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Purification and biochemical characterization of human lymphocyte mitogenic factor (LMF).
Supernatants of human T lymphocytes stimulated by TT antigen release two factors that induce mitogenesis in autologous and allogeneic B lymphocytes. These factors are precipitated by 60% ammonium sulfate and 50% ethanol, and are both destroyed by heating to 70 degrees C for 5 min. By equilibrium ultracentrifugation there was a peak of mitogenic activity in the fraction with a specific gravity of 1.3147 corresponding to a partial specific volume of 0.761. After ultrafiltration through an Amicon XM50 membrane, the concentrate was chromatographed on a Sephadex G-200 column. Mitogenic activity was found only in the post-albumin fraction. When the post-albumin fraction was run on an isoelectrofocusing column, two distinct mitogenic factors were identified. The major peak of mitogenic activity (LMF) had a pI of 6.68 +/- 0.05 and the minor peak (MMF) had a pI OF 7.27 +/- 0.05. Amino acid analysis of LMF identified it as a protein and PAGE showed that LMF probably was a tetramer with a m.w. of 80,000. |
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|
Borderline
Throughout recorded history, people have migrated in search of a better life. They have walked jaw-dropping distances, across ice and desert, mountains and valleys, jungles and plains, hoping to find easier ways to survive. They have gotten into boats and set sail for shores known and unknown with little hope of reaching them alive.
In part, it is what makes us human—our tireless movement, from here to there and anywhere. “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you,” God commanded Abraham. And he did so, freely.
But is it a human right to migrate according to need? Or is it a human right for citizens of a sovereign nation to be able to monitor and control their borders? How might a reasonable balance be struck between true compassion and suitable law that guarantees the safety and dignity of all people? Those are the kinds of questions that people of faith are asking along the border between the United States and Mexico.
When I first met Sr. Maria Engracia Robles, she was stirring a large pot of beans with one hand and dishing out rice onto plastic plates with the other. She is one of three nuns who run El Comedor, a soup kitchen in Nogales, Mexico, just a few hundred feet from the border. Every day, she and two other Missionary Sisters of the Eucharist, Alma Delia Isais and Imelda Ruiz, feed as many as three hundred men, women, and children who have recently been deported from the United States and are now stranded in Nogales, trying to fend for themselves.
El Comedor is a cramped space, encircled by a chain-link fence and sheltered from the rain by a few slats of corrugated metal. The kitchen, off to one side, is only big enough for two people. Yet somehow the sisters and a volunteer from Guadalajara manage to cook impressive amounts of beans, rice, tuna casseroles, and vegetable sautés—depending on what food they receive each day from donors. “We cook whatever we get,” Sr. Robles says. “It’s different every day.” She is a tiny woman with silver hair, an angular face, and small expressive eyes. Despite her diminutive stature, she is a well of strength and determination.
Before every meal, Sr. Robles turns on a microphone to say a prayer. “Thank you, Lord, for this food we have received,” she begins. The prayer is accompanied by much coughing from the migrants, many of whom are sick. “May you guide them safely in their journeys,” Sr. Robles says. She knows well that their quest can take them almost anywhere: into the hands of the Border Patrol; to some distant town or city in the United States, where friends or relatives await them; into the grasp of a “coyote,” who might rob or rape them or leave them stranded in the desert; or home, after they have turned back or been deported. Some don’t survive.
El Comedor was opened in 2008 because of the unprecedented influx of deported migrants arriving in Nogales. This surge was the result of heightened border-patrol activities in the United States, including raids, the use of cutting-edge technology, doubling of the number of border-patrol agents, and mass trials.
Just sixty miles north, in Tucson, seventy men and women are tried every weekday afternoon at the DeConcini Courthouse. These trials are part of a new program known as the Arizona Denial Prosecution Initiative—or, more familiarly, as Operation Streamline. The initiative mirrors similar programs in Texas and California. It aims at deterring migrants from trying to reenter the United States by making their attempted crossing a felony. Each attempted reentry is punished with a longer jail sentence. Moreover, having a criminal record will make it difficult, if not impossible, for such men and women to work or live in the States in the future, even if they enter by legal means.
The trial for each of the accused lasts, on average, thirty seconds. One by one, shackled defendants are identified, asked if they are citizens of Mexico (or another, usually Central American, nation), if they understand their rights, and finally, how they plead to the charge of illegal entry (or reentry). One by one, they answer, “Culpable.”
Many Americans consider the program a great leap forward in securing the border. According to a recent op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star by the chief of Border Patrol’s Tucson sector, Robert W. Gilbert, Operation Streamline has been a complete success.
Meanwhile, in places like Nogales, busloads of deported migrants arrive every day. They are dropped off in clothes they have been wearing for days—in some cases, weeks. Most have no money or papers. Some are ill, and none are from Nogales. Many go to El Comedor for food. At night, some venture into town in search of the few available shelters, while others sleep in the nearby graveyard. Women and children are particularly vulnerable, most of all at night, when a confluence of illegal activities—human smuggling, sex trafficking, and drug running—really gets underway.
Because of the unique dangers facing women, the sisters recently opened a small shelter for unaccompanied women and their children. It and the soup kitchen are part of the Kino Border Initiative, just one of dozens of Christian and interfaith ministries on the border trying to meet the humanitarian needs created by the immigration crisis.
According to Fr. Martin McIntosh, a Jesuit priest who works with the sisters, the Kino Border Intiative is now planning to open a health clinic. “It is desperately needed,” he says, and on my first visit to El Comedor, I see what he means.
I have come to El Comedor with Maryada Vallet, a volunteer for No More Deaths, an interfaith coalition seeking to end the suffering and deaths of migrants in the desert. Maryada visits El Comedor whenever she can to offer her services as an EMT. Within minutes of our arrival, a young Honduran man flags her down. He is shivering and has rolled up his pant leg to reveal, on his right thigh, a deep open wound that penetrates to the bone. “Oh my God!” Maryada’s long-lashed eyes widen. “What happened to you?”
“On the train,” he says. “A big piece of metal got me.” He is referring to the freight trains that travel the nearly one thousand miles from the Guatemalan border through Mexico. It is known by those who ride it as La Bestia, “The Beast,” or more commonly as El Tren de la Muerte, “Train of Death.” Many migrants lose their lives riding atop the boxcars, and many more lose limbs in the attempt to climb aboard.
The Honduran with the thigh wound is lucky in a way. He did not lose his leg, and he has made it all the way to Nogales. “I’m so close,” he says to Maryada, who is examining his leg, trying to figure out what to do. “So close to the United States. It’s just over the hill, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Maryada says as she begins to pour iodine solution onto his thigh. It spills off in red rivulets, splashing to the ground. He winces. “But you really should go to a hospital,” Maryada urges him. “This is a very bad wound. You could die from it. I don’t have any antibiotics for you, and this already looks septic.” The man clicks his tongue and waves his right index finger, a gesture that means no. Because he is Honduran, there is a good chance that one of the Mexican doctors would report him to authorities, and that, after all the effort, he would be deported back to Honduras.
Maryada bandages his thigh and tells him once more, in vain, to seek medical attention. “I can’t,” he says, “but thank you.” Then he turns, exits El Comedor, and begins hopping down the street, his injured leg stiff as a board. It is hard to imagine him walking a block like this, let alone across the desert. “Good luck!” Maryada calls out, but her words are lost in the wind.
She cannot dwell on it, though, since there is so much more to do. There are blisters to tend to, fevers, coughs, and gastrointestinal problems. There is a man who was recently deported from Bakersfield, California, where he had lived for nearly a decade before being arrested in a raid. He clutches a book to his chest, Cómo Librarse de la Encarcelación, “How to Free Yourself from Prison.” His eyes are glassy, his forehead glistening with sweat. He is diabetic, he tells Maryada, and has not received treatment since he was detained. Two of his toes are gangrenous. Maryada tests his blood sugar, which, not surprisingly, turns out to be dangerously high. “I don’t know what to do about this guy,” Maryada says. The situation is beyond her competence and beyond the resources of the soup kitchen. Maryada calls a nurse back in the States for advice. But while she is talking to the nurse, the man slips out of El Comedor unnoticed and disappears into the streets of Nogales.
At El Comedor, I meet men and women who have lived in the United States for decades, some for most of their lives. Some are fluent in English, and many, like Hector, who was arrested during a raid at his construction company in Utah, have children back in the States and little hope of seeing them. “I have tried to cross three times,” Hector says to me with tears in his eyes, “and now if I try again, I will go to prison for two and a half years. I just want to see my one-year-old daughter. I don’t want her to grow up without a father.”
The number and variety of ministries along the border is amazing. Humane Borders, in Tucson, is an interfaith coalition that keeps large water tanks at strategic locations along migrant trails in the desert. Borderlinks focuses on raising public consciousness about border issues. On the Mexican side, there is a sophisticated network of shelters run by the Scalabrinian priests and sisters. The shelters are located along the migrant trail in Mexico, especially in border towns like Ciudad Juarez and Tijuana.
What connects all of these ministries is a shared sense of calling, rooted in the scriptural injunction to give shelter to the strangers among us. But because church and state do not always see eye to eye on matters of immigration, aiding the stranger along the border can bring trouble. In July 2005, two volunteers from No More Deaths were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents for picking up three sick migrants.
Not all Christians in the United States are happy with the rise of border ministries. Many believers are torn between their sense of Christian compassion and their loyalty to law and order. For many, the latter trumps the duty of hospitality. Furthermore, certain groups, like the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, blame border ministries for worsening the situation. “It’s done under the guise of religion,” one Minuteman told me, “and it only gives illegals more incentive to keep trying to cross.” But no matter what side of the debate one is on, all agree that the situation at the border is a disaster, a veritable humanitarian crisis, and that something must be done to remedy the misery.
On my last day on the border, I travel to a ghost town in the mountains northwest of Nogales. This desolate area is a corridor highly traveled by migrants and their coyotes. I have come with a volunteer for Samaritans, another of Tucson’s border ministries, and we have driven miles of dusty roads to deliver packets of food and water to a man called Sun Dog. He is the town’s only resident. Samaritan volunteers leave supplies with him to be distributed to migrants. If the migrants need a place to sleep, he directs them to the town’s abandoned mining shaft and provides them with blankets.
Sun Dog has bright blue eyes and a beard that makes Grizzly Adams’s look tame. He invites us into his ramshackle house and offers us some deer meat. “Sometimes I wind up in Mexico when I’m hunting deer,” he says. “There’s no way of knowing when you’re in Mexico and when you’re in the States in these parts.” He tells me the story of a woman named Maricela. “One day this woman came screaming over the hills,” he says, “running for her life. Behind her was a ’coyote,’ close at her heels. Well, by sheer luck she just stumbled into my arms, by sheer luck! The coyote had brutally raped her friend and was coming after her next. When he saw me, he ran away.”
“What happened to her friend?” I ask. There is an ominous silence. “No one ever heard from her,” Sun Dog says.
Later that day, as we drive back to Tucson, I find myself wondering if there is any real solution to the crisis at our southern border. I think of what Rev. Robin Hoover, founder of Humane Borders, had told me a few days earlier. “We’re no solution,” he conceded, referring to the work of border ministries like his. “We’re nothing but Band-Aids.”
Until the governments of Mexico and the United States make immigration a top priority, little will change. Hundreds of men and women will be tried in shackles every week in the DeConcini Courthouse. Maryada Vallet will keep patching people up with subpar medical supplies. Men and women like Hector will continue to wonder when they will see their children again. Women like Maricela will keep running for their lives. And Sr. Robles will keep waking up every morning at dawn and dishing out beans and rice on plastic plates to hundreds of deportees. |
The authors confirm that all data underlying the findings are fully available without restriction. All relevant data are within the paper.
Introduction {#s1}
============
RNase A ranks among the best characterized proteins known to man, and is used widely in molecular biology applications requiring efficient and specific RNA degradation. In the 1940s Armour & Co. achieved kilogram-scale purification of RNase A making the enzyme commercially available in significant quantities, and this ready availability made RNase A the substrate of choice in the development of many biochemical techniques, reviewed in [@pone.0115008-Moore1], [@pone.0115008-Richards1]. RNase A was the subject of landmark studies in protein chemistry including Anfinsen's Nobel Prize-winning demonstration that the necessary information for protein folding is contained in the primary sequence [@pone.0115008-Anfinsen1], and was the first active enzyme prepared by total chemical synthesis [@pone.0115008-Hirschmann1], [@pone.0115008-Gutte1]. In structural biology RNase A was of no less importance, being the third enzyme structure solved by crystallography and the first solved by NMR, as well as providing the model substrate on which methods for studying protein folding were developed [@pone.0115008-Wyckoff1]--[@pone.0115008-Udgaonkar1].
RNase A was the first enzyme for which the correct catalytic mechanism was deduced [@pone.0115008-Findlay1]. RNA cleavage by RNase A is a two-step process, reviewed extensively in [@pone.0115008-Raines1]: firstly the enzyme catalyses the nucleophilic attack of the 2′ oxygen on the phosphate backbone, forming a 2′--3′ cyclic phosphate and cleaving the chain. In the second step, the cyclic phosphate is hydrolysed to yield a 3′-phosphate 2′-hydroxy product. The requirement for the 2′ oxygen in the first step of the mechanism explains the absolute specificity of the enzyme for RNA, a property which is invaluable during DNA purification [@pone.0115008-Sambrook1].
Here we demonstrate that despite this wealth of understanding, RNase A can act unpredictably, producing unexpected and misleading results during routine RNA analysis. We noted these effects while studying mouse pericentromeric non-coding RNAs; all mouse centromeres (except Y) are composed of minor satellite repeats flanked by extensive arrays of pericentromeric major satellites, and transcripts emanating from minor [@pone.0115008-Rudert1]--[@pone.0115008-BouzinbaSegard1] and major [@pone.0115008-Martens1], [@pone.0115008-Probst1]--[@pone.0115008-Lu1] satellites have been reported. Major satellite transcripts appear to be processed by Dicer [@pone.0115008-Martens1], [@pone.0115008-Kanellopoulou1]--[@pone.0115008-Hsieh1] and are implicated in centromere function and heterochromatin formation [@pone.0115008-Probst1], [@pone.0115008-Maison1], [@pone.0115008-Guenatri1]. We find that despite apparent RNase A susceptibility, some major satellite species detected by northern blotting in fact emanate from DNA, and that RNase A has a general ability to remove DNA from samples during purification steps.
Results {#s2}
=======
To better characterize mouse pericentromeric transcripts, we probed northern blots of NIH/3T3 total RNA for major satellite sequences and observed a robust and reproducible signal from species of heterogeneous length ([Fig. 1A](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"}). To ensure that this signal represented RNA rather than contaminating genomic DNA, we digested samples with RNase A and observed that the signal completely disappeared as expected ([Fig. 1A](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"}). In [Fig. 1A](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"} and later figures, samples were incubated without or with RNase A in water for 30 minutes at 37° followed by phenol:chloroform extraction, ethanol precipitation and glyoxylation prior to electrophoresis. NIH/3T3 total RNA analyzed directly on glyoxal gels was indistinguishable from [Fig. 1A](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"} lane 1.
{#pone-0115008-g001}
However, other nuclease digestion experiments yielded confusing results. RNase A or RNase I acting in a mutually compatible buffer significantly reduced the major satellite signal but only by ∼50% (compare [Fig. 1A](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"} lane 1--2 to [Fig. 1B](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"} lanes 1--3), the only difference in RNase A treatment conditions between these experiments being buffer composition. Furthermore, RNase T1-treated samples were variable but on average the major satellite signals were not reduced compared to the control despite complete degradation of the ribosomal RNA ([Fig. 1B](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"} lane 4). These results were not consistent with RNA, and we therefore performed digestions with RNase-free DNase I, resulting in a complete loss of the major satellite signal while the ribosomal RNA remained in-tact ([Fig. 1C](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"}; equivalent results were obtained using DNase I from another manufacturer -- data not shown). These results suggested that the major satellite signals originate from DNA that is aberrantly targeted by RNase A and RNase I.
To rule out DNase contamination in the RNase A, we prepared RNase A from a different manufacturer exactly as described [@pone.0115008-Sambrook1], and also obtained certified DNase-free RNase A from a third manufacturer. All three preparations efficiently removed not only the major satellite signal from total RNA but also a spike of major satellite PCR product ([Fig. 2A](#pone-0115008-g002){ref-type="fig"}). This activity was buffer-dependent as PCR-product removal was complete in water but only partial in PBS or DNase I buffer ([Fig. 2B](#pone-0115008-g002){ref-type="fig"}). These surprising results clearly demonstrate that RNase A treatment can remove major satellite DNA sequences from RNA samples.
{#pone-0115008-g002}
To test the generality of this phenomenon, we asked whether RNase A could also remove DNA molecular weight marker from a sample. Indeed, 50 ng of molecular weight marker mixed with 1 µg total RNA was completely removed on RNase A treatment, showing that the effect is not a peculiarity of major satellite sequences ([Fig. 2C](#pone-0115008-g002){ref-type="fig"}). An unreported DNase activity of RNase A seemed unlikely, and we therefore suspected that RNase A treatment instead leads to the loss of DNA during purification, blotting or hybridization. To confirm that DNA is not directly degraded by RNase A in our assays, we treated a radiolabeled low molecular weight DNA marker with RNase A in the presence of RNA, and directly imaged the products after separation through a denaturing polyacrylamide gel ([Fig. 2D](#pone-0115008-g002){ref-type="fig"}). As expected, there was no loss of DNA after RNase A treatment in this experiment.
RNase A does not degrade DNA but can bind to DNA [@pone.0115008-Jensen1]. If the formation of RNase A-DNA complexes is required for the observed DNA removal, then DNA removal should be inhibited by the presence of excess DNA. Treatment of the PCR product with RNase A in the presence of 1 µg of DNA molecular weight marker prevented loss of major satellite signal ([Fig. 3A](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"}, quantification). However, migration of the PCR product and also the DNA molecular weight marker was clearly retarded in the RNase A-treated sample compared to the no enzyme control ([Fig. 3A](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"} lanes 3, 4), suggesting that protein-DNA complexes are indeed formed. Although the binding of RNase A to DNA is known to induce DNA gel migration defects [@pone.0115008-BenoreParsons1], this phenomenon was unexpected here as the reactions in [Fig. 3A](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"} were purified by phenol:chloroform extraction, ethanol precipitated and then glyoxylated before electrophoresis which would be expected to disrupt any protein-nucleic acid complexes.
{#pone-0115008-g003}
The observed change in gel migration suggested that RNase A-DNA complexes survive these highly denaturing treatments. This raised a simple, if surprising, explanation for the removal of DNA by RNase A: if RNase A binds to a DNA molecule at sufficient stoichiometry then the DNA molecule could partition to the interphase or the phenol phase during phenol:chloroform extraction. To test this possibility, we first repeated the assays from [Fig. 3A](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"} and purified the samples by proteinase K treatment instead of phenol:chloroform extraction. This change abrogated the migration difference in the DNA molecular weight marker and largely prevented the removal of the PCR product when digested in the presence of NIH/3T3 RNA ([Fig. 3B](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"}). Proteinase K is not particularly active under the RNA-compatible conditions used here (37° for 15 min), and the PCR product digested in the presence of RNA did not return to a clear band but was smeared up towards the wells, suggesting that the removal of RNase A by Proteinase K was only partial ([Fig. 3B](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"}). Nonetheless, avoiding the phenol:chloroform step clearly reduced the loss of DNA, and the prevention of the band-shift in the molecular weight marker (compare lanes 3, 4 in [Fig. 3A, B](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"} ethidium panels) shows that this band-shift must be due to RNase A binding as no other protein is present upon which the Proteinase K could act.
To directly demonstrate that RNase A can partition DNA to the phenol phase during extraction, we generated radiolabelled major satellite PCR product and treated 5 ng of this with RNase A in the presence of 1 µg total RNA. The reactions were phenol:chloroform extracted and part of the upper phase run directly in a non-denaturing gel, showing that the majority of the radiolabeled PCR product was removed by RNase A treatment ([Fig. 4A](#pone-0115008-g004){ref-type="fig"}). The radioactivity of the aqueous and phenol phases was then measured ([Fig. 4B](#pone-0115008-g004){ref-type="fig"}) and, consistent with our hypothesis, the radioactivity in the aqueous phase was reduced by RNase A treatment while the radioactivity in the phenol phase dramatically increased. This clearly demonstrates that RNase A can mediate the partitioning of DNA to the interphase or the phenol phase during extraction, explaining the ability of RNase A to remove DNA during extraction.
{#pone-0115008-g004}
Partitioning of DNA to the interphase during phenol:chloroform extraction is pH dependent and all these experiments were performed at pH 7, a pH that is appropriate for RNA and small DNA fragments. However, phenol:chloroform extraction for genomic DNA is more routinely performed at pH 8. To ensure that our observations were not simply due to pH, we tested extraction with phenol:chloroform pH 7 and pH 8; complete loss of major satellite PCR product in RNase A treated samples was observed in both cases ([Fig. 4C](#pone-0115008-g004){ref-type="fig"}).
The clear retention of the DNA binding activity by RNase A in phenol:chloroform lead us to ask whether the enzyme also remains active. To test this, we added RNase A to phenol:chloroform, vortexed to ensure that the RNase A dissolved into the phenol phase, then added 1 µg RNA. This mixture (RNase A and RNA in 98% water-saturated phenol:chloroform) was incubated at 37° before extraction with water to separate the RNA. Analysis by gel electrophoresis demonstrated that the RNase A successfully degraded the RNA in a reaction mixture almost entirely composed of phenol:chloroform ([Fig. 4D](#pone-0115008-g004){ref-type="fig"}).
Discussion {#s3}
==========
The DNA binding activity of RNase A has been carefully studied if widely forgotten [@pone.0115008-Jensen1], [@pone.0115008-Felsenfeld1], however our results show that this activity is more tenacious than previously believed. We find that DNA-RNase A complexes are maintained in the presence of 1∶1 phenol:chloroform, generally thought sufficiently denaturing to dissolve any protein-nucleic acid complex. RNase A is exceptionally stable and early purification methods relied on the resistance of the enzyme to boiling or extraction with sulfuric acid [@pone.0115008-Jones1], [@pone.0115008-Kunitz1]; however, this stability does not stem from the maintenance of protein structure under harsh conditions but rather from the ability of the protein to refold back to the active conformation after denaturation. Therefore the survival of the DNA-RNase A complex in phenol:chloroform was unexpected, but not only does the general structure survive we were actually able to observe the activity of RNase A directly in a water saturated phenol:chloroform solution. This demonstrates that although RNase A is solubilized by phenol, it is not denatured.
The resistance of RNase A to phenol:chloroform has untoward consequences in molecular biology applications. Some RNase A-treated DNA molecules are retarded in agarose gels, which alters their apparent molecular weight [@pone.0115008-BenoreParsons1], while others are completely lost though partition to the interphase or phenol phase during phenol:chloroform extraction. Which of these effects is observed in any particular situation will be determined by the stoichiometry of RNase A to DNA; [@pone.0115008-Jensen1] in most experiments presented here the concentration of DNA was low compared to RNase A, allowing many RNase A molecules to bind per DNA molecule and resulting in complexes that act more like proteins and partition to the phenol phase or interphase. However, in [Fig. 3A](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"}, 2000x more DNA was used (1 µg instead of 0.5 ng), greatly reducing the possible RNase A to DNA ratio. The result suggests that when only a few RNase A molecules bind to DNA, the complexes act more like naked DNA and partition to the aqueous phase allowing recovery of DNA but with RNase A still attached, causing the observed band-shift in [Fig. 3A](#pone-0115008-g003){ref-type="fig"}. It is worth noting that this effect is also strongly influenced by the reaction buffer -- the binding of DNA by RNase A decreases with increasing salt concentration [@pone.0115008-Jensen1], consistent with our initial observations using RNase A in water or buffer in [Fig. 1A, B](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"}. Importantly, the quantity of DNA that can be lost during phenol extraction is not small; 1 µg of RNase A efficiently removed 50 ng of DNA molecular weight marker in our hands, and commercial solutions of DNase-free RNase A sold for DNA purification range from 5--40 mg/ml; adding a few microliters of such an enzyme during DNA purification prior to phenol extraction would be predicted to remove upwards of a microgram of DNA depending on the protocol.
Of course, some loss of DNA is often acceptable for downstream applications but only if this loss does not introduce bias into the sample. It is currently unclear whether RNase A could preferentially partition DNA to the phenol phase depending on sequence, but this is likely to be the case. RNase A binds more efficiently to single than double stranded DNA and 'fixes' single stranded regions that form through breathing of duplex DNA; this is the basis of the known activity of RNase A as a DNA melting protein [@pone.0115008-Jensen1], [@pone.0115008-Felsenfeld1]. Given that breathing of DNA duplexes is dependent on AT content, it is very likely that RNase A would bind more strongly to AT-rich sequences.
Overall, our data suggests that care is required during routine treatment of DNA samples with RNase A, and that a proteinase K step and/or high salt should always be employed to remove the enzyme prior to phenol chloroform extraction.
Materials and Methods {#s4}
=====================
NIH/3T3 cells were cultured at 37°C, 5% CO~2~ in DMEM (Sigma) with 10% calf serum. RNA was extracted using 1 ml TRI Reagent (Sigma) per 10 cm^2^ culture dish according to manufacturer's instructions after washing cells twice with PBS. Major satellite PCR product was amplified using Taq polymerase (NEB) and primers T7 and T3 from pCR4-Maj9-2 [@pone.0115008-Lehnertz1], digested with *Eco*RI and gel purified using a QIAQuick column (QIAGEN).
RNase A (Sigma R4875) for most experiments was dissolved at 20 mg/ml and boiled for 15 min before dilution to a 1 mg/ml stock solution in Tris pH 7.5 and 50% glycerol. RNase A (Roche 10109142001) was dissolved at 10 mg/ml in 10 mM sodium acetate pH 5.2, boiled for 15 min then neutralised by addition of Tris pH 7.4 to 0.1 M [@pone.0115008-Sambrook1] then diluted to a 1 mg/ml stock, 10 mg/ml DNase-free RNase (Thermo EN0531) was used as provided (0.1 µl per reaction). 50 U/µl RNase I~f~ (NEB M0243S) and 1 kU/µl RNase T1 (Thermo EN0541) were used in NEBuffer 3 ([Fig. 1C](#pone-0115008-g001){ref-type="fig"}), 1 U/µl DNase I (Thermo EN0521) was used in RQ1 buffer (Promega). 1 µl 20 mg/ml Proteinase K (Roche 3115801) was added to specified reactions.
Enzymatic reactions were performed on 1 µg NIH/3T3 total RNA, 2-log ladder (NEB N3200S) and/or 0.5 ng purified PCR product in 10 µl volumes containing 1 µl enzyme for 30 min at 37°. Reactions were diluted to 100 µl with water and extracted with 100 µl phenol:chloroform pH 7 (Sigma P3803), followed by ethanol precipitation in the presence of 0.3 M NaOAc pH 5.2 and glycogen. Samples were glyoxylated and separated as described on 1.2% gels [@pone.0115008-Sambrook1], transferred onto HyBond N+ membrane and probed with random primed major satellite PCR product in UltraHyb Oligo (Life Technologies) at 42°, then washed twice at 42° with 2x SSC 0.5% SDS.
To generate ^32^P- labelled PCR product, major satellite sequences were amplified from pCR4-Maj9-2 as above using Phire polymerase (Thermo) in a normal PCR reaction spiked with 2 µl α-^32^P dCTP and cleaned using a QIAQuick column (QIAGEN). Product fractionation into individual phases was quantified using a hand-held Geiger counter (Mini Series 900 Mini-monitor) by briefly vortexing the sample and placing directly against the detector, counts per second readings were converted to Bq on the assumption that at this distance approximately half the emitted β-particles would be detected.
We would like to thank Peter Rugg-Gunn and Myriam Hemberger for critical reading of this manuscript.
[^1]: **Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
[^2]: Conceived and designed the experiments: FD JH. Performed the experiments: FD. Analyzed the data: FD JH. Contributed to the writing of the manuscript: JH.
|
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has insisted that the Silver Arrows are taking Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, and Renault as serious contenders for the championship this season, whilst also pointing out that some of the teams towards the bottom end of the rankings from last year could make an impact.
Wolff's team won the constructor's title for the fourth time in a row in 2017 and also claimed the driver's championship through Lewis Hamilton, who notched up his fourth title.
Their dominance on the circuit means that they remain favourites to win the championship again in 2018, but Wolff has assured that Mercedes are taking their nearest competitors very seriously.
"You need to respect every team and the top drivers. We are taking Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Renault seriously. These guys can fight for a championship and some others might be surprising us," the Mercedes boss told the Mercedes AMG site.
"If we are able to align the dots like we have done in the last year then we will be winning races and then we will be fighting for championships and if we don't then we haven't been good enough."
Mercedes currently have Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in their ranks, but speculation mounts that the latter could be replaced in the near future by the Silver Arrows. Wolff admitted that he is happy with the pairing for 2018, but some interesting driver options would open up in 2019.
"In so far as I would like the pairing to continue, we are committed to both of them in 2018 but having said that 2019 is a very exciting new year,” Wolff told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"There are young drivers that will have gained more experience and some of the very good ones like Daniel [Ricciardo] become free.
"And what we want to see is how the first third of the season pans out, whether our car is good enough and strong enough, and this is what we are actually concentrating on and then we will analyse and then take the right decisions hopefully.
Max VERSTAPPEN
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GPfans.com brings you all the ins and outs of Formula 1, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips, making GPFans one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports. |
Ger van Mourik
Ger van Mourik (4 August 1931 – 19 January 2017) was a Dutch footballer who played as a rightback.
Club career
Born in Amsterdam, van Mourik played his entire career for hometown club Ajax, making his debut on 3 June 1950 against Enschedese Boys. With the club he won the 1962 Intertoto Cup and two league titles, in 1957 and 1960.
He was Ajax' captain for eight years and played 277 matches for the club, scoring 1 goal. He totalled 352 matches in all matches, ranking 11th in the club's Club van 100. He played his final game for Ajax on 30 June 1963 and was an Ajax club-member for over 70 years.
Van Mourik never played for the Dutch national team.
Managerial career
Van Mourik managed DWV from 1974 until 1982, leading the club to the Dutch amateur title in 1977. He also coached SV Marken.
References
Category:1931 births
Category:2017 deaths
Category:Footballers from Amsterdam
Category:Association football fullbacks
Category:Dutch footballers
Category:AFC Ajax players
Category:Eredivisie players |
Clinical meaning of the Keane PTSD Scale.
A correlational study that included 82 male inpatient alcoholics was conducted to determine the clinical meaning of the Keane PTSD Scale of the MMPI. The PTSD Scale was correlated with the variables of the Shipley Institute of Living Scale, the Life Purpose Questionnaire, the Existential Depression Test, and the standard MMPI measures, plus the A, R, Es and MacAndrew Scales. The pattern of correlations suggested that the PTSD scale measures general psychological maladjustment and dysphoric feelings rather than any specifiable syndrome. The strong correlation with the Welch A, which measures a general level of maladjustment, suggests that the PTSD and Welch A scales are measuring the same factor. The PTSD scale, therefore, appears to provide very little information about this population beyond that available from the overall clinical profile and the Welch A scale. |
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Are you looking for a brush type? Befonts can help! Try to download Sometimes Signature Font. It’s a handwritten brush type, with the natural stroke of hand quick. You can use and enjoy it, for promotional material and anything. Inspired by luxury and branded stuffs make this font looks classy and awesome in many way to your latest project. Sometimes is perfect for logos & branding, photography, invitation, watermark, advertisements,product designs, stationery, wedding designs,label ,product packaging, special events or anything that need handwritting taste.
Thanks to Almarkha Type. This is the demo version. Sometimes Signature is free for personal use, please visit his store for more other products, and buying fonts support him. |
Spirits Review: Quality, not quantity, is the name of this game …
Hello … welcome back … so you’ve had your fill with nuts and the like? Yes … it is time to get back in the swing of things and so we have decided to hit the ground running on a series of reviews, targeting various spirits (together with ongoing Brew and Suds, this will make up a good portion of the next several posts). We all know how good that top shelf, ultra aged whisky/whiskey tasting experience can be, the one that makes you want to linger, for a long time sipping and sipping. We all recognize in that experience why the cost is as it is. But it also cannot be the case as it is in say, food, that lower cost necessarily translates into lower quality. Therefore, our intent in this latest series of spirits reviews is to focus attention on lower cost (and hopefully, not lower quality) whiskies to see if we can find better, or equal value, at lower price points.
The “Rules” of the Game…
What is our threshold level of “value?”
So we start this latest round of spirits reviews focused first on the kind of “value” we would normally attribute, that being cost. True, we are not new in this approach as many a source have had their look at “value” spirits, the best bang for your buck if you will, and that is where we start today. For our purposes we will go with spirits that cost less than $20 (we assume less than $20 price, not including any associated taxes or other costs such as shipping); others may quibble with the artificial metric but who cares … that is our starting point at least for now.
What will we use as comparisons … what is our baseline?
Next, we have to have baseline spirits that will serve as our comparison to the various test subjects. It wouldn’t be fair, at least we think, to use an aged Pappy Van Winkle or other equally fine super premium bottling as a comparison for a whole host of reasons, so then what to use? While there are many great spirits out there, most reasonably priced, there are a few which I think offer superior bang for the buck, a few that I come back to over and over again in my own sipping adventures. As our cut-off for this test is at or below $20, I have three examples of fantastic spirits that are always in my shelf of goodies, that are either just over this price threshold or below. This seems like a great set of comparison spirits — on their own they offer great value, they stack up to many a higher cost whiskey and so is there anything below the $20 value that would make me want to give up (or at least sub out) one of my favorites?
First up, one of our favorite spirits – Old Grand Dad 114 Bourbon. At around $26 (local price for me), give or take, I believe that Old Grand Dad 114 offers one of the best sipping experiences you can have (and all for a marginal amount over $20). Clocking in at this proof level you would think that your mouth would be set afire, but when properly iced or chilled with distilled water, you mouth is warmed nicely. The palate is treated to lovely hints of chocolate, toasted nuts and toffee-like candy flavors – these are tempered by amazing charred oak/wood and grain notes. Just a great spirit to drink over and over again and at a price point under $30, you’d be hard pressed to argue it is expensive in light of its superior quality.
Second, Elijah Craig 12-year Old Bourbon. Priced on average in the low to mid-$20 range (again for me, locally), this bottling of Elijah Craig itself offers a great value. While not as potent a proof as the Old Grand Dad 114, this bottling of Craig packs plenty of great grain and charred wood flavors against a nicely balanced natural sweetness. At this price point, you’d be hard pressed once again to find a better priced/better value bourbon than the Elijah Craig.
Lastly, an all-time favorite of ours, Four Roses (yellow label bottling). Locally, I can source the Four Roses below $20 a bottle (an average price point for me is ~$18) and so it makes for a great comparison to those we’ll be testing, because I already have a fantastic bourbon in my rotation that is below $20. This bourbon offers a somewhat different flavor profile than the previous two comparison bourbons, it is sweeter on the palate (but not overtly so) and it offers more of a dried, hard fruit forward taste profile on the palate; there is to me a nice cereal/grain like character to the taste initially when tasted, that mellows and blends more evenly as the spirit chills a bit over ice in the glass.
So there, our typical sipping spirits that we have on hand, none of which is itself a breaker of one’s bank (and yes, we have many more expensive a bottle on hand …) and as such, we think provide a great comparison to those lower cost options we’ll be sampling.
How will we compare … what are we looking for in these lower cost options
This is pretty straightforward at least I think. If we were going to add another bottle into our three bottle rotation above and we were looking to add in a (brown) spirit costing less than $20 would we do it with one of our test subjects or would we keep the above three in our rotation and continue to sip that which we already know to be good. Simple, straightforward and I’m sure bound to give us problems.
When iced or chilled, the smell turned to more of an alcohol type aroma versus any depth
Tasting notes (first round):
Started neat … notes below
“A touch of heat, a bit sweetish …”
“Light cereal-grain notes … but faint … not much there … even when neat”
Tasting notes (second round):
Sampled the next round using at first a dash of chilled water then over ice
“Interesting … I’m not really feeling anything with this one”
“Kinda … unfortunately … blah … it is way too light in flavor profile, with nothing major there to really interest me”
In a drink: As is customary in our spirit reviews we try to use said reviewed spirit in a mixed or stirred drink; this time we decided against.
Wrap-up: Funny enough, prior to writing up this review I was visiting family recently and the Brother-N-Law was raving about a new bourbon he found that he thought was the greatest — when presented a glass, without even seeing the label, I knew what it was within two sips.
The Rebel Yell isn’t a bad bourbon, a bad whiskey; it is pleasant enough. However, in searching for “value” I’m looking for something that would make me feel like it is not worth shelling out a touch more for either of our two baselines that are over $20, or switch from the Four Roses which is spot on price wise. In this case, I see no reason to include the Rebel Yell in our rotation.
In “prepping” for this series of upcoming reviews we tested several “value” spirits and I was of two minds as to what to lead off with — and as you can see dear readers we went negative on our first review.
Welcome to my adventure into the blissfulness that is imbibing. I’m a novice to be sure, but I am ready, willing and able to learn more about this medium. Come along, let’s enjoy the adventure together. |
Buddha said: "Sariputra! I predict one day you will become a Buddha by the name of Pamaprabha. You will come to this world again to save all living beings and achieve the highest state of Buddhahood."
The Buddha describes the arahant as having transcended ‘the round of birth and death, they have destroyed the taints, lived the holy life, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, reached the ultimate goal, destroyed the fetters and become completely free, liberated through final knowledge’ (Majjhima Nikaya 1. 141).
aylmert wrote:Buddha said: "Sariputra! I predict one day you will become a Buddha by the name of Pamaprabha. You will come to this world again to save all living beings and achieve the highest state of Buddhahood."
It is a Mahayana text, not a Pali Canon text. In other words, it reflects a much later doctrinal notion of the Mahayanists
This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond.SN I, 38.
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.People live in one another’s shelter.
---The trouble is that you think you have time------Worry is the Interest, paid in advance, on a debt you may never owe------It's not what happens to you in life that is important ~ it's what you do with it ---
Though Sariputra could not see, he could still hear. He then thought: "It is difficult to save all beings and be a Bodhisattva. I think I'd better concentrate on the practice of self-salvation!" Just then many devas appeared in the sky. They said to Sariputra: "Don't be dejected. What has just happened is merely our arrangement to test your determination to practise the way of a bodhisattva. You should bravely progress and continue your practice."
Then,
As a chief disciple of the Buddha, I should also enter Nirvana before Buddha."So he asked the Buddha's permission to enter Nirvana first. After some explanation, he finally got the Buddha's consent and they prepared to return to his hometown to enter Nirvana. Buddha said: "Sariputra! I predict one day you will become a Buddha by the name of Pamaprabha. You will come to this world again to save all living beings and achieve the highest state of Buddhahood."
Now, Is Ven. Sariputta an Arahant or a Bodhisattva? To enter Nirvana, we need to ask permission from the Buddha? What if the Buddha says No? I thought after attaining Arahantship, one will never crave to reborn in samsara world again.
Though Sariputra could not see, he could still hear. He then thought: "It is difficult to save all beings and be a Bodhisattva. I think I'd better concentrate on the practice of self-salvation!" Just then many devas appeared in the sky. They said to Sariputra: "Don't be dejected. What has just happened is merely our arrangement to test your determination to practise the way of a bodhisattva. You should bravely progress and continue your practice."
Then,
As a chief disciple of the Buddha, I should also enter Nirvana before Buddha."So he asked the Buddha's permission to enter Nirvana first. After some explanation, he finally got the Buddha's consent and they prepared to return to his hometown to enter Nirvana. Buddha said: "Sariputra! I predict one day you will become a Buddha by the name of Pamaprabha. You will come to this world again to save all living beings and achieve the highest state of Buddhahood."
Now, Is Ven. Sariputta an Arahant or a Bodhisattva? To enter Nirvana, we need to ask permission from the Buddha? What if the Buddha says No? I thought after attaining Arahantship, one will never crave to reborn in samsara world again.
This is all just very much later Mahayana stuff which has not a thing to do with the Theravada. It is Mahayana stuff that is designed to make the older forms of Buddhism look bad.
This being is bound to samsara, kamma is his means for going beyond.SN I, 38.
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireas na daoine.People live in one another’s shelter.
Now, Is Ven. Sariputta an Arahant or a Bodhisattva? To enter Nirvana, we need to ask permission from the Buddha? What if the Buddha says No? I thought after attaining Arahantship, one will never crave to reborn in samsara world again.
This is all just very much later Mahayana stuff which has not a thing to do with the Theravada. It is Mahayana stuff that is designed to make the older forms of Buddhism look bad.
Besides that, it is just pure bunk. Anyone who can't muster enough insight to see through that deserves to be subject to psychological programming.
Anyone who would seriously think that he needs the permission of Gotama to "enter nirvana" (whatever that means to the observer), has just lost total control of their own mind. This is NOT what Gotama teaches. The Pali canon provides a more reasonable and accurate portrayal of what Gotama taught. Stick with that and you will be okay. |
Q:
The union, intersection and complement of events
On the Probability chapter of a 1995 mathematical statistical book I am reviewing I have found the following exercise:
Let A and B be arbitrary events. Let C be the event that either A occurs or B occurs, but not both. Express C in terms of A and B using any of the basic operations of union, intersection and complement.
Now, the book suggested answer is to describe the entire sample space as:
$$\Omega=(A\cap B)^{C}\cap(A\cup B)$$
I think the correct answer is:
$$\Omega=(A\cap B)^{C}\cup(A\cap B)$$
and
$$C=(A\cap B)^{C}$$
Where is the error that I have made?
A:
$C$ (the symmetric difference of $A$ and $B$) is obtained by overlaying (intersecting) $A\cup B$ and $(A\cap B)^c$, whence $C = (A\cup B) \cap (A\cap B)^c$:
Another expression frequently used is $C = (A\cap B^c) \cup (B\cap A^c)$. The left-hand term is the pure red lune in the figure while the right-hand term is the pure blue lune; together, they form $C$.
A:
Actually, you both got it wrong!
You're right in thinking that
$$\Omega=(A\cap B)^{C}\cup(A\cap B)$$
since it is true that, for any set $D$ in $\Omega$, $D^C \cup D=\Omega$.
However, $C$ is the part of $A\cup B$ such that only one of $A$ and $B$ occurs. In other words, you need both the event $(A\cup B)$ and the event $(A\cap B)^{C}$ to occur. Thus
$$C=(A\cap B)^{C}\cap(A\cup B)$$
which is what the book claimed was $\Omega$.
|
Unexpected food combinations found in Newhall
Hidden in Newhall are a couple of restaurants that contain unique menu items not found anywhere else in Santa Clarita.
Nudie’s Custom Java opened its doors last year and doubles as a cafe and a museum dedicated to famous old western stars and musicians. The homage continues onto the menu, which features items named The Lone Ranger, The Duke and The Elvis.
Bacon, peanut butter, bananas and honey, Nudie’s Elvis sandwich is inspired by the King’s odd food cravings. The sandwich is grilled, melting the peanut butter with the bananas and honey drizzled over bacon for a crunchy, sweet and savory meal.
“It’s a tribute to Elvis, he loved that stuff,” said Jamie Nudie, owner of Nudie’s Custom Java.
Across the street is Southern Smoke BBQ & Brew, which opened late last year and features southern style barbecue cuisine. Among its selection of various meats, salads and drinks, one menu item is catching customers’ attention: The PB&J.
“I would say about 95 percent of the people that actually are brave enough to try it absolutely love it,” said Sam Guardian, owner of Southern Smokehouse.
The PB&J is a hamburger that contains a single grind brisket patty, smoked applewood bacon, blackberry jam and peanut butter. The jam is reminiscent of turkey and cranberry sauce, while the peanut butter provides a nutty texture without being overpowering.
Whether you’re looking for an interesting lunch spot or are a food adventurer, these unique menu items are sure to be flavorful with every bite. |
Climbing Sections:
About Difuntos:
Coming out of Mar del Plata and heading toward Balcarce on Route 226, the first mesa like sierra rising above the fields on the left (southwest) is called Difuntos by the local climbers from Mar del Plata. Home to about 70 or so routes, from 5.8 to 5.13 (or harder)and spread out on 4 different walls, Difuntos was the original sierra hangout for local climbers, due in part to access problems at La Vigilancia. Later, Difuntos remained closed for several years by the Argentine army, when it was discovered that the estancia at the base was the refuge, and possible money laundering scheme, for the wife of a major drug lord. Now again reopened, climbers can once more enjoy the oustanding routes and bullet hard quartzitic sandstone of Difuntos. One added plus is that there are actually some nice 5.8 and 5.9 routes, which are not so easy to find in the sierras of Balcarce. |
Do Not Be Ashamed of Your Christian Faith.
As the years go by, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to live your life as a Christian, without the fear of harassment, criticism, or mockery.
I, and perhaps many other people, have been stuck in a similar quagmire before. A few years ago, I often thought it was uncool to talk about God before my friends, mainly because I assumed that they would see me as ‘overly Godly’ or ‘too righteous’. I refrained from doing the basic things I used to do on a normal day; like praying before my meals, quoting bible scriptures, insisting against sinful acts, and other things of that nature. In front of everyone, I was faith-less and willing to ‘go with the flow’; but the moment I got back home, my Christian principles were restored. I was basically living my life as a Christian in hiding sometimes.
Many of us are facing similar situations; whereby it’s almost like a chore to practice our Christian faith before the world. Today, I want you to know that you can’t inspire other people to follow God’s path when you serve him only when nobody is watching. You need to be proud of your faith and live it for the whole world to see. Lead an exemplary life confidently; through your speech and conduct, so that those around you can follow suit.
Romans 1:16 says “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes”. This bible verse is a fantastic one to live by and emulate, possibly for as long as you live. As a true Christian who is passionate about sharing the word; you need to be unapologetically proud and happy about the faith you believe in. You need to practice it and share it willingly. You cannot be ashamed or embarrassed when it comes to the God you serve. Let everything about you be a true reflection of your Christian faith.
The bible is grounded with many other bible verses that encourages us to willingly live our lives for God. Mark 16:15 says “And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’”
Psalms 96:3 says “Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.”
And lastly, Matthew 28:19-20 says “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
As you can see, God has told us multiple times throughout the bible that it is a vital duty of ours to preach the word and spread the gospel. Please, do not ignore it.
At this point in my life, I don’t care where I am or who I’m with – if I want to pray, I will pray. If I want to fast, I will fast. If I want to bring out my bible and host a vigil, I will do so. I’ve learned to be shamelessly me, and embrace the life I live as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. I encourage you to do the same. Do not be afraid of what others would think, or how they would view you. You are on this earth to serve God, not man.
If you are the only Christian amongst your peers; I urge you to embrace your uniqueness and be proud of your faith. Do not shy away from your beliefs because it seems weird to other people. Be yourself and love your God, both at home and in public. 2 Chronicles 36:16 says, “but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets.” – As a Christian, it is guaranteed that people will always mock you no matter what. But always put your trust in the Lord; and I promise there will be nothing to be afraid of.
Thank you for reading! Please remember; it’s okay to be a proud Christian. Continue to share the gospel, continue to lead a Godly lifestyle, and continue to bring as many people closer to God as you can. It’s really cool. |
Q:
How to highlight 2 selected divs from a list of divs
I have an array of time Slots, I want to highlight the start time and end time.
WHAT I NEED IS: On my first click, Selected div will get highlighted, AND on my second click, another selected div will get highlighted.
My code for div formation in which Time is written is:
<div *ngFor="let todayDate of dates">
{{todayDate}}
<div *ngFor="let time of ScheduleTime">
<div *ngIf="todayDate == time.date">
<div class="timeSlots" (click)='timeSelector(time)'>
{{time.hours}}:{{time.minutes}}
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<hr>
</div>
MY typeScript code is:
timeSelector(event){
console.log(event);
if(this.st.sh==-1 && this.st.sm==-1 && this.et.eh == -1 && this.et.em==-1){
this.st.sh = event.hours;
this.st.sm = event.minutes;
console.log("Start time is ->"+this.st.sh + ":"+this.st.sm);
}
else if(this.st.sh!=-1&&this.st.sm!=-1&&this.et.eh ==-1 &&this.et.em==-1){
this.et.eh = event.hours;
this.et.em = event.minutes;
console.log("End time is ->"+this.et.eh +":"+this.et.em);
}
else if(this.st.sh!=-1 && this.st.sm!=-1 && this.et.eh!=-1 &&this.et.em!=-1){
this.st.sh = event.hours;
this.st.sm = event.minutes;
this.et.eh = -1;
this.et.em = -1;
console.log("Start Time is ->" + this.st.sh + ":"+this.st.sm);
console.log("End time is not defined yet");
}
}
A:
The "elegant" solution
If you are able to change the structure of ScheduleTime then you can add flags for activeStart-/EndTimes.
Your time-objects would then look something like this:
time {
hours: 1,
minutes: 1,
date: new Date(),
isStartDate: false,
isEndDate: false
}
Now, when an element is selected you can just set the flags accordingly. In your template you could then format those times that have the flags set, e.g.
<div *ngFor="let time of ScheduleTime">
<div *ngIf="todayDate == time.date">
<div class="timeSlots" [ngClass]="{'startClass': time.isStartDate, 'endClass': time.isEndDate}" (click)='timeSelector(time)'>
{{time.hours}}:{{time.minutes}}
</div>
</div>
</div>
Less elegant
You have your startDate and endDate in your component that is set correctly. In your template you can check for each item if it is identical to the start-/endDate and format accordingly.
This consumes more resources since everytime something changes all dates have to be parsed anew but will do the job if the ScheduleTime array is relatively small.
<div *ngFor="let time of ScheduleTime">
<div *ngIf="todayDate == time.date">
<div class="timeSlots" [ngClass]="{'startClass': time.hour == st.sh && time.minutes == st.sm, 'endClass': time.hour == et.eh && time.hour == et.em}" (click)='timeSelector(time)'>
{{time.hours}}:{{time.minutes}}
</div>
</div>
</div>
A little piece of advise
Pleeeeaaassse do not call your variables st, sh etc.
I'm assuming this is short for startTime, startHour etc.
If so please name your variables accordingly. It might take up a little more space in your code but it makes it so much more readable! (If you are concerned about bundle size there are tools out there that could afterwards minify your variable names)
|
My Chic French Style Home and Interiors Blog
It’s not every day that I am truly blown away by a particular cosmetic range but The Ordinary Skincare has won a place in my vanity case and daily skincare ritual forever more. If you’re an Ordinary Skincare virgin, it’s one of the most affordable lines by revolutionary skincare company Deciem. You can buy products in Read the full article…
I’ve got a bit of a blank space in my kitchen above the table so I’ve been searching around for the right kind of French style wall decor to fill it. It’s a tricky one, a mirror can be a bit off putting ( noone needs visual evidence of themselves eating cake ) but then Read the full article…
So, I’m thinking about a little upgrade for our bathroom flooring and who’d have thought it, good old vinyl flooring is coming up trumps. I’m loving all the Moroccan tile print vinyl flooring flashing about on Pinterest at the moment. So pretty with plain neutral walls and a bit of natural wood. Still can’t get Read the full article…
Say Oui, C’est Chic The French have always been famous for being inimitably stylish regarding fashion, interior design and lifestyle in general. They’re masters of combining classy with contemporary style, most noticeably in Paris’ distinctive and elegant architecture. From the glorious buildings, balconies made of wrought iron and spacious apartments with beautiful and uber-chic architectural Read the full article…
I love Autumn, not least for the beautiful colours and light but also for the chance to add some cosy seasonal style to our home. If you’ve enjoyed a minimalistic interior for the balmy summer months then Autumn is a great time to be a bit more eclectic with your taste. Here’s my seasonal style Read the full article…
Capturing The Essence Of The Ocean With Natural Marine Skincare From the salty marshes and endless blue skies of the French Atlantic coast, Bio Salines from Île de Ré has created an exclusive skincare collection from natural marine ingredients. With age defying skincare essentials like Immortelle flower, red and brown algae, marine water and hollyhocks for which the Read the full article…
With all these renovations under way at the moment, I have literally been falling into bed each night, paintbrush in hand. So, when Ethan Wright from Bedding Stock an online retailer of gel foam mattresses offered to write me a guest post on encouraging great sleep, I couldn’t resist! Thanks Ethan!
Bonjour! I hope you’re having a great week so far? I’m so excited to introduce you to our brand new feature on Love French Style Blog, 6 Of The Best. Here we’ll be working with some of Europe’s biggest and best loved brands showcasing the creme de la creme of the high street. Whether it’s a Read the full article…
Mais bonjour, here we are again. I hope you’ve had an excellent week, mine has been a little frantic cracking on with some major building works, donning a drill whilst wearing pink lippy and visiting some rather randy animals at a French zoo ( even the animals like a bit of amour here ). So, Read the full article…
Bonjour to you, where are the weeks going? It all goes by in such a flash doesn’t it? In between travelling to Nantes to meet a Dr with an animal’s name, meeting a beautiful French children’s clothing shop owner, getting design ideas for a small kitchen and discovering the joy of collagen cream on my Read the full article…
The spirit of the old days brings something so appealing to interior design and we love vintage style bathroom design at Love French Style Blog. Bathrooms, however large or small deserve a little vintage luxury too and if you are in a process of redesigning, with the idea of creating something different, vintage style design is certainly well worth Read the full article…
I love a stylish window treatment but it’s always tricky getting the right fit for French windows and doors as they’re so big! If you have a great view, embrace it with the right window dressing and enjoy it every day. There’s nothing more lovely than the warmth of thick curtains but the practicality of a Read the full article…
Bonjour! Friday’s here and on #leweekend edit this week I’m going to invite you to pop into a Marks and Spencer shop! Not only might you find something absolutely scrumptious for dinner but you’re sure to find some fabulous items for your French style home too. I am loving their homewares collection for Easter. Here Read the full article…
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Great French Style
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Prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis skin positivity and associated risk factors in cattle from western Uganda.
A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium bovis skin positivity and associated risk factors in cattle in western Uganda. Herds were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. The comparative cervical intradermal tuberculin test (CCT) was used to determine cattle tuberculosis status using US Department of Agriculture protocols. Risk factor data were collected from cattle owners through questionnaires collected by in-person interviews. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to measure the association between risk factors and herd CCT reactor prevalence. A total of 525 cattle from 63 herds were screened for M. bovis infection. Of the 525 cattle tested, 2.1 % were CCT reactors and 15.43 % were CCT suspects. Of herds tested, 14.28 % had at least 1 CCT reactor. Using a private water source for cattle and not introducing new cattle into the farm were associated with lower prevalence of M. bovis skin positivity. The herd-level prevalence of M. bovis reactors in Kashaari County of Mbarara District was 14.5 %, and the individual cattle prevalence was low (2.1 %). Using communal sources of drinking water for cattle and introducing new cattle on the farm were farm management practices associated with increased risk of M. bovis exposure in cattle. Despite the low prevalence of bovine tuberculosis (TB), there is a need to educate the populace on the possibility of human infection with zoonotic TB and for educating farmers on practices to reduce the risk of acquiring M. bovis in the Mbarara District. |
10Jun13
Low turnout in local Italian election shows rising disillusion
Fewer Italians than usual have turned out to vote in local elections that end on Monday,
displaying their growing disillusionment with politics in a country run by an uneasy
left-right coalition.
Center-left Prime Minister Enrico Letta hopes for a boost after his Democratic Party
(PD) threw away a 10-point lead before February's inconclusive general election, but,
even if results go his way, low turnout would show support for mainstream parties is, at
best, lukewarm.
Even the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, which rode the wave of popular
discontent to take almost a quarter of the national vote in February, could fare badly
after its support fell sharply in the first round.
By the end of the first day of voting on Sunday, only 34 percent of voters had turned
out, down from about 42 percent at the same stage in the first round at the end of May,
in which there was an overall turnout of about 62 percent. Some 75 percent of eligible
Italians voted in February.
Voting resumed at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will close at 3 p.m. (1300 GMT), with results
expected by the evening.
In Rome, where Mayor Gianni Alemanno, of Silvio Berlusconi's center-right PDL is
fighting a strong challenge from the PD's Ignazio Marino, turnout slumped to 32 percent
from 38 percent at the same stage in the first round, in which only about one in two
Romans voted.
A center-left win in Rome would give a much needed morale boost to Letta as he seeks
to impose his authority on a coalition where some Italians believe Berlusconi exerts
greater influence.
With constant internal bickering, the government's popularity has dropped as few
Italians have confidence it can pull the economy out of stagnation.
Letta has had to reconcile competing demands for tax cuts and job-creating measures
to get Italy out of nearly two years of recession with pledges to shore up public finances
and cut state debt.
Some 6 million Italians are eligible to vote in cities including Rome, Siena, Ancona,
Brescia and Viterbo and several towns across Sicily.
[Source: By Catherine Hornby, Reuters, Rome, 10Jun13]
This document has been published on 10Jun13 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with
Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a
prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes. |
IYRS School of Technology & Trades
IYRS School of Technology & Trades (known as IYRS, from its previous name of the International Yacht Restoration School) is a private nonprofit school with a 3 acre campus on Thames Street in Newport, Rhode Island. IYRS focuses on training highly skilled craftspeople and technicians for careers in a wide range of industries.
Currently four accredited programs are offered in Digital Modeling & Fabrication, Composites Technology, Boatbuilding & Restoration, and Marine Systems. The school is planning to introduce additional programs based on the same model. IYRS programs focus on making, building, restoring, and maintaining, using both traditional and modern materials from wood to composites and carbon fiber. Programs are accredited by the ACCSC and qualified applicants are eligible for federal financial aid and veterans' benefits for post-secondary education.
In 1993, the marine artist John Mecray, philanthropist Elizabeth Meyer, who restored the J-Class yacht Endeavor, and several others founded the school on a 2.5 acre property on the Newport waterfront. Today, the school owns several large buildings, including the 1831 stone Newport Steam Factory building listed on the National Register of Historical Places. From 1995 to 2006 major restoration work on the Coronet took place at the school.
References
External links
Official website
Category:Universities and colleges in Rhode Island
Category:Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island
Category:Sailing ships
Category:Yachting associations in the United States
Category:Education in Newport County, Rhode Island
Category:Narragansett Bay
Category:Educational institutions established in 1993
Category:1993 establishments in Rhode Island |
Castration-induced changes in the expression profiles and promoter methylation of the GHR gene in Huainan male pigs.
Castration plays a regulatory role in growth and carcass traits, particularly in fat deposition, but its molecular mechanisms are still not clear. The present study showed that castration significantly reduced the serum growth hormone and the responses of the growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), IGF-IR and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) to castration were similar in different adipose tissues. However, the GHR expression trends were opposite between the liver and the adipose tissues; bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP) showed that its methylation in these two tissues was different. In particular, the GHR methylation rate in the liver of castrated and intact pigs were 93.33% and 0, respectively, which was consistent with its higher expression level in the intact group. It was predicted that there were potential binding sites for 11 transcription factors in the ninth CpG site (which was methylated and demethylated in subcutaneous adipose tissue of the intact and castrated groups, respectively), including androgen receptor (AR), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα) and C/EBPβ, all of which are important factors in lipid metabolism. These results indicate that DNA methylation may participate in castration-induced fat deposition. |
James Broad (cricketer)
James Broad (9 May 1814 – 27 December 1888) was an English cricketer who played one first-class cricket match for Kent County Cricket Club in 1854. He was born and died in Cobham, Kent.
Broad made his only appearance for Kent against a United England Eleven, whose team included John Wisden. Broad was one of fifteen players on the Kent side in the match which was played at the Bat and Ball Ground in Gravesend. He is recorded as having played in 31 matches for Cobham Cricket Club between 1853 and 1864.
References
External links
Category:1814 births
Category:1888 deaths
Category:English cricketers
Category:Kent cricketers
Category:People from Cobham, Kent |
WQBG
WQBG (100.5 FM, "Bigfoot Country") is a country music formatted radio station licensed to serve Elizabethville, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Seven Mountains Media, through licensee Southern Belle, LLC, and is operated out of studios in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania. It serves areas along the Susquehanna River south of Selinsgrove. The station operates in simulcast with sister stations WRBG and WCFT-FM. Although also owned by Seven Mountains Media, WQBG and its three other simulcasting frequencies feature different programming than WIBF and WDBF, which are also branded as Bigfoot Country.
Studios
Bigfoot Country's main studio is located at 450 Route 204 Highway in Selinsgrove. Bigfoot Country, along with its sister stations, operates a public studio located inside the Susquehanna Valley Mall located in Hummels Wharf.
Coverage area
WQBG, based in Elizabethville, serves the southern area of the Bigfoot Country network. Its coverage area includes northern Dauphin County, northeast Perry County, eastern Juniata County, eastern Snyder County, and southern Northumberland County. The towns of Selinsgrove, Herndon, and Millersburg are served.
Programming
WQBG on-air personalities include Mark Roberts, Shelly Marx, Todd Stewart, and Jeff Shaffer. Weekday programming includes The B Breakfast Bunch with Mark and Shelly, Todd Stewart on mid-days, Monica on afternoons, Kyle Alexander on nights, and "Big Country Variety" overnight. Specialty weekend programs include Power Source Country, Voice Of Prophecy, Max Potential, NAC, ZMAX Racing Country, NASCAR USA, and CMT Radio Insider.
Bigfoot Country is an affiliate of Penn State Sports Properties from Learfield Sports and broadcasts Penn State Nittany Lions football, both at home and on the road, every Saturday during the college football season in place of regularly scheduled programming. The station is an affiliate of Motor Racing Network and Performance Racing Network and broadcasts every race (except the Brickyard 400) during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Season in place of regularly scheduled programming during race weekends along with NASCAR-oriented programming on Sundays throughout the year.
Previous logo
See also
WCFT-FM
WRBG (FM)
WNNA
External links
QBG
Category:Country radio stations in the United States
Category:Dauphin County, Pennsylvania
Category:Radio stations established in 1990
Category:1990 establishments in Pennsylvania |
FROM THE CREST OF THE Herodium dig, Harry Bennett could look out and see three wars.
The isolated, cone-shaped hill rose two thousand feet over the Judean Desert. Herodium, the palace-fortress built by Herod the Great, had been erected on the site of his victory against the Parthians in 40 BCE. Herod had then served as king of Judea under his Roman masters, but he had been utterly despised by the Judeans. When Herod’s sons were finally vanquished, Herodium had been evacuated. Over the centuries, the city became a legend, its location a myth.
Modern excavations had begun in the sixties, only to be interrupted by wars and intifadas and disputes over jurisdiction. Harry Bennett was part of a group excavating the original palace fortress. The current project was supervised by a woman professor from the Sorbonne. She had fought for six years to gain the license, and nothing so minor as somebody else’s war was going to stop her work.
The volunteers came from a dozen nations, to dig and learn and bury themselves in history. Most were in their twenties and tried to keep up a brave face despite the rumbles of conflict and the brutal heat. The day Harry arrived at Herodium, three Scandinavian backpackers had perished hiking above the Ein Gedi National Forest. With water in their packs. Just felled by the ferocious heat.
And here Harry was, huddled under the relentless glare of that same deadly sun, using his trowel and his brush to scrape two thousand years of crud off a stone.
Officially Harry and the other volunteers were restricted to the dig and their hilltop camp. With Hamas missiles streaking the nighttime sky, none of the other unpaid staff were much interested in testing their boundaries. But twice each week the Sorbonne professor traveled to Jerusalem and delivered her finds to the ministry. When she departed that particular afternoon, Harry signaled to the Palestinian operating the forklift. Ten minutes later, they set off in Hassan’s decrepit pickup.
The angry wind blasting through his open window tasted of sand as dry as volcanic ash. Hassan followed the pitted track down an incline so steep Harry gripped the roof and propped one boot on the dashboard. He tried to ignore the swooping drop to his right by studying the horizon, which only heightened his sense of descending into danger. North and east rose the Golan hills and sixty years of struggle with Syria. Straight north was the Lebanese border, home to the Hezbollah hordes. To the southwest lay Gaza, provider of their nightly firework displays.
All West Bank digs were required to employ a certain number of locals. Hassan was one of the few who arrived on time, did an honest day’s work, and showed a keen interest in every new discovery. On Harry’s first day at the site, he had put the man down for a grave robber and a smuggler.
The West Bank was the richest area for artifacts in all Judea. There were thousands of sites, many dating from the Iron Age, others from the Roman era, and more still from Byzantium. Many sites remained undiscovered by archeologists but were well known to generations of Palestinians, who fiercely guarded their troves and passed the locations down from generation to generation.
Hassan’s former job wouldn’t have sat well with the Israeli authorities. But people like Hassan took the long view. Eventually things would settle down, and when they did, Hassan would return to his real trade. In the meantime, Hassan hid his profession from the Israeli authorities, lay low, and remained open to a little persuasion. In Harry’s case, that amounted to a thousand dollars.
They arrived in Hebron three hours later. The city crawled up the slopes of two hills and sprawled across a dull desert bowl. Entering Hebron around sunset, in the company of a Palestinian smuggler, was an act of total lunacy.
Harry Bennett wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Clustered on hilltops to the north of the old city rose the UN buildings, the university, and a huddle of government high-rises built with international relief funding. Other hills were dominated by Jewish settlements. These were rimmed by fences and wire and watchtowers that gleamed in the descending light. The rest of Hebron was just your basic war zone.
Sunset painted Hebron the color of old rust. The city held the tightly sullen feel of a pot that had boiled for centuries. Even the newer structures looked run-down. Most walls were pockmarked with bullet holes and decorated with generations of graffiti. Harry saw kids everywhere. They bore such tight expressions they resembled old people in miniature. Looking into their eyes made Harry’s chest hurt.
The streets were calm, the traffic light. Which was good, because it allowed them to make it to the city center early. It was also bad, because the Israel Defense Forces soldiers had nothing better to do than watch Hassan’s truck. Two IDF soldiers manning a reinforced guard station tracked the pickup with a fifty-caliber machine gun.
Hassan said, “This idea is not so good, maybe.”
Harry nodded slowly. He smelled it too, the biting funk of cordite not yet lit. But he would trust his driver. “You say go, we go.”
Hassan’s gaze flitted over to Harry. “You pay?”
“The deal’s the same. You get the other five hundred when we’re done.”
Hassan wiped his face with a corner of his checkered head-kerchief. “We stay.”
Harry halfway wished the man’s nerve would fail and he would turn his rattling truck around. “Better to come in twice than not go home at all.”
“You know danger?”
“Some.”
“I think maybe more than some. I think you see much action.”
“That was then and this is now,” Harry replied. “You’re my man on the ground here. I’m relying on your eyes and ears. I can’t tell what’s real and what’s just your normal garden-variety funk.”
Hassan pointed at Harry’s shirt pocket holding the five bills—the rest of his fee. “This is not business?”
“I’d call it a first step. Say your man shows up like you promised. Say he’s got the goods and the buy goes well. What happens next?”
“If the first buy goes well, you trust me for more.”
“Right. But I need someone who can sniff out traps and see through walls. There’s so much danger around here, my senses are on overload.”
The man actually smiled. “Welcome to Hebron.”
“I didn’t go to all this trouble for just one item, no matter how fine this guy’s treasure might be. I need you to tell me if we’re safe or if we should pull out and return another time.”
Hassan did not speak again until he parked the truck and led Harry into a café on Hebron’s main square. “What you like?”
“You mean, other than getting out of here with my skin intact? A mint tea would go down well.”
Hassan placed the order and settled into the rickety chair across from Harry. “There are many Americans like you?”
“I’m one of a kind.”
“Yes. I think you speak truth.” Hassan rose to his feet. “Drink your tea. I go ask what is happening.”
All Harry could do was sit there and watch the only man he knew in Hebron just walk away. From his spot by the bullet-ridden wall, isolated among the patrons at other tables who carefully did not look his way, Harry felt as though he had a bull’s-eye painted on his forehead. Even the kid who brought his tea and plate of unleavened bread looked scared. Harry stirred in a spoonful of gray, unrefined sugar and lifted the tulip-shaped glass by its rim. All he could taste was the flavor of death.
AFTER SUNSET, THE HEBRON AIR cooled at a grudging pace. Harry watched as the city square filled with people and traffic and shadows. The café became crowded with people who avoided looking Harry’s way. Across the plaza, the Tomb of the Patriarchs shone pearl white. Beside the cave complex stood the Mosque of Abraham, a mammoth structure dating back seven hundred years.
The caves had been bought by the patriarch Abraham for four hundred coins, such an astronomical sum that the previous owner had offered to throw in the entire valley. But Abraham had insisted upon overpaying so that his rightful ownership would never be questioned. He had wanted the caves as his family’s burial site because supposedly they were also where Adam and Eve had been laid to rest. Besides Abraham himself, the caves also held the remains of his wife, Sarah, along with Rebecca, Isaac, and Jacob.
The guy who made his way toward Harry’s table resembled an Arab version of the Pillsbury Doughboy. The man waddled as he walked. His legs splayed slightly from the knees down. His round face was topped by flattened greasy curls that glistened in the rancid lights of the café. He walked up, slumped into the chair across the table from Harry, and demanded, “You have money?”
Harry kept his gaze on the square and the crawling traffic. “Where’s Hassan?”
“Hassan is not my business. He is your business. You must answer my question. You have money?”
Harry was about to let the guy have it when he spotted Hassan returning across the plaza. When he reached the café’s perimeter, Hassan seated himself at an empty table, facing outward toward the plaza, placing himself between Harry and any incoming threat. Harry relaxed slightly. It was always a pleasure doing business with a pro.
Harry said, “Let’s take this from the top. I’m—”
“I know who you are. Harry Bennett seeks treasure all over the world. You see? We meet because I check you out.”
“What’s your name?”
“Wadi Haddad.”
“Wadi, like the word for oasis?”
“Yes, is same.” He wore a rumpled linen jacket, its armpits wet and darkened with sweat. He reached in a pocket and came up with a pack of filterless Gitanes. “You want?”
“Never learned to use them, thanks.”
Wadi Haddad lit the cigarette with a gold lighter. The stench of black tobacco encircled the table. “I have much interesting items. Very nice.”
“I didn’t come to Hebron for nice, Mr. Haddad. I came for exceptional. You understand that word?”
“Exceptional is also very expensive.”
“One of a kind,” Harry went on. “Unique. Extremely old. And I have always been partial to gold.”
Wadi Haddad revealed a lizard’s tongue, far too narrow for his globular face. It flitted in and out several times, tasting the air. “How much money you have?”
“Not a cent with me.”
“Then I also have nothing. Business is finished.” But Wadi Haddad did not move.
“Here’s how it’s going to work,” said Harry. “You show me the item. I photograph it.”
“No. Photographs absolutely not to happen.”
“I show the photographs to my clients. If they like, they transfer the money to an escrow account at the Bank of Jordan in Amman. You understand, escrow?”
“I know.”
“Good. Then you bring the item to Jerusalem and we make the exchange.”
“Not Jerusalem. Too much police everyplace.”
“Okay, Mr. Haddad. Where would you prefer?”
“Petra.”
“Too small. I like bright lights, big city.”
“Then Amman.”
Which had been Harry’s choice all along. Even so, he pretended to give that some thought. “Okay, Amman. Hotel Inter-Continental. You got an account at the Bank of Jordan?”
“I make one happen.”
“Then we’re ready to roll. All we need is the merchandise.”
“No photographs.”
“Then no business. Sorry, Charlie.”
“My name is Wadi.”
“Whatever. I don’t shoot, I don’t buy.”
“Photographs cost you a thousand dollars.”
Suddenly Harry was very tired of this two-step. “Fine. But I take the thousand from the final purchase price. And don’t even think of arguing.”
Wadi Haddad did not rise so much as bounce from the seat. “Okay, we go. Not your man.” He nodded toward Hassan. “Just you.”
“Be right with you.” Harry walked to Hassan’s table and squatted down beside the man’s chair. “You find anything?”
“Hebron is one tense city. People very worried.”
“Yeah, I caught that too.” Harry liked how the guy never stopped searching the shadows. “Where’d you see action, Hassan?”
“Nowhere. I see nothing, I do nothing. In the West Bank there is only IDF and terrorists.”
“Wadi’s taking me to check out the merchandise. He says I’ve got to do this alone. You think maybe you could watch my back?”
“Is good.” Hassan held to a catlike stillness. “I see something, I whistle. I can whistle very loud.”
Harry rose to his feet, patted the guy’s shoulder, and said, “You just earned yourself another five bills.”
WADI HADDAD MOVED SURPRISINGLY FAST on his splayed legs. He led Harry deep into the old city. The West Bank crisis was etched into every Hebron street, every bullet-ridden wall, every building topped by an IDF bunker. The streets were either dimly lit or not at all. But walking behind the wheezing Haddad, Harry had no trouble picking his way through the rubble. Behind him, the mosque and the cave complex shone like beacons. And up ahead loomed the wall.
The barrier separating the Jewish sector from Hebron’s old city was thirty feet high and topped with razor wire. Searchlights from the guard towers and nearby IDF bunkers serrated the night. The wall gleamed like a massive concrete lantern.
Somewhere in the distance a truck backfired. Wadi Haddad froze. A searchlight illuminated the man’s trembling jowls. Harry said, “You’re not from here.”
“My mother’s family only. I live sometimes Damascus, sometimes Aqaba.”
Aqaba was Jordan’s portal to the Red Sea, a haven for tourists and smugglers’ dhows. “Must be nice.”
Wadi Haddad started off once more, Harry following close. But when Haddad entered a dark, narrow alley, Harry dug in his heels. “Hold up there.”
“What’s the matter, treasure man?”
The buildings to either side reached across to form a crumbling arch. The windows fronting the street were both barred and dark. The alley was black. Harry had spent a lifetime avoiding alleys like this. Then he saw a cigarette tip gleam. “That your buddy down there?”
“Is guard, yes. In Hebron, many guards.”
“Ask him to step out where I can see him.”
Wadi didn’t like it, but he did as Harry said. The man emerged and flipped on a flashlight. In the dim rays reflected from the walls, Harry could see a face like a parrot, with too-narrow features sliding back from a truly enormous nose. The man’s eyes were set very close together and gleamed with the erratic light of an easy killer.
“Ask him to light up that alley for us.”
The man smirked at Harry’s nerves but did not wait for Wadi’s translation. The flashlight showed an empty lane that ended about eighty feet back with double metal doors. “What’s behind the doors, Wadi?”
THE DOORS RATTLED IN ALARM as the guard pushed them open. Wadi called out and, on hearing no response, stepped into a neglected courtyard with Harry close behind. The dusty compound appeared empty. A pair of plastic chairs sprawled by a rusty outdoor table, their upended legs jutting like broken teeth. From inside the house a dog barked. In the distance Harry both heard and felt the grinding tremor of an IDF tank on road patrol.
Wadi led Harry to a flat-roofed side building of unfinished concrete blocks and opened a door with flaking paint. The interior was an astonishment. The front room was a well-appointed display chamber about twelve feet square. Two walls were stuccoed a light peach. A third wall was covered by a frieze of mythical birds carved from what Harry suspected was olive wood. The fourth wall held a narrow steel door with a central combination lock.
“Looks like I found the guy I’ve been looking for,” Harry said.
Wadi held out his hand. “Thousand dollars.”
Harry was about to insist he see the item first, then decided there was no reason to get off on the wrong sandal.
Wadi counted in the Arab fashion, folding the bills over and peeling the oily edges with his thumb and forefinger. He slipped the money into his pocket and motioned with his chin to the guard.
The steel door swung open on greased hinges. The guard stepped inside and emerged with a black velvet stand shaped like a woman’s neck. What was draped on the stand took Harry’s breath away.
The concept of women’s ornamentation was as old as civilization itself. The earliest forms were fashioned as temple offerings and were considered to have magical properties. Many ancient cultures revered such jewelry for its talismanic power either to ward off evil or bring good health and prosperity.
In the very earliest days of Christianity, new believers drawn from Hellenistic temple cults often brought with them such ideas about the powers of jewelry. The necklace dated from the second century AD. The chain was a series of gold tubes, each stamped with a Christian design. It ended in an emerald the size of Harry’s thumb. The gemstone had been sanded flat and carved with the Chi-Rho symbol.
Without asking, Wadi handed Harry a pair of white gloves and a jeweler’s loupe. Closer inspection only confirmed Harry’s first impression. This was a museum-quality piece.
The problem was, Harry could not identify it as a fake. Which was troubling, because Harry knew for a fact the item was not genuine.
Harry Bennett had nothing against a little smuggling. He would certainly not have helped anyone track down another treasure dog.
Counterfeiters, though, were a different breed of lice.
After nearly three years of roiling conflict, the Israeli Antiquities Authority had basically lost control of smuggling in the West Bank. In the past, the IAA had nabbed about ninety thieves each year for pilfering tombs, ruined cities, palaces, and forts. Since the latest political troubles began, however, arrests had slumped to almost nothing. The IAA knew without question that the worst culprits were getting away. The international arts market was being flooded with ancient Hebrew treasure. What was more, a growing number of these items were bogus. Extremely well crafted, their workmanship often able to fool museum directors and other supposed experts, but phony just the same.
The Israeli government had needed somebody with Harry Bennett’s credentials, known throughout the world as a dedicated treasure dog. Somebody capable of infiltrating the system and identifying the source of the fake artifacts.
Only when Harry looked up did he realize he had been holding his breath. He handed the loupe and gloves back to Wadi and unsnapped the case of his pocket camera. “Okay if I shoot a few?”
Wadi smirked as he pulled the cigarettes from his pocket. The man knew a buyer’s lust when he saw it. “Sure, sure, many as you like. You want tea?”
DICKERING OVER PRICE TOOK UNTIL well after midnight. Even so, when Harry stepped through the compound’s steel door, the city remained noisily alive. Such was the manner of every Middle Eastern city Harry had ever visited, and it was one of the reasons why he relished the Arab world. These lands were full of pirates and their love of dark hours.
Harry clamped down on his first thought, which was that this guy definitely hadn’t missed a lot of meals. “Phone you in four days, right?”
“Four, maybe five. These days the border is very tight.”
“Then maybe you ought to bring out the other items you’re holding here for sale.”
“You buy more?”
“If they’re as fine as what you just showed me, sure, I think I can find buyers.”
“Not same price,” Wadi complained. “Too much hard bargain.”
Harry was about to say what he thought of Wadi’s poor-boy tactic when, from the distance, he heard a shrill whistle pierce the night.
The guard stood at the alley’s mouth, searching in all directions. Wadi remained intent upon business, sucking on his cigarette and grumbling through the smoke as he walked past where Harry stood tense and rooted to the dusty earth. “Next time your price plus thirty percent. You pay or I go find—”
Harry leaned forward and gripped Wadi’s shoulder and pulled him back. He slammed Wadi onto the alley wall, placing himself between the trader and the road. Wadi’s breath whooshed out in a fetid cloud. His eyes registered surprise and rising protest. But Harry kept him pinned where he was.
Buy from another retailer:
FROM THE CREST OF THE Herodium dig, Harry Bennett could look out and see three wars.
The isolated, cone-shaped hill rose two thousand feet over the Judean Desert. Herodium, the palace-fortress built by Herod the Great, had been erected on the site of his victory against the Parthians in 40 BCE. Herod had then served as king of Judea under his Roman masters, but he had been utterly despised by the Judeans. When Herod’s sons were finally vanquished, Herodium had been evacuated. Over the centuries, the city became a legend, its location a myth.
Modern excavations had begun in the sixties, only to be interrupted by wars and intifadas and disputes over jurisdiction. Harry Bennett was part of a group excavating the original palace fortress. The current project was supervised by a woman professor from the Sorbonne. She had fought for six years to gain the license, and nothing so minor as somebody else’s war was going to stop her work.
The volunteers came from a dozen nations, to dig and learn and bury themselves in history. Most were in their twenties and tried to keep up a brave face despite the rumbles of conflict and the brutal heat. The day Harry arrived at Herodium, three Scandinavian backpackers had perished hiking above the Ein Gedi National Forest. With water in their packs. Just felled by the ferocious heat.
And here Harry was, huddled under the relentless glare of that same deadly sun, using his trowel and his brush to scrape two thousand years of crud off a stone.
Officially Harry and the other volunteers were restricted to the dig and their hilltop camp. With Hamas missiles streaking the nighttime sky, none of the other unpaid staff were much interested in testing their boundaries. But twice each week the Sorbonne professor traveled to Jerusalem and delivered her finds to the ministry. When she departed that particular afternoon, Harry signaled to the Palestinian operating the forklift. Ten minutes later, they set off in Hassan’s decrepit pickup.
The angry wind blasting through his open window tasted of sand as dry as volcanic ash. Hassan followed the pitted track down an incline so steep Harry gripped the roof and propped one boot on the dashboard. He tried to ignore the swooping drop to his right by studying the horizon, which only heightened his sense of descending into danger. North and east rose the Golan hills and sixty years of struggle with Syria. Straight north was the Lebanese border, home to the Hezbollah hordes. To the southwest lay Gaza, provider of their nightly firework displays.
All West Bank digs were required to employ a certain number of locals. Hassan was one of the few who arrived on time, did an honest day’s work, and showed a keen interest in every new discovery. On Harry’s first day at the site, he had put the man down for a grave robber and a smuggler.
The West Bank was the richest area for artifacts in all Judea. There were thousands of sites, many dating from the Iron Age, others from the Roman era, and more still from Byzantium. Many sites remained undiscovered by archeologists but were well known to generations of Palestinians, who fiercely guarded their troves and passed the locations down from generation to generation.
Hassan’s former job wouldn’t have sat well with the Israeli authorities. But people like Hassan took the long view. Eventually things would settle down, and when they did, Hassan would return to his real trade. In the meantime, Hassan hid his profession from the Israeli authorities, lay low, and remained open to a little persuasion. In Harry’s case, that amounted to a thousand dollars.
They arrived in Hebron three hours later. The city crawled up the slopes of two hills and sprawled across a dull desert bowl. Entering Hebron around sunset, in the company of a Palestinian smuggler, was an act of total lunacy.
Harry Bennett wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Clustered on hilltops to the north of the old city rose the UN buildings, the university, and a huddle of government high-rises built with international relief funding. Other hills were dominated by Jewish settlements. These were rimmed by fences and wire and watchtowers that gleamed in the descending light. The rest of Hebron was just your basic war zone.
Sunset painted Hebron the color of old rust. The city held the tightly sullen feel of a pot that had boiled for centuries. Even the newer structures looked run-down. Most walls were pockmarked with bullet holes and decorated with generations of graffiti. Harry saw kids everywhere. They bore such tight expressions they resembled old people in miniature. Looking into their eyes made Harry’s chest hurt.
The streets were calm, the traffic light. Which was good, because it allowed them to make it to the city center early. It was also bad, because the Israel Defense Forces soldiers had nothing better to do than watch Hassan’s truck. Two IDF soldiers manning a reinforced guard station tracked the pickup with a fifty-caliber machine gun.
Hassan said, “This idea is not so good, maybe.”
Harry nodded slowly. He smelled it too, the biting funk of cordite not yet lit. But he would trust his driver. “You say go, we go.”
Hassan’s gaze flitted over to Harry. “You pay?”
“The deal’s the same. You get the other five hundred when we’re done.”
Hassan wiped his face with a corner of his checkered head-kerchief. “We stay.”
Harry halfway wished the man’s nerve would fail and he would turn his rattling truck around. “Better to come in twice than not go home at all.”
“You know danger?”
“Some.”
“I think maybe more than some. I think you see much action.”
“That was then and this is now,” Harry replied. “You’re my man on the ground here. I’m relying on your eyes and ears. I can’t tell what’s real and what’s just your normal garden-variety funk.”
Hassan pointed at Harry’s shirt pocket holding the five bills—the rest of his fee. “This is not business?”
“I’d call it a first step. Say your man shows up like you promised. Say he’s got the goods and the buy goes well. What happens next?”
“If the first buy goes well, you trust me for more.”
“Right. But I need someone who can sniff out traps and see through walls. There’s so much danger around here, my senses are on overload.”
The man actually smiled. “Welcome to Hebron.”
“I didn’t go to all this trouble for just one item, no matter how fine this guy’s treasure might be. I need you to tell me if we’re safe or if we should pull out and return another time.”
Hassan did not speak again until he parked the truck and led Harry into a café on Hebron’s main square. “What you like?”
“You mean, other than getting out of here with my skin intact? A mint tea would go down well.”
Hassan placed the order and settled into the rickety chair across from Harry. “There are many Americans like you?”
“I’m one of a kind.”
“Yes. I think you speak truth.” Hassan rose to his feet. “Drink your tea. I go ask what is happening.”
All Harry could do was sit there and watch the only man he knew in Hebron just walk away. From his spot by the bullet-ridden wall, isolated among the patrons at other tables who carefully did not look his way, Harry felt as though he had a bull’s-eye painted on his forehead. Even the kid who brought his tea and plate of unleavened bread looked scared. Harry stirred in a spoonful of gray, unrefined sugar and lifted the tulip-shaped glass by its rim. All he could taste was the flavor of death.
AFTER SUNSET, THE HEBRON AIR cooled at a grudging pace. Harry watched as the city square filled with people and traffic and shadows. The café became crowded with people who avoided looking Harry’s way. Across the plaza, the Tomb of the Patriarchs shone pearl white. Beside the cave complex stood the Mosque of Abraham, a mammoth structure dating back seven hundred years.
The caves had been bought by the patriarch Abraham for four hundred coins, such an astronomical sum that the previous owner had offered to throw in the entire valley. But Abraham had insisted upon overpaying so that his rightful ownership would never be questioned. He had wanted the caves as his family’s burial site because supposedly they were also where Adam and Eve had been laid to rest. Besides Abraham himself, the caves also held the remains of his wife, Sarah, along with Rebecca, Isaac, and Jacob.
The guy who made his way toward Harry’s table resembled an Arab version of the Pillsbury Doughboy. The man waddled as he walked. His legs splayed slightly from the knees down. His round face was topped by flattened greasy curls that glistened in the rancid lights of the café. He walked up, slumped into the chair across the table from Harry, and demanded, “You have money?”
Harry kept his gaze on the square and the crawling traffic. “Where’s Hassan?”
“Hassan is not my business. He is your business. You must answer my question. You have money?”
Harry was about to let the guy have it when he spotted Hassan returning across the plaza. When he reached the café’s perimeter, Hassan seated himself at an empty table, facing outward toward the plaza, placing himself between Harry and any incoming threat. Harry relaxed slightly. It was always a pleasure doing business with a pro.
Harry said, “Let’s take this from the top. I’m—”
“I know who you are. Harry Bennett seeks treasure all over the world. You see? We meet because I check you out.”
“What’s your name?”
“Wadi Haddad.”
“Wadi, like the word for oasis?”
“Yes, is same.” He wore a rumpled linen jacket, its armpits wet and darkened with sweat. He reached in a pocket and came up with a pack of filterless Gitanes. “You want?”
“Never learned to use them, thanks.”
Wadi Haddad lit the cigarette with a gold lighter. The stench of black tobacco encircled the table. “I have much interesting items. Very nice.”
“I didn’t come to Hebron for nice, Mr. Haddad. I came for exceptional. You understand that word?”
“Exceptional is also very expensive.”
“One of a kind,” Harry went on. “Unique. Extremely old. And I have always been partial to gold.”
Wadi Haddad revealed a lizard’s tongue, far too narrow for his globular face. It flitted in and out several times, tasting the air. “How much money you have?”
“Not a cent with me.”
“Then I also have nothing. Business is finished.” But Wadi Haddad did not move.
“Here’s how it’s going to work,” said Harry. “You show me the item. I photograph it.”
“No. Photographs absolutely not to happen.”
“I show the photographs to my clients. If they like, they transfer the money to an escrow account at the Bank of Jordan in Amman. You understand, escrow?”
“I know.”
“Good. Then you bring the item to Jerusalem and we make the exchange.”
“Not Jerusalem. Too much police everyplace.”
“Okay, Mr. Haddad. Where would you prefer?”
“Petra.”
“Too small. I like bright lights, big city.”
“Then Amman.”
Which had been Harry’s choice all along. Even so, he pretended to give that some thought. “Okay, Amman. Hotel Inter-Continental. You got an account at the Bank of Jordan?”
“I make one happen.”
“Then we’re ready to roll. All we need is the merchandise.”
“No photographs.”
“Then no business. Sorry, Charlie.”
“My name is Wadi.”
“Whatever. I don’t shoot, I don’t buy.”
“Photographs cost you a thousand dollars.”
Suddenly Harry was very tired of this two-step. “Fine. But I take the thousand from the final purchase price. And don’t even think of arguing.”
Wadi Haddad did not rise so much as bounce from the seat. “Okay, we go. Not your man.” He nodded toward Hassan. “Just you.”
“Be right with you.” Harry walked to Hassan’s table and squatted down beside the man’s chair. “You find anything?”
“Hebron is one tense city. People very worried.”
“Yeah, I caught that too.” Harry liked how the guy never stopped searching the shadows. “Where’d you see action, Hassan?”
“Nowhere. I see nothing, I do nothing. In the West Bank there is only IDF and terrorists.”
“Wadi’s taking me to check out the merchandise. He says I’ve got to do this alone. You think maybe you could watch my back?”
“Is good.” Hassan held to a catlike stillness. “I see something, I whistle. I can whistle very loud.”
Harry rose to his feet, patted the guy’s shoulder, and said, “You just earned yourself another five bills.”
WADI HADDAD MOVED SURPRISINGLY FAST on his splayed legs. He led Harry deep into the old city. The West Bank crisis was etched into every Hebron street, every bullet-ridden wall, every building topped by an IDF bunker. The streets were either dimly lit or not at all. But walking behind the wheezing Haddad, Harry had no trouble picking his way through the rubble. Behind him, the mosque and the cave complex shone like beacons. And up ahead loomed the wall.
The barrier separating the Jewish sector from Hebron’s old city was thirty feet high and topped with razor wire. Searchlights from the guard towers and nearby IDF bunkers serrated the night. The wall gleamed like a massive concrete lantern.
Somewhere in the distance a truck backfired. Wadi Haddad froze. A searchlight illuminated the man’s trembling jowls. Harry said, “You’re not from here.”
“My mother’s family only. I live sometimes Damascus, sometimes Aqaba.”
Aqaba was Jordan’s portal to the Red Sea, a haven for tourists and smugglers’ dhows. “Must be nice.”
Wadi Haddad started off once more, Harry following close. But when Haddad entered a dark, narrow alley, Harry dug in his heels. “Hold up there.”
“What’s the matter, treasure man?”
The buildings to either side reached across to form a crumbling arch. The windows fronting the street were both barred and dark. The alley was black. Harry had spent a lifetime avoiding alleys like this. Then he saw a cigarette tip gleam. “That your buddy down there?”
“Is guard, yes. In Hebron, many guards.”
“Ask him to step out where I can see him.”
Wadi didn’t like it, but he did as Harry said. The man emerged and flipped on a flashlight. In the dim rays reflected from the walls, Harry could see a face like a parrot, with too-narrow features sliding back from a truly enormous nose. The man’s eyes were set very close together and gleamed with the erratic light of an easy killer.
“Ask him to light up that alley for us.”
The man smirked at Harry’s nerves but did not wait for Wadi’s translation. The flashlight showed an empty lane that ended about eighty feet back with double metal doors. “What’s behind the doors, Wadi?”
THE DOORS RATTLED IN ALARM as the guard pushed them open. Wadi called out and, on hearing no response, stepped into a neglected courtyard with Harry close behind. The dusty compound appeared empty. A pair of plastic chairs sprawled by a rusty outdoor table, their upended legs jutting like broken teeth. From inside the house a dog barked. In the distance Harry both heard and felt the grinding tremor of an IDF tank on road patrol.
Wadi led Harry to a flat-roofed side building of unfinished concrete blocks and opened a door with flaking paint. The interior was an astonishment. The front room was a well-appointed display chamber about twelve feet square. Two walls were stuccoed a light peach. A third wall was covered by a frieze of mythical birds carved from what Harry suspected was olive wood. The fourth wall held a narrow steel door with a central combination lock.
“Looks like I found the guy I’ve been looking for,” Harry said.
Wadi held out his hand. “Thousand dollars.”
Harry was about to insist he see the item first, then decided there was no reason to get off on the wrong sandal.
Wadi counted in the Arab fashion, folding the bills over and peeling the oily edges with his thumb and forefinger. He slipped the money into his pocket and motioned with his chin to the guard.
The steel door swung open on greased hinges. The guard stepped inside and emerged with a black velvet stand shaped like a woman’s neck. What was draped on the stand took Harry’s breath away.
The concept of women’s ornamentation was as old as civilization itself. The earliest forms were fashioned as temple offerings and were considered to have magical properties. Many ancient cultures revered such jewelry for its talismanic power either to ward off evil or bring good health and prosperity.
In the very earliest days of Christianity, new believers drawn from Hellenistic temple cults often brought with them such ideas about the powers of jewelry. The necklace dated from the second century AD. The chain was a series of gold tubes, each stamped with a Christian design. It ended in an emerald the size of Harry’s thumb. The gemstone had been sanded flat and carved with the Chi-Rho symbol.
Without asking, Wadi handed Harry a pair of white gloves and a jeweler’s loupe. Closer inspection only confirmed Harry’s first impression. This was a museum-quality piece.
The problem was, Harry could not identify it as a fake. Which was troubling, because Harry knew for a fact the item was not genuine.
Harry Bennett had nothing against a little smuggling. He would certainly not have helped anyone track down another treasure dog.
Counterfeiters, though, were a different breed of lice.
After nearly three years of roiling conflict, the Israeli Antiquities Authority had basically lost control of smuggling in the West Bank. In the past, the IAA had nabbed about ninety thieves each year for pilfering tombs, ruined cities, palaces, and forts. Since the latest political troubles began, however, arrests had slumped to almost nothing. The IAA knew without question that the worst culprits were getting away. The international arts market was being flooded with ancient Hebrew treasure. What was more, a growing number of these items were bogus. Extremely well crafted, their workmanship often able to fool museum directors and other supposed experts, but phony just the same.
The Israeli government had needed somebody with Harry Bennett’s credentials, known throughout the world as a dedicated treasure dog. Somebody capable of infiltrating the system and identifying the source of the fake artifacts.
Only when Harry looked up did he realize he had been holding his breath. He handed the loupe and gloves back to Wadi and unsnapped the case of his pocket camera. “Okay if I shoot a few?”
Wadi smirked as he pulled the cigarettes from his pocket. The man knew a buyer’s lust when he saw it. “Sure, sure, many as you like. You want tea?”
DICKERING OVER PRICE TOOK UNTIL well after midnight. Even so, when Harry stepped through the compound’s steel door, the city remained noisily alive. Such was the manner of every Middle Eastern city Harry had ever visited, and it was one of the reasons why he relished the Arab world. These lands were full of pirates and their love of dark hours.
Harry clamped down on his first thought, which was that this guy definitely hadn’t missed a lot of meals. “Phone you in four days, right?”
“Four, maybe five. These days the border is very tight.”
“Then maybe you ought to bring out the other items you’re holding here for sale.”
“You buy more?”
“If they’re as fine as what you just showed me, sure, I think I can find buyers.”
“Not same price,” Wadi complained. “Too much hard bargain.”
Harry was about to say what he thought of Wadi’s poor-boy tactic when, from the distance, he heard a shrill whistle pierce the night.
The guard stood at the alley’s mouth, searching in all directions. Wadi remained intent upon business, sucking on his cigarette and grumbling through the smoke as he walked past where Harry stood tense and rooted to the dusty earth. “Next time your price plus thirty percent. You pay or I go find—”
Harry leaned forward and gripped Wadi’s shoulder and pulled him back. He slammed Wadi onto the alley wall, placing himself between the trader and the road. Wadi’s breath whooshed out in a fetid cloud. His eyes registered surprise and rising protest. But Harry kept him pinned where he was.
Product Image 1 of 1
The Black Madonna
Following the internationally acclaimed Gold of Kings, Storm Syrrell returns in the compelling story of The Black Madonna.
Antiques expert Storm Syrrell heads to Europe to investigate the clandestine trade in religious artifacts. She dismisses superstitious tales of miraculous healings and divine omens. Yet when an obsessive Russian oligarch calls—just as her friend Harry Bennett vanishes—all assumptions must be cast aside. Storm seeks answers in a medieval monastery. There, the scarred visage of an icon provokes ever more startling questions. Is she prepared to confront both earthly and spiritual powers? Storm remains haunted by lessons in love and betrayal that lie just outside her grasp. But hesitation now holds mortal consequences.
Book Reviews
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About the Author
Davis Bunn is the author of numerous national bestsellers in genres spanning historical sagas, contemporary thrillers, and inspirational gift books. He has received widespread critical acclaim, including three Christy Awards for excellence in fiction, and his books have sold more than six million copies in sixteen languages. He and his wife, Isabella, are affiliated with Oxford University, where Davis serves as writer in residence at Regent’s Park College. He lectures internationally on the craft of writing. |
Over The Top: three words all Formula 1 fans will be hearing a lot more as the sport’s commercial rights holder Liberty Media – the owner of Formula One Management – converges F1 and digital platforms in its quest to grow F1 audiences by offering fans – both present and prospective – a richer, more varied viewing experience.
OTT has many meanings. Urban Dictionary, for example, defines the term as “something done outrageously over what it needs to be”.
But in the media sense the term describes the distribution of video and audio content via the internet, bypassing traditional service providers. Thus communications platforms such as Skype and Whatsapp are OTT, given that they bypass traditional telephone platforms, and directly connect the parties. True, telephony companies may provide connectivity, but the content does not run via their platforms.
Apply this concept to video transmission and you have the essence of Netflix or Amazon Prime. Think F1 in this context, and you have the sport’s new content steaming service, to be launched during the Australian Grand Prix weekend, in a fortnight.
Simply put, F1 plans to deliver video content directly to fans via broadband internet, thereby bypassing traditional broadcasters. As outlined here, around 40 countries have been identified for introduction at launch, with the rest to follow as and when existing broadcast contracts expire, or by negotiation.
The offering is impressively extensive, having upwards of 20 different feeds, offering in-car, paddock, pit lane, interview, data and general race channels. In short, fans can become their own producers, able to switch and swap feeds as the fancy grabs them.
“Actually it’s a bit groundbreaking from a sports perspective in that, for the first time ever, one individual sport will be streaming 24 different feeds from the same event on a live, simultaneous basis,” explained Frank Arthofer, F1’s head of digital and new business when he unveiled the service last week during F1’s first pre-season test. Just imagine the data generated by 24 streams during a two-hour race.
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That Liberty would take F1 down the OTT route sooner or later is a given, with the global connectivity requirements having been put in place by long-time F1 communications partner Tata. Liberty, though, appears to have rushed the final parts of the project through in about a third the time usually required.
In the words of Arthofer, “This [OTT] type of service would typically take about 18 months to build, and we’ve done it in six which is quite a feat from the team who’s worked on it and we have a number of partners involved, again including our partner Tata.”
Why the haste? Despite Arthofer’s comment that “the biggest pressure on us is not a fiscal one, but to deliver a great product and stable experience for fans”, it is no secret that Liberty’s 2017 payments to teams – their collective shares of the sport’s $1,8bn annual revenues – dropped by $47m over the previous season. For obvious reasons this has not gone down well.
The teams shared $920m, around 68 per cent of F1’s underlying revenues ($1,351bn), in turn around 60 per cent of gross income ($1,8bn). The reason for the reduction is largely linked to Liberty’s rising cost base – folk like Arthofer are expensive, and over the past 12 months headcount, mainly managerial and executive, has been boosted by 50 hires. Add in fancy new offices in Lower Regent Street, and it is little wonder operating costs have shot up. Essentially, the teams’ share amounts to 50 per cent of gross income.
All this has affected Liberty’s NASDAQ share price (above) – the ultimate measure of a listed company’s performance – which currently hovers at $31.90, or just $0.05 above its 12-month low. Clearly the company needs to pull out all stops to impress the markets, and what better way of achieving that objective than by rolling out a headline-grabbing, new-fangled, direct-sale, premium video streaming service in time of the for new season?
Hence the numbers trotted out in Barcelona by Arthofer – an American media graduate who interned with the NBA before moving to Disney and ESPN (where he reported through Sean Bratches, F1’s now-commercial director), and then Boston Consulting, where he worked on digital transformation. F1, according to Arthofer, has around 500m fans, or five per cent of the world’s population.
“If even conservatively one per cent of that customer base is a super-avid hardcore fan, that’s a five million addressable audience to sell this product to, who would potentially be willing to pay the incremental fee for what is really the best way to watch Formula One in the market.”
Arthofer stated that the cost of F1 TV Pro would run out at “$12 month, converted into relevant currencies” – so £8/month – while F1 TV Access, a lower tier offering providing archive material going back to 1981 would cost around three dollars (two quid). Tellingly, Arthofer did not provide a projected split between the two tiers.
Here the maths gets complicated by the take-up split between Pro and Access. Let us, though, guesstimate $5/month per subscriber. By his reckoning that pans out at $250m per annum – once the full potential “addressable” audience has been reached – or roughly a third of F1’s current TV income. On the basis of the calculations above, the teams should pull around $120m of that – more than making up for recent losses.
However, this calculation is predicated upon a take-up of five million fans globally, made up of four million Access subscribers and one million Pro hardcore viewers. Fewer Pro numbers obviously affects income – F1 and team – proportionately.
History relates that F1 fans are fickle. Whether they describe themselves as ‘hardcore’ doesn’t necessarily mean can afford to shell out for their passion. For example, in 2015 around 3m viewers tuned in to watch BBC’s free-to-air offering; Sky pulled about 20 per cent of that despite Lewis Hamilton dominating the season. In Germany, Sky TV was unable to agree terms with F1, and has now pulled out completely. Ditto Sky LatAm.
More illuminating, though, is the fate of F1’s first digital TV service – offering a choice of six “be-your-own-producer” channels – launched as F1 Digital + by then-commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone to much fanfare in 1996. True, at the time it was offered in conjunction with selected broadcasters, but that was a function of available technology: the internet, where available, operated on a dial-up modem basis, leaving digital broadcast technology as the only option.
For reference, the channels offered at the time were:
Master – A studio channel broadcasting the “super-signal” main FOM-produced Digital feed, during track sessions, cutting away to show interviews and studio analysis
Super-signal – The main digital world feed produced by FOM for all of Europe, combining footage from track feeds, pit lane channel and on-board footage.
Track A – Similar to super-signal, but focusing on race leaders.
Track B – Similar to super-signal, but focusing on action down the order.
Data – Live timing/data screens
Onboard – Material from onboard cameras, without commentary.
Pitlane – Footage from pit-lane cameras, without commentary.
Highlights – Rolling highlights up to the current point in the race.
This begs the question: is F1 TV Pro’s planned 24-channel set-up not a step too far? After all, the dedicated Lewis Hamilton in-car channel Arthofer referred to during his media presentation threatens to cost other teams, drivers and sponsors eyeballs. One of the attractions for sponsors is what is known as F1’s ‘adjacent moving billboard’ principle which adds colour – a dedicated in-car channel kills that stone dead.
One of the attractions of F1 for sponsors is that their brands are shown at the heart of the action. The constant jostling of images helps draw the eyes of consumers to their messages – hence, for example, the popularity of messages on trucks and buses. In contrast the human eye is not stimulated by static images in the same way. Extended in-car shots, particularly from overhead cameras, appear static while the signage-free backdrop moves.
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At the time F1’s Bernie Ecclestone invested an estimated £100m (£150m at current prices) in F1 Digital+, which charged £12 per race. It lasted just over six years before he pulled the plug, the service having attracted just 9,000 UK punters in its final year, while in Germany the subscriber base consistently ran at 50 per cent of pre-launch estimates – Michael Schumacher’s successes notwithstanding.
In short, F1 Digital+ proved to be Ecclestone’s biggest dud.
Against that background, what chance of F1 TV Pro – the money-spinner – gaining traction? For starters, F1’s latest Global Media Report claims 352m unique viewers in 200 broadcast territories, a far cry from the alleged 500m fans (note difference) Arthofer spoke of. Given that F1 TV Pro will stream into 40 countries (at launch), including the likes of Honduras and Haiti, but not three (Brazil, Italy and United Kingdom) of its biggest four markets (Germany being the other), take-up is expected to be slow.
Then there is the question of affordability: While 12 bucks per month is no big deal in some of the countries listed, in others it is a substantial fee. Indeed, one gains the distinct impression that some countries are listed simply to bolster numbers, particularly if F1 is vigilant, as it has vowed to be, about geoblocking and VPNs.
Although Arthofer believes F1 will be able to prevent those outside the chosen countries from accessing the service, this is something even long-term players in the streaming business aren’t able to completely prevent. Another potential headache is the threat of hacks. As leaks such as the Panama and Paradise Papers show, there are no guarantees that systems cannot be unscrupulously accessed or held to ransom. In such instances fans could not only be left without streams – in worse case scenarios, during title showdowns – but both F1 and the teams stand to lose income, and, above all, credibility.
Data speeds and costs are also crucial factors: Some of the countries listed have average internet speeds of below 2Mbps – Netflix recommends a minimum of 3Mbps for SD and 5Mbps for HD viewing – and, of course, those speeds are likely to drop at peak periods, while data costs in southern hemisphere countries cost an absolute fortune, with most still being reliant on antiquated copper cable transmissions and having caps in place.
Talking Netflix: F1 TV Pro will be priced roughly in that ballpark – but the former appeals to the entire family, 24/7. Will F1’s service have the same allure? To justify subscriptions it will need to.
One of the rather unsavoury side effects of ‘Bernievision’ was that world feed transmissions became increasingly anodyne as content such as in-car footage and pit lane footage was moved to the pay channel to attract viewers to the premium product. Once the service died, so the footage returned to “standard” broadcasts. Will Liberty pull a similar stunt to woo subscribers?
Equally, while Arthofer has promised that there will be no commercials at launch (our accent), the caveat has clearly left the door open for what Martin Brundle refers to as “retail opportunities” – and what could be more galling than paying ten bucks, only to sit through a bunch of commercials?
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One of the strengths of the traditional broadcast model is that broadcasters use their own platforms to advertise their wares, including F1 schedules. Many a viewer has been converted to F1 simply through channel hopping or being exposed to pre-race announcements. How will Liberty reach those potential punters? Broadcasters are unlikely to point them to F1 TV Pro.
True, Liberty does intend advertising the service on social media, but to a large degree that is a bit like preaching to the (few) converted. While F1’s social media presence has been massively ramped up over the past year – showing the largest growth rate of all major sporting properties at 55 per cent to a total of 12m across all major platforms – it started off from a low base after being all but shunned under the previous commercial rights holder. However, the point is that social media platforms are free, and not an indicator of hardcore-ness, so will they reach their target audience, particularly given that hardcore fans is an older demographic?
There is no doubt that streaming is the future of sport television, and that F1 must inevitably (and eventually) move in that direction. While many believe that the introduction of the F1 TV Pro streaming service has not come a season too soon, one cannot help but feel that it has been hastily introduced for many of the wrong reasons. For example, at launch no mobile device apps will be available.
As with F1 Digital+, the commercial rights holder will have one shot at launching the product, and as such needs to get it absolutely spot on. But, will it be? The answer will be revealed on 22 March.
Follow Dieter on Twitter: @RacingLines
RacingLines |
Q:
Django South alternative?
After reading some older posts about Django South's features, I began wondering why there wasn't a similar tool built in to Django itself. Then I was curious if maybe something had been added these last few years.
Has something been added?
Are there any alternatives to South, or is it the accepted way of handling migrations and such?
A:
The same thought django core developers had. Since Django 1.7, migrations is a built-in feature:
Django now has built-in support for schema migrations. It allows
models to be updated, changed, and deleted by creating migration files
that represent the model changes and which can be run on any
development, staging or production database.
Note that 1.7 is not a stable version at the moment.
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Q:
How download/upload contacts from/to mysql database using j2me
I'm developing mobile application which will be able to download/upload mobile phone book contact from MySQL database which is stored on the web. I need to get all the numbers, name, caller images etc from the phone (if it has) then store them on the database ans vice-versa.
A:
You need to use PIM API for retrieve and restore the contacts in j2me. see this link for ur reference. You need to retrieve the contacts from phone or sim card then parse into xml format and then post the data into web server. On server side you can parse the xml string and get the contact values then insert the values into DB. Same thing you need to do on restoring contacts into phone contacts or sim contacts. for more into see this link...
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The Applications
The last time we looked at Blu-ray/HD-DVD playback on PCs we were sorely disappointed in software support, mostly because we needed to use a separate application for Blu-ray and HD-DVD playback despite similarities in the standards. Thankfully both Cyberlink and Intervideo have since introduced universal versions of their applications that support both Blu-ray and HD-DVD. Cyberlink's PowerDVD Ultra and Intervideo's WinDVD 8 support both standards through a single UI; unfortunately neither application appears to be quite ready for prime time.
Cyberlink's PowerDVD Ultra 7.3 gave us the most problems, especially with ATI hardware. The application was simply far more prone to random crashes than WinDVD 8, which was unfortunate given that it was the only of the two that properly enabled hardware acceleration on ATI GPUs.
WinDVD 8 didn't crash nearly as much as PowerDVD Ultra 7.3, but it did give us its fair share of problems. Complete application crashes were fairly rare, but on NVIDIA hardware we'd sometimes be greeted with a green version of whatever movie we were trying to watch. There was no rhyme or reason to why it would happen, but it just did. When things worked, they worked just fine though.
If you're running 64-bit Vista, you'll probably want to avoid installing either application as the problems we encountered were only amplified under the OS. Enabling hardware acceleration for ATI hardware under 64-bit Vista caused PowerDVD to crash anytime it attempted to playback an H.264 stream, while VC1 content was totally fine. WinDVD 8 gave us the wonderful problem of throwing an error whenever we hovered over a program menu item for too long. As much as we appreciated the improvement to our reflexes, we fondly preferred using WinDVD under 32-bit Vista where we could spend as much time as wanted in the menu without running into an error.
A quick perusal through Cyberlink and Intervideo's forums reveal that we aren't the only ones that have had issues with their software. Do keep these issues in mind if you are planning on turning your PC into a Blu-ray/HD-DVD playing powerhouse, as we're not yet at the point where you can get a truly CE experience on your PC with these applications.
It's a shame that we could only get ATI's hardware acceleration to work under PowerDVD and it's equally unfortunate that PowerDVD was so unstable because it was actually the faster of the two applications when it came to menu rendering/interaction time. Clearly both applications need work, but for our benchmarking purposes they sufficed to give us an initial look at what will be available once the bugs are fully vanquished.
Anand, you need to keep an eye on both ZZF and Newegg on release dates for new computer hardware, just in case your review versions don't materialize. The MSI 8500GT (o/c version, irc) was orderable and In Stock at ZZF @10PM Pacific Time on April 16 and continued to be in stock for at least part of April 17. Reply
We know they're available, but if we ran out and purchased every piece of new hardware for testing rather than relying on our partners, that can start to put a pretty sizable dent in the old paycheck. Not that we don't often purchase hardware anyway.... Reply
Well, strictly speaking that's not exactly true. Having a ripped movie on your HDD, assuming you legally own the movie in question, is certainly a fair use due to the software archival provisions in the Copyright Act. However, since the DMCA is itself a part of the Act, having the movie on your HDD essentially becomes de facto illegal because the only way you could put it there is through ripping, which, as you stated, is illegal anti-circumvention. It's things like this (the chilling of fair use and extension of copyright owners' rights) that make me hate the DMCA and all who would use it for their gain.
On topic, I'm glad to see that the 8600 line is capable of significantly decreasing CPU utilization. I wasn't expecting a drop from 80+% to 24%. It's really incredible. Reply |
By Nathan Self, Research Associate, Department of Computer Science, and faculty at Discovery Analytics Center, Virginia Tech. Self will be participating on the Opportunities, Challenges and Future Trends in Advanced Analytics panel at the second annual Capital Data Summit on Feb. 28, 2018.
Imagine your biggest spreadsheet. Too many rows and columns to take in at once. At the Discovery Analytics Center (DAC) at Virginia Tech we are interested in how humans and machines can work together to make sense out of all that data. Andromeda is an example of how analysts can combine sophisticated machine learning algorithms with interactive visualization to get insights from their data.
Let’s assume that your enormous spreadsheet has a row for every customer and a column for every statistic you keep about each customer. Andromeda draws a scatterplot in which each point represents a customer. Points that are close to each other represent rows that are similar to each other. Likewise, distant points represent dissimilar rows. To begin with, Andromeda assumes that each column is equally important.
This is where the human aspect comes in. You know what the data actually represents and you can interact with Andromeda in two ways. You can either (1) change the importance of a column. The points of the scatterplot will regroup to preserve the “near is similar” constraint. Or, (2) you can reach right into the scatterplot and move points closer or farther from each other and Andromeda will compute which columns have to be important for them to be considered similar.
Andromeda, with new algorithms and new paradigms of user-algorithm interaction, serves as a good example that complex statistical methods do not necessitate complex user interfaces or expert users. The selling point of Andromeda is that you don’t have to know that Andromeda uses an algorithm called weighted multidimensional scaling to lay out the scatterplot. You don’t have to know that data scientists at DAC developed inverse multidimensional scaling to handle interacting with the points. In fact, users have effectively generated insights despite having no experience with these, or similar, algorithms. And, their insights are more complex than when they use spreadsheets alone.
There are countless pivotal statistical processes that are well-suited and useful for current data analysis needs. Any of these would be well-served by intuitive interfaces for people that are not experts in statistics.
There is an adage that the same statistics can be used to justify either side of an argument. Machine learning has the same malleability. Understanding exactly what a machine learning tool like Andromeda can do for you — as well as its limitations — is important for deciding what to do with its outputs. |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic equipment having an image display apparatus and speakers.
2. Description of Related Art
In small electronic equipment, such as a monitor apparatus for personal computers, in which an image display apparatus for displaying images and speakers for radiating sounds are incorporated into a cabinet, the speakers are often disposed, within the front of the cabinet, outside the left and right sides of or outside the lower side of an image display screen of the image display apparatus. However, in large electronic equipment, such as a television apparatus having an image display screen of a large area, speakers are also large, and when the speakers are disposed above, below, or on the left and right sides of the image display screen, the speakers occupy large spaces, increasing the height as viewed in an up-down direction and the width as viewed in a left-right direction of the electronic equipment. Thus, this configuration is disadvantageous in making the electronic equipment smaller in size (see Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-214234).
Moreover, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2004-056768, when the height of the electronic equipment as viewed in the up-down direction is increased with respect to the depth thereof as viewed in a front-rear direction, the center of gravity of the electronic equipment is located at a high position. In this case, in order to prevent the electronic equipment from falling down and keep it stable at the time of its installation, a pedestal or stabilizing support is typically provided, which projects frontward from the front edge of the bottom of the cabinet.
As mentioned above, the electronic equipment of the related art require a space as large as the outline of each speaker, in addition to a space occupied by the image display screen, at the front of the cabinet. This makes it disadvantageous in reducing the height as viewed in the up-down direction or the width as viewed in the left-right direction of the cabinet. Moreover, since the pedestal must be provided in order to keep the electronic equipment stable at the time of its installation, it not only is costly but also disadvantageous in ensuring a degree of freedom in design. |
250 Pa. Superior Ct. 17 (1977)
378 A.2d 430
COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania
v.
Alfred NERO, Appellant.
Superior Court of Pennsylvania.
Submitted February 17, 1976.
Decided October 6, 1977.
*19 Michael A. Seidman, Philadelphia, for appellant.
Steven H. Goldblatt, Assistant District Attorney, and F. Emmett Fitzpatrick, District Attorney, Philadelphia, for Commonwealth, appellee.
Before WATKINS, President Judge, and JACOBS, HOFFMAN, CERCONE, PRICE, VAN der VOORT and SPAETH, JJ.
CERCONE, Judge:
This is an appeal from an order denying appellant's petition for relief under the Post Conviction Hearing Act.[1]
*20 In April of 1967 appellant was indicted for aggravated robbery and conspiracy.[2] More than five years later on June 16, 1972, appellant entered a plea of guilty to aggravated robbery and the conspiracy charge was nolle prossed. Shortly thereafter, the Honorable Robert J. Williams, Jr. imposed a sentence of two to ten years imprisonment which he immediately suspended in favor of ten years probation. Most critically, no direct appeal was taken from this judgment of sentence.
In the following two years appellant twice appeared before Judge Williams for separate probation revocation hearings. On both occasions probation was revoked. The first time, Judge Williams relented on his initial decision to incarcerate and had appellant transferred to a drug treatment center. No appeal was taken. Following the second revocation hearing, however, on April 4, 1974, Judge Williams imposed a prison sentence of eighteen months to ten years.[3] Again, no appeal was taken.
On September 19, 1974, appellant filed a petition for relief under the Post Conviction Hearing Act. Judge Williams dismissed the petition without a hearing and that order was appealed to this court. On June 17, 1975, however, we approved a stipulation by both counsel remanding this matter for a hearing on appellant's petition. Following a hearing, Judge Doty denied the petition and this appeal followed.
Appellant contends that his guilty plea was not entered knowingly and intelligently, that his trial counsel was ineffective, and that he was not apprised of his appellate rights following the revocation of his probation.
Initially, we reject the contention that appellant was not apprised of his right to appeal when his probation was ultimately revoked on April 4, 1974. The record establishes that after revoking probation the court reimposed its original *21 sentence of two to ten years' imprisonment. Immediately thereafter Judge Williams stated:
"Having sentenced you, sir, you have 30 days in which to appeal from the judgment of this Court if you can't afford counsel, counsel will be appointed for you. If you don't appeal within 30 days, you will waive whatever rights you have."
Moments later, however, some confusion arose as to whether appellant was entitled to credit for time already served. To rectify this matter Judge Williams vacated the sentence he had imposed only minutes earlier and substituted a sentence of eighteen months to ten years' incarceration. Appellant would have us hold that he was denied his Douglas[4] rights of appeal because Judge Williams did not repeat his earlier admonition concerning the right to appeal. We would be inclined to agree with appellant if there were any substantial lapse of time between the court's first informing appellant of his appellate rights, and its subsequently amending its judgment of sentence. But where, as in the instant case, the court imposes sentence and fully advises the defendant of his appellate rights, and then, only minutes later, amends its sentence, we must conclude the defendant was aware of his right to appeal.
With respect to appellant's contention that his guilty plea was not entered knowingly and intelligently, we find that this claim has been waived.
In pertinent part, Section 3 of the Post-Conviction Hearing Act states:
"To be eligible for relief under this act, a person . . . must prove the following:
"(d) That the error resulting in his conviction has not been . . . waived."
Section 4 defines waiver as follows:
"(b) For purposes of this act, an issue is waived if:
*22 "(1) The petitioner knowingly and understandingly failed to raise it and it could have been raised . . . on appeal . . .; and
"(2) The petitioner is unable to prove the existence of extraordinary and unusual circumstances to justify his failure to raise the issue.
"(c) There is a rebuttable presumption that a failure to appeal a ruling or to raise an issue is a knowing and understanding failure."
As previously noted, the original judgment of sentence placing appellant on probation was imposed on June 16, 1972, following his guilty plea. Most significantly, no direct appeal was taken from the order of probation. Furthermore, and equally important, appellant does not allege that he was denied his right to a direct appeal. See Douglas v. California, supra. Since the validity of appellant's plea was clearly an issue cognizable on direct appeal, Commonwealth v. Greer, 457 Pa. 646, 326 A.2d 338 (1974); Commonwealth v. Hill, 457 Pa. 1, 7, 319 A.2d 886 (1974), and he has made no attempt to establish any "extraordinary and unusual circumstances to justify his failure to raise the issue" this claim has been waived.[5]Commonwealth v. Hines, 461 Pa. 271, 336 A.2d 280 (1975); Commonwealth v. Tunnell, 463 Pa. 462, 345 A.2d 611 (1975).
Appellant's final contention is that his trial counsel did not afford him constitutionally effective representation. Appellant complains trial counsel was ineffective because he was not thoroughly familiar with the facts of the case and he advised a plea of guilty solely to dispose of an old case. Specifically, appellant contends his trial counsel acted ineffectively in the following instances: (1) failing to pursue a motion to suppress identification evidence which was filed in *23 1967; (2) proceeding with the guilty plea colloquy on June 16, 1972, notwithstanding Judge Williams' willingness to postpone the case for two weeks; and (3) only conferring with appellant for a few minutes prior to entering the guilty plea.
Initially, the Commonwealth argues appellant's ineffectiveness claim is waived as a result of his failure to take a direct appeal. Since the law at the time of appellant's plea provided that ineffective assistance of counsel claims be pursued in post-conviction proceedings, we find this issue to be properly before us. See Commonwealth v. Glasco, 241 Pa.Super. 484, 362 A.2d 420 (1976).
The pertinent test for resolving ineffective assistance of counsel claims was set forth in Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. 599, 604, 235 A.2d 349, 352 (1967):
"[C]ounsel's assistance is deemed constitutionally effective once we are able to conclude that the particular course chosen by counsel had some reasonable basis designed to effectuate his client's interests. The test is not whether other alternatives were more reasonable, employing a hindsight evaluation of the record. Although weigh the alternatives we must, the balance tips in favor of a finding of effective assistance as soon as it is determined that trial counsel's decisions had any reasonable basis." (Footnote omitted.)
Moreover, it is axiomatic that in applying the above test the threshold question is whether the claim which counsel is charged with not pursuing had some reasonable basis. Commonwealth v. Hubbard, 472 Pa. 259, 372 A.2d 687 (1977). In other words, counsel can hardly be deemed ineffective if the issue which he failed to advance was frivolous. With these principles in mind, we consider appellant's three allegations of ineffectiveness.
With respect to appellant's contention that his counsel was ineffective for not following through on a motion to suppress identification, we are of the view that this motion *24 was devoid of merit. The guilty plea colloquy reveals that a police officer observed appellant in the act of robbing a subway cashier. Although appellant escaped immediate apprehension he was subsequently identified by the policeman who initially observed him commit the robbery. Furthermore, it must be noted that appellant does not even contend, let alone prove, that the suppression motion would have been successful. Appellant simply asserts that there must have been merit to the motion or it would not have been filed when the case first arose in 1967. Under these circumstances, we can only conclude that the motion to suppress was of no avail and, therefore, counsel was not ineffective for not pursuing the motion. See, Commonwealth v. Hubbard, supra; Commonwealth v. Goosby, 461 Pa. 229, 336 A.2d 260 (1975).
The second allegation of ineffectiveness is that counsel should have accepted the trial judge's offer to postpone the case for two weeks.[6] In essence, appellant claims ineffectiveness on the grounds that:
"Counsel's decision had no reasonable basis and had he undertaken an investigation of the case, his chances of gaining an acquittal for his client may have been substantially increased with the knowledge he would have gained." (Emphasis added.) (Brief for Appellant at 9.)
This is obviously nothing more than sheer speculation on appellant's part. Appellant in no way indicates what new insight or knowledge would have been gained by a two-week delay. Once again he merely claims that a postponement may have worked to his advantage. Considering that appellant has not offered any facts to support his conjecture, and that his counsel had previously handled thousands of robbery cases and guilty pleas, we find no basis to criticize counsel's decision not to accept a two-week postponement.
The final allegation of ineffectiveness is that counsel only discussed the case with appellant for a brief time prior to engaging him in the guilty plea colloquy. It is well *25 settled that counsel is not deemed ineffective simply because he spent only a short amount of time conferring with his client. Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, supra; Commonwealth v. Woody, 440 Pa. 569, 271 A.2d 477 (1970); Commonwealth v. Skipper, 440 Pa. 576, 271 A.2d 476 (1970); Commonwealth v. Robinson, 232 Pa.Super. 328, 334 A.2d 687 (1975). Given appellant's failure to establish prejudice, counsel's vast experience in matters of this nature, and the relatively simple charges and issues involved, we are convinced appellant had adequate representation.
The order of the lower court is affirmed.
NOTES
[1] Act of January 25, 1966, P.L. (1965) 1580, § 1 et seq., 19 P.S. § 1180-1 et seq. (Supp. 1976-77).
[2] The indictments arose out of the robbery of a subway cashier in Philadelphia.
[3] Appellant was given credit for time served. Thus the six month difference between this sentence and the original judgment of sentence.
[4] Douglas v. California, 372 U.S. 353, 83 S.Ct. 814, 9 L.Ed.2d 811 (1963).
[5] It should be noted that simply because the original prison sentence was suspended in lieu of a ten year probationary term is of no consequence in determining whether the right to challenge the underlying conviction has been waived. "The knowing failure to appeal from an order of probation constitutes a waiver of the right to challenge the validity of the conviction upon which the probation order is based." Commonwealth v. Gilmore, 465 Pa. 202, 205, 348 A.2d 425, 427 (1975).
[6] It must be noted that counsel declined the two-week continuance only after having first conferred with appellant.
|
The placenta and intrauterine programming.
Intrauterine programming is the process by which the structure and function of tissues are altered permanently by insults acting during early development. In mammals, the placenta controls intrauterine development by supplying oxygen and nutrients, and by regulating the bioavailability of specific hormones involved in foetal growth and development. Consequently, the placenta is likely to have a key role in mediating the programming effects of suboptimal conditions during development. This review examines placental phenotype in different environmental conditions and places particular emphasis on regulation of placental nutrient transfer capacity and endocrine function by insults known to cause intrauterine programming. More specifically, it examines the effects of a range of environmental challenges on the size, morphology, blood flow and transporter abundance of the placenta and on its rate of consumption and production of nutrients. In addition, it considers the role of hormone synthesis and metabolism by the placenta in matching intrauterine development to the prevailing environmental conditions. The adaptive responses that the placenta can make to compensate for suboptimal conditions in utero are also assessed in relation to the strategies adopted to maximise foetal growth and viability at birth. Environmentally-induced changes in placental phenotype may provide a mechanism for transmitting the memory of early events to the foetus later in gestation, which leads to intrauterine programming of tissue development long after the original insult. |
Civic Center cafeteria contract under review
Ray's Catering says it cannot afford to continue running the Civic Center cafeteria without a subsidy, but county supervisors want to see whether other vendors will offer a better deal.
The county board approved a six-month, $2,800 monthly subsidy for the cafeteria, pending review of proposals from other operators.
The cafeteria received a subsidy for years, but a $4,600 monthly payment was dropped in the most recent two-year pact.
"Ray's Catering has provided documentation that the current pricing structure is not sustainable for their operations," said Eric Steger, assistant director of public works, in a report to supervisors. |
Q:
select 1 when there is a missing date - MYSQL
I want to have a condition or return a result(1) when my query detects that I have a missing date and I'm calling it between two dates from the user.
As you can see I'm missing 3/22/2016 until 3/26/2016. I want to get a result from my query that there are missing dates in my query.
Can you give me hints on how to do this?
Here's my query:
select DISTINCT DOB from DATES where STR_TO_DATE(DOB, '%m/%d/%Y') BETWEEN '20160301' AND '20160331'
A:
This will give only date is missing or not.
select case when count(DISTINCT DOB) = datediff('20160331','20160301') + 1 then 1 else 0 end
from DATES
where STR_TO_DATE(DOB, '%m/%d/%Y') BETWEEN '20160301' AND '20160331'
Below query will give you total dates present in it.
select asodate ,t1.dob
from
( SELECT @row := @row + interval 1 day as asofdate
FROM
(select 0 union all select 1 union all select 3 union all select 4 union all select 5 union all select 6 union all select 6 union all select 7 union all select 8 union all select 9) t,
(select 0 union all select 1 union all select 3 union all select 4 union all select 5 union all select 6 union all select 6 union all select 7 union all select 8 union all select 9) t2,
(select 0 union all select 1 union all select 3 union all select 4 union all select 5 union all select 6 union all select 6 union all select 7 union all select 8 union all select 9) t3,
(select 0 union all select 1 union all select 3 union all select 4 union all select 5 union all select 6 union all select 6 union all select 7 union all select 8 union all select 9) t4,
(SELECT @row:='2016-03-01' - interval 1 day) a
where @row < '2016-03-31') generateCalender
left join
( select DISTINCT STR_TO_DATE(DOB, '%m/%d/%Y') as dob
from DATES
where STR_TO_DATE(DOB, '%m/%d/%Y') BETWEEN '20160301' AND '20160331' ) t1
on asofdate = t1.dob
You can easily find out all missing date by adding where condition.
where t1.dob is NULL
|
It may not offer any comfort or relief to Gonzaga fans now, but the Bulldogs would’ve had the ball back with a chance to tie the game had Josh Perkins not drawn a technical foul for reaching over the baseline and swiping Matt Mooney’s arm during an inbound play with 10 seconds left.
It was 15 minutes after the final buzzer sounded and Josh Perkins climbed his way up to the podium for the postgame press conference. His eyes were red and puffy, and his head hung lower than usual after the Zags lost to Texas Tech 75-69 in the Elite Eight on Saturday.
Big decisions loom for Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke now that the 2018-19 season is over, but the junior forwards were still officially Gonzaga basketball players when they left the Bulldogs’ locker room Saturday after a 75-69 loss to Texas Tech.
The winning team out of the NCAA Tournament’s West Region was also home to the Most Outstanding Player. Jarrett Culver averaged 20.5 points with 4.5 rebounds to lead the Texas Tech to its first Final Four in school history. |
AMMAN (Reuters) - A tentative deal has been reached to end a strike in a Syrian prison by nearly 800 mostly political detainees that would eventually lead to the pardon and release of those held without charges, rights groups and activists in touch with inmates said on Monday.
A still image taken from a video uploaded on a social media website shows what it says are government security forces walking outside Hama prison, Syria, May 7, 2016 after a revolt by its inmates. Social Media Website/Handout via Reuters TV
They said the deal brokered late on Sunday would end a mutiny in the Hama prison in central Syria that started last week when political detainees revolted after five inmates were to be taken to the notorious Sadnaya prison for the execution of death sentences passed by an extra-judicial military tribunal.
“The regime has agreed to most of our demands to release those political detainees held without charges,” said a rights activist in touch with two inmates who requested anonymity.
The prisoners seized the prison 210 km (130 miles) from Damascus, and took hostages from guards..
That prompted a siege in which the authorities tried to storm the civilian prison on Friday using tear gas bombs and rubber bullets in an attempt to end the rebellion.
Leading Syrian rights activist Mazen Darwish, a former detainee in the prison and in touch with the prisoners, said a verbal agreement had been reached, but did not give details.
Another rights activist in touch with inmates said the deal was brokered after tribal figures intervened with the authorities who gave assurances to inmates held without charge they would be released if they ended their revolt.
The Syrian interior ministry has denied the reports about Hama central prison but has not elaborated on the issue since Monday.
The UK Observatory for Human Rights had confirmed a deal was in the works to release 26 detainees. The authorities previously released 46 detainees under Red Crescent mediation until negotiations broke down.
The deal comes after conditions worsened and inmates made appeals to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) after prison officials cut electricity and water amid food shortages and serious medical conditions among some of the inmates.
Inmates have demanded the release of political detainees held without charges. Many feared a wave of executions that could follow if they were to be transferred to the Sadnaya military prison, north of Damascus.
The prison itself was the scene of protests in 2008 by Islamist detainees that led to several being fired at and killed.
International rights groups say thousands of detainees are held in Syrian government prisons without charge and many of them are tortured to death, which authorities deny.
Human Rights Watch expressed concern late on Friday about the safety of the hostages and said an attempt to retake the facility risked high casualties.
The Syrian conflict began in 2011 with popular protests against President Bashar al-Assad and spiraled into civil war after a crackdown by security forces. |
SAC 290 is a hands-on survey course in media production introducing television, digital video, and film. Students gain first-hand experience in strategies and techniques of scripting and pre-production, production, and post-production. Students master a basic understanding of the aesthetics and processes of film, video, and television production.
Syllabi are available to current LSA students. IMPORTANT: These syllabi are provided to give students a general idea about the courses, as offered by LSA departments and programs in prior academic terms. The syllabi do not necessarily reflect the assignments, sequence of course materials, and/or course expectations that the faculty and departments/programs have for these same courses in the current and/or future terms. |
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the caruncle.
To report a case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma, a highly aggressive variant of conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma. We examined and treated a 57-year-old man with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the caruncle, a highly unusual site for this tumor. In the past, simple excision of this tumor has been followed by rapid recurrence. Our patient underwent wide surgical excision of the tumor and has shown no evidence of recurrence after 16 months of follow-up. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma may first manifest in the caruncle. Histologically verified, tumor-free surgical margins are necessary for complete excision. |
675 F.Supp. 538 (1987)
AMERICAN CASUALTY CO. OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA, Plaintiff,
v.
BANK OF MONTANA SYSTEM, Stephen Adams, Lloyd A. Amundson, Alfred T. Burke, Thomas R. Zorr, Joseph Friend, C. Robert Paciotti and Ester M. Devault, Defendants,
v.
CNA FINANCIAL CORPORATION, Counterclaim Defendant.
Civ. No. 4-87-48.
United States District Court, D. Minnesota, Fourth Division.
December 10, 1987.
*539 Charles E. Spevacek, John J. McDonald, Jr., Meagher, Geer, Markham, Anderson, Adamson, Flaskamp, Brennan, Minneapolis, Minn., for plaintiff.
Timothy D. Kelly, Stephen P. Kelley, Mackall, Crounse & Moore, Minneapolis, Minn., for defendants.
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
MacLAUGHLIN, District Judge.
This matter is before the Court on plaintiff's and defendants' cross-motions for summary judgment, plaintiff's motion to dismiss defendants' counterclaims and plaintiff's appeal from an order of the United States Magistrate. Plaintiff's motion for summary judgment will be denied and its motion to dismiss defendants' counterclaims will be denied. Its appeal from the Magistrate's order will be dismissed as moot. Defendants' motion for summary judgment will be granted.
FACTS
This is a contractual dispute involving the interpretation of the fine print in a directors and officers liability insurance policy (D & O policy) issued by plaintiff American Casualty Co. (American) to defendants Bank of Montana System (BMS) and its directors and officers. The coverage of the policy has been called into question as a result of a shareholders' derivative suit filed against BMS and its directors and officers which is currently pending before the Court: Walter v. Bank of Montana System, CIVIL 4-86-412. American has brought a motion for a declaration that under the terms of the policy it is not obligated to reimburse BMS for the legal fees incurred in the Walter litigation which BMS advanced to its directors and officers. American is a Pennsylvania corporation organized with its principal place of business in Pennsylvania. BMS is a Montana multibank holding corporation with its principal place of business in Montana. The individual directors and officers are either Minnesota or Montana residents. CNA Financial Corporation (CNA) is a corporation which operates in part as a holding company for wholly-owned insurance corporations that issue insurance. It is the parent corporation of plaintiff American.[1] Jurisdiction exists under the diversity provisions of 28 U.S.C. § 1332. Plaintiff requests declaratory relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201.
In February 1985 American issued a D & O policy to BMS which provided insurance coverage for specified losses arising from claims against the directors and officers of BMS. In April of 1985 BMS notified its shareholders via proxy statement of its intention to go private by means of a 125 to 1 reverse stock split. On May 31, 1985 the BMS shareholders approved the reverse stock split by a vote of 97 percent for, 2.1 percent against and .9 percent abstaining. On May 16, 1986 the dissenting shareholders commenced the derivative suit currently pending before the Court against defendants alleging the reverse split was fraudulent and unfair. BMS had received notice of the suit prior to this time and notified American of the potential claim on March 6, 1986. Affidavit of Philip Walker at 2, par. 3. On March 28, 1986 American had notified the president of BMS that pursuant to the terms of the D & O policy it was not required and did not intend to undertake the defense of any of BMS' directors and officers who were defendants in the derivative suit. Walker Aff. at 2, par 3.
Pursuant to its bylaws BMS has advanced to defendant directors and officers the legal fees incurred by them in defending against the Walter derivative suit. On November 13, 1986 defendants' counsel made demand on American for payment of those fees pursuant to the terms of the D & O policy. American refused, asserting that under the terms of the policy it was under no obligation to advance legal fees prior to the final disposition or settlement of the action. American subsequently filed this action for a declaration that under the policy it did not have to advance legal fees to defendants. Defendants have filed a *540 counterclaim alleging breach of contract, bad faith, and unfair insurance practices. Resolution of this dispute requires the Court to construe the language of the D & O policy and applicable law.
DISCUSSION
I. American's Motion for Declaratory Relief
A. Applicable Law
As a threshold matter the Court must first decide whether Minnesota or Montana law applies in construing the language in the D & O policy. A federal court sitting in diversity must apply the choice of law provisions of the forum state in which it sits to determine the substantive law to be applied in the case before it. Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Electric Manufacturing Co., 313 U.S. 487, 496, 61 S.Ct. 1020, 1021, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941). However, before resorting to a choice of law analysis, the Court must first determine that a conflict exists. Surgidev Corp. v. Eye Technology, Inc., 648 F.Supp. 661, 679 (D.Minn.1986), aff'd, 828 F.2d 452 (8th Cir.1987). Here both Minnesota and Montana have identical rules of construction with respect to insurance policies. In each state ambiguities in an insurance policy must be construed strictly against the insurer and in favor of the insured. Nordby v. Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co., 329 N.W.2d 820, 822 (Minn. 1983); Bauer Ranch v. Mountain W. Farm Bureau Mutual Insurance, 695 P.2d 1307, 1309 (Mont.1985). Language is deemed ambiguous when it is susceptible to conflicting reasonable interpretations. Columbia Heights Motors Inc. v. Allstate Insurance Co., 275 N.W.2d 32, 34 (Minn. 1979); Bauer, 695 P.2d at 1309. In determining whether particular language is ambiguous the words are to be interpreted in their ordinary sense as understood by a reasonable person standing in the insured's shoes. Farmers Home Mutual Insurance Co. v. Lill, 332 N.W.2d 635, 638 (Minn. 1983); Bauer, 695 P.2d at 1309. Accordingly, the Court will apply these principles in construing the contract.
B. The Policy Language
The parties' dispute concerns the meaning of three key provisions of the policy. The first concerns paragraph (b) of the scope section which provides in relevant part that "subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations of [the] policy" American agrees:
(b) With the Bank that if ... any claim or claims are made against the Directors and Officers, individually or collectively, for a Wrongful Act, the Insurer will pay, in accordance with the terms of this policy, on behalf of the Bank, all Loss ... which the Bank has, to the extent permitted by law, indemnified the Directors and Officers.
Policy at 2, par. (b) (emphasis added).
The policy defines "loss," the second disputed provision, as:
any amount which the Directors and Officers are legally obligated to pay or for which the Bank has, to the extent permitted by law, indemnified the Directors and Officers, for a claim or claims made against the Directors and Officers for Wrongful Acts and shall include but not be limited to damages, judgments, settlements, costs (exclusive of salaries of officers or employees), and defense of legal actions, claims or proceedings and appeals therefrom....
Policy at 1, par. 1(d) (emphasis added).
"Wrongful act" is defined as:
any actual or alleged error, misstatement, misleading statement, act or omission, or neglect or breach of duty by the Directors or Officers in the discharge of their duty solely in their capacity as Directors or Officers of the Bank....
Policy at 1, par. 1(e).
Finally, the third key disputed section entitled "Costs, Charges and Expenses" provides:
(a) No costs, charges and expenses shall be incurred or settlements made without the Insurer's consent which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld: however, in the event such consent is given, the Insurer shall pay, subject to the provisions of Clause 4, such costs, settlements, charges and expenses.
....
*541 (c) The Insurer may at its option and upon request, advance on behalf of the Directors or Officers, or any of them, expenses which they have incurred in connection with claims made against them, prior to disposition of such claims, provided always that in the event it is finally established the Insurer has no liability hereunder, such Directors and Officers agree to repay to the Insurer, upon demand, all monies advanced by virtue of this provision.
Policy at 3, par. 5(a), (c).
The policy also contains five exclusions, two of which are relevant to this dispute. Under the policy American is not liable for loss in connection with any claim against the directors and officers:
(2) based upon or attributable to their gaining in fact of any personal profit or advantage to which they were not legally entitled;
....
(5) brought about or contributed to by the dishonesty of the Directors or Officers. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, the Directors or Officers shall be protected under the terms of this policy as to any claims upon which suit may be brought against them, by reason of any alleged dishonesty on the part of the Directors or Officers, unless a judgment or other final adjudication thereof adverse to the Directors or Officers shall establish that acts of active and deliberate dishonesty committed by the Directors or Officers with actual dishonest purpose and intent were material to the cause of action so adjudicated.
Policy Par. 3(a)(2), (5).
It is undisputed that BMS has advanced to the defendant directors and officers the legal fees that they have incurred to date in defending the derivative suit. Simply put, BMS argues that it is entitled to reimbursement from American because:
1. The derivative suit concerns claims against BMS' directors and officers alleging wrongful acts, as defined by the policy.
2. BMS is permitted by law to advance the legal fees of its directors and officers in the derivative suit and it did so.
3. Defense of legal actions falls within the policy's definition of loss; and therefore
4. American must reimburse BMS because BMS has incurred a loss, within the meaning of the policy.
American argues that this is an incomplete analysis and relies on extensive case law supporting its view that section 5(c) of the policy explicitly gives it complete discretion on whether or not to advance legal fees.
C. The Case Law
Courts which have reviewed D & O policies with identical or similar language are divided on whether or not the policy is ambiguous as to whether the insurer has a duty to advance legal fees prior to final disposition of the action. Defendants rely principally on two decisions which construed identical policies and concluded the insurer did have such a duty. Okada v. MGIC Indemnity Corp., 823 F.2d 276 (9th Cir.1987) and Little v. MGIC Indemnity Corp., 649 F.Supp. 1460 (W.D.Pa.1986). In Okada the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit first decided that an identical D & O policy was a liability as opposed to an indemnity policy. 823 F.2d at 280. Accordingly, the court decided that the insurer had a duty to pay loss on an "as incurred basis" rather than at the time the directors' obligation to pay damages became fixed. 823 F.2d at 280. The Okada court therefore concluded that since section 1(d) of the policy defined loss to include the costs of defense of legal actions under that section alone the insurer's duty to pay those costs was not conditioned on the payment of damages by the directors. 823 F.2d at 280. This, the court reasoned, ensured that the directors did not need to expend their own funds to receive protection under the policy. 823 F.2d at 280. The court also concluded that section 5(a) which provided that "[n]o costs, charges and expenses shall be incurred or settlements made without the Insurer's consent which consent shall not be unreasonably *542 withheld," 823 F.2d at 279, qualified the duty to pay loss contemporaneously by giving the insurer the right of approval over those items subject to a reasonableness limitation. 823 F.2d at 280.
The Okada court next considered whether the language in section 5(c) which gave the insurer discretion on whether to pay "expenses" modified the contemporaneous obligation to pay defense costs under section 1(d) and section 5(a). The court concluded section 5(c) did not change the insurer's obligation under sections 1(d) and 5(a) given the fact that all ambiguities had to be resolved in favor of the insured and that the court had to be mindful of the reasonable expectations of the parties:
[T]he contract cannot be read to exclude defense costs from the effect of the general rule of a liability policy. Given the prosecution of this suit, [the insurer] clearly intended to exclude attorneys fees from immediate payment. At the time critical to our inquiry, however, the time of contracting, it could not have been clear to insureds that they would not be protected from the costs of fees. Section 1(d) provides the coverage in clear language; section 5(c) (we now know) attempts to postpone that coverage pending determination of liability on the underlying claims. The language of section 5(c) is simply unclear in its attempt. Nowhere are "expenses" defined; nor is it explained how they differ from the broader category of "costs, charges, and expenses" of section 5(a). As one court recently noted in following our previous discussion of this policy, "the large print giveth and the small print taketh away." Little v. MGIC Indem. Corp., 649 F.Supp. 1460, 1465 (W.D.Pa.1986).
823 F.2d at 281. The court therefore found the policy ambiguous and ruled in favor of the directors.[2]
The decision in Little v. MGIC Indemnity Corp., 649 F.Supp. 1460 (W.D.Pa.1986) similarly focused on the language in sections 1(d), 5(a) and 5(c). It concluded that section 5(a) created a duty to pay all reasonable costs, charges and expenses contemporaneously. 649 F.Supp. at 1465. Like the Okada court, the Little court also concluded that it was impossible to determine how "costs, charges, and expenses" in 5(a) differed from "expenses" in 5(c). 649 F.Supp. at 1465. Accordingly, the court concluded that "[s]ubsection 5(C) creates confusion by seeming to absolve the insurer from its duty to pay reasonable defense costs contained in Subsection 5(A)." 649 F.Supp. at 1465. The court also noted the existence of a second ambiguity because of language in section 3(A)(5) of the policy. That section provided that the insurer agreed to protect the defendants against "`any claims' grounded in any `alleged dishonesty,' unless there is a final adjudication that `active and deliberate dishonesty committed by the Directors or Officers with actual dishonest purpose and intent were material to the cause of action so adjudicated.'" 649 F.Supp. at 1465. The court construed this clause as requiring immediate reimbursement of defense costs and concluded this clause also conflicted with section 5(c). Accordingly, the court resolved the uncertainties in timing and reimbursement in favor of the insureds and held the insurer had to advance legal fees.
*543 Defendants urge the Court to rely on the reasoning of the Okada and Little decisions[3] and hold that because the policy is ambiguous American must be deemed to have an obligation to advance legal fees. Plaintiff requests that the Court follow those opinions, largely unreported, which have concluded that section 5(c) of the policy is unambiguous and gives the insurer complete discretion as to whether or not to advance defense costs. The leading reported case is Zaborac v. American Casualty Co., 663 F.Supp. 330 (C.D.Ill.1987) also involving a policy with language identical to the one at bar.
In Zaborac the court concluded, unlike Okada, that the D & O policy differed from general liability policy. It noted that general liability policies involve both a duty to indemnify and a duty to defend; the duty to defend imposed an obligation on the insurer to determine potential coverage at the outset of the dispute to decide whether to provide a defense. 663 F.2d at 332. In contrast, the court found that indemnity policies in general and the D & O policy before it in particular required only that the insurer indemnify the insureds without any duty to defend thus permitting the insurer to wait until resolution of the dispute to determine whether coverage existed. 663 F.Supp. at 333. In emphasizing this distinction the court focused on the no action clause in section 7(c) of the policy, which provided that no action could be taken against the insurer unless the director's or officer's obligation to pay was finally determined by judgment or by written agreement between the insurer and the insureds. The court concluded this clause prevented the insureds from bringing any action under the policy until liability on the underlying claims had been resolved. 663 F.Supp. at 333. The court further noted that this interpretation was buttressed by section 5(c) which it found unambiguously gave the insurer "the option but not the obligation to advance defense costs as they are incurred." 663 F.Supp. 334.
Other courts construing similar or identical policies have reached the same conclusion as Zaborac. See American Casualty Co. v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., 677 F.Supp. 600, 606 (N.D.Iowa 1987) (policy contained no duty to defend and hence no duty to advance legal fees); Enzweiler v. Fidelity & Deposit Co., No. 85-99 (E.D.Ky. May 13, 1986) [Available on WESTLAW, 1986 WL 20444] (policy terms permitted insurer to await resolution of underlying action against insured before making payments); Bank of Commerce and Trust Co. v. National Union Fire Insurance Co., 651 F.Supp. 474, 476 (N.D.Okla.1986) (where factual issues existed about whether claims would be excluded from coverage insurer had no duty to advance legal fees); Clandening v. MGIC Indemnity Corp., No. 83-2432-LTL, slip op. at 7, 8 (C.D.Ca.1983) (policy imposed no duty to advance legal fees); Maryland Deposit Insurance Fund v. American Casualty, No. 11705, slip op. at 8-9 (Md.Cir.Ct. July 8, 1986) (insurer had complete discretion as to whether or not to make advances). "Thus we have one of those legal ironies which occasionally occur the courts are split on whether or not certain language is ambiguous." Little, 649 F.Supp. at 1464.
The Court finds, after careful consideration, that the reasoning in the Okada and Little decisions is persuasive and thus concludes that the terms of the D & O policy are ambiguous. Simply put, American has failed to explain how "costs, charges and expenses" in paragraph 5(a) differ from "expenses" in paragraph 5(c). If defense costs are subsumed under the rubric of either costs or charges, then obviously they fall outside the scope of the discretionary proviso in paragraph 5(c). It follows that if American does not have the discretion on *544 whether to advance defense costs then it must advance them on an as-incurred basis.
The fact that this language is ambiguous is underscored by the fact that in light of the Okada decisions, some insurers have revised their policies to remove the ambiguity. Washington, Directors' and Officers' Liability Insurance: Coverage Disputes (Coverage Disputes), in Liability Insurance 1987 (Practicing Law Institute), 379, 404 (1987). For example, one such revised policy provided:
It shall be the duty of the Directors and Officers and not the duty of the Underwriters to defend Claims made against the Directors and Officers, provided that no Costs, Charges or Expenses shall be incurred without Underwriters' consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld. In the event of such consent being given, and subject to all other terms and provisions of the Policy ... Underwriters shall reimburse Costs, Charges and Expenses only upon the final disposition of any Claim made against the Directors and Officers.
Washington, Coverage Disputes at 494-95 (emphasis added). It is apparent that insurance companies have no trouble making the policy language clear if they wish to do so.
Because the Court finds American has a duty to advance defense costs, American's motion for summary judgment will be denied.
II. Defendants' Counterclaims
Defendants have filed counterclaims against American and its parent insurer CNA Financial Corporation for (1) breach of contract; (2) bad faith conduct; and (3) unfair insurance practices under the Montana Unfair Trade Practices Act, Mont. Code Ann. 33-18-101, et seq. In particular, defendants allege American and CNA
a. refused to pay BMS under insuring clause (b) for the defense fees it had advanced to its directors and officers.
b. refusing to admit or deny coverage without a factual basis for a denial of coverage.
c. cited spurious grounds for refusal to admit coverage.
d. engaged in unreasonable delay in responding to the notice of claim and demands for reimbursement.
e. failed to perform a reasonable factual investigation before asserting purported grounds for denying coverage.
See Answer and Counterclaim par. 22-53. Defendants move for summary judgment on the breach of contract claim. American moves to dismiss the counterclaims for failure to state a claim for which relief can be granted pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6).
A. Choice of Law
As a threshold matter the Court must determine whether Minnesota or Montana law governs the conduct of American. As noted above, before resorting to a conflict of law analysis the Court must first determine that a conflict between the substantive law of the two forums in fact exists. Surgidev Corp. v. Eye Technology, Inc., 648 F.Supp. 661, 679 (D.Minn.1986), aff'd, 828 F.2d 452 (8th Cir.1987). Here an outcome determinative conflict exists because Minnesota neither permits a private cause of action under its Unfair Insurance Practices Act, Minn.Stat. §§ 72A.19, 72A.20 nor permits a bad faith tort action to be brought against an insurer for breach of an insurance policy whereas Montana law is precisely the opposite. Compare Morris v. American Mutual Insurance Co., 386 N.W.2d 233, 236 (Minn.1986) (no private cause of action under Minnesota Unfair Insurance Practices Act) and Morris v. American Employers Mutual Casualty Co. v. Kangas, 310 Minn. 171, 245 N.W.2d 873, 875 (1976) (Minnesota does not recognize a bad faith action in tort for breach of contract by an insurance company) with First Security Bank of Bozeman v. Goddard, 181 Mont. 407, 593 P.2d 1040, 1047 (1979) (recognizing private cause of action for violation of Montana Unfair Trade Practices Act) and Britton v. Farmers Insurance Group Truck Insurance Exchange, 721 P.2d 303, 306 (Mont.1986) (Montana law permits insured to maintain tort action for bad faith conduct by an insurer).
*545 Because a federal court sitting in diversity is bound to apply the choice of law principles of the forum state, Klaxon Co. v. Stentor Electric Manufacturing Co., 313 U.S. 487, 496, 61 S.Ct. 1020, 1021, 85 L.Ed. 1477 (1941), the Court must apply the better law methodology adopted by the Minnesota Supreme Court in Milkovich v. Saari, 295 Minn. 155, 203 N.W.2d 408 (Minn.1973) in resolving the choice of law issue.[4] The Milkovich analysis involves evaluation of five factors: (1) expectation of the parties and predictability of results; (2) maintenance of interstate order; (3) simplification of the judicial task; (4) advancement of the forum's governmental interest; and (5) application of the better rule of law. 203 N.W.2d at 412.
1. Predictability of Results
In this instance the predictability of results militates strongly in favor of applying Montana law. American argues that because the policy itself contains no choice of law provision the parties did not expect Montana law to govern their relationship. This argument simply ignores the fact that the policy is both regulated by and indeed incorporates Montana law. Defendants' counterclaims arise out of an insurance policy issued to a Montana corporation in Montana. See Affidavit of Thomas Zorr, par. 2. The policy itself had to be specifically approved and inspected by the Montana Commissioner of Insurance. Mont.Code Ann. § 33-1-501. Moreover, the policy itself implicitly incorporates Montana law. Thus, paragraph (b) of the policy which is at issue in this case provides that American must pay, in accordance with the policy terms, "all Loss ... for which the Bank has, to the extent permitted by law, indemnified the Directors and Officers." (Emphasis added.) As a Montana corporation the extent to which BMS can indemnify its directors and officers is controlled by the Montana Business Corporations Act, Mont. Code Ann. § 35-1-414. It would be highly inefficient and unfair to expect the insured to have to relitigate the scope and terms of the policy based solely on the forum in which litigation over a Montana corporate transaction occurred. See American Home Assurance Co. v. Libbey-Owens-Ford Co., 588 F.Supp. 764, 766 (D.Mass. 1984). Given the close connection the policy has with Montana and the language in the contract, the Court finds the parties intended Montana law to apply.
2. Maintenance of Interstate and International Order
This factor measures whether the state whose law is to apply has sufficient contacts with the facts in issue. Hague v. Allstate Insurance Co., 289 N.W.2d 43, 48 (Minn.1979), aff'd, 449 U.S. 302, 101 S.Ct. 633, 66 L.Ed.2d 521 (1981). Clearly, Montana has a sufficient nexus with the underlying facts such that application of its law would neither be arbitrary nor fundamentally unfair.
3. Simplification of the Judicial Task
This factor is irrelevant because the Court can just as easily apply Montana as opposed to Minnesota law. Hime v. State Farm Fire & Casualty Co., 284 N.W.2d 829, 833 (Minn.1979), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 1032, 100 S.Ct. 703, 62 L.Ed.2d 668 (1980).
4. Advancement of the Forum's Governmental Interest
Application of this factor requires analysis of not only Minnesota as the forum state but also the public policies of Montana as well. Myers v. Government Employees Insurance Co., 302 Minn. 359, 225 N.W.2d 238, 242 (1974). In this case, Montana has a significant interest both in protecting the rights of its insured residents under policies issued in that state and in regulating the conduct of insurers who solicit the business of its residents. The interest *546 of Minnesota, the forum state, is "that Minnesota courts not be called upon to determine issues under rules, which, however accepted they may be in other states, are inconsistent with our own concept of fairness and equity." Hime, 284 N.W.2d at 833. Here that interest is less significant in the context of a dispute between an out-of-state insurer and a Montana corporation arising from a policy issued in Montana. See Gate City Federal Savings & Loan v. O'Connor, 410 N.W.2d 448, 451 (Minn.Ct.App.1987) (Minnesota had little interest in regulating contract dispute between nonresidents); see also First National Bank v. White, 420 F.Supp. 1331, 1335 (D.Minn.1976) (interest of Minnesota forum in resolving dispute between nonresidents was negligible). On the facts of this case the Court finds that applying Montana insurance law would not be contrary to Minnesota's concepts of "fairness and equity." Hime, 284 N.W.2d at 833.
5. Better Rule of Law
This factor is applied only when the other four factors do not clearly resolve the choice of law issue. Myers, 225 N.W.2d at 244. Thus, resort to this factor is not necessary in this case.
In sum, the Court concludes that Montana rather than Minnesota law should govern defendants' counterclaims.
B. Application of Montana Law
1. Breach of Contract
The Court concludes that because American has a present duty to advance defense costs, American has breached that duty by failing to do so. Accordingly, the Court will grant defendants' motion for summary judgment on the breach of contract claim.
2. Unfair Practices and Bad Faith Claims
Section 33-18-201 of the Montana Unfair Practices Act prohibits insurers from adopting any of fourteen unfair claim settlement procedures as a general business practice. The purpose of that statute is to compel "an insurer to be prompt in handling the claim, to conduct a reasonable investigation, to deny coverage within a reasonable time, to offer a reasonable amount in settlement, and to effectuate a prompt, fair and equitable settlement once liability has become reasonably clear." Fode v. Farmers Insurance Exchange, 719 P.2d 414, 415 (Mont.1986).
Given the split in authority on whether American had a duty to advance defense costs the Court finds that American's failure to advance those costs was not prompted by bad faith. Moreover, based on careful review of the files the Court finds American did promptly and in good faith make a decision to reserve its decision about coverage and made a reasonable factual investigation of the facts underlying the Walter litigation. See Affidavit of John J. McDonald, Jr., Exhibit A, Letter to Walter Defendants and Counsel Dated January 27, 1987. Accordingly, the Court concludes defendants' allegations are simply not actionable under Mont.Code Ann. §§ 33-18-201(2), (3). The Court will therefore dismiss defendants' bad faith and unfair trade practices claims under Montana law.
C. Plaintiff's Appeal from Magistrate's Order
American also appeals from the decision of the United States Magistrate denying its motion for a protective order thereby permitting defendants to conduct discovery on the bad faith and unfair trade practices claims under Montana law. Given the Court's disposition of those claims the issue is now moot and the Magistrate's order of no effect.
Based on the foregoing, and upon review of all the files, records, proceedings and arguments of counsel,
IT IS ORDERED that:
1. plaintiff's motion for summary judgment on its motion for declaratory relief is denied; the Court finds plaintiff has a duty to advance legal fees under the terms of the policy;
*547 2. plaintiff's motion to dismiss defendants' counterclaim for breach of contract is denied;
3. plaintiff's motion to dismiss defendants' counterclaims for unfair trade practices and bad faith is granted;
4. plaintiff's appeal from the Magistrate's order is now moot and said order is of no effect; and
5. defendants' motion for summary judgment on the breach of contract claim is granted.
NOTES
[1] CNA is not involved in any of the current motions before the Court.
[2] The Okada decision was initially decided by a three-judge panel, reported at 795 F.2d 1450 (9th Cir.1986). Two members of the panel construed the D & O policy as imposing a duty to defend on the insurer under Hawaiian law. Accordingly, they concluded that this required the insurer to immediately reimburse defense costs as they came due. 795 F.2d at 1453-54. One judge dissented arguing that the majority erred in so construing the policy because no language in the policy created a duty to defend. 795 F.2d at 1458 (Hall, J., dissenting).
The two-judge majority subsequently vacated their earlier decision and in their subsequent opinion reported at 823 F.2d 276 retreated from their earlier conclusion that the policy imposed a duty to defend under Hawaiian law. Instead, they based their decision that the insurer had a duty to advance legal fees solely on the language of the policy which they concluded was ambiguous. The dissenting judge from the previous decision joined the other two judges in finding that the policy language itself was ambiguous. The insurer subsequently appealed the new decision to the entire Ninth Circuit en banc which recently declined to reconsider the matter.
[3] Defendants also seek to rely on Pepsico, Inc. v. Continental Casualty Co., 640 F.Supp. 656 (S.D. N.Y.1986) which also held that the terms of a similar D & O policy required the insurer to advance defense fees based on the policy's definition of loss. The case is distinguishable, however, because the policy did not contain a provision making advance of expenses discretionary with the insurer. This distinction was explicitly noted by the same judge who decided Pepsico in the later case of Board of Education v. CNA Insurance Co., 647 F.Supp. 1495, 1507 (S.D.N.Y. 1986).
[4] The Court must initially determine whether or not it could apply Minnesota's law consonant with due process. Litigation in the Walter case occurred here and the demand for reimbursement was made upon American Casualty in Minnesota which is licensed to transact business here. The Court finds these contacts are sufficiently significant to permit application of Minnesota law without offending due process. See Allstate Insurance Co. v. Hague, 449 U.S. 302, 313, 101 S.Ct. 633, 640, 66 L.Ed.2d 521 (1981).
|
Typhoid Fever
Last Reviewed: November 2011
What is typhoid fever?
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection of the intestinal tract and occasionally the bloodstream. It is an uncommon disease with only a handful of cases occurring in New York each year. Most of the cases are acquired during foreign travel to underdeveloped countries. Typhoid fever is caused by Salmonella Typhi (S. Typhi), a strain of bacteria that lives only in humans.
Who gets typhoid fever?
Anyone can get typhoid fever but the greatest risk exists to travelers visiting countries where the disease is common. Occasionally, local cases can be traced to exposure to a person who is a chronic carrier. Outbreaks are rare.
How is the germ spread?
Typhoid germs are passed in the feces and, to some extent, the urine of infected people. The germs are spread by eating or drinking water or foods contaminated by feces from the infected individual.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms may be mild or severe and may include fever, headache, constipation or diarrhea, rose-colored spots on the trunk and an enlarged spleen and liver. Relapses are common. Fatalities are less than 1 percent with antibiotic treatment.
How soon do symptoms appear?
Symptoms generally appear one to three weeks after exposure.
For how long can an infected person carry the typhoid germ?
About 5 percent of people infected with S. Typhi become lifelong carriers, releasing the germ in their stool for years, which can spread the disease.
How is typhoid treated?
Specific antibiotics such as ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ciprofloxacin are often used to treat cases of typhoid.
Should infected people be isolated?
Because the germ is passed in the feces of infected people, only people with active diarrhea who are unable to control their bowel habits (infants, certain handicapped individuals) should be isolated. Most infected people may return to work or school when they have recovered, provided that they carefully wash hands after toilet visits. Children in daycare and health care workers must obtain the approval of the local or state health department before returning to their routine activities. Food handlers may not return to work until three consecutive negative stool cultures are confirmed.
Is there a vaccine for typhoid?
Yes. A vaccine is available for people traveling to underdeveloped countries where significant exposure may occur. As important, pay strict attention to food and water precautions while traveling to countries where typhoid is common. For more information about vaccination, speak to your health care provider. |
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According to findings discussed at the SNMMI Annual Meeting, NaF-PET/CT demonstrated higher sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictive value than planar bone scintigraphy and SPECT/CT in diagnosing bone metastases. The study also found that NaF-PET/CT resulted in fewer ambiguous scans than planar bone scintigraphy. More studies are needed to support a shift in strategy, researcher Johan Lofgren said.
Related Summaries
A study published in the Annals of Oncology reported that PET/CT using 18F-labeled sodium fluoride is more sensitive at detecting bone metastases from renal cell carcinoma than conventional bone scintigraphy or CT. The study looked at 77 malignant lesions in 10 patients, and 18F-NaF PET/CT was able to detect all of them, whereas bone scintigraphy/SPECT and CT identified 29% and 46% of lesions, respectively.
A study presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting showed that hybrid SPECT/CT can determine the source of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with inconclusive planar 99mTc-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy results with 100% accuracy. SPECT/CT findings matched those from surgery and other procedures in 18 patients whose bleeding source was confirmed.
NaF-PET/CT showed higher sensitivity in identifying bone metastases in patients with prostate cancer, while diffusion-weighted MRI demonstrated higher specificity, according to a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The findings indicate that the two techniques may perform better than bone scintigraphy, the standard method, in detecting bone metastases in this patient population, researchers said.
PET/CT imaging that used both NaF and FDG tracers detected more bone metastases than NaF-PET/CT only, FDG-PET/CT only and CT only, according to a study presented at the SNM Annual Meeting that involved patients with bone cancer. Use of the combined protocol could help reduce costs and improve convenience for patients, researchers said.
An Austrian study on 70 men with biopsy-proven prostate cancer found that PET/CT using F18 fluorocholine had 79% sensitivity, 97% specificity and 84% accuracy in identifying the patients with bone metastases. Of the 262 lesions that showed increased uptake in the study, 210 were determined to be bone metastases. The findings point to the potential of FCH-PET/CT in early diagnosing of bone metastases in prostate cancer patients. |
Screening for neurotrophic disturbances in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Neurotrophic activities in human serum and post-mortem muscle and spinal cord of possible relevance to pathophysiological mechanisms in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) were studied. Tests included in vitro assays for nerve fibre outgrowth from sympathetic ganglia and for survival promotion of dissociated ciliary neurons, both types of neurons, of chicken embryo origin. Extracts of postmortem biceps muscle promoted survival of ciliary neurons in a dose-dependent manner. Half-maximum effect was found at a protein concentration of about 450 micrograms/ml for both ALS and control muscle. Ventral horn extracts were about 5 times as efficient as muscle in promoting neuron survival, again with no differences seen between control and ALS samples. Sera from patients suffering from ALS as well as normal sera did not enhance survival of ciliary neurons to any considerable extent, nor did they induce fibre outgrowth from sympathetic ganglia. Both groups of sera, if present above 5% in the medium, suppressed fibre outgrowth induced by added nerve growth factor (NGF). Sera from some of the ALS patients impaired survival in dissociated ciliary neurons supported by a trophic activity in choroid extract. The results do not indicate major neurotrophic deficits as the cause of ALS disease but suggest that a neurotoxic mechanism may be involved. |
Retrocausality is meant to explain one of the stranger manifestations of the quantum state, where two entangled particles are moved apart and any changes in one seem to change the other, regardless of the distance between them.
It's unknown how the two particles are able to "communicate" across this distance, and the concept seemed so ridiculous to Albert Einstein that he called it "spooky action at a distance."
Retrocausality, however, says it's not a matter of one particle acting on another across distance; it's about one particle acting on the other across time.
According to retrocausality, decisions made in the present (such as choosing a measurement method for an entangled particle) can retroactively change the properties of the other entangled particle.
"There is a small group of physicists and philosophers that think this idea is worth pursuing, including Huw Price and Ken Wharton [a physics professor at San José State University]," Matthew S. Leifer, of Chapman University, told Phys.org.
"There is not, to my knowledge, a generally agreed upon interpretation of quantum theory that recovers the whole theory and exploits this idea. It is more of an idea for an interpretation at the moment, so I think that other physicists are rightly skeptical, and the onus is on us to flesh out the idea."
Hopefully they find a way to test this theory—otherwise, theoretical physics may have officially become a bunch of scientists sitting around and saying "Wouldn't it be cool if...?" |
It's allways nice to have a fun baghanger, so that's why I made this pattern recently. The pink flower is crocheted, and the white and green colours were sewn/embroidered on it. You can find the crochet pattern in English below.
Flower (make 2)1. Make 10 half double crochet (hdc) in a magic ring.2. Make 2 sc in every hdc.Change colour at the last sc.3. Make 5 sc, chain 1, turn.4. Make 5 sc, chain 1, turn.5. Make 2 sc in the first stitch, 3 sc, 2 sc in the last stitch, chain 1, turn.6. Make 7 sc, chain 1, turn.7. Decrease, 3 sc, decrease, chain 1, turn.8. Decrease, 1 sc, decrease, fasten off.9. Attach the yarn to the next sc and repeat the rows 3-8 until you have four leaves.Once you've finished two flowers just place them on top of eachother (with the right sides facing you/on the outside). Then just sew or crochet around and don't forget to fill the flower with a bit of fyberfill.
Nice information, valuable and excellent design, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts, lots of great information and inspiration, both of which I need, thanks to offer such a helpful information here |
. the text of the cease-fire reads inpart,israelshouldstop all hostilities in the gaza strip, land, sea and erin colluding the targeting of individuals. israel is to commence, quote, opening the crossing and facilitating the movement of people and transfer of goods and targeting residents in border areas and implementation will be dealt with. that is why it is seen to loosen the restrictions. in other words, if it holds, and that is definitely a big if at this moment, it will represent a net benefit to the estimates 1.7 million people living in the gaza strip. for example, israel eased restrictions on fishermen in the waters around gaza, allowing them to go out twice as far as they could before the latest hostilities. organizations and members of the international community have been calling for the ease of these restrictions since first initiated in 2006. after pressure in 2007 and i gain in 2010. after firing roughly 1500 rockets at israel, the civilian centers and killing six people, hamas can turn around claiming their military tactics worked, they brought about a change in israel.
of the agreement reads inpart,israelshouldstop all hostilities in the gaza strip land sea and air. no more operations like the one that killed jabari and israel is to commence quote opening the crossings and facilitating the movements of people and transfer of goods and procedures of implementation shall be dealt with after 24 hours from the start of the cease-fire. that is widely seen as a commitment to loosen the restrictions israeli has placed on all movements of people and goods in and out of gaza. if it holds, and that's a big if, it will represent a net benefit to the estimated 1.7 million people living in the gaza strip. for example, israel has already reportedly eased restrictions on fishermen in the waters around gaza, allowing them to go out twice as far as they could before the hostilities. human rights organizations have been calling for easing of the restrictions since the siege of gaza was initiated in 2006. and after international pressure in 2007 and 2010, reforms were made. after firing roughly 1500 rockets at israel at civilian centers and killing six people, hamas can tu |
General Tips on Playing With Both Hands
1. Learn the piece, example, etc hands separate first, then put hands together.
2. Play SLOWLY
3. When first learning to play hands together, avoid examples with complicated rhythms.
1. Scales
Scales are a good way for beginners to develop dexterity and coordination when playing keyboard with both hands. This is because playing scales involves playing notes in synch with one another. Usually scales are played with the same rhythm in both hands, so no worries trying to play different rhythms and concentrating on notes at the same time.
Where should you start? Start with the C Major scale and learn it hands separate. Then try playing the scale ascending very slowly with both hands. Once you are able to play the scale ascending, learn the scale descending. Then play the scale ascending and descending. Learn 1 scale a week until you can play all the major scales slowly. Then gradually increase the tempo over weeks to achieve greater speed.
Here is a scale exercise. Start with C Major and play up the scale with half notes in the right hand while playing whole notes in the left hand. Then do the same but with half notes in the left hand and whole notes in the right had.
2. Hanon
Are great for developing two handed dexterity between both hands. These are for playing in parallel meaning you are playing the same intervals at the same time. Try learning one a day or one a week until you learn them all. Play them slow at first then over weeks gradually increase the tempo.
http://www.hanon-online.com/
3. Czerny
These are highly recommended for practice playing different rhythms and pitches for each hand.
http://pianoexercises.org/exercises/czerny/ |
Synthesis, structural and biological studies of nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) chelates with tridentate Schiff bases having NNO and NNS donor systems.
New tridentate pyrimidine-derived NNO and NNS donor Schiff base ligands and their nickel(II), copper(II) and zinc(II) chelates have been synthesized and characterized on the basis of elemental analysis, 1H-NMR, IR and electronic spectral data and conductance and magnetic measurements. The synthesized ligands and their metal chelates have been screened and compared for their antibacterial action against bacterial species Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. |
Q:
Unable to validate token on server side using express-jwt with MEAN stack
I am trying to secure my apis using express-jwt. I am using the MEAN (Angular 4) stack. I've tried many variations of the code below and cannot figure out why I cannot validate a token.
The code listed below returns a 401 Unauthorized to the client. Other variations return UnauthorizedError: Format is Authorization: Bearer [token]. Does anyone see anything wrong with the code below?
Server Side Code
In my app.ts file I have the following:
app.use('/api/volunteers/', jwt({
secret: 'test',
credentialsRequired: false,
getToken: function fromHeaderOrQuerystring (req) {
if (req.headers.authorization && req.headers.authorization.split(' ')[0] === 'Bearer') {
// console.log(req.headers.authorization.split(' ')[0] === 'Bearer')
return req.headers.authorization.split(' ')[1];
} else if (req.query && req.query.token) {
return req.query.token;
}
return null;
}
}));
Questions:
Does this set req.user if the token in the header is valid?
Do I need to call getToken() explicitly?
In my routes.ts file I have:
app.get('/api/volunteers',
function(req, res) {
console.log('req user ' + req.user);
// auth
if (!req.user) {
return res.sendStatus(401);
}
// logic
Volunteer.find({}, (err, docs) => {
if (err) {
res.status(400).send(err);
return console.error(err);
}
res.json(docs);
});
});
Note: Adding jwt({secret: 'test'}), after the first line in the code directly above returns UnauthorizedError: Format is Authorization: Bearer [token].
User Model:
import * as bcrypt from 'bcryptjs';
import * as mongoose from 'mongoose';
const userSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
username: String,
email: { type: String, unique: true, lowercase: true, trim: true },
password: String,
role: String
});
const User = mongoose.model('User', userSchema);
export default User;
User Handler:
import BaseHandler from './base';
import User from '../models/user';
import * as jwt from 'jsonwebtoken';
import * as dotenv from 'dotenv';
import 'zone.js';
import 'reflect-metadata';
export default class UserHandler extends BaseHandler {
model = User;
login = (req, res) => {
this.model.findOne({ email: req.body.email }, (err, user) => {
if (!user) { return res.sendStatus(403); }
user.comparePassword(req.body.password, (error, isMatch) => {
if (!isMatch) { return res.sendStatus(403); }
// why sign with user
// why do I need test
const token = jwt.sign({user: user}, 'test');
res.status(200).json({ token: token });
});
});
};
}
Client Side Code
A section of my service:
constructor(private http: Http) {
this.headers = new Headers({ 'Content-Type': 'application/json' });
this.headers.append('authorization', localStorage.token);
this.options = new RequestOptions({ headers: this.headers });
}
getVolunteers(): Observable<Volunteer[]> {
return this.http.get('/api/volunteers', this.options)
.map((res: Response) => res.json())
.catch(handleError);
}
A:
On server side you can do it like this
var authentication = require('./auth');
router.route('/create')
.all(authentication)
.post(function(req, res){
// Your Code
});
And In auth.js write following code
var jwt = require('jwt-simple'),
common = require('./common'),
secretKey = require('./key');
module.exports = function (req, res, next) {
var token = req.headers['authorization'];
if (token) {
try {
var token = jwt.decode(token, secretKey);
var user = token.user; // Get user from token in your way
return next();
} catch (err) {
// Throw error
}
} else {
// Throw error
}
};
|
Metabolic disease may result in various conditions including obesity, hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, multiple orthopedic problems, pulmonary insufficiency, sleep apnea, infertility, and markedly decreased life expectancy. Additionally, the complications or co-morbidities associated with metabolic disease may affect an individual's quality of life. Accordingly, the monetary, physical, and psychological costs associated with metabolic disease may be substantial in some cases.
A variety of bariatric surgical procedures have been developed to treat complications of metabolic disease, such as obesity. One such procedure is the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB). In a RYGB procedure, a small stomach pouch is separated from the remainder of the gastric cavity and attached to a re-sectioned portion of the small intestine. However, because this complex procedure may require a great deal of operative time, as well as extended and painful post-operative recovery, the RYGB procedure is generally only utilized to treat people with morbid obesity.
In view of the highly invasive nature of the RYGB procedure, other less invasive bariatric procedures have been developed such as the Fobi pouch, bilio-pancreatic diversion, gastroplasty (“stomach stapling”), vertical sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric banding. In addition, implantable devices are known which limit the passage of food through the stomach. Gastric banding procedures, for example, involve the placement of a small band around the stomach near the junction of the stomach and the esophagus to restrict the passage from one part of the digestive tract to another, thereby affecting a patient's feeling of satiety.
While the above-described bariatric procedures may be used for the treatment of morbid obesity, in some cases the risks of these procedures may outweigh the potential benefits for the growing segment of the population that is considered overweight. The additional weight carried around by these persons may still result in significant health complications, but does not necessarily justify more invasive treatment options. However, because conservative treatment with diet and exercise alone may be ineffective for reducing excess body weight in some cases, there is a need for treatment options that are less invasive and lower cost than the procedures discussed above.
It is known to create cavity wall plications through both laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. Laparoscopic plication techniques can be complicated and complex, however, as one or more surgical entry ports may need to be employed to gain access to the surgical site. Furthermore, laparoscopically approaching the stomach may require separating the surrounding omentum prior to plication formation. In endoscopic procedures, plication depth may suffer due to the size restrictions of the endoscopic lumen. For example, the rigid length and diameter of a surgical device are limited based on what sizes can be reliably and safely passed trans-orally into the stomach. Furthermore, access and visibility within the gastric and peritoneal cavities may be progressively limited in an endoscopic procedure as the extent of the reduction increases, because the volume of the gastric cavity is reduced.
In addition, existing devices for forming endoluminal plications may utilize opposing jaws and a grasper element to draw tissue between the jaws. These devices may approach the cavity wall such that a longitudinal axis of the device is perpendicular to the cavity wall. The grasper element can then be advanced from the center of the open jaws, and used to draw tissue between the jaws to create the fold. However, the geometry of these devices limits the size of the plication that can be formed to approximately the length of the jaws, as the grasper may be able to only draw the cavity wall tissue to the center of the jaws and no further. Moreover, in order to secure a plication with a plurality of fasteners, these devices may need to release the tissue and be repositioned anew to apply each fastener. A merely exemplary plication device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0153642, entitled “Devices and Methods for Endoluminal Plication,” published Jun. 20, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,119,615, issued Sep. 1, 2015, the disclosure which is incorporated by reference herein.
While various kinds of bariatric surgical instruments and associated components have been made and used, it is believed that no one prior to the inventor(s) has made or used the invention described in the appended claims.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the technology may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present technology, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the technology; it being understood, however, that this technology is not limited to the precise arrangements shown. |
Role of anemia in the pathogenesis of left ventricular hypertrophy in end-stage renal disease.
Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is common in end-stage renal disease, yet the factors associated with its development are poorly understood. LV mass index was determined by echocardiography in 78 patients who had been treated by dialysis for at least 3 months. A significant relation was evident between anemia and LV hypertrophy. The mean LV mass index was 158 +/- 6 g/m2 (mean +/- standard error) in patients in the lowest quartile of serum hemoglobin and 140 +/- 10, 132 +/- 7 and 120 +/- 8 g/m2 in the second, third and uppermost quartiles, respectively (p = 0.005). This relation persisted after adjusting for systolic blood pressure, treatment mode and suspected coronary artery disease. Forty-eight patients had paired studies. In these, LV mass index increased as hemoglobin decreased (coefficient = -0.81 g/m2/g/liter, p less than 0.025). These data indicate that anemia contributes to the development of LV hypertrophy in patients with end-stage renal disease. |
Georgia QB Jake Fromm leads 2017 SEC All-Freshman Team
On the final touchdown play of Saturday’s SEC Championship, Georgia freshman quarterback Jake Fromm handed the ball off to freshman running back D’Andre Swift. Swift ran to his left, made a lightning quick cut back inside, and streaked 64 yards to the end zone to put the bow on top of the Bulldogs win.
All of the SEC coaches vote for this team, and none is allowed to vote for his own players. Missouri leads the conference with five players selected to the team — including Larry Rountree III earning the honor at two positions, followed by Georgia and LSU with four each, and then Florida with three. |
Several techniques are known in the semiconductor industry for providing isolation between transistors. One such method employs an anisotropic etch of a silicon crystal having a <100> orientation. The etched surface is oxidized and deposited with a thick layer of polysilicon to form islands of single crystal silicon. Subsequently, the wafer is inverted, polished and etched back to expose the silicon islands in which the transistors are formed. Problems associated with this technology are grind and etch-back non-uniformity, limited wafer diameter, large device size, device size dependence on isolation depths, and high parasitic AC impedance with polysilicon substrates.
Several other methods exist for transistor isolation. However, these approaches include PN junction isolation and Local Oxidation of Silicon ("LOCOS") isolation. As these isolation methods are designed for bulk silicon material, they are all subject to parasitic interaction with the substrate.
Still a further method for providing dielectric isolation uses a trench implementation filled with a dielectric material. In FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,803, a known trench structure is shown. The trench structure illustrated is intended to minimize stress at the interface between the trench and the semiconductor substrate by curving the bottom of the trench.
Moreover, in FIGS. 2 and 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,803, a trench structure is illustrated. Here, the inventor teaches the formation of a trench directly on a semiconductor substrate. The trench is filled with a silicon dioxide layer 38, followed by a first silicon nitride layer 40, followed by a refill 42 of either undoped polysilicon or silicon oxide. In FIG. 3, a second silicon nitride layer 48 is also employed.
There are several disadvantages to the trench structure of disclosed and illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,803. Firstly, silicon nitride is a brittle film with a high value of intrinsic stress. Further, silicon nitride has a different rate of thermal expansion than silicon, silicon dioxide, as well as polysilicon. As such, the trench arrangement of FIGS. 2 and 3 is prone to defects and generations of dislocations in silicon due to the stress associated with the silicon nitride layer(s).
Moreover, silicon nitride has a higher dielectric constant in comparison with silicon dioxide. Given the potential for parasitic capacitance by the formation of the trench structure, a higher resultant parasitic capacitance value is created.
Furthermore, the teachings of the trench arrangement of FIGS. 2 and 3 also fail to provide a radiation hardened trench substantially immune to flicker noise. This is because the trench structures of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 are contained in a bulk silicon semiconductor substrate. This allows for PN junction latch-up problems with the substrate under harsh environments, such as, for example, high voltage, high temperature and radiation environments.
In light of the limitations of these known isolation trench designs, a need exists for an isolation trench which is radiation hardened and substantially immune to flicker noise. Further, the semiconductor industry requires an isolation trench which minimizes stress and defect generation in silicon. Further, an isolation trench on an SOI substrate is needed to provide a means for intrinsic gettering on a semiconductor substrate. Complete dielectric isolation is also in demand to minimize noise and latch-up effects under harsh environments. Furthermore, an isolation trench is required which has improved stress related characteristics, and substantially reduced dislocation generation. Additionally, there is a need in the semiconductor industry for an isolation trench having a substantially lower parasitic capacitance and resistance. |
[A variant of the modification of the rhinosurgical intervention with the use of the hemostatic glue].
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the dynamics of the nasal breathing function and the quality of life in the patients following septoplastic surgery with the use of the classical method in comparison with the application of the latex tissue glue. The study included 58 patients presenting with diagnosis of deflected septum of the nose and vasomotor rhinitis. The following methods were employed for the purpose: anterior active rhinomanometry, evaluation of the transport function of the nasal cavity, and the questionnaire study for the determination of the patients' quality of life. The patients were allocated to two groups. Group 1 was comprised of the patients who underwent the classical surgical intervention (septal surgery with the mechanical disintegration of the inferior turbinated bones. The patients of the second group were treated with the use of the modified surgical procedure with the use of the latex tisue glue. The study has demonstrated that the patients treated with the use of the modified approach (including the application of the latex glue) recovered faster and reported a higher quality of life during the postoperative period than the patients of the first group treated by the conventional method. |
#include <float.h>
#include <limits.h>
#include "usu.h"
#include "usgrid.h"
#include "subc.h"
#include "par.h"
char *sdoc =
"GRIDFILTER - grid filter program \n"
"\n"
"gridfilter <input.file > output.file [parameters] \n"
"\n"
"Required parameters: \n"
"input.file name of input 3D grid file \n"
"output.file name of filtered 3D grid file \n"
"Required parameters: \n"
"NONE \n"
"Optional parameters: \n"
"op=0 0=median 1=mean \n"
"w1=5 window length (in samples) along 1st dimension \n"
"w2=5 window length (in samples) along 2nd dimension \n"
"w3=5 window length (in samples) along 3rd dimension \n"
"si1=1 starting index of 1st dimension to apply filter \n"
"ni1=n1 ending index of 1st dimension to apply filter \n"
"si2=1 starting index of 2nd dimension to apply filter \n"
"ni2=n2 ending index of 2nd dimension to apply filter \n"
"si3=1 starting index of 3rd dimension to apply filter \n"
"ni3=n3 ending index of 3rd dimension to apply filter \n"
"\n"
"min= values less than min are treated as nulls\n"
"max= values greater than max are treated as nulls\n"
"keep=1 preserve null values. =0 replace w/ filter output\n"
" =2 replace only null values w/ filter output\n"
"\n"
"exclude=0 =1 reverse null range to exclude values between min & max\n"
"\n"
"NOTES: \n"
" 1. n1, n2, n3 are obtained from the gridheader of the input grid. \n"
"\n"
"AUTHOR: Zhiming Li, , 10/4/2000 \n"
"Revised: Reginald H. Beardsley "__DATE__"\n"
;
int main(int argc, char **argv ){
FILE* infp=stdin;
FILE* outfp=stdout;
usghed usgh;
int ierr;
float *grid, *g, *g1;
int i1, i2, i3;
int k1, k2, k3;
int h1, h2, h3;
int n1, n2, n3;
int j1, j2, j3;
int m1, m2, m3;
int i;
int j;
float gmin, gmax;
float tmp;
int op, w1, w2, w3;
int nz, iz;
int keep=1;
int exclude=0;
float min=-FLT_MAX;
float max= FLT_MAX;
int si1, si2, si3, ni1, ni2, ni3;
/*----------------*/
/* initialization */
/*----------------*/
initargs(argc,argv);
askdoc(1);
/*-----------------------*/
/* large than 2 GB files */
/*-----------------------*/
file2g(infp);
file2g(infp);
/*-------------------------*/
/* read in the grid header */
/*-------------------------*/
ierr = fgetusghdr(infp, &usgh);
if(ierr!=0) err("non standard grid header input ");
/*----------------------------------*/
/* get the dimensions of input grid */
/*----------------------------------*/
n1 = usgh.n1;
n2 = usgh.n2;
n3 = usgh.n3;
/*----------------------*/
/* get input parameters */
/*----------------------*/
if (!getparint("op",&op)) op = 0;
if (!getparint("w1",&w1)) w1 = 5;
if (!getparint("w2",&w2)) w2 = 5;
if (!getparint("w3",&w3)) w3 = 5;
if(w1<1) w1 = 1;
if(w1>n1) w1 = n1;
if(w2<1) w2 = 1;
if(w2>n2) w2 = n2;
if(w3<1) w3 = 1;
if(w3>n3) w3 = n3;
if (!getparint("si1",&si1)) si1 = 1;
if(si1<1) si1=1;
if(si1>n1) si1=n1;
if (!getparint("si2",&si2)) si2 = 1;
if(si2<1) si2=1;
if(si2>n2) si2=n2;
if (!getparint("si3",&si3)) si3 = 1;
if(si3<1) si3=1;
if(si3>n3) si3=n3;
if (!getparint("ni1",&ni1)) ni1 = n1;
if(ni1<1) ni1=1;
if(ni1>n1) ni1=n1;
if (!getparint("ni2",&ni2)) ni2 = n2;
if(ni2<1) ni2=1;
if(ni2>n2) ni2=n2;
if (!getparint("ni3",&ni3)) ni3 = n3;
if(ni3<1) ni3=1;
if(ni3>n3) ni3=n3;
getparfloat( "min" ,&min );
getparfloat( "max" ,&max );
getparint( "keep" ,&keep );
getparint( "exclude" ,&exclude );
/*--------------------*/
/* memory allocations */
/*--------------------*/
grid = (float*)emalloc(n1*n2*n3*sizeof(float));
g = (float*)emalloc(w1*w2*w3*sizeof(float));
g1 = (float*)emalloc(n1*sizeof(float));
fseek64(infp,0,0);
efread(grid,sizeof(float),n1*n2*n3,infp);
h1 = w1/2;
h2 = w2/2;
h3 = w3/2;
nz = w1*w2*w3;
si1 = si1 - 1;
si2 = si2 - 1;
si3 = si3 - 1;
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------*\
The algorithm processes a volume in Z-Y-X order. The filtering
operation requested is only performed within an application
window.
\*--------------------------------------------------------------------*/
/*-----------------------*/
/* for all X-Y positions */
/*-----------------------*/
for (i3=0;i3<n3;i3++) {
for (i2=0;i2<n2;i2++) {
k3 = i3 - h3;
k2 = i2 - h2;
/*-------------------------------*/
/* copy column from input volume */
/*-------------------------------*/
for(i1=0;i1<n1;i1++){
g1[i1] = grid[i1+i2*n1+i3*n1*n2];
}
/*-----------------------------------------*/
/* filter column within application window */
/*-----------------------------------------*/
if( i2>=si2 && i2<ni2 && i3>=si3 && i3<ni3 ) {
for (i1=si1-1;i1<ni1;i1++) {
i = 0;
k1 = i1 - h1;
/*---------------------------------------*/
/* extract the samples within the window */
/*---------------------------------------*/
for (j3=k3;j3<k3+w3;j3++) {
m3=j3;
if(m3<0) m3=0;
if(m3>n3-1) m3=n3-1;
for( j2=k2;j2<k2+w2;j2++) {
m2=j2;
if(m2<0) m2=0;
if(m2>n2-1) m2=n2-1;
for (j1=k1;j1<k1+w1;j1++) {
m1=j1;
if(m1<0) m1=0;
if(m1>n1-1) m1=n1-1;
/*--------------*/
/* ignore nulls */
/*--------------*/
if( !exclude ){
if( grid[m1+m2*n1+m3*n1*n2] >= min
&& grid[m1+m2*n1+m3*n1*n2] <= max ){
g[i] = grid[m1+m2*n1+m3*n1*n2];
i++;
}
}else{
if( grid[m1+m2*n1+m3*n1*n2] <= min
|| grid[m1+m2*n1+m3*n1*n2] >= max ){
g[i] = grid[m1+m2*n1+m3*n1*n2];
i++;
}
}
}
}
}
/*--------------------------------------------------------------------*\
find the desired output values within the filter application
window and overwrite appropriate values in the column vector
copied from the input. Make sure that values are not changed if
all samples within window were null.
\*--------------------------------------------------------------------*/
if( i ){
if(op==0) {
/*--------------*/
/* median value */
/*--------------*/
iz = rint(0.5*i);
qkfind(iz,i,g);
if( !keep ){
/*-----------------*/
/* overwrite nulls */
/*-----------------*/
g1[i1] = g[iz];
}else if( keep == 1 && !exclude
&& g1[i1] >= min && g1[i1] <= max ){
/*-------------------------*/
/* preserve exterior nulls */
/*-------------------------*/
g1[i1] = g[iz];
}else if( keep == 1 && exclude
&& ( g1[i1] <= min || g1[i1] >= max ) ){
/*-------------------------*/
/* preserve interior nulls */
/*-------------------------*/
g1[i1] = g[iz];
}else if( keep == 2 && !exclude
&& ( g1[i1] <= min || g1[i1] >= max ) ){
/*----------------------------*/
/* only change exterior nulls */
/*----------------------------*/
g1[i1] = g[iz];
}else if( keep == 2 && exclude
&& g1[i1] >= min && g1[i1] <= max ){
/*----------------------------*/
/* only change interior nulls */
/*----------------------------*/
g1[i1] = g[iz];
}
} else if( op==1 ) {
/*------------*/
/* mean value */
/*------------*/
tmp = 0.0;
for(j=0;j<i;j++) {
tmp += g[j];
}
if( !keep ){
/*-----------------*/
/* overwrite nulls */
/*-----------------*/
g1[i1] = tmp/i;
}else if( keep == 1 && !exclude
&& g1[i1] >= min && g1[i1] <= max ){
/*-------------------------*/
/* preserve exterior nulls */
/*-------------------------*/
g1[i1] = tmp/i;
}else if( keep == 1 && exclude
&& ( g1[i1] <= min || g1[i1] >= max ) ){
/*-------------------------*/
/* preserve interior nulls */
/*-------------------------*/
g1[i1] = tmp/i;
}else if( keep == 2 && !exclude
&& ( g1[i1] <= min || g1[i1] >= max ) ){
/*----------------------------*/
/* only change exterior nulls */
/*----------------------------*/
g1[i1] = tmp/i;
}else if( keep == 2 && exclude
&& g1[i1] >= min && g1[i1] <= max ){
/*----------------------------*/
/* only change interior nulls */
/*----------------------------*/
g1[i1] = tmp/i;
}
}
}
}
}
/*--------------------------------*/
/* update header max & min values */
/*--------------------------------*/
if(i2==0 && i3==0) {
gmin = g1[0];
gmax = g1[0];
}
for(i1=0;i1<n1;i1++) {
if(gmin>g1[i1]) gmin = g1[i1];
if(gmax<g1[i1]) gmax = g1[i1];
}
/*-------------------------------*/
/* write column vector to output */
/*-------------------------------*/
fwrite(g1,sizeof(float),n1,outfp);
}
}
/*------------------------------*/
/* update the gridheader header */
/*------------------------------*/
usgh.gmin = gmin;
usgh.gmax = gmax;
/*-----------------------*/
/* write the grid header */
/*-----------------------*/
ierr = fputusghdr(outfp, &usgh);
if(ierr!=0) err("output grid header error ");
return(0);
}
|
Mobile City Council - Live updates; One week after walkout
This was the scene at Government Plaza last Tuesday after the Mobile City Council conducted its weekly meeting after Mayor Sandy Stimpson's administration left the meeting. What will happen this week? Follow along to live updates as they happen. (John Sharp/jsharp@al.com).
The walkout occurred after three council members -- Fred Richardson, C.J. Small and Levon Manzie -- abstained on voting for three items (two appointments and an $1,800 purchase of new decorative sign posts in Council President Gina Gregory's district).
Jones' name isn't on the agenda this week for reconsideration. That will be the big issue on the council's agenda next week. This week's agenda looks more business-like with no appointments on it. But time will tell what surfaces for debate.
Follow along to live updates as they happen:
Adjourned without issues today. More later www.al.com/mobile.
11:17 a.m. - Councilman Levon Manzie was in Los Angeles for a convention of young elected officials. Manzie is the state director of the organization.
11:12 a.m. - It's a jovial council today. Richardson grilled Alexandris, whose company in Chattanooga (home of the Moon Pie) about Mobile's Moon Pie Over Mobile event on New Year's Eve. Alexandris said he will bring his family on down to the event.
11:08 a.m. - The council is even in unanimous voting mode in voting things down. The council voted down a certificate of public convenience and necessity to Steven Bolduc (ACABMAN) for a taxicab service in Mobile. Bolduc doesn't have an office or any property in Mobile, which is a requirement for operating a taxi cab service.
11:05 a.m. - So far, so good. Unanimous approvals from the council on otherwise non-controversial issues.
11:03 a.m. - Ronal Ali with the local NAACP chapter spoke some about last week's meeting and closed by saying, "Mobilians want freedom to ring from downtown. When freedom rings from downtown, truly we will have One Mobile."
10:49 a.m. - Stimpson read an email the administration sent to the council last month indicating that he has blocked off a 1-3 p.m. time every Tuesday to meet with council members. He said that communication is important.
10:46 a.m. - Stimpson is back at the council meeting giving his weekly update. He is talking about all of the activity that went on in downtown Mobile over the weekend and the need to utilize Cooper Riverside Park for more events.
9:53 a.m. - Barber discussed the spice epidemic and how its gotten to be more violent in recent weeks. Barber said he plans on introducing some ordinances to the Mobile City Council in the coming two weeks related to spice.
9:52 a.m. - Richardson told me that he met with Stimpson for lunch at The Royal Scam. The two discussed how to move Mobile forward together. Richardson said he told the mayor he's fine with that as long as his appointments go through.
9:36 a.m. - The mayor and Richardson had a meeting yesterday, and we'll have more on that later.
9:33 a.m. - Chief James Barber said there has been an uptick in crime, mostly associated with the rise in spice and some of the violence that goes with it.
9:27 a.m. - The McGowin Park shopping center is 30 days away from construction. A groundbreaking should take place within the month.
9:22 a.m. - The council appears to be in approval of a $18,000 land purchase for a vacant lot on Eslava Creek so the city can have access for putting in a litter trap.
9:16 a.m. - A $60,000 contract with Newman's Ambulance Service for deceased body transport was not the lowest bid. However, the lowest bid, according to Police Chief James Barber, came from someone who didn't have a vehicle.
9:07 a.m. - Councilman C.J. Small is absent. He's on jury duty. Council President Gina Gregory is not at the pre-conference meeting, so that means Fred Richardson is in charge of this meeting. Gregory will be at the 10:30 a.m. meeting. |
La Amada Inmóvil
La Amada Inmóvil () is a 1945 Argentine film directed and written by Luis Bayón Herrera. The film starred Santiago Gómez Cou and Yvonne Bastien as Ivonne De Lys. The film was based on the poem La Amada Inmóvil (The Immovable Loved One), written by Amado Nervo and published in 1922.
Cast
Gloria Bernal
Homero Cárpena
Lía Casanova
Dario Cossier
Alfonso Ferrari Amores
Santiago Gómez Cou
Isabel Pradas
Margot Abad
External links
Category:1945 films
Category:Argentine films
Category:Argentine black-and-white films
Category:Spanish-language films
Category:Films directed by Luis Bayón Herrera
Category:Argentine drama films
Category:1940s drama films |
This experimental film by director Michael Snow features sensory commentary on life, virtual worlds, the environment and filmmaking. Office workers (Kim Plate, Greg Hermanovic) appear indifferent, even as their clothes change while they wear them and the environment transforms as they interact with their surroundings. The digital world changes, too, as a family sits in the living room watching the sky on their television set, unaware of the shifting landscape around them.
Corpus Callosum
This experimental film by director Michael Snow features sensory commentary on life, virtual worlds, the environment and filmmaking. Office workers (Kim Plate, Greg Hermanovic) appear indifferent, even as their clothes change while they wear them and the environment transforms as they interact with their surroundings. The digital world changes, too, as a family sits in the living room watching the sky on their television set, unaware of the shifting landscape around them.
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This experimental film by director Michael Snow features sensory commentary on life, virtual worlds, the environment and filmmaking. Office workers (Kim Plate, Greg Hermanovic) appear indifferent, even as their clothes change while they wear them and the environment transforms as they interact with their surroundings. The digital world changes, too, as a family sits in the living room watching the sky on their television set, unaware of the shifting landscape around them. |
Q:
How to use std::set_terminate with SetUnhandledExceptionFilter?
Is there any way I can get the .what() of an uncaught C++ exception while also having a windows unhandled exception filter installed?
To demonstrate, the following program...
#include <windows.h>
#include <iostream>
static LONG WINAPI WindowsExceptionHandler(LPEXCEPTION_POINTERS ep) {
std::cerr << "FOO" << std::endl;
return EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER;
}
void TerminateHandler() {
std::exception_ptr exception_ptr = std::current_exception();
try {
if (exception_ptr) std::rethrow_exception(exception_ptr);
} catch (const std::exception& e) {
std::cerr << e.what() << std::endl;
}
}
int main() {
SetUnhandledExceptionFilter(WindowsExceptionHandler);
std::set_terminate(TerminateHandler);
throw std::runtime_error("BAR");
}
outputs:
FOO
I want it to output either BAR or FOOBAR
Commenting out the SetUnhandledExceptionFilter makes it work (but that's unacceptable as it won't catch the other windows exception types).
Clearly SetUnhandledExceptionFilter somehow overrides std::set_terminate in some way?
A:
all c++ exceptions internal use throw keyword. internal it use _CxxThrowException and this api call RaiseException function with 0xE06D7363 in place dwExceptionCode. so you need call previous exception filter returned by SetUnhandledExceptionFilter for C++ exceptions if want handle it with TerminateHandler.
g_prevlpTopLevelExceptionFilter = SetUnhandledExceptionFilter(WindowsExceptionHandler);
and
if (ExceptionRecord->ExceptionCode == 0xE06D7363) {
return g_prevlpTopLevelExceptionFilter(ep);
}
LPTOP_LEVEL_EXCEPTION_FILTER g_prevlpTopLevelExceptionFilter;
LONG WINAPI WindowsExceptionHandler(LPEXCEPTION_POINTERS ep) {
PEXCEPTION_RECORD ExceptionRecord = ep->ExceptionRecord;
printf("%s: %x at %p", __FUNCTION__,
ExceptionRecord->ExceptionCode, ExceptionRecord->ExceptionAddress);
if (ULONG NumberParameters = ExceptionRecord->NumberParameters)
{
printf(" { ");
PULONG_PTR ExceptionInformation = ExceptionRecord->ExceptionInformation;
do
{
printf(" %p", (void*)*ExceptionInformation++);
} while (--NumberParameters);
printf(" } ");
}
printf("\n");
if (ExceptionRecord->ExceptionCode == 0xE06D7363) {
return g_prevlpTopLevelExceptionFilter(ep);
}
return EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER;
}
void TerminateHandler() {
MessageBoxW(0, 0, __FUNCTIONW__, MB_ICONWARNING);
exit(-1);
}
void main() {
g_prevlpTopLevelExceptionFilter =
SetUnhandledExceptionFilter(WindowsExceptionHandler);
set_terminate(TerminateHandler);
throw "888";
}
|
Average Annual Cost The average annual net price for federal financial aid recipients, after aid from the school, state, or federal government. For public schools, this is only the average cost for in-state students.
Graduation Rate The graduation rate within 150 percent of the expected time to completion (typically six years for schools that award predominantly four-year degrees and three years for schools that award predominantly two-year degrees). These rates are only for full-time students enrolled for the first time.
Salary After Attending The median earnings of former students who received federal financial aid, at 10 years after entering the school.
Salary After Attending The median earnings of former students who received federal financial aid, at 10 years after entering the school.
This information is based on all locations of this school.
Salary After Attending The median earnings of former students who received federal financial aid, at 10 years after entering the school.
For schools with multiple locations, this information is based on all of their locations.
Monthly Student Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
Monthly Student Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
This information is based on all locations of this school.
Monthly Student Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
For schools with multiple locations, this information is based on all of their locations.
Students Paying Down Their Debt The share of student borrowers who have paid at least one dollar of the principal balance on their federal loans within three years of leaving school.
Students Paying Down Their Debt The share of student borrowers who have paid at least one dollar of the principal balance on their federal loans within three years of leaving school.
This information is based on all locations of this school.
Students Paying Down Their Debt The share of student borrowers who have paid at least one dollar of the principal balance on their federal loans within three years of leaving school.
For schools with multiple locations, this information is based on all of their locations.
Typical Total Debt After Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who completed. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
Typical Total Debt After Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who completed. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
This information is based on all locations of this school.
Typical Total Debt After Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who completed. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
For schools with multiple locations, this information is based on all of their locations.
Students Receiving Federal Loans The share of undergraduate students who borrowed federal loans to help pay for college. Excludes Parent PLUS loans.
Students Who Return After Their First Year The share of first-time, full-time undergraduates who returned to the institution after their freshman year.
Threshold Earnings The share of former students earning more than $25,000, or about the average earnings of a high school graduate aged 25-34, 6 years after they first enroll.
Threshold Earnings The share of former students earning more than $25,000, or about the average earnings of a high school graduate aged 25-34, 6 years after they first enroll.
This information is based on all locations of this school.
Threshold Earnings The share of former students earning more than $25,000, or about the average earnings of a high school graduate aged 25-34, 6 years after they first enroll.
For schools with multiple locations, this information is based on all of their locations.
Full-time Enrollment Percent of undergraduates who are enrolled on a full-time schedule.
Race/Ethnicity The specific race/ethnicity categories (including those for foreign students pursuing postsecondary education at an institution within the U.S.) are either required (1997) and/or approved (2007) by the Office of Management and Budget (2007). Only the race/ethnicity groups of students enrolled in this institution are displayed.
Test Scores At schools that report their test scores, 50 percent had scores within this range. Of the remaining 50 percent, half were above the range and half were below. Not all schools require test scores.
Popular Programs The five largest programs of study, as measured as the share of degrees and certificates awarded.
Available Areas of Study All available programs of study offered at the school.
Under ED Monitoring Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 is when the Department of Education provides additional oversight because of financial or federal compliance issues, including but not limited to, concern around the school’s administrative capabilities, concern around a schools’ financial responsibility and possibly severe findings uncovered during a program review. Some schools are on this list because of preliminary findings made during a program review that is still open.
Under ED Monitoring Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 is when the Department of Education provides additional oversight because of financial or federal compliance issues, including but not limited to, concern around the school’s administrative capabilities, concern around a schools’ financial responsibility and possibly severe findings uncovered during a program review. Some schools are on this list because of preliminary findings made during a program review that is still open.
This information is based on all locations of this school.
Under ED Monitoring Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 is when the Department of Education provides additional oversight because of financial or federal compliance issues, including but not limited to, concern around the school’s administrative capabilities, concern around a schools’ financial responsibility and possibly severe findings uncovered during a program review. Some schools are on this list because of preliminary findings made during a program review that is still open.
For schools with multiple locations, this information is based on all of their locations.
National Median The national median is the middle value, with half of schools having a higher value and half having a lower value.
Add to Compare. Select up to ten (10) schools to compare.
Max Schools Selected (10). To add this school you will first need to remove a school from your compare list.
Most awards earned at this institution are at this level, but other degrees or certificates are offered.
Most awards earned are certificates, but degrees are offered.
Most awards earned are 2-year associate's degrees, but other degrees or certificates are offered.
Most awards earned are 4-year bachelor's degrees, but other degrees or certificates are offered. |
Clinton, Trump trade barbs over 2016 Election results
Clinton, Trump trade barbs over 2016 Election results
On Tuesday, Hillary Clinton spoke at a Women for Women International event in New York and laid the blame for her defeat at the feet of FBI Director James Comey.
“If the election had been on October 27, I would be your president,” Clinton told moderator Christiane Amanpour. “I was on the way to winning until the combination of Jim Comey’s letter on October 28 and Russian WikiLeaks raised doubts in the minds of people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off — and the evidence for that intervening event is, I think, compelling [and] persuasive.”
Almost predictably, Donald Trump took to Twitter to respond to Clinton’s comments, writing over the course of two tweets 15 minutes apart, “FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony … Trump/Russia story was an excuse used by the Democrats as justification for losing the election. Perhaps Trump just ran a great campaign?”
FBI Director Comey was the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds! The phony…
But Trump’s response had already been predicted, and Clinton was ready for the inevitable tweeting.
“If he wants to tweet about me then I am happy to be the diversion because we have lot of things to worry about,” Clinton said, adding, “He should worry less about the election and my winning the popular vote than doing some other things that would be important for the country.” |
Q:
Shorter command for deleting files
Our web server was originally maintained by a different company. They wrote a short script to clean out cache files. Their file has several lines that read like this:
/usr/bin/find /var/www/cache/blah/ |xargs /bin/rm -f >/dev/null 2>&1
Is there any reason why they couldn't just write:
/bin/rm -f /var/www/cache/blah/*
to delete the files? I can see using find when you need a particular criteria, but I can't seem to find one in this case.
A:
Some reasons I can think about why they used find + xargs:
Handling the case when you have too many cache files, leading to an error if you run only one rm command.
Globbing * does not expand hidden files.
Working recursively.
But this find + xargs is not efficient, since when they didn't add any filter, so find result will contain directories along with files. Running /bin/rm -f on a directory leads to an error, that's why the stderr and stdout are redirected to /dev/null. And with files those name contains special characters, the command will also fail.
An improved solution can be:
find /var/www/cache/blah -type f -exec rm -f -- {} +
This is more efficient, doing all works with find, minimum forking of rm and POSIXly.
A:
There are a few differences in the behavior of the command lines:
The find command line would delete files recursively in subdirectories, the rm command line wouldn't.
You need to consider whether or not you want to recurse.
The find command line would delete all files, if possible. The rm command line might skip files based on the shell's settings like GLOBIGNORE.
You need to consider whether or not there might be filenames that might be accidentally ignored in pathname expansion.
The find command line would succeed for any number of files. The rm command line might fail if the pathname expansion creates a command line that is too long (bigger than the system supports). Some systems have limits on this.
You need to consider how many files might need to be deleted.
The find command line ignores all output messages (using the redirections to >/dev/null). The rm command line prints the output messages.
You need to consider what should happen with the messages.
If these differences do not matter to you, /bin/rm -f /var/www/cache/blah/* will work for you.
If only files are to be removed, and directories are to be retained, I would actually use
/usr/bin/find /var/www/cache/blah/ -not -type d -exec /bin/rm -f -- {} + >/dev/null 2>&1
or
/usr/bin/find /var/www/cache/blah/ -type f -exec /bin/rm -f -- {} + >/dev/null 2>&1
whatever suits your purpose, both have pros and cons.
-exec command {} + works just like xargs, but is slightly more efficient. The -- prevents that rm falls over if one of the filenames starts with -. Also, xargs was used in a way that makes too many assumptions about filenames. Special characters like space would actually break the simple invocation of xargs. Something like find ... -print0 | xargs -0 would be required, and then the find -exec command {} + is just much simpler.
|
/*
* Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
* of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
* in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
* to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
* copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
* furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
*
* The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
* all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
*
* THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
* IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
* FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
* AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
* LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
* OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
* SOFTWARE.
*
*/
#include "config.hpp"
using namespace M210_STEREO;
Config* Config::single_instance_ = NULL;
Config::Config()
{
}
Config::~Config()
{
if (file_.isOpened())
{
file_.release();
}
}
Config&
Config::instance()
{
return *Config::single_instance_;
}
Config*
Config::instancePtr()
{
return Config::single_instance_;
}
void
Config::setParamFile(const std::string& file_name)
{
if(!Config::single_instance_)
{
Config::single_instance_ = new Config();
}
Config::instancePtr()->file_ = cv::FileStorage( file_name, cv::FileStorage::READ );
if(!Config::instancePtr()->file_.isOpened())
{
std::cerr << "Failed to open " << file_name << " file\n";
Config::instancePtr()->file_.release();
}
}
|
"Whitney delivered and delivered in a big way," said Stanford head coach Rachel Hanson. "I'm excited for her and for her to build on that, and excited for the team."
Trailing 2-1 with runners on second and third, Whitney Burks delivered the deciding hit when she hammered a 2-2 pitch to the right-center field gap for a two-RBI single.
Stanford had been knocking on the door all game against Western Michigan, leaving runners on base in five of the first six innings, before breaking through in the seventh.
Whitney Burks drove in the tying and winning runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Stanford past Western Michigan, 3-2, on Friday night. Photo by Karen Ambrose Hickey/isiphotos.com
Stanford was led offensively by three freshman. Teaghan Cowles paced the Cardinal (5-for-7, .714) and was followed by Kristina Inouye (5-for-9, .556) and Alyssa Horeczko (3-for-7, .429).
"Nikki had a heck of a day," said Hanson. "We knew she would be a player we could rely on in clutch moments. The kid has ice in her veins. Never any doubt or any worry. She attacked the game the same way, regardless of the situation."
Nikki Bauer made her collegiate debut against Western Michigan and was electric. The freshman permitted two runs on six hits and four walks with a strikeout in a complete-game victory.
"I'm really proud of Carolyn for being a leader among the pitchers as our ace," said Hanson. "She sets the tone and competes well, and gives us a chance to win in every game. Kiana came in and did an excellent job to give us relief and execute well. I was really pleased with her performance."
Much of Stanford's success on the day can be attributed to outstanding performances in the circle. Carolyn Lee (2-0) was strong against Creighton, going five innings and allowing one run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Kiana Pancino made her collegiate debut, coming in as relief in the sixth inning and limited the Blue Jays to one run on two hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
"Lauren is making some great plays that don't show up in the box score and snagging some tough throws for us," said Hanson.
"Kylie and Kristina have been solid in the middle-infield," said Hanson. "We know they're going to make the routine plays and they're going to make a couple exceptional plays as well."
Stanford softball improves to 3-0 with last inning rally |
Q:
Execution failed for task ':app:compileDebugJavaWithJavac' react native
I am trying to run react native app on my android device like this in cmd
cd C:\Users\User\Desktop\js
react-native run-android
FAILURE: Build failed with an exception.
What went wrong: Execution failed for task ':app:compileDebugJavaWithJavac'.
Could not find tools.jar
Try: Run with --stacktrace option to get the stack trace. Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output.
BUILD FAILED
Total time: 5.243 secs Could not install the app on the device, read
the error above for details. Make sure you have an Android emulator
running or a device connected and have set up your Android development
environment:
https://facebook.github.io/react-native/docs/android-setup.html
Can anyone please tell me how to fix this problem?
A:
Use the following step once, it may help you:
step 1: open cmd through administrator
step 2: navigate to your application by cd <path to your project>
step 3: run this command: gradlew clean
step 4: react-native run-android
|
The agricultural supply domain covers food commodities that have been converted back into primary equivalents:
Quantity
Dietary Energy
Proteins
Fats
Totals and per Capita
Food supply data is some of the most important data in FAOSTAT. In fact, this data is for the basis for estimation of global and national undernourishment assessment, when it is combined with parameters and other data sets.
This data has been the foundation of food balance sheets ever since they were first constructed. The data is accessed by both business and governments for economic analysis and policy setting, as well as being used by the academic community.
Consumption - Indicator Tables
The indicator tables presented here provide a useful reference for users seeking indicators by topic for all countries. The same country list is used even if the item is not relevant for a particular country. This means that the user can mix and match data of interest. In general, the tables present the basic data and then offer some analytical transformations (percentage of the world, ratio to some other indicator, etc.). All these tables are drawn for the FAO Statistical Yearbook available on line or from FAO Sales and Distribution. |
The ECCO Omni-Vent Canas is a rugged waterproof shoe for outdoor use and adventurous travel.
It’s made from a durable, full-grain leather with perforations to enhance breathability. GORE-TEX® SURROUND™ waterproof construction and air channels in the midsole increase breathability from all angles.
The rugged rubber outsole offers outstanding grip and durability in all weather conditions.
About ECCO
ECCO is a Danish company, founded in 1963, by Karl Toosbuy. It’s still family-owned but has grown from one small factory to an international shoe company with over 17,000 employees. ECCO are unique in the footwear industry because they control their whole development process. From initial concepts created by ECCO’s own designers, to final manufacture using leather from ECCO tanneries, every stage is owned and run by ECCO. They share a lot of values with us and equally importantly, make great shoes for travelling. We have no hesitation in recommending ECCO shoes to our customers. |
Glycoluril is a bicyclic molecule which is used for the preparation of supramolecular hosts, i.e. molecules that are able to bind other molecules (guests) through non-covalent interactions. There are several examples of glycoluril based supramolecular hosts. Nolte and co-workers described glycolurils terminated by xylylene units which are able to self-assembly into dimeric aggregates and/or to form host-guest complexes with small molecules (Rowan, A. E.; Elemans, J. A. A. W.; Nolte, R. J. M. Acc. Chem. Res. 1999, 995-1006). Rebek and co-workers prepared molecules, in which terminal glycoluril units are connected through various spacers. These molecules are able to self-associate in non-polar solvents into spherical structures. These structures are stabilized by N —H . . . O hydrogen bonds which are formed between terminal glycoluril units (Rebek, J., Jr. Acc. Chem. Res. 1999, 32, 278-286). Singh et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,539 to Cytec Industries) describes additives for improving tire cord adhesion and toughness of vulcanized rubber compositions, containing linear oligomers of glycoluril units connected directly by N—N bond.
Among the glycoluril based supramolecular hosts, most attention is paid to cyclic glycoluril oligomers called cucurbit[n]urils in which n glycoluril units are connected through 2n methylene bridges (Lagona, J.; Mukhopadhyay, P.; Chakrabarti, S.; Isaacs, L. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2005, 44, 4844-4870). Cucurbit[6]uril, the first member of the cucurbituril family, was prepared in 1905 (Behrend, R; Meyer, E; Rusche, F. Liebigs Ann. Chem. 1905, 339), but its macrocyclic structure was not discovered until 1981 (Freeman, W. A.; Mock, W. L.; Shih, N.-Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1981, 103, 7367). In the beginning of the 21st century two research groups led by K. Kim and A. Day independently described the preparation and isolation of cucurbit[n]urils in which the number of glycoluril units n varies in the range from 5 to 10 (A. I. Day, A. P. Arnold, R. J. Blanch (Unisearch Limited, Australia), WO2000068232. Day, A.; Arnold A. P.; Blanch, R. J.; Snushall, B. J. Org. Chem. 2001, 66, 8094. K. Kim, J. Kim, I.-S. Jung, S.-Y. Kim, E. Lee, J.-K. Kang (Postech Foundation, South Korea), EP1094065. Kim, J.; Jung, I.-S.; Kim, S. Y.; Lee, E.; Kang, J.-L.; Sakamoto, S.; Yamaguchi, K.; Kim, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2000, 122, 540). Recently it was also demonstrated that the choice of suitable reaction conditions allows for the preparation of CB analogs such as diastereomeric inverted cucurbit[n]urils (Isaacs, L.; Park, S.-K.; Liu, S.; Ko, Y. H.; Selvapalam, N.; Kim, Y.; Kim, H.; Zavalij, P. Y.; Kim, G.-H.; Lee, H.-S.; Kim, K. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 18000-18001.), bis-ns cucurbit[10]uril (Huang, W.-H.; Liu, S.; Zavalij, P. Y.; Isaacs, L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 14744-14745), and/or (±)-bis-ns-cucurbit[6]uril (Huang, W.-H.; Zavalij, P. Y.; Isaacs, L. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 7425-7427). Using the same approach, Isaac's group has been able to isolate acyclic oligomers with the number of glycoluril units ranging from 2 to 6 (Huang, W.-H.; Zavalij, P. Y.; Isaacs, L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 8446-8454). Based on the size of its cavity, cucurbit[n]urils are able to form inclusion or exclusion complexes with organic and inorganic guests of various sizes. The binding is selective and the formed supramolecular complexes are characterized by high binding constants. These outstanding properties of cucurbit[n]urils have led to their use in a number of applications including waste stream remediation, controlled drug release, catalysis, sensors, and chromatography.
Cucurbit[n]urils are prepared by acid-catalyzed condensation between glycoluril and formaldehyde. Reaction is carried out in a concentrated mineral acid such as HCl and H2SO4 at temperature above 50° C. (e.g., WO0068232, WO2007106144). The separation of single cucurbit[n]uril homologues from the reaction mixture is time consuming and it is achieved by the combination of fractional crystallization and chromatography techniques. Another limit in cucurbit[n]urils applications is their insolubility in organic solvent. Also the solubility of cucurbit[n]urils in water is low, but it increases in the presence of metal or organic cations. Due to their rigid structure cucurbit[n]uril macrocycles are very difficult to modify.
In 2004 the preparation of new macrocyclic compounds based on ethyleneurea and formaldehyde were published (Miyahara, Y.; Goto, K.; Oka, M.; Inazu, T. Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 2004, 43, 5019-5022). The structure of this macrocycle resembles the structure of cucurbit[n]uril which is cut in half along the equator. Therefore the authors named these new compounds hemicucurbit[n]urils (wherein n=6 and 12). In contrast to cucurbit[n]urils, hemicucurbit[n]urils are soluble in non-polar solvents. However they are capable of forming complexes with a limited range of anions, and these complexes have a relatively low association constant.
As we described above, macrocyclic molecules based on glycoluril are promising compounds which can act as supramolecular hosts. Low solubility and limited modificability represent basic drawback for their further application.
New class of glycoluril based compounds which eliminates the disadvantages of known glycoluril macrocyclic compounds is the object of the present invention. |
Description
Imagine this : You’re at a music festival, the vibe is so chill, you raise your arms and flow back in forth, relaxing with the music. Someone taps you on the arm to say : “Where did you get that stunning purse”? ” Dramatique Designs, of course, you say. The only place for the best in handmade, upcycled, eco friendly accessories”!
This bespoke, hippie upcycled denim purse has been re-purposed from denim jeans , with fringe, charms, fabric and more, and features stunning hand stitching. Made by Erin Bass, from her Portland, Oregon Studio. Contact Erin Hereand make your very own custom denim purse! |
---
abstract: 'We study some structural properties of Construction-A lattices obtained from low density parity check (LDPC) codes over prime fields. Such lattices are called low density Construction-A (LDA) lattices, and permit low-complexity belief propagation decoding for transmission over Gaussian channels. It has been shown that LDA lattices achieve the capacity of the power constrained additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel with closest lattice-point decoding, and simulations suggested that they perform well under belief propagation decoding. We continue this line of work, and prove that these lattices are good for packing and mean squared error (MSE) quantization, and that their duals are good for packing. With this, we can conclude that codes constructed using nested LDA lattices can achieve the capacity of the power constrained AWGN channel, the capacity of the dirty paper channel, the rates guaranteed by the compute-and-forward protocol, and the best known rates for bidirectional relaying with perfect secrecy.'
author:
- 'Shashank Vatedka and Navin Kashyap [^1] [^2]'
title: 'Some “Goodness” Properties of LDA Lattices'
---
Introduction {#sec:intro}
============
Nested lattice coding for communication over Gaussian networks has received considerable attention in recent times. It has been shown [@Erez04] that nested lattice codes with closest lattice-point decoding can achieve the capacity of the power constrained additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. They are also known to achieve the capacity of the dirty-paper channel [@Erez_dpaper05]. Inspired by these results, they have been applied to design protocols for reliable communication over wireless Gaussian networks. They have been used with much success for the interference channel [@Bresler10; @Vishwanath10], the Gaussian bidirectional relay channel [@Wilson; @Nazer11], and generalized to the problem of physical layer network coding [@Baik; @Nazer11] for multiuser Gaussian channels. Nested lattice coding has also been used for security in wiretap channels [@Belfiore10; @Ling13] and bidirectional relay networks [@HeYenerstrong; @Vatedka13]. For a more comprehensive treatment of lattices and their applications in communication problems, see [@Zamirbook].
Constructing lattices that have good structural properties is a problem that has been studied for a long time. Poltyrev [@Poltyrev] studied lattices in the context of coding for reliable transmission over the AWGN channel without power constraints, and showed that there exist lattices which are “good” for AWGN channel coding, i.e., achieve a vanishingly small probability of error for all sufficiently small values of the noise variance. In addition to coding for the AWGN channel, lattices were also studied in prior literature in the context of several other problems such as sphere packing, sphere covering, and MSE quantization. In the sphere packing problem, we want to find an arrangement of non-intersecting spheres of a given radius that maximizes the average number of spheres packed per unit volume. On the other hand, the covering problem asks for an optimal covering of space by spheres of a given radius, that minimizes the average number of spheres per unit volume. In the MSE quantization problem, we want to find a minimal set of codewords which will ensure that the average mean squared error/distortion is less than a specified quantity. The use of lattices to generate good sphere packings, sphere coverings, and quantizers is a well-studied problem [@Conway; @Zamirbook].
Finding lattices with good stuctural properties is of particular importance in designing lattice codes that use nested lattice shaping for power constrained Gaussian channels. A poorly designed shaping region leads to loss in transmission rates. It was shown in [@Erez04] that using nested lattice codes, where the fine lattices are good for AWGN channel coding (in the sense of Poltyrev’s definition) and the coarse lattices are good for MSE quantization, we can achieve the capacity of the power constrained AWGN channel. Furthermore, the rates guaranteed by [@Wilson; @Nazer11] for bidirectional relaying and the compute-and-forward protocol are achievable using nested lattices that satisfy the aforementioned properties. It was shown that if in addition to the above properties, the duals of the coarse lattices are also good for packing, then a rate of $\frac{1}{2}\log_2 \text{SNR}-\log_2(2e)$ (where SNR denotes the signal-to-noise ratio) can be achieved with perfect (Shannon) secrecy over the bidirectional relay [@Vatedka13].
Instead of studying arbitrary lattices, it is easier to study lattices that have a special structure, i.e., lattices constructed by lifting a linear code over a prime field to $\R^n$. One such technique to obtain lattices from linear codes is Construction A [@Conway], where the lattice is obtained by tessellating the codewords of the linear code (now viewed as points in $\R^n$) across the Euclidean space. It was shown in [@Erez05] that if we pick a linear code uniformly at random, then the resulting Construction-A lattice is asymptotically good for covering, packing, MSE quantization, and AWGN channel coding with high probability.
The problem with general Construction-A lattices is the complexity of closest lattice-point decoding. There is no known polynomial-time algorithm for decoding Construction-A lattices obtained from arbitrary linear codes. A natural way of circumventing this is to restrict ourselves to LDPC codes to construct lattices. We can then use low-complexity belief propagation (BP) decoders instead of the closest lattice-point decoder which has exponential complexity. Such lattices, termed low-density Construction-A (LDA) lattices, were introduced in in [@lda_itw12]. Simulation results in [@diPietrothesis; @Tunali13] showed that these lattices perform well with BP decoding. While there is no formal proof that these lattices are good under BP decoding, it was proved in [@lda_ita13] that LDA lattices are good for AWGN channel coding, and subsequently shown in [@diPietrothesis; @diPietro_journal] that nested LDA lattices achieve the capacity of the power constrained AWGN channel with closest lattice-point decoding. In this paper, we show that LDA lattices have several other goodness properties. We will prove that a randomly chosen LDA lattice (whose parameters satisfy certain conditions) is good for packing and MSE quantization with probability tending to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. In addition, we will show that the dual of a randomly chosen LDA lattice is good for packing with probability tending to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. This means that the capacities of the power constrained AWGN channel and the dirty paper channel, the rates guaranteed by compute-and-forward framework [@Nazer11], and the rates guaranteed by [@Vatedka13] for perfectly secure bidirectional relaying can all be achieved using nested LDA lattices (with closest lattice-point decoding). However, showing that the aforementioned results can all be achieved using belief propagation decoding still remains an open problem. Even though other AWGN-good lattice constructions that permit low-complexity decoding algorithms have been proposed [@Sommer; @Yan13], this is the first instance where such a class of lattices have been shown to satisfy other goodness properties, and this is the main contribution of this work.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: We describe the notation and state some basic definitions in the next two subsections. Section \[sec:LDA\_ensemble\] describes the ensemble of lattices, and the main result is stated in Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\]. Some preliminary lemmas are stated in Section \[sec:prelim\_lemmas\]. This is then followed by results on the various goodness properties of lattices in the LDA ensemble. In Section \[sec:channelcoding\], the goodness of these lattices for channel coding is described. This is followed by Section \[sec:LDApacking\] on the packing goodness of LDA lattices. In Section \[sec:LDA\_MSEquantization\], we discuss sufficient conditions for goodness of these lattices for MSE quantization. We then prove the goodness of the duals for packing in Section \[sec:LDA\_dualpacking\], and conclude with some final remarks in Section \[sec:remarks\]. Some of the technical proofs are given in the appendices.
Notation and Basic Definitions
==============================
Notation {#sec:notation}
--------
The set of integers is denoted by $\Z$, and the set of reals by $\R$. For a prime number $p$, the symbol $\Fp$ denotes the field of integers modulo $p$. Matrices are denoted by uppercase letters, such as $A$, and column vectors by boldface lowercase letters, such as $\u$. The $\ell^2$ (or Euclidean) norm of a vector $\u$ is denoted by $\Vert \u \Vert$. The support of a vector $\u$ is the set of all coordinates of $\u$ which are not zero, and is denoted by $\mathrm{Supp}(\u)$. If $\mathcal{A}$ is a finite set, then $|\mathcal{A}|$ is the number of elements in $\mathcal{A}$. The same notation is used for the absolute value of a real number $r$ ($|r|$), but the meaning should be clear from the context. If $\cA$ and $\cB$ are two subsets of $\R^n$, and $\alpha, \beta$ are real numbers, then $\alpha\cA+\beta\cB$ is defined to be $\{ \alpha \x+\beta\y:\x\in \cA, \y\in\cB \}$. Similarly, for $\x\in \R^n$, we define $\x+\alpha \cB=\{\x+\alpha\y: \y\in\cB \}$.
We define $\cB$ to be the (closed) unit ball in $n$ dimensions centered at $\0$. For $\x\in \R^n$, and $r>0$, the $n$ dimensional closed ball in $\R^n$ centered at $\x$ and having radius $r$ is denoted by $r\cB+\x:=\{ r\u+\x:\u\in \cB \}$. We also define $V_n:=\text{vol}(\cB)$, the volume of a unit ball in $n$ dimensions.
For $0\leq a\leq 1$, $h_2(a):=-a\log_2 a-(1-a)\log_2(1-a)$ denotes the binary entropy of $a$. If $f(n)$ is a sequence indexed by $n\in \{ 1,2,3,\ldots \}$, then we say that $f(n)=o(1)$ if $f(n)\to 0$ as $n\to\infty$.
Basic Definitions {#sec:basicdefs}
-----------------
![Some important parameters of a lattice.[]{data-label="fig:latticeparam"}](Lattice_param.eps){width="10cm"}
We will state some basic definitions related to lattices. The interested reader is directed to [@Erez05; @Zamirbook] for more details. Let $A$ be a full-rank $n\times n$ matrix with real-valued entries. Then, the set of all integer-linear combinations of the columns of $A$ forms an additive group and is called an $n$-dimensional lattice, i.e., $\L=A\Z^n:=\{ A \x:\x\in \Z^n \}$. The matrix $A$ is called a *generator matrix* for $\L$. The *dual lattice* of $\L$, denoted by $\L^{*}$, is defined as $\L^*:=\{\y\in \R^n:\x^{T}\y\in \Z,\; \forall \x\in \L\}$. If $A$ is a generator matrix for $\L$, then $(A^{-1})^T$ is a generator matrix for $\L^*$.
The set of all points in $\R^n$ for which the zero vector is the closest lattice point (in terms of the $\ell^2$ norm), with ties decided according to a fixed rule, is called the *fundamental Voronoi region*, and is denoted by $\cV(\L)$. The set of all translates of $\cV(\L)$ by points in $\L$ partitions $\R^n$ into sets called *Voronoi regions*.
The *packing radius* of $\L$, $\rpack(\L)$, is the radius of the largest $n$-dimensional open ball that is contained in the fundamental Voronoi region. The *covering radius* of $\L$, $\rcov(\L)$, is the radius of the smallest closed ball that contains $\cV(\L)$. Let $\vol(\L)$ be the volume of the fundamental Voronoi region. Then, the *effective radius* of $\L$ is defined to be the radius of the $n$-dimensional ball having volume $\vol(\L)$, and is denoted by $\reff(\L)$. These parameters are illustrated for a lattice in two dimensions in Fig. \[fig:latticeparam\].
If $\L,\L_0$ are $n$-dimensional lattices satisfying $\L_0\subset \L$, then $\L_0$ is said to be *nested* within $\L$, or $\L_0$ is called a *sublattice* of $\L$. The lattice $\L$ is called the *fine lattice*, and $\L_0$ is called the *coarse lattice*. The quotient group $\L/\L_0$ has $$|\L/\L_0|=\frac{\text{vol}(\L_0)}{\text{vol}(\L)}$$ elements, and the above quantity is called the *nesting ratio*. This is equal to the number of points of $\L$ within $\cV(\L_0)$.
We now formally define the “goodness” properties that we want lattices to satisfy. A sequence of lattices, $\{\Ln \}$ (indexed by the dimension, $n$), is *good for packing* if[^3] $$\limsup_{n\to\infty}\frac{\rpack(\Ln)}{\reff(\Ln)}\geq \frac{1}{2}.$$
Lattices have been well-studied in the context of vector quantization, where the aim is to obtain a codebook of minimum rate while ensuring that the average distortion (which is the mean squared error in this case) is below a threshold. The *normalized second moment per dimension* of an $n$-dimensional lattice $\L$ is defined as $${G}(\L)=\frac{1}{n\left(\text{vol}(\L) \right)^{1+2/n}}\int_{\cV(\L)}\Vert \y \Vert^2\: d\y.
\label{eq:Glambda}$$ This is equal to the normalized second moment of a random variable (the error vector in the context of quantization) which is uniformly distributed over the fundamental Voronoi region of $\L$, and we want this to be as small as possible. The normalized second moment of any lattice is bounded from below by that of an $n$-dimensional sphere, which is equal to $1/(2\pi e)$ (see e.g., [@Erez05]). A sequence of lattices $\{\Ln\}$ is said to be *good for MSE quantization* if ${G}(\Ln)\to\frac{1}{2\pi e}$ as $n\to\infty$.
We also want to use lattices to design good codebooks for reliable transmission over additive noise channels. Classically, a lattice was defined to be good for AWGN channel coding [@Erez05] if with high probability, the closest lattice-point decoder returned the actual lattice point that was transmitted over an AWGN channel without power constraints. This notion was made slightly more general in [@Ordentlich], using the notion of semi norm-ergodic noise:
A sequence of random vectors $\{\z^{(n)}\}$ (where $\z^{(n)}$ is an $n$-dimensional random vector) having second moment per dimension $\sigma^2:=\frac{1}{n}\mathbb{E}[\Vert\z^{(n)}\Vert^2]$ for all $n$, is said to be semi norm-ergodic if for every $\delta>0$, $$\Pr[\z^{(n)}\notin (\sqrt{(1+\delta)n\sigma^2})\cB]\to 0\text{ as }n\to\infty.$$ \[def:seminorm\_ergodic\]
As remarked in [@Ordentlich], any zero-mean noise whose components are independent and identically distributed (i.i.d. ) is semi norm-ergodic. We say that a sequence of lattices $\{ \Ln \}$ is *good for coding in presence of semi norm-ergodic noise* if for every sequence of semi norm-ergodic noise vectors $\{\z^{(n)}\}$, with second moment per dimension equal to $\sigma^2:= \frac{1}{n}\mathbb{E}[\Vert\z^{(n)}\Vert^2]$, the probability that the lattice point closest to $\z^{(n)}$ is not $\0$ goes to zero as $n\to\infty$, i.e., $$\Pr[\z^{(n)}\notin \cV(\Ln)]\to 0 \text{ as }n\to\infty,$$ as long as $(\text{vol}(\Ln))^{2/n}>2\pi e \sigma^2$ for all sufficiently large $n$. An LDPC code can be defined by its parity check matrix, or by the corresponding edge-labeled Tanner graph [@RichardsonBook]. A $(\Dta_V,\Dta_C)$-regular bipartite graph $\cG=((V,C),\mathcal{E})$ is defined as an undirected bipartite graph with every left vertex (i.e., every vertex in $V$) having degree $\Dta_V$, and every right vertex (i.e., every vertex in $C$) having degree $\Dta_C$. The vertices in $V$ are also called the variable nodes, and those in $C$ are called parity check (or simply, check) nodes. If $\mathcal{A}$ is a subset of $V$ (resp. $\mathcal{A}'\subset C$), then $N(\mathcal{A})$ is the neighbourhood of $\mathcal{A}$, defined as $N(\mathcal{A}):=\{ v\in C: (u,v)\in \mathcal{E} \text{ for some }u\in \mathcal{A}\}$ (resp. $N(\mathcal{A'}):=\{ u\in V: (u,v)\in \mathcal{E}\text{ for some }v\in \mathcal{A}' \}$).
The Ensemble of LDA Lattices {#sec:LDA_ensemble}
============================
Throughout this paper, $\lba$ and $R$ are real numbers chosen so that $\lba>0$, and $1> R > 0$. For $n\in \Z^+$, define $k:=\lceil nR\rceil$. For each $n\in\Z^+$, let $p$ (which is a sequence indexed by $n$) be the smallest prime number greater than or equal to $n^\lba$, and $\Fp$ denote the field of integers modulo $p$. We study the constant-degree LDA ensemble introduced in [@lda_ita13; @diPietrothesis]. Specifically, let $\mathcal{G}$ denote a $(\Dta_V,\Dta_C)$-regular bipartite graph ($\Dta_V<\Dta_C$), with $n$ variable nodes, $\frac{n\Dta_V }{\Dta_C}$ check nodes, and satisfying $R=1-(\Dta_V/\Dta_C)$. The graph $\cG$ is required to satisfy certain expansion properties, which are stated in the definition below.
Let $A,\alpha,B,\beta$ be positive real numbers satisfying $1\leq\alpha<A$, and $\frac{1}{1-R}<\beta<\min\{ \frac{2}{1-R}, B \}$. The graph $\cG$ is said to be $(\alpha, A,\beta,B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good if
1. If $S\subset V$, and $|S|\leq \lceil \epsilon n\rceil$, then $|N(S)|\geq A|S|$.
2. If $S\subset V$, and $|S|\leq \left\lceil \frac{n(1-R)}{2\alpha} \right\rceil$, then $|N(S)|\geq \alpha |S|$.
3. If $T\subset C$, and $|T|\leq \vartheta n(1-R)$, then, $|N(T)|\geq B|T|$.
4. If $T\subset C$, and $|T|\leq \frac{n(1-R)}{2}$, then $|N(T)|\geq \beta |T|$.
\[defn:goodgraphs\]
The following lemma by di Pietro [@diPietrothesis] asserts that a randomly chosen graph satisfies the above properties with high probability.
Let $\cG$ be chosen uniformly at random from the standard ensemble [@RichardsonBook Definition 3.15] of $(\Dta_V,\Dta_C)$-regular bipartite graphs with $n$ variable nodes. Let $\epsilon$ and $\vartheta$ be positive constants. If $\Dta_V$ satisfies then the probability that $\cG$ is not $(\alpha, A,\beta , B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good tends to zero as $n\to\infty$. \[lemma:goodgraphs\]
[The $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA Ensemble]{}
---------------------------------
Let $\lba>0$, and $1> R> 0$ be two constants, and $n\in\{ 1,2,3,\ldots \}$. Let $p$ be the smallest prime number greater than $n^\lba$.[^4] Let $\Dta_C:=\Dta_V/(1-R)$. Let us pick a $(\Dta_V,\Dta_C)$-regular bipartite graph $\cG$ with $n$ variable nodes. Throughout the paper, we assume that the parameters of $\cG$ satisfy the hypotheses of Lemma \[lemma:goodgraphs\], and that $\cG$ is $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good. Let $\hH$ denote the $n(1-R)\times n$ parity check matrix corresponding to the Tanner graph $\cG$. We describe the LDA ensemble obtained using the Tanner graph $\cG$, which will henceforth be called the $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble.
We construct a new $n(1-R)\times n$ matrix, $H$, by replacing the $1$’s in $\hH$ with independent random variables uniformly distributed over $\Fp$. For $1\leq i\leq n(1-R)$ and $1\leq j\leq n$, let $h'_{i,j}$ be $n^2(1-R)$ i.i.d. random variables, each uniformly distributed over $\Fp$, and let $\widehat{h}_{i,j}$ be the $(i,j)$th entry of $\hH$. Then, the $(i,j)$th entry of $H$, denoted $h_{i,j}$, is given by $h_{i,j}=\widehat{h}_{i,j}h'_{i,j}$. Therefore, $h_{i,j}$ is equal to $h'_{i,j}$ if $\widehat{h}_{i,j}$ is $1$, and zero otherwise. For example, if $$\hH=\begin{pmatrix}
1 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 0\\
0 & 1 & 0 & 1 & 0 & 1\\
0 & 0 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 0\\
1 & 0 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 1
\end{pmatrix},$$ then $$H=\begin{pmatrix}
h_{11}' & h_{12}' & 0 & 0 & h_{15}' & 0\\
0 & h_{22}' & 0 & h_{24}' & 0 & h_{26}'\\
0 & 0 & h_{33}' & h_{34}' & h_{35}' & 0\\
h_{41}' & 0 & h_{43}' & 0 & 0 & h_{46}'
\end{pmatrix}.
\label{eq:H_eg}$$
Note that the “skeleton matrix” $\hH$ is fixed beforehand, and the only randomness in $H$ is in the coefficients. The matrix $H$ is therefore the parity check matrix of an $n$-length $(\Dta_V,\Dta_C)$ regular LDPC code $\cC$ over $\Fp$ with high probability (if $\lba>1$). The LDA lattice $\L$ is obtained by applying Construction A to the code $\cC$, i.e., $\L=\{\x\in \Z^n: \x\equiv \mathbf{c}\bmod p, \text{ for some } \mathbf{c}\in \cC \}$. Equivalently, if $\Phi$ denotes the natural embedding of $\Fp^n$ into $\Z^n$, then $\L=\Phi(\cC)+p\Z^n$.
![Nodes corresponding to $\mathrm{Supp}(\u)$ and $\mathbb{S}(\u)$.[]{data-label="fig:Su_graph"}](illust_Su.eps){width="7cm"}
For a given $\u\in \Fp^{n(1-R)}$, let us define $\mathbb{S}(\u)$ to be the set of all variable nodes that participate in the check equations $i$ for which the $i$th entry of $\u$ (i.e., $u_i$) is nonzero. Formally, $\mathbb{S}(\u):= \cup_{i\in \mathrm{Supp}(\u)}\mathrm{Supp}(\widehat{\h}_i)$. Equivalently, $i\in \mathbb{S}(\u)$ iff there exists $1\leq j\leq n(1-R)$ such that $u_j\neq 0$ and $\widehat{h}_{j,i}\neq 0$. This is illustrated in Fig. \[fig:Su\_graph\].
The rest of the article will be dedicated to proving the following theorem:
Let $A>2(1+R)$, $B>2(1+R)/(1-R)$, $$\epsilon=\frac{1-R}{A+1-R} \; \text{ and } \; \vartheta=\frac{1}{B(1-R)+1}.$$ Suppose that $\Dta_V$ satisfies (\[eq:Dta\_V\_condns\]), and the corresponding $\cG$ is $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good. Let $$\begin{aligned}
\lba &>\max \Bigg\{ \frac{1}{R},\frac{1}{1-R},\frac{2}{A-2(1-R)},\frac{2}{B(1-R)-2(1+R)},2\left( 1-\frac{1}{AB-1}-\frac{1}{A} \right)^{-1}, &\notag \\
&\hspace{6cm} \frac{1}{2(\alpha-1+R)} ,\frac{2B+3/2}{B(1-R)-1} \Bigg\}. &\label{eq:lambda_conditions_main}\end{aligned}$$ If we pick $\L$ at random from the $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble, then the probability that $\L$ is simultaneously good for packing, channel coding, and MSE quantization tends to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. Moreover, the probability that $\L^*$ is also simultaneously good for packing, tends to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\]
We will prove each of the goodness properties in separate sections. The conditions on the parameters of the lattice to ensure goodness for channel coding are stated in Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_awgn\]. Goodness for packing is discussed in Corollary \[theorem:LDA\_packing\], and MSE quantization in Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\]. Sufficient conditions for the packing goodness of the duals of LDA lattices are given in Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_dualpacking\]. The above theorem can then be obtained by a simple application of the union bound. But before we proceed to the main results, we will discuss some useful lemmas that we will need later on in the proofs.
Some Preliminary Lemmas {#sec:prelim_lemmas}
=======================
In this section, we record some basic results that will be used in the proofs. Recall that $V_n$ is the volume of a unit ball in $n$ dimensions. We have the following upper bound on the number of integer points within a ball of radius $r$:
Let $r>0$, $\y\in\R^n$, and $\cB$ denote the unit ball in $n$ dimensions. Then, Furthermore, if $m\leq n$, then $$|\{ \x\in \Z^n\cap r\cB: |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m \}|\leq {\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}} V_m \left( r+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2} \right)^m.$$ \[lemma:Zn\_cap\_rB\]
Recall the randomized construction of the parity check matrix $H$ from the $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good graph $\cG$, described in the previous section. Also recall that for $\u\in \Fp^{n(1-R)}$, $\mathbb{S}(\u)$ is the set of all variable nodes that participate in the check equations $i$ for which $u_i\neq 0$. We have the following result which describes the distribution of $H^T\u$.
Let $\u\in \Fp^{n(1-R)}$, and $\x\in \Fp^n$. Then, $$\Pr[H^T\u=\x]=\begin{cases}
\frac{1}{p^{|\Su|}} &\text{ if }\mathrm{Supp}(\x)\subset \Su \\
0 & \text{else.}
\end{cases}$$ \[lemma:PrHu\_x\]
Let $\y:= H^T\u$. The $j$th entry of $\y$ is given by $y_j=\sum_{i=1}^{n(1-R)}h_{ij}u_i$. Consider any $j\in (\Su)^c$. From the definition of $\Su$, it is easy to see that the $j$th variable node does not participate in any of the parity check equations indexed by $\mathrm{Supp}(\u)$. Hence, $h_{ij}=0$ whenever $u_i\neq 0$. Therefore, $y_j=0$. On the other hand, if $j\in \Su$, then there exists at least one $i$ such that $h_{ij}\neq 0$. So, $y_j=\sum_{i\in\mathrm{Supp}(\u)}h_{ij}u_i$, being a nontrivial linear combination of independent and uniformly distributed random variables, is also uniformly distributed over $\Fp$. Moreover, it is easy to see that the $y_j$’s are independent. Therefore, $$\Pr[y_j=a]=\begin{cases}
1/p & \text{ if } j\in \Su\\
0 & \text { if } j\notin \Su \text{ and }a\neq 0\\
1 & \text{ if } j\notin \Su \text{ and }a=0.
\end{cases}$$
This completes the proof.
Recall that $H$ defines a linear code over $\Fp$, where $p$ is the smallest prime greater than $n^\lba$. The following lemma, proved in Appendix A, gives a lower bound on the probability of a randomly chosen $H$ not having full rank.
If $B>2+(1+\dta)/\lba$ for some $\delta>0$, then $$\Pr[H \text{ is not full-rank }]\leq n^{-(2\lba+\dta)}(1+o(1)).$$ \[lemma:LDA\_fullrank\]
We now proceed to prove the various goodness properties of LDA lattices.
Goodness for Channel Coding {#sec:channelcoding}
===========================
Recall that a sequence of lattices $\{ \Ln \}$ is good for coding in presence of semi norm-ergodic noise if for any sequence of semi norm-ergodic noise vectors $\{\z^{(n)}\}$, with second moment per dimension equal to $\sigma^2:= \frac{1}{n}\mathbb{E}[\Vert\z^{(n)}\Vert^2]$, $$\Pr[\z^{(n)}\notin \cV(\Ln)]\to 0 \text{ as }n\to\infty$$ as long as $(\text{vol}(\Ln))^{2/n}>2\pi e \sigma^2$ for all sufficiently large $n$. But we have $$(\text{vol}(\Ln))^{2/n}=(\reff(\Ln))^2V_n^{2/n}=(\reff(\Ln))^2\frac{2\pi e}{n}(1+o(1))$$ using Stirling’s approximation. Therefore, we can equivalently say that a sequence of lattices is good for coding in presence of semi norm-ergodic noise if $\Pr[\z^{(n)}\notin \cV(\Ln)]\to 0$ as $n\to\infty$ as long as $\reff(\Ln)\geq \sqrt{n\sigma^2}(1-o(1))$. Note that if the noise is assumed to be i.i.d. Gaussian, then the above definition is weaker than the definition of AWGN (or Poltyrev) goodness defined in [@Erez05], since the probability $\Pr[\z^{(n)}\notin \cV(\Ln)]$ is not required to go to zero exponentially in $n$. However, the above definition covers a much wider class of noise distributions. In particular, the “effective noise” that is present in the equivalent modulo-lattice additive noise channel in the compute-and-forward protocol [@Nazer11] is semi norm-ergodic, as discussed in [@Ordentlich].
The following result was proved by di Pietro:
Let $\L$ be a lattice chosen uniformly at random from a $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble, where $\cG$ is $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good, and (\[eq:Dta\_V\_condns\]) is satisfied. If $$\lba>\max\left\{\frac{1}{2(\alpha-1+R)},\frac{3}{2(A-1+R)},\frac{1}{B(1-R)-1} \right\},$$ then the probability that $\L$ is good for coding in presence of semi norm-ergodic noise tends to 1 as $n\to\infty$. \[theorem:LDA\_awgn\]
For semi norm-ergodic noise $\{\z^{(n)}\}$, we have for every $\delta>0$, $\Pr[\z^{(n)}\notin (\sqrt{(1+\delta)n\sigma^2})\cB]\to 0$ as $n\to\infty$. To prove that $\{ \Ln\}$ is good for coding, it is then enough to show the absence of nonzero lattice points within a ball of radius $\sqrt{(1+\delta)n\sigma^2}$ around $\z$, for all $n\sigma^2<(\reff(\Ln))^2$ and all sufficiently large $n$. In [@diPietrothesis], di Pietro proved the following statement, thus establishing Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_awgn\], and hence showing that LDA lattices are good for channel coding: For every $\mathbf{z}\in \sqrt{(1+\delta)n\nsvar}\cB$, $$\sum_{\x\in \Z^n\cap (r_n \cB+\mathbf{z})\backslash p\Z^n}\Pr[\x\in\L]\to 0 \text{ as }n\to\infty,
\label{eq:LDA_awgngood}$$ where $r_n=\reff(\Ln)(1+\delta_n)$, and $\delta_n\to 0$ as $n\to\infty$.
Goodness for Packing {#sec:LDApacking}
====================
Recall that $\{\Ln\}$ is good for packing if $$\limsup_{n\to\infty}\frac{\rpack(\Ln)}{\reff(\Ln)}\geq \frac{1}{2}.$$ The packing goodness of LDA lattices follows as a corollary to Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_awgn\].
Let $\L$ be a lattice chosen uniformly at random from a $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble, where $\cG$ is $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good, and (\[eq:Dta\_V\_condns\]) is satisfied. Furthermore, let $$\lba>\max\left\{\frac{1}{2(\alpha-1+R)},\frac{3}{2(A-1+R)},\frac{1}{B(1-R)-1} \right\}.$$ Then, the probability that $\L$ is good for packing tends to 1 as $n\to\infty$. \[theorem:LDA\_packing\]
Let us choose $r_n=\reff(\L)(1-\delta_n)$, where $\delta_n$ is a quantity that goes to $0 $ as $n\to\infty$. We want to prove that $$\Pr[\rpack(\L)< r_n/2]\to 0 \text{ as } n\to\infty.$$ It is enough to show that the probability of any nonzero integer point within $r_n\cB$ belonging to $\L$ goes to zero as $n\to\infty$, i.e., $$\sum_{\x\in \Z^n\cap r_n \cB\backslash\{ \0\}}\Pr[\x\in\L]\to 0 \text{ as }n\to\infty$$ This requirement is similar to (\[eq:LDA\_awgngood\]), and the rest of the proof of packing goodness of LDA lattices follows, *mutatis mutandis*, on similar lines as that for goodness for channel coding.
Goodness for MSE Quantization {#sec:LDA_MSEquantization}
=============================
In nested lattice coding for power constrained transmission over Gaussian channels, the codebook is generally the set of all points of the fine lattice within the fundamental Voronoi region of the coarse lattice. Hence, the fine lattice determines the codeword points, while the coarse lattice defines the shaping region. In order to maximize the rate for a given power constraint, we want the shaping region to be approximately spherical. The loss in rate (penalty for not using a spherical shaping region) is captured by the normalized second moment, $G(\L)$, of the coarse lattice $\L$, and in order to minimize this loss, we want $G(\L)$ to be as close to the asymptotic normalized second moment of a sphere as possible. As defined in Section \[sec:basicdefs\], $\{\Ln\}$ is good for MSE quantization if ${G}(\Ln)\to\frac{1}{2\pi e}$ as $n\to\infty$. In this section, we will prove the following result:
Let $A>2(1+R)$ and $B>2(1+R)/(1-R)$. Fix $$\epsilon=\frac{1-R}{A+1-R} \; \text{ and } \; \vartheta=\frac{1}{B(1-R)+1}.$$ Suppose that $\Dta_V$ satisfies the conditions of Lemma \[lemma:goodgraphs\], and $\cG$ is $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good. Furthermore, let $$\lba>\max \left\{ \frac{1}{R},\frac{1}{1-R},\frac{2}{A-2(1+R)},\frac{2}{B(1-R)-2(1+R)},2\left( 1-\frac{1}{AB-1}-\frac{1}{A} \right)^{-1} \right\}.
\label{eq:lambda_conditions}$$ Let $\L$ be randomly chosen from a $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble. Then, the probability that $\L$ is good for MSE quantization tends to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\]
To prove the theorem, we will show that for every positive $\delta_1,\delta_2$, and all sufficiently large $n$, $$\Pr\left[G(\L)>\frac{1}{2\pi e}+\delta_1\right]\leq \delta_2.
\label{eq:MSEquantization_main}$$ Since $G(\L)>1/(2\pi e)$ for all $\L$ [@Erez05], the above statement guarantees the existence of a sequence of lattices, $\{\Ln\}$, for which $G(\Ln)\to 1/(2\pi e)$ as $n\to\infty$. Our proof of the above inequality is based on the techniques used in [@Ordentlich] and [@diPietrothesis]. For a lattice $\L$, and $\x\in \R^n$, we define $d(\x,\L):=\min_{\y\in \L}\Vert \x-\y\Vert$ to be the Euclidean distance between $\x$ and the closest point in $\L$ to $\x$. For ease of notation, let us define $r:=\reff(\L)$. Our proof of inequality (\[eq:MSEquantization\_main\]), and hence Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\], will make use of the following lemmas, which are proved in Appendix B.
Suppose that the hypotheses of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\] are satisfied. Let $\L$ be drawn uniformly at random from a $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble, and $X$ be a random vector uniformly distributed over $\cV(\L)$. Then, $$\bE_{\L}[G(\L)]\leq \bE_{\L,X}\left[\frac{d^{2}(X,\L)}{n(\textnormal{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\Bigg| H\text{ is full rank}\right] +o(1).
\label{eq:MSEgood_lemma1}$$ \[lemma:MSEgood\_1\]
Suppose that the hypotheses of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\] are satisfied. Let $0<\omega<1$. There exists a $\dta>0$ so that for every $\x\in\R^n$, $$\Pr\left[ d(\x,\L)>r\left( 1+\frac{1}{n^\omega} \right)\Bigg| H\text{ is full rank} \right] \leq \frac{1}{n^{2\lba R+\dta}}(1+o(1)).
\label{eq:dxL_bound}$$ \[lemma:dxL\_bound\]
Let $U$ be a random vector uniformly distributed over $[0,p)^n$, and $X$ be uniformly distributed over $\cV(\L)$. Then, $$\mathbb{E}_{\L}\mathbb{E}_{X}[d^2(X,\L)|H\text{ is full rank}]=\mathbb{E}_{U}\mathbb{E}_{\L}[d^2(U,\L)|H\text{ is full rank}].$$ \[lemma:ELX\_EUL\]
Recall that to prove the theorem, it is enough to prove inequality (\[eq:MSEquantization\_main\]). To this end, we will show that the first term in (\[eq:MSEgood\_lemma1\]) tends to $1/(2\pi e)$ as $n\to\infty$. We will use Lemma \[lemma:dxL\_bound\] to bound this term.
Recall that $r=\reff(\L)$. Since (\[eq:dxL\_bound\]) holds for all $\x\in \R^n$, we can say that for any random vector $U$ (having density function $f$) over $\R^n$, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\Pr\big[d(U,\L) >r(1+n^{-\omega})\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big] &=\int_{\R^n} \Pr\big[d(\u,\L)>r(1+n^{-\omega})\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big]f(\u)d\u & \notag \\
&\leq n^{-(2\lba R+\dta)}(1+o(1)). &\notag\end{aligned}$$ Let us define $\rho =r(1+n^{-\omega})$. For any $\u\in \R^n$, and any Construction-A lattice $\L$, we have $d(\u,\L)\leq p\sqrt{n}/2$. Then, for any distribution on $U$, $$\begin{aligned}
\mathbb{E}_{U}\mathbb{E}_{\L}\big[d^2(U,\L)\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big] &\leq \rho^2 \Pr\big[d(U,\L)\leq \rho\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big] &\notag \\
&\qquad\qquad +\frac{p^2n}{4}\Pr\big[d(U,\L)>\rho\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big] &\notag \\
&\leq \rho^2\left( 1+ \frac{p^2 n}{4\rho^2}\frac{1}{n^{2\lba R+\dta}}(1+o(1))\right) .&\notag\end{aligned}$$ Substituting $\rho=\frac{n^{\lba (1-R)+1/2}}{\sqrt{2\pi e}}(1+o(1))$, $$\begin{aligned}
\mathbb{E}_{U}\mathbb{E}_{\L}\big[d^2(U,\L)\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big] &\leq \rho^2 \left( 1+n^{2\lba+1} \frac{2\pi e}{4n^{2\lba(1-R)+1}}\frac{1}{n^{2\lba R+\dta}}(1+o(1)) \right) &\notag\\
&= \rho^2 \left(1+ \frac{\pi e}{2n^{\dta}}(1+o(1))\right)&\notag \\
&= r^2 (1+o(1)). &\label{eq:EUL_bound}\end{aligned}$$
From (\[eq:EUL\_bound\]) and Lemma \[lemma:ELX\_EUL\], we have $$\mathbb{E}_{\L}\mathbb{E}_{X}\big[d^2(U,\L)\big|H\text{ is full rank}\big]\leq r^2 (1+o(1)).$$ Recall that $V_n$ denotes the volume of an $n$-dimensional unit ball. Using Stirling’s approximation, we get, $$V_n^{1/n}=\left( \frac{\pi^{n/2}}{\Gamma(n/2+1)} \right)^{1/n}= \frac{\sqrt{2\pi e}}{n^{1/2}}(1+o(1)).$$ Therefore, $$n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}=(\reff(\L))^2 2\pi e(1+o(1))=r^2 2\pi e(1+o(1))$$ and hence, $$\mathbb{E}_{\L}\mathbb{E}_{X}\left[\frac{d^2(U,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\Bigg|H\text{ is full rank}\right]\leq \frac{1}{2\pi e}(1+o(1)).$$ Using this, and Lemma \[lemma:MSEgood\_1\], we can write $$\mathbb{E}[G(\L)] \leq \frac{1}{2\pi e} (1+\delta(n)),
\label{eq:msegood_1}$$ where $\delta(n)$ is a quantity that goes to $0$ as $n\to \infty$. We also have $G(\L)>1/(2\pi e)$ for all $\L$. For any $\gamma>0$, we can write $$\begin{aligned}
\mathbb{E}[G(\L)]&\geq \frac{1}{2\pi e}\Pr\left[\frac{1}{2\pi e}<G(\L)\leq \frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right] +\left(\frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right)\Pr\left[G(\L)> \frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right]&\notag \\
&= \frac{1}{2\pi e}\left( 1-\Pr\left[G(\L)> \frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right]\right) +\left(\frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right)\Pr\left[G(\L)> \frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right]&\notag \\
&=\frac{1}{2\pi e}+ \gamma \Pr\left[G(\L)> \frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right], &\notag\end{aligned}$$ and hence, $$\Pr\left[G(\L)> \frac{1}{2\pi e}+\gamma\right]\leq \frac{\mathbb{E}[G(\L)]-1/(2\pi e)}{\gamma}$$ Since the above inequality holds for every $\gamma>0$, we can choose, for e.g., $\gamma=\sqrt{\delta(n)}$, and use (\[eq:msegood\_1\]) to obtain $$\Pr\left[G(\L)>\frac{1}{2\pi e}+\sqrt{\delta(n)}\right]\leq \sqrt{\delta(n)}\to 0 \text{ as } n\to\infty.$$ Therefore, we can conclude that the probability of choosing an LDA lattice which is good for MSE quantization tends to $1$ as $n\to\infty$.
Packing Goodness of the Duals of LDA Lattices {#sec:LDA_dualpacking}
=============================================
Recall that $\rpack(\L)$ denotes the packing radius of $\L$, and that a sequence of lattices $\{ \Ln \}$ is good for packing if $$\frac{\rpack(\Ln)}{\reff(\Ln)}\geq \frac{1}{2} -o(1).$$
Our motivation for studying the properties of the dual of a lattice comes from [@Vatedka13], where a nested lattice coding scheme was presented for compute-and-forward in a bidirectional relay network with an untrusted relay. In this problem, two users want to exchange messages with each other, with all communication taking place via an honest-but-curious bidirectional relay. The users operate under an average transmission power constraint of $P$, and the links between the users and the relay are AWGN channels with noise variance $\nsvar$. The messages have to be reliably exchanged (the probability of decoding error should go to zero asymptotically in the blocklength), but kept secret from the relay. To be more specific, the signals received by the relay have to be statistically independent of the individual messages. This requirement is also called perfect (or Shannon) secrecy. It was shown in [@Vatedka13] that if the fine lattices are good for AWGN channel coding, the coarse lattices are good for MSE quantization, and the duals of the coarse lattices are good for packing, then a rate of $\frac{1}{2}\log_2\frac{P}{\nsvar}-\log_2(2e)$ can be achieved with perfect secrecy. This motivates us to construct lattices whose duals are good for packing. In this section, we will prove the following result.
Let $\cG$ be an $(\alpha, A,\beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good $(\Dta_V,\Dta_C)$-regular bipartite graph whose parameters satisfy the hypotheses of Lemma \[lemma:goodgraphs\]. If $$\lba>\max\left\{\frac{1}{2(1-R)}, \:\frac{2B+3/2}{B(1-R)-1}\right\},$$ then the dual of a randomly chosen lattice from a $(\cG,\lba)$ LDA ensemble is good for packing with probability tending to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. \[theorem:LDA\_dualpacking\]
If $\L$ is a lattice obtained by applying Construction A to a linear code $\cC$, and if $\L^*$ is the dual of $\L$, then, $\frac{1}{p}\L^*$ is obtained by applying Construction A to the dual code, $\cC^{\perp}$ (see [@Vatedka13 Lemma 27] for a proof). To show that the duals of LDA lattices are good for packing, it is enough to show that the Construction-A lattices generated by the duals of the nonbinary LDPC codes ($\cC$) are good for packing.
Note that $H$ (a parity check matrix for $\cC$) is a generator matrix for $\cC^{\perp}$. Let $\L'$ be the lattice obtained by applying Construction A on $\cC^{\perp}$. We will prove that $\L'$ is good for packing. The lattice $\L'$ contains $p\Z^n$ as a sublattice, and the nesting ratio is $p^{n(1-R)}$ if $H$ is full-rank. The volume of $\cV(\L')$ is equal to the ratio of the volume of $p\Z^n$ to the nesting ratio, and hence, $$\vol(\L')=\frac{p^n}{p^{n(1-R)}}=p^{nR}.$$ Recall that $V_n$ is the volume of the unit ball in $n$ dimensions. The effective radius of $\L'$ can therefore be written as, $$\reff(\L')=\frac{p^R}{(V_n)^{1/n}}.
\label{eq:reff_dual}$$ Let us define $$r_n:= \frac{p^R}{V_n^{1/n}}\zeta_n,
\label{eq:rn_defn}$$ where $\zeta_n$ is a term that goes to $1$ as $n\to\infty$, defined as follows: $$\zeta_n=\frac{1}{n^{4/n}}\left(\frac{ C_1}{e(1-R)\ln n} \right)^{\frac{4C_1}{(1-R)\ln n}} \left(1-\frac{C_1}{(1-R)\ln n}\right)^{2}.
\label{eq:zetan_defn}$$ Here, $$C_1:=\frac{\ln\left( \frac{8}{1-(1-R)/(2\alpha)} \right)}{\lba(1-(1-R)/\alpha)}.
\label{eq:C1_defn}$$
We want to prove that the probability $\Pr[\rpack(\L')<\reff(\L')/2]\to 0$ as $n\to\infty$. We will show that the probability of finding a nonzero lattice point within a ball of radius $r_n$ centered at $\0$ goes to zero as $n\to\infty$.
Since $p\Z^n$ is always a sublattice of $\L'$, we must ensure that $\reff(\L')<p$. Substituting for $\reff(\L')$ from (\[eq:reff\_dual\]), we can see that $\reff(\L')<p$ is satisfied for all sufficiently large $n$ as long as $\lba>\frac{1}{2(1-R)}$, which is guaranteed by the hypothesis of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_dualpacking\].
We want $$\Pr\left[ \exists \u\in \Fp^{n(1-R)}\backslash\{ \0 \}:H^T\u \in (\Z^n\cap r_n\cB)\bmod p\Z^n \right]\to 0 \text{ as }n\to\infty.$$ Instead, we will prove the following (stronger) statement. $$\sum_{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\backslash\{ \0\}}\Pr\left[ H^T\u \in (\Z^n\cap r_n\cB)\bmod p\Z^n \right]\to 0 \text{ as }n\to\infty.$$ The summation in the above statement can be expanded as follows: $$\begin{aligned}
&\sum_{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\backslash\{ \0\}}\Pr\left[ H^T\u \in (\Z^n\cap r_n\cB)\bmod p\Z^n \right]&\notag \\
&\quad =\sum_{t=1}^{n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}}\Pr\left[ H^T\u \in (\Z^n\cap r_n\cB)\bmod p\Z^n \right]&\notag \\
&\quad =\sum_{t=1}^{n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}}\sum_{s=1}^{n}\sum_{\substack{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB \\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|=s}}\Pr[H^T\u \equiv \x\bmod p]. &\label{eq:prpack_1}
\end{aligned}$$
Fix $\u\in \Fp^{n(1-R)}$. Recall, from Section \[sec:LDA\_ensemble\], that $\mathbb{S}(\u)$ is the set of all variable nodes that participate in the check equations $i$ for which $u_i\neq 0$. For $S\subset\{ 1,2,\ldots,n \}$, define $\mathbf{1}_S(\Su)$ to be the function that takes the value $1$ if $\Su=S$, and zero otherwise. Note that this is a deterministic function of $\u$ since $\hH$ is fixed beforehand. Let us also define $\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)$ to be the function which takes the value $1$ if $|\Su|=m$, and zero otherwise. Using Lemma \[lemma:PrHu\_x\], we have $$\begin{aligned}
\Pr[H^T \u \equiv \x\bmod p] &= \begin{cases}
\frac{1}{p^{|\Su|}} & \text{if }\Supp(\x)\subset \Su \\
0 &\text{otherwise.}
\end{cases} &\notag \\
&\leq \frac{1}{p^{|\Su|}} &\notag \\
&= \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su) \frac{1}{p^m}. &\notag
\end{aligned}$$
We use this in (\[eq:prpack\_1\]) to obtain $$\begin{aligned}
&\sum_{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\backslash\{ \0\}}\Pr\left[ H^T\u \in (\Z^n\cap r_n\cB)\bmod p\Z^n \right] &\notag \\
&\quad \leq\sum_{t=1}^{n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)\frac{1}{p^m}
\sum_{s=1}^{m} \sum_{\substack{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB \\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|=s}}1&\notag \\
&\quad =\sum_{t=1}^{n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert .&\label{eq:LDAdualpacking_step1}\end{aligned}$$ In Appendix C, we show that the above quantity goes to zero as $n\to\infty$. Therefore, the probability that the dual of a randomly chosen LDA lattice is good for packing goes to 1 as $n\to\infty$, completing the proof of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_dualpacking\].
Remarks {#sec:remarks}
=======
We now make some observations regarding our results and their applications to several problems. We first discuss the extension of our results to nested lattices, and then make some remarks regarding the choice of parameters, before concluding with some open problems.
Construction of Nested Lattices
-------------------------------
The main result of our paper, namely Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\], shows that a randomly chosen LDA lattice satisfies the desired “goodness” properties with high probability. In applications such as compute-and-forward, and coding for the power constrained AWGN channel, we need *nested lattices* which satisfy the necessary properties. Different nested lattice constructions have been proposed [@Erez04; @Nazer11; @Ordentlich], and we briefly describe the construction by Ordentlich and Erez [@Ordentlich] here, since the results presented in this paper can be easily extended to nested lattices using their construction.
Choose a $k_c\times n$ parity check matrix, $H_c$, over $\Fp$. Let $\cC_c$ be the linear code that has parity check matrix $H_c$. Let $H_f$ be the $k_f\times n$ parity check matrix ($k_f<k_c$) that consists of the first $k_f$ rows of $H_c$, and $\cC_f$ denote the corresponding linear code. Clearly, $\cC_c$ is a subcode of $\cC_f$. If $\L_c$ and $\L_f$ are lattices obtained by applying Construction A to $\cC_c$ and $\cC_f$ respectively, then $\L_c\subset \L_f$, with nesting ratio $p^{k_f-k_c}$ if the rows of $H_c$ are linearly independent. The parity check matrix $H_c$ can be chosen so that the Tanner graphs corresponding to both $\cC_c$ and $\cC_f$ have the required expansion properties [@diPietrothesis Section 4.3]. As long as $\lba$ and the parameters of the Tanner graph are chosen appropriately, the lattice $\L_c$ satisfies the goodness properties with probability tending to $1$ as $n\to\infty$. Also, $\L_f$ satisfies the goodness properties with high probability. Using the union bound, we can argue that $\L_c$ and $\L_f$ simultaneously satisfy the goodness properties with probability tending to $1$ as $n\to\infty$.
With this construction, we can use Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\] to conclude that nested LDA lattices achieve the capacity of the power constrained AWGN channel, the capacity of the dirty paper channel, and the rates guaranteed by the compute-and-forward protocol [@Nazer11]. Furthermore, they can also be used for secure bidirectional relaying, and achieve the rates guaranteed by [@Vatedka13]. However, all of this is guaranteed under the assumption of a *closest lattice-point decoder* being used at the destination/relay. Although these lattices were empirically shown to give low error probability over the AWGN channel (without power constraints), their performance with belief propagation decoding still requires further study.
Choice of Parameters and Complexity of the BP Decoder
-----------------------------------------------------
Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\] gives sufficient conditions on the parameters required to obtain the structural goodness properties of a randomly chosen LDA lattice. In practice, one would want to optimize over the parameters in Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\] to reduce the decoding complexity. At this point, we can only say that the achievability results for the various communication problems are valid with the assumption that a closest lattice-point decoder is used. However, in practice, we would want to use a belief propagation decoder instead. If this is done, then the decoding complexity would be roughly of the order of $np\log p$ ($p$ messages need to be computed at each node, this having complexity $O(p\log p)$, and there are $O(n)$ nodes). Therefore, it is necessary to choose the smallest $p$ for which the conditions of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_simultaneousgoodness\] are satisfied. Note that the condition $\lba>\frac{2B+3/2}{B(1-R)-1}$ means that we should always have $\lba>2/(1-R)$. Choosing $R=1/3$, we can make the lower bound on $\lba$ close to $3$ by appropriately choosing $A$ and $B$. This means that the decoding complexity would be roughly of the order of $n^4\log n$. Although this means that we can decode in polynomial time, this complexity is still high when compared to the decoding complexity of the lattices presented in [@Sommer; @Yan13]. However, it is still not known whether the lattices in [@Sommer; @Yan13] have all the “goodness” properties that the LDA lattices satisfy.
Some Future Directions {#sec:conclusions}
----------------------
As remarked earlier, the study of BP decoders for LDA lattices requires further investigation, and empirical evidence suggests that LDA lattices perform well with BP decoding. Another key point to note is that we required $p$ to grow polynomially in $n$ to obtain the aforementioned goodness properties. Large values of $p$ translate to higher BP decoding complexity, and it would be useful to study the structural properties of LDA lattices over fields of smaller sizes. Empirical results by [@diPietrothesis; @lda_ita13] suggest that it may be possible to get good error performance over the AWGN channel (without power constraints) even with moderate field sizes. This suggests that it may be possible to tighten the arguments presented in this paper and obtain better bounds on the parameters of the LDA lattices needed to guarantee the desired properties.
In this article, we did not discuss two important “goodness” properties, namely covering goodness, and secrecy goodness [@Ling13] of LDA lattices. The property of secrecy goodness was crucially used in designing nested lattice codes for the wiretap channel in [@Ling13], and for strongly secure bidirectional relaying in [@Vatedka13]. Whether LDA lattices satisfy these properties is left as future work.
Acknowledgements
================
The authors would like to thank Gilles Zémor for useful discussions. The work of the first author was supported in part by the Tata Consultancy Services Research Scholarship Program.
Appendix A: Proof of Lemma \[lemma:LDA\_fullrank\] {#appendix-a-proof-of-lemmalemmalda_fullrank .unnumbered}
==================================================
We will prove that the probability that there is any nontrivial linear combination of the rows of $H$ equal to zero tends to $0$ as $n\to\infty$. Let $\h_i$ denote the $i$th row of $H$. For any $S\subseteq\{ 1,2,\ldots,n(1-R) \}$, we define $$\chi_S = \begin{cases}
1 & \text{if there exist }\{ a_i:i\in S,a_i\in \Fp\backslash\{0\} \} \text{ such that } \sum_{i\in S}a_i\mathbf{h}_i=\0 \\
0 & \text{otherwise.}
\end{cases}$$ Let us also define $$Y = \sum_{s=1}^{n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{S\subset\{ 1,2,\ldots,n(1-R) \}\\ |S|=s}}\chi_S$$ Clearly, $H$ is full rank if and only if $Y=0$. Using Markov’s inequality, we see that $$\Pr[Y\geq 1]\leq \mathbb{E}[Y].$$ Therefore, it is enough to find an upper bound on the expectation of $Y$. Let $$\eta(S) = |\cup_{i\in S}\mathrm{Supp}(\h_i)|.$$ In other words, $\eta(S)$ is the number of variable nodes that participate in the parity check equations indexed by $S$. This is also equal to the number of neighbours of $S$ in $\cG$, i.e., $|N(S)|$. Observe that there are at most $p^{s-1}$ different linear combinations (not counting scalar multiples) of $s$ rows of $H$. Using Lemma \[lemma:PrHu\_x\], the probability that a fixed linear combination of the $S$ rows of $H$ is zero is equal to $1/p^{\eta(S)}$. Using the union bound, $$\Pr[\chi_S=1]\leq \frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{\eta(S)}}.$$ Therefore, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\bE[Y] &\leq \sum_{s=1}^{n(1-R)} \sum_{\substack{S\subset\{ 1,2,\ldots,n(1-R) \}\\ |S|=s}}\frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{\eta(S)}} &\notag \\
& = \sum_{s=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)} \sum_{\substack{S\subset\{ 1,2,\ldots,n(1-R) \}\\ |S|=s}}\frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{\eta(S)}}+\sum_{s=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2} \sum_{\substack{S\subset\{ 1,2,\ldots,n(1-R) \}\\ |S|=s}}\frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{\eta(S)}} &\notag \\
& \qquad\qquad\qquad + \sum_{s=n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R)} \sum_{\substack{S\subset\{ 1,2,\ldots,n(1-R) \}\\ |S|=s}}\frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{\eta(S)}} &\notag \end{aligned}$$ It is easy to show that for every $S\subset C$, we have $\eta(S)=|N(S)|\geq |S|/(1-R)$. Using properties (R1) and (R2) of the superexpanders, and the above fact, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\bE[Y] & \leq \sum_{s=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}{\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{Bs}} + \sum_{s=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}{\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{\beta s}} &\notag \\
& \qquad \qquad\qquad +\sum_{s=n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R)}{\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}} \frac{p^{s-1}}{p^{s/(1-R)}}, &\notag$$ We can further simplify this as follows, $$\begin{aligned}
\bE[Y] &\leq \sum_{s=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)} n^s \frac{n^{\lba (s-1)}}{n^{\lba Bs}} + \sum_{s=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}2^n\frac{n^{\lba(s-1)}}{n^{\lba\beta s}} +\sum_{s=n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R)}2^n \frac{n^{\lba(s-1)}}{n^{\lba s/(1-R)}} & \notag \\
&\leq \sum_{s=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)} n^{s(1+\lba (1-B))-\lba} + n^{-c_1 n}(1+o(1)) &\notag \\
&= n^{(1+\lba (1-B))-\lba}(1+o(1))+ n^{-c_1 n}(1+o(1)),&\label{eq:EX_upperbound} \end{aligned}$$ for some constant $c_1>0$, since $\beta$ and $1/(1-R)$ are greater than $1$, and $B>1+1/\lba$. Suppose that for some constant $\dta>0$, we have $B>2+(1+\dta)/\lba$. Then, $(1+\lba (1-B))-\lba<-(2\lba+\dta)$, and therefore, $$\bE[Y] \leq n^{-(2\lba+\dta)}(1+o(1)).$$ Therefore, $\Pr[Y\geq 1]$, and hence the probability that $H$ is not full rank, goes to zero as $n\to\infty$. [**[Remark:]{}**]{} To prove that $\bE[Y]\to 0$ in (\[eq:EX\_upperbound\]), it is sufficient to have $B>1+1/\lba$. The expected value of $Y$, and subsequently $\Pr[H \text{ is not full-rank}]$ could then be bounded from above by $n^{-(\lba+\dta)}(1+o(1))$. However, we need $\Pr[H \text{ is not full-rank}]$ to be less than $n^{-(2\lba+\dta)}(1+o(1))$ to prove that LDA lattices are good for MSE quantization (in particular, to show that the second term in (\[eq:EGl\_ubound\]) goes to zero), and hence we impose the stronger condition that $B>2+1/\lba$.
Appendix B {#appendixb .unnumbered}
==========
Proof of Lemma \[lemma:MSEgood\_1\]
-----------------------------------
Recall that $V_n$ denotes the volume of an $n$-dimensional unit ball. Using Stirling’s approximation, we get, $$V_n^{1/n}=\left( \frac{\pi^{n/2}}{\Gamma(n/2+1)} \right)^{1/n}= \frac{\sqrt{2\pi e}}{n^{1/2}}(1+o(1)).
\label{eq:Vn_Stirlingapprox}$$ For any Construction-A lattice $\L$, we have $p\Z^n\subset \L$. If $H$ is full-rank, then the number of points of $\L$ in $[0,p)^n$, (and therefore, within $\cV(p\Z^n)$) is equal to $p^{nR}$, which is $|\L/p\Z^n|$. Since $|\L/p\Z^n|=\text{vol}(p\Z^n)/\text{vol}(\L)$, we get $\text{vol}(\L)=p^{n(1-R)}$. Therefore, $$\reff(\L)=\left( \frac{\text{vol}(\L)}{V_n} \right)^{1/n}=\frac{n^{\lba (1-R)+1/2}}{\sqrt{2\pi e}}(1+o(1)).$$ For any $\x\in\R^n$, we have $d(\x,\L)=\min_{\y\in\L}\Vert \y-\x \Vert$ to be the distance between $\x$ and the closest point in $\L$ to $\x$. Recall that $X$ is a random vector uniformly distributed over the fundamental Voronoi region of $\L$. The normalized second moment of $\L$ is then equal to $$G(\L)=\mathbb{E}_X\left[ \frac{d^2(X,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}} \right].$$ We can write $$\begin{aligned}
\bE_{\L}[G(\L)] &= \bE_{\L}[G(\L)| H\text{ is full rank}]\Pr[ H\text{ is full rank}] &\notag \\
& \qquad \qquad + \bE_{\L}[G(\L)| H\text{ is not full rank}]\Pr[ H\text{ is not full rank}] & \notag \\
&= \bE_{\L,X}\left[\frac{d^{2}(X,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\Bigg| H\text{ is full rank}\right]\Pr[ H\text{ is full rank}] &\notag \\
& \qquad + \bE_{\L,X}\left[\frac{d^{2}(X,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\Bigg| H\text{ is not full rank}\right]\Pr[ H\text{ is not full rank}] &\label{eq:msegoodness1} \end{aligned}$$ Since $p\Z^n\subset \L$, we have for every $\x\in\R^n$, $d(\x,\L)\leq d(\x,p\Z^n)\leq p\sqrt{n}/2$. Additionally, since $\L\subset \Z^n$, we have $\text{vol}(\L)\geq \text{vol}(\Z^n)=1$. Hence, we can say that for any Construction-A lattice, $$\frac{d^{2}(X,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\leq \frac{p^{2}}{4}
\label{eq:Glambda_ConstAbound}$$ with probability $1$. Let $\delta$ be a positive constant that satisfies $\delta<\lba(B-2)-1$. From the hypotheses of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\], we have $B>2(1+R)/(1-R)$, and $\lba>1/R$. This guarantees that $\lba(B-2)-1>4/(1-R)-1>0$, and hence, we can choose a $\delta>0$. Using Lemma \[lemma:LDA\_fullrank\], we can bound $\Pr[ H\text{ is not full rank}]$ from above by $n^{-2\lba-\delta}$. Using this and (\[eq:Glambda\_ConstAbound\]) in (\[eq:msegoodness1\]), and the fact that $\Pr[ H\text{ is full rank}]\leq 1$, we obtain $$\begin{aligned}
\bE_{\L}[G(\L)] &\leq \bE_{\L,X}\left[\frac{d^{2}(X,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\Bigg| H\text{ is full rank}\right] + \frac{p^2}{4}\frac{1}{n^{2\lba+\dta}} &\notag \\
&= \bE_{\L,X}\left[\frac{d^{2}(X,\L)}{n(\text{vol}(\L))^{2/n}}\Bigg| H\text{ is full rank}\right] +o(1), &\label{eq:EGl_ubound}\end{aligned}$$ thus completing the proof.
Proof of Lemma \[lemma:dxL\_bound\]
-----------------------------------
Recall that $r:=\reff(\L)$. We want to show that for some $\delta>0$, the probability $\Pr[ d(\x,\L)>r( 1+n^{-\omega} )| H\text{ is full rank} ]$ goes to zero faster than $n^{-2\lba R+\delta}$. The proof is along the same lines as di Pietro’s proof of existence of lattices that achieve the capacity of the power constrained AWGN channel in [@diPietrothesis]. The parameters chosen in [@diPietrothesis] were not sufficient to show that the lattices are good for MSE quantization. We have adapted the proof to show that under stronger conditions (on the parameters of the lattice), we can obtain lattices which are good for MSE quantization. For $\y\in\Z^n$, define $$\xi_{\y}=\begin{cases}
1 & \text{if } H\y\equiv \mathbf{0}\bmod p, \\
0 & \text{otherwise.}
\end{cases}$$ Let $\rho=r(1+n^{-\omega})$. Recall that $\x+\rho\cB$ denotes an $n$-dimensional ball centered at $\x$ and having radius $\rho$. We define $$X_\rho := \sum_{\y\in \Z^n\cap (\x+\rho\cB)} \xi_{\y},$$ which is simply the number of lattice points in $\x+\rho\cB$. Let us define $\mathcal{E}(\rho)=|\Z^n\cap (\x+\rho\cB)|^2\frac{1}{p^{2n(1-R)}}$. From [@diPietrothesis p. 119], we have $$\mathbb{E}[X_{\rho}] \geq \sqrt{\mathcal{E}(\rho)}.
\label{eq:EX_lbound}$$
In [@diPietrothesis pp. 122–128], it was shown that the variance of $X_{\rho}$ can be bounded from above as follows.[^5] $$\begin{aligned}
\text{Var}(X_{\rho}) &\leq \sum_{s=1}^{\lfloor \frac{n(1-R)}{A+1-R}\rfloor}n^{s(2-\lba(A-2))} & \label{eq:term1} \\
& \quad +\sum_{\substack{i,j,t \\j\leq n(1-R)/(B(1-R)+1)\\i+j+t=n(1-R)\\i+j>0}}\mathcal{E}(\rho)\left( 1+\frac{Bj}{n-Bj} \right)^{\frac{n-Bj+1}{2}}n^{j(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))} &\notag \\
&\qquad\qquad\qquad \times\left( 1+\frac{Bi}{n-Bi} \right)^{\frac{n-Bi+1}{2}} n^{i(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))}(1+o(1)) &\label{eq:term2} \\
&\quad +\sum_{\substack{i,j,t \\j\leq n(1-R)/(B(1-R)+1)\\i+j+t=n(1-R)\\i+j>0}}\mathcal{E}(\rho) \left( 1+\frac{Bj}{n-Bj} \right)^{\frac{n-Bj+1}{2}}n^{j\lba(2-B(1-R))} &\notag \\
&\hspace{4cm}\times n^{(j+t)\left(1+\lba\left(\frac{1}{AB-1}+\frac{1}{A}-1 \right)\right)}\frac{n^{\lba}}{\sqrt{\mathcal{E}(\rho)}}(1+o(1)). & \label{eq:term3}\end{aligned}$$ We show that (\[eq:term1\]), (\[eq:term2\]) and (\[eq:term3\]) are all bounded from above by $\mathcal{E}(\rho)n^{-2\lba R-\dta}(1+o(1))$.
Let $$\delta:=\frac{1}{2}\min\{ \lba(A-2(1+R))-2, \: \lba(B(1-R)-2(1+R))-1 \}.
\label{eq:delta_defn}$$ The hypotheses of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_MSEquantization\] ensure that $\dta>0$.
### The First Term, (\[eq:term1\])
We have $$\sum_{s=1}^{\lfloor \frac{n(1-R)}{A+1-R}\rfloor}n^{s(2-\lba(A-2))}= n^{2-\lba(A-2)}(1+o(1)),$$ provided that the exponent is negative. As long as $2-\lba(A-2)<-2\lba R-\dta$, we have the first term bounded from above by $n^{-2\lba R-\dta}(1+o(1))$. This condition is indeed satisfied, since by definition, $\dta<\lba(A-2(1+R))-2$.
### The Second Term, (\[eq:term2\])
For all $x>0$, we have $\ln(1+x)\leq x$, and hence $(1+x)^{1/x}\leq e$. With this, we get $$\left( 1+\frac{Bj}{n-Bj} \right)^{\frac{n-Bj}{2}} \leq e^{Bj/2}.$$ This implies that $$\begin{aligned}
\left( 1+\frac{Bj}{n-Bj} \right)^{\frac{n-Bj}{2}}n^{j(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))} &\leq e^{Bj/2} n^{j(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))} & \\
&= (c_1n)^{j(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))}, &\end{aligned}$$ where $c_1= e^{B/(2(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2)))}$ is a positive constant. From (\[eq:delta\_defn\]), we have $\dta\leq \frac{1}{2}( \lba(B(1-R)-2(1+R))-1)$, and hence $1-\lba(B(1-R)-2)\leq -2\lba R-2\dta$. Moreover, $c_1^{-2\lba R-2\dta}n^{-\dta}\leq 1$ for sufficiently large $n$. Hence, $$\left( 1+\frac{Bj}{n-Bj} \right)^{\frac{n-Bj}{2}}n^{j(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))} \leq n^{j(-2\lba R-\dta)}$$ for all sufficiently large $n$. Similarly, $$\left( 1+\frac{Bi}{n-Bi} \right)^{\frac{n-Bi}{2}}n^{i(1-\lba(B(1-R)-2))} \leq n^{i(-2\lba R-\dta)}$$ for all sufficiently large $n$. Hence, the second term is bounded from above by $$\begin{aligned}
\sum_{\substack{i,j,t \\j\leq n(1-R)/(B(1-R)+1)\\i+j+t=n(1-R)\\i+j>0}}\mathcal{E}(\rho) n^{(i+j)(-2\lba R-\dta)} (1+o(1))&=\sum_{\substack{i,j \\j\leq n(1-R)/(B(1-R)+1)\\i+j\leq n(1-R)\\i+j>0}}\mathcal{E}(\rho) n^{(i+j)(-2\lba R-\dta)} (1+o(1))&\notag \\
&\leq \mathcal{E}(\rho) n^{-2\lba R-\dta} (1+o(1)). &\notag\end{aligned}$$
### The Third Term, (\[eq:term3\])
Since $B>2/(1-R)$ and $\lba> 2\left(1-\frac{1}{AB-1}-\frac{1}{A}\right)^{-1}$, we have for $j\neq 0$, $$\left( 1+\frac{Bj}{n-Bj} \right)^{\frac{n-Bj+1}{2}}n^{j\lba(2-B(1-R))} = o(1), \text{ and}
\label{eq:thirdterm_1}$$ $$n^{(j+t)\left(1+\lba\left(\frac{1}{AB-1}+\frac{1}{A}-1 \right)\right)} =o(1).
\label{eq:thirdterm_2}$$ If $j=0$, then the above terms are at most $1$. Now, $$\begin{aligned}
\sqrt{\mathcal{E}(\rho)} &= |\Z^n\cap (\x+\rho\cB)|\frac{1}{p^{n(1-R)}} &\notag \\
&\geq V_n \left( \rho-\frac{\sqrt{n}}{2} \right)^n\frac{1}{p^{n(1-R)}} &\label{eq:thirdterm_mid1} \\
& = V_n r^n \left( 1+\frac{1}{n^{\omega}} \right)^n \left( 1-\frac{\sqrt{n}}{2\rho} \right)^n \frac{1}{p^{n(1-R)}}, &\notag \end{aligned}$$ where (\[eq:thirdterm\_mid1\]) follows from Lemma \[lemma:Zn\_cap\_rB\]. But $V_nr^n=p^{n(1-R)}$. Using this, and simplifying, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\sqrt{\mathcal{E}(\rho)} & \geq p^{n(1-R)} \text{exp}\{n^{1-\omega}\} \text{exp}\left\{ \frac{\sqrt{2\pi e}}{2} n^{-\lba(1-R)}n (1+n^{-\omega})^{-1} \right\}\frac{1}{p^{n(1-R)}}(1+o(1)) &\notag \\
& \geq \exp\{ n^{1-\omega}-o(1) \}. &\label{eq:thirdterm_3}\end{aligned}$$ Therefore, $ 1/\sqrt{\mathcal{E}(\rho)}$ goes to zero faster than any polynomial. Combining (\[eq:thirdterm\_1\]), (\[eq:thirdterm\_2\]), and (\[eq:thirdterm\_3\]), we can conclude that (\[eq:term3\]) is upper bounded by $\mathcal{E}(\rho)n^{-2\lba R -\dta}(1+o(1))$. As a consequence, the variance of $X_\rho$ is bounded from above by $3\mathcal{E}(\rho)n^{-2\lba R -\dta}(1+o(1))$.
### Proof of Lemma \[lemma:dxL\_bound\]
We have already seen in (\[eq:EX\_lbound\]) that $\bE[X_\rho]\geq \sqrt{\mathcal{E}(\rho)} $ and in the previous subsections, we showed that $\text{Var}(X_\rho)\leq \mathcal{E}(\rho)n^{-2\lba R -\dta}(1+o(1))$. Therefore, $$\begin{aligned}
\Pr[d(\x,\L)>\rho] &= \Pr[X_\rho =0]\leq \Pr[X_\rho \leq 0]& \notag \\
& = \Pr\big[X_\rho-\bE [X_\rho]\leq -\bE [X_\rho]\big] & \notag \\
&\leq \Pr\big[|X_\rho - \bE [X_\rho]|\geq\bE[X_\rho]\big]. &\notag\end{aligned}$$ Using Chebyshev’s inequality, we get $$\Pr[d(\x,\L)>\rho] \leq \frac{\text{Var}(X_\rho)}{\left( \bE[X_\rho] \right)^2} \leq \frac{3}{n^{2\lba R+\dta}}(1+o(1)),$$ completing the proof of Lemma \[lemma:dxL\_bound\].
Proof of Lemma \[lemma:ELX\_EUL\]
---------------------------------
Recall that $U$ is uniformly distributed over $[0,p)^n$, and $X$ is uniformly distributed over $\cV(\L)$. We have, $$\begin{aligned}
&\mathbb{E}_{U}\mathbb{E}_{\L}[d^2(U,\L)|H\text{ is full rank}] &\notag\\
&= \int_{\u\in[0,p)^n}\sum_{\L_1}d^2(\u,\L_1) \frac{Pr[\L=\L_1|H \text{ is full rank}]}{p^n} d\u &\notag \\
&= \sum_{\L_1}\int_{\u\in[0,p)^n}d^2(\u,\L_1) \frac{Pr[\L=\L_1|H \text{ is full rank}]}{p^n} d\u &\notag \\
&=\sum_{\L_1}\sum_{\z\in \L_1\cap [0,p)^n}\int_{\x\in\cV(\L_1)}d^2(\x+\z,\L_1) \frac{Pr[\L=\L_1|H \text{ is full rank}]}{p^n} d\x .&\notag \end{aligned}$$ For all $\z\in\L$, we have $d(\x+\z,\L)=d(\x,\L)$. Hence, $$\begin{aligned}
\mathbb{E}_{U}\mathbb{E}_{\L}[d^2(U,\L)|H\text{ is full rank}]&=\sum_{\L_1}p^{nR}\int_{\x\in\cV(\L_1)}d^2(\x,\L_1) \frac{Pr[\L=\L_1|H \text{ is full rank}]}{p^n} d\x &\notag \\
&=\sum_{\L_1}\int_{\x\in\cV(\L_1)}d^2(\x,\L_1) \frac{Pr[\L=\L_1|H \text{ is full rank}]}{p^{n(1-R)}} d\x &\notag \\
&=\mathbb{E}_{\L}\mathbb{E}_{X}[d^2(X,\L)|H\text{ is full rank}]. &\notag\end{aligned}$$ This completes the proof.
Appendix C {#appendixc .unnumbered}
==========
The proof proceeds by splitting the summation in (\[eq:LDAdualpacking\_step1\]) into four parts, and showing that each quantity goes to zero as $n\to\infty$. The sum is divided into the following regimes:
1. $1\leq t < \vartheta n(1-R)$,
2. $ \vartheta n(1-R)\leq t < n(1-R)/2$,
3. $n(1-R)/2 \leq t < (1-R-C_1/\ln n) n-1$,
4. $(1-R-C_1/\ln n) n -1\leq t \leq n$,
where $C_1$ is as defined in (\[eq:C1\_defn\]). In each case, we will use the appropriate expansion properties of the underlying Tanner graph to prove the desired result.
Case 1: [$1\leq t < \vartheta n(1-R)$]{}
----------------------------------------
We will use property (R1) of the expander graph in this part of the proof. In this case, we have $t=|\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|\leq \vartheta n(1-R)$. Therefore, $|N(\mathrm{Supp}(\u))|=|\mathbb{S}(\u)|\geq B t$, so that $\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)=0$ for $m<B t$. Consider $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_1(n) &:= \sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert &\notag \\
&\leq \sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert. &\notag \end{aligned}$$ Using Lemma \[lemma:Zn\_cap\_rB\], the above quantity can be bounded from above as $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_1(n) &\leq \sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^m}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}V_m\left( r_n+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2} \right)^m &\notag \\
&\leq \sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^m}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}V_m r_n^{m}\left( 1+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2r_n} \right)^m &\notag \\
&= \sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^m}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}V_m \frac{p^{mR}}{V_n^{m/n}}\zeta_n^m\left( 1+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2r_n} \right)^m .&\label{eq:phi1_1} \end{aligned}$$ Using Stirling’s approximation, we get $$V_m=\frac{\pi^{m/2}}{\Gamma(1+m/2)} \leq \frac{\pi^{m/2}e^m}{(2\pi)^{1/2}m^{m+1/2}},$$ and $$V_n \geq \frac{\pi^{n/2}e^n}{en^{n+1/2}}.$$ Therefore, $$\frac{V_m}{V_n^{m/n}}\leq c'\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^{m+1/2}(1+o(1)),
\label{eq:Vm_Vn_0}$$ where $c'$ is a positive constant. If $m>an$ for some $0<a<1$, then $$\frac{V_m}{V_n^{m/n}}\leq c\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^{m}(1+o(1)),
\label{eq:Vm_Vn}$$ where $c$ is a positive constant.
Observe that $\zeta_n<1$ for all sufficiently large $n$, and $1+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2r_n}\leq 2$. Using this, and (\[eq:Vm\_Vn\_0\]) , the inequality (\[eq:phi1\_1\]) reduces to $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_1(n) &\leq c'\sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\left(2\frac{n}{m}\right)^m\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^{1/2} (1+o(1)) &\notag \\
&\leq c'\sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)} {\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}p^t \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\left(2\frac{n}{m}\right)^m\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^{1/2} (1+o(1)). &\notag \end{aligned}$$ Using the inequalities ${\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\leq n^k$ and $n/m\leq n$, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_1(n) &\leq c'\sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)} (n(1-R))^tp^t \sum_{m=B t}^{n}
\frac{(2n^2)^{m}}{p^{m(1-R)}}n^{1/2} (1+o(1)) &\notag \\
&= c'\sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)} (n(1-R))^tp^t
\frac{(2n^2)^{Bt}}{p^{Bt(1-R)}}n^{1/2} (1+o(1)) &\notag \\
&= c'\sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}(2^B(1-R))^t n^{t(1+\lba+2B-\lba B(1-R))}n^{1/2}(1+o(1))&\notag\\
&\leq c'\sum_{t=1}^{\vartheta n(1-R)}(2^B(1-R))^t n^{t(3/2+\lba+2B-\lba B(1-R))}(1+o(1)). &\label{eq:phi1_bound}\end{aligned}$$ But we have $3/2+\lba+2B-\lba B(1-R)<0$, because the hypothesis of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_dualpacking\] guarantees that $\lba>\frac{2B+3/2}{B(1-R)-1}$. Using the fact that $\sum_{t=a}^{b}n^t = n^{a}(1+o(1))$, we can conclude that (\[eq:phi1\_bound\]) is bounded from above by $(c''n)^{3/2+\lba+2B-\lba B(1-R)}(1+o(1))$ for some constant $c''$, and hence goes to zero as $n\to\infty$.
Case 2: [$ \vartheta n(1-R)\leq t < n(1-R)/2$]{}
------------------------------------------------
We will use property (R2) of the expander graph in this part of the proof. Since $|\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|= t < n(1-R)/2$, we have $|N(\mathrm{Supp}(\u))|=|\mathbb{S}(\u)|\geq \beta t$. Therefore, $\Pr[\mathbb{S}(\u)=m]=0$ for $m<\beta t$. Proceeding along the same lines as in the previous subsection, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_2(n) &:= \sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert &\notag \\
&\leq \sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=\beta t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^m}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\frac{V_m}{V_n^{m/n}}p^{mR}\left(1+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2r_n}\right)^m(1+o(1)). &\notag \end{aligned}$$ Using (\[eq:Vm\_Vn\]), and the inequalities ${\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\leq 2^n$ and $1+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2r_n}\leq 2$, $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_2(n)&\leq c\sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=\beta t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\left(\frac{n}{m} \right)^m\left(1+\frac{\sqrt{m}}{2r_n}\right)^m (1+o(1)) &\notag\\
&\leq c \sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=\beta t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}2^n\left(\frac{n}{m} \right)^m2^m(1+o(1)). \notag\end{aligned}$$ Since $n\geq m\geq \beta \vartheta n(1-R)$, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_2(n) &\leq c\sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=\beta t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}2^n\left(\frac{1}{\beta \vartheta (1-R)} \right)^n 2^n(1+o(1)) &\notag\\
&\leq c\sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}{\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}p^t \sum_{m=\beta t}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}\left(\frac{4}{\beta \vartheta (1-R)} \right)^n (1+o(1)) &\notag\\
&\leq c \sum_{t=\vartheta n(1-R)}^{n(1-R)/2}2^{n(1-R)}p^t
\frac{1}{p^{\beta t(1-R)}}\left(\frac{4}{\beta \vartheta (1-R)} \right)^n (1+o(1)) &\notag\\
&\leq c 2^{n(1-R)}
\frac{1}{p^{(\beta (1-R)-1)\vartheta n(1-R)}}\left(\frac{4}{\beta \vartheta (1-R)} \right)^n (1+o(1)), &
\end{aligned}$$ which goes to zero as $n\to\infty$, since $\beta>1/(1-R)$ from Definition \[defn:goodgraphs\].
Case 3: [$n(1-R)/2 \leq t < (1-R-C_1/\ln n) n-1$]{}
---------------------------------------------------
We will use the following property of $(\alpha, A, \beta, B,\epsilon,\vartheta)$-good expander graphs:
If $S\subset V$ is such that $|N(S)|<n(1-R)/2$, then $|S|\leq |N(S)|/\alpha$. \[lemma:expander\_left\]
Let us prove the contrapositive of the above statement. Suppose that $|S|>|N(S)|/\alpha$. Equivalently, $|N(S)|<\alpha |S|$. This implies that $|S|>n(1-R)/(2\alpha)$, otherwise we would be in violation of property (L2) in Definition \[defn:goodgraphs\]. But from (L2), we have $|N(S)|\geq \alpha n(1-R)/(2\alpha)=n(1-R)/2$, and this completes the proof.
![Part 3 of proof.[]{data-label="fig:graph_part3"}](graph_part3.eps){width="7cm"}
Since $T:=\mathrm{Supp}(\u)$ has at least $n(1-R)/2$ vertices, the set $T^c$ has less than $n(1-R)/2$ vertices (see Fig. \[fig:graph\_part3\]). If $S:= \mathbb{S}(\u)=N(T)$, then, $S^c$ has does not have any neighbours from $T$. Hence, $N(S^c)\subset T^c$. But $|T^c|<n(1-R)/2$ must imply that $|S^c|\leq |T^c|/\alpha$, from Lemma \[lemma:expander\_left\]. Therefore, $n-|S|\leq (n(1-R)-|T|)/\alpha$, or $|S|\geq n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha$. This means that $\Pr[\mathrm{Supp}(\u)=m]=0$ for $m<n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha$.
Consider $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_3(n) &:= \sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert &\notag \\
&\leq \sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert &\notag \end{aligned}$$ Following the approach in the previous subsections, the above reduces to $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_3(n) &\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}{\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}p^t \sum_{m=n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}{\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^m 2^m (1+o(1)) &\notag \\
& \leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}8^n p^t \sum_{m=n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^n (1+o(1)), &\notag\end{aligned}$$ where the last step uses the inequality ${\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\leq 2^n$. Since $m\geq n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha\geq n(1-(1-R)/\alpha +(1-R)/(2\alpha))$, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_3(n) &\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}8^n p^t \sum_{m=n(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha}^{n}
\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}}\left(\frac{1}{1-(1-R)/\alpha +(1-R)/(2\alpha)}\right)^n (1+o(1)) &\notag \\
&\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)} \left(\frac{8}{1-(1-R)/(2\alpha)}\right)^n \frac{p^t}{p^{n(1-R)(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+t/\alpha}}(1+o(1)) &\notag\\
&= c\sum_{t= n(1-R)/2}^{n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)} n^{\frac{n\ln (8/(1-(1-R)/(2\alpha)))}{\ln( n)}} \frac{n^{\lba t}}{n^{\lba n(1-R)(1-(1-R)/\alpha)+\lba t/\alpha}}(1+o(1)) .&\label{eq:phi_3_2}\end{aligned}$$ If we have $$\lba n(1-R)\left( 1-\frac{1-R}{\alpha} \right) +\lba t\frac{(1-R)}{\alpha} -\lba t -\frac{n}{\ln n}\ln \left(\frac{8}{1-(1-R)/(2\alpha)}\right) > 1+\delta$$ for some $\delta>0$, then (\[eq:phi\_3\_2\]) is upper bounded by $c n\times n^{-1-\delta}(1+o(1))$, which goes to zero as $n\to\infty$. Simplifying the above quantity gives us the condition $$t< n(1-R)-n \frac{C_1}{\ln n} -\frac{1+\delta}{\lba(1-(1-R)/\alpha)},$$ which is satisfied in this regime, and hence, $\phi_3(n)\to 0$ as $n\to\infty$.
Case 4: [$(1-R-C_1/\ln n) n-1 \leq t < n$]{}
--------------------------------------------
For any subset of parity check nodes, $T\subset C$, we have $|N(T)|\geq |T|/(1-R)$. This is because the number of edges between $T$ and $N(T)$ is $|T|\Dta_V/(1-R)$, but the number of edges incident on each node in $N(T)$ from $T$ is at most $\Dta_V$. Therefore, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_4(n) &:= \sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n}\sum_{\substack{\u\in\Fp^{n(1-R)}\\ |\mathrm{Supp}(\u)|=t}} \sum_{m=1}^{n}\mathtt{1}_m(\Su)
\frac{1}{p^m}\vert\{\x\in\Z^n\cap r_n\cB : |\mathrm{Supp}(\x)|\leq m\}\vert &\notag \\
&\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n} {\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}p^t \sum_{m=t/(1-R)}^{n}\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}} {\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^m\zeta_n^m (1+o(1))\notag \\
&= c\sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n} {\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}p^t \sum_{m=t/(1-R)}^{n}\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}} {\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\left(\frac{n}{m}\right)^m\zeta_n^m (1+o(1)).\notag \end{aligned}$$ Since ${\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}$ is a decreasing function of $k$ for $k>n/2$, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_4(n)&\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n} {\begin{pmatrix}n(1-R) \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}p^t \sum_{m=t/(1-R)}^{n}\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}} {\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}&\notag\\
&\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \times\left(\frac{n}{n-\frac{nC_1}{(1-R)\ln n}}\right)^m\zeta_n^m (1+o(1)).\notag\end{aligned}$$ Using the inequality ${\begin{pmatrix}n \\#2 \end{pmatrix}}\leq \left(\frac{ne}{m}\right)^m$ and simplifying, we get $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_4(n) &\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n} \left(\frac{e(1-R)\ln n}{C_1}\right)^{nC_1/\ln n}p^t \sum_{m=t/(1-R)}^{n}\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}} &\notag \\
&\qquad\qquad \times\left(\frac{e(1-R)\ln n}{C_1}\right)^{nC_1/((1-R)\ln n)}\left(\frac{1}{1-\frac{C_1}{(1-R)\ln n}}\right)^n\zeta_n^m (1+o(1)).\notag\end{aligned}$$ For all sufficiently large $n$, we have $m\geq n(1-C_1/((1-R)\ln n))>n/2$. Therefore, since $\zeta_n<1$, we have $$\begin{aligned}
\phi_4(n) &\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n} \left(\frac{e(1-R)\ln n}{C_1}\right)^{nC_1/\ln n}p^t \sum_{m=t/(1-R)}^{n}\frac{1}{p^{m(1-R)}} &\notag \\
&\qquad\qquad \times\left(\frac{e(1-R)\ln n}{C_1}\right)^{nC_1/((1-R)\ln n)}\left(\frac{1}{1-\frac{C_1}{(1-R)\ln n}}\right)^n\zeta_n^{n/2} (1+o(1)) &\notag \\
&\leq c\sum_{t= n(1-R-C_1/\ln n)}^{n} \left(\frac{e(1-R)\ln n}{C_1}\right)^{2nC_1/((1-R)\ln n)}\left(\frac{1}{1-\frac{C_1}{(1-R)\ln n}}\right)^n\zeta_n^{n/2} (1+o(1))\notag\\
&\leq c n \left(\frac{e(1-R)\ln n}{C_1}\right)^{2nC_1/((1-R)\ln n)} \left(\frac{1}{1-\frac{C_1}{(1-R)\ln n}}\right)^n\zeta_n^{n/2} (1+o(1)),\notag\end{aligned}$$ which goes to zero as $n\to\infty$ because of our choice of $\zeta_n$. This completes the proof of Theorem \[theorem:LDA\_dualpacking\].
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[^1]: This work was presented in part at the 2015 IEEE Information Theory Workshop at Jerusalem, Israel.
[^2]: Shashank Vatedka and Navin Kashyap are with the Dept. of Electrical Communication Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. Email: [$\{$shashank,nkashyap$\}$@ece.iisc.ernet.in]{}
[^3]:
[^4]: In our proofs, we take $p=n^\lba$, and $k=nR$ for convenience, but choosing $p$ to be the smallest prime number greater than $n^\lba$, and $k=\lceil nR\rceil$ will not change any of the results.
[^5]: The variance of $X_\rho$ is upper bounded by a sum of three terms, (\[eq:term1\]), (\[eq:term2\]), and (\[eq:term3\]), which was also studied in [@diPietrothesis] to show that nested LDA lattices achieve the capacity of the power constrained AWGN channel. We impose stronger constraints on $B$ and $\lba$ so as to ensure that (\[eq:dxL\_bound\]) goes to zero sufficiently fast as $n\to\infty$.
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Avoid smoking to ward off stroke risks during menopause
New York: Quitting smoking during the transition phase to menopause could be the key to ward off risks of cardiovascular diseases including heart attacks and strokes, suggests a new study.
Midlife is a crucial window for women to take their cardiovascular wellness to heart
The risk factor most associated with unhealthy arteries was smoking tobacco, said the study published in the journal American Heart Association.
The study found that physical activity and a healthy diet may offset the acceleration of atherosclerosis — build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on the artery walls.
“Midlife is a crucial window for women to take their cardiovascular wellness to heart and set a course for healthy ageing,” said Ana Baylin, Associate Professor from the University of Michigan in the US.
“The metabolic changes that often occur with menopause, especially increases in cholesterol levels and blood pressure, can significantly increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cognitive impairment later in life,” she added.
For the study, the team enrolled 1,143 women aged 42 to 52 in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN).
The findings showed that those with a healthy lifestyle had significantly wider arteries, less arterial thickening and build-up of fatty plaque.
“Women approaching menopause can significantly lower this risk if they adopt healthier behaviours, even if cardiovascular issues have never been on their radar,” said Dongqing Wang, a postdoctoral student from the varsity.
The results suggest that maintaining a healthy lifestyle — combined with physical activity, proper eating habits and no tobacco use — is particularly important for women during the transition phase to menopause. |
// Copyright 2000-2018 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
package com.intellij.openapi.options.binding;
import com.intellij.openapi.options.ConfigurationException;
import com.intellij.openapi.options.UnnamedConfigurable;
import javax.swing.*;
/**
* @author Dmitry Avdeev
*/
public abstract class BindableConfigurable implements UnnamedConfigurable {
protected ControlBinder myBinder;
protected BindableConfigurable(ControlBinder binder) {
myBinder = binder;
}
protected BindableConfigurable() {
}
protected void bindAnnotations() {
getBinder().bindAnnotations(this);
}
protected void bindControl(JComponent control, String propertyName, boolean instant) {
getBinder().bindControl(control, propertyName, instant);
}
protected void bindControl(ControlValueAccessor controlAccessor, String propertyName, boolean instant) {
getBinder().bindControl(controlAccessor, propertyName, instant);
}
@Override
public boolean isModified() {
return getBinder().isModified();
}
@Override
public void apply() throws ConfigurationException {
getBinder().apply();
}
@Override
public void reset() {
getBinder().reset();
}
protected ControlBinder getBinder() {
return myBinder;
}
}
|
Q:
How to create Excel xlsx files from a script?
I'm looking for packages available in Ubuntu main/universe repositories able to create Excel 2007+ xlsx files from a script (python or perl)
My requirements:
100% compatible Excel XLSX files.
Solid and comprehensive documentation and a wide variety of examples/tutorials
Stable API
Write text, numbers, formulas and hyperlinks
Multiple worksheets
Full formatting
Merged cells
Charts
Autofilters
Worksheet PNG/JPEG images
Cell comments
Group and Outlines
A:
I highly recommend John McNamara's modules. He uploaded a new Python module called XlsxWriter for creating XLSX files to PyPi that I packaged for Debian and Ubuntu.
It is a port of a Perl module that he wrote called Excel::Writer::XLSX which is a extension of another Perl module called Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
python3-xlsxwriter (python-xlsxwriter for python 2.x)
XlsxWriter is a Python module for writing files in the Excel 2007+ XLSX file format.
It can be used to write text, numbers, and formulas to multiple worksheets and it supports features such as formatting, images, charts, page setup, autofilters, conditional formatting and many others.
XlsxWriter has some advantages over the alternative Python modules for writing Excel files:
It supports more Excel features than any of the alternative modules.
It has a high degree of fidelity with files produced by Excel. In most cases the files produced are 100% equivalent to files produced by Excel.
It has extensive documentation, example files and tests.
It is fast and can be configured to use very little memory even for very large output files.
Integration with Pandas (Python Data Analysis Library).
A simple example of some of the features of the XlsxWriter Python module:
#Copyright 2013-2014, John McNamara, jmcnamara@cpan.org
import xlsxwriter
# Create an new Excel file and add a worksheet.
workbook = xlsxwriter.Workbook('demo.xlsx')
worksheet = workbook.add_worksheet()
# Widen the first column to make the text clearer.
worksheet.set_column('A:A', 20)
# Add a bold format to use to highlight cells.
bold = workbook.add_format({'bold': True})
# Write some simple text.
worksheet.write('A1', 'Hello')
# Text with formatting.
worksheet.write('A2', 'World', bold)
# Write some numbers, with row/column notation.
worksheet.write(2, 0, 123)
worksheet.write(3, 0, 123.456)
# Insert an image.
worksheet.insert_image('B5', 'logo.png')
workbook.close()
Visit this page for a full list of XlsxWriter examples.
libexcel-writer-xlsx-perl
The Excel::Writer::XLSX module can be used to create an Excel file in the 2007+ XLSX format.
Multiple worksheets can be added to a workbook and formatting can be applied to cells. Text, numbers, and formulas can be written to the cells.
Excel::Writer::XLSX uses the same interface as the Spreadsheet::WriteExcel module which produces an Excel file in binary XLS format.
Excel::Writer::XLSX supports all of the features of Spreadsheet::WriteExcel and in some cases has more functionality.
For more details see Compatibility with Spreadsheet::WriteExcel.
The main advantage of the XLSX format over the XLS format is that it allows a larger number of rows and columns in a worksheet.
The XLSX file format also produces much smaller files than the XLS file format.
To write a string, a formatted string, a number and a formula to the first worksheet in an Excel workbook called perl.xlsx:
# reverse ('(c)'), March 2001, John McNamara, jmcnamara@cpan.org
use Excel::Writer::XLSX;
# Create a new Excel workbook
my $workbook = Excel::Writer::XLSX->new( 'perl.xlsx' );
# Add a worksheet
$worksheet = $workbook->add_worksheet();
# Add and define a format
$format = $workbook->add_format();
$format->set_bold();
$format->set_color( 'red' );
$format->set_align( 'center' );
# Write a formatted and unformatted string, row and column notation.
$col = $row = 0;
$worksheet->write( $row, $col, 'Hi Excel!', $format );
$worksheet->write( 1, $col, 'Hi Excel!' );
# Write a number and a formula using A1 notation
$worksheet->write( 'A3', 1.2345 );
$worksheet->write( 'A4', '=SIN(PI()/4)' );
Visit this page for a full list of Excel::Writer::XLSX examples.
|
We will discuss the fluctuations in discrete Beta-ensembles. Such distributions describe for instance the positions of lozenge tilings and ressemble the continuous Beta-ensembles which appear in random matrix ensembles. We will highlight the role of equations introduced by Nekrasov in this context, which play the same crucial role than Dyson-Schwinger equations in the continuous case, but are not obtained by a straightforward integration by part.
I will discuss the asymptotics of the spectrum of non-normal random matrices, whose law is invariant under the action of the orthogonal or the unitary group. This is based on a joint work with M. Krishnapur and O. Zeitouni.
I will discuss the construction of matrix models related with the combinatorics of loop models, based on ideas coming from Jones planar algebra theory. As an application, I will give an exact solution for the Potts model on random graphs, based on random matrices techniques. This is based on joint works with V. Jones, D. Shlyakhtenko and P. Zinn Justin. |
2
Let r(q) = -q - 2. Let z be r(1). Let h = z - -6. Solve -6*d - 2*l = -d - 2, 3*d = -h*l - 6 for d.
2
Let t be 4/12 - (-2)/3. Suppose -19 = -4*i + t. Solve 4*s - i*l = 4, -2*l - 2 + 3 = s for s.
1
Let i(s) = -s**3 + s**2 - s - 4. Let l be i(0). Let k be (-8)/l + (-1 - -2). Solve k*f - 5 = r + 5, -30 = -r - 5*f for r.
5
Let v = -14 - -19. Suppose -5*m + v*w = w - 23, -3*m + w = -11. Solve 0 = -2*k, 3*k - 6 = -m*u - 3 for u.
1
Let n be 9*((2 + -3)/1)/(-1). Solve 5*v = -y - n + 39, 0 = -3*y + 15 for v.
5
Let b be 4/(-6)*(2 - -7). Let x = b + 14. Suppose -3*f + f = -x. Solve 4*j = -2*w + 14, f*j - 29 = 3*w - 0*w for w.
-3
Let g be 203/14*(1 + 1). Suppose -2*j + g = -s, 5*s + 7 = -2*j + 18. Solve -d - b - j = 2*d, -b - 18 = 4*d for d.
-5
Suppose 5*b = 2*b - 27. Let z = -5 - b. Solve z*l + f = 4 - 2, 3*l = 5*f + 13 for l.
1
Let g(h) = 2*h - 10. Suppose 5*q + 1 = 4*q. Let b be 20/3 - q/3. Let f be g(b). Solve m + 19 = -3*k, 4*m + 4*k + 32 + f = 0 for m.
-4
Suppose -z - 2 + 4 = 0. Solve 5 = -4*s + 3*t - 4, s + 6 = z*t for s.
0
Suppose 4*j - 5*j + 4 = 0. Suppose 5*o = 4*s - 16, o + 12 = 3*s - 3*o. Solve -j = 4*g - 0*g + s*x, -3*x = -g + 7 for g.
1
Let n = -16 - -32. Solve -2*x = 3*m + n, -5*m - 1 = -x + 4 for x.
-5
Let x(r) = -r - 10. Suppose 0*m - 12 = m. Let a be x(m). Let o(l) = l**3 - 4*l**2 + l + 1. Let p be o(4). Solve s = a*n + 5 - 18, -5*s - 2*n - p = 0 for s.
-3
Let b(k) = 3*k + 3. Let t(d) = d + 1. Let a(i) = 2*b(i) - 5*t(i). Let f be a(3). Solve -3*n + 10 + 5 = -3*y, -f*y - 8 = 0 for n.
3
Suppose -5*c + 2*c - 5*j + 10 = 0, c - 8 = 3*j. Solve -c*p - 35 = 4*d, -2 = -d + p - 4 for d.
-5
Let r = -1 + 1. Suppose r = -5*o + 4*f + 6, -2*o + 4*o + 3*f - 7 = 0. Solve -m = 5*n - 0*m + 14, -5*m + o = n for n.
-3
Let m be 4*(-3)/(-12) + 4. Solve -5*g - m*q = -35, 4*q - 13 - 3 = 2*g for g.
2
Let b = -56 + 101. Suppose 2*k - 3*w - 65 = 2*w, k - b = 5*w. Solve 20 = n - 5*l, k = -4*l - 0 for n.
-5
Let c be 64/20 - (-2)/(-10). Solve -2*m + c*w + 7 = 0, 3*w = -m - 4 - 15 for m.
-4
Let c be (70/15)/((-2)/(-3)). Let n = c - 5. Solve -2*m - 14 = -2*q - n*q, 3*m = 5*q - 19 for q.
2
Let t(h) = -10*h + 1 - 1. Let z be t(-1). Let w(q) = -q**2 - 6*q + 4. Let y be w(-6). Solve -y*d = -6*d + z, -d = -r - 6 for r.
-1
Suppose 0 = -4*x - 0*x. Let a = 2 - x. Let t = a + -2. Solve t = -4*w - 0*d - 2*d + 30, -w - 2*d = -15 for w.
5
Suppose -k + 4*k = 15. Suppose 3*y + 6 = 0, 5*y + 0 = -3*z + k. Solve -2*f + z*a + 6 = 0, -2*f + 3 = -f + 4*a for f.
3
Let c = -12 + 16. Suppose 18 = c*d - 2. Solve d*n - 5*s = 15, -4*n + 0*n + 2*s = -12 for n.
3
Let s(h) = -h**3 - 4*h**2 + 11*h - 6. Let l be s(-6). Solve -5*i + 27 = -3*y - 4, l = 2*i + 2*y - 6 for i.
5
Let j(l) = -6*l + 1. Let y be j(-3). Suppose v - 13 = -5*f - 2, -5*f = -v - y. Solve -2*n + 7 = 3*p, 0 = f*p + n - 1 - 1 for p.
-1
Let h be 6/24 - 198/(-8). Suppose -15*y + 10*y + h = 0. Suppose 12 = -3*n + 6*n. Solve -n*z + 3*m - 14 = -5, -3*m = -y*z - 9 for z.
0
Let w be (-42)/(-8) - 3/12. Suppose -3*s - 3 = 3*p, -w*p = -p - 4*s - 4. Let n(z) = z**2 - 6*z + 4. Let o be n(6). Solve p = o*c + 8*t - 3*t, c - 1 = -t for c.
5
Suppose 3*t = 4*o - 9, 5*t + o + 15 = -3*o. Let y(a) = a**2 + 2*a - 3. Let d be y(t). Solve -7*i - 2*h + 26 = -3*i, 3*i - 5*h = d for i.
5
Suppose -10 = s + s. Let u be 3/s + (-108)/(-30). Solve 5*m + 8 = -0*a + 2*a, -3*m + 3*a = u for m.
-2
Suppose 0 = 5*b - 4*b + 18. Let g = -13 - b. Solve -2*s = -s + 4*c - g, 2*c - 13 = 3*s for s.
-3
Suppose -2*c + 0 + 4 = 0. Let s = 3 + c. Let v = 8 + -4. Solve k + k - v = -2*j, -28 = k - s*j for k.
-3
Let o be 32/(-80)*(1 - 11). Solve -7 = -5*g - o*v, -2*g + 4 = -3*v + 15 for g.
-1
Suppose 4*w - v = w + 26, -w + 3*v = 2. Solve -i - 5*q - 7 = -4, -3*i + w = -4*q for i.
2
Let f = 13 - 9. Suppose z + z - f = 0. Solve z*x - 4 = o - 0*x, 0 = -2*x + 4 for o.
0
Let u = -12 - -4. Let o be 14/21 + u/(-6). Solve j - 3*l + o*l = 0, -2*l = -5*j + 15 for j.
5
Let r be (-21)/6*8/(-14). Solve -r*w = 4*i + 26, 5*i + 39 - 11 = -w for w.
-3
Suppose -5*a = -5*p - 5, -5*p + 2*a = -0*a - 1. Solve y - 7 = z, 4*z + 19 = 2*y + p for z.
-2
Let r(c) = -c**3 + 3*c**2 - 2. Let j be r(2). Solve 9 = d + 4*g, d - j = 3*d - 2*g for d.
1
Let p(q) = 2*q - 3. Let r be p(3). Let s(t) = 9*t - 7*t**2 - t**3 - 5 - t + 9. Let j be s(-8). Solve -5*h - r*k = k, j*h = -2*k + 6 for h.
4
Let j(h) be the third derivative of -h**5/60 + 5*h**3/3 - 2*h**2. Let c be j(0). Solve -3*x + 0*x - c = -5*t, -3*t = -x - 10 for t.
5
Let z be 1/(-2) + 5/2. Let q(r) = r**3 + 6*r**2 + 7*r + 4. Let n be q(-4). Let k = -5 + n. Solve -5*l + 2*b = -3*l - z, k*l = -3*b - 3 for l.
0
Suppose 4*n + 2*c = 12, 0 = -5*c + 2*c. Solve n*g + 3 = -5*m + 2*m, 5*g = -2*m + 10 for g.
4
Let w(q) = 2*q**2 + 7*q - 1. Let f be w(-5). Suppose -4 = -2*b + r - 2, -3*r = 0. Let y be b/(-2) - f/(-4). Solve 3*p + 11 = z - 2, y*z = -3*p + 3 for p.
-3
Let x = -13 + 18. Suppose -2 - 17 = -5*z + 4*y, 0 = 5*z - x*y - 20. Solve 3*h + 3*m = 15, -3*h - h - z*m = -17 for h.
2
Suppose -3*o + 24 = b, -b - 2*o + 15 = -4. Let f(t) = t**3 + 4*t**2 - 7*t - 7. Let a be f(-5). Solve 3*n + a = -b, -n = -z + 8 for z.
4
Let n(q) = q**2 - 12*q + 2. Let m be n(12). Let f = -5 + 7. Let w be m/(f/3) - 0. Solve 19 = w*x - 4*u, 11 = -6*x + x - 4*u for x.
1
Suppose -17 = -5*o + 8. Let f = 0 + o. Suppose f*m - 2*m = 84. Solve -3*v - 19 = 2*d, -d - 5*v + 1 - m = 0 for d.
-2
Let s(o) = o**2 - 9*o. Let p be s(10). Let t be 0*(p/4 + -3). Solve -18 = -5*k + 2*n, t = -4*k + n - 4*n + 19 for k.
4
Let h(v) = v**3 - 6*v**2 - 8*v + 10. Let l be h(7). Solve 0 = 3*b - 4*r - 6, l*r = -5*b + 8*r + 5 for b.
-2
Let t = 1 + 0. Let c = -78 + 86. Solve 0 = -u + t, 0 = -5*y - u + 3*u + c for y.
2
Let d be (12/15)/((-2)/(-90)). Suppose 0 = -4*c + d - 4. Solve -3*b - 4*f = -12, -5*f + c = 2*b - f for b.
4
Let s be (4 + 1 + -3)/(2 + -1). Solve 1 = -b, 5*q - s*b - 11 = -6*b for q.
3
Suppose -2*r + 4 = 2*t, -3*r - 4*t = -3 - 1. Solve -5*x = 4*w - r, -2*x = x - 4*w + 4 for x.
0
Suppose 3*a + 7 = v, v - 4*v + 15 = -3*a. Solve -v*y + 3*x = 2, -5*y - 3*x - 4 = -6*x for y.
-2
Let i be ((-18)/(-4) + -1)*-2. Let a = 3 - i. Solve 0*v - 2*d = v + a, 0 = -3*v + 4*d for v.
-4
Let v(c) = 9*c + 8. Let k(a) = -a - 1. Let j(y) = -24*k(y) - 3*v(y). Let t be j(-1). Let g = 35 - 19. Solve 2*q = 4*n + q - 12, -t*n + g = q for n.
4
Let u(a) be the second derivative of -a**3/6 - 7*a**2/2 - 4*a. Let c be u(-12). Solve -i + c*i - s = 19, -4*s = -4 for i.
5
Suppose 6*a = 11*a - 10. Solve -5*l + 4*f - 45 = 0, -7*f = 5*l - a*f for l.
-5
Suppose 0*p + y = -3*p + 18, 0 = -y + 3. Let x(d) = -d**3 - 5 + 0*d**3 + 2 + d. Let v be x(-3). Solve -p*s - 1 = -v, 4*b - 4*s = 0 for b.
4
Suppose -r + 4*a = -5, 5*a - 8 - 2 = -2*r. Let u be (0 - (-9)/6)*6. Solve 0*z = -r*c - z - u, 3*c + 11 = -2*z for c.
-1
Suppose p = -1 + 5. Suppose 0*q = -p*q + 44. Solve 3*g + 21 = -0*g + 3*r, -g = 5*r - q for g.
-4
Let b be (-9)/((-29)/(-16) - 2). Let p = 17 - 12. Suppose 0*y + 4*w = 4*y - b, 5*y - 20 = -p*w. Solve 5*f - 3 = g - 5, -4*f + y = -4*g for f.
-1
Suppose -2*q - 3*q = 5. Let r be q*2 + 4 - -3. Suppose r*k + 5*s + 15 = 0, -5*k - s + 5 + 0 = 0. Solve -3*t - 3 = k*c, -4*t - 4*c - 15 = -5*c for t.
-3
Let d be (-4)/18 + 92/9. Let i be (-20)/(-8)*8/d. Let r be i/(1*(-2)/(-4)). Solve -3*k - 5*n = 2*k, 5*k + 36 = r*n for k.
-4
Let p = -41 - -43. Solve -v + 2*l - 2 = 0, p*v = v + 3*l - 1 for v.
-4
Suppose -4*p = 2*x - 5*x + 68, 3*p + 2*x + 68 = 0. Let k be (p/(-2))/((-2)/2). Let v = 15 + k. Solve -5*i + q - 2*q = -12, 0 = i + v*q - 12 for i.
2
Let c be (-22)/(-3) - 4/(-6). Let h be 3 + (-5 - -1) + 1. Let p be h*(0 - (-2)/2). Solve b + 4*i - 3 = 0, p = 4*b - c*b + 2*i + 12 for b.
3
Suppose 5*n + 40 = 4*h, 2*h - 7 = -h - 2*n. Solve 5*v - h*t = -10*t - 30, -3*v + 2*t = -2 for v.
-2
Suppose o - 4*o = -15. Suppose 4*s - s = 6. Suppose -o*w = -s*w. Solve 2*d - 17 = 5*c + 3*d, w = 3*c + 3*d + 3 for c.
-4
Let y = 7 + -13. Let c(u) = 4*u - 9. Let p be c(6). Let j be y/(-15) + 69/p. Solve -h + j*r + 12 = 0, 5*h + 0*r = -2*r - 21 for h.
-3
Let l(z) = -z**2 + 8*z + 7. Let c be l(6). Suppose -3*h + c = 4. Solve -q + 5*k = 4 + 13, 0 = 2*q + h*k - 26 for q.
3
Let r = 9 - 5. Suppose 2*b - 12 + r = 0. Solve u - 5 = b*n, 5*u - u = 2*n + 20 for u.
5
Let c(q) = 4*q - 16. Let d be |
/*!
* Tab Override jQuery Plugin v1.0
* http://wjbryant.com/projects/tab-override/
*
* Copyright (c) 2010 Bill Bryant
* Licensed under the MIT license
* http://opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
*/
jQuery.fn.tabOverride = (function ($) {
var aTab = '\t';
function overrideKeyDown(e) {
var tab, // the string representing a tab
tabLen, // the length of a tab
text, // initial text in the textarea
range, // the IE TextRange object
tempRange, // used to calculate selection start and end positions in IE
preNewlines, // the number of newline (\r\n) characters before the selection start (for IE)
selNewlines, // the number of newline (\r\n) characters within the selection (for IE)
initScrollTop, // initial scrollTop value to fix scrolling in Firefox
selStart, // the selection start position
selEnd, // the selection end position
sel, // the selected text
startLine, // for multi-line selections, the first character position of the first line
endLine, // for multi-line selections, the last character position of the last line
numTabs, // the number of tabs inserted / removed in the selection
startTab, // if a tab was removed from the start of the first line
preTab; // if a tab was removed before the start of the selection
// tab key - insert / remove tab
if (e.keyCode === 9) {
// initialize variables
tab = aTab;
tabLen = tab.length;
text = this.value;
initScrollTop = this.scrollTop; // scrollTop is supported by all modern browsers
numTabs = 0;
startTab = 0;
preTab = 0;
if (typeof this.selectionStart !== 'undefined') {
selStart = this.selectionStart;
selEnd = this.selectionEnd;
sel = text.slice(selStart, selEnd);
} else if (document.selection) { // IE
range = document.selection.createRange();
sel = range.text;
tempRange = range.duplicate();
tempRange.moveToElementText(this);
tempRange.setEndPoint('EndToEnd', range);
selEnd = tempRange.text.length;
selStart = selEnd - sel.length;
// whenever the value of the textarea is changed, the range needs to be reset
// IE (and Opera) use both \r and \n for newlines - this adds an extra character
// that needs to be accounted for when doing position calculations
// these values are used to offset the selection start and end positions
preNewlines = text.slice(0, selStart).split('\r\n').length - 1;
selNewlines = sel.split('\r\n').length - 1;
} else {
// cannot access textarea selection - do nothing
return;
}
// multi-line selection
if (selStart !== selEnd && sel.indexOf('\n') !== -1) {
// for multiple lines, only insert / remove tabs from the beginning of each line
// find the start of the first selected line
if (selStart === 0 || text.charAt(selStart - 1) === '\n') {
// the selection starts at the beginning of a line
startLine = selStart;
} else {
// the selection starts after the beginning of a line
// set startLine to the beginning of the first partially selected line
// subtract 1 from selStart in case the cursor is at the newline character,
// for instance, if the very end of the previous line was selected
// add 1 to get the next character after the newline
// if there is none before the selection, lastIndexOf returns -1
// when 1 is added to that it becomes 0 and the first character is used
startLine = text.lastIndexOf('\n', selStart - 1) + 1;
}
// find the end of the last selected line
if (selEnd === text.length || text.charAt(selEnd) === '\n') {
// the selection ends at the end of a line
endLine = selEnd;
} else {
// the selection ends before the end of a line
// set endLine to the end of the last partially selected line
endLine = text.indexOf('\n', selEnd);
if (endLine === -1) {
endLine = text.length;
}
}
// if the shift key was pressed, remove tabs instead of inserting them
if (e.shiftKey) {
if (text.slice(startLine).indexOf(tab) === 0) {
// is this tab part of the selection?
if (startLine === selStart) {
// it is, remove it
sel = sel.slice(tabLen);
} else {
// the tab comes before the selection
preTab = tabLen;
}
startTab = tabLen;
}
this.value = text.slice(0, startLine) + text.slice(startLine + preTab, selStart) +
sel.replace(new RegExp('\n' + tab, 'g'), function () {
numTabs += 1;
return '\n';
}) + text.slice(selEnd);
// set start and end points
if (range) { // IE
// setting end first makes calculations easier
range.collapse();
range.moveEnd('character', selEnd - startTab - (numTabs * tabLen) - selNewlines - preNewlines);
range.moveStart('character', selStart - preTab - preNewlines);
range.select();
} else {
// set start first for Opera
this.selectionStart = selStart - preTab; // preTab is 0 or tabLen
// move the selection end over by the total number of tabs removed
this.selectionEnd = selEnd - startTab - (numTabs * tabLen);
}
} else { // no shift key
numTabs = 1; // for the first tab
// insert tabs at the beginning of each line of the selection
this.value = text.slice(0, startLine) + tab + text.slice(startLine, selStart) +
sel.replace(/\n/g, function () {
numTabs += 1;
return '\n' + tab;
}) + text.slice(selEnd);
// set start and end points
if (range) { // IE
range.collapse();
range.moveEnd('character', selEnd + (numTabs * tabLen) - selNewlines - preNewlines);
range.moveStart('character', selStart + tabLen - preNewlines);
range.select();
} else {
// the selection start is always moved by 1 character
this.selectionStart = selStart + tabLen;
// move the selection end over by the total number of tabs inserted
this.selectionEnd = selEnd + (numTabs * tabLen);
}
}
} else { // single line selection
// if the shift key was pressed, remove a tab instead of inserting one
if (e.shiftKey) {
// if the character before the selection is a tab, remove it
if (text.slice(selStart - tabLen).indexOf(tab) === 0) {
this.value = text.slice(0, selStart - tabLen) + text.slice(selStart);
// set start and end points
if (range) { // IE
// collapses range and moves it by -1 tab
range.move('character', selStart - tabLen - preNewlines);
range.select();
} else {
this.selectionEnd = this.selectionStart = selStart - tabLen;
}
}
} else { // no shift key - insert a tab
if (range) { // IE
// if no text is selected and the cursor is at the beginning of a line
// (except the first line), IE places the cursor at the carriage return character
// the tab must be placed after the \r\n pair
if (text.charAt(selStart) === '\r') {
this.value = text.slice(0, selStart + 2) + tab + text.slice(selEnd + 2);
// collapse the range and move it to the appropriate location
range.move('character', selStart + 1 + tabLen - preNewlines);
} else {
this.value = text.slice(0, selStart) + tab + text.slice(selEnd);
// collapse the range and move it to the appropriate location
range.move('character', selStart + tabLen - preNewlines);
}
range.select();
} else {
this.value = text.slice(0, selStart) + tab + text.slice(selEnd);
this.selectionEnd = this.selectionStart = selStart + tabLen;
}
}
}
// this is really just for Firefox, but will be executed by all browsers
// whenever the textarea value property is reset, Firefox scrolls back to the top
// this will reset it to the original scroll value
this.scrollTop = initScrollTop;
e.preventDefault();
}
}
// Opera (and Firefox) also fire a keypress event when the tab key is pressed
// Opera requires that the default action be prevented on this event, or the
// textarea will lose focus
function overrideKeyPress(e) {
if (e.keyCode === 9) {
e.preventDefault();
}
}
// the tabOverride method
// tabs will be overriden if enable is true (default)
function tabOverride(enable) {
// unbind the tab override functions so they are not bound more than once
this.each(function () {
$(this).unbind('.tabOverride');
});
// only bind the tab override functions if the enable argument is truthy or not specified
if (enable || typeof enable === 'undefined') {
this.each(function () {
if (this.nodeName && this.nodeName.toLowerCase() === 'textarea') {
$(this).bind('keydown.tabOverride', overrideKeyDown).bind('keypress.tabOverride', overrideKeyPress);
}
});
}
// always return the jQuery object
return $(this);
}
tabOverride.getTabSize = function () {
return aTab === '\t' ? 0 : aTab.length;
};
tabOverride.setTabSize = function (size) {
var i;
if (!size) {
aTab = '\t';
} else if (typeof size === 'number' && size > 0) {
aTab = '';
for (i = 0; i < size; i += 1) {
aTab += ' ';
}
}
};
return tabOverride;
}(jQuery)); |
The Least Liked Programming Languages - janvdberg
https://www.oreilly.com/radar/the-least-liked-programming-languages/
======
karmakaze
Some words around a part of the StackOverflow survey they reference. Three of
the mentioned languages Java, Ruby, and R are all side by side on the list.
That js is less disliked is a mystery.
[https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2020#technology-
mo...](https://insights.stackoverflow.com/survey/2020#technology-most-loved-
dreaded-and-wanted-languages-dreaded)
------
arkanciscan
Familiarity breeds contempt
------
escapegoat
Perl? COBOL?
|
/*
* Copyright 2017 Red Hat, Inc. and/or its affiliates.
*
* Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
* You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
package org.jbpm.test.functional.task;
import java.util.List;
import org.assertj.core.api.Assertions;
import org.jbpm.test.JbpmTestCase;
import org.junit.Before;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.kie.api.runtime.KieSession;
import org.kie.api.runtime.manager.RuntimeEngine;
import org.kie.api.runtime.manager.audit.ProcessInstanceLog;
import org.kie.api.runtime.process.ProcessInstance;
import org.kie.api.task.TaskService;
import org.kie.api.task.model.Task;
import org.kie.api.task.model.TaskSummary;
public class TaskSubjectAndDescriptionTest extends JbpmTestCase {
private static final String EXPECTED_SUBJECT = "Bake a cake";
private static final String HUMAN_TASK = "org/jbpm/test/functional/task/TaskSubjectAndDescription.bpmn2";
private static final String HUMAN_TASK_ID = "org.jbpm.test.functional.task.TaskSubjectAndDescription";
private static final String HUMAN_TASK2 = "org/jbpm/test/functional/task/TaskSubject.bpmn2";
private static final String HUMAN_TASK2_ID = "org.jbpm.test.functional.task.TaskSubject";
private KieSession kieSession;
private TaskService taskService;
public TaskSubjectAndDescriptionTest() {
super(true, true);
}
@Before
public void init() throws Exception {
createRuntimeManager(HUMAN_TASK, HUMAN_TASK2);
RuntimeEngine runtimeEngine = getRuntimeEngine();
kieSession = runtimeEngine.getKieSession();
taskService = runtimeEngine.getTaskService();
}
@Test
public void testSubjectAndDescriptionProperties() {
ProcessInstance processInstance = kieSession.startProcess(HUMAN_TASK_ID);
List<TaskSummary> list = taskService.getTasksAssignedAsPotentialOwner("john", "en-UK");
TaskSummary task = list.get(0);
Task t = taskService.getTaskById(task.getId());
Assertions.assertThat(task.getDescription()).isEqualTo("This is description of the human task.");
Assertions.assertThat(task.getSubject()).isEqualTo(EXPECTED_SUBJECT);
Assertions.assertThat(t.getSubject()).isEqualTo(EXPECTED_SUBJECT);
taskService.start(task.getId(), "john");
taskService.complete(task.getId(), "john", null);
ProcessInstanceLog plog = getLogService().findProcessInstance(processInstance.getId());
Assertions.assertThat(plog.getStatus()).isEqualTo(ProcessInstance.STATE_COMPLETED);
}
@Test
public void testSubjectProperty() {
ProcessInstance processInstance = kieSession.startProcess(HUMAN_TASK2_ID);
List<TaskSummary> list = taskService.getTasksAssignedAsPotentialOwner("john", "en-UK");
TaskSummary task = list.get(0);
Task t = taskService.getTaskById(task.getId());
Assertions.assertThat(task.getDescription()).isEqualTo(EXPECTED_SUBJECT);
Assertions.assertThat(task.getSubject()).isEqualTo(EXPECTED_SUBJECT);
Assertions.assertThat(t.getSubject()).isEqualTo(EXPECTED_SUBJECT);
taskService.start(task.getId(), "john");
taskService.complete(task.getId(), "john", null);
ProcessInstanceLog plog = getLogService().findProcessInstance(processInstance.getId());
Assertions.assertThat(plog.getStatus()).isEqualTo(ProcessInstance.STATE_COMPLETED);
}
}
|
Q:
Can not execute Xpath with Intellij Idea
I try to execute xpath expression in web.xml in Intellij Idea
Xpath Expression
//param-value[email]
Web.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<web-app version="2.4" xmlns="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee
http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee/web-app_2_4.xsd">
<display-name>Archetype Created Web Application</display-name>
<servlet>
<servlet-name>ServletName</servlet-name>
<servlet-class>com.ServletDemo</servlet-class>
</servlet>
<servlet-mapping>
<servlet-name>ServletName</servlet-name>
<url-pattern>/Demo1</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
<context-param>
<param-name>email</param-name>
<param-value>admin@email.com</param-value>
</context-param>
</web-app>
And I have no results. Moreover Idea highlight param-value as it does not exist and when I clik ctrl+space I see no tags! I try use this plugin in another project and another xml - it works, but in that case it is not.
Any ideas? May be I missed some configuration?
UPDATED
I remove attributes from web-app tag and expression start works. But Why?
A:
Firstly, the param-value element is in a namespace, but your XPath expression is looking for it in no namespace. Typically you want an expression such as //j:param-value where the prefix j is bound to the namespace http://java.sun.com/xml/ns/j2ee - you'll have to check the IntelliJ documentation to see how to do that.
Secondly, your param-value elements do not have a child element called email. If you want the value of the associated param-name element to be "email", that would be
//j:context-param[j:param-name='email']/j:param-value
|
Analysis of TiO2 Atomic Layer Deposition Surface Chemistry and Evidence of Propene Oligomerization Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy.
Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of TiO2 was performed in tandem with in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to monitor changes in the transient surface species across multiple ALD cycles. A self-assembled monolayer of 3-mercaptopropionic acid was used as a capture agent to ensure that nucleation of the titanium precursor (titanium tetraisopropoxide [TTIP]) occurs. Comparisons between the Raman spectra of the neat precursor and the SER spectra of the first ALD cycle of TiO2 reveal typical ligand exchange chemistry taking place, with self-limiting behavior and intact isopropoxide ligands. However, subsequent cycles show drastically different chemistry, with no isopropoxide ligands remaining at any point during the second and third cycles. Continuous exposure of either TTIP or isopropyl alcohol after the first cycle shows unlimited chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-type growth. Comparisons with alternative precursors (aluminum isopropoxide, titanium tert-butoxide, and titanium propoxide) and DFT calculations reveal that, for the TTIP precursor, isolated TiO2 sites play a role in the dehydration of off-gassing isopropyl alcohol. The resulting propene then undergoes oligomerization into six-carbon olefins before polymerizing into indistinguishable carbon products that accumulate on the surface. The emergence of the dehydration chemistry is expected to be exclusively the result of these isolated TiO2 sites and, as such, is expected to occur on other surfaces where TiO2 ALD is feasible. This work showcases how seemingly innocuous ALD can evolve into a CVD process when the products can participate in various side reactions with newly made surface sites. |
Teaching Interests:I am currently involved in teaching of the didactic course VMED 5130 - BACTERIOLOGY AND MYCOLOGY. I am also interested in promoting the teaching of mechanisms of bacterial pathogenesis to students at the graduate (Ph.D.) level.
Research Interests:The Gram-negative α-proteobacteria of the genus Rickettsia are small (0.3-0.5 x 0.8-1.0 μm), obligate intracellular organisms. They are categorized into two major groups, the Spotted Fever Group (SFG) and Typhus Group (TG), which can be distinguished by antigenicity and intracellular actin-based motility. Members of this genus are responsible for severe human diseases and several species including R. conorii, R. rickettsii, R. prowazekii, and R. typhi, have been classified as Category B and C Priority Pathogens by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for their potential use as tools for biological terrorism.
Adhesin-receptor pairs involved in pathogenesis
The pathogenesis SFG rickettsia, upon transmission into the host, depends on the pathogen’s ability to bind to and invade target host cells. Although endothelial cells are the primary target cells in the host, many non-endothelial cell lines can also be efficiently invaded by rickettsial strains, suggesting that either multiple receptors govern host cell interactions or that a putative receptor is ubiquitously expressed in many cell types. Analysis of several completed rickettsial genomes has revealed the presence of at least 17 open reading frames (orfs) termed sca (surface cell antigens) whose putative products exhibit high homology to auto-transporter protein families in Gram-negative bacteria. Five members of this family, Sca0, Sca1, Sca2, Sca4 and Sca5 are highly conserved among most pathogenic SFG rickettsia. Interestingly, rOmpA (Sca0) and rOmpB (Sca5) have both been shown to be involved in rickettsial adherence and invasion into normally non-phagocytic mammalian cells; however, very little is known about the function of other conserved Sca proteins in pathogenesis. Research in the lab is focused on addressing the following research interests:
a) Elucidation of the roles of conserved Sca proteins from R. conorii and R. rickettsii in the interaction with endothelial cells; b), Identification of mammalian receptors for SFG rickettsiae; c) Generation of protective humoral immune responses against SFG rickettsiae using established murine models of infection.
Serum resistance as a novel virulence mechanism for rickettsial species
We have recently determined that in the absence of neutralizing antibodies, a model SFG rickettsial species R. conorii is able to evade complement-mediated killing in human and murine serum. These results suggested that R. conorii and other rickettsial species likely have evolved active mechanisms to evade the bactericidal effects of complement deposition as the pathogen disseminates in the bloodstream to target organs and tissues. We have identified at least two rickettsial antigens that are sufficient to mediate survival in normal murine and human serum. Interestingly, homologues to these antigens exist in all pathogenic rickettsiae suggesting that the ability to actively perturb complement-mediated killing in the blood is a novel virulence attribute for this class of pathogens. My lab is currently pursuing the following avenues of research:
a) The contribution of conserved rickettsial antigens to resistance to complement-mediated killing in mammalian blood; b) Generation of targeted mutants in rickettsial species and the characterization of these mutants using in vivo, in vitro and ex-vivo models of infection; c) Generation of protective immunity (both active and passive) using recombinant purified rickettsial antigens and antibodies, respectively. |
/**
* Orko - Copyright © 2018-2019 Graham Crockford
*
* <p>This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the
* GNU Affero General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3
* of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
*
* <p>This program 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 Affero General Public License for more details.
*
* <p>You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License along with this
* program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*/
package com.gruelbox.orko.db;
import com.google.inject.AbstractModule;
public class DbModule extends AbstractModule {
@Override
protected void configure() {
install(new DatabaseAccessModule());
}
@Override
public boolean equals(Object obj) {
return obj instanceof DbModule;
}
@Override
public int hashCode() {
return DbModule.class.getName().hashCode();
}
}
|
package com.fsck.k9.mail.store.imap;
import java.io.IOException;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.BodyFactory;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.Part;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.filter.FixedLengthInputStream;
import com.fsck.k9.mail.internet.MimeHeader;
class FetchPartCallback implements ImapResponseCallback {
private final Part part;
private final BodyFactory bodyFactory;
FetchPartCallback(Part part, BodyFactory bodyFactory) {
this.part = part;
this.bodyFactory = bodyFactory;
}
@Override
public Object foundLiteral(ImapResponse response, FixedLengthInputStream literal) throws IOException {
if (response.getTag() == null && ImapResponseParser.equalsIgnoreCase(response.get(1), "FETCH")) {
//TODO: check for correct UID
String contentTransferEncoding = part.getHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TRANSFER_ENCODING)[0];
String contentType = part.getHeader(MimeHeader.HEADER_CONTENT_TYPE)[0];
return bodyFactory.createBody(contentTransferEncoding, contentType, literal);
}
return null;
}
}
|
Rapid development in electric vehicles as well as large-scale renewable energy storage devices has resulted in an urgent need for lithium secondary batteries with high energy densities, power densities, long cycling lives and low cost. Currently available lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been considered for use in electric automobiles. However, despite extensive efforts focused on the development of LIBs, the highest energy storage capacity exhibited by LIBs is not sufficient for meeting the demands of electric automobiles[@b1][@b2]. In this regard, recently, lithium secondary batteries fabricated using group 6A elements, such as sulfur and selenium, as cathode materials and metallic lithium as anode material have attracted considerable attention, attributed to their ultrahigh energy storage capacities[@b3][@b4][@b5]. Elemental Se is considered to be a potential candidate as cathode material for high-energy rechargeable lithium batteries, even though research on Li--Se batteries is still in the nascent stage. Although Se exhibits a theoretical gravimetric capacity (675 mA h g^−1^) less than that of sulfur (1675 mA h g^−1^), its higher density (4.82 g cm^−3^; ca. 2.5 times greater than that of sulfur) compensates for its low gravimetric capacity and results in a volumetric capacity as high as 3253 mA h cm^−3^, which is comparable to that of sulfur (3467 mAh cm^−3^)[@b6]. Moreover, its electronic conductivity (σ~Se~ = 1 × 10^−3 ^S m^−1^) is considerably greater than that of sulfur (σ~S~ = 5 × 10^−28 ^S m^−1^), suggesting that the use of Se results in higher utilisation of electrochemically active materials and a more rapid reaction with lithium ions[@b6][@b7]. Nevertheless, the use of Se as a cathode material involves significant challenges, namely 1) intermediate selenium compounds (i.e. polyselenides) generated during charging/discharging readily dissolve in organic electrolytes, which shuttle to the anode side, resulting in poor cycling stability[@b8][@b9]. For overcoming this issue, several approaches have been reported, such as impregnating selenium into porous carbon, ensuring the adsorption of polyselenides on porous metal oxides and inserting carbon layers between the separator and cathode[@b6][@b10][@b11][@b12][@b13]. Another effective approach is to use graphene as a polyselenide confinement matrix as well as an electrically conductive material. Graphene as an excellent template material can be combined with particles of group 6A elements, such as S, for preventing the dissolution of intermediate species (such as polysulfides), thereby resulting in the formation of an electrical path[@b14][@b15][@b16]. However, few studies have used graphene as polyselenide confinement matrices, as well as an electrically conductive agent, in Li--Se rechargeable batteries.
In this study, morphologically unique graphene--selenium hybrid microballs (G--SeHMs), with the highest loading of Se (80 wt%) reported thus far, to the best of our knowledge, were fabricated for use as cathode material in Li--Se rechargeable batteries. Graphene sheets are used for encapsulating micro-sized Se particles in a form of microballs by aerosol microdroplet drying method, which is a simple, scalable continuous process for manufacturing hybrid materials[@b17]. Well-encapsulated Se-based hybrid microballs by graphene sheets serve as confinement matrices for suppressing the dissolution of polyselenide into the organic electrolyte during charging/discharging, as well as provide an electrically conducting path for increasing the electron transport rate. Thus, these hybrid materials as cathode in Li--Se rechargeable batteries exhibit a high specific capacity, good rate capability and stable cycling performance. Notably, with high loading of Se in this hybrid cathode material, its electrochemical performance based on the weight of hybrid materials is remarkably better than that reported previously for Se-based cathode materials.
Results
=======
[Figure 1(a)](#f1){ref-type="fig"} shows the synthesis of G--SeHMs as a cathode material for applications to Li--Se secondary batteries; synthetic details have been provided in the experimental section. For synthesizing G--SeHMs by aerosol microdroplet drying, a stable aqueous colloidal suspension of graphene oxide (GO) and Se particles is typically prepared. However, as Se particles are hydrophobic, the particles are not readily dispersed in an aqueous system. Thus, Triton X-100, a nonionic surfactant, is added for altering the surface chemistry of the particles so as to prepare a stable Se colloidal suspension in water. As shown in [Fig. 1(b)](#f1){ref-type="fig"}, the Triton-X-100-decorated Se particles were readily dispersed in the aqueous system. Furthermore, hydrazine hydrate was added as the chemical reducing agent in the as-prepared aqueous suspension. Nonconductive GO sheets are well known to be easily converted into sheets of electrically conductive reduced GO (RGO) by chemical reduction using hydrazine hydrate at high temperature[@b18]. Hence, hydrazine hydrate is added in the as-prepared aqueous suspension as a precursor solution, namely, so as to chemically reduce the nonconductive GO sheets during spray-drying. The aqueous suspension should be maintained at low temperature (below 5 °C) for inhibiting the reduction of the nonconductive GO sheets before the start of spray-drying. Otherwise, (i.e. maintained at room temperature), the stability of the aqueous suspension is literally destroyed as the hydrophilic GO sheets easily convert into hydrophobic RGO sheets. The stable colloidal suspension containing the GO sheet, surfactant-decorated Se particles and hydrazine hydrate in an aqueous system was atomised using a spray nozzle, resulting in aerosol microdroplets; these microdroplets were sprayed downwards towards a heated zone at 200 °C, which is considerably greater than the boiling point of water. As the microdroplets passed through the heated zone, the water in the microdroplets evaporated with the simultaneous chemical reduction of the nonconductive GO sheets, resulting in conductive RGO sheets. When water completely evaporated, the Se particles were encapsulated in the RGO microballs. Subsequently, the final product was washed with ethanol and acetone for removing the residual Triton X-100. Tdy in shown in [Fig. 1(c)](#f1){ref-type="fig"}; the graphene microballs are expected to serve as a confinement matrix for dissolving polyselenide in the organic electrolyte, as well as an electron conduction path.
[Figure 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"} shows the morphological characteristics of the G--SeHMs thus obtained, as recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). As shown in [Fig. 2(a)](#f2){ref-type="fig"}, 2--3 μm uniform-sized G--SeHMs were successfully prepared by aerosol microdroplet drying from a stable colloidal suspension containing GO/surfactant-decorated Se/hydrazine hydrate. Furthermore, wrinkled two-dimensional RGO sheets with a lateral size of a few micrometres (see [Fig. S1](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} in Supporting Information) formed complete microballs ([Fig. 2(b)](#f2){ref-type="fig"}), suggesting that all Se particles are encapsulated within these microballs. For observing the interior of G--SeHMs in detail ([Fig. 2(c--h)](#f2){ref-type="fig"}), HR-TEM imaging and elemental EDX mapping were conducted. The TEM images in [Fig. 2(c,d)](#f2){ref-type="fig"} show the local structure of the G--SeHMs, where crumpled RGO sheets (light contrast) were found to be evenly dispersed outside the microball and Se particles (dark contrast) were physically confined well in the RGO microball, respectively. Se particles with an average size of 1 μm, same as that of the commercial Se particles used in this study, were observed within the G--SeHMs; this observation was also confirmed by point- and line-scanning spectroscopy and elemental SEM mapping ([Fig. S2](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} in Supporting Information). As shown in the high-magnification TEM image in [Fig. S3](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} (a) (Supporting Information), ultra-thin layers were observed at the edges, suggesting a single to few layers of graphene in the RGO microball. Furthermore, as can be observed in the SAED pattern shown in the inset of [Fig. S3](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} (b), well-defined diffraction spots were observed in the hexagonal pattern, indicating that the basal plane in the RGO microball mostly consists of sheets with a single layer or a few layers comprising honeycomb carbon networks. For investigating the structural features of the interior of the RGO microball, we used a synthetic process identical to that for G--SeHMs for preparing an RGO microball without Se particles and characterised the microball by cross-sectional SEM and TEM of the FIB-etched RGO microball, as shown in [Fig. S3 (c) and (d)](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}.
[Figure 3](#f3){ref-type="fig"} shows the structural characteristics of G--SeHMs by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). [Figure 3(a)](#f3){ref-type="fig"} shows the XRD pattern of G--SeHMs. The intensities and positions of the indexed peaks, corresponding to the Se encapsulated within the graphene microballs, exactly coincided with the trigonal structure (Se~8~) \[JCPDS 06-0362\][@b19][@b20], indicating that the Se particles do not undergo a structural change or deterioration during spray-drying. Furthermore, a weak, broad signal was observed at approximately 26°, corresponding to the (002) plane of the RGO sheets[@b14][@b18]. As shown in in the Raman spectrum in [Fig. 3(b)](#f3){ref-type="fig"}, four dominant peaks were observed. The Se particles exhibited two characteristic peaks at 142 and 237 cm^−1^, corresponding to the trigonal crystal structure of Se~8~ molecules[@b6][@b21]. The D band, corresponding to structural defects and imperfections, and the G band, corresponding to the graphitic carbon on the RGO sheets, were observed at 1349 and 1590 cm^−1^, respectively; their relative intensities indicated that a high degree of carbonaceous material is graphitised[@b22][@b23]. [Figure 3(c)](#f3){ref-type="fig"} shows the results obtained from the full-scale XPS analysis of G--SeHMs, providing information regarding the chemical states of C and Se and the degree of reduction of the GO sheets. The peaks related to Se and the RGO sheets indicated that the Se particles and RGO sheets coexist in the hybrid material. In addition, the degree of chemical reduction of the GO sheets using hydrazine hydrate can be determined by the deconvolution of the C1s XPS peak in Fig. 3(d)[@b18][@b23]. The XPS profile significantly decreased because of the defunctionalisation of GO sheets via strong chemical reduction using hydrazine hydrate during spray-drying. As determined from full-scale XPS analysis, the C/O ratio of the hybrid microballs was 8.15, which is greater than that for GO sheets. Notably, the degree of chemical reduction by hydrazine hydrate during spray-drying was sufficiently high for permitting high electrical conductivity of the hybrid material. In addition, two binding energy peaks were observed at 55.1 and 56.2 eV, respectively, in the deconvoluted Se 3d XPS profiles in [Fig. 3(e)](#f3){ref-type="fig"}, attributed to the Se−Se chemical bonds in a cyclo-octa-structured Se particles encapsulated in graphene microballs.
For determining the content of Se in G--SeHMs, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed under N~2~. As shown in [Fig. 4](#f4){ref-type="fig"}, the content of Se in the hybrid microballs was as high as 80 wt%, which is significantly greater than that reported previously ([Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}). Further, the results obtained from comparative TGA performed with/without hydrazine hydrate ([Fig. S4](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} in Supporting Information) confirmed that the chemical reduction of the GO sheets occurs during spray-drying.
The electrochemical properties of the hybrid material were evaluated by dissolving 1.0 M lithium bis-trifluoromethanesulfonimide (LITFSI) in tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (TEGDME) and 1,3-dioxolane (DOL) mixed in a volume ratio of 1:1 and using it as the electrolyte in a CR2032 coin cell. [Figure 5(a)](#f5){ref-type="fig"} shows the cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves of the G--SeHMs at a scan rate of 0.1 mV s^−1^ after the first cycle. After the initial cathodic scan, a broad peak and a dominant peak were observed at 1.89 V and 2.16 V, respectively; these peaks correspond to the stepwise electrochemical reduction of Se to polyselenides and finally to Li~2~Se[@b8][@b9][@b24]. The subsequent anodic scan resulted in a strong oxidation peak at 2.29 V, corresponding to the electrochemical oxidation of Li~2~Se to polyselenides and elemental Se. This observation is in agreement with the CV profiles typically observed for the cathode materials used in Li--Se batteries. Furthermore, during discharging, two dominant plateaus were observed at 2.12 and 1.98 V, respectively, ([Fig. 5(b)](#f5){ref-type="fig"}), corresponding to the reduction of Se to polyselenides. The G--SeHMs exhibited a specific capacity of 642 mA h g^−1^ at 0.1 C during the initial cycle (67.5 mA g^−1^ based on the weight of Se); this value corresponded to a Se electrochemical utilisation rate as high as 95.1%. Based on the weight of the hybrid materials, the specific capacity was 513.6 mA h g^−1^ for a Se content of 80 wt%. Because of the high loading amount of Se in the hybrid microball, the specific capacity based on the weight of the hybrid material was significantly greater than those of previously reported Se-based cathode materials ([Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}). Significantly, almost no overcharge was significantly observed during the initial cycle, indicating that the shuttling of Se is eliminated. On the other hand, the control samples of the Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB physical mixtures, which were prepared using an amount of carbon identical to that in the hybrid materials in [Fig. 5(b)](#f5){ref-type="fig"}, exhibited a lower specific capacity (578 and 532 mA h g^−1^ at 0.1 C for the Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB physical mixtures, respectively), indicating electrochemical utilisation rates of 85.6% and 78.8% and lower Coulombic efficiencies (CE = 86.2% and 84.0% for Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB, respectively); these values are dramatically less than that of G--SeHMs. These hybrid materials obtained from the large effective electrochemical surface area and electrical conductivity, values of which were greater than those of the Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB physical mixtures, might account for the higher electrochemical utilisation rates of the G--SeHMs. In addition, [Fig. 5(c)](#f5){ref-type="fig"} shows the cycling performance and CE of G--SeHMS; for comparison, those of the Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB physical mixtures after 100 cycles at 0.1 C are shown. After 100 cycles, the specific capacity of the G--SeHMs was as high as 544 mA h g^−1^, indicating a capacity retention rate of 84.7% and a CE of 99.8% at 0.1 C. However, the Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB physical mixtures exhibited specific capacities of 211 and 188 mA h g^−1^, indicating capacity retention rates of 36.5% and 35.3%, respectively. As shown in [Table S1](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} in Supporting Information, for the G--SeHMs as cathode-active materials, the CE was greater than 99% during 100 cycles, which was significantly greater than that for the two control samples, namely, Se--RGO--CB (1^st^ cycle: 86.2%, 100^th^ cycle: 99.0%) and Se--CB (1^st^ cycle: 84.0%, 100^th^ cycle: 98.5%). The G--SeHMs exhibited better cycling stability, attributed to the unique-structured graphene microball, which may suppress the diffusion of lithium polyselenide formed during discharging into the organic electrolyte. The G--SeHMs also exhibited good rate capability, in addition to good cycling performance, ([Fig. 5(d)](#f5){ref-type="fig"}), exhibiting specific capacities of 610, 505, 400, 355 and 301 mA h g^−1^ at rates of 0.2 C, 0.5 C, 1 C, 2 C and 5 C, respectively. Even at a high rate of 5 C, the degree of electrochemical utilisation of Se in the G--SeHMs was 44.6%, which is very high for Li--Se batteries; such a high value is attributed to the unique morphological features of the G--SeHMs, which serve as confinement matrices for minimizing the dissolution of the polyselenides in the organic electrolyte and providing an electrically conductive path, thereby improving the electrochemical performance of the resulting Li--Se batteries. Notably, based on the weight of hybrid materials, the electrochemical performance is considerably better than that of previously reported Se-based cathode materials, attributed to high Se loading content (80 wt%) in hybrid materials ([Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}). Finally, as shown in [Fig. S5](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} (Supporting Information), the volumetric capacity and specific area capacity were calculated for the G--SeHMs as cathode materials.
Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was employed for measuring the amount of Se dissolved in the electrolyte at the end of the 100^th^ cycle at 0.1 C, which could provide quantitative information about the degree of dissolution of polyselenide. For ICP-OES measurements, 2032 coin cells were dissembled in an Ar-filled glove box, and their components (such as cathode, anode and separator) were then washed with 1,3-dioxolane. Then, the solution containing polyselenide species was collected and diluted with additional 1,3-dioxolane. After oxidizing the diluted solution using a concentrated aqueous HNO~3~ solution, the total selenium content was measured by ICP-OES. For comparison purposes, two coin cells composed of Se--RGO--CB and Se--CB mixtures, respectively, as control samples, were also disassembled and subjected to the same treatment after 100 cycles. From ICP-OES analysis, for the Se--RGO--CB--binder and Se--CB--binder, 60.9% and 64.1% of the total mass was lost to the ether-based organic electrolyte after 100 cycles, respectively. In contrast, for the electrode based on G--SeHM cathode materials, only 15.2% of the total Se mass was dissolved in the ether-based organic electrolyte after the 100^th^ cycle. After the cycling test, the SEM analysis of the electrode in G--SeHMs was conducted for investigating cycling-induced changes in the graphene micro-ball microstructure. As shown in [Fig. S6](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} (Supporting Information), after the cycling test, the morphology of G--SeHMs was well retained. This result suggested that G--SeHMs exhibit good structural stability during electrochemical reactions. These results directly indicate that the dissolution of polyselenide species into the ether-based organic electrolyte is suppressed by the unique-structured RGO microball and that shuttling during charging/discharging is prevented, resulting in a better cycling stability and high CE for the Li--Se cell.
Discussion
==========
In this study, we fabricated morphologically unique graphene--selenium hybrid microballs in one step by aerosol microdroplet drying using commercial graphene oxide and selenium particles, which is a simple, scalable continuous process for manufacturing hybrid materials. Furthermore, we demonstrated that these hybrid materials can be used as cathode materials for applications of lithium--selenium secondary batteries, attributed to a high initial specific capacity (642 mA h g^−1^ at 0.1 C, corresponding to a Se electrochemical utilisation rate as high as 95.1%), good cycling stability (544 mA h g^−1^ after 100 cycles at 0.1 C; 84.5% retention) and high rate capability (specific capacity of 301 mA h g^−1 ^at 5 C). Notably, with high Se content in this hybrid cathode material, its electrochemical performance based on the weight of hybrid materials was comparable with that reported previously for Se-based cathode materials. Based on the abovementioned observations, these hybrid materials can be considered as a candidate electrode materials used in next-generation battery applications.
Methods
=======
Preparation of a graphene oxide (GO)/Se suspension
--------------------------------------------------
First, a stable suspension of graphene oxide (GO), which was commercially obtained from Angstron Materials Inc., at 0.5 mg mL^−1^ was prepared in deionised (DI) water by probe-type ultrasonication for 1 h. In general, Se does not readily disperse homogeneously in DI water as its surface is hydrophobic. Thus, for obtaining a stable colloidal Se suspension in DI water, nonionic surfactant Triton X-100 (Sigma Aldrich) was used. Se particles at a 0.5 mg mL^−1^ concentration were dispersed in DI water by probe-type ultrasonication. Next, 3 mL of Triton X-100 was added to 1 L of this colloidal Se suspension. Finally, the mixture was continuously stirred using a magnetic stirrer for ensuring a homogeneous, stable suspension.
Fabrication of G--Se hybrid microballs by spray-drying
------------------------------------------------------
First, Se and GO suspensions were mixed in a volume ratio of 3:1. Second, 10 mL of hydrazine hydrate (Sigma Aldrich), serving as the reducing agent, was slowly added dropwise to the mixture prepared in the first step. Next, the Se/GO/hydrazine hydrate suspension was maintained at 5 °C for inhibiting the reduction of GO to reduced GO (RGO) before spray-drying. Subsequently, a commercial spray dryer (B-290, Buchi) was utilised to form G--Se hybrid microballs from a stable Se/GO/hydrazine hydrate precursor suspension. During spray-drying, the suspension was injected at a feeding rate of 250 mL h^−1^ and atomised using a spray nozzle, generating aerosol microdroplets. These aerosol microdroplets were sprayed downwards towards a heated zone at 200 °C, which is significantly greater than the boiling point of water. As the aerosol microdroplets passed through the heated zone, the water in the microdroplets evaporated, and the chemical reduction of the nonconductive GO sheets occurred, resulting in conductive RGO sheets. Once the water completely evaporated, the Se particles were encapsulated in the RGO microballs. Subsequently, the final product was washed with ethanol and acetone for removing the residual Triton X-100.
Characterisation
----------------
The microstructure of the microballs was examined by SEM (JSM-7001F, JEOL, Ltd.), TEM (CM200, Philips) and HR-TEM (JEM-2100, JEOL, Ltd.), while elemental mapping was carried out by EDX (X-MaxN, Oxford instruments). XRD (DMAX-2200, Rigaku) patterns were recorded at room temperature using Cu-Kα radiation (λ = 1.54056 Å) at a scan rate of 1° min^−1^, and the scans were performed at 0.04° intervals for 2θ values of 5°--80°. In addition, XPS measurements were conducted using an Omicron ESCA Probe (Omicron Nanotechnology) with monochromated Al-Ka radiation (hν = 1486.6 eV). Raman spectra (Jobin-Yvon LabRAM HR) were recorded at room temperature utilizing a conventional backscattering geometry and a liquid-nitrogen-cooled charge-coupled device multichannel detector. An argon-ion laser with a wavelength of 514.5 nm was utilised as the light source. The thermal properties of the G--Se hybrid microballs were determined using a thermogravimetric analyser (STA409 PC) under N~2~. Thermogravimetric analysis was carried out from room temperature to 1000 °C at a heating rate of 10 °C min^−1^. ICP-OES analysis was performed using a Thermo Scientific ICAP 6300 Duo View Spectrometer.
Electrochemical characterisation
--------------------------------
A CR2032 coin cell was fabricated by sandwiching a porous polypropylene separator (Celgard 2400) with a lithium metal foil anode in an Ar-filled glove box; subsequently, this coin cell was used for the characterisation of the room-temperature electrochemical properties of the hybrid material. The cathode consisted of a mixture of 80 wt% G--Se hybrid microballs as the working material, 10 wt% carbon black as the conducting agent and 10 wt% sodium alginate as the binder, which were dissolved in DI water to form a slurry. A 30 um thick doctor's blade was used for uniformly coating the slurry onto an Al foil current collector, which was then dried at 100 °C for 24 h, followed by roll-pressing to a thickness of 20 μm. Each working electrode had an area of 1.13 cm^2^ (punched into discs with a diameter of 12 mm), and the amount of active material in the electrodes was approximately 2--3 mg cm^−2^. An organic electrolyte was prepared by dissolving 1 M LITFSI in a mixture of tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether and 1,3-dioxolane mixed in a volume ratio of 1:1. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests were performed using a potentiostat/galvanostat (VMP3, Princeton Applied Research) in the range 1.0--3.0 V.
Additional Information
======================
**How to cite this article**: Youn, H.-C. *et al*. Graphene--Selenium Hybrid Microballs as Cathode Materials for High-performance Lithium--Selenium Secondary Battery Applications. *Sci. Rep*. **6**, 30865; doi: 10.1038/srep30865 (2016).
Supplementary Material {#S1}
======================
###### Supplementary Information
This work was supported by the energy efficiency and resource grant (No: 20122010100140) of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) funded by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Korean government. This work was also supported by the third stage of Brain Korea 21 Plus Project in 2016 and a grant from the Fundamental R&D program and funded by the Korea Institute of Ceramic Engineering and Technology (KICET) and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Republic Korea.
**Author Contributions** H.-C.Y. designed the experiments and wrote the manuscript. J.H.J. did electrochemical experiments. K.C.R. and K.-B.K. reviewed and commented on the manuscript. All authors discussed the results and commented on the manuscript.
{#f1}
{#f2}
{#f3}
{#f4}
{#f5}
###### Comparison of the electrochemical performance in this study with that of previously reported cathode materials for Li--Se battery applications.
Sample Se content in the composite[a](#t1-fn1){ref-type="fn"} Specific capacity based on the weight of selenium (C~Se~) Specific capacity based on the weight of composite (C~comp.~)[b](#t1-fn2){ref-type="fn"} Cycling stability[c](#t1-fn3){ref-type="fn"} Rate capability[c](#t1-fn3){ref-type="fn"} Ref.
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------
Nanoporous Se 100 wt% 338 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g 338 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g 206 mAh/g --- *Chem. Commun*. **49**, 11515 (2013)
Se/CMK-3 49 wt% 670 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g 328 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g 153 mAh/g 153 mAh/g at 5 C *Angew. Chem. Int. Ed*. **52**, 8363 (2013)
Se/mesoporous carbon 30 wt% 480 mAh/g at 0.25 C 144 mAh/g at 0.25 C 144 mAh/g 66 mAh/g at 5 C *ACS Nano* **7**, 8003 (2013)
Se/microporous carbon 51 wt% 895 mAh/g at 0.1 C 456 mAh/g at 0.1 C 127 mAh/g --- *J. Mater. Chem. A* **2**, 17735 (2014)
Se/N-containing porous carbon 56 wt% 636 mAh/g at 0.5 C 356 mAh/g at 0.5 C 185 mAh/g 244 mAh/g at 2 C *J. Mater. Chem. A* **2**, 12255 (2014)
Se/porous carbon aerogel 56 wt% 587 mAh/g at 0.5 C 329 mAh/g at 0.5 C 235 mAh/g 169 mAh/g at 2 C *J. Power sources* **267**, 394 (2014)
Se/porous carbon bubble 50 wt% 691 mAh/g at 0.1 C 346 mAh/g at 0.1 C 303 mAh/g 216 mAh/g at 1 C *Nanoscale*, **6**, 12952 (2014)
Se/C (PAN) 55 wt% 348 mAh/g at 0.05 A/g 191 mAh/g at 0.05 A/g 149 mAh/g 187 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g *RSC Adv*. **4**, 9086 (2014)
Se/TiO~2~ 71 wt% 481 mAh/g at 0.1 C 342 mAh/g at 0.1 C 112 mAh/g --- *Solid State Ionics* **260**, 101 (2014)
Se/MCN-RGO paper 62 wt% 655 mAh/g at 0.1 C 406 mAh/g at 0.1 C 352 mAh/g 170 mAh/g at 3 C *Adv. Funct. Mater*. **25**, 455 (2014)
Graphene--Se/CNT thin film 30 wt% 400 mAh/g at 0.1 C 120 mAh/g at 0.1 C 94 mAh/g 24 mAh/g at 1C *J. Power Sources* **263**, 85 (2015)
Se/MWCNT 54 wt% 560 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g 302 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g 232 mAh/g 151 mAh/g at 1.2 A/g *J. Mater. Chem. A* **3**, 555 (2015)
Graphene--selenium hybrid microball 80 wt% 642 mAh/g at 0.1 C 514 mAh/g at 0.1 C 435 mAh/g 241 mAh/g at 5 C *This study*
^a^Se content was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) in previous studies, as well as in this study.
^b^Specific capacity (C~comp~) based on the weight of composite was calculated by following equation. (C~comp~ = specific capacity (C~Se~) based on the weight of Se × Se content in the composite).
^c^The values obtained for cycling stability and rate capability were calculated by the weight of the composite.
|
Q:
Is #HORNSAT polynomial?
A Horn clause is a disjunctive clause of literals containing at most one unnegated literal. Examples are
$$
\neg p \lor \neg r \lor \neg q,\\ \neg s \lor q,\\ \neg s \lor \neg q\lor r,\\ s,\\ \neg r \lor t,\\ \neg q \lor \neg t\lor p.
$$
Determining whether or not a set of Horn clauses is simultaneously satisfiable takes polynomial time: this is the problem known as HORNSAT. The algorithm does the following:
If there is a clause containing only a single positive literal, set the letter of that literal to true; then remove the negation of that literal from all clauses containing it. Repeat until no such clauses exist.
Then, if there is an empty clause, the set is not satisfiable.
If there is no empty clause, the set is satisfiable, with satisfying assignment given by setting all unset letters to false.
Following the algorithm, you can quickly see that the above set of clauses is not simultaneously satisfiable, since the last five clauses force all used letters to be true, while the first clause asks at least one to be false.
Now, the problem #HORNSAT asks the following: given a set of Horn clauses, how many simultaneously satisfying assignments are there? One might expect the problem to be easier than #SAT, since HORNSAT is so much easier than SAT; on the other hand, it "feels" NP-hard.
A:
Even if decision is easy, the counting problem #HORNSAT is #P-complete [1], the counting analog of NP-completeness problem. Thus it is very unlikely it has a polynomial time algorithm (for example, if $P \neq NP$ then #HORNSAT has no ptime algorithm).
See [1] for a dichotomy characterizing the clause restrictions leading to tractable instances of #SAT. More precisely, it is shown that the only restriction of clauses that gives tractable instances for #SAT are the clauses of the form $x_1 \oplus x_2 \oplus ...\oplus x_n = 0$ where $\oplus$ is the sum modulo $2$. The other restrictions (#2-SAT, #HORNSAT, ...) are all #P-complete.
[1] Nadia Creignou, Miki Hermann: Complexity of Generalized Satisfiability Counting Problems. Inf. Comput. 125(1): 1-12 (1996), http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890540196900164?via%3Dihub
|
Q:
Is it possible to give a background color to a text field in a form?
I do not want to set the color to the input field; I want the background color to be set to the text field. Please see the image attached. Like the black color background on the first two fields, I want to color only the first two fields with a background color. The complete form can be given a background color which is not what I want; I want the form to be white in color except for the first two fields.
A:
As I can understand from your given image. You need to give fieldset and first two fields should be under <div> tag and then you can set style="background-color:black;"
for example:
<form action="demo_form.asp" style="color:green;">
<fieldset><legend> Personal Details </legend>
<div style="background-color:black">
First Name: <br>
<input type="text" name="fname" placeholder="Enter First Name"><br>
Last Name: <br>
<input type="text" name="lname" placeholder="Enter Last Name">
</div>
Date Of Birth: <br>
<input type="text" name="dob" placeholder="mm / dd / yy"><br>
</fieldset>
</form>
JSFiddel I hope it satisfied your requirement. If it is then up vote for this ans.
|
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to sliders for magnetic thin film heads, and more particularly, to sliders for magnetic thin film heads having a silicon coating formed over the air bearing surface thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Magnetic disk devices have been in widespread use and are popular as external storage. A magnetic disk device includes a magnetic disk, a motor for rotating the magnetic disk, a slider radially movable along the magnetic disk, and a magnetic head mounted on the slider to perform data read and write operations with respect to the magnetic disk.
Achieving higher recording densities has required a reduction in the separation between the head and the surface of the magnetic disk. Storage systems in use commercially today use a slider that rides on a hydrodynamic air bearing during normal operation. The disk is typically coated with a lubricant, such as perfluoropolyether (PFPE), to prevent wear to the disk and slider during contact start and stop maneuvers and occasional asperity contacts. Two primary recording concepts are currently being used: true contact and near-contact recording. True contact recording uses very small sliders coated with low wear rate materials that are allowed to slide directly against the disk. In near-contact recording, a liquid bearing surface or an air bearing surface is used to separate the head from the disk.
Nevertheless, with either recording concept, the slider may rest upon the surface of the magnetic disk when not in use. During information retrieval and recording, however, the magnetic disk is rotated. When the disk first begins rotating, the slider slides along the surface of the magnetic disk. With near-contact recording, as the rotational speed of the disk increases, a boundary layer of air is formed which causes the slider to lift off of the disk and "fly" above the surface of the disk. When the power to the disk drive is once again shut off, the disk rotational speed gradually decreases, and the slider lands upon the disk, sliding along the surface of the disk until the disk comes to rest.
Several problems arise from the contact of the slider with the disk. With respect to both types of recording systems, the slider may be sliding directly in contact with the disk surface during start up and slow down of the disk. This frictional contact causes wear of the disk and slider. The excessive wear on the disk reduces the effective useful life of the disk.
Furthermore, even with near-contact recording systems, contact between the slider and disk also may occur when the disk is at full rotational speed. Although the boundary layer of air normally acts to support the slider above the disk, high points (asperities) on the otherwise smooth surface of the disk at times cause the slider to make contact with these projections on the disk. When the slider impacts these asperities on the disk, the slider often gouges the disk surface, further degrading the disk surface, as well as causing damage to the head and slider.
Accordingly, there is a need to protect the slider and disk surface from damage, namely by depositing a final layer at the air bearing surface in the fabrication of magnetic thin film heads. This surface provides a durable interface between the head and disk during file operation. Another function of the final layer is to provide a surface on which the flyheight can be measured, e.g. a surface with simple and consistent optical properties. In order to provide a durable interface, a low friction, durable and mechanically tough coating is required. In order to provide surface conducive to fly height measurements, an optically reflective, single layer material is required. Many materials, such as SiN, SiC, TiN, DLC, TiW etc. have been tried. Nevertheless, all such materials have failed either by the first or second criteria. For example, in the case of a silicon slider, the coating is not identical to the silicon slider body, which creates thermal mismatches and mechanical stresses. Thus, a stable slider dimension (crown, camber, pitch, etc.) can not be maintained with the temperature excursion encountered by the file.
To overcome the head disk interface durability problem with metallic layers such as TiW, a thin and durable hydrogenated carbon overcoat has been applied as the final step in head fabrication.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,508 to Grill, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,658 to Chang et al., both of which are incorporated by reference herein, describe the use of a DC biased substrate in an RF plasma deposition apparatus to deposit an adhesion layer and a thin layer of carbon upon the air bearing surface of a slider. These references describe depositing an adhesion layer to a thickness of between 10 and 50 Angstroms (i.e., 1 to 5 nm), and a carbon layer to a thickness of 50-1000 Angstroms (i.e., 5 to 100 nm) upon the flat surface of a slider. An etching technique is then used to form a patterned area, which includes rails, on the air bearing surface. A solvent is then used to remove the photoresist layer which is used to control the etching.
These methods suffer from several disadvantages. Primarily, the Grill and Chang references disclose a method by which the protective coating (plus a masking layer as described in the Chang reference), is placed to protect the slider. These layers are necessary to protect the slider during subsequent etching which is done to form the patterned air bearing surface, and for subsequent solvent removal of the photoresist layer after etching.
Unfortunately, this method requires the placement of a substantial thickness of coating across the entire slider so that the sensor will not be damaged during the etching process. Further, this method does not allow control over the depth of the coating material across the air bearing surface of the slider. In particular, during the etching and solvent removal steps, which are done to form the patterned surface in the slider and to remove a photoresist material, the coating is removed in an uncontrolled fashion This causes the coating thickness to vary across the air bearing surface of the slider.
A further problem with this method is that the magnetic spacing is increased by the thickness of this carbon overcoat. This increase in magnetic spacing is significant in the low flying height file because it can occupy as much as 50% of the total spacing and degrade the file performance.
Thus it can be seen that there is a need for overcoat material, which has the better combination of durability and optical properties compared to TiW.
It also can be seen that there is a need for an overcoat material that is compatible with different slider body materials such as silicon which imposes little concern about the thermal expansion and mechanical stress effects on the slider.
It can also be seen then that there is a need for an overcoat material that does not create magnetic spacing loss. |
The operation and control of the next generation electrical grids will depend on a complex network of computers, software, and communication technologies. Being compromised by a malicious adversary would cause significant damage, including extended power outages and destruction of electrical equipment. Moreover, the implementation of the smart grid will include the deployment of many new enabling technologies such as advanced sensors and metering, and the integration of distributed generation resources. Such technologies and various others will require the addition and utilization of multiple communication mechanisms and infrastructures that may suffer from serious cyber vulnerabilities. These need to be addressed in order to increase the security and thus the greatest adoption and success of the smart grid. In this article, we focus on the communication security aspect, which deals with the distribution component of the smart grid. Consequently, we target the network security of the advanced metering infrastructure coupled with the data communication toward the transmission infrastructure. We discuss the security and feasibility aspects of possible communication mechanisms that could be adopted on that subpart of the grid. By accomplishing this, the correlated vulnerabilities in these systems could be remediated, and associated risks may be mitigated for the purpose of enhancing the cyber security of the future electric grid. |
# Copyright (c) 2017-present, Facebook, Inc. All rights reserved.
#
# You are hereby granted a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use,
# copy, modify, and distribute this software in source code or binary form for use
# in connection with the web services and APIs provided by Facebook.
#
# As with any software that integrates with the Facebook platform, your use of
# this software is subject to the Facebook Platform Policy
# [http://developers.facebook.com/policy/]. This copyright notice shall be
# included in all copies or substantial portions of the software.
#
# THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
# IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
# FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
# COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER
# IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
# CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
require 'dotenv/load'
require 'facebookbusiness'
ad_account = FacebookAds::AdAccount.get('act_<ACT_ID>')
images = ad_account.adimages.create({
logo1: File.open(File.expand_path("../logo1.jpg", __FILE__)),
logo2: File.open(File.expand_path("../logo2.png", __FILE__)),
fields: 'hash'
})
|
He said: “If three years ago, when we were second from bottom in the Championship you had said to the supporters we would be on nine points after 13 games in the Premier League and playing Man United, rather than getting relegated, they would probably have taken that.
“That’s where we’re at and let’s have a sense of realism here as a club. What we have done in the last three years is pretty incredible.
“Would I say we have punched above our weight financially and in terms of the size of this club? Yes, without a doubt. And we have to keep doing that and find another way of getting results and winning.
“I think we have a younger generation of supporter that have seen nothing but success in the last 10 years so their view might be different.
“You have an older generation who know historically where the club has come from and they might have a different view. But all fans are entitled to their own opinions and thoughts. That’s what makes football what it is.”
Regardless of how Reading perform this year, the 2012/13 campaign will go down as the third best in the club’s history. But that will be of little consolation to a large number of fans expecting Royals to consolidate their top-flight status and build for the future.
However, McDermott warned there is no massive war chest waiting to be spent should Reading still be in the relegation zone during the January transfer window.
He said: “I don’t know how much is available. There won’t be a fortune available here and I don’t want to give fans any false hopes because it wouldn’t be right.” |
The cab driver stated that Julie-Ann slapped Gary across the cheek and he returned the abuse by hitting her with a “left hook, ” according to the prosecutor. Gary admitted he pushed his wife hard with his left hand, but denied using a hook.
After the attack – which occurred in front of a terrified taxi driver – left Julie-Ann, 47, unconscious as she fell to the ground. She was taken to the hospital for treatment following the punch but was released soon after.
After seeing his wife laying on the ground unconscious, Kate Middleton’s uncle allegedly began crying and trying to help her get back up. The taxi driver reportedly challenged Gary, 52, after witnessing the attack, but he became very aggressive.
Gary, who is worth almost $40 million, attended both Kate, 35, and sister Pippa’s weddings. He is their mother’s younger brother and a close family member to the Duchess. This Tuesday, he admitted one charge of assault by beating. |
The Law Enforcement Technology Advancement Centre (LETAC) has developed SID version 6.7: a Sadistic, Intelligent, and Dangerous virtual reality entity which is synthesized from the personalities of more than 150… |
/*
* _=_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_=
* Repose
* _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
* Copyright (C) 2010 - 2015 Rackspace US, 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 org.openrepose.core.services.deploy;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FilenameFilter;
public final class EarFilenameFilter implements FilenameFilter {
private static final EarFilenameFilter INSTANCE = new EarFilenameFilter();
private static final int EAR_EXTENSION_LENGTH = 4;
private EarFilenameFilter() {
}
public static FilenameFilter getInstance() {
return INSTANCE;
}
@Override
public boolean accept(File dir, String name) {
return name.length() > EAR_EXTENSION_LENGTH && ".ear".equalsIgnoreCase(name.substring(name.length() - EAR_EXTENSION_LENGTH));
}
}
|
Electric motors are used almost everywhere in society to produce different mechanical movements, for example, rotating pumps and fans. There are numerous different types of electric motors, of which the most common is the so-called squirrel-cage motor.
The connection of a squirrel-cage motor to the network is known to cause a substantial switching current surge; the current taken from the network when starting can transiently be over 6 times the rated current. This kind of current surge often causes problems, such as the need to dimension the fuses and cables of the supply circuit to be larger than the load during actual operation would require, as well as the extra costs incurred by this kind of over-dimensioning. Generally the larger the power output of the motor is in question, the larger problem the switching current surge is.
One prior-art solution for reducing the starting current is to use a so-called soft starter, which may include a circuit implemented with thyristors, with its control unit, and in which the control angle of the thyristors is controlled so that the voltage of the motor decreases to avoid the over large current of the starting phase. This type of solution is known, for example from publications DE4406794 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,859,514. A drawback of the solution is the cost of starting and the power loss during operation as the motor current runs continuously through it. In order to reduce continuous power loss, the prior art solution bypass the soft starter by connecting the motor directly to the network after the starting phase with a shunt contactor.
The use of a frequency converter for starting the motor without a switching current surge is also a well-known solution. When the load requires a varying speed of rotation, the use of a frequency converter is otherwise a natural solution. If, however, the load of the motor allows continuous operation at a fixed frequency of the supply network, the prior art solutions use a shunt circuit implemented with contactors to minimize power losses, with which shunt circuit the motor is disconnected after the starting phase from the frequency converter and connected directly to the network. A shunt circuit may be used in the prior-art pump automatics according to FIG. 2a, in which one frequency converter and a number of motors of which each can be connected either to the frequency converter, or directly to the network. With the solution the total flow produced by the pumps can be steplessly adjusted from zero up to maximum delivery, in which case all the motors operate at their rated speed.
Also a motor accelerated to its rated speed with a frequency converter can take a substantial connection current surge, even greater than the starting situation, when it is connected directly to the network. This occurs if the amplitude and phase angle of the so-called residual voltage evident in the connectors of the motor after disconnecting from the frequency converter differ from the amplitude and phase angle of the supply network at the time when the motor is connected directly to the network. Owing to the deceleration of a loaded motor and the switching delays of the contactors, which can be in the range 40 . . . 100 ms, a simple and reasonably priced prior-art method or arrangement to synchronize the residual voltage and the voltage of the supply network at the time of connection is not found. |
Acting CEO Andy Forssell says company will spend $750 million infusion from Disney, Fox and NBC on content and marketing
Hulu at some point expects to introduce a subscription video plan without any advertising — and compete more aggressively with Netflix.
But today, the Internet TV service doesn’t want to leave money on the table. Hulu generates $7.99 monthly per subscriber for the pay service and brings in about that much — in the “mid to high” $7 range — in advertising per Hulu Plus user, according to Andy Forssell, Hulu’s acting CEO and senior VP of content.
Hulu Plus carries fewer ads than the content on Hulu.com (usually two 30-second spots per half-hour, versus three on the free site), but the ad revenue it gets from paying customers “allows us to buy more content,” said Forssell, speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia conference in New York.
That said, “Allowing people to pay more and not have advertising at all, I think that’s the right path long term,” he added. “I’m a big believer in choice… I believe over time we should introduce an ad-free service.”
Hulu’s owners — Disney, 21st Century Fox and NBCUniversal — explored selling the Internet TV service earlier this year, attracting bids from parties including DirecTV, AT&T, Chernin Group and Yahoo. But in July, the media congloms announced they would retain their stakes in Hulu and invest $750 million in the company.
“What the $750 million lets us do is press down the accelerator and grow (the subscription business) faster, both through content and marketing,” Forssell said. “We want to get it to scale.”
In April, Hulu said the Hulu Plus service had hit 4 million subscribers. Currently, Hulu Plus is “midstream” in its path to profitability, Forssell said, while Hulu.com became profitable about 2½ years into its life.
Meanwhile, Hulu Plus should gain traction as TV broadcasters delay their newest episodes from becoming available on Hulu.com for several days after they air.
Since last fall Fox has delayed free online access to new eps for eight days after broadcast, making them available on Hulu Plus and through pay-TV partners next day after air. So far, NBC and ABC have continued to release shows on the Internet free day-after-air, but Forssell expects them eventually to follow Fox’s lead.
“I have no inside information. But I expect all the broadcast networks to institute a delay as they reach retrans deals (with pay TV operators),” he said. “The economics make that inevitable, but I couldn’t guess at the timing.”
As for original and exclusive content, Hulu looks for properties “where we can make the difference” to help showrunners find an audience, Forssell said. He cited the company’s recent deal with Lionsgate for comedy “Deadbeat,” to be produced by Dakota Pictures and Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment.
“I can’t think of a situation where we’ve bid against someone” for an original series, Forssell said, noting that Netflix has vied with large cablers in some of its deals.
The Hulu Plus subscriber base skews younger than broadcast TV, with a median age of about 35 or 36, and they’re more affluent, according to Forssell. There’s an even 50-50 split between men and women, and females 18 to 35 are Hulu’s the fastest growing segment. Hulu users watch an average of about 20 hours video per month.
There’s no way Hulu could have gotten off the ground without being a joint venture, Forssell said — but he acknowledged that JVs are “by nature somewhat treacherous… different investors sometimes have different agendas.”
But, he said, both Disney and 21st Century Fox are “committed” to Hulu’s success. The third owner, NBCU, is forbidden from exercising operational decisions about Hulu under Comcast’s agreement with the U.S. government to acquire NBC.
The bottom line is TV ads are a gross interruption to viewing pleasure. There is so much good ad-free content to watch from a plethora of sources that I can’t budget my time to watch them all. Therefore, I will bypass Hulu until they recognize reality and adjust their business model.
I’m a current subscriber and I agree with all the ad comments, it’s ridiculous.
Besides that why do I have to watch ads for a “Hulu Original”?! It’s enough to get it for major network shows but a show that’s directly from them…absurd.
And the final thing that grinds my gears is that the grace period for skipping content is border line mental…if I watch even 10 seconds of a show and want to skip over beyond the ad Che joint I still have to watch ads…..stop being so greedy Hulu! Terminating my service!
I am thoroughly disgusted by Hulu +. I can not understand how a streaming service can indeed say that it offers show to it’s paid subscribers. Then when you click on the show it also wants you to log in to your cable provider to watch it. I wanted to cut my ties with cable but instead I see I am paying extra for hulu plus and is basically not useable with out your cable provider. Hulu should be forced to list what shows are free, what shows you get to watch when you pay for there streaming service Hulu plus and then Hulu should list ALL THE SHOWS THAT YOU STILL HAVE TO HAVE A CABLE PROVIDER IN ORDER TO WATCH!!!!!!!
I only signed up for Hulu+ to watch Once Upon A Time S4. Now that I have it I’d rather wait and buy the DVD set. 2-3 30 second commercials every 5 MINUTES!!!!! It’s beyond ridiculous. Doubtful I’ll get through this whole season before just canceling this and keeping Netflix. UGH!
Ditto! I just ordered it and I bolted upright in my recliner when the ads started just minutes into my fav series…I’d rather buy the box set than put up with this ish…Shortest hulu subscription ever. 10 minutes.
As much as I love Hulu+ I cannot stand the commercials. 5 commercial breaks in a typical show with as many as 5 commercials per break. just so they can make a quarter. I would rather pay that quarter than watch the damn things.
They’re just greedy ass corporate pigs. All that bullshit is just smoke to cover up their greed. It makes no sense to pay for hulu+ and still be forced to watch dumbass commercials. I cancelled my hulu + the day after subscribing when I found out they had commercials for paid users. Ridiculous… Idk how they could expect to compete with netflix, or anyone else for that matter, with this dumb policy… Screw you hulu
It’s a business. They HAVE to make money to be running. Commercials help do that. The minimal fees you pay as part of Hulu plus are nothing in relation to their costs. Know what you’re talking about before you comment about shit you obviously don’t know. Netflix are a different entity all together, and operate in a different fashion–also having NO free option.
It’s not hurting you to watch 30-40 seconds of ads. I know. I used to use hulu plus a lot, only cancelled it due to other financial commitments. Change the ad preference to all play at the start if you’re concerned, and none play during the show.
But Netflix costs the same per month as hulu and has comparable content (hulu has some content netflix doesn’t have and vice versa) and by some miracle netflix doesn’t have to show commercials to survive. Where do you get off saying that we should all just watch the commercials and deal with it? Thank goodness we have competition, huh? Now we don’t have to just deal with it. :)
Before I cancelled Hulu+ there were way more than 2 slots of commercials per show. I can get that for free from the network sites, and it is not the same commercials over and over and over that Hulu+ has.
Greed gonna greed. There was a point in time when hulu+ had no commercials which is the primary benefit of purchasing a service like hulu. However grubbers gonna grub, as soon as they realized they could charge consumers money AND recieve ad revenue all bets were off.
Hulu+ is getting really bad with the ads. During some shows its as if its network tv. Abc world news is 20 min long and has 10 30 second ads. Thats 5 mins of ads and 15 of show. Ridiculous. Stopping my service immediately after this.
Hulu would have a ton more subs if they would get rid of the ads and I am one of them. I always sign up for the free month with they give it to me just to see if anything has changed but it never does. So until it is ad free I will not pay for it, period.
The ads on Hulu Plus are ridiculous. I currently have a free month of Hulu Plus but solely based on the ads alone we will be cancelling the subscription. Netflix is much more enjoyable anyways and they have a wider selection.
I question the claim that “Hulu Plus carries fewer ads than the content on Hulu.com (usually two 30-second spots per half-hour, versus three on the free site).” I subscribed to Hulu Plus for nearly a year before canceling. I canceled because the ads were getting out of control. Watching via TiVo, I typically saw 8-12 ads for every half hour. The claimed “limited commercial interruption” was a lie, with almost as many ads as were seen on broadcast programs. If it were 1-2 ads/ half hour, I would still be a subscriber.
Now I’m more than happy with Netflix. I have convinced several friends to eschew Hulu Plus for the much better value offered by Netflix.
I was just going to say the same. That Hulu spokesperson had to have been high. At the time this article was written, I’d get four, yes FOUR 120 second commercial breaks for a half hour show with my paid subscription. They offered me 5 months of free service when I left. I didn’t take it. It’s sink or swim time and they know it. Giving false PR info doesn’t help them at all. They’re probably just hoping somebody subscribes, finds out Hulu and Hulu plus are the same, and forgets about their subscriptions. And as far as their episodes go, You can’t get half of them. If you want to watch a show from the beginning, they make it impossible. Yea, keep telling yourself you’re gonna survive, Hulu. I really doubt it.
HuluPlus really sucks as far as playing adds since these are annoying adds that play when you least expect them when watching a TV show as it cuts the programing since they get thrown in the middle of an actor’s sentence. I am a 7 day subscriber cause I got something free in return so I had to try the service for 7 free days but after or even before paying for a darn subscription I will cancel just like I did the last time.
I will definitely stick with my NetFlix for life as I am satisfy that their service since is super way much better as they are not greedy as HULU to be freaking adding advertisements that upsets a customer as you will not ever listen to these adds (crap).
Just saying….
“usually two 30-second spots per half-hour, versus three on the free site”
I want to know what service this guy is seeing. I have Hulu Plus, but still have to sit through 60-90 seconds of ads 2-3 times for every half hour show, and 4-6 times for every hour show. On top of that, it’s often the same ads every break which is even more annoying than the annoyance of already having to see ads.
I’m willing to pay a little more for hulu plus ad free, in my opinion they have great shows and a lot of options for all the family. But I hate seeing 1/3 ads, ads are a waste of time.
I want to watch without interruptions.
Hulu plus’s biggest mistake is the ads i pay for amazon prime (shit for content btw) and netflix because there ad free streaming services. i wont watch tv because of ads. when im watching a show i wana watch start to finish and no interruptions and i would consider hulu plus if they did ad-free service nearly 60-80% of hulu plus content is on netflix ad free or can be streamed else were with out ads
I actually like the commercials on Hulu Plus. Shorter than broadcast television, they still allow me time to do other things, like get a snack, put a dirty dish in the sink, or some personal private time. Yes, I know I can pause Netflix, but I like knowing that in a few minutes, I can take a break.
Netflix also seems to have issues with content coming in without pixelating. This may be because not enough bytes have streamed in yet, but Hulu plus always seems to have a better “picture” than Netflix.
I pay for and like both services. We also have digital antenna television, and use Hoopla to stream digital content from the library. My son, age 10, is an avid Netflix user, where I tend to stay with Hulu Plus.
hulus biggest problem after the ads which i will not pay to see ads, is the freezing and operational problems they have and their solutions requiring you to reconfigure your equipment, i dont think they will ever approach the quality of netflix, their video is awsome and it works.
Hulu needs to get this straight: I WILL NOT PAY (YOU) TO WATCH (YOUR) ADS.
Hulu dragging its feet on a paid-for ad-free service is a huge mistake, as they are leaving (my) money on the table month after month, AND the longer they wait, the more likely they’ll find themselves presenting content that can be obtained (ad-free) from Amazon Prime Instant Video or Netflix Watch Instantly, making their eventual offering redundant.
There used to be three benefits to watching Hulu/Hulu Plus: 1. fewer commercials per episode(and sometimes commercial-free episodes, if you agreed to watch a 1-2 minute ad up front); 2. the ability to watch popular TV shows when I had the time; and 3. new show were available less than 24 hours after air. Now, they’re instituting a policy of showing some popular shows on a 1 month delay, and showing almost as many commercial as regular TV (on avg 6 commercial breaks with 3 ads each, per 44 minute episode). However the freedom to watch when I want remains. With that said, I still prefer watching programs on Hulu Plus and Netflix over traditional TV. But like all good things in the hands of the television network idiots, Hulu will continue to get more and more in line with traditional TV until all of the benefits are gone. And I’ll cancel my subscription.
Yeah, sg8 says were suckers. But whats $7.99? The real suckers, people who pay DirecTV and COMCAST over $100/mo for programs I watch for $8. But then again, $8 may be a life changing amount of money to sg8.
Kendrick – I wouldn’t go as far as to say the 90+% of people with satellite or cable TV are suckers. Can Hulu Plus show my regional sports channel and Sports Center? Does it have Disney and Nick programming for my kids? Does it have FX, USA, TNT, TBS, AMC and other programming? Last I saw, I couldn’t even watch CBS’s Amazing Race on Hulu Plus. |
#include <stdint.h>
#include "clar_libgit2.h"
#include "vector.h"
/* initial size of 1 would cause writing past array bounds */
void test_core_vector__0(void)
{
git_vector x;
int i;
git_vector_init(&x, 1, NULL);
for (i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0xabc);
}
git_vector_free(&x);
}
/* don't read past array bounds on remove() */
void test_core_vector__1(void)
{
git_vector x;
/* make initial capacity exact for our insertions. */
git_vector_init(&x, 3, NULL);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0xabc);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0xdef);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x123);
git_vector_remove(&x, 0); /* used to read past array bounds. */
git_vector_free(&x);
}
static int test_cmp(const void *a, const void *b)
{
return *(const int *)a - *(const int *)b;
}
/* remove duplicates */
void test_core_vector__2(void)
{
git_vector x;
int *ptrs[2];
ptrs[0] = git__malloc(sizeof(int));
ptrs[1] = git__malloc(sizeof(int));
*ptrs[0] = 2;
*ptrs[1] = 1;
cl_git_pass(git_vector_init(&x, 5, test_cmp));
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&x, ptrs[0]));
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&x, ptrs[1]));
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&x, ptrs[1]));
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&x, ptrs[0]));
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&x, ptrs[1]));
cl_assert(x.length == 5);
git_vector_uniq(&x, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 2);
git_vector_free(&x);
git__free(ptrs[0]);
git__free(ptrs[1]);
}
static int compare_them(const void *a, const void *b)
{
return (int)((intptr_t)a - (intptr_t)b);
}
/* insert_sorted */
void test_core_vector__3(void)
{
git_vector x;
intptr_t i;
git_vector_init(&x, 1, &compare_them);
for (i = 0; i < 10; i += 2) {
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, (void*)(i + 1), NULL);
}
for (i = 9; i > 0; i -= 2) {
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, (void*)(i + 1), NULL);
}
cl_assert(x.length == 10);
for (i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
cl_assert(git_vector_get(&x, i) == (void*)(i + 1));
}
git_vector_free(&x);
}
/* insert_sorted with duplicates */
void test_core_vector__4(void)
{
git_vector x;
intptr_t i;
git_vector_init(&x, 1, &compare_them);
for (i = 0; i < 10; i += 2) {
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, (void*)(i + 1), NULL);
}
for (i = 9; i > 0; i -= 2) {
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, (void*)(i + 1), NULL);
}
for (i = 0; i < 10; i += 2) {
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, (void*)(i + 1), NULL);
}
for (i = 9; i > 0; i -= 2) {
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, (void*)(i + 1), NULL);
}
cl_assert(x.length == 20);
for (i = 0; i < 20; ++i) {
cl_assert(git_vector_get(&x, i) == (void*)(i / 2 + 1));
}
git_vector_free(&x);
}
typedef struct {
int content;
int count;
} my_struct;
static int _struct_count = 0;
static int compare_structs(const void *a, const void *b)
{
return ((const my_struct *)a)->content -
((const my_struct *)b)->content;
}
static int merge_structs(void **old_raw, void *new)
{
my_struct *old = *(my_struct **)old_raw;
cl_assert(((my_struct *)old)->content == ((my_struct *)new)->content);
((my_struct *)old)->count += 1;
git__free(new);
_struct_count--;
return GIT_EEXISTS;
}
static my_struct *alloc_struct(int value)
{
my_struct *st = git__malloc(sizeof(my_struct));
st->content = value;
st->count = 0;
_struct_count++;
return st;
}
/* insert_sorted with duplicates and special handling */
void test_core_vector__5(void)
{
git_vector x;
int i;
git_vector_init(&x, 1, &compare_structs);
for (i = 0; i < 10; i += 2)
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, alloc_struct(i), &merge_structs);
for (i = 9; i > 0; i -= 2)
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, alloc_struct(i), &merge_structs);
cl_assert(x.length == 10);
cl_assert(_struct_count == 10);
for (i = 0; i < 10; i += 2)
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, alloc_struct(i), &merge_structs);
for (i = 9; i > 0; i -= 2)
git_vector_insert_sorted(&x, alloc_struct(i), &merge_structs);
cl_assert(x.length == 10);
cl_assert(_struct_count == 10);
for (i = 0; i < 10; ++i) {
cl_assert(((my_struct *)git_vector_get(&x, i))->content == i);
git__free(git_vector_get(&x, i));
_struct_count--;
}
git_vector_free(&x);
}
static int remove_ones(const git_vector *v, size_t idx, void *p)
{
GIT_UNUSED(p);
return (git_vector_get(v, idx) == (void *)0x001);
}
/* Test removal based on callback */
void test_core_vector__remove_matching(void)
{
git_vector x;
size_t i;
void *compare;
git_vector_init(&x, 1, NULL);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
cl_assert(x.length == 1);
git_vector_remove_matching(&x, remove_ones, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 0);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
cl_assert(x.length == 3);
git_vector_remove_matching(&x, remove_ones, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 0);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
cl_assert(x.length == 4);
git_vector_remove_matching(&x, remove_ones, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 2);
git_vector_foreach(&x, i, compare) {
cl_assert(compare != (void *)0x001);
}
git_vector_clear(&x);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
cl_assert(x.length == 4);
git_vector_remove_matching(&x, remove_ones, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 2);
git_vector_foreach(&x, i, compare) {
cl_assert(compare != (void *)0x001);
}
git_vector_clear(&x);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x001);
cl_assert(x.length == 4);
git_vector_remove_matching(&x, remove_ones, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 2);
git_vector_foreach(&x, i, compare) {
cl_assert(compare != (void *)0x001);
}
git_vector_clear(&x);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x003);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x002);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void*) 0x003);
cl_assert(x.length == 4);
git_vector_remove_matching(&x, remove_ones, NULL);
cl_assert(x.length == 4);
git_vector_free(&x);
}
static void assert_vector(git_vector *x, void *expected[], size_t len)
{
size_t i;
cl_assert_equal_i(len, x->length);
for (i = 0; i < len; i++)
cl_assert(expected[i] == x->contents[i]);
}
void test_core_vector__grow_and_shrink(void)
{
git_vector x = GIT_VECTOR_INIT;
void *expected1[] = {
(void *)0x02, (void *)0x03, (void *)0x04, (void *)0x05,
(void *)0x06, (void *)0x07, (void *)0x08, (void *)0x09,
(void *)0x0a
};
void *expected2[] = {
(void *)0x02, (void *)0x04, (void *)0x05, (void *)0x06,
(void *)0x07, (void *)0x08, (void *)0x09, (void *)0x0a
};
void *expected3[] = {
(void *)0x02, (void *)0x04, (void *)0x05, (void *)0x06,
(void *)0x0a
};
void *expected4[] = {
(void *)0x02, (void *)0x04, (void *)0x05
};
void *expected5[] = {
(void *)0x00, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x02, (void *)0x04,
(void *)0x05
};
void *expected6[] = {
(void *)0x00, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x02, (void *)0x04,
(void *)0x05, (void *)0x00
};
void *expected7[] = {
(void *)0x00, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x02, (void *)0x04,
(void *)0x00, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x05,
(void *)0x00
};
void *expected8[] = {
(void *)0x04, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x00,
(void *)0x05, (void *)0x00
};
void *expected9[] = {
(void *)0x04, (void *)0x00, (void *)0x05, (void *)0x00
};
void *expectedA[] = { (void *)0x04, (void *)0x00 };
void *expectedB[] = { (void *)0x04 };
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x01);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x02);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x03);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x04);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x05);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x06);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x07);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x08);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x09);
git_vector_insert(&x, (void *)0x0a);
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 0, 1);
assert_vector(&x, expected1, ARRAY_SIZE(expected1));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 1, 1);
assert_vector(&x, expected2, ARRAY_SIZE(expected2));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 4, 3);
assert_vector(&x, expected3, ARRAY_SIZE(expected3));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 3, 2);
assert_vector(&x, expected4, ARRAY_SIZE(expected4));
git_vector_insert_null(&x, 0, 2);
assert_vector(&x, expected5, ARRAY_SIZE(expected5));
git_vector_insert_null(&x, 5, 1);
assert_vector(&x, expected6, ARRAY_SIZE(expected6));
git_vector_insert_null(&x, 4, 3);
assert_vector(&x, expected7, ARRAY_SIZE(expected7));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 0, 3);
assert_vector(&x, expected8, ARRAY_SIZE(expected8));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 1, 2);
assert_vector(&x, expected9, ARRAY_SIZE(expected9));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 2, 2);
assert_vector(&x, expectedA, ARRAY_SIZE(expectedA));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 1, 1);
assert_vector(&x, expectedB, ARRAY_SIZE(expectedB));
git_vector_remove_range(&x, 0, 1);
assert_vector(&x, NULL, 0);
git_vector_free(&x);
}
void test_core_vector__reverse(void)
{
git_vector v = GIT_VECTOR_INIT;
size_t i;
void *in1[] = {(void *) 0x0, (void *) 0x1, (void *) 0x2, (void *) 0x3};
void *out1[] = {(void *) 0x3, (void *) 0x2, (void *) 0x1, (void *) 0x0};
void *in2[] = {(void *) 0x0, (void *) 0x1, (void *) 0x2, (void *) 0x3, (void *) 0x4};
void *out2[] = {(void *) 0x4, (void *) 0x3, (void *) 0x2, (void *) 0x1, (void *) 0x0};
for (i = 0; i < 4; i++)
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&v, in1[i]));
git_vector_reverse(&v);
for (i = 0; i < 4; i++)
cl_assert_equal_p(out1[i], git_vector_get(&v, i));
git_vector_clear(&v);
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&v, in2[i]));
git_vector_reverse(&v);
for (i = 0; i < 5; i++)
cl_assert_equal_p(out2[i], git_vector_get(&v, i));
git_vector_free(&v);
}
void test_core_vector__dup_empty_vector(void)
{
git_vector v = GIT_VECTOR_INIT;
git_vector dup = GIT_VECTOR_INIT;
int dummy;
cl_assert_equal_i(0, v.length);
cl_git_pass(git_vector_dup(&dup, &v, v._cmp));
cl_assert_equal_i(0, dup._alloc_size);
cl_assert_equal_i(0, dup.length);
cl_git_pass(git_vector_insert(&dup, &dummy));
cl_assert_equal_i(8, dup._alloc_size);
cl_assert_equal_i(1, dup.length);
git_vector_free(&dup);
}
|
United States Senate Committee on the Census
The United States Senate Select Committee on the Tenth Census was created in 1878. It continued to operate until 1887, when it became the United States Senate Committee on the Census. The Committee was abolished in 1921. Issues related to the U.S. Census and the U.S. Census Bureau are now under the jurisdiction of the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Chairmen of the Select Committee on the Tenth Census, 1878–1887
Justin S. Morrill (R-VT) 1878–1879
George H. Pendleton (D-OH) 1879–1881
Eugene Hale (R-ME) 1881–1887
Chairmen of the Committee on the Census, 1887–1921
Eugene Hale (R-ME) 1887–1893
David Turpie (D-IN) 1893–1895
William Chandler (R-NH) 1895–1897
Thomas H. Carter (R-MT) 1897–1901
Joseph V. Quarles (R-WI) 1901–1905
Chester Long (R-KS) 1905–1909
Robert M. La Follette (R-WI) 1909–1913
William E. Chilton (D-WV) 1913–1916
Morris Sheppard (D-TX) 1916–1919
Howard Sutherland (R-WV) 1919–1921
Senate Committee on the Census
Census
Category:1878 establishments in the United States
Category:1921 disestablishments |
Author and host of the hit OUTDOOR CHANNEL show SHOOTING GALLERY spouts off...
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Another One Of Thise Days
Where our intrepid Director of Photography inadvertantly Super-Glues his ring finger to the bar while attempting to repare a Hula Girl car icon while we're waiting for the role players to show up. Michael Janich performs the knife surgery...You know, I couldn't make this stuff up...
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47 Cal.2d 509 (1956)
305 P.2d 36
GRACE T. LEONARD, Appellant,
v.
WATSONVILLE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL et al., Respondents.
Docket No. S.F. 19485.
Supreme Court of California. In Bank.
December 21, 1956.
*512 Crist, Peters & Donegan and Elton F. Martin for Appellant.
Wyckoff, Parker, Boyle & Pope, McCarthy & Franich and Henry F. Brauer for Respondents.
GIBSON, C.J.
A scissors-shaped metal instrument about 6 inches long, called a Kelly clamp, was left in plaintiff's abdomen when an operation was performed on her at defendant hospital. The operation was commenced by Doctors Lacy and Slegal. Kay Pogatschnik, who was an employee of the hospital, acted as surgical nurse. Doctor Eiskamp assisted in a part of the operation at the request of Doctor Lacy. Plaintiff was unconscious during the entire operation, which lasted approximately five hours. She was in considerable pain during the 10 days she remained in the hospital following the operation, and the pain persisted for several months after she returned home. X-ray pictures taken about six months after the operation revealed a clamp lodged in the upper right quadrant of her abdomen. The clamp was removed, and plaintiff brought this action to recover damages from the hospital, the doctors and the surgical nurse. At the close of plaintiff's case motions for nonsuit were granted as to Eiskamp, Pogatschnik and the hospital, and plaintiff has appealed from the ensuing judgment.[1]
The questions presented are whether an inference of negligence was raised under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur and whether, if such an inference arose, it was dispelled as a matter of law.
Evelyn Craig, who was superintendent of the hospital, and defendants Lacy, Slegal and Eiskamp were called by plaintiff to testify under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which provides that in a civil action a party may call and examine an adverse party.
The testimony of Lacy, who was in charge of the operation, may be summarized as follows: He scheduled the operation after deciding that an exploratory examination of the upper right quadrant of plaintiff's abdomen should be made. The *513 hospital assigned Pogatschnik to act as surgical nurse, furnished all equipment and instruments, and charged plaintiff for the use of the room and for the services of the nurse. The operation began with Lacy and Slegal making an incision from plaintiff's navel upwards, exposing her gall bladder, which was diseased.
About 40 minutes after the operation was begun, Lacy requested Eiskamp, who had been performing surgery in another part of the hospital, to look at plaintiff's gall bladder. Eiskamp made a visual inspection and recommended that the gall bladder be removed. After Eiskamp left the room, Lacy and Slegal discovered a "mass" in the sigmoid colon, which appeared to be cancerous. Lacy again consulted Eiskamp, who agreed that the mass should be removed and offered to help. The doctors decided not to operate on the gall bladder, and, while Lacy began to close the upper half of the incision, Eiskamp and Slegal prepared to remove the mass, which was in the lower left quadrant. None of Eiskamp's work was performed in the upper portion of plaintiff's abdomen, and he left the room before final closure of the incision. During the operation Lacy and Slegal used about 18 Kelly clamps which are uncurved scissors-shaped instruments. Eiskamp did not use anything but curved clamps. Lacy paid Slegal his fee but never received a bill from Eiskamp for his services.
Lacy further testified that the surgical nurse keeps a set of instruments on a tray very close to the surgical field and that one of her principal functions is to hand instruments to the doctor and take them back from him. No request for an instrument count was made by Lacy. The practice of hospitals generally is to maintain a sponge count before closure of an incision and to account for the needles used in suturing. This practice is followed by the nurses at defendant hospital.
Slegal's testimony substantially confirmed that of Lacy as to the sequence of events in the operating room. He said that Eiskamp did not take part in closing the upper portion of the incision and left before final closure of the abdomen.
Eiskamp testified that no Kelly clamps were used in his part of the operation, that he "had nothing to do with the gall bladder" and that in order to speed the operation he worked with Slegal on the tumor in the lower left quadrant of the abdomen.
*514 Superintendent Craig testified that surgical instruments are furnished by the hospital, that they are placed in sterile packs containing a specified number and that she believed there are 18 Kelly clamps in a pack. After an operation all instruments are taken directly from the operating room, cleaned and reassembled into packages by a nurse or some other hospital employee. At the time of plaintiff's operation no one person was designated as being responsible for collecting and reassembling the instruments, and none of the hospital employees reported that any instrument was missing. Hospitals in the area "have no established practice of instrument counting either before or after surgery." Sponges and needles are usually counted, and an instrument count is made if requested by the surgeon.
[1] When a foreign object is unintentionally left in a patient's abdomen it is ordinarily the result of the negligence of someone. (Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82 [64 P.2d 409].) And where a patient receives unusual injuries while unconscious, all of the persons who had any control over his body or the instrumentalities which might have caused the injuries may properly be called upon to meet the inference of negligence by giving an explanation of their conduct. (Ybarra v. Spangard, 25 Cal.2d 486 [154 P.2d 687, 162 A.L.R. 1258].) The evidence is sufficient to raise an inference of negligence under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur as to Eiskamp, Pogatschnik and the hospital. Eiskamp assisted in the operation; at one time or another during the operation the control of the instrument left in plaintiff's body was in the hands of the nurse; the hospital employed the nurse and furnished and reassembled the instruments. This places upon them the burden of initial explanation. (Ybarra v. Spangard, supra.)
Plaintiff contends that the inference of res ipsa loquitur was not dispelled as a matter of law and that therefore the court erred in granting the motion for a nonsuit. [2] The same test is applicable in determining when the res ipsa loquitur inference is dispelled as a matter of law as in deciding when any other inference is conclusively rebutted. (See Rose v. Melody Lane, 39 Cal.2d 481, 487 [247 P.2d 335]; Leet v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 25 Cal.2d 605, 621-622 [155 P.2d 42, 158 A.L.R. 1008].) [3] It has long been the rule in this state that a nonsuit may be granted only when, disregarding conflicting evidence, giving to the plaintiff's evidence all the value to which it is legally entitled, and indulging *515 in every legitimate inference which may be drawn from that evidence, the court properly determines that there is no substantial evidence to support a verdict in favor of the plaintiff. (Seneris v. Haas, 45 Cal.2d 811, 821 [291 P.2d 915]; Estate of Caspar, 172 Cal. 147, 150 [155 P. 631].) There is, however, a qualification on this broad general rule. [4] It is settled that where the evidence raises an inference that a fact exists, and either party produces evidence of the nonexistence of the fact that is clear, positive, uncontradicted and of such a nature that it cannot rationally be disbelieved, the nonexistence of the fact is established as a matter of law. (See Blank v. Coffin, 20 Cal.2d 457, 461 [126 P.2d 868].) In these circumstances the inference is dispelled as a matter of law, and, if the fact inferred is necessary to establish an essential element of the plaintiff's case, a nonsuit or directed verdict is proper. (Engstrom v. Auburn Auto. Sales Corp., 11 Cal.2d 64 [77 P.2d 1059] [directed verdict]; Crouch v. Gilmore Oil Co., Ltd., 5 Cal.2d 330 [54 P.2d 709] [nonsuit]; Ceranski v. Muensch, 60 Cal. App.2d 751 [141 P.2d 750] [directed verdict]; Johnston v. Black Co., 33 Cal. App.2d 363 [91 P.2d 921] [insufficiency of evidence].)
The testimony which defendants claim dispels the inference of res ipsa loquitur as a matter of law was elicited from witnesses called under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure,[2] and plaintiff contends that such evidence cannot be used in ruling on a nonsuit to dispel an inference on which plaintiff relies. Section 2055 provides in effect that a party to a civil action may be examined as if under cross-examination by the adverse party and that the party examining such witness shall not be bound by the witness' testimony and may rebut it by other evidence. Before section 2055 was enacted, a litigant who called an adverse party to testify found that the witness was treated as his own and that his *516 examination was restricted by the rules applicable to direct examination. (See Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 555 [299 P. 529].) [5] This rule was changed by section 2055 so that testimony elicited by a plaintiff under this section is not treated as testimony of his own witnesses but as testimony obtained under cross-examination of the defendant's witnesses. (Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 556 [299 P. 529]; Figari v. Olcese, 184 Cal. 775, 782 [195 P. 425, 15 A.L.R. 192].) [6] It is clear, however, that all such testimony is evidence in the case and that the provision in the section that a party calling an adverse witness shall not be bound by his testimony does not mean that such testimony may not be given its proper weight, "but, merely, as it declares, that the party calling such witness shall not be concluded from rebutting his testimony or from impeaching the witness." (Figari v. Olcese, 184 Cal. 775, 782 [195 P. 425, 15 A.L.R. 192]; see Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 559 [299 P. 529]; Dempsey v. Star House Movers, Inc., 2 Cal. App.2d 720, 722 [38 P.2d 825]; 13 Cal.L.Rev. 302.[3])
[7a] It has been squarely held that an inference upon which a plaintiff relies may be completely dispelled as a matter of law by evidence given by witnesses called under section 2055. (Crouch v. Gilmore Oil Co., Ltd., 5 Cal.2d 330 [54 P.2d 709].) In the Crouch case an inference that one Smith was an agent of defendant arose from proof of the fact that the defendant's advertising insignia was painted on trucks operated by Smith. Evidence was adduced under section 2055 which the court found dispelled the inference as a matter of law, and it was held that a nonsuit was proper.
Our decision in Crowe v. McBride, 25 Cal.2d 318 [153 P.2d 727], is not inconsistent with the holding in the Crouch case. As will be seen from an examination of the opinion in Crowe v. McBride, the point involved was whether the evidence was sufficient to present a question for the trier of fact, and in this connection we held that the testimony of the defendant given pursuant to an examination under section 2055 was evidence in the case and could be used to establish a cause of action against him. The use of evidence elicited *517 under section 2055 to dispel an inference was not involved. Plaintiff, however, relies upon the following language in Crowe v. McBride, supra: "In considering the propriety of the nonsuit, we must accept the evidence most favorable to plaintiffs and disregard that which is unfavorable. The testimony of the defendant, who was called to testify under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure, falls within this rule and is to be treated as evidence in the case insofar as it is favorable to plaintiffs." This language must, of course, be read in the light of the facts of the case and the question presented for determination. It is correct as a general proposition, and it should not be given a strained interpretation to reach a conclusion on a matter not presented to or considered by the court.
Cases involving the use of evidence adduced under section 2055 to dispel a presumption must be distinguished from those involving inferences. [8] Generally speaking, it may be said that a presumption is dispelled as a matter of law only when a fact which is wholly irreconcilable with it is proved by the uncontradicted testimony of the party relying on it or of such party's own witnesses.[4] (Mar Shee v. Maryland Assur. Corp., 190 Cal. 1, 9 [210 P. 269]; Steward v. Paige, 90 Cal. App.2d 820, 825 [203 P.2d 858]; see Chakmakjian v. Lowe, 33 Cal.2d 308, 313 [201 P.2d 801]; Engstrom v. Auburn Auto. Sales Corp., 11 Cal.2d 64, 70 [77 P.2d 1059]; Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 552 [299 P. 529]; cf. Mundy v. Marshall, 8 Cal.2d 294, 296 [65 P.2d 65]; Levin v. Brown, 81 Cal. App.2d 913, 917 [185 P.2d 329].) [9] Accordingly, it is the general rule that a presumption favorable to a plaintiff cannot be so dispelled by the testimony of a defendant given pursuant to section 2055 because a defendant called under that section is not treated as the plaintiff's witness. (Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 559 [299 P. 529]; Lopez v. Knight, 121 Cal. App.2d 387, 390-391 [263 P.2d 452]; Green v. Uarte, 87 Cal. App.2d 75, *518 78-79 [196 P.2d 63]; see Engstrom v. Auburn Auto. Sales Corp., 11 Cal.2d 64, 70 [77 P.2d 1059].) On the other hand, as we have seen, an inference can be dispelled as a matter of law by evidence produced by either party.
[7b] It follows from what has been said that the testimony of a witness called by a plaintiff under section 2055 may be used to dispel an inference upon which the plaintiff relies, provided the evidence is clear, positive, uncontradicted and of such a nature that it cannot rationally be disbelieved. It is particularly appropriate to allow such testimony to be used to rebut the inference in cases like the present where plaintiff, because she was unconscious while receiving the treatment that resulted in her injuries, is given the benefit of a liberalized test for res ipsa loquitur, and all persons who had any control over her body or the instrumentalities which might have caused her injuries are required to meet the inference of negligence by giving an explanation of their conduct. [10] If in these circumstances evidence given by witnesses under section 2055 establishes as a matter of law that one of the defendants is free from negligence, the prima facie case against that defendant based on the inference should fall, and plaintiff's position with respect to that defendant should be the same as if she had failed to prove all the facts necessary to raise the inference.
[11] A witness may, of course, be disbelieved if there is any rational ground for doing so, and the interest of a party in the result of a case will in some circumstances justify the trier of fact in disregarding his testimony. (See Hamilton v. Abadjian, 30 Cal.2d 49, 53 [179 P.2d 804]; Hicks v. Reis, 21 Cal.2d 654, 659-661 [134 P.2d 788]; Blank v. Coffin, 20 Cal.2d 457, 461-462 [126 P.2d 868].) There are situations, however, where the interest of a party in obtaining a judgment favorable to himself will not render all of his testimony subject to disbelief. For example, where part of a defendant's testimony is harmful to him but favorable to a codefendant, as where it tends to show that the witness is liable or makes it more difficult for him to establish his own lack of fault, that portion of his testimony may be used to rebut an inference unfavorable to the codefendant provided there is nothing to indicate collusion or any other reason for disbelieving the testimony.
[12] The evidence as to Eiskamp's participation in the operation consisted of the testimony of Lacy, Slegal and Eiskamp, and it was clear and uncontradicted to the effect *519 that Eiskamp was not responsible for leaving the clamp in plaintiff's abdomen. This testimony did not in any way tend to benefit Lacy or Slegal but, to the contrary, was disadvantageous to them because the exoneration of one defendant would have the necessary effect of increasing the possibility of liability on the part of each of the other defendants. The record indicates no rational ground for disbelieving their testimony, and we hold that the inference raised against Eiskamp under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur was dispelled as a matter of law.
[13] The evidence, however, does not compel the conclusion that the inference of negligence on the part of the surgical nurse and the hospital has been dispelled. The testimony relied upon to absolve them was given by Craig, who was a hospital employee and who, in view of the advantages to her of maintaining a favorable relationship with the hospital, obviously had an interest in the outcome of the case. She likewise had an interest in the litigation as to the nurse because the hospital, as employer, would be liable for acts of the nurse within the scope of her employment. Craig's testimony could therefore be disbelieved by the trier of fact. (See Hamilton v. Abadjian, 30 Cal.2d 49, 53 [179 P.2d 804]; Hicks v. Reis, 21 Cal.2d 654, 659-661 [134 P.2d 788]; Blank v. Coffin, 20 Cal.2d 457, 461-462 [126 P.2d 868].)
[14] Moreover, if Craig's testimony were accepted by the trier of fact as being true, it is not of the character required to dispel the inference of negligence raised against the hospital and the nurse. As we have seen, Craig testified that it was the practice of hospitals in the area to count sponges and needles as part of the operative procedure, and with respect to "other implements" she stated there was "no established practice of instrument counting either before or after surgery." Even if we assume she intended to say that it was the practice not to count instruments, this evidence would not conclusively establish that the hospital and nurse were free from negligence. These defendants seek to avoid liability on the theory that they were required to exercise only that degree of skill employed by other hospitals and nurses in the community. [15] It is a matter of common knowledge, however, that no special skill is required in counting instruments. [16] Although under such circumstances proof of practice or custom is some evidence of what should be done and may assist in the determination of what constitutes due care, it does not conclusively establish the standard of care. (Cf. Ales *520 v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 100 [64 P.2d 409]; Barham v. Widing, 210 Cal. 206, 216 [291 P. 173]; Anderson v. Stump, 42 Cal. App.2d 761, 765 [109 P.2d 1027]; Inderbitzen v. Lane Hospital, 124 Cal. App. 462, 467 [12 P.2d 744, 13 P.2d 905].) [17] "General negligence cannot be excused on the ground that others in the same locality practice the same kind of negligence." (Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 100 [64 P.2d 409].)
[18] We cannot say as a matter of law that there was no duty on the part of the hospital and nurses to keep an instrument count in order to assist the surgeon in determining whether all instruments used had been removed from the patient before final closure.
The judgment is affirmed as to defendant Eiskamp and is reversed as to defendants Pogatschnik and Watsonville Community Hospital.
Traynor, J., Schauer, J., Spence, J., and McComb, J., concurred.
CARTER, J. Concurring and Dissenting.
The holding of the majority opinion may be epitomized as follows: An inference of negligence which arises from testimony of adverse witnesses examined under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure may be dispelled by such testimony even though plaintiff is not bound thereby and is entitled to rely upon all of such testimony which is favorable to her and disregard all that is unfavorable. The unsoundness of this holding is so obvious that the mere statement of it should disclose its absurdity. It is not only directly in conflict with the statutory law of this state (Code Civ. Proc., § 2055) but countless decisions of this court and of the appellate courts of the state. It is sheer double talk to say that evidence which is not binding upon a party may be relied upon to repel or dispel other evidence an inference in favor of such party.
Section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides that "A party to the record of any civil action or proceeding or a person for whose immediate benefit such action or proceeding is prosecuted or defended ... may be examined by the adverse party as if under cross-examination, subject to the rules applicable to the examination of other witnesses. The party calling such adverse witness shall not be bound by his testimony, and the testimony given by such witness may be rebutted by the party calling him for such examination by *521 other evidence. ..." (Emphasis added.) After noting that the questions presented in the case at bar were whether an inference of negligence was raised under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur and whether, if such an inference arose, it was dispelled as a matter of law, we find this statement in the majority opinion:
"Evelyn Craig, who was superintendent of the hospital, and defendants Lacy, Slegal and Eiskamp were called by plaintiff to testify under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure, which provides that in a civil action a party may call and examine an adverse witness." (Emphasis added.) Section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides a great deal more than the above quoted misleading statement would lead one to believe. In discussing the effect of section 2055, the following statement from the majority opinion is of interest: "Section 2055 provides in effect that a party to a civil action may be examined as if under cross-examination by the adverse party and that the party examining such witness shall not be bound by the witness' testimony and may rebut it by other evidence. Before section 2055 was enacted, a litigant who called an adverse party to testify found that the witness was treated as his own and that his examination was restricted by the rules applicable to direct examination. (See Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 555 [299 P. 529].) This rule was changed by section 2055 so that testimony elicited by a plaintiff under this section is not treated as testimony of his own witness but as testimony obtained under cross-examination of the defendant's witnesses. (Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 556 [299 P. 529]; Figari v. Olcese, 184 Cal. 775, 782 [195 P. 425, 15 A.L.R. 192].)" The just quoted excerpt from the majority is more than misleading and the cases cited do not stand for the proposition for which they are cited. For illustration, in the Smellie case, supra, at page 556, we find this court stating that section 2055 "is a statute remedial in character, and as such should receive a construction by the courts which will carry into effect and accomplish the intent and purpose of the legislature in enacting it. This intent was, as we read the section, to enable a party to an action to call an adverse party as a witness for the purpose of eliciting such facts as said witness may testify to which are favorable to the party calling him, without being bound by any adverse testimony which said witness may give. Only by such construction can the full remedial purposes of said *522 legislation be effected. Not only so, but we think the express terms of said section clearly and plainly indicate that such was the purpose of the legislature in the enactment of said section. As before noted, the adverse party, when called as a witness, is examined by the party calling him `as if under cross-examination' and the party calling him `shall not be bound by his testimony.' It is difficult to conceive of language more direct and explicit." The Smellie case involved a directed verdict. In the Figari case, a trial on the merits was involved and the court there held that "This provision [2055] does not mean that such testimony may not be given its proper weight, but merely, as it declares, that the party calling such witness shall not be concluded from rebutting his testimony, or from impeaching the witness. (Dravo v. Fabel, 132 U.S. 487 [33 L.Ed. 421, 10 S.Ct. 170, see, also, Rose's U.S. Notes].)" In Daniels v. City & County of San Francisco, 40 Cal.2d 614, 625 [255 P.2d 785], a majority of this court specifically held that "Plaintiffs maintain that `the instruction should have explained that any such testimony elicited by the plaintiffs should weigh for them insofar as it was favorable, but that it should be disregarded insofar as it was unfavorable, if the matters to which it referred were not satisfactorily established by other evidence.' (Emphasis added.) But plaintiffs are relying upon authorities involving rulings upon a motion either for a nonsuit (Marchetti v. Southern Pac. Co., 204 Cal. 679, 686 [269 P. 529]; Dempsey v. Star House Movers, Inc., 2 Cal. App.2d 720, 722 [38 P.2d 825]) or for a directed verdict (Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 556 [299 P. 529]; People v. Mahoney, 13 Cal.2d 729, 736 [91 P.2d 1029]). The rules therein stated have no application upon submission of the case for a determination of the factual issues on the merits. (Figari v. Olcese, 184 Cal. 775, 782 [195 P. 425, 15 A.L.R. 192]; Dorn v. Pichinino, 105 Cal. App.2d 796, 800 [234 P.2d 307].) The distinction is noted in the Smellie case, where, after a full discussion, it is stated that testimony elicited under section 2055 `is, of course, evidence in the case and may be considered in determining the issues of the case upon the trial or final hearing by the court, or if the case is before a jury, by the jury.' (212 Cal. 559; see, also, Green v. Newmark, 136 Cal. App. 32, 37-38 [28 P.2d 395]; Balasco v. Chick, 84 Cal. App.2d 802, 808 [192 P.2d 76].) Since this case was submitted to the jury on the merits, the assailed instruction was proper. (Joseph v. Vogt, 35 Cal. App.2d 439, 441 [95 P.2d 947]; *523 Cloud v. Market Street Ry. Co., 74 Cal. App.2d 92, 96 [168 P.2d 191].)" Dempsey v. Star House Movers, Inc., 2 Cal. App.2d 720 [38 P.2d 825], was an appeal from a judgment of nonsuit. The court there, however, declared that testimony taken by plaintiff under section 2055 was not binding on the plaintiffs but could so far as it was favorable be considered together with other evidence favorable to plaintiffs. The court concluded: "There was no evidence binding on plaintiffs on the basis of which the trial court could hold that deceased was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law. The motion for nonsuit should have been denied. (Marchetti v. Southern Pacific Co., 204 Cal. 679 [269 P. 529].)"
We are presently concerned with an appeal from an order granting a nonsuit.
Every member of this court has, at one time or another, relied upon and stated the rule of law applicable when a motion for a nonsuit is made: "`A motion for nonsuit may properly be granted ... "when, and only when, disregarding conflicting evidence, and giving to plaintiff's evidence all the value to which it is legally entitled, indulging in every legitimate inference which may be drawn from that evidence, the result is a determination that there is no evidence of sufficient substantiality to support a verdict in favor of the plaintiff." ... "Unless it can be said as a matter of law, that ... no other reasonable conclusion is legally deducible from the evidence, and that any other holding would be so lacking in evidentiary support that a reviewing court would be impelled to reverse it upon appeal, or the trial court to set it aside as a matter of law, the trial court is not justified in taking the case from the jury." ...'" (Seneris v. Haas, 45 Cal.2d 811, 821 [291 P.2d 915]; Carter, J.) In Hinds v. Wheadon, 19 Cal.2d 458, 460 [121 P.2d 724], Mr. Chief Justice Gibson in speaking for the court, said: "Where a judgment is rendered upon a motion for nonsuit, the court must assume that all evidence received in favor of the plaintiff relevant to the issues is true. All presumptions, inferences and doubtful questions must be construed most favorably to the plaintiff.... In such [res ipsa loquitur] cases an inference arises that the accident resulted from a want of proper care on the part of the defendants.... It is incumbent upon the defendant in such a case to bring forth evidence to rebut the inference of negligence, and under such circumstances a nonsuit is improper since the case should be submitted to the jury." (Emphasis added.) Mr. *524 Justice Shenk, speaking for the court in Milana v. Credit Discount Co., 27 Cal.2d 335 [163 P.2d 869, 165 A.L.R. 621], approved and relied upon the rule; in Golceff v. Sugarman, 36 Cal.2d 152 [222 P.2d 665], and Raber v. Tumin, 36 Cal.2d 654 [226 P.2d 574], Mr. Justice Schauer, speaking for the court, approved and relied upon the rule; in Easton v. Ash, 18 Cal.2d 530 [116 P.2d 433], Mr. Justice Traynor, speaking for the court, approved and relied upon the rule; in Palmquist v. Mercer, 43 Cal.2d 92, 95 [272 P.2d 26], Mr. Justice Spence, speaking for the court, approved and relied upon the rule; in Aguirre v. City of Los Angeles, 46 Cal.2d 841 [299 P.2d 862], Mr. Justice McComb, speaking for the court, approved and relied upon the rule.
The above stated rule has been so firmly embedded in the law of this state, that I find it incomprehensible that a majority of the members of this court should fail to realize that the above cases, and those following (to cite but a very few) will be overruled sub silento! (For statements and restatements of the rule, see: Schaufele v. Doyle (1890), 86 Cal. 107 [24 P. 834]; Archibald Estate v. Matteson (1907), 5 Cal. App. 441 [90 P. 723]; Hercules Oil etc. Co. v. Hocknell (1907), 5 Cal. App. 702 [91 P. 341]; Leitch v. Marx (1913), 21 Cal. App. 208 [131 P. 328]; Fildew v. Shattuck & Nimmo W. Co. (1918), 39 Cal. App. 42 [177 P. 866]; Scott v. Sciaroni (1924), 66 Cal. App. 577 [226 P. 827]; Dawson v. Tulare Union High Sch. (1929), 98 Cal. App. 138 [276 P. 424]; Nicholas v. Jacobson (1931), 113 Cal. App. 382 [298 P. 505]; Green v. Newmark (1933), 136 Cal. App. 32 [28 P.2d 395]; Cash v. Los Angeles Ry. Corp. (1935), 6 Cal. App.2d 738 [45 P.2d 280]; Estate of Cushing (1939), 30 Cal. App.2d 340 [86 P.2d 375]; Knecht v. Lombardo (1939), 33 Cal. App.2d 447 [91 P.2d 917]; Kersten v. Young (1942), 52 Cal. App.2d 1 [125 P.2d 501]; Estate of Rabinowitz (1943), 48 Cal. App.2d 106 [135 P.2d 579]; MacDonald v. Jackson (1953), 117 Cal. App.2d 598 [256 P.2d 591]; Sanders v. MacFarlane's Candies (1953), 119 Cal. App.2d 497 [259 P.2d 1010]; Lehman v. Richfield Oil Corp. (1953), 121 Cal. App.2d 261 [263 P.2d 13]; and, more recently, Palmquist v. Mercer, 43 Cal.2d 92 [272 P.2d 26]; Dunn v. Pacific Gas & Elec. Co., 43 Cal.2d 265 [272 P.2d 745]; McBride v. Atchison, T. & S.F. Ry. Co., 44 Cal.2d 113 [279 P.2d 966]; Warner v. Santa Catalina Island Co., 44 Cal.2d 310 [282 P.2d 12]; Hilyar v. Union Ice Co., 45 Cal.2d 30 [286 P.2d 21]; Raymond v. Independent Growers, Inc., 133 Cal. App.2d 154 [284 P.2d 57]; Hale v. Safeway Stores, Inc., 129 *525 Cal. App.2d 124 [276 P.2d 118]; Copeland v. Rabing, 110 Cal. App.2d 631 [243 P.2d 119]; Finley v. City & County of San Francisco, 115 Cal. App.2d 116 [251 P.2d 687]; Turner v. Ralph M. Parsons Co., 117 Cal. App.2d 109 [254 P.2d 970]; Zar v. Alafetich, 126 Cal. App.2d 643 [272 P.2d 922]; Weber v. Marine Cooks' & Stewards' Assn., 123 Cal. App.2d 328 [266 P.2d 801]; Markwell v. Swift & Co., 126 Cal. App.2d 245 [272 P.2d 47]; Powell v. Jones, 133 Cal. App.2d 601 [284 P.2d 856]; Katemis v. Westerlind, 120 Cal. App.2d 537 [261 P.2d 553]; Hughes v. Oreb, 36 Cal.2d 854 [228 P.2d 550]; Denbo v. Weston Inv. Co., 112 Cal. App.2d 153 [245 P.2d 650]; Estate of Jamison, 41 Cal.2d 1 [256 P.2d 984]; Howard v. General Petroleum Corp., 108 Cal. App.2d 25 [238 P.2d 145]; Hellar v. Bianco, 111 Cal. App.2d 424 [244 P.2d 757, 28 A.L.R.2d 1451]; Sweet v. Markwart, 115 Cal. App.2d 735 [252 P.2d 751]; Adams v. Henning, 117 Cal. App.2d 376 [255 P.2d 456]; MacDonald v. Jackson, 117 Cal. App.2d 598 [256 P.2d 591]; Marino v. Valenti, 118 Cal. App.2d 830 [259 P.2d 84]; Refinite Sales Co. v. Fred R. Bright Co., 119 Cal. App.2d 56 [258 P.2d 1116]; Warren v. Roos, 127 Cal. App.2d 224 [273 P.2d 569].)
In the case under consideration an inference of negligence arose because of the proved fact that a foreign body, a Kelly clamp, was left in plaintiff's abdomen after she had undergone surgery performed by defendants in defendant hospital. The clamp was not there prior to the surgery. That fact was proved by X-rays taken prior to the time the surgery was undertaken. In Seneris v. Haas, 45 Cal.2d 811, 825 [291 P.2d 915], we said, quoting from Ybarra v. Spangard, 25 Cal.2d 486, 491, 492 [154 P.2d 687, 162 A.L.R. 1258], that "Every defendant in whose custody the plaintiff was placed for any period was bound to exercise ordinary care to see that no unnecessary harm came to him and each would be liable for failure in this regard." We also said (45 Cal.2d at p. 826) that "where a plaintiff receives unusual injuries while unconscious and in the course of medical treatment, all those defendants who had any control over his body or the instrumentalities which might have caused the injuries may properly be called upon to meet the inference of negligence by giving an explanation of their conduct." (Emphasis added.) In Summers v. Tice, 33 Cal.2d 80, 86, 87 [199 P.2d 1, 5 A.L.R.2d 91], speaking of an analogous situation, we said that "a patient injured while unconscious on an operating table in a hospital could hold all or any of the persons who had any connection with the operation even though he could not select *526 the particular acts by the particular person which led to his disability." In the Ybarra case we held that the effect of the decision therein was that plaintiff had made out a case when he had produced evidence which gave rise to an inference of negligence which was the proximate cause of the injury; that it was then up to the defendants to explain the cause of the injury.
Plaintiff here alleged and proved that Drs. Lacy, Slegal, Eiskamp, Nurse Pogatschnik and the Watsonville Community Hospital had control of her unconscious person during abdominal surgery; that during that surgery a Kelly clamp a foreign object was left in her abdomen causing her pain, suffering and injury. Having proved that much, an inference of negligence arose and the duty immediately devolved upon the defendants to rebut that inference of negligence or become liable to plaintiff in damages. In order to rebut the inference of negligence, the defendants must make "an affirmative showing of a definite cause for the accident, in which cause no element of negligence on the part of the defendant adheres, or of such care in all possible respects as necessarily to lead to the conclusion that the accident could not have happened from want of care, but must have been due to some unpreventable cause, although the exact cause is unknown." (Dierman v. Providence Hospital, 31 Cal.2d 290, 295 [188 P.2d 12].)
In Scott v. Burke, 39 Cal.2d 388 [247 P.2d 313], this court adopted the holding of Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 99 [64 P.2d 409], that "the inference of negligence which is created by the rule res ipsa loquitur is in itself evidence which may not be disregarded by the jury and which in the absence of any other evidence as to negligence, necessitates a verdict in favor of the plaintiff." (Emphasis added.)
The majority admits, as necessarily it must, that the res ipsa loquitur rule is applicable here and that an inference of negligence arose as to all these defendants. Despite this admission, the majority holds that evidence elicited under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure may be considered and used to dispel the inference of negligence which arose as to Dr. Eiskamp.
In so holding, the author of the majority opinion ignores the full impact of the rule set forth in the case of Crowe v. McBride, 25 Cal.2d 318, 319 [153 P.2d 727], in which he, speaking for this court, said: "In considering the propriety of the nonsuit, we must accept the evidence most favorable *527 to plaintiffs and disregard that which is unfavorable. The testimony of the defendant, who was called to testify under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure, falls within this rule and is to be treated as evidence in the case insofar as it is favorable to plaintiffs. (Anderson v. Stump, 42 Cal. App.2d 761 [109 P.2d 1027]; Dempsey v. Star House Movers, Inc., 2 Cal. App.2d 720 [38 P.2d 825]; cf. People v. Mahoney, 13 Cal.2d 729 [91 P.2d 1029] [motion for directed verdict]; Smellie v. Southern Pacific Co., 212 Cal. 540 [299 P. 529].)" (Emphasis added.) It has been said time and time again that the rule is well established that on appeal from judgments of nonsuit, the plaintiff has a right to rely on such portions of defendants' testimony elicited under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure as are favorable to her and to disregard the unfavorable portions thereof. (Code Civ. Proc., § 2055; Crowe v. McBride, supra; Karstensen v. Western Transp. Co., 93 Cal. App.2d 435 [209 P.2d 47]; Williams v. Freeman, 35 Cal. App.2d 104 [94 P.2d 817]; Young v. Bank of America, 95 Cal. App.2d 725 [214 P.2d 106, 16 A.L.R.2d 1155]; Connors v. Southern Pac. Co., 91 Cal. App.2d 872 [206 P.2d 31]; Green v. Uarte, 87 Cal. App.2d 75, 77 [196 P.2d 63]; Carlton v. Pacific Coast Gasoline Co., 110 Cal. App.2d 177 [242 P.2d 391]; Marino v. Valenti, 118 Cal. App.2d 830 [259 P.2d 84]; Lopez v. Knight, 121 Cal. App.2d 387 [263 P.2d 452]; Refinite Sales Co. v. Fred R. Bright Co., 119 Cal. App.2d 56 [258 P.2d 1116]; Estate of Hull, 63 Cal. App.2d 135 [146 P.2d 242]; Estate of Burns, 26 Cal. App.2d 741 [80 P.2d 77]; Hiner v. Olson, 23 Cal. App.2d 227 [72 P.2d 890, 73 P.2d 945]; Whicker v. Crescent Auto Co., 20 Cal. App.2d 240 [66 P.2d 749]; Estate of Lances, 216 Cal. 397 [14 P.2d 768]; Lewis v. Southern Calif. Edison Co., 116 Cal. App. 44 [2 P.2d 419], and others too numerous to mention.)
We are now told that it has been "squarely held that an inference upon which a plaintiff relies may be completely dispelled as a matter of law by evidence given by witnesses called under section 2055. (Crouch v. Gilmore Oil Co., Ltd., 5 Cal.2d [330] 333 [54 P.2d 709].)"
In Crouch v. Gilmore Oil Co., Ltd., supra, an appeal from a judgment of nonsuit was involved. Plaintiff there sought to establish the issue of agency by defendant's testimony under section 2055. Plaintiff proved that the truck in question, while different in construction from that used by Gilmore Oil Company, was painted by Gilmore Oil with the colors used *528 by it and 4,500 of its service station operators on the Pacific Coast. Gilmore Oil also painted the sides of the truck with the word "Gilmore" and placed its advertising insignia of the lion's head on the rear of the truck. On the doors of the truck were, however, painted the words "Owens Valley Oil Company." Gilmore Oil sold Smith, the owner of the truck, its gasoline at a lower price. Testimony elicited under section 2055 showed that the driver of the truck was paid by Smith, the owner. The court held, specifically on the authority of Maupin v. Solomon, 41 Cal. App. 323 [183 P. 198], that the inference of agency was rebutted by uncontradicted testimony given under section 2055.
Maupin v. Solomon, supra, involved an appeal from a judgment for the plaintiff after a trial on the merits, and the court held, merely, that an inference that the driver of defendant's car was acting within the scope of his employment could not stand in the face of uncontradicted evidence to the contrary. Testimony adduced under section 2055 was not involved and it was not an appeal from either a nonsuit or a directed verdict.
It is my opinion that the Crouch case was incorrectly decided. The evidence on the issue of agency was sufficiently conflicting to make it a question of fact for the jury. Plaintiff was not bound by the testimony under section 2055 which was contrary to the inference arising from the facts above set forth. Furthermore, I do not see how Mr. Chief Justice Gibson can cite, with approval, the Crouch case in view of his opinion in Crowe v. McBride, 25 Cal.2d 318, 319 [153 P.2d 727],[*] wherein he said, in speaking for the court: "In considering the propriety of the nonsuit, we must accept the evidence most favorable to plaintiffs and disregard that which is unfavorable. The testimony of the defendant, who was called to testify under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure, falls within this rule and is to be treated as evidence in the case insofar as it is favorable to plaintiffs." (Emphasis added.) It would appear that the Crouch case was effectively overruled for all purposes by Crowe v. McBride, supra, and the many other better reasoned cases both prior and subsequent thereto. In his analysis of Crowe v. McBride, supra, the author of the majority opinion conveniently omits any mention of the case of Burr v. Sherwin Williams Co., 42 Cal.2d 682, 688, 691 [268 P.2d 1041], wherein *529 he, speaking for the court, said "It is settled, of course, that res ipsa loquitur raises an inference, not a presumption, and the general rule is that whether a particular inference shall be drawn is a question of fact for the jury, even in the absence of evidence to the contrary. (See Code Civ. Proc., § 1958; Blank v. Coffin, 20 Cal.2d 457, 461 [126 P.2d 868]; Hamilton v. Pacific Elec. Ry. Co., 12 Cal.2d 598, 602-603 [86 P.2d 829].) This, however, does not preclude the conclusion that res ipsa loquitur may give rise to a special kind of inference which the defendant must rebut, although the effect of the inference is somewhat akin to that of a presumption." (Emphasis added.)
Also in his endeavor to distinguish the Crowe v. McBride case from the Crouch case (to the detriment of the Crowe case), the author of the majority opinion informs us that the quotation from the Crowe case "must, of course, be read in the light of the facts of the case and the question presented for determination. It is correct as a general proposition, and it should not be given a strained interpretation to reach a conclusion on a matter not presented to or considered by the court." This statement is grossly inaccurate. Crowe v. McBride involved an action for malpractice; defendant chiropractor's motion for a nonsuit was granted. The appeal was from the order granting the nonsuit. Defendant's testimony under 2055 was treated as evidence in the case insofar as it was favorable to plaintiffs and we reversed the judgment of nonsuit. It was, therefore, not necessary to give the language used there "a strained interpretation to reach a conclusion on a matter not presented to or considered by the court."
The majority opinion makes much of the fact that the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur raises an inference rather than a presumption and that a presumption may not be dispelled by evidence produced by an adverse party, whereas an inference may be so dispelled. In Burr v. Sherwin Williams Co., supra, the author of this opinion specifically held that the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur gave rise to a "special kind of inference" which the defendant must rebut and that the effect of this particular inference was "somewhat akin to that of a presumption"!
The law in this state has, until the case at bar, always been that on a motion for a nonsuit all evidence elicited under section 2055 which is unfavorable to the plaintiff must be disregarded. (Green v. Uarte, 87 Cal. App.2d 75 [196 P.2d 63]; Jeppi v. Brockman Holding Co., 34 Cal.2d 11 [206 P.2d *530 847, 9 A.L.R.2d 1297]; Karstensen v. Western Transp. Co., 93 Cal. App.2d 435 [209 P.2d 47]; Young v. Bank of America, 95 Cal. App.2d 725 [214 P.2d 106, 16 A.L.R.2d 1155]; Refinite Sales Co. v. Fred R. Bright Co., 119 Cal. App.2d 56 [258 P.2d 1116]; Batchelor v. Caslavka, 128 Cal. App.2d 819 [276 P.2d 64]; and others too numerous to mention.) The only case relied upon by the majority for the proposition that an inference may be dispelled as a matter of law by testimony taken under section 2055 is the case of Crouch v. Gilmore Oil Co., Ltd., 5 Cal.2d 330 [54 P.2d 709]. The Crouch case did not involve the inference of res ipsa loquitur which is an inference of a character that is "akin to that of a presumption" but involved an inference that defendant truck driver was the agent of Gilmore Oil Company.
It appears to me that the majority opinion has thoroughly confused the issue. It ignores cases where the inference of res ipsa loquitur was involved and the holding therein that testimony taken under section 2055, insofar as it is favorable to plaintiffs, remains in the case until rebutted by the defendant; it ignores the time-honored rule where an appeal from a judgment of nonsuit is involved; it makes misleading statements and cites cases in support thereof which are not in point. As another example, the statement in the majority opinion that "The same test is applicable in determining when the res ipsa loquitur inference is dispelled as a matter of law as in deciding when any other inference is conclusively rebutted. (See Rose v. Melody Lane, 39 Cal.2d 481, 487 [247 P.2d 335]; Leet v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 25 Cal.2d 605, 621-622 [155 P.2d 42, 158 A.L.R. 1008].)" This follows the statement of plaintiff's contention that the inference of res ipsa loquitur was not dispelled as a matter of law and that therefore the court erred in granting the motion for a nonsuit.
Both the Rose and Leet cases were appeals from judgments rendered after a trial on the merits. Neither one involved an appeal from a judgment of nonsuit. Then the author of the majority opinion makes this statement: "There is, however, a qualification on this broad general rule [the rule on appeal where a nonsuit is involved]. It is settled that where the evidence raises an inference that a fact exists, and either party produces evidence of the nonexistence of the fact that is clear, positive, uncontradicted and of such a nature that it cannot rationally be disbelieved, the nonexistence of the fact is established as a matter of law. (See Blank v. Coffin, 20 Cal.2d 457, 461 [126 P.2d 868].)" In Blank v. Coffin, *531 supra, an appeal from a directed verdict was reversed by this court. It was there held: "It is not always possible for a party to a lawsuit to introduce evidence directly bearing upon the existence of a fact that he is attempting to prove. The evidence available to him may serve only to establish the existence of certain primary facts that are logically connected with the material fact. If a jury can reasonably infer from these primary facts that the material fact exists, the party has introduced sufficient evidence to entitle him to have the jury decide the issue. The jury is not compelled to draw the inference, however, even in the absence of contrary evidence and may refuse to do so. Whether a particular inference can be drawn from certain evidence is a question of law, but whether the inference shall be drawn, in any given case, is a question of fact for the jury. (See cases cited in 10 Cal.Jur. 738-739, § 60.)
"Usually, the opposing party introduces evidence as to the nonexistence of the fact in issue, and the jury must then determine the existence or nonexistence of the fact from all the evidence before it. If the evidence contrary to the existence of the fact is clear, positive, uncontradicted, and of such a nature that it can not rationally be disbelieved, the court must instruct the jury that the nonexistence of the fact has been established as a matter of law." It is quite apparent that Blank v. Coffin does not stand for the proposition for which it is cited. The Blank quotation continues thus: "The jury, however, is the sole judge of the credibility of the witnesses (Cal. Code Civ. Proc., § 1847; see cases cited in 27 Cal.Jur. 182, § 156) and is free to disbelieve them even though they are uncontradicted if there is any rational ground for doing so." The Blank case, incidentally, involved the question of whether or not it was proper for the jury to draw the inference that the automobile was being driven by an employee of the owner with his permission at the time of the accident. A majority of the court in the Blank case held that the directed verdict was improper because there was sufficient evidence "to permit the jury to infer that the car was being driven with defendant's permission." Engstrom v. Auburn Auto. Sales Corp., 11 Cal.2d 64 [77 P.2d 1059], Crouch v. Gilmore Oil Co., Ltd., supra, and Ceranski v. Muensch, 60 Cal. App.2d 751 [141 P.2d 750], were all cases involving the inference of ownership. Johnston v. Black Co., 33 Cal. App.2d 363 [91 P.2d 921], involved the inference of res ipsa loquitur and a situation where the trial court had *532 directed a verdict for the defendant on the ground of insufficiency of the evidence after the jury had returned a verdict for the plaintiff. The defendants, in the Johnston case, had introduced evidence at the trial which dispelled the inference (see pages 366 and 368). None of these cases, with the exception of the Crouch case, involved testimony elicited under section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure. The Crouch case has been discussed heretofore.
Plaintiff here has proved her injury and defendants' causal connection therewith, and that inference of negligence remains undispelled until an "affirmative showing of a definite cause for the accident, in which cause no element of negligence on the part of the defendant adheres" is made. There is here, therefore, no failure of proof as in the Crouch case. Plaintiff is not bound by any adverse testimony of any defendant called under 2055. Had the case gone to the jury it was free to believe that Dr. Eiskamp may have used a Kelly clamp; that he did, at some time, during the surgery, work in the upper quadrant of plaintiff's abdomen; or that the clamp had, during the six months it remained in plaintiff's abdomen, worked its way to the position in which it was found. "... the inference of negligence which is created by the rule res ipsa loquitur is in itself evidence which may not be disregarded by the jury and which in the absence of any other evidence as to negligence, necessitates a verdict in favor of the plaintiff." (Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 99 [64 P.2d 409].) Plaintiff here had made out her case against all defendants by proving facts which raised an inference of negligence which remained in the case as evidence until dispelled by the defendants.
The following statement is made in the majority opinion: "A witness may, of course, be disbelieved if there is any rational ground for doing so, and the interest of a party, would in some circumstances justify the trier of fact in disregarding his testimony. (See Hamilton v. Abadjian, 30 Cal.2d 49, 53 [179 P.2d 804] [nonsuit not involved]; Hicks v. Reis, 21 Cal.2d 654, 659-661 [134 P.2d 788] [nonsuit not involved]; Blank v. Coffin, 20 Cal.2d 457, 461-462 [126 P.2d 868] [reversal of directed verdict for defendant].)" It is, of course, elementary that the trier of fact may, on the trial of a case, disbelieve any witness or his testimony. We are here concerned with a nonsuit (and testimony taken under section 2055) where all of the plaintiff's evidence and the inferences to be drawn therefrom must be taken as true and *533 all conflicts in the evidence must be disregarded! Any evidence elicited under section 2055 to the effect that Dr. Eiskamp did not operate in the field where the Kelly clamp was later found merely creates a conflict with other evidence from which the evidence of his negligence may be inferred and must, under heretofore cited cases, be disregarded.
The following statement from the majority opinion is totally irrelevant where, as here, an appeal from a judgment of nonsuit is involved: "There are situations, however, where the interest of a party in obtaining a judgment favorable to himself will not render all of his testimony subject to disbelief. For example, where part of a defendant's testimony is harmful to him but favorable to a codefendant, as where it tends to show that the witness is liable or makes it more difficult for him to establish his own lack of fault, that portion of his testimony may be used to rebut an inference unfavorable to the codefendant provided there is nothing to indicate collusion or any other reason for disbelieving the testimony." The question of disbelief of testimony does not enter into the case when a motion for a nonsuit is made. The defendant, in making the motion, admits that all of plaintiff's case is true. (People v. One 1940 Buick Sedan, 71 Cal. App.2d 160 [162 P.2d 318]; Seaford v. Smith, 86 Cal. App.2d 339 [194 P.2d 792]; Mastro v. Kennedy, 57 Cal. App.2d 499 [134 P.2d 865]; Moore v. Belt, 34 Cal.2d 525 [212 P.2d 509]; Connors v. Southern Pac. Co., 91 Cal. App.2d 872 [206 P.2d 31]; Karstensen v. Western Transp. Co., 93 Cal. App.2d 435 [209 P.2d 47]; Carlton v. Pacific Coast Gasoline Co., 110 Cal. App.2d 177 [242 P.2d 391]; Baley v. J.F. Hink & Son, 133 Cal. App.2d 102 [283 P.2d 349]; New Zealand Ins. Co. v. Brown, 110 Cal. App.2d 411 [242 P.2d 674]; deAryan v. Butler, 119 Cal. App.2d 674 [260 P.2d 98].)
The majority opinion states: "The evidence as to Eiskamp's participation in the operation consisted of the testimony of Lacy, Slegal and Eiskamp, and it was clear and uncontradicted to the effect that Eiskamp was not responsible for leaving the clamp in plaintiff's abdomen. This testimony did not in any way tend to benefit Lacy or Slegal but, to the contrary, was disadvantageous to them because the exoneration of one defendant would have the necessary effect of increasing the possibility of liability on the part of each of the other defendants. The record indicates no rational ground for disbelieving their testimony, and we hold that the inference raised against Eiskamp under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur was *534 dispelled as a matter of law." (Emphasis added.) The lack of logic in, and the unsoundness of, the foregoing argument is so obvious that it should be apparent to the most uninformed. It is conceded by the majority that the favorable portion of this testimony gave rise to an inference of negligence against Dr. Eiskamp. If plaintiff is not bound by the unfavorable portion of the testimony of Drs. Lacy, Slegal and Eiskamp, how can it be said that such testimony can now be relied upon by Dr. Eiskamp to rebut the inference of negligence which arose as a result of the testimony of these witnesses favorable to plaintiff? I submit that the majority has not answered this question and it cannot do so except by its arbitrary ipse dixit "that the inference raised against Eiskamp under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur was dispelled as a matter of law."
The essence of the legal theory upon which the majority holding is based is contained in the following statement from the majority opinion: "It follows from what has been said that the testimony of a witness called by a plaintiff under section 2055 may be used to dispel an inference upon which the plaintiff relies, provided the evidence is clear, positive, uncontradicted and of such a nature that it cannot rationally be disbelieved. It is particularly appropriate to allow such testimony to be used to rebut the inference in cases like the present one where plaintiff, because she was unconscious while receiving the treatment that resulted in her injuries, is given the benefit of a liberalized test for res ipsa loquitur, and all persons who had any control over her body or the instrumentalities which might have caused her injuries are required to meet the inference of negligence by giving an explanation of their conduct. If in these circumstances evidence given by witnesses under section 2055 establishes as a matter of law that one of the defendants is free from negligence, the prima facie case against that defendant based on the inference should fall, and plaintiff's position with respect to that defendant should be the same as if she had failed to prove all the facts necessary to raise the inference."
It is impossible for me to rationalize the foregoing statement as it requires the application of a brand of mental gymnastics which I do not possess. What I think it means is this: While the testimony of Drs. Lacy, Slegal and Eiskamp, taken under section 2055, established an inference of negligence against Eiskamp under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur which, under the authorities, remains in the case until rebutted *535 by defendants, this same testimony negatives any inference of negligence against Eiskamp. This brain child is labelled by the majority as "a liberalized test for res ipsa loquitur." It sounds more reactionary than liberal to me. It is obvious that what the majority want to do here is to destroy the remedial effect of both section 2055 and the res ipsa loquitur doctrine. It is accomplishing this result by declaring that certain evidence testimony here "establishes as a matter of law that a defendant is free from negligence" notwithstanding the law has established an inference of negligence against him. Is this the product of rational thinking? Can legal reasoning be so obtuse? Should such conflicts exist in our law? My answer to these questions is an emphatic NO. The real difficulty is, the failure of the judicial process to function. The majority here desires to reach a result which cannot be reached by the application of legal principles. So it resorts to sophistry and it becomes enmeshed in a maze of conflicts. The judicial process operates in reverse order. It proceeds from the premise that we have a judgment which is under attack. To determine the validity of this judgment, we apply legal tests rules of law and we accept the result which flows from this process. In pursuit of this process, we avoid conflicts and the law becomes a smoothly operating machine geared to the efficient administration of justice.
Applying the judicial process to this case, we find that under section 2055, as construed by all of the authorities, plaintiff may establish her case by the testimony of adverse witnesses; she may do this without being bound by any testimony which is unfavorable to her. So far as her case in chief is concerned, all testimony unfavorable to her must be disregarded the same as if it were not in the record. The testimony favorable to her establishes an inference of negligence against all defendants. She may rest her case on such evidence, secure against a motion for a nonsuit. The judgment of nonsuit against her was therefore erroneous and should be reversed. This always has been the law of this state since section 2055 was enacted and would still be the law if the judicial process was followed in this case.
It would be just as honest, and do less harm to the law, if the majority, in order to reach the result it desires, would hold that no inference of negligence arose against Dr. Eiskamp because the undisputed evidence shows that he did not use a Kelly clamp in the portion of the operation he performed in plaintiff's abdomen. While I could not join in such holding, *536 it is my opinion that it is necessary for a plaintiff to show that a defendant was an active participant in the negligent act which resulted in the injury complained of in order to establish an inference of negligence against such defendant under the res ipsa loquitur doctrine. This was the holding of this court in Seneris v. Haas, 45 Cal.2d 811 [291 P.2d 915], where a judgment of nonsuit in favor of Dr. Haas was affirmed. But the majority expressly holds that under the evidence here an inference of negligence arose against Dr. Eiskamp and I agree with this holding. It appears to be the law of this state, however, that whether a particular inference can be drawn from certain evidence is a question of law, but whether the inference shall be drawn, in any given case, is a question of fact for the jury. (See cases cited in 10 Cal.Jur. 738-739, § 60.)
In view of the foregoing rule it would obviously be more logical for the majority to conclude that under the evidence produced here no inference of negligence arose against Dr. Eiskamp. In so holding the majority would have at least a semblance of authority to support its otherwise wholly unfounded conclusion.
We have held (Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 95, 100 [64 P.2d 409]) that leaving a foreign object in a patient's abdomen does not ordinarily occur without negligence and in Ybarra v. Spangard, 25 Cal.2d 486 [154 P.2d 687, 162 A.L.R. 1258], that when a patient receives unusual injuries while unconscious, all defendants having any control over his body or the instrumentalities which might have caused the injuries may be called upon to rebut the inference of negligence by giving an explanation of their conduct. Nurse Pogatschnik, as an employee of the hospital, was one of the defendants having "control" over the unconscious body of the plaintiff. Plaintiff established through the testimony of Mrs. Evelyn Craig, superintendent of defendant hospital, who was called under section 2055, that it was not the practice of the hospital, through its nurse employees, to make an instrument count after surgery. Whether such an omission constituted negligence was answered adversely to defendant hospital in Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 100 [64 P.2d 409], where this court said: "We have already held upon authority that the failure to remove a sponge from the abdomen of a patient is negligence of the ordinary type and that it does not involve knowledge of materia medica surgery but that it belongs to that class of mental lapses which frequently occur in the usual *537 routine of business and commerce, and in the multitude of commonplace affairs which come within the group of ordinary actionable negligence. The layman needs no scientific enlightenment to see at once that the omission can be accounted for on no other theory than that someone has committed actionable negligence." Mrs. Craig also testified, although her testimony is not binding on plaintiff, creates merely a conflict in the evidence, and may be ignored, that it was not the custom of hospitals in the community to make an instrument count after surgery. I am of the opinion that the majority opinion incorrectly discusses this testimony as failing to "dispel" the inference of negligence as to the hospital and surgical nurse. Plaintiff is not bound by any adverse testimony elicited under section 2055, as I have heretofore pointed out. The testimony as to custom merely created a conflict in the evidence and might be considered adverse to plaintiff if it were not for cases holding that "General negligence cannot be excused on the ground that others in the same locality practice the same kind of negligence." (Ales v. Ryan, 8 Cal.2d 82, 100 [64 P.2d 409].) It was also said in Pauly v. King, 44 Cal.2d 649, 655 [284 P.2d 487], quoting from Owen v. Rheem Mfg. Co., 83 Cal. App.2d 42, 45 [187 P.2d 785], that "Custom may assist in the determination of what constitutes due care. What others do is some evidence of what should be done, but custom is never a substitute for due care."
We have repeatedly held that a hospital must exercise reasonable care towards a patient as his known condition may require (Wood v. Samaritan Institution, Inc., 26 Cal.2d 847, 851 [161 P.2d 556]; Rice v. California Lutheran Hospital, 27 Cal.2d 296, 302 [163 P.2d 860]; Ault v. Ross General Hospital, 105 Cal. App.2d 78, 80 [232 P.2d 528]). "If the alleged neglect relates to matters or conduct which are reasonably within the ken of the average layman the jury may determine the culpability of the person charged therewith without the aid of experts. If it relates solely to the exercise of judgment in the application of skill and learning then proof of the negligence must be made by experts." (Valentin v. La Societe Francaise, 76 Cal. App.2d 1, 5 [172 P.2d 359]; Dean v. Dyer, 64 Cal. App.2d 646, 653 [149 P.2d 288]; Stevenson v. Alta Bates, Inc., 20 Cal. App.2d 303, 309 [66 P.2d 1265]; Inderbitzen v. Lane Hospital, 124 Cal. App. 462 [12 P.2d 744, 13 P.2d 905].) It appears to me that the failure to make an instrument count subsequent to surgery is a matter "reasonably within the ken" of the average layman to permit the jury, *538 without the benefit of expert evidence, to determine whether or not such failure constituted negligence, or the failure to exercise such reasonable care towards a patient as his known condition may require (Valentin v. La Societe Francaise, 76 Cal. App.2d 1, 5 [172 P.2d 359]; Wood v. Samaritan Institution, Inc., 26 Cal.2d 847, 851 [161 P.2d 556]). But, the inference of negligence having arisen because of the Kelly clamp having been left in plaintiff's abdomen during surgery at a time when the defendants had control of her unconscious body, the question of whether such negligence existed was for the trier of fact on a trial of the issues involved. The evidence adduced by plaintiff, together with the favorable inferences to be drawn therefrom, when conflicting evidence is disregarded, was more than sufficient to permit the cause to be tried by the jury, or the court, as the case may be.
It is impossible to rationalize the majority opinion on any theory of law or logic. It certainly finds no support in the prior decisions of this court or the appellate courts of this state. In the absence of any basis in legal philosophy for the holding here, it is obvious that considerations of expediency have controlled. I submit that such considerations are foreign to the judicial concept. If the law is to be changed, the Legislature is the law-making body, and such change should be brought about by legislation and not by judicial fiat. In our constitutional form of government, with its system of checks and balances, the Legislature is more responsive to the will of the people than the courts and any change in public policy or statutory law should originate with it. I submit that the action of this court here invades the province of the Legislature in a most vital field of legislation and public policy as it repeals or nullifies the provision in section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure that a party is not bound by testimony elicited under this section.
I would reverse the judgments of nonsuit as to defendants Eiskamp, Pogatschnik and the Watsonville Community Hospital.
SHENK, J.
I dissent. I am in agreement with the dissenting opinion of Mr. Justice Carter insofar as he concludes that the majority opinion has misapplied section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure and the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. It is well established by the authorities in this state and cited by Mr. Justice Carter that the plaintiff may, under section 2055, call the defendants as adverse witnesses *539 and examine them "as if under cross examination" and without prejudice to his own cause. The plaintiff is not bound by that testimony. That which is unfavorable to him must, for the purposes of a motion for a nonsuit, be disregarded, however strong or persuasive or even conclusive it might be in favor of the defendants and against the plaintiff in the trial on the merits. The plaintiff is entitled to the benefit of whatever portion of that testimony is favorable to him and that portion only is to be considered in evidence for the purpose of a nonsuit. For that purpose the plaintiff's case is supported by all favorable inferences that may be drawn from that testimony. Those inferences may be in addition to the inference included in the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur which alone is sufficient to take the case to trial on the merits. The question of when an inference in favor of the plaintiff may be dispelled by the testimony of his own witnesses is not involved in this case. In law the defendants, when called by the plaintiff under section 2055, are not the plaintiff's witnesses. With the rule now announced by the majority a plaintiff may not call a defendant for examination under that section except at the peril of having the testimony so taken and which is unfavorable to him used against him in support of a motion for a nonsuit. This is an unfortunate and confusing deviation from the established rules. Under the authorities the res ipsa loquitur doctrine is applicable to this case and its beneficial purpose is effectively destroyed if in calling the defendants as adverse witnesses the plaintiff must assume the hazard of having them justify their conduct and by their own testimony obtain a judgment of nonsuit. The record shows without question that the testimony of the defendants obtained under section 2055 insofar as it is favorable to the plaintiff is in support of the inference of negligence, and that inference has not been dispelled either in fact or in law. The defendant Eiskamp took part in the operation and he should be required to defend on the merits along with his codefendants.
The petition of respondents Watsonville Community Hospital and Kay Pogatschnik for a rehearing was denied January 16, 1957.
NOTES
[1] The case against Lacy and Slegal was settled after the nonsuits were granted as to the other defendants.
[2] Section 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure provides: "A party to the record of any civil action or proceeding or a person for whose immediate benefit such action or proceeding is prosecuted or defended, or the directors, officers, superintendent, member, agent, employee, or managing agent of any such party or person, or the agent, officer or employee of a municipal corporation which is a party to the action or proceeding, may be examined by the adverse party as if under cross-examination, subject to the rules applicable to the examination of other witnesses. The party calling such adverse witness shall not be bound by his testimony, and the testimony given by such witness may be rebutted by the party calling him for such examination by other evidence. Such witness, when so called, may be examined by his own counsel, but only as to the matters testified to on such examination."
[3] In an article entitled "Some Recent Cases in Evidence," 13 Cal. L.Rev. 285, 302 (1925), Professor A.M. Kidd, in commenting on section 2055, said: "The section states that a party calling such adverse party shall not be bound by his testimony, as if a party were ever bound by the testimony of any witness. What was meant was that an adverse party called as a witness might be examined and impeached to the same extent as the ordinary witness."
[4] There is a recognized exception to the general rule where evidence of the opposite party is absolutely conclusive, as for instance, where the presumption of death of a person who has not been heard from in seven years is dispelled by production of the person in court. (See Engstrom v. Auburn Auto. Sales Corp., 11 Cal.2d 64, 70 [77 P.2d 1079]; Smellie v. Southern Pac. Co., 212 Cal. 540, 552 [299 P. 529].) The general rule also is subject to the qualification that where testimony of the party relying on a presumption or of his witnesses is the product of mistake or inadvertence, such testimony will not operate to dispel the presumption. (See Mar Shee v. Maryland Assur. Corp., 190 Cal. 1, 9 [210 P. 269].)
[*] Even though he maintains it is not inconsistent.
|
www.crossingdialogues.com/journal.htm DIALOGUES Crossing Dialogues Association 52 Another look at ADHD VÂNIA LÚCIA DE MORAIS RIBEIRO JOSÉ CARLOS CAVALHEIRO DA SILVEIRA Defi cit/Hyperactivity Disorder Clinic, Medical School, Federal University of Minas Gerais (Brazil) email: vaniademorais@hotmail.com DIAL PHIL MENT NEURO SCI 2009; 2(2): 52-53 Dear Editor, we would like to raise some points regarding ADHD philosophical knowledge considering initially the article by Thurber et al. (2009). The authors have analyzed ADHD from the point of view of classical science. They defend uniformity among the classifi catory models and opine that ADHD should have the status of hypothetic construct but not diagnostic entity since research has not found etiological evidence for ADHD. The criticism to the lack of methodological rigorous and to inconsistencies in this fi eld of knowledge is adequate and necessary to the advancement in understanding the ADHD. On the other hand, we would like to raise questions related to cultural variables, the patient context, ADHD's complexity expression. These aspects can be exploited under the contemporary scientifi c paradigm. According to Maturana's theory, the individual biologic structure results from all structural changes that occurred throughout the person's life as consequence of the individual internal dynamics and the interactions with the environment. The individual structure congruence with the environment determines the individual adaptation maintaining his/her organization, therefore his/her survival. In order to keep their needs, the members of a system operate selecting through their behavior structural changes of the components, therefore their characteristics. This happens in any human society. Under this point of view, there is evidence of a relationship between increase in ADHD prevalence and contemporary society demand. The social organizations nowadays demand from their members to attain social, academic and professional success, exactly those functions missing in ADHD individuals. The cerebral confi gurations of these individuals constitute source of problems from the social changes. They are not capable of processing different types of information simultaneously, to make plans, to organize themselves temporally and/or spatially, to concentrate fully in the work, among other activities missing in ADHD individuals. As a result they are victims of physical and psychological abuse, they are excluded and discriminated and live with the constant threat of failure. These factors are often the triggers of the comorbidities in this population (Ribeiro de Morais, 2008; Blachno et al., 2006). The modern science perspective, based on parameters of objective reality to validate knowledge, has tried to answer the question "where is the dysfunction and its cause in the brain of ADHD individuals?" On the other hand, the post-modern view, bringing the perspective of knowledge as a shared construct that is set in the interpersonal relationships through language, leads us to search for the understanding of the complexity of this fi eld, cultural, social and interpersonal dynamics that are implicated. Considering, for example, Thuber's suggestion (2009) that ADHD be a hypothetic construct and not a nosologic condition, we understand that this suggestion is pertinent from the scientifi c point of view. But, in terms of health and life quality of those people with ADHD there is need to consider what would be the practical aspect of this construct. The classifi cation systems offer criteria for diagnosis that can be questioned, however to invalidate them, other factors must be considered, including ethical issues. If the neurobiological factors that are in the origin of the dysfunction are not identifi ed, this means that are we not going to treat these paDialogues in Philosophy, Mental and Neuro Sciences DIAL PHIL MENT NEURO SCI 2009; 2(2): 52-53 Ribeiro de Morais & Cavalheiro da Silveira tients? Even that ADHD were considered as a problem of social origin and not as an individual dysfunction, does it mean that we are not going to treat the patient? How about their suffering? We found that to obtain the minimum satisfactory understanding of ADHD it is fundamental the interdisciplinary approach and to consider the complexity of the phenomenon; without it any study or discipline will have limitations. 53 REFERENCES Blachno M, Szamanska U, Kolakowski A, Pisula A. Parental corporal punishment in children with attentiondefi cit hyperactivity syndrome. Psychiatria Polska 2006;40:43-55. Maturana H. A ontologia da realidade. Ed UFMG, Belo Horizonte,1997. Kuhn TS. The Structure of Scientifi c Revolutions. 2 ed., enlarged. University of Chicago Press, Chicago and London, 1970. Ribeiro de Morais VL. A família e a criança/adolescente com TDAH: relacionamento social e intrafamiliar. Dissertação (Mestrado em Ciências da Saúde). Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisUFMG , 2008. Thurber S, Sheehan W, Roberts RJ. Attention Defi cit Hyperactivity Disorder and Scientifi c Epistemology. Dial Phil Ment Neuro Sci 2009;2(2):33-39. |
It may not seem like much is going on, but I've been working on more than just Detective Butler. Another Umineko fangame, Repercussion of the Golden Witch, has been in development for a couple months now. It was originally going to be a rather short game, but I didn't realize the length it turned out to be, as it rivals an official Umineko game in length. I expect the full game to be roughly 10 hours long, equivalent to the expected length of Detective Butler.
I also have quite a few ideas for future VNs in my head. Time not spent working on the existing two is usually dedicated to fleshing out those ideas.
Considering our entire team is busy with school at the moment, there isn't much free time to work on any projects. Most work is done on weekends.
That said, I expect both projects to be finished before 2013.Thank you for your patience and support! |
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