The vessel is designed for to provide diving and underwater work at depths up to 60 meters at sea state up to 3 points, participation in rescue and salvage operations, deployment and maintenance of works of research parties in the amount of installed hardware, examination sea-bottom, wrecks, underwater hulls of vessels (ships) and hydraulic structures, ensuring operation of small-sized remote-controlled submersibles at sea state up to 3 points.
The boat is intended for official duty trips and for reviewing Russian Navy ship parades. The boat’s area of operation is the Black Sea along the sea coast at distances from harbor up to 50 miles.
The tugboat is intended for towing vessels and floating facilities at sea, performing auxiliary operations in harbour waters, participating in oil spill clean-up operations as an auxiliary vessel for delivering oil spill response equipment and a containment boom boat setting up containment barriers outside of the oil spill area. The vessel is not intended to operate directly inside the spill area. It is also used for providing assistance in fighting fires at floating and shore installations accessible from the sea and transporting general cargo on deck loaded/unloaded using port facilities or the deck crane.
This project 92800 muti-purpose bunker vessel with oil skimming equipment is a one-deck twin-screw steel vessel with an elevated foredeck and a two-level superstructure aft. Its structures, devices and machines located on the deck must be explosion and fireproof. The vessel length is 41.3 meters, its width is 8 meters, the total volume of the cargo tanks is 400 cubic meters, its speed is 10 knots (2-3 knots when skimming).
С92800 type vessels are designed to transport diesel fuel for vessels classified as class 3 under the IMDG Code (light fuels with a flashpoint of over 60°С), with a density of у=0.82-0.86 t/m3, and to bunker vessels with such fuel and to collect bilge and waste water. The vessel also has oil skimming equipment and can be used to collect spilled oil products from water surface, including diesel fuel and black oil fuel of various viscosity. The vessel may also be used as a bunker ship for vessels, a ship to take bilge and waste water, and as a skimmer to gather spilled oil products (diesel fuel, black oil fuel) from water surface.
Project RST54 is a one-of-a-kind platform tanker capable of carrying both oil products and dry (general, bulk) cargoes. The RST54 project is based on a unique concept.
This one-of-a-kind “platform/tanker” vessel was created to be maximally effective for both legs of each round voyage; carrying oil when going to its destination and dry cargo on its return trip. Therefore, it is planned to achieve the highest possible economic efficiency of the vessel’s operation given the seasonal nature of the river transport operations in Russia.
An RST54 vessel is a self-propelled combined (oil/dry cargo) “Volga-Don Max” class platform vessel with a deadweight of 5,589 tons, intended for transporting up to 5,250 tons of light and dark oil products as well as general and bulk cargo, including gravel, metals, timber, coal, bulky and heavy cargoes. The vessel can carry up to 148 TEUs worth of cargo in containers, up to 320 cars or 4,500 tons of bulk cargo. The vessel's dimensions are intended to ensure the best possible navigational performance in the Unified Deep Water System of Russia. The vessel’s hull lines were first used in the RST27 project tanker built for UCL Holding. RST54 project vessels are compatible with the width and depth of the Volga-Don Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway.
Project RST27 vessels are designed for the transportation of crude oil and oil products without any flash-point restrictions. The RST27 Project is a universal mixed river-sea navigation vessel created under an individual project. This “Volgo-Don max” class tanker features an increased deadweight and a higher hull strength. The overall dimensions of the project meet the requirements of the Volga-Don Ship Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway. The new RST27 project tankers have an enhanced river navigation capability, a deadweight increased by 700 tons when operated on a river, while maintaining an increased capacity of cargo tanks and a higher hull strength (the R2 marine class or navigation area II according to the previous Registry of Shipping classification). RST27 project vessels meet the requirements of the Volga-Don Ship Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway and are classified as “Volgo-Don max” class tankers.
A new dry-cargo ship was developed under RSD44 project to a special order of the Volga Shipping Company. From 2010 to 2012, 10 ships of the "Heroes of Stalingrad" series were built under this project. The capacity of the ship is 5,400 tons. The design features a low overall height of the ship with a deckhouse 8 meters high, which is almost 2 times lower than that of the current "Volgo-Dons” (15.8 meters). The dry-cargo ship can pass under bridges on Russian rivers without the need to raise them. The ships are maximally automated and equipped with modern rudder propellers, ensuring high maneuverability and good controllability. The new vessels outperform their predecessors in production efficiency, environmental friendliness and comfort.
RSD44 type vessels are universal dry-cargo ships, carrying all kinds of general and bulk cargo (grain, fertilizers, sulfur), as well as metal and metal products. All vessels are operated on inland waterways and sea coastal areas and are focused on transporting high-tariff export cargoes to ports of the Baltic, Caspian and Azov-Black Sea basins.
Vessel purpose: transportation of general cargoes; bulk cargoes (including grain, coal, ores), mineral fertilizers (in bulk and in bags); metal (bundles, rolls of up to 35 tons); paper (rolls), wood products (packaged, including round timber); fruits and vegetables (packaged); 20 'and 40' ISO containers (including refrigerated containers); dangerous goods of classes 1, 1.4S, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 by the IMDG Code and International Code for transportation of bulk cargoes.
Navigation area: open and inland seas with restrictions, in accordance with the class II SP; inland waterways of the European part of the Russian Federation through the Volga-Baltic and Volga-Don system, as well as in inland waterways of European countries, to the extent permitted by the dimensions of the vessel.
00101 type vessels are designed to carry general cargoes, bulk cargoes (including grain, coal, ore), mineral fertilizers (in bulk and in bags); metal (bundles, rolls of up to 35 tons); paper (rolls), wood products (packaged, including round timber); fruits and vegetables (packaged); 20' и 40' ISO containers (including refrigerated containers); dangerous goods of classes 1, 1.4S, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 by the IMDG Code and International Code for transportation of bulk cargoes.
Navigation area: open and inland seas with restrictions, in accordance with the vessel class; inland waterways of the European part of the Russian Federation through the Volga-Baltic and Volga-Don system, as well as in inland waterways of European countries, to the extent permitted by the dimensions of the vessel.
The tanker is designed for the transportation of crude oil and oil products without any flash-point restrictions, including products requiring heating, vegetable oils (technical use). It can be operated in the Mediterranean, Black and Caspian Seas, in accordance with its class and on inland waterways of the European part of the Russian Federation through the Volga-Don canal and Volga-Baltic waterway.
The construction of three “Primemax” type tankers by OJSC “Okskaya Sudoverf” was carried out under contract with AET — a large operator of global oil transportation, which is owned by the MISC group. A project 00216 tanker is a vessel for the second restricted navigation area, with ice strengthening. The main difference of the project is the lack of a longitudinal bulkhead. The capacity of the cargo pumps was somewhat reduced, the fullness of the hull was increased, including the fore and aft part of the hull system that underwent some changes. All the electronic systems of the vessel were manufactured abroad. The vessel’s length: 139.9 meters, overall width: 16.7, sea deadweight: 6.6 thousand tons.
An ice class utility boat under project ST23WI with functions of a service/crew boat is designed to deliver to vessels inspection crews, crew members and their families, cargoes weighing up to 0.5 tons, serving as a patrol boat for inspection and ecological monitoring of water areas, as well as to perform the functions of a pilot boat.
Navigation area: port, harbor and coastal operation within the boundaries set by the Russian International Registry of Vessels in each case.
Operating conditions: year-round operation in unfreezing seas and under very light ice conditions, corresponding to ice class 2 set by the Russian International Registry of Vessels in non-Arctic seas.
A project 8597 dredging vessel with a capacity of 100 tons is designed for dredging and deepening operations, as well as for the production of non-metallic building materials, development, excavation and movement of soil from flooded quarries.
Scope of use: land reclamation works; dredging and clearing works on ponds; construction of dams, embankments, platforms; sand mining; deepening operations on rivers, canals, and other water bodies falling under the "L" category according to the classification of the Russian River Registry.
The dredging vessel may be operated in the range of ambient temperatures from -5oC to + 35o C. The water depth must be at least 0.8 m.
only clean washed sand is used for beaches and other grounds, whereas any silt or clay components, branches, bark, etc. are washed into the sump.
A project 8628 dredging vessel is designed for the development, excavation and movement of soil from flooded quarries.
Scope of use: land reclamation works; dredging and clearing works on ponds; construction of dams, embankments, other platforms; sand mining; deepening operations on rivers, canals, and other water bodies falling under the "L" category according to the classification of the Russian River Registry.
The dredging vessel may be operated in the range of ambient temperatures from -5o C to + 35o C.
A project 03040 dry cargo barge is designed for transporting general and bulk cargoes, including dangerous cargoes of classes 4 and 5 by the IMDG Code, which do not require any special fire-fighting systems, autonomous systems of drainage, artificial ventilation, continuous monitoring of the cargo.
Operated by pushing (in the river) or towing. Dangerous goods may only be transported by pushing in the river and by towing in the sea.
Navigation area: inland basins of the Russian Federation and maritime areas in accordance with the vessel class.
A project 03020 dry cargo barge is designed for the transportation of general and bulk cargoes, including dangerous goods: bulk sulfur in granules or in lumps and ammonium nitrate (ammonium - nitrate fertilizer) in packages. Operated by pushing, including in column or in a single vessel tow.
A project 16806 tank barge is designed for the transportation of oil products, including with a flash point below 60o C as well as requiring heating. During one trip, only one type of oil products is transported.
The aft end of the vessel has a recess designed for the forward part of a tugboat/pushboat, necessary to connect the pushboat to the barge.
A pontoon motor road bridge is intended to ensure the crossing of water bodies by wheeled and tracked vehicles and pedestrians.
A mobile bridge may be used for the construction, restoration or repairs of a permanent bridge.
A simple design and a low cost of manufacture compared to stationary bridges allow to build a crossing in places where there are no stationary bridges.
A floating road bridge may if necessary have one or two movable sections to allow for vessels to pass. A simple and reliable design of the movable sections ensures that a bridge can be drawn or movable sections can be added to it within 2-3 minutes.
The bridge has a room for the maintenance crew, and also lighting and alarm systems to ensure safe passage for ships, cars and pedestrians. A radio set may be installed in the maintenance crew room to communicate with passing ships.
If necessary, the floating sections of the bridge can be disassembled within several days. The shore elements are built on place to an individual design and are stationary.
A mobile pontoon fleet PP-91 consists of (river and shore) pontoon links carried on URAL trucks with special platforms and motor boats used to install and disassemble the bridges and also to tow ferries. The motor boats are also transported on trucks.
When a bridge is built, each pontoon link “unloads itself” by rolling off the truck platform directly into the water and then “self-opens” on the water> The crew connects the links together. To disassemble the bridge a loading device installed on the truck platform is used to load pontoon links onto the truck.
Minimal time in building or disassembling a bridge is achieved when each link is transported on a separate truck.
In hard-to-access areas the link may be transported and the bridge may be built using helicopters (externally suspension).
A pontoon fleet helps assemble both floating bridges and ferries of normal or increased width.


I have never, in fact, purchased a seashell in my life–I much prefer to find them on my own–but a dress with shell embroidery? That I can’t resist!
I have to admit that this iteration of the story had a more tragic bent, because I was legitimately saddened when I first glimpsed this incredible dress and then released it retailed at just under $80. I assumed I’d have to wait until fall for a pink and summery mermaid dress to go on sale: but as luck would have it, a surprise one-day-only clearance brought us together, resulting in nearly the same degree of personal satisfaction and delight as finding an unbroken conch or cowrie!
Let’s be honest: I would probably wear this dress even without the shell embroidery, as I’m unnecessarily drawn to jumpers these days. These pink scallops surrounded by a galaxy of bubbles and stars, though, were basically made for me.
As you might have noticed from the first photo, the silver buttons that run down the length of the dress are also scallop-shaped!
I am dreaming of the day when I’ll get to wear this dress (and my ridiculous floppy hat!) while watching Pacific waves break back home — but in the meantime, I’ll settle for this beautifully blooming tree and a balcony I can pretend is the deck of a ship!


Front Page/ 1 Picture. | Page 1 : 3 Pictures | Page 2 / 5 Pictures. | Page 3 / 6 Pictures. | page4/ 4 pictures | page 5 / 4 pictures. | page 6/ O picture.
To see my photo that has made it to the Semi finals Photo Comp on the net.Called "Show Me". B/W.Picture. You might want to enter one of yours. click here.
To see photos by 'Sassy' 'Merianne's Moments'. click here.
To see great "Fan Fiction Covers" go to 'Calli's Creation's' photo shop art site. click here.


This past weekend Jovanna and I headed up to Yosemite to camp, hike, climb, and enjoy the outdoors. On Friday we dedicated the first half of the day to sampling the Tuolumne Meadows granite before heading to Lake Tenya to cool off.
Can't wait to come back here in fall!


This is Kari’s fault, btw. She encouraged me.
Wait, I missed half-way there day. Good grief. What was I doing two days ago that I lost track of time? Oh, I think I went to bed at 9:30. Darn that fatigue.
I may have been pantsing the comics.
A friend of mine pointed out that the copyright date is wrong on my 2018 comics. Darn it.
My internet is a bit slow. So I hit add new comic and it started spinning for a bit, so I opened a tab for Facebook which came up quickly. And then I forgot I was posting the comic and by the time I went to my last tab, I couldn’t remember if I posted already or not.


LNF Fine Art Appraisals Resource provides comprehensive appraisals and cataloguing for single works of fine art or for an entire collection.
Our appraisals are fully compliant legal documents prepared by qualified appraisers furnishing unbiased values.
© 2013 LNF FINE ART APPRAISAL RESOURCE. All rights reserved.
Nationally and Internationally by appointment.


It's not always easy to keep mentally focused during running. Focus requires discipline and a certain level of mental toughness, meaning that you have developed the capacity to perform to the best of your ability despite external conditions or internal distractions. You can minimize distractions and help yourself stay focused by implementing self-help techniques and maintaining a positive, nonjudgmental attitude.
Mentally tough athletes push through and overcome obstacles to stay focused on their ultimate goal. Developing the traits that characterize mental toughness can help you remain focused during running. According to sports psychologist JoAnn Dahlkoetter in an article for the online runner's resource, "Competitor," several characteristics or traits tare commonly identified in mentally tough runners: Resilience, focus, strength, preparation, vision, openness and trust. You simply do not allow yourself to become distracted by external conditions or internal emotions -- you have the ability to put these distractions behind you for the time being and live in the moment.
Positive self-talk can encourage you and help you stay focused while running. According to sports psychologists Leif Smith and Todd Kays in "Sports Psychology for Dummies," mentally repeating specific cue words, such as "focus" or "hustle," may help to increase your concentration when you feel a decrease in your level of focus. Tape the cue words to a piece of athletic tape around your wrist and mentally concentrate on them while you run, as though the words are your mantra. Don't beat yourself up if you're having an off day. Talk to yourself as you would talk to a good friend. Be positive and encouraging and tell yourself that you can do it.
When you feel yourself starting to tire or slow down, marathon runner and trainer Jeff Galloway suggests practicing the following drill, adapted from his book, "Mental Training for Runners: How to Stay Motivated." Tell yourself that you're going to continue running for just one minute more, reducing your pace slightly for a few seconds, then continue this pattern, telling yourself "one more minute" or "10 more steps" until you achieve your goal for the day. If you break down your goal into small chunks, it may seem more manageable and achievable and you'll be less likely to lose focus.
Almost all athletes use some form of visualization prior to or during their workout or competition to help them stay focused. According to Galloway, worrying and focusing on the negative possibilities is a major way that many runners become distracted and lose motivation. Visualization can help you overcome your worries and direct your focus back to your goal. Visualization involves vividly imagining and rehearsing positive outcomes to future events or the event in which you're currently involved. Before your race, you might lie down and imagine yourself running effortlessly, overcoming obstacles and achieving your goal. The more vividly you can imagine the scene by involving all of your five senses, the more effective your visualization will be.


Quick: What does your brand stand for?

If you can’t answer that, it means consumers can’t, either. Which means you’re losing money, at this very moment, to competitors who can articulate what they stand for.

Let’s be clear: Uncovering this truth isn’t easy. It means making some difficult choices. It means honing in on the one thing that makes your brand great—at the expense of many other things that might be very good.

But it’s worth it.

Because once you’ve planted your stake in the ground, you create something that no one can take away: an identity.

And it’s this core identity—not a print ad or billboard—that gives consumers an emotional attachment to your brand. That creates true, lasting success that isn’t dependent on how successful (or not) your last promotion was. Or how viral (or not) your last video was.

Y&L is built to help brands take this leap.

We help them discover (or re-discover) this hard-to-pin-down thing that is not only their reason for being—but also their ultimate competitive advantage.

We help brands take a stand.

We KnowHomeowners

We’ve developed a practice around homeowners, working with brands that offer products and services for the home. We know what makes them tick and why they do what they do.

We KnowThe Active Mindset

People who love the outdoors or a particular sport can instantly tell if you’re truly one of them, or if you’re faking it. That’s why we love working with these brands and becoming one with the client’s target—resulting in some of our biggest challenges and most satisfying successes.

We KnowBeverage

First comes curious awareness; then optimistic trial, loyalty and—when it’s done correctly—proselytization. Our history with beverages has shown us how to combine smart positioning, memorable packaging, targeted promotions and charming public interactions to change an indifferent public into cheerful, willing, voluntary brand zealots.

We KnowRestaurants

We know the pace of restaurant advertising. Working on a restaurant is not like working on other types of businesses, and a lot of agencies are not prepared for it. As deadlines shorten, details are missed and emergencies arise; their work becomes shortsighted and reactionary. Our experience has taught us how to keep the pace while continually building a brand.

Still not convinced? There’s also this: we wrote the book on restaurant marketing.Selling Eating: Restaurant Marketing Beyond the Word Delicious, is at its core the summation of all our restaurant knowledge—a book that challenges the conventional thinking of current restaurant advertising and instructs brands on how they can connect with customers on a real, human level.

Capabilities

We are an independent full-service agency located in a 1920’s schoolhouse in downtown Indianapolis. Over the last 30 years we’ve racked up a little bit of experience in creating, sustaining and leveraging epic brand stories through our wide array of services including: strategic marketing and proprietary research, multi-platform media planning and buying through EchoPoint Media, and creative in every imaginable platform.

Culture

Every morning, school bells ring (and a few sleepy creatives scatter) in the halls of a 100-year-old school building, formerly known as Public School No. 9. Now, it’s home to us—Young & Laramore—a Midwestern, mid-sized agency that was recently declared one of Ad Age’s Best Places to Work. We were also called “the one where you’d like to work” by Adweek in their “The United States of Ad Agencies” publication.

That’s the high-level, Google-result version of “us.” And it’s not far off. But if you asked us, we’d talk about Young & Laramore as being “anti-established” in 1983—we don't answer to a holding company—and plan to keep it that way. And, while we have perks just like any other ad agency (think: dog days, donuts, parlor games and above average coffee), what keeps Y&L employees happy is our lofty ambition to seek out clients who—like us—want to challenge conventions.

It’s probably that very mindset that has allowed us to be lucky enough to fill our halls with some truly smart people over the years. It’s hard to find a “common thread” in Y&L; because our commonalities are that we enjoy the uncommon. There are people in our building who are cyclists, amateur chefs and not-so-amateur chefs. We have outdoor enthusiasts, national columnists, marathon runners, beer geeks, book readers—and book writers. We even have a Packers fan.

And ultimately, it’s those people who are the driving force behind our work—the thing we show up for every day, that brought us all here in the first place.

An “echo point” is the target that will resonate your message best—the people who will become personal advocates, who will spread your word, who will respond in the way you want them to, and encourage those around them to respond as well. We love finding echo points. It’s not for everyone—it requires research that leads to insights. It takes more work than some media planners and buyers are interested in— finding the people who will echo your message. It’s what gets us revved up.

EchoPoint Media is a full-service traditional and digital media buying agency offering a complete suite of services from strategic planning to comprehensive analytics across all media types on a local, regional and national level.


---
title: "Getting Started with DeepSpeed on Azure"
---

This tutorial will help you get started running DeepSpeed on [Azure virtual
machines](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/virtual-machines/).
Looking forward, we will be integrating these techniques and additional enhancements
into the [Azure ML](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/services/machine-learning/) platform to
benefit all your large model training jobs.

If you don't already have an Azure account please see more details here: [https://azure.microsoft.com/](https://azure.microsoft.com/).

To help with launching Azure instances we suggest using the [Azure
CLI](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/?view=azure-cli-latest). We have created
several helper scripts to get you quickly started using DeepSpeed with Azure.
 * Install Azure CLI on your local box: [https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/cli/azure/install-azure-cli).
 * Alternatively, you can use the Azure in-browser shell: [https://shell.azure.com/](https://shell.azure.com/).

## Create an SSH key
Generate an SSH key that will be used across this tutorial to SSH into your VMs and
between Docker containers. `ssh-keygen` is the recommended way of doing this. Our scripts
assume your key is located inside the same directory as the Azure scripts.

## Azure Config JSON
Our helper scripts depend on the following a configuration JSON for deployment
and setup.  We have provided a simple example JSON in `azure_config.json` that
sets up a basic environment with two VMs. This config uses the NV6_Promo
instance type which has one NVIDIA Tesla M60 GPU per VM. You can read more
details about the VM on the [Linux Virtual Machines
Pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-machines/linux/)
page.

See the example below:
 ```json
{
  "num_vms": 2,
  "location": "southcentralus",
  "azure_sku": "Standard_NV6_Promo",
  "ssh_private_key": "id_rsa",
  "docker_ssh_port": 2222
}
```

## Dependencies
The scripts in this tutorial require [jq](https://stedolan.github.io/jq/) to help with
parsing JSON from the command line. Also it is recommended to install
[pdsh](https://linux.die.net/man/1/pdsh) to help launch ssh connections in parallel.

## Create Azure VMs
We first need to allocate the VMs. We provide a script
```bash
./create_vms.sh
```
to create VMs with the Azure SKU in the region specified in `azure_config.json`. Feel
free to customize your JSON to your desired region/SKU. This step will take a few minutes
to complete while it sets up all of your VMs on Azure.

## Setup VM environment to use DeepSpeed
Next, we need to configure the VM environment for DeepSpeed. We provide a script
```bash
./setup_vms.sh
```
to generate a [hostfile](/getting-started/#resource-configuration-multi-node) and SSH
configuration on all of the VMs. This configuration will be used by the DeepSpeed
Docker containers in the next step.

## Start the DeepSpeed docker container
We now setup the DeepSpeed Docker containers on the VMs. We provide a script
```bash
./setup_docker.sh
```
to pull the DeepSpeed image onto all VMs and start a container instance in the
background. This will take several minutes since it needs to pull the entire Docker
image.

## Access VMs
The tool `azure_ssh.sh` will let you SSH into any of the VMs with this
syntax:
```bash
./azure_ssh.sh <node-id> [command]
```
where the `node-id` is a number between `0` and `num_vms-1`.  This script will find the
public IP address of your VM and use the SSH key provided in the Azure configuration
JSON.

## Access DeepSpeed container
Everything should be up and running at this point. Let's access the running DeepSpeed
container on the first VM and make sure we can talk to the other containers in our deployment.

 * SSH into the first VM via: `./azure_ssh.sh 0`
 * Change directories into the azure folder of this repo via: `cd ~/workdir/DeepSpeed/azure`
 * Attach the running docker container via: `./attach.sh`
 * You should now be able to `ssh` into any other docker container, the containers can be
   accessed via their SSH alias of `worker-N`, where `N` is the VM number between `0`
   and `num_vms-1`. In this example we should be able to successfully run `ssh worker-1
   hostname` which will return the hostname of worker-1.

## Parallel SSH across containers
 DeepSpeed comes installed with a helper script `ds_ssh` which is a wrapper around
 the [pdsh](https://linux.die.net/man/1/pdsh) command that lets you issue commands
 to groups of hosts (via SSH) in parallel. This wrapper simply connects with the
 hostfile that defines all the containers in your deployment. For example if you run
 `ds_ssh hostname` you should see a list of all the hostnames in your deployment.

## Run CIFAR-10 example model
We will now run the DeepSpeed CIFAR-10 model example to test the VM setup. From inside
the first DeepSpeed container:

  1) Install the python dependencies necessary to run the CIFAR-10 example model. You can
  do this across your cluster via:
  ```bash
  ds_ssh pip install -r ~/workdir/DeepSpeed/DeepSpeedExamples/cifar/requirements.txt
  ```

  2) Now change directories to the CIFAR example:
  ```bash
  cd ~/workdir/DeepSpeed/DeepSpeedExamples/cifar
  ```

  3) Finally, launch training across all VMs:
  ```bash
  deepspeed cifar10_deepspeed.py --deepspeed --deepspeed_config ds_config.json
  ```

## Megatron-LM GPT2
DeepSpeed includes an example model using Megatron-LM's GPT2. Please refer to the full
[Megatron tutorial](/tutorials/megatron/) for more details.
 * In order to fully train GPT2 with DeepSpeed and ZeRO we recommend using 8 instances of
   Azure's Standard_ND40rs_v2 SKU for a total of 64 NVIDIA V100 GPUs. With this setup and
   a batch size of 1536 you should be able to complete 100k training steps (153.6 million
   samples) in less than 2 weeks of training.


pl is a program that produces plots and charts from data, and produces results that can be viewed on web pages, paper, slides,or interactively on the screen. Standard types of plots may bedone using prefab plot templates, or a user-developed script filemay be supplied for greater flexibility and customization.pl may be executed from the command line or as a CGI program.
See the various prefab examples .A large number of script examplesare also available.Some usage examplesare also shown below.
Command line arguments may generally be given in any order.If there are arguments that you want to always have in effect, you can invoke them from a config file.Many settings can also be made dynamically from scripts via proc settingsor proc page.Processing occurs in this order: first the config file is read; then command line args are processed (left to right); then proc pageand/or proc settings.Later settings override earlier ones.
Produce a plot using a prefabplot template.prefabname identifies the template, eg.cron or vbars.Necessary parameters are supplied on the command line using the form parm=value.
names a script filethat will be interpreted to produce results.Alternatively, -stdin may be used to indicatethat script will be available on standard input.
Declares the namedvariable and sets it to the given value. This is a convenient way to pass informationto prefabs and scripts. Variable names are case-sensitive.
sets the variable CUTDATE to 10-31-98.
Specify a filename where the result will be written.No processing is applied to this name.. so the ending should be appropriate forthe selected output format, eg. use .png for PNG files.If -o stdout is used,result will be sent to standard output. If -o is not specified, a default output filenamewill be used.
Set ploticus' working directory to dirname.If used, this argument should be specified leftmost on the command line, since it affects evaluation of other args.
-svg or -svgz SVGgraphic. See also SVG / XML options below.
-drawdumpafilenamesame as -drawdump but result is appended to file.
produce a client-side clickable imagemapto accompany a png, gif, or jpeg.These can be used for hyperlinks, and also for providingpop-up text labels that appear when the mouse passes over a region.By default, client-side map content is written to stdout.
produce a server-side clickable imagemap fileto accompany a png, gif, jpeg, or SVG.
Same as -csmap but all mapped regions are shown outlined in green,and a complete HTML chunk is produced which involves the output image name.
Same as -map but all mapped regions are shown outlined in green.
explicitly name the output file containing the map info. The name may also be set in proc page.If a name is not specified, client-side image map info will be written to stdout;server-side image map info will be written to a file having the same name as the output result fileexcept with a .map suffix(stdout may be useful in dynamic content HTML situations).For SVG this parameter is not needed, since image map info is embedded in the SVG file.
Scale the final result.If one value is given, the result is scaled by this amount in both x and y.If two values are given, scaling in x and scaling in y may be done independently.A scale value of less than 1.0 reduces thesize; an scale value of greater than 1.0 enlarges. Scaling is done relative to the origin (0,0) which is at the lower left.
Sets the pre-crop size of the result image for GIF/PNG/JPEG, or sets the display window size when drawing to X11. On other output devices this option does nothing.width and height are in absolute units.0,0 is the lower left corner.If -pagesize is not specified, the default size will be 8" x 8".Size is set before any drawing takes place and is unaffected by the -scale option.
When rendering PNG/GIF/JPEG images, this option determines amount of internal memory allocation for accommodating the image.The result can never be bigger than this size, and any drawing outsize the bounds will not be visible.To create PNG/GIF/JPEG images larger than 8" x 8", this option MUST be specified to set a bigger size.Cropping options (below) can be used along with -pagesize as long as they result in a smaller rectanglethan the pagesize; they take effect after all drawing has been completed.
-pagesize has no effect with EPS or paginated PostScript results (the PostScriptBoundingBox will be determined by the extent of the graphic).
For image or EPS output, crop the result tightly to the extent ofthe design. Normally a small margin is allowed on all four sides.This option sometimes crops a bit too tight; if so try -croprel.
Crop image or EPS result to the box specified byx1,y1 and x2,y2, in absolute units.
Note that there may be no spaces in the coordinates specification.Cropping takes place after design is rendered and does notaffect coordinate locations.
Crop image or EPS result tightly to the extent of the design (like -tightcrop),but then adjust the cropping outward or inward on one or more sides.left is the amount to adjust the left side, in absolute units.Similarly for bottom, right, and top.Positive values always adjust outward from center; negative values adjust inward (tighter).There may be no spaces in the left,bottom,right,top specification.Cropping takes place after design is rendered and does notaffect coordinate locations.
sets the overall font to font. See fontsfor more info.
sets the overall default textsize to pointsize.All embedded size specifications will be rendered relative to this.
sets the overall default linewidth to w.All embedded line width specifications will be rendered relative to this.See linedetails(pli) for more on line width.
sets the overall default text and line drawing color to color.
sets the background color to color.
Use centimeters as your absolute units, instead of inches.On the command line this must appear to the left of any arguments dealing withabsolute unit values, such as -pagesize.Centimeter absolute units can also be set via proc settings.If cm will always be the desiredabsolute units, the preferred way to achieve this is by using units: cm in a ploticus config file.
Use inches as your absolute units. This is the default.
Set the label or title for the output. For X11 this sets the window title;for PostScript and SVG it sets the %%Title attribute.
These options (new with version 2.10) allow capacities to be raised for accomodation of very large data sets, or lowered to minimize memory usage.The defaults in this section are defined in pl.h.
Set the capacity for data rows to nrows. Default nrows is 10,000.Ploticus will allocate one pointer for each row.
Set the capacity for data fields to nfields. Default nfields is 200,000.Ploticus will allocate one pointer for each field.
Set the capacity for script lines for active procs to nlines.Default nlines is 5000.Active procs are the current proc, all #saved procs, andall proc getdata procs that contain embedded data.Ploticus will allocate one pointer for each line in each active proc.
Set the capacity for the data plotting vector to ncells.Default ncells is 100,000.The data plotting vector is an array which holds plottablevalues for situations where the values must be sorted or pre-screened forbad values. Ploticus will allocate one double value for each cell.
Use this if you need to render a polygon having more than 500 points in PNG/GIF/JPEG, X11, or SWF, orany continuous line having more than 500 points in SWF.
Note: raising the maximum number of categories may be done using proc categoriesfrom within the script.
This allows arbitrary text to be inserted into the opening <svg> tag.
By default the first line of the SVG result will be the XML declaration <?xml .. > .Use this option to suppress the XML declaration line ifthe SVG result is to be embedded into a larger XML document.
Set the XML character encoding method. This encoding will be indicated in the XML declaration line.The default is iso-8859-1 which provides Latin and Western European character sets.For Unicode fonts this should be set to utf-8 (for more discussion see the Unicode section in fonts).
Causes a suitableHTML <EMBED> tag to be written to standard output.
This may be used to set the compression level to n for SVGZ output(0 - 9 where 9 is highest level of compression and the default).
After generating results in the specified format, execute commandin order to view the results on your screen. The output file will automatically beincluded in the command. For example, if a GIF file is beinggenerated you might use this to invoke the xv utility: -viewer xv. If PostScript is being generated you could use something like this toinvoke the ghostview utility: -viewer "gv -magstep -1".The given command must be available on your system and locatable inyour command search path.This option may not be used with -o stdout.
For paginated postscript, set paper orientation to landscape (oblong).
For paginated postscript, set paper orientation to portrait.
Allows production of large-size posters made up of multiple standardsheets of paper butted together. May be used only with paginated PostScript,and should be used in combination with the -scale and -textsizeoptions. x,y is the point within your result (in absolute units) that is to be placed at the lower left corner of the page.For further discussion of this, see posters .
Debug mode. Causes dianostic information to be written to the diagnostic stream (stderr by default, see -diagfile below).Highly recommended if you are experiencing difficulty.Best to use -debug as the first (leftmost) argument so that it can reporton all arguments gotten.Another effect of debug mode is that any temporary files are not removed upon termination.
Write ploticus script lines as they are executed. Lines are written to the diagnostic stream (standard error by default) or standard output.Lines are written after variablesand most script directives, including flow-of-control directives, are evaluated.
Identify unplottable data, showing the value, and its row and field.
All non-error messages and output will be written to this file (default is stderr).
Allows developer to set the first portion of all ploticus error messages to tagfor purposes of presentation or identification.
All error messages will be written to this file (default is stderr).
Print version number, copyright info, web site address, etc.
The output file may be specified on the command line using the -o option,or via Proc Page's outfilename attribute.If so, the result is written to a file of that name.-o stdout may also be used to send result to standard output.
Otherwise, if your script filename has a "recognized extension"( .p, .pl, .plo, .pls, .htm or .html ),the base part of the script file name is used and .png, .gif, etc.is appended. If your script filename doesn't have a recognized extension, the generic name out.* will be used.
X11 output is always displayed on the screen, andpaginated PostScript is written to standard output unless -o is used.
If page breaks (Proc Page) are encountered when rendering in any format otherthan paginated PostScript,special action is necessary since each page must go into a separate file. A Proc Page outfilename may be specified for each page;otherwise a pn prefix will be attached to the beginning ofeach page's output file name to indicate page n.
If a clickmapis being generated, the result file is named similarly to the above.
The following examples assumethat you have a script file called lineplot1.p.
pl -gif lineplot1.p -viewer xv = produce GIF and view using xv (assuming xv image viewer is available on your system).
pl -eps lineplot1.p -viewer gv = produce EPS and view using gv (that's ghostview, assuming it is available on your system).
pl -ps lineplot1.p | lp = produce paginated postscript and send tounix lp print spooler.
pl -ps lineplot1.p -veiwer gv = produce paginated postscriptand view using ghostview.
The name of a ploticus configuation file, for setting default date notations, numbernotations, measurement units, etc.
The path name of a directory where ploticus will look for prefabscripts. The "factory" prefabs are located in the ploticus ./prefabs subdirectory.
Locale support. Thanks to Oleg Bartunov olegAATTsai.msu.sufor contributing this. pl must be built with -DLOCALE for this to work.
Control the disposition of error messages. Allowable values: stderrwhich is the default, and cgi which causes error messages to be written to stdout with html formatting.
Ploticus has some stated limitations(mostly related to capacities that you may run into if you're dealing with large data sets). To report problems or get help see the ploticus support page.
The primary author is Stephen C. Grubb.Ploticus covered by the General Public License (GPL)... please see the ploticus copyright pagefor more info.


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Researchers and medical professionals have spent years perfecting machines that can be used to sustain life. We have amazing medical technology; artificial breathing machines, tubes that transport food or fluid, and machines that can sometimes restart a stopped heart. Clearly, these devices can provide short-term help to people who have suffered from a traumatic injury or illness by giving their body time to recover.
Life-sustaining machines can also be utilized well after medical professionals determine that there is no brain functioning occurring and that a person's medical situation is not likely to improve or change at any point in the future. Essentially, we can be kept alive solely by machines on an indefinite basis (or for very long periods of time), without any reasonable chance of our ever regaining the ability to breathe, eat or act independently.
Due to ethical and legal concerns, hospitals have established very clear policies about the use of heroic measures. In the past, medical professionals have been sued by families for allowing a patient to die when the family believed the hospital could have prevented the death if only they had continued to provide care. Therefore, hospitals tend to use all heroic measures available to them unless there is a healthcare directive in place, or the family is willing to sign a document stating that they do not want such measures used and that they are releasing the hospital from any liability if the patient dies.
If the dying person you love has not already filled out a health care directive, urge them to do so as part of their dying "business." As mentioned previously, it is critical that a dying person make his or her wishes known in advance of their becoming incapacitated. An advance directive can reduce the possibility of family members having to make medical decisions without guidance or directions. Choosing a health care proxy by filling out a Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care can also avoid a situation where well-meaning family members choose to begin or continue heroic measures that a person would not want if he or she was making the choice.


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that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
WE LIVE IN A GREAT LAND. We have been blessed beyond measure. But in that blessing we have become smug, content and arrogant. We have forgotten where that blessing has come from and even flaunt the grossest of our sins in public. God has a way of humbling the proud.


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nk you could be moving, you'll want to check the pharmacy board's rules in this state to determine what form of registration requirements exist. Please still Page 2 to get more on What Kind of Job a Biology Major Gets. Be patient with the new replacement, you need her to look forward to helping you rather then considering you as that Demanding Old Goat that comes in each of the time.
Make sure before leaving the doctor's office you already know all of the directions. Keep planned, many chain pharmacies and hospitals will not hire you unless you're a certified technician. Experience increases salaries for pharmacists whether or not they stay with a similar employer or not.
To maximum benefit out from the card, use it every visit and track of coupon restrictions and expiration dates. You may also check out "Physician Assistant Is a Top Healthcare Career. There is actually no difference between ordering drugs from your drugstore in the United States than via a Canada pharmacy except for the price.
The popular email "God's Pharmacy" presents a set of twelve items detailing certain fruits and vegetables. This triggered various senior health care companies to create online pharmacy locators that enable older folks to receive their medications without having to leave their homes. Homeopathy medicine has been around for several years.


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RAW MATERIALS - PVC

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a general-use resin that is finding wide application in goods used in daily life and in all kinds of industrial materials. Petroleum accounts for only about 40% of the raw materials for PVC, and the manufacturing process places a relatively small burden on the environment. Moreover, PVC has great durability and is easy to recycle, it has a wide range of applications as a substitute for wood, and thus has many excellent characteristics from the viewpoint of resource conservation, energy-saving, and the environment.


Sunday, March 15, 2009

"Scorn not the Sonnet"

Wordsworth comments on the history and structure of the sonnet throughout the poem, “Scorn not the Sonnet.” In the first quatrain the speaker comments towards the critics of the sonnet that the strict structure of the sonnet is not actually to blame, it allowed Shakespere and Petrarch to express their feelings in a structured format. Similarly, the second quatrain has the same effect. The speaker once again talks about Tasso another famous poet and how the sonnet allowed him to express himself “a thousand times.” The speaker then talks about how it allowed Camoens, another famous poet to release built up grief and how the sonnet allowed some happiness when times were harsh. The third quatrain once again reveals how the sonnet allowed Spenser to “struggle through the dark ways.” Overall the first three quatrains reveal how the sonnet allowed some stability and way of expression during dark times. The last couplet is about Milton and how he went beyond the scope of sonnets and started writing prose, which became very influential and the new form of poetry. Wordsworth’s poem, “Scorn not the Sonnet,” uses rhyme scheme & structure, allusions, and word choice to comment on the strict structure of the sonnet.

Wordsworth uses allusions towards other historical poets throughout the poem to allude to the importance of the sonnet in the past. Wordsworth praises the sonnets ability to allow these poets to express themselves and give these poets a way to find a light and happiness in the world they lived in. However it is interesting, that all the poets he named had a great historical place in the changing structure of the sonnet. Petrarch, Shakespere, and Spenser all were influential in the changing structure of the sonnet. All three of these poets utalize a different form, the Italian, the Spenserian, and the Shakesperian. It seems as though Wordsworth is praising these poets for breaking out of the previous structure and trying something different. This is also true of Milton, where at the end of the poem Wordsworth comes right out to praise Milton for breaking the structure once again. The allusions of great poets in this poem allows the reader to see the importance of structure and also the importance of breaking the form of the traditional sonnet and trying something different.

Among reading, “Scorn not the Sonnet” it appears that the poem could either Shakesperian, Petrarchian, or Spenserian yet upon a closer look the rhyme scheme is actually abba acca dede ff. This variation in the structure of the poem proves to be a very important factor in the meaning of the poem. Wordsworth uses a variation of all three of these sonnets in his poem, “Scorn not the Sonnet.” Wordsworth is once again praising the use of change in poetry. Wordsworth is commenting on the structure of the sonnet and while doing so changes the rigid structure of the sonnet not once but twice in the second and third quatrains. The volta is at the 3rd from last line. Here it is apparent the point that Wordsworth is trying to make throughout the poem. Wordsworth is commenting on how while the sonnet did allow poets to express themselves the sonnet is very rigid, and difficult to work with. He praises Milton for breaking this favored structure for a more open structure that is easier to work with. Now there in the way from letting his ideas flow freely.

Wordsworth also uses word choice to reveal his theme of change as a good thing. Throughout the poem we see pairs of words such as key and unlocked, soothed and grief, and cheered and mild. Wordsworth shows that while the sonnet did help these historical poets express and reveal their deepest darkest feelings, the change is what allowed them to revolt and rebel against the rigid world they lived in. As expressed earlier the poets named earlier in the poem had an important historical place in the changes made in the sonnet throughout the years. By rebelling against the structure and form of the traditional sonnet it allowed the poets to “ease,” “sooth,” and be “gay.” This allowed the poets to maintain a sense of identity and express themselves during hard times.

Wordsworth’s use of allusions, structure, and word choice in “Scorn not the Sonnet,” allows the reader to gain a sense of how important change is in the realm of poetry. It allows the poets to express themselves on a deeper level, and allows them to rebel against society and restrictions. The constant change in structure allows poetry to constantly re-invent itself.


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Style and Self Esteem. I firmly believe these two go hand in hand. For some, focusing on style is frustrating, overwhelming and frankly, a bit unnecessary. Yet, finding and OWNING our signature style, can speak volumes for us!
How’m I Doin’ So Far?
Any of those objections sound familiar? Hmmm, well…you aren’t alone. Often times when women are questioned about our style, these are the things that come quickly to mind. I personally think it’s because it removes any responsibility to put effort into ones self, and put the blame SQUARELY on the “judgemental” person. When in fact, if you think about it, there’s judgement by the one being questioned, assuming that the women who DO care about their style must be materialistic, etc. Whooooaaaaa…….what just happened there?!
I’d be willing to bet, there is no parent, husband, child, family member, close friend or even perfect stranger, that wouldn’t feel incredibly happy to see you go from something “comfortable” or “good enough”, to WOW. And I promise it doesn’t take a fancy outfit to do that….just a few tweaks to what you are currently doing, focusing on details, fit & flatter, and of course, finish off with a little accessorizing! You CAN be all the things to others, and look good doing it too.
Not to attract attention; but ladies, we need to make sure that what we say on the outside of our bodies, reflects who we are on the INSIDE! The strong, savvy, organized, multi talented and put together humans that we are! And NOTHING sends that message to anyone in the first 3 seconds of meeting them more, than your personal style. How you present yourself. Your Method to Style.
Just like we have to teach our teenagers about daily personal hygiene (SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY THIS IS SO HAAARRDDDD #clearlymycurrentsituation), we all have times when we need to re-teach ourselves how to fit our new bodies.
Friend, if you don’t come across as put together and approachable, then how will they come to know the amazing person you are “on the inside”!
Style & Self Esteem go hand in hand and this entire blog is designed to help you with the technical side of Style. Not just showing you clothes that I like, or you might like. If I share style tips that talk about what might work for you, how to create a cohesive wardrobe, and mix and match your pieces to look smart every single day….well, then that’s worth a read every once in a while don’t you think?!
Well, like Clinton Kelly said on his hit show TLC’s What Not To Wear, “Your passion doesn’t have to be about Fashion, your passion has to be YOU”.
Let me help you with the fashion side, and you allow for a little more creativity in how your step out into the world. Together we’ll find your Method to Style and move your look to the next level.
If you are new to Method39, and are ready to dive into some serious style tips, may I suggest this article on necklines, how to choose the right sunglasses / glasses frame for your face, and this one on jean shopping!


1) Two recording electrodes (G1 and G2) are placed over the nerve, 3.5 to 4 cm apart

2) G1, the active recording electrode, is placed closer to stimulator

3) Ground electrode: relatively large and placed between stimulating and recording electrodes

SNAP characteristics

- Conduction velocity Can be determined with one stimulation site (ascompared with the motor conduction velocity thatrequires two stimulation sites)

- Compound potential that is summation of individual nerve action potentials, may be biphasic or triphasic.

- Usually more sensitive to both generalized and focalnerve disease than motor nerve conduction studies (e.g., entrapment mononeuropathies such as carpal tunnel syndrome)

- SNAP abnormalities may be first abnormalities of a neuropathic process such as generalized sensorimotor neuropathy (earlier than motor studies) and may be selectively involved in sensory neuropathies.

- Proximal sensory studies result in smaller amplitudepotentials and are difficult to perform

Note: Onset latency is not affected by temporal dispersion and phase cancellation and can be used to measure conduction velocity.

Why SNAPs potentially may be abnormal in lower lumbar or upper sacral radiculopathies

Because the DRG of lower lumbar and upper sacral segments may be inside the spinal canal and axonal injury related to a compressive radiculopathy in these segments may be at or distal to the DRG, SNAPs potentially may be abnormal in lower lumbar or upper sacral radiculopathies

b. Conduction velocity and distal latency may be normal, assuming largest and fastest conducting axons are intact (Large reduction of amplitude and some slowing of conduction velocity or mild prolongation of distal latencies may indicate axonal loss, with relative loss of large fast-conducting fibers and relative preservation of slowlyconducting fibers) --> Conduction velocities may be decreased, but neverless than 70% of lower limit of normal and Distal latencies expected to be normal or slightly prolonged,but no more than 130% of upper limit of normal.

C. With hyperacute lesions, nerve conduction studies performedwithin first 4 to 6 days may be normal

Demyelination (motor and sensory conduction studies)

a. Slowing of conduction velocities: slower than 70% of lower limit of normal if amplitudes are preserved, 50% if amplitudes are decreased

b. Prolongation of distal latency, Longer than 130% of upper limit of normal

c. Focal slowing --> More than 10 m/s slowing over 10-cm segment and More than 0.4-millisecond change in latency over1-cm segment

d. Temporal dispersion and phase cancellation

f. complete block --> loss of CMAP

Inherited demyelinating polyneuropathies

Usually all myelin is affected equally and demyelination is symmetric --> Slowing is uniform --> Dispersion and block are uncommon

Normal late responses (F waves and H waves)

F waves:

- Named “F” because originally recorded from the foot

- Both afferent and efferent arms are motor; no synapse involved

- Not a true reflex

- May be spared in conditions selectively involving sensorypathways or a relatively small number of motor axons

- Produced by impulse traveling antidromically (like F waves) to a branch point in the nerve and then orthodromically along the second branch (unlike F waves )toward the recording electrode to create an A-wave response

- May be seen in peripheral neuropathy, polyradiculopathy, or plexopathy

- Usually do not occur in normal subjects

- Initial antidromic impulse: latency decreases when stimulation site is moved proximally (as with F waves)

Posttetanic potentiation or facilitation vs. Decrement

In summary: potentiation oraugmentation of the amount of acetylcholine released after brief repetitive exercise or rapid rate of stimulation (>10 Hz)

But

Decrement: reduction in amount of acetylcholine released with slow rates of repetitive stimulation (2-3Hz), caused by depletion of acetylcholine stores in activezones of nerve terminal

note : Normally, safety margin of neuromuscular transmissionis large, and no decrement of CMAP occursdespite the decrease in EPP amplitude (see the pic)

b) Repetitive stimulation at slow rates may cause lower subsequent EPPs that may not reach the threshold, causing transmission failure across neuromuscular junction and CMAP decrement

c) CMAP decrement is greatest between first and second stimuli in a train of four stimuli

d) Immediately after exercise, there is postactivation facilitation of CMAP amplitude and decrease inthe decremental response

e) There is a greater decremental response 4 minutesafter exercise

Repetitive nerve stimulation: Normal vs. MG

Note: Brief period of exercise has same effect as rapid stimulation at 20 to 50 Hz, and is more tolerable.

a. In normal subjects --> no decrement should occur with 2-Hz stimulation and Immediately after exercise, normal subjects may show small increments in responses caused by synchronizedfiring of motor units.

b. In MG --> Decrement with repetitive stimulation at 2 Hz --> Greatest relative change between the first and second response in the train of four stimuli.

and Repair of decrement with exercise or rapid stimulation at 20 to 50 Hz

Larger decrement noted 1 to 3 minutes after exerciseg.

Repetitive nerve stimulation: Lambert-Eaton myasthenic syndrome

1) Low-amplitude resting CMAP

2) Decrement with repetitive stimulation at 2 Hz,usually less prominent than in myasthenia gravis

Rapid recruitment: recruitment of many MUPs (near interference pattern, with minimal muscle contraction, always associated with reduction in size of MUPs) --> Usually seen in myopathies due to loss of individual muscle fiber

Poor activation signifies poor voluntary effort or a central lesion

Insertional Activity

Increased insertional activity

a. Normal variants

b. Neuropathic conditions

c. Myopathic conditions

Reduced insertional activity: seen in long-standing neuropathic or myopathic conditions in which muscle is replaced by connective tissue

Fibrillation potentials

Seen in denervation as well as myopathic or severe NM junction blocking.

A-D, Fibrillation potentials of different amplitudes and severity. Smaller amplitudes may occur with advanced muscleatrophy. Note regular firing of each waveform. Note also fasciculation potential at beginning of recording in C. This was recordedfrom anterior tibialis muscle in patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Are fibrillation potentials and positive sharp waves the same?

No! Although in most cases these two potentials have the same clinical significance, there are at least five different situations in which they do not have an identical meaning:

(1) positive sharp waves can be recorded earlier after a peripheral nerve injury than can fibrillation potentials;

Myotonic discharge recorded from patient with myotonic dystrophy. In addition, there were slow, tall fibrillation potentials (arrows) in the recording, two of which are shown here. The myotonic discharge ends with the second fibrillation potential represented in this segment.

Neuromyotonic discharges

High-frequency (100-300 Hz) regular repetitive discharges of a single MUP characteristically wanes in amplitude and frequency

c. By 4 weeks, MUPs will likely have increased duration and be polyphasic.

e. Reinnervation eventually produces long-duration, high amplitude neurogenic potentials, which may become less polyphasic over time in absence of ongoing denervation

f. By this stage, amplitudes of CMAPs (if preganglionic or postganglionic localization of lesion) and SNAPs (if postganglionic) may be reduced, with relative preservation of conduction velocities and distal latencies

a. Nerve conduction studies are expected to be normal or show reduced amplitude, depending on severity of axonal injury and success of reinnervation (conduction velocities may be mildly reduced because re innervated axons have smaller diameter and less myelin)

b. “Nascent units” may be present with proximal-to-distal reinnervation

c. Both collateral and proximal-to-distal reinnervation eventually result in long-duration, high-amplitude, stable MUPs with reduced recruitment, which may or may not be polyphasic.

d. Insertional activity is often normal, in absence of ongoing denervation

Nascent units

True axonal regeneration leads to the formation of nascent potentials, which are usually low in amplitude, polyphasic in configuration, and can have a short or normal and sometimes even long duration.

Terminal collateral sprouting always leads to the formation of long-duration polyphasics. Although both are polyphasic, their configuration is distinctly different and it is important to remember that only the nascent potentials represent true axonal regeneration.

“Nascent units.” Early nascent units have shortduration and low amplitude, but with ongoing reinnervationthey become more polyphasic and duration increases, as seenhere. Note the severely reduced recruitment that distinguishesthese potentials from myopathic motor unit potentials. Also,there is variability of motor unit potentials due to neuromuscularjunction instability.

b. Chronic severe or end-stage myopathies may appear “neurogenic” (i.e., long duration, large amplitude, polyphasic), probably because of excessive motor unit remodeling that occurs with advanced disease of the muscle fibers.


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BEIJING (Reuters) - Suspected Chinese abuses in the region of Xinjiang should be addressed through engagement with the government, the new EU ambassador to China said on Friday, a contrast to the position of U.S. officials who are considering sanctions.
Reports of mass detentions and strict surveillance of Muslim ethnic Uighur people in the far western region have sparked a growing international outcry.
A U.N. rights panel said last month it had received credible reports that up to a million ethnic Uighurs may be held in extra-legal detention, and called for them to be freed.
Chinese authorities have also set up thousands of police checkpoints across the region, and human rights advocates have decried martial law conditions and mass DNA collection.
The new EU ambassador, Nicolas Chapuis, who took up his posting this week, told reporters the European Union had been taking note of reports on abuses in Xinjiang, and had raised the issue with China, but it needed facts.
“The union’s stance is that we are working in the United Nations framework,” Chapuis said.
“We believe in dialogue. We believe in engagement, and first of all, we need the facts,” he said, without elaborating.
Hundreds of people have been killed in Xinjiang in recent years in unrest between members of the Uighur minority who call the region home and members of the ethnic Han Chinese majority.
Beijing says Xinjiang faces a serious threat from Islamist militants and separatists. Officials deny mistreating Muslims there, instead saying they are putting some people through “vocational” style courses to prevent militancy spreading.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Manisha Singh told a congressional hearing on Thursday that Washington was weighing sanctions against Chinese senior officials and companies linked to allegations of human rights abuses there.
But Chapuis said the European Union must engage with China if it wanted to be more than a “soft power”.
“The strengthening of the EU-China relationship would show how the union would grow as a full power, not only as a soft power,” he said.
Chapuis added that there was an “urgency” to strengthen EU-China relations in the context of the “triangulation” between the United States, China and the European Union.
On the subject of global trade, he said it was normal for major trading partners to have some commercial friction, echoing a line used by Chinese officials to play down disputes.
Amid an escalating U.S.-China trade war, Beijing has put pressure on the EU to stand with it against U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies, though the world’s largest trade bloc has largely rebuffed those efforts, and broadly agrees with the U.S. assessment of unfair Chinese trade practices.
Nonetheless, Chinese state media has promoted the message that the EU is on China’s side, and some European officials have expressed concern that China is seeking to capitalize on divisions between Trump and U.S. allies in Europe.


The Mute swan is native to Europe and much of Asia, and was introduced elsewhere in the world such as North America. With an average weight of 25 lb the male mute swan is among the heaviest flying birds. It is about 5 feet long and the adults are completely white. They have an orange bill with a black knob at the base. As with other swans it flies with its neck in the straight position, as opposed to herons and egrets. This swan is protected in most introduced areas, and is kept in park ponds and other public water areas thanks to its beauty and graceful movements. One of the mute swan postures has been immortalized as a sign of love : when a couple is facing each other and are close, their silhouette forms a heart shape. A less pretty picture of those attractive public park birds is the fact that some have escaped into adjacent areas and have become naturalized, to the point where in some places they are now treated as an invasive species due to the damage they inflict to crops or water plants, since these constitute their diet. But in Japan, there are still few of them, mainly in park ponds, while the wild ones migrate from other Asian countries to Japan mainly in the winter. The mute swan has been celebrated in Japanese poetry since more than 1,000 years. This is also the bird that Hans Christian Andersen chose for his tale ‘The Ugly Duckling’, as the mute swan juvenile looks very different from the adult, with grey down and no white.
Mute swan on a pond at the Imperial Palace Gardens. Tokyo.
As with other long-neck birds, mute swans have a very flexible neck, and their usual posture on the water has been immortalized in art and poetry. Imperial Palace gardens, Tokyo.