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Jose Mourinho has ordered Chelsea fans to lay off Steven Gerrard on Tuesday night and told them: “Give him the respect he deserves.”
The Special One is not amused by a chant ridiculing Gerrard’s fateful slip at Anfield last April, which allowed Demba Ba to open the scoring in Chelsea’s 2-0 win and ultimately cost Liverpool the title.
Mourinho’s tribute to Kop captain Gerrard – who was poised to sign for Chelsea 10 years ago before a last-ditch change of heart – is unlikely to draw the sting from a Capital One Cup semi-final first leg riddled with old scores.
But he said: “Gerrard is an historical player for Liverpool, an historical player for the Premier League, an opponent I always admired and respect.
(Image: Getty)
“Our fans have a song (about him) that I don’t like, I don’t like it at all.
“Maybe a couple of times it’s good fun, but to go on and go on, especially when a player like him deserves respect, I don’t think we need that. We have so many other songs that we don’t need that one.”
And in a thinly-veiled dig at former Blues midfielder Frank Lampard, who scored against Chelsea for title rivals Manchester City this season, the Portuguese sneered: “I love those quotes when Gerrard was saying that, in this life, he would never score against Liverpool.
In pictures - Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea, April 27 2014:
“I understand why he was almost, almost, almost coming to Chelsea... and he didn’t. I respect that a lot.
"The decision (to stay at Liverpool) for me was proven right because he will always be a Red for ever.” |
Dr. Christoph Scheiermann has been awarded the Emmy-Noether-Grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Starting grant from the European Research Council (ERC) . His group focuses on circadian rhythms in the immune response and is associated with the SFB914 ‘Trafficking of Immune Cells in Inflammation, Development and Disease’ (http://www.sfb914.med.uni-muenchen.de/index.html). The recruitment of leukocytes to tissues and their localization within tissues plays a crucial role in the immune response. Recruitment of leukocytes to tissues underlies a circadian, i.e daily rhythm. This supports accumulating evidence for circadian oscillations in many components of the immune system with the potential to affect disease onset and therapies. The group studies leukocyte migration patterns using various intravital microscopy techniques in different tissues. Specifically, the focus is on how neural influences regulate the circadian migration of leukocytes to tissues, which promigratory factors control these rhythms and whether they can be altered by surgical, pharmacological or genetic interventions. The goal is to provide novel mechanistic insight into the systemic regulation of leukocyte trafficking with the potential for time-based, i.e. chronotherapeutic, interventions in inflammatory diseases. Homepage: Scheiermann Lab |
---
abstract: |
The [*crossing number*]{} $\cro(G)$ of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is the smallest number of edge crossings over all drawings of $G$ in the plane. For any $k\ge 1$, the [*$k$-planar crossing number*]{} of $G$, $\cro_k(G)$, is defined as the minimum of $\cro(G_0)+\cro(G_1)+\ldots+\cro(G_{k-1})$ over all graphs $G_0, G_1,\ldots,
G_{k-1}$ with $\cup_{i=0}^{k-1}G_i=G$. It is shown that for every $k\ge 1$, we have $\cro_k(G)\le
\left(\frac{2}{k^2}-\frac1{k^3}\right)\cro(G)$. This bound does not remain true if we replace the constant $\frac{2}{k^2}-\frac1{k^3}$ by any number smaller than $\frac1{k^2}$. Some of the results extend to the rectilinear variants of the $k$-planar crossing number.
author:
- 'János Pach[^1]'
- 'László A. Székely[^2]'
- 'Csaba D. Tóth[^3]'
- 'Géza Tóth[^4]'
date: '*Dedicated to our colleague Ferran Hurtado (1951–2014)*'
title: 'Note on $k$-planar crossing numbers[^5]'
---
Introduction
============
Selfridge (see [@Ha61]) noticed that by Euler’s polyhedral formula $K_{11}$, the complete graph on $11$ vertices, cannot be written as the union of two planar graphs. Later Battle, Harary, and Kodama [@BaHK62] and independently Tutte [@Tu63a] proved that the same is true for $K_9$, but not for $K_8$. This led Tutte [@Tu63b] to introduce a new parameter, the *thickness* of a graph $G$, which is the minimum number of planar graphs that $G$ can be decomposed into. The notion turned out to be relevant for VLSI chip design, where it corresponds to the number of layers required for realizing a network so that there is no crossing within a layer. Consult Mutzel, Odenthal, and Scharbrodt [@MuOS98] for a survey. If the thickness of $G$ is at most $2$, $G$ is called *biplanar*. Mansfield proved that it is an NP-complete problem to decide whether a graph is biplanar; see [@beineke; @Ma83].
A *drawing* of a graph $G=(V,E)$ is a planar representation of $G$ such that every vertex $v\in V$ corresponds to a point of the plane and every edge $uv\in E$ is represented by a simple continuous curve between the points corresponding to $u$ and $v$, which does not pass through any point representing a vertex of $G$. We always assume for simplicity that (1) no two curves share infinitely many points, (2) no two curves are tangent to each other, and (3) no three curves pass through the same point. The *crossing number* of $G$ is defined as the minimum number of edge crossings in a drawing of $G$, and is denoted by $\cro(G)$. For surveys, see [@schaefer; @success]. Clearly, $G$ is planar if and only if $\cro(G)=0$.
The *biplanar crossing number*, $\cro_2(G)$, of $G$ was defined by Owens [@owens] as the minimum sum of the crossing numbers of two graphs, $G_0$ and $G_1$, whose union is $G$. For the VLSI applications, we imagine that $G_0$ and $G_1$ are drawn (realized) in different planes. If $G$ is biplanar, its biplanar crossing number is $0$. The biplanar crossing number of random graphs was studied by Spencer [@spencer]. Czabarka, Sýkora, Székely, and Vrťo [@bipII] proved that for every graph $G$, we have $$\cro_2(G)\leq \frac{3}{8}\cro(G).$$ They also showed [@bipsurvey] that this inequality does not remain true if the constant $\frac38=0.375$ is replaced by anything less than $\frac{8}{119}\approx 0.067$.
Shahrokhi et al. [@kplanar] extended the notion of biplanar crossing number as follows. For any positive integer $k\ge 1$, define the *$k$-planar crossing number* of $G$ as the minimum of $\cro(G_0)+\cro(G_1)+\ldots+\cro(G_{k-1})$, where the minimum is taken over all graphs $G_0, G_1,\ldots, G_{k-1}$ whose union is $G$, that is, $\cup_{i=0}^{k-1}E(G_i)=E(G)$. This number is denoted by $\cro_k(G)$. Obviously, $\cro_1(G)=\cro(G)$ and we have $\cro_i(G)\ge\cro_{i+1}(G)$ for all $i\in\mathbb{N}$ and every graph $G$.
In the present note, we investigate the relationship between the $k$-planar crossing number and the (ordinary) crossing number of a graph. For every $k\ge 1$, let $$\alpha_k= \sup {\cro_k(G)\over \cro(G)},$$ where the supremum is taken over all *nonplanar* graphs $G$. The above mentioned results yield $0.067<\alpha_2\le \frac38=0.375$. The next theorem implies that $\alpha_k= \Theta(k^{-2})$.
[**Theorem.**]{} [*For every positive integer $k$, we have*]{} $${1\over k^2}\le\alpha_k\le {2\over k^2}-{1\over k^3}.$$
Proof of Theorem {#proofof}
================
#### Upper bound.
First we prove the upper bound. Let $G$ be a graph with vertex set $V(G)$, edge set $E(G)$, and fix an optimal drawing of $G$ in the plane with precisely $\cro(G)$ crossings. We describe a randomized procedure to partition (the edge set of) $G$ into $k$ subgraphs $G_0,\ldots, G_{k-1}$ such that the expected value of the sum of their crossing numbers is at most $(\frac2{k^2}-\frac1{k^3})\cro(G)$. We think of each $G_i$ as a graph drawn independently so that edges of different subgraphs do not cross.
The idea of the proof is the following. We start by randomly partitioning the vertex set of $G$ into $k$ roughly equal classes. We associate with each class a vertex of a complete graph $K_k$. We consider a factorization of $K_k$ into maximal matchings and then use these matchings to divide $E(G)$ into $k$ classes, $G_0,\ldots, G_{k-1}$. It will follow from the definition that every $G_i$ can be drawn independently in such a way that no two edges that correspond to distinct edges of the underlying matching of $K_k$ will cross.
Let the vertex set of $G$ be $V=V(G)=\{ 1, 2, \ldots , n\}$. Assign independent random variables $\xi_v$ to the vertices $v\in V$ such that each $\xi_v$ takes each of the values $0, 1, \ldots, k-1$ with probability $1/k$.
For every $i$($0\le i<k$), let $V_i=\{ v\in V\ |\ \xi_v=i\}$, and define a subgraph $G_i$ as follows. Let $V(G_i)=V$ and let the edge set $E(G_i)$ of $G_i$ consist of all edges $uv\in E(G)$ for which $$\xi_u+\xi_v\equiv i\bmod k.$$ Obviously, we have $\cup_{i=0}^{k-1}E(G_i)=E(G)$.
We define the [*type*]{} of an edge $uv$ to be the unordered pair $(\xi_u, \xi_v)$. For each $i\; (0\le i<k)$, first we draw $G_i$ in the $i$th plane as it was drawn in the original drawing of $G$. Notice that for every index $g$, there is precisely one index $h=h(g)$ such that $G_i$ has an edge connecting a vertex in $V_g$ to a vertex in $V_h$. Thus, every connected component of $G_i$ consists of edges of the same type. In the $i$th plane, we can translate the connected components of $G_i$ sufficiently far from each other so that no two edges of different types intersect, and during the procedure no new crossings are introduced.
Calculate the expected value of the total number of crossings in the resulting drawing of $G_i$ over all $i\; (0\le i<k)$. Every crossing arises from a crossing between two edges in the original drawing of $G$. Consider two edges $uv, u'v'\in E(G)$ that cross each other in the original drawing. A crossing between these edges will be present in the final drawing of one of the $G_i$s if and only $uv$ and $u'v'$ are of the same type. For every index $g$, this happens with probability ${\mbox{Pr}}[{\mbox{type}}(uv)=(g, g)]={1\over k^2}$. For distinct indices $g$ and $h\; (g\neq h)$, we have ${\mbox{Pr}}[{\mbox{type}}(uv)=(g, h)]={2\over k^2}$.
Summing over all possible pairs of types, we obtain $${\mbox{Pr}}[{\mbox{type}}(uv)={\mbox{type}}(u'v')]
={k\choose 2}\cdot{2\over k^2}\cdot {2\over k^2}+
k\cdot{1\over k^2}\cdot {1\over k^2}
={2\over k^2}-{1\over k^3}.$$ Consequently, the expected value of the total number of crossings in the resulting drawings of all $G_i$s is $({2\over k^2}-{1\over k^3})\cro(G)$. Hence, there exists a partition of (the edges of) $G$ into $G_0,\ldots ,G_{k-1}$ where $$\cro(G_0)+\ldots+\cro(G_{k-1})\le \left({2\over k^2}-{1\over k^3}\right)\cro(G).$$ This completes the proof of the upper bound in the Theorem.
#### Lower bound.
Next we establish the lower bound. For two functions $f(n)$ and $g(n)$, we write $f(n)\ll g(n)$, if $\lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}\frac{f(n)}{g(n)}=0$. Let $\kappa(n,e)$ denote the minimum crossing number of a graph $G$ with $n$ vertices and at least $e$ edges. That is, $$\kappa(n,e)=\min_{\begin{array}{cc}
|V(G)|=n\\ |E(G)|\ge e \end{array}}\cro(G).$$
It was shown in [@PST] that there exists a positive constant $K$ such that if $n\ll e\ll n^2$, the limit $$\lim_{n\rightarrow\infty}\kappa(n,e){n^2\over e^3}$$ exists and is equal to $K$. The constant $K>0$ is called the *midrange crossing constant*. The best known bounds for $K$ are $0.034\le K\le 0.09$; see [@A15; @PRTT; @PT]. This result can be rephrased as follows.
[**Lemma.**]{} [*For every $\varepsilon\; (0<\varepsilon<1)$, there exists a constant $N=N_{\varepsilon}$ satisfying the following condition. For every positive integers $n$ and $e$ with $\min(n, \frac{e}{n}, \frac{n^2}{e})\ge N$, we have $\kappa(n,e)>(K-\varepsilon)\frac{e^3}{n^2}$, and there is a graph $G$ with $n$ vertices and $e$ edges such that $\cro(G)< (K+\varepsilon )\frac{e^3}{n^2}$.*]{}
Let $\varepsilon>0$ be fixed, let $$\min\left(n, \frac{e}{n}, \frac{n^2}{e}\right) > \frac{k}{\varepsilon}N_{\varepsilon},$$ and let $G$ be a graph with $n$ vertices and $e$ edges such that $\cro(G)< (K+\varepsilon )\frac{e^3}{n^2}$. Decompose $G$ into $k$ graphs $G=G_0\cup G_1,\cdots \cup G_{k-1}$ such that $\cro(G_0)+\cro(G_1)+\cdots +\cro(G_{k-1})=\cro_k(G)$. For simplicity, write $e_i$ for $|E(G_i)|$.
We may assume, without loss of generality, that there is an integer $t\; (0<t\le k)$ such that $e_i\ge \frac{\varepsilon}{k}e$ for $i=0, 1,\ldots, t-1$, and $e_i< \frac{\varepsilon}{k}e$ for $i=t, t+1,\ldots, k-1$.
For every $i<t$, we have $\min(n, \frac{e_i}{n}, \frac{n^2}{e_i}) > N_{\varepsilon}$, so we can apply the Lemma to conclude that $\cro(G_i)\ge (K-\varepsilon)\frac{e_i^3}{n^2}$. Using that $\sum_{i=t}^{k-1}e_i\le \varepsilon e$, we have $\sum_{i=0}^{t-1}e_i\ge (1-\varepsilon)e$.
Hence, Jensen’s inequality yields $$\begin{aligned}
%(\Kappa-\varepsilon)\frac{m^3}{n^2} &\leq&
%
\cro_k(G)& \ge &\sum_{i=0}^{t-1}\cro(G_i)\geq \sum_{i=0}^{t-1}(K-\varepsilon)\frac{e_i^3}{n^2}\\
% &\geq & \frac{K-\varepsilon}{n^2}\cdot \frac{(m-|J|\sqrt{mn})^3}{(t-|J|)^2},
&\geq &t(K-\varepsilon )\cdot \frac{((1-\varepsilon )e/t)^3}{n^2}>
\frac{(1-3\varepsilon )(K-\varepsilon )}{k^2}\cdot \frac{e^3}{n^2}.\end{aligned}$$ Using that $\cro(G)< (K+\varepsilon )\frac{e^3}{n^2}$, the last inequality implies $$\frac{\cro_k(G)}{\cro(G)}\geq (1-3\varepsilon)\frac{K-\varepsilon}{K+\varepsilon}\cdot \frac{1}{k^2}.$$
As $\varepsilon\rightarrow 0$, the lower bound in the Theorem follows.
Rectilinear Variants {#conclusion}
====================
#### Rectilinear $k$-planar crossing numbers.
The *rectilinear crossing number*, $\rcro(G)$, of a graph $G$ is the minimum number of crossings over all *straight-line* drawings of $G$, in which the edges are represented by line segments. Obviously, we have $\cro(G)\leq \rcro(G)$ for every graph $G$. For every $t\geq 4$, Bienstock and Dean [@BD93] constructed families of graphs whose crossing number is at most $t$ and whose rectilinear crossing number is unbounded.
Similarly to $\cro_k(G)$, we define the *rectilinear $k$-planar crossing number* of a graph $G$, denoted $\rcro_k(G)$, as the minimum of $\rcro(G_0)+\rcro(G_1)+\ldots+\rcro(G_{k-1})$, where the minimum is taken over all graphs $G_0, G_1,\ldots, G_{k-1}$ whose union is $G$. It is clear that $\cro_k(G)\leq \rcro_k(G)$ for every $k\in \mathbb{N}$. However, we do not know of any graph $G$ where $\cro_k(G)<\rcro_k(G)$ and $k\geq 2$.
The analogue of $\alpha_k$ for every $k\in \mathbb{N}$ is $$\beta_k= \sup {\rcro_k(G)\over \rcro(G)},$$ where the supremum is taken over all *nonplanar* graphs $G$. The proof of our main theorem carries over verbatim to this variant, and yields $${1\over k^2}\le\beta_k\le {2\over k^2}-{1\over k^3}.$$ Specifically, the upper bound starts from a fixed straight-line drawing of $G$ with exactly $\rcro(G)$ crossings. Our randomized procedure decomposes $G$ into $k$ graphs $G_0,\dots , G_{k-1}$, each of which consists of $k$ vertex-disjoint subgraphs induced by the $k$ edge types. These $k^2$ subgraphs can be translated independently to avoid any crossings between edges of different subgraphs, but maintain a straight-line drawing for each. The lower bound relies on the existence of a midrange crossing constant $\overline{K}>0$ for the *rectilinear* crossing number, which is established by the argument in [@PST] even though the constants $K$ and $\overline{K}$ are not necessarily the same.
#### Geometric $k$-planar crossing numbers.
The *geometric thickness* of a graph $G$, introduced by Kainen [@Kai73], is the smallest positive integer $k$ such that $G$ admits a $k$-edge-coloring *and* a straight-line drawing in which edges of the same color do not cross. The color classes define a decomposition of $G$ into $k$ planar graphs $G_0,\ldots , G_{k-1}$ each of which admits a crossing-free straight-line drawing in such a way that corresponding vertices are represented by the same point in the plane. A straight-line drawing of a graph $G$ is called *biplane* if $G$ admits a 2-edge-coloring such that no two edges of the same color cross in this drawing; see [@GHK15]. Eppstein [@Epp04] constructed graphs with thickness 3 and geometric thickness at least $t$ for every $t>0$. Determining the geometric thickness of a graph is also an NP-hard problem [@DGM13].
The geometric thickness motivates the following variant of the $k$-planar crossing number. The *geometric $k$-planar crossing number* of a graph $G$, denoted $\gcro_k(G)$, is the minimum number of crossings between edges of the same color over all $k$-edge-colorings of $G$ and all straight-line drawings of $G$. It is clear that $\cro_k(G)\leq \rcro_k(G)\leq \gcro_k(G)$ for every graph $G$ and every $k\in \mathbb{N}$.
The analogue of $\alpha_k$ for every $k\in \mathbb{N}$ is $$\gamma_k= \sup {\gcro_k(G)\over \rcro(G)},$$ where the supremum is taken over all *nonplanar* graphs $G$. The lower bound of our main theorem carries over verbatim to this variant, since it relies on density results, namely the (rectilinear) midrange crossing number. However, the upper bound argument does not extend to this variant. Our randomized procedure partitions the edge set $E(G)$ into $k$ color classes $E(G_0),\ldots ,E(G_{k-1})$, and crossings between edges of different colors do not count. But each color class consists of edges of up to $k$ different types, and the crossings between edges of the same color and different types cannot be eliminated. A weaker upper bound easily follows from a uniform random $k$-coloring of the edges, and yields $${1\over k^2}\le\gamma_k\le {1\over k}.$$
[99]{} -1pt
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É. Czabarka, O. Sýkora, L. A. Székely, and I. Vrťo, Biplanar crossing numbers I: a survey of results and problems, in: *More Sets, Graphs and Numbers (E. Győri, G. O. H. Katona, and L. Lovász, eds.)*, vol. 15 of Bolyai Society Mathematical Studies, Springer, 2006, pp. 57–77.
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[^1]: Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Station 8, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland and Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, PO Box 127, H-1364, Budapest, Hungary. Email: `pach@cims.nyu.edu`. Partially supported the by <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">SNF</span> grants 200020-144531 and 200021-137574.
[^2]: Department of Mathematics, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA. Email: `szekely@math.sc.edu`. Partially supported by the <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">NSF</span> grant DMS 1300547.
[^3]: Department of Mathematics, California State University Northridge, Los Angeles, CA, USA and Department of Computer Science, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA. Email: `csaba.toth@csun.edu`. Partially supported by the <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">NSF</span> awards CCF 1422311 and CCF 1423615.
[^4]: Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, PO Box 127, H-1364 Budapest, Hungary. Email: `toth.geza@renyi.mta.hu`. Partially supported by the <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">OTKA</span> grant K-83767.
[^5]: Research on this paper was conducted at the workshop on *Exact Crossing Numbers*, April 28–May 2, 2014, at the American Institute of Mathematics, Palo Alto, CA.
|
Video: Ferdinand – Clips
Two new clips have been released for the animated film Ferdinand from Blue Sky Studios, the veterans behind the Ice Age franchise. A bull friends with a dog and the dangers of bulls in china shops are explored in typical humorous fashion here.
Ferdinand tells the story of a sweet-hearted Bull mistaken for a dangerous beast and torn from his home. Determined to return to his family, he rallies a misfit team on the ultimate adventure. John Cena leads an all-star voice cast including Kate McKinnon and David Tennant.
Ferdinand arrives in cinemas 9th December. Check out the clip above and the second below and let us know your thoughts in the comments. |
target 'WKWebViewWithURLProtocol_Example' do
pod 'WKWebViewWithURLProtocol', :path => '../'
target 'WKWebViewWithURLProtocol_Tests' do
inherit! :search_paths
end
end
|
The natural course of nonoperatively treated rotator cuff tears: an 8.8-year follow-up of tear anatomy and clinical outcome in 49 patients.
The natural course of nonoperatively treated rotator cuff tears is not fully understood. We explored the long-term development of tear anatomy and assessed functional outcomes. Eighty-nine small to medium-sized full-thickness tears of the rotator cuff, all primarily treated by physiotherapy, were identified retrospectively. Twenty-three tears needed surgical treatment later on, and 17 patients were unable to meet for follow-up. The remaining 49 still unrepaired tears were re-examined after 8.8 (8.2-11.0) years with sonography. Re-examination by magnetic resonance imaging was possible for 37 patients. Shoulder function was assessed with shoulder scores. Primary outcome measures were progression of tear size, muscle atrophy, and fatty degeneration and the Constant score (CS). Mean tear size increased by 8.3 mm in the anterior-posterior plane (P = .001) and by 4.5 mm in the medial-lateral plane (P = .001). Increase of tear size was -5 to +9.9 mm in 33 patients, 10 to 19.9 mm in 8 patients, and ≥20 mm in 8 patients. The CS was 81 points for tear increases <20 mm and 58.5 points for increases ≥20 mm (P = .008). Muscle atrophy and fatty degeneration progressed in 18 and 15 of the 37 patients, respectively. In tears with no progression of atrophy, the CS was 82 points compared with 75.5 points in tears with progression (P = .04). Anatomic tear deterioration was found in the majority of patients, but it was often moderate. Large tear size increases and progression of muscle atrophy were correlated to a poorer functional outcome. |
NOT FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OR FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Namaste Technologies Inc. (“Namaste” or the “Company”) (CSE:N) (FRANKFURT:M5BQ) (OTCMKTS:NXTTF) is pleased to announce that it has signed a Product Acquisition Agreement (the “Agreement”) with Aphria Inc. (“Aphria”) (TSX:APH) (OTCQB:APHQF), to supply medical cannabis through Namaste’s Cannmart facility in Ontario, Canada.
The Agreement represents further progress for Namaste in securing supply agreements with high quality producers of medical cannabis. Namaste intends to build on its current product offerings through its distribution license, by creating an online marketplace that is inclusive of medical cannabis for our Canadian customers. Namaste is pleased to have brought on Aphria, one of Canada’s leading licensed producers focused on production of pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis products.
About Aphria Inc.
Aphria Inc., one of Canada’s lowest cost producers, produces, supplies and sells medical cannabis. Located in Leamington, Ontario, the greenhouse capital of Canada, Aphria is truly powered by sunlight, allowing for the most natural growing conditions available. It is committed to providing pharma-grade medical cannabis, superior patient care while balancing patient economics and returns to shareholders. It is the first public licensed producer to report positive cash flow from operations and the first to report positive earnings in consecutive quarters.
Management Commentary
Sean Dollinger, President and CEO of Namaste comments: “We are very pleased to be working with Aphria, who we believe to be one of the top Canadian producers of the highest quality medical cannabis products. Our goal is to create an online marketplace for our patients that will offer a variety of products sourced from various producers in Canada and overseas. We plan to leverage our existing database of Canadian consumers along with our expertise in e-commerce to provide a unique platform for medical patients to access. We are excited to offer Aphria product to our Cannmart patients shipped from our facility in Toronto, Ontario.”
About Namaste Technologies Inc.
Namaste Technologies Inc. is an emerging leader in vaporizer and accessories space. Namaste has 26 ecommerce retail stores in 20 countries, offers the largest range of brand name vaporizers products on the market and is actively manufacturing and launching multiple unique proprietary products for retail and wholesale distribution. The Company is currently focused on expanding its product offering, acquisitions and strategic partnerships, and entering new markets globally.
On behalf of the Board of Directors
“Sean Dollinger”
Chief Executive Officer
Direct: +1 (786) 389 9771
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FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION This press release contains forward-looking information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, Namaste assumes no responsibility to update or revise forward looking information to reflect new events or circumstances unless required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Since forward looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors and risks including various risk factors discussed in the Company's disclosure documents which can be found under the Company's profile on www.sedar.com. This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The CSE has neither reviewed nor approved the contents of this press release. |
Q:
Remove a specific character from php array
I have this array i want remove
array (
[79] => 0.0
[80] => 0.0
[81] => 0.0
[82] => 0.0
[83] => 0.0
[84] => 0.0
[85] => 0.0
[86] => 0.0
[87] => 0.0
[88] => 0.0
[89] => 0.0
[90] => 2.0
[91] => 13.0
[92] => 17.0
[93] => 0.0
[94] => 0.0
[95] => 0.0
[96] => 0.0
[97] => 0.0
[98] => 0.0
[99] => 0.0
[100] => 3.0
)
i want remove 0.0 how can do it easily please Help me out
i want do this with out using loop
A:
You can use the 'array_filter' function from PHP to filter null, empty string or 0.0 values
$array = array_filter($array);
|
<html>
<head>
<title>Zend_Wildfire Demos and Tests</title>
<style>
BODY, TD {
font-family:verdana,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;
font-size:11px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
Test Multiple Databases
</body>
</html> |
1. Introduction {#sec1}
===============
The physiological role of acetylcholinestrase (AChE) is to effectively terminate cholinergic signals by hydrolyzing acetylcholine (ACh).^[@ref1],[@ref2]^ AChE has a general α/β hydrolase globular fold, as illustrated in Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}a. Its catalytic site, which consists of a catalytic triad (Ser200, His440, and Glu327) and a three-pronged oxyanion hole (peptidic NH groups of Gly118, Gly119, and Ala201), sits at the bottom of a 20 Å deep, narrow, and highly electronegative catalytic gorge (Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}b).^[@ref3]^ (*Torpedo californica* AChE numbering is used throughout this paper.) Residues lining the catalytic gorge help position and stabilize the substrate within the active site for hydrolysis. Specifically, the catalytic anionic subsite (Trp84, Phe330, and Glu199) stabilizes the positively charged quaternary trimethylammonium tailgroup of ACh by cation−π and electrostatic interactions,^[@ref3],[@ref4],[@ref23],[@ref26]^ while the acyl pocket (Trp233, Phe228, Phe290, and Phe331) stabilizes the methyl group of the bound ACh.^[@ref5]^ The catalytic mechanism of ACh hydrolysis is a successive two-step process, namely, acylation and deacylation steps, respectively. During hydrolysis, the imidazole ring of catalytic His440 acts as a general base to first increase the nucleophilicity of Ser200 hydroxyl oxygen in the acylation step and subsequently helps to activate a nucleophilic water molecule, which initiates the deacylation reaction.^[@ref6]−[@ref15]^
{#fig1}
AChE is also reactive toward and is a primary target for an array of covalent inhibitors.^[@ref16]−[@ref18]^ Specifically, the nucleophilic Ser200 of AChE is especially reactive toward organophosphate compounds; some examples of these compounds are illustrated in Figure S1 ([Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}). Organophosphate compounds prevent ACh hydrolysis by forming covalent adducts with the reactive Ser200 hydroxyl group, which results in overstimulation of the cholinergic synapses and leads to neuromuscular paralysis and fatality.^[@ref19]−[@ref22]^ Nerve agents are military-grade organophosphorus compounds, whose synthesis began in the early 1930s and reached an all-time high during The Cold War.^[@ref23]^ Since then, nerve agents have been used in chemical warfare on multiple occasions and continue to pose a public health risk as potential chemical warfare agents.^[@ref23]−[@ref26]^ Furthermore, less lethal organophosphate pesticides are widely used and unintentional exposure to these compounds represents a public health challenge.^[@ref21],[@ref22],[@ref27]−[@ref30]^
Soman (3,3-dimethylbutan-2-yl methylphosphonofluoridate) is a highly reactive nerve agent with a bimolecular inhibition rate constant of 0.86 ± 0.2 M^--1^ min^--1^ against *hu*ACHE.^[@ref31]^ Although computational studies of AChE phosphonylation^[@ref32]−[@ref35]^ by other nerve agents such as sarin and tabun have been carried out, the AChE phosphonylation mechanism by soman has not been computationally characterized. Historically, the phosphonylation mechanism was assumed to proceed through an in-line displacement mechanism,^[@ref36]−[@ref40]^ in which nucleophilic Ser200 attacks the phosphorus atom with concerted dissociation of the leaving group, as schematically shown in Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}a. However, recent studies suggested a stepwise addition--elimination mechanism,^[@ref13],[@ref32]−[@ref35],[@ref41]−[@ref46]^ in which the phosphonylation process begins with the formation of the phosphonate--ester covalent bond resulting in a trigonal bipyrimidal pentacovalent phosphonate intermediate, which collapses into the product by the dissociation of the leaving group; see Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}b. Alternately, phosphonylation could also proceed via a dissociative process, in which the fluorine dissociation precedes formation of the phosphonate--ester bond (Figure [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}c). Several computational studies were carried out to study the AChE and nerve agent phosphonylation mechanism and revealed competing details regarding the rate-determining step,^[@ref32],[@ref34],[@ref35],[@ref46]^ the orientation of the leaving group with respect to the nucleophilic Ser200,^[@ref17],[@ref32],[@ref38],[@ref47],[@ref48]^ and last the role of catalytic Glu327 in phosphonylation.^[@ref33],[@ref35]^ Furthermore, no free energy profile has been determined for AChE phosphonylation reactions.
{#fig2}
In the present study, we have characterized the phosphonylation reaction between AChE and soman and determined its free energy reaction profile for the first time. Our computational investigations center on Born--Oppenheimer *ab initio* QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations and the umbrella sampling method, a computational tour-deforce to study biochemical reactions:^[@ref14],[@ref49]−[@ref61]^ the chemically reacting moieties are described by the ab initio QM method, the surrounding enzyme environment is treated explicitly by the classical MM force field, and the active site dynamics and those of the surroundings are simulated on an equal footing. This state-of-the-art computational approach has been demonstrated to be powerful in characterizing a number of complex systems, including the aging mechanism of soman inhibited AChE.^[@ref14],[@ref49]−[@ref61]^
2. Methods {#sec2}
==========
The initial non-covalent AChE--soman complex was prepared on the basis of the crystal structure of non-aged *Tc*AChE--soman (pdb code: 2WFZ).^[@ref4]^ On the basis of the crystal structure and biochemical results, the chiral phosphorus atom of soman was modeled to be in its *S* enantiomer. For each residue in the PDB file with partial occupation numbers, its configuration with the highest occupancy was retained. The protonation states of ionizable residues were determined by using H++^[@ref62]^ and by careful examination of the local hydrogen bond network. All histidine residues were modeled to be neutral with residues 440 and 486 protonated as HID and residues 26, 159, 181, 209, 264, 362, 398, 406, 425, and 471 protonated as HIE. Glu199 was modeled to be protonated as in our previous study,^[@ref61]^ while all other ionizable residues were modeled to be in their natural protonation states. Partial charges for soman were fitted with HF/6-31G(d) calculations and the restrained electrostatic potential (RESP) module in the Amber package and are listed in Table S1 ([Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}).^[@ref63]^ Other force field parameters were adapted from the GAFF^[@ref64]^ force field using Antechamber.^[@ref65]^
AChE--P(*S*)-soman reactant was solvated to a rectangular box with a protein--box edge buffer distance of 10 Å and neutralized by adding counterions. The resultant model consisted of about 97 000 atoms and was simulated using the AMBER11^[@ref63]^ molecular dynamics package with the Amber99SB force field^[@ref66]−[@ref68]^ and TIP3P^[@ref69]^ water model. The computational system was first energy minimized followed by a series of equilibration and a final 5 ns molecular dynamics production run with periodic boundary conditions. During the optimization and equilibration steps, the distance between catalytic Ser200 hydroxyl oxygen and soman phosphorus atoms was restrained to 3.2 Å and all restraints were released for the production run. Isotropic position scaling and the Berendsen thermostat method^[@ref70]^ were employed to maintain the system at 1 atm and 300 K, respectively. Long-range electrostatic interactions were treated with the particle mash Ewald (PME) method, and a 12 Å cutoff was used for both PME and van der Waals (vdW) interaction.
For the QM/MM model, a snapshot of the P(*S*)-soman in complex with AChE was taken from the 5 ns production molecular dynamics simulation. Ions and waters beyond 30 Å from the reaction center, chosen as the hydroxyl oxygen of Ser200, were deleted. The resultant QM/MM models had about 12 000 atoms, and the QM subsystem consisted of Ser200, His440, Glu327, and Tyr121 side chains and P(*S*)-soman, as shown in Figure S2 ([Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}). The QM/MM boundary was described by the pseudobond approach^[@ref50],[@ref71]−[@ref75]^ with spherical boundary conditions. Only atoms within 23 Å of the reaction site were allowed to move, and 18 and 12 Å cutoffs were used for electrostatics and vdW interactions, respectively. No cutoff was employed for the electrostatic interactions between the QM and MM regions. The Beeman algorithm^[@ref76]^ was used to integrate Newton equations of motions using a time step of 1 fs. The Berendsen thermostat method^[@ref70]^ was employed to control the system temperature at 300 K. QM/MM simulations were run using modified versions of the Q-Chem^[@ref77]^ and Tinker^[@ref78]^ packages. The QM subsystem was described using the B3LYP functional with the 6-31G\* basis set, and the MM subsystem was described using the Amber99SB force field and the TIP3P water model.
The QM/MM reactant models were first geometry optimized using the B3LYP/6-31G\* level of theory, and several reaction paths have been examined using the reaction coordinate driving method.^[@ref50]^ In an effort to study whether phosphonylation is a concerted or stepwise reaction, two-dimensional minimal energy surfaces were mapped out along the addition and elimination reaction coordinates. For any given reaction path, the minimum energy path was first determined. Then, for every other configuration along the minimum energy path, a 500 ps MD simulation with a MM force field was performed to equilibrate the MM subsystem, while the QM subsystem was kept frozen. The resulting snapshots were used as the starting structures for Born--Oppenheimer QM/MM MD simulations with an *ab initio* QM/MM potential^[@ref50],[@ref79]−[@ref83]^ and the umbrella sampling method.^[@ref84]−[@ref86]^ Each QM/MM MD (umbrella window) simulation was run for 25 ps, and data along the last 20 ps were collected for analysis. The probability distributions along the reaction coordinates were then determined for each window and pieced together using the weighted histogram analysis method (WHAM).^[@ref87]−[@ref89]^ The statistical error is estimated by averaging the free energy difference between 6 and 15 ps and 16 and 25 ps.
3. Results and Discussion {#sec3}
=========================
Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}a illustrates non-covalent interactions between P(*S*)-soman and the AChE active site: soman's alkyl tail mainly interacts with aromatic residues of the AChE catalytic gorge, while soman's phosphonyl oxygen forms hydrogen-bonding interactions with −NH groups of the enzyme's oxyanion hole. In addition, Figure [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}b schematically illustrates key residues of the active site that position soman in a reactive geometry within the active site. Hence, soman is positioned such that the nucleophilic oxygen of Ser200 can directly attack its phosphorus atom and initiate the irreversible inhibition process.
{#fig3}
The phosphonylation of AChE by soman involves two chemical events: one is the formation of a phosphonate--ester covalent bond between organophosphate and the hydroxyl oxygen of Ser200, and the other is the dissociation of the fluorine atom from the nerve agent. These are also termed addition and elimination steps, respectively. In order to examine their sequential order, first we mapped out a 2-D QM/MM minimal energy surface, as shown in Figure S3 ([Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}). The resultant surface clearly indicates that the phosphonate--ester bond formation precedes the dissociation of the fluorine atom, suggestive of an associative nucleophilic substitution mechanism. Snapshots along the identified minimum energy path, highlighted using dashed black lines in Figure S3 ([Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}), were used as the starting configurations to carry out MM equilibrations and ab initio QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations with umbrella sampling for the determination of the reaction free energy profile. As shown in Figure [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}, this reaction free energy profile has two high-energy states that are separated by a shallow minimum corresponding to the trigonal bipyrimidal pentacovalent intermediate. The overall activation energy is ∼9.6 kcal/mol, and the rate-determining step corresponds to the dissociation of the fluorine atom. Configurations corresponding to stationary points along the phosphonylation reaction are illustrated in Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}, and the calculated key distances are shown in Figure S4 ([Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}).
{#fig4}
{#fig5}
In the reactant non-covalent complex (Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"} and Figure S5, [Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}), nucleophilic Ser200 is hydrogen bonded with the imidazole ring of catalytic His440 and this hydrogen bond helps increase the nucleophilicity of the enzyme. In this configuration, Ser200 hydroxyl oxygen is in an optimal orientation to attach the phosphorus atom of soman with an average P--OG distance of 3.21 ± 0.10 Å. The fluorine atom is axial with respect to the attacking nucleophile with an average OG--P--F angle of 166.02 ± 4.88°. Also, two of the three hydrogen bonds between the phosphonyl oxygen O1 of soman and the oxyanion hole are stable during QM/MM MD simulations. At the transition state (TS1) of the addition step, a partial phosphonate--ester bond forms between soman and AChE (average P--O distance of 2.10 ± 0.06 Å) and the Ser200 hydroxyl HG proton is shared between nucleophilic OG oxygen and NE2 nitrogen of the imidazole ring.
At the intermediate state (Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"} and Figure S6, [Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}), a metastable trigonal bipyrimidal pentacovalent phosphonate is formed and the third hydrogen bond between the oxyanion hole and phosphonyl oxygen also forms at this state (o1···o3). Here, the proton from the Ser200 hydroxyl group is completely transferred to His440 (average HG--NE2 distance of 1.05 ± 0.03 Å) and is hydrogen bonded to both OG and O2 oxygen atoms with an average H--O distance of 1.68 ± 0.13 and 2.44 ± 0.21 Å, respectively. The phosphorus atom is covalently bonded with five atoms (d1···d6), in which the phosphonyl oxygen (d4) maintains its double bonding characteristic, while the P--O (d1) and P--F (d3) bonds are longer than the P--O2 alkoxyl bond. In comparing the intermediate state with the reactant, we find the average P--F distance is increased by about 0.1 Å. The newly formed P--OG covalent bond is about 0.2 Å longer in the intermediate state compared with the product configuration. On the basis of Pauling's formulation,^[@ref90],[@ref91]^ the characterized enzyme catalyzed phosphonylation reaction is 63.1% associative with an intermediate P--O distance of 1.85 ± 0.03 Å. In order to access the stability of the pentacovalent phosphonate, 28 snapshots were randomly selected around the intermediate state and used as the starting configurations for unrestrained QM/MM MD simulations. Within 1.5 ps, 92.9% of the simulations (26 out of 28) relaxed to the reactant state, while only 7.1% (2 out of 28) remained in the intermediate state configuration.
In the second elimination step, cleavage of the phosphorus--fluorine covalent bond results in a stable soman--AChE covalent conjugate and a negatively charged fluorine (F^--^) atom (Figure [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"} and Figure S7, [Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}). Here, the hydrogen bonding interactions between the oxyanion hole and the phosphonyl O1 oxygen are maintained and help to stabilize the product. Meanwhile, the His440 imidazole ring is doubly protonated and its NE2 nitrogen is hydrogen bonded with OG and O2 oxygen atoms of the soman modified serine residue. The eliminated fluorine atom forms stabilizing interactions with Tyr121 hydroxyl hydrogen (f1), hydrogen atoms of soman's alkyl chain (f3··· f6), and a water molecule (f2), which migrates into the functional site (Figure S7b, [Supporting Information](#notes-1){ref-type="notes"}).
From the reactant to the product states, the mobility of the His440 imidazole ring is important for phosphonylation: His440 NE2 nitrogen is hydrogen bonded with the Ser200 hydroxyl group in the reactant state (average NE2--HG--OG angle of 164.30 ± 6.82°) and reorients during the reaction such that the NE2 nitrogen can form hydrogen bonds with soman O2 oxygen, connecting the phosphonate moiety to the akyl chain, in the product state (average NE2--HG--O2 angle of 156.40 ± 11.41°).
In order to access the validity of the characterized transition state (TS2), 36 snapshots were selected randomly around TS2 and used the starting structures for unrestrained QM/MM MD simulations. For each snapshot, two simulations were started with the Boltzmann sampled and reversed velocities. Out of the 36 pairs of simulations, 6 pairs relaxed toward the reactant state and 13 pairs relaxed toward the product, while 17 pairs relaxed either forward toward the product or backward toward the reactant. Overall, 8.3% of the simulations converged to the reactant state, while 51.4% converged to the intermediate and 40.3% of the simulations converged to the product state, suggesting that the characterized transition state (TS2) is meaningful. As shown in Figure [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}, we can see that the active site of the computationally determined non-aged soman--AChE conjugate is very similar to the experimentally determined crystal structure configuration, which provides further support to our characterized mechanism.
![Superimposition of the active site of non-aged soman-inhibited AChE crystal structure^[@ref4]^ and the phosphonylated product determined from QM/MM MD simulations, shown using cyan and green carbons, respectively.](jp-2014-02712d_0006){#fig6}
4. Conclusions {#sec4}
==============
By employing Born--Oppenheimer *ab initio* QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations with umbrella sampling, a state of the art computational approach to study chemical reactions in biological systems, we have elucidated the irreversible inhibition/phosphonylation reaction mechanism of AChE and P(*S*)-soman and determined its free energy profile for the first time. It should be noted that there is no previous theoretical study on AChE phosphonylation by soman, and its mechanism has been ambiguous so far, with three possible reaction schemes suggested in the literature. Our computational results revealed a highly coupled associative addition--elimination reaction mechanism for this covalent inhibition process. During the enzyme-catalyzed reaction, the addition and elimination steps are separated by a metastable pentacovalent phosphonate intermediate. Catalytic His440 of AChE initiates the phosphonylation reaction by deprotonating the nucleophilic Ser200. Ser200 side chain oxygen can then attack soman's phosphorus. The leaving fluorine atom is located in an axial orientation with respect to the attacking group. Together with our previous characterization of the aging mechanism of soman inhibited AChE, our simulations have revealed new detailed mechanistic insights into the damaging function of the nerve agent soman.
Figures showing the chemical structures of some organophosphate compounds; the QM/MM partition for the non-covalent AChE--soman reactant complex; the two-dimensional minimal energy surface of the AChE--soman phosphonylation reaction; calculated key distances during the characterized addition--elimination phosphonylation reaction mechanism; illustrations of the non-covalent reactant complex, the trigonal bipyrimidal pentacovalent phosphorus intermediate, and the covalent AChE--soman conjugate product; and distances in QM/MM MD simulations. Tables showing partial charges, atom types, and connectivity assignments for soman and some of the key geometric parameters for the phosphonylation/inhibition reaction of AChE--soman. This material is available free of charge via the Internet at <http://pubs.acs.org>.
Supplementary Material
======================
######
jp502712d_si_001.pdf
The authors declare no competing financial interest.
This work was supported by NSF-IGERT and NIH (R01-GM079223). We thank NYU-ITS and NYUAD for providing computational resources.
|
Diego Chitzoff
Diego Chitzoff (born 4 April 1980 in Gobernador Galvez, Santa Fe) is an Argentine football right back currently playing for Tiro Federal.
Chitzoff started his career in 2002 playing for Tiro Federal in the Argentine 3rd division. In 2003 the club won the Cluasura tournament and promotion to Primera B Nacional.
Chitzoff signed for Colón in 2004 and went on to make over 100 appearances for the club. On 24 July 2009 he signed for Rosario Central, the club he is fan of.
Career statistics
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Argentine Primera statistics
Category:1980 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Rosario Department
Category:Argentine footballers
Category:Association football defenders
Category:Tiro Federal footballers
Category:Club Atlético Colón footballers
Category:Rosario Central footballers
Category:Gimnasia y Esgrima de Jujuy footballers
Category:Talleres de Córdoba footballers
Category:Argentine Primera División players
Category:Primera B Nacional players |
Tag Archives: @TheEisenPodcast
The Rich Eisen Podcast welcomes actor and 49ers fan Colin Hanks in-studio for a visit fresh off San Francisco’s impressive win on the road Sunday at a frigid Lambeau Field. Hanks is joined midway through the conversation by our second in-studio guest, die hard Seahawks fan and friend of the program, Jeff Schaffer. Schaffer, the co-creator of the hit fantasy football inspired television show “The League” on FXX, goes back and forth with his NFC West rival Hanks on whose team will make it to Super Bowl XLVIII in New York. Eisen and the podcast crew also breakdown the entire crazy Wild Card Weekend that saw three out of the four games come down to the final minutes to determine…
Rich Eisen and the podcast crew recap all of the week 16 NFL action and through the plethora of potential playoff scenarios as we head into final week of the 2013 NFL season. Eisen is then joined by the cast of Anchorman 2: Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and David Koechner from the NFL’s headquarters in New York City. Remember to tune into the Rich Eisen Holiday Special at 10:30pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 24 on NFL Network…Read →
Guests include former Pro Bowlers LaDainian Tomlinson and Willie McGinest to recap Week 6 and preview Week 7 in the National Football League. Rich then welcomes in studio high-powered Los Angeles attorney, Laura Wasser, to discuss her new book “It Doesn’t Have To Be That Way.”
Subscribe to the Podcast via iTunes Fellow NFL podcaster Dave Dameshek hangs out with Rich and company to discuss an impressive display of sportsmanship in the NHL playoffs, irritating kids TV shows, the twitter habits of NFL fanbases and much … Read →
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree joins Rich Eisen and the podcast gang in studio to chat on a variety of topics, including the heartbreaking loss he endured in Super Bowl XLVII to the Baltimore Ravens. From sharing his thoughts on the coach’s play-calling on the final drive to breaking some news about a temporarily loss of vision after a hit to the head late in the game, Crabtree doesn’t hold back and gives a great interview.
Rich then welcomes back in studio our pal Charles Davis, who shares his insights and wealth of… Read →
Watch “The Rich Eisen Super Bowl Special” Friday, February 1 at 10pm ET on NFL Network. Featuring some of biggest names from the gridiron as well as the entertainment industry, the special will get you geared up for Super Bowl XLVII from New Orleans. Read →
Rich Eisen's Top 10 Interviews
Unbelievably, after a four-year run, this is the last-ever incarnation of “The Rich Eisen Podcast.” Frequently, in this business, shows like this don’t end at the host’s request or behest. Usually, shows named after the host come to an abrupt close when the host is shown the door by security while holding office belongings in a cardboard box.
Thankfully, the reason why I’m shuttering this podcast after four wonderful years is because it’s turning into a daily three-hour TV show airing on DirecTV’s Audience Channel No. 239 and streaming live on the latest venture brought to you by NFL Media, the NFL Now app. NFL Now is also the home to the video archive of the show, which will also be available in audio podcast form on Podcast One as well as iTunes and virtually every other place you’ve been able to download this program over its lifespan. Best of all for our listeners, NFL Now is internationally available too.
It’s truly exciting news for your humble host and my podcast compadres Chris Law and Chris Brockman, who are traveling with the show’s move to a bigger and broader platform.
I started this podcast at the outset of the 2010 season because I thought there was a space in which to connect with the NFL Network fan base and have a conversation about the NFL and the entertainment world in one sitting. And I was rewarded with four years of stupendous football chatter involving fascinating figures from the gridiron and guests from across the TV, movie and music spectrum. Best yet, it did in fact get me closer to myriad football fans worldwide. I can not thank you enough for your passionate listenership. Please follow the show with us into the new horizon. We could not have done it without you. Thanks again and, as always, enjoy this listen. |
Vitamin D-dependent chromatin association of CTCF in human monocytes.
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is a transcription factor being involved in 3D chromatin organization and displays a highly conserved genome-wide binding pattern. In this study, we report the cistrome of CTCF in THP-1 human monocytes and confirm that from the 40,078 CTCF binding sites nearly 85% are identical with those found in K562 monocytes. Quadruplicate chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) demonstrated that at 2130 loci the association strenght of CTCF with genomic DNA was significantly (p<0.05) modulated by stimulation with the natural vitamin D receptor (VDR) ligand 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3). Some 55% of these CTCF sites contribute to DNA looping and mark the anchors of 587 putative topologically associating domains (TADs) containing at least one VDR binding site and one 1,25(OH)2D3 target gene. These TADs can explain the regulatory scenarios of up to 70% of all 1,25(OH)2D3 target genes. A self-organizing map approach subdivided the vitamin D-sensitive CTCF sites into seven classes that can be distinguished by participation in DNA loop formation, binding to open chromatin, carrying binding motifs for CTCF or its relative BORIS, overlap with transcription start site (TSS) regions and binding of VDR. These variant molecular profiles suggest different mechanisms of the 1,25(OH)2D3-dependent action of CTCF. The co-location of VDR and 1,25(OH)2D3-dependent CTCF sites increases in the context of accessible chromatin and TSS regions but does not show any significant correlation with classical DNA binding mechanisms of CTCF. In conclusion, vitamin D-sensitive CTCF sites provide further mechanistic details to the epigenome-wide understanding of 1,25(OH)2D3-mediated gene regulation. |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to the field of data processing system and in particular, the field of processing data within data processing systems. Still more specifically, the present invention relates to the field of entertainment and simulation applications utilizing data processing systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the rapid advance of computer technology, some of the most lucrative and popular applications include video games and simulations. With each successive generation of computer hardware, video game and simulation developers seek to generate a progressively more immersive gaming and/or simulation experience for the user. |
HM3: More Vehicles
Man, it’s a busy posting day here at HeroMachine Central. I didn’t want to go too long, though, without telling you about an update I worked through this weekend. I’ve just added the following items to “Companion-Vehicles”:
The first image there of the bicycle was the genesis of the additions, Nick Hentschel’s prize for winning Caption Contest 113. I know there are now two VW Bugs but come on, there are a lot of Hippie characters out there who need wheels, man!
I’m probably most excited about the locomotive for some reason and the car with the undercarriage showing. I think that will be a nice one for strong characters holding it over their heads.
Enjoy! As usual, if you don’t see the new items, clear your browser cache.
Full disclosure: I didn’t draw these, they came from a couple of packs of free vector art that I broke up and imported. Which is why I was able to do them at all — it only took half a day to crank these out, while if I had to draw them by hand it’d be at least a week or two.
Also, on most of the cars (and on the chopper) I tried to make the windshields with no color at all, so you could pose something as if they were in the vehicle. I’m not 100% sure that will work out in practice but I figured it was worth a shot.
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The present invention generally relates to aluminum nitride (AlN) powder slurries having a viscosity that favors processing of the slurries into ceramic greenware. The present invention also relates to the use of certain organic compounds to modify reactivity of aluminum nitride with organic components of the slurries and preclude thickening thereof to such an extent that they are not readily processible.
AlN exhibits certain physical properties that make it particularly suitable for use in a variety of applications. Some applications, such as those in packaging components for electronic circuitry, require substantially full theoretical density and high thermal conductivity. High quality AlN powder, when densified by sintering, hot-pressing or other suitable means, generally satisfies these requirements.
AlN powder is typically converted to ceramic greenware suitable for sintering by slip casting or tape casting a slurry of the powder in a suitable solvent. As an alternative, AlN powder can be recovered from the slurry by spray drying. After recovery, the AlN powder can be dry pressed, cold pressed, cold isostatic pressed or otherwise converted to greenware via conventional technology. Because AlN powder readily hydrolyzes or reacts with water, organic solvents are favored over water. In an effort to increase density of the greenware, organic lubricants are often added to a slurry of AlN powder and one or more sintering aids in an organic solvent. A principal reason for adding the lubricants is to enhance particle-particle sliding. Typical lubricants include stearic acid, oleic acid and aluminum stearate. Unfortunately, these lubricants tend to react with AlN surfaces and form reaction products that thicken the slurry to a consistency resembling that of pudding. Such a consistency is not readily processible in ceramic forming equipment.
One means of overcoming reactivity of AIN powder surfaces involves oversaturating said surfaces with the lubricant(s). Oversaturation may occur by doubling or even tripling what might otherwise be regarded as a "normal" amount of lubricant. Unfortunately, this also leads to other problems. One such problem is a phenomenon known as "springback" during forming. Springback, as used herein, means the elastic release of stored elastic energy to cause a dimensional increase upon release of a pressed ceramic body from a die. In other words, dimensions of the body after release from the die exceed those of the body prior to release from the die. This can, in turn, lead to delamination or separation of pressed material within the ceramic body. The delamination or material separation induces cracks within the ceramic body. A second problem is a high residual carbon content after organic compounds are "burned out" or removed by heating prior to sintering. A high residual carbon content can adversely affect physical properties of a resultant sintered body. Such physical properties include thermal conductivity, density and electrical performance.
It would be desirable if there were a simple, yet effective means or method of modifying the surfaces of AlN powder in an organic liquid slurry to minimize thickening of the slurry. It would also be desirable if there were a material that could be added to a thickened organic liquid slurry based upon aluminum nitride to reduce its viscosity to a level that equates to ready processibility. |
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abstract: 'We construct quantum mechanical models which mimic many features of string theory. We use these models to gain improved descriptions of B fields and gerbes. We examine the analogs of $T$ duality, D branes, and mirror symmetry in these models and derive quantum mechanical analogs of standard phenomena, such as the noncommutative geometry induced by a B field.'
author:
- Mark Stern
title: 'Quantum Mechanical Mirror Symmetry, D branes, and B fields'
---
Introduction
============
In this note we attempt to gain insight into mirror symmetry from a quantum mechanical perspective. Replacing the superconformal field theories of superstring theory with quantum mechanics leads to constructions which are extremely elementary (and which can be expressed in terms easily accessible to a mathematician with no familiarity with physics). Of course, such elementary constructions do not lead to such deep predictions as the enumeration of rational curves. Nonetheless, our quantum mechanical analogs appear, in many cases, to provide low energy approximations to string theoretic phenomena. These approximations can then be applied to gain new understanding of some poorly understood features of string theory, most notably B fields and gerbes.
We begin with an examination of supersymmetric quantum mechanics with 4 real supercharges on a Calabi Yau manifold, $X$. We recall here, for the reader completely unfamiliar with mirror symmetry, some of mirror symmetry’s coarse features. (See for example [@CK]). One associates a superconformal field theory to an n complex dimensional Calabi Yau manifold $X$. This field theory generates two filtered differential complexes, which might be called the $A'$ and $B'$ complexes. The $A'$ complex can be identified with the de Rham complex on $X$, with a deformed ring structure. Let $T_X^{1,0}$ denotes the holomorphic tangent bundle of $X$. The $B'$ complex can be identified with the Dolbeault complex with the ring structure obtained by identifying $H^{n-p,q}(X)$ with $H^q(W,\bigwedge^pT_X^{1,0}).$ Here the ring structure on $H^q(W,\bigwedge^pT_X^{1,0})$ is given by exterior product of forms and tangent vectors. If two manifolds are mirror, there is an isomorphism of the associated field theories which exchanges these two complexes. In particular, when two Calabi Yau manifolds $M$ and $W$ of complex dimension $n$ form a mirror pair then:
1. $h^{p,q}(M) = h^{n-p,q}(W).$
2. There is a natural local correspondence between the complex moduli of $M$ and the Kahler moduli of $W$.
3. The Hodge filtration on $M$ is mirror to a filtration on $W$ which converges in the large Kahler limit to a filtration by degree.
4. The Dolbeault cohomology rings on $M$ and $W$ are isomorphic with respect to the quantum deformed ring structure of $H^{\cdot,\cdot}(M),$ and the ring structure on $W$ obtained via the isomorphism $H^{n-p,q}(W)\simeq H^q(W,\bigwedge^pT_W^{1,0}).$
We construct two filtered differential complexes on $X$, which we will call the $A$ and $B$ complexes. These play the role of the $A'$ and $B'$ complexes above. In particular, they are simply de Rham and Dolbeault complexes. The $A$ complex has the Hodge filtration as usual. The filtration on the Dolbeault complex, seems to be new, however, and has interesting features closely parallel to those appearing in mirror symmetry. In particular, features (1),(2), and (3) above have their analogs in our construction. The deformations of ring structure that we find seem, however, to lack the interesting features of those given by string theory. As an amusing consequence of our examination of these complexes, we find a slight strengthening of the Hodge theorem for compact Kahler manifolds.
A quantum mechanical analog of mirror symmetry should have spectra of Hamiltonians preserved under mirror symmetry. The simple example of an elliptic curve immediately shows that this fails for the supersymmetric quantum mechanics discussed in the first half of this paper. In order to remedy this, we construct a quantum mechanical analog of T duality and show formally how to enlarge both our Hamiltonian and the space of sections on which it acts so that, at least for tori, T duality preserves the spectrum. We warn the more mathematical reader that the construction of these models (sections 7- 10) is carried out in a formal fashion, ignoring questions of what types of convergence to impose on various infinite series.
The introduction of an analog of T duality immediately leads to analogs of D branes and to a very simple explicit realization of B fields, gerbes, and n-gerbes. The effects of the B field in our quantum mechanics include the automatic introduction of a Moyal product and a modification of the metric to the effective metric seen by open strings in the presence of a B field ([@SW]). The realization of a gerbe provided by our model distinguishes between gerbes appropriate for closed strings and those suitable for both open and closed strings. The obstruction to a closed string gerbe being lifted to an open string gerbe is given by the cohomology class of the field strength of the $B$ field. The extension of this gerbe construction to n gerbes, $n>1$, does not appear to be suitable for modelling the effects of the Ramond-Ramond fields. In subsequent work, we will offer a different method for including these fields in a quantum mechanical model.
The complexes {#ABC}
=============
Consider a supersymmetric quantum mechanics with 4 real supercharges. Thus we have 4 self adjoint operators $$Q_1,Q_2,Q_3,Q_4,$$ densely defined on some Hilbert space. The operators satisfy the algebra $$\label{alg}
Q_iQ_j+Q_jQ_i = 2\delta_{ij}H,$$ for some Hamiltonian $H$.
We may realize this algebra by fixing our Hilbert space to be the $L_2$ differential forms on a complete Kahler manifold $X$ and setting $$Q_1 = {\bar{\partial}}+ {\bar{\partial}}^*, iQ_2 = {\bar{\partial}}- {\bar{\partial}}^*, Q_3 = {\partial}+ {\partial}^*, iQ_4 = {\partial}- {\partial}^*.$$ The Kahler identities guarantee that (\[alg\]) is satisfied with $2H = \Delta$. We could also, of course, realize the algebra in other ways, for example, by setting $$Q_1'= d+d*, iQ_2' = d - d^*, Q_3' = d_c+d_c^*, iQ_4' = d_c-d_c^*.$$
With this data, we may construct our complexes. The $A-$ complex is simply the de Rham complex, $(A^{\cdot},d,F^{\cdot})$, equipped with the Hodge filtration: $$F^pA^j = \oplus_{k=0}^{j-p}A^{p+k,j-p-k},$$ for $j\geq p,$ and zero for $p>j$. The Hodge filtration induces the decomposition $d = {\bar{\partial}}+ {\partial}$ and leads to the associated graded complex $(\oplus_p A^{p,\cdot},{\bar{\partial}}).$ Let $H_A^{\cdot}$ denote the cohomology of the $A$ complex, and let $H^{\cdot,\cdot}_A$ denote the cohomology of the associated gradeds. Then we have the usual Hodge decomposition of the cohomology, $$H^k_A = \oplus_{p+q=k}H^{p,q}_A.$$ (Here the cohomology is to be interpreted as the reduced $L_2$ cohomology if $X$ is not compact.)
The B complex is a filtered Dolbeault complex which we denote $(B^{\cdot},{\bar{\partial}},K^{\cdot}).$ Here $$B^p := \oplus_{j=0}^pA^{n-p+j,j}.$$ The filtration $K^{\cdot}$ depends on both the metric and the complex structure. We will define it in terms of differential operators analogous to ${\bar{\partial}}$ and $\partial$ in the $A$ complex.
Choose a unit complex number $b$ and define $$P := ({\bar{\partial}}+ b{\partial}^*),$$ and $$P' := ({\bar{\partial}}- b{\partial}^*).$$
Then $P$ and $P'$ sum to $2{\bar{\partial}}$, square to zero, and anticommute. In Kahler normal coordinates centered at a point $a$ $$P = \sum_j(e(d\bar z_j)-be(dz_j)^*)\frac{{\partial}}{{\partial}\bar{z}_j} + O(a),$$ where $e(X)$ denotes exterior multiplication by $X$, $e^*$ denotes the adjoint operation, and $O(a)$ denotes terms vanishing to first order at $a$. Similarly, $$P' = \sum_j(e(d\bar z_j)+be(dz_j)^*)\frac{{\partial}}{{\partial}\bar{z}_j} + O(a).$$ At the origin of a Kahler normal coordinate system centered at $a$, we define $$u^j = e(d\bar z_j)-be(dz_j)^*, v^j = e(d\bar z_j)+be(dz_j)^*,$$ and for a multiindex $I$, set $u^I = u^{i_1}\cdots u^{i_{|I|}},$ and similarly define $v^I$.
The operators $P$ and $P'$, naturally defined on a Kahler manifold with a choice of unit complex number $b$, lead us to define summands of $B^{\cdot}$ by $$B^{p,q} = \{f\in K^{p+q}: f = \sum_{|I|=p,|J|=q}f_{IJ}u^Jv^Idz_1\wedge\cdots\wedge dz_n)\}.$$ Then we have the decomposition, $$B^j = \oplus_{p+q=j}B^{p,q}.$$ We now define the filtration $K^{\cdot}$ analogously to the Hodge filtration. For $j\geq p,$ $$K^pB^j = \oplus_{k=0}^{j-p}B^{p+k,j-p-k},$$ and zero otherwise.
The Kahler identities allow us to extend the usual proof of the Hodge decomposition to this bigraded complex, giving $$H_B^k = \oplus_{p+q=k}H^{p,q}_B,$$ where $H_B^{\cdot}$ denotes the cohomology of the $B$ complex and $H^{p,q}_B$ is the cohomology of the graded complex (interpreted as reduced $L_2$ cohomology if $X$ is not compact).
Identifying $H_B^{p,q}$
=======================
Observe that a harmonic representative of an element of $H^{p,q}_B$ is also a harmonic representative of an element of the de Rham cohomology $H^{\cdot}_A$, but need not be of fixed degree with respect to the (usual) degree of the $A$ complex. So, do the spaces $H^{p,q}_B$ lead to new invariants of Kahler manifolds? We will see below.
Standard arguments show that the complex $(B^{p,\cdot},P)$ is a flabby resolution of the kernel of $P$ on $B^{p,0}$. Computing in local coordinates, we see that this latter sheaf is isomorphic to $\Omega^{n-p}$, the holomorphic $n-p$ forms. Hence, we find that $$\label{mirror1}
H^{p,q}_B(X) \simeq H^{n-p,q}_A(X).$$
Note, however, that the harmonic embedding of $H^{p,q}_B(X)$ in $H_A^{\cdot}(X)$ does [*not*]{} lie in $H^{n-p,q}_A(X)$. So, the actual embedding may hold new data for us. In order to analyze this embedding, we let $L$ denote exterior multiplication by the Kahler form and $L^*$ its adjoint. Observe that the Kahler identities $$\partial^* = [{\bar{\partial}},-iL^*],$$ and $$[\partial^*,-iL^*] = 0,$$ imply $$e^{ibL^*}{\bar{\partial}}e^{-ibL^*} = P.$$ Thus the associated graded complex of the $B$ complex is [*conjugate*]{} to the original $B$ complex. This is a rather strange result whose analogous statement for the $A$ complex would be that the (global) Dolbeault complex is isomorphic (not even just quasi-isomorphic) to the de Rham complex. Assuming that there is a strong (mirror) correspondence between the $A$ and $B$ complex, we are led to discover the following strong version of the Hodge decomposition theorem.
Let $X$ be a compact Kahler manifold. There exists a bounded pseuodifferential operator $h$ of order zero so that $$e^{-h}de^{h} = {\bar{\partial}}.$$ In particular, the de Rham complex (of global sections) is isomorphic to the Dolbeault complex via the map from de Rham to Dolbeault: $$f\rightarrow e^{-h}f.$$
Proof: The proof is trivial once one suspects the existence of such an $h$. $h$ may be chosen (nonuniquely) to be $$h := -d^*{\partial}\Delta^{-1}.$$ Here we follow the convention that $\Delta^{-1}$ vanishes on the harmonic forms, has range perpendicular to the harmonic forms, and satisfies $(dd^*+d^*d)\Delta^{-1} = Id$ on the orthogonal complement to the harmonics. $\blacksquare$
Observe that for the $B$ complex we conjugate by a local operator to obtain an isomorphism between the ${\bar{\partial}}$ and $P$ complexes but could also construct a global operator of a form analogous to $h$ above. Clearly, however, there is no local operator conjugating $d$ to ${\bar{\partial}}$.
Variation of structure
======================
Now specialize to the case where $X$ has a metrically trivial canonical bundle. We will call such an $X$ Calabi-Yau (or CY). This is a slight abuse of notation as one usually requires the vanishing of $H^{p,0}_A$ for $p<n$. Let $\omega$ denote a generator for $H^{n,0}$.
We list some correspondences between forms (up to scalars) in the $A$ and $B$ complexes given by relating operators and various harmonic generators of one dimensional spaces $H_A^{p,q}$ and $H_B^{p,q}$.
$$\begin{array}{cc}
\mbox{A complex} & \mbox{B complex}\\
1 & \omega\\
\omega & e^{ibL}\\
\bar\omega & e^{-i\bar b L}\\
dvol & \bar\omega\\
d+d^* & {\bar{\partial}}+{\bar{\partial}}^*\\
{\bar{\partial}}+{\bar{\partial}}^* & d+bd^*.
\end{array}$$ If $M$ is finite volume, the correspondence between $dvol$ and $\bar\omega$ suggests that the bounded linear functional on the $A$ complex obtained by integrating a form over $M$ should be paired with the functional on the $B$ complex obtained by taking the $L_2$ inner product with $\bar\omega$.
For a CY manifold, $$H_A^{n-p,q}\simeq H^{-p,q},$$ where $H^{-p,q}$ denotes cohomology with coefficients in the p-th exterior power of the holomorphic tangent bundle. The isomorphism is given by sending $f_{IJ}d\bar{z}^I\theta^J$ to $f:=f_{IJ}e(d\bar{z}^I)\theta^J\omega$, the section $\theta^J$ of $\bigwedge^pT_X$ acts by interior multiplication. In kahler normal coordinates, we write the latter as $f_{IJ}d\bar{z}^Ie^*(dz^J)\omega$. Now an elementary computation shows that the map $$f\rightarrow f_{IJ}u^Iv^J\omega,$$ gives the isomorphism (on harmonic representatives) between $H^{n-p,q}_A(X)$ and $H^{p,q}_B(X).$ We can also write the image of $f$ under this map as $$F_L:f\rightarrow
f_{IJ}e^{ibL^*}e(d\bar{z}^J)e^{-ibL^*}e^{ibL}e^*(dz^I)e^{-ibL}\omega.$$
As we noted in the introduction, mirror symmetry is supposed to exchange metric data with complex structure data. Hence the analog of the variation of Hodge structure on the $A$ complex, which is, of course, obtained by varying the complex structure would be the variation of $H^{p,q}_B$ as we vary the metric. Holding the complex structure fixed, this corresponds to varying the Kahler form. So, a reasonable analog of variation of Hodge structure is studying the infinitesimal variation of $F_L$ as $L$ varies. This is easiest to do for $H_B^{0,q}$ and $H^{p,0}_B$, for in those cases harmonic representatives in $H^{-p,0}$ and $H^{0,q}$ are independent of the Kahler class. For $f\in H^{-p,0}$ we get $$F_L(f) = f_Ie^{ibL}\theta^Ie^{-ibL}\omega
= f_Ie^{ibL}\theta^I\omega.$$ Hence, the first variation of $F_L(f)$ is
$$ibL_1F_L(f),$$ where $L_1$ denotes exterior multiplication by the first variation of the kahler form. Similarly, higher variations are easily computed in terms of further wedge products.
Next let us consider the large Kahler structure limit of the filtration $\bar K^{\cdot}$. For $l\geq p,$ we have $$\bar K^pB^l = \{f\in B^l:f = \sum_{|I|=p}u^If_I, f_I\in B^{l-p}\}.$$ The above decomposition, $f = \sum_{|I|=p}u^If_I$, need not be uniquely defined. For simplicity, we consider a 1 parameter variation of Kahler structure; i.e., we simply considering scaling, replacing $$L\rightarrow TL, T\rightarrow\infty.$$ This replaces $L^*$ by $T^{-1}L^*$. Since we will be varying the metric, we choose local Kahler normal coordinates $\{z^i\}$ with respect to $T=1$. Then we rewrite $\bar K^pB^l$ as $$\bar K^pB^l = \{f\in B^l:f = \sum_{|I|=p}e^{ibL^*/T}e(d\bar{z}^I)e^{-ibL^*/T}f_I, f_I\in B^{l-p}\}.$$ In particular, taking a limit as $T\rightarrow \infty,$ we obtain a limiting filtration $$\bar K^p_{\infty}B^l = \{f\in B^l:f = \sum_{|I|=p}e(d\bar{z}^I)f_I, f_I\in B^{l-p}\}.$$ This filtration reduces on $B^l$ to the filtration by degree: $$\bar K^p_{\infty}B^l = \{f\in B^l: \mbox{degree}f\geq n-l+2p\},$$ where degree is in the usual sense of degree of a differential form.
Thus, as with mirror symmetry, we obtain a filtration which is a deformation of the degree filtration.
We remark that in the case of $h^{1,1}_A = 1,$ the freedom to choose the phase $b$ in our construction effectively makes our construction dependent on the complexified Kahler cone rather than the real Kahler cone. This gives $b$ a role similar to that of a $B$ field. This similarity recurs in Section \[TDM\].
Products
========
Our analogy with mirror symmetry weakens considerably when we turn to product structures. Our constructions provide a natural deformation of the ring structure of the $B$ complex, and not the $A$ complex as with mirror symmetry.
We consider ring structures to be determined, in part, by the differentials of our complexes; we require the differentials to satisfy a graded Leibniz rule. Thus, before we introduce the filtration $K^{\cdot}$ and the differentials $P,P'$, we have two obvious ring structures on the complex $(B^{\cdot},{\bar{\partial}})$. (We continue to restrict to the case of CY manifolds). The first ring structure is the usual one given by the wedge product. The second is induced, as previously mentioned, by writing forms as $g = g_{IJ}d\bar z^J\theta^I\omega$ and $h = h_{LK}d\bar z^K\theta^L\omega,$ taking their product to be $$g_{IJ}h_{LK}(-1)^{|I||K|}d\bar z^{J\cup K}\theta^{I\cup L}\omega.$$ The operators $P$ and $P'$ are also derivations with respect to the second of these ring structures. Moreover, with this structure, the map $F_L:H^q(M,\bigwedge^p T_M^{1,0})\rightarrow H^{p,q}_B$ is a ring isomorphism. Thus our complexes do not seem to introduce any natural deformations of ring structure.
We can use $F_L$ to impose a deformed ring structure if we consider the $B$ complex equipped with the usual wedge product. Consider the string of isomorphisms $$H_A^{n-p,q}\simeq H^q(M,\bigwedge^pT_M^{1,0})\stackrel{F_L}{\simeq}
H_B^{p,q}.$$
For the $A$ complex it is more natural to express a form $f$ as $f = \hat f_{KJ}d\bar z^Jdz^K$ rather than $f = f_{IJ}e(d\bar z^J)e^*(dz^I)\omega$. Here (in Kahler normal coordinates as always), $f_{KJ} = \pm \hat f_{K^cJ}.$ Then we may write $$F_L(f) =
f_{IJ}e^{ibL^*}e(d\bar{z}^J)e^{-ibL^*}e^{ibL}e^*(dz^I)e^{-ibL}\omega$$ $$=
\hat f_{KJ}e^{ibL^*}e(d\bar{z}^J)e^{-ibL^*}dz^Ke^{ibL},$$
Set $$\hat F_L(f) = \hat f_{IK}e^{ibL^*}e(d\bar{z}^I)e^{-ibL^*}dz^K.$$ Then imposing a ring structure on the $A$ complex by making $\hat F_L$ a ring isomorphism with respect to the wedge product on the image complex defines a deformation of the product structure on the $A$ complex, which in the large $L$ limit obviously converges to the usual ring structure. This product does not appear to be analogous to the deformation of the ring structure obtained in mirror symmetry, but we see that we have deformed the usual product in such a way that as the metric grows (and therefore $L^*$ shrinks) we return to the usual product structure. We are viewing forms as operators here. Under this identification, the “vacuum vector” i.e., the “unit” degree zero vector in the exterior algebra passes from $1$ to $e^{ibL}$. This is also the natural vacuum vector if we define a grading of our complex using $d+d_c^*$ instead of $d$.
An alternate approach to constructing a deformed product from this structure is to consider analogs of the Yukawa coupling: $$(u_1,u_2,u_3):=
\int_M\omega\wedge\nabla_{u_1}\nabla_{u_2}\nabla_{u_3}\omega,$$ where $\nabla$ denotes the Gauss Manin connection. If we consider $\omega$ to be a generator for $H_A^{n,0}$, we have seen that the analog in the $B$ complex is $$e^{ibL},$$ variations of which are simply given by wedge products with appropriate forms. This approach seems to return the undeformed wedge product.
Dropping the Calabi Yau Hypothesis
==================================
If we drop the assumption that our manifold has trivial canonical bundle, the preceding construction becomes modified in an obvious fashion. The construction of the $A$ and $B$ complexes is unchanged, but we lose the identification of $H_B^{p,q}$ with $H^{-p,q}$ and consequently any ring structure associated to this identification. Nonetheless, we do not lose the basic isomorphism, $$H^{n-p,q}_A \simeq H^{p,q}_B.$$ The actual map realizing this isomorphism on harmonic representatives must be re-expressed in the obvious fashion as $$F_L(f_{IJ}d\bar z^J dz^I) = f_{IJ}e^{ibL^*}d\bar z^J e^{-ibL^*} e^{ibL}dz^I.$$
Quantum Mechanical T Duality {#QMT}
============================
Let us recall from a geometric perspective, the rules for T-duality worked out for WZW sigma models in Buscher [@B1] and [@B2]. Suppose that we are considering a manifold $M$ which is a Riemannian oriented circle bundle over a base manifold $B$. In particular, we assume that the associated circle action is an isometry. Let $U_a$ be a coordinate cover of $B$ and set $V_a = \pi^{-1}(U_a)$, where $\pi:M\rightarrow B$ is the projection. Choose coordinates $(x_a^i,x_a^0)$ for $V_a$, where $x_a^0$ is a choice of angular coordinate for the fiber and $x_a^i$ are coordinates for the base, $U_a$. Buscher derives the following transformation rules for the metric, $g$, the $B$ field $b$, and the dilaton $\phi$. $T-$ duality replaces these quantities with $\hat g,\hat b,\hat \phi$, where $$\hat g_{00} = 1/g^{00},$$ $$\hat g_{0i} = b_{0i}/g^{00},$$ $$\hat g_{ij} = g_{ij} - (g_{0i}g_{0j} - b_{0i}b_{0j})/g_{00},$$ $$\hat b_{0i} = -\hat b_{i0} = g_{0i}/g_{00},$$ $$\hat b_{ij} = b_{ij} + (g_{0i}b_{0j} - b_{0i}g_{0j})/g_{00},$$ and $$\hat \phi = \phi - \frac{1}{2} log(g_{00}).$$
Let us understand these transformations more geometrically. First we assume that $b = 0$. The metric $g$ can be rewritten as $$\hat g_{ij}dx^i\otimes dx^j + g_{00}(dx^0 + A_idx^i)^{\otimes 2},$$ where $A_i = g_{0i}/g_{00},$ is independent of $x^0$ since we the circle action is an isometry. Thus the horizontal lift of the vector $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$ is the vector $$H_i = \frac{\partial}{\partial x^i} - A_i\frac{\partial}{\partial x^0}.$$ Observe that $$<H_i,H_j> = \hat g_{ij}.$$ Because the $H_i$ are the horizontal lifts of the vectors $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$ on $U_a$, they transform as these vectors do under a change of coordinate neighborhoods. Hence, we see that the metric $\hat g$ is realized (as is well known) on the trivial bundle $B\times S^1$. We would like to understand the role of the B field better. At first approximation it is supposed to define a potential for the torsion tensor, $T$ defined by $$\label{tors}
\hat\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^a}} \frac{\partial}{\partial x^b}
- \hat\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^b}} \frac{\partial}{\partial x^a} =
T_{ab}^c \frac{\partial}{\partial x^b}.$$ The $T$ dual connection $\hat\nabla$ is assumed to be metric compatible. The torsion is related to the $B$ field by $$(db)_{abc} = T_{abc}.$$ Here we lower indices with the metric $\hat g$. Observe $$\nabla_{H_i}H_j - \nabla_{H_j}H_i
= (db)_{ij0}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^0}
= T_{ij}^0\hat g_{00}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^0} =
T_{ij}^0|dx^0+A_idx^i|^2\frac{\partial}{\partial x^0}.$$
The similarity of this expression to (\[tors\]) suggests the possibilty of intepreting $T$ duality literally as an exchange of $dx^0+A_idx^i$ and $g^{00}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^0}$; i.e., an exchange of a vector with its metric dual covector. In order to make sense of such an exchange, we need to represent cotangent vectors in some fashion akin to differential operators. A natural guess for a representation is to define a representation on some subspace of partial differential operators defined by $$du^kf(u)\frac{\partial}{\partial u^j} = -\delta^k_if(u)/2\pi,$$ and extend as a ($C^{\infty}(M)$ linear) derivation. We will denote this operator $$ad(u^k).$$
We have not resolved the question of which subspaces of operators to consider. In particular, we will in some cases consider formal power series of operators without addressing in what sense we require convergence. As will become clear in later sections, different physical models will require different subspaces.
If we want to consider quantum mechanical theories which are invariant under T duality, then we need to include the T dual of the Laplace operator. This should take the form, $$g_{ab}ad(x^a)ad(x^b).$$ Thus the dual of the Laplacian is essentially the metric.
Let us consider this construction on a circle of length $2\pi L$. Write $g = L^2 du^2$, with $u$ a $2\pi$ periodic coordinate. The formal eigenvectors of $L^2 ad(u)^2$ are then of the form $$F(u)e^{2\pi p\frac{\partial}{\partial u}},$$ with eigenvector $4L^2p^2$. We may interpret this latter operator as translation by $2\pi p$ followed by multiplication by $F(u)$. This interpretation requires viewing translation by $p$ as the endpoint of a 1 parameter family of translations. We see that we have a continuous spectrum for this dual Laplacian. We have, however, forgotten to impose a condition. We were intially considering functions which were $2\pi$ periodic. In particular, they were annihilated by the operator $$e^{2\pi\frac{\partial}{\partial u}} - 1.$$ The $T$ dual condition, then, is to restrict to the kernel of $$\label{Tcondition}
e^{i ad(u)} - 1.$$ Imposing this condition then restricts us to (the span of) those eigen-operators, $e^{2\pi p\frac{\partial}{\partial u}},$ with $p$ an integer, and we get a spectrum which is fixed under $T$ duality and includes an analog of winding modes. In (\[BC\]) we will give a geometric interpretation of the condition (\[Tcondition\]) in terms of $D$ branes.
Next, the guess for the role of the $B$ field, based on our $T$ duality computations is that it enters in a manner similar to a connection term, modifying our self dual Laplacian to something like $$-\frac{1}{\sqrt[2]{g}}(\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i} + b_{ik}ad(x^k)/i)g^{ij}\sqrt[2]{g}
(\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}+b_{jk}ad(x^k)/i)
+ g_{ij}ad(x^i)ad(x^j).$$ Here we have placed the $B$ field on the Laplacian side, as seems natural for a map from $TM:\rightarrow T^*M.$ If instead we collect the $B$ terms on the metric side we get (for say constant $g^{ij}$,$b_{ik}$, and $g$)
$$-g^{ij}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}
+ 2ig^{ij}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}b_{jk}ad(x^k)
+ (g_{ij}-bg^{-1}b_{ij})ad(x^i)ad(x^j).$$ Let $G_{ij}:= g_{ij}-bg^{-1}b_{ij},$ and following ([@SW]) (up to a constant) set $\theta^{pi} = ig^{pq}b_{qn}G^{ni}.$ Then our operator reduces to
$$-G^{ij}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}
+ G_{ij}(dx^i+\theta^{pi}\frac{\partial}{\partial x_p})
(dx^j+\theta^{qj}\frac{\partial}{\partial x_q}).$$ In particular, we see that we may interpret this as defining a new metric $G$. This is the effective metric seen by open strings in the presence of a B field ([@SW]).
We next observe that the Moyal product associated to a constant B field naturally arises from our formalism. (See [@SW] and references therein). We initially considered functions and scalar valued forms, but were led by considerations of $T$ duality to enlarge our coefficients to include partial differential operators. We can recover our original space of sections as the intersection of the kernels of $ad(x^k)$ for all $k$. In the context of open strings, as we shall explain in a subsequent section, this subspace is analogous to Neumann boundary conditions. As the B field has the effect of deforming $$\label{def1}
g_{ij}ad(x^i)ad(x^j)\rightarrow G_{ij}(dx^i+\theta^{pi}\frac{\partial}{\partial x_p})
(dx^j+\theta^{qj}\frac{\partial}{\partial x_q}),$$ it is natural to replace the above analog of the Neumann condition by the condition that we consider sections in the kernel of $(dx^i+\theta^{pi}\frac{\partial}{\partial x_p}).$
Formally, we may write a section in the kernel of the deformed $ad(x^i)'s$ as $$\hat f:= f(x^j + \theta^{jk}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k}),$$ interpreted as a formal power series in the symbol $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^p}.$ Such a section is uniquely determined by the zero order term, $f(x)$, in the power series expansion and may be viewed as a “flat” lift of the function $f$ to a formal partial differential operator. See [@Fed], Chapter 5, for similar constructions in the context of deformation quantization. The product as differential operators, $\hat f\circ\hat h$ of two such flat lifts is again a flat lift (by the Leibniz rule) whose zero order term is given by $f\ast h$, where $\ast$ denotes the Moyal product with respect to $\theta^{ij}$: $$f\ast h = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty}\sum_{|I| = |J| = k}\theta^{IJ}f_Ih_J/k!.$$ Here $\theta^{IJ} := \theta^{i_1j_1}\cdots \theta^{i_{|I|}j_{|I|}},$ and $f_I$, for $|I| = k$ and denotes $\frac{\partial^k}{\partial x^{i_1}\cdots \partial x^{i_k}}f.$
Thus, we are naturally led to a Moyal product induced by the $B$ field.
Tori
====
In this section, as an elementary exercise, we consider the equality of the spectrum of the operators $\Delta + g_{ij}ad(x^i)ad(x^j)$ on a pair of $T$ dual tori $E_1$ and $E_2$. The first torus, $E_1$ has area $A$, $B$ field equal to $0$, and complex structure defined in the usual way by the parameter $\tau = \tau_1 + i\tau_2$. The T dual torus has area $\tau_2$, $B$ field given by $\tau_1 ds\wedge dt$, and complex structure parameter $\tau = iA$. Thus
$$E_1:= C/\lambda Z + \lambda(\tau_1+i\tau_2) Z.$$ We parametrize $E_1$ by $$(x(s,t),y(s,t)) = (\lambda s + \lambda \tau_1 t,\lambda \tau_2 t).$$ Set $A = \lambda^2\tau_2$, the area of $T$. Then $$dx^2 + dy^2 = \frac{A}{\tau_2}(ds+\tau_1dt)^2 + A\tau_2dt^2,$$ and $$\Delta = -\frac{\tau_2}{A}\frac{\partial^2}{\partial s^2}
- (A\tau_2)^{-1}(\frac{\partial}{\partial t} - \tau_1\frac{\partial}{\partial s})^2.$$ According to our definition of the spectrum for the “metric”, we find the spectrum of $\Delta + dx^2+dy^2$ is given by $$\frac{A}{\tau_2}(m+\tau_1n)^2 + A\tau_2n^2 + \frac{\tau_2}{A}p^2
+ (A\tau_2)^{-1}(q - \tau_1p)^2,$$ with $m,n,p,q$ integer.
Now a T duality transformation changes the metric to $$\frac{\tau_2}{A}ds^2 + A\tau_2dt^2,$$ and the Laplacian becomes $$-\frac{A}{\tau_2}\frac{\partial^2}{\partial s^2}
- (A\tau_2)^{-1}\frac{\partial^2}{\partial t^2}.$$
According to our earlier discussion, the duality transformation should also introduce a $B$ field $\tau_1 ds\wedge dt$, which enters by deforming $dx^2+dy^2 + \Delta$ to
$$\frac{\tau_2}{A}ds^2 + A\tau_2dt^2 +
-\frac{A}{\tau_2}(\frac{\partial}{\partial s} + \tau_1 dt/i)^2
- (A\tau_2)^{-1}(\frac{\partial}{\partial t} - \tau_1 ds/i)^2.$$
This new operator has spectrum
$$\frac{\tau_2}{A}p^2 + A\tau_2n^2 + \frac{A}{\tau_2}(m+\tau_1 n)^2
+ (A\tau_2)^{-1}(q-\tau_1 p)^2,$$ with integer $m,n,p,q$. The spectrum is thus invariant under T duality.
D branes
========
Dictionary {#dict}
----------
In this subsection we construct a dictionary relating operators we have defined to standard super conformal field theory constructions. This will allow us to interpret some of our results crudely in terms of $D$ branes and permit the reader to extend these interpretations in many directions. Let $X^i(t,s)$ denote, as usual, the pull back to the string world sheet of a local coordinate on $M$. We use coordinates $s$ and $t$ on the string, satisfying $s$ is constant on the boundary of the string. The translation of stringy constructions into our model begins with the correspondence $$X^i_t\rightarrow g^{ij}\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}},$$ $$X^i_s\rightarrow ad(x^i).$$
Hence, $$\partial X^k \rightarrow g^{kj}\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}} +
iad(x^k).$$
Following the notation of [@KO], we let $Q^{\pm}$ and $J$ denote the left moving supercurrents and the $U(1)$ current respectively. Then we associate $$Q^{+}\rightarrow
i(e(dz^j) + e^*(d\bar z^j))(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial z^j}}
- ig_{j\bar k}ad(\bar z^k))\sim \partial - {\bar{\partial}}^*,$$
$$Q^{-}\rightarrow
i(e(d\bar z^j) + e^*(dz^j))(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial\bar z^j}}
- ig_{\bar{j} k}ad(z^k)) \sim {\bar{\partial}}- \partial^*,$$
$$\bar Q^{+}\rightarrow
i(e(dz^j) - e^*(d\bar z^j))(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial z^j}}
+ ig_{j\bar k}ad(\bar z^k)) \sim \partial+{\bar{\partial}}^*,$$
$$\bar Q^{-}\rightarrow
-i(e(d\bar z^j) - e^*(dz^j))(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^j}}
+ ig_{\bar{j}k}ad(z^k)) \sim {\bar{\partial}}+\partial^*,$$
$$J\rightarrow -ig_{j\bar k}(-e(dz^j)e(d\bar z^k) + e(dz^k)^*e(d\bar z^j)^*)
+ 2q-2p,$$
$$\bar J\rightarrow ig_{j\bar k}(-e(dz^j)e(d\bar z^k) + e(dz^k)^*e(d\bar
z^j)^*) + 2p-2q.$$
Boundary conditions {#BC}
-------------------
In the absence of $D$ branes, the usual boundary condition on an open string is the Neumann boundary condition : $$X_s^i = 0,$$ on the string boundary for all $i$. According to our dictionary, this corresponds to the condition that $$ad(x^i) = 0.$$ Thus the space of scalar valued differential forms is the subspace of sections corresponding to standard boundary conditions. Pursuing the analogy, then a $p$ brane boundary condition corresponds to (locally) forcing the condition on our sections that they are annihilated by $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}$ for $n-p$ directions $p<i\leq n$. The sections are allowed to have coefficients in partial differential operators which involve only these same $n-p$ “normal” derivatives. Thus, this subspace should correspond to $D$ branes given by $x^i = constant_i$, for $p<i\leq n$. (See [@P]\[p.265-267\]). We interpret the normal derivatives as determining the position of the $D$ brane. In the example of the circle considered in Section \[QMT\], we saw that the eigenstates for the metric component of the Hamiltonian were of the form $e^{2\pi p\frac{\partial}{\partial u}}.$ This operator is naturally interpreted as translation by $2\pi p$. Hence, if we view this as determining the relative positions of the $D$ branes, we find we have 1 brane located at each point of $2\pi Z$ on the real line if we impose (\[Tcondition\]). This is the standard representation for a single brane on a circle. If we do not impose (\[Tcondition\]), then the continuous spectrum could be interpreted as a family of branes filling space.
The construction of $D$ branes as in [@OOY], in terms of an equality $$\label{Oz}
\partial X^m = R^m_n{\bar{\partial}}X^n,$$ for some orthogonal matrix $R$ generalizes this interpretation of $D$ branes as choices of subspaces (or possibly quotient spaces) of partial differential operators and leads to analogs of $A$ and $B$ branes in our model. We will not pursue this here.
The notion of D branes being given as kernels of operators does not seem nicely self dual. Once we include kernels, one should expect to see also cokernels. The arrival of complexes does not seem far behind. It seems likely that our construction will lead to relations between D branes and holonomic D-modules and that this will clarify the role of complexes. We have not yet explored this possibility.
D branes in the presence of a Wilson line
-----------------------------------------
We next consider an extension of our construction to include the presence of a background vector bundle. Thus we consider partial differential operators acting on sections of a flat $C^n$ bundle $E$. Our partial differential operator coefficients are now $end(E)$ valued. Neumann boundary conditions still are represented by considering the subspace given by the kernel of the $ad(x^i)'s$. Suppose we now $T$ dualize on a circle factor, in the $x^1$ direction. Assume for simplicty that we are in flat space. Then the condition that $ad(x^1)$ annihilate our partial differential operator (henceforth $pdo$) is replaced by the condition that $ad(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^1}})$ annihilate it. Suppose that we can choose a frame so that $$\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^1}} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x^1} + \Lambda,$$ for some constant diagonal $n$ by $n$ matrix $\Lambda$ with eigenvalues $\lambda_j$. (We are considering a situation like that discussed in [@P]\[p.263-267\].) The pdos we are allowed then are of the form $$f_k(x)(\frac{\partial}{\partial x^1})^k,$$ where $f_k$ is annihilated by $ad(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^1}}).$
Expressing $f_k$ as a matrix with respect to a basis in which $\Lambda$ is diagonal, we find that the diagonal entries $f_k^{ii}$ are constant in $x^1
$. The off diagonal entries $f_k^{ij}$ are of the form an $x^1$ independent function multiplied by $e^{-x^1(\lambda_i -\lambda_j)}.$ For generic $\Lambda$ this is not periodic; therefore $f_k$ is forced to be diagonal, except when two or more eigenvalues coincide (mod $2\pi iZ)$ at which point there is a gauge enhancement and the $f_k$ take values in a larger algebra. In order to localize the branes as in [@P]\[p.263-267\], we must consider again the $T$ dual of the periodicity condition, $$e^{2\pi\frac{\partial}{\partial u}} - 1.$$ We rewrite this as $$e^{2\pi(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial u}}-\Lambda)} - 1 = 0.$$ Dualizing, this becomes $$e^{i ad(u)} - e^{2\pi\Lambda} = 0.$$ Restricting to eigenstates of the metric again, we see that we may write $i^{th}$ diagonal entry of our allowed pdos as $$F_p^{ii}e^{2\pi(p+\lambda_i)\frac{\partial}{\partial x^1}}.$$ As in the preceding section, we may interpret this as a brane located at position $\lambda_i$ on the circle. Hence, this model reproduces the expected result that, in the presence of a flat $C^n$ bundle, the $T$ dual (along a circle) of the Neumann boundary condition is $n$ D branes, whose relative position is determined by the monodromy of the connection. This description fails when two or more eigenvalues coincide, at which point there is an enlargement of the space of sections.
T duality and Mirror symmetry {#TDM}
=============================
In this section, I consider the natural question: can we map the A complex to the B complex via T duality? There are at least two methods for doing this. The first, which we shall not explore here, requires assuming a torus fibration of our manifold (as in [@SYZ]) on which we may $T$ dualize. For this to succeed, however, we are required to modify our operators somewhat, for example, replacing ${\bar{\partial}}$ by $Q^{-} - \bar Q^{-}$ and $\partial$ by $Q^{+} + \bar Q^{+}$. This approach closely tracks the usual SCFT analysis. The method which we shall instead explore here is to introduce a complex version of T duality which may be viewed as a restriction of $T$ duality to objects associated to the holomorphic tangent bundle and its dual. This approach leads to constructions which are weakly reminiscent of $A$ branes and $B$ branes.
So, we consider an antilinear $T$ duality replacing $\frac{\partial}{\partial z^i}$ by $ig_{\bar i j}ad(z^j)$, $e(dz^i)$ by $e^*(dz^i)$, leaving the conjugate variable unchanged, and extend by making $T^2 = 1$. Now consider our $A$ and $B$ complexes, with their coboundary operators. How can we use complex $T$ duality to pass from one to the other? Start with $$d =
e(d\bar z^i)\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^i}
+ e(dz^i)\frac{\partial}{\partial z^i}.$$ If we $T$ dualize following the above recipe, this becomes
$$d_T:=e(d\bar z^i)\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^i} + ie(dz^i)^*g_{\bar i j}ad(z^j).$$
Now our coboundary operator for the B complex has the form (in nice coordinates) $$P = (e(d\bar z^i)-be(dz^i)^*)\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^i}.$$ How can we connect these? We alter our “boundary conditions”. Initially we considered scalar valued forms for our $A$ and $B$ complexes, but in order to define $T$ duality, we were forced to consider forms with coefficients in partial differential operators. Our original space is recovered by imposing the analog of Neumann boundary conditions: $ad(x^i) = 0$. In general, we should expect to impose $dim_R(M)$ conditions to get a complex “as large as” the original one. (Presumably there is a holonomic condition that is the correct generalization). The usual complex satisfies $ad(z^i) = 0$ and $ad(\bar z^i) = 0$, for all $i$. Let’s preserve this as much as possible. So, we assume for both complexes that $ad(\bar z^i) = 0$. In order for T duality to transform $d$ to $P$, we must deform the first condition, $ad(\bar z^i) = 0$, to $ad(z^j) - ibg^{j\bar k}\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^k} = 0$. On this restricted subspace, $d_T = P$. Note the similarity between the modification of the condition that $ad(z^i) = 0$ and the deformation of the Neumann boundary condition induced by a $B$ field in (\[def1\]). This parallel inclines us to interpret $-ib\omega$ as a $B$ field, except that here we are only using it to deform $ad(z^i)$ and not $ad(\bar z^i)$.
Thus we consider sections of the form $f(z,\frac{\partial}{\partial z^j}+ig_{j\bar k}\bar z^k/b),$ again interpreted as formal power series. These are determined uniquely by $f(z,\frac{\partial}{\partial z})$, a collection of holomorphic sections of powers of the holomorphic tangent bundle. On the other hand, if we now work backwards, the conditions that $ad(\bar z^i) = 0$ and $ad(z^j) - ibg^{j\bar k}\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^k} = 0$ are $T$ dual to the condition (for the $A$ complex) that $ad(\bar z^i) = 0$ and $\frac{\partial}{\partial z^i} - ib\frac{\partial}{\partial \bar z^i} = 0$. This latter condition is, of course, not coordinate independent. Because we have a sum of a complex linear and a complex anti-linear map, it is not well defined independent of a choice of complex basis. Its definition requires a choice of underlying real structure for the holomorphic tangent space $T^{1,0} = T_R^{1,0}\otimes C,$ where (at a point) $T^{1,0}_R$ is a subspace spanned by the $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$ in some local coordinate system with $z^i = x^i+iy^i$.
Assuming the existence of such a structure, the $A$ complex, for say $b = 1$ consists of sections of the form $$f(y,\frac{\partial}{\partial z}).$$ As $b$ varies, these families rotate in an obvious fashion. Thus, the sections are determined by their values on Lagrangian submanifolds determined by this real structure and the choice of $b$.
Global Structure of the B field {#geomB}
===============================
Global structures associated to B fields
----------------------------------------
We have seen how a $B$ field can alter differential operators and lead to simple noncommutative geometries. Now we will examine the global structures associated to $B$ fields.
We adopt the notation $A\diamond ad(x^j)$ to denote the operator which sends $(\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j})^k$ to $\sum_{p=0}^{k-1}(\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j})^pA(\frac{\partial}{\partial
x^j})^{k-p-1}$. In particular, for pdos of degree greater than one, $A\diamond ad(x^j)$ does not denote $ad(x^j)$ followed by multiplication on the left by $A$. This definition is natural if we wish to associate to a $1$ form $b_jdx^j$ a derivation on the space of pdos which is independent of coordinate choice. On the other hand, this operator now distinguishes between $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}$ and $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^j}\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$. In order to remedy this, we must consider the space of differential operators with their ordering retained; i.e. we do not quotient out by the relations which hold for operators acting on the smooth functions. In fact, all of the constructions in this section may be defined on spaces of pdos of degree 1, in which case we may ignore these ordering difficulties. Hence, for the remainder of this section, we restrict to that case for simplicity. The extension to spaces of higher order pdos is immediate.
We recall that the $B$ field has the effect of replacing the derivative $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}$ by $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}} - b_{ij}ad(x^j).$ If $b$ were constant, this shift could be interpreted as conjugation $$\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}\rightarrow
e^{(x^ib_{ij})\diamond ad(x^j)}\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial
x^i}}e^{-(x^ib_{ij})\diamond ad(x^j)}.$$
This conjugation corresponds to replacing a partial differential operator $a_I\partial^I$ by $e^{b_jad(x^j)}a_I\partial^I,$ where $b_j = x^ib_{ij},$ in the example at hand.
If we assume our pdos act on sections of a $U(1)$ bundle, then under a change of frame, the pdos are modified by $e^{u_j\diamond ad(x^j)}$, where $u_jdx^j = g^{-1}dg$ for some $S^1$ valued function $g$. This transforms $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$ to $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i} + u_i$, $u_i$ acting by the adjoint action. Here we are using the equality $$ad(u_i) = u_{i,j}\diamond ad(x^j).$$
Note that conjugation by the exponential of an arbitrary 1 form, $$\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}\rightarrow
e^{\lambda_{j}\diamond ad(x^j)}\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial
x^i}}e^{-\lambda_{j}\diamond ad(x^j)},$$ will modify $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}$ by (in geodesic coordinates) $-\lambda_{j,i}\diamond dx^j,$ with $\lambda_{j,i}dx^i\otimes dx^j$ not necessarily a 2 form; i.e., $\lambda_{i,j}$ need not be skew in its indices. In order for this to be a 2 form, it would be necessary that $\lambda^i\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}$ be a Killing vector. On the other hand, as noted above, $$ad(\lambda_i) - \lambda_{i,j}ad(x^j) = 0.$$ Hence, we see that we can interpet this conjugation as transforming $$B\rightarrow B+d\lambda$$ if we simultaneously transform $$\nabla_i\rightarrow \nabla_i - \lambda_i.$$ Thus, up to a sign convention, the connection transforms as expected [@P]\[(8.7.7) and (8.78)\] under a change of gauge for the $B$ field.
We see that we can interpret $b$ as a component of a connection form for a covariant derivative on a space of pdos with allowed transition functions of the form $e^{w_j\diamond ad(x^j)}$. It is easy to pass from this perspective to the Deligne cohomology class of a gerbe. Fix an open cover $\{U_{\alpha}\}$ of $M$. Consider collections $p_{\alpha}$ of partial differential operators on each $U_{\alpha}$ such that on $U_{\alpha}\cap U_{\beta}$, we have $$p_{\alpha} = e^{w_j^{\alpha \beta}\diamond ad(x^j)}p_{\beta},$$ for some collection of 1 forms $w_j^{\alpha \beta} dx^j$, satisfying the cocycle condition $$w_j^{\alpha \beta} dx^j + w_j^{\beta \mu} dx^j + w_j^{\mu\alpha}
dx^j = d\lambda^{\alpha\beta\mu}.$$
Here we should either choose $$d\lambda^{\alpha\beta\mu} = 0,$$ or $$d\lambda^{\alpha\beta\mu} = g_{\alpha\beta\mu}^{-1}dg_{\alpha\beta\mu},$$ for some $S^1$ valued cocycle $g_{\alpha\beta\mu}$. The first choice is the standard cocycle condition for transition functions of the above form. Note, however, that forcing $w$ to satisfy $\delta w = 0$ (with $\delta$ the Cech coboundary) implies that the field strength $$H:=dB$$ is cohomologically trivial.
We may realize the less restrictive condition $\delta w = d\lambda$ for nonzero $d\lambda$ if we modify our construction to consider connections not on pdos but on gauge equivalence classes of pdos. The action of $ad(\lambda_i)$ is trivial on gauge equivalence classes, and therefore the background gauge field can be dropped from the theory. One does not expect coupling of the $B$ field to a connection in a closed string theory; hence, the gauge equivalence class representation should correspond to a closed string theory, while the representation with $\delta w = 0$ should correspond to an open string theory, where one expects a coupling to a gauge field. In our model then, we see a cohomological obstruction to lifting a $B$ field background from closed to open string theory. The field strength $H$ must be cohomologically trivial for a closed string $B$ field to lift to an open string theory.
Let us consider what data we have now assembled in order to view the $B$ field as a connection on the space of pdos (or gauge equivalence classes of pdos). On each open set $U_{\alpha}$ we have a 2 form $b^{\alpha}$, on the intersection of two open sets $U_{\alpha} \cap U_{\beta}$, we have a 1 form $w^{\alpha\beta}$, and on each triple intersection, $U_{\alpha}\cap U_{\beta}\cap U_{\mu}$, we have an $S^1$ valued function $g_{\alpha\beta\mu}.$ Let $\delta$ denote the Cech coboundary operator. Then this collection satisfies $$\delta b = d w, \mbox{ }\delta w = g^{-1}dg, \mbox{ and } \delta g = 0.$$
Thus, our $B$ field, as numerous authors have predicted (see for example [@FW] and [@KO]), defines a Deligne cohomology class $$(g,w,b)\in H^2(M,D^2),$$ in the notation of [@CJM].
As $e^{b_j \diamond ad(x^j)}\partial_i = \partial_i + b_i,$ we may interpret this change of gauge as a change of connection. We note that it is the shift that follows from tensoring a bundle with a line bundle with connection $\nabla = d + b.$ Hence, we may interpret the transition functions associated to our $B$ field construction as corresponding to a line bundle with connection on the intersection of each coordinate patch, as in Hitchin’s picture of gerbes (see [@H]).
We compute the curvature of the connection $$\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}} - b_{ij}ad(x^j).$$ Write $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}
+ A_i$ in a local frame. Then the curvature is given by $$dx^i\wedge dx^k[\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i} + A_i - b_{ij}ad(x^j),
\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k} + A_k - b_{kp}ad(x^p)] =$$ $$dx^i\wedge dx^k[A_{k,i} - A_{i,k} - (b_{kp,i}+ b_{pi,k})ad(x^p)] =$$ $$dx^i\wedge dx^k[A_{k,i} - A_{i,k} + b_{ik,p}ad(x^p) - db_{ikp}ad(x^p)].$$ Using $$b_{ik,p}ad(x^p) = ad(b_{ik}),$$
and setting $$\tilde F = dA + b,$$ we see that the curvature of our connection can be written $$\tilde F - i_p(db)ad(x^p).$$
Here $i_p$ denotes interior multiplication by $\frac{\partial}{\partial x^p}$. Note that here $(dA + b)_{ik}$ acts on a space of partial differential operators by the adjoint action. Observe that the combination $\tilde F = dA + b$ is invariant under both the gauge symmetries of the underlying connection and the connection on the space of pdos.
Higher order gerbes {#failsC}
-------------------
The construction of $B$ fields as connections on spaces of pdos can now be iterated. For example, we get a three form connection if we consider connections on the $B$ field connections.
A general $B$ field connection locally has the form $$\nabla_i = \partial_i + \lambda_i - b_{ik}\diamond ad(x^k).$$ We define a new $ad$ operator $ad_2$ which acts on these connections by $$ad_2(x^i)(\nabla_k) = -\delta^i_k.$$ Then the arbitrary change of $\lambda_i$ and $b_{ik}$ is given by $$e^{(P_j + L_{jk}\diamond ad(x^k))\diamond_2ad_2(x^j)},$$ with $L$ a 2 form and $\diamond_2$ the obvious analog of $\diamond$. We will view such transformations as a change of frame on our space of $B$ field connections.
A connection on the space of $B$ field connections has the local form $$\nabla_i^B = \partial_i + \lambda_i + b_{ik}\diamond ad(x^k)
- W_{ij}\diamond_2ad_2(x^j) - c_{ijk}\diamond
ad(x^j)\diamond_2 ad(x^k).$$ Here $\lambda_i$ and $b_{ik}\diamond ad(x^k)$ act by the adjoint action. A change of frame $e^{(P_j + L_{jk}\diamond ad(x^k))\diamond_2ad_2(x^j)}$ now induces a change of gauge $$\nabla_i^B\rightarrow \partial_i + \lambda_i + b_{ik}\diamond ad(x^k)
- W_{ij}\diamond_2ad_2(x^j) - c_{ijk}\diamond
ad(x^j)\diamond_2 ad_2(x^k)$$ $$- (P_{j,i} + L_{jk,i}\diamond ad(x^k))\diamond_2ad_2(x^j) =$$ $$\partial_i + \lambda_i - P_i + (b-L)_{ik}\diamond ad(x^k)
- (W-dP)_{ij}\diamond_2ad_2(x^j) - (c+dL)_{ijk}\diamond
ad(x^j)\diamond_2 ad_2(x^k)$$ $$+ L_{ij,k}\diamond ad(x^k)\diamond_2ad_2(x^j).$$ Recall that $L_{ij,k}\diamond ad(x^k) = ad(L_{ij}).$ Hence we can rewrite the connection in the new gauge as
$$\partial_i + \lambda_i - P_i + (b-L)_{ik}\diamond ad(x^k)
- (W - dP-L)_{ij})\diamond_2ad_2(x^j)$$ $$- (c+dL)_{ijk}\diamond ad(x^j)\diamond_2 ad_2(x^k).$$
Thus we have a gauge transformation which transforms the three form $c$ to $c+dL$ and the two form $b-W$ to $b-W+dP$, while sending $\lambda_i$ to $\lambda_i-P_i$ and $(b+W)/2$ to $(b+W)/2 - L$. This appears to have a somewhat different field content from what we expect for type $IIA$ supergravity, where three form potentials such as $c$ arise. (See [@P2][Chapter 12]{}). In subsequent work, we shall explore an alternate construction of a quantum mechanical model for Ramond-Ramond fields.
We may now consider various choices of representation: connections or gauge equivalence classes of connection, gauge equivalence classes of $B$ field connection, etc. One can iterate such constructions ad nauseum.
Non-abelian gauge groups
------------------------
It is natural to ask what happens if we allow our connections to take values in a nonabelian group. So, we consider a “gauge transformation” $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k}}\rightarrow
\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k}} + \lambda_k.$ Here $\lambda_k$ is endomorphism valued. $$ad(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}
- b_{ij}ad(x^j))\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k}} = F_{ik} + b_{ik},$$ but $ad(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}
- b_{ij}ad(x^j))(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k}} + \lambda_k)
= F_{ik} + \lambda_{k,i} + b_{ik}.$ Hence, as before, we must modify $ad(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}
- b_{ij}ad(x^j))$. We replace $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}}$ by $\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}} - \lambda_i$. We expect that we must replace $b$ by $b + d\lambda$, but now there is some choice as to which connection we use to compute $d\lambda$, $d$ or $d+\lambda$. If we choose the average $d_{\lambda/2}:= d+\lambda/2$, then we get
$$ad(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^i}} + \lambda_i
- (b+d_{\lambda/2}\lambda)_{ij}ad(x^j))(\nabla_{\frac{\partial}{\partial x^k}} + \lambda_k)
= F_{ik} + b_{ik},$$ as desired.
This extension of gerbes does not look suitable for string theory. In particular, it is no longer clear how to decouple the B field from the connection for closed strings. If we assume, however, that the $B$ field takes values in the center, $C$, of the gauge group then we may pass to a closed string theory if we consider $C-$ gauge equivalence classes of pdos.
Acknowledgements
================
I would like to thank P. Aspinwall and W. Pardon for helpful discussions.
[99]{}
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T. Buscher, Path integral derivation of quantum duality in nonlinear sigma models, Phys. Lett. B 201 (1988) p. 466.
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|
JOHANNESBURG - South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is attempting to heal his nation's ailing economy after about a month of what amounts to a total business shutdown aimed at halting the spread of the coronavirus.
Late Tuesday, he announced a series of measures intended to both jump-start business and help the nation's poor as part of a stimulus plan worth $26 billion, or about 10 percent of the nation's GDP.
"The scale of this emergency relief program is historic," he said. "It demonstrates that we will not spare any effort, or any expense, in our determination to support our people and protect them from harm. We will — and we must — do whatever it takes to recover from this human, social and economic crisis."
FILE - President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation address at parliament in Cape Town, South Africa, Feb. 13, 2020.
It's difficult to quantify how this lockdown has impacted the economy. Ramaphosa, a careful speaker who won votes for his strong background in big business, said only that it was "devastating."
The nation's statistical agency recently reported that it could not count the economic losses sustained since the beginning of the lockdown, which started March 27, because its data collection has been stalled. Many of its publications — GDP figures, consumer price indices, and statistics of liquidations and insolvencies — have been delayed.
Ramaphosa did not say when the nation would return to full economic activity, but said the approach would be done in phases.
South African economist Mike Schussler has welcomed Ramaphosa's measures, but questions how they'll be funded, and whether they are enough to stanch the gushing wounds in the economy.
"I think this economic stimulus was really needed," he said. "We are in the doldrums and we do need to now get money to get this going again. However, what I do feel is I would have liked to have seen a little bit more on the announcements of the structural adjustments that we're going to be needing to make and when and how we're going to reopen the economy. … I think the measures are very close to being enough. I'm not too sure if we can afford them."
A woman opens her mouth for the heath worker to collect a sample for coronavirus testing during the screening and testing campaign aimed to combat the spread of COVID-19 at Lenasia South, south Johannesburg, South Africa, April 21, 2020.
Ramaphosa didn't outline those details, but Schussler says there are two obvious solutions: Either raise taxes or cut government salaries.
"I admire the calmness of his demeanor in this crisis, but I am afraid that the hard work comes later," Schussler said. "It's very clear that some of these things will have to be financed. And it's easy promising the money. When you tell people later in the budget who's going to pay for it, I think a lot more people will feel it won't feel as positive as they do now, especially those that end up paying for all of this."
The COVID-19 crisis had infected 3,635 South Africans and had led to 65 deaths as of late Wednesday, according to figures from Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. Ramaphosa's plan, he has said, is part of an effort to create a new economy in one of the most unequal societies in the world, ravaged by unemployment and historical inequalities passed down from centuries of racist policies.
"Our new economy must be founded on fairness, empowerment, justice and equality," Ramaphosa said. "It must use every resource, every capability and every innovation we have in the service of the people of this country. Our new economy must open up new horizons and offer new opportunities to all South Africans." |
1.. Introduction {#s1}
================
In changing environments, social information allows organisms to learn about novel threats without the need for potentially costly encounters \[[@RSOS191031C1]\]. Despite having received less attention than in foraging contexts \[[@RSOS191031C2]\], the importance of social learning in avoiding predators has been demonstrated in a range of taxa (insects \[[@RSOS191031C3]\], fishes \[[@RSOS191031C4],[@RSOS191031C5]\], birds \[[@RSOS191031C6]--[@RSOS191031C8]\], mammals \[[@RSOS191031C9]--[@RSOS191031C11]\]; see \[[@RSOS191031C2]\] for a review). However, with a few exceptions \[[@RSOS191031C12],[@RSOS191031C13]\], most studies investigating aspects of socially acquired predator avoidance have been conducted in captivity. Field studies carried out under natural conditions are urgently needed in order to establish how social information influences antipredator behaviour in real-world settings \[[@RSOS191031C2],[@RSOS191031C14],[@RSOS191031C15]\]. As socially-acquired predator avoidance is hypothesized to confer benefits when predation risk varies in space and time \[[@RSOS191031C16]\], when new predators are encountered \[[@RSOS191031C17]\] or when community composition is altered \[[@RSOS191031C2]\], understanding how social environments shape antipredator responses is vital in predicting and mitigating the effects of environmental change \[[@RSOS191031C18]\]. Furthermore, if potential predators vary in their level of threat, the ability to discriminate between individual predators of the same species is likely to be beneficial \[[@RSOS191031C12]\]. In this scenario, social learning may help prey to fine-tune their antipredator behaviour to avoid the costs of fleeing in response to benign encounters.
For many animals today, humans present a threat greater than or equivalent to natural predators \[[@RSOS191031C16],[@RSOS191031C19]--[@RSOS191031C21]\], but individual people can vary substantially in their behaviour towards wildlife \[[@RSOS191031C12],[@RSOS191031C22]\]. In urban or agricultural areas, species that exploit the opportunities and resources provided by human activity are often persecuted \[[@RSOS191031C8],[@RSOS191031C12]\], but not all people will be involved in persecution. In these cases, fear of humans can allow individuals to avoid danger, but exhibiting an inappropriate fear response to all humans would prevent individuals from exploiting these habitats. The ability to learn to discriminate between threatening and non-threatening people may therefore be highly beneficial. For example, several urban bird species have demonstrated the ability to learn about dangerous people based on previous experience, and even incorporate subtle human cues such as gaze direction when assessing risk (northern mockingbird *Mimus polyglottos* \[[@RSOS191031C22]\], Eurasian jackdaw *Corvus monedula* \[[@RSOS191031C23],[@RSOS191031C24]\], American crow *Corvus brachyrhynchos* \[[@RSOS191031C25],[@RSOS191031C26]\], raven *Corvus corax* \[[@RSOS191031C27]\], Eurasian magpie *Pica pica* \[[@RSOS191031C28]\], green bee-eater *Merops orientalis* \[[@RSOS191031C29]\], European starling *Sturnus vulgaris* \[[@RSOS191031C30]\]). In this context, learning from the responses of conspecifics could be extremely valuable in allowing individuals to learn which humans are dangerous without the risk of a potentially fatal encounter. However, the potential for animals to use social learning to discriminate between dangerous and harmless people is poorly understood. Determining how social learning shapes responses to humans may provide an additional insight into how species and populations cope in a rapidly changing anthropogenic landscape \[[@RSOS191031C18],[@RSOS191031C31]\].
A small number of studies raise the possibility that social information plays a key role in shaping how individuals learn to associate people with a dangerous place or event. For example, common myna (*Acridotheres tristis*) become warier in a location where they have previously seen an alarmed bird being captured by a human, relative to a control treatment where subjects were not given conspecific cues \[[@RSOS191031C8],[@RSOS191031C32]\]. A field study of American crows (*C. brachyrhynchos*) provides the most compelling evidence to date that information about dangerous humans is socially transmitted through populations \[[@RSOS191031C12]\]. Here, experimenters wearing masks when trapping crows were later mobbed by birds that were not present at the initial capture event, and offspring present during mobbing events involving parents later mobbed masks independently. This evidence is indicative of both horizontal and vertical transmission of social information, but the processes through which social learning might occur remain unclear as individuals\' exposure to social information was not manipulated explicitly. Mobbing events, during which large groups of crows gathered and alarm-called for extended periods (up to 40 crows for up to 10 min) are likely to have created significant opportunities for social learning, but this possibility has yet to be tested experimentally. Moreover, for many animals such large-scale mobbing of dangerous people is likely to be infrequent because of the substantial costs (in terms of time, energy and risk) \[[@RSOS191031C33]\] associated with approaching a potential threat. More commonly, individuals will be exposed to a short-lived bout of conspecific alarm calling, often from a single individual who may be out of sight. If individuals are able to learn from acoustic cues alone, this could provide a powerful mechanism by which information about dangerous people could spread through populations without the need for involvement in costly mobbing events. We therefore tested whether exposure to alarm calls from a single conspecific is sufficient to change the responses of naive wild birds towards unfamiliar humans.
We also examined whether learning was influenced by the characteristics of the signaller. Learning indiscriminately from others may be detrimental if information is irrelevant, erroneous or out of date \[[@RSOS191031C34],[@RSOS191031C35]\], so individuals are expected to employ social learning strategies in deciding when, how and from whom to learn \[[@RSOS191031C1],[@RSOS191031C36]\]. However, no studies have empirically investigated the social learning strategies employed in antipredator contexts (but see \[[@RSOS191031C10],[@RSOS191031C13],[@RSOS191031C37],[@RSOS191031C38]\]). This is surprising given that social dynamics may play a key role in shaping predator recognition: for example, when novel predators are encountered frequently or individual predators differ in their level of threat, prey may preferentially attend to information from familiar conspecifics who possess more locally relevant knowledge about danger \[[@RSOS191031C1],[@RSOS191031C36]\]. To investigate this possibility, we used alarm calls from familiar and unfamiliar conspecifics to determine whether the familiarity of the caller influences subsequent responses to a potential threat.
We conducted experiments on wild jackdaws (*C. monedula*), highly social members of the corvid family that form long-term monogamous pair bonds and tend to nest in breeding colonies that are stable over time \[[@RSOS191031C39],[@RSOS191031C40]\]. They are commonly found in agricultural and urban areas across Europe, exploit anthropogenic resources (including food and breeding sites) \[[@RSOS191031C41],[@RSOS191031C42]\] and are targeted as pests \[[@RSOS191031C43],[@RSOS191031C44]\]. Like many corvids \[[@RSOS191031C25]--[@RSOS191031C28]\], jackdaws can learn to discriminate between individual people based on facial cues \[[@RSOS191031C23],[@RSOS191031C24]\]. When presented with a person wearing a mask, jackdaws return to their nest more quickly if that mask has previously been worn during a nest intrusion, demonstrating that jackdaws learn to recognize individual people and associate them with prior events \[[@RSOS191031C24]\]. In order to test whether jackdaws use social learning during encounters with people, we presented breeding jackdaws with an unfamiliar person at their nest-box, using playback of alarm calls from colony and non-colony members to provide social information about danger. If birds incorporated the social information from the playback into their behavioural response, we predicted that birds that heard alarm calls would subsequently show a higher fear response relative to a control group that heard playback of contact calls. As alarm calls from familiar conspecifics have previously been shown to increase collective responses to threats in jackdaws \[[@RSOS191031C45]\], we also predicted heightened fear responses among individuals that had heard the alarm calls of colony members rather than unfamiliar birds. Using a three-phase, within-subject paradigm previously employed in studies of socially acquired predator avoidance \[[@RSOS191031C8],[@RSOS191031C46]\], we were able to quantify changes in individual response according to playback treatment, without altering the nature of the encounter with the human. Thus, we were able to separate social learning from the effects of individual learning and ensure that the nature of the social learning experience was consistent between test subjects.
2. Methods {#s2}
==========
2.1.. Study population {#s2a}
----------------------
This experiment was conducted during the 2017 breeding season using free-living nest-box populations of jackdaws at three study sites in Cornwall, UK: a village churchyard (Stithians 50°11′26″ N, 5°10′51″ W; 33 nest-boxes), an active farmyard (Pencoose Farm 50°11′56″ N, 5°10′9″ W; 35 nest-boxes), and at the University of Exeter\'s Penryn campus (50°17′32″ N; 5°11′96″ W; 11 nest-boxes). At these sites, jackdaws are captured in nest-boxes or ladder traps and individually colour-ringed by the Cornish Jackdaw Project. Resident jackdaws at all three sites have experience of humans walking around the area on a regular basis without posing any threat. However, some persecution of corvids occurs in the area (V. E. Lee and G. E. McIvor 2016-2017, personal observation) and fieldworkers monitor nests daily during the breeding season, eliciting alarm calling from resident jackdaws. Thus, discriminating between dangerous and harmless people is likely to be beneficial.
2.2.. Experimental design {#s2b}
-------------------------
Following protocols used in previous studies of socially acquired predator avoidance \[[@RSOS191031C8],[@RSOS191031C46]\], focal jackdaws underwent three trial phases ([figure 1](#RSOS191031F1){ref-type="fig"}): (i)baseline phase: subjects presented with a novel human stimulus (an experimenter wearing a mask) at their nest-box;(ii)training phase: subjects presented with the same human stimulus, paired with playback of conspecific calls to provide social information about the level of danger (see below); and(iii)test phase: subjects presented with the human stimulus a third time, to compare any changes in individual behaviour occurring as a result of the training. Figure 1.Experimental design and predictions. Focal birds received three stimulus presentations at their nest-box (baseline, training and test phase). In the training phase, subjects were presented with playbacks from one of four treatments (scold call/familiar; scold call/unfamiliar; contact call/familiar; contact call/unfamiliar). If jackdaws learn socially about dangerous people, we expected birds to increase their fear response to the human following association with scold calls (denoted by exclamation marks). If jackdaws engage in directed social learning in this context, we predicted that the strength of the effect would be greater for birds that heard familiar scold calls in the training (denoted by two exclamation marks).
In the training phase, scold calls were used to imply danger and contact calls were used as a control (electronic supplementary material, figure S1). Scold calls are antipredator vocalizations given by jackdaws to recruit others to mob a predator \[[@RSOS191031C45]\], and contact calls are used in a range of contexts to advertise identity but are not associated with any specific event \[[@RSOS191031C46]\]. Contact calls and scold calls both encode information about the identity of the caller \[[@RSOS191031C45],[@RSOS191031C47]\], and are frequently heard in jackdaw colonies. To determine whether familiarity with the caller influences social learning, calls were presented from colony members and unfamiliar birds from a different breeding colony. Focal pairs were assigned to one of four treatments: familiar contact calls, unfamiliar contact calls, familiar scold calls or unfamiliar scold calls. If subjects incorporate social information from the training phase into their behavioural response, we expected an increase in fear behaviour in the test phase compared to the baseline phase, but only for birds in the scold call treatments ([figure 1](#RSOS191031F1){ref-type="fig"}). If subjects preferentially attend to social information from familiar conspecifics, subjects that heard familiar scold calls in the training phase were predicted to show a greater change in fear response between the baseline and test phases, compared to subjects that heard unfamiliar scold calls.
2.3.. Experimental stimuli: presentation of unfamiliar human {#s2c}
------------------------------------------------------------
Experimenters wore full-head latex masks throughout all trials to ensure the novelty of the stimulus and avoid potential confounding effects of birds\' familiarity with the experimenters (electronic supplementary material, figure S2). Two different masks were worn at each site, one during scold call trials and the other during contact call trials. The mask-treatment combinations were counterbalanced between sites; the mask worn during scold call trials at one site was worn during contact call trials at another site and vice versa. As commercially available masks have lurid, unrealistic hair or lack hair, all masks were paired with a plain hat. Mask and hat pairings were kept constant at each site.
Two experimenters (V.E.L. and N.R.) carried out trials, with focal birds being presented with the same experimenter for all three trials. Both experimenters carried out trials in all treatment groups at all three sites, and wore both types of mask. Experimenters wore a large raincoat to disguise any body shape or gait cues and wore the same clothing during all trials.
2.4.. Experimental stimuli: playback calls {#s2d}
------------------------------------------
### 2.4.1.. Audio recordings {#s2d1}
Playback calls were extracted from recordings obtained during the 2014--2016 breeding seasons, and only calls of known individuals were used in the experiment. Contact calls were recorded using lapel microphones (AKG-C417PP) installed inside nest-boxes, and scold calls were recorded using a shotgun microphone (Sennheiser ME66) while nests were being visited by researchers. All calls were recorded using multitrack linear PCM recorders (Olympus LS-100 & Tascam DR-100MKII).
### 2.4.2.. Call extraction {#s2d2}
Exemplars of contact calls and scold calls with minimal background noise were extracted from audio recordings and normalized for amplitude using A[udacity]{.smallcaps} ([www.audacityteam.org](www.audacityteam.org)). Extracted calls were arranged into playback files comprising either five contact calls or five scold calls from a single individual, occurring at 2 s intervals to simulate natural calling (electronic supplementary material, figure S1). Where possible, five unique calls were used in playbacks (contact calls: 3--11 calls from 30 individuals, mean 5 calls per individual; scold calls: 3--13 calls from 18 individuals, mean 4 calls per individual; see the electronic supplementary material for details). All playbacks were played through FoxPro Fury remote-controlled loudspeakers, at a set volume level that simulated the natural amplitude of calls at a distance of 10 m \[[@RSOS191031C45],[@RSOS191031C46]\].
### 2.4.3.. Allocation of playbacks {#s2d3}
Focal pairs were assigned to treatment groups as required to maintain a balanced design across the experiment. For 'familiar' treatment playbacks, near neighbours (birds nesting within 500 m of the focal pair) were used wherever possible to maximize the likelihood that focal birds were familiar with the caller. However, we avoided using the calls of immediate neighbours (birds nesting within 200 m of the focal pair), who were likely to have been in the vicinity during trials. For 'unfamiliar' treatment playbacks, focal pairs were played calls from non-colony members. Because of their close geographical proximity (1.2 km) and the observed movement of birds between Stithians churchyard and Pencoose farm (V. E. Lee and G. E. McIvor 2016-2017, personal observation), only calls obtained from birds at the Campus site (more than 5 km) were used in the unfamiliar treatments at the Stithians and Pencoose sites (extensive observations suggest that birds do not move between Stithians/Pencoose and Campus sites). Both male and female callers were used for playbacks, allocated as required to balance the proportion of callers of both sexes within sites and across treatment groups. All callers were known to be alive and breeding in the colonies at the time of the experiment. Callers were also resident in the colony in the year prior to the experiment (except two individuals whose vocalizations were used in contact call playbacks).
2.5.. Experimental trials {#s2e}
-------------------------
In total, we carried out 102 trials at 34 focal nest-boxes across the three study sites (15 nests at Stithians; 16 at Pencoose; three at Campus). Trials were conducted between 08.00 and 18.00. Trials at a single nest were carried out on consecutive days and at the same time of day (start times fell within 2 h for all three trials), to ensure a broadly similar rest period between trials for each nest, and control for variation in feeding rate over the course of the day. Trials at a focal nest-box began no earlier than 3 days after the first chick hatched (to minimize risk of nestling mortality or parental abandonment) and no later than 6 days post-hatching (to ensure provisioning was still frequent enough for parents to return within the trial period).
Prior to the experiment, the experimenter set up a chair and recording equipment 30 m away from the nest-box and directly facing the nest-box entrance. Recording equipment comprised a tripod with an HD camera (Panasonic HC-X920) taking a close-up view of the nest-box to identify colour rings of birds and record fine-scale behavioural measures at the nest. A small wide-angle camera (SJcam M10) was attached to the same tripod, to record experimenter behaviour and the behaviour of birds on approach to the nest-box. For the training phase, a loudspeaker was deployed on the ground halfway between the experimenter and the nest-box. After setting up equipment, the experimenter moved away to a concealed location to put on a mask and coat. The experimenter then returned to the area and approached the chair, keeping as far away from the nest-box as possible. The experimenter set camera recordings and a stopwatch timer for the end of the trial before sitting in the chair and remaining motionless for the duration of the trial, maintaining a constant gaze directly at the nest-box throughout. At the end of the trial the experimenter would get up, collect recording equipment and leave the area, keeping the mask on until out of sight of the colony.
Trials for the baseline (i) and test (iii) phase lasted for 30 min. In the training phase (ii), trials lasted until the first visit to the nest-box by any member of the focal pair (if birds did not return within 40 min, the trial was terminated). As the first bird made contact with the nest-box, the experimenter activated the playback using a handheld remote control. The experimenter would remain seated for 2 min after the playback and then leave the area, to ensure temporal consistency between presentation of the playback calls (unconditioned stimulus) and presentation of the human (conditioned stimulus) in the training phase.
If individuals hearing scold calls in the playback phase show a higher fear response in the test phase, it is possible that this effect could be carried over from having heard conspecific scold calls on the previous day. To control for this, all birds were exposed to the same number of scold and contact calls on the second day of the experiment using control playbacks. These were carried out by playing the other type of call from a speaker deployed in the same location, while birds were visiting the box but without human presence in the area.
2.6.. Behavioural analysis {#s2f}
--------------------------
We recorded the frequency and duration of all behaviours exhibited at focal nest-boxes using the open-source video coding software BORIS \[[@RSOS191031C48]\]. Birds included in the experiment were individually identifiable. The behaviour of both males and females was recorded from experimental footage, with analysis carried out at the level of the individual (further details of video coding procedure, including inter-rater reliability, are given in the electronic supplementary material).
2.7.. Statistical analysis {#s2g}
--------------------------
Of the 34 focal pairs, only birds that heard the playback were included in analyses. Playbacks occurred after the first bird landed on the nest-box in the second trial; this was the female of the pair in 24 cases and the male in 10 cases. However, in 13 cases the second member of the pair was close to the nest-box when the first bird triggered the playback. This meant that in total, 18 males and 29 females heard the playback and could potentially respond to the experimental treatments.
There was substantial heterogeneity of variance between males and females for many of the behaviours recorded. Females were more variable than males in their latency to return to the nest on the first visit (females: median = 26.4 s, quartile 1 (Q1) = 13.0 s, Q3 = 118.8 s; males: median = 30.6 s, Q1 = 7.9 s, Q3 = 48.3 s; electronic supplementary material, figure S3). Females also spent more time in the box over the whole trial than males (females: median = 527.4 s, Q1 = 69.9 s, Q3 = 983.4 s; males: median = 27.7 s, Q1 = 0.95 s, Q3 = 62.8 s; electronic supplementary material, figure S3), as would be expected given that females invest heavily in incubation at this stage in the breeding attempt. For these reasons, only data from females were analysed; for males, the smaller sample size and uneven distribution between treatment groups precluded formal analysis.
All analyses were carried out in R \[[@RSOS191031C49]\] using general linear mixed models (GLMMs) with a Gaussian error distribution, following box-cox transformation of response variables. All models included phase (baseline/test), call type (contact call/scold call) and caller familiarity (familiar/unfamiliar) as fixed effects with a three-way interaction, and individual identity as a random term. Models were constructed using the lme4 \[[@RSOS191031C50]\] package. Model plots were examined to ensure that assumptions were met (homogeneity and normality of residuals) and model goodness-of-fit estimates (marginal and conditional *R*^2^) \[[@RSOS191031C51]\] were calculated using M[u]{.smallcaps}M[in]{.smallcaps} \[[@RSOS191031C52]\]. Models were compared using log-likelihood ratio tests. Sample sizes vary between models (see below), after excluding birds that did not hear the playback in phase (ii), birds that did not exhibit the behaviour during the baseline (i) or test (iii) trials, and cases where reliable measures could not be obtained (see the electronic supplementary material).
### 2.7.1.. Time taken to approach nest-box {#s2g1}
In a similar experiment, Davidson *et al.* \[[@RSOS191031C24]\] found that jackdaws return to their nest-box more quickly after learning that a person is dangerous, which is likely to reflect a motivation to defend the nest and monitor the threat. To investigate how quickly females approach the nest-box when watched by a person previously associated with scold versus contact calls, we calculated the time females spent near the box prior to landing on the box on their first visit. This model included data from 21 females (10 females in the contact call group; 11 in the scold call group; see the electronic supplementary material).
### 2.7.2.. Latency to enter nest-box {#s2g2}
To determine whether females spend more time on the nest-box prior to entering when faced with a 'dangerous' person, we analysed female latency to enter the nest-box after landing. This model included data from 23 females (12 in the contact call group, 11 in the scold call group; see the electronic supplementary material).
### 2.7.3.. Time spent in nest-box {#s2g3}
Finally, we investigated whether females spent less time in the nest-box incubating and feeding chicks during presentations of a 'dangerous' person. This model included the total time spent in the nest-box by females in each trial as the response variable, using data from 20 females (12 in the contact call group and eight in the scold call group; see the electronic supplementary material).
3.. Results {#s3}
===========
During the training phase (ii), birds responded to playbacks as would be expected for genuine scold calls and contact calls. Upon hearing scold calls, birds always left the nest-box immediately and several emitted scold calls in response. By contrast, birds did not leave the nest-box in response to contact calls, instead remaining on the nest-box during the playback or entering the nest-box to feed chicks.
3.1.. Time taken to approach nest-box {#s3a}
-------------------------------------
Between the baseline phase (i) and the test phase (iii), females altered the time taken to approach their nest-box depending on the type of calls heard in the playback phase (ii) (phase/playback type interaction: *χ*^2^~1~ = 4.35, *p* = 0.037; [table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}). Females were quicker to approach the nest-box in the test phase compared to the baseline phase if they heard scold calls in the playback phase; females that heard contact calls took longer to approach the box in the test compared to their baseline ([figure 2](#RSOS191031F2){ref-type="fig"}, [table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}). For subjects in the scold call treatment, this equates to a 53% reduction in approach time on average between the baseline and the test phase, whereas subjects in the contact call treatment increased their approach time by 63% on average (electronic supplementary material, figure S4). Familiarity with the playback caller had no significant effect on the time taken to approach the nest-box (*χ*^2^~1~ = 0.68, *p* = 0.411; [table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}). Figure 2.Time taken by females to land on the nest-box following their return to the area. Females that heard scold call playbacks in trial (ii) (training phase) were quicker to approach the nest in the test phase (trial (iii)) compared to their baseline (trial (i)). Females that heard contact call playbacks in the training phase took longer to approach the nest on their first visit in the test phase (trial (iii)) compared to their baseline (trial (i)). Points and whiskers denote mean and standard error, *n* = 42 observations of 21 females. Table 1.Model output for GLMMs investigating (*a*) the time taken by females to approach the nest-box on their first visit; (*b*) the latency for females to enter the nest-box after first landing; and (*c*) the time spent by females inside the nest-box over the whole trial. (Models investigated the change in response between trials (trials (i)/(iii)) according to playback type (scold calls/contact calls) and caller familiarity (familiar/unfamiliar). Values are taken from full models, with significant effects given in italics. Marginal *R*^2^ ($R_{m}^{2}$) estimates the proportion of variance explained by the fixed effects, and conditional *R*^2^ ($R_{c}^{2}$) estimates the proportion of variance explained by both the fixed and random effects.)model*n*subjects$R_{m}^{2}$$R_{c}^{2}$fixed and random effects*β* ± s.e.*t*-valuevariance ± s.d.(*a*) approach time42210.290.55intercept4.14 ± 0.459.23*phase−0.13 ± 0.51−0*.*26playback type0.33 ± 0.690*.*48*familiarity*−*0.47 ± 1.00*−*0.47*phase* × *playback type−0.85 ± 0.77−1*.*10*phase × familiarity2.37 ± 1.132.09playback type × familiarity*−*0.44 ± 1.26*−*0.35phase × playback type × familiarity*−*2.79 ± 1.43*−*1.96subject0.58 ± 0.76residual1.02 ± 1.01(*b*) entry latency46230.100.61intercept2.60 ± 0.554.75phase*−*0.65 ± 0.51*−*1.28playback type*−*0.58 ± 0.87*−*0.67familiarity0.56 ± 1.100.51phase × playback type0.09 ± 0.800.11phase × familiarity0.74 ± 1.020.73playback type × familiarity*−*0.57 ± 1.48*−*0.38phase × playback type × familiarity0.62 ± 1.370.45subject1.54 ± 1.24residual1.16 ± 1.08(*c*) time in box40200.100.66intercept16.45 ± 3.874.25phase2.85 ± 3.350.85playback type6.81 ± 6.001.13familiarity*−*1.47 ± 6.00*−*0.25phase × playback type*−*9.03 ± 5.19*−*1.74phase × familiarity*−*1.30 ± 5.20*−*0.25playback type × familiarity3.01 ± 10.000.31phase × playback type × familiarity6.59 ± 8.300.80subject65.79 ± 8.11residual39.29 ± 6.27
3.2.. Latency to enter nest-box {#s3b}
-------------------------------
The time taken by females to enter the nest-box after first landing did not change significantly between the baseline and test phase (*χ*^2^~1~ = 0.40, *p* = 0.53). The type of call heard in the playback (scold calls/contact calls) and familiarity with the caller (familiar/unfamiliar) also had no significant effect on entry latency (playback type: *χ*^2^~1~ = 0.54, *p* = 0.46; familiarity: *χ*^2^~1~ = 1.42, *p* = 0.23; [table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}). In the baseline phase (i), females in the scold call group were quicker to enter the nest-box than those in the contact call group (median entry latency ± inter-quartile range: scold call group = 6.5 s ± 50.25; contact call group = 21.8 s ± 430.68), despite chicks being of the same age in both treatment groups (see supplementary data \[[@RSOS191031C53]\]). However, female entry latency showed no significant change between trials as a result of the playback (phase/call type interaction: *χ*^2^~1~ = 0.60, *p* = 0.44; [table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}; electronic supplementary material, figure S5).
3.3.. Time spent in nest-box {#s3c}
----------------------------
Females spent a similar length of time inside the nest-box during the baseline and test phase (*χ*^2^~1~ = 0.02, *p* = 0.89). This was not influenced by the type of call heard in the playback (*χ*^2^~1~ = 1.20, *p* = 0.27) or familiarity with the caller (*χ*^2^~1~ = 0.01, *p* = 0.94; [table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}; electronic supplementary material, figure S6).
3.4.. Frequency of scolding {#s3d}
---------------------------
There were eight trials where females responded by scolding the experimenter (electronic supplementary material, figure S7). Five females scolded in the baseline phase (trial (i)) and three females scolded in the test phase (trial (iii)). One female scolded in both the baseline and test phases; four birds scolded in the baseline phase but not in the test phase, and two birds scolded in the test phase but not in the baseline phase (one after hearing contact calls and one after hearing scold calls in the playback phase). Females that scolded gave a median of 5.5 calls (range 2--11 calls per bird).
4.. Discussion {#s4}
==============
We predicted that if jackdaws use social learning to inform their response to unfamiliar people, subjects would show a heightened response to a human watching their nest-box after seeing that person associated with conspecific scold calls. We found evidence to support this hypothesis, as females that heard scold call playbacks in the training phase (trial (ii)) spent less time in the area before landing on the nest-box in the test phase (trial (iii)) compared to the baseline phase (trial (i)). By contrast, females that heard contact call playbacks during the training phase (ii) spent longer near their nest-box before landing in the test phase (iii) compared to their baseline (i). Playback treatment (contact calls/scold calls) did not influence the latency of females to enter the nest-box after first landing, or the time spent in the nest-box overall.
The finding that subjects in the scold call group returned to the nest more quickly than subjects in the contact call group may reflect parents\' motivation to monitor the perceived threat and defend the nest-box, and concurs with findings of similar studies in this species \[[@RSOS191031C24]\]. Returning to the nest may also allow individuals to gather more information before deciding to recruit others to mob the potential 'predator'. Indeed, when field researchers at our study sites visit nests to monitor breeding progress and/or weigh chicks, adult jackdaws commonly respond by returning to the area to monitor and scold the person (V. E. Lee and G. E. McIvor 2016-2017, personal observation). If jackdaws preferentially attend to social information from familiar individuals, we predicted that changes in response between the baseline (i) and test (iii) phases would be highest for birds that were trained using familiar scold calls (ii). We found no evidence to support this, as familiarity with the caller had no significant effect on any of the behavioural responses measured. This may be because for breeding birds hearing scold calls near the nest-box is a highly salient stimulus and thus always elicits a strong response. This explanation is supported by the fact that during the playback phase, all birds responded to the scold call playbacks immediately by leaving the nest-box and/or giving responsive scolds, whereas subjects that heard contact calls remained on the nest-box during the playback. In contrast to the scold call group, females in the contact call group showed an increase in latency to approach the nest between the baseline (i) and test (iii) phase. This may be because, in the absence of information that the person near the nest-box is dangerous, birds show reduced motivation to return quickly to the nest as the chicks grow and can be left alone for longer periods of time.
Individual test subjects also varied in their behavioural responses during experimental trials, with individual identity explaining a substantial proportion of the variance in the data ([table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}). This may partly explain the modest overall effect size seen for the interaction between phase (baseline/test) and playback type (scold calls/contact calls) on the time taken by females to approach the nest-box ([table 1](#RSOS191031TB1){ref-type="table"}). Taken together, our findings suggest that there is an element of social learning involved in refining jackdaws\' responses to unfamiliar people, but there is a considerable amount of individual variation in how these responses are manifested (see also \[[@RSOS191031C46]\]). Therefore, although jackdaws appear to use social learning to identify a 'dangerous' person, individuals vary in how they respond during subsequent encounters with that person. Individual variation in behaviour is often controlled for but rarely discussed explicitly in experiments of this kind, and is likely to be critical to our understanding of animal cognition \[[@RSOS191031C54],[@RSOS191031C55]\].
This study provides direct evidence that individual animals alter their responses to individual people via social learning. Our findings complement those of Davidson *et al.* \[[@RSOS191031C24]\] who demonstrated that jackdaws\' personal experience with individual people informs their subsequent behavioural response in a similar way. The current study extends this work, suggesting that jackdaws may not need to directly experience an unpleasant event to identify a human as 'dangerous' and can use social cues to learn about dangers associated with specific people. Our results also contribute to a wider body of work on socially acquired predator avoidance. Although this area has received relatively little attention compared to other aspects of social learning \[[@RSOS191031C2]\], previous studies have shown that social cues play an important role in learning to avoid novel predators \[[@RSOS191031C6],[@RSOS191031C56],[@RSOS191031C57]\], novel parasites \[[@RSOS191031C58],[@RSOS191031C59]\] and dangerous locations \[[@RSOS191031C8]\]. To date, only one other study has investigated socially acquired predator avoidance in the wild, providing compelling circumstantial evidence for social transmission of information about dangerous people from informed to naive American crows \[[@RSOS191031C12]\]. Our experiment builds on this by showing that a single short-lived, commonly-occurring alarm calling event may be sufficient to alter individual behaviour in response to specific people, by reducing latency to return to the nest. These types of social learning events are likely to be important for organisms that exploit human-dominated habitats where individual people represent varying levels of threat, especially for species such as corvids that are often persecuted as pests.
Understanding how social learning shapes antipredator responses is vital to predicting and mitigating the effects of human activity, and provides valuable insights into how cognitive abilities influence adaptation to changing environments. However, socially acquired predator avoidance has received surprisingly little attention given its importance for individual fitness. Despite being limited in number, studies to date have provided some compelling insights into how animals learn socially about danger; further research is urgently needed to investigate how social environments facilitate antipredator learning, particularly under natural conditions. Studying a wide range of species is also essential to identify factors underlying success in anthropogenic habitats, which could subsequently be applied to effectively manage pest species and conserve declining populations.
Supplementary Material
======================
###### Supplementary material for \"Social learning about dangerous people by wild jackdaws\", Lee et al. (2019)
###### Reviewer comments
We are most grateful to the Gluyas family and staff at Pencoose Farm, Odette Eddy and the people of Stithians where the experiment was carried out. We would also like to thank Gabrielle Davidson and Andy Radford for valuable discussions on the experimental design. Richard Woods, Charlie Savill, Jenny Coomes and several student volunteers helped to collect call recordings, Beki Hooper acted as an independent coder for video analysis, and Alison Greggor assisted with ringing the birds involved in this study.
Ethics {#s5}
======
This work was carried out with approval of the University of Exeter research ethics committee (2017/1680) and adhered to the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research. No birds were handled as part of this study, but birds were previously handled and marked under licence from the British Trust for Ornithology (C6449, C5752 and C6079) and the UK Home Office (project licence 30/3261).
Data accessibility {#s6}
==================
Data and R scripts associated with this work are available via Figshare ([doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.7828781](http://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.7828781)) \[[@RSOS191031C53]\].
Authors\' contributions {#s7}
=======================
V.E.L. and A.T. designed the experiment; V.E.L. and N.R. ran the experimental trials; V.E.L. analysed the data; G.E.M. maintained field sites/study populations; V.E.L. and A.T. wrote the manuscript, with input from G.E.M.
Competing interests {#s8}
===================
We declare we have no competing interests.
Funding {#s9}
=======
V.E.L was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (no. NE/L002434/1); N.R. was supported by Explo\'ra Sup and AMI scholarships awarded by La Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes; A.T. and G.E.M. were supported by a BBSRC David Phillips Fellowship awarded to A.T. (no. BB/H021817/1; no. BB/H021817/2).
[^1]: Electronic supplementary material is available online at <https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4663928>.
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[The effect of sodium nitroprusside and lamotrigine on D-[3H]aspartate release from mouse cortex slices].
The work deals with the study of the effect of the nitrous oxide and the antiepileptic agent lamotridgin on nonstimulated and K(+)- and veratridine-stimulated release of D-[3H]aspartate from sections of the brain cortex of mice. Sodium nitroprusside (0.1 mM) intensified nonstimulated (by 38-52%) and K(+)-stimulated (by 86%) release of labeled D-aspartate. Lamotridgin (0.1 mM) inhibited nonstimulated and veratridine-stimulated release of the label (by 50 and 70%, respectively). Sodium nitroprusside completely turned the inhibiting affect of lamotridgin on spontaneous and veratridine-stimulated release of D-aspartate. It is suggested that NMDA-subtype presynaptic receptors contribute to the regulation of D-aspartate release and are modulated by nitrous oxide. |
(Newser) – In taking to court her contention that Barack Obama can’t be president because he’s foreign-born, Orly Taitz has been on the receiving end of much judicial scorn, and big fines. But her latest suggestion could land her in hotter water: She writes today that Americans should “bare (sic) arms and organise in militias” against “this Kenyan, Indonesian communist usurper.
What is Obama’s intention? Taitz asks readers. “Is it to provide security for us or to destroy our security? Judge for yourself. Seeing targeted destruction of our economy, our security, dissipation of American jobs, massive corruption in the Government, Congress Department of Justice and Judiciary, it might be time to start rallies and protests using our second amendment right to bare arms and organise in militias.”
quote:Well you two may be right, but please do not try to paint "us all" underneath that rock.
I confess, at one time, a long time ago, I gave this theory some cred....until I believe it was soundly proven wrong.
But I can detect that you two would love to paint the entire right with this slime, or I could be wrong.
Is there one member on this website that has recently confessed to still believe this crap?
I'm pretty sure that there are a whole lotta folks that wouldn't really call themselves on the Right or Republicans that think very similar thoughts.
Over the holidays I've seen politics drive shattering rifts between two families. One of them my own. In both cases, it was the "Right" side of the family that made the rifts deepen and put politics above family. To the point of one person doesn't want his own sister talking to him or his children as long as she supports "a terrorist."
Y'know, when people throw around all the crap they do, sooner or later it sticks. Perhaps there's not a person on this website who is a devotee of Orly Taitz, but there was a Right leaning member that saw fit to make a partisan Christmas wish.
Many of the conclusions that I personally draw about the Right come from things that those on the Right say and do.
quote:Well you two may be right, but please do not try to paint "us all" underneath that rock.
I confess, at one time, a long time ago, I gave this theory some cred....until I believe it was soundly proven wrong.
But I can detect that you two would love to paint the entire right with this slime, or I could be wrong.
Is there one member on this website that has recently confessed to still believe this crap?
Well, you were underneath that rock at one time based on your own admission. You thought a completely insane theory that a sitting US Senator running for president was not qualified to be President because he was not a US citizen had credibility. If you add that to all the other insane and partisan attacks against this man, that seemingly sane people think have credibility, then yeah, without people coming out and viciously rejecting the insanity, publicly, and admitting that insane and extremist viewpoints should not be given print or TV access, and that the movement that is generating this BS should be cast off as insane and extreme...well, why wouldn't we associate all adherents of that movement and paint them under that rock? Lie down with dogs and wake up with fleas seems apt here....
After it was a foregone conclusion that Obama was going to be the nominee during the campaign, every time anyone even remotely considered to be on the left or a Democrat said anything even remotely off kilter, nutty, questionable or anything that might get someone's nose out of joint, the right would scream "Why doesn't he repudiate it? Why doesn't he denounce ______________?"
As a matter of fact, I remember very clearly that since Rev. Wright or Bill Ayers or anyone else felt a particular way, then Obama did too. Not just guilt by association, but guilt by non-repudiation.
No one on the Right "repudiates" or "denounces" any of the crazy crap that comes from their side, and yes, one does tend to start to believe that while they may not agree with the exact statement, they just might believe with the sentiment.
So, I could easily say that "Well, since every single person on the Right doesn't denounce Orly Taitz, they all must agree with her." But, I won't and hope no one else does either.
However, is there a huge urge to do just that just to make some folks on the right see how it feels? Oh yeah. Actually, reading and hearing some things this week, it would be the perfect time to say something like, "You know those damn conservatives and Republicans WANT us to get attacked just so they can blame Obama for it." Gee, where have I heard that before?
quote:So, I could easily say that "Well, since every single person on the Right doesn't denounce Orly Taitz, they all must agree with her." But, I won't and hope no one else does either.
It is hard not to though...when stuff like this is being perpetrated by congress people, not just pundits and bloggers and Fox, well, it sends a pretty strong signal to anyone with a brain that this is what we have come to with the right. I have yet to see any person on the right on this site admit that Obama is a centrist, to my eyes center right...no, he is a communist, socialist, etc...when the center is painted as extreme left by almost everyone on the right, how far have we sunk?
quote: Over the holidays I've seen politics drive shattering rifts between two families. One of them my own. In both cases, it was the "Right" side of the family that made the rifts deepen and put politics above family. To the point of one person doesn't want his own sister talking to him or his children as long as she supports "a terrorist."
That is insane. Thank God we have learned to keep politics, religion, etc out of the conversations at family gatherings, but it used to get heated at our house too. My brother’s mother in-law has very differing views than my father, who is to the right of Atilla the Hun, but she loves to poke his beehive especially after she has a few drinks..which couldn’t be any worse..as if politics isn’t bad enough, throw some fire water on top. Thank God he just ignores her now (and is nearly deaf) because it used to get real heated. I remember one time at Christmas dinner years ago she brought up Vietnam, which is a real hot button for my old man considering he spent his time there and has many painful memories. I can’t remember what she said, but it was something very inaccurate, and my father went friggin’ nuts. Then her friend, who was a man of my father’s age and who did not serve in Vietnam made a snide comment to him, and that’s when the **** really hit the fan. “Did you serve there (answer was no)? Why not? Why the **** weren’t you there? Where the **** were you 35 years ago when all of us were being shot at and good men were being killed? Don’t **** ing talk to me about **** you don’t know about! ” At that point, he slammed down the napkin and walked out of the house. My brother also walked out of the house and went down the block to the bar to get drunk. Oh family and the holidays, it’s so peaceful!!
quote:I have yet to see any person on the right on this site admit that Obama is a centrist
IMO, he is to the left of center. It's okay that he is left leaning, it's not a crime last I checked. Every successful Democratic president dashes back and forth between liberal and moderate ground, just as every successful Republican president goes back and forth from conservative to moderate. When anyone runs hard to either direction and eventually runs into opposition, which has happened to Obama and others, then they don't become centrists, they become failed ideologues!! Or like any good politician you adjust your strategy as necessary to accomplish your goals.
Conversely, I have yet to see anyone on the left say that Obama is to the left of center.
quote: Conversely, I have yet to see anyone on the left say that Obama is to the left of center.
As soon as he does something to help working people, I will then say he is left of center. Example, most polls I have seen on the public option in the last year indicate that 75% of the citizenry is for a strong public option that would compete with the insurance industry and keep policies affordable. Obama threw the PO under the bus and even said he did not campaign for it...so he is to the right of 75% of the country on this...and that is not an isolated example. Every issue he has sided with bankers and insurance and big medicine CEOs. From torture investigations and other rule of law issues, he has sided with the Bush policies. Etc, etc...Give me some examples of truly left leaning decisions he has made and we can go from there on whether he is left leaning or right leaning...all I see though is center right policy making, which is met with incredible backlash and nihilism from the right. Strange and extreme...
quote: Over the holidays I've seen politics drive shattering rifts between two families. One of them my own. In both cases, it was the "Right" side of the family that made the rifts deepen and put politics above family. To the point of one person doesn't want his own sister talking to him or his children as long as she supports "a terrorist."
That is insane. Thank God we have learned to keep politics, religion, etc out of the conversations at family gatherings, but it used to get heated at our house too. My brother’s mother in-law has very differing views than my father, who is to the right of Atilla the Hun, but she loves to poke his beehive especially after she has a few drinks..which couldn’t be any worse..as if politics isn’t bad enough, throw some fire water on top. Thank God he just ignores her now (and is nearly deaf) because it used to get real heated. I remember one time at Christmas dinner years ago she brought up Vietnam, which is a real hot button for my old man considering he spent his time there and has many painful memories. I can’t remember what she said, but it was something very inaccurate, and my father went friggin’ nuts. Then her friend, who was a man of my father’s age and who did not serve in Vietnam made a snide comment to him, and that’s when the **** really hit the fan. “Did you serve there (answer was no)? Why not? Why the **** weren’t you there? Where the **** were you 35 years ago when all of us were being shot at and good men were being killed? Don’t **** ing talk to me about **** you don’t know about! ” At that point, he slammed down the napkin and walked out of the house. My brother also walked out of the house and went down the block to the bar to get drunk. Oh family and the holidays, it’s so peaceful!!
quote:I have yet to see any person on the right on this site admit that Obama is a centrist
IMO, he is to the left of center. It's okay that he is left leaning, it's not a crime last I checked. Every successful Democratic president dashes back and forth between liberal and moderate ground, just as every successful Republican president goes back and forth from conservative to moderate. When anyone runs hard to either direction and eventually runs into opposition, which has happened to Obama and others, then they don't become centrists, they become failed ideologues!! Or like any good politician you adjust your strategy as necessary to accomplish your goals.
Conversely, I have yet to see anyone on the left say that Obama is to the left of center.
Only an outright socialist would say Obama is in the center. If the two extremes are socialism on the left and corporate/facism on the right then ALL American politicians are in the center. But that is not how it works within the United States. Since essentially all of our politicians support free enterprise/ classical liberalism in some capacity, then we must create the scale within those constraints. With that said Obama is significantly to the left of any president we have had since the days of Lyndon Johnson. On the larger scale, there is little difference between any of the presidents we have had, at least in the way they have ultimately governed.
quote: Conversely, I have yet to see anyone on the left say that Obama is to the left of center.
As soon as he does something to help working people, I will then say he is left of center. Example, most polls I have seen on the public option in the last year indicate that 75% of the citizenry is for a strong public option that would compete with the insurance industry and keep policies affordable. Obama threw the PO under the bus and even said he did not campaign for it...so he is to the right of 75% of the country on this...and that is not an isolated example. Every issue he has sided with bankers and insurance and big medicine CEOs. From torture investigations and other rule of law issues, he has sided with the Bush policies. Etc, etc...Give me some examples of truly left leaning decisions he has made and we can go from there on whether he is left leaning or right leaning...all I see though is center right policy making, which is met with incredible backlash and nihilism from the right. Strange and extreme...
Show me those polls. Everything I have seen says that the public strongly opposes a public option because it will destroy the private health insurance that many if not most covered people are relatively content with.
Barack Hussein Obama $$$ Prez USA===WRONG !
Bout like playin Boy George & Neil Sedaka at a Southern Rock n Roll BBQ.Still can't believe so many of ya'll have blinders on & have bought this smoke & mirror's circus.Say what the (*&^ya want.Don't it seem a little strange after 9/11 and all this kissin Muslims ass stuff.That a president of the USA is elected by the name of
Barack(Mohammad's horses name)
Hussein(a little too close to that Iraq fellas name Saddam Hussein)
Obama(close as your can get to a name like Osama)
Do ya think just maybe the powers to be were playin a hand to see how society would re-act to someone with a name like this ? I imagine they were thinkin if folks bought it ,they'd have the cat in the bag.Well looks like some are so damm blind they wouldn't see the truth if it hit em between the eye's.
Here's a guy that won't call a terrorist a terrorist.Won't call a guy that tried to blow up one of our planes on Christmas day what he is,an Islam extremeist.Same with that Ft Hood murderin scum bag.And has the balls to use ""It would be profiling"" as an excuse.Well pardon the *&%^outta me ! Who has it been thats tried & or succeeded in blowing up an American airline so far ?
Profile their ass ! If they don't dig it ,then pack up the head wraps & head back to the home country.This ain't the land of sand & date tree's.It's AMERICA !!! Home of John Wayne,The Allman Brothers, hot & sloppy pulled pork BBQ sandwiches & ice cold beer.
Politically Correct,,,lmfao.To see the way some cringe when certain phrases are uttered.You'd think there was little helicopters circling round their head ready to relay info back & come cart their ass off.
What the hell are so many afraid of these days ? Folks don't take a stand for nothing no more,in fear of being labled Politically Incorrect. Well keep on praising your almighty Barack Hussein Obama and makin excuses for his skinny un-american smiley sack of bones.And makin fun of folks like Beck & Dobbs.At least they stand for something of the likes of the America i once knew & loved.
And just like some of ya'll don't give a sh*t what i think and run like chillun to candy,to put it all down.I also could give a roach turd less what most of ya'll think or say about me as well.
A caveat before my post. Many of these policies started under Bush, which is why some on the right were pretty critical of Bush down the stretch. So while Bush was a republican, I don’t think some of his policies were traditionally right leaning, at least not the way I have traditionally thought about the right. Obama has continued many of these policies, but I think of them more as left leaning.
A few examples which I do not think are right wing policies are the preservation of “too big to fail.” This is pretty much a left leaning policy even though it was implemented under Bush as I recall. In terms of the strong public option you mention, Obama wants that too, he just knew he couldn’t get it, so I am not sure he is to the right of 75% of the country on that one. Hence, my comment about good politicians adjusting strategy to accomplish some of their goals. The Keynesian economic policies, are also not very right leaning. Borrowing nearly a trillion dollars out of the economy through the stimulus package to put a trillion dollars of federal spending back in does not add anything to the net economy. IMO, his economic policies are to the left…heaps of cash for UAW-Detroit carmakers (are they working people?) and heaps of cash for banks (not sure we are working people!!), whereas a right leaning policy theoretically would be one of free markets and let failed businesses fail.
quote:Barack Hussein Obama $$$ Prez USA===WRONG !
Bout like playin Boy George & Neil Sedaka at a Southern Rock n Roll BBQ.Still can't believe so many of ya'll have blinders on & have bought this smoke & mirror's circus.Say what the (*&^ya want.Don't it seem a little strange after 9/11 and all this kissin Muslims ass stuff.That a president of the USA is elected by the name of
Barack(Mohammad's horses name)
Hussein(a little too close to that Iraq fellas name Saddam Hussein)
Obama(close as your can get to a name like Osama)
Do ya think just maybe the powers to be were playin a hand to see how society would re-act to someone with a name like this ? I imagine they were thinkin if folks bought it ,they'd have the cat in the bag.Well looks like some are so damm blind they wouldn't see the truth if it hit em between the eye's.
Here's a guy that won't call a terrorist a terrorist.Won't call a guy that tried to blow up one of our planes on Christmas day what he is,an Islam extremeist.Same with that Ft Hood murderin scum bag.And has the balls to use ""It would be profiling"" as an excuse.Well pardon the *&%^outta me ! Who has it been thats tried & or succeeded in blowing up an American airline so far ?
Profile their ass ! If they don't dig it ,then pack up the head wraps & head back to the home country.This ain't the land of sand & date tree's.It's AMERICA !!! Home of John Wayne,The Allman Brothers, hot & sloppy pulled pork BBQ sandwiches & ice cold beer.
Politically Correct,,,lmfao.To see the way some cringe when certain phrases are uttered.You'd think there was little helicopters circling round their head ready to relay info back & come cart their ass off.
What the hell are so many afraid of these days ? Folks don't take a stand for nothing no more,in fear of being labled Politically Incorrect. Well keep on praising your almighty Barack Hussein Obama and makin excuses for his skinny un-american smiley sack of bones.And makin fun of folks like Beck & Dobbs.At least they stand for something of the likes of the America i once knew & loved.
And just like some of ya'll don't give a sh*t what i think and run like chillun to candy,to put it all down.I also could give a roach turd less what most of ya'll think or say about me as well.
quote:Barack Hussein Obama $$$ Prez USA===WRONG !
Bout like playin Boy George & Neil Sedaka at a Southern Rock n Roll BBQ.Still can't believe so many of ya'll have blinders on & have bought this smoke & mirror's circus.Say what the (*&^ya want.Don't it seem a little strange after 9/11 and all this kissin Muslims ass stuff.That a president of the USA is elected by the name of
Barack(Mohammad's horses name)
Hussein(a little too close to that Iraq fellas name Saddam Hussein)
Obama(close as your can get to a name like Osama)
Do ya think just maybe the powers to be were playin a hand to see how society would re-act to someone with a name like this ? I imagine they were thinkin if folks bought it ,they'd have the cat in the bag.Well looks like some are so damm blind they wouldn't see the truth if it hit em between the eye's.
Here's a guy that won't call a terrorist a terrorist.Won't call a guy that tried to blow up one of our planes on Christmas day what he is,an Islam extremeist.Same with that Ft Hood murderin scum bag.And has the balls to use ""It would be profiling"" as an excuse.Well pardon the *&%^outta me ! Who has it been thats tried & or succeeded in blowing up an American airline so far ?
Profile their ass ! If they don't dig it ,then pack up the head wraps & head back to the home country.This ain't the land of sand & date tree's.It's AMERICA !!! Home of John Wayne,The Allman Brothers, hot & sloppy pulled pork BBQ sandwiches & ice cold beer.
Politically Correct,,,lmfao.To see the way some cringe when certain phrases are uttered.You'd think there was little helicopters circling round their head ready to relay info back & come cart their ass off.
What the hell are so many afraid of these days ? Folks don't take a stand for nothing no more,in fear of being labled Politically Incorrect. Well keep on praising your almighty Barack Hussein Obama and makin excuses for his skinny un-american smiley sack of bones.And makin fun of folks like Beck & Dobbs.At least they stand for something of the likes of the America i once knew & loved.
And just like some of ya'll don't give a sh*t what i think and run like chillun to candy,to put it all down.I also could give a roach turd less what most of ya'll think or say about me as well.
quote:Barack Hussein Obama $$$ Prez USA===WRONG !
Bout like playin Boy George & Neil Sedaka at a Southern Rock n Roll BBQ.Still can't believe so many of ya'll have blinders on & have bought this smoke & mirror's circus.Say what the (*&^ya want.Don't it seem a little strange after 9/11 and all this kissin Muslims ass stuff.That a president of the USA is elected by the name of
Barack(Mohammad's horses name)
Hussein(a little too close to that Iraq fellas name Saddam Hussein)
Obama(close as your can get to a name like Osama)
Do ya think just maybe the powers to be were playin a hand to see how society would re-act to someone with a name like this ? I imagine they were thinkin if folks bought it ,they'd have the cat in the bag.Well looks like some are so damm blind they wouldn't see the truth if it hit em between the eye's.
Here's a guy that won't call a terrorist a terrorist.Won't call a guy that tried to blow up one of our planes on Christmas day what he is,an Islam extremeist.Same with that Ft Hood murderin scum bag.And has the balls to use ""It would be profiling"" as an excuse.Well pardon the *&%^outta me ! Who has it been thats tried & or succeeded in blowing up an American airline so far ?
Profile their ass ! If they don't dig it ,then pack up the head wraps & head back to the home country.This ain't the land of sand & date tree's.It's AMERICA !!! Home of John Wayne,The Allman Brothers, hot & sloppy pulled pork BBQ sandwiches & ice cold beer.
Politically Correct,,,lmfao.To see the way some cringe when certain phrases are uttered.You'd think there was little helicopters circling round their head ready to relay info back & come cart their ass off.
What the hell are so many afraid of these days ? Folks don't take a stand for nothing no more,in fear of being labled Politically Incorrect. Well keep on praising your almighty Barack Hussein Obama and makin excuses for his skinny un-american smiley sack of bones.And makin fun of folks like Beck & Dobbs.At least they stand for something of the likes of the America i once knew & loved.
And just like some of ya'll don't give a sh*t what i think and run like chillun to candy,to put it all down.I also could give a roach turd less what most of ya'll think or say about me as well.
[Edited on 12/29/2009 by LUKE]
Maybe if Reagan hadn't made all those cuts to mental health programs he may have been helped before he got to this sad state of mental illness.
____________________"Capitalism is the extraordinary belief that the nastiest of men for the nastiest of motives will somehow work for the benefit of all". John Maynard Keynes
A caveat before my post. Many of these policies started under Bush, which is why some on the right were pretty critical of Bush down the stretch. So while Bush was a republican, I don’t think some of his policies were traditionally right leaning, at least not the way I have traditionally thought about the right. Obama has continued many of these policies, but I think of them more as left leaning.
A few examples which I do not think are right wing policies are the preservation of “too big to fail.” This is pretty much a left leaning policy even though it was implemented under Bush as I recall. In terms of the strong public option you mention, Obama wants that too, he just knew he couldn’t get it, so I am not sure he is to the right of 75% of the country on that one. Hence, my comment about good politicians adjusting strategy to accomplish some of their goals. The Keynesian economic policies, are also not very right leaning. Borrowing nearly a trillion dollars out of the economy through the stimulus package to put a trillion dollars of federal spending back in does not add anything to the net economy. IMO, his economic policies are to the left…heaps of cash for UAW-Detroit carmakers (are they working people?) and heaps of cash for banks (not sure we are working people!!), whereas a right leaning policy theoretically would be one of free markets and let failed businesses fail.
It's a helluva lot easier to say "let them fail" when you are in the minority and don't have to be responsible for that decision. Let's not forget that it was the previous President that left things like Iraq and Afghanistan on the table for the next guy to deal with and also was the first one to give GM a hand.
There seems to be this notion that President McCain would have let the three or four largest banks in the country fail, along with them over half of the country's retirement accounts, as well as let the automakers fail putting thousands out of work and then say, "Sorry, folks. It's what's best for the country." I seriously, seriously doubt he would have done that.
I think anyone that believes there aren't Republicans in the pockets of bankers and assorted lobbyists they are hopelessly naive.
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Titan Weather: Cloudy Every 15 Years
About two years ago, before the Huygens probe arrived at Titan, Henry Roe, a graduate student I was working with at Berkeley, discovered clouds on Titan. He was the first person to get images of what he thought were clouds on the south pole. We sent his results off for publication, which is what a good graduate student is supposed to do, and the editor sent it out for review. But the reviewer said, “Nope, those aren’t clouds. That’s a mistake in the data processing. It’s just an artifact.” So I had the student assemble the raw data as well as the processed data, and the clouds were still there in the raw data.
So we were predicting clouds on the southern rim of Titan. When Henry first saw them, they had just appeared there. They hadn’t been there before. So the Cassini orbiter flew under Titan and took pictures of the south pole looking up – and there were the clouds. It’s really spectacular. It was a real vindication for Henry Roe. And it shows the advantage of actually being there to see them, of being able to get underneath Titan and look up at them, rather than looking at them edge-on.
In the images that were taken over a five-hour period in July, you can see that the clouds have changed. If you fly in and out of Dallas in the summer, you’ll often see thunderstorm lines up along the plains. They change, too, over a period of about an hour or so. So the clouds on Titan changed on about the same time scale as a thunderstorm system on Earth. You look at them and they could be clouds on Earth. They’re white, fluffy, billowing. But they’re not water. There’s no water anywhere near here. These are methane, liquid methane clouds. And the temperature there is about minus 200 Centigrade. And there are clouds and they’re moving.
On Earth, clouds tend to form mostly in the tropics, where the sun is the brightest and the thermal contrast between the dark cycle and the light cycle, night and day, is the strongest. That causes upwelling, which drives clouds to form near the equator.
Shorelines may be dry but intermittently defined by drainage channels of methane rain. Click image for larger view. Credit: ESA
On Titan, we don’t see clouds at the equator. We see clouds at the pole. Titan is different from Earth in that the place on Titan which has the strongest contrast between dark and light is the poles. At Titan’s equator, the sun goes up and sets, but the atmosphere is so thick that at nighttime the temperature is the same as the daytime. The thermal response of the atmosphere is much, much longer than the Titan day, which is 16 Earth days. But it’s shorter than the Titan year, which is 30 Earth years.
In fact, in the equatorial mid-latitude regions of Titan, the temperature hasn’t changed in 20 years. It’s exactly the same to half a degree. So it’s very easy to predict. If you were a weatherman working on Titan, in the mid-latitude, your report would be, “Temperature today and tomorrow will be exactly like it was yesterday. And we can predict that for the next 20 years it will be exactly the same.” The only place on Titan where you can have a light-dark contrast, which is what drives this kind of storm activity, is in the polar regions, not at the equator. In that sense, it’s different from the Earth in its meteorology.
These clouds are now gone. We don’t see them any more. They were only there during the height of Titan’s southern summer, when the southern pole was getting 24 hours of sunlight. That’s when the clouds came. Now that fall has come to Titan, the clouds have gone away. They were apparently only there for a couple of years. And our prediction is that in another 15 years, clouds will form at the north pole, as that becomes sunlit summer. So, I’m going too try to stick around to see that.
Icy pebbles on Titan. Click image for larger view. Credit: ESA
My buddy Henry Roe, who’s now a post-doc, also detected clouds in Titan’s mid-latitudes. He’s seeing these thin clouds, sort of like Cirrus clouds, at 40 degrees south, all the time. There are two possible explanations. One is that, like on Earth, there’s a certain convergence there, and that’s creating clouds. It’s an atmospheric effect. If that’s true, as we watch it, with seasons the clouds will move north and in 10 years they’ll be up at 30 degrees north.
The other possibility is that there is a cryovolcano at 40 degrees south, a source of methane, a volcano ejecting methane. Remember the reason we once thought Titan had an ocean was that something had to be resupplying the atmosphere with methane. Well, there’s no ocean. So you might be wondering, How is Titan resupplying the atmosphere then? Good question. It’s not coming from an ocean; what could it be coming from? Henry suggested that these clouds could be caused by a cryovolcano. And if you calculate how much methane this volcano would have to put out to make these clouds, it turns out to be just the right amount to keep the atmosphere in methane.
So there are dueling views. Some people think these clouds are caused by atmospheric circulation, some people think it’s a cryovolcano. We don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see. |
Introduction
============
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a new member of *Paramyxoviridae* that was first identified in children with respiratory diseases in Netherlands \[[@B1]\]. The clinical symptoms that are caused by HMPV infections in children are similar to those observed with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection; ranging from mild symptoms to pneumonia. HMPV is now a globally recognised cause of lower respiratory infection in children \[[@B2],[@B3]\]). Genetic analysis identified two major genogroups A and B \[[@B4]-[@B6]\]. HMPV expresses two major integral membrane proteins that play a role in virus entry. The attachment (G) protein plays a role in virus attachment and is expressed as a single polypeptide chain, which subsequently undergoes extensive N- and O-linked glycosylation \[[@B7]\]. The fusion (F) protein mediates fusion of the virus and host-cell membranes, and is initially synthesised as a single polypeptide chain (F0) that undergoes proteolytic cleavage to generate the mature and active form of the protein, consisting of F1 and F2 protein subunits \[[@B8]\]. The virus also expresses a third membrane-associated protein called the matrix (M) protein, which is analogous to the M protein of RSV and is a major determinant of virus morphology \[[@B9]\].
Primary isolation of HMPV has been achieved in several different cell lines \[[@B4],[@B10],[@B11]\], however tissue culture adapted isolates can require up to 21 days incubation before cytopathic effects are visualised \[[@B7],[@B11]-[@B13]\]. This low level of virus replication and the subsequent recovery of low levels of infectious HMPV in standard cell culture have hampered biochemical studies on the virus. These experimental methodologies usually require higher levels of biological material than can be achieved following HMPV infection.
Virus-like particle (VLP) formation following the co-expression of specific virus structural proteins has been demonstrated in several paramyxoviruses \[[@B14]-[@B18]\]. These studies have allowed the identification of essential virus proteins that are required for virus particle assembly. Although a central role for the M protein in VLP formation has been reported for human parainfluenza type 1 virus \[[@B14]\] and Newcastle disease virus \[[@B16]\], the expression of the M protein alone was insufficient for VLP production in simian virus type 5 \[[@B15]\] and avian pneumovirus type C \[[@B18]\]. The use of recombinant HMPV protein expression to drive the formation of similar HMPV VLPs can potentially overcome the problems associated with the poor cultivation of HMPV in tissue culture. In addition, by direct cloning of the virus genes from clinical material the expression of gene sequences that have not been subjected to extensive tissue culture adaptation can be examined. This therefore affords a relatively simple experimental system with which to examine HMPV morphogenesis. In this study we have examined the capacity of the HMPV F, G and M proteins to form VLPs in mammalian cells, and to further examine the minimal virus protein requirements that lead to VLP formation.
Results and discussion
======================
Expression of the HMPV F, M and G proteins in mammalian cells
-------------------------------------------------------------
The HMPV F and G genes were cloned directly from HMPV strain SIN06-NTU271 and the M gene from SIN05-NTU84 \[[@B19]\] without prior passage of the virus in tissue culture. A cmyc or FLAG tag epitope was placed on the C-terminus of the F and G proteins respectively to generate pCAGGS/F-cmyc and pCAGGS/G-FLAG respectively. The M gene was cloned without an epitope tag to generate pCAGGS/M. The HMPV strain SIN06-NTU271 and SIN05-NTU84 were identified on the basis of sequence analysis as being of the A subtype. 293T cells transfected with either pCAGGS, pCAGGS/F and pCAGGS/G were surface-biotinylated and immunoprecipitated using either anti-cmyc or anti-FLAG antibodies (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}A). The F protein migrated as a 65 kDa protein species (F65), which is the expected size for the uncleaved HMPV F protein \[[@B20],[@B21]\]. An oligomeric F protein species was also detected (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}B, highlighted by F145) which has also been reported previously \[[@B8],[@B20]\]. The glycans attached to the F protein were resistant to Endo-H-treatment, but PNGaseF-treatment resulted in the formation of a 58 kDa protein species (F58), the expected size for the deglycosylated F protein. TPCK-trypsin treatment of the recombinant F protein yielded the presence of a protein species corresponding in size to the F1 protein subunit (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}B), in a similar manner to that described previously \[[@B8]\]. Collectively these data are consistent with the authentic expression of the F protein.
{#F1}
In pCAGGS/G-FLAG transfected cells the G protein migrated as two relatively broad Endo-H-resistant protein bands of approximately 60 kDa (G60) and 120 kDa (G120) (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}A). The size of G60 was consistent with monomeric G protein, while the GA120 kDa protein species was consistent with an oligomeric form of G protein. Several studies have demonstrated the propensity of the HMPV G protein to form oligomers when analysed by immunoblotting. Both G60 and G120 were Endo-H resistant, however following PNGaseF treatment the G protein was reduced to a faint protein smear. This indicated removal of the N-linked glycans, and the residual protein smear was presumably due to heterogeneity of the remaining attached O-linked glycans \[[@B7]\]. The glycosylation analysis was consistent with the presence of mature forms of the surface-expressed F and G proteins. The presence of unusually high levels G protein oligomers in SDS PAGE analysis has been reported previously in avian metapneumovirus \[[@B22],[@B23]\]. Due to its location beneath the plasma membrane, as expected we failed to detect the presence of biotinylated M protein. Immunoblotting of lysates prepared from pCAGGS/M transfected cells with MAbM3F8 (anti-M) revealed the presence of a 28 kDa protein, the expected size of the HMPV M protein (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}C).
Lysates prepared from pCAGGS, pCAGGS/G-FLAG or pCAGGS/F-cmyc transfected cells were immunoprecipitated using either anti-cmyc or anti-FLAG and the immunoprecipitates then immunoblotted with either anti-cmyc (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}D) or anti-FLAG (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}E). Only pCAGGS/F-cmyc transfected cells immunoprecipitated and immunoblotted with anti-cmyc showed the presence of F proteins species corresponding in size to the monomeric and oligomeric F protein (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}D). In a similar analysis G120 was only detected in pCAGGS/G-FLAG transfected cells immunoprecipitated and then immunoblotted with anti-FLAG (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}E). This demonstrated the specificity of the immunoprecipitation assay.
Interaction between the HMPV F and G proteins
---------------------------------------------
Trypsin degradation of the G protein has been previously reported \[[@B24]\], and we have also noted G protein degradation in the presence of quantities of trypsin that are required for F protein activation (Jumat and Sugrue, unpublished observations). Therefore, in all subsequent studies involving G protein expression the trypsin treatment was omitted. Cells were co-transfected with pCAGGS/F-cmyc and pCAGGS/G-FLAG, surface-biotinylated and immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG. A small but discernible increase in the apparent size of the two G protein species from G60 to G70 and from G120 to G170 was noted (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}A). Similarly, surface-biotinylation of HMPV-infected cells and immunoprecipitated with anti-G showed the presence of G70 and G170 (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}B). This indicated modified processing of the G protein in co-transfected cells, resulting in an apparent molecular mass that is more similar to that observed in HMPV-infected cells. Although this suggested an interaction with the F protein, immunoprecipitation of the co-transfected cells with anti-cmyc or anti-FLAG and then immunoblotted using anti-cmyc (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}C) or anti-FLAG (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}D) failed to demonstrate co-precipitation of these proteins. In a similar manner immunoprecipitation of the F protein from HMPV-infected cells showed the presence of biotinylated species corresponding in size to the F0 and F1 proteins (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}B). Similar ratios of the F0 and F1 proteins were observed following trypsin treatment of the recombinant F protein expressed in 293T cells (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}B).
{#F2}
The F and G proteins are both integral membranes and we hypothesized that the presence of the lipid membrane may be required for stabilization of the protein complex *in situ*. In this scenario the removal the lipid membrane by detergent extraction prior to immunoprecipitation could lead to destabilization of the protein complex. We therefore used Dithiobis \[succinimidylpropionate\] (DSP) to stabilise the protein complex by *in situ* cross-linking prior to detergent extraction of the virus proteins as described previously \[[@B25],[@B26]\]. Although DSP cross-linked complexes were predicted to be beyond the resolution of SDS-PAGE analysis (\>250 kDa), following immunoprecipitation the individual components of the stabilised protein complexes could be released by removal of the covalent cross-links by reductive cleavage using β-mercaptoethanol-treatment.
293T cells were co-transfected with pCAGGS/F-cmyc and pCAGGS/G-FLAG, and the cell monolayers treated with increasing DSP concentrations. Cell lysates were prepared and immunoprecipitated with anti-cmyc, and the presence of the G protein and F protein in the immunoprecipitation assays detected by immunoblotting with anti-FLAG (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}E) and anti-cmyc (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}G) respectively. Immunoblotting with anti-FLAG revealed the appearance of increasing amounts of a 170 kDa FLAG-tagged protein (the expected mass of GA170 protein) with increasing DSP concentrations (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}E). This protein was not present in lysates prepared from non-treated cells. Probing with anti-cmyc revealed similar levels of the monomeric (F65) and oligomeric (F145) F protein species in both non-treated and DSP-treated cell monolayers (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}G).
Similarly lysates immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG and immunoblotted using anti-cmyc revealed increasing amounts of F145 with increasing DSP concentration, together with a cmyc-tagged protein species \>300 kDa (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}F) whose molecular mass was consistent with higher oligomeric forms of the F protein. Probing with anti-FLAG revealed monomeric (G70) and oligomeric forms (G170) of the G protein in both non-treated and DSP-treated monolayers (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}H).
These data suggested that DSP was able to stabilise a protein complex that formed between the F and G proteins. The sedimentation characteristic of cross-linked F and G protein complex was examined using sucrose gradient centrifugation. Cells were co-transfected with pCAGGS/F-cmyc and pCAGGS/G-FLAG and treated with 0.1 mM DSP. A detergent extract was prepared and then applied to a continuous 5-30% (w/v) sucrose gradient. After centrifugation the gradient was fractionated, and the individual fractions immunoprecipitated with anti-cmyc and immunoblotted with anti-FLAG (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}I) or immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG and immunoblotted with anti-cmyc (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}J). This assay revealed that the co-precipitating F and G proteins were mainly located within fractions 6 to 9, consistent with the co-migration of the DSP stabilized F and G protein complex.
We also used fluorescence scanning confocal microscopy (FSCM) to examine the distribution of the G and F proteins in pCAGGS/G-FLAG and pCAGGS/F-cmyc (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}) co-transfected cells. In pCAGGS/G-FLAG transfected cells stained using anti-FLAG a filamentous staining pattern was observed (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}A). pCAGGS/F-cmyc transfected cells stained using anti-cmyc exhibited a more punctate staining pattern (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}B). In cells co-transfected with pCAGGS/G-FLAG and pCAGGS/F-cmyc and stained with anti-cmyc and anti-FLAG a high degree of co-localisation between the F and G proteins within small filamentous projections was observed (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}C). This was supported by statistical analysis using Manders and Pearsons correlation coefficients which showed a high level of co-localisation (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}D and E).
{#F3}
The HMPV F and G protein complex interacts with the M protein
-------------------------------------------------------------
We next examined if the F and G proteins could interact with the M protein. Cells were transfected with pCAGGS (pc), pCAGGS/M (M), pCAGGS/G-FLAG and pCAGGS/M (GM), pCAGGS/F-cmyc and pCAGGS/M (FM), or pCAGGS/F-cmyc, pCAGGS/G-FLAG and pCAGGS/M (FGM), and treated with 0.1 mM DSP. Detergent extracts were immunoprecipitated with anti-M and immunoblotted with either anti-cmyc (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}A) or anti-FLAG (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}B). In both cases co-precipitation of oligomeric forms of the F protein (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}A) and G protein (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}B) with the M protein was detected. These immunoprecipitation assays were immunoblotted using anti-M which confirmed the presence of the M protein (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}C). We failed to detect the presence of the M protein in detergent extracts prepared from pCAGGS/M transfected cells that were immunoprecipitated with influenza virus anti-NP (i.e. a non-specific antibody) and immunblotted with anti-M (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}C); confirming the specificity of the M protein immunoprecipitation. The FM- and FGM-transfected cells were immunoprecipitated with anti-cmyc (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}D), and the GM- and FGM-transfected cells immunoprecipitated with anti-FLAG (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}E). Immunoblotting of the immunoprecipitation assays with anti-M revealed the presence of the M protein in each transfection combination. The presence of HMPV proteins in pc-transfected cells were not detected using either antibody. Collectively, these data provided evidence of an interaction between the M protein and the virus glycoproteins.
{#F4}
Co-expression of the F, G and M proteins lead to the formation of virus-like particles
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We hypothesized that the interaction of the HMPV G, F and M proteins could lead to the formation of structures that resembled HMPV particles. These structures would be expected to be cell membrane-bound, and once detached from the cell, they would be expected to have a corresponding buoyant density that could be assessed using density gradient centrifugation. The isolation of HMPV VLPs was achieved based on a modified method for the purification of the related RSV \[[@B27]\]. Cells were transfected with pCAGGS (mock-transfected) or co-transfected with pCAGGS/F-cmyc, pCAGGS/G-FLAG and pCAGGS/M (FGM-transfected) and at 48 h post-transfection the cells were harvested and processed for VLP isolation as described in methods. The clarified cell preparations were loaded onto 10% w/v sucrose cushions, and after centrifugation the resulting pellet subsequently resuspended and loaded onto a discontinuous step sucrose gradient consisting of 20%, 50% and 60% sucrose (w/v) concentrations. After centrifugation the material at the 0-20% (w/v), 20-50% (w/v) and 50-60% (w/v) sucrose interfaces (Additional file [1](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}: Figure S1) was harvested and examined by immunoblotting using anti-cmyc (Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}A), anti-FLAG (Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}B) and anti-M (Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}C). All three HMPV proteins were found to be present at the 20-50% sucrose density interface in FGM-transfected cells, while no HMPV proteins were detected in the discontinuous step sucrose gradient prepared using the mock-transfected cells (Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}D, E, F).
{#F5}
In a similar analysis the resuspended pellet recovered from the 10% sucrose cushion was applied to a continuous 10% to 60%(w/v) sucrose gradient. After centrifugation the gradient was fractionated, and the individual fractions proteins examined by immunoblotting using anti-cmyc (Figure [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}A), anti-FLAG (Figure [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}B) and anti-M (Figure [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}C). The F and G proteins were primarily detected in fractions 5 to 7, and this co-migration was consistent with the identification of the protein complex identified above. We noted that while the M protein appeared to co-migrate with the F and G proteins in the continuous gradient, the M protein peak fraction exhibited a slight shift (by 1 fraction), suggesting that the M protein may be associated with more than one type of membrane-bound buoyant particle.
{#F6}
Analysis of mock-transfected and FGM-transfected cells was performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cells were imaged using conventional SEM and were examined at relatively low magnification. This showed that while mock-transfected cells exhibited a relatively smooth surface morphology at this magnification, FGM-transfected cells showed an increase in a filamentous morphology (Figure [7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}A). Mock-transfected cells and FGM-transfected cells were examined in more detail using field emission SEM (FESEM) as described previously \[[@B28]\]. Cells were stained using anti-FLAG and anti-mouse IgG conjugated to 10 nm colloidal gold, and the surface morphology and distribution of gold label (indicating G protein distribution) examined. While unlabelled surface features corresponding to microvilli could be detected on the surface of Mock-transfected cells, labelled filamentous projections were detected on the surface of FGM-transfected cells (Figure [7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}B and C). This was similar in appearance to the filamentous G protein staining pattern exhibited when HMPV-infected cells were stained using anti-G and examined by FSCM (Figure [7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}D). Collectively, the sedimentation centrifugation and imaging analysis was consistent with the formation of filamentous structures on FGM-transfected cells, which were similar in appearance to the filamentous structures detected on HMPV-infected cells.
{#F7}
The G protein facilitates VLP formation
---------------------------------------
The capacity of the individual HMPV proteins to form VLPs was examined using the discontinuous density gradient centrifugation VLP assay described above. In pCAGGS/G-FLAG transfected cells the G protein was detected in the total cell extract, confirming expression (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}A). In the VLP assay immunoblotting with anti-FLAG revealed G protein species of sizes 60 kDa (G60) and 120 kDa (G120) exclusively in the 20-50% (w/v) sucrose interface. In contrast, although F protein expression was detected in pCAGGS/F-cmyc transfected cells, the F protein was not detected in either of the three fractions (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}B) suggesting that it was not efficiently incorporated into the VLP fraction. Similar levels of the M protein were detected in the 0-20% (w/v) and 20-50% (w/v) sucrose interfaces (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}C), suggesting that the M protein was associated with membrane-bound structures with at least two different buoyant densities.
{#F8}
A similar analysis was performed on FG-transfected, GM-transfected, and FM-transfected cells. In FG-transfected cells the presence of the F and G proteins was detected in the cell extract confirming expression (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}D). However, in FG-transfected cells F65 together with G70 and G170 was detected at the 20-50% (w/v) sucrose interface. This indicated that co-expression of the F and G proteins facilitated incorporation of F65 into the VLP fraction. In GM-transfected cells the presence of the M and G proteins were detected in the cell extract confirming expression (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}E). However, a significantly higher level of M protein was detected in the 20-50% (w/v) sucrose interface together with the two G protein species. Interestingly, although both proteins were present within the 20-50% (w/v) sucrose interface we noted no change in the electrophoretic migration of the G protein. In FM-transfected cells the presence of the F and M proteins were detected in the cell extracts (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}F), however the levels of F and M protein in the sucrose interfaces were similar to those detected in cells singly expressing either the F protein (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}B) or M protein (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}C).
Conclusions
===========
The HMPV F and G proteins have also been shown to bind heparan sulphate \[[@B29]\] and heparin \[[@B30]\] respectively. The HMPV G protein exhibits many similarities to the corresponding RSV G protein e.g. it is heavily modified by O-linked glycosylation and can bind glycosaminoglycans \[[@B7],[@B31],[@B32]\], which suggests a similar role for the HMPV G protein during HMPV infection. Evidence for the interaction between the RSV F and G proteins in the virus envelope \[[@B25],[@B33]\] has provided support for a single protein complex involving both proteins. In this present study we have also provided evidence for the existence of a similar protein complex involving the HMPV F and G proteins. By analogy with RSV, we can hypothesise that such a protein complex will form during HMPV replication.
Our study indicated that co-expression of the HMPV protein was able to form VLPs, and the imaging analysis indicated that the recombinant HMPV particles formed as filamentous structures in a similar manner to that in HMPV-infected cells. Similar virus filaments are formed during morphogenesis of the closely related RSV, suggesting some common features in the assembly process of these different viruses. In this regard we noted that the HMPV G protein facilitated VLP formation independently of other HMPV proteins. Our data also indicated that the interaction of the G protein and the M and F proteins facilitated the incorporation of the latter into these structures. Although the M protein has been proposed to play a role in RSV morphogenesis, recent data suggests that it does not play a role in the initiation of virus particle formation \[[@B34]\]. Our data suggested that expression of the G protein in the absence of other virus proteins is sufficient to form these structures, and its interaction with other virus (and possibly other unknown cell factors) may lead to their active recruitment into VLPs. In particular, our data suggested the presence of the F protein in these structures is largely dependent on its association with the G protein.
It is likely that there are significant differences in the homeostasis in virus-infected and transfected cells which can influence virus processes. Although the VLPs and virus particles are similar in appearance it is also likely that there will be subtle differences between the virus architecture in VLPs and mature virus particles that formed on infected cells \[[@B35]\]. However, given these caveats, we noted an overall similar morphology in the HMPV VLPs and HMPV particles. Given the technical difficulties in growing HMPV in mammalian tissue culture cells (in particular low passage clinical isolates), the generation of HMPV VLPs in tissue culture cells may form the basis of an experimental system to examine aspects of the HMPV maturation process, in particular using protein sequences derived from non-tissue culture adapted viruses). These VLPs may also be a potential source of particulate virus antigen that can form the basis of a vaccine candidate, and future studies will examine these possibilities.
Materials and methods
=====================
Cloning of the HMPV F, G and M genes from nasopharyngeal washings
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Nasopharyngeal washing were collected from children admitted to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for respiratory infection as described previously \[[@B19]\]. The F, G and M genes were amplified from the HMPV A2 positive Nasopharyngeal washings (SIN06-NTU271) using the primers F271pCAGGf F271pCAGGmycr, G271pCAGGf G271pCAGGflagr, M84pCAGGf and M84pCAGGr (Additional file [2](#S2){ref-type="supplementary-material"}: Table S1). The PCR products were then inserted into the vector pCAGGS \[[@B17]\].
Antibodies
----------
The anti-FLAG and anti-cmyc were purchased from Sigma Aldrich and Cell Signalling respectively. M3F8 (anti-M) was prepared from bacterially expressed HMPV M protein. The HMPV G (AT1) and F proteins (Mab58) were obtained from Geoff Toms \[[@B36]\].
HMPV infection
--------------
The HMPV A2 stain NCL03-4/174 was used in the LLC-MK2 cell line in DMEM (BSA, 0.5 μgml TPCK-trypsin) at 37°C for 7 days.
Expression of F, G and M proteins in (HEK) 293T cells
-----------------------------------------------------
Cells were transfected using Lipofectamine 2000 reagent (Invitrogen, USA) following the manufacturer's instructions. The media was changed after 4 hr and the cells were incubated at 37°C for 48 hr before further analysis.
Western blotting
----------------
The proteins were separated by SDS--PAGE, transferred onto PVDF membranes (Immobilon-P, Milipore, USA) as described previously. The tagged proteins were detected with rabbit anti-FLAG antibodies (Sigma-Aldrich, USA), mouse anti-cmyc antibodies (Cell Signaling Technology, USA) or mouse anti-M antibodies (Nanyang Technological University) as appropriate. Protein bands were visualised using the ECL system (GE Healthcare, USA). Molecular masses were estimated using Kaleidoscope markers (Biorad, USA).
Immunoprecipitation
-------------------
Cell extracts were prepared at 4°C using RIP buffer (1% NP-40, 0.1% SDS, 150 mM NaCl, 1 mM EDTA, 2 mM PMSF, 2 mM lysine, 20 mM Tris--HCl, pH7.5) and clarified by centrifugation (13,000 g, 10 min 4°C) and immunoprecipitated as described previously \[[@B25]\] using appropriate antibodies. The immunoprecipitation assays were separated using SDS-PAGE.
Surface labelling
-----------------
Cells were surface-labelled using EZ-Link Sulfo-NHS-LC-LC-Biotin (Pierce Biotechnology, USA) as described previously \[[@B25]\]. Briefly, cell monolayers were incubated in 0.5 mg/ml solution of EZ-Link Sulfo-NHS-LC-LC-Biotin (Pierce Biotechnology, USA) in PBS pH 8 for 1 hr at room temperature. The lysates were immunoprecipitated with either anti-cymc or anti-FLAG as appropriate.
Protein cross-linking
---------------------
*In situ* cross-linking was performed using Dithiobis\[succinimidylpropionate\] (DSP) (Pierce Biotechnology, USA) as described previously \[[@B25]\]. Briefly, the cell monolayers were treated with between 0.0 and 1.0 mM DSP (100 mM stock solution in DMSO) in PBS pH 8.0, and the cells were incubated at room temperature for 1 hour. The monolayers were then washed with PBS pH 8.0 containing 2 mM lysine prior to detergent extraction with RIP buffer.
Endoglycosidase digestion
-------------------------
Transfected cells were lysed at 100°C for 10 min in denaturation buffer (0 · 5% SDS, 40 mM DTT). The samples were then made up to a final concentration of either 50 mM sodium phosphate + 1% NP-40 (pH7 5) or 50 mM sodium citrate (pH5 5) and incubated at 37°C overnight with 1000 U PNGase F (New England Biolabs, USA) or 1000 U Endo^\_^H (New England Biolabs, USA) respectively.
Density gradient centrifugation analysis of crosslinked protein complexes
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
All steps were performed at 4°C. Cell monolayers were extracted using RIP buffer, and the resulting lysate clarified by centrifugation (13,000 g, 10 min). The clarified lysate was layered onto a 5--30% sucrose (w/v) gradient prepared in TEN buffer (1 mM EDTA, 100 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris-Cl pH 8 + 0.1% Triton X-100). The gradient was centrifuged for 18 hr at 150,000 g and 4°C (Hitachi CP90WX preparative ultracentrifuge; Hitachi Co Ltd, Japan).
Isolation of VLPs
-----------------
Cell suspension was subjected to freeze-thaw by ethanol-dry ice and a 37°C water bath. After 3 rounds of freeze-thaw, the cell suspension was clarified (2,500 g for 10 min) and loaded onto a sucrose cushion (10% w/v sucrose in TEN buffer), and centrifuged at 200,000 g for 1 hr at 4°C (Hitachi CP90WX ultracentrifuge). The resulting pellet was resuspended in 200 μl of TEN buffer and loaded onto a discontinuous sucrose gradient (20%, 50% and 60% sucrose (w/v) in TEN buffer). The material was harvested from each sucrose interface was harvested for further analysis. For the continuous centrifugation analysis the sucrose pellet harvested from the sucrose cushion was resuspended in TEN buffer and applied to a continuous gradient (10% to 60% sucrose (w/v) in TEN buffer) and centrifuged at 200,000 g for 18 hr at 4°C. The gradient was harvested by removing 1ml fractions, which were then analysed further.
Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy
------------------------------------------
Cells transfected overnight on 10 mm glass coverslips were fixed with methanol:acetone (1:1) for 15 min at 4°C. The cells were labelled using anti-cmyc, anti-FLAG or anti-M antibodies and the appropriate secondary antibodies (conjugated to either FITC or Alexa Fluor 555) as described previously \[[@B37]\]. The cells were visualized using a Zeiss Axioplan 2 confocal microscope using appropriate machine settings
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
----------------------------------
Cells were processed as described previously \[[@B28]\]. Briefly, transfected cells were fixed using 0.1% glutaraldehyde and labeled using anti-FLAG and anti-rabbit IgG (1/100 dilution) conjugated with colloidal gold (10 nm) (Sigma-Aldrich, USA) for 4 hr at room temperature. The cells were then post-fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 1% OsO~4~ prior to critical point drying. The cells were carbon coated and viewed using either a Jeol 5600 or a Jeol FE-SEM7000 using appropriate machine settings.
Competing interests
===================
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
======================
LLH performed cloning and analysis of the recombinant F and G proteins. MRJ performed analysis of virus-infected cells. YF and TCA produced anti-M and characterisation of recombinant M proteins. PSW performed scanning electron microscopy. NWST participated in design and coordination. BHT performed electron microscopy and participated in its design and coordination. RJS conceived the study and participated in its design and coordination. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supplementary Material
======================
###### Additional file 1: Figure S1
Discontinuous sucrose gradient concentration of virus-like particles from 293T cells. Cells were processed for discontinuous density gradient centrifugation as described in text. After centrifugation the opalescent bands at each interface in the sucrose gradient was detected using a focused light. Image of ultracentrifuge tube shows the presence of opalescent bands at the (1) 0-20% (w/v) sucrose, (2) 20-50% (w/v) sucrose and (3) 50-60% (w/v) sucrose interfaces in the analysis from pCAGGS/F-cmyc, pCAGGS/G-FLAG, pCAGGS/M transfected cells is shown. The opalescent band at interface is highlighted (black arrow).
######
Click here for file
###### Additional file 2: Table S1
Primers used for cloning of F, G and M genes into pCAGGS vector. The underlined bases indicate restriction enzyme recognition sites. The bases in italics are those coding for cmyc or FLAG tags. The GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ accession numbers for the genome sequences of HMPV isolates SIN06-NTU271 F and G genes and SIN05-NTU84 M gene are EF397627, JQ309677, JQ309649 respectively.
######
Click here for file
Acknowledgements
================
We acknowledge the National Medical Research Council, Singapore, for research funding (NMRC/0956/2005). We thank Geoff Toms for the HMPV A2 stain NCL03-4/174 and the AT1 (anti-G) and Mab58 antibodies. L.H. Loo was a recipient of a NMRC-Lee foundation PhD scholarship.
|
/*
* Copyright 2006 Google 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.google.gwt.core.ext;
/**
* Used to indicate that some part of a multi-step process failed. Typically,
* operation can continue after this exception is caught.
*
* Before throwing an object of this type, the thrower
* <ul>
* <li>must log a detailed user-facing message describing the failure,</li>
* <li>must report any caught exception using the logger that contributed to
* the failure, and </li>
* <li>must not include the cause of the failure in the thrown exception
* because (1) it will already have been associated with the detailed log entry
* above and (2) doing so would create a misunderstanding of how to find the
* causes of low-level errors in that sometimes there is an underlying an
* exception, sometimes not, but there can <em>always</em> be a preceding log
* entry. </li>
* </ul>
*
* After catching an object of this type, the catcher
* <ul>
* <li>can be assured that the thrower has already logged a message about the
* lower-level problem</li>
* <li>can optionally itself log a higher-level description of the process that
* was interrupted and the implications of the failure, and if so,</li>
* <li>should report this caught exception via the logger as well.</li>
* </ul>
*
* <pre>
* void lowLevel(Logger logger) throws UnableToCompleteException {
* try {
* doSomethingThatMightFail();
* catch (SomeException e) {
* // Log low-level detail and the caught exception.
* //
* logger.log("detailed problem explanation for user eyes...", e);
*
* // Do not include the caught exception.
* //
* throw new UnableToCompleteException();
* }
* }
*
* void highLevel(Logger logger) {
* try {
* // Multiple calls are shown to indicate that the process can
* // include any number of steps.
* //
* lowLevel(logger);
* lowLevel(logger);
* lowLevel(logger);
* }
* catch (UnableToCompleteException e) {
* logger.log("high-level thing failed", e);
* }
* }
* </pre>
*
*/
public class UnableToCompleteException extends Exception {
public UnableToCompleteException() {
super("(see previous log entries)");
}
}
|
Three decades ago, the Lakers had an unofficial mascot who got too big for his tuxedo.
He was an entertaining fan who became so popular, he eventually wanted money to continue being that fan. The Lakers tried paying him but couldn’t pay him enough to keep him happy, so he stopped coming to games and eventually faded into anonymity.
Remember Dancing Barry?
He’s about to be joined by Clipper Darrell.
The Clippers’ unofficial cheerleader, the rotund dancing guy in a red and blue suit named Darrell Bailey, caused a stir this week when he issued a statement on his website claiming that the Clippers, “no longer want me to be Clipper Darrell.… I am devastated!”
In later interviews with several media outlets, he explained that the Clippers were cutting him loose because they didn’t want him representing the team with advertisers or in the community without their approval.
“I felt powerless as a fan, as I was stripped of my identity,” he wrote.
The Clippers then issued a statement calling his claims “absurd” and noting that they were concerned only with his “inappropriate use of the Clipper team name and trademark for his own unmonitored commercial gain.”
It is Joe Fan versus Donald T. Sterling. It is lovable die-hard versus soulless corporation. Guess whose side everyone has taken?
The Clippers, as expected, have been pounded from here to the house that Clipper Darrell has painted in team colors. Folks used to ripping the team for past mistakes — yet stifled during this wondrous season — have happily resumed their catcalls, tearing into them for being arrogant, classless and just plain mean. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin have tweeted their support. One colleague even likened the Clippers to the overweight guy who loses 50 pounds and promptly dumps his girlfriend.
Really? Do we seriously need to go here? I hesitate to give even more publicity to a guy who is insulting the enduring grace of truly longtime Clippers fans by trying to become their paid spokesman, but enough is enough. Anybody who has been around the Clippers for the last few years knows the true story here, and no amount of timeout dancing can hide it.
First, the Clippers love having Darrell Bailey at their games. They love him so much, for the last couple of years they’ve given him a free ticket. Yes, while many others in the building are shelling out thousands for the hottest show in town, Bailey is given a prime lower-bowl spot for free.
The Clippers love that he performs at the games. They don’t want him to stop his dancing. They don’t want him to tone down his support. They appreciate that he has been a season-ticket holder for a dozen years, and they would be happy to have him show up at every home game and lead Clippers cheers forever.
“We love him in the arena, fans love him in the arena, everybody loves his energy and his passion,” said Carl Lahr, longtime Clippers vice president of marketing and sales.
The problem is, Darrell Bailey also wants to represent the Clippers outside the arena. He wants to make paid public appearances on behalf of the Clippers and give interviews as a Clippers spokesman and essentially turn his rooting interest into a business interest.
Amazingly, the Clippers don’t have a problem with that either. Although most teams would sue any fan who tried to capitalize on their name, the Clippers told Bailey they would not stop him from representing them, but would simply insist that he follow the same rules that apply to every other employee.
“Like any company, we would need control over him and his message,” Lahr said. “He is using our name and our colors, and we would like control over how that is done.”
Bailey, who did not return phone calls for this story, reportedly felt like this attempt at control was too stifling. So last week in a phone call with Lahr, he offered to stop being Clipper Darrell. Lahr told him that might be a good idea, but that he should think about it. Bailey never phoned back, and then Wednesday afternoon issued the statement on his website, stunning a Clippers organization that thought he was being treated fairly.
“Somewhere along the line, he stopped being a super fan and became a marketer,” Lahr said. “He got to the point where he wanted this to be a commercial enterprise.”
The Clippers say they actually offered their cheerleader a chance to be treated exactly like a Clippers cheerleader, with a $70 nightly salary but no unsanctioned interviews or appearances, and he refused.
“He’s a really good person, but he told us he’s in this to make money,” Lahr said. “Once that happens, that changes the whole fan dynamic.”
Everyone who believes this conflict would have never arisen if the Clippers had not become a hot ticket should realize the team has been having these discussions with Bailey for five years.
And everyone who thinks Bailey is simply a Clippers “fan” should understand that several years ago, he says, he flew to Dallas to explore Mark Cuban’s offer that he become a Mavericks “fan.”
Many have said that the Clippers are Scrooges for not allowing Bailey to make money from their name. But it’s not about the money, it’s about the image.
“Shouldn’t we have a responsibility in having some part in how he represents us?” Lahr said.
Bailey’s most celebrated unsanctioned Clippers appearance occurred when he organized a parade without their knowledge in support of signing LeBron James, about to become a free agent. Even for an organization accustomed to embarrassment, it was truly a moment of humiliation. Fewer than 50 fans showed up and, because the parade was held amid the crowds and closed streets in front of Staples Center before a Lakers playoff game, the marchers had little room to march.
Darrell Bailey is, by all accounts, a nice man with a good heart. Here’s hoping he will come back to Staples Center in full regalia when the team returns there March 11. Here’s hoping he can agree to lead cheers without profiting from them. He might not be Clipper Darrell, but he’ll always be the Clippers’ Darrell, and here’s hoping that’s enough.
bill.plaschke@latimes.com
twitter.com/billplaschke |
Q:
Google BigQuery SQL: Order two columns independently
Say I have some data like:
grp v1 v2
--- -- --
2 5 7
2 4 9
3 10 2
3 11 1
I'd like to create new columns which are independent of the ordering of the table - such that the two columns have independent orderings, i.e. sort by v1 independently of v2, while partitioning by grp.
The result (independently ordered, partitioned by grp) would be:
grp v1 v2 v1_ordered v2_ordered
--- -- -- ---------- ----------
2 5 7 4 7
2 4 9 5 9
3 10 2 10 1
3 11 1 11 2
One way to do this is to create two tables and CROSS JOIN. However, I'm working with too many rows of data for this to be computationally tractable - is there a way to do this within a single query without a JOIN?
Basically, I'd like to write SQL like:
SELECT
*,
v1 OVER (PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY v1 ASC) as v1_ordered,
v2 OVER (PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY v2 ASC) as v2_ordered
FROM [example_table]
This breaks table row meaning, but it's a necessary feature for many applications - for example computing ordered correlation between two fields CORR(v1_ordered, v2_ordered).
Is this possible?
A:
I think you are in right direction! You just need to use proper window function . Row_number() in this case. And it should work!
Adding working example as per @cgn request:
I dont think there is way to totally avoid use of JOIN.
At the same time below example uses just ONE JOIN vs TWO JOINs in other answers:
SELECT
a.grp AS grp,
a.v1 AS v1,
a.v2 AS v2,
a.v1 AS v1_ordered,
b.v2 AS v2_ordered
FROM (
SELECT grp, v1, v2, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY v1) AS v1_order
FROM [example_table]
) AS a
JOIN (
SELECT grp, v1, v2, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY v2) AS v2_order
FROM [example_table]
) AS b
ON a.grp = b.grp AND a.v1_order = b.v2_order
Result is as expected:
grp v1 v2 v1_ordered v2_ordered
2 4 9 4 7
2 5 7 5 9
3 10 2 10 1
3 11 1 11 2
And now you can use CORR() as below
SELECT grp, CORR(v1_ordered, v2_ordered) AS [corr]
FROM (
SELECT
a.grp AS grp,
a.v1 AS v1,
a.v2 AS v2,
a.v1 AS v1_ordered,
b.v2 AS v2_ordered
FROM (
SELECT grp, v1, v2, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY v1) AS v1_order
FROM [example_table]
) AS a
JOIN (
SELECT grp, v1, v2, ROW_NUMBER() OVER(PARTITION BY grp ORDER BY v2) AS v2_order
FROM [example_table]
) AS b
ON a.grp = b.grp AND a.v1_order = b.v2_order
)
GROUP BY grp
|
This Valentine's Day, No Kisses for Hershey
Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Have you checked your chocolate?
Green America is urging consumers to send Hershey a Valentine, letting the nation’s largest chocolate company know that we won’t buy chocolate that hasn’t been certified as free from the worst forms of abusive child labor. Unlike most leading global chocolate makers, Hershey refuses to take steps to curb such abuses in its supply chain.
Green America and its allies in the Raise the Bar, Hershey! campaign - Global Exchange, International Labor Rights Forum, and Oasis USA - are encouraging Americans to either make their own card urging the company to end child labor, or to get a convenient online template. Cards should be sent to: David West, CEO; The Hershey Company; 100 Crystal A Drive; Hershey, PA 17003.
'No holiday that is dedicated to love should be commemorated by people sending each other products that are connected to the cruelty and depravity of some of the worst child labor abuses taking place anywhere on the globe today,” Elizabeth O'Connell, Fair Trade coordinator for Green America, said. “With more than 50 million pounds of chocolate sold in the U.S. for Valentine's Day alone, Green America is working to raise awareness of the abysmal labor practices that Hershey relies on. Fair Trade chocolate is widely available and represents a fair and more humane choice for consumers. We hope that young and old concerned Americans will take this opportunity to speak from the heart and send Hershey's a Valentine that can make a real difference.'
Raise the Bar, Hershey! campaign partners are also encouraging consumers to host local screenings of the film 'The Dark Side of Chocolate.' To get involved, go to www.greenamerica.org/programs/fairtrade/MovieScreening.cfm. A full action kit - including a DVD copy of the movie for local screenings - is available from the nonprofit organization for $6. |
/*
bumo 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 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
bumo 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 bumo. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*/
#ifndef UTIS_UTILS_H_
#define UTIS_UTILS_H_
#include <stack>
#include "common.h"
#include "basen.h"
#ifdef OS_LINUX
#include <sys/sysinfo.h>
#elif defined OS_MAC
#include <sys/sysctl.h>
#endif
namespace utils {
// Seconds
static const int64_t MILLI_UNITS_PER_SEC = 1000;
static const int64_t MICRO_UNITS_PER_MILLI = 1000;
static const int64_t NANO_UNITS_PER_MICRO = 1000;
static const int64_t MICRO_UNITS_PER_SEC = MICRO_UNITS_PER_MILLI * MILLI_UNITS_PER_SEC;
static const int64_t NANO_UNITS_PER_SEC = NANO_UNITS_PER_MICRO * MICRO_UNITS_PER_SEC;
static const time_t SECOND_UNITS_PER_MINUTE = 60;
static const time_t MINUTE_UNITS_PER_HOUR = 60;
static const time_t HOUR_UNITS_PER_DAY = 24;
static const time_t SECOND_UNITS_PER_HOUR = SECOND_UNITS_PER_MINUTE * MINUTE_UNITS_PER_HOUR;
static const time_t SECOND_UNITS_PER_DAY = SECOND_UNITS_PER_HOUR * HOUR_UNITS_PER_DAY;
static const size_t BYTES_PER_KILO = 1024;
static const size_t KILO_PER_MEGA = 1024;
static const size_t BYTES_PER_MEGA = BYTES_PER_KILO * KILO_PER_MEGA;
static const size_t MAX_OPERATIONS_NUM_PER_TRANSACTION = 100;
static const uint16_t MAX_UINT16 = 0xFFFF;
static const uint32_t MAX_UINT32 = 0xFFFFFFFF;
static const int32_t MAX_INT32 = 0x7FFFFFFF;
static const int64_t MAX_INT64 = 0x7FFFFFFFFFFFFFFF;
// Low-high
static const uint64_t LOW32_BITS_MASK = 0xffffffffULL;
static const uint64_t HIGH32_BITS_MASK = 0xffffffff00000000ULL;
static const size_t ETH_MAX_PACKET_SIZE = 1600;
uint32_t error_code();
void set_error_code(uint32_t code);
std::string error_desc(uint32_t code = -1);
#ifdef WIN32
#define LOCK_CAS(mem, with, cmp) InterlockedCompareExchange(mem, with, cmp)
#define LOCK_YIELD() SwitchToThread()
#elif defined OS_LINUX
#define LOCK_CAS(mem, with, cmp) __sync_val_compare_and_swap(mem, cmp, with)
#define LOCK_YIELD() pthread_yield();
#elif defined OS_MAC
#define LOCK_CAS(mem, with, cmp) __sync_val_compare_and_swap(mem, cmp, with)
#define LOCK_YIELD() pthread_yield_np();
#endif
#ifdef WIN32
inline LONG AtomicInc(volatile LONG *value) {
return InterlockedIncrement(value);
}
#elif defined OS_LINUX
inline int32_t AtomicInc(volatile int32_t *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_add(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#elif defined OS_MAC
inline int32_t AtomicInc(volatile long *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_add(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#endif
#ifdef WIN32
inline LONGLONG AtomicInc(volatile LONGLONG *value) {
return InterlockedIncrement64(value);
}
#elif defined OS_LINUX
inline int64_t AtomicInc(volatile int64_t *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_add(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#elif defined OS_MAC
inline int64_t AtomicInc(volatile int64_t *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_add(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#endif
#ifdef WIN32
inline LONG AtomicDec(volatile LONG *value) {
return InterlockedDecrement(value);
}
#elif defined OS_LINUX
inline int32_t AtomicDec(volatile int32_t *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_sub(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#elif defined OS_MAC
inline int32_t AtomicDec(volatile long *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_sub(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#endif
#ifdef WIN32
inline LONGLONG AtomicDec(volatile LONGLONG *value) {
return InterlockedDecrement64(value);
}
#elif defined OS_LINUX
inline int64_t AtomicDec(volatile int64_t *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_sub(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#elif defined OS_MAC
inline int64_t AtomicDec(volatile int64_t *value) {
__sync_fetch_and_sub(value, 1);
return *value;
}
#endif
template<typename T>
class AtomicInteger {
public:
AtomicInteger()
: value_(0) {}
T Inc() {
return AtomicInc(&value_);
}
T Dec() {
return AtomicDec(&value_);
}
T value() const {
return value_;
}
private:
T value_;
};
#ifdef WIN32
typedef AtomicInteger<LONG> AtomicInt32;
typedef AtomicInteger<LONGLONG> AtomicInt64;
#else
typedef AtomicInteger<int32_t> AtomicInt32;
typedef AtomicInteger<int64_t> AtomicInt64;
#endif
void Sleep(int nMillSecs);
size_t GetCpuCoreCount();
time_t GetStartupTime(time_t time_now = 0);
std::string GetCinPassword(const std::string &_prompt);
void SetExceptionHandle();
#if __cplusplus >= 201402L || (defined(_MSC_VER) && _MSC_VER >= 1900)
using std::make_unique;
#else
template <typename T, typename... Args>
std::unique_ptr<T>
make_unique(Args&&... args) {
return std::unique_ptr<T>(new T(std::forward<Args>(args)...));
}
#endif
class ObjectExit {
public:
typedef std::function<bool()> ExitHandler;
ObjectExit() {};
~ObjectExit() {
while (!s_.empty()) {
s_.top()();
s_.pop();
}
}
void Push(ExitHandler fun) { s_.push(fun); };
private:
std::stack<ExitHandler> s_;
};
}
#endif
|
842 N.E.2d 1161 (2006)
363 Ill. App.3d 243
299 Ill.Dec. 809
UNITED DISPOSAL OF BRADLEY, INC. and Municipal Trust & Savings Bank as Trustee under Trust 0799, Petitioners-Appellants,
v.
The POLLUTION CONTROL BOARD and The Environmental Protection Agency, Respondents-Appellees.
No. 3-04-0536.
Appellate Court of Illinois, Third District.
January 13, 2006.
*1162 David E. Neumeister, Jennifer J. Sackett Pohlenz (argued), Erin Keane, Querrey & Harrow, Ltd., Chicago, Claire Manning, Posegate & Denes, P.C., Springfield, for United Disposal of Bradley, Inc.
Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, Gary S. Feinerman, Solicitor General, Diane M. Potts, Assistant Attorney General (argued), Chicago, for Illinois Pollution Control Board.
Presiding Justice SCHMIDT delivered the opinion of the court:
This appeal comes to us on a petition for review of an order of the Illinois Pollution Control Board (the Board) dated June 17, 2004. Petitioners, United Disposal of Bradley, Inc. (United Disposal), and Municipal Trust & Savings Bank, sought to have a geographical limitation removed from their operating permit. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (the Agency) denied the petitioners' request. The Board affirmed that denial. Petitioners appeal.
BACKGROUND
In June of 1994, petitioners filed an application with the Agency to obtain a development permit for a local waste transfer station. On September 21, 1994, a development permit was issued by the Agency that contained Special Condition No. 9, which stated, "No waste generated outside the municipal boundaries of the Village of Bradley may be accepted at this facility." Critical facts regarding this application and the statutory scheme under which it was issued will be discussed below to reduce repetition.
On December 9, 1994, the petitioners' facility was completed. On January 19, 1995, the Agency issued an operating permit that also contained Special Condition No. 9.
On March 31, 2003, petitioners filed an application for modification, asking the agency to remove Special Condition No. 9 from their operating permit. On May 15, *1163 2003, the Agency directed correspondence to the petitioners informing them that their application was denied. Specifically, the Agency informed the petitioners that their application was "deemed not to have been filed because it fail[ed] to set forth information, documents or authorizations as required" by the Illinois Administrative Code. The Agency continued that, "due to the deficiency" with petitioners' application, no "technical review of the application" was performed.
The petitioners appealed the Agency's denial of its application to the Board. Both the petitioners and Agency filed motions for summary judgment with the Board. The Board ultimately granted the Agency's motion for summary judgment. Petitioners appeal.
Petitioners make the following claims on appeal: (1) Special Condition No. 9 violates the commerce clause of the United States Constitution (U.S. Const., art. I, § 8, cl. 3) and, therefore, is unconstitutional; (2) Special Condition No. 9 is unconstitutionally vague; (3) the Agency wrongfully denied petitioners' application since no violation of the Environmental Protection Act (the Act) (415 ILCS 5/1 et seq. (West 2002)) would have occurred if the application had been granted; and (4) the Agency's reply to petitioners' application was untimely in violation of the Agency's own regulations (35 Ill. Adm.Code § 807.205(f) (1985)) and, therefore, the application should have been granted by operation of law. We address these issues in the order presented.
I. Commerce Clause
Petitioners argue that the main issue on appeal is "whether the subject clause of the permit Special Condition No. 9, which restricts petitioners from accepting waste that is generated outside the `Municipal Boundary' of the Village of Bradley, is invalid as unconstitutional, as a per se violation of the U.S. Commerce Clause." This might be true if the transfer station in question is otherwise in compliance with the Act and qualified as a regional pollution control facility. As we will discuss below, it is not. We find that the Agency acted properly and, therefore, affirm the order of the Board.
On March 27, 2003, petitioners filed a document with the Agency that petitioners titled, "Application for Modification to Operating Permit 1994-30[6]-OP." While petitioners chose to refer to their action as an "application for modification," in reality, the petitioners were attempting to gain authority to transform their "local" pollution control facility into a "regional" pollution control facility. To fully understand the nature of petitioners' actions, we find it necessary to review the circumstances surrounding their original application and the statutory scheme under which it was granted.
A. Statutory Scheme Under Which Original Permit Issued
At the time petitioners applied for their permit, the Act required that every "regional pollution control facility" obtain siting approval prior to its operation. 415 ILCS 5/39, 39.2 (West 1992). The Act defined a regional pollution control facility as "any * * * waste transfer station, waste treatment facility or waste incinerator that accepts waste from or that serves an area that exceeds or extends over the boundaries of any local general purpose unit of government." 415 ILCS 5/3.32 (West 1992).
In 1994, at the time of petitioners' application, they had a choice: apply for a regional pollution control facility permit and obtain siting approval or apply for a permit to operate a local pollution control facility in which case siting approval was not required. They chose the latter.
*1164 B. Petitioners' Original Application
On June 17, 1994, the petitioners filed an "Application for Development Permit" with the Agency. The application noted that "Siting Certification Form" LPC-PAB was completed and enclosed. It further noted that siting approval was not "under litigation" at the time of filing.
The siting certification form attached to the application stated as follows:
"Siting Approval. The Applicant operates a solid waste hauling company serving customers within the Village of Bradley. For this reason, the proposed facility qualifies as a non-regional facility. Sections 22.14 and 39.2 of the Act do not apply to non-regional facilities. Thus, siting approval reverts to the local zoning authority."
C. Tennsv v. Gade
Approximately 11 months prior to the date on which petitioners filed their application, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois issued an unpublished order which declared the statutory scheme described in part IA of this opinion unconstitutional. Tennsv, Inc. v. Gade, No. 92 503 WLB (S.D.Ill. July 8, 1993). The court found that the Act "establishes a statutory scheme which distinguishes between facilities located outside the geographic boundaries of a general purpose unit of government and those which are not so located." Tennsv, slip op. at 2-3. The court went on to note that there was "no valid factor to justify the discriminatory effect of the statutory scheme" and that it therefore "violates the Commerce Clause." Tennsv, slip op. at 5.
In response to the Tennsv decision, the Illinois legislature amended the Act effective December 22, 1994. The amendments removed the distinction between regional and local pollution control facilities.
Under the Act as amended in 1994, and in its current form, all "pollution control facilities" are required to obtain siting approval. 415 ILCS 5/3.330, 39(c), 39.2 (West 2004).
Petitioners argue that their current application, filed approximately 10 years after the Tennsv decision, was improperly denied due to the Agency and the Board's incorrect interpretation of constitutional law. We disagree and hold that petitioners' application was correctly denied as the Agency and Board recognized it for what it was, an attempt to operate a regional pollution control facility without first obtaining the necessary siting approval required by the Act.
Petitioners now denounce the limitations contained within Special Condition No. 9, which they requested and failed to object to for approximately 10 years. They do a superb job of cataloging numerous commerce clause cases describing the evils of economic protectionism. That being said, we do not find the circumstances surrounding the denial of petitioners' application to be the result of unconstitutional economic protectionism. We note that neither the current nor prior statutory scheme involves a Philadelphia v. New Jersey situation in which commerce is blatantly halted at the border. See Philadelphia v. New Jersey, 437 U.S. 617, 98 S.Ct. 2531, 57 L.Ed.2d 475 (1978) (United States Supreme Court struck down a New Jersey statute that prohibited the importation of waste which originated or was collected outside the territorial limits of the State of New Jersey). Nor is this a case in which out-of-state waste is subject to increased fees or surcharges above and beyond those charged against similar waste generated inside the State of Illinois. See Chemical Waste Management, Inc. v. Hunt, 504 U.S. 334, 112 S.Ct. 2009, 119 L.Ed.2d 121 (1992) (which invalidated an Alabama statute *1165 that imposed higher fees on hazardous waste disposed of in Alabama landfills which originated outside Alabama than fees charged to similar waste that originated inside the state). See also Oregon Waste Systems, Inc. v. Department of Environmental Quality of the State of Oregon, 511 U.S. 93, 114 S.Ct. 1345, 128 L.Ed.2d 13 (1994) (which held Oregon's statute imposing a surcharge on out-of-state waste disposal that was almost three times greater than the surcharge on in-state waste violated the commerce clause).
This case involves a now defunct statutory scheme that subjected those who wanted to accept waste from outside a local unit of government to siting approval while subjecting those who wanted to accept waste from only a local entity to that local entity's zoning laws. None of the cases cited by petitioners gave the improperly restricted party such a choice. See Northeast Sanitary Landfill, Inc. v. South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control, 843 F.Supp. 100 (D.S.C. 1992); Fort Gratiot Sanitary Landfill, Inc. v. Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 504 U.S. 353, 112 S.Ct. 2019, 119 L.Ed.2d 139 (1992); Philadelphia v. New Jersey, 437 U.S. 617, 98 S.Ct. 2531, 57 L.Ed.2d 475 (1978); Associated Industries of Missouri v. Lohman, 511 U.S. 641, 114 S.Ct. 1815, 128 L.Ed.2d 639 (1994); New Energy Co. of Indiana v. Limbach, 486 U.S. 269, 108 S.Ct. 1803, 100 L.Ed.2d 302 (1988); C & A Carbone, Inc. v. Town of Clarkstown, 511 U.S. 383, 114 S.Ct. 1677, 128 L.Ed.2d 399 (1994).
Under both the prior and current statutory schemes, petitioners could have applied for a permit to construct and operate a facility with the capacity to accept waste from anywhere, be it waste that originated inside or outside a local geographic area. This court has previously stated, when analyzing the prior statutory scheme, that "it is the applicant who defines the intended service area, not the local decision-making body." Metropolitan Waste Systems, Inc. v. Pollution Control Board, 201 Ill.App.3d 51, 55, 146 Ill.Dec. 822, 558 N.E.2d 785, 787 (1990). The Board ultimately found that, considering the statutory scheme which allows an entity to choose its service area, "the slight burden the permit imposes on interstate commerce does not outweigh the benefits that the permittees and the Village of Bradley enjoyed when the facility was established." We agree.
Not every exercise of state power with some impact on interstate commerce is invalid. Edgar v. MITE Corp., 457 U.S. 624, 640, 102 S.Ct. 2629, 2639, 73 L.Ed.2d 269, 282 (1982). When a siting requirement applies evenhandedly, "and has only an incidental impact on interstate commerce, the relevant inquiry is whether or not it effects a legitimate public interest, and if so, whether any burden on interstate commerce is `clearly excessive in relation to the putative local benefits.'" (Emphasis in original.) LaFarge Corp. v. Campbell, 813 F.Supp. 501, 513 (N.D.Tex. 1993), quoting Pike v. Bruce Church, Inc., 397 U.S. 137, 142, 90 S.Ct. 844, 847, 25 L.Ed.2d 174, 178 (1970). Undoubtedly, the regulation of solid waste disposal for the protection of public health and safety is a legitimate governmental purpose. L & H Sanitation, Inc. v. Lake City Sanitation, Inc., 769 F.2d 517 (8th Cir.1984).
The Board acts in its quasi-judicial capacity when reviewing an Agency's decision to grant or deny a permit. Environmental Protection Agency v. Pollution Control Board, 308 Ill.App.3d 741, 242 Ill. Dec. 444, 721 N.E.2d 723 (1999). A court of review will uphold a quasi-judicial determination unless it is contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence. Environmental Protection Agency v. Pollution Control Board, 308 Ill.App.3d at 748, 242 Ill.Dec. *1166 444, 721 N.E.2d 723; Community Landfill Co. v. Pollution Control Board, 331 Ill. App.3d 1056, 265 Ill.Dec. 193, 772 N.E.2d 231 (2002).
Again, despite petitioners' arguments to the contrary, this is not a case of unconstitutional economic protectionism. This case involves a private entity that made a choice to forego the siting process more than 12 years ago when it had that option. That ceased to be an option days after petitioners received their operating permit. Knowing that every pollution control facility similar to the one petitioners seek to operate must acquire siting approval, petitioners now effectively request that they be grandfathered in to the new statutory scheme and allowed to ignore the siting process. The Agency and the Board correctly recognized that granting petitioners' request would violate the Act's siting requirement. 415 ILCS 5/39(c) (West 2004).
II. Unconstitutional Vagueness of Special Condition No. 9
Petitioners contend that Special Condition No. 9 is unconstitutionally vague and, therefore, violates their due process rights under the United States and State of Illinois Constitutions. Specifically, they claim that the condition fails to "provide fair warning of what conduct is prohibited."
Special Condition No. 9 provides that: "No waste generated outside the municipal boundaries of the Village of Bradley may be accepted at this facility." This could not be more clear.
Petitioners argue that the terms "generated" and "municipal boundaries" are subject to so many interpretations that the Agency can engage in "selective enforcement" depending on which interpretation it favors. The Agency and Board counter that petitioners have had no trouble understanding or interpreting the condition for 10 years, which belies "any feigned confusion by United Disposal." The Board and Agency further argue that petitioners have waived this argument as they failed to timely bring it.
In reply to the Agency and Board's waiver argument, petitioners contend that the ability of the Agency "to argue waiver was waived by the Agency when it responded [to] the petitioners' vagueness argument in the summary judgment briefing before the Board." Turnabout is fair play.
The waiver rule, of course, is a limitation on the parties and not upon the jurisdiction of a reviewing court. Freedom Oil Co. v. Pollution Control Board, 275 Ill. App.3d 508, 211 Ill.Dec. 801, 655 N.E.2d 1184 (1995). We will address petitioners' vagueness argument.
A regulation is unconstitutionally vague and violates due process if it leaves the community regulated unsure of what conduct is prohibited or fails to provide adequate guidelines to the administrative body charged with its enforcement. Smith v. Goguen, 415 U.S. 566, 94 S.Ct. 1242, 39 L.Ed.2d 605 (1974). That is not the case in this situation. As the Board notes, petitioners had no problem deciphering the condition for 10 years. Petitioners seemed to clearly understand the terms when they applied for a permit that did not require siting approval. Neither the term "generated" nor the term "municipal boundaries" is so perplexing as to leave one wondering what is prohibited. We hold Special Condition No. 9 is not void for vagueness.
III. Denial of Application in Violation of the Act
Petitioners contend that "no violation of the Act" would have occurred if the Agency had granted their request and as such it was error to deny it. This contention piggybacks petitioners' original argument *1167 that the prior statutory scheme from which Special Condition No. 9 was created violated the commerce clause and, as such, any restriction imposed by the state under that scheme is void as it was based upon an unconstitutional state enactment. See Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986). Petitioners continue that given the Tennsv decision, any condition imposed under the parts of the Act declared unconstitutional by the Tennsv court are invalid. We disagree. As noted in part ID above, we do not find that Special Condition No. 9 was the result of unconstitutional economic protectionism. Clearly, granting petitioners' application notwithstanding petitioners' failure to acquire (or even seek) siting approval would violate the Act. See 415 ILCS 5/39(c) (West 2004).
IV. Untimely Reply to Application in Violation of Agency's Regulations
Petitioners' final contention is that their request should have been granted by operation of law since the Agency's response to their application was untimely. The applicable section of the Administrative Code provides that "if the Agency fails to notify the applicant within * * * 30 days after the receipt of an application for an operating permit [] that the application is incomplete, and of the reasons, the application shall be deemed to have been filed on the date received by the Agency." 35 Ill. Adm.Code § 807.205(f) (1985).
The Board acknowledged that the Agency issued its response to petitioners' application 45 days after it was filed and the response was therefore untimely. Furthermore, the Board upheld the Agency's denial of "United Disposal's request as incomplete." An administrative agency cannot ignore its own rules once they have been established pursuant to statutory authority. Margolin v. Public Mutual Fire Insurance Co., 4 Ill.App.3d 661, 281 N.E.2d 728 (1972); Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line Co. v. Environmental Protection Agency, 314 Ill.App.3d 296, 248 Ill. Dec. 310, 734 N.E.2d 18 (2000). Having failed to inform petitioners that their application was incomplete and "of the reasons" why within the time prescribed by section 807.205(f), the Agency undoubtedly failed to comply with its own rules.
This does not mean, however, that the application should have automatically been granted by operation of law as petitioners suggest. While petitioners make this claim, they cite no authority to support it.
Given that section 40 of the Act states that "the decision of the Board shall be based exclusively on the record before the Agency including the record of the hearing, if any" (415 ILCS 5/40(d) (West 2004)), and the Agency's action of ignoring its own rule which resulted in its failure to conduct a technical review of petitioners' application, our initial inclination would be to remand this cause to the Agency to perform a technical review of the application as filed. That, however, is unnecessary.
There is no doubt that the Act has always required siting approval to develop and operate the type of pollution control facility sought by petitioners. See 415 ILCS 5/39(c), 39.2 (West 1992). There is also no doubt from the record that petitioners never obtained (or even sought) proper siting approval. As such, the only action the Agency could have taken had it performed a technical review would have been to deny the application.
The Administrative Code states that "the Agency shall not grant any permit * * * unless the applicant submits adequate proof that the solid waste management site * * * will be developed, modified, or operated so as not to cause a violation of the Act or the Rules." 35 Ill. *1168 Adm.Code § 807.207(a) as amended by 20 Ill. Reg. 12457 (eff. August 15, 1996). Following the Agency's denial of their application, on appeal to the Board the petitioners needed to "establish that [granting their application] would not result in any future violation of the Act." Browning-Ferris Industries of Illinois, Inc. v. Pollution Control Board, 179 Ill.App.3d 598, 603, 128 Ill.Dec. 434, 534 N.E.2d 616, 620 (1989). This petitioners cannot do, as they have failed to acquire siting approval.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the decision of the Illinois Pollution Control Board is confirmed.
Confirmed.
HOLDRIDGE and McDADE, JJ., concur.
|
---
abstract: 'Resource management, including power control, is one of the most essential functionalities of any wireless telecommunication system. Various transmitter power-control methods have been developed to deliver a desired quality of service in wireless networks. We consider two of these methods: Distributed Power Control and Distributed Balancing Algorithm schemes. We use the concept of joint spectral radius to come up with conditions for convergence of the transmitted power in these two schemes when the gains on all the communications links are assumed to vary at each time-step.'
author:
- 'Vahid S. Bokharaie$^{1}$ and Gholamreza Parsaee$^{2}$[^1][^2][^3]'
bibliography:
- 'The\_Mother\_of\_All\_Biblios\_1304\_2.bib'
title: '**An Application of Joint Spectral Radius in Power Control Problem for Wireless Communications\***'
---
Introduction {#sec:intro}
============
In this paper, we deal with the problem of power control in a mobile network. The main idea behind power control is to transmit the signal with minimum power required to maintain the desirable quality of service (QoS) [@Stu11]. The immediate benefit of power control is saving energy. It helps to prolong mobile battery life and also cut the cost of network operation on base station subsystem (BSS) [@CHLW08]. In majority of today’s wireless networks, however, power control is used for a more important aim: to reduce interference in the common media, air. It therefore helps to obtain better quality under similar circumstances and an increase in network capacity [@CHLW08; @CT91]. It can be implied from the above, that the main problem in power control is finding the optimum set of transmission powers for each pair of communicators. The answer depends on three main factors [@TZ07]: (i) the desired QoS, which is normally expressed in terms of demanded throughput, tolerable bit error rate and delay [@Peu99], (ii) level of interference in the air, and (iii) characteristics of the channel between the certain transmitter and receiver in question, such as instant attenuation or fading profile. Desired QoS can be roughly translated to a minimum requirement for Signal to Noise plus Interference Ratio (SINR) [@ML02]. Knowing SINR requirement, the present level of interference and noise power, minimum needed signal power at receiver antenna can be calculated. Finally by adding the channel attenuation we can obtain the minimum power that the transmitter must radiate. Apart from the problem of getting an estimation of channel attenuation and interference at the transmitter side, the main challenge here is that interference level is itself affected by the behaviour of all other users, as reducing or increasing power for one user changes the interference observed by others, causes them to change their power in turn, and so on. Addressing these issues, in this manuscript, we consider a mobile network in which the gain on all communication links vary in each time step. Using the concept of joint spectral radius (as defined in the next section), we present conditions for convergence of the transmitter power in Distributed Power Control (DPC) and Distributed Balancing Algorithm schemes (DBA) schemes.
Problem Description {#sec:bground}
===================
We consider a mobile network with $N$ channels (where a channel can be a frequency band or a time slot), and channels are being reused according to some arbitrary channel assignment scheme. We assume $m$ mobiles are using the channels and without loss of generality we only study the uplinks, but depending on the radio access systems in use the presented results might be applicable to downlinks as well.
We define
- [$P_i$]{}: Power transmitted by the $i$th mobile.
- [$G_{ij}$]{}: The gain on the communication link between the $i$th base and the $j$th mobile with $G_{ij}\geq 0$ for all $i,j=1, \cdots, m$.
- [$\gamma_{i}$]{}: SINR at the base assigned to the $i$th mobile equipment.
Hence, $\gamma_{i}$ can be calculated as follows: $$\gamma_i=\frac{P_i G_{ii}}{\displaystyle \sum_{j\neq i}^m P_j G_{ij}}, \quad i=1, \cdots, m$$
Now we consider the Distributed Power Control (DPC) scheme. In the DPC scheme, mobiles adjust their power synchronously in discrete time steps. The power adjustment by the $i$th mobile in the $n$th time instant is given by $$\label{eq:P_i_n}
P_i(n)=c(n-1) \frac{P_i(n-1)}{\gamma_i(n-1)}$$ where $P_i(n)$ is the power transmitted by the $i$th mobile at the $n$th time step, $\gamma_i(n)$ is the resulting SINR and $c(n-1)\in {\mathbb{R}^n_+}$ is some constant.
Let $A$ be an $m\times m$ matrix defined as $A_{ij}=G_{ij}/G_{ii}$ for $i \neq j$ and $A_{ii}=0$ for $i=1, \cdots, m$. Thus, can be written as $$\label{eq:PcAP}
P(n)=c(n-1)A(n-1)P(n-1)$$ where $$P(n):=
\begin{pmatrix}
P_1(n) & \cdots & P_{m-1}(n) & P_m(n) \end{pmatrix}^T$$ $P(n)$ can also be written as follows $$P(n)=\Big(\prod_{i=0}^n c(i)\Big) \Big(\prod_{i=0}^n A(i)\Big) P(0)$$ Note that the constants $c(i)$ for $i \in {\mathbb{N}}$ doesn’t affect SINR. It is a constant chosen properly to prevent the transmitter powers from becoming too large or too small.
For a matrix $M \in {\mathbb{R}}^{n \times n}$, we denote the set of all eigenvalues of $M$ or *spectrum* of $M$ by $\sigma(M)$. The *spectral radius* of $M$ is represented by $\rho(M)$ and defined as follows: $$\rho(M) := \max \{ |\lambda| : \lambda \in \sigma(M)\}$$ One property of spectral radius is that [@The05 p. 14]: $$\rho(M)=\lim_{k\rightarrow \infty}\|M^{k}\|^{1/k}$$ where $\|\cdot\|$ represents any submultiplicative matrix norm. This property, has been the inspiration for Joint Spectral Radius which is introduced in [@RS60].
Associated to the set of matrices $\mathcal{M}$ is the joint spectral radius, which is given by $$\begin{split}
\rho(\mathcal{M}):= \lim_{t\to \infty} \sup \{ \| M(t-1)M(t-2)\dots
M(0)\|^{1/t} \\ \;|\; M(s) \in {\cal M}, s=0,\ldots,t-1 \} \,.
\end{split}$$
Although $\rho(\cdot)$ is used to represent both spectral radius of a matrix and joint spectral radius of a set of matrices, it should not lead to confusion. Also, it is easy to check that in the special case where the set ${\mathcal{M}}$ contains only one matrix, joint spectral radius is equivalent to spectral radius.
In DPC Scheme, one aim is to make sure $P(n)$ will remain bounded as $n \rightarrow \infty$. We will use properties of the joint spectral radius to introduce a novel condition for convergence of the set of transmitter powers in DPC scheme.
\[thm:DPC\] Consider a system that uses the DPC scheme, with $c(n)$, $n\in {\mathbb{N}}$ chosen such that $\displaystyle \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}\displaystyle\prod_{i=0}^n c(n)$ is bounded. Then $\displaystyle \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}P(n)$ is bounded if $\rho({\mathcal{B}})<1$ where $${\mathcal{B}}=\{B(1), \cdots, B(n)\}$$ with $B(i)=c(i)A(i)$, for $i=1, \cdots, n$.
Recall that $\rho(\mathcal{M})<1$ is equivalent to the existence of constants $C \geq 1,\gamma \in (0,1)$ such that for all $t\in {\mathbb{N}}$ we have $$\label{eq:Cg}
\| M_{t-1} \cdots M_1 M_0 \| \leq C \gamma^{t} \quad$$ for all $M_s\in \mathcal{M}$, $s=0,\ldots,t$ [@Wir02]. Thus $\rho(\mathcal{M})<1$ characterizes exponential stability of the linear inclusion $$\label{eq:inclu}
x(t+1) \in \left\{ M x(t) \;|\; M\in \mathcal{M} \right\}$$ Since $\rho({\mathcal{B}})<1$, we can apply this result to the linear inclusion to conclude that $P(n)$ will remain bounded for all $n\in {\mathbb{N}}$. This conludes the proof.
Note that the elements of the matrix $A(i)$, for $i=1, \cdots, n$ is specified by the parameters of the system. On the other hand, we have control over constants $c(i)$, for $i=1, \cdots, n$ and we can use that to make sure the condition $\rho({\mathcal{B}})<1$ is satisfied.
Also, note that if $\rho({\mathcal{B}})>1$, we cannot conclude that $P(n)$ will be unbounded as $n\rightarrow \infty$. To further clarify this point, note that by the generalised spectral radius theorem [@BW92][@Elsn95], if $\rho({\mathcal{B}})>1$, then there is a finite sequence $(B_0, B_1, \cdots, B_{t-1})$ such that the spectral radius of the product $\rho(B_{t-1}\cdots B_1B_0)>1$ and hence the corresponding linear inclusion is exponentially unstable. But it is possible that $\big(B(0), B(1), \cdots, B(n))$ might not be such a sequence. Therefore, the condition presented in Theorem \[thm:DPC\] is a sufficient but not a necessary condition for convergence of $P(n)$ as $n \rightarrow \infty$.
Theorem \[thm:DPC\] can be extended to Distributed Balancing Algorithm (DBA). In the DBA scheme, the iteration for the power levels is described by $$\label{eq:DBAPi}
P_i(n)=c(n-1)\Big(P_i(n-1)+\frac{P_i(n-1)}{\gamma_i(n-1)}\Big)$$ for $i=1, \cdots, m$ and $n\geq 1$. We can write in matrix form as $$P(n)=c(n-1)Z(n-1)P(n-1)$$ where $$Z(n-1)=A(n-1)+I$$
\[thm:DPC\] For a system that uses the DBA scheme, with $c(n)$, $n\in {\mathbb{N}}$ chosen such that $\displaystyle \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}\displaystyle\prod_{i=0}^n c(n)$ is bounded, then $\displaystyle \lim_{n\rightarrow \infty}P(n)$ is bounded if $\rho({\mathcal{B}})<1$ where $${\mathcal{B}}=\{B(1), \cdots, B(n)\}$$ with $B(i)=c(i)Z(i)$ and $Z(i)=A(i)+I$, for $i=1, \cdots, n$.
The theorem can be proven using the same method as the proof of Theorem \[thm:DPC\].
It should also be mentioned that calculating joint spectral radius for an arbitrary set of matrices is an NP hard problem as shown in [@TB97]. But the good news is that algorithms exist which can reach an arbitrary accuracy in an a priori computable amount of time. These algorithms use the concept of *extremal norm* that is a norm with the property that $\|M\|\leq {\mathcal{M}}$ for all $M\in {\mathcal{M}}$. For more information on these algorithms you can look at [@GWZ05; @BNT05; @BN05; @PJ08; @PJB10].
Conclusions {#sec:conc}
===========
In this manuscript, we presented a novel condition for convergence of transmitted power in a mobile network under Distributed Power Control (DPC) and Distributed Balancing Algorithm (DBA) schemes. We have used the concept of joint spectral radius to obtain the results.
[^1]: \*This work was supported by Science Foundation Ireland award SFI/09/SRC/E1780.
[^2]: $^{1}$V. S. Bokharaie is with Mathematics Applications Consortium for Science and Industry (MACSI), Univeristy of Limerick, Ireland. [vahid.bokharaie@ul.ie]{}
[^3]: $^{2}$G. Parsaee is with Plano-net Engineering Co. [reza\_parsaee@yahoo.com]{}
|
Q:
Variable does not change in python binary game
Hi I am writing a binary game in Python and I don't know why the 2 variables left and right are changing. Here is what I have done so far:
def guessNumberBasic():
n=101
left=0
right=n-1
guess=(left+right)//2
print("Please think of an integer between 1 and 100, but don’t tell me what it is.")
while True:
player_ans=input("Is it greater, equal to or less than "+ str(guess) + " (G/E/L)?")
if player_ans=="E":
break
elif player_ans=="G":
right=guess+1
elif player_ans=="L":
left=guess+1
print("I guess you thought of ", guess," Am I right? I know I’m right.")
the output:
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?G
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?G
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?G
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?G
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?L
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?E
I guess you thought of 50 Am I right? I know I’m right
thanks
A:
you are never changing the value of guess once you set it. You only then change the lsft and right value. Instead you should set guess at the start of each loop
def guessNumberBasic():
n=101
left=0
right=n-1
print("Please think of an integer between 1 and 100, but don’t tell me what it is.")
while True:
guess = (left + right) // 2
player_ans=input("Is it greater, equal to or less than "+ str(guess) + " (G/E/L)?")
if player_ans=="E":
break
elif player_ans=="G":
left=guess+1
elif player_ans=="L":
right=guess+1
print("I guess you thought of ", guess," Am I right? I know I’m right.")
guessNumberBasic()
OUTPUT
Please think of an integer between 1 and 100, but don’t tell me what it is.
Is it greater, equal to or less than 50 (G/E/L)?G
Is it greater, equal to or less than 75 (G/E/L)?L
Is it greater, equal to or less than 63 (G/E/L)?G
Is it greater, equal to or less than 70 (G/E/L)?E
I guess you thought of 70 Am I right? I know I’m right.
|
TAMPA — For more than three decades, lawyer Joe M. Gonzalez was a fixture of Tampa's civic scene, rubbing elbows with politicians and everyday citizens as he sought to honor the city's history and influence its politics.
But it was a happenstance encounter with a self-proclaimed drug dealer that touched off the tax lawyer's remarkable downfall.
Gonzalez, who was recently named Tampa's "Hispanic Man of the Year," admitted in court last week that he tried to help two clients hide proceeds from illegal drug deals. One was an informer, the other an undercover federal agent. Gonzalez faces up to five years in prison and the loss of his law license.
"This was a totally fictitious sting operation with no real drugs and no real drug money involved," said his attorney, John Fitzgibbons. "Mr. Gonzalez has had a distinguished career as a lawyer and civic leader for almost 35 years and he has accepted responsibility for his actions as a result of this unfortunate situation."
The charge to which Gonzalez, 66, pleaded guilty — structuring financial transactions to avoid reporting requirements — stemmed from his involvement with a man who acted as a confidential source for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In May 2014, the man, who was not named in court records, walked into Gonzalez's South Tampa law office and explained that he was expecting to spend two to three years in federal prison for a pending wire fraud case, according to the federal plea agreement. The charge, though, was not his only criminal activity, the man said. His main business was a marijuana grow house that he ran with his brother.
The operation netted the man between $30,000 and $50,000 a month, he told Gonzalez. He asked the lawyer to help him secure a safe place to put the cash so it would be available to him after he left prison, court records state.
Gonzalez gave the man advice on setting up a private trust, which would be accessible only by the two of them, according to the plea agreement. Gonzalez would then obtain a federal tax identification number and open bank accounts in the name of the trust. The man's brother would deposit the illegal funds into the accounts.
After collecting a $4,500 fee to set up the trust and bank account, Gonzalez met with the man again, along with an undercover DEA agent who posed as his brother. The agent gave Gonzalez $14,000 cash, $12,000 of which he later deposited into an account he set up through Fifth Third Bank, according to the plea agreement. The deposits were made in small installments so as not trigger the bank's currency transaction reporting requirement for totals of more than $10,000.
Gonzalez signed a plea agreement that was filed in U.S. District Court in July, shortly after U.S. attorneys brought charges against him.
His formal guilty plea came just weeks after Tampa Hispanic Heritage Inc. named him its "Hispanic Man of the Year." The nonprofit umbrella for local Hispanic groups gives the annual honor to local leaders who have worked to promote the city's Hispanic heritage.
Gonzalez helped found the group in the 1980s. On Monday, the organizers said they will rescind Gonzalez's award.
"We are sorry about Joe's problems," said Luz Lono, chair of the gala committee for Tampa Hispanic Heritage Inc. "They were completely unexpected."
In May, Gonzalez received the Matilda Garcia Leadership Award from the City of Tampa Mayor's Hispanic Advisory Council, of which he was a charter member.
Over the years, he also has been a member of the Tampa Police Chief's Citizens Advisory Committee, the Sheriff's Hispanic Advisory Council, and the Hillsborough County Planning Commission, among several other groups.
Fitzgibbons said it was likely that Gonzalez would resign from the Florida Bar. A sentencing date has not been set.
Contact Dan Sullivan at dsullivan@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3386. Follow @TimesDan. |
Introduction
============
Bi-level CPAP is a form of respiratory support routinely used to assist adults and children. It enables the patient to breathe spontaneously between two different levels of continuous positive pressure, the upper (IPAP) and the lower level (EPAP). The cycle time can be either selected by the operator or synchronized with the patient's respiratory effort. Both IPAP and EPAP are generated by an increase in the gas flow through the circuit without closing the expiratory valve enabling the patient to exhale anytime, even during the IPAP phase \[[@B1]\]. The aim of bi-level CPAP is to improve alveolar recruitment, gas exchange and, by a direct stimulation of the upper airways, to prevent apneas requiring intubation.
Nasal CPAP (n-CPAP) is currently considered the treatment of choice for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) \[[@B2]\]. By applying a constant distending pressure to the airways n-CPAP maintains the functional residual capacity (FRC) of the lungs through alveolar recruitment and stabilization. This constant pressure prevents alveolar collapse during expiration, improves gas exchange and reduces the work of breathing facilitating the next inspiratory phase \[[@B3]\].
The theoretical advantage of bi-level CPAP could be the prevention of alveolar collapse through a swing between two different FRC. Furthermore the change in pressure (ΔP) created by this mechanism could generate a tidal volume responsible for a decrease in the work of breathing \[[@B4]\].
However only few studies were performed on newborns and they were mainly focused on term babies with central hypoventilation syndrome \[[@B5]\].
To date there are few published data on the effects of bi-level CPAP in preterm infants and no data on the hemodynamic changes related to the use of this respiratory support. Nevertheless, it has been demonstrated that the application of an end-expiratory positive pressure (PEEP) can interfere with venous return and cardiac output \[[@B6]\].
The present study aims to evaluate the hemodynamic effects on cardiac outputs and venous return of bi-level CPAP in a population of Very Low Birth Weight Infants (VLBWIs) with RDS.
Methods
=======
Patients
--------
A prospective study was conducted in a cohort of VLBWIs admitted at birth to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Bologna University Hospital (Italy) between January 2012 and May 2012. Infants were eligible for inclusion in the study if they developed signs of RDS requiring nCPAP support within the first 24--72 hours of life. RDS was defined in presence of clinical features of respiratory distress (tachypnea, grunting, chest retractions, nasal flaring), need of continuous positive pressure to maintain oxygen saturation \> 85% and compatible radiological findings (e.g. reticulo-granular pattern, ground glass appearance, air bronchograms, reduced lung volume).
In order to be included in the study, infants should have been hemodynamically stable (normal blood pressure, normal urine output and no need for inotropes).
Infants with congenital heart disease, congenital malformations or assisted with mechanical ventilation were excluded.
Each patient was supported with n-CPAP for several hours, and switched to bi-level CPAP for a study period of an hour. At the end of the study period all the subjects were put back on n-CPAP.
The Infant Flow**®** SiPAP system (Viasys Healthcare, Yorba Linda, CA, USA), which allows the operator to switch from n-CPAP to bi-level CPAP mode without interruption of the respiratory support or changes of the device circuit, was used for the present study. Short bi-nasal prongs of the largest size fitting comfortably the patient's nares were used in order to minimize air leaks. Alternatively, nasal masks of the appropriate size for the patient's nose were used.
Nasal CPAP was set at 4--5 cm H20 and bi-level CPAP as follows: Phigh 8 cm H~2~O, Plow 4-5cmH~2~O, Thigh 0.5-0.6 seconds, rate 20 breaths/min. The minimal fractional inspired oxygen saturation (FiO~2~) was set in order to maintain oxygen saturation (SpO2), monitored through a transcutaneous device, between 85 and 94%. Before and after the study period, blood pressure was recorded, a capillary blood gas analysis was collected to detect the PCO~2~ level, and an echocardiographic study was performed to evaluate the hemodynamic parameters.
Blood pressure was measured non-invasively by the oscillometric method. Three values of mean blood pressure were averaged and compared with normal values for gestational age.
Hemodynamic measurements
------------------------
The echocardiographic study was performed using a Philips HD11 XE (Philips Ultrasound, Andover, MA, USA) ultrasound system with a 12-4 Hz transducer incorporating colour flow and pulse wave Doppler. No angle correction was used. Left ventricular output (LVO), right ventricular output (RVO), superior vena cava (SVC) flow, the diameter and the characteristics of the *ductus arteriosus* (DA) and *foramen ovale* were evaluated. RVO, LVO and SVC flow were measured according to previously published methodology \[[@B7],[@B8]\]. For the calculation of flow, the following formula was used: flow = (velocity time integral × (π × (diameter2/4) × heart rate)/body weight. Six or more cycles were averaged for these measurements. Cardiac outputs \<150/kg/min and SVC flow \<40 ml/kg/min were considered as low blood flows \[[@B7],[@B8]\]. Ductal diameter was determined from a 2D image, using a high parasternal position in a way that the whole length of the duct could be visualized. The diameter was taken at the smallest point at the pulmonary side of the duct. Maximum LR flow velocity (Vmax), flow pattern (continuous, pulsatile) and % of RL shunt were also recorded \[[@B9]\]. The McNamara echocardiographic criteria were used to define an hemodynamically significant duct \[[@B10]\]. The presence of a patent *foramen ovale* was also assessed and a diameter \>3 mm was considered hemodynamically significant. For each patient, all echocardiographic measurements were taken by a single operator. All the images were saved on magnetic optical disks. The EchoPAC software (GE Vingmed Ultrasound EchoPAC 7.00, Horten, Norway) was used for off-line analysis performed by a second investigator blinded to the respiratory support method. Ethics approval and written informed consent were obtained from each patient parent/guardian. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna.
Statistics
----------
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0 for Windows (Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS Inc, Chicago, Ill, US).
A preliminary analysis was made to calculate the power of the study and a type II error probability. Based on previous studies in literature \[[@B11]\] we estimated that a sample size of 16 patients was sufficient to observe a 25% reduction of both cardiac outputs (power = 0.8, α = 0.05, one tail).
Comparison of echocardiographic measurements between n-CPAP and bi-level CPAP was performed using Wilcoxon signed rank test. Spearman test was used to correlate RVO and LVO with SVC flow. Results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation if not specified otherwise. P values \<0.05 were considered statistically significant.
Results
=======
Thirty-two VLBWIs were admitted to the NICU during the study period. Fourteen subjects (43.8%) were excluded for the following reasons: 2 infants were on mechanical ventilation, 6 without respiratory support or with nasal cannulae, 2 infants had congenital heart disease and 4 were not enrolled because the investigator was unavailable at the time of the study.
The demographic characteristics of the enrolled infants are reported in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}.
######
Demographic characteristics of the study population
**Patients** **Sex** **GA (wks + days)** **BW(g)** **Surfactant** **FiO**~**2**~ **Age at the time of the study (h)**
-------------- --------- --------------------- ----------- ---------------- ---------------- --------------------------------------
1 M 33 + 3 1080 Yes 30 25
2 M 28 1230 Yes 21 18
3 F 25 + 6 934 Yes 21 28
4 M 30 1320 Yes 21 23
5 M 29 + 6 1147 No 21 32
6 F 32 + 2 1407 No 21 16
7 F 28 990 Yes 21 42
8 F 26 757 Yes 25 55
9 M 30 1322 Yes 21 30
10 F 33 + 4 1447 No 21 9
11 F 30 880 Yes 25 61
12 F 30 499 Yes 30 65
13 M 26 + 4 700 No 25 37
14 F 32 1076 No 21 35
15 M 33 1060 No 25 24
16 F 32 + 1 1490 No 21 10
17 M 27 + 5 1076 No 21 36
18 F 27 + 5 915 No 25 36
GA, gestational age; BW birth weight.
The 18 subjects included in the study (8 males, 10 females) had a median gestational age (GA) of 30 weeks (range 25--33 weeks) and a median birth weight (BW) of 1076 g (range 499--1490 g). All infants were assisted with n-CPAP because of respiratory distress; surfactant was administered to 50% of the subjects prior the enrollment in the present study. The subjects received surfactant either on admission to the unit when intubated at birth in the delivery room, or within 4 hours from birth following the InSurE (Intubation-Surfactant-Extubation) procedure when not intubated at birth (age at the time of surfactant administration: 0--4 hours of life). For these subjects the study was performed at least 12 hours after surfactant administration (age at the time of the study: 18--65 hours of life).
Mean vascular diameters were: aorta 0.47 cm ±0.06, pulmonary artery 0.5 cm ± 0.05, SVC 0.33 cm ± 0.07. Fourteen newborns (77.8%) had a PDA at the time of the study. Eight subjects met the echocardiographic criteria for a moderate hemodynamically significant duct.
Echocardiographic measurements are reported in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}: there were no significant changes of blood flow between the two different methods of respiratory support. However, a significant reduction of pCO2 values was observed after the respiratory support with the bi-level CPAP (p = 0.01).
######
Comparison between hemodynamic parameters: bi-level vs nasal CPAP (mean ± SD)
**nCPAP** **Bilevel** **p**
--------------------- --------------- --------------- -------
**LVO (ml/kg/min)** 222.17 ± 81.4 211.4 ± 75.3 .35
VTI (cm) 8.25 ± 2 7.93 ± 1.3 .42
SV (ml) 1.49 ± 0.6 1.41 ± 0.4 .35
**RVO (ml/kg)min)** 287.8 ± 96 283.4 ± 87.4 .71
VTI (cm) 10.17 ± 2.8 9.86 ± 1.8 .56
SV (ml) 1.97 ± 0.7 1.96 ± 0.6 .85
**SVC (ml/kg/min)** 135.38 ± 47.8 137.48 ± 46.6 .50
VTI (cm) 11.3 ± 3.2 11.87 ± 2.9 .35
HR (bpm) 146.88 ± 2.07 143.55 ± 1.56 .61
pCO2 (mm Hg) 47.96 ± 6.9 43.66 ± 4.5 .01
Four patients presented LVO values \<150 ml/kg/min both on nCPAP and bi-level CPAP; moreover, 2 patients had a low LVO only on bi-level CPAP. No low RVO or SVC flow was observed. No differences were also observed when considering the hemodynamic characteristics of the DA (Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}).
######
Hemodynamic characteristics of the ductus arteriosus (mean ± SD)
**nCPAP** **Bilevel** **p**
----------------------- ------------ ------------- -------
**Ductus arteriosus**
Pulsatile pattern (%) 57.1 57.1 n/a
Vmax (m/sec) 1.68 ± 0.5 1.46 ± 0.38 0.19
\% R-L shunt 6.2 ± 10.6 12.6 ± 11.7 0.22
Significant positive correlations between LVO and SVC flow were found both in nasal (ρ = 0.82; p = 0.00) and bi-level CPAP (ρ = 0.6; p = 0.00) while a positive correlation between RVO and SVC flow was present when the patients where on n-CPAP (ρ = 0.73; p = 0.01) but not on bi-level CPAP (ρ = 0.37; p = 0.14). When comparing the characteristics of the subjects that showed an improvement in central blood flows on bi-level CPAP with those who showed a worsening no significant differences were found in terms of BW and GA. Moreover, pCO~2~ variations did not correlate with modifications of central blood flow (LVO: ρ = 0.11, p = 0,657; RVO: ρ = −0.307, p = 0.216; SVC: ρ = −0.13, p = 0.197).
Discussion
==========
The present study shows that bi-level CPAP does not affect central blood flow in preterm infants with RDS.
Current literature regarding the application of bi-level CPAP to infants is scarce and mainly focused on its efficacy as a non-invasive ventilation tool \[[@B4],[@B12],[@B13]\].
To date few papers were published on preterm newborns. One of these studies showed a significant gas exchange improvement when the babies were assisted with bi-level CPAP \[[@B10]\]. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that compared the use of nasal versus bi-level CPAP in infants with RDS, the subjects randomized in the bi-level branch showed a better outcome in terms of days of respiratory support and days of oxygen dependency \[[@B4]\].
The effectiveness of bi-level CPAP in the post-extubation phase is controversial. The support with bi-level CPAP right after the InSurE procedure seemed to reduce the chances of extubation failure and need of mechanical ventilation \[[@B13]\]; however, a randomized trial published in 2012 showed no differences in the rate of sustained extubation (\>7 days) between the subjects assisted with bi-level CPAP and those with nasal CPAP \[[@B14]\].
A recent trial showed that nasal intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (IPPV) is not superior to nasal CPAP in terms of major outcomes such as death and bronchopulmonary dysplasia \[[@B15]\].
To our knowledge this is the first study that has evaluated the safety of bi-level CPAP from the hemodynamic point of view.
Interactions between respiratory and cardiovascular systems are complex; in particular the application of an end-expiratory positive pressure (PEEP) changes these interactions so that on one hand oxygenation is improved but on the other it can interfere with venous return and therefore with cardiac output \[[@B16]\].
Animal model studies show that PEEP modifies the shape of venous return curve by increasing the critical pressure through a distortion of venous geometry, for example at the entrance of the venae cavae into the thorax. It is important to note that volemic status may largely influence the effects of PEEP. In fact hypovolaemia is likely to blunt the compensatory rise in systemic blood pressure; conversely, volemic expansion can contrast the effect of PEEP on venous return \[[@B6]\].
Theoretically there is potential for higher PEEP, as by opening up the lungs, it may reduce pulmonary vascular resistance and increase pulmonary and systemic blood flow \[[@B11]\].
Several studies focused on the cardiovascular effects of PEEP administration through invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Nasal CPAP with a mean level of 4 cm H~2~O does not influence cardiac output in preterm infants \[[@B17]\]; however a study on animal models showed that increases of PEEP from 4 to 10 cm H~2~O led to a significant decrease in the left pulmonary artery flow and an increased right to left shunting through the *ductus arteriosus*; the authors speculated this was likely due to the concurrent increase in the pulmonary vascular resistance and to a physical constraint (increasing intrathoracic pressure) placed on the heart by the over-expanded lung \[[@B18]\].
In a study on mechanically ventilated newborns, an increase of PEEP from 5 to 8 cmH~2~O led to a RVO decrease without causing either positive or negative relevant clinical effects on systemic blood flow in the majority of the infants \[[@B11]\]. However 36% of the subjects showed an improvement in SVC flow presumably as a consequence of improved lung compliance due to alveolar recruitment and an optimised pulmonary volume. When PEEP is set too low, blood will be shunted away from the collapsed alveoli producing a regional increase in pulmonary vascular resistance.
The present study demonstrated that bi-level CPAP does not modify venous return and cardiac outputs.
In this study RVO and LVO mean values were consistent with those reported in literature \[[@B7]\] while mean SVC values resulted slightly higher \[[@B8]\]. This difference may be ascribed to the higher complexity of SVC flow echocardiographic measurement. Both SVC diameters and doppler velocities resulted higher than the values reported in literature. However, if any error was made in the assessment of the SVC flow, it is unlikely that it could have altered the comparison between the two ventilation modalities because the same operator performed both the echocardiographic assessments of each patient. Overall 6 infants showed low LVO without any clinical implication; in fact all the enrolled subjects remained stable (normal blood pressure, normal urine output, no need for inotropes) during the whole study period.
A recent study \[[@B19]\] performed on preterm newborns in the first hour of life showed a LVO well below the threshold of 150 ml/kg/min suggested by Evans et al. \[[@B7]\] for the first 24 hours of life. The authors found a mean LVO value of 71 ml/kg/min (range 61--110 at 1 hour of life and ascribed this finding to the progressive physiological improvement of cardiac function during the transitional period \[[@B20]\]. This might explain our findings.
While cardiac outputs are greatly influenced by both ductal and atrial shunting during the transitional period \[[@B21],[@B22]\] SVC flow is independent \[[@B20]\] resulting in a lack of relationship between cardiac outputs and SVC flow \[[@B21]\]. On the opposite, we found significant positive correlations between outputs and SVC flow. Only the correlation between RVO and SVC during bi-level CPAP support resulted to be still positive but not statistically significant.
We hypothesized that atrial and ductal shunting did not represent a variable in our study. In fact the characteristics of the *ductus arteriosus* (flow pattern, velocity peak,% of left-to-right shunt) were similar during bi-level and nasal NCPAP support. Moreover a significant ductal shunt results in an increased LVO to RVO ratio due to a relative increase of LVO \[[@B9]\], a finding that we did not observe in our study.
We found a significant decrease in pCO2 during bi-level CPAP support that was not related to central blood flow variations and thus not to be ascribed to a change in the pulmonary perfusion. It's likely that bi-level CPAP, by cyclic variations of PEEP, may improve alveolar recruitment and optimize ventilation resulting in a decrease of pCO2 as described by previous studies \[[@B12]\]. However because the decrease in pCO2 is not clinically relevant (47.96 ± 6.9 vs 43.66 ± 4.5 mmHg) we would not speculate further.
The demographic characteristics of our population were analysed in order to detect differences between the subjects who decreased central blood flow during bi-level CPAP support and those who didn't and no differences were found in terms of GA and BW.
Therefore on the basis of these findings it is not possible to identify a group of subjects that may specifically benefit from one of the two ventilatory support.
A paper published in 2009 \[[@B4]\] found that bi-level CPAP, when used as a first choice treatment for RDS in preterm babies, induced the same changes of nasal CPAP in the level pulmonary inflammatory cytokines.
The present study adds that bi-level CPAP is a safe ventilatory choice not only in terms of pulmonary injury but also from the hemodynamic point of view.
The main limitations of the study are the small number of patients included and the selective inclusion criteria.
The sample size was adequate to observe clinically relevant changes in blood flow; however it's not sufficient to exclude flow changes less than 25%. Such small changes in central blood flow may not have clinical implications. In our study the application of bi-level CPAP resulted in small changes (sometimes improvement, sometimes worsening) of central blood flow and this is probably why changes in the clinical conditions of the patients were not observed.
Moreover echocardiography is a technique with many weaknesses: measurement errors, poor image quality due to a limited acoustic access in some patients, artefacts. All these limitations play an important role and should be taken into account especially when the number of the patients is small such as in the present study.
Lastly, we included in the study only stable infants without cardiovascular compromise and therefore our results may not be extended to critical infants.
In a recent paper, published by Becker et al \[[@B23]\]. the authors measured central blood flow during respiratory support different levels of CPAP (4, 6 and 8 cmH~2~O) in a population of preterms with minimal lung disease. They hypothesized that stable infants (without inotropic support) may be able to compensate for the increased intrathoracic pressure caused by CPAP, that is, they may have had an initial decrease in cardiac output but they might have compensated rapidly with a transient increase in heart rate and subsequent recovery of cardiac output. This may also apply to our findings since the populations and the pressure levels were similar even though we used a different respiratory device. Therefore our results should be interpreted with caution as they may not apply to infants with cardiovascular instability. Other studies should be carried out to confirm our findings in critically ill infants.
Competing interests
===================
All the authors declare that they have no conflict of interest with this paper.
Authors' contributions
======================
GA, SG and GF designed the study. GA performed ECHO scan. FV performed the offline analysis. AA performed statistical analysis. GA and AA wrote the first draft of the paper, which was revised by all the other authors of the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
|
Germany fears huge losses in massive tax scandal By Jenny Hill
BBC Berlin correspondent Published duration 8 June 2017
image copyright Getty Images image caption The practices involved fiendishly complex transactions
It is reckoned to be the biggest tax scandal in German post-war history.
An international group of bankers, lawyers and stockbrokers - reportedly with links to the City of London - appears to have fiddled the tax system, employing practices which were at best unethical, at worst illegal.
Ultimately they may have deprived the state of nearly €32bn (£28bn; $36bn). As the German broadcaster ARD wryly noted, that would have paid for repairs to a lot of schools and bridges.
The newspaper Die Zeit adds that the sum would more than cover the cost of the refugee influx for a year.
Prosecutors have been investigating for some time. And gradually it is emerging that large-scale tax avoidance was taking place right under the noses of the authorities.
And that - in some cases - they turned a blind eye to practices employed, not just by individuals out to make a fortune, but by some of the country's biggest banks and respected businesses.
Creative accounting
We may never really know the full extent of those practices; largely because they involved fiendishly complex transactions, which German media broadly divide into two kinds.
In the first type, German banks and stockbrokers bought and sold shares for foreign investors in a way which allowed them to claim a tax refund for which they were not eligible. Many question the legality of the practice.
image copyright Getty Images image caption Panama was in the spotlight last year when systematic offshore tax-dodging was revealed
In the second (a more complicated variation), investors and banks bought and sold shares just before and just after dividends were paid. With a bit of imaginative paperwork, and by exploiting a procedure which allows more than one person or institution to simultaneously own a share, they were able to claim numerous tax refunds. The practice was outlawed in 2012.
Whistleblowers
German prosecutors are investigating a number of banks - among them institutions which were bailed out by the state - and individuals.
But in the meantime, a group of German journalists has been researching too, working alongside an expert from the University of Mannheim.
Their investigations, broadcast on Thursday night, reveal that, despite a warning from State Commissioner August Schäfer in 1992 and the testimony of five whistleblowers, the practices continued and were widespread.
They involved 40 German banks and scores of other financial institutions around the world.
And, as those German reporters reveal, in the end it wasn't a national authority, a finance minister or the justice system who finally exposed the practice.
It was a young administrative assistant in Germany's central tax office, who noticed that she was receiving claims for huge tax rebates from a single US pension fund.
Anna Schablonski (a pseudonym) dug further and, despite threats, began to uncover other cases. She is modest about her role - even though 30 colleagues are now dedicated to trying to recover some of the money, and prosecutors are building their cases against some of those involved. |
Introduction {#Sec3}
============
Recently, an increasing number of experimental studies have emphasized the potential for mechanical ventilation (MV) to cause lung damage, termed ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) \[[@CR1]\]. Pre-existing tissue injury is thought to work together with MV to cause lung damage \[[@CR2]\]. Both lung over-distension and the cyclic closing and opening of lung terminal units appear to play a role in the development of VILI. Ample experimental data have now shown that ventilation strategies combining low tidal volume (V~T~) with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) to keep the lung open without over-distending it were 'lung-protective'. These experimental findings have recently been translated into clinical practice where the use of such strategies has been shown to decrease the systemic consequences of injurious ventilation as well as mortality in ventilated critically ill patients. \[[@CR3], [@CR4]\]. However, selecting the right level of PEEP in such patients remains controversial \[[@CR5], [@CR6]\].
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most common nosocomial infection observed among patients undergoing MV. Increased mortality and length of stay are generally associated with the occurrence of VAP \[[@CR7], [@CR8]\]. Therefore, among experimental studies which aim at evaluating the influence of the ventilation strategy on lung injury, those in which the lung insult is a bacterial challenge are of particular interest. Several authors have reported that an injurious ventilatory strategy combining a large tidal volume with a modest level of PEEP worsened lung injury, increased the lung bacterial burden and enhanced the systemic spread of infection \[[@CR9]--[@CR13]\]. However, the beneficial effect of adding PEEP during experimental pneumonia was sought only in animals submitted to high V~T~. Conflicting results regarding the effect of PEEP have been reported in non-infectious lung injury animal models \[[@CR14]--[@CR17]\].
We have previously described a model of VAP in rabbits \[[@CR18]\]. Our findings suggested that MV was likely to cause VILI in spite of using a protective ventilation strategy (e.g., low V~T~ plus low PEEP), provided the animals were concurrently submitted to a bacterial challenge. The present study, therefore, was designed to assess to what extent the level of PEEP could influence both the histological and bacteriological parameters of our rabbit VAP model.
Materials and methods {#Sec4}
=====================
Animals {#Sec5}
-------
Male New Zealand white rabbits (body weight 2.6--3.3 kg) were obtained from Elevage scientifique des Dombes (Romans, France). These animals were not immunosuppressed and had a sanitary status of virus antibody free and specific pathogen free. They were placed in individual cages and were nourished ad libitum with drinking water and food, according to National Institutes of Health guidelines. The study was approved by our institutional review board for the care of animal subjects.
A central venous catheter was surgically inserted 24 h before MV began as previously described \[[@CR19]\]. MV was not required at this time.
Mechanical ventilation {#Sec6}
----------------------
Under general anesthesia provided by iterative intravenous injections of propofol (Rapinovet, Schering-Plough), the rabbit was orally intubated before being connected to a pressure-controlled ventilator (RPR). MV was performed in the supine position with a continuous infusion of ketamine (Imalgene, Rhône-Poulenc, 1 mg/kg per h) and pancuronium bromide (Pavulon, Organon-Teknika, 0.3 mg/kg per h). During the MV period, the animals were hydrated by infusing i.v. 150 cc/kg per day of isotonic serum.
Positive inspiratory pressure (PIP) was adjusted to approximately 15 cmH~2~O, in order to deliver a V~T~ of 8 cc/kg at zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP). The V~T~ was measured at the onset of the MV by placing a pneumotachometer between the ventilator circuit and the endotracheal tube. The animals were then randomly assigned to receive either a ZEEP (ZEEP group), a 5 cmH~2~O PEEP (low PEEP group \[lPEEP\]) or a 10 cmH~2~O (high PEEP group \[hPEEP\]), whereas PIP was kept constant throughout the experiment. The other ventilator settings were a fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO~2~) of 0.5 and a respiratory rate of 30 breaths/min with 30% inspiratory time.
Arterial blood gases and hemodynamic parameters were monitored in several test rabbits. These parameters appeared to be stable throughout the experiment, regardless of the levels of PEEP applied. Therefore, invasive monitoring was not systematically performed. Air-breathing infected animals were used as controls (non-ventilated pneumonia group \[NVP\]).
Bacterial challenge {#Sec7}
-------------------
The modalities of bacterial challenge have been described elsewhere \[[@CR18]\]. Briefly, a clinical strain of*Enterobacter aerogenes* was used to prepare a calibrated inoculum. A 10.5±0.4 log~10~ cfu/ml mean titer was used in this study.
After 1 h of MV, a silicon catheter was introduced through the endotracheal tube and pushed until it reached the bronchi. Then, 0.5 ml of a freshly prepared inoculum was gently flushed through this catheter. Thereafter, a 5 cc air volume was rapidly flushed into the airways as a recruitment maneuver just before the animal was connected again to the ventilator. FIO~2~ was transiently set to 1.0 within the time of inoculation. MV was then continued for 24 h. Notably, tracheal aspirates were never suctioned during the experimental course. Therefore, no additional recruitment maneuver was needed.
In animals from the NVP group, an endobronchial silicon catheter was introduced orally under visual control as previously described \[[@CR19]\]. Similarly, 0.5 ml of inoculum was flushed through this catheter, which was immediately removed. The animals were placed back in their cages with free access to food and water.
Pneumonia evaluation {#Sec8}
--------------------
All rabbits were anesthetized and then killed by an overdose of thiopental 24 h after the inoculation. Autopsies were carried out and the lungs and spleen were aseptically taken, and the lungs were exsanguinated. The presence of pneumonia was assessed based on both histological and microbiological findings, as follows.
### Assessment of pneumonia {#Sec9}
Lung injury evaluation was based on the microscopic examination. A 1 cm^3^ sample was taken from the worst macroscopic lesion from all lobes for microscopic examination. In the absence of macroscopic abnormality within the lobe, a lung fragment was sampled arbitrarily. A pathologist, unaware of both the ventilation strategy and the macroscopic and microbiological data, performed the histological evaluation. Each specimen was graded using a histopathological score grid used to grade pneumonia in humans \[[@CR20]\]. The worst lesion of each lobe was graded in six categories: normal (0 point), vascular injury (1 point), bronchiolitis (2 points), focal pneumonia (3 points), confluent pneumonia (4 points) and abscessed pneumonia (5 points). The overall score, corresponding to the sum of lobar score values, ranged from 0 to 35 points. In addition, aspects of diffused alveolar damage (DAD), including hyaline membrane formation (HMF), as well as emphysema-like lesions were sought in each lobe. Thus, the number of lobes in which such abnormalities were found was noted in each rabbit.
### Microbiological evaluation of pneumonia {#Sec10}
After sampling for histological examination, each pulmonary lobe was isolated from the whole lung, homogenized in sterile water and used for serial tenfold dilution cultures. The bacterial concentration value for each lobe was adjusted to its weight. The mean bacterial pulmonary concentration was calculated according to each lobar concentration with lobar weight (e.g., mean concentration = Σ \[lobar concentration x lobar weight\]/ Σ lobar weights). In addition, the spleen of each rabbit was removed, weighed, homogenized and cultured. An*E. aerogenes* positive spleen culture was considered as a marker of systemic bacterial spreading.
Statistical analysis {#Sec11}
--------------------
Data are presented as means ±SD, unless otherwise specified. Comparisons of values between the groups were assessed both by one-way analysis of variance (using the ventilatory strategy as blocking factor) completed by a post hoc analysis using the Student-Newman-Keuls test, and Kruskall-Wallis test. A*p* value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. All calculations were performed with Statview software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).
Results {#Sec12}
=======
Population {#Sec13}
----------
A total of 19 rabbits were studied and the different experimental groups were as follows: lPEEP (*n*=5); ZEEP (*n*=6); hPEEP (*n*=4); NVP (*n*=4). The mean body weight was 2.9±0.2 kg, without any significant difference between groups (2.9±0.2, 2.9±0.2, 2.8±0.1 and 2.8±0.2, respectively;*p*=0.75).
It should be noted that the pneumonia was never found to be lethal. Three animals in the hPEEP group died early from compressive pneumothoraces and were subsequently replaced.
Bacteriological findings {#Sec14}
------------------------
Quantitative lung cultures showed a high mean concentration of*E. aerogenes* in the four groups 24 h after inoculation (Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}). The bacterial lung burden was found to be significantly lower in spontaneously breathing control animals than in ventilated rabbits, when all three groups were considered (5.1±0.5 log~10~ cfu/g vs 6.8±0.7 log~10~ cfu/g, respectively;*p*=0.0005). No significant difference in terms of bacterial lung burden was found between hPEEP, lPEEP and ZEEP groups (7.3±0.8 log~10~ cfu/g vs 6.5±0.8 log~10~ cfu/g and 6.8±0.4 log~10~ cfu/g, respectively;*p*=0.54).Fig. 1Comparison of the mean lung bacterial concentrations (log~10~ cfu/g of tissue) of rabbits 24 h after bacterial challenge with respect to the ventilation strategy (ZEEP, lPEEP or hPEEP). Infected air-breathing animals were used as controls (NVP). \*statistical significance between NVP and other groups;*hPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =10 cmH~2~O,*lPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =5 cmH~2~O,*ZEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =0 cmH~2~O,*NVP* non-ventilated pneumonia
Based on spleen cultures performed 24 h after inoculation, the rate of bacteremia was high in the three groups that had undergone MV, whereas none of the air-breathing animals were found to have positive spleen cultures (Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). Interestingly, adding a low PEEP level was associated with reduced pulmonary-to-systemic translocation, since spleen cultures exhibited significantly lower bacterial concentrations in this group compared to the ZEEP group (3.1±1.5 log~10~ cfu/g vs 4.9±1.1 log~10~ cfu/g, respectively;*p*=0.025). The further increase in the PEEP level from 5 to 10 cmH~2~O was not associated with a reduction in the concentration of spleen bacteria, but rather with a significantly increased bacterial burden when compared with the lPEEP group (5.0±1.3 log~10~ cfu/g vs 3.1±1.5 log~10~ cfu/g, respectively;*p*=0.032).Fig. 2Comparison of the mean spleen bacterial concentrations (log~10~ cfu/g of tissue) of rabbits 24 h after bacterial challenge with respect to the ventilation strategy (ZEEP, lPEEP or hPEEP). Infected air-breathing animals were used as controls (NVP). \*statistical significance between lPEEP and hPEEP groups, \*\*statistical significance between lPEEP and ZEEP groups, \*\*\*statistical significance between NVP and all three other groups;*hPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =10 cmH~2~O,*lPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =5 cmH~2~O,*ZEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =0 cmH~2~O,*NVP* non-ventilated pneumonia
Histological findings {#Sec15}
---------------------
### Gross examination {#Sec16}
Although the lungs of the hPEEP group animals appeared to be more congested than those from the other groups, animals from all groups had similar gross evidence of consolidating pneumonia in at least two distinct lobes, irrespective of the ventilatory strategy.
### Microscopic examination {#Sec17}
Histology revealed signs of pneumonia in all animals. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes and fibrinous exudate filling up the alveoli were observed in all specimens. A higher level of lung injury was found in mechanically ventilated, compared to spontaneously breathing rabbits (Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}). Differences were noted within mechanically ventilated animal groups with regard to the degree of lung injury. Lung injury tended to be less intense when a 5 cmH~2~O PEEP was applied compared with ZEEP (9.6±5.5 vs 14.8±5.5 points, respectively;*p*=0.15). Interestingly, a further increase in the PEEP level (from 5 to 10 cmH~2~O) significantly increased the histology lung injury score, from 9.6±5.5 to 19.0±8.9 points, respectively (*p*=0.030).Fig. 3Comparison of the microscopic score value (points) of rabbits 24 h after bacterial challenge with respect to the ventilation strategy (ZEEP, lPEEP or hPEEP). Infected air-breathing animals were used as controls (NVP). \*statistical significance between hPEEP and both lPEEP and NVP groups, \*\*statistical significance between ZEEP and NVP groups,*hPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =10 cmH~2~O,*lPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =5 cmH~2~O,*ZEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =0 cmH~2~O,*NVP* non-ventilated pneumonia
Differences were noted with regard to the presence of DAD, as well as emphysema-like lesions (Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}, Fig. [4](#Fig4){ref-type="fig"}). None of these features were found in the lungs from spontaneously breathing animals. In contrast, DAD features coexisted with pneumonia in the lungs of the ZEEP group animals. The adjunction of a low PEEP seemed to reduce the occurrence of DAD. In the 10 cmH~2~O PEEP group, emphysema-like lesions were constantly encountered in the lobes free of pneumonia.Table 1Mean number of lobes per rabbit in which microscopic examination revealed non-infectious lung injury according to the ventilation strategy (ZEEP, lPEEP or hPEEP). Infected spontanenously-breathing animals were used as controls (NVP)Study groupshPEEP (*n*=4)lPEEP (*n*=5)ZEEP (*n*=6)NVP (*n*=4)Emphysema-like lesions1.2 (1.9)0.0 (0.0)0.8 (0.3)0.0 (0.0)Diffused alveolar damage1.5 (1.9)0.2 (0.4)0.3 (0.8)0.0 (0.0)*hPEEP* low tidal volume (V~T~), PEEP =10 cmH~2~O,*lPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =5 cmH~2~O,*ZEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =0 cmH~2~O,*NVP* non-ventilated pneumoniaFig. 4Lung histopathological examination of*E. aerogenes* pneumonia.**A** NVP group: polymorphonuclear leukocytes infiltrate within the alveolar wall**B** ZEEP group: polymorphonuclear leukocytes infiltrate filling up alveoli with late-stage diffused alveolar damage**C** lPEEP group: hyaline membrane formation reflecting early-stage diffused alveolar damage**D** hPEEP group: advanced diffused alveolar damage coexisting with pneumonia features**D'** hPEEP group: emphysema-like lesions in the lung region without pneumonia. Hematoxylin-eosin-safran stain was applied to the sections. Original magnification: X 100.*NVP* non-ventilated pneumonia,*hPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =10 cmH~2~O,*lPEEP* low V~T~, PEEP =5 cmH~2~O,*ZEEP* low V~T~, PEEP=0 cmH~2~O
Discussion {#Sec18}
==========
The main findings of the present study are the following: (1) MV dramatically worsened the histological features of pneumonia, caused additional diffuse alveolar damage, and promoted local bacterial growth and systemic translocation, compared to spontaneous negative-pressure ventilation; (2) during MV, the level of PEEP could alter the degree of lung injury as well as the systemic spreading of the infection.
Positive pressure ventilation in anesthetized animals has been shown to be potentially deleterious per se, even when low V~T~s are used \[[@CR21], [@CR22]\]. It is hypothesized that MV-induced cellular stretching is able to trigger an inflammatory reaction within the airspace and that a second insult, such as a bacterial challenge, is necessary for the inflammation/lung injury to become 'clinically relevant' \[[@CR2], [@CR18], [@CR23], [@CR24]\]. However, the links between such a pro-inflammatory lung response and the MV-induced increased severity of pneumonia have not yet been established. Lung bacterial clearance may be impaired by MV through the induction of a local environment favorable to bacterial overgrowth.
Furthermore, MV may impair bacterial clearance by other mechanisms, such as an impairment of cough and mucociliary clearance due to anesthesia, the supine positioning and the presence of an endotracheal tube. The resulting increase in the lung burden could account for the MV-induced pulmonary-to-systemic bacterial translocation which has been reported in various animal models \[[@CR9]--[@CR13]\]. This may also be related to an increased injury of the alveolar-capillary barrier and/or the physical effect of positive pressure "pushing" bacteria out of the airways. In the present study, we found that the rabbits submitted to MV exhibited significantly greater lung bacterial concentrations as well as more injury when compared to the spontaneously breathing ones. Therefore, we conclude that both mechanisms could account for the extra-pulmonary bacterial dissemination in the setting of our animal model of VAP. In addition, our data highlight the potential role of VILI in this context since microscopic examination of lung samples showed HMF only in the lungs submitted to MV.
Since it has been shown that the addition of PEEP to low V~T~ MV could be beneficial, the question of the effect of various levels of PEEP in the setting of pneumonia was also addressed in the present study \[[@CR25], [@CR26]\]. Added PEEP has been found to be protective in animal models of VAP, resulting in decreased lung injury and bacterial pulmonary-to-circulation translocation \[[@CR9]--[@CR13]\]. However, in these studies, the animals were subjected to lung over-distension since V~T~ and/or PIP was high. Therefore, the addition of PEEP may have been protective by lessening the lung damage caused by a deleterious ventilatory regimen, as previously demonstrated \[[@CR27]--[@CR29]\]. In addition, the ventilatory regimens tested were very different from those currently used in clinical practice \[[@CR5]\].
Our results provide new information on the effect of varying PEEP levels in a ventilatory setting relevant to that used in patients with acute lung injury in intermediate-sized animals. Although the lung bacterial burden was not influenced by the PEEP settings, as previously found, a low level of PEEP was associated with reduced systemic translocation when compared to ZEEP \[[@CR26]\]. Although our results do not allow us to draw clear conclusions regarding this point, our histological data provide some interesting clues. We observed that adding 5 cmH~2~O PEEP was associated with a trend toward a reduction in lung injury in animals with pneumonia ventilated with a low tidal volume. Such findings could illustrate how PEEP reduces pulmonary-to-systemic bacteria translocation by preventing VILI in infected lung areas, as suggested elsewhere \[[@CR26], [@CR30]\]. Although speculative, other mechanisms could be considered. Thus, PEEP has been shown to reduce lung edema, to allow surfactant preservation and to redirect the blood flow into poorly aerated alveoli (e.g., infected lung areas) \[[@CR1]\]. In addition, PEEP could have reduced the spleen perfusion. However, since we used a pressure-controlled ventilator, the three groups were not submitted to the same V~T~s and this may account for the differences observed in terms of lung injury. Therefore, the V~T~ reduction subsequent to the addition of 5 cmH~2~O of PEEP could account, at least in part, for its benefit.
When a 10 cmH~2~O PEEP was applied (hPEEP group), significantly more bacteria were recovered from spleen cultures than in the lPEEP group. Concurrently, lung injury including pneumonia severity and emphysema-like lesions in non-pneumonic regions tended to be greater in the hPEEP than in the lPEEP group, possibly reflecting the extent to which the well-aerated lung regions were inflated, whereas poorly aerated alveoli could not be recruited because of the pneumonic lung stiffness. Our findings would be in accordance with the results of studies that attempted to assess lung aeration distribution in humans with ARDS. Indeed, some authors have shown that when lung injury was primary, i.e. aspiration or bacterial pneumonia, the addition of high PEEP could be deleterious since its application resulted in overinflation of the normally aerated lungs rather than in recruitment of the remaining poorly aerated lung \[[@CR6], [@CR31], [@CR32]\].
Finally, some experimental studies have suggested that high PEEP levels might attenuate lung inflammation, resulting in a reduction in bacterial clearance \[[@CR29], [@CR33], [@CR34]\]. This could, at least in part, be explained by the sequestration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes within the alveolar capillaries by PEEP \[[@CR35]\]. The assessment of inflammatory cells and biomarkers was not performed in the present study and we could therefore not corroborate these findings.
There are some limitations of our model. First, experimental results should been taken cautiously, especially when small animal species are studied. For example, small animals seem to be more prone to VILI and bacteria translocation from the lung than larger animals \[[@CR1]\]. Second, the fact that the randomization to the different PEEP levels occurred before bacterial instillation could be questioned and may account for the different rates of pulmonary-to-systemic translocation, due to variable bacteria distribution. We tried to minimize this putative effect by performing a similar recruitment maneuver following the bacterial inoculation in animals from all PEEP groups. In addition, no significant difference was found between these groups in terms of lobar bacterial concentrations (data not shown). Third, since invasive monitoring was not used, one cannot rule out hemodynamic modifications that may have played a role in the systemic spread of the infection and in the ventilator-induced diffuse alveolar damage. Fourth, V~T~ may have changed during the 24-h period of ventilation, due to changes in the lung mechanical properties in relation to the development of pneumonia. Therefore, the direct effect of PEEP on the pneumonia features cannot be ascertained. Fifth, since neither PaCO~2~ nor arterial blood pH was monitored, an effect of hypercapnic acidosis on lung injury cannot be excluded. However, greater PaCO~2~ values should be expected in the hPEEP group when compared to the lPEEP group, assuming that V~T~ was lower in the former, that could in turn be lung protective \[[@CR34]\].
In conclusion, our results suggest that the addition of PEEP is probably helpful in animals with bacterial pneumonia and submitted to a low V~T~ \[[@CR36]\]. However, the end-expiratory volume, if excessive, could be an important determinant of the degree of lung injury, as previously described in non-infected animals, which could, in turn, influence the systemic spreading of the infectious process \[[@CR37]\]. These results should be taken as a word of caution by the clinician when setting the PEEP level in patients with pneumonia who require MV. It would be of interest to investigate in further in vivo or in vitro studies whether over-distension per se may impair local lung and/or systemic immune defense against bacterial infection.
Presented in January 2004 at the Congress of the French Society of Critical Care Medicine.
|
A Look at the Economy of the Future (Motiongraphic)
Frequently covers crowdfunding, the sharing economy and social entrepreneurship.
June 17, 2014
First came the Industrial Revolution, which made it easier and less costly for companies to create products on a mass scale. Now, we’re in the midst of the digital revolution, which has led to even greater efficiency. In many industries, the marginal cost of production has fallen to or close to zero. That has already been massively disruptive for many businesses and it promises to be even more so in the years to come.
These days, people have access to more and more information, which is pushing companies to be increasingly competitive. Individuals are also connecting with each other in real time all the time, unlocking a new economy being dubbed the “sharing economy.” Companies like Airbnb, where individuals rent space in their bedrooms or homes to strangers in need of a place to stay, and Uber, where individuals drive around strangers in their car in lieu of taxi cabs, have been frontrunners in the burgeoning sharing economy.
Watch this motiongraphic, commissioned by SumoCoupon, an online marketplace for coupon codes and deals for hundreds of stores, for a brief synopsis of how the economy has changed since the Industrial Revolution and predictions for how it will look going forward.
To mark Uber's five-year anniversary,CEO and founder Travis Kalanick spoke about his experience as the leader of the transportation technology company juggernaut. Here's a few pieces of advice owners can apply to their business. |
#!/bin/sh
set -e
bnscli termdeposit-release-deposit \
-deposit 842 \
| bnscli view
|
Contribution of PTPN22 1858T, TNFRII 196R and HLA-shared epitope alleles with rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies to very early rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.
To evaluate the predictive value of TNFRII 196R, PTPN22 1858T and HLA-shared epitope (SE) alleles, RFs and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) for RA diagnosis in a cohort of patients with very early arthritis. We followed up 284 patients who had swelling of at least two joints that had persisted for longer than 4 weeks but had been evolving for <6 months. At 2 yrs, patients were classified as having RA or non-RA rheumatic diseases according to the ACR criteria. Patients were genotyped with respect to TNFRII 196M/R and PTPN22 1858C/T polymorphisms and HLA-SE. The presence of IgA, IgG and IgM RF isotypes and ACPA was sought in sera collected at disease onset. HLA-SE alleles alone, concomitant presence of TNFRII 196R and PTPN22 1858T alleles, IgA, IgG and IgM RF alone and ACPA were found to be significantly associated with RA diagnosis. Using logistic regression analysis, the concomitant presence of RF and ACPA at disease onset was the best association to predict RA diagnosis. In patients (n = 34) who did not fulfil the ACR criteria for RA at inclusion but who progressed to ACR positivity, the study of the genetic risk markers did not contribute to predict RA diagnosis at 2 yrs. PTPN22 1858T, TNFRII 196R and HLA-SE alleles do not improve the predictive value of RF and ACPA for RA diagnosis in our cohort, and do not contribute to an earlier diagnosis in undifferentiated patients initially negative for RF and ACPA. |
Election season can be an opportunity to signal a change in behaviour. Arguably the politics of behaviour is one of the key crucibles of any modern election. People change their habits and do so regularly.
For example, in the 1970s, people lit up almost anywhere, smoking away in other people’s houses, in pubs and on buses. Today, smokers congregate outside. In the 1980s, drink driving was common. It was regarded as a bit iffy but we did it.
Today, for nearly everybody it is a complete no no. Some older drivers are still at it, but socially, drink driving is completely unacceptable. Had you told my late father – a lifelong dog lover, owner and walker – that he’d be expected to pick up his own dog’s droppings in a bag, he would have laughed you out of the park.
Yet all these behavioural changes have come about and are now accepted to such an extent that people can’t imagine going back to the old ways. This is what societal change looks like. Something that was once accepted as normal becomes an affront to respectable folk.
This brings me to the lunacy of rush-hour traffic, which is an affront to our intelligence, our health and the environment. It is time to apply economics to traffic, particularly traffic in our cities, most notably Dublin. Traffic and congestion should be a major electoral issue.
Public road
Let’s not start with cars, but let’s begin with public property, the public road. Traffic is a space issue: there are too many cars in the limited space of the road at a particular time of the day. Because cars clog up the roads, more efficient and more sociable modes of transport, such as buses and more environmentally-friendly modes of transport such as cycling are crowded out.
Even where there are bus lanes, the needs of cars on the cramped roads interfere with the buses, playing havoc with timetables and undermining the service.
A good way to look at this issue is through the lens of property rights or the lack of them. Congested roads at rush hours are desired by drivers the same way houses with sea views are desired by home owners.
In the housing market, access to houses with sea views are rationed by price, being far more expensive than others. But at the moment, road space at rush hour is not rationed, so we have a free-for-all, a mechanised version of anarchy. Because no one is charged, everyone suffers.
When you get in your car at rush hour, you don’t think about the others who are also suffering. Because you add a fraction of time to everyone else’s commute, the aggregate impact of too many cars is gridlock. This is called the “paradox of aggregation” in economics. What is good for the individual (you driving at rush hour) is bad for the collective (everyone stuck in traffic, polluting the atmosphere).
Dubliners spend on average 246 hours in traffic every year. That’s more than Paris (237) and London (227). Moreover, Dublin is believed to be the slowest city centre, dipping as low as six miles per hour (9.6km/h). Traffic woes in Galway, Cork and other Irish cities are common knowledge.
The impact of rush-hour traffic is clocked by the fact that at peak times, general Dublin speeds reach about 18 km/h; at off-peak times, speeds are about 37km/h, rising during “free-flow” times to an average of 45 km/h.
In economics this phenomenon is called the “iron law of congestion”. It was coined by the American economist Anthony Downs in 1962, and the law states: “On urban commuter expressways, peak-hour traffic congestion rises to meet maximum capacity.”
It is not a matter of too few roads, it is the fact that if we don’t price the property called the road properly, at times that it is desired, we get chaos. Obviously, a congestion charge is one answer to our traffic issues. A little gizmo can pick up the licence plate, and the driver driving at peak hours is charged. The charge should be explained to drivers before they buy a car.
Last year, 120,000 new cars were bought here. The more roads we build, the more cars will be bought to fill them. This is what economists call “induced demand”, meaning the extra demand for cars is induced by the extra road space. Bigger/wider/more roads means more cars and traffic.
Peak time in Ireland begins at about 6.30am and lasts until 10am, and then starts again at 4pm with the suburban school run and lasts until 7.30pm. Significant congestion charges should be applied in these hours in the city and suburbs.
Congestion charges have worked well in Singapore, London and Stockholm. For example, following the introduction of their congestion charge in 2007, Stockholm saw an immediate effect with roughly 100,000 fewer cars entering the congestion zone compared with the previous year.
But we could go one step further.
In this election, a political party that is serious about congestion, the environment and road safety could make all public transport free. Despite regularly hearing that our public transport system doesn’t work, it could be much better but, in fact it works for a lot of us.
Motor tax
Public transport usage is up about 25 per cent since 2013. Making it free is doable and could be easily financed out of the tax we raise now from motor tax.
And as well as an economic argument for free public transport, there’s a moral one: If elements of health and education are free, why not transport – another public good?
Last year, Minister for Transport Shane Ross, considering the potential costs of introducing a free public transport system said: “If such services were to be provided free to passengers . . . [it] would cost the taxpayer about €600 million per year, in addition to the €400 million that the exchequer already spends on public transport services.”
Motor tax alone raised more than €981 million in 2018. If we ring-fenced motor tax to make all public transport free, such a “targeted” tax initiative would cover the cost, with €381 million left to build cycle lanes.
The ultimate aim of these policies should be to follow Oslo’s recent example and ban all cars from our city centres. This is the future of urban living, not to mention a requirement of cutting carbon emissions.
For years we have designed cities for cars, and that’s what we got: more cars. Now we have to change our behaviour and go the other way. It will take time and lots of detailed investment in more public transport.
However, using basic economics, it makes sense to introduce a congestion charge for the privilege of driving at peak hours and at the same time to reduce to zero the cost to the commuter of public transport, financing the shortfall from motor tax, and ring-fencing what’s left of motor tax to build cycle lanes.
If not now, when? |
Q:
Open an Oracle .dmp file from excel 2007
I have an oracle .dmp file which I would like to open from excel 2007. How do I use the 'get external data' feature to do so? Is it possible in the first place?
A:
It's not possible, no.
Assuming the .dmp file was produced by the Oracle export utility, that is a proprietary, undocumented binary file. Only Oracle's import utility would be able to read it. The import utility can dump the DDL statements for the structure(s) in the dump file to a flat file but if you want to look at the data, you'd need to import that data into an Oracle database.
|
I declare that this NPS account pertains to me. I hereby state that the name as per CRA records for this PRAN and the name fetched from Aadhaar system belongs to the same person i.e. myself. I also give my consent to seed my Aadhaar against my PRAN maintained at CRA.
Name as per NPS -
Name as per Aadhaar -
Please confirm the declaration by clicking on the above check box to proceed. |
Former pro wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka died Sunday, 12 days after a Pennsylvania judge dismissed a murder case against him in the 1983 death of his girlfriend. He was 73.
Our family @TaminaSnuka asked me to share the sad news that her dad Jimmy Snuka has just passed away. Alofa atu i le aiga atoa. #RIPSuperfly — Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) January 15, 2017
Snuka's death was announced on Twitter by fellow wrestling legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. WWE broadcaster Jim Ross tweeted that Snuka had been battling stomach cancer.
Snuka's daughter, Tamina — also a wrestler — posted a photo on Instagram Sunday of her hand grasping her father's with the caption "I LOVE YOU DAD."
Attorney Robert Kirwan II told the Associated Press that Snuka was taken Sunday to his son-in-law's home near Pompano Beach, Fla. so that he could spend his last moments there. The family informed him shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday that Snuka had died, Kirwan said.
Lehigh County Judge Kelly Banach on Jan. 3 dismissed the murder case against the retired WWE star after the defense said he had dementia, was in hospice care in Florida and had six months to live.
Snuka was charged in 2015 with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter in the death of Nancy Argentino, whose body was found more than three decades earlier in their Whitehall Township, Pa. hotel room. Prosecutors allege she was beaten, while Snuka maintained she died from a fall.
Authorities reopened the investigation after The Morning Call newspaper raised questions about the case in 2013.
Banach had first ruled last summer that Snuka was not competent to stand trial after his attorney argued the ex-athlete suffers from dementia, partly due to the head trauma sustained over a long career in the ring. Prosecutors countered that Snuka's brain shows normal signs of aging and suggested he might be feigning symptoms.
At a hearing last month to re-evaluate Snuka's mental fitness, Snuka's wife told the judge that the family struggles to keep him from leaving home during bouts of psychosis in which he thinks he's late for a wrestling match. Banach then took time to review Snuka's medical records before ruling.
Kirwan said Snuka died "due to complications from his ongoing medical problems" but did not state what they were specifically.
"The family is simply heartbroken. It's been a long journey," he said. "They are grateful to the judge for dismissing the charges against him."
Kirwan added that he believes his client's name will eventually be cleared.
Snuka, a native of Fiji who previously lived in Camden County, N.J., was known on the wrestling circuit for diving from the ropes. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1996.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
Friday, December 25, 2015
New SheaMoisture Natural Hair Products for Low Porosity and High Porosity #SheaFam
If you are #SheaFam like we are, it is always exciting to find new SheaMoisture products. It's like a scavenger hunt for us! We are in Austin, Texas for the Christmas vacation and look at what I found!! |
SORT1 protective allele is associated with attenuated postprandial: lipaemia in young adults.
Elevated levels of lipids and lipoproteins have strong genetic determinants and are recognized as key risk factors for atherogenesis and cardiovascular disease, particularly in the postprandial state. The aim of the study to determine whether young adults, when stratified by genotype at the rs646776 variant of the 1p13 locus, displayed differential postprandial responses to an oral fat tolerance test. Participants (n=30) received a high-fat mixed meal (91 g; 55% kcal from fat) after an overnight fast and a fat-exclusion meal (3.9 g; 6% kcal from fat) at 8 hours postprandially. Blood samples were obtained at t=0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 24 hours for lipoprotein analyses via nuclear magnetic resonance profiling. Carriers of the minor, protective allele (TC/CC) displayed lower fasting (TC/CC, 30.1±3.0 nmol/L versus TT, 48.8±5.1 nmol/L; P<0.01) and mean postprandial (TC/CC, 44.2±3.1 nmol/L versus TT, 57.0±4.5 nmol/L; P=0.03) very low-density lipoprotein and chylomicron particle number in addition to triglyceride content when compared with individuals homozygous for the major, risk allele (TT). We report a novel association between the SORT1 1p13 locus and extent of postprandial lipaemia. These results provide evidence of decreased exposure to atherogenic particles in carriers of the minor SORT1 allele, suggesting relative protection against cardiovascular disease when compared with TT homozygotes. |
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We also have a paid subscription blog for families interested in more detailed analysis of China's program. Due to the sensitive nature of these articles, they are available by subscription only. (http://www.research-china.org/blogs/index.htm)
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Over the past few years, I can't tell you how many times we have heard from an adoptive family that wanted to have us talk to their older adoptive child about some facet of their pre-adoption history, only to learn that the child no longer remembered much. These interviews usually took place more than a year after the adoption was completed, and after the child had begun to speak in their new language. Unfortunately, in most cases, the year had brought a decline in both Chinese language abilities and in the quality of their memories.
To reduce the risk of this unfavorable outcome, Lan is now offering to conduct a post-adoption interview as soon as possible after the adoption is completed (even while a family is still in China). The interview can be conducted by phone or Skype/QQ. Lan will casually and lovingly talk to your child, and ask in a natural way any questions the adoptive family would like to know information about. In this way, the adoptive parents can gain valuable insights into the adoption experience from their child's viewpoint, gain information about their time in the orphanage, and learn other important answers that may help the adoptive child and adoptee.
The audio of each conversation will be recorded for later review and archiving (your adoptive child will love hearing their Chinese down the road!). A debriefing report will be provided by email to the adoptive family recapping all important points discussed.
Lan will be offering this service for $50 per interview. Lan brings an intimate familiarity with nearly every orphanage performing adoptions, so she will know what to ask, how to follow-through on the answers. In other words, she will be able to talk to your child in the best way to get as much information for you as possible.
Please contact Lan directly as longlan34@hotmail.com with any questions, or to schedule an interview. We can promise you will find this opportunity of great worth both now and in the future.
Thursday, November 06, 2014
If you wish to be informed on what Research-China.Org is up to, like us on FB. You will then be alerted to posts, announcements, etc.
Since we have had a spike in foster family inquiries, I thought we would remind families of orphanages for which we have located foster families. These families almost always have photos and other information for adoptive families, so it is crucially important that adoptive families do everything they can to locate them. |
Q:
Split column values based on delimiter and matches with another column in postgres
I have a following columns in a table in postgres schema.
ID feature start end
EBI-15947845 p.C29S 29 29
EBI-15983374 p.E283C 283 283
EBI-16057637 p.[L44D;A47D;I66D;L67D] 66 66
EBI-16057637 p.[L44D;A47D;I66D;L67D] 47 47
EBI-16057637 p.[L44D;A47D;I66D;L67D] 44 44
EBI-16057637 p.[L44D;A47D;I66D;L67D] 67 67
EBI-2266598 p.D1305_D1306delinsKK 1305 1306
I would like to transform the 'feature' column such the entry matches the value with start and end column. For more clarity, below are my desired columns after transformation.
ID feature start end
EBI-15947845 p.C29S 29 29
EBI-15983374 p.E283C 283 283
EBI-16057637 p.I66D 66 66
EBI-16057637 p.A47D 47 47
EBI-16057637 p.L44D 44 44
EBI-16057637 p.L67D 67 67
EBI-2266598 p.D1305_D1306delinsKK 1305 1306
I can think of an approach but not able to implement it. The column value should be split by ; and then apply regular expression match on each component using start/end values and pick and replace when it encounter a match and concatenate with p..
Any suggestions would be really helpful.
Thanks
A:
I don't think you actually need to split the values. As far as I can tell, using regexp_match() should be enough:
select id,
case
when start = "end" and feature like 'p.[%'
then 'p.'||(regexp_match(feature, '([A-Z]'||start||'[A-Z])'))[1]
else feature
end as feature,
start,
"end"
from the_table
Online example
|
While electric powered vehicles appeared from time-to-time, they have not heretofore reached their expected production potential. For example, Decker U.S. Pat. No. 1,179,407 issued in 1916, disclosing an electric truck including a transmission having aligned armature shaft 31, pocket shaft 19 and main shaft 18, and a counter shaft 22 parallel thereto. Two pinion gears are slidably mounted on the main shaft 18, while a third gear is secured thereon, and four pinion gears are secured to the shaft 22, one in mesh with the third gear. By sliding the two slidably mounted gears along the main shaft to selectively engage the third gear of the main shaft and three of the four gears of the countershaft, low, second, high and reverse speeds are attained.
Kelly U.S. Pat. No. 1,442,220 issued in 1923, disclosing an electric powered automotive vehicle, preferably a truck, including a transmission having parallel motor and rear wheel drive shafts. A pair of gears are keyed to the motor shaft, and a second pair of gears are rotatably mounted on the drive shaft and mesh with the first pair of gears. Clutch means are slidably keyed to the drive shaft intermediate the second pair of gears for establishing two drive speeds by selectively manually engaging the one or the other of the second pair of gears.
Heany U.S. Pat. No. 1,794,613 issued in 1931, disclosing a transmission system for automobiles and including a combination of electro-magnetic and mechanical clutches so arranged in connection with suitable gears as to give automatic change of speeds depending on the relative speed of driving means and driven member and torque requirements of the car, and also containing means of manually shifting into various forward and reverse speeds. The transmission includes a main drive shaft, a parallel countershaft and a short shaft supporting an idler gear. Three gears are mounted on a sleeve slidably keyed to the main shaft, and three gears are secured to the countershaft, one of which meshes with the idler gear. Selectively sliding the three sleeve-mounted gears in cooperation with two of the three gears of the countershaft and the idler gear produce low, second, and reverse speed ratios.
Busch U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,485 issued in 1975, disclosing an electric motor vehicle including a two-part transmission having an input shaft from a shunt-wound electric motor, a parallel final output shaft of an electric clutch, and a parallel output shaft to the drive wheels, an input gear on the input shaft, a meshing gear on the final output shaft, along with ring, planet and sun gears on the latter connected by a unidirectional clutch to a separately mounted gear which meshes with a gear carried on the electric clutch shaft. Variable-pitch pulleys on the input and the electric clutch shafts are interconnected by a V-belt. At low speeds the electric motor is connected via the variable-pitch pulleys and V-belt to the wheels, and for higher speeds the motor is connected thereto via the above referenced gearing. Reverse is effected by reversing the motor electrically. |
Inactivation of the slow potassium outward current in crab muscle fibre.
The slow outward current (IK2) recorded in crab muscle fibre using the double sucrose gap method decreases when high and maintained depolarizations are applied. This decrease corresponds to a true inactivation of the potassium conductance rather than to a shift in the reversal potential of the charge carrying ion following local accumulation. |
Welcome to the Frightening World of Java/Perl interoperability!
See 'Changes' files for the latest & greatest!
See below for instructions on how to install on a Windows box running
ActiveState Perl.
Once again a major version change meaning the 4.x is NOT backwards
compatibile with previous JavaServer versions. The 4.x stuff gives
you very basic authorization, ability to turn off the event_port if
you're not doing GUI work, and 'callbacks' that allow your Java classes
to make Perl calls. Also in 4.x 'use_tied_arrays' is now the default,
to use 'old-style' array handling you have to say 'use_old_style_arrays=>1'
in your constructor - which you really should not be using anymore!
Again check out the 'Changes' file and the perldoc and a new examples
directory called 'java2perl' for some callback examples.
WARNING: the callback infrastructure is EXPERIMENTAL - use at your
own risk & let me know how it goes.
Big Thanks to Achim Settelmeier for the Callback & Authorization stuff -
keep that twisted mind working!
DON'T FORGET - If you recompile any Java classes that JavaServer is using
you MUST STOP AND RESTART JavaServer so it will pick up your changes!!
Good Idea Department:
If you stick all of your Java classes you use with JavaServer into one
directory the startup script for JavaServer will be much simpler since
you won't have to fiddle with the CLASSPATH all the time since all of your
stuff will be in one spot - always.
Version 3.x of JavaServer & Java.pm are NOT backwards compatible!!!
You MUST use a 3.x version of JavaServer with a 3.x version of Java.pm
& same for 2.x and 1.x versions!
Check out the 'Changes' file for new stuff in the 3.0 version of the
Java code bundled with Java-3.0 - basically a protocol change to allow
for multi-lined Strings.
There are two parts to this:
1. The 'Backend' - which is contained in 'JavaServer.jar'. The backend must be
running for the 'Frontend' (part #2) to work. Run 'install_java_server.pl'
to get this part going. The 'main' Java class is called 'JavaServer' so
you end up running the thing as 'java -classpath JavaServer'
JavaServer listens on a port for incoming connexions from Frontends - you
can alter the default port of 2000 by specifying it on the command line like:
java -classpath JavaServer 8000
Will start the server listening on port 8000. You would then need to tell
the Java Perl module to connect to port 8000 instead of the default like:
my $java = new Java(port => 8000);
More on this below.
2. The 'Frontend' - which is the Perl module 'Java.pm' which you install
as any other Perl module.
First be sure to run 'install_java_server.pl' to get your JavaServer environment
set up and happy.
Make sure 'JavaServer' is up and running before you try to run any tests!
Basically you just need to add 'JavaServer.jar' to your classpath on the 'java'
command line (which unfortunately forces you to also add in classes.zip
manually). Run the 'install_java_server.pl' and it will create a shell
or batch file for you (most likely) - or at least tell you what you need to
to.
Please see the javadoc on Java for LOTS more information.
JavaServer Tested On Matrix:
JVM 1.1.8 1.2
Platorm
-------
NetBSD Yep
Solaris Yep Yep
Windows '98 Yep Yep
Linux Yep Yep
In theory - according to 'Write Once Run Anywhere' that is! - JavaServer should run no problem under any 1.1+ JVM. It doesn't really do anything too fancy.
The 'SwingEventListener' does need Swing to be loaded (or accessible) to the
JVM to use Swing events & of course Swing classes.
You can run JavaServer just fine if Swing isn't available - it'll automatically
detect that Swing isn't available and use 'EventListener' rather than
'SwingEventListener'. That gets ya all the plain old AWT events.
'SwingEventListener' subclasses 'EventListener' & just adds all them bizzare
Swing events.
A great place to look is the 'test.pl' script and in the 'examples' directory.
ACTIVESTATE USERS
Thanks to John Z. for this info:
1. to install under activeperl, users needs to download nmake15. and use
the nmake instead of make on the usual perl install. location of
nmake15.exe is under ftp.microsoft.com/Softlib/MSLFILES/nmake15.exe
instrtuction on how its used with activestate modules is
www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePerl/docs/faq/ActivePerl-faq2.html |
Q:
Water coming in through the walls of an old concrete garage
I recent bought a house with a detached garage, made of old concrete (high aggregate content) reinforced with steel rods and set into a hill. Built in 1938 or so; no waterproofing.
Now that Boston has turned into a rain-forest, water is seeping / leeching through the walls of the garage, making the whole thing very damp and smelly. There are no obvious drips, but the bottom 3-4 feet of concrete is discolored and damp, and there are patches of dampness on the (newer) floor.
The concrete is degrading, and I was thinking of parging over it with new concrete to smooth the walls, but I want to address the leaking first. Or would a parge coat help? What else can I do to seal up the concrete, short of digging up the foundation (15' of dirt with a garden on top!) and painting the outside surface?
A:
It sounds like your garage is the low spot in the landscape and making a drain system difficult or impossible. If you are sure that drains aren't possible, the only other possible solution may be treating the interior wall surfaces with an epoxy wall treatment like "Dry Loc". Dry Loc will withstand hydrolic pressure of about 3psi, which is usually enough for walls and floors effected only during times of heavy rain etc. The trick of making this stuff work well is to be sure the concrete is dry and any loose, flaking or effluence is removed. Obvious cracks and foundation form pins must be "keyed" and filled with hydrolic cement such as "rocktite" before painting the Dry Loc on. The Oil based Dry loc is much easier to use than the latex based version, but lots of ventilation is needed, which should not be a problem with a garage. you will probably need two coats and be sure to work it into all the tiny holes etc, 100% coverage is important. Good Luck.
A:
I'd suggest a french drain around the sides of the garage. This requires that you have somewhere to output the drain, and it also involves a lot of digging. But it will work much better than waterproof paint.
Short of that, check the grading of the land around the garage and make sure everything slopes away.
|
MidTown Farmer’s Market footnote: How toxic is poke salad?
I’ve always heard about eating poke salad, and also heard that one had to know exactly when to pick it (early) and how to prepare it because the mature plants were poisonous.
I was mildly curious, but only mildly.
Today at the Mid-Town Farmers Market in Oxford, one of the vendors had (along with other quite lush looking greens) bags of poke salad. I decided to look it up and see what was involved.
Well, the extension service in Alabama is pretty firm: Don’t eat poke salad. They cite a food scientist at Auburn, who is carrying out a bit of a campaign against eating the plant. On another state extension newsletter, she notes:
“The roots, berries, seeds and mature stems and leaves of pokeweed are poisonous,” says Extension Food Scientist Jean Weese. There are at least three different types of poison in this plant — phytolaccatoxin, triterpene saponins, an alkaloid, phytolaccin, and histamines.
She describes what apparently is the traditional cooking method, designed to remove the toxins from the leaves:
Most people boil the shoots and leaves for 20-30 minutes, first in salt water and again in clean water, then eat the plant much like spinach.
“The boiling process removes some of the toxins but certainly not all of them,” says Weese. I suggest that people avoid this plant no matter how many times your mother or grandmother may have prepared it in the past and no matter how good it tasted. Why would you want to eat something that we know is toxic when there are so many other non-toxic plants out there we can eat?”
The American Cancer society has this to say:
All parts of the pokeweed are poisonous, particularly the roots. The leaves and stems are next in toxicity, and the berries have the smallest amount of poison. However, children have been poisoned by eating raw pokeweed berries, and some have died. The practice of brewing pokeweed plant parts with hot water to make tea has caused poisoning. Thoroughly cooking the plant reduces its toxicity. The effects of eating the uncooked or improperly prepared plant can include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headaches, blurred vision, confusion, dermatitis, dizziness, and weakness. Convulsions, low blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, heart block (a blockage of the electrical impulses that stimulate the heart to contract), and death may occur. Animals can also die of toxic effects from eating pokeweed, although it does not happen often.
Since, like me, this may have made you decide to only experience eating poke salad vicariously, here’s an account of a forager in Ohio experimenting with eating it, and describing its taste. |
Q:
Is it possible for a Reform Jew to break halacha or violate a mitzva?
Is it possible for a Reform Jew to violate a mitzva in the Torah or break halacha, like breaking shabbos by doing melacha ('labor')? After all, from what I understand, Reform Jews don't believe in a requirement to keep mitzvos; thus, I don't understand how a Reform Jew can violate something there's no requirement to keep. Can he? How does that work?
A:
Yes, a Reform Jew can absolutely transgress a mitzvah. That Reform doesn't say up front "here are all the mitzvot you must accept" does not mean that no Reform Jew accepts any. Reform (as taught today; I can't speak to early history) isn't about rejecting mitzvot.
A Reform Jew reaches an understanding of halacha through a different path than others, and some may never reach it at all, but one who does is exactly as liable for it as any other Jew. If I drive on Shabbat I am guilty of violating Shabbat; I don't get to say "I'm Reform so I don't have to do that".
The difference is that for any random Reform Jew, we don't know what his understanding of Shabbat is. So "is it possible to violate Shabbat?" Yes. "Is that guy over there driving his car violating Shabbat?" Yes, per halacha. "Does that guy over there driving his car believe he is violating Shabbat?" That depends on what he has accepted. If "that guy" is Orthodox, on the other hand (and not uneducated etc), then we can presume that he agrees he is transgressing. (Assuming in all cases, of course, that there isn't a pikuach nefesh issue that trumps Shabbat.)
You may or may not agree with the approach, but your question didn't ask for a judgement, only an analysis.
A:
It is possible for a Reform Jew to break Shabbos. From the perspective of traditional Judaism, it doesn't matter whether they believe in the laws. If they don't follow them, they are transgressing.
From a Reform perspective, your description of Reform Judaism is inaccurate. The fact that hilchot Shabbos exist is indisputable. They're written in the Torah, therefore they exist. Reform Jews might deny their authenticity or their obligatory nature, but they cannot deny that they exist. As such, whenever a Reform Jew does something in violation of Shabbos, he is breaking Shabbos, even according to himself. He might not think that it matters though.
The position of the Reform movement is not that halachot like those of Shabbos do not exist. Rather, it is that people should follow the halachot that have meaning to them.
|
Faith Sector Case Study Summaries:
Rural West: Agricultural ChaplaincyProviding help 24/7 and 365 days each year the team covers financial and business issues, relationships and welfare benefit advice. The Chaplaincy is the only agency specifically helping gay farmers. The use of social media shares information, raises awareness of issues as well as developing mutual support and easing isolation.
Chester: Football Cage ProjectNow a joint project between Blacon Community Church and Cheshire Police, this project has grown from a detached youth work project in 2010. Engaging with 150 young people, a 30-40% drop in antisocial behaviour has been reported. Staffed by volunteers, the project builds relationships between young people and the Police.
Ellesmere Port: Street PastorsStreet Pastors are key community partners in Ellesmere Port. Practical projects engaging students from the Academy have changed local residents’ attitudes towards young people. School Pastors are a new initiative about to launch providing guardianship and mentoring as students move from the feeder schools into the academy.
Winsford and Rural East: Christians Against PovertyCAP is a national free debt counselling service licensed by the OFT. Between 100-200 users have been helped with home visits. A free budgeting course, CAP Money, runs for three sessions of 90 minutes. CAP HQ negotiates with creditors on behalf of clients and a free phone helpline is provided.
West Cheshire: Faith Sector Building AssetsThe 2010 Audit found that 84% of respondees had their own buildings of which 71% indicated facilities available to the wider community. From towns to villages, conference facilities to camping fields - Faith Communities provide, administer and often staff building assets right across the Borough.
Northwich and Rural North: Main Street Community Church, FrodshamIn the heart of Frodsham, Tim and his team are a local Faith Community using their building to serve the Community. The Wellspring Café provides a local focus Tuesdays and Thursdays. As a community hub, the building hosts Cheshire Neighbours Credit Union, the CAB, a book stall and Fair Traded goods. |
Faye Interest From Leeds And Blackburn
01 September 2010 11:51
Leeds United and Blackburn Rovers are showing interest in former Stoke City midfielder Amdy Faye, who is a free agent after being released in the summer. The 33-year-old has successfully recovered from back surgery after the injury dogged his final year at Stoke and has been training pain free. Faye, who has more than 30 caps for Senegal and has also figured for Portsmouth and Newcastle, has held preliminary talks with Blackburn but is weighing up all options. |
Reduction of MDR3 mRNA levels by forskolin in Chang liver cells.
MDR3 is a phospholipid translocator and a putative transporter of several drugs in the canalicular membrane of hepatocytes. To clarify the regulatory system for the expression of MDR3 mRNA in comparison with MDR1 mRNA, we examined the effect of cyclic AMP using forskolin. Chang liver cells were treated with forskolin, and then MDR3 and MDR1 mRNA levels were examined by RT-PCR and the MDR3 protein level was examined by Western blotting. The MDR3 mRNA level decreased while the MDR1 mRNA level increased, and the effects of forskolin were inhibited by a protein kinase A inhibitor, H-89. The MDR3 protein level was not changed by forskolin. However, forskolin decreased the induction of MDR3 mRNA expression by doxorubicin. The level of MDR3 mRNA was negatively-regulated by a cyclic AMP- and protein kinase A-dependent system. |
divisor of 273188 and 30644.
652
Calculate the highest common divisor of 15 and 360891705.
15
What is the greatest common factor of 59566 and 26156?
26
Calculate the highest common divisor of 9558 and 12406638.
354
Calculate the greatest common factor of 483 and 3023787.
69
What is the greatest common factor of 1663168 and 3224?
104
What is the highest common factor of 212002 and 476?
14
What is the highest common factor of 4491340 and 1960?
980
Calculate the highest common divisor of 63 and 79.
1
What is the greatest common divisor of 56782 and 22179432?
638
What is the greatest common factor of 29969 and 225883?
23
What is the greatest common divisor of 414584446 and 76?
38
What is the highest common factor of 258012 and 94020?
12
What is the highest common divisor of 30683202 and 22?
22
Calculate the greatest common factor of 2499 and 2983659.
147
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 23274818 and 35.
7
What is the greatest common divisor of 378 and 1829493?
27
What is the greatest common divisor of 35656 and 1576?
8
What is the greatest common divisor of 3027856 and 6?
2
What is the highest common factor of 99736 and 2576833?
959
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 1190484 and 1296.
108
Calculate the greatest common factor of 312497972 and 8.
4
Calculate the highest common divisor of 28621206 and 2151.
2151
What is the highest common factor of 1011230208 and 2048?
512
What is the greatest common divisor of 782527 and 7599?
17
Calculate the highest common divisor of 36408 and 564472.
296
Calculate the greatest common factor of 14194980 and 13580.
1940
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 1617 and 343167.
33
What is the greatest common divisor of 39964 and 864788?
412
Calculate the greatest common factor of 99876 and 157201257.
3567
Calculate the greatest common factor of 1530210 and 15.
15
What is the greatest common divisor of 27527554 and 455880?
7598
Calculate the greatest common factor of 25766061 and 7386.
3693
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 186559 and 6304.
197
What is the highest common divisor of 30104472 and 3720?
744
Calculate the greatest common factor of 15666547 and 2262.
13
What is the greatest common divisor of 1776 and 7244526?
222
What is the highest common divisor of 581 and 727265?
7
What is the greatest common divisor of 113262985 and 165?
55
What is the highest common divisor of 537 and 49029?
3
Calculate the greatest common factor of 182125 and 21555375.
5875
What is the highest common factor of 442582 and 1259874?
1414
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 68303928 and 133584.
6072
What is the greatest common divisor of 7115733 and 567?
9
What is the greatest common factor of 136 and 33583432?
136
Calculate the highest common divisor of 65769938 and 26.
26
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 330 and 17427470.
10
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 276159435 and 120.
15
What is the greatest common factor of 341827930 and 58?
58
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 860 and 4045268.
172
Calculate the highest common factor of 31494000 and 3360.
240
Calculate the highest common factor of 85728 and 185664.
96
Calculate the highest common divisor of 16759731 and 44547.
1437
Calculate the greatest common factor of 31 and 98898277.
31
What is the greatest common factor of 24343 and 40964?
11
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 3318 and 3579786.
42
What is the highest common divisor of 75 and 42409775?
25
What is the highest common divisor of 220937 and 3968?
31
What is the greatest common factor of 61423 and 460801?
257
What is the highest common divisor of 425637 and 36?
9
What is the highest common divisor of 50051880 and 30?
30
What is the greatest common divisor of 31990464 and 8704?
1088
Calculate the highest common factor of 11628 and 512704683.
2907
What is the highest common factor of 13035750 and 42?
42
What is the highest common divisor of 1269926 and 14?
14
What is the highest common factor of 114072 and 218442?
294
Calculate the highest common divisor of 1430 and 4657796.
286
What is the highest common divisor of 55991 and 683397?
767
What is the greatest common divisor of 18216 and 1230408?
1656
Calculate the greatest common factor of 3424 and 171955848.
856
Calculate the highest common factor of 117 and 68390985.
39
What is the greatest common divisor of 2352 and 515578?
98
Calculate the highest common divisor of 646845 and 18255.
15
Calculate the highest common divisor of 679528 and 176548.
404
What is the greatest common factor of 6982839 and 9?
9
What is the greatest common factor of 533912 and 512?
8
Calculate the highest common divisor of 1411400 and 46780.
20
What is the greatest common factor of 18 and 983997?
9
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 14 and 706841051.
7
What is the greatest common factor of 3761 and 166743935?
3761
What is the highest common factor of 384993 and 1861139?
679
What is the highest common factor of 498699 and 1?
1
What is the highest common factor of 226 and 365329113?
113
What is the greatest common factor of 168644718 and 121?
121
Calculate the highest common factor of 384 and 2274672.
48
What is the highest common factor of 12186 and 1827?
9
What is the greatest common divisor of 1980 and 5029376?
44
What is the highest common factor of 33042 and 544?
2
What is the greatest common divisor of 1610 and 3543680?
70
What is the greatest common factor of 13331026 and 2146?
74
What is the highest common divisor of 2664 and 42382908?
1332
What is the highest common factor of 23130 and 102286?
514
What is the highest common factor of 4509 and 45040?
1
Calculate the highest common divisor of 228093 and 75.
3
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 949394 and 92.
46
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 3174 and 3736419.
69
What is the highest common divisor of 1422 and 2685684?
474
What is the greatest common divisor of 2332959 and 1?
1
What is the greatest common divisor of 1529353 and 203?
7
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 7320 and 356026500.
3660
Calculate the highest common divisor of 1258 and 198050.
34
What is the greatest common factor of 68 and 644894762?
34
What is the greatest common factor of 1603535 and 435?
5
What is the greatest common factor of 352 and 4228202?
22
What is the highest common factor of 1725 and 335475?
75
Calculate the highest common divisor of 1066022784 and 96.
96
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 475 and 76163951.
19
Calculate the highest common divisor of 68 and 15111334.
34
What is the greatest common divisor of 1968 and 23674056?
984
Calculate the greatest common factor of 382 and 1907387502.
382
What is the highest common divisor of 108425445 and 1395?
465
What is the highest common divisor of 696 and 67735092?
12
What is the highest common divisor of 2087532 and 136?
68
Calculate the greatest common factor of 244678 and 350.
14
Calculate the greatest common factor of 22 and 162231817.
11
What is the greatest common divisor of 72324 and 1442052?
1476
What is the greatest common divisor of 22489235 and 137?
137
What is the highest common divisor of 6664 and 29842568?
392
Calculate the greatest common factor of 17084448 and 96.
96
What is the highest common divisor of 104181 and 79233?
231
Calculate the greatest common factor of 3933026 and 2.
2
Calculate the highest common divisor of 384 and 2504976.
48
What is the greatest common factor of 10140 and 169428?
12
Calculate the highest common factor of 26 and 262239.
1
What is the highest common divisor of 22404 and 21?
3
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 1183500 and 45000.
4500
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 15421602 and 63.
21
Calculate the highest common divisor of 39442630 and 292.
146
What is the highest common divisor of 996 and 12733196?
332
What is the greatest common divisor of 72880 and 369760?
80
What is the greatest common factor of 50922 and 22724414?
1886
What is the greatest common divisor of 423 and 45604053?
423
Calculate the highest common divisor of 2274 and 262014070.
758
Calculate the greatest common divisor of 96694630 and 8367.
2789
Calculate the greatest common factor of 19467350 and 2450.
350
Calculate the highest common factor of 1558 and 16781218.
1558
What is the highest common factor o |
Q:
iterate array to create hibernate criteria statement
let say my array has 3 integer object value= 3,4,5
i would need to create hibernate criteria that look like below
criteria.add(Restrictions.and(Restrictions.not(Restrictions.eq(
"stepId", new Integer(3))), Restrictions.and(Restrictions
.not(Restrictions.eq("stepId", new Integer(4))), Restrictions
.not(Restrictions.eq("stepId", new Integer(5))))));
the above criteria is created manually, i wonder can automate this through iteration
for(Iterator iterator = integerArray.iterator; iterator.hasNext()){
// create the criteria above
}
A:
Yes, you can use Disjunction in your loop:
Disjunction disjunction = Restrictions.disjunction();
for(Iterator iterator = integerArray.iterator; iterator.hasNext()){
disjunction.add(yourRestriction); //add your restirction here
}
criteria.add(disjunction );
A:
You can use in restriction while takes Array argument.
Integer[] integerArray = ...
criteria.add(Restrictions.and(Restrictions.not(
Restrictions.in("stepId", integerArray)
);
|
{*
* 2007-2017 PrestaShop
*
* NOTICE OF LICENSE
*
* This source file is subject to the Academic Free License (AFL 3.0)
* that is bundled with this package in the file LICENSE.txt.
* It is also available through the world-wide-web at this URL:
* http://opensource.org/licenses/afl-3.0.php
* If you did not receive a copy of the license and are unable to
* obtain it through the world-wide-web, please send an email
* to license@prestashop.com so we can send you a copy immediately.
*
* DISCLAIMER
*
* Do not edit or add to this file if you wish to upgrade PrestaShop to newer
* versions in the future. If you wish to customize PrestaShop for your
* needs please refer to http://www.prestashop.com for more information.
*
* @author PrestaShop SA <contact@prestashop.com>
* @copyright 2007-2017 PrestaShop SA
* @license http://opensource.org/licenses/afl-3.0.php Academic Free License (AFL 3.0)
* International Registered Trademark & Property of PrestaShop SA
*}
<div class="modal fade" id="{$modal_id}" tabindex="-1">
<div class="modal-dialog {if isset($modal_class)}{$modal_class}{/if}">
<div class="modal-content">
{if isset($modal_title)}
<div class="modal-header">
<button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal">×</button>
<h4 class="modal-title">{$modal_title}</h4>
</div>
{/if}
{$modal_content}
{if isset($modal_actions)}
<div class="modal-footer">
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default" data-dismiss="modal">{l s='Close'}</button>
{foreach $modal_actions as $action}
{if $action.type == 'link'}
<a href="{$action.href}" class="btn {$action.class}">{$action.label}</a>
{elseif $action.type == 'button'}
<button type="button" value="{$action.value}" class="btn {$action.class}">
{$action.label}
</button>
{/if}
{/foreach}
</div>
{/if}
</div>
</div>
</div> |
Visit Stathead.com/football/ and sign up for a free trial for our new tools. The Play Index will be going away in a week or two. Please read our blog post: Play Index Tools Are Moving to Stathead.com
Player Streak Finder
Find NFL and AFL player game streaks from 1950 to 2020 and season streaks from 1920 to 2020. Offensive player game participation data (eg, games in which a player played but recorded no counting stats) is complete from 1970 to present. Times sacked complete in seasons since 1969, in games since 1982.
Current search: From 1920 to 2017, playing for any team, streaks of seasons with at least 4000 Passing Yards
Show/Hide Search Form __p("text that informs the user how to change the form", "Use the back button to change the form") Click for URL to Share With Others
Click on the red text to pre-fill the form with various values Search for consecutive seasons matching criteria (e.g., most seasons in a row with 30+ TD passes) Search for consecutive games matching criteria (e.g., most games in a row with 100+ yards rushing) Years 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 to 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986 1985 1984 1983 1982 1981 1980 1979 1978 1977 1976 1975 1974 1973 1972 1971 1970 1969 1968 1967 1966 1965 1964 1963 1962 1961 1960 1959 1958 1957 1956 1955 1954 1953 1952 1951 1950 1949 1948 1947 1946 1945 1944 1943 1942 1941 1940 1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 1934 1933 1932 1931 1930 1929 1928 1927 1926 1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 Any • Post-Merger • Current Team All Teams — Active Franchises — Ari (StL/Chi) Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis (Bal) Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs LA/ San Diego Chargers Los Angeles (SL/Cle) Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Oakland (LA) Raiders Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ten Titans/Hou Oilers Washington Redskins Akron Indians — Defunct Franchises — All Buffalo All Tonawanda Baltimore Colts Bos Bulldogs/Pot Maroons Boston Yanks Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Lions Brooklyn Tigers Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bisons Canton Bulldogs Champaign Legion Chicago Boosters Chicago Hornets/Rockets Chicago Stayms Chicago Tigers Cincinnati Celts Cincinnati Celts Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Bulldogs Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians Cleveland Panthers Columbus Tigers Columbus Wagner Pirates Dallas Texans Dayton Triangles Detroit Heralds Detroit Maroons Detroit Panthers Detroit Tigers Detroit Wolverines Duluth Eskimos Elyria Athletics Evansville Crimson Giants Fort Porter Fort Wayne Friars Frankford Yellow Jackets Gary Elks Hammond Pros Hartford Blues Kansas City Cowboys Kenosha Maroons Kewanee Walworths Lansing Oldsmobile Logan Square Los Angeles Buccaneers Los Angeles Dons Louisville Colonels McKeesport Olympics Miami Seahawks Milwaukee Badgers Minneapolis Marines Minneapolis Red Jackets Moline Universal Tractors Muncie Flyers New York Brickley Giants New York Yankees New York Yankees New York Yanks Newark Tornadoes Oorang Indians Pitcairn Quakers Providence Steam Roller Pullman Thorns Racine Tornadoes Richmond Athletics Rochester Jeffersons Rochester Scalpers Rock Island Independents Rockford A.C. St. Louis All-Stars St. Louis Gunners St. Paul Ideals Staten Island Stapletons Syracuse Stars Thorn Tornados Toledo Maroons Toledo Maroons Tonawanda Kardex Union A.A. Utica K. of C. Washington Glee Club Washington Senators Wash & Jeff Collegians West Buffalo Wheeling Stogies Zanesville Mark Grays Opponent All Teams — Active Franchises — Ari (StL/Chi) Cardinals Atlanta Falcons Baltimore Ravens Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers Chicago Bears Cincinnati Bengals Cleveland Browns Dallas Cowboys Denver Broncos Detroit Lions Green Bay Packers Houston Texans Indianapolis (Bal) Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs LA/ San Diego Chargers Los Angeles (SL/Cle) Rams Miami Dolphins Minnesota Vikings New England Patriots New Orleans Saints New York Giants New York Jets Oakland (LA) Raiders Philadelphia Eagles Pittsburgh Steelers San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks Tampa Bay Buccaneers Ten Titans/Hou Oilers Washington Redskins Akron Indians — Defunct Franchises — All Buffalo All Tonawanda Baltimore Colts Bos Bulldogs/Pot Maroons Boston Yanks Brooklyn Dodgers Brooklyn Lions Brooklyn Tigers Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bisons Canton Bulldogs Champaign Legion Chicago Boosters Chicago Hornets/Rockets Chicago Stayms Chicago Tigers Cincinnati Celts Cincinnati Celts Cincinnati Reds Cleveland Bulldogs Cleveland Indians Cleveland Indians Cleveland Panthers Columbus Tigers Columbus Wagner Pirates Dallas Texans Dayton Triangles Detroit Heralds Detroit Maroons Detroit Panthers Detroit Tigers Detroit Wolverines Duluth Eskimos Elyria Athletics Evansville Crimson Giants Fort Porter Fort Wayne Friars Frankford Yellow Jackets Gary Elks Hammond Pros Hartford Blues Kansas City Cowboys Kenosha Maroons Kewanee Walworths Lansing Oldsmobile Logan Square Los Angeles Buccaneers Los Angeles Dons Louisville Colonels McKeesport Olympics Miami Seahawks Milwaukee Badgers Minneapolis Marines Minneapolis Red Jackets Moline Universal Tractors Muncie Flyers New York Brickley Giants New York Yankees New York Yankees New York Yanks Newark Tornadoes Oorang Indians Pitcairn Quakers Providence Steam Roller Pullman Thorns Racine Tornadoes Richmond Athletics Rochester Jeffersons Rochester Scalpers Rock Island Independents Rockford A.C. St. Louis All-Stars St. Louis Gunners St. Paul Ideals Staten Island Stapletons Syracuse Stars Thorn Tornados Toledo Maroons Toledo Maroons Tonawanda Kardex Union A.A. Utica K. of C. Washington Glee Club Washington Senators Wash & Jeff Collegians West Buffalo Wheeling Stogies Zanesville Mark Grays Game Type Regular Season Playoffs Either Playoff Round Any Wild Card Divisional Championship Super Bowl Game Location Home Away Neutral Any Game Result Won Lost Tied Any Game Day Of Week All Days Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday non-Sunday Find Streaks With... Choose... Pass Attempts Passes Completed Passing Yards Passing TD Passes Intercepted Times Sacked Passer Rating Pass Comp% Receptions Targets (since 1992) Receiving Yds Receving TD Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rushing TD All TD All-Purpose Yds Yds From Scrimmage Touches Fumbles (since 1994) Fumbles Lost (since 1994) Sacks (since 1982) Interceptions Interception Ret. TDs Fantasy Points Fantasy Points (PPR) DraftKings Points FanDuel Points >= <= = Choose... Pass Attempts Passes Completed Passing Yards Passing TD Passes Intercepted Times Sacked Passer Rating Pass Comp% Receptions Targets (since 1992) Receiving Yds Receving TD Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rushing TD All TD All-Purpose Yds Yds From Scrimmage Touches Fumbles (since 1994) Fumbles Lost (since 1994) Sacks (since 1982) Interceptions Interception Ret. TDs Fantasy Points Fantasy Points (PPR) DraftKings Points FanDuel Points >= <= = Show only currently active streaks Streak Length at least 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 seasons games Additional Criteria Choose Choose... Pass Attempts Passes Completed Passing Yards Passing TD Passes Intercepted Times Sacked Passer Rating Pass Comp% Receptions Targets (since 1992) Receiving Yds Receving TD Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rushing TD All TD All-Purpose Yds Yds From Scrimmage Touches Fumbles (since 1994) Fumbles Lost (since 1994) Sacks (since 1982) Interceptions Interception Ret. TDs Fantasy Points Fantasy Points (PPR) DraftKings Points FanDuel Points >= <= = Choose Choose... Pass Attempts Passes Completed Passing Yards Passing TD Passes Intercepted Times Sacked Passer Rating Pass Comp% Receptions Targets (since 1992) Receiving Yds Receving TD Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rushing TD All TD All-Purpose Yds Yds From Scrimmage Touches Fumbles (since 1994) Fumbles Lost (since 1994) Sacks (since 1982) Interceptions Interception Ret. TDs Fantasy Points Fantasy Points (PPR) DraftKings Points FanDuel Points >= <= = Choose Choose... Pass Attempts Passes Completed Passing Yards Passing TD Passes Intercepted Times Sacked Passer Rating Pass Comp% Receptions Targets (since 1992) Receiving Yds Receving TD Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rushing TD All TD All-Purpose Yds Yds From Scrimmage Touches Fumbles (since 1994) Fumbles Lost (since 1994) Sacks (since 1982) Interceptions Interception Ret. TDs Fantasy Points Fantasy Points (PPR) DraftKings Points FanDuel Points >= <= = Choose Choose... Pass Attempts Passes Completed Passing Yards Passing TD Passes Intercepted Times Sacked Passer Rating Pass Comp% Receptions Targets (since 1992) Receiving Yds Receving TD Rush Attempts Rush Yards Rushing TD All TD All-Purpose Yds Yds From Scrimmage Touches Fumbles (since 1994) Fumbles Lost (since 1994) Sacks (since 1982) Interceptions Interception Ret. TDs Fantasy Points Fantasy Points (PPR) DraftKings Points FanDuel Points >= <= =
If you utilize material unique to a Sports Reference site for a tweet, an article, or for research for a broadcast or podcast, please strongly consider citing this site as the source for the material. It would be greatly appreciated and would help us continue to produce this material. |
"Marika Kato," the main character of "Bodacious Space Pirates," makes her debut, clad in her new, red costume from the film version. Under the supervision of Mr. Akiman, responsible for the animation character's original plan, as well as Mr. Tatsuo Sato, the director, the character has been figurized in a cute form, bursting with confidence. By replacing one part, you can also recreate her in a form without a hat. This healthy, cherubic figure of Mariko sitting down on a relief with a pirate flag pattern, is a product that will charm both fans of the series and figure fans alike. |
Q:
Cannot read postgis RASTER into ArcGIS using the interoperability extension, either directly by Query Layer
This post Accessing PostGIS raster data using Query Layer in ArcGIS Desktop? was created in Jul-12. Since then, I have not found any other related-post published.
Using QGIS with DBManager ON, my postGIS raster tables can be displayed nicely so far. That's cool and it proved that my raster tables are OK and not corrupted. However, I need to use ArcMap 10.1 and read those rasters, without having to create views or multy-polygons in the database as the above post suggested.
I have tried two ways:
Setting a Database connection in ArcCatalog directly to the Postgress/PostGIS database. I can display vector features, but only see the attribute table of the raster, so not displaying the raster as a whole. I guess this has not been implemented so far by ESRI, has it?.
By using the Interoperability extension and its postGIS file type, I can see my geometries within my database, anything new, so I am able to add those raster tables into my ArcCatalog tree. Interesting, at least this time, the icon of the element instead of being a table icon seems to be a point feature icon, so something different is going on. But when I try to display these point geometries (a kind of cells?), it says "Error reading Interoperability Data. The operation failed because the database table does not have a numeric number".
If I were able to add this numeric number into my raster table at the database - still I don't know how to do it- would I be able to finally visualize the raster?, or would I see just only the table again?. Would version 10.2 of ArcGIS improve this a little?. Is there any other way round to solve this within ArcGIS?
In the other hand, am I having these issues because I have not done something at the database level which I was supposed to do with my raster files? Someone has succeeded at adding postgis rasters into ArcGIS?
A:
Currently, Interoperability extension of Safe Software does not support reading rasters from Postgress. And, ESRI does not display raster tables from Postgress either.
Problem solved, it is not feasible.
|
Sanders held his own in the foreign-policy-focused second hour of the debate, something he had not done in debates past. And he had one of his best moments of the exchange at an unlikely time — in response to a question about his criticism of Bill Clinton's past behavior. Sanders turned the question into one focused on how the campaign he is running is about policy, not personal differences — to much applause.
AD
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More than anything he said, though, it was the passion and disruption that Sanders oozed from every pore over the two hours that should push Democrats on the fence about the race into his camp. Sanders effectively positioned himself as the anti-status-quo candidate, a very good position to have in this electoral environment.
* Martin O'Malley: Early in the debate, I had the former Maryland governor pegged for the "loser" category because he was doing the one thing I hate: complaining about how little time he had to talk. The truth is that when one candidate is in the 50s in national polling, another is in the 40s and a third is in the, well, twos, the candidate in the twos shouldn't get as many questions.
But, to O'Malley's credit, he turned the corner on getting ignored and by the end of the debate was downright likable. Will it change anything about his minuscule support in Iowa and New Hampshire? No. But kudos to him. He did well in an impossible situation.
AD
AD
One other important note about O'Malley: He tipped the scales to Sanders during a pitched fight between the senator from Vermont and Clinton over Wall Street reform. O'Malley chimed in by bashing Clinton as a defender of the same old, same old when it came to bank behavior — doing Sanders a major favor in the process.
* Rand Paul: The senator from Kentucky isn't going to be the Republican presidential nominee. But he may have a future as a professional political tweeter. Paul's counter-programming of the Democratic debate via Twitter was sardonic and fun — two things politics can always use more of.
*President Obama: Clinton went out of her way, repeatedly, to praise what the current president has done in office — from Obamacare to Iran and back. Sanders sought to play down his differences with Obama by noting that "he and I are friends." Had O'Malley had time to talk, I am certain he would have praised Obama, too.
Losers
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* Hillary Clinton: The former secretary of state was, as always, solid. And, at times — like in her closing statement on the water in Flint, Mich. — she was outstanding. Her knowledge — both the depth and the breadth of it — is on full display in these debate settings.
So, why is she in the loser column? Because she did nothing in the debate to slow the momentum that Sanders is building in Iowa and New Hampshire. Aside from guns, where Clinton scored a clean win against Sanders, she was unable to effectively cast him as a pie-in-the-sky idealist and herself as the only person who could truly fight for — and win on — Democratic priorities.
Time and again, she was boxed into defending a status quo that the American public — Democrats and Republicans alike — is dissatisfied with. This tweet from the New York Times's Nicholas Kristof perfectly captures that sentiment:
The Clinton-as-cautious-pragmatist vs. Sanders-as-idealist-fighter is not a good dynamic for the former secretary of state.
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The world is becoming an increasingly
diverse place and one really must be
skilled in understanding the culture
within which grows up and was socialized
and the cultures and subcultures that
one is going to encounter in the
community work one does. For most students in the program, would probably say their
internship that's the single most
important thing they do in the program because that's
where ideally they get great supervision,
they have a mentor, they get to do this
sort of work they are going to be doing in their career and it's an opportunity to develop those
skills that are going to be crucial to
being successful and for those students
who want to go on to doctoral work an
internship is also really important
because if you're going to go to a
doctoral program in an applied area, like
community psychology or clinical psychology, it's important to have somebody employed
by the internship site be able to say "I've seen this student actually do the sorts of
things that are important for work in
this field and I can vouch for their
credibility and their skill level." It's
hard to do that simply on the basis of
classroom courses that students take. UNH masters program of Community Psychology
is one of the oldest, freestanding
masters programs in community
psychology in the country.
|
Rising European Nationalism Is Destroying The Euro
The European crisis and the recent round of elections in Europe
have shown an undercurrent of political nationalism, writes
UBS economist Paul Donovan.
In Greece, Golden Dawn got nearly 7 percent of the vote in June
17 elections, and Syriza also campaigned on a nationalism
platform. In France, the Front Nationale secured 14 percent of
the vote in the first round and managed national assembly
representation for the first time in decades.
Meanwhile, The True Finns are the third party of Finland, while
Sinn Fein is in the second spot in Ireland if recent opinion
polls are to be believed.
And this nationalism is making it harder to resolve the European
crisis.
What's causing the wave of nationalism?
Donovan believes nationalist parties are gaining political
support because of two common characteristics among their
supporters.
First, they tend to come from the economically insecure strata of
society though not the lowest income groups. "It is more likely
to be those in society who feel themselves as being most at risk
in economic terms," writes Donovan. "That implies that they have
something to lose (thus are not the lowest income groups) and
that they feel threatened." This also explains why nationalism is
as prevalent in non-periphery, as it is in peripheral Europe.
They are also hostile to immigration and perceive outsiders to
pose an economic and a cultural risk.
Nationalism can only hurt the euro
The major consequence of this nationalism according to Donovan,
is that it will make the European crisis harder to resolve.
Weaker countries are resentful of conditions imposed on them by
outsiders. At the same time, the stronger economies are resentful
that their relative wealth is being channeled away from national
uses.
"The challenge is that if the Euro is to hold together (and we
believe it will) these nationalist sentiments must be subsumed
into a regional sentiment. Fiscal confederation should not be
about “German money” going to “Greece”, or whatever
combination.
Instead fiscal confederation should be about wealthier Euro
citizens funding assistance to less wealthy Euro citizens. To get
beyond the national boundaries implicit in the current national
sentiment is essential to the eventual and necessary integration
of the Euro area."
Just as importantly, such nationalism will make the economies
less competitive:
"There is a real risk that by fostering an environment where
political nationalism develops, the ensuing prejudice will
undermine competitiveness and productivity in the Euro economy.
...Festering resentment and nationalism is unlikely to produce
that sort of a climate. Given how important it is to restore
competitiveness to the Euro area economy, this is not a
negligible economic cost." |
I can’t see my Pinjo icon in the traybar
If you cannot see the icon in your taskbar, as shown in the picture, there could be several reasons why it is invisible.
One of the reason might be that you have not started the pinjo service, or started the program. Check the running processes list to see if there is a process called 'Pinjo.exe'
If you are connecting to your machine, on which Pinjo is running, via a remote desktop, VNC or pcanywhere like solution, check if you have enough colors defined in your remote session.
If you are using Microsofts Remote Desktop you might have a problem since Remote Desktop doesn't have take over the screen, but starts a new copy of it. This problem is known in Windows 2003 Web Edition and Windows Vista. The 'Pinjo.exe' process is available, but cannot be accessed in any way. Of course the icon isn't visible either then. An other OS might have the same problem but is not yet reported.
Solution for this is to start Remote Desktop with console access.
Windows 2003:Run the following command from 'Start', 'Run' on your client computer to start Remote Desktop:
%SystemRoot%\system32\mstsc.exe /console
Windows Vista:Run the following command from 'Start', 'Run' on your client computer to start Remote Desktop:
%SystemRoot%\system32\mstsc.exe /admin
This command starts the usual Remote Desktop window with one difference. It takes over the console of your remote computer instead of starting a new session. |
Public and professional attitudes to transplanting alcoholic patients.
The discrepancy between the number of people who might benefit from liver transplantation continues to exceed the availability of donor livers available, so rationing of grafts must occur. Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is an excellent indication for liver transplantation, with outcomes at least as good as for other indications.ALD remains a controversial indication for liver transplantation. There is no robust evidence that public disquiet over distribution of donor livers to those with ALD (even if they return to alcohol) greatly affects organ donation, although this does not mean there is no consequence of such disquiet. Numerous surveys of the general public, patients, and health care professionals indicate the these patients are thought to have lower priority for access to available liver grafts. Public education is required to demonstrate that patients with ALD are carefully selected for liver transplantation and available grafts are used with attention to equity, justice, and utility. |
Kinetics of desorption of organic compounds from dissolved organic matter.
This study presents a new experimental technique for measuring rates of desorption of organic compounds from dissolved organic matter (DOM) such as humic substances. The method is based on a fast solid-phase extraction of the freely dissolved fraction of a solute when the solution is flushed through a polymer-coated capillary. The extraction interferes with the solute-DOM sorption equilibrium and drives the desorption process. Solutes which remain sorbed to DOM pass through the extraction capillary and can be analyzed afterward. This technique allows a time resolution for the desorption kinetics from subseconds up to minutes. It is applicable to the study of interaction kinetics between a wide variety of hydrophobic solutes and polyelectrolytes. Due to its simplicity it is accessible for many environmental laboratories. The time-resolved in-tube solid-phase microextraction (TR-IT-SPME) was applied to two humic acids and a surfactant as sorbents together with pyrene, phenanthrene and 1,2-dimethylcyclohexane as solutes. The results give evidence for a two-phase desorption kinetics: a fast desorption step with a half-life of less than 1 s and a slow desorption step with a half-life of more than 1 min. For aliphatic solutes, the fast-desorbing fraction largely dominates, whereas for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as pyrene, the slowly desorbing, stronger-bound fraction is also important. |
Product Details
Manfrotto Dark Gray TwistGrip Universal Smartphone Clamp - MTWISTGRIP
TwistGrip is the premium universal smartphone clamp from Manfrotto, specifically devised for all smartphone users interested in smartphone photography who want to increase the potential of their device. The clamp connects any smartphone to any kind of support, functioning as a base for a complete modular photographic system. Its 1/4" thread support connection and cold-shoe lighting connection give you the possibility to use TwistGrip in multiple configurations and with different photographic accessories that will help you always achieving the best shooting results. Its sturdy and secure aluminium body and high-quality construction is fully Made in Italy and ensures smartphones are reliably supported while shooting pictures and videos: the twist movement and the locking knob securely block the smartphone in the right position in just a few, easy steps. Thanks to its unique shape and function, TwistGrip is one of the handiest smartphone accessories: its stylish appearance, tactile finish, compact shape and countless applications not only make it easy to carry around and very versatile but also a real pleasure to use. |
Q:
Unit Testing Controller with Authorization ASP.NET Core 2.0 Web API
I have a controller:
public class InvitationsController: Controller {
private readonly IMapper _mapper;
private readonly IInvitationManager _invitationManager;
private readonly UserManager<MyAppUser> _userManager;
public InvitationsController(
IInvitationManager invitationManager,
IMapper mapper,
UserManager<MyAppUser> userManager,
IJobManager jobManager
) {
_invitationManager = invitationManager;
_mapper = mapper;
_userManager = userManager;
}
[Authorization]
GetInvitationByCode(string code) { ... }
I'm trying to write unit tests using Xunit and Moq. Here is the implentation of my test:
public class InvitationsControllerTests {
private Mock<IInvitationManager> invitationManagerMock;
private Mock<UserManager<MyAppUser>> userManagerMock;
private Mock<IMapper> mapperMock;
private InvitationsController controller;
public InvitationsControllerTests() {
invitationManagerMock = new Mock<IInvitationManager>();
userManagerMock = new Mock<UserManager<MyAppUser>>();
mapperMock = new Mock<IMapper>();
controller = new InvitationsController(invitationManagerMock.Object,
mapperMock.Object,
userManagerMock.Object);
}
[Fact]
public async Task GetInvitationByCode_ReturnsInvitation() {
var mockInvitation = new Invitation {
StoreId = 1,
InviteCode = "123abc",
};
invitationManagerMock.Setup(repo =>
repo.GetInvitationByCodeAsync("123abc"))
.Returns(Task.FromResult(mockInvitation));
var result = await controller.GetInvitationByCode("123abc");
Assert.Equal(mockInvitation, result);
}
I don't think I'm using the mocking functionality correctly. Specifically with UserManager. I can't find a clear answer on using Moq to test controllers protected by [Authorize]. When running my tests, it throws an exception on
controller = new InvitationsController(invitationManagerMock.Object,
mapperMock.Object,
userManagerMock.Object);
Which reads:
Castle.DynamicProxy.InvalidProxyConstructorArgumentsException: 'Can not instantiate proxy of class: Microsoft.AspNetCore.Identity.UserManager`1[[MyApp.api.Core.Models.MyAppUser, MyApp.api, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null]].
Could not find a parameterless constructor.'
A:
You're not unit testing; you're integration testing. When you find yourself setting up ten thousand mocks just to run a method, that's a pretty good sign it's an integration test. Additionally, things like authorization only happen as part of the request lifecycle; there's no way to test that, without doing an actual request, which again, means you're integration testing.
As such, use the test host.
private readonly TestServer _server;
private readonly HttpClient _client;
public MyTestClass()
{
_server = new TestServer(new WebHostBuilder()
.UseStartup<Startup>());
_client = _server.CreateClient();
}
[Fact]
public async Task GetInvitationByCode_ReturnsInvitation() {
var mockInvitation = new Invitation {
StoreId = 1,
InviteCode = "123abc",
};
var response = await _client.GetAsync("/route");
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
var responseString = await response.Content.ReadAsStringAsync();
var result = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<Invitation>(responseString);
// Compare individual properties you care about.
// Comparing the full objects will fail because of reference inequality
Assert.Equal(mockInvitation.StoreId, result.StoreId);
}
If you need to scaffold your data to make the correct result return, simply use the in-memory database provider. The easiest way to use this for integration testing is to specify a new environment like "Test". Then, in your startup, when configuring your context, branch on the environment and use the in-memory provider (instead of SQL Server or whatever) when the environment is "Test". Then, when setting up your test server for integration testing, simply add .UseEnvironment("Test") before .UseStartup<Startup>().
|
Details
Originally to be called Federal City College, the station was for several years called Mount Vernon Square-UDC, for a nearby square and a branch campus of the University of the District of Columbia. The name changed because a new convention center was being built over the station, with an opening date sometime in 2003. This is the northern terminus of the Yellow line, and those trains turn around on a special track just north of the station. |
//
// FLEXLiveObjectsController.h
// Flipboard
//
// Created by Ryan Olson on 5/28/14.
// Copyright (c) 2020 Flipboard. All rights reserved.
//
#import "FLEXTableViewController.h"
#import "FLEXGlobalsEntry.h"
@interface FLEXLiveObjectsController : FLEXTableViewController <FLEXGlobalsEntry>
@end
|
INTRODUCTION
============
Population aging due to increases in life expectancy and low birth rates is a major social issue in South Korea. Growing concerns about poverty and illness among the elderly prompted the Ministry of Health and Welfare to implement long-term-care insurance for the elderly in 2009, and various welfare and health policy studies have been conducted to assess the effects of those policy changes \[[@B1][@B2]\].
The socioeconomic cost of dental expenses is steadily increasing due to the aging population. The number of Korean patients treated for periodontal disease reached 14 million in 2017, with total costs of medical care exceeding 1.1 trillion Korean won \[[@B3]\]. In addition, 5.9 million people received medical care for dental caries, at a total cost of about 590 billion Korean won. Untreated dental caries or periodontal disease can lead to the loss of teeth, which can adversely affect nutrition and the socioeconomic activities of the elderly, thereby threatening the health of the entire body \[[@B4]\]. Oral reconstruction is therefore a prerequisite for improving quality of life in the elderly and ensuring that they remain healthy. However, this is associated with a large cost burden, which makes it especially difficult to implement in elderly patients.
The Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) now provides insurance for oral reconstruction procedures including complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and dental implants. Complete denture insurance coverage has been provided for edentulous patients older than 75 years since July 1, 2012, and insurance coverage for removable partial dentures was introduced in July 2013. The scope of the insurance policy was expanded to include dental implants in July 2014. Elderly people older than 70 years were included in July 2015, and people older than 65 years were included in July 2016. Moreover, the copayments for dentures and implants were reduced from 50% to 30% in November 2017 and July 2018, respectively \[[@B3][@B4]\]. These policy changes are expected to reduce the socioeconomic burden of dental treatment on the elderly population and to help prevent simple dental diseases in South Korea. However, there are some limitations of this policy. In cases of complete and removable partial dentures, the insurance does not cover the reworking of dentures for 7 years after the first procedure, so that patients are required to pay the entire cost for the reworking of dentures if the dentures break or if remaining teeth are extracted within 7 years after receiving the first benefit. The insurance benefit for dental implants only covers up to 2 implants during an individual\'s lifetime. This means that patients with more than 2 missing teeth do not receive sufficient support from the policy.
This study used sample cohort data from the NHIS to investigate the relationships of types of dental insurance coverage in Korea with sociodemographic characteristics and the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases, as well as to evaluate the socioeconomic impact of Korean dental insurance policies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
=====================
This retrospective cohort study evaluated data from sample subjects in the NHIS database in South Korea. Patients aged ≥65 years who received insurance benefits between 2006 and 2015 were extracted as the exposed group from the database using the procedure codes for complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and dental implants. The control group comprised randomly extracted patients aged ≥65 years who did not receive insurance benefits. The sample subjects represented all enrollees in the NHIS, which consisted of 2 sex groups, 18 age groups, and 41 groups of South Korean citizens categorized by insurance type and income quintile. The insurance type was divided into Medical Aid, employee-insured, and self-employed insured, and a distinction was made between heads of household and dependents. Income quintiles were defined according to quarterly income, with the first quintile corresponding to the lowest income level and higher quintiles including higher income levels.
The analyzed data included sex, age, insurance type, income quintile, systemic diseases, and oral diseases. Systemic diseases and oral diseases were identified based on diagnostic codes, with oral diseases including periodontal diseases and dental caries. Some diseases, such as dementia, were not identified in order to ensure the privacy of the subjects.
The exposed group was divided into 3 separate exposed groups according to whether they received complete dentures, removable partial dentures, or dental implants. In order to confirm the sociodemographic relevance of the control group, the frequencies of claims differentiated according to sex, age, income quintile, and insurance type were determined. The sociodemographic characteristics of the control group were not analyzed, because the sample subjects were extracted from groups evenly divided according to sex, age, insurance type and income quintile. The prevalence systemic diseases and oral diseases were compared between the exposed groups and the control group using the chi-square test. The criterion for statistical significance was *P*\<0.05. All analyses were performed using SAS software (version 9.4, SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA).
The overall flowchart of this study is presented in [Figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}.
{#F1}
The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, South Korea (NHIMC IRB No. 2017-01-010).
RESULTS
=======
From 2012 to 2015, there were 63,875 patients older than 65 years in the sample cohort, comprising 23,505 men and 40,370 women. Insurance benefits related to dental prostheses was provided to 16,241 patients, covering complete dentures in 5,126 patients, removable partial dentures in 7,136, and implants in 3,979.
[Figure 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"} shows the number of patients who received insurance benefits over 6-month intervals. Insurance coverage for complete resin dentures, removable partial dentures, and dental implants was introduced in July 2012, July 2013, and July 2014, respectively. The subjects were initially restricted to those older than 75 years, but in July 2015 coverage was extended to patients older than 65 years for complete and removable partial dentures, and to patients older than 70 years for dental implants. There were fewer patients receiving insurance benefits for complete dentures than for removable partial dentures at each time point, and the number decreased significantly as the age limit for dental implant coverage decreased. The number of patients receiving insurance benefits for dental implants in the second half of 2015 was 3.7-fold higher than that in the first half of 2015.
{#F2}
[Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"} presents the sociodemographic characteristics of the exposed groups. Fewer male than female patients received complete and removable partial denture coverage, but there was no significant difference by sex. There was no significant difference in the number of male and female patients in the dental implant group.
###### Sociodemographic characteristics of the exposed groups (n = 16,241)
Sociodemographic characteristic Complete dentures (n=5,126) Partial dentures (n=7,136) Dental implants (n=3,979)
--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------- --------------------------- --------------- -- ----------
Sex 0.5284 0.2388 0.3756
Male 1,945 (37.95) 2,814 (39.43) 1,945 (48.88)
Female 3,181 (62.06) 4,322 (60.56) 2,034 (51.12)
Age (yr) \<0.0001 \<0.0001 \<0.0001
70--75 142 (2.77) 1,073 (15.04) 1,639 (41.19)
75--80 4,914 (95.86) 6,028 (84.47) 2,339 (58.78)
80 or older 70 (1.37) 35 (0.49) 1 (0.03)
Income quintile 0.0782 0.0032 0.0716
First 647 (12.62) 893 (12.51) 465 (11.69)
Second 471 (9.18) 636 (8.92) 270 (6.79)
Third 626 (12.21) 846 (11.86) 426 (10.71)
Fourth 924 (18.03) 1,306 (18.30) 770 (19.35)
Fifth 1,899 (37.04) 2,801 (39.25) 1,911 (48.03)
Missing 559 (10.91) 654 (9.16) 137 (3.44)
Social security type 0.0048 \<0.0001 0.0436
Medical Aid Head of household (Medical Aid beneficiaries) 861 (16.80) 1,158 (16.23) 816 (20.51)
Dependents of Medical Aid beneficiaries 486 (9.48) 552 (7.73) 318 (7.99)
Employee-insured 73 (1.42) 186 (2.61) 316 (7.94)
Dependents of the insured employee 3,192 (62.28) 4,652 (65.19) 2,407 (60.49)
Self-employed insured 461 (8.99) 531 (7.44) 97 (2.44)
Dependents of the self-employed insured 53 (1.03) 57 (0.80) 25 (0.63)
The insurance benefits for each type of prosthetic treatment were provided most frequently to patients between 75 and 80 years of age, and the number of patients receiving insurance benefits differed significantly among the 3 age groups in all exposed groups. Patients aged 70--75 years received insurance coverage more often for dental implants than for complete dentures.
A trend was observed for higher income levels to be associated with more patients receiving insurance benefits. Patients in the fifth income quintile accounted for 48.03% of those in the dental implant group. However, the difference was statistically significant only in the removable partial denture group.
Heads of household who were Medical Aid beneficiaries received more benefits than their dependents, the dependents of insured employees received more benefits than the heads of households, and the self-employed insured received more benefits than their dependents.
[Table 2](#T2){ref-type="table"} lists the prevalence, odds ratios (ORs), and significance levels (*P* values) of systemic diseases in the exposed and control groups.
###### Prevalence of systemic diseases in the exposed and control groups
Systemic disease Complete dentures Partial dentures Dental implants Control group (%) *P*
----------------------- ------------------- ------------------ ----------------- ------------------- ------ ---------- ------ ------ ---------- ------ ----------
Hypertension 71.9 1.32 \<0.0001 72.0 1.32 \<0.0001 66.7 1.03 0.4106 66.1 \<0.0001
Diabetes 35.0 0.99 0.7884 38.0 1.13 \<0.0001 38.1 1.13 0.0002 35.2 0.0010
Anemia 15.6 1.37 \<0.0001 13.6 1.18 \<0.0001 11.1 0.93 0.1471 11.8 \<0.0001
Renal disease 5.3 1.23 0.0015 4.9 1.14 0.0248 3.8 0.86 0.0738 4.4 0.0023
Hepatic disease 21.1 0.91 0.0101 23.5 1.05 0.0841 26.6 1.24 \<0.0001 22.6 \<0.0001
Rheumatoid arthritis 7.6 1.16 0.0053 7.8 1.19 0.0001 7.7 1.18 0.0060 6.6 0.9359
Osteoporosis 38.9 1.41 \<0.0001 39.5 1.45 \<0.0001 34.9 1.18 \<0.0001 31.1 \<0.0001
Asthma 32.0 1.33 \<0.0001 31.4 1.30 \<0.0001 29.2 1.17 \<0.0001 26.1 0.0124
Cerebral infarction 79.8 20.71 \<0.0001 17.9 1.14 \<0.0001 12.0 0.71 \<0.0001 16.1 \<0.0001
Angina pectoris 18.5 1.24 \<0.0001 19.5 1.33 \<0.0001 18.3 1.23 \<0.0001 15.4 0.1967
Myocardial infarction 3.0 1.40 \<0.0001 2.5 1.15 0.0699 1.3 0.57 \<0.0001 2.2 \<0.0001
Pneumonia 23.6 1.34 \<0.0001 19.9 1.07 0.0210 15.5 0.79 \<0.0001 18.8 \<0.0001
%: prevalence within the group, OR: odds ratio (compared to the control group).
The prevalence of hypertension, anemia, renal disease, hepatic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, cerebral infarction, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and pneumonia was significantly higher in the complete denture group than in the control group (*P*\<0.05). Cerebral infarction had the highest prevalence in the complete denture group (*P*\<0.05), with an OR of 20.71 relative to the control group. The prevalence of diabetes did not differ significantly between the complete denture and control groups.
The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, anemia, renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, cerebral infarction, angina pectoris, and pneumonia was significantly higher in the removable partial denture group than in the control group (*P*\<0.05). However, the prevalence of hepatic disease and myocardial infarction did not differ significantly between these 2 groups.
The prevalence of diabetes, hepatic disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, and angina pectoris was significantly higher in the dental implant group than in the control group (*P*\<0.05), while that of cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, and pneumonia was significantly lower (*P*\<0.05). The prevalence of hypertension, anemia, and renal disease did not differ significantly between the dental implant and control groups.
The prevalence of the abovementioned diseases, other than rheumatoid arthritis and angina pectoris, differed significantly among the 3 exposed groups (*P*\<0.05).
[Table 3](#T3){ref-type="table"} presents the prevalence, ORs, and significance levels of oral diseases in the exposed and control groups. The prevalence of periodontal disease was significantly higher in the complete denture, removable partial denture, and dental implant groups than in the control group (*P*\<0.05). Among the 3 exposed groups, the dental implant group showed the highest prevalence of periodontal disease (*P*\<0.05), with an OR of 23.46 relative to the control group. The prevalence of dental caries was significantly higher in the removable partial denture and dental implant groups than in the control group (*P*\<0.05), while it was significantly lower in the complete denture group than in the control group (*P*\<0.05). Among the 3 exposed groups, the dental implant group showed the highest prevalence of dental caries (*P*\<0.05).
###### Prevalence of oral diseases in the exposed and control groups
Oral disease Complete denture Partial denture Dental implant Control group (%) *P*
--------------------- ------------------ ----------------- ---------------- ------------------- ------ ---------- ------ ------- ---------- ------ ----------
Periodontal disease 69.7 1.67 \<0.0001 89.4 6.10 \<0.0001 97.0 23.46 \<0.0001 58.0 \<0.0001
Dental caries 16.0 0.66 \<0.0001 39.1 2.24 \<0.0001 47.4 3.15 \<0.0001 22.2 \<0.0001
%: prevalence within the group, OR: odds ratio (compared to the control group).
DISCUSSION
==========
The present study evaluated the sociodemographic effects of Korean dental health insurance policies, which were developed to reduce the socioeconomic burden of oral reconstruction procedures. The cost for oral reconstruction procedures is especially burdensome for patients with systemic diseases that are costly to treat throughout their lifetime. According to the Health Data 2016 published by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), public expenditures covered an average of 73.6% of the national healthcare expenditures across OECD countries in 2014 \[[@B5]\], while in South Korea the proportion was only 58.8% \[[@B6]\]. In addition, the out-of-pocket spending ratio for health care in South Korea is high for low-income patients with chronic diseases \[[@B7]\], and the economic burden associated with severe diseases has increased \[[@B8][@B9]\]. This indicates that efforts are needed to increase the available public finances and strengthen the coverage of health insurance in South Korea.
Many previous authors have pointed out that the high cost of dental treatment is the most common reason for delaying or not receiving dental care \[[@B10][@B11]\]. Although oral reconstruction is a prerequisite for enhancing the quality of life and general health of the elderly, its application is sometimes restricted by the dental health insurance coverage, income, financial status, and oral health status of those older than 65 years \[[@B12][@B13]\].
Efforts have been made to reduce the expenses of dental care for Korean patients. Health insurance coverage for complete dentures was implemented for patients older than 75 years in July 2012, after which the age limit for covered subjects has been reduced and the proportion of the costs covered by health insurance has been increased. In other countries that started to apply insurance benefits for dental prostheses earlier than Korea, such as Japan and Sweden, the national health insurance programs have guaranteed full coverage benefits for dentures \[[@B4]\]. Insurance coverage for dental implants is currently only available in Sweden and Korea. However, the insurance benefits only cover up to 2 implants in Korea, while in Sweden there is no limit to the number of implants.
Many studies have investigated the necessity of health insurance coverage of prostheses for treating teeth loss, which has been prompted by the increasing elderly population in South Korea \[[@B14][@B15][@B16][@B17]\]. These studies have mainly focused on the prosthodontic condition of the elderly and their requirements for prostheses. After the implementation of the new health insurance policy in Korea, the focus turned to questionnaires about perceptions of insurance coverage of dentures and implants within the elderly population \[[@B18][@B19][@B20]\]. However, there is a lack of research into the effectiveness of policy implementation utilizing objective data sources.
The present study analyzed patients who received insurance benefits categorized by sex, age, income quintile, and type of insurance coverage. This analysis revealed that the insurance benefits for dentures were paid more frequently to female patients than to male patients, and in terms of different age groups, most frequently to patients aged 75--80 years. Among patients aged 70--75 years, insurance coverage was applied more often for dental implants than for complete dentures, meaning that they had a higher number of missing teeth. These results are consistent with previous reports, which have found higher frequencies of periodontal disease and tooth loss among women than among men and in older subjects \[[@B21][@B22]\].
This study also found that the dependents of the workplace subscribers or the dependents of the local subscribers received insurance benefits for complete dentures or removable partial dentures more frequently than for dental implants. The subjects in these groups were very likely to have lost economic productivity, but they required oral reconstruction procedure due to the loss of multiple teeth. In such cases, dentures may be more closely aligned with the goals of Korean dental health policy than dental implants, which have a limitation that the insurance benefit for dental implants covers only up to 2 implants during the lifetime.
The analysis of income by quintile in this study revealed that the number of patients receiving benefits increased with the income quintile, but the differences were not statistically significant across all comparisons of the income quintiles. However, a comparison of the lowest and highest income quintiles revealed that the benefits received for complete dentures, removable partial dentures, and implants were 2.9-, 3.1-, and 4.1-fold higher, respectively, for those in the fifth quintile than those in the first quintile. This contrasts with reports that low-income patients require more support from the government due to their higher rate of tooth loss. This implies that the current policies for insurance coverage are more likely to benefit the middle-income elderly than those living in poverty. It has been reported previously that higher-income patients receive more benefits \[[@B4]\], and this issue requires greater attention in order to improve the current system so that it provides better support to those in lower income brackets.
The prevalence of hypertension, anemia, renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, cerebral infarction, and angina was higher in the exposed group than in the control group. In particular, the prevalence of cerebral infarction was about 20 times higher in the complete denture group than in the control group, and it was found that patients with cerebral infarction were more likely to also be edentulous, need a complete denture, and receive more benefits. The relationships among cerebral infarction, oral health, and periodontal disease have been studied extensively through case studies and case-control studies, with results suggesting that tooth loss due to periodontal disease is very closely related to cerebral infarction \[[@B23][@B24][@B25]\]. Additionally, a study conducted in Korea reported a positive correlation between tooth loss and the risks of hypertension and cerebral infarction \[[@B26]\]. Although those authors were unable to demonstrate a temporal relationship, they suggested that intracardiac thrombosis and periodontal disease share a common pathogenesis. In addition, the patients with cerebral infarction often have paralysis of the unilateral upper and lower limbs, making it difficult for them to perform oral hygiene activities, such as tooth brushing or interdental flossing. Poor oral hygiene is a risk factor for periodontal disease, which leads to the loss of teeth.
In contrast, the prevalence of hypertension, renal disease, cerebral infarction, and myocardial infarction was lower in the dental implant group than in the complete denture group. This means that patients with the above-listed diseases may prefer to receive noninvasive interventions such as complete or removable partial dentures rather than an invasive intervention such as dental implantation for oral rehabilitation, since these patients often take antiplatelet agents \[[@B27]\], which can increase the risk of bleeding \[[@B28]\], and the installation of dental implants can produce bacteremia \[[@B29]\]. These factors can result in such patients and their dentists preferring treatment options with a low risk of bleeding.
The prevalence of periodontal diseases and dental caries was higher in the exposed group than in the control group in this study. Periodontal disease was more prevalent than dental caries in all 3 exposed groups. This is consistent with previous studies finding that tooth loss in the elderly is related more closely to periodontal disease than to dental caries, and there are many patients who choose tooth replacement over implant treatment for periodontal disease \[[@B21][@B30]\]. Because periodontitis is a chronic disease and can occur in multiple teeth, elderly patients with periodontal disease are likely to suffer from multiple tooth loss. This means that the limitation of insurance coverage in Korea for dental implants should be modified, and it is also necessary to expand insurance coverage to include continuing management, treatment, and education after completing the production of a prosthesis.
The use of sample cohort data in this study made it possible to confirm temporal changes in the exposed group. However, it is difficult to confirm the actual tooth loss rate and the underlying causal relationship only by comparing the prevalence of systemic and oral diseases. Follow-up studies are needed on lifestyle-related diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, anemia, renal disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, cerebral infarction, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction, and on pneumonia, periodontal disease, the tooth loss rate, and prosthodontic requirements.
Despite the limitations associated with using sample cohort data, the present study is the first to confirm the effectiveness of expanding the health insurance policy to cover dental prostheses based on an analysis of representative and reliable NHIS data. In addition, this study is significant in being the only Korean study to confirm the correlation between systemic diseases and oral diseases by comparing patients who received actual insurance benefits and those who did not. In the future it will be necessary to expand universal healthcare protection through continuous downsizing of dental care and the reduction of nondental items.
In conclusion, the impacts of the Korean dental health insurance policy was different according to age and income quintile. There is a tendency to avoid dental implantation when certain systemic diseases are present, but it is likely that patients with systemic disease actually have a higher need for prosthetic treatments than do healthy individuals. The prevalence of periodontal disease and dental caries was higher in subjects who received dental insurance benefits than in healthy subjects. In addition, dentures may be more helpful from a socioeconomic perspective than dental implant treatments. The Korean dental health insurance policy appears to have been beneficial to the elderly, especially people suffering from an economic burden due to systemic diseases.
This study used a national sample cohort data of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS-2017-1-109).
**Funding:** This study was supported by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) in Korea in 2017.
**Author Contributions:** **Conceptualization:** Joonho Yoon, Young-Taek Kim.**Data curation:** Hyun Sun Lim, Joonho Yoon, Yong-Taek Kim.**Formal analysis:** Hyunsun Lim, Hyewon Seo, Bo-Ah Lee.**Investigation:** Hyunsun Lim, Hyewon Seo, Bo-Ah Lee.**Methodology:** Hyunsun Lim, Joon-Ho Yoon, Yong-Taek Kim.**Project administration:** Young-Taek Kim.**Supervision:** Young-Taek Kim.**Writing - original draft:** Hyewon Seo, Bo-Ah Lee.**Writing - review & editing:** Hyewon Seo, Bo-Ah Lee.
**Conflict of Interest:** No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.
[^1]: ^†^Hye-Won Seo and Bo-Ah Lee equally contributed to this study.
|
*p**3 - 2*p - 8 - p**4.
-(p - 8)*(p - 1)*(p + 1)**2
Let h be 18/((-270)/(-7))*72/42. Factor -h*t**2 - 32/5*t - 64/5.
-4*(t + 4)**2/5
What is i in -570 + 150*i**3 - 1449/2*i**2 + 1146*i - 3/2*i**4 = 0?
1, 2, 95
Let g(v) be the first derivative of v**4/24 + 16*v**3/9 + 55*v**2/4 + 39*v + 10573. Determine z, given that g(z) = 0.
-26, -3
Let 192/11 + 184/11*m - 10/11*m**2 - 2/11*m**3 = 0. Calculate m.
-12, -1, 8
Let o(d) be the first derivative of d**6/720 + d**5/60 + d**4/16 + 64*d**3/3 - 35. Let w(u) be the third derivative of o(u). Factor w(z).
(z + 1)*(z + 3)/2
Suppose -3*s - 12 = 0, 3*b + 19 = 4*b - 4*s. Let x(l) = -13*l - 139. Let n be x(-11). Solve -o + n*o - 9*o + b*o**3 + o**2 + 2*o**2 = 0 for o.
-2, 0, 1
Factor 23*l**2 - 94*l - 16*l**5 - 17*l**2 - 24*l**4 + 93*l - l**3.
-l*(l + 1)**2*(4*l - 1)**2
Let m(b) be the third derivative of b**5/15 + 77*b**4/6 - 52*b**3 - 2*b**2 + 1086. Find v, given that m(v) = 0.
-78, 1
Let h(d) be the third derivative of -d**5/100 - 81*d**4/20 - 477*d**3/10 + 4*d**2 - 681. Let h(p) = 0. What is p?
-159, -3
Factor 2/5*h**4 - 2648/5*h**3 + 24007225442/5 + 1314732/5*h**2 - 290117528/5*h.
2*(h - 331)**4/5
Suppose 4*p = 5*f + 23, 5*p - 5*f + 4 = 29. Factor -300*k**3 + 604*k**3 - 300*k**3 + 32 - 24*k**p + 4*k**4 - 16*k.
4*(k - 2)*(k - 1)*(k + 2)**2
Let t = -8461 + 59459/7. Suppose -t*a - 6728/7 - 2/7*a**2 = 0. What is a?
-58
Let b be 2/(-27) - (-8798)/2862. Determine a, given that 18*a**b + 735*a - 792*a - 27*a**2 - 29 - 17*a**3 = 0.
-1, 29
Let z(a) be the third derivative of -a**8/112 - 13*a**7/70 - a**6 - 9*a**5/5 - 18*a**2 - 15*a. Factor z(k).
-3*k**2*(k + 2)**2*(k + 9)
Let k(a) be the second derivative of -a**5/10 - 41*a**4 - 4960*a**3 + 30752*a**2 + 64*a + 6. Solve k(h) = 0 for h.
-124, 2
Let c(f) be the first derivative of 2*f**5/25 - 14*f**4/5 + 172*f**3/5 - 836*f**2/5 + 242*f + 3358. Determine o so that c(o) = 0.
1, 5, 11
Let b(l) be the first derivative of 0*l + 0*l**2 + 17 + 4/3*l**3 + 8/5*l**5 - 3*l**4. Factor b(d).
4*d**2*(d - 1)*(2*d - 1)
Suppose -3*m - 14 + 10 = -2*z, 2 = -3*m + 4*z. Let u(y) = -y**3 - 19*y**2 + 64*y - 47. Let p(o) = 20*o**2 - 66*o + 48. Let k(c) = m*u(c) - 3*p(c). Factor k(w).
2*(w - 5)**2*(w - 1)
Suppose -43*j = -40*j - 6. Suppose -v - 7 = -l, j*l - 17 = -5*v + 4*v. Determine a, given that 5*a**3 + a**3 - 6*a**2 + 2*a**4 - 2*a**3 - 5*a - 11*a - l = 0.
-2, -1, 2
Determine d so that -21*d**2 + 6*d**2 - 260 - 3*d**2 - 118 - 183*d + 21*d**2 = 0.
-2, 63
Let v be (-11)/((-176)/40)*2. Suppose -v - 7 = -6*s. Factor 0*j + 1/4*j**3 + 0 + 3/4*j**s.
j**2*(j + 3)/4
Let n(a) be the third derivative of a**8/10080 + a**7/378 + 3*a**4/2 + 36*a**2. Let i(r) be the second derivative of n(r). Factor i(c).
2*c**2*(c + 10)/3
What is n in -13/8*n - 3/2 - 1/8*n**2 = 0?
-12, -1
Let d = 1/6 + 1/30. Let n = 3117 - 15582/5. Factor 3/5*b + 1/5*b**2 - d - n*b**3.
-(b - 1)*(b + 1)*(3*b - 1)/5
Let g(i) be the third derivative of i**5/20 + 187*i**4/2 + 747*i**3/2 - 252*i**2 + 1. Factor g(n).
3*(n + 1)*(n + 747)
Let a(v) be the first derivative of 11*v**5/210 - 13*v**4/84 + 2*v**3/21 + 117*v**2/2 - 137. Let j(z) be the second derivative of a(z). Factor j(u).
2*(u - 1)*(11*u - 2)/7
Let j(s) be the third derivative of -2*s**7/105 + 4*s**6/5 + 109*s**5/15 + 14*s**4 - 3*s**2 - s - 44. Determine l, given that j(l) = 0.
-3, -1, 0, 28
Let q(j) = -j**5 + j**4 + j + 2. Let a(f) = 2*f**5 - 10*f**3 - 4*f**2 + 23*f - 2. Let h(m) = 4*a(m) + 4*q(m). Factor h(o).
4*o*(o - 2)**2*(o + 2)*(o + 3)
Factor 738/7 - 741/7*h + 3/7*h**2.
3*(h - 246)*(h - 1)/7
Let d = 17569 - 122967/7. Suppose -2*z + 2 = 2*j - 2, -3*z = -4*j + 8. Factor 16/7*q - d + 4/7*q**j - 4/7*q**3.
-4*(q - 2)*(q - 1)*(q + 2)/7
Let s(h) be the second derivative of -32*h**6/45 - 1624*h**5/15 - 40801*h**4/9 + 13804*h**3/3 - 1734*h**2 - 549*h. Factor s(r).
-4*(r + 51)**2*(4*r - 1)**2/3
Suppose 996 = -3*z - 0*m - 5*m, 2*m = -4*z - 1342. Let w = z - -339. Factor 1/2 + y + 1/2*y**w.
(y + 1)**2/2
Factor 80*z**2 - 19*z**2 + 12232*z - 9351364 - 22*z**2 - 21*z**2 - 22*z**2.
-4*(z - 1529)**2
Let l be ((-4)/26 - (-477)/(-1378))*28. Let g be (l/(-105) - (-4)/(-30))/(-4). Factor 0 + g*u + 30*u**4 - 21*u**5 + 24/7*u**2 + 156/7*u**3.
-3*u**2*(u - 2)*(7*u + 2)**2/7
Let d be 2 - -6 - (-245)/(-49)*(-4)/(-5). Let h(t) be the second derivative of 0*t**2 - 2/3*t**3 + 0 - 12*t - 5/6*t**d - 2/5*t**5 - 1/15*t**6. Factor h(z).
-2*z*(z + 1)**2*(z + 2)
Let l(y) = -538*y - 580. Let m(w) = w**2 + 1075*w + 1179. Let i(t) = -5*l(t) - 2*m(t). Let i(o) = 0. What is o?
-1, 271
Let c = -35 + 47. Find h, given that 105*h + c - 70*h - 50*h + 3*h**2 = 0.
1, 4
Factor -9/2*b**2 - 15/4*b**3 - 3/4*b**4 + 3*b + 6.
-3*(b - 1)*(b + 2)**3/4
Let l(u) be the second derivative of 2*u**6/15 + 7*u**5/5 - 17*u**4/3 + 6*u**3 + 2*u + 242. Let l(n) = 0. What is n?
-9, 0, 1
Factor -1029/8 - 1842375/8*x**3 - 37485/8*x - 455175/8*x**2.
-3*(85*x + 7)**3/8
Suppose 32 = q - b, -b = 3*q + b - 71. Suppose 6*p**4 - 216*p**2 - 96*p - 35*p**3 - q*p**3 + 9*p**5 - 46*p**3 = 0. What is p?
-2, -2/3, 0, 4
Let w(o) be the first derivative of -12*o**2 + 0*o - 51/10*o**5 + 17/2*o**3 + 45/8*o**4 + 1/4*o**6 - 197. Determine z so that w(z) = 0.
-1, 0, 1, 16
Let l(i) = 5*i + 90. Let u be l(-17). Solve -f**3 + 194*f - u - 6*f**2 - 203*f + 1 = 0 for f.
-4, -1
Let 420/19 - 2/19*i - 2/19*i**2 = 0. Calculate i.
-15, 14
Let w(s) = -s**3 + 3*s**2 + 2*s + 12. Let r be w(5). Let z = -12 - r. Factor -31*g + g**2 + 25*g - z*g**2.
-3*g*(5*g + 2)
Let p = 3073 - 3061. Let u(j) be the first derivative of 6*j**4 + 6*j - 21/10*j**5 - 11 - p*j**2 + 3/2*j**3. Find q such that u(q) = 0.
-1, 2/7, 1, 2
Let r(m) = 21*m - 142. Let d be r(7). Suppose -x + 4*s + 2 = 1, x - 2*s = 3. Factor -x*b**4 - 6*b**5 + 5*b**5 - 7*b**3 + 5*b**d + 0*b**4 + 2*b**2.
b**2*(b - 2)*(b + 1)*(4*b - 1)
Let v(g) be the first derivative of -4*g**4 + 14 - 14/3*g**3 + g**2 + 0*g. Factor v(x).
-2*x*(x + 1)*(8*x - 1)
Let j(b) be the second derivative of 4/135*b**6 - 16 - 1/189*b**7 + 80/27*b**3 - 52/27*b**4 - 8*b + 0*b**2 + 7/30*b**5. Suppose j(l) = 0. Calculate l.
-5, 0, 1, 4
Let u = -743981 - -1487985/2. What is h in -6*h**5 + 4*h**2 + 14*h**4 - u*h**3 - 1/2*h + 0 = 0?
0, 1/3, 1/2, 1
Let o(k) = -2*k**4 - 42*k**3 - 118*k**2 + 335*k - 187. Let j(d) = d**4 + d**3 - d**2 + 1. Let g(i) = -7*j(i) - o(i). Let g(a) = 0. Calculate a.
-4, 1, 9
Let r(c) be the second derivative of c**6/30 + 7*c**5/4 + 11*c**4/4 - 35*c**3/6 - 17*c**2 + 63*c - 4. Factor r(o).
(o - 1)*(o + 1)**2*(o + 34)
Let k be (-8)/(4 + -12) - (0 + -2). Let u(w) be the third derivative of -3*w**2 + 0 - 8/3*w**k + 0*w - 1/15*w**5 + 2/3*w**4. Suppose u(t) = 0. Calculate t.
2
Let q(f) = 2*f**3 - 76*f**2 - 658*f - 1044. Let u(m) = 3*m**3 - 76*m**2 - 683*m - 1044. Let j(x) = 5*q(x) - 4*u(x). Determine n, given that j(n) = 0.
-29, -6, -3
Let i be (-1 + 13)*(-14)/28. Let q(d) = d**3 + 6*d**2 + 2. Let m be q(i). Suppose 13*r + r**4 + 30*r**m + 7*r + 8 + 7*r**3 - 12*r**2 = 0. Calculate r.
-2, -1
Let d be 6/(-91) - 7608/(-8242). Factor -3/7*i**2 - d + 9/7*i.
-3*(i - 2)*(i - 1)/7
Factor 484/3*g - 2/3*g**2 - 29282/3.
-2*(g - 121)**2/3
Let d(x) = 3*x**2 + 3*x + 7*x**2 + 2 - 4*x**2 - 5*x**2. Let v be d(0). Factor -67 - 8*i + 37 + 2*i**v + 38.
2*(i - 2)**2
Let h = -1434 + 1926. Let p = 2464/5 - h. Suppose p*a - 1/10*a**3 + 0 + 1/5*a**2 = 0. Calculate a.
-2, 0, 4
Let m be (2/(-12))/((-101)/606). Let n(k) = k**2 + k - 1. Let j(r) = 35*r**2 + 10. Let b(g) = m*j(g) - 30*n(g). Factor b(s).
5*(s - 4)*(s - 2)
Factor -3*q**3 - 2271*q + 1140*q**2 + 86 - 45 + 377 + 716.
-3*(q - 378)*(q - 1)**2
Let g(y) = y**3 - 30*y**2 - 2*y + 63. Let u be g(30). Factor -155*w**3 + 8 - 625*w**u - 27*w - 93*w + 554*w**2 + 338*w**4.
2*(w - 1)**2*(13*w - 2)**2
Let c be -4 + (-11 - -10 - (-5)/6 - 344/(-48)). Suppose -2*v + 0 = -4. What is h in -1/2*h**c - 1 + h**v + 1/2*h = 0?
-1, 1, 2
Let w = -59 - -103. Let v(l) = -11*l**2 + 10*l + 10. Let u(a) = 76*a**2 - 70*a - 72. Let y(z) = w*v(z) + 6*u(z). Find s, given that y(s) = 0.
-2/7, 1
Suppose -20*g = 12*g - 96. Solve 4*d + 28699*d**3 - 36*d**2 - d - 28591*d**g = 0 for d.
0, 1/6
Let q(w) be the second derivative of -1/4*w**4 - 42*w**2 - 2 + 36*w - 8*w**3. Find f, given that q(f) = 0.
-14, -2
Let z(g) be the first derivative of -63 + 6*g* |
The Australian government is lobbying for the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank to put more emphasis on coal and nuclear after concerns renewable energy projects were being prioritised.
Draft guidelines were circulated by the bank that suggest it should prioritise investments in renewable energy projects across Asia while the Turnbull government has argued fossil fuels will play a significant role in energy generation in the region for decades to come..
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Preparation of fenofibrate solid dispersion using electrospray deposition and improvement in oral absorption by instantaneous post-heating of the formulation.
A coaxial electrospray technique was applied to a poorly soluble drug, fenofibrate (FEN), to increase its bioavailability. A particulate core-shell solid dispersion was designed using poly(methacrylic acid-co-methyl methacrylate) (Eudragit L-100) as a shell material and poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) K12-17 as a dispersant for FEN in the core phase. Although 58% of FEN remained in the crystalline state in the electrosprayed formulation, the dissolution behavior was significantly improved due to decrease in particle size, decrease in crystallinity, and increase in dispersion efficiency. The formulation was subjected to post-heating at 100 °C for 30 s to transform the remaining crystals into the amorphous state to further improve the dissolution behavior. Oral bioavailability was also on the order of: heated formulation>intact formulation>crystalline FEN. Instantaneous heating significantly improved the performance of the formulation despite its simple procedure, and thus can be a powerful step to be incorporated in the formulation manufacturing process. |
[Influence of coadministered antiepileptic drugs on serum antiepileptic drug concentrations in epileptic patients -quantitative analysis based on suitable transforming factor].
We conducted a study to clarify the most suitable transforming factor related to the daily dose of antiepileptic drugs (D) providing a steady-state serum concentration (C(t)) and analyzed the influences of the concomitant use of antiepileptic drugs on C(t) quantitatively. Data obtained by routine therapeutic drug monitoring from epileptic patients treated with the multiple oral administration of valproic acid (VPA), carbamazepine (CBZ), zonisamide (ZNS), phenobarbital (PB), and phenytoin (PHT) were used for the analysis. Employing the ideal body weight or the extracellular water volume as a transforming factor, allowed the level/dose (L/D) ratio to be independent of the patient's age and gender for monotherapy with VPA or CBZ, ZNS, PB, and PHT, respectively. Each C(t) was revealed to be dependent on only one variable in terms of the transformed daily dose (D'). C(t) was proportional to the power function of D' for VPA and CBZ and was linearly proportional to D' for ZNS and PB. The L/D ratio is expressed as a linear function of C(t) for PHT. For a detailed analysis of the influences of the coadministered antiepileptic drugs, we defined the parameter as an alteration ratio, representing the influence of each antiepileptic drug on the C(t) of VPA and CBZ alone, and on the L/D ratio of ZNS and PB alone, respectively. A model based on the assumption that each value of an alteration ratio was independent from one other and multiplicative for VPA, CBZ, and ZNS, and that the coadministered drug inhibited the drug-metabolizing enzyme competitively for PB, was adopted. The Michaelis-Menten kinetic model was adopted for PHT. The analysis clarified that CBZ, PB, and PHT significantly lowered (P<0.05) C(t) to 0.81, 0.88, and 0.83 compared with the value of VPA alone, that PB and PHT significantly lowered C(t) to 0.77 and 0.71 compared with the value of CBZ alone, and that VPA, CBZ, PB, and PHT significantly lowered the L/D ratio of ZNS alone to 0.87, 0.85, 0.85, and 0.80, respectively. VPA, CBZ, and PHT significantly increased (P<0.05) the L/D ratio of PB to 1.47, 1.18, and 1.19, respectively. The daily PHT dose was decreased to 0.89, 0.91, 0.90, and 0.84 the dose of PHT alone to maintain C(t) in the therapeutic range when VPA, CBZ, ZNS, and PB were coadministered, respectively. In the case of the addition or discontinuance of concomitant treatment with antiepileptic drugs in the same patient, the estimated C(t) values were calculated using the value of each alteration ratio and compared with the measured ones. Each mean of prediction error was about 20%. Our results appear valid and these alteration ratios should be available for clinical use. |
Article content continued
Even if the condos popping up in urban centres may seem a perfect fit for retirees, Canadians 65-and-over are increasingly going outside the city, according to a study from Concordia University.
Zachary Patterson, a professor in Concordia’s department of geography, planning and environment, said the findings could mean difficulties ahead.
“Seniors who live downtown will be able to access services that they need without having to use automobiles,” Patterson said in an interview.
“In the suburbs, if you lose your licence you may not be able to access the services you need. The challenge is to provide services to people in spread out areas — to people who haven’t got access to automobiles.”
The Concordia study, which was pulled from Statistics Canada census data between 1991 and 2006, tracks seniors’ moving habits in Canada’s six largest metropolitan areas: Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.
Across the board, Patterson found the rate at which seniors are moving to the suburbs appears to be increasing faster than for all other age groups.
Montreal’s West Island in particular is expected get older, both due to an aging population and the arrival of new seniors. By 2018, the number of those 65 and older will climb to 42,000, up from 29,000 in 2012, presenting a host of new problems.
Helene McGregor, who heads a seniors’ advocacy program in the area, said transportation is a constant issue, especially for those who lose their driver’s licences. |
If the date on a product is for more than four days, then that product has been processed in some way to extend it’s natural shelf life.Our products are never processed or pasteurized in any way! We believe this maintains the natural structure and integrity of the abundant nutrients present. |
Novel instantly-soluble transmucosal matrix (ISTM) using dual mechanism solubilizer for sublingual and nasal delivery of dapoxetine hydrochloride: In-vitro/in-vivo evaluation.
Dapoxetine (D) suffers from poor oral bioavailability (42%) due to extensive first pass metabolism. The usefulness of transmucosal (sublingual and intranasal) drug delivery to improve bioavailability of D, a weak basic drug, has been hampered by its poor solubility in the neutral pH of the body fluids. In this study, instantly-soluble transmucosal matrices (ISTMs) of D, containing dual mechanism solubilizer (Pluronic F-127/citric acid mixture), were prepared by lyophilization technique to enhance matrix disintegration, dissolution and transmucosal permeation. The matrices were evaluated for in-vitro disintegration, wetting time, in-vitro dissolution, ex vivo transmucosal permeation, scanning electron microscopy and in-vivo studies. Dissolution studies confirmed the higher ability of ISTMs to enhance the early time point dissolution and maintain complete drug dissolution in pH 6.8 compared to conventional lyophilized matrices. The optimized ISTM gave approximately 77.54 and 88.40 folds increase of D dissolution after 1 and 3min relative to the drug powder in pH 6.8. ISTMs containing the highest F127 concentration (2%) and the lowest gelatin and mannitol concentrations (1%) exhibited the shortest in-vitro disintegration times (<10s), the fastest dissolution in the neutral pH of body fluids (∼99% in 3min) and the highest enhancement of transmucosal permeation. The relative bioavailabilities of D after sublingual and intranasal administration of ISTMs to rabbits were about 124.58% and 611.15%, respectively, in comparison to the oral market tablet. The significant increase of drug dissolution in nasal fluids, rapid permeation rate together with the improved bioavailability propose that ISTMs could be promising for intranasal delivery of drugs suffering from oral hepatic metabolism and have limited solubility in nasal fluids. |
Q:
JLabel and JCheckBox change space between them
I created a checkbox and a label and I would like to reduce the space between them.
panoSaison = new JPanel();
panoSaison.setBorder(new TitledBorder(UIManager.getBorder("TitledBorder.border"),
"Saison des pneus recherchés", TitledBorder.LEADING, TitledBorder.TOP, null, null));
contentPane.add(panoSaison, BorderLayout.AFTER_LAST_LINE);
gestSaison = new GridLayout(1,2,0,0);
panoSaison.setLayout(gestSaison);
hiver = new JLabel();
hiver.setText("Hiver");
ete = new JLabel();
ete.setText("Été");
boxHiver = new JCheckBox();
boxEte = new JCheckBox();
grpSaison = new ButtonGroup();
grpSaison.add(boxHiver);
grpSaison.add(boxEte);
panoSaison.add(boxHiver);
panoSaison.add(hiver);
panoSaison.add(boxEte);
panoSaison.add(ete);
}
Which code should I use to fix the size?
Thank you,
A:
Don't use a GridLayout. A GridLayout makes each cell the same size.
Instead maybe you want to use a GridBagLayout. Then each cell will be the size of the largest cell in the column.
Read the section from the Swing tutorial on How to Use GridBagLayout for more information and working examples. The example shows how to add a component to a given cell. So you will basically need to create your own 2x2 grid and add each of the components to a particular cell in the grid.
The tutorial explains the basics of all the standard layout managers.
|
Q:
GCC error when compiling: "lvalue required as left operand of assignment" with function pointer
I have a C code which records a procedure address in an array
void* lpProcAddress[5];
typedef unsigned long (*MyFunction_TYPE) (void*);
#define MyFunctionInArray ( (MyFunction_TYPE) lpProcAddress[0] )
unsigned long AnyFunction ( void* lpPointerToAny )
{
/* Some Code */
return 0;
}
int main()
{
MyFunctionInArray =
AnyFunction; // Displays: "error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment"
}
GCC displays "error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment".
How can I fix this?
For my purpose, I could not call directly AnyFunction().
A:
This will expand to:
(type)xxx = ...
This is not legal. However, you could use something like:
* (type *)& xxx = ...
|
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A Russian man has filed for divorce after a blazing row with his wife over whether Lionel Messi is better than Cristiano Ronaldo.
According to a report in newspaper 'Argumento I Fakti' the football-mad couple – named only as Arsen and Lyudmila – fell out when he celebrated Argentina's victory over Nigeria.
And he decided to pack up his things and leave when his missus continued to insist that Portuguese star Ronaldo was a superior talent to Messi.
It was the latest in a series of arguments about football and the relative merits of the world's two best players.
But this time, Arsen decided that the marriage was over and the next morning he filed for divorce at the courts of the city of Chelyabinsk in the Urals.
(Image: Alex Livesey/Getty Images) (Image: Getty Images Europe)
After telling the newspaper that the couple had fallen in love when they met in a bar whilst watching the 2002 World Cup, he said: “Since the beginning of the World Cup, she mocked Messi and said he couldn't even score a penalty against Iceland.
“I could not contain myself and told her what I thought about the vain Ronaldo, the Portuguese national team and all the clubs she likes.
“Then I took my belongings and left her forever.” |
This invention relates to methods and equipment for using hard surface cleaners to remove stains, such as menstrual fluid stains or underarm perspiration stains, from clothes or other soft fabrics.
Menstrual fluid, a composition of blood and endometrial cells, is difficult to remove from cotton panties once it has stained the fabric. Clorox(copyright) Bleach, which is a designated trademark used by the Clorox Company, is one of the leading household products used for the purpose of cleaning white cotton panties of menstrual fluid stain. However, like other chlorine-releasing bleaches, Clorox Bleach, even diluted, will disintegrate the fabric in time because these processes require lengthy immersed soaking of the stain. Even after soaking, a dark residue stain still may remain in the cotton fabric, the removal of which usually necessitates scrubbing. In turn, vigorous scrubbing accelerates deterioration of the bleach-weakened cotton fibers which, again, leads to damaged panties and, expense and frustration. Some household products, such as hydrogen peroxide, produce free oxygen to dislodge menstrual fluid discharge from cotton fabric but this process may be effective only when the discharge is fresh and minimal fluid penetration of the fabric has occurred.
Perspiration stain in the underarm areas of white cotton fabric shirts and blouses is difficult to remove even for professionals in the garment laundry and cleaner business. Often the stain is not completely removed.
There is a clamor among women around the world for a process that they can use to remove fresh, set-in or old menstrual fluid stain or perspiration stain from white cotton fabric, and that can do so easily, rapidly, with little or no scrubbing, and with no damage to the cotton fabric.
One object of the present invention is to provide methods of using hard surface cleaners to remove fresh, set-in or old menstrual fluid stains or underarm perspiration stains from fabrics. The hard surface cleaners may be store-bought products that are readily available to the public. The fabrics may be, for example, panties, shirts, blouses, or other soft fabric articles. The fabrics may be made of cotton or cotton/polyester. The removal preferably is accomplished with little or no scrubbing of the fabrics.
The methods of the present invention can also be used for removing other stains from fabrics. These stains may be caused, for example, by wine, grass, urine, feces, and certain types of ink, but these are not to be considered limiting.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided that is useful for removing a stain from a soft fabric article. The method includes the steps of: (a) providing a hard surface cleaner; and (b) contacting the hard surface cleaner to the stain for one to five minutes, typically. The hard surface cleaner may be a mold or mildew remover, such as Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover(copyright), Tilex Mildew Remover(copyright), Lysol Mildew Remover(copyright), and Scrub Free Mildew Stain Remover(copyright). Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover(copyright), Tilex Mildew Remover(copyright), Lysol Mildew Remover(copyright), and Scrub Free Mildew Stain Removers are designated trademarks used by SC Johnson, the Clorox Company, Reckitt Benckiser Inc., and Church and Dwight Company, Inc, respectively.
In one embodiment, the stain is a menstrual fluid stain or an underarm perspiration stain. The fabric article may be a cloth, and made of white cotton or a blend of white cotton and polyester. The cloth may be selected from the group consisting of panty, shirt, blouse, pant, jean and trousers.
In another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises: (a) a surfactant system consisting of amine oxides within the general formula (I):
or quaternary amine salts within the general formula (II):
or combinations of the foregoing amine oxides and quaternary amine salts; and (b) a very slightly water-soluble polar organic compound having a water solubility ranging from about 0.1 to 1.0 weight percent, a weight ratio of the very slightly water-soluble polar organic compound to the surfactant system ranging from about 0.1:1 to about 1: 1, wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different and are selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl, R3 is selected from the group consisting of straight chain alkyls, branched chain alkyls, straight chain heretroalkyls, branched chain heteroalkyls and alkyl ethers, each having from about 10 to 20 carbon atoms, R4 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups having from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms, and X is a halogen atom.
In yet another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises:(a) either (i) a combination of a nonionic surfactant and a quaternary ammonium surfactant or (ii) an amphoteric surfactant, the total amount of the surfactant being present from about 0.001-10%, wherein the nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an alkoxylated alkylphenol ether, an alkoxylated alcohol, or a semi-polar nonionic surfactant which itself is selected from the group consisting of mono-long-chain alkyl, di-short-chain trialkyl amine oxides, alkylamidodialkyl amine oxides, phosphine oxides and sulfoxides; (b) no more than 50% of at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C.; (c) 0.01-25% of tetraammonium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (tetraammonium EDTA) as a chelating agent; and (d) water.
In still yet another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises (a) a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof, with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, the total amount of surfactant being present from about 0.001-10% by weight; (b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., the at least one organic solvent being selected from the group consisting of alkanols, diols, glycol ethers, and mixtures thereof present in an amount from about 1% to 50% by weight of the cleaner; (c) tetrapotassium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (potassium EDTA) as a chelating agent, the potassium EDTA present from about 0.01-25% weight-of the cleaner; and (d) water.
In still another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises (a) a nonionic surfactant with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, the total amount of the surfactant being present from about 0.001-10%, wherein the nonionic surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an alkoxylated alkylphenol ether, an alkoxylated alcohol, or a semi-polar nonionic surfactant which itself is selected from the group consisting of mono-long-chain alkyl, di-short-chain trialkyl amine oxides, alkylamidodialkyl amine oxides, phosphine oxides and sulfoxides; (b) no more than 50% of at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C.; (c) 0.01-25% of tetraammonium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (tetraammonium EDTA) as a chelating agent; and (d) water.
In a preferred embodiment, the hard surface cleaner has a viscosity of less than about 100 cps and comprises: (a) at least about 85% water, in which is dissolved (b) at least about 0.45 equivalent per kilogram of an inorganic anion which, when combined with calcium ion, forms a salt which has a solubility of not more than 0.2 g/100 g water at 25xc2x0 C., wherein the anion is carbonate, fluoride, or metasilicate ion, or a mixture of such anions, (c) at least 0.3% by weight, based on the weight of the composition, of a detersive surfactant including an amine oxide of the form RR1R2Nxe2x86x92O wherein R is C6-C12 alkyl and R1 and R2 are independently C1-4 alkyl or C1-4 hydroxyalkyl, and (d) at least about 0.5 weight percent of a bleach, based upon the weight of the composition, wherein the cleaning composition is alkaline and essentially free of chelating agents, phosphorous-containing salt, and abrasive.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a kit is provided that is useful for removing stains from clothes or other soft fabrics. The kit has an instruction indicating that the hard surface cleaner can be used for removing stains, such as menstrual fluid stains or perspiration stains, from soft fabric articles.
Other features, objects, and advantages of the present invention are apparent in the detailed description that follows. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, not limitation. Various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description.
The present invention is based on the surprising discovery that hard surface cleaners can effectively remove stains from clothes or other soft fabrics, notably menstrual fluid stains and underarm perspiration stains. Soft fabrics suitable for the present invention can be made of a variety of materials, such as cotton or cotton/polyester. They preferably are in white. Soft Examples of suitable soft fabrics include, but are not limited to, panties, shirts, blouses, pants, jeans, trousers, and other wear and bed products.
Preferred hard surface cleaners for the present invention include off-the-shelf bathroom cleaners regularly used for removing mold and mildew from hard surfaces, such as tile and countertop grouting. Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover (manufactured by SC Johnson), Tilex Mildew Remover (manufactured by the Clorox Company), Lysol Mildew Remover (manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser Inc.), and Scrub Free Mildew Stain Remover (manufactured for Church and Dwight Company, Inc.) are examples of these commercial bathroom cleaners. The product labels and/or use instructions warn against using these mildew removers on clothes or fabrics.
The off-the-shelf hard surface cleaners can be used as purchased for the removal of menstrual fluid stains, underarm perspiration stains or other stains by atomized spray application, without dilution or other modifications. In certain cases, the household hard surface cleaners are superior to the traditional laundry bleaches for the purpose of removing menstrual fluid or underarm perspiration stains from cotton or cotton/polyester fabric articles.
Other examples of hard surface cleaners suitable for the present invention include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,573,710, 5,814,591, 5,972,876, 6,004,916, 6,200,941, and 6,214,784, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. These U.S. patents do not suggest using the disclosed hard surface cleaners to remove stains from clothes or other soft fabric articles. Furthermore, some products employing the technology disclosed in these patents, e.g. Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover, expressly indicate in their instructions for use that hard surface cleaners are not to be used to remove stains from clothes or other soft fabric articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,710 discloses an aqueous multiple-surface cleaning composition which can be used for the removal of grease and stains from hard surfaces or hard fibrous substrates such as carpet and upholstery. The composition contains (a) a surfactant system consisting of amine oxides within the general formula (I):
or quaternary amine salts within the general formula (II):
or combinations of the foregoing amine oxides and quaternary amine salts; and (b) a very slightly water-soluble polar organic compound. The very slightly water-soluble polar organic compound may have a water solubility ranging from about 0.1 to 1.0 weight percent, and the weight ratio of the very slightly water-soluble polar organic compound to the surfactant system may range from about 0.1:1 to about 1:1. R1 and R2 may be selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, hydroxyethyl and hydroxypropyl. R1 and R2 may be the same or different. R3 may be selected from the group consisting of straight chain alkyls, branched chain alkyls, straight chain heretroalkyls, branched chain heteroalkyls and alkyl ethers, each having from about 10 to 20 carbon atoms. R4 may be selected from the group consisting of alkyl groups having from 1 to about 5 carbon atoms. X is a halogen atom.
In certain cases, the composition further includes a water soluble organic compound in an amount effective to reduce streaking. The water soluble organic compound may be selected from water soluble glycol ethers and water soluble alkyl alcohols. The water soluble organic compound may have a water solubility of at least 14.5 weight percent. The weight ratio of the surfactant system to the water soluble organic compound may range from about 0.033:1 to about 0.2:1.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,591 describes an aqueous hard surface cleaner with improved soil removal. The cleaner includes (a) either (i) a nonionic, an amphoteric surfactant, or a combination thereof, or (ii) a quaternary ammonium surfactant, the surfactants being present in a cleaning-effective amount; (b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., the at least one organic solvent present in a solubilizing- or dispersion-effective amount; (c) ammonium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (ammonium EDTA) as a chelating agent, the ammonium EDTA present in an amount effective to enhance soil removal in the cleaner; and (d) water. The total surfactant maybe present in an amount from about 0.001-10%. In a concentrated product, the surfactant may be present up to 20% by weight. The nonionic surfactant may be selected from the group consisting of an alkoxylated alkylphenol ether, an alkoxylated alcohol, or a semi-polar nonionic surfactant which itself is selected from the group consisting of mono-long-chain alkyl, di-short-chain trialkyl amine oxides, alkylamidodialkyl amine oxides, phosphine oxides and sulfoxides. The at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent may be present in an amount of no more than 50% by weight of the cleaner. The ammonium EDTA may be a tetraammonium EDTA and present in an amount of about 0.01-25% by weight of the total cleaner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,876 discloses an aqueous hard surface cleaner comprising (a) a surfactant selected from the group consisting of anionic, nonionic surfactants, and mixtures thereof, with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, the total amount of surfactant being present in a cleaning-effective amount; (b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., the organic solvent being present in a solubilizing- or dispersion-effective amount; (c) tetrapotassium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (potassium EDTA) as a chelating agent, the potassium EDTA present in an amount effective to enhance soil removal in the cleaner; and (d) water. The total amount of surfactant may be present from about 0.001-10% by weight. The at least one organic solvent may be selected from the group consisting of alkanols, diols, glycol ethers, and mixtures thereof, and is present in an amount from about 1% to 50% by weight of the cleaner. The potassium EDTA may be present from about 0.01-25% weight-of the cleaner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,916 discloses an aqueous, hard surface cleaner which contains (a) either a nonionic or amphoteric surfactant with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant, the surfactants being present in a cleaning-effective amount; (b) at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent having a vapor pressure of at least 0.001 mm Hg at 25xc2x0 C., the at least one organic solvent present in a solubilizing- or dispersion-effective amount; (c) ammonium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (ammonium EDTA) as a chelating agent, the ammonium EDTA present in an amount effective to enhance soil removal in the cleaner; and (d) water. The surfactant may be a nonionic surfactant with optionally, a quaternary ammonium surfactant. The nonionic surfactant may be selected from the group consisting of an alkoxylated alkylphenol ether, an alkoxylated alcohol, or a semi-polar nonionic surfactant which itself is selected from the group consisting of mono-long-chain alkyl, di-short-chain trialkyl amine oxides, alkylamidodialkyl amine oxides, phosphine oxides and sulfoxides. The total amount of the surfactant may be present from about 0.001-10%. The at least one water-soluble or dispersible organic solvent may be present in an amount of no more than 50% by weight of the cleaner. The ammonium EDTA may be a tetraammonium EDTA which is present in an amount from 0.01-25% by weight of the total cleaner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,200,941 discloses a diluted hard surface cleaning composition. The cleaning composition contains (a) at least about 85% water, in which is dissolved (b) at least about 0.45 equivalent per kilogram of an inorganic anion which, when combined with calcium ion, forms a salt which has a solubility of not more than 0.2 g/100 g water at 25xc2x0 C.; (c) at least 0.3% by weight, based on the weight of the composition, of a detersive surfactant. The composition preferably has a viscosity of less than about 100 cps. The anion may be carbonate, fluoride, or metasilicate ion, or a mixture of such anions. The detersive surfactant may include an amine oxide of the form RR1R2Nxe2x86x92O wherein R is C6-C12 alkyl and R1 and R2 are independently C1-4 alkyl or C1-4hydroxyalkyl. The composition may further contain at least about 0.5 weight percent of a bleach, based upon the weight of the composition. In one case, the cleaning composition is alkaline and essentially free of chelating agents, phosphorous-containing salt, and abrasive.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,214,784 describes a composition similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,876. The composition may include dipotassium carbonate as a buffer.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a method is provided that is useful for removing stains from cotton or cotton/polyester clothes or fabric articles. The clothes or fabric articles preferably are in white. The method includes first soaking the stained fabric article in cold water until the stain areas are thoroughly saturated with water. The stains may be menstrual fluid stain or perspiration stain. The fabric article can be swirled around in the water to dislodge as much menstrual fluid as possible. For article(s) heavily soiled with menstrual fluid, the water may be changed to repeat the soaking and swirling step.
The fabric article is then removed from water. Heavily soiled white cotton articles may be tinted slightly pink after this step. The stained areas are arranged for maximal exposure in preparation for the spray with an aqueous, hard surface cleaner. Suitable aqueous, hard surface cleaners include Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover, Tilex Mildew Remover, Lysol Mildew Remover and Scrub Free Mildew Stain Remover, which can be obtained off-the-shelf of a food market, or those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,573,710, 5,814,591, 5,972,876, 6,004,916, 6,200,941, and 6,214,784.
The aqueous, hard surface cleaner can be sprayed on the stain areas, or the entire article if necessary. After spraying, the stain areas can be compressed and confined into a small container to saturate and soak the stain areas or the entire article in the cleaner. In one instance, two pairs of panties can fit entirely into a pint-sized plastic container.
The stained areas are soaked with the hard surface cleaner until stain has been removed. This may require about one minute to five minutes for fresh menstrual fluid stain, and about thirty minutes to an hour for old underarm perspiration stain. The fabric article is subsequently inspected for any remaining stain. If necessary, spot spray can be applied again to remove the remaining stain.
After all stain has been removed, the fabric article is thoroughly rinsed in cold water before being put through the wash and dry cycle, particularly if the fabric article is combined with non-colorfast clothing in the wash. According to the present invention, menstrual fluid stains or underarm perspiration stains may be removed from a fabric article with little or no scrubbing of the article.
For in-place removal of small menstrual fluid stain spots from white sheets, an absorbent white toweling may be located underneath the spots. A small amount of spray is applied and confined to the spotted areas. After stain is gone, the treated areas may be dampen with wet cloth to remove the spray product and then allow the areas to dry.
The treated fabric article preferably is not combined with non-colorfast clothing without first rinsing the treated article thoroughly in cold water. After stain is removed, the fabric article preferably is not soaked with the cleaner any longer than necessary. In certain cases, if the cleaner is allowed to remain in contact with the fabric article when machine-dried, a pale tint may be left, although the tint can be removed by repeating the process of the present invention.
In addition to menstrual fluid stains and perspiration stains, the present invention can be used to remove other stains from fabric articles. These stains include, but are not limited to, wine, grass, urine, feces, or ink stains.
The present invention contemplates any aqueous cleaner that consists of the ingredients and properties characteristic of hard surface cleaners, including combinations or modifications thereof. These aqueous cleaners can be used for the removal of stains from panties, shirts, blouses, or other soft fabric articles.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a kit is provided that is useful for removing stains from clothes or other soft fabrics. The kit includes a container which encloses a hard surface cleaner. Any hard surface cleaner suitable for removing menstrual fluid stains or underarm perspiration stains may be included in the kit of the present invention. The container has an instruction which indicates that the enclosed hard surface cleaner can be used for removing stains, such as menstrual fluid and perspiration stains, from clothes or other soft fabrics. In one embodiment, the hard surface cleaner enclosed in the container comprises Scrubbing Bubbles Mildew Stain Remover. In another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises Tilex Mildew Remover. In yet another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises Lysol Mildew Remover. And, again, another embodiment, the hard surface cleaner comprises Scrub Free Mildew Stain Remover.
It should be understood that the above-described embodiments and the following example are given by way of illustration, not limitation. Various changes and modifications within the scope of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the present description. |
GOP wants delay in health law's individual mandate
WASHINGTON (AP) — Framing a new argument against President Barack Obama's health care law, congressional GOP leaders called Tuesday for a delay in the law's requirement that individual Americans carry health insurance.
If the White House can grant a one-year delay for employers — as the administration did just last week — individuals should get the same consideration, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio and other senior Republicans said in a letter to the president.
"Your decision to delay one part of the law affecting employers and leave in place provisions regulating individual and family health care creates many new questions and concerns," the GOP leaders wrote. "We agree with you that the burden was overwhelming for employers, but we also believe American families need the same relief."
White House spokesman Jay Carney said the administration has no intention of delaying the individual mandate. He said the law provides financial aid to low-income Americans and is flexible so that people facing financial hardships aren't punished for going without coverage.
The criticism from top Republicans, he said, is "pretty rich coming from leaders who have now voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act going on 40 times, and who promised to do it again, to charge up that hill, only again not to reach the top, rather than focus on the work that the American people want done because they have no alternative."
Asked whether public confidence in the law could be eroded by delays and by the change in the smoking provision, Carney said, "A piece of legislation like this, to be responsibly implemented, needs to be implemented in a flexible way."
Nonetheless, Republicans hope their new argument will gain traction in next year's congressional elections, as the law's big push to cover the uninsured gets underway. Foes are betting the coverage rollout will be full of problems, particularly since about half the states have refused to support the federal effort.
Under the law, middle-class people with no access to job-based coverage will be eligible for subsidized private insurance, while low-income uninsured people will be steered to an expanded version of Medicaid in states that accept it.
The health care law contains coverage requirements for individuals as well as companies with 50 or more workers. Both requirements were originally scheduled to take effect next Jan. 1.
Last week, the White House unexpectedly announced a one-year delay in the employer requirement, saying the administration needed more time to work out technical details that employers find too burdensome. Some saw a political motive, since Republicans have criticized the requirement on businesses as a "job killer."
But administration officials said that the individual mandate would remain in place.
The two requirements are different. While the mandate on individuals is expected to play a major role in getting people to sign up for coverage, the employer requirement is more of a backstop, designed to deter companies from shifting to the government their traditional role in providing health benefits.
The individual mandate applies to virtually every U.S. resident, with exceptions for financial hardship, people who entered the country illegally, and prison inmates. The coverage requirement survived a determined legal challenge by "Obamacare" opponents. A divided Supreme Court upheld the mandate last year, reasoning that the penalties which enforce it are taxes constitutionally levied by Congress.
Those individual penalties start small — as little as $95 next year — but they build up with time. The Congressional Budget Office estimated last year some 4 million individuals without insurance will pay about $55 billion in penalties over the course of nearly a decade. The overwhelming majority of Americans already have coverage — through an employer, a government program, or by buying their own plan — and will not have to worry about the fines.
The GOP leaders' letter also requested that the administration provide detailed information on the impact of its decision to delay the employer mandate.
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package com.chillingvan.canvasgl.util;
import android.util.Log;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileFilter;
import java.security.InvalidParameterException;
import java.text.SimpleDateFormat;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.Comparator;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Locale;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutorService;
import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
/**
* class description here
*
* @author hua.yin
* @version 2.0.0
* @since Aug 12, 2011
*/
public final class FileLogger {
/**
* Log中的常量是int值，不适合给外面使用，这里统一用这个枚举值进行设置
*/
public enum LogLevel {
VERBOSE(Log.VERBOSE),
DEBUG(Log.DEBUG),
INFO(Log.INFO),
WARN(Log.WARN),
ERROR(Log.ERROR),
ASSERT(Log.ASSERT);
private int mValue;
LogLevel(int value) {
mValue = value;
}
public int getValue() {
return mValue;
}
}
private static final SimpleDateFormat LOG_DATE_TIME_FORMAT = new SimpleDateFormat("MM-dd HH:mm:ss.SSS");
private static ExecutorService sLogExecutor = Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor();
private static boolean sLogEnable = false;
private static LogLevel sLogLevel = LogLevel.VERBOSE;
private static LogFileManager sLogFileManager;
private static Map<String, Integer> limitLogMap = new HashMap<>();
/**
* 设置Log开关
*
* @param enable 开关项(默认为开).
*/
public static void setEnable(boolean enable) {
sLogEnable = enable;
}
public static boolean isLogEnable() {
return sLogEnable;
}
public static void setLogLevel(LogLevel level) {
sLogLevel = level;
}
/**
* 设置写入log的文件夹
*
* @param dirPath 文件夹地址
*/
public static void init(String dirPath) {
sLogEnable = true;
File file = new File(dirPath);
if (!file.exists() || !file.isDirectory()) {
throw new InvalidParameterException();
}
sLogFileManager = new LogFileManager(dirPath);
}
/**
* @param id the id for this log. Must be unique
* @param cntTimesAfterLogOnce example: 1000 log once, then after 1000 call of this will log again
*/
public static void limitLog(String id, String tag, String message, int cntTimesAfterLogOnce) {
if (!limitLogMap.containsKey(id)) {
limitLogMap.put(id, 0);
} else {
Integer currentCnt = limitLogMap.get(id);
if (currentCnt < cntTimesAfterLogOnce) {
limitLogMap.put(id, currentCnt+1);
return;
} else {
limitLogMap.put(id, 0);
}
}
d(tag, message);
}
/**
* log for debug
*
* @param message log message
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#d(String, String)
*/
public static void d(String tag, String message) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.d(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.DEBUG);
}
}
/**
* log for debug
*
* @param message log message
* @param throwable throwable
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#d(String, String, Throwable)
*/
public static void d(String tag, String message, Throwable throwable) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.d(tag, msg, throwable);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg + "\n" + Log.getStackTraceString(throwable), LogLevel.DEBUG);
}
}
/**
* log for debug
*
* @param tag tag
* @param format message format, such as "%d ..."
* @param params message content params
* @see Log#d(String, String)
*/
public static void d(String tag, String format, Object... params) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = String.format(format, params);
Log.d(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.DEBUG);
}
}
/**
* log for warning
*
* @param message log message
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#w(String, String)
*/
public static void w(String tag, String message) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.w(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.WARN);
}
}
/**
* log for warning
*
* @param tag tag
* @param throwable throwable
* @see Log#w(String, Throwable)
*/
public static void w(String tag, Throwable throwable) {
if (sLogEnable) {
Log.w(tag, throwable);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, Log.getStackTraceString(throwable), LogLevel.WARN);
}
}
/**
* log for warning
*
* @param message log message
* @param throwable throwable
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#w(String, String, Throwable)
*/
public static void w(String tag, String message, Throwable throwable) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.w(tag, msg, throwable);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg + "\n" + Log.getStackTraceString(throwable), LogLevel.WARN);
}
}
/**
* log for warning
*
* @param tag tag
* @param format message format, such as "%d ..."
* @param params message content params
* @see Log#w(String, String)
*/
public static void w(String tag, String format, Object... params) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = String.format(format, params);
Log.w(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.WARN);
}
}
/**
* log for error
*
* @param message message
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#i(String, String)
*/
public static void e(String tag, String message) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.e(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.ERROR);
}
}
/**
* log for error
*
* @param message log message
* @param throwable throwable
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#i(String, String, Throwable)
*/
public static void e(String tag, String message, Throwable throwable) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.e(tag, msg, throwable);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg + "\n" + Log.getStackTraceString(throwable), LogLevel.ERROR);
}
}
/**
* log for error
*
* @param tag tag
* @param format message format, such as "%d ..."
* @param params message content params
* @see Log#e(String, String)
*/
public static void e(String tag, String format, Object... params) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = String.format(format, params);
Log.e(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.ERROR);
}
}
/**
* log for information
*
* @param message message
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#i(String, String)
*/
public static void i(String tag, String message) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.i(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.INFO);
}
}
/**
* log for information
*
* @param message log message
* @param throwable throwable
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#i(String, String, Throwable)
*/
public static void i(String tag, String message, Throwable throwable) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.i(tag, msg, throwable);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg + "\n" + Log.getStackTraceString(throwable), LogLevel.INFO);
}
}
/**
* log for information
*
* @param tag tag
* @param format message format, such as "%d ..."
* @param params message content params
* @see Log#i(String, String)
*/
public static void i(String tag, String format, Object... params) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = String.format(format, params);
Log.i(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.INFO);
}
}
/**
* log for verbos
*
* @param message log message
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#v(String, String)
*/
public static void v(String tag, String message) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.v(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.VERBOSE);
}
}
/**
* log for verbose
*
* @param message log message
* @param throwable throwable
* @param tag tag
* @see Log#v(String, String, Throwable)
*/
public static void v(String tag, String message, Throwable throwable) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = message;
Log.v(tag, msg, throwable);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg + "\n" + Log.getStackTraceString(throwable), LogLevel.VERBOSE);
}
}
/**
* log for verbose
*
* @param tag tag
* @param format message format, such as "%d ..."
* @param params message content params
* @see Log#v(String, String)
*/
public static void v(String tag, String format, Object... params) {
if (sLogEnable) {
String msg = String.format(format, params);
Log.v(tag, msg);
writeToFileIfNeeded(tag, msg, LogLevel.VERBOSE);
}
}
private static void writeToFileIfNeeded(final String tag, final String msg, LogLevel logLevel) {
final StringBuilder strBuilder = new StringBuilder();
StackTraceElement[] stackTrace = new Throwable().getStackTrace();
int methodStackCnt = 2;
strBuilder
.append(" ")
.append(" tid=").append(Thread.currentThread().getId())
.append(" ")
.append(stackTrace[methodStackCnt].getFileName())
.append("[").append(stackTrace[methodStackCnt].getLineNumber())
.append("] ").append("; ")
.append(stackTrace[methodStackCnt].getMethodName())
.append(": ")
;
if (logLevel.getValue() < sLogLevel.getValue() || sLogFileManager == null) {
return;
}
sLogExecutor.execute(new Runnable() {
@Override
public void run() {
appendLog(strBuilder.toString() + tag, msg);
}
});
}
private static void appendLog(String tag, String msg) {
String logMsg = formatLog(tag, msg);
flushLogToFile(logMsg);
}
private static void flushLogToFile(String logMsg) {
sLogFileManager.writeLogToFile(logMsg);
}
private static String formatLog(String tag, String msg) {
return String.format(Locale.CHINA, "%s pid=%d %s; %s\n", LOG_DATE_TIME_FORMAT.format(new Date()), android.os.Process.myPid(), tag, msg);
}
public static class LogFileManager {
private static final int LOG_FILES_MAX_NUM = 5; //文件最多有5个
private static final int LOG_FILE_MAX_SIZE = 1000 * 1000 * 20; //文件最大20MB
private static final SimpleDateFormat LOG_FILE_DATE_FORMAT = new SimpleDateFormat("yyyy-MM-dd");
public static final String PREFIX = "Log";
private File mCurrentLogFile;
private String mLogFileDir;
LogFileManager(String logFileDir) {
mLogFileDir = logFileDir;
}
public void writeLogToFile(String logMessage) {
if (mCurrentLogFile == null || mCurrentLogFile.length() >= LOG_FILE_MAX_SIZE) {
mCurrentLogFile = getNewLogFile();
}
FileUtil.writeToFile(logMessage, mCurrentLogFile.getPath());
}
private File getNewLogFile() {
File dir = new File(mLogFileDir);
File[] files = dir.listFiles(fileFilter);
if (files == null || files.length == 0) {
// 创建新文件
return createNewLogFileIfNeed();
}
List<File> sortedFiles = sortFiles(files);
if (files.length > LOG_FILES_MAX_NUM) {
// 删掉最老的文件
FileUtil.delete(sortedFiles.get(0));
}
return createNewLogFileIfNeed();
}
private File createNewLogFileIfNeed() {
return FileUtil.createFile(mLogFileDir + File.separator + PREFIX + LOG_FILE_DATE_FORMAT.format(new Date()) + ".txt");
}
private List<File> sortFiles(File[] files) {
List<File> fileList = Arrays.asList(files);
Collections.sort(fileList, new FileComparator());
return fileList;
}
private class FileComparator implements Comparator<File> {
public int compare(File file1, File file2) {
if (file1.lastModified() < file2.lastModified()) {
return -1;
} else {
return 1;
}
}
}
private FileFilter fileFilter = new FileFilter() {
public boolean accept(File file) {
String tmp = file.getName().toLowerCase();
if (tmp.startsWith("log") && tmp.endsWith(".txt")) {
return true;
}
return false;
}
};
}
} |
Notch signaling regulates midline cell specification and proliferation in zebrafish.
Notochord and floor plate cells are sources of molecules that pattern tissues near the midline, including the spinal cord. Hypochord cells are also found at the midline of anamniote embryos and are important for aorta development. Delta-Notch signaling regulates midline patterning in the dorsal organizer by inhibiting notochord formation and promoting hypochord and possibly floor plate development, but the precise mechanisms by which this regulation occurs are unknown. We demonstrate here that floor plate and hypochord cells arise from distinct regions of the zebrafish shield. Blocking Notch signaling during gastrulation entirely prevented hypochord specification but only reduced the number of floor plate cells that developed compared to control embryos. In contrast, elevation of Notch signaling at the beginning of gastrulation caused expansion of hypochord at the expense of notochord, but floor plate was not affected. A cell proliferation assay revealed that Notch signaling maintains dividing floor plate progenitors. Together, our results indicate that Notch signaling regulates allocation of appropriate numbers of different midline cells by different mechanisms. |
Adaptive acetylcholinesterase splicing patterns attenuate 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine-induced Parkinsonism in mice.
Balanced dopaminergic cholinergic interactions are crucial for proper basal ganglia function. This is dramatically demonstrated by the worsening of Parkinson's disease symptoms following acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition. Typically, in the brain, the synapse-anchored synaptic AChE (AChE-S) variant is prevalent whereas the soluble readthrough AChE (AChE-R) variant is induced in response to cholinesterase inhibition or stress. Because of the known functional differences between these variants and the fact that AChE-R expression is triggered by various stimuli that themselves are often associated with Parkinson's disease risk, we hypothesized that the splice shift to AChE-R plays a functional role in Parkinsonian progression. After establishing that Paraoxon-induced AChE inhibition indeed aggravates experimental Parkinsonism triggered by the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) in mice, we tested the roles of individual AChE variants by exposing transgenic mice overexpressing either the AChE-S or AChE-R variant to MPTP. Differential reductions of tyrosine hydroxylase levels in the striatum and substantia nigra indicated that transgenic AChE-R expression confers resistance as compared with the parent FVB/N strain. In contrast, AChE-S overexpression accelerated the MPTP-induced damage. Survival, behavioral measures and plasma corticosterone levels were also compatible with the extent of the dopaminergic damage. Our findings highlight the functional differences between individual AChE variants and indicate that a naturally occurring stress or AChE inhibitor-induced splicing shift can act to minimize dopaminergic cholinergic imbalances. We propose that inherited or acquired alternative splicing deficits could accelerate Parkinsonism and that, correspondingly, adaptive alternative splicing events may attenuate disease progression. |
New to music licensing? Here are a few basics.
In a film or video production, music can come from one of three sources:
Original music composed specifically for the production;
Existing music that is in the public domain (ie: a Mozart concerto)
Existing music that is not in the public domain.
Audiovisual licenses
In each case you need to make sure that you have acquired the right to use both the composition and the recording. This is usually done through two different licenses:
a synchronization license for the right to use the composition (which is often issued by a music publisher)
a master use license for the right to use the recording (which is often issued by a record label).
If you choose to use existing music that is not in the public domain, you will need to obtain the right to use both the composition and the recording. If you choose to use existing music that is in the public domain (in other words, a song that is so old that the term of copyright has expired), you may use the composition without obtaining a synchronization license, but you will still need to obtain the right to use the recording.
License fees
The fee for synchronization and master use rights are typically the same, so you will often hear people refer to a license fee as something like $500 “per side” (meaning the cost is $500 each for synchronization and master rights) or $1000 “all in”.
"One-stop" music synchronisation
It is becoming increasingly common that both the composition and the recording are owned by the artist, or another single rights owner. In such cases, the synchronization and master use licenses can be obtained under the same agreement, as long as it specifically grants the production company a license to use both the composition and the recording.
Luckily for you, all the tracks in Harris&Wolff library are what those of us in the business lovingly refer to as “one stop”, which means you can obtain all of the permissions you need in one place.
Different types of music uses in an audiovisual production:
« Background » or « Incidential » Music: music used as an accompaniment to the scene portrayed, but not represented as being audible to one or more of the characters therein.
« Feature » Music: music which is performed by, or represented as being audible to and directly related to the specific actions of, one or more of the characters in the scene portrayed.
« Theme » Music: music which identifies, at the beginning or end, a program, film, series, video game or other.
« Trailer » or « Out of context use » Music: music which is used to advertise or promote the PRODUCTION in advance or as a preview.
« Duration »: the total time of usage of the given music track in PRODUCTION |
(c) 0.1
c
Which is the nearest to -1/20? (a) 350 (b) -2 (c) -13/8 (d) 3/4
d
What is the closest to 2/39 in 6, 2, 116, 6/5, 1, -0.4?
-0.4
What is the nearest to -2 in -4, 3, 3110, 3/4, 2, 120?
-4
Which is the closest to 0.1? (a) 2/5 (b) -0.06 (c) -3174.7
b
What is the nearest to -0.03 in 5.4, -33.7, 7, 4?
4
Which is the nearest to 4? (a) 4/5 (b) -3356 (c) 5 (d) -5/8 (e) -0.3 (f) -0.5
c
What is the closest to 360 in -0.05, 1, -3.9, -1/4?
1
Which is the closest to 1? (a) -181 (b) -0.3 (c) 22/7 (d) 162
b
Which is the closest to 1/6? (a) -2 (b) 21 (c) -9 (d) 57
a
Which is the closest to 3? (a) 323 (b) 0.5 (c) -5 (d) 3/53
b
What is the nearest to 3152 in 6, 60, 81?
81
Which is the closest to -0.2? (a) 47.8 (b) -2/3 (c) -0.22 (d) -12/13 (e) 1
c
What is the closest to -1 in -76/3, 4, 2, -6.4, -0.4?
-0.4
What is the nearest to 158 in 789, -3, 0.4?
0.4
Which is the closest to 1? (a) -3 (b) -138 (c) -0.1 (d) 2/617
d
What is the nearest to 3/175 in -0.1, -3, 21, -1/21, 0.5?
-1/21
What is the closest to -0.2 in 1/923, 4, -1433?
1/923
What is the nearest to 1 in 0.2, -0.2, 121, 26, 19?
0.2
Which is the nearest to -0.01? (a) -2 (b) -4 (c) -3 (d) 5/6 (e) -6984 (f) 2
d
What is the nearest to 0.41 in 2/9, 1/3, 0.2, -2/387?
1/3
What is the closest to 0.4 in 0.1, 5, -5906, -2?
0.1
What is the closest to 9 in 1/3, 132/119, -2/3, 0.3, -3?
132/119
What is the closest to 0.3 in 7, 29/4, 1, 92/17?
1
What is the closest to 41471 in -0.4, 4/9, 2, -0.3, 6?
6
What is the nearest to -0.2 in 17145, -0.1, -12?
-0.1
Which is the closest to 3.4? (a) -339 (b) 3 (c) 604
b
What is the closest to 0.1 in -6, 13, -4/13, -20?
-4/13
Which is the nearest to 0.1? (a) -1 (b) 5 (c) 14/13 (d) 1.35 (e) -0.5
e
Which is the nearest to 29? (a) -3 (b) 85 (c) -11/4
c
What is the nearest to -1/11 in 0, -8/21, 0.5, 5, 2?
0
What is the closest to -231 in 1/6, 14, 153, -0.2, 4?
-0.2
What is the nearest to 42 in -3, 1, 0.38, 360?
1
What is the closest to 1 in 1.1, 2/13, -429?
1.1
What is the nearest to -3 in 9/5, 0.4, -4718/3, 5?
0.4
Which is the nearest to -8/45? (a) -2/39 (b) 0 (c) 1/2 (d) 0.1 (e) 4
a
Which is the closest to 20/3? (a) -11/6 (b) -5 (c) -3 (d) -0.01 (e) 13 (f) 1
f
What is the closest to -23051 in -0.4, 3/2, -0.2?
-0.4
What is the closest to 3 in 1/4, 0.6, 0.1, -1449883?
0.6
Which is the closest to 0.28? (a) 0.2 (b) 1/4 (c) -0.091 (d) -37/10 (e) -0.1
b
Which is the closest to -0.1? (a) -473 (b) -4 (c) -24 (d) -1/5 (e) 3/7 (f) 6
d
Which is the closest to 1? (a) 122 (b) -0.2221 (c) 1/9 (d) -30
c
What is the closest to -1 in 0, 705, -8, 0.5, 1?
0
What is the closest to 2/5 in 61, -7/2, -12, 0.5, -4, 3?
0.5
Which is the closest to 5/2? (a) 2/15 (b) -1 (c) -1568 (d) -4/3
a
Which is the closest to -1/3? (a) -5 (b) -2/5 (c) 2 (d) 4/37 (e) 9/25 (f) 0.5
b
What is the closest to -1/3 in -1/2, -7.7, -5, 4/305?
-1/2
What is the nearest to 229 in -0.45, 1, -0.2, 10/7, 1/2?
10/7
What is the closest to 1/43 in -999/5, -1, 5?
-1
Which is the nearest to 100? (a) -276 (b) -0.2 (c) 0.07 (d) -1 (e) 5
e
Which is the nearest to -0.1? (a) 1/2 (b) 0.4 (c) 13434 (d) -113
b
What is the closest to -135/7 in 2/253, -0.3, -1/8?
-0.3
What is the nearest to -1 in 66, -3.63, 4/5, -2, 9/2?
-2
What is the closest to 2/3 in 0.164, 2.5, -3?
0.164
Which is the nearest to -1/5? (a) 65806647 (b) -1/3 (c) -4 (d) 0 (e) 3/7
b
What is the nearest to -0.02 in 3, -0.1, -84, -1/96?
-1/96
What is the nearest to -1/4 in -1/8, 5, -3/4, 3/34?
-1/8
What is the closest to -10.48 in 0.2, -1/4, 47?
-1/4
Which is the nearest to -334/3? (a) -1 (b) -1/3 (c) 4 (d) 5 (e) -3/68 (f) 3/4
a
What is the closest to -0.2 in -6, 4, -152, 131, -12?
4
What is the nearest to 2 in 3, -46648, -9?
3
Which is the closest to 762? (a) 30 (b) 2490 (c) -1
a
Which is the closest to 1/3? (a) -0.06 (b) -1/24 (c) -2/3 (d) 227 (e) 1/194
e
Which is the nearest to 0.1? (a) 1/5 (b) 36183 (c) 3 (d) 2277 (e) -3
a
Which is the closest to 5324? (a) 1/33 (b) -1 (c) 0.5 (d) -312
c
Which is the closest to -82? (a) 157.6 (b) -2 (c) -0.3
b
Which is the closest to -1? (a) 2 (b) 1/3 (c) -153 (d) -3.1 (e) 2/11
e
Which is the nearest to 397? (a) -2 (b) 7 (c) 1 (d) -1.363 (e) -1/6
b
Which is the closest to -1/3? (a) -259118 (b) 2 (c) -2 (d) 9
c
What is the closest to 1092/5 in 7, 2, -2/13, 2/9, -7/6?
7
What is the nearest to -2.2 in 0.4, -2451, -2.6?
-2.6
Which is the closest to -1? (a) -1308 (b) -89 (c) -6
c
What is the closest to 0.642 in 3448, -0.7, -3/5?
-3/5
Which is the nearest to 1/3? (a) -2618081 (b) 0.2 (c) 0
b
What is the closest to -0.5 in 0.3, -0.5, -4, -20647?
-0.5
What is the closest to 0 in 1153, 2/15, -15/26?
2/15
What is the closest to 1/6 in 1.76, -0.14, -0.5, 2/17?
2/17
What is the closest to 0 in -2/3, 2/13, -2.35, 1, 1074?
2/13
Which is the closest to 6? (a) 1/5 (b) -8 (c) 78/7 (d) 2 (e) 1/9
d
Which is the nearest to 0.17? (a) 6/5 (b) -3/2 (c) -1 (d) 701 (e) 1/7
e
Which is the closest to 0.2? (a) 0.1 (b) -3007171 (c) -0.2 (d) -0.3 (e) 2/5 (f) 0.2
f
What is the closest to -13 in -12, -0.1, 1/5, -5, -3/8, -31.73?
-12
What is the closest to 3/8 in -0.5, 83/5, -2, -3?
-0.5
What is the closest to 6/5 in -60991, -4, 4?
4
Which is the nearest to 0? (a) -14 (b) 841 (c) -16.15
a
What is the closest to 6/11 in -140, -2/45, -3/4, 4, 14/3, 3?
-2/45
Which is the nearest to -0.06? (a) 3 (b) 0.157 (c) -5 (d) 58 (e) -2
b
Which is the closest to 46? (a) 1/4 (b) 301 (c) -0.1 (d) -1/8 (e) -5
a
Which is the closest to 12? (a) 38 (b) 88 (c) -1 (d) 4
d
Which is the nearest to 11259.3? (a) -20 (b) -16 (c) 5
c
What is the closest to 0.2 in -0.1, -554, 4375?
-0.1
What is the closest to -0.15 in -11/7, 2, -0.3, -4, 14969?
-0.3
What is the closest to -58 in 0.009, -2/3, 25?
-2/3
Which is the closest to -26? (a) -0.4 (b) 3 (c) 1 (d) -91.8 (e) -1/5 (f) 0.3
a
Which is the nearest to -46/9? (a) -4/11 (b) 0.02 (c) 5
a
What is the nearest to 9 in 35193, 8, -5?
8
Which is the nearest to 5.9899? (a) 0 (b) 0.6 (c) 0.5 (d) -0.1
b
Which is the nearest to 5? (a) -1 (b) -19 (c) 624.5 (d) 4/3 (e) 2/3 (f) -5
d
Which is the closest to -259.1? (a) 2/67 (b) -2 (c) 1/4
b
What is the closest to -2/35 in -1, 0.24, 2/7, 1, 3/4, 0.1?
0.1
Which is the nearest to 2? (a) 20 (b) -0.308 (c) -5 (d) 15
b
Which is the closest to -1? (a) 1 (b) -11 (c) -0.7 (d) -0.17 (e) -253
c
What is the nearest to -2 in -0.01, 33, 3, -20?
-0.01
What is the closest to -17413 in -1/6, 2, -2/5, -23, -3?
-23
Which is the closest to 0.005? (a) -5 (b) 5 (c) -2/3 (d) 3 (e) -227/19
c
Which is the nearest to 0.1? (a) 2 (b) -1611.2 (c) -0.3 (d) -0.42
c
Which is the nearest to -1/18? (a) 0.1 (b) -2.4 (c) 1/76 (d) 7 (e) 12/5
c
Which is the nearest to 5? (a) 0.033 (b) 0.08 (c) -4 (d) 2.536 (e) -0.2
d
What is the closest to 9/4 in 1, 19, -5.535, 0, -2/9?
1
What is the nearest to -9508 in -0.08, -21, 14, -2/5?
-21
What is the closest to 0 in -0.5, -0.10751832, 2/27?
2/27
What is the closest to -29 in -3/40, 63/4, 0, 8/27?
-3/40
What is the closest to 2/7 in -5/2, -1, -4/7, 6/9139, -3?
6/9139
What is the nearest to 1/5 in -14, 1729.8, 1/3?
1/3
Which is the nearest to -0.4? (a) -4 (b) 4 (c) -40815/13
a
What is the nearest to -95/3 in -2, 0.5, -4, -0.1, 1/7?
-4
Which is the nearest to 0.1? (a) -2 (b) 41 (c) 7/5 (d) 183
c
Which is the nearest to 548? (a) -602 (b) 4 (c) 0 (d) -2 (e) 3
b
What is the nearest to -1 in 19/22732, 0.5, -1/6, -5?
-1/6
Which is the closest to -3/2? (a) 1/11 (b) -251 (c) -424
a
Which is the closest to -0.1? (a) -0.2 (b) -3291 (c) -4/3 (d) 10/3 (e) -26 (f) -2
a
Which is the nearest to 1/3? (a) -17 (b) -5 (c) -1/11 (d) 3191
c
Which is the nearest to -1? (a) -2/95 (b) 8 (c) 2 (d) -34/9 (e) -1
e
What is the closest to 52 in -0.6, -1, 1, 5701?
1
Which is the nearest to 1? (a) -2 (b) -1/9 (c) 0.061 (d) -65/2 (e) -13/7 (f) -0.3
c
What is the nearest to -2/4935 in -5, 0, -212?
0
What is the closest to 1.2 in 79, 2, 202, -16?
2
What is the nearest to 1 in 1/2, 136.3613, -50?
1/2
Which is the closest to -2077037? (a) -1/4 (b) 0 (c) 7 (d) -6
d
Which is the nearest t |
Alexander Zeitlin
Alexander Zeitlin (28 August 1900, in Russia – 19 April 1998) was a Russian-American military leader. He was prominent in the US Air Force major hydraulic press design program following the Second World War and Korean War years. He and his colleagues worked on "The Heavy Press Program of the U.S.A.F." that began in earnest in 1950.
Career
Heavy Press Program
The Heavy (Forging) Press Program were installed at Alcoa Cleveland, Ohio and Wyman Gordon, North Grafton, Massachusetts. The two Forging Press manufacturers were Loewy Hydropress Inc. (Loewy) and Mesta Machine of Pittsburgh, PA. At Loewy, Zietlin was involved in the design and construction of the 35,000 ton press code-named "MINOR" and the 50,000 ton code-named "MAJOR" forging presses.
For strategic reasons, two other "Minor" and "Major" forging presses and were built by Mesta Machine and were commissioned at Alcoa Cleveland, Ohio, during the same time period. Both had a 50,000-ton forge capacity and were powered by hydraulic systems with forging flows of 12,000 Gallons per Minute (45,000 Liters/min.) at 4,500 (PSI 310 bar), Loewy Presses were a pull-down design using columnar plate design while the Mesta design used moving platens with round columns. Both the 50,000-ton presses are listed as National Historic Engineering Landmarks.
The Loewy forging press made the Boeing 747 main wing beams and all the B2b Stealth Bomber forgings at Wyman-Gordon.
Bliss Barrogenics
In the 1960s Zeitlin continued his work as Vice President of Bliss Barrogenics of Mount Vernon, NY continually focused on the heavy press industry. During that period the Soviets had built two 65,000 Metric Ton (72,000-US Ton) presses and were rumored to be building larger presses.
Press Technology Corporation
He formed Press Technology Corporation (PTC) of White Plains, NY. With his 'right hand man', Adam Zandel (of Forest Hills, NY) the company led proposals for larger presses. In the 1980s and into the 90's PTC, Zietlin and Zandel were central in promoting and supporting the strategic U. S. need for construction for 100,000-ton and 200,000-ton "Super Presses". PTC developed complete detailed plans and proposals for all project phases. Suppliers for all major components and systems had been identified and bids were ready for Air Force approval. Several ex-Loewy senior designers and engineers including engineers who had worked on the original presses at Alcoa and Wyman Gordon were available.
As the political scene changed, aircraft frame development progressed moved to use composites, which delayed and possibly eliminated the need for these larger presses.
Zeitlin's work included several key US government and classified military projects. Zeitlin alone and PTC worked on several other military projects and developed several patents. For example, PTC patented a press frame concept for an enormous 500,000-ton forging press and also patented press designs incorporating composite materials.
Personal life
Alexander Zeitlin was born in Russia 28 August 1900 in Russia and died April 19, 1998, in White Plains, Westchester, NY.
Sources
Linderman Library, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA Call No.: SC MS 078
American Society of Tool and Manufacturing Engineers Library of Congress Catalog Card # 68-23024
US Patents Office # 4,787,654; 4,706,490; 4,694,678 & 4,566,372.
ASME (American Society of Manufacturing Engineers) Dedication Ceremony; 50,000 Ton Closed Die Forging Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 24 September 1981, publication
Business contact information and references of Charles N. Johnson of Wisconsin
Also see Lehigh Engineers and for a photograph of the 50,000 Ton Forging press at Wyman Gordon, www.facebook.com/lehigh.engineers/posts/unbowed-by-evilthe-fascinating-tale-of-german-jewish-emigres-who-helped-engineer/1138525572903186/
Category:1900 births
Category:1998 deaths
Category:United States Air Force personnel
Category:Cold War history of the United States
Category:People of the Cold War
Category:Place of birth missing |
The evolution of toxic anterior segment syndrome.
Toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) is a surgical complication resulting from a noninfectious inflammatory reaction to substances used during intraocular ophthalmic surgery. Continuous reporting of new information concerning risk factors and possible causes is critical for preventing this condition. The diagnosis of TASS is clinical and its main features are well known. However, new causes of TASS are emerging and being reported, as are new treatment options for managing the inflammation or its complications, and prevention guidelines are being updated. This article presents current and novel information regarding these topics. Educating the medical community regarding potential causes of TASS and its prevention is necessary for improving management of TASS. Thorough investigations and reports of TASS cases are a fundamental step in achieving this goal. Still, as the complete eradication of TASS solely through prevention is unlikely, further studies regarding TASS's pathophysiology, systemic and ocular risk factors, and new treatment options are necessary. |
Sciatica refers to pain that radiates along the path of the sciatic nerve and its branches — from your back down your buttock and leg. The sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It runs from your spinal cord to your buttock and hip area and down the back of each leg. Sciatica is a symptom, not a disorder. The radiating pain of sciatica signals another problem involving the nerve, such as a herniated disk. Depending on the cause, the pain of acute sciatica — which may be quite uncomfortable — usually goes away on its own within a couple of weeks or may take months.
Causes of sciatic type pain can come from a couple of different sources. Sometimes the disc bulge or herniation can cause the pain and this will most of the time be accompanied with tingling and numbness down the affected leg and foot. Many people with this form of sciatia don’t realize the issue is in the back because most often there is no pain in the back. Another source of pain from sciatica is the piriformis muscle. It is the one muscle that the sciatic nerve pierces through and if it is inflamed, there will be associated sciatic pain. The pain will most often travel from the glut region down the back of the leg and to the knee. It usually will not go beyond the knee.
Provider Note: We will get great results if the reason for the sciatic pain is muscular in nature by utilizing FDM, stretching, and rehabilitative exercises. If through our evaluation we find the pain is resulting from a disc injury we will refer for an MRI to find the extent of damage to the disc. This will be accompanied with appointment to a back specialist for an evaluation and to discuss other options available. Some people have the pain and numbness so bad that they will opt for surgery and others will allow the pain to subside and do the physical therapy necessary for it not to become a problem again. People with disc injury resulting of sciatica can have reoccurrence with or without surgery. |
:"I used Crux before starting Arch. Arch started out as Crux, pretty much. Then I wrote pacman and makepkg to replace my bash pseudo packaging scripts (I built Arch as an LFS system to begin). So the two are completely separate distros, but technically, they're almost the same. We have dependency support (officially) for example, although Crux has a community that provides other features. CLC's prt-get will do rudimentary dependency logic. Crux gets to ignore lots of problems we have too, since it's a very minimalistic package set, basically what Per uses and nothing else."
:"I used Crux before starting Arch. Arch started out as Crux, pretty much. Then I wrote pacman and makepkg to replace my bash pseudo packaging scripts (I built Arch as an LFS system to begin). So the two are completely separate distros, but technically, they're almost the same. We have dependency support (officially) for example, although Crux has a community that provides other features. CLC's prt-get will do rudimentary dependency logic. Crux gets to ignore lots of problems we have too, since it's a very minimalistic package set, basically what Per uses and nothing else."
−
See this [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?t=3608&start=270#133721 this forum post] for a user's impressions of both distributions.
Arch vs Crux
"I used Crux before starting Arch. Arch started out as Crux, pretty much. Then I wrote pacman and makepkg to replace my bash pseudo packaging scripts (I built Arch as an LFS system to begin). So the two are completely separate distros, but technically, they're almost the same. We have dependency support (officially) for example, although Crux has a community that provides other features. CLC's prt-get will do rudimentary dependency logic. Crux gets to ignore lots of problems we have too, since it's a very minimalistic package set, basically what Per uses and nothing else."
Arch vs Sorcerer/Lunar-linux/Sourcemage
Sorcerer/Lunar-linux/Sourcemage (SLS) are all source based distros, much like Gentoo is, but are originally related to one another. SLS distro's use a rather simple set of script files to create packages descriptions, and use a global configuration file to configure the compilation process, much like Arch's ABS system. The SLS tools does full dependancy checking (including handling optional features) and package tracking (and deinstalling/upgrading). There are no binary packages for any of the SLS family, allthough they all can rollback earlier installed packages easily.
The install involves installing a base system (much like Arch's: i686 optimized, CLI and ncurses menus, only core tools), then recompiling the base system (optionally) after. There is obviously no "standard" WM/DE/DM and they do not install an Xserver during the base installation. However, they do provide you with an easy way of installing one of several Xserver alternatives (xorg 6.8 or 7, xfree86).
Arch vs Debian
Arch is simpler than Debian. Arch has fewer packages. Arch provides better support for building your own packages than Debian does. Arch is more lenient when it comes to 'non-free' packages as defined by GNU. Arch is i686 optimized and thus faster than Debian (NO documented proof here either). Arch packages are more bleeding edge than Debian packages (Arch current is often more up to date than Debian unstable!)
Arch vs Ubuntu
Arch has a simpler foundation than Ubuntu. If you like to compile your own kernels, try out bleeding edge CVS-only projects, or build a program from source every once in a while, Arch is better suited. If you want to get up and running quickly and not fiddle around with the guts of the system, Ubuntu is better suited. In general, developers and tinkerers will probably like Arch better than Ubuntu.
Arch vs Fedora
Fedora is a spin-off from the Red Hat distribution and has continually been one of the most popular distributions to date. Therefore, there is a massive community and lots of pre-built packages and support available. Like all RPM-based distributions, package management is a problem. Fedora supplied Yum as a front-end to manage the acquistion of RPMs and dependency resolution. The system lacks solid yum intergration. Fedora does innovate and recently earned kudos for integration of SELinux and GCJ compiled packages to remove the need for Sun's JRE. Fedora famously doesn't attempt to support the mp3 media format due to perceived patent issues.
Arch vs Mandriva
Mandriva (previously Mandrake), though famed for its installer is a very handholding distro which can get annoying after some time. Another problem is that it is a RPM based distro as discussed above. Arch allows much more freedom and less hand-holding. You actually learn.
Arch vs Frugalware
Arch is text based and command-line oriented (user should be willing to learn).
Frugalware is a Slackware-based system. Frugalware provides better multi-lingual support. Frugalware also provides more local documentation. Frugalware claims to be faster then Arch.
Both use pacman. Their packages are not really very compatible. |
Teacher Profile: Anya
Teacher Profile: Anya
Robert Abrams:How did you start dancing?
Anya: When I was about 5 years old, I used to dance around the house. My mom saw this and decided to enroll me in a ballet class. The ballet school was a few blocks from my house in Berkeley, California. I continued to study there until I was about 17. I went to a regular grammar school and high school. After school I would run to the ballet school. When I was younger I took classes two or three times per week. When I was 14-17 years old, I took classes everyday. On weekends I would rehearse for productions.
At 17 I left ballet school to go to college. In college I explored other styles of dancing, including lots of social dancing. I kept trying to get away from dance, but kept coming back to it. I toured Europe, and the Caribbean as a dancer. I was offered experiences I wouldn't have had otherwise. This was how I made the transition from ballet to ballroom. Recently I have been involved in the competitive arena and will start competing in 2001.
RA: What inspires you to keep dancing?
A: Dance is a part of my life, like sleeping. Even when I try to get away from it, in college, a period of time when I stepped away - I always came back. I went out social dancing. Dance is my time to get away and lose myself. It is therapeutic. If I have problems, I take a dance class or go out dancing. I find joy again, find a reason to keep going. I am inspired by dance, but it is also something that I have to do.
When I see really incredible dancers or performances, I think "This is why I am living." I want to be like that: to inspire others like that person just inspired me.
Dance is the one place where I find my own freedom, to be myself. A feeling of freedom that is difficult to compare to anything else. It is like flying.
RA: What do you teach?
A: What ever is necessary. Ballet, Jazz, Latin, Swing, Salsa, Brazilian. I have more experience in the Latin dances, and in Ballet and Jazz. I teach both group classes and private lessons.
RA: What else would you like students to know about you?
A: One reason why I do what I do: it is fun for me, of all of the careers one can have. Also I hope I can offer people the same gift of dancing that I have been given. To offer what other people have offered to me in the past. Especially in this country, we dont always take the time out to enjoy ourselves, and move our own bodies and get in touch with moving our own bodies. In partner dancing, there is a different kind of experience that you can't find in other sports or dance styles.
I feel like I am creating a project or a child with my own dancing. I want to be able to help other people create that for themselves, whatever that means to them. Often times we communicate with words in our pastimes. Communication with movement is often forgotten, unlike in other countries: during special occasions there is always lots of dancing. We have somehow lost track of that.Anya |
“Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” Video is Unbelievable
There aren’t too many times that I post about video games, but “Grand Theft Auto IV” and this are totally, totally warranted. “Star Wars: The Force Unleashed” sets an all new benchmark for video games by incorporating 3 different physics engines: Havok which is a bomb physics engine for objects; Euphoria which is “actual biomechancial AI” and essentially means characters react at will to their environment; and DMM (Digital Molecular Matter) which makes glass, wood and more shatter as if it were real. The real kicker is that the engineers were able to get all three engines working in concert. So if you toss a barrel at a Storm Trooper he’ll put his hands up to protect himself. When he’s launched into a glass plate window as a result of the barrel, the glass will shatter in accordance to how the Storm Trooper and barrel land upon impact. Sick, isn’t it? Even sicker is the video explaining it all.
Christen Costa
Grew up back East, got sick of the cold and headed West. Since I was small I have been pushing buttons - both electronic and human. With an insatiable need for tech I thought "why not start a blog focusing on technology, and use my dislikes and likes to post on gadgets." |
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Thursday, June 27, 2013
Lesbian inheritance tax humiliates kids
The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in United States v. Windsor. The technical legal issue had to do with paying an inheritance tax after a Canadian lesbian ceremony, and that is off-topic for this blog. My concern is with the effect on parents in the family courts.
Here is how the majority ruled, with emphasis on the effect to kids:
The differentiation demeans the couple, whose moral and sexual choices the Constitution protects, see Lawrence, 539 U. S. 558, and whose relationship the State has sought to dignify. And it humiliates tens of thousands of children now being raised by same-sex couples. The law in question makes it even more difficult for the children to understand the integrity and closeness of their own family and its concord with other families in their community and in their daily lives. ...
DOMA also brings financial harm to children of same-sex couples. It raises the cost of health care for families by taxing health benefits provided by employers to their workers’ same-sex spouses. ...
DOMA instructs all federal officials, and indeed all persons with whom same-sex couples interact, including their own children, that their marriage is less worthy than the marriages of others. The federal statute is invalid, for no legitimate purpose overcomes the purpose and effect to disparage and to injure those whom the State, by its marriage laws, sought to protect in personhood and dignity. By seeking to displace this protection and treating those persons as living in marriages less respected than others, the federal statute is in violation of the Fifth Amendment. This opinion and its holding are confined to those lawful marriages.
So Justice Kennedy says that taxing a lesbian inheritance humiliates children because he previously declared anal sodomy to be a constitutional right. This humiliation is now unconstitutional because it violates this amendment:
V. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Maybe I am stupid, but I have a hard time seeing what this amendment has to do with humiliation, sodomy, or lesbian inheritance tax.
Meanwhile there are millions of kids who suffer the humiliation of supervised visitation and other indignities imposed by the family court. The federal courts refuse to do anything about any of them.
I believe this decision, and the accompanying California Proposition 8, will only serve to add to the humiliation. These decisions guarantee that same-sex marriage law will never be the will of the people. If the polls are to be believed, California would have passed same-sex marriage in 2014. But now it will never have that legitimacy, and always be something imposed by judges seeking social change. California passed initiatives twice that marriage is between a man and a woman, and the California supreme court disagreed the first time and agreed the second time. The only contrary opinion left standing is the opinion of gay trial judge in San Francisco.
But again, my concern is how this will affect marriage and parenting for the rest of us. Justice Alito explained in dissent that marriage is being redefined in a way that is broader than the sex of the parties:
While modern cultural changes have weakened the link between marriage and procreation in the popular mind, there is no doubt that, throughout human history and across many cultures, marriage has been viewed as an exclusively opposite-sex institution and as one inextricably linked to procreation and biological kinship. The other, newer view is what I will call the “consent based” vision of marriage, a vision that primarily defines marriage as the solemnization of mutual commitment — marked by strong emotional attachment and sexual attraction — between two persons. At least as it applies to heterosexual couples, this view of marriage now plays a very prominent role in the popular understanding of the institution. Indeed, our popular culture is infused with this understanding of marriage. Proponents of same-sex marriage argue that because gender differentiation is not relevant to this vision, the exclusion of same-sex couples from the institution of marriage is rank discrimination.
He is right. In order to avoid public disapproval for the "moral and sexual choices", LGBT couples have persuaded the court to devalue procreation and biological kinship so that marriage can be unlinked.
Note that I am quoting Kennedy on "choices". Sometimes I use that word, and a reader alleges that homosexuality is not a choice. If so, complain to Kennedy, not me.
Because of this devaluation, we see cases like yesterday's Cherokee Baby Veronica case where the court nullified the biological kinship of the dad so that some family court could give his baby to an adoptive couple, if that is argued to be in the BIOTCh (best interest of the child). We see family courts nullify parental rights every day.
Lesbian marriage is largely a plot to eliminate fathers from the lives of their kids. In many cases a lesbian couple is raising a kid, but there is also a real dad who seeks contact with the kid. Look again at Kennedy's argument:
And it humiliates tens of thousands of children now being raised by same-sex couples. The law in question makes it even more difficult for the children to understand the integrity and closeness of their own family and its concord with other families in their community and in their daily lives.
This should be no surprise, as Kennedy also got this wrong in oral argument. For many kids, it is indeed hard to understand why they cannot see their real dads and why there are two women living in the house. Are those kids going to feel better if those women become exempt from the inheritance tax? Of course not.
We are a people who declared that we are all created equal -- and the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.
This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal treatment under the law; for children whose parents' marriages will now be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last, will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change for the better.
Here again is this silly argument about benefiting children by letting their parents get married. It is much more likely that the parents were already marriage and divorced, and now the mom wants to marry some lesbian that the kids despise. Now California is giving the lesbians respect so that they don't feel bad about cutting the dad out of the kids' lives.
“Sexual-minority youth should not be considered abnormal,” the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said in its new materials on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youths, released Monday.
The policy statement and technical report — which updates a 2004 policy — is nonbinding but recommends that pediatricians create offices that are “teen-friendly and welcoming to all adolescents, regardless of sexual orientation and behavior.”
Doctors can signal their openness to LGBTQ youths by putting out brochures with pictures of “both same- and opposite-gender couples” or posting a “rainbow” decal on an office door or bulletin board. The report also suggests that medical questionnaires be changed to be gender-neutral, and that staff be trained to not ask a boy about his girlfriend, but to ask him to “tell me about your partner” instead. ...
It covers problems such as eating disorders, substance abuse, depression, suicide ideation and sexual risk-taking, and identifies homophobia (“the irrational fear and resulting hatred of homosexuals”) and heterosexism (“the societal expectation that heterosexuality is the expected norm, and that, somehow LGBTQ individuals are abnormal”) as major sources of distress for LGBTQ youths.
Those pediatricians will happily prescribe ADHD meds, in spite of this:
If you or someone you know has a child that has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chances are the child is actually just fine. At least this is what the "father" of ADHD, Leon Eisenberg, would presumably say if he were still alive. On his death bed, this psychiatrist and autism pioneer admitted that ADHD is essentially a "fictitious disease," which means that millions of young children today are being needlessly prescribed severe mind-altering drugs that will set them up for a life of drug addiction and failure.
I really don't want my pediatrician deciding what is normal and what is not. Just practice medicine.
As a same-sex couple, we are asked why we care so much about the word "marriage." The word "marriage" conveys exactly the type of commitment that we have made. ...
When I say that we are "married," people know exactly what that means. It means that we have made a commitment for better or worse, through sickness and in health. It means she is not just my friend. Not my cleaning buddy. Not my business partner.
When I say that we are married, it means that Sharon is my wife. Proudly, unambiguously and till death do us part.
No, marriage does not mean a commitment until death. Not under current law. Either party may bail out at any time for any reason. Marriage has been redefined under the law, and that law includes unilateral (no-fault) divorce.
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Hi Georgie Boy, (from "Seinfeld"). Regarding the last two sentences of paragraph 10: "Are those kids going to feel better if those women become exempt from the inheritance tax? Of course not." The kids may or may not feel better (depending on their age; also we have to be careful of mindreading here). HOWEVER, there will definitely be extra money for childrearing because the two women do not have to pay inheritance tax just as a heterosexual married couple does not. (Hopefully, they will choose to use all or part of the money for childrearing which, as you know, gets expensive!) Barbara
I wrote what I wrote because you were referencing "lesbian couples" in general. My comments did not speciyfy the 84 woman in the lawsuit. BTW, I think the insurance issue is an important one as well.P.S. Stop eating the chocolate-dipped twinkies!
Don't estate taxes start on estates somewhere north of $1 million? So a lesbian heir could have used at least the first $1 million to benefit any children.
Shouldn't we be equally concerned about children growing up on communes where the adults practice free love (or open relationshilps or polyamory or whatever is the politically correct term now)? Won't they be humiliated by their inability to understand federal estate tax law?
Same-sex marriage would probably have passed in California in 2012, not even 2014. I asked state Senator Joe Simitian last year if we call ourselves Democrats why not have the state legislature put it on the ballot last year. He sat the LGBT groups wanted a Supreme Court ruling rather than a vote of the people. Now based on the reasoning in the Court's opinion, we got neither.
Minors can't enter into contracts so they don't have a "partner". Homosexual boys and girls might have "significant others" -- maybe two or three, not just one and only. Certainly a bisexual might have at least two!
Yes, if an estate is large enough to be taxable, then it is much more than is needed for child-rearing.
I think that the California LGBT folks would have been much better off putting an initiative on the ballot in 2014. It would pass, according to the polls, and then they could claim legitimate public approval. |
Our Priorities
Syrian Regime Accuses Rebels of Plotting Chemical Strike
Syrian opposition fighters walk along a trench in the city of Deir Ezzor last week. Damascus on Tuesday asserted that rebels were plotting to conduct a chemical attack they would later blame on government forces.
(Ahmad Aboud/AFP/Getty Images)
Syria's regime accused its civil-war opponents of plotting to conduct a chemical strike they would later tie to the government, Russia Today reports.
The U.N. Security Council is considering the regime's assertion that the Islamist rebel group Ahrar al-Sham is planning to conduct an attack on the outskirts of Damascus using warfare substances transferred from Turkey, the Russian state-run news agency said in a Tuesday report. Moscow is an ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which pledged last year to surrender its chemical arsenal following a large-scale sarin gas strike on an opposition-held suburb of the nation's capital.
Assad's government last week told Security Council nations it had eavesdropped on two rebel discussions concerning gas-mask distribution.
According to Assad's envoy to the United Nations, a participant in one of the exchanges allegedly referred directly to a planned assault involving "toxic gas." Both communications took place in the Damascus neighborhood of Jobar, Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said in a March 27 statement.
In a letter sent the prior week, Jaafari said his government identified a smuggler who had transferred white phosphorus and other substances into Syria.
Jaafari said the rebels purportedly intended "to produce white smoke in certain areas and then claim that Syrian planes had bombarded them."
"However, the primary reason for requesting those substances was to use them as chemical weapons," the diplomat asserted.
Assad's regime has faced separate accusations of employing white phosphorus, an incendiary substance not scheduled under an international treaty banning chemical arms.
U.N. investigators last year reported signs of a possible Aug. 24 sarin nerve agent strike in the Jobar neighborhood of Damascus. They did not assign blame for the attack, which would have come three days after a strike alleged to have killed more than 1,400 people in the Syrian capital's Ghouta suburb.
April 2, 2014
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Syria's regime accused its civil-war opponents of plotting to conduct a chemical strike they would later tie to the government, Russia Today reports. |
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