text stringlengths 8 5.77M |
|---|
Structures and properties of spherical 90-vertex fullerene-like nanoballs.
By applying the proper stoichiometry of 1:2 to [Cp(R)Fe(eta(5)-P(5))] and CuX (X=Cl, Br) and dilution conditions in mixtures of CH(3)CN and solvents like CH(2)Cl(2), 1,2-Cl(2)C(6)H(4), toluene, and THF, nine spherical giant molecules having the simplified general formula [Cp(R)Fe(eta(5)-P(5))]@[{Cp(R)Fe(eta(5)-P(5))}(12){CuX}(25)(CH(3)CN)(10)] (Cp(R)=eta(5)-C(5)Me(5) (Cp*); eta(5)-C(5)Me(4)Et (Cp(Et)); X=Cl, Br) have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The products consist of 90-vertex frameworks consisting of non-carbon atoms and forming fullerene-like structural motifs. Besides the mostly neutral products, some charged derivatives have been isolated. These spherical giant molecules show an outer diameter of 2.24 (X=Cl) to 2.26 nm (X=Br) and have inner cavities of 1.28 (X=Cl) and 1.20 nm (X=Br) in size. In most instances the inner voids of these nanoballs encapsulate one molecule of [Cp*Fe(eta(5)-P(5))], which reveals preferred orientations of pi-pi stacking between the cyclo-P(5) rings of the guest and those of the host molecules. Moreover, pi-pi and sigma-pi interactions are also found in the packing motifs of the balls in the crystal lattice. Electrochemical investigations of these soluble molecules reveal one irreversible multi-electron oxidation at E(p)=0.615 V and two reduction steps (-1.10 and -2.0 V), the first of which corresponds to about 12 electrons. Density functional calculations reveal that during oxidation and reduction the electrons are withdrawn or added to the surface of the spherical nanomolecules, and no Cu(2+) species are involved. |
Teemu Turunen
Teemu Turunen (born 19 January 1986 in Kuopio) is a Finnish footballer who plays as a midfielder. He currently represents Sogndal Fotball in Norwegian First Division, the second highest level of Norwegian football. He made his debut in Veikkausliiga in 2004 for FC KooTeePee. Turunen is a member of Finland national under-21 football team and he has visited the training camps of several foreign professional teams including Udinese, Rangers F.C., and SC Heerenveen. Teemu's younger brother Tuomo plays in Swedish Allsvenskan, for Trelleborgs FF.
References
Category:1986 births
Category:Living people
Category:Finnish footballers
Category:Finnish expatriate footballers
Category:FC Inter Turku players
Category:Veikkausliiga players
Category:Expatriate footballers in Norway
Category:Finnish expatriate sportspeople in Norway
Category:Association football midfielders |
Vision for cutting London transport emissions by 60% unveiled
Achieving carbon efficient transport in London is possible says Halcrow/Uni of Oxford
Traffic Jam in Croydon Pic: Chris McKenna
Achieving sharp reductions in London's transport emissions – up to 60% by 2025, 80% by 2050 – is possible according to a major study led by Halcrow and the University of Oxford. But it would require a comprehensive, multi-strand policy approach.
Using a bespoke, city-based transport emission simulation model, the study demonstrates the impact of various potential policy decisions.
Commenting on the study, Halcrow project manager and research fellow at Oxford's transport studies unit, Dr Robin Hickman said: “The findings from this study demonstrate how effective packaging of a wide range of interventions – including promoting low emission vehicles, investment in public transport, walking and cycling, behavioural change measures, promoting ecological driving and slower speeds and freight planning – can help London move towards a 60 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions by 2025 and onto even deeper cuts beyond”.
An executive summary, simulation model and background report outlining the findings of the 'visioning and backcasting for transport in London' (VIBAT) study have now been published.
The VIBAT London project was funded by the University of London's UrbanBuzz programme, a knowledge-transfer scheme aimed at developing “genuinely sustainable forms of development and community in London and the wider Southeast region”.
The project has been published setting out how London can achieve deep CO2 reduction targets in transport. A range of future year scenarios have been tested, with policy pathways developed towards a 60 per cent reduction in transport CO2 emissions by 2025, rising to 80 per cent by 2050.
It has developed a backcasting approach to transport planning in London – visioning a sustainable transport future for 2050 and 2025 and “casting back” to the present day in terms of steps required to implement a carbon efficient transport system.
Many measures have been put in place throughout London to help reduce CO2 emissions, including the London Congestion Charge and 20mph zones, but the AA president Edmund King said that these could actually be increasing CO2 emissions.
He said: “If we are smart about urban transport we can reduce CO2 and congestion without spending millions. Congestion and CO2 can be reduced by improving traffic flow through co-ordination of road works, phasing of lights and good parking policy.
“If we continually obstruct traffic with excessive traffic calming, we will increase congestion and CO2. New technology to improve fuel efficiency will be the biggest contribution to reducing CO2 from road transport.'
Transport secretary Lord Adonis announced plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions earlier this year and the promotion of cycling was high on the agenda. Lord Adonis said that the green transport measures would save an additional 85 million tonnes of CO2 over the period of 2018-22. |
It's common knowledge: Chips are bad for you. Apples are good for you. But apple chips? Well, they're the best of both worlds–delicious and nutritious (and a wayyy healthier alternative to greasy potato chips). Baking the crunchy, cinnamon-y treat is...
For a lot of girls, February can get a little...blah. All of the holidays are over, it's most likely cold and dark where you are, and warm weather seems like some distant fairy tale. But it doesn't have to be...
You know what they say - breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Skip the sugar overload (we're looking at you, Fruity Pebbles) and whip up one of these super healthy morning meals instead for tons of energy...
Let's get one thing straight: Not all tacos are created equal. That's why when we heard about this recipe, we had to try it and share. They're simple to make and will leave ya licking your fingers for more. Plus...
Citrus season is the only reason that we're actually OK with winter. And that's especially thanks to the biggest, baddest citrus fruit of all: the grapefruit. This beloved tangy treat can make us feel like we're relaxing in the sunshine...
Whether you're a football fan or not, you're most likely going to be partying it up on Superbowl Sunday. Ditch the boring chips and dip and score a touchdown with your friends with these adorable sporty snacks. Talk about Sunday...
It can be hard out there for a veggie lovin’ lady. Whether you’re trying to eat more cleanly or have sworn off meat for good, you may find yourself recycling the same healthy-but-humdrum meals from day to day. You deserve...
The Super Bowl is coming up fast, which means: Football parties, lots' of munchies and loads of fun. If you're throwing a bash for your friends and family to watch the big game, then you'll probably need some awesome snacks...
Let’s face it: Caf food isn’t exactly the healthiest thing out there. And just because your school serves tempting baked goods during lunch time, doesn’t mean you have to eat em'. Instead, opt for a sweet and healthy treat like...
Make it known that I am very available and dying to go, and hope you crush picks up on the cluesWalk up to my crush and ask him to be my date. I’m not just gonna sit around and wait for Prince CharmingMy BFF and I have vowed to be each other's dates to spare us the embarrassment of not getting askedYou won't see me attending any dances with these two left feet! |
William Sneyd
William Sneyd (ca. 1614 – January 1695) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660.
Sneyd was the son of Ralph Sneyd of Keele, Staffordshire, a member of the ancient family of Sneyd. He was educated at Chell, Staffordshire under Mr Stevenson and was admitted to Caius College, Cambridge on 7 July 1632. He was admitted at Gray's Inn on 9 May 1634.
In 1660, Sneyd was elected Member of Parliament for Staffordshire in the Convention Parliament. He was a J.P. and was High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1663.
Sneyd died at the age of 80 and was buried at Wolstanton, Staffordshire on 17 January 1695.
Sneyd married Elizabeth Audeley, daughter of Robert Audeley, of Gransden, and had issue.
References
Category:1610s births
Category:1695 deaths
Category:English MPs 1660
Category:Members of Gray's Inn
Category:People of the Stuart period
Category:High Sheriffs of Staffordshire |
/*
* Copyright 2017 Netflix, Inc.
*
* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License")
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
* You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
package com.netflix.spinnaker.orca.exceptions;
import com.google.common.base.Strings;
import java.util.*;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;
/** ExceptionHandler. */
public interface ExceptionHandler {
boolean handles(Exception e);
Response handle(String taskName, Exception exception);
class Response {
private final Date timestamp = new Date();
private final String exceptionType;
private final String operation;
private final Map<String, Object> details;
private final boolean shouldRetry;
public Response(
String exceptionType,
String operation,
Map<String, Object> responseDetails,
boolean shouldRetry) {
this.exceptionType = exceptionType;
this.operation = operation;
this.details = responseDetails == null ? new HashMap<>() : new HashMap<>(responseDetails);
this.shouldRetry = shouldRetry;
}
public Date getTimestamp() {
return timestamp;
}
public String getExceptionType() {
return exceptionType;
}
public String getOperation() {
return operation;
}
public Map<String, Object> getDetails() {
return details;
}
public boolean isShouldRetry() {
return shouldRetry;
}
public boolean getShouldRetry() {
return shouldRetry;
}
@Override
public String toString() {
return "Response{"
+ "timestamp="
+ timestamp
+ ", exceptionType='"
+ exceptionType
+ '\''
+ ", operation='"
+ operation
+ '\''
+ ", details="
+ details
+ '}';
}
}
static Map<String, Object> responseDetails(String error) {
return responseDetails(error, null);
}
static Map<String, Object> responseDetails(String error, List<String> errors) {
Map<String, Object> details = new HashMap<>();
details.put("error", error);
if (errors == null) {
errors = Collections.emptyList();
}
details.put(
"errors",
errors.stream().filter(x -> !Strings.isNullOrEmpty(x)).collect(Collectors.toList()));
return details;
}
}
|
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a method of fabricating a dielectric layer. More particularly, this invention relates to a method of fabricating a capacitor with a high capacitance.
2. Description of the Related Art
The current trend of memory fabrication process for an integrated circuit includes increasing the storage density and the data storage amount on a single chip. A higher density provides a memory with a more compact storage. In addition, to store data into a single chip is more economic compared to store the equivalent amount of data to multiple chips. The density of integrated circuit can be increased via shrinkage of structures, for example, conductive lines or transistor gate, and reduction of spaces between structures. In the fabrication of integrated circuit, the shrinkage of circuit structure can be treated as a reduction of design rule.
The reduction of design rule results in a reduced substrate surface area, and consequently, the available area for fabricating the storage capacitor of a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is restricted. This limits the storage capacitance of the DRAM. The limitation on storage capacitance leads various problems such as mechanical deterioration and leakage current or even potential loss caused by larger dielectric susceptibility. Furthermore, the loss of storage charges caused by larger dielectric susceptibility may result in a more frequent refresh cycles. While refreshing, the data accesses such as read and write operations can not be processed. Thus, a frequent refresh cycle requires a more complex data access scheme or a more sensitive charge sense amplifier. To increase the capacitance of a capacitor and to resolve the problems mentioned above, a three-dimensional capacitor has been developed. However, considering a high yield and a high throughput, the kind of capacitor structure is complex and difficult to fabricate.
In addition to a three-dimensional capacitor, methods including minimize the thickness of the dielectric layer and using a dielectric layer with high dielectric constant may also achieve the objective of increasing capacitance. However, the method of fabricating a thin dielectric layer is still under developed due to the consideration of uniformity and reliability. In contrast, many approaches have been made for the application of using a dielectric layer with a high dielectric constant. For example, tantalum oxide (Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5) with a dielectric constant three times larger than silicon nitride has been widely applied. One major problem in employing tantalum oxide is the very significant leakage current. To solve such problem, methods have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,444,006, 5,508,221, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,248. In these prior art, attention has been drawn upon the leakage current induced by a mutual interaction between the tantalum oxide layer and a bottom electrode. Therefore, an oxide layer or a nitride layer is formed to block the mutual interaction, so as to mitigate the occurrence of leakage current. It is known that the dielectric layer is formed as a thin film between the bottom electrode and the top electrode. Therefore, apart from the mutual interaction to the bottom electrode, the dielectric layer also has a mutual interaction with the top electrode. Therefore, the reduction in leakage current using the conventional method is limited. For the semiconductor devices fabricated with a higher and higher precision by more and more advanced technique, this limit amount can hardly cope with the requirements. |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a ceramic green sheet, more particularly, to a ceramic green sheet which is used for providing an electrode protective layer of an electrochemical element adapted to detect or determine the concentration of a given component of a subject gas to be measured. The invention is also concerned with an electrochemical element which has an electrode protective layer prepared from such a ceramic green sheet, and a method of producing such an electrochemical element.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Porous ceramic structures or layers having a multiplicity of mutually connected pores have been widely used for various purposes. For example, a porous ceramic layer is used as a gas-permeable protective layer which covers an electrode of an oxygen sensing element or other electrochemical element for determining the concentration of a given component of a subject gas. This porous protective ceramic layer is used for protecting the electrode which is directly exposed to the subject gas, e.g., an exhaust emission produced by internal combustion of an air-fuel mixture. Namely, the porous protective layer serves to protect the electrode against adverse influences of corrosive substances, such as lead, phosphorus, silicon and sulfur. When the electrode is exposed to these corrosive substances, the sensing element tends to suffer from a change in the control point, reduction in the output, and deterioration of the operating response. The porous protective layer also serves to prevent volatilization of the electrode components at an elevated temperature, thereby assuring improved durability of the sensing element. Where cracks occur in the protective layer during use of the sensing element, therefore, the electrode is directly exposed to a corrosive gas having a high temperature, resulting in corrosion and volatilization of the exposed electrode. In this case, the sensing element substantially loses its sensing capability.
The porous ceramic layer used as an electrode protective layer is formed by plasma-spraying a suitable ceramic material such as spinel so as to cover the electrode, and/or a substrate such as a solid electrolyte body on which the electrode is formed. Alternatively, a green sheet of a suitable ceramic material is laminated on a solid electrolyte body or other substrate, so as to cover the electrode formed on the substrate, and the green sheet is fired into the porous electrode protective layer integral with the substrate. Generally, the porous ceramic layer prepared from a ceramic green sheet is given a suitable porosity, in one of the following manners: (1) The green sheet is fired such that the sintering of the ceramic powder is insufficient; (2) The green sheet contains a relatively large amount of binder; and (3) The green sheet contains an organic additive or additives other than the binder, which additives are burned out during firing of the green sheet.
The porous ceramic layer formed by the plasma spraying technique has low mechanical strength, and tends to suffer from cracking or flake-off due to a thermal shock or stress. Further, it is generally difficult to practice the plasma-spraying technique, when the desired thickness of the porous ceramic layer exceeds 100 .mu.m.
The porous ceramic layer formed by the green sheet lamination method has a multiplicity of pores which provide relatively short fluid passages or channels (gas-permeation paths) through which a gaseous fluid flows, for example. In this case, the gaseous fluid flowing through the passages immediately reaches the surface of the substrate on which the porous layer is formed. Accordingly, when the porous ceramic layer is used as an electrode protective layer of an electrochemical element, such as an oxygen sensing element, the protective layer is not able to sufficiently remove corrosive substances contained in a subject gas. Consequently, the sensing element thus obtained tends to suffer from a change in the control point, reduction in the output, and deterioration of the operating response, and is therefore unsatisfactory in its durability. |
Radioactive holmium-166 loaded poly-(L)-lactic acid (PLLA) microspheres have been proposed as a promising new treatment for liver malignancies in the early 1990's (Mumper et al., J. Nucl. Med. 1991, 32, 2139-2143). Since then these microspheres have been studied extensively (Nijsen et al., Eur. J. Nucl. Med. 1999, 26, 699-704; Nijsen et al., Biomaterials 2001, 22 3073-3081; Zielhuis et al., Biomaterials 2005, 26, 925-932; and Zielhuis et al., Biomacromolecules 2006, 7, 2217-2223). 166Ho (166-holmium) is a combined beta and gamma emitter. These radioactive microspheres have superior physical and chemical properties than the currently available 90Y (90-yttrium) microspheres (Murthy et al., Radiographics 2005, 25 Suppl. 1, S41-S55). The holmium loaded microspheres can, for instance, be imaged directly using nuclear imaging, due to the gamma radiation that 166Ho emits, and MR imaging, due to the high paramagnetic value (χ value) of holmium.
The holmium loaded PLLA (poly-(L-lactic acid)) microspheres can be prepared by incorporating holmium acetylacetonate into poly(L)-lactic acid by way of solvent evaporation. The stability of the microspheres so obtained is believed to be the result of the interaction of the carbonyl groups of poly-(L)-lactic acid with the Ho-ion in the holmium acetylacetonate complex (Nijsen et al., Biomaterials 2001, 22 3073-3081). The poly-(L)-lactic acid thus functions as a binder or stabiliser for the formation of the microspheres.
A disadvantage to holmium loaded PLLA microspheres is the limited loading capacity of these microspheres. The average holmium loading of these microspheres is around 17 wt. % (w/w) (Nijsen et al., Biomaterials 2001, 22 3073-3081 and Zielhuis et al., Biomaterials 2005, 26, 925-932).
Microspheres with substantially higher content of lanthanide metal are disclosed in WO-A-2009/011589. In accordance with the invention disclosed therein the microspheres with high lanthanide metal content are prepared using a lanthanide metal organic compound, while no binder or only very small amounts of binder such as poly-(L)-lactic acid is used. The lanthanide ions form a complex with a number of organic molecules, such as acetylacetonate, 3,5-heptanedione, and/or 2-(acetoacetoxyethyl)methacrylate. The invention of WO-A-2009/011589 shows that the reduction of binder material does not lead to a disintegration of the microspheres. Instead, the resulting microspheres are highly stable and contain a high amount of lanthanide while no (or hardly any) binder is needed. Accordingly, microspheres having a lanthanide metal content of more than 20 wt. %, based on total microsphere, can be prepared. These microspheres have a number of advantages, including a shorter neutron activation time and higher specific activity. This in turn leads to a reduced amount of microspheres to be administered to patients and improved MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) signals.
It would, however, be desirable to design microspheres wherein the ligands complexing with the lanthanide metal are based on compounds naturally occurring in the body, so that, when applied to a patient, possible toxic effects of the microspheres are minimized.
Objective of the invention is to meet this existing need in the art and provide improved lanthanide metal microspheres.
The inventors found that this objective can, at least in part, be met by providing lanthanide metal nanospheres or microspheres wherein the lanthanide is present in a specific different complex. |
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<title>How do I import a question pool?</title>
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<div><div>
<div><h1 class="article-title">How do I import a question pool?</h1></div>
<div> <div class="step-instructions screensteps-textblock screensteps-wrapper--introduction screensteps-wrapper">
<p>A question pool is a set of questions of any type that belongs to the author and others with whom the author shares it. See <a href="content.hlp?docId=whatisaquestionpool">What is a Question Pool?</a></p>
<p>A question pool is available to the author in any worksite in which that person has permission to create assessments, and will show in the list of Question Pools.</p>
<p>You can import a question pool from a saved assessment, or from a file provided by a publisher or exported from another system. </p>
<p><em>Note: There is currently no way to export question pools, but the questions can be <a href="content.hlp?docId=howdoiimportandexportassessments">exported in the form of an assessment</a>. </em></p>
</div>
<div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1">
<h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Go to Tests & Quizzes.</h2>
<div class="image screensteps-image">
<img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/337/630/original/0922fc85-64d7-467e-b74f-4ed7d2f15f72.png" alt="" height="119" width="215">
</div>
<div class="step-instructions screensteps-textblock">
<p>Select the <strong>Tests & Quizzes</strong> tool from the Tool Menu in your site.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1">
<h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Click Question Pools.</h2>
<div class="image screensteps-image">
<img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/317/155/original/b32f781e-a633-48a2-bf8a-c0a9d20c2b1d.png" alt="" height="84" width="485">
</div>
</div>
<div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="select-import-pool">
<h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Select Import Pool.</h2>
<div class="image screensteps-image">
<a href="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/317/157/original/0e6a1736-a83a-40d7-923b-f45aee6ad137.png" class="screensteps-image-zoom">
<img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/317/157/medium/0e6a1736-a83a-40d7-923b-f45aee6ad137.png" alt="" height="257" width="855">
</a>
</div>
</div>
<div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1">
<h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Click Choose File.</h2>
<div class="image screensteps-image">
<img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/002/156/043/original/2fa71370-e7b2-4a87-942d-65abaf827a78.png" alt="" height="221" width="419">
</div>
<div class="step-instructions screensteps-textblock">
<p>Click the <strong>Choose File</strong> button to browse for and select the import file on your computer. Once you have selected your file, the file name will be displayed.</p>
<p><em>Note: Your import file must be an IMS QTI-compliant <strong>XML</strong> file. The Import Pool option does not accept zip files.</em></p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1">
<h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Click Import.</h2>
<div class="image screensteps-image">
<img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/002/156/051/original/688a4bf0-f86f-414f-9ccf-4625dff585ae.png" alt="" height="219" width="418">
</div>
<div class="step-instructions screensteps-textblock">
<p>Once you have located the file, click <strong>Import</strong>.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="the-question-pool-is-imported-to-the-site">
<h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">The question pool is imported to the site.</h2>
<div class="image screensteps-image">
<a href="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/317/151/original/9d58dff6-2602-48b6-b6ab-a97591eee16d.png" class="screensteps-image-zoom">
<img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/003/317/151/medium/9d58dff6-2602-48b6-b6ab-a97591eee16d.png" alt="" height="320" width="855">
</a>
</div>
<div class="step-instructions screensteps-textblock">
<p>You will see the question pool with the name it was given in the import file in your list of question pools.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div></div>
</body>
</html>
|
/*
* DBeaver - Universal Database Manager
* Copyright (C) 2010-2020 DBeaver Corp and others
*
* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
* You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
package org.jkiss.dbeaver.registry.network;
import org.eclipse.core.runtime.IConfigurationElement;
import org.jkiss.code.NotNull;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.DBException;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.model.DBPDataSourceContainer;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.model.impl.AbstractContextDescriptor;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.model.net.DBWHandlerDescriptor;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.model.net.DBWHandlerType;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.model.net.DBWNetworkHandler;
import org.jkiss.dbeaver.registry.RegistryConstants;
import org.jkiss.utils.CommonUtils;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Locale;
/**
* NetworkHandlerDescriptor
*/
public class NetworkHandlerDescriptor extends AbstractContextDescriptor implements DBWHandlerDescriptor {
public static final String EXTENSION_ID = "org.jkiss.dbeaver.networkHandler"; //$NON-NLS-1$
private final String id;
private final String label;
private final String codeName;
private final String description;
private DBWHandlerType type;
private final boolean secured;
private final ObjectType handlerType;
private final int order;
private final List<String> replacesIDs = new ArrayList<>();
private NetworkHandlerDescriptor replacedBy;
NetworkHandlerDescriptor(
IConfigurationElement config) {
super(config);
this.id = config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_ID);
this.codeName = config.getAttribute("codeName") == null ? this.id : config.getAttribute("codeName");
this.label = config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_LABEL);
this.description = config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_DESCRIPTION);
this.type = DBWHandlerType.valueOf(config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_TYPE).toUpperCase(Locale.ENGLISH));
this.secured = CommonUtils.getBoolean(config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_SECURED), false);
this.handlerType = new ObjectType(config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_HANDLER_CLASS));
this.order = CommonUtils.toInt(config.getAttribute(RegistryConstants.ATTR_ORDER), 1);
for (IConfigurationElement re : config.getChildren("replace")) {
replacesIDs.add(re.getAttribute("id"));
}
}
@NotNull
public String getId() {
return id;
}
@NotNull
public String getCodeName() {
return codeName;
}
public String getLabel() {
return label;
}
public String getDescription() {
return description;
}
public DBWHandlerType getType() {
return type;
}
public boolean isSecured() {
return secured;
}
public int getOrder() {
return order;
}
public boolean matches(DBPDataSourceContainer dataSource) {
return appliesTo(dataSource.getDriver().getDataSourceProvider(), dataSource);
}
public ObjectType getHandlerType() {
return handlerType;
}
public <T extends DBWNetworkHandler> T createHandler(Class<T> impl)
throws DBException {
return handlerType.createInstance(impl);
}
public boolean replaces(NetworkHandlerDescriptor otherDesc) {
return replacesIDs.contains(otherDesc.id);
}
@Override
public String toString() {
return id;
}
NetworkHandlerDescriptor getReplacedBy() {
return replacedBy;
}
void setReplacedBy(NetworkHandlerDescriptor replacedBy) {
this.replacedBy = replacedBy;
}
}
|
/*
* Copyright (c) 2018 NVIDIA Corporation. All rights reserved.
* This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
* International License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode)
*/
#pragma once
#include "GameFramework/Actor.h"
#include "AssetTypeActions_Base.h"
#include "NVDataObject.h"
class FAssetTypeAction_NVDataObject : public FAssetTypeActions_Base
{
public:
// IAssetTypeActions Implementation
virtual FText GetName() const override
{
return NSLOCTEXT("AssetTypeActions", "AssetTypeAction_NVDataObject", "Nvidia Data Object");
}
virtual FColor GetTypeColor() const override
{
return FColor(80, 255, 80);
}
virtual UClass* GetSupportedClass() const override
{
return UNVDataObjectAsset::StaticClass();
}
virtual uint32 GetCategories() override
{
return EAssetTypeCategories::Misc;
}
virtual bool HasActions(const TArray<UObject*>& InObjects) const override
{
return true;
}
virtual void GetActions(const TArray<UObject*>& InObjects, FMenuBuilder& MenuBuilder) override;
virtual void OpenAssetEditor(const TArray<UObject*>& InObjects, TSharedPtr<class IToolkitHost> EditWithinLevelEditor = TSharedPtr<IToolkitHost>()) override;
virtual void GetResolvedSourceFilePaths(const TArray<UObject*>& TypeAssets, TArray<FString>& OutSourceFilePaths) const override;
// End IAssetTypeActions Implementation
protected:
/** Handler for when Json is selected */
void ExecuteExportAsJson(TArray< TWeakObjectPtr<UNVDataObjectAsset> > Objects);
/** Handler for opening the source file for this asset */
bool CanOpenSourceFiles(const TArray<TWeakObjectPtr<UNVDataObjectAsset>> DataObjects);
void OpenSourceFiles(const TArray<TWeakObjectPtr<UNVDataObjectAsset>> DataObjects);
};
|
package com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.glutils;
import java.nio.ByteBuffer;
import java.nio.FloatBuffer;
import java.nio.IntBuffer;
import com.badlogic.gdx.Gdx;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.GL20;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.GL30;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.VertexAttribute;
import com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.VertexAttributes;
import com.badlogic.gdx.utils.BufferUtils;
import com.badlogic.gdx.utils.IntArray;
/**
* <p>
* A {@link VertexData} implementation that uses vertex buffer objects and vertex array objects.
* (This is required for OpenGL 3.0+ core profiles. In particular, the default VAO has been
* deprecated, as has the use of client memory for passing vertex attributes.) Use of VAOs should
* give a slight performance benefit since you don't have to bind the attributes on every draw
* anymore.
* </p>
*
* <p>
* If the OpenGL ES context was lost you can call {@link #invalidate()} to recreate a new OpenGL vertex buffer object.
* </p>
*
* <p>
* VertexBufferObjectWithVAO objects must be disposed via the {@link #dispose()} method when no longer needed
* </p>
*
* Code adapted from {@link VertexBufferObject}.
* @author mzechner, Dave Clayton <contact@redskyforge.com>, Nate Austin <nate.austin gmail>
*/
public class VertexBufferObjectWithVAO implements VertexData {
final static IntBuffer tmpHandle = BufferUtils.newIntBuffer(1);
final VertexAttributes attributes;
final FloatBuffer buffer;
final ByteBuffer byteBuffer;
final boolean ownsBuffer;
int bufferHandle;
final boolean isStatic;
final int usage;
boolean isDirty = false;
boolean isBound = false;
int vaoHandle = -1;
IntArray cachedLocations = new IntArray();
/**
* Constructs a new interleaved VertexBufferObjectWithVAO.
*
* @param isStatic whether the vertex data is static.
* @param numVertices the maximum number of vertices
* @param attributes the {@link com.badlogic.gdx.graphics.VertexAttribute}s.
*/
public VertexBufferObjectWithVAO (boolean isStatic, int numVertices, VertexAttribute... attributes) {
this(isStatic, numVertices, new VertexAttributes(attributes));
}
/**
* Constructs a new interleaved VertexBufferObjectWithVAO.
*
* @param isStatic whether the vertex data is static.
* @param numVertices the maximum number of vertices
* @param attributes the {@link VertexAttributes}.
*/
public VertexBufferObjectWithVAO (boolean isStatic, int numVertices, VertexAttributes attributes) {
this.isStatic = isStatic;
this.attributes = attributes;
byteBuffer = BufferUtils.newUnsafeByteBuffer(this.attributes.vertexSize * numVertices);
buffer = byteBuffer.asFloatBuffer();
ownsBuffer = true;
buffer.flip();
byteBuffer.flip();
bufferHandle = Gdx.gl20.glGenBuffer();
usage = isStatic ? GL20.GL_STATIC_DRAW : GL20.GL_DYNAMIC_DRAW;
createVAO();
}
public VertexBufferObjectWithVAO (boolean isStatic, ByteBuffer unmanagedBuffer, VertexAttributes attributes) {
this.isStatic = isStatic;
this.attributes = attributes;
byteBuffer = unmanagedBuffer;
ownsBuffer = false;
buffer = byteBuffer.asFloatBuffer();
buffer.flip();
byteBuffer.flip();
bufferHandle = Gdx.gl20.glGenBuffer();
usage = isStatic ? GL20.GL_STATIC_DRAW : GL20.GL_DYNAMIC_DRAW;
createVAO();
}
@Override
public VertexAttributes getAttributes () {
return attributes;
}
@Override
public int getNumVertices () {
return buffer.limit() * 4 / attributes.vertexSize;
}
@Override
public int getNumMaxVertices () {
return byteBuffer.capacity() / attributes.vertexSize;
}
@Override
public FloatBuffer getBuffer () {
isDirty = true;
return buffer;
}
private void bufferChanged () {
if (isBound) {
Gdx.gl20.glBufferData(GL20.GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, byteBuffer.limit(), byteBuffer, usage);
isDirty = false;
}
}
@Override
public void setVertices (float[] vertices, int offset, int count) {
isDirty = true;
BufferUtils.copy(vertices, byteBuffer, count, offset);
buffer.position(0);
buffer.limit(count);
bufferChanged();
}
@Override
public void updateVertices (int targetOffset, float[] vertices, int sourceOffset, int count) {
isDirty = true;
final int pos = byteBuffer.position();
byteBuffer.position(targetOffset * 4);
BufferUtils.copy(vertices, sourceOffset, count, byteBuffer);
byteBuffer.position(pos);
buffer.position(0);
bufferChanged();
}
/**
* Binds this VertexBufferObject for rendering via glDrawArrays or glDrawElements
*
* @param shader the shader
*/
@Override
public void bind (ShaderProgram shader) {
bind(shader, null);
}
@Override
public void bind (ShaderProgram shader, int[] locations) {
GL30 gl = Gdx.gl30;
gl.glBindVertexArray(vaoHandle);
bindAttributes(shader, locations);
//if our data has changed upload it:
bindData(gl);
isBound = true;
}
private void bindAttributes (ShaderProgram shader, int[] locations) {
boolean stillValid = this.cachedLocations.size != 0;
final int numAttributes = attributes.size();
if (stillValid) {
if (locations == null) {
for (int i = 0; stillValid && i < numAttributes; i++) {
VertexAttribute attribute = attributes.get(i);
int location = shader.getAttributeLocation(attribute.alias);
stillValid = location == this.cachedLocations.get(i);
}
} else {
stillValid = locations.length == this.cachedLocations.size;
for (int i = 0; stillValid && i < numAttributes; i++) {
stillValid = locations[i] == this.cachedLocations.get(i);
}
}
}
if (!stillValid) {
Gdx.gl.glBindBuffer(GL20.GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, bufferHandle);
unbindAttributes(shader);
this.cachedLocations.clear();
for (int i = 0; i < numAttributes; i++) {
VertexAttribute attribute = attributes.get(i);
if (locations == null) {
this.cachedLocations.add(shader.getAttributeLocation(attribute.alias));
} else {
this.cachedLocations.add(locations[i]);
}
int location = this.cachedLocations.get(i);
if (location < 0) {
continue;
}
shader.enableVertexAttribute(location);
shader.setVertexAttribute(location, attribute.numComponents, attribute.type, attribute.normalized, attributes.vertexSize, attribute.offset);
}
}
}
private void unbindAttributes (ShaderProgram shaderProgram) {
if (cachedLocations.size == 0) {
return;
}
int numAttributes = attributes.size();
for (int i = 0; i < numAttributes; i++) {
int location = cachedLocations.get(i);
if (location < 0) {
continue;
}
shaderProgram.disableVertexAttribute(location);
}
}
private void bindData (GL20 gl) {
if (isDirty) {
gl.glBindBuffer(GL20.GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, bufferHandle);
byteBuffer.limit(buffer.limit() * 4);
gl.glBufferData(GL20.GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, byteBuffer.limit(), byteBuffer, usage);
isDirty = false;
}
}
/**
* Unbinds this VertexBufferObject.
*
* @param shader the shader
*/
@Override
public void unbind (final ShaderProgram shader) {
unbind(shader, null);
}
@Override
public void unbind (final ShaderProgram shader, final int[] locations) {
GL30 gl = Gdx.gl30;
gl.glBindVertexArray(0);
isBound = false;
}
/**
* Invalidates the VertexBufferObject so a new OpenGL buffer handle is created. Use this in case of a context loss.
*/
@Override
public void invalidate () {
bufferHandle = Gdx.gl30.glGenBuffer();
createVAO();
isDirty = true;
}
/**
* Disposes of all resources this VertexBufferObject uses.
*/
@Override
public void dispose () {
GL30 gl = Gdx.gl30;
gl.glBindBuffer(GL20.GL_ARRAY_BUFFER, 0);
gl.glDeleteBuffer(bufferHandle);
bufferHandle = 0;
if (ownsBuffer) {
BufferUtils.disposeUnsafeByteBuffer(byteBuffer);
}
deleteVAO();
}
private void createVAO () {
tmpHandle.clear();
Gdx.gl30.glGenVertexArrays(1, tmpHandle);
vaoHandle = tmpHandle.get();
}
private void deleteVAO () {
if (vaoHandle != -1) {
tmpHandle.clear();
tmpHandle.put(vaoHandle);
tmpHandle.flip();
Gdx.gl30.glDeleteVertexArrays(1, tmpHandle);
vaoHandle = -1;
}
}
}
|
The present invention relates to a combination meter system of a vehicle particularly for improving the precision of various meters or gauges and reducing construction cost by sharing a drive circuit.
An instrument panel of a vehicle is equipped with various gauges such as speed meter, tachometer and the like, which are arranged as a combination meter system in front of a driver sitting on a driver's seat. In a conventional system, independent meters or gauges are merely concentrated in one portion and share only a power source and an earth. An electric power is supplied to a fuel sensor, a temperature sensor of a coolant, a voltage sensor of an alternator to thereby drive a fuel gauge, a temperature gauge, a voltage gauge, respectively.
Driving speed of the vehicle is detected by converting a frequency of a signal output from a speed sensor mounted on an output shaft of a transmission to a corresponding voltage, and by supplying the converted voltage to a gauge as a speed meter through a voltage distribution circuit and an amplifier to drive the gauge.
The Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 53-120016 discloses a combination meter system described above. In such a prior art, there is merely shown a combination meter system in which respectively independent gauges are merely aggregated and share only the power source and the earth. In addition, the respective gauges are not provided with self-adjusting functions, resulting in inferior accuracy and lacking uniformity of qualities of products. |
Introduction {#s1}
============
Loss of pancreatic β-cell function caused by reduced secretory capacity and enhanced apoptosis is central to the development and progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D) ([@B1]). Why β-cells progressively fail in T2D is not thoroughly understood. Evidence has indicated that chronically elevated circulating levels of saturated free fatty acids (FFAs), of which palmitate is the physiologically most abundant long-chain saturated FFA, are associated with T2D risk ([@B2]). Excess fatty acids accumulation in multiple non-adipocyte cell types, such as pancreatic β-cells, may result in metabolically relevant cellular dysfunction and injury, which is now termed "lipotoxicity" ([@B3]). However, despite the advances have been made, the molecular mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are still not fully clear.
Oxidative stress, a persistent deleterious imbalance between the production and the removal of free radicals including reactive oxygen species (ROS), has been considered to be an important factor in β-cell demise associated with lipotoxicity ([@B4]). On the one hand, pancreatic β-cells are known as hypersensitive targets for oxidative stress-mediated tissue damage because of the relatively low expression of antioxidant enzymes and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense ([@B5], [@B6]). On the other hand, generation of ROS in mitochondria, usually accompanied by FFA overload, leads to augment in oxidative stress in pancreatic β-cells ([@B7]). In support of this concept, experimental evidences have suggested that ROS inhibition by antioxidants ameliorates palmitate-induced cell death in INS-1 β-cells ([@B8], [@B9]). While fatty acid catabolism via mitochondrial β-oxidation is an important fuel source for pancreatic β-cells, excessive fatty acid oxidation is usually closely associated with enhanced ROS formation that may lead to lipotoxicity ([@B10], [@B11]). To reduce the lipotoxicity generated by fatty acid β-oxidation, fatty acids consumed by pancreatic β-cells can be converted into triglycerides and stored in lipid droplets (LDs) which are considered to be less toxic than FFA ([@B12]). Therefore, maintaining intracellular lipid metabolism homeostasis, a complex process which was linked to LDs dynamics, is a promising strategy to impede damages in pancreatic β-cells mediated by oxidative stress.
LDs, highly conserved across species and stored in virtually every cell type in humans, are now recognized as highly active organelles comprising of a hydrophobic core of neutral lipids surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer which is embedded with hundreds of LD-associated proteins ([@B13]). In non-adipose tissues, LD-associated proteins play a critical role in maintaining lipid metabolism homeostasis by regulating LD lipolysis ([@B14]). They not only supply fuel during periods of energy needs but also act as a lipolytic barrier to avoid cellular lipotoxicity ([@B14]). Therefore, dysregulated lipid droplet metabolism is tightly linked to numerous metabolic diseases including T2D ([@B15]). The metabolic regulation of LDs is mediated by LD-associated proteins that concentrate at the LD surface. The Perilipin family (Plins) is a representative group of LD-associated proteins with five members (Plin1--5). Among these, Perilipin 5 (Plin5) is mainly expressed in tissues with very active lipid catabolism, including heart, brown adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and liver and promotes LD accumulation but inhibits lipolysis by interacting with lipases such as ATGL, Abhd5 and CGI-58 ([@B16]--[@B20]). By modulating lipid homeostasis, Plin5 plays a role in ameliorating oxidative stress-induced damage in heart, skeletal muscle, hepatic stellate cells and aortic valve tissues ([@B21]--[@B25]). However, the regulation of Plin5 in FFA-induced oxidative stress and oxidant damage in pancreatic β-cells, to our knowledge, is not established until now. In previous work including ours\', Plin5 was found to play the pivotal role in β-cell survival and function ([@B26], [@B27]). Here, we hypothesize that Plin5 may exert protective effects on pancreatic β-cells under lipotoxic conditions by modulating the cellular oxidative stress levels. To test this hypothesis, we treated INS-1 β-cells with palmitate to mimic physiological oxidative stress. In addition, we aimed to demonstrate the potential molecular mechanism and signaling pathway involved in the process.
Materials and Methods {#s2}
=====================
Cell Culture and Treatments
---------------------------
The rat insulinoma INS-1 cell line kindly provided by Dr. Christopher B. Newgard (Duke University Medical Center, USA) was routinely passaged and cultured as described previously ([@B28]). INS-1 β-cells between passages 20--30 were used. Each cell experiment was performed in triplicates with different passage of cells. For FFA exposure, palmitate (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) was dissolved in 99% ethanol to a concentration of 100 mM, and then mixed with 10% BSA in serum-free DMEM to make a 5 mM palmitate stock solution and used at a final concentration of 0.5 mM. MnTMPyP (MerckSharp & Dohme, USA) was diluted in water. It was added together with palmitate and maintained in the medium for 24 h after adenovirus transduction. To verify whether Plin5 was associated with PI3K/Akt or ERK pathways, LY294002 (10 μM, PI3K/Akt inhibitor, Millipore, USA) or U0126 (20 μM, ERK inhibitor, Calbiochem-Novabiochem, USA) was used 1 h before palmitate treatment and INS-1 cells treated with DMSO was used as the control.
Adenovirus Transduction and siRNA Interference
----------------------------------------------
Adenoviruses carrying rat Plin5 (Ad-Plin5) or GFP (Ad-GFP) and adenoviral Plin5 shRNA (Ad-shPlin5) were custom made at Shanghai Asia Vector Biotechnologies (Shanghai, China). Briefly, for construction of Ad-Plin5, cDNA fragment of PLIN5 was chemical synthesized and then ligated into the pTRACK-CMV vector. For Ad-shPlin5, fragment of Plin5 shRNA (5′-GGCAAGCACACAATGATGC-3′) was chemical synthesized and then ligated into the pTRACK-WT vector. The vectors were linearized by Pme I digestion and transfected into 293A cells for virus production and amplification. Adenovirus overexpressing GFP (Ad-GFP) was the control. The viruses were purified by CsCl density gradient centrifugation and the adenoviral titers were measured by using QuickTiter Adenovirus Titer Immunoassay Kit (Cell Biolabs, USA) according to the manufacturer\'s protocol. Generally, we used 20--40 multiplicity of infection (MOI) for overexpression and 50--100 MOI for shRNA knockdown experiments. For RNAi, the Nrf2-specific siRNA and scramble siRNA were designed and synthesized by Shanghai Genechem (Shanghai, China). The sequences of si-Nrf2 were 5′-CCGGAGAAUUCCUCCCAAUTT-3′ (sense) and 5′-AUUGGGAGGAAUUCUCCGGTT-3′ (antisense). SiRNA interference was performed with Lipofectamine 2000 according to the manufacturer\'s protocol. The efficiency of Ad-Plin5, Ad-shPlin5 and Nrf2-siRNA were confirmed by western blotting analysis.
Assessment of β-Cell Apoptosis
------------------------------
Apoptotic cells were counted using an Annexin-FITC Apoptosis Detection Kit (Beyotime, China) according to the manufacturer\'s protocols and then were analyzed immediately by FACS Calibur flow cytometry. Apoptosis was confirmed by cytochrome *c* release and Caspase-3 cleavage by western blot.
Dichlorofluorescin Diacetate (DCFH-DA) Assay
--------------------------------------------
Intracellular oxidants were quantified by the DCFH-DA assay. Briefly, cells plated in 6-well plates were incubated with different adenoviruses and palmitate for indicated time. After that, 10 μM DCFH was added to the wells for 20 min at 37°C and then, the unabsorbed probe was removed. After being oxidized by intracellular oxidants, DCFH will become DCF and emit fluorescence. DCF fluorescence was quantified using a flow cytometry with an excitation wavelength of 480 nm and an emission wavelength of 525 nm (BD Biosciences, USA).
Insulin Secretion Assay
-----------------------
INS-1 cells were transfected with adenoviruses and (or) siRNA and then incubated in RPMI 1640 medium containing glucose or palmitate at indicated concentrations. Glucose stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) was performed as we previously described, with minor modifications ([@B28]). Briefly, after treatments, INS-1 cells were starved for 2 h in glucose-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer (KRB, pH 7.4) and then incubated in KRB buffer containing 2.5 or 25 mM glucose for 1 h. Insulin secreted in the medium and the insulin content in the cell were assayed by a rat insulin ELISA kit according to the manufacturer\'s instructions (X-Y Biotechnology, China).
Western Blot
------------
After different treatments, INS-1 cells were quickly harvested, rinsed thoroughly with PBS for two times, and then lysed in ice-cold RIPA lysis buffer containing protease and phosphatase inhibitors (JRDUN, China). The lysates were collected by centrifugation (12,000 rpm, 10 min). The supernatants were assembled, and protein concentrations were measured using a BCA Protein Assay Kit (Thermo Scientific, USA). For the detection of cytochrome *c* release, a NE-PER kit (Thermo Scientific, USA) was used to separate the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions. For the measurement of nuclear Nrf2 protein content, after collecting the supernatant fractions (cytosolic cell extracts). the resulting pellets containing crude nuclei were suspended in 50 μL extraction buffer containing 20 mM HEPES (pH 7.9), 400 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 10 mM dithiothreitol, and 1 mM PIC, and then kept on ice for 30 min. Samples were centrifuged at 14,000 rpm 4°C for 10 min to obtain supernatants containing nuclear cell extracts. For western blots, equal amounts of proteins (25 μg) were separated by 10 or 15% gel electrophoresis and were electrophoretically transferred to polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) Immobilon membranes. Then the membranes were blocked with 5% skim milk and incubated with the corresponding primary antibody followed by incubation with secondary antibody. The primary antibodies were anti-cytochrome *c* (1:1000), cleaved Caspase 3 (1:500), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC, 1:1000) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, 1:2000) from Abcam (USA), PLIN5 (1:1000) from Progen Biotechnik (Germany), Tom20 (1:500) from Santa Cruz (USA) and Histone H3 (1:1000), p-Akt (1:2000), Akt (1:1000), p-p38 (1:1000), p38 (1:1000), p-ERK1/2 (1:1000), ERK1/2 (1:1000), p-JNK (1:1000), JNK (1:1000), Nrf2 (1:1000), GAPDH (1:1000) from CST (USA). The secondary antibodies were horseradish peroxidase-labeled goat anti-rabbit (1:1000), goat anti-rat (1:1000) or donkey anti-goat (1:1000) (Beyotime, China). Protein signal were detected using an electrochemiluminescence detection kit (Millipore, USA) and quantified using Image J software (NIH, USA). Equal loading of proteins was verified by GAPDH or Tom20.
Measurement of Glutathione (GSH) Content
----------------------------------------
Cell pellets were lysed by a homogenizer in cold PBS. Following centrifugation at 4,000 rpm for 15 min at 4°C, the supernatant was harvested for the measurement of cellular GSH using a commercial kit according to the manufacturer\'s instructions (Nanjing Jiancheng Bioengineering Institute, China). Briefly, GSH was spectrophotometrically measured (at 420 nm) and the results were expressed in mg/g prot.
Plasmids and Promoter Reporter Assay
------------------------------------
INS-1 cells were co-transfected with the ARE-luciferase report construct (750 ng, Biovector, China) and the Renilla luciferase reporter vector plasmid pRL-TK (50 ng, Promega, USA) using Lipofectamine 2000 (Invitrogen, USA) for 6 h. After that, the cells were transfected with different adenoviruses and (or) Nrf2-siRNA for 18 h, after which 0.5 mM palmitate was added for another 24 h. Subsequently, the cells were washed and lysed according to the manufacturer\'s instructions. The luciferase activity of cell lysates was measured using a GloMax®-Multi+ Detection System (Promega, USA) and was expressed as relative luciferase/Renilla activity.
Immunofluorescence
------------------
Cells were seeded on polylysine coated cover slips and allowed to attach overnight. Following treatments, cells were washed in PBS, fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde, permeabilized with 0.5% Triton X-100 and incubated overnight with primary antibody against Nrf2 (Abcam, USA). After washing three times with PBS, cells were incubated with second antibody conjugated with Alexa fluor 488 (Biosea, China) for 1 h at room temperature, nuclei stained with 4,4-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI, 1:500). The slides were then observed by a fluorescence microscope (Leica, DM6000B).
Statistical Analysis
--------------------
Data are presented as means ± SEMs and represent the results of at least 3 independent experimental trails. The significance of differences was determined by either unpaired Student\'s *t*-test or One-Way ANOVA where applicable using GraphPad Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software, USA). The value of statistical significance was set at *p* \< 0.05.
Results {#s3}
=======
Plin5 Protects Against Lipotoxicity in INS-1 β-Cells and Involves the Mitochondrial Pathway
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plin5 serves as an LD protein in human islets, mouse islets and pancreatic β-cell lines (MIN6 and INS-1) ([@B26], [@B27]), however its concrete role in β-cell\'s function and survival is rarely defined. We previously reported that upregulation of Plin5 decreased cell apoptosis, and hence protected β-cells from palmitate-induced lipotoxicity by alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress in pancreatic β-cells ([@B26]). Nevertheless, endoplasmic reticulum stress cannot be used to entirely explain the differences in cell apoptosis observed between Plin5-overexpression INS-1 cells and the control cells because its improvement only blunts the lipotoxic effects, not ablates them. Palmitate-triggered apoptosis typically involves the mitochondrial pathway which induces the release of cytochrome *c* from mitochondria into the cytosol ([@B29]). Cytosolic cytochrome *c* can lead to the activation of caspases in the apoptosome and ultimately to the activation of Caspase 3, which subsequently results in cell apoptosis. Therefore, we investigated whether the protection effect of Plin5 in INS-1 cells undergoing palmitate-induced apoptosis is due to the blocking of the intrinsic (mitochondria) pathway by evaluating the cytochrome *c* release and activation of Caspase 3, as Plin5 which also exists in mitochondria in addition to localizing to LD, cytosol, and endoplasmic reticulum may involve in the regulation of mitochondria biogenesis and function ([@B30]--[@B32]). To this end, we used loss- and gain- of-function approaches. Plin5 expression and its overexpression or deletion by adenovirus transduction were confirmed by Western blot in INS-1 β-cells ([Figure 1A](#F1){ref-type="fig"}, the upper side). In the present study, overexpression of Plin5 alleviated palmitate-induced apoptosis, which is consistent with our previous study ([Figure 1A](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) ([@B26]). Interestingly, deletion of Plin5 in INS-1 cells didn\'t augment lipotoxicity, which may be due to the relatively low expression of Plin5 in pancreatic β-cells compared with other members of Plins family ([@B33]). Furthermore, prolonged palmitate treatment resulted in a substantial increase in cytochrome *c* release from mitochondria and activation of Caspase 3 ([Figures 1B,C](#F1){ref-type="fig"}), aligning with previous reports ([@B34]). Strikingly, palmitate-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction was decreased dramatically in INS-1 cells with *Plin5* overexpression yet potentiated in INS-1 cells with *Plin5* deficiency ([Figures 1B,C](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). These results suggest that Plin5 modulates apoptosis associated with mitochondria pathway.
{#F1}
Plin5 Modulates Oxidative Stress in INS-1 β-Cells
-------------------------------------------------
There is some evidence that oxidative stress may activate intrinsic apoptosis pathways in pancreatic β-cells \[reviewed by ([@B35])\]. As Plin5 has been shown to negatively associate with lipid overload-induced oxidative stress in several tissues of mice ([@B21]--[@B23]), we further investigated the potential induction of antioxidant cellular defenses by Plin5. To this end, INS-1 cells were incubated with palmitate, a physiological inducer of oxidative stress, and ROS production, protein expressions of antioxidant enzymes GCLC and HO-1 were detected. As shown in [Figure 2A](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, DCF fluorescent signal, which represented a measure of generalized oxidant production, was increased by 3.5-fold after 24 h palmitate incubation; this induction was inhibited by *Plin5* overexpression and augmented by *Plin5* knockdown. The protein levels of GCLC and HO-1 were mildly upregulated by palmitate and further enhanced in *Plin5*-overexpressing cells ([Figure 2B](#F2){ref-type="fig"}), but this augmentation was abolished in *Plin5*-depleted cells. As GCLC is an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of GSH ([@B36]), an important antioxidant, GSH content was then determined in INS-1 cells. Again, upregulation of *Plin5* significantly increased the cellular GSH level as compared with palmitate group, whereas deficiency of *Plin5* decreased GSH content, which was even lower than that of palmitate group ([Figure 2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Based on these results, we conclude that Plin5 has a notable antioxidative effect against oxidative stress, a pathway previously implicated in β-cell lipotoxicity.
{#F2}
Anti-apoptotic Role of Plin5 Is Partially Mediated by Antioxidative Effect
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Given that pancreatic β-cells are extremely sensitive to oxidative stress because of the relatively low antioxidant defenses ([@B5]), it has been suggested that FFA may induce β-cell apoptosis by increasing oxidative stress ([@B37]). To test whether altering *Plin5* mediates lipotoxic cell death via modulating oxidative stress, we used the O^2−^ scavenger MnTMPyP. Treatment with 25 μM MnTMPyP for 24 h partially protected INS-1 cells from palmitate and decreased the proportion of apoptotic cells to the level as observed in palmitate+Ad-Plin5 group. Moreover, MnTMPyP also partially rescued *Plin5* silencing-mediated apoptosis in palmitate treated INS-1 cells ([Figure 2D](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Thus, our data suggest that the attenuated oxidative stress contributes to Plin5 protective effect in the context of lipotoxicity.
Plin5 Induces an Nrf2-ARE Dependent Antioxidative Stress Defense by PI3K/Akt and ERK Signaling Pathways
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Induction of oxidative stress in pancreatic β-cells leads to the activation of Nrf2 ([@B38]), previously shown to regulate antioxidant genes such as *Gclc* and *Ho-1* ([@B36]). Considering that Nrf2 is a master regulator in the cellular adaptive response to oxidative stress ([@B38], [@B39]), we then examined whether Nrf2 was involved in the antioxidant effect of Plin5. Palmitate treatment in INS-1 β-cells mildly induced Nrf2 expression, which was further enhanced by overexpression of *Plin5* ([Figure 3A](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). *Plin5* overexpression *per se* had no effect on Nrf2 level (data not shown). Next, we asked if Nrf2 expression is required for Plin5-mediated rescue of β-cells. As shown in [Figure 3B](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, Nrf2 depletion failed to restore the cytoprotection from lipotoxicity conferred by Plin5 in INS-1 cells. As Nrf2 target protein GCLC and HO-1 were modulated by Plin5, and Nrf2 controls the expression of cellular antioxidant and detoxifying enzymes by binding to ARE in their promoter regions ([@B39]). We presumed that Plin5 may truly affect transcriptional activity through Nrf2 activation and binding to ARE. A reporter gene assay was performed by transfecting with the pGL4.37\[luc2P/ARE/Hygro\] Vector. As expected, adenovirus-mediated *Plin5* overexpression resulted in significant Nrf2 translocation to nucleus in INS-1 cells exposed to palmitate ([Figures 3C,D](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). While exposure of β-cells to palmitate enhanced ARE reporter activity by 2.4-fold, this effect was further enhanced in *Plin5*-overexpressing cells ([Figure 3E](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). Hence, our data presented herein confirm that the Nrf2-ARE pathway was positively regulated by Plin5 in INS-1 β-cells.
{#F3}
Finally, to determine whether the antioxidative effect of Plin5, closely associated with β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis, is mediated by Nrf2, we examined ROS production by *Nrf2* silencing. Nrf2 siRNA transfection abolished the protective effect of Plin5 on ROS production ([Figure 4A](#F4){ref-type="fig"}). Supporting the pivotal role of Nrf2 in β-cell antioxidative stress defenses, silencing *Nrf2* inhibited the induction of ARE reporter activity ([Figure 4B](#F4){ref-type="fig"}) and antioxidant enzymes expression ([Figure 4C](#F4){ref-type="fig"}) by Plin5. In keeping with this, the elevation of GSH level by *Plin5* overexpression was abolished in *Nrf2*-deficient cells ([Figure 4D](#F4){ref-type="fig"}). Moreover, in order to investigate the functional effects of *Nrf2* knockdown on the regulation of insulin secretion, GSIS was measured. INS-1 cells treated with Ad-Plin5 were protected from palmitate induced decrease of insulin secretion, but the knockdown of *Nrf2* blocked the protective effects ([Figure 4E](#F4){ref-type="fig"}). Overall, these results suggest that Nrf2 activation by Plin5 induces a prosurvival antioxidative response, which contributes to the protective effects in β-cell dysfunction by oxidative stress.
{#F4}
In the aortic tissues, heart and liver, Plin5 has been reported to associate with PI3K/Akt or MAPK pathway (p38 MAPK, ERK, and JNK) ([@B21], [@B24], [@B40]), which involve in modulating oxidative stress ([@B41], [@B42]). Here, we first investigated the protein expressions of p-Akt, p-p38, p-ERK1/2, and p-JNK in INS-1 cells incubated with palmitate. As shown in [Figure 5A](#F5){ref-type="fig"}, we found that palmitate treatment decreased the expression of p-Akt and p-ERK1/2 but induced the level of p-p38 and p-JNK in INS-1 cells. Of note, Plin5 gain-of-function restored the expression of p-Akt and p-ERK1/2 and blocked the elevation of p-p38 and p-JNK, indicating the increased activity of PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways and decreased activity of p38 and JNK pathways ([Figure 5A](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). Following, to determine whether the activated pathways are involved in Plin5-mediated Nrf2 activation in β-cells, INS-1 cell transfected with Ad-GFP or Ad-Plin5 were pretreated for 1 h with either LY294002 (PI3K/Akt inhibitor) or U0126 (ERK inhibitor) and then incubated with palmitate for 24 h. We found that either LY294002 or U0126 treatment could reduce Plin5-induced nuclear Nrf2 translocation ([Figures 5B,C](#F5){ref-type="fig"}) and ARE reporter activity ([Figure 5D](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). These data demonstrate that PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways may play a specific role in Plin5-induced antioxidant defense by activation of Nrf2-ARE system in INS-1 cells.
{#F5}
Discussion {#s4}
==========
Oxidative stress has been proposed as a common mechanism suggested for disruption of pancreatic β-cell, a process which is critical in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes ([@B43]). Plin5, a LD protein which is abundantly expressed in tissues with high oxidative capacity, is able to improve the cellular antioxidant capacity of these tissues and in turn partly prevent associated injuries ([@B22]--[@B24], [@B44]). Recently, Plin5 has been established as a LD protein important for lipid metabolism and insulin secretion in β-cells ([@B27]). And our previous data showed that Plin5 alleviated nutrition overload-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress in pancreatic β-cells ([@B26]). However, whether Plin5 may also modulate oxidative stress and alleviate oxidative injuries in pancreatic β-cells, the hypersensitive targets of oxidative damage, and the detailed molecular mechanisms involved are not understood.
We presently demonstrate that Plin5 is an important prosurvival factor in a pancreatic β-cell line INS-1 cells facing lipotoxic conditions. By inducing Nrf2 expression and triggering the Nrf2 translocation, consequently binding with ARE and upregulating antioxidative enzymes expression and GSH levels under lipotoxic stress, Plin5 equips β-cells with an effective antioxidative stress defense against the deleterious effects of palmitate including the activated mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis and impaired β-cell function. Moreover, the role of Plin5 in antioxidant defense of β-cells is PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways dependent as blocking these pathways by chemical inhibitors prevented Plin5-induced nuclear Nrf2 translocation and ARE reporter activity. In this *in vitro* study, we establish for the first time the significance of Plin5 with antioxidant capacity for preventing oversupply of palmitate-mediated lipotoxicity in pancreatic β-cells ([Figure 6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}) and might be a potential therapeutic target for T2D.
{#F6}
While this is the first study to demonstrate the relationship between Plin5 and oxidative stress in pancreatic β-cells, it is not surprising as Plin5 has been reported to be an important factor in maintaining cellular metabolic homeostasis during various kinds of stress and negatively associated with oxidative stress in non-insulin-secreting cells ([@B21], [@B23], [@B24], [@B44]). Indeed, in HepG2 cells, overexpression of Plin5 protects against hydrogen peroxide or lipopolysaccharide induced cellular oxidative stress ([@B44]). In mouse hearts, Plin5 deficiency provokes oxidative stress, leads to exacerbated myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury ([@B24]). However, the exact mechanisms involved in the protective role of Plin5 are not fully understood. There is some limited evidence indicating that Plin5 may enhance the function of mitochondria, an organelle which is responsible for the majority of cellular ROS production ([@B44]). By gain-of-function strategy, Plin5 was observed to promote mitochondria-LD contact, up-regulated mitochondria function-related genes and hence enhancing mitochondrial function in HepG2 cells. The author concluded that the Plin5-mediated mitochondria-LD contact could be an important mechanism for cells to respond to oxidative stress ([@B44]). Similarly, Plin5 overexpression in brown adipose tissue also recruits mitochondria to LD and then increases ATP synthase-dependent triglyceride synthesis coupled with reduced fatty acid oxidation capacity ([@B45]). While, in the context of Plin5 deficiency, mitochondria was severely damaged with reduced mitochondrial oxidative capacity ([@B46]), and provoked mitochondrial proliferation possibly as a result of a compensatory regulatory mechanism of mitochondria dysfunction ([@B47]). A major finding of the current study is that Nrf2 acts as a key node downstream of Plin5 that links Plin5 to alterations in antioxidant defense. Our present report, for the first time, shed new light on the underlying mechanisms of Plin5 in alleviating oxidative stress. As we know, Nrf2 which is activated by oxidative stress acts as a critically important regulator of antioxidant response by modulating expression of ARE-containing genes, including enzymes involved in hydrogen peroxide scavengers, GSH biosynthesis and chemical detoxification ([@B39]). Recently, Yagishita and colleagues presented detailed *in vivo* evidence to demonstrate that Nrf2 induction prevents reactive species damage including oxidative DNA-adduct formation, impaired insulin secretion, and apoptosis in pancreatic β-cells ([@B38]). Furthermore, activation of the Nrf2-antioxidant pathway is reported to be a possible mechanism mediating self-repair of β-cells after a short-term exposure to a high fat diet feeding ([@B48]). Our present findings identify Plin5 as a positive regulator of Nrf2 in β-cells under lipid stress. We observed that Plin5 induced the expression of Nrf2, enhanced its nuclear import and prosurvival Nrf2-ARE signaling in β-cells. Overexpression of *Plin5* increased and knock-out of *Plin5* decreased expression of Nrf2-targeted enzymes and level of antioxidant molecular GSH under lipotoxic conditions. And the anti-oxidative effect was Nrf2-dependent because silencing *Nrf2* by si-Nrf2 weakened the modulation of Plin5 in antioxidant defense and the protective action on INS-1 β-cells. Whether Plin5 directly interacts with Nrf2 remains to be examined since a previous report described Plin5 as a nuclear protein involved in mediating oxidative function ([@B32]). Furthermore, studies aimed at identifying the effect of Plin5 on Nrf2 degradation are ongoing in light of the very short half-life of Nrf2 protein.
The detailed mechanism of the antioxidant role of Plin5 via regulating Nrf2-ARE system in β-cells was explored preliminary in the present study. In some tissues, Plin5 has been reported to involve in the regulation of PI3K/Akt or MAPK pathways (p38 MAPK, ERK, and JNK) ([@B21], [@B24], [@B40], [@B44], [@B49]), which is the upstream modulators of Nrf2 in pancreatic β-cells ([@B39], [@B41]). As evidenced by prior studies, excess ROS production and oxidative stress results in the activation of apoptotic p38 MAPK and JNK signaling, whereas activation of antiapoptotic PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways facilitates the translocation of Nrf2 into the nucleus, thereby activating the Nrf2/ARE pathway and alleviating oxidative damage ([@B50], [@B51]). In the current study, p38 MAPK and JNK pathways were found to be activated but PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways were inhibited in β-cells under palmitate induced-oxidative stress. However, *Plin5* overexpression dramatically alleviated oxidative stress and prevented the disturbances in PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways which were provoked by nutrition overload. Moreover, we found that the antioxidant role of Plin5 was PI3K/Akt and ERK signaling pathways dependent as Plin5-induced activation of Nrf2-ARE system was significantly inhibited by pharmacologic inhibitor of PI3K/Akt or ERK. In line with our data in pancreatic β-cells, livers of mice with liver-specific *Plin5* ablation exhibited activation of JNK and *Plin5*-null cardiomyocytes showed decreased phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt ([@B24], [@B40]). However, in the aortic tissues, *ApoE/Plin5* double knockout linked with the activation of PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways, therefore, may contribute to oxidative stress generation ([@B21]). The reason of discordant results is not well known, the induction of PI3K/Akt and MAPK pathways by *ApoE* deletion *per se* may complicate the study of the regulation of Plin5 in these signaling pathways and tissue-specific role of Plin5 in different target tissues may also be considered. More recently, Tan et al. identified that the ROS-JNK-p38-ATFs regulatory axis up-regulated the expression of Plin5 so that it alleviated the cellular oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide or lipopolysaccharide through reducing the generation of ROS products by mitochondria in HepG2 cells. Considering the positive regulation of Plin5 on p38 MAPK and JNK activities revealed in the present data, we speculated that elevation of ROS-JNK-p38-ATFs pathway on Plin5 may serve as a negative feedback to inhibit the activation of JNK and p38 and ultimately alleviate oxidative damage, although further investigation is needed. Overall, the results above indicate that Plin5 exhibits protective effects against oxidative stress via Nrf2-ARE pathway in INS-1 β-cells by activating PI3K/Akt and ERK pathways. However, one key limitation of our study is that all the data were obtained through *in vitro* experiments, which needs to be further verified *in vivo* in the future.
In pancreatic β-cells, lipotoxicity can impact cell survival, as well as β-cell function, manifested by reduced GSIS ([@B3], [@B4]). Intriguingly, in the present study we revealed that Plin5 can rescue impaired GSIS under the condition of lipid stress via enhanced antioxidant machinery. The relation of GSIS and ROS is intricate. One hand, ROS, in particular hydrogen peroxide, may function as physiological signaling molecules mediating a variety of physiological processes such as GSIS in β-cells ([@B52]). However, elevated ROS can also activate some stress-sensitive pathways that have been linked to decreased insulin secretion ([@B37]). Among these pathways, activation of the NF-κB and JNK/STAT pathways has been associated with ROS-mediated pancreatic β-cell death and therefore decreased GSIS ([@B53]). Whether these pathways are also involved in Plin5-mediated antioxidant effect in lipid overloaded pancreatic β-cells remains to be examined, whereas Plin5 indeed modulates NF-κB pathway in the brachiocephalic arteries of ApoE^−/−^ mice ([@B21]). The other hand, excessive and persistent production of ROS directly oxidizes and damages DNA, proteins, and lipids and causes β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis ([@B37]). In addition, insulin release required increased ATP production during glucose metabolism in pancreatic β-cells ([@B54]). Continuous ROS production (endogenous or exogenous) as occurring in the oxidative stress condition can lead to ATP depletion, therefore limiting GSIS as well as causing β-cell dysfunction ([@B55]). At last, similar to other cell types, β-cells also use FFA lipolysed from adipose tissue as the principal energy source to maintain cell functions such as GSIS and basal lipolysis is critical for normal GSIS ([@B56]). Higher expression of Plin5 in β-cells favors lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation in the presence of FFA ([@B27]), although the associations of Plin5 and lipid metabolism in non-insulin-secreting cells are controversial, likely due to unique interaction of Plin5 with multiple lipolytic regulators ([@B24], [@B57]). Thus, Trevino et al. demonstrated that overexpression of Plin5 in islets enhanced the augmentation of GSIS by acute FFA treatment (1 h) via regulating intracellular lipid metabolism ([@B27]). Collectively, the possible activities of Plin5 as regulators of some pathways, antioxidant defenses and lipid metabolism in β-cells may ensure a more efficient removal of oxidant species with no negative impact on GSIS.
Interestingly, we found that 24 h palmitate treatment also induced a cellular adaptive antioxidant response in INS-1 β-cells, as evidenced by mild activation of Nrf2-ARE pathway and elevation of GSH level ([Figures 3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}--[4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}), although this response couldn\'t completely overcome the challenges of increased oxidative stress. Our results are consistent with previous studies conducted in not only β-cells ([@B58]) but also in other type of cells ([@B59]). This phenomenon may be explained by our previous observation that Plin5 expression is also moderately induced by palmitate treatment ([@B26]) and hence elevated Plin5 expression may contribute to the antioxidant response in β-cells, although the details are still inexplicit. While, this adaptive response which may represent an attempt to minimize palmitate\'s prooxidant actions is not sufficient to overcome palmitate-mediated oxidative damage, which ultimately leads to a dramatic elevation of intracellular ROS levels. However, overexpression of Plin5 induced significant antioxidant defense and alleviated oxidative damage induced by palmitate overload.
In conclusion, our results demonstrate a critical role for Plin5 in induction of antioxidant defense and alleviation of oxidative damage in INS-1 pancreatic β-cells. Additionally, we highlight a novel mechanism of Plin5 in regulating oxidative stress which involves PI3K/Akt and ERK dependent activation of Nrf2-antioxidant pathway.
Data Availability Statement {#s5}
===========================
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation, to any qualified researcher.
Author Contributions {#s6}
====================
YZhu contributed with funding acquisition, project administration, experiments conduction, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing and revision, final approval of manuscript and guarantor of this work. CR contributed with experiments conduction, data analysis. MZ contributed with data analysis and figure preparation. YZho contributed with project administration and manuscript revision.
Conflict of Interest
--------------------
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.
**Funding.** This work was supported by The National Natural Science Foundation (81300701).
[^1]: Edited by: Åke Sjöholm, Gävle Hospital, Sweden
[^2]: Reviewed by: HawWen Chen, China Medical University, Taiwan; Yu-Hsuan Lin, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, United States; Bruna Bellaver, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil; Débora Guerini Souza, Federal University of Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil
[^3]: This article was submitted to Diabetes: Molecular Mechanisms, a section of the journal Frontiers in Endocrinology
[^4]: †These authors have contributed equally to this work
|
898 F.2d 137
U.S.v.Montas
NO. 89-1448
United States Court of Appeals,Second Circuit.
FEB 09, 1990
1
Appeal From: S.D.N.Y.
2
AFFIRMED.
|
Q:
create a link in an email that bypasses login but still facilitates authentication
I have a rails 3 app that is currently using Devise for authentication. I would like to send an email to users from time to time that would contain a link. When they click the link they would...
bypass the login page
go directly to the page i'm directing them to
and authenticate in the process
I tried several Google searches that would shed some light but came up empty. I am interested in the how to's, the risks and how to make it as secure as possible.
Also, are there any other Tags that would be relevant to this question?
Thanks!
A:
I think you're really looking for token authentication.
Take a look at this blog (deleted) which is linked to from the devise wiki here.
It's a bit of a weird example in that UI given is for a user to generate a login link for themselves. Still - it presents the correct approach to login-using-a-link.
|
[Cite as State v. Fields, 2014-Ohio-299.]
Court of Appeals of Ohio
EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA
JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION
No. 99593
STATE OF OHIO
PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE
vs.
TAHJ FIELDS
DEFENDANT-APPELLANT
JUDGMENT:
AFFIRMED
Criminal Appeal from the
Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas
Case No. CR-570087
BEFORE: Keough, J., Boyle, A.J., and Kilbane, J.
RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: January 30, 2014
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT
James C. Young
75 Public Square, Suite 600
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Timothy J. McGinty
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor
By: Mary Weston
Assistant Prosecuting Attorney
The Justice Center, 8th Floor
1200 Ontario Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
KATHLEEN ANN KEOUGH, J.:
{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Tahj Fields, appeals his conviction for robbery. For
the reasons that follow, we affirm.
{¶2} In 2012, Fields was charged with aggravated robbery, robbery, kidnapping,
and possession of criminal tools. The matter proceeded to trial where the jury heard the
following evidence.
{¶3} On September 24, 2012, police officers Montijo and Jones responded to a call
regarding a robbery in Tremont. While en route, Officer Montijo observed suspicious
activity of two young males, who fit the description of the suspects to the robbery,
walking behind another male. Officer Montijo testified that she observed the two males
gaining ground on the male in front of them and when the males were approximately five
feet behind the male, they covered their heads with hoodies and walked even closer to the
male. At that point, the officers turned their zone car around and exited the car with
their guns drawn. The two males immediately crossed the street and when the offices
ordered the males to stop, they complied. The males were secured, taken back to the
zone car, and patted down for officer safety. Officer Montijo discovered and removed
money, a gun, and an iPhone from the pocket of the male later identified as Jamahl
Cunningham. The other arrested male was identified as Tahj Fields.
{¶4} Jack Ricchiuto testified that he was taking a walk after dinner when he was
approached and surrounded by three young men, who he described as “kids” — “late
teens early 20’s.” Ricchiuto stated that one of the males stood in front of him, putting a
gun to his chest, while the other two stood behind Ricchiuto. According to Ricchiuto, he
believed the gun to be real and he gave the men his cell phone, lighter, cigar, and wallet.
Ricchiuto testified that one of the males standing behind him grabbed his ear, which
caused pain and redness. After the males took the items, they walked away and
Ricchiuto went to a local establishment to call the police. After calling the police,
Ricchiuto went home, got on his scooter, and was headed back to the area where he was
robbed when he encountered Officer Francis McManamon who told him that the suspects
were arrested. He followed Officer McManamon to the location where other officers
had two men in a police cruiser.
{¶5} Ricchiuto testified that he stood behind the cruiser, and although he did not
look at the faces of the arrested individuals, he positively identified the arrested males as
two of the males that robbed him based on their “figures” — “they looked exactly like the
figures that I had seen, you know, ten minutes before that.” Ricchiuto also identified the
cell phone that was recovered as his iPhone.
{¶6} Detective Dale Moran testified that he received the assignment of
investigating the robbery. After interviewing Jamahl Cunningham, he received the
names of three more suspects involved in the robbery — Jerome Cunningham, Hector
Delvalle, and Juan Fontenaz.
{¶7} Jerome Cunningham testified at trial that he and Fields acted as “look-outs”
from behind a house while Jamahl, Hector, and Juan robbed Ricchiuto. According to
Jerome, earlier that day, they all met up on Holmden Avenue and planned on robbing
someone. He testified that they did not discuss the roles they each would play, but just
discussed the robbery would be in Tremont because they could walk there. He testified
that Hector, Juan, and Jamahl each had a gun in their possession. In court, he identified
the gun that Jamahl had in his possession that evening.
{¶8} Jerome testified that although he did not actually see Jamahl, Hector, and
Juan rob someone, he did see in Jamahl’s possession after the robbery money, a phone,
cigar, and lighter. Afterwards, he, Hector, and Juan were going to head home, whereas
Jamahl “was going to rob someone else” and Fields went with him. According to
Jerome, Fields did not say anything or indicate what he was planning on doing, but just
went with Jamahl. Jerome admitted he pled guilty to robbery in connection with this
case.
{¶9} Hector’s testimony greatly differed from Jerome’s testimony. He testified
that there was no plan to rob anyone; rather, they were all walking to Tremont to visit a
friend. According to Hector, Jamahl and Juan ran across the street in the direction of a
man on a cell phone, with Fields following behind them. Hector and Jerome walked by
the three others as they robbed Ricchiuto. Hector testified that Jamahl had the gun
pointed at the man, while Juan was standing behind the man searching through the man’s
pockets. According to Hector, Fields was just standing next to the victim. Hector
testified that as he looked back to see what was going on, Fields started walking towards
him and Jerome. After the robbery, they were all walking back towards Holmden
Avenue when they passed a guy on the corner who was talking on his cell phone.
Hector testified that Fields stated: “That was easy. Look at this guy.” Hector testified
that he understood Tahj’s statement to mean that the “first robbery was easy and let’s try
it again.” According to Hector, Jamahl and Fields left the group and walked in the
direction of the guy on the phone. Hector admitted to pleading guilty to robbery.
{¶10} The jury found Fields not guilty of aggravated robbery, kidnapping, and
possession of criminal tools, but guilty of robbery. The court sentenced Fields to two
years in prison. Fields appeals, raising five assignments of error for our review.
I. Inadmissible Evidence
{¶11} Fields’s first assignment of error states: “[t]he trial court abused its
discretion and violated appellant’s right to due process by allowing the state to introduce,
in the absence of any predicate activity connected to him, testimony about an unrelated
and unsubstantiated robbery.” Fields argues that the testimony regarding an alleged
second robbery given by Officer Montijo and Hector was impermissible under Evid.R.
403(A) and 404(B).
{¶12} Trial court decisions regarding the admissibility of any evidence, including
Evid.R. 404(B) “other acts” evidence are determinations that rest within the sound
discretion of the trial court and will be reviewed for an abuse of discretion. State v.
Morris, 132 Ohio St.3d 337, 2012-Ohio-2407, 972 N.E.2d 528, ¶ 14. An abuse of
discretion implies that a court’s attitude is unreasonable, arbitrary, or unconscionable.
Blakemore v. Blakemore, 5 Ohio St.3d 217, 219, 450 N.E.2d 1140 (1983). It has “also
been described as including a ruling that lacks a ‘sound reasoning process.’” Morris,
quoting AAAA Ents., Inc. v. River Place Community Urban Redevelopment Corp., 50
Ohio St.3d 157, 161, 553 N.E.2d 597 (1990).
{¶13} Evid.R. 403(A) provides that “although relevant, evidence is not admissible
if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, of
confusion of the issues, or of misleading the jury.”
{¶14} Evid.R. 404(B) provides that “evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is
not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in
conformity therewith. It may however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof
of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of
mistake or accident.” Similarly, R.C. 2945.59 provides that evidence of other crimes
may be admissible to show “motive or intent, the absence of mistake or accident on
[defendant’s] part, or the defendant’s scheme, plan, or system in doing the act in
question.”
{¶15} Hector testified about what occurred following the robbery of Ricchiuto.
According to Hector, after the robbery, they were walking back to Holmden Avenue and
while they were standing on the corner, a guy on a cell phone walked passed them.
Hector testified that Fields stated to the group, “That was easy. Look at this guy.”
{¶16} While defense counsel initially objected to Hector’s testimony about how
Fields responded as the man walked by, no objection was made to the testimony and
statement now challenged on appeal. Accordingly, we may review the argument under a
plain error standard of review. State v. Childs, 14 Ohio St.2d 56, 236 N.E.2d 545
(1968), paragraph three of the syllabus. Whether we review this testimony for plain
error or for an abuse of discretion, we find that the testimony was admissible as
non-hearsay under Evid.R. 801(D)(2). Under Evid.R. 801(D)(2)(a), a statement is not
hearsay if it is offered against a party and is his own statement. State v. Kimmie, 8th
Dist. Cuyahoga No. 99236, 2013-Ohio-4034, ¶ 91. Accordingly, the statement was not
“other acts” under Evid.R. 404(B) because “That was easy” was an admission to the
robbery of Ricchiuto.
{¶17} We also find that the probative value of the statement was not substantially
outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or misleading the jury to render the
testimony inadmissible under Evid.R. 403(A). Contrary to the argument on appeal, the
evidence in this case is overwhelming of Fields’s guilt. The jury heard testimony from
two of Fields’s codefendants that he played some role in the robbery. Whether he acted
as a lookout as Jerome testified, or as a direct player as Hector testified, he planned and
participated in the robbery of Ricchiuto. Moreover, Fields was arrested with Jamahl
who had Ricchiuto’s property on him, directly after the robbery. Accordingly, we
cannot say that the outcome of the trial would have been different absent the challenged
limited testimony of Hector.
{¶18} Fields also challenges the testimony given by Officer Montijo regarding
what she observed as they were responding to a robbery call. She testified she observed
two males, who fit the description of the suspects to the robbery, walking quickly behind
another male and as they got closer they put their hoodies up over their heads. When the
prosecutor asked the officer what happened to the male that was walking ahead of the two
males that were subsequently arrested, she responded, “He continued to walk. He didn’t
stop. At that point, we had to make a decision. We either stopped and talked to the
person in front or we talked to the two that were obviously observed putting up their
hoodies, what appeared to be, going to be another robbery.”
{¶19} The record clearly demonstrates that the trial court sustained defense
counsel’s objection made regarding the officer’s answer. Accordingly, there was no error
by the trial court regarding Officer Montijo’s testimony.
{¶20} Insofar as Fields argues that the trial court should have granted his motion
for a mistrial because of this testimony, the objection made to her testimony was
sustained. The fact that defense counsel did not move to strike Officer Montijo’s
response from the record or request that the court instruct the jury to disregard the answer
is not raised as an issue before this court.
{¶21} Furthermore, at the request of defense counsel, the trial court gave a
“curative instruction” to the jury during its final charge that the jury was only to consider
the incident involving Ricchiuto. The court specifically stated: “The charges set forth
in this case pertain to a single incident involving a single victim, namely Jack Ricchiuto.
Disregard any testimony regarding any other incident.” Moreover, the record
demonstrates that defense counsel helped prepare the instruction and agreed to the
instruction given by the trial court.
{¶22} In light of the trial court’s instruction, which the jury is presumed to follow,
it cannot be said that Fields’s ability to receive a fair trial was compromised as he claims.
See State v. Garner, 74 Ohio St.3d 49, 59, 1995-Ohio-168, 656 N.E.2d 623. The
instruction given by the trial court was clear and specifically addressed the arguments
Fields now makes on appeal. Accordingly, we find no abuse of discretion. Fields’s first
assignment of error is overruled.
II. Prosecutorial Misconduct
{¶23} In his second assignment of error, Fields contends that the state’s
introduction of speculative statements by police officers about his commission of an
uncharged, unsubstantiated robbery that supposedly occurred immediately after the one
which he was on trial, constituted prosecutorial misconduct and denied him due process
and equal protection under the law.
{¶24} The test for prosecutorial misconduct is whether the conduct was improper
and, if so, whether it prejudicially affected the substantial rights of the accused. State v.
Jones, 90 Ohio St.3d 403, 420, 2000-Ohio-187, 739 N.E.2d 300. The effect of the alleged
misconduct must be judged in the context of the entire trial, and not treated as an isolated
incident in an otherwise properly tried case. State v. Singleton, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.
98301, 2013-Ohio-1440, ¶ 58. Accordingly, an appellate court should only reverse a
conviction if the effect of the misconduct “permeates the entire atmosphere of the trial,”
such that the defendant has been denied a fair trial. Id., citing State v. Tumbleson, 105
Ohio App.3d 693, 696, 664 N.E.2d 1318 (12th Dist.1995). In analyzing whether a
defendant was deprived of a fair trial, an appellate court must determine beyond a
reasonable doubt whether, absent the improper questions or remarks, the jury would have
found the defendant guilty. State v. Maurer, 15 Ohio St.3d 239, 266-267, 473 N.E.2d
768 (1984).
{¶25} In this case, Fields contends that the prosecutor engaged in misconduct by
asking questions that “the prosecutor knew the prejudicial effect of [when] asking the
police what happened after the robbery.” It appears that Fields is arguing that the
prosecutor purposefully asked questions to illicit inadmissible answers. We disagree.
{¶26} During Officer Montijo’s testimony, she explained what she observed as
they were responding to a robbery call. She testified she observed two males, who fit
the description of the suspects to the robbery, walking quickly behind another male and as
they got closer they put their hoodies up over their heads. When the prosecutor asked
the officer what happened to the male that was walking in front of the two males that
were subsequently arrested, she responded, “He continued to walk. He didn’t stop. At
that point, we had to make a decision. We either stopped and talked to the person in
front or we talked to the two that were obviously observed putting up their hoodie, what
appeared to be, going to be another robbery.” The trial court sustained defense
counsel’s objection made regarding the officer’s answer, but the defense did not move to
strike the response.
{¶27} Reviewing the prosecutor’s entire examination of Officer Montijo, the
prosecutor’s question was not improper. It would be unfair for this court to impute
misconduct on a prosecutor when a witness supplies an answer that goes beyond the
question asked, without any additional evidence of impropriety. Moreover, as
previously discussed, the trial court sustained defense counsel’s objection to Officer
Montijo’s response and instructed the jury at the close of trial that they were only
considering one incident and to disregard any other incident.
{¶28} Fields’s second assignment of error is overruled.
III. Sufficiency of the Evidence
{¶29} In his third assignment of error, Fields contends that his conviction for
robbery was not supported by sufficient evidence.
{¶30} The test for sufficiency requires a determination of whether the prosecution
met its burden of production at trial. State v. Bowden, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 92266,
2009-Ohio-3598, ¶ 12. An appellate court’s function when reviewing the sufficiency of
the evidence to support a criminal conviction is to examine the evidence admitted at trial
to determine whether such evidence, if believed, would convince the average mind of the
defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The relevant inquiry is whether, after
viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact
could have found the essential elements of the crime proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
State v. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d 380, 386, 1997-Ohio-52, 678 N.E.2d 541.
{¶31} Fields was convicted of robbery in violation of R.C. 2911.02(A)(2), which
provides that “no person, in attempting or committing a theft offense or in fleeing
immediately after the attempt or offense, shall * * * inflict, attempt to inflict, or threaten
to inflict physical harm on another.”
{¶32} Fields argues the evidence was insufficient because “no evidence other than
Hector’s testimony supports the idea that [he] was involved at all.” Under our standard
of review, Hector’s testimony alone is sufficient evidence to support Fields’s conviction
for robbery. Hector testified that Jamahl, Fields, and Juan approached and surrounded
the victim. According to Hector, Fields stood directly to the side of the victim while
Jamahl pointed the gun at the victim and searched through the victim’s pockets, taking his
property. Hector testified that Juan was standing behind the victim and then
subsequently struck the victim on the side of his face causing him physical harm.
{¶33} Accordingly, viewing the evidence in light most favorable to the
prosecution, we find that sufficient evidence was presented supporting Fields’s robbery
conviction.
IV. Manifest Weight of the Evidence
{¶34} In his fourth assignment of error, Fields contends that his conviction for
robbery was against the manifest weight of the evidence.
{¶35} “‘A manifest weight challenge, on the other hand, questions whether the
prosecution met its burden of persuasion.’” State v. Ponce, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.
91329, 2010-Ohio-1741, ¶ 17, quoting State v. Thomas, 70 Ohio St.2d 79, 80, 434 N.E.2d
1356 (1982). The manifest-weight-of-the-evidence standard of review requires us to
review the entire record, weigh the evidence and all reasonable inferences, consider the
credibility of witnesses, and determine whether, in resolving conflicts in the evidence, the
trier of fact clearly lost its way and created such a manifest miscarriage of justice that the
conviction must be reversed and a new trial ordered. State v. Otten, 33 Ohio App.3d
339, 515 N.E.2d 1009 (9th Dist.1986), paragraph one of the syllabus. The discretionary
power to grant a new trial should be exercised only in exceptional cases where the
evidence weighs heavily against the conviction. Thompkins, 78 Ohio St.3d at 386,
1997-Ohio-52, 678 N.E.2d 541.
{¶36} Fields argues that his convictions are against the manifest weight of the
evidence because the victim’s on-scene identification of Fields was unreliable and the
police did not conduct a thorough investigation. However, the jury heard all the
evidence, including conflicting testimony by the codefendants and police officers, and
considered the circumstances surrounding the victim’s identification.
{¶37} Under well-settled precedent, we are constrained to adhere to the principle
that the credibility of witnesses and the weight to be given to their testimony are matters
for the trier of fact to resolve. See State v. DeHass, 10 Ohio St.2d 230, 231, 227 N.E.2d
212 (1967). Although we consider the credibility of witnesses in a manifest weight
challenge, we are mindful that the determination regarding witness credibility rests
primarily with the trier of fact because the trier of fact is in the best position to view the
witnesses and observe their demeanor, gestures, and voice inflections — observations that
are critical to determining a witness’s credibility. State v. Clark, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No.
94050, 2010-Ohio-4354, ¶ 17, citing State v. Hill, 75 Ohio St.3d 195, 205,
1996-Ohio-222, 661 N.E.2d 1068, and State v. Antill, 176 Ohio St. 61, 66, 197 N.E.2d
548 (1964). The trier of fact is free to accept or reject any or all the testimony of any
witness. State v. Smith, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 93593, 2010-Ohio-4006, ¶ 16. As this
court has previously recognized, a defendant is not entitled to a reversal on
manifest-weight grounds merely because inconsistent evidence was presented at trial.
State v. Gaughan, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 90523, 2009-Ohio-955, ¶ 32, citing State v.
Raver, 10th Dist. Franklin No. 02AP-604, 2003-Ohio-958 at ¶ 21.
{¶38} Regardless which testimony is believed, Fields’s conviction for robbery was
not against the manifest weight of the evidence. Jerome testified that he and Fields
were acting as look-outs while the other three approached the victim and robbed him.
Hector testified that Fields was an active participant by approaching the victim with Juan
and Jamahl. Under the state’s theory of the case, Fields’s actions — either as a look-out
or as an active participant, demonstrated that he aided and abetted in the commission of
the robbery.
{¶39} The jury could not ignore that Fields was arrested with Jamahl, who had the
gun and the victim’s property on him. Moreover, the jury consistently heard that Fields
played some role in the robbery. Based on the record before us, we cannot say that this
is the exceptional case where the court clearly lost its way in finding Fields guilty of
robbery. The jury’s verdict demonstrates that it considered all the evidence, weighed the
testimony of all the witnesses, and discounted and accepted testimony where the jury
determined it was appropriate. Accordingly, his fourth assignment of error overruled.
V. Cumulative Effect of Errors
{¶40} In his fifth assignment of error, Fields contends that the cumulative effect of
the errors at trial violated his right to due process and rendered the trial fundamentally
unfair.
{¶41} The “cumulative error” doctrine states that a “conviction will be reversed
where the cumulative effect of errors in a trial deprives a defendant of the constitutional
right to a fair trial even though each of the numerous instances of the trial court error does
not individually constitute cause for reversal.” State v. Garner, 74 Ohio St.3d 49, 64,
1995-Ohio-168, 656 N.E.2d 623. In order to find cumulative error, we must find: (1)
that multiple errors were committed at trial, and (2) there is a reasonable probability that
the outcome of the trial would have been different but for the combination of the
separately harmless errors. State v. Viceroy, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 97031,
2012-Ohio-2494, ¶ 21, citing State v. Clark, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 89371,
2008-Ohio-1404, ¶ 62.
{¶42} Having found no causes for reversal, this doctrine is not applicable to this
case. Accordingly, Fields’s fifth assignment of error is overruled.
{¶43} Judgment affirmed.
It is ordered that appellee recover from appellant costs herein taxed.
The court finds there were reasonable grounds for this appeal.
It is ordered that a special mandate issue out of this court directing the common
pleas court to carry this judgment into execution. The defendant’s conviction having
been affirmed, any bail pending appeal is terminated. Case remanded to the trial court
for execution of sentence.
A certified copy of this entry shall constitute the mandate pursuant to Rule 27 of
the Rules of Appellate Procedure.
KATHLEEN ANN KEOUGH, JUDGE
MARY J. BOYLE, A.J., and
MARY EILEEN KILBANE, J., CONCUR
|
Q:
Printing a range of numbers - including end value
I have the following dictionary:
self.info("check_reg_min_max")
self.info(pprint.pformat(check_reg_min_max))
{
'TXH1DH50_DD70_03062018_FULL': [60398572, 60399376],
'TXH2DH50_DD70_03062018_FULL': [5071407, 5071709],
'TXH3DH50_DD70_03062018_FULL': [2822010, 2822116],
'TXH4DH50_DD70_03062018_FULL': [52148625, 52148782],
'TXH5DH50_DD70_03062018_FULL': [6764732, 6764766]
}
What I'm trying to do is write each range of numbers to a file, so I'm doing this:
for filename in check_reg_min_max:
jc.write(range(check_reg_min_max[filename][0], check_reg_min_max[filename][1] + 1))
The error message I keep getting is:
argument 1 must be string or read-only character buffer, not list
My understanding is that range takes two integers, and since it is inclusive, I am adding the +1 to grab the end value.
Any ideas what I am doing wrong?
EDIT: I grabbed the wrong error message. Error message updated.
A:
The write() method expects a string. You can't pass it a range directly, it doesn't know what to do with that. This won't work:
f = open('test.txt', 'w')
f.write(range(1,10))
f.close()
You'd need to do something to convert that range to a string. This is one example of how you might do that, if you wanted a comma-separated list of values:
f = open('test.txt', 'w')
f.write(','.join([str(x) for x in range(1,10)]))
f.close()
|
ES on death
Please, please, please fix it to where you have energy shield when you spawn at checkpoint. I died in a map from spawning and going straight through the portal before I realized I had no ES because we have to have a delay on ES regen with a new spawn for some reason. |
Discordant left and right ventricular optimal atrioventricular and interventricular delays during biventricular pacemaker optimization.
Echocardiography-guided optimization of atrioventricular (AV) delay (AVD) improves left ventricular (LV) filling, and optimized interventricular delay (VVD) leads to further improvement in cardiac output in patients with biventricular (Biv) pacing. Investigators use LV filling and ejection to optimize AV and VV delay in patients with Biv pacing. Effect of such optimization on right-sided hemodynamics remains unknown. In our experience, few patients experience worsening of right ventricle (RV) hemodynamics when LV parameters are optimized. We present a series of cases where we observed suboptimal RV filling or ejection at optimal AVD and VVD for LV. This RV-LV discordance may contribute to nonresponder rate to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and should be evaluated in a consecutive series of CRT nonresponder patients to help improve CRT response. |
/*
* Misc utility routines for WL and Apps
* This header file housing the define and function prototype use by
* both the wl driver, tools & Apps.
*
* Copyright (C) 2009, Broadcom Corporation
* All Rights Reserved.
*
* THIS SOFTWARE IS OFFERED "AS IS", AND BROADCOM GRANTS NO WARRANTIES OF ANY
* KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, BY STATUTE, COMMUNICATION OR OTHERWISE. BROADCOM
* SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
* FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE OR NONINFRINGEMENT CONCERNING THIS SOFTWARE.
*
* $Id: bcmwifi.h,v 1.24 2009/05/21 21:22:04 Exp $
*/
#ifndef _bcmwifi_h_
#define _bcmwifi_h_
/* A chanspec holds the channel number, band, bandwidth and control sideband */
typedef uint16 chanspec_t;
/* channel defines */
#define CH_UPPER_SB 0x01
#define CH_LOWER_SB 0x02
#define CH_EWA_VALID 0x04
#define CH_20MHZ_APART 4
#define CH_10MHZ_APART 2
#define CH_5MHZ_APART 1 /* 2G band channels are 5 Mhz apart */
#define CH_MAX_2G_CHANNEL 14 /* Max channel in 2G band */
#define WLC_MAX_2G_CHANNEL CH_MAX_2G_CHANNEL /* legacy define */
#define MAXCHANNEL 224 /* max # supported channels. The max channel no is 216,
* this is that + 1 rounded up to a multiple of NBBY (8).
* DO NOT MAKE it > 255: channels are uint8's all over
*/
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CHAN_MASK 0x00ff
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CHAN_SHIFT 0
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_MASK 0x0300
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_SHIFT 8
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_LOWER 0x0100
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_UPPER 0x0200
#define WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_NONE 0x0300
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BW_MASK 0x0C00
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BW_SHIFT 10
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BW_10 0x0400
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BW_20 0x0800
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BW_40 0x0C00
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_MASK 0xf000
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_SHIFT 12
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_5G 0x1000
#define WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_2G 0x2000
#define INVCHANSPEC 255
/* used to calculate the chan_freq = chan_factor * 500Mhz + 5 * chan_number */
#define WF_CHAN_FACTOR_2_4_G 4814 /* 2.4 GHz band, 2407 MHz */
#define WF_CHAN_FACTOR_5_G 10000 /* 5 GHz band, 5000 MHz */
#define WF_CHAN_FACTOR_4_G 8000 /* 4.9 GHz band for Japan */
/* channel defines */
#define LOWER_20_SB(channel) ((channel > CH_10MHZ_APART) ? (channel - CH_10MHZ_APART) : 0)
#define UPPER_20_SB(channel) ((channel < (MAXCHANNEL - CH_10MHZ_APART)) ? \
(channel + CH_10MHZ_APART) : 0)
#define CHSPEC_WLCBANDUNIT(chspec) (CHSPEC_IS5G(chspec) ? BAND_5G_INDEX : BAND_2G_INDEX)
#define CH20MHZ_CHSPEC(channel) (chanspec_t)((chanspec_t)(channel) | WL_CHANSPEC_BW_20 | \
WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_NONE | (((channel) <= CH_MAX_2G_CHANNEL) ? \
WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_2G : WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_5G))
#define NEXT_20MHZ_CHAN(channel) ((channel < (MAXCHANNEL - CH_20MHZ_APART)) ? \
(channel + CH_20MHZ_APART) : 0)
#define CH40MHZ_CHSPEC(channel, ctlsb) (chanspec_t) \
((channel) | (ctlsb) | WL_CHANSPEC_BW_40 | \
((channel) <= CH_MAX_2G_CHANNEL ? WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_2G : \
WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_5G))
#define CHSPEC_CHANNEL(chspec) ((uint8)(chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CHAN_MASK))
#define CHSPEC_CTL_SB(chspec) (chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_MASK)
#define CHSPEC_BW(chspec) (chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_BW_MASK)
#define CHSPEC_BAND(chspec) (chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_MASK)
#define CHSPEC_IS10(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_BW_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_BW_10)
#define CHSPEC_IS20(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_BW_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_BW_20)
#ifndef CHSPEC_IS40
#define CHSPEC_IS40(chspec) (((chspec) & WL_CHANSPEC_BW_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_BW_40)
#endif
#define CHSPEC_IS5G(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_5G)
#define CHSPEC_IS2G(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_BAND_2G)
#define CHSPEC_SB_NONE(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_NONE)
#define CHSPEC_SB_UPPER(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_UPPER)
#define CHSPEC_SB_LOWER(chspec) ((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_MASK) == WL_CHANSPEC_CTL_SB_LOWER)
#define CHSPEC_CTL_CHAN(chspec) ((CHSPEC_SB_LOWER(chspec)) ? \
(LOWER_20_SB((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CHAN_MASK))) : \
(UPPER_20_SB((chspec & WL_CHANSPEC_CHAN_MASK))))
#define CHSPEC2WLC_BAND(chspec) (CHSPEC_IS5G((chspec))? WLC_BAND_5G: WLC_BAND_2G)
#define CHANSPEC_STR_LEN 8
/* defined rate in 500kbps */
#define WLC_MAXRATE 108 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_1M 2 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_2M 4 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_5M5 11 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_11M 22 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_6M 12 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_9M 18 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_12M 24 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_18M 36 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_24M 48 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_36M 72 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_48M 96 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_RATE_54M 108 /* in 500kbps units */
#define WLC_2G_25MHZ_OFFSET 5 /* 2.4GHz band channel offset */
/*
* Convert chanspec to ascii string
* @param chspec chanspec format
* @param buf ascii string of chanspec
* @return pointer to buf with room for at least CHANSPEC_STR_LEN bytes
*/
extern char * wf_chspec_ntoa(chanspec_t chspec, char *buf);
/*
* Convert ascii string to chanspec
* @param a pointer to input string
* @return >= 0 if successful or 0 otherwise
*/
extern chanspec_t wf_chspec_aton(char *a);
/*
* Verify the chanspec is using a legal set of parameters, i.e. that the
* chanspec specified a band, bw, ctl_sb and channel and that the
* combination could be legal given any set of circumstances.
* RETURNS: TRUE is the chanspec is malformed, false if it looks good.
*/
extern bool wf_chspec_malformed(chanspec_t chanspec);
/*
* This function returns the channel number that control traffic is being sent on, for legacy
* channels this is just the channel number, for 40MHZ channels it is the upper or lowre 20MHZ
* sideband depending on the chanspec selected
*/
extern uint8 wf_chspec_ctlchan(chanspec_t chspec);
/*
* This function returns the chanspec that control traffic is being sent on, for legacy
* channels this is just the chanspec, for 40MHZ channels it is the upper or lowre 20MHZ
* sideband depending on the chanspec selected
*/
extern chanspec_t wf_chspec_ctlchspec(chanspec_t chspec);
/*
* Return the channel number for a given frequency and base frequency.
* The returned channel number is relative to the given base frequency.
* If the given base frequency is zero, a base frequency of 5 GHz is assumed for
* frequencies from 5 - 6 GHz, and 2.407 GHz is assumed for 2.4 - 2.5 GHz.
*
* Frequency is specified in MHz.
* The base frequency is specified as (start_factor * 500 kHz).
* Constants WF_CHAN_FACTOR_2_4_G, WF_CHAN_FACTOR_5_G are defined for
* 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
*
* The returned channel will be in the range [1, 14] in the 2.4 GHz band
* and [0, 200] otherwise.
* -1 is returned if the start_factor is WF_CHAN_FACTOR_2_4_G and the
* frequency is not a 2.4 GHz channel, or if the frequency is not and even
* multiple of 5 MHz from the base frequency to the base plus 1 GHz.
*
* Reference 802.11 REVma, section 17.3.8.3, and 802.11B section 18.4.6.2
*/
extern int wf_mhz2channel(uint freq, uint start_factor);
/*
* Return the center frequency in MHz of the given channel and base frequency.
* The channel number is interpreted relative to the given base frequency.
*
* The valid channel range is [1, 14] in the 2.4 GHz band and [0, 200] otherwise.
* The base frequency is specified as (start_factor * 500 kHz).
* Constants WF_CHAN_FACTOR_2_4_G, WF_CHAN_FACTOR_5_G are defined for
* 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.
* The channel range of [1, 14] is only checked for a start_factor of
* WF_CHAN_FACTOR_2_4_G (4814).
* Odd start_factors produce channels on .5 MHz boundaries, in which case
* the answer is rounded down to an integral MHz.
* -1 is returned for an out of range channel.
*
* Reference 802.11 REVma, section 17.3.8.3, and 802.11B section 18.4.6.2
*/
extern int wf_channel2mhz(uint channel, uint start_factor);
#endif /* _bcmwifi_h_ */
|
Toward a concept of homelessness among aged men.
New York City homeless aged men living on the Bowery and in single-room occupancy hotels were contrasted using Bogue's model of skid row social formation. Because of their commonality of being unattached urban males, it had been assumed that they would exhibit similar characteristics and modes of adaptation. It is shown that homelessness is not a uniform category, nor can these men always be easily distinguished from the general populace. Only sociability criteria differentiated these men as a group from their nonhomeless age peers suggesting the appropriateness of an interactive conceptual framework for homelessness. Regression analysis revealed that three of Bogue's four criteria differentiated between Bowery and single-room occupancy men, with the socioeconomic being the most powerful data set. There were also important differences in the way each group handled their social world. The ability of these men to adapt to other environments is discussed. |
// Copyright 2008 The Closure Library Authors. All Rights Reserved.
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS-IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
/**
* @fileoverview Utilities to check the preconditions, postconditions and
* invariants runtime.
*
* Methods in this package should be given special treatment by the compiler
* for type-inference. For example, <code>goog.asserts.assert(foo)</code>
* will restrict <code>foo</code> to a truthy value.
*
* The compiler has an option to disable asserts. So code like:
* <code>
* var x = goog.asserts.assert(foo()); goog.asserts.assert(bar());
* </code>
* will be transformed into:
* <code>
* var x = foo();
* </code>
* The compiler will leave in foo() (because its return value is used),
* but it will remove bar() because it assumes it does not have side-effects.
*
*/
goog.provide('goog.asserts');
goog.provide('goog.asserts.AssertionError');
goog.require('goog.debug.Error');
goog.require('goog.string');
/**
* @define {boolean} Whether to strip out asserts or to leave them in.
*/
goog.asserts.ENABLE_ASSERTS = goog.DEBUG;
/**
* Error object for failed assertions.
* @param {string} messagePattern The pattern that was used to form message.
* @param {!Array.<*>} messageArgs The items to substitute into the pattern.
* @constructor
* @extends {goog.debug.Error}
*/
goog.asserts.AssertionError = function(messagePattern, messageArgs) {
messageArgs.unshift(messagePattern);
goog.debug.Error.call(this, goog.string.subs.apply(null, messageArgs));
// Remove the messagePattern afterwards to avoid permenantly modifying the
// passed in array.
messageArgs.shift();
/**
* The message pattern used to format the error message. Error handlers can
* use this to uniquely identify the assertion.
* @type {string}
*/
this.messagePattern = messagePattern;
};
goog.inherits(goog.asserts.AssertionError, goog.debug.Error);
/** @override */
goog.asserts.AssertionError.prototype.name = 'AssertionError';
/**
* Throws an exception with the given message and "Assertion failed" prefixed
* onto it.
* @param {string} defaultMessage The message to use if givenMessage is empty.
* @param {Array.<*>} defaultArgs The substitution arguments for defaultMessage.
* @param {string|undefined} givenMessage Message supplied by the caller.
* @param {Array.<*>} givenArgs The substitution arguments for givenMessage.
* @throws {goog.asserts.AssertionError} When the value is not a number.
* @private
*/
goog.asserts.doAssertFailure_ =
function(defaultMessage, defaultArgs, givenMessage, givenArgs) {
var message = 'Assertion failed';
if (givenMessage) {
message += ': ' + givenMessage;
var args = givenArgs;
} else if (defaultMessage) {
message += ': ' + defaultMessage;
args = defaultArgs;
}
// The '' + works around an Opera 10 bug in the unit tests. Without it,
// a stack trace is added to var message above. With this, a stack trace is
// not added until this line (it causes the extra garbage to be added after
// the assertion message instead of in the middle of it).
throw new goog.asserts.AssertionError('' + message, args || []);
};
/**
* Checks if the condition evaluates to true if goog.asserts.ENABLE_ASSERTS is
* true.
* @param {*} condition The condition to check.
* @param {string=} opt_message Error message in case of failure.
* @param {...*} var_args The items to substitute into the failure message.
* @return {*} The value of the condition.
* @throws {goog.asserts.AssertionError} When the condition evaluates to false.
*/
goog.asserts.assert = function(condition, opt_message, var_args) {
if (goog.asserts.ENABLE_ASSERTS && !condition) {
goog.asserts.doAssertFailure_('', null, opt_message,
Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 2));
}
return condition;
};
/**
* Fails if goog.asserts.ENABLE_ASSERTS is true. This function is useful in case
* when we want to add a check in the unreachable area like switch-case
* statement:
*
* <pre>
* switch(type) {
* case FOO: doSomething(); break;
* case BAR: doSomethingElse(); break;
* default: goog.assert.fail('Unrecognized type: ' + type);
* // We have only 2 types - "default:" section is unreachable code.
* }
* </pre>
*
* @param {string=} opt_message Error message in case of failure.
* @param {...*} var_args The items to substitute into the failure message.
* @throws {goog.asserts.AssertionError} Failure.
*/
goog.asserts.fail = function(opt_message, var_args) {
if (goog.asserts.ENABLE_ASSERTS) {
throw new goog.asserts.AssertionError(
'Failure' + (opt_message ? ': ' + opt_message : ''),
Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments, 1));
}
};
/**
* Checks if the value is a number if goog.asserts.ENABLE_ASSERTS is true.
* @param {*} value The value to check.
* @param {string=} opt_message Error message in case of failure.
* @param {...*} var_args The items to substitute into the failure message.
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|
The spotlight fixated on one matchup, but Captain Munnerlyn found himself in the crosshairs.
Trailing 24-10, the Giants' last real hope came at the Vikings' 41-yard line in the middle of the fourth quarter. Eli Manning's longest completion to a receiver had traveled only 10 yards at that point. And because of the two-deep safety call, one respecting Odell Beckham Jr. and his fellow deep threats, Munnerlyn knew he wouldn't have much help in the middle to cover Sterling Shepard.
That's where Manning wanted to throw on first down.
"I had to learn the hard way playing against Aaron Rodgers," Munnerlyn recalled. "I was playing 2-man [coverage, Randall] Cobb comes off and he's bending. I'm in his hip pocket a little bit and Aaron Rodgers throws it out front. He makes the catch and I'm like man, what can I do? We say you got to get even."
Manning would turn away from Munnerlyn and sail a hurried deep pass over the head of Beckham, a whimpering ninth and final target of an otherwise emotional meeting with Xavier Rhodes and the Vikings' second-ranked scoring defense.
Rhodes, Munnerlyn and company won the nationally-televised night with tight coverage, a varied approach by head coach and defensive play caller Mike Zimmer and a front that prevented Manning from trying many deep throws. The Giants' game leader in receptions was a running back. Their leader in receiving yards was another running back.
Praise has rightfully been heaped onto Rhodes, who had a deflection and interception while successfully shadowing and toying with Beckham for nearly all of his 45 snaps. Though Beckham was just one of three receiving threats, including Shepard and Victor Cruz, whom the Vikings held to a combined 12 receptions for 103 yards and an interception on 25 targets.
Let's start at the Vikings' 41-yard line in the fourth quarter.
–
The Giants lined up three receivers for all but two snaps of the game. On this first down, the play called for a traditional two deep safeties and man-to-man coverage from the cornerbacks. The Vikings deployed a mixture of man and zone coverages throughout, but used this look on the back end regularly with different defenders as a deep "safety." The weak spot, as Munnerlyn (24) points out, can be the middle of the two safeties.
"It seemed like every time we showed 2-high [coverage], seemed like their first read was looking at the nickel," Munnerlyn said. "See if he's in position to make the play. I knew with Shepard running that deep, I knew I had to get in the window. Because I really don't, there's no middle field help. The safety is on the outside. I really had to carry my guy and be more hip to hip than trailing. If I trail, he can catch it."
–
Munnerlyn turns toward Shepard and follows him stride for stride down the field, forcing Manning off his first read to Shepard and eventually toward the right sideline on a hurried pass over the helmet of Beckham (13) covered on the outside by Terence Newman (23).
"As you can see, I'm even with him," Munnerlyn said. And he didn't throw the ball my way. He's looking right my way, too."
Click here if the video is not displaying.
–
On one of the game's first third downs, the Vikings deploy an inverted two-deep coverage with Rhodes (29) dropping back and safety Harrison Smith breaking off to cover Beckham underneath. Defenders disguise their intentions as Munnerlyn,Smith (22) and linebackers Anthony Barr and Eric Kendricks crowd the line of scrimmage before the snap.
"I'm trying to show Eli like we're blitzing from my side," Munnerlyn said. "The safety showing in the middle of the field like we're in an all-out blitz and leaving everybody hanging, but we're really not. We're just showing some different looks. We're actually playing a form of 2-man with the safety being underneath and the corner in the half."
–
The Vikings appear to double Beckham with Rhodes and Smith, but Rhodes is actually pressed up to the line before the snap to hide the fact he's in charge of the area 15 yards and more behind him. The corners begin to shift, Rhodes back and Newman up, just before the snap, at which point Smith turns around and darts toward Beckham. The coverage was nothing special, Munnerlyn said, though it allows two of their biggest defensive backs to blanket the Giants' top target. Manning dumped the pass off to tight end Will Tye for three yards.
"We were just showing different looks," Munnerlyn said. "If we was playing Tennessee, we ran that coverage against them. It's just the coverage we run. Try to show quarterbacks, try to confuse them and force them into a bad play."
Click here if this video is not displaying.
–
The Vikings' defensive tells aren't easy for quarterbacks to spot because they play into expectations. A snap after Rhodes rammed Beckham out of bounds and was pulled off by defensive backs coach Jerry Gray, the Vikings defense faced a third-and-11 in the second quarter. They paid no extra attention to Beckham aside from having Newman shadow him in lieu of Rhodes. And their pre-snap deception continued away from the line of scrimmage as Munnerlyn tracked the motioning receiver across the formation, even though that wasn't his assignment.
"Trying to show Eli a different look like we're playing man-to-man coverage," Munnerlyn said. "Nine times out of 10, when they motion a guy over they're trying to see if the nickel is running with him. If the nickel is running with him, they think it's a man call."
–
Before the snap, Munnerlyn (24) begins creeping backward toward his back half of the field. Though Manning has two vertical routes on the outsides and an apparent single-high safety in Andrew Sendejo (34), he checks down to Shepard, lined up across from Munnerlyn, on the crossing route on third-and-11.
–
Pressure from the zone blitz may have contributed to the quick throw as Anthony Barr (55) and Smith (22) rush off left tackle. Shepard is tackled a yard short of the first down marker by Newman (23), who has coverage responsibility of any receivers entering his shallow side of the field.
"Most teams do crossing routes to beat man coverage," Munnerlyn said. "It's tough to run over and get lined back up and have a guy go underneath you, it's tough to cover.The hardest route in the NFL, to me, is the over route, especially playing in the nickel position. So I'm thinking Eli's thinking we're in man-to-man coverage until I dropped back. He's thinking this guy is going to be scot-free, but we're playing like a cover 2 and Terence come up and bam, we get off the field on third down."
Click here if this video is not displaying. |
---
abstract: |
We consider the problem of online combinatorial optimization under semi-bandit feedback. The goal of the learner is to sequentially select its actions from a combinatorial decision set so as to minimize its cumulative loss. We propose a learning algorithm for this problem based on combining the Follow-the-Perturbed-Leader ([[FPL]{}]{}) prediction method with a novel loss estimation procedure called Geometric Resampling ([[GR]{}]{}). Contrary to previous solutions, the resulting algorithm can be efficiently implemented for any decision set where efficient offline combinatorial optimization is possible at all. Assuming that the elements of the decision set can be described with $d$-dimensional binary vectors with at most $m$ non-zero entries, we show that the expected regret of our algorithm after $T$ rounds is $O(m\sqrt{dT\log d})$. As a side result, we also improve the best known regret bounds for [[FPL]{}]{} in the full information setting to $O(m^{3/2}\sqrt{T\log d})$, gaining a factor of $\sqrt{d/m}$ over previous bounds for this algorithm.
-the-perturbed-leader, bandit problems, online learning, combinatorial optimization
author:
- Gergely Neu
- Gábor Bartók
bibliography:
- 'ngbib.bib'
- 'allbib.bib'
- 'predbook.bib'
title: 'An Efficient Algorithm for Learning with Semi-Bandit Feedback'
---
Introduction
============
In this paper, we consider a special case of online linear optimization known as online combinatorial optimization (see Figure \[fig:protocol\]). In every time step $t=1,2,\dots,T$ of this sequential decision problem, the learner chooses an *action* ${\boldsymbol{V}}_t$ from the finite action set ${\mathcal{S}}\subseteq{\left\{0,1\right\}}^d$, where $\left\|{\boldsymbol{v}}\right\|_1\le m$ holds for all ${\boldsymbol{v}}\in{\mathcal{S}}$. At the same time, the environment fixes a loss vector ${\bm\ell}_t\in[0,1]^d$ and the learner suffers loss ${\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top{\bm\ell}_t$. We allow the loss vector ${\bm\ell}_t$ to depend on the previous decisions ${\boldsymbol{V}}_1,\dots,{\boldsymbol{V}}_{t-1}$ made by the learner, that is, we consider *non-oblivious* environments. The goal of the learner is to minimize the cumulative loss $\sum_{t=1}^T{\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top{\bm\ell}_t$. Then, the performance of the learner is measured in terms of the total expected *regret* $$\label{eq:regret}
R_T= \max_{{\boldsymbol{v}}\in{\mathcal{S}}} {\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T\left({\boldsymbol{V}}_t - {\boldsymbol{v}}\right)^\top{\bm\ell}_t\right]} = {\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T{\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top{\bm\ell}_t\right]} - \min_{{\boldsymbol{v}}\in{\mathcal{S}}} {\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T{\boldsymbol{v}}^\top{\bm\ell}_t\right]},$$ Note that, as indicated in Figure \[fig:protocol\], the learner chooses its actions randomly, hence the expectation.
The framework described above is general enough to accommodate a number of interesting problem instances such as path planning, ranking and matching problems, finding minimum-weight spanning trees and cut sets. Accordingly, different versions of this general learning problem have drawn considerable attention in the past few years. These versions differ in the amount of information made available to the learner after each round $t$. In the simplest setting, called the *full-information* setting, it is assumed that the learner gets to observe the loss vector ${\bm\ell}_t$ regardless of the choice of ${\boldsymbol{V}}_t$. However, this assumption does not hold for many practical applications, so it is more interesting to study the problem under *partial information*, meaning that the learner only gets some limited feedback based on its own decision. In particular, in some problems it is realistic to assume that the learner observes the vector $\left(V_{t,1}{\ell}_{t,1},\dots,V_{t,d}{\ell}_{t,d}\right)$, where $V_{t,i}$ and ${\ell}_{t,i}$ are the $i{\ensuremath{^{\mathrm{th}}}}$ components of the vectors ${\boldsymbol{V}}_t$ and ${\bm\ell}_t$, respectively. This information scheme is called *semi-bandit* information. An even more challenging variant is the *full bandit* scheme where all the learner observes after time $t$ is its own loss ${\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top {\bm\ell}_t$.
The most well-known instance of our problem is the (adversarial) *multi-armed bandit* problem considered in the seminal paper of @auer2002bandit: in each round of this problem, the learner has to select one of $N$ arms and minimize regret against the best fixed arm, while only observing the losses of the chosen arm. In our framework, this setting corresponds to setting $d=N$ and $m=1$, and assuming either full bandit or semi-bandit feedback. Among other contributions concerning this problem, @auer2002bandit propose an algorithm called [[Exp3]{}]{}(Exploration and Exploitation using Exponential weights) based on constructing loss estimates ${\hat{\ell}}_{t,i}$ for each component of the loss vector and playing arm $i$ with probability proportional to $\exp(-\eta \sum_{s=1}^{t-1} {\hat{\ell}}_{s,i})$ at time $t$ ($\eta>0$)[^1]. This algorithm is known as the Exponentially Weighted Average (EWA) forecaster in the full information case. Besides proving that the total expected regret of this algorithm is $O(\sqrt{NT\log N})$, @auer2002bandit also provide a general lower bound of $\Omega(\sqrt{NT})$ on the regret of any learning algorithm on this particular problem. This lower bound was later matched by the Implicitly Normalized Forecaster (INF) of @audibert09minimax [@audibert10inf] by using the same loss estimates in a more refined way.
The most popular example of online learning problems with actual combinatorial structure is the shortest path problem first considered by @TW03 in the full information scheme. The same problem was considered by @gyorgy07sp, who proposed an algorithm that works with semi-bandit information. Since then, we have come a long way in understanding the “price of information” in online combinatorial optimization—see @audibert12regret for a complete overview of results concerning all of the presented information schemes. The first algorithm directly targeting general online combinatorial optimization problems is due to @KWK10: their method named Component Hedge guarantees an optimal regret of $O(m\sqrt{T\log d})$ in the full information setting. In particular, this algorithm is an instance of the more general algorithm class known as Online Stochastic Mirror Descent (OSMD) or Follow-The-Regularized-Leader (FTRL) methods. @audibert12regret show that OSMD/FTRL-based methods can also be used for proving optimal regret bounds of $O(\sqrt{mdT})$ for the semi-bandit setting. Finally, @bubeck12bandit show that the natural extension of the EWA forecaster (coupled with an intricate exploration scheme) can be applied to obtain a $O(m^{3/2}\sqrt{dT\log d})$ upper bound on the regret when assuming full bandit feedback. This upper bound is off by a factor of $\sqrt{m\log d}$ from the lower bound proved by @audibert12regret. For completeness, we note that the EWA forecaster attains a regret of $O(m^{3/2}\sqrt{T\log d})$ in the full information case and $O(m\sqrt{dT\log d})$ in the semi-bandit case.
While the results outlined above suggest that there is absolutely no work left to be done in the full information and semi-bandit schemes, we get a different picture if we restrict our attention to *computationally efficient* algorithms. First, methods based on exponential weighting of each decision vector can only be efficiently implemented for a handful of decision sets ${\mathcal{S}}$—see @KWK10 and @CL12 for some examples. Furthermore, as noted by @audibert12regret, OSMD/FTRL-type methods can be efficiently implemented by convex programming if the convex hull of the decision set can be described by a polynomial number of constraints. Details of such an efficient implementation are worked out by @suehiro12submodular, whose algorithm runs in $O(d^6)$ time, which can still be prohibitive in practical problems. While @KWK10 list some further examples where OSMD/FTRL can be implemented efficiently, we conclude that results concerning general efficient methods for online combinatorial optimization are lacking for (semi or full) bandit information problems.
The Follow-the-Perturbed-Leader ([[FPL]{}]{}) prediction method (first proposed by @Han57 and later rediscovered by @KV05) method offers a computationally efficient solution for the online combinatorial optimization problem given that the *static* combinatorial optimization problem $\min_{{\boldsymbol{v}}\in{\mathcal{S}}} {\boldsymbol{v}}^\top{\bm\ell}$ admits computationally efficient solutions for any ${\bm\ell}\in{\mathbb{R}}^{d}$. [[FPL]{}]{}, however, is usually relatively overlooked due to many “reasons”, some of them listed below:
- The best known bound for [[FPL]{}]{} in the full information setting is $O(m\sqrt{dT})$, which is worse than the bounds for both EWA and OSMD/FTRL. However, this result was recently improved to $O(m^2\sqrt{T\mathop{\textmd{polylog}} d})$ by @devroye13rwalk.
- It is commonly believed that the standard proof techniques for [[FPL]{}]{} do not apply directly against adaptive adversaries (see, e.g, the comments of @audibert12regret [Section 2.3] or @CBLu06:Book [Section 4.3]). On the other hand, a direct analysis for non-oblivious adversaries is given by @Pol05 in the multi-armed bandit setting.
- Considering bandit information, no efficient [[FPL]{}]{}-style algorithm is known to achieve a regret of $O(\sqrt{T})$. @AweKlein04 and @McMaBlu04 proposed [[FPL]{}]{}-based algorithms for learning with full bandit feedback in shortest path problems, and proved $O(T^{2/3})$ bounds on the regret . @Pol05 proved bounds of $O(\sqrt{NT\log N})$ in the $N$-armed bandit setting, however, the proposed algorithm requires $O(T^2)$ computations per time step.
In this paper, we offer an *efficient [[FPL]{}]{}-based algorithm for regret minimization under semi-bandit feedback*. Our approach relies on a novel method for estimating components of the loss vector. The method, called *geometric resampling* ([[GR]{}]{}), is based on the idea that the reciprocal of the probability of an event can be estimated by measuring the reoccurrence time. We show that the regret of [[FPL]{}]{} coupled with [[GR]{}]{} attains a regret of $O(m\sqrt{dT\log d})$ in the semi-bandit case. To the best of our knowledge, our algorithm is the first computationally efficient learning algorithm for this learning problem. As a side result, we also improve the regret bounds of [[FPL]{}]{} in the full information setting to $O(m^{3/2}\sqrt{T\log d})$, that is, we close the gaps between the performance bounds of [[FPL]{}]{} and EWA under both full information and semi-bandit feedback.
Loss estimation by geometric resampling {#sec:resamp}
=======================================
For a gentle start, consider the problem of regret minimization in $N$-armed bandits where $d=N$, $m=1$ and the learner has access to the basis vectors ${\left\{{\boldsymbol{e}}_i\right\}}_{i=1}^d$. In each time step, the learner specifies a distribution ${\boldsymbol{p}}_t$ over the arms, where $p_{t,i} = {\mathbb{P}\left[\left.I_t=i\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}$, where ${\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}$ is the history of the learner’s observations and choices up to the end of time step $t-1$. Most bandit algorithms rely on feeding some loss estimates to a black-box prediction algorithm. It is commonplace to consider loss estimates of the form $$\label{eq:oldest}
{\hat{\ell}}_{t,i} = \frac{{\ell}_{t,i}}{{p}_{t,i}} {\mathbb{I}\left\{I_t=i\right\}},$$ where ${p}_{t,i} = {\mathbb{P}\left[I_t = i\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right.\right]}$, where ${\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}$ is the history of observations and internal random variables used by the algorithm up to time $t-1$. It is very easy to show that ${\hat{\ell}}_{t,i}$ is an unbiased estimate of the loss ${\ell}_{t,i}$ for all $t,i$ such that $p_{t,i}$ is positive. For all other $i$ and $t$, ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,i}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} = 0 \le {\ell}_{t,i}$.
To our knowledge, all existing bandit algorithms utilize some version of the loss estimates described above. While for many algorithms (such as the [[Exp3]{}]{} algorithm of [@auer2002bandit] and the [[Green]{}]{} algorithm of [@allenberg06hannan]), the probabilities $p_{t,i}$ are readily available and the estimates can be computed efficiently, this is not necessarily the case for all algorithms. In particular, [[FPL]{}]{} is notorious for not being able to handle bandit information efficiently since the probabilities $p_{t,i}$ cannot be expressed in closed form. To overcome this difficulty, we propose a different loss estimate that can be efficiently computed *even when $p_{t,i}$ is not available for the learner*.
The estimation procedure executed after each time step $t$ is described below.
Clearly, $K_t$ is a geometrically distributed random variable given $I_t$ and ${\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}$. Consequently, we have ${\mathbb{E}\left[K_t\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1},I_t\right.\right]} = 1/{p}_{t,I_t}$. We use this property to construct the estimates $$\label{eq:newest}
{\hat{\ell}}_{t,i} = {\ell}_{t,i} {\mathbb{I}\left\{I_t=i\right\}} K_t$$ for all arms $i$. We can easily show that the above estimate is conditionally unbiased whenever $p_{t,i}>0$: $$\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,i}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} &= \sum_{j} p_{t,j} {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,i}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1},I_t=j\right]}
\\
&= p_{t,i} {\mathbb{E}\left[{\ell}_{t,i} K_t\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1},I_t=i\right.\right]}
\\
&= p_{t,i} {\ell}_{t,i} {\mathbb{E}\left[K_t\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1},I_t=i\right.\right]}
\\
&= {\ell}_{t,i}.
\end{split}$$ Clearly ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,i}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} = 0$ still holds whenever $p_{t,i}=0$.
The main problem with the above sampling procedure is that its worst-case running time is unbounded: while the expected number of necessary samples $K_t$ is clearly $N$, the actual number of samples might be much larger. To overcome this problem, we maximize the number of samples by $M$ and use $\tilde{K_t} = \min{\left\{K_t,M\right\}}$ instead of $K_t$ in . While this capping obviously introduces some bias, we will show later that for appropriate values of $M$, this bias does not hurt the performance too much.
An efficient algorithm for learning with semi-bandit feedback {#sec:alg}
=============================================================
**Input**: ${\mathcal{S}}= \left\{{\boldsymbol{v}}(1),{\boldsymbol{v}}(2),\dots,{\boldsymbol{v}}(N)\right\}\subseteq{\left\{0,1\right\}}^d$, $\eta\in{\mathbb{R}}^+$, $M\in\mathbb{Z}^{+}$ **Initialization**: ${{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}(1)=\cdots={{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}(d)=0$
First, we generalize the geometric resampling method for constructing loss estimates in the semi-bandit case. To this end, let $p_{t,i} = {\mathbb{P}\left[I_t=i\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right.\right]}$ and $q_{t,j} = {\mathbb{E}\left[V_{t,j}\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right.\right]}$. First, the learner plays the decision vector with index $I_t\sim {\boldsymbol{p}}_t$. Then, it draws $M$ additional indices $I_t'(1),I_t'(2),\dots,I_t'(M)\sim {\boldsymbol{p}}_t$ independently of each other and $I_t$. For each $j=1,2,\dots,d$, we define the random variables $$K_{t,j} = \min{\left\{1\le s \le M: v_j(I'_t(s)) = v_j(I_t)\right\}},$$ with the convention that $\min{\left\{\emptyset\right\}}=M$. We define the components of our loss estimates ${\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t$ as $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eq:combest}
{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j} = K_{t,j} V_{t,j} {\ell}_{t,j}\end{aligned}$$ for all $j=1,2,\dots,d$. Since $V_{t,j}$ are nonzero only for coordinates for which ${\ell}_{t,j}$ is observed, these estimates are well-defined. Letting ${{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}_t = \sum_{s=1}^t {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_s$, at time step $t$ the algorithm draws the components of the perturbation vector ${\boldsymbol{Z}}_t$ independently from an exponential distribution with parameter $\eta$ and selects the index $$I_t = \operatorname*{\arg\min}_{i\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}} {\left\{{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top \left({{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}_{t-1} - {\boldsymbol{Z}}_t\right)\right\}}.$$ As noted earlier, the distribution ${\boldsymbol{p}}_t$, while implicitly specified by ${\boldsymbol{Z}}_t$ and the estimated cumulative losses ${{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}_t$, cannot be expressed in closed form for [[FPL]{}]{}. However, sampling the indices $I_t'(1),I_t'(2),\dots,I_t'(M)$ can be carried out by drawing additional perturbation vectors ${\boldsymbol{Z}}_t'(1),{\boldsymbol{Z}}_t'(2),\dots,{\boldsymbol{Z}}_t'(M)$ independently from the same distribution as ${\boldsymbol{Z}}_t$. We emphasize that the above additional indices are never actually played by the algorithm, but are only necessary for constructing the loss estimates. We also note that in general, drawing as much as $M$ samples is usually not necessary since the sampling procedure can be terminated as soon as the values of $K_{t,i}$ are fixed for all $i$ such that $V_{t,i}=1$. We point the reader to Section \[sec:runningtime\] for a more detailed discussion of the running time of the sampling procedure.
Pseudocode for the algorithm can be found in Algorithm \[alg:FPLGR\]. We start analyzing our method by proving a simple lemma on the bias of the estimates.
\[lem:bias\] For all $j\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,d\right\}}$ and $t=1,2,\dots,T$ such that $q_{t,j}>0$, the loss estimates satisfy $${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} = \left(1-(1-q_{t,j})^M \right) {\ell}_{t,j}.$$
Fix any $j,t$ satisfying the condition of the lemma. By elementary calculations, $$\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} &= q_{t,j} {\ell}_{t,j} {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.K_{t,j}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1},V_{t,j}=1\right]}.
\end{split}$$ Setting $q = q_{t,j}$ for simplicity, we have $$\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[K_{t,j}\left|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1},V_{t,j}=1\right.\right]} =&
\sum_{n=1}^\infty n (1-q)^{n-1} q - \sum_{n=M}^\infty (n - M) (1-q)^{n-1} q
\\
=&
\sum_{n=1}^\infty n (1-q)^{n-1} q - (1-q)^M \sum_{n=m}^\infty (n - M) (1-q)^{n-M-1} q
\\
=&
\left(1-(1-q)^M \right)\sum_{n=1}^\infty n (1-q)^{n-1} q = \frac{1-(1-q)^M }{q}.
\end{split}$$ Putting the two together proves the statement.
The following theorem gives an upper bound on the total expected regret of the algorithm.
\[thm:main\] The total expected regret of [[FPL]{}]{} with geometric resampling satisfies $$R_n \le \frac{m\left(\log d+1\right)}{\eta} + \eta mdT + \frac{dT}{eM}$$ under semi-bandit information. In particular, setting $\eta = \sqrt{\left(\log d+1\right)/(dT)}$ and $M\ge \sqrt{dT}/(em\sqrt{\log d+1})$, the regret can be upper bounded as $$R_n \le 3m\sqrt{dT\left(\log d+1\right)}.$$
Note that regret bound stated above holds for any non-oblivious adversary since the decision $I_t$ only depends on the previous decisions $I_{t-1},\dots,I_1$ through the loss estimates ${\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t-1},\dots,{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_1$. While the main ingredients of the proof presented below are rather common (we borrow several ideas from @Pol05, the proofs of Theorems 3 and 8 of @audibert12regret and the proof of Corollary 4.5 in @CBLu06:Book), these elements are carefully combined in our proof to get the desired result.
Let ${\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}$ be a perturbation vector drawn independently from the same distribution as ${\boldsymbol{Z}}_1$ and $${\widetilde{I}}_t = \operatorname*{\arg\min}_{i\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}} {\left\{{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top\left({{\widehat}{L}}_{t} - {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}\right)\right\}}.$$ In what follows, we will crucially use that ${\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t={\boldsymbol{v}}({\widetilde{I}}_t)$ and ${\boldsymbol{V}}_{t+1} = {\boldsymbol{v}}(I_{t+1})$ [are conditionally independent and identically distributed given ${\mathcal{F}}_{s}$ for any $s\ge t$]{}. In particular, introducing the notations $$\begin{aligned}
q_{t,k} &= {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.V_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} & {\tilde{q}}_{t,k} &= {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde}{V}_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t}\right]}\\
p_{t,i} &= {\mathbb{P}\left[\left.I_t=i\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} & {\tilde{p}}_{t,i} &= {\mathbb{P}\left[\left.{\widetilde{I}}_t=i\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t}\right]},\end{aligned}$$ we will exploit the above property by using $q_{t,k} = {\tilde{q}}_{t-1,k}$ and $p_{t,i} = {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i}$ numerous times below.
First, let us address the bias of the loss estimates generated by [[GR]{}]{}. By Lemma \[lem:bias\], we have that ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}\le {\ell}_{t,k}$ for all $k$ and $t$, and thus ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\boldsymbol{v}}^\top{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} \le {\boldsymbol{v}}^\top {\bm\ell}_t$ holds for any fixed ${\boldsymbol{v}}\in{\mathcal{S}}$. Furthermore, we have $$\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} &= {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.\sum_{k=1}^d {\widetilde}{V}_{t-1,k} {\hat{\ell}}_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}
\\
&= \sum_{k=1}^d {\tilde{q}}_{t-1,k} {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}
\\
&= \sum_{k=1}^d {\tilde{q}}_{t-1,k} \left(1-(1-q_{t,k})^M \right) {\ell}_{t,k},
\end{split}$$ where we used the fact that ${\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}$ is independent of ${\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t$ in the second line and Lemma \[lem:bias\] in the last line. Now using that ${\tilde{q}}_{t-1,k} = q_{t,k}$ for all $k$ and $t$ and noticing that ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top{\ell}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} = \sum_{k=1}^d q_{t,k} {\ell}_{t,k}$, we get that $$\label{eq:true}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top{\ell}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} \le {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} + \sum_{i=1}^d q_{t,k} (1-q_{t,k})^M.$$ To control $\sum_k q_{t,k} (1-q_{t,k})^M$, note that $q_{t,k} (1-q_{t,k})^M \le q_{t,k} e^{-Mq_{t,k}}$. Since $f(q) = qe^{-Mq}$ takes its maximum at $q=1/M$, we get $$\sum_{k=1}^d q_{t,k} (1-q_{t,k})^M \le \frac{d}{eM}.$$
Using Lemma 3.1 of @CBLu06:Book (sometimes referred to as the [*“be-the-leader”*]{} lemma) for the sequence $\left({\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_1 - {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}},{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_2,\dots,{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_T\right)$, we obtain $$\sum_{t=1}^T {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t - {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_1^\top {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}\le \sum_{t=1}^T {\boldsymbol{v}}^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t - {\boldsymbol{v}}^\top {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}$$ for any $v\in{\mathcal{S}}$. Reordering and taking expectations gives $$\label{eq:btl}
\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T \left({\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t - {\boldsymbol{v}}\right)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right]} \le {\mathbb{E}\left[\left({\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t - {\boldsymbol{v}}\right)^\top{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}\right]} \le \frac{m\left(\log d+1\right)}{\eta},
\end{split}$$ where we used ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left\|{\boldsymbol{Z}}_{t}\right\|_{\infty}\right]} \le \log d + 1$. To proceed, we study the relationship between ${\tilde{p}}_{t,i}$ and ${\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i}=p_{t,i}$. To this end, we introduce the “sparse loss vector” ${\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_t(i)$ with components ${\hat{\ell}}'_{t,k}(i) = v_k(i) {\hat{\ell}}_{t,k}$ and $${\widetilde{I}}'_t(i) = \operatorname*{\arg\min}_{i\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}} {\left\{{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top\left({{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}_{t-1} + {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_t(i) - {\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}\right)\right\}}.$$ Using the notation ${\tilde{p}}'_{t,i} = {\mathbb{P}\left[\left.{\widetilde{I}}'_{t}(i)=i\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t}\right]}$, we show in Lemma \[lem:modified-loss\] (stated and proved after the proof of the theorem) that ${\tilde{p}}'_{t,i}\le {\tilde{p}}_{t,i}$.[^2] Also, define $$J({\boldsymbol{z}}) = \operatorname*{\arg\min}_{j\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}} {\left\{{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)^\top\left({{\widehat}{{\boldsymbol{L}}}}_{t-1} - {\boldsymbol{z}}\right)\right\}}.$$ Letting $f({\boldsymbol{z}})$ be the density of the perturbations, we clearly have $$\begin{split}
{\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i}
&=\int\limits_{{\boldsymbol{z}}\in[0,\infty]^d} {\mathbb{I}\left\{J({\boldsymbol{z}})=i\right\}} f({\boldsymbol{z}}) \,d{\boldsymbol{z}}\\
&= e^{\eta \left\|{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i)\right\|_1} \int\limits_{{\boldsymbol{z}}\in[0,\infty]^d} {\mathbb{I}\left\{J({\boldsymbol{z}})=i\right\}} f\left({\boldsymbol{z}}+{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_t(i)\right) \,d{\boldsymbol{z}}\\
&= e^{\eta \left\|{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i)\right\|_1} \idotsint\limits_{z_i\in[{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t,i},\infty]} {\mathbb{I}\left\{J\left({\boldsymbol{z}}-{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_t(i)\right)=i\right\}} f({\boldsymbol{z}}) \,d{\boldsymbol{z}}\\
&\le e^{\eta \left\|{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i)\right\|_1} \int\limits_{{\boldsymbol{z}}\in[0,\infty]^d} {\mathbb{I}\left\{J\left({\boldsymbol{z}}-{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_t(i)\right)=i\right\}} f({\boldsymbol{z}}) \,d{\boldsymbol{z}}\\
&= e^{\eta \left\|{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i)\right\|_1} {\tilde{p}}'_{t,i} \le e^{\eta \left\|{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i)\right\|_1} {\tilde{p}}_{t,i},
\end{split}$$ where we used $f({\boldsymbol{z}}) = \eta\exp(-\eta \|{\boldsymbol{z}}\|_1)$ for ${\boldsymbol{z}}\in[0,\infty]^d$. Now notice that $\bigl\|{\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i)\bigr\|_1 = {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}'_{t}(i) = {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}$, which yields $$\begin{split}
{\tilde{p}}_{t,i} &\ge {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} e^{-\eta {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}} \ge {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} \left(1 - \eta {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}\right).
\end{split}$$ It follows that $$\begin{split}\label{eq:pineq}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t}\right]}
&= \sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}
\le \sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t,i} {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t} + \eta \sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}\right)^2
\\
&= {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t}\right]} + \eta \sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}\right)^2,
\end{split}$$ where we used ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_t\right]} = {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}$ in the second equality. Similarly to the proof of Theorem 8 of @audibert12regret, the last term can be upper bounded as $$\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.\sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_{t}\right)^2\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} &=
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.\sum_{j=1}^d\sum_{k=1}^d \left({\widetilde}{V}_{t-1,j}{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}\right)\left({\widetilde}{V}_{t-1,k}{\hat{\ell}}_{t,k}\right)\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}
\\
&\le
{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.\sum_{j=1}^d{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}
\sum_{k=1}^d \left({\widetilde}{V}_{t-1,k}K_{t,k}V_{t,k}{\ell}_{t,k}\right)\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}
\\
&\le{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.\sum_{j=1}^d{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}
\sum_{k=1}^d V_{t,k}{\ell}_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}
\\
&\le m{\mathbb{E}\left[\left.\sum_{j=1}^d{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} \le md,
\end{split}$$ where we used that ${\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}$ is independent of ${\boldsymbol{V}}_{t}$, ${\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t$ and ${\boldsymbol{K}}_{t}$, so ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\widetilde}{V}_{t-1,k} K_{t,k}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}\le 1$ in the second inequality, and ${\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\hat{\ell}}_{t,j}\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]} \le 1$ in the last inequality. That is, we have proved $$\label{eq:peek}
{\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right]} \le {\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t^\top {\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t\right]} + \eta md.$$ Putting Equations , and together, we obtain $${\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T\left({\boldsymbol{V}}_t-{\boldsymbol{v}}\right)^\top{\bm\ell}_t\right]} \le \frac{m\left(\log d+1\right)}{\eta} + \eta mdT + \frac{dT}{eM}$$ as stated in the theorem.
In the next lemma, we prove that ${\tilde{p}}'_{t,i}\le {\tilde{p}}_{t,i}$ holds for all $t$ and $i$. While this statement is rather intuitive, we include its simple proof for completeness.
\[lem:modified-loss\] Fix any $i\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}$ and any vectors ${\boldsymbol{L}}\in {\mathbb{R}}^d$ and ${\bm\ell}\in[0,\infty)^d$. Furthermore, define the vector ${\bm\ell}'$ with components ${\ell}'_k = v_k(i){\ell}_k$ and the perturbation vector ${\boldsymbol{Z}}$ with independent components. Then, $$\begin{split}
&{\mathbb{P}\left[{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}' - {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\le {\boldsymbol{v}}(j)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}' - {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\, \left(\forall j\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}\right)\right]}
\\
&\qquad\le
{\mathbb{P}\left[{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}- {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\le {\boldsymbol{v}}(j)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}- {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\, \left(\forall j\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}\right)\right]}.
\end{split}$$
Fix any $\forall j\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}\setminus i$ and define the vector ${\bm\ell}'' = {\bm\ell}- {\bm\ell}'$. Define the events $$A'_j = {\left\{\omega:\,{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}' - {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\le {\boldsymbol{v}}(j)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}' - {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\right\}}$$ and $$A_j = {\left\{\omega:\,{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}- {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\le {\boldsymbol{v}}(j)^\top\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+ {\bm\ell}- {\boldsymbol{Z}}\right)\right\}}.$$ We have $$\begin{split}
A'_j &= {\left\{\omega:\,\left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)-{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)\right)^{\top}{\boldsymbol{Z}}\ge \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)-{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)\right)^{\top}\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+{\bm\ell}'\right)\right\}}
\\
&\subseteq {\left\{\omega:\,\left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)-{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)\right)^{\top}{\boldsymbol{Z}}\ge \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)-{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)\right)^{\top}\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+{\bm\ell}'\right) - {\boldsymbol{v}}(j)^\top{\bm\ell}''\right\}}
\\
&= {\left\{\omega:\,\left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)-{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)\right)^{\top}{\boldsymbol{Z}}\ge \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)-{\boldsymbol{v}}(j)\right)^{\top}\left({\boldsymbol{L}}+{\bm\ell}\right)\right\}}
= A_j,
\end{split}$$ where we used ${\boldsymbol{v}}(i){\bm\ell}''=0$ and ${\boldsymbol{v}}(j){\bm\ell}''\ge 0$. Now, since $A'_j\subseteq A_j$, we have $
\cap_{j=1}^N A'_j \subseteq \cap_{j=1}^N A_j
$, thus proving $
{\mathbb{P}\left[\cap_{j=1}^N A'_j\right]} \le {\mathbb{P}\left[\cap_{j=1}^N A_j\right]}
$ as requested.
Running time {#sec:runningtime}
------------
Let us now turn our attention to computational issues. As mentioned earlier, since we cut off the number of times we resample the decision vectors, the maximum number of times an arm has to be drawn per time step is $M=\sqrt{dT}$. This implies an $O(T^{3/2}d^{1/2})$ worst-case running time. However, the *expected* running time is much more comforting.
The expected number of times the algorithm draws an action up to time step $T$ can be upper bounded by $dT$.
Let us first modify our algorithm so that it draws even more actions! Let us assume for now that for each coordinate that the original arm had $1$, we keep sampling until we get $1$ in the same coordinate again. Also let us assume that we do not use cutoff. Instead, we always keep sampling until the desired $1$ reoccurs.
At time step $t$, for a given coordinate $k$ with $1$, the expected number of samples needed is $1/q_{t,k}$, while the probability of coordinate $k$ being $1$ is $q_{t,k}$. Thus, the expected number of samples is
& &\_[k=1]{}\^d q\_[t,k]{}=d. & &
Improved bounds for learning with full information
==================================================
Our proof technique also enables us to tighten the guarantees for [[FPL]{}]{} in the full information setting. In particular, we consider the algorithm choosing the index $$I_t = \operatorname*{\arg\min}_{i\in{\left\{1,2,\dots,N\right\}}} {\left\{{\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top \left({\boldsymbol{L}}_{t-1} - {\boldsymbol{Z}}_t\right)\right\}},$$ where ${\boldsymbol{L}}_t = \sum_{s=1}^t {\bm\ell}_t$ and the components of ${\boldsymbol{Z}}_t$ are drawn independently from an exponential distribution with parameter $\eta$. We state our improved regret bounds concerning this algorithm in the following theorem.
\[thm:fullinfo\] Let $C_T = \sum_{t=1}^T {\mathbb{E}\left[{\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top{\bm\ell}_t\right]}$. Then the total expected regret of [[FPL]{}]{} satisfies $$R_n \le \frac{m\left(\log d+1\right)}{\eta} + \eta m C_T$$ under full information. In particular, setting $\eta = \sqrt{\left(\log d+1\right)/(mT)}$, the regret can be upper bounded as $$R_n \le 2m^{3/2}\sqrt{T\left(\log d+1\right)}.$$
Note that the above bound can be further tightened if some upper bound $C^*_T\ge C_T$ is available a priori. Once again, these regret bounds hold for any non-oblivious adversary since the decision $I_t$ depends on the previous decisions $I_{t-1},\dots,I_1$ only through the loss vectors ${\bm\ell}_{t-1},\dots,{\bm\ell}_1$.
The statement follows from a simplification of the proof of Theorem \[thm:main\] when using ${\hat{{\bm\ell}}}_t={\bm\ell}_t$. First, identically to Equation , we have $${\mathbb{E}\left[\sum_{t=1}^T \left({\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t - {\boldsymbol{v}}\right)^\top {\bm\ell}_t\right]} \le {\mathbb{E}\left[\left({\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t - {\boldsymbol{v}}\right)^\top{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{Z}}}}\right]} \le \frac{m\left(\log d+1\right)}{\eta}.$$ Further, it is easy to see that the conditions of Lemma \[lem:modified-loss\] are satisfied and, similarly to Equation , we also have $$\begin{split}
{\mathbb{E}\left[{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}^\top {\bm\ell}_t\right]}
&\le
{\mathbb{E}\left[{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t^\top {\bm\ell}_t\right]} + \eta \sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} \left({\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\bm\ell}_{t}\right)^2
\\
&\le
{\mathbb{E}\left[{\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_t^\top {\bm\ell}_t\right]} + \eta m \sum_{i=1}^N {\tilde{p}}_{t-1,i} {\boldsymbol{v}}(i)^\top {\bm\ell}_{t}.
\end{split}$$ Using that ${\boldsymbol{V}}_t$ and ${\widetilde{{\boldsymbol{V}}}}_{t-1}$ have the same distribution, we obtain the statement of the theorem.
Conclusions and open problems
=============================
In this paper, we have described the first general efficient algorithm for online combinatorial optimization under semi-bandit feedback. We have proved that the regret of our algorithm is $O(m\sqrt{dT\log d})$ in this setting, and have also shown that [[FPL]{}]{} can achieve $O(m^{3/2}\sqrt{T\log d})$ in the full information case when tuned properly. While these bounds are off by a factor of $\sqrt{m\log d}$ and $\sqrt{m}$ from the respective minimax results, they exactly match the best known regret bounds for the well-studied Exponentially Weighted Forecaster (EWA). Whether the gaps mentioned above can be closed for [[FPL]{}]{}-style algorithms (e.g., by using more intricate perturbation schemes) remains an important open question. Nevertheless, we regard our contribution as a significant step towards understanding the inherent trade-offs between computational efficiency and performance guarantees in online combinatorial optimization and, more generally, in online linear optimization.
The efficiency of our method rests on a novel loss estimation method called geometric resampling ([[GR]{}]{}). Obviously, this estimation method is not specific to the proposed learning algorithm. While [[GR]{}]{} has no immediate benefits for OSMD/FTRL-type algorithms where the probabilities $q_{t,k}$ are readily available, it is possible to think about problem instances where EWA can be efficiently implemented while the values of $q_{t,k}$ are difficult to compute. A particular online learning problem where [[GR]{}]{} can be useful is the problem of online learning in Markovian decision processes [@neu10o-ssp; @neu10o-mdp], where computing $q_{t,k}$ can be computationally expensive when the underlying Markovian environment is complicated. This computational burden can be lightened by using [[GR]{}]{} if the learner has access to a generative model of the environment.[^3]
The most important open problem left is the case of efficient online linear optimization with full bandit feedback. Learning algorithms for this problem usually require that the pseudoinverse of the covariance matrix $P_t = {\mathbb{E}\left[\left.{\boldsymbol{V}}_t {\boldsymbol{V}}_t^\top\right|{\mathcal{F}}_{t-1}\right]}$ is readily available for the learner at each time step (see, e.g., @McMaBlu04 [@BDHKRT08; @DHK08; @CL12; @bubeck12bandit]). While for most problems, this inverse matrix cannot be computed efficiently, it can be efficiently approximated by geometric resampling when $P_t$ is positive definite as the limit of the matrix geometric series $\sum_{n=1}^\infty (I-P_t)^n$. While this knowledge should be enough to construct an efficient [[FPL]{}]{}-based method for online combinatorial optimization under full bandit feedback, we have to note that the analysis presented in this paper does not carry through directly in this case: as usual loss estimates might take negative values in the full bandit setting, proving a bound similar to Equation cannot be performed in the presented manner.
[^1]: In fact, @auer2002bandit mix the resulting distribution with a uniform distribution over the arms with probability $\gamma>0$. However, this modification is not needed when one is concerned with the total expected regret, see e.g., @BaPaSzSz11-online [Chapter 15].
[^2]: Note that a similar trick was used in the proof Corollary 4.5 in @CBLu06:Book. Also note that this trick only applies in the case of non-negative losses.
[^3]: In particular, for an MDP with state and action spaces $\mathcal{X}$ and $\mathcal{A}$ and worst-case mixing time $\tau>0$, computing the probabilities $q_{t,k}$ can take up to $O(|\mathcal{X}|^3|\mathcal{A}|)$ time, [[GR]{}]{} returns sufficiently good estimates by generating $O(|\mathcal{X}||\mathcal{A}|)$ trajectories of length $\tau$. Deciding which approach is more efficient depends on the problem parameters $\mathcal{X}$, $\mathcal{A}$ and $\tau$.
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TIMESTAMP = 1584864563
SHA256 (buildbot-2.7.0.tar.gz) = 069001b73c5da8acc69f22cfab87740c8d4ba9c6f72da7f760fdd8100c74484a
SIZE (buildbot-2.7.0.tar.gz) = 3175050
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Enact legislation to resolve the problems of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan
It has been nineteen years since the Korean Council requested a full investigation and resolution of the issue of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan. During this time, international organizations such as the United Nations and the International Labor Organization defined the Japanese Military Sexual Slavery system as constituting a war crime and grave violation of human rights and have advised the Japanese government on multiple occasions to take responsibility. With the passing of House Resolution 121 in the US, a chain reaction began which has seen the adoption of similar resolutions in other countries around the world. Furthermore, city councils throughout Japan have also passed similar resolutions urging the Japanese government to settle this issue. However, the Japanese government continues to avoid responsibility and survivors of this military sexual slavery system now aged in their 80s continue to pass away, keeping their scars and suffering inside and without witnessing the settlement they had hoped for.
Last year Japanese people voted for a change in government for the first time in fifty-four years. Japan’s Democratic Party of Japan coalition cabinet has announced that it will actively resolve problems from the past in contrast to the policies of the opposition Liberal Democratic Party. Therefore, the Japanese government must recognize Military Sexual Slavery by Japan not only as a war crime that has not yet been settled, but also as a severe violation of women’s rights, and must enact legislation in order to settle this issue and prevent a repetition of this system in the future.
In this context, we demand that:
The Japanese government and parliament must enact legislation to settle this issue including making reparations and an official apology to survivors of Military Sexual Slavery by Japan |
A High Court judge has dismissed personal injury claims by two people, saying they were not credible witnesses.
Ashraf Ali and Rosaleen O'Connell claimed they suffered soft tissue injuries after the car they were in was rear-ended.
However, Mr Justice Michael Twomey, sitting in Ennis, said there was only minor damage, contradicting the claim of major damage to the car.
He upheld an earlier Limerick Circuit Court judgment in which the cases were dismissed.
Insurer Allianz hailed the outcome of the case and said it was determined to fight spurious claims.
Mr Ali and Ms O'Connell had taken legal action against Dr Ruth Martin, who is insured by Allianz.
They made claims after an accident in Limerick in 2015, in which Dr Martin rear-ended the car driven by Mr Ali. Ms O'Connell claimed to have been a back-seat passenger.
But Dr Martin, who was represented by Henry Downing SC, instructed by Michael Houlihan & Partners, gave evidence to the court that Ms O'Connell had not been in Mr Ali's car when the accident happened.
She added the accident was not significant and there was no damage to her car.
Mr Justice Twomey said in his judgment that Dr Martin was a "convincing and credible witness".
But he dismissed the evidence of Ms O'Connell, who was "not a convincing witness". Mr Ali was not a credible witness, the judge added.
Chief executive of Allianz Ireland Sean McGrath said he was delighted with the outcome of the case, which he said had vindicated Allianz's ongoing zero-tolerance stance.
Irish Independent |
Q:
Lazy loading image to table view sections repeating
I'm using SDWebImage for lazy loading images to my tableView.
With the following core i'm setting up my cells in cellForRowAtIndexPath method:
if (indexPath.section == 0)
cell.textLabel.text = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@",[self getDataFromArrayOfDict:theDataObject.arrayOfTextData][indexPath.row]];
if (indexPath.section == 1)
cell.textLabel.text = [NSString stringWithFormat:@"%@",[self getDataFromArrayOfDict:theDataObject.arrayOfOtherData][indexPath.row]];
if (indexPath.section == 2)
[cell.imageView setImageWithURL:[NSURL URLWithString:[self getDataFromArrayOfDict:theDataObject.arrayOfPictureData][indexPath.row]] placeholderImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"Placeholder"]];
But the result is next:
On initial load:
After scrolling:
As you can see it somehow mixing data that i'm setting (i have only text in fist section, and only images in third), any ideas why?
A:
Your cells are dequeued and repeated in section 0 as per the screenshot.
you need to set the cell.imageView.image = nil; per cellForRowAtIndexPath call so that reused cell image clears up before you assign new image.
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Borderlands 3 is still fresh on the market and while Vault Hunters are already bathing in loot, the game has sold extremely well so far. According to a PR release from 2K (the parent company of Gearbox) Borderlands 3 has sold 5 million copies in its first five days. This put sales of the game 50% up compared to Borderlands 2 within the same amount of time.
Interestingly enough, 2K also notes that the digital share for the game was incredibly strong - over 70% of players purchased the game digitally. Sales of the PC version, which is available exclusively through the Epic Games Store right now, were "incredibly strong" and "exceeded the label's expectations."
"Borderlands 3's incredibly successful launch is a result of the hard work and longstanding partnership between Gearbox Software and 2K," said David Ismailer, President of 2K. "We are immensely grateful to everyone who played a role in making the Borderlands series the global, pop culture phenomenon that it is today, including hundreds of developers at Gearbox and many who have made this their life's work. We also want to thank the Borderlands community. Mayhem does not happen by itself, and their passion for the series is what drives us to make each game an amazing experience."
These numbers are strong for Gearbox's latest title and it'll be interesting to see how sales continue. If you haven't tried out Borderlands 3 yet, you can read our review to see if it is something you might want to jump into.
Borderlands 3 Xbox One review: The best the series has ever been |
Background
==========
Nonadherence to antipsychotic medication is one of the major challenges for clinicians treating patients with schizophrenia,[@b1-ndt-9-1163] and on the order of exercise or weight reduction with regard to trouble in achieving adherence adequate enough to advance beneficial effects.[@b2-ndt-9-1163] The prevalence of medication nonadherence in schizophrenia is consistent with that of other chronic illnesses (eg, hypertension, asthma).[@b3-ndt-9-1163]
In a review of 39 studies published between 1981 and 2002, Lacro et al noted medication nonadherence rates ranging from 4% to 72% (median, 40%) among patients with schizophrenia, depending on how adherence was defined and measured, the patient population studied (eg, stable vs recently hospitalized outpatients), and the duration and type of evaluation (eg, retrospective, cross-sectional, observational).[@b4-ndt-9-1163] The 3-year prospective, observational Worldwide-Schizophrenia Outpatient Health Outcomes (W-SOHO) trial and the National Institute of Mental Health-sponsored Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) trial provide further evidence of how nonadherence can play out in clinical practice. At the baseline of the W-SOHO study, which recruited 17,384 schizophrenia patients from 37 countries (regions: East Asia, n = 1,223; Europe, n = 12,254; Latin America, n = 2,566; North Africa/Middle East, n = 1,341), 15% of investigators cited incomplete medication adherence as the reason for initiating or changing medication at study entry (range, 10% in East Asia to 21% in Latin America).[@b5-ndt-9-1163] In the sentinel CATIE trial of patients with chronic schizophrenia, the majority discontinued their assigned antipsychotic agent (a surrogate measure of nonadherence): In Phase I of the study, 74% of 1,460 patients discontinued before completing the 18 months of assigned treatment with an antipsychotic agent.[@b6-ndt-9-1163] In Phase II of CATIE, 69% of 90 patients (efficacy pathway) and 74% of 333 patients (tolerability pathway) discontinued treatment before completion of the study; median treatment duration was 4 and 5 months in the respective pathways.[@b7-ndt-9-1163],[@b8-ndt-9-1163] Taken together, these findings underscore how challenging it is for schizophrenia patients to remain on antipsychotic treatment over a sustained period of time.
The implications of nonadherence for schizophrenia management are far-reaching.[@b9-ndt-9-1163] Partial/nonadherence to medication has a major impact on the course of illness and treatment outcomes, resulting in persistence of symptoms, approximately fivefold increased risk of relapse (as compared with patients who continue taking their medication), occupational and social dysfunction, increased rate and duration of hospitalization, and increased risk of attempted suicide.[@b10-ndt-9-1163]--[@b13-ndt-9-1163] In addition, relapse begets relapse, with illness becoming resistant to treatment and previous gains increasingly more difficult to achieve.[@b14-ndt-9-1163],[@b15-ndt-9-1163] Nonadherence to medication also impacts cost of care, increasing outpatient service costs for schizophrenia by almost threefold.[@b16-ndt-9-1163]
The Spanish Adherencia Terapéutica en la Esquizofrenia (ADHES) program (translated as: therapeutic adherence in schizophrenia) commenced in 2003, aimed at raising awareness of the problem of partial/nonadherence to medication in the treatment of mental illness. As a component of the ADHES program, a survey was developed and first conducted in Spain,[@b17-ndt-9-1163] and then in the whole of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA),[@b18-ndt-9-1163] appraising psychiatrists' opinions about the scope and causes of partial or nonadherence to antipsychotic agents among their schizophrenia patients. Using the ADHES survey, the objectives of the study reported here were to determine perceptions of Asia--Pacific (APAC) psychiatrists regarding antipsychotic medication adherence levels among their schizophrenia patients, reasons for their patients' partial/nonadherence, and their preferred methods of assessing adherence.
Methods
=======
The ADHES survey has been described in detail elsewhere.[@b17-ndt-9-1163] In brief, the ADHES survey consists of 20 questions relating to the demographic characteristics and practice settings of participating psychiatrists and to their perceptions of different factors that affect schizophrenia patients' partial/nonadherence to antipsychotic medication. The original survey was translated from Spanish to English and then from English into local languages; the survey was then checked for accuracy by native speakers and by back-translation to English before being administered in APAC.
Surveys were handed out at a national conference in India (January 2012) at which the majority of Indian psychiatrists were in attendance. In all other APAC countries, extensive lists of psychiatrists by country were used to disseminate the survey widely during January--April 2012, either by mail (Australia) or via Janssen-Cilag representatives. Psychiatrists received the ADHES survey in a package that also contained a prepaid envelope and a letter explaining the objectives of the survey.
Data collection and analysis
----------------------------
Respondents completed the survey under anonymity; patient-specific information was not collected. No effort was made to follow-up with nonresponding survey recipients. A research agency (Millward Brown, Warwick, UK) summarized survey response data descriptively. Statistical testing was not performed.
In recording their responses, psychiatrists indicated the adherence status of the schizophrenia patients they had seen in the preceding month, by estimating the percentage of patients in each of the following categories: adherent (took ≥90% of prescribed doses), partially adherent (took ≥30 to \<90% of prescribed doses), or nonadherent (took \<30% of prescribed doses).[@b18-ndt-9-1163] The arithmetic mean of the values entered for each of the above categories (ie, percentages of patients who were adherent, partially adherent, or nonadherent to treatment) was calculated based on all respondents who answered the question.
Regarding patients' views and behaviors contributing to partial or nonadherence, psychiatrists were instructed to estimate some responses based on the percentage of patients falling into each of three groupings (ie, \<20%, 20%--50%, and \>50% of patients). The mean percent of patients was predefined as: \<20% of patients, mean score value = 10%; between 20% and 50% of patients, mean score value = 35%; and, \>50% of patients, mean score value = 75%.
For all questions except those assessing adherence (as noted above), the raw data were converted to percentages that were based on all respondents who were asked the question. If there was no response to the question then that respondent was included in the base, but defaulted into the 'not answered' category. The data were not weighted.
Results
=======
The ADHES survey was distributed to 19,370 psychiatrists across 13 countries in the APAC region. A total of 4,661 (24%) psychiatrists completed the survey. The highest number of respondents practiced in the People's Republic of China and India. The countries in which respondents were in practice (and number of respondents, in decreasing order) were: People's Republic of China (1,854), India (1,616), Australia (406), Taiwan (195), Vietnam (107), New Zealand (99), Indonesia (97), Hong Kong (77), Philippines (71), Thailand (68), Singapore (42), Malaysia (17), and Korea (12). The respondents were 60% male; 15% aged ≤30 years, 60% aged 31--50 years, 16% aged 51--60 years, and 7% aged ≥61 years (2% data missing); and, 76% in clinical (vs academic) practice ([Table 1](#t1-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table"}). Over half (58%) treat their patients, at least in part, in an inpatient setting.
APAC psychiatrists estimated that 56% of patients with schizophrenia are partially or nonadherent with their anti-psychotic medication ([Figure 1](#f1-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="fig"}), with variations seen within APAC (lowest partial/nonadherence in Vietnam \[30%\], Australia, and Thailand \[each 51%\], and highest in Singapore and Malaysia \[each 71%\]).
Psychiatrists opined that their schizophrenia patients discontinue antipsychotic medication primarily due to lack of insight into their condition (mean across APAC, 37%; highest in Hong Kong \[64%\] and Taiwan \[65%\]) and because patients consider medication unnecessary when feeling better (mean across APAC, 27%; highest in Indonesia \[68%\] and Vietnam \[65%\]) ([Figure 2](#f2-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="fig"}). Other less common reasons for discontinuation, with substantial variability across APAC countries, were cognitive impairment (highest in the Philippines \[24%\], India \[13%\], and the People's Republic of China \[12%\]) and undesirable side effects (highest in Australia \[29%\]).
According to the ADHES survey respondents, only a minority (32%) of patients are able to attribute clinical deterioration to medication nonadherence (lowest in Vietnam \[14%\] and Korea \[18%\] and highest in Indonesia \[41%\]). In the caregivers' view, fewer than 4 in 10 patients (37%) understand there is a risk of relapse if they do not take their medication regularly (lowest in Vietnam \[18%\] and highest in Australia \[42%\], Taiwan \[48%\], and Korea \[55%\]).
Across APAC, over half of psychiatrists (mean of 55%; lowest in India \[42%\] and highest \[≥87%\] in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Vietnam) reported that they assess medication adherence at every visit ([Figure 3](#f3-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="fig"}). The majority of psychiatrists assess adherence almost exclusively by asking their patients (81%) or a close informant (86%), versus using objective measures ([Figure 4](#f4-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="fig"}), which are used most often in Thailand (75% count pills), Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia (drug plasma levels measured in 73%, 69%, and 65%, respectively), and the People's Republic of China (63% use logbook and 18% use adherence scale).
Psychiatrists reported that 42% of their patients, on average, need reminding by family members/carers to take their medication as prescribed (range, 36%--37% in Singapore and India to 55%--58% in Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Hong Kong). Fewer of their patients (36%; range, 30%--31% in Singapore and India, to 48%--59% in Malaysia and Korea) rely on a nurse, psychiatrist, or professional carer to do so.
The strategies considered to manage nonadherence reflect a change or simplification in the current treatment regimen. Among all treatment modifications considered, one-third of APAC psychiatrists (lowest in Vietnam \[15%\] and India \[24%\] and highest \[51%--82%\] in Indonesia, New Zealand, Thailand, Taiwan, and Malaysia) favor switching to or adding a long-acting antipsychotic as their preferred treatment option for addressing adherence problems ([Figure 5](#f5-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="fig"}).
Discussion
==========
The ADHES schizophrenia survey was conducted in APAC to gain insights into the perceptions of psychiatrists in the region regarding the scope and causes of antipsychotic medication nonadherence among their schizophrenia patients as well as the methods of assessing adherence, and preferred strategies to improve adherence. By using a survey administered in the EMEA previously, similarities and differences not only among APAC countries, but also between APAC and EMEA can be identified, thereby promoting a cross-cultural understanding of antipsychotic nonadherence in schizophrenia.
We report on a large study sample of 4,661 psychiatrists practicing in 13 countries within the APAC region. The ADHES response rate of 24% in the APAC was twofold higher than that in the EMEA (12%).[@b18-ndt-9-1163] Although eight of the APAC countries had fewer than 100 respondents each, they were generally well represented in the survey, as reflected by the proportion that respondents comprised to the total number of practicing psychiatrists per country (eg, Singapore \[31%\], Hong Kong \[25%\], New Zealand \[24%\], Thailand \[23%\], and Philippines \[20%\]).[@b19-ndt-9-1163]
APAC psychiatrists considered that over half (56%) of patients with schizophrenia are partially or nonadherent with their antipsychotic medication. Based on prevalence figures from the World Health Organization,[@b20-ndt-9-1163] this represents approximately 7.9 million affected patients. Overall, similar levels of adherence were reported by psychiatrists across APAC and EMEA, where 53% of patients were reported partially or nonadherent.[@b18-ndt-9-1163] Within APAC, the lowest rate of nonadherence was reported in Vietnam (30%), which may not be representative of the other countries. Most Vietnamese survey respondents (88%) reported following and treating schizophrenia patients in a hospital, where they can achieve good adherence. Their view on adherence among other patients is limited by the fact that these patients are managed by local mental health care centers, therefore the original treating physicians are not able to monitor and follow-up on their patient's treatment.
APAC psychiatrists cited a lack of insight as the main reason for patient partial/nonadherence, a perspective similarly held by EMEA psychiatrists. To the extent that lack of insight is static, trait-like, and unmodifiable by patient education, it follows that cooperation may need to be bypassed, for instance with long-acting injectable antipsychotics. Cognitive impairment was a more common reason for nonadherence in APAC than reported in EMEA. In the opinion of ADHES survey respondents, a minority of schizophrenia patients in APAC (32%) and EMEA (32%[@b21-ndt-9-1163]) relate clinical deterioration to antipsychotic nonadherence.
APAC psychiatrists noted that approximately a third of their patients need help from caregivers (family member or professional), placing a burden on them to help patients adhere to their treatment plan. The perceived caregiver burden in APAC was lower than that reported in the EMEA[@b18-ndt-9-1163]), due in large part to low rates of caregiver burden reported by respondents from India. In APAC countries, more so than in EMEA and other developed regions, schizophrenia patients tend to live with and are supported by an extended family system (rather than in residential facilities), due not only to cultural influences, but also the relative lack of a social welfare system for such patients.[@b22-ndt-9-1163]
Our observations confirm those of others who implicate patients' lack of insight as the most important among factors associated with poor medication adherence in schizophrenia patients.[@b4-ndt-9-1163],[@b13-ndt-9-1163] Forming the basis for 2009 Consensus Practice Guidelines[@b13-ndt-9-1163] for assessing and improving adherence, 41 leading experts in schizophrenia management completed a survey in which they answered questions about the definition and extent of nonadherence, risk factors and assessment methods for nonadherence, and interventions for specific nonadherence problems. The experts ranked the following factors (in descending order of importance) as potential contributors to adherence problems in schizophrenia: poor insight into having an illness; distress associated with persistent side effects (or fear of potential side effects); lack of/partial efficacy with continued symptoms; belief that medications are no longer needed; ongoing substance use problems; cognitive deficits; lack of social support to help with medication-taking; practical problems (eg, transportation, financial); difficulty building therapeutic alliance (with health care providers, caregivers); lack of daily routines; complexity of treatment regimen; significant others ambivalent/opposed to medication; stigma associated with mental illness and medication; and, negative attitudes towards medications in general.
Compared with their EMEA counterparts (76%), APAC psychiatrists assess adherence levels less frequently, with 55% doing so regularly or during every visit. The lowest adherence assessment frequency was reported in the People's Republic of China (51%) and India (42%). Furthermore, APAC psychiatrists reported assessing medication adherence with objective measures less often than EMEA psychiatrists who had previously responded to the ADHES survey.[@b18-ndt-9-1163] Basing adherence on patient interview can be especially unreliable in countries where patients have negative beliefs about psychiatric conditions or embarrassment about taking antipsychotic medication ([Figure 2](#f2-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="fig"}).
One out of every three APAC psychiatrists favor switching to or adding a long-acting antipsychotic as their preferred treatment option for addressing adherence problems, compared to three out of every five (62%) EMEA survey respondents.[@b18-ndt-9-1163] Treatment of schizophrenia patients with a long-acting injectable antipsychotic (vs oral) agent has been shown to decrease relapse and hospitalization rates in many, but not all, studies.[@b23-ndt-9-1163],[@b24-ndt-9-1163] The preference of Australian psychiatrists for a long-acting agent (40%), as well as their responses to other questions (eg, higher perceived adherence level, undesirable side effects as a key driver for nonadherence) indicates that they are more aligned with psychiatrists in the EMEA than other APAC countries. This may be a reflection of similarities in its health care system, earlier introduction of long-acting antipsychotic agents, and community-based treatment programs.
Our findings on the prevalence of antipsychotic nonadherence are limited by the fact that its assessment by physicians' clinical judgment oftentimes results in underestimated rates, as compared with an objective tool.[@b25-ndt-9-1163] A single method for identifying survey respondents was not utilized: some received the survey by mail and others either during a conference or from a representative of the survey's sponsor. Thus, a social desirability bias cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the survey sample is representative of all psychiatrists in APAC and whether their responses to the ADHES reflect those of the broad population of their colleagues in the region. Nevertheless, comparisons among APAC countries or between APAC and EMEA on the same survey items remain of interest.
In summary, the substantial prevalence of partial/nonadherence to antipsychotic medication in APAC, as reported by psychiatrists practicing in the region, demonstrates that more proactive management of patients with schizophrenia is needed to improve adherence and thereby treatment outcomes. To further our findings, future trials could examine other factors affecting adherence (eg, cognitive impairment, disease severity, motivational deficits, stigma, environmental stressors, lack of social support, substance abuse, cultural and religious beliefs, treatment-related side effects, poor therapeutic alliance, access to treatment, cost of medication) and other measures of adherence (eg, prolactin). We also propose longitudinal, multi-country study of patients' beliefs, as compared to those of their health care providers.
Contributions
=============
JMO conceived the original ADHES survey. JMO, MT, JK, MYZ, HYZ, and FZ were members of this study's Steering Committee, which ratified the survey and designed the conduction of the study. All authors had full access to the data, contributed to data interpretation and the development of the manuscript, and read and approved the final manuscript in accordance with ICMJE criteria.
Sandra Norris, Pharm.D. provided writing assistance and Wendy P Battisti, Ph.D. (Janssen Research and Development, LLC) provided additional editorial assistance. The authors thank the survey respondents for their contributions to this data.
**Disclosure**
Funded by Janssen Asia Pacific, a division of Johnson and Johnson Pte. Ltd, Singapore. Registration of this study was not required. Dr Fan Zhang is an employee of Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical, Beijing, People's Republic of China. Other authors report no conflicts of interest.
{#f1-ndt-9-1163}
{#f2-ndt-9-1163}
{#f3-ndt-9-1163}
{#f4-ndt-9-1163}
{#f5-ndt-9-1163}
######
Summary of survey respondents (n = 4,661)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------
Sex, n (%)[a](#tfn1-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table-fn"}
Male 2,805 (60)
Female 1,733 (37)
Age, years[a](#tfn1-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table-fn"}
Mean (SD) 43 (11.35)
Range 21--70+
Age distribution, n (%)
21--30 years 676 (15)
31--40 years 1,428 (31)
41--50 years 1,360 (29)
51--60 years 767 (16)
61--70 years 260 (6)
Over 70 years 53 (1)
Professional role, n (%)[b](#tfn2-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table-fn"},[c](#tfn3-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table-fn"}
Academic 841 (18)
Clinical 3,557 (76)
Practice setting, n (%)[c](#tfn3-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table-fn"},[d](#tfn4-ndt-9-1163){ref-type="table-fn"}
Tertiary/referral 950 (20)
Private setting 829 (18)
Hospital-based 2,703 (58)
Psychiatric outpatient department 1,007 (22)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------
**Notes:**
Three percent of respondents to the survey did not provide this information;
fourteen percent of respondents to the survey did not provide this information;
respondents could select all that applied;
eleven percent of respondents to the survey did not provide this information.
**Abbreviation:** SD, standard deviation.
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Results of Biliary Reconstruction Using a Polytetrafluoroethylene Graft in Liver Transplant Patients.
Biliary complications after liver transplant are a major concern with their high incidence, the need for repeated and long-term treatment, and their potential effects on graft and patient survival. We report our experience with biliary anastomosis using a spiral polytetrafluoroethylene graft. Between December 8, 1988, and July 2016, we performed 538 liver transplant procedures. We used a spiral polytetrafluoroethylene graft for biliary anastomosis in 10 patients: for biliary stricture reconstruction after liver transplant in 4 patients and during the primary liver transplant in 6 patients. Four patients who underwent biliary stricture reconstruction are doing well, with normal liver function. Of the 6 patients who received the graft during primary liver transplant, 2 died from sepsis, although they maintained normal liver function. Of the 4 living patients, 1 had a biliary complication that was reconstructed surgically. The 4 living patients are currently doing well, with normal liver function. Our small series of patients shows that the use of a spiral polytetrafluoroethylene graft is effective at reducing biliary complications in transplant patients. |
London Essays
New Beginnings
Robert Phillips, Geraldine Bedell and New Beginnings
Read author’s profiles
Robert Phillips
Robert Phillips is Co-Founder of Jericho Chambers and the author of Trust Me, PR Is Dead.
Geraldine Bedell
Geraldine Bedell, editor of the London Essays, is a writer, broadcaster and editor. She has worked as a writer and columnist on the Observer and Independent for many years, has made a number of documentaries for Radio 4 and is the editorial director of Parent Zone. She is the founding editor of both Parent Info, helping parents make sense of their children’s digital lives, and of Gransnet, the social networking site for grandparents. She is the author of a number of books and reports, both fiction and non-fiction, including the Make Poverty History Handbook and, most recently, The Digital Family.
New Beginnings
In an issue about Futures, it seemed only right to ask young people their views on the challenges and opportunities that London will face in the coming years.
As part of its support of the Future Cities programme at Cambridge University, Capital and Counties Properties PLC (Capco) funds eight PhD students a year to develop their research on topics relating to the future of cities. This year’s crop of students comes from a range of disciplines: engineering, social anthropology, architecture, land economy, and epidemiology. Their specialisations range widely across human-centred architecture, adaptive buildings, the electrification of road transport and autonomous taxi services, overheating, urban farming, the links between infrastructure and inequality, the effects of cities on obesity, and the marginalisation of older people.
The students share an awareness that the world is being reshaped by rapid urbanisation and technology. As cities become more efficient, how can they deploy technology for human ends? We asked them what they see as the biggest challenge, what advice they would offer the Mayor, and which other cities inspire them.
Theodora Bowering
Globally, one in five people will be aged over 60 by 2050 (UN, 2015), with the change most concentrated in urban areas. Older people face numerous challenges – in health and social care, housing, transport, infrastructure and the built environment. Cutting across these are issues of mobility and visibility, which both have a significant impact on isolation, loneliness and fear.
When it comes to new technology, people at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum have the least involvement in decision making. There is often limited understanding of the complex conditions in which new technologies will operate, leading to the misalignment of technological advances and everyday challenges, reducing the opportunities to help improve the lives of those most in need. My work involves qualitative, in-depth research into the everyday lived experiences of older people – how they are existing, surviving, or thriving in Newham.
London needs to develop civic spaces – streets, squares, transport infrastructures, markets and shops – that are accessible to all. Older people often become excluded, and civic space is fundamentally important, especially when older people are vulnerable: it affects their ability to be a part of the city. Regeneration and the privatisation of public space may improve urban conditions, but can also disrupt communities. The cities of the future need to be for everyone – and addressing inequalities of access for older people must be a fundamental part of this.
Melanie Jans-Sing
My research focuses on hydroponics: an automatic system that circulates nutrient-rich water at the base of plants, allowing many crops to grow per square metre. Hydroponics allows plants to be grown faster, in a smaller area, and using 95 per cent less water than in traditional farming. Integrating this technology into unused urban space could liberate large swathes of land from intensive agriculture, while reducing the requirement for imports of fresh vegetables into the city. It also offers a solution to the heat-island effect of cities, which means that additional cooling is required to make them liveable. London is growing, and the South East of England now houses a third of Britain’s population. An urban planning strategy connecting energy, water and air would allow for innovative developments – for example, greenhouses on rooftops that re-use warm CO2-rich air from buildings to grow food, or re-using rainwater on site in a greenhouse instead of building more tunnels to evacuate stormwater.
I am inspired by cities like Tokyo and Singapore, which manage their resources extremely efficiently and are already dealing with the pressures London will face tomorrow. Singapore recirculates 95 per cent of its water in the system, releasing very little as wastewater. In Tokyo, over 20 dedicated urban farm buildings exist to produce leafy greens for the inhabitants hydroponically. London can learn from the circular economies created in these cities, and improve upon them – integrating nature in a more organic way than Singapore, and relying on rectangular buildings less than Tokyo.
Doros Nicolaïdes
Personal mobility is a basic human need and has been a main driver of growth and prosperity. But motor vehicles have created congestion, accidents, environmental impact and noise, with the worst side-effects in cities. A shift towards innovative and sustainable urban transportation is imperative.
I have been researching a taxi service using autonomous pods: two-seater, driverless vehicles capable of navigating a route in open space without purpose-built infrastructure. The pods can perform journeys in pedestrianised areas, coexisting with pedestrians and cyclists, making them an attractive retrofit solution of any first- or last‑mile travel requirements.
I believe one of the most inspiring cities around the world is Milton Keynes, because it has pioneered the creation and testing of technologies that will influence future cities. Its electric buses have shown it is possible to remove 500 tonnes of CO2 exhaust emissions without compromising passenger service.
Alessandra Luna Navarro
Five billion people will be living in cities by 2030. There will be a need to minimise CO2 emissions while improving the wellbeing of inhabitants, particularly inside buildings – where people spend more than 90 per cent of their time and where human comfort currently calls for high levels of energy consumption. The principal challenge will be to ensure human-centred, healthier, natural indoor conditions in overpopulated cities, while deploying low-carbon technologies and minimising energy demand.
Intelligent and responsive building technologies – for example, adaptive façades – are already transforming city dwellers’ lives. A smart, adaptive built environment has become increasingly possible – but this raises questions about the extent to which a fully automatic intelligent city is desirable. Imagine if everything from your breakfast to your choice of clothes and route to work were controlled by an intelligent system… we need to make sure we start from a holistic understanding of people.
Rebecca Love
As our cities grow, citizens are increasingly prone to obesity. We need to make it easy for people to walk and cycle to work, to access green recreation space, and to afford fruits and vegetables rather than processed food. Technology has the potential to help: if, for example, there were fewer cars on the road (as a result of driverless cars) as well as fewer parking spaces, city streets could become play spaces, community gardens and farms, and we could prioritise cycling and walking lanes. Carbon emissions and air pollution would also be reduced, leading to healthier urban environments.
The Mayor needs to ensure that in his push for affordable housing he also emphasises the need for healthy neighbourhoods. Research shows there are more takeaways and less access to green spaces each step down a neighbourhood deprivation scale.
We need local food production and affordable healthy food that is readily available to everyone. Achieving sustainable, socially equitable food provision for the city is critical if we are to respond effectively both to climate change and to the obesity crisis.
I am inspired by Freiburg, Germany, which has taken a leading role in prioritising the development of public transport, restricting car use, and expanding cycle and walking lanes. Freiburg has significantly reduced carbon emissions and air pollution levels, becoming a healthier, more sustainable city.
Linda Gichuyia
Future cities will have to manage the risks posed by climate change – the rise in extreme weather events, an increase in droughts and flooding – while also acclimatising to rapid, unpredictable economic, social, political and technological change.
My work is on indoor overheating. Soaring temperatures and city heatwaves threaten people’s health and wellbeing, as well as their productivity. In the past, overheating risk assessments have been seen as a design issue. My research focuses on developing a decision-making framework to mitigate indoor overheating that would include the input of a broad range of stakeholders. It would be applicable to all types of building over a 50–100 year span, and would improve resilience to overheating at the level of the room, building, and city.
Nicolas Valenzuela-Levi
In developed countries, individual buildings evolve, disappear, and are redeveloped. But network infrastructures (for water, waste, energy, transport, and communications) will stand for many generations. The most important challenge today is to deal with climate change without excluding the urban poor from basic services.
Transport for London is an example of how network industries can work well, and offers clues as to how other network industries might develop. Access to basic public utilities should be universal rather than based on ability to pay. London could lead in this arena. The Welfare State was established to deliver basic goods and services such as housing, health and education. Now a new Connecting State is needed, to include energy, transport, digital connectivity and environmental goods such as clean air.
A group of Cambridge PhD students working on the future of cities give their views on the opportunities ahead.
In an issue about Futures, it seemed only right to ask young people their views on the challenges and opportunities that London will face in the coming years.
As part of its support of the Future Cities programme at Cambridge University, Capital and Counties Properties PLC (Capco) funds eight PhD students a year to develop their research on topics relating to the future of cities. This year’s crop of students comes from a range of disciplines: engineering, social anthropology, architecture, land economy, and epidemiology. Their specialisations range widely across human-centred architecture, adaptive buildings, the electrification of road transport and autonomous taxi services, overheating, urban farming, the links between infrastructure and inequality, the effects of cities on obesity, and the marginalisation of older people.
The students share an awareness that the world is being reshaped by rapid urbanisation and technology. As cities become more efficient, how can they deploy technology for human ends? We asked them what they see as the biggest challenge, what advice they would offer the Mayor, and which other cities inspire them.
Theodora Bowering
Globally, one in five people will be aged over 60 by 2050 (UN, 2015), with the change most concentrated in urban areas. Older people face numerous challenges – in health and social care, housing, transport, infrastructure and the built environment. Cutting across these are issues of mobility and visibility, which both have a significant impact on isolation, loneliness and fear.
When it comes to new technology, people at the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum have the least involvement in decision making. There is often limited understanding of the complex conditions in which new technologies will operate, leading to the misalignment of technological advances and everyday challenges, reducing the opportunities to help improve the lives of those most in need. My work involves qualitative, in-depth research into the everyday lived experiences of older people – how they are existing, surviving, or thriving in Newham.
London needs to develop civic spaces – streets, squares, transport infrastructures, markets and shops – that are accessible to all. Older people often become excluded, and civic space is fundamentally important, especially when older people are vulnerable: it affects their ability to be a part of the city. Regeneration and the privatisation of public space may improve urban conditions, but can also disrupt communities. The cities of the future need to be for everyone – and addressing inequalities of access for older people must be a fundamental part of this.
Melanie Jans-Sing
My research focuses on hydroponics: an automatic system that circulates nutrient-rich water at the base of plants, allowing many crops to grow per square metre. Hydroponics allows plants to be grown faster, in a smaller area, and using 95 per cent less water than in traditional farming. Integrating this technology into unused urban space could liberate large swathes of land from intensive agriculture, while reducing the requirement for imports of fresh vegetables into the city. It also offers a solution to the heat-island effect of cities, which means that additional cooling is required to make them liveable. London is growing, and the South East of England now houses a third of Britain’s population. An urban planning strategy connecting energy, water and air would allow for innovative developments – for example, greenhouses on rooftops that re-use warm CO2-rich air from buildings to grow food, or re-using rainwater on site in a greenhouse instead of building more tunnels to evacuate stormwater.
I am inspired by cities like Tokyo and Singapore, which manage their resources extremely efficiently and are already dealing with the pressures London will face tomorrow. Singapore recirculates 95 per cent of its water in the system, releasing very little as wastewater. In Tokyo, over 20 dedicated urban farm buildings exist to produce leafy greens for the inhabitants hydroponically. London can learn from the circular economies created in these cities, and improve upon them – integrating nature in a more organic way than Singapore, and relying on rectangular buildings less than Tokyo.
Doros Nicolaïdes
Personal mobility is a basic human need and has been a main driver of growth and prosperity. But motor vehicles have created congestion, accidents, environmental impact and noise, with the worst side-effects in cities. A shift towards innovative and sustainable urban transportation is imperative.
I have been researching a taxi service using autonomous pods: two-seater, driverless vehicles capable of navigating a route in open space without purpose-built infrastructure. The pods can perform journeys in pedestrianised areas, coexisting with pedestrians and cyclists, making them an attractive retrofit solution of any first- or last‑mile travel requirements.
I believe one of the most inspiring cities around the world is Milton Keynes, because it has pioneered the creation and testing of technologies that will influence future cities. Its electric buses have shown it is possible to remove 500 tonnes of CO2 exhaust emissions without compromising passenger service.
Alessandra Luna Navarro
Five billion people will be living in cities by 2030. There will be a need to minimise CO2 emissions while improving the wellbeing of inhabitants, particularly inside buildings – where people spend more than 90 per cent of their time and where human comfort currently calls for high levels of energy consumption. The principal challenge will be to ensure human-centred, healthier, natural indoor conditions in overpopulated cities, while deploying low-carbon technologies and minimising energy demand.
Intelligent and responsive building technologies – for example, adaptive façades – are already transforming city dwellers’ lives. A smart, adaptive built environment has become increasingly possible – but this raises questions about the extent to which a fully automatic intelligent city is desirable. Imagine if everything from your breakfast to your choice of clothes and route to work were controlled by an intelligent system… we need to make sure we start from a holistic understanding of people.
Rebecca Love
As our cities grow, citizens are increasingly prone to obesity. We need to make it easy for people to walk and cycle to work, to access green recreation space, and to afford fruits and vegetables rather than processed food. Technology has the potential to help: if, for example, there were fewer cars on the road (as a result of driverless cars) as well as fewer parking spaces, city streets could become play spaces, community gardens and farms, and we could prioritise cycling and walking lanes. Carbon emissions and air pollution would also be reduced, leading to healthier urban environments.
The Mayor needs to ensure that in his push for affordable housing he also emphasises the need for healthy neighbourhoods. Research shows there are more takeaways and less access to green spaces each step down a neighbourhood deprivation scale.
We need local food production and affordable healthy food that is readily available to everyone. Achieving sustainable, socially equitable food provision for the city is critical if we are to respond effectively both to climate change and to the obesity crisis.
I am inspired by Freiburg, Germany, which has taken a leading role in prioritising the development of public transport, restricting car use, and expanding cycle and walking lanes. Freiburg has significantly reduced carbon emissions and air pollution levels, becoming a healthier, more sustainable city.
Linda Gichuyia
Future cities will have to manage the risks posed by climate change – the rise in extreme weather events, an increase in droughts and flooding – while also acclimatising to rapid, unpredictable economic, social, political and technological change.
My work is on indoor overheating. Soaring temperatures and city heatwaves threaten people’s health and wellbeing, as well as their productivity. In the past, overheating risk assessments have been seen as a design issue. My research focuses on developing a decision-making framework to mitigate indoor overheating that would include the input of a broad range of stakeholders. It would be applicable to all types of building over a 50–100 year span, and would improve resilience to overheating at the level of the room, building, and city.
Nicolas Valenzuela-Levi
In developed countries, individual buildings evolve, disappear, and are redeveloped. But network infrastructures (for water, waste, energy, transport, and communications) will stand for many generations. The most important challenge today is to deal with climate change without excluding the urban poor from basic services.
Transport for London is an example of how network industries can work well, and offers clues as to how other network industries might develop. Access to basic public utilities should be universal rather than based on ability to pay. London could lead in this arena. The Welfare State was established to deliver basic goods and services such as housing, health and education. Now a new Connecting State is needed, to include energy, transport, digital connectivity and environmental goods such as clean air. |
Raw sewage, as received by sewage treatment plants, invariably includes a certain quantity of hard inorganic particles comprising sand, silt and similar type of materials which are generally termed grit. The sewage treatment plant includes various apparatus components and processes that are intended to operate on and treat the organic components, but their functioning and particularly the operating life of various apparatus components are adversely affected by the presence of the grit which is entrained in the fluids comprising raw sewage. Specifically, apparatus in a sewage treatment plant includes fluid pumps that are used to induce flow of the material through the different processes and these pumps are adversely affected by the existence of the hard inorganic grit particles which cause excessive and rapid wearing of their moving components. Consequently, a first procedural step in most sewage treatments plants must, of necessity, include a grit tank having the primary objective of removing at least the larger size grit particles from the sewage. It is essentially impossible to remove all inorganic materials, but the finer grains that cannot be readily or effectively removed within accepted operating economics have a lesser tendency to affect the treatment process or the operation of the mechanical apparatus such as the pumps. In general, particles that are of a size which will pass through a 65 to 70 mesh screen and have a size not greater than 0.2 mm do not present such a serious problem as to pump and machinery wear that they cannot be accepted for processing with the sewage.
It is the function of a grit tank to initially receive the raw sewage and effect this seapration of the undesirably large size grit and enable its removal for separate disposal. This separation is accomplished by providing of a grit tank through which the sewage flows at a predetermined rate relative to the grit size and its quantity such that there will be an opportunity for grit of the unacceptably larger sizes to settle out and deposit on the bottom of the tank where it may be collected for removal. Grit tanks have a generally elongated shape with the sewage flowing in at one end and out at the opposite end. During the course of transport of the sewage through the grit tank, it is desired that a circulatory type of current in the form of a helical path be induced to increase the time period during which the sewage will be retained within the grit tank to better enable the grit to settle out onto the bottom of the tank. The settling of the grit is dependent upon time as it is a gravity type of action. Thus, the longer the period of time that sewage is retained in the grit tank, the greater the opportunity for the grit to settle out of the sewage flowing through the tank. Removal of grit by the simple expedient of effecting a separation by gravity is complicated by the practical fact that sewage is received on a continuing basis at different flow rates with the proportional concentration of sewage and grit also being a continually variable factor. During the course of any selected time period, such as a day, week or longer timeperiod, the raw sewage as it is received will have different proportions or percentages of grit to the other fluids and organic sewage components as well as have variations in the proportionate percentages of different grain sizes for the inorganic grit. Effective separation and collection of grit of greater than acceptable size thus depends in a substantial degree upon the velocity of the circulating currents generated within the grit tank as that is a primary factor determining whether the grit of the selected sizes will be retained for a sufficient time within the tank to permit its settling to the tank floor and subsequent collection. Consequently, it is important to be able to exercise control over the velocity of the circulating currents in order to accommodate the variation in grit size and the quantity of grit that is expected in the raw sewage received by the grit tank.
Attempts have been made to provide such control in order to better enable the separation of the grit. An example of a grit tank designed to achieve the general objectives, is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,276 granted Nov. 2, 1965 to A. C. Lind et al and assigned to Rex Chain Belt, Inc. The grit tank in that patented structure is of an elongated configuration having a generally rectangular cross-section and includes a relatively large chamber disposed in parallel relationship to a relatively small chamber that is located adjacent one longitudinal wall. A helical flow path circulation of the fluid is effected by introducing streams of air into the sewage along a longitudinal line adjacent a bottom wall and within the region of the relatively smaller chamber with that air then functioning as an airlift to cause upward flow of the fluid in the small chamber and thence transversely across the larger chamber. The result is produced, and the sewage must necessarily move through a relatively long path substantially greater than the actual physical longitudinal length of the tank and the sewage is consequentially retained in the tank for a greater length of time. Additionally, the structure disclosed in this patent includes an air distribution system wherein the amout of air that is introduced throughout the longitudinal extent of the tank is of varying quantities with the quantity decreasing successively from a relatively greater amount at the inlet end of the tank to a lesser amount at the outlet end. The effect of this variation in the quantity of air discharged throughout the length of the tank is that the circulatory velocity of the sewage is successively or sequentially decreased as the fluid progresses longitudinally through the tank so that the smaller particles will have a greater tendency to settle at the lower circulatory velocities as they approach the outlet end of the tank. The longitudinal wall or baffle that divides the tank into two chambers is mounted in a manner such that its lower edge is at a fixed elevation with respect to the bottom of the tank and the upper end or longitudinal edge will be a distance below the upper surface of the fluid within the tank.
In a grit tank of the type that is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,215,276, it is also essential that the circulatory current have a sufficient velocity as to move or displace grit that settles on the bottom of the tank to a collector trough or collection area from which it may be subsequently collected and transported to a discharge point. This circulatory current velocity must be of sufficient magnitude such that it will move grit particles that have settled onto the bottom floor of the tank and to also further aid in separation of any organic particles that may also settle out onto the tank floor along with the grit. The objective is to assure that the organic particles will be separated and again entrained in the fluid for continued transport through the tank and outwardly therefrom for further processing. |
java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: android.support.v4.view.ViewCompat.isAttachedToWindow
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.shouldInheritContext(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:992)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:970)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.onCreateView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:1031)
at android.support.v4.view.LayoutInflaterCompatHC$FactoryWrapperHC.onCreateView(LayoutInflaterCompatHC.java:44)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:684)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:755)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:492)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:397)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:353)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.generateLayout(PhoneWindow.java:3022)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.installDecor(PhoneWindow.java:3085)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.getDecorView(PhoneWindow.java:1678)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.shouldInheritContext(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:984)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:970)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.onCreateView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:1031)
at android.support.v4.view.LayoutInflaterCompatHC$FactoryWrapperHC.onCreateView(LayoutInflaterCompatHC.java:44)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:684)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:755)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:492)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:397)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:353)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createSubDecor(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:413)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.ensureSubDecor(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:309)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.setContentView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:264)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity.setContentView(AppCompatActivity.java:144)
at ir.metti.fitness.main.onCreate(main.java:59)
at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:5397)
at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1090)
at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2159)
at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2245)
at android.app.ActivityThread.access$800(ActivityThread.java:135)
at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1196)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5021)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:827)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:643)
at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
mainonCreate (java line: 59)
java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: android.support.v4.view.ViewCompat.isAttachedToWindow
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.shouldInheritContext(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:992)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:970)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.onCreateView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:1031)
at android.support.v4.view.LayoutInflaterCompatHC$FactoryWrapperHC.onCreateView(LayoutInflaterCompatHC.java:44)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:684)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:755)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:492)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:397)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:353)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.generateLayout(PhoneWindow.java:3022)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.installDecor(PhoneWindow.java:3085)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.getDecorView(PhoneWindow.java:1678)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.shouldInheritContext(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:984)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:970)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.onCreateView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:1031)
at android.support.v4.view.LayoutInflaterCompatHC$FactoryWrapperHC.onCreateView(LayoutInflaterCompatHC.java:44)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:684)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:755)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:492)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:397)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:353)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createSubDecor(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:413)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.ensureSubDecor(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:309)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.setContentView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:264)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity.setContentView(AppCompatActivity.java:144)
at ir.metti.fitness.main.onCreate(main.java:59)
at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:5397)
at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1090)
at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2159)
at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2245)
at android.app.ActivityThread.access$800(ActivityThread.java:135)
at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1196)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5021)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:827)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:643)
at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
mainonCreate (java line: 59)
java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: android.support.v4.view.ViewCompat.isAttachedToWindow
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.shouldInheritContext(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:992)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:970)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.onCreateView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:1031)
at android.support.v4.view.LayoutInflaterCompatHC$FactoryWrapperHC.onCreateView(LayoutInflaterCompatHC.java:44)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:684)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:755)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:492)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:397)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:353)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.generateLayout(PhoneWindow.java:3022)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.installDecor(PhoneWindow.java:3085)
at com.android.internal.policy.impl.PhoneWindow.getDecorView(PhoneWindow.java:1678)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.shouldInheritContext(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:984)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:970)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.onCreateView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:1031)
at android.support.v4.view.LayoutInflaterCompatHC$FactoryWrapperHC.onCreateView(LayoutInflaterCompatHC.java:44)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.createViewFromTag(LayoutInflater.java:684)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.rInflate(LayoutInflater.java:755)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:492)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:397)
at android.view.LayoutInflater.inflate(LayoutInflater.java:353)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.createSubDecor(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:413)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.ensureSubDecor(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:309)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatDelegateImplV7.setContentView(AppCompatDelegateImplV7.java:264)
at android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity.setContentView(AppCompatActivity.java:144)
at ir.metti.fitness.main.onCreate(main.java:59)
at android.app.Activity.performCreate(Activity.java:5397)
at android.app.Instrumentation.callActivityOnCreate(Instrumentation.java:1090)
at android.app.ActivityThread.performLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2159)
at android.app.ActivityThread.handleLaunchActivity(ActivityThread.java:2245)
at android.app.ActivityThread.access$800(ActivityThread.java:135)
at android.app.ActivityThread$H.handleMessage(ActivityThread.java:1196)
at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:102)
at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:136)
at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:5021)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:515)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:827)
at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:643)
at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method) |
District voters overwhelmingly approve referendum to make D.C. the 51st state
A sign supporting D.C. statehood on display outside an early voting site in Washington. (Susan Walsh/AP)
District voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to make the nation’s capital its 51st state on Tuesday, with pollgoers saying they hope the vote puts pressure on the next Congress and president to address D.C.’s lack of representation in Congress.
Voters in the District’s Ward 7, east of the Anacostia River, also resurrected the political career of former mayor Vincent C. Gray (D). They sent him back to the D.C. Council less than a year after prosecutors abandoned a campaign finance investigation that factored heavily in Gray’s failed 2014 reelection bid.
“I can’t wait to get back — I love public service,” said an ebullient Gray, 74, just after sunrise Tuesday, as he arrived to vote at a senior center in the Hillcrest neighborhood. Chauffeured in a black SUV by a longtime aide and sporting a black leather bomber jacket that read “Mayor Gray,” the candidate said he would entertain a future comeback campaign for mayor. “We’ll see. I won’t rule anything out,” he said, breaking into a smile.
[Full results from the District]
In addition to Gray, the District’s Democratic majority delivered expected victories for presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and for party candidates Trayon White in Ward 8 and Robert White in the at-large council race. Together with Gray, the newly elected council members will replace close allies to Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D); the turnover could signal rough relations ahead for the mayor and council in the second half of Bowser’s term.
Incumbents David Grosso (I-At Large) and Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) also handily won reelection.
Speaking to reporters just before polls closed, Bowser said she had already congratulated Gray and the other winners after their primary victories in June. She dismissed questions about how well she might be able to work with the new council.
“We share a lot of the same agenda around affordable housing and public safety and advancing our schools, and I intend to work with them very well on those items,” she said.
But Bowser focused most of her day on the statehood measure. She vowed to carry out the referendum quickly, delivering a petition for D.C. statehood to the next president and congressional leaders by Inauguration Day.
“This is what I’ve heard from D.C. residents all over the city. . . . They want to be treated like every American. They want two senators,” she said. “We need equality, and the only way to get there is with statehood.”
But an unexpectedly tight race for the presidency and control of the Senate left the future of the District’s proposal in doubt late Tuesday.
[D.C. is about to declare it’s independence — from Congress]
Bowser and statehood advocates crafted the referendum in hopes of emulating how residents in Tennessee petitioned Congress to join the Union in 1796.
Congress said it would grant statehood to Tennessee, a federal territory at the time, if residents there approved a constitution and committed to a republican form of government.
But partisan politics have long made D.C. statehood a non-starter with Republicans in Congress.
The District has a population of more than 672,000 — larger than that of Vermont or Wyoming — and its residents pay more in federal taxes than do those in 22 states. But Democrats outnumber Republicans in the District by a margin of more than 2 to 1. That means that if it were allowed to become a state, the District would probably elect two Democratic senators and a Democratic member of the House, improving odds for Democratic control of both chambers for decades to come.
Kathy Jasper, a third-generation Washingtonian, was among those who cast a vote in favor of the referendum.
“We pay federal taxes like we’re a state. We need to see some of the benefits of being a state,” she said. The retired recruiter said that she did not hold out hope that statehood would come soon but that it was an important message to the nation.
“We’ve been trying for a long time, and we’ll keep on trying,” she said. “It’s the right thing to do.”
Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said in an interview this year that D.C. statehood would never happen on his watch.
Under the referendum, the District would create a new state for its residential areas, leaving a smaller federal district that contained government buildings and monuments.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump did not take a firm position on D.C. statehood during the campaign. But in an interview with The Washington Post’s editorial board in the spring, he said statehood is a “tough thing.”
Bowser and statehood proponents had largely pinned their hopes for a national dialogue on the issue on the expected victory of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Over the summer, Clinton for the first time cast statehood as a presidential-election issue.
Pressing federal leaders on statehood could be one area of cooperation for Bowser and the incoming Gray.
Bowser and Gray have been arrested together in a statehood protest, and as recently as Tuesday, Gray said he supports the mayor’s referendum to further the cause.
But Gray also warned he would not back down on issues where the two disagree: “I don’t have any hesitation in speaking up on the policy direction I think we should take,” he said.
Dealing with Bowser won’t be the only political intricacy Gray will have to navigate.
His other challenges include a council that has grown increasingly liberal since he ascended to the mayor’s office six years ago.
The council raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour, higher than what Gray said he would support during his tenure as mayor. It also implemented a voter-approved ballot measure to legalize marijuana, a measure Gray’s administration tried to stop. And the council backed Bowser in approving record spending on homeless shelters, which Gray tried to curtail as mayor.
As he hugged and shook hands with a stream of supporters Tuesday, Gray said that he was confident he’d fit in and that he views himself as a progressive.
But in interviews with dozens of voters Tuesday, it was clear that Gray may first have to validate his return to the council with constituents.
Danielle Duncan, a 33-year-old registered Republican in Ward 7, pulled the lever for Clinton but said she still couldn’t bring herself to vote for Gray.
“Ever since that scandal he was involved in, I don’t trust him,” she said.
Robert Contee, 61, voted for Gray and said he welcomed his return — in a benevolent, parenting sort of way.
“I say everybody deserves a second chance,” Contee said. “It’s just like you would do from a parent to a child. . . . As a parent, you have to forgive.”
Peter Jamison and Perry Stein contributed to this report. |
GENIE Regulators
GENIE® regulators are specifically designed for the 300 bar GENIE cylinders.
The regulators are also exceptionally small in size and designed to fit within the circumference of the cylinder, thereby avoiding any risk of costly regulator damage when a cylinder accidentally falls. |
Q:
vb.net correct error implement System.IDisposable
I am just lost with trying to correct this error
Error BC36010 'Using' operand of type 'Boolean' must implement 'System.IDisposable'
The Error only shows up when I remove the If End If design from the code below and implement Using
Reason for the use of Using End Using was garbage clean up
So the question is how to implement System.IDisposable ?
Public Sub haveFILE()
'Dim path As String = "C:\Users\Me\source\repos\TestForms\TestForms\Resource\"
Using Not My.Computer.FileSystem.FileExists(path & "Check.txt") Then
tbHaveDB.Text = "File NOT Found"
' Create or overwrite the file.
Dim fs As FileStream = File.Create(path & "Check.txt")
fs.Close()
End Using
End Sub
A:
The error is about using
Using Not My.Computer.FileSystem.FileExists(path & "Check.txt") Then
End Using
My.Computer.FileSystem.FileExists(path & "Check.txt") returns boolean. Just don't use using. Use if then in this case. Using is when you create IDisposable object
Your code seem confusing between different blocks. You have half if half using. I think, it needs to be this
if Not My.Computer.FileSystem.FileExists(path & "Check.txt") Then
tbHaveDB.Text = "File NOT Found"
' Create or overwrite the file.
else
using fs As FileStream = File.Create(path & "Check.txt")
' write to stream here
fs.Close()
End Using
End If
|
---
abstract: |
Accurate maps of Galactic reddening are important for a number of applications, such as mapping the peculiar velocity field in the nearby Universe. Of particular concern are systematic errors which vary slowly as a function of position on the sky, as these would induce spurious bulk flow.
We have compared the reddenings of Burstein & Heiles (BH) and those of Schlegel, Finkbeiner & Davis (SFD) to independent estimates of the reddening, for Galactic latitudes $|b| > 10\arcdeg$. Our primary source of Galactic reddening estimates comes from comparing the difference between the observed colors of early-type galaxies, and the predicted color determined from the [[– ]{}]{} relation. We have fitted a dipole to the residuals in order to look for large-scale systematic deviations.
There is marginal evidence for a dipolar residual in the comparison between the SFD maps and the observed early-type galaxy reddenings. If this is due to an error in the SFD maps, then it can be corrected with a small (13%) multiplicative dipole term. We argue, however, that this difference is more likely to be due to a small (0.01 mag.) systematic error in the measured colors of the early-type galaxies. This interpretation is supported by a smaller, independent data set (globular cluster and RR Lyrae stars), which yields a result inconsistent with the early-type galaxy residual dipole. BH reddenings are found to have no significant systematic residuals, apart from the known problem in the region $230\arcdeg < l <
310\arcdeg$, $-20\arcdeg < b < 20\arcdeg$.
author:
- 'Michael J. Hudson'
title: 'A Test for Large-Scale Systematic Errors in Maps of Galactic Reddening'
---
\#1 = =
Introduction
============
Accurate values of Galactic extinction are essential for a number of applications, such as measuring distances and peculiar velocities of galaxies. A small error of only 0.015 mag. in the R-band Galactic extinction corresponds to a systematic distance error of 1% for the Fundamental Plane distance indicator. When measuring the large-scale bulk motion of galaxies, the small-scale accuracy of reddening maps is not critical, since random errors add to the scatter but do not introduce a systematic bias in the bulk flow. On the other hand, large-scale coherent systematic errors in the reddenings would introduce corresponding systematic errors in the bulk flow.
In this paper, we test two reddenings maps for such large-scale systematic errors: the reddening maps of Burstein & Heiles (1982, hereafter BH), which are based on neutral hydrogen (for ${\mbox{Dec.}}> -23$, Shane-Wirtanen galaxy counts are used to determine dust-to-gas ratios); and the maps of Schlegel, Finkbeiner & Davis (1998, hereafter SFD) which are based on dust emission measured by IRAS with dust temperatures determined from DIRBE data. Note that the two maps are completely independent.
There is some evidence that the BH reddenings are systematically in error in at least one large coherent region of the sky. Burstein et al. (1987, hereafter B87) found that the BH reddenings were overestimates (by a factor 2) in the region $230\arcdeg < l <
310\arcdeg$, $-20\arcdeg < b < 20\arcdeg$ (hereafter referred to as the Vela region). Note that this region lacks a dust-to-gas ratio estimate.
SFD calibrated their reddening maps using the colors of brightest cluster galaxies from Postman & Lauer (1995) and tested their maps with the [[– ]{}]{} relation and the data of Faber et al.(1989). However, SFD did not test for coherent residuals as a function of longitude. Such residuals are the bane of peculiar velocity work; they are the focus of this paper.
To test the BH and SFD maps, we require a sample of distant objects with standard colors. Our primary sample is the early-type galaxy data set of Faber et al. (1989). We will make use of the tight correlation between index and color. Lynden-Bell et al.(1988) used the [[– ]{}]{} relation to show that putative systematic errors in the BH reddenings could not be large enough to explain the bulk flow of $570 {{\ifmmode \:\mbox{\rm km~s{{\mbox{$^{-1}$}}}}\else \mbox{km~s{{\mbox{$^{-1}$}}}}\fi}}$ towards [, ]{}. However, Lynden-Bell et al. did not attempt to push this farther and obtain constraints on the accuracy of the BH reddenings. This was perhaps due to systematic uncertainties in the index, which are at the level of $\sim 0.01$ in (Davies et al. 1987), equivalent to 0.008 in or 0.03 in $B$-band extinction.
We have recently determined the corrections required to bring indices from 23 different spectroscopic systems onto a standard system, by comparing 1784 repeat measurements for 418 galaxies (Smith et al. 1997, Hudson et al. 1999). As a result the uncertainties in the corrections to the 7S systems have been reduced by a factor 5. This allows us to re-examine the reddening maps with increased accuracy.
There has been much discussion in the literature of the value of reddening at the poles, i.e. the zero-point of the reddening maps. This zero-point is impossible to calibrate using only extragalactic color standards. Fortunately global zero-point errors have no effect on peculiar velocity work since they are absorbed into the zero-point of the distance indicator. We make no attempt in this paper to determine the correct zero-point of the reddening maps.
The outline of this paper is as follows. In [§\[sec:ellip\]]{}, we use early-type galaxies as reddening estimators, and present our data and method ([§\[sec:method\]]{}), results ([§\[sec:results\]]{}) and discuss the effect of photometric errors in the data ([§\[sec:discuss\]]{}). In [§\[sec:gcrr\]]{}, we constrain the systematic errors in the SFD maps using independent reddening estimates obtained from globular clusters and RR Lyrae stars, and we summarize our results in [§\[sec:summary\]]{}.
Reddening from Early-Type Galaxies {#sec:ellip}
==================================
Data and Method {#sec:method}
---------------
Our primary data are the early-type galaxies of the ‘Seven Samurai’ (7S) survey (Faber et al. 1989), with colors measured within 67 arcsec from B87. However, we use revised data for these galaxies which are corrected for offsets between measurements obtained from different telescopes (Hudson et al. 1999). Our corrected values agree well with the subset of the 7S data recently published by Trager et al. (1998). We use only the data with photometric quality of 1, corresponding to random and systematic errors less than 0.02 dex (B87). The data are given in [Table \[tab:ellip\]]{}. Only the first and last four lines of the data are reproduced in the printed version. The full table is accessible electronically. Finally, we limit our analyses to Galactic latitudes $|b| > 10$. The [[– ]{}]{} relation has a scatter of only 0.028 mag. This relation is shown in [Fig. \[fig:bvmg\]]{}.
[lrrrrrrrrr]{} & & & & & & & & &\
& & & & & & & & &\
\
A1656:D-107 & 0.87 & 56.7953 & 88.0890 & 0.2311 & 111 & 0.0118 & 0.0114 & 1 & 821\
A1656:D-125 & 0.92 & 56.9377 & 87.9992 & 0.2531 & 111 & 0.0089 & 0.0121 & 1 & 821\
A1656:D-136 & 0.90 & 60.1584 & 88.1393 & 0.2672 & 111 & 0.0105 & 0.0120 & 1 & 821\
A1656:D-153 & 0.95 & 58.7005 & 87.9678 & 0.2747 & 111 & 0.0079 & 0.0124 & 1 & 821\
\
N7626 & 1.04 & 87.8581 & -48.3781 & 0.3260 & 111 & 0.0725 & 0.0411 & 1 & 212\
N7768 & 0.94 & 106.7153 & -33.8139 & 0.3153 & 212 & 0.0386 & 0.0276 & 1 & -999\
N7785 & 1.00 & 98.5380 & -54.2775 & 0.2915 & 212 & 0.0564 & 0.0420 & 0 & 0\
U03696 & 1.01 & 168.5668 & 22.8446 & 0.3011 & 312 & 0.0715 & 0.0716 & 1 & 327\
& & & & & & & & &\
If we compare the [[– ]{}]{} relations of the subsample of cluster galaxies to the subsample of galaxies in groups (with velocity dispersions \[Hudson 1993\] less than $\sim 400$ ) or in the field, we find that the cluster galaxies are redder than group/field galaxies by $0.01\pm0.004$ mag at a given . Hudson (1999) shows that Malmquist bias effects can cause offsets between field and cluster samples at this level, even when distance-independent measures ( and ) are compared. For the purposes of this paper, however, we are not concerned with the interpretation of this offset. We simply correct the colors of field galaxies by adding 0.01. The conclusions of this paper, however, are not affected if we neglect this correction.
The residuals from the [[– ]{}]{} relation for both SFD and BH reddenings are plotted on the sky in an Aitoff projection in [Fig. \[fig:aitoff\]]{}. No obvious trend to the residuals is immediately apparent although the Vela region stands out in the BH plot, and to a lesser extent in the SFD plot. Clearly any deviation of the residuals from isotropy is at a fairly low level. To measure the anisotropy requires a specific model.
Our method is straightforward: we use the tight intrinsic relation to predict the true and compare this with the observed $\bv{\mbox{$_{\rm obs}$}}$, to obtain a reddening estimate $$E(\bv){\mbox{$_{\rm Ellip}$}} = (\bv){\mbox{$_{\rm obs}$}} - [A + B \, {\mbox{Mg$_2$}}]$$ where $A$ and $B$ are free parameters. Since our goal is to look for coherent residuals from the SFD and BH maps, we fit the map reddening to these reddening estimates allowing for a correction term. For the form of this correction, we adopt the lowest order spherical harmonic, i.e. a dipole. We have considered both additive and multiplicative dipole corrections to the reddenings. We adopt a multiplicative correction, which is perhaps more realistic (e.g. a coherent error in the dust temperature). The reddening estimates are then fit by $$E(\bv){\mbox{$_{\rm Ellip}$}} = (1 + F \cdot \hat{r}) \, {\mbox{$E(\bv)$}}{\mbox{$_{\rm map}$}}$$ where ${\mbox{$E(\bv)$}}{\mbox{$_{\rm map}$}}$ is the predicted reddening given by BH or SFD. $F$ is a dipole vector and $\hat{r}$ is the unit vector towards the galaxy. In practice, these two steps are performed simultaneously.
The residuals around these relations are slightly non-Gaussian, with a tail of blue objects. In order that our fit be robust, we minimize the sum of absolute deviations of the residuals. This is equivalent to fitting the median (Press et al. 1992). We estimate the significance of the dipole coefficients by performing Monte Carlo simulations in which the positions of early-type galaxies are randomized while their and values are kept fixed.
Results {#sec:results}
-------
[lrrlrrrrr]{} & & & & & & & &\
& & & & & & & &\
Ellip & 311 & 0.028 & SFD & 0.000 & 0.13 & 80 & 23 & 8.4\
Ellip & 296 & 0.031 & BH & 0.000 & 0.17 & 64 & 17 & 44.7\
Ellip & 296 & 0.028 & SFD & 0.000 & 0.13 & 94 & 15 & 13.1\
Ellip & 311 & 0.028 & SFD & 0.010 & 0.07 & 328 & -69 & 57.2\
Ellip & 296 & 0.031 & BH & 0.010 & 0.11 & 47 & -27 & 87.7\
GC+RR & 137 & 0.028 & SFD & 0.000 & 0.08 & 312 & -47 & 95.0\
Ellip+GC+RR & 448 & 0.028 & SFD & 0.000 & 0.05 & 98 & -35 & 38.6\
The result of the dipole fits to both SFD and BH are given in [Table \[tab:dipoles\]]{}. For the SFD fit, we detect a marginally significant dipole (at the 92% CL) of $|F{\mbox{$_{\rm SFD}$}}| =
0.13_{-0.10}^{+0.06}$ towards [, ]{} (errors correspond to 66% confidence range). Note that the anti-apex of this dipole is [, ]{}, which is in the Vela region.
We detect no significant residual dipole in the BH reddenings, [*if*]{} the Vela region is excluded from the analysis. (If we exclude this region from the SFD analysis, the significance of the SFD dipole term drops to 87% CL). The lower significance of the BH dipole compared to SFD should not be misinterpreted as evidence that its residual dipole is lower – it is not – rather the reduced significance is due to the larger scatter in the residuals when BH reddenings are used, which leads to a larger error in the dipole: $|F{\mbox{$_{\rm BH}$}}| = 0.17_{-0.17}^{+0.13}$.
[Fig. \[fig:dipole\]]{} shows the residuals from the [[– ]{}]{} relation as a function of the cosine of the angle from the apex ([, ]{} for SFD and [, ]{} for BH).
Discussion {#sec:discuss}
----------
We have modeled the residuals with a dipole term. However, it is also possible that the residuals are clustered in a few, smaller-scale (30-60) patches on the sky. We have already discussed the Vela region, in which both the BH reddenings as well as those of SFD overestimate the reddening. The region $120\arcdeg < l < 180\arcdeg,
0\arcdeg < b < 40\arcdeg$, (hereafter referred to as the Cameleopardis region) also stands out in [Fig. \[fig:aitoff\]]{} due to its excess of red galaxies. The Cameleopardis region is opposite on the sky to Vela region, so it is possible that these two regions together are the source of the dipole signal. The sparseness of the data do not allow us to determine whether the residuals are confined to smaller areas, or whether they vary more slowly (like a dipole).
At low Galactic latitudes, systematic errors are expected to be largest, both in the predictions and in the observed colors, due to the problems of contamination by foreground stars in the Milky Way. If we limit the analysis to Galactic latitudes $|b| > 20\arcdeg$, however, we still find an identical dipole for SFD and a somewhat larger dipole for BH, compared to the results found above for $|b| >
10\arcdeg$.
So far we have interpreted these residuals as errors in the reddenings. It is possible that systematic errors in the data or data are responsible for these residuals. The data for the 7 spectroscopic systems tabulated by 7S were corrected for systematic offsets, but the uncertainty in these corrections was 0.01 mag. (Davies et al. 1987). By inter-comparison of common data, these data have been re-corrected and brought onto a common system (Hudson et al. 1999). While the corrections are large (as much as 0.02), the uncertainties in these corrections are now considerably smaller (typically 0.0025 mag). This translates to only 0.002 mag in which is a factor of 5 smaller than the residual dipole. Therefore systematic errors in cannot account for the residuals.
It is also possible that there are systematic errors in the colors. We have performed fits in which we allow for a systematic error in color between galaxies in the northern and southern celestial hemispheres. In [Table \[tab:dipoles\]]{} we also show fits for BH and SFD after a 0.01 mag correction applied to the Northern values. When this correction is applied, the residual dipole terms are small and consistent with zero. Thus an offset in photometry can account for the residuals in the SFD comparison. In fact, the significance of this photometric correction is somewhat higher than the dipole term fitted above.
As discussed above, we cannot really distinguish between photometric errors in small patches of the sky and large-scale (north-south) photometric offsets. The colors tabulated in B87 arise from 10 different photometric systems. Table 4B of B87 indicates that, while most of their photometric systems are of high accuracy (better than 0.01 mag. in ), there are several exceptions. Most notable of these is the K3 system (KPNO 0.9m Oct 81)[^1]. The K3 system shows a systematic offset of 0.02 mag in and possibly a weak (uncorrected) color term (B87). Note that about half of the galaxies in the Cameleopardis region have colors from the K3 system, so this may account for some of the deviant galaxies in this region. It is beyond the scope of this paper to extract the K3 observations from the merged photometry of B87. We simply note that although one can interpret the residuals as a north-south photometric offset, it is also possible that errors from one or more subsystems could mimic the same effect.
Note that in [Fig. \[fig:aitoff\]]{} both BH and SFD have residuals in the same locations (e.g. in the Vela and Cameleopardis regions). Since the two reddening maps are independent, this argues that the primary source of these residuals is due to photometric errors.
Therefore, while the residual dipole in the SFD comparison may be real, we conclude that it is more likely due to photometric errors. An independent sample is required to test this residual dipole more thoroughly.
Reddening Estimates from Globular Clusters and RR Lyrae stars {#sec:gcrr}
=============================================================
We can perform an independent test of the reddenings using the estimated toward distant globular clusters (GCs) and RR Lyrae stars.
We take GC estimates from the compilation of Harris (1996)[^2], but exclude clusters with $|b| < 10$ and distance perpendicular to the Galactic Plane, $|Z|
< 3$ . This leaves 50 GCs. We find that, in the mean, the estimated reddenings of the GCs are lower than those of SFD by $-0.008
\pm 0.004$ mag. This paper is not concerned with zero-point errors (the monopole term) because errors of this type drop out of many applications such as peculiar velocity studies. We have therefore simply increased all globular cluster by 0.01 mag. The scatter of is 0.027 mag.
[rrrr]{}\
& & &\
\
115.70 & -33.10 & 0.058 & 0.044\
128.40 & -23.60 & 0.035 & 0.047\
57.90 & -34.00 & 0.006 & 0.052\
53.20 & -44.30 & 0.074 & 0.048\
\
304.60 & 57.40 & -0.022 & 0.030\
323.40 & 67.50 & -0.020 & 0.035\
123.90 & 18.60 & 0.249 & 0.247\
122.00 & 22.10 & 0.112 & 0.138\
We have also use the 86 RR Lyrae stars from the sample of Burstein & Heiles (1978). The data are reproduced in [Table \[tab:rr\]]{}. Only the first and last four lines of the data are given in the printed version. The full table is accessible electronically. We find, in the mean, that the RR Lyrae sample has lower than the SFD predictions by $-0.016\pm0.003$ mag. We have consequently increased all RR Lyrae by 0.01 mag. The scatter around the SFD values is 0.027 mag, the same as found for the GCs and for the residuals from the early-type galaxy [[– ]{}]{} relation. The residuals for these two samples are shown in [Fig. \[fig:gcrr\]]{}.
Both the GC and RR Lyrae samples are sufficiently small that they do not place strong constraints on the residual dipole. Taken together, the best fit dipole is $F = 0.08\pm0.07$ towards [, ]{}, although this result is not statistically significant; the GC/RR Lyrae sample is consistent with no residual dipole. Note, however, that this GC/RR $F$ is in the opposite sense to the SFD $F$ found above. We can thus use the combined GC and RR Lyrae sample as an independent test of the early-type [[– ]{}]{} residual dipole. We generate 1000 bootstrap samples of the globular cluster and RR Lyrae solution and project these along [, ]{}, the [[– ]{}]{} dipole direction. We obtain a residual as large as the [[– ]{}]{} case only 2% of the time. This argues that the [[– ]{}]{} dipole found above is more likely to be due to a systematic photometric offset between north and south. In any case, it establishes the [[– ]{}]{} dipole result as the upper limit to the large-scale errors in the SFD maps.
Summary {#sec:summary}
=======
We have compared the SFD and BH reddenings to an independent reddening estimate, namely the difference between the observed colors of early-type galaxies, and the predicted color determined from the [[– ]{}]{} relation. Specifically, we fit a dipole to the residuals in order to look for large-scale systematic deviations. For BH, we find no significant evidence for a dipole once the Vela region is excluded. For SFD, we find marginal (92% CL) evidence of a dipole in the residuals. We are unable to distinguish between two possibilities: (1) a small multiplicative dipolar correction term to the SFD reddenings (a 13% increase towards [, ]{}, and a corresponding decrease on the other side of the sky), or (2) a small photometric error of 0.01 mag in between northern and southern hemispheres. We argue that the latter option is more likely, for the following reasons: (1) 0.01 mag. is well within the expected photometric errors, and (2) the dipole for the BH reddenings is very similar to that of SFD in both amplitude and direction, even though the BH and SFD maps are independent. The sparseness of the data do not allow us to determine whether the residuals are actually due to smoothly-varying large-scale (dipolar) errors in SFD reddenings or in the photometry, or whether the problem lies in specific regions, e.g.the Vela region and/or the Cameleopardis region.
The sparser globular cluster and RR Lyrae reddening data are consistent with no dipole residual. Nevertheless, from this data set, we can exclude the dipole obtained from the early-type galaxies at the 98% confidence level.
Taken together, these results suggest that there are no large-scale errors in the SFD maps, or in the BH maps (outside the Vela region). The 13% dipole correction to SFD should be taken as a reasonable upper limit on any large-scale error in those maps.
Burstein, D. & Heiles, C. 1978, , 225, 40
Burstein, D. & Heiles, C. 1982, , 87, 1165
Burstein, D., Davies, R. L., Dressler, A., Faber, S. M., Stone, R. P. S., Lynden-Bell, D., Terlevich, R. J., & Wegner, G. 1987, , 64, 601
Davies, R. L., Burstein, D., Dressler, A., Faber, S. M., Lynden-Bell, D., Terlevich, R. J., & Wegner, G. 1987, , 64, 581
Faber, S. M., Wegner, G., Burstein, D., Davies, R. L., Dressler, A., Lynden-Bell, D., & Terlevich, R. J. 1989, , 69, 763
Harris, W.E. 1996, , 112, 1487
Hudson, M.J. 1993, , 265, 43
Hudson M. J. 1999, submitted to ApJ
Hudson M. J., Lucey J. R., Smith R. J., Schlegel D. J., & Davies R. L. 1999, in preparation
Lynden-Bell, D., Faber, S. M., Burstein, D., Davies, R. L., Dressler, A., Terlevich, R. J. & Wegner, G., 1988, , 326, 19
Postman, M. & Lauer, T. R. 1995, , 440, 28
Press W. H., Flannery B. P., Tuekolsky S., Vetterling W. T., 1986, [*Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing*]{} (Cambridge Univ. Press: Cambridge)
Schlegel, D. J., Finkbeiner, D. P., & Davis, M. 1998, , 500, 525
Smith, R. J., Lucey, J. R., Hudson, M. J., & Steel, J. 1997, , 291, 461
Trager, S. C., Worthey, G., Faber, S. M., Burstein, D., & Gonzalez, J. J. 1998, , 116, 1
[^1]: During the K3 run a can of oil was found after the end of the run and an oil slick covered part of the mirror (B87).
[^2]: Available electronically at http://www.physics.mcmaster.ca/GC/mwgc.dat.
|
Q:
Modify custom Users Manage page
I'm trying to create a submenu page under 'Users' which is like the 'All Users' page but for listing users of specific roles only. Let's just call this submenu page 'Customer'.
So far I managed to create one with its own columns, but there are still some things that I haven't managed to modify to make the contents more relevant:
Here's what I need to do:
How do I change the page title to reflect the submenu name, in this case 'Customer'?
(a) How do I change the filter links above the list to show ONLY 'All', 'Subscriber', & 'Pending'? (b) And also the 'Change role to..' dropdown menu?
How do I change the filter link 'All' to direct to the 'Customer' page (which is the custom users page)?
How do I make the 'Customer' submenu link to hilite to indicate the current page viewed?
NOTE:
The default 'All Users' page should therefore be the
opposite of this page in terms of the filter links.
Here's roughly how I created the above page:
/* Create new user submenu with custom parameter in slug */
add_action('admin_menu', 'my_custom_user_submenu');
function my_custom_user_submenu() {
add_users_page(
'Customer',
'Customer',
list_users,
'users.php?user=custom'
);
}
/* Filter users according to the users list page */
add_action('pre_user_query','my_user_customer_list');
function my_user_customer_list($user_search) {
$user = $_GET['custom'];
$role = $_GET['role'];
if ( $user == 'custom' OR $role == 'subscriber' OR $role == 'pending' ) {
global $wpdb;
/* For Customers Page:
* Get only 'Subscriber' & 'Pending' users
* */
$user_search->query_where =
str_replace('WHERE 1=1',
"WHERE 1=1 AND {$wpdb->users}.ID IN (
SELECT {$wpdb->usermeta}.user_id FROM $wpdb->usermeta
WHERE {$wpdb->usermeta}.meta_key = '{$wpdb->prefix}user_level'
AND {$wpdb->usermeta}.meta_value = 0)",
$user_search->query_where
);
} else {
global $wpdb;
/* For User Admin Page:
* Get all apart from 'Subscriber' & 'Pending' users
* */
$user_search->query_where =
str_replace('WHERE 1=1',
"WHERE 1=1 AND {$wpdb->users}.ID IN (
SELECT {$wpdb->usermeta}.user_id FROM $wpdb->usermeta
WHERE {$wpdb->usermeta}.meta_key = '{$wpdb->prefix}user_level'
AND {$wpdb->usermeta}.meta_value >= 1)",
$user_search->query_where
);
}
}
A:
Here's how I managed to modify the page. For the submenu highlighting, however, I haven't managed to figure it out, so I resort to jQuery.
Here's the code:
/* - Set user filter links according to users pages
* - Set Role Change dropdown menu
* */
function custom_user_filter_links( $views ) {
global $wp_roles; // For Role Change dropdown menu
$amt = count_users();
$amtCustom = $amt['avail_roles']['subscriber'] + $amt['avail_roles']['pending']; // Count custom users
if ( $_GET['user'] == 'custom' || $_GET['role'] == 'subscriber' || $_GET['role'] == 'pending' ) {
/* For Customers Page: */
/* Modify url & users count for the 'All' link */
$all = preg_replace( '/(.*\.php)(.*\().*(\).*)/', '$1?user=custom${2}'.$amtCustom.'$3', $views['all'] );
/* Show only 'Subscriber' & 'Pending' user links */
$arr = array();
$arr['all'] = $all;
if ($views['subscriber'])
$arr['subscriber'] = $views['subscriber'];
if ($views['pending'])
$arr['pending'] = $views['pending'];
$views = $arr;
/* Modify Role Change dropdown menu */
$arr = array();
$arr['subscriber'] = $wp_roles->roles['subscriber'];
$arr['pending'] = $wp_roles->roles['pending'];
$wp_roles->roles = $arr;
} else {
/* For User Admin Page: */
/* Modify users count for the 'All' link*/
$views['all'] = preg_replace( '/(.*\().*(\).*)/', '${1}'.($amt['total_users'] - $amtCustom).'$2', $views['all'] );
/* Remove 'Subscriber' & 'Pending' user links */
unset($views['subscriber']);
unset($views['pending']);
/* Modify Role Change dropdown menu */
unset ( $wp_roles->roles['subscriber'] );
unset ( $wp_roles->roles['pending'] );
}
return $views;
}
add_filter( 'views_users', 'custom_user_filter_links' );
/* - Highlight custom submenu
* - Change titles of custom Users Manage & Edit pages
* */
function submenu_hilite_n_rename_title() {
global $current_screen;
// If not in specified pages than discontinue
if( !($current_screen->base == 'users' || $current_screen->base == 'user-edit') )
return;
global $title;
if ($current_screen->base == 'user-edit') {
/* For Edit User page */
$user = get_user_by('id', $_GET['user_id']);
$role = $user->roles[0];
$title = 'Edit Customer'; /* Change page title */
} else {
/* For Manage Users page */
$role = $_GET['role'];
$title = 'Customers'; /* Change page title */
}
switch (true) {
case $_GET['user'] == 'custom' :
case $role == 'subscriber' :
case $role == 'pending' :
?>
<script type="text/javascript">
jQuery(document).ready( function($) {
var reference = $('a[href$="user=custom"]').parent();
// Highlight custom submenu
reference.addClass('current');
// Remove highlight from default menu
reference.parent().find('li:first').removeClass('current');
});
</script>
<?php
break;
}
}
add_action('admin_head', submenu_hilite_n_rename_title);
|
Many electronic systems employ programmable gain amplifiers as a basic analog building block. An example of a conventional programmable gain amplifier (800) is illustrated in FIG. 8. Programmable gain amplifier 800 includes an operational amplifier (AMP), three resistors (R81-R83), and two switches (S81-S82). The operational amplifier includes a non-inverting input terminal (INP), an inverting input terminal (INM), and an output terminal (AOUT). Switch S81 is connected between AOUT and node N81. Switch S82 is connected between AOUT and node N82. Resistor R81 is connected between node N81 and INM. Resistor R82 is connected between node N82 and INM. Resistor R83 is connected between INM and a circuit ground (GND).
In operation, operational amplifier AMP is configured to receive an input signal (e.g., IN) at the non-inverting input (INP), and provide an output signal (e.g. OUT) at the output terminal (AOUT) that is related to the input signal according to a gain scaling factor (X). The gain scaling factor (X) is determined by the impedance in the feedback path between the output (OUT) and the inverting input (INM).
Switches S81 and S82 are arranged to change the selection of the feedback components (resistors R81 and R82) to adjust the gain scaling factor (X). The selected feedback component is resistor R81 when switch S81 is closed, while the selected feedback component is resistor R82 when switch S82 is closed. The relationship between the input signal (IN) and the output signal (OUT) is determined by the feedback components and the switches as follows: OUT=IN*(1+X), where X is determined by the feedback components. In one example, X=R81/R83 when switch S1 is closed and switch S2 is open. In another example, X=R82/R83 when switch S2 is closed and switch S1 is open. |
Hixson finishing season with JV guys
Hixson finishing season with JV guys
Eight Wildcats players were dismissed from the team after rushing into the stands during a game.
Eight Hixson High School boys' basketball players have been dismissed from the team for leaving the playing court and bench area when an altercation broke out in the stands during a game last week.
Late in the third quarter of Tuesday's game at East Hamilton, the incident involving fans from both sides escalated to the point that the eight players from Hixson ran into the stands.
There were no arrests because the incident was only a verbal confrontation. Although reportedly no punches were thrown, players going into the stands are automatically ejected and suspended for at least two games under TSSAA rules. Hixson administrators decided to dismiss the eight players, which left only three on the varsity, so they are moving up junior varsity players to finish out the season.
"Leaving the court or bench area to go into the stands is a very serious offense in our eyes and the TSSAA's eyes," Hixson athletic director Brian Bray said. "The kids made a bad decision, and hopefully they will learn a lesson from this.
"We had to do what we felt was right for our athletic program and send a message that we won't tolerate things like that. Those kids can come out and play spring sports for us without any further punishment, and our basketball program will go forward and make the best of this now."
The multiple ejections left Hixson without enough players to finish Tuesday's game, resulting in the officials ending the game and awarding the Hurricanes the victory. The Wildcats then forfeited Thursday's scheduled game at Soddy-Daisy.
East Hamilton had one player who was already in the stands receiving treatment from an athletic trainer. When the confrontation happened, that player stood up in the stands and also was ejected. That player has since served a two-game suspension.
"I've been involved with officiating the game for 40 years and that's the first time I remember that happening, with so many players from one team rushing into the stands like that," said Leon Rash, the head of the Chattanooga-area officials association. |
Dear Editor,
{#ptr6712-sec-0001}
Recently, an epidemic disease outbreak caused by a novel human coronavirus named "SARS‐CoV‐2" (similar to SARS‐CoV and MERS‐CoV), first reported in China, has surged worldwide (Li & De Clercq, [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}). No vaccination against SARS‐CoV‐2 exists to date and available therapeutic options are still limited (Li & De Clercq, [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}). Our aim is to briefly describe the potential help of phytotherapy research in finding new integrative therapeutic options against human coronaviruses, and to provide researchers with some essential hints to be used for planning future studies.
Evidence in support of the activity of medicinal plants (or their extracts) against coronaviruses mostly derives from laboratory studies, whereas clinical data are limited and especially refer to multicomponent herbal preparations used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) (Liu, Zhang, He, & Li, [2012](#ptr6712-bib-0007){ref-type="ref"}). In a Cochrane review published in 2012, it was concluded that, although the methodology of included trials was questionable, TCM herbal remedies in addition to Western medicine may help to improve symptoms, quality of life, absorption of pulmonary infiltration, and may decrease the dosage of corticosteroids in patients with SARS (Liu et al., [2012](#ptr6712-bib-0007){ref-type="ref"}). TCM is highly valued by the Chinese government in their current campaign to contain and eradicate SARS‐CoV‐2, and from March 1, 2020, a total of 303 ongoing clinical trials aiming to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatments for Covid‐19 patients have been launched in China. Among them, 50 trials (16.5%) are about the use of TCM, including 14 cases (4.6%) which investigate the effect of combined treatment with TCM and Western medicine. In 22 TCM trials (7.3%), the effect of self‐made herbal preparations such as Xin Guan‐1 Formula, Xin Guan‐2 Formula, and QingYi‐4 are examined. In another 14 TCM trials (4.6%), commercially available TCM products such as Tan Re Qing injections and Lian Hua Qing Wen capsules are studied (Yang, Islam, Wang, Li, & Chen, [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0011){ref-type="ref"}), and beneficial effects have been also suggested in two recent reviews about various TCM herbal remedies for SARS coronavirus infections (Luo et al., [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0008){ref-type="ref"}; Yang et al., [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0011){ref-type="ref"}). Despite the complexity of TCM formulations, herbs like *Glycyrrhiza glabra* or *Scutellaria baicalensis* were present in more than one tested TCM preparation, and for glycyrrhizin and bacalin (extracted from these herbs) there is in vitro evidence of their antimicrobial activity against coronaviruses (Chen et al., [2004](#ptr6712-bib-0003){ref-type="ref"}). Other recurrent medicinal plants found in anti‐coronavirus TCM remedies are *Saposhnikovia divaricata*, *Atractylodis macrocephalae*, *Lonicerae japonicae*, and *Forsythia Vahl* (Luo et al., [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0008){ref-type="ref"}). As such, this could be a starting point for further research.
Overall, it is possible to identify two possible research streams to follow in the pursuit of finding useful phytotherapic compounds to fight infections caused by coronaviruses:Herbal remedies with a potentially preventive effect, mainly acting through a general boost of the immune system. Some examples can be *Astragalus membranaceus* or *Echinacea purpurea* (Block & Mead, [2003](#ptr6712-bib-0002){ref-type="ref"}). Interestingly, astragalus was often added in TCM herbal formulas against SARS (Liu et al., [2012](#ptr6712-bib-0007){ref-type="ref"}). *Uncaria tomentosa* and polysaccharides from medicinal mushrooms may be other options to study, due to their immunomodulatory properties. It might be also useful to test whether there are herbal compounds, which can be used as adjuvant in addition to a future vaccination.Herbal remedies with a potentially therapeutic effect, acting through different mechanisms on viral penetration and replication. Pharmacological derivatives of *Cinchona* bark, like chloroquine, have been already considered as possible drugs (Li & De Clercq, [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0006){ref-type="ref"}). Reviews of clinical studies have suggested the efficacy of specific plant extracts from *Sambucus nigra*, *Pelargonium sidoides*, or *Cistus incanus* for the treatment of infectious respiratory ailments, regardless of their etiology (Agbabiaka, Guo, & Ernst, [2008](#ptr6712-bib-0001){ref-type="ref"}; Hawkins, Baker, Cherry, & Dunne, [2019](#ptr6712-bib-0004){ref-type="ref"}; Kalus et al., [2009](#ptr6712-bib-0005){ref-type="ref"}). For polyphenols of sambucus and for pelargonium, an antiviral activity against human coronaviruses has been demonstrated in laboratory studies (Michaelis, Doerr, & Cinatl Jr., [2011](#ptr6712-bib-0009){ref-type="ref"}; Weng et al., [2019](#ptr6712-bib-0010){ref-type="ref"}), and researchers may consider them for further investigations in addition to the above mentioned liquorice and scutellaria. Recently, an array of 13 plant‐derived substances has been identified as a set of compounds with in‐vitro anti‐SARS‐Cov action, including cryptotanshinone, kaempferol, and quercetin (Zhang, Wu, Zhang, Deng, & Peng, [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0012){ref-type="ref"}). Plant‐derived substances appear to act at different stages of viral penetration and replication, for example binding the viral spike protein or inhibiting SARS‐3CLpro activity (Yang et al., [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0011){ref-type="ref"}). These findings can be used to expand the list of plant‐based products to be considered eligible for future experiments. It might be also useful to test whether there are herbal compounds capable of reducing the period during which an infected subject remains contagious for limiting the disease spread. Additionally, phytotherapy can have an important role in the prevention and/or management of adverse effects of conventional drugs (Yang et al., [2020](#ptr6712-bib-0011){ref-type="ref"}).
In conclusion, phytotherapy research can help to explore potentially useful remedies against coronaviruses, and further investigations are recommended to identify and test all possible targets. Globally, herbs with some preliminary evidence of antiviral activity against coronaviruses, along with phytotherapic remedies with immune stimulant properties, appear as good candidates for additional studies on the topic.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST {#ptr6712-sec-0002}
====================
The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.
|
Granulomatous endometritis associated with histologically occult cytomegalovirus in a healthy patient.
This report describes the case of a 32-year-old female with chronic pelvic pain who was otherwise in good health. Endocervical curettings contained rare cells with intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusions characteristic of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Endometrial curettings demonstrated a stromal lymphocytic and plasmacytic infiltrate as well as numerous small, non-necrotizing granulomas, but no CMV by microscopic examination. However, CMV was identified by the polymerase chain reaction in DNA extracted from a paraffin section of the endometrial tissue. In conjunction with previous reports, the clinical and pathologic features of this case suggest that CMV can cause chronic endometritis in nonimmunocompromised patients. Furthermore, CMV infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of granulomatous endometritis. This case demonstrates the usefulness of using the polymerase chain reaction to detect CMV in paraffin-embedded material. |
Sugarcane proteomics: An update on current status, challenges, and future prospects.
Sugarcane is one of the most important commercial crops cultivated worldwide for the production of crystal sugar, ethanol, and other related by-products. Unlike other comparable monocots like sorghum, maize, and rice, sugarcane genome by virtue of its polyploidy nature remains yet to be fully deciphered. Proteomics-an established complementary tool to genomics is at its infancy in sugarcane as compared to the other monocots. However, with the surge in genomics research accomplished by next-generation sequencing platforms, sugarcane proteomics has gained momentum. This review summarizes the available literature from 1970 to 2014, which ensures a comprehensive coverage on sugarcane proteomics-a topic first of its kind to be reviewed. We herewith compiled substantial contributions in different areas of sugarcane proteomics, which include abiotic and biotic stresses, cell wall, organelle, and structural proteomics. The past decade has witnessed a paradigm shift in the pace with which sugarcane proteomics is progressing, as evident by the number of research publications. In addition to extensively reviewing the progress made thus far, we intend to highlight the scope in sugarcane proteomics, with an aspiration to instigate focused research on sugarcane to harness its full potential for the human welfare. |
from .backend import InputEntry, BlockEntry, OutputEntry, IR, Backend
|
Atari SA, a French holding company that contains the former Atari, Inc., the publisher of video games such as Tetris and Pac Man, has seen its share price go up more than 60 percent after announcing that it would invest in cryptocurrency, Bloomberg reports Thursday, Feb. 15.
According to Atari’s press release earlier this month, Atari will be creating its own digital currency, the Atari Token, to be used in a Blockchain-based digital entertainment platform created by Infinity Networks, Ltd., in which Atari bought a 17.5 percent stake.
The company will also develop its partnership with Pariplay Ltd., an online casino-gaming company. The casino sites will offer Atari games where players can gamble with cryptocurrencies, including Atari’s second projected cryptocurrency, the Pong Token, which will be dedicated to crypto casinos.
Frederic Chesnais, Atari Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said in a press release,
"Blockchains technology is poised to take a very important place in our environment and to transform, if not revolutionize, the current economic ecosystem, especially in the areas of the video game industry and online transactions [...] Our objective is to take strategic positions with a limited cash risk, in order to optimize the assets and the Atari brand.”
Companies that formerly had nothing to do with the crypto world have seen profits in publically aligning themselves with cryptocurrencies and Blockchain, even if it is just in name alone.
When the Long Island Iced Tea Corp changed its name to Long Blockchain and promised a move into the crypto mining business, its stock saw a 458 percent trading range gain. The SEC has recently suggested that companies that add the word “Blockchain” to their name could face increased scrutiny from regulators. |
Welcome to Eagleview Town Center!
Discover a charming town where friendly faces meet wholesome fun. Known as "The Heart of Eagleview," Eagleview Town Center is a vibrant community where you can dine, shop, live, work, and play. Located in Exton, Pennsylvania, we are famous for our fun FREE events, Restaurant Row, unique shops and businesses, and the beautiful picturesque park that's the hub for social activity in Chester County. |
By Jonathan Sperling
Astoria residents are calling on the MTA to install protective netting beneath the entire length of the N/W line in Queens after a woman was nearly struck by a falling metal flashlight while crossing the street beneath the elevated track.
The MTA already announced that netting would be installed under the N/W tracks at the Queensboro Plaza and 39th Avenue stations, but the Astoria portion of the line is still left without netting. That includes the 36th Avenue, Broadway, 30th Avenue, Astoria Boulevard and Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard stations, which stretch for approximately two miles.
The woman who was almost struck by the flashlight was crossing 31st Street at 23rd Avenue near the Ditmars Boulevard Station, several stops away from where the netting will be installed.
“Our lives should not be put in danger by falling debris or train equipment whenever we cross 31st Street,” said District 22 Councilmember Costa Constantinides at a rally Monday.
“The MTA can do right by Astoria residents by installing protective netting under the entirety of this line — not just a few stations. Given the aging infrastructure of this line and the years of work still ahead to fix it, this is a no-brainer,” he added.
The Astoria line, like much of the city’s subway system, opened more than a century ago, in 1917. The call for netting along the line echoes similar concerns by residents living along the No. 7 line in Western Queens.
Earlier this year, several instances of falling debris smashing onto cars and nearly striking pedestrians prompted residents and local officials in Sunnyside and Woodside to ask the MTA for netting.
“What the hell is going on here?! For the second time in two weeks a piece of debris has come crashing down on a vehicle Below tracks on Roosevelt Ave., this time at 62nd street. The car was occupied and moving. No one injured but someone is going to get killed here,” Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer wrote on Twitter at the time.
The MTA, in response, stated it would place netting beneath the 61 St-Woodside station.
The MTA did not respond to the Eagle regarding the installation of netting along the entire Astoria line as of press time Monday. |
Compliance with guidelines for the medical care of first urinary tract infections in infants: a population-based study.
No population-based studies have examined the degree to which practice parameters are followed for urinary tract infections in infants. To describe the medical care of children in their first year of life after a first urinary tract infection. Using Washington State Medicaid data, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of children with a urinary tract infection during their first year of life to determine how many of these children received recommended care based on the most recent guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics. Recommended care included timely anatomic imaging, timely imaging for reflux, and adequate antimicrobial prophylaxis. Multivariate logistic-regression models were used to evaluate if hospitalization for first urinary tract infection, young age at time of diagnosis, gender, race, primary language of parents, having a managed care plan, and rural location of household residence were associated with recommended care. Less than half of all children diagnosed with a urinary tract infection in their first year of life received the recommended medical care. Children who were hospitalized for their first urinary tract infection were significantly more likely than children who were not hospitalized to receive anatomic imaging (relative risk [RR]: 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20-1.57) and imaging for reflux (RR: 1.62; 95% CI: 1.34-1.90). There is poor compliance with guideline-recommended care for first urinary tract infections in infants in a Medicaid population. Given the trend toward increased outpatient management of urinary tract infections, increased attention to outpatient imaging may be warranted. |
How important is this fight to us now (see attached article on ExIm)?
----- Forwarded by Steven J Kean/NA/Enron on 03/07/2001 10:41 AM -----
Ann M Schmidt
03/07/2001 08:19 AM
To: Ann M Schmidt/Corp/Enron@ENRON
cc: (bcc: Steven J Kean/NA/Enron)
Subject: Enron Mentions
Exporters Rush to Ex-Im Bank's Defense --- Lobby Campaign to Prevent Budget
Cuts Seeks Help Of 100,000 Small Firms
The Wall Street Journal, 03/07/01
Plots & Ploys
The Wall Street Journal, 03/07/01
Dutch Gas Competition Grows Despite Sluggish Reforms
Dow Jones Energy Service, 03/07/01
USA: Big U.S. exporters to fight Ex-Im Bank cuts - WSJ.
Reuters English News Service, 03/07/01
Major U.S. Exporters Rush to Export-Import Bank's Defense
Dow Jones Business News, 03/07/01
What's News
United States
The Globe and Mail, 03/07/01
Deal with state could take until 2002 to close
Associated Press Newswires, 03/06/01
Sierra Pacific CEO Doubts SEC OK Of Enron Unit Buy-Report
Dow Jones Energy Service, 03/06/01
Many Power Deals Announced by California Governor Still Not Final
Dow Jones Business News, 03/06/01
US Natural Gas Prices Fall As Demand Slips In Most Areas
Dow Jones Energy Service, 03/06/01
Economy
Exporters Rush to Ex-Im Bank's Defense --- Lobby Campaign to Prevent Budget
Cuts Seeks Help Of 100,000 Small Firms
By Michael M. Phillips and Laura Heinauer
Staff Reporters of The Wall Street Journal
03/07/2001
The Wall Street Journal
A2
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
WASHINGTON -- Angry and confused that a Republican administration has
targeted one of their favorite programs for big cuts, America's largest
exporters are appealing for help from lawmakers.
Boeing Co., Caterpillar Inc., Enron Corp., Halliburton Co. and others are
launching an aggressive lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill to protect the
Export-Import Bank from budget reductions; the White House labels the Ex-Im
Bank as corporate welfare.
"The administration has fired its shot, and now we're firing ours," said
Edmund B. Rice, president of the Coalition for Employment Through Exports, an
industry group that is leading the effort.
Since they got wind of the proposed cuts a few weeks ago, business lobbyists
have been trying to rally sympathetic lawmakers. And executives at Boeing,
Caterpillar and other big companies plan to contact some 100,000 smaller
suppliers that benefit indirectly from the $12.6 billion of export loans,
guarantees and insurance that Ex-Im Bank provided in the last fiscal year.
Those small companies, the executives hope, will create a groundswell of
support in Congress for the Ex-Im Bank.
"Companies large and small who have similar interests here are banding
together to provide an educational effort so people understand the impact of
this," said Chris Hansen, Boeing senior vice president for government
relations.
Corporate lobbyists also have dug up a speech that Vice President Dick
Cheney, while chief executive of Halliburton, gave in 1997 praising the bank
and scoffing at those who consider it a giveaway to big business. They plan
to pass Mr. Cheney's comments to influential members of Congress this week.
"We'll be circulating them very broadly," Mr. Rice said.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Cheney had no immediate comment.
Ex-Im Bank officials aren't talking publicly, avoiding the appearance that
they are battling the White House to overturn the proposed 25% cut in the
bank's $865 million operating budget for the current fiscal year, which ends
Sept. 30. But an Ex-Im official said the topic has come up in conversations
between key lawmakers and Ex-Im Bank Chairman James A. Harmon, who is soon to
be succeeded by Mel Sembler, a Bush campaign fund-raiser and a
shopping-center developer.
At first, business lobbyists assumed administration budgeteers were just
looking for savings anywhere they could find it. Before President Bush
released his spending plan last week, companies appealed to Mitchell Daniels,
head of the White House budget office, in an attempt to keep the Ex-Im Bank
cuts out of the final proposal.
The Ex-Im Bank's corporate clients include some of the country's largest
political contributors. Boeing, the bank's largest user, received $3.3
billion of financing last year. The Seattle aerospace company and its
employees contributed $1.8 million to politicians and parties during the 2000
election cycle, 61% to Republicans, according to federal election data
assembled by the Center for Responsive Politics. Caterpillar, a Peoria, Ill.,
maker of engines and heavy equipment that secured seven Ex-Im Bank deals last
year, and its employees contributed more than $500,000 -- 96% to Republicans.
Company officials deny they wanted to leverage donations to try to secure
political support for the Ex-Im Bank.
Many lobbyists have come to the conclusion that administration officials --
those of a libertarian persuasion -- oppose Ex-Im Bank as a form of welfare
for corporations. Indeed, the White House budget plan criticized the bank's
operations as unjustified public subsidies for companies. "That makes it a
much more serious issue," Mr. Rice said. "We're concerned that the
administration seems to be turning its attention in this direction."
Barring intervention from Mr. Cheney, business groups now have largely given
up hope of convincing the White House to back down, planning instead to use
their muscle to convince Congress to restore the Ex-Im Bank's funding. Bank
officials and U.S. companies argue that, far from being a subsidy, the bank
simply allows American companies to compete with European and Japanese firms
that receive assistance from their own governments.
"In many markets in Asia and Africa, the bank is absolutely critical to our
ability to sell American-made products," said Bill Lane, Caterpillar's
Washington director for governmental affairs.
--- Corporate Beneficiaries
Top 10 recipients of Ex-Im Bank loans, guarantees and insurance for
fiscal year 2000, as measured by amount of financing, in millions
Boeing $3,335
Bechtel Group $1,075
Distributed Processing Systems $388
Willbros Group $387
United Technologies $334
Raytheon $156
General Electric $150
Halliburton $136
Enron $135
LSI Logic $120
Source: Ex-Im Bank
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The Property Report
Plots & Ploys
By Peter Grant
03/07/2001
The Wall Street Journal
B10
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
[What's Brewing in the Real Estate Market]
No Problem, Houston
CENTURY DEVELOPMENT is about to announce plans to break ground on downtown
Houston's third major office development in less than three years. In another
sign of the strength of the city's energy sector, Century is finalizing a
headquarters deal with Reliant Resources Inc. to take more than two-thirds of
the project's 850,000 square feet, says Edwin Murphy, a Century senior vice
president.
Two other towers also are underway. In 1999, Hines began building a 1.2
million square-foot tower for Enron Corp. and late last year Crescent Real
Estate Equities broke ground on a 27-story tower that will be anchored by
Ernst & Young. These three projects are the first major downtown office
projects to get underway since 1986.
The surge is part of a renaissance of downtown Houston, where new sports
facilities, hotels, apartment buildings and restaurants have been mushrooming
in recent years. "The new amenities have kept people from leaving and enticed
people to come back," says Michael Hassler, of CB Richard Ellis.
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Dutch Gas Competition Grows Despite Sluggish Reforms
By Germana Canzi
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
03/07/2001
Dow Jones Energy Service
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- The Netherlands is emerging as an important testing
ground for E.U. gas liberalization, as new trading hubs for competitive,
short-term gas supplies from the U.K. and Norway emerge on the Belgian and
German borders.
However, much remains to be done. A group of large energy users and traders
is preparing to confront Gasunie Thursday in a hearing organized by the
regulator. The main issues of contention are the balancing system, which
Gasunie conducts on an hourly basis, the extent to which transport tariffs
are cost-focused and third-party access to storage facilities.
The emergence of competition in the Dutch gas sector is mostly due to the
initiative of new market entrants who, despite a difficult regulatory
environment, have managed to develop a market for short-term gas virtually
from scratch.
If liquidity improves in these emerging hubs, the Netherlands could become an
important transit country for freely tradeable gas supplies to other
countries in northwest Europe, as well as being an important market in its
own right. However, the difficulty of implementing transparent third-party
access systems in the Netherlands and in neighboring Germany casts a dark
cloud over recent progress in competition.
Since December, Enron Europe Ltd. (U.ENE), Duke Energy Corp. (DUK), E.On AG
(EON), RWE AG (G.RWE) and Electrabel SA (B.ELE) have been actively buying and
selling gas, sourced in the U.K., the Netherlands and Norway, in a number of
hubs between Emden in Germany and Emshaven and Oude Statenzijl in the
Netherlands.
David Gallagher, head of European gas trading at Enron in London, estimates
that at least one trade a day of around 100,000 therms for a quarterly
contract is done at the Oude Statenzijl hub, where the Gasunie pipeline
system connects to the network of Wingas GmbH.
An important element kick-starting short-term trading was the sale, in
December 2000, of a 2 billion cubic meter a year Norwegian gas supply
contract to five Dutch-based power generators.
Robert van der Hoeven, head of fuel procurement at Electrabel, the owner of
Dutch generator EPON, said his company uses most of the gas it imports from
Norway for its plants in the Netherlands and trades the rest on a short-term
basis in the Oude-Emden area. This pattern is common to the other Dutch-based
parties to that contract.
Trading in Dutch hubs received a further boost when Nederlandse Gasunie NV
(N.NEG) decided, after months of wrangling with regulator DTe, to lower its
transport tariffs by 6.5% from January 2001 and to unbundle its combined
commodity and service tariff, the so-called CSS system, from July 2001.
Gasunie now claims its pipeline system is fully open and transparent. To
prove this, it says it has lost 30% of its customers in the eligible market,
but that figure hasn't changed much since March 2000. Small wonder that
critics say the switching figure doesn't necessarily indicate an ideal system
of third-party access.
According to energy consultants The Brattle Group, around half of the gas
used by alternative suppliers goes through the 1 bcm/year Zebra pipeline from
Zelzate to Zeeland, which was built by Dutch utilities a few years ago
precisely because Gasunie refused to provide access on favorable terms.
Shippers have complained that the hourly system used by Gasunie to balance
the pipeline system raises the overall cost of shipping through its network
significantly. Gasunie imposes a balancing charge which effectively forces
shippers to pay for the extra gas brought into the system from storage sites,
in addition to the capacity and transmission price. Critics say Gasunie has
so far failed to unbundle these charges, although it agreed to do so in
January.
According to the Brattle Group, another controversial aspect of Gasunie's
tariff system is that it is based on theoretical costs of constructing new
pipelines rather than its actual costs.
The DTe is also considering ways of reforming the storage system to make it
competitive. BP PLC (U.BP) and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij NV operate
storage facilities and lease capacity to Gasunie through long-term contracts.
The regulator is studying ways of allowing third parties access to storage
facilities. Gasunie has so far shown little sign of negotiating more
competitive tariffs with storage operators and passing on the benefits to
customers, critics say.
The growth of short-term trading in the Dutch gas market is also inevitably
linked to its potential as a transit country for gas coming from the
U.K.-Belgium gas interconnector and going towards the 82bcm-a-year German
market.
Market participants say liquidity at the Emden and Oude hubs has grown
considerably since E.On and RWE started trading there earlier this year.
However, the obstructive attitude of incumbents toward third-party access
there has meant that so far most gas traded in the Netherlands has remained
there.
-By Germana Canzi, Dow Jones Newswires; +44 20 7842 9283;
germana.canzi@dowjones.com
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
USA: Big U.S. exporters to fight Ex-Im Bank cuts - WSJ.
03/07/2001
Reuters English News Service
(C) Reuters Limited 2001.
NEW YORK, March 7 (Reuters) - America's largest exporters are launching an
aggressive lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill to protect the Export-Import
Bank from budget reductions, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online
edition on Wednesday.
The exporters, including Boeing Co. , Caterpillar Inc. , Enron Corp. ,
Halliburton Co. and others, are angry and confused that a Republican
administration has targeted one of their favourite programmes for big cuts,
the paper reported.
Ex-Im Bank officials were not talking publicly, avoiding the appearance that
they are battling the White House to overturn the proposed 25 percent cut in
the bank's $865 million operating budget for the current fiscal year, which
ends Sept 30, it said.
The White House labels the Ex-Im Bank as corporate welfare.
"The administration has fired its shot, and now we're firing ours," Edmund
Rice, president of the Coalition for Employment Through Exports, an industry
group that is leading the effort, was quoted as saying by the paper.
Executives at Boeing, Caterpillar and other big companies plan to contact
some 100,000 smaller suppliers who benefit indirectly from the $12.6 billion
of export loans, guarantees and insurance that Ex-Im Bank provided in the
last fiscal year, the paper said.
Those small companies, the executives hope, will create a groundswell of
support in Congress for the Ex-Im Bank, it said.
New York Newsroom (212) 859-1700.
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Major U.S. Exporters Rush to Export-Import Bank's Defense
03/07/2001
Dow Jones Business News
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
WASHINGTON -- Angry and confused that a Republican administration has
targeted one of their favorite programs for big cuts, America's largest
exporters are appealing for help from lawmakers, Wednesday's Wall Street
Journal reported.
Boeing Co. (BA), Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), Enron Corp. (ENE), Halliburton Co.
(HAL) and others are launching an aggressive lobbying campaign on Capitol
Hill to protect the Export-Import Bank from budget reductions; the White
House labels the Ex-Im Bank as corporate welfare.
"The administration has fired its shot, and now we're firing ours," said
Edmund B. Rice, president of the Coalition for Employment Through Exports, an
industry group that is leading the effort.
Since they got wind of the proposed cuts a few weeks ago, business lobbyists
have been trying to rally sympathetic lawmakers. And executives at Boeing,
Caterpillar and other big companies plan to contact some 100,000 smaller
suppliers that benefit indirectly from the $12.6 billion of export loans,
guarantees and insurance that Ex-Im Bank provided in the last fiscal year.
Those small companies, the executives hope, will create a groundswell of
support in Congress for the Ex-Im Bank.
Corporate lobbyists also have dug up a speech that Vice President Dick
Cheney, while chief executive of Halliburton, gave in 1997 praising the bank
and scoffing at those who consider it a giveaway to big business. They plan
to pass Mr. Cheney's comments to influential members of Congress this week.
A spokeswoman for Mr. Cheney had no immediate comment.
Ex-Im Bank officials aren't talking publicly, avoiding the appearance that
they are battling the White House to overturn the proposed 25% cut in the
bank's $865 million operating budget for the current fiscal year, which ends
Sept. 30. But an Ex-Im official said the topic has come up in conversations
between key lawmakers and Ex-Im Bank Chairman James A. Harmon, who is soon to
be succeeded by Mel Sembler, a Bush campaign fund-raiser and a
shopping-center developer.
Copyright (c) 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Report on Business: The Wall Street Journal
What's News
United States
Wall Street Journal
03/07/2001
The Globe and Mail
Metro
B10
"All material Copyright (c) Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. and its
licensors. All rights reserved."
Boeing Co., Caterpillar Inc. and Enron Corp. are among the big U.S. exporters
launching an aggressive lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill to protect the
Export-Import Bank from budget reductions. The White House labels the Ex-Im
Bank as corporate welfare. "The administration has fired its shot, and now
we're firing ours," said Edmund Rice, president of the Coalition for
Employment Through Exports, an industry group leading the campaign. Since
they got wind of the proposed cuts a few weeks ago, business lobbyists have
been trying to rally sympathetic U.S. law makers.
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Deal with state could take until 2002 to close
By LESLIE GORNSTEIN
AP Business Writer
03/06/2001
Associated Press Newswires
Copyright 2001. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A tentative deal aimed at rescuing Southern California
Edison from insolvency might not close in time to prevent the utility from
begging creditors for more patience, Edison officials said Tuesday.
The utility's tentative, $2.7 billion agreement to sell its power lines to
the state could take until 2002 to be consummated, thanks to complicated
legal issues and other paperwork, an Edison official told bondholders Tuesday.
Once the deal is signed, Edison will try to borrow against the promised cash,
but Edison International Chief Financial Officer Ted Craver admitted the
utility might have to ask creditors to simply wait for their money until it
has the $2.7 billion in hand.
Energy suppliers owed money by Edison did not immediately return calls for
comment Tuesday.
At least four groups of suppliers have sued Edison for millions in unpaid
bills going back months. Edison and fellow utility Pacific Gas & Electric
have said they have lost $13 billion on the open power market thanks to
soaring prices paired with state-imposed price caps.
PG&E's parent company was able to recently borrow $1 billion to pay its
stockholders and its debuts. It did not use any of that money to pay PG&E's
bills.
Edison's disclosure, meanwhile, shocked state officials.
Steve Maviglio, spokesman for Gov. Gray Davis, initially declined to comment
on the status of the Edison deal, but eventually said, regarding its closure,
"We're optimistic it will be sooner rather than later."
The pacing would have nothing to do with whether fellow utilities Sempra
Energy and PG&E also sell their transmission lines to California, Craver
said.
Among the things that could delay the deal's closing is Edison's need to find
landowners on whose property its lines were built to assure no legal
agreements are being violated by the sale. Edison would also have to pin down
exactly what it would be selling to the state - terms that might not be
decided until after a deal has been inked, Craver said.
"Trust me," Craver said in a phone call after the conference. "There are a
lot of legal-type documents - stuff that you and I ... would think of as a
bloody nightmare."
The disclosure comes at a time when an increasing number of power suppliers
are suing the utility for millions in unpaid bills.
Edison also disclosed Tuesday that two more lawsuits had landed in its lap -
one by a group of wind-powered generators including Enron Wind, the other by
two suppliers including New York-based Caithness Energy.
Both suits were filed during the past five days, Edison Assistant General
Counsel Barbara Reeves said. It was not immediately clear how much the
complainants were seeking; neither Enron nor Caithness returned calls for
comment.
The two filings bring the total number of suits by renewable-energy suppliers
against Edison to four, the utility said. The city of Long Beach and
CalEnergy Operating Group, a geothermal supplier, have also sued for back
payments.
CalEnergy alone has said it is owed $45 million in November and December
payments.
The line sale, part of a multifaceted, tentative deal with the state that
could save Edison from insolvency, could take anywhere from several months
into next year, Craver said.
The tentative deal, announced by Gov. Gray Davis Feb. 23, calls for the state
to pay more than twice the book value for Edison's lines.
It also would require Edison to sell cheap power to the state for a decade
and for Edison to end its lawsuit against state regulators. The suit asserts
that price caps imposed by the California Public Utilities Commission are
illegal under federal law.
Additionally, Edison's parent would have to return $420 million it collected
from the utility over the past several years. The money was used to pay debt,
buy back stock and pay dividends to investors.
SCE, PG&E and Sempra have complained they are near bankruptcy because of
soaring prices on the open market combined with the state-imposed price caps
for consumers.
Sempra and PG&E have yet to announce similar line-sale deals with the state,
though they and the governor have said negotiations are ongoing. The total
cost of the 26,000 miles of lines has been estimated at $4.5 billion to $7
billion.
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Sierra Pacific CEO Doubts SEC OK Of Enron Unit Buy-Report
03/06/2001
Dow Jones Energy Service
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
LOS ANGELES -(Dow Jones)- Sierra Pacific Resources (SRP) CEO Walter Higgins
said in an interview last week that he doubts the company's $3.1 billion
acquisition of Enron Corp.'s (ENE) utility Portland General Electric will be
approved by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the Las Vegas Sun
reported Tuesday.
The SEC must find that Sierra Pacific is in a strong financial position
before it will approve the deal, but the company is currently weakened by
having lost millions of dollars in fuel and purchased power costs, Higgins
said in the report.
A $311 million rate increase to cover those costs began March 1, but Higgins
said that money would only pay back those expenses and wouldn't improve the
company's stability to a level the SEC would find adequate, according to the
report.
The Public Utilities Commission can halt the rate hike and order refunds if
it decides the hike isn't necessary. The PUC is holding hearings to determine
the prudency of the hike, and members of the state's powerful casino and
mining industries have filed to intervene.
Sierra Pacific's plan to shore up its financial position through the sale of
its 10 power plants, worth nearly $2 billion, may also be in jeopardy. The
state Senate is considering a bill to block the sales, and Nevada Gov. Kenny
Guinn recently sent a letter to the PUC asking that it reconsider its order
allowing electric utilities to sell assets.
Financial analysts have said that not allowing Sierra Pacific's two utilities
to sell their assets would have a ripple effect on the company's financial
position. The asset sales are tied to low-priced power contracts, and if the
sales are canceled, the low-priced power will be gone as well.
"If the divestiture is stopped...the state may be dealing with a much bigger
rate increase," Steve Fleishman, Merrill Lynch utility analyst, told Dow
Jones Newswires recently.
Sierra Pacific is the parent company of electric utilities Sierra Pacific
Power Co. and Nevada Power, which serve customers in the state's North and
South, respectively.
-By Jessica Berthold, Dow Jones Newswires; 323-658-3872,
jessica.berthold@dowjones.com -0- 07/03/01 01-04G
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Many Power Deals Announced by California Governor Still Not Final
By Jason Leopold
03/06/2001
Dow Jones Business News
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
Dow Jones Newswires
LOS ANGELES -- Many of the long-term power-supply contracts announced by
California Gov. Gray Davis this week remain under negotiation or are the
subject of ongoing lawsuits, power suppliers said Tuesday.
The lack of finality to the deals raises questions about the state's success
in covering its power needs, particularly going into what is expected to be
an unusually tight summer.
Generators said privately they were surprised the governor went ahead with
his announcement Monday, given that many of the contracts haven't been
signed.
David Freeman, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water and
Power, who negotiated the contracts on behalf of the state, conceded that
details remain to be worked out. "This is not a done deal," Mr. Freeman said,
adding that credit concerns are keeping generators from signing the deals.
Gov. Davis announced Monday that California has secured 40 long-term
contracts that will provide California with about 629 million megawatt hours
of electricity over 10 years, at a price of more than $40 billion. A megawatt
hour is roughly the amount of electricity needed to power 1,000 homes.
Several of those forward deals, however, involve contracts originally held by
Edison International (EIX) unit Southern California Edison and PG&E Corp.
(PCG) unit Pacific Gas & Electric at the California Power Exchange,
previously the state's main power market.
The governor seized those contracts earlier this year, just before the Power
Exchange liquidated them to cover hundreds of millions of dollars in power
bills the utilities had failed to pay.
The contracts, which total about 1.3 million megawatt hours of electricity
and have a market value of about $1 billion, according to market sources,
have yet to be paid for or signed over to the state. Duke Energy Corp. (DUK),
one of the suppliers that sold the contracts to Pacific Gas and SoCal Ed, has
sued Gov. Davis for unlawfully commandeering those contracts.
Although Duke has reached an interim settlement to continue providing power
to the state Department of Water Resources until April 30, the company and
the Davis administration still have to "develop a comprehensive long-term
settlement to pay for the power supply contracts," said Duke spokesman Tom
Williams.
The governor went ahead with the announcement, because the California
Department of Water Resources believes it will be able to finalize and sign
the contracts over the next several weeks, Davis spokesman Steve Maviglio
said.
Separately, several suppliers named in the governor's announcement Monday --
including Duke, Reliant Energy Inc. (REI), Mirant Corp. (MIR), Sempra Energy,
Enron Corp. (ENE) and Avista Corp. (AVA) -- said they have yet to sign final
agreements with the state, although negotiations were ongoing.
"We are working in good faith with the DWR toward a long-term contract," said
Art Larson, spokesman for Sempra Energy Resources, a unit of Sempra. Mr.
Larson said Sempra signed a terms of agreement with the water-resources
department and expects to reach a final agreement over the next several
weeks.
Reliant said it has only signed a short-term contract with the state that
expires in about two weeks. The company will only sign a long-term contract
once it's paid more than $400 million owed by Pacific Gas and SoCal Ed,
spokesman Richard Wheatley said.
Mirant said it also won't sign contracts with the state until it's paid.
Enron said it's reached agreement on terms with the state, but has some
credit-related details to hammer out. "Everything's been agreed to except for
some credit technicalities," Enron spokesman Mark Palmer said.
Meanwhile, small, independent power plants in California that are capable of
generating 1,800 megawatts of power are shut down because their owners
haven't been paid by the state's two main utilities, the California
Independent System Operator said Tuesday.
The decline in small-plant output has contributed to the state's power-supply
problems the past two months. Partnerships involving El Paso Corp. (EPG), for
example, shut down 350 megawatts of generation last weekend due to
nonpayment, the company said Tuesday.
SoCal Ed hasn't paid the owners of the smaller generators, known as
"qualifying facilities," since early December, which means the generators are
still owed for electric production in October, while PG&E has paid only a
small percentage of its qualifying facility bills since its last full payment
in early January.
The plants, one-third of which are powered by renewable sources like wind and
solar power, meet almost 30% of California's electricity needs. Almost all of
the closed generators are fueled by natural gas, and many haven't been able
to pay their gas suppliers and have been cut off from their gas supply.
The California Senate Energy Committee plans to vote on legislation to create
a new pricing system for all qualifying facilities this week. The proposed
bill would cut the prices to qualifying facilities from about 17 cents a
kilowatt-hour the past eight months to about eight cents, depending on the
price of five-year natural-gas contracts the generators can sign. The plants
that run on renewable resources would be paid 5.4 cents a kilowatt-hour.
-- Mark Golden contributed to this article.
Write to Jason Leopold at jason.leopold@dowjones.com
Copyright (c) 2001 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
US Natural Gas Prices Fall As Demand Slips In Most Areas
03/06/2001
Dow Jones Energy Service
(Copyright (c) 2001, Dow Jones & Company, Inc.)
HOUSTON -(Dow Jones)- U.S. natural gas physical prices fell Tuesday as demand
eased, except in the Northeast and Southeast areas of the country, traders
said.
Heavy snowstorms in the upper Northeast supported some pricing, as did cooler
weather in Georgia, the Carolinas and the Florida panhandle.
Some storage buying occurred in Texas "if they could make it work," a trader
said.
"It was a pretty uneventful day," a Gulf Coast trader said late Tuesday.
Also, because of the snowstorm in the Northeast, traders had purchased gas
ahead of time to make up for needed load, he said.
A scheduled work outage on Enron's Transwestern San Juan lateral in New
Mexico was completed, and the return of a power plant in California
alleviated demand in the West, traders said.
At the Arizona-California border hub, buyers paid around $13-$33 a million
British thermal units, West Coast traders said, down as much as $15 from
Monday.
At PG&E Citygate, prices were mixed, with buyers paying $9.75-$10.65/MMBtu,
down 25 cents on the bid, up 15 cents on the offer.
In the Midwest, Chicago Citygate prices fell 7 cents-8 cents to a range of
$5.42-$5.53/MMBtu. Alliance Pipeline into Chicago traded around
$5.47-$5.52/MMBtu, down 4 cents to 9 cents from Monday.
The Nymex April natural gas futures contract settled at $5.315/MMBtu, down
2.1 cents in a tight, range-bound, uneventful session that started late due
to bad weather.
Physical gas prices at the benchmark Henry Hub in south Louisiana ended in a
range of $5.25-$5.30/MMBtu, down 2 cents-6 cents from Monday.
Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line at Station 65 deals were made in a similar
range of $5.26-$5.35/MMBtu, down 2 cents on the bid, unchanged on the offer.
At Katy in East Texas, buyers paid $5.21-$5.30/MMBtu, down 5 cents-6 cents.
At Waha, prices fell 9 cents-12 cents to a range of $5.15-$5.30/MMBtu.
-By John Edmiston, Dow Jones Newswires; 713-547-9209;
john.edmiston@dowjones.com
Copyright , 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
Is the use of cyanoacrylate in intestinal anastomosis a good and reliable alternative?
The present study aims to compare strength, healing, and operation time of experimental intestinal anastomoses performed by polyglactin 910 (Vicryl; Ethicon, Edinburgh, United Kingdom) sutures with ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate glue (Pattex; Henkel, Dusseldorf, Germany). Ninety-six Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 (groups E and L). Each group was further subdivided into 6 subgroups (EA1, EA2, EA3, EB1, EB2, EB3, LA1, LA2, LA3, LB1, LB2, LB3), each containing 8 rats. Intestinal anastomosis was performed by polyglactin 910 sutures in A subgroups and with ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate in B subgroups. The anastomosis was end to end in A1 and B1, side to side in A2 and B2, and end to side in A3 and B3. Time for anastomosis performance (AT) was recorded. In group E, bursting pressures and hydroxyproline levels were determined on the second postoperative day, whereas in group L, the same measurements were made on the sixth postoperative day. One-way analysis of variance was used for analyses of variance in the groups. Quantitative data were analyzed with Student's t test. P value was considered significant at less than .05. There was no significant difference between bursting pressures of subgroup pairs on both postoperative days 2 and 6. Hydroxyproline levels and AT were significantly better in B subgroups. Better healing, shorter AT, and equal strength were achieved with ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate compared with polyglactin 910 sutures in intestinal anastomosis in the experimental setting. |
The top-down old school arcade shooter Meltdownhas just gotten a bit more futuristic. A recent update to the PC version of the game added support for Oculus Rift, bringing a touch of virtual reality to the sci-fi game. Don't worry, co-op is cross-platform, so you don't really have to cram your buddies into a single Rift. |
Current Reading
--Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett
Dwarf Planet
The little publisher with the BIG ideas.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
In Which We Pontoon Cruise Lightly Over Deep Waters
For reasons unknown my thoughts traveled philosophical paths lately as I drove to work this morning. This turn of thought may have been spurred by the general wintertime ennui that sets in around Michigan this time of year. The unending grey of the snow, the clouds, and the ice sets a young man's fancy towards thoughts of Ragnarok and a never-ending frozen doom of the gods.
Or perhaps the driving force was an interesting Science Friday podcast I heard yesterday on time and cosmology. (Time, Space, and Other Big Questions) Modern physics offers much to ponder about the "How" of the universe, but precious little about the "Why."
It may be that the turn of the new year and the new decade has made me a bit more aware of possible crossroads and options in the future. A man reviewing the road behind him and thinking about the road ahead will also give thought to his navigational tools.
A couple of recent pleasant stopovers by one of my old college roommates -- who drove from Portland, Maine, to Chicago and then back -- may have also inspired a bit of the philosophical mood. There's nothing like seeing one of your old friends from collegiate days to get you thinking about the path your life has taken, the surprises along the way, and the surprises that may be in store for the future.
Maybe the source of my philosophical ponderings was musical. I've come across the fabulous song lyric "What's it all about, Alfie?" several times in the last couple of weeks.
Alfie remains silent as to his answer.
Also on the musical front, the Grateful Dead channel played a long concert version of "Death Don't Have No Mercy" during this morning's drive. That's a song title that'll bring you up short.
Speaking of death and mercy, the morning paper may have put me on path of philosophical ponderance, too. I read an interesting article in this morning's New York Times about an obscure species of tiny African spray toads, Nectophrynoides asperginis, whose waterfall home in Tanzania had been wiped out by a dam. (Saving Tiny Toads Without a Home) These tiny golden toads are now extinct in the wild, though zoologists and conservationists are working to re-establish a natural environment in which they can survive.
The last 4,000 of them in all the world live in the Bronx and Toledo Zoos, and nobody knows if the effort to bring them back in the wild will succeed. The article ends with this question from the director of the Bronx Zoo, "What would be the point of maintaining these toads if there was no hope of restoring them to the wild?"
What point indeed in maintaining any of us if we can't be restored to the wild? I suspect a spray toad might wish to chime in on that topic.
But whatever the reason, my morning drive turned to the big philosophical questions today. In matters of philosophy my tastes have always tended toward the practical, and I have often guided myself with a simple six-word philosphy I honed back in my unemployed-and-homeless days:
High Goals.Low Expectations.Watch Sunsets.
... in other words, aim high, take pleasure in what you do manage to achieve, and be sure to enjoy the ride. Not, perhaps up there with "Je pense, donc je suis," in the pantheon of deep thoughts, but I find it to be a good practical traveling philosophy for the day-to-day on the road. However, it's not so hot in guiding you as to which road to choose.
In matters theological I've always tended to the practical, too, with my own slightly heretical preference for the Covenant of Works over the Covenant of Faith. I believe that what we do here on Earth and how we treat one another while we're here is the thing that matters most. But I also recognize that a Covenant of Works without the guidance and forgiveness of Faith is a hard bargain, indeed.
So yes, today's drive to work found me pondering the big questions and those sorts of philosophical concepts.
Then I arrived at work, parked the car, went to my cube, and started pondering the smaller questions of indexing, databases, requirements, and schedules that usually occupy me during the day.
In Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy terms, I suppose that means that this morning I pondered the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything, and progressed about this far: |
Natural polymers for gene delivery and tissue engineering.
Although the field of gene delivery is dominated by viral vectors and synthetic polymeric or lipid gene carriers, natural polymers offer distinct advantages and may help advance the field of non-viral gene therapy. Natural polymers, such as chitosan, have been successful in oral and nasal delivery due to their mucoadhesive properties. Collagen has broad utility as gene activated matrices, capable of delivering large quantities of DNA in a direct, localized manner. Most natural polymers contain reactive sites amenable for ligand conjugation, cross-linking, and other modifications that can render the polymer tailored for a range of clinical applications. Natural polymers also often possess good cytocompatibility, making them popular choices for tissue engineering scaffolding applications. The marriage of gene therapy and tissue engineering exploits the power of genetic cell engineering to provide the biochemical signals to influence proliferation or differentiation of cells. Natural polymers with their ability to serve as gene carriers and tissue engineering scaffolds are poised to play an important role in the field of regenerative medicine. This review highlights the past and present research on various applications of natural polymers as particulate and matrix delivery vehicles for gene delivery. |
Wallet for bitcoin and ether
The latest news and analysis on bitcoin, digital currency and blockchain.As a result, Blockchain.info is also adding the capability for wallet users to exchange bitcoins for ether within the interface itself.You can now store Ether in. user-controlled Bitcoin wallet and their support for.Find out everything you need to know about the popular wallet today in our review.Bitcoin - Here you can read what bitcoins, altcoins and cryptocurrencies exactly are, and what the advantages are compared to other payment systems.
Ether Wallet. 148. Vadym. you can create secure paper wallets for your ether.Ethereum is still quite new and has a smaller userbase than Bitcoin.Trezor officially introduced support for Ethereum users by integrating.Classic Ether Wallet Falls Victim to a Social Engineering Hacker. Many bitcoin have been stolen the same way.Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Trezor Adds Support For Ethereum Users.
Although it is still difficult to categorize Ether as a cryptocurrency, as it demonstrates qualities and attributes of a crypto-asset or a crypto-token, the Trezor development team recognizes the value of Ether as a cryptocurrency and the potential of the Ethereum network shown in various commercial projects led by major technology corporations like Microsoft.Blockchain.info, one of the oldest and leading bitcoin software platforms, has announced the introduction of the Ether (ETH) cryptocurrency to its wallets.
To fund your Ether wallet, you need to buy Ethereum from an exchange.Does tezos has its own wallet where it is going to send the tokens when eth or btc are send to the given wallet addresses. Tezos ICO - Bitcoin and ether.
Bitcoin India
Bitcoin wallet Blockchain and crypto exchange Bitstamp have added support for Ethereum, a popular cryptocurrency network.We are the easiest to use and most secure bitcoin wallet service.Bitcoin Hardware Wallet Trezor. like Ether and bitcoin need a secure.
Bitcoin Wallet – Coinbase – APK Download on AndroidDrawer
Trade bitcoin and ether across three order books with six different order types, including daily two-sided bitcoin auctions.
This is my review of the Exodus wallet that allows you to store Bitcoins, Litecoins, Dogecoins, Ether and Dash.High profile traders and investors who have purchased large sums of cryptocurrencies like Ether and bitcoin need a secure and reliable platform to store their user funds.Jaxx Bitcoin Wallet Review Ethereum is becoming a more desirable altcoin, Jaxx made a wallet that brings Ether to everyone.
The official Sebfor Ether tool to buy Ether (Ethereum) with Bitcoins. Start up your Bitcoin wallet and synchronize it with the Blockchain or log into the.
The Top 10 Best Ethereum Wallets (2017 Edition) - CoinSutra
Hardware wallets are an important technology and products for any cryptocurrency users.
Ether Basics - Blockchain.com
My New Best Bitcoin (and altcoin) Wallet - Exodus Wallet
My Ether Wallet - Bitcoin Talk
The Crypto Wallet is a gateway to decentralized applications on the Crypto Wallet blockchain.
Bitcoin News: 153,000 Ether (32 million US dollars) stolen from MultiSig Wallet.Coinhako, a Singapore-based bitcoin wallet provider today announced that it will be adding support for ether (ETH).You can buy Ether from inside the wallet using any. and you will receive Bitcoin in your Bitcoin wallet in a.
ShapeShift AG acquires Bitcoin hardware wallet maker KeepKey
Bitcoin Block Explorer - Blockchain
The Complete Ethereum Course: Get .01 Ether In Your Wallet
The answer depends on the amount of Ether and BTC you want to store.Store your Bitcoin, Litecoins, and other cryptocurrencies in safe online wallets for quick and easy access and payments on the go. |
Schizaea dichotoma
Schizaea dichotoma, the branched comb fern is a small plant usually found in open forest or heath, often on sandy soils. The habit is mostly upright, with up to 20 segments, twice or more times branched. Found in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Malesia and islands in the Pacific Ocean. A low plant, 20 to 40 cm tall. The specific epithet dichotoma is derived from Greek, meaning "twice cut", referring to the branched nature of the fronds. This plant first appeared in scientific literature in the year 1753 as Acrostichum dichotomum, published in the Species Plantarum by Carl Linnaeus.
References
Category:Schizaeales
Category:Flora of Australia
Category:Flora of New Zealand
Category:Flora of New Caledonia
Category:Flora of Malesia
Category:Flora of Indonesia
Category:Flora of New Guinea
Category:Plants described in 1753 |
# Tue Nov 12 2019
Across all of GitHub 89,643 users stared
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There were 154,096 comments on issues by 50,537 users and 413 bots in 37,919 repositories.
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| **390**<br>:twisted_rightwards_arrows:8514 | **PowerShell**<br>3 years ago | **[MicrosoftDocs/azure-docs](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/azure-docs)**<br>Open source documentation of Microsoft Azure |
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There were 51,990 comments made on pull requests by 13,234 users and 17 bots in 7,802 repositories.
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| **289**<br>:twisted_rightwards_arrows:21060 | **Go**<br>5 years ago | **[kubernetes/kubernetes](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes)**<br>Production-Grade Container Scheduling and Management |
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| **179**<br>:twisted_rightwards_arrows:5194 | **TypeScript**<br>7 years ago | **[elastic/kibana](https://github.com/elastic/kibana)**<br>Your window into the Elastic Stack |
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There were 4690 commit comments on 1709 repos.
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| **289**<br>:twisted_rightwards_arrows:21060 | **Go**<br>5 years ago | **[kubernetes/kubernetes](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes)**<br>Production-Grade Container Scheduling and Management |
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| **160**<br>:twisted_rightwards_arrows:1580 | **C**<br>3 years ago | **[zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr](https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr)**<br>Primary Git Repository for the Zephyr Project. Zephyr is a new generation, scalable, optimized, secure RTOS for multiple hardware architectures. |
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| **136**<br>:twisted_rightwards_arrows:1658 | **JavaScript**<br>3 years ago | **[WordPress/gutenberg](https://github.com/WordPress/gutenberg)**<br>The Block Editor project for WordPress and beyond. Plugin is available from the official repository. |
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|
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381402499896887103.post914321194086573454..comments2014-09-13T08:04:51.531-05:00Comments on We Are Infinite: The Manual Of The Forbidden - The Day Before - Capitulo 231Majo Cotahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11143728656367564177noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8381402499896887103.post-79629921817505145382013-04-12T17:21:18.930-05:002013-04-12T17:21:18.930-05:00HERMOSOOOOHERMOSOOOOAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com |
Place preference conditioning reveals the involvement of D1-dopamine receptors in the motivational properties of mu- and kappa-opioid agonists.
The role of D1 dopamine receptors in mediating the motivational properties of opioid agonists was investigated by use of place preference conditioning. Administration of the D1 receptor antagonist SCH 23390 (0.001-0.5 mg/kg) or the kappa-opioid receptor agonist U-69593 (0.16 mg/kg) produced conditioned place aversions. In contrast, the mu-opioid agonist, morphine (3.0 mg/kg) was appetitively reinforcing. Chronic infusion of SCH 23390 (1.0 mg/kg/day) during conditioning abolished the effects of both opioid agonists. These data demonstrate the specific involvement of D1 receptors in the motivational properties of mu- and kappa-opioid agonists and suggest that dopaminergic systems are crucial for the expression of both reinforcing and aversive motivational states. |
Small-incision lenticule extraction for moderate to high myopia: Predictability, safety, and patient satisfaction.
To present initial clinical experience with small-incision lenticule extraction for the treatment of moderate to high myopia. Department of Ophthalmology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. Prospective clinical study. For small-incision lenticule extraction, an intrastromal lenticule was cut with a femtosecond laser and manually extracted without creation of a flap. Patients were treated and followed for 3 months. Only 1 randomly chosen eye of each patient was used in the statistical analyses. The study enrolled 144 patients. The mean preoperative spherical equivalent was -7.18 diopters (D) ± 1.57 (SD). Of eyes with emmetropia as target refraction, 40% had an uncorrected distance visual acuity of 0.1 logMAR or less 1 day after surgery; this increased to 73% at 3 months. The mean corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) improved significantly from -0.01 (logMAR) preoperatively to -0.03 3 months postoperatively. None of the 127 eyes lost 2 lines or more of CDVA and 6 eyes lost 1 line of CDVA after 3 months. In contrast, 1 eye gained 2 lines and 24 eyes gained 1 line of CDVA. The achieved refraction was a mean of -0.09 ± 0.45 D from the attempted refraction. Of the eyes, 77% were within ±0.50 D and 95% were within ±1.00 D. Ninety-five percent of the patients would recommend the procedure to others. The refractive predictability, safety, and patient satisfaction 3 months after small-incision lenticule extraction were high and comparable to results in previous studies of femtosecond laser-assisted techniques. Drs. Hjortdal and Asp received travel reimbursement from Carl Zeiss Meditec AG, Jena, Germany. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. |
What You Need to Know: Federal Tax Benefits & Same-Sex Marriages
On August 29, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that same-sex couples, who have been legally married in the United States or a foreign territory, will be recognized as married for federal tax purposes.
The guidelines, referred to as Revenue Ruling 2013-17, will take effect on September 16, 2013 but tax refunds can be claimed retroactively for tax years 2010, 2011 and 2012. The ruling correlates with the Supreme Court decision that overturned the provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. In June, the Act declared that legally married same-sex couples will be provided with the same federal tax, health and Social Security and other benefits that opposite-sex couples are entitled to.
The tax refunds will be available nationally and will not be affected by individual state laws regarding same-sex marriage. The two individuals must be legally married under state law to participate in the tax refunds but do not have to reside in a state that recognizes such marriage. This is big news for gay-rights advocates because the announcement affects all tax-paying same-sex couples, not just specific areas or populations.
Married couples can now file returns as “married filing jointly” or “married filing separately”. The IRS guidelines do not include registered domestic partnerships, civil unions or other formal relationships.
An income taxes refund claim can be filed with the Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, Form 1040x. Refunds for gifts of estate taxes can be claimed using, Claim for Refund and Request for Abatement, Form 843. |
Determine y so that 3*y**2/4 + 13023*y + 56532843 = 0.
-8682
Find m such that -m**5/7 - 4*m**4/7 + 16*m**2/7 + 16*m/7 = 0.
-2, 0, 2
Suppose 2*b**2 - 1536*b + 31374 = 0. What is b?
21, 747
Factor 60*g**3 - 3845*g**2 + 21200*g - 1740.
5*(g - 58)*(g - 6)*(12*g - 1)
Factor 2*f**3 - 189568*f**2/7 + 641768920*f/7 - 366663200/7.
2*(f - 6770)**2*(7*f - 4)/7
Factor -2*h**3/9 - 8*h**2/9 + 118*h/9 + 28.
-2*(h - 7)*(h + 2)*(h + 9)/9
Find p such that -4*p**3 - 423348*p**2 + 423352*p = 0.
-105838, 0, 1
Factor -5*g**4/2 + 85*g**3/2 - 75*g**2.
-5*g**2*(g - 15)*(g - 2)/2
Factor 12*d**3 + 856*d**2 - 2432*d - 4736.
4*(d - 4)*(d + 74)*(3*d + 4)
Let 2*a**4/5 - 252*a**3/5 + 9234*a**2/5 - 77976*a/5 = 0. What is a?
0, 12, 57
Factor u**4/8 + 566*u**3 + 637307*u**2 - 7708920*u + 23188050.
(u - 6)**2*(u + 2270)**2/8
Let a**3 - 33313*a**2 + 277422335*a + 277455649 = 0. What is a?
-1, 16657
Solve 123*n**4 - 375*n**3 - 474*n**2 + 24*n = 0 for n.
-1, 0, 2/41, 4
Let -12*m**4/5 - 596*m**3/5 - 500*m**2 + 180*m = 0. What is m?
-45, -5, 0, 1/3
Let 3*l**5/2 - 69*l**4/2 - 2289*l**3/2 - 4359*l**2/2 - 1071*l = 0. Calculate l.
-17, -1, 0, 42
Solve -32*h**4/17 - 976*h**3/17 + 3918*h**2/17 + 3256*h/17 - 968 = 0.
-34, -2, 11/4
Determine n so that -3*n**5/2 + 33*n**4/2 + 17550*n**3 + 925344*n**2 + 13081824*n - 30005640 = 0.
-42, 2, 135
Solve -5*k**4 + 15*k**3 + 140*k**2 - 300*k = 0 for k.
-5, 0, 2, 6
Suppose 18*g**5/5 + 672*g**4/5 + 1904*g**3/5 - 4556*g**2/5 + 2302*g/5 - 68 = 0. What is g?
-34, -5, 1/3, 1
Factor -4*d**3 + 176696*d**2 - 1951518960*d + 3902331168.
-4*(d - 22086)**2*(d - 2)
Factor 6*m**2/11 - 698*m/11 - 1904/11.
2*(m - 119)*(3*m + 8)/11
Let -12*o**5/7 - 855*o**4/7 - 13668*o**3/7 - 12087*o**2/7 + 55134*o/7 - 28512/7 = 0. Calculate o.
-48, -22, -3, 3/4, 1
What is d in 3*d**3/7 + 222*d**2/7 - 25500*d/7 + 492456/7 = 0?
-142, 34
Factor -2*v**4 + 3268*v**3 - 13040*v**2.
-2*v**2*(v - 1630)*(v - 4)
Find c such that 3*c**2/2 - 96039*c - 576288 = 0.
-6, 64032
Suppose -2*w**2 - 254888*w - 8120986568 = 0. What is w?
-63722
Suppose -a**5/4 - 89*a**4/4 - 877*a**3/4 - 1491*a**2/4 - 351*a/2 = 0. Calculate a.
-78, -9, -1, 0
Determine k, given that 4*k**2 + 38424*k + 92275236 = 0.
-4803
Suppose 2*l**3/3 - 38798*l**2/3 - 2*l/3 + 38798/3 = 0. Calculate l.
-1, 1, 19399
Solve x**2 - 21396*x + 114447204 = 0.
10698
Determine o so that -2*o**4/11 - 60*o**3/11 - 634*o**2/11 - 2784*o/11 - 4320/11 = 0.
-12, -9, -5, -4
Factor 2*a**2/11 - 3816*a/11 - 77120/11.
2*(a - 1928)*(a + 20)/11
Suppose -2*a**2/11 - 1676*a/11 - 80274/11 = 0. Calculate a.
-787, -51
Solve -3*b**3 + 1482*b**2 - 202011*b + 4560276 = 0 for b.
28, 233
Determine h, given that -4*h**4 + 200*h**3 + 3712*h**2 + 12472*h - 16380 = 0.
-9, -7, 1, 65
Find o, given that 3*o**5/8 + 57*o**4/8 - 333*o**3/8 - 5457*o**2/8 + 165*o/4 + 675 = 0.
-20, -9, -1, 1, 10
Suppose 45*c**4 + 10475*c**3 + 69400*c**2 + 106100*c - 27120 = 0. Calculate c.
-226, -4, -3, 2/9
Factor -a**4 - 9*a**3 + 47*a**2 - 63*a + 26.
-(a - 2)*(a - 1)**2*(a + 13)
Factor -5*u**2 - 67955*u - 543320.
-5*(u + 8)*(u + 13583)
Factor 3*q**4 + 441*q**3 - 5184*q**2 + 4740*q.
3*q*(q - 10)*(q - 1)*(q + 158)
Let h**4/4 + 89*h**3/2 - 361*h**2/4 - 89*h/2 + 90 = 0. Calculate h.
-180, -1, 1, 2
Factor -o**4/7 - 32*o**3/7 - 96*o**2/7 + 512*o/7 + 256.
-(o - 4)*(o + 4)**2*(o + 28)/7
Let y**5/2 - 432*y**4 + 186617*y**3/2 + 3027*y**2 - 655776*y + 559872 = 0. Calculate y.
-3, 1, 2, 432
What is p in 2*p**5/3 - 41*p**4/3 - 8*p**3 + 62*p**2/3 + 22*p/3 - 7 = 0?
-1, 1/2, 1, 21
Factor a**4/5 + 834*a**3/5 + 333*a**2 + 832*a/5.
a*(a + 1)**2*(a + 832)/5
Determine a, given that 4*a**2 + 222*a + 324 = 0.
-54, -3/2
Solve 5545*a**3/3 - 22178*a**2/3 - 27733*a/3 - 10/3 = 0.
-1, -2/5545, 5
Let u**4/8 + 25093*u**3/8 + 78713603*u**2/4 + 39337983*u/2 - 39350529 = 0. Calculate u.
-12546, -2, 1
Factor -2*y**2/3 + 54616*y/3 + 18206.
-2*(y - 27309)*(y + 1)/3
Let -2*r**4 + 22058*r**3 + 22064*r**2 - 44120*r = 0. Calculate r.
-2, 0, 1, 11030
Let -9*k**4/4 - 24*k**3 + 41570*k**2 - 55392*k + 18460 = 0. Calculate k.
-142, 2/3, 130
What is g in -2*g**4/9 + 44*g**3/9 + 286*g**2/9 - 112*g/3 - 288 = 0?
-4, 3, 27
Factor -w**3/3 - 509291*w**2/3.
-w**2*(w + 509291)/3
Suppose -3*g**5 + 672*g**4 + 9090*g**3 + 36072*g**2 + 44793*g = 0. What is g?
-7, -3, 0, 237
Suppose -2*t**3/11 + 29356*t**2/11 - 107663106*t/11 - 431122248/11 = 0. Calculate t.
-4, 7341
Solve 2*o**4/11 + 13214*o**3/11 + 2593656*o**2 + 1711166688*o - 256812336000 = 0 for o.
-2244, 125
Let -t**3/5 + 1735*t**2 - 3767115*t + 18792225 = 0. Calculate t.
5, 4335
Find j, given that -3*j**4/2 + 109*j**3/2 + 424*j**2 + 258*j = 0.
-6, -2/3, 0, 43
Let -2*p**2/9 - 10460*p - 123088050 = 0. What is p?
-23535
What is r in 4*r**2/7 + 18488*r/7 - 36992/7 = 0?
-4624, 2
Let -c**2 + 437*c - 15522 = 0. What is c?
39, 398
Find n, given that 2*n**4/5 + 54*n**3/5 + 36*n**2 - 1944*n/5 - 9072/5 = 0.
-21, -6, 6
Solve -o**3/6 + 415*o**2/6 - 206*o/3 - 138 = 0 for o.
-1, 2, 414
Factor 4*s**5 + 2660*s**4 + 5304*s**3.
4*s**3*(s + 2)*(s + 663)
Factor 4*d**4 - 224*d**3 - 1268*d**2 + 18480*d.
4*d*(d - 60)*(d - 7)*(d + 11)
What is z in z**3 - 5*z**2 - 125*z - 375 = 0?
-5, 15
Factor 3*w**3 + 24*w**2 - 297*w + 270.
3*(w - 6)*(w - 1)*(w + 15)
Factor -4*j**3 + 1124*j**2 + 119064*j.
-4*j*(j - 363)*(j + 82)
Solve 4*o**3 + 332*o**2 - 43716*o - 134028 = 0.
-153, -3, 73
Solve -q**2 - 1987*q + 42168 = 0 for q.
-2008, 21
Factor 2*q**3 + 4958*q**2/5 + 614048*q/5 - 123008/5.
2*(q + 248)**2*(5*q - 1)/5
Determine f, given that 2*f**2/7 - 730*f/7 - 5968/7 = 0.
-8, 373
Suppose -9240*z**3 + 17869*z**2 + 1212*z + 20 = 0. What is z?
-2/55, -5/168, 2
Factor 3*h**4 - 5043*h**3 + 2096469*h**2 + 19238115*h + 17136600.
3*(h - 845)**2*(h + 1)*(h + 8)
Factor z**3/8 + 7*z**2/4 - 8125*z/8 - 20425/4.
(z - 86)*(z + 5)*(z + 95)/8
Factor 116*j**3 - 25524*j**2 + 76396*j - 2604.
4*(j - 217)*(j - 3)*(29*j - 1)
Find q such that q**4/3 - 517*q**3 - 1562*q**2 + 37216*q/3 + 41440 = 0.
-4, 5, 1554
Factor -12*u**2 + 5427*u + 31602.
-3*(u - 458)*(4*u + 23)
Factor f**2 + 282*f - 1144.
(f - 4)*(f + 286)
Factor -v**2/6 + 2265*v/2 + 6797/3.
-(v - 6797)*(v + 2)/6
Factor -7302*o**2/7 - 7306*o/7 - 4/7.
-2*(o + 1)*(3651*o + 2)/7
Let -w**5/11 + 122*w**4/11 - 2982*w**3/11 - 9688*w**2/11 - 9937*w/11 - 3354/11 = 0. What is w?
-1, 39, 86
Solve -2*y**3/3 + 1072*y**2/3 + 8690*y/3 + 7616/3 = 0 for y.
-7, -1, 544
What is w in -5*w**5/2 + 55*w**4 - 325*w**3/2 - 370*w**2 + 930*w + 1080 = 0?
-2, -1, 3, 4, 18
Factor z**2/2 - 7529*z/2 - 15066.
(z - 7533)*(z + 4)/2
Factor -2*h**2 - 3014*h.
-2*h*(h + 1507)
Solve -x**3/3 + 325*x**2/3 - 11722*x/3 + 7384 = 0 for x.
2, 39, 284
Factor 5*o**2 + 1570*o.
5*o*(o + 314)
Factor -2*t**4 + 5494*t**3 - 49338*t**2 + 147906*t - 147852.
-2*(t - 2738)*(t - 3)**3
Solve -5*c**5 + 265*c**4 - 730*c**3 - 1000*c**2 = 0.
-1, 0, 4, 50
Solve 45*w**5 + 755*w**4 + 505*w**3 - 915*w**2 - 550*w + 160 = 0.
-16, -1, 2/9, 1
Determine g, given that g**4/8 + 141*g**3/8 - 3835*g**2/8 + 20523*g/8 - 8415/4 = 0.
-165, 1, 6, 17
Determine f, given that -5*f**4 + 1235*f**3 - 4720*f**2 - 33860*f - 38880 = 0.
-2, 8, 243
Factor -5060*t**2 - 5*t.
-5*t*(1012*t + 1)
Solve 2*m**5/5 + 62*m**4 + 1124*m**3/5 - 12612*m**2/5 + 11034*m/5 + 24462/5 = 0 for m.
-151, -9, -1, 3
Find b, given that -5*b**5/4 - 21885*b**4/4 - 24621175*b**3/4 - 1461357375*b**2/4 + 1139187195*b - 767687085 = 0.
-2157, -66, 1, 2
Factor -v**2/4 + 123*v/2 + 18727/4.
-(v - 307)*(v + 61)/4
Factor -j**4 - 330*j**3 - 28816*j**2 - 261120*j - 409600.
-(j + 2)*(j + 8)*(j + 160)**2
Solve 2*f**2/17 - 554*f/17 + 7860/17 = 0.
15, 262
Suppose -l**3 + 22059*l**2 - 121528455*l - 1339483475 = 0. Calculate l.
-11, 11035
Determine d, given that 3*d**4 + 56777*d**3 - 246074*d**2 + 302876*d - 75720 = 0.
-18930, 1/3, 2
Determine k, given that 538*k**2/11 + 4306*k/11 + 16/11 = 0.
-8, -1/269
What is g in -g**4 - 87*g**3 + 783*g**2 + 2155*g - 2850 = 0?
-95, -3, 1, 10
Determine r, given that 1172*r**2/7 - 2832*r/7 = 0.
0, 708/293
Find a, given that 15*a**4 - 99*a**3 - 1032*a**2 + 684*a + 432 = 0.
-6, -2/5, 1, 12
Find o such that -2*o**2/5 + 3726*o/5 - 70072/5 = 0.
19, 1844
Factor 3*h**3 - 36*h**2 + 87*h + 126.
3*(h - 7)*(h - 6)*(h + 1)
Factor -u**2 - 1331*u + 24282.
-(u - 18)*(u + 1349)
Factor 5*f**2 + 12320*f + 36915.
5*(f + 3)*(f + |
Is There a Right Way To Spend Time With God? (ATP)
This week’s question is, “Is there a “right” way to spend time with God?” Instantly, I’m drawn to John 4:23-24, “…the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The right way to spend time with God is to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, but what does that mean?
Look at Philippians 3:3, “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” Christians have been circumcised meaning, cut to the heart and made pure, separated from the unclean multitudes and consecrated to God. Notice here there’s a contrast between worshiping in the spirit and having confidence in the flesh. We are told to rejoice in Christ! This means that our rejoicing, our joy, and our contentment, comes from Christ. This is the truth. The Word and all it promises is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Help us God! Our rejoicing isn’t in the flesh so we don’t need to experience the truth in manifestation in our flesh and in this natural realm to believe it. We must believe that there is a greater realm of the spirit where God ensures, “…that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
How does this answer your question? Look next at Colossians 3:10, “…have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” Where do we put on the new man? That’s our spirit being. When we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, we are born anew in spirit, not in flesh. We must spend time with God by continually renewing our spirit being by the truth of the Word of God. Skip down to Colossians 3:16, and you’ll see that it is your job to, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” If you look at the original language of the term “one another” you’ll see it actually means oneself. How do we spend time with God? We get into His Word in order for it to dwell in us richly. We let the word correct us, direct us, change us, and encourage us. This is where diligence comes into play.
Look at Hebrews 11:6 AMP, “…For whoever would come near to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him [out].” We see some very important truths here. First, if you want to come near to God and spend time with Him, of course you must believe He exists, but much more importantly than that, you must believe that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.
Have you ever been diligent with anything in your life? Maybe you were an athlete and you wanted to be the best you could be at that particular sport. What did you do? You practiced regularly, you showed up for the games on time and ready to compete, and I’d be willing to bet you even thought about your next move ahead of time, pondering how to be better and how to be victorious. This same sort of diligence should be shown for the things of God. We should be pondering our victory, we should be constantly going to Him, practicing the things He’s spoken in the Word, we should show up to the meet, on time and ready to compete so to speak. Set aside a time to spend with God daily. God is our coach through this life and if we’re willing to be diligent, He’s willing to help us walk in our victory.
Now let’s consider this a bit more. The first time you played that sport you didn’t know everything there was to know about it, but instead you probably had more questions than answers, perhaps more mishaps than victories. As we develop our personal relationship with God and His Word, we must be ok with not knowing everything right away. We may not have the Bible memorized, we may still cry a little when bad things happen to us, we may not hang the moon everyday with time in prayer, and we may even get a little snarky with our kids and spouse, especially during quarantine.We must keep coming back to God daily. We must keep showing up to our local church to hear what He’s delivering through our pastors. We must endeavor to know who He really is and diligently seek Him because we love Him. This is the right way to spend time with God. We talk to Him as a Father, we love Him as the same. |
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githubhackathon.com
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel insulated coil. More particularly, it relates to an insulated coil for use in high voltage rotary electric machines such as turbine generator and water wheel generator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, the need has arisen for an insulated coil which exhibits highly stable insulating properties under severe operating conditions such as repeated starting and stopping of heat cycles, the thermal deterioration caused by rising temperatures and the shortcircuiting caused by mechanical vibration,
The conventional insulated coil for high voltage rotary machine has been proposed by coating a conductor with a suitable insulating layer, shaping it into a predetermined shape, winding a mica tape made of a back support, of a fibrous support a nonwoven support or a film support coated with integrated mica or split mica about the conductor impregnating a thermosetting resin such as unsaturated polyester resin or an epoxy resin under vacuum or vacuum-pressure conditions and heat-molding it.
These insulated coils are assembled in a rotary machine and are usually used in a gas environment. Under high voltage, corona discharge is caused by breakdown of the gas such as air in the coil and it may cause breakdown of an insulating layer. In order to prevent the trouble, mica has been used in the coils for high voltage rotary machine. Although excellent insulating materials have been developed, mica has been used as an important insulating material for insulation of a coil because of its excellent heat resistance, corona resistance and voltage breakdown resistance characteristics. Mica is classified into split mica and integrated mica. The mica is bonded on a back support made of a paper, a film, or a porous insulating material such as glass fabric, or a polyester nonwoven fabric with a thermosetting resin to prepare a mica tape or sheet. An integrated mica tape insulating layer and a split mica tape insulating layer are each prepared by impregnating a mica tape or sheet in vacuum or vacuum-pressure impregnating with a thermosetting resin and curing the resin and are tested in comparison. The split mica tape insulating layer has a higher mechanical strength, for example, a higher bending strength of about 120 to 150%, but has lower electric property, for example, lower breakdown voltage as about 75-90% in comparison with those of the integrated mica tape insulating layer. Each mica tape insulating layer has advantages and disadvantages and accordingly, it is not suitable to use only one type.
The integrated mica layer of the conventional integrated mica tape is prepared by forming mica flakes into sheets and consequently the density of the mica flakes is low. In practice, slippage occurs between mica flakes during the taping operation of the integrated mica tape thus resulting in deterioration of the high breakdown voltage of the integrated mica.
The strength of the mica tape is depending upon the back support. Paper, a polyester nonwoven fabric and a film are relatively economical, but have relatively low tensile strength whereas a glass cloth has high tensile strength, but is expensive. Thus, a desired back support has not been found. |
The regular polygon shown here has 6 congruent sides and 6 congruent interior angles. Two of the sides are extended until they meet at point A. What is the measure of angle A?
A. 160 degreesB. 120 degreesC. 72 degreesD. 60 degreesE. 35 degrees
Answers and explanations
The correct answer is Choice (A).
To find the sum of the interior angles of a polygon, you use this formula:
where n is the number of sides in the polygon.
If you can’t remember that formula, simply divide the shape into triangles. The sum of the interior angles in each triangle measures 180 degrees, so for each triangle add 180 degrees and you get the sum of all the angles in the polygon.
The polygon in this problem has 4 sides, so you know its interior angles add up to 360 degrees. The problem tells you that the sum of angles a and b is more than 70 degrees. The lowest possible value for a + b is 71 degrees. If
at its lowest, then
at its highest. That means that
The answer that states c + d < 290 is Choice (A).
Double-check the rest of the information to make sure Choice (A) is the right answer. The problem says that a + b < 150. If a + b < 150, then its highest value is 149 degrees; the lowest the sum of c and d can be is 360 – 149 = 211. Choice (A) works.
The correct answer is Choice (D).
The formula for finding the interior angle measures of a regular polygon is as follows, where n represents the number of sides in the polygon:
Apply the formula to the figure in the question to find the measure of each interior angle in the polygon:
So each angle in the hexagon measures 120 degrees. The angles in the triangle that’s formed by the two extended sides must each be 60 degrees because two of those angles form a straight line with the two 120-degree angles in the hexagon and 180 – 120 = 60. If two angles in a triangle each measure 60 degrees, the third angle, angle A, must also measure 60 degrees. |
The State Department said PDVSA [Venezuela State Oil] delivered at least two cargoes of reformate, a gasoline blending component, to Iran between December 2010 and March 2011 worth about $50 million.
In a news conference broadcast on all Venezuelan TV stations, Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said PDVSA guaranteed oil shipments to its U.S. subsidiaries, but was studying the impact of the sanctions on other U.S. clients.
The other companies covered by the new U.S. sanctions are PCCI, the Royal Oyster Group and Speedy Ship of the United Arab Emirates, Tanker Pacific of Singapore, Ofer Brothers Group of Israel and Associated Shipbroking of Monaco.
Separately, the State Department announced sanctions on 16 companies and individuals — including three in China and a Venezuelan arms company — for banned nuclear and weapons proliferation activities, chiefly with Iran.
The U.S. move could put Chavez in a bind despite the temptation to impose retaliatory measures, according to Simon Wardell, director of oil markets at IHS Global Insight.
“Ultimately I don’t think Chavez will be able to do much about the sanctions. He might talk a lot and make a lot of noise but will continue to sell crude to the United States.”
Steinberg said the main objective of the sanctions was to encourage Tehran to engage in real negotiations with the major powers over its nuclear program, which western nations and Israel fear is aimed at building weapons. Iran denies this.
Comment: No one will stop the US taxpayer funded global starvation and war machine. It’s clear US elites will never stop on their own. The only way to stop them is to end the US, break it up into parts. |
# Getting started with rltm.js
We're proud to announce the release of rltm.js, a universal API for realtime communication. Rltm.js allows you to build real-time apps with one codebase and easily switch between backends.
Rltm.js provides handy methods for rooms, users, message history, and finding out who's online. It works for both front end web and NodeJs. All of this information is available from generic methods and you can switch between realtime hosts with one small config.
At PubNub we write tons of open source libraries, examples, tutorials. Rltm.js allows us to share this work with all of the other realtime communities out there.
Most of our customers begin by implementing an open source realtime solution themselves. As they grow, they realize how difficult and costly it is to scale and support their network. Rltm.js is here to support open source implementations and give developers an easy way to transition to our cloud service when they're ready to scale.
The first framework we'll be supporting is Socket.io, one of the most popular open source realtime frameworks out there.
Besides the library itself, we've also updated our angular chat plugin to work with rltm.js. Now that plugin supports socket.io or PubNub. That can be found at http://angularjs.chat.
Let's dive into how rltm.js actually works.
First, install the library with npm or bower.
```sh
npm install rltm --save
bower install rltm --save
```
Then include library in HTML or in your NodeJS app.
```html
<script src="./bower_components/web/rltm.js"></script>
```
```js
const rltm = require('rltm');
```
Then, configure the rltm library in your javascript code. Both the NodeJS and web libraries are configured with the ```rltm``` variable.
```js
let user = rltm({
service: 'pubnub',
config: {
// ...
}
});
```
* ```service``` is the name of the realtime service to use (```pubnub``` or ```socketio```)
* ```config``` is a Javascript object with a config for that service.
To use PubNub, supply your publish and subscribe keys from your account:
```js
let user = rltm({
service: 'pubnub',
config: {
publishKey: 'YOUR_PUBNUB_PUBLISH_KEY',
subscribeKey: 'YOUR_PUBNUB_SUBSCRIBE_KEY'
}
});
```
To use Socket.io, run the socket.io server and supply your socket.io endpoint.
```
node ./socket.io-server.js
```
Then you can configure rltm to look for the server at that endpoint.
```js
let user = rltm({
service: 'socketio',
config: {
endpoint: 'http://localhost:9000'
}
});
```
Then, you can connect to a chatroom using the ```join``` method.
```js
room = user.join('room-name');
```
Now you can subscribe to messages for that room.
```js
room.on('message', (uuid, data) => {
console.log('message received from uuid', uuid, 'with data', data);
});
```
To publish a message to the room, just call ```room.publish()```.
```js
room.publish({hello: world}).then(() => {
console.log('message published');
});
```
The subscribe code above will fire.
You can also get a list of who's in the room by calling the ```here()``` endpoint.
```js
room.here().then((users) => {
console.log('users online', users);
});
```
This will return an object of all connected users.
```js
{
uuid1: {
username: 'ianjennings'
},
uuid2: {
username: 'stephenblum'
}
}
```
You can get the full documentation and download the code from [github](https://github.com/pubnub/rltm).
|
Introduction {#S1}
============
Over the past decade, there has been increasing concern that the routine practice of administrating hypotonic intravenous maintenance fluids to hospitalized children leads to potentially dangerous hyponatremia ([@B1], [@B2]). Hospitalized children have numerous hemodynamic and non-hemodynamic stimuli for arginine vasopressin (AVP) production, which place them at risk for developing hyponatremia ([@B3]). Recent meta-analysis evaluating prospective and randomized trials have revealed that hypotonic fluids significantly increase the relative risk for developing hyponatremia in comparison to isotonic fluids ([@B4]--[@B6]). A recent large retrospective study demonstrated that the incidence of hospital-acquired hyponatremia in children receiving hypotonic fluids is nearly 40% ([@B7]). The majority of prospective and retrospective studies evaluating the relationship between hypotonic fluids and hospital-acquired hyponatremia have included high-risk patients, such as patients admitted to the intensive care unit ([@B8]), post-surgical patients ([@B9], [@B10]), and patients with gastroenteritis ([@B11]), and diverse patient populations, including patients with malignancies and cardiac and renal diseases ([@B7], [@B12], [@B13]). Studies on fluid-prescribing practices and the incidence of hyponatremia in the general pediatric ward are lacking. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no prospective observational studies evaluating maintenance intravenous fluid-prescribing practices and the incidence of hospital-acquired hyponatremia in children admitted to a general pediatric ward. We suspected that hypotonic fluids are still commonly used and associated with hospital-acquired hyponatremia, despite the significant literature supporting the use of isotonic maintenance fluids.
We conducted a prospective observational study at a tertiary-care hospital in India in order to accurately evaluate maintenance intravenous fluid-prescribing practices and the incidence of hospital-acquired hyponatremia in young children admitted to a general pediatric ward. This study excluded most patients at high risk for developing hospital-acquired hyponatremia.
Materials and Methods {#S2}
=====================
A prospective observational study was carried out over a 2-month period at Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital in New Delhi during May and June, 2013. The study was approved by the hospital's Institutional Ethics Committee and informed consent was obtained for all patients. The study enrolled young children, ages 2 months to 5 years, presenting to the emergency department or to the general pediatric ward, who were anticipated to require at least 24 h of maintenance intravenous fluids (mIVF). All patients were screened, consented, and enrolled by one investigator who was not involved in the management of the patients. The composition, rate, and duration of the mIVF were left to the discretion of the treating physicians who were aware of the study. Patients who were at high risk for developing hyponatremia or hypernatremia, or who had an underlying chronic disease, or who were receiving medications associated with a disorder in sodium and water homeostasis, were excluded. Exclusion criteria included evidence of volume depletion requiring fluid boluses prior to or anytime during the observation periods, patients with gastroenteritis, severe acute malnutrition, postoperative patients, head trauma patients, patients with congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, nephrotic syndrome, acute glomerulonephritis, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, adrenal insufficiency, or patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit any time during the observation period. Serum biochemistry profile and complete blood count were obtained in all patients at baseline and at 24 h. Patients were excluded if they had moderate hyponatremia or hypernatremia at presentation, serum sodium (SNa) \<130 mEq/L or \>150 mEq/L. Data regarding admitting diagnosis, intravenous fluid composition, and biochemical parameters were recorded for each patient. For study purposes, hyponatremia was defined as a SNa \<135 mEq/L. Any neurologic complications attributable to a fall in SNa were recorded.
Data that were not normally distributed were reported as median, inter-quartile range, and/or range.
Results {#S3}
=======
Fifty-six patients successfully completed the study out of 60 patients who screened and consented. Four patients were excluded because electrolytes were not obtained at 24 h. The median age was 1.5 years and 73.2% of the patients were male. The primary reasons for admission are displayed in Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}. The most common admitting diagnoses were respiratory infections, seizures, and bacteremia. All patients were administered hypotonic fluids, with 87.5% (49/56) receiving 0.18% saline in 5% dextrose in water and the remaining receiving 0.45% saline in 5% dextrose in water. No child received isotonic mIVF.
{#F1}
The mean SNa at baseline and at 24 h were unchanged, at 138.8 mEq/L. Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} analyzes the median change in SNa at 24 h compared with baseline SNa. Fifty percent of the children (28/56) experienced a fall in SNa at 24 h, of which 24 children had a normal or below normal baseline SNa (\<145 mEq/L). Seventeen patients with an initial SNa ≤140 mEq/L had a fall in SNa (17/42, 40%) (Bold font in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). Seven patients (12.5%) developed hospital-acquired or hospital-aggravated hyponatremia at 24 h (Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}), with two patients experiencing large falls in SNa of 9 and 10 mEq/L, while receiving 0.18% saline (Bold font in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). No patients developed symptomatic hyponatremia. The incidence of hyponatremia was no different for those receiving 0.18% saline (6/49, 12%) to those receiving 0.45% saline (1/7, 14%).
######
**Change in serum sodium as a function of the presenting serum sodium**.
Fall in serum Na^+^ No change in Na^+^ Rise in serum Na^+^ Total no. of patients
----------------------- --------------------- -------------------- --------------------- ----------------------- ---- ------------ ----
**\<135** **1** **2** 0 -- 3 12 (6,13) 4
**135--140** **16** **2.5 (1, 10)** 3 -- 19 4 (1, 6) 38
141--145 7 6 (4, 9) 0 -- 2 2.5 (2, 3) 9
\>145 4 13 (4,14) 1 -- 0 -- 5
Total no. of patients 28 4 24 56
*Bold font: patients with a serum sodium \<140 mEq/L who experienced a fall in serum sodium*.
######
**Clinical and biochemical characteristics of patients with hospital-acquired or -aggravated hyponatremia**.
Age (years) Diagnosis Fluid received (%NaCl) 0 h serum Na^+^ (mEq/L) Blood urea (mg/dL) Serum creatinine (mg/dL) WBC count (per mm^3^) 24 h serum Na^+^(mEq/L) Fall in serum Na^+^(mEq/L)
-------- ------------- ------------------------------------------- ------------------------ ------------------------- -------------------- -------------------------- ----------------------- ------------------------- ----------------------------
1\. 3.5 Bacteremia 0.18 132 13 0.2 21,200 130 2
2\. 1.5 Hepatosplenomegaly with lymphadenopathy 0.45 135 18 0.2 11,600 131 4
3\. 0.5 Bronchopneumonia 0.18 137 24 0.6 28,500 133 4
4\. 0.33 Cerebral Palsy with breakthrough seizures 0.18 138 18 0.3 8,000 134 4
5\. 2.75 West syndrome with seizures 0.18 138 18 0.2 28,200 134 4
**6.** **5** **Enteric fever with encephalopathy** **0.18** **142** **15** **0.2** **24,100** **133** **9**
**7.** **1.5** **Simple febrile seizure** **0.18** **136** **19** **0.4** **12,300** **126** **10**
*Bold font: patients with a potentially dangerous fall in serum sodium*.
The median fall in SNa was greatest for patients with a baseline SNa \>140 mEq/L (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}), with the median fall for patients with a baseline SNa \>145 mEq/L being 13 mEq/L.
Forty-two percent of children (24/56) experienced a rise in SNa at 24 h, and patients with mild baseline hyponatremia (SNa \<135 mEq//L) experienced a median rise in SNa of 12 mEq/L, yet none developed hospital-acquired hypernatremia (SNa \>145 mEq/L) (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}).
Discussion {#S4}
==========
All the children in this cohort admitted to a general pediatric ward received hypotonic maintenance fluids, with the primary fluid prescribed being 0.18% NaCl (87.5%). While the mean serum remained unchanged during the study period, a significant number of patients (50%) experienced a fall in SNa and developed hospital-acquired or -aggravated hyponatremia (12.5%). This is significant because this study was specifically restricted to a group at relatively low risk for developing hyponatremia, by excluding patients who were critically ill, who were post-operative, who required bolus fluid therapy or who had underlying chronic diseases known to impair sodium and water homeostasis. The underlying diagnosis that placed patients at risk for elevated AVP levels and hyponatremia were primarily respiratory and central nervous system disorders.
We specifically evaluated the fall in SNa in patients whose presenting SNa was at or below the normal median sodium of 140 mEq/L, as their sodium would not be expected to fall in the absence of an impairment in free water excretion (Bold font in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). Forty percent of patients (17/42) with a SNa ≤140 mEq/L experienced a fall in SNa. Patients with the highest SNa at presentation experienced the largest fall in SNa. One patient with SNa \>145 mEq/L developed a-14 mEq/L fall in SNa, without developing hyponatremia. This large fall in SNa could be excessive in a patient at risk for increased intracranial pressure, such as meningitis. This data suggest that even low-risk children admitted to a general pediatric ward are at risk for hyponatremia. This also suggests that 0.18% NS is not an appropriate mIVF even in low-risk children as it can result in hyponatremia or an excessive fall in SNa.
While no child in this study developed hyponatremic encephalopathy, two children had a potentially dangerous fall in SNa of 9 and 10 mEq/L, respectively, while receiving 0.18% saline (Bold font in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). This highlights the potential danger of administering hypotonic mIVF.
The mean SNa at baseline and 24 h remained unchanged, as the proportion of patients experiencing a rise and fall in SNa was similar. Patients with a baseline SNa \<140 mEq/L generally experienced a rise in SNa and those with a baseline SNa \>140 mEq/L experienced a fall in SNa, which would be the expected response to intravenous fluids provided that there is not a disorder in renal concentration or dilution. A fall in SNa when the baseline SNa is \<140 mEq/L is not an expected response to fluid therapy and signifies and impairment in free water excretion.
At the time this study was conducted, there was a significant literature pointing to the dangers of hospital-acquired hyponatremia from hypotonic mIVF in high-risk children, i.e., post-operative, critically ill, and volume-depleted patients ([@B1], [@B9], [@B14]--[@B16]), but the risk in the general pediatric ward was not fully appreciated and the necessity of using isotonic fluids was debated ([@B17]). Since then, randomized prospective studies, including children admitted to a general pediatric ward, have demonstrated that they too are at risk for hospital-acquired hyponatremia from hypotonic mIVF and that isotonic mIVF are safe and effective in preventing hyponatremia in this group of patients ([@B18]--[@B21]). Recent NICE guidelines for fluid therapy in children now recommend isotonic mIVF ([@B22]). Despite this, there are those who still recommend hypotonic fluids ([@B23]).
Limitations of this study are that this is a single-center study, lacking a control group, and of a relatively small sample size. The finding in this study may not reflect that of other pediatric centers in India, and we are unable to assess how a similar group of patient would have fared if they received isotonic saline.
Epidemiological data regarding fluid-prescribing practices throughout the world are lacking, but surveys have suggested that hypotonic mIVF are the primary fluid used ([@B24], [@B25]). This study demonstrates that the current practice in a general pediatric ward in India, one of the most populous nations in the world, is to prescribe hypotonic mIVF. It also demonstrates that seemingly low-risk populations are at significant risk for developing hyponatremia. Our study lends support to the recent NICE fluid guidelines in children to avoid hypotonic mIVF, and highlights the need for general pediatricians to re-evaluate and possibly change mIVF practices.
Author Contributions {#S5}
====================
SS and SB conceived and designed the study. SS conducted the study. SS and MM performed the data analysis, wrote and edited the manuscript.
Conflict of Interest Statement {#S6}
==============================
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.
This work was funded by a grant from the Indian Council of Medical Research. Dr. Shukla conducted this work as a medical student at Lady Hardinge Medical College.
[^1]: Edited by: Aditi Sinha, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
[^2]: Reviewed by: Kirtida Mistry, Children's National Medical Center, USA; Kimberly Jean Reidy, Montefiore Medical Center, USA
[^3]: Specialty section: This article was submitted to Pediatric Nephrology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pediatrics
|
Have you ever found an Instagram account that is just so weirdly beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes? If you haven’t, here’s one to add to your list: Sanjay Kapoor and his very, very strange life, which is chronicled on his account.
For instance, Sanjay uses the account to talk about his dating struggles. Well, actually, mostly just about how he gets catfished by some 54-year-old named Durgesh.
Okay, he deserved that one. 13 years old??? Try again, dude.
But just when he thinks he has a chance at finding true love…
… Durgesh shows up again.
So honestly, maybe Durgesh is just a superhero disguised as an old man, because it sounds like he’s saving a LOT of women from a LOT of trouble. Namely, Sanjay.
But the whole story gets even weirder. Apparently Sanjay decided he needed to fight Durgesh, though it’s unclear whether this has to do with the catfishing or if it’s just a thing they do.
Let’s just say that Sanjay found out the hard way that you don’t fuck with Durgesh.
Honestly, this account is wild and I am now an avid follower. Teach me your ways, Sanjay. Or, better yet, teach me yours, Durgesh.
The account (which, let’s be real, is 99% definitely a satire account) came to light when someone tweeted about Sanjay’s dating exploits, and it definitely got some attention.
I'm trippin or bruh really said he was lookin for a 13 year old in the 1st one??? — ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ (@tripleojudah) October 26, 2017
DAMN IT DURGESH — Georgia is a Ghost👻 (@UpAndGeorgia) October 26, 2017
Durgesh is out there beating up people who want to meet young girls. I stand with Durgesh on this one. — Ky Krebs 🏳️🌈 (@kykrebs) October 27, 2017
Honestly, I just can’t deal with the rest of his account.
Please go his Instagram when you have time! Iyaphambana le chap! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Fbg9Mkaw7J — Sterling Archer ♂ (@NwaizerNKU) October 26, 2017
the caption on this one is so relatable though pic.twitter.com/mkLjYLlcBy — jenny (@jennifer_af_) October 27, 2017
Lmaooo he's petty to 😂 pic.twitter.com/Smtld9ihE3 — No Chill Abby (@_latinuh) October 27, 2017
He follows one account pic.twitter.com/tnqBbjfCky — Beer Pressure (@greggyslopes) October 27, 2017
LOLOLOL.
As a final note, I leave you this piece of wisdom: In a world full of Sanjays, be a Durgesh. |
Difficult issues in mentoring: recommendations on making the "undiscussable" discussable.
Many mentoring relationships do not reach fruition because the individuals fail to bridge a critical difference. When a difference prevents a learning partnership from achieving its potential, the loss is multidimensional for the individuals and the institution--wasting opportunities for the fostering of current and future talent. Insights into when such impasses are likely to arise may help both mentors and mentees address what feels "undiscussable." The authors offer numerous examples of how differences related to ethnicity, language, gender, and generation may interfere with the development of mentoring relationships. Next, the authors offer recommendations on preparing for and handling difficult conversations, including creating safety, noticing assumptions and emotions, and raising sensitive issues. Virtually all faculty can become more effective at communicating across differences and addressing difficulties that prevent mentoring relationships from achieving their potential. The pay-offs for these efforts are indisputable: increased effect in the limited time available for mentoring, an expanded legacy of positive influence, and enhanced communication and leadership skills. The honing of these relational skills enhances the colleagueship and teamwork on which virtually all research, clinical, and educational enterprises depend. Academic health centers that systematically support mentoring enhance institutional stability, talent development, and leadership capacity. |
Introduction
============
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines adherence as "The extent to which a person's behavior -- taking medication, following a diet, and/or executing lifestyle changes, corresponds with agreed recommendations from a health care provider."[@b1-ppa-4-001] Adherence to treatment regimes is essential to ensure patients receive the maximum benefit from their treatment and also to make sure that treatment is cost-effective. Nonadherence or poor adherence to therapy can lead to poor outcomes or treatment failure, and to increased costs.[@b1-ppa-4-001]
The WHO considers poor adherence to medication to be a serious problem worldwide. In developed countries, adherence among patients suffering from chronic diseases is as low as 50%. This figure is probably even lower in developing countries.[@b1-ppa-4-001] For example, adherence to oral anticancer agents can be as low as 20%,[@b2-ppa-4-001] and adherence to some oral treatments for diabetes is only 36%.[@b3-ppa-4-001]
This article will explore the issue of adherence to treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). The barriers to full adherence encountered by patients and clinicians will be described, and strategies that may be used to improve rates of adherence will be discussed.
Adherence to MS therapy
=======================
MS is a chronic demyelinating autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. It is estimated to affect 2.5 million people worldwide, and is the most common cause of neurological disability among young people.[@b4-ppa-4-001] MS has several clinical forms. Patients are most often initially diagnosed with relapsing--remitting MS with new symptoms appearing during discrete acute attacks (relapses) between which the patient regains some or all neurological function, although residual disability tends to accumulate over time. Many patients with relapsing--remitting MS go on to develop secondary progressive MS, which is characterized by progressive neurological decline, over which acute relapses may be superimposed.[@b5-ppa-4-001]
MS is currently incurable, although a variety of treatment approaches are available, including physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and management strategies to mitigate the symptoms of MS. Immunomodulatory agents are available that can modify the course of the disease by altering the pathological immune responses underlying MS. Treatment with these disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) aims to reduce the rate of acute neurological attacks, and can delay disability progression. First-line treatment options for MS currently consist of four immunomodulatory drugs: interferon (IFN) beta-1a, administered subcutaneously (sc) 3 times weekly; IFN beta-1a, administered intramuscularly (im) once weekly; IFN beta-1b administered sc every other day; and glatiramer acetate administered sc once daily. All of these drugs have to be administered parenterally on a regular basis, and are associated with injection-related side-effects such as injection-site reactions, which may influence adherence, particularly during the first few months of treatment. The second line of treatment for MS includes immunosuppressant agents such as cyclophosphamide and mitoxantrone. While these agents have been shown to be effective in MS therapy, they have widespread effects on the immune system and suppress both beneficial and harmful immune responses.[@b6-ppa-4-001] These drugs tend to be used only in patients who do not respond to first-line therapy, and potential toxicity issues make them a short-term option. Natalizumab is a newer immunosuppressant, which has a more targeted activity against pathological immune responses. Again, because of the potential for serious side-effects, natalizumab is generally only recommended for patients with highly active MS who show an inadequate response to first-line therapy.[@b7-ppa-4-001]
Studies of adherence to MS therapy in clinical practice have shown that patients are most likely to discontinue therapy within the first 6 months after treatment initiation. Discontinuation rates during the first 6 months of treatment have been reported to range from 9% to 20%,[@b8-ppa-4-001],[@b9-ppa-4-001] although abandonment of an MS treatment regimen can happen at any time. In one study of patients with relapsing--remitting MS, with a mean follow-up duration of 4.2 years, 46% of patients stopped treatment over the course of the study.[@b10-ppa-4-001]
Rates of discontinuation of therapy in clinical trials tend to be somewhat lower than in clinical practice, perhaps reflecting the fact that patients enrolled in trials receive more thorough follow up than is usual in everyday practice.[@b8-ppa-4-001] In general, clinical trials of DMDs in MS show favorable rates of adherence, particularly the more recent trials, which routinely employ management strategies to minimize adverse events (AEs) and to ensure patients' compliance with treatment. However, dropout rates from clinical trials may not give an accurate picture of long-term adherence to therapy in the clinical setting, where the patient and physician may elect to change to a different drug, or the patient may choose to discontinue therapy altogether. Additionally, disease management strategies employed as standard practice vary between clinics, and this may cause adherence rates to differ between centers.
Barriers to adherence to MS treatment
=====================================
Disease-related factors
-----------------------
A patient's subtype of MS may influence their likelihood of adherence to therapy. One study, which followed 632 patients for a mean period of 47.1 months, found that adherence was poorer in patients with secondary progressive MS than in those with relapsing--remitting MS. The authors also noted that the patients with relapsing--remitting MS who stopped therapy were younger than those who remained on treatment, had higher levels of initial disability and more active disease, and were more likely to be female.[@b11-ppa-4-001]
Cognitive impairment and depression
-----------------------------------
Cognitive impairment often results from MS,[@b12-ppa-4-001] and may make it difficult for the patient to follow correctly the prescribed treatment regimen. Current MS therapies require regular administration, and impaired memory function may reduce the likelihood of timely administration. Additionally, despite efforts to simplify the injection process through the design of delivery technology, cognitive dysfunction could also impair correct injection technique. However, the impact of cognitive impairment on adherence to MS therapy remains to be clarified in studies. Depression is common among patients with MS, and may negatively affect adherence. A study of patients with MS initiating IFN beta-1b therapy found that 41% of patients reported new or increased depression within 6 months of starting treatment. Eighty-six percent of patients who received psychotherapy or antidepressant treatment continued therapy, compared with 38% of patients who received no treatment for depression (*P* = 0.003).[@b13-ppa-4-001]
Efficacy concerns
-----------------
Perceived lack of efficacy is one of the most commonly cited reasons for treatment discontinuation.[@b8-ppa-4-001],[@b11-ppa-4-001],[@b14-ppa-4-001] The disease course of MS varies between patients, and while therapy is often effective, the individual patient may not fully understand the benefits of remaining on treatment. The effects of treatment may not become apparent immediately, which may in part explain the high discontinuation rates observed in the first few months of treatment. Additionally, the unpredictability of the disease course means it is impossible to predict how their MS would affect them were they not on treatment, so the true benefit of treatment in the individual patient is unclear. Some patients starting MS therapy tend to be overly optimistic about the benefits of therapy. Unrealistic expectations have been shown to be highly predictive of premature discontinuation. Therefore, it is important that patients' expectations are managed prior to treatment initiation.[@b9-ppa-4-001],[@b15-ppa-4-001] Importantly, if a patient does not adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen, they may experience poorer outcomes, lose faith in their treatment, and become even more likely to be poorly adherent.
Adverse events
--------------
AEs associated with MS therapy may also contribute to non-adherence to treatment regimens. The incidence of AEs associated with MS therapy tends to decrease the longer a patient is on therapy. Therefore, long-term adherence to treatment is more likely to be achieved if patients remain on treatment through the initial period when AEs can be particularly problematic. Management strategies to minimize the impact of AEs are therefore imperative to preserve adherence.
One of the most common AEs associated with IFN beta therapy is flu-like symptoms.[@b16-ppa-4-001] These symptoms tend to appear early in the treatment course, then diminish in frequency and severity with increased time on treatment. For example, in the pivotal trial of sc IFN beta-1a, flu-like symptoms were reported by 69% of patients receiving IFN beta-1a over years 1 to 4, but by only 12% after up to 8 years of follow up.[@b17-ppa-4-001],[@b18-ppa-4-001]
Injection-site reactions (ISRs) are another commonly reported AE associated with MS therapies. The incidence and severity of such reactions may vary between treatments.[@b8-ppa-4-001] Injection-site necrosis can occur with IFN beta treatment, and is very rarely seen with glatiramer acetate.[@b19-ppa-4-001]--[@b21-ppa-4-001] However, glatiramer acetate injection can sometimes cause lipoatrophy at the application site, leading to, sometimes permanent, disfigurement.[@b22-ppa-4-001],[@b23-ppa-4-001] Correct injection technique and rotation of injection sites can help to avoid ISRs.[@b24-ppa-4-001]
Inconvenience and needle phobia
-------------------------------
Aside from the AEs associated with MS therapies, some patients also find the process of regular self-injection burdensome, and adherence can be compromised as a result. Furthermore, physical disability and cognitive impairment resulting from MS can make self-injection and ability to comply with treatment regimens difficult.[@b25-ppa-4-001] Needle phobia, which is experienced by up to 22% of the general population, can also be a significant barrier to self-administration of parenteral therapies among patients with MS.[@b26-ppa-4-001] Studies in other therapy areas have shown that a complex regimen and frequent dosing schedule can be barriers to adherence.[@b27-ppa-4-001] Currently, all first-line therapies for MS require parenteral administration weekly (in the case of im IFN beta-1a) or more frequently. In the case of glatiramer acetate,patients are required to inject daily. It may be speculated that patients with MS would be more adherent to drugs requiring less-frequent administration. Natalizumab is delivered via a monthly intravenous infusion. It could be argued that the dosing frequency and the fact that natalizumab is administered during a clinic visit could encourage adherence. Conversely, this route of administration may be considered inconvenient by some patients.
Discontinuation patterns and consequences of poor adherence
===========================================================
Discontinuation tends to occur earlier after treatment initiation if the reason for stopping therapy is AEs than when discontinuation is due to lack of efficacy. In a study of discontinuation patterns in patients receiving IFN beta, patients who stopped therapy as a result of AEs did so after a median period of 13 months on treatment, whereas those who discontinued as a result of treatment failure (defined as non-reduction in pre-treatment relapse rate and/or sustained increase of Expanded Disability Status Scale score of ≥ 1 point) did so after a median period of 35 months (*P* = 0.0004; Mann--Whitney test).[@b28-ppa-4-001]
In MS, it is currently unclear precisely what effect the degree to which patients adhere to therapy has on clinical or magnetic resonance imaging outcomes, but patients who do not adhere to therapy are unlikely to receive the full potential benefit of treatment,[@b8-ppa-4-001] and therefore may be at increased risk of poorer outcomes. A study that investigated the relationship between the duration of gaps in MS treatment regimens and the incidence of severe MS relapses found that patients who had gaps in therapy lasting ≥90 days had a nearly twofold greater probability of experiencing a severe relapse than patients with shorter gaps in therapy.[@b29-ppa-4-001] This shows the importance of adherence to prescribed regimens for MS. Potential barriers to treatment adherence in MS are summarized in [Figure 1](#f1-ppa-4-001){ref-type="fig"}. All of these issues can affect the patient's quality of life, whether they relate to features of the disease, or to the treatment itself. It may be speculated that poor overall quality of life may affect the individual patient's likelihood of adherence to therapy.
Management strategies to enhance adherence
==========================================
Maximizing adherence to MS therapies to improve a patient's chance of gaining the full benefit from their treatment is an important therapeutic goal. Patient education is of paramount importance in achieving this, as a patient's commitment to a therapeutic regimen may well depend on their understanding of their condition, their need for treatment, and the potential benefits of treatment.[@b15-ppa-4-001]
As perceived lack of efficacy can be a barrier against adherence, patients need to have realistic expectations of their treatment, and again, information can enhance the likelihood of good adherence. A study that examined patients' expectations of treatment before beginning IFN beta therapy found that 57% of patients had unrealistic expectations about reduction in relapse rate.[@b9-ppa-4-001] Although educational procedures significantly altered unrealistic expectations, 36% of patients still had unrealistic expectations of therapy after education. Of those patients who discontinued IFN beta therapy, 64% had unrealistically optimistic post-education expectations of treatment.[@b9-ppa-4-001]
Patients should be informed of therapeutic options, the potential benefits and risks of each treatment and the importance of adhering to their given treatment regimen. Allowing patients to take an active role in treatment decisions may make them feel empowered, which, in turn, could enhance their motivation to remain adherent. Patients also benefit from receiving information about potential side-effects, and how these can be managed.[@b15-ppa-4-001]
AEs may occur with MS therapies, but they can be managed so as to minimize the impact on the patient's life. As all DMDs for MS require frequent injections, ISRs and pain may be experienced. Suitable injection technique can minimize these events and thus enhance adherence. Appropriate injection procedures include those outlines below. Refrigerated medication should be warmed to room temperature before administration.Hands should be washed thoroughly prior to injection.The injection site should be thoroughly cleansed but completely dry before the injection.Ice should not be applied to the skin before injection, but may be used afterwards.The needle should be inserted perpendicularly to the skin and completely penetrate the skin.For im injections, shorter needles should be used for patients with less subcutaneous fat.The patient should avoid smoking.Auto-injector use is recommended.Rotation of injection sites is vital to minimize reactions due to repeated, frequent injections.The use of topical steroid preparations is not recommended.
The use of auto-injector devices to administer DMDs has been shown to reduce the incidence of ISRs compared with manual injection.[@b30-ppa-4-001] These devices are also convenient to use, and may be particularly beneficial for patients with poor manual dexterity.[@b31-ppa-4-001] As needle phobia can be a barrier to adherence to injectable therapies,[@b26-ppa-4-001] a device in which the needle is hidden from view may have the additional benefit of reducing anxiety and thus improving adherence.
Many patients treated with IFN beta experience flu-like symptoms, particularly during the few months after treatment is started. Dose titration at initiation of IFN beta treatment is commonly employed to minimize the incidence of flu-like symptoms. A useful scheme for the titration of IFN beta treatment is to begin with 25% of the full dose for the first week, 50% in the second, and if this is well tolerated, the full dose is given from the third week onwards.[@b16-ppa-4-001] Concomitant non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) treatment, either prophylactically or as required, can also help to reduce these symptoms.[@b16-ppa-4-001] Low doses of corticosteroids may be administered to patients who do not respond satisfactorily to NSAIDs for flu-like symptoms. A randomized study compared the efficacy of corticosteroids, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen for the control of IFN beta-related flu-like symptoms. The three treatments showed a similar degree of efficacy on flu-like symptoms, although flu-like symptoms immediately following injection were less severe in patients treated with ibuprofen.[@b32-ppa-4-001] Another technique for the management of flu-like symptoms is for patients to administer their therapy in the evening, meaning that the majority of acute symptoms occur while they are asleep.[@b16-ppa-4-001]
Adherence to MS therapy can be enhanced by providing the patient with a support network. Often, the MS nurse is well placed to co-ordinate the support network, being the central point of contact with the patient once therapy has been initiated. MS nurses can provide the patient with information on available support services offered by the clinic or in the community. Many patients find that self-help groups can provide valuable support and information. Additionally, the MS nurse can advise the patient on the management of symptoms, side-effects, and co-morbidities.
In addition to the care provided by the physician and nurse, treatment, information, and support from a wider, multidisciplinary team can enhance further the patient's adherence to therapy.[@b33-ppa-4-001] The patient and their family and friends are central in this care model, with support from the family practitioner, physiotherapist, neuropsychologist, and MS societies forming valuable relationships with the patient. Many patients report that how they are treated by their care team influences their likelihood of following medical recommendations.[@b33-ppa-4-001] One study of adherence to IFN beta-1b in 939 patients with SPMS found that the highest rates of adherence were achieved in clinics where empathetic and less formal relationships between patients and caregivers were encouraged.[@b34-ppa-4-001] Effective and sensitive working relationships between the patient and their support team are an important part of the patient's care. As the disease course of MS is unpredictable, and the patient's attitudes and behavior patterns can be changeable, encouraging adherence is a complex issue. The support team needs to be aware of the potential barriers to adherence and sensitive to the patient's state of mind in order to support the patient with the goal of maintaining adherence.[@b35-ppa-4-001]
The formulation of MS drugs can influence their tolerability, and formulation adjustments may serve to improve tolerability and so enhance adherence. For example, IFN beta-1a for sc injection has been re-formulated, produced without fetal bovine serum and without human serum albumin as an excipient. A recent 2-year study[@b36-ppa-4-001] compared data on the tolerability and immunogenicity of patients treated with the new formulation of sc IFN beta-1a (n = 260) with historical data on patients treated with the previous formulation of sc IFN beta-1a in the EVIDENCE (n = 339) and REGARD (n = 381) trials. The incidence of ISRs in patients receiving the new formulation was 31%, almost three times lower than in the EVIDENCE study (86%), and lower than in the REGARD study (41%). Levels of immunogenicity were lower with the new formulation than in the historical cohort, with apparent comparable efficacy. However, it remains to be seen whether these improvements in tolerability and immunogenicity will translate into higher adherence rates. A study that assessed the immunogenicity and safety of a human serum albumin-free formulation of im IFN beta-1a found the tolerability profile of the human serum albumin-free formulation similar to that of the original formulation.[@b37-ppa-4-001]
Future directions for the enhancement of adherence in MS
========================================================
There are several strategies being explored that may prove to enhance adherence to MS therapies. These include advances in delivery technology, improved patient education and support programs and alternative routes of administration. Perhaps the most important advance in MS treatment that is anticipated to significantly improve adherence to long-term treatment will be the availability of orally administered drugs. In terms of adherence, oral drugs have a potential advantage over injected therapies in that needle phobia and injection-related AEs will not be an issue, making treatment available to patients with MS who are unable, or unwilling, to receive regular injections. Nonparenteral routes of drug administration can also be expected to enhance adherence.[@b1-ppa-4-001] In other therapy areas, such as oncology and diabetes, patients prefer receiving their medication in the form of tablets or an inhaled preparation, rather than as injections.[@b38-ppa-4-001]--[@b40-ppa-4-001] Additionally, oral or inhaled medications are associated with heightened levels of patient satisfaction with their treatment.[@b38-ppa-4-001],[@b41-ppa-4-001] Therefore, with the more convenient administration route, oral MS therapies may be expected to improve rates of adherence compared with those found with injected drugs.
Although the development of new oral agents for the treatment of MS is an important step in improving adherence to MS therapy, oral administration may not entirely solve the problem of poor adherence. The example of osteoporosis treatment clearly shows that frequency of dosing can greatly influence the adherence to oral therapies. Studies show that persistence with weekly oral bisphosphonate therapy is substantially greater than with a daily regimen, although still not optimal. Additionally, patient surveys show that the majority of patients prefer a weekly regimen to daily, with a once-monthly regimen being the most popular.[@b42-ppa-4-001] Studies in other therapy areas have also shown that simpler[@b43-ppa-4-001],[@b44-ppa-4-001] and less frequent[@b45-ppa-4-001],[@b46-ppa-4-001] dosing produces greater adherence than more frequent administration.
Several oral agents for the treatment of MS are currently being studied in Phase III trials ([Table 1](#t1-ppa-4-001){ref-type="table"}). Laquinimod, a derivative of linomide, alters dendritic cell responses and promotes a shift to Th2 immunity.[@b47-ppa-4-001] BG-12 is a second-generation fumaric acid derivative, which has shown promising results on MRI measures of MS in Phase II studies.[@b48-ppa-4-001] Fingolimod (FTY720) is a sphingosine-1-phosphate agonist that was originally investigated for the prevention of renal transplant rejection. It is an immunosuppressive agent that induces lymphopenia by sequestering lymphocytes into secondary lymph nodes. Via this mechanism it prevents T cells from crossing the blood-brain barrier and invading the CNS. Fingolimod preferentially depletes B cells and may have vasoprotective properties and neuroprotective effects. Phase II trials of fingolimod in patients with MS showed efficacy in MRI and clinical measures.[@b49-ppa-4-001] Preliminary results of a Phase III study indicate that the efficacy of fingolimod is superior to that of im IFN beta-1a for relapse rate.[@b50-ppa-4-001] Leflunomide is used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Its active metabolite, teriflunomide, reduced the number of MRI lesions in patients with MS in Phase II trials. It causes the selective depletion of B and T cells by inhibiting the synthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides.[@b51-ppa-4-001] Cladribine is a small molecule, which acts as a prodrug: a deoxyadenosine analogue immunomodulator that is resistant to deamination by the enzyme adenosine deaminase. Activation of cladribine in specific cell types results in preferential reduction of lymphocyte B and T subtypes,[@b52-ppa-4-001],[@b53-ppa-4-001] both of which are involved in MS pathogenesis,[@b54-ppa-4-001],[@b55-ppa-4-001] with relatively minor effects on other hematological and immune cell types.[@b52-ppa-4-001],[@b56-ppa-4-001]--[@b58-ppa-4-001] Cladribine tablets therapy was developed following encouraging clinical trial experience with parenteral cladribine in MS.[@b52-ppa-4-001],[@b56-ppa-4-001],[@b59-ppa-4-001] The sustained effects on T and B cells has allowed for the development of cladribine tablets using a short-course annual dosing regimen. This may mean that patients need to take tablets for 10 or 20 days per year. Cladribine tablets recently became the first orally administered investigational treatment for MS to complete a 2-year Phase III pivotal study in which it demonstrated rapid and significant improvements in clinical outcome measures, including reductions in relapse rates and the risk of developing 3-month sustained disability progression relative to placebo in patients with relapsing--remitting MS.[@b60-ppa-4-001]--[@b62-ppa-4-001]
Should one or more of these oral therapies in development be approved for the treatment of MS, it may be speculated that their benefits would lead to higher levels of treatment adherence currently seen with parenteral treatments. While a change in administration route is unlikely to completely solve the problem of poor adherence, the advent of oral therapies represents a significant milestone in the care of patients with MS.
Conclusions
===========
Adherence to treatment regimens is essential for patients to gain the full benefit of their therapies.[@b1-ppa-4-001] Although the impact of non-adherence to MS therapies has not been widely assessed, it is reasonable to assume that poor adherence to MS drugs results in poorer outcomes. It has been shown that long interruptions in MS therapy confer a higher risk of severe relapse.[@b29-ppa-4-001] As with other chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes, nonadherence and poor adherence to therapy are common in MS, and improving adherence should be recognized as an important treatment goal in its own right. Many factors can cause patients to discontinue treatment, including treatment-related AEs and patient perception of lack of efficacy. Where possible, these should be addressed through patient education and support, and strategies to maximize drug tolerability to improve adherence. Appropriate measures to enhance adherence are summarized below. Adherence must be considered an important modifier of the efficacy of long-term treatment.The management of patients' expectations should be central in the process of treatment of patients with MS.Patients should be trained in appropriate injection technique (such as rotation, self-injection).Patients must be informed of the potential side-effects and on the correct management of the latter.Specific work must be done with non-adherent patients, and the possibility of switching to a different therapy, if appropriate, should be discussed.
Oral therapies currently in development also have the potential to improve adherence: the absence of ISRs and ease of administration may make these treatments more acceptable to patients, particularly if the tablet burden is low.
While suboptimal adherence to MS therapies remains a problem, adherence can be enhanced by various strategies. Future developments in drug and administration technology may be expected to further improve adherence, and therefore patient outcomes.
The author takes full responsibility for the content of the paper but thank Steve Smith, Caudex Medical (supported by Merck Serono S.A. -- Geneva, Switzerland, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany), for his assistance in preparing the initial draft.
**Disclosures**
The author has received financial support for research activities from the University of Catania and has also received fees from Merck Serono S.A. -- Geneva, Switzerland, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Sanofi-Aventis, as well as fees from Bayer Schering Pharma for speaking services. The author takes full responsibility for the data, the analyses and the interpretation, and the conduct of the research; had full access to the data; and has the right to publish any and all data, separate and apart from the attitudes of the sponsor.
{#f1-ppa-4-001}
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Oral agents currently in Phase III trials for multiple sclerosis
**Agent** **Molecule type** **Therapeutic target** **Current/previous use** **Expected dosing regimen**
--------------- -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fingolimod Partial sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonist Lymphocyte trafficking Renal transplantation (failed Phase III trials) 5.0 or 1.25 mg daily
Laquinimod Derivative of linomide (roquinimex) Prevention of T-cell activation Oncology (antiangiogenic agent) 0.6 mg daily
BG-12 Fumaric acid derivative Prevention of T-cell activation Psoriasis (approved in Germany) 720 mg daily
Teriflunomide Active metabolite of leflunomide Lymphocyte antiproliferation agent Rheumatoid arthritis 7.0 or 14.0 mg daily
Cladribine Purine nucleoside analog pro-drug Preferential reduction of T and B lymphocyte subtypes Hairy cell leukemia and lymphoma Short-course annual dosing regimen (3.5 mg/kg or 5.25 mg/kg over 96 weeks)
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export default Stats
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Cancer research has shown an increasing interest in the use of monoclonal antibodies as a therapeutic. Raised in a similar fashion to diagnostic antibodies, therapeutic antibodies are aimed at specifically targeting tumor cells. The use of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies has been hampered in the past primarily because of issues related to the antigenicity of the protein. Monoclonal antibodies are a mouse product, and therefore generate an anti-murine response when injected into humans. This so-called HAMA (human anti-mouse antibody) response has imposed a great limitation on the use of monoclonal antibodies, as repeated dosing is nearly always precluded. In addition, serious complications, such as serum sickness, have been reported with the use of these agents. With the advent of chimeric and humanized antibodies, the therapeutic benefit of monoclonals is being realized. Using recombinant DNA technology, it is possible for a monoclonal antibody to be constructed by joining the variable or antigen recognition site of the antibody to a human backbone. This construction greatly decreases the incidence of blocking or clearing of the foreign antibodies from the host. This development allows for multiple doses of antibody to be given, providing the opportunity for reproducible and sustained responses with this therapy.
Recent cancer research has focused on the use of recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of cancers whose cells overexpress the protein p185HER2. This 185-kDa growth factor receptor is encoded by the her-2 proto-oncogene, also referred to as neu and c-erbB-2 (Slamon et al. (1987) Science 235:177-182). The her-2 gene is closely related to, but distinct from, the gene encoding epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Amplification of this gene has been linked to neoplastic transformation in human breast cancer cells (Slamon et al. (1987) supra). Overexpression of this protein has been identified within 20-30% of breast cancer patients, where it correlates with regionally advanced disease, increased probability of tumor recurrence, and reduced patient survival. As many as 30-40% of patients having gastric, endometrial, salivary gland, non-small cell lung, pancreatic, ovarian, peritoneal, prostate, or colorectal cancers may also exhibit overexpression of this protein.
The most widely recognized monoclonal antibody targeting HER2 receptor function is marketed under the tradename Herceptin® (Genentech, Inc., San Francisco, Calif.). This recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody has high affinity for p185HER2. Early clinical trials with patients having extensive metastatic breast carcinomas demonstrate the ability of this monoclonal antibody to inhibit growth of breast cancer cells that overexpress HER2 (Baselga et al. (1996) J. Clin. Oncol. 14(3):737-744). In one such trial, monotherapy with Herceptin® in metastatic breast cancer patients yielded an overall response rate of 14% (2% complete responders and 12% partial responders). The median duration of response was 9.1 months, median survival was 12.8 months (ranging from 0.5 to 24+ months). Twenty-four percent of the patients were progression free at 5.8 months (Genentech, Inc., data on file). Degree of overexpression of p185HER2 was predictive of treatment effect. In another clinical trial, monotherapy with Herceptin® yielded objective responses in 5 out of 43 assessable metastatic breast cancer patients (11.6%).
Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a potent stimulator of natural killer (NK) and T-cell proliferation and function (Morgan et al. (1976) Science 193:1007-1011). This naturally occurring lymphokine has been shown to have anti-tumor activity against a variety of malignancies either alone or when combined with leukotriene-activated killer (LAK) cells or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (see, for example, Rosenberg et al. (1987) N. Engl. J. Med. 316:889-897; Rosenberg (1988) Ann. Surg. 208:121-135; Topalian et al. (1988) J. Clin. Oncol. 6:839-853; Rosenberg et al. (1988) N. Engl. J. Med. 319:1676-1680; and Weber et al. (1992) J. Clin. Oncol. 10:33-40). Although the anti-tumor activity of IL-2 has best been described in patients with metastatic melanoma and renal cell carcinoma, other diseases, notably lymphoma, also appear to respond to treatment with IL-2. However, high doses of IL-2 used to achieve positive therapeutic results with respect to tumor growth frequently cause severe toxicity effects, including capillary leak, hypotension, and neurological changes (see, for example, Duggan et al. (1992) J. Immunotherapy 12:115-122; Gisselbrecht et al. (1994) Blood 83:2081-2085; and Sznol and Parkinson (1994) Blood 83:2020-2022). Studies have shown that IL-2 augments antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity in vitro, and potential natural killer cell effectors may be expanded and activated in vivo with low dose IL-2 (Cancer Immunol. Immunother. 46(1998):318).
Although both of these agents exhibit promising anti-tumor activity, their therapeutic potential for cancer patients needs further examination. Cancers whose cells overexpress the HER2 receptor can be particularly recalcitrant to treatment. New methods of therapy that provide a more aggressive approach are needed. |
Detection of differential gene copy number using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography.
Genomic rearrangements leading to deletion or duplication of gene(s) resulting in alterations in gene copy number underlie the molecular lesion in several genetic disorders. Methods currently used to determine gene copy number including real time PCR, southern hybridization, fluorescence in situ hybridization, densitometric scanning of PCR product etc. have certain disadvantages and are also expensive and time consuming. Herein, we describe a simple and rapid method to assess gene copy number using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (dHPLC). We used X chromosome genes as model to compare the gene copy numbers present on this chromosome in males and females. DNA from these samples were amplified by biplex PCR using primer pairs specific for X chromosome genes only (target gene) and for genes present on both X and Y chromosomes (internal control). Amplified products were analyzed using HPLC under non-denaturing conditions. The ratio of peak areas (target gene/internal control) of the amplified products was approximately twice in female samples than male samples (p < 0.001) demonstrating that the differential gene copy number can be easily detected using this method. This method can potentially be used for diagnostic purpose where the need is to distinguish samples based on the differential gene copy numbers. |
Shuttlebox avoidance by rats using white noise intensities from 90-120 db SPL as the UCS.
Hooded rats in 4 groups (10 M, 10 F each) were given shuttlebox avoidance training, 25 trials a day for 6 consecutive days, using a compound light-click warning signal and white noise as an aversive unconditioned stimulus at either 90, 100, 110, or 120 db SPL. Avoidance performance was an inverted U-shaped function of noise level. Females were significantly more active than males at each noise level, but although females performed more avoidance responses than males at each level, this sex difference was not significant. Avoidance response latencies were relatively invariant across training sessions for each group, as were escape responses latencies for the 100- and 110-db groups. Escape response latencies for the 90- and 120-db groups increased across training sessions. Shuttlebox performance as a function of increasing white noise UCS level is, in most respects, similar to performance obtained with increasing shock intensities. |
Q:
A certain problem concerning a Hilbert class field
Is the following proposition true? If yes, how would you prove this?
Proposition
Let $k$ be an algebraic number field.
Let $K$ be a finite abelian extension of $k$.
Suppose every principal prime ideal of $k$ splits completely in $K$.
Let $L$ be a finite extension of $k$.
Let $E = KL$.
Let $h'$ be the class number of $L$.
Then [$E : L$] | $h'$ and $E/L$ is unramified at every prime ideal of $L$.
Motivation
I thought I could use this proposition to prove the following result.
On the class number of a cyclotomic number field of an odd prime order
Effort
Let $\mathcal{I}$ be the group of fractional ideals of $L$.
Let $\mathcal{P}$ be the group of principal ideals of $L$.
Let $\mathcal{H}$ = {$I \in \mathcal{I}$; $N_{L/k}(I)$ is principal}.
Note that $\mathcal{H} \supset \mathcal{P}$.
Then use the following two links.
Related questions
On a certain criterion for unramification of an abelian extension of an algebraic number field
Complete splitting of a prime ideal in a certain abelian extension of an algebraic number field
A:
This is a direct application of class field theory. The assumption on $K$ implies that $K$ is contained in the Hilbert class field of $k$. Thus $E$ is contained in the Hilbert class field of $L$, and so $E$ is unramified over $L$, and $[E:L]$ divides the class number of $L$.
|
I grimaced as I read the headline in this morning’s Prophet. It was old news to me, of course. Yesterday morning, a weedy third year had come running into the Great Hall, yelling about how the Hogwarts Memorial had crumbled. Naturally, no one had believed him at first. One of the Slytherins had yelled out something about the kid drinking too much butterbeer, while most of the other students just laughed. The Memorial had been standing perfectly fine the night before. It couldn’t be destroyed in just a few hours.
Professor Longbottom, being the nicest Professor in the school, had come down from the High Table and led the student out of the hall and to the Hospital Wing for a Calming Draught, and two Gryffindors had taken the liberty to run down to the Memorial and see for themselves.
When they came back, the girl was in tears, while the boy looked positively furious. Their expressions contained everything we needed to know.
After that, it was like a stampede. There was no stopping us, and the teachers made no attempt to. Toast was left half eaten on plates, goblets of pumpkin juice were overturned, and even the High Table was a complete mess.
Almost as soon as we left the Castle, we could tell that something was wrong. Instead of the top of the dome of the Memorial visible on the horizon, there was nothing save for a faint cloud of smoke. In a strange display of unity, we ran together towards the ruins, wondering how the hell this could have happened.
The Memorial was completely destroyed. The white marble had lost its gleam, instead covered by a fine layer of dust. There was one large piece still standing, but it appeared as though the rest of it had been blown away. Large chunks of marble were scattered around the Memorial, but some of the stone had been crushed to nothing more than pebbles, or even just dust.
And even on the bit of the Memorial that was still standing, the magic that made the images move was no longer working. It seemed strangely barren without that magical touch.
One thing was clear. No force of nature could do this. Even a drunk Hagrid wouldn’t be able to wreak such havoc. No, this was a deliberate act. Someone had wanted to destroy the memorial, and whoever it was had been powerful. That marble had been imbued with the strongest of spells, designed so that no wind or storm could damage it. Only a very strong witch or wizard would be able to destroy those.
And then, even as we stood in shocked silence, Headmaster Stan took the lead. He walked to the front of the crowd, stepping around the pieces of fallen stone, and let off a loud bang with his wand to get everyone’s attention.
“Back to the castle, all of you!” he said loudly, motioning us away with his hands. “I will be blocking off this area for staff investigation. Prefects, if you could find your Houses and lead them away, please. Everyone to your first class. We will have a normal school day. I repeat, a normal day. Oh, and if the Head Boy and Girl could stay here , I’d like to talk to the two of you.” He waited, but no one moved. “Well, off you go then!”
The students began to turn away, whispering among themselves.
Vaguely, I could just make out Hugo’s voice as he called for the Ravenclaws, and I automatically began to move towards it. My ears seemed to be filled with a strange buzzing. I couldn’t believe this.
And really, I still couldn’t. Who would destroy that Memorial? It had to have been a kid, or I suppose a member of the staff. No one else could get in to Hogwarts. But why would anyone want to destroy it? It was a blatant act of disrespect and to be completely honest, an act to show support for Voldemort, or at the very least against Dad and the others that fought in that battle. Who could even think of doing such a thing, now that the conflict had been over for more than twenty years?
I almost felt like people weren’t making a big enough deal out of this. The teachers were talking quietly in the corridors more than usual, and the prefects seemed to know something the rest of us didn’t. I had asked both Albus and Hugo to tell me what that was, but both of them had refused. But most of the students had put the incident out of their minds. The conversation at breakfast today was much the same as usual.
I skimmed the article in the Daily Prophet about the incident. They didn’t know anything more than we did, really. A picture of the ruins of the memorial accompanied the article, and I wondered how the media was able to get into Hogwarts so easily. I wondered…but no, it couldn’t be... Had this entire thing been a media stunt? They had precious little to cover since the Memorial was finished, with the Ministry being so painfully slow, and maybe they wanted to stir things up. I honestly wouldn’t put it past the Prophet to pull such a trick, but I didn’t want to believe it. Even they couldn’t destroy something so meaningful so people would buy the newspaper, right?
I shook my head. It was all so confusing.
Hattie looked at me knowingly. “Let me guess,” she said with a small smirk. “Do you still have the Memorial on your mind?”
I nodded glumly.
“Hey, there’s nothing you can do about it,” she said softly. “The Professors are great at these things. They’ll find whoever did it in no time.”
I tried to give her a small smile. It wasn’t that I was worried about whoever did it. No, I just wanted to figure out why they did it. What goal did they have in mind? Whoever did it would probably be expelled though, so it was unlikely that my questions would be answered.
But as much as I loved her, I knew Hattie wouldn’t understand my curiosity. She just wasn’t that type of a person. So instead, I pretended to agree.
“Yeah, you’re probably right. We should head to class, anyways.”
She nodded, stuffing her quill and ink from the essay she had been finishing into her bag.
As we walked out, I noticed one of the Scamander twins hurrying towards the High Table and looking absolutely terrified.
After all the strange things I had seen in this school, however, that was the least of my worries.
*
If there is one thing I will never understand, it’s why the female body cannot hope to function without chocolate. I hate saying I rely on anything. But I must have my chocolate.
Blame hormones.
Still, it had been almost a week since I had eaten pure chocolate, and my mood was showing it that Friday afternoon.
Me, Hattie, and the other girls in our dormitory (Ellie, Madison, and Beth) were stretched out on the floor between our beds, trying to work on our potions essays, but I could not concentrate. The floor was too hard. There was a glare on my parchment so I couldn’t see what I was writing. Not to mention that I was writing a potions essay. Out of all the classes, I could live without potions the most. It was too tedious, making sure ingredients went into the cauldron in exactly the right amounts and at exactly the right temperatures.
After three failed attempts to spell “bubotuber puss” correctly, I growled, throwing my quill against the ground. Hattie looked up at me with a wry smile. My mood was not improved when I saw her parchment was already half filled, and her writing was tiny.
“I give up,” I said sullenly. Who needed potions, anyways?
To my surprise, Ellie followed suit. She rolled her parchment up and closed her ink.
“It is a bit of a pain to work on this the first week back,” she agreed. “Shall we take a break?”
Though both Hattie and Beth looked slightly saddened by this comment, they too began to put their things away. Sometimes, I wondered why I had been sorted into Ravenclaw. I hated studying. There were few things worse than spending hours writing essays and perfecting charms. I loved the people in my House, yes, but there were times when I wanted to strangle them all. Like when Hattie got a one hundred and ten percent on her Charms exam last year. That isn’t bloody normal.
Today, though, I could sense that I wasn’t the only one frustrated by this essay. To my greatest delight, Ellie fumbled through her trunk and found a slab of Honeydukes chocolate, breaking it into five pieces and handing it out.
I made a mental note to stock up on the stuff during our first Hogsmeade visit. I swear there’s some sort of charm on it to make it more addicting.
Her smile widened. From her trunk, she pulled out a deep red velvet box and opened it. Inside was an old fashioned camera, gold and
studded with crystals.
I gasped. “Um, wow.”
“My dad gave it to me for my birthday, over the summer. Isn’t it gorgeous? I’d love to take pictures for you, if you’re willing, Lily.”
“Yeah. Yeah, definitely!” I would have written an article praising her as my lord and master if it meant she would take pictures for me with that beauty. I didn’t just want it-I mean, her-on my staff. I needed her. And her camera. Especially her camera.
“If it’s not too much to ask, can I take photos of the Ravenclaw Quidditch tryouts?” I couldn’t help but notice that she blushed as she asked the question.
“And any particular reason for that?” I asked with a knowing smile.
“She’s in love with Ben Tooke,” Beth blurted. Ellie’s face got even redder, and she hid it in her hands.
I giggled. “Of course you can!”
This was coming together. I had two people on staff of my newspaper now. I knew it would be a success.
And hey, if it involved talking to extremely fit Quidditch blokes with their shirts off? That was just a bonus.
*
“Did you hear about the Scamander kid?”
I shook my head at Ben’s question, spooning mashed potatoes into my mouth. It had been an entirely uneventful day, and the stress on the teachers had only served to make them more unreasonable. I had three essays to write after dinner, and I had to practice a Switching Spell for Transfiguration. I was ready to eat as quickly as I possibly could and get to work. I could already see a sleepless night in my future, so I barely heard Ben as he spoke.
“Oh, really? Well, apparently he confessed to damaging the Memorial.”
I nodded absently, hearing the words but not listening. Then, as they
began to sink in, my head shot up.
“Wait, what!”
Ben looked only mildly surprised at my delayed reaction. “Yeah, apparently he asked to talk to Professor Stan right after breakfast.
Confessed to the whole thing.”
I was shocked. Completely and totally shocked. Ben had to be joking. I mean, there was no way Luna Scamander’s son could have damaged the very thing she had spent so much of her time working towards.
“That’s crazy,” I muttered. “Wait, which twin was it?”
Ben shrugged. “The Hufflepuff. I honestly don’t know which is which.”
It was Lorcan, then. But that made even less sense. Even though Mum had been telling me for years that the Hufflepuffs were just as important as the other Houses, everyone knew they were a bunch of softies. No anger in those Puffs. None of them could possibly even dream of destroying a Memorial.
“Did he say why?” I asked, dreading the answer.
“Yeah, he said he was drunk. He found some old firewhiskey in his dorm and drank it for fun, but he never expected to get so drunk. He didn’t realize what he was doing.”
I wrinkled my eyebrows. “And…and they believed him?”
I couldn’t imagine the Professors would believe there was an ancient bottle of firewhiskey just sitting around in the dorms. That was the crap someone would invent to get themself out of trouble.
“Well, he seemed pretty hung over and there was an abnormal alcohol content in his blood, so yes, they believed him. They have all the proof they need.”
“So is he going to be expelled?”
As much as I knew he deserved to be punished, I couldn’t help but hope they would let him off easy. Mum and Dad had always treated Luna like family, and though I had never been as close to Lorcan or Lysander as I was with the rest of my cousins, I didn’t want to see either of them be punished, much like I wouldn’t want to see my brother be punished. No, wait, that’s a lie. I’d love to see perfect little Albus have to swot it out in detention. But I felt slightly protective over the twins. Maybe it was because they were younger than me. I was so used to being the baby of the family. It was nice when the twins were there, because then I’d be older than somebody.
I nodded thoughtfully, glancing over to the Hufflepuff table, but I didn’t see Lorcan.
“Oh, he’s not here right now,” Ben said, noticing where I was looking. “They’ve put him in one of the teacher offices while they decide what to do with him.”
I sighed, even though I had guessed that would be true. I instead shifted my attention to our own table, where I saw a mop of golden blond hair close to the end. I stood up, pushing my half eaten plate of food away.
“Where are you going?” Ben asked, looking confused.
“To talk to his brother.”
*
The Scamander twins had been one of the few cases in Hogwarts history where twins were put into different Houses. Lysander had ended up in Ravenclaw like his mum, while Lorcan was put into Hufflepuff. The two of them were incredibly close, yet the separation had only served to make them closer.
As I got closer to where Lysander was sitting, I could tell that he was most certainly distraught. He looked close to tears, and the people sitting around him were trying to comfort him, but their efforts went almost unnoticed by Lysander.
I cleared my throat loudly as I approached him, and he turned his head to look at me.
“Hi, Lysander,” I said softly.
“Hey,” he answered, his voice barely above a whisper. My heart went out to him.
“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?” I asked. He grimaced, and I quickly spoke again. “Only if you’re up for it, of course.” I lowered my voice and bent down so the others sitting around him wouldn’t be able to hear. “I’m starting a newspaper, you see, and I want to get your side of the story.”
At this, his ears perked up slightly. I hid the grin that came automatically to my lips and motioned to the door that led out of the Great Hall.
Lysander said nothing, but stood quickly and followed me out.
We walked through the corridors until we were a safe distance from the Great Hall, whereupon I stopped and pulled out my notebook and quill. I opened my mouth to ask a question, a surge of pride welling through me when I realized I was conducting my first interview, but Lysander had already begun to speak.
“I don’t know why he did it. I don’t even think he did it. Lorcan would never drink, and he would be smart enough to stay in the Castle if he did. I don’t know why he admitted to it, Lily, because I swear he didn’t do it. No one believes me. But he didn’t do it! I promise!”
His voice began to rise hysterically, and I put a hand out to stop him.
“That’s okay,” I said softly. “I…” I hesitated. I wanted to believe him, I really did, but all the evidence was pointing against Lorcan at this point. “I’m sure you’re telling the truth,” I said finally, deciding that was less of a lie.
He seemed slightly mollified by my response, and I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn’t help but feel like I was being insensitive. I did feel sorry for Lysander, I really did. But at the same time, this was my big break. I’d be getting insider information! What could be better?
“Do you have a theory as to who did it if Lorcan didn’t?” I asked him. He shook his head. “It just wasn’t him. And now he’s to be suspended!
I suppose it’s lucky he wasn’t expelled, but still. Lorcan’s never been the kind to get into trouble. And Mum is all worked up about it too. She believes that he didn’t do it, we all do. But he won’t stop saying that he did!”
I scribbled furiously in my notebook, a surge of relief washing through my entire body. Lorcan wasn’t going to be expelled. It was just a suspension. Considering the circumstances, I knew that he was very lucky, and I wondered why Stan had been so kind. But this also meant that I would be able to talk to Lorcan when he returned!
“How long is he suspended for?”
“A week. He’ll be staying here at the Castle, though. I’m not entirely sure where. He just won’t be allowed to see anyone or attend classes, and they’re taking his wand away for that week. And then he has detentions when he gets back. A lot of them, too. Three times a week until Easter.”
I continued to write as fast as I could, ignoring the cramp in my hand. I knew that Lysander was probably very worried, which is why he was telling me all of this. It seemed as though he wasn’t able to stop himself. But I really wasn’t going to complain. This could be the first headline of my newspaper, when it came out. I would start things off with a bang.
I pondered for a moment, wondering if there was anything else I could ask Lysander. Probably not. I really needed to talk to Lorcan. Instead, I closed my notebook and pocketed it, giving Lysander a smile.
“Thank you for talking to me,” I said kindly. “I really am sorry for you. Let me know if I can do anything.”
He returned my smile, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you. I mean it. Hey, you’re starting a newspaper, aren’t you? I saw your signs on the notice board.”
I nodded.
“Here’s something you can do for me, then,” he said, his voice calm for the first time all evening. “Write an article about my brother. Say that he didn’t commit any crimes. Let the school read it. I just want them to know.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said, nodding my head. “I promise.”
A/N: WE FINALLY MET HIM! :D He’s Lorcan, not Lysander, by the way :P And the plot finally shows up! Only took me three chapters *whistles* And I promiiisse it’ll get more humorous. Maybe. Never mind, I can’t promise anything :P But you all are lovely to me and reviews make me feel special ♥ |
/*
* Copyright 2016 Smith AR <audoban@openmailbox.org>
* Michail Vourlakos <mvourlakos@gmail.com>
*
* This file is part of Latte-Dock
*
* Latte-Dock is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
* modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as
* published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of
* the License, or (at your option) any later version.
*
* Latte-Dock is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
* but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
* MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
* GNU General Public License for more details.
*
* You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
* along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*/
#include "abstractwindowinterface.h"
// local
#include "tracker/schemes.h"
#include "tracker/windowstracker.h"
#include "../lattecorona.h"
// Qt
#include <QDebug>
// KDE
#include <KActivities/Controller>
namespace Latte {
namespace WindowSystem {
#define MAXPLASMAPANELTHICKNESS 96
#define MAXSIDEPANELTHICKNESS 512
AbstractWindowInterface::AbstractWindowInterface(QObject *parent)
: QObject(parent)
{
m_activities = new KActivities::Consumer(this);
m_currentActivity = m_activities->currentActivity();
m_corona = qobject_cast<Latte::Corona *>(parent);
m_windowsTracker = new Tracker::Windows(this);
m_schemesTracker = new Tracker::Schemes(this);
rulesConfig = KSharedConfig::openConfig(QStringLiteral("taskmanagerrulesrc"));
m_windowWaitingTimer.setInterval(150);
m_windowWaitingTimer.setSingleShot(true);
connect(&m_windowWaitingTimer, &QTimer::timeout, this, [&]() {
WindowId wid = m_windowChangedWaiting;
m_windowChangedWaiting = QVariant();
emit windowChanged(wid);
});
connect(this, &AbstractWindowInterface::windowRemoved, this, &AbstractWindowInterface::windowRemovedSlot);
// connect(this, &AbstractWindowInterface::windowChanged, this, [&](WindowId wid) {
// qDebug() << "WINDOW CHANGED ::: " << wid;
// });
connect(m_activities.data(), &KActivities::Consumer::currentActivityChanged, this, [&](const QString &id) {
m_currentActivity = id;
emit currentActivityChanged();
});
}
AbstractWindowInterface::~AbstractWindowInterface()
{
m_windowWaitingTimer.stop();
m_schemesTracker->deleteLater();
m_windowsTracker->deleteLater();
}
QString AbstractWindowInterface::currentDesktop()
{
return m_currentDesktop;
}
QString AbstractWindowInterface::currentActivity()
{
return m_currentActivity;
}
Latte::Corona *AbstractWindowInterface::corona()
{
return m_corona;
}
Tracker::Schemes *AbstractWindowInterface::schemesTracker()
{
return m_schemesTracker;
}
Tracker::Windows *AbstractWindowInterface::windowsTracker() const
{
return m_windowsTracker;
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::isIgnored(const WindowId &wid) const
{
return m_ignoredWindows.contains(wid);
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::isFullScreenWindow(const QRect &wGeometry) const
{
if (wGeometry.isEmpty()) {
return false;
}
for (const auto scr : qGuiApp->screens()) {
if (wGeometry == scr->geometry()) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::isPlasmaPanel(const QRect &wGeometry) const
{
if (wGeometry.isEmpty()) {
return false;
}
bool isTouchingHorizontalEdge{false};
bool isTouchingVerticalEdge{false};
for (const auto scr : qGuiApp->screens()) {
if (scr->geometry().contains(wGeometry.center())) {
if (wGeometry.y() == scr->geometry().y() || wGeometry.bottom() == scr->geometry().bottom()) {
isTouchingHorizontalEdge = true;
}
if (wGeometry.left() == scr->geometry().left() || wGeometry.right() == scr->geometry().right()) {
isTouchingVerticalEdge = true;
}
if (isTouchingVerticalEdge && isTouchingHorizontalEdge) {
break;
}
}
}
if ((isTouchingHorizontalEdge && wGeometry.height() < MAXPLASMAPANELTHICKNESS)
|| (isTouchingVerticalEdge && wGeometry.width() < MAXPLASMAPANELTHICKNESS)) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::isSidepanel(const QRect &wGeometry) const
{
bool isVertical = wGeometry.height() > wGeometry.width();
int thickness = qMin(wGeometry.width(), wGeometry.height());
int length = qMax(wGeometry.width(), wGeometry.height());
QRect screenGeometry;
for (const auto scr : qGuiApp->screens()) {
if (scr->geometry().contains(wGeometry.center())) {
screenGeometry = scr->geometry();
break;
}
}
bool thicknessIsAcccepted = isVertical && ((thickness > MAXPLASMAPANELTHICKNESS) && (thickness < MAXSIDEPANELTHICKNESS));
bool lengthIsAccepted = isVertical && !screenGeometry.isEmpty() && (length > 0.6 * screenGeometry.height());
float sideRatio = (float)wGeometry.width() / (float)wGeometry.height();
return (thicknessIsAcccepted && lengthIsAccepted && sideRatio<0.4);
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::hasBlockedTracking(const WindowId &wid) const
{
return (!isWhitelistedWindow(wid) && (isRegisteredPlasmaIgnoredWindow(wid) || isIgnored(wid)));
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::isRegisteredPlasmaIgnoredWindow(const WindowId &wid) const
{
return m_plasmaIgnoredWindows.contains(wid);
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::isWhitelistedWindow(const WindowId &wid) const
{
return m_whitelistedWindows.contains(wid);
}
bool AbstractWindowInterface::inCurrentDesktopActivity(const WindowInfoWrap &winfo)
{
return (winfo.isValid() && winfo.isOnDesktop(currentDesktop()) && winfo.isOnActivity(currentActivity()));
}
//! Register Latte Ignored Windows in order to NOT be tracked
void AbstractWindowInterface::registerIgnoredWindow(WindowId wid)
{
if (!wid.isNull() && !m_ignoredWindows.contains(wid)) {
m_ignoredWindows.append(wid);
emit windowChanged(wid);
}
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::unregisterIgnoredWindow(WindowId wid)
{
if (m_ignoredWindows.contains(wid)) {
m_ignoredWindows.removeAll(wid);
emit windowRemoved(wid);
}
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::registerPlasmaIgnoredWindow(WindowId wid)
{
if (!wid.isNull() && !m_plasmaIgnoredWindows.contains(wid)) {
m_plasmaIgnoredWindows.append(wid);
emit windowChanged(wid);
}
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::unregisterPlasmaIgnoredWindow(WindowId wid)
{
if (m_plasmaIgnoredWindows.contains(wid)) {
m_plasmaIgnoredWindows.removeAll(wid);
}
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::registerWhitelistedWindow(WindowId wid)
{
if (!wid.isNull() && !m_whitelistedWindows.contains(wid)) {
m_whitelistedWindows.append(wid);
emit windowChanged(wid);
}
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::unregisterWhitelistedWindow(WindowId wid)
{
if (m_whitelistedWindows.contains(wid)) {
m_whitelistedWindows.removeAll(wid);
}
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::windowRemovedSlot(WindowId wid)
{
if (m_plasmaIgnoredWindows.contains(wid)) {
unregisterPlasmaIgnoredWindow(wid);
}
if (m_ignoredWindows.contains(wid)) {
unregisterIgnoredWindow(wid);
}
if (m_whitelistedWindows.contains(wid)) {
unregisterWhitelistedWindow(wid);
}
}
//! Activities switching
void AbstractWindowInterface::switchToNextActivity()
{
QStringList runningActivities = m_activities->activities(KActivities::Info::State::Running);
if (runningActivities.count() <= 1) {
return;
}
int curPos = runningActivities.indexOf(m_currentActivity);
int nextPos = curPos + 1;
if (curPos == runningActivities.count() -1) {
nextPos = 0;
}
KActivities::Controller activitiesController;
activitiesController.setCurrentActivity(runningActivities.at(nextPos));
}
void AbstractWindowInterface::switchToPreviousActivity()
{
QStringList runningActivities = m_activities->activities(KActivities::Info::State::Running);
if (runningActivities.count() <= 1) {
return;
}
int curPos = runningActivities.indexOf(m_currentActivity);
int nextPos = curPos - 1;
if (curPos == 0) {
nextPos = runningActivities.count() - 1;
}
KActivities::Controller activitiesController;
activitiesController.setCurrentActivity(runningActivities.at(nextPos));
}
//! Delay window changed trigerring
void AbstractWindowInterface::considerWindowChanged(WindowId wid)
{
//! Consider if the windowChanged signal should be sent DIRECTLY or WAIT
if (m_windowChangedWaiting == wid && m_windowWaitingTimer.isActive()) {
//! window should be sent later
m_windowWaitingTimer.start();
return;
}
if (m_windowChangedWaiting != wid && !m_windowWaitingTimer.isActive()) {
//! window should be sent later
m_windowChangedWaiting = wid;
m_windowWaitingTimer.start();
}
if (m_windowChangedWaiting != wid && m_windowWaitingTimer.isActive()) {
m_windowWaitingTimer.stop();
//! sent previous waiting window
emit windowChanged(m_windowChangedWaiting);
//! retrigger waiting for the upcoming window
m_windowChangedWaiting = wid;
m_windowWaitingTimer.start();
}
}
}
}
|
An evaluation of a social norms marketing project for tobacco prevention with middle, high, and college students; use of funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement (Virginia).
The Anti-Tobacco Media Blitz (ATMB), a social-norms marketing program, was utilized for tobacco prevention with middle and high school students. University students assisted middle and high school students with the implementation of this campaign, which included a variety of media. Students worked in teams to design, develop, and evaluate tobacco-free messages through posters, radio, television, and peer-led activities. Evaluation of the campaign was constant and included assessment of message retention and demonstration of positive behaviors. This article discusses the procedures of this project, the five-step social norms marketing model, with emphasis on the student-centered evaluation and results. |
Fitzpatrick plant.JPG
Entergy Corp. said New York's proposed "clean energy standard'' might be good for nuclear plants. but it's too late to save the FitzPatrick plant in Oswego County.
(NRC)
SCRIBA, N.Y. - Gov. Andrew Cuomo's plan for a "clean energy standard" that might include subsidies for nuclear plants is too late to save the doomed FitzPatrick plant in Oswego County, an Entergy Corp. executive said today.
Bill Mohl, president of Entergy Wholesale Commodities, said his company had to choose between planning to refuel the plant or planning to shut it down, both of which require long lead times. Given FitzPatrick's heavy financial losses, Entergy chose to shut it down, he said.
"It's frankly too late for FitzPatrick,'' Mohl said.
Cuomo this week directed the state Public Service Commission to work out a new clean energy standard by June 2016, including financial support for "Upstate nuclear plants." Until the details emerge, it's impossible to know how that would affect FitzPatrick, Mohl said. There's no guarantee the PSC will finish its proceeding on time -- or ever, he said.
"I think we've been pretty clear that the plant is really poorly situated and losing substantial amounts of money,'' Mohl said. "We simply are not willing to make a bet on something that may or may not happen in the future.''
Entergy estimates that closing FitzPatrick will save up to $275 million through 2020. The company expects to lay off half of the 615 employees when the plant shuts down, sometime late next year or early in 2017. The work force will be reduced further in ensuing years.
Given the uncertainty about the coming clean energy regulations, Cuomo's office recruited the state's other nuclear operator, Exelon Corp., in an effort to delay a decision on whether to shut down FitzPatrick or refuel it in September 2016.
Exelon agreed to acquire enough fuel to resupply FitzPatrick and to give Entergy until next June to decide whether to use it, presumably after seeing the new clean energy mandate.
PSC spokesman James Denn said today that the proposed "fuel bridge" gives Entergy the opportunity to delay its decision without taking the financial risk of ordering roughly $50 million worth of fuel now. Exelon made the offer because it can use the fuel at one of its 23 reactors if Entergy declines it, Exelon officials said.
"With the offer by Exelon to provide a fuel bridge, Entergy has nothing to lose by joining with other stakeholders and the state to develop a clean energy standard, the resolution of which will occur well before their decision needs to be made to refuel the plant,'' Denn said.
Related: Cuomo vs Entergy, the staredown over FitzPatrick
But Mohl said planning for a refueling outage is a time-consuming endeavor. In the months leading up to the outage, he said, the company would have to arrange "tens of millions of dollars in contractual commitments" in addition to buying fuel.
"We have to remain focused on preparing for the shutdown and decommissioning, which is really significant,'' Mohl said. "It's not practical to prepare for an outage and a decommissioning on a parallel path.''
The one thing that might have saved FitzPatrick this month was a purchase offer from Exelon, Mohl said. During the discussions about the proposed fuel bridge, Entergy officials thought Exelon might make an offer to buy the plant, which sits next to Exelon's two reactors at Nine Mile Point.
Exelon said this week they do not want to buy FitzPatrick, Mohl said.
"That would be the only thing, and they've validated that they're not interested,'' Mohl said. "We finally got verification from them this week that they are not interested in buying the plant.''
Entergy announced in September that it was considering a shutdown at FitzPatrick, but would first discuss options for keeping the plant open with state officials. The company has never divulged what it discussed with the Cuomo administration before declaring Nov. 2 that it would close FitzPatrick.
Many observers, including Wall Street analysts, speculated that Entergy sought a compromise to settle the future of its profitable Indian Point nuclear station in Westchester County. Cuomo has opposed Entergy's application to extend the operating license, arguing that Indian Point is too close to New York City to be safe.
Mohl declined to say what Entergy discussed with the Cuomo administration before deciding to shut FitzPatrick.
"I'm not going to comment on the nature of those negotiations. I just don't think that's appropriate,'' he said.
Entergy is preparing to decommission three of its so-called "merchant" nuclear reactors, each of which sells power in unregulated wholesale markets in the Northeast. After the closures of Vermont Yankee, Pilgrim and FitzPatrick, Entergy Wholesale Commodities will have just three merchant reactors left - two at Indian Point and one in Michigan.
For now, Entergy will continue its efforts to relicense Indian Point, Mohl said. But shrinking the company's nuclear fleet means that overhead costs are spread across fewer facilities, reducing profits.
"We don't have any immediate plans (to change direction) on Indian Point, but you start to have to think about what will you do down the road if you have a single asset in the Northeast,'' he said. "You just have less economies of scale. We're looking at that and what we need to do in that regard.''
Mohl said Cuomo's plan for a clean energy standard that gives nuclear plants extra money for providing carbon-free electricity is a positive development for the nuclear industry. He wishes the plan came along two years ago, when Upstate nuclear plants started struggling to compete with low-price power from natural gas plants.
"Despite meetings with the PSC and others on this matter over the last couple of years, nothing's really changed. Unfortunately, it's taken this situation to finally get some movement,'' he said.
Contact Tim Knauss anytime | email | Twitter | 315-470-3023
Entergy Letter to PSC |
Method
1. Heat the large pressure cooker pan over a medium to high heat. Brown lamb in a dash of oil. Add onion, garlic and ginger to the cooker and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes until onion begins to soften.
2. Add the seasoning and cook for 1 minute before adding the tomatoes, chick peas and water. Lock the pressure cooker lid on and set to low pressure (I), bring up to pressure and maintain the pressure for 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and allow pressure to reduce using the natural release method.
4. Serve with couscous or rice.
* For Chickpea cooking instructions refer to page 17 of your Steel Fern instruction manual.
* You can use 1 x 400g can chickpeas. |
#! /usr/bin/python3
# MiniUPnP project
# Author : Thomas Bernard
# This Sample code is public domain.
# website : http://miniupnp.tuxfamily.org/
# import the python miniupnpc module
import miniupnpc
import sys
# create the object
u = miniupnpc.UPnP()
print('inital(default) values :')
print(' discoverdelay', u.discoverdelay)
print(' lanaddr', u.lanaddr)
print(' multicastif', u.multicastif)
print(' minissdpdsocket', u.minissdpdsocket)
u.discoverdelay = 200;
#u.minissdpdsocket = '../minissdpd/minissdpd.sock'
# discovery process, it usually takes several seconds (2 seconds or more)
print('Discovering... delay=%ums' % u.discoverdelay)
print(u.discover(), 'device(s) detected')
# select an igd
try:
u.selectigd()
except Exception as e:
print('Exception :', e)
sys.exit(1)
# display information about the IGD and the internet connection
print('local ip address :', u.lanaddr)
print('external ip address :', u.externalipaddress())
print(u.statusinfo(), u.connectiontype())
#print u.addportmapping(64000, 'TCP',
# '192.168.1.166', 63000, 'port mapping test', '')
#print u.deleteportmapping(64000, 'TCP')
port = 0
proto = 'UDP'
# list the redirections :
i = 0
while True:
p = u.getgenericportmapping(i)
if p==None:
break
print(i, p)
(port, proto, (ihost,iport), desc, c, d, e) = p
#print port, desc
i = i + 1
print(u.getspecificportmapping(port, proto))
|
West of Portland, Oregon, on the fringes of civilization in Forest Grove, sits what looks to be a warehouse among fields, other warehouses, and lumber yards. Yet here lies America’s first saké producer: SakeOne. They began in 1992 as sake importers but soon saw gold in Oregon’s coastal range: pure water similar to Japan. By 1997, SakeOne produced their first batch of Momokawa.
Our tour starts outside with a mural of classic saké production by a local artist.
Quaint pantless men parade about vats of rice. Moving on. Inside, we go to the source of sugars: rice:
But how do you turn rice into alcohol? Well, it helps to have one of these:
This is SakeOne’s magic milling machine straight from Japan. Those curvy drums next to our guide tumble rice grains against eachother breaking off hulls and polishing them like rocks down to their starch-rich core.
Here is hot some milling action:
Husks and outer unsavory bits go to cattle, while the 40% polished cores ready themselves to become alcohol.
A conveyor pulls these magic pearls into conical tanks of water that rinse and ready them for fermentation:
Another room of pipes and tanks greets us. A 400 pound rice cooker sits on the blue scaffolding, ready to heat up starches and ready them for conversion.
Just around the bend, after all this fiddling about, we enter the sauna.
Here, steamy rice meets Koji and sweats it out at 90F for 24 hours in this cedar room. Unlike beer, sake undergoes its starch-to-sugar conversion thanks to Koji (aspergillus oryzae) a mold applied to each grain. Koji grows on and into the grain, digesting the starch and converting it into sugar with enzymes (beer barley already has these enzymes thanks to sprouting during malting). After a day, the Koji-cracked rice is ready for yeast to ferment it.
I forget what these do, but they’re important and have historic significance…something to do with punching down the rice and macerating?
We admire the gurgling yeast and sulfuric, chalky aromas. The next room contains even more fermentation and storage vessels, batch for each of SakeOne’s lines:
Between these rooms sits one of the largest filters these eyes have every seen:
Obsessed with clarity and stability, the majority of Momokawa passes through this filter three times. Next, just to be extremely extra-special careful that no wayward yeasts survived, all saké gets an 180F hot bath pasteurization:
Finally, they bottle it and we head outside to taste through their range.
MomoKawa, Silver, Junmai Ginjo Dry Saké
The APPEARANCE is clear, bright, colorless. Medium AROMAS of ethanol and rubbing alcohol distract at first, but verbena, clay, cream and white peach creep to the fore. The PALATE feels viscous, plump, warm, yet sharp shouldered. MomoKawa’s Silver is good (3 of 5), completely functional saké for drinking neat with food or as a cocktail base.
MomoKawa USDA Organic Sake
This comes in a green bottle (clever). We like it more regardless of its Organic-ness. It is slightly sweeter than the Silver, which hides the alcohol. AROMAS and FLAVORS tend fruitier, with pear, gold honey, rose water, coconut, and pinot gris with a slight mineral note. Balance, complexity, and ease of drinking alone make MomoKawa’s Organic very good (4 of 5).
Next, SakeOne’s G Joy Sake in a squat, opaque black bottle. The G (aka Genshu) range sees no watering down, so alcohols are at their natural height. Also, rice polish is at a premium 60%.
AROMAS and FLAVORS show great intensity with fruity, honeyed white apricot, anise, minty candy cane, and a slight paint. The PALATE has a slight graininess, medium plus body, and warmth. G Joy is very good (4 of 5).
Next, their unclaimed Junmai Daiginjo SakeOne’s G Fifty:
This sees rice with greater polish, which means purer flavors. AROMAS and FLAVORS seem the most delicate and complex thus far, with white clover, pear, and other pale fruits and flowers, pinot blanc. Yet the PALATE feels medium sweet, plump, with just enough edgy alcohol 18% abv. G Fifty is very good (4 of 5) and will hold up against rich and spicy food.
Now, remember that pasteurization machine. At Momkawa, one can try their Unpasteurized (aka Nama) Junmai Ginjo:
For fear of exploding bottles, this is only sold on site. Very pretty AROMAS and FLAVORS of grass, pear syrup, strawberry, and vanilla charm us. Medium sweetness, a medium plus natural 18% alcohol by volume warms well creating a medium plus body. This is very very good (4 of 5), just shy of outstanding.
The limited pasteurization allows for all kinds of wildness to creep in. Think of AROMAS and FLAVORS akin to barnyard, dried mushrooms, followed by pears and peaches that finish hot and alcoholic. It is good (3 of 5) but an acquired taste.
Lastly, Momokawa’s Pearl Nigori Sake:
As my wife’s cloudy cup indicates, Nigori Saké does not go through their massive filter. AROMAS and FLAVORS match a pina colada with coconut and banana. The PALATE texture is downright chewy, soft, and warm. Their Pearl Nigori is very good (4 of 5) if a bit overly textural. It would calm down any spicy Thai curry or Mexican dish.
By now, the sun and Saké have made us all a bit wobbly: just the perfect time to bring out SakeOne’s Moonstone line of fruit-infused sakés (a style they invented). These are training wheels for those new to fermented rice. Alcohols are at a lower (12%), wine-like range and sugars are proportionately higher.
From Asian Pear, to Plum and Coconut Lemongrass, they taste and look as expected.
In summation, a visit and tour of SakeOne, America’s founding saké producer and Oregon’s largest, is a fantastic treat. Otherwise, one would have to visit Japan to get this close. Their range is diverse and strategically placed value compared to far more expensive imports. |
Svínfellingar family clan
The Svínfellings (or Svínfellingar) were a family clan in the medieval Icelandic Commonwealth. They ruled the Eastern Region of Iceland. Their forefather was Flosi, one of the Burners of Njal. Their name is derived from the clan's Svínafell homestead in Öræfi.
References
Árni Daníel Júlíusson, Jón Ólafur Ísberg, Helgi Skúli Kjartansson Íslenskur sögu atlas: 1. bindi: Frá öndverðu til 18. aldar Almenna bókafélagið, Reykjavík 1989
Category:Icelandic family clans |
🌻 ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ᴀ sᴜɴғʟᴏᴡᴇʀ 🌻
⠀
this is like a self indulgent character sheet to practice anatomy and side view,, pfft.
⠀
i'm honestly obsessed with the movie and knowing that @stellalights made a vld au out of it, boy have i been inspired and i just gotta do it to em 💕💞💖
Part 1: Lance never liked citrus, until he watched the new kid, a silent noirette who kept to himself, peel a clementine. From then, the boy was hooked, compelled to watch the boy and his pale fingers peel clementines every day. .
So I was just playing around on a discord server I'm in and somehow got around to writing a small drabble thing. So I think I'm gonna start posting stuff as I write it? I was having fun with this little thing so please let me know if it's interesting to read or not. Sorry if it's boring >.< I'll post daily...if that'll help at all.
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#drabble#klancevoltron#lance#keith#voltron#citrusklance#klance#keithvoltron#lancevoltron#lancevld#keithvld#klancevld#lancemcclain#keithkogane
Here are some doodles of lance I’ve done because I had this idea in my head and I couldn’t get it out until I doodled something for it.
•
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I pictured Lance as an agent, who is undercover at a very snazzy soirée party type thing?? And allura sent him cause he’s a social butterfly and a natural at getting people to talk so he can easily gather information from everyone, plus he’s got a very nice body 😤 agree with me people so he’ll catch the attention of all types of eyes in the room 👀
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#art#doodle#copicmarkers#pendoodles#lance#lancevld#lancemcclain#vld#voltron#voltronlegendarydefender#voltornau#lance # |
/2)/(-2 - (-77)/33).
1
What is the value of (27/18*-1)/((-12)/(-56))?
-7
What is (-1)/18*(-3)/1?
1/6
(57/(-15) + 4)*5/(-5)
-1/5
What is the value of (823/823)/((-2)/(-8))?
4
What is (-903)/602*(4 - 2)?
-3
What is the value of 336/(-1680) + 183/15?
12
Calculate ((-371)/(-28) - (-2 + 27/12))/(-1).
-13
Calculate 441/735 + (-69)/15.
-4
Calculate (-45)/((-51975)/363) + 4/14.
3/5
Evaluate 3/28*436/654.
1/14
Evaluate 4/((-6725)/150 + 43).
-24/11
10/120*219/73
1/4
Evaluate 33/(-429)*13/(-2).
1/2
What is 6/48*-10 - -1?
-1/4
Calculate 8/(-24)*9 + 11/((-308)/(-60)).
-6/7
Evaluate (-6401)/9515 + (-3)/(-11).
-2/5
Calculate -4*(-7 - (-22)/((-15312)/(-4860))).
2/29
Evaluate (-5)/10 + 15/9 + (-18)/108.
1
Calculate (23*16/(-1288))/(6/14*1).
-2/3
(-4 - -3)*(-4)/(-12)*0
0
Calculate 846/720*24 + -28.
1/5
What is the value of (18 + 1370/(-30) + 28)/((-8)/(-30))?
5/4
Calculate (-2)/4 + ((-13090)/364)/(-55).
2/13
(1 - 22/14)*(-1809)/1206
6/7
What is the value of 1808/8814 - (-2)/65*-5?
2/39
Calculate -3*(-3 + (5 - 13/6))*14.
7
Evaluate ((-60)/(-1155))/((-62)/(-217)).
2/11
What is (-254)/40 + (-7130)/(-1550)?
-7/4
What is the value of ((-3400)/(-374))/50 - 58/198?
-1/9
What is the value of (180/(-44) - -6)/((-9)/(-165))?
35
(-28)/(-42) + (-104)/(-24)
5
What is (-3)/(-11)*(-192)/(-72)?
8/11
Calculate (-6)/(-11) - 30/1188*26.
-1/9
What is the value of 9/(-6)*((-110)/198)/(2/12)?
5
Calculate (1 - 34/14)/((-84)/(-588)).
-10
((-2)/(-20))/((-765)/36 - -21)
-2/5
What is 4/(49 + 20 - 17)?
1/13
Calculate (-275)/127875 - 1/(-15).
2/31
Evaluate 2513 + -2476 - (0 + 51).
-14
What is (-8)/(-3)*19929/7592?
7
(-72)/(-252) - 8/(-70)
2/5
Evaluate 207/(-1035)*(-1 - -2).
-1/5
What is (-10 + 648/63)/((-48)/140)?
-5/6
((-2)/(-3))/((-24)/180*(-15)/(-51))
-17
Evaluate ((-128)/(-400))/((-16)/(-40)).
4/5
What is 50/(-950) + (-1 - 694/(-190))?
13/5
(1 + 0 - (-5)/(-9))/(987/1974)
8/9
What is 1/(10 - (-222)/(-22))?
-11
((-351)/65)/(-3)*((-22)/(-42) + -1)
-6/7
What is 15/(-855)*-177 - 12/114?
3
(20/60)/((-35)/(-189))
9/5
Calculate (1/(-3))/((-2808)/567 - -5).
-7
What is (6 - 5)*(-1 - -1)*10/(-80)?
0
What is the value of 4*-9*35/1260?
-1
What is the value of (48/2784)/(((-4)/16)/1)?
-2/29
-2 + 8 - 400/80
1
Evaluate (7 + 5095/(-725))/((-2)/(-5)).
-2/29
Evaluate (23 + -23)/((-24)/(-16)*(-6)/3).
0
What is ((-90)/4050)/(2/9)?
-1/10
51/(26775/(-8960)) - -17
-1/15
What is (225/(-140))/15*(-17 + 8 - -17)?
-6/7
(12584/28314)/((-88)/(-27))
3/22
What is (-5)/(50/(-64))*((-741)/38 - -17)?
-16
16/(-27) - 60/(-2430)*-3
-2/3
((-18)/138)/(-16 + 195/13)
3/23
Calculate (2 + ((-2600)/96)/13)*9.
-3/4
What is the value of 49/95 - 25/20*36/225?
6/19
Evaluate 238/(-49) + 5 + (-7)/(196/(-192)).
7
Evaluate 519*(-1)/(-66)*1 - 8.
-3/22
What is (4/(-6))/(335/46230)*(-3)/12?
23
What is the value of (-36)/(-5) + (544/(-40))/(-17)?
8
Calculate 550/(-44)*((-8)/(-6))/((-96)/144).
25
Evaluate -24*(-22)/28 + 8721/189 + -46.
19
What is the value of (-8308)/465 + 18 + (-2)/(-30)*-17?
-1
Calculate -459 - -457 - (-2)/18*14.
-4/9
400/(-1120)*(3/(-10) - 4/8)
2/7
Calculate (1*2)/((-28)/210*(-20)/12).
9
What is the value of ((-2387)/3069)/(7/(-2))?
2/9
Evaluate 7182/198 + -37 + (-522)/(-22).
23
Evaluate 12/(-1*2) - (-49518)/7860.
3/10
8 + ((-88)/(-16))/(-1) + -5
-5/2
What is 3/1 + (4 - 1) + (-2204)/361?
-2/19
What is the value of 9/231 + 4*(-10)/(-280)?
2/11
(-284)/28 + -4*(30/28)/5
-11
Calculate -5 - (306/62 + 8 + -18)*1.
2/31
Calculate (-395)/237*12/35.
-4/7
3*((-4)/(-8) - 19/6)
-8
(-1)/5 - (1/4 + (-12)/48)
-1/5
(-1 - 11) + (-706 - -714)
-4
Evaluate (-1700)/170*2/5.
-4
(60/880)/(11/(-22))
-3/22
1*10 - (-36 + (-2590)/(-56))
-1/4
What is the value of ((-3)/(-300)*50)/(2/(-16))?
-4
What is the value of 6 - -1 - (-2025)/(-27)*10/108?
1/18
(((-1)/3)/(-1))/(448/(-4032))
-3
What is 46/299*(-104)/40?
-2/5
(-496)/155*5/(-2)
8
Evaluate -22 + 4 + 10 - -20.
12
1 + -2 - (-13)/26*748/357
1/21
What is the value of (-36)/10*(115/15 - 8)?
6/5
What is 7 + ((-15)/3 - 2)*1?
0
Evaluate (-234)/(-26)*12/(-9).
-12
(-268)/34 - (-42)/(-357)
-8
(440/(-64) - 4) + 1/(-8)
-11
Evaluate (-40)/(-6)*(492/(-120) - 2/(-4)).
-24
(150/240)/(135/12)*(3 + 1)
2/9
Evaluate 196/(-84)*(-8)/(16/(-6)).
-7
((-7)/(-4) - (-7 - -8))*3536/1020
13/5
What is (-16)/(-12) + (-610)/30 + 0?
-19
What is (1 + -7 + 3)*(-624)/(-117)?
-16
What is 22/(-35) + 209/1045?
-3/7
Evaluate 77/66*-6 + 18.
11
Evaluate ((-2)/7)/(2*(-21 - (-16478)/784)).
-8
What is the value of (19/76)/((-1)/44)?
-11
What is (-352)/(-1936) + (-42)/110?
-1/5
Evaluate 567/(-90) - 9/(-30).
-6
Calculate (-19 + 23)*(-4)/(-60).
4/15
What is the value of 2*15/10*(5 + (-20)/3)?
-5
Calculate (-42 + 43)*(-1 + 3)*-4.
-8
What is the value of (-4)/4 - 3 - (-2 + (4 - -5))?
-11
What is (-126)/231 + (-193)/(-11)?
17
(987/(-196) - -4) + 45/35
1/4
Calculate 501/668 + (-510)/(-24).
22
What is (-527 + 530)/(((-45)/(-4))/1)?
4/15
What is ((-130)/110)/((-2)/11)*4?
26
((-7920)/(-418))/10 + (-4)/(-38)
2
Calculate 23 - (-15 - (-3710)/98).
1/7
Evaluate ((-980)/(-2058))/(6/(-14)).
-10/9
49/(-98) - (-6)/8
1/4
234/63 + (-4 - -2)
12/7
-2 - (-6)/6 - ((-176)/24)/(-11)
-5/3
Evaluate (((-5)/(-10))/1)/(42/(-63)).
-3/4
What is 516/1032*8/(-46)?
-2/23
What is (-21)/(-7) - (6 + 40/2) - -6?
-17
28/(-10)*(14 - (-368)/(-32))
-7
-14 + (-780)/(-42) + (18/(-14))/(-3)
5
Evaluate 4/35*(-1729)/1482.
-2/15
Evaluate (-360)/216*12/(-10)*6.
12
Calculate -7 + (4 + (-98)/28)*19.
5/2
Evaluate 9396/(-486)*(55/10 + -4).
-29
1/(-22)*-89 + ((-210)/10 - -17)
1/22
What is (-18)/21 + ((-30969)/(-2835) - 10)?
1/15
What is the value of (-2 - 0)*(-1479)/(-1972)?
-3/2
What is the value of (13 - 15)/((10/5)/(-10))?
10
What is the value of (-99)/(-7) - 780/364?
12
(-504)/20 - 10/100*-12
-24
Calculate 14/6*(-8550)/(-798).
25
Calculate 32 + -24 + (-5 - 45/17).
6/17
205/(-1640)*(-24)/27
1/9
550/(-200)*-12*(1 - 0) - 8
25
What is the value of (15174/(-1124))/((-9)/14)?
21
Evaluate 12*(-2 + -5 - (-165)/24).
-3/2
What is the value of 11 - ((-8)/(-84) - -11)?
-2/21
What is the value of (-64)/8 - (-8 - 5)?
5
Calculate ((-1586)/1430 - (-9)/(-99))/((-6)/50).
10
What is (39/(-130))/(646/(-340))?
3/19
What is the value of (-2826)/(-2041) - (-1744)/(-1222)?
-2/47
Calculate (((-5852)/(-95))/(-22))/(5/(-50)*-4).
-7
Calculate 11/990*35 - 3/18*3.
-1/9
What is (-1 - 4/6)*((-8385)/(-525) + -16)?
1/21
Evaluate (1 - (-7)/(-5))/(418/110 + 5).
-1/22
(-62)/(-45) - (-12688)/(-7930)
-2/9
What is 11/(22/12) - (-3 + (-5 - -6))?
8
What is 10/(1403/(-184) - -7)?
-16
Calculate ((-1600)/112 + 16)*(-210)/(-18).
20
What is the value of (-90 - -88)/(2/(-4) + (-14)/(-36))?
18
68 + (-6075)/90 - (-41)/2
21
What is ((-36)/378)/((-50)/35)?
1/15
(-112)/320 - (5 + (-102)/20)*1
-1/4
Evaluate -8*((-4)/(-6) + 187/(-204))*5.
10
(701190/(-8056))/(-245) + 2/(-19)*1
1/4
What is 288/80 + 9/(-15) + -1?
2
Evaluate (20/12)/(275/(-150)).
-10/11
What is (-18 + (-246)/(-9))/(4/(-6))?
-14
What is (-118)/826 + 36/(-56)*2?
-10/7
Evaluate (-1)/(268/44 - (-6 - (2 - 14))).
-11
(-188)/1222 + (252/377)/3
2/29
Calculate 2/(-9)*(3520/(-385) - -9).
2/63
Evaluate (-5)/(0 - 1) - (-330)/(-75).
3/5
What is (472/(-3186))/((-20)/18)?
2/15
6/120*-5 + 10 + (-1377)/(-68)
30
Evaluate (-4)/(-384)*24*(-8)/(-17).
2/17
Calculate 294/(-539) + (12/14)/((-77)/(-1127)).
12
What is the value of (-14)/(-6)*(21 + 120/(-20))/(-5)?
-7
((-1660)/5976 - 4/(-18)) + (-50)/(-36)
4/3
9 + -13 + -296*1/(-76)
-2/19
What is 1/(654/108 - (-11 + 17))?
18
What is the value of 2*5 + 0 + (-2 - (4 - 11))?
15
Calculate (-2*2 - -1)*180/(-270).
2
Evaluate ((-2 + 1)*-1)/(3 + 0/5).
1/3
What is (1 - (-6 - 0)) + ((-16430)/(-744) - 29)?
1/12
((-145)/(-174))/(5/(-3))*-46*1
23
Calculate ((-1910)/(-1528) + (-2)/(-24))*3/154.
2/77
What is the value of (23088/132)/(-13) + 14?
6/11
Calculate 10/(-3) + -32 + -14 + 50.
2/3
What is (-12)/(-10) + 30636/2220?
15
What is 2/(-8) - ((-404)/16 + 13)?
12
Evaluate 10/(-50)*5*1 - -21 - -3.
23
Calculate (10400/(-78))/(-4) - (4/(-6))/1.
34
What is (-5 + 154/30)/(5/(100/(-16)))?
-1/6
What is the value of (-6 - 368/(-60))/(-1)?
-2/15
What is the value of (-148)/111*33/2?
-22
Calculate 31/(3534/(-2299)) - -19.
-7/6
Evaluate (-2*(-2)/16)/(7375/150 + -48).
3/14
Evaluate (-138)/(-621) - (-3 + 83/9).
-6
Evaluate 112/7 + -8 + 10 + -13.
5
0*(-2)/(-4)*((-76)/8)/(-19)
0
What is 5 + |
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to display devices and, in particular, to driver arrangements for display devices.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of display devices, such as liquid crystal displays or light emitting diode (LED) displays, are in widespread use. Recently, a further type of LED display has been proposed in the form of an addressable electroluminescent display. The electroluminescent display device comprises a mix of organic materials such as organic polymers or small molecules sandwiched between an anode and a cathode supported by a solid substrate, such as, for example, a glass, plastics or silicon substrate, the organic materials providing the light emitting elements of the display.
Organic material LED's have a much sharper response characteristic than liquid crystal display devices. The organic LED devices have very sharp ‘turn on’ and ‘turn-off’ characteristics in response to an applied current which provides such displays with improved contrast in comparison to liquid crystal displays. In addition to improved contrast, the organic materials are also considered to provide significant benefit in terms of fabrication.
For organic LED displays incorporating organic polymer materials as the light emitting pixels, the organic polymer materials may be deposited on the substrate using fabrication techniques which cannot be adopted to manufacture liquid crystal or conventional light emitting diode displays. One method which has been proposed is to deposit the organic polymer materials onto the substrate using inkjet printing in which the polymer materials are deposited as discrete drops of the material onto predisposed deposition sites provided as a matrix configuration on the substrate. The use of inkjet printing can be particularly advantageous for colour displays because the various organic polymer materials which comprise the red, green and blue LED's at each pixel of the display can be deposited in the required predefined patterns without the need for any etch process steps. In the case of small molecule type organic LED displays, shadow mask evaporation is generally applied to form the colour pixels.
Furthermore, as the active materials of the display are organic polymer materials, they may be deposited onto any suitable substrate material, including plastics materials in the form of a continuous, flexible and spoolable sheet. The characteristics of the organic polymer materials lend themselves, therefore, to the fabrication of very large area monochrome or colour display devices containing very large numbers of rows and columns of the pixels of active material making up the display area of the display device.
An organic electroluminescent display may be driven using either an active or a passive matrix addressing system. The display elements which create the light output at any pixel of the display are, in essence, provided by organic light emitting diodes. These are current driven devices, so when an active matrix addressing scheme is used to address the display to create a displayed image, two transistors per pixel of the displayed image are provided, the first to act as a switch so as to allow a data signal to be passed to a second transistor which acts as a current driver for the LED of the pixel, thereby to determine the brightness for the pixel.
A passive matrix addressing scheme is shown schematically in FIG. 1. The display element 2 shown in FIG. 1 comprises a substrate 4 supporting an array of strip-shape electrodes 6 which constitute the anode electrodes of the display element. A layer 8 of an organic photoemissive material is provided over the anode electrodes 6 and a second array of strip-shape electrodes 10, which constitute the cathode elements for the display element, are provided over the photoemissive layer 8. It can be seen from FIG. 1 that the respective arrays of anode and cathode strip-shape electrodes 6, 10 are arranged substantially orthogonal to each other. If a voltage is applied between any two of the strip-shape electrodes, a current will pass through that part of the photoemissive layer 8 arranged in the area where the two electrodes overlap. The material of the photoemissive layer behaves as a light emitting diode, and hence that part of the photoemissive layer in the overlap area of the two electrodes to which the voltage is applied will emit light. This can be seen more clearly with reference to FIG. 2.
From FIG. 2 it can be seen that the pixels of the display are each made up of an organic LED coupled between respective strip-shape anode and cathode electrodes. The strip-shape anode electrodes are, for example, decoupled from ground potential by a high impedance circuit, indicated by a value Z in FIG. 2. Data signals, indicated by voltages V1 to V4 in FIG. 2, are applied to the cathode electrodes of the array. At the same time, the strip-shape anode electrodes are selectively coupled directly to ground potential. Hence, for the example shown in FIG. 2, when the voltage V1 is applied to the left most strip-shape cathode electrode, the organic LED L1 will emit light. Likewise, when voltages V2 to V4 are applied to the cathode electrodes 10, the LED's L2 to L4 will respectively emit light.
Addressing schemes of the above type are called passive matrix schemes because there are no active elements located within the display area to drive the LED's to emit light. The light emission results purely from the data signals, in the form of voltage pulses, provided from the frame or boundary area of the display device to one of the sets of strip-shape electrodes, either the cathode or anode electrodes. However, the thin strip-shape electrodes have electrical resistance, and this electrical resistance becomes larger with increase in the length of the strip-shape electrodes. Hence, if the size of the display area of the display device is made larger, the length of the strip-shape electrodes increases and, it follows, that the electrical resistance of the strip-shape electrodes is also increased.
The displays are driven from the side edge of the display and hence, when a voltage pulse is applied to any particular electrode, the voltage actually applied to the pixels underlying that electrode will decrease with the distance of any pixel from the edge of the display to which the voltage pulse is applied due to the electrical resistance of the electrode. The potential drops along the electrodes can become significant in comparison to the LED drive voltages. It will be appreciated, therefore, that if the electrodes are relatively long, the voltage applied to a pixel located at the distal end of the electrode relative to the driven edge, will be significantly less than the voltage applied to a pixel located close to the driven edge. The brightness of the display decreases therefore with increase in distance from the driven edge and since the brightness-voltage characteristic of the LED devices is non-linear, this gives rise to non-uniform brightness of displayed image.
Additionally, the intensity of the light emitted from an LED display is a function of the peak illumination intensity of the individual LED devices and the number of lines of pixels in the actual display area of the display. This is because the LED's of the display are addressed by pulse operation in a frame period. The time period during which any LED may be addressed is known as the duty ratio and is equal to tf/N, where tf is the frame period and N is the number of lines in the display. It follows, therefore, that if the number of lines in the display is increased, the duration for which any pixel may be addressed is decreased. The peak intensity of luminance from an LED occurs when it is addressed and this is averaged over the frame period. Therefore, to provide a flicker-free display, as the size of the display area is increased, and the number of lines in the display also increases to maintain resolution, the peak intensity of light emitted from the LED devices must be compensated to maintain a required output intensity for the display because it is only possible to address the LED devices for a shorter duration during a frame cycle. This can be particularly problematical for organic LED devices because of their very fast rise and decay times which means that they do not manifest an intrinsic memory characteristic.
The peak intensity of the LED devices can be increased by increasing the voltage of the pulses used to address the LED devices. It can be appreciated, therefore, that as display size, and hence the number of scan rows, is increased, relatively high voltage pulses are required to drive the LED devices at a high current density and thereby provide sufficient light output intensity from the display. This is a considerable disadvantage, as the long term reliability of the light emitting devices can be impaired and when the display is incorporated in a device powered from an internal battery supply, such as a laptop computer, larger, heavier and more expensive batteries must be used. However, the use of such relatively high voltage pulses gives rise to further problems concerning operation of the LED's.
It is known that in LED devices, the possibility of recombination of electron hole pairs, which produces the light emission, can decrease with an increase in voltage. This is because the optimum region for operation of a LED device is what is commonly known as the ‘recombination zone’.
The operational characteristic of a typical LED is shown in FIG. 3, which shows how luminance and device efficiency vary in relation to the current and voltage applied to the device. It can be seen from FIG. 3 that, once a current threshold is reached, as the current passing through the device is increased, the luminance of the device also increases. However, with regard to efficiency, it can be seen that device efficiency peaks very quickly once the device starts to emit light. With further increase in voltage applied to the device, the efficiency falls quickly to a relatively low efficiency level, as shown in FIG. 3. For organic polymer LED's the peak efficiency occurs typically in the range of about 2.2V to about 5V, whereas, when the applied voltage is in the range of about 10V to 20V, the efficiency of the device has fallen back to such a low level that it becomes inefficient and impractical to use such LED's. Device efficiency is a key issue for many practical applications of LED displays as the equipment incorporating the display is frequently required to operate from an internal battery source.
This sharp decrease in device efficiency arises because, as the voltage applied between the anode and cathode for a LED is increased, the recombination zone migrates towards one of the device electrodes. Because, the shape of the recombination zone depends on the applied voltage, with passive matrix addressed displays it becomes increasingly difficult to provide sufficient display light output intensity because relatively high voltage pulses are required to drive the LED devices, which, in turn, means that the LED devices can no longer be operated in the optimum recombination zone and, therefore, at an acceptable level of efficiency.
To summarise therefore, display devices typically contain more than 200 lines in order to provide sufficient resolution in the displayed image. Therefore, the LED's have a relatively low duty ratio which is compensated by increasing the voltage applied to the LED's. However, this gives rise to lower operating efficiency of the LED's, which in turn decreases the luminance of the LED's, as shown by FIG. 5. These two operational difficulties are inter-related and compound each other and, furthermore, they increase disproportionately with an increase in the number of lines in the display.
Active matrix addressing schemes are, therefore, frequently adopted for LED displays. An exemplary active matrix addressing scheme for an organic polymer LED display device is shown in FIG. 4, which illustrates four pixels of the display device. An active matrix driving scheme includes arrays of row and column address lines shown as X1 and X2, Y1 and Y2, in FIG. 4. These address lines are in the form of thin conductive strips along which pixel selection signals and data signals can be fed to the pixels of the display device. Each pixel of the display device is provided with two transistors, shown as T1 and T2 in FIG. 4. Further lines are also provided along which a supply voltage Vss can be fed to the transistors at each pixel.
When it is desired to energise any particular pixel and so cause the LED located at that pixel to emit light, a select voltage pulse is supplied along a row address line, for example, row address line X1 in FIG. 4. This voltage pulse is received by the gate electrode G of transistor T1 causing transistor T1 to switch ON for the duration of the voltage pulse. Assuming that the top left pixel is required to emit light, a data signal is applied to the source of transistor T1 which is ON. The data signal, shown as Data 1, is passed by transistor T1 to a capacitor coupled to the gate electrode of transistor T2. The data signal is therefore stored as a voltage in the capacitor.
Transistor T1 operates as a switch, whereas transistor T2 operates as a current driver for the organic LED, which is coupled to the supply Vss via the transistor T2. When operating as a current driver, the current at the drain of transistor T2 will be a function of the magnitude of the voltage stored in the capacitor, which is proportional to the data signal, Data 1. Hence, the current flowing through the organic LED, which determines the illumination intensity of the LED, can be controlled by variation of the signal Data 1.
The data signals are arranged so that the LED's always emit light during operation of the display and, therefore, lower operating voltages can be used. Hence, the use of the driver transistors at each pixel of the display enables the LED's to be operated at lower operating voltages, and hence, much higher efficiency. FIG. 5 shows the typical operating efficiencies of LED displays when operated by active and passive matrix addressing schemes. The operating efficiency of the LED's is of paramount importance and is the primary reason why active matrix schemes are frequently adopted for LED displays. Because the driver transistors are located at each pixel of the display, they need to be fabricated over a relatively large area and, hence, thin film transistors (TFTs) are used as the driver transistors in an active matrix addressing scheme. Hence, active matrix displays are commonly referred to as TFT displays.
The two most common types of TFTs are those where the layer of semiconductor material comprises either polysilicon or amorphous silicon. More recently, TFTs have also been fabricated using organic molecules or polymers as the semiconductor layer. However, because of their higher carrier mobility, polysilicon TFTs are usually used as the driver transistors in active matrix displays for organic light-emitting diode displays. With organic active matrix displays, as two driver transistors need to be provided for each LED pixel of the display, the transistor fabrication costs are relatively high because of the complexity of the fabrication techniques which must necessarily be adopted. In particular, when polysilicon driver transistors are used, a high temperature process must be used to provide the polysilicon semiconductor layer. These increased costs, particularly when the display area is made larger, negate the cost advantages provided by the organic polymer materials. Non-uniformity of transistor performance is also an issue. Again, this is particularly problematical for large area displays, because the large number of transistor drivers must be fabricated over the larger area of the display, giving rise to increased processing concerns and a reduction in the yield of fully functional transistor devices. For this reason ‘redundant’ driver transistors are usually provided, further increasing the cost of the display.
As mentioned above, polysilicon has, to date, been the preferred material for TFT fabrication because of its relatively high mobility. Typically, polysilicon TFTs exhibit a mobility of between 100 to 500 cm2/Vs, whereas amorphous silicon TFTs exhibit a typical mobility of 0.1 to 1 cm2Vs, and organic TFTs exhibit a mobility of 0.001 to 0.1 cm2/Vs. Organic LEDs are current driven devices, so in the driver circuit shown in FIG. 4, it is important to maximise the drain current provided by the transistor T2. The drain current Id of a TFT can be expressed as:
Id α μ WC L Where μ is the mobility of the semiconductor W is the width of the transistor channel region L is the length of the transistor channel region C is the capacitance of the gate
Therefore, the drain current Id is proportional to the mobility of the semiconductor. Furthermore, the drain current is also proportional to the channel width but inversely proportional to the channel length. Hence, if polysilicon TFTs are used for the drive circuits, the relatively high mobility enables the footprint of the transistor structure within each pixel of the display to be minimised, which is an important consideration for polysilicon and amorphous silicon type TFTs, as both devices are opaque. Because such TFTs are fabricated using high temperature processes, they are usually formed on the rear surface of the screen (the substrate) of a display in advance of the formation of the light-emitting elements and, hence, the footprint of the TFTs will not transmit light emitted by the LEDs to a viewer of the display. The proportion of the display which is able to pass the emitted light to a viewer is known as the aperture ratio, and for relatively small size displays, such as those used in mobile telephones, an aperture ratio of about only 50% is achievable. That is, only about one-half of the available display area is able to display information to a viewer, with the remaining one-half of the display area being occupied by the opaque TFTs of the driver circuits and the conductor lines used to access the pixel located driver circuits. Even for large area displays it is difficult to achieve an aperture ratio of greater than about 70 to 80%, so the reduction of illumination efficiency arising from the use of opaque polysilicon or amorphous silicon TFTs arranged towards the front viewing side of the display is significant, irrespective of the size of the display.
It is known that organic TFTs can be fabricated from organic molecules or polymers which have a band gap providing transparency to radiation in the visible spectrum. However, such transistors have relatively low mobility and thus it has not been possible, to date, to use such organic TFTs for the active matrix drive circuit shown in FIG. 4. Displays have been demonstrated where an organic TFT has been used as the switching transistor T1 but, to date, is has not been possible to use an organic TFT for the current driver transistor T2 because the low mobility of the devices means the device footprint must be made so large to provide sufficient channel width to compensate for low mobility that the transistors T1 and T2 cannot be accommodated within the area available for each pixel of the display. Hence, the advantage of using substantially transparent TFTs for the active matrix driver circuits, which would enable aspect ratios approaching 100% to be realised, has not, thus far, been possible using the known arrangements for active matrix displays.
A further concern arises from the parasitic capacitance which exists between the driver lines to the driver transistors. In liquid crystal displays, the active liquid crystal material is located between the anode and cathode driver lines. The liquid crystal layer is usually in the range of 2 to 10 microns in thickness and, therefore, the parasitic capacitance arising between the driver line and counter common electrode is relatively small. However, for organic LED displays, the organic molecular or polymer layer is very thin, typically a few hundred nanometres in thickness. Hence, the parasitic capacitance is relatively large in comparison to LCD displays and this parasitic capacitance limits the speed at which the displays may be operated, which becomes particularly problematical as the display area increases. This is because it becomes necessary to address the display at a higher speed as the size of the display becomes larger in order to maintain the quality of the displayed image, but this gives rise to conflict because of the capacitance of the electrodes. Additionally, as the display size increases, the length, and hence the electrical resistance of the driver lines also increases, which again limits the speed at which the displays may be operated. |
FOR PUBLICATION
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, No. 18-10070
Plaintiff-Appellee,
D.C. No.
v. 4:16-cr-00478-
JGZ-LAB-19
JESSICA BRIDGET SOTO,
Defendant-Appellant. OPINION
Appeal from the United States District Court
for the District of Arizona
Jennifer G. Zipps, District Judge, Presiding
Submitted December 17, 2018 *
San Francisco, California
Filed February 8, 2019
Before: Ronald Lee Gilman, ** Richard A. Paez,
and John B. Owens, Circuit Judges.
Opinion by Judge Gilman
*
The panel unanimously concludes this case is suitable for decision
without oral argument. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a)(2).
**
The Honorable Ronald Lee Gilman, United States Circuit Judge
for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, sitting by designation.
2 UNITED STATES V. SOTO
SUMMARY ***
Criminal Law
The panel affirmed the district court’s forfeiture order in
a case in which the defendant pleaded guilty to one count of
attempting to export ammunition from the United States, in
violation of 18 U.S.C. § 554, and one count of conspiracy to
export firearms and ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
§ 371.
The panel rejected the defendant’s argument that
forfeiture is unavailable in this case because §§ 371 and
554(a) are not expressly mentioned in the federal forfeiture
statute. The panel held that the district court did not err in
ordering forfeiture because 18 U.S.C. § 924(d)(1) authorizes
forfeiture of firearms and ammunition involved in a federal
crime.
The panel held that, under 21 U.S.C. § 853(p), the district
court did not err in ordering the forfeiture of substitute
property up to the value of ammunition that the defendant
had transferred to a coconspirator.
The panel held that because the defendant did not
challenge the adequacy of the notice of forfeiture in the
indictment before the district court or in her opening brief,
the challenge (first raised in her reply brief) is not
reviewable. The panel wrote that even if the adequacy of the
***
This summary constitutes no part of the opinion of the court. It
has been prepared by court staff for the convenience of the reader.
UNITED STATES V. SOTO 3
notice were reviewable, the district court did not commit
plain error regarding the adequacy of the notice.
COUNSEL
A. Bates Butler III, Tucson, Arizona, for Defendant-
Appellant.
Robert L. Miskell, Chief, Appellate Section; Elizabeth A.
Strange, First Assistant United States Attorney; United
States Attorney’s Office, Tucson, Arizona; for Plaintiff-
Appellee.
OPINION
GILMAN, Circuit Judge:
Jessica Bridget Soto, along with 20 other defendants,
was indicted for crimes relating to a conspiracy to illegally
export firearms and ammunition from the United States to
Mexico. She pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to
export ammunition from the United States and to one count
of conspiracy to export firearms and ammunition. Soto
argues that the district court’s forfeiture order was improper
because the crimes for which she was convicted do not
authorize forfeiture. She also contends that the notice of
forfeiture in the indictment was inadequate because it cited
an inapplicable statutory provision. For the reasons set forth
below, we AFFIRM the district court’s forfeiture order.
4 UNITED STATES V. SOTO
I. BACKGROUND
A. Factual background
A joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security
Investigations uncovered a conspiracy in which the
participants purchased firearms and ammunition in the
United States and illegally smuggled those items into
Mexico. The investigation determined that the conspiracy
involved at least 70 firearms and approximately 74,880
rounds of ammunition.
Soto purchased and transported ammunition on at least
two occasions. In December 2015, she purchased 28,500
rounds of ammunition in Phoenix, Arizona. She then
transported the ammunition to the United States-Mexico
border and provided it to a coconspirator. In January 2016,
she purchased 26,000 more rounds of ammunition in
Phoenix. Agents arrested Soto while she was transporting
this second purchase of ammunition south towards the
border.
B. Procedural background
Soto was charged with two counts of attempting to
export ammunition from the United States, in violation of
18 U.S.C. § 554, and one count of conspiracy to export
firearms and ammunition, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371.
The indictment charged that, upon conviction, the firearms
and ammunition involved in the offenses would be forfeited.
If the firearms and ammunition could not be located or had
been transferred to a third party, the indictment charged that
the government would seek forfeiture of other property
worth no more than the value of the firearms and
ammunition in question.
UNITED STATES V. SOTO 5
Soto pleaded guilty to one of the attempted-exportation
counts and to the conspiracy count, with the government
agreeing to dismiss the other attempted-exportation count.
The district court then sentenced Soto to four years’
probation and imposed a special assessment of $200. It also
ordered the forfeiture of the firearms and ammunition that
the government seized. Because Soto had previously
transferred the 28,500 rounds of ammunition purchased in
December 2015, with a value of $7,123, the court authorized
the government to seize substitute property belonging to
Soto worth up to that amount. Soto did not object to the
forfeiture order at sentencing.
After Soto filed her notice of appeal, she filed a motion
to correct what she claimed to be a clear error at sentencing
under Rule 35(a) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure.
That error, according to Soto, is the absence of any statutory
authority for forfeiture in this case. The district court denied
Soto’s Rule 35(a) motion.
II. ANALYSIS
A. Standard of review
This court usually reviews de novo a district court’s
interpretation of federal forfeiture law. United States v.
$493,850.00 in U.S. Currency, 518 F.3d 1159, 1164 (9th Cir.
2008). But here, Soto did not object to the final order of
forfeiture at sentencing. She instead first objected to the
forfeiture order in a motion filed under Rule 35(a) of the
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure after she had already
filed her notice of appeal. Nor did Soto appeal the district
court’s denial of her Rule 35(a) motion. That motion is
therefore not part of this appeal. Accordingly, we review the
district court’s forfeiture order under the plain-error
6 UNITED STATES V. SOTO
standard. See United States v. Yijun Zhou, 838 F.3d 1007,
1010 (9th Cir. 2016).
B. The district court did not err in ordering forfeiture
because 18 U.S.C. § 924(d)(1) authorizes forfeiture of
firearms and ammunition involved in a federal crime.
Soto argues that criminal forfeiture is available only if a
federal forfeiture statute expressly references the criminal
statute under which a defendant is convicted. Because Soto
was convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. §§ 371 and 554(a), and
these statutes are not expressly mentioned in any federal
forfeiture statute, she argues that forfeiture is unavailable in
this case.
Soto’s argument fails because she overlooks 18 U.S.C.
§ 924(d)(1), which provides that “[a]ny firearm or
ammunition involved in or used in any . . . violation of any
other criminal law of the United States . . . shall be subject
to seizure and forfeiture . . . .” Congress did not define the
word “involved” in the statute, but the Supreme Court held
in Smith v. United States, 508 U.S. 223 (1993), that the term
should be defined broadly:
Examination of the offenses to which the
“involved in” language applies reveals why
Congress believed it necessary to include
such an expansive term. One of the listed
offenses, violation of § 922(a)(6), is the
making of a false statement material to the
lawfulness of a gun’s transfer. Because
making a material misstatement in order to
acquire or sell a gun is not “use” of the gun
even under the broadest definition of the
word “use,” Congress carefully expanded the
statutory language. As a result, a gun with
UNITED STATES V. SOTO 7
respect to which a material misstatement is
made is subject to forfeiture because, even
though the gun is not “used” in the offense, it
is “involved in” it.
Id. at 235.
The Third Circuit in United States v. Cheeseman,
600 F.3d 270 (3d Cir. 2010), defined the plain meaning of
the phrase “involved in” by quoting Merriam-Webster’s
dictionary as follows: “(1) ‘to engage as a participant’;
(2) ‘to relate closely’; (3) ‘to have within or as part of itself’;
and (4) ‘to require as a necessary accompaniment.’” Id. at
278 (quoting Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary 660
(11th ed. 2003)). In that case, the defendant pleaded “guilty
to violating 18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(3), which criminalizes
possession of firearms and ammunition by an unlawful user
or addict of a controlled substance.” Id. at 272. The
defendant argued on appeal that the district court’s
authorization of the forfeiture of firearms and ammunition
pursuant to § 924(d)(1) violated that statute because the
firearms and ammunition were not “involved in” the crime.
Id.
The Third Circuit disagreed. It held that the firearms and
ammunition were “involved in” the crime because “without
the firearms, there would have been no crime.” Id. at 278.
Referring to Merriam-Webster’s definition, the court held
that the firearms were “related closely to and were a
necessary accompaniment to the crime charged.” Id.
Similarly, in Soto’s case, the firearms and ammunition were
involved in the crimes of attempting to export ammunition
and conspiracy to export firearms and ammunition because,
without the firearms and ammunition, there would have been
no crime.
8 UNITED STATES V. SOTO
The forfeiture order is also authorized by the following
clause of 18 U.S.C. § 924(d)(1): “[A]ny firearm or
ammunition intended to be used in any offense referred to in
paragraph (3) of this subsection, where such intent is
demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence, shall be
subject to seizure and forfeiture . . . .” The offenses listed in
paragraph (3) include “any offense which may be prosecuted
in a court of the United States which involves the exportation
of firearms or ammunition.” 18 U.S.C. § 924(d)(3)(F).
Soto’s offenses of conviction involve the exportation of
firearms and ammunition, so the district court’s forfeiture
order is also authorized by § 924(d)(1) and (d)(3)(F).
Section 924(d)(1) authorizes forfeiture “as a remedial
civil sanction rather than a criminal punishment.” United
States v. One Assortment of 89 Firearms, 465 U.S. 354, 364
(1984). But 28 U.S.C. § 2461(c) “permits the government
to seek criminal forfeiture whenever civil forfeiture is
available and the defendant is found guilty of the offense.”
United States v. Pollard, 850 F.3d 1038, 1041 (9th Cir.
2017) (emphasis in original) (quoting United States v.
Newman, 659 F.3d 1235, 1239 (9th Cir. 2011)). In other
words, § 2461(c) “make[s] criminal forfeiture available in
every case that the criminal forfeiture statute does not reach
but for which civil forfeiture is legally authorized.” Id.
(alteration in original) (quoting Newman, 659 F.3d at 1239).
Civil forfeiture in Soto’s case is authorized by § 924(d)(1),
as discussed above, so criminal forfeiture is available
pursuant to § 2461(c).
C. The district court did not err in ordering the
forfeiture of substitute property.
The forfeiture of substitute assets for the ammunition
that Soto transferred to a coconspirator is authorized by
21 U.S.C. § 853(p). Section 2461(c)—the statute that
UNITED STATES V. SOTO 9
authorizes criminal forfeiture whenever civil forfeiture is
available—provides that the procedures in § 853, with the
exception of § 853(d) (which is not applicable in this case),
“apply to all stages of a criminal forfeiture proceeding.”
28 U.S.C. § 2461(c). And § 853(p) provides as follows:
(p) Forfeiture of substitute property
(1) In general
Paragraph (2) of this subsection shall
apply, if any property described in
subsection (a), as a result of any act or
omission of the defendant—
(A) cannot be located upon the
exercise of due diligence;
(B) has been transferred or sold to, or
deposited with, a third party;
(C) has been placed beyond the
jurisdiction of the court;
(D) has been substantially diminished
in value; or
(E) has been commingled with other
property which cannot be divided
without difficulty.
(2) Substitute property
In any case described in any of
subparagraphs (A) through (E) of
10 UNITED STATES V. SOTO
paragraph (1), the court shall order the
forfeiture of any other property of the
defendant, up to the value of any property
described in subparagraphs (A) through
(E) of paragraph (1), as applicable.
21 U.S.C. § 853(p).
Section 853(p) is a procedural provision, so § 2461(c)
makes it applicable here. See Honeycutt v. United States,
137 S. Ct. 1626, 1634 (2017) (“Congress provided just one
way for the Government to recoup substitute property when
the tainted property itself is unavailable—the procedures
outlined in § 853(p).”); United States v. Lo, 839 F.3d 777,
790 (9th Cir. 2016) (“Section 853(p) provides a procedure
for the forfeiture of substitute property . . . .”). The
requirements of § 853(p) were met in this case because Soto
had ammunition that was subject to forfeiture and she
transferred that ammunition to a coconspirator.
Accordingly, the district court committed no error, much less
plain error, in ordering the forfeiture of substitute property
up to the value of the ammunition that was transferred.
This court recently addressed a similar issue in United
States v. Valdez, 911 F.3d 960 (9th Cir. 2018). Like Soto,
the defendant in Valdez pleaded guilty to attempted
smuggling of ammunition from the United States into
Mexico, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 554(a). Id. at 962. The
district court entered a final order of forfeiture against the
defendant for substitute property in lieu of the ammunition.
Id. Valdez challenged the forfeiture order on appeal, arguing
that “[28 U.S.C.] § 2461(c) does not apply to civil forfeitures
under [28 U.S.C.] § 924(d) because § 924(d) does not use
the word ‘property,’” id. at 964, and because § 2461(c) limits
courts to ordering “the forfeiture of the property.”
UNITED STATES V. SOTO 11
We rejected Valdez’s argument and held that “[s]ection
924(d) indisputably authorizes the civil forfeiture of firearms
and ammunition, which simply are specific types of
property.” Id. Ultimately, we held that “[s]ection 924(d)
describes the forfeitable property, and § 2461(c) authorizes
the use of the procedures of § 853 with respect to the
forfeitable property.” Id. at 967 (emphasis in original).
Although that holding is relevant to the present case, Soto
and Valdez raised different arguments on appeal. This has
required us to consider Soto’s contention that criminal
forfeiture is available only if a federal forfeiture statute
expressly references the criminal statute under which a
defendant is convicted.
D. Soto’s challenge to the adequacy of the notice of
forfeiture in the indictment is not reviewable, but
even if it were, the notice was adequate.
Soto also challenges the adequacy of the notice of
forfeiture set forth in the indictment. For Soto’s offenses,
the indictment states that the government would seek
forfeiture pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C) and
28 U.S.C. § 2461(c). Section 981 sets forth when civil
forfeiture is available and, as explained above, § 2461(c)
authorizes criminal forfeiture whenever civil forfeiture is
available.
Soto correctly argues that § 981 is not applicable in this
case because the crimes listed in that statute do not include
the offenses for which she was convicted. But this challenge
first appears in her reply brief. Because Soto did not
challenge the adequacy of the notice of forfeiture in the
indictment before the district court or in her opening brief,
the challenge is not reviewable. See Greenwood v. F.A.A.,
28 F.3d 971, 977 (9th Cir. 1994) (“We review only issues
12 UNITED STATES V. SOTO
which are argued specifically and distinctly in a party’s
opening brief.”).
And even if we were to review Soto’s challenge that the
indictment lacked adequate notice of forfeiture, we would do
so under the plain-error standard because Soto did not raise
this argument before the district court. Rule 32.2(a) of the
Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure prevents a district court
from ordering criminal forfeiture unless the indictment
includes notice that the government will seek forfeiture “as
part of any sentence in accordance with the applicable
statute.” Other courts have held that the notice requirement
of Rule 32.2(a) is met even if the indictment contains a
forfeiture allegation that cites the wrong statute. See, e.g.,
United States v. Silvious, 512 F.3d 364, 369–70 (7th Cir.
2008) (“Listing the wrong forfeiture statute did not prevent
Silvious from receiving notice under Rule 32.2(a).”).
Here, the indictment informed Soto that the government
intended to seek forfeiture. And the preliminary and final
forfeiture orders correctly cited 18 U.S.C. § 924(d),
28 U.S.C. § 2461(c), and 21 U.S.C. § 853(p)(1)(B) as the
applicable provisions. So even though the indictment cited
the wrong statute, Soto was nevertheless provided with
adequate notice of forfeiture. The district court therefore did
not commit plain error regarding the adequacy of notice.
III. Conclusion
For all of the reasons set forth above, we AFFIRM the
district court’s forfeiture order.
|
U.S. rapper sues TMZ for incorrectly reporting he severed own penis
NEW YORK (Reuters) - A rapper associated with the Wu Tang Clan has sued the celebrity news website TMZ for incorrectly reporting two years ago that he severed his own penis and jumped out of a second-floor window.
In a lawsuit filed in Delaware federal court on Wednesday, Marques Johnson said the incident involved rapper Andre Johnson.
Both Marques Johnson and Andre Johnson were affiliated with the prominent rap group Wu Tang Clan, according to the lawsuit. Marques Johnson goes by Andre Roxx on stage, while Andre Johnson uses the name Christ Bearer.
"No one has corrected their story in two years, and I'm getting sick of it," Marques Johnson said in a phone interview. "I want to clear my name."
The complaint seeks unspecified damages from TMZ and other media companies that printed versions of the erroneous story.
A representative of Time Warner Inc, which owns TMZ, did not respond to a request for comment.
Other media companies whose outlets published versions of the story and never corrected them, including CBS Corp, Viacom Inc and Gannett Co Inc, were also named as defendants.
A spokeswoman for Gannett's USA TODAY newspaper, which published one of the accounts, said the company would review the complaint. Representatives for Viacom and CBS either declined to comment or did not respond to a request for comment.
TMZ posted a story in April 2014 on the incident, identifying Marques Johnson as the man involved and posting a photo of him, according to the lawsuit.
The site later updated the post to reflect that Andre Johnson was the man in the incident but did not issue a retraction, the lawsuit said.
The initial story was widely picked up by other media, and stories attributing the incident to Marques Johnson continue to exist online, the lawsuit said.
Marques Johnson learned of the story while watching a local news broadcast in prison and was forced to go into protective custody, according to the lawsuit. The complaint also said Johnson has had trouble resuming his career since his release due to the negative publicity stemming from the incorrect report. |
/******************************************************************************
* Copyright (C) 2018 – 2020 Xilinx, Inc. All rights reserved.
* SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
******************************************************************************/
/*****************************************************************************/
/**
*
* @file si5324drv.h
*
* This file contains definitions for low-level driver functions for
* controlling the SiliconLabs Si5324 clock generator as mounted on the KC705
* demo board.
* The user should refer to the hardware device specification for more details
* of the device operation.
*
* <pre>
* MODIFICATION HISTORY:
*
* Ver Who Date Changes
* ----- --- ---------- -----------------------------------------------
* dd/mm/yyyy
* ----- --- ---------- -----------------------------------------------
* 1.00 gm 12/05/2018 Initial release
* </pre>
*
******************************************************************************/
#ifndef VIDEO_FMC_H_
#define VIDEO_FMC_H_
#include "xparameters.h"
#include "xil_types.h"
#if defined (XPS_BOARD_ZCU102) || \
defined (XPS_BOARD_ZCU104) || \
defined (XPS_BOARD_ZCU106)
#include "xiicps.h"
#else
#include "xiic.h"
#endif
#include "sleep.h"
#include "xgpio.h"
#include "idt_8t49n24x.h"
#include "ti_lmk03318.h"
#include "onsemi_nb7nq621m.h"
#include "si5344drv.h"
#if (XPAR_HDMIPHY1_0_TRANSCEIVER == 6) /*GTYE4*/
#define XPS_BOARD_VCU118
#else
/* Place-holder for other boards in future */
#endif
#define VFMC_GPIO_TX_CH4_DATASRC_SEL_MASK 0x00000004
#define VFMC_GPIO_RX_CH4_DATASRC_SEL_MASK 0x00040000
typedef enum {
VFMC_HPC0 = 1,
VFMC_HCP1 = 2,
VFMC_LOC_INVALID = 99,
} XVfmc_Location;
typedef enum {
VFMC_MEZZ_HDMI_PASSIVE = 0x70000001,
VFMC_MEZZ_HDMI_ONSEMI_R0 = 0x70000100, /* ONSEMI Revision 0 */
VFMC_MEZZ_HDMI_ONSEMI_R1 = 0x70000101, /* ONSEMI Revision 1 */
VFMC_MEZZ_INVALID = 0x70000999,
} XVfmc_MezzType;
typedef enum {
VFMC_GPIO_TX_LED0 = 0x00000001,
VFMC_GPIO_TX_LED1 = 0x00000002,
VFMC_GPIO_RX_LED0 = 0x00010000,
VFMC_GPIO_RX_LED1 = 0x00020000,
} XVfmc_Gpio_Led;
typedef enum {
VFMC_GPIO_TX_CH4_As_DataAndClock,
VFMC_GPIO_TX_CH4_As_ClockOut,
VFMC_GPIO_RX_CH4_As_Data,
VFMC_GPIO_RX_CH4_As_Clock,
} XVfmc_Gpio_Ch4_DataClkSel;
typedef enum {
VFMC_MEZZ_RxRefclk_From_Si5344,
VFMC_MEZZ_RxRefclk_From_Cable,
} XVfmc_Mezz_RxRefClkSel;
typedef enum {
VFMC_MEZZ_TxRefclk_From_IDT,
VFMC_MEZZ_TxRefclk_From_Si5344,
} XVfmc_Mezz_TxRefClkSel;
/**
* This typedef defines the Vfmc structure
*/
typedef struct {
void *IicPtr; /**< Reference to IIC controller for vfmc. */
XGpio Gpio; /**< Reference to GPIO for vfmc */
XVfmc_Location Loc; /**< Location of vfmc on development board */
XVfmc_MezzType TxMezzType; /**< Mezzanine Type */
XVfmc_MezzType RxMezzType; /**< Mezzanine Type */
u32 IsReady; /**< Is Ready */
} XVfmc;
int Vfmc_I2cMuxSelect(XVfmc *VfmcPtr);
u32 Vfmc_HdmiInit(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, u16 GpioDeviceId, void *IicPtr,
XVfmc_Location Loc);
int Vfmc_PowerDownTiLMK03318(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, u8 Powerdown);
void Vfmc_Gpio_Led_On(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, XVfmc_Gpio_Led Led, u8 On);
void Vfmc_Gpio_Ch4_DataClock_Sel(XVfmc *VfmcPtr,
XVfmc_Gpio_Ch4_DataClkSel DataClkSel);
void Vfmc_Gpio_Mezz_HdmiTxDriver_Enable(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, u8 Enable);
void Vfmc_Gpio_Mezz_HdmiRxEqualizer_Enable(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, u8 Enable);
void Vfmc_Gpio_Mezz_HdmiTxDriver_Reconfig(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, u8 IsFRL,
u64 LineRate);
void Vfmc_Gpio_Mezz_HdmiRxDriver_Reconfig(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, u8 IsFRL,
u64 LineRate);
u32 Vfmc_Mezz_HdmiRxRefClock_Sel(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, XVfmc_Mezz_RxRefClkSel Sel);
u32 Vfmc_Mezz_HdmiTxRefClock_Sel(XVfmc *VfmcPtr, XVfmc_Mezz_TxRefClkSel Sel);
#endif /* VIDEO_FMC_H_ */
|
Suicide attempt and basic mechanisms in neural conduction: relationships to the SCN8A and VAMP4 genes.
Family and twin studies show that genetic variation influences suicidal behavior, but do not indicate specific genes. We investigated the relationship between genetic variation and suicide attempt by screening 250 genetic markers using transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) analysis. Analysis of 77 triplets (suicide attempters and both their parents), indicated that gene-variants in, or adjacent to, the sodium channel, voltage gated, type VIII, alpha polypeptide (SCN8A) (P = 0.008), vesicle-associated membrane protein 4 (VAMP4) (P = 0.004), and prenylated Rab acceptor 1 (RABAC1) (P = 0.006) genes are over-transmitted in suicide attempt. Replication in a separate sample, consisting of 190 triplets, confirmed the exploratory data for the SCN8A (P = 0.005) and VAMP4 (P = 0.019) genes, but failed to confirm the data for the RABAC1 gene. Our results indicate that genetic variation in the SCN8A and VAMP4 genes may contribute to risk for suicide attempt, possibly through alterations in neural conduction. |
Q:
Should I be worried about electro-static discharge?
Doing mostly micro-controller work, I have never bothered with grounding myself with a wrist-strap or any other implementation.
Should I be worried about this?
How serious is ESD when working at my workbench on projects?
A:
I know most people will yell at me for this. And I do honestly take some ESD precautions day to day, but ESD is a vary rare failure mode in modern electronics.
For my background, I take part in teaching the capstone design class at my university, and they have to build many many things, in 4 phases. Many students(almost all) will not listen to us when we warn of ESD precautions.
I have seen at-least 10 projects where they blamed ESD, only one that was probably ESD. In that project a board was working and a student walked up and touched it and you could audibly hear the shock as he discharged static electricity. This failed.
For the other 9, they blamed ESD only to find at a later point that they had a design flaw that was not easy to track down and only reared it's ugly head in very specific conditions.
I have heard many more than 10 projects blame esd and find a problem within hours, but only 10 have sworn they should be allowed to continue to the next phase because it worked but ESD fried it.
On that note, when you are working, you should check datasheets. Most modern devices have ESD protection, rated to some voltage using HBM(Human-body model). If this is below 1kV it is quite susceptible. if it is rated to 2k, it is semi-resilient, for the most part you would have to be dumb to damage it. if it is 4k, it is pretty resilient. if it is 8k you will hear a spark before you hurt it.
Be wary of those that blame ESD, but wear a wrist strap just in case. you can get a mat and strap for almost nothing.
A:
Yes you should/must be worried about this. The simple case is where you blow the device completely. This is easy, it just does not work. The problem is where you damage the IO driver circuit - quite common as this is the bit that is exposed by the pin. In this case the driver may appear to work for some of the time. If it has to operate at high speed for part of the time then it may well fail giving intermittent and hard to diagnose faults. (Been there and got several t-shirts!!)
This is becoming more and more necessary as device geometries are shrinking and core voltages are dropping. Microcontroller manufacturing processes have often been slightly behind the bleeding edge but as oxide layer thicknesses are reducing with the device geometry size the required ESD voltage required to damage the device is reduced.
The bottom line is that you can get away with ignoring ESD precautions for a while but for how long? As Clint Eastwood said “You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk?”
A:
The tricky thing with ESD is that even when it doesn't seem to affect anything, every small discharge does cause some damage, whether it's pitting of the silicon, vaporizing a little bit of the bonding wire, removing some of the metalization on one of the semiconductor layers, or some other effect, it will physically alter the product.
In most cases, most uses of a given part won't be measurably altered by the change. Most people overengineer their designs so they aren't using them anywhere near their limit, so there's a huge margin where a pitted part will work just fine for more uses.
Over time repeated discharges will change the part enough that it will behave slightly out of spec - but perhaps not enough to notice without thorough testing. This is really the worst case scenario - since it works most of the time, then it's really difficult to find out why it's not working when it fails. It's far better for a part to fail completely so it's easy to track down.
Alternately, the one small discharge that happened once damages it enough that when you do use it to full capacity, it then fails. The happens, of course, once you've deployed it in the field and it's a pain to get it back and troubleshoot it.
This kind of damage cannot be detected without removing the silicon from the package and inspecting it, or, in cases where the damage is hidden inbetween layers, by slicing the silicon into very thin sheets where the damage is likely to occur.
So yes, everyone here is right when they say, "I rarely follow ESD precautions and I have never seen an issue." They will never see it, and when it does fail there will be no reason to believe it was ESD related because there was no recent ESD event.
But that doesn't mean I'm going to trust the products that come from their bench, either.
|
[Ablative therapy of small renal masses].
Renal cell cancer is nowadays predominantly diagnosed in early stages due to the widespread use of sectional imaging for unrelated symptoms. Small renal masses (<4 cm) feature a largely indolent biology with a very low risk for metastasis or even a benign biology in up to 30% of the cases. Consequently, there is a need for less invasive therapeutic alternatives to nephron-sparing surgery. Meanwhile, there is a broad portfolio of local ablation techniques to treat small renal tumors. These include the extensively studied radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation techniques as well as newer modalities like microwave ablation and irreversible electroporation as more experimental techniques. Tumor ablation can be performed percutaneously under image guidance or laparoscopically. In particular, the percutaneous approach is a less invasive alternative to nephron-sparing surgery with lower risk for complications. Comparative studies and meta-analyses report a higher risk for local recurrence after renal tumor ablation compared to surgery. However, long-term oncological results after treatment of small renal masses are promising and do not seem to differ from partial nephrectomy. The possibility for salvage therapy in case of recurrence also accounts for this finding. Especially old patients with an increased risk of surgical and anesthesiological complications as well as patients with recurrent and multiple hereditary renal cell carcinomas may benefit from tumor ablation. Tumor biopsy prior to intervention is associated with very low morbidity rates and is oncologically safe. It can help to assess the biology of the renal mass and prevent therapy of benign lesions. |
California cities and the Washington, D.C., area see biggest boosts for next year.
The Obama administration on Tuesday released the adjustments to base salaries that employees in each of the country’s locality pay areas will receive in 2017, with the largest increases concentrated in major American cities.
California’s Bay Area, including San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, will see the largest increase next year, with the locality rate increasing 1.32 percentage points from 35.75 percent in 2016 to 37.07 percent of an employee’s base salary for 2017. Federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area (which also includes Baltimore, Md., and parts of Northern Virginia) will see a 1.26 percent bump in 2017, from 24.78 percent of their base salary this year to 26.04 percent for next year.
The New York City metropolitan area will receive a locality pay increase of 1.09 percentage points, from 29.2 percent to 30.29 percent.
The president in August officially recommended a 1.6 percent pay boost in 2017 for civilian federal employees, composed of a 1 percent base increase and a 0.6 percent locality pay bump. Obama said he presented an alternative pay plan because otherwise it would have cost the government too much money in pay raises. The statutory formula for determining locality pay, which presidents historically ignore in favor of their own rates, would have boosted the adjustments by an average of 28.49 percent at a cost of $26 billion, and “federal agency budgets cannot sustain such increases,” Obama wrote in a letter accompanying the 2017 locality pay rates.
“Civilian federal employees made significant sacrifices as a result of the three-year pay freeze that ended in January 2014,” wrote Obama. “Since the pay freeze ended, annual adjustments for civilian federal employees have also been lower than private sector pay increases and statutory formulas for adjustments to the General Schedule for 2014 through 2016. However, we must maintain efforts to keep our nation on a sustainable fiscal course. This is an effort that continues to require tough choices under current economic conditions.”
The new rates will go into effect on the first pay period in the new year, Obama ordered. He explained they “will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified federal workforce.” |
Železný Brod
Železný Brod (; ) is a town in Liberec Region of the Czech Republic. Located in Jablonec nad Nisou District on the Jizera River, the town is on a railway line connecting Pardubice and Liberec.
History
Železný Brod is an old glass-producing town founded in the eleventh century. It was originally known as Brod ("ford") or Brodek ("little ford"). In 1501, the town received its coat of arms, representing the law restoration in the town that was carried out by the King Vladislaus II of Bohemia. Probably at the same time Železný ("iron") was added to its name, alluding to the town's steelworks. In 1880, the town had 2,698 inhabitants and was the seat of the district court. Its cotton spinning mill was using 50,000 spindles.
The town's main industry is represented by jewellers, as well as producers of blow-moulded glass, thermometers, and small glass commodities.
Demographics
Culture
Town Hall
The Town Hall of Železný Brod was built in 1890 replacing the earlier wooden hall. The Town Theatre (located in the first floor) and the Town Gallery of Vlastimil Rada (located on the ground floor) are both located within the town hall building. The town’s coat-of-arms is displayed on the ground floor.
Běliště
Běliště is the location of the ethnographic exposition of the Town Museum, focusing on the history of Železný Brod and its close surroundings. The building is a one-storey partly timbered house that served as a tannery and a dye-house since 1807. The exposition presents archaeological discoveries, photocopy of records, half-precious stones from Kozákov, iron, slate, limestone, fossils and residue of sea, sculpture of sandstone, artwork by Josef Scheybal, old classes and school's aids, gingerbread products and old baker's bread, flax processing tools, weaving room, textiles, printer's forms, some old clothing, wooden Bethlehems, old ski and sleds, models of citizen’s houses.
Town museum
The museum is located in May 3 Square in the former citizens timber house built in 1792 (since 1936, it served as a part of the savings bank building). It holds the exposition of the Železný Brod glass-making: glass-making room from the last century, personages of the local secondary glass school, businessmen and exporters of the 20th and 40th years of the 20th century, unique glass Bethlehem.
Trávníky
The old Trávníky district is situated behind the brooks Žernovník and is remarkable for the empire houses Grosovsko and Knopovsko, timbered houses in Zahradnická, Hluboká and Fr. Balatky lanes, and St. James Church with wooden belfry.
Twin towns — sister cities
Železný Brod is twinned with:
Lauscha, Germany
Olszyna, Poland
Chvalíkovice, Czech Republic
References
External links
Municipal website
Category:Cities and towns in the Czech Republic
Category:Populated places in Jablonec nad Nisou District |
Q:
Iterating through JSONObject and getting it's deeper childs child values
I am getting the following JsonObject as a repponse from my API call -
{
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.SearchResultCollection`1[[VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core]], VerteSearch.Core",
"count": 74,
"data": [
{
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.SearchResult`1[[VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core]], VerteSearch.Core",
"score": 1.41421354,
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"vendorId": 1,
"vendorPrefix": "VS0007",
"vendorName": "kiko+ & gg*",
"shortDescription": "High Quality modern-minimalist wooden toys. Designed in Japan.",
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"displayOrder": 1,
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"url": "https://myverte.com/kikoandgg",
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}
},
{
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"shortDescription": "Jewelry & Accessories Made From 99% Recycled Silver.",
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"shortDescription": "Wooden Play Kitchens Made In The USA.",
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},
{
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.SearchResult`1[[VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core]], VerteSearch.Core",
"score": 1.41421354,
"resultData": {
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core",
"id": "8",
"vendorId": 8,
"vendorPrefix": "VS0013",
"vendorName": "Rampley & Co",
"shortDescription": "High Quality, Elegant Pocket Squares with Unique Designs.",
"imageUrl": "https://images.myverte.com/default-image_143.png",
"imageId": 0,
"displayOrder": 1,
"seName": "rampley-co",
"url": "https://myverte.com/rampley-co",
"logoPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0129814_270.png",
"logoPictureId": 129814,
"backgroundPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0129813_270.png",
"backgroundPictureId": 129813,
"frontPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0129812_270.png",
"frontPictureId": 129812,
"bannerPicture": null,
"bannerPictureId": 0,
"priceMin": 79.0,
"priceMax": 98.0,
"categoriesNames": "Pocket Squares",
"maxFavoritesCount": 1
}
},
{
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.SearchResult`1[[VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core]], VerteSearch.Core",
"score": 1.41421354,
"resultData": {
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core",
"id": "9",
"vendorId": 9,
"vendorPrefix": "VS0014",
"vendorName": "Unbound",
"shortDescription": "A Sexual Wellness Company... for When You're Feeling Yourself...",
"imageUrl": "https://images.myverte.com/default-image_143.png",
"imageId": 0,
"displayOrder": 1,
"seName": "unbound",
"url": "https://myverte.com/unbound",
"logoPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0102324_270.png",
"logoPictureId": 102324,
"backgroundPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0102320_270.png",
"backgroundPictureId": 102320,
"frontPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0102314_270.png",
"frontPictureId": 102314,
"bannerPicture": null,
"bannerPictureId": 0,
"priceMin": 16.0,
"priceMax": 99.0,
"categoriesNames": "Vibrator,Jewelry,Lubricant,Accessories",
"maxFavoritesCount": 2
}
},
{
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.SearchResult`1[[VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core]], VerteSearch.Core",
"score": 1.41421354,
"resultData": {
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core",
"id": "10",
"vendorId": 10,
"vendorPrefix": "VS0015",
"vendorName": "Stryx",
"shortDescription": "Rethinking the Meaning of Men's “Cosmetics” Products.",
"imageUrl": "https://images.myverte.com/default-image_143.png",
"imageId": 0,
"displayOrder": 1,
"seName": "stryx",
"url": "https://myverte.com/stryx",
"logoPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0140678_270.png",
"logoPictureId": 140678,
"backgroundPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0140677_270.png",
"backgroundPictureId": 140677,
"frontPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0140676_270.png",
"frontPictureId": 140676,
"bannerPicture": null,
"bannerPictureId": 0,
"priceMin": 29.0,
"priceMax": 29.0,
"categoriesNames": "Cosmetics",
"maxFavoritesCount": 5
}
},
{
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.SearchResult`1[[VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core]], VerteSearch.Core",
"score": 1.41421354,
"resultData": {
"$type": "VerteSearch.Core.Models.IndexEntities.IndexedVendor, VerteSearch.Core",
"id": "11",
"vendorId": 11,
"vendorPrefix": "VS0016",
"vendorName": "Temporary Forevers",
"shortDescription": "Goods Created for Your Daily Journey. Crafted to Last.",
"imageUrl": "https://images.myverte.com/default-image_143.png",
"imageId": 0,
"displayOrder": 1,
"seName": "temporary-forevers",
"url": "https://myverte.com/temporary-forevers",
"logoPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0130521_270.png",
"logoPictureId": 130521,
"backgroundPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0130520_270.png",
"backgroundPictureId": 130520,
"frontPicture": "https://images.myverte.com/0130519_270.png",
"frontPictureId": 130519,
"bannerPicture": null,
"bannerPictureId": 0,
"priceMin": 305.0,
"priceMax": 395.0,
"categoriesNames": "Accessories",
"maxFavoritesCount": 11
}
}
]
}
The thing is that I need only a certain part, deeper child's of this JsonObject.
What I need are basically information from resultData variable - vendorId, vendorName, shortDescription, imageURL, vendorURL.
resultData is an array of JsonObjects, so I need to iterate through them and make a list of my own objects.
What would be the way to do so?
edit -
tried the following solution -
private void getVendorsList(JsonObject body) {
JsonArray dataArray = body.getAsJsonArray("data");
Gson gson = new Gson();
JSONArray jsonArray = gson.fromJson(dataArray, JSONArray.class);
List<VendorModel> vendorModelList = new ArrayList<>();
for (int i = 0; i < jsonArray.length(); i++) {
try {
JSONObject resultData = jsonArray.getJSONObject(i).getJSONObject("resultData");
int id = resultData.getInt("id");
String vendorName = resultData.getString("vendorName");
String shortDescription = resultData.getString("shortDescription");
String imageUrl = resultData.getString("imageUrl");
String url = resultData.getString("url");
VendorModel vendorModel = new VendorModel(id,vendorName, shortDescription, imageUrl, url);
vendorModelList.add(vendorModel);
} catch (JSONException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
Log.d("vendorsList", String.valueOf(vendorModelList));
}
But I got the following error -
java.lang.IllegalStateException: Expected BEGIN_OBJECT but was BEGIN_ARRAY at path $
What am I missing? data is actually an array and not an object
A:
Iterate through resultData and parse.
private void getVendorsList(JsonObject body) {
JsonArray jsonArray = body.getAsJsonArray("data");
List<VendorModel> vendorModelList = new ArrayList<>();
if(jsonArray != null) {
for (int i = 0; i < jsonArray.size(); i++) {
JsonObject dataObject = jsonArray.get(i).getAsJsonObject();
if(dataObject != null) {
JsonObject resultObject = dataObject.getAsJsonObject("resultData");
if(resultObject != null) {
//Manual parse
int id = resultObject.get("id").getAsInt();
String vendorName = resultObject.get("vendorName").getAsString();
String shortDescription = resultObject.get("shortDescription").getAsString();
String imageUrl = resultObject.get("imageUrl").getAsString();
String url = resultObject.get("url").getAsString();
VendorModel vendorModel = new VendorModel(id,vendorName, shortDescription, imageUrl, url);
vendorModelList.add(vendorModel);
//Parse using Gson. Also try this instead of above if your json key and model property are aligned
/*VendorModel vendorModel = new Gson().fromJson(resultObject, VendorModel.class);
vendorModelList.add(vendorModel);*/
}
}
}
}
Log.d("vendorsList", String.valueOf(vendorModelList));
}
N.B: You are mixing org.json with google.gson in your implementation.
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