming or interrogating it.
18. The method of claim 13 wherein the environmental condition is additional light from opening of the enclosure.
19. The method of claim 13 wherein the environmental condition is at least one of temperature, acceleration, orientation, magnetic field, humidity, barometric pressure, and sound level.
20. The method of claim 13 wherein the sensor is embedded in a surrounding shell of packaging material to conceal it by presenting the appearance of a unit of ordinary packaging material.
21. A self-contained, compact device for placing inside an enclosure and detecting unwanted disposition of the contents thereof, comprising:
a) an environmental sensor responsive to an environmental condition indicative of unwanted disposition and configured to
i. accept user command in the form of a time-related pattern of user modification of the environmental condition, and
ii. generate a trigger signal when the environmental condition indicates that unwanted disposition has occurred;
b) an arming unit responsive to an arming command from the compact user interface for generating an arming signal upon assertion of the arming command;
c) a reporting unit enabled by the arming signal and responsive to the trigger signal for providing notification of unwanted disposition;
d) a real-time clock for providing time information;
e) an information storage unit responsive to time information from the real-time clock and notification from the reporting unit for storing a time-related record of the unwanted disposition;
f) a retrieval unit responsive to an encoded interrogation command from the compact user interface and accessible to the record from the information storage unit, for communicating the record of the unwanted disposition in a compact interface format;
g) a decoder responsive to user command through the environmental sensor and coupled to at least one of
i. the arming unit, the user command comprising the arming command, and
ii. the retrieval unit, the user command comprising the interrogation command, wherein the user command takes the form of a time-related pattern of user modification of the environmental condition; and
h) a surrounding shell of packaging material for presenting the appearance of a unit of ordinary packaging material.
22. A device for detecting unwanted disposition, comprising:
a) a light sensor for detecting light;
b) an arming unit responsive to an arming command from a user for generating an arming signal upon assertion of the arming command;
c) a reporting unit enabled by the arming signal and coupled to the light sensor for providing information about the detected light;
d) an information storage unit responsive to information from the reporting unit for storing a record of the information;
e) a compact interface unit for communicating the record in a compact format; and
f) a surrounding shell of packaging material for presenting the appearance of a unit of ordinary packaging material.
23. The device of claim 22 further comprising a real-time clock for providing time information to the information storage unit, wherein the record of unwanted disposition is marked with time information related to its occurrence.
24. The device of claim 22 wherein:
a) the light sensor provides indicia of an amount of light sensed; and
b) the reporting unit is responsive to the indicia to recognize a time-related increase in the indicia so as to detect opening of a surrounding enclosure.
US09/065,9101998-04-241998-04-24Device and method for detecting unwanted disposition of the contents of an enclosure
Expired - LifetimeUS5936523A
(en) |
Mechanisms counteracting the growth of large grains in industrial ZnS grown by chemical vapor deposition.
Polycrystalline ZnS produced by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) including electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) to gain insight into the growth mechanism. Epitaxial growth of ZnS (111) layers is indicated in cubic CVD-ZnS. Mechanisms counteracting the growth of large, homogeneously oriented grains are proposed. This includes the summation of faults at low-angle grain boundaries during the deposition of new layers as well as the formation of new growth directions perpendicular to the sides of large grains. Wurtzite could be identified as a product of instable deposition conditions at the beginning and end of the deposition process. |
Football pros may be raking in millions while they are stars on the field, but it's well-known that many of them run into financial trouble after retiring. Now, a former defensive lineman wants to help those players invest their money and save for the future.
Leonard Marshall, who played with the New York Giants, New York Jets and Washington Redskins, is a partner with the Playbook Franchise Fund, which invests in franchise businesses.
Many players' biggest issue is their "ability to transition from the game" and "acclimate themselves in real life," Marshall said in an interview with CNBC's "Closing Bell" Thursday.
Focus on Sport | Getty Images
New York Giants’ Leonard Marshall (70) is shown during an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa Bay, Fla., Nov. 24, 1991.
Bad habits can start early and the fund's goal is to help players develop better spending and saving habits, saidSteve Levenson, founder of Playbook Franchise Fund.
In 2009, Sports Illustrated estimated that 78 percent of players face bankruptcy or severe financial stress two years after leaving the NFL. The NFL has disputed that figure, but it is trying to help its players prepare for life off the field. Earlier this year it held its first NFL Consumer Products Boot Camp, where players learned skills they hoped would help them once they leave the game.
"Too many of the young players that are making a lot of money don't have the life experience to know that it's not a repeatable pattern and they're attracted to what I call shiny objects: nightclubs, bars, restaurants, record labels, things like that," Levenson told "Closing Bell."
He said the fund gives investors access to ownership in a "very stable" franchise industry, with the fund taking on the operation and management of the businesses. |
Q:
Android - API key for GoogleMaps API V2 for release
I have trouble with GoogleAPI in my app. I use Google Maps and Places - both needs API key. Everything works fine, until I upload my signed app to Google Play. From what I know and from what I read so far, the API key has to have the same fingerprint as my signed app to work properly from app downloaded from GP. So I created a new API key, add two fingerprints with package name to this key. First with fingerprint from debug.keystore and second from fingerprint from my keystore which I'm using for singning app when I do release build (I'm using android studio ->generate signed apk). This way I assumed that this will work for debug and release, but it work only for debug.
To be sure that fingerprint of my app is the same as I have under Google API key I have implemented method which extract fingreprint of my app on runtime. They are match - when I do debug release I see fingerpring "A", when I do it for release I see "B" and I have both of then are the same as fingerprints which I have under API key (section Restrict usage to your Android apps). Note that package name is also correct.
Summary I don't know what I'm missing, or why this is not working when fingerprints are matched - result after release build is that Places api indicates KEY_INVALID and maps is gray, without titles.
A:
My mistake... (hopefully) I had another resource file for release with invalid key. So everytime when I sign the app, invalid key was used, I was not able to see it from android studio project explorer and find usages of that value returns 1 occurence, but there were two resources :)
|
Volunteers from the First Baptist Church of Plant City distribute food donated by the church, Feeding Tampa Bay and One More Child, to the needy Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Plant City, Fla. Families are struggling to get groceries due to lost jobs during the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Volunteers from the First Baptist Church of Plant City distribute food donated by the church, Feeding Tampa Bay and One More Child, to the needy Wednesday, April 22, 2020, in Plant City, Fla. Families are struggling to get groceries due to lost jobs during the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Reopening Florida’s theme parks, among the world’s most visited attractions and one of the state’s biggest economic engines, could be a long process fraught with logistical and public health considerations, an industry executive told a task force charged with reopening the state for business.
“We are obviously thinking a lot about when and how to reopen. We’ve got multiple teams working on a number of different scenarios,” said John Sprouls, the chief administrative officer for Universal Orlando Resort.
Sprouls made his comments on the third day of meetings by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Re-Open Florida Task Force, an assembly of dozens of leaders representing industry, education and government.
ADVERTISEMENT
The sessions, conducted via telephone conference calls, were generally sparse on specifics but generous with platitudes meant to boost public confidence in any decision to lift “safer-at-home” orders, reopen business and return normalcy to daily life.
DeSantis again asserted that the state had “flattened the curve” on the global outbreak, noting that reality is far different from the scenario predicted by some models weeks ago.
Speaking to a working group focused on agriculture and healthcare, the governor said Florida had significantly less hospitalizations per capita and deaths per capita than states in the Northeast.
“I can tell you, there were a lot of dire predictions made. People were talking about Florida being the next Italy or New York,” DeSantis said.
Armed with graphs and statistics at his news briefing later Wednesday, DeSantis again contended that Florida is better off than almost all other major states -- from its rate of infections, available hospital beds and per capita deaths.
During a meeting of a committee focused on the state’s tourism and other key industries, Universal’s Sprouls said the state’s theme parks will have to reopen with small, limited crowds and that getting them fully reopened could take time.
Any decision to reopen, he said, would be guided by state and local officials, as well as by health considerations.
Around 85 million people visited theme parks in Orlando and Tampa in 2018, the most recent year available, according to an annual report put out by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM.
Theme park resorts are not just rides, but hotels, sit-down dining, fast-food, nightclubs, retail and TV and film production. All have different requirements for operating safely before the virus is contained, including logistical considerations for screening not only employees but visitors. And there is also the issue of taming long, serpentine lines not conducive to social distancing.
ADVERTISEMENT
Then there are the rides themselves. Sprouls said it is possible that every other seat and ever other row in the cars will be vacant, but then there is the question of how often they are cleaned. Under normal circumstances, one guest gets on immediately after another gets off -- how can that be done safely before the virus is contained?
The closures of the theme parks have led to the temporary layoffs of tens of thousands of workers in central Florida. Disney World began furloughing more than 43,000 employees this week, and SeaWorld has furloughed 95% of workforce at its dozen parks across the U.S. SeaWorld said this week it was losing on average $25 million a month with its parks closed, but it had enough access to cash to survive through the end of 2021 under current conditions.
Abigail Disney, the granddaughter of Walt Disney’s brother, Roy Disney, is astonished at the furloughs and expressed her outrage in a Twitter thread on Tuesday. The outspoken heiress blasted the company’s cutbacks while it was set to pay out $1.5 billion in shareholder dividends.
“That’d pay for three months salary to front line workers. And its going to people who have already been collecting egregious bonuses for years,” she said.
She went on to say the frontline workers had to fight for years to get a salary of $15 an hour, “but if you know the back story, which I do, you would be horrified to know just how hard they made it for the people asking for that $15.”
Disney, who does not have a role in the company, said it faces a rough couple of years, “But that does not constitute permission to continue pillaging and rampaging by management.”
An email sent to the company for a response to Disney’s comments was not immediately returned.
As of Wednesday, the state had more than 28,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with total deaths nearing 900.
During a two-hour session, another group led by Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran tackled the reopening of schools, higher education and industry.
Earlier this month, state officials announced that public school campuses would remain closed for the rest of the school year. Focus now turns to preparing for the possibility of reopening classrooms in the fall.
Among the concerns brought up during the session focused on the ability of public schools to absorb new students from private schools, as financial upheaval forces some parents to pull their children from private institutions.
Meanwhile, Democrats in the state Senate renewed calls to once and for all fix a glitch-ridden online portal that continues to frustrate attempts by some of the newly jobless to claim benefits.
The Democrats also called on DeSantis to raise the $275 weekly cap on benefits and extend eligibility retroactively to the date of unemployment, not the date of application.
“Our state continues to struggle mightily with the unemployment compensation system,” the Democrats said in a letter to the governor. “Those who have been able to file have not yet received their first installment of benefits and therefore lack resources to even feed their families.”
__
This story was first published on April 22, 2020. It was updated on April 24, 2020, to correct that Disney was not paying $1.5 billion in executive bonuses. The money refers to shareholder dividends that are set to be paid out.
__
Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale. AP reporter Mike Schneider contributed to this report from Orlando.
__
Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak. |
1. Introduction {#sec1-medicines-07-00009}
===============
Renal artery stenosis (RAS) is a potentially treatable but under-recognized cause of hypertension in children. Timely diagnosis is of utmost importance to plan appropriate therapeutic intervention. Some studies have shown that RAS is the underlying etiology in 8%--10% of all cases of pediatric hypertension \[[@B1-medicines-07-00009],[@B2-medicines-07-00009]\]. Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) accounts for about one third of all cases of pediatric RAS \[[@B1-medicines-07-00009]\]. FMD can occur in non-syndromic children, including Takayasu's arteritis \[[@B3-medicines-07-00009]\] as well as in children with Williams' syndrome, neurofibromatosis, Marfan syndrome, and Ehlers--Danlos syndrome, among others \[[@B2-medicines-07-00009],[@B4-medicines-07-00009]\]. FMD is an idiopathic, segmental, non-inflammatory, and non-atherosclerotic disorder that causes arterial stenosis with potential complications including aneurysm, dissection and tortuosity \[[@B5-medicines-07-00009]\]. The "string-of-beads" is a classic appearance, but other manifestations such as vascular loops and fusiform vascular ectasia are not uncommon. Renal arteries (RAs) are involved in up to 75% of patients with FMD \[[@B6-medicines-07-00009],[@B7-medicines-07-00009]\]; other common vessels that are involved are the extra-cranial carotid and vertebral arteries \[[@B7-medicines-07-00009]\]. However, nearly all arterial beds may be affected, and multi-vessel involvement is common \[[@B6-medicines-07-00009]\]. FMD may be familial in about 10% of cases; autosomal dominant patterns with incomplete penetrance and variable clinical manifestations have been shown \[[@B8-medicines-07-00009]\]. The majority of adult FMD patients are female, and the right kidney seems to be affected more than the left \[[@B7-medicines-07-00009]\]. Among children, the data from the United States Registry for FMD have shown that the mean age at diagnosis is 8.4 ± 4.8 years, with a range of age at diagnosis of 16 days to 17 years \[[@B9-medicines-07-00009]\]. Additionally, the gender difference (female to male ratio) is much less prominent in children (3:2 compared to 47:3 in adults) \[[@B6-medicines-07-00009],[@B9-medicines-07-00009]\]. Though any vasculature can be affected, the RAs are involved in 97% of children with FMD; mesenteric and abdominal aorta are other commonly affected sites, with carotids less affected in children than in adults \[[@B9-medicines-07-00009],[@B10-medicines-07-00009]\]. A renal bruit is heard in only a very small subset of children with FMD \[[@B11-medicines-07-00009]\]. The management of renal artery FMD includes medical therapy and surveillance, endovascular therapy (angioplasty with or without stenting), or surgery. The purpose of this case study was to demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of antihypertensive agents alone in the management of unilateral FMD of the RA, without the need for endovascular or surgical revascularization. A 22-month-old toddler with focal FMD of the right RA whose hypertension was controlled only with antihypertensive agents is described in this study.
2. Materials and Methods {#sec2-medicines-07-00009}
========================
This is a retrospective chart study with a review of the literature, and the family of patient gave informed consent for inclusion in this study.
A renal bladder sonogram was performed with Doppler images. A duplex study of the renal artery was performed at a vascular lab. The velocities were measured in cm/s, the diameters were measured in mm, and the pressures were measured in mmHg. Peak systolic velocities were calculated at the levels of the aorta, the renal hilum, and different segments of the renal artery (proximal, mid and distal). Resistive indices were calculated at the levels of the main, hilar and interlobar renal arteries. A complete 2-D, M-mode, color, and a spectral Doppler echocardiographic study was performed. Computed tomography angiograms of the head and neck vessels, the chest, the abdomen, and the pelvis were performed with intravenous contrast. Radionuclide renography was performed with the administration of a dose of 3.3 mCi of Tc-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine-3, and a posterior flow study of the abdomen was performed at 2 sec/frame. Then, a standard renogram was continued in the posterior projection, with imaging at 1 minute per frame for 27 minutes. Images were summed to create a series of 3-minute sequential images. At 10 minutes into the study, 40 mg of furosemide was intravenously administered. Background-corrected time--activity curves were generated with calculations of time-to-peak activity and half-times of clearance. Next, to evaluate the effect of gravity on the drainage from the upper collecting systems, a delayed image was obtained at 15 minutes after the standard renogram. A digital subtraction angiogram was performed at the interventional radiology laboratory with fluoroscopic guidance. The patient was placed supine on the angiography table. Both groins were prepped and draped in normal sterile fashion. An appropriate arterial access site was fluoroscopically and sonographically determined. A static ultrasound image was obtained. Under real-time sonogram guidance, a 21-gauge needle was advanced into the femoral artery. A microwire was advanced through the needle to secure vascular access. The needle was exchanged for a 3/4 micropuncture catheter. The wire and inner catheter were removed and exchanged for a 0.025-inch Torx wire, which was advanced into the aorta. The outer catheter was removed and exchanged for a 3 French Junior SOS catheter, which was advanced into and formed in the aorta. Selective right and left renal artery angiographies were performed. At the end of the procedure, the catheter was unformed in the aorta and removed. Hemostasis was achieved with manual compression. All wire and catheter manipulations were performed under fluoroscopic guidance.
3. Case Presentation
====================
A 22-month-old African-American girl was transferred from an outside hospital to the intensive care unit for further evaluation and the management of uncontrolled severe hypertension. She had a three-day history of fever, cough, rhinorrhea, shortness of breath, dizziness and vomiting. She was born at term with a weight of 2.8 kg and had an unremarkable perinatal course. She had no known genetic syndromes. Besides a history of difficulty gaining weight with a current weight of 10.7 kg (seventh percentile) and a height of the 25th centile, she had no other known medical problems in the past. There was no history of urinary tract infections or blood in urine. She did not have headaches, seizures or fainting episodes. Immunizations were up-to-date. Prior blood pressure (BP) measurements were unknown because they were never obtained. There were no other past hospitalizations. She had not been taking any medications. Family history was unremarkable for kidney disease, hypertension, dialysis or transplantation.
Upon physical examination, her vital signs were as follows: a temperature of 36.9 °C (98 °F), a respiratory rate of 16 per minute, a heart rate of 145 beats per minute, an oxygen saturation of 100% on room air, and an elevated BP of 200/120 mm Hg (manual, right upper extremity, proper size cuff; 95th percentile value for her age, gender and height 104/62 mm Hg). The examination showed a thin-appearing toddler who was not in obvious distress. The rest of the examination was negative except for tachycardia and a grade II/VI systolic murmur at the apex. A renal bruit was not heard upon auscultation. There was no skin rash or edema. The neurologic examination was normal.
The nasal swab for a respiratory viral panel test was positive for parainfluenza 3. Besides mild nasal congestion, she had no cough, difficulty breathing, or wheezing, and she remained stable in room air. She remained afebrile throughout the hospital admission. Her throat culture was negative for beta-hemolytic streptococcus. Her blood culture showed no growth. Her chest x-ray showed mild cardiomegaly but no focal airspace disease, pneumothorax or pleural effusion. Her electrocardiogram showed supraventricular tachycardia. Her echocardiogram revealed a dilated left ventricle with severe concentric left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, with an LV mass index of 187 gm/m^2.7^ and a mildly depressed LV systolic function with an ejection fraction of 50%. There was a thrombus in the apex of the LV. The serum brain natriuretic peptide and troponin I levels were 1565 pg/mL (normal: \<100 pg/mL) and 242 pg/mL (normal: \<15 pg/mL), respectively. For possible viral-induced cardiomyopathy, she was started on intravenous immunoglobulin and methylprednisolone. For hypertension, she was started on nicardipine infusion, along with nitroprusside with a goal BP reduction of 30% over 24 hours. Milrinone was added for depressed LV systolic function. She remained on the maximum nicardipine infusion rate for several days due to persistent hypertension, with systolic BPs of 140--150 mm Hg. Heparin was transitioned to enoxaparin and aspirin, with the resolution of the cardiac thrombus by day three. A non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scan of head showed no mass, acute intracranial hemorrhage, cytotoxic edema, midline shift, or signs of herniation. Her urine output was normal.
A renal function test showed an initial serum sodium level of 131 meq/L with a nadir of 121 meq/L at day three of admission, a serum chloride level of 97 meq/L (nadir 84 meq/L at day three), a serum potassium level of 3.2 meq/L, a blood urea nitrogen level of 25 mg/dL, and a serum creatinine level of 0.5 mg/dL. Her fasting blood glucose level was 90 mg/dL. Her urine sodium level was 89 mmol/L with a fractional excretion of sodium of 1.5%. Her serum albumin level was between 2.1 and 2.5 gm/dL, and her random urine protein to creatinine ratio was 4.6 (normal: \<0.2). There was no microscopic hematuria. Her urine culture showed no growth. Her blood counts and serum complements were both normal. Her sickle cell screen was negative. A renal sonogram showed a small right kidney of 6 cm in length (36th centile) and a left kidney of 7.7 cm in length (96th centile), with good blood flow in both kidneys. Her serum aldosterone and plasma renin activity at the time of admission were both elevated at 106 ng/dL (normal: \<16 ng/dL, supine, quantitative chemiluminescent immunoassay) and \>150 ng/mL/h, respectively (normal: 1.7--11.2 ng/mL/h, supine, quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; both ARUP laboratories, Salt Lake City, UT, USA).
A work-up for possible catecholamine-secreting tumors due to severe hypertension included the evaluation of urine and serum catecholamines. Her 24-hour urine normetanephrine, metanephrine, vanillylmandelic acid, and homovanillic acid levels were 1525 µg/g of creatinine (normal: 0--1300 µg/g of creatinine), 433 µg/g of creatinine (normal: 0--530 µg/g of creatinine), 10 mg/g of creatinine (normal: \<16 mg/g of creatinine), and 12 mg/g of creatinine (normal: \<25 mg/g of creatinine), respectively. Her serum fractionated catecholamines showed the following: an epinephrine level of 152 pg/mL (normal: 36--640 pg/mL) and a norepinephrine level of 1964 pg/mL (normal: 68--1810 pg/ml), respectively. Given a less than two-fold increase from normal range of serum norepinephrine, the suspicion of the presence of a neuroendocrine tumor was low.
A diuretic nuclear renogram showed asymmetrical renal function with decreased blood flow and function in the small right kidney relative to the left. Her differential function was 70% in the left and 30% in the right. There was a normal uptake of the technetium-99 m MAG3 (mercaptoacetyltriglycine) with prompt excretion from the left kidney. Her right kidney had little delayed uptake with prompt excretion ([Figure 1](#medicines-07-00009-f001){ref-type="fig"} and [Figure 2](#medicines-07-00009-f002){ref-type="fig"}, [Table 1](#medicines-07-00009-t001){ref-type="table"}). A duplex sonogram of her RA showed focal elevation in velocity in the proximal right main RA (peak systolic velocity (PSV): 405 cm/second) with a decreased velocity in the mid and distal RAs (PSV: 117 and 110 cm/sec, respectively). The renal aortic ratio (RAR, the ratio of renal to aortic PSV) was elevated at 3.2. Additionally, distinct "tardus-parvus" (tardus-slow and late, parvus-small and little) waveforms were seen at the right hilar and interlobar arteries. This combination of an elevated PSV at the proximal right main RA along with an elevated RAR (usual cut-off 3) and abnormal waveforms was highly suggestive of proximal right main RAS. Velocities in the left main RA were normal with no differences at various segments of the main artery. A CT angiogram (CTA) of the RAs showed a small right kidney of 6 cm in length with a decreased enhancement of the superior pole of the right kidney. The origin of the right main RA was diminutive compared to the left. There was a homogenous enhancement of the left kidney with a normal appearing left RA. Hypertension at that time was well controlled with amlodipine, clonidine, furosemide, spironolactone and labetalol. Nicardipine infusion was discontinued at day seven of admission.
A few days later, she underwent a digital subtraction angiogram (DSA), which showed a beaded appearance of the right proximal main RA, which caused a focal stenosis with post-stenotic dilatation ([Figure 3](#medicines-07-00009-f003){ref-type="fig"} and [Figure 4](#medicines-07-00009-f004){ref-type="fig"}). The pressure gradient across the stenotic lesion was 40 mm Hg. There was normal renal parenchymal perfusion. The left RA demonstrated a normal appearance of the main and branch arteries with normal renal parenchymal perfusion and no evidence of stenosis and irregularity. A diagnosis of right RA stenosis, most likely due to focal FMD, was made. In conjunction with vascular surgery and intervention radiology, it was collectively decided not to pursue the intervention of the stenotic lesion due to the risk of complication, specifically the injury or dissection of the right RA, especially because her BPs were relatively controlled on five antihypertensive agents. Subsequent to the angiogram, enalapril was added once bilateral RA stenosis was excluded for optimal BP control. A CTA of the head and neck vessels to look for evidence of FMD in the head and neck showed a normal vasculature of the vessels. Baby aspirin was started to prevent thromboembolic events.
Though fever, parainfluenza virus infection, and LV thrombus could have partly contributed to the elevated BPs initially, these signs and symptoms had resolved at the time of or soon after admission. Additionally, the finding of a discrete anatomic lesion in the right RA that is known to cause hypertension suggests that the right RA FMD indeed was the most probable cause of the severe, long-standing hypertension, as suggested by the severe concentric LV hypertrophy. At the time of discharge two weeks later, her BPs were relatively optimal (105--110 mm Hg SBPs) on enalapril, amlodipine and labetalol. Subsequent monthly clinic follow-up visits seven months later have shown stable SBPs with no clinical symptoms of hypertension. Her renal function has remained stable with normal serum electrolytes without hyponatremia and hypokalemia. Her proteinuria has resolved. A follow-up echocardiogram showed normal LV systolic function and stable but persistent LV hypertrophy with no reappearance of the thrombus that was seen in the first echocardiogram. For now, we plan to closely follow-her BPs, along with a follow-up diuretic renogram and a DSA in a few months, with a tentative plan for either continued medical treatment or surgical intervention (angioplasty with or without stent and surgical revascularization or right nephrectomy) based on the clinical course.
4. Discussion {#sec4-medicines-07-00009}
=============
Renal FMD should be suspected in a patient with malignant and resistant hypertension, a unilateral small kidney of unclear etiology, the presence of an abdominal bruit, and known FMD in another vascular territory. Our patient was a young female toddler who had resistant malignant hypertension and had a small right kidney but did not have FMD at other vascular sites. Since obtaining the histology of the affected RA is an invasive procedure and is hence not always feasible, a binary angiographic classification of FMD was devised: focal versus multifocal FMD \[[@B12-medicines-07-00009]\]. Multifocal FMD is more common than focal FMD (82% vs 18%) in adults \[[@B12-medicines-07-00009]\], and it mainly occurs in the middle and distal RAs as opposed to focal FMD, which has no site predilection \[[@B13-medicines-07-00009]\]. Additionally, focal FMD is more common in children \[[@B9-medicines-07-00009]\]. Intimal fibroplasia is the most common type of FMD in the focal type (vs medial fibroplasia in the multifocal type) and presents as a distinct focal stenosis \[[@B14-medicines-07-00009]\]. Our patient presented with the focal type of FMD with post-stenotic dilatation.
Most centers perform a Doppler sonogram as an initial screening test in suspected RAS and CTA, or they perform magnetic resonance angiogram (MRA) as the second step-procedure. One study looked at 58 patients with suspected RAS and found the following sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV) for Doppler sonograms, CTAs and MRAs: 75%, 89.6%, 60% and 94.6%; 94%, 93%, 71%, and 99%; and 90%, 94.1%, 75%, and 98%, respectively \[[@B15-medicines-07-00009]\]. Meyers et al. in their single center study of 25 children with FMD showed CTA to be the most sensitive among the three modalities, but the study also produced 30% false positive results. The DSA was the only procedure that was 100% sensitive and specific, had 100% PPV and NPV, and the showed the distal vessel disease \[[@B11-medicines-07-00009]\]. Recently, the European Society of Hypertension and Society for Vascular Medicine's first international Consensus on FMD also recommended the CTA of the RAs as the first non-invasive imaging modality of choice \[[@B5-medicines-07-00009]\], with an RA duplex reserved only for centers with extensive experience with the duplex. A dedicated RA duplex is a valuable study modality in screening RAS because it provides valuable information about the approximate site and severity of stenosis by measuring the PSV, the RAR, the types of waveforms, the end-diastolic velocity (EDV), and resistive indices ((PSV-EDV)/PSV) at different segments of the RA, as was done in our patient \[[@B16-medicines-07-00009],[@B17-medicines-07-00009]\]. A PSV greater than 200 cm/sec has been suggested as the threshold for the Doppler diagnosis of a 60% or more reduction of RA diameter (sensitivity 97%, specificity 72%, PPV 81%, and NPV 95% in terms of diagnostic accuracy for RA stenosis) \[[@B17-medicines-07-00009]\]. Though earlier studies have shown some efficacy of captopril-enhanced 99Tcm-MAG3 renal scintigraphy in RAS, lately studies of this nature have has fallen out of favor and are not recommended by the FMD consensus committee \[[@B5-medicines-07-00009],[@B18-medicines-07-00009],[@B19-medicines-07-00009]\]. However, the MAG-3 renal scan may have a role in patients with uncontrolled RAS despite medical management or revascularization to see whether nephrectomy is an option by measuring the function of the affected kidney. In our patient, the affected right kidney had a function of 30%, and, since her BPs were controlled on medical therapy, we did not perform nephrectomy. DSA remains the gold standard modality due to its diagnostic and therapeutic advantages.
Therapeutic decision in RAS, including renal artery FMD, depends on the nature and location of vascular lesion (stenosis versus dissection versus aneurysm), the severity of hypertension and efficacy of the anti-hypertensive therapy, the size of the patient, and comorbid conditions. Meta-analyses of randomized trials and Cochrane reviews have shown that there is not an enough evidence to support the routine use of revascularization procedures (ballooning and/or stenting) in the treatment of symptomatic patients with RAS \[[@B20-medicines-07-00009],[@B21-medicines-07-00009],[@B22-medicines-07-00009]\]. A 2003 Cochrane systematic review of three randomized controlled trials involving 210 patients with RAS was unable to conclude that balloon angioplasty is superior to medical therapy in lowering BP in those in whom BP can be controlled with medical therapy \[[@B20-medicines-07-00009]\]. However, the study did find that in patients with refractory hypertension, balloon angioplasty more effectively lowered BP than medical therapy alone. Similarly, a subsequent Cochrane review published in 2014 showed insufficient evidence that revascularization with or without stenting is superior to medical therapy in hypertensive patients with RAS \[[@B21-medicines-07-00009]\]. It is important to mention that both of these reviews looked at adult patients with RAS secondary to atherosclerosis. In regard to RAS that is secondary to FMD in adults, one meta-analysis of 11 clinical studies showed a hypertension cure rate of 36% (defined as BP \< 140/90 mm Hg). The success rate was higher in younger patient group at the time of treatment and those with shorter duration of hypertension. Repeated angioplasties were needed in 18% of patients \[[@B23-medicines-07-00009]\]. Similarly, some single center studies with long-term follow-ups have reported significantly favorable short and long-term clinical outcomes with revascularization, in adults with FMD \[[@B24-medicines-07-00009]\].
In children, a retrospective single center study in 12 children with RAS who underwent percutaneous balloon and stent angioplasties showed that only stent angioplasty was able to significantly reduce the BP. The study also found a restenosis rate of 40% with balloon angioplasty alone and no stenosis in the stent angioplasty group \[[@B25-medicines-07-00009]\]. Zhu et al. reported 34 cases of RAS in children who underwent percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTLA) with a success rate of 94%; the restenosis rate was 20% (within 3--47 months post angioplasty) without stenting, and 27% of the patients failed to respond to angioplasty \[[@B26-medicines-07-00009]\]. Konig et al. summarized the efficacy of balloon angioplasty by studying 68 studies in children, and they ultimately showed variable success but no clear outcome with stent angioplasty \[[@B27-medicines-07-00009]\]. Shroff et al., in their 20-year experience from a single center, showed a restenosis rates of 37% following stenting procedures \[[@B28-medicines-07-00009]\]. The localization of the stenotic lesion in the renal artery also seems to influence the outcome of PTLA: An isolated lesion in the mid or distal part of the artery may have a better outcome than lesions near the origin of the artery or long or multiple stenosis \[[@B29-medicines-07-00009]\]. Data from the pediatric renal FMD registry, the largest cohort of FMD children reported to date, have shown that at the time of enrollment, 88% of children have been medically managed with antihypertensive agents alone with a median number of agents of 1. Subsequently, 54% of these children have required surgical intervention, mostly in the form of balloon angioplasty \[[@B9-medicines-07-00009]\]. This data showed that about half of the FMD children responded to antihypertensive agent only. Additionally, in those who require endovascular intervention, the consensus committee on FMD recommends angioplasty alone as the approach of choice for renal artery FMD, with stenting reserved only for procedural complications such as arterial dissection or rupture. However, in very young children with small renal vessels, angioplasty or surgical repair is technically difficult and may not be successful \[[@B30-medicines-07-00009]\]. Thus, long--term antihypertensive therapy may be the only option until vessel size is larger as long as the BPs remain well controlled, as in our patient. Nephrectomy may be required even in small children if hypertension is difficult to control, especially if the affected kidney's function is also poor \[[@B31-medicines-07-00009]\]. Hence, a close follow-up is necessary to determine appropriate clinical management.
Some other clinical associations with RAS that occurred in this patient and are worth mentioning are the nephrotic range proteinuria and hyponatremic hypertensive syndrome, both of which have been described in the literature \[[@B31-medicines-07-00009],[@B32-medicines-07-00009]\]. The histology of the kidney in patients with RAS, nephrotic syndrome, and hyperreninemia who underwent nephrectomy for uncontrolled hypertension have shown severe foot process effacement \[[@B33-medicines-07-00009]\]. In unilateral RAS, renin that is released by the affected ischemic kidney causes an increase in circulating angiotensin II, thereby constricting the efferent arteriole of the contralateral kidney. This subsequently results in an increase in the hydrostatic pressure in the glomerulus, causing an increase in the filtration fraction, as well as an increase in glomerular capillary permeability, thereby leading to nephrotic-range proteinuria \[[@B34-medicines-07-00009]\]. One study found that when renal angioplasty led to the curing of hypertension, it also resulted in the significant reduction of proteinuria; however, no change in proteinuria occurred if the BP did not decrease \[[@B35-medicines-07-00009]\]. The hyponatremia in RAS is most likely secondary to pressure natriuresis, which is a central component of the feedback system for the long-term control of arterial pressure \[[@B36-medicines-07-00009]\]. The increase in renal perfusion pressure from renin-induced hypertension leads to a decrease in tubular sodium reabsorption and, hence, an increase in sodium excretion. This has been shown to be secondary to an increase in medullary blood flow and renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure, as well as renal autacoids such as nitric oxide, prostaglandins, kinins; it has also been shown to be secondary to a decrease in angiotensin II. Both nephrotic proteinuria and hyponatremia resolved in our patient with adequate control of BPs.
5. Conclusions
==============
Surgical intervention in renal FMD poses a challenge in small children, and, hence, treatment options become limited. The question of whether to only manage medically or by endovascular or surgical intervention in someone with narrow vessels and the associated potential risks is a challenging one that must be considered on a case by case basis depending on the clinical profile of each patient. A very close long-term follow-up of blood pressures, renal function, the involvement of other vasculatures, and signs of end organ damage from chronic hypertension is required in these patients. Even if short term medical management with antihypertensive therapy only may be sufficient in very young children, endovascular or surgical revascularization and/or nephrectomy may be required later with progressive refractory hypertension and/or compromised renal function. Longitudinal prospective studies of children who have been managed with medical management alone are needed to assess the efficacy of such intervention.
R.A. and S.E.: Collected data and prepared the original draft; K.U.: Conceptualized the study, collected data and prepared the original draft, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
This study received no funding.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
{#medicines-07-00009-f001}
{#medicines-07-00009-f002}
{#medicines-07-00009-f003}
{#medicines-07-00009-f004}
medicines-07-00009-t001_Table 1
######
MAG-3 (mercaptoacetyltriglycine) diuretic renal scan analysis panel that shows the differential renal function and diuretic T~1/2~ time.
Kidney Left Right
----------------------- ------- -------
Kidney Area (cm^2^) 37.39 29.67
Perfusion % (Int) 66.25 33.75
Perfusion % (Slo) 81.11 18.89
Uptake % (Int) 70.13 29.87
Time to peak (min) 6.39 5.39
Diuretic T~1/2~ (min) 15.5 10.5
|
ByPeter Rainer, Film criticJune 17, 2010
Pixar’s “Toy Story” movies just keep getting better. The latest, and I hope not last installment, “Toy Story 3,” has more emotional power than either of its predecessors. Come to think of it, it also has more emotional power than most of the live-action movies out there.
What makes this sequence so thrillingly comical is that it parodies the Jerry Bruckheimer-Joel Silver school of blam-pow filmmaking even as it tops its effects. It’s also a marvelous demonstration of how movies can inspire kids to create entire fantasy worlds. (The “Toy Story” films certainly serve that function.)
But the pyrotechnics turn out to be a prequel to the central story. Andy, now 18, is college-bound. Excepting Woody, he packs up his toys for the attic, but his mother mistakes the bag for trash. This sets in motion a series of events that lands the lot, including Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head (Don Rickles and Estelle Harris) and Jessie (Joan Cusack), inside the precincts of the suspiciously cheery Sunnyside Day-care Center.
Looking forward to a lifetime of playtime with an inexhaustible supply of tots, Andy’s toys soon realize, to their horror, that Sunnyside, presided over by a strawberry-scented plush named Lots-o-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), is no refuge: It’s more like a prison. Woody, initially smuggled into Sunnyside with his friends, must ride to the rescue, as “Toy Story 3,” which began as a riff on hypercharged action movies, turns into a jailbreak escapade – and a surprisingly effective one, too.
Director Lee Unkrich and his screenwriter Michael Arndt understand that whimsy and slapstick in this series can only take you so far. The almost nightmarish scenes of confinement at Sunnyside are keyed to an even darker subtext: the sadness of Andy’s toys at being abandoned. Once they were happy. Now their only choice, even if they break free of Lots-o and his minions, is the attic.
Before he turns savior, Woody, in yet another mix-up, finds himself ensconced in the playpen of little Bonnie (Emily Hahn), whose gaggle of toys rivals his old pals’ eccentric charms. (I particularly liked Timothy Dalton’s Mr. Pricklepants.) Much later, Bonnie and Woody and the rest will figure in a denouement that is one of the most moving leave-takings I’ve ever seen in an animated film.
It never fails to amaze me – though, given all the precedents, it shouldn’t – how animated and computer-generated creatures can trigger such deep-seated human emotions. The “Toy Story 3” filmmakers don’t play down to their audiences, young or old, and perhaps this is why they are able to move so effortlessly between hilarity and sadness without missing a beat. They understand that life is a rollercoaster continuum.
Kids watching “Toy Story 3” will recognize right away that this is something special. It speaks to them in their own language, which, of course, turns out to be everybody’s language. The best children’s films aren’t only for children. Grade: A (Rated G) |
Below is an analysis of the prospects in the Seattle Mariners farm system. Scouting reports are compiled with information provided by industry sources as well as from our own (both Eric Longenhagen’s and Kiley McDaniel’s) observations. For more information on the 20-80 scouting scale by which all of our prospect content is governed you can click here. For further explanation of the merits and drawbacks of Future Value, read this.
Top Prospects Series 2018 2017 AL BAL CHW HOU BOS CLE LAA NYY DET OAK TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG AL BAL CHW HOU BOS CLE LAA NYY DET OAK TBR KCR SEA TOR MIN TEX NL ATL CHC ARI MIA CIN COL NYM MIL LAD PHI PIT SDP WSN STL SFG
45 FV Prospects
Drafted: 1st Round, 2016 from Mercer Age 21 Height 6’4 Weight 210 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 30/50 55/60 40/55 45/40 45/50 60/60
Lewis’s pro career just cannot get off the ground. After signing in 2016, he was sent to short-season Everett — a pretty cushy assignment for a top college draftee, but not unusual for a small-school prospect — where he played for a month before tearing his right ACL in late July. When Lewis got back into games during extended spring training in Arizona the next year, he didn’t look ready. His bat speed was intact, but he was noticeably hobbled in a way that scouts thought impacted him on both sides of the ball. They suspected he was rushing back too quickly.
Lewis was sent to High-A Modesto in June and was there for just two games before shutting things down (because of the knee) and heading back to Arizona. After two weeks, Lewis was back in AZL games. Again, he played two before shutting things down for another 10 days. He rejoined Modesto in August, where he played pretty regularly through the end of the year as a DH. He was assigned to the Arizona Fall League after the season, but again, his knee flared up and he was shelved for the year after just two AFL games.
Obviously it’s important that Lewis’s knee remains healthy in 2018. If it doesn’t, then this issue will start to be seen as a chronic, stock-altering aspect of his profile. For some evaluators it already is. Because Lewis hasn’t been able to stay on the field for any real sustained length of time and his performance has been impacted by injury when he has, his amateur reports continue to carry a lot of weight. He has plus bat speed, but there’s concern about swing and miss because of the length in Lewis’ swing and because he faced small-conference competition in college. He was generally considered a candidate to move to a corner-outfield spot even before the knee injury. Now that seems even more likely.
That will put more pressure on Lewis’s bat. Of course, nobody is questioning his potential to clear that kind of offensive bar. The combination of Lewis’s bat speed and the natural loft in his swing create significant power potential, and scouts who saw Lewis in the Cal League last year think he showed good feel to hit for someone who had barely played for the last year. He remains a potential middle-of-the-order hitter but is riskier than he was a year ago because of the knee issue.
Drafted: 2nd Round, 2017 from Burnsville HS (MN) Age 18 Height 6’4 Weight 195 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Curveball Changeup Command 55/60 45/50 50/60 40/55
Carlson was shut down with a minor flexor strain after three AZL innings (during which he sat 92-95), so we’re still most heavily weighing his amateur reports. Those are very good. Carlson was sitting 89-92 the summer before his senior year but had prototypical size and athleticism — plus surprisingly advanced secondary pitches and command for a pitcher his size from a cold-weather state. His velocity spiked the following spring when Carlson was touching 96.
He fell to Seattle’s second-round pick but signed for first-round money, a $2 million bonus. You can get pretty crazy projecting on Carlson’s command and secondary stuff because of his athleticism. He has a good chance to develop two impact secondary pitches and plus command, which gives him pretty substantial upside if the uptick in fastball velo sticks and Carlson shows he’s healthy next year.
Drafted: 1st Round, 2017 from Kentucky Age 21 Height 6’3 Weight 205 Bat/Throw R/L Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 35/60 45/50 30/45 60/55 55/70 55/55
White was perhaps the 2017 draft’s most unique player. He’s a “backwards guy” — the baseball term for the rare player who hits righty but throws lefty — and a plus runner who is probably capable of playing center field if given the chance. Some scouts think White, who lacks huge raw power, needs to be trotted out in center field to profile as an everyday player because he doesn’t have prototypical first-base thump. Others think he’s a plus-plus defensive first baseman and can’t imagine moving him, even if he is a 40 or 45 game-power hitter.
Though skinny, White is a broad-shouldered 6-foot-3 and has big forearms. He tracks pitches expertly and has great bat control. He turns on balls in, pokes ball on the outer half back up the middle and profiles as a plus hitter. Even without huge power, White projects as a productive hitter whose high rates of contact should enable him to play every day when coupled with his defense.
40 FV Prospects
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2017 from Dominican Republic Age 17 Height 6’3 Weight 205 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 20/45 50/60 20/55 45/40 40/50 55/60
Rodriguez ranked fourth overall on last summer’s July 2 board. He has most of what you’re looking for in a power-hitting teenage outfield prospect. First, he has promising hitter’s traits. He’s loose, fluid about the hips and torso, has quick hands, has shown some bat control in games, and his swing has natural loft. Though he’s a bit more physically mature than is typical for a prospect this age, Rodriguez’s broad-shouldered, 6-foot-3 frame still has room for added mass as he ages, and that should continue to add to Rodriguez’s already considerable raw power.
Rodriguez’s size creates some swing length. Otherwise, though, Rodriguez looks like he has a great chance to make contact and hit for power, which would enable him to profile in right field. He’s probably too physically advanced for the DSL to offer any meaningful competition this summer, so look for him to come right to the AZL. Obviously, Rodriguez’s age makes him a volatile prospect and his range of potential pro outcomes is endlessly wide, but he has very promising early traits.
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2015 from Washington Age 23 Height 6’1 Weight 190 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 35/40 40/40 20/30 70/70 60/70 55/55
Bishop lowered the position at which his hands set up in 2017, increasing the plane of his swing and his in-game, extra-base power. Bishop recorded 26 extra-base hits in each of his first two pro seasons combined. In 2017 alone, he hit 41, though many of those were tallied in the Cal League, a league for which Bishop was a bit old.
The changes are meaningful and give Bishop a better chance of playing some kind of everyday role for the Mariners. He’s a plus-plus runner and potential plus-plus defensive center fielder, so the offensive bar Bishop needs to clear to play every day is relatively low, in theory. Bishop’s peripherals are strong and there are plenty of current big leaguers who have established themselves as everyday players with relatively low-impact offensive output, like Kevin Pillar (to whom three different sources comp’d Bishop).
Scouts who saw Bishop’s Arizona Fall League performance admire his on-field makeup and effort level, which remained high throughout the fall even while he was mostly squeezed out of Peoria’s starting-outfield picture by Ronald Acuna and Eric Filia. His ceiling is relatively low because it’s unlikely that Bishop ever do a ton of damage on offense, but he’s a high-probability second-division regular or luxury fourth outfielder.
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2014 from UNC Greensboro Age 23 Height 6’8 Weight 185 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Curveball Changeup Command 50/50 45/45 55/55 50/55
Seattle subjected Povse to a failed multi-inning relief experiment last year, and he’s expected to make a return to starting in 2018. He averaged just over 94 mph on his fastball out of the bullpen with an extra tick of perceived velocity because of extension created by Povse’s 6-foot-8 frame, but as a starter in the Arizona Fall League following the season, Povse was 88-92 and up to 94. He has an above-average changeup that fades down and to his arm side, and he throws it to both left- and right-handed hitters. He also has a blunt, pedestrian low-80s curveball.
It’s rare for a pitcher this size, but Povse has a long track record of high-volume strike-throwing that backed up a bit in 2017. Scouts attribute this to discomfort caused by the midseason move to the bullpen and expect Povse’s above-average command to return. He projects as a No. 5 starter.
Drafted: 7th Round, 2013 from LSU Age 25 Height 6’0 Weight 190 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Curveball Splitter Command 55/55 55/55 60/60 40/40
Rumbelow made his MLB debut in 2015 and was projected to play a role in the Yankees 2016 bullpen. In April of ’16, his elbow blew out and he required TJ. He was back for the second half of 2017 and so was his stuff, enabling him to dominate Triple-A. The Yankees traded Rumbelow to Seattle for 17-year-old righty Juan Then and college performer JP Sears as part of their annual exodus of relievers on the fringe of their 40-man.
Rumbelow has a long, violent, overhand arm slot created by pretty extreme spinal tilt. It makes Rumbelow deceptive and enables his fastball — mostly 92-93 but up to 96 with lots of life — to come in at an effective angle up in the zone. Both of Rubelow’s secondary pitches are capable of missing bats. His low-80s curveball and mid-80s splitter each have sharp downward action. The split might be a modified changeup, but it has split action so I have it graded as such. He has a non-zero chance of throwing high-leverage innings this year because the stuff is that good, but he’s also a pretty risky 26-year-old because of the command and previous surgery.
Drafted: 7th Round, 2016 from East Stroudsburg Age 24 Height 6’2 Weight 195 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Slider Curveball Changeup Command 55/55 50/50 50/50 55/55 45/50
Festa posted video-game numbers in the Cal League, striking out 99 hitters in 70 innings. He generates a lot of power with his hips, which help his fastball top out at 96 or 97 and sit 92-94 with boring action into right-handed hitters. He mixes in three secondaries, all of which are solid average: a 12-6 curveball; a wiping, horizontal slider; and a changeup. When the slider is down and has good length to it, it’s a 55. Some scouts also think the changeup has room for growth yet because of Festa’s arm speed. He profiles as a middle reliever because there isn’t a dominant, bat-missing pitch, but there’s still a chance Festa develops one.
Drafted: 23rd Round, 2015 from Ashland Age 24 Height 6’3 Weight 230 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Slider Curveball Changeup Command 70/70 50/55 50/50 30/30 40/40
Warren’s velocity spiked over the last 18 months. He’s added good weight, has better incorporated his lower half into his delivery, and has moved to the bullpen, enabling him to throw more max-effort pitches. He’s was topping out at 99 in the Arizona Fall League, sitting 93-96 with a fastball that spins at an above-average 2500 rpm.
Warren has a hard, upper-80s slider, a mid-70s curveball, and a scrappable changeup. Neither breaking ball is especially consistent and scouts think Warren hangs too many sliders, but they both flash above-average and should be effective against big-league hitters, especially righties. Platoon issues might limit Warren’s big-league role, but he has middle-relief stuff.
Drafted: 3rd Round, 2017 from Gonzaga Age 22 Height 6’3 Weight 175 Bat/Throw R/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Fastball Slider Command 60/60 60/60 50/55
Mills’ pro and amateur reports are pretty homogeneous because the same Northwest area scouts that saw him at Gonzaga saw him in short-season ball after the draft. He’s a side-armer with a sinking 92-94 mph fastball and plus slider. Mills struggled to throw strikes in a small pro sample, but scouts who saw him at Gonzaga think he could develop plus command and some think he has late-inning upside a la Steve Cishek or Sergio Romo, but his arm slot may also create platoon problems that limit his role.
Signed: July 2nd Period, 2013 from Dominican Republic Age 21 Height 6’1 Weight 175 Bat/Throw L/L Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 20/30 45/50 20/40 70/70 50/55 60/60
This guy is tooled up. Liberato is a plus-plus runner capable of handling center field, has a plus arm, and generates strong power on contact, which helped him net 44 extra-base hits between two levels in 2017.
But scouts don’t think he’s going to hit. Liberato’s swing is noisy, he doesn’t track pitches well, and his long levers create a few holes. There are several factors working against Liberato’s bat, and the chances all of them will be remedied are slim. There’s a non-zero chance he becomes a star, but realistically he projects as a bench outfielder.
Age 24 Height 6’0 Weight 225 Bat/Throw L/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 55/55 50/50 45/50 30/30 50/50 55/55
Ford went undrafted out of Princeton despite being named both Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and Player of the Year as a junior, so the fact that he’s going to wear a major-league uniform at all is incredible. He is a long-time statistical performer with more career walks than strikeouts in five pro seasons. As a first-base-only prospect, Ford needs to hit a ton to stick in the big leagues. He has excellent ball/strike and breaking-ball recognition and tracks pitches well. He doesn’t have prototypical first-base raw power, but his swing does have some natural loft and he taps into most of what he’s got.
Scouts think he can be beaten with velocity up in the zone, but he’s an otherwise solid offensive player whose pure physical talent may just be short of viability at first base. Nevertheless, he has a chance to hit and reach base enough to stick around — and he’s a better defender than Vogelbach.
Drafted: 2nd Round, 2011 from Bishop Verot HS (FL) Age 24 Height 6’0 Weight 250 Bat/Throw L/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 50/55 60/60 45/50 20/20 30/30 40/40
Reports on Vogelbach remain the same. He has plus raw power but it comes at the expense of extreme visible effort, and he’s long been willing to take what is given by pitchers and put the ball in play instead of hunting stuff he can drive. So while Vogelbach remains an interesting bat-to-ball prospect the in-game power production remains short of standards at first base or DH.
Drafted: 2nd Round, 2016 from Oakton HS (VA) Age 19 Height 5’9 Weight 194 Bat/Throw L/R Tool Grades (Present/Future) Hit Raw Power Game Power Run Fielding Throw 35/60 45/45 20/40 30/30 30/40 50/50
Rizzo has terrific feel to hit and a proclivity for all-fields contact, there’s just not a whole lot of power here, nor does Rizzo’s frame promise any more. Reports on Rizzo’s defense are better this year than they were last, when many scouts thought he was destined for first base. He’s still not a lock to stay at third — he’s just a 45 defender there with a 50 arm and an already maxed-out frame — but he has gotten better. It’s tough to profile him as a corner infielder with 40 game power. It means Rizzo’s bat and on-base ability have to reach Chase Headley or late-career Joe Mauer levels for him to profile as an everyday player. That’s not impossible, but it seems unlikely.
*****
Other Prospects of Note (In Order of Preference)
, SS – The Mariners signed Querecuto for $1.2 million in July. He has the Cole Tucker Manny Machado prototypical SS/3B frame at a well-built 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, appearing quite graceful for his size and age, with promising infield footwork and actions. He lacks explosion of any kind, so scouts are hoping he grows into a better first step on defense, a tick better arm, and something more than his currently well-below-average bat speed. He’s a nice size/physical-projection flier with good baseball instincts, but he’s currently short on physical tools.
Seth Elledge, RHP – The latest of a seemingly endless stream of hard-throwing Dallas Baptist pitchers, Elledge has the typical fastball/slider combination you’d expect from a quick-moving relief prospect. He’ll touch 96 and tilt in an average slider that flashes above.
Chase De Jong, RHP – De Jong made his big-league debut as a spot starter for Seattle last year and, with a four-pitch mix that’s fringey across the board, he continues to project in that role. His command backed up on him last year, too, though that might be a result of him nibbling around the edges of the zone because he stuff can’t compete within it.
Sam Moll, LHP – Claimed off of waivers from Pittsburgh (who claimed him from Oakland), Moll is a low-three-quarters lefty with a slightly above-average fastball, slider, and 40 change. He can locate the changeup fine, but it hangs and doesn’t fool righties. He’s a lefty bullpen depth.
Kyle Wilcox, RHP – Wilcox touches 97 and has a plus-flashing slider, but he’s 23 and hasn’t pitched above Low-A just yet, in part due to injury. He’s a potential reliever.
Eric Filia, RF – Filia had everyone pretty excited after he raked in the Arizona Fall League and looked great in right field. Then he got popped for smoking marijuana and will miss 50 games. Because of injury, a college suspension for academic fraud, and now this, Filia turns 26 in July and is too old to get paid on the free-agent market, let alone for Double-A (rimshot). You can smoke all you want once you’re on the 40-man. He probably hits enough to reach the big leagues, but it’s hard to say that he’ll have any kind of long career. Perhaps as a bench bat.
Anthony Jimenez, OF – Jimenez had a strong, injury-shortened 2017 at Low-A Clinton, where he slashed .298/.362/.482 in 64 games. He has an NFL cornerback build at a muscular, but maxed-out, 5-foot-11. Jimenez has some feel for the barrel and can hit well-struck line drives to all fields, but he chases too often right now and his 2017 stat line was no doubt buoyed by a .407 BABIP. He only fits in an outfielder corner. There’s room for Jimenez to hit for more power if he can ditch his current footwork for something that coaxes more explosion from his lower half, but until something like that happens, the hit/power combo is a little light for profiling in a corner.
Jordan Cowan, INF- Cowan repeated the Cal League in 2017 and his numbers took a bit of a dip, but he can hit and play a couple defensive positions. He got a non-roster invite to spring training. If he has a strong season at Double-A, we can start talking about him as potential utility bat.
Bryson Brigman, INF – Brigman is a hit/run middle-infield prospect who had a long track record of success as an amateur. I had a second-round grade on him ahead of the 2016 draft. Pro scouts consider him to be significantly lacking in power and consider Brigman a fringe defender at short, so there isn’t even a clear path toward a utility gig here right now. But I think Brigman’s feel for contact merits continued looks. He’s a high-end makeup guy who showed some movement in his batted-ball profile last year, increasing his fly-ball rate from 20% to 28%.
Ronald Rosario, OF – Rosario had a huge 40-game stretch in the Northwest League during which he hit .294/.355/.516. He has a 70 arm and above-average bat speed but is otherwise all 40s and 45s across the board. Scouts are skeptical despite his small-sample performance.
Marvin Gorgas, RHP- Gorgas doesn’t have big velo or a wipeout breaking ball but missed a lot of High-A bats with his above-average changeup last year. He has a chance to carve out a middle-relief role.
Anthony Misiewicz, LHP – Traded to Tampa and then re-acquired for “Future Considerations” Misiewicz is a 23-year-old righty with a 55 curveball and good command. He could be rotation depth.
Joe Rosa, INF – Rosa had a big year as an old-for-the-level hitter in short-season A-ball, where he slashed .296/.374/.531. He’s a stocky 5-foot-10 switch-hitter who’s short to the ball from both sides of the plate. He lacks present power and power projection but might hit his way to the big leagues as a hit-first second baseman.
Ian Miller, CF – Miller’s slappy approach to contact limits his power output to the fringes of big-league viability, but he’s a 70 runner who puts the bat on the ball, so he has a chance to be a bench outfielder for a while. He’s had a good pro career for a small-school 14th-rounder.
Jorge Benitez, LHP – A ninth-round high schooler out of Puerto Rico, Benitez has a promising arm action and enough physical projection to dream on his currently fringey velocity. He was a nice late-round body/delivery developmental project.
Cesar Izturis, Jr. – Izturis is small and likely has a utility ceiling because of his size (the same was said about his uncle and father, which I guess was true except for a random three-win season for each of them), but he’s an advanced defensive infielder with just enough arm for the left side of the infield. He has elite makeup.
Brayan Perez, LHP – A projectable lefty who can spin a breaking ball, Perez signed out of Venezuela for $350K in July.
Nolan Perez, 3B – Perez had a strong year in the DSL. He has plus hands at third base and advanced feel for contact, but he’s a 40 athlete with medium range. Scouts aren’t willing to project the sort of power he’d require if a move to first base is necessary.
Chuck Taylor, OF – A former minor-league Rule 5 selection, Taylor has interesting career-long peripherals in a 17% career strikeout rate and 11% career walk rate. He also has above-average speed. Taylor’s hands work better as a left-handed hitter, but his weight transfer isn’t well timed from that side; as a right-handed hitter, his issues are the inverse of that. If that gets ironed out, he could be an extra outfielder.
Jansiel Rivera, OF – Rivera grew up in New England and then moved to the Dominican Republic for a year and a half before moving back to the U.S. ahead of his senior prom. He was draft eligible but was mostly scouted by international scouts in the D.R. so many area guys didn’t know about him. Seattle saw him in a workout at their complex in Arizona, liked him, drafted him late and gave him $125,000 to sign. He’s a big-framed, power-hitting lottery ticket with 55 raw power.
Christian Pedrol, RHP – Seattle has done well in Brazil (Luiz Gohara, Thyago Vieira), and while Pedrol doesn’t have that kind of heat, he is a polished strike-thrower with workable stuff. He doesn’t have much physical projection but could end up a mess of 50s who’s able to play some kind of big-league role.
Cistulli’s Guy
Selected by Carson Cistulli from any player who received less than a 40 FV.
Acquired off waivers from the Reds in November, Vincej possesses two skills that are difficult for a ballplayer in his 20s to just acquire by means of practice and repetition — namely, the ability to play an adequate defensive shortstop and also to make contact at an order of magnitude greater than his peers. Both skills translate directly to on-field value and there’s little dissent among the most relevant parties that Vincej has them.
And yet, Vincej has remained absent from lists like the present one. As for why, it’s because of one important skill he hasn’t exhibited — namely, the capacity to impact the ball with any great force. Over the course of nearly 2,300 minor-league plate appearances, the 26-year-old has produced a .089 isolated-power figure. By way of comparison, only three qualified major leaguers recorded a lower mark in 2017, and two of them (Dee Gordon and Billy Hamilton) combined for nearly two wins by way of just baserunning alone.
As Jeff Sullivan noted earlier in the offseason, however, there might be some cause for optimism where Vincej’s power on contact is concerned.
From Sullivan’s piece:
Vincej had a strikeout rate of about 12%, and a grounder rate of about 37%. That was in the highest level of the minors. Last year there were 24 major-league hitters who batted at least 250 times and had strikeout rates under 17%, and grounder rates under 40%. Vincej, obviously, isn’t the next Joey Votto, but this group also includes guys like Eric Sogard and Whit Merrifield. Of the 24 players, 20 finished with a wRC+ north of 100. The average wRC+ was 118, with a median of 116. The big-league ball has been rewarding contact and flies. Vincej seems to generate contact and flies. What might an extra 10 feet or so mean?
In addition simply to making contact, Vincej also began putting the ball in the air more often last year. That’s been productive strategy for other hitters, even those whose power numbers have been something less than pedestrian. It’s worth monitoring, at the very least.
System Overview
Yes, this system is bad. It’s important to consider why it’s bad, though. Since becoming GM, Jerry Dipoto has traded the following players who would have been included on this list:
That’s an entire system’s worth of players that Seattle scouts had signed, drafted, or otherwise helped acquire who were of interest to other teams. The return for those prospects is as follows:
That’s not all that bad up top, especially when you consider that Gohara and Jackson were sent packing partially for non-baseball reasons. But there has been an exodus of depth, high-variance, higher upside guys like Vargas, Torres and Then moved for the sort of back-end changeup/command starters and relievers whom the Yankees churn out pretty regularly. It’s better to develop a Nick Rumbelow than it is to trade a potential growth asset for him.
It’s clear that, with so much money committed to Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz , that Seattle has taken aim at competing now, and the front office may not have been given time for progressive Player Dev hires to transform fringe prospects into hard-throwing relievers, or to wait for prospect like Then to mature as ballplayers.
That’s fine for now, and this list looks artificially short in part because Mitch Haniger (acquired with Jean Segura for Tai Walker and Ketel Marte), Guillermo Heredia (probably a platoon CF), and Andrew Moore (a No. 4/5 starter) graduated off the list. But that doesn’t make what Seattle is doing sustainable. |
Bloomberg
Bloomberg | Quint is a multiplatform, Indian business and financial news company. We combine Bloomberg’s global leadership in business and financial news and data, with Quintillion Media’s deep expertise in the Indian market and digital news delivery, to provide high quality business news, insights and trends for India’s sophisticated audiences.
Manafort Opts for Solitary Rather Than to Travel to Court
(Bloomberg) -- Paul Manafort, who is under 23-hour-per-day lockdown in solitary in a Virginia jail, told a judge on Friday that he doesn’t want to make a two-hour trek for any court appearances before his trial starts July 25.
Manafort, who served for four months as President Donald Trump’s campaign chairman, is being held at the Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Alexandria, Virginia.
U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis in Alexandria, Virginia, must now decide whether to grant his request to remain behind bars until his trial.
Manafort faces bank fraud and tax-related charges. Separately, he’s accused of money laundering and illegal lobbying in another case in Washington. He denies wrongdoing in both.
Manafort had been confined to his home on a $10 million bond. Last month, the judge in the Washington case ordered him locked up for violating the terms of his release by allegedly tampering with a witness. Manafort is appealing the order locking him up.
Manafort on Friday also filed papers telling Ellis he won’t get a fair trial in Alexandria, a Washington DC suburb, because of the pretrial publicity and asked that his case be moved to Roanoke, 244 miles to the south.
"It is difficult to conceive of a matter that has received media attention of the same magnitude as the prosecution of Mr. Manafort," the attorneys said, citing their client’s ties to Trump and Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Spokesmen for Mueller didn’t immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the change-of-venue request. |
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
This is a discussion on I Wanna Hold Your Hand within the Carry & Defensive Scenarios forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Yup, the guy has no idea just how stupid and dangerous his actions are. IMO, he's so lucky he hasn't been knocked to ground on ...
I really doubt this fellow would have been able to get close enough to me to do that before I noticed him. I got sucker punched from the back when I was about 14 and nobody gets close to me like that anymore. Thank goodness I still have excellent hearing and I use it (and the head on a swivel) when walking in crowds. That aside, if the guy did grab my hand I would think he was trying to do one of two things...control the hand or grab my wallet...both would be met with him getting a dislocated thumb as I reassess my failed situational awareness.
...
As a funny aside: I have, in the past, more than once put my arm around a woman thinking she was my wife. It's always quite embarrassing.
There's a pretty blonde (Looks just like Mrs. Whec) in my town that drives the same car, whom I always mistake for her. I wave, beep horn, act stupid, etc.. only to realize that it's not my wife again...
Many moons ago my wife and I were at a party with some of her extended family. Everyone was drinking and laughing and having a great time. When it was time to go, I turned and gave her a little love tap on her back side and said, "OK hun, time to get in the truck." Her sister then turned around and said, "Wow, OK, but you might want to go tell (insert my wife's name here) over there." They looked a lot alike...especially from the back...and at night...outside...after a bunch of Wild Turkey shots. So, I went over to my wife this time and repeated the same procedure. Then I told her what happened. She thought it was hilarious (that must have been the Wild Turkey laughing). FWIW, we had a DD...and they don't really look much alike anymore.
I surely hope he does not continue to do this kind of thing. Somewhere along the line he is going to get his jaw broken with a well-placed elbow or fist and he deserves it. Bottom line--you cannot put your hands on anyone--it is simple assault.
As a general rule in most martial arts, you learn to match the response to the threat.
In this video experiment, the guy matches the target's stride, matches the rate of arm-swing, and then attempts to hold the target's hand. In the realm of non-threatening behavior, this is pretty much a .5 on a scale of 1 to 100.
Notice that in almost every case, the "defenders" just pull their hand away. Here, that's a sufficient defense. No broken jaws, no snapped elbows, and certainly no gunfire required. |
The Quest for Clean Water and the Right to Buy a Tesla in Michigan How Governor Rick Snyder is Sending Michigan into an Economic Abyss
In 2014, Michigan governor Rick Snyder made a very important decision.
A decision that likely trumps any other decision he’s ever had to make.
We’re talking about a decision that was based on what was not only best for the taxpayers of Michigan, but what was in the best interests of national security.
That decision …
To ban the business model of directly selling cars to customers.
Royally Screwed
In an effort to service the state’s dealership monopoly like a meth-addicted truckstop hooker, Governor Snyder went out of his way to ensure that no car company could sell a single vehicle unless it went through the borderline illegal dealership model created by, well, the dealerships.
And the icing on the cake was that the only car company to get royally screwed by this decision was one that makes electric cars - Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) Certainly this must’ve given Rick quite an erection. After all, electric cars are much better for the environment than internal combustion vehicles. And he’ll have none of that treehugging nonsense.
Let’s face it, when it comes to treating the planet like a giant toilet, Rick Snyder is fan. Just ask the nearly 100,000 residents of Flint who’ve been drinking lead-flavored water for more than a year now.
Some of these folks were complaining as far back as 2014, right after the state decided to save a few bucks by drawing Flint’s water from the Flint River instead of Detroit’s system. But apparently no one in the Governor’s mansion was interested in hearing about it. That is, until the folks over at GM started complaining. As a result, the governor quietly spent nearly a half million dollars to get GM hooked back up to Lake Huron’s water. But that was just for GM. Another real-life subsidy that’ll never find its way onto a balance sheet.
And for everyone else, it was all the lead you can drink, for a low, low price!
About that Email …
Of course, Snyder claims he knew nothing about the problem, despite a recent email that was uncovered thanks to a freedom-of-information request.
The email shows that both Snyder and a then-chief of staff to a health department official were not only aware of the problem, but concerned about it. Well, at least one of them.
I'm frustrated by the water issue in Flint I really don't think people are getting the benefit of the doubt. Now they are concerned and rightfully so about the lead level studies they are receiving. These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us (as a state we're just not sympathizing with their plight).
But Snyder, I guess, was too busy saving the Wolverine State from the evil electric car peddler Elon Musk to make sure that the residents of Flint weren’t being poisoned by the water coming out of their faucets.
Of course, Tesla hasn’t walked away. In fact, the company recently applied for licenses to sell and service its vehicles in Michigan. If the Secretary of State approves the applications, Tesla can start selling and buying vehicles. If not, the company will likely sue the shit out of Michigan. And given the issues the state is dealing with right now, I suspect the governor might be a little less of a dick about banning Tesla from a state that really should be embracing the next evolution of automotive technology and design.
But then again, it’s the old guard of Detroit that nearly put Detroit automakers out of business just a few years ago. And Snyder is definitely a representative of the old guard.
Bottom line: Guys like Snyder are doing more to destroy the state of Michigan than to help it.
An antiquated sense of protectionism coupled with the incompetence of a fork-tongued politician will sink Michigan further into an economic abyss. That is, unless the good folks of Michigan vote these bastards out and get someone in the governor’s mansion who embraces real free markets, where things like dealership laws go to die.
The fact that Tesla even has to jump through all these hoops just sell a car in the state of Michigan just shows that in some parts of the country, there remains extreme prejudice against anything that threatens to disrupt an industry that is in desperate need of disruption.
But no matter how hard they fight, Tesla is still going to come out ahead. And that, dear reader, is good for investors, good for consumers, and good for the planet. |
INGRAM — Outside, it's a hundred degrees and stifling. Inside, it's cool and semi-dark and a nice place to look outside, which John Wootters is doing from an easy chair in his living room, gazing out across the valley and over to the next mountain.
The now mostly retired Wootters, 81, famous for his columns on hunting, reloading and shooting in Petersen's Hunting magazine, and his wife, Jeanne, live in a house built into the side of a mountain in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.
Wootters has his reloading bench and shooting station there, his trophies from a lifetime of hunting and fishing and some of his guns. He's been selling many of his firearms, though he's keeping his handguns and a few rifles.
He's owned the rifles for decades, and they have special value because they've been featured in so many photos of Wootters with trophies from around the world.
"I have an emotional attachment to them," he said of the rifles. The handguns he treasures as well, but he also needs them to hunt now, since a stroke he suffered two years ago left him without the full use of his left arm.
Wootters recently sat down to talk about his life outdoors, his years at Petersen's and the direction he believes hunting and hunters are taking.
"I love deer," he said. "I never loved their scores. I'm not a record-book hunter. I'm not sure I even approve of record books. I think they've resulted in a lot of abuse of the resource."
A mature whitetail buck is the No. 1 game animal in the world, Wootters said. (No. 1A would be Africa's Cape buffalo.) But the emphasis on bigger bucks and higher scores, which has led to special deer-breeding programs, imported trophy animals and now steroids, has sucked something out of hunting, out of going for the pure joy of seeing a wild animal.
"We've already lost something," Wootters said. "Most kids have never had any exposure (to the hunting that many Texans grew up with). They don't have the opportunity anymore.
"That whole thing of a deer industry turns my stomach. It stopped being hunting. To me, those deer (featured in ads for breeders and buyers), I don't even regard them as real deer. I wouldn't shoot one. That's not deer hunting to me."
Wootters prefers still hunting, slowly moving through a pasture in search of the best buck, to any other method of hunting.
And he believes other hunters would, too, if they ever experienced it.
"People aren't taught to hunt and haven't learned the rewards of doing it and doing it right," Wootters said.
"It's more and more an older man's sport. Hunting is on a downhill slide, and it's not going to get any better."
Wootters grew up in Houston, but summers and hunts spent with his rural grandparents hooked him on hunting and fishing. He learned to track and trail and to enjoy the outdoors for the value of an animal seen and a lesson learned.
He became interested in photography while fighting in the Korean War, and later launched a career writing books and magazine articles. His book "Hunting Trophy Deer," published in 1977, has sold more than 100,000 copies, an incredible number for a genre publication.
But Wootters isn't looking back. He makes that clear. He still hunts, he still writes for a local newspaper, and he still spends time loading and working on guns in his shop.
He's asked what's down the road for hunting.
"I don't claim psychic powers, but I don't really like the way we're going. We've already gone past some of the limits of what I would consider honorable hunting," he said.
That said, Wootters and his wife plan to return to hunting this year. He didn't kill a deer (because of his stroke) in 2008, the first time since 1941 that he hasn't tagged a buck, minus those two years in Korea.
"You just don't look back," he said. "I had a goal, and I reached that goal. I can't fly (for travel) now, so I just go out and enjoy what I can do."
Share Your Knowledge
We want to provide fellow sportsmen the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences with us so that others may learn from it.
We welcome all visitors to be a part of "The Connection." If you would like to share an aritlce, product review, or recipe that you have written send it to us and we will review it for posting. |
The use of α-Ni(OH)2 (α-phase nickel hydroxide) as a positive active material has been investigated in order to increase the number of reaction electrons and the discharge capacity of an alkaline storage battery such as a nickel-metal hydride rechargeable battery or nickel-cadmium rechargeable battery. For stabilizing α-Ni(OH)2 in an alkaline medium, preparing Al in solid solution in an amount corresponding to 5 to 20 mol % of a Ni element in the medium has been suggested (see, for example, JP-A-2010-111522). In this case, the atomic ratio of Ni:Al is in the range of 95:5 to 80:20. Moreover, since the conductivity of Ni(OH)2 of the positive active material is low, a surface of a Ni(OH)2 particle is covered with CoOOH microparticles (see, for example, WO2006/064979A1). JP-A-2007-335154 discloses that an element such as Zn or Ca is dissolved in solid solution in nickel hydroxide, but does not disclose the operation of Zn and Ca in the positive electrode material. Further, this document describes neither the phase of Ni(OH)2, nor Al or the like in solid solution. Therefore, the technique of this document may be based on the use of β-Ni(OH)2. |
O Biclops, Where Art Thou?
"O Biclops, Where Art Thou?" is the fourth episode of the first season of the comedic sword and sorcery series Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 23, 2009. The episode was written by Chris Briggs and Peter A. Knight, and directed by Alex Hardcastle. In "O Biclops, Where Art Thou?", Kröd and Aneka seek a stolen diamond from a bisexual cyclops in order to join the ranks of an elite resistance council, and Dongalor tries to capture the heart of his kidnapped villager girlfriend.
Plot
Freedom fighter Kröd Mändoon (Sean Maguire) and his friends try to conduct a raid on an Imperial wagon to help the Resistance's ailing finances, but they are unsuccessful when the group can't stop bickering about their Casual Friday attire (Zezelryck is unhappy about Loquasto wearing assless chaps, while Aneka is furious at the fact Krod expects her to wear a chastity belt). While they are arguing, they are interrupted by the warlock Grimshank (John Rhys-Davies) and Ralph Longshaft (James Murray), the swordsman who previously saved Kröd and Aneka (India de Beaufort). They invite Kröd and Aneka to join the freedom-fighting Elite Resistance Council if they can retrieve the valuable Bloodstone of Alluvia diamond from the lair of an evil cyclops.
The group arrive at the cyclops' lair, but instead of a terrifying monster, they find a decadent creature named "Cy" (Jonathan Slinger) who wears bikini briefs and offers the fighters snacks and mojitos in his hot tub. Cy insists his bloodthirsty father was the one who stole the diamond, but that he did not approve of his father and would let the group have the diamond. Kröd agrees to some quick cocktails (despite Zezelryck's bad feeling about the whole thing), and they all play a game of Truth or Dare? in the hot tub, where Cy admits he is a bisexual cyclops, or "biclops", and Aneka admits she has had sex with a troll (prompting an angry Kröd to ask if there is anywhere she draws the line). When Kröd insists it's time to leave, Cy pulls a switch and traps the freedom fighters in a cage, where he plans to 'sex them to death' and make more furniture for his cave from their skeletons. However, Aneka distracts Cy by getting intimate with Kröd long enough for him to retrieve a throwing star from her underwear, and Kröd throws it into Cy's forehead.
Kröd and the group escape, tie Cy to a chair and take the diamond. Cy apologizes and explains since his breakup with "Lisa and Chad" that "I've been such a man whore, humping and eating everything in sight." Kröd and Aneka return the diamond to the Elite Resistance Council, where Grimshank confirms its authenticity and Longshaft welcomes them to the council. Later, Longshaft tells Kröd he planned to ask Aneka to spend the weekend with him, but wanted Kröd's permission due to their romantic past. Kröd approves of the idea, insisting "men-ches before wenches", but appears visibly jealous when Longshaft and Aneka ride off together...especially when he learns what Aneka's taking with her.
Meanwhile, the evil Chancellor Dongalor (Matt Lucas) and his advisor Barnabus (Alex MacQueen) set off to steal back Dongalor's girlfriend (Remie Purtill-Clarke), a peasant girl he had previously kidnapped from a village, who has been taken by the emperor's nephew. Dongalor finds her and tells her he plans to use the Eye of Gulga Grymna, an ancient weapon, to kill Emperor Xanus and steal his crown, and he wants her by his side. He proposes and she agrees, but as the two ride off together in their carriage, she begins coughing blood. Dongalor realizes she has the plague, but insists he will get medical help for her. She dies a brief time later; her tombstone is marked simply, "Cute Girl". Later, while Dongalor mourns in his castle, Barnabus cheers him up by bringing him the Bloodstone of Alluvia. Barnabus does not explain how he got it, but Dongalor recognizes it as the lens of the Eye of Gulga Grymna, a key to unleashing the weapon's power.
Production
"O Biclops, Where Art Thou?" was written by Chris Briggs and Peter Knight, and directed by Alex Hardcastle. It originally aired April 23, 2009 in the United States on Comedy Central. The episode was filmed in Budapest, Hungary.
Within a week of the episode's original broadcast, the official Comedy Central website included four deleted scenes from "O Biclops Where Art Thou?". The first 75-second clip is an extended scene of Dongalor proposing to the Cute Girl, in which he discusses his empty heart and his "empty bed...well, empty except for the concubines." In the second clip, an extended scene of the hottub Truth or Dare? game, upon learning that Aneka slept with a troll who lost an eye in battle, an exasperated Kröd asks, "Where do you draw the line? Have you ever 69ed an orc? Teabagged an ogre? Tossed a hobgoblin's salad?" In the third, two-minute clip, Kröd expresses excitement about being called before the Elite Resistance Council, and Aneka expresses anger that he wanted to go without her. When the two next appear before the council together, the elder Gustav the Short and Curly and Kröd gets into an argument over whether one should have pubic hair atop their heads. In the final, one-minute clip, Kröd expresses anger upon learning of the Pagan village attack: "They can raid our villages, they can burn our crops, they can steal our cattle, but I refuse to live in a world where good men are shot in the anuses!" Kröd and his friends then get into a discussion about how to pluralize anus before visiting the village.
These cuts remain in the UK version.
Reception
Matt Fowler said "O Biclops, Where Art Thou?" was another "mostly flat" episode and that while a few jokes connect, most are obvious and infantile. Fowler also said he was growing tired of Kröd's constant prudishness around sexual norm-breakers, and that the Loquasto, Zezelryck and Bruce characters are growing unnecessary because, "not every joke needs to have each member of the gang chime in with a comment telling us what the joke is." However, Fowler said he enjoyed the subplot with Dongalor and his unnamed girlfriend, and said Lucas and McQueen work very well together. Doug Knoop of The Seattle Times, however, singled this episode out as one of the main reasons he liked the series: "It may not be to everyone's taste, but in last week's episode when (Krod) and his band of warriors ended up in a hot tub with a Cyclops, I knew this new outrageous parody series had found a place in my heart."
References
External links
"O Biclops, Where Art Thou?" at TV.com
Category:2009 American television episodes
Category:2009 British television episodes
Category:Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire episodes |
ASF students are preparing for careers of the future through their participation in a research study applying creative math practices and attitudes through origami projects called Mathigami. This study is being conducted by Dr. Perla Myers, PhD Professor and Associate Dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at USD and continues the unique partnership between ASF and USD using STEAM curriculum to expose ASF students to technical career paths and opportunities.
ASF students participated in WorldLink’s 20th Annual Youth Town Meeting where over 700 High School students gathered to discuss issues including Gender, Leadership, and Peace and Security. WorldLink promotes the “connection of youth to global affairs” and ASF students were challenged to look at root causes of social issues and find ways to create meaningful change as the next generation of global citizens.
Sending Thanksgiving greetings in appreciation for everyone who helps ASF support our students. Advancing Students Forward is especially thankful for our dedicated volunteers from the University of San Diego! We couldn’t do it without you!
A cross cuIturaI partnership between USD Engineering Department and USD AIumni Monica Santos enriches the students of ASF through a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) curricuIum. The program introduces students to engineering design processes and engages them in coIIaborative probIem soIving activities. Assistant Professor of IndustriaI and Systems Engineering Odesma DaIrympIe says “I feel a great sense of awe to see what they produce, in what they can achieve with such limited resources and training. There is so much more that could be done if only they had access to such resources”.
Professor Odesma Dalrymple, Ph.D. (USD Engineering Department) and Executive Director of ASF, Monica Santos collected supplies from Trash for Teaching (http://www.t4t.org) and reInterpret (http://reinterpret.org) for the STEAM curriculum in place for the students of ASF this year. Using a variety of discarded manufacturing materials, ASF students created Chain Reaction machines that challenged them to think like an engineer to solve real world, systems probIems. It is amazing to watch the students use these “throw away” items and transform them into treasures of innovation! |
Artsyom Skitaw
Artsyom Skitaw (; ; born 21 January 1991) is a Belarusian professional football player currently playing for Vitebsk.
External links
Category:1991 births
Category:Living people
Category:Belarusian footballers
Category:Association football defenders
Category:FC Vitebsk players |
Q:
how to output a tring from an nfc tag to a text file using arduino uno and pn532?
iam in a deep trouble , I have an Arduino uno and a pn532 connected to it in SPI mode , I want to read a string from an nfc tag and output it to a text file , I have already managed to read from nfc tag and write on it easily , but what Iam facing now is how to output the string contained in the nfc tag to a text file instead of outputting it to the serial monitor of the Arduino studio , any help would be greatly appreciated , thanks a lot in advance .
A:
If you want to write the file from the Arduino itself, you have a few options, depending on the available extra hardware and where you want to save the file.
The easier is to use a SD card and the standard SD Library. On the official reference page there are lots of examples.
If you want to save it on the PC, there are several virtual terminal applications that enables you to save the sent and received data. Coolterm is one of them, Putty is another one.
You can also make your own application that receives the data from the arduino through serial communication, and handle the file saving on this application.
|
How to Fast on Yom Kippur
Giving up food and drink is an important part of this Jewish holiday, the Day of Atonement, because it helps focus the mind on repentance. Stay strong mentally and physically with these tips.
Instructions
Step 1: Know the rules Know the rules: You are not allowed to eat or drink for 25 hours, beginning at sunset and ending one hour after sunset the next day. Boys under age 13, and girls under age 12, pregnant and nursing women, the sick, and the elderly are all exempt from the full fast.
TIP: Some Jews do not even brush their teeth on Yom Kippur because water would pass their lips.
Step 2: Taper off favorite foods Prepare your body in the days leading up to the fast by tapering off any food or beverages that you rely on to get through the day.
TIP: The no drinking rule includes coffee! Addicts should cut down on their java several days ahead of time to prevent a caffeine-withdrawal headache.
Step 3: Prevent dehydration Prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water and eating water-rich foods, like fruit, in the hours leading up to the fast. Avoid things that deplete your body of water, like salt, alcohol, and caffeinated drinks.
Step 4: Carefully choose your last meal Choose foods with staying power for your last pre-fast meal. Potatoes, fish, whole wheat pasta, oranges, and apples are among the most filling foods.
Step 5: Break fast carefully Break your fast by drinking a glass or two of milk or juice before eating solid foods; it will prevent you from eating too much and too rapidly.
FACT: The Talmud also forbids bathing, wearing leather, and having sexual intercourse on Yom Kippur. |
Kindly Care does not employ or recommend any care recipient or caregiver, nor is it responsible for the conduct of any care recipient or caregiver. Kindly Care is a platform that provides tools to help care recipients and caregivers connect online. Each individual is solely responsible for selecting a care recipient or caregiver for themselves or their families, and for complying with all laws in connection with any employment relationship they establish. |
How to choose your perfect wedding dress?
I do! As soon as we hear these 2 words, the only thing that comes in mind is : Weddings!!!
There comes a time in life when you find the perfect person, the one and only. Of course, mostly if you are a girl, you have probably been dreaming for the perfect wedding since you were 10 years old maybe. You have seen lots of movies, lots of TV Shows. And if they were any good, you definitely have seen the greatest wedding ceremonies out there.
In addition, there are TV Shows like Wedding Warsfocused only on weddings, brides and the arrangements. In other words, the whole ceremony. Having a perfect wedding means one of your biggest dreams is coming true. Moreover, it means that you have found your best half and are ready to take your relationship further by celebrating with all your loved ones.
Being a very important step in your life, you can’t help but think about that white wedding dress you’ll wear at your weeding.
But don’t worry, we are here to help you. We know that your dress is the most important purchase in your wedding planning checklist. If you follow our advice below you should have no problem on choosing the perfect dress for you. We will make sure that you’ll have the best experience with our tips :
1- Be sure to have fun when choosing your dress.
This is an important part of the whole planning. Lots of women get stressed during this period but try to have fun. Also, try lots of dresses on, even if know beforehand that you are not going to choose them. It will make you feel good and you are going to love it.
2- Match the dress to your decoration style
Here you should definitely keep in mind what kind of season you have chosen for you wedding. In addition, they are other factors to take in consideration like for example if the wedding will be a casual beach party or maybe somewhere in nature or even inside an historical building. By having all these stuff planned before choosing, it will be more easier for you to define you perfect type of dress.
wedding decor
3- Always be sure to choose what you really like.
Its common to have your best friends, sister and your mom go shopping with you to help you decide on what to wear. While this is a good option, sometimes it can be overwhelming. Just think about it, you hear 4-5 people telling you different opinions on what looks good on you. And even if all opinions are the same for some dresses, you may not feel that good wearing that one.
All your close people of course want the best for you. But in the end it should be you who decide.
And that’s it. Here are our tips on how to choose your wedding dress. Again, keep it simple and fun while choosing. |
---
abstract: '[Necessary and sufficient conditions are obtained on the function $M$ such that $\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \Omega \}$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ when $\Omega^{c}=\{(0,0)\}$ and $\Omega^{c} = 0\times\mathbb{Z}$. If $\Omega^{c} = 0\times\mathbb{Z}_{0},$ $\mathbb{Z}_{0} = \mathbb{Z}\setminus\{0\}$ it is proved that the system $\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \Omega \}$ cannot be complete minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ for any $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. In the case $\Omega^{c}=\{(0,0)\}$ necessary and conditions are found in terms of the one dimensional case. ]{}'
author:
- 'K. S. Kazarian'
title: Generalized Fourier series by double trigonometric system
---
[^1]
[^2]
Introduction
============
The present study is motivated by the desire to extend the concept of generalized Fourier series (GFS) for functions of various variables. The concept of GFS can be described as follows. Let $(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ be a measurable space with a positive measure $\mu,\mu(X)>0$ and let $L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ be the space of measurable functions $f:X\rightarrow {\text{${\mathbb{C}}$}}$ with the norm $ \|f\|_{2}= (\int_{X} |f(t)|^{2} dt)^{\frac{1}{2}} <\infty$. For a complete orthonormal system $\Phi = \{\varphi_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty}$ $$\label{1}
\sum_{k=1}^{\infty} a_{k}(f) \varphi_{k} = f\quad \mbox{in}\quad L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$$ where for any $k\in {\text{${\mathbb{N}}$}}$ $$\label{2}
a_{k}(f) = \int_{X}f(t) \overline{\varphi_{k}(t)} d\mu.$$ The series (\[1\])-(\[2\]) is the Fourier series of the function $f$ with respect to the system $\Phi$. When the system $\Phi$ is the trigonometric system it is called the Fourier series of the given function. Representation of a given function by a trigonometric series is a classical topic (see [@Ri:1], [@L:1] and many others). It is well known that a measurable function can be represented by a $\Phi-$ series where the coefficients are not defined by (\[2\]).
It seems something transcendental to find an algorithm that determines the coefficients $b_{k}, k\in \mathbb{N}$ such that the series $ \sum_{k=1}^{\infty} b_{k} \varphi_{k}$ represents a given function $f$ when $f$ is not integrable. Such a problem was formulated by N.N. Luzin [@L:1]. The following strategy can be an inexhaustible source for the study of the Luzin’s problem.
At the first step fix a subset $\mathbb{N}_{1} \subset \mathbb{N}$ such that for some $m\in L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ the system $$\label{3}
\{m\varphi_{k}\}_{k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}}\quad \mbox{ is complete in}\quad L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu).$$ Determine those functions $m$ for which $\{m\varphi_{k}\}_{k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}}$ is complete and minimal in $ L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ if it is possible. Afterwards if we fix any such $m$ then the system $ \{m\varphi_{k}\}_{k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}}$ will have a unique biorthogonal system $ \{ \psi_{k}\}_{k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}}$ in $L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$. When $ \{ \psi_{k}\}_{k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}}$ is total with respect to the space $ L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ then for any measurable function $g$ such that $mg \in L^{2}(X,\Sigma,\mu)$ one can consider the series $$\label{3:1}
\sum_{k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}} b_{k}(g) \varphi_{k}\qquad b_{k}(g)= \int_{X}g(t) \overline{\psi_{k}(t)} d\mu, \quad k\in \mathbb{N}\setminus \mathbb{N}_{1}.$$ The trigonometric system is the best object for testing the described idea because of its importance in various areas of mathematics.
Generalized Fourier series and some applications were studied in [@KSK:1]–[@KSK:3] when $\mbox{card}\,\mathbb{N}_{1} <\infty$. It is not known if the described strategy is viable for the trigonometric system if $\mbox{card}\,\mathbb{N}_{1} = \infty$ (see [@KSK:4]). Any essential progress in the problem formulated below will be very helpful to clarify the question.
We denote $\mathbb{T} = {\mathbb{R}}/{2\pi\mathbb{Z}}$ and consider the complex form of the trigonometric system $\{ e^{i kx}: k\in \mathbb{Z} \} $ defined on the set $\mathbb{T}$, where the set of all integer numbers is denoted by $\mathbb{Z}$. The following theorems were proved in [@KSK:4]. Let $$1\leq n_{1} < n_{2}<\cdots < n_{k} < n_{k+1} < \cdots$$ and let $$\Omega = \{-n_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty}\cup \{n_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty}$$ be an infinite set of natural numbers such that $\Omega^{c} \neq \emptyset$, where $$\Omega^{c} = \mathbb{Z}\setminus \Omega = \{-m_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty}\cup \{0\}\cup\{m_{k}\}_{k=1}^{\infty}.$$ Let $S_{\Omega} = \overline{\mbox{span}}_{L^{1}(\mathbb{T})}\{ e^{i kx} : k\in \Omega^{c} \} $. If $
p\geq 1$ then its conjugate number $p'$ is defined by the equation $\frac{1}{p} + \frac{1}{p'} =1$.
[**Theorem A**]{}. Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$. Then the system $\{ M(x) e^{i kx}: k\in \Omega\} $ is complete in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$ if and only if the following condition holds: $$\label{C}
\makebox{\parbox{4.1in}{ If
${g}[\overline{M}]^{-1} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T})$ for some $g\in S_{\Omega}$ then $g(x) = 0$ a.e. }}$$ [**Theorem B**]{}. Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$. The system $\{ M(x) e^{i kx}: k\in \Omega\} $ is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$ if and only if the following condition holds: $$\label{M}
\makebox{\parbox{4.1in}{ If for any $k\in \Omega$ there exists a function $g_{k}\in S_{\Omega}$ such that \newline
$[e^{i kx} + g_{k}(x) ][\overline{M}]^{-1} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T})$. }}$$ The following open problem was formulated in [@KSK:4].
[**Problem**]{}. Describe pairs $(\Omega,M)$ with $\mbox{card}\,\Omega^{c} =\infty$ such that conditions (\[C\]) and (\[M\]) hold simultaneously. Unfortunately no any subset $\Omega \subset \mathbb{Z}, \mbox{card}\,\Omega^{c} =\infty$ is known such that the conditions (\[C\]) and (\[M\]) hold simultaneously. In the present paper it is shown that the similar question for the double trigonometric system has a positive answer. It should be mentioned that for the Haar system the described strategy can be successfully implemented when $\mbox{card}\,\mathbb{N}_{1} = \infty$ (see [@KSK:1], [@KSK:5]). First results on multiplicative completion of sets of functions were obtained in [@BP], [@PZ:Ann].
Multiplicative completion of some subsystems of\
the double trigonometric system
================================================
We will consider the double trigonometric system. The $n$-multiple case can be studied in a similar way. We suppose that $\Omega \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is an infinite set such that $\Omega^{c}$ is not empty, where $\Omega^{c} = \mathbb{Z}^{2}\setminus \Omega$. In this case we modify the definition of the class $$S_{\Omega} = \{f\in L^{1}(\mathbb{T}^{2}): \int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} f(x,y) e^{-i kx}e^{-i my}dxdy =0 \quad \forall\, (k,m)\in \Omega \}.$$ It is clear that $S_{\Omega}$ is a closed subspace of $L^{1}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$.
\[thm2:C\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then the system $$\label{eq:sys}
\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \Omega \}$$ is complete in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if the following condition holds: $$\label{eq:7}
\mbox{ If
${g}[\overline{M}]^{-1}\in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ for some $g\in S_{\Omega},$ then
$g(x) = 0$ a.e. }$$
Suppose that (\[eq:sys\]) is complete in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ and let $g\in S_{\Omega}$ be a non trivial function such that $\frac{g}{\overline{M}} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then for any $(k,m)\in \Omega$ $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my} \frac{\overline{g(x,y)}}{M(x,y)} dxdy = \int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} e^{i kx}e^{i my} \overline{g(x,y)} dxdy = 0.$$ Which contradicts the completeness of the system (\[eq:sys\]). Hence, (\[eq:7\]) holds.
Now suppose that (\[eq:7\]) holds and for some $\varphi \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} M(x,y) e^{i kx} e^{i my} \overline{\varphi(x,y)} dx dy = 0\qquad \mbox{for all}\quad (k,m)\in \Omega.$$ Which yields that $\overline{M}\varphi \in S_{\Omega}$ and $\varphi(x,y) =0$ a.e. on $\mathbb{T}^{2}$.
\[thm2:M\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. The system $(\ref{eq:sys})$ is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if the following condition holds: $$\mbox{ If for any $(k,m)\in \Omega$ there exists a function $g_{k,m}\in S_{\Omega}$ such that}$$ $$\label{eq:8}
[e^{i kx}e^{i my} + g_{k,m}(x,y) ][\overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2}).$$
Suppose that (\[eq:sys\]) is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then there exists a system $\{\varphi_{j,l} \}_{(j,l)\in \Omega} \subset L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2}) $ such that $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my} \overline{\varphi_{j,l}(x,y)} dx dy = \delta_{kj} \delta_{ml} \quad \forall (k,j), (m,l)\in \Omega.$$ Hence, for any $(j,l)\in \Omega$ we have that $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} e^{i kx}e^{i my} [M(x,y)\overline{\varphi_{j,l}(x,y)} - \frac{1}{(2\pi)^{2}}e^{-i jx} e^{-i ly}]dx dy = 0 \quad\forall\, (k,m)\in \Omega.$$ Which yields $\overline{M(x,y)} \varphi_{j,l}(x)- \frac{1}{(2\pi)^{2}}e^{i jx}e^{i ly}= g_{j,l}(x,y) \in S_{\Omega}$. The proof of the necessity is finished.If (\[eq:8\]) holds then it is easy to check that $\{\varphi_{k,m} \}_{(k,m)\in \Omega} \subset L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2}), $ where $$\label{eq:bisy}
\varphi_{k,m}(x) = \frac{e^{i kx}e^{i my} + g_{k,m}(x) }{(2\pi)^{2} \overline{M(x,y)}}\qquad \mbox{for}\quad (k,m)\in \Omega$$ is biorthogonal to (\[eq:sys\]).
The case $\Omega^{c}=\{(0,0)\}$
-------------------------------
Denote $\mathbb{Z}_{0} = \mathbb{Z} \setminus \{0\}$ and $\mathbb{Z}^{2}_{0} = \mathbb{Z}^{2} \setminus \{(0,0)\}$.
\[thm:0\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then the system $$\label{eq:sys10}
\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}_{0} \}$$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if the systems $\{ u(t) e^{i nt}: n\in \mathbb{Z}_{0}\}$ and $\{ v(t) e^{i nt}: n\in \mathbb{Z}_{0} \}$ are complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$, where $$\label{w2}
\frac{1}{u(x)} = \left(\int_{\mathbb{T}} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dy\right)^{\frac{1}{p'}}\quad \mbox{and}\quad \frac{1}{v(y)} = \left(\int_{\mathbb{T}} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dx\right)^{\frac{1}{p'}}.$$
By Theorem \[thm2:C\] it follows that the system (\[eq:sys10\]) is complete in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if $$\label{c0}
\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}}|M(x,y)|^{-p'} dxdy = +\infty.$$ Hence, by Theorem \[thm2:M\] the system (\[eq:sys10\]) is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if there exist unique numbers $a_{kl}\in \mathbb{C}$, $(k,l)\in \mathbb{Z}_{0}$ such that $$\label{m0}
\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}}|e^{ikx} e^{il y} - a_{kl} |^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dxdy < +\infty \quad \mbox{for any}\quad (k,l)\in \mathbb{Z}_{0}.$$ We consider (\[m0\]) respectively for $(k,0)$ and $(0,l)$, where $k$ and $l$ belong to $\mathbb{Z}_{0}. $ By the Fubini-Tonelli theorem it follows that the functions $u$ and $v$ are positive a.e. on $\mathbb{T}$. On the other hand we have that for almost any $x\in \mathbb{T}$ $$2\pi \leq \left(\int_{\mathbb{T}} |M(x,y)|^{p} dy\right)^{\frac{1}{p}} \left(\int_{\mathbb{T}} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dy\right)^{\frac{1}{p'}},$$ which yields $$\int_{\mathbb{T}} u(x)^{p} dx \leq \frac{1}{(2\pi)^{p}} \int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} |M(x,y)|^{p} dxdy.$$ Similarly we obtain that $v\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$. Afterwards by (\[c0\]) and (\[m0\]) we easily obtain that there exists $x_{0}\in \mathbb{T}$ such that $$\label{cm}
\int_{\mathbb{T}} u(x)^{-p'} dx = +\infty \quad \mbox{and}\quad \int_{\mathbb{T}} |e^{ikx} - e^{ikx_{0}} |^{p'} u(x)^{-p'} dx < +\infty.$$ By Proposition 3 of [@KSK:5] it follows that the system $\{ u(t) e^{i nt}: n\in \mathbb{Z}_{0} \}$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$. Similarly we obtain that $\{ v(t) e^{i nt}: n\in \mathbb{Z}_{0} \}$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$.
The following theorem gives another characterization.
\[thm:1\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then the system $(\ref{eq:sys10})$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if holds $(\ref{c0})$ and $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}}|\sin\frac{x-x_{0}}{2}|^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'}dxdy< +\infty,$$ $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}}|\sin\frac{y-y_{0}}{2}|^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'}dxdy< +\infty.$$ for some $(x_{0},y_{0})\in \mathbb{T}^{2}$.
We skip the proof of the necessity because the arguments are similar to those used in the proof of the previous theorem. To finish the proof we have to check the relations (\[m0\]) for $a_{kl} = e^{ikx_{0}} e^{il y_{0}} $. Write $$\begin{aligned}
&\left(\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} |e^{ikx} e^{il y} - e^{ikx_{0}} e^{il y_{0}} |^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dxdy \right)^{\frac{1}{p'}}\\
\leq &\left(\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} | e^{il y} - e^{il y_{0}}|^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dxdy\right)^{\frac{1}{p'}}\\
+ &\left(\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} |e^{ikx} - e^{ikx_{0}} |^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dxdy\right)^{\frac{1}{p'}} < +\infty.\end{aligned}$$
Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then for any $(\nu, \mu)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ the system $$\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}\setminus (\nu, \mu) \}$$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if the system $$\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}_{0} \}$$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ .
The assertion of the corollary is obvious because the multiplying the elements of the system $\{ e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}\setminus (\nu, \mu) \}$ by $e^{-i \nu x}e^{-i \mu y}$ we obtain the system $\{ e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}_{0} \}.$ On the other hand it is easy to observe that in our case the conditions (\[eq:7\]),(\[eq:8\]) remain true if $M(x,y)$ is multiplied by a function with modulus equal to one almost everywhere.
Let $1\leq p <\infty,$ $(x_{0},y_{0})\in \mathbb{T}^{2}$ and let $$M(x,y) = |\sin\frac{x-x_{0}}{2}|^{\alpha} + |\sin\frac{y-y_{0}}{2}|^{\alpha},$$ where $\frac{1}{p'} \leq \alpha < 1+ \frac{1}{p'}$. Then the system $\{ e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}_{0} \}$ is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$.
The case $\Omega^{c} = 0\times\mathbb{Z}$
-----------------------------------------
Further in this section it is supposed that $\Omega \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is such that $\Omega^{c} = 0\times \mathbb{Z}$.
\[lem3.1\]Let $g\in S_{\Omega }$ then $g(x,y) = h(y)$, where $h\in L^{1}(\mathbb{T})$.
Let $$h(y) = \frac{1}{2\pi}\int_{\mathbb{T}} g(x,y) dx.$$ Then $h\in L^{1}(\mathbb{T})$ and for any $k\in \mathbb{Z}$ $$c_{m}(h) = \frac{1}{2\pi}\int_{\mathbb{T}} h(y) e^{-i my} dy = \frac{1}{(2\pi)^{2}}\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} g(x,y)e^{-i my} dx dy.$$ It is easy to check that for any $(k,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ $$\frac{1}{(2\pi)^{2}}\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} [g(x,y) -h(y)] e^{-i kx}e^{-i my} dx dy = 0.$$
\[df2:1\] Let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ and $1\leq p < \infty$. We say that the function $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$singularity of degree $p\, (1\leq p <\infty)$ if for any measurable set $E\subset \mathbb{T}, |E|>0$ $$M^{-1}\notin L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}\times E), \qquad \frac{1}{p} + \frac{1}{p'} =1.$$
\[pr2:C\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then the system $$\label{eq:sys0}
\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \Omega \}$$ is complete in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$singularity of degree $p$.
Suppose that the function $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$singularity of degree $p\, (1\leq p <\infty)$. If for some $g\in S_{\Omega}$ we have that $\frac{g}{\overline{M}} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then by Lemma \[lem3.1\] it follows that $$\label{eq:CC}
\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} |g(x,y)|^{p'} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dx dy = \int_{\mathbb{T}} |h(y)|^{p'}\int_{\mathbb{T}} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dx dy <+\infty.$$ Hence, the set $G=\{y\in \mathbb{T}: |h(y)|> 0\}$ should be of measure zero. Which yields that $g(y) =0$ a.e. on $\mathbb{T}$ and by Theorem \[thm2:C\] follows that the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is complete in $ L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$.
For the proof of the necessity suppose that the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is complete in $ L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Hence, by Theorem \[thm2:C\] we have that for any non trivial $g\in S_{\Omega}$ $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} \frac{|g(y)|^{p'}}{|M(x,y)|^{p'}} dx dy = +\infty.$$ For any measurable set $E\subset \mathbb{T}, |E|>0$ we have that $\chi_{E}(y) \in S_{\Omega}$ which yields that $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$singularity of degree $p$.
For our further study we define a class of functions $\Upsilon$.
\[df2:2\] We say that $\phi \in \Upsilon$ if $ \phi \in L^{\infty}(\mathbb{T})$ and $ \frac{1}{\phi} \in L^{\infty}(\mathbb{T})$.
\[df2:3\] We say that a function $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ has an $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p\, (1\leq p <\infty)$ if $M^{-1}\notin L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ and $$\label{eq:xP}
\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} \frac{|e^{ix} -P(y)|^{p'}}{|M(x,y)|^{p'}} dx dy < +\infty,$$ where $P\in \Upsilon$.
\[pr2:M\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if one of the following conditions hold: $$\label{eq:pe}
\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} |M(x,y)|^{-p'} dx dy < +\infty$$ or the function $M(x,y)$ has an $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p$.
At first we suppose that (\[eq:pe\]) holds. Let $$\psi_{j,l}(x,y) = (2\pi )^{-2} e^{i jx}e^{i ly} [\overline{ M(x,y)}]^{-1} \quad \mbox{for}\quad (j,l)\in \Omega.$$ One can easily check that the system $\{ \psi_{j,l}(x,y): (j,l)\in \Omega\}\subset L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ is biorthogonal with (\[eq:sys0\]).
Now let us suppose that the function $M(x,y)$ has an $(x,P)-$ singularity of degree $p$. Let $$\label{eq:bis}
\xi_{k,m}(x,y) = (2\pi)^{-2} [e^{i kx}e^{i my}- P^{k}(y) e^{i my}] [ \overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1}, \qquad (k,m)\in \Omega.$$ Clearly $\xi_{k,m} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ for any $(k,m)\in \Omega$. Moreover, it is easily that the system $\{ \xi_{k,m}(x,y): (k,m)\in \Omega\}$ is biorthogonal with (\[eq:sys0\]).
Suppose that the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then by Theorem \[thm2:M\] we have that the system $\{\varphi_{j,l} \}_{(j,l)\in \Omega} $ biorthogonal with (\[eq:sys0\]) is defined by the equations (\[eq:bisy\]) and $g_{k,m}\in S_{\Omega}$. If $g_{0,1}(x,y) = 0$ a.e. then (\[eq:pe\]) holds. If $\frac{1}{M} \notin L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then $g_{0,1}$ is a non trivial function and by Lemma \[lem3.1\] it we have that $g_{0,1}(x,y) = h_{0,1}(y)$. Let $$\begin{aligned}
P(y) = - h_{1,0}(y) \ \ & \mbox{if} \ \ & \frac{1}{2}<|h_{1,0}(y)|<2;\\
P(y) = \frac{1}{2} \, &\mbox{if}\ \ &|h_{1,0}(y)|\leq \frac{1}{2}\ \ \mbox{and} \\
2 \ &\mbox{if}\ \ &|h_{1,0}(y)|\geq 2.\end{aligned}$$ Clearly $P\in \Upsilon$ and by the relation $$\frac{ e^{i x} + g_{1,0}(y) }{(2\pi)^{2}\overline{M(x,y)}} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2}).$$ it is easy to check that $M(x,y)$ has an $(x,P)-$ singularity of degree $p$.
\[df2:4\] We say that $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ has a strong $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p\, (1\leq p <\infty)$ if $M$ has a strong $x-$singularity and an $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p $ for some $P\in \Upsilon$.
\[pr3:CM\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Suppose that $\Omega^{c} =0\times \mathbb{Z} $. Then the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if the function $M(x,y)$ has a strong $(x,P)-$ singularity of degree $p$ with $|P(y)|\equiv 1$ a.e. on $\mathbb{T}$.
By Propositions \[pr2:C\] and \[pr2:M\] we have to show that if the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then the conditions of the proposition hold with $|P(y)|\equiv 1$ a.e. on $\mathbb{T}$. We provide the proof by reduction to absurdity. Suppose that $|P(y)| \neq 1$ if $y\in E, |E|>0$. Then for some $\delta >0$ we have that $| |P(y)| - 1| > \delta$ if $y\in F\subset E, |F|>0$. On the other hand we have that (\[eq:xP\]) holds. Hence, $$\int_{\mathbb{T}\times F} \frac{1}{|M(x,y)|^{p'}} dx dy < +\infty$$ which contradicts the condition that $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$singularity of degree $p$. The proof of sufficiency is obvious.
\[lem:bi\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and $\Omega \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is such that $\Omega^{c} =0\times \mathbb{Z} $. Suppose that $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ has a strong $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p$ with $|P(y)|\equiv 1$. Then the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is complete minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ and its conjugate system $\{ \xi_{j,l}(x,y): (j,l)\in \Omega\}$ is defined by the conditions (\[eq:bis\]) and for any $(n,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ $$e^{inx} e^{imy}(e^{ix} -P(y)) = \overline{M(x,y)} \xi_{n+1,m}(x,y) - P(y)\overline{M(x,y)} \xi_{n,m}(x,y).$$
The first part of the lemma follows by Proposition \[pr3:CM\] and the proof of Proposition \[pr2:M\].
For any $(n,m)\in \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ we write $$\begin{aligned}
e^{inx} e^{imy}(e^{ix} -P(y)) &- \overline{M(x,y)} \xi_{n+1,m}(x,y) \\
= -P(y)e^{inx} e^{imy} + P^{n+1}(y) e^{i my} = &- \overline{M(x,y)} P(y) \xi_{n,m}(x,y).\end{aligned}$$
\[thm:MB2\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and $\Omega \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is such that $\Omega^{c} =0\times \mathbb{Z} $. Suppose that is such that Then the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is an $M-$basis in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ has a strong $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p$ with $|P(y)|\equiv 1$.
If the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is an $M-$basis in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then by Proposition \[pr3:CM\] it follows that $M$ has a strong $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p$ with $|P(y)|\equiv 1$. On the other hand if the function $M(x,y)$ has a strong $(x,P)-$ singularity of degree $p$ with $|P(y)|\equiv 1$ a.e. on $\mathbb{T}$ then by Proposition \[pr3:CM\] the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is complete and minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ and the system $\{ \xi_{j,l}(x,y): (j,l)\in \Omega\}$ conjugate to (\[eq:sys0\]) is defined by the equations (\[eq:bis\]). Let $f\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ be such that $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} f(x,y)\overline{\xi_{j,l}}(x,y) dx dy =0, \quad \mbox{for all}\quad (j,l)\in \Omega.$$ Then by (\[eq:sys0\]) and the Fubini-Tonelli theorem we will have that $$\int_{\mathbb{T}} e^{-i ly} \int_{\mathbb{T}} f(x,y)[e^{-i jx}- \overline{P^{j}(y)}][\overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1} dx dy =0, \quad \forall \, l\in \mathbb{Z}, j\in \mathbb{Z}_{0}.$$ Which yields $\Phi_{j}(y) = 0$ a.e. on $\mathbb{T}$ for all $j\in \mathbb{Z}_{0},$ where $$\Phi_{j}(y) = \int_{\mathbb{T}} f(x,y)[e^{-i jx}- \overline{P^{j}(y)}][\overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1} dx \qquad j\in \mathbb{Z}_{0}.$$
Let $y_{0}\in \mathbb{T}$ be such that the following conditions hold: $$\int_{\mathbb{T}} |f(x,y_{0})|^{p} dx< +\infty,\ \Phi_{j}(y_{0}) = 0 \ \mbox{ for all} \ j\in \mathbb{Z}_{0},$$ and $$\int_{\mathbb{T}} \frac{1}{|M(x,y_{0})|^{p'}} dx = +\infty,\quad \int_{\mathbb{T}} \frac{|e^{ix} -P(y_{0})|^{p'}}{M(x,y_{0})|^{p'}} dx < +\infty.$$ Thus we have that $P(y_{0}) = e^{ix_{0}}$ for some $x_{0}\in \mathbb{T}$ and $$\int_{\mathbb{T}} f(x,y_{0})[e^{-i jx}- e^{-i jx_{0}}][\overline{M(x,y_{0})}]^{-1} dx =0 \qquad \mbox{for all}\quad j\in \mathbb{Z}_{0},$$ where $f(\cdot,y_{0}) \in L^{p}(\mathbb{T})$. According to the corresponding result in the one dimensional case (see [@KSK:3]) it follows that $ f(x,y_{0})= 0$ for almost any $x\in \mathbb{T}$. On the other hand we have that the above conditions are true for almost all $y\in \mathbb{T}$. Which yields that $f=0$, a.e. on $\mathbb{T}^{2}.$
Let $$M(x,y) = |\sin\frac{x-x_{0}}{2}|^{\alpha} \ \ \mbox{for} \ (x,y) \in \mathbb{T}^{2},$$ where $x_{0}\in \mathbb{T}$ and $\frac{1}{p'} \leq \alpha < 1+ \frac{1}{p'}$. It is easy to check that $m$ has a strong $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p$ with $P(y)= e^{ix_{0}}$ if $y\in \mathbb{T}$. By Theorem \[thm:MB2\] it follows that the system (\[eq:sys0\]) is an $M-$basis in in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ with the conjugate system $$\xi_{k,m}(x,y) = (2\pi)^{-2} [e^{i kx}e^{i my}- e^{i kx_{0}}e^{i my}] [ \overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1}, \qquad (k,m)\in \Omega.$$
The case $\Omega^{c} = 0\times\mathbb{Z}_{0}$
---------------------------------------------
In the cases studied above we have that if the system $\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \Omega \}$ is complete and minimal in $ L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then it is an $M-$basis in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Suppose that $\Omega_{0} \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is such that $\Omega_{0}^{c} = 0\times \mathbb{Z}_{0}$. In this section we prove that if the system $$\label{eq:sys1}
\{ M(x,y) e^{i kx}e^{i my}: (k,m)\in \Omega_{0} \}$$ is complete in $ L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then it is not minimal.
\[pr:C2\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Suppose that $\Omega_{0} \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is such that $\Omega_{0}^{c} = 0\times \mathbb{Z}_{0}$. Then the system (\[eq:sys1\]) is complete in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if the function $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$ singularity of degree $p$.
By Proposition \[pr2:C\] it is clear that if the weight function $w(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$ singularity of degree $p $ then the system (\[eq:sys1\]) is complete in $ L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$.
For the proof of the necessity suppose that the system (\[eq:sys1\]) is complete in $ L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. By Theorem \[thm2:C\] we have that for any non trivial $g\in S_{\Omega_{0}}$ $$\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}} \frac{|g(y)|^{p'}}{|M(x,y)|^{p'}} dx dy = +\infty.$$ Let $E\subset \mathbb{T}, |E|>0$ be any measurable set and $E_{1}\subset E$ be such that $|E_{1}| = \frac{1}{2} |E|.$ It is easy to observe that we have that $\chi_{E_{1}}(y) - \chi_{E\setminus E_{1}}(y) \in S_{\Omega_{0}}$ which yields that $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$ singularity of degree $p$.
\[pr:CM2\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and suppose that $\Omega_{0} \subset \mathbb{Z}^{2}$ is such that $\Omega_{0}^{c} =0\times \mathbb{Z}_{0}$. Then for any function $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ the system (\[eq:sys\]) is not complete minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$.
Suppose that for a function $M(x,y)$ the system (\[eq:sys\]) is complete minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. By Proposition \[pr:C2\] we have that $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$ singularity of degree $p$. By Theorem \[thm2:M\] it follows that there exists $g_{0,0} \in S_{\Omega_{0}}$ such that $$\frac{1+ g_{0,0}(y)}{M(x,y)} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2}).$$ Which yields that $$\int_{\mathbb{T}}|1+ g_{0,0}(y)|^{p'} \int_{\mathbb{T}} \frac{1}{|M(x,y)|^{p'}} dx dy < +\infty.$$ The last condition contradicts the condition that $M(x,y)$ has a strong $x-$ singularity of degree $p$.
We say that $g\in \Upsilon_{0}$ if $g\in \Upsilon$ and $\int_{\mathbb{T}} g(t) dt = 0.$ By Lemma \[lem3.1\] it easily follows that if $g\in S_{\Omega_{0} }$ then $g(x,y) = h(y)$, where $h\in L^{1}(\mathbb{T})$ and $\int_{\mathbb{T}} h(y) dy = 0.$
\[pr4:M\] Let $1\leq p <\infty$ and let $M\in L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then the system (\[eq:sys\]) is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ if and only if or holds the condition (\[eq:pe\]) or the function $M(x,y)$ has an $(x,P)-$singularity of degree $p$ with $P\in \Upsilon_{0}$ and for some $Q\in \Upsilon_{0}$ $$\label{eq:up0}
\int_{\mathbb{T}^{2}}|1- Q(y)|^{p'}|M(x,y)|^{-p'} dx dy < \infty.$$
If the condition (\[eq:pe\]) holds then the proof is similar to the proof of Proposition \[pr2:M\].
Now let us suppose that the function $M(x,y)$ has an $(x,P)-$ singularity of degree $p$ with $P\in \Upsilon_{0}$ and for some $Q\in \Upsilon_{0}$ holds the condition (\[eq:up0\]). Clearly $ \Upsilon_{0} \subset S_{\Omega_{0} }$. Thus if we put $$\xi_{0,0}(x,y) = (2\pi)^{-2} [1- Q(y) e^{i my}] [ \overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1},$$ and for $(k,m)\in \Omega_{0}\setminus (0,0)$ $$\xi_{k,m}(x,y) = (2\pi)^{-2} [e^{i kx}e^{i my}- P^{k}(y) e^{i my}] [ \overline{M(x,y)}]^{-1}.$$ Clearly $\xi_{k,m} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ for any $(k,m)\in \Omega_{0}$. Moreover, it is easily that the system $\{ \xi_{k,m}(x,y): (k,m)\in \Omega_{0}\}$ is biorthogonal with (\[eq:sys1\]).
Suppose that the system (\[eq:sys1\]) is minimal in $L^{p}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$. Then by Theorem \[thm2:M\] we have that the system $\{\varphi_{j,l} \}_{(j,l)\in \Omega_{0}} $ biorthogonal with (\[eq:sys1\]) is defined by the equations (\[eq:bisy\]) and $g_{k,m}\in S_{\Omega_{0}}$. If $g_{0,0}(y) = 0$ a.e. then (\[eq:pe\]) holds. If $\frac{1}{M} \notin L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2})$ then $g_{0,0}$ is a non trivial function and by Lemma \[lem3.1\] it we have that $g_{0,0}(x,y) = h_{0,0}(y)$ and $\int_{\mathbb{T}} h_{0,0}(y) dy = 0$. Let $Q(y) = h_{0,0}(y)$ if $y\in G_{0}:=\{y\in \mathbb{T}: \frac{1}{2}<|h_{1,0}(y)|<2 \}$ and let $\beta = \int_{G_{0}} h_{1,0}(y) dy$. If $|G_{0}| = 2\pi$ then the function $Q$ is defined and $Q\in \Upsilon_{0}$. If $|G_{0}| < 2\pi$ then putting $Q(y) = \frac{-\beta}{2\pi - |G_{1}| }$ if $ y\in \mathbb{T}\setminus G_{1}$. Clearly $Q\in \Upsilon_{0}$and the relation (\[eq:up0\]) holds. In a similar way we define $P\in \Upsilon_{0}$ so that $$\frac{ e^{i x} + P(y) }{(2\pi)^{2}\overline{M(x,y)}} \in L^{p'}(\mathbb{T}^{2}).$$ Thus $M(x,y)$ has an $(x,P)-$ singularity of degree $p$.
[20]{}
Boas, R.P.Jr., Pollard, H.: The multiplicative completion of sets of functions. Bull. Amer. Math. Soc. 54, 518–522 (1948).
Kazarian, K.S.: Summability and convergence almost everywhere of generalized Fourier and Fourier-Haar series (in Russian). Izv. Akad. Nauk Arm. SSR, Ser. Mat., 20, 2, 145–162 (1985) (in Russian); English translation in Soviet Jour. Contemporary Math. Anal., 18, 63–82 (1985).
Kazarian, K.S.: Summability of generalized Fourier series in a weighted metric and almost everywhere. Doklady AN USSR, 287:3, 543–546 (1986); English transl. in Soviet Math. Doklady 33:2, 416–419 (1986).
Kazarian, K.S.: Summability of generalized Fourier series and Dirichlet’s problem in $L^p(d\mu)$ and weighted $H^p$-spaces $(p>1)$. Analysis Mathematica, 13,173–197 (1987).
Kazarian, K.S.: Some open problems related to generalized Fourier series. In: Georgakis, C., Stokolos, A.M., Urbina, W. (eds) Special Functions, Partial Differential Equations and Harmonic Analysis, Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics, vol 108., pp. 105–113. Springer, Cham (2014).
Kazarian, K.S.: On bases and unconditional bases in the spaces $L^p(d\mu)$, $1\le p<\infty$. Studia Mathematica, 71, 227–249 (1982). N.N. Luzin, Integral and Trigonometric Series (in Russian), Gostekhizdat, Moscow, 1951.
Price, J.J., Zink,R.E.: On sets of functions that can be multiplicatively completed. Annals of Mathematics, 82:1, 139-145 (1965).
Riemann, B.: On the representation of a function by a trigonometric series. In: Riemann Bernhard Collected Papers, Translated from the 1892 German Edition by R. Baker, C. Christensen and H. Orde, pp. 219–256. Kendrick Press, Heber City, UT (2004).
Zygmund, A.: Trigonometric series, vol. 1-2, Cambridge Univ. Press (1959).
[^1]: *Math Subject Classifications: 42A24 (Primary); 41A30, 42A65, 42A8 (Secondary)*
[^2]: Dept. of Mathematics, Mod. 17, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain e-mail: kazaros.kazarian@uam.es
|
An ice cream shop in Ocala, Florida thought it would be a clever marketing tactic to have an employee dress up as an ice cream cone and stand out in the parking lot with a sign advertising their goods. Little did they know!
Managers and staffers at the two-month-old Ice Cream Family Corner and Sandwiches say that many townsfolk have avoided their shop because of the ice cream cone man, whom they've mistaken for a Ku Klux Klan protester. The Ocala Star-Banner reports:
Liza Diaz, who manages the store... said an employee at the bank where she does business told her a co-worker was so frightened by the white dollop patrolling the street corner that she called her husband crying and refused to drive through the intersection. "One (customer) told me, 'I had to think twice before coming in here because I thought it was KKK,' " Diaz said.
Diaz is from Puerto Rico and had never heard about the KKK until a reporter informed her about the group. The shop owners are named Jose Cantres and Jesus Diaz, which seems to disqualify them from KKK membership. Photographs show that the men who wore the foam ice cream cone costume—which features a hole cut out for the wearer's face to show through—had brown skin. Also, KKK robes don't usually come with sprinkles.
So how could anyone conclude that Ice Cream Family Corner was some kind of white supremacist operation? The Star-Banner offers a credible hypothesis:
The costume tends to sag around the wearer's shoulders, and the waffle cone is mostly obscured by the sign the mascot holds in front of him. So to a motorist who gets only a glance cruising past at 40 mph, it can—and apparently does—look like a menacing Klansman.
Central Florida boasts a number of active KKK chapters, so it's certainly not unreasonable to assume—from afar—that a person who shows up in an Ocala parking lot with a white pointy thing on their head is a KKK member, or is pretending to be one in order to intimidate people. In 2004—not that long ago!—the Star-Banner reported on the case of two teens who told a sheriff's detective that they wore KKK-like outfits to frighten an African-American bus driver. Also, from Wesley Snipes' 2007 tax evasion court documents we learned that almost one-quarter of Ocala residents said in a survey that burning a cross on someone's lawn—a popular KKK pasttime—shouldn't be a federal crime.
Ice Cream Family Corner isn't using the ice cream cone mascot anymore.
[Star-Banner] |
Last Days in Havana
"A conflicted valentine to the city itself, though that love is spiked with the filmmakers' own sense of sorrow for the past and concern for the future." – Guy Lodge, Variety
In director Fernando Pérez's latest film, Havana is a crumbling dowager-in-waiting whose lover has overstayed his absence beyond expectation. In a dilapidated apartment lives Diego (Jorge Martínez) whose AIDS affliction has left him bedridden but with joie de vivre intact. Miguel (Patricio Wood) is Diego's childhood friend and roommate, but not his lover, though he waits upon Diego hand and foot, tending to his every whim. Miguel wears a scowl like a badge of honor, tired of waiting for the US visa that's a long time coming. Out of the surrounding ruin, director Pérez crafts a loving tribute to Havana and two of its hard-up dreamers. With a magician's sleight-of-hand, he turns adversity into a rousing ode to survival. Everything may be falling apart within and without, but there's enough courage in Diego and Miguel to float this glorious, vibrant vessel of a movie in a vast and wondrous Sea of Hope. Fernando Pérez is Cuba's greatest living filmmaker and Last Days in Havana is his finest film to date.
On Friday, September 22 following the 7 pm show, Gables Cinema Director of Programming Nat Chediak will discuss the film with Alejandro Rios, host of La Mirada Indiscreta, the weekly television program about Cuban Film, now in its 10th year. |
Utah officially declared pornography a “public health crisis” in a resolution Gov. Gary Herbert signed at the state capitol in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. The text of the resolution claims that porn has a “detrimental” effect on brain function, contributes to “emotional and medical illnesses,” and gives rise to “deviant sexual arousal.” State Sen. Todd Weiler introduced the resolution in January; it passed the state legislature—unanimously!—in March. “Weiler maintains that the resolution is not a ban on porn or an attack on masturbation,” USA Today reported.
So, a curious Utahn might ask, what is it? The resolution says Utah needs “education, prevention, research, and policy change at the community and societal level,” but it does nothing to provide those things, nor does it offer any evidence for the claims it makes. It’s a nonbinding, symbolic measure to legislate morality and shame Utah residents for seeking out a product that most people consume at some point without ill effects.
The resolution is also a response to the menace of a porn-addiction epidemic, a myth perpetuated by the Mormon church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints calls porn addiction “a plague like we have never seen” in a video that says porn “destroys lives.” “[God] knew about pornography, that this would be the plague of our day,” a Mormon church official says in the video. Utah is home to a growing number of counseling facilities and treatment centers specializing in porn addiction. They teach that there is no acceptable amount of porn to watch; anyone who consumes porn is considered an addict. Utah’s new anti-porn resolution contains language that echoes the Mormon church’s doomsday predictions: “Pornography equates violence towards women and children with sex and pain with pleasure, which increases the demand for sex trafficking, prostitution, child sexual abuse images, and child pornography,” the resolution reads. “Pornography use is linked to lessening desire in young men to marry, dissatisfaction in marriage, and infidelity.”
These arguments have also been advanced by secular anti-porn activists, including Gail Dines, who wrote in the Washington Post earlier this month that the porn industry is “hijack[ing] the physical and emotional well-being of our culture.” But Weiler, a Mormon, told the Atlantic he got the resolution’s facts from Fight the New Drug, an anti-pornography group founded and run by Mormons. The group is best known for the “Porn Kills Love” billboard campaign that elicited a resounding ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ from the entire Bay Area last year.
Weiler has been a reliable source of clutch soundbites and analogies throughout the resolution’s germination. “If you start with meth or heroin, everyone knows that’s addictive. A lot of people will get kind of lured into pornography, and they don’t know it may actually consume their life,” he told the Atlantic. At Wednesday’s signing, he raised a specter even scarier than that of a generation raised on porn instead of Sesame Street. “We have restaurants, fast-food restaurants—some of which cater to children—who are providing free and unfiltered Wi-Fi, as well as public libraries,” Weiler said. “If a library or McDonald’s or anyone else was giving out cigarettes to our children we would be picketing them.” Yes, we would. And the minute libraries and McDonald’s franchises start recommending erotic novels and penis-shaped chicken nuggets to children, Utah should pass a resolution condemning those practices. Until then, the state should hold off on the do-nothing moralizing. |
I can't really do the article justice, so you'll probably best be served to read it yourself, but I'll try to sum up:
Students trace their left on hand on their paper.
If you have a green thumb, you're good with PLANTS
When you hold up your index finger while at a sporting event, you're saying ""We're number one". Make the connection between one and mono and MONERA (bacteria). (You'll have to combine the two kingdoms of bacteria into the one finger).
Pinky is for PROTISTS. A small finger for small organisms. The pinky has three segments, and there are three types of protists.
The ring finger - if you don't wear a ring, you're not married, so you must be a fun guy.... a FUNGI (...pause for a collective groan...)
And finally, the finger the students have all be waiting for, curious to see how you're going to handle it.... Hold up your whole hand - which finger is the largest? So that finger will be used for the kingdom with the largest variety of organisms and the largest individual organisms - the ANIMAL kingdom. And if said finger is used inappropriately, it's called 'the bird'....
3 comments:
Great idea! But one slight problem. The Protist kingdom is the one considered to have the greatest variety (not animalia). Also, the largest organisms, I believe, are in the plant kingdom, with giant seqoyahs and monster seaweeds, etc. (again, not animalia). I'll still be using this, but will change it to be more accurate.
Hi Joy, curious where your information about the Protist kingdom having the great variety. Most sources I can find look at the number of different species and using this method the animal kingdom seems to win for the largest number of species - http://www.ric.edu/faculty/ptiskus/six_kingdoms/Great activity. I'll be using it tomorrow. |
ulate the lowest common multiple of 10822 and 37104.
259728
Calculate the least common multiple of 42912 and 9834.
472032
What is the lowest common multiple of 18 and 13410?
13410
Find the common denominator of -35/11209 and 113/198.
201762
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 1317 and 20.
26340
What is the common denominator of 95/3632 and 63/1064176?
1064176
What is the smallest common multiple of 1580 and 41712?
208560
What is the least common multiple of 690 and 202?
69690
What is the common denominator of 38/843 and 11/2529?
2529
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 689130 and 10.
689130
Find the common denominator of -47/11979 and -46/16335.
179685
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 104500 and 26600.
1463000
What is the smallest common multiple of 225 and 795?
11925
Find the common denominator of -71/2 and -107/190614.
190614
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 36 and 62436.
187308
What is the smallest common multiple of 254430 and 515?
26206290
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 936 and 476658.
1906632
Calculate the common denominator of 62/620487 and -58/27.
620487
What is the least common multiple of 96 and 25887?
828384
What is the common denominator of -15/8 and -49/94708?
189416
What is the common denominator of -33/310 and 117/3470?
107570
Calculate the common denominator of -1/9528 and -117/31760.
95280
Find the common denominator of 131/255672 and -119/12.
255672
What is the smallest common multiple of 86301 and 316437?
949311
What is the common denominator of 17/65078 and -7/55066?
715858
What is the common denominator of -29/220 and -43/5540?
60940
What is the lowest common multiple of 44 and 82936?
912296
What is the smallest common multiple of 17374 and 14892?
104244
What is the common denominator of 103/20 and 111/5300?
5300
What is the lowest common multiple of 223736 and 7?
1566152
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 80 and 3280.
3280
Calculate the common denominator of 13/16428 and 59/8436.
312132
What is the common denominator of -92/45 and 61/8050?
72450
What is the common denominator of 86/1197 and -22/6153?
350721
Calculate the least common multiple of 14049 and 18063.
126441
What is the common denominator of -1/577239 and -23/111397?
6349629
What is the lowest common multiple of 2336 and 32?
2336
What is the common denominator of -1/6624 and 61/25944?
311328
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 14985 and 25.
74925
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 13376 and 112.
93632
Calculate the least common multiple of 100 and 3.
300
What is the common denominator of -24/35 and 9/938570?
6569990
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 1992 and 390.
129480
Find the common denominator of 25/3479 and 27/2128.
1057616
Calculate the common denominator of -81/150832 and -91/44.
150832
What is the lowest common multiple of 287228 and 6?
861684
What is the smallest common multiple of 24130 and 34?
410210
What is the smallest common multiple of 682 and 11374?
352594
What is the common denominator of -101/7548 and 53/2040?
75480
Find the common denominator of -101/6 and -97/60726.
60726
What is the common denominator of 101/589696 and -61/6?
1769088
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 43083 and 63.
301581
Find the common denominator of 8/15 and -139/56610.
56610
What is the common denominator of 34/49 and 79/13426?
13426
Calculate the least common multiple of 2650 and 265.
2650
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 264770 and 1276.
529540
Calculate the common denominator of 107/560 and 173/3360.
3360
Calculate the common denominator of -89/772050 and -23/6.
772050
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 3252 and 1141.
3710532
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 5 and 42920.
42920
What is the least common multiple of 540 and 469800?
469800
Calculate the common denominator of 103/6040 and 103/28992.
144960
Find the common denominator of 41/140 and 37/529600.
3707200
What is the lowest common multiple of 21 and 210663?
1474641
Find the common denominator of -45/17089 and 36/23.
17089
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 2 and 1494400.
1494400
What is the common denominator of -45/5687 and -13/1034?
11374
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 31864 and 3.
95592
What is the common denominator of -139/24 and -131/2796?
5592
Find the common denominator of -93/29458 and -76/99.
265122
What is the least common multiple of 3 and 778438?
2335314
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 55 and 8294.
41470
Calculate the least common multiple of 1335 and 45.
4005
Calculate the common denominator of 87/28 and 5/4018.
8036
What is the common denominator of 12/43 and -10/26581?
1142983
What is the least common multiple of 248280 and 310350?
1241400
Find the common denominator of 145/1506 and -151/57228.
57228
Calculate the common denominator of -7/121480 and -89/388736.
1943680
What is the smallest common multiple of 32276 and 1?
32276
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 3897 and 180128.
1621152
What is the common denominator of 29/344638 and -25/21?
1033914
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 1692 and 78.
21996
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 9240 and 20.
9240
What is the common denominator of 11/87 and -74/103443?
103443
What is the least common multiple of 184 and 69092?
138184
What is the least common multiple of 69762 and 1848?
279048
What is the common denominator of 75/62 and -89/400?
12400
What is the lowest common multiple of 10431 and 1083?
198189
What is the least common multiple of 8836 and 329?
61852
What is the common denominator of -109/3750 and 169/4830?
603750
Find the common denominator of -50/7 and 8/686017.
4802119
Calculate the common denominator of 19/16643 and 13/4.
66572
Calculate the common denominator of -13/85734 and 157/257202.
257202
Calculate the common denominator of 53/218325 and 29/861.
1528275
Find the common denominator of 67/131152 and 79/49182.
393456
What is the least common multiple of 156043 and 170?
1560430
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 152 and 33383.
267064
What is the smallest common multiple of 17886 and 24390?
268290
What is the least common multiple of 320080 and 18?
2880720
Find the common denominator of -95/9224 and -47/1048.
1208344
What is the common denominator of -97/294 and -127/654696?
4582872
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 29500 and 708.
88500
What is the common denominator of -86/3615 and 5/23859?
119295
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 8776 and 6.
26328
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 35 and 8535.
59745
Calculate the common denominator of -31/38096 and 7/88.
419056
Calculate the least common multiple of 716 and 228.
40812
What is the smallest common multiple of 234 and 417?
32526
Find the common denominator of 7/456 and 131/6834.
519384
Calculate the common denominator of 79/397353 and 61/9.
1192059
What is the common denominator of 31/109432 and 67/22?
1203752
Find the common denominator of 125/384 and -71/13952.
41856
What is the lowest common multiple of 10 and 2485?
4970
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 3056 and 94736.
94736
Calculate the common denominator of -163/19206 and 43/10.
96030
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 36639 and 6.
73278
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 22 and 475651.
951302
What is the common denominator of 57/11258 and 149/5720?
2476760
Calculate the common denominator of 37/400416 and -145/223488.
9609984
What is the common denominator of 40/9977 and 85/3628?
39908
Calculate the common denominator of 101/162 and -58/18063.
36126
Calculate the lowest common multiple of 560 and 1876.
37520
What is the smallest common multiple of 21444 and 8?
42888
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 222705 and 1155.
2449755
What is the common denominator of -13/315 and -127/168?
2520
Calculate the least common multiple of 1704 and 781.
18744
Calculate the common denominator of 63/12650 and 17/18975.
37950
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 532 and 91.
6916
What is the smallest common multiple of 65136 and 36639?
586224
Find the common denominator of 37/216190 and -31/33260.
432380
Calculate the least common multiple of 1700 and 8100.
137700
What is the common denominator of 113/360 and 117/3680?
33120
What is the common denominator |
Artem Chestnov and Bitgo Su, the most popular blogger and influencer in Korea
The pioneering Ubex project’s team has attended the 10th Blockchain Symposium organized by the prominent SYNCO blockchain investment company from the 28th of May to the 3rd of June.
10th Blockchain Symposium
On the first day of the event, the Ubex team presented the project before an audience of 1000 members of the SYNCO Investment Syndicate. The team delivered an in-depth and detailed presentation of the advertising platform and its infrastructure. The CEO of the project, Artem Chestnov, was also a member of the panel discussing the current state of the blockchain industry and the conditions faced by ICO projects on the market. The Ubex team remained adamant in its conviction of high market prospects and convinced the public that the industry is rich with opportunities and the future lies with the merger of blockchain and AI technologies.
The Ubex team also conducted a series of meetings with members of the SYNCO Syndicate, as well as its founders. The many journalists present at the event were also given exclusive interviews and comments regarding various issues pertaining to the crypto economy and the Ubex project. The project also established relations with Sam Lee of Ethereum China and several other Korea based investment houses.
Leona Son, VP Synco and Sam Lee, Ethereum China wit Artem Chestnov in Korea.
The second day of the event proved even more productive as the Ubex team met with Bitgo Su, the most popular blogger and influencer in Korea. An important meeting was later held in the Seoul Blockchain House with the SYNCO Syndicate investment committee. The meetup was attended by over one hundred of the most prominent investors of the Korean market. The issues discussed pertained to ICO scoring systems and the prospects of investments in blockchain projects.
At the end of the meetup, Ubex hosted a private investment dinner for a select group of investors, bloggers and media representatives.
The symposium in Seoul has once again reaffirmed the high standing of the Ubex project in terms of hype and popularity. With the introduction of Ubex on the Korean market, the project team is confident that the influx of highly valuable partnerships and investments is sure to follow.
Ubex and a group of investors at the private investment dinner
Korea Blockchain Symposium is a monthly event in Seoul organized by SYNCO Investment. This time it was held at the Seoul Grand Intercontinental Parnas Hotel. It was the seventh conference gathering |
Having a warm, comfy, and inviting home can be easy to achieve if you know how to do it. Follow the tips in this post by Denver Cleanpro to make your place cozier.
How to Make Your Home Cozier
People spend tons of time, money, and effort thinking, planning, and trying to create their perfect home. But, the "perfect" home is different for everybody. If your perfect place is cozy, warm, and inviting, here are some guidelines you can follow and adapt to make that happen!
Call Denver Cleanpro at 303 903 1261 if your cozy home is in need of a professional carpet cleaning session!
Choose Comfort
If you want a cozy home, you need comfortable furniture. While an architectural piece here and there can be a nice addition, you should still make comfort a priority. A nice, soft, and easy couch is just what you need after a long day in the office, not a hard, metal chair. It's even suggested that you go for darker colors in your upholstery, so guests can put their feet up if they so please.
Use Pillows and Blankets
Few things are as inviting as pillows and blankets. You can use them on chairs and/or couches, and stack a few extras of them tidly in a corner. This way, they can provide comfort for those who need them (e.g. a blanket can be perfect for chillier days). Plus, they can add so much to your home's aesthetic: funky accent colors, or cool designs can make the statement you want, while keeping your space cozy and warm.
Employ Colors Wisely
How is color used is instrumental in determining the look and feel of a room. That's why, you should plan a color scheme to a T if you want to have a cozy room. Normally, it is recommended that you use neutral tones on the walls to make the room seem more relaxed. Nonetheless, this doesn't mean the place has to be boring: use accent colors in accessories to make it more exciting.
Mix Textures and Materials
If you play it too safe, your home's aesthetic may end up being one-note. To mix it up a bit and make your place seem more interesting, add different types of textures and materials. For example, you can have a carpet with short fibers, and place a shaggy rug on top to give that little extra something to your home. Just make sure that these materials are still soft, to continue with the "cozy" theme.
Have nice and cozy floors with professional carpet cleaning in Denver, CO. Call Denver Cleanpro at 303 903 1261 to set an appointment!
Have Books, Pictures, and Art
Giving personality to your space can make it feel intimate and, as a result, cozy. To that end, search for books and art (paintings, sculptures, or other) that represent you, and place them neatly around the house.
If you want to make your house seem even more familiar, include pictures of friends, relatives, and even your dog. Filling up your space with things/people you love will make it even more special and warm.
Light Your Place Thoughtfully
It's also essential to consider lighting to create a cozy home. Warm lights can keep your place from seeming cold and distant, so employ them throughout to have cohesive illumination (whether it's with overhead lighting or lamps).
If you have access to natural light, try to bring it into your home as much as possible: use lighter drapes and put mirrors on the wall to take advantage of it.
Keep Plants in Your House
Plants bring life into any room, quite literally, which is why you should have a few of them around your place to make it seem more homey. If you aren't the best at keeping them alive, however, Embracing Simple recommends picking up a flower bouquet every once in awhile to add color, light, freshness, and energy to your place. Display them in colorful or interesting vases as accent pieces.
Maintain Your Floors and Upholstery
Finally, a dusty and unkempt place won't send the right message. That's why you should do a good job at keeping your floors and upholstery in mint condition. After all, a fluffy, clean carpet seems much more appealing and inviting than one that's stiff and has dust bunnies all around. Same goes for your upholstery! Don't let your guests sit in a disgusting couch; keep yours clean.
Make your carpets and upholstery good as new with help from Denver Cleanpro in Denver, CO. Call 303 903 1261 to learn more about their green, safe, and revolutionary carpet cleaning method. |
Journal of Political Risk, Vol. 7, No. 11, November 2019
By Grant Newsham
Whether anyone actually ‘wins’ a war is a philosophical debate. The Germans and Japanese in 1945 might have thought wars do indeed have winners. But perhaps it’s better said that in most conflicts some parties ‘lose more than others.’
Such would be the case if Beijing attempted to militarily subjugate Taiwan. And Xi Jinping just might do so. He declared in a January 2019 speech that “we (China) do not promise to renounce the use of force and reserve the option to use all necessary measures (to take Taiwan.)”[1]
The Battle for Taiwan would have truly global consequences, akin to the invasion of Poland by the Soviets and Germans in 1939.
However, much of the debate over a Taiwan Strait conflict focuses on preparation for and conduct of the PRC’s attack: whether Beijing will or won’t attack, what an attack might look like and Taiwan’s ability to defend itself, whether the US will or should get involved and whether it ought to sell Taiwan ‘this or that’ weapon. Such discussion is useful, but the actual consequences and longer-term ripple effects of a fight over Taiwan deserve much more attention.[2]
This paper examines key aspects of what happens once the shooting starts, and the follow-on global economic and political effects. The envisioned scenario is a full-scale PLA assault against Taiwan, but it’s worth noting that even a ‘limited’ assault–such as against one of Taiwan’s offshore islands–may not stay limited for very long: given Beijing’s oft-stated determination to take all of Taiwan, an off-shore island assault would only constitute a tactical objective in the march on Taipei, and would also have serious and wide-ranging political and economic consequences.
Of course, Beijing hopes to defeat Taiwan without a military conflict: its immediate strategy is, through relentless political warfare, to scare and psychologically batter Taiwan into submission. But President Xi seems willing to use force. He increasingly sounds like a resentful drunk talking himself into a fight in a South Boston bar at 1:00am.[3] And People’s Liberation Army (PLA) generals–-flush with massive and increasingly sophisticated new weaponry–are eager to prove their allegiance to achieving Xi’s “China Dream” of “The Great Reunification”.
If it comes to a cross-strait shoot up, China’s powerful military with its arsenal of missiles, long-range rockets, ships, aircraft – and apparent ability to use them – can certainly hammer Taiwan, and just might seize the island. But such a victory would come at an immense cost in lives, money, and reputation. It would be a Pyrrhic victory that would result in the PRC’s isolation and genuine ‘decoupling’ from the civilized world.
And an assault on Taiwan won’t be something started on Thursday and finished on Monday, or in other words a ‘short sharp war.’ Nor will it be “business as usual“ after a couple of weeks, with everything forgotten and US-bound shiploads of iPhones and plastic Santa Clauses resuming, and American soybeans going the other way.
For starters, Taiwan can resist an assault even though the military balance now heavily favors the People’s Republic. Taiwan’s military is competent and bolstered with so-called ‘asymmetric’ weapons and operational concepts. Further, it is aided by formidable cyber-warfare capabilities. It can inflict heavy casualties on PLA forces, and there is the added morale heft Taipei can leverage: these are free people fighting for their lives.[4] [5]
However, even if fighting tooth and nail, Taiwan will suffer immensely, regardless of whether the PLA actually manages to capture the island and eliminate organized opposition.
It requires little imagination to get a sense of the destruction and loss of life from a Chinese assault on Taiwan, particularly once civilian targets are hit. China will likely want to terrorize the civilian population into submission early with its initial missile and air strikes, but it just might only target selected military and government capabilities at this point. However, once fighting starts in urban areas casualties will be in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands, infrastructure (transportation, power, computer networks) will be destroyed, and the society and economy will be brought to its knees.
And should the Chinese assault succeed, there is the horror of Communist occupation awaiting the survivors. As repeatedly demonstrated by the Chinese Communist Party since its inception, it remorselessly inflicts cruel (often fatal) retribution on the many people who resisted the Chinese takeover (as well as on many of those who secretly supported the PRC’s efforts).
Conflict not confined
A fight over Taiwan will most likely not be confined geographically to the Taiwan Strait area–nor restrained in the level and scope of violence. And the US will likely get involved. Once that happens, the possibility of eventual nuclear escalation cannot be ruled out.
Indeed, the prospect of US involvement is near 100% once Americans on Taiwan are killed. Nothing unifies Americans more. Even worse for Xi, despite a 45-year track record of appeasement of China’s ambitions, the United States is finally waking up to the threat faced by the island democracy, as evidenced by recent National Defense Strategy documents, passage of the Taiwan Travel Act and other Congressional declarations calling for increased support for Taiwan.[6] Notably, support for Taiwan appears to have overwhelming bipartisan support, including politicians who loathe and resist President Donald Trump on every other matter.
Whether this stern approach to China will survive a change in US administration and the potential return of a ‘PRC engagement’ faction in business, academia, and officialdom is an open question. Indeed, former US State Department East Asian Affairs acting director, Susan Thornton, advised Chinese Communist officials several months ago to just wait for another more accommodating administration.[7]
Moreover, after too many years of US leaders (military and civilian) dismissing the Chinese military threat, a fight won’t be easy for the US. Even ‘getting in close’ to support Taiwan militarily will be difficult and costly. The PLA has had two decades to upgrade its military and is, unfortunately, a match for the US in certain areas – or even superior.[8]
That said, the American military is still powerful. Although it requires urgent improvements, the U.S. military can still take on the People’s Liberation Army.
Chinese submarines, ships, and aircraft will go down, together with the “only-children” sons manning them. The sorrow of the thousands of mainland Chinese families who were allowed only “one child” may not bother senior CCP officials, though, as there is a large ‘spare’ unmarried male population. In pursuit of Xi’s “China Dream”, Beijing may be less concerned about casualties than one imagines.
Rather, the bigger worry for Beijing might be the simple embarrassment of losing troops, ships, and aircraft in such numbers that the CCP leadership appears clueless about what it has gotten into. As important, economic difficulties caused by the conflict might add to such perceptions on the part of the Chinese public.
Nations often rally around leaders once the shooting starts, even as casualties, hardships, and expenses mount. With Beijing’s firm control over its propaganda and internal security apparatus, it is possible that the PRC will become a fiercer, even more implacable enemy after losing tens of thousands of military personnel, and (foreseeably) some number of civilians. Still, it is entirely foreseeable that the Chinese public and Xi’s rivals might blame ‘Xi Jinping Thought’ for their problems.
But for Beijing it still might be worth the costs given Taiwan’s value from a ‘strategic geography’ perspective alone. Seize Formosa and the PRC has breached the so-called ‘First Island Chain’ that effectively hems in Chinese forces and prevents unfettered access to the Pacific Ocean. PLA forces operating from Taiwan will undercut the entire US (and allied) defense posture in the Western Pacific. It would be a huge psychological blow to American prestige, along with Japan’s confidence in its ability to survive a similar assault.[9]
A shock to the American nervous system
Despite 18 years of the “Long War”, in reality the US has gotten used to relatively painless wars in recent times. The immediate human costs alone of a war arising over Taiwan will be a shock. A few years ago four US Special Forces soldiers were killed in an ambush in Niger, and it was considered a national catastrophe. One wonders how the American public and its political class will respond to losing 5,000 sailors and Marines in an afternoon.[10]
Even the US military will be jolted. Recall the surprise of British forces (and the public) when Argentine bombs and missiles started sinking Royal Navy ships during the Falklands War in 1982. A fight with China will be much worse. US leadership spent too many years ignoring or denying the possibility. One US Pacific Command (PACOM) commander even declared in 2013 that climate change was a bigger threat than the PLA.[11]
As a result of the bloodshed, the US and PRC relationship will be hostile for decades to come. You don’t kill thousands of each other’s citizens and just ‘forget about it.’ Not even long-time “Friend of China” Henry Kissinger and Hank Paulson (former CEO of Goldman Sachs), who played key roles in paralyzing the U.S. strategic response to China’s increasingly antagonistic rise, will be welcome in Beijing–and one hopes would not be inclined to visit in any event.
For most ‘average’ Americans, the allure of cheap Chinese goods at Wal-Mart will fade as the first casualties are announced, and even Wall Street bankers (some of them, at least) will realize they are, after all, flag-waving Americans. In the case of those with less patriotic and pro-democracy instincts, financial sanctions will likely prevent them from doing business with the enemy.
There is an added risk for Beijing. What if Tokyo publicly admits what it has long thought: that Japan’s first line of defense is Taiwan?
The Japan Self-Defense Forces are professional, well equipped and (in some cases) formidable–-particularly the Japanese navy with its submarine and anti-submarine warfare units. It is hard to imagine a Taiwan Strait conflict not expanding to include Japan: it will either be compelled to support the US for fear of breaking the Japan-US alliance or it will be forced to respond to a Chinese attack on its territory, and seizure of certain of Japan’s southern Nansei Shoto islands as part of the PLA’s campaign against Taiwan.[12]
So while Japan has spent decades pretending it is exempt from war and the serious requirement of preparing for it, conflict just might come its way, unbidden.[13] Tokyo either assents to PRC domination and ends its alliance with the United States–-or rapidly improves its military capabilities (to perhaps include nuclear weapons). Most importantly, Japan and its military must be “prepared to shoot” – and that will be a huge psychological shift for the JSDF and Japanese society writ large.
Japan’s defense capability is less than it appears on paper, owing to decades of pathological dependence on the United States. But a crisis is often necessary to spur Japan’s ruling class into action. A shoot-up over Taiwan just might be crisis enough for Tokyo.
And while all this is happening around Taiwan, what does North Korea do? One plausible scenario is an attack on South Korea – both as a distraction to benefit Beijing’s efforts against Taiwan (and the US), and as an outright effort to topple the ROK government and unify the peninsula on Pyongyang’s terms. Even launching a handful of missiles against the South or towards Japan would stir things up considerably, and stretch available US forces for the Taiwan front.
A fight over Taiwan would also force other countries to decide whose side they are on. This choice may come quickly for Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia if the Straits of Malacca are closed. This would signify the end of the convenient (but impossible to continue) global fantasy in which nations have avoided ‘choosing sides’ while pretending the PRC is a benign country, like a really big Canada.
Nuclear weapons might start to look like a necessary option for more than a few countries besides Japan–Australia and South Korea, for instance.
As a logical outcome, one expects the world will split into rival camps, and with a considerable degree of economic disengagement. The US perhaps has the advantage for now, but suppose the PRC prevails (even modestly) in the conflict, and ASEAN nations decide to align with China more than is presently the case. And beyond into Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, the PRC might be viewed as the safer long-term bet.
As noted, there is a possibility of conflict spreading well beyond Asia as the US and partners shut down PRC ‘bases’ and other facilities overseas that are useful for military and commercial purposes, or seize or sink China-bound merchant vessels – and any PLAN ships that present themselves.
The PRC will not sit idly, however. For starters, it is already capable of targeting US bases and forces in Japan and the Central Pacific and presumably will do so, further expanding the conflict and fueling tit-for-tat escalation.[14]
Economic effects
Besides the human toll and physical damage to Taiwan and the likely staggering casualties on all sides, the global economic and financial ripple effects will be immense and long lasting. It is not hyperbole to suggest the world will be unrecognizable afterwards: think of the powerful empires that ruled most of the world in 1914, and their decline into rubble by the end of 1918.
China is so deeply integrated into the world economy – given its position as a manufacturing hub and exporter as part of global supply chains and as a huge consumer of many nations’ raw commodities – that serious disruptions to global economic activity are unavoidable.[15]
Soon after the shooting starts, there will be economic chaos worldwide at least on a par with the 2008 financial collapse, but probably much worse given that it arises from a war involving major powers. And that is by definition more dangerous and frightening than an event ultimately caused by Wall Streeters and others merely looking to fleece the unsuspecting public for as long as possible.
Stock markets will plummet–-and keep plummeting. Economic activity worldwide will slow immediately, shaken as supply chains are cut and demand and business activity slacken. The halt in China trade alone will be damaging enough, but this will have a snowballing effect.
Everything Taiwan produces –-semiconductors in particular –-will be off the market. Estimates vary, ranging from Taiwan producing 30% of the world’s semiconductors[16] – to nearly half of all outsourced chip production and 90% of the most advanced chips.[17] Taiwan’s periodic earthquakes cause disruption enough to semiconductor production.[18] But recovering from earthquake damage is one thing: recovering from wartime destruction and disruption is quite another.
And besides semiconductors, products produced by Taiwanese companies in the PRC for export overseas – iPhones being an obvious example – won’t be moving anywhere.
Shipments of everything to and from Taiwan – and more importantly to and from China – will decline to a trickle or stop. Shipping and air freight companies will be unwilling to enter a war zone and insurance rates will skyrocket. One expects US financial and commercial sanctions (and even military operations) to further interdict or curtail ‘China trade’ worldwide. And expect the PRC to make its own efforts to disrupt US (and partner nation) shipping. Japan in particular, dependent on open sea-lanes for imports and exports, will feel immediate pain – far beyond that experienced after the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami.
Even those nations that have overlooked much of Beijing’s egregious actions over the years in exchange for Chinese money, including the European Union, will feel the effects. That pain just might be galvanized against the PRC–out of principle, embarrassment, fear, or the realization that Chinese ‘Belt and Road’ money will not materialize.
China battered
The problems are obvious for foreign companies reliant on China sales, manufacturing, and components. But the problems are even bigger for the PRC, which relies on commodity imports –-including food and oil –-and for exports and foreign direct investment that earn convertible currency (which the Chinese Yuan is not).
So beyond the butchers bill from the fighting, the Chinese economy will be battered. Today’s US-PRC trade war might result in trade reductions; but if the PRC attacks Taiwan militarily, China’s global trade will lurch to a near halt. The PRC’s Belt and Road project and its Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank will be on hold a long, long while—most likely permanently.
Chinese companies that can produce without US components and technology will be making products nobody will buy. Companies dependent on foreign components, materials, and markets will grind to a halt – and quickly.
Ironically, in line with Xi Xinping’s efforts to revive Mao Tse Tung’s reputation, an attack on Taiwan might move China back towards a Mao-era agrarian economy.
China will also be cut out of the US dollar system, and find itself grubbing for convertible currency. Chinese researchers and students will be sent home from the U.S. and other countries, joint ventures halted, foreign investments curtailed.
Beijing’s firms will be left to do business with such economic powerhouses as North Korea, Myanmar, Cambodia and Russia. Even the Russians will probably strike hard bargains if they sense that China is in trouble.
Indeed, Russia’s response to a Taiwan fight could break two ways; it might offer direct support and assistance to the PRC, and perhaps make a diversionary move against the Baltic States or otherwise keep NATO and the US occupied. Or it might make token pro-Beijing statements but stand back and shed crocodile tears while watching the two nations destroy themselves.
Recovering from a Taiwan conflict
After the disruption caused by a fight over Taiwan, it will take some time for Western economies to right themselves – as the China market and Chinese manufacturing disappears and Western and other producers reconfigure supply chains. It’s anybody’s guess, but a conservative estimate would be five to ten years.
One speculates if the US and free-world allies have better prospects for recovery than the PRC. It is worth remembering they were doing fine until the late 1990’s when the PRC economy took off –-juiced by Western investment and technology and open US and Western markets. China’s “rise” was aided and abetted by America’s CEO class that moved businesses to China to chase cheap labor or even sold their companies to make a quick buck.
Free markets and free enterprises are nothing if not adaptable, but it takes time. Once the free nations have collected themselves, the outcome might be a ‘community’ of free nations standing alone from the PRC. So much for borderless ‘globalization’ and Thomas Friedman’s ‘flat world.’[19] But this would not be the first time civilization has had to dust itself off after fending off a dangerous enemy.
Psychological scarring
Beyond the military and economic effects of a Taiwan war, there is the psychological damage – regardless of outcome – to Western (and pro-Western) societies that have thought themselves to have ‘moved beyond’ this sort of war. Such things only happened to earlier, less enlightened generations, or else only in ‘less civilized’ countries; not, in this era, to a “first-world democracy” like Taiwan.
Just as the carnage of the First World War stunned European societies and laid the groundwork for another global war 20 years later, a fight arising from Taiwan may similarly shape the future in ways one hardly imagines. The one certain assessment of the future is that it will not be pleasant.
For example, a decade of global economic stagnation as the free-world readjusts might easily cause social unrest – and might allow extremist politicians (with leftists and rightists not being much different) to take hold as Lenin and Hitler did following WWI. The consequences will be unpredictable, and will occur in ‘first world’ countries, too. It has happened before.
How we got here
One reasonably, albeit reluctantly, concludes that a war in the Taiwan Strait might escalate and spread, with harmful effects on societies, commercial activities, economies, and the entire global structure that has existed since 1945.
How did this happen? The West and other nations wasted decades expecting that by accommodating Beijing, the PRC would liberalize and adjust its behavior to the US-led world system. Yet, it was clear at least 20 years ago that this was not going to happen–that China was a military, political, and economic threat. In effect, the US created and funded its principle enemy.[20]
It is as maddening as it was avoidable. And throughout, Taiwan was given the bare minimum of support in hopes the PRC would appreciate the favor. Beijing did not: it smiled smugly, pocketed the concessions, and screamed for more while turning up the heat on Taiwan.
Such is life. But studying what happened is useful. Not least, it shows what works and what doesn’t when dealing with the PRC. Of course, any study of history going back 2,500 years tells one plenty about dealing with powerful, aggressive, covetous nations.
Avoiding a fight over the Taiwan Strait
One option is to adopt the ‘Czechoslovakia solution’ and to give the PRC what it wants. This theoretically would avoid the carnage from a shooting war. The same thing was said in 1938-1939 when the Western powers allowed Hitler to seize Czechoslovakia piece by piece. It is called appeasement: the outcome is well known.
Also, hand over Taiwan to an expansionist, totalitarian Beijing, and Japan’s turn is next. Further, China will be encouraged to assert dominance farther afield once – or even as – Japan is brought to heel. Additionally, without Taiwan the US position in Asia will collapse by virtue of losing Formosa’s strategic location. And nobody anywhere will value US promises of protection – actual or implicit. Instead, they’ll decide to cut the best deal possible with Beijing.
Yet, there are actions to take now that might reduce the prospects of a future fight. Paradoxically, they depend on the demonstrated willingness to defend Taiwan.
First admit that a war in the Taiwan Strait is possible–and even likely–on the current trajectory, even if a PRC assault on Taiwan is irrational from our perspective.
Unfortunately, authoritarian regimes don’t always behave rationally. It’s all about power and keeping it. Playing to historic resentments and lashing outward unifies and distracts from domestic problems. It’s easy to believe a short, sharp war will stun other countries and present them with a fait accompli they will have to live with.
Second, don’t fret so much over provoking Beijing. Beijing makes its own decisions. To help Xi get the calculation right, the strategy should be: No appeasement. Help Taiwan defend itself. Make it clear that the freedoms Taiwan represents are core interests of the US and the free world – and are worth fighting for – just as Beijing declares it has ‘red lines’ and ‘core interests’.
Towards this end: Provide clear-cut political and economic support for democratic Taiwan, beyond the hesitant, token support provided to date. Immediately end 40 years of military isolation and conduct joint training exercises with Taiwan’s military. Treat Taiwan as a friend and ally.
Third, urgently accelerate the overdue effort to refocus the US military to fight a serious opponent like the PLA – and bring in as many allies and partners as possible, even if it’s just political support for Taiwan. And Washington had better think about its response when Beijing makes ‘nuclear’ threats – as it will.
Besides the ‘big stick’, make it clear to Beijing that the “first shot” will be the end of US-PRC relations: it will trigger the end of all trade and the bountiful supply of convertible currency US companies and bankers have been providing China over the last four decades. Beijing can then figure out how to employ and feed it’s 1.4 billion people.
And credibly threaten the wealth of CCP elites. For years, these elites have been frantically moving their wealth (and ideally a family member or two) into the nation (the USA) – and/or its allies – against which war is contemplated.[21]
Is all this enough to dissuade Beijing? Perhaps not. But it is worth a try, given the alternatives.
To get through the next decade (or for as long as Beijing has regional or even global domination as its objective) will be difficult. But with considerable effort, single-mindedness, nerve, and good fortune, we (the US, Taiwan, and partners) just might be able to deter conflict over Taiwan. And if not, we can ensure that we are the side that ‘loses a little less.’
Time will tell. The United States has never faced an enemy like the People’s Republic of China.
Indeed, America has allowed the PRC and the Chinese military to develop into such an adversary, that if the US and its friends ‘win’ a war over Taiwan it will be, as the Duke of Wellington said after Waterloo: ‘the nearest run thing you ever saw in your life.’
Grant Newsham is a retired US Marine Officer. He was the first USMC Liaison Officer to the Japan Self Defense Force and has spent many years in Asia. He is conducting research in Taipei in 2019 as a Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Fellow. His research topic covers improving Taiwan’s defense by helping the Taiwan Armed Forces break out of 40 years of isolation.
[1] Nicola Smith and Wendy Tang, “China’s Xi Xinping Says China ‘must and Will Be United’ with Beijing,” The Telegraph, January 2, 2019, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/02/chinas-xi-jinping-threatens-resort-force-unify-taiwan/.
[2] Mouzhou Wang, “What Happens After China Invades Taiwan?,” The Diplomat, March 24, 2017, https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/what-happens-after-china-invades-taiwan/.
[3] Smith and Tang, “China’s Xi Xinping Says China ‘must and Will Be United’ with Beijing.”
[4] Ian Easton, The Chinese Invasion Threat, n.d., https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Invasion-Threat-American-Strategy/dp/1546353259.
[5] Tanner Greer, “Taiwan Can Win a War with China,” Foreign Policy, September 25, 2018, https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/09/25/taiwan-can-win-a-war-with-china/.
[6] US Department of Defense, “US National Defense Strategy 2018,” 2018, https://dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/2018-National-Defense-Strategy-Summary.pdf.
[7] Kinling Lo, “Former Donald Trump Official Hopes For US-Trade Deal, But Says Beijing Can Afford To Wait,” South China Morning Post, May 16, 2019, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3010537/former-trump-official-hopes-us-china-deal-says-beijing-might.
[8] James Fanell, “Asia Rising: China’s Global Naval Strategy And Expanding Force Structure,” Naval War College Review 72, no. 1 (2019), https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol72/iss1/4.
[9] Wendell R. Minnick, “Post-Invasion Nightmare: Taiwan Becomes America’s Enemy,” RealClear World, January 21, 2019, https://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2019/01/21/postinvasion_nightmare_taiwan_becomes_americas_enemy_112950.html.
[10] James Lacey, “How Does The Next Great Power Conflict Play Out? Lessons From A Wargame,” War On The Rocks, April 22, 2019, https://warontherocks.com/2019/04/how-does-the-next-great-power-conflict-play-out-lessons-from-a-wargame/.
[11] Michal Conger, “Top Pacific Admiral Identifies Climate Change As Greatest Security Threat,” Washington Examiner, March 11, 2013, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/top-pacific-admiral-identifies-climate-change-as-greatest-security-threat.
[12] Japan Ministry of Defense, “Japan Defense White Paper,” 2019, <https://www.mod.go.jp/e/publ/w_paper/pdf/2019/DOJ2019_Full.pdf >.
[13] Bryan McGrath, “Navy Intel Officer Was Right About China’s Prep For a ‘Short Sharp’ War With Japan,” RealClear Defense, November 10, 2014, https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2014/11/11/intel_officer_was_right_about_chinas_prep_for_short_sharp_war_with_japan_107540.html.
[14] Samuel Osborne, “China Could ‘Render US Military Bases Useless’ Within Hours Of Conflict In Asia, Report Says,” The Independent, August 20, 2019, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-us-military-bases-war-asia-university-sydney-australia-japan-a9071326.html.
[15] McKinsey Global Institute, “China and the World: Inside the Dynamics of a Changing Relationship,” July 2019, https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/featured%20insights/china/china%20and%20the%20world%20inside%20the%20dynamics%20of%20a%20changing%20relationship/mgi-china-and-the-world-full-report-june-2019-vf.ashx.
[16] Matthew Fulco, “Taiwan Remains Top Hub For Seminconductor Manufacturing,” American Chamber of Commerce Taiwan, September 24, 2018, https://topics.amcham.com.tw/2018/09/taiwan-remains-top-hub-for-semiconductor-manufacturing/.
[17] Don Clark, “Lawsuit Over Computer Chips Invokes Trade War With China,” New York Times, August 26, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/26/technology/globalfoundries-tsmc-lawsuit-computer-chips.html?module=inline.
[18] Alan Patterson, “Earthquakes and Semiconductors,” February 7, 2018, https://www.eetasia.com/news/article/18020702-blog-earthquakes-and-semiconductors.
[19] Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st-Century, 2005, https://www.amazon.com/World-Flat-History-Twenty-first-Century/dp/0374292884.
[20] Gabe Lipton, “The Elusive ‘Better Deal’ With China,” The Atlantic, August 14, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/08/china-trump-trade-united-states/567526/.
[21] Celia Hatton, “Panama Papers: How China’s Wealth Is Sneaked Abroad,” BBC, April 6, 2016, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35957228. |
Detection of lectins using ligand blotting and polyacrylamide-type glycoconjugate probes.
A sensitive and convenient method for detection of the carbohydrate-binding activity of lectins was established using the combination of blotting of lectins on polyvinylidene difluoride membranes, carbohydrate-conjugated biotinylated polyacrylamide-type probes (carbohydrate-bp probes), horseradish peroxidase-streptavidin, and detection by enhanced chemiluminescence of the enzyme reaction. This method was tested for detection of four plant lectins blotted on the membrane: concanavalin A was detectable down to 100 ng by mannose-bp probe, Ricinus communis agglutinin 120 to as low as 5 ng by N-acetyllactosamine-bp probe, soybean agglutinin to 1 microgram by beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine-bp probe, and wheat germ agglutinin to 5 ng by beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine-bp probe. All four lectins were detectable on an electroblotted membrane after SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This method was used to detect recombinant human galectin-3 in Escherichia coli cell lysates and mannan-binding protein in human serum. These results indicate that this method is widely applicable to convenient detection and characterization of lectins in crude samples. |
68 P.3d 1251 (2003)
James D. BLOOD, Appellant,
v.
KENNETH MURRAY INSURANCE, INC. and Progressive Insurance Companies, Inc., Appellees.
No. S-10123.
Supreme Court of Alaska.
April 25, 2003.
*1252 Robert John, Law Office of Robert John, Fairbanks, for Appellant.
Michael C. Kramer and Dennis C. Cook, Cook Schuhmann & Groseclose, Inc., for Appellees.
Before: FABE, Chief Justice, MATTHEWS, EASTAUGH, BRYNER, and CARPENETI, Justices.
*1253 OPINION
EASTAUGH, Justice.
I. INTRODUCTION
James D. Blood was injured while riding as a passenger in an automobile operated by an uninsured driver. Blood submitted an uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) claim, but his insurer denied coverage. Blood then sued the insurer and insurance agent. We consider here whether Blood waived his right to arbitrate UM/UIM issues by seeking a declaration of coverage and damages in his lawsuit against the insurer and the agent. Because we conclude that Blood did not waive that right, we reverse the order dismissing his lawsuit and remand for further proceedings, including trial of the coverage dispute.
II. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS
In March 1996 James Blood purchased from Kenneth A. Murray Insurance, Inc. (KMI) an automobile liability insurance policy issued by Progressive Insurance Company.
Blood did not pay the renewal premium on his policy, and Progressive sent three termination-of-coverage notices to him at the address in Progressive's files. Blood no longer lived at that address, and the letters were returned undelivered. Although Progressive mailed the notices, they were returned to KMI.
Blood later purchased another policy from KMI. The parties dispute whether Blood told KMI that he had moved and whether KMI should have asked Blood if he had moved. When Blood failed to make payments on this policy, Progressive again sent notices to Blood at the address in its filesBlood's old address.
On August 2, 1997 Blood was injured in an automobile accident while riding in a car driven by an uninsured driver. Blood filed a claim and a demand for arbitration with Progressive under his uninsured motorist coverage. Progressive denied the claim; it asserted that Blood's policy had lapsed before the accident because he had not paid the renewal premium. Progressive also denied Blood's arbitration request, on the ground that arbitration only applied to liability and damages issues, not coverage disputes.
Blood then sued Progressive and KMI for a declaration of coverage and an award of damages. Blood's complaint alleged that KMI was negligent in failing to use reasonable efforts to obtain his "last known address," and that therefore Progressive's attempts to cancel his policy for non-payment under AS 21.36.220[1] and AS 21.36.260[2] were ineffective.
In July 2000 Blood moved for partial summary judgment on the policy dispute. The defendants moved for dismissal. The court denied both motions because material factual disputes existed.
A five-day trial was scheduled to begin on February 26, 2001. During a hearing to resolve pretrial motions on the morning of the first day of the trial, Blood's counsel informed the superior court and the defendants that Blood was in Florida, and that financial difficulties prevented him from attending the trial in person. Blood's counsel asked that Blood be allowed to testify telephonically. The court refused, holding that Blood's credibility was critical to the case and that the defendants would be prejudiced if they could not test his credibility in person.
During further discussion about pretrial issues, Blood's counsel commented that he only sought a declaration of coverage from the court so that he could proceed to arbitration. The defendants responded that Blood had waived his right to arbitration by filing a lawsuit requesting damages, by failing to seek arbitration in his complaint (or not claiming that the defendants wrongly denied arbitration), and by indicating up to the day of trial an intention to litigate both damages and coverage issues.
The superior court heard more argument on this issue the next day. The court noted that Progressive had rejected Blood's demand *1254 for arbitration in 1997. The court also thought that the defendants were not prejudiced by Blood's failure to plead arbitration, because any effort they had put into defending a damages case would be equally applicable to an arbitration. Nonetheless, the court held that Blood had waived his right to arbitration by failing to request it in his complaint. The court cited Hillman v. Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Co.[3] and International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. King[4] in support of its decision.
In light of its ruling that arbitration was no longer an available remedy, the court next held that Blood had to prove damages in court. Blood's counsel responded that he was "not prepared to present a damages case." The court relied on this concession and dismissed Blood's case, ruling that "if he can't prove damages, he can't prevail."
Blood's counsel then moved to "stay" the trial so Blood could testify in person and so he could amend his complaint to include arbitration. [Exc. 300 (23: 19-24)] The court denied these motions. Blood's motion for reconsideration was unsuccessful. Blood appeals.
III. DISCUSSION
A. Blood Did Not Waive His Right to Arbitration.
1. Standard of review
Whether a waiver occurred is a question of fact. A trial court's finding of waiver will therefore be set aside on review only if it is clearly erroneous.[5]
2. Failure to plead arbitration
Progressive's insurance policy gave Blood the right to arbitrate UM/UIM disputes.[6] The superior court ruled that Blood waived this arbitration right by failing to state in his complaint that he was seeking arbitration. The court based its ruling on International Brotherhood of Teamsters v. King[7] and Hillman v. Nationwide Mutual Fire Insurance Co.,[8] which it interpreted as holding that the remedy of arbitration "was waived by virtue of the failure to plead it."
In Teamsters, we held that the defendant had waived its right to demand arbitration by failing to plead an affirmative defense of arbitration as required by Alaska Rule of Civil Procedure 8(c),[9] by availing itself of discovery procedures which were probably unavailable under arbitration, and by delaying for over three years in raising the issue of arbitration.[10]
The superior court read Teamsters to require Blood to plead arbitration in his complaint or waive that remedy. In Teamsters we interpreted Rule 8(c) to require a defendant seeking arbitration to raise that remedy as a defense in its answer if it did not want to waive its right.[11] But more recently, we explained in Loyal Order of Moose v. International Fidelity Insurance Co. that "a demand for arbitration [is not] equivalent to the affirmative defense `arbitration and award.'"[12]
*1255 The superior court cited Hillman for the same principle as Teamsters. In Hillman, we held that the defendant insurance company did not waive its right to arbitrate the uninsured motorists claim. We ruled that a plaintiff who initiates litigation in violation of an arbitration clause cannot later claim waiver by the defendant.[13]
The superior court in the present case did not explain why it thought Hillman supported its conclusion. Possibly it reasoned that if the insureds in Hillman could not claim waiver of arbitration by the defense because the plaintiffs knowingly initiated litigation in violation of the arbitration clause, then Blood, the insured in this case, could not oppose waiver when he did the same thing. But claiming and opposing waiver raise distinct issues. The insureds in Hillman could not claim waiver because they had suffered no prejudice; whether Blood can successfully oppose a claim that he waived arbitration turns largely on whether his actions in pursuing his lawsuit unequivocally indicated a purpose to abandon his right to arbitrate.[14]
The holdings in Teamsters and Hillman did not require Blood to plead arbitration in his complaint or be deemed to have forever waived that remedy. But Blood may nonetheless have impliedly waived his right to arbitration.
3. Implied waiver of contractual right to arbitrate
The law favors arbitration.[15] Waiver is not to be lightly inferred,[16] and courts should resolve doubts concerning whether there has been a waiver in favor of arbitration.[17]
Waiver is an "express or implied voluntary and intentional relinquishment of a known or existing right."[18] Progressive does not contend that Blood expressly relinquished his right to arbitration. The superior court did not consider whether Blood impliedly waived his right to arbitration. Instead, it determined that Blood's failure to specifically plead arbitration waived that remedy. Because we have concluded that Blood's failure to plead it in his complaint did not waive the arbitration remedy, we must determine whether Blood impliedly waived his arbitration rights. We conclude that he did not.
We explained the requirements for implied waiver of contractual rights in Powers v. United Services Automobile Ass'n, where we observed:
To prove an implied waiver of a legal right, there must be direct, unequivocal conduct indicating a purpose to abandon or waive the legal right.... Neglect to insist upon a right only results in an estoppel, or an implied waiver, when the neglect is such that it would convey a message to a reasonable person that the neglectful party would not in the future pursue the legal right in question. Even where neglect results in prejudice to another party, for an implied waiver to arise there must be direct, unequivocal conduct indicating a purpose to abandon the right.[19]
Blood argues that rather than engaging in "direct, unequivocal conduct indicating a purpose to abandon" or to waive his right to arbitration, he consistently sought arbitration before and during the litigation. In 1997 when he first submitted his claim to Progressive, *1256 Blood made a written demand for arbitration. Progressive rejected this demand, asserting that under the policy, arbitration only applied to disputes about liability or damages, not to disputes over the existence of coverage.
Blood's complaint did not seek arbitration or claim that Progressive wrongly rejected his demand for arbitration. Instead, it alleged breach of contract, bad faith, malpractice, negligence, and breach of fiduciary duty. It requested a "declaratory judgment stating that the Progressive policy was in effect" and sought "general and special damages ... interest, costs, attorney fees and other recovery as allowed by law."
In his memorandum accompanying his motion for partial summary judgment on liability, Blood asked the superior court to rule that the insurance policy was in effect and to "order the parties to arbitration." He also filed a proposed order that would have ordered the parties to arbitrate. Eight days before trial was to begin, Blood filed written objections to all of the defendants' proposed jury instructions that framed the case as a personal injury suit. He argued in his objections that if coverage exists, "this matter should be sent to an arbiter to determine the full amount of [Blood's] losses as all parties reasonably expected."
Blood's preliminary witness list and his Alaska Civil Rule 26(a) initial disclosures both indicate that he intended to litigate damages in court. Both documents identify physicians who had treated Blood for his injuries after the car accident, and the initial disclosure list indicates that the doctors would have information on Blood's "injuries, aftermath and prognosis."
But even though these documents were inconsistent with arbitrating the UM/UIM claim, the superior court record also contains repeated assertions of Blood's interest in arbitration. Neglecting to insist upon a right only results in an implied waiver of that right if that neglect "convey[s] a message to a reasonable person that the neglectful party would not in the future pursue the legal right in question."[20] To the extent that Blood's actions throughout the litigation process might have left a reasonable person confused about his intentions, that confusion simply confirms that there was no unequivocal waiver. Blood did not clearly and unequivocally abandon his intent to pursue arbitration.
The defendants' own conduct is consistent with a conclusion that they did not understand that Blood, by suing them, had unequivocally waived his right to arbitrate UM/UIM issues, if there was coverage. Progressive's answer to Blood's initial complaint raised arbitration as an affirmative defense: "In the event that this court concludes that the policy in question remained in force on the date of the accident in question, plaintiff's claim is subject to the arbitration provision of the policy and plaintiff's claims should be dismissed in favor of arbitration." And defendants did not pursue the damages aspect of the case extensively during discovery. They did not depose any damage-related witnesses, they did not seek a physical exam of Blood under Alaska Civil Rule 35, and their witness lists did not name any damage-related witnesses. Motion practice centered on what both parties conceded was the main issue in the lawsuitwhether KMI should have learned of Blood's new address. The defendants devoted little attention to the liability and damages issues.
Because Blood sued not only Progressive, but also KMI, his damages claims do not compel a finding that he was unequivocally waiving arbitration. Had Blood sued only Progressive, his efforts to litigate liability and damages issues might have implied that he was no longer interested in arbitrating those issues if the court found coverage. But Blood was also pursuing KMI on the independent theory that it breached the duties that an insurance agent owes the insured. As to these claims, it is not obvious that Blood (or KMI) had any right to arbitration. Normally, someone in Blood's position, suing the agent on a theory it negligently failed to secure uninsured motorist coverage, would have to prove at trial both the existence of the insurance producer's breach of duties owed to the would-be insured and the damages *1257 the breach causedi.e., the amount recoverable had the coverage been in place. To prove the latter, he would have to prove the uninsured motorist's fault and the damages that fault caused. Therefore it is not unexpected that Blood took steps to prove liability and damages at trial in the context of his claim against KMI. The existence of the KMI claim consequently weighs against finding that Blood's lawsuit established an unequivocal waiver of a right to arbitrate liability and damages in his claim against Progressive.
We conclude that it was error to find that Blood waived his right to seek arbitration.
It follows that it was also error to dismiss Blood's case based on Blood's professed inability to present damages at the scheduled trial. Because any inability to prove damages would have had no bearing on the narrow coverage issue and would not obviate the need to try the coverage issue, and because Blood claimed he could try the coverage issue without testifying at trial, it was error not to conduct a trial to resolve the coverage issue. We therefore remand for further proceedings to resolve the coverage dispute.
Our conclusion that Blood did not waive his right to arbitration moots issues arising out of Blood's unsuccessful requests for a continuance and for leave to amend his complaint.
B. Blood's Trial Theory Will Control Whether He May Testify Telephonically.
The superior court refused to allow Blood to testify telephonically. The court ruled that Blood's credibility was "so critical" that the defendants had to have the opportunity to cross-examine him in person before the jury.
Blood's credibility is highly pertinent to the issues of liability and damages which will now be set for arbitration. Our ruling today makes it unnecessary to decide whether those rulings are error.
It is conceivable that on remand the issue of coverage will not turn on Blood's credibility. If it does not, the dispute about whether he can testify by telephone will be immaterial. If Blood's testimony is relevant, trial of the coverage issue must be scheduled at a time Blood is prospectively available to testify in person. If that is not possible, the court shall provide Blood a fair opportunity to preserve his testimony, such as by videotaped deposition, upon adequate notice to opposing counsel.
We cannot foresee whether Blood's testimony will be relevant to the coverage issue. The relevance of his testimony depends on precisely what issues control the coverage dispute on remand.
C. The Superior Court Properly Denied Summary Judgment.
1. Standard of review
We review a denial of summary judgment de novo to determine whether any genuine issues of material fact exist and whether the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on the established facts.[21] "All reasonable inferences of fact from proffered materials must be drawn against the moving party and in favor of the non-moving party."[22]
2. The superior court properly denied Blood's summary judgment motion against KMI.
Blood argues that he was entitled to summary judgment because KMI had a duty to ask him for his new address in light of the three pieces of returned mail it had in its files when Blood obtained the second policy.
Blood relies on either AS 21.36.220 or AS 21.36.240, and AS 21.36.260 to support his argument. Section .220 imposes a duty on an insurance company to notify a policyholder about a cancellation of an existing policy.[23]*1258 Section .240 imposes the same duty for failure to renew a policy.[24] Both statutes refer to AS 21.36.260, which states that "if a notice is required from an insurer ... the insurer shall (1) mail the notice by first class mail to the last known address of the insured...."
Blood relies on Jefferson v. Alaska 100 Insurance, Inc.[25] in arguing that an insurance agent has a "duty to exercise reasonable care, skill, and diligence ... to inform the insured of termination of coverage."
Blood also relies on Rosenberg v. Smidt[26] in contending that the defendants have a duty to use due diligence to determine a party's "last known address." In Rosenberg, we analyzed the phrase "last known address" in a different context but concluded "that the last known address is that address most likely to give the affected party notice. The trustee is obligated to exercise due diligence to determine that address...."[27]
Even if Blood is correct that KMI and Progressive owed him such a duty, there remains the question whether the defendants exercised due diligence. As the superior court correctly noted:
Even if every single detail of what took place there is stipulated, which it's not, but even supposing it were, [the] finder of fact still has to determine whether [KMI] breached a duty it owed and whether [KMI] was negligent. That in itself is a fact question, not in the sense of what happened, but in the sense of what is traditionally determined by a trier of fact.[28]
Assuming a jury could find that KMI was negligent for failing to ask for Blood's new address, we cannot hold that a jury could only reach this result.
Lastly, Blood argues that he should receive summary judgment on a theory of promissory estoppel. He argues that he relied on KMI's insurance expertise and that "it is reasonable to expect that when he gave KMI his [new] address, that address would be the one at which Progressive would contact him concerning his policy." This argument is without merit because there is a genuine dispute whether Blood gave KMI his new address. The superior court properly denied summary judgment to Blood on the coverage issue.
IV. CONCLUSION
We therefore AFFIRM the denial of summary judgment to Blood, but REVERSE the decision that Blood waived his right to arbitration, REVERSE the dismissal of Blood's case, and REMAND for further proceedings, including trial on the coverage issue.
NOTES
[1] AS 21.36.220 requires an insurance company to mail notice of cancellation to the insured before it cancels a policy.
[2] AS 21.36.260 requires the insurance company to "mail the notice ... to the last known address of the insured."
[3] 758 P.2d 1248, 1253 (Alaska 1988).
[4] 572 P.2d 1168, 1173-75 (Alaska 1977).
[5] Miscovich v. Tryck, 875 P.2d 1293, 1302 (Alaska 1994).
[6] The UM/UIM portion of the policy states in pertinent part:
Determination of whether an insured person is legally entitled to recover damages and the amount of damages will be made by agreement between the insured person and us. If no agreement is reached, the decision may be made by arbitration if we or the insured person make a written demand for arbitration....
[7] 572 P.2d 1168 (Alaska 1977).
[8] 758 P.2d 1248 (Alaska 1988).
[9] Alaska Civil Rule 8(c) provides: "In pleading to a preceding pleading, a party shall set forth affirmatively ... arbitration and award...."
[10] 572 P.2d at 1174.
[11] Id. at 1173.
[12] 797 P.2d 622, 629 n. 16 (Alaska 1990); see also Victor v. State Farm Fire & Cas. Co., 795 F.Supp. 300, 304 n. 6 (D.Alaska 1992) (observing that identical Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(c) "is limited to the situation where a dispute has already been arbitrated and an award has been obtained, not to situations where arbitration has not yet taken place").
[13] 758 P.2d at 1253.
[14] See Wausau Ins. Cos. v. Van Biene, 847 P.2d 584, 588 (Alaska 1993).
[15] Bd. of Educ., Fairbanks North Star Borough Sch. Dist. v. Ewig, 609 P.2d 10, 13 (Alaska 1980) (affirming decision of arbitrator); Int'l Bhd. of Teamsters v. King, 572 P.2d 1168, 1173 (Alaska 1977).
[16] S & R Co. of Kingston v. Latona Trucking, Inc., 159 F.3d 80, 83 (2d Cir.1998) (holding waiver occurred despite general policy favoring arbitration).
[17] See Doctor's Assocs., Inc. v. Distajo, 107 F.3d 126, 130 (2d Cir.1997) (ruling no waiver of right to compel arbitration) (citing Moses H. Cone Mem'l Hosp. v. Mercury Constr. Corp., 460 U.S. 1, 24, 103 S.Ct. 927, 74 L.Ed.2d 765 (1983)).
[18] Powers v. United Servs. Auto. Ass'n, 6 P.3d 294, 298-99 (Alaska 2000) (holding no waiver absent direct, unequivocal conduct indicating purpose to abandon right to arbitration).
[19] Id. at 299.
[20] Airoulofski v. State, 922 P.2d 889, 894 (Alaska 1996).
[21] Reeves v. Alyeska Pipeline Serv. Co., 926 P.2d 1130, 1134 (Alaska 1996).
[22] Id.
[23] AS 21.36.220 provides in pertinent part:
(a) An insurer may not exercise its right to cancel a personal insurance policy unless, for a named insured who is
(1) less than 70 years of age, a written notice of cancellation is mailed to the named insured as required by AS 21.36.260 at least 30 days before the effective date of cancellation; however, if cancellation is for nonpayment of premium, the notice shall be mailed to the named insured as required by AS 21.36.260 at least 20 days before the effective date of cancellation....
[24] AS 21.36.240 provides in pertinent part: "An insurer may not fail to renew a policy unless a written notice of nonrenewal is mailed to the named insured as required by AS 21.36.260 at least 20 days for a personal insurance policy...."
[25] Jefferson v. Alaska 100 Ins., Inc., 717 P.2d 360, 364 (Alaska 1986).
[26] 727 P.2d 778 (Alaska 1986).
[27] Id. at 783.
[28] See Beaux v. Jacob, 30 P.3d 90, 96 n. 5 (Alaska 2001) (noting that "[w]hether particular conduct is negligent is a question of fact normally reserved for the trier of fact"); Dobos v. Ingersoll, 9 P.3d 1020, 1026 (Alaska 2000) (explaining that "whether [a party] was negligent was a question of fact properly determined by the jury").
|
<!-- Master page -->
@extends('backend.layouts.master')
<!-- Page title -->
@section('pageTitle') Our Services @endsection
<!-- End block -->
<!-- Page body extra class -->
@section('bodyCssClass') @endsection
<!-- End block -->
<!-- BEGIN PAGE CONTENT-->
@section('pageContent')
<!-- Section header -->
<section class="content-header">
<h1>
Our Services
<small>Content</small>
</h1>
<ol class="breadcrumb">
<li><a href="{{URL::route('site.dashboard')}}"><i class="fa fa-dashboard"></i> Dashboard</a></li>
<li class="active">Our Services</li>
</ol>
</section>
<!-- ./Section header -->
<!-- Main content -->
<section class="content">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-12">
<div class="box box-info">
<form id="serviceContentForm" action="{{URL::Route('site.service')}}" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data">
<div class="box-header">
<h3 class="box-title">Our Services <span class="text-danger"> * Marks are required feild</span></h3>
</div>
<!-- /.box-header -->
<div class="box-body">
@csrf
<div class="form-group has-feedback">
<label for="why_content">Our Services<span class="text-danger">*</span></label>
<textarea autofocus name="meta_value" class="form-control" required maxlength="500" required>@if($content){{ $content->meta_value }}@endif</textarea>
<span class="glyphicon glyphicon-info form-control-feedback"></span>
<span class="text-danger">{{ $errors->first('meta_value') }}</span>
</div>
</div>
<!-- /.box-body -->
<div class="box-footer">
<a href="{{URL::route('site.dashboard')}}" class="btn btn-default">Cancel</a>
<button type="submit" class="btn btn-info pull-right"><i class="fa fa-check-circle"></i> Save</button>
</div>
</form>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
<!-- /.content -->
@endsection
<!-- END PAGE CONTENT-->
|
#pragma once
#include <chrono>
#include <cstdint>
#include "envoy/common/time.h"
#include "envoy/config/core/v3/base.pb.h"
#include "envoy/http/header_map.h"
#include "envoy/http/request_id_extension.h"
#include "envoy/stream_info/stream_info.h"
#include "common/common/assert.h"
#include "common/common/dump_state_utils.h"
#include "common/http/request_id_extension_impl.h"
#include "common/stream_info/filter_state_impl.h"
namespace Envoy {
namespace StreamInfo {
struct StreamInfoImpl : public StreamInfo {
StreamInfoImpl(TimeSource& time_source,
FilterState::LifeSpan life_span = FilterState::LifeSpan::FilterChain)
: StreamInfoImpl(absl::nullopt, time_source, std::make_shared<FilterStateImpl>(life_span)) {}
StreamInfoImpl(Http::Protocol protocol, TimeSource& time_source)
: StreamInfoImpl(protocol, time_source,
std::make_shared<FilterStateImpl>(FilterState::LifeSpan::FilterChain)) {}
StreamInfoImpl(Http::Protocol protocol, TimeSource& time_source,
FilterStateSharedPtr parent_filter_state, FilterState::LifeSpan life_span)
: StreamInfoImpl(
protocol, time_source,
std::make_shared<FilterStateImpl>(
FilterStateImpl::LazyCreateAncestor(std::move(parent_filter_state), life_span),
FilterState::LifeSpan::FilterChain)) {}
SystemTime startTime() const override { return start_time_; }
MonotonicTime startTimeMonotonic() const override { return start_time_monotonic_; }
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> duration(absl::optional<MonotonicTime> time) const {
if (!time) {
return {};
}
return std::chrono::duration_cast<std::chrono::nanoseconds>(time.value() -
start_time_monotonic_);
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> lastDownstreamRxByteReceived() const override {
return duration(last_downstream_rx_byte_received);
}
void onLastDownstreamRxByteReceived() override {
ASSERT(!last_downstream_rx_byte_received);
last_downstream_rx_byte_received = time_source_.monotonicTime();
}
void setUpstreamTiming(const UpstreamTiming& upstream_timing) override {
upstream_timing_ = upstream_timing;
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> firstUpstreamTxByteSent() const override {
return duration(upstream_timing_.first_upstream_tx_byte_sent_);
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> lastUpstreamTxByteSent() const override {
return duration(upstream_timing_.last_upstream_tx_byte_sent_);
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> firstUpstreamRxByteReceived() const override {
return duration(upstream_timing_.first_upstream_rx_byte_received_);
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> lastUpstreamRxByteReceived() const override {
return duration(upstream_timing_.last_upstream_rx_byte_received_);
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> firstDownstreamTxByteSent() const override {
return duration(first_downstream_tx_byte_sent_);
}
void onFirstDownstreamTxByteSent() override {
ASSERT(!first_downstream_tx_byte_sent_);
first_downstream_tx_byte_sent_ = time_source_.monotonicTime();
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> lastDownstreamTxByteSent() const override {
return duration(last_downstream_tx_byte_sent_);
}
void onLastDownstreamTxByteSent() override {
ASSERT(!last_downstream_tx_byte_sent_);
last_downstream_tx_byte_sent_ = time_source_.monotonicTime();
}
absl::optional<std::chrono::nanoseconds> requestComplete() const override {
return duration(final_time_);
}
void onRequestComplete() override {
ASSERT(!final_time_);
final_time_ = time_source_.monotonicTime();
}
void addBytesReceived(uint64_t bytes_received) override { bytes_received_ += bytes_received; }
uint64_t bytesReceived() const override { return bytes_received_; }
absl::optional<Http::Protocol> protocol() const override { return protocol_; }
void protocol(Http::Protocol protocol) override { protocol_ = protocol; }
absl::optional<uint32_t> responseCode() const override { return response_code_; }
const absl::optional<std::string>& responseCodeDetails() const override {
return response_code_details_;
}
void setResponseCodeDetails(absl::string_view rc_details) override {
response_code_details_.emplace(rc_details);
}
void addBytesSent(uint64_t bytes_sent) override { bytes_sent_ += bytes_sent; }
uint64_t bytesSent() const override { return bytes_sent_; }
void setResponseFlag(ResponseFlag response_flag) override { response_flags_ |= response_flag; }
bool intersectResponseFlags(uint64_t response_flags) const override {
return (response_flags_ & response_flags) != 0;
}
bool hasResponseFlag(ResponseFlag flag) const override { return response_flags_ & flag; }
bool hasAnyResponseFlag() const override { return response_flags_ != 0; }
uint64_t responseFlags() const override { return response_flags_; }
void onUpstreamHostSelected(Upstream::HostDescriptionConstSharedPtr host) override {
upstream_host_ = host;
}
Upstream::HostDescriptionConstSharedPtr upstreamHost() const override { return upstream_host_; }
void setRouteName(absl::string_view route_name) override {
route_name_ = std::string(route_name);
}
const std::string& getRouteName() const override { return route_name_; }
void setUpstreamLocalAddress(
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& upstream_local_address) override {
upstream_local_address_ = upstream_local_address;
}
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& upstreamLocalAddress() const override {
return upstream_local_address_;
}
bool healthCheck() const override { return health_check_request_; }
void healthCheck(bool is_health_check) override { health_check_request_ = is_health_check; }
void setDownstreamLocalAddress(
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& downstream_local_address) override {
downstream_local_address_ = downstream_local_address;
}
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& downstreamLocalAddress() const override {
return downstream_local_address_;
}
void setDownstreamDirectRemoteAddress(
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& downstream_direct_remote_address) override {
downstream_direct_remote_address_ = downstream_direct_remote_address;
}
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& downstreamDirectRemoteAddress() const override {
return downstream_direct_remote_address_;
}
void setDownstreamRemoteAddress(
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& downstream_remote_address) override {
downstream_remote_address_ = downstream_remote_address;
}
const Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr& downstreamRemoteAddress() const override {
return downstream_remote_address_;
}
void
setDownstreamSslConnection(const Ssl::ConnectionInfoConstSharedPtr& connection_info) override {
downstream_ssl_info_ = connection_info;
}
Ssl::ConnectionInfoConstSharedPtr downstreamSslConnection() const override {
return downstream_ssl_info_;
}
void setUpstreamSslConnection(const Ssl::ConnectionInfoConstSharedPtr& connection_info) override {
upstream_ssl_info_ = connection_info;
}
Ssl::ConnectionInfoConstSharedPtr upstreamSslConnection() const override {
return upstream_ssl_info_;
}
const Router::RouteEntry* routeEntry() const override { return route_entry_; }
envoy::config::core::v3::Metadata& dynamicMetadata() override { return metadata_; };
const envoy::config::core::v3::Metadata& dynamicMetadata() const override { return metadata_; };
void setDynamicMetadata(const std::string& name, const ProtobufWkt::Struct& value) override {
(*metadata_.mutable_filter_metadata())[name].MergeFrom(value);
};
const FilterStateSharedPtr& filterState() override { return filter_state_; }
const FilterState& filterState() const override { return *filter_state_; }
const FilterStateSharedPtr& upstreamFilterState() const override {
return upstream_filter_state_;
}
void setUpstreamFilterState(const FilterStateSharedPtr& filter_state) override {
upstream_filter_state_ = filter_state;
}
void setRequestedServerName(absl::string_view requested_server_name) override {
requested_server_name_ = std::string(requested_server_name);
}
const std::string& requestedServerName() const override { return requested_server_name_; }
void setUpstreamTransportFailureReason(absl::string_view failure_reason) override {
upstream_transport_failure_reason_ = std::string(failure_reason);
}
const std::string& upstreamTransportFailureReason() const override {
return upstream_transport_failure_reason_;
}
void setRequestHeaders(const Http::RequestHeaderMap& headers) override {
request_headers_ = &headers;
}
const Http::RequestHeaderMap* getRequestHeaders() const override { return request_headers_; }
void setRequestIDExtension(Http::RequestIDExtensionSharedPtr utils) override {
request_id_extension_ = utils;
}
Http::RequestIDExtensionSharedPtr getRequestIDExtension() const override {
return request_id_extension_;
}
void dumpState(std::ostream& os, int indent_level = 0) const {
const char* spaces = spacesForLevel(indent_level);
os << spaces << "StreamInfoImpl " << this << DUMP_OPTIONAL_MEMBER(protocol_)
<< DUMP_OPTIONAL_MEMBER(response_code_) << DUMP_OPTIONAL_MEMBER(response_code_details_)
<< DUMP_MEMBER(health_check_request_) << DUMP_MEMBER(route_name_) << "\n";
}
void setUpstreamClusterInfo(
const Upstream::ClusterInfoConstSharedPtr& upstream_cluster_info) override {
upstream_cluster_info_ = upstream_cluster_info;
}
absl::optional<Upstream::ClusterInfoConstSharedPtr> upstreamClusterInfo() const override {
return upstream_cluster_info_;
}
TimeSource& time_source_;
const SystemTime start_time_;
const MonotonicTime start_time_monotonic_;
absl::optional<MonotonicTime> last_downstream_rx_byte_received;
absl::optional<MonotonicTime> first_downstream_tx_byte_sent_;
absl::optional<MonotonicTime> last_downstream_tx_byte_sent_;
absl::optional<MonotonicTime> final_time_;
absl::optional<Http::Protocol> protocol_;
absl::optional<uint32_t> response_code_;
absl::optional<std::string> response_code_details_;
uint64_t response_flags_{};
Upstream::HostDescriptionConstSharedPtr upstream_host_{};
bool health_check_request_{};
const Router::RouteEntry* route_entry_{};
envoy::config::core::v3::Metadata metadata_{};
FilterStateSharedPtr filter_state_;
FilterStateSharedPtr upstream_filter_state_;
std::string route_name_;
private:
StreamInfoImpl(absl::optional<Http::Protocol> protocol, TimeSource& time_source,
FilterStateSharedPtr filter_state)
: time_source_(time_source), start_time_(time_source.systemTime()),
start_time_monotonic_(time_source.monotonicTime()), protocol_(protocol),
filter_state_(std::move(filter_state)),
request_id_extension_(Http::RequestIDExtensionFactory::noopInstance()) {}
uint64_t bytes_received_{};
uint64_t bytes_sent_{};
Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr upstream_local_address_;
Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr downstream_local_address_;
Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr downstream_direct_remote_address_;
Network::Address::InstanceConstSharedPtr downstream_remote_address_;
Ssl::ConnectionInfoConstSharedPtr downstream_ssl_info_;
Ssl::ConnectionInfoConstSharedPtr upstream_ssl_info_;
std::string requested_server_name_;
const Http::RequestHeaderMap* request_headers_{};
Http::RequestIDExtensionSharedPtr request_id_extension_;
UpstreamTiming upstream_timing_;
std::string upstream_transport_failure_reason_;
absl::optional<Upstream::ClusterInfoConstSharedPtr> upstream_cluster_info_;
};
} // namespace StreamInfo
} // namespace Envoy
|
Main menu
Post navigation
Security Blanket
Sometimes it’s best to pull people into a false sense of security, to assure them that you’re okay, and that it’s okay, and that there’s no need to worry. Sometimes it’s safer, and it’s easier, and saves hassle and questions.
But if that person really knows you, they’ll never truly believe it. Perhaps for a while, in a wasted attempt to be free, they’ll try to trust you, and allow you to cover them with the security blanket, too. They will allow themselves to believe that you are okay, because they don’t want to fear for your life every day.
But when that person has the revelation once more that it’s not true, it’s a shock. If that person knows and loves you, it won’t be long before they realise the lies. Actually, you’re not okay. And I should have been worrying about you.
It’s then, when that person realises that they’ve been missing the truth, that they are crushed.
It’s when they notice that things aren’t right.
It’s when they hate themselves for believing the lies, and allowing the security blanket to envelop them.
It’s only then that the person feels guilt. When the blanket is ripped away, they scream from the pain.
It’s when they feel like a hot dagger has torn through them. They stopped helping. They thought it was okay.
It’s then that they become emotionless, fearful, and afraid.
It’s then that they realise that they should have predicted it all along.
It’s only now that I realise how stupid I’ve been. I let her pull the blanket over my eyes, and now the reality has hit me with one big THWACK.
Once more, my fear for her is deep in my chest, and even if it may be one thing too much right now, nothing can make the ache go away. I love her, I can’t be blind anymore. Even if she wants to be blind, I won’t. Because I fear for her life. |
London's Latest Cold-Pressed Juice Bars
By Malika DalamalAugust 11, 2014By Malika Dalamal | August 11, 2014
If you had dismissed last year's trend for cold-pressed juice as a passing fad, think again. These vitamin-packed drinks and smoothies are becoming a staple with more and more juice bars popping up all over town. Here are four more cold-pressed juice hot spots that should be on your radar.
What: LovageThe Lowdown: This tiny juice bar at The Ace Hotel in Shoreditch is essentially a hatch dispensing seasonal juices like the refreshing Ruby (beetroot, carrot, apple and cabbage), shakes (avocado and greens) and herbal waters. The menu changes with the seasons.Ace Hotel, 100 Shoreditch High St., E1 6JQ
What: Lab Organic
The Lowdown: The juices on offer at this somewhat clinical, all-white space in Covent Garden are made fresh every morning using a hydraulic cold-pressed juice-extraction process to conserve all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals and good enzymes. Don't miss unusual mixes including Coco Turmeric Healer made with ginger, powerful Indian spices and coconut water or Green Lemonade packed with antioxidant-rich spinach, romaine leaves, cucumber and celery.58 Neal St., WC2H 9PA |
Atletico secure edge against Real
Fernando Torres made his second debut for Atletico Madrid as the Spanish champions beat Real Madrid 2-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey capital city derby.
Returning to the club where he established his reputation before moving on to represent Liverpool, Chelsea and AC Milan, striker Torres had a largely quiet game and was substituted after an hour.
But Atletico were impressive and deserving winners against the cup holders, with the advantage at the midway point of the last-16 tie earned by second-half goals from Raul Garcia – a penalty after he was brought down by Sergio Ramos – and teenage defender Jose Maria Gimenez.
The adoring Vicente Calderon crowd willed Torres on to the form that at one stage made him one of the world’s most feared strikers.
Yet while his threat was often snuffed out, the match could have seen plenty more goals.
Ramos almost scored after just a minute when his header from James Rodriguez’s corner was pushed away by Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Gareth Bale netted a 13th-minute glancing header that was ruled out correctly for offside.
At the other end of the pitch Raphael Varane made a perfect sliding tackle, atoning for his error in giving away the ball, to thwart fellow Frenchman Antoine Griezmann just as the Atletico frontman prepared to take a strike at goal.
A big chance arrived for Bale in the 52nd minute but he volleyed Marcelo’s cross wide with his right foot and with little conviction.
Atletico were awarded a penalty in the 56th minute, after Ramos clawed determinedly at Garcia’s shirt. Garcia took the spot-kick responsibility and found the bottom-right corner.
Torres made way soon afterwards, replaced by Koke.
Real made a change they hoped would transform the game as Cristiano Ronaldo was summoned from the bench. He lined up one free-kick but sent it 20 yards wide of goal – a mystery whether it was intended as a shot or cross.
It was 2-0 in the 76th minute, a powerful header across goal from 19-year-old Uruguayan Gimenez finding the top-left corner, and Real had little left to offer in response, pinning their hopes on transforming the tie in the second leg at the Bernabeu on Thursday, January 15. |
Friday, October 12, 2012
Had Wonderful Time with SGC2012, UN/IAF Workshop and IAC2012 at Naples, Italy, Septmember 27-October 5, 2012
Hello readers,
I am back now from my 10 days trip to Italy and jet lagged from the trip. This was my first time to participate in the International Astronautical Congress ( IAC) which I could not attend last year! I was in Cape Town, South Africa, to attend Space Generation Congress in September 2011.
This year though I was not a delegate to Space Generation Congress ( SGC) I managed to attend the Gala Dinner which was organised on September 29, 2012 to meet some of my great friends who were not staying for the IAC next week!! For this I had to miss another Gala Dinner organised by UN/IAF Workshop where I missed to interact with my new friends! It's always a matter of time and you don't get sweets in your both hand ;)
My participation to this great gathering was possible as I was invited by UNOOSA to attend UN/IAF Workshop 2012 during September 28-30, 2012. This workshop remained very fruitful to network with new people with our ideas and share our work as there were only~100 people from more than 50 countries.
IAC was always a crowded place and more to get and more to lose!! Sometimes you will loose a lot of time to identify the session which you are interested in and sometimes you find that your sessions are overlapping!!!
Despite of busy schedule of these conference works, I managed to visit two exciting places in Naples: Pompei and Mt. Vesuvius which ruined the Pompei in 79 AD.
Those 10 days I spend in Naples remained very fruitful as I made many new friends and was succeeded to imprint our work to audience during my presentation! I am glad that some countries will follow our work module to implement their work in coming days!! |
I drove to Hopkins after practice on Wed for my last ultrasound checkup. Things are about the same, starting to grow collaterals, but that process takes years. Dr Lum was somewhat astonished that I could still pull off a #1 ranking with completely occluded veins. I told him the only thing that saves me is my SDK. He's not very bullish on the long term success rate of vein bypass surgery and I am loathe to have more major surgery. So I trudge on growing collaterals.
I had my follow up at Hopkins and the news was not good. The extensive clot is still there and the axillary and subclavian veins have re-closed since the balloon venoplasty. I suspect the re-closing was what I perceived as a strain in the thoracic area a few weeks ago. Vein reconstruction surgery is not a good option because it would require a bypass with only a 50% or less chance of success. So I need to grow some collateral veins; I may already have some since my arm is not all that swollen. But there is some fear for my left side, which is showing some pre-thrombolytic symptoms.
I will have another ultrasound on both sides in 2 months. If the left side is showing more signs of damage than last time, I may have another first rib resection at that time. That surgery may have a better likelihood of success than the one in December if we avoid a clot. Or I could just use a conservative approach ... The downside of that is that I think I would have anxiety over getting another clot/ruining another vein. And I really couldn't swim without compressing the vein further. Streamlining is ultra compressive. And of course my sister had bilateral VTOS.
I have been in the water some. But just kicking with my arms at my side is not very inspiring. My dr said that I could start some swimming, but I am leery about my left arm. I have been on the treadmill regularly; did 14 miles the other day after the bad news. So I am going to put all thoughts of competing aside for now. I may pop into the pool to see friends from time to time. But I am basically retired right now. Maybe next year I can re-assess. Without the primary veins on the right side, it is unclear whether I could ever return to my previous form.
On a happier note, I have a trip to Paris and environs planned in April. And I had a really kick ass 2016 before the VTOS reared its ugly head in October. The Fina rankings have come out and, in the 55-59 age group, I ended up with:
Last time I checked in, I had just had my VTOS surgery (Dec. 8) wherein Dr. Lum removed a huge chunk from my chest. I seemed to recover from that fairly well and did not become a pillbilly. On December 20, I went back to Hopkins for a venogram to check the vein. Disappointingly, but not totally unexpectedly, it was still damaged, compressed and the clot was still there. So I had an angioplasty where they put in 4 balloons to open the vein. Good grief, that really hurt. Not great news, but at least he was able to open the vein. I was told that the second operation had a 70% chance of success; veins that have long been compressed are prone to re-collapse. I survived xmas, but on December 29, I was struck down with an extremely severe case of the flu, which developed into bronchitis. I was really sick for 3.5 weeks -- the sickest I've ever been in my life. I only made it to one PT appt, then had to cancel all the rest. At this juncture, I've decided that I'm not going to bother with PT. I had full ROM almost immediately in any event. My arm is still somewhat swollen, but down from before. I was given a 3-6 month estimate for it to return to normal. My next appt is on March 23 and they will again check the vein with a duplex ultrasound. If there is still damage/clotting, I will need vein reconstruction surgery. I also struggled a bit with the oral blood thinner (xarelto). It made me nauseous and tired. So I switched back to lovenox. Downside is injections 2x day. Still, better than nausea.
So Dec & Jan were just a life hijack. After an epic struggle, I have been feeling pretty normal the last 10 days. I can't do anything high impact or anything with my arm. I've been doing a lot of fast walking on the treadmill, between 5-9 miles a day. My incision is healing fine, so I may be able to get back in the water and kick with my arms at my side fairly soon. My dr really errs on the conservative side wrt the pool. But I know others that returned to the pool 6 weeks after VTOS surgery. I may also go to a spin class or some bikram yoga. Vinyasa is out because of all the down dogs.
I had my VTOS surgery on December 8 at Johns Hopkins. The surgery went well. The dr extracted a fairly massive first rib (see attached). The rib was abnormally large and was the culprit of the venous compression. There was also a great deal of muscle surrounding the rib, which was excised. I had a difficult time with the anesthesia, which caused me to throw up a few times. That is not particularly fun after an invasive surgery. I was able to move my arm right away and was on my feet quickly. The drive home was rather painful; I could feel every bump. I have a venogram scheduled for December 20 to assess whether the vein is patent and the clot has dissolved. I hope the vein bounces back from the compression, but the clot was very extensive. Depending on the results, I could be on blood thinners for awhile. I just hope there is not permanent damage. Anyway, the pain is reasonable tolerable with the pain meds. And my daughter is arriving home from college today!
I went to Johns Hopkins last Thursday for some testing and to see Dr. Lum. 9 days earlier, I finally had my chest CT with contrast and it was negative for blood clots. But by the time I got to Hopkins, a duplex ultrasound showed an extensive blood clot from mid chest to mid arm and confirmed a diagnosis of venous thoracic outlet syndrome. So it is a worst case scenario. VTOS is an extremely rare condition, but healthy athletes like swimmers are somewhat more at risk, and I am genetically pre-disposed. I am on blood thinners now and will have to have surgery in a couple weeks. There is no other solution, you have to de-compress the subclavian vein in the thoracic outlet. For the surgery, the resect your first rib and take out the attached scalene muscle. No swimming for 3 months after the surgery. Since I haven't swum much in a month, it is going to be a long time out of the water. And I can't exercise at all right now. My left side is somewhat compressed as well, but Dr Lum thinks the likelihood of VTOS on that side is still low. I worry, though, because my sister had to have bilateral surgeries.
On the upside, a blood clot did not break off and go to my lung or brain. And I've been told that it's possible some of my shoulder and elbow problems on my right side may have been to do maladaptive compensations from inadequate venous return. I have felt like my breath holding capacity has declined somewhat the last couple years. This could be why, and may also be fixed by surgery. Hopefully, there is not too much damage to the vein.
Dr Lum thinks that the culprit may be all my streamline dolphin kicking bc you are in an extremely compressed position when doing that. I did even more kicking that usual this year bc of my elbow and shoulder tendonitis issues. I may have to consider doing less SDK work upon returning.
So I'm signing off for awhile. It will seem odd ... I've been blogging for many years now ... since the creation of the USMS blogs. And I haven't had any real break from swimming in 11 years. The timing is very disappointing, in my age up year. But masters swimming seems to be defined by comebacks. Hopefully, that will be my case.
I took myself and my swollen arm down to the Sprint Classic. I've felt horrible in the water the last couple days. I kind of ignored that thinking that it was stress/sleep related/not swimming much. But I realized after warm up and a couple races (duh) that the lack of circulation was causing fatigue and really driving up my heart rate. I only swam two events, and ended up scratching the battle of the drop dead sprinters. I was too exhausted and my arm was slightly numb. I did set two 55-59 national records in my pet events, although with quite mediocre times for me.
50 fly, 27.0
The start, turn and underwaters were all solid. But I could barely get my arms out of the water the last 2-3 strokes. I know that is not training related. And I only take 13 strokes in a 50 fly. I was so tired afterward that I knew I shouldn't attempt the 100 IM. My fly and free feel the worst right now. Hopefully, I can do a :26 later in the season.
50 back, 28.1
Same story here. My start and underwaters were solid. I did have a bit of a glide into the turn. My turnover lacked some zip, especially the second length. I haven't done any AFAP backstroke since August while getting over bicep tendonitis, so I felt a little rusty. I could not get my heart rate down after this race for a long time. Hopefully, I can knock this time down some more later in the season.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later in the evening after I got home, the overall swelling went down and is now localized in the bicep area again. It seems like some kind of lymphedema ....idk ... I had KT tape on before my races. I took it off and was bruised in the entire area, suggesting little circulation. I'm off to get a chest CT scan this am and have a cupping and cryosauna appointment. I had planned on a meet in November. But I'm not going to compete until this clears up. And it looks like I will have to go back to mostly kicking, again.
I was trying to take it a bit easier than usual and do more hypoxic work and less intense work.
Unfortunately, my right bicep hurt during practice. After practice later that night, most of my arm became very swollen. I spent over 5 hours yesterday in the ER getting all sorts of tests done. No blood clot, abscess, tumor, cellulitis, nothing. No clue why it occurred. And it is still swollen. I really hope this is going to go away soon. It's hard to sleep with it as well. Frowny face.
The Council Bluffs pool is a fairly crappy pool. I can live with that in the short term. But the temperature feels like 85-86 and I was roasting. Had to take cold showers afterward.
Been having fun at the trials. The night sessions are incredibly exciting with cool special effects. Today's prelims were a tad dull. The best prelim racing thus far has been in the men's 100 breast. My off the top thoughts from watching:
1. Swimmers who apparently did partial tapers aren't doing that well. This seems to include Franklin. Her starts are always bad, but her first 25 of the 100 back last night seemed sub elite. Why she thought she could do a partial taper after her fairly poor showing last year is beyond me. I wonder if the transition to being a pro swimmer, with all the attendant commitments, was too taxing?
2. The men's 100 breast was impressive. Michael Andrew really showed up. I thought it was odd that Licon scratched the 400 IM for the 100 breast.
3. Murphy and Plummer looked crazy fast in the 100 back semi-final and it appeared that Murphy shut it down a little at the end.
4. Coughlin does not look great. Too bad after her fine year in 2015. Her starts didn't look as dominant as usual either.
5. It will be a dog fight tonight in the men's 200 free. I hope we have more guys under 1:47 though.
6. Beisel was spotted in medical today and the word is that she fractured her finger in warm up. Hope she can at least swim the 200 back bc her backstroke looked amazing in the 400 IM.
7. Dirado, Margalis, Worrell and Smith = amazing.
8. Lochte ... I'm not sure training with SwimMac was great for the 400 IM. And the effort from trying to contest it may tire him for his other events. He should make the team in the 200 free based on recent times, but I have a bad feeling about it. His walls are like a magic trick.
9. I'm really hoping Conger pulls off his double tonight. I'd love to see him on the team.
I ventured to the Lebo pool for adult swim, but the pool was closed for a swim meet. Shut out again! Because of Father's Day, I didn't have time for a long drive to swim elsewhere. So I contented myself with a couple miles on the treadmill and some drylands at home before dinner.
Whew, the long course all out 50s were tough. The one that I did fly seemed interminable.
I was hoping to swim long course again today, but I am stuck at the house waiting for a repairmen who is already quite late. While we were at the beach, there was a power outage. That outage apparently fried our Verizon Fios box because we've had no internet, wifi or TV since Saturday. It's like the stone ages here! I think my only swim option is to go to Bethel Park tonight.
Starting to get excited about going to the Olympic trials with my daughter.
This was my last dryland session until after Canadian Nationals. I kept the weight pretty light and stayed away from any upper body plyos. I went to my chiro afterward to have him work on my shoulder. He thinks it's mostly muscular, but could be verging on low grade tendonitis. I don't feel the dull ache that I did last week, so I'm hopeful I just strained something. It's a bit of a relief to be done with drylands for awhile -- it's the place I'm mostly likely to injure myself!
I'm feeling much better (still coughing tho) so am thinking nationals is a go barring some relapse. I'd really like to attend this year because I probably won't go next year (in Ca, outdoors).
After yesterday's double, I planned a short speed workout for today, and that was definitely all I had the energy for. Still dragging with a lot of chest congestion, and losing my voice. If I feel like crap tomorrow, I'll take the day off. It's been 6 days in a row anyway.
I looked back at my blog from this time last year. Late March-early April, I was suffering from allergies, had an ear infection, had an allergic reaction and was on prednisone. I only swam 2 events at Zones, and my times were terrible. I love spring, but it really hates me. I just hope there is time for my negative reaction to spring to recede. I'm glad that I'm not entered in Zones, though this will be the first time in my masters career that I've missed it. Being sick during a taper is one thing. Being sick on meet day just sucks.
Emboldened by my phoenix like rise from mono in the nick of time for NE Champs, I made the journey to Ohio State for the Huntington meet. I was perhaps overly emboldened, as well as overly obsessed with sticking to my meet plan for the month. I did not feel quite 100%. I tried to compensate for some fatigue with extra caffeine. Then I just felt tired but wired. Still, even though I felt a little off, shutting it down in the pool for the last few days really helped. I swam some very fast in season times -- no doubt due to an assist from a super fast pool. The meet went quickly and clocked in under 3 hours. My events were all swum in about 2 hours.
50 back, 27.43
This event just felt labored the whole way. My legs felt quite tired -- probably from my last hard drylands session. I had decided to try taking 7 strokes the first length instead of 8 (I seem caught between 7 and 8.). This resulted in a major glide into the turn and a poor push off. I feel like that cost me a few tenths. Honestly, I expected to be a good half second slower and was pleasantly surprised when I saw my time. But I felt dead afterward and had a hard time getting my heart rate down.
50 breast, 32.84
I had a very good start and executed fairly well except for my walls. I had to short stroke both walls. Because I don't race breaststroke all that much, I have no idea what my stroke count is or should be. I just know that, in the past, gliding into the walls has killed my momentum. This race felt like a breeze compared to the 50 back. And my time was only .04 off my tapered PR from 2013 nationals. Was stoked with this time, which was .4 faster than my time at the Sprint Classic (where I had good walls). This is only the second time I've been under :33.
100 IM, no swim
There were only 8-9 heats between 50 breast and 100 IM. I just couldn't do it. I felt very tired and went to lay down on my yoga mat for half a hour to reboot. In retrospect, if I had wanted to swim 100 IM, I should have skipped the 50 breast. Not a big deal, and then I had some real rest before 50 fly.
50 fly, 26.06
I popped back in the warm up pool to wake myself up before this race and try to get psyched. I was sitting next to a couple guys who were swimming this event and had seen my 50 back. They said, "it's on!" And, well, who can resist that kind of good natured trash talk? So I got ready to swim fast. This was my best race of the day. I felt like I flew off the blocks. I wish they had reaction times posted. My UWs were good, breakouts were good, finish was good. I just had a slight glide into the first wall after taking 5 strokes, but nothing major. Was extremely happy with the time, which was again .4 faster than my time at the Sprint Classic (a meet for which I was more rested). This race felt much better than my 50 back. I'm not sure why that first race felt so awful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Very glad that I made the effort to race at the meet and happy with my times. 50s require a lot of racing to fine tune. I think these are all my best "in season" times. Of course now I'm wondering how many tenths can be attributed to the fin? Haha. I feel more tired from this meet than I was after Albatross. I hope I can shake off this fatigue soon. Off to the gym.
Feeling a little better today. Got in a solid gym session and short swim afterwards. I'm definitely stronger after an extended period of consistent lifting. The 275 on leg press didn't even seem that hard. I'm trying to figure out when to stop lifting before USMS nationals with Canadian Nationals just 3 weeks after ... It seems like I would really start losing strength at 4 weeks off ... Off to ice the elbows.
I am super excited that I persuaded Jim and Bill to go to nationals. Bill is going to join RAM as well. With Water Rat, there will actually be a Pittsburgh presence! And a fun carpool down!
I took yesterday off, felt wretched. Rallied a bit today, but still low energy. Did not feel up to a USRPT set. I will have very few swimming options the next few days. The pools are all closed for spring break etc. On the upside, my elbows are feeling better. Not 100% but getting there.
I'm looking forward to watching NCAAs. Big shocker in the 500 free with Smith not making finals. I hope he's just sick and not a head case like some commenters think.
I don't mind doing breaststroke, but that was a ton of it. I needed that backstroke interlude in the middle. Bill says my breaststroke kick is improving. He told me to keep my feet behind hips, so that's what I've been focusing on. I feel pretty tired this am from that workout. It did have a fair amount of race pace work in it. I'm heading to Sewy later to meet up with Water Rat for a workout.
8 x (25 AFAP + 75 EZ) @ 3:00-3:30
-- the pool was packed and I was splitting a lane so I opted for
-- 2 breast, 6 flutter kick (no fins)
-- I couldn't see my times bc the clocks were not synched
-- my flutter kick is much worse than my dolphin kick, so probably should work on it more
100 EZ
Jim & Bill arrived at this point, so I swam one set with them and then went back to sprinty things.
It was a mob scene at the pool yesterday. There were only three lanes for lap swim with 50+ kids in the other three lanes -- my worst nightmare. But I managed to split a lane or share with Jim & Bill for the most part. I'm pretty tired from that effort so will pass on the pool mob scene today.
I failed at staying up until midnight last night, despite a gaggle of loud girls at our house for a sleepover. Mr. Fort and I re-watched the two latest Star Trek movies to continue our debate over which series is better -- Star Wars or Star Trek.
Then we did Jim's new set:
6 x AFAP kick for :30 + 50 EZ @ 4:30
-- I did these dolphin kick w/fins & board. Was getting to about the 60 yard mark on each :30 effort
100 EZ
Total: 2400
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I felt rather awful in the pool today -- maybe a combination of xmas hangover and a lot of drylands. Jim is obsessed with this new set -- 6 x :30 AFAP kick @ 4:30 based on a recent Swedish study. The set is designed to increase endurance, despite the ample rest. The theory goes something like: the free radicals from all out efforts create calcium leaking in the cell channels, which in turn prompts oxygenating mitochondria growth. I had to poke a little fun at him bc I've been doing a variation of that set (5 x 50 AFAP @ 5:00 for years), and have told him that anaerobic work produces aerobic conditioning effects. But this is the first time he's ever done such a set with me. We were theorizing that there might be some benefit from just pulling such a set too.
My workout options are pretty limited for the next week plus with the high school pools closed, so I may have to go to Sewy quite a bit. There is a Pitt practice tomorrow at 3:00 that I can get to. Hopefully, there will be come later in the week as well. (I refuse to go to the 8:00 am practice.)
Despite sleeping a lot the last couple nights, I still feel pretty tired. Tired but wired. I guess that's par for the course for a multi-day meet. I did get back to the gym for a very light ease back in kind of workout. Inspired by swimdoc, going forward, I may try to add some dedicated TRX core work on off days from the gym. But not today. Still too bushed. Though I will head out to Pitt tonight. I am anxious to get back to real training. I feel like I gained ten pounds from my couch sojourn!
I was bummed to wake up to a crashed over xmas tree with tons of smashed ornaments. Argh! Must have been the damn cat.
But the good news is that, thanks to Stewart's emails, the meet directors did find our time from the mixed 200 free relay and added it to the results. |
Two men have had a nervous 500-kilometre journey to Alice Springs after they saw one of Australia's deadliest snakes crawl into the engine of their car shortly before they headed off.
Alice Springs snake catcher Rex Neindorf said the men, who drove for 500km with a 1.4-metre-long, highly venomous snake in their car, were lucky to be alive.
Mr Neindorf, who runs the Alice Springs Reptile Centre, said the men had been surveying remote bush roads on the Plenty Highway hundreds of kilometres from Alice Springs and saw the big mulga snake (also commonly known as a king brown) crawl under their vehicle, but did not see it reappear.
"They'd seen it disappear under their vehicle, and looked around the other side and it didn't come out, so they'd knew it went into the car somewhere," Mr Neindorf said.
The men then drove back to Alice Springs and straight to Mr Neindorf's house to seek his help in removing the dangerous reptile.
'It could have got inside the cabin'
Mr Neindorf said the men were brave to have gone so far with the snake, which would have felt the vibrations from the drive and not settled during the journey.
Australia's most dangerous snakes: 1. Eastern brown snake 2. Western brown snake (also known as gwardar) 3. Mainland tiger snake 4. Inland taipan (also known as fierce snake) 5. Coastal taipan 6. Mulga snake (also known as king brown) 7. Lowlands copperhead 8. Small-eyed snake 9. Common death adder 10. Red-bellied black snake
"Once a snake has access to a vehicle, they can actually go almost anywhere," he said.
"This snake was quite large, so it was restricted in its movements, but it still could have got inside the actual cabin."
He said when he found the large snake, that was "as fat as someone's arm" had become wedged between the air filter and the front headlight.
"It was really wedged in," he said.
But after giving it a "bit of a jiggle" and a "friendly poke" he managed to extricate it.
Mulga snakes are commonly known as king browns and are listed as Australia's sixth most dangerous snake, as named by Australian Geographic.
They like to eat other snakes and can be found on hot summer nights in Central Australia along with another highly venomous species — the Western Brown.
Mr Neindorf said while it was not common for snakes to be found in cars, when they did get access to one, they could be tricky to find.
Snake in your car? Keep it running
Just last week Mr Neindorf pulled out a Stimson's Python that had popped its head out of the glove box of a family car.
"You could be sitting in your vehicle driving along and the snake's head will come out of the air conditioning vent right next to your arm on the steering wheel," Mr Neindorf said.
"The best thing to do if you think you might have a snake in your car, is leave the car running in the hot sun, so it overheats.
"Snakes can't tolerate too much heat, because they don't have sweat glands and so they will eventually crawl out of the vehicle." |
Validation of the AmpliFLP D1S80 PCR Amplification Kit for forensic casework analysis according to TWGDAM guidelines.
The validation of the AmpliFLP D1S80 PCR Amplification Kit for use in forensic casework was accomplished by performing all the relevant experiments outlined in the TWGDAM guidelines. Standard specimen and reproducibility studies were performed using organic and rapid DNA extraction techniques on both stain and liquid samples (blood, semen and saliva). Over 300 samples from three different populations (US Caucasians, African Americans and US Hispanics) were analyzed to determine allele and genotype frequencies. Purified DNA was mixed in defined ratios (ranging from unmixed DNA samples to 1:9 mixtures of 2 different DNA samples) prior to amplification to demonstrate that samples containing DNA from more than one individual can be detected and, in many cases, that the genotypes contributing to the mixture can be identified. Since casework samples frequently are exposed to environmental insults that can result in DNA degradation, purified DNA was degraded in the laboratory to analyze the effect of DNA fragment length on D1S80 amplification. It is crucial in the validation process to examine actual casework evidentiary material. This D1S80 kit can be used successfully by forensic scientists to amplify and type nonprobative evidentiary material, including bloodstains collected from crime scenes and rape kit materials collected for sexual assault cases. The D1S80 kit is specific to human DNA, and the D1S80 alleles are inherited according to the laws of Mendel. The sensitivity of the novel gel electrophoresis gel matrix allowed the PCR cycle number to be reduced to 29 cycles and the D1S80 kit sensitivity to be increased to 2.5 ng from the previous D1S80 Reagent Set specifications of 30 cycles and 5 ng, respectively. |
258 So.2d 1 (1972)
STATE of Florida, Petitioner,
v.
James E. GUSTAFSON, Respondent.
No. 40808.
Supreme Court of Florida.
January 26, 1972.
Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., Charles W. Musgrove and Andrew I. Friedrich, Asst. Attys. Gen., for petitioner.
Michael F. Cycmanick of the Law Offices of James M. Russ, Orlando, for respondent.
DEKLE, Justice.
Petition for certiorari is before us in this cause asserting conflict with Farmer v. State, 208 So.2d 266 (3rd DCA Fla. 1968), and Smith v. State, 155 So.2d 826 (2nd DCA Fla. 1963), regarding the question of proper search and seizure. We find conflict which vests jurisdiction under *2 Fla. Const. art. V, § 4, F.S.A., to review the Fourth District Court opinion at 243 So.2d 615 (1971).
The catalyst for the extensive district opinion is a traffic incident occurring about 1:30 a.m. in the early Sunday morning hours in the town of Eau Gallie on Florida's lower east coast. An automobile driven by appellant and bearing out-of-state license plates was observed by a city police officer to be weaving across the line into another traffic lane. The officer stopped the vehicle "to find out why he had been driving that way, if he had been drinking or something." Upon the officer routinely asking for his driver's license, the appellant informed him that he had left it in his dormitory room at the adjoining town of Melbourne. He was thereupon arrested for failing to have a driver's license pursuant to statute.[1]
At this point when appellant was under arrest, the officer searched him and in a cigarette package taken from appellant's pocket he observed several homemade cigarettes. They turned out to be marijuana. Appellant was then charged with possession of marijuana under the statute.[2]
At a non-jury trial on the charge of unlawful possession of marijuana, the trial judge withheld adjudication of guilt and placed appellant on probation. The Fourth District Court reversed and held this to be an improper search and seizure and so not allowable in evidence, thus precluding any conviction. The court cited the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 12 of the Florida Declaration of Rights securing the people against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The district court's opinion is commendable in its research and treatment of the questions involved and while we uphold the opinion in its basic findings on the questions (1) that the initial stop and detention are reasonable under the circumstances and thus proper under the Fourth Amendment; (2) that the officer had authority to take appellant into custody for failure to have a driver's license in his possession and to arrest him for it; (3) that the officer had authority to search appellant's person instant to such arrest for a minor traffic violation; we reverse on the court's principal holding that the evidence should have been suppressed as the product of an illegal search and seizure in these circumstances.
A reasonable suspicion (which was present here) that the driver was intoxicated not only justified stopping the vehicle, but also justified searching for intoxicants or drugs, inasmuch as our statute makes the influence of either an offense.[3] In today's proliferation of illegal drug use which affects the faculties, checking only for liquors is no longer adequate. The new and devastating use of various drugs in myriad forms (unhappily by drivers in dangerous instrumentalities) imposes the further duty upon the alert police officer to examine as well for such drugs in their various forms. Statistics are now reporting that 1 in 5 fatal traffic accidents involve the use of intoxicants or drugs. Finding the marijuana cigarettes in the natural place of a cigarette package is no different than finding liquor in a liquor bottle. It is no less a proper search and seizure.
The district court opinion criticizes the appellate decisions of this state, including those of this Court and of other district courts initially set forth above for conflict, as being in error in asserting the test for reasonableness for search as being what it describes as "merely a determination of whether the search was incident to a lawful *3 arrest," citing this court's opinions in Italiano v. State, 141 Fla. 249, 193 So. 48 (1940), and Self v. State, 98 So.2d 333 (Fla. 1957). Our opinions are then described as "applying a categorical test of whether a lawful arrest preceded the search with little or no indication that other relevant circumstances were taken into consideration."
The district court then states:
"We will not compound the error nor blindly follow the categorical rule that a search incident to any arrest for the commission of any crime is lawful under the fourth amendment of the United States Constitution and Florida's Declaration of Rights."
The district opinion is an outright "reversal" (rejection) of our former decisions on the test for reasonable search and seizure. We expressly reverse the district opinion in such respect.
It has been the holding of the authorities through the years that once a proper arrest is made and the defendant is in custody that a reasonable search may then proceed and if evidence be then discovered reflecting that a crime has been committed or is being committed, the evidence is proper and admissible. This has included contraband upon search of a vehicle on probable cause (Carroll v. United States, 267 U.S. 132, 45 S.Ct. 280, 69 L.Ed. 543 (1925)[4]; search of the person and immediate surroundings as an incident to arrest (Chimel v. California, 395 U.S. 752, 89 S.Ct. 2034, 23 L.Ed.2d 685 (1969)); and the "plain sight" exception of property which is apparent to the officer after reasonable cause for stopping the defendant (Marron v. United States, 275 U.S. 192, 48 S.Ct. 74, 72 L.Ed. 231 (1927); State v. Ashby, 245 So.2d 225 (Fla. 1971)).
In Smith v. State, supra (relied on for conflict), lottery paraphernalia was found in the defendant's pocket during an arrest for operating a vehicle without a driver's license (the same arrest as here and the evidence was in plain sight upon "pat down" incident to taking into custody). It was also held to be a reasonable search, properly incident to the arrest, and the use of evidence discovered was held to be proper in Farmer v. State, supra, where marijuana was found in a match box after an arrest for public drunkenness.[5] Fla. Stat. § 901.21, F.S.A. (1970) also supports such search.
In the routine stopping of a motorist by an officer, as for a "failure to yield right of way", etc., where a traffic citation may be issued, there does not arise any reason for a general search and none would be authorized. This is consistent with the authorities against unreasonable search where there is no occasion for it. These include the line of cases represented by Graham v. State, 60 So.2d 186 (Fla. 1952), holding some incidental searches to be unreasonable and therefore improper, where a person is stopped in a vehicle "only as a pretext for a warrantless search." These are indeed exploratory and not truly incident to arrest since the search is the primary purpose of the arrest. Riddlehoover v. State, 198 So.2d 651 (3d DCA Fla. 1967); Chapman v. State, 158 So.2d 578 (3d DCA Fla. 1963).
The district court turns to Illinois for a different view than that which has been established in Florida. The opinion quotes from People v. Watkins, 19 Ill.2d 11, 166 N.E.2d 433 *4 (1960), and some of the federal courts, citing the 9th Circuit in Jack v. United States, 387 F.2d 471 (1967). There the narrow test is applied that in any incidental search upon arrest "it must ... relate[s] to the crime for which the arrest is made ... and not to some other charge... ." (emphasis ours)
The district court opinion poses the query: "May the search be for evidence of any crime, or is it limited to fruits of the crime for which the person was arrested?" (emphasis ours) The district's answer would restrict the search to that relating to the particular crime for which the actual arrest was made. It would even limit the search after arrest "to a search for weapons, which normally entails only `patting down' the suspect." Further on, the opinion would limit custodial search "to weapons and instrumentalities for escape." This is contrary not only to all Florida authorities as cited above but actually would be in derogation of the statute, section 901.21.
We reject these reversionary views as contrary to the entire body of established law which has been built up in this area and which permits proper incidental search that reasonably ensues after a legal arrest, in accordance with the foregoing authorities which we have set forth and in accordance with our Fla. Stat. § 902.21, F.S.A. This is no time for a retreat in the law when modern methods are demanded by accelerating criminal activity.
Neither do we subscribe to the district opinion's conclusions that generally in traffic arrest situations "there are no fruits or instrumentalities of the crimes"; nor with the assertion that "most searches [and seizures] following an arrest for a traffic violation will undoubtedly be improper" and so prohibited by the Fourth Amendment.
The district court describes its own position as being "This more restrictive interpretation of the proper scope of a search incident to arrest" and introduces the new and narrow test that:
"There must be a nexus between the offense and the object sought for a search conducted in connection with an arrest to be truly incident to it."
We cannot condone this radical departure from established, reasonable standards. We adhere to the former decisions of this state on the subject earlier recited.
The district court's opinion is accordingly quashed except as expressed herein.
It is so ordered.
ROBERTS, C.J., and CARLTON, ADKINS and BOYD, JJ., concur.
ERVIN and McCAIN, JJ., dissent.
NOTES
[1] Fla. Stat. § 322.15, F.S.A.
[2] Fla. Stat. § 398.01 et seq., F.S.A.
[3] Fla. Stat. § 317.201, F.S.A. includes: "... under the influence of alcoholic beverages, narcotic drugs, barbiturates or central nervous system stimulants... ."
[4] Fla. Stat. § 933.19, F.S.A. literally adopts the opinion of the Court in Carroll by express reference, the only such time to our knowledge that this has been done.
[5] See also, Fletcher v. State, 65 So.2d 845 (Fla. 1953); Gibson v. State, 180 So.2d 685 (3d DCA Fla. 1965); Chippas v. State, 180 So.2d 355 (3d DCA Fla. 1965); Gray v. State, 177 So.2d 868 (3d DCA Fla. 1965); Lyons v. Town of Lake Park, 153 So.2d 21 (2d DCA Fla. 1963); Cameron v. State, 112 So.2d 864 (1st DCA Fla. 1959); Bozeman v. State, 102 So.2d 648 (2d DCA Fla. 1958).
|
Rogers Media uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. Rogers Media supports the Digital Advertising Alliance principles. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies.
We use cookies (why?) You can change cookie preferences. Continued site use signifies consent.
Calgary Chamber calling for more upstream mitigation on five-year anniversary of floods
Tuesday marks the five-year anniversary of the start of the floods that wreaked havoc across Calgary and Southern Alberta.
The Calgary Chamber is calling for more action to make sure Calgary never gets hit as hard by flood waters again.
Scott Crockatt, Director of Communications, said important lessons were learned in 2013.
“We’ve learned a little bit about what it takes to get a community back up and running, and Calgary was remarkably successful at that. We’ve also learned what it’s going to take to prevent a flood in the future, and now it’s time to take that action,” he said.
Crockatt said, while progress has been made to reduce the impact of future similar disasters, people are quick to forget.
“These still are the second most costly natural disasters in Canadian history they cost billions of dollars, thousands of business closed,” he said.
“We still don’t have any real significant upstream mitigations, so the fact of the matter is that our business community is exposed today to another flood as it was then.”
Crockatt said the five-year anniversary should serve as a reminder of the importance of timely flood mitigation work and business preparedness. |
Most of the titanium dioxide coated mica pigment generates a coherent color and those are widely used as a pearl pigment. A color pigment is coexisted with the titanium dioxide coated mica pigment for the purpose of giving a specific color tone, but the color pigment is inferior in light resistance in general. Therefore, the color pigment (Japanese Examined Patent Publication Hei 4-61032 or the like) which obtained a colored appearance color by making a dark titanium lower oxides by reducing a part of a titanium dioxide layer in a titanium dioxide coated mica pigment and by emphasizing the coherent color that the titanated pigment is essentially possessed, has been developed.
Such an inorganic color pigment is extremely stable in the chemistry and is excellent in light resistance.
However, in said inorganic titanium dioxide coated mica pigment, it is difficult to sufficiently develop a color tone range of long wavelength side such as red, in particular. Accordingly, it has been expected to improve the color tone.
Also, pigments require not only a specific beautiful color tone, but also various functions in recent years. For example, the pigment, which can easily obtain color tone flip-flop property that displays a different color tone according to the observed angle, attracts people's attention from the point of view to obtain a coated-body that is difficult to make a copy by color copy.
However, the ordinary pigment only can be observed with the same color tone from every direction. Also, the ordinary pigment only can obtain the flip-flop property that the coherent color can be observed to some extent according to the observed direction by compounding a coherent material. |
1 (d) 0.3 (e) -4/7 (f) 2/23
d
What is the nearest to -2 in 1.06, -72, 352, 0.2, 3/4?
0.2
Which is the closest to 1/8? (a) -1/4 (b) -4 (c) -1/2 (d) 6739
a
What is the nearest to -24 in -44, 0.5, -2, 12, -1, 23?
-44
Which is the nearest to 1? (a) 1/4 (b) -0.104 (c) -10647
a
Which is the closest to 2? (a) -0.557 (b) -0.5 (c) -197 (d) -2/3
b
Which is the closest to -0.1? (a) 12451 (b) 10 (c) -5 (d) 3 (e) -3
e
What is the nearest to 0.3 in -1/3, 24, 46259?
-1/3
What is the nearest to -2/3 in 20393978, 0, -3?
0
Which is the closest to 3/22? (a) -4 (b) -4/17 (c) -957
b
What is the nearest to -6/961 in 0.3, 0.4, -13.043?
0.3
What is the closest to -5.83 in 2/47, -4, 152?
-4
What is the closest to 1/831 in -2/5, -2/3, -3/5, -0.3, 0.05?
0.05
What is the nearest to 0 in -2/233, 40, 0.04, 2/11, -2/13, -1/96?
-2/233
Which is the nearest to -0.1999? (a) 4 (b) 0.39 (c) 35
b
What is the closest to -114238 in 1/4, -11, -4/3?
-11
What is the nearest to -2/3 in -0.5, 1354, -1429, 5/6, -2/3?
-2/3
Which is the closest to -1? (a) 152.56 (b) 16 (c) 0.5
c
What is the nearest to -0.1 in 1, -1090/13, -1, 5/4?
-1
What is the closest to -1399177 in 1/10, -3/4, -3, -3/2?
-3
What is the closest to -93.572 in 3, -4, -227/2, 0.4?
-227/2
Which is the closest to -12203? (a) -0.5 (b) 1 (c) 5 (d) -5 (e) -21 (f) 3/7
e
Which is the closest to -1013? (a) -1/5 (b) 0.009 (c) -0.1
a
Which is the closest to -6/7? (a) -3/49 (b) 18.5 (c) -0.069
c
Which is the closest to -73? (a) 2/3 (b) 1 (c) 60698
a
Which is the nearest to -2/3? (a) -8/17 (b) 29 (c) -8.2 (d) 5 (e) -2
a
Which is the nearest to 12/19? (a) -1.5 (b) -55/2 (c) 0 (d) 0.1 (e) 1
e
Which is the closest to 0.95? (a) 4/55 (b) 64 (c) 2/3 (d) -0.3
c
Which is the closest to -0.3? (a) 3/8 (b) -1/13 (c) -59/2597 (d) 3
b
Which is the closest to -9? (a) -66 (b) 17 (c) -2/3 (d) 3
c
Which is the closest to 24? (a) -2.4 (b) -4 (c) -2.3 (d) -38
c
What is the nearest to -1/5 in -193605, 1, -0.2, -4?
-0.2
Which is the closest to 2? (a) -106 (b) 0.2 (c) -8 (d) 0.172
b
Which is the nearest to -0.0246? (a) -3/4 (b) -7 (c) -4 (d) -2
a
What is the nearest to 2 in -0.2, 38/5, -0.4, 185?
-0.2
Which is the nearest to 3? (a) -4 (b) -0.14807162 (c) -2
b
Which is the closest to 2810? (a) -0.053 (b) 2 (c) -4
b
Which is the closest to -2? (a) 99/4 (b) -20 (c) 2/2135
c
What is the nearest to -1.7 in 8, -5, -0.4, -1, 476.3?
-1
What is the closest to 2 in 457/3, -5, 4, 0.8, -20?
0.8
What is the closest to 12 in -5465/11, -5, -0.3?
-0.3
What is the closest to 2/7 in 0.053, -0.1, -305/372?
0.053
Which is the nearest to 60? (a) 15 (b) -1/4 (c) -19.5 (d) 5
a
What is the nearest to -5 in -2/9, 611, 2, -49?
-2/9
What is the nearest to -0.03 in 571, 0.58, -2/5, 2/3, -5?
-2/5
What is the closest to -2/3 in -1, 317.4, -2/5?
-2/5
What is the nearest to 2/3 in 1/2, -29, -7/26044?
1/2
What is the nearest to -32 in -3, 47, -35, -30?
-30
Which is the nearest to -0.01? (a) -0.1 (b) 20/6767 (c) -3/4 (d) 0.2
b
What is the nearest to -1/2 in -4, 126.7, 0.5, -971, 0.2?
0.2
What is the closest to -1 in -0.2, 0, 2/7, -3, -19/153?
-0.2
Which is the closest to 11/4? (a) 3155 (b) -3 (c) 5
c
What is the nearest to 20141 in -4, -1.6, -3/4?
-3/4
Which is the nearest to -2? (a) 112 (b) 14/69 (c) -0.5
c
Which is the closest to -3/2? (a) -7 (b) 2/341 (c) -95 (d) 0.2 (e) -0.3
e
What is the nearest to -0.1 in 4305, 0, 483?
0
What is the nearest to 1 in -2.02, -2/3663, -0.2, 2/11, -0.06?
2/11
Which is the nearest to 14/23? (a) 2 (b) 5 (c) -37 (d) 0.43
d
What is the closest to -2 in -3, 4, -2/13, -0.00159, -2/11?
-3
Which is the nearest to 2/9? (a) 0 (b) -58 (c) -55 (d) 0.2 (e) 1/114
d
Which is the nearest to -6/13? (a) -0.4 (b) -2 (c) 6.227 (d) -3
a
Which is the closest to 5/6? (a) -355 (b) -0.5 (c) -2/5 (d) 2/15 (e) 8
d
What is the nearest to -0.3 in 253429, 2.4, 2/9?
2/9
Which is the closest to 2/9? (a) -1.9 (b) -4 (c) 2290/11 (d) -2
a
What is the closest to -397 in -5132.5, -4, 5?
-4
What is the closest to 2/5 in -0.52, 0.1, 171, 4/3, 2?
0.1
Which is the nearest to 219.9? (a) 3/4 (b) -0.18 (c) -0.1
a
Which is the nearest to 16? (a) 8856 (b) -25/3 (c) -1
c
What is the closest to 18 in 16, 7436, -1/12?
16
What is the closest to 0.16 in 12, -309, 5, 18, 4?
4
What is the nearest to 7 in 3/118, -1/4, 2/11, 5, -1.3?
5
What is the nearest to -0.1 in 58, -5/2, 367, -0.2?
-0.2
What is the nearest to 0.2 in 4/13, 55, -4/9, 1.6, -3?
4/13
What is the closest to 0.2 in -1, 3/71, -5, -861, -2/15?
3/71
What is the nearest to 25.2442 in -7, 0, 2/15, -3?
2/15
What is the closest to -1 in -24, 5.35, 2/3, 1, -0.68?
-0.68
What is the closest to -130/37 in 2/7, 4/5, 6, 3, 1?
2/7
What is the closest to -10 in -510, 1, -0.04?
-0.04
What is the closest to 1/14 in 3, 0.48, -6, -2/1449?
-2/1449
What is the closest to 1 in 2/41, -9, 73, -2, -3968?
2/41
What is the closest to 1/6 in 15, -2/7, 4, 541?
-2/7
What is the closest to 4.3 in -3, 3/5, 0, -1/9, -6?
3/5
Which is the closest to 2/7? (a) -4 (b) 15 (c) 0.0474 (d) -5 (e) -1/8
c
Which is the nearest to -1? (a) -0.5 (b) 570 (c) 8/11 (d) 6906
a
What is the nearest to 3 in -1/120, 48, 5/4, -1?
5/4
What is the closest to -0.49 in 12/13, -5, -14/17, 5/7?
-14/17
Which is the closest to -1? (a) 3/382 (b) 4 (c) -4/5 (d) -255 (e) -4
c
What is the nearest to 9 in -0.01, 3/127, -23, 30, -5?
3/127
What is the nearest to 53 in -2, -7/5, 14, -33, -1/7?
14
What is the closest to 0.2 in -1/2, -65.1, -239/3?
-1/2
Which is the closest to -32/93? (a) 1.85 (b) 1/8 (c) 0.1 (d) 0.2
c
Which is the nearest to 1/4? (a) 0.1 (b) -10 (c) 1/3217
a
Which is the nearest to 20? (a) 0.0345 (b) -0.069 (c) 5 (d) -3
c
Which is the nearest to 2/3? (a) -8056 (b) -1 (c) 1.34
c
Which is the closest to 1/3? (a) -97 (b) 0 (c) -35 (d) -2/7
b
Which is the closest to 1/5? (a) -0.5 (b) 0.00893 (c) 0.09 (d) 2/3
c
What is the nearest to 1 in 4.82, 2/5, -6, -0.01, 2/61?
2/5
What is the nearest to 1 in 36/47, 2/25, 0.4, -6, 0.06, -1?
36/47
Which is the closest to 3? (a) -0.4 (b) -4 (c) -6 (d) 187 (e) -0.5
a
What is the nearest to -13/808 in 1/6, 60/11, 2, -2/13, -1/11, -4?
-1/11
What is the closest to -2/9 in -4, -0.35, 29394, 0.5?
-0.35
Which is the closest to 5? (a) 11311.4 (b) 0.04 (c) 76
b
Which is the closest to 6/5? (a) 2/1789 (b) -13 (c) -2/5 (d) -2 (e) -5/4
a
Which is the nearest to -2? (a) -415147/11 (b) -0.1 (c) 0.3 (d) -4
b
What is the nearest to 2 in 13.3, 174, -26?
13.3
Which is the closest to 0.2? (a) 4/7 (b) -243599 (c) -0.2 (d) 1/3
d
Which is the closest to 132? (a) -5 (b) -31 (c) -9/7 (d) 139
d
What is the closest to -2/387 in 1/9, 5, 6/7, -3.2, 0.4?
1/9
What is the closest to -3 in 1818, 21, -1.1?
-1.1
What is the nearest to -4 in 24, -3, 14, -82, -12, 3?
-3
What is the closest to 2 in -0.03, -3, 8, 5/8, -45?
5/8
Which is the closest to 69? (a) -4 (b) 1/4 (c) 0.091 (d) 4/7 (e) -73
d
What is the nearest to -0.03 in 53, 1/445, 2?
1/445
Which is the closest to -29/25? (a) -495 (b) 2/9 (c) 0.12
c
What is the closest to 1 in -11, -0.3, -1/503, -4, -68?
-1/503
Which is the nearest to 3/5? (a) -125 (b) 263 (c) 3
c
What is the nearest to -0.3 in -3, -4/3, 1.26, 0.0577?
0.0577
Which is the closest to 1.6? (a) 230 (b) -2 (c) -0.2 (d) 308 (e) 2/7
e
Which is the nearest to 4/3? (a) -266811.9 (b) 5 (c) -1/10
c
What is the closest to -567850 in -1/4, 45, -1?
-1
What is the nearest to 0.03 in -0.2, 1.8, 171577, 0?
0
What is the closest to 2/5 in 0.1, -3/7, -8532, -6?
0.1
What is the closest to 0.07 in -2, -0.082, -0.3, 197, 1?
-0.082
What is the nearest to 1 in -36, -0.2, 272, 1/6?
1/6
What is the nearest to 1/4671 in -0.011, -2/9, 4/7?
-0.011
Which is the closest to 11/2? (a) -3.4 (b) -6.7 (c) 4/3 (d) -2/7 (e) 1
c
What is the nearest to -2/3 in 0.2952, 3/7, 15?
0.2952
What is the closest to -1/3 in 87, -8/13, -45.8?
-8/13
Which is the closest to -11568? (a) 0 (b) 1.54 (c) -4
c
Which is the closest to 8? (a) 2 (b) 162011 (c) -4
a
Which is the closest to -1/3? (a) -2 (b) -0.4 (c) -0.01251 (d) 17/9
b
What is the closest to 0 in 21.31, 5/12, 2, 1?
5/12
What is the nearest to 0 in 1/21 |
This article looks at the role that the European Parliament (EP), as the only democratically elected EU institution, plays in ensuring transparency in the EU’s newly concluded free trade and investment agreements (FTIAs). ...
In the context of a rising number of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) that include investment protection provisions traditionally found in bilateral investment treaties (BITs), this chapter has a double purpose. First, ...
An important ‘stress test’ for regional human rights courts would be to see how well such courts perform when faced with authoritarian, human rights-violating regimes that they are supposed to hinder or constrain. These ...
The EU’s new Free Trade and Investment Agreements (FTIAs) are meant to tackle many of the issues that led to the contestation of international investment law, by increasing the control of the contracting parties over the ...
This paper undertakes to address an emerging conflict between women’s human rights and gender identity rights, using tools provided by the human rights framework and by the Con-vention on the Elimination of All Forms of ...
Studies show that the devastating effect of climate change results in displacement of people throughout the world. The causal link between climate change and displacement is greatly disputed among scholars, it is undeniable ...
Traditional knowledge consists of is know-how, skills, innovations and practices that are passed on from generation to generation within indigenous peoples or local communities, forming part of its cultural identity and ...
This study sheds light on Mediation as a method of Alternative Dispute Resolution. Despite its obvious advantages, being a speedy and cheaper process with high success rate of settlement, Mediation is not broadly used in ...
A Principle of Subsidiarity regulates the allocation and/or use of authority within a political order where authority is dispersed between a centre and various sub-units. Section 1 sketches the role of such principle of ...
The thesis is discusses what is the scope of Umbrella Clauses. State undertakings must satisfy the condition of being investment. That is the first requirement of applicability of investment regime to state undertakings. ...
The chapter addresses some of the tensions between sovereignty, international human rights review and legitimacy, and bring these findings to bear on the proposals for reform of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ...
The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) provided a mandate to negotiate a new climate agreement by 2015, entering into force from 2020. This chapter examines the legal form and principles of a new agreement. It is ...
Ethiopia, the most populous least-developed country outside of the World Trade Organization, is on the process of accession since 2003. What the potential implications of this accession will be for the financial service ...
This thesis analyses the development of REDD+ in Costa Rica. It sets out to analyse what the obligations of Costa Rica are under International Human Rights Law with regard to Indigenous Peoples at the moment of implementing ...
The increasing demand for domestic work in affluent European countries is reflected by the influx of mostly young women au pairs from non-EU/EEA countries, particularly from the Philippines. Au pairs under the 1969 ...
The thesis discusses the reform of the European Financial Sector, focusing on those measures directly aimed at increasing the level of investment and economic growth in the EU, including investor protection.
Although, all social and economic activities rely heavily on the supply and quality of freshwater, the extent to which water resource development contributes to the economic productivity and social well-being is not usually ...
This paper is divided in 3 parts, Part I is about the implementation process of the UN Con-vention on contracts for the International Sale of Goods(CISG) in Norwegian legislation, the Secord Part is dedicated to the analysis ...
The thesis is based on one of Italy's arguments in the proceedings before the International Court of Justice in the Jurisdictional Immunities case against Germany. The ICJ issued its Judgment recently on February 3rd, 2012. ...
Studies show that the overwhelming majority of the people forced to flee for environmental reasons are, and will be, in the under-developed world. While many are displaced within their own country, others would cross ...
This thesis attempts to explore which legal regime and which rules of protection of International Humanitarian Law are applicable in the situation of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh region, between former Soviet Republics of ...
Foreign investors refer to arbitration for resolving their disputes with the host states. Recent practice demonstrates that the arbitral tribunals are often confronted with the question of legality of investment. This issue ...
In recent years, the proliferation of natural resource trade has caused rising demand in supply of resource products, leading to “widespread anxiety over the security of access to natural re-source.” In context of this, ...
In international environmental law, forest law is often perceived as undeveloped area of law. Major threats posed from multidimensional environmental crisis facing planet earth and the humanity: climate change, loss of ...
This thesis seeks to clarify whether or not Developed States are legally obliged to cooperate for the protection of economic and social rights. The aim is to provide an analysis of the relationship between laws and realities ...
i
Abstract
In the past decade there has been a series of conflicting
arbitration awards regarding the interpretation of the Most-
Favoured-Nation standard and if it can be extended to dispute
settlement procedure. The ...
Each year millions of people throughout the world are forced from their homes to make way for new roads, dams and other infrastructure developments. The World Bank funds many of these projects in developing countries and ...
Healthcare was for long not considered a matter to be dealt with by the European Union. It was looked at as outside of the competence of the EU and the legal entitlements of the individual patient to access healthcare ...
Capacity to prosecute core international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes is emanating and concentrated at the international tribunals. What about other places making disturbing headlines in the ...
This thesis addresses the extent which freedom of expression and information (FOE/I) right have been extended to citizens in the ASEAN states. Criteria to access the conformance with international standards in FOE/I are ...
Year 2011 has been a “freedom of assembly year” as we have not only watched the events of “Arab spring” and “Occupy Wall Street”, but UN appointed the first-ever Special Rapporteur on the rights of freedom of assembly and ...
Abstract
Adoption of the Optional Protocol to International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights proves the Universality, indivisibility, interdependent and interrelated of ESC Rights. That is, the ESC rights ...
The thesis presents some reflections regarding the potency of socio-economic rights. The paper points out the role of socio-economic rights and the interdependence of the two sets of rights. The aim of this paper is to ...
This thesis is inspired by the long lasting media and politicians’ discussions about building the Nord Stream Pipeline in the Baltic Sea. Nobody disagrees about the need of the pipeline between Russia and Europe, but there ...
This study is an attempt to examine the legal status under International Humanitarian Law of children in situations of attack on targets involving them.
The thesis will also explore other relevant rules of International ...
The right to education is enshrined in numerous binding international agreements (most notably the ICESCR art. 13), and the international community has time and again expressed its commitment to fulfill universal primary ...
From 2012 international aviation is to be included in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). The EU ETS has no differentiation between the airlines which means that the trading scheme applies to all airlines ...
In the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, two systems exist to handle children who come in conflict with the law – the criminal law system and the administrative law system. The latter is the system most commonly used by ...
Armed conflicts with many core international crimes committed entail many suspects. There are nearly 2000 opened war crimes cases, including almost 10, 000 suspects in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) as a result of the war ...
Many scholars have advanced theories concerning the so-called democracy deficit in the European Union. The global financial crisis and the sovereign debt crisis in Europe has given a new perspective on how to view these ...
The Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (hereinafter referred to as CBDR) is one of the most effective principles in the international environmental law legal regime. It entails two elements: common ...
The aim of this thesis is the better understanding of structural sexual violence against women. Through a human rights approach, the author examines the link between the gendered discriminatory policies against women and ...
The Member States of the European Union (EU) have developed various means of preventing irregular migration. Those Member States along the Mediterranean coast find themselves under increasing pressure to control immigration ...
Laws criminalizing defamation exists in numerous countries in the world, including some
western European countries and the United States. However, in those mentioned developed
countries these laws are usually not applied ...
International petroleum arrangements are the result of interplay of states, often represented by their national companies, and private oil entities, within the oil industry. While the former are interested in economic ...
This thesis focuses on the case of Erdemović, which concerns the law of duress, and particularly upon the majority Judgement of Judges McDonald and Vohrah. In their Judgement, they narrow the issue before them down to ...
Reducing emissions form deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD) is a climate change mitigation mechanism addressing the current environmental crisis by increasing the value of standing forests. ...
Refugees are the persons whose fundamental rights have been violated. Within refugee community, rights of refugee women have been much more violated. Refugees’ problem has existed since long time. Now this problem is ...
The existence of dual system of responsibility is considered to be a constant feature of international law, which nevertheless reveals many shadow areas at the same time. If international crime is committed by a state organ ...
This paper identifies a growing trend of the adoption of restrictive laws regulating establishment and operation of NGOs in Azerbaijan, Belarus and the Russian Federation. Broad and vague provisions often provide the ...
Seeking Asylum or seeking international protection is only one of many problems in today’s world. Many wars; civil wars,and the war on terror have made people seek international protection, and because of it the world is ...
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is seen by some as the most tangible innovation in the reform process that created the Human Rights Council in 2006 to replace the repudiated Commission on Human Rights. It is an ...
The achievement of a certain level” of environmental quality is legally formulated within the Right to a Healthy Environment. National constitutions and international instruments guarantee this right. These instruments ...
This study is primarily devoted to explore and analyse the application of principle of proportionality as a method of investment dispute settlement particulary in indirect expropriation cases. Recently, ICSID arbitrators ...
This paper deals with wars of national liberation in the context of occupation. The law of occupation in international humanitarian law has developed to include wars of national liberation. Hence this study identify the ...
Armed conflicts result in too many atrocities being committed. Once a conflict is over, the criminal justice system of the affected country should ideally hold accountable those responsible for core international crimes. ...
Joint Implementation is one of three flexibility mechanisms established to allow developed countries to receive credit for greenhouse gas emissions reductions activities conducted in developed countries against net emissions ...
The discussion underlying this thesis is the EU-EAC Economic Partnership Agreement and its impact on the Right to Food. The EU under the auspice of the Cotonou Agreement is negotiating new trade agreements with its ACP ...
The thesis examines the legitimacy of the expanding powers of the Security Council and addresses the question of whether such hypertrophy serves the purpose of strengthening the rule of law in international relations, as ...
This paper treats multilateralism as an essential tool in the implementation of climate policies. It focuses on how multilateralism can facilitate the efforts of the international community in dealing with the climate ...
The paper offers a substantive assessment of the duties incumbent on States under international humanitarian law to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilian population under its control in time of armed conflict.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) consists of the obligation of the business society to pay attention on problems external to them, public problems, such as combating poverty and social inequity, reduction of spatial ...
The thesis discusses the right to participate in free and fair elections and its exercise in Azerbaijan in context of international law and democracy. The main focus of the study is directed to analysis of conformity of ... |
Q:
How to mock RestTemplate with MockRestServiceServer?
@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
public class FeatureFlipperManagerTest {
@Autowired
RestTemplate restTemplate = new RestTemplate();
@Autowired
Service service = new Service();
MockRestServiceServer mockServer = MockRestServiceServer.createServer(restTemplate);
@Test
public void test() throws Exception {
mockServer.expect(requestTo(Mockito.anyString()))
.andRespond(withSuccess("{\"enabled\":true}", MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON));
boolean res = service.isEnabled("xxx");
mockServer.verify();
Assert.assertEquals(true, res);
}
}
I have MockRestServiceServer to mock restTemplete in a service. But it always fail. it shows the error as java.lang.AssertionError: Further request(s) expected
0 out of 1 were executed. Any one could let me know where I did not do it right.
The service itself will looks as this:
public class Service{
public boolean isEnabled(String xxx) {
RestTemplate restTemplate = new RestTemplate();
ResponseEntity<String> response = restTemplate.getForEntity("someurl",String.class);
if(...)return true;
return false;
}
}
A:
First of all, your Service class creates a new instance of RestTemplate on every request. I cannot stress enough how bad practice it is. Create a bean of type RestTemplate and inject it into your Service bean (it is most likely already created - depending on the Spring MVC version you are using).
Once you have it, then both RestTemplates: one in your Service bean and one injected into FeatureFlipperManagerTest will be the same and testing with MockRestServiceServer will be possible.
EDIT - to be more explicit:
Modify your Service class to:
@Component
public class Service {
private RestTemplate restTemplate;
@Autowired
public Service(RestTemplate restTemplate) {
this.restTemplate = restTemplate;
}
public boolean isEnabled(String xxx) {
ResponseEntity<String> response = restTemplate.getForEntity("someurl",String.class);
if(...)return true;
return false;
}
}
and your test class to:
@RunWith(MockitoJUnitRunner.class)
public class FeatureFlipperManagerTest {
@Autowired
RestTemplate restTemplate;
@Autowired
Service service;
MockRestServiceServer mockServer = MockRestServiceServer.createServer(restTemplate);
@Test
public void test() throws Exception {
mockServer.expect(requestTo(Mockito.anyString()))
.andRespond(withSuccess("{\"enabled\":true}", MediaType.APPLICATION_JSON));
boolean res = service.isEnabled("xxx");
mockServer.verify();
Assert.assertEquals(true, res);
}
}
If this fails with exception saying that there is no RestTemplate bean present then please paste info about version of Spring (Spring Boot?) you are using.
|
Concomitant evaluation of PMA+ionomycin-induced kinase phosphorylation and cytokine production in T cell subsets by flow cytometry.
Methods to detect intracellular kinase signaling intermediates by flow cytometry have been recently developed. Termed "phospho-flow," these methods employ fluorescence-conjugated monoclonal antibodies that recognize phosphorylated epitopes of intracellular kinases, and may be combined with surface phenotypic markers to observe changes in kinase pathways by cellular subset. Effector functions, like cytokine production, are processes intrinsically linked to intracellular signaling and kinase activity within each cell. Methodologies that would simultaneously detect changes to signaling pathways as well as effector responses at the single-cell level would allow for mapping of the functional consequences induced by signaling pathway modifications. However, there are challenges to developing such a combined protocol, relating to the different kinetics of rapid signaling events and the more prolonged time required to induce and observe cytokine responses. In this report, we describe the development of an assay that accommodates differences in protocol conditions and response kinetics, merging phospho-flow cytometry, and intracellular cytokine staining methods into a single experimental protocol. We examined intracellular ERK1/2 phosphorylation and IFN-γ production by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells upon polyclonal stimulation with PMA and ionomycin, while monitoring expression of the cytolytic molecule perforin and the T cell activation marker CD38. We present a method that allows observation of kinase phosphorylation and cytokine production within the same cell after stimuli, while maintaining a stable cellular phenotype. Monitoring of signaling and effector functions in distinct immune subsets provides a platform to investigate and relate intracellular kinase signaling activity to immune cell effector function and phenotype in disease states. |
Menu
Introducing Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick
“Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick is made for the modern woman on the go – just swipe it on and go-it’s that easy.”
Bobbi Brown
Effortless and high impact – that’s the essence of NEW Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick.This do-it-all formula glides on tug-free and can be used to shade, define, smoke up and highlight eyes. In subtle to eye-popping shades that last for up to 8 hours without creasing, flaking or fading, it’s a stroke of genius. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.