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abstract: 'In this paper, we investigate the modeling power of contextualized embeddings from pre-trained language models, e.g. BERT, on the E2E-ABSA task. Specifically, we build a series of simple yet insightful neural baselines to deal with E2E-ABSA. The experimental results show that even with a simple linear classification layer, our BERT-based architecture can outperform state-of-the-art works. Besides, we also standardize the comparative study by consistently utilizing a hold-out development dataset for model selection, which is largely ignored by previous works. Therefore, our work can serve as a BERT-based benchmark for E2E-ABSA.[^1]'
author:
- |
Xin Li[^1^]{}, Lidong Bing[^2^]{}, Wenxuan Zhang[^1^]{} and Wai Lam[^1^]{}\
[[^1^]{}Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management\
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong]{}\
[[^2^]{}R&D Center Singapore, Machine Intelligence Technology, Alibaba DAMO Academy]{}\
[`{lixin,wxzhang,wlam}@se.cuhk.edu.hk`]{}\
[`l.bing@alibaba-inc.com`]{}\
bibliography:
- 'emnlp-ijcnlp-2019.bib'
title: 'Exploiting BERT for End-to-End Aspect-based Sentiment Analysis[^2]'
---
Introduction
============
Aspect-based sentiment analysis (ABSA) is to discover the users’ sentiment or opinion towards an aspect, usually in the form of explicitly mentioned aspect terms [@mitchell-etal-2013-open; @zhang-etal-2015-neural] or implicit aspect categories [@wang-etal-2016-attention], from user-generated natural language texts [@liu2012sentiment]. The most popular ABSA benchmark datasets are from SemEval ABSA challenges [@pontiki-etal-2014-semeval; @pontiki-etal-2015-semeval; @pontiki-etal-2016-semeval] where a few thousand review sentences with gold standard aspect sentiment annotations are provided.
Table \[tab:problem\_settings\] summarizes three existing research problems related to ABSA. The first one is the original ABSA, aiming at predicting the sentiment polarity of the sentence towards the given aspect. Compared to this classification problem, the second one and the third one, namely, Aspect-oriented Opinion Words Extraction (AOWE) [@fan-etal-2019-target] and End-to-End Aspect-based Sentiment Analysis (E2E-ABSA) [@ma-etal-2018-joint; @schmitt-etal-2018-joint; @li2019unified; @li2017learning; @li2019learning], are related to a sequence tagging problem. Precisely, the goal of AOWE is to extract the aspect-specific opinion words from the sentence given the aspect. The goal of E2E-ABSA is to jointly detect aspect terms/categories and the corresponding aspect sentiments.
Many neural models composed of a task-agnostic pre-trained word embedding layer and task-specific neural architecture have been proposed for the original ABSA task (i.e. the aspect-level sentiment classification) [@tang-etal-2016-aspect; @wang-etal-2016-attention; @chen-etal-2017-recurrent-attention; @liu-zhang-2017-attention; @ma2017interactive; @ma2018targeted; @majumder-etal-2018-iarm; @li-etal-2018-transformation; @he-etal-2018-exploiting; @xue-li-2018-aspect; @wang-etal-2018-target; @fan-etal-2018-multi; @huang-carley-2018-parameterized; @lei2019human; @li2019exploiting; @zhang2019aspect][^3], but the improvement of these models measured by the accuracy or F1 score has reached a bottleneck. One reason is that the task-agnostic embedding layer, usually a linear layer initialized with Word2Vec [@mikolov2013distributed] or GloVe [@pennington-etal-2014-glove], only provides context-independent word-level features, which is insufficient for capturing the complex semantic dependencies in the sentence. Meanwhile, the size of existing datasets is too small to train sophisticated task-specific architectures. Thus, introducing a context-aware word embedding[^4] layer pre-trained on large-scale datasets with deep LSTM [@mccann2017learned; @peters-etal-2018-deep; @howard-ruder-2018-universal] or Transformer [@radford2018improving; @radford2019language; @devlin-etal-2019-bert; @lample2019cross; @yang2019xlnet; @dong2019unified] for fine-tuning a lightweight task-specific network using the labeled data has good potential for further enhancing the performance.
@xu-etal-2019-bert [@sun-etal-2019-utilizing; @song2019attentional; @yu2019adapting; @rietzler2019adapt; @huang2019syntax; @hu2019learning] have conducted some initial attempts to couple the deep contextualized word embedding layer with downstream neural models for the original ABSA task and establish the new state-of-the-art results. It encourages us to explore the potential of using such contextualized embeddings to the more difficult but practical task, i.e. E2E-ABSA (the third setting in Table \[tab:problem\_settings\]).[^5] Note that we are not aiming at developing a task-specific architecture, instead, our focus is to examine the potential of contextualized embedding for E2E-ABSA, coupled with various simple layers for prediction of E2E-ABSA labels.[^6]
In this paper, we investigate the modeling power of BERT [@devlin-etal-2019-bert], one of the most popular pre-trained language model armed with Transformer [@vaswani2017attention], on the task of E2E-ABSA. Concretely, inspired by the investigation of E2E-ABSA in @li2019unified, which predicts aspect boundaries as well as aspect sentiments using a single sequence tagger, we build a series of simple yet insightful neural baselines for the sequence labeling problem and fine-tune the task-specific components with BERT or deem BERT as feature extractor. Besides, we standardize the comparative study by consistently utilizing the hold-out development dataset for model selection, which is ignored in most of the existing ABSA works [@tay2018learning].
Model
=====
In this paper, we focus on the aspect term-level End-to-End Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (E2E-ABSA) problem setting. This task can be formulated as a sequence labeling problem. The overall architecture of our model is depicted in Figure \[fig:architecture\]. Given the input token sequence $\mathrm{\bf x} = \{x_1, \cdots, x_T \}$ of length $T$, we firstly employ BERT component with $L$ transformer layers to calculate the corresponding contextualized representations $H^{L} = \{h^L_1, \cdots, h^L_T\} \in \mathbb{R}^{T \times \mathrm{dim}_h}$ for the input tokens where $\mathrm{dim}_h$ denotes the dimension of the representation vector. Then, the contextualized representations are fed to the task-specific layers to predict the tag sequence $\mathrm{\bf y} = \{y_1, \cdots, y_T\}$. The possible values of the tag $y_t$ are `B`-{`POS,NEG,NEU`}, `I`-{`POS,NEG,NEU`}, `E`-{`POS,NEG,NEU`}, `S`-{`POS,NEG,NEU`} or `O`, denoting the beginning of aspect, inside of aspect, end of aspect, single-word aspect, with positive, negative or neutral sentiment respectively, as well as outside of aspect.
![Overview of the designed model.[]{data-label="fig:architecture"}](architecture_crop.pdf){width="50.00000%"}
BERT as Embedding Layer
-----------------------
Compared to the traditional Word2Vec- or GloVe-based embedding layer which only provides a single context-independent representation for each token, the BERT embedding layer takes the sentence as input and calculates the token-level representations using the information from the entire sentence. First of all, we pack the input features as $H^0 = \{e_1,\cdots,e_T\}$, where $e_t$ ($t\in[1, T]$) is the combination of the token embedding, position embedding and segment embedding corresponding to the input token $x_t$. Then $L$ transformer layers are introduced to refine the token-level features layer by layer. Specifically, the representations $H^{l} = \{h^l_1, \cdots, h^l_T\}$ at the $l$-th ($l \in [1, L]$) layer are calculated below: $$\label{eq:bert}
H^l = \text{Transformer}_l(H^{l-1})$$ We regard $H^L$ as the contextualized representations of the input tokens and use them to perform the predictions for the downstream task.
Design of Downstream Model
--------------------------
After obtaining the BERT representations, we design a neural layer, called E2E-ABSA layer in Figure \[tab:problem\_settings\], on top of BERT embedding layer for solving the task of E2E-ABSA. We investigate several different design for the E2E-ABSA layer, namely, linear layer, recurrent neural networks, self-attention networks, and conditional random fields layer.
#### Linear Layer
The obtained token representations can be directly fed to linear layer with softmax activation function to calculate the token-level predictions: $$P(y_t|x_t) = \text{softmax}(W_o h^L_t + b_o)$$ where $W_o \in \mathbb{R}^{\mathrm{dim}_h \times |\mathcal{Y}|}$ is the learnable parameters of the linear layer.
#### Recurrent Neural Networks
Considering its sequence labeling formulation, Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) [@elman1990finding] is a natural solution for the task of E2E-ABSA. In this paper, we adopt GRU [@cho-etal-2014-learning], whose superiority compared to LSTM [@hochreiter1997long] and basic RNN has been verified in @jozefowicz2015empirical. The computational formula of the task-specific hidden representation $h^{\mathcal{T}}_t \in \mathbb{R}^{\mathrm{dim}_h}$ at the $t$-th time step is shown below: $$\small
\begin{split}
\begin{bmatrix}
r_t \\
z_t
\end{bmatrix}
&= \sigma(\textsc{Ln}(W_x h^L_t)+\textsc{Ln}(W_h h^{\mathcal{T}}_{t-1})) \\
n_t &= \text{tanh}(\textsc{Ln}(W_{xn} h^L_t)+r_t * \textsc{Ln}(W_{hn} h^{\mathcal{T}}_{t-1})) \\
h^{\mathcal{T}}_{t} &= (1-z_t) * n_t + z_t * h^{\mathcal{T}}_{t-1}
\end{split}$$ where $\sigma$ is the sigmoid activation function and $r_t$, $z_t$, $n_t$ respectively denote the reset gate, update gate and new gate. $W_x,W_h \in \mathbb{R}^{2\mathrm{dim}_h \times \mathrm{dim}_h}$, $W_{xn}, W_{hn} \in \mathbb{R}^{\mathrm{dim}_h \times \mathrm{dim}_h}$ are the parameters of GRU. Since directly applying RNN on the output of transformer, namely, the BERT representation $h^L_t$, may lead to unstable training [@chen-etal-2018-best; @liu2019fine], we add additional layer-normalization [@ba2016layer], denoted as $\textsc{Ln}$, when calculating the gates. Then, the predictions are obtained by introducing a softmax layer: $$\label{output}
p(y_t|x_t) = \text{softmax}(W_o h^{\mathcal{T}}_t + b_o)$$
#### Self-Attention Networks
With the help of self attention [@cheng-etal-2016-long; @lin2017structured], Self-Attention Network [@vaswani2017attention; @shen2018disan] is another effective feature extractor apart from RNN and CNN. In this paper, we introduce two SAN variants to build the task-specific token representations $H^{\mathcal{T}}=\{h^{\mathcal{T}}_1,\cdots,h^{\mathcal{T}}_T\}$. One variant is composed of a simple self-attention layer and residual connection [@he2016deep], dubbed as “SAN”. The computational process of SAN is below: $$\begin{split}
H^{\mathcal{T}} &= \textsc{Ln}(H^{L}+\textsc{Slf-Att} (Q, K, V)) \\
Q, K, V &= H^{L} W^{Q}, H^{L}W^{K}, H^{L} W^{V}
\end{split}$$ where <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Slf-Att</span> is identical to the self-attentive scaled dot-product attention [@vaswani2017attention]. Another variant is a transformer layer (dubbed as “TFM”), which has the same architecture with the transformer encoder layer in the BERT. The computational process of TFM is as follows: $$\begin{split}
\hat{H}^{L} &= \textsc{Ln}(H^{L}+\textsc{Slf-Att} (Q, K, V)) \\
H^{\mathcal{T}} &= \textsc{Ln}(\hat{H}^{L}+\textsc{Ffn}(\hat{H}^{L}))
\end{split}$$ where <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">Ffn</span> refers to the point-wise feed-forward networks [@vaswani2017attention]. Again, a linear layer with softmax activation is stacked on the designed SAN/TFM layer to output the predictions (same with that in Eq(\[output\])).
[ll|c|c|c|c]{} & Train & Dev & Test & Total\
& \# sent & 2741 & 304 & 800 & 4245\
& \# aspect & 2041 & 256 & 634 & 2931\
& \# sent & 3490 & 387 & 2158 & 6035\
& \# aspect & 3893 & 413 & 2287 & 6593\
#### Conditional Random Fields
Conditional Random Fields (CRF) [@lafferty2001conditional] is effective in sequence modeling and has been widely adopted for solving the sequence labeling tasks together with neural models [@huang2015bidirectional; @lample-etal-2016-neural; @ma-hovy-2016-end]. In this paper, we introduce a linear-chain CRF layer on top of the BERT embedding layer. Different from the above mentioned neural models maximizing the token-level likelihood $p(y_t|x_t)$, the CRF-based model aims to find the globally most probable tag sequence. Specifically, the sequence-level scores $s(\mathrm{\bf x},\mathrm{\bf y})$ and likelihood $p(\mathrm{\bf y}|\mathrm{\bf x})$ of $\mathrm{\bf y} = \{y_1,\cdots,y_T\}$ are calculated as follows: $$ \begin{split}
s(\mathrm{\bf x},\mathrm{\bf y}) &= \sum^T_{t=0} M^A_{y_t,y_{t+1}} + \sum^T_{t=1} M^P_{t, y_t} \\
p(\mathrm{\bf y}|\mathrm{\bf x}) &= \text{softmax}(s(\mathrm{\bf x},\mathrm{\bf y}))
\end{split}$$ where $M^A \in \mathbb{R}^{|\mathcal{Y}| \times |\mathcal{Y}|}$ is the randomly initialized transition matrix for modeling the dependency between the adjacent predictions and $M^P \in \mathbb{R}^{T \times |\mathcal{Y}|}$ denote the emission matrix linearly transformed from the BERT representations $H^L$. The softmax here is conducted over all of the possible tag sequences. As for the decoding, we regard the tag sequence with the highest scores as output: $$\mathrm{\bf y}^* = \arg\max_{\mathrm{\bf y}} s(\mathrm{\bf x},\mathrm{\bf y})$$ where the solution is obtained via Viterbi search.
![Performances on the Dev set of `REST`.[]{data-label="fig:overfit"}](overfit_v4.pdf){width="40.00000%"}
Experiment
==========
Dataset and Settings
--------------------
We conduct experiments on two review datasets originating from SemEval [@pontiki-etal-2014-semeval; @pontiki-etal-2015-semeval; @pontiki-etal-2016-semeval] but re-prepared in @li2019unified. The statistics are summarized in Table \[tab:dataset\]. We use the pre-trained “bert-base-uncased” model[^7], where the number of transformer layers $L=12$ and the hidden size $\mathrm{dim}_h$ is 768. For the downstream E2E-ABSA component, we consistently use the single-layer architecture and set the dimension of task-specific representation as $\mathrm{dim}_h$. The learning rate is 2e-5. The batch size is set as 25 for `LAPTOP` and 16 for `REST`. We train the model up to 1500 steps. After training 1000 steps, we conduct model selection on the development set for very 100 steps according to the micro-averaged F1 score. Following these settings, we train 5 models with different random seeds and report the average results.
We compare with **Existing Models**, including tailor-made E2E-ABSA models [@li2019unified; @luo-etal-2019-doer; @he-etal-2019-interactive], and competitive **LSTM-CRF** sequence labeling models [@lample-etal-2016-neural; @ma-hovy-2016-end; @liu2018empower].
Main Results
------------
From Table \[tab:main\_results\], we surprisingly find that only introducing a simple token-level classifier, namely, BERT-Linear, already outperforms the existing works without using BERT, suggesting that BERT representations encoding the associations between arbitrary two tokens largely alleviate the issue of context independence in the linear E2E-ABSA layer. It is also observed that slightly more powerful E2E-ABSA layers lead to much better performance, verifying the postulation that incorporating context helps to sequence modeling.
Over-parameterization Issue
---------------------------
Although we employ the smallest pre-trained BERT model, it is still over-parameterized for the E2E-ABSA task (110M parameters), which naturally raises a question: does BERT-based model tend to overfit the small training set? Following this question, we train BERT-GRU, BERT-TFM and BERT-CRF up to 3000 steps on `REST` and observe the fluctuation of the F1 measures on the development set. As shown in Figure \[fig:overfit\], F1 scores on the development set are quite stable and do not decrease much as the training proceeds, which shows that the BERT-based model is exceptionally robust to overfitting.
Finetuning BERT or Not
----------------------
We also study the impact of fine-tuning on the final performances. Specifically, we employ BERT to calculate the contextualized token-level representations but kept the parameters of BERT component unchanged in the training phase. Figure \[fig:finetune\] illustrate the comparative results between the BERT-based models and those keeping BERT component fixed. Obviously, the general purpose BERT representation is far from satisfactory for the downstream tasks and task-specific fine-tuning is essential for exploiting the strengths of BERT to improve the performance.
![Effect of fine-tuning BERT.[]{data-label="fig:finetune"}](finetuning_v3.pdf){width="40.00000%"}
Conclusion
==========
In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of BERT embedding component on the task of End-to-End Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (E2E-ABSA). Specifically, we explore to couple the BERT embedding component with various neural models and conduct extensive experiments on two benchmark datasets. The experimental results demonstrate the superiority of BERT-based models on capturing aspect-based sentiment and their robustness to overfitting.
[^1]: Our code is open-source and available at: <https://github.com/lixin4ever/BERT-E2E-ABSA>
[^2]: The work described in this paper is substantially supported by a grant from the Research Grant Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Project Code: 14204418).
[^3]: Due to the limited space, we can not list all of the existing works here, please refer to the survey [@zhou2019deep] for more related papers.
[^4]: In this paper, we generalize the concept of “word embedding” as a mapping between the word and the low-dimensional word representations.
[^5]: Both of ABSA and AOWE assume that the aspects in a sentence are given. Such setting makes them less practical in real-world scenarios since manual annotation of the fine-grained aspect mentions/categories is quite expensive.
[^6]: @hu-etal-2019-open introduce BERT to handle the E2E-ABSA problem but their focus is to design a task-specific architecture rather than exploring the potential of BERT.
[^7]: https://github.com/huggingface/transformers
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"pile_set_name": "ArXiv"
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(UNEP(DEPI)/CAR WG.36/4)REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ON THE APPLICATION OF CRITERIA FOR LISTING SPECIES UNDER THE ANNEXES TO THE SPAW PROTOCOL (INCLUDES SPECIES PROPOSED FOR LISTING IN ANNEXES II and III)
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In waiting for asylum claims to be processed on both sides of the span, 15,000 migrants wait in Mexico for weeks and sometimes months in crowded conditions before border agents call them back into the U.S. to process their asylum claims, El Paso’s KVIA-TV reported. The children in U.S government custody are treated “worse than animals” Seitz said.
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Two-year urinary outcomes of sacrocolpopexy with or without transobturator tape: results of a prolapse-reduction stress test-based approach.
Women undergoing sacrocolpopexy (SCP) are at risk for postoperative stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, the optimal management for this condition remains debatable. The aim of this study was to evaluate urinary outcomes 2 years after SCP with or without transobturator tape (TOT) based on the results of a prolapse-reduction stress test. A prospective, observational study was conducted assessing a cohort of women undergoing SCP. Patients were assigned to the TOT or non-TOT group based on results of a prolapse-reduction stress test. The primary outcome was SUI (defined as a positive cough stress test or bothersome symptoms) or additional surgery for this condition. Among the 247 women enrolled, 223 (90 %) received surgery per assignment and completed the follow-up. Two years after surgery, 5.4 % of women in the TOT group and 28.6 % in the non-TOT group had SUI or received additional anti-incontinence surgery (p < 0.01). In the non-TOT group, more women with symptoms of SUI prior to surgery had postoperative SUI or received additional anti-incontinence surgery than those without symptoms (42.9 % vs. 20.0 %, p = 0.01). A preoperative prolapse-reduction stress test alone is not sufficient to determine the need for anti-incontinence surgery at the time of SCP. In particular, women with symptoms of SUI despite a negative prolapse-reduction stress test are more likely to experience postoperative SUI or additional anti-incontinence surgery.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Travels Through Islam: Moros y Cristianos
This is the fifth installment in a five-part series from TIME International's annual Summer Journey issue, Travels Through Islam: Discovering a world of change and challenge in the footsteps of the 14th century explorer Ibn Battuta.
There may be no more curious remnant of the Muslim kingdom that Ibn Battuta knew as al-Andalus than the festival of Moros y Cristianos—Moors and Christians. Commemorated in towns throughout Spain, it enlists entire populations into elaborately costumed “battalions” to re-enact the medieval surrender of Spain’s last Muslim rulers to the conquering Catholic kings.
TIME sent photographer Lucia Herrero to photograph the festival in Mojácar, in Andalusia — three days of parades, competitions, music, and performance — where she found that the country's Muslim past is woven into its present in ways both obvious and subtle.
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Hot Hot Hollywood: Tim Cook And Malala Yousafzai Were Spotting Together Dragging Their New Bunk Bed Down The Santa Monica Freeway
If you’re anything like us, you simply can’t stop getting enough of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood where the stars never set! And this latest round of news out of Tinseltown is going to have you swooning and loving celebrities: Tim Cook and Malala Yousafzai were just spotted together dragging their new bunk bed down the Santa Monica Freeway!
You heard that right! The tech whiz CEO from Apple and the Nobel Peace Prize winner from Apple have gone halvsies on a double-decker bed and are dragging it along the freeway towards the beach!
Yes ma’am! Yes sir! Yes ma’am and sir! Starry-eyed sources have confirmed the hot goss: Tim Cook and Malala Yousafzai are the hot new duo of friends as they slowly and with great effort drag their glitzy new bunk bed down the highway in rush-hour traffic. Yep, it’s getting bright here in Hollywood town because the paparazzi are flashing their cameras to see Malala screaming at Mr. Cook to please drag the bunk bed over to the side of the road for a second because a trucker just threw his cigarette out the window and she wants her friend Tim to take a drag on it to toughen him up for the remaining 11-mile trip!
Sources on the scene say the glamour is coming in caps lock today because our favorite Apple CEO and favorite Apple women’s rights activist have reportedly gotten their bunk bed stuck in a pothole and Malala is now sitting at their bed’s attached desk writing down possible solutions to their problem to send to Congress while Tim Cook kneels on the top bunk and says a prayer of only obscenities to God for help.
It’s all in the town that calls Hollywood its name, baby! And it looks like Tim’s glamorous prayer has been answered because his mom has pulled up next to the bed-dragging pair and has offered to drive her expensive car into the bunk bed at full speed to knock it out of the pothole!
Call the Olsen Twins and tell them “leave” because there’s officially a new Hollywood Dream Team in town and it’s Malala and Tim and their scraped-up bunkbed!
That’s the hot news from hot hot Hollywood: the town where celebrities live and murder each other! And if you want to catch a glimpse of this boiling celebrity pie you better get on the Santa Monica Freeway now because Tim Cook has just fallen over and is now lying on the top bunk while Malala (Yousafzai) drags it all by herself! Only in Hollywood and always in Hollywood! Sources say Malala (Yousafzai) is dragging the bed at 35 MPH now that Apple’s brightest Tim Cook isn’t slowing her down and she’ll be to the beach very soon where she and Tim will bury it. And thus sets the sun on another glamorous day in the swanky land of hot hot Hollywood. You better love it!
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Q:
Input value not showing up (AngularJS)
I've got this controller:
app.controller('controlFormulario', function($scope) {
this.formulario = [];
this.formulario.fecha = new Date();
});
...this directive:
app.directive('formulario', [function() {
return {
restrict: 'E', // C: class, E: element, M: comments, A: attributes
templateUrl: 'modules/formulario.html'
};
... and this view:
<div class="form-group">
<label for="fecha">Fecha</label>
<input type="fecha" class="form-control" id="fecha" ng-model="fecha" value="{{formCtrl.formulario.fecha | date}}" disabled>
</div>
As you may guess, the attribute value has the date, perfectly filtered and so. No problem here. The actual problem comes when you see the website, and find out that the input doesn't show up anything. The "value" attribute is perfectly assigned, but it's not showing it inside the input box.
Why? Am I doing something wrong? Tried the same with ng-init, ng-value... I'm a newbye on AngularJS, just ended the basic tutorial and I'm trying to practise and get some more knowledge, so maybe I'm missing out something.
Any help?
A:
You need to store the data attribute to the $scope.
Check out this link: https://docs.angularjs.org/guide/scope
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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A-Line (Hamilton)
The A-Line is a planned bus rapid transit line running along James Street in downtown and Upper James Street on the escarpment in Hamilton, Ontario. It is part of Hamilton's proposed BLAST network, involving four other rapid transit corridors. It is identified by Metrolinx in its regional transportation plan The Big Move as a project to be completed by 2023. The route is currently served by Hamilton Street Railway's Route 20 A-Line Express bus.
History
During planning, both bus rapid transit (BRT) and light rail transit (LRT) were considered for the corridor. On May 26, 2015, the Government of Ontario announced the B-Line LRT would be constructed between McMaster University and Queenston Circle, as well as a short LRT segment of the A-Line to provide a direct connection to West Harbour GO Station from King Street.
On February 2, 2017, the province scrapped the 2 kilometer A-Line LRT spur in favour of a 16 kilometre BRT along the entire A-Line corridor, from Hamilton's waterfront to Hamilton Airport.
References
External links
Hamilton Rapid Transit
BCA Consultation boards
Category:Transport in Hamilton, Ontario
Category:Proposed public transport in the Greater Toronto Area
Category:Light rail in Canada
Category:The Big Move projects
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"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Mercredi, sept députés du Bloc québécois ont démissionné du parti. Ils reprochaient à Mme Ouellet son attitude intransigeante et sa vision dogmatique de la défense de la souveraineté.
Le bureau national du Bloc québécois, réuni samedi à Montréal, a réitéré sa confiance en leur chef, Martine Ouellet, en dépit de la démission en bloc de 70% des députés, cette semaine.
«Il a été resolu unanimement par le bureau national que la chef a été élue démocratiquement et qu'elle restera en fonction», a déclaré Benoît Lemieux, conseiller en tant que président de région du Bureau national du Bloc québécois, samedi après-midi.
«Je peux vous dire que je suis très fière de la rencontre et du niveau de discussions qu'on a eu aujourd'hui», a déclaré la principale intéressée.
«Je veux juste répéter qu'il n'a jamais été question d'exclusion. Les députés démissionnaires peuvent revenir s'ils le souhaitent [...] il n'a jamais été question d'exclure les députés du Bloc québécois», a-t-elle répété.
Le bureau national du Bloc québécois était réuni, aujourd'hui, à Montréal. Le bureau national, qui est présidé par le député Mario Beaulieu - un fidèle allié de Martine Ouellet - devait déterminer si les sept députés en question pourraient être exclus ou non du parti.
C'était la première apparition publique de Mme Ouellet depuis qu'une vingtaine d'ex-députés bloquistes lui ont montré le chemin de la sortie dans une lettre ouverte publiée dans les pages du Devoir, vendredi. Les conseils exécutifs de deux circonscriptions ont aussi réclamé son départ pour faire passer «avant toute chose le bien supérieur du mouvement indépendantiste».
En ce qui concerne les multiples demandes de démission de la chef, formulées notamment par d'anciens députés et l'ancien chef Gilles Duceppe, Martine Ouellet s'est contentée de répondre que «c'est leur opinion». Elle assure n'avoir jamais envisagé cette option.
Elle soutient avoir été victime «d'une grosse dose d'attaques personnelles», la semaine dernière, et elle estime qu'«avant d'attaquer, les gens devraient regarder eux-mêmes comment ils travaillent».
Martine Ouellet reconnaît qu'elle «peut toujours s'améliorer» en ce qui concerne sa personnalité et son style de gestion. Toutefois, la chef considère que le processus qu'elle a mis en place est «beaucoup plus souple» que de son prédécesseur (Rhéal Fortin) et même «beaucoup, beaucoup plus souple» que du temps de l'ancien chef Gilles Duceppe.
Au sujet du discours mettant constamment de l'avant la promotion de l'indépendance du Québec, Martine Ouellet insiste que c'est le mandat qui lui a été confié par les membres du parti.
L'impasse perdure
À la suite de la conférence de presse du bureau national et de la chef Martine Ouellet, les sept députés dissidents ont constaté que «l'impasse perdure».
«Rien n'a changé depuis mercredi dernier. Nous nous rencontrerons dans les prochains jours de voir comment nous pourrons continuer à servir les Québécoises et les Québécois au meilleur de nos capacités», ont-ils réagi par voie de communiqué.
Plus tôt samedi, le groupe des sept avait déclaré que si le Bureau national les excluait, il aurait «contribué à la mort du Bloc québécois».
Dans une lettre ouverte publiée dans Le Journal de Montréal, ils ont accusé Martine Ouellet d'avoir «exigé leur soumission» depuis son arrivée à la tête du parti.
Ils répètent que le leadership, les orientations et la vision de la chef, centrés uniquement sur l'indépendance, ne servent pas les intérêts du Québec.
Ils rappellent que les décisions sur l'avenir du Québec se prendront à Québec et non à Ottawa, et qu'entre-temps, le Bloc québécois «a la responsabilité de protéger le Québec des effets néfastes du carcan fédéral».
«Une chef qui utilise son premier conseil général pour s'en prendre à ses propres députés, est-ce que ça sert le Québec ? Une chef qui siège à Québec quand son parti est à Ottawa, est-ce que ça sert le Québec ?», ont-ils écrit.
Mercredi, sept députés du Bloc québécois ont démissionné du parti. Les sept députés dissidents sont Michel Boudrias, Rhéal Fortin, Simon Marcil, Monique Pauzé, Louis Plamondon, Gabriel Ste-Marie et Luc Thériault.
Ils reprochaient à Mme Ouellet son attitude intransigeante et sa vision dogmatique de la défense de la souveraineté. Ceux-ci souhaitaient plutôt défendre divers dossiers du Québec à Ottawa, dans le but de convaincre les Québécois du bien-fondé de la souveraineté.
- Avec La Presse canadienne
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Below, in no particular order, are 6 key post-run (or pre) stretches that are ideal for preventing injuries and keeping you out on the roads.
Hip Flexor Stretch
For those of us who sit at desks all day, or who run a lot, this is vital. Don’t do it regularly and you are just asking for an injury.
For a more deep stretch and to stretch out the quads as well, pick your ankle up and pull it towards your buttocks.
Hip Flexor StretchHip Flexor Stretch
Calf Stretch
A well-known calf stretch for a reason. It is damn good. Make sure you do this one a lot after any speed or hill session.
Calf Stretch
Quad Stretch
Hard to find a runner who doesn’t know this stretch. Doing it on a regular basis can help prevent ITB, hip, knee & numerous other pains.
Quad stretch
Hamstring/Calf Stretch
So so important for so many reasons, not just hamstring health but all that comes secondary to the hamstring such a lower back issues. As a bonus place the towel/band over your toes and push your toes down to get an incredibly good calf stretch as well.
Hamstring/Calf Stretch
Back Stretch
If you have ever had a bad back you know how debilitating it can be, and how sudden the pain can occur. It is a wise investment to keep your back flexible. It doesn’t take long.
Back stretch
Glute Stretch
This should probably be number 1 on this list. We all seem to have tight glutes these days. Doing this stretch daily helps you avoid a vast number of problematic injuries.
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By CCN.com: Bitcoin Cash ABC opened Wednesday in positive territory, rising more than 7.5% against the US Dollar on a 24-hour adjusted timeframe.
At 1130 GMT, the BCH/USD pair was trading at $129.83 according to aggregated data provided by CoinGecko.com. The total market cap, at the same time, was close to $2.282 billion, Bitcoin Cash’s best since January 15, 2019, while its 24-hour adjusted volume was above $256.244 million.
In comparison, other top cryptocurrencies underperformed. While Bitcoin’s valued surged by a modest 2%, XRP and Ethereum also jumped 1.6% and 2.2% on a 24-hour adjusted timeframe. Only EOS and Tron came closer to Bitcoin Cash concerning substantial gains. Both the blockchain assets appreciated more than 5% against the dollar.
No Solid Fundamentals
The Bitcoin Cash market could not provide any evidence that could support their impressive rally. Roger Ver, the man behind the Bitcoin Cash project, had recently announced that they would update their Bitcoin.com wallet. On January 21, peer-to-peer marketplace Bitquick had added BCH support to its platform. But the rally did not start anytime before January 22.
On the contrary, Bitcoin Cash faced survival threats throughout the time since its hard fork in November 2018. Its closest ally Bitmain closed down global operations, fired 80% of its staff, and replaced its two CEOs in what it called an adjustment. Cobra, the co-owner of bitcoin.org and bitcointalk.org, said in a controversial tweet that Bitcoin Cash is dead.
Bitcoin Cash is dead. Needs new leadership and direction/purpose otherwise it'll be worth $0 in a few years. — Cøbra (@CobraBitcoin) January 18, 2019
The absence of solid fundamentals left technical indicators to do the explanation.
As visible in the Coinbase chart above, the Bitcoin Cash surge took place merely around its current support area near $119.64. Similarly, an active resistance area to the upside capped the rally from maturing further – as it did in four different occasions since January 17. It explains that Bitcoin Cash – at best – must be consolidating within a strict trading channel while awaiting breakout.
Analysts Watch
According to Moon Overlord, a cryptocurrency trader with 38.8k followers on Twitter, Bitcoin Cash is breaking out of a sizeable descending trend line.
$BCH seemingly breaking out here after a small bear trap / stop raid. pic.twitter.com/HZA5kxzw1F — moon is tweeting (@MoonOverlord) January 22, 2019
Nico, another Bitcoin Cash analyst, found the coin breaking out of a falling wedge pattern. Traditionally, such a move is bullish for assets.
“MACD and RSI rising, Buy Signal from the UCTS at the 6h chart,” wrote Nico. “EMA50-100 & 200 between here and potential target at 0.04sats so pay attention for any pullback in the road.”
Update on $BCH, Falling Wedge Breaking up (finally). MACD and RSI rising, Buy Signal from the UCTS at the 6h chart. EMA50-100 & 200 between here and potential target at 0.04sats so pay attention for any pullback in the road,#bchabc #BCH pic.twitter.com/QU9p4pwDht — Nico (@CryptoNTez) January 22, 2019
Click here for a real-time bitcoin cash price chart. Price Charts from TradingView.
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Wenn das seltsame Brummen nicht wäre, wäre es in Steinhöring sehr idyllisch
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Der alte Bauernhof von Ludwig Linner ist wunderschön gelegen, von der kleinen Anhöhe geht der Blick weit übers Land bis hin zu den Bergen. Zaißing, ein Ortsteil von Steinhöring in Oberbayern, 50 Kilometer östlich von München, besteht nur aus wenigen Häusern. Eigentlich Idylle pur. Wäre da nicht dieses seltsame Brummen.
„Ich sag’ nix mehr dazu“, sagt Linner. Der 77-Jährige steht in der Tür seines Bauernhauses, hinter ihm seine Frau, rechts wacht „Gustl“, ein sehr großer Bernhardiner. Die Familie wird in ihrem Haus seit Längerem durch einen tiefen Ton geplagt. Die Ehefrau von Linner kann nachts oft nicht schlafen wegen dieses Brummens, sie wacht davon auf. Tagsüber wird er durch die Alltagsgeräusche übertönt, wenn etwa der Traktor über den Hof rumpelt. Auch die erwachsene Tochter fühlt sich durch die tiefen Frequenzen gestört.
Rund 100 Steinhöringer leiden wie die Linners. Andere Dorfbewohner nehmen das Geräusch nicht wahr. Das führt nun zu Streit.
Anwohner beklagen sich über seltsamen tiefen Ton
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In der Metzgerei Fischer zum Beispiel brummt nur das Geschäft. 12,99 Euro kostet das Kilo Schwarzgeräuchertes, für 1,50 Euro gibt’s 100 Gramm hausgemachte Salami. Außer den Kunden lärmt nichts im Haus, meint die Chefin hinter der Ladentheke. Gut 150 Meter weiter sitzt Bürgermeister Alois Hofstetter (CSU) im Rathaus an seinem Schreibtisch und sagt: „Wir hoffen alle, dass die Ursache für dieses Brummen bald gefunden wird.“ Und dass dann endlich Ruhe herrsche in der oberbayerischen Gemeinde mit ihren knapp 4000 Einwohnern.
Rund fünf Jahre ist es her, dass sich Anwohner über diesen seltsamen tiefen Ton beklagten, der sie nachts wach hält. Woher dieses Geräusch kommt, ist bis heute unbekannt. Ein Ingenieurbüro soll nun Messungen anstellen und endlich Klarheit schaffen; das Gutachten wird rund 90.000 Euro kosten. Davon sollen die vom Brummton Betroffenen 22.500 Euro aus eigener Tasche zahlen, das hat der Gemeinderat jüngst entschieden. Und damit für Zwist gesorgt.
Dass da irgendwas nicht stimmt, daran besteht kein Zweifel. Das hat ein erstes Gutachten erbracht, welches die Gemeinde in Zusammenarbeit mit dem zuständigen Landratsamt im nahen Ebersberg erstellen ließ. Begonnen hatte alles 2010, als die ersten Beschwerden laut wurden. Da die Gemeinde mit ihren Möglichkeiten rasch an ihre Grenzen kam, wandte sie sich an den Landrat, der ein offenes Ohr für die Klagen der betroffenen Bürger hatte.
In manchen Häusern brummt es und in anderen nicht
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Man beauftragte ein Ingenieurbüro, Messungen durchzuführen. So rückten im Juni 2014 die Spezialisten mit ihren Instrumenten an und bauten in drei Wohnhäusern, darunter im Bauernhof von Ludwig Linner, ihre Geräte auf. Im Schlafzimmer wurden Luft- und Körperschallsensoren angebracht, die Messdaten mit dem achtkanaligen Messsystem „Swing“ erfasst. Im Herbst wurde dann erneut gemessen.
Um dem Geräusch auf die Spur zu kommen, schalteten die Ingenieure nach und nach alle Stromquellen im Haus ab, darunter zwei Neonröhren über der Küchenzeile, die beiden Kühlschränke sowie ein Netzteil für Elektrogeräte. Doch auch bei abgeschalteter Haustechnik war „nach Einschätzung der Bewohnerin“ das Brummen weiterhin „subjektiv wahrnehmbar“, so das Gutachten des Ingenieurbüros. Das Fazit der Experten: „Es verbleiben Schwingungen und tieffrequente Geräusche, von denen das Gesamtanwesen Zaißing betroffen ist.“
Franz Neudecker ist beim Landratsamt Ebersberg zuständig für Emissionen; er hat mit einer Fragebogenaktion versucht, dem Brummen auf die Spur zu kommen. Die Betroffenen sollten über vier Wochen hinweg aufzeichnen, wann und wie intensiv sie das Brummen hören. „Doch“, so Neudecker, „wir haben kein Muster erkennen können.“
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Immerhin ist klar, dass die betroffenen Anwesen sich wie auf einer Perlenschnur aufgereiht quer durch das Gemeindegebiet ziehen und das Geräusch vor allem nachts wahrgenommen wird. Und dass es sich um Schwingungen im Boden handelt, die in den Gebäuden als tiefes Brummen wahrgenommen wird. Und dass es in manchen Häusern brummt und in anderen nicht, das könne auch von der Bausubstanz abhängen, ähnlich wie bei den Resonanzkörpern von Geigen, die auch unterschiedlich klingen.
Zum Brummen kommt noch ein Grummeln
Da die Ursache für das Brummen bisher unbekannt ist, wird mittlerweile schon spekuliert, ob es sich bei dem Geräusch womöglich um den „Ur-Ton“ handele, den die Erde bei ihrer Entstehung erzeugt habe und der in vielen Teilen der Welt auch heute noch zu hören sei.
Der riesige Öltank gehört zum Tanklager des Mineralölkonzerns OMV. Die Ölpumpen, so glauben etliche Steinhöringer, sind die Ursache für das Brummen Quelle: Rudolf Stumberger
Im Ort selbst hat man näherliegendere Quellen im Auge. So ist von der Zaißinger Anhöhe aus im Osten in knapp einem Kilometer Entfernung ein riesiger Öltank zu sehen. Er gehört zum Tanklager des Mineralölkonzerns OMV, und dort verläuft auch die Ölpipeline der Transalpinen Ölleitung GmbH (TAL). Seit fast 50 Jahren pumpt das Unternehmen den zähflüssigen Rohstoff vom italienischen Triest nach Karlsruhe. In beiden Unternehmen sind große Pumpen im Einsatz. Und diese Pumpen, so glauben etliche Steinhöringer, sind die Ursache für ihre Leiden.
Doch sowohl OMV als auch TAL weisen das zurück, die beiden Unternehmen haben eigene Messungen durchgeführt und nichts gefunden. Jetzt warten alle auf die Ergebnisse der bevorstehenden Untersuchung.
Landratsamt und Gemeinde sind bereit, für den größten Teil der entstehenden Kosten aufzukommen. Eine Verpflichtung der Behörden dazu besteht allerdings nicht, da kein Grenzwert überschritten wird. „Wir machen es, weil wir uns um die Bürger kümmern“, sagt Bürgermeister Hofstetter.
Doch dass die Betroffenen einen Eigenanteil zahlen sollen, empört viele Brumm-Geschädigte. Sie finden, der Verursacher solle zahlen. Wegen dieses Zanks ist derzeit noch völlig offen, ob das neue Gutachten überhaupt erstellt wird. Klar ist nur, dass zum mysteriösen Brummen jetzt noch ein lokalpolitisches Grummeln kommt.
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IS it a surprise to hear David Bartlett, Labor premier of Tasmania, extolling the virtues of his minority government, which holds power only with the support of the two Green MPs in cabinet?
At the present time, no, it is not at all surprising. Both the amiable young premier and the very popular Nick McKim, leader of the Tasmanian Greens, are pursuing stability and policy innovation. The new generation of Labor–Green politicians represented by these two leaders is helping this minority government work, and so too is their ability to embrace similarities rather than to pick over bitter and long-held ideological differences.
Both men are avid cyclists, keen on sustainable transport and open to new ideas for a renewed Tasmania. One, the premier, is an IT specialist with a thumb-ring; the other, Nick McKim, is an advertising expert in a powder-blue shirt. It’s not hard to imagine each admiring the other’s political strengths and pragmatic leadership abilities.
Both have shown leadership, strength and pragmatism in steering their parties into the current arrangement. The premier has dragged doubting old Labor hands to sit at the cabinet table with their deadly foes, the Tasmanian Greens. And the Greens leader has convinced his party colleagues of the overriding need to provide the minority government with the stability and certainty that he and his fellow Green, Cassy O’Connor, bring as minister and cabinet secretary.
It wasn’t such smooth sailing in previous periods of Greens-supported minority government in the state. In 1989, Labor led a minority government for two years in a short-lived and acrimonious experiment. At a time when the Greens were making history both in the state and globally, there was ill will, distrust and even malice on both sides of this arrangement.
A formal Accord did deliver upfront policy benefits to the Greens in many key areas, including world heritage extensions and native forest protection, in return for a guarantee that the party would not block supply or support no-confidence motions. But beyond these concessions, the Greens gained little from the arrangement, and were shunned by Labor figures. Relations eventually broke down completely when Labor breeched a critical promise not to raise the export woodchip quota. Although the Accord had been highly innovative in terms of policy and reform, it created bad blood that has persisted for decades.
In 1996, the Greens supported the Liberals in minority, this time without a formal agreement. Policy-making wasn’t easy under this arrangement either, but relations were remarkably positive and policy innovation was among the results. Like Labor, though, the Liberal government kept the Greens at arm’s length, so it was only a matter of time before a key difference – this time the government’s intention to sell its stake in hydroelectricity – threatened and very soon broke the arrangement.
With these two very different experiments ending badly, it is no wonder that the major parties have campaigned since on platforms of “no deals with the Greens,” as Premier Bartlett did before the March election. But this time, despite a massive swing against the government in March, the premier agreed to work closely with the Greens in a bold show of confidence that Liberal leader Will Hodgman was unable to match.
Because there are no recipes for the formation of minority government, the current arrangement was shaped by the negotiations between the parties. Two individual Green MPs, rather than the Tasmanian Greens as a party, were invited to sit in cabinet, making this not a formal coalition but a Labor administration accommodating political outsiders.
Labor gains more certainty in the act of governing, and can also spread the ministerial load in a diminished parliament – the result of a reduction of MP numbers in 1998 in a failed attempt to rid the lower house of Green MPs. The Greens benefit by moving, partly at least, inside the tent. They are learning the pragmatic skills of governance and grooming themselves for future coalition government, while retaining the ability to vote against government proposals.
For its part, the government is relying issue-by-issue on the support of the Greens and at least one Green outside cabinet to pass its legislation, except in circumstances where it gains Liberal support. If the two Greens can’t support a proposal before cabinet, then they can absent themselves from both the discussion and the vote, and won’t be bound by the decision. Once the proposal comes to the floor of the House, the two Green cabinet members can vote against it.
Still relatively untested, the arrangement is likely to prove complex issue-by-issue, with both parties looking to achieve their key aims and, in the lead up to the next election, a measure of independence. The Greens have a complex dual role as cabinet members and insiders on the one hand, and government critics and outsiders on the other. The Greens leader, Nick McKim, has even tried to quiz the premier, his cabinet colleague, during the budget estimates hearings.
McKim is a minister (for human services, corrections, consumer protection, community development, climate change, sustainable transport and alternative energy) as well as a Greens spokesperson (for innovation, science and technology, attorney-general, justice, economic development, sport and recreation). His astute and articulate colleague, Cassy O’Connor – an environmental campaigner and former Labor staffer – is cabinet secretary with responsibility for housing and disability services, and Greens spokesperson for environment, parks and heritage, animal welfare and the arts, as well as being McKim’s partner.
The remaining Greens, as party spokespeople, divide up the portfolios between them, which includes covering – and quizzing – their Green colleagues in the Labor cabinet. This insider–outsider split sees the Greens speaking both for and against the Labor government, and has the makings of tension and drama down the track.
The arrangement is all the more remarkable given the vitriol that was expressed between Labor and the Greens as recently as in the lead-up to the March election, and indeed the historical enmity between Labor and the party that has effectively eroded its dominance of Tasmanian politics and government.
For its part, the Liberal Party has so far been eclipsed by the minority government. In reality, however, the parliamentary numbers provide great opportunities for Liberal politicking. If party discipline and political accommodation break down, any combination of numbers is possible, and all sorts of opportunities would arise for individuals to assume disproportionate influence. The five Greens might all support government. Or the two cabinet-based Greens could stick with Bartlett and one or more of their colleagues break away. If enough do so in combination with the Liberals, the government can be voted down.
Between them, the three “outside” Greens and the Liberals hold the numbers, so the Labor government is governing on a knife edge where one false move could be disastrous. For the Liberals to benefit in this scenario, they would need to be prepared to work with the Greens. Liberal leader Will Hodgman wouldn’t agree to do this immediately after the election when, despite winning the popular vote and a statewide swing against Labor, he refused to form a Greens-supported minority government. This missed opportunity, and the perception being peddled around the Tasmanian media that he was restrained by right-wing Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz, might yet cost Will Hodgman the party leadership.
It is also yet to be seen how the Greens will cope with their split roles, and whether they will be able to marshal their numbers towards creative and cooperative, rather than destructive and divisive, political opportunities. At the moment, their insider–outsider status means that they can ensure stability and policy progress while maintaining scrutiny of government. The Greens member for Bass, Kim Booth, has launched a series of critical attacks on government, behaving as if he is entirely unconvinced by the new collegial Labor government and its green embrace. He has attacked the premier over the alleged special treatment of the greyhound he part-owns and initiated a move to enforce a $1 betting limit for poker machines, defeating the government by gaining Green–Liberal support for a parliamentary inquiry.
For the Greens, it’s not so much about swings and roundabouts as keeping true to the highest levels of integrity and accountability on all issues, not just those ecological issues held dear by the green voting public in Tasmania. Although maintaining those standards might pitch Kim Booth against his party leader and Greens colleagues in cabinet, it is a critical role that keeps the faith with the green constituency and keeps a distance from Labor politics.
THE REWARDS of an arrangement like this might not be obvious for the major party involved. In the two previous Greens-supported governments in Tasmania, the minority government party took a hit at the subsequent polls and lost office – Labor losing 5.8 per cent in 1992 and the Liberals losing 3.1 per cent in 1998. But these margins are not big enough to justify the negative rhetoric from the major parties in the wake of these experiences. The Greens took hits too – 3.9 per cent in 1992 and a modest 0.9 per cent in 1998.
This time around the climate is incredibly different. Most significant of all is the fact that a significant number of voters approve of the arrangement. Essential Media polling has Labor up 6 per cent to 29 per cent since the March election and the Liberals dropping 8 per cent to 30 per cent, with the Greens still close to their election share of 21 per cent.
Which takes us back to where we began, with the leadership, strength and pragmatism of the premier and the Greens leader, and their ability to project stability and confidence in this government. The ability to negotiate and to keep clear-headed is crucial, but so too is the projection of competence, certainty and calm by the leaders, the disciplining of the troops and the ability to survive creative disagreements. •
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Your music. Your mix. Create. Discover. Jam out.
Momixa builds custom playlists from two songs of your choice. Try different combinations to find your groove.
Just pick two songs below and Momixa will use them to build a playlist just for you. Review the results and download it directly to your Spotify account (free or premium).
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民進党の衆参両院の法務委員会所属議員は２１日昼、いわゆる「共謀罪」法案（組織犯罪処罰法改正案）が閣議決定されたのを受け、国会内で記者会見を開いた。衆院側は逢坂誠二筆頭理事、井出庸生理事、階猛、山尾志桜里両議員が、参院側は真山勇一筆頭理事、有田芳生議員（ネクスト法務大臣）が記者会見に臨んだ。
冒頭で有田ネクスト大臣は「私たちが『天下の悪法』として追及してきた共謀罪の法案が閣議決定され、新しい局面に入った」と述べ、今後の対応に関して報告する考えを語った。
逢坂議員は、今国会での提出法案について「テロ等準備罪、今までの共謀罪とはまったく違うもので一般の方は処罰の対象にならない」とする１月の菅官房長官の記者会見発言を受け、これまでの質疑で見えてきた問題点を、下記の通り列挙した。
菅官房長をはじめ政府の説明では「一般の人は処罰の対象にならない」とのことだが、審議ではこの点の根拠がまったく明らかになっていない。
これまでの共謀罪の法案とまったく違うという説明を政府は繰り返すが、閣議決定後の２１日の質疑でも「今日の段階では答えられない」との答弁が金田法務大臣から示された。
今回のいわゆる「共謀罪」が必要な理由、立法事実について政府は（１）ハイジャック（２）コンピュータウィルス（３）薬物――等の事案への対応が従来の法整備では不充分なためと説明することがあったが、それらは結局、立法事実とはなりえないことが質疑から明らかになった。しかも、閣議決定以後の本日段階でも、新たな立法事実があるかについて金田法務大臣は「今日の段階では答えられない」旨を答弁した。
立法事実として政府は東京オリンピック開催に向けてＴＯＣ条約締結のためにいわゆる共謀罪が必要だと説明するが、ＴＯＣ条約が求めるものは必ずしもテロ対策ではない。また、日本では重大な犯罪を中心に、未遂、予備（準備）、共謀（陰謀）を処罰する罪を定め、判例によって共謀共同正犯の処罰も認められているため、ＴＯＣ条約の担保法に関する立法ガイドに照らせば、条約の趣旨は十分に満たしていると考えられるので、現行の刑事法体系をもって、ＴＯＣ条約締結の手続きを進めるべき。
逢坂議員は「単に東京オリンピックに必要であるかのような発言をして、イメージ戦略をしていることについて、われわれはこれまで厳しく言ってきたが、これからも厳しく追及していく」と語った。
階議員は、法案ができていないことを理由に答弁を避けてきた金田大臣に対し、法案閣議決定を受け「一般市民が対象になるか」に関して「組織的犯罪集団」に該当するかどうかの判断基準を質問したと説明。これまでの質疑では「テロ組織、暴力団、薬物密売組織に限られる」とする答弁もあったが、本日の質疑を通じてはその答弁は例示にすぎなかったことが明らかになり、「組織的犯罪集団」の判定基準があいまいである点を階議員はあらためて問題視した。
また、「組織的犯罪集団に一般組織も該当しうる恐れ」について２月２日の段階で金田法務大臣は「犯罪行為を反復・継続していることが条件になる」旨を答弁していたが、その後の山尾議員の質問主意書への答弁書では「反復・継続」の条件はなくなり、また同日閣議決定された法文の文言でも「反復・継続」の文言は抜け落ちていた点を階議員は説明。「反復・継続性ということがなければ後付けで組織的犯罪集団を認定できるようになる。ある重大犯罪について共謀という事実があったということになった場合、その人たちがある会社の社員だったとき、共謀という事実をもってして、犯罪を目的とした集団だということで『組織的犯罪集団』ということで認定されかねない」との認識を示し、同日の委員会質疑で金田大臣もその指摘を否定しなかったと階議員は説明した。
逢坂誠二議員配布資料
階猛議員配布資料
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This invention relates to a refrigerator door opening/closing apparatus which facilitates the opening and closing of a refrigerator door without effort and by which the door can be closed automatically and tightly.
There are disclosed various refrigerator door opening/closing apparatuses which can close the door tightly to prevent the outflow of cooled air. A typical type, for example, is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Laid Open No. 89-5292.
As shown in FIG. 1, the prior art comprises a hinge member 1 which is fixed to the cabinet 1 of a refrigerator and has a hinge shaft 3 at one end thereof, a fixed member 8 attached to the top of the refrigerator door 4, and an elastic member 5 arranged under the fixed member 8. A round-shaped projection 7 is attached to the cabinet at a distance from the hinge member 2 and an aperture 6 is formed on the elastic member 5 in order to elastically receive or release the projection 7.
By such a structure, when the door 4 is opened, the aperture 6 is expanded to release the projection 7 from the elastic member 5, and on the contrary when the door 4 is closed, the aperture 6 is again expanded to receive the projection 7 into the elastic member 5, thereby closing the door 4 tightly.
However, the door opening/closing apparatus according to the prior art has a disadvantage that the user must pull or push with an effort to open or close the door 4. Especially, the above disadvantage becomes more serious when such a door opening/closing apparatus is mounted on a large-sized refrigerator in which the door is relatively weighty.
As a more improved type, a refrigerator door opening/closing apparatus utilizing the elasticity of a spring is disclosed in Korean Utility Model Laid Open No 91-11734.
FIG. 2A illustrates a door opening/closing apparatus according to such prior art in which the refrigerator door 17 is opened less than 90.degree.. A fixed member 11 on which a movable member 12 and a spring 13 are placed is mounted on a hinge member 10.
The fixed member 11 of a cylindrical shape has a projection 14 of a trapezoid shape.
There is a cut portion 15 on the movable member 12, which is cut in a shape corresponding to the trapezoid-shaped projection 14.
The movable member 12 is rotatably inserted onto the fixed member 11 by a rod 16 which is installed inside the movable member 12.
The members 11, 12, 13 are located in the interior of the door 17 which is shown in a dotted line.
In the closed state of the door 17 (not shown), the cut portion 15 in the member 12 is engaged with the projection 14 on the fixed member 11 and the spring 13 is kept in the stretched state.
When the door 17 is opening (FIG. 2A), the cut portion 15 in the member 12 is moved upwardly along the side surface of the projection 14 on the fixed member 11, the spring 13 being compressed.
As shown in FIG. 2B, when the bottom of the member 12 reaches the top of the projection 14, the door 17 is completely opened with the spring 13 fully compressed.
If in this state the user pushes the door 17 slightly to close it, whereupon the member 12 is slid downward along the side surface of the projection 14 on the fixed member 11 so that the cut portion 15 of the member 12 is fitted over the projection 14 of the fixed member 11. As a result, the door 17 is automatically closed.
However, the above refrigerator door opening/closing apparatus has some disadvantages. That is, the user must apply a relatively great pulling force to the door 17 because the side surfaces of both the projection 14 and the cut portion 15 which guide upward the member 12 on the fixed member 11 form a steep incline.
Further, collision noise between the door 17 and the body of the refrigerator, which will result in damage to the refrigerator, is generated by the apparatus because if the user slightly pushes the opened door 17, the door 17 is rapidly closed by the elasticity of the spring 13.
In addition, the movement of the member 12 on the fixed member 11 is not smooth and noise may be generated from the contact surfaces of both the members 11, 12 because the member 12 slides on the fixed member 11.
An object of this invention is to solve the above problems by providing a refrigerator door opening/closing apparatus by which a refrigerator door can be opened/closed automatically and smoothly.
Another object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator door opening/closing apparatus by which a refrigerator door can be closed tightly to prevent cooled air in the interior of the refrigerator from being discharged.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a refrigerator door opening/closing apparatus by which a refrigerator door can be opened and closed without effort.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
|
Her Younger Sister
Her Younger Sister is a 1914 American silent short film drama film directed by Frank Cooley starring Fred Gamble and Charlotte Burton.
Cast
Fred Gamble as Billly Lyons
Charlotte Burton as Elsie Lyons (age 20)
Gladys Kingsbury as Emma Lyons
Kathie Fisher as Elsie Lyons (age 10)
Joseph Harris as John Wyman
External links
Category:1914 films
Category:1910s drama films
Category:American drama films
Category:American silent short films
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:1910s short films
Category:American films
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
|
var TodoController = function($scope, $http){
$scope.editMode = false;
$scope.position = '';
$scope.getAllTodos = function(){
$scope.resetError();
$http.get('todo/all.json').success(function(response){
$scope.todos = response;
}).error(function() {
$scope.setError('Could not display all todos');
});
}
$scope.addTodo = function(newTodo){
$scope.resetError();
$http.post('todo/add/' + newTodo).success(function(response){
$scope.getAllTodos();
}).error(function() {
$scope.setError('Could add todo');
});
$scope.todoName = '';
}
$scope.deleteTodo = function(deleteTodo){
$scope.resetError();
$http.delete('todo/delete/'+deleteTodo).success(function(response){
$scope.getAllTodos();
}).error(function() {
$scope.setError('Could not delete todo');
});
}
$scope.deleteAllTodo = function(){
$scope.resetError();
$http.delete('todo/deleteAll').success(function(response){
$scope.getAllTodos();
}).error(function() {
$scope.setError('Could not delete all todos');
})
}
$scope.editTodo = function(position, todo){
$scope.resetError();
$scope.todoName = todo;
$scope.position = position;
$scope.editMode = true;
}
$scope.updateTodo = function(updateTodo){
$scope.resetError();
$http.put('todo/update/'+ $scope.position +'/'+updateTodo).success(function(response){
$scope.getAllTodos();
$scope.position = '';
$scope.todoName = '';
$scope.editMode = false;
}).error(function(){
$scope.setError('Could not update todo');
})
}
$scope.resetTodoField = function() {
$scope.resetError();
$scope.todoName = '';
$scope.editMode = false;
};
$scope.resetError = function() {
$scope.error = false;
$scope.errorMessage = '';
};
$scope.setError = function(message) {
$scope.error = true;
$scope.errorMessage = message;
};
$scope.getAllTodos();
}
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
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YMNewfeatureViewController Class Reference
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</nav>
<article class="main-content">
<section>
<section class="section">
<h1>YMNewfeatureViewController</h1>
<p>Undocumented</p>
</section>
<section class="section task-group-section">
<div class="task-group">
<ul>
<li class="item">
<div>
<code>
<a name="/s:vC7DanTang26YMNewfeatureViewControllerP33_4AFD823B18308A4A4614B6C4D5FA0EAF6layoutCSo26UICollectionViewFlowLayout"></a>
<a name="//apple_ref/swift/Property/layout" class="dashAnchor"></a>
<a class="token" href="#/s:vC7DanTang26YMNewfeatureViewControllerP33_4AFD823B18308A4A4614B6C4D5FA0EAF6layoutCSo26UICollectionViewFlowLayout">layout</a>
</code>
</div>
<div class="height-container">
<div class="pointer-container"></div>
<section class="section">
<div class="pointer"></div>
<div class="abstract">
<p>布局对象</p>
</div>
<div class="declaration">
<h4>Declaration</h4>
<div class="language">
<p class="aside-title">Swift</p>
<pre class="highlight"><code><span class="kd">private</span> <span class="k">var</span> <span class="nv">layout</span><span class="p">:</span> <span class="kt">UICollectionViewFlowLayout</span> <span class="o">=</span> <span class="kt">YMNewfeatureLayout</span><span class="p">()</span></code></pre>
</div>
</div>
</section>
</div>
</li>
<li class="item">
<div>
<code>
<a name="/s:FC7DanTang26YMNewfeatureViewControllercFT_S0_"></a>
<a name="//apple_ref/swift/Method/init()" class="dashAnchor"></a>
<a class="token" href="#/s:FC7DanTang26YMNewfeatureViewControllercFT_S0_">init()</a>
</code>
</div>
<div class="height-container">
<div class="pointer-container"></div>
<section class="section">
<div class="pointer"></div>
<div class="abstract">
<p>Undocumented</p>
</div>
</section>
</div>
</li>
<li class="item">
<div>
<code>
<a name="/s:FC7DanTang26YMNewfeatureViewControllercFT5coderCSo7NSCoder_GSqS0__"></a>
<a name="//apple_ref/swift/Method/init(coder:)" class="dashAnchor"></a>
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<p>Undocumented</p>
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<p>Undocumented</p>
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{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
SDCC: Firefly/Serenity Panel in Full
HUGE thanks to TFAW.com for posting the ENTIRETY of the Firefly reunion panel. There are only so many place your intrepid reporters can be at one. And, besides, had we actually been there, we would have been clutching our Jayne caps too tightly to actually press record.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
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Football in the United States
Football in the United States may refer to:
American football, sport
American football in the United States, sport in the country
Australian rules football in the United States
Gaelic football in the United States
Rugby league in the United States
Rugby union in the United States
Soccer in the United States, association football
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{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
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Follow up to Firebird, and 7 years in the making, this remarkable record applies Perlowin's multitracking, varispeeding, painstaking and minutely musical methods to Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo, Albeniz' Asturias, Rodrigo's Concierto Andaluz (for 4 guitars) Oyanguren's Fantasia Inca and Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol. This is not just a tour de force but a great record of some substantial compositions. To recast everything for pedal and lap steel (and electric and acoustic) guitars - and, now and then, mandolins, mandocello, sitar, bass, autoharp, banjo, autoharp and discreet but essential percussion) is prodigious in itself, to wind up with transparent, rich, engulfing music is the mark of a justified obsession. Another great CD - and, Mike says, tragically, his last.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
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Repeated allergen inhalation induces phenotypic modulation of smooth muscle in bronchioles of sensitized rats.
Repeated ovalbumin (OA) or saline exposure of sensitized Brown Norway rats was examined on agonist reactivity, airway smooth muscle (ASM) content, and contractile protein expression in small bronchioles at 24 h, 7 days, and 35 days after challenge. OA increased ASM content (P < 0.05 vs. saline) at 24 h, which resolved by 7 days. Maximum developed tension (T(max)) to carbachol, KCl, and 4-beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate was increased (P < 0.05) by OA in bronchioles at 24 h but was abrogated after correction for ASM. Differences in T(max) were not present at 7 days. In contrast, at 35 days, T(max) was increased (P < 0.05) after correction for ASM. Smooth muscle (sm)-alpha-actin, sm-myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform 1, calponin, smoothelin-A, and sm-myosin light chain kinase expression were reduced (P < 0.05) by OA at 24 h in bronchioles but not in trachealis. Consistent with contraction findings, no difference in expression of these proteins was detected at 7 days. At 35 days, however, with the exception of sm-alpha-actin, their abundance was again reduced (P < 0.05) by OA. Nonmuscle MHC and beta-actin were unchanged throughout by OA. These findings indicate persistent changes in contractile protein content, consistent with ASM phenotypic modulation in vivo, which occur in response to repeated OA inhalation. Thus, OA exposure induces structural changes in bronchiole ASM content and in agonist responsiveness ex vivo that resemble remodeling in asthma.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Q:
What is the meaning of docker ps -a
What is the meaning of "-a" from docker ps -a
docker ps is lists all running containers in docker engine.
When we run docker ps -a it will list the container that had stop as well.
What is meaning of "-a" ?
A:
-a is short form for --all.
It shows all the containers both stopped and running.
Normal docker ps shows only the running containers.
When you provide the option -a, it shows all the containers.
Please check this for further details: :)
Docker ps options
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Selasa, 11 Oktober 2011
Why would a couple choose to use a funny wedding vows? Well, let's face it: a wedding can be a very stressful time. They were supposed to center around a couple of love and commitment to one another. But they often end up being about money, pressure and huge expectations. For this reason, his writing funny wedding vows can be a great way to break the tension. It can also allow you to enjoy your special day a little more!
If you need help getting started, just thinking about what kinds of activities you two enjoy doing together. Then think about hobbies do not share, because it's always easy to make jokes about the differences in personality. One example is if one of you likes to stay in and read at night, and the other is a total party animal. Funny wedding vows and work especially well if they play off a well-known fact about the groom. It can be funny quirks, like their obsession with spaghetti, or their penchant for buying odd pieces of artwork.
The most successful funny vows usually start off in a serious tone, and then turn humorous when you least expect it. Here are some great examples:
* "Katherine, I take Paul to be legally bound by my husband. I promise to love you until the stars fall from the sky. I promise to never hog the game on TV, and to refrain from nagging about your love for Doritos ."
* "I, John, take you Mary, to be legally bound by my wife, to have and hold from this day forward. For better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and appreciate from today forward ... to infinity and beyond !"
Another great idea for injecting some humor into their profession to include some popular jokes, poems, or songs. You can also include your wedding officiant in the fun. Take, for example, to the wedding vows Dr. Seuss published in several online wedding website:
* "Mrs. Seuss, would be the man to be your lawful husband married? Could you have at home? Would you be able with this louse? Could you at our church? Would you could you birth? Want i take this i'm the man in the morning and feed him green eggs and ham ?"
Funny wedding vows can be a great way to spice up your festivities and make it a day that guests will never forget. Just keep in mind that you should run your ideas past your officiant before the ceremony, as well as your future husband. This ensures that your vows are acceptable and appropriate. Once you've gotten the OK from both sides, have fun on their wedding day, and enjoy reciting their personalized vows!
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
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[Case report of introducing MMF and steroids as an immunosuppressive therapy after living-donor liver transplantation for a patient with the diabetic nephropathy].
Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) combined with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and steroid is mainly used as immunosuppressive therapy after the living-donor liver transplantation (LDLT). However, the nephrotoxicity caused by CNI remains a critical problem for patients with chronic renal failure, especially on early postoperative period. A 62-year-old woman with decompensated liver cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis B (Child-Pugh C, MELD score 11 points) and chronic renal failure due to diabetic nephropathy (Cr 1.56 mg/dl, GFR 27 ml/min/1.73 m2) experienced LDLT. During the reconstruction of hepatic vein, the supra-and infra-hepatic vena cava was totally clamped. The estimated right lobe liver graft volume was 540 g, representing 51.3% of the standard liver volume of the recipient. Because of the perioperative renal dysfunction due to diabetic nephropathy and the total clamping the vena cava which induced the congestion kidney, MMF (1500 mg/day) and steroid (250 mg/day converted into predonisolone) were mainly introduced as an immunosuppressive therapy after LDLT. The low-dose CNI, tacrolimus also induced the nephrotoxicity and was given for only a short time. Finally, according to the postoperative renal function, the low-dose CNI, cyclosporin (50 mg/day) was able to be added to the introduced immunosuppressive therapy. After having left the hospital, MMF (1500 mg/day), steroid (20 mg/day converted into predonisolone) and cyclosporin (75 mg/day) continued to be given as the immunosuppressive therapy and neither acute graft rejection nor drug-induced renal dysfunction was occurred. This is a case report of introducing with mainly MMF and steroid as an immunosuppressive therapy after LDLT for a patient with perioperative renal dysfunction.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Citation {#SECID0EIBAC}
========
Carvalho RF, Amaral-Silva PM, Spadeto MS, Nunes ACP, Carrijo TT, Carvalho CR, Clarindo WR (2017) First karyotype description and nuclear 2C value for *Myrsine* (Primulaceae): comparing three species. Comparative Cytogenetics 11(1): 163--177. [https://doi.org/10.3897/CompCytogen.v11i1.11601](10.3897/CompCytogen.v11i1.11601)
Introduction {#SECID0E6BAC}
============
Previous studies regarding the chromosome number in Primulaceae (s. [@B6]) are available for some genera, as: *Cyclamen* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B9], [@B24]), *Anagallis* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B3], Bennett and Leitch 2012), *Lysimachia* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B7], Bennett and Leitch 2012, [@B14]), *Androsace* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B15]), *Elingamita* Baylis, 1951 ([@B17]), *Trientalis* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B46]), *Ardisia* Swartz, 1788 ([@B26]), *Primula* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B2], [@B13], [@B45]), and *Dodecatheon* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B33]), and *Myrsine* Linnaeus, 1753 ([@B10], [@B17], [@B18], [@B22], [@B40]). Except the genus *Cyclamen* and *Myrsine*, these taxa comprise annual and biennial herbaceous species.
The cosmopolitan *Myrsine* Linnaeus is one of the main genera of Primulaceae, considering species richness, represented by tree and shrub species ([@B23]). Its members are generally dioecious plants, characterized by ramiflorus and congested inflorescences, and flowers with oppositipetalous stamens. Despite *Myrsine* being one of the largest and most important genera of Primulaceae, only eighteen species, among the 300 estimated from this genus, have been studied regarding cytogenetic aspects. Fifteen of these species occur in the African, Asian and Oceania continents (*Myrsine coxii* Cochayne, 1902, *Myrsine divaricata* Cunningham, 1839, *Myrsine kermadecensis* Cheeseman, 1887, *Myrsine nummularia* (Hooker f.) Hooker f., 1867, *Myrsine salicina* (Hooker f.) Hooker f., 1864, *Myrsine argentea* Heenan et de Lange, 1998, *Myrsine oliveri* Allan, 1961, *Myrsine chathamica* Mueller, 1864; *Myrsine africana* Linnaeus, 1753; *Myrsine sandwicensis* Candolle, 1841, *Myrsine seguinii* Léveille, 1914, *Myrsine semiserrata* Wallich, 1824, *Myrsine australis* (A. Richard, 1832) Allan, 1947, *Myrsine capitellata* Wallich, 1824), and just three occurs in America continent (*Myrsine matensis* (Mez, 1902) Otegui, 1998; *Myrsine guianensis* (Aublet, 1775) Kuntze, 1891, *Myrsine coriacea* (Swartz, 1788) Brown ex Roemer et Schultes, 1819. The chromosome number (2n = 46 or 2n = 48) was the only karyotype data reported, without any images of the chromosomes. In addition, the evolutionary aspects that culminated in the karyotype diversification within the genus are poorly understood.
One interesting ecological aspect observed in Neotropical species of *Myrsine* that occur in Brazil is that some of them occur in more than one biome, as Cerrado, Atlantic Forest, and Amazonian Forest, while others are restricted of one of these biomes, as Atlantic Forest (BFG 2015). Among species that occur in Atlantic Forest, for example, some are able to occupy different types of vegetation within this biome, including Restinga Vegetation, High Altitude Campos, Rocky Outcrops, Ombrophyllous and Mixed Ombrophyllous Forests, while others are able to occupy just one type of vegetation ([@B19]). Considering the distinct ecological aspects, cytogenetic studies are relevant to show other differences between these species.
Studies combining cytogenetics and nuclear DNA content have offered data for understanding evolutionary processes in different species ([@B16], [@B25]). Measurement of the nuclear DNA content is complementary to cytogenetic information and is useful for detecting genome size variations between related species ([@B28], [@B25]). Fine adjustments in cytogenetic procedures, combining advances in microscopy and image analysis systems, can provide accurate karyotype characterization for *Myrsine* species. Here, we study three species of *Myrsine* that occur in contrasting types of vegetation of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, aiming to determine the chromosome number, describe the karyotype and measure the nuclear DNA.
Material and methods {#SECID0EXPAC}
====================
Plant samples {#SECID0E2PAC}
-------------
Three species were selected for this study: 1. *Myrsine coriacea* (Voucher -- T.T. Carrijo 1458, VIES herbarium), which is a widespread species in Atlantic Forest found in all types of vegetation, including open areas within Ombrophyllous and Mixed Ombrophyllous Forests, Rock Outcrops, High Altitude Campos, and Restinga Vegetation; 2. *Myrsine umbellata* (Voucher -- T.T. Carrijo 1467, VIES herbarium), which is found in mostly all types of vegetation of *Myrsine coriacea*, except High Altitude Campos; and 3. *Myrsine parvifolia* (Voucher -- T.T. Carrijo 2232, VIES herbarium), a species restricted to Restinga vegetation (BFG 2015).
Fruits and leaves of all species were collected. *Myrsine coriacea* and *Myrsine umbellata* were sampled from October 2012 to July 2015 in a forest remnant located in Iúna municipality, Espírito Santo (ES) State, Brazil (20°21\'6\"S -- 41°31\'58\"W), characterized as Rocky Outcrops, at 600 (*Myrsine coriacea*) and 1,100 m.s.m (*Myrsine umbellata*). *Myrsine parvifolia* was collected in a forest remnant located in Guarapari municipality, ES, Brazil (20°36\'15\"S -- 40°25\'27\"W), characterized as coastal sandy plains vegetation (Restinga) at sea level. Leaves and fruits of *Solanum lycopersicum* L. and *Pisum sativum* L. (internal standards for flow cytometry -- FCM, 2C = 2.00 pg and 2C = 9.16 pg, respectively, [@B38]) were supplied by Dr. Jaroslav Doležel (Experimental Institute of Botany, Czech Republic).
In vitro plantlet recovering {#SECID0ECFAE}
----------------------------
Fruit pericarp was manually removed and the seeds were desinfested according to [@B34] and germinated in a medium composed of MS salts (Sigma) and vitamins ([@B31]), 30 g L^-1^ sucrose (Sigma), 7 g L^-1^ agar and 2.685 µM naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA, Sigma). *Solanum lycopersicum* and *Pisum sativum* seeds were subjected to the same disinfestation procedure and inoculated in medium without NAA. Germination was done at 25 °C under a 16/8 hours (light/dark) regime.
Nuclear 2C value measurement {#SECID0E1GAE}
----------------------------
In order to adapt the FCM for *Myrsine*, the following procedures were done: (a) initially, from leaves collected in the field of male and female individuals (samples) and of the two standards; (b) afterward, replacing the dithiothreitol antioxidant by polyethylene glycol (PEG) in nuclei isolation buffer; and (c) from leaves of the samples and *Pisum sativum* plantlets in vitro cultivated.
Nuclei suspensions were obtained by co-chopping ([@B20]) leaf fragments (1 cm^2^) cut from each sample (*Myrsine* species) and standard (*Solanum lycopersicum* or *Pisum sativum*). The suspensions were processed and stained following [@B35] and [@B38] and analyzed with the flow cytometer Partec PAS II/III (Partec GmbH). *Myrsine* genome size was measured by multiplying the 2C value of the internal standard using the fluorescence intensity corresponding to G~0~/G~1~ nuclei peak. Mean 2C values were compared by the *F* test at 5% probability.
Cytogenetic analysis {#SECID0EUJAE}
--------------------
Roots were cut from the in vitro plantlets, treated with 5.0 μM amiprofos-methyl (APM) (Agrochem KK Nihon Bayer) for 12, 15, 18 or 24 h at 4°C, rinsed in distilled water (dH~2~O) for 20 min and fixed in methanol:acetic acid (3:1) for 24 h. The fixative solution was changed three times and the material was stored at -20°C ([@B12]). The roots were washed, macerated in 1:5 pectinase solution (enzyme:dH~2~O) for 3 h at 34°C, or 1:20 enzymatic pool (4% cellulase -- Kinki Yakult MFG, 1% macerozyme -- Kinki Yakult MFG, and 0.4% hemicellulase -- Sigma) for 1 h 30 min or 1 h 45 min at 34°C, washed in dH~2~O, fixed, and stored at -20°C.
Slides were prepared and stained according to [@B12] and analyzed on a Nikon eclipse Ci-S microscope (Nikon). Prometaphases and metaphases were captured using the 100× objective and a CCD camera (Nikon Evolution^TM^) coupled to a Nikon microscope 80i (Nikon). About 100 slides were analyzed for each *Myrsine* species. Chromosome morphometry was characterized and the class was determined as proposed by [@B27] and reviewed by [@B21].
Using chromosome morphometric data (total, short and long arm length), the standardized Euclidean Distance and Unweighted Pair-Group Method Average (UPGMA) was applied to each species. In addition, the value of the relative size (% size in relation to sum of the mean values of total length, Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}) of each chromosome was compared among species by the Scott-Knott test at 5% probability. Analyses were made using the software R 3.2.4 ([@B39]).
######
Morphometry and chromosome class performed at least 10 prometaphases/metaphases. In all species were found chromosomes morphologically indentical, similar and distinct.
---------------------- -------------------- --------------------- ------- ------ ------- ------------------- ------------- ------- ------- ------ ------- ------------------- ------------- ------- ------- ------ ------- -------------------
*Myrsine parvifolia* *Myrsine coriacea* *Myrsine umbellata*
Chrom. Total ± SD Short Long r Class Relative size (%) Total ± SD Short Long r Class Relative size (%) Total ± SD Short Long r Class Relative size (%)
1 2.64 ± 0.29 1.01 1.63 1.61 SM 5.60 2.79 ± 0.09 1.24 1.55 1.25 M 6.14 2.72 ± 0.06 1.14 1.59 1.39 M 6.60
2 2.47 ± 0.23 1.09 1.37 1.25 M 5.24 2.45 ± 0.11 1.02 1.42 1.38 M 5.38 2.67 ± 0.06 1.14 1.54 1.35 M 6.48
3 2.45 ± 0.22 0.86 1.59 1.85 SM 5.19 2.35 ± 0.10 1.09 1.26 1.15 M 5.17 2.13 ± 0.16 0.94 1.19 1.26 M 5.16
4 2.44 ± 0.27 0.68 1.75 2.55 SM 5.17 2.30 ± 0.05 1.02 1.27 1.24 M 5.06 2.13 ± 0.08 0.84 1.29 1.53 SM 5.16
5 2.24 ± 0.18 0.71 1.53 2.13 SM 4.76 2.29 ± 0.08 0.99 1.30 1.30 M 5.04 2.08 ± 0.14 0.74 1.34 1.80 SM 5.04
6 2.21 ± 0.17 0.73 1.48 2.00 SM 4.69 2.22 ± 0.17 0.86 1.36 1.57 SM 4.88 1.88 ± 0.11 0.64 1.24 1.92 SM 4.56
7 2.18 ± 0.25 0.81 1.37 1.68 SM 4.62 2.17 ± 0.12 0.78 1.39 1.77 SM 4.77 1.83 ± 0.11 0.79 1.04 1.31 M 4.44
8 2.16 ± 0.27 0.61 1.55 2.51 SM 4.59 2.12 ± 0.11 0.78 1.34 1.71 SM 4.67 1.83 ± 0.09 0.59 1.24 2.08 SM 4.44
9 2.15 ± 0.29 0.86 1.29 1.49 M 4.55 2.04 ± 0.15 0.81 1.23 1.50 SM 4.49 1.83 ± 0.09 0.59 1.24 2.08 SM 4.44
10 2.13 ± 0.25 0.61 1.51 2.45 SM 4.51 2.00 ± 0.10 0.78 1.23 1.56 SM 4.41 1.78 ± 0.12 0.59 1.19 2.00 SM 4.32
11 2.09 ± 0.22 0.79 1.31 1.65 SM 4.44 2.00 ± 0.17 0.75 1.26 1.67 SM 4.41 1.68 ± 0.13 0.59 1.09 1.83 SM 4.08
12 1.99 ± 0.16 0.75 1.23 1.63 SM 4.22 1.89 ± 0.10 0.71 1.18 1.64 SM 4.16 1.68 ± 0.08 0.59 1.09 1.83 SM 4.08
13 1.97 ± 0.23 0.66 1.31 1.96 SM 4.19 1.89 ± 0.07 0.57 1.32 2.31 SM 4.16 1.68 ± 0.10 0.49 1.19 2.40 SM 4.08
14 1.95 ± 0.14 0.65 1.30 2.00 SM 4.14 1.84 ± 0.06 0.55 1.29 2.32 SM 4.06 1.68 ± 0.14 0.66 1.02 1.52 SM 4.08
15 1.93 ± 0.16 0.72 1.21 1.67 SM 4.11 1.81 ± 0.11 0.65 1.16 1.78 SM 3.98 1.58 ± 0.06 0.64 0.94 1.46 M 3.84
16 1.85 ± 0.13 0.65 1.20 1.82 SM 3.93 1.81 ± 0.08 0.57 1.24 2.17 SM 3.98 1.58 ± 0.06 0.69 0.89 1.29 M 3.84
17 1.85 ± 0.23 0.72 1.13 1.56 SM 3.93 1.78 ± 0.04 0.66 1.11 1.66 SM 3.91 1.58 ± 0.09 0.69 0.89 1.29 M 3.84
18 1.84 ± 0.19 0.70 1.15 1.63 SM 3.92 1.71 ± 0.13 0.65 1.06 1.63 SM 3.77 1.58 ± 0.11 0.59 0.99 1.67 SM 3.84
19 1.82 ± 0.22 0.63 1.20 1.89 SM 3.87 1.68 ± 0.11 0.55 1.13 2.03 SM 3.70 1.58 ± 0.08 0.59 0.99 1.67 SM 3.84
20 1.75 ± 0.18 0.68 1.06 1.55 SM 3.71 1.67 ± 0.09 0.58 1.09 1.85 SM 3.69 1.58 ± 0.13 0.49 1.09 2.20 SM 3.84
21 1.68 ± 0.14 0.79 0.89 1.13 M 3.56 1.55 ± 0.16 0.49 1.06 2.17 SM 3.42 1.43 ± 0.14 0.59 0.84 1.42 M 3.48
22 1.66 ± 0.16 0.58 1.08 1.85 SM 3.53 1.55 ± 0.04 0.35 1.20 3.33 A 3.42 1.38 ± 0.11 0.49 0.89 1.80 SM 3.36
23 1.66 ± 0.30 0.58 1.08 1.86 SM 3.53 1.52 ± 0.07 0.39 1.13 2.88 SM 3.34 1.28 ± 0.10 0.59 0.69 1.17 M 3.13
Sum 47.22 16.99 30.23 100.00 45.53 16.96 28.57 100.00 41.30 15.79 25.51 100.00
---------------------- -------------------- --------------------- ------- ------ ------- ------------------- ------------- ------- ------- ------ ------- ------------------- ------------- ------- ------- ------ ------- -------------------
Chrom = chromosomes; Total = total length; SD = standard deviation; Long/Short = arm length; r = arm ratio -- long/short; M = metacentric; SM = submetacentric; A = acrocentric; Relative size = % size in relation to sum of the mean values of total length; Sum = sum of the mean values.
Results {#SECID0EXHBG}
=======
In vitro plantlet recovering {#SECID0E2HBG}
----------------------------
Approximately 60 days after in vitro inoculation, plantlets were obtained for the three *Myrsine* species. All plantlets exhibited sufficient and morphologically normal leaves and roots for FCM and cytogenetic analyses, respectively.
Nuclear 2C value measurement {#SECID0EMIBG}
----------------------------
FCM analysis performed on leaves collected in the field did not result in histograms showing profile G~0~/G~1~ peaks. So, dithiothreitol antioxidant was replaced by PEG in the nuclei isolation buffer OTTO I. This change provided G~0~/G~1~ peaks, exhibiting a coefficient of variation (CV) less than 5% for *Myrsine umbellata* and the two internal standards. The channel of the *Pisum sativum* G~0~/G~1~ peak however was closer to *Myrsine umbellata* than *Solanum lycopersicum* Thus, based on linearity international criteria for FCM, *Pisum sativum* was the standard chosen for the next measurements. The mean 2C value of the male (2C = 6.65 pg ± 0.02) and female (2C = 6.67 pg ± 0.11) *Myrsine umbellata* individuals were statistically identical by the *F* test. Considering these previous results, the 2C value was measured from leaves of in vitro plantlets. The mean values were 2C = 4.81 pg ± 0.05 for *Myrsine parvifolia*, 2C = 6.60 pg ± 0.14 for *Myrsine coriacea* and 2C = 6.63 pg ± 0.13 for *Myrsine umbellata*. The mean value of the *Myrsine umbellata* in vitro plantlets was statistically identical to the males and females in the field. Therefore, the mean value adopted for this species was 2C = 6.65 pg, which was statistically equal to the *Myrsine coriacea*.
Cytogenetic analysis {#SECID0EJNBG}
--------------------
Roots exposed to a 12 h APM provided prometaphases, exhibiting chromosomes at a distinct chromatin compact level, and metaphases. Enzymatic maceration in 1:5 pectinase solution ensured the chromosomes remained inside the cell, allowing an accurate determination of 2n = 45 or 2n = 46. Chromosome number of 2n = 45 was found for 12.60% individuals of *Myrsine parvifolia* and 8.45% of *Myrsine coriacea*, with 2n = 46 for the three species. Based on these results, the next slides were made from roots of particular seedlings with 2n = 45 or 2n = 46. Root maceration with 1:20 enzymatic pool for 1h 30 min supplied chromosomes no damage to the chromatin structure, without overlapping, with well-defined centromeres and free of cytoplasm debris (Fig. [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}).
{#F1}
Karyotype characterization was possible only after carefully testing the time and concentration of the APM antitubulin and cell wall enzymes. *Myrsine parvifolia* presented a greater total sum of the length of the chromosomes despite having less nuclear DNA content. For this species only, we found prometaphase chromosomes showing low level of chromatin compaction (Fig. [2a](#F2){ref-type="fig"}), resulting in a higher sum of the total length (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). *Myrsine coriacea* and *Myrsine umbellata* did not show pronounced variation in chromatin compaction, but the quality of the chromosomes allowed us to characterize the karyotype and to assemble the karyogram (Fig. [2b--c](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}).
{#F2}
Morphometric analysis was used to classify the chromosomes and evidence similarities and differences among species karyotypes. *Myrsine parvifolia* presented three metacentric (2, 9 and 21) and 20 submetacentric (1, 3--8, 10--20, 22 and 23) chromosome pairs, *Myrsine coriacea* showed five metacentric (1--5), 17 submetacentric (6--21 and 23) and one acrocentric (22) chromosome pairs, and *Myrsine umbellata* displayed nine metacentric (1--3, 7, 15--17, 21 and 23) and 14 submetacentric (4--6, 8--14, 17, 18, 20 and 22) chromosome pairs (Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}).
Morphologically similar and identical chromosomes groups were found in all species. *Myrsine parvifolia* presented sets of two chromosome pairs (5--6, 13--14, 16--17 and 22--23), as did *Myrsine coriacea* (4--5, 10--11, 13--14, 15--16 and 19--20), and *Myrsine umbellata* presented three sets of two (11--12, 16--17 and 18--19) and one set of three chromosome pairs (8--10). The other chromosome pairs in each species were considered morphologically distinct (Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}, [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). Using morphometric data and applying the UPGMA statistical analysis, the chromosomes of each *Myrsine* species were grouped in three clusters in all species (Fig. [3a--c](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). Chromosome groups formed by qualitative analysis of all species were clustered by UPGMA, supporting previous findings.
{ref-type="table"}) of each chromosome of *Myrsine coriacea* and *Myrsine umbellata*. The chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 14, 19 and 23 (\*) between the species are statistically different in relation to mean relative size according to Scott Knott test at 5% of probability.](comparative_cytogenetics-11-163-g003){#F3}
As the mean 2C values of *Myrsine coriacea* (6.60 pg) and *Myrsine umbellata* (6.65 pg) were statistically identical, the Scott-Knott test was used to compare the relative size (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}) of each chromosome of these species. Chromosomes 1, 2, 6, 7, 11, 14, 19 and 23 differed between the species, while the others were statistically identical (Fig. [3d](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}).
######
Chromosome groups of the *Myrsine* karyotype suggested from karyogram evaluation (Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"} and Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}) and confirmed by UPGMA clustering (Fig. [3a--c](#F3){ref-type="fig"}).
---------------------- ----------------------------------------- -------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
Species \*Karyogram evaluation \*\*UPGMA clustering \*\*\*Confirmed chromosome groups
*Myrsine parvifolia* 5--6; 13--14; 16--17; and 22--23 1 and 2; 3--11; and 12--23 5--6; 13--14; 16--17; and 22--23
*Myrsine coriacea* 4--5; 9--10; 13--14; 15--16; and 19--20 1; 2--11; and 12--23 4--5; 9--10; 13--14; 15--16; and 19--20
*Myrsine umbellata* 8--10; 11--12; 16--17; and 18--19 1 and 2; 3--5, 7; and 6, 8--23 8--10; 11--12; 16--17; and 18--19
---------------------- ----------------------------------------- -------------------------------- -----------------------------------------
\* Chromosome groups morphologically identical or similar defined from all morphometric data (total length, short and long arms, r = ratio long/short arm, chromosomal class; relative size) and observation of the karyogram.
\*\* Chromosome groups formed by UPGMA clustering method using data about total, short and long arms length.
\*\*\* Common chromosome groups evidenced by two analyses (qualitative *x* quantitative).
Discussion {#SECID0EWCAI}
==========
The first step in FCM was to define the best antioxidant and internal standard. The presence of secondary metabolites in the *Myrsine* leaves, such as tannins, saponins, flavonoids and steroids ([@B1]) made this challenging. These compounds probably prevented us from measuring the 2C value in individuals from the field when the OTTO I buffer ([@B35]) was supplemented with dithiothreitol. Cytosolic compounds can reduce or inhibit the interaction of the fluorochromes and DNA during the nuclei staining step ([@B32]). Antioxidants inhibit this interference, preserving the chromatin structure ([@B41]). Nevertheless, the dithiothreitol was not efficient at providing nuclei suspensions suitable for FCM. Thus, this compound, which is more specific for molecules that possess free sulfhydryl groups, was replaced by PEG because of its wide spectrum for antioxidant activities, an effect called PEGylation ([@B44]). Due to this effect, PEG was more efficient at inhibiting the action of cytosolic compounds, resulting in G~0~/G~1~ peaks for *Myrsine umbellata* and *Pisum sativum* with CV below 5%. Owing to the linearity parameter, *Pisum sativum* was a more adequate standard relative to *Solanum lycopersicum*, which reduced measurement errors.
Secondary metabolite interference was completely resolved for other *Myrsine* species using in vitro plantlets propagated in a controlled environment. FCM measurements from leaves collected in the field may have been influenced by environmental conditions. Secondary metabolite production is influenced by humidity, temperature, light intensity and the availability of water and nutrients ([@B4]). Thus, the conditions at each elevation gradient can be associated with the FCM result, suggesting a differentiated production of secondary metabolic compounds for *Myrsine* at distinct altitudes.
Genome size in *Myrsine* had only been reported for *Myrsine africana* as 2C = 2.46 pg ([@B22]), which was measured by Feulgen microdensitometry using *Vigna* sp. as standard. Levels of endoreduplication in cells of *Vigna radiata*, varying from 2C to 64C, were reported by [@B36]. Thus, the differences, which were about 200% between the values found for *Myrsine* species in this study and the value observed for *Myrsine africana*, can be related to the C value of *Vigna radiata* used as reference.
Values close to *Myrsine umbellata* and *Myrsine coriacea* species were reported for *Cyclamen purpurascens* Mill. (2C = 6.60 pg) and *Dodecatheon meadia* L. (2C = 5.58 pg). Higher DNA contents were described for *Cyclamen coum* Mill. (2C = 13.56 pg), *Soldanella pusilla* Baumg. (2C = 12.36 pg), and lower values for *Soldanella hungarica* Simonk (2C = 3.16 pg) and *Primula vulgaris* Huds (2C = 0.47 pg) (Bennett and Leitch 2012). The interspecific variation for the 2C DNA value found in this study, as for other species of Primulaceae (Bennett and Leitch 2012), suggests the occurrence of karyotype changes.
As well as for FCM, karyotype data about *Myrsine* species in the literature are very limited, with only the chromosome number reported ([@B10], [@B17], [@B18], [@B29], [@B30], [@B40]). In vitro *Myrsine* plantlets were fundamental for providing sufficient quantities of roots for the cytogenetic study independent of the reproductive period. Meticulous standardization of the antimitotic agent and enzymatic maceration were also essential for accurate chromosomal characterization.
Chromosome number 2n = 46 ([@B10], [@B17], [@B18], [@B29], [@B40], present study) and 2n = 48 ([@B30]) had been reported, but this was the first record of 2n = 45. The odd chromosome number 2n = 45 was well-marked by absence of the homologue pair of the chromosome 23 (Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). So, other cytogenetic approaches should be performed from *Myrsine* individuals separately to know the cause of this aneuploidy.
Some chromosome groups determined by statistical analysis are morphologically distinct, such as chromosomes 22 and 23 of *Myrsine coriacea*. Although clustered (Fig. [3b](#F3){ref-type="fig"}), these chromosomes are cytogenetically distinct, with 22 being acrocentric and 23 submetacentric (Fig. [2b](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). Likewise, distinct chromosomes clustered in *Myrsine parvifolia* (Fig. [3a](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}) and *Myrsine umbellata* (Fig. [3c](#F3){ref-type="fig"}, Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). Chromosome 1 of *Myrsine coriacea* and 1 and 2 of *Myrsine parvifolia* and *Myrsine umbellata* presented the highest contrast, considering the morphology and Euclidean distances (Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, Fig. [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). Similarities and differences regarding relative size (% size in relation to sum of the mean values of total length, Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}) were shown between *Myrsine coriacea* and *Myrsine umbellata* through the Scott-Knott test. The similarities, which were shown for some chromosomes, imply that these species could have originated from a common ancestor. The distinct chromosomes are likely to be attributed to karyotype changes that happened throughout their evolution, altering the chromosome relative size and contributing to taxa diversification. Comparative investigations of the karyotypes of related species have usually been applied to infer the evolutionary role of karyotypic modifications in different taxa and to describe the pattern and directions of chromosomal evolution within a group ([@B43], [@B42], [@B5]).
Based on the constant chromosome number displayed by *Myrsine* species, interspecific variation of the nuclear 2C value between *Myrsine parvifolia* compared to *Myrsine coriacea* and *Myrsine umbellata* was also caused by karyotype alterations. The changes to the nuclear DNA content have also been attributed to structural rearrangements and/or heterochromatin polymorphisms ([@B37], [@B5]).
In conclusion, the first karyotype description and data about nuclear 2C value were shown for three *Myrsine* species. Besides of the comparison between them, these data represent the basis to understand karyotype evolution in *Myrsine*.
Author contribution statement {#SECID0EHVAI}
-----------------------------
The authors Carvalho RF, Amaral-Silva PM, Spadeto MS and Clarindo WR conceived, designed and conducted the tissue culture, flow cytometry and cytogenetic approaches. Carvalho CR contributed the flow cytometry analysis. Amaral-Silva PP and Carrijo TT collected and identified the *Myrsine* species. Nunes ACP did the statistical analysis. All authors contributed equally to manuscript editing and revision and approved the final manuscript for submission.
Conflict of interest {#SECID0EUVAI}
--------------------
The authors declare they have no conflict of interest.
We thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq, Brasília -- DF, Brazil), the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Espírito Santo (FAPES, Vitória -- ES, Brazil, grant: 61860808/2013) and the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES, Brasília -- DF, Brazil) for financial support.
[^1]: Academic editor: M. Guerra
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Central"
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Rab24 is required for normal cell division.
Rab24 is an atypical member of the Rab GTPase family whose distribution in interphase cells has been characterized; however, its function remains largely unknown. In this study, we have analyzed the distribution of Rab24 throughout cell division. We have observed that Rab24 was located at the mitotic spindle in metaphase, at the midbody during telophase and in the furrow during cytokinesis. We have also observed partial co-localization of Rab24 and tubulin and demonstrated its association to microtubules. Interestingly, more than 90% of transiently transfected HeLa cells with Rab24 presented abnormal nuclear connections (i.e., chromatin bridges). Furthermore, in CHO cells stably transfected with GFP-Rab24wt, we observed a large percentage of binucleated and multinucleated cells. In addition, these cells presented an extremely large size and multiple failures in mitosis, as aberrant spindle formation (metaphase), delayed chromosomes (telophase) and multiple cytokinesis. A marked increase in binucleated, multinucleated and multilobulated nucleus formation was observed in HeLa cells depleted of Rab24. We also present evidence that a fraction of Rab24 associates with microtubules. In addition, Rab24 knock down resulted in misalignment of chromosomes and abnormal spindle formation in metaphase leading to the appearance of delayed chromosomes during late telophase and failures in cytokinesis. Our findings suggest that an adequate level of Rab24 is necessary for normal cell division. In summary, Rab24 modulates several mitotic events, including chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, perhaps through the interaction with microtubules.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Intracellular labile iron determines H2O2-induced apoptotic signaling via sustained activation of ASK1/JNK-p38 axis.
Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) acts as a second messenger in signal transduction participating in several redox regulated pathways, including cytokine and growth factor stimulated signals. However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying these processes remain poorly understood and require further investigation. In this work, using Jurkat T lymphoma cells and primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells, it was observed that changes in intracellular "labile iron" were able to modulate signal transduction in H2O2-induced apoptosis. Chelation of intracellular labile iron by desferrioxamine rendered cells resistant to H2O2-induced apoptosis. In order to identify the exact points of iron action, we investigated selected steps in H2O2-mediated apoptotic pathway, focusing on mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) JNK, p38 and ERK. It was observed that spatiotemporal changes in intracellular labile iron, induced by H2O2, influenced the oxidation pattern of the upstream MAP3K ASK1 and promoted the sustained activation of JNK-p38 axis in a defined time-dependent context. Moreover, we indicate that H2O2 induced spatiotemporal changes in intracellular labile iron, at least in part, by triggering the destabilization of lysosomal compartments, promoting a concomitant early response in proteins of iron homeostasis. These results raise the possibility that iron-mediated oxidation of distinct proteins may be implicated in redox signaling processes. Since labile iron can be pharmacologically modified in vivo, it may represent a promising target for therapeutic interventions in related pathological conditions.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Monitoring ambient air pollutants and apply Woods' model in the prediction seasonal dry deposition at Chang-Hua (urban) and Kao-Mei (wetland) county, Taiwan.
The main purpose for this study was to monitor ambient air particles and metallic elements (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu and Pb) in total suspended particulate (TSP) concentration and dry deposition. In addition, the calculated/measured dry deposition flux ratios of ambient air particles and metallic elements (Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu and Pb) were evaluated using Woods' model at urban and wetland areas for the 2009-2010 period. The results indicated that the mean highest concentrations of metallic elements Mn, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu and Pb in TSP were found in Chang-Hua (urban) sampling site. And as for the two characteristic sampling sites, the Woods' model exhibits better dry deposition of particulates of 18 µm particle size than the rest of the other particle sizes at any sampling site in this study. The average calculated/measured flux ratios for two seasons (summer and fall) by using Woods model at 2.5, 10 and 18 µm particles sizes were also studied. The results indicated that the average calculated/measured flux ratios orders for two seasons of various particles sizes were all displayed as Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > Pb > particle. And these calculated/measured flux ratios orders were Fe > Mn > Cu > Zn > Cr > Pb > particle and were Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu > Cr > particle > Pb, during spring and winter seasons, respectively. Finally, in the spring and summer seasons of Gao-Mei (wetland) sampling site, the average calculated/measured flux ratios using Woods' model was found to be 2.5, 10 and 18 µm, showing the order of the calculated/measured flux ratios to be Fe > Cu > Zn > Mn > Cr > Pb > particle. And the calculated/measured flux ratio orders were Fe > Zn > Mn > Cu > Cr > particle > Pb and were Fe > Cu > Zn > Mn > Cr > particle > Pb for fall and winter season, respectively.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Fabrication of poly(lactic acid)-poly(ethylene oxide) electrospun membranes with controlled micro to nanofiber sizes.
Biodegradable poly(L-lactide acid) (PLLA) nanofiber membranes were prepared by electrospinning of PLLA and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). The selective removal of PEO by water allows to obtain smaller fiber diameters and to increase the porosity of the membranes in comparison to PLLA membranes obtained under the same electrospinning conditions. After removal of PEO membranes with fiber sizes of 260 nm and average porosity close to 80% are obtained. Thermal and infrared results confirm the poor miscibility of PLLA and PEO, with the PEO randomly distributed along the PLLA fibers. On the other, PLLA and PEO mixing strongly affect their respective degradation temperatures. The influence of the PEO in the electrospinning process is discussed and the results are correlated to the evolution of the PLLA fiber diameter.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Q:
What does 'touch' mean in "It opened at a touch"?
Clay promptly withdrew again and hurried across to the window. It opened at a touch and gave on to a wide courtyard.
A:
The window opened very easily. Clay needed barely to touch it, and it opened.
The meaning is most likely not literal. Clay might've made a more comprehensive movement than just a single touch to open the window; but that is irrelevant for this narrative; the author needed to stress the fact that it opened easily.
From the grammar standpoint, touch is a noun, a singular countable noun, as evidenced by the use of the indefinite article a. "The window opened at one touch", or "at a single touch".
Compare with the expression at a glance:
At a glance: (idiomatic) Upon cursory examination; an abbreviated review. "At a glance it seems that he is a nice guy, but upon digging deeper the truth emerges."
A:
The word touch is a very common word used as a verb or noun.
In the sentence presented, it's a countable noun that means a light movement or placement of a part of your body, specially your hand on the window.
The window opened only on a light movement of a part of your body, most probably your hand, and it provided a view of a wide courtyard.
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Q:
Default dialog padding
What should be the default value for a dialog padding? 8px 10px?
A:
The Windows UX guidelines tell you to use a 7 DLU padding all the way around on a dialog.
A Dialog Unit (DLU) is based on the average size of a character. It's defined so that the "average" character is 4 DLUs wide by 8 DLUs high.
The size of an average character changes depending on the font, the font size, and the dpi that the user is currently running. This means that DLUs are not a constant between machines, or between users on the same machine.
Different fonts have different aspect ratios. This ends up meaning that the size in pixels of a DLU will be different in the horizontal and vertical directions.
Looking at this particular size (dialog padding of 7 dlus):
Segoe UI 9pt, 96dpi Tahoma 8pt, 96dpi
dlus px py px py
==================================================
1x1 1.75 1.875 1.250 1.625
4x8 7 15 6 13 Definition of DLU: Average character=4x8
7x7 12.25 13.125 8.75 11.375 Dialog box margin - all sides (7)
So if the user is running Segoe UI 9pt at 96 dpi (the Windows Vista and 7 default), you want a top and bottom margin of 13px, and a left and right margin of 12px.
If the user is running Tahoma 9pt at 96dpi (the Windows 2000 and XP default), you want a top and bottom margin of 11px and a left and right margin of 9px.
Other common sizes:
MS Sans Serif, 8pt, 96dpi (Windows 9x default)
Tahoma 8pt, 96dpi (Windows 2000/XP default)
Tahoma 8pt, 120dpi (Windows 2000/XP large fonts)
Segoe UI 9pt, 96dpi (Windows Vista/7 default)
Segoe UI 9pt, 120 dpi (Windows Vista large fonts default, Windows 7 high-dpi default)
Segoe UI 11pt, 96 dpi (what i run at work)
Segoe UI 9pt, 137 dpi (what i run at home)
And this is why creating user interfaces is hard. It's hard to get it right, and most developers would rather just stick their head in the sand and pretend users didn't have font preferences, or change their dpi setting.
And the fact that the question was asked 4 months ago, and then abandoned, seems to confirm that developers don't want to hear the hard answers.
A:
This depends on the platform and its respective design guidelines.
On Windows it's 7 DLU or 11 px:
Dialog box margins: 7 DLU on all sides or 11 pixels on all sides
—Windows User Experience Interaction Guidelines
In Mac OS X, Apple doesn't mandate a specific size of the dialog padding, but instead only recommends
Equal margins on both sides and the bottom edge of the window (the window in Figure 16-4 uses a 20-pixel margin in these areas).
—Apple Human Interface Guidelines
For GNOME it's 12 px:
Leave a 12-pixel border between the edge of the window and the nearest controls.
—GNOME Human Interface Guidelines 2.2
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Officials identify man shot and killed by police A video of Joseph Santos being shot was posted on Facebook.
A man who was shot and killed by a police officer in Pennsylvania on Saturday has been identified as 44-year-old Joseph Santos.
A video of Santos being shot while across the street from Dorney Park was posted on Facebook over the weekend. The video shows Santos, a resident of New Jersey, walking toward a police officer in an SUV, who orders him to get on the ground.
He then appears to put his hands in the air.
As Santos continues to move toward the officer, five gun shots are fired and Santos can be seen falling to the ground.
Santos was declared dead at Lehigh Valley Hospital, according to authorities. An autopsy will be performed on his body on Tuesday, police said.
Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin told reporters that Santos was interfering with traffic and damaging cars, adding that the officer “unfortunately” had to use his weapon on Santos.
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{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
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Don Scardino was born on February 17, 1949 in New York City, New York, USA as Donald Joseph Scardino. He is a director and producer, known for The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), 30 Rock (2006) and 2 Broke Girls (2011). He has been married to Dana L. Williams since 1995. They have one child. He was previously married to Pamela Blair
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{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
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Q:
Why is the Riemann integral only defined on compact sets?
Every text I look at says a function must be bounded and be defined on a compact set before one can even think about the Riemann integral. Boundedness makes sense, otherwise the Darboux sums could be undefined. However, I don't see where it becomes important that the integral be taken over a compact set.
A:
If you use the definition without tagged partitions, the reason the interval needs to be compact is that you need the function to obtain suprema and infima on every subinterval on a partition. For example $f(x) = 1/x$ is continuous on $(0,1)$ (so it should be integrable), but it never attains a supremum in the first subinterval of any partition.
Even if you use tagged partitions, this problem persists. Again, consider $f(x) = 1/x$ on $(0,1)$. Let $P_n$ be a sequence of partitions such that $P_{n+1}$ is a refinement of $P_n$ for all $n$, and let $t_n$ be the tagged point in the first subinterval of $P_n$. Then $t_n \to 0$ as $n \to \infty$. Hence $f(t_n) \to \infty$ so that the limit of $f(t_n)\Delta_1$ will be infinite for partitions whose mesh size tends to $0$ slower than $f(t_n)$ tends to $\infty$. Hence the Riemann sums will not converge to any finite limit which means, by definition, that $f$ is not integrable.
One way to interpret this discussion is that the theorem "If $f$ is continuous on $I$, then $f$ is Riemann integrable on $I$" will no longer be true if we allow non-compact $I$. In fact, this is one of the "deficiencies" that made the Riemann integral unsuitable (along with the more pressing problems regarding convergence for sequences of functions). For Lebesgue integrals, you can use an open set without problems.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Q:
Flutter - Non-scrollable Grid
Is there a way to build a grid that's not scrollable in itself and which size is according to its children, the same way we can specify in a row or column mainAxisSize: MainAxisSize.min?
To give you the big picture -
I'm trying to create a responsive layout that depends on the device's width.
It should be split into 2 parts, connected seamlessly via a column.
1) 2 big containers which sizes depend on the screen width, taking into account a small space in between them. Each container's width and height will be the same (square containers).
2) Same idea, but instead have 3 rows, each consisting of 3 smaller containers.
This creates a grid. It's very important though that the grid won't be scrollable in itself and that its size will be according to its children. It should only be scrolled together with the rest of the page that's contained in a SingleChildScrollView.
Especially since each container's height needs to be the same as its width, I was thinking of going with a combination of rows, columns, and LayoutBuilder - they gives me all the capabilities I need.
However, before doing things manually, I was wondering if there's something that could work out of the box.
A:
Something like this?
SingleChildScrollView(
child: Column(
children: <Widget>[
Row(
children: <Widget>[
Expanded(
child: Padding(
padding: const EdgeInsets.all(10.0),
child: AspectRatio(
aspectRatio: 1.0,
child: Container(
width: double.infinity,
decoration: BoxDecoration(
border: Border.all(width: 3.0, color: Colors.green),
),
),
),
),
),
Expanded(
child: Padding(
padding: const EdgeInsets.all(10.0),
child: AspectRatio(
aspectRatio: 1.0,
child: Container(
width: double.infinity,
decoration: BoxDecoration(
border: Border.all(width: 3.0, color: Colors.green),
),
),
),
),
),
],
),
Container(
padding: const EdgeInsets.all(10.0),
child: GridView.builder(
physics: NeverScrollableScrollPhysics(),
shrinkWrap: true,
gridDelegate: SliverGridDelegateWithFixedCrossAxisCount(
crossAxisCount: 3,
childAspectRatio: 1.0,
mainAxisSpacing: 10.0,
crossAxisSpacing: 10.0,
),
itemCount: 21,
itemBuilder: (context, index) {
return Container(
decoration: BoxDecoration(
border: Border.all(width: 3.0),
),
);
},
),
),
],
),
)
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Piłatka, Masovian Voivodeship
Piłatka is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Iłża, within Radom County, Masovian Voivodeship, in east-central Poland. It lies approximately east of Iłża, south of Radom, and south of Warsaw.
References
Category:Villages in Radom County
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{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
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Gabriele Dell'Otto
Gabriele Dell’Otto (born December 20, 1973) is an Italian illustrator and author whose works have been published in several countries in the fields of scientific illustration, comic books, calendars, lithographies, books, colored graphic folders, and cover work for magazines and video games.
Early life
Dell'Otto was born December 20, 1973 in Rome, Italy. He received a diploma in artistic maturity and registered in the European Design Institute.
Career
In 1998 Dell'Otto started collaborating with the European division of Marvel Comics, producing covers, posters and lithographies for Italy, France and Germany. In Germany he started collaborating with DC Comics and other publishers such as IPP, Egmont Ehapa and MG Publishing.
In 2002-2003 the Italian Carabinieri hired him to design the images for their historical calendar.
In 2002 his work was shown to Joe Quesada, the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, who assigned him the art duties for the Secret War mini-series, written by Brian Michael Bendis.
In 2006 he illustrated the cover and promotional images of the Italian version of the Activision videogame Marvel: Ultimate Alliance.
Between 2006 and 2007 Dell'Otto provided the covers of the miniseries Annihilation, which starred the space-based characters of the Marvel Universe. In May 2007 he published the illustrated book Tales.
In 2009 he was the artist of the X-Force mini-series Sex and Violence, written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost.
In January 2012, Dell'Otto illustrated the spine images for the books in The Official Marvel Graphic Novel Collection. When put together in order, the spines form a complete landscape image.
Bibliography
Interior art
Avenging Spider-Man vol.1 #14 (2013)
Avenging Spider-Man vol.1 #15 (2013)
Secret War vol.1 #1 (2004)
Secret War vol.1 #2 (2004)
Secret War vol.1 #3 (2004)
Secret War vol.1 #4 (2005)
Secret War vol.1 #5 (2005)
Secret War TPB vol.1 #1 (2006)
Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business vol.1 #1 (2014)
X-Force: Sex and Violence vol.1 #1 (2010)
X-Force: Sex and Violence vol.1 #2 (2010)
X-Force: Sex and Violence vol.1 #3 (2010)
Cover work
Annihilation Prologue vol.1 #1 (2006)
Annihilation vol.1 #1 (2006)
Annihilation vol.1 #2 (2006)
Annihilation vol.1 #3 (2006)
Annihilation vol.1 #4 (2007)
Annihilation vol.1 #5 (2007)
Annihilation vol.1 #6 (2007)
Annihilation: Nova vol.1 #1 (2006)
Annihilation: Nova vol.1 #2 (2006)
Annihilation: Nova vol.1 #3 (2006)
Annihilation: Nova vol.1 #4 (2006)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer vol.1 #1 (2006)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer vol.1 #2 (2006)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer vol.1 #3 (2006)
Annihilation: Silver Surfer vol.1 #4 (2006)
Annihilation: Ronan vol.1 #1 (2006)
Annihilation: Ronan vol.1 #2 (2006)
Annihilation: Ronan vol.1 #3 (2006)
Annihilation: Ronan vol.1 #4 (2006)
Annihilation: Super-Skrull vol.1 #1 (2006)
Annihilation: Super-Skrull vol.1 #2 (2006)
Annihilation: Super-Skrull vol.1 #3 (2006)
Annihilation: Super-Skrull vol.1 #4 (2006)
Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus vol.1 #1 (2007)
Annihilation: Heralds of Galactus vol.1 #2 (2007)
What If? Annihilation vol.1 #1 (2007)
The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Omnibus vol.1 #1 (2016)
The New Avengers: Illuminati vol.1 #1 (2006)
Fantastic Four vol.3 #56 (2002)
X-Factor vol.3 #6 (2006)
Ghost Rider vol.6 #12 (2007)
Ghost Rider vol.6 #13 (2007)
Daredevil vol.1 #500 (2009)
Fantastic Four vol.1 #600 (2011)
Silver Surfer: In Thy Name vol.1 #2 (2008)
Invincible Iron Man vol.2 #4 (2008)
Winter Soldier vol.1 #1 (2011)
New Avengers Annual vol.2 #1 (2011)
New Avengers vol.3 #24 (2014)
New Avengers vol.3 #29 (2015)
New Avengers vol.3 #33 (2015)
Avengers Annual vol.4 #1 (2012)
Avenging Spider-Man vol.1 #14 (2013)
Avenging Spider-Man vol.1 #15 (2013)
Amazing Spider-Man: Family Business vol.1 #1 (2014)
Captain America: Steve Rogers vol.1 #15 (2017)
Captain America and Hawkeye vol.1 #629 (2012)
Morbius: The Living Vampire vol.2 #1 (2013)
Moon Knight vol.5 #26 (2009)
Moon Knight vol.5 #27 (2009)
Moon Knight vol.5 #28 (2009)
Moon Knight vol.5 #29 (2009)
Moon Knight vol.5 #30 (2009)
Dark Tower: Treachery vol.1 #1 (2008)
All-New Miracleman Annual vol.1 #1 (2014)
The Pulse vol.1 #2 (2004)
Gorilla Man vol.1 #3 (2010)
X-Force: Sex and Violence vol.1 #1 (2010)
X-Force: Sex and Violence vol.1 #2 (2010)
X-Force: Sex and Violence vol.1 #3 (2010)
Ultimate Origins vol.1 #1 (2008)
Ultimate Origins vol.1 #2 (2008)
Ultimate Origins vol.1 #3 (2008)
Ultimate Origins vol.1 #4 (2008)
Ultimate Origins vol.1 #5 (2008)
Ultimate Fantastic Four vol.1 #53 (2008)
Ultimate X-Men vol.1 #94 (2008)
Ultimate X-Men vol.1 #95 (2008)
Ultimate X-Men vol.1 #96 (2008)
Ultimate X-Men vol.1 #97 (2008)
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four vol.1 #2 (2006)
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four vol.1 #3 (2007)
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four vol.1 #4 (2007)
Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four vol.1 #5 (2007)
Secret War vol.1 #1 (2004)
Secret War vol.1 #2 (2004)
Secret War vol.1 #3 (2004)
Secret War vol.1 #4 (2005)
Secret War vol.1 #5 (2005)
Secret War TPB vol.1 #1 (2006)
Secret Invasion Prologue (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #1 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #2 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #3 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #4 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #5 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #6 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #7 (2008)
Secret Invasion vol.1 #8 (2008)
What If? Secret Invasion vol.1 #1 (2009)
Siege vol.1 #1 (2010)
Siege vol.1 #2 (2010)
Siege vol.1 #3 (2010)
Siege vol.1 #4 (2010)
Fear Itself: FF vol.1 #1 (2011)
Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula vol.1 #1 (2011)
Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula vol.1 #2 (2011)
Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula vol.1 #3 (2011)
Vengeance vol.1 #1 (2011)
Vengeance vol.1 #2 (2011)
Vengeance vol.1 #3 (2011)
Vengeance vol.1 #4 (2011)
Vengeance vol.1 #5 (2011)
Vengeance vol.1 #6 (2011)
Clone Conspiracy vol.1 #1 (2016)
Clone Conspiracy vol.1 #2 (2016)
Clone Conspiracy vol.1 #3 (2016)
Clone Conspiracy vol.1 #4 (2017)
Clone Conspiracy vol.1 #5 (2017)
References
External links
Category:Living people
Category:Artists from Rome
Category:Italian comics artists
Category:Italian illustrators
Category:Italian lithographers
Category:1973 births
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jackson_hurley said: ) I talked about the slap scene for weeks! My money on a switch to Guts crew. Now the question is : one last episode on the sea with Elfhelm on the horizon at the end or more likely Elfhelm in the middle and a punch at the end? (That is if we have a switch to Guts)
Either scenario, I'm just glad to have my favorite series back! Well this is an interesting news! And hopefully the monthly resuming will come. My girlfriend ain't excited though (still haven't succeed in converting her) I talked about the slap scene for weeks! My money on a switch to Guts crew. Now the question is : one last episode on the sea with Elfhelm on the horizon at the end or more likely Elfhelm in the middle and a punch at the end? (That is if we have a switch to Guts)Either scenario, I'm just glad to have my favorite series back! Click to expand...
I've gone back and forth on it for a few months now, but I think it'll be focused on Guts' side of the story.While it would seem natural to ease into the Skellig sighting, I wonder what the major action would be for this coming episode. We've already had a kind of summary episode in 331, reviewing the current circumstances of each character, and alluding to the coming changes. So then for me, that leaves whatever getting close to Skellig will involve. Perhaps they'll start noticing strange things in the sea, sky, etc. leading to comments from Schierke, leading to the inevitable and long-awaited LAND HO. Miura has accomplished feats like that in a matter of pages though. So I wonder... (as always).But of course, let's not get too excited about that possibility if we get another Falconia episode insteadI've long been the guy trumpeting how interesting it would be to learn a little more about the circumstances behind the scenes at Falconia -- particularly about those guards who were found unconscious, and of course the aftermath of Rickert's slap on those closest to Griffith.
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Q:
Encrypting as3 flash .swf
I'm trying to protect my as3 .swf flash file code from decompilation. I cannot spend $$$ on commercial compilers though. How can i encrypt my swf for free?
A:
My brutally honest answer: don't even try. If someone has skill to make use of assets or code from your application, then they're going to have the basic knowledge needed to decompile your SWF and get what they need.
If you even want to try, then this is all I can suggest: http://www.kindisoft.com/
Hope this helps.. Or at least explains why you shouldn't spend time trying.
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Stuart B. Levy
Stuart Blank Levy (November 21, 1938 – September 4, 2019) was a researcher and physician at Tufts University. He was among the first to advocate for greater awareness of antibiotic resistance and founded the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics.
Biography
Stuart B. Levy, M.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Microbiology and of Medicine, was the Director of the Center for Adaptation Genetics and Drug Resistance at Tufts University School of Medicine and staff physician at the Tufts Medical Center. He also served as President of the International Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics, and along with Walter Gilbert, co-founded Paratek Pharmaceuticals. He was a past President of the American Society for Microbiology. Professor Levy died on September 4, 2019.
Dr. Levy led the discovery of the first energy-dependent antibiotic efflux mechanism and efflux protein (for tetracyclines). His research into multiple drug resistance revealed a regulatory locus, mar, for intrinsic antibiotic resistance and virulence among the Enterobacteriaceae and other bacteria. He led the first, and perhaps only, prospective farm study showing that feed containing low dose antibiotics led to the emergence of antibiotic resistance in animals and the farm family. He has published over 300 papers, edited four books and two special journal editions devoted to antibiotic use and resistance. His 1992 book, The Antibiotic Paradox: How Miracle Drugs Are Destroying the Miracle, now in its second edition, has been translated into four languages.
Dr.Levy received his bachelor's degree from Williams College, magna cum laude, and his medical degree from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, during which time he spent a year in radiation genetics at the Institut de Radium of the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He completed his residency at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and performed postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, Infectious Disease Society of America, the American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was Chairperson of the U.S. Fogarty Center study of “Antibiotic use and resistance worldwide” and helped write the U.S. Office of Technology Assessment report on antibiotic resistant bacteria. He consults for international and national organizations including the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Institute of Medicine, the U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA. In 1995 he received the Hoechst Roussel Award for esteemed research in antimicrobial chemotherapy from the American Society for Microbiology and has been awarded honorary degrees from Wesleyan and Des Moines Universities. Dr. Levy received the 2011 Hamao Umezawa Memorial Award by the International Society of Chemotherapy and the 2012 Abbott-ASM Lifetime Achievement Award.
Views
Levy has summarized his message by saying that he wants "prudent use of antibiotics".
The book Frontiers in antimicrobial resistance : a tribute to Stuart B. Levy is based on the work of Levy.
Bibliography
Reviews include the following:
References
External links
video of Levy speaking about antibiotic resistance
Category:1938 births
Category:2019 deaths
Category:American microbiologists
Category:Antibiotic resistance
Category:People from Wilmington, Delaware
Category:Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni
Category:Tufts University faculty
Category:Williams College alumni
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Frontier Airlines is in the midst of several network changes designed to aid its transition to becoming an ultra low-cost airline, and in the process appears to be challenging its headquarters Denver International Airport for what the airline perceives as operating charges that are rising faster than other major airports in the US.
The airline is eliminating numerous markets from Denver, mostly smaller routes that generate higher cost connecting passengers. Even as Frontier declares that higher airport costs make connecting traffic unprofitable for the airline, those markets were arguably not a good fit with the network Frontier is trying to create as it works to complete its business model transition.
Frontier is also opting to acquire larger gauge Airbus narrowbodies, a trend being adopted by major and low-cost airlines alike to drive down unit costs. All the moves Frontier is making show that the there are more chapters ot be written in its quest to attain ULCC status.
Frontier cuts small markets from Denver and opts to deploy aircraft elsewhere
At times throughout the last few years, Frontier has moved to diversify outside of Denver as Southwest grew its presence at the airport, offering a formidable competitive challenge to Frontier.
But even as Frontier added Trenton, New Jersey as a base and attempted to operate a base at Colorado Springs, Denver remained its largest base, and the airport maintains that status within Frontier’s network by a wide margin.
As Frontier works to cut its costs to ULCC levels, (Spirit’s unit costs excluding fuel and special items for the 9M ending Sep-2014 were USD5.92 cents), its network profile is also changing, and operating service to markets more suited to aircraft smaller than its Airbus narrowbodies becomes more cost prohibitive.
Most of the markets are small, and many are operated by United with smaller regional jets, presumably to connect to larger markets through United’s hub in Denver. Frontier is also cutting service to some larger markets including New York LaGuardia and Chicago Midway. But the Midway cuts are in light of Frontier’s decision to operate service from O’Hare to Denver. United, Delta and Southwest all offer service from Denver to LaGuardia, so it looks as if Frontier is using the slot to operate service from New York to Miami.
In a recent communication to employees, Frontier CEO David Siegel explained that in order to reduce its costs further, Frontier needs to “decrease our exposure to high costs, low revenue connecting passengers – all of which is driving the reallocation of aircraft into new markets”.
Based on current schedules from CAPA, and OAG for the week of 1-Dec-2014 to 7-Dec-2014, Frontier is the third largest airline in Denver based on seat deployment, with a 16% share. The airline’s share in Denver measured by ASMs is 15%.
Even as those markets make little sense for Frontier as an ultra low-cost airline, the company is attributing some of its pull-down in Denver to the airport’s higher operating costs. Mr Siegel said Frontier needed to right size its operation in Denver ahead of signing a new lease with the airport in CY2016. He argued that airport landing fees have risen 30% during the past three years.
Local news outlet The Denver Post reported that Mr Siegel’s remarks could be a negotiating tactic as lease renewal discussions commence. The newspaper highlighted a recent deal that the airport struck with its largest tenant United Airlines included the elimination of some passenger traffic goals, and agreeing to take back unleased space in exchange for United committing to maintain 9% of its system capacity at the airport through 2025.
The airport also agreed to restructure bond debt, which if approved by the city council would save airlines serving the airport USD45 million, with the bulk – USD35 million – passed on to United, according to the paper.
Obviously, Denver International Airport has its own view on Mr Siegel’s conclusions. In response to Frontier’s estimated rise in landing fees, Denver Mayor Michael Hancock in a letter to Mr Siegel published by The Denver Post observed that landing fees are largely influenced by the number and weight of aircraft. “The landed weight has decreased significantly as you and other airlines shift to fewer aircraft with higher load factors,” said Mr Hancock. He stressed the airport’s cost per passenger remains competitive, and is in the mid range of overall costs compared with other large airports. Denver’s mayor also highlighted that the city has opted to exempt aircraft parts from a 3.62% sales tax.
The move by Frontier to make public its frustration with what it claims as higher costs at Denver International is perhaps both an opening salvo in lease negotiations and a method of reinforcing its commitment to transform itself into an ultra low-cost airline. As Denver’s third largest airline, Frontier does have some leverage in the negotiations; however, under the ownership of Republic Airways Holdings Frontier briefly moved its headquarters to Indianapolis, and it is not clear how strong a commitment Frontier’s new owners Indigo partners have to Denver.
But it would obviously be difficult for Frontier to uproot its largest base and equally tough for Denver to endure a significant pull-down by its third largest airline. So it seems each side for the moment is posturing as tough lease negotiations get under way.
Frontier opts for larger narrowbodies as it works to slash costs
At the same time Frontier is positioning itself for the onset of lease negotiations with Denver International Airport, the airline is also opting to order nine Airbus A321s, the largest aircraft in Airbus' current engine option narrowbody family.
Presently, the 138-seat Airbus A319 comprises the bulk of Frontier’s 55 aircraft fleet. The airline operates 35 of the smaller narrowbodies and 20 168-seat Airbus A320s. It has 62 A320neos on order in addition to 18 A319neos.
High airport costs are not conducive to a successful ULCC model in the long term
Frontier is exhibiting a certain level of confidence by opting to publicly air its frustration with Denver’s higher costs ahead of lease renegotiations. Perhaps that confidence is fuelled by its efforts to lower its own costs, and the need to keep its costs in line with other ULCCs in order for its new business model to have staying power.
It is a different scenario than Spirit has faced in its ULCC evolution. Despite a significant domestic push during the past few years, Fort Lauderdale remains its largest base and headquarters, and the airport is known for its attractive operating costs versus nearby Miami. But Spirit also spreads itself more widely, with substantial operations also at DFW, Chicago O'Hare, Las Vegas and Detroit.
That is just one of the many differences between Frontier and Spirit, who are setting the stage to encounter one another more often in the not too distant future. Perhaps Frontier believes its current posturing with Denver International is necessary in order to ensure it competes with Spirit on a level playing field.
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Pop the Champagne—February Love Horoscopes Are Here
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Venus, the planet of love, is in Capricorn for most of February, and during this time, “quality over quantity” will be our mantra. The planet’s sojourn through Capricorn will help us get our priorities in order within our relationships, so keep an eye on the most important practices that can yield long-term success. Yes, that’s right, those with Venus in Capricorn tend to be serial monogamists. And so will the rest of us this month.
But as we know, all relationships take work, especially those that endure the tests of time. For the first half of the month, we’ll be checking our boundaries when Venus meets up with Saturn. Boundaries are protective, but they can also be limiting. Are the walls we’ve constructed not letting enough love in? Or perhaps the boundaries need to be tightened up. Overall, this aspect is about growth and maturity in our relationships. It can help us decide what level of commitment is appropriate for us right now.
The third week of the month brings another wave of intensity to the love department. Themes of deep desire, emotional uprooting and vulnerability can lead us toward next-level intimacy. Deep healing can take place when we have the courage to be honest with ourselves about what we need in love. This can also manifest as magnetic, deeply passionate sex, so be ready. The only caution here is that Venus conjunct Pluto can also reveal obsessive qualities that leave us with tunnel vision, abandoning common sense.
Venus goes for round three when she squares off with Uranus at the end of the month. Enough seriousness has taken place, and now we need some fresh air to lighten up. Venus/Uranus aspects crave freedom and openness in our relationships. On one hand, reaching new levels of honesty in your relationship can bring a sense of freedom. Though, on the other, if it’s been like a tough-mudder race from beginning to end of the month, it might be time to say “lose my number.” Overall, February is here to upgrade our relationships. Here’s what’s in store for your sign.
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Aries
Shake it up! This month your ruling planet, Mars, finishes its run through your very own sign, Aries. Not only is this offering you a renewed spark of motivation and a sense of “I can do anything,” but it is sending that sex drive through the roof. And that pedal is to the metal at the onset of the month when Mars squares off with Pluto. Essentially, you are going to need p-l-e-n-t-y of physical outlets this month. We’re talking P90X followed by off-the-hook hookups. If you don’t find these outlets, you might self-implode, so seek outlets that serve you. You’re feeling strong, but you’re also feeling wild. In the middle of the month, a desire to experiment helps you get creative in the bedroom (or anywhere, really), so be open to giving life to some of the fantasies you or your partner has always wanted to try.
Love Language: physical touch
Valentine’s Day: Preorder plastic sheets one week in advance
Best Days for Romance: February 5, 9–10, 17–18, 21–22
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Taurus
What is love? The way you’ve always defined love may no longer be working for you. This month, you’re rewriting the laws of love in your life. You might consider new ways to think about love, how to define it, and what it represents for you. That said, your career is the main event this month, paralleling a new moon in your career house on February 4. Yes, new opportunities and new beginnings abound in your professional life, leaving you with little energy left for anything else at the beginning of the month. And not to worry, as it looks like your partner is busy doing their thing as well. Single? You may have a secret admirer. Distance makes the heart grow fonder until Mars enters your sign on Valentine’s Day, bringing more passion and excitement into your life. Now you’re ready to lay it on thick. Slow and smooth is your style, and you’re a sucker for a good buildup.
Love Language: receiving gifts (specifically, handmade chocolates)
Valentine’s Day: Wine and dine me, and then let’s do it in the laundry room.
Best Days for Romance: February 6–7, 11–12, 19–20, 23–24
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Gemini
Immerse yourself. An intellectual connection is *huge* for you. You are attracted to people who make you laugh, love a good adventure, and those who (like you) don’t take anything too seriously. This month, intimacy and trust can deepen if this is something you are open to. With Venus cruising through your eighth house of trust, shared finances and intimacy, you may be looking for a more serious commitment. Make your feelings known. Communication is your forte, except when it comes to baring your soul. Being truthful about your desire for more closeness might be the next step in creating a more rewarding dynamic (on top of the killer jokes and late-night pillow-talk where no subject is left unturned). You tend to be attracted to people who are carefree, which is all well and good, but sometimes they are all too willing to sit back without any hurry to get to a destination. Leave that to you this month, Gemini. You’re driving the ship.
Love Language: words of affirmation
Valentine’s Day: It’s just a card holiday, but I still bought you a funny card.
Best Days for Romance: February 13–14, 21–22, 25–27
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Cancer
Refinement through relationships. Venus, the planet of love, strolls through your seventh house of partnership, where she will join up with Saturn, the planet of maturity. Saturn has been clearing house for about the past year, showing you where your relationships are unsupportive and where you need to step it up. Chances are that this past fall featured a big make-or-break in your love life. It’s true, Cancer, it’s all too easy for you to step into the roll of either caretaker or child in a relationship, and now it’s time for the scales to balance. You want to feel like you are growing in your relationships, and since emotional security is a top priority for you, it’s important that both you and your partner feel equally cared for in your relationship. Find someone who you can count on and who you are excited to show up for.
Leo
Love is all you need. Your ruling planet is none other than the life-giving Sun, mirrored by your inherent warmth, creativity, and generosity. This month, the Sun continues its sojourn through your house of partnership. You may discover yourself going the distance for love. The only challenge will be making the time for it. You are busy these days, Leo. Venus travels through your sixth house of work, so even if you’re hooking up with your hot coworker, you’ll still be going out of your way to make love happen. And we don’t doubt your flirtation skills. Expect a super-fun hookup or two during the week of Valentine’s Day, when you are emboldened to be especially forward with what you want. Go ahead and send that sultry text. You’re feeling frisky and up for a fun time (just the thing to distract you from the hefty workload you’ve taken on). Live it up!
Love Language: words of affirmation
Valentine’s Day: Talk dirty to me
Best Days for Romance: Feb 3–5, 8–12, 19–20, 23–24, 28
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Virgo
Let it happen. Part of the fun of being buttoned up is getting unbuttoned. Allow your imagination to run away with you as Venus rolls through your fifth house of creativity and romance. Though with Saturn to contend with, spontaneity may not be your friend this time around. Sketch romance into the planner. You’re right, planning your love seshes like you would a dentist appointment is not the most glamorous move. But hey, this is the modern era, not a 1950s cowboy movie, and you never know how sexy things can get when both parties are looking forward to it. So dare to dream anyway. Role-playing can be especially gratifying right now. Mars tears through your eighth house, uncovering your deepest fears and desires. This can be immensely revelatory and healing when given the proper platform, so you might as well get kinky.
Love Language: words of affirmation
Valentine’s Day: Dinner for two, co-imagining your future, or get into costume. Meow!
Best Days for Romance: Feb 1–4, 8–9, 13, 19–20, 26
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Libra
Be playful! A New Moon in your fifth house of creativity on February 4 helps you connect with your heartspace and invite more romance into your world. And lucky for you, you’ll be feeling this all month. Open your heart and let it lead you. That said, the more the heart can trust, the more open it can be. Whether you are single or attached, you’re thinking about the kinds of relationships that nourish you. Whether you live together or you’re hooking up on the weekends, respect is super important for you. Be mindful of who you let in and you’ll be good to go. Mars in your seventh house brings passion to the relationship front, though passion has many ways of expressing itself. Friction creates heat. You’ll either have steam coming out of your ears or out of the bedroom. While arguments certainly have their value, some experts say that if you are fighting too much with your partner, you aren’t having enough sex, so try that one on for size.
Scorpio
Talk about it. Yes, we know this is hard for you. At times, you don’t even know what you’re feeling. All you know is that you feel. So. Incredibly. Deeply. With Venus moving through your third house of communication, one of the ways that your relationships can deepen is if you open up to one another. This goes for all relationships, but especially if you are in a committed partnership. You’re big on taking time to process, but “talk-therapy” is a booming industry for a reason. By the end of the month, you’ll discover more things about yourself, your pals, and your partner, thus achieving that next-level freedom in your relationships you crave. You can get down with authenticity. So go ahead and ask for what you want instead of waiting for them to give it to you.
Sagittarius
Primal Attraction. With Mars traveling through your fifth house of sex and romance, you are feeling friskier than ever. With a trine from Mars to your ruling planet Jupiter, your libido may as well be through the roof. You’re ready for a romp, so put on something sexy and let ’em know. As Mars collides with Uranus around V-day, there isn’t anything that’s off the table, and this goes beyond the bedroom, so take heed—it may be all too tempting to stay out all night. You’re down to roll the dice and live in the moment this month, so live it up now and catch up on sleep later. With Mercury in your third house of communication, clever pickup lines will be your forte this month. Sizzle, sizzle!
Love Language: physical touch
Valentine’s Day: Come over and I’ll show you a good time.
Best Days for Romance: Feb 1–4, 8–9, 13, 19–20, 26
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Capricorn
Love you madly. There’s something about you that draws us in closer this month. Suddenly you’re jaw-droppingly beautiful and everyone has a reason to text you. You can thank Venus, the planet of beauty for that added radiance and beauty this month as she moves through your first house. It’s true, we can’t get enough of you. Love is surely in the cards for you this month. Especially once Mars enters your fifth house of romance and hookups on Valentine’s Day. At which point, the road is clear for mind-blowing sex that you won’t mind staying up too late and skipping the gym for. No worries—you’ll find more creative ways to get the workout in this month. And don’t forget to work your magic. If there’s a big idea you’ve been waiting to pitch, now’s the time to get people on board.
Love Language: acts of service.
Valentine’s Day: Make reservations at the classiest sushi bar in town.
Best Days for Romance: February 11–12 15–19
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Aquarius
Strangelove. Try not to get too down in the dumps about the pitfalls of online dating. As you know, relationships weren’t necessarily better just because they were simpler back in the day. This month, Venus is here to help you do some digging. There’s a quality of “hidden” around love and intimacy that is waiting to be uncovered this month. Hidden treasure? Only one way to find out. On some level, it seems like the usual affections aren’t as available to you right now, which leads you to contemplate the social framework of relationships. Maybe what we’re doing no longer fits our modern needs? As an innovative air sign, if anyone’s gonna figure it out, it’s you. In the meantime, Mars and Jupiter energize the communication and friendship sectors of your chart, so invite everyone out for a birthday bar crawl. Because for you, the best kind of love is simply knowing people are there for you. Full stop.
Love Language: quality time (just don’t make a big thing out of it)
Valentine’s Day: You hate it.
Best Days for Romance: Feb 11–15, 17,18
Illustration by PHUONG NGUYEN
Pisces
Just a friend. It’s true. You are quite the romantic, Pisces. You crave a transcendent kind of love that tells a story worthy of a feature film. But until you meet your match, here’s a well-known secret: Friendship is one of the keys to long-lasting love. Sure, love notes and heroic gestures are spectacular, but playing video games together can be just as magical. Venus lights up your friendship sector this month, so no need for anything fancy ATM. How about a brewery tour? Or sledding and hot chocolate? Don’t take it too seriously, and it can only go up from there. Not in a relationship? Someone who’s been crushing on you could make their feelings known just in time for Valentine’s Day. Might it be one of your friends? You’ll have to report back.
Love Language: words of affirmation.
Valentine’s Day: Spread out some rose petals on the bed.
Best Days for Romance: Feb 15–16, 19, 20,
Catherine Urban is an astrologer, writer, and all-around cosmic-consultant. Find out more about relationships, astrology, and love by booking a reading or follow along @AstroCatherine on Instagram and Twitter.
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Thor Blu-Ray Review
Thor is perhaps my favorite Marvel Comics superhero so I admit to drinking deep from the well of geekdom when it comes to him. Thor arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD Tuesday as the anticipation grows for next year’s Avengers film. Thor is helmed by veteran Shakespearean actor and director Kenneth Branagh who uses that background for mostly good and a little bad. Thor certainly boasts the most superlative cast of any previous Marvel film including Academy Award winners Anthony Hopkins Natalie Portman.
We meet Thor (Hemsworth) as an egotistical and reckless young God and heir to the throne of Asgard. As he is about to be named Asgard’s next King by his father Odin (Hopkins) the ceremony is interrupted when Frost Giants try to steal the Casket of Ancient Winters. Thor insists the Frost Giants have broken the peace agreement between Asgard and Jotumheim and urges his father to let him lead an attack on the Giants. Odin refuses to go to war but Thor ignores Odin’s command and gathers Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Sif (Jaimie Alexander) and the Warriors Three to journey to Jotunheim to confront their King, Laufey. For his disobedience Thor is stripped of his powers and banished to Earth along with his hammer. Of course we know from Iron Man 2 that Mjolnir is found by agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in New Mexico and a research facility is assembled around the hammer (since it can’t be moved) so it can be studied.
Meanwhile Thor is found by astrophysicist Jane Foster (Portman), her assistant Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings) and mentor Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård). While Thor copes with the loss of his powers on Earth, things on Asgard are little better. Odin has fallen into the “Odinsleep”, a kind of hibernation that allows him to re-charge his life force. Loki uses Thor’s banishment to seize the throne of Asgard and eliminate Thor once and for all by sending the indestructible Destroyer to Earth to kill Thor.
The five-star cast doesn’t disappoint. Hopkins’ Odin may not be as physically imposing as he is in the comics but he still manages to be a commanding presence. When he strips Thor of his powers and hammer Thor is like a little boy sent to his bedroom without dinner. Marvel continues to make the right choices for their lead characters. Just as Robert Downey Jr. IS Iron Man and Tony Stark, the relatively unknown Hemsworth seems to have been a gift from the Norse Gods themselves. He looks the part and more importantly, he feels the part. He brings the right amount of ego and humility to Thor and helps the young King-in-waiting to come of age. Hiddleston played the tragic villain to the hilt and despite his machinations against Thor you couldn’t help but have empathy for his character.
The design of Asgard is like a Jack Kirby comic come to life…Asgard’s majesty is striking with its gold-spired towers and majestic palaces. Branagh has made sure that Asgard and its residents look every bit as regal as you’d expect. And wow…Heimdall, guardian of the Rainbow Bridge was one bad-ass Asgardian. Branagh, however, spent too much time on the soap opera elements of Asgard to the detriment of the main character. There’s simply not enough Thor but this is somewhat understandable. Thor’s background is far more complex than the average superhero and so you can look past the lengthy exposition of Thor’s home life.
Without a doubt Thor was the most ambitious Marvel film to date and Branagh has set the bar very high and hopefully Avengers Director, Joss Whedon can continue along the same path.
Blu-Ray Extras
Audio Commentary with Kenneth Branagh
Marvel one-shot: The Consultant (3:57) this is a mini-movie featuring S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) discussing with another agent what to do about Emil Blonsky aka The Abomination as they decide to send in “Consultant” to speak to General Ross. This scene ties into the after the credits scene in The Incredible Hulk film.
From Asgard to Earth (19:42) The longest featurette looks at the design of Asgard and how most of it was created with actual physical sets as opposed to green screen effects and much is discussed about Jack Kirby’s influence.
Our Fearless Leader (3:18) – Short featurette where the cast basically gushes about working with Director Kenneth Branagh
Assembling the Troupe (4:44) – A short look at each of the main cast members including Hemsworth, Portman, Hopkins, and Hiddleston
Hammer Time (6:14) – Creating Thor’s magic hammer. Numerous designs were created for the hammer and the featurette also examines the many powers of Mjolnir.
Creating Laufey (5:33) A look at Colm Feore and his outstanding performance as the Frost Giant King Laufey
Music of the Gods (2:05) – A discussion with the film’s composer Patrick Doyle
A Conversation (2:23) - J. Michael Straczynski, who wrote the story, and Stan Lee visit the set
Road to the Avengers (2:57) – A promotional bit hyping next year’s Avengers film
Deleted Scenes with Commentary (24:34) – a mix of deleted and extended scenes. There are a few really nice bits here. One features Thor speaking with his mother Frigga before his planned coronation. In another, Frigga confronts Odin after he banishes Thor. This was a great soon and should have been left in as it shows how much the decision hurt Odin. There’s also a scene with a drunken Thor and Dr. Selving stumbling down the streets of town singing a song.
COMMENTS AND RESPONSES
I loved this movie & want to own it, but what ticks me off is the only way to get the special features is to buy the BR/DVD combo pack for $30. I don't have BR and I don't want it. So I'm stuck as to how to get the special features.
spider, if you do buy a BR wait till Xmas season on Amazon, you'll be able to get Thor for $10-20 along with all the other new releases...I think I got the blu ray season of Spartacus last Christmas for under $20. So it will come down, just be patient. You've waited this long, what's a couple more months? That's what I'm doing.
Next up on the review front, correct me if I'm wrong, is the complete star wars saga...well, complete special edition saga.
Jedi...that's always tough to tell as I think picture/sound quality often depends now on the quality of your equipment unlike the old days when pretty much everyone had the same type of TV. Now with plasma, LED, LCD, 3D it really depends. I have an average LED TV but a pretty nice set of auxillary speakers and can create a fairly nice theater type of experience. I thought it looked and sounded fantastic
thanks Tim, I understand. I'm set-up with a great plasma and top of the line DTS 7.1 surround sound so, I thrive for quality.
spiderhero: It's ok, not everyone loves BR....but to be honest, you're the first person I've heard saying this in...ever. For me, the more bright and perfect the picture is, the better it is. I've just watched Pirates of the Carrebean (the first) and man oh man, is it perfect picture.
Often neglected, besides the fact that the Blu ray can actually enhance your current DVDs, it also gives you access to online movie, TV and music sources (I was able to get rid of my cable completely...which dramatically lowered my monthly entertainment costs.) Yes, you can do that with an XBox, but not all of us are gamers. I'd skip going to the next three or four movies that you want to see and purchase a Blu ray. It would cost about as much as few nights out to the theatre. Maybe less. And, you don't have to buy BR movies to get better quality movie viewing. My LOTR DVDs look fantastic on my player.
Jedi: I've seen the first Pirates playing in Best Buy n their top of the line BR/HDTV set up and didn't like the looks. But that's just me I guess. People don't sparkle & shine in real life they do on BR unless they're emo vampires.
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This is what he and several of journalists left The Washington Post for. It’s early, but I’m impressed. There is still much work to done, however, to really make this new news organization stand out.
Here are my early thoughts:
The design is simple — There is nothing about the Web design of Vox.com that is eye popping. The site is clean, simple and easy to use. The design probably took less time to build than a lot of metro newspaper websites. Good design is about saying no, not yes. When you look at most journalism websites, it looks like no was almost never said no, except when it came to trying new things. Vox.com isn’t cluttered with random crap that most people don’t want. That’s the beauty of its design. Also, the design works very well on mobile, which is key to harnessing social media traffic properly. I also imagine Vox.com is aimed at a lot of educated, urban users who will read stories on their way to work on public transportation or at coffee shops on breaks. This website is perfect for those kinds of users.
The content is delicious and slightly esoteric — Naturally I’m a fan. Vox.com is a general interest site, except it’s not. It’s a general interest site for people who share Ezra Klein’s taste, just as Daring Fireball is a general interest site for those who share John Gruber’s taste in tech. It’s a site aimed at educated, urban, urbane readers who care about policy. Frankly, it’s a website that appeals more to your typical white-collar DC-area worker than the Washington Post does. I think general interest news sites are a tough business when they try to appeal to everyone. That’s what metro newspapers have traditional done, and while it worked in print, it’s a tougher sell online. Vox.com is a general interest website aimed at a niche audience. I think it’s the only way general interest can work on the Web. I also would think that advertisers are pretty excited about this site.
I love the Vox Conversations videos — There is nothing fancy technologically about these videos, just a big heaping of taste. The quality is high, and the videos are well thought out and edited. This isn’t smartphone journalism. This is video that would make Charlie Rose and TED proud. Lots of news organizations could do the same thing, but video like this takes time to build. These conversations are the kind of videos, however, that will be relevant for a long time to come, like TED Talks, which allows you to have higher production costs. The idea of producing tons of journalism each day is incongruous with high quality. These videos showcase that.
Cards are Wikipedia-esque way to explain large stories — I’d suggest firing this feature up on a mobile device to really get the full effect. Essentially cards are a way to explain by topics, such as the Ukraine Crisis, in more manageable chunks. Think of it as a more approachable Wikipedia that is more tightly edited on current hot-button topics. This is also a way to give context to stories. And Cards are a nice way to present ads to users every few clicks and swipes without detracting from the main content. Cards are kind of a high-brow way to do slideshows on important topics. Every news organization that has covered what is going on in Ukraine should have an explainer feature about what is going on. Just reporting on the day-to-day goings on with Ukraine and Russia doesn’t educate users on the why. News organizations should care more about the why. Cards are all about the why. The true value of cards, however, won’t be realized until they can be linked to additional reporting.
The lack of comments and community features is disappointing — News websites feel dead without community. Even though Vox.com features a nice design that works well on all my devices, and has stories that speak to me, the inability to read what people think and share my own opinions leaves me detached from this site. I don’t comment on most journalism sites that I read, but just reading the comments that are left (at least on the sites that build strong communities), enriches the experience and makes me feel a part of something bigger. The comments on nytimes.com, for instance, are fantastic and often extend the story significantly. I hope we see community features added soon, because Vox.com just doesn’t feel complete right now.
Excellent use of charts and data — I’m not talking about big data or fancy data-drive projects. I’m talking about putting in easy-to-read charts and graphs when they help tell a story. Does your story involve data of some sort? It should have at least one data visualization. That could be as simple as an Excel chart.
I dig the yellow color — Yellow is not a common color for websites. I’m grown weary of seeing so many blue websites or black and white color palettes for news organization. The yellow works well on several levels. Not only does Vox.com feel fresh like spring, but the yellow also reminds a user of highlighting a college textbook. Vox.com is a general interest news website, but it also wants to be educated and wonkish. The yellow color and the way links look like underlines in a textbook really underscore that. They even made links look like a real highlighter went over them by not being symmetrical. It’s a nice touch.
Text could be bigger — The text on Vox.com is bigger than most news organizations (some news organizations seem to want to make reading as difficult as possible), but I’d still like to see it bigger. Larger text is easier on the eyes, making reading easier for longer periods of time. For a site that wants to be wonkish and bookish, bigger type would help accomplish that. Bigger type is also easier on older eyes and people with vision issues. Medium does the best job of any website with text. I love the size and font choices they made. I’d like to see Vox.com adopt something similar.
Look Mom, no Flash! — The videos are viewable without Flash. Every news website needs to do this. It’s no surprise that a tech-focused company like Vox would use HTML 5 for everything, but it’s still worth mentioning.
I’d like to see higher resolution video — This is also a complaint that I have with another Vox property, The Verge. I’d love to be able to see some of their videos in higher resolution. The initial Vox Conversations video is soft and highly compressed. This keeps costs down and helps with loading times, but I’d like to see an option for at least high quality 720p video. Heck, I’d probably chip in $10 a year just for this feature. A lot of people won’t care about this, but it’s a premium feature that some may enjoy.
For those wondering, we’ll be launching a new responsive design this summer for the Interchange Project. This design was hastily hacked together. I’m excited to put all of my previous Web knowledge together with everything I’ve learned in my Human-computer Interaction master’s program.
Christened with the new name last month, the four year-old platform is now much more than a CMS. It comes with nearly every tool that’s needed for publishing, all tightly connected. And it’s already powering hundreds of SB Nation sports fan sites around the country, plus our gadget-oriented pseudo-competitors over at The Verge, forthcoming gaming site Polygon, and whatever else Vox decides to launch (I’ve heard there’s one coming about cars, for example).
I’ve used a lot of CMSes in my day. None sound nearly this good. Joshua Topolsky described The Verge’s CMS as a living, breathing Web app that is ongoing continuos development. I’ve never seen a publication talk about their CMS like that before, nor have I seen top editors care so deeply about their CMS.
Top editors should care. The quality of a CMS can greatly impact the quality of a website. What makes Chorus so interesting is not only does it support virtually unheard of features such as layout functionality (look at how The Verge’s posts are unique compared to other news sites and can change from one post to the next), but it also combines story assignment and management with writing.
It’s one Web app that seeks to manage the entire editorial workflow. Nothing else is like this. For an editorial website, this is a huge competitive advantage that should allow them to produce more stories by reducing some of the management overhead needed for managing the story creation and editing process.
WordPress was the only CMS that I have enjoyed and thought was well built. It feels like it was built by people who were trying to make a product that they would actually use. You don’t want a CMS from a bunch consultants who have never worked in your industry or cared about it.
WordPress is very malleable and with its plugin system, companies can create fairly unique installations of it. But if you can have the money and time, developing your own custom platform may give your company a competitive advantage.
Usually, I would reocmmend staying away from a proprietary CMS like Chorus. Open source usually ends up better in the long run because of better support, future development and a larger community of developers around the platform. This advice, however, does not apply if you are actvely developing and interating on your own CMS and willing to invest significant ongoing development resources into it.
What Vox appears to have built is a CMS that fits their needs perfectly, in a way that neither an open source CMS nor a proprietary one from a vender could. When I look at The Verge compared with TechCrunch, Mashable, Engadget and other tech sites, I see a unique site. The Verge stands out with its story streams, advanced commenting controls, unique layouts for stories, advanced ways of navigating stories and other features.
If managing content is a major part of what your company does, and you’re a large enough company, perhaps it does make sense to invest in developing your own platform. When you develop your own platform, your programmers and content creators can work together to create a platform that fits your exact needs:
“We don’t throw things over the fence,” explains Trei Brundrett, the company’s vice president of product and technology. “We map our development plan around the tools that our editorial and advertising teams tell us they need, and then rapidly evolve the product based on data and feedback.”
As odd as this sounds, that’s not how things usually work at journalism organizations.
One of the things that surprised and heartened me when I came to The Post 10 months ago was the tremendous amount of innovation going on.
Hardly a week goes by without the Web site or newspaper launching some feature, or a venture to attract more revenue, or a blog, or a social media innovation. Just since I have been here, The Post has redesigned its Web site; installed a new content management system; pioneered the Facebook social reader, which tracks and announces what your Facebook friends are reading; added a team of policy bloggers to Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog; revised its comment system for readers; added a ton more news videos online; started The Root DC, a site aimed at African American readers; and probably about 10 other things I can’t remember.
The answer to innovating too fast really depends on your position as a company. If you’re a dominate company, racking in profits, perhaps spending too much time and money on new stuff would be a mistake. Targeted R&D in the Apple mold produces better results than the spaghetti-on-the-wall R&D of Google. But there isn’t a newspaper company that is an Apple or a Google.
If you are a company in a besieged industry that is rapidly disappearing, I don’t think it’s possible to innovate too fast. Does anyone really think that the newspaper industry is in the situation it is in today because it innovated too fast?
But it is important to draw a distinction between new initiatives and innovation. Thus the proper questions are, “Are the new initiatives we are trying the correct ones? Are we spending our time wisely? Do we have the proper setup to ensure innovation?”
The Washington Post and many other news organizations are certainly trying a lot of new things. I wouldn’t call that innovation. New initiatives that resonate with users, drive traffic and ultimately help a news organization make money (and thus employ staffers) should be considered innovation. New initiatives that push journalism forward should be considered innovation and ultimately encouraged.
By this measure, I would say the Post and other news organizations need a lot more innovation. Particularly missing right now is innovation on the business model front. While The New York Times has been experimenting with different ways to make money, most notably its pay meter, I don’t recall any serious initiatives from the Post when it comes to business models. That’s innovation that the Post could sorely use.
Pexton does cite that several Post users complain that washingtonpost.com is becoming cluttered. I think that’s a fair point. I find Washington Post story pages to be distracting and hard to read (almost built for Instapaper and Reader to declutter them). This isn’t due to too much innovation, but rather far too little restraint.
This is an issue afflicting most legacy news organizations. The experience of focusing on and enjoying an individual story is rapidly disappearing beneath an avalanche of chrome: social media widgets, ads that are far too distracting and rarely relevant, polls that are unrelated to the story at hand, links to unrelated content on the site, newsletter signups, etc, etc.
My guess is that Pexton, and the employees at the Post agreeing with him, haven’t thought too deeply about what innovation at a news organization looks like. I’d suggest they check out the new tech news site The Verge. They have real innovation like story streams that allow them to create micro-blogs for big, ongoing stories. Their reviews feature layout and typography that makes them feel more like an interactive magazine spread, complete with very high-caliber video reviews and charts.
While the Post may have rolled out a new content management system and design (the site doesn’t look or feel much different to me, the end user), you can tell The Verge has a CMS unlike what traditional news outlets have. The site looks and feels different to end users. It’s what innovation feels like.
Perhaps Pexton should ask his colleagues why the Post’s website doesn’t look and feel nearly as a good as The Verge. There is no good reason it doesn’t.
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Tags
Ukrainian Viladis Porrtov, playing in the Judo team of Gebze Youth and Sports Department embraced Islam and changed his name as Omer. 15 years old Judoist expressed his excitement and happiness for becoming a Muslim.
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Himalayan pika
The Himalayan pika (Ochotona himalayana) is a species of small mammal in the pika family (Ochotonidae). It is found at high altitudes in remote areas of Tibet and possibly also in Nepal. The IUCN has listed this species as being of "least concern".
Taxonomy
The Himalayan pika was first described by Feng in 1973. Before that it was thought to by synonymous with Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) and it is found wholly within the range of that species. However, molecular studies by Yu et al. (2000) confirmed that it was a separate species. There are no recognised subspecies.
Distribution and habitat
The Himalayan pika is native to the northern side of the Himalayas in the Tibet Autonomous Region in the Mount Everest area at altitudes of . There have been claims that it is present in Nepal on the southern side of the mountain range but this has not been authenticated. The typical habitat of this species is rocky places, screes, walls and cliffs in the vicinity of coniferous forests.
Behaviour
The Himalayan pika is a small mammal about long and very similar in appearance to Royle's pika. It is particularly active early in the morning and again at nightfall and feeds on various types of plant material. It produces litters of three or four young.
Status
The Himalayan pika lives in remote mountainous areas where it has little association with man. No particular threats have been identified and the International Union for Conservation of Nature list it as being of "least concern". The IUCN advocates that more research should be undertaken on its ecology and population status.
References
Himalayan pika
Category:Fauna of Eastern Himalaya
Category:Fauna of Tibet
Himalayan pika
Category:Taxonomy articles created by Polbot
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ANSWERS1) c. Assuming you ate healthfully before you became pregnant, add 300 calories a day during your second and third trimesters. A total daily intake of 2,500 calories is about right; eat more if you’re very active. Also—need we say it—pecan pie is not the most nutritionally sound way to get your calories.
2) b. Normal-weight women may gain 3 to 5 pounds during the first trimester (although some women don’t gain any weight and some lose a few pounds, which is normal), and up to 1 pound a week thereafter, for a total of 25 to 35 pounds. That’s a substantial but reasonable amount of heft, meant to be nurtured and not despaired or dieted away. Weight-gain guidelines differ for women who are under- or overweight, so check with your doctor.
3) e. However, some of these menu options are more practical than others. Adding foods rich in folate, such as dried legumes, dark green vegetables and oranges, to your diet is wise. But since getting enough of these on an everyday basis can be challenging (the requirement jumps to 600 mcg of folate a day once you’re pregnant), take a multivitamin containing 100 percent of the daily value of folic acid as insurance. And while drinking 4 cups of orange juice will fulfill your daily requirement for folate before you are pregnant, it’s not recommended (unless you own stock in the citrus industry and you don’t mind taking on the shape of an orange from all those extra calories).
4) d. According to the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C., a woman needs 1,000 milligrams of calcium each day, whether or not she is pregnant. That’s the equivalent of 3 1/3 cups of milk, or way more oyster shells than your teeth can safely pulverize.
5) c. The Institute of Medicine recommends 101 ounces of liquid a day from water, milk, juice, other beverages and food (especially fruit and vegetables). We recommend that at least 64 ounces (eight glasses) come from water. Juice and soda are fine in moderation, but one serving a day of either is ample.
6) c. Although prunes (now called dried plums; prunes have an image problem), pears and whole-wheat bread are fine sources of fiber—weighing in at 3.6 grams for a half-dozen prunes, 7.6 grams for four slices of bread and 7.8 grams for two pears—100% bran cereal wins, with nearly 15 grams of fiber per 3/4 cup serving. No reliable data are available on hay.
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Immunohistochemical study of epithelial cell proliferation in hyperplastic polyps, adenomas, and adenocarcinomas of the large bowel.
A monoclonal antibody to bromodeoxyuridine was used in tissue specimens previously incubated with bromodeoxyuridine to show S-phase cells by immunohistochemical technique. Biopsy specimens of normal mucosa (n = 10), hyperplastic polyps (n = 10), adenomas with low-grade dysplasia (n = 20), adenomas with high-grade dysplasia (n = 10), and invasive adenocarcinomas (n = 10) of the large bowel were studied. Labeling index and cell proliferative patterns were analyzed. No statistically significant difference was found in labeling index between normal mucosa and hyperplastic polyps or between adenomas with high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinomas. The labeling index was significantly lower in normal mucosa and in hyperplastic polyps than in adenomas and adenocarcinomas (p less than 0.001). The difference in labeling index between adenomas with high-grade dysplasia and low-grade dysplasia was also statistically significant (0.01 less than p less than 0.05). In normal mucosa and in hyperplastic polyps the proliferative zone was confined to the lower two-thirds of the crypt; no kinetic activity was found in the upper portions of the crypt or in surface epithelium. In adenomas the labeled cells were either present in the upper third or scattered along the whole axis of the crypt and in the surface epithelium. Labeling patterns in invasive carcinomas were similar to those observed in adenomas with high-grade dysplasia. The difference in proliferative patterns between hyperplastic polyps and adenomas supports a different significance of the two polypoid lesions in the histogenesis of large bowel cancer; our results confirm the subsequent steps of the adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Immunohistochemical labeling patterns observed with monoclonal antibody to bromodeoxyuridine in polypoid and cancer lesions of the large bowel are similar to those described by autoradiographic studies.
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Everything You Need to Know About the New York Soda Ban
It's official: The New York City Board of Health on Thursday unanimously approved Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial proposal to ban the sale of large sugary drinks in the majority of the city's food-serving establishments.
The law won't go into effect until March 12, 2013, and business owners will be given a three-month grace period before they'll be fined for non-compliance. But today's ruling formally puts into motion the unrolling of an unprecedented number of regulations on how residents and visitors in America's largest city will consume soda and other high-sugar beverages in the future. Here's what you need to know:
Beverage Size: 16 ounces is the official upper limit on any sort of high-sugar drink, whether from a fountain or in a prepackaged bottle or can.
Beverages Included in the Ban: All varieties of non-diet sodas; sweetened teas, energy drinks or fruit drinks with more than 25 calories per 8 ounces (so yes, that means Honest Tea, too).
Beverages Not Included in the Ban: Drinks that are at least 70-percent fruit or vegetable juice, alcoholic beverages, or dairy-based drinks like lattes and milkshakes that contain more than 50 percent milk. It remains unclear whether Starbucks Frappuccinos, which contain milk but may not pass the 50 percent threshold, will be spared.
Businesses That Must Comply: Only establishments that receive a grade from the city's health department are included in the ban, so that means sit-down restaurants, fast-food restaurants, delis, movie theaters, stadiums and arenas, and mobile food carts and trucks will all be affected by the new rule.
Businesses Not Included: Supermarkets and most convenience stores don't get the same kind of food service grade from the health department, so 7-Eleven "Big Gulp" drinks will continue to exist in New York, at least for the time being. The same would hold true for newsstands and vending machines.
Is There a Chance This Could Be Overturned? It's possible. The Wall Street Journal reported today that opponents of the law, who range from representatives across the entire spectrum of the soda and beverage industry to civil libertarians who object to such fine-grained nanny state measures, "are exploring all possible paths to prevent the new ban from taking effect next year, including the possibility of a legal challenge." Still, Mayor Bloomberg has had a lot of success over the years convincing New Yorkers that his strident public health initiatives are a good idea, ranging from bans on smoking in public parks to trans fats to rules requiring restaurants to post calorie content information.
Is This Going to Happen in Other Cities? We think so. Refer to Eric Jaffe's analysis, including a brilliant Venn Diagram, on which cities have been quickest to copy Bloomberg's lead on public health laws to discover whether your city might be a candidate for a soda ban.
Top image: Benjamin Lesczynski, 8, of New York, takes a sip of a "Big Gulp" while protesting the New York soda ban on July 9, 2012. (Andrew Burton / Reuters)
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Fluorophotometric studies on postmortem changes in porcine corneal endothelial barrier functions.
Using an in vitro fluorophotometric technique, we studied the effect of postmortem storage duration on the endothelial barrier function of porcine corneas. A marked decay in endothelial barrier function was demonstrated that correlated with duration of storage. This decay appears to be nearly complete after 2 weeks of storage. This loss of barrier function correlated grossly with ultrastructural changes demonstrated on scanning electron microscopy.
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The Sony RX1 Digital Camera Review Part 1: 1st Thoughts, 1st Samples, Auto Focus, and JPEG’s
Welcome to Part 1 of my Sony RX1 Real World Review. This will be the “Meat & Potatoes” of the review with the next installment (part 2) touching on performance aspects as well as the pros and cons of real world use. By the end of the final part in this review you will have all of the info you need as well as loads of samples from JPEG, RAW, crops, ISO tests, crop mode shots, full size samples as well as my thoughts on durability, lack of an EVF, cost, accesory reviews and much more.
But any way you look at it this camera is special. It is REVOLUTIONARY instead of EVOLUTIONARY. I will go over it’s amazing abilities as well as areas where it fails. So hold on, sit back and enjoy part 1 which is going to cover the main aspects of the Sony RX1 with some JPEG samples and my thoughts on what Sony did right and did wrong with the design. Enjoy. Part 2 will be up in 1-2 weeks with full size RAW samples and more high ISO across the entire range from 50-25,600 and EVF/OVF thoughts and images.
PART 2 of the review is HERE
The whole shebang..the RX1 means business.
What is the Sony RX1?
It’s a natural-light image-taking motivating and surprisingly sweet MONSTER! Seriously though, for those that do not know what the Sony RX1 is, well, it is the 1st of its kind and no, Canon or Nikon did not pull it off, Sony did. To make a long story short it is a full frame 35mm sensor compact camera with a stellar FIXED 35mm Zeiss lens attached. This has its pros and cons but I like to find the pros for a fixed lens camera and with the RX1 there are loads of them. This camera has a pro build, pro feel and the performance is astonishing. About as good as it gets in 35mm.
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I will say this right now. Personally, I’d take an RX1 over a Nikon D4 ANY DAY OF THE WEEK (due to size and weight). Regardless of cost. Yea, the image quality is THAT good and the size..well the RX1 can fit in my coat pocket. I had a D4 here for a month and between the size and weight and large lenses I was let down. The RX1 is giving me better results and images than I got with the D4 only because the RX1 would go with me EVERYWHERE. I mean..EVERYWHERE. Please notice the key word in my statement “I’d” – as in ME. I would take an RX1 over a D4. I do not need an elaborate flash system, super wide angle lenses, 400mm telephoto lenses or the things a DSLR brings to the table. This is not what the Sony RX1 is all about. Instead, it is about portability and super high image quality that has almost no compromise when it comes to that image quality. Throw it in your coat pocket, small bag or purse and GO.
This is a camera that no one else has dared make, probably to avoid hurting their DSLR sales. Sony who grew some big balls with the NEX-7 just grew them bigger with the RX-1.
Waiting for a Home – Sony RX1 – f/2 – *from RAW* – click for larger
Sony’s own words on the RX1:
“Settling for nothing less than the best possible image quality, Sony aligned the bright 35mm Carl Zeiss lens and 35mm full frame image sensor with a precision beyond anything possible in interchangeable lens cameras. The performance of the lens, sensor and imaging engine were also fine tuned to perfectly complement each other to acheieve image quality never seen before in a compact user friendly camera”.
What would a part 1 review be without the basic Specs of the RX1?
Full Frame 24MP CMOS Sensor – and it is one hell of a sensor!
JPEG, 14-bit RAW Image Capture – Nice.
35mm f/2.0 Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* Lens – Carl Zeiss. Nuff said.
Xtra Fine 3″ LCD Display – Can see it in bright light as well.
Full HD 1080p Video at 24 or 60fps
High Speed AF – AF is fast but not blazing
Dedicated Focus, Iris and Macro Rings – Love this feature
Full Frame 24MP Bursts at up to 5fps
Hot Shoe for External Flash, Viewfinder
Auto HDR Protects Highlight and Shadow
So while this all looks amazing on paper what is missing is the built in EVF..but more on that in a bit…
The Sony RX-1 – JPEG – ISO 640 – f/2
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Intro: My 1st thoughts on the full production RX1
When Sony slipped me the information that they were releasing a full frame compact fixed lens camera with a Carl Zeiss 35 f/2 lens and they claimed it would have a sensor that would be any 35mm format camera on the market my very 1st thoughts were…disappointment. Like many of you I was secretly hoping for the full frame NEX camera knowing full well that if they did this they would need a whole new lens mount and lenses. The current NEX E mount lenses are NOT full frame lenses. They work much like the Nikon DX lenses do for the APS-C Nikon camera bodies, so yea, they would have needed all new lenses made for a full frame imaging sensor.
I was also disappointed in the fact that this new groundbreaking full frame compact camera did NOT have a built in EVF of any kind. But as of today, after trying out the camera for a solid week a few weeks ago and now having a full on production sample in my hands for a while I have changed my thoughts a little bit. No longer am I upset that they did not release the rumored full frame NEX system camera. In fact, I am pleased that they didn’t do this. It would have been a big fat mess with lack of lenses just like we all went through with the 1st year and a half of the standard E mount lenses. There would have also been a question of lens quality. If there were a full frame NEX the lenses would have probably been in the $500 range and very good but not having a true “WOW” factor.
Some would complain of lens softness, slow AF speed, soft corners, etc. The camera would have been bigger and thicker than a NEX-7 and it would have taken away what the whole NEX system is about. Size.
So instead of going that route Sony decided to do what no other camera company has even come close to doing. That was to create the all new RX1 which is a compact, solidly built fixed lens full frame digital camera. So why is the RX1 so special and SO expensive? Coming in at $2799 for the camera without any accessories is sort of a bold move on Sony’s part..but then again, I think they knew what they had in this little guy that is hard for many of us to understand. Recently Sony released the amazing RX100, which I dubbed the best compact camera EVER. That little pocket rocket was a quite astonishing little teeny thing that pumped out superb image quality. You can read my review of that one HERE.
When they emailed me last week saying “we are sending you a production and final RX1 for review” I was jumping for joy as this is a camera I was waiting for and had high hopes for. I was excited about reviewing this one just because I know what it is all about and it also MOTIVATES. Yea, it is one of those. A motivator. Much like Leica…the RX1 can motivate you to go out and shoot and even try things you would not normally try just due to the no compromise design and performance.
My 1st thoughts when I opened the packaged RX1 was “Ahhhh..there she is..and she feels better than before..more solid“. The camera instantly excited and motivated me..much more so than the NEX5R and 6 that were laying besides it mainly because like I said, the RX1 is revolutionary while the NEX series is now all about “evolution” – more of the same with improvements here and there.
The RX1 has the gorgeous full frame sensor which means no more compromising on Depth Of Field. No more having to spend $7000 on a Leica to achieve these results. No more having to lug a huge DSLR and lenses around to get the creaminess of a Zeiss 35mm f/2. We now have a choice and while we are limited to a 35 f/2 with the RX1, it is quite the versatile machine. My very 1st impressions out of the box were VERY positive but still, not having a built in EVF was bugging me a little. I mean, if it were included, even if it meant making the camera a little larger…it would have been a super grand slam hit. Without the built in EVF it is still a bonafide home run, and with the IQ that comes from this little magic box I can almost forgive the EVF issue, especially since Sony has a pretty damn amazing one available to add on to the camera (though at an extra cost).
The Sony RX-1 – JPEG – ISO 6400 in VERY low light
The RX1 Build…yea, it’s impressive.
When I tried this camera for the week in California at the big Sony shindig I was thrilled with the cameras performance. After getting a full production model I am beyond thrilled. Sony has improved the feel somehow and I cant figure out what it is that they did. It feels even more solid and tank like though not heavy. It makes any Fuji X feel like a toy in comparison in the build department. For example, the Fuji X-Pro 1 is large and hollow feeling. The RX1 feels like it is machined from a brick of metal with pieces carved out for the controls. In other words, the build is about as good as you can get in a camera like this. It feels on par with Leica in the build department which is good because it seems Sony was on a mission with this camera. That mission? To deliver what the enthusiasts have been wanting and waiting for (well, almost)…a full frame no compromise image quality monster that also is made to withstand some daily abuse . Even the lens cap has a metal heft to it with screws in the back of it!
In fact, I will put out a spoiler here right now..and it is a bold statement. Remember, I get to use every camera that is made if I desire. I have had all of the big guns in this house..Nikon D4, D800, Leica M9, Leica Monochrom, etc. You name it I have tried it. Even if you do not see reviews for some cameras on this site that does not mean I have not tried them. So what I am about to say is bold but here it goes…I have never had a 35mm format camera in my hands that...wait..why I am saying this now? No, I will wait 🙂 Back on track….
Sony may have left out a couple of things that I really wish were here but after using this camera more and more I realize how special it is and even if it does not have a built in EVF, I have never gotten results like this so easily with any other camera…ever.
RX1 – JPEG – f/2
It’s all about results and creating YOUR vision
Speaking of getting good results with ease. This comes when you do not have to fight a camera to get the results you envision in your head. Much like when you buy a new guitar..some cheap guitars play like garbage..and you have to fight the damn thing to get it to do what you want it to do. Premium guitars play with much more ease and can actually make you sound and play better. The Sony RX1 is sort of like this. It seems that no matter what light situation I was in, no matter what aperture I shot at, no matter what I snapped…it pumped out results I envisioned in my head. In other words, it was expressing what I wanted it to. For example, that Butterfly shot above? Exactly what I envisioned before taking the shot. The RX1 spit it out and said “Is that all you got”? Harsh light, low light, flat light..the dynamic range of this sensor continually pumped out pleasing to the eye results.
I could not do a shot like the butterfly shot above with my Leica because it doesn’t focus as close. I could not get this shot with my Olympus OM-D because I did not have the right lens with me. The D-Lux 6 would have never rendered this scene with this kind of look. A Fuji X-Pro 1 would have been fighting with me to actually focus on what I wanted and by the time it finished the Butterfly would have been gone.
With the RX1, the mix of high Dynamic Range, Crazy Detail and Beautiful Bokeh make this shot. This is one of those cases where the camera DID help the photographer. I snapped many shots of this with the Olympus OM-D and 60 Macro and even my Leica Monochrom with a 50 but none looked like the one from the RX1 which has a mix of beauty, magic and something special that makes for a “WOW” image.
I can say the same for the “EYES” shot at the top of the page. The ability for this camera to focus as close as .2 meters makes it very useful. You can shoot close for some cool effects. Add this with the insane detail and sharpness of the sensor and you have a recipe for some magic. Keep in mind that EVERY single image in this part 1 review besides the very 1st one of the dog was shot as a JPEG which will lead me to this statement that I stand by 100%: I have never had a 35mm format camera in my hands that delivered such beautiful out of camera results. In other words, in my opinion…The Sony RX1 is the best JPEG camera I have ever shot with. Period.
Sony RX1 – f/2
Sony RX1 JPEG output – The best JPEG camera EVER?
I have to say that I have never seen JPEG output from a camera that is so rich, so sharp and so nice. At this point I have not even looked at any RAW files yet because the only software that supports it is from Sony, and the software sucks. I have downloaded it though and will be processing RAW files for part 2 of the review and I expect the RAW files to blow me away. With JPEGs this good the RAW files have to be phenomenal. So back to the JPEGS I am raving about…they are very hardy files themselves and I would not hesitate to shoot JPEG every day for my family shots and casual snaps. Let us take a look at a JPEG file from the RX1 and the possibilities. For this example I am using an image I shot in “High Contrast B&W Mode”. This will give you an idea of the sharpness, ISO capability, and Dynamic Range of an RX1 file, even with in camera processing applied to make this a deep black contrasty shot. It will also give you an idea of what to expect from this in camera filter.
CLICK images for larger…The out of camera JPEG – contrasty, deep blacks..just as the mode implies. ISO 1600
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with some highlight recovery
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and a crop from this ISO 1600 JPEG
NOTE: The camera, even inside this very low light restaurant never failed to focus but did hunt a few times. It still locked and gave me sharp results from an OOC JPEG using an in camera B&W filter and has enough DR to pull out plenty of detail. I could have went farther but pulling out too much will cause an HDR effect, which I am not a fan of. In part 2 I will do this with a standard RAW file to see what we get but I am VERY impressed with the out of camera JPEG files.
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The RX1 Auto Focus – PASS or FAIL?
Happily, the Auto Focus speed has also been improved since I last used the RX1. Gone is the constant lens shifting and moving which Sony told me before was intentional to speed up AF. It was a concern of mine then because I felt it could drain the battery. The good news is that this is gone and the lens is still and silent and no longer shifts and moves trying to focus even when you are not using it. It seems Sony tweaked the firmware and the camera now focuses even faster than it did during that trial week with the camera. If I had to guess I would say it is on par with the NEX-6, NEX-5R and almost OM-D. Once the light gets low though the AF does indeed hunt. But I am talking low light…no contrast light. But have no fear there either..the manual focus implementation is good. Very good. It easily beats the Fuji X line with manual focus. I only use center point focus and that is how I shoot ALL cameras. I do not think that the Sony would be a good camera for tracking fast action but for 90% of photography it seems to work well.
This camera would make a GREAT street camera, even using manual focus. You can set your distance (roughly) on the LCD and fire away. Setting the ISO high, black and white..could be interesting.
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ISO 8000
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ISO 25,600
The lens on the camera has the aperture dial and a focus dial. The Aperture dial is nice and firm and the clicks come in with Authority and they stay locked in. It feels like a high quality lens should feel. The focus ring is also smooth and buttery. If you have focus assist turned on in the camera then you will get an exploded view of your scene for easy manual focus and this is when you can use focus peaking as well if you desire.
Video showing the size of the RX1 with a quick AF speed sample
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FOCUS PEAKING..yes it is here but only when using manual focus assistance (magnification)
For some reason you can only use Focus Peaking when you use Manual Focus Assist. Not sure why this is but if you turn on focus peaking and set the front dial to MF (Manual Focus) the camera will not “PEAK”. You also have to turn on the manual focus assist for this to work which means you will have an expanded exploded view when using manual focus. This also works and ensures you nail the focus. I have tested it and found it to work just fine but wish that Sony would have added peaking in the normal framing view as well.
So Auto Focus Speed? Very Good but could be faster in super low light. Manual Focus? Easy and implemented nicely – smooth focus ring.
One other thing I noticed is that shooting the RX1 has not given me any false positives..meaning when the camera has locked, it is really in focus. I used to have issues with the NEX-7 in particular where it would say it is in focus but it really was not. So far the hit rate with the RX1 is 100% in regards to accuracy. I will report if that changes as I use the camera more and more.
RX1 – JPEG – f/2
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The 35mm f/2 Zeiss – THIS one has that Zeiss Character, and I love it!
When Sony released the Zeiss 24 1.8 for the NEX system I applauded this choice because it gives a 35mm equivalent with a quality lens and aperture. BUT when I shot with it I did not get that “Zeiss” feeling like I do when I shoot Zeiss ZM lenses on my Leica M. The RX1 Zeiss 35 f/2 DOES give me that Zeiss pop and color I expect from a great Zeiss lens. I was thrilled when I saw the color, the details and the 3D pop from the lens and sensor combo. It seems the colors coming out of the RX1 are very Zeiss like instead of very Sony like. This is a good thing.
The lens protrudes a bit from the body but what many may not know is that the lens is actually almost all the way INSIDE of the RX1 body as well. This is one more thing that makes the camera special and give such amazing performance. The Sensor is matched to the Lens perfectly and therefore will give amazing results every single time. No guessing if the lens is soft, has soft corners or has issues. The RX1 gets it right every time, every snap every press of that shutter button. You never have to worry which lens to bring or if that lens will give you what you need.
QUICK LENS TIP: When you get the RX1 be sure to go into the settings and turn ON the Lens Distortion Correction. For some odd reason it is shipped with it set to off and with it set to off you will get some barrel distortion. Turn it on and all out of camera JPEGS will be corrected.
When shooting one camera/one lens you grow as a photographer. You learn to see in that focal length and it is a good thing. Also, do not let anyone tell you that a 35mm focal length is no good for portraits or people because it certainly can be. Maybe not head shots but full length works out just fine.
The Zeiss 35 f/2, just going by the JPEGs for now, is incredibly sharp but at the same time very creamy and smooth. It is NEVER harsh of rough and the bokeh, in my opinion, is about as good as it can be from a lens like this. I have NO COMPLAINTS at all from the lens.
If I had to say something negative about it then I could say..well, it makes the camera larger, but then again, this camera is TINY when you think about what it can do! It’s the same size as a OM-D, slight larger than a Leica D-Lux 6 yet it has one of the best full frame, if not the best full frame sensor currently made. So the lens is actually not large at all. Also, as stated in my “lens tip” above, this lens does have some distortion so it is VITAL that if shooting JPEG that you turn on the Distortion Correction in the menu. If you do not (and for some reason the default is OFF, which is crazy) then you will get some barrel distortion that is noticeable. All of the images posted here were shot with it ON.
Bottom line? This is a great lens for this camera and Sony knew what they were doing when they matched it up. I have no doubt that doing this (matched built in lens to the body/sensor) is what makes the IQ so good. Yes, the image quality is superb and the build of the lens is solid with the aperture clicks and focus feel and the image quality is ALL ZEISS. Color, POP, Detail and Feel.
Usability Factor. Can the RX1 deliver in this oh so important area?
This is huge because as good as a camera is in delivering the IQ it doesn’t mean squat if it is a pain to use. I spoke earlier about not having to fight with a camera to get great results. Some cameras do just that…they fight with you. They have slow twitchy focus, rattly lenses or they mis focus when the camera tells you it has locked. These cameras usually feel like prototypes and I have come across quite a few cameras like this in the last 10 years. The Sony RX1, so far, seems pretty polished. From it’s build and speed to it’s usability. If it had a built in EVF it would be better and more joyful to use for sure. As it is, I found the external EVF to be pretty fantastic. It makes the camera larger and taller but it is an exceptional quality electronic viewfinder. The user interface and menus are also easy to use and once your camera is set up you can have direct access one button press to any feature you like. Aperture is controlled on the lens and shutter speed is controlled by a dial on the back. Any button on the camera can be customized to perform whatever task you like so for this reason I can say the camera, once set up to your liking, will be a joy to use.
The LCD on the back is huge, crisp and clear. It also is viewable in daylight so it is not like you can not see what you are doing. Yes you can frame your shot though you will look like an amateur with a sexy point and shoot. Again, an EVF built in would have been amazing and I know many who are skipping this camera just because of this missing feature. It is a shame because the RX1 is one hell of a camera and without a doubt would have had many more buyers with a built in EVF. BUT, even how it is right now, without a built in EVF…for ME:
it is my #1 pick for camera of the year 2012. Yes, my #1 pick for Camera of the Year for 2012.
The RX1 is easy to use. It is quick and delivers stunning photographs. It is a camera that will not fight you and it will deliver results better than you expect. It will allow you to be creative and deliver on what you envision. Would it be better with the built in EVF? YES YES YES but for me it is not a deal breaker without one because the external ROCKS and works well. This is a world’s 1st to have a full frame 35mm sensor in such a compact body but it is more than that really..the camera as a whole was made to deliver a no compromise experience. The sensor and lens combo are perfectly matched.
“Weekend Rider” – RX1 – JPEG – f/5.6 – 1/160s
By request: The Sony RX1 vs Leica Monochrom and 35 Summilux FLE
Many have asked me to do a shootout between the Leica Monochrom and Sony RX1. It is not really a “Crazy” comparison but actually a very valid one. Full frame vs Full frame. How can the Sony RX1 do with an OOC B&W vs the Leica MM which is specially made to do just that? Again, these are JPEG files (RAW’s will be coming in a future installment). The Sony comes in at 24 Megapixels with the latest sensor tech. The Monochrom is 18 Megapixels using the same sensor as the M9 with the color filters removed. I can already state one thing, that at F/2 on each camera the Mono/LUX combo is sharper out of the camera as long as you nail focus.
Take a look at the quick comparison shot below:
Click image for larger and full 100% crop. The 1st shot is the $2799 RX1 at f/2. Straight from camera JPEG with crop embedded.
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Below is the $13,000 combo from Leica, again, direct from camera JPEG.
So there ya go. Can the RX1 compete with the $13,000 combo from Leica? Sure, but you do lose out on the whole rangefinder experience while doing so and still, in this JPEG test the Leica is indeed sharper. With an over $10,000 difference between the two setups one has to ask themselves if they are really that much into the Leica experience. Some of you are indeed, and what can I say..I own the Monochrom as well and love it to pieces and I feel a rangefinder is just my kind of camera to shoot with. But being honest 100%, the RX1 is a giant killer..literally. It can compete and win against camera like the Nikon D800, Canon 5DIII, and even Sony’s A99 at a lower cost and without the need to worry about lens expense and choice, lens problems, focus issues, etc. It’s simplicity is its biggest plus. It just works.
Bokehlicious…
Just as it says above. Many enthusiasts love to see what a lens can do in regards to Bokeh..well, the 35 Zeiss on this Sony is pretty nice IMO. Below are a few samples at f/2 to show Bokeh qualities. Again, click them for larger views. What I see is a molten creamy melting dreamy Zeiss signature all the way. Be sure to click the images for larger!!
The CROP Mode..what is it and what can it do for you?
The Sony RX1 has a unique feature. Since the lens is a fixed (but gorgeous) 35mm f/2 many are saying “if it only had a 50”! Well, Sony has sort of made an odd but cool feature that will allow you to crop to 50mm or 75mm in camera. With a press of the “C” button on top (which is totally programmable to whatever you want it to be) I can go from 35mm view to 50mm view to 75mm view. Now, there are some major drawbacks to using this mode. 1st of all, you can only use this feature when in JPEG only mode and 2nd, you lose resolution and image size. The full frame 35mm file size is 6000X4000. In 50mm crop the image size is 3936X2624 and in 75mm crop the size is 2640X1760.
Sony also had the RX1 apply some trickery to the files in the crop mode so you do not lose IQ or sharpness. To get an idea of what each mode looks like from the same position you can see the three images below, all of which were shot at ISO 1600 indoor. Basically it is like taking the image and cropping it but the RX1 can do this in camera with the press of a button.
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Wrapping up Part 1 and what is to come in Part 2 – HIGH ISO TEST, RAW CONVERSIONS, FULL SIZE SAMPLES, HD VIDEO, ACCESSORIES, FLASH and more!
So I will wrap this up because it is getting a little long for a part one review! Almost 5600 words and I still have to talk about high ISO, full size samples, RAW, HD video, lack of EVF and if it hurts the usability at all, accessories such as the EVF and OVF (which I have on the way) and all of the other good stuff like pros and cons, etc! So I hope you enjoyed part 1 and my thoughts on the camera from my limited use. There will be MUCH more to come on the RX1 and part two should be posted in 1-2 weeks. It is an exiting camera and so far so good.
UPDATE: New street shots in high ISO B&W – all OOC JPEG
So just some of what will be in PART 2:
Using the camera with and without AN EVF
Full ISO samples – low (50) to high (25,600)
Comparisons
HD Video Quality and Samples
RAW Files and Detail, Lens Sharpness, etc
Pros and Cons
Bottom Line Conclusion
The Sony RX1 EVF, available for order separately at Amazon
WHERE TO BUY the RX1 and Accessories
Those who pre-ordered the RX1 should be getting them in the next 2 weeks or so. If you have not yet pre-ordered I am guessing Sony will have many of them at launch but it is indeed selling very well so you never know.
You can pre-order/order the RX1 at Amazon HERE or B&H Photo HERE if this is something that floats your boat.
You can now pre-order the Electronic ViewFinder at Amazon HERE. The Optical Viewfinder is HERE.
The RX1 magic lies in the fact that it is small, solid, hassle free and creates images that you expect it to. No muss no fuss. No messing or 2nd guessing with lenses, No worries and results you can count on. Add in that special Zeiss magic and the RX1 gives images that will soon be known having as “That RX1 Look”.
Thanks to all for reading! PART 2 of the review is HERE
Steve
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PBS! Here's a special in honor of PBS's third birthday (Third??? Goodness, you hardly look a day over 2!). On September 3rd only, order 3 books off my shelf, get 1 free. Audios don't count, unless one of the three you order is also an audio. Check out my bookshelf. Thanks! Teresa
Darn, I accidently hit the enter key instead of the apostrophe in the subject line. Anyone else ever do that?
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Central Dynamo Stadium
Central Dynamo Stadium was a stadium in Moscow, Russia. It was built in 1928 and held 36,540 people. It was the home ground for Dynamo Moscow. It was central venue of the All-Soviet Dynamo sports society and carried special name of Central to denote its importance. Until the construction of the Central Lenin Stadium in 1956, the Central Dynamo Stadium was the central sports facility in Moscow. The stadium was one of the venues of the football tournament of the 1980 Summer Olympics.
A new stadium was built on the same spot and is named VTB Arena.
History
Dynamo Stadium, designed by the architects and , dates from 1928. In 1938 the Dinamo station of the Moscow Metro opened nearby. An athletics track circles the football field, but is no longer in use. A monument to Lev Yashin (1929-1990) stands at the stadium's north entrance and VIP boxes are positioned above the entrances to the north and south stands. In 2008 the stadium celebrated its 80-year anniversary.
Michael Jackson brought his HIStory World Tour to Dynamo Stadium in 1996 and Deep Purple performed there the same year.
Dynamo Stadium closed for demolition in 2008, with the farewell match played on November 22, 2008. The stadium's main tenant, FC Dynamo Moscow, moved to Arena Khimki, a stadium in the Moscow suburb of Khimki.
Highlights
Size of field:
Capacity – 36,540
The grass cover – natural
Dimensions board:
Lighting: 1400 lux (4 lighting towers)
Scoreboard – one on the western platform, electronic
See also
Dynamo FC (disambiguation)
Glasnost Bowl
References
Category:Venues of the 1980 Summer Olympics
Category:Destroyed landmarks in Russia
Category:FC Dynamo Moscow
Sports venue
Category:Football venues in Russia
Category:Olympic football venues
Category:Sports venues in Moscow
Category:Sports venues built in the Soviet Union
Category:Dynamo sports society
Category:Sports venues demolished in 2011
Category:Demolished sports venues in Russia
Category:Cultural heritage monuments in Moscow
Category:1928 establishments in Russia
Category:2011 disestablishments in Russia
Category:Sports venues completed in 1928
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Luxury Rideau Canal Boat Cruises Launches In Ontario
We were so excited to hear news that a new luxury canal cruising experience is coming to Canada. This is something that I absolutely loved doing in Europe. I never thought I’d see the day when Le Boat launched here in Canada!
The Rideau Canal offers cruisers a unique way to see Ontario at their own pace. There’s so much to see and do along the way, especially for those who love to cook and eat because the farms out here are incredible. The cruise starts from smith falls and offers two different routes to choose from – 74km up to Long Island or take the 91km route down to Kingston for a perfect finish.
The canal journey offers a whole host of activities and experiences including fishing, bike rides and picnics away from the crowds. You’ll explore 24 Lockstations and 47 Locks along the Rideau throughout your journey.
Frankly, we cannot wait to try this out ourselves!
Le Boat will be bringing their Horizon Cruisers out for the journey and they’re the perfect vessels for the job. They sleep up to 9 ensuring the trip can be family friendly and great for small groups that just want to getaway in style. The bow cabins are roomy and comfortable with ensuite bathrooms, USB plugins and great beds. There are also two other rooms perfect for the kids or non-couples.
The upstairs saloon and kitchen area is really well laid out with plenty of room and incredible views afforded by the large windows. Last but not least, the top sun-deck is where you’ll likely spend a lot of time soaking in the sun and views.
Photo Credit: Le Boat
May 19th marked the launch of the Le Boat tours on the Rideau Canal and we want to send you on an adventure with them. Come give us a call or visit the Le Boat website and talk with their team if you’re interested in this canal experience.
We’re wishing them incredible success in the coming travel season and we hope people reading this consider adding this to their summer travel list. We also wanted to point out their brochure which gives you all a bit more detail about the overall trip.
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What the ever fun-so-loving HELL, New York Times?!
So Michael Kinsley via The New York Times would like readers to email him some GOOD things Donald Trump.
And Kinsley points out that this is "not another forum for debating the issues. It is a place to point out positive things Mr. Trump has said or done from the viewpoint of The New York Times and its readers."
What a way for the Paper of Record to normalize this so-called president who is taking away health insurance from 24 million people and holding a bad beer bash to celebrate it. Also playing around with the idea of nuclear war with North Korea. Also being Donald Trump.
Paste Magazine: "..how will NYT readers ever know about Trump the family man, or Trump the four-dimensional chess player who constantly wins every political battle?"
Jezebel: It would be very hard for him to get all of us killed. And if he did, that might be for the best.
Has the @nytimes been taken over by pod people? They're launching a "Say something nice about Trump" column. Disgraceful & embarrassing. — Chris Dashiell (@cdashiell) May 9, 2017
#saysomethingnice Even Trump knew better than to hire Bret Stephens @nytimes — 🦏 (@jaytay777) May 9, 2017
Can you do better? Let us know in comments.
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Inhibition of mitochondrial function reduces DNA repair in human mononuclear cells.
Mitochondria provide ATP and Ca(2+) needed for DNA repair, but also produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may damage DNA. To investigate the effect of mitochondrial function inhibition on DNA repair. Five mitochondrial inhibitors acting at various sites of electron transport were studied. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, spontaneous and H(2)O(2)-induced DNA repair, as well as %-double-stranded-DNA, were measured. All mitochondrial inhibitors suppressed spontaneous and H(2)O(2)-induced DNA repair. However, their effect on %-double-stranded-DNA differed, which is partly related to ROS suppression. Mitochondrial inhibition may enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity of radiation and cytotoxic drugs therapy.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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Q:
integrating webpack with grunt requirejs project
I have a project which completely build with Backbone and reruiejs. For production build we are heavily dependent on grunt.
For JS modules, i have using grunt requirejs.
After evaluating Webpack module loader, i thought of trying it out in my project but not sure to what extent i should use it and how to implement the same.
Any reference point or example project ?
A:
Here is a short, but very informative tutorial by Pete Hunt:
https://github.com/petehunt/webpack-howto
It goes through building a simple build script. After you get the hang of it, you'll be able to make your own scripts in no time.
If you use Webpack, it makes using Grunt & RequireJS redundant & unnecessary because Webpack can do all that for you. Plus, it will be tedious to maintain multiple build scripts in all these tools.
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
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Why Learn Fractions?
Date: 8/13/96 at 17:52:18
From: Anonymous
Subject: Why Learn Fractions?
What is the point of learning fractions?
Monique and Selena
Date: 8/14/96 at 0:21:19
From: Doctor Paul
Subject: Re: Why Learn Fractions?
Fractions are incredibly useful! I am so thankful we have them. They
make our lives so much easier. Let me give you you an example:
1) You are at the supermarket. You see that the price of lemons is
60 cents a pound. You want to know how much 1 and a half pounds of
lemons will cost you. Well, if you convert both to fractions and
multiply them it's easy to figure it out:
6 3 18
---- * ----- = ----
10 2 20
18/20 reduces to 9/10, or 90 cents.
There are so many other examples. Fractions appear everywhere.
I hope this helps you see the purpose of fractions.
Regards,
-Doctor Paul, The Math Forum
Check out our web site! http://mathforum.org/dr.math/
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Main Menu
Volunteer
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You are here
Volunteer
You can make a difference
Each year, over 800 people volunteer their valuable time and skills to Allegiance Health. Partnering with staff, our diverse group of volunteers contribute in countless ways to ensure our patients have an excellent experience while they are here.
Volunteers offer friendly smiles of greeting to everyone who passes through our doors. They give words of comfort, guide those who need directions, generously share their knowledge, and much more.
Allegiance Health volunteers are men and women, young people and seniors, parents and great-grandparents, employed and retired. Applications are available to anyone who wants to make a meaningful contribution to others in our community.
Get ready to begin
Because the safety and care of our patients is our top priority, all volunteers must successfully complete our application process, including a criminal background check and personal interview. Our volunteers must have a professional, clean appearance and a friendly, welcoming demeanor.
All Allegiance Health volunteers will also receive an orientation and tour before beginning their duties. Our experienced volunteer support staff will help you determine what type of work will best fit your skills, personality, availability and interests.
Choose an opportunity
Our thriving health system offers a constantly changing environment that provides countless opportunities for you to use your skills, or learn new ones. Allegiance volunteers participate in more than 50 areas of service and are an important fundraising source for special equipment and projects. Learn more about our volunteer opportunities.
Enjoy the rewards
Volunteering at Allegiance Health means making a commitment to excellence. Our volunteers work a minimum of one four-hour shift per week for no less than a six-month period. They are rewarded handsomely for their dedication with smiles, hugs and words of gratitude from those whose lives they’ve touched. We know that the priceless human connection is often reward enough for our volunteers. However, we like to say thanks in the following ways:
Discounted membership at our on-site Wellness Center
Annual holiday celebration
Volunteer Week events and recognition
Spring luncheon and annual meeting
Fall volunteer forums with President and CEO
Euchre tournament
More information
For a complete list of opportunities and information on how to join our volunteers, call our Volunteer Services Department at (517) 788-4764.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
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Q:
Inputting a number and returning the product of all the even integers between 1 and that number
I'm looking for help on the question:
So far my code has gotten me far enough to return the right answer but also the restultant multiplication along the way, i.e.: (1, 2, 2, 8, 8, 48). Can anyone reshuffle or redo the code so it just outputs the answer only, thanks in advance!
counter=1
product=1
userinput=int (input ("What number: "))
for counter in range (1, userinput):
if counter%2==0:
product=int (counter*product)
counter=counter+1
else:
counter=counter+1
print (product)
A:
that's because print is executed on every iteration, you need to execute it only after the loop ends, which means print must have the same indent level as the loop,
counter=1
product=1
userinput=int (input ("What number: "))
for counter in range (1, userinput):
if counter%2==0:
product= int(counter*product)
print(product)
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Last week, 50 prominent Republican national security leaders penned a letter warning that Donald Trump lacks the character and judgment to be president. Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort dismissed their dire warning, accusing members of the group of having ties to the scandal-ridden Clinton Foundation during a radio interview with John Catsimatidis on Sunday.
“A lot of them have connections to the Clinton Foundation and have gotten contracts over the last several years to do work for the Clinton Foundation or some of its subsidiaries,” Manafort said. “So it is far from an objective group; it is far from a Republican group; and it is part of the establishment that Donald Trump is running against.”
The Clinton Foundation was in the news last week after a new crop of Hillary Clinton emails suggested some of the "charity's" donors were seeking favors from the State Department while Clinton was serving as secretary of state.
Manafort has plenty of other targets, however. In addition to the 50 national security officials who voiced their opposition to Trump, over 70 Republicans asked the Republican National Committee last week to stop funding Trump's campaign.
The loyal campaign manager has also critiqued the media for being obsessed with everything Trump says when they should be more interested in Clinton's many scandals.
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William Swartz / Getty Images
If having work-life balance is important to you, then don’t become a doctor. That was Dr. Karen Sibert’s advice to students considering careers in medicine, in a controversial New York Times op-ed last summer. “You can’t have it all,” Sibert wrote, exhorting students — women mostly — to remember that “medical education is a privilege, not an entitlement, and it confers a real moral obligation to serve.”
If you want to work and be a mother, then you can find a job in journalism or professional cooking or law. But “if you want to be a doctor, be a doctor,” wrote Sibert, an anesthesiologist, concluding: “Patients need doctors to take care of them. Medicine shouldn’t be a part-time interest to be set aside if it becomes inconvenient; it deserves to be a life’s work.”
Sibert’s piece likely sparked countless conversations — and moments of doubt — at medical schools around the country. Ours was no exception. In the wake of Sibert’s column, Gina Siddiqui, a medical student at University of Pennsylvania, where I teach, and I launched our own conversation about being a doctor-in-training and how doctors ultimately fit into the future of health care in the U.S. We recruited other students to participate, including second-years Alexandra Charrow, Derek Mazique and Ofole Mgbako.
What follows are excerpts of that roundtable conversation. Driving the debate was the question of whether being a doctor is in some way exceptional, more important to society than any other profession. I started the ball rolling thusly: “What do you guys think is your duty to society, and how do you feel it is different from that of your peers going into other fields? Should all doctors have to work full-time?”
The students’ responses:
Alexandra Charrow: Implicit in what you’re asking is the question of whether doctors are “special,” so special that we should be required to work additional hours and so integral to society that we have additional duties. For the 60 or so years that physicians have been able to actually cure people there has been an increasing fetishization of the field. Numerous TV shows and movies romanticize the occupation, feeding into a belief that medicine is the grandest and noblest of professions. Medicine is not the only profession with the power and duty to save lives — air traffic controllers save lives every day. Yet how many shows are there about air traffic controllers? We are not alone in our unwavering responsibility, our duties, and our power.
Derek Mazique: The complexity of medicine, the physician shortage, and the rise of managed care almost guarantee that physicians are no longer the only decision-makers in the room. So now, I think physicians are decidedly “less special.” Are they skilled and necessary for the average consumer? Yes, but so is their accountant.
Ofole Mgbako: Through my experiences with people living with HIV, I realized that the way people readily share the most intimate details of their lives and entrust their bodies with physicians is unlike any other profession. Each interaction with a patient is based on an unspoken covenant, a belief that the doctor not only will do no harm, but also will try to relieve suffering. I believe this basic, universal interaction between patient and physician engenders a greater responsibility on the part of physicians. It is difficult to speak to how much this dynamic sets us apart from the teachers, the lawyers, the scientists, the politicians. However, this dynamic does set us apart to some degree.
Regardless of how much more “exceptional” doctors may be — indeed, Sibert’s original argument was that doctors not only play a special role in society, but also that there are necessarily too few of them to justify any of us choosing to be a part-time doctor — our student moderator, Gina Siddiqui, concluded that forcing physicians to work longer isn’t necessarily the right answer. “I don’t know if it’s feeling special or a strong sense of duty or what, but on balance, I think most doctors will choose to work more, and coercing more hours out of those that don’t is unlikely to do much good for patients,” Siddiqui says. “For the record, I think everyone should think his or her job is special, just like every mom should think her kid is special.”
Given the students’ debate, I wondered further whether their views on the exceptionalism of doctors — and on the importance of work-life balance — were affecting their choice of specialty, particularly in light of the deepening primary care physician shortage. I asked them: “Do salary and lifestyle play a role?”
Their responses:
D.M.: Both my parents are in primary care, and seeing them practice has been a powerful example of how the field has changed. Perhaps most telling for me is how the current primary care situation is a perfect storm of low reimbursement and doctor burnout. Both of my parents have had to increase the number of patients they see — for my mother who is in private practice, that’s the only way she can keep the lights on. I didn’t go into medicine in order to emerge as a strictly lifestyle physician … but I did go into medicine expecting to forge meaningful relationships with my patients and to perform my intellectual craft to the utmost. Primary care in its current iteration makes these goals seem even more difficult. Of course, money is a factor, but these expectations of a personally fulfilling medical career also steer my decision-making process.
A.C.: Personally, I recognize the pressure and fear … that either my family values or career choices will have to change. I often meet physicians who tell me it’s possible to have both a family and a career, but for the most part, they are men with wives who have made the tough decision to work part-time for them. The women I have met have painted a more pragmatic picture — you can have what you want, just not all of it.
D.M.: All of us have been fixated on the profession, the role of lifestyle when picking a specialty, and our own particular experiences as medical students. But at the end of the day, our concern for the patient should be paramount, and it’s also worth exploring the effects that these choices will have on them. If a surgeon spends less time in the operating room, will he or she show a greater error rate and will more patients be harmed? If doctors work shorter shifts and hand off patients more, will discontinuity of care lead to a spike in adverse drug events and complications?
A.C.: This reminds me of the arguments hashed out concerning reduced residency work hours. Certainly there are many who still claim an 80-hour max workweek has reduced quality of care. However, others would argue that extra sleep, spending time with family, and eating regularly make up for reduced hours. I imagine that at some number of hours of experience, the quality of care reaches a plateau. With people working well into their 60s, 70s, and 80s, perhaps it is better to allow physicians to slow the rate at which they accumulate expertise in order to make their lifelong commitments to their specialty more sustainable. If doctors are able to fulfill other life obligations early in their career, they might be willing to stay in the profession longer, allowing society many years to benefit from a skilled physician’s services.
O.M.: What’s interesting to me is the tension between being a balanced, content physician who explores his or her interests outside of medicine and being an extremely driven workaholic who gives up family time and other hobbies in order to be engrossed by work. Thus, in addition to the monetary concerns Derek brought up, I think more medical students will be drawn to specialties that allow them the flexibility to explore other aspects of themselves in addition to medicine: in addition to [being] future doctors, my peers are journalists, writers, musicians, entrepreneurs and engineers.
As a teacher of medicine, I was inspired and not a little bit relieved that the students in our program had given so much thought to their training and the way their own values were shaping their decisions as up-and-coming physicians. But the question remained, How does the role of the individual doctor fit into the greater context of American health?
Our student moderator concluded with another shrewd observation about the state of our country’s health: that our well-being is bound largely to our environment, and not only to the quality or quantity of the health care we receive. “Looking back on our discussion, I am struck by how the increasing sophistication of medicine hasn’t made a single one of us feel a greater sense of control over health outcomes,” Siddiqui says. “The more we learn about the causes of disease, the more interrelated we realize our work is with farmers, urban planners and school counselors. In this environment, our aspirations to heal are bound less to our office hours and more to the communities we cannot afford to be strangers to.”
I am not surprised that the students pushed back against Sibert’s essay. This discussion could have easily become about self-determination and the right to determine the shape of one’s own career. But, instead, these students challenged Sibert by using humility and introspection — which bodes well for their future patients.
Dr. Meisel is a practicing emergency physician and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He is medical editor of the LDI Health Economist from the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics. Follow him on Twitter at @zacharymeisel.
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An inspiration
A colleague of mine, who happens to be my ̶b̶o̶s̶s̶ ̶ leader wrote a really cool compiler. It’s not a cool CRUD app or complicated animation.
IT’S A COMPILER. Used in the production environment. And it’s not backed up by a community or a big company.
I think that’s pretty cool…I would like to code cool stuff...So I decided I’m going to write a compiler!
So I did…because I could do following
Learn more about the magic of compilers
Learn something else than a new JavaScript framework
Achieve one of my goals.
Code something different.
Understand the codebase more in-depth
How?
Foundation of my compiler is built on top of Irony. It’s a .NET Language Implementation Kit. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of info or tutorials online. Even with the little amount of online documentation, I was able to define language grammar, so I can parse the input.
I’m using Irony’s NonTerminal and Terminal classes to define my markdown.
Grammar
Now it’s time to define Grammar rules. Grammar is defined using Backus-Naur form. Irony overloads C# operators and makes it really easy to define grammar.
It’s so easy to read. Let’s dive in.
Bold text has to start with a star * followed by a Text ending with a star *. Text can be StyledText or PlainText. But StyledText can Bold, Italics or U͟n͟d͟e͟r͟s͟c͟o͟r͟e͟. Do you see the little hack? Now Bold text can also be underscore and italics! Same thing with Header. Underscore header? No problem, since it fits our grammar rules.
It’s not THAT complicated.
If you notice the definition of NonTerminals and Terminals you will see the second parameter is a type of Ast node. This way I could map my parse tree to AST. It was really a pain to achieve this. I searched StackOverflow, second page of google results…no luck. My solution might not be the best in the world but it works. It’s a function which creates an instance of the type you provide it with.
It’s much easier to work with AST than parse tree :) That’s why you do it.
From Abstract Syntax Tree to HTML
Grammar is defined, AST looks good. Now I had to do a thing which I’ve been successfully avoiding for like 5 years. I had to learn the visitor pattern. It makes much more sense now, than in a university few years ago.
Accurate description of visitor pattern
This is how Irony accepts Visitor when traversing the tree.
And this is how I wrote my HTML visitor. Before you visit a node write you tag, after that he will visit every child.
When you encounter PlainTextAst, output the text we parsed
And now just visit the root
Voilà!
From this
#"H1 Heading"
#_"H1 undescore heading"_
##"H2 Heading"
*"This is bold text"* "and this is regular text"
"Following three items should be in a list, this is plaintext"
- "Plaintext list item"
- *"Bold List item"*
- _*"Underscore bold list item"*_
- _"Underscore list item"_
#"This is heading again"
To this
<div>
<h1>H1 Heading</h1>
<h1>
<u>H1 undescore heading</u>
</h1>
<h2>H2 Heading</h2>
<b>This is bold text</b>
<p>and this is regular text</p>
<p>Following three items should be in a list, this is plaintext</p>
<ul>
<li>Plaintext list item</li>
<li>
<b>Bold List item</b>
</li>
<li>
<u>
<b>Underscore bold list item</b>
</u>
</li>
<li>
<u>Underscore list item</u>
</li>
</ul>
<h1>This is heading again</h1>
</div>
It works!
Conclusion
I wanted to write a compiler from my markdown to HTML. I picked up great available tools to achieve it and did it. You don’t have to start in assembly to write your own parser, compiler, language, operating system…
Try it. Do it. Solve it.
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{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
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Recent News
On Friday, May 20, 2016, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law a bill that reduces Tennessee’s Hall income tax from 6% to 5% for the 2016 tax year, expresses legislative intent that the tax be reduced by 1% annually starting next year, and eliminates the tax altogether by 2022.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
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Q:
"quality" = upvotes/views
An interesting measure of a question is not only the total number of views and the total number of upvotes, but their quotient. I (as a user) can calculated this quotient in mind - given the two numbers - but would find it better to be given it directly: prominently, and at first sight.
Other opinions?
A:
I looked up the top questions according to this ratio (among 100+ views questions with a score of 5+). As user7530 predicted, the leaders are generally good, but not necessarily fantastic, questions with specific titles. Putting (rather long) in the title is a winning move in this game. Top 5:
Paracompactness of CW complexes (rather long)
How low can the approval rating of a majority candidate be?
Do we really know the reliability of PrimeQ[n] (for $n>10^{16}$)?
Evaluate $\sum_{k=1}^{\infty} \frac{k^2-1}{k^4+k^2+1}$
Smallest order for finite group that needs many elements to generate it
A:
I can sort of see what the idea would be, but wouldn't the denominator need to be the number of times the question was shown to a user who has enough reputation to vote? (Otherwise a good question would drop in your ranking simply by being linked from Reddit). And this number is not public knowledge and probably not even remembered by the system.
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"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
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[The serological characteristics of the O antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from patients with a Pseudomonas infection during immunotherapy].
Serologic characteristics of P. aeruginosa O-antigens isolated from patients with P. aeruginosa infection were studied over the course of treatment with anti-P. aeruginosa sheep immunoglobulin. The preparation was used in 54 patients with nongeneralized forms of P. aeruginosa infection (infected wounds, pleural empyema) externally or intraperitoneally. From the clinical material collected from the patients a total of 54 P. aeruginosa strains were isolated. Serologic typing of the isolated strains with factor or group diagnostic agglutinating sera has revealed the O-group composition of the isolated strains; 66% of them were classified with O-groups 2,3, and 6. Serologic variants of the strains isolated from patients proved to be stable over the course of the disease immunotherapy. Analysis of the results of bacteriologic control of immunotherapy. efficacy and the clinical data has demonstrated the efficacy of immunotherapy in 61.1% of cases and its partial effect in 20.4% of cases of P. aeruginosa infection.
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when two letters picked without replacement from {a: 2, o: 1, m: 4}?
1/21
What is prob of sequence fcq when three letters picked without replacement from wqqqqqffccfg?
1/44
Two letters picked without replacement from {h: 6, i: 2, u: 2, x: 2}. Give prob of sequence ui.
1/33
Calculate prob of sequence sss when three letters picked without replacement from {s: 3, c: 12}.
1/455
Calculate prob of sequence usr when three letters picked without replacement from {u: 1, s: 1, r: 3}.
1/20
Calculate prob of sequence vnv when three letters picked without replacement from {f: 1, v: 2, n: 1}.
1/12
What is prob of sequence bbq when three letters picked without replacement from qbvvvqqb?
1/56
Two letters picked without replacement from {m: 3, v: 2}. What is prob of sequence mv?
3/10
Two letters picked without replacement from radrrcd. What is prob of sequence dd?
1/21
Four letters picked without replacement from {f: 10}. Give prob of sequence ffff.
1
Four letters picked without replacement from {r: 2, g: 5, c: 4}. Give prob of sequence rgrc.
1/198
What is prob of sequence jjtj when four letters picked without replacement from {t: 3, j: 8}?
7/55
What is prob of sequence ez when two letters picked without replacement from ppzpezee?
3/28
Two letters picked without replacement from sqqmssqssm. Give prob of sequence ms.
1/9
Two letters picked without replacement from rrsikriiisli. What is prob of sequence sl?
1/66
Four letters picked without replacement from {x: 1, m: 1, c: 2, n: 2}. What is prob of sequence mnxn?
1/180
Two letters picked without replacement from gqsuyyx. What is prob of sequence yy?
1/21
Calculate prob of sequence rrr when three letters picked without replacement from {p: 4, z: 3, r: 4, c: 2, k: 1, t: 1}.
4/455
Calculate prob of sequence idi when three letters picked without replacement from {d: 5, v: 7, i: 7}.
35/969
What is prob of sequence crc when three letters picked without replacement from ccrrrccrcrrcr?
35/286
Three letters picked without replacement from ljjjjjljjjjjljjjjj. What is prob of sequence lll?
1/816
Four letters picked without replacement from oxmow. Give prob of sequence owmx.
1/60
Two letters picked without replacement from {u: 5, k: 8, b: 3}. Give prob of sequence uk.
1/6
What is prob of sequence yqyy when four letters picked without replacement from bbyhhzzhbqhy?
0
What is prob of sequence rc when two letters picked without replacement from xxcmmmmcmcrxrxcmmms?
4/171
Two letters picked without replacement from {o: 3, k: 7, r: 7, t: 3}. Give prob of sequence ot.
9/380
What is prob of sequence nkem when four letters picked without replacement from wewknnekooemowoeeke?
1/2584
Two letters picked without replacement from rrkbbrrbub. What is prob of sequence bk?
2/45
Three letters picked without replacement from iaaajajaaaaaaaaajaaa. What is prob of sequence iai?
0
What is prob of sequence el when two letters picked without replacement from eyeylxii?
1/28
Four letters picked without replacement from {b: 7, g: 7, e: 4}. What is prob of sequence gegb?
49/3060
Three letters picked without replacement from {u: 3, a: 1, l: 5, o: 1}. What is prob of sequence auo?
1/240
Two letters picked without replacement from {p: 1, r: 1, t: 1}. What is prob of sequence tr?
1/6
What is prob of sequence gvy when three letters picked without replacement from {g: 5, y: 4, v: 1, x: 6}?
1/168
Four letters picked without replacement from eceppecpexpeeee. What is prob of sequence pexp?
4/1365
Four letters picked without replacement from kttakkafktkhkkkkzf. What is prob of sequence zath?
1/12240
Three letters picked without replacement from sgzpg. Give prob of sequence gzg.
1/30
What is prob of sequence fjo when three letters picked without replacement from ofjel?
1/60
Four letters picked without replacement from {q: 4, v: 3, y: 8, f: 2}. What is prob of sequence fqyy?
2/255
What is prob of sequence fbj when three letters picked without replacement from {f: 2, b: 1, j: 1}?
1/12
Calculate prob of sequence sq when two letters picked without replacement from {l: 3, s: 3, z: 2, q: 7}.
1/10
Two letters picked without replacement from {k: 1, b: 2, s: 1, z: 1}. Give prob of sequence kz.
1/20
Three letters picked without replacement from {j: 7, i: 5}. Give prob of sequence jij.
7/44
Two letters picked without replacement from ubycjjsc. What is prob of sequence us?
1/56
Two letters picked without replacement from {t: 3, l: 4, h: 2}. What is prob of sequence lh?
1/9
Calculate prob of sequence rm when two letters picked without replacement from {s: 2, m: 1, r: 1}.
1/12
What is prob of sequence pn when two letters picked without replacement from nnnnnnnpnnnnn?
1/13
Three letters picked without replacement from ixxxxxxx. Give prob of sequence ixx.
1/8
Two letters picked without replacement from {y: 2, r: 1, x: 3, t: 1, c: 3, k: 1}. What is prob of sequence cc?
3/55
Four letters picked without replacement from namlmmmmemmllmmlma. Give prob of sequence almm.
1/102
Two letters picked without replacement from rrubvej. Give prob of sequence rv.
1/21
Three letters picked without replacement from hccxcuhhuquxuuhhxc. Give prob of sequence qux.
5/1632
What is prob of sequence onmm when four letters picked without replacement from mmonnnonmm?
2/105
Two letters picked without replacement from {i: 5, q: 5}. What is prob of sequence qi?
5/18
What is prob of sequence wwtt when four letters picked without replacement from tttttttwwttt?
1/66
What is prob of sequence kisn when four letters picked without replacement from {i: 2, s: 2, j: 1, k: 1, n: 2, e: 4}?
1/1485
Calculate prob of sequence yy when two letters picked without replacement from {y: 3, k: 7}.
1/15
What is prob of sequence kfh when three letters picked without replacement from {k: 2, r: 1, c: 4, h: 3, i: 4, f: 6}?
1/190
Two letters picked without replacement from aaaaaitiaiaeaeeaaeaa. What is prob of sequence ae?
12/95
Three letters picked without replacement from dtnsydonnyystdn. What is prob of sequence dtn?
4/455
What is prob of sequence uu when two letters picked without replacement from luuuuuluuulullll?
3/10
What is prob of sequence aaia when four letters picked without replacement from {i: 8, z: 1, a: 4}?
8/715
What is prob of sequence bdz when three letters picked without replacement from {p: 1, b: 6, d: 6, z: 1, j: 6}?
1/190
What is prob of sequence mh when two letters picked without replacement from mmmmhhmmmmmmmmmmmhmm?
51/380
Two letters picked without replacement from {i: 2, h: 10, c: 2, x: 6}. Give prob of sequence cc.
1/190
Three letters picked without replacement from mvvmkwmwkvkwkmmw. Give prob of sequence wwv.
3/280
Three letters picked without replacement from oaaoaooaoaaaaaaaoa. What is prob of sequence oao?
5/68
What is prob of sequence xb when two letters picked without replacement from xbzzzxbxzxbx?
5/44
Three letters picked without replacement from ffqfaafqfafffafffaff. Give prob of sequence qaa.
1/171
Two letters picked without replacement from {u: 1, n: 1, y: 3, j: 4, x: 9}. Give prob of sequence jx.
2/17
What is prob of sequence wwqw when four letters picked without replacement from {o: 2, h: 6, m: 5, q: 1, w: 3}?
1/9520
What is prob of sequence dz when two letters picked without replacement from zddz?
1/3
Three letters picked without replacement from {m: 3, w: 5}. What is prob of sequence mww?
5/28
Calculate prob of sequence isd when three letters picked without replacement from diidddbibddsdbsid.
4/255
What is prob of sequence kjoo when four letters picked without replacement from {j: 6, o: 2, k: 9, p: 2}?
3/2584
Calculate prob of sequence ab when two letters picked without replacement from caaxaaxb.
1/14
Three letters picked without replacement from auuuaaaaaaaa. What is prob of sequence auu?
9/220
Four letters picked without replacement from {e: 1, i: 6, o: 5, f: 1, v: 2, l: 2}. Give prob of sequence ioeo.
1/476
What is prob of sequence ad when two letters picked without replacement from aaaddahddaahd?
5/26
Two letters picked without replacement from kykkykkkkykkyk. Give prob of sequence yk.
20/91
Calculate prob of sequence oj when two letters picked without replacement from nibnojg.
1/42
Calculate prob of sequence gg when two letters picked without replacement from {p: 1, g: 2}.
1/3
Wha
|
{
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Mechanisms in the pathogenesis of amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity.
Although amiodarone is a highly efficacious antidysrhythmic agent, the drug produces numerous adverse effects. The most critical of these is pulmonary toxicity because of the potential for mortality. This review examines the experimental model systems used to study amiodarone toxicity, summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the processes involved in amiodarone-induced pulmonary toxicity (AIPT), and includes a discussion of potential future directions. Possible contributing processes to initiation of AIPT include phospholipidosis, altered calcium ion regulation, generation of reactive oxygen species, formation of an amiodarone aryl radical, and perturbation of cellular energy production. In addition, an immune response to the parent compound or to a metabolite could play a role. It is expected that elucidation of the mechanism(s) of AIPT will lead to safer antidysrhythmic agents and (or) to effective treatments for the prevention or amelioration of AIPT.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
In Part I we discussed what to ignore in the enormous and complex financial industry and what to focus on–stocks and bonds. The proverbial “needle” in the “needle in the haystack” is found easily. Knowledge of ignoring the financial world ‘s “haystack” is the trick to finding the needle.
In Part II we discussed the six basic components of constructing a straightforward and broadly diversified portfolio. We didn’t have to search far to discover the six major asset classes that all diversified portfolios include:
Large-Cap
Mid-Cap
Small-Cap
International
Bonds
Cash/liquid Funds
(Note: liquidity is money that can be taken out and spent in a manner that doesn’t affect your portfolio’s diversification plan. These accounts may have check cashing privileges. Click here for more information about liquid assets. Vanguard published this article on managing cash).
Pension plans, endowments and foundations with billions of assets must include, as mandated by federal pension laws, a portion of all six. For decades, this requirement has been a positive strategy for pensioners and their families. The proposal is to use this strategy for our individual portfolios
In Part III Dan and I shared how we determined the crucial stock/bond split that was appropriate for our age and risk tolerance and how we rebalance these assets to keep our plan on track.
In this final Part IV, you will see how we constructed an individualized and simple portfolio to control costs and enjoy the average returns of the world’s economies. You too will construct a stock and bond market portfolio which grows from the labor of people working in the production, consumption, exchange, and distribution of goods and services in every developed and emerging market country on the planet. How cool is that? Let’s finish the job so you will not miss another minute of all this positive energy.
Our tasks in Part IV is:
1: Before constructing your portfolio you need to find the money by creating a powerful strategy; paying yourself first by taking advantage of your employer’s sponsored tax-deferred retirement plan; and setting up your financial goals.
Paying Yourself First
To find the money in this crazy and over-the-top consumption culture, we paid ourselves first. This phrase refers to the practice of automatically making a savings contribution or investment from your wages before it reaches your wallet. Every month we invested a part of our wages in our tax-deferred savings accounts at work and spent the rest. This strategy worked to find the money to invest for the future. We were committed to saving regularly no matter what.
Your employer’s tax-deferred retirement plan is a perfect way to do this. Your 401(k), 403(b) or 457(b) plans make the task of saving for retirement convenient. The amount you choose is automatically deducted from your salary every month for as long as you desire.These programs are popular for two good reasons:
Ignore Emotions (or be mindful of your resistance to save and ignore it)
This wasn’t easy at first. Early on Dan and I felt little enthusiasm for the automatic deductions from our paychecks. We knew we were doing the right thing with this powerful psychological tool of paying ourselves first. We felt it positively a few years later, when our nest egg reached several thousand dollars. Our enthusiasm emerged like a newborn chick breaking out of its shell. We committed, with enthusiasm, to increase our deduction both annually, and also every time we got a pay raise. This evolution in our thinking about living on less income, was a pleasant surprise.
Many Don’t Get It
Many Americans think that living paycheck to paycheck is the only option. Still others don’t bother to take advantage of free money offered right under their noses: the employer-matching contribution in their retirement plans. They are up to their chins in excessive spending and debt. To put money away to qualify for their employer’s free match was out of the question. Excessive spenders need every penny. It’s difficult to believe how people get themselves into this endless spending culture. Tragically, these hard-working people don’t reach that peaceful place where they can experience less stress with little to no money worries while building a future financially free.
This Evolutionary Thinking is Worth a Second Look
There is help for the excessive spenders. Thus, I think it is worth discussing this phenomenon on how lucky people are who can save money that they will not touch until many years in the future. People can live below their means without suffering to reach financial freedom. The famous book Millionaire Next Door shows how regular working stiffs, without “inheritance or advanced college degrees,” got wealthy.
While many Americans fail to seek a positive behavior about money management, humans are capable of taking advantage of the above benefits by paying yourself first. Our turnaround from non saving to saving is evidence that human beings possess unique abilities. We can and do adjust to many things. This powerful adaptability probably originates in our DNA. Here are examples. California suffers from a severe drought. The ongoing public discussions about the drought everywhere we go forces us to look at our personal water use.
We have completed the usual water-saving efforts by transforming our backyard into desert flora, but we also did something more. We were bothered by the cold shower water going down the drain while waiting for hot water. What a waste, we thought. We started collecting that water in a one-gallon bucket and watered our small vegetable garden. Identical to our “pay ourselves first” commitment, our water saving routine is now a steady, and positive habit — one gallon at a time. Our one huge tomato plant has produced over a 150 organic tomatoes.
The first is a brilliant piece by financial blogger superstar Mr. Money Mustache. It is an insightful article titled What is hedonic adaptation?) The second is a prominent UCLA study on automatic retirement savings enrollment titled Save More Tomorrow. Both Mr. Money Mustache and the UCLA study show that people are fully capable of living on less money by a minute shift in attitude. The Mr. Money Mustache article illustrates that our experiences are more satisfied because a heightened sense of values emerges by doing without the new cars, expensive “toys,” nightly dinners out, buying mansions, and all of the other materialistic baggage that causes unnecessary stress and does not make us happier long-term. The UCLA study, Save More Tomorrow, reported when employees are automatically enrolled in their tax-deferred retirement plans at work, few opt out. Later, when they got a raise, their contributions were automatically increased. Once again, few opted out. These findings speak volumes to our potential adaptation. These positive adjustments are available to all, without undo suffering.
It’s not how much money you make, but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for. –Robert Kiyosaki
In our culture, spending is a big problem. It’s well-documented and difficult to resist the 24/7 marketing blasts. If you need a home budget as an antidote, use it (Click here for online tools to help you start budgeting. Websites such as Mint.com, BudgetPulse.com, and YouNeedABudget.com can help keep track of spending and stay within a budget). Use any strategy that will help you live below your means by spending less than you earn (saving is a virtue). It’s never about suffering, denying simple pleasures, or increasing stress. If you feel miserable because you saved or spent too much, reassess your monthly income and expenses. Make a commitment to yourself and your family to invest a part of your earnings in both long-term retirement and short-term liquid savings, and go about your business stress free. It’s ironic how we can live just as easily on 90% of our income as 100%. Mr. Money Mustache and the Save More Tomorrow study have this down to an art and a science respectively.
Goals
Your portfolio should reflect both your short-term and long-term goals (Other goals to consider, but will not be discussed here). As mentioned in Part I, short-term goals are usually liquid cash for an emergency, down payment on a house or a car, the two biggest consumer items. Most investors stash this money in bank savings or money market accounts (helpful hints on emergency planning).
The long-term goal of saving for retirement is our primary challenge in this entire 4 Part Series. How much do we need to save for retirement? Can a 30 year-old know in advance? In order to achieve this goal, how do we know how much to save? Dan and I didn’t know the exact amount for our retirement needs because we were busy working, learning and making investing mistakes and relearning as we went along. Besides, how in the heck can we predict the standard of living and tax rates years in advance?
Education is not a high paying profession. We kept saving and investing what we could, one year at a time for three decades. The annual goal was to build a nest egg by our action plan; to watch spending, and keep saving. Every year we would assess how much we saved and if possible increase our tax-deferred contributions (tax-deferred plans will be discussed next). One thing was certain–our long-term investments would not be spent until retirement. Because how much to save is a universal headache, here are four articles that provide hints to help you decide: click here, here , here and here. One secondary goal, pay off your home mortgage before retiring. Our primary point is to save something now.
Let’s Finish Our Task and Construct A Portfolio that Grows!
In this final section we will be constructing our diversified, low-cost stock and bond portfolio. We will be looking for investments that follow the six primary asset classes. Because these asset classes are so important, let’s review those asset class tables from Part II before we begin the final phase of selecting our funds.
Asset Class # 6. Cash
What do we need to know before selecting an investment that tracks each of our six asset classes? Millions of investors use mutual funds. There are large-cap mutual funds that track large-cap companies, and similarily titled mutual funds for the other five asset classes. This is not as straight forward as it appears, unfortunately. Knowledge of their costs and how they are constructed, marketed and presented to investors will be discussed next.
The Mutual Fund Industry
Mutual funds have been available to investors for a long time. Since the 1920s they have grown into a multi-billion dollar industry. A mutual fund company collects a pool of investors’ money and invest their money in hundreds of company stocks. When an investor owns a share of a mutual fund company he or she automatically owns a share of each of the hundreds of companies in that mutual fund.
Build-in diversification is appealing and easy. But we have a recurring problem. Recall the initial problem we already addressed in Part II about the impossibility of deciding which of the thousands of companies to invest in. Once again, there are literally thousands of mutual fund companies and they outnumber the individual companies listed on the New York Stock and the NASDAQ Exchanges combined. Picking our mutual funds can be just as overwhelming and confusing as picking individual company stocks. Many nonfiduciary brokers or financial advisers are little help as they make the selection process complicated. Under what criteria do we choose?
Commit to memory these four terms:
Load
No-load
Actively managed
Passively managed (Indexing Strategy)
Knowledge of these terms provides giant advantages to investment costs as we zero-in on specific low-cost investment companies. Let’s discuss each next.
Load vs. No-load
The next valuable lesson Dan and I learned was to avoid investments which charge commissions. In the mutual fund industry, they obfuscate the word commission and use “load” instead. Commissions and loads are the same thing. Do not pay for either. My absolutist, hard-line response against commissions may sound insulting, but many knowledgeable individual investors defend paying commissions. There is a long and sordid history of how loads drag down your portfolio returns. Take a look at Table 4 that illustrates how costs eat into a nest egg.
Front-end loads are paid when purchasing an investment. It’s downright criminal, but 5.75% is not an uncommon commission. Ugh. For example, for every $10,000 invested, the commission is $575.00. For every $100,000 invested, $5,750 is the commission. $5,750 is just for the opportunity to invest in a fund that anybody can invest in and save over $5000. Ouch.
If you had not paid a commission going into the fund, watch out,– there may be a “back-end” commission–fees charged when money is taken out (also known as a back-end load). Commissions and ongoing annual costs in excess of 1.5% per year are terrible prices over the long-term. If you think you did not pay commissions, take a hard look at what your financial adviser or broker is doing with your account. Every time your broker trades stocks, mutual funds or bonds within your account, commissions may be charged.
Actively Managed vs. Passively Managed
We also learned that most mutual funds are actively managed. There are several problems with actively managed mutual funds:
Expensive: Actively Managed funds are costly. Investors are charged for having a manager or a team of managers buying and selling stocks. Managers and the mutual fund company get paid whether the value of the mutual fund that you or I own goes up or down. We take the risk and they make money, always.
Taxes: When stocks are sold at a profit, the mutual fund shareholders have to pay capital gains taxes. Capital gains taxes are not charged in tax-deferred retirement plans, however tradings costs might be charged with either after-tax or tax-deferred investments.
Style Drift: If the name of a mutual fund had “Small-Cap” in its title, it is supposed to track small-cap companies right? Not necessarily. Too many actively managed mutual funds track one asset class, but end up tracking additional asset classes. For example, a small-cap mutual fund many succumb to “style drift,” meaning that the manager doesn’t want to sell the growing small-cap companies that are now mid-cap. Selling those high performing stocks which have grown from small-cap to mid-cap stocks might jeopardize the manager’s year-end bonus, when he or she is evaluated. Consequently, the investors “think” they have a small-cap investment when a portion of the small-cap stocks “drifted” into a mid-cap asset class. This is an unseen and unknown risk. It is probably okay in the short-term, but over time that small-cap mutual fund owns fewer small-cap companies. Thus, the investors portfolio which is supposed to have a dedicated mid-cap fund already, becomes over diversified with mid-cap companies. This changes the risk/return profile of the investor’s portfolio.
Unknown Diversification Problems: Our diversification plan can drift out of whack and we may not know it. Of course few complain during a bull market when everything grows. When the market crashes, however, the shareholders diversification plan that grew out of whack, can put them in more risk than was originally planned. This is not good. Just as a ship or plane follows a predetermined course, your portfolio must also follow your plan’s “course.” But it’s certainly great for the manager and his or her bonus. As previously mentioned, the managers still get paid no matter what the stock market does to investors.
Sectors
The vast majority of actively managed mutual funds invests in many parts of the stock market such as “industrials,” “retail” or “healthcare.” These are called sector fund investing. Let’s digress and talk about the following eight sectors of the S&P 500 Index.
Consumer Cyclicals: Leisure or discretionary goods and services, hotels, entertainment, travel. Consumers spend more on non-necessary items when times are good than when times are bad.
Energy: Crude oil and natural gas exploration and production firms, oil and gas firms, refiners and even drillers.
Financials: banks, financial services.
Healthcare: hospitals, clinics.
Industrial/Basic Materials: companies involved in the discovery, development and the process of raw materials. Mining, chemical producers and forestry products.
Technology: computer hardware and software.
Utilities: natual gas, water, and electricity produced and delivered to homes and businesses.
The financial news pundits frequently talk about which ones of these sectors are performing well and which are lagging. It is useless information. Dan and I have extensive experience with one power house, but short-term, sector investing–technology. When Dan and I learned about mutual fund companies built-in diversification feature, we quickly transferred our five combined 403(b) annuities to number 7 above–technology sector mutual funds. These mutual funds weren’t the usual mutual funds from the six core asset classes. Twenty years ago that level of diversification was still a few years away in our learning curve. We had to experience the technology bubble and burst first. We erroneously thought that the technology mutual fund was enough diversification with hundreds of technology companies. The problem was that half or more of the companies in each technology sector mutual fund were the identical companies. So, when those companies’ stock crashed, the mutual funds technology sector and our entire portfolio crashed.
Our portfolio had three massive problems. Thus, we learned three valuable lessons:
It was not diversified among the six asset classes.
Our portfolio had 100% stocks and no bonds. Imagine our ignorance, as we were in our middle 50s and early 60s. We had not yet discovered the stock/bond split.
This is precisely why we believe that sector investing is speculative. Sectors are not the core asset classes that we are looking for and, in addition, can be excessively risky.
Caution: avoiding commissions and active management costs are effortless; but you will encounter investors who will argue with a straight face that paying these extra costs “provide value”–higher performance and a helpful “adviser.” Don’t believe a word of it. These unfortunate investors need an ego to feed and will argue their erroneous point with past performance. I don’t understand these overzealous and overconfident investor’s who defend paying commissions. Past data is 100% accurate, but it reflects stock market booms and busts of the past and is dangerously beside the point. Do not choose investments based on past performance. Do not take the advice of a commissioned broker, adviser, or an overconfident friend who brags at parties about his (or her) investment acumen, especially if alcohol has been consumed.
Read the Prospectus
By law every security, individual stock, bond and mutual fund must send a prospectus to potential investors detailing information about the company’s or mutual fund’s goals, risk, past performance, etc. This lengthy and complicated document has legal waivers and specifies that “past performance does not guarantee future performance.” Always be mindful that the future is all we have and is 100% unknown. Never lose your way with catchy 30-second sound bites from the high priests of finance and their 24/7 mouth piece, the financial news media machine.
We need investments which mechanically track each one of the six asset classes in our prescribed plan. The beauty of the next strategy is simplicity: broad diversification, low costs and the stock/bond split.
Introducing the Passive Strategy with Index funds
The answer to actively managed mutual funds and their loads/commissions, trading costs, capital gains taxes and style drift has been around since 1976. That’s when John Bogle introduced the now world famous Indexing strategy with his S&P 500 Index along with his new investment company The Vanguard Group. Mr. Bogle is still sharp at 85 years-old preaching his same message: invest in all available companies at low-cost and “hold them forever.” Warren Buffett, the world’s most successful investor agrees. Read on.
After years of trial and error, Dan and I have most of our money under passive management. We abhor trading. Our trades are limited to either selling some stocks to buy bonds, sell bonds to buy stocks, or selling to support our retirement. We only trade to bring our portfolio back to our original stock/bond split. We also avoid timing and competition and the fruitless effort to beat the market averages, as these have been proven by many academic reports to be losing strategies over the long-term. We manage our money with a simple and easy to understand plan that doesn’t take our precious retirement time away from the things we value: travel, writing blog posts/books, raising veggies, volunteering, enjoying the outdoors by hiking, take our dog, Sammy, for walks. For the last twenty years the active/passive debate has raged on. The active management aficionados refuse to concede that the passive strategy has the upper hand when it comes to the data to support it:
Locating the specific investments and investment companies
After years of investing with brokerage firms Schwab and Scottrade, and no-load, mutual fund companies such as INVESCO, Fidelity, and others, and after several trial and errors, Dan and I migrated our nest egg to The Vanguard Group. We constructed our portfolio with this outstanding company for its low-cost and indexing philosophy (aka , the passive investing strategy). Way back, Vanguard was not available in our 403(b)s . (My free pdf book, Fighting Powerful Interests, discusses the difficulty in including low-cost investments in your employer’s plan).
Why We Invest In Vanguard Group
All of the portfolio asset classes discussed in detail in the four-part series are available in this one company–Vanguard Group. Vanguard changed not only how Dan and I invested, but how over 20 million individual investors did too (Click here for more information). Vanguard follows the same investment philosophy/principles of passive management, low costs, think long-term, build wealth slowly in broadly diversified investments that Dan and I value. Like us, Vanguard abhors trading to beat the market. Furthermore, our money is less volatile to bear markets because Vanguard investors, our investor colleagues, are less likely to panic sell. Investors staying put during market turmoil is, by itself, a huge advantage–less panicky investors, less volatility and the declines should be less.
According to the independent source, Lipper INC., the average mutual fund expense is 1.02%, but Vanguard is only .18%. Not surprisingly, the company has over $3 trillion invested for over 20 million investors. All of these people cannot be wrong. Because of these structural advantages, Vanguard is now the largest and most prestigious investment company in the world devoted to the ordinary investor. (Blackrock has more assets but is devoted to institutions).
TIAA CREF has an identical investment philosophy as Vanguard with nearly one trillion dollars in assets with no commissions charged and reasonable fees. Fidelity Investments is a large mutual fund company, but charges commissions on some of its funds.
As we have said throughout this series, the choices are overwhelming everywhere you go in the financial industry. Vanguard is no different. If you are new to Vanguard, please bare with me as I walk you through the six asset classes to construct your portfolio.
Start at this introductory page to begin your search. Vanguard has over 100 investment options and with several different accounts available. No matter what your choices are in your employer sponsored plan, your asset allocation and the stock/bond split with the lowest cost funds will remain the goal. Unfortunately, I cannot elaborate for those folks who have Fidelity Investments, TIAA CREF or Blackrock in their employer plans. However, the search for the six asset classes remains the same no matter which investment company your employer has made available to you.
Asset Class # 1
Let’s start with the Large-Cap asset class. At the Vanguard search page, as you type “Large-Cap,” the following choices should drop-down in the search window:
Do not fret about the additional “Large Cap Value” or “Large Cap Growth” Funds. We are keeping with the theme of simplicity. “Growth” and “value” investing is beyond the purposes of this beginning article. Here is a link for further reading for growth vs. value investing.
Bonds can be complex. Thus, to get you started, there is one bond fund that contains two or the three bond categories shown in Table 3 above. The total bond market index invests in United States domestic government treasuries and corporate bonds. I would not be concerned about international bond exposure at this time. Here is the Vanguard Total Bond Market Index:
The Vanguard Total Bond Market Index allocates 30% in corporate bonds and 70% in U.S. government bonds of all maturities (short-, intermediate-, and long-term issues). Click on these links for an explanation of bond maturities and duration.
Asset Class # 6
Finally, our last asset class is CASH. Dan and I have used the Vanguard Prime Money Market Account for years.
Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund (VMMXX), .16% Cost.
This account offers check cashing privileges, so it can work like your bank or credit union checking account. We use it for large purchases: house remodel, trips aboard or auto purchase. Our credit card and checking accounts are located at our nearest Credit Union. Credit unions usually charge the lower service fees than the big banks.
Portfolio Examples of Vanguard’s Six Asset Classes
Below are two portfolio examples for an older and a young investor. The portfolios between these two extremes should be adjusted to your bonds-by-age rule, as illustrated in Part III (Stock/bond split).
I hope you found this four part beginning investing series helpful. All of the ideas in this series have been replicated, used and recommended by many financial professionals. In the reference section is a list of financial authors and their websites that I read to learn about investing.
Be Patient
Our final comment on this series cannot be taught. Humans have a difficult time with patience. We want things now, no exceptions. Exercising and practicing patience and persistence are powerful skills of the mind and attitudes that result in reaching your goals, whether those goals are educational, professional, financial or as the Buddhists say, to become enlightened.
We know people who have attempted short-cuts in life. They almost always were disappointed. When it comes to money and investing, slow growth over a working career is almost always superior over the get-rich-quick schemes. There are now and never have been over night get rich quick schemes that worked consistently. Sure, there are a few lucky people who win big in the lotto but there are articles and books on how 70% of lotto winners end-up losing all of their winnings. How can that be? One of their major problems is not knowing how to manage a windfall and dealing with family demands of a share of the winnings.
The biggest advantages of building wealth slowly is that the mistakes and missteps taken along the way can be addressed. As we slowly build wealth, we learn many ancillary skills, such as knowing with confidence, that you money will grow over time and discerning which people in your family knows how to handle money.
Frugal living reduces stress. Going on vacation instead of worrying about two new car payments or a house too big for your means makes a huge difference in your quality of life. The last thing you want to have is a house and car that owns you, rather than you owning them. Stress over money can takes a huge toll on your physical health and well-being, but it can be addressed with some effort. For Dan and I, it was a no brainer. We valued our trips aboard for relaxation and education. We valued our 403(b)s way more than owning trendy expensive cars parked in the garage that required pricey maintenance, premium gasoline, hefty insurance premiums and annual registrations. Our used cars got us from one destination to the other for years and the money saved was astonishing.
Additional Assistance
If you need a financial professional to help you get started after reading this series, there are two sources for choosing a professional to assist you with setting up your plan or modifying your current portfolio.
Call Vanguard and let one of their advisers help you. They can help you transfer your money to Vanguard from any other company.
Or hire a fee-only financial planner in your neighborhood from either of these two professional organizations:
More Resources and Information to Help You Learn More.
“Investing should be dull, investing should be more like watching paint dry or grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.” –Nobel Economist Paul Samuelson.
“Indexing may not be fun or exciting, but it works.” Charles D. Ellis, author: Winning the Loser’s Game.
Lazy Portfolios are exactly what Dr. Samuelson’s and Mr. Ellis’s quotes advise—each is an unexciting portfolio sans micromanagement. As we said throughout this four-part series, excitement is not part of the slow-as-you-go investing experience. Dan and I were excited when our portfolio grew a half million dollars in four months at the height of the dot com bubble. Excitement during a bull market is not always a good thing. In fact, if your portfolio is making over-the-top returns (much higher than the averages) it should be a warning to take a look at your stock/bond split. You may be taking too much risk that you will later regret when the market crashes.
Check out John Bogle’s Followers: Affectionately titled “Bogleheads”
Bogleheads.org: The epitomy of do-it-yourself investors. This website lists all of us who follow John Bogle’s investing philosophy of low costs, diversification and slow-growth over a lifetime. The discussion forum has over 42,000 registered individuals and 1.5 million views a month. There are plenty of savvy people who will answer your questions. It is one of the most popular investment focused websites in existence. You don’t have to register to lurk and read as much as you want. If you want to post, however, you will have to register. It’s all free. Please join this wonderful group of dedicated people from all walks of life to continue Mr. Bogle’s principles and learn to construct a low-cost portfolio for yourself.
Step 2: Learn The Basics. You don’t need to be a financial expert to invest, but you do need to learn some basic terminology so that you are better equipped to make informed decisions. Learn the differences between stocks, bonds, mutual funds and certificates of deposit (CDs).
Take some time to read the articles below: They discuss the stock market, bond market, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other financial basics — all written for beginners. Once you learn to invest, you can act with confidence and set yourself on a path to financial freedom.
Coming from a novice investor who just recently made the plunge into educating myself about investing and the markets, I’d say: 1) Educate yourself in every …
Waiver: Dan Robertson and Steve Schullo are not licensed financial or investment advisors, and the information and experiences shared as do-it-yourself investors contained herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Throughout our blog, we share our experiences with finances as a couple of ordinary consumers, not as professionals. Do not start, change or modify your portfolio based on the information in this blog post alone. Any ideas, investment strategies, links to fee-only professional advisers and particular investment companies discussed in this article or in our blog are a reflection of our experiences and should not be construed as a recommendation. Consult with a tax or financial professional.
About
Steve Schullo is a retired Los Angeles Unified School District elementary teacher turned 403(b) reform advocate and author of two books. Steve is NOT a licensed financial or investment advisor, and the information and experiences shared as a do-it-yourself investor contained herein is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
Throughout my blog, I share my experiences with finances as an ordinary consumer, not as a professional. Do not start, change or modify your portfolio based on the information in this blog alone. Any ideas, investment strategies, links to fee-only professional advisers and particular investment companies discussed in any article or in my blog are a reflection of my experiences and should not be construed as a recommendation. Always consult with a tax or financial professional.
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Star Wars with occasional sarcasm
Club Jade Craft-athlon
To help celebrate the release of The Star Wars Craft Book on March 29, 2011, we’re having a craft-making contest. Del Rey is generously providing us with some cool prizes, including copies of Bonnie Burton’s book of cool Star Wars projects to make at home.
Rules:The Craft-athlon will have a number of events. Each event will involve making a Star Wars-themed craft item according to that event’s instructions. Participants will need to submit several photos of their craft to receive credit for having entered that event. Participants can only submit one entry per event, but are open to compete in all the events. All craft projects must be made within the Craft-athlon time period by the participant – previously made craft projects are not allowed.
The Events:Event #1: Paper Bag Puppet
The craft challenge is to turn a paper bag (lunch size) into a Star Wars-themed hand puppet. Event #1 due date: March 21, 2011.
Event #2: Recycled Designs
The craft challenge is to turn household recyclable materials
into a Star Wars starship, vehicle or creature. For the base, use materials such as empty containers (boxes, cans, cartons, bottles) and other items that are typically disposed or recycled (paper, cardboard, plastic, etc.). Event #2 due date: March 23, 2011.
Event #3: Food for Thought
The craft challenge is to make a Star Wars-themed anything primarily using food items. The final craft doesn’t need to be edible, but the main artistic components should be recognizable food items. For instance, you can make 2-d art using candy, beans, or dried pasta, or make a sculpture using carved fruits or vegetables, or make and decorate cooked or baked goods. Event #3 due date: March 25, 2011.
Event #4: Star Wars Roll Model
The craft challenge is to turn a single empty toilet paper roll into a Star Wars character. Event #4 due date: March 27, 2011.
Event #5: Vader’s Custom Tee
The craft challenge is to use an old Star Wars t-shirt or other geeky apparel item to make into something new. What can you make with an old Star Wars shirt? Event #5 due date: March 29, 2011.
Attach no more than 4 photos of the project, including one of the project in progress. Please keep total file sizes to less than 10 MB, and submit photos in a common image file format, such as JPG.
Each event has its own submission deadline. Submissions must be received before or on that date, before midnight Pacific time.
While there will be multiple events, prizes will not be awarded for each event, rather overall prize winners will be selected. Winners will be selected through the determination of the judges based on number of events entered by the participant, craft quality and artistic value, and/or random drawing. The decision of the judges will be final. If you are selected as a winner, Club Jade will request your name and shipping address.
Grand Prize: The Star Wars Craft Book and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, with bookplates signed by all six authors.
Second Prize: The Star Wars Craft Book and three hardcover Fate of the Jedi novels: Abyss, Allies, and Backlash, each signed by the author.
Third Prize: The Star Wars Craft Book and a paperback of The Force Unleashed novel, signed by the author.
Final Prize: The Star Wars Craft Book
Eligibility:
The Club Jade Craft-athlon is open to all residents of the United States where allowed by law, except for employees of The Random House Publishing Group and the judges and contest officials for Club Jade. Membership in Club Jade is not required to enter the contest. Void where prohibited. No purchase necessary. By submitting, you grant Club Jade permission to use your photos on ClubJade.net.
If you have a question about the rules, post it here, and we’ll post back with an answer!
Bonnie, feel free to play for fun! We’d love to see what creative ideas you come up with.
This goes for everyone who would like to participate but otherwise is ineligible for the contest – you’re still free to come up with your own craft projects in each category and share them with us for fun.
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In vitro effect of hormones and growth factors on the incorporation of [3H]leucine, [35S]sulfate and [3H]proline by chondrocytes of aging mice.
The ability of parathyroid hormone (PTH 1-84), dexamethasone, prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and human transforming growth factor beta (hTGF-beta) to stimulate the synthesis of matrical components in articular cartilage of aging mice, was studied in an organ culture system. A marked age-dependent decrease was observed in the synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), protein, collagen digestible protein (CDP) and non-collagen protein (NCP) between 1 and 18 months of age. The addition of hTGF-beta (1 ng/ml) into the culture medium resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) increase of both protein and sulfated GAGs in condylar cartilage from animals aged 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. PGE2 (10 micrograms/ml) induced [3H]leucine and [35S]SO4 incorporation into condylar cartilage from 1, 3 and 6 months old animals. A stimulatory effect of PGE1 (10 micrograms/ml) on [3H]leucine incorporation was noted at 1 and 3 months of age. The effect of PTH appeared to be stimulatory only for protein synthesis in young (1 and 3 months old) animals, whereas it had no effect at 6, 12 and 18 months of age. In contrast, dexamethasone exerted a stimulatory effect on young adults (6 months old) and in matured (12 months old) animals, respectively and a slight inhibitory effect on young (1 and 3 months old) animals. [3H]Proline incorporation was enhanced by all the factors tested in 1-month-old animals. In cultures from 6- and 18-month-old animals only PGE1 and PGE2 appeared to be stimulatory. It is concluded that synthesis of protein, sulfated GAGs and collagen by chondrocytes from maturing and osteoarthritic senescent animals can be stimulated by hormones and growth factors. The efficiency of this response, however, varied according to the animal's age and the factor studied.
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Q:
Why is prediction not plotted?
Here is my code in Python 3:
from sklearn import linear_model
import numpy as np
obj = linear_model.LinearRegression()
allc = np.array([[0,0],[1,1],[2,2],[3,3],[4,4],[5,5],[6,6]])
X=allc[:,0]
X=X.reshape(-1, 1)
Y=X.reshape(X.shape[0],-1)
obj.fit(X, Y)
print(obj.predict(7))
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
plt.scatter(X,Y,color='black')
plt.plot(X[0],obj.predict(7),color='black',linewidth=3)
plt.show()
My plotted data looks this way:
After fitting, obj.predict(7) equals [7.]
What am I doing wrong? I expected to see 7.7 point being plotted.
A:
The plot method is taking an array for the X-axis and an array for the Y-axis, and draws a line according to those arrays. You tried to draw a point using a method for lines...
For your code to work (I have tested it and it worked) switch this line:
plt.plot(X[0],obj.predict(7),color='black',linewidth=3)
with this line:
plt.scatter(7,obj.predict(7),color='black',linewidth=3)
The scatter method will take the point given (7, 7) and put it in the graph just like you wanted.
I hope this helped :)
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Q:
Get DataType of computed column from dacpac
When traversing a Dacpac via C# code, I am able to figure out which columns are referenced in a computed column (GetReferenced(Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.Model.Column.ExpressionDependencies)), and what the expression for the column is (Microsoft.SqlServer.Dac.Model.Column.Expression property). What I cannot find, is the datatype of the computed column.
Besides that, I also cannot find a way to retrieve the columns of a FileTable table (although this is a static set of columns).
Search engines won't bring me far; there aren't that many resource to be found on this topic.
A:
I have blogged here how to get the data type of columns:
http://sqlserverfunctions.wordpress.com/category/dacfx-2/
I haven't tried it on computed columns.
To get columns for a file table, follow the blog but replace Table.Columns ModelRelationshipClass with FileTable.Columns ModelRelationshipClass.
Ed
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Presidency armies
The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India, composed primarily of Indian sepoys. The presidency armies were named after the presidencies: the Bengal Army, the Madras Army and the Bombay Army. Initially, only Europeans served as commissioned or non-commissioned officers. In time, Indian Army units were garrisoned from Peshawar in the north, to Sind in the west, and to Rangoon in the east. The army was engaged in the wars to extend British control in India (the Mysore, Maratha and Sikh wars) and beyond (the Burma, Afghan, First and Second Opium Wars, and the Expedition to Abyssinia).
The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the Company until the Indian Rebellion of 1857, when the Crown took over the Company and its three armies. In 1895 the three presidency armies were merged into a united Indian Army.
Origin
The origin of the British Indian Army and subsequently the army of independent India lies in the origins of the Presidency Armies which preceded them. The first purely Indian troops employed by the British were watchmen employed in each of the Presidencies of the British East India Company to protect their trading stations. These were all placed in 1748 under one Commander-in-Chief, Major-General Stringer Lawrence who is regarded as the "Father of the Indian Army".
From the mid-eighteenth century, the East India Company began to maintain armies at each of its three main stations, or Presidencies of British India, at Calcutta (Bengal), Madras and Bombay. The Bengal Army, Madras Army, and Bombay Army were quite distinct, each with its own Regiments and cadre of European officers. All three armies contained European regiments in which both the officers and men were Europeans, as well as a larger number of ‘Native’ regiments, in which the officers were Europeans and the other ranks were Indians. They included Artillery, Cavalry and Infantry regiments, so historical sources refer to the Bengal/Madras/Bombay Artillery/Cavalry/Infantry (the latter often termed ‘Native Infantry’ or ‘N.I.’).
From the mid-eighteenth century onwards, the Crown began to dispatch regiments of the regular British Army to India, to reinforce the Company’s armies. These troops are often referred to as ‘H.M.’s Regiments’ or ‘Royal regiments’.
By 1824, the size of the combined armies of Bengal, Madras, and Bombay was about 200,000 and had at least 170 sepoy and 16 European regiments. In 1844 the combined average strength of the three armies was 235,446 native and 14,584 European.
Regimental organisation
In 1757, Robert Clive came up with the idea of sepoy battalions for the Bengal Presidency. These would be Indian soldiers, armed, dressed, and trained the same as the "red coats" (British soldiers), and commanded by a nucleus of British officers. The Madras Presidency followed suit with six battalions in 1759, followed by the Bombay Presidency in 1767. Recruitment in all cases was done locally, with battalions each drawn from single castes, and from specific communities, villages, and families. Regular cavalry regiments were raised in 1784, of which only three survived the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Irregular cavalry were raised by the "silladar system" employed by rulers of Indian states. Irregular cavalry regiments had very few British officers. In addition, native artillery and pioneers (referred to later as Sappers and Miners) were also raised.
Between 1796 and 1804, a regimental system on two battalion basis was introduced. The battalions were only theoretically linked together and shared no esprit de corps. The number of British officers went up to 22 per battalion, which diminished the importance of native officers. Control by Regimental commanders was excessive and exasperating to the battalions, and the system was reverted in 1824. Thereafter, units were formed into single battalion regiments, which were numbered per their seniority of raising.
After 1857
Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the consequent abolition of the East India Company, its European regiments were amalgamated in 1860 with the British Army, but its ‘Native’ regiments were not. The three separate Presidency Armies therefore continued to exist, and their European officers continued to be listed as members of the Bengal, Madras or Bombay Army rather than the British Army. However, the Presidency Armies began to be described collectively as the Indian Army. Another change resulting from the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was that henceforward artillery was confined to the British Army.
In 1895, the separate Presidency Armies were at last abolished and a fully unified Indian Army came into being. As before, its British officers were not members of the British Army, though as young subalterns they did serve for a year with a British Army regiment as part of their training before taking up permanent commissions with their Indian Army regiment.
Operational history of the Presidency armies
Mysore wars
First Anglo-Mysore War (1766–69)
Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–84)
Third Anglo-Mysore War (1789–92)
Fourth Anglo-Mysore War (1799)
Maratha wars
First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–82)
Second Anglo-Maratha War (1803–05)
Third Anglo-Maratha War (1817–18)
Burmese wars
First Anglo-Burmese War (1823–26)
Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852–53)
Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885–86)
Afghan wars
First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42)
Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878–81)
See also: The Great Game and European influence in Afghanistan for a more detailed description.
Opium wars
First Opium War (1839–43)
Second Opium War (1856–60)
Sikh wars
First Anglo-Sikh War (1845–46)
Second Anglo-Sikh War (1848–49)
Abyssinia
Expedition to Abyssinia (1867–68)
List of presidencies and armies
Bengal Presidency, the Bengal Army
Bombay Presidency, the Bombay Army
Madras Presidency, the Madras Army
References
Further reading
Barua, Pradeep. "Military developments in India, 1750-1850," Journal of Military History, (Oct 1994) 58#4 pp 599–616 in JSTOR
Bryant, G. J. "Asymmetric Warfare: The British Experience in Eighteenth-Century India," Journal of Military History (2004) 68#2 pp. 431–469 in JSTOR
Gilbert, Arthur N. "Recruitment and Reform in the East India Company Army, 1760-1800," Journal of British Studies (1975) 15#1 pp. 89-111 in JSTOR
Heathcote, T. A. The Military in British India: The Development of British Land Forces in South Asia, 1600–1947 (Manchester University Press, 1995)
Lawford, James P. Britain's Army in India: From its Origins to the Conquest of Bengal (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1978)
Menezes, S. L. Fidelity & Honour: The Indian Army from the Seventeenth to the Twenty-First Century (New Delhi: Viking, 1993)
Longer, V. Red Coats to Olive Green: A History of the Indian Army, 1600–1947 (Bombay: Allied, 1974)
Roy, Kaushik. "The hybrid military establishment of the East India Company in South Asia: 1750–1849," Journal of Global History, (July 2011) 6#2 00 195-218
Roy, Kaushik. "Military Synthesis in South Asia: Armies, Warfare, and Indian Society, c. 1740--1849," Journal of Military History, (2005) 69#3 pp 651-690, online
Roy, Kaushik. From Hydaspes to Kargil: A History of Warfare in India from 326 BC to AD 1999'' (2004)
See also
Company rule in India
Category:Military history of the British East India Company
Category:British East India Company
Category:Military of British India
Category:History of the Indian Army
Category:Military units and formations of British India
Category:Private armies
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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<title>DEFINE_STACK_OF</title>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
<link rev="made" href="mailto:" />
</head>
<body>
<ul id="index">
<li><a href="#NAME">NAME</a></li>
<li><a href="#SYNOPSIS">SYNOPSIS</a></li>
<li><a href="#DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</a></li>
<li><a href="#NOTES">NOTES</a></li>
<li><a href="#RETURN-VALUES">RETURN VALUES</a></li>
<li><a href="#HISTORY">HISTORY</a></li>
<li><a href="#COPYRIGHT">COPYRIGHT</a></li>
</ul>
<h1 id="NAME">NAME</h1>
<p>DEFINE_STACK_OF, DEFINE_STACK_OF_CONST, DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF, DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF_CONST, sk_TYPE_num, sk_TYPE_value, sk_TYPE_new, sk_TYPE_new_null, sk_TYPE_reserve, sk_TYPE_free, sk_TYPE_zero, sk_TYPE_delete, sk_TYPE_delete_ptr, sk_TYPE_push, sk_TYPE_unshift, sk_TYPE_pop, sk_TYPE_shift, sk_TYPE_pop_free, sk_TYPE_insert, sk_TYPE_set, sk_TYPE_find, sk_TYPE_find_ex, sk_TYPE_sort, sk_TYPE_is_sorted, sk_TYPE_dup, sk_TYPE_deep_copy, sk_TYPE_set_cmp_func, sk_TYPE_new_reserve - stack container</p>
<h1 id="SYNOPSIS">SYNOPSIS</h1>
<pre><code> <span class="comment">#include <openssl/safestack.h></span>
<span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span>
<span class="variable">DEFINE_STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span>
<span class="variable">DEFINE_STACK_OF_CONST</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span>
<span class="variable">DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">FUNCTYPE</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span>
<span class="variable">DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF_CONST</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">FUNCTYPE</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span>
<span class="variable">typedef</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_compfunc</span><span class="operator">)(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*const</span> <span class="variable">*a</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*const</span> <span class="variable">*b</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">typedef</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="operator">*</span> <span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_copyfunc</span><span class="operator">)(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*a</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">typedef</span> <span class="variable">void</span> <span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_freefunc</span><span class="operator">)(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*a</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_num</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_value</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_new</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">sk_TYPE_compfunc</span> <span class="variable">compare</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_new_null</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">void</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_reserve</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">n</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">void</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_free</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">void</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_zero</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_delete</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">i</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_delete_ptr</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_push</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_unshift</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_pop</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_shift</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">void</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_pop_free</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_freefunc</span> <span class="variable">freefunc</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_insert</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_set</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_find</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_find_ex</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*ptr</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">void</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_sort</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_is_sorted</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_dup</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_deep_copy</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span>
<span class="variable">sk_TYPE_copyfunc</span> <span class="variable">copyfunc</span><span class="operator">,</span>
<span class="variable">sk_TYPE_freefunc</span> <span class="variable">freefunc</span><span class="operator">);</span>
<span class="variable">sk_TYPE_compfunc</span> <span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_set_cmp_func</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span>
<span class="variable">sk_TYPE_compfunc</span> <span class="variable">compare</span><span class="operator">));</span>
<span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_new_reserve</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">sk_TYPE_compfunc</span> <span class="variable">compare</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">n</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<h1 id="DESCRIPTION">DESCRIPTION</h1>
<p>Applications can create and use their own stacks by placing any of the macros described below in a header file. These macros define typesafe inline functions that wrap around the utility <b>OPENSSL_sk_</b> API. In the description here, <i>TYPE</i> is used as a placeholder for any of the OpenSSL datatypes, such as <i>X509</i>.</p>
<p>STACK_OF() returns the name for a stack of the specified <b>TYPE</b>. DEFINE_STACK_OF() creates set of functions for a stack of <b>TYPE</b>. This will mean that type <b>TYPE</b> is stored in each stack, the type is referenced by STACK_OF(TYPE) and each function name begins with <i>sk_TYPE_</i>. For example:</p>
<pre><code> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_value</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<p>DEFINE_STACK_OF_CONST() is identical to DEFINE_STACK_OF() except each element is constant. For example:</p>
<pre><code> <span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_TYPE_value</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<p>DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF() defines a stack of <b>TYPE</b> but each function uses <b>FUNCNAME</b> in the function name. For example:</p>
<pre><code> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_FUNCNAME_value</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<p>DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF_CONST() is similar except that each element is constant:</p>
<pre><code> <span class="variable">const</span> <span class="variable">TYPE</span> <span class="variable">*sk_FUNCNAME_value</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">STACK_OF</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">TYPE</span><span class="operator">)</span> <span class="variable">*sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="keyword">int</span> <span class="variable">idx</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<p>sk_TYPE_num() returns the number of elements in <b>sk</b> or -1 if <b>sk</b> is <b>NULL</b>.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_value() returns element <b>idx</b> in <b>sk</b>, where <b>idx</b> starts at zero. If <b>idx</b> is out of range then <b>NULL</b> is returned.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_new() allocates a new empty stack using comparison function <b>compare</b>. If <b>compare</b> is <b>NULL</b> then no comparison function is used. This function is equivalent to sk_TYPE_new_reserve(compare, 0).</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_new_null() allocates a new empty stack with no comparison function. This function is equivalent to sk_TYPE_new_reserve(NULL, 0).</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_reserve() allocates additional memory in the <b>sk</b> structure such that the next <b>n</b> calls to sk_TYPE_insert(), sk_TYPE_push() or sk_TYPE_unshift() will not fail or cause memory to be allocated or reallocated. If <b>n</b> is zero, any excess space allocated in the <b>sk</b> structure is freed. On error <b>sk</b> is unchanged.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_new_reserve() allocates a new stack. The new stack will have additional memory allocated to hold <b>n</b> elements if <b>n</b> is positive. The next <b>n</b> calls to sk_TYPE_insert(), sk_TYPE_push() or sk_TYPE_unshift() will not fail or cause memory to be allocated or reallocated. If <b>n</b> is zero or less than zero, no memory is allocated. sk_TYPE_new_reserve() also sets the comparison function <b>compare</b> to the newly created stack. If <b>compare</b> is <b>NULL</b> then no comparison function is used.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_set_cmp_func() sets the comparison function of <b>sk</b> to <b>compare</b>. The previous comparison function is returned or <b>NULL</b> if there was no previous comparison function.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_free() frees up the <b>sk</b> structure. It does <b>not</b> free up any elements of <b>sk</b>. After this call <b>sk</b> is no longer valid.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_zero() sets the number of elements in <b>sk</b> to zero. It does not free <b>sk</b> so after this call <b>sk</b> is still valid.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_pop_free() frees up all elements of <b>sk</b> and <b>sk</b> itself. The free function freefunc() is called on each element to free it.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_delete() deletes element <b>i</b> from <b>sk</b>. It returns the deleted element or <b>NULL</b> if <b>i</b> is out of range.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_delete_ptr() deletes element matching <b>ptr</b> from <b>sk</b>. It returns the deleted element or <b>NULL</b> if no element matching <b>ptr</b> was found.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_insert() inserts <b>ptr</b> into <b>sk</b> at position <b>idx</b>. Any existing elements at or after <b>idx</b> are moved downwards. If <b>idx</b> is out of range the new element is appended to <b>sk</b>. sk_TYPE_insert() either returns the number of elements in <b>sk</b> after the new element is inserted or zero if an error (such as memory allocation failure) occurred.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_push() appends <b>ptr</b> to <b>sk</b> it is equivalent to:</p>
<pre><code> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_insert</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">ptr</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="operator">-</span><span class="number">1</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<p>sk_TYPE_unshift() inserts <b>ptr</b> at the start of <b>sk</b> it is equivalent to:</p>
<pre><code> <span class="variable">sk_TYPE_insert</span><span class="operator">(</span><span class="variable">sk</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="variable">ptr</span><span class="operator">,</span> <span class="number">0</span><span class="operator">);</span>
</code></pre>
<p>sk_TYPE_pop() returns and removes the last element from <b>sk</b>.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_shift() returns and removes the first element from <b>sk</b>.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_set() sets element <b>idx</b> of <b>sk</b> to <b>ptr</b> replacing the current element. The new element value is returned or <b>NULL</b> if an error occurred: this will only happen if <b>sk</b> is <b>NULL</b> or <b>idx</b> is out of range.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_find() searches <b>sk</b> for the element <b>ptr</b>. In the case where no comparison function has been specified, the function performs a linear search for a pointer equal to <b>ptr</b>. The index of the first matching element is returned or <b>-1</b> if there is no match. In the case where a comparison function has been specified, <b>sk</b> is sorted then sk_TYPE_find() returns the index of a matching element or <b>-1</b> if there is no match. Note that, in this case, the matching element returned is not guaranteed to be the first; the comparison function will usually compare the values pointed to rather than the pointers themselves and the order of elements in <b>sk</b> could change.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_find_ex() operates like sk_TYPE_find() except when a comparison function has been specified and no matching element is found. Instead of returning <b>-1</b>, sk_TYPE_find_ex() returns the index of the element either before or after the location where <b>ptr</b> would be if it were present in <b>sk</b>.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_sort() sorts <b>sk</b> using the supplied comparison function.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_is_sorted() returns <b>1</b> if <b>sk</b> is sorted and <b>0</b> otherwise.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_dup() returns a copy of <b>sk</b>. Note the pointers in the copy are identical to the original.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_deep_copy() returns a new stack where each element has been copied. Copying is performed by the supplied copyfunc() and freeing by freefunc(). The function freefunc() is only called if an error occurs.</p>
<h1 id="NOTES">NOTES</h1>
<p>Care should be taken when accessing stacks in multi-threaded environments. Any operation which increases the size of a stack such as sk_TYPE_insert() or sk_push() can "grow" the size of an internal array and cause race conditions if the same stack is accessed in a different thread. Operations such as sk_find() and sk_sort() can also reorder the stack.</p>
<p>Any comparison function supplied should use a metric suitable for use in a binary search operation. That is it should return zero, a positive or negative value if <b>a</b> is equal to, greater than or less than <b>b</b> respectively.</p>
<p>Care should be taken when checking the return values of the functions sk_TYPE_find() and sk_TYPE_find_ex(). They return an index to the matching element. In particular <b>0</b> indicates a matching first element. A failed search is indicated by a <b>-1</b> return value.</p>
<p>STACK_OF(), DEFINE_STACK_OF(), DEFINE_STACK_OF_CONST(), and DEFINE_SPECIAL_STACK_OF() are implemented as macros.</p>
<p>The underlying utility <b>OPENSSL_sk_</b> API should not be used directly. It defines these functions: OPENSSL_sk_deep_copy(), OPENSSL_sk_delete(), OPENSSL_sk_delete_ptr(), OPENSSL_sk_dup(), OPENSSL_sk_find(), OPENSSL_sk_find_ex(), OPENSSL_sk_free(), OPENSSL_sk_insert(), OPENSSL_sk_is_sorted(), OPENSSL_sk_new(), OPENSSL_sk_new_null(), OPENSSL_sk_num(), OPENSSL_sk_pop(), OPENSSL_sk_pop_free(), OPENSSL_sk_push(), OPENSSL_sk_reserve(), OPENSSL_sk_set(), OPENSSL_sk_set_cmp_func(), OPENSSL_sk_shift(), OPENSSL_sk_sort(), OPENSSL_sk_unshift(), OPENSSL_sk_value(), OPENSSL_sk_zero().</p>
<h1 id="RETURN-VALUES">RETURN VALUES</h1>
<p>sk_TYPE_num() returns the number of elements in the stack or <b>-1</b> if the passed stack is <b>NULL</b>.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_value() returns a pointer to a stack element or <b>NULL</b> if the index is out of range.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_new(), sk_TYPE_new_null() and sk_TYPE_new_reserve() return an empty stack or <b>NULL</b> if an error occurs.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_reserve() returns <b>1</b> on successful allocation of the required memory or <b>0</b> on error.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_set_cmp_func() returns the old comparison function or <b>NULL</b> if there was no old comparison function.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_free(), sk_TYPE_zero(), sk_TYPE_pop_free() and sk_TYPE_sort() do not return values.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_pop(), sk_TYPE_shift(), sk_TYPE_delete() and sk_TYPE_delete_ptr() return a pointer to the deleted element or <b>NULL</b> on error.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_insert(), sk_TYPE_push() and sk_TYPE_unshift() return the total number of elements in the stack and 0 if an error occurred.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_set() returns a pointer to the replacement element or <b>NULL</b> on error.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_find() and sk_TYPE_find_ex() return an index to the found element or <b>-1</b> on error.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_is_sorted() returns <b>1</b> if the stack is sorted and <b>0</b> if it is not.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_dup() and sk_TYPE_deep_copy() return a pointer to the copy of the stack.</p>
<h1 id="HISTORY">HISTORY</h1>
<p>Before OpenSSL 1.1.0, this was implemented via macros and not inline functions and was not a public API.</p>
<p>sk_TYPE_reserve() and sk_TYPE_new_reserve() were added in OpenSSL 1.1.1.</p>
<h1 id="COPYRIGHT">COPYRIGHT</h1>
<p>Copyright 2000-2017 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.</p>
<p>Licensed under the OpenSSL license (the "License"). You may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at <a href="https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html">https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html</a>.</p>
</body>
</html>
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Are you interested in using my jokes in your monologues? I am available to write jokes for anybody who needs a monologue joke or two. If you need me, contact me by my email, which is alexschubs@gmail.com. Serious inquiries only! Thank you for reading my blog, and happy laughing!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
"A Single Strand Of Hair"
Madonna is set to perform the half time show at Super Bowl XLVI. A sign she's going to be awful: she's older than the Super Bowl.
British scientists have created the world’s smallest periodic table on a single strand of hair. And yet, still no dentists.
Three Ohio State football players were suspended for being overpaid on their summer jobs. I thought being an Ohio State football player WAS their paying job.
A “fat tax” has gone into effect in Denmark that charges for the amount of fat in a product. This would make me the most expensive product on the planet.
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is asking for donations to help create jobs. You know your company is doing bad when you overcharge for a small cup of coffee, people constantly buy it, and you STILL need donations.
Casey Anthony has told authorities that she's unemployed. Honestly though, who the hell would hire her?
Chris Christie says that he's not running for president. I'm not surprised. After all, it involves running.
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Adoption du procès-verbal
Le Président
Le procès-verbal de la séance d'hier a été distribué.
Y a-t-il des observations?
Evans, Robert
Pouvez-vous me confirmer, ou vos services peuvent-ils le faire, que ce bâtiment, en particulier la Tour, répond à toutes les conditions imposées par la loi en matière de santé et de sécurité et s'il dispose d'un certificat en matière d'incendie? Ce sont des sujets importants et si ce n'est pas le cas, je pense qu'il y a lieu de se poser de sérieuses questions. Je vous prierais donc de bien vouloir soit confirmer ceci de manière catégorique, soit, si ce n'est pas le cas, de confirmer que des mesures ont été prises afin d'étudier la situation.
Le Président
Monsieur Evans, l'ancien Bureau a examiné, ces derniers mois, les politiques immobilières, ce qui n'a pas été de tout repos. Je crois donc que vos préoccupations ont reçu une attention suffisante. De toute façon, je ferai part de vos remarques au Président, celles-ci feront l'objet de discussions au sein du Bureau de manière à donner à l'Assemblée toutes les clarifications nécessaires à ce sujet.
Evans, Robert
Monsieur le Président, dois-je en déduire que vous n'êtes pas à même de confirmer ce que je vous ai demandé? Vous ne confirmez pas que le bâtiment répond à toutes les conditions imposées par la loi en matière de santé, de sécurité et d'incendie? Vous répondez que vous soulèverez la question afin de faire la lumière. Ce que je vous demande est de me dire si oui ou non vous êtes en mesure de confirmer que le bâtiment répond aux conditions légales.
Le Président
Monsieur Evans, j'estime que tous les critères prévus par la loi sont réunis, mais, pour le moment, je ne pourrais que vous donner une assurance qui va au-delà de l'ensemble de mes informations. C'est pour cela que j'ai l'intention de faire part de votre intervention au Président.
Le procès-verbal est adopté
Dioxine
Le Président
L'ordre du jour appelle les déclarations du Conseil et de la Commission sur la contamination à la dioxine de certains produits destinés à l'alimentation humaine et animale.
Hemilä
Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs les Députés, je voudrais tout d'abord vous féliciter pour avoir été élus et vous transmettre tous mes vux pour un travail législatif fructueux au Parlement européen. Président du Conseil «agriculture» pendant la présidence finlandaise, c'est avec enthousiasme que je me prépare à travailler et à collaborer avec vous. Je ne doute pas que notre collaboration ne porte pas de fruits au cours de cette période et serve bien les intérêts des producteurs, des fabricants et des consommateurs européens. J'aurais bien entendu souhaité que notre première rencontre s'effectue dans d'autres circonstances qui m'auraient permis de vous exposer les priorités de notre programme de travail. Parmi celles-ci se trouvent en particulier des projets législatifs visant à garantir la sécurité des produits alimentaires pour les consommateurs et à faire progresser la santé et le bien-être des animaux. Malheureusement, en raison des circonstances, nous avons été amenés à porter notre attention sur une série d'événements dont nous n'aurions jamais souhaité qu'elle commence.
Les événements récents, qui concernent la contamination de certains produits alimentaires par la dioxine en Belgique, ont provoqué une situation particulièrement grave, non seulement à cause des risques pour la santé humaine, mais également parce qu'ils ont affaibli la confiance de la population envers les chaînes de production de fourrages et de produits alimentaires, ainsi qu'envers le contrôle des autorités. L'opinion publique, avec raison, a réagi fortement à cette crise qui a éclaté justement au moment où nous pensions que la crise de l'ESB était un événement exceptionnel et isolé que l'on était en train de dépasser. Je comprends parfaitement que les consommateurs attendent de nous des mesures rapides et efficaces adaptées à la gravité de la crise, mesures qui leur donnent les garanties nécessaires pour une résolution de la crise à court et à long terme.
Nous devons en même temps garder présent à l'esprit qu'un tel événement non souhaité a également de très graves conséquences économiques. C'est la raison pour laquelle notre devoir est de faire tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir pour protéger la santé des consommateurs et leur offrit les plus vastes garanties possible sur la sécurité des produits alimentaires. Notre intérêt est de prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires afin que de tels événements ne puissent pas se renouveler. Dans toutes ces questions, je travaille en coopération avec ma collègue, Mme Biaudet, présidente du Conseil «santé», afin que l'on puisse ramener la confiance des consommateurs.
Nous ne devons pas oublier que la législation de l'Union européenne concernant la médecine vétérinaire et les fourrages est l'une des plus sévères du monde. Vous connaissez bien les critiques présentées par certains pays tiers, selon lesquelles les mesures destinées à la protection des consommateurs de l'Union sont trop restrictives. Je citerais comme exemple la récente décision de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce d'autoriser les États-Unis et le Canada à augmenter les droits de douane pour nos exportations à la suite de notre refus d'importer du buf élevé aux hormones.
Malgré les craintes économiques et sociales des producteurs, craintes qui sont fondées, le Conseil a toujours agi et continuera d'agir selon deux principes fondamentaux. En premier lieu, l'objectif le plus important est la protection de la santé humaine, en second lieu, toutes les mesures doivent se baser sur la meilleure preuve scientifique possible. Les récentes décisions du Conseil sont la démonstration de cette approche. Je voudrais rappeler la décision qui interdit l'utilisation dans les fourrages de certains antibiotiques favorisant la croissance et la décision prise lundi dernier par le Conseil qui réduit la manipulation de déchets d'origine animale, mesure de protection contre les maladies contagieuses TSE.
Lorsque l'on parle de contamination par la dioxine, il faut constater que les enquêtes des autorités belges et les contrôles de la Commission ont montré que la contamination provenait d'une augmentation inadaptée de matière première lors du processus de fabrication. Il faut également reconnaître que la contamination des fourrages par la dioxine montre que la législation actuelle et les mesures de protection ne suffisent plus pour empêcher une contamination du fourrage par des substances nocives telles que la dioxine. C'est pourquoi il ne fait pas de doute que la législation de l'Union doit être modifiée afin de s'assurer que la qualité des produits d'origine animale soit absolument irréprochable. Nous devons maintenant agir de sorte que le principe «mieux vaut prévenir que guérir» soit entièrement applicable dans l'avenir.
Avant de traiter l'approche décidée au Conseil «agriculture», je voudrais rappeler les activités efficaces mises en route par la Commission et soutenues par les États membres dans le comité vétérinaire permanent où ont été prises toutes les mesures d'urgence rendues nécessaires par le principe de précaution. Ces mesures ont permis l'identification de tous les produits contaminés ou soupçonnés tels, leur retrait du marché et leur destruction. La Commission a, en outre, défini les conditions de la mise sur le marché de produits équipés d'un certificat et la poursuite du commerce des produits aussi bien sur les marchés nationaux que sur celui de l'Union tout entière. La Commission a déjà donné tous les détails des mesures qu'elle a prises, si bien que je ne vais pas les répéter ici. En mon nom et au nom du Conseil, je dois dire que nous apprécions les activités de la Commission.
Pour passer aux mesures du Conseil, je voudrais rappeler que les ministres de l'Agriculture et de la Santé ont suivi avec attention la crise de la dioxine et discuté de la situation dès qu'ils en ont eu la possibilité, dans les réunions qui se sont tenues en juin. L'objectif était alors de donner une impulsion et une direction politique pour des mesures ultérieures nécessaires. Le Conseil a adopté une série de conclusions qui déterminent à cette occasion l'approche à respecter. Le Conseil a souligné surtout un rapport rapide, indépendant et détaillé, et, le cas échéant, une modification de la législation actuelle. Le Conseil a en particulier demandé aux États membres de s'assurer, au moyen de contrôles suffisants, que l'on respectait la législation de l'UE garantissant la protection de la santé. Le Conseil a rappelé qu'en cas de risque les États membres devaient utiliser, totalement et à temps, des systèmes modernes d'alerte précoce.
Le Conseil a encore demandé à la Commission de suivre la mise en application homogène et efficace de ces systèmes d'avertissement précoce de l'UE et, si cela était approprié, de faire des propositions pour les améliorer, ainsi que d'examiner dans quelle mesure les systèmes de suivi existants devaient être étendus afin qu'ils couvrent le reste. Le Conseil a, en outre, demandé à la Commission de lui remettre un rapport, d'ici la fin de l'année, sur la progression de la création d'un bureau alimentaire et vétérinaire et sur sa capacité à atteindre une entière disponibilité de fonctionnement. Sur la base de ce rapport sera également examiné le besoin d'amélioration générale du contrôle des aliments, y compris les organes du contrôle des aliments. Le Conseil a demandé à la Commission une rapide progression dans le travail déjà commencé du comité permanent des aliments pour animaux, travail qui réexamine la législation sur les aliments pour animaux et où l'on procède, le cas échéant, à des ajouts et à des modifications en vue d'une meilleure harmonisation. Le Conseil a également engagé la Commission à procéder à un examen critique de la législation de l'UE concernant la farine de viande osseuse, les déchets d'animaux, ainsi que l'élimination des carcasses. Le Conseil a, en outre, souligné la responsabilité des fabricants d'aliments pour animaux en ce qui concerne la sécurité des produits. Préoccupé par la situation, le Conseil «agriculture» est revenu sur ce sujet dans sa réunion de lundi dernier, pour suivre l'évolution du cas. À la fin d'une nouvelle discussion au riche contenu, le Conseil a confirmé les conclusions qu'il avait faites en juin et attaché de l'importance à la volonté politique unanime des États membres et de la Commission d'appliquer entièrement ces conclusions sans tarder.
Le Conseil a considéré comme bienvenu en principe le programme méthodique de travail législatif présenté par la Commission, travail dont vous connaissez la teneur et qui doit être adapté à la législation sur l'alimentation des animaux et aux mesures concernant les déchets d'animaux. Le Conseil a pris toutes les décisions de procédure convenables afin d'assurer un examen rapide des propositions de la Commission en n'oubliant pas l'objectif posé par le Conseil, qui est de terminer le travail, si possible, avant la fin de l'année.
Je profite de l'occasion pour signaler que les prochaines propositions de la Commission seront examinées selon la procédure de codécision, c'est pourquoi je voudrais demander au Parlement européen sa coopération afin que soit respecté ce calendrier très ambitieux. Je puis assurer que la Finlande, pour sa part, fera tout son possible pour assurer qu'il soit fait diligence au Conseil, afin que nous arrivions à un résultat positif, le plus rapidement possible, au cours de la présidence finlandaise.
Avant de terminer mon exposé, je voudrais déclarer que la crise de la dioxine a nettement démontré que les conséquences d'un tel événement ne se limitent pas aux régions ou même aux pays où il se produit. Les conséquences se font sentir dans toute la Communauté, ainsi que dans nos rapports commerciaux avec des pays tiers. Cette crise a eu une influence défavorable sur nos exportations et les mesures de certains de nos partenaires commerciaux ont, sur bien des points, dépassé les proportions justifiées, non seulement en ce qui concerne la gravité, mais aussi le domaine d'application. Nous devons donc regagner la confiance des consommateurs dans la Communauté, ainsi que dans le monde, et développer en même temps les mesures convenables pour retrouver des relations commerciales qui fonctionnent bien.
S'agissant de la santé humaine, la meilleure façon de rassurer les Européens, ainsi que les consommateurs se trouvant hors d'Europe, est d'agir ouvertement, avec clarté et sens des responsabilités. Outre la publication du programme législatif, nous remercions la Commission pour l'intense travail de relations publiques effectué avec les pays tiers et en particulier avec l'Organisation mondiale du commerce et pour les rapports relatifs aux activités de la Communauté en vue de régler la crise de la dioxine. Le travail effectué visait à montrer la sécurité des produits exportés par l'Union européenne munis de certificats. Des résultats positifs ont été obtenus, mais la situation reste, dans quelques cas, insatisfaisante, ce qui demande que la Commission poursuive ses efforts. Pour être couronnés de succès, ces efforts ont besoin d'être soutenus, et ils devraient l'être, par le Conseil et aussi par le Parlement européen.
Fischler
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, Mesdames et Messieurs les Députés, Mesdames et Messieurs, je voudrais sincèrement vous remercier de m'accorder l'opportunité de vous informer sur les mesures prises en ce qui concerne la récente crise de la dioxine qui a éclaté en Belgique. Je voudrais également profiter de cette occasion pour esquisser brièvement, dans un contexte plus large, les contours de quelques projets qui devraient contribuer, premièrement, à inscrire ce cas dans un cadre plus étendu. Deuxièmement, ces événements nous offrent la possibilité de réfléchir à ce qui doit et devrait encore être amélioré dans notre législation en matière d'alimentation animale et humaine.
Je voudrais tout d'abord aborder l'affaire elle-même. Les autorités belges n'ont malheureusement averti la Commission du problème que le 27 mai. Dès ce moment, nous avons immédiatement mis en oeuvre toute une série de mesures destinées à protéger la santé des humains et des animaux. En accord avec les représentants nationaux siégeant au sein du comité vétérinaire permanent, des mesures d'urgence ont été prises, dans un premier temps, dans le secteur des volailles et des produits à base de volaille d'origine belge. Quelques jours plus tard, des mesures concernant les secteurs bovin, porcin et laitier, ainsi que les produits dérivés ont été appliquées.
Entre-temps, il a toutefois été possible de lever une nouvelle fois les mesures d'embargo frappant le lait et les produits laitiers. En ce qui concerne la question de la source de la contamination - et, ici, l'enquête se poursuit - on peut supposer, d'après les derniers résultats obtenus par le ministère public de Gand, que la crise résulte d'une contamination grave qui a eu lieu au mois de janvier de cette année. Je voudrais souligner le fait que les fonctionnaires de la Communauté sont arrivé à la même conclusion au cours des contrôles qu'ils ont effectués sur place entre le 8 et le 11 juin.
En ce qui concerne l'avenir, nous supposons que tous les produits fabriqués ou commercialisés aujourd'hui au sein de la Communauté, qu'ils soient d'origine belge ou non, ne sont plus contaminés par cette source. Nous poursuivons bien sûr nos travaux et dès que les autorités belges nous auront transmis les informations nécessaires, nous allons étudier la possibilité de faire intervenir les méthodes destinées à déceler la présence de PCB pour la viande porcine et bovine également, ce qui nous permettrait d'apporter certaines modifications aux mesures de protections qui ont été prises.
En vue de limiter les dégâts économiques occasionnés par la crise de la dioxine, la Commission a également introduit une série de mesures. Le 16 juin, un règlement a été établi dont le but est de maintenir les exportations malgré les conditions difficiles. Les éleveurs de porcs peuvent en outre bénéficier de d'une prolongation de la durée autorisée de stockage privé. En ce qui concerne le secteur des volailles, un règlement a été établi le 13 juin permettant d'accorder également des aides à l'exportation pour des pays autres que ceux du Moyen-Orient. Concernant le secteur laitier, une décision a été prise le 15 juin au sein du comité de gestion pour le lait, selon laquelle le délai d'utilisation du beurre et des concentrés à base de beurre entrant dans la composition des pâtisseries et des glaces est prolongé. La Commission a pris une décision il y a deux jours en ce qui concerne les huit subventions d'État annoncées et notifiées par la Belgique. Outre les mesures d'urgences qui ont déjà été prises, les services de la Commission - et cela constitue le cadre plus général - travaillent à l'élaboration de mesures en vue de l'amélioration, voire du renforcement des dispositions en vigueur en matière d'aliments et d'aliments pour animaux. Ces mesures vont bien au-delà de du cas qui nous occupe.
À cet égard, je voudrais maintenant aborder quelques points qui ont déjà fait l'objet de discussions au sein du Parlement et dont nous débattons encore de manière plus approfondie. Je voudrais tout d'abord évoquer la législation alimentaire. Dans ce domaine, nous avons déjà entamé depuis longtemps une consolidation des dispositions en matière d'hygiène dans le domaine alimentaire. Ce projet touche presque à sa fin. À cet égard, il convient également de procéder à une simplification législative, ce qui devrait permettre une meilleure applicabilité des dispositions en matière d'hygiène.
De ce point de vue, il nous faut encore prendre une décision définitive en ce qui concerne un point dont nous avons déjà débattu au sein de ce Parlement, à savoir dans quelle mesure il convient d'appliquer une décontamination pour les poulets abattus ainsi que pour la viande rouge, décontamination limitée et effectuée sous des conditions strictes et contrôlées. La traçabilité de ces produits, de l'étalage du magasin jusqu'à l'éleveur-producteur constitue un autre point essentiel. Dans le secteur de la viande bovine, nous nous trouvons à un stade très avancé mais, en l'occurrence, il convient de poser la question de savoir dans quelle mesure il faudrait appliquer ce système à d'autres domaines.
Pour ce qui est de l'analyse et du contrôle des aliments, ainsi que du développement de divers tests correspondants, nous disposons à l'échelle de la Communauté de quatre laboratoires de référence parmi lesquels celui de Rome s'est vu attribuer la mission spéciale de développer, si nécessaire, de nouvelles méthodes de référence et, le cas échéant, de méthodes de référence améliorées. Ce laboratoire offre également un programme de formation continue qui se concentre en particulier sur les produits contaminant l'environnement.
Au cours du dernier Conseil en date - le président du Conseil a déjà abordé ce point -, un accord politique a été atteint en ce qui concerne diverses mesures, comme ce fut le cas au mois de juin au cours du Conseil des ministres de l'Agriculture sur le règlement ayant trait à l'agriculture biologique et son extension aux produits d'origine animale. Cela constitue une initiative de la Commission qui devrait contribuer à améliorer les rapports de productions et avant tout la transparence pour les consommateurs.
Un autre programme ambitieux, dont nous avons discuté lundi au cours du dernier Conseil des ministres de l'Agriculture, a pour but d'apporter des modifications considérables à la législation alimentaire actuelle. La Commission s'efforce d'agir vraiment rapidement, mais elle a besoin du soutien des États membres et surtout du Parlement. Nous voulons nous concentrer sur trois types de mesures. Premièrement, nous voulons étendre la liste des matières premières destinées aux aliments pour animaux qui ne peuvent être utilisés dans les aliments composés. Deuxièmement, nous voulons fixer des taux de dioxine dans les huiles et les graisses, ainsi que dans les aliments composés, dans lesquels des huiles et des graisses sont rajoutées. Troisièmement, nous voulons modifier la définition des matières premières destinées aux aliments pour animaux, en particulier en ce qui concerne les huiles et les graisses, ainsi que les produits d'origine animale.
Pour atteindre cet objectif, il existe une liste de propositions concrètes dont on a enfin débattu au sein du comité de l'alimentation animale. J'ai transmis cette liste au secrétariat du comité, car énumérer ici tous les points de cette liste prendrait beaucoup trop de temps. C'est la raison pour laquelle je voudrais aborder brièvement quelques points. Il convient d'établir une base juridique pour l'utilisation d'une clause de sauvegarde dans le cas où des dangers en rapport avec les aliments pour animaux apparaîtraient au sein de l'Union européenne et représenteraient un risque grave pour la santé des consommateurs ou des animaux ainsi que pour l'environnement.
Deuxièmement, il s'agit de contraindre les États membres à mener, à l'échelle de l'Union, un programme de contrôle sur les produits contaminants présents dans les aliments pour animaux. Troisièmement, nous voulons introduire un réseau d'alerte rapide destiné aux aliments pour animaux, à l'instar de ce qui existe déjà pour les aliments destinés à la consommation humaine. Je voudrais souligner le fait que le délai a été modifié et qu'on parle désormais du mois de septembre 1999. Nous voulons interdire le mélange de matières premières destinées aux aliments pour animaux et interdire la règle d'exception pour l'utilisation locale d'aliments pour animaux qui ont été contaminés en raison de circonstances locales.
Finalement, nous voulons examiner les dispositions en vigueur concernant les informations sur les matières premières, à savoir les informations concernant le marquage présent sur les étiquettes des aliments composés et ce, dans le but qu'à l'avenir, il soit possible d'obtenir une information claire sur la quantité de toutes les matières premières utilisées, les données concernant les matières premières par catégorie sont cependant supprimées. Nous voulons ensuite accorder, d'une manière générale, une autorisation pour tous les producteurs d'aliments composés et établir la possibilité de création d'une liste positive exhaustive comprenant les matières premières autorisées destinées aux aliments pour animaux.
Je voudrais également faire remarquer que toutes les mesures contenue dans cette liste que j'ai transmise au secrétariat du comité ne sont pas complètement neuves. Cela s'applique par exemple à l'autorisation accordée aux producteurs d'aliments composés. Nous avons déjà introduit une proposition de ce type par le passé mais à l'époque, le Conseil n'a pas accepté le point de vue de la Commission. C'est pourquoi la proposition avait été abandonnée.
Je voudrais maintenant évoquer quelques points concernant le commerce avec des États tiers. Il était crucial d'informer les États tiers du développement de la situation et des mesures de protection que la Commission a prises et de les tenir constamment au courant. C'est dans ce but que les services responsables de la Commission se sont régulièrement mis en contact avec les États tiers et nous avons profité de la séance plénière du comité SPS de l'OMC, qui s'est tenue les 7 et 8 juillet, pour rendre compte de la situation et des documents législatifs y afférents de manière détaillée. Au cours de cette réunion, nous avons clairement souligné le fait que le problème de la dioxine ne touche pas uniquement la Communauté. Aucun pays n'est épargné par la dioxine et il existe un grand nombre d'exemples de contamination à la dioxine qui ont fait les grands titres des journaux ces dernières années dans le monde. C'est pourquoi il faut espérer que tous les pays, et pas seulement les pays européens, ont tiré les leçons de cette crise. Au cours de cette réunion, la majorité des membres du comité a salué ce rapport et remercié la Commission ainsi que les autorités nationales pour les échanges d'informations continus et fiables.
Je voudrais ajouter un mot en ce qui concerne les contrôles. L'Office alimentaire et vétérinaire de la DG XXIV a entamé une série de contrôles sur place. Dès la première visite en Belgique, il a été clair que les autorités belges ont malheureusement mal géré la crise. Cette situation est à imputer essentiellement au manque de coordination entre les différentes autorités administratives compétentes et aux responsabilités fragmentées et mal définies. En outre, il est apparu que les décisions prises par la Communauté sur le retrait du marché de produits potentiellement contaminés ont été appliquées par les autorités belges de manière tout à fait insuffisante.
Les contrôles effectués aux Pays-Bas, en France, en Allemagne et en Espagne ont également révélé certaines carences dans la surveillance des aliments pour animaux. Il est regrettable que certains États membres aient pris la crise sévissant en Belgique comme prétexte pour dresser des barrières commerciales contre certains produits belges non contaminés également, violant par là le principe de la libre circulation des marchandises. Il est également apparu que d'autres États membres avaient reçu de l'huile usagée traitée d'origine belge. En ce qui concerne la procédure d'infraction, je peux vous communiquer que la Commission a entamé, sur la base de l'article 226 du Traité instituant la Communauté européenne, une procédure accélérée contre la Belgique, car l'État belge n'a pas respecté ses obligations d'informer immédiatement la Commission et les États membres sur les cas de contamination à la dioxine et n'a pas pleinement appliqué la décision 1999/389.
Je voudrais aborder d'autres questions sur les limitations d'importation imposées par certains États membres pour des produits belges en général. Les services de la Commission ont rencontré les autorités compétentes en vue d'aborder les dispositions problématiques en matière légale et administrative. Ces discussions ont entre-temps abouti à ce que les mesures de protection de la santé soient orientées de manière plus ciblée et à ce que les limitations d'importation provisoires soient à nouveau levées pour un grand nombre de produits.
Bien sûr, quelques problèmes persistent encore mais les services de la Commission s'efforcent de collaborer étroitement avec les responsables au niveau national et nous voulons régler les derniers problèmes le plus rapidement possible. Pour conclure, je voudrais vous assurer que le Commission fera à l'avenir tout ce qui est en son pouvoir pour maîtriser dans les plus brefs délais les conséquences de cette crise.
Applaudissements
Florenz
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, permettez-moi de me concentrer sur votre personne, Monsieur le Président du conseil, parce que j'estime que ces dernières années, le Conseil européen n'a été que trop peu présent au coeur des discussions européennes et qu'il s'est montré quelque peu hautain et réservé lorsqu'il s'est agi d'éteindre les foyers d'incendie. En l'occurrence - après l'expérience désagréable de la crise de l'ESB - la Commission est largement hors de cause et les États membres ont à nouveau joué leur jeu sous couvert de la subsidiarité et ne se sont pas efforcé, par exemple, d'enfin élaborer une directive cadre sur les aliments qui pourrait constituer un avantage pour l'Europe et à laquelle les États membres se conformeraient.
Je n'irai pas jusqu'à prétendre que nous avons abouti ces cinq dernières années à une renationalisation, mais une chose est sûre, le Conseil ne s'est pas efforcé au cours de ces cinq dernières années de poursuivre réellement des objectifs européens, assortis d'une capacité de contrôle et de sanction, à la lumière des conséquences qu'il faut tirer de la crise de l'ESB. Je le regrette sincèrement et je crains que la seule chose que le Conseil ne mette en oeuvre ne soit l'accord que nous avons conclu il y a quelques jours avec les Américains, accord selon lequel ceux-ci auront l'autorisation d'effecteur des contrôles en Europe sur le respect des normes en matière d'hygiène dont nous attendons des Américains qu'ils les respectent également. C'est à ce moment seulement que le Conseil bougera. Les États membres doivent cesser de jouer leur jeu. Il devraient plutôt jouer un jeu européen en se fixant des objectifs européens et des méthodes propres à chacun d'entre eux pour les atteindre.
Permettez-moi, en tant qu'agriculteur, d'aborder un autre point qui me perturbe fortement. Le monde est le théâtre d'une concurrence désastreuse dans le domaine de l'industrie agro-alimentaire. Les Américains exercent des pressions pour pénétrer le marché européen et les profits de l' industrie de transformation n'ont jamais été aussi bas. La concurrence a pour conséquence que cela se répercute sur le consommateur et, dans ce cas, sur le producteur également. C'est la raison pour laquelle se crée un espace pour de telles activités criminelles. Monsieur le Ministre, vous avez déclaré que l'addition de dioxine constitue une addition de matières premières non appropriées. Peut-être est-ce un problème de traduction. À mes yeux, cela constitue un acte criminel qui provoque la ruine des agriculteurs de ma circonscription!
Applaudissements
C'est pourquoi nous vous demandons d'utiliser un langage clair et intelligible lorsque vous vous adressez aux consommateurs mais également aux agriculteurs et finalement à l'Europe!
Applaudissements
Roth-Behrendt
Monsieur le Président, permettez-moi d'entamer mon intervention en donnant un bon conseil à M. Prodi, ainsi qu'aux candidates et candidats choisis et qui seront confirmés dans leur fonction au mois de septembre par cette Assemblée. Une des question que toutes les commissions poseront assurément sera la suivante: que pensez-vous du respect des décisions prises par le Parlement européen? Et si M. Prodi ou un de ses candidats venait à répondre: «hé bien, cela m'est égal», ils iront au devant de problèmes. Au cours de son troisième discours devant cette Assemblée, M. Prodi a, pour la première fois, utilisé les mots «protection du consommateur» et «politique de la santé». C'est très important. Toutefois, il a déclaré qu'il prévoira à cet égard la création -je cite - d'une «agence européenne indépendante des produits alimentaires et des médicaments».
Cette Assemblée a décidé, à la suite de longues discussions concernant la crise de l'ESB, qu'elle ne voulait pas d'une telle agence. Nous ne voulons pas d'agence indépendante, nous voulons une autorité subordonnée à la Commission et responsable devant cette Assemblée, devant le Parlement européen.
Applaudissements
J'espère que ce message parviendra à M. Prodi, de sorte qu'il sache qu'à l'avenir ses déclarations devront être prudentes. J'ai déjà demandé hier à M. Fischler si cela correspondait à sa proposition. Il m'a assurée de manière convaincante que ce n'était pas le cas. Monsieur Fischler, je vous crois et après avoir écouté votre excellente intervention, j'en suis d'autant plus convaincue.
Permettez-moi de m'adresser au président du Conseil: il a déclaré à quelques reprises que le Conseil était préoccupé du fait que la crise de la dioxine a montré que les conséquences touchent l'Union dans son ensemble et que le Conseil voulait agir de manière transparente et responsable. Monsieur le Président du Conseil, je vous crois. Toutefois, le fait que le Conseil agisse de manière transparente et responsable constituerait un élément nouveau. J'espère que la présidence finlandaise du Conseil agira réellement de la sorte. Le succès que vous obtiendriez au cours de votre présidence du Conseil constituerait une première. Jusqu'à présent, le Conseil a systématiquement agi de manière voilée, hésitante et dissimulée.
Applaudissements
Commençons tout de suite. Vous savez, au sein du Conseil, que les États membres agissent tous de manière similaire. Les événements qui se sont déroulés en Belgique - et il est scandaleux que ce gouvernement ait eu besoin de six semaines pour informer la Commission - auraient pu se passer dans n'importe quel autre pays. La Belgique a joué de malchance. Cela aurait pu se passer en Italie, en Allemagne, en Autriche, nous le savons tous. Qu'avez-vous fait, par exemple, pour améliorer les inspections et les contrôles? Vous faites traîner depuis six mois une proposition du Parlement européen en la matière.
En ce qui concerne les détails de cette crise, je voudrais sincèrement féliciter la Commission. Nous avons très souvent constaté, au cours de la crise de l'ESB, que la Commission ne se trouvait pas vraiment à la pointe du mouvement. Cependant, en ce qui concerne la crise de la dioxine, il n'y a rien, absolument rien qu'on puisse reprocher au comportement de la Commission. Vous avez agi de manière irréprochable. On ne peut vraiment pas en dire autant de tous les autres acteurs de cette crise.
Maintenant, quelles sont les conséquences qu'il faut en tirer? M. Fischler en a cité quelques-unes. Il a fait référence à la législation nécessaire. Oui, elle est nécessaire, nous avons besoin d'une nouvelle législation en matière d'aliments pour animaux, cela ne fait aucun doute. Nous devons interdire que des déchets, par exemple, ne se retrouvent dans les aliments pour animaux. Nous parlons d'aliments dont on nourrit les animaux. Les déchets n'appartiennent pas à cette catégorie. Non, Monsieur Fischler, il ne peut certainement pas exister de seuil de dioxine. Le seuil de dioxine et de PCB doit être égal à zéro, cela ne fait aucun doute. C'est la raison pour laquelle nous devrions également être très prudents quant à la formulation et au vocabulaire que nous utilisons.
À cela vient s'ajouter un autre problème. Nous devons avoir le courage d'aborder le problème de la dioxine d'une manière globale. Un registre de la dioxine sera-t-il établi au sein de l'Union européenne et à l'échelle internationale? Déterminera-t-on, par exemple, les lieux de retombée des émissions de dioxine produites par les incinérateurs de déchets, d'autres sources d'émission de dioxine, présentes dans les sols, dans l'herbe dont les animaux se nourrissent? Nous savons très bien qu'il ne s'agit pas uniquement des aliments pour animaux, mais qu'il est question de notre environnement naturel. Je vous demande donc d'établir un registre de la dioxine. Il est certain que c'est nécessaire.
Pour conclure, je voudrais brièvement faire une proposition en ce qui concerne les contrôles. Si nous ne veillons pas à ce que les contrôles soient effectués de manière plus efficace, si la Commission ne peut procéder à des inspection de manière imprévue, et si nous devons attendre d'obtenir l'autorisation de la Belgique ou de tout autre État membre, nous pouvons abandonner le principe d'un contrôle efficace. Nous devons modifier le système de contrôle, ainsi que la politique agricole dans son ensemble. Si nous estimons qu'il est possible - et si tel est notre désir - de faire, grâce aux déchets, un maximum de profit pour un minimum de dépense, alors nous serons toujours confrontés à ce type de situation. Nous devons changer cet état de fait au sein de l'Union européenne et nous devons le faire de concert avec nos partenaires en dehors de l'Union.
Applaudissements
Sterckx
Monsieur le Président, il est regrettable que ma première intervention en tant que nouveau député auprès de ce Parlement doive porter sur de graves fautes commises dans mon pays. Tout d'abord dans le chef des entreprises fournissant les matières premières pour les aliments pour bétail, ensuite des services de contrôle qui doivent veiller, s'il y a une erreur commise, à ce qu'elle soit immédiatement détectée et à en limiter les conséquences. Mais aussi et certains dans le chef des autorités de l'époque qui ont perdu de précieuses semaines et qui nous ont causé un grand tort en n'avertissant pas en temps voulu la Commission européenne et les États membres de ce qui se passait.
Ces fautes ont provoqué une situation dramatique, tout d'abord bien sûr en matière de santé publique, mais aussi parce qu'il s'agit d'une catastrophe économique pour le secteur agricole et l'ensemble du secteur alimentaire. La confiance a été entamée et il faudra naturellement pas mal de temps pour la rétablir.
Ces erreurs ont été sanctionnées sur le plan politique à l'occasion des élections du mois dernier dans notre pays. La Belgique dispose à présent d'un nouveau gouvernement qui tente par tous les moyens de limiter les dégâts aussi vite que possible, de faire le nettoyage qui s'impose et aussi de réparer les dégâts. J'espère que là aussi, la Belgique pourra compter sur la solidarité de l'Union car il est clair que pour le consommateur, l'agriculteur ou l'entreprise victime d'une crise, peu importe que celle-ci ait été provoquée par une maladie ou un accident, voire même un délit. Il en est victime et il en subit les conséquences.
Heureusement, Monsieur le Commissaire, la Commission a ouvert la porte, au début de cette semaine, afin que les autorités belges puissent apporter une aide aux entreprises dans le besoin. J'espère que ce n'est pas le dernier pas.
À plus long terme, une tâche nous incombe aussi au sein du Parlement européen. Monsieur le Commissaire, vous nous avez dit que vous présenteriez bientôt des propositions. Je veux croire, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, que nous pourrons rapidement débattre de ces textes avec le Conseil et en tirer la législation nécessaire. Il doit y avoir une réglementation européenne.
En tant que libéral, je me réjouis, Monsieur le Commissaire, que vous ayez déclaré que cette réglementation se devait d'être simple et tournée vers l'utilisateur. Bien entendu, elle doit aussi être stricte afin que les gens sachent ce que signifie une alimentation saine et elle doit valoir pour l'ensemble de la chaîne. Mais il est évident qu'au plus fort de la crise, il est bien sûr absurde que la Commission et ses services se perdent dans des discussions avec les autorités belges et leurs services techniques car il n'y a pas de normes disponibles, que l'on ne sait pas quelle quantité de dioxine est autorisée dans l'un ou l'autre produit. Au paroxysme d'une crise, on doit passer son temps à autre chose qu'à cela.
Il nous faut une réglementation claire pour toute cette sorte de choses; des règles claires, simples et strictes. Et il faut aussi des contrôles. Nous devons veiller à ce que les consommateurs puissent voir, grâce à la présence d'un label de qualité, si un produit est sain ou non et savoir clairement qu'il est approuvé au niveau européen.
J'ai trouvé positif que Romano Prodi ait annoncé hier la création d'une agence européenne pour l'alimentation. Il est bien entendu évident qu'une telle agence devrait assumer sa responsabilité de manière démocratique et être incorporée, si je puis dire, dans les institutions européennes. Si le Parlement européen, la Commission européenne, le Conseil européen ne veillent pas à la mise en place rapide d'une réglementation et de contrôles satisfaisants, ce sera un article à ajouter à la longue liste des catastrophes déjà endurées. Ma collègue a déclaré que cela peut se produire dans chaque pays. Nous disposons d'un certain nombre d'exemples. Je trouve que nous devrions tout faire pour que la liste d'exemples ne s'allonge pas davantage.
Nogueira Román
- (ES) Monsieur le Président, je souhaiterais rappeler que notre groupe compte deux composantes, la composante vert et la composante ALE, de pays sans État. J'ai observé, aussi bien aujourd'hui qu'hier, que les écrans de contrôle n'affichent généralement pas le vrai nom de notre groupe, Verts/ALE.
Je vous demande donc, Monsieur le Président, de bien vouloir prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires afin de rétablir le véritable nom de notre groupe.
Staes
Monsieur le Président, on est ce que l'on mange. Cet extrait de sagesse populaire démontre la sensibilité de l'opinion publique et de nos électeurs au thème de la «sécurité alimentaire». À l'école primaire, j'ai appris que les vaches mangeaient de l'herbe, qu'elles étaient des ruminants. Et pour des raisons de course aux profits, voilà que nous nourrissons nos vaches avec des aliments pour bétail enrichis aux farines animales. Nous avons transformé nos vaches en cannibales. Mais il y a plus.
Les porcs belges sont tellement sensibles au stress qu'on leur administre des tranquillisants et des bêtabloqueurs juste avant de les conduire à l'abattoir. Des organisations mafieuses administrent aux bovins des hormones, des antibiotiques, des corticostéroïdes, des bêtabloqueurs, des bêta-inhibiteurs. Depuis quelques jours, nous savons aussi qu'il y a des poulets à la dioxine. Chez moi, en Flandre, on avait l'habitude, le dimanche, de manger du poulet et des frites. Nous savons maintenant que nous pouvons aussi laisser tomber les frites. Car nos poulets sont nourris avec de vieilles huiles de friture. Et nous en venons immédiatement au coeur du problème.
Mes chers collègues, le scandale du poulet à la dioxine n'est pas un accident de parcours. C'est bien davantage. Ce qui s'est passé en Belgique aurait tout aussi bien pu se passer en Allemagne, en France, aux Pays-Bas, en Espagne ou en Italie. C'est le résultat de la faillite d'un système. Le résultat d'une politique agricole commune erronée qui pousse les agriculteurs dans le cercle vicieux de la production toujours plus importante, d'investissements toujours plus importants, de produits toujours meilleur marché, d'entreprises toujours plus grandes devant travailler de manière toujours plus intensive. La quantité a toujours pris le pas sur la qualité.
Il nous faut inverser la tendance. La qualité doit prévaloir sur la quantité. Une résolution commune a été déposée à cet effet par plusieurs groupes. Notamment par mon groupe, celui des Verts et de l'Alliance libre européenne. J'insiste sur la nécessité absolue d'un système efficace d'avertissement précoce en cas de danger alimentaire potentiel. Il nous faut une proposition globale visant à renforcer le principe de précaution en matière de production alimentaire et de commerce. Soyons honnêtes, un débat sur l'industrie du recyclage doit avoir lieu. Est-il possible que les déchets en provenance d'installations d'épuration d'eau, déchets qui contiennent du cadmium et des métaux lourds, soient transformés en aliments pour bétail et pénètrent donc dans la chaîne alimentaire? Il nous faut opérer une distinction claire entre ce qui constitue des déchets et doit donc être traité comme tel et ce qui peut être réutilisé dans notre production alimentaire.
Une dernière remarque. Cette crise est une catastrophe pour les producteurs. Des dizaines, si pas des centaines, d'entreprises vont faire faillite. J'ai ici le rapport de la Cour des comptes sur l'aide alimentaire accordée aux agriculteurs touchés par la crise de l'ESB. Aujourd'hui, j'ai entendu le commissaire énumérer toute une série de mesures à prendre ou déjà prises. Je m'en réjouis. Mais je ne peux cependant me défaire de l'impression que c'est encore trop peu. Des milliards ont été consacrés aux victimes de la crise de l'ESB. Il faut aussi faire quelque chose pour les victimes de cette crise. Pourquoi refuser aux agriculteurs flamands ce qu'ont reçu les agriculteurs anglais? À cet égard, je me range entièrement à l'avis de notre collègue Sterckx: ce que la Commission a fait n'est encore qu'un premier pas et la Commission, le Conseil et le Parlement devront aller beaucoup plus loin.
Le Président
Un mot sur la remarque que vient de faire un député. Les services compétents me confirment que nous avons effectivement un problème avec le programme informatique et que les noms seront corrigés, je l'espère, à partir de la prochaine période de session de septembre.
Papayannakis
Monsieur le Président, les crises s'accumulent. Nous avons celle de la dioxine de Belgique, celle des boissons gazeuses - Coca-Cola et autres -, la suite de la crise de la vache folle, Monsieur Fischler, car elle n'est pas terminée. Selon une revue britannique autorisée, on dénombrait à la fin 98, parmi les sujets jeunes, quatre fois plus de décès dus à la maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob, et nous ne disposons d'aucun élément à ce sujet. Nous ne savons pas ce qui se passe avec la maladie de la vache folle au Portugal. Il est beaucoup question de la viande aux hormones en provenance des États-Unis ainsi que des pressions inadmissibles que l'on exerce sur nous pour sa mise sur le marché. Les organismes génétiquement modifiés ne donnent lieu à aucun dialogue sérieux et de fond avant d'entrer dans notre alimentation quotidienne. Comme je l'ai lu dans une étude récente, nous ne savons finalement pas ce que nous mangeons, les cultivateurs ne savent pas ce qu'ils cultivent et les éleveurs quels aliments ils donnent à leurs animaux.
Tout cela, Monsieur le Président, est source de confusion et d'inquiétude. Vis-à-vis du citoyen européen, notre Parlement est tenu de ne pas se borner à dénoncer une action criminelle comme celle qu'a commise la Belgique et alors que celle-ci, soit dit en passant, n'a toujours pas divulgué les noms des entreprises qui ont utilisé des farines contaminées par la dioxine. Il est vrai que cette fois, sans doute instruite par le précédent de la vache folle, la Commission a déféré la Belgique devant la Cour de justice européenne. Pourtant, nous n'avons encore eu aucun débat sérieux ni pris de décision sur la manière de rendre plus rigoureux et efficaces des contrôles qui sont laissés à la discrétion des États membres, et cela quand on est parfaitement au courant du manque d'infrastructures, de vétérinaires et d'agents de contrôle, au courant des tentatives et actes de corruption, des menaces, des meurtres qui ont eu lieu dans certains pays pour ces questions - je ne vois personne s'en occuper sérieusement -, tout comme des vives réactions suscitées au sein même de l'Union européenne par l'éventualité d'y créer un véritable organisme de contrôle, sur le modèle de la Food and Drug Administration des États-Unis, et non pas quelque vague centre d'études. Le libre accès des citoyens à l'information, la transparence sont une nécessité.
Par conséquent, Monsieur le Président, j'insiste tout particulièrement sur la proposition de notre groupe visant à ce que le Parlement crée un comité provisoire qui se saisira de l'ensemble des questions de sécurité alimentaire et de santé publique, et pas seulement de tel ou tel aspect précis.
Souchet
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, Monsieur le Commissaire, mes chers collègues, la crise de la dioxine, après celle de la vache folle, les pressions américaines visant à imposer la viande aux hormones, sont autant d'exemples des menaces redoutables qui pèsent aujourd'hui sur la sécurité alimentaire de nos concitoyens. Si ces menaces ne sont pas traitées résolument et adéquatement, l'irrationnel l'emportera au détriment de nos producteurs.
Le président désigné de la Commission a reconnu, hier, l'importance capitale de cette question, mais il est resté totalement muet sur la manière dont il propose de la traiter. Plutôt que ces tirades idéologiques d'un autre âge appelant au retour de la vieille connivence supranationale entre le Parlement et la Commission contre le Conseil, nous aurions préféré entendre, de la bouche de M. Prodi, comment il entendait concrètement, dans un domaine relevant de sa compétence, réparer les dégâts accomplis par les précédentes Commissions lors des négociations de l'Uruguay round.
En acceptant des règles contraires à nos intérêts et des dispositions telles que celle de la preuve scientifique suffisante, qui nous interdisent en pratique d'appliquer le principe de précaution, les Commissions antérieures ont causé des dommages considérables à nos sociétés et à nos économies. Elles ont offert nos exportations en otage, à ceux qui veulent nous imposer leur mode de production avec toutes ses conséquences en matière sanitaire, environnementale et sociale.
La sécurité alimentaire de nos concitoyens dans les années à venir dépendra fondamentalement de la manière dont la nouvelle Commission saura défendre, au cours des prochaines négociations du Millenium round, la pleine légitimité d'un modèle de zone européenne distincte de qualité agricole supérieure.
Les États membres doivent donc donner, ou redonner, à la Commission un mandat clair et ferme afin que celle-ci soit l'aiguillon d'une renégociation éclairée des règles du GATT, qui constituent aujourd'hui un obstacle à la mise en oeuvre du principe de précaution dans les domaines sanitaire et alimentaire.
Il faut également mettre un terme à la dérive redoutable de désintégration de la PAC en tant que politique communautaire dotée de prix européens supérieurs aux prix mondiaux. Ceux qui poussent aujourd'hui à poursuivre dans la voie de l'intégration complète au marché mondial pour satisfaire les demandes américaines doivent se rendre compte de la très lourde responsabilité qu'ils prennent. Il ne laissent, à beaucoup de nos agriculteurs, d'autre choix que celui de se lancer inconsidérément ou prématurément dans l'introduction de nouvelles techniques de culture ou d'élevage hasardeuses, insuffisamment testées et présentant donc des risques pour la santé publique.
Veiller à préserver la sécurité alimentaire de nos concitoyens est l'un de nos tout premiers devoirs. Pour cela, ne laissons pas, mes chers collègues, l'agriculture européenne devenir une agriculture folle.
Vanhecke
Monsieur le Président, comme on ne le sait hélas que trop bien dans mon pays, la crise de la dioxine a plongé des dizaines de milliers d'entreprises dans de très grosses difficultés. Je crois que dans une catastrophe économique et écologique d'une telle ampleur, il faut avoir le courage de chercher et de désigner les causes et partant, les coupables, non pas pour une forme déplacée de rancune, mais afin d'éviter que de tels problèmes ne se reproduisent à l'avenir.
Nous devons être honnêtes. Le coupable est avant tout l'ancien gouvernement belge qui a commis une bévue de trop. Le gouvernement ne savait tout d'abord pas de quoi il retournait, s'en souciant aussi peu que de sa première chemise, a ensuite voulu étouffer l'affaire jusqu'après les élections et s'est enfin rendu coupable d'une réaction de panique tout à fait exagérée qui a provoqué, de part le monde, le boycott soi-disant des produits belges, boycott dont mon pays, la Flandre, a cependant le plus souffert puisque dans ce qu'on appelle les exportations «belges», les exportations «flamandes» se taillent en fait la part du lion.
Mais hélas, il ne s'agit pas seulement d'un problème d'incompétence, de népotisme dans l'administration, de nominations politiques et de manque de contrôle en Belgique. Peut-être devrions-nous enfin constater, en tant que parlementaires européens, que des années de politique agricole européenne ont en fait mené à la quasi destruction de l'agriculture de qualité, par définition à petite échelle, et à la toute puissance d'une agriculture industrielle européenne, à la toute puissance d'un certain nombre de groupes de l'industrie agro-alimentaire qui ne visent qu'au profit et prennent des libertés avec la santé publique et les normes de qualité.
Lorsque, en tant que profane, on apprend, par exemple, que toute sorte de déchets sont recyclés dans l'alimentation animale, que des années après l'apparition de la maladie de la vache folle, on nourrit encore des herbivores avec des farines animales et qu'en outre, des produits non contrôlés en provenance de pays douteux atterrissent directement dans l'alimentation animale, on se demande effectivement si en toute honnêteté, ces décennies de politique agricole européenne ne peuvent pas être qualifiées de faillite absolue. Je rappelle une fois encore que la moitié du budget européen est consacrée à cette politique agricole.
Je crois que nous devons maintenant avoir le courage de demander, au Conseil et à la Commission au premier chef, de tirer les enseignements des erreurs du passé, d'en finir avec la politique agricole menée jusqu'ici et d'enfin opérer un choix raisonnable, judicieux et nécessaire en faveur d'une agriculture de qualité en Europe.
Van Dam
Monsieur le Président, nous avons à nouveau tressailli hier en apprenant la découverte d'un taux élevé de dioxine dans des aliments pour bétail en provenance d'Allemagne. Cette contamination, moins sérieuse certes que celle survenue en Belgique, est un nouvel appel à une action plus responsable dans le chef des producteurs et de autorités. J'estime appropriées les mesures strictes prises par la Commission européenne dans la crise récente. C'est à juste titre qu'on punit les comportements irresponsables, voire même criminels. Néanmoins, punir ne suffit pas. À l'avenir, il nous faudra éviter que ne se produisent de tels incidents. La question est de savoir comment.
Je ne pense pas qu'il soit raisonnable d'ériger un nouvel office après chaque crise alimentaire. Un surplus de bureaucratie ne mène pas automatiquement à une alimentation plus sûre. Je ne pense pas non plus qu'il faille interdire toujours plus d'ingrédients dans la composition des aliments pour bétail. Si les fabricants de ces aliments ne récupère plus les huiles usagées en provenance de l'horeca, qui le fera. Il ne faudrait pas négliger les problèmes environnementaux.
La prévention de tels incidents me semble bien plus résider dans une maîtrise intégrale des différentes chaînes alimentaires. La traçabilité des expéditeurs d'aliments pour bétail est très importante. Cela évite également de discréditer tout le secteur de l'alimentation animale pour un incident isolé. Dans cette maîtrise de la chaîne alimentaire, ce sont surtout les États membres qui ont un rôle important à jouer. S'ils ne sont pas prêts à s'engager en faveur de la sécurité alimentaire, la Commission européenne est impuissante.
Enfin, je veux encore signaler à la Commission que l'interdiction d'utilisation des graisses végétales dans les aliments pour bétail en Belgique encourage la fraude, compte tenu de la disponibilité limitée de graisses animales. C'est pourquoi je soutiens l'appel fait dans la proposition de résolution et visant à s'orienter vers les graisses végétales.
Le Président
J'ai reçu, conformément à l'article 37 du règlement, cinq propositions de résolutions .
Le vote aura lieu à 12 heures.
Grossetête
Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, l'Europe connaît, depuis quelques années déjà, une succession de scandales alimentaires: nous avons eu la «vache folle»; nous nous interrogeons sur les OGM et leur étiquetage; nous connaissons aujourd'hui le problème des farines animales contenant de la dioxine; nous voyons des boissons bien connues retirées de la vente parce qu'elles causent des problèmes... On se demande quel sera le prochain scandale: celui que nous connaîtrons demain.
Il ne faut certes pas céder à un vent de panique, mais il est naturel de s'interroger aujourd'hui sur la qualité des produits que nous consommons. La préoccupation relative à la sécurité alimentaire est une préoccupation malheureusement trop récente en Europe, puisqu'elle a été révélée par la crise de la vache folle. Nous sommes tous concernés, qu'il s'agisse des consommateurs, ou des producteurs, des producteurs industriels ou des agriculteurs. Nous sommes tous concernés parce que nous avons le souci de la santé publique et que celui-ci nous motive.
Mais nous ressentons aussi une très grande inquiétude à la fois pour les agriculteurs, qui sont directement concernés et montrés du doigt, et pour l'industrie agro-alimentaire dans son ensemble. Tous ne cessent de prendre des coups. Ces scandales leur font du tort alors qu'il y a néanmoins, parmi les producteurs et les agriculteurs, des personnes particulièrement sérieuses qui font tout pour que leur production soit irréprochable. Nous ne devons pas sanctionner toute une profession parce qu'il y a, en son sein, des personnes qui, elles, ne sont pas suffisamment sérieuses.
Que faut-il faire? Il faut recréer les conditions propres à rendre confiance au consommateur européen. Il faut donc renforcer les mécanismes européens d'alerte rapide. Il faut que les États membres acceptent de bon gré les contrôles sanitaires. Il ne faut pas que les États membres aient le sentiment d'être montrés du doigt lorsqu'on leur demande ces contrôles. Il faut que tout le monde joue le jeu. C'est l'intérêt de tous, parce que nous avons ce grand marché unique. C'est une condition essentielle du fonctionnement du marché. À défaut, les consommateurs boycotteront les produits, et nous nous retrouverons dans une situation économique particulièrement difficile pour la plupart.
Il faut donc plus de transparence de la part des États membres et du Conseil. Il faut un soutien aux producteurs de qualité respectueux de l'environnement. Il faut effectivement avoir le courage de réformer en profondeur la politique agricole, afin que nos consommateurs aient de nouveau envie de consommer nos produits. Il faut assurer la vigilance et le suivi de la traçabilité et de l'étiquetage. Il faut être particulièrement ferme face aux discussions de l'OMC. Il faut tout simplement marquer un coup d'arrêt à des pratiques inacceptables.
Van Lancker
Monsieur le Président, chers collègues, je suis profondément rassurée que personne au sein de cette Assemblée, pas plus qu'au sein de la Commission européenne ou du Conseil, n'ait perçu la crise belge de la dioxine comme un problème exclusivement belge. Effectivement, il va sans dire que des problèmes gigantesques ont été soulevés en Belgique et que la Commission européenne a eu raison d'indiquer que de sérieuses fautes avaient été commises en Belgique, mais ceux de nos collègues qui connaissent tout de même un tant soit peu le dossier savent que le gouvernement belge a pris des mesures très énergiques et peut à présent donner des garanties aux consommateurs de l'ensemble de l'Union européenne.
En effet, le problème belge soulève également un problème européen et le fait qu'il s'agisse d'un problème européen tient naturellement au marché intérieur, à la politique de la concurrence, aux carences de la politique agricole. Je dois vous dire, Monsieur le Commissaire, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, que je suis heureuse des mesures que vous venez tous deux d'annoncer mais je veux vous rappeler qu'un certain nombre de ces mesures avaient déjà été déposées de longue date par le Parlement européen, depuis le début, par exemple, de la commission d'enquête sur le problème de la vache folle.
Tout d'abord, Monsieur le Commissaire Fischler, je pense que nous avons en effet besoin d'améliorer le cadre législatif européen. Vous avez raison de souligner la nécessité de nouvelles normes de qualité. Je serais ravie qu'on propose effectivement une liste positive et que nous cessions de faire de la législation une coquille vide sous la pression du lobby agro-alimentaire. À moins que quelqu'un n'ait encore de bons arguments à faire valoir en faveur de l'incorporation de produits du recyclage et de déchets dans notre chaîne alimentaire.
Deuxièmement, une remarque sur l'organisation de l'administration européenne. Dagmar Roth-Berendt a déjà dit que nous pensions que la sécurité alimentaire devait rester sous le contrôle de la Commission européenne et donc aussi du Parlement européen. Nous estimons que la Commission doit créer un service suffisamment doté en personnel et en moyens financiers. En outre, ce service devrait pouvoir coordonner les contrôles menés par les instances nationales et mener des contrôles de sa propre initiative, où et quand il le désire, et non de simples contrôles annoncés.
J'ai particulièrement apprécié, Monsieur le Commissaire, votre annonce relative à la base légale pour une initiative communautaire en matière de sécurité alimentaire. Il me semble en effet utile que l'on puisse intervenir pour faire face à des contaminations dans la chaîne alimentaire, pour éviter des catastrophes en matière de santé publique sans pour autant que les agriculteurs honnêtes ne soient les dindons de la farce.
Pour conclure, Monsieur le Commissaire, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, je voudrais cependant souligner, comme l'ont fait mes collègues, que nous ne pourrons jamais résoudre ce problème de sécurité alimentaire si nous ne repensons pas de manière radicale notre agriculture, nos méthodes de production alimentaire. Nous ne pouvons pas continuer à favoriser les seuls gros producteurs agro-alimentaires. Nous devons avant tout accorder notre aide aux petits producteurs et à la production saine. Je dois d'ailleurs dire que je trouve tout à fait inacceptable que le Boerenbond belge ait refusé, au cours de cette crise de la dioxine, de collaborer à la réforme de l'agriculture et à la diminution du cheptel en Belgique.
Enfin, chers collègues, peut-être certains arguments plaident-ils encore en faveur de la mise en place d'une commission d'enquête européenne. Mais je voudrais simplement dire qu'il nous faut bien réfléchir avant de prendre cette décision et nous demander s'il n'est pas plus indiqué de poursuivre notre travail dans les différentes commissions concernées.
Mulder
Monsieur le Président, je peux rassurer l'intervenante précédente, je ne me limiterai pas non plus aux fautes commises en Belgique. Je pense qu'un scandale de la dioxine, une crise de l'ESB, ou que sais-je encore, peut se produire partout en Europe. Je pense dès lors qu'il est grand temps que la Commission européenne - avec le soutien enthousiaste du Conseil - développe les initiatives nécessaires à la mise en oeuvre d'une politique alimentaire européenne. Il va bien entendu sans dire qu'il s'agit de la santé publique. Rien ne peut hypothéquer cette garantie de la santé publique.
À ce sujet, je veux tout de même revenir sur la résolution adoptée en octobre de l'année dernière et dans laquelle le Parlement demandait unanimement qu'on tende vers une politique européenne de qualité en matière alimentaire. Tout aliment arrivant sur le marché et voulant bénéficier d'un label de qualité européen devra être contrôlé tout au long de la chaîne. Qui pourra le faire? Nous connaissons déjà un certain nombre de bureaux d'inspection qui sont issus de la production biologique. Si des gens ne veulent pas acheter ces produits, si des gens veulent bénéficier d'une autre alimentation mais dont nous puissions connaître avec précision le mode de production, cela doit également, selon moi, être possible. Le client est roi et le bureau qui contrôle l'alimentation biologique saura également contrôler des aliments produits à partir d'autres normes.
Je trouve essentiel que cela se produise en Europe. Car si cela se produit en Europe, nous serons le premier grand bloc commercial au monde à garantir de cette manière la qualité de l'alimentation à nos consommateurs. C'est de cela dont il s'agit, somme toute. De nombreuses personnes ont déjà signalé qu'il nous fallait surtout garantir l'exercice de la libre concurrence, que si nous exigions une chose des producteurs européens, il fallait pouvoir appliquer les mêmes normes aux producteurs extra-européens.
Quelle est la meilleure façon d'y parvenir à l'heure actuelle? Aujourd'hui, nous connaissons déjà des systèmes de production intégrée dans différents pays européens. L'Allemagne, l'Autriche, les Pays-Bas - je cite ces pays au hasard - sont tous dotés de normes en matière de production intégrée. Il faut seulement déplorer que ces normes diffèrent d'un pays à l'autre, ce qui ne me paraît pas tolérable sur ces grands marchés communs européens. La Commission devra donc rapidement trouver le plus grand dénominateur commun.
Je voudrais encore ajouter quelque chose sur ce qu'a dit hier M. Prodi au sujet de l'agence alimentaire européenne. Je ne suis pas encore absolument convaincu qu'elle soit nécessaire. Aux États-Unis, la Food and Drug Administration est dotée de quelque cinq à six mille fonctionnaires. La Commission dispose-t-elle des fonds pour ériger une agence semblable? Ça me semble un peu fort. Je voudrais donc demander si la Commission pourrait envoyer au Parlement des éléments lui permettant d'opérer une comparaison. Comment fonctionne la Food and Drug Administration américaine? Que se passerait-il si notre agence à Dublin, l'agence vétérinaire et phytosanitaire se voyait ajouter une division spécifique? Peut-être pourrait-elle effectuer le même travail à un coût infiniment moindre. Il me semble que c'est un sujet sur lequel ce Parlement devrait se pencher.
Enfin, j'adresse tous mes voeux de succès à la Finlande. Nous ferons les comptes à la fin de l'année.
Isler Béguin
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, j'aurais aimé m'adresser également au commissaire à l'environnement et à d'autres commissaires parce que nous connaissons parfaitement les dégâts de la dioxine sur la santé humaine et ils ne concernent pas seulement l'agriculture: cela va bien au-delà.
Comme de nombreux scientifiques, nous estimons que la prolifération des dioxines cancérigènes dans la chaîne alimentaire sera sans doute le fléau du siècle prochain. J'aimerais bien que le commissaire écoute, parce qu'il nous appartient, ainsi qu'à lui-même, dans le cadre des politiques qu'il va mettre en place, d'intégrer ce problème dans les différentes politiques. Nous estimons en effet qu'il est absolument criminel de contaminer des aliments au nom d'un profit immédiat, comme ce fut le cas. Ce genre d'acte irresponsable doit être reconnu et puni en tant que tel, c'est-à-dire en tant que crime sanitaire. Nous estimons qu'il est tout aussi criminel de laisser se propager des dioxines dangereuses dans la chaîne alimentaire.
Des études récentes ont montré que dans toute la planète, déjà, le lait maternel est contaminé par la dioxine, et que personne n'est épargné. Nous savons aussi que les principaux responsables - les principaux cracheurs de dioxine - sont les incinérateurs. À cet égard en revanche, étant donné le coût financier considérable des analyses, nous ne savons pas encore combien de personnes sont actuellement contaminées sur le continent européen par la dioxine en croyant manger des aliments cultivés dans un jardin propre, alors qu'ils les cultivent à proximité d'incinérateurs anciens toujours en fonction.
L'Union européenne a la responsabilité de préserver la santé humaine et l'environnement. C'est pourquoi nous exigeons, tout d'abord, un système d'alerte totalement efficace. Or, cela ne semble pas être le cas actuellement, puisque la France n'a pas interprété immédiatement, en termes d'alerte sanitaire, l'annonce de la contamination publiée par la Belgique. Nous exigeons également une enquête parlementaire. On sait qu'à l'annonce du poulet «dioxiné», les consommateurs se sont rués sur le poisson alors que nous savons aussi que le poisson est engraissé par les mêmes aliments. Dès lors, qu'en est-il? Nous espérons bien que l'enquête nous l'apprendra.
Jové Peres
Monsieur le Président, bien que la crise de l'ESB ait été de nature épidémiologique et que celle de la dioxine soit de nature toxique, ces deux crises présentent des éléments communs préoccupants. Elles ont toutes les deux été provoquées par l'introduction de matières premières dérivées du recyclage dans l'alimentation animale et elles ont dans les deux cas donné lieu à de graves problèmes pour la santé des consommateurs. Ces pratiques conduisent forcément à la concentration et à l'accumulation d'éléments infectieux ou toxiques.
D'autre part, la crise de la dioxine coïncide avec le scandale de l'utilisation de boues issues de stations d'épuration dans la fabrication d'aliments pour animaux. Dans ce cas-ci, le risque réside dans l'accumulation de métaux lourds.
Mais bien que l'on ne puisse pas effectuer d'analyses schématiques, je ne puis m'empêcher de faire, dans ce contexte, le commentaire suivant: la politique agricole commune et l'Organisation mondiale du Commerce ne cessent d'attiser une concurrence exacerbée comme élément fondamental de leur politique, ce qui me semble extrêmement préoccupant car ce type de sacralisation de la concurrence primant sur tout le reste conduit inévitablement à des pratiques risquées, telles que l'utilisation d'hormones ou d'antibiotiques, parmi les matières premières de l'alimentation animale. Quoi qu'il en soit, ce qui doit primer dans l'Union européenne, c'est le principe de précaution en vue de défendre la santé des consommateurs.
Un grave problème concernant ces questions est le manque de réglementation dans la fabrication d'aliments pour animaux et l'absence d'une politique alimentaire de l'Union européenne. Je souhaite rappeler ici, par exemple, que les institutions communautaires n'ont pas suivi les recommandations et les exigences du Parlement, qui avait demandé l'interdiction des farines animales dans l'alimentation du bétail.
Toutefois, le problème le plus grave, c'est que tout ingrédient n'ayant pas été interdit expressément dans la fabrication d'aliments pour bétail est implicitement autorisé. C'est pourquoi la Commission devra rédiger et formuler des propositions afin de dresser une liste positive des matières premières autorisées pour l'alimentation animale, accompagnée d'une étude d'incidence sur les coûts de production de l'alimentation du bétail afin d'éviter des incompatibilités avec la PAC.
Enfin, Monsieur le Président, je tiens à rappeler à la Commission qu'elle doit dès à présent définir une politique alimentaire, développer le Livre vert en application depuis deux ans et je désirerais me joindre aux affirmations de Mme Roth-Behrendt concernant l'agence alimentaire indépendante.
Farage
Monsieur le Président, compte tenu du passé du Royaume-Uni en matière d'ESB, certain députés pourraient penser que celui-ci ne peut donner de point de vue objectif. Ils auraient tort. Je rappelle que nous avons connu d'autres crises. Nous avons également eu la salmonelle dans les oeufs, ainsi que la listeria, ce qui nous a donné une expérience sans égal dans la résolution des crises de sécurité alimentaire.
Dans le cas de la listeria, cette crise est devenue critique en 1989, lorsque les décès de bébés et de jeunes enfants sévissant depuis quelques années avaient déjà atteint le nombre de 200, nombre bien plus élevé que celui dérivant de la nouvelle variante de la maladie de Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Ce que mes collègues ignorent probablement, c'est que l'origine principale de la maladie était un pâté contaminé provenant de trois établissements belges. Ce n'est que lorsque les agents de la santé britanniques sont intervenus que le problème a enfin été résolu. Il n'y a donc pas que le Royaume-Uni qui connaît des problèmes de sécurité alimentaire. Mais ce que nous avons appris de nos incidents, c'est que les réactions précipitées sont souvent plus nuisibles que la crise initiale. Les actions doivent être mûrement réfléchies et scientifiquement fondées.
Face à la crise de la dioxine, la Commission se lance une fois de plus dans des actions législatives frénétiques. Cela nuit aux intérêts britanniques, en particulier à la société Spalding Nutrition, menacée d'une interdiction tout à fait inutile. C'est pourquoi nous vous prions de mener une enquête, mais après avoir réalisé une étude de grande envergure sur les systèmes de tous les États membres visant à répondre aux problèmes de nourriture et de santé, en commençant par l'évaluation du système britannique.
Böge
Monsieur le Président, nous sommes une fois de plus confrontés à une situation incroyablement chaotique et à des comportements criminels. À cet égard, on peut établir des parallèles avec des affaires qui ont eu lieu par le passé. Toutefois, la différence est la suivante: la Commission en a tiré les leçons et a agi plus rapidement que par le passé et certains États membres - dans ce cas-ci, la Belgique - prennent encore trop à la légère la protection préventive du consommateur. Monsieur le Président du Conseil, après vous avoir entendu ce matin, j'ai l'espoir qu'au sein du Conseil, il y ait eu une amélioration significative et que celle-ci sera illustrée par l'action et les décision prises par le Conseil ces prochains mois.
La Commission a avancé une série de propositions judicieuses, propositions que nous avons en partie exigées, ici au Parlement, à l'époque de la crise de l'ESB. Monsieur Fischler, vous pourrez donc compter sur la collaboration et le soutien sans équivoque du Parlement en ce qui concerne la déclaration publique, la clause de sauvegarde, ainsi que la liste positive. Mais je dis également que je trouve absurde le fait que des États membres qui ne se sont jamais conformés à des normes européennes de sécurité veulent interdire aujourd'hui sans restriction l'utilisation de farines animales. Je trouve également absurde que la Commission aborde le problème du recyclage des déchets alimentaires en général dans un document de travail sur l'utilisation des huiles et des graisses. Partant de systèmes efficaces de recyclage, nous nous tournons vers les problèmes pendants en matière de déchets.
Un dernier point: je suis contre l'inflation du nombre d'agences, car la Commission perdrait son utilité. Voici ce dont il s'agit: dites au Parlement le nombre de vétérinaires et d'inspecteurs dont vous avez besoin et faites en sorte que les procédures d'appel d'offre fonctionnent plus rapidement et que les répartitions de postes soient plus souples au sein de la Commission. Dès ce moment, nous pourrons mettre en place un meilleur système au sein de la Commission et contrôlé par la Commission. Nous ferons en sorte, au Parlement, que cette affaire soit rapidement et convenablement traitée dans le cadre de la codécision, sans céder dans le même temps à la panique.
Whitehead
L'affaire de la dioxine nous est très familière au Royaume-Uni, où nous avons vécu la crise de l'ESB. Nombre d'éléments sont exactement les mêmes - pratiques déplaisantes voire dégoûtantes dans la préparation de certains aliments pour animaux dans un monde d'agriculture intensive; panique et tromperie de la part de certains des États membres concernés lorsque la source de la contamination y est découverte en premier.
N'oublions pas que cette découverte remonte à janvier 1999 et que la Commission n'a pu prendre des mesures qu'après plusieurs mois et avec peu de transparence. Ce que nous venons de voir est probablement ce qu'elle voulait éviter: un élan de panique parmi les consommateurs et la protection d'un marché - un marché qui est à présent bien plus menacé en raison de la manière dont la crise s'est développée.
Je crains qu'il n'y ait des réactions excessives, comme l'on évoqué certains députés. Ce que je dirais, c'est qu'il nous faut tirer les leçons de cette crise. Il convient tout d'abord d'établir une inspection vigoureuse disposant de fonds nécessaires, destinée à jouer un rôle de prévention dans ce domaine.
Nous parlons aujourd'hui de modifications profondes de la loi, de longues listes de règlements en matière de substance devant être interdites. Je ne sais bien sûr pas, n'ayant pas les compétences techniques, si la gamme des huiles végétales recyclées qui sont à présent considérées comme une source de risque devrait faire l'objet d'une interdiction totale ou si cette interdiction devrait simplement se limiter à certaines sections de déchets ménagers qui n'auraient jamais dû entrer dans la composition de nourriture animale. Ce que je sais, c'est que l'inspection pour laquelle nous nous sommes battus - nous avons dû nous battre pour la doter d'un budget adéquat, pour établir le bureau vétérinaire à Bruxelles et nous assurer du principe général des inspections dans l'ensemble de la Communauté - est menacée et intimidée.
Il y a eu, aussi bien dans mon pays qu'en Belgique, des cas de menaces physiques, de chantages et parfois même d'assassinats! Comment prétendre que la proposition actuelle de créer une agence de surveillance des aliments et des médicaments au niveau européen et tous ces grands gestes peuvent fonctionner si aucun inspecteur ne peut entrer dans le monde du crime et de fraude caractérisant des pans de cette industrie?
Je suis par conséquent d'avis qu'il faut mettre de l'ordre au Parlement dans ce domaine. Il faut que nous puissions dire, comme la motion du groupe socialiste le fait, que les règles de droit doivent être appliquées, que nous sommes une Communauté de droit, et si l'application des règlements n'est pas universelle, comme nous l'avons vu à la suite de la crise de l'ESB, il n'y aura pas d'amélioration. Ce serait une erreur de se contenter de dresser de nouvelles listes qui mettront les producteurs en péril et de négliger la protection du consommateur dans les actions entreprises.
Graefe zu Baringdorf
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, Monsieur le Commissaire Fischler, nous devons constater -et c'est une chose monstrueuse - qu'apparemment, il a été fait systématiquement usage de produits toxiques dans les aliments pour animaux. Vous avez déclaré que le point de départ de cette crise était la contamination de produits, toutefois aucun accident n'est survenu auquel on puisse imputer ces contaminations. Apparemment, cette contamination peut survenir systématiquement et c'est la raison pour laquelle la loi doit punir les infractions le plus sévèrement possible. Les criminels qui utilisent les êtres humains comme des installations de stockage de déchets doivent être punis. Un grand nombre d'exigences que vous avez formulées sont en cours de discussion au sein de la commission d'enquête sur l'ESB. J'espère que vous les appliquerez rapidement. La question des seuils, Monsieur Fischler, doit avant tout être liée à une interdiction du coupage, sinon cette possibilité d'élimination systématique des déchets ne disparaîtra pas.
Je voudrais encore faire une remarque en ce qui concerne les déchets: lorsqu'on parle, au sein de cette Assemblée, de produits toxiques, ...
Le président retire la parole à l'orateur
Thyssen
Monsieur le Président, dans un marché interne, le souci d'une alimentation sûre et saine doit naturellement être organisé au niveau transfrontalier. Nous sommes probablement tous d'accord là-dessus mais nous ne sommes toujours pas parvenus à le concrétiser, que ce soit sur le plan d'une réglementation normative ou sur celui de la surveillance et du contrôle. La crise de la dioxine n'est pourtant pas la première crise alimentaire européenne et elle ne sera pas non plus la dernière. Espérons que nous pourrons mieux maîtriser les crises futures.
Bien entendu, les États membres doivent exercer un meilleur contrôle mais un contrôle européen est également nécessaire. On l'a déjà dit très clairement ce matin dans cette enceinte. Il va de soi que cela doit se dérouler démocratiquement mais ce que je me demande, c'est quand il va enfin en sortir quelque chose. La semaine après les élections européennes, le commissaire Bonino nous a dit qu'elle n'envisageait pas l'établissement d'une agence. M. Mulder a déjà parlé des 5 000 fonctionnaires qui seraient nécessaires à cette fin. Hier, M. Prodi nous a dit qu'il pensait bien à la création d'une telle agence. Je voudrais bien savoir quelle direction la Commission envisage réellement de prendre? Quelles sont les mesures concrètes déjà prises et si la Commission tiendra compte des souhaits exprimés par le Parlement, tant dans les rapports sur l'ESB que dans le Livre vert sur l'alimentation, et dans la résolution que nous avons votée à ce sujet.
Quelle que soit la qualité du contrôle, on ne peut jamais exclure l'erreur humaine. Et nous savons à présent que les conséquences de ces problèmes peuvent atteindre des niveaux insoupçonnés. C'est là que se pose la question du sens de la solidarité communautaire. Doit-elle vraiment se cantonner aux catastrophes naturelles et aux maladies vétérinaires ou peut-elle être mise à contribution lorsque des défaillances humaines ont de graves conséquences économiques, notamment pour de nombreuses PME auxquelles on n'a absolument rien à reprocher?
D'où ma deuxième question à la Commission. A-t-on déjà envisagé la création d'une base juridique d'aide communautaire aux victimes innocentes?
Lienemann
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, Monsieur le Commissaire, nous devons aux peuples européens, sur cette affaire de la dioxine, toute la vérité. Et nous devons enfin tirer des bilans globaux de cette sinistre affaire. C'est pourquoi je plaide pour la constitution d'une commission d'enquête parlementaire temporaire, chargée de veiller à ce que l'ensemble des problèmes soient mis sur la table et que l'ensemble des leçons que nous devons tirer soient étudiées. J'en vois au moins trois.
La première modifie la législation européenne qui a montré, manifestement, des carences. Il y a des produits à interdire, des mécanismes à améliorer. La seconde est la question de la procédure d'alerte qui n'a pas fonctionné et qui doit être clarifiée, durcie, améliorée. Enfin, la question centrale du contrôle. Notre Europe ne fonctionnera pas, la confiance en notre Europe ne fonctionnera pas, si nous n'avons pas la capacité de passer de cette espèce de coordination du contrôle à une véritable communautarisation au moins d'une partie de ces contrôles alimentaires.
De ce point de vue, la proposition qui a été faite par M. Prodi d'une autorité, d'une agence, pourrait être séduisante. Il y a nécessité de créer une autorité spécifique sur la question de la sécurité alimentaire, mais elle ne saurait être indépendante, car nous avons besoin, en la matière, que l'intérêt public puisse être porté et par la Commission et par le Parlement.
Enfin, je voudrais insister sur la nécessité de l'interdiction des farines animales. Combien de fois faudra-t-il encore que nous ayons des accidents à répétition, dans ce genre d'utilisation, pour que l'on mette fin à cet absurde système selon lequel des terres sont en jachère, des agriculteurs auraient besoin de travailler, de faire vivre le patrimoine et le paysage de notre Europe, mais sont dans l'incapacité de le faire parce que l'on a privilégié d'utiliser le recyclage des déchets et en particulier des déchets animaux. Système absurde, système dangereux auquel il convient de mettre fin.
Enfin, je terminerai sur l'idée que derrière cette question, qui se pose à répétition, se pose plus fondamentalement l'orientation de l'agriculture en Europe et dans le monde. Nous allons rouvrir les négociations OMC, et comme l'ensemble de ce Parlement, j'attends de vous, la Commission, qu'enfin des normes de santé, qu'enfin des normes environnementales et des normes sociales viennent limiter, encadrer cette théorie, qui devient de plus en plus dangereuse, d'un libre marché dont le profit est le moteur numéro un.
Les Européens attendent autre chose. Monsieur le Commissaire, je voudrais savoir si vous souhaitez proposer l'interdiction des farines animales et dans quel cadre vous pensez que cette mesure pourrait être possible.
Ayuso González
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président en exercice du Conseil, Monsieur le Commissaire, ces dernières années, l'Europe s'est vue sombrer dans deux graves crises de santé issues de l'alimentation; l'ESB au Royaume-Uni d'abord, l'affaire de la dioxine en Belgique à présent.
Cela doit nous amener à réfléchir et non seulement à réfléchir mais aussi à adopter des mesures efficaces et urgentes. Cette crise a créé un élan de panique collective parmi les consommateurs, elle a touché de pauvres gens et a provoqué des pertes énormes, irréparables dans les secteurs agraires et alimentaires. Elle a en outre déclenché la méfiance des consommateurs et discrédité le secteur agro-alimentaire européen dans les pays tiers. Les gouvernements se creusent la tête, et je puis vous le dire en tant qu'ancien responsable de la politique alimentaire en Espagne.
Je tiens à souligner que les instruments utilisés pour régler cette grave crise de santé ont été conçus à d'autres fins, liées à la politique agricole commune, tels que le comité vétérinaire permanent, dont l'objet est la santé animale même. L'Europe doit disposer d'un comité scientifique professionnel garantissant la sécurité alimentaire, y compris l'alimentation animale, maillon supplémentaire de la chaîne alimentaire. Elle doit mettre en oeuvre des mécanismes de contrôle permettant de prévenir au lieu de mettre des pansements par après, elle doit prévoir des mécanismes de contrôle sanctionnant la responsabilité des États membres portant atteinte à la santé publique en occultant délibérément des causes de risques pendant un certain temps.
N'oublions pas que la nécessaire libéralisation des marchés et l'ouverture vers des pays tiers impose à l'agriculture et à l'élevage européens des niveaux de concurrence difficiles à surmonter et que si l'on ne prend pas de mesures préventives efficaces, la course à la diminution des coûts de production nous mènera, tôt ou tard, à une nouvelle affaire de ce genre. Il est très important de légiférer en la matière et de favoriser l'agriculture écologique, mais cela ne suffit pas. Il convient d'agir en utilisant des mécanismes efficaces.
Enfin, je souhaite attirer l'attention sur la politique d'information chaotique de la Commission. Dans le cas concret de la dioxine, entre la communication du comité vétérinaire permanent et celle du réseau d'alerte, 15 jours se sont écoulés, tandis que la commissaire Bonino déclarait simplement qu'elle ne buvait pas de lait belge. Et tout cela est exploité par les médias, bien sûr.
Bowe
Monsieur le Président, je désirerais mettre l'accent sur un point particulier qui, à mon sens, n'a pas été suffisamment approfondi. La dioxine, et dans ce cas sa source chimique, le PCB, est un des produits chimiques non biodégradables et bioaccumulatifs dont nous savons aujourd'hui qu'ils contaminent la chaîne alimentaire de par le monde. Des règlements et des réglementations en vue de l'élimination correcte et adéquate de ces substances existent déjà. En effet, au cours de la législature précédente, j'étais le rapporteur du Parlement sur la proposition du Conseil et de la Commission relative à l'élimination des PCB et PCDD.
Il y a lieu de se demander si ces règlements et réglementations européens existants ont été suivis comme il faut. Les autorités responsables ont-elles fait le nécessaire pour éliminer ces substances de manière correcte et sûre, appliquant ainsi les règlements, ou les évitent-elles délibérément et éliminent-elles ces substances d'une manière inadéquate, comme semble l'indiquer cet incident?
Contrairement aux formes bactériennes et autres de contamination biologique ou organique de la chaîne alimentaire, il y a ici une quantité limitée de substance qui pourrait être éliminée sans difficulté. La Commission aura-t-elle l'obligeance de regarder pourquoi les réglementations sur l'élimination adéquate de PCB et PCDD ne sont pas appliquées de manière correcte? Voudra-t-elle bien mener une enquête pour déterminer d'où viennent les substances qui ont provoqué cet incident?
Maat
Monsieur le Président, la crise de la dioxine a montré que les consommateurs voulaient une alimentation sûre. Les agriculteurs la produisent mais un problème peut survenir sans qu'ils n'en soient responsables. Il incombe alors aux autorités de faire quelque chose. En ce sens, il nous faut constater que cette crise, bien que survenue en Belgique, est une crise transfrontalière et je plaide pour qu'on se penche rapidement sur la création d'une agence pour la sécurité alimentaire et sur une dotation plus importante à cette fin. Sur ce point, je veux soutenir les propositions du député Böge. Que la Commission communique au Conseil de ministres les besoins en fonds et en personnel afin de pouvoir s'attaquer plus rapidement à cette question. Car les citoyens et les agriculteurs sont en droit d'attendre des autorités qu'elles réagissent de manière adéquate à une crise semblable, qu'on ne peut sans doute pas qualifier de catastrophe naturelle mais qui s'en rapproche fort si l'on en considère les effets. Je plaide donc pour qu'on agisse vite et qu'on crée une agence pour la sécurité alimentaire sous la direction du commissaire Fischler.
Le deuxième point touche à une meilleure harmonisation de la législation nationale en matière pénale afin de pouvoir plus rapidement se retourner contre les personnes ayant enfreint ces lois car il s'agit bien d'une affaire criminelle.
Je voudrais attirer l'attention sur deux points, en commençant par les effets secondaires. En effet, les agriculteurs et les consommateurs belges ont été les dindons de la farce. Il s'agit vraiment d'une sorte de catastrophe naturelle et il faudrait vraiment pouvoir dire: il s'agit ici d'une affaire que doivent traiter les autorités européennes. Je veux donc appuyer le plaidoyer de Mme Thyssen afin d'engager la Commission à plus d'indulgence et à entamer les discussions avec le Parlement quant à la manière d'aborder ce genre d'affaires à l'avenir.
Deuxième point. Comment la Commission envisage-t-elle de traiter le problème qui est qu'à partir du moment où éclate une telle crise, des porcs ont été, selon la Belgique, transportés vers d'autres pays pour y être abattus et étiquetés et portent donc une autre étiquette? Cela a des conséquences pour le marché. Qu'est-ce que le commissaire pense pouvoir faire sur ce point afin de conduire une politique adéquate? En tant que représentant du parti populaire européen, je veux surtout vous dire qui si nous ne pouvons pas prévenir les catastrophes, nous devons bel et bien, en tant que dirigeants, en tant que parlementaires, percevoir l'occasion qui nous est offerte de concrétiser une approche adéquate du problème. C'est pourquoi je veux particulièrement attirer votre attention sur ces deux points.
Grosch
Monsieur le Président, nous attendons de cette Assemblée qu'elle adopte au moins une position claire en ce qui concerne la crise de la dioxine. Je la résumerais de la manière suivante: en matière de santé, nous ne voulons faire aucun compromis et il en va de même des crimes de nature industrielle. Cette crise, à l'instar de la crise de l'ESB, pose des questions auxquelles nous devons répondre très rapidement et très concrètement. Les moyens que nous nous sommes donnés pour effectuer des contrôle sont-ils, en définitive, suffisants et efficaces? Dans quelle mesure ce type de crise constitue-t-il pour certains États membres une occasion - comme vient de le dire M. le commissaire - d'établir, outre les mesures arrêtées, des entraves au commerce? Quels moyens nous donnons-nous pour enfin introduire, de manière définitive, en collaboration avec la Commission et le Conseil, des contrôles et des réseaux d'alerte rapide?
Je pose ces questions car je pense que ce n'est pas au sein de commission d'enquête ennuyeuses et interminables qu'elles doivent être résolues. En outre, je ne suis pas convaincu qu'un commissaire attaché au gouvernement de son pays fera en sorte d'agir de manière efficace et crédible dans le cadre d'une crise. Nous devons simplement montrer, à notre niveau et au niveau des États membres, que nous avons la volonté politique d'agir au lieu d'enquêter. Le consommateur exige une gestion rapide et efficace et non des déclarations contradictoires, même de la part d'experts. Celles-ci ne suscitent que plus de méfiance de la part des consommateurs au lieu de gagner leur confiance.
Les agriculteurs exigent, eux aussi, une gestion rapide et efficace, car dans notre pays, la Belgique, plus de 90 % des agriculteurs sont victimes de cette crise. Nous ne pouvons pas punir les agriculteurs qui, depuis des années, ont investi dans la qualité, mais également dans la transparence des contrôles. C'est pourquoi je demande qu'une aide financière dans le cadre de l'Union européenne ne soit pas exclue de facto. Nous avons appris depuis lors comment les crises éclatent; nous devons maintenant nous donner les moyens de les éviter.
Schierhuber
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, Mesdames et Messieurs, nous avons d'abord été confrontés à la crise de l'ESB dans le secteur de la viande bovine, maintenant c'est au tour du scandale de la dioxine dans les volailles. Je n'aimerais vraiment pas savoir ce qui va se passer par la suite. C'est la raison pour laquelle je ne répéterai jamais assez à quel point un élevage convenable et une industrie agro-alimentaire responsable sont importants. La chaîne commence chez les paysans, passe par l'industrie agro-alimentaire pour aboutir dans nos assiettes. Seule une alimentation saine a de l'importance à mes yeux et cela concerne chacun d'entre nous. C'est la raison pour laquelle chacun d'entre nous porte une part de responsabilité.
Je ne veux accuser personne mais il est clair que des mesures préventives et les contrôles minutieux dans un domaine aussi sensible que l'alimentation humaine ont été négligés. Il faut même faire preuve d'une attention accrue lorsqu'il s'agit de substances aussi toxiques que la dioxine. Chacun d'entre nous sait que la dioxine a été utilisée au cours de la guerre du Vietnam et je vous rappelle également les événements de Seveso. Il faut donc établir un étiquetage compréhensible dans le domaine des industries agro-alimentaires également. Ces événements ternissent l'image de l'industrie agro-alimentaire autrichienne dans son ensemble.
L'agriculture européenne constituera un sujet de discussion important au cours des prochains cycles de négociations de l'OMC et le marché mondial nous réserve de gros problèmes dans les prochaines années. Il existe une solution pour sauvegarder l'agriculture, à savoir la production de qualité au sein de l'Union européenne. Notre alimentation doit être saine et sûre, c'est notre signe distinctif et cela constitue également une chance pour les paysans. Nous devons nous efforcer de faire tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir pour dissiper les inquiétudes des consommateurs. La qualité a la priorité, mais la qualité a aussi son prix, Mesdames et Messieurs.
Je salue à cet égard l'établissement d'une agence européenne indépendante des produits alimentaires. En fin de compte, nous en profiterons tous.
Applaudissements
Hemilä
Monsieur le Président, Mesdames et Messieurs les Députés, je peux en grande part adhérer aux discours qui ont été tenus. La sécurité des consommateurs est vitale, non seulement bien entendu pour les consommateurs eux-mêmes, mais aussi pour toute la chaîne alimentaire depuis le champ jusqu'à l'assiette. En fait, la sécurité des consommateurs est une partie essentielle du modèle agricole européen, concept qui s'est fait connaître en rapport avec l'Agenda 2000. Ce modèle comprend également le fait que l'agriculteur doit pouvoir se fier à la qualité des produits qu'il achète, comme par exemple les aliments pour animaux. La preuve en est la crise de la dioxine qui a pour conséquence que des dizaines de milliers d'agriculteurs innocents subissent de lourdes pertes économiques. J'adhère ici aux commentaires faits par Mme Grossetête et M. Souchet sur le modèle agricole européen. J'ai ensuite deux commentaires particuliers auxquels je voudrais revenir.
M. Florenz a évoqué la position du Conseil dans cette crise. Le même thème a été repris notamment par M. Böge. Je voudrais déclarer nettement que le Conseil a pris des mesures dès que le problème est apparu. Aussi bien les ministres de l'Agriculture que ceux de la Santé se sont tout de suite mis au travail avec la Commission. Pour ce qui est des ministres de l'Agriculture, les décisions ont été prises au niveau politique déjà en juin au Conseil et les mesures pratiques viennent d'être arrêtées au conseil de lundi dernier. Mme Roth-Behrendt a évoqué un bureau alimentaire indépendant. Cette idée a également retenu l'attention de Mme Thyssen et de MM. Mulder et Van Dam. Je voudrais à ce propos déclarer nettement que le contrôle des aliments appartient aux États membres, aux régions et aux autorités locales. Au niveau de la Communauté, nous avons besoin d'un contrôle efficace, mais pour cela suffit un bureau qui contrôle les activités des États membres. Je voudrais assurer à Mme Roth-Behrendt que la Finlande agira en cette affaire de façon tout à fait transparente.
Monsieur le Président, je vais transmettre à mes collègues du Conseil les messages que j'ai entendus ici.
Fischler
Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Président du Conseil, Mesdames et Messieurs, je voudrais sincèrement vous remercier. Nous avons mené un débat très constructif et judicieux sur cette question difficile. Je voudrais simplement ajouter brièvement quelques commentaires sur certains points. Tout d'abord, la question de savoir si les tests PCB peuvent être appliqués à la viande porcine reste ouverte. Le problème auquel nous sommes encore confrontés - et je m'adresse en particulier aux députés belges qui se sont exprimés à ce sujet - est que l'exécution de ce test est conditionnée par l'existence d'enquêtes parallèles sur les taux de dioxine et de PCB, afin de pouvoir établir une corrélation. Pour ce faire, nous avons toutefois besoin d'un nombre minimum de tests. Jusqu'à présent, l'État belge nous a fourni huit tests, ce qui est nettement insuffisant. Dès que l'état belge nous aura communiqué les résultats nécessaires, nous serons disposés à appliquer immédiatement les mesures nécessaires.
Deuxième question, abordée par bon nombre de députés: qu'en est-il de l»octroi d'aides par la Communauté en faveur des agriculteurs sinistrés? Dans ma première intervention, j'ai souligné le fait que dans le domaine de l'organisation du marché, nous ayons introduit toute une série de mesures, en vue d'atténuer la gravité de la situation régnant au sein de divers secteurs. J'ai également insisté sur le fait que, jusqu'à présent, nous avons approuvé l'octroi de huit aides nationales, à la suite de notifications. Toutefois, en ce qui concerne l'octroi de subventions directes de la part de la Communauté en faveur des producteurs belges, je dois vous dire tout à fait clairement que nous ne disposons pas de la base juridique nécessaire. Car je considère, Mesdames et Messieurs, comme tout ceux qui l'ont constaté, que l'utilisation de produits hautement contaminés par la dioxine, ce que nous pouvons supposer, reste un acte criminel et n'a rien à voir avec une épizootie. Nous ne pouvons accorder des dédommagements ou des subsides que lorsqu'il s'agit d'une épizootie.
Applaudissements
On a également mentionné le fait qu'en Allemagne, on aurait récemment détecté des taux élevés de dioxine. Je ne voudrais pas laisser ces allégations en suspens, ce ne serait pas juste. De quoi s'agit-il? Certains minéraux argileux, utilisés en partie en tant que liants destinés à la production d'aliments pour animaux, ont été examinés. Des taux de dioxine élevés ont été découverts dans quelques-uns de ces minéraux argileux. La dioxine présente dans ces minéraux est vieille de plusieurs millions d'années; ce n'est donc pas une contamination récente. C'est la raison pour laquelle nous devons faire en sorte que ces matières, lorsqu'elles sont utilisées dans la production d'aliments pour animaux, soient examinées de manière appropriée.
Dans le même temps, cela prouve qu'il ne peut y avoir de taux de dioxine égal à zéro. La dioxine est aujourd'hui omniprésente et se rencontre partout dans le monde et, malheureusement, dans la nature. Nous devons empêcher que des produits contenant de la dioxine ne soient mélangés ou, par manque de contrôles suffisants, ne soient utilisés d'une autre manière dans la chaîne des aliments pour animaux. Je suis également d'avis, Monsieur Graefe zu Baringdorf, qu'il est irresponsable de vouloir le faire via le facteur de dilution. Il ne peut en être question.
D'autre part, il convient de débattre de manière plus approfondie de la manière dont nous traitons les déchets d'origine animale, car, en réalité, les choses ne sont pas aussi simples que la description qu'en fait M. Böge. En outre, il n'est pas logique qu'il soit permis, par exemple, de préparer une soupe à base d'os à moelle de boeuf, destinée à la consommation humaine, ou bien même de servir des mets à base de moelle dans un restaurant, et que l'utilisation de ces abats soit absolument interdite dans la production d'aliments pour animaux. Autant je suis d'accord de ne pas nourrir les ruminants avec des aliments à base de matières premières d'origine animale, autant j'estime qu'il n'est pas possible de mener à cet égard une politique aussi inflexible, si nous ne voulons pas courir le risque d'être confrontés à d'énormes problèmes d'élimination de déchets.
Je voudrais encore aborder, Mesdames et Messieurs, deux petits points qui me tiennent à coeur: premièrement, il a été fait mention à plusieurs reprises de la question de l'exigence de sécurité, de l'exigence de qualité et de l'établissement d'un label correspondant. Je voudrais dire très clairement la chose suivante: nous ne pouvons accepter la création d'une société à deux vitesses en ce qui concerne l'exigence de sécurité, après avoir établi un label de qualité. Les exigences de qualité doivent être remplies pour tous les aliments, il ne doit y avoir aucun compromis à ce propos. Toutefois, il va de soi qu'au-delà de cette exigence, il doit être possible d'étiqueter différemment des produits de grande qualité. Je mentionne la décision prise en automne 1998 pour laquelle j'ai pris position à l'époque; je m'y tiens encore aujourd'hui.
Dernier point: la viande aux hormones. À ce propos, Mesdames et Messieurs, je voudrais souligner le fait que les États-Unis ont annoncé avant-hier qu'ils procédaient de leurs propre chef aux livraisons de viande sans hormones vers l'Europe, du moins provisoirement, parce qu'ils n'étaient pas en mesure, pour l'instant, de respecter les garanties que nous exigeons. Comme vous le savez, nous avons modifié nos règlements afin de refuser le simple contrôle d'échantillons et d'imposer le contrôle intégral des importations. Ceci seulement pour votre information.
Le Président
Le débat est clos.
Le vote aura lieu à 12 heures.
De Clercq
Madame la Présidente, je voudrais rectifier une erreur. Dans l'annexe 1 du procès-verbal de la séance du mercredi 21 juillet, la liste des députés ayant participé au vote reprend Mme Neyts-Uyttebroeck parmi les députés libéraux. Mme Neyts-Uyttebroeck ne fait plus partie du Parlement européen. Par contre, M. Ward Beysen, qui succède à Mme Neyts-Uyttebroeck, est bien député et a bien participé à ce vote. Puis-je donc vous demander de supprimer le nom de Mme Neyts-Uyttebroeck de la liste des deux tours de scrutin et d'y ajouter celui de Ward Beysen?
La Présidente
Tout à fait, cher collègue. En réalité, les autorités belges ont envoyé avec du retard les données concernant les noms des élus, et les services, bien sûr, feront le nécessaire afin de corriger ces listes.
Sánchez García
Madame la Présidente, chers collègues, je voudrais vous dire que dans le procès-verbal d'hier, mercredi 21 juillet, mon nom figure sous le groupe ARE. Il me semble que le groupe ARE n'existe plus. J'appartiens, politiquement, au groupe libéral. Je vous prierais de bien vouloir corriger cette erreur.
La Présidente
Absolument, cher collègue. Cette rectification sera faite, naturellement.
Knörr Borràs
Madame la Présidente, comme l'a signalé le député Sánchez, il y a des erreurs dans le procès-verbal. Elles ne concernent pas seulement M. Sánchez, qui, de même que les députés Bautista, Hudghton et MacCormick, apparaît dans le groupe de l'Alliance radicale européenne, groupe qui n'existe pas, elles me concernent également: j'appartiens au groupe des Verts/Alliance libre européenne mais je figure parmi les non-inscrits. En conséquence je vous prierais de bien vouloir revoir le procès-verbal, celui-ci présentant de nombreuses erreurs.
La Présidente
Tout à fait, nous allons vérifier systématiquement tout cela pour que tout soit bien correct.
Ortuondo Larrea
Madame la Présidente, mon intervention portera sur le même sujet. Dans les deux votes, je figure sous le groupe des non-inscrits alors que j'appartiens au groupe des Verts/Alliance libre européenne. Je vous demande donc de bien vouloir procéder aux rectifications nécessaires.
Doyle
Une petite question, Madame la Présidente: est-il possible de régler le problème des microphones? Le volume de ces micros est pénible pour ceux qui, comme moi, doivent écouter l'interprétation de la plupart des intervenants. C'est un détail, mais je vous prierais de le résoudre.
Applaudissements
La Présidente
Madame Doyle, nous procédons à un inventaire aussi exhaustif que possible de tous les dysfonctionnements - et hélas ils sont bien nombreux - que nous avons constatés dans ce bâtiment. Cet inventaire sera établi au début de la semaine prochaine. Il sera envoyé à tous les parlementaires - j'y ai tenu - de façon à ce que chacun d'entre vous puisse compléter s'il y a lieu. Ensuite, nous ferons exécuter, autant que nous le pourrons, bien entendu, toutes les rectifications que nous pourrons arranger.
Souchet
Madame la Présidente, je veux seulement signaler que j'ai participé, ainsi que Mme Thomas Moreau, au deuxième tour de scrutin de l'élection des questeurs mais que cette mention ne figure pas au procès-verbal.
La Présidente
Nous ferons également cette correction.
Staes
Madame la Présidente, le procès-verbal de la séance d'hier signale fort justement que je vous ai demandé de veiller à ce que l'avant-projet du rapport du comité des sages - si tant est qu'il existe - soit transmis à tous les députés de ce Parlement. Le procès-verbal mentionne également que vous m'avez répondu que vous entreprendriez toutes les démarches nécessaires en ce sens. Madame la Présidente, avez-vous trouvé le temps, dans le cadre des hautes fonctions qui sont les vôtres, d'entreprendre la moindre initiative à ce sujet?
La Présidente
Oui, Monsieur Staes. Vous allez recevoir incessamment le chapitre VII de ce rapport. Le président du comité m'a écrit pour me communiquer le chapitre VII et que les autres chapitres ne seraient disponibles que le 13 septembre. Je lui ai déjà répondu en demandant à le voir pour lui dire que cela ne convient pas du tout aux souhaits de notre Assemblée.
Applaudissements
Cohn-Bendit
Madame la Présidente, il paraît qu'il y a des amendements pour la nomination des membres des commissions et des délégations.
J'aimerais savoir si je suis le seul à ne pas connaître ces amendements, ou s'il y a d'autres députés dans mon cas, parce qu'avant d'être pour ou contre un amendement, je voudrais savoir de quoi il s'agit.
La Présidente
Cher collègue, je vais annoncer ces amendements très lentement, de façon à ce que chacun puisse bien en prendre connaissance, et comme vous pourrez le constater, ils ne posent pas de problème. C'est la raison pour laquelle ils n'ont pas été précédemment distribués, mais il est bien évident que, sinon, tous les amendements doivent toujours être distribués avant.
Graefe zu Baringdorf
Madame la Présidente, je respecte la façon dont vous menez les débats, mais pourriez-vous faire en sorte que nous nous mettions d'accord de prévenir les orateurs par un petit coup de marteau avant de leur couper le micro, afin de ne pas les interrompre en plein milieu d'une phrase?
La Présidente
Je prends acte de votre souhait.
Elles
Madame la Présidente, il semble que le comité des sages présentera son rapport au Président et aux chefs de groupe dans la journée. Si c'est le cas, auriez-vous l'obligeance de nous signaler s'il s'agit des conclusions finales et de faire en sorte qu'elles soient à la disposition des parlementaires dès que possible?
La Présidente
Monsieur Elles, je viens de répondre à M. Staes. Les choses sont comme je viens de les dire, c'est-à-dire qu'on a mis à notre disposition un chapitre de ce rapport. C'est tout à fait insuffisant. Nous poursuivons donc notre demande, comme je viens de le répondre à M. Staes.
Votes
La Présidente
Je suis saisie de six amendements et, encore une fois, comme je viens de le dire, il ne s'agit que d'aménagements entre les groupes politiques, c'est-à-dire d'échanges de postes à l'intérieur d'un même groupe ou bien de l'ajout d'une nomination sur un poste qui était vacant.
Grossetête
Madame la Présidente, vous nous dites qu'il ne s'agit que de modifications ou de changements, mais nous aimerions que le groupe socialiste nous dise, à propos de son amendement 1, s'il s'agit d'un ajout ou d'un changement, et nous souhaiterions avoir la même réponse pour l'amendement 4 du groupe socialiste européen.
La Présidente
Madame Grossetête, je vous propose, si vous le voulez bien, de m'entendre, et ensuite, si vous n'êtes pas satisfaite, vous pourrez demander de plus amples explications.
Cohn-Bendit
Madame la Présidente, importants ou pas, pourquoi, Madame, n'avons-nous pas connaissance des amendements 1 et 4? Pourquoi M. Elles, qui est d'un plus grand groupe, a-t-il des amendements que nous ne connaissons pas?
Je ne comprends pas la logique de la chose.
Applaudissements
La Présidente
C'est une bonne question. Les amendements n'ont été distribués à aucun collègue. C'est clair. Je ne sais pas quelles sont les réseaux d'information de Mme Grossetête, mais il n'y a eu aucun privilège à l'égard d'aucun parlementaire.
Par des votes successifs, le Parlement adopte l'ensemble des propositions
Nogueira Román
Madame la Présidente, je vous prie de bien vouloir prendre acte que notre groupe se nomme «groupe des Verts/Alliance libre européenne». Ce groupe compte deux composantes et doit être nommé comme tel.
La Présidente
Cher collègue, si vous avez observé, lorsque j'ai appelé votre premier amendement, j'ai pris le soin d'en donner l'intégralité du titre. J'avais pensé qu'après on pouvait gagner du temps en l'abrégeant.
Applaudissements
(Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution commune)
(Vifs applaudissements)
Beazley
Madame la Présidente, pouvez-vous confirmer ce dernier vote électronique? Est-il nominal ou non?
La Présidente répond que c'était une vérification
Peut-on avoir un vote nominal?
La Présidente
Non, Monsieur Beazley, les demandes de votes nominaux doivent être faites dans certains délais.
Applaudissements
Il est tout à fait possible que des collègues aient voté électroniquement autrement qu'avec la main, mais c'est leur droit le plus strict. En tout cas, moi personnellement, je n'avais pas observé ce résultat. La machine fait foi. Le résultat est celui que je viens d'annoncer.
Nous passons maintenant à la résolution du groupe du PPE et des démocrates européens. Puisque cette résolution n'a pas été adoptée, nous votons sur les autres résolutions.
Proposition de résolution (B5-0008/99), au nom du groupe PPE, sur les conclusions du Conseil européen des 3 et 4 juin 1999 à Cologne
Barón Crespo PSE)
Madame la Présidente, si vous me le permettez, je commencerai mon intervention en demandant l'égalité de traitement à l'égard de tous les groupes. Il me semble que vous avez dit qu'il s'agit du groupe du Parti populaire européen/Démocrates européens. Je pense qu'il manque une troisième partie du titre du groupe et je le dis pour que nous soyons tous traités de la même manière.
Ensuite, Madame la Présidente, la proposition dont vous suggérez le vote a déjà été rejetée, je pense donc qu'il y aurait lieu de passer au vote suivant.
La Présidente
Non, Monsieur Barón Crespo, nous avions une proposition de résolution commune qui émanait de deux groupes politiques, le groupe du parti populaire européen et démocrate européen, et le groupe libéral. Cette résolution vient d'être rejetée. Donc, nous passons maintenant au vote des différentes résolutions qui ont été déposées individuellement par les groupes. Voilà. Vous êtes bien d'accord?
Barón Crespo
Madame la Présidente, le groupe PPE et le groupe libéral ont présenté une proposition de résolution commune, j'en déduis que les autres sont automatiquement caduques.
La Présidente
Non, absolument pas, si cette résolution avait été adoptée, mais ce n'est pas le cas.
Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution
Proposition de résolution (B5-0014/99), au nom du groupe GUE/NGL, sur les résultats du Conseil européen de Cologne des 3 et 4 juin 1999
Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution
Proposition de résolution (B5-0016/99), déposée par les députés Hautala et autres, au nom du groupe Verts/ALE, sur le Sommet européen de Cologne des 3 et 4 juin 1999
Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution
Proposition de résolution (B5-0019/99), déposée par M. Goerens et autres, au nom du groupe ELDR, sur le Conseil européen de Cologne
Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution
Proposition de résolution (B5-0024/99), déposée par M. Bonde, au nom du groupe pour une Europe des démocraties et des différences, sur le Conseil européen qui s'est tenu à Cologne les 3 et 4 juin 1999
Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution
Proposition de résolution (B5-0025/99), au nom du groupe PSE, sur le Conseil européen de Cologne
Le Parlement rejette la proposition de résolution
Posselt
Je suis intervenu en début de séance à propos de l'approbation du procès-verbal, car j'ai remarqué que l'annexe III n'a pas été déposée sur nos tablettes. Tôt ce matin, nous avons trouvé sur nos bancs un procès-verbal auquel deux annexes étaient attachées, mais la troisième annexe n'a pas été distribuée. L'annexe n'a été disponible dans les casiers que dans le courant de la matinée. Je voudrais protester et je voudrais demander la raison de ce manquement. Le fait que l'on puisse disposer des trois annexes et non de deux annexes uniquement fait également partie de l'approbation du procès-verbal.
Deuxièmement, je voudrais également souligner le fait que la troisième annexe contient la composition des présidences des délégations. Et je voudrais poser la question suivante: lorsque nous avons voté hier sur ce sujet - c'est ce qui s'est manifestement passé - disposions-nous des listes sur lesquelles figurent les noms et la composition ou avons-nous voté hier sans avoir connaissance de la composition? J'estime qu'il se serait agi d'un procédé sans précédent de voter sans disposer des documents nécessaires.
La Présidente
Cher collègue, nous venons de voter à l'instant sur la composition des commissions et des délégations. Pour ce qui est des annexes, effectivement vous avez tout à fait raison, les collègues doivent avoir l'ensemble des documents concernés, et je peux vous dire que nous y veillerons.
Berthu
Madame le Président, le Conseil de Cologne a lancé deux processus de réforme institutionnelle qui, à notre avis, passent à côté de l'essentiel.
Tout d'abord, il a décidé la préparation d'une charte regroupant les droits fondamentaux des citoyens déjà en vigueur au niveau de l'Union, mais sans préciser quelle forme juridique elle devrait prendre finalement, ni même ce qu'elle apporterait de plus par rapport aux textes actuels. Il s'agit visiblement de faire de l'agitation, pour amener progressivement sur le tapis l'idée d'une constitution européenne qui légitimerait elle-même un super-État dont nous n'avons que faire.
Seconde initiative de Cologne: la préparation d'une Conférence intergouvernementale pour améliorer les institutions dans la perspective de l'élargissement. Son mandat est élargi par rapport à ce que prévoyait l'article premier du protocole sur les institutions annexé au traité d'Amsterdam, puisque le Conseil de Cologne a, de son propre chef, ajouté la possibilité d'extension des votes à la majorité qualifiée. Cette solution nous paraît tout à fait inopérante car, pour préparer l'élargissement, il faut inventer des institutions non pas plus rigides mais plus souples, et c'est pourquoi, selon nous, ce mandat de négociation devra inéluctablement être corrigé par le Conseil de Helsinki.
Mais, surtout, les conclusions de Cologne sont affectées par une omission géante. Pratiquement aucune leçon n'est tirée, du point de vue institutionnel, de la crise majeure qui s'est traduite en mars dernier par la démission collective de la Commission, en raison d'une gestion irresponsable. Aucune modification du traité n'est proposée. Les réformes éventuelles sont renvoyées au niveau de l'Office de lutte antifraude et de Romano Prodi lui-même, qui nous a expliqué hier qu'il allait à peu près tout régler en modifiant le fonctionnement interne de la Commission et en proposant un code de conduite de ses membres.
On se moque de nous! Car les problèmes qui ont conduit à la démission de la Commission sont bien plus graves. Ils tiennent à une coupure profonde entre les institutions européennes et les peuples, à laquelle on ne pourra remédier que par une réforme de vaste ampleur instaurant une Europe des nations. En l'oubliant, c'est tout bonnement la question de la démocratie que le Conseil de Cologne a escamotée.
Blak, Lund et Thorning-Schmidt
Les sociaux-démocrates danois ont voté en faveur de la proposition de décision du groupe PSE sur le sommet de Cologne car nous estimons que son contenu est globalement bon. Nous souhaitons cependant attirer l'attention sur trois points pour lesquels nous ne partageons pas l'avis de notre groupe. Il s'agit des points suivants.
1.Les points traitant de la responsabilité de l'UE car le Danemark jouit d'une clause de réserve dans ce domaine.2.Le point traitant du statut des députés européens. Nous nous sommes abstenus de voter sur ce point car la proposition du Parlement européen relative au statut n'est pas satisfaisante.3.Le point concernant la prochaine conférence intergouvernementale car nous estimons que cette conférence ne doit traiter que de l'élargissement et il ne doit pas y être fait obstacle par des réformes importantes.
Caudron
Concernant ce sommet qui a clôturé les travaux du Conseil sous la présidence allemande, je veux insister d'entrée sur le bon travail effectué par cette présidence dans un contexte international périlleux et en une période de «doute» des opinions européennes.
La rigueur et le sérieux n'ont pas manqué. Mais qui pouvait en douter?
En ce qui concerne plus précisément les décisions prises, si je salue la référence à l'emploi et à la décision d'un «pacte européen pour l'emploi», je suis obligé de dire mon insatisfaction quant aux crédits dégagés et aux propositions concrètes présentées.
J'espère donc que ce ne sera qu'un point de départ (et pas un point d'arrivée!). Au demeurant, l'écrasante majorité de droite au Parlement ne facilitera pas les choses.
La gauche européenne devra donc se battre pour aider le Conseil à mettre en oeuvre ses engagements et, si possible, pour aller plus loin. En Europe, aujourd'hui, le chômage reste «un mal absolu», destructeur de notre société. D'ores et déjà on verra, sous la présidence finlandaise, les suites données dans ce domaine.
Mann, Thomas
Je ne peux qu'émettre des réserves en approuvant la résolution du Parlement européen concernant le Sommet du Conseil européen qui s'est tenu les 3 et 4 juin à Cologne sous la présidence allemande. La déception est grande pour ceux qui espéraient que les succès remportés par les présidences allemandes du Conseil précédentes fussent poursuivis sans heurts cette année. Il existe une différence essentielle entre un Helmut Kohl, défenseur des intérêts de la politique en Allemagne et, dans le même temps, en Europe, s'accordant avec les partenaires des États membres et obtenant par là des résultats concrets et entre M. Schröder qui tente de faire la même chose. Le monde entier a remarqué qu'il agit seul sur la scène internationale. Ce fut particulièrement perceptible en ce qui concerne la manque de progrès dans la lutte contre les problèmes principaux en Europe, à savoir le manque d'emploi et la situation médiocre régnant dans le domaine de l'emploi.
En 1994, un Allemand, Helmut Kohl, a montré à Essen la voie à suivre grâce à la décision prise sur les premiers éléments d'une stratégie coordonnée européenne de l'emploi. Sur cette base, les participants du Sommet de Luxembourg sont parvenus à élaborer des lignes directrices importantes. Jean-Claude Juncker a tracé la voie vers le changement des structures du marché du travail, avec pour objectif de garantir un niveau d'emploi plus élevé par le biais d'une efficacité accrue.
L'annonce retentissante faite par M. Schröder, selon laquelle le Pacte européen pour l'emploi serait arrivé, était, comme d'habitude, prématurée. Il était prévu un menu opulent; nous n'avons obtenu qu'une maigre pitance. Le soi-disant «processus de Cologne» signifie simplement qu'un dialogue macro-économique sera mis en place, à savoir que des discussions seront menées entre le Conseil, la Commission, les partenaires sociaux et la Banque centrale européenne - sans plus.
Cela fait penser à la «Bündnis für Arbeit», l'alliance pour le travail qui a échoué et a abouti à une «alliance pour la rhétorique». Les réformes structurelles efficaces et dignes de ce nom font défaut, tout comme les accords en matière de bas salaires, de politique tarifaire et de formation de capital. Les citoyennes et les citoyens, surtout ceux d'entre eux qui ne possèdent pas d'emploi, sont las des rituels creux.
Le conflit du Kosovo a brièvement servi de paravent. À terme, toutefois, tout les problèmes remontent à la surface. M. Schröder, avec ses sentences moelleuses, ses actions isolées, ses décisions personnelles autoritaires à la Hombach, faisant preuve de grossièreté au lieu de sensibilité, n'a guère de raison de pavoiser, que ce soit au niveau national ou européen. Les élections européennes ont été une gifle retentissante et nécessaire: la présidence sortante du Conseil fut un échec.
Kosovo
Fitto
Madame la Présidente il importe, je pense, dans le cadre de la déclaration de vote, de mettre en évidence certains aspects en particulier relatifs à la résolution commune approuvée sur le Kosovo, notamment par rapport au point 11 qui semble établir un dialogue entre les différentes positions. Un de ces aspects est lié à la structure de l'Agence pour le Kosovo et à sa reconstruction. Je pense qu'il est très important d'avoir défini une structure décentralisée et flexible pour en améliorer l'efficacité, mais une évaluation plus générale s'impose néanmoins. Depuis 1990, certaines régions d'Europe, du sud de l'Italie, et en particulier les Pouilles, vivent une situation difficile en raison de leur localisation géographique par rapport aux flux migratoires. Le conflit au Kosovo a encore compliqué les choses. Je pense qu'il est décisif, dans cette situation, d'effectuer une évaluation plus générale du problème et de tenter de définir des solutions pouvant, dans le cadre de la flexibilité de cette structure, mettre en évidence certains aspects liés aux problèmes que connaissent ces régions du sud de l'Italie.
Caudron
Pour moi, pas d'état d'âme: l'Europe a eu raison d'intervenir militairement; l'Europe doit tout faire pour que les bourreaux soient châtiés; l'Europe va contribuer à la reconstruction de la région.
Au demeurant, au-delà de ces trois points, l'important est pour moi de construire très vite une Europe politique solide, afin d'accélérer l'élargissement à l'Est pour renforcer la démocratie, éliminer les résidus du national-communisme et conforter les démocraties en leur donnant des perspectives d'association puis d'adhésion.
Les Balkans restent une zone sensible et nous ne sommes pas à l'abri d'une nouvelle crise, peut-être plus grave encore. Il n'y a donc plus de temps à perdre.
Papayannakis
La résolution commune sur le Kosovo contient de nombreux passages qui dénotent de bonnes intentions et des principes généraux pertinents, mais elle fourmille aussi de contradictions, d'omissions ou de dissimulations. Pas un mot sur la légalité discutable de l'intervention militaire de l'OTAN en Yougoslavie, sans mandat explicite de l'ONU. Et sans légalité reconnue au plan international, sur quoi repose le tribunal auxquels sont déférés ceux qui ont simplement...perdu la guerre? Sa légalité pourrait-elle émaner de la seule volonté de l'OTAN? Proclamer la nécessité d'un Kosovo pluriethnique est fort louable, mais demander que ce caractère pluriethnique soit garanti par l'UCK ne peut relever que de l'humour noir. D'autant que, comme un autre paragraphe réclame le désarmement des forces et milices de la même UCK, je suppose que celle-ci est considérée comme une menace pour la marche vers ce Kosovo (pluriethnique?)!!! Enfin, on est frappé par le caractère vindicatif et la candeur de la résolution lorsqu'elle énonce le voeu de contribuer à la stabilité et au développement de la région en excluant la Yougoslavie des programmes de reconstruction. Je suis convaincu, au contraire, que c'est seulement si s'ouvrent des perspectives fiables et réalistes de reconstruction pour l'ensemble de la Yougoslavie et si celle-ci peut s'inscrire sans attendre dans un avenir européen que sa scène politique connaîtra une évolution salutaire, y compris l'affaiblissement du régime Milosevic et des arguments injustifiables qu'il avance aujourd'hui. D'une manière générale, c'est seulement si s'ouvrent pour eux des perspectives fiables et réalistes, dans la visée ultime de leur intégration dans l'UE sous notre responsabilité et avec notre aide, que tous les pays balkaniques verront se stabiliser réellement et prendre un essor prometteur leurs relations mutuelles et leurs relations avec le reste de l'Europe et du monde.
Mais il est manifeste que notre conception de l'Europe et du monde cadre fort mal avec tous les morceaux disparates qu'ont cousus les uns aux autres les rédacteurs de la résolution commune. C'est pourquoi je ne la voterai pas.
Peine de mort prononcée contre M. Öcalan
Caudron
Ce n'est pas moi qui défendrai le terrorisme et les terroristes, et je ne suis donc pas choqué que M. Öcalan soit jugé en Turquie.
Pour autant, le drame du peuple kurde est réel, et si nous voulons que ses droits soient respectés, il faudra négocier une solution raisonnable et équilibrée avec ses représentants.
Cela suppose qu'il n'y ait pas de décision irrévocable et surtout pas d'exécution de M. Öcalan.
Enfin, il faut rappeler à la Turquie que son association avec l'Europe implique le respect des mêmes valeurs et principes que ceux qui unissent les pays de l'Union.
Contamination par la dioxine
Caudron
C'est un thème grave que nous abordons au cours de cette période de session constitutive: celui de la crise de la dioxine. Je dois dire que je suis satisfait qu'il figure à notre ordre du jour et que les représentants de la Commission européenne et du Conseil se soient exprimés ce matin sur ce thème à la demande de notre Assemblée.
Le scandale des poulets et autres animaux contaminés par cette substance cancérigène qu'est la dioxine a réveillé en tous les consommateurs de très mauvais souvenirs. C'est l'impression désagréable d'un scénario déjà vécu qu'ont eue beaucoup d'entre nous, scénario où les consommateurs sont les derniers au courant de ce qui se trouve dans leur assiette et qui pourtant présente des risques graves pour la santé. Le vote de cette résolution est un signe révélateur de la volonté du Parlement européen de tirer au clair tous les tenants et aboutissants dans cette affaire et de répondre aux légitimes préoccupations des consommateurs.
Lors de la crise de la vache folle, le PE n'a pas ménagé ses efforts pour que des mesures soient adoptées afin de protéger les consommateurs. Au travers de ses commissions temporaires d'enquête, il a suivi avec vigilance la gestion de la crise par la Commission européenne et par les États membres. Son efficacité a été reconnue de manière unanime par toutes les institutions européennes. C'est pourquoi, à l'instar de nombre de mes collègues, je pense que nous devons mettre en place une commission temporaire d'enquête sur la crise de la dioxine.
En effet, des solutions doivent être envisagées à court terme pour résoudre les problèmes engendrés par la contamination des produits alimentaires en Belgique et, à plus long terme, un débat doit être engagé sur de nombreuses questions qui ont déjà été évoquées lors de la crise de la vache folle et qui resurgissent à la faveur de cette nouvelle crise alimentaire. Je pense, par exemple, au manque de transparence de la part du gouvernement belge, qui a tardé à alerter la Commission européenne, ainsi qu'au manque d'information des consommateurs.
Plus globalement, la question qui se pose est: «Quelle politique alimentaire voulons-nous au sein de l'Union européenne?». Le PE, ainsi que de nombreuses associations de consommateurs, a eu l'occasion de donner des éléments de réponse qui sont autant de pistes lancées pour une réflexion en faveur d'une redéfinition de l'approche alimentaire de l'Union européenne. Il s'agit de faire passer l'intérêt des consommateurs, de faire primer le principe de précaution sur tout autre principe et de mettre en place un contrôle intégré de la totalité de la chaîne alimentaire, du producteur au consommateur. Cette traçabilité est indispensable à la sécurité alimentaire.
C'est donc un débat global que nous, députés européens, devons alimenter tout au long de la prochaine législature: il devra porter sur la dioxine, sur les hormones et sur les OGM, qui constituent autant de thèmes très polémiques.
Klaß
Madame la Présidente, Mesdames et Messieurs, en Allemagne, nous avons un proverbe qui dit: «Ce que je ne sais pas ne m'irrite pas». Ce que je ne connais pas ne me dérange donc pas. Si ce proverbe peut s'appliquer à la sphère privée, il n'en vas pas de même en ce qui concerne la protection des consommateurs.
Le scandale de la dioxine l'a une fois de plus démontré: une politique de l'information ouverte constitue une condition essentielle pour une protection des consommateurs efficace et globale. Le comportement irresponsable des autorités belges, la rétention d'informations concernant les aliments pour animaux et les aliments destinés à la consommation humaine contaminés ont durablement ébranlé la confiance des gens. Les consommateurs doivent pouvoir être certains qu'on ne leur propose pas d'aliments nuisibles à la santé.
Ce principe s'applique également aux aliments pour animaux utilisés par les agriculteurs. Ceux-ci se procurent les aliments chez des entreprises et ne disposent d'aucune possibilité de vérifier si ces produits contiennent des produits nocifs. Il faut également garantir au agriculteurs que les aliments pour animaux sont d'une qualité irréprochable. Cela pose clairement les responsabilités des autorités responsables du contrôle des produits. D'autre part, il est clair que le scandale de la dioxine n'est pas à imputer à l'agriculture. Il s'agit exclusivement d'une défaillance de l'industrie. Les agriculteurs, ainsi que les consommateurs sont les victimes de ce scandale. Il doivent essuyer des pertes importantes, sans en porter la responsabilité et, en outre, c'est à eux que revient la tâche de regagner la confiance perdue des consommateurs.
Pour avoir des animaux et des aliments sains, il faut une alimentation animale saine. C'est également une condition pour une agriculture florissante et à rendement élevé.
Les aliments pour animaux et les aliments destinés à la consommation humaine peuvent être commercialisés partout au sein de l'Union européenne. Malgré cela, ou plus précisément à cause de cela, il est important que la sécurité des consommateurs soit garantie par les États membres et l'Union européenne.
Il existe des normes européennes s'appliquant au domaine alimentaire, normes qui garantissent un contrôle efficace des produits. Il convient également de faire en sorte que de tels contrôles soient appliqués au domaines des aliments pour animaux. Car le scandale de la dioxine a mis une chose en évidence: lorsque les aliments pour animaux, premier maillon de la chaîne alimentaire, sont contaminés, il est trop tard pour effectuer des contrôles sur les aliments destinés à la consommation humaine.
La Présidente
Ainsi s'achève l'heure des votes.
La séance est levée à 13h05
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In the past, the Sun was surrounded by many myths and legends. The Greeks believed that the Sun was carried by a golden chariot driven by the god Helios. Some civilizations believed that lunar eclipses occurred when the sun was being eaten by a dragon, while others believed they occurred when the sun and moon were fighting and the sun had been knocked out. With modern astronomy, we can now solve many of the mysteries surrounding the sun.
A (Safe) Look At The Sun
The Sun by the Numbers
Average Distance from Earth: 1 AU (1.495979 X 10^8 km)
1 AU (1.495979 X 10^8 km) Average Angular Diameter: 0.53 degrees (32 minutes of arc)
0.53 degrees (32 minutes of arc) Period of rotation: Varies by latitude. 25.38 days at equator.
Varies by latitude. 25.38 days at equator. Apparent visual magnitude: -26.74
-26.74 Absolute magnitude: 4.83
4.83 Spectral type: G2 V
G2 V Central temperature: 15 X 10^6 K
15 X 10^6 K Surface temperature: 5800 K
5800 K Luminosity: 3.826 X 10^26 J/s
3.826 X 10^26 J/s Escape velocity at surface: 617.7 km/s
617.7 km/s Average density: 1.409 grams per cubic centimeter
1.409 grams per cubic centimeter Mass: 1.989 X 10^30 kg
1.989 X 10^30 kg Radius: 6.9599 X 10^5 km
Formation Of Our Sun
The Sun formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from a cloud of dust and gas known as the solar nebula. This nebula was spinning rapidly and flattened into a disk. Through a gradual process fueled by gravity, the dust and gas began to gather into clumps. The largest clump at the center of the future solar system received 99.8% of the material in the nebula and, when it became heavy and dense enough, the pressure triggered nuclear reactions in the core. This large ball of gas became our sun.
The Sun’s Place in the Cosmos
For a long time, humans believed that Earth was the center of the cosmos and the Sun, Moon, stars and planets were held in spheres that revolved around it. Astronomers worked out equations to predict the positions of celestial objects, but they proved inaccurate over long periods of time. In the 16th century, Copernicus introduced a revolutionary new model in which the Sun, not Earth, was the center of the universe. The new model was inaccurate, with perfectly circular orbits, but helped explain why planets sometimes appeared to reverse course in the sky.
Like many controversial new ideas, this one took time to be widely accepted. While studying Mars, an astronomer named Johannes Kepler realized that Copernicus’ model, while an improvement, didn’t quite fit with Mars’ motion across the sky. He helped make the model more accurate when he introduced the concept that the planets’ orbits were elliptical. Within a century of Copernicus’ introduction of his original model, the idea that the sun is the center of the solar system came to be widely accepted by the scientific community.
As telescopes improved and astronomers made new discoveries, the sun was pushed from the center of the cosmos. It is located about 26,000 light years from the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, in the Orion arm.
Sunspots
Galileo Galilei was the first to record observations of dark blotches on the sun. The idea that the sun didn’t have a perfectly uniform surface was nearly as controversial as the idea that it was the center of the solar system and many of his associates refused to look through his telescope in the fear that they might be fooled. These blotches came to be called “sunspots.”
These sunspots are darker, cooler places on the sun caused by its magnetic field. They typically come in pairs in places where the magnetic field protrude from its surface. “Cooler” is, of course, relative. Sunspots have a temperature of 4240 K and emit enough radiation to outshine a full moon.
The number of sunspots rise and fall in a cycle lasting about 11 years. The maximum and minimum number of sunspots can vary from cycle to cycle. One historic low is known as the Maunder minimum, a period of 1645 to 1715 when very few sunspots were observed. This minimum coincides with the “Little Ice Age,” a period of unusually cool weather lasting from 1500 to 1850. Ongoing observations suggest a link between solar activity, sun spots and climate on Earth.
The Solar Constant
The Solar Constant is a measurement of the amount of solar energy that falls on one square meter of Earth’s surface every second. Astronomers correct for absorption of certain wavelengths by the atmosphere and count all wavelengths from X-rays to radio waves. The solar constant can vary and large variations over long periods of time can lead to changes in Earth’s climate.
Solar Flares
Solar astronomer Richard Carrington was the first to observe a solar flare on September 1, 1859. He was recording sunspots when two bright flares of light in the middle of the group of sunspots suddenly appeared on his screen. He called for a friend, but they faded quickly.
Solar flares are eruptions of magnetic energy that have built up in the solar atmosphere. They emit energy through the entire electromagnetic spectrum. An average flare emits 10^27 ergs per second. A large flare can emit up to 10^32 ergs. By comparison, one Calorie is equal to 4.2 X 10^10 ergs. Flares extend out into the Corona and can heat the gas to between 10 million Kelvin and 100 million Kelvin, depending on the size of the flare.
A solar flare has three stages. The first stage is known as the precursor stage, in which the magnetic energy is triggered. This can be detected in the soft X-ray range, as in the picture above. The second stage is known as the impulsive stage. Protons and electrons are accelerated to 1 million electric volts, or 1 MeV. The flare emits hard X-rays, radio waves and gamma rays. During the third stage, known as the decay stage, the flare is dying off and soft x-rays are again detected as they build up and decay. Each stage can last for as little as a few seconds or as long as an hour. NASA’s Orbiting Solar Observatory recently discovered evidence of a fourth “aftershock” phase called the Late Phase Flare that may be be more powerful than the initial flare by a factor of four.
Like sunspots, the frequency of solar flares occurs on an 11-year cycle. Special equipment is required to observe a solar flare. They can damage electronics in Earth orbit and on the ground, but only if they are aimed in our direction.
Nuclear Fusion in the Sun
The sun’s power is produced by nuclear fusion at its core. The gas in the core is made up of ionized hydrogen and helium atoms and electrons that are not attached to atomic nuclei. In all atoms, the nuclei are made up of protons and, sometimes, neutrons bound together by the strong force, a very short-range but powerful force of nature. Its counterpart, the weak force, is primarily associated with radioactive decay. Hydrogen atoms contains one proton in their nuclei and helium atoms have two protons.
Nuclear fusion in the sun works by fusing hydrogen atoms into helium atoms. The commonsense, ordinary mathematical approach would suggest that it takes two hydrogen atoms to make a helium atom. In reality, it takes four hydrogen atoms to make one helium atom using hydrogen fusion. The process is called a proton-proton chain and consists of three steps:
1H + 1H –> 2H + e + v
Two hydrogen nuclei combine to form a heavy hydrogen nucleus called deuterium. This reaction also emits a small, positively charged particle called a positron, and a particle with a very low mass and a velocity that is almost the speed of light known as a neutrino.
2H + 1H –> 3He + y
The deuterium collides with another proton to produce a lightweight helium nucleus and a burst of gamma radiation.
3He + 3He –> 4He + 1H + 1H
Two light helium nuclei collide to form the nucleus of a normal helium atom and two hydrogen atoms. As you may have noticed, the end result has lost a little mass in the form of neutrinos and positrons and a little energy in the form of gamma radiation. The difference looks a little like this:
4 hydrogen nuclei: 6.693 X 10^-27 kg minus 1 Helium nucleus: 6.645 X 10^27 kg equals 0.048 X 10^27 Kg
The entire process of converting four hydrogen nuclei into one helium nucleus produces 0.43 X 10^-11 Joules of energy. This is a very small amount and the sun needs 10^38 such reactions per second just to remain stable as a huge ball of glowing hot plasma.
Will Our Sun Run Out Of Fuel?
Inevitably, the sun will run out of hydrogen to convert into helium. This is estimated to happen in approximately 5 billion years. At that point, it is expected to swell up into a red giant star, engulfing Mercury, Venus and possibly Earth. Earth will certainly be scorched to the point that life will be impossible. It will then start converting helium into carbon. When that runs out, it will then shed its outer layers and shrink to an Earth-sized white dwarf that, some scientists now say, will be a crystal white dwarf containing high levels of carbon and oxygen in its core. The white dwarf will still glow and emit heat for a long time, possibly as long as a few billion years, but will no longer be producing energy with fusion. It will gradually cool and become a black dwarf.
Learn More About The Sun
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Q:
Figuring out the right SPARQL query
I am trying to somehow find all the owl:sameAs properties from a resource link. A simple query would be like
SELECT ?x WHERE {
<http://dbpedia.org/resource/Tetris> owl:sameAs ?x
}
However i also would like to get the Yago link mentioned as is owl:sameAs of. Could any one help me out how to do this ?
A:
You can get the YAGO link like so:
SELECT ?x WHERE {
?x owl:sameAs <http://dbpedia.org/resource/Tetris>
}
Or get both the “incoming” and “outgoing” links in one query:
SELECT ?x WHERE {
{ <http://dbpedia.org/resource/Tetris> owl:sameAs ?x }
UNION
{ ?x owl:sameAs <http://dbpedia.org/resource/Tetris> }
}
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan on Tuesday defended President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees, but said he regretted the confusion caused by its implementation.
“The president has a responsibility to the security of this country,” Ryan told reporters. “It’s regrettable that there was confusion on the rollout of this. No one wanted to see people with green cards or special immigrant visas, like translators, get caught up in all of this.”
The Wisconsin Republican said he spoke at length with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly and was “confident that he is, on a going forward basis, going to make sure that things are done correctly.”
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Storyline:The young Texas ranger David Kingston (Liam Hemsworth) is charged in the 1880s in the town of Helena, to investigate a series of mysterious murders of Mexican citizens, rumored to be involved in the shady Abraham Brant (Woody Harrelson). To investigate, Kingston infiltrates a small community of people who reverently call Brant the "preacher" and worship him cultically as their spiritual leader. With his investigations, the law enforcer soon not only his own life, but also that of his wife Marisol (Alice Braga) on the line. For the citizens of Helena, who distrust Kingston, are not afraid to go over corpses in the service of their preacher ...
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Project Summary Antimicrobial resistance has evolved due to decades of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by clinicians. In the emergency department (ED), nearly 50% of the 10 million antibiotic prescriptions written each year are inappropriate or unnecessary. However, antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) for the ED have yet to be created. Failure to develop ED-based ASPs is a result of barriers unique to the ED, including lack of ED formatted guidelines, erratic workflow, rapid decision making, and diagnostic uncertainty. Electronic health record-based clinical decision support (EHR-CDS) can be customized to present ED- specific antibiotic recommendations at the point of care, in the usual clinical workflow. Therefore, EHR-CDS has great potential to overcome ED barriers and serve as platform for ED-based ASP. In this proposal, we build upon our preliminary single-center research to develop a multicenter EHR-CDS for antibiotic prescribing for two common pediatric ED infections, community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and urinary tract infection (UTI). National CAP and UTI antibiotic prescribing guidelines exist, but have not been adapted into ED context. We will use rigorous dissemination and implementation methods that this team has successfully used previously to create multicenter EHR-CDS. We also build upon our preliminary work to create a novel, multi- center EHR-CDS within the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN). We will conduct workflow analyses and identify EHR triggers to determine the optimal timing for EHR-CDS activation, necessary to minimize alert fatigue. At each of the 3 participating sites, we will also develop an EHR-based mechanism to determine guideline adherent antibiotic prescribing for CAP and UTI. Through integration of the formatted ED antibiotic treatment guidelines for CAP and UTI, workflow analyses, and EHR activation triggers analyses, we will configure a prototype EHR-CDS for antibiotic prescribing. We will conduct heuristic review and subsequent scenario-based user testing at each site to produce a functional, scalable prototype EHR- CDS. Though we will initially build the EHR-CDS using a single her (with the largest market share), we will simultaneously develop a web-service version of the CDS for further scalability. Finally, as we have for prior studies, we will create automated clinician feedback reports using EHR data to provide antibiotic prescribing practices; these will complement the EHR-CDS as part of the overall ED-based ASP. The adaptable scalable EHR-CDS for CAP and UTI, and the provider feedback reports, will serve as the centerpieces for generalizable ED-based ASP. Upon completion of the work in this proposal, we will be poised to conduct a multicenter trial to test the effect of our EHR-CDS in pediatric and general ED settings.
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Cdh1-APC/C, cyclin B-Cdc2, and Alzheimer's disease pathology.
The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is a key E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that functions in regulating cell cycle transitions in proliferating cells and has, as revealed recently, novel roles in postmitotic neurons. Regulated by its activator Cdh1 (or Hct1), whose level is high in postmitotic neurons, APC/C seems to have multiple functions at different cellular locations, modulating diverse processes such as synaptic development and axonal growth. These processes do not, however, appear to be directly connected to cell cycle regulation. It is now shown that Cdh1-APC/C activity may also have a basic role in suppressing cyclin B levels, thus preventing terminally differentiated neurons from aberrantly re-entering the cell cycle. The result of an aberrant cyclin B-induced S-phase entry, at least for some of these neurons, would be death via apoptosis. Cdh1 thus play an active role in maintaining the terminally differentiated, non-cycling state of postmitotic neurons--a function that could become impaired in Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.
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Forced marriage: Leeds parents jailed over Bangladesh wedding Published duration 30 July 2018
image copyright PA image caption The woman, who is from Leeds and is now 20, has had to assume a new identity
A husband and wife have been jailed for tricking their daughter into travelling to Bangladesh in order to force her into marriage.
The couple were described as "monsters" by their daughter who they had threatened to kill if she did not go ahead with the arrangement.
The father was jailed for four-and-a-half years and the mother for three-and-a-half years at Leeds Crown Court.
None of those involved in the case can be named.
The then 18-year-old daughter had to be rescued from a remote village in an operation by the British High Commission involving armed police, the judge heard,
The woman, who is from Leeds and is now aged 20, described in a victim impact statement how she had assumed a new identity and lived in fear of her family.
She said: "I know I will always have to remain cautious but, knowing those monsters are going to be in prison, I feel the uttermost freedom in my heart.
"I want other girls to know that forcing someone to marry is wrong."
'Chop her up'
The woman was taken to Bangladesh with other family members for what they had been told was a holiday.
But the parents had made extensive plans for her wedding to a first cousin.
She reacted against the plan and her father hit her, with her mother's encouragement, the court heard.
Her father said he would "chop her up in 18 seconds" if she continued to reject the proposed marriage, the judge was told.
The woman managed to alert the police through her boyfriend in the UK and the court was played some of the messages she left on his phone.
Judge Simon Phillips QC said of the recordings: "Her terror and distress is palpable."
'Betrayed'
Judge Phillips heard how the woman escaped with only the clothes she was wearing and a Leeds bus pass.
The woman said: "I was betrayed by the two people who are supposed to protect, love and keep you safe."
She was born in the UK, lived a Westernised-lifestyle and was hoping to go to university, the court heard.
Dafydd Enoch QC, defending her father, told the court: "These events are not borne out of malice, hate, greed or prejudice. They were borne of deep-seated culture."
The pair were found guilty of forced marriage and a count of using violence, threats or coercion to force their daughter into marriage, following a three-week trial earlier this year.
Peter Mann, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said "This successful prosecution and the custodial sentences imposed send a clear message that forced marriage is a very serious crime and those responsible will be prosecuted."
It is thought to be only the second case of its kind.
A woman was jailed for four-and-a-half years at Birmingham Crown Court after forcing her daughter to marry in Pakistan in the first successful prosecution.
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---
abstract: 'A system of nested dichotomies is a method of decomposing a multi-class problem into a collection of binary problems. Such a system recursively applies binary splits to divide the set of classes into two subsets, and trains a binary classifier for each split. Many methods have been proposed to perform this split, each with various advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, we present a simple, general method for improving the predictive performance of nested dichotomies produced by any subset selection techniques that employ randomness to construct the subsets. We provide a theoretical expectation for performance improvements, as well as empirical results showing that our method improves the root mean squared error of nested dichotomies, regardless of whether they are employed as an individual model or in an ensemble setting.'
author:
- |
Tim Leathart, Eibe Frank, Bernhard Pfahringer and Geoffrey Holmes\
Department of Computer Science, University of Waikato, New Zealand
bibliography:
- 'multi\_subset\_nd.bib'
title: Ensembles of Nested Dichotomies with Multiple Subset Evaluation
---
Introduction
============
Multi-class classification problems are commonplace in real world applications. Some models, like neural networks and random forests, are inherently able to operate on multi-class data directly, while other models, such as classic support vector machines, can only be used for binary (two-class) problems. The standard way to bypass this limitation is to convert the multi-class classification problem into a series of binary problems. There exist several methods of performing this decomposition, the most well-known including one-vs-rest [@rifkin2004defense], pairwise classification [@hastie1998classification] and error-correcting output codes [@dietterich1995solving]. Models that are directly capable of working with multi-class problems may also see improved accuracy from such a decomposition [@mayoraz1997decomposition; @furnkranz2002round; @pimenta2005study].
The use of ensembles of nested dichotomies is one such method for decomposing a multi-class problem into several binary problems. It has been shown to outperform one-vs-rest and perform competitively compared to the aforementioned methods [@frank2004ensembles]. In a nested dichotomy [@fox1997applied], the set of classes is recursively split into two subsets in a tree structure. Two examples of nested dichotomies for a four class problem are shown in Figure \[fig:nd\_example\]. At each split node of the tree, a binary classifier is trained to discriminate between the two subsets of classes. Each leaf node of the tree corresponds to a particular class. To obtain probability estimates for a particular class from a nested dichotomy, assuming the base learner can produce probability estimates, one can simply compute the product of the binary probability estimates along the path from the root node to the leaf node corresponding to the class.
For non-trivial multi-class problems, the space of potential nested dichotomies is very large. An ensemble classifier can be formed by choosing suitable decompositions from this space. In the original formulation of ensembles of nested dichotomies, decompositions are sampled with uniform probability [@frank2004ensembles], but several other more sophisticated methods for splitting the set of classes have been proposed [@dong2005ensembles; @duarte2012nested; @leathart2016building]. Superior performance is achieved when ensembles of nested dichotomies are trained using common ensemble learning methods like bagging or boosting [@rodriguez2010forests].
In this paper, we describe a simple method that can improve the predictive performance of nested dichotomies by considering several splits at each internal node. Our technique can be applied to nested dichotomies built with almost any subset selection method, only contributing a constant factor to the training time and no additional cost when obtaining predictions. It has a single hyperparameter $\lambda$ that gives a trade-off between predictive performance and training time, making it easy to tune for a given learning problem. It is also very easy to implement.
The paper is structured as follows. First, we describe existing methods for class subset selection in nested dichotomies. Following this, we describe our method and provide a theoretical expectation of performance improvements. We then discuss related work, before presenting and discussing empirical results for our experiments. Finally, we conclude and discuss future research directions.
Class Subset Selection Methods\[sec:subset\_selection\_methods\]
================================================================
At each internal node $i$ of a nested dichotomy, the set of classes present at the node $\mathcal{C}_i$ is split into two non-empty, non-overlapping subsets, $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$. In this section, we give an overview of existing class subset selection methods for nested dichotomies. Note that other methods than those listed here have been proposed for constructing nested dichotomies—these are not suitable for use with our method and are discussed later in Related Work.
Random Selection
----------------
The most basic form of class subset selection method, originally proposed in [@frank2004ensembles], is to split the set of classes into two subsets such that each member of the space of nested dichotomies has an equal probability of being sampled. This approach has several attractive qualities. It is simple to compute, and does not scale with the size of the dataset, making it suitable for datasets of any size. Furthermore, for an $n$-class problem, the number of possible nested dichotomies is very large, given by the recurrence relation $$\begin{aligned}
T(n) = (2n-3) \times T(n-1)\end{aligned}$$
where $T(1) = 1$. This ensures that, in an ensemble of nested dichotomies, there is a high level of diversity amongst ensemble members. We refer to this function that relates the number of classes to the size of the sample space of nested dichotomies for a given subset selection method as the *growth function*. Growth functions for each method discussed in this section are compared in Figure \[fig:growth\].
Balanced Selection
------------------
An issue with random selection is that it can produce very unbalanced tree structures. While the number of internal nodes (and therefore, binary models) is the same in any nested dichotomy for the same number of classes, an unbalanced tree often implies that the internal binary models are trained on large datasets near the leaves, which has a negative effect on the time taken to train the full model. Deeper subtrees also provide more opportunity for estimation errors to accumulate. Dong *et. al.* mitigate this effect by enforcing $\mathcal{C}_i$ to be split into two subsets $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$ such that ${abs}(|\mathcal{C}_{i1}| - |\mathcal{C}_{i2}|) \leq 1$ [@dong2005ensembles]. This has been shown empirically to have little effect on the accuracy in most cases, while reducing the time taken to train nested dichotomies. Balanced selection has greater benefits for problems with many classes.
It is clear that the sample space of random nested dichotomies is larger than that of class balanced nested dichotomies, but it is still large enough to ensure sufficient ensemble diversity. The growth function for class balanced nested dichotomies is given by $$\begin{aligned}
T_{CB}(n) =
\begin{cases}
\frac{1}{2} \binom{n}{n/2} T_{CB}(\frac{n}{2}) T_{CB}(\frac{n}{2}), & \text{if } n \text{ is even} \\
\binom {n}{(n+1)/2} T_{CB}(\frac{n+1}{2}) T_{CB}(\frac{n-1}{2}), & \text{if } n \text{ is odd} \\
\end{cases}\end{aligned}$$
where $T_{CB}(2) = T_{CB}(1) = 1$ [@dong2005ensembles].
Dong *et. al.* also explored a form of balancing where the amount of data in each subset is roughly equal, which gave similar results for datasets with unbalanced classes [@dong2005ensembles].
Random-Pair Selection
---------------------
Random-pair selection provides a non-deterministic method of creating $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$ that groups similar classes together [@leathart2016building]. In random-pair selection, the base classifier is used directly to identify similar classes in $\mathcal{C}_i$. First, a random pair of classes $c_1, c_2 \in \mathcal{C}_i$ is selected, and a binary classifier is trained on just these two classes. Then, the remaining classes are classified with this classifier, and its predictions are stored as a confusion matrix $M$. $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$ are constructed by $$\begin{aligned}
\mathcal{C}_{i1} &= \{ c \in \mathcal{C}_i \setminus \{c_1, c_2\} : M_{c, c_1} \leq M_{c, c_2} \} \cup \{c_1\} \\
\mathcal{C}_{i2} &= \{ c \in \mathcal{C}_i \setminus \{c_1, c_2\} : M_{c, c_1} > M_{c, c_2} \} \cup \{c_2\}\end{aligned}$$ where $M_{i,j}$ is defined as the number of examples of class $j$ that were classified as class $i$ by the binary classifier. In other words, a class is assigned to $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ if it is less frequently confused with $c_1$ than with $c_2$, and to $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$ otherwise. Finally, the binary classifier is re-trained on the new meta-classes $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$. This way, each binary split is more easily separable for the base learner than a completely random split, but also exhibits a degree of randomness, which leads to diverse and high-performing ensembles.
Due to the fact that the size of the sample space of nested dichotomies under random-pair selection is dependent on the dataset and base learner (different initial random pairs may lead to the same split), it is not possible to provide an exact expression for the growth function $T_{RP}(n)$; using logistic regression as the base learner [@leathart2016building], it has been empirically estimated to be $$\begin{aligned}
T_{RP}(n) = p(n)T_{RP}(\frac{n}{3})T_{RP}(\frac{2n}{3}) \label{eqn:random_pair_estimation}\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
p(n) = 0.3812n^2 - 1.4979n + 2.9027\end{aligned}$$ and $T_{RP}(2) = T_{RP}(1) = 1$.
Multiple Subset Evaluation\[sec:multiple\_subset\_selection\]
=============================================================
In existing class subset selection methods, at each internal node $i$, a single class split $(\mathcal{C}_{i1}, \mathcal{C}_{i2})$ of $\mathcal{C}_i$ is considered, produced by some splitting function $S(\mathcal{C}_i) : \mathbb{N}^n \rightarrow \mathbb{N}^a \times \mathbb{N}^b$ where $a+b=n$. Our approach for improving the predictive power of nested dichotomies is a simple extension. We propose to, at each internal node $i$, consider $\lambda$ subsets $\{(\mathcal{C}_{i1}, \mathcal{C}_{i2})_1 \dots (\mathcal{C}_{i1}, \mathcal{C}_{i2})_\lambda\}$ and choose the split for which the corresponding model has the lowest training root mean squared error (RMSE). The RMSE is defined as the square root of the Brier score [@brier1950verification] divided by the number of classes: $$\textrm{RMSE} = \sqrt{\frac{1}{nm}\sum_{i=1}^n \sum_{j=1}^m (\hat{y}_{ij} - y_{ij})^2 }$$ where $n$ is the number of instances, $m$ is the number of classes, $\hat{y}_{ij}$ is the estimated probability that instance $i$ is of class $j$, and $y_{ij}$ is $1$ if instance $i$ actually belongs to class $j$, and $0$ otherwise. RMSE is chosen over other measures such as classification accuracy because it is smoother and a better indicator of generalisation performance. Previously proposed methods with single subset selection can be considered a special case of this method where $\lambda = 1$.
Although conceptually simple, this method has several attractive qualities, which are now discussed.
#### Predictive Performance.
It is clear that by choosing the best of a series of models at each internal node, the overall performance should improve, assuming the size of the sample space of nested dichotomies is not hindered to the point where ensemble diversity begins to suffer.
#### Generality.
Multiple subset evaluation is widely applicable. If a subset selection method $S$ has some level of randomness, then multiple subset evaluation can be used to improve the performance. One nice feature is that advantages pertaining to $S$ are retained. For example, if class-balanced selection is chosen due to a learning problem with a very high number of classes, we can boost the predictive performance of the ensemble while keeping each nested dichotomy in the ensemble balanced. If random-pair selection is chosen because the computational budget for training is high, then we can improve the predictive performance further than single subset selection in conjunction with random-pair selection.
#### Simplicity.
Implementing multiple subset evaluation is very simple. Furthermore, the computational cost for evaluating multiple subsets of classes scales linearly in the size of the tuneable hyperparameter $\lambda$, making the tradeoff between predictive performance and training time easy to navigate. Additionally, multiple subset evaluation has no effect on prediction times.
Higher values of $\lambda$ give diminishing returns on predictive performance, so a value that is suitable for the computational budget should be chosen. When training an ensemble of nested dichotomies, it may be desirable to adopt a *class threshold*, where single subset selection is used if fewer than a certain number of classes is present at an internal node. This reduces the probability that the same subtrees will appear in many ensemble members, and therefore reduce ensemble diversity. In the lower levels of the tree, the number of possible binary problems is relatively low (Fig. \[fig:growthrate\]).
\[sec:growth\_functions\_effect\]Effect on Growth Functions
-----------------------------------------------------------
Performance of an ensemble of nested dichotomies relies on the size of the sample space of nested dichotomies, given an $n$-class problem, to be relatively large. Multiple subset evaluation removes the $\lambda-1$ class splits that correspond to the worst-performing binary models at each internal node $i$ from being able to be used in the tree. The effect of multiple subset evaluation on the growth function is non-deterministic for random selection, as the sizes of $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$ affect the values of the growth function for the subtrees that are children of $i$. The upper bound occurs when all worst-performing splits isolate a single class, and the lower bound is given when all worst-performing splits are class-balanced. Class-balanced selection, on the other hand, is affected deterministically as the size of $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$ are the same for the same number of classes.
Growth functions for values of $\lambda \in \{1, 3, 5, 7\}$, for random, class balanced and random-pair selection methods, are plotted in Figure \[fig:growthrate\]. The growth curves for random and class balanced selection were generated using brute-force computational enumeration, while the effect on random-pair selection is estimated.
{width="95.00000%"}
Analysis of error\[sec:theoretical\]
------------------------------------
In this section, we provide a theoretical analysis showing that performance of each internal binary model is likely to be improved by adopting multiple subset evaluation. We also show empirically that the estimates of performance improvements are accurate, even when the assumptions are violated.
Let $E$ be a random variable for the training root mean squared error (RMSE) for some classifier for a given pair of class subsets $\mathcal{C}_{i1}$ and $\mathcal{C}_{i2}$, and assume $E \sim N(\mu, \sigma^2)$ for a given dataset under some class subset selection scheme. For a given set of $\lambda$ selections of subsets $\mathcal{S} = \{(\mathcal{C}_{i1}, \mathcal{C}_{i2})_1, \dots, (\mathcal{C}_{i1}, \mathcal{C}_{i2})_\lambda\}$ and corresponding training s $\mathcal{E} = \{E_1, \dots, E_\lambda\}$, let $\hat{E}_\lambda = min(\mathcal{E})$. There is no closed form expression for the expected value of $\hat{E}_\lambda$, the minimum of a set of normally distributed random variables, but an approximation is given by $$\mathbb{E}[\hat{E}_\lambda] \approx \mu + \sigma \Phi^{-1} \Bigg( \frac{1-\alpha}{\lambda-2\alpha + 1}\Bigg) \label{eqn:expected_order_statistics}$$ where $\Phi^{-1}(x)$ is the inverse normal cumulative distribution function [@royston1982algorithm], and the *compromise value* $\alpha$ is the suggested value for $\lambda$ given by Harter ([-@harter1961expected]).[^1]
Figure \[fig:norm\_drawn\] illustrates how this expected value changes when increasing values of $\lambda$ from $1$ to $5$. The first two rows show the distribution of $E$ and estimated $\mathbb{E}[\hat{E}_\lambda]$ on the UCI dataset `mfeat-fourier`, for a logistic regression model trained on 1,000 random splits of the class set $\mathcal{C}$. These rows show the training and testing RMSE respectively, using 90% of the data for training and the rest for testing. Note that as $\lambda$ increases, the distribution of the train and test error shifts to lower values and the variance decreases.
This reduction in error affects each binary model in the tree structure, so the effects accumulate when constructing a nested dichotomy. The third row shows the distribution of RMSE of 1,000 nested dichotomies trained with multiple subset evaluation on `mfeat-fourier`, using logistic regression as the base learner, considering increasing values of $\lambda$. As expected, a reduction in error with diminishing returns is seen as $\lambda$ increases.
In order to show an example of how the estimate from (\[eqn:expected\_order\_statistics\]) behaves when the error is not normally distributed, the distribution of $E$ for logistic regression trained on the `segment` UCI data is plotted in the bottom row. This assumption is commonly violated in real datasets, as the distribution is often skewed towards zero error. As with the other examples, 1,000 different random choices for $\mathcal{C}_1$ and $\mathcal{C}_2$ were used to generate the histogram. Although the distribution in this case is not very well modelled by a Gaussian, the approximation of $\mathbb{E}[\hat{E}_\lambda]$ from (\[eqn:expected\_order\_statistics\]) still closely matches the empirical mean. This shows that even when the normality assumption is violated, performance gains of the same degree can be expected. This example is not cherry picked; the same behaviour was observed on the entire collection of datasets used in this study.
Related Work\[sec:related\_work\]
=================================
Splitting a multi-class problem into several binary problems in a tree structure is a general technique that has been referred to by different names in the literature. For example, in a multi-class classification context, nested dichotomies in the broadest sense of the term have been examined as filter trees, conditional probability trees, and label trees. @beygelzimer2009conditional proposed algorithms which build balanced trees and demonstrate the performance on datasets with very large numbers of classes. Filter trees, with deterministic splits [@beygelzimer2009error], as well as conditional probability trees, with probabilistic splits [@beygelzimer2009conditional], were explored. @bengio2010label ([-@bengio2010label]) define a tree structure and optimise all internal classifiers simultaneously to minimise the tree loss. They also propose to learn a low-dimensional embedding of the labels to improve performance, especially when a very large number of classes is present. @melnikov2018effectiveness ([-@melnikov2018effectiveness]) also showed that a method called bag-of-$k$ models—simply sampling $k$ random nested dichotomies and choosing the best one based on validation error—gives competitive predictive performance to the splitting heuristics discussed so far for individual nested dichotomies (i.e., not trained in an ensemble). However, it is very expensive at training time, as $k$ independent nested dichotomies must be constructed and tested on a validation set.
A commonality of these techniques is that they attempt to build a single nested dichotomy structure with the best performance. Nested dichotomies that we consider in this paper, while conceptually similar, differ from these methods because they are intended to be trained in an ensemble setting, and as such, each individual nested dichotomy is not built with optimal performance in mind. Instead, a group of nested dichotomies is built to maximise ensemble performance, so diversity amongst the ensemble members is key [@kuncheva2003measures].
Nested dichotomies based on clustering [@duarte2012nested], are deterministic and used in an ensemble by resampling or reweighting the input. They are built by finding the two classes in $\mathcal{C}_i$ for which the class centroids are furthest from each other by some distance metric. The remainder of the classes are grouped based on the distance of their centroids from the initial two centroids.
@wever2018ensembles ([-@wever2018ensembles]) utilise genetic algorithms to build nested dichotomies. In their method, a population of random nested dichotomies is sampled and runs through a genetic algorithm for several generations. The final nested dichotomy is chosen as the best performing model on a held-out validation set. An ensemble of $k$ nested dichotomies is produced by initialising $k$ individual populations, independently evolving each population, and taking the best-performing model from each population.
Experimental Results\[sec:experiments\]
=======================================
All experiments were conducted in WEKA 3.9 [@hall2009weka], and performed with 10 times 10-fold cross validation. We use class-balanced nested dichotomies and nested dichotomies built with random-pair selection and logistic regression as the base learner.
For both splitting methods, we compare values of $\lambda \in \{1,3,5,7\}$ in a single nested dichotomy structure, as well as in ensemble settings with bagging [@breiman1996bagging] and AdaBoost [@freund1996game]. The default settings in WEKA were used for the `Logistic` classifier as well as for the `Bagging` and `AdaBoostM1` meta-classifiers. We evaluate performance on a collection of datasets taken from the UCI repository [@lichman2013uci], as well as the MNIST digit recognition dataset [@lecun1998gradient]. Note that for MNIST, we report results of 10-fold cross-validation over the entire dataset rather than the usual train/test split. Datasets used in our experiments, and their number of classes, instances and features, are listed in Table \[tab:datasets\].
We provide critical difference plots [@demvsar2006statistical] to summarise the results of the experiments. These plots present average ranks of models trained with differing values of $\lambda$. Models producing results that are not significantly different from each other at the 0.05 significance level are connected with a horizontal black bar. Full results tables showing RMSE for each experimental run, including significance tests, are available in the supplementary materials.
Individual Nested Dichotomies
-----------------------------
**Dataset** **Classes** **Instances** **Features**
---------------- ------------- --------------- --------------
audiology 24 226 70
krkopt 18 28056 7
LED24 10 5000 25
letter 26 20000 17
mfeat-factors 10 2000 217
mfeat-fourier 10 2000 77
mfeat-karhunen 10 2000 65
mfeat-morph 10 2000 7
mfeat-pixel 10 2000 241
MNIST 10 70000 784
optdigits 10 5620 65
page-blocks 5 5473 11
pendigits 10 10992 17
segment 7 2310 20
usps 10 9298 257
vowel 11 990 14
yeast 10 1484 9
: \[tab:datasets\]The datasets used in our experiments.
Restricting the sample space of nested dichotomies through multiple subset evaluation is expected to have a greater performance impact on smaller ensembles than larger ones. This is because in a larger ensemble, a poorly performing ensemble member does not have a large impact on the overall performance. On the other hand, in a small ensemble, one poorly performing ensemble member can degrade the ensemble performance significantly. In the extreme case, where a single nested dichotomy is trained, there is no need for ensemble diversity, so a technique for improving the predictive performance of an individual nested dichotomy should be effective. Therefore, we first compare the performance of single nested dichotomies for different values of $\lambda$.
Figure \[fig:cd\_individual\] shows critical difference plots for both subset selection methods. Class balanced selection shows a clear trend that increasing $\lambda$ improves the RMSE, with the average rank for $\lambda=1$ being exactly 4. For random-pair selection, choosing $\lambda=3$ is shown to be statistically equivalent to $\lambda=1$, while higher values of $\lambda$ give superior results on average.
Ensembles of Nested Dichotomies
-------------------------------
Typically, nested dichotomies are utilised in an ensemble setting, so we investigate the predictive performance of ensembles of ten nested dichotomies with multiple subset evaluation, with bagging and AdaBoost employed as the ensemble methods.
### Class Threshold. {#class-threshold. .unnumbered}
[l]{}\
As previously discussed, the number of binary problems is reduced when multiple subset evaluation is applied. This could have negative a effect on ensemble diversity, and therefore potentially reduce predictive performance. To investigate this effect, we built ensembles of nested dichotomies with multiple subset evaluation by introducing a *class threshold*, the number of classes present at a node required to perform multiple subset evaluation, and varying its value from one to seven. We plot the test RMSE, relative to having a class threshold of one, averaged over the datasets from Table \[tab:datasets\], including standard errors, in Figure \[fig:threshold\]. Surprisingly, the RMSE increases monotonically, showing that the potentially reduced ensemble diversity does not have a negative effect on the RMSE for ensembles of this size. Therefore, we use a class threshold of one in our subsequent experiments. However, note that increasing the class threshold has a positive effect on training time, so it may be useful to apply it in practice.
### Number of Subsets. {#number-of-subsets. .unnumbered}
We now investigate the effect of $\lambda$ when using bagging and boosting. Figure \[fig:cd\_bagging\] shows critical difference plots for bagging. Both subset selection methods improve when utilising multiple subset selection. In the case when class-balanced selection is used, as was observed for single nested dichotomies, the average ranks across all datasets closely correspond to the integer values, showing that increasing the number of subsets evaluated consistently improves performance. For random-pair selection, a more constrained subset selection method, each value of $\lambda > 1$ is statistically equivalent and superior to the single subset case.
The critical difference plots in Figure \[fig:cd\_boosting\] (top) show boosted nested dichotomies are significantly improved by increasing the number of subsets sufficiently when class-balanced nested dichotomies are used. Results are less consistent for random-pair selection, with few significant results in either direction. This is reflected in the critical differences plot (Fig. \[fig:cd\_boosting\], bottom), which shows single subset evaluation statistically equivalent to multiple subset selection for all values of $\lambda$, with $\lambda = 7$ performing markedly worse on average. As RMSE is based on probability estimates, this may be in part due to poor probability calibration, which is known to affect boosted ensembles [@niculescu2005predicting] and nested dichotomies [@leathart2018calibration].
\
Conclusion\[sec:conclusion\]
============================
Multiple subset selection in nested dichotomies can improve predictive performance while retaining the particular advantages of the subset selection method employed. We present an analysis of the effect of multiple subset selection on expected RMSE and show empirically in our experiments that adopting our technique can improve predictive performance, at the cost of a constant factor in training time.
The results of our experiments suggest that for class-balanced selection, performance can be consistently improved significantly by utilising multiple subset evaluation. For random-pair selection, $\lambda=3$ yields the best trade-off between predictive performance and training time, but when AdaBoost is used, our experiments show that multiple subset evaluation is not generally beneficial.
Avenues of future research include comparing multiple subset evaluation with base learners other than logistic regression. It is unlikely that training RMSE of the internal models will be a reliable indicator when selecting splits based on more complex models such as decision trees or random forests, so other metrics may be needed. Also, it may be beneficial to choose subsets such that maximum ensemble diversity is achieved, possibly through information theoretic measures such as variation of information [@meilua2003comparing]. Existing meta-heuristic approaches to constructing individual nested dichotomies like genetic algorithms [@lee2003binary; @wever2018ensembles] could also be adapted to optimise ensembles in this way.
Acknowledgements
================
This research was supported by the Marsden Fund Council from Government funding, administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand.
[^1]: Appropriate values for $\alpha$ for a given $\lambda$ can be found in Table 3 of [@harter1961expected].
|
{
"pile_set_name": "ArXiv"
}
|
Q:
What does (a); mean in solidity?
The bittrex contract has the following code.
What does (a); and (val); mean?
contract Token {
function balanceOf(address a) returns (uint) {
(a);
return 0;
}
function transfer(address a, uint val) returns (bool) {
(a);
(val);
return false;
}
}
A:
It doesn't do anything. It just states the variable within brackets, which just evaluates to the value of the variable, but it's assigned to nothing. I compared the gas usage to a version of the contract which has that line commented out and it has identical gas costs to run the function, so it may be ignored by the compiler anyway.
They may have added it to silence compiler warnings about the function parameters not being used.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
Tag: valmont bike park
TUI Discount Codes For Our British Visitors:
With BoulderFest happening this weekend, and dozens of families visiting from the United Kingdom, we wanted to create a guide for activities for them to do in and around Boulder. These activities are all budget-friendly and family-friendly as well. You can also use a long-haul holiday rebate to save money on your trip if you book through TUI.
Cheap Family Fun in Boulder, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado is located just next to the mountains and is not only one of the most beautiful places to visit, but also one of the least expensive when it comes to family activities. While travel costs and hotel rates can quickly add up, family fun doesn’t have to be a dreaded part of your vacation. Whether your kids are toddlers or teenagers, there are a number of free and cheap activities your family can participate in during your visit.
The Pearl Street Mall
Located in downtown Boulder, the Pearl Street Mall has tons of cool things for kids to see and interact with. There are live street performers that the kids will get a kick out of, as well as designated children areas where they can play.
Fiske Planetarium
Kids love outer space. Located at the University of Colorado, the planetarium is full of cool activities for kids. There are shows and events that coincide with major celestial events (like the transit of Mercury). Tickets are priced around $10 per adult and $7 per kid.
The Boulder BookStore
Also located downtown, the Boulder Bookstore is a massive bookstore with areas for kids of all ages to see find new books. There are also play areas for younger kids that parents can take them to let them burn off some energy.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
HMGB1 and RAGE levels in induced sputum correlate with asthma severity and neutrophil percentage.
Previous work indicated that high mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein may be involved in neutrophilic asthma. Here, we sought to investigate the correlation between HMGB1 and one of its receptors, receptor for advanced glycosylation end products (RAGE), with the severity of bronchial asthma. Compared to the control group (30 healthy individuals), patients in the asthma group (n=72) exhibited a higher percentage of neutrophils and higher HMGB1 and RAGE levels in induced sputum samples (P<0.05). Concurrently, FEV(1)% was significantly lower in the asthma group (P<0.05). Further, compared to mild and moderate asthma, in patients with severe asthma ACQ scores, the percentage of neutrophils, and HMGB1 levels were significantly higher, while FEV(1)% was significantly lower (P<0.05). The percentage of neutrophils and HMGB1 and RAGE levels were lower after treatment than before treatment (P<0.05). Finally, negative correlations were observed between HMGB1 or RAGE levels and FEV(1)% (r=-0.777 and r=-0.291, P<0.05), and positive correlations were detected between HMGB1 or RAGE levels and percentage of neutrophils (r=0.803 and r=0.326, P<0.05). Additionally, positive correlations were observed between HMGB1 and RAGE levels within the asthma group (r=0.306, P<0.05). Therefore, HMGB1 protein levels correlate with the severity of asthma, and HMGB1 may contribute to the inflammatory process of asthma.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
The article says men are more interested in staying with one partner than having multiple partners. The title asks a completely different questing.We want one partner who we can have sex with multiple times every day. It's only when she only wants it once a month that we look to supplementing her with another woman who wants it only once a month, and so on and so on.
That article seemed to be an excuse to post a bunch of mildly titillating pictures. See, that man's not interested in sexing that woman--at least not until he finishes reading some love poetry to her. Then he will initiate foreplay for at least an hour, and they will have simultaneous orgasms. That's how a modern man does it.
MarkEC:The article says men are more interested in staying with one partner than having multiple partners. The title asks a completely different questing.We want one partner who we can have sex with multiple times every day. It's only when she only wants it once a month that we look to supplementing her with another woman who wants it only once a month, and so on and so on.
EIP in case of BIE
This. I used to think I had a problem with infidelity, but then I started dating a hot chick who is up for sex (or at least a bj) almost anytime. Now I rarely find myself even glancing at other women.
I'm convinced my fiancee is capable of only thinking about sex. And occasionally food. He is 30 with the sex drive of a 14 year old. I used to consider myself a horn dog until I met him- I can't keep up.
Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom:MarkEC: The article says men are more interested in staying with one partner than having multiple partners. The title asks a completely different questing.We want one partner who we can have sex with multiple times every day. It's only when she only wants it once a month that we look to supplementing her with another woman who wants it only once a month, and so on and so on.
EIP in case of BIE
This. I used to think I had a problem with infidelity, but then I started dating a hot chick who is up for sex (or at least a bj) almost anytime. Now I rarely find myself even glancing at other women.
The saying "keep a man's balls empty and stomach full" is 100% accurate. I don't want for much if I'm having constant sex and being fed. It's just too bad a lot of women don't realize how easy it is to keep us around.
Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom:MarkEC: The article says men are more interested in staying with one partner than having multiple partners. The title asks a completely different questing.We want one partner who we can have sex with multiple times every day. It's only when she only wants it once a month that we look to supplementing her with another woman who wants it only once a month, and so on and so on.
EIP in case of BIE
This. I used to think I had a problem with infidelity, but then I started dating a hot chick who is up for sex (or at least a bj) almost anytime. Now I rarely find myself even glancing at other women.
I find that my wife and I almost always have sex after we've been out and other women pay some attention to me. Especially a certain friend of ours who is kinda touchy-feely.
Um, no shiat Sherlock? It's patently ridiculous to think that in the only species that can have sex and get pregnant at any time of the year we'd have that sort of difference in sex drives. Hell, I can actually get nauseous from being horny if my hormones get pissy enough.
But it isn't ridiculous to think that we train boys to be horny and girls to exercise self-control. That's pretty much how we work with anger, too, and in places without that training, women are exactly as angry as men, and in the same ways.
/See, this is one of those things that makes me annoyed when guys are sexist, because sexism is really a double-edged sword, and since feminists are majority-women, we can't do jack shiat to change when you guys fark yourselves over.//Not to mention, I can't imagine living my life being told I have no self-control. That must be humiliating.
PsiChick:Um, no shiat Sherlock? It's patently ridiculous to think that in the only species that can have sex and get pregnant at any time of the year we'd have that sort of difference in sex drives. Hell, I can actually get nauseous from being horny if my hormones get pissy enough.
But it isn't ridiculous to think that we train boys to be horny and girls to exercise self-control. That's pretty much how we work with anger, too, and in places without that training, women are exactly as angry as men, and in the same ways.
/See, this is one of those things that makes me annoyed when guys are sexist, because sexism is really a double-edged sword, and since feminists are majority-women, we can't do jack shiat to change when you guys fark yourselves over.//Not to mention, I can't imagine living my life being told I have no self-control. That must be humiliating.
If you're a guy, you have to ignore the training you've received from the media your whole life.
Remember theold Calvin and Hobbes comic in which Calvin signed up to play kickball because he was expected to be manly? The punchline was something like, "Then again, if I'm so tough, why am I taking the path of least resistance?"
Being a tough guy involves being lazy with your emotions and weak with your discipline.
PsiChick:Not to mention, I can't imagine living my life being told I have no self-control. That must be humiliating.
Well, consider the opposite; I was raised to be polite to women but I had a libido so off-the-charts you'd have to be crazy to envy it. Brag-fests among guys over who's the meanest sex machine rather baffled me as it was essentially a constant distraction all through my adolescence. I'm like, "You want to be like this? Or worse??" Well, I was raised in a strongly feminist family where men, manliness and maleness are all EVIL, so I learned to control it. It took years, but eventually my libido became something like a pressure cooker with both the safety valve and lid welded shut. As a result, for a good twenty years I was a very angry person for no particular reason until none other than physical age mellowed me out.
Thing is, it turns out young women enjoy being cock-teases. For all their complaining it's a huge ego-booster when they get attention from horndogs. So they had no use for a guy who could maintain composure, even if my hormones were ready to go supernova. When I started dating I basically had to slowly de-program myself into letting my girl know I'm interested.
I think I'm the exception that proves the rule; most guys are perfectly content to be told they have no self-control. Proving otherwise certainly didn't get me very far.
I'm a woman, and I ask myself this question a lot... because I can't really take it for granted that it's true. I notice that men - and no offense, but this site is a great example - really *push* each other to act like they want sex above anything else. It seems like when a man expresses any sentiment toward a woman that's not about wanting to hit that, other men inevitably respond by making jokes that he's gay, or calling him a white knight (meaning - he's still all about hitting that, just thinks he's being clever by going about it differently). The idea that men are supposed to want sex above all else just seems very culturally driven. There may be a biological argument here, but I can't really give it much legitimacy as long as it's generally in men's interests to conform to this ideal.
I mean, have you ever read a thread where some young schoolboy is sexually abused by a female teacher? Together with all the discussion about the teacher's f*ckability, there's always plenty of guys saying they'd have LOVED that. But... is that really true? Are men so mindless? Because I see that "mindless pursuit of sex" stuff used to justify a whole lot of bad behavior. The "boys will be boys" thing... whereas girls, apparently, should know better. Is that true? Because if it is true, I'm at a loss to explain why men have most of the power in the public realm. If so much brainpower is in pursuit of sex, and women are uniquely able to rise above it... wouldn't women be running shiat?
There are lots of *good* men in my life, but I notice they tend to go silent when their less-good counterparts act like assholes about sex and women. I think it's the same reason. Men really seem to shame each other for deviating from this standard. I wonder if it's not so much a biological fact as a social convenience.
dragonchild:PsiChick: Not to mention, I can't imagine living my life being told I have no self-control. That must be humiliating.
Well, consider the opposite; I was raised to be polite to women but I had a libido so off-the-charts you'd have to be crazy to envy it. Brag-fests among guys over who's the meanest sex machine rather baffled me as it was essentially a constant distraction all through my adolescence. I'm like, "You want to be like this? Or worse??" Well, I was raised in a strongly feminist family where men, manliness and maleness are all EVIL, so I learned to control it. It took years, but eventually my libido became something like a pressure cooker with both the safety valve and lid welded shut. As a result, for a good twenty years I was a very angry person for no particular reason until none other than physical age mellowed me out.
Thing is, it turns out young women enjoy being cock-teases. For all their complaining it's a huge ego-booster when they get attention from horndogs. So they had no use for a guy who could maintain composure, even if my hormones were ready to go supernova. When I started dating I basically had to slowly de-program myself into letting my girl know I'm interested.
I think I'm the exception that proves the rule; most guys are perfectly content to be told they have no self-control. Proving otherwise certainly didn't get me very far.
There's a huge difference between being told to not have sex--which women are, so I can sympathize with that so much, even if I never bought it--and being taught normal amounts of self-control. Hating your sexuality is what you're describing, or at least bottling it up completely. Normal self-control is enjoying the strippers, enjoying girls coming on to you, being able to respond in kind, and still being able to hear 'no' or not embarrass yourself in public.
A lot of people claim self-control is no sexuality. That's bullshiat. I'm glad you could get around that. :)
Forgot to add... another big part of why I'm skeptical is because I haven't found this to be true in my own experience. I've dated men, and married one, with a lot of complicated sexual hang-ups. When I get together for girls' nights with friends, we can *all* tell a lot of stories about men we've dated that have been neurotic about sex. But those men certainly don't share this in the public sphere - this is the kind of stuff only their girlfriends tend to know about. Again - I think it's the shaming factor - the harassment from other men.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
i) = i**2 - 3*i + 3. Let q be m(7). Let f(h) = 12 - q + 19 + 14*h. Let v(d) = -3*d. Let a(x) = x. Let j(r) = -10*a(r) - 4*v(r). Determine f(j(l)).
28*l
Let w(f) = 19*f - 22. Let j(g) = -3*g**2 + 628. Determine j(w(a)).
-1083*a**2 + 2508*a - 824
Let i(v) = -37*v + 1. Let c(j) = -10756293*j. Calculate i(c(s)).
397982841*s + 1
Let n(z) = 6342421 - 19*z - 6342421. Let l(y) = -110*y + 1. Calculate n(l(i)).
2090*i - 19
Let j(w) = 2*w**2. Let x(h) = 4235200*h**2 + 7941*h - 15882. Let y(a) = 2667*a**2 + 5*a - 10. Let v(p) = -5*x(p) + 7941*y(p). What is v(j(k))?
10588*k**4
Let f(k) = 30*k**2. Let d(l) be the second derivative of -1 + l + 0*l**3 + 0*l**2 + 1/4*l**4. What is f(d(y))?
270*y**4
Let p(x) = 118*x**2 - 5*x + 10. Let c(a) = 24*a**2 - a + 2. Let w(o) = 5*c(o) - p(o). Let j(n) = -1071*n. Give w(j(d)).
2294082*d**2
Let g(z) = -7*z. Let s be 2 - (-1 - (-3 - -2))/2. Let q(r) = 17*r**2 + 15*r**s - 25*r**2. Calculate g(q(t)).
-49*t**2
Suppose 7*g = 69318 + 18868. Let z(s) = s**2 + g - 12598. Let t(y) = 43*y**2. What is t(z(f))?
43*f**4
Let s(y) be the third derivative of -11*y**4/12 + 86*y**2 - 4. Let f(c) = -80*c**2. Determine f(s(i)).
-38720*i**2
Let b(r) = 10*r. Let m(v) = -1070307*v**2. Calculate b(m(w)).
-10703070*w**2
Let o(l) = -l. Let p(z) be the third derivative of 64*z**2 - z**4 - 13*z**2 + 9*z**4 - 9*z**4. Determine o(p(n)).
24*n
Let z(j) = 457*j**2 - 2*j. Let y(q) = 70*q + 66*q + 51*q - 182*q. Determine y(z(i)).
2285*i**2 - 10*i
Let z(q) be the second derivative of -3*q**4/2 - q**2/2 - 3138*q. Let d(o) = 39*o**2. Calculate z(d(t)).
-27378*t**4 - 1
Let s(i) = 2*i**2 + 309*i. Let t(a) be the first derivative of a**4/24 - 281*a**2/2 - 23. Let n(m) be the second derivative of t(m). Determine s(n(l)).
2*l**2 + 309*l
Let l(w) = 12*w - 2*w - 7*w. Let a(z) = 396*z**2 - 45*z + 45. Let t(h) = -18*h**2 + 2*h - 2. Let o(k) = -2*a(k) - 45*t(k). What is o(l(s))?
162*s**2
Let w(c) = -17*c + 57*c**2 - 12*c - 55*c**2 + 29*c. Let g(n) = -457*n**2. Give g(w(q)).
-1828*q**4
Let k(w) = 65915080*w**2. Let s(j) = 2*j. Calculate s(k(n)).
131830160*n**2
Let y(n) be the first derivative of 75*n**2/2 - 1. Let u(i) be the first derivative of -2*i**3/3 - 12864. What is u(y(o))?
-11250*o**2
Let s(o) = -101*o**2 - o. Let d(w) = 620*w + 2. Calculate d(s(p)).
-62620*p**2 - 620*p + 2
Let o(q) = -4 + 4 - 13506*q + 13519*q. Let z = 7 + -2. Let l(g) = z*g**2 + 0*g**2 - 4*g**2. Give o(l(k)).
13*k**2
Let m(g) = 124*g**2. Let j(h) = h + 3. Let f(r) = 8*r + 18. Suppose -c = 4*c + 10, 4*k - 32 = 4*c. Let i(z) = k*j(z) - f(z). Give i(m(l)).
-248*l**2
Let f(a) = -36199897*a. Let q(t) = 3*t**2. Determine q(f(u)).
3931297628431827*u**2
Let u(c) = 2*c - 7. Let d(t) = -35*t + 140. Let w(z) = d(z) + 20*u(z). Let g(l) = 1100*l. What is w(g(k))?
5500*k
Let l = -59261/6 + 9877. Let s(u) be the second derivative of -9/2*u**2 + 0 - l*u**3 + 8*u. Let p(i) = 2*i**2. What is p(s(f))?
2*f**2 + 36*f + 162
Let i(v) be the third derivative of 1261*v**5/30 + 2*v**2 + 98*v. Let c(x) = x. Calculate c(i(q)).
2522*q**2
Let g(m) = -802378 + 1604836 + 9*m - 802401. Let p(a) = 3*a. Calculate g(p(u)).
27*u + 57
Let z(h) be the third derivative of h**4/12 + 2*h**3 - 2*h**2 + 166. Let b(i) = -2*i - 1. Determine b(z(n)).
-4*n - 25
Let a(r) = -16*r. Suppose 4*k + p + 136 = 4*p, -2*p + 140 = -4*k. Let t = 45 + k. Let b(f) = -t*f**2 + 2*f**2 + 13*f**2 - 8*f**2. Determine a(b(l)).
16*l**2
Let a(p) = 8*p. Let r(w) = -10*w. Let t = 1 - 21. Let q(k) = -3*k. Let g(l) = t*q(l) + 5*r(l). What is a(g(o))?
80*o
Let x(w) = 3*w. Let p(j) be the first derivative of -3*j**5/40 + 19*j**3 + 26. Let m(r) be the third derivative of p(r). Calculate m(x(s)).
-27*s
Let h(a) = 3. Let d(l) = -l + 1. Let f(o) = -3*d(o) + h(o). Let u(r) be the third derivative of 3*r**4/8 - r**3/3 - 9*r**2 + 17*r. Give f(u(v)).
27*v - 6
Let r(q) = -7*q**2 + 16*q**2 - 5*q**2 + 0*q**2 - 6*q**2. Let n(l) = 2140*l**2. What is n(r(d))?
8560*d**4
Let x(w) = 5*w**2. Let g(o) = -4*o - 1. Suppose -4*f - 9*f = 156. Let t(r) = -18*r - 6. Let p(s) = f*g(s) + 2*t(s). What is p(x(v))?
60*v**2
Let y(h) = -29*h. Let g(q) = -880*q**2 - 128. Let r(u) = 135*u**2 + 20. Let t(d) = 5*g(d) + 32*r(d). Calculate t(y(c)).
-67280*c**2
Let m(k) = -246*k - 23. Let a(x) = 551*x. Determine a(m(u)).
-135546*u - 12673
Let y(b) = -14*b**2. Let s(u) be the second derivative of -u**5/15 + 91*u**2/2 + 57*u. Let p(f) be the first derivative of s(f). Determine p(y(a)).
-784*a**4
Let y(m) = -90779*m. Let f(c) = -c - 18. What is f(y(b))?
90779*b - 18
Let f be 4 - -2*(4 + -5). Suppose 0 = -4*h + 10 - f. Let a(j) = 54 - 48*j**h - 54. Let m(t) = -t**2. Determine m(a(d)).
-2304*d**4
Suppose 2*d = -473 + 1313. Let r(q) = 840*q - 421*q - d*q. Let y(k) = -58*k. Give r(y(w)).
58*w
Let p(l) = -367*l - 2 - 96*l + 68*l + 2. Let v(q) = 2*q**2. What is p(v(z))?
-790*z**2
Let h(x) be the second derivative of 7*x**4/12 + 1809*x. Let v(k) be the first derivative of 2 + 0*k**2 + 0*k - 1/3*k**3. What is v(h(n))?
-49*n**4
Suppose -1080 = 3*l - 15*l. Let m = -87 + l. Let p(c) = c - 5*c + m*c - 2*c. Let x(k) = 26*k**2. What is p(x(v))?
-78*v**2
Let l(f) be the first derivative of f**4/12 + 35*f**2 - 2*f - 236. Let m(c) be the second derivative of l(c). Let t(a) = -4*a**2 - 1. Calculate t(m(s)).
-16*s**2 - 1
Let q(c) = -7*c**2 - 30*c - 8. Let d(k) = 43 - 30 - 36 - 85*k - 20*k**2. Let x(t) = 6*d(t) - 17*q(t). Let w(p) = p. Determine x(w(o)).
-o**2 - 2
Let m(u) = -2*u**2 + 69*u - 4. Let q(y) = 15*y**2 - 552*y + 31. Let l(s) = -46*m(s) - 6*q(s). Let d(i) = -2*i. Determine l(d(r)).
8*r**2 - 276*r - 2
Let h(j) = -2*j. Let b = 9810 - -1738. Let o(a) = 14*a**2 - b + 11548. What is h(o(r))?
-28*r**2
Let u(p) = 2*p**3 + 13*p**2 - 8*p + 20. Let r be u(-7). Let b(w) = 839*w - r + 27 - 838*w. Let o(t) = -5 + 30*t + 5. Give b(o(l)).
30*l
Let x(c) be the third derivative of 1 + 36*c**2 + 1/24*c**4 + 0*c + 1/2*c**3. Let y(d) = d. Give y(x(q)).
q + 3
Suppose -5*q + n = 8, 7*q - 3*q = 4*n. Let d(m) = 8*m - 2. Let f(h) = -78*h + 21. Let y(g) = q*f(g) - 21*d(g). Let t(w) = -9*w. What is t(y(j))?
108*j
Let h(c) = -19394*c. Let y(g) = -73*g + 2. Calculate h(y(a)).
1415762*a - 38788
Let l(n) = 898918*n. Let z(y) = -73*y. Calculate l(z(d)).
-65621014*d
Let j be (-2 - -1)*1/(2*5/(-20)). Suppose -p = 2 - 8. Let c(y) = 4*y**j - 2*y**2 - p*y**2. Let a(q) = -q. What is a(c(t))?
4*t**2
Let a(k) = -14*k**2 - 20*k + 17. Let i(o) = 5*o**2 + 7*o - 6. Let g(b) = 6*a(b) + 17*i(b). Let m(r) be the first derivative of -r**3 + 15511. Give m(g(c)).
-3*c**4 + 6*c**3 - 3*c**2
Let f(t) = -223*t + 19. Let j(l) = -47*l + 4. Let k(x) = -4*f(x) + 19*j(x). Let r(p) = -19*p. Let m(i) = -10*i. Let w(y) = -7*m(y) + 4*r(y). Determine w(k(h)).
6*h
Let i(w) = 0 - w + 1 - 1. Let v(q) = -q - 374. Let h(z) = z + 447. Let p(g) = 2*h(g) + 3*v(g). What is p(i(u))?
u - 228
Let z(d) = 11*d**2 - 8*d - 26. Let o be z(-9). Let q(a) = 13 - 931*a - 13 + o*a. Let g(x) = x. What is q(g(n))?
6*n
Let c(m) = -13*m. Let h(a) be the second derivative of 25*a**3/3 - 2*a - 659. What is h(c(u))?
-650*u
Let a(z) = -3*z**2. Let r(s) be the first derivative of -84*s**2 + 1317. Give r(a(u)).
504*u**2
Let i(q) = 271*q**2 - 102*q. Let a(j) = 1142*j**2. What is i(a(z))?
353428444*z**4 - 116484*z**2
Let y(a) = -52*a**2 - 1567. Let q(c) = -15*c**2 - 5. Give y(q(x)).
-11700*x**4 - 7800*x**2 - 2867
Let o(k) = 513*k. Let z(s) be the second derivative of -s**5/60 - 21*s**3/2 + 71*s. Let t(y) be the second derivative of z(y). Determine o(t(d)).
-1026*d
Let c(a) = 1 - 12*a**2 - a - 2*a**2 + 15*a**2. Let h(d) = 4*d**2 + 2*d - 2. Let i(y) = 4*c(y) + 2*h(y). Let s(k) = -2*k**2. Calculate s(i(p)).
-288*p**4
Let p(j) = -315*j + 183. Let k(u) = -2*u - 999. Calculate k(p(o)).
630*o - 1365
Let r(d) = 5*d - 12. Let z(l) = 6*l - 14. Let p = -479 - -485. Let u(n) = p*z(n) - 7*r(n). Let i(m) = -28*m. Determine i(u(q)).
-28*q
Let v(o) = 7*o**2 - 189*o - 63. Let n(h) = 3*h + 1. Let m(z) = -252*n(z) - 4*v(z). Let w(b) = 80*b. Calculate w(m(r)).
-2240*r**2
Let z be 0 + 3/6 - (-822)/4. Let u(c) = -421*c + z*c + 211*c. Let f(b) = -11*b. Calculate u(f(q)).
44*q
Let w(h) = -16*h + 2217484 - 2217484. Let f(l) = -16*l - 1. What is w(f(i))?
256*i + 16
Let q(w) = 3*w. Let m(l) = -2*l - 375427. What is q(m(z))?
-6*z - 11262
|
{
"pile_set_name": "DM Mathematics"
}
|
How to be a Techie Environmentalist
May 2, 2018 / Brett / Comments Off on How to be a Techie Environmentalist
The average person buys a new computer once every 3 years. That same average person buys a new cell phone once every 18 months. This begs the question: How can you be a techie environmentalist in our modern world?
Here at iSupportU, we have been looking closely at this problem for quite a few years. Here are a few ways you can do your part to lower your impact on the world’s fastest-growing residential waste stream and hug some virtual trees:
Get it fixed: Things break. Gravity is quite effective and electronics are delicate. That’s a dangerous combination. People also keep inventing the most sinister viruses. While it’s true that computers continue to become more affordable, in most cases, it is still cost-effective to get your computer serviced. If in doubt, get it fixed.
Keep it up to date: Whether you use an Apple or a Windows-based computer, it’s important to keep your software up to date. These updates often include security patches that will keep your computer healthy. Browser updates allow you to visit the sites that you want to visit. We know that it’s inconvenient, but a virus is even more inconvenient.
Buy for the long haul: While it might be tempting to go for the cheap special to replace your aging computer, think about the future. If you invest in quality technology that will serve you for 2 years longer than a cheap setup, you will save plenty of cash in the long run. In addition to the cost savings, you will also contribute to the e-waste stream less often.
Go for a laptop: Laptops use less power than desktop computers do. They are usually quicker to go into sleep mode and they have lower wattage parts. They’re also easier to lug around than a desktop.
Shut it off: When you are not using your computer, shut if off. Not only will the computer last longer, it’s also good practice to restart your computer anyway. Putting it to sleep is good, but off is better.
We are all environmentalists at iSU, so we tend to encourage our clients to use their technology for as long as possible and make sustainable choices. Every time a computer repair walks through our door, we consult with that client about whether to invest in the repair for that computer or purchase a new one. This decision will depend on a few factors including: the age of the computer, compatibility with applications and what the client will use it for.
Just because you appreciate the power that technology offers does not mean you have to give up your tree-hugging roots. Yes, you can have the best of both worlds.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
An update on the detoxification processes for silica particles and asbestos fibers: successess and limitations.
Inhalation of asbestos fibers and crystalline silica produces a number of diseases including fibrosis and cancer. Investigations into the mechanisms involved in mineral particle-induced toxicity indicated the importance of their surfaces in the pathological consequences. Masking of the surface sites has therefore featured prominently in a number of detoxification processes that have been investigated. The majority of the detoxification processes were, however, conducted to elucidate the involvement of a particular surface site in the toxicity of a specific mineral. Others were investigated with the aim of large industrial applications to be applied during mining, handling, processing, transporting, and disposing of minerals. It can be concluded that, to date, there is no single detoxification process that could be applied universally to all different types of mineral particles. Those that have shown some success could not completely abolish all adverse effects. Further elucidation of mechanisms of particle-induced toxicity may open new possibilities for detoxification processes.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Cain Sings to the Florida Choir on 999 to Fair, Pollsters screwed up!
BIG TIME!
….because to hear them tell the story, one would think Floridians have gotten a bit soft in the head over Federal Income TAX,….. of all things!
Imagine there’s no pizza???…. we could not, if we tried!
Wonders never cease… and I say this, not as a compliment, when I look to polls that Show Romney a point above Cain in Florida?? (red as a tomato) in the polls, which I find suspect! However, for argument’s sake, ..LOL…… lets talk about it! ……hahahaha (BTW that is a record of a subtitle, I am not sure it is even proper but it is for emphasis…my own!)
Obviously I have taken some time off from this blog, trying to figure out what it is that I wanted to do… Many of you quickly figured out that I do, still have and continue to support Palin, and had blogged about her doings on a separate blog. However running two blogs was enough to drive one to drink… ya know kind of like the “two master theory”… one blog always suffered.
Well anyway, I have decided to kick this one in to HIGH GEAR!
When I read the poll it almost made me laugh out loud!!
“Herman Cain sits at the top of the Republican field in a new national poll that finished surveying voters as allegations surfaced that the candidate had engaged in inappropriate behavior toward two women in the 1990s.”
LOL….they had to add that part ya know … to soften the blow … LOL… because when you get into the poll numbers.. OK Cain is ahead at 30%, but then they are shaking down the numbers in certain states because of some non-event 15 years ago??? Then they put the loser-n-chief up against a man with a brain and the loser is winning?? Something terribly dishonest! The only poll BHO sees climbing is his own personal pump up he does in the mirror before facing the American public! Speaking of his losing streak… REPUBLICANS HAVE TOPPED DEMOCRATS…..and now…
72% THINK WE ARE ON THE WRONG TRACK (MORE LIKE 85%)
THE REAL UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES ARE STILL HANGING AT NEAR 20% (9.9 ON THE RECORD)
HE HAS LIED MORE THAN ANY MAN WHO HAS EVER DARKENED THE DOOR OF THE OVAL
COMMITTED ACTS OF TREASON
FOOD, GAS AND GENERAL COMMODITY PRICES HAVE SOARED
AND SOME HOW ….the pollsters want us to CONTINUE to believe them, that we “like” him, BHO, as a person…. no we do not! And no his favorability has NOT gone up!! THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO TRY TO SELL THIS LINE FOR THREE YEARS… and it still is NOT working!
I also GUARAN-DAMN-TEE , IT WOULD TAKE MORE THAN 50 WOMEN….. alleging a lot more than Cain saying good morning with a smile on his face…. to some chick with a stick up …. OK, OK…. well you get where I am going ….to separate us Floridians from Fair tax.
You know why??? Because of all of the people in the USA, Florida is ONE STATE in particular that GETS 999 to FAIR-tax…. Oh yes we surely dooooooooo!
Florida is a Fairtax State
It is a great feeling to not to have state “revenuers” asking you to justify how much income you are going to get to keep for the year of your OWN hard-earned INCOME! That is right, this is a no questions asked , just pay your taxes when you buy something. Well it has kept this state rocking and rolling now for quite some time. Of course we had a spoiler for a while in Charlie Crist who applied a tax to corporations … but we managed to kick his RINO butt out of office, and put someone qualified to run the state in (Rick Scott) and bring jobs back to Florida to stop the federal government from stealing all the land in the interior of the state.
So, I am looking at this poll and I am trying to figure out which of the “Anything for a buck” brothers are supporting Romney… lol… . you remember the anything for a buck brothers don’t you???
Well let me refresh your memory!
“Hi, I’m Larry, this is my brother Darrell and my other brother Darrell.”
Um hum … yea it seems we have those dang deMAOcRats pilfering as they do in republican polling. LOL…OR ya know the pollsters maybe got a billion spiffs from BHO…OR … like maybe Frank Luntz or RCP do not appreciate the choice of the CITIZEN, so they allow Cain to run the tables EXCEPT the national polls against Obama… I mean come on squeeze the balloon on this end, or apply pressure there …. and it pushes the results over there…..kind of like the “progressive view of the economy”. This all the while O’brother is sinking like a stone….and yet they were dumb enough to pick Cain’s Choir to mess with????
Yep, well some of the upper crust so burnt over this they are crumbling publicly. LOL… this is the FAIRTAX state, where the state of affairs is “Fairly Taxed”! Got it???
LOL… dumb and dumber got behind messing with those numbers because well 28 electoral votes are not for nothing….. but it is a FAIRTAX state…. We get it, got it, love it, and got a governor to fully restore it, AND HE KEPT HIS WORD AND DID IT, ya see…..
We know that Florida will be ultra competitive for a share of those SIX MILLION JOBS the Cain plan will bring the USA when our Federal tax aligns with or state system of taxation! Umm humm … yep! I mean you could have maybe gotten away with this in Clintonian Arkansas…OK…well “Little Rock” … but that is about it!
Yea... We keeping the whole pie, and the crust!
Ya see if we are going to overhaul the tax code… WE ARE GOING TO OVERHAUL THE TAX CODE IN ITS ENTIRETY! THE WHOLE SHABANG , with a solo from Cain to boot! The entire state of Florida will sing back up!
It practically took a mathematical troubleshooter to convince the upper crust to take this seriously … but I think they finally are now…
Cause Cain….well he made it so simple to understand a 3rd grader can calculate the benefits… well for most unless you went to the Socialist schools of Obama then not… but any way.
Compare Current TAX System V 999 TO FAIR: Kentucky and Florida
Kentucky still collects income tax at rates between 3-6%. We used 6% for the example. Florida already has the FAIR tax on the state level. Talk about getting the government OUT of YOUR business…. that is what FAIR tax does. IT MAKES THE GOVERNMENT BLIND to your personal and business income and focuses on what you spend rather than “what you have”. 999 is and INTERIM tax plan that MOVES us to FAIRTAX.
I have lived in both Florida and Kentucky… and in Florida I have no forms to fill out, no questions to answer, no justification that I must present for ANY of my income at the state level. My tax dollars go where, when and how I choose in Florida. Governor Scott ensured that the corporate tax was returned to its intended status when he became governor. May God see to it that Rick serves a second term. UNDER A ” HERMAN CAIN PRESIDENCY” STATES LIKE FLORIDA AND TENNESSEE WILL BE IRS FREE, BOTH AT THE STATE AND FEDERAL LEVEL. This is exactly why democrats do not want YOU to do the math, because they will lose the government strong-arm of the IRS. And they know it….They will lose the ability to control. They will become smaller, smarter, and more efficient.Current Federal and State – Based on today’s tax code!
With an increase in net income, YOU decide when, where and how to spend you money. Find the product cheaper?? pay less in taxes. Lets look at some purchases under 999, with the Herman 999 Cain Calculator!
Fair Tax This is the the time! This is the place! SET your self free from the shackles of the strong arm of the IRS. (When we have bean counter determining our healthcare instead of doctors …. well, “we have some abolishing to do” ~ Herman Cain.) We will abolish the 16th Amendment!
NET 40K. (NOW FLORIDIANS WHO MAKE 50K WILL BE FORCED TO JUSTIFY TO THE IRS WHY THEY GET TO KEEP 40k OF THEIR 50K INCOME UNDER PERRY’S FLAT TAX PLAN! ) lol… well it will not be Perry as the nominee for Florida…. lol…
–2400 6% (STATE TAX REDUCED ONLY BY % OF NET LEFT AFTER FEDERAL IS TAKEN )
————
NET 37, 600 ( WOW… excuse me if i desire to keep my own income ) yea I do not think he will cut the mustard in Kentucky either….
OK, WELL THE MATH MAKES IT CLEAR TO ME !!! I WILL STICK WITH 999 TO FAIR!
So, if I live in Kentucky OR Florida “999 to Fairtax” lets me keep more of my own income, period!
Some how these pollsters want us in Florida to believe we will accept an overhauled modification of our current sloppy progressive tax code from the progressive republican candidate of Mitt Romney??? lol NO! not on your life! Like the guy? Yes of course I do…I mean of course he is a likeable fellow ………………..
The upper crust will not know one thing about this, but you come on down Mr Cain, and we will have an all day, 3 day weekend, “BIG TENT SINGING” and raise some serious campaign funds…
V-log and Favorites
By Herman CainJune 18, 2011Writer Ari Berman of the left-wing magazine The Nation wrote last week that if jobs are the issue that decides the election, Barack Obama should be the winner.Huh?OK, it’s The Nation. You weren’t expecting rational analysis, were you? But the piece is worth reading for what it reveals about left-wing thought on how you create jobs. […]
By Herman CainJune 10, 2012If President Obama believed he had a good economic record, he would be presenting that record to the American people as it really is. It tells you a lot that the president is so willing to distort the facts – especially on the matter of his spending.A few weeks ago, a writer named Rex Nutting wrote a column for the Wall Street Jour […]
By Herman CainJune 4, 2012If a pollster calls you at some point during this election season, one of the strangest questions they ask you could be:“Who would you rather have a beer with?”And you didn’t know the president would be inviting you to the White House for a beer, or picking you up after work to take you to Joe’s Bar. Because, of course, he won’t. Bu […]
By Herman CainMay 28, 2012Anyone trying to solve a problem, turn around an organization or lead a nation needs something. They need a plan.Without a plan, you have no roadmap for how you’ll correct things that are wrong. You have no way of measuring whether you’re making progress. You have no method of holding yourself accountable for the results of your act […]
By: Herman CainMay 21, 2012 One of the worst tendencies of Washington politicians is to purportedly “fix” big problems with small solutions. Who can forget members of Congress, announcing at the conclusion of last year’s debt-ceiling showdown that they had agreed to a deal that would reduce the deficit by $1 trillion over 10 years? When you consider that the […]
By Herman CainMay 14, 2012I believe in democracy, and in the wisdom of ordinary people to make good decisions when they have all the information and understand the situation.These are core principles for me, so I found them challenged this past week when voters in France and Greece acted in a way that seemed to clearly demonstrate otherwise. With much of Eur […]
By Herman CainMay 7, 2012 Remember when Democrats, including a certain senator named Barack Obama, used to scream that President George W. Bush was abusing his executive powers?Those were the good old days!Since becoming president, Obama has turned the abuse of executive power into a high art form – especially since Republicans took control of the House of R […]
By Herman CainApril 30, 2012As we move into the general election campaign, with Mitt Romney facing Barack Obama in the presidential race, it’s important not to lose perspective on the very real differences between the two. That starts with the recognition that Obama has made some astonishingly ill-conceived decisions as president, and that Romney would never […]
April 23, 2012By Herman CainIt's tough being the underdog in any fight. But if a group of underdogs get together and work together, they can win. That's the American people up against big government. We the People are fighting the political class.The federal government has become too big, too bureaucratic, and too controlling of our everyday lives, […]
I have to give President Obama this: He is not very good at governing, but he has a rare talent for making it appear that he’s at least talking about solutions to problems, when in fact he is talking about total nonsense that doesn’t solve anything.Granted, it helps that the media who are supposed to be holding your feet to the fire are credulous sycophants […]
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
/* ../netlib/ctgevc.f -- translated by f2c (version 20100827). You must link the resulting object file with libf2c: on Microsoft Windows system, link with libf2c.lib;
on Linux or Unix systems, link with .../path/to/libf2c.a -lm or, if you install libf2c.a in a standard place, with -lf2c -lm -- in that order, at the end of the command line, as in cc *.o -lf2c -lm Source for libf2c is in /netlib/f2c/libf2c.zip, e.g., http://www.netlib.org/f2c/libf2c.zip */
#include "FLA_f2c.h" /* Table of constant values */
static complex c_b1 =
{
0.f,0.f
}
;
static complex c_b2 =
{
1.f,0.f
}
;
static integer c__1 = 1;
/* > \brief \b CTGEVC */
/* =========== DOCUMENTATION =========== */
/* Online html documentation available at */
/* http://www.netlib.org/lapack/explore-html/ */
/* > \htmlonly */
/* > Download CTGEVC + dependencies */
/* > <a href="http://www.netlib.org/cgi-bin/netlibfiles.tgz?format=tgz&filename=/lapack/lapack_routine/ctgevc. f"> */
/* > [TGZ]</a> */
/* > <a href="http://www.netlib.org/cgi-bin/netlibfiles.zip?format=zip&filename=/lapack/lapack_routine/ctgevc. f"> */
/* > [ZIP]</a> */
/* > <a href="http://www.netlib.org/cgi-bin/netlibfiles.txt?format=txt&filename=/lapack/lapack_routine/ctgevc. f"> */
/* > [TXT]</a> */
/* > \endhtmlonly */
/* Definition: */
/* =========== */
/* SUBROUTINE CTGEVC( SIDE, HOWMNY, SELECT, N, S, LDS, P, LDP, VL, */
/* LDVL, VR, LDVR, MM, M, WORK, RWORK, INFO ) */
/* .. Scalar Arguments .. */
/* CHARACTER HOWMNY, SIDE */
/* INTEGER INFO, LDP, LDS, LDVL, LDVR, M, MM, N */
/* .. */
/* .. Array Arguments .. */
/* LOGICAL SELECT( * ) */
/* REAL RWORK( * ) */
/* COMPLEX P( LDP, * ), S( LDS, * ), VL( LDVL, * ), */
/* $ VR( LDVR, * ), WORK( * ) */
/* .. */
/* > \par Purpose: */
/* ============= */
/* > */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > */
/* > CTGEVC computes some or all of the right and/or left eigenvectors of */
/* > a pair of complex matrices (S,P), where S and P are upper triangular. */
/* > Matrix pairs of this type are produced by the generalized Schur */
/* > factorization of a complex matrix pair (A,B): */
/* > */
/* > A = Q*S*Z**H, B = Q*P*Z**H */
/* > */
/* > as computed by CGGHRD + CHGEQZ. */
/* > */
/* > The right eigenvector x and the left eigenvector y of (S,P) */
/* > corresponding to an eigenvalue w are defined by: */
/* > */
/* > S*x = w*P*x, (y**H)*S = w*(y**H)*P, */
/* > */
/* > where y**H denotes the conjugate tranpose of y. */
/* > The eigenvalues are not input to this routine, but are computed */
/* > directly from the diagonal elements of S and P. */
/* > */
/* > This routine returns the matrices X and/or Y of right and left */
/* > eigenvectors of (S,P), or the products Z*X and/or Q*Y, */
/* > where Z and Q are input matrices. */
/* > If Q and Z are the unitary factors from the generalized Schur */
/* > factorization of a matrix pair (A,B), then Z*X and Q*Y */
/* > are the matrices of right and left eigenvectors of (A,B). */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* Arguments: */
/* ========== */
/* > \param[in] SIDE */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > SIDE is CHARACTER*1 */
/* > = 'R': compute right eigenvectors only;
*/
/* > = 'L': compute left eigenvectors only;
*/
/* > = 'B': compute both right and left eigenvectors. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] HOWMNY */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > HOWMNY is CHARACTER*1 */
/* > = 'A': compute all right and/or left eigenvectors;
*/
/* > = 'B': compute all right and/or left eigenvectors, */
/* > backtransformed by the matrices in VR and/or VL;
*/
/* > = 'S': compute selected right and/or left eigenvectors, */
/* > specified by the logical array SELECT. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] SELECT */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > SELECT is LOGICAL array, dimension (N) */
/* > If HOWMNY='S', SELECT specifies the eigenvectors to be */
/* > computed. The eigenvector corresponding to the j-th */
/* > eigenvalue is computed if SELECT(j) = .TRUE.. */
/* > Not referenced if HOWMNY = 'A' or 'B'. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] N */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > N is INTEGER */
/* > The order of the matrices S and P. N >= 0. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] S */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > S is COMPLEX array, dimension (LDS,N) */
/* > The upper triangular matrix S from a generalized Schur */
/* > factorization, as computed by CHGEQZ. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] LDS */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > LDS is INTEGER */
/* > The leading dimension of array S. LDS >= max(1,N). */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] P */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > P is COMPLEX array, dimension (LDP,N) */
/* > The upper triangular matrix P from a generalized Schur */
/* > factorization, as computed by CHGEQZ. P must have real */
/* > diagonal elements. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] LDP */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > LDP is INTEGER */
/* > The leading dimension of array P. LDP >= max(1,N). */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in,out] VL */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > VL is COMPLEX array, dimension (LDVL,MM) */
/* > On entry, if SIDE = 'L' or 'B' and HOWMNY = 'B', VL must */
/* > contain an N-by-N matrix Q (usually the unitary matrix Q */
/* > of left Schur vectors returned by CHGEQZ). */
/* > On exit, if SIDE = 'L' or 'B', VL contains: */
/* > if HOWMNY = 'A', the matrix Y of left eigenvectors of (S,P);
*/
/* > if HOWMNY = 'B', the matrix Q*Y;
*/
/* > if HOWMNY = 'S', the left eigenvectors of (S,P) specified by */
/* > SELECT, stored consecutively in the columns of */
/* > VL, in the same order as their eigenvalues. */
/* > Not referenced if SIDE = 'R'. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] LDVL */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > LDVL is INTEGER */
/* > The leading dimension of array VL. LDVL >= 1, and if */
/* > SIDE = 'L' or 'l' or 'B' or 'b', LDVL >= N. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in,out] VR */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > VR is COMPLEX array, dimension (LDVR,MM) */
/* > On entry, if SIDE = 'R' or 'B' and HOWMNY = 'B', VR must */
/* > contain an N-by-N matrix Q (usually the unitary matrix Z */
/* > of right Schur vectors returned by CHGEQZ). */
/* > On exit, if SIDE = 'R' or 'B', VR contains: */
/* > if HOWMNY = 'A', the matrix X of right eigenvectors of (S,P);
*/
/* > if HOWMNY = 'B', the matrix Z*X;
*/
/* > if HOWMNY = 'S', the right eigenvectors of (S,P) specified by */
/* > SELECT, stored consecutively in the columns of */
/* > VR, in the same order as their eigenvalues. */
/* > Not referenced if SIDE = 'L'. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] LDVR */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > LDVR is INTEGER */
/* > The leading dimension of the array VR. LDVR >= 1, and if */
/* > SIDE = 'R' or 'B', LDVR >= N. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[in] MM */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > MM is INTEGER */
/* > The number of columns in the arrays VL and/or VR. MM >= M. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[out] M */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > M is INTEGER */
/* > The number of columns in the arrays VL and/or VR actually */
/* > used to store the eigenvectors. If HOWMNY = 'A' or 'B', M */
/* > is set to N. Each selected eigenvector occupies one column. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[out] WORK */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > WORK is COMPLEX array, dimension (2*N) */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[out] RWORK */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > RWORK is REAL array, dimension (2*N) */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* > */
/* > \param[out] INFO */
/* > \verbatim */
/* > INFO is INTEGER */
/* > = 0: successful exit. */
/* > < 0: if INFO = -i, the i-th argument had an illegal value. */
/* > \endverbatim */
/* Authors: */
/* ======== */
/* > \author Univ. of Tennessee */
/* > \author Univ. of California Berkeley */
/* > \author Univ. of Colorado Denver */
/* > \author NAG Ltd. */
/* > \date November 2011 */
/* > \ingroup complexGEcomputational */
/* ===================================================================== */
/* Subroutine */
int ctgevc_(char *side, char *howmny, logical *select, integer *n, complex *s, integer *lds, complex *p, integer *ldp, complex *vl, integer *ldvl, complex *vr, integer *ldvr, integer *mm, integer *m, complex *work, real *rwork, integer *info)
{
/* System generated locals */
integer p_dim1, p_offset, s_dim1, s_offset, vl_dim1, vl_offset, vr_dim1, vr_offset, i__1, i__2, i__3, i__4, i__5;
real r__1, r__2, r__3, r__4, r__5, r__6;
complex q__1, q__2, q__3, q__4;
/* Builtin functions */
double r_imag(complex *);
void r_cnjg(complex *, complex *);
/* Local variables */
complex d__;
integer i__, j;
complex ca, cb;
integer je, im, jr;
real big;
logical lsa, lsb;
real ulp;
complex sum;
integer ibeg, ieig, iend;
real dmin__;
integer isrc;
real temp;
complex suma, sumb;
real xmax, scale;
logical ilall;
integer iside;
real sbeta;
extern logical lsame_(char *, char *);
extern /* Subroutine */
int cgemv_(char *, integer *, integer *, complex * , complex *, integer *, complex *, integer *, complex *, complex * , integer *);
real small;
logical compl;
real anorm, bnorm;
logical compr, ilbbad;
real acoefa, bcoefa, acoeff;
complex bcoeff;
logical ilback;
extern /* Subroutine */
int slabad_(real *, real *);
real ascale, bscale;
extern /* Complex */
VOID cladiv_(complex *, complex *, complex *);
extern real slamch_(char *);
complex salpha;
real safmin;
extern /* Subroutine */
int xerbla_(char *, integer *);
real bignum;
logical ilcomp;
integer ihwmny;
/* -- LAPACK computational routine (version 3.4.0) -- */
/* -- LAPACK is a software package provided by Univ. of Tennessee, -- */
/* -- Univ. of California Berkeley, Univ. of Colorado Denver and NAG Ltd..-- */
/* November 2011 */
/* .. Scalar Arguments .. */
/* .. */
/* .. Array Arguments .. */
/* .. */
/* ===================================================================== */
/* .. Parameters .. */
/* .. */
/* .. Local Scalars .. */
/* .. */
/* .. External Functions .. */
/* .. */
/* .. External Subroutines .. */
/* .. */
/* .. Intrinsic Functions .. */
/* .. */
/* .. Statement Functions .. */
/* .. */
/* .. Statement Function definitions .. */
/* .. */
/* .. Executable Statements .. */
/* Decode and Test the input parameters */
/* Parameter adjustments */
--select;
s_dim1 = *lds;
s_offset = 1 + s_dim1;
s -= s_offset;
p_dim1 = *ldp;
p_offset = 1 + p_dim1;
p -= p_offset;
vl_dim1 = *ldvl;
vl_offset = 1 + vl_dim1;
vl -= vl_offset;
vr_dim1 = *ldvr;
vr_offset = 1 + vr_dim1;
vr -= vr_offset;
--work;
--rwork;
/* Function Body */
if (lsame_(howmny, "A"))
{
ihwmny = 1;
ilall = TRUE_;
ilback = FALSE_;
}
else if (lsame_(howmny, "S"))
{
ihwmny = 2;
ilall = FALSE_;
ilback = FALSE_;
}
else if (lsame_(howmny, "B"))
{
ihwmny = 3;
ilall = TRUE_;
ilback = TRUE_;
}
else
{
ihwmny = -1;
}
if (lsame_(side, "R"))
{
iside = 1;
compl = FALSE_;
compr = TRUE_;
}
else if (lsame_(side, "L"))
{
iside = 2;
compl = TRUE_;
compr = FALSE_;
}
else if (lsame_(side, "B"))
{
iside = 3;
compl = TRUE_;
compr = TRUE_;
}
else
{
iside = -1;
}
*info = 0;
if (iside < 0)
{
*info = -1;
}
else if (ihwmny < 0)
{
*info = -2;
}
else if (*n < 0)
{
*info = -4;
}
else if (*lds < max(1,*n))
{
*info = -6;
}
else if (*ldp < max(1,*n))
{
*info = -8;
}
if (*info != 0)
{
i__1 = -(*info);
xerbla_("CTGEVC", &i__1);
return 0;
}
/* Count the number of eigenvectors */
if (! ilall)
{
im = 0;
i__1 = *n;
for (j = 1;
j <= i__1;
++j)
{
if (select[j])
{
++im;
}
/* L10: */
}
}
else
{
im = *n;
}
/* Check diagonal of B */
ilbbad = FALSE_;
i__1 = *n;
for (j = 1;
j <= i__1;
++j)
{
if (r_imag(&p[j + j * p_dim1]) != 0.f)
{
ilbbad = TRUE_;
}
/* L20: */
}
if (ilbbad)
{
*info = -7;
}
else if (compl && *ldvl < *n || *ldvl < 1)
{
*info = -10;
}
else if (compr && *ldvr < *n || *ldvr < 1)
{
*info = -12;
}
else if (*mm < im)
{
*info = -13;
}
if (*info != 0)
{
i__1 = -(*info);
xerbla_("CTGEVC", &i__1);
return 0;
}
/* Quick return if possible */
*m = im;
if (*n == 0)
{
return 0;
}
/* Machine Constants */
safmin = slamch_("Safe minimum");
big = 1.f / safmin;
slabad_(&safmin, &big);
ulp = slamch_("Epsilon") * slamch_("Base");
small = safmin * *n / ulp;
big = 1.f / small;
bignum = 1.f / (safmin * *n);
/* Compute the 1-norm of each column of the strictly upper triangular */
/* part of A and B to check for possible overflow in the triangular */
/* solver. */
i__1 = s_dim1 + 1;
anorm = (r__1 = s[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&s[s_dim1 + 1]), f2c_abs(r__2));
i__1 = p_dim1 + 1;
bnorm = (r__1 = p[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&p[p_dim1 + 1]), f2c_abs(r__2));
rwork[1] = 0.f;
rwork[*n + 1] = 0.f;
i__1 = *n;
for (j = 2;
j <= i__1;
++j)
{
rwork[j] = 0.f;
rwork[*n + j] = 0.f;
i__2 = j - 1;
for (i__ = 1;
i__ <= i__2;
++i__)
{
i__3 = i__ + j * s_dim1;
rwork[j] += (r__1 = s[i__3].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&s[i__ + j * s_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__2));
i__3 = i__ + j * p_dim1;
rwork[*n + j] += (r__1 = p[i__3].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(& p[i__ + j * p_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__2));
/* L30: */
}
/* Computing MAX */
i__2 = j + j * s_dim1;
r__3 = anorm;
r__4 = rwork[j] + ((r__1 = s[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + ( r__2 = r_imag(&s[j + j * s_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__2))); // , expr subst
anorm = max(r__3,r__4);
/* Computing MAX */
i__2 = j + j * p_dim1;
r__3 = bnorm;
r__4 = rwork[*n + j] + ((r__1 = p[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&p[j + j * p_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__2))); // , expr subst
bnorm = max(r__3,r__4);
/* L40: */
}
ascale = 1.f / max(anorm,safmin);
bscale = 1.f / max(bnorm,safmin);
/* Left eigenvectors */
if (compl)
{
ieig = 0;
/* Main loop over eigenvalues */
i__1 = *n;
for (je = 1;
je <= i__1;
++je)
{
if (ilall)
{
ilcomp = TRUE_;
}
else
{
ilcomp = select[je];
}
if (ilcomp)
{
++ieig;
i__2 = je + je * s_dim1;
i__3 = je + je * p_dim1;
if ((r__2 = s[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__2)) + (r__3 = r_imag(&s[je + je * s_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__3)) <= safmin && (r__1 = p[i__3].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) <= safmin)
{
/* Singular matrix pencil -- return unit eigenvector */
i__2 = *n;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__2;
++jr)
{
i__3 = jr + ieig * vl_dim1;
vl[i__3].r = 0.f;
vl[i__3].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* L50: */
}
i__2 = ieig + ieig * vl_dim1;
vl[i__2].r = 1.f;
vl[i__2].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
goto L140;
}
/* Non-singular eigenvalue: */
/* Compute coefficients a and b in */
/* H */
/* y ( a A - b B ) = 0 */
/* Computing MAX */
i__2 = je + je * s_dim1;
i__3 = je + je * p_dim1;
r__4 = ((r__2 = s[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__2)) + (r__3 = r_imag(&s[je + je * s_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__3))) * ascale;
r__5 = (r__1 = p[i__3].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) * bscale;
r__4 = max(r__4,r__5); // ; expr subst
temp = 1.f / max(r__4,safmin);
i__2 = je + je * s_dim1;
q__2.r = temp * s[i__2].r;
q__2.i = temp * s[i__2].i; // , expr subst
q__1.r = ascale * q__2.r;
q__1.i = ascale * q__2.i; // , expr subst
salpha.r = q__1.r;
salpha.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
i__2 = je + je * p_dim1;
sbeta = temp * p[i__2].r * bscale;
acoeff = sbeta * ascale;
q__1.r = bscale * salpha.r;
q__1.i = bscale * salpha.i; // , expr subst
bcoeff.r = q__1.r;
bcoeff.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* Scale to avoid underflow */
lsa = f2c_abs(sbeta) >= safmin && f2c_abs(acoeff) < small;
lsb = (r__1 = salpha.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&salpha), f2c_abs(r__2)) >= safmin && (r__3 = bcoeff.r, f2c_abs(r__3)) + (r__4 = r_imag(&bcoeff), f2c_abs(r__4)) < small;
scale = 1.f;
if (lsa)
{
scale = small / f2c_abs(sbeta) * min(anorm,big);
}
if (lsb)
{
/* Computing MAX */
r__3 = scale;
r__4 = small / ((r__1 = salpha.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&salpha), f2c_abs(r__2))) * min( bnorm,big); // , expr subst
scale = max(r__3,r__4);
}
if (lsa || lsb)
{
/* Computing MIN */
/* Computing MAX */
r__5 = 1.f, r__6 = f2c_abs(acoeff);
r__5 = max(r__5,r__6);
r__6 = (r__1 = bcoeff.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&bcoeff), f2c_abs(r__2)); // ; expr subst
r__3 = scale;
r__4 = 1.f / (safmin * max(r__5,r__6)); // , expr subst
scale = min(r__3,r__4);
if (lsa)
{
acoeff = ascale * (scale * sbeta);
}
else
{
acoeff = scale * acoeff;
}
if (lsb)
{
q__2.r = scale * salpha.r;
q__2.i = scale * salpha.i; // , expr subst
q__1.r = bscale * q__2.r;
q__1.i = bscale * q__2.i; // , expr subst
bcoeff.r = q__1.r;
bcoeff.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
else
{
q__1.r = scale * bcoeff.r;
q__1.i = scale * bcoeff.i; // , expr subst
bcoeff.r = q__1.r;
bcoeff.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
}
acoefa = f2c_abs(acoeff);
bcoefa = (r__1 = bcoeff.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(& bcoeff), f2c_abs(r__2));
xmax = 1.f;
i__2 = *n;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__2;
++jr)
{
i__3 = jr;
work[i__3].r = 0.f;
work[i__3].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* L60: */
}
i__2 = je;
work[i__2].r = 1.f;
work[i__2].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* Computing MAX */
r__1 = ulp * acoefa * anorm;
r__2 = ulp * bcoefa * bnorm;
r__1 = max(r__1,r__2); // ; expr subst
dmin__ = max(r__1,safmin);
/* H */
/* Triangular solve of (a A - b B) y = 0 */
/* H */
/* (rowwise in (a A - b B) , or columnwise in a A - b B) */
i__2 = *n;
for (j = je + 1;
j <= i__2;
++j)
{
/* Compute */
/* j-1 */
/* SUM = sum conjg( a*S(k,j) - b*P(k,j) )*x(k) */
/* k=je */
/* (Scale if necessary) */
temp = 1.f / xmax;
if (acoefa * rwork[j] + bcoefa * rwork[*n + j] > bignum * temp)
{
i__3 = j - 1;
for (jr = je;
jr <= i__3;
++jr)
{
i__4 = jr;
i__5 = jr;
q__1.r = temp * work[i__5].r;
q__1.i = temp * work[i__5].i; // , expr subst
work[i__4].r = q__1.r;
work[i__4].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L70: */
}
xmax = 1.f;
}
suma.r = 0.f;
suma.i = 0.f; // , expr subst
sumb.r = 0.f;
sumb.i = 0.f; // , expr subst
i__3 = j - 1;
for (jr = je;
jr <= i__3;
++jr)
{
r_cnjg(&q__3, &s[jr + j * s_dim1]);
i__4 = jr;
q__2.r = q__3.r * work[i__4].r - q__3.i * work[i__4] .i;
q__2.i = q__3.r * work[i__4].i + q__3.i * work[i__4].r; // , expr subst
q__1.r = suma.r + q__2.r;
q__1.i = suma.i + q__2.i; // , expr subst
suma.r = q__1.r;
suma.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
r_cnjg(&q__3, &p[jr + j * p_dim1]);
i__4 = jr;
q__2.r = q__3.r * work[i__4].r - q__3.i * work[i__4] .i;
q__2.i = q__3.r * work[i__4].i + q__3.i * work[i__4].r; // , expr subst
q__1.r = sumb.r + q__2.r;
q__1.i = sumb.i + q__2.i; // , expr subst
sumb.r = q__1.r;
sumb.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L80: */
}
q__2.r = acoeff * suma.r;
q__2.i = acoeff * suma.i; // , expr subst
r_cnjg(&q__4, &bcoeff);
q__3.r = q__4.r * sumb.r - q__4.i * sumb.i;
q__3.i = q__4.r * sumb.i + q__4.i * sumb.r; // , expr subst
q__1.r = q__2.r - q__3.r;
q__1.i = q__2.i - q__3.i; // , expr subst
sum.r = q__1.r;
sum.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* Form x(j) = - SUM / conjg( a*S(j,j) - b*P(j,j) ) */
/* with scaling and perturbation of the denominator */
i__3 = j + j * s_dim1;
q__3.r = acoeff * s[i__3].r;
q__3.i = acoeff * s[i__3].i; // , expr subst
i__4 = j + j * p_dim1;
q__4.r = bcoeff.r * p[i__4].r - bcoeff.i * p[i__4].i;
q__4.i = bcoeff.r * p[i__4].i + bcoeff.i * p[i__4] .r; // , expr subst
q__2.r = q__3.r - q__4.r;
q__2.i = q__3.i - q__4.i; // , expr subst
r_cnjg(&q__1, &q__2);
d__.r = q__1.r;
d__.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
if ((r__1 = d__.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&d__), f2c_abs( r__2)) <= dmin__)
{
q__1.r = dmin__;
q__1.i = 0.f; // , expr subst
d__.r = q__1.r;
d__.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
if ((r__1 = d__.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&d__), f2c_abs( r__2)) < 1.f)
{
if ((r__1 = sum.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&sum), f2c_abs(r__2)) >= bignum * ((r__3 = d__.r, f2c_abs( r__3)) + (r__4 = r_imag(&d__), f2c_abs(r__4))))
{
temp = 1.f / ((r__1 = sum.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&sum), f2c_abs(r__2)));
i__3 = j - 1;
for (jr = je;
jr <= i__3;
++jr)
{
i__4 = jr;
i__5 = jr;
q__1.r = temp * work[i__5].r;
q__1.i = temp * work[i__5].i; // , expr subst
work[i__4].r = q__1.r;
work[i__4].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L90: */
}
xmax = temp * xmax;
q__1.r = temp * sum.r;
q__1.i = temp * sum.i; // , expr subst
sum.r = q__1.r;
sum.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
}
i__3 = j;
q__2.r = -sum.r;
q__2.i = -sum.i; // , expr subst
cladiv_(&q__1, &q__2, &d__);
work[i__3].r = q__1.r;
work[i__3].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* Computing MAX */
i__3 = j;
r__3 = xmax;
r__4 = (r__1 = work[i__3].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + ( r__2 = r_imag(&work[j]), f2c_abs(r__2)); // , expr subst
xmax = max(r__3,r__4);
/* L100: */
}
/* Back transform eigenvector if HOWMNY='B'. */
if (ilback)
{
i__2 = *n + 1 - je;
cgemv_("N", n, &i__2, &c_b2, &vl[je * vl_dim1 + 1], ldvl, &work[je], &c__1, &c_b1, &work[*n + 1], &c__1);
isrc = 2;
ibeg = 1;
}
else
{
isrc = 1;
ibeg = je;
}
/* Copy and scale eigenvector into column of VL */
xmax = 0.f;
i__2 = *n;
for (jr = ibeg;
jr <= i__2;
++jr)
{
/* Computing MAX */
i__3 = (isrc - 1) * *n + jr;
r__3 = xmax;
r__4 = (r__1 = work[i__3].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + ( r__2 = r_imag(&work[(isrc - 1) * *n + jr]), f2c_abs( r__2)); // , expr subst
xmax = max(r__3,r__4);
/* L110: */
}
if (xmax > safmin)
{
temp = 1.f / xmax;
i__2 = *n;
for (jr = ibeg;
jr <= i__2;
++jr)
{
i__3 = jr + ieig * vl_dim1;
i__4 = (isrc - 1) * *n + jr;
q__1.r = temp * work[i__4].r;
q__1.i = temp * work[ i__4].i; // , expr subst
vl[i__3].r = q__1.r;
vl[i__3].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L120: */
}
}
else
{
ibeg = *n + 1;
}
i__2 = ibeg - 1;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__2;
++jr)
{
i__3 = jr + ieig * vl_dim1;
vl[i__3].r = 0.f;
vl[i__3].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* L130: */
}
}
L140:
;
}
}
/* Right eigenvectors */
if (compr)
{
ieig = im + 1;
/* Main loop over eigenvalues */
for (je = *n;
je >= 1;
--je)
{
if (ilall)
{
ilcomp = TRUE_;
}
else
{
ilcomp = select[je];
}
if (ilcomp)
{
--ieig;
i__1 = je + je * s_dim1;
i__2 = je + je * p_dim1;
if ((r__2 = s[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__2)) + (r__3 = r_imag(&s[je + je * s_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__3)) <= safmin && (r__1 = p[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) <= safmin)
{
/* Singular matrix pencil -- return unit eigenvector */
i__1 = *n;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr + ieig * vr_dim1;
vr[i__2].r = 0.f;
vr[i__2].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* L150: */
}
i__1 = ieig + ieig * vr_dim1;
vr[i__1].r = 1.f;
vr[i__1].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
goto L250;
}
/* Non-singular eigenvalue: */
/* Compute coefficients a and b in */
/* ( a A - b B ) x = 0 */
/* Computing MAX */
i__1 = je + je * s_dim1;
i__2 = je + je * p_dim1;
r__4 = ((r__2 = s[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__2)) + (r__3 = r_imag(&s[je + je * s_dim1]), f2c_abs(r__3))) * ascale;
r__5 = (r__1 = p[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) * bscale;
r__4 = max(r__4,r__5); // ; expr subst
temp = 1.f / max(r__4,safmin);
i__1 = je + je * s_dim1;
q__2.r = temp * s[i__1].r;
q__2.i = temp * s[i__1].i; // , expr subst
q__1.r = ascale * q__2.r;
q__1.i = ascale * q__2.i; // , expr subst
salpha.r = q__1.r;
salpha.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
i__1 = je + je * p_dim1;
sbeta = temp * p[i__1].r * bscale;
acoeff = sbeta * ascale;
q__1.r = bscale * salpha.r;
q__1.i = bscale * salpha.i; // , expr subst
bcoeff.r = q__1.r;
bcoeff.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* Scale to avoid underflow */
lsa = f2c_abs(sbeta) >= safmin && f2c_abs(acoeff) < small;
lsb = (r__1 = salpha.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&salpha), f2c_abs(r__2)) >= safmin && (r__3 = bcoeff.r, f2c_abs(r__3)) + (r__4 = r_imag(&bcoeff), f2c_abs(r__4)) < small;
scale = 1.f;
if (lsa)
{
scale = small / f2c_abs(sbeta) * min(anorm,big);
}
if (lsb)
{
/* Computing MAX */
r__3 = scale;
r__4 = small / ((r__1 = salpha.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&salpha), f2c_abs(r__2))) * min( bnorm,big); // , expr subst
scale = max(r__3,r__4);
}
if (lsa || lsb)
{
/* Computing MIN */
/* Computing MAX */
r__5 = 1.f, r__6 = f2c_abs(acoeff);
r__5 = max(r__5,r__6);
r__6 = (r__1 = bcoeff.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&bcoeff), f2c_abs(r__2)); // ; expr subst
r__3 = scale;
r__4 = 1.f / (safmin * max(r__5,r__6)); // , expr subst
scale = min(r__3,r__4);
if (lsa)
{
acoeff = ascale * (scale * sbeta);
}
else
{
acoeff = scale * acoeff;
}
if (lsb)
{
q__2.r = scale * salpha.r;
q__2.i = scale * salpha.i; // , expr subst
q__1.r = bscale * q__2.r;
q__1.i = bscale * q__2.i; // , expr subst
bcoeff.r = q__1.r;
bcoeff.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
else
{
q__1.r = scale * bcoeff.r;
q__1.i = scale * bcoeff.i; // , expr subst
bcoeff.r = q__1.r;
bcoeff.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
}
acoefa = f2c_abs(acoeff);
bcoefa = (r__1 = bcoeff.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(& bcoeff), f2c_abs(r__2));
xmax = 1.f;
i__1 = *n;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr;
work[i__2].r = 0.f;
work[i__2].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* L160: */
}
i__1 = je;
work[i__1].r = 1.f;
work[i__1].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* Computing MAX */
r__1 = ulp * acoefa * anorm;
r__2 = ulp * bcoefa * bnorm;
r__1 = max(r__1,r__2); // ; expr subst
dmin__ = max(r__1,safmin);
/* Triangular solve of (a A - b B) x = 0 (columnwise) */
/* WORK(1:j-1) contains sums w, */
/* WORK(j+1:JE) contains x */
i__1 = je - 1;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr;
i__3 = jr + je * s_dim1;
q__2.r = acoeff * s[i__3].r;
q__2.i = acoeff * s[i__3].i; // , expr subst
i__4 = jr + je * p_dim1;
q__3.r = bcoeff.r * p[i__4].r - bcoeff.i * p[i__4].i;
q__3.i = bcoeff.r * p[i__4].i + bcoeff.i * p[i__4] .r; // , expr subst
q__1.r = q__2.r - q__3.r;
q__1.i = q__2.i - q__3.i; // , expr subst
work[i__2].r = q__1.r;
work[i__2].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L170: */
}
i__1 = je;
work[i__1].r = 1.f;
work[i__1].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
for (j = je - 1;
j >= 1;
--j)
{
/* Form x(j) := - w(j) / d */
/* with scaling and perturbation of the denominator */
i__1 = j + j * s_dim1;
q__2.r = acoeff * s[i__1].r;
q__2.i = acoeff * s[i__1].i; // , expr subst
i__2 = j + j * p_dim1;
q__3.r = bcoeff.r * p[i__2].r - bcoeff.i * p[i__2].i;
q__3.i = bcoeff.r * p[i__2].i + bcoeff.i * p[i__2] .r; // , expr subst
q__1.r = q__2.r - q__3.r;
q__1.i = q__2.i - q__3.i; // , expr subst
d__.r = q__1.r;
d__.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
if ((r__1 = d__.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&d__), f2c_abs( r__2)) <= dmin__)
{
q__1.r = dmin__;
q__1.i = 0.f; // , expr subst
d__.r = q__1.r;
d__.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
}
if ((r__1 = d__.r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag(&d__), f2c_abs( r__2)) < 1.f)
{
i__1 = j;
if ((r__1 = work[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag( &work[j]), f2c_abs(r__2)) >= bignum * ((r__3 = d__.r, f2c_abs(r__3)) + (r__4 = r_imag(&d__), f2c_abs( r__4))))
{
i__1 = j;
temp = 1.f / ((r__1 = work[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + ( r__2 = r_imag(&work[j]), f2c_abs(r__2)));
i__1 = je;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr;
i__3 = jr;
q__1.r = temp * work[i__3].r;
q__1.i = temp * work[i__3].i; // , expr subst
work[i__2].r = q__1.r;
work[i__2].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L180: */
}
}
}
i__1 = j;
i__2 = j;
q__2.r = -work[i__2].r;
q__2.i = -work[i__2].i; // , expr subst
cladiv_(&q__1, &q__2, &d__);
work[i__1].r = q__1.r;
work[i__1].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
if (j > 1)
{
/* w = w + x(j)*(a S(*,j) - b P(*,j) ) with scaling */
i__1 = j;
if ((r__1 = work[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + (r__2 = r_imag( &work[j]), f2c_abs(r__2)) > 1.f)
{
i__1 = j;
temp = 1.f / ((r__1 = work[i__1].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + ( r__2 = r_imag(&work[j]), f2c_abs(r__2)));
if (acoefa * rwork[j] + bcoefa * rwork[*n + j] >= bignum * temp)
{
i__1 = je;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr;
i__3 = jr;
q__1.r = temp * work[i__3].r;
q__1.i = temp * work[i__3].i; // , expr subst
work[i__2].r = q__1.r;
work[i__2].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L190: */
}
}
}
i__1 = j;
q__1.r = acoeff * work[i__1].r;
q__1.i = acoeff * work[i__1].i; // , expr subst
ca.r = q__1.r;
ca.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
i__1 = j;
q__1.r = bcoeff.r * work[i__1].r - bcoeff.i * work[ i__1].i;
q__1.i = bcoeff.r * work[i__1].i + bcoeff.i * work[i__1].r; // , expr subst
cb.r = q__1.r;
cb.i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
i__1 = j - 1;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr;
i__3 = jr;
i__4 = jr + j * s_dim1;
q__3.r = ca.r * s[i__4].r - ca.i * s[i__4].i;
q__3.i = ca.r * s[i__4].i + ca.i * s[i__4] .r; // , expr subst
q__2.r = work[i__3].r + q__3.r;
q__2.i = work[ i__3].i + q__3.i; // , expr subst
i__5 = jr + j * p_dim1;
q__4.r = cb.r * p[i__5].r - cb.i * p[i__5].i;
q__4.i = cb.r * p[i__5].i + cb.i * p[i__5] .r; // , expr subst
q__1.r = q__2.r - q__4.r;
q__1.i = q__2.i - q__4.i; // , expr subst
work[i__2].r = q__1.r;
work[i__2].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L200: */
}
}
/* L210: */
}
/* Back transform eigenvector if HOWMNY='B'. */
if (ilback)
{
cgemv_("N", n, &je, &c_b2, &vr[vr_offset], ldvr, &work[1], &c__1, &c_b1, &work[*n + 1], &c__1);
isrc = 2;
iend = *n;
}
else
{
isrc = 1;
iend = je;
}
/* Copy and scale eigenvector into column of VR */
xmax = 0.f;
i__1 = iend;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
/* Computing MAX */
i__2 = (isrc - 1) * *n + jr;
r__3 = xmax;
r__4 = (r__1 = work[i__2].r, f2c_abs(r__1)) + ( r__2 = r_imag(&work[(isrc - 1) * *n + jr]), f2c_abs( r__2)); // , expr subst
xmax = max(r__3,r__4);
/* L220: */
}
if (xmax > safmin)
{
temp = 1.f / xmax;
i__1 = iend;
for (jr = 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr + ieig * vr_dim1;
i__3 = (isrc - 1) * *n + jr;
q__1.r = temp * work[i__3].r;
q__1.i = temp * work[ i__3].i; // , expr subst
vr[i__2].r = q__1.r;
vr[i__2].i = q__1.i; // , expr subst
/* L230: */
}
}
else
{
iend = 0;
}
i__1 = *n;
for (jr = iend + 1;
jr <= i__1;
++jr)
{
i__2 = jr + ieig * vr_dim1;
vr[i__2].r = 0.f;
vr[i__2].i = 0.f; // , expr subst
/* L240: */
}
}
L250:
;
}
}
return 0;
/* End of CTGEVC */
}
/* ctgevc_ */
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
(define var "goose")
;; Any reference to var here will be bound to "goose"
(let* ((var1 10)
(var2 (+ var1 12)))
;; But the definition of var1 could not refer to var2
)
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Palins married in 1988
The husband of former US vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has filed for divorce, according to US media.
Papers filed in Anchorage, Alaska, on Friday identified the couple by initials - but birth and wedding dates match those of the Palins.
The paperwork, reportedly filed by Todd Palin, cited an "incompatibility of temperament" as the reason for divorce.
The Palins, both 55, married in 1988 and have five children together.
The documents mention "an incompatibility of temperament between the parties such that they find it impossible to live together as husband and wife".
They include the initials rather than full names of the two parties - SLP for Sarah Louise Palin and TMP for Todd Mitchell Palin - but identify the couple's marriage date and the birth date of their only child who is a minor, Trig Palin.
They are asking for joint custody of the child, according to the papers.
The paperwork was submitted on 6 September, eight days after the couple's 31st wedding anniversary.
Sarah Palin was governor of Alaska from 2006 until she resigned in 2009.
She shot to prominence when she became Republican Senator John McCain's running mate in the 2008 presidential election.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A "cartoonish figure"? Nick Bryant explain Sarah Palin's rise to the top (almost)
She and Mr McCain lost the election to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Since then, she has - along with Mr Palin, a commercial fisherman and oil field worker - appeared in several reality TV shows; she also has a lucrative career as a public speaker and has published two best-selling books.
She championed the grassroots Republican Tea Party movement, and was also a vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign.
During her time as Alaska governor, Mr Palin was dubbed the "First Dude" by supporters.
He has mostly eschewed the media since Mrs Palin's failed vice-presidential bid.
In 2016, Mr Palin was severely injured in a snowmobile accident.
The couple's children have also made headlines.
Last year, eldest son Track Palin was sentenced to a year in custody after he refused to let a female friend leave his home in Wasilla, and took away her phone and hit her in the head.
In 2017, Track was accused of breaking into his parents' home and leaving his father bleeding from cuts to the head. He later pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in a military veterans court.
Daughter Bristol Palin briefly starred in MTV's Teen Mom programme after giving birth to her son at the age of 17.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
|
p53 accumulation in polynuclear-giant-cells.
Accumulation of p53 has been reported in nearly all malignant human tumours. Macrophage derived giant cells of sarcoid granulomas in human lung tissue also show intense staining for p53 while normal alveolar macrophages remain unstained. Since sarcoid giant cells are not considered to be either pre-neoplastic nor to exhibit p53 gene mutations, two different physiological functions of p53 may be illustrated. Alveolar macrophages were isolated from rat lungs and cultured in vitro. Accumulation of p53 was observed by indirect immunohistochemistry after application of polyclonal rabbit serum directed against murine p53 (CM5). Antiproliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) antibodies were used to study DNA synthesis. Most of the multinucleated giant cells derived from macrophages accumulated p53 in the cytoplasm, while only few nuclei were stained. PCNA was found in most giant cells nuclei. However, PCNA positivity was visible in few mononucleated macrophages. Isolated alveolar macrophages in vitro clearly divide and since nuclear division is a late event in the cell cycle, p53 may be involved in G1/S-control and in other cell-cycle-checkpoints between mitosis and cytokinesis.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
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