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Muscle fat infiltration is recognized as a hallmark pathological feature in dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC)[^3^](#FN4){ref-type="fn"}-related muscular dystrophies ([@B1]) that include dystrophinopathies ([@B2], [@B3]) and sarcoglycanopathies (LGMD2C-F) ([@B4]). In agreement, magnetic resonance imaging measurements of fat infiltration allow accurate assessments of disease severity in Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients ([@B3]). Association of adipose tissue development with degenerative/regenerative or atrophic changes in skeletal muscle is also supported by the finding that adipogenesis-competent cells within the skeletal muscle are activated during muscle regeneration ([@B5]). However, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying muscle fatty metamorphosis remain unclear.
Ectopic fat deposition in skeletal muscles is primarily described in animals and humans with lipodystrophy and sarcopenia. In these conditions, the accumulation of lipids and adipocytes in skeletal muscle is often accompanied by hyperglycemia and insulin resistance ([@B6][@B7][@B8][@B9][@B10]--[@B11]), both of which are strong indicators of muscle metabolic defects ([@B12], [@B13]) and deregulated adipogenesis ([@B14]). Furthermore, both adipose-derived and muscle-derived stem cells differentiate into adipocytes upon exposure to high levels of glucose ([@B15]), linking impaired muscle metabolism with muscle fat deposition.
It is long held that the biogenesis of a basement membrane takes place in the earliest steps of adipogenesis and that extensive extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling occurs throughout adipogenesis ([@B16], [@B17]). The concept that cell surface receptors play a role in the regulation of adipogenesis and thus may underlie metabolic disorders just recently emerged with a study of the integrin complexes ([@B18]). Given that the DGC in its capacity as an ECM receptor is critical for muscle integrity ([@B19], [@B20]) and that white adipocytes and skeletal muscle cells originate from the same mesenchymal precursor cells ([@B21], [@B22]), we set out to determine whether components of the skeletal muscle DGC are expressed in white adipocytes. Herein, we describe a unique adipose sarcoglycan (SG) complex that includes β-, δ-, and ϵ-SG. This complex is tightly associated with sarcospan (Sspn) and dystroglycan (DG). Moreover, we show that DG functions as a novel ECM receptor in white adipocytes. Because adipose tissue and skeletal muscle play critical roles in the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis and whole body insulin sensitivity ([@B23]), we examined the metabolic consequences of the SG complex disruption in both adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. Using *in vivo* approaches, we observed that the β-SG null mouse ([@B24]), a mouse model of muscular dystrophy, is glucose-intolerant and exhibits whole body insulin resistance specifically due to impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.
EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
=======================
###
#### Animals
Animal care and procedures were approved and performed in accordance with the standards set forth by the National Institutes of Health and the Animal Care Use and Review Committee at the University of Iowa.
#### Biochemical Analysis
White adipocytes were isolated from wild-type gonadal white adipose tissue ([@B25]). Total RNA extraction using RNA-STAT60^TM^ (IsoTex Diagnostics Inc., Friendswood, TX) and preparation of total membrane extracts ([@B26]) were performed from isolated adipocytes. Sucrose gradient purification of the DGC components ([@B27]) was performed from isolated adipocytes and whole WT gonadal adipose tissue.
#### Physiological Analysis
Glucose tolerance tests (GTTs) were performed on 16-h fasted male mice following intraperitoneal injection of [d]{.smallcaps}-glucose (1 g/kg). Blood glucose was measured from tail vein using OneTouch Ultra test strips (LifeScan). Several measurements were done at each time point to ensure reproducibility, and the lowest value was used. Fasting insulin was quantified in serum using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Millipore Corp.). Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic (EU) clamps were conducted on male mice according to the slightly modified protocol ([@B28]). Basal rates of whole body glucose clearance were assessed using a continuous infusion of \[^3^H\]glucose for 2 h prior to the start of the clamp. Insulin was infused continuously at 4 milliunits/kg/min. Forty-five min before the end of the clamp, 2-deoxy-[d]{.smallcaps}-\[1-^14^C\]glucose was administrated as a bolus (10 μCi) to estimate insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in individual tissues.
#### Statistics
GTT data were analyzed with two-way repeated measures analysis of variance, and all pairwise multiple comparison procedures were done with the Bonferroni *t* test. Other data were analyzed with Student\'s unpaired *t* test.
RESULTS
=======
To determine whether known components of the DGC are expressed in white adipose tissue while ensuring that our results would not reflect contamination from other tissues, we chose freshly isolated white adipocytes as starting material. RT-PCR data revealed the presence of β-, δ-, and ϵ-SG, Sspn and DG transcripts in adipocytes ([Fig. 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}*A* and [supplemental Table 1s](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)). The identity of these transcripts was confirmed by BLAST analysis. In contrast to skeletal muscle, there was a conspicuous absence of α-SG and γ-SG transcript. The detection of a transcript correlated with the detection of the corresponding protein ([Fig. 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}*B*). Results were confirmed by immunofluorescence analysis of adipose tissue sections ([Fig. 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}*C* and data not shown). Of the known DGC proteins, DG is the focus of most research interest due to its widespread expression, association with the basal lamina, and the complex and heterogeneous tissue-specific *O*-glycosylation of its extracellular α-subunit. Post-translational modification of α-DG is critical for its interaction with a broad range of ECM proteins, and loss of this interaction is a common factor in the biogenesis of complex diseases ([@B19]). To better characterize the binding properties of α-DG in adipose tissue, we chose to make use of a well characterized mouse model, the myodystrophy mice (Large^myd^ or myd) ([@B29]). These mice have a spontaneous loss-of-function mutation in *Large*, which encodes a putative glycosyltransferase involved in α-DG *O*-glycosylation, leading to brain and skeletal muscle α-DG hypoglycosylation and pathology ([@B30]). We found adipocyte α-DG reactivity using antibodies directed against either the α-DG core (sheep5) or its sugar moieties (IIIH11), albeit at a lower relative molecular mass (120 kDa) than that in skeletal muscle ([supplemental Fig. 1s, *A* and *B*, *lanes 1* and *3*](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)). The absence of *Large* led to a loss of α-DG glycosylated epitope, with preservation of the α-DG protein core in adipocytes ([supplemental Fig. 1s, *A* and *B*, *lanes 2* and *4*](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)). Agrin and laminin-1 overlay experiments conclusively demonstrated that the adipose-specific glycosylation was sufficient for α-DG to function as an ECM ligand receptor ([supplemental Fig. 1s, *C* and *D*, *lanes 1* and *3*](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)). As expected and consistent with the observations made in myd brain and skeletal muscle, laminin and agrin binding to α-DG were abolished in absence of *Large* ([supplemental Fig. 1s, *C* and *D*, *lanes 2* and *4*](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)), with the level of expression of the SGs and Sspn being preserved (data not shown). These data demonstrate that Large-mediated post-translational processing of α-DG takes place in white adipocytes. In support of this conclusion, expression of *Large* and other α-DG post-translational processing enzymes, *i.e. Pomt1*, *Pomt2*, *PomGnt1*, and *Fukutin*, was observed in adipocytes by RT-PCR ([supplemental Fig. 2s](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)), confirming a previous gene profiling study performed in white adipocytes ([@B31]).
{#F1}
To test whether the DGC components expressed in the white adipocytes associate in a fashion similar to that described for skeletal muscle ([@B19], [@B20]), we analyzed their co-fractionation on sucrose gradient ([supplemental Fig. 3s*A*](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)). We found that Sspn migrated in the denser gradient fractions, along with the β-, δ-, and ϵ-SG and β-DG. The tight association of these proteins upon solubilization indicates that these proteins are integral components of a multisubunit complex that via DG can function as a novel ECM receptor in the white adipocytes. Control experiments in differentiated 3T3-L1 cells supported this conclusion as well (data not shown).
To determine whether the adipose SG complex functions as a single unit, we tested whether the loss of a single component will influence the expression of the others and impair α-DG function. We took advantage of existing mouse models of muscular dystrophy, each with a systemic genetic ablation of one skeletal DGC component ([@B32]). [Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}*A* shows the composition of the SG complex and its associated Sspn and DG in mdx and mdx3cv mice, utrophin (utrn), β-SG, δ-SG, and α-SG null mice. As expected, loss of either full-length dystrophin (dys) or α-SG, whose expression are restricted to skeletal muscle, had no consequence on the expression of the SGs, Sspn, and DG at the adipocyte membrane nor on the ability of α-DG to bind laminin. The loss of all dys isoforms in mdx3cv mice or of utrn in the utrn null mice was accompanied by modest decreased expression of all the proteins tested and a reduced laminin binding to α-DG. Therefore, although one cannot rule out that a short dys isoform and utrophin could be expressed in the adipocytes, their expression does not appear to be critical for proper SG complex expression at the adipocyte plasma membrane. However, loss of either β-SG or δ-SG led to a complete loss of the other SGs as well as Sspn. Moreover, only residual expression of the glycosylated form of α-DG could be detected, which correlated with weak residual laminin binding. Altogether, our data suggest that the adipose SG complex should be considered as a single unit that relies on all its individual components for full functionality.
{#F2}
Because both skeletal muscle and adipose tissue play important roles in glucose homeostasis, we took advantage of the β-SG null mice due to the concomitant loss of expression of the entire adipose and skeletal SG complexes. Upon dissection, we observed that the β-SG null mice had virtually no subcutaneous adipose tissue (data not shown). Furthermore, [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"} demonstrates that the β-SG null had a significant decrease of their visceral white adipose tissue mass (epididymal and retroperitoneal fat expressed as a percentage of total body mass) as compared with age-matched WT mice. Histological analysis of the white adipose tissue revealed conspicuous changes such as those that characterize lipodystrophy ([supplemental Fig. 4s](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)). Specifically, unilocular cells were heterogeneous in size and shape; numerous small multilocular cells were present, and large blood vessels and fibrous strands coursed throughout the adipose tissue.
######
**Organ weights expressed as a percentage of total weight**
Organs were carefully dissected and weighed. Results are expressed as mean (S.E.). All experiments were performed in double-blind fashion. IBAT, intrascapular brown adipose tissue. \*, *p* \< 0.001.
Organ WT (*n* = 15) β-SG null mice (*n* = 11)
--------------------- --------------- ---------------------------
Quadriceps muscle 1.54 (0.02) 1.79 (0.06)\*
Calf muscle 1.09 (0.03) 1.43 (0.03)\*
Cardiac muscle 0.56 (0.01) 0.57 (0.03)
Kidney 1.24 (0.02) 1.22 (0.03)
Liver 4.14 (0.09) 5.92 (0.11)\*
Epididymal fat 1.57 (0.07) 1.01 (0.06)\*
Retroperitoneal fat 0.39 (0.02) 0.22 (0.03)\*
Lungs 0.56 (0.02) 0.66 (0.05)
Spleen 0.27 (0.01) 0.39 (0.04)
Pancreas 0.53 (0.02) 0.56 (0.04)
IBAT 0.22 (0.02) 0.27 (0.02)
Testis 0.69 (0.02) 0.67 (0.03)
Functionally, β-SG null mice were glucose-intolerant ([Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}*B*) and had a trend to have higher fasting insulin levels than their WT counterparts (data not shown), suggesting an alteration of their whole body insulin sensitivity. To address this last question, we performed conscious EU clamps coupled with \[^3^H\]glucose infusion in β-SG null and WT mice ([Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}, *C--E*). EU clamps indicated that the glucose clearance was significantly diminished in the β-SG null mice as compared with the WT controls (22% decrease with *p* = 0.029, data not shown), confirming the glucose tolerance test data. The whole body glucose infusion rate was 30% lower (*p* = 0.03) in the β-SG null mice than in the controls ([Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}*C*), demonstrating that the null animals were insulin-resistant. Interestingly, insulin resistance was accompanied by decreased insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle only (35% decrease in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle of β-SG null mice as compared with that of WT age-matched controls, *p* = 0.016) ([Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}*D*). Insulin sensitivity remained normal in both white adipose tissue ([Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}*D*) and liver ([Fig. 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}*E*).
DISCUSSION
==========
We have demonstrated here that white adipocytes express at their plasma membrane an SG complex unique to this cell type. It includes β-, δ-, and ϵ-SG but lacks α- and γ-SG as determined by RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Both β-SG and δ-SG proteins can seed the formation of the SG complexes (α-βδγ and ϵ-βδγ) found in skeletal and smooth muscle, respectively ([@B33], [@B34]), and a recent model proposed that γ-SG links the β/δ-SG precomplex to α-SG in skeletal muscle ([@B35]). As ζ-SG, the latest SG identified is the closest γ-SG homolog ([@B36]), it is possible that ζ-SG functionally replaces γ-SG in white adipocytes. We also showed that Sspn co-purifies with the above SG complex and that its expression is gone in the adipose tissue of SG-null mice. It was previously suggested that the assembly of a complete SG complex was a prerequisite for proper expression of Sspn at the sarcolemma ([@B37]). Likewise, our data suggest that expression of Sspn at the adipocyte membrane is dependent on proper SG complex expression.
The role played by the ECM receptors ([@B18]) and the importance of the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in adipose tissue are just emerging concepts ([@B38][@B39]--[@B40]). Here, we found that decreased expression of DG and a loss of extracellular ligand binding to α-DG were associated with a loss of SG complex expression in white adipocytes. This suggests that the SG complex is necessary for functional DG expression as an ECM receptor at the adipocyte plasma membrane. The physiological characterization of β-SG null mice suggests that these mice, primarily known as a genetic model of muscular dystrophy ([@B24], [@B32]), could also be a new genetic model of lipodystrophy ([@B9]). It is well established that adipose tissue serves as a crucial integrator of glucose homeostasis ([@B12], [@B28]) and that alterations of its physiology can have a wide range of metabolic consequences ([@B41], [@B42]). Thus, it is tempting to speculate that the alteration of the adipose SG complex could represent a new molecular mechanism underlying phenotypes of altered adiposity, abnormal fat distribution, and metabolic disorders, likely via an alteration of the cell-cell and/or cell-matrix interactions in adipose tissue. However, since the global ablation of β-SG affects both skeletal muscle and adipocytes, future studies using tissue-specific knock-out animals will be necessary to specifically resolve the tissue-specific roles of the SG complex in glucose metabolism.
Nevertheless, these findings raise novel questions that have important implications for clinical studies of muscular dystrophy. DGC-related muscular dystrophies are often accompanied by progressive muscle fat replacement ([@B2][@B3]--[@B4]), and the ECM imparts specific characteristics to each tissue. Thus, we speculate that the SG complex, along with Sspn and DG, plays a role in regulating the adipogenesis/myogenesis cell fate decisions potentially involved in the mechanism of muscle fat replacement. Furthermore, muscular dystrophies are complex diseases likely to involve more than the skeletal muscles ([@B19]). However, the efficiency of the therapeutic strategies are so far solely based on the recovery of the skeletal DGC and/or muscle strength ([@B43], [@B44]). Our data indicate that a cell-specific SG complex is expressed in the white adipocytes. Furthermore, we for the first time bring evidence of metabolic defects in the skeletal muscles and whole body of the β-SG null mice. We speculate that the severity of the metabolic symptoms is likely to depend on whether the skeletal SG complex alone (*i.e.* in α-SG null mice) or both adipose and skeletal SG complexes (*i.e.* in β-SG null mice) are disrupted and on the relative functional contribution of the primary missing protein. Although the association of metabolic defects with the progression of muscular dystrophy is not documented yet in patients, it is possible that the recovery of skeletal muscle function in treated patients might uncover new health problems due to defective SG complexes in non-muscle tissues, such as adipose tissue.
Supplementary Material
======================
###### Supplemental Data
This work was supported, in whole or in part, by National Institutes of Health Grant R01 AR051199-01 through the NIAMS. This work was also supported by a Paul D. Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Cooperative Research Center grant and by a grant from the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
The on-line version of this article (available at <http://www.jbc.org>) contains [supplemental "Experimental Procedures](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1)," [supplemental Table 1](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1), and [supplemental Figs. 1s--4s](http://www.jbc.org/cgi/content/full/C109.010728/DC1).
The abbreviations used are: DGdystroglycanDGCdystrophin glycoprotein complexSGsarcoglycanSspnsarcospanRTreverse transcriptaseECMextracellular matrixWTwild typeGTTglucose tolerance testEUeuglycemic-hyperinsulinemicutrnutrophindysdystrophin.
We thank Sarah Anderson and Keith Garringer for maintaining the mouse colonies, Sally J. Prouty for technical assistance, and Campbell laboratory members for the critical reading of the manuscript. We also acknowledge The University of Iowa DNA Facility, which is supported in part by the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center (HCCC), as well as the University of Iowa Hybridoma Facility.
[^1]: An American Heart Association Postdoctoral Fellow (0120483Z).
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"pile_set_name": "PubMed Central"
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Proteomic analysis of excretory secretory products from Clonorchis sinensis adult worms: molecular characterization and serological reactivity of a excretory-secretory antigen-fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase.
Clonorchis sinensis is a food-borne zoonotic parasite that resides in bile ducts and causes clonorchiasis, which may result in cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, hepatic fibrosis, and liver tumors. Although total excretory secretory products (ESP) of C. sinensis adults induce hepatic fibrosis in vivo in rats, the causative mechanism is not well understood. To study components of the ESP, C. sinensis culture medium was collected and analyzed using shotgun LC-MS/MS. We identified a total of 110 proteins, including glycometabolic enzymes (such as fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPase) and enolase), detoxification enzymes (such as glutamate dehydrogenase, dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase and cathepsin B endopeptidase), and a number of RAB family proteins. To identify a potential causative agent for hepatic fibrosis, we expressed and purified a recombinant FBPase, a 1,041-bp gene product that encodes a 41.7-kDa protein with prototypical FBPase domains and that can form a tetramer with a molecular mass of 166.8 kDa. In addition, we found that FBPase is an antigen present in the ESP and in circulation. Immunofluorescence showed that FBPase localizes to the intestinal cecum and vitellarium in C. sinensis adults. Our results describe the components of the excretory secretory products from C. sinensis adult worms and suggest that FBPase may be an important antigen present in the ESP of C. sinensis and may lay the foundation for additional studies on the development of clonorchiasis-associated hepatic fibrosis.
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/*
* Translated default messages for the jQuery validation plugin.
* Locale: SI (Slovenian)
*/
jQuery.extend(jQuery.validator.messages, {
required: "To polje je obvezno.",
remote: "Vpis v tem polju ni v pravi obliki.",
email: "Prosimo, vnesite pravi email naslov.",
url: "Prosimo, vnesite pravi URL.",
date: "Prosimo, vnesite pravi datum.",
dateISO: "Prosimo, vnesite pravi datum (ISO).",
number: "Prosimo, vnesite pravo številko.",
digits: "Prosimo, vnesite samo številke.",
creditcard: "Prosimo, vnesite pravo številko kreditne kartice.",
equalTo: "Prosimo, ponovno vnesite enako vsebino.",
accept: "Prosimo, vnesite vsebino z pravo končnico.",
maxlength: $.validator.format("Prosimo, da ne vnašate več kot {0} znakov."),
minlength: $.validator.format("Prosimo, vnesite vsaj {0} znakov."),
rangelength: $.validator.format("Prosimo, vnesite od {0} do {1} znakov."),
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max: $.validator.format("Prosimo, vnesite vrednost manjšo ali enako {0}."),
min: $.validator.format("Prosimo, vnesite vrednost večjo ali enako {0}.")
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"pile_set_name": "Github"
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The Libertyville Lions Club meets the first and third Wednesday of each month at the Libertyville Civic Center. Our meetings start at 7:00 p.m. To obtain more information and to schedule a visit please contact: Lion Geary Hedrick, President at 847-336-8747 or 847-489-3659; email adress: eagleone5@comcast.net
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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Assessment of liver iron content in 271 patients: a reevaluation of direct and indirect methods.
Two direct methods for hepatic iron assessment (liver iron concentration and stainable liver iron--judged by a new histologic grading) and three indirect methods (serum iron and transferrin saturation, deferoxamine-chelation test, and ferritinemia) were reevaluated in 271 patients. These patients consisted of: 103 with idiopathic hemochromatosis, 39 with alcoholic cirrhosis, 54 with noncirrhotic alcoholic liver diseases, 13 with nonalcoholic liver diseases, and 62 with miscellaneous disorders. The results indicate that: (a) liver iron concentration, well correlated with mobilized excess iron (r = 0.88; p < 0.01), is the method of reference and validates the proposed histologic grading; (b) serum ferritin, which is in good correlation with liver iron concentration (r = 0.80; p < 0.01), is a valuable indirect method for hepatic iron evaluation; (c) regarding the other indirect methods a "boundary zone" may be delimited, thus corresponding to liver iron concentration values of 10.7 mumol/100 mg dry liver weight, beyond which values of serum iron less than 28.6 micrometer or transferrin saturation less than 45% or chelatable iron less than 45 mumol/24 h are rare; and (d) using the various indirect methods, there is a marked risk in idiopathic hemochromatosis to underestimate and in alcoholic liver diseases to overestimate hepatic iron content.
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"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
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Hello folks, this attachment is about RX-DK-DIY351026_close-off-clip_s4x3 (charming How To Install Curtain Rails #2). It is a image/jpeg and the resolution of this image is 1242 x 932. This attachment's file size is only 89 KB. Wether You desired to download It to Your laptop, you may Click here. You also also download more photos by clicking the following image or read more at this post: How To Install Curtain Rails.
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On a late spring trip to Crex Meadows we encountered more turtles than we saw on all of our previous trips put together.
The Blanding’s Turtle is on the endangered species list but seem to be doing well at Crex Meadows. Late in the evening we had to drive with great care because there were so many of them in the road laying eggs. The next morning when we drove the same road they were all gone.
The Snapping Turtles were also out in the roads laying eggs. Needless to say this is one turtle that I didn’t help across the road. I took this photo with my birding lens so I wasn’t all that close to him.
There were also a lot of Painted Turtles out in the water sunning themselves.
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[Essence and significance of surgery. Part I -- Birth of surgery: determining factors and contexts].
The author intends to particularly analyse the origin of Surgery as regards its deterministic factors and contexts, resounding the essence and the meaning of Surgery itself. The primary core of the surgical practice dates back to Prehistoric Times, when, driven by his self-preservation instinct, the cave man, when suffering from some trauma, performed on himself a series of more or less immediate "actions" in order to remain healthy. At the same time, a second meaningful nucleus of the surgical experience rises contiguously to the operations the Prehistoric Man performed on another member of his clan. The third stage of this ongoing process, coincident with the origin of surgery in the strict sense of the word, goes back to the tribal context: in fact, in this social organisation only one member of the group was specifically assigned to treat diseases, based on group regulations. For the mediterranean area, the chronological development of this evolution is likely to have started 250,000 years ago in connection with the experience initially of Neanderthal Man and subsequently Cro-Magnon Man in Pleistocene and Holocene of the Quarternary Era respectively, and it could have finished at the beginning of the Neolithic, when the "ancient civilization" of the Mediterranean Basin arose in approximately 10,000 B.C.
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Use the Graphics Rule Maker [citation needed] Use the Graphics Rule Maker Download and install the Graphics Rules Maker. Open the program and select The Sims 2 in the game dropdown menu. If it doesn't automatically find the game, browse to the latest installed expansion/stuff pack. Modify the settings under Game Tweaks to apply the desired fixes. Press Save Files... and click Yes in the window that appears. If despite using the tool the game cannot run above 800x600 resolution, or the game is locked to 4:3 aspect ratio, see 800x600 resolution fix. If using the Sim Shadow Fix manual method, the Enable Sim Shadows fix on Graphics Rule Maker will not work.
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In general, a cutting tool for the rotary chip removing machining of a work piece, for example a work piece of titanium, steel, aluminium, castings, or of any other material, comprises a tool body provided with one or a plurality of cutting edges or cutting inserts each having at least one cutting edge. Each cutting insert is generally mounted in a seat, or a pocket, provided in the tool body. The tool body defines a center axis, or rotation axis, and is in general connectable to a holder or a rotatable spindle. When drilling, the tool body is in general rotated by rotation of the spindle or the holder, which holds the tool body, while the work piece is stationary. When milling, the tool body is in general rotated by rotation of the spindle or the holder, while the work piece is stationary or is fed in a direction of feed. When performing profile or contour milling, the tool body may, for example, be rotated in a direction of rotation about its rotation axis while the work piece is fed in relation to the tool body in a direction of feed. When turning, and also for some milling, in general, the work piece is rotated with the tool body is stationary and held by a holder. Often, a shim is provided between the cutting insert and the seat surface of the seat in order to protect the tool body if the stress on the cutting insert becomes too great. A shim is easily changed and a change of the entire tool body is thus avoided.
In prior art, different monitoring systems are suggested to monitor the rotary chip removing machining of a work piece.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,289,873 discloses a sensor system for a cutting machine tool comprising a sensor arrangement measuring a force and/or a torque and/or the body sound within the cutting machine tool, an energy supply unit, which inductively provides energy for the supply of the sensor arrangement of the cutting machine tool out of a magnetic alternating field, and a data transmitting unit, which wirelessly transmits data which relate to a value measured by the sensor arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,883,303 describes a machine tool spindle structure capable of monitoring a working state, which includes a spindle body, a rotating mandrel, a cutter base, and an internal inspecting device. The rotating mandrel has a chamber, and the internal inspecting device is disposed in the chamber. Inspecting chips in the internal inspecting device are directly disposed on the cutter base. Working parameters are transmitted to an external information device by a wireless transmission module in the internal inspecting device.
US 2008/0105094 discloses a machine tool control method employing a machine tool for carrying out a work producing process having a cutting implement for machining a work piece according to the process. A sensor device is provided on the cutting implement for sensing at least one condition of the process.
US 2009/0235763 describes a chuck-integrated force-measuring system for determining cutting forces at the cutting tool tip of a rotating tool, for example a drill or milling cutter having a sensor, as well as a measured-value processing station. The sensor is designed as a strain sensor which is placed on a tool holder of a machine tool.
WO 2009/117396 discloses a tool holder including a body, a processor disposed with the body, and a transceiver disposed with the body and in communication with the processor. The transceiver is structured to communicate with an external receiving device. A cutting assembly has a number of sensors, and the processor is structured to communicate with the sensors.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,710,287 describes a sensor system for a machine tool with a sensor with a measurement instrument, which measures a physical quantity occurring within the machine tool, with a first energy supply for supply of the measurement instrument of the sensor, wherein the first energy supply receives electric energy from a surrounding electromagnetic field in a wireless way, and with a battery for supplying the measurement instrument of the sensor.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,083,446 discloses a spindle for a machine tool for machining work pieces, wherein a data acquisition element for recording operating and/or state data of the spindle is provided, and wherein the data acquisition element is in the form of a radio chip and can be read by radio.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,080,918 describes an apparatus and a method for controlling the machining of work pieces using piezoceramic transducers.
US 2009/0175694 discloses a system including a cutting tool, which includes a tool body, and an integrated circuit chip securely mounted within the tool body and capable of being read and written upon.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,297,747 describes a tool holder having a sensor for measuring an operating parameter of the tool holder or the tool during the operation. The sensor is a surface acoustic wave sensor operating according to acoustic wave principles and its measured value signals are readable in a contactless manner by means of radio waves.
DE 10 2007 036 002 discloses a monitoring device for a processing tool, comprising an oscillation device and an oscillation detector which are connected in a sensor and form a surface wave sensor.
DE 10227677 describes a method for wireless monitoring of a machine part using a passive conducting cable structure. A passive sensor can be configured as a surface wave sensor.
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At a time when players like Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif are making the headlines, a former navy trainee, Habib Bank Limited batsman Fakhar Zaman, has thrust himself into the spotlight with a remarkable hundred. His unbeaten 157 neutralised the hype surrounding the trio and changed the context of the game by handing HBL a hefty lead of 222 runs against Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), with ten wickets in hand at stumps on the third day at the National Stadium in Karachi.
He was born in Katlang - a small town in Mardan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa - before moving to Karachi at the age of 16 to join the Pakistan Navy. He had a year-long schooling at Pakistan Navy School Bahadur in Karachi, where he learned how to survive the seas before parting ways to embrace cricket formally. His team-mates call him fauji (soldier).
The left-handed batsman was the second-highest run-scorer in the Pakistan Cup earlier this year, with 297 runs in five innings at 59.40, including a knock of 115 that set up Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's 151-run win in the final. His ability to bowl left-arm spin makes him a utility player and he is in contention for a place in the national side after appearances for Pakistan A. In the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy season, he has already racked up 650 runs at an average of 54.16.
His hundred gave HBL control of the game after they'd lost the first-innings advantage with WAPDA sneaking in a 42-run lead. Zaman was flawless with this stroke-making, hitting 19 fours and never letting his strike-rate fall below 70. But it was his discipline that stood out.
"The idea was to play it like a one-day innings," Zaman told ESPNcricinfo. "It's really tough to judge the seam [of the pink ball] as it turns black after some time, so I was focusing on the ball fully, which was the main reason why I was playing freely. I am happy that I have contributed to the team and put us in the driving seat. We are optimistic now. There was always belief that and we didn't give up after the first-innings collapse."
Zaman took 12 balls to score his first runs, in the seventh over, before taking off with three boundaries off Waqas Maqsood in the eighth over. The pitch had already started to slow down, but it wasn't really a flat track as much as, in Zaman's words, a "modest" one. After he whirled past his half-century, he took a nasty blow to his left index finger from a rising Mohammad Irfan delivery. But his only worry, he said, was to negotiate the shrewdness of Asif. He faced 14 balls from the medium-pacer and scored 12 runs against him, but was helped along by a drop when he flicked him to Zahid Mansoor at square-leg when he was on 125.
"He is the kind of bowler who threatens with his tight line. He isn't quick but his line is teasing and he doesn't allow you to score runs. The first hour with the new ball was a bit tough but when he went off after three overs, I had more scoring options. I just played my natural game, the way I had when I scored 115 in the Pakistan Cup."
When asked about the prospects of national selection, Zaman shyly pointed out that he would refrain from urging the selectors through the media. "Of course, playing for Pakistan is a dream for every player, but what can I say? From what I understand, they know everything and they've told me to be consistent and keep performing. So I will keep trusting my instincts and my performances and I am sure my number will come."
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{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
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Q:
Black Screen using PyGame
I'm currently following a tutorial to use PyGame building a maze. I'm currently working with PyCharm. I've done indentation reformatting, tried to check every single line for possible indentation problems. Looked for pygame.update, pygame.display.flip . At least I got the windows up and running but its completely black. I tried to comment certain lines but still got the issue. I'm also working with the latest version of python. So here is the code based on the tutorial:
1) maze.py (Generates the maze when called)
https://pastebin.com/9KufTJvM
def setup_maze_window(self):
# Set up window and layers
pygame.display.set_caption('MyMaze')
pygame.mouse.set_visible(0)
self.background = self.background.convert()
self.background.fill(WHITE)
self.m_layer = self.m_layer.convert_alpha()
self.m_layer.fill(NO_COLOR)
self.s_layer = self.s_layer.convert_alpha()
self.s_layer.fill(NO_COLOR)
2) generate_maze.py (Main, calls maze.py)
https://pastebin.com/r2TCsb1T
The complete code is in the links
A:
You're forgetting to update the display during the main loop.
Add a line to generate_maze.py, underneath line 14:
def main():
current_maze = maze.Maze('create')
create_dfs(current_maze)
while 1:
maze.check_for_exit()
current_maze.refresh_maze_view() # <== add this line
return
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
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Summer Camps 2018
SUMMER IS HERE!
When school is out, children need something fun and educational to occupy their time and continue learning. Below is a list of free camps available throughout Escambia County. Some of the Camps/Programs listed are specific to foster, adopted, at-risk, and disabled children.
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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/****************************************************************************
****************************************************************************
***
*** This header was automatically generated from a Linux kernel header
*** of the same name, to make information necessary for userspace to
*** call into the kernel available to libc. It contains only constants,
*** structures, and macros generated from the original header, and thus,
*** contains no copyrightable information.
***
*** To edit the content of this header, modify the corresponding
*** source file (e.g. under external/kernel-headers/original/) then
*** run bionic/libc/kernel/tools/update_all.py
***
*** Any manual change here will be lost the next time this script will
*** be run. You've been warned!
***
****************************************************************************
****************************************************************************/
#include <asm-generic/socket.h>
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{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
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---
abstract: 'We report on preliminary results from our XMM-Newton observation of the Low Mass X-ray Binary 4U 1850-087, located in the galactic globular cluster NGC 6712. It is an ultracompact binary system, with an orbital period of 20.6 min. In previous low-resolution X-ray observations 4U 1850-087 displayed a soft excess residual around 0.7 keV, possibly indicative of the presence of a high Ne/O ratio, as already found in other three ultracompact LMXBs containing a neutron star (4U 0614+091, 4U 0918-549, and 4U 1543-624). We discuss here our preliminary analysis of high resolution X-ray spectra of 4U 1850-087, and timing results.'
author:
- 'L. Sidoli'
- 'A.N. Parmar'
- 'T. Oosterbroek'
title: 'XMM-Newton results on the ultracompact Low Mass X–ray Binary 4U 1850-087 in the Globular Cluster NGC 6712'
---
\[2001/04/25 1.1 (PWD)\]
Introduction
============
X1850-087 is an ultracompact Low Mass X-ray Binary (orbital period, P$_{orb}$, of 20.6 minutes, Homer et al. 1996) located in the globular cluster NGC6712 (at a distance of 6.8 kpc).
Ultracompact X-ray binaries (systems with orbital period less than 80 minutes) are believed to contain hydrogen–poor or degenerate companions (e.g. Verbunt & van den Heuvel, 1995).
Recent X-ray spectral evidence indicates that these degenerate companions contain anomalously high abundance of neutral Neon (e.g. Schulz et al., 2001; Juett et al., 2001). Indeed, a broad line-like feature at 0.7 keV, found in ASCA observations of ultracompact binaries (including X1850-087), is suggestive of the presence of an excess in the neutral neon absorption local to the systems (Juett et al., 2001). High resolution spectroscopy of the ultracompact LMXRBs 2S0918-549 and 4U 1543-624 confirmed an enhanced Ne/O number ratio with respect to the expected ISM ratio Ne/O=0.18 (Juett & Chakrabarty, 2003).
The aim of our XMM-Newton (Jansen et al. 2001) observation is to deeply investigate the presence of Neon excess suggested by previous ASCA observation, through high spectral resolution observation with RGS (see den Herder eet al. 2001 for the description of the instrument, covering the energy range 0.3–2 keV).
Observations and Data Analysis
==============================
XMM-Newton data consist of two observations, performed in 2003, September/October, 12 days apart, for a net EPIC PN exposure of 8.1ks and 5.9ks, respectively. PN operated in Small Window Mode in order to minimize pile-up problems. The source rates in the 2 PN observations were $\sim$46 $^{-1}$ and 49 $^{-1}$ in the 0.3-12 keV band. We will concentrate here only on the RGS spectra. The analysis of MOS and PN spectra is still in progress, because they are particularly complex and cannot be fit with simple models, because of the presence of structures in the residuals at low energies, below 2 keV. Indeed, the EPIC PN XMM-Newton spectrum cannot be accounted for nor by the ASCA best-fit (Juett et al. 2001) nor by the BeppoSAX model (Sidoli et al. 2001).
RGS spectral Results
====================
An accurate visual inspection of the RGS spectra does not show any evidence for the presence of bright and narrow lines, neither in emission nor in absorption (see Fig. 1).
In order to search for neutral Neon excess local to the source, we fit the RGS spectrum with a black-body, absorbed with a variable-absorption model ([vphabs]{} in [xspec]{}) and fixing to zero the Neon and Oxygen abundances. Then, we included the edges from neutral Neon and Oxygen and after fitting, we obtained the Ne and O column densities. We got the the following Ne/O number ratio:
Ne/O = 0.17 $\pm{0.09}$
-0.5cm to be compared with the ISM value of 0.18. Thus we can conclude that there is no evidence for a neutral Neon excess local to X1850-087.
Preliminary Timing Results: a possible candidate X–ray period at 1258 sec
=========================================================================
A search for periodicity has been performed with epoch folding techniques around the optical period (1233$\pm{4}$ s, Homer et al. 1996). Our preliminary results shows that the $\chi^2$ distribution reveales a peak at 1258$\pm{20}$ s, but only in the second PN observation. The fact that the X-ray period has been detected only in one of the XMM-Newton observations is puzzling and deserves further investigation. The double-peaked shape of the folded lightcurve (see Fig. 2) is possibly indicative of the presence of some symmetric structure in the accretion disk.
den Herder, J. W., Brinkman, A. C., Kahn, S. M., et al. 2001, A&A, 365, L7
Homer, L., Charles, P. A., Naylor, T., et al., 1996, MNRAS 282, L37
Jansen, F., Lumb, D., Altieri, B., et al. 2001, A&A, 365
Juett, A.M., Psaltis, D., Chakrabarty, D., 2001, ApJ 560, L59
Juett, A.M., Chakrabarty, D., 2003, ApJ, 599, 498
Schulz, N.S., Chakrabarty, D., Marshall, H., et al., 2001, ApJ, 563, 941
Sidoli L., Parmar, A.N., Oosterbroek, T., et al., 2001, A&A 368, 451
Verbunt F., van den Heuvel E. P. J., 1995, in Lewin W. H. G., van Paradijs J. van den Heuvel E. P. J., eds, X-ray Binaries. Cambridge, Cambridge Univ. Press, p. 457
|
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}
|
Dialysis with semipermeable membranes as an efficient lipid removal method in the analysis of bioaccumulative chemicals.
Herein is a procedure described using a semipermeable membrane (SPM) for enrichment of organic chemicals from lipid-containing samples. Dialysis with SPMs in an organic solvent can separate organochlorine contaminants such as non-, mono-, and di-o-PCBs, PCDDs, PCDFs, PCDTs, PCNs, pesticides, and PAHs from lipids. The method is nondestructive and more than 20 g of lipid can be dialyzed in a single membrane with acceptable recoveries of the internal standards, nearly independent of amount and type of lipid dialyzed. The lipid removal process shows good consistency between subsamples, and the lipid content can be reduced by 90-99%, depending on species and amount lipid. Neither triglycerides nor phospholipids were obtained in the dialysate fraction. The utility and reliability of the method is displayed by good precision for 72 PCBs and 27 organochlorine pesticides in the concentration range 0.05-50 micrograms/sample for triplicate subsamples, by the consistency in PCDD/F levels compared to a classic analytical procedure, and by the analysis of the above listed chemicals in approximately 200 biological samples of a wide variety of types. This technique can also be used as an enrichment device for contaminants when huge amounts of lipids are extracted for toxicological studies. Moreover, it is possible to use SPM to cleanup other samples from molecules with relatively high masses, e.g. sediments, soil, compost, and tar materials.
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{
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}
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally concerned with spectacle frames of the xe2x80x9cmetal supraxe2x80x9d type, i.e. frames like those sold under the trade name xe2x80x9cNylorxe2x80x9d in which each rim or surround has a rigid part and a filament extending from one end of the rigid part to the other.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A groove must be machined into the edge of the lens to be mounted in a rim or surround of the above kind to trap the filament.
In practise, the groove extends continuously all around the lens and the rigid part of the rim or surround of the spectacle frame has a projecting bead, commonly referred to as a cushion, adapted to engage in the groove where it is not filled by the filament.
Only the shape of the lens, i.e. the shape of the contour of the lens, which is in practise determined by a contour reader relating to a flat template of the appropriate shape, is currently taken into account in determining the trajectory of the groove on the edge of the lens for controlling the grooving machine when machining the groove.
Then the groove is merely made to remain within the boundaries of the edge of the lens.
To this end, the groove is usually machined at a fixed distance from one face of the lens or halfway between its two faces.
The groove machined in this way therefore at best follows the inherent curvature of the lens.
Although the filament can adapt to this curvature of its own accord, given its inherent flexibility, this is clearly not the case for the rigid part of the rims or surrounds of the spectacle frame.
This rigid part is itself manufactured with some degree of curvature, which is not necessarily the same as that of the lens to be mounted in it.
Accordingly, when it is practicable, i.e. when the spectacle frame lends itself to this, as is the case when the spectacle frame is made of metal, for example, practitioners fitting the lens must apply an estimated twist to the rigid part of the rims or surrounds of the spectacle frame to match the curvature of the rigid part as closely as they can to that of the groove on the lens to be mounted in the frame.
This twisting is a delicate operation and difficult to control.
If practitioners do not apply this twist, or if this is impossible because the spectacle frame does not lend itself to twisting, the lens is not securely held in the rim or surround in which it is mounted and the aesthetic result is generally not entirely satisfactory.
A general object of the present invention is an arrangement intended to overcome this problem.
The present invention consists in a method of determining the trajectory of a groove to be machined in an edge of a lens intended to be fitted to a spectacle frame in which each rim or surround has a rigid part and a filament which extends from one end of the rigid part to the other end thereof, wherein the curvature of an active portion of the rigid part is systematically taken into account over a portion of the trajectory of the groove corresponding to the rigid part concerned of the spectacle frame.
Accordingly, over the portion of its trajectory corresponding to the rigid part of the spectacle frame, the groove follows the inherent curvature of the rigid part as well as it can, even perfectly, instead of following that of the lens, it being understood that the two curvatures must obviously be compatible for the results to be satisfactory.
The cushion provided for this purpose on the rigid part can then nest exactly and throughout its length in the groove in the lens, to the benefit of the retention thereof.
Over the portion of its trajectory corresponding to the filament, the groove is formed in the usual manner.
However, within limits set by the curvature and thickness of the lens, the groove preferably of itself corresponds to a minimal curvature so that, following the shortest possible trajectory, the filament is itself tensioned as well as it can be, which again is to the benefit of the retention of the lens.
Be this as it may, because of the arrangement in accordance with the invention, the groove formed on the edge of the lens has two separate portions of different appearance, namely a portion corresponding to the rigid part of the spectacle frame which is more or less sinuous and a portion corresponding to the filament which is substantially rectilinear.
Of course, the two portions of the groove are continuous with each other, joining tangentially to each other, to prevent any distortion at the corresponding junction points.
The features and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description given by way of example and with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing.
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Aqua vitae
Aqua vitae (Latin for "water of life") or aqua vita is an archaic name for a concentrated aqueous solution of ethanol. The term was in wide use during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, although its origin is likely much earlier. This Latin term appears in a wide array of dialectical forms throughout all lands and people conquered by ancient Rome. Generally, the term is a generic name for all types of distillates, and eventually came to refer specifically to distillates of alcoholic beverages (liquors).
Aqua vitae was typically prepared by distilling wine; it was sometimes called "spirits of wine" in English texts, a name for brandy that had been repeatedly distilled.
Aqua vitae was often an etymological source of terms applied to important locally produced distilled spirits. Examples include whisky (from the Gaelic uisce beatha), eau de vie in France, acquavite in Italy, and akvavit in Scandinavia, okowita in Poland, оковита (okovyta) in Ukraine, акавіта (akavita) in Belarus, and яковита (yakovita) in southern Russian dialects.
See also
Alchemy
Akvavit
Holy water
Aqua fortis
Aqua regia
Whiskey
Vodka
References
External links
"Aqua vitae" definition from TheFreeDictionary.com
Category:Distilled drinks
Category:Alchemical substances
it:Acquavite
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Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist and author
Latest from Cal Thomas
What just happened? President Trump cut a deal with Democrats to pay for hurricane damage relief and raise the debt ceiling without getting anything in return, except the temporary avoidance of a government shutdown. How to describe this? Was it a sellout, or a pragmatic act? It's football season again, so let's call this deal the "option play." It isn't used much by today's professional players, but the play is designed to give a quarterback the option of running the ball, or, if he sees he can't make it through the defensive line, toss it to a player trailing behind him in an effort to gain yards.
ISTANBUL -- Coming from the airport into this city of about 15 million people and 5 million cars, as my driver describes it, I pass ancient Roman ruins and blocks of upscale shops; an old hotel where Agatha Christie penned "Murder on the Orient Express," smoke shops and modest restaurants, and luxury car dealers. It is a metaphor for the choices Turks are being forced to make under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: forward to a better future and a recapture of their secular state, or back to a nostalgic past when Islam was the official religion of the Ottoman Empire.
What is it about the month of August that finds so many celebrities dying? Just this month we've seen the passing of Glen Campbell, Barbara Cook, Dick Gregory and Jerry Lewis. Thomas Meehan, who wrote the book for the musical "Annie," died last week. Marilyn Monroe died in August 1962 (though she "lives" on in so many ways). Elvis Presley died in August 1977. He, too, lives on, though it now costs $28.75 just to walk by his burial plot at Graceland.
"The only thing we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history." -- Friedrich Hegel We will learn even less from history if we wipe it clean, as some are trying to do by removing statues of Confederate leaders whose beliefs about slavery and race most, including me, find offensive. Conversation beats censorship.
In the South during the Jim Crow era, the "one-drop rule," codified into law, asserted that if a person had just one drop of African-American blood, they were considered "black." I wonder what we'd learn if we gave former KKK leader David Duke and the "white nationalists" who caused havoc in Charlottesville last Saturday a DNA test to determine their racial makeup?
In biblical times, a sanctuary city was a place where someone who had committed unintentional manslaughter could find refuge from "the avenger of blood." If the offender left the sanctuary city, he could be set upon by a relative of the dead person and killed. No sanctuary was available to anyone who committed murder with malice aforethought.
One month after the election, President-elect Donald Trump made a "victory tour" of states that had helped deliver his surprise win. In Fayetteville, North Carolina, Trump introduced his choice for Secretary of Defense, Gen. James Mattis, and pledged the following: "We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn't be involved with. Instead, our focus must be on defeating terrorism and destroying ISIS, and we will."
The Establishment, a construct of Democrats and Republicans that rules in Washington no matter which party controls government, appears to be over its fainting spell following Donald Trump's election. It is now throwing everything at him from a daily -- make that hourly, even minute by minute -- onslaught of investigations to big media's equivalent of Molotov cocktails.
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to eliminate governmental waste and fraud, just released its "2017 Congressional Pig Book," an annual publication highlighting wasteful government spending that should embarrass each and every member of Congress.
While scanning YouTube videos, I came across an appearance by Ronald Reagan on The Tonight Show, hosted by Johnny Carson. The year was 1975 and Reagan was "between jobs," having left office as governor of California, where he served for eight years, but not yet president. He would challenge Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination in 1976, barely losing at the nominating convention, but setting himself up for what would be a successful run in 1980.
Anyone looking for another reason not to leave life-and-death issues to the state need look no further than the conflict between the British government and the parents of 11-month-old Charlie Gard. Governments, including the British courts and the European court of human rights have refused to allow Charlie's parents to take him to the U.S. for what they believe is life-saving treatment.
"Where there is no vision, the people perish..." (Proverbs 29:18) In 1987 when he was contemplating a run for president, Vice President George H.W. Bush was criticized for his inability to articulate an agenda for the country. A friend suggested he spend a weekend alone at Camp David to figure out where he would take the nation. "Oh, the vision thing," Bush replied disparagingly. Though he won the 1988 election, the quote would haunt him.
President Trump once referred to the health care bill passed by the House as "mean." So how should we characterize his remarks about MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski? The president of the United States, reacting to her criticism of him, claimed Brzezinski was "bleeding" from a facelift when he saw her last New Year's Eve at his Florida resort. He further described her as being "dumb as a rock." That's worse than mean. It's cruel.
Is there anyone who can point to the "Affordable Care Act" (aka Obamacare) and credibly claim it is accomplishing the goals set for it seven years ago? Insurers are pulling out of the exchanges, premiums and related costs are going up, not down, as supporters of the misnamed law claimed they would. Many people who like their doctors are not being allowed to keep their doctors.
“Why do the heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing?” (Psalm 2:1 KJV) That didn't take long. Less than 48 hours after the shooting rampage targeting Republican members of Congress and their staff on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia, followed by the picture of Republicans and Democrats kneeling in prayer at Nationals Park before their annual charity game, things returned to normal...or abnormal.
In television it's called a "loop," the replaying of the same scene over and over and over again. The latest and most assuredly not the final terrorist attack in London last weekend was a "loop" that has become all-too familiar. The jihadists who claimed to be acting on orders from their god, killed at least seven and injured more than 45 others, some critically, with a brazen attack on London Bridge and in a nearby pub.
For sheer hilarity and hyperbole it's hard to beat a recent headline on a Washington Post editorial opposing President Trump's decision to remove the U.S. from the nonbinding and unenforceable Paris climate agreement. "Trump turns his back on the world," it screamed. A close second goes to the headline on a New York Times piece by columnist David Brooks: "Donald Trump Poisons the World."
The terrorism scenario is always the same. Events repeat themselves, like in the film Groundhog Day. First the video of screaming innocents, as in Manchester, England, where an Islamist detonated a suicide bomb at an Ariana Grande concert, killing at least 22 people, many of them children, and wounding dozens of others.
Roger Ailes was no genius, not in the league of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein. The founding chairman of Fox News Channel, who died last week from complications after suffering a fall, understood and respected Middle America from whence he came.
The ransomware cyberattack that wormed its way into at least 74 countries recently exposed new vulnerabilities in the UK's National Health Service (NHS), as if it weren't vulnerable enough. Hospital systems in England and Scotland were taken offline. Major operations were delayed, causing frustration and additional worry to patients who spoke to TV interviewers.
The mission of the Media Research Center is to create a media culture in America where truth and liberty flourish. The MRC is a research and education organization operating under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and contributions to the MRC are tax-deductible.
The Media Research Center participates in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).The MRC's CFC code is 42353.
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It was a surprise to many when Mike Cammalleri chose to sign with New Jersey – and when the Devils chose to sign him. For both parties, the deal was about faith.
The Hockey News
At the risk of sounding blasphemous, Mike Cammalleri’s deal with the Devils was all about faith. He chose the team that believed in him most and the team he believed in most.
Calgary fans were disappointed but not surprised when he left in free agency after a resurgent 26-goal campaign. After all, team president Brian Burke retained Cammalleri’s expiring contract at the trade deadline. Burke tried to deal his veteran, but he felt the offers weren’t good enough. He decided to risk losing Cammalleri for nothing and stated his desire to keep him.
Burke and new GM Brad Treliving made offers this summer to Cammalleri for a long-term pact, but they couldn’t compete with what Lou Lamoriello and the New Jersey Devils tabled: five years and $25 million for a 32-year-old who’s missed 15 or more games in four of his past five seasons and is six years removed from his best numbers.
That didn’t matter to Lamoriello, who says he followed and admired Cammalleri’s game all the way back to the University of Michigan.
“He played with an edge and had results,” Lamoriello said. “He’s very diligent and he competes. When you see that in a player, it naturally sticks out. When we were looking at the potential free agencies and the type of player we needed, we felt we needed a scorer. Mike stood right out, and he was one of the top players we looked at, if not the top player.”
The money and especially the term were a huge vote of confidence to Cammalleri, who says the courtship lasted longer than the free agent negotiating period. His best years are behind him, but he remains a useful scorer who can play among the top six forwards. The Devils are taking a leap of faith on him, but it works both ways.
“What attracted me to the Devils was the success they’ve had, the template, the way they do things,” Cammalleri said. “I have a belief in how things are done that leads to successes.”
The Devils haven’t personified success in recent seasons, missing the playoffs twice in a row. But Cammalleri believes they can right the ship. That the Devils ranked fourth in the NHL in Corsi Close, and that they were a bit unlucky losing all 13 shootouts last season, suggests he’s right. New Jersey only missed the playoffs by five points.
For Lamoriello and the Devils, the contract isn’t as risky as it looks on paper, because they’re not demanding a 30-goal effort for it to be worthwhile. They love Cammalleri’s mind – and mouth – as much as they love his game.
“When I had a chance to sit down and talk to him, I couldn’t be more impressed with what his thoughts were, his knowledge of the game and the questions he asked,” Lamoriello said. “It was a face-to-face meeting, and you can accomplish a lot in a short period of time when that transpires.”
Lamoriello says “there’s no question” the Devils view Cammalleri as a leader, and they believe he was the strongest voice in the Flames dressing room, even if he didn’t wear the ‘C.’ It’s no stretch to call Cammalleri a human megaphone. He’s among the game’s most quotable players, known to speak his mind and also to toss a joke in here and there. He doesn’t disappoint when asked if he’s checked out his new home state, including the Jersey Shore.
“Is that because I’m Italian?” Cammalleri said. “The Jersey Shore? Are you stereotyping me? Just wondering.”
Kidding aside, he’s visited the Garden State and found a house for his family. With that out of the way, he can prepare to reward Lamoriello’s trust. And he can dream about playing with Jaromir Jagr. Lamoriello calls the idea a “coaching decision,” but he can see Cammalleri sliding to the left wing to suit up with Jagr and Travis Zajac.
“He’s one of the greatest legends of our game of all-time,” Cammalleri said. “He’s an iconic sports figure. To play on the same team as him will be a unique and special experience.”
If it’s on the same line, Cammalleri will surely have a lot more to say about it.
Matt Larkin is an associate editor at The Hockey News and a regular contributor to the thn.com Post-To-Post blog. For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, subscribe to The Hockey News magazine. Follow Matt Larkin on Twitter at @THNMattLarkin
This is feature appears in the Sept. 15 edition of The Hockey News magazine. Get in-depth features like this one, and much more, by subscribing now.
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How good is the battery and alternator? Are your connections at the
starter clean and tight? Are your wires to the starter free from corrosion
and nicks in the insulation? Where are you getting the starters from?
Just to add to what Trans,am is saying,i changed out 3 starter,s on a
taurus last week,all auto zone starter,s,went bad within two day,s,,but
finally got hopefully a good one on the third change,,,still got my finger,s
crossed >x
HELP!!!! My 2004 Pontiac Grand Am has been down for a month now with some mechanical issues with not wanting to crank after sitting overnight or when its cold like tonight. It turns over ,but wont st...
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Q:
Requirement to change app name in google sign in alert
Can we change highlighted text in this alert, for google authentication?
actually it's taking target name by default. but our app name is different, So is there any way out to change this for this alert?
A:
If we change the bundle name, It will reflect on the alert title as expected.
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Hyperprolactinaemic amenorrhoea in Hong Kong.
In a retrospective study of 595 patients attending the Menstrual Disorder Clinic from January, 1978 to December, 1981, 92 patients (15.5%) had raised serum prolactin (PRL) levels (greater than 25 ng/ml) on 2 or more separate occasions with a mean (+/- S.E.M.) value of 67.1 +/- 2.5 ng/ml. Galactorrhoea was found in 27.2% of the hyperprolactinaemic patients. Primary amenorrhoea was observed in 1 patient (1.1%) with serum PRL level of 68 ng/ml. Secondary amenorrhoea of longer than 6 months' duration occurred in 61 patients (66.3%) with mean PRL level 84.2 +/- 3.3 ng/ml. The 30 patients (32.6%) with irregular menstruation had a mean PRL level of 47.2 +/- 3.3 ng/ml. Investigations revealed that 43 patients (46.7%) had idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia, 14 patients (15.4%) had drug induced hyperprolactinaemia and 1 patient (1.1%) had hypothyroidism; 18 patients (19.5%) had suspected pituitary microadenoma and 16 patients (17.2%) had abnormal radiographic findings. Bromocriptine treatment was given to 38 patients, 13 with abnormal tomographic findings (mean serum PRL greater than 100ng/ml); 18 with suspected pituitary microadenoma (mean serum PRL 94 +/- 2.7 ng/ml) and 7 with idiopathic hyperprolactinaemia (mean serum PRL 65 +/- 4.7 ng/ml). All patients (38/38) responded to treatment with restoration of menstruation and cessation of galactorrhoea within 1 to 3 months. Mean PRL level was 21.6 +/- 5.2 ng/ml at the time of response. Thirteen patients subsequently became pregnant and all delivered healthy babies.
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Search www.sgs-me.com
Agriculture and Food Certification
As a competitive business you will be consistently striving to provide the highest quality services and products for your target audience.
It is essential, in order to participate in global supply chains and national or international trade that your products, systems or services comply with applicable regulations and standards. Without the correct compliance, your market access is severely compromised.
Our certification services will help you to incorporate critical construction criteria and compliance requirements from the design stage to the end of the life-cycle. We can identify regulations and standards for each product, service and target market, and then test and inspect at various stages of production and manufacture to ensure that you are compliant. When your management systems are subject to certification, our auditors check compliance with the requirements of the most applicable standard(s).
We offer a complete certification package for all industries and sectors, tailored to your specific requirements, giving you access to global best practices. When you need to demonstrate that your products or services comply with regulations, standards or national/international schemes, our certification services will give you, and your customers, the assurance you need.
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Q:
Output string value from Get-ChildItem
I got the following string from Output sub-folder with the latest write access
Get-ChildItem $FilePath | Sort {$_.LastWriteTime} -Descending | where {$_.PsIsContainer} |Select {$_.Name} -First 1
But the output is :
$_.Name
Username
The output I am trying to get is :
Username
I tried formatting the output by :
(Get-ChildItem $FilePath | Sort {$_.LastWriteTime} -Descending | where {$_.PsIsContainer} |Select {$_.Name} -First 1).name
But I'm not sure why it's not working.
Thank you
A:
try this:
Get-ChildItem $filepath | ? { $_.PsIsContainer} | Sort LastWriteTime -Descending | Select -expa Name -First 1
I've anticipaded the where-object, aka '?' , for better performance.
With select-object the {} are needed only for calculated properties and to avoid the coloumn name use the -expand parameter.
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With hundreds of cannabis supporters in attendance, the Tacoma City Council on Tuesday night agreed to a compromise plan that would allow established medical marijuana dispensaries to continue selling to patients until the Washington Legislature spells out more clearly how patients can legally access the herb.
“The Tacoma City Council is not opposed to safe and legal access to medical marijuana for patients with legitimate need,” Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland said, reports Lewis Kamb of the Tacoma
The city’s business licensing office, acting on advice from its attorneys, on Friday threatened to force the dispensaries out of business if they continued to provide medical marijuana to “more than one patient,” reports Susan Kelleher at. Doing so violates state law, claimed Jodie Trueblood, Tacoma’s tax and license manager.
The issue arose, Trueblood claimed, when her office investigated “traffic and odor complaints” against five of the Tacoma dispensaries.
“They need to stop their dispensing to multiple people,” complained Trueblood, whose office sent cease and desist notices to the eight affected businesses on Friday.
The notices specifically cited part of Washington state’s medical marijuana law, saying that designated providers are allowed to serve “only one patient at a time.”
“In light of the above information, you are not to engage in this activity in the City of Tacoma effective October 24, 2010,” the letter read, adding that failure to comply would subject each dispensary to revocation of business license and potential civil and criminal penalties.
But Friday’s cease and desist letters, which came with the subject line “Notice to Cease Dispensing Marijuana,” seemed to come as a surprise to the City Council.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” Councilman Marty Campbell said. The Council had already said it intended to ask the Legislature to clarify gray areas of the medical marijuana law that have become frustrating for patients and law enforcement throughout Washington state.
Assistant City Manager Rey Arellano apologized to Council members Tuesday for the letters being sent without staff first consulting the Council.
The letters also came as a shock to the dispensaries and cooperatives that have sprung up in Tacoma over the past year or so, according to Philip Dawdy, vice chair of marijuana advocacy group Sensible Washington
The city agreed to suspend taking any action toward shutting down the eight dispensaries openly operating there, as long as each of the shops file an appeals to the cease and desist letters.
Tacoma will delay setting hearings on those appeals until the end of the 2011 state legislative session, during which lawmakers are expected to clarify portions of the medical marijuana law after citizens approved a 1998 ballot measure.
“We’re just starting to hear details about (the plan) now,” Dawdy said. “It’s mildly encouraging — but the city should just drop the whole thing.”
Even with the city’s commitment to suspend the dispensary crackdown, “There’s still latitude there for law enforcement abuses,” Dawdy said.
“The way the current law is written is confusing,” Mayor Strickland said, noting that the council recently adopted language in the city’s legislative policy manual that encourages the state to clarify the law.
Strickland said she met with Tacoma Police Chief Don Ramsdell and others to discuss the compromise after medical marijuana advocates from across the state said Monday they would converge on Tacoma City Hall Tuesday night to protest the cease and desist letters sent to local dispensaries.
At least two state legislators, Sen. Debbie Regala (D-Tacoma) and Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-Seattle), are expected to take up the dispensary issue in the 2011 legislative session.
Law enforcement and patient advocates both want clear-cut rules, even if they don’t agree on what the rules should be or who should oversee them, according to Regala.
“Many of the people caught up in the confusion are patients in legitimate need of medicine to ease their pain,” Regala said. “The citizens have said this should be legal in our state. I’m going to be optimistic that we’re going to be able to do this.”
“A lot of legislators are worried about voting on anything involving marijuana,” Kohl-Welles said. “There’s not a cohesive community of activists.”
“I run a legal business,” said Emiel Kandi, director of COBRA Medical Group, one of the dispensaries the city threatened to shut down.
“I knew at some point this would be a huge political fight,” Kandi said. “The Legislature wrote a bad law. I’m a creative guy, and I drove a truck through it. But I haven’t broken the law.”
The 800 patients he serves would have a hard time getting their medicine if the city banned businesses like his from operating, according to Kandi, who opened COBRA in July.
A growing number of patient cooperatives and small dispensaries have cropped up in Western Washington over the past couple years, supplying marijuana to authorized patients by having the patients designate them as “caregiver” for the time it takes to transfer the cannabis and collect a donation to defray expenses.
The question of whether caregivers can supply only one person at a time in succession has created confusion for law enforcement and patients.
In King County, home of Seattle, some co-ops match up patients who grow their own cannabis with patients who don’t or can’t grow. They’ve been largely left alone to serve patients.
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For many Javanese Indonesians, bird-keeping is in their DNA. A long-held tradition, the popular pastime has spread beyond Java as natives of the island were relocated to less densely populated islands in the country under the Indonesian government’s transmigration program. In urban centres on Java and Sumatra, the trading of caged-birds is rampant, with a report estimating an average of 614,180 native songbirds trapped and traded annually throughout the two islands.
Besides the “peace of mind” and relaxation songbirds bring to their owners with their rich and melodic voices, bird keeping also signifies status and offers financial gain for the keepers through the many organised singing contests. An avid collector of songbirds, President Joko Widodo, earlier this year, offered more than US$40,000 to buy a prize-winning bird from its owner.
In July, for the first time in almost 20 years, the Indonesian government expanded its list of wildlife species banned from trading and hunting. This new list revises the appendix of a 1999 regulation listing plant and animal species endemic to the country that have small populations in the wild and are on the decline because of overhunting and habitat loss. The list also struck off species whose populations are recovering or which are already extinct.
The birdkeepers’ uprising
Bird species make up most of the newly added 242 protected species, bringing the nationally protected species number up to 919 from 677. This includes species typically caught and caged for the songbird trade. Overnight, the released list sparked concerns that thousands of bird owners would be vulnerable to penalties, despite the ministry’s statement that it would not be enforcing the new list immediately. Under the Indonesian 1990 law on natural resources and ecosystem conservation, persons convicted of trading or keeping protected flora and fauna can face up to five years in prison or be fined up to US$6,724.
The release of the new list triggered protestations by owners of songbirds from all over the country, with some coalitions demonstrating outside the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in Central Jakarta. Their argument: the ban on buying and selling commonly traded songbirds lacks scientific and cultural bases, with several species included on the list currently being bred on a large scale and far from being endangered.
Within weeks, the Indonesian Environment and Forestry Ministry removed three popular songbirds - kucica hutan (white-rumped shama), cucak rawa (straw-headed bulbul) and jalak suren (Javan pied starling) - from the newly revised protected species list due to pressure from bird-keeping communities. The first two delisted bird species are categorised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as endangered and critically endangered species, respectively. According to the ministry’s Biodiversity Conservation Director, Indra Exploitasia, the delisting is based on a social and economic study conducted by her office following the protests.
Source: IUCN and BirdLife International.
The voice of silenced birds
While populating cages in homes, the trading of songbirds has gradually silenced the song of these magnificent birds in forests. An assessment of the trading of black-winged mynahs or Achridotheres melanopterus by Vincent Nijman, an anthropology professor at Oxford Brookes University, England, found that while some of the birds were bred in captivity, many were harvested from the forest as it was cheaper than breeding. Nijman, who studies the interactions between humans and wildlife, said that after visiting and observing bird markets in Indonesia for over 25 years, he noticed that as mynahs became more common in these markets, they grew ever scarcer in the forests.
“It became very clear that the decline was at least in part due to trade,” Nijman was quoted as saying to National Geographic.
As Indonesia nears its general election, the voice of bird owners seems loud and vital. For bird owners, the listing of their beloved pets as nationally protected species may seem like an infringement on their right to an inherited tradition handed down through the generations, and giving them their identity.
But for the delisted songbird species, this could have been their last chance for survival. Without the protection of the government, these endangered species could now hurtle towards extinction.
Related articles:
Saving Vietnam’s bile farming bears
Where have all the Tarantulas gone?
Indonesia smugglers stuffed exotic birds in pipes: police
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Blood-derived DNA methylation markers of cancer risk.
The importance of somatic epigenetic alterations in tissues targeted for carcinogenesis is now well recognized and considered a key molecular step in the development of a tumor. Particularly, alteration of gene-specific and genomic DNA methylation has been extensively characterized in tumors, and has become an attractive biomarker of risk due to its specificity and stability in human samples. It also is clear that tumors do not develop as isolated phenomenon in their target tissue, but instead result from altered processes affecting not only the surrounding cells and tissues, but other organ systems, including the immune system. Thus, alterations to DNA methylation profiles detectable in peripheral blood may be useful not only in understanding the carcinogenic process and response to environmental insults, but can also provide critical insights in a systems biological view of tumorigenesis. Research to date has generally focused on how environmental exposures alter genomic DNA methylation content in peripheral blood. More recent work has begun to translate these findings to clinically useful endpoints, by defining the relationship between DNA methylation alterations and cancer risk. This chapter highlights the existing research linking the environment, blood-derived DNA methylation alterations, and cancer risk, and points out how these epigenetic alterations may be contributing fundamentally to carcinogenesis.
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False alarm rates of statistical methods used in determining increased frequency of reports on adverse drug reaction.
Several statistical methods have been proposed or used in the determination of an increase in frequency of reports of adverse drug reactions. Some of the methods are based on large sample approximation or equal sample sizes assumption. The actual type I error may differ significantly from the predetermined nominal level of 5% when the methods are applied to rare adverse events. Simulated false alarm rates of the methods were compared under the assumption of 10 or less expected reports in the reference period.
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Q:
How can one know about their previous births?
How do I know what I was in my previous births?
There are many stories in Hindu mythology that mention the previous births of people. But my question is, even in those earlier times and in this current age, how can one know the previous birth of oneself or others? Or is knowing one's own or someone else's previous birth just a false concept? Is it just an illusion?
Also usually everybody forgets their past lives, so there must be some vidhya behind knowing one's past lives.
Can someone throw some light on how to attain this vidhya? Are there any Hindu texts on this topic?
A:
Patanjali Yoga Sutra III.18 says:
By making samyama on previous thought-waves, one obtains knowledge of
one's past lives.
The basic idea is that every thought remains in a subtle form even after it is gone from our conscious mind. Thus one can though Yoga bring these
subtle thoughts back into the conscious mind. This can even be done for previous births.
A:
It is said that great meditation or tapasya brings new qualities in people. The person not only is able to control his senses but can also achieve more than that.
There are examples in past about remembering past life like one story specified in Vishnu Purana of King Bharata, who after renouncing the worldly affairs took Sanyasa but later again got involved in loving a deer as his son. Since he thought all the time about the well being of deer and even on his death bed, he was born in his next birth as a deer. But then due to his meditation/tapasya of the previous birth, he was able to remember his past life. Here is an extract from Wikipedia article about this:
That sage was born as a deer in his next birth. The Vedic scriptures say that a man will be born in his next birth as that thing about which he was thinking most at the time of his death. Therefore wise men advise people to think of Supreme Personality of Godhead (Krishna, or any other Vishnu avatara) so that it will become a habit and thus after death achieve God's abode. As a result of his tapas and merits and having almost reached perfection the deer that was Bharata, could remember its past by the Lord's grace.
There is also a book called 'Bhrigu Samhita' written by sage Bhrigu. The Bhrigu Saṃhitā is an astrological (Jyotish) classic attributed to Maharishi Bhrigu during the Vedic period, Treta yuga. It is said that it was compiled by the Sage out of compassion for humanity so that humanity could cope with the pressures of its existence and move towards a more spiritual nature. The Bhrigu Samhita is said to contain predictions on one's current and future lives as well as information on the past life. These predictions will be accurate based on the actions (karma) of the questioner. Some part of Bhrigu Samhita is damaged and lost, so incomplete Bhrigu Samhita is still there in Hosiyarpur, India, where people still visit and try to find about their current, past and future births. I have already discussed about this book in my question here.
Finally, there are many examples of people remembering about their previous births even in present time. I remember a case which I read somewhere that states that a small boy who knew about how to speak in another language that was other than his native one and was able to remember and trace his previous life's parents. There are many other examples as well you can find on google. There is also a therapy under which people are even tried to remember their previous birth using Hypnosis by expert Hypnotists so as to find reason/solutions of their current problems.
A:
"Aparigraha sthairye janmakathamta sambodhaha'' (II Sutra 39, Patanjali Yoga Sutras)
Aparigraha = non-accumulation; Sthairye = established; Janmakathamta = of how births happen; Sambhodhaha = knowledge.
"Being established in non-accumulation gives knowledge of how births happen."
When you do not accumulate, then the knowledge of the previous births, knowledge of different species, the communication in you improves. Do you see what I am saying? When, a person says "more for me, more for me", then he is obsessed with fear, one does not know the eternal value of life. Life has been there for ages and will continue for ages to come.
Non-accumulating simply means confidence in one's existence. Confidence is in one's ability. Knowledge of one's self. You know how to make bread and know you can earn it. So you will not make bread for a week and store it for a whole year in your room. It becomes stale. In China there is a proverb "What you give, you gain more. Whatever you scatter you have it all. What you hold on to, you lose that also". When you scatter it all, it all comes to you. Everything is yours all over.
Who is very stingy? The one who is so afraid of himself, who has no idea of his strength. A person who is very selfish and stingy, he stores and stores accumulate. A very wealthy gentleman was on his death bed, but was on the telephone looking into the share market "how much I have?" He was going to die any moment, but was concerned about "what the share prices are? How much am I gaining, losing?" What is he going to do with the money now? He does not even believe that he has to leave everything here and go. If money transfer was possible, people would transfers all their money up there, before going. Lawyers would have had fun writing wills. They would transfer all their property up, take it with them. Fortunately or unfortunately this is not possible. People accumulate and accumulate and then they die. That does not mean that you should not save.
Not accepting or accumulating anything from anyone. What do we do? When people give us a compliment, we accept the compliment and then we begin to have a different idea about ourselves. They tell you, "You are so beautiful, so beautiful", and it goes to your head and you think you are beautiful. If ten people repeat the same thing it gets into your head and you lose all reality about who you are and what you are. Similarly, when you are on a trip to get things from others, that is called "parigraha." meaning "taking things". "Aparigraha" is the opposite of it, not trying to get anything from anybody.
Patanjali says, but what is the effect of it? Janma kathamta sambhodaha. You know, when you give things to people, it will give back something to you, some good vibrations to you. If you are very unhappy, then that day you give away something. Give some gifts to somebody. You will see how your consciousness will change, shift. Sometimes you accept things from someone, gifts or certain things and you feel miserable in life. In ancient days this rule stood very well. When someone accepts a gift, then the giver should be thankful. The giver is always thankful "Oh! I am thankful that you accepted the gift". So that was called as dakshina.
Taken from:
http://www.artofliving.org/yoga/patanjali-yogasutra/knowledge-sheet-71
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The Planets to Scale – True Colour
A true colour version of the previous planets to scale graphic, with help from Don Mitchell’s fantastic Planet Palette. This version also includes a ruler scale rather than the pixel measurement in the older image.
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Q:
Android: MobileFirst sending data from Native to cross page
My Task is as follows: using IBM MobileFirst create a Hybrid app and implement a JS calculator. show date retrieved from native java APIs to the web page.
My attempts:
I followed Documentations here and implemented the whole Native code onCreate method
I found this answer"the first one" illustrating that i should use it on onInitWebFrameworkComplete,
Solution provided didn't work
I am working with MobileFirst version 7
full sample code is provided
Suggestion: should i create the whole action bar in native code then merge it in the cross ui, is that available? I only need to send a petite string of date
A:
I am not clear on your attempts, so here is a quick demonstration how to click a button in HTML and trigger the Send Action API to get the current Date in Java and return it to JavaScript, and then display it.
index.html
<button onclick="getDateFromJava();">show current date from Java</button>
main.js
function wlCommonInit(){
WL.App.addActionReceiver ("returneDdateFromJava", returnedDateFromJava);
}
function getDateFromJava() {
WL.App.sendActionToNative("retrieveDate");
}
function returnedDateFromJava(received){
if (received.action === "returnedDateFromJava"){
alert (JSON.stringify(received));
}
}
main Java class file
Find onInitWebFrameworkComplete
Add an ActionReceiver after the else:
import com.worklight.androidgap.api.WLActionReceiver;
...
...
public void onInitWebFrameworkComplete(WLInitWebFrameworkResult result){
if (result.getStatusCode() == WLInitWebFrameworkResult.SUCCESS) {
super.loadUrl(WL.getInstance().getMainHtmlFilePath());
} else {
handleWebFrameworkInitFailure(result);
}
ActionReceiver ActionReceiver = new ActionReceiver();
WL.getInstance().addActionReceiver(ActionReceiver);
}
ActionReceiver class
package com.getDateApp;
import java.util.Date;
import org.json.JSONException;
import org.json.JSONObject;
import com.worklight.androidgap.api.WL;
import com.worklight.androidgap.api.WLActionReceiver;
public class ActionReceiver implements WLActionReceiver{
public void onActionReceived(String action, JSONObject data){
if (action.equals("retrieveDate")){
Date date = new Date();
JSONObject returnedDate = new JSONObject();
try {
returnedDate.put("dateFromJava", date);
} catch (JSONException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
WL.getInstance().sendActionToJS("returnedDateFromJava", returnedDate);
}
}
}
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1923 Walker Cup
The 1923 Walker Cup, the second Walker Cup Match, was a team golf match played on 18 and 19 May 1923 on the Old Course at St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The United States won 6 to 5, with one match halved.
Format
There were ten players in each team. Four 36-hole matches of foursomes were played on Friday and eight singles matches on Saturday. Each of the 12 matches was worth one point in the larger team competition. Matches level after 36 holes were halved.
Teams
Team Great Britain
Playing captain: Robert Harris
John Caven
Ernest Holderness
Chubby Hooman
William Hope
Willis Mackenzie
William Murray
Cyril Tolley
Roger Wethered
John Wilson
Orme Bristowe was the reserve. John Caven was not selected for any matches.
Team United States
Playing captain: Robert Gardner
Davidson Herron
Jimmy Johnston
Max Marston
Jack Neville
Francis Ouimet
George Rotan
Jess Sweetser
Oscar Willing
Fred Wright
Friday's foursomes
Saturday's singles
References
Category:Walker Cup
Category:Golf tournaments in Scotland
Walker Cup
Walker Cup
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|
John Fairbrother
John Fairbrother (born 12 February 1941) is an English former footballer who played as a centre forward. He scored 153 goals from 352 appearances in the Football League playing for Watford, Peterborough Unitedfor whom he top-scored in the 1966–67 and 1967–68 seasons Northampton Town, Mansfield Town and Torquay United. He also played in the Southern League for Worcester City87 goals in two seasons in all competitions, of which 51 were scored in the leagueBath City, for whom he scored 60 goals in 108 appearances in all competitions, and Barnet, and continued his non-league football career with Hemel Hempstead Town, Berkhamsted Town and Leverstock Green.
References
Category:1941 births
Category:Living people
Category:People from Cricklewood
Category:Footballers from the London Borough of Brent
Category:English footballers
Category:Association football forwards
Category:Luton Town F.C. players
Category:Watford F.C. players
Category:Worcester City F.C. players
Category:Peterborough United F.C. players
Category:Northampton Town F.C. players
Category:Mansfield Town F.C. players
Category:Torquay United F.C. players
Category:Bath City F.C. players
Category:Barnet F.C. players
Category:Hemel Hempstead Town F.C. players
Category:Berkhamsted Town F.C. players
Category:Leverstock Green F.C. players
Category:English Football League players
Category:Southern Football League players
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Effects of Intensive Behavioral Treatment for Children With Varying Levels of Conduct Problems and Callous-Unemotional Traits.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether callous-unemotional (CU) traits moderated the effects of intensive behavior therapy in elementary school-age children with varying levels of conduct problems (CP). Both treatment response (magnitude of change between pre- and posttreatment) and treatment outcomes (likelihood of normalization from treatment) were examined. Participants were 67 children (n = 49 boys, Mage = 9.6 years) with varying levels of CP and CU who participated in an intensive 8-week summer treatment program (STP) in which behavior therapy was delivered to children in recreational and classroom settings and to parents via weekly parent training sessions. Effects of treatment were measured using parent and teacher ratings of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), callous behavior, and impairment. Results showed that CU moderated treatment effects for CD and callous behavior but not ODD or impairment. The moderating effects showed some evidence that participants with high CP and high CU before treatment had better treatment responses (larger change between pre- and posttreatment) but worse treatment outcomes (lower likelihood of normalization after treatment). These results suggest that intensive treatment, such as the STP, may be necessary but not sufficient for children with CP and CU traits.
|
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|
An article of apparel having an improved collar and/or lapel structure is provided, as well as the method and patterns for making same. In making prior art garments a great deal of time has often been spent in raising all the seams around collar and lapel structures, and it has been necessary to employ plastic stays or the like to prevent collar and lapel tips from curling -- or if such stays are not practically utilizable in certain garments the lapel and collar tips have been subject to curling over extended usage. This is especially true of leather and suede leather coats and the like. Typical prior art structures are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 539,834, 1,177,688, 3,488,775, and 3,871,028, and in prior manufactured garments as will be described more fully hereinafter.
According to the present invention, an article of apparel is provided that is generally less expensive to manufacture than comparable prior art garments, requiring less time and labor to be spent in construction thereof, and eliminating the need for any accessory stays. According to the present invention, collar and lapel tips are prevented from curling and remain flat against the garment body portion by seams formed in the underside thereof, which seams do not show on the garment surface during normal usage thereof, however, effectively act to prevent curling. Such seams preferably are join seams, requiring a minimum amount of time and effort as compared to raised seams. Also, a lapel according to the present invention, being formed of a separate piece from the collar and body portion, may be join seamed to the body portion, providing a crease line for the lapel so that it lies flatter against the body portion of the garment.
According to a method of the present invention, a collar is formed from a pattern having a pair of angled side surfaces coming together at a point, the collar pattern is folded to form a double layer collar having a pair of tips each defined by a pair of edges, a base, an underside, and a top surface, and by forming a seam extending from each tip toward the base intermediate the edges defining the tip. The collar may then be attached to the body portion and lapel, with or without stands. Each lapel is formed from a pattern formed of a single sheet and having four adjacent angled side edges coming together in points, by folding the lapel pattern to form a double-layerd generally triangular portion having a top surface, underside, and a tip defined by two edges, and a single-layer terminal edge on the underside, and by forming a seam extending from the tip to the terminal edge intermediate the tip forming edges. The lapel is then attached to the article body portion with a join seam along the terminal edge and a terminal edge of the article body portion. A pair of yokes may be provided as the body portion sections having terminal edges thereon for connection to each lapel, and the collar, yoke, and lapel can be connected together, and the assembly thereof then connected to the rest of the garment.
Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an article of apparel having an improved collar and/or lapel construction, and improved methods and patterns for making of the apparel article. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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When I was a young pup, about 20 years ago, I wrote for a local queer magazine called Siren. It was there that I first came across stories of the so-called Westboro Baptist Church. At that time, they were protesting the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young man who was the victim of a vicious hate crime. Since I had grown up in a hate-filled church myself, it wasn’t hard to believe that a group espoused a doctrine this harsh. I took them at face value. Most people still do.
The time has come, though, to call them what they are. They are not a Baptist church. Let’s start there. They use the word Baptist, but not one single denomination that falls under the Baptist umbrella will support them. They are autonomous. They are not Baptists. As to being a church, let us examine that as well. The Hartford Institute estimates there are around 350,000 congregations in the United States. Legally claiming to be a church is a surprisingly easy task. By definition (as set forth by the IRS) they are a church. By our social definition, though, the title is not so clear.
Given no choice but to comply, the children were taken along to “protests” organized by the family. At these events, they were yelled at, mocked and physically assaulted, proving the family line that there was no safe place outside of the home. WBC is not so much a church as one of the most dazzling examples of Stockholm Syndrome ever created.
After Orlando’s tragic mass shooting, and as Pride approaches, we’re seeing a lot of news that talks about WBC’s planned bad behavior. But by calling them a Baptist Church, we are lending them the legitimacy of an organization that, while certainly on the hook for its own shortcomings, is not represented here.
As you report on them, share them in your feed or express your totally legitimate heartache that people like this still exist, remember: They are a very small group that no one wants to claim. They get together to hate and yell and pretend to be important. We get together to kiss and dance and celebrate love. Love wins. And One Abusive Family will not change that. Don’t give the OAFs space in your day, or in our national discourse.
There is a habit we, as a culture, have of reframing experiences via the male perspective. When a she-identified human is assaulted by a he-identified human, we are trained to ask about her past and his future. What did she do to deserve it? What will it take from him is he’s convicted? We’ve seen this played out vividly in the case of convicted rapist Brock Turner. I’ve never met the fellow, but thanks to the tone employed by some media coverage, I’m now aware of the scholarships he’s lost, the times of his most successful swims and how very, very hard it will be for him to enjoy his life after he was convicted of the crime he committed. His future is the window through which we were allowed to watch this story.
We have also been given the story of the two men who interrupted the assault and held convicted rapist Brock Turner until police arrived.
Despite the fact that, again, this means I’m seeing the story from the male perspective, I want to dwell on this for a bit.
When I was a child, I was sexually assaulted. For the most part, it was just the two of us in the room. But once.
Once someone walked in.
There was a moment. It was dark, my memory tells me. It was dark and maybe she didn’t see my nightgown up around my armpits. Maybe her brain hiccuped, swallowed the whole memory. Maybe there was shock. Shock can do that, right? Shock can make you delete the things that frighten you. I remember that she backed out of the room. She backed out and he left and it was never mentioned. It was dark. It was dark. Of course she didn’t see. She didn’t feel the fear radiating off me like heat from a fire. She didn’t ask why he was in my room late at night. It was dark.
Doing nothing is, like the male perspective, often our default. Anyone whose been on a bus when someone starts loudly and verbally attacking a stranger knows what I mean. We see heads drop. Earbuds go in. Books raised higher against the call to interfere. It’s a weird instinct, but it’s one our species clearly has.
So two men on bikes stopped and halted a crime in progress. A crime that, statistics tell us, isn’t treated like a crime. We wink it away. We rarely test rape kits. We rarely press charges. We rarely see convictions. It’s barely treated like a crime at all. But they stopped despite the overwhelming casual message that what was happening wasn’t a real crime.
There was a moment. It was in church. The head pastor – a man who had, once, in a sermon on forgiveness, talked about how he could imagine no worse crime than rape – told me that I needed to forgive the youth leader who had sexually harassed me while offering me a ride home from church. It was about forgiveness. He had repented and now it was on me to let it go. He didn’t feel the shame radiating off me like heat from a fire. He didn’t ask me what I wanted. It was about forgiveness.
So, you see, we are a bystander species. Doing nothing is our default. We strive for homeostasis and our norm is to close our eyes to sexual assault. I sometimes try to suss out why. I come up with a thousand explanations and reasons. In the end, I land back at: It happens because we let it. It happens because we back out of rooms, we offer forgiveness instead of justice, we mourn for the lost future of rapists.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
Q:
How to authenticate google APIs with different service account credentials?
As anyone who has ever had the misfortune of having to interact with the panoply of Google CLI binaries programmatically will have realised, authenticating with the likes of gcloud, gsutil, bq, etc. is far from intuitive or trivial, especially when you need to work across different projects.
I am running various cron jobs that interact with Google Cloud Storage and BigQuery for different projects. Since the cron jobs may overlap, renaming config files is clearly not an option, and nor would any sane person take that approach.
There must surely be some sort of method of passing a path to a service account's key pair file to these CLI binaries, but bq help yields nothing.
The Google documentation, while verbose, is largely useless, taking one on a tour of how OAuth2 works, etc, instead of explaining what must surely be a very common requirement, vis-a-vis, how to actually authenticate a service account without running commands that modify central config files.
Can any enlightened being tell me whether the engineers at Google decided to add a feature as simple as passing the path to a service account's key pair file to the likes of gsutil and bq? Or perhaps I could simply export some variable so they know which key pair file to use for authentication?
I realise these simplistic approaches may be an insult to the intelligence, but we aren't concerning ourselves with harnessing nuclear fusion, so we needn't even consider what Amazon got so right with their approach to authentication in comparison...
A:
Configuration in the Cloud SDK is global for the user, but you can specify what aspects of that config to use on a per command basis. To accomplish what you are trying to do you can:
gcloud auth activate-service-account foo@developer.gserviceaccount.com --key-file ...
gcloud auth activate-service-account bar@developer.gserviceaccount.com --key-file ...
At this point, both sets of credentials are in your global credentials store.
Now you can run:
gcloud --account foo@developer.gserviceaccount.com some-command
gcloud --account bar@developer.gserviceaccount.com some-command
in parallel, and each will use the given account without interfering.
A larger extension of this is 'configurations' which do the same thing, but for your entire set of config (including settings like account and project).
# Create first configuration
gcloud config configurations create myconfig
gcloud config configurations activate myconfig
gcloud config set account foo@developer.gserviceaccount.com
gcloud config set project foo
# Create second configuration
gcloud config configurations create anotherconfig
gcloud config configurations activate anotherconfig
gcloud config set account bar@developer.gserviceaccount.com
gcloud config set project bar
And you can say which configuration to use on a per command basis.
gcloud --configuration myconfig some-command
gcloud --configuration anotherconfig some-command
You can read more about configurations by running: gcloud topic configurations
All properties have corresponding environment variables that allow you to set that particular property for a single command invocation or for a terminal session. They take the form:
CLOUDSDK_<SECTION>_<PROPERTY>
for example: CLOUDSDK_CORE_ACCOUNT
You can see all the available config settings by running: gcloud help config
The equivalent of the --configuration flag is: CLOUDSDK_ACTIVE_CONFIG_NAME
If you really want complete isolation, you can also change the Cloud SDK's config directory by setting CLOUDSDK_CONFIG to a directory of your choosing. Note that if you do this, the config is completely separate including the credential store, all configurations, logs, etc.
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
Dornbusch Lighthouse
Dornbusch Lighthouse () refers to the lighthouse officially designated as Leuchtfeuer Dornbusch/Hiddensee ("Dornbusch/Hiddensee Beacon") in the north of the German island of Hiddensee in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on the Baltic Sea coast. Its international serial number is C 2588.
The lighthouse stands on the 72-metre-high Schluckswiek in the so-called Hochland ("highland") area of the island.
Access
Since 1994 the lighthouse, with its 102 steps, has been open to the public. So that it does not become too crowded at the top, only 15 visitors may be admitted at any one time. Visitors must be at least six years old. When wind speeds reach Force 6 or higher, the tower is closed for safety reasons.
Technical details
The lighthouse was built in 1887/1888 of brick construction. It was taken into service on 19 November 1888. It was modified from 1927 to 1929 and fitted with a reinforced-concrete shell. It is 28 metres high and has a focal height of 95 metres above mean sea level in the Baltic Sea. The observation gallery is located at a height of 20 metres. Its light has the following ranges: white 24.9 nautical miles (45 kilometres) and red 21.3 nautical miles (38 kilometres). Its characteristic is Flashing White Red, 2.4 seconds on, 7.6 seconds off. Its light source is a metal-halide lamp. The Stralsund Waterway and Shipping Office has responsible for the servicing and maintenance of the tower since 1990.
Postage stamps
The first postage stamp that depicted Dornbusch Lighthouse appeared on 13 May 1975 and was issued by the Deutsche Post (GDR). The stamp belong to the series "Lighthouses, beacons, sector and breakwater lights" (Leuchttürme, Leit- Leucht- und Molenfeuer). It was designed by Jochen Bertholdt.
On 2 July 2009, the Deutsche Post issued a special postage stamp with a picture of Dornbusch Lighthouse to the value of 55 eurocents in the series "Lighthouses" (Leuchttürme). The design was of the indicia was by Professor Johannes Graf from Dortmund.
See also
List of lighthouses in Germany
Gallery
References
External links
Dornbusch Lighthouse
Category:Lighthouses in Germany
Category:Buildings and structures in Vorpommern-Rügen
Category:Hiddensee
Category:Lighthouses completed in 1888
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{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
|
Share this:
As readers will know, my Facebook account was suspended for three days last week, because the censors determined that comments I made about racist Israeli rabbis were not “respectful.” I have posted a query to Monica Bickert, FB vice president for global standards asking why my anti-racist speech was determined to be disrespectful. She has not replied to my message. I also opened a case through Facebook’s Support unit asking why my account was suspended and who made this determination about what I posted. Neither has replied.
Today, I’m writing because the beleaguered folks at Facebook have committed another bit of face-palm censorship. They slapped a three-day suspension on the account of my friend, Prof. Muhammad Sahimi. His “crime?” He posted a Latuff cartoon from Mondoweiss which was a take-off on the infamous photograph of King Salman, Donald Trump and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi laying their hands on a shining globe. In the cartoon, Trump, Salman and Bibi Netanyahu gleefully fondle a glowing missile aimed at a map of Iran.
Sahimi is an engineering professor at USC. He is also a noted expert on Iranian politics who’s been quoted in the NY Times. He co-founded the PBS Iran media portal, Tehran Bureau. How the hell did FB catch him up in its net??
While I’m not a special fan of Latuff’s sledge-hammer style as a cartoonist, or Mondoweiss, I had to scratch my head to figure out what a Facebook reviewer might find offensive about the image. The only aspect I could figure might upset someone was the Star of David on Netanyahu’s tie. If I’m right (which I may or may not be), it might mean that Facebook has determined that the use of the Star of David is offensive when used in the context of criticizing Israel.
I suggest this as a possibility in the aftermath of the horror show that was the Artunes cartoon featuring Netanyahu as a dachshund with a Star of David around his neck, leading a blind Donald Trump with a yarmulke on his head. The benighted NY Times caved to right-wing pressure and ‘executed’ the cartoon and the cartoonist with dramatic public statements and even an editorial denouncing the image as anti-Semitic. Critics of the work of art determined falsely that the Star of David is a religious symbol and that use of it in the cartoon defamed Jews. In actuality, the Star of David is the national (not religious) symbol of the State of Israel. It was used in both cartoons to associate Netanyahu with Israel and not Judaism.
So has Facebook’s AI algorithm been tweaked to catch Jewish symbols that could conceivably be used in speech critical of Israel? I’ve just e-mailed Facebook’s press unit asking these questions. If I’m even partially right, this raises immense problems with the manner in which Facebook is policing speech on its platform.
Returning to my own suspension, might it be possible that the FB AI protocol found the term “rabbi” associated with “sick and twisted” and automatically determined this was anti-Semitic speech? If so, the most horrible aspect of this is that a computer algorithm appears to lack the linguistic ability to analyze the statement I made and its context. In other words, instead of a fine-tuned algorithm, they have code that is as refined as a sledge-hammer.
No one is happy these days with the job the company is doing. On both the right and left, users and politicians are up in arms regarding the heavy hand of censorship used in applying its so-called community standards. A brilliant essay by Facebook co-founder, Chris Hughes, calls for the break-up of the company into at least three separate units. He also calls for a federal agency which would monitor social media platforms both for competitive business practices and content. This would remove Mark Zuckerberg and his minions from the role of determining on our behalf what is good and bad speech.
As Hughes says, while it’s not entirely welcome to have government determine standards on these matters, at least government agencies are accountable to the people. Facebook and its executives are accountable to no one but Mark Zuckerberg and, to a much lesser extent, the stockholders.
I agree with Hughes’ proposals, which are also being advocated on the campaign trail by presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren. As Zuckerberg and his company come under increasing fire for their ham-handed approach to almost every major business decision they make, they’re running scared regarding content as well. That is why Prof. Sahimi and I were in Facebook Jail this week and last. The net Facebook is casting is oppressive, arbitrary and full of holes, which permit real racists and anti-Semites to slip through with ease.
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{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
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|
In many mechatronic systems, e.g. in automotive sensorics, there is a requirement to integrate printed circuit boards into a housing. Since the electronics have to interface via connectors or other sensoric interfaces with the system periphery, the printed circuit board has to be fixated in the surrounding housing in a defined position. For accomplishing this object, a multitude of solutions is available in the state of the art.
A possibility to establish disengageable connections is using threaded connections. The disadvantage of this process is that the housing then has to be provided with a thread. When using plastic housings, a threaded metal insert is therefore often integrated during the injection molding process in order to obtain a load bearing thread. Consequently, manufacturing a respective connection is very expensive.
Among the non disengageable connection techniques, e.g. encasing the printed circuit board in the housing or so-called hot caulking are being used. During hot caulking, a rod shaped component, briefly also called pin, is run through a hole in the printed circuit board, so that it rests on a shoulder. Subsequently, the pin protruding beyond the thickness of the printed circuit board is deformed under thermal energy, so that the pin forms a rivet head for form locked fixation of the printed circuit board. A respective process using ultrasound energy for generating the necessary heat is described in DE 4215041 C3 (Siemens AG). A similar process is disclosed in JP 62064528 A (Toyota Motor Corp.), in which radiation energy is used to achieve the plastic state of one of the joining partners. The hot caulking processes according to the state of the art, however, have the disadvantage that forming the rivet head is being performed through a contact tool. When using such processes for hot caulking of plastic housings or printed circuit boards, this bears the risk of material sticking to the shaping tool.
Besides mounting the printed circuit board in the housing, also the media tight closing of the housing is an important part of the value creation process of mechatronic systems. As a process which creates particularly high quality welded connections, laser through transmission welding is industrially established. In this process, two joining partners, which can be welded through melting, are being combined, one of which has a high degree of optical transmission for the wavelength of the welding laser that has been used, and however, the other joining partner strongly absorbs this wavelength. In an overlapping assembly of both joining partners, the welding radiation can transmit through the joining partner facing it and is subsequently absorbed at the contact surface of the two components. The absorbing joining partner is being heated until both joining partners are melted in their contact area through heat conduction. In order to facilitate heat conduction between the joining partners, these are loaded with a compressing force. Since the widely used plastic materials have low heat conductivity, the induced welding energy remains in the joining zone for a certain period of time, depending on how the process is performed, so that material, which is still soft, mostly from the absorbing joining partner can be displaced out of the joining plane under the influence of the compression force. Under continued application of a compression force, the joining partners thus can perform a relative motion towards each other, in order to compensate for possible gaps in the weld. A respective process is disclosed e.g. in DE 102004004985 A1 (Laserquipment AG). The process described therein, like other current processes for closing housings, does not provide for a possibility to mount the enclosed printed circuit board, so that separate precursory process steps are necessary, which is disadvantageous.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum
Romance to touch your heart and music to stir your soul... the result is always magic when the two come together. A story of a popular Rockstar and the scion of the biggest musical empire - Rahul Sabharwal and a humble aspiring singer from small town - Maanvi Chatterjee. But what happens when love and hate collide?
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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|
"""Sparse block 1-norm estimator.
"""
from __future__ import division, print_function, absolute_import
import numpy as np
from scipy.sparse.linalg import aslinearoperator
__all__ = ['onenormest']
def onenormest(A, t=2, itmax=5, compute_v=False, compute_w=False):
"""
Compute a lower bound of the 1-norm of a sparse matrix.
Parameters
----------
A : ndarray or other linear operator
A linear operator that can be transposed and that can
produce matrix products.
t : int, optional
A positive parameter controlling the tradeoff between
accuracy versus time and memory usage.
Larger values take longer and use more memory
but give more accurate output.
itmax : int, optional
Use at most this many iterations.
compute_v : bool, optional
Request a norm-maximizing linear operator input vector if True.
compute_w : bool, optional
Request a norm-maximizing linear operator output vector if True.
Returns
-------
est : float
An underestimate of the 1-norm of the sparse matrix.
v : ndarray, optional
The vector such that ||Av||_1 == est*||v||_1.
It can be thought of as an input to the linear operator
that gives an output with particularly large norm.
w : ndarray, optional
The vector Av which has relatively large 1-norm.
It can be thought of as an output of the linear operator
that is relatively large in norm compared to the input.
Notes
-----
This is algorithm 2.4 of [1].
In [2] it is described as follows.
"This algorithm typically requires the evaluation of
about 4t matrix-vector products and almost invariably
produces a norm estimate (which is, in fact, a lower
bound on the norm) correct to within a factor 3."
.. versionadded:: 0.13.0
References
----------
.. [1] Nicholas J. Higham and Francoise Tisseur (2000),
"A Block Algorithm for Matrix 1-Norm Estimation,
with an Application to 1-Norm Pseudospectra."
SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. Vol. 21, No. 4, pp. 1185-1201.
.. [2] Awad H. Al-Mohy and Nicholas J. Higham (2009),
"A new scaling and squaring algorithm for the matrix exponential."
SIAM J. Matrix Anal. Appl. Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 970-989.
Examples
--------
>>> from scipy.sparse import csc_matrix
>>> from scipy.sparse.linalg import onenormest
>>> A = csc_matrix([[1., 0., 0.], [5., 8., 2.], [0., -1., 0.]], dtype=float)
>>> A.todense()
matrix([[ 1., 0., 0.],
[ 5., 8., 2.],
[ 0., -1., 0.]])
>>> onenormest(A)
9.0
>>> np.linalg.norm(A.todense(), ord=1)
9.0
"""
# Check the input.
A = aslinearoperator(A)
if A.shape[0] != A.shape[1]:
raise ValueError('expected the operator to act like a square matrix')
# If the operator size is small compared to t,
# then it is easier to compute the exact norm.
# Otherwise estimate the norm.
n = A.shape[1]
if t >= n:
A_explicit = np.asarray(aslinearoperator(A).matmat(np.identity(n)))
if A_explicit.shape != (n, n):
raise Exception('internal error: ',
'unexpected shape ' + str(A_explicit.shape))
col_abs_sums = abs(A_explicit).sum(axis=0)
if col_abs_sums.shape != (n, ):
raise Exception('internal error: ',
'unexpected shape ' + str(col_abs_sums.shape))
argmax_j = np.argmax(col_abs_sums)
v = elementary_vector(n, argmax_j)
w = A_explicit[:, argmax_j]
est = col_abs_sums[argmax_j]
else:
est, v, w, nmults, nresamples = _onenormest_core(A, A.H, t, itmax)
# Report the norm estimate along with some certificates of the estimate.
if compute_v or compute_w:
result = (est,)
if compute_v:
result += (v,)
if compute_w:
result += (w,)
return result
else:
return est
def _blocked_elementwise(func):
"""
Decorator for an elementwise function, to apply it blockwise along
first dimension, to avoid excessive memory usage in temporaries.
"""
block_size = 2**20
def wrapper(x):
if x.shape[0] < block_size:
return func(x)
else:
y0 = func(x[:block_size])
y = np.zeros((x.shape[0],) + y0.shape[1:], dtype=y0.dtype)
y[:block_size] = y0
del y0
for j in range(block_size, x.shape[0], block_size):
y[j:j+block_size] = func(x[j:j+block_size])
return y
return wrapper
@_blocked_elementwise
def sign_round_up(X):
"""
This should do the right thing for both real and complex matrices.
From Higham and Tisseur:
"Everything in this section remains valid for complex matrices
provided that sign(A) is redefined as the matrix (aij / |aij|)
(and sign(0) = 1) transposes are replaced by conjugate transposes."
"""
Y = X.copy()
Y[Y == 0] = 1
Y /= np.abs(Y)
return Y
@_blocked_elementwise
def _max_abs_axis1(X):
return np.max(np.abs(X), axis=1)
def _sum_abs_axis0(X):
block_size = 2**20
r = None
for j in range(0, X.shape[0], block_size):
y = np.sum(np.abs(X[j:j+block_size]), axis=0)
if r is None:
r = y
else:
r += y
return r
def elementary_vector(n, i):
v = np.zeros(n, dtype=float)
v[i] = 1
return v
def vectors_are_parallel(v, w):
# Columns are considered parallel when they are equal or negative.
# Entries are required to be in {-1, 1},
# which guarantees that the magnitudes of the vectors are identical.
if v.ndim != 1 or v.shape != w.shape:
raise ValueError('expected conformant vectors with entries in {-1,1}')
n = v.shape[0]
return np.dot(v, w) == n
def every_col_of_X_is_parallel_to_a_col_of_Y(X, Y):
for v in X.T:
if not any(vectors_are_parallel(v, w) for w in Y.T):
return False
return True
def column_needs_resampling(i, X, Y=None):
# column i of X needs resampling if either
# it is parallel to a previous column of X or
# it is parallel to a column of Y
n, t = X.shape
v = X[:, i]
if any(vectors_are_parallel(v, X[:, j]) for j in range(i)):
return True
if Y is not None:
if any(vectors_are_parallel(v, w) for w in Y.T):
return True
return False
def resample_column(i, X):
X[:, i] = np.random.randint(0, 2, size=X.shape[0])*2 - 1
def less_than_or_close(a, b):
return np.allclose(a, b) or (a < b)
def _algorithm_2_2(A, AT, t):
"""
This is Algorithm 2.2.
Parameters
----------
A : ndarray or other linear operator
A linear operator that can produce matrix products.
AT : ndarray or other linear operator
The transpose of A.
t : int, optional
A positive parameter controlling the tradeoff between
accuracy versus time and memory usage.
Returns
-------
g : sequence
A non-negative decreasing vector
such that g[j] is a lower bound for the 1-norm
of the column of A of jth largest 1-norm.
The first entry of this vector is therefore a lower bound
on the 1-norm of the linear operator A.
This sequence has length t.
ind : sequence
The ith entry of ind is the index of the column A whose 1-norm
is given by g[i].
This sequence of indices has length t, and its entries are
chosen from range(n), possibly with repetition,
where n is the order of the operator A.
Notes
-----
This algorithm is mainly for testing.
It uses the 'ind' array in a way that is similar to
its usage in algorithm 2.4. This algorithm 2.2 may be easier to test,
so it gives a chance of uncovering bugs related to indexing
which could have propagated less noticeably to algorithm 2.4.
"""
A_linear_operator = aslinearoperator(A)
AT_linear_operator = aslinearoperator(AT)
n = A_linear_operator.shape[0]
# Initialize the X block with columns of unit 1-norm.
X = np.ones((n, t))
if t > 1:
X[:, 1:] = np.random.randint(0, 2, size=(n, t-1))*2 - 1
X /= float(n)
# Iteratively improve the lower bounds.
# Track extra things, to assert invariants for debugging.
g_prev = None
h_prev = None
k = 1
ind = range(t)
while True:
Y = np.asarray(A_linear_operator.matmat(X))
g = _sum_abs_axis0(Y)
best_j = np.argmax(g)
g.sort()
g = g[::-1]
S = sign_round_up(Y)
Z = np.asarray(AT_linear_operator.matmat(S))
h = _max_abs_axis1(Z)
# If this algorithm runs for fewer than two iterations,
# then its return values do not have the properties indicated
# in the description of the algorithm.
# In particular, the entries of g are not 1-norms of any
# column of A until the second iteration.
# Therefore we will require the algorithm to run for at least
# two iterations, even though this requirement is not stated
# in the description of the algorithm.
if k >= 2:
if less_than_or_close(max(h), np.dot(Z[:, best_j], X[:, best_j])):
break
ind = np.argsort(h)[::-1][:t]
h = h[ind]
for j in range(t):
X[:, j] = elementary_vector(n, ind[j])
# Check invariant (2.2).
if k >= 2:
if not less_than_or_close(g_prev[0], h_prev[0]):
raise Exception('invariant (2.2) is violated')
if not less_than_or_close(h_prev[0], g[0]):
raise Exception('invariant (2.2) is violated')
# Check invariant (2.3).
if k >= 3:
for j in range(t):
if not less_than_or_close(g[j], g_prev[j]):
raise Exception('invariant (2.3) is violated')
# Update for the next iteration.
g_prev = g
h_prev = h
k += 1
# Return the lower bounds and the corresponding column indices.
return g, ind
def _onenormest_core(A, AT, t, itmax):
"""
Compute a lower bound of the 1-norm of a sparse matrix.
Parameters
----------
A : ndarray or other linear operator
A linear operator that can produce matrix products.
AT : ndarray or other linear operator
The transpose of A.
t : int, optional
A positive parameter controlling the tradeoff between
accuracy versus time and memory usage.
itmax : int, optional
Use at most this many iterations.
Returns
-------
est : float
An underestimate of the 1-norm of the sparse matrix.
v : ndarray, optional
The vector such that ||Av||_1 == est*||v||_1.
It can be thought of as an input to the linear operator
that gives an output with particularly large norm.
w : ndarray, optional
The vector Av which has relatively large 1-norm.
It can be thought of as an output of the linear operator
that is relatively large in norm compared to the input.
nmults : int, optional
The number of matrix products that were computed.
nresamples : int, optional
The number of times a parallel column was observed,
necessitating a re-randomization of the column.
Notes
-----
This is algorithm 2.4.
"""
# This function is a more or less direct translation
# of Algorithm 2.4 from the Higham and Tisseur (2000) paper.
A_linear_operator = aslinearoperator(A)
AT_linear_operator = aslinearoperator(AT)
if itmax < 2:
raise ValueError('at least two iterations are required')
if t < 1:
raise ValueError('at least one column is required')
n = A.shape[0]
if t >= n:
raise ValueError('t should be smaller than the order of A')
# Track the number of big*small matrix multiplications
# and the number of resamplings.
nmults = 0
nresamples = 0
# "We now explain our choice of starting matrix. We take the first
# column of X to be the vector of 1s [...] This has the advantage that
# for a matrix with nonnegative elements the algorithm converges
# with an exact estimate on the second iteration, and such matrices
# arise in applications [...]"
X = np.ones((n, t), dtype=float)
# "The remaining columns are chosen as rand{-1,1},
# with a check for and correction of parallel columns,
# exactly as for S in the body of the algorithm."
if t > 1:
for i in range(1, t):
# These are technically initial samples, not resamples,
# so the resampling count is not incremented.
resample_column(i, X)
for i in range(t):
while column_needs_resampling(i, X):
resample_column(i, X)
nresamples += 1
# "Choose starting matrix X with columns of unit 1-norm."
X /= float(n)
# "indices of used unit vectors e_j"
ind_hist = np.zeros(0, dtype=np.intp)
est_old = 0
S = np.zeros((n, t), dtype=float)
k = 1
ind = None
while True:
Y = np.asarray(A_linear_operator.matmat(X))
nmults += 1
mags = _sum_abs_axis0(Y)
est = np.max(mags)
best_j = np.argmax(mags)
if est > est_old or k == 2:
if k >= 2:
ind_best = ind[best_j]
w = Y[:, best_j]
# (1)
if k >= 2 and est <= est_old:
est = est_old
break
est_old = est
S_old = S
if k > itmax:
break
S = sign_round_up(Y)
del Y
# (2)
if every_col_of_X_is_parallel_to_a_col_of_Y(S, S_old):
break
if t > 1:
# "Ensure that no column of S is parallel to another column of S
# or to a column of S_old by replacing columns of S by rand{-1,1}."
for i in range(t):
while column_needs_resampling(i, S, S_old):
resample_column(i, S)
nresamples += 1
del S_old
# (3)
Z = np.asarray(AT_linear_operator.matmat(S))
nmults += 1
h = _max_abs_axis1(Z)
del Z
# (4)
if k >= 2 and max(h) == h[ind_best]:
break
# "Sort h so that h_first >= ... >= h_last
# and re-order ind correspondingly."
#
# Later on, we will need at most t+len(ind_hist) largest
# entries, so drop the rest
ind = np.argsort(h)[::-1][:t+len(ind_hist)].copy()
del h
if t > 1:
# (5)
# Break if the most promising t vectors have been visited already.
if np.in1d(ind[:t], ind_hist).all():
break
# Put the most promising unvisited vectors at the front of the list
# and put the visited vectors at the end of the list.
# Preserve the order of the indices induced by the ordering of h.
seen = np.in1d(ind, ind_hist)
ind = np.concatenate((ind[~seen], ind[seen]))
for j in range(t):
X[:, j] = elementary_vector(n, ind[j])
new_ind = ind[:t][~np.in1d(ind[:t], ind_hist)]
ind_hist = np.concatenate((ind_hist, new_ind))
k += 1
v = elementary_vector(n, ind_best)
return est, v, w, nmults, nresamples
|
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"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
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Hindustan Times via Getty Images
NEW DELHI — In August 2013, as Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) laid the groundwork for his wildly successful run for Prime Minister in the 2014 Indian election, his campaign research advisor Prashant Kishor suggested they start a women’s empowerment NGO as part of a discreet voter outreach programme. For Modi, Kishor’s job was to use voter data and poll research to professionalise the BJP’s ground game and its online presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. The NGO would have no visible connection to Modi, Kishor or the BJP, according to two people with firsthand knowledge of the matter, and would work with acid-attack survivors as a precursor to building a network of influential supporters who could be translated into votes as the Lok Sabha elections drew close. On 10 August 2013, the Sarvani Foundation — another name for the Hindu goddess Durga, venerated by Modi — was registered in Ahmedabad with a former Jet airways flight attendant and former sales support specialist for Adobe listed as its owners. One owner was the wife, and the other was the sister of a graphic designer in Kishor’s employ. The foundation never got going; Modi won the summer of 2014 elections, Amit Shah was named party president soon after, and Kishor and the BJP parted ways soon. The Sarvani Foundation went dormant for three years, company records show, only to be revived soon after the BJP suffered a shock defeat in the Bihar state elections. SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY BRIEF FROM HUFFPOST INDIA Get our top news delivered to your inbox every morning, Monday to Friday. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. Privacy Policy Newsletter Please enter a valid email address Thank you for signing up! You should receive an email to confirm your subscription shortly. There was a problem processing your signup; please try again later Facebook
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Flipboard CLOSE The Sarvani Foundation — now renamed the Association of Billion Minds — tasked Dipak Patel, a discreet Gujarati businessman, and Himanshu Singh, a 31-year-old former McKinsey consultant, with assembling a cohort of IIT engineers, consultants, lawyers and young professionals, to become BJP party president Shah’s personal election consulting unit.
Since then, the Association of Billion Minds or ABM, is a big reason why most of Modi’s tenure has felt like one eternal election campaign. India’s ruling party has tasked this secretive quorum of nerds with running sophisticated misinformation campaigns to spread fake news and false claims on social media and WhatsApp and in staged conversations in public gatherings. ABM’s campaigns — which are often communal and divisive — are ramped up on the eve of critical elections and throttled down in the interludes between polls, even as the BJP has maintained a public distance from the firm. In March 2018, Amit Malviya, the head of BJP IT Cell, was asked if the BJP worked with ABM, at an India Today event. “I don’t know who ABM is,” Malviya said at the time. Meanwhile, ABM’s team of at least 161 full-time employees in 12 regional offices across India provides the BJP with feedback on its key political moves, helps shortlist candidates for vital elections, and manages a phalanx of paid field workers who introduce themselves to party cadre as “Amit Shah’s team”. The group conceives, designs, executes and memeifies many of the party’s campaigns — including “Main bhi Chowkidar”, “Nation with NaMo”, and “Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat” — and makes them viral across a network of Facebook pages with millions of followers. Nation with NaMo and Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat are co-ordinated online and offline campaigns in which speeches, rallies and public events in the physical world are quickly turned into digital content for online platforms. The pages are designed to look like Modi fan pages, rather than the work of ABM or the BJP. This isn’t unique to the BJP, but the ruling party is simply better funded and better organised than the opposition. Two ABM-managed pages are the top two biggest spenders on Facebook, a fact disclosed once the social network rolled out its advertiser transparency campaign in February 2019. Yet, ABM’s covert online presence shows how Facebook’s transparency campaign is easily subverted. HuffPost India analysed hundreds of pages of company records, election expenditure statements and website registries, and interviewed 20 people, including former and serving ABM employees, former associates of the company’s founders, and on-ground staff, to illustrate how India’s cash-rich ruling party has married Silicon Valley tech platforms with a deep pool of paid workers and unpaid party cadres to assemble a formidable election machine. The machine has many moving parts but a single purpose: to bombard India’s 900 million voters with a relentless stream of real and fake information to ensure all attention is always focused on one man—Narendra Modi. To this end, ABM plays a role in every aspect of the BJP’s election planning. The firm compiles detailed dossiers on potential candidates from each constituency, prepares poll booth-level political intelligence reports, plots out routes for teams canvassing for votes, runs polling day war-rooms, and designs and manages online propaganda campaigns. ABM isn’t even the only such firm employed by the BJP, but it is the most secretive and has the deepest relationship with Shah, the party president. Yet, India’s toothless election funding laws have allowed parties like the BJP to keep their financial relationship to entities that are canvassing on their behalf, like ABM, under wraps. Under current laws, the BJP does not have to disclose how much money it pays ABM.
Nation With NaMo A Nation With NaMo job advertisement
“I would characterise the use of consultancies by any political party as an act of subterfuge, but it cannot be termed illegal,” said Jagdeep Chhokar of the Association of Democratic Reforms, an election watchdog group. “It is immoral but not illegal.” Sahana Udupa, who teaches digital politics at the University of Munich, said using data analytics companies for political campaigning “has caused devastating effects across the world.” “The collusion between data surveillance capital and political power is deeply damaging for democracy, since voters’ behavioral patterns are traced, plotted, predicted and played upon in surreptitious and covert ways,” Udupa said. “A voter can recognize a roadside billboard coming from a political party, and trace an advertisement in newspapers and television to their sponsors,” she said. “But the silent work of algorithms and analytics is hard to recognize without sustained investigative exposés. They largely go unaccounted.” All of HuffPost India’s ABM sources requested anonymity, citing non-disclosure agreements that forbid them from discussing their work with the company. HuffPost India emailed a list of questions to ABM, and senior BJP functionaries and party spokespersons. We will update this copy when they reply. Fake News Factory In May 2018, when the Karnataka state elections were in full swing, fact-checking website BOOM Live identified a number of websites posing as news outlets. The sites, which had names like Express Bangalore, Bangalore Herald, Bengaluru Mirror and Bengaluru Times, “peddled political propaganda” and posted “inflammatory content” directed at non-BJP parties. The Bangalore Herald websitepublished multiple articles with fake survey results that were attributed to fictitious polling agencies, predicting a massive victory for the BJP.
A screenshot of a fake Bharat Positive post claiming that Modi's opponents stole money donated to the family of a young girl who was raped and murdered in Kashmir.
The BJP lost the elections, and these websites vanished immediately after the polls. Bangalore Herald, BOOM Live found, was redirecting to Bharatpositive.in, a website and Facebook page with close to 1 million followers that consistently publishes pro-BJP content and fake news directed at the ruling party’s opponents. In November 2018, for instance, Bharat Positive published a Facebook post claiming that money donated to the family of an eight-year-old Muslim girl, who was brutally gang-raped and murdered, had been stolen by Shehla Rashid — a vocal opponent of Prime Minister Modi. The claim was patently false. HuffPost India used website registry records and interviewed one current and one former ABM employee to establish that Bharatpositive.in, and its Facebook page, are managed by ABM. Bharat Positive was set up in August 2017 by Nikhil Mehra, who was an ABM employee at the time, according to publicly available company records. A month before the Karnataka elections, the page’s ownership in the registry was updated and transferred to an ABM administrator account with the email webprops@abmindia.org and the phone number of Mukul Jindal, a software engineer and a former ABM employee. A day after the BOOM Live story was published, the registry was changed again to conceal the digital trail leading back to ABM. HuffPost India used a service offered by DomainTools, a cyber-forensics firm, to retrace how Bharatpositive.in changed hands. Mehra and Jindal denied any connection with the website when HuffPost India contacted them.
That’s not all. The consultancy registered at least two more websites with addresses intended to look like legitimate newspaper sites. Website registry records show that bangaloreherald.in and bengalurumirror.in are also owned by ABM. Bharat Positive apart, ABM runs at least seven other popular pages for the BJP: Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat (300k likes), Nation With NaMo (1.1 million likes), Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar (2.7 million likes), Mahathugbandhan (480k likes), India Unravelled (152k likes), My First Vote For Modi (74k likes) and Modi11, a new page launched last week. This cluster of Facebook pages act as BJP mouthpieces, but allow the party to formally distance itself from the false information propagated by these pages. Nation With NaMo, the anchor for many of ABM’s online activities, has posted at least four heavily edited videos that misrepresent opposition leader and Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s statements on the tragic killing of at least 40 Indian troopers in Pulwama, Kashmir, on 14 February, and on loan waivers to indebted farmers. While the misleading clip on Pulwama garnered over 21,000 likes and 13,000 shares, the false video on loan waivers was shared over 67,000 times. Posts on ABM-managed sites, a current employee told HuffPost India, are optimised for virality. “The more outrageous a post the better,” the ABM employee said. “This is why they spread poison on Facebook.”
http://whois.domaintools.com/ Web registry showing that Bharat Positive is registered to an ABM administered domain.
The playbook is simple. “Nobody cares whether the content is true or not. Just put one line out of context,” the employee continued. “It may be true, it may not be true. Doesn’t matter. It’s all about getting your content shared.” ABM’s Network of Pro-BJP Sites on Social Media ABM-managed Facebook pages go to great lengths to conceal their connections to India’s ruling party. In December 2018, Facebook said all accounts that place political advertisements must display a verified postal address and a valid phone number as part of the company’s election transparency initiatives. For three ABM-managed Facebook pages — Nation With NaMo, Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat and My First Vote For Modi — the only indication of their connection to the BJP is their listed postal address, which maps to the BJP headquarters in Delhi. Phir Ek Baar Modi Sarkar, MahaThugBandhan and Modi11 declare addresses that do not show any connection with the party or ABM. None of the phone numbers provided by the six pages can be reached, but current and former ABM employees confirmed that ABM manages these pages. These sites create the appearance of a vibrant online community of independent Modi supporters that are, in reality, a team of ABM employees paid to put up post after post about the many virtues of the Indian Prime Minister. This dissimulation — incorrect contact details, out-of-service phone numbers — appear to go against Facebook’s political advertisement transparency initiatives. Facebook has said the new rules are meant to give “people more information about who’s responsible for the ads they see”. As part of the initiative, Facebook requires mandatory verification of physical postal addresses provided by political advertisers on its site — it doesn’t always work. When a HuffPost India reporter registered himself as a political advertiser, Facebook’s third party verifier OnGrid simply texted the reporter saying he was verified. “If someone calls you,” OnGrid’s verifier texted. “Just say you were verified in person. Otherwise your Id may be blocked.” Earlier this week, Facebook removed hundreds of pages and accounts for “coordinated inauthentic behavior” that were run by supporters of both the BJP and the Congress. “Facebook’s recent takedown of accounts from India was related to the behavior of the accounts than the content posted,” said Kanishk Karan, a research associate at the Digital Forensic Research Lab, Atlantic Council, Facebook’s research partner in combating election-related propaganda. Misrepresentation is a violation of the platform’s policies, Karan explained, just like posting false information is a violation of the usage of the company’s services.
The pages running political advertisements should be transparent in their page descriptions, Karan added. “If the funding for pages is for online political campaigns, then the page should be explicit with party or organization affiliations in their page information section that is visible to followers,” he said. “Community standards on platforms require users to be explicit when it comes to authenticity and representation.” ABM-run properties do not appear to follow these standards. HuffPost India has shared its findings about ABM’s network with Facebook. “We believe our efforts to bring greater authenticity and transparency to ads on Facebook have helped better protect elections,” said Katie Harbath, Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Global Elections, in an emailed response. “There will always be bad actors that will try to game our systems but we’re committed to continuing to strengthen our safeguards and making it harder.It’s important that we keep taking these steps to protect people. Our investigations into this type of activity are ongoing and we will take actions against any Pages or accounts that are found to violate our policies.” Toothless Campaign Finance Laws The Association of Billion Minds has been intimately involved in the BJP’s state election plans since the Uttar Pradesh state elections in March 2017, yet the company finds no mention in the party’s campaign expenditure statements filed before the Election Commission of India. Company annual reports filed with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs offer the barest of details on the company’s financial workings. In financial year 2016-17, when ABM ran its first campaign for the BJP, it posted a revenue of Rs 16.9 crore — nearly half of which went in paying salaries, buying laptops and mobile phones; travel and hotel bills accounted for the rest. In 2017-18, revenue rose to Rs 23.5 crore with salary costs rising sharply as more employees came on board. These numbers may seem low, but given ABM’s role as a consultant, the company does not pay for election-related costs directly off its balance sheet. For example, ABM worked with MangoData, which describes itself as “India’s First AI based adtech company”, to place political ads on Facebook, according to acurrent employee. The BJP’s expenditure statement for the Karnataka elections record a payment of Rs 16,83,622 to MangoData’s legal holding entity Crescent Data Technologies Pvt Ltd. To be sure, routing payments in this manner is not illegal. Several international firms help companies in diverse sectors (including the media) optimise their Facebook spend. But Chhokar, from the election watchdog ADR, said such arrangements made it hard to establish exactly how much political parties and candidates spend on running for office. “We have not been able to regulate physical stuff like paid news,” Chhokar said. “Social media is not traceable and so it is extremely hard to regulate.” The tiny amounts of traceable money highlight just how opaque election expenditure in India really is. The Election Commission’s Transparency Guidelines of 2014 require political parties to submit a “true and correct statement of their election expenses.” But there is no prescribed format for reporting these expenses, no legal consequences for not doing so, and no verification mechanism to ensure these expenses tally up. MangoData did not respond to a request for comment.
Election Commission Of India The BJP's submission to the Election Commission of India showing a payment to MangoData's parent company, Crescent Data Technologies Pvt Ltd.
From CAG To Nation With NaMo The page history of the Nation with NaMo Facebook page offers a short history of ABM and political consulting in India. The Nation With NaMo page was originally called Indiacag when it was set up on June 11, 2013. A week later, the page was re-named Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG). Back then, CAGwas Modi’s campaign manager Prashant Kishor’s brainchild to first covertly, and then openly, recruit young professionals to help Modi become Prime Minister. In 2013, the BJP was among the first Indian political parties to adopt modern campaigning techniques like data-driven decision making, covert advertising and using paid professionals, rather than volunteer party workers, to manage campaigns. Kishor first gained attention for his work on Modi’s 2012 campaign to be re-elected as Gujarat Chief Minister. At the time Modi tasked a Gujarati businessman named Dipak Patel to assist Kishor, according to two people close to Patel. “He provided logistical and material support — cars, drivers, places to stay, things like that,” said one of the two sources. Patel was also part of Kishor’s plan to set up the Sarvani foundation — the organisation that would eventually become ABM — to attract women voters. “The idea was to do genuinely good work for women, and then see where it takes us,” said the same source, explaining the rationale behind Sarvani. CAG dissolved in 2014 after Modi won the general election. Four former CAG workers told HuffPost India that Modi and party president Amit Shah sidelined Kishor as they felt he was taking too much credit for BJP’s electoral success. When Kishor decided to work with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) for the Bihar state election in 2015, the press took notice. “Nitish has got hold of Modi’s brahmastra of the 2014 campaign and is trying to use it against Modi himself,” political analyst Prof. Nawal Kishor Chaudhary told Telegraph journalist Sankarshan Thakur in a 2015 piece titled Modi’s Ace versus Modi’s ex-Mace. The BJP lost, Nitish won, and Kishor’s legend was further burnished. “That was the intent for us,” said a former CAG worker who now works at Indian Political Action Committee, Kishor’s new consultancy. “In 2014, everyone said Modi would have won anyway, what did you guys do?” After the elections, three people with first-hand knowledge of the matter told HuffPost India, Amit Shah reached out to Patel, the businessman once tasked with assisting Kishor, and asked him to tap his contacts and put together a political consultancy to work exclusively for the BJP. The new entity would be housed in the now-defunct Sarvani Foundation. On February 10, 2016, company records show, the Sarvani Foundation applied to Gujarat’s registrar of companies to change its name. “Citizens for Hope and Change”, “Citizens Clinic for Change Association”, “Foundation for Belief Optimism Courage Conviction Action”, “Association of Citizens Ready for India’s Acceleration and Empowerment” were some of the names suggested in the application. On May 24, 2016, the company registrar signed off on “Association of Billion Minds”. The owners of the company are Reshma Alkesh Rochwani, and Bhavna Sanjay Chhabaria — the wife and sister, respectively, of Alkesh Rochwani, Kishor’s graphic designer who soon joined ABM. Rochwani and his sister Bhavna (whose Facebook profile lists her as a former Jet Airways flight attendant) also work for Shatayu—an organ-donation NGO supported by the Govindbhai C. Patel Foundation which, in turn, is supported by Ganesh Housing Corporation Limited, Dipak Patel’s family business. Dipak Patel, according to Shatayu publicity material, was moved to support organ donation after he received a successful heart transplant. Patel asked Himanshu Singh, a young aerospace engineer from IIT Kanpur who had quit his job at McKinsey to work for the Modi campaign as part of CAG in 2014, and Sunil Kanugolu, another CAG alumnus, to run the new firm. Kanugolu and Singh left CAG after Modi’s victory in 2014 following differences with Kishor. Singh went on to launch Flont, a fashion rental startup, and Kanugolu managed M.K. Stalin’s failed bid to unseat Jayalalithaa in the 2016 Tamil Nadu elections.
Many ABM employees were legacy CAG so they had access to the Citizens for Accountable Governance Facebook page. The new organisation quickly changed the passwords and took over the page and its 1.5 million followers. On January 10, 2018, as the Modi government entered the last stretch of its tenure, the page was renamed Citizens for Modi Government, then Nation with Modi on February 2, 2018, and then finally Nation with NaMo on February 14, 2018. Alkesh Rochwani and Chhabaria refused to comment on ABM when HuffPost India spoke to them on the phone. Singh and Patel did not reply to an emailed questionnaire. Kanugolu could not be reached for a comment. Amit Shah’s Personal Team ABM’s management was determined to avoid Kishor’s publicity-driven style of consulting. Unlike Kishor, the new entity would work exclusively for the BJP, would avoid the media at all costs and would never ever try to claim credit for the BJP, Shah, or Modi’s successes. Instead, the organisation sought to position itself as an extremely low-profile in-house sounding board with a licence to speak truth to Amit Shah. Rather than rely on local party cadres and leaders who would, most likely, have their favourites and biases, Shah wanted ABM to work at a remove from the party bureaucracy and be objective in assessing the party’s preparedness for critical polls. For their first campaign in the Uttar Pradesh elections of 2017 ABM tested many of the strategies that have now become part of their 2019 tool kit. “We were known as ‘Amit Shah’s team’,” said a former ABM employee, describing his experience of working on the Uttar Pradesh campaign. “In the first two months, we gathered ground intelligence and information. ABM conducted surveys to understand the sentiment around the BJP, various political leaders and figure out winnability of potential candidates.” ABM used historical election data to find polling booths that may swing the election; and suggested the names of the candidates the party should poach from their rivals. In each constituency, ABM conducted extensive ground interviews to understand voter sentiment and identify local influencers. All this surveying resulted in the preparation of detailed dossiers recommending likely candidates. ABM has since quantified the process by creating a points-based scorecard to evaluate each candidate. A current ABM employee explained how this data could be put to use. “The report must be actionable. We use a consultancy framework,” he said. “Say, in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, we consolidated the non-Jatav Dalit vote, and the non-Yadav OBC vote behind the BJP. Now, as voting day 2019 draws closer, how do we ensure these groups don’t desert us?” Once a question is framed in this manner for a particular constituency, the reports are intended to help the party leadership solve that problem. Selecting the right candidate for a particular constituency is any campaign’s hardest problem, so two former and one current ABM employees were careful to note that ABM only passes on inputs and suggestions to the party. ABM also started the Nation With NaMo campaign — which is now garnering much national attention — in the Uttar Pradesh elections in 2017. At the time, the campaign was advertised on an IIT Kanpur Facebook page as a “community organising initiative by a group of young professionals from varied backgrounds”, rather than an initiative paid for by the BJP. “In a meeting with Amit Shah, when the idea of Nation With NaMo was presented, he clearly stated that the programme should refrain from publicly associating with the BJP,” said a former ABM employee with direct knowledge of the matter.
|
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Critics drudge up vocabulary to describe The Last of Us that's rarely used in game criticism: "emotionally grueling," "I wanted to fight for them." Beyond just being a thoughtfully told story in a video game, The Last of Us takes a bold step in largely skipping combat. Most encounters can be outright ignored, traded for tension while the game's two main characters (Joel and Ellie) slip past "infected" or, worse, the terrible other human beings in the post-apocalyptic future. The Last of Us is the rare triple-A game that dares to be emotionally engaging and eschew violence as the only form of gameplay.
"We were unsure if people would get into it or not," Druckmann told us in an interview last week. We'd asked about the cinematic moments -- the giraffe scene, that gut-wrenching ending -- and why Naughty Dog had bothered with so many combat scenarios in such a story-focused, risky game. "We were pleasantly surprised to see that people are very much into it."
In fact, the criticism heard most loudly by the TLOU team specifically focused on combat: too much, too often, and too arduous. "For ourselves, compared to previous games we've made, this has way fewer encounters, and those encounters you fight way fewer enemies," Druckmann said. That reticence to move away from combat isn't unique to Naughty Dog, though -- the majority of so-called "triple-A" games feature combat as the primary interaction (last year's holiday hits, for instance: Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Battlefield, etc.).
The Last of Us -- though bold in many ways -- still featured combat as the primary interaction. Rather than focusing on combat as a means to achieve objectives, it was more a necessary evil to lead the game's fragile protagonist duo to safety. "A lot of developers, not just triple-A, but a lot of developers do use combat as a crutch," Straley told us. He defended its use in TLOU, however, as a vehicle for contrast against the game's emotionally resonant moments. "The contrast for us is more about trying to balance the two so that you have both ends of the spectrum, because you have to have the dark to have the light."
Would The Last of Us work without combat? Perhaps, Druckmann said, but it'd have to tell a different story. "Say you wanted to tell a story about an archaeologist that doesn't involve Nazis. As soon as you have conflict, where someone's taking out the guns trying to kill you, then as people you would rise to that conflict," he said, in reference to Indiana Jones. He argued that we accept the fantasy of that world (and the murderous protagonist who comes with it), and the same happens in games: Nathan Drake is acceptable in Uncharted because he's built into a world where Nathan Drake makes sense.
Given the response to TLOU from players and critics alike, Druckmann and Straley explored the possibility of throwing away combat altogether in the game's final playable addition: a side story prequel featuring Ellie and a new character, titled "Left Behind" (available this week). In the end, they decided against that, though the Left Behind addition features even less combat than the main game. Druckmann explained:
"What if there were no infected in this game? What if there was no combat at all in this additional chapter? And we feel like we would lose something that's really integral to The Last of Us, which is that contrast. The giraffe sequence works because of all the horrible things you've done and experienced in the Winter section. Otherwise I think the giraffe sequence would feel pretty flat without the surrounding bits to it. The ending works well because, as Joel, you've done really horrible things in that hospital. Maybe we could argue about the number of encounters, or how many enemies should've been in the hospital, but we definitely feel strong that there should've been a fight, a kind of murdering spree to get to Ellie, because that says something about Joel and what he would do to save someone he loves. Because ultimately that's what those arcs of the character were: how far they were willing to go to save someone they really care for."
Though TLOU is finished (read: no sequels, no more DLC -- Naughty Dog's calling it one and done), the lessons learned in the process are far reaching. "We have to check in with ourselves as developers and figure out what are we after here," Straley told us. Will the next Naughty Dog game still feature combat as the main form of interaction? Perhaps; it all depends on the story that the team wants to tell. "As long as we're still flexible to check in on what we think is acceptable and what kind of stories and experiences we want to deliver, then we'll constantly push ourselves. And that's exciting," he said. Like Naughty Dog, we can't predict if what they make next will be a success, but we sure do want to play it -- whatever it is.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
|
Q:
Android Studio : Can't connect to mobile device
Android Studio Problems
enter image description here
Hello,
I cannot see my phone(LG G6) in the Available Devices Tab after factory reset(used to be working fine).
Other Virtual Devices are working fine.
From the Troubleshooting Device Connections
Step1 : Connect your device over USB [ I can see my phone G6 on the list ]
Step2 : Enable USB Debugging [ Already done that ]
Step3 : Restart the ADB server [ No Android devices detected. ]
Here's what I have tried
Check if phone can be accessed through This PC
Enable transfer on phone USB connection
Enable USB Debugging
Update Driver Software on Computer Management
Check if ADB is working
Redownload USB Google Driver
Thanks in advance!
A:
First, try to revoke the usb sessions in the developer options, then try downloading an oem usb driver
If then doesn’t help you can try opening the device manager on windows, right click on your phone, select uninstall. This worked for me if I had the same issue.
Ps: you should download your driver here
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
Q:
Large trap door - alternative to door with frame 4595708
I need to build a large trap door, the trap door 4x5 with frame 6x8 is too small for my model. Other doors/hinges seem to have too much resistance and the door doesn't fall by itself, it must be rotated. Do you have any ideas as to which parts I could use? I thought I could use 3 of these doors together, the problem is finding the right counterpart.
A:
This hinge combined with a technic pin lets you easily make large trap doors. You can see a train-track-sized trap door in this model using two of these parts. In this model the trap door falls down when you retract an axle that normally holds it up. Other arrangements are possible.
The beauty of this particular hinge is that it is symmetrical, so there aren't two different halves to keep track of, and you can use any kind of technic pin you want. The relatively long plate on it makes it sturdier than some of the older variants like this one.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
package protocolsupport.protocol.packet.middleimpl.serverbound.play.v_9r1_9r2_10_11_12r1_12r2_13_14r1_14r2_15_16r1_16r2;
import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
import protocolsupport.protocol.packet.middle.serverbound.play.MiddleAnimation;
import protocolsupport.protocol.serializer.MiscSerializer;
import protocolsupport.protocol.types.UsedHand;
public class Animation extends MiddleAnimation {
public Animation(MiddlePacketInit init) {
super(init);
}
@Override
protected void readClientData(ByteBuf clientdata) {
hand = MiscSerializer.readVarIntEnum(clientdata, UsedHand.CONSTANT_LOOKUP);
}
}
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
With a new de facto American Embassy in Taiwan nearly completed, a spokesperson announcing the opening of the 161,000-square-foot, privately run compound said last week that U.S. Marines have periodically protected the organization’s headquarters since 2005 and did not rule out future deployments.
For years, the U.S. had not commented on the presence in Taiwan of any military personnel, who are said to have operated discreetly inside the compound of the American Institute in Taiwan rather than standing guard at entrances.
The vague acknowledgement from a spokesperson for the American Institute in Taiwan could ruffle feathers again in China, which has long claimed that Taiwan is a part of its territory. It is the latest in a series of incidents over the past year with the potential of further roiling U.S.-China relations.
Over the last nine months, U.S. Navy ships have passed five times through the Taiwan Strait separating the island from China. And less than a month ago, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said her government had asked Washington for a package of American-made F-16V fighter jets.
China, meanwhile, flew two fighter jets March 31 over its median line with Taiwan, a surprise to defense officials on the island. A Chinese report the next day said the flyover was prompted by the actions of Washington, not Taipei.
Over the years, the U.S. has taken a series of measures demanded by Beijing to avoid a formal diplomatic presence in Taiwan. The American Institute is a nonprofit organization composed of former U.S. government officials who “retire” or take leave to work there — processing visas and handling other consular services — so as not to upset relations.
With each generation, the people of Taiwan feel more Taiwanese — and less Chinese »
Across the globe, more than 1,000 Marines work in a security group guarding more than 175 missions. But any military presence whatsoever in Taiwan remains a touchy subject.
China would express “anger” and sound “warnings” to the United States if more Marines reach Taipei, predicted Alexander Huang, a strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan. But it might temper any protestations if the only presence remains Marines guarding the de facto embassy, he said.
A sale of American-made F-16Vs fighter jets, on the other hand, would more certainly outrage Beijing, said Alex Chiang, international relations professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “Whether that goes forward or not is an indicator” of strength in U.S.-Taiwan ties, Chiang said.
U.S. officials technically have 120 days after a sales request to evaluate which military hardware best matches Taiwan’s needs and reports have emerged that the White House has put the sale of jets on hold until a major trade agreement is reached between the U.S. and China.
A trade deal and the timing of a Taiwan arms sale “may be correlated,” Huang said, but the sale is unlikely to hinge on Sino-U.S. agreements. “The bargaining chip is not the fighter jets, it’s the timing,” he said.
President Trump has particularly championed closer Taiwan relations, in part to pressure China over trade issues, political scholars have said. His administration has approved two other arms sales to Taiwan, including a $1.42-billion package announced in June 2017.
U.S. officials see Taiwan as part of a chain of Western-allied democracies in East Asia. The American Institute spokesperson said in late March that Taiwan “plays a key role in maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region” and that its “efforts to maintain its self-defense capability are critical to regional stability.”
U.S. officials have called out China over its diplomatic and military pressure against Taiwan since 2016, when voters on the island elected Tsai. The president, backed by a pro-independence party, rejects unification with China.
“Now with China escalating the pressure on Taiwan, the atmosphere here in D.C. is one that points to rising support of Taiwan,” said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate with the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.
China had flown military aircraft near Taiwan a dozen times before the most recent median line incident and has sent aircraft carriers through the Taiwan Strait. It has also persuaded five countries to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing since 2016.
Sorties by “ships and aircraft in ways that signal hostility toward Taiwan are relatively low-cost for China,” said Denny Roy, senior fellow at the East-West Center, a research organization in Honolulu. “These will probably continue and might intensify.”
Taiwan would support any deployment of Marines at a U.S. diplomatic property, a Cabinet spokesman said in mid-2018.
Tsai said last month that Taiwan will become “more active in aligning ourselves with other like-minded countries” facing issues with China.
“We are taking a much more aggressive approach to counteract the Chinese government’s infiltration of our society and economy, as well as their interference in our domestic affairs,” she said in a speech hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank.
Jennings is a special correspondent.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
|
Q:
How does this code for extraction via string methods work?
I have read this code for extraction of data from a website through string methods:
def extract_results(data)
start_index= data.find("<p>")
while -1 != start_index:
end_index = data.find("</p>", start_index)
Here what is while loop doing? Why start_index is being compared with -1?
A:
The return value of str.find() is -1 if the text is not found:
str.find(sub[, start[, end]])
Return the lowest index in the string where substring sub is found, such that sub is contained in the slice s[start:end]. Optional arguments start and end are interpreted as in slice notation. Return -1 if sub is not found.
The while loop effectively makes the code go into an endless loop if start_index is not -1 and is useless unless there is more code following the snippet you shared with us.
Presumably there is something like return data[start_index + 3:end_index] as a next line, in which case using if start_index > -1: instead of the while statement would have been far more readable.
It could be that start_index is set again further down, of course.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
Gordonia sinesedis
Gordonia sinesedis is a bacterium from the genus of Gordonia that has been isolated from soil.
References
Further reading
Category:Micrococcineae
Category:Bacteria described in 2003
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
|
Q:
How to check if an attribute has default value defined in __init__
How can I check if an attribute of an object has been set by the user or not? Currently, I have a class
class foo:
def __init__(self):
self.bar = 'baz'
Later I would like to check if the user set the value of bar or not, i.e. with something like
my_foo = foo()
my_foo.bar = 'mybaz'
so I would like to know if the second line above has been called or not (to throw a warning if it has not). I have two solutions, but I don't like either of them:
Check if my_foo.bar is equal to the default value. But it could be that the user sets my_foo.bar to the same value and then I don't want to throw a warning.
Don't set the default value in __init__, but only when it is used. Then it can be checked with getattr() and set with setattr().
I'm sure there is an elegant pythonic way to do it that I haven't thought of.
A:
Use the @property decorator to construct getters and setters, and the make the setter tell you when a user changes the attribute, example below
class Foo:
def __init__(self):
self._x_was_modified = False
self._x = None
@property
def x(self):
return self._x
@x.setter
def x(self, value):
self._x_was_modified = True
self._x = value
foo = Foo()
print('x was modified by user: {}'.format(foo._x_was_modified))
foo.x = 42
print('x was modified by user: {}'.format(foo._x_was_modified))
This will output:
x was modified by user: False
x was modified by user: True
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID): data review and recommendations for diagnosing Clostridium difficile-infection (CDI).
The aim of the present systematic review was to evaluate the available evidence on laboratory diagnosis of CDI and to formulate recommendations to optimize CDI testing. In comparison with cell culture cytotoxicity assay (CCA) and toxigenic culture (TC) of stools, we analyzed the test characteristics of 13 commercial available enzyme immunoasssays (EIA) detecting toxins A and/or B, 4 EIAs detecting Clostridium difficile glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), and a real-time PCR for C. difficile toxin B gene. In comparison with CCA and TCA and assuming a prevalence of CDI of 5%, PPV and NPV varied between 0.28-0.77, 0.12-0.65 and 0.98-1.00, 0.97-1.00, respectively. Only if the tests were performed in a population with a CDI prevalence of 50 percent, would PPVs be acceptable (ranging from 0.71 to 1.00).To overcome the problem of a low PPV, we propose a two step approach, with a second test or a reference method in case of a positive first test. Further reducing the number of false negative results would require either retesting of all subjects with a negative first test, or re-testing all subjects with a negative second test, after an initially positive test. This approach resulted in non-significant improvements, and emphasizes the need for better diagnostic tests. Further studies to validate the applicability of two-step testing, including assessment of clinical features, are required.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
OpEd
Black Metal: The Shoegaze Wave
Band Photo: Burzum (?)
Back in 2005, Alcest released a two song EP called “Le Secret,” a gem that eventually would cause a stir in the hornet nest that is the black metal community. If you didn't gather by the title, Alcest is a French band, and one masterminded by front-man Neige. With a strong pedigree in the French black metal scene, Neige was a musician who not only came forward in the 00s with multiple acts in Alcest and Amesoeurs, but also made contributions to essential French albums from the likes of Mortifera and Peste Noire. While Norway and the adjacent Scandinavian realms are often thought of as the wintery fortress of black metal, the French have long held their own with a melancholic and melodic take on the genre including the infamous Les Légions Noires whom you can read about in a previous Metal Underground Sunday Old School article.
So, what was so special about Neige’s little two song EP? Well for one it wasn’t little at all. It was nearly 30 minutes long and an infusion of 90s shoegaze, post-rock, and perfectly distilled black metal.
Of course the reason any of this is important now in 2011 is that we seem inundated with bands with this mix. Latest act to sign to Candlelight Records? Glasgow’s folk/post-rock mixup Falloch (and before that Altar of Plagues). Most hype of last year? Well if not for Burzum’s “Belus” it’d have to go straight to Agalloch’s “Marrow of the Spirit.” And I’ll be damned if the popularity of the once obscure Wolves In The Throne Room hasn’t exploded out of nowhere. Add to that the growing popularity of Fen, Lantlos, Krallice etc. and it’s obvious that many are riding another mini-wave in metal, one worthy of a discussion.
Way back the early 90s the now ludicrously infamous Varg Vikernes diverged his music from the violent and extreme beasts like Mayhem, expanding the raw chainsaw buzz of black metal and incorporating transcendental ambient offshoots. A bold move, but the dream-like atmosphere that replaced much of the music’s aggression with lighter aesthetics struck a chord with many; even surprised indie journalists embraced the new sound. All pretty common knowledge stuff right? Well that gets us half way through this history lesson.
The early 90s were also a time when a genre of music called shoegaze struck a high with bands like Ride, Slowdive, and (the poorly named but I assure you excellent) My Bloody Valentine cementing names for themselves in the big book of influential bands. Although short lived, at the time the washed out and psychedelic take on punk/rock was a hit. Perhaps more importantly, towards the end of the 90s saw post-rock bands like Mogwai, Sigur Ros, and Godspeed! You Black Emperor take shoegaze and indie music to the logical extreme: 15 minute long build ups, noise fuelled epics, and albums drowned in delay effects and crash symbols.
OK, so even ignoring Power Rangers and tribal tattoos that's an extremely simplified version of the fertile days of the 90s. The important thing is we arrive at the turn of the millennium and the now highly regarded album “Dead As Dreams” by the Californian band Weakling. The album was a progressive mix of post-rock, psychedelica and black metal that largely helped birth the “suicidal-depressive black metal” scene best associated with bands like Xasthur, Leviathan and Silencer. A sound that has a lot in common with the post-rock bands we’re hearing now.
Another critical force that emerged at this time was of course Agalloch. While too much of a chameleon over the years to pin as anything but a progenitor, Agalloch's lyrical themes, post-rock leanings, clean vocals and folk infusions have all had strong influences on many bands today. In the end when it comes to newer underground acts like Austere or Heretoir we get to a similar situation, normal fans throw some sort label on it and call it a day leaving nitpickers to fight down the pointless details.
But instead of me painfully picking these strands apart, let’s go back to the very distinctive sound of Alcest which is definitely being milked. The “Les Secret” sound (vs. Xasthur if you need a telling comparison) seems to be a truly telling sign that a band is riding the current shoegaze wave - hell, take a look at the logos from half of these acts and that’s enough to see the common thread of whispery hand written text, perhaps inspired by the other of Neige’s shoegaze projects, Amesoeurs. And could Falloch’s logo be any more Agalloch-y? The basic musical sound takes the intense build ups and soundscapes of the post-rock/shoegaze template and injects black metal staples - blast beats, distant screamed vocals, and those well-known necro punky chord changes. Arpeggiated clean guitars, ambient sections, and clean vocals are also common features of the music many of these bands tend to fall more on the post-rock side of the fence rather than metal.
To be fair, I did invert the black and white for Onryo's logo
Another interesting commonality in the wave of newcomers is that of naturalism. Perhaps it only makes sense that bands choosing to eschew rigid black metal musical customs would also be accompanied with more liberal thematic topics. The new direction could also be attributed to a combination of the rise environmentalism over the 00s and the fact that pantheism, ecologicalism, feminism, and general “hippie shit meets black metal mysticism” is far more palatable to general audiences than the violent and satanic face of 90s black metal. Also, it doesn't take much for artistic types to revolt against a scene that had grown distinctly less “evil”, and a lot more comedically overblown with machismo and rockstardom as it rose to prominence.
...oh boy, where do I even start?
Of course, with the more palatable musical traits of shoegaze and post rock comes an extended fan-base. Initially all factions generally seemed happy enough to celebrate acts like Agalloch and Alcest, with many hailing them as success stories that metal could evolve new branches without bending over to the mainstream.
But as indie kids and metalheads go together like oil and water (and a probably a lighter), Alcest’s prominent explosion in popularity brought a good amount of elitist rage at the notion of socialist hipsters sipping their mild green tea in cardigans emblazoned with a Wolves In The Throne Room patch. Although contributing nowhere near as much as the Wolfmother ilk to the term “hipster metal,” that and other phrases such as “nigel hipster” (humorously coined by Nachtmystium frontman Blake Judd) have quickly become communal molotov cocktails all too easily flung by metalheads trying to distinguish friend from foe and defend the walls of metal from artistically bankrupt delay pedal bedroom bands.
"Nokturnal what? Hellhamm-who?"
So to the average Bathory emblazoned, Marduk blasting black metal fan, post-rock/shoegaze black metal may be an unacceptable step down of aggression and evil. But with the conjoined popularity of depressive black metal, the new guard has generally received a warm welcome over time; especially in comparison to the “we ride at dawn!” response to anything with a -core suffix got in the last decade.
So where to from here? Well I can only guess we are experiencing the heyday of this post-rock/shoegaze mini-wave. I’d expect to see another few bands make their bid to be among the roster of the larger labels, especially seeing the way many are struggling to sell anything that isn’t a current sound. Germany is definitely getting in on the deal with bands like Lantlos, Thränenkind, and Soliness staying true to the formula, and others such as Dopamine, Onryo, Les Discrets and Fen have popped up worldwide. On the other hand, with Caina and Ludicra already bowing out of the game, I would say the limelight will be brief. Final thoughts? Spinning Alcest's full length may or may not endanger you by attracting vapid hipsters, but fear not - blasting some Slayer will still send them scattering.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
|
Q:
Insert text to a web browser and a Java application at the same time
I developing a Sinhala-English Unicode converter in java.Now I want to add the final output unicode sinhala word in facebook chat window while i typing them.If i type a word in application that letters also should print on facebook chat(Web browser's active window) window in any browser.I think the problem might be slightly unclear.But I expect any kind of answer for this problem...
A:
Java has only one tool that allows emulation of user activity: java.awt.Robot. Using this class you can emulate mouse clicks and keyboard usage, so theoretically you can select browser window, then select text area on site and "type" any text you want. The problem with this solution is that current java API does not allow you to identify native window, so it is not easy to find the browser among the windows existing on user's desktop.
Finally, exactly as @Jonas said - better use Facebook API.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
'use strict';
var Emitter = require('events').EventEmitter;
var GridFSBucketReadStream = require('./download');
var GridFSBucketWriteStream = require('./upload');
var shallowClone = require('../utils').shallowClone;
var toError = require('../utils').toError;
var util = require('util');
var executeLegacyOperation = require('../utils').executeLegacyOperation;
var DEFAULT_GRIDFS_BUCKET_OPTIONS = {
bucketName: 'fs',
chunkSizeBytes: 255 * 1024
};
module.exports = GridFSBucket;
/**
* Constructor for a streaming GridFS interface
* @class
* @extends external:EventEmitter
* @param {Db} db A db handle
* @param {object} [options] Optional settings.
* @param {string} [options.bucketName="fs"] The 'files' and 'chunks' collections will be prefixed with the bucket name followed by a dot.
* @param {number} [options.chunkSizeBytes=255 * 1024] Number of bytes stored in each chunk. Defaults to 255KB
* @param {object} [options.writeConcern] Optional write concern to be passed to write operations, for instance `{ w: 1 }`
* @param {object} [options.readPreference] Optional read preference to be passed to read operations
* @fires GridFSBucketWriteStream#index
*/
function GridFSBucket(db, options) {
Emitter.apply(this);
this.setMaxListeners(0);
if (options && typeof options === 'object') {
options = shallowClone(options);
var keys = Object.keys(DEFAULT_GRIDFS_BUCKET_OPTIONS);
for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; ++i) {
if (!options[keys[i]]) {
options[keys[i]] = DEFAULT_GRIDFS_BUCKET_OPTIONS[keys[i]];
}
}
} else {
options = DEFAULT_GRIDFS_BUCKET_OPTIONS;
}
this.s = {
db: db,
options: options,
_chunksCollection: db.collection(options.bucketName + '.chunks'),
_filesCollection: db.collection(options.bucketName + '.files'),
checkedIndexes: false,
calledOpenUploadStream: false,
promiseLibrary: db.s.promiseLibrary || Promise
};
}
util.inherits(GridFSBucket, Emitter);
/**
* When the first call to openUploadStream is made, the upload stream will
* check to see if it needs to create the proper indexes on the chunks and
* files collections. This event is fired either when 1) it determines that
* no index creation is necessary, 2) when it successfully creates the
* necessary indexes.
*
* @event GridFSBucket#index
* @type {Error}
*/
/**
* Returns a writable stream (GridFSBucketWriteStream) for writing
* buffers to GridFS. The stream's 'id' property contains the resulting
* file's id.
* @method
* @param {string} filename The value of the 'filename' key in the files doc
* @param {object} [options] Optional settings.
* @param {number} [options.chunkSizeBytes] Optional overwrite this bucket's chunkSizeBytes for this file
* @param {object} [options.metadata] Optional object to store in the file document's `metadata` field
* @param {string} [options.contentType] Optional string to store in the file document's `contentType` field
* @param {array} [options.aliases] Optional array of strings to store in the file document's `aliases` field
* @param {boolean} [options.disableMD5=false] If true, disables adding an md5 field to file data
* @return {GridFSBucketWriteStream}
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.openUploadStream = function(filename, options) {
if (options) {
options = shallowClone(options);
} else {
options = {};
}
if (!options.chunkSizeBytes) {
options.chunkSizeBytes = this.s.options.chunkSizeBytes;
}
return new GridFSBucketWriteStream(this, filename, options);
};
/**
* Returns a writable stream (GridFSBucketWriteStream) for writing
* buffers to GridFS for a custom file id. The stream's 'id' property contains the resulting
* file's id.
* @method
* @param {string|number|object} id A custom id used to identify the file
* @param {string} filename The value of the 'filename' key in the files doc
* @param {object} [options] Optional settings.
* @param {number} [options.chunkSizeBytes] Optional overwrite this bucket's chunkSizeBytes for this file
* @param {object} [options.metadata] Optional object to store in the file document's `metadata` field
* @param {string} [options.contentType] Optional string to store in the file document's `contentType` field
* @param {array} [options.aliases] Optional array of strings to store in the file document's `aliases` field
* @param {boolean} [options.disableMD5=false] If true, disables adding an md5 field to file data
* @return {GridFSBucketWriteStream}
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.openUploadStreamWithId = function(id, filename, options) {
if (options) {
options = shallowClone(options);
} else {
options = {};
}
if (!options.chunkSizeBytes) {
options.chunkSizeBytes = this.s.options.chunkSizeBytes;
}
options.id = id;
return new GridFSBucketWriteStream(this, filename, options);
};
/**
* Returns a readable stream (GridFSBucketReadStream) for streaming file
* data from GridFS.
* @method
* @param {ObjectId} id The id of the file doc
* @param {Object} [options] Optional settings.
* @param {Number} [options.start] Optional 0-based offset in bytes to start streaming from
* @param {Number} [options.end] Optional 0-based offset in bytes to stop streaming before
* @return {GridFSBucketReadStream}
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.openDownloadStream = function(id, options) {
var filter = { _id: id };
options = {
start: options && options.start,
end: options && options.end
};
return new GridFSBucketReadStream(
this.s._chunksCollection,
this.s._filesCollection,
this.s.options.readPreference,
filter,
options
);
};
/**
* Deletes a file with the given id
* @method
* @param {ObjectId} id The id of the file doc
* @param {GridFSBucket~errorCallback} [callback]
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.delete = function(id, callback) {
return executeLegacyOperation(this.s.db.s.topology, _delete, [this, id, callback], {
skipSessions: true
});
};
/**
* @ignore
*/
function _delete(_this, id, callback) {
_this.s._filesCollection.deleteOne({ _id: id }, function(error, res) {
if (error) {
return callback(error);
}
_this.s._chunksCollection.deleteMany({ files_id: id }, function(error) {
if (error) {
return callback(error);
}
// Delete orphaned chunks before returning FileNotFound
if (!res.result.n) {
var errmsg = 'FileNotFound: no file with id ' + id + ' found';
return callback(new Error(errmsg));
}
callback();
});
});
}
/**
* Convenience wrapper around find on the files collection
* @method
* @param {Object} filter
* @param {Object} [options] Optional settings for cursor
* @param {number} [options.batchSize=1000] The number of documents to return per batch. See {@link https://docs.mongodb.com/manual/reference/command/find|find command documentation}.
* @param {number} [options.limit] Optional limit for cursor
* @param {number} [options.maxTimeMS] Optional maxTimeMS for cursor
* @param {boolean} [options.noCursorTimeout] Optionally set cursor's `noCursorTimeout` flag
* @param {number} [options.skip] Optional skip for cursor
* @param {object} [options.sort] Optional sort for cursor
* @return {Cursor}
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.find = function(filter, options) {
filter = filter || {};
options = options || {};
var cursor = this.s._filesCollection.find(filter);
if (options.batchSize != null) {
cursor.batchSize(options.batchSize);
}
if (options.limit != null) {
cursor.limit(options.limit);
}
if (options.maxTimeMS != null) {
cursor.maxTimeMS(options.maxTimeMS);
}
if (options.noCursorTimeout != null) {
cursor.addCursorFlag('noCursorTimeout', options.noCursorTimeout);
}
if (options.skip != null) {
cursor.skip(options.skip);
}
if (options.sort != null) {
cursor.sort(options.sort);
}
return cursor;
};
/**
* Returns a readable stream (GridFSBucketReadStream) for streaming the
* file with the given name from GridFS. If there are multiple files with
* the same name, this will stream the most recent file with the given name
* (as determined by the `uploadDate` field). You can set the `revision`
* option to change this behavior.
* @method
* @param {String} filename The name of the file to stream
* @param {Object} [options] Optional settings
* @param {number} [options.revision=-1] The revision number relative to the oldest file with the given filename. 0 gets you the oldest file, 1 gets you the 2nd oldest, -1 gets you the newest.
* @param {Number} [options.start] Optional 0-based offset in bytes to start streaming from
* @param {Number} [options.end] Optional 0-based offset in bytes to stop streaming before
* @return {GridFSBucketReadStream}
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.openDownloadStreamByName = function(filename, options) {
var sort = { uploadDate: -1 };
var skip = null;
if (options && options.revision != null) {
if (options.revision >= 0) {
sort = { uploadDate: 1 };
skip = options.revision;
} else {
skip = -options.revision - 1;
}
}
var filter = { filename: filename };
options = {
sort: sort,
skip: skip,
start: options && options.start,
end: options && options.end
};
return new GridFSBucketReadStream(
this.s._chunksCollection,
this.s._filesCollection,
this.s.options.readPreference,
filter,
options
);
};
/**
* Renames the file with the given _id to the given string
* @method
* @param {ObjectId} id the id of the file to rename
* @param {String} filename new name for the file
* @param {GridFSBucket~errorCallback} [callback]
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.rename = function(id, filename, callback) {
return executeLegacyOperation(this.s.db.s.topology, _rename, [this, id, filename, callback], {
skipSessions: true
});
};
/**
* @ignore
*/
function _rename(_this, id, filename, callback) {
var filter = { _id: id };
var update = { $set: { filename: filename } };
_this.s._filesCollection.updateOne(filter, update, function(error, res) {
if (error) {
return callback(error);
}
if (!res.result.n) {
return callback(toError('File with id ' + id + ' not found'));
}
callback();
});
}
/**
* Removes this bucket's files collection, followed by its chunks collection.
* @method
* @param {GridFSBucket~errorCallback} [callback]
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.drop = function(callback) {
return executeLegacyOperation(this.s.db.s.topology, _drop, [this, callback], {
skipSessions: true
});
};
/**
* Return the db logger
* @method
* @return {Logger} return the db logger
* @ignore
*/
GridFSBucket.prototype.getLogger = function() {
return this.s.db.s.logger;
};
/**
* @ignore
*/
function _drop(_this, callback) {
_this.s._filesCollection.drop(function(error) {
if (error) {
return callback(error);
}
_this.s._chunksCollection.drop(function(error) {
if (error) {
return callback(error);
}
return callback();
});
});
}
/**
* Callback format for all GridFSBucket methods that can accept a callback.
* @callback GridFSBucket~errorCallback
* @param {MongoError|undefined} error If present, an error instance representing any errors that occurred
* @param {*} result If present, a returned result for the method
*/
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
The present invention relates to convergence yokes which are fixed to a cathode-ray tube of projection televisions and the like and produce two-pole magnetic field for deflecting an electron beam in a horizontal direction or a vertical direction.
With reference to FIG. 1, a convergence yoke comprises a ring core 1 having a horizontal coil 2 and a vertical coil 3 wound therearound. A horizontal convergence correction circuit 4 is connected to the horizontal coil 2. A vertical convergence correction circuit 5 is connected to the vertical coil 3. With the convergence yoke, producing uniform magnetic field within the electron beam passing area is required for suppressing the electron beam distortion caused by the deflection to improve focus performance.
It is proposed, according to the literature xe2x80x9cSEMINAR M-4 1991 SID xe2x80x98Deflection And Convergence Technologyxe2x80x99 Basab B. Dasgupta, Sony Corporation, San Diego, Calif.xe2x80x9d, that winding density distribution of the coil wherein the winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis of the ring core is a variable is in proportion to cos xcex8, whereby the magnetic field within the ring core is made uniform.
Further, Japanese Patent No. 3039988 proposes a convergence yoke wherein ratio A3/A1 of a coefficient (Ak coefficient) when winding distribution is expanded in Fourier series is 0.13 to 0.50 in order to render the magnetic field strength distribution uniform.
However, with use of computer simulation, the present inventor has calculated the magnetic field strength distribution of the horizontal coil of the convergence yoke wherein the winding density distribution of the coil is in proportion to cos xcex8, revealing that contour lines of the magnetic field strength in the ring core are shaped in oblong ellipses as shown in FIG. 20, and particularly the magnetic field strength has nonuniformity on an upper and lower portions of the electron beam passing area. Thus the electron beam has a gross distortion of a circular shape in cross section as shown in FIG. 24(a).
Furthermore, the present inventor, with use of computer simulation, has calculated the magnetic field strength distribution of the horizontal coil of the convergence yoke wherein ratio A3/A1 of Ak coefficient is 0.13 to 0.50, and winding is provided uniformly in the range of 15xc2x0 to 40xc2x0 in winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis (the construction according to claim 2 of the patent stated above), with the result that the magnetic field strength is not uniform at each of four corners as shown in FIG. 21.
Further, in the case where the winding range of the convergence yoke is shifted 0.5xc2x0, i.e. the winding is provided uniformly in the range of 15.5xc2x0 to 40.5xc2x0 in winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis, the present inventor calculates the magnetic field strength distribution of the horizontal coil with use of computer simulation, to obtain the magnetic field strength distribution shown in FIG. 22. In this case whereas ratio A3/A1 of Ak coefficient is 0.1 departing from the scope of the invention of the patent stated above, the magnetic field strength distribution obtained is slightly more uniform than that shown in FIG. 21. Accordingly, it is not always true that ratio A3/A1 of Ak coefficient is most preferably in the range of 0.13 to 0.50.
Further, with use of computer simulation the present inventor calculates the magnetic field strength distribution of the horizontal coil of the convergence yoke wherein the winding is provided uniformly in the range of 10xc2x0 to 30xc2x0 in winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis (the construction according to claim 3 of the patent stated above), to obtain the magnetic field strength distribution shown in FIG. 23. As illustrated, the magnetic field strength is extremely uneven, causing the electron beam to be distorted grossly as shown in FIG. 24(b).
Furthermore, even if ratio A3/A1 of Ak coefficient is in the range of 0.13 to 0.50, the magnetic field strength distribution varies greatly within this range, so that in designing the convergence yoke the coil performance cannot be determined unless the deformation caused by the deflection of the electron beam is actually measured. Presumably, the reason is that the current density distribution represented by the sum of two terms, A1 and A3 of Fourier series, is greatly shifted from the actual current density distribution, as shown in FIG. 25, so that the coil performance cannot be determined only by ratio A3/A1 of Ak coefficient.
As described above, prior art has the problem that the winding distribution having the uniform magnetic field strength cannot be determined uniquely.
An object of the present invention is to provide a convergence yoke having more uniform magnetic field strength than conventionally.
A convergence yoke embodying the present invention is characterized in that the convergence yoke comprises a ring core having a plurality of coils wound therearound, and winding density distribution of each of the coils wherein winding angle xcex8 from a reference axis of the ring core is a variable is in proportion to cos2 xcex8.
As compared with a conventional convergence yoke wherein winding density distribution of a coil is in proportion to cos xcex8, the convergence yoke of the invention is greatly reduced in density as angle xcex8 is increased as shown in FIG. 5, so that an oblong ellipse of the magnetic field strength distribution shown in FIG. 20 is extended upward and downward, rendering the magnetic field strength distribution shaped in concentric circles. As a result, the magnetic field strength distribution is uniform over electron beam passing area, and a cross section shape of the electron beams will not be grossly distorted owing to the deflection.
Stated specifically, the ring core 1 has wound therearound a horizontal coil 2 and a vertical coil 3 based on a horizontal coil reference axis 20 and a vertical coil reference axis 30 which are orthogonal to each other. Each of the two coils 2, 3 has the winding density distribution described.
Further stated specifically, the plurality of coils each comprises a plurality of coil portions. Each of the coil portions is wound within a predetermined angle range wherein a winding center is in the range of 25xc2x0 to 30xc2x0 in winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis on each of quadrants of orthogonal coordinates, and has winding density distribution in proportion to cos2 xcex8 within the angle range. According to the specific construction, the magnetic field strength distribution comprising diamond-shape contour lines is obtained, whereby the uniformity of the magnetic field strength becomes higher than conventionally.
Another convergence yoke of the present invention is characterized in that the yoke comprises a ring core having a plurality of coils wound therearoud, each of the coils comprises a plurality of coil portions, each coil portion is wound uniformly at a first winding density X1 within a predetermined angle range (xcex8s to xcex8e) wherein a winding center is in the range of 25xc2x0 to 30xc2x0 in winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis on each of quadrants of orthogonal coordinates and is wound uniformly at a second winding density X2 within an angle range (0 to xcex8s) from 0xc2x0 to the predetermined angle range in winding angle xcex8, ratio of the second winding density X2 relative to the first winding density X1 is represented by an expression given below.
X2/X1=((cos2 xcex8sxe2x88x92cos2 xcex8e)/2 cos2 xcex8s)xc2x10.1
The convergence yoke described above has approximately uniform magnetic field strength distribution which is equivalent to that of a convergence yoke having winding density distribution in proportion to cos2 xcex8 within the predetermined angle range (xcex8s to xcex8e) wherein a winding center is in the range of 25xc2x0 to 30xc2x0 in winding angle xcex8 from the reference axis.
As described above, with the convergence yoke of the present invention, winding distribution wherein the magnetic field strength distribution is more uniform than conventionally can be determined uniquely, whereby the distortion of the electron beam caused by the deflection is suppressed, and focus performance is improved.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
|
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----
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MDAwMFowEjEQMA4GA1UEAwwHaW50LXByZTCCASIwDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEBBQADggEP
ADCCAQoCggEBALqIUahEjhbWQf1utogGNhA9PBPZ6uQ1SrTs9WhXbCR7wcclqODY
H72xnAabbhqG8mvir1p1a2pkcQh6pVqnRYf3HNUknAJ+zUP8HmnQOCApk6sgw0nk
27lMwmtsDu0Vgg/xfq1pGrHTAjqLKkHup3DgDw2N/WYLK7AkkqR9uYhheZCxV5A9
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L+Xxj5kXMbiz/kkj+nJRxDHVA6zaGAo17Y0CAwEAAaMdMBswCwYDVR0PBAQDAgEG
MAwGA1UdEwQFMAMBAf8wDQYJKoZIhvcNAQEFBQADggEBAESNgcKkxBwkaBykKo2Q
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pE6Hhm504P1fdkfQvjqjIhu/h3y5QjO3zdMGeVE/39TWAGrGsNFKE+jSxm8IbycF
Ue6165agasf+PhQdorjFca48iLcowKYs5Df0SAhY7zbw1fM1HTr1YGAXc1K9aCA5
fTmu8Nd0fNKc1NcbNDpdCG2YEj1nox1iMN5A4nY1ve88zJsnlpfsoJkHJqo2Cy+M
mpQSnkTlf3Gfpl8NO3UW9FTcnK8L4Ix2DSNBDe8Yg2YL5w/VIxecFwlmwV0wWdg6
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|
{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
|
Q:
Hand recognition script for OpenCV+Python not working
I'm trying to get the following script to work. I found it from this website but I keep getting the error :
contours, hierarchy = cv2.findContours(thresh1,cv2.RETR_TREE,cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
ValueError: too many values to unpack (expected 2)
I have little experience in Python and OpenCV so if anyone here can help that would be much appreciated!
I'm running Mac OS X 10.13.4, OpenCV 3.4.1, Python 3.6.5
and
Here is the script I'm trying to get work :
import cv2
import numpy as np
cap = cv2.VideoCapture(0)
while( cap.isOpened() ) :
ret,img = cap.read()
gray = cv2.cvtColor(img,cv2.COLOR_BGR2GRAY)
blur = cv2.GaussianBlur(gray,(5,5),0)
ret,thresh1 = cv2.threshold(blur,70,255,cv2.THRESH_BINARY_INV+cv2.THRESH_OTSU)
contours, hierarchy = cv2.findContours(thresh1,cv2.RETR_TREE,cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
drawing = np.zeros(img.shape,np.uint8)
max_area=0
for i in range(len(contours)):
cnt=contours[i]
area = cv2.contourArea(cnt)
if(area>max_area):
max_area=area
ci=i
cnt=contours[ci]
hull = cv2.convexHull(cnt)
moments = cv2.moments(cnt)
if moments['m00']!=0:
cx = int(moments['m10']/moments['m00']) # cx = M10/M00
cy = int(moments['m01']/moments['m00']) # cy = M01/M00
centr=(cx,cy)
cv2.circle(img,centr,5,[0,0,255],2)
cv2.drawContours(drawing,[cnt],0,(0,255,0),2)
cv2.drawContours(drawing,[hull],0,(0,0,255),2)
cnt = cv2.approxPolyDP(cnt,0.01*cv2.arcLength(cnt,True),True)
hull = cv2.convexHull(cnt,returnPoints = False)
if(1):
defects = cv2.convexityDefects(cnt,hull)
mind=0
maxd=0
for i in range(defects.shape[0]):
s,e,f,d = defects[i,0]
start = tuple(cnt[s][0])
end = tuple(cnt[e][0])
far = tuple(cnt[f][0])
dist = cv2.pointPolygonTest(cnt,centr,True)
cv2.line(img,start,end,[0,255,0],2)
cv2.circle(img,far,5,[0,0,255],-1)
print(i)
i=0
cv2.imshow('output',drawing)
cv2.imshow('input',img)
k = cv2.waitKey(10)
if k == 27:
break
Thank you so much in advanced!
A:
The function cv2.fincContours has changed since OpenCV 3.x , and back in OpenCV 4.x . Try this:
## Find contours
if cv2.__version__.startswith("3."):
_, contours, _ = cv2.findContours(thresh1,cv2.RETR_TREE,cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
else:
contours, _ = cv2.findContours(thresh1,cv2.RETR_TREE,cv2.CHAIN_APPROX_SIMPLE)
Related:
How to use `cv2.findContours` in different OpenCV versions?
|
{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
}
|
FusionReactor features in the DZone Performance & Monitoring Guide
DZone have just published the 2016 Performance & Monitoring Guide and FusionReactor are featured in it. According to DZone’s research, it states that the #1 tool for finding production issues is APPLICATION LOGS (90% of respondents) – which we think is pretty SAD – because delving through logs is painstaking, time consuming and generally not very much fun.
So why are traditional APM tools not solving this issue?
Well, your typical APM tools provide some neat metric graphs and can alert you when something seems wrong, but they don’t tell you much at the level of detail software engineers need to get to the actual root of the issue. So you end up having to grep through logs, dive into the heap, tally your object instances, run stack trace over and over, guess some breakpoints or include debug data into our code (WOW – things are REALLY BAD).
When something breaks in production, developers must go deeper than resource usage or business transaction fail rates – they need real-time insight and transparency into what the application is actually doing at the point that it’s breaking – in production.
In order to pinpoint issues in production we believe developers need additional tooling which is actually closer to what they would use in their development/test environments. Developers need to see things like:
stack trace and local variable visibility, at the exact point of failure or deadlock
profiling information, when code is run against ‘real production data’ – so that performance bottlenecks can be identified
transactions, web and JDBC requests not just measured by time, but also by the amount of memory consumed
class loads/unloads & memory allocation (heap + non-heap) across time
FusionReactor Ultimate Edition is designed to give the level of detail software engineers need to get to the actual root of the issue and provides low-overhead production-grade tools to give access to detailed information needed to “deep-dive” & quickly figure out the hard stuff developers need to fix. FusionReactor doesn’t “just monitor” and put the burden on you to figure things out. FusionReactor puts you in control, so that you can instantly isolate production issues and performance bottlenecks with our integrated low overhead Production Debugger and Java Profiler. Plus, it will pro-actively improve application resilience with our unique Crash Protection capability.
No other monitoring solution gives you the same level of depth, insight or control of your Java applications ‘in production’.
If you’re not using Fusion Ultimate Edition already, please contact sales and we would be happy to provide you with an Ultimate Trial license – or if you’re new to FusionReactor, just download our 14 day Free Trial
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
Variations and stability in drinking patterns in a cohort of Swedish males.
Information on drinking patterns may make an important contribution to our understanding of the risks and consequences of alcohol consumption. The objective of the present study is to describe variations and stability of patterns of alcohol use at both the aggregate and the individual levels. The reported alcohol consumption was recorded of a normal, representative birth cohort of Swedish male (n = 122) subjects followed from the age of 18 years to early middle age and more extensively scrutinized at the age of 36, using a 28 day time-line follow-back technique. In young middle age a high proportion of total consumption occurred on Fridays and Saturdays (about 60%). In addition, it was possible to classify "standard drinkers", "sporadic binge drinkers", and "frequent drinkers" as separate clusters. While binge drinking was more stable than frequency of drinking from the age of 18 to the age of 36, frequent drinking showed the highest short-term stability at the age of 36 years.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
Harry Nielsen
Harry Nielsen (born 3 May 1995) is an Australian cricketer, the son of former South Australian cricketer Tim Nielsen. Nielsen filled in as a wicket-keeper in a tour match for South Africa against Cricket Australia XI in 2016, replacing South African wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock when he was ruled out with a viral infection. During the 2017–18 season he made his debuts in all three major forms of the game, first-class, one-day and Twenty20 cricket playing for Cricket Australia XI in the JLT One-Day Cup and tour matches, the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League and South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.
Domestic career
Early career
Nielsen started his career playing grade cricket for Woodville Cricket Club in Adelaide. He played his first against a higher quality opposition when he played for a Cricket Australia XI against the touring India national cricket team. Despite his team's poor performance he scored 43 runs off 40 balls and was part of a 52-run partnership for the final wicket. His next major appearance was in another tour match, this time when South Africa were touring Australia, but instead of playing against the South Africans he played with them. When South Africa's wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock was unable to field and their reserve keeper had not yet arrived in the country, Nielsen had to leave partway through a grade cricket match for Woodville to stand in as their wicket-keeper. This gave him the opportunity to keep to a world-class bowling attack.
Nielsen started to play for South Australia in the Futures League. When he was the state's leading run-scorer in the competition for the 2016–17 season, he was upgraded to a senior contract with South Australia for the 2017–18 season.
2017–18 season
Nielsen was in the Cricket Australia XI squad for the 2017–18 JLT One-Day Cup and played for them in all six matches, one of their standout players in the tournament. He made his List A debut for Cricket Australia XI in the first match of the tournament against South Australia. He took three catches as Cricket Australia XI's wicket-keeper in what was just the team's second win in their history. He made his first mark with the bat against Victoria, when he came to the crease with Cricket Australia XI at 4/36. They lost two more wickets quickly to fall to 6/45, but Nielsen fought hard and scored 94 runs, falling just short of a century, taking them to 9/216. They lost the match by 7 wickets. He finished the tournament with the highest batting average among the team, scoring 147 runs at an average of 49.00. As their keeper he also had nine dismissals. In November 2017 he also made his first-class debut for Cricket Australia XI in a tour match against England.
During the 2017–18 Big Bash League season, Nielsen was added to the Adelaide Strikers squad for their semi-final match in order to replace their regular wicket-keeper Alex Carey, who was busy playing for Australia's national team at the time. He was taken out of the team for the BBL final when Carey was surprisingly released from his national duty.
Nielsen made his Sheffield Shield debut for South Australia a week later when Carey was again called up for national duties. His father Tim Nielsen, who had also kept wickets for South Australia, presented him with his cap. He scored a century in the first innings of the match, becoming the ninth South Australian to do so on Sheffield Shield debut, with his 105 bringing South Australia back into the game after they'd slid to 5/126.
References
External links
Category:1995 births
Category:Living people
Category:Australian cricketers
Category:Adelaide Strikers cricketers
Category:Place of birth missing (living people)
Category:Cricket Australia XI cricketers
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
}
|
Static and dynamic compression modulate matrix metabolism in tissue engineered cartilage.
Static and dynamic compression are known to modulate the metabolism of articular cartilage. The present study focused on determining the effects of compressive loading on the metabolism of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (S-GAG) and protein in tissue engineered cartilage constructs. Cartilage constructs were subjected to static or dynamic compression for 24 h and radiolabeled with 35SO4 and 3H-proline to assess the total synthesis and percentage retention of S-GAG and total protein, respectively. Static compression at an amplitude of 50% suppressed the synthesis of both S-GAG and protein by 35% and 57%, respectively. Dynamic compression at an amplitude of 5% had stimulatory effects on synthesis that were dependent on the static offset compression amplitude (10% or 50%) and dynamic compression frequency (0.001 or 0.1 Hz). Thus, tissue engineered cartilage demonstrated the ability to respond to mechanical loading in a manner similar to that observed with articular cartilage. Mechanical loading may therefore potentially be used to modulate the growth of cartilaginous tissues in vitrd, potentially facilitating the culture of functional cartilage tissues suitable for implantation.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
|
A three-term Senator and twice a member of the House of Representatives, Pressler lauded the Modi-government for being tough with Pakistan on terrorism.
Mumbai, Sept 26: Former US Senator Larry Pressler on Monday suggested that India and the US should attack Pakistan to destroy its nuclear sites, adding that Donald Trump may turn out to be the best American president yet for India as he has adopted a hardline position against Islamabad on the issue of terrorism. He also said Pakistan should be treated as ‘rogue state’. Pressler’s observation assumes significance as he authored the famous Pressler Amendment which in 1990 blocked US military aid to Pakistan when the then US President George W Bush couldn’t establish that Islamabad was not developing nukes.
“US must declare Pakistan a terrorist state, cut off all aid and must not treat India and Pakistan as equals. India is a democracy, Pakistan isn’t. And Pakistan and especially the ISI have lied to us for decades,” Larry Pressler was quoted as saying. He made these remarks as he releases his new book, Neighbours in Arms, which tells how the US foreign policy let Pakistan develop nuclear weapons and the story of the Pressler Amendment. Pressler was hailed as a ‘hero’ in India and, in his own words, “a devil in Pakistan” after the US cancelled the delivery of close to 30 F-16 aircraft to Islamabad.
The 75-year-old politician, who supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Presidential polls, hailed the US President Donald Trump for putting Pakistan on notice for harbouring terrorists. He also noted that Trump has been making efforts to get a hold on the Pentagon, which always encouraged Pakistan. Trump’s description of the Pentagon as “a swamp” was a good sign, he said. Trump’s warning to Pakistan on providing safe haven to terrorists and his request for India to help the US in Afghanistan signalled a recasting of relations, Pressler noted.
A three-term Senator and twice a member of the House of Representatives, Pressler lauded the Modi-government for being tough with Pakistan on terrorism. He went further to call the denial of a US visa to Narendra Modi when the latter was Gujarat Chief Minister “a stain” on the US. He believes had the US stopped the financial aid, the Pakistan wouldn’t have developed nuclear weapons.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
Pages
January 20, 2014
Weekend Wrap Up: John's Birthday Edition
This was a pretty low-key weekend. On Saturday, I did my super awesome Iyengar yoga class at the Downtown Y & then stayed & did my weight routine. It was COLD on Saturday. Too cold to go outside, so I sheltered in place & spent the day reading The Goldfinch, which A) I'm almost through with & B) I'm LOVING.
On Saturday night, we celebrated John's birthday. We invited some friends to meet us for dinner at Slow & Low BBQ Bistro. John, true to form, ordered a plate of pulled pork with a side of ribs. I knew this was going to lead to digestive failure, & it did, but when your carnivore husband orders meat with a side of meat for his birthday dinner, you let him.
After dinner, we rendezvoused back at our house. John's friend Mike presented him with what is probably the best gift John has ever received, a case of glass-bottle Mexican Coca-Cola. The men folk spent the night smoking in the garage while the women folk gossiped away the night in the warmth of the living room.
Running on about 4 hours of sleep & not even close to enough water, I met my lady gang at Percy Warner to run the 5.8. As much as I didn't want to do it, it actually turned out to be a great run. Thanks, Kristine! Afterwards, we grabbed breakfast at Bread & Co. in Belle Meade.
I'm real behind on the Oscar-nominated movies, so yesterday John & I went to see Her. I've heard mixed reviews, but I loved it. And John REALLY loved it. It's kind of like nothing else I've ever seen. I can't stop thinking about it. Next up: American Hustle & The Wolf of Wall Street.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
In a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, for example, a NAND flash memory, data transfer between a sense amplifier and a cache memory is performed while reading/writing. The data transfer is performed by, for example, the bus precharge method by which charging/discharging of a data bus commonly connected to the sense amplifier and the cache memory is used. This method is excellent in that the circuit area needed for data transfer can be reduced.
However, the bus precharge method is inefficient from the viewpoint of reducing power consumption because charging/discharging of the data bus is repeated.
In a multi-valued memory in which 2 bits or more are made to be stored in a memory cell, it is necessary to commonly connect data latches, in addition to the sense amplifier and the cache memory, to the data bus to perform data transfer therebetween. In this case, the data bus becomes longer, increasing the parasitic capacitance of the data bus. Moreover, all the parasitic capacitance of the data bus needs to be charged regardless of the position of the output side/input side of data.
|
{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
|
Background {#Sec1}
==========
Inorganic and organic wastes produced by human activities have resulted in high volumes of contaminated waters which threaten the health of human beings and other living organisms \[[@CR1]\]. Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems nowadays, which hinders the development of human society \[[@CR2], [@CR3]\]. In particular, dye pollutants have attracted wide concerns from the public because of the high visibility and the toxic impact on biological organisms and the ecology \[[@CR4]\]. Organic dyes have been extensively used in various branches such as textile, paper, printing, color photography, pharmaceutical industry, leather, cosmetics, plastic and other industries, which have been the major industrial wastewater sources \[[@CR5]\]. The quantity of dye wastewater is extremely large, generally, the volume of discharged wastewater from each step of a textile operation is approximately at a high rate of between 40 L/kg and 65 L/kg of the product \[[@CR6]\]. In addition, dyes are non-biodegradable substances that remain stable under different conditions due to their synthetic origin and complex aromatic structures \[[@CR7]\]. Therefore, it is necessary to select an appropriate method to remove dyes from wastewater before discharging into the environment.
In recent years, a variety of techniques has been used to treat dye wastewater including photocatalytic degradation \[[@CR8]\], coagulation \[[@CR9]\], electrochemical processes \[[@CR10]\], chemical oxidation \[[@CR11]\], membrane filtration \[[@CR12]\], biological treatment \[[@CR13]\] and adsorption \[[@CR14]\]. Among these dye wastewater treatment techniques, adsorption has been widely used due to their merits of simplicity, high efficiency and economy \[[@CR15], [@CR16]\]. Many adsorbents such as activated carbon, kaolin, montmorillonite clay, waste red mud, fullers earth and fired clay have been reported to decolorize wastewater \[[@CR17], [@CR18]\]. Especially, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted considerable attention as adsorbent materials for organic dyes and heavy metals, due to their unique magnetic properties, low cost, biocompatible, easily synthesized, readily recycle, particularly economic and environmental friendly \[[@CR19]\]. Several methods have been developed to synthesize magnetic Fe~3~O~4~ nanoparticles, including i) coprecipitation of ferrous and ferric aqueous solution in the presence of a base \[[@CR20]\]; ii) thermal decomposition of an iron complex \[[@CR21]\]; iii) sonochemical approach \[[@CR22]\].
Because of their high surface energies and intrinsic magnetic interactions, easy aggregation of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs would reduce their surface/volume ratio and dispersion stability in aqueous solution \[[@CR23]\]. The stabilizers such as surfactants, supporters, oxides or polymeric compounds have been used to modify Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs to increase their stability and improve their dispersity. Zhang et al. synthesized magnetic Fe~3~O~4~/C core shell nanoparticles and used as absorbents performing good adsorption capacity for dye removal \[[@CR24]\]. Wang et al. prepared Fe~3~O~4~ nanoparticles with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) assistant for adsorption removal of congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) \[[@CR25]\]. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of bare Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs is not strong enough.
In order to improve the adsorption property, surface functionalization of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs has been studied. Zhang et al. modified Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs with 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS) and glycine (Gly), the magnetic nanocomposites could excellently remove both anionic and cationic dyes in severe environment (highly acidic or strong alkaline) \[[@CR26]\]. Moreover, selective adsorption can be greatly improved for the enrichment of pollutants due to introduction of large numbers of active sites. Pourjavadi et al. reported a new functionalized magnetic nanocomposite of poly(methylacrylate) for the efficient removal of anionic dyes from aqueous media \[[@CR27]\]. Polycatechol, resulting from the polymerization of catechol catalyzed by Fe(III) \[[@CR28]--[@CR30]\], has been exploited in surface modifications as adhesives and coatings over a wide range of both organic and inorganic materials due to their unique thermal, structural properties, and the ability to form stable complexes with metal oxides \[[@CR31], [@CR32]\]. It means that Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs modified with polycatechol will greatly increase the adsorption ability of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs. However, there is no report about polycatechol modified Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs as an absorbent for dye removal by far.
In this work, polycatechol modified Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs (Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs) were prepared by a facile coprecipitation method and used as adsorbents for dye removal. The absorbent was characterized using magnetic hysteresis loops, thermogravimetric analysis and zeta potential analysis technique. Five kinds of cationic dyes, including methylene blue (MB), cationic turquoise blue GB (GB), malachite green (MG), crystal violet (CV) and cationic pink FG (FG), were chosen as the model compounds to expose the adsorption behavior of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. The adsorption kinetics, isotherm analyses and the effect of different experimental conditions on the removal of cationic dyes were also investigated.
Methods {#Sec2}
=======
Materials {#Sec3}
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Ferric chloride (FeCl~3~·6H~2~O), ferrous sulfate (FeSO~4~·7H~2~O), ammonium hydroxide (NH~3~·H~2~O, 25%), MB, GB, MG, CV, FG, Orange ΙΙ, Fuchsin, methyl orange (MO) and catechol were obtained from Chuandong Chemical Inc., Chengdu, Sichuan, China. All chemicals were analytical grade and used without further purification and all solutions and suspensions were prepared with deionized water. The structures of five cationic dyes, including MB, GB, MG, CV and FG, were shown in Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}.Fig. 1Molecular structures of (**a**) MB (**b**) GB (**c**) MG (**d**) CV (**e**) FG. As shown as Fig. 1, the structure of five kinds of cationic dyes are described
Preparation and characterization of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs {#Sec4}
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Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs were prepared by a facile chemical coprecipitation method using iron salts and catechol as precursors \[[@CR23]\]. The whole synthesis process was performed at ambient atmosphere. In brief, FeCl~3~·6H~2~O (10 mmol) and FeSO~4~·7H~2~O (5 mmol) were dissolved into 75 mL deionized water, then mixed with 75 mL of catechol (20 mM) sufficiently. When catechol was mixed with iron solution (pH 2.87), the polymerization of catechol catalyzed by Fe^3+^ happened, forming polycatechol, which was black coarse precipitates \[[@CR30]\]. Simultaneously, Fe^3+^ ions were chemically adsorbed on polycatechol through complexation and served as nucleation precursors. The mixture was standing for 30 min and then was added into 100 mL of ammonium hydroxide (3.3 M) rapidly, aging for 120 min under vigorous stirring. The magnetic nanoparticles in situ grew to form aggregations on the surface of polycatechol chains. Couples of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC chains combined with each other tightly to form Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. The whole synthesis processes were performed at ambient atmosphere, without any protective atmosphere. The black magnetic nanoparticles were separated by an external magnet and washed with deionized water until neutral pH and dried in a vacuum oven at 50 °C for 24 h. Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs were synthesized with the same procedures as mentioned above without adding catechol. All the products were stored in a desiccator under ambient temperature for further experiments.
Magnetic properties were measured at room temperature on a magnetic property measurement system (MPMS XL-7, Quantum Design, America). Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was carried out for powder samples using a TGA/DSC 1 thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) (Mettler-Toledo, Switzerland) under N~2~ environment at a heating rate of 5 °C min^− 1^. The zeta potentials of catalyst suspensions at different pH were determined by a Malvern 3000 Zetasizer.
Batch adsorption experiments {#Sec5}
----------------------------
Sorption isotherm experiments were carried out by shaking 25 mg Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs in 25 mL solution with varied adsorbates, with initial adsorbate concentration varying from 0.02 mM to 0.4 mM. The mixture was continuously shaken on a shaker at 180 rpm under controlled temperature of 30 °C until reaching equilibrium. The solution pH was adjusted by using 1.0 M H~2~SO~4~ or 1.0 M NaOH solutions. After adsorption, the adsorbent was separated from the solution under magnetism, and then the supernatant liquid was measured at the maximum absorbance of each dye by a UV-vis spectrophotometer.
Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics of the processes were studied. 100 mg Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs were suspended into 100 mL 0.1 mM solutions of adsorbates, and then shaken at 180 rpm under pH 6.0 and 30 °C. At different time intervals, 0.5 mL of suspension sample was withdrawn and immediately separated by an external magnetism and the supernatant liquid was collected for analysis.
The influences of pH value and temperature on adsorption of cationic dyes were also studied. The typical batch adsorption experiment was carried out as follows: 50.0 mg of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs was dispersed in 50.0 mL of cationic dyes solution and then was shaken on a shaker with a speed of 180 rpm.
All the adsorption experiments were carried out in duplicate. The adsorption capacity of each dye in the adsorption system, q~*e*~, was calculated according to Eq. ([1](#Equ1){ref-type=""}):$$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$ {q}_e=\left({C}_i-{C}_e\right)\ V/{M}_s $$\end{document}$$
Where *q*~*e*~ (mg g^− 1^) is the adsorption capacity, *C*~*e*~ (mM) is the equilibrium concentration in the aqueous phase, *Ci* (mM) is the initial aqueous phase concentration, *V* (L) is the volume of solution and *M*~*s*~ (g) is the mass of solid adsorbent.
Results and discussion {#Sec6}
======================
Characterization of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs {#Sec7}
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Figure [2a](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"} shows the magnetic hysteresis loops determined at room temperature for Fe~3~O~4~ and Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. The saturation magnetization values of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs were 53.5 emu g^− 1^, higher than that of Fe~3~O~4~ (49.6 emu g^− 1^), suggesting that they could be easily separated by an external magnetic field \[[@CR33]\]. The particle size, spin canting phenomenon, size effect, and others, are related to the saturation magnetization of the ferrite nanoparticles \[[@CR34]\]. The modification of polycatechol makes the Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs much higher in crystallization, and smaller in particle size than Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs, which could be result in the higher saturation magnetization of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs than Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs. Furthermore, higher saturation magnetization of the prepared Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs could also be attributed to the surface effect, sometimes called the "dead surface". The dead surface is associated with disorder of surface spin \[[@CR35]\].Fig. 2**a** Magnetization behavior of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs and Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs at room temperature. **b** Thermogravimetry (TGA) curves of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs and Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. **c** zeta potentials of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC magnetic nanoparticles. In Fig. 2, the blank lines represent the nature of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs, and the red lines are on behalf of the property of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs
The thermal behaviors of Fe~3~O~4~ and Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs were further investigated by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) (Fig. [2b](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}). For the TGA curve of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs, the weight loss (6.5%) below 150 °C was due to the loss of physically adsorbed water. For the curve of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs, the weight loss (5.2%) below 150 °C was due to the loss of physically adsorbed water, the weight loss (9.4%) from 150 °C to 400 °C was ascribed to the loss of oxygen-containing functional groups, the weight loss (6.8%) from 400 °C to 800 °C was mainly attributed to the burning of carbon, and a slight weight gain (2.3%) over 800 °C was due to the oxidization of Fe~3~O~4~ to γ-Fe~2~O~3~ \[[@CR36]\]. The Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs exhibited a lower thermal stability rather than Fe~3~O~4~, due to the modification of polycatechol \[[@CR37]\].
Figure [2c](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"} shows the zeta potentials of the Fe~3~O~4~ and Fe~3~O~4~/PCC suspensions at various pH values. As shown in Fig. [2c](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}, the isoelectric point of Fe~3~O~4~ was 4.2, while the surface of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs possessed negative charges in the pH range of 3.0--10.0, which could be due to the electronegativity of phenolic hydroxyl group in polycatechol. Moreover, the surface charge density of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs increased as the pH increased from 3.0 to 10.0. The negative charges of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs also prevented nanoparticles from agglomeration.
Selective adsorption of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs {#Sec8}
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The adsorption properties of the Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs towards cationic dyes, anionic dyes and phenol from aqueous solution were investigated in detail. Figure [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"} shows the removal efficiencies of MB as a kind of cationic dye, MO as a kind of anionic dye and phenol adsorbed onto Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. It was observed that the removal efficiency of MB was 75.7%. However, the removal efficiencies of MO was 10.9% only, and the removal efficiency of phenol was 1.5% only. The results indicated that the Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs selectively adsorbed cationic dye, due to the electrostatic interaction (Fig. [2c](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}).Fig. 3The removal efficiency of MB, MO and phone adsorbed by Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. As shown as Fig. 3, the blank line represent the removal efficiency of MB, the red line reperesent the removal of MO, and the blue line represent the removal of phonel
Adsorption kinetics of cationic dyes {#Sec9}
------------------------------------
Adsorption kinetics of five cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs were studied using two kinetic models, namely the pseudo-first-order model and the pseudo-second-order model (Fig. [3](#Fig3){ref-type="fig"}). In the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, the rate constant of dyes adsorption is expressed as \[[@CR38]\]:$$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$ Ln\left({q}_e-{q}_t\right)=\mathit{\ln}\left({q}_e\right)\hbox{--} {k}_1\ t $$\end{document}$$
where *q*~*e*~ and *q*~*t*~ are the amounts of dyes adsorbed (mg g^− 1^) at equilibrium and at any instant of time *t* (min), respectively, and *k*~*1*~ is the rate constant of pseudo-first-order adsorption (min^− 1^).
The pseudo-second-order kinetic model is described by the formula \[[@CR39]\]:$$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$ t/{q}_t= 1/{k}_{ad}\ {q_e}^2+ 1/{q}_e $$\end{document}$$
Where *q*~*e*~ and *q*~*t*~ are, respectively, the amount of dyes adsorbed at the equilibrium and time *t* (mg g^− 1^); and *k*~*ad*~ is the pseudo-second-order rate constant for the adsorption process (mg g^− 1^ min^− 1^). The parameter values for each model were calculated from the linear least square method and the correlation coefficients were presented in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}. The results showed that all the adsorption kinetics of these five cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs could be well described by pseudo-second-order kinetics model with high correlation coefficient (R^2^ \> 0.997) and the rate constants (*k*~*ad*~) were calculated to 0.043, 0.047, 0.051, 0.057, 0.052 g mg^− 1^ mL^− 1^, corresponding to MB, GB, MG, CV and FG, respectively (Fig. [4](#Fig4){ref-type="fig"} and Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"}). Moreover, the adsorption capacity of MB on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs was significantly improved, comparing to that of Fe~3~O~4~ MNPs (Additional file [1](#MOESM1){ref-type="media"}: Figure S1). The main reason was the electrostatic attractions between the positive charge of cationic dyes and the negative charge of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs.Table 1Kinetics parameters for the adsorption of cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPsCationic dyespseudo-first-order kineticspseudo-second-order kinetics*q* ~*e*~*kR* ^*2*^*q* ~*e*~*kR* ^*2*^MB11.830.00480.85923.120.0430.999GB20.170.00240.79821.260.0470.997MG12.280.00410.86819.610.0510.998CV7.710.00380.68217.570.0570.999FG17.920.00300.87319.380.0520.998Fig. 4Adsorption of cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs (**a**) pseudo-second-order kinetics (**b**) pseudo-first-order kinetics. As shown as Fig. 4, the blank line represent the adsorption of MB, the red line reperesent the adsorption of GB, the blue line represent the adsorption of MG, the magenta represent of CV adsorption, and the olive is on behalf of the adsorption of FG
Adsorption isotherms of different cationic dyes {#Sec10}
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The adsorption isotherm played a significant role in evaluating the adsorption properties of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs \[[@CR40]\]. To depict the adsorption process thoroughly, two well-known isotherm equations, Langmuir and Freundlich equations (Eqs. ([4](#Equ4){ref-type=""}) and ([5](#Equ5){ref-type=""})), were applied \[[@CR41]\].
Langmuir equation:$$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$ {C}_e/{q}_e={C}_e/{q}_m+ 1/{K}_L\ {q}_m $$\end{document}$$
where *q*~*e*~ (mg g^− 1^) is the equilibrium adsorption capacity of dye on the adsorbent; *C*~*e*~ (mg L^− 1^) is the equilibrium dye concentration in solution; *q*~*m*~ (mg g^− 1^), the maximum capacity of the adsorbent; and *K*~*L*~ (L mg^− 1^), the Langmuir constant.
Freundlich equation:$$\documentclass[12pt]{minimal}
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\begin{document}$$ {q}_e={K}_F\ {C_e}^{1/n} $$\end{document}$$
Where *q*~*e*~ and *C*~*e*~ are defined to be the same as above; *K*~*F*~ (L mg^− 1^) is the Freundlich constant; and n is the heterogeneity factor.
Figure [5](#Fig5){ref-type="fig"} shows the adsorption isotherms of cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. The results indicated that the adsorption of the five cationic dyes all fitted better with Langmuir equation than with Freundlich equation according to the correlation coefficients. The maximum adsorption capacities (*q*~*m*~) for these dyes were worked out by the Langmuir equation which were listed in Table [2](#Tab2){ref-type="table"}. The *q*~*m*~ for cationic dyes: MB, GB, MG, CV and FG were 60.06, 70.97, 66.84, 66.01 and 50.27 mg g^− 1^, respectively. The fitted Langmuir model assumed that the single pollutant bonded to a single site on the adsorbent and that all surface sites on the adsorbents had the same affinity for pollutant and no interactions between pollutant \[[@CR42]\].Fig. 5**a** Isotherms of cationic dyes adsorption on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs (**b**) Langmuir and (**c**) Freundlich adsorption isotherm models for organic dyes by Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. As shown as Fig. 5, the blank line represent the adsorption of MB, the red line reperesent the adsorption of GB, the blue line represent the adsorption of MG, the magenta line represent of CV adsorption, and the olive line is on behalf of the adsorption of FGTable 2Parameters of adsorption isotherm models parameters for the adsorption of dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPsCationic dyesLangmuir modelFreundlich modelq~e~bR^2^q~e~nR^2^MB60.060.310.99526.485.540.928GB70.970.470.99928.124.430.943MG66.840.220.99723.814.440.990CV66.010.280.99724.144.390.852FG50.270.340.98331.334.020.796
Effect of temperature on cationic dyes adsorption {#Sec11}
-------------------------------------------------
The effect of temperature on the adsorption of cationic dyes was shown in Fig. [6](#Fig6){ref-type="fig"}. As can be seen, the removal efficiency of MB increased with rising temperature (30--45 °C), and it reached up to 84% at 45 °C, which suggested that the adsorption of MB on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC was an endothermic process. While the removal efficiency of GB and CV decreased with rising temperature, suggesting an exothermic reaction for the adsorption of GB and CV, which indicated the sorption processes were mainly physical adsorption. Furthermore, the reaction temperature had little effect on the adsorption of WG and FG. The effect of reaction temperature on the adsorption of five cationic dyes was different, mainly because of the different structure of dyes and the hole of the MNPs. When the holes of the MNPs are too small to be get into, the adsorbate molecules have to go over the high barrier to get into the hole. Since the holes are small and the diffusion is blocked, the adsorption process is more unstable, resulting in higher energy and the process is endothermic. Otherwise the process is exothermic.Fig. 6Effect of temperature on the adsorption of cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. As shown as Fig. 6, the blank line represent that the temperature is 30 °C, the red line reperesent that the temperature is 40 °C, and the blue line represent the temperature is 45 °C
Effect of pH on cationic dyes adsorption {#Sec12}
----------------------------------------
The pH of the aqueous solution was an important factor that affects the dye-adsorption process, because it influenced the surface charge of an adsorbent and the ionization behavior of both the adsorbent and dye \[[@CR43]\]. The effect of pH on the removal of cationic dyes was studied at a dye concentration of 0.1 mM at 30 °C and at pH values from 3.0 to 9.0. As shown in Fig. [7](#Fig7){ref-type="fig"}, the removal efficiency of cationic dyes increased with increasing pH value. Because the Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs possessed negative charge, and their surface charge density increased with higher pH (Fig. [2c](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}), cationic dyes were adsorbed on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs through the electrostatic attractions between the positive charge of cationic dyes molecules and the negative charge of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. As the pH increases, the electrostatic attraction between the negatively charged surface of the Fe~3~O~4~/PCC composite and cationic dyes molecule increased, resulting in the increase in the adsorption capacity of cationic dyes. Therefore, the elevated pH helped the removal of cationic dyes by Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs.Fig. 7Effect of initial pH on the removal of cationic dyes on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs the temperature is 30 °C. As shown as Fig. 7, the blank line represent that the solution pH is 3.0, the red line reperesent that the solution pH is 6.0, and the blue line represent that the solution pH is 9.0
Effect of coexisting cations on MB adsorption {#Sec13}
---------------------------------------------
Dye effluents always contained a large variety of coexisting ions, which might affect the dye adsorption process \[[@CR4]\]. In this study, three commonly coexisting salts, NaCl, MgSO~4~ and FeCl~3~ were selected to study the effect of coexisting cations and their ionic strength on MB adsorption onto Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs with the results presented in Fig. [8](#Fig8){ref-type="fig"}. As can be seen, Na^+^, Mg^2+^ and Fe^3+^ all suppressed MB adsorption due to the competition adsorption between cations and MB on the adsorptive sites of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. Moreover, the removal efficiency of MB decreased from 63% to 20% with Fe^3+^ concentration increasing from 0.1 mM to 0.5 mM. Such competitive adsorption was widely reported in the literature \[[@CR44]\]. The results further confirmed the electrostatic adsorption of MB on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs.Fig. 8Effect of coexisting cations and ionic strength on the adsorption of MB on Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs. As shown as Fig. 8, the blank line represent the adsorption of MB without any coexisting ions, the red line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 10 mM NaCl, the blue line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 50 mM NaCl, the magenta line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 10 mM MgSO~4~, the olive line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 50 mM MgSO~4~, the navy line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 0.1 mM FeCl~3~, the violet line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 0.2 mM FeCl~3~, the purple line reperesent the effect on MB adsorption with 0.1 mM FeCl~3~
Recycle of the adsorbent {#Sec14}
------------------------
After adsorption, Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs could be regenerated with ethanol desorption at pH 4.0 for 12 h and washed with deionized water to neutral condition. The Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs could be regenerated and reused for five times. Figure [9](#Fig9){ref-type="fig"} shows the adsorption performance of the regenerated Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs for cationic dyes. The removal efficiency of cationic dyes decreased gradually during the first adsorption-desorption cycle to the fifth cycle. At the sixth cycle, the removal efficiency of MB, GB, MG, CV and FG decreased dramatically to 27%, 23%, 37%, 43% and 39%, respectively. Notably, the presence of magnetic nanoparticles facilitated separation and recovery of the adsorbent. It indicates that the Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs has a certain economic feasibility.Fig. 9The histogram of removal efficiency of cationic dyes by Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs adsorption (\[Fe~3~O~4~/PCC\] = 1.0 g L^− 1^, \[dyes\]~0~ = 0.1 mM, pH 6.0, t = 300 min)
Conclusion {#Sec15}
==========
In conclusion, a new magnetic nano-adsorbent (Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs) was successfully prepared with active adsorption sites for removing cationic dyes from aqueous solution. The introduction of polycatechol in the structure of Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs performed amazing advantages, including preventing nanoparticles from agglomeration and improving adsorption behavior of the MNPs. The electrostatic interaction was found to be the main force of the adsorption behavior for the cationic dyes. The adsorption process was well-described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models, respectively. The results demonstrated that Fe~3~O~4~/PCC MNPs showed potential application for cationic dyes removal in industrial effluents.
Additional file
===============
{#Sec30}
Additional file 1:**Figure S1**. Adsorption removal efficiency of MB on Fe3O4 and Fe3O4/PCC MNPs, inset is the adsorption capacity of MB (\[Fe3O4/PCC\] = 1.0 g L-1, \[Fe3O4\] = 1.0 g L-1, \[MB\] = 0.1 mM, pH = 6.0, T = 30 °C). (DOC 45 kb)
CR
: Congo red
CTAB
: Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide
Fe~3~O~4~/PCC
: Fe~3~O~4~/polycatechol
Gly
: Glycine
GPTMS
: 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane
MB
: Methylene blue
MNPs
: Magnetic nanoparticles
PCC
: Polycatechol
TGA
: Thermogravimetric analysis
**Electronic supplementary material**
The online version of this article (10.1186/s11671-018-2476-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
The authors include Chuan Wang thank Professor Liu for fruitful discussions.
Funding {#FPar1}
=======
Not applicable
Availability of data and materials {#FPar2}
==================================
Not applicable
Juan Xiao participated in the materials preparation, data analysis and drafted the manuscript. Qinqin Zhang participated in the sample characterization. Chang Cui conceived and co-wrote the paper. Chuan Wang involved in the experimental design and revised the manuscript. All authors include Chuan Wang read and approved the final manuscript.
Competing interests {#FPar3}
===================
All the authors include Chuan Wang declare that they have no competing financial interests.
Publisher's Note {#FPar4}
================
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
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Bernstein on Elaborated and Restricted Codes
Basil Bernstein analyzes the role of social class in education and identity formation. He contrasts elaborated and restricted codes, which engender a ‘universalistic’ and a ‘particularistic’ view toward meaning, respectively.
Without a shadow of doubt the most formative influence upon the procedures of socialization, from a sociological viewpoint, is social class. The class structure influences work and educational roles and brings families into a special relationship with each other and deeply penetrates the structure of life experiences within the family. The class system has deeply marked the distribution of knowledge within society. It has given differential access to the sense that the world is permeable. It has sealed off communities from each other and has ranked these communities on a scale of invidious worth. We have three components, knowledge, possibility and invidious insulation. It would be a little naive to believe that differences in knowledge, differences in the sense of the possible, combined with invidious insulation, rooted in differential material well-being, would not affect the forms of control and innovation in the socializing procedures of different social classes. I shall go on to argue that the deep structure of communication itself is affected, but not in any final or irrevocable way. …
A tiny percentage of the population has been given access to the principles of intellectual change, whereas the rest have been denied such access. This suggests that we might be able to distinguish between two orders of meaning. One we could call universalistic, the other particularistic. Universalistic meanings are those in which principles and operations are made linguistically explicit, whereas particularistic orders of meaning are meanings in which principles and operation are relatively linguistically implicit. If orders of meaning are universalistic, then the meanings are less tied to a given context. The meta-languages of public forms of thought as these apply to objects and persons realize meanings of a universalistic type. Where meanings have this characteristic then individuals have access to the grounds of their experience and can change the grounds. Where orders of meaning are particularistic, where principles are linguistically implicit, then such meanings are less context independent and more context bound, that is, tied to a local relationship and to a local social structure. Where the meaning system is particularistic, much of the meaning is embedded in the context and may be restricted to those who share a similar contextual history. Where meanings are universalistic, they are in principle available to all because the principles and operations have been made explicit, and so public.
I shall argue that forms of socialization orient the child toward speech codes which control access to relatively context-independent meanings. Thus I shall argue” that elaborated codes orient their users towards universalistic meanings, whereas restricted codes orient, sensitize, their users to particularistic meanings: that the linguistic realization of the two orders are different, and so are the social relationships which realize them. Elaborated codes are less tied to a given or local structure and thus contain the potentiality of change in principles. In the case of elaborated codes the speech may be freed from its evoking social structure and it can take on an autonomy. A university is a place organized around talk. Restricted codes are more tied to a local social structure and have a reduced potential for change in principles. Where codes are elaborated, the socialized has more access to the grounds of his own socialization, and so can enter into a reflexive relationship to the social order he has taken over. Where codes are restricted, the socialized has less access to the grounds of his socialization, and thus reflexiveness may be limited in range. One of the effects of the class system is to limit access to elaborated codes. …
Often in these encounters the speech cannot be understood apart from the context, and the context cannot be read by those who do not share the history of the relationships. Thus the form of the social relationship acts selectively in the meanings to be verbalized, which in turn affect the syntactic and lexical choices. The unspoken assumptions underlying the relationship are not available to those who are outside the relationship. For these are limited, and restricted to the speakers. The symbolic form of the communication is condensed, yet the specific cultural history of the relationship is alive in its form. We can say that the roles of the speakers are communalized roles. Thus, we can make a relationship between restricted social relationships based upon communalized roles and the verbal realization of their meaning.
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Introduction {#s1}
============
Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder, the lifetime prevalence of which is nearly 1% worldwide ([@B1]). The prevalence of violent offenses in schizophrenic patients is higher than that of the general population ([@B2]--[@B4]). In China, meta-analysis from our group showed, the prevance of aggression of inpatients with schizophrenia was 35.4% (95% CI: 29.7%, 41.4%) ([@B5]). Although the etiology of violent and aggressive behavior in schizophrenia is multifactorial, genetic inheritance may strongly contribute to it ([@B4], [@B6], [@B7]). Recent studies suggested that immuno-inflammatory processes are involved in the etiology of schizophrenia ([@B8]--[@B10]) and aggressive behavior in schizophrenia ([@B11]). For example, *Toxoplasma gondii* antibodies have been observed in some schizophrenic populations ([@B12], [@B13]), as well as increases in maternal ([@B14]--[@B16]) and childhood infections ([@B17]). Most importantly, genetic studies also support an immune component to schizophrenia risk, the most statistically significant component is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region of chromosome 6 ([@B18]--[@B21]).
Activated ([@B22], [@B23]) or impaired ([@B24]) T-cell function in inflammatory and degenerative process has been shown to be a risk factor for schizophrenia. Moreover, biased T-cell receptor repertoires are involved in severe mental disease ([@B25], [@B26]). In the T-cell receptor beta variable chain (TRBV), the complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) is the most variable, and defines the different populations of T cells, determines the specificity by recognizing pathogen or autoantigen epitopes ([@B27]). The diversification of T cells occurs during the lymphocyte maturation process, which includes genomic rearrangements in the CDR3 variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments and the addition/subtraction of non-templated bases of the recombinant junctions ([@B28]).
It is estimated that the diversity of human TCR αβ pairs is nearly 2.5 × 10^18^ ([@B29]). Traditional sequencing technologies are inadequate for identification and quantification of this many T-cell antigen-receptor clonotypes. Immune repertoire sequencing, which is the large-scale sequencing of TCR repertoires, provides more distinct and detailed molecular characterization of complex sequencing targets ([@B30]). Thus, it enables the examination of the immune system at an unprecedented level ([@B27]). Using this method, we can search potential autoreactive clones and autoantigens, which may provide important information for the classification and monitoring of schizophrenia ([@B27]).
It has been proposed that immuno-inflammatory responses may enhance the risk and development of schizophrenia ([@B14], [@B16], [@B17], [@B31]). The immune system may influence neurometabolic, neuroendocrine, neurodevelopmental processes ([@B32], [@B33]), especially the effect of T-cell on cognitive function ([@B34]), learning and memory ([@B35]), social behavior ([@B36]), which are all critical etiological pathways for schizophrenia. Compared to non-violent patients, violent schizophrenic patients show disturbances in response inhibition and emotional processing ([@B37]), impaired neurocognition ([@B38], [@B39]), and stronger neurodevelopmental symptoms ([@B40]). Therefore, in the current study, high-throughput sequencing technology was used to analyze the characteristics and diversity of immune molecules to explore the role of T cells in the immune system-induced pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We hypothesized that schizophrenic patients would have different TCR-repertoire diversity compared to healthy controls and that violent and non-violent schizophrenic patients would have different TCR-repertoire diversity.
Materials and methods {#s2}
=====================
Patients and sample collection
------------------------------
10 violent schizophrenic patients and 10 non-violent schizophrenic patients were enrolled in this study. Violent patients who had been accused of homicide were recruited from the forensic psychiatric department of a hospital in Hunan province, China. The non-violent patients, who had never displayed violent behavior, were recruited from the in- or outpatient department of the same psychiatric hospital. All patients were males who met the following criteria: 18--40 years of age, unmarried, drug-naive, no family history of psychiatric illness, and first-onset schizophrenia diagnosis according to the ICD-10. Patients with any comorbid psychiatric disorders or accompanying somatopathy were excluded. Eight healthy subjects matched for age and gender served as controls. There were no significant differences in age or years of education between three groups (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}).
######
Basic demographic and clinical characteristics of violent and non-violent schizophrenia patients.
**Violent schizophrenia (*****n*** = **10)** **Non-violent schizophrenia (*****n*** = **10)** **Healthy control (*****n*** = **8)** ***Statistics***
-------------------- ---------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- ------------------ ------ ----- --------- -------- ----------
Age 27.6 5.8 24.2 4.1 24.5 4.4 1.4 2,25 0.26
Education (years) 9.5 1.4 11.0 1.9 11.1 1.5 2,25 0.07
***t*** **df** **p**
BPRS
Total score 40.7 10.5 42.1 28.5 0.1 18 0.89
Anxiety/Depression 4.4 0.7 4.5 1.6 0.2 0.86
Anergia 9.2 3.0 10.2 5.6 0.5 0.6
Thought 12.6 3.8 10.1 4.8 1.3 0.2
Disturbance 4.9 2.3 4.2 2.1 0.7 0.5
Activation 11.8 4.1 15.6 22.4 0.5 0.6
Hostility
MOAS 25.2 3.3 0.2 0.6 23.3 18 \< 0.001
*BPRS, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; MOAS, Modified Overt Aggression Scale*.
The study was carried out in accordance with *The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association*. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants and their families/guardians. The study was carried out in accordance with the details of relevant guidelines and was approved by the Biomedical Ethics Board of the Second Xiangya Hospital (Approval number: 2013068).
A clinical interview was performed by a psychiatrist to confirm the diagnosis and to determine whether the patients met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) was used to evaluate the patients\' psychiatric symptoms. The 18-item BPRS is a 7-point scale that covers a broad range of symptoms including hallucinations, delusions, and mood disturbances. Here we report the total score and the factor scores for symptoms such as anxiety/depression, anergia, thought disturbance, activation, and hostility ([@B41]).
The levels of aggression were assessed by the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS). The MOAS contains 4 differently weighted subscales, including verbal aggression, aggression against property, self-aggression, and physical aggression toward other people ([@B42], [@B43]). The total MOAS score was used as an overall measure of the aggression level according to the different weights of each subscale score.
DNA extraction
--------------
A sample of peripheral blood was collected from the participants and was immediately frozen at −80°C until DNA extraction. The RelaxGene Blood DNA System (TIANGEN Biotech, Beijing, China) was used to extract DNA following the manufacturer\'s instructions.
Multiplex-PCR and high-throughput sequencing of the TRBV CDR3 region
--------------------------------------------------------------------
A multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system was used to amplify rearranged CDR3 regions. The PCR amplification conditions were 96°C for 3 min; 35 cycles of 96°C denaturation for 25 s, 62°C annealing for 45 s and 72°C extension for 45 s; followed by 72°C extension for 5 min. The remaining primers in the PCR product were digested by Exo I enzyme at 37°C for 15 min, and the enzyme was then denatured at 80°C for 20 min. PCR products were purified by gel extraction and sequenced on an ABI 3730XL machine. Sequencing results were analyzed with the ATF genotyping software.
To prepare the TRBV library, 30 forward, and 13 reverse primers were designed to amplify the CDR3 region of the TRBV gene from genomic DNA template. The PCR products were purified with the AMPure XP system (Beckman Coulter, Inc, Indianapolis IN, USA) to remove PCR primers. Sequencing index sequences and adaptors were added to the library in another round of PCR with the conditions of 98°C for 1 min, 25 cycles of 98°C denaturation for 20 s, 65°C annealing for 30 s and 72°C extension for 30 s, with a final extension for 7 min at 72°C. The library was separated on an agarose gel, and the target region was isolated and purified using the QIAquick Gel Extraction kit. The PCR products were sequenced on the Illumina sequencing platform (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}).
{#F1}
Data analysis
-------------
Data quality was evaluated using the FastQC software. FLASH software was used to merge overlapping paired-end reads. The miTCR software, developed by MiLaboratory (<http://mitcr.milaboratory.com/downloads/>), was used to extract each clonotype from the CDR3 region. After sequence alignment, the expression level of each clonotype was calculated. The frequency and frequency distribution of clonotypes of the V and J gene segments, as well as the V-J gene pairs in the CDR3 region were also analyzed. To assess the TRBV repertoire diversity, the Shannon--Wiener index, the inverse Simpson diversity index, and the abundance ratios of different clonotypes were calculated ([@B44]). The V/J/VJ value of highly-expanded-clones (HECs) was calculated according to the definition of previous studies that TCR clones with a frequency of over 1% are considered to be HECs ([@B45]). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to reduce the dimensionality of the highly expressed gene segments as described in a previous study ([@B46]). One-way ANOVA was used to compare the diversity levels among the three groups. A *p*-value of \< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results {#s3}
=======
Demographic and clinical characteristics
----------------------------------------
The mean MOAS total score of violent patients was significantly higher than that of non-violent patients (*p* \< 0.001). There was no significant difference in either the total BPRS or the factor scores between the violent and non-violent patients (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}).
TCR repertoire diversity among different groups
-----------------------------------------------
The numbers of total clonotypes and the numbers of unique clonotype in the violent patients, the non-violent patients, and the healthy control group were showed in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}. The number of unique clonotypes in violent schizophrenic patients was significantly higher than that in non-violent schizophrenic patients (*p* \< 0.05). There were no significant differences in diversity indices such as the Shannon--Wiener and inverse Simpson diversity index between three groups (*p* \> 0.05; Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}).
######
Diversity of T-cell receptor repertoire in the violent, non-violent and healthy control groups.
**Violent schizophrenia** **Non-violent schizophrenia** **Healthy control**
--------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ ----------- ------------ ----------- ------- --- ----------
TotalClonotype 3,016,151[^\*\*\*^](#TN1){ref-type="table-fn"} 1,182,819 3,360,785[^\*\*\*^](#TN1){ref-type="table-fn"} 3,721,625 12,717,786 1,198,254 44.09 2 \< 0.001
UniqClonotype 76,110Δ 38,414 39,534 22,578 48,892 11,297 4.76 2 0.02
TotalHighClonotype 2,981,641[^\*\*\*^](#TN1){ref-type="table-fn"} 1,167,216 3,341,443[^\*\*\*^](#TN1){ref-type="table-fn"} 3,708,148 12,693,699 1,200,168 44.48 2 \< 0.001
UniqHighClonotype 41,600Δ 20,956 20,192 9,356 24,805 5,221 6.35 2 0.01
Shannon\'s Diversity index 12.03 1.63 11.43 2.10 12.05 1.06 0.42 2 0.661
InvSimpsonDiversity 438.14 555.47 847.09 873.13 452.48 428.30 1.19 2 0.32
Normalized Shannon\'s Diversity index 0.75 0.09 0.76 0.14 0.77 0.07 0.16 2 0.86
Compare to healthy control group, p \< 0.001; Δ: Compare to non-violent schizophrenia group, p \< 0.01
*TotalClonotype: the total volume of clonotype expression; UniqClonotype: kinds of clonotype; TotalHighClonotype: the total expression of those clonotype express no \< 2; UniqHighClonotype: kinds of clonotype express no \< 2; Shannon\'s Diversity Index, InvSimpsonDiversity: the diversity index of clonotypes; Normalized Shannon\'s Diversity Index: the normalized Shannon\'s diversity index based on sample sequencing data*.
TRBV CDR3 gene transcript abundance
-----------------------------------
The top 20 most highly expressed V genes in each participant were listed in Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}. PCA revealed two principal components (PCs), PC1 explaining 28.88% and PC2 explaining 13.24% of the variation in the V genes (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). There were a significant differences between the schizophrenic patients (both violent and non-violent) and the healthy controls in V gene distribution (*p* \< 0.01; Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}). In particular, TRBV2 had significantly higher levels of expression in the violent schizophrenic patients than those of both the non-violent schizophrenic patients (*p* \< 0.01) and the healthy controls (*p* \< 0.01), whereas TRBV7-2 had significantly higher levels of expression in the non-violent schizophrenic patients than those of both the violent schizophrenic patients (*p* \< 0.01) and the healthy controls (*p* \< 0.01). Similar patterns were found in the J and V-J genes in all participants, and there were no significant differences in J and V-J gene pair distribution among the three groups.
{#F2}
{#F3}
{#F4}
Discussion {#s4}
==========
To our knowledge, this is the first study using immune repertoire sequencing to investigate the characteristics and polymorphisms of the TRBV in violent and non-violent schizophrenic patients. The study found that schizophrenic patients (violent and non-violent) have different V gene distributions compared to those of healthy controls. In particular, the number of unique clonotypes in the violent schizophrenic patients was significantly higher than that in the non-violent schizophrenic patients. TRBV2 showed significantly higher expression in the violent schizophrenic patients, and TRBV7-2 showed significantly higher expression in the non-violent schizophrenic patients.
Each T-cell bears a unique T-cell receptor in order to recognize a specific antigen-derived peptide. Recognizing MHC-bound peptides through TCRs, T cells mount the immune response in the adaptive immunity process. Some alterations in T-cell function in schizophrenia have been demonstrated, including reduced proliferative responses to stimulation, significant changes in transcripts associated with the cell cycle, intracellular signaling, oxidative stress and metabolis ([@B47]), and activation of T-cell networks ([@B48]). In addition, it has also been reported that altered immune function caused by T-cell molecular changes is associated with first-onset schizophrenia ([@B49]).
The finding that V gene distribution in schizophrenic patients is different from healthy controls provides evidence that the dysregulation of T cells is associated with schizophrenia. TRBV provides the diversity and composition of the entire set of antigen receptors on T cells, which has an extraordinary impact on health and disease. Normally, without any antigen stimulation, T cells are in a positive polyclonal state, and TRBV is randomly rearranged. However, in the case of disease, specific antigen stimulation causes targeted TRBV subfamily rearrangement and dramatic clonal expansion. Therefore, the dominant T-cell clone may suppress the cloning of other T cells, resulting in a decrease in immune function ([@B27]). Clarifying TCR repertoire characteristics may help to explore the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and aid in the diagnosis and personalized treatment of patients.
Recently, Li et al. reported immune factors (C3 and Th17-related cytokines) were related to schizophrenia and aggressive behavior ([@B11]), it suggested some immune factors would be potential biomarkers for aggressive behavior with schizophrenia. The immune repertoire sequencing is a new tool for deciphering mechanisms of autoimmunity. As the variety of TRBV genes have been indentified ([@B50]), and different distribution of TRBV subfamilies may result in decrease or increase some immune function ([@B51]). To our knowledge, there are some studies reported a significant skewed TRBV repertoire occurred, such as in major depressive disorder ([@B26]), and the systemic lupus erythematosus ([@B27]), acute graft-versus-host disease ([@B52]), and the maternal--fetal interface ([@B53]). In this study, the violent schizophrenic patients had higher numbers of unique expressed clonotypes than non-violent patients, and violent patients expressed higher levels of TRBV2, whereas non-violent patients expressed higher levels of TRBV7-2. TRBV subfamilies exhibit pedigree polymorphism and abnormal clonal proliferation under stimulation with specific antigens may cause a specific immune response. The highly oligoclonal nature of T cells in these patients may be associated with the different reactivity of each patient. The results of this study showed that violent schizophrenic patients have a different distribution of TRBV subfamily abnormalities, suggesting the abnormal expression of some TRBV subfamilies in PBMCs may be associated with the immune pathogenesis of schizophrenia. This provides a valuable clue to explore potential violence-specific T-cell antigens involved in immune-related schizophrenia pathogenesis, which may provide insight for the development of novel diagnostics and targeted immunotherapy. Till now, however, few studies reported the relation between immune factors and TRBV. Further study is needed to identify the function of the TRBV subfamilies evaluated *in vivo* and *in vitro*.
Limitations {#s5}
===========
This study is limited in some respects. First, as a heterogeneous disorder, schizophrenia produces an extraordinary variety and wide array of symptoms. Although, we used the BPRS to control the symptoms, violent and non-violent patients with schizophrenia may not be from uniform subtypes. Second, the sample size was small, and increasing the sample in future studies would provide opportunities for identifying additional oligoclonal or even monoclonal hyperplasia subfamilies. Finally, the function of this process and the clonal proliferation of T-cells in the body is largely unclear; further research is needed to conclusively reveal the molecular mechanisms of T-cell signaling.
Author contributions {#s6}
====================
JZ and XW designed the study, QgL and WL wrote the protocol. JZ, XC managed the literature searches and analyses. QgL wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.
Conflict of interest statement
------------------------------
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
We would like to thank the participants and their families for contributing to this research.
**Funding.** This work was supported and funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC: 81371500, 81571316, 81571341), the Key Projects in the National Science & Technology Pillar Program during the Twelfth Five-Year Plan Period (No. 2012BAK16B00). There are no conflicts of interest to disclose.
[^1]: Edited by: Xiang Yang Zhang, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, United States
[^2]: Reviewed by: Hongsheng Gui, Henry Ford Health System, United States; Qiang WANG, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, China
[^3]: This article was submitted to Behavioral and Psychiatric Genetics, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry
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*
1 .
INFORMED CONSENT SHEET:
Cultural Contact & Social Ties
The Department of Psychology at Brunel University requires that all persons who participate in psychology studies give their written consent to do so. Please read the following and sign it if you agree with what it says.
I freely and voluntarily consent to be a participant in the research project entitled "Cultural Contact & Social Ties" to be conducted at Brunel University, with Noelia Sayavedra as supervisor or principal investigator. The broad goal of this research program is to explore the variation of several demographic characteristics across nations, particularly those related to the individual and their wider social network. Specifically, I have been told that I will be asked to answer various survey questions, indicating characteristics that apply to myself and my social network. The session should take no longer than approximately 15 minutes to complete.
I have been told that my responses will be kept strictly confidential. I also understand that if at any time during the session I feel unable or unwilling to continue, I am free to leave without negative consequences. That is, my participation in this study is completely voluntary, and I may withdraw from this study at any time. My withdrawal would not result in any penalty, academic or otherwise. My name will not be linked with the research materials, as the researchers are interested in broad variations in the demographics of social networks by region and country in general -- not any particular individual's characteristics or traits in particular. I have been given the opportunity to ask questions regarding the procedure, and my questions have been answered to my satisfaction. I have been informed that if I have any general questions about this project, or ethical issues relating to the project, I should feel free to contact Noelia Sayavedra at ht11nms@brunel.ac.uk. If I have any concerns or complaints regarding the way in which the research is or has been conducted I may contact one of the Co-Chairs of the Psychology Research Ethics Committee, Professor Taeko Wydell at taeko.wydell@brunel.ac.uk or Dr Tara Marshall at tara.marshall@brunel.ac.uk.
I have read and understand the above and consent to participate in this study. My signature is not a waiver of any legal rights. Furthermore, I understand that I will be able to keep a copy of the informed consent form for my records (available upon request).
|
{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
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Ans:Barbie brand is actually the same lenses with G&G brand. All the lenses from G&G brand will come in a different label which is MESSISH, DUEBA, BARBIE and G&G itself .It depends on the manufacturer which label to use in a different batch. All the design will be exactly the same even though it comes with a different label.
8. Why some circle lenses comes in 48% water content while the other lens comes in 38%? is there huge difference?
Ans:The circle lenses comes in a different water content between 30%-50% water content. Some people able to used the lenses which have a low water content without having a trouble of dryness. In general, the higher the water content allows more oxygen to pass through the eyes for a better comfort wearing.
9. What is Silicone Hydrogel lenses?
Ans:Silicone hydrogel contact lenses are advanced soft lenses that allow more oxygen to pass through the lens to the cornea than regular soft ("hydrogel") contacts. They are healthier than regular soft lenses because they allow up to 6 times more oxygen to pass through them and increased oxygen transmission results in better overall eye health.
10. I have just received my lenses, but I noticed that the color is not the same as what I have been purchase before. What makes the lens color become darker or lighter than before?
Ans:We always restock our product when it happens to be out of stock. The new batch will not be the same as the previous one. This is due to a different batch of manufacturing. The design will remain the same but the color might be slightly different in a new batch.
11. What is the ingredient used in the making of the bb cream?
Ans:It depends on your chosen BB cream since all of them come with a different ingredients. Please refer to the link http://www.pinkyparadise.com/BB-Cream-s/1871.htm for more information regarding the ingredients of the selected product.
12. Is there any prohibited substance used in the cosmetic product such as mercury or hydroquinone?
Ans:Definitely NO. We always make sure all of the products will not contain any harm substance before we proceed to sells them. All brands are from Korea and Japan all it is a well known brand.
13. Can I use an eyedrops to my contact lens and it is safe to use?
Ans: Yes as long as you use the good correct eyedrops and on the correct quantity. There are 2 different type of eyedrop which is for regular eyes that can be use only without a contact lenses and the other type of eyedrop which is to be use while you are wearing a contact lenses. Here is the link of all type of our eyedrop http://www.pinkyparadise.com/Eye-Care-s/1874.htm
Payment
2. I have made payment for my order, but it is not processed yet. My payment was made by echeck. Can you please let me know when my order will be processed and shipped?
Ans:
Usually clearance of echeck takes up to 10 days. We can process your order only after clearance is completed. So, please be patient.
The processing days might vary from 1 to 3, and shipping update will depend on the shipping method you have used for your order.
Others
1. Can I do drop shipping?
Ans:
Drop shipping is available in Pinkyparadise. You can now send your products to your friends or loved one just by ticking the box which indicates to SHIP TO OTHER ADDRESS. Once you tick, click NEXT, you will proceed to the page where you need to fill up the recipient’s address.
2. Pinkyparadise is not responding to my message that left on the BOX of contact us, why?
Ans:
There are two possibilities:
You have an invalid email address where we could not respond to you
Please allow us at least 2 to 3 business days to revert back to you if you post us long comments or feedback.
3. Why I haven’t received a response from customer service yet?
Ans:
Please allow us at least 2 business days and please be note that we are not operate on weekend. All the emails on weekend will be replied on the next Monday.
4. Can I refer the value shown when I change the currency in the website?
Ans:
The currency provided is strictly for reference purpose only. The figure/value might be change depends on the global currency converter. We will not be responsible for any misleading value when you proceed for payment in Payment Express as they will re-calculate the amount back according to the current money changer. If you want to get more accurate currency, Please refer to USD.
Founded in 2006, PinkyParadise has accumulated years of experience in the beauty industry, making us a trusted and renowned online retail merchandiser specializing in fashionable and trendy circle lenses/color contacts. With more than 900+ types of lenses in stock, PinkyParadise.com has become one of the largest online circle lens store today.
We believe circle lenses are more than just colored contact lenses, they redefine the beauty boundaries of eye makeup. Even more, it tells people who you are. Your eyes speak with PinkyParadise.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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BlackRock (BLK) is the world's largest publicly traded investment management firm. As of December 31, 2014, it had assets under management, or AUM, of $4.65 trillion. This is ~7% of the total assets under management across the globe.
Change Country
Russ is a Portfolio Manager for BlackRock’s Global Allocation team. He works with portfolio managers to establish macro-level views and also develops systematic strategies to augment the team’s security-selection process and risk management. He is the author of two books, including “The Ten Trillion Dollar Gamble,” on positioning portfolios for the growing U.S. deficit.
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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|
But there were a lot exclusives: Doutzen oa. Miranda was also there, Anne V what about Iselin for Prada? The Magdelena invasion? I think 99% is to much, but she has a chance.
I don't know if the rumours are true, they could be true and that makes it easy to believe.
Versace is the biggest rumour, someone put his thought based on information that is revealed.
guys there are some mistakes!! The last part is a thought of a normal person who don't know anything, just guesses!!
Basing on the word of this person Natasha got Gucci (ONLY GIRL) and Givenchy with Joan Smalls.
If Natasha got Versace then the person when he/she said the same model got Gucci he would say the same model got also Versace.
The Versace girl are probably Abbey or Daphne. Gisele doesn't do multi girls campaigns, only if the girls are Kate Moss or girls of her level and then how can she does a Versace campaign as multi girl while last season was OG?
The brazilian favourite is Isabeli probably, Donatella in an interview said she's her favourite model.
What a good season if it's true! Gucci (OG), Givenchy (MG) + L'Oreal contract
I hope it's true, but i wouldn't believe any of it till there is some confirmation. the sources doesn't sounds very reliable and put on that site really out of the blue while at tfs not really any info about that is given.
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Rep. Grijalva requests federal intervention in ethnic studies battle
Rep. Grijalva requests federal intervention in ethnic studies battle
TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - U.S. Rep Raúl Grijalva is asking the federal government to step into the battle over the Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American Studies program. On Tuesday afternoon, his office released a letter the congressmen is sending to U.S. Department of Education, urging an investigation.
The letter was sent out on the letterhead of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and co-signed by its chairman, U.S. Rep Gonzalez (D-Texas). The two addressed it to Russlynn Ali, who is assistant secretary in the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
The letter points out that Arizona education chief John Huppenthal found TUSD's program to be in violation of the state's new law cracking down on ethnic studies even though his own auditors found otherwise. Grijalva and Gonzalez said they believe that law is "bad public policy and fundamentally flawed." They said that its use to shut down TUSD's Mexican-American Studies program "will only serve to exacerbate the already harmful anti-Latino sentiment in Arizona. Arizona is sending the wrong message."
The letter calls on Ali to open an investigation to ensure compliance with federal law.
In a statement released with the letter, Grijalva said that the state is shutting down the program "for purely ideological reasons." He said the Dept. of Education should investigate to determine "whether this power grab is authorized under federal law.”
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"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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The invention relates generally to lasers for producing very short pulses and more particularly to fiber lasers for producing subpicosecond pulses.
There is great interest in generating subpicosecond laser pulses, down to pulsewidths of 100 fs or less. There is a wide range of applications that can be performed using subpicosecond laser pulses, e.g. electro-optic (EO) sampling. However, it has been quite difficult and costly to produce such short pulses.
One present system for generating subpicosecond pulses uses a large expensive Argon ion laser to pump a complex dual dye jet dye laser. Commercial systems of this sort produce 500 fs pulses; specially engineered systems can reach 100 fs. In another system the output of a large water cooled Nd:YAG laser (e.g. Spectra-Physics Model 3400) is passed through a pulse compressor and the compressed pulses are used to pump a dye laser, producing 300 fs pulses of tunable wavelength. Thus, although systems are available which produce subpicosecond pulses, their main disadvantage is their high cost and complexity, which limit availability.
In one type of fiber laser a rare earth such as neodymium, erbium or terbium is doped into the core of an optical fiber to provide an active gain medium. Pumping radiation input into the fiber causes lasing action in the fiber. The fiber is included in the laser resonant cavity.
Another type of fiber laser is the fiber Raman laser, as described in the Handbook of Laser Science and Technology, Section 2: "Solid State Lasers", Subsection 2.4 "Fiber Raman Lasers", R. H. Stolen and C. Lin, pages 265-273. A mode locked Nd:YAG or Argon laser is used to synchronously pump a fiber, and the Raman effect in the fiber provides gain, in a fiber Raman oscillator. Pulse broadening usually occurs for short pump pulses as a result of dispersion in the fiber. However, a dispersion compensated fiber Raman oscillator, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,685,107 issued Aug. 4, 1987 to J. D. Kafka etal, can generate subpicosecond pulses. A fiber has also been used for pulse shaping in a complex laser system, as shown by "The soliton laser", L. F. Mollenauer and R. H. Stolen, Opt. Lett., Vol. 9, No. 1, Jan. 1984, pages 13-15.
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{
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
}
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synopsis:
Display system custom info
description:
Display custom info for all systems in Spacewalk with any custom info associated
columns:
server_id Server id
org_id Organization id
server_name Server name
key Custom info key
value Custom info value
sql:
select * from (
select rhnServer.id as server_id,
rhnServer.org_id as org_id,
rhnServer.name as server_name,
rhnCustomDataKey.label as key,
rhnServerCustomDataValue.value as value
from rhnServer join rhnServerCustomDataValue on rhnServer.id=rhnServerCustomDataValue.server_id join rhnCustomDataKey on rhnServerCustomDataValue.key_id=rhnCustomDataKey.id
) X
-- where placeholder
order by org_id, server_id
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{
"pile_set_name": "Github"
}
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The relevance of genetics and molecular pathology in mesenchymal tumours.
Genetic and molecular analyses of soft tissue tumours have provided a great amount of valuable information over the past ten years. One of the most useful diagnostic application is tumour types. Technical advances in techniques such as FISH as well as RT-PCR permit, now, the analysis of archival material, expanding further the practical usefulness of genetic analysis. Genetics has also proved useful as a tool for validating current classification schemes, which still represent a source of endless debate. On the basis of cytogenetic data, relevant subsets of mesenchymal neoplasms are now categorised more rationally. Molecular pathology has greatly contributed to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in both the pathogenesis and the progression of soft tissue sarcomas. Furthermore, the analysis of distinct subsets of tumours has shown that abberations involving the control of the cell cycle machinery exhibit a certain degree of tumour specificity. This wealth of information provides the necessary scientific background for both innovative therapeutic approaches and epidemiologic strategies for tumour prevention.
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{
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
}
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The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for lending transactions involving loan initiation. More particularly, the invention is a system and method for ensuring that loans provided by lending institutions comply with the most current federal, state and local regulations. This is accomplished by extracting data from a lending institution's loan origination system and forwarding the data over a secure communication connection to a server located at a service provider's site. The server archives the lending institution's data and processes the data to assess whether every mortgage loan originated by the institution complies with all federal, state and local regulations applicable to each loan initiation.
As the standard of living for more people has increased over the last decade, many have sought to own their own home. This has brought an increase in the number of home mortgage loan applications. There are tens of millions of mortgage loan applications processed every year resulting in over a trillion dollars in new residential real estate loans. It is estimated that between five and six percent of the principal amount of these loans was paid out in fees, charges and expenses to consummate these transactions, amounting to between $60 and $72 billion. To protect consumers involved in these credit transactions, the Federal government as well as state and local municipalities have enacted laws and regulations that impose requirements on institutions and personnel involved in the business of originating and closing mortgage loans. These laws and regulations establish transactional standards and disclosure requirements that are enforced by state and Federal agencies. As new laws, regulations, licenses and rules are added over time, mortgage loan applications have become more varied, complex and prone to error, resulting in an increase in exposure to non-compliance liabilities of the institutions that process these applications. With the growing complexity of the mortgage loan industry, consumers have sometimes been subjected to compliance errors, overcharges and careless lending practices.
Federal and state regulators are conducting increasingly aggressive policing campaigns to ensure compliance by the mortgage industry. These efforts have significantly increased the costs for non-compliance in terms of monetary penalties and legal expenses, as well as in terms of tarnished reputations to the lending institutions. Because of the substantial growth in Internet and multi-state lending activities, the potential for serious compliance violations is likely to increase along with a corresponding increase in compliance scrutiny and enforcement activities by Federal and state regulatory agencies. The mortgage industry, including mortgage-backed securities investors, face the prospect of significant losses if they are forced to refund fees and charges, repurchase noncompliant loans, and pay civil and criminal penalties. To counter these potential losses, the industry will incur increased expenses associated with compliance audits and compliance policies, procedures and reporting.
In order to overcome these problems and to satisfy regulatory compliance requirements, institutions offering mortgage loans have attempted to audit loan compliance on a manual basis. This approach results in a tedious, time-consuming and costly process that allows only a small statistical sample of loan applications to be examined for compliance with requirements. The results of this process are also oftentimes inconsistent due to factors such as varying degrees of understanding, differences in interpretation and processing errors. With greater competition in the mortgage loan market, there is also a strong need to reduce the cost of regulatory compliance as well as to reduce penalties for failure to meet compliance requirements. Some mortgage companies have attempted to employ risk management techniques, which have proved inadequate as a solution to the compliance and related liability problems.
While the home mortgage loan industry is probably more regulated than other industries, the compliance difficulties are also encountered in many other areas. Other applications where automated compliance assessment would reduce costs and speed transaction processing include automobile and other consumer loans.
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We Also Love
Using a third of the energy required by their incandescent counterparts, Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs (CFLs) still do wonders for your budget and the environment, but the new generation of these energy savers doesn't require you to sacrifice an ounce of ambience. For a meaningful environmental impact, Energy Star recommends replacing at least five high-use bulbs. If every American household made the change, we could collectively save nearly $8 billion annually and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking 4 million cars off the road for a year. The wide selection of bulbs now available makes it easy to take on the challenge. Here are our favorites:
Expert: Green architect and designer David Bergman, founder of Fire and Water lighting in New York City.
Best TraditionalSoft White CFL by N:Vision, 14-watt (60-watt incandescent equivalent). With dimensions and light quality nearly identical to an incandescent, this affordable bulb offers an easy transition for those unsure about CFLs. The more conventional-looking design means it produces a little less light per watt than bare spiral options, but the 14-watt model emits more than enough to read by. $8, homedepot.com.Life: 8,000 hours (7-plus years)Use: Desk, bedside, or reading lampsPotential Savings: $45, 516 pounds of carbon dioxide
Best Three-WayLong life soft white Energy Smart Three-Way by General Electric, 12-, 23-, and 29-watt (50-, 100-, and 150-watt incandescent equivalent). New to the CFL scene, the strong light from three-way CFLs like this one requires more height. But the larger size also makes it brighter, so it can stand in for higher-watt incandescents -- helping you save more over time. $10, gelighting.com and Target.Life: 10,000 hours (9-plus years)Use: Three-way floor lamps; ceiling fixtures (including fans)Potential Savings: $83, 1,182 pounds of carbon dioxide
Best RecessedMarathon Classic by Philips, 20-watt (85-watt incandescent equivalent). Recessed bulbs aim light down and out of the enclosure. For smooth dimming, turn this light all the way on and then adjust to desired brightness; otherwise, it might sputter. Safe for outdoor use and damp locations with base end up. $12, lighting.philips.com and Home Depot.Life: 8,000 hours (7-plus years)Use: Dimmable recessed and track lightingPotential savings: $57, 798 pounds of carbon dioxide
Text by Josie Garthwaite; photograph by Kana Okada
Net savings calculated for bulbs' expected life cycle if used for three hours per day in place of 50 cents incandescent bulbs that last 1,000 hours each. Based on average residential electricity rate of approximately 10 cents per kilowatt hour. Source: Energy Star (energystar.gov).
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}
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School Spirit Shop
Get in Touch
Testimonials
My children are getting an excellent education surrounded by caring teachers who appreciate children as unique individuals and challenge them to use their gifts to the glory of God and in service to others.
Diana N.Parent
My children received a quality Christian education here. The entire staff molded my children into the caring Christian adults that they are today! I thank God for this school, the staff both present and past who have made this school a beacon of light in our community.
Martha B.Parent
I am so thankful that my grandson, Colin, is in a spiritual environment and embraced with love. He is safe and secure in St. John’s environment and for this I am also thankful. I enjoyed Grandparents’ Day tremendously.
Barbara Q.Grandparent
St. John’s Lutheran School helped my sons become the wonderful Christian men they are, and this school has blessed me as a teacher because I get to watch and help our students grow in God’s love and become who God intends them to be.
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}
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4. Chapter 4
I wait patiently outside of Gabriel's office. In a couple minutes, I would find out whether I would become one! I was excited, but I wanted need to remain calm if I wanted to impress Gabriel.
"Come in." A voice calls from inside the office. I slowly open the door and step inside, shutting the door carefully behind me. I look at the figure who was sitting in a crisp white suit behind a large oak desk and bow slightly. "Take a seat." Gabriel says gesturing to the seat opposite him. I sit down, smiling. Gabriel looked no older than twenty-five with his chiselled features, yet is one of the oldest serving member of Him. Gabriel's curly, chestnut hair stopped above his shoulders and his bright blue eyes were intelligent and friendly. "Do you know why you are here, Bronte?"
"I do, Gabriel." I say confidently.
"Then we shall get straight to the point." He says. "You have never been later with any appointments, you help deliver supplies and messages, you are liked by many of our people, and much, much more." He looks at some papers on his desk. He nods and mutters to himself as he reads and I sit quietly. Five minutes later he looks up and studies me, his expression not giving anything away. "You need to pick a colour." This statement confuses me. What did he mean?
"I'm sorry, Gabriel, but I don't understand. Pick a colour for what?" My question seems to amuse him as he smiles at my blank expression.
"For your wings of course." It takes a second for his words to sink in.
"Y-you mean..." Gabriel grins.
"Yes, Bronte. You have been accepted as an Archangel." My eyes widen.
"I-I got accepted?!" I ask incredulously.
"Yes, Bronte." A new voice sounds out and I turn in surprise. In the doorway stands three of the Archangels, the fourth being Gabriel. I watch as Raphael, Uriel, Michael all walk inside and Gabriel takes his place next to them as they stand behind my chair. I stand, shaking, and face the four Archangels.
"You're one of us now, Bronte." Uriel says smiling. He was a good friend of mine and I had longed for a while to join him.
"The first female Archangel... I never thought I'd exist to see the day." Raphael jokes. Michael punches his shoulder lightly and looks at me. He was the most serious of the four of them.
"Bronte, are you ready to accept the responsibility of an Archangel?" He asks, concerned. I place my hand on his arm, looking into his green eyes.
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{
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|
I've come home
I've been away too long
But you don't want me back again
And I tried , in the end
I can't say you made me very sad
The point of love is not to lie
Points denied , in the end , in the end
How can you tell me you don't want me
When I've done all I can to save the day
Suppose I'm in the way
In the end , in the end , in the end
You don't (don't) see sense , eyes never cry
Please take part of me , leave the rest to die
I can't say you made me very sad
The point of love is not to lie
Points denied , in the end , in the end
How can you tell me you don't want me
When I've done all I can to save the day
Suppose I'm in the way
In the end , in the end
How can you tell me you don't want me
When I've done all I can to save the day
Suppose I'm in the way
In the end , in the end , in the end
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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|
Tiko United
Tiko United FC is a Cameroonian football club based in Tiko, South West Province. They play in Elite 2 of the Cameroon Association Football.
History
It was founded in the early 1960s as C.D.C Tiko. During the late 70s and early 80s, its parent company, the Cameroon Development Corporation gradually relinquished sponsorship. Tea cultivation, being the main company product was eventually taken over by a citizen cooperative in Tiko. It was then renamed Tiko United.
In 2009, the club won the Cameroon Première Division for the first time in its history and a place in CAF Champions League in 2010.
Stadium
The club played his home matches since 2007 in the Stade de Molyko in Buea, which has a capacity of 100. Tiko played previously until 2006 in the Tiko Town Green Stadium, with 10.000 places.
Achievements
Cameroon Première Division: 1
2009.
Cameroon Cup: 0
Super Coupe Roger Milla: 0
Performance in CAF competitions
CAF Champions League: 1 appearance
2010 – First Round
CAF Confederation Cup: 1 appearance
2011 – First Round
Staff
Leading board
Board chairman
Paul Meoto Njie
President general
Charles Eteki Dikonge
Vice pres general
Enowmpey Besong
executive president
Victor Elame Ikome N'gea
Management
Manager
Tommy Bessong
Director of Sports
Obale Charles
Sports
Head coach
Ernest Agbor
Assistant coach
Dominic Ayissi
Notes
Category:Football clubs in Cameroon
Category:Sports clubs in Cameroon
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{
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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|
When Joel Gascoigne launched his start-up, he outlined some founding values of the fledgling company. One of the most important, he stressed, was openness.
But Gascoigne's commitment to this principle went further than most, and resulted in him implementing a pay program at Buffer - the social media publishing platform he co-founded in 2010 - that breaks the most entrenched of workplace taboos: revealing one's salary.
Now, rather than clandestinely speculating with colleagues at the water cooler, each employee knows exactly how much their colleagues earn, and Gascoigne is even considering making their salaries public.
"We have run Buffer with a focus on self-improvement since the beginning, where co-workers talk regularly about what they are working on to improve themselves," he told CNBC. "It's this openness and transparency which led to salary transparency feeling like simply a natural progression for us."
(Read more: $2,800 a month for every Swiss person …even if you're in work)
Buffer is one of a small – but increasing - number of businesses making the move towards complete pay transparency. U.S.-based data analysis company SumAll, design consultancy Peer Insight and Switzerland's Alternative Bank Schweiz have all implemented a system where employees know each other's salaries.
This push for openness is in sharp contrast to a number of companies – especially the U.S. and U.K. – where discussing a colleague's salary is at the very least frowned-upon, and in some cases a sackable offence.
Indeed, some argue that this level of openness causes more problems than it solves.
Chris Charman, director of reward and talent management at professional services company Towers Watson, is far from convinced by the benefits of salary disclosure.
"People always talk about pay transparency as though it's a very noble idea – it's heralded as the ideal," he told CNBC. "But the reality is very different."
(Read more: Where the wealthy get their income)
There are commercial considerations, with different market values of some roles, Charman said. For example, the cost of a lawyer would usually be more than an HR professional, even if they were at the same level in an organization. And it is difficult for employers to articulate why some employees earn more than others, with metrics like performance and experience hard to quantify.
"A lot of organizations we work with talk about pay transparency, but very few take steps towards implementing it," he said. "It carries a lot of risks."
And the benefits of salary disclosure are unclear, Charman added. "I understand why it's good for employees to have a full understanding of their own salary," he said. "But their colleagues' salaries? I'm unconvinced."
Formulaic solution
Buffer's Gascoigne, however, said that although there was some initial hesitation about pay transparency, it now actually attracted new recruits to the company.
"They key benefit is trust. There are no unanswered questions such as how much others make, or who may have negotiated higher salary," he said. "It encourages responsibility, fairness and helps us to keep the company flatter."
(Read more: Setting up shop: Watch out for these pitfalls)
To overcome some of the stumbling blocks outlined by Charman and others, Buffer introduced a formula to work out all employees' pay, taking into account experience and different roles' market values.
Gascoigne gave his own salary as an example: Joel = Founder (job type) x Advanced (experience) + San Francisco (location) = $80,000 x 1.2 + 22,000 = $118,000.
Scaling up
However, while full disclosure may work on a small scale – Buffer, for instance, employs 13 people – there is an issue of scale, according to Towers Watson's Charman.
"With larger organizations, you would have to deal with past pay practices, for instance, and mergers which could result is very diverse pay situations," Charman said. "In practice, that's virtually impossible to manage."
But Buffer's Gascoigne is convinced that pay transparency is the future of a happy workplace – even in larger companies - and has even made its salary formula public so other companies can implement it.
"It will be painful to put in place - some may not be comfortable with it, and some salaries may need to change - but the benefits make it worthwhile," he said.
Swedish lessons
In fact, Gascoigne is so convinced by the merits of complete openness that Buffer is already "taking the steps" to share salaries publicly.
This radical step draws comparisons with Sweden's tax system, where all tax returns (and so residents' incomes) are available to the public.
(Read more: Yellen's No. 1 theory: The badly paid don't work hard)
However, Fredrik Gustafsson, a tax partner at DLA Nordic law firm in Stockholm said the system was not hugely popular in the country, particularly as tabloid newspapers regularly publish lists of the highest earners.
"My wife – who is American - says it's basically a shopping list for criminals. She doesn't understand the system at all," he added. "I think that when it comes to things like this, Sweden is quite naive. I honestly can't imagine it working somewhere like the U.S."
But Gascoigne said Buffer salaries were already pretty transparent - you can take their formula and calculate fairly accurately each person's salary – and to date, there had been no problems or backlash.
"I think there are some great benefits of going completely public with salaries, beyond just making them accessible within the company," he said. "The more we can share, the greater loyalty we have among our audience."
|
{
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
}
|
Q:
Is 4K monitor a good replacement for Retina display?
I'm in the middle of reviewing different monitor options to finally buy one for myself. Please do not consider this post as a product placement. I'm not going to promote any particular brand(s), nonetheless I will paste a link to a particular one I found.
Basically as a MBP user, I fell in love in Retina display but I won't buy Apple Thunderbolt Display (27-inch) because I find this one as overpriced. I'm looking for something that will be as close as possible to Retina. Are 4K monitors good replacements?
I found one from Kogan (Kogan 28" 4K LED Monitor (Ultra HD)). Is it worth considering? Kogan was suggested by my workmate (we both develop software) who ordered one for his daily work. Not exactly this model but quite similar.
Can you share your thoughts or some recommendations?
A:
A 13" Retina MacBook Pro has a screen resolution of 2,560 × 1,600, while the 15" has a 2,880 × 1,800 resolution. 4K is defined as a 4096 x 2160 resolution.
So depending on how big the monitor is, a 4K monitor should actually look better from the same viewing distance.
As for my personal recommendation, anything but a Samsung.
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{
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
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2018 Fall Global Vision Summit: The People of COFA
The Compacts of Free Association (COFA) are a series of international agreements between the U.S. and three Pacific Island nations: Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau. Come learn more about COFA, why it matters for Hawai'i, and about the rich cultures of these island nations.
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{
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
}
|
One has to wonder why we are dodging this truth about what we've become: a nation that turns a blind eye to skimmers, scammers and legal looting.
As in the story of the Emperor's new clothes, the onlooker who declares the obvious-- in this case, that the stock market is rigged--shatters the consensus lie.In the current saga, author Michael Lewis plays the role of the truth-telling boy, and everyone who went along with the fiction that the Emperor's high-frequency trading finery was resplendent is revealed as credulous, complicit or worse.
Lewis' new book is Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt.
The high-frequency trading (HFT) scam is old news, and a number of fine books have addressed the mechanics of the skim, for example Dark Pools: High-Speed Traders, A.I. Bandits, and the Threat to the Global Financial System by Scott Patterson.
Many in the alternative financial media have written about HFT for years. Here are two of my own entries on the topic:
The Stock Market Is an "Attractive Nuisance" and Should Be Closed (August 22, 2012)
We Need a New Stock Market (September 14, 2012)
Interestingly, Mr. Patterson outlined the solution that the heroes of Lewis' book ended up pursuing. Here is a Q&A I conducted with Patterson in September 2012:
CHS: While there are various regulatory “tweaks” that could be put in place, I wonder if we don’t need a more fundamental “re-set” that asks what role the market should play in finance and the economy inhabited by everyday investors.
Scott: I think there are a lot of people in the industry wondering about whether there needs to be a massive overhaul. But it’s probably not a good idea for that to be imposed on the market by the SEC. The uncertainty would be potentially destabilizing. And I just don’t see it happening.
I think the change needs to come from within the market and needs to be imposed by its most important users--I mean, not the high-frequency traders, who are running the show at the exchanges in many ways--but the institutions, the giant mutual fund companies, the pension funds, the long-short hedge funds. They need to exert pressure on the exchanges to stop giving advantages to high-frequency firms.
If we pull back from the media frenzy about HFT, we find the market is rigged in many other ways. The Federal Reserve's policies, stripped of Orwellian mumbo-jumbo, are all about rigging the market to go in one direction--up.
Consider this chart, courtesy of long-time contributor Harun I., of the Dow Jones Industrial Average: I call it the tale of Two Dows. In the Great Bull Market of 1982 - 2000, a market fueled by an extraordinary economic expansion, the DJIA gained an average of 610 points a year.
In the anemic "recovery" of 2009 - 2013, the DJIA gained an average of 2,500 points per year. While the Fed rigged the 1990s Bull Market with low interest rates and other policies, it pulled out all the stops in the last five years:
The stock market is only the tip of the iceberg of what's being rigged. For a taste of what's rigged, ask yourself this question: if Mr. Elite Insider perpetrates a scam, and Mr. John Q. Citizen breaks similar laws, is there any difference between the treatment each receives?
Let's go even deeper and ask: why is looting legal, even though it is obviously crooked? Why is high-frequency trading legal? Why is it legal for the Fed to offer money at 0% to its buddies but not to Mr. John Q. Citizen?
Why is it legal to issue student loans to future debt-serfs that is unlike all other debt in that it cannot be discharged in bankruptcy?
Since the legal looting continues unabated regardless of what party or toady is in office, then what actual difference is there between the Demopublicans and Republicrats?
It's not just the stock market that's rigged--the entire Status Quo is rigged. There are two sets of laws and two sets of opportunities: one for those holding the concentrated wealth and power, and the other for the rest of us debt-serfs.
If the system isn't rigged, then why are insolvent banks and bankers protected from the creative destruction of capitalism that befalls John Q. Citizen when his risky bets go bad? Why do we as a nation keep insisting the Emperor's new clothes are splendid when he is in fact parading around buck-naked?
One has to wonder why we are dodging this truth about what we've become: a nation that turns a blind eye to skimmers, scammers and legal looting. Perhaps, in Joseph Conrad's phrase, we hope to escape the grim shadow of self-knowledge. Here is the passage from Chapter 7 of Lord Jim:
I gave no sign of dissent. I had no intention, for the sake of barren truth, to rob him of the smallest particle of any saving grace that would come in his way. I didn't know how much of it he believed himself. I didn't know what he was playing up to--if he was playing up to anything at all--and I suspect he did not know either; for it is my belief no man ever understands quite his own artful dodges to escape from the grim shadow of self-knowledge.
The Nearly Free University and The Emerging Economy:
The Revolution in Higher Education
Reconnecting higher education, livelihoods and the economy With the soaring cost of higher education, has the value a college degree been turned upside down? College tuition and fees are up 1000% since 1980. Half of all recent college graduates are jobless or underemployed, revealing a deep disconnect between higher education and the job market.
It is no surprise everyone is asking: Where is the return on investment? Is the assumption that higher education returns greater prosperity no longer true? And if this is the case, how does this impact you, your children and grandchildren?
We must thoroughly understand the twin revolutions now fundamentally changing our world: The true cost of higher education and an economy that seems to re-shape itself minute to minute.
The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy clearly describes the underlying dynamics at work - and, more importantly, lays out a new low-cost model for higher education: how digital technology is enabling a revolution in higher education that dramatically lowers costs while expanding the opportunities for students of all ages.
The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy provides clarity and optimism in a period of the greatest change our educational systems and society have seen, and offers everyone the tools needed to prosper in the Emerging Economy.
Read Chapter 1/Table of Contents
print ($20) Kindle ($9.95)
Things are falling apart--that is obvious. But why are they falling apart? The reasons are complex and global. Our economy and society have structural problems that cannot be solved by adding debt to debt. We are becoming poorer, not just from financial over-reach, but from fundamental forces that are not easy to identify. We will cover the five core reasons why things are falling apart:
1. Debt and financialization
2. Crony capitalism
3. Diminishing returns
4. Centralization
5. Technological, financial and demographic changes in our economy The reasons are complex and global. Our economy and society have structural problems that cannot be solved by adding debt to debt. We are becoming poorer, not just from financial over-reach, but from fundamental forces that are not easy to identify. We will cover the five core reasons why things are falling apart: 1. Debt and financialization2. Crony capitalism3. Diminishing returns4. Centralization5. Technological, financial and demographic changes in our economy
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'You're not experienced at all to take a leadership position as mayor,' Guthrie says to Mlynarz
Cam Guthrie jumped at the opportunity to point out the inexperience of his sole competition for the mayor's seat in the Oct. 22 election during a mayoral debate Wednesday night.
Roughly 350 people packed into a room at the Italian Canadian Club for the debate between Guthrie and Aggie Mlynarz, with the two fielding prepared questions from event organizers then questions from the audience submitted in written form.
Sparks flew during an otherwise civil 90 minutes during responses to a question about about private sector employment and if the candidates would protect secure, decently paid jobs for public service workers.
Mlynarz talked about the city "working bus drivers to the bone," wage rollbacks at the Waste Resource Centre and then struck a nerve with Guthrie when she turned to the city's ongoing contract negotiations with its firefighters.
"Why are we taking our firefighters to arbitration when they've asked for a 7 per cent increase, and taking them to that negotiating table?" Mlynarz asked.
Guthrie bristled in response.
"The fact that you know some inside information from the fire union and you negotiating with that in the public right now just shows me that you're not experienced at all to take a leadership position as mayor, because you shouldn't be negotiating with labour in the public realm. That's unacceptable and that's not what you do," Guthrie said.
Mlynarz tried to interrupt the mayor, saying "that's public information."
But her attempt to further respond was cut short by the debate moderator, University of Guelph vice-president Charlotte Yates, who pointed out that the rules of the debate dictated it was Guthrie's turn to have the last word.
Maynard later tweeted a newspaper article indicating firefighters were awarded a 7.47 per cent raise by an arbitrator, an award the city appealed.
Mlynarz would actually address the issue of her lack of political experience at the end of the night during her closing remarks.
"I recognize that I'm a different type of candidate," she said. "Over the last two weeks or so, what I've been hit with the most is the question of experience."
She said her generation, the "millennials," is that they feel they are not properly represented.
In the last 10 years Mlynarz has held several jobs, earning two university degrees in the process.
"I think what this experience has taught me .... is that my passion wasn't being met and I have so much more fire to offer. And that was my motivation in running for office.
"This generation's voice matters, my voice matters, and I think we do deserve a seat at the table because we offer an incredible perspective on what is happening to us now and also an unrelenting hope to make it better."
Guthrie highlighted his accomplishments during his term as mayor in saving the city millions of dollars.
"Guelph is on the right track, but I know there is work to be done," Guthrie said. "A stronger and safer community requires the whole community."
Mlynarz got her own barb in late in the evening after Guthrie espoused his support for the building of the new main branch library.
"I'm glad you changed your mind," Mlynarz said dryly, referring to Guthrie's position from years past.
"So am I," Guthrie replied. "It was the right thing to do."
Most of the questions on the night covered familiar ground that both candidates have repeatedly stated their positions on, including answers straight from their platform: housing affordability, protecting the water supply as Guelph expands south, addressing the opioid crisis among them.
Mlynarz repeated several times the issues with Guelph Transit and drivers being "worked to the bone."
Guthrie responded that it was a result of new hires not making the grade during driver training that led to a situation of increased overtime and dropped routes. He said the ongoing service review of Guelph Transit that he initiated would also help improve the system.
Both candidates support the removal of single-use plastics, such as bottled water, from city facilities.
The recent hot topic of Guthrie going door to door campaigning with certain candidates also came up.
Mlynarz said it would lead to divisiveness for the next council and was introducing a "party mentality" to the council horseshoe.
Guthrie said he did it because certain council candidates were "misrepresenting themselves" at the door and saying they are in favour of Guthrie's "stronger and safer" platform that includes spending an additional $700,000 a year on more police officers.
"And yet on October 23rd, when the lights are on with the camera, they're going to completely switch things around. They're using me as an association to try and get votes at the door," Guthrie said, which drew a loud reaction from members of the audience.
"I go to the doors and I do my own communication," Mlynarz said in response.
A second mayoral debate, hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce, is planned for Monday, Oct. 1, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Guelph City Hall.
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Electronic commerce (“E-commerce”) service providers generate and maintain web page storefronts that provide efficient systems and processes for presenting products (goods and services) to page viewers and users for consideration for purchase. Viewers may be provided with a wide variety of information useful in deciding whether or not to purchase a good or services, including visual depictions of goods and services offered, selectable options (color, size, variable scope of services provided, etc.), performance metrics for each selectable option (speed or power or weight of goods, geographic area or dimensions of scope of service coverage, etc.), shipping options (carrier, date of delivery), and itemized and total costs for purchase of the product, including as dynamically calculated in response to option selections.
Product images provided by E-commerce sites may include photos and graphic illustrations of products that are professionally created and edited to feature or maximize attributes of the product that are determined to be likely appealing to a viewer of the site as potential consumer. Models may be depicted within such visual presentations, chosen and depicted as a function of having or presenting physical attributes or notoriety deemed to be beneficial in marketing the associated product to viewing consumers. For example, models with body shapes presenting toned muscles or otherwise conveying a physically fit appearance may be selected to wear athletic apparel products such as clothing, sports headphones, fitness equipment accessories, etc., in order to display the products in a form as typically presented by consumers likely to wear the goods, or in a form that a consumer of the product hopes to convey if they were to purchase and wear the same product. A celebrity or other person famous for success in some arena of endeavor may also endorse an offered product, wherein such endorsements may impart additional perceived value to the product.
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A Chinese satellite has identified another object in the Indian Ocean that could be from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
The object is about 22.5 metres long and 13 metres wide.
The high-definition earth observation satellite Gaofen-1 spotted the object at around midnight on March 18, according to China’s State Administration of Science Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND).
Chinese ships and planes were heading towards the area on Saturday night.
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Q:
jQuery, ajax request doesn't success with JSON on IE
I made an AJAX call and it works on FF & Chrome but not on IE 7-8-9. I'm loading a JSON file from my domain:
$.ajax({
url: 'js/jquery.desobbcode.json',
dataType: 'json',
cache: false,
success: function(json) {
alert('ok');
},
error: function(xhr, errorString, exception) {
alert("xhr.status="+xhr.status+" error="+errorString+" exception="+exception);
}
});
I also tried by adding contentType: 'application/json' but I receive the same output which is :
xhr.status=200
error=parsererror
exception=SyntaxError Unterminated string constant
I checked my JSON file with JSONLint and it's OK. I checked if there is an extra comma and the content is also trimmed. See my JSON file
If I put dataType: 'text', I receive the OK alert but a debug popup too.
Could you help me? Regards.
A:
IE is known to have issues with implied content types.
... the new XmlHttpRequest class in Internet Explorer 7 doesn’t implement setRequestHeader very intuitively. Instead of setting the specified header, it appends the value.
Try specifying a contentType and check what's coming back from the server:
$.ajax({
url: 'js/jquery.desobbcode.json',
dataType: 'json',
contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
...
});
You may also want to try sending blank data:
$.ajax({
url: 'js/jquery.desobbcode.json',
dataType: 'json',
contentType: "application/json; charset=utf-8",
data: {}
...
});
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Prior to the Great Depression, relief of poverty was a minor part of state government activity. The state had long maintained that charitable institutions, individuals, churches, or local governments were the best sources of assistance for the...
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The possible combinatory effects of acute consumption of caffeine, creatine, and amino acids on the improvement of anaerobic running performance in humans.
Preexercise nutritional investigations have recently become a popular avenue of examining the interaction of multiple ingredients on exercise and training methods. The critical velocity (CV) test is used to quantify the relationship between total running distance and time to exhaustion (TTE), yielding aerobic (CV) and anaerobic parameters (anaerobic running capacity [ARC]). The purpose of this study was to examine the hypothesis that a preexercise supplement containing caffeine, creatine, and amino acids (Game Time; Corr-Jen Laboratories Inc, Aurora, CO) would positively impact CV and ARC in college-aged men and women. In a single-blind crossover design, 10 participants consumed the preexercise supplement (ACT) or placebo (PL) before each testing session. Each participant completed runs to exhaustion on a treadmill at 110%, 90% (day 1), and 105% and 100% (day 2) of the peak velocity (PV) determined from a graded exercise test. The ACT elicited a 10.8% higher ARC (P = .02) compared with the PL, whereas no difference was found in CV (0.6%, P = .38). The TTE was greater for the ACT than the PL at 110% (ACT = 125.7 ± 9.6 seconds, PL = 117.3 ± 12.6 seconds), 105% (ACT = 156.9 ± 11.0 seconds, PL = 143.8 ± 12.9 seconds), and 100% PV (ACT = 185.7 ± 10.7 seconds, PL = 169.7 ± 12.8 seconds) (P = .01-.04); but there was no difference for the TTE at 90% PV (ACT = 353.5 ± 52.7 seconds, PL = 332.7 ± 54.0 seconds) (P = .08). These findings suggest that the acute ingestion of this preexercise supplement may be an effective strategy for improving anaerobic performance, but appears to have no effect on aerobic power.
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//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
class MyQueue
{
public:
/** Initialize your data structure here. */
MyQueue() {}
/** Push element x to the back of queue. */
void push(int x)
{
m_in.push(x);
}
/** Removes the element from in front of queue and returns that element. */
int pop()
{
int i = peek();
m_out.pop();
return i;
}
/** Get the front element. */
int peek()
{
TransferData();
return m_out.top();
}
/** Returns whether the queue is empty. */
bool empty()
{
return m_out.empty() && m_in.empty();
}
void TransferData()
{
if (!m_out.empty()) return;
while (!m_in.empty())
{
m_out.push(m_in.top());
m_in.pop();
}
}
private:
stack<int> m_out;
stack<int> m_in;
};
/**
* Your MyQueue object will be instantiated and called as such:
* MyQueue* obj = new MyQueue();
* obj->push(x);
* int param_2 = obj->pop();
* int param_3 = obj->peek();
* bool param_4 = obj->empty();
*/
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//int _solution_run(int)
//{
//}
#define USE_SOLUTION_CUSTOM
string _solution_custom(TestCases &tc)
{
vector<string> sf = tc.get<vector<string>>();
vector<string> sp = tc.get<vector<string>>();
vector<string> ans;
MyQueue *obj = nullptr;
for (auto i = 0; i < sf.size(); i++)
{
if (sf[i] == "MyQueue")
{
obj = new MyQueue();
ans.push_back("null");
}
else if (sf[i] == "push")
{
TestCases stc(sp[i]);
int x = stc.get<int>();
obj->push(x);
ans.push_back("null");
}
else if (sf[i] == "pop")
{
TestCases stc(sp[i]);
int r = obj->pop();
ans.push_back(convert<string>(r));
}
else if (sf[i] == "peek")
{
TestCases stc(sp[i]);
int r = obj->peek();
ans.push_back(convert<string>(r));
}
else if (sf[i] == "empty")
{
TestCases stc(sp[i]);
bool r = obj->empty();
ans.push_back(convert<string>(r));
}
else if (sf[i] == "TransferData")
{
TestCases stc(sp[i]);
obj->TransferData();
ans.push_back("null");
}
}
delete obj;
return convert<string>(ans);
}
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//#define USE_GET_TEST_CASES_IN_CPP
//vector<string> _get_test_cases_string()
//{
// return {};
//}
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The College Football Live crew breaks down the advantages of the Arizona job as well as candidates like Kevin Sumlin who would be a good fit in Tucson. (2:15)
The Arizona Wildcats on Tuesday fired football coach Rich Rodriguez after six seasons in the wake of a sexual harassment allegation the university began investigating in October and a recent notice of a hostile-workplace lawsuit to be filed against Rodriguez.
"After conducting a thorough evaluation of our football program and its leadership, both on and off the field, President [Robert] Robbins and I feel it is in the best interest of the University of Arizona and our athletics department to go in a new direction," athletic director Dave Heeke said in a statement.
In a letter to the Arizona community, Heeke and Robbins said Arizona's Office of Institutional Equity retained the law firm of Cohen Dowd Quigley to investigate the allegation, which was made by the former administrative assistant to the 54-year-old Rodriguez. ESPN generally does not identify a person who has reported sexual harassment.
After the investigation began, the former employee hired an attorney and declined multiple requests to participate in the investigation into her allegation and was "unwilling to turn over communications that she alleged provided support for her allegations," the letter stated.
The investigation, which concluded Dec. 28, determined the allegation could not be substantiated, but, according to Heeke and Robbins, "Arizona Athletics did become aware of information, both before and during the investigation, which caused it to be concerned with the direction and climate of the football program.
"As a result, we have been reviewing the finding and deliberating our course of action. While this is a difficult decision, it is the right decision. And it is a decision that lives up to the core values of the University of Arizona."
Rich Rodriguez, who went 43-35 in his six seasons at Arizona, said he was "very excited about the trajectory of our young team, and looked forward to 2018 and beyond." James Snook/USA TODAY Sports
Rodriguez issued a statement Tuesday night saying he found out about his firing by email. In the statement, he admitted to having an extramarital affair with someone not affiliated with the university, but Rodriguez denied any allegations of harassment. He also said the former employee threatened a $7.5 million lawsuit against him.
"The University initiated a thorough outside investigation. I fully cooperated with the investigation, including voluntarily taking and passing a polygraph," Rodriguez said. "The University determined that there was no truth to her accusations and found me innocent of any wrongdoing.
"This was a thorough investigation that lasted over 10 weeks and included multiple members of my current and former staff. Notably, the complainant refused to cooperate with the investigation. It was comforting to be reassured of what I already knew, the claims were baseless and false."
The former employee on Thursday filed a $7.5 million notice of claim with the state's attorney general's office alleging Rodriguez ran a hostile workplace. A notice of claim is a legal document that signals a lawsuit will be filed.
According to a copy of the notice of claim obtained by ESPN, the woman says Rodriguez forced her to keep his extramarital affair a secret while also groping and attempting to kiss her among other actions that made the woman uncomfortable.
The claim includes an allegation that players on the team sent the woman screenshots of their genitalia and illicit overtures via text message and that when she went to Rodriguez to intervene, he ignored her.
After a January 2017 incident during which the woman alleged Rodriguez "touched the side of her breast and tried to kiss her," he offered her $300 and "begged" her not to tell her husband or his wife about the incident, but she declined to take the money.
The university said it would honor the separation terms of Rodriguez's contract, which was set to run through May 31, 2020. Arizona is required to pay 100 percent of what remains on what it refers to as his "university-funded compensation" -- an amount that totals $5.46 million.
Arizona will hire a search firm to assist with "a national search" to find a new coach.
"We'll move through the coaching search in an effort to identify a head coach that will build a solid foundation for our program and create an identity of Arizona football that the University, Tucson and Southern Arizona communities can be proud of," Heeke said in the statement. "We're excited about the future of our football program and we look forward to introducing our new head coach at the completion of the search process."
Rodriguez guided the Wildcats to a 6-2 start in 2017 before finishing 7-6, losing 38-35 to Purdue in the Foster Farms Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27.
Overall, he went 43-35 at Arizona, averaging less than six wins over the past three seasons. Before joining the Wildcats, he coached at Michigan in 2008-10 (15-22) and West Virginia in 2001-07 (60-26).
Rodriguez took the Wildcats to five bowl games during his tenure, including the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. Before his arrival, Arizona reached only three bowl games in 13 seasons.
"My coaching staff and I were very excited about the trajectory of our young team, and looked forward to 2018 and beyond," Rodriguez said in his statement. "... To my players, staff and supporters, it's been an honor to lead and serve you. As I'm sure that you would expect me to do, I will vigorously fight these fabricated and groundless claims.
"... I am not a perfect man, but the claims by my former assistant are simply not true and her demands for a financial settlement are outrageous. I am saddened that these accusations and investigation have caused my family additional stress."
As of Tuesday, with the firing of Rodriguez, the Pac-12 will have five new football coaches when the 2018 season begins. Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA have also made moves this offseason.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
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In a semiconductor manufacturing process, it is important to discover a defect occurring in the manufacturing process early and take measures, to secure a high yield.
A scanning electron microscope (SEM)-type defect observation device (also called a defect review device) is a device to observe a defect occurred in the semiconductor manufacturing process, particularly. The SEM-type defect observation device is generally a device to observe an image of the defect coordinates detected by an upper defect inspection device with definition higher than definition in the upper defect inspection device. Specifically, the SEM-type defect observation device moves a sample stage to the defect coordinates output by the upper defect inspection device, executes imaging with a low magnification where a defect to be observed enters a view, detects the defect coordinates from an imaged low-magnification image, moves the sample stage such that the defect is positioned at the center of the view or moves the center of the imaging, and acquires a high-magnification image for observation with the high magnification suitable for the defect observation.
As such, the defect coordinates are detected from the low-magnification image, because error is included in the defect coordinates output by the upper defect inspection device, in a range of a device specification, and processing for correcting the error is necessary when the high-definition defect image is acquired by the SEM-type defect observation device.
Automatic defect review or automatic defect redetection (ADR) automates a process for acquiring the high-definition defect image. In the ADR, an acquisition condition of the low-magnification image to detect the defect or an acquisition condition of the high-magnification image to observe the defect should be optimized while a balance of the defect detection rate and the throughput of the ADR is considered, according to coordinate precision of defect detection in the upper defect inspection device, a characteristic of a sample, or a kind of the defect to be observed.
Patent Literature 1 describes “acquiring an image including a defect with a first magnification using a scanning electron microscope, generating a reference image from the acquired image including the defect with the first magnification, comparing the acquired image including the defect with the first magnification and the reference image generated from the image including the defect with the first magnification to detect the defect, and imaging the detected defect with a second magnification larger than the first magnification. According to this, “because a process for imaging the reference image with the low magnification can be omitted, the defect can be reviewed more efficiently” is described.
|
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A police captain from Orange was critically injured Tuesday after he was struck on his motorcycle while leading a funeral procession in Middlesex County, authorities said.
Capt. William Boggier, 58, was leading the procession in the Avenel section of Woodbridge when the crash occurred. Boggier was taken to University Hospital’s intensive care unit in Newark with injuries considered life threatening, according to police.
“He is in critical condition. That’s all we can say,” Orange city spokesman Keith Royster said in an email on Tuesday.
Woodbridge police confirmed the crash occurred in the township and referred media calls to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office.
“It was during the funeral escort and procession,” said Andrea Boulton, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office.
Boulton said the crash occurred near Minna Avenue and Avenel Street but she did not know when the crash occurred or who the funeral was for.
Robin Lavorato, coordinator of the Essex County Opioid Task Force, said Boggier has been active in the fight against Opioid addiction.
“Capt. Boggier is an amazing man and top-notch law enforcement officer,” Lavorato said.
“He is not only a well-respected law enforcement officer, he is a devoted husband and dad to his cherished daughters,” Lavorato said. “(He is) a friend and supporter to our efforts of addressing individuals and families suffering from substance use disorder.”
Boggier took part in overdose training with other law enforcement agencies and was skilled in the use of Narcan, which police officers have successfully used to revive victims of narcotics overdose.
Committed to the fight against NJ's opioid epidemic, along with community partners The Overdose Prevention Agency... Posted by Ammon Labs on Thursday, November 29, 2018
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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Rio Alto Mining $RIOM (RIO.to) produced 17,199 ounces of gold in August 2014
Add that to the 19,435oz of July and you're 2/3rds of the way there to the 3q14 quarterly total, just this month of September missing. The data comes from the official filings RIO.to makes to the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mining, here*.
Her Name is RIO and She Dances On The Sand! Q3 Production Estimates from Rio Alto’s La Arena Meet Our Expectations; Potential Buying Opportunity on Index-Related Share Pull-Back:
Rio Alto (RIO-CN/PE, SO, C$3.25, Ovais Habib) produced 17,199 oz Au in August according to the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mines which combined with July production of 19,435 oz, represents 68% of Ovais’ Q3/14 estimate of 53,639 oz. At this run rate, the company remains on track to meet the upper end of its 2014 guidance range of 200-220 koz (Ovais models 215 koz for the year using conservative 2H/14 gold grade assumptions). The chart below highlights RIO’s La Arena operating history.....(continues)
And continue it does, with nary a hat tip or mention of IKN of course because blogs are good enough to read and good enough to rip-off but you can't dare mention them as source material, right Ovais? Because that's what assholes do, Ovais. All you need to do is make a simple acknowledgement, it's not difficult you know. Cowardly piece of shit, Ovais.
PS: The funny thing is, the Peru ministry info was on its site a full 24 hours before I wrote my post so if cowardly shit Ovais had really been paying attention the way he pretends, he would have known and had been able to inform his clients before this humble corner of cyberspace had done its bit.
Responding to mailbag from yesterday's post on Technical Analysis (two mails this morning, in fact), if you want good, solid, independent, reasoned/reasonable TA and chartwork look no further than here.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sep 26, 2014) - SilverCrest Mines Inc. (the "Company")(SVL.TO)(NYSE MKT:SVLC) is pleased to provide an update for the transition of the Santa Elena Mine in Sonora, Mexico from open pit heap leach to underground mining and milling operations. Activities at the mine are now moving from capital intensive expenditures for the overall Expansion Plan to operating costs and sustaining capital expenditures for underground development with emphasis on generating free cash flow through continued strict cost controls. The most significant transition activities are outlined below. For additional information and to view photos and videos, please visit the Company's website at www.silvercrestmines.com.N. Eric Fier, President and COO stated; "We are pleased with our transition to a conventional milling operation at the Santa Elena Mine. The commissioning of the mill was completed on budget as of August 1, 2014. The ramp up of underground stope production to 1,500 tonnes per day has encountered short-term delays. These delays are primarily due to finalizing detailed stope designs based on recent in-fill drilling with associated geotechnical constraints. Also, delays in long-hole drilling start-up for stope development are attributed to personnel training in drilling procedures while testing stope ground support. These short-term delays are manageable but will impact previously announced 2014 metal production guidance of approximately 3.3 million AgEq ounces at a ratio of 60:1. Guidance for 2014 is now projected to range from 3.0 to 3.3 million AgEq ounces. Estimated operating cash costs for 2014 of $8.50 to $9.50 per AgEq ounce and all-in sustaining cash costs of $11 to $12 per AgEq ounce, remain unchanged. These costs continue to make SilverCrest one of the lowest cost producers in the sector with anticipated free cash flow for Q4 2014".Santa Elena TransitionThe new mill and CCD/Merrill Crowe processing plant is currently running at an average throughput of 2,500 tonnes per day. Grind size testing for optimization is ongoing which impacts throughput, recoveries and efficient operation of the dry tailings belt filters. Optimized milling rate of 3,000 tonnes per day is targeted for Q4 2014. Current underground ore development grades are averaging 1.72 gpt Au and 115.4 gpt Ag which is consistent with reserve estimates. Average pad ore grades in September 2014 are 0.68 gpt Au and 50.0 gpt Ag or 8% and 38% higher, respectively than budget. The plant is currently processing a blended mix of 30% underground development ore and 70% pad ore with an average blended grade of 1.0 gpt Au and 71.2 gpt Ag. Approximate mill recovery rates of 90% for gold and 68% for silver are consistent with budget target rates. It is anticipated that recoveries will increase as the mill grind size is optimized. For Q4 2014, monthly metal production is projected to range from 3,000 to 3,750 ounces of gold and 140,000 to 180,000 ounces of silver to achieve guidance of 3.0 to 3.3 million. Although behind schedule, mining the first production stope has commenced which is being developed between the 600m and 575m levels. Underground ramp access continues to be driven ahead of mine development with the bottom of the ramp currently at the 564m elevation. Completion of a ventilation raise in Q4 2014 is expected to increase operating efficiencies and improve advancement rates for both underground development and mine production. Total underground development to date, including ramping, lateral ore and waste development, and raise development, is approximately 6,000 metres. Six levels currently have ore and partial waste development completed in anticipation of stope production. With major capital expenditures completed for the 3 year long Expansion Plan, the Company anticipates generating free cash flow in Q4 2014 at current precious metal prices. The Company is assessing the possibility of re-opening the Santa Elena open pit over the next 2 months which would increase projected metal production for Q4 2014 and H1 2015, providing safety and permitting requirements are met. Approximately 100,000 tonnes grading 1.4 gpt Au and 88.0 gpt Ag remain in the pit for possible low cost excavation and mill processing.The Qualified Person under NI 43-101 for this News Release is N. Eric Fier, CPG, P.Eng, President and Chief Operating Officer for SilverCrest Mines Inc., who has reviewed and approved its contents.SilverCrest Mines Inc. (SVL.TO)(NYSE MKT:SVLC) is a Canadian precious metals producer headquartered in Vancouver, BC. SilverCrest's flagship property is the 100%‐owned Santa Elena Mine, located 150 km northeast of Hermosillo, near Banamichi in the State of Sonora, México. The mine is a high‐grade, epithermal silver and gold producer, with an estimated life of mine of 8 years at an average operating cash costs of $11 per ounce of silver equivalent (55:1 Ag:Au). SilverCrest anticipates that the new 3,000 tonnes per day conventional mill facility at the Santa Elena Mine should recover an average of 1.5 million ounces of silver and 32,800 ounces of gold per annum over the current reserve life. Major expansion and commissioning of the 3,000 tonnes per day conventional mill facility is complete and is expected to increase metals production at the Santa Elena Mine in the second half of 2014 and beyond. Exploration programs continue to result in new discoveries at Santa Elena and also have rapidly advanced the definition of a large polymetallic deposit at the La Joya property in Durango State, Mexico.CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTSThis news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and the United States Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements concern the Company's anticipated results and developments in the Company's operations in future periods, planned exploration and development of its properties, plans related to its business and other matters that may occur in the future and include, without limitation, statements with respect to: the economic viability of a project; strategic plans and expectations for the development of the Company's operations and properties; the amount of mineral reserves and mineral resources; the amount of future production of gold and silver over any period; the amount of expected grades and ounces of metals and minerals; expected processing recoveries; cash operating costs and outflows; life of mine; average mine recovery rates; anticipated free cash flow generation and prices of metals and minerals.These forward-looking statements relate to analyses and other information that are based on, without limitation, the following estimates and assumptions: the presence of and continuity of metals at the Company's projects; cost of production and productivity levels; plant and equipment function as anticipated; the availability of skilled labour; contracted parties provide goods and services on agreed time frame; ability to develop and finance projects; accuracy of the interpretations and assumptions used in calculating reserve and resource estimates; and operations not being disrupted or delayed by unusual geological or technical problems.Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to precious and base metal price fluctuations; risks related to fluctuations in the currency markets (particularly the Mexican peso, Canadian dollar and United States dollar); risks related to the inherently dangerous activity of mining, including conditions or events beyond our control, and operating or technical difficulties in mineral exploration, development and mining activities; uncertainty in the Company's ability to raise financing and fund the exploration and development of its mineral properties; uncertainty as to actual capital costs, operating costs, production and economic returns, and uncertainty that development activities will result in profitable mining operations; risks related to reserves and mineral resource figures being estimates based on interpretations and assumptions which may result in less mineral production under actual conditions than is currently estimated and to diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves as properties are mined; risks related to governmental regulations and obtaining necessary licenses and permits; risks related to the business being subject to environmental laws and regulations which may increase costs of doing business and restrict our operations; risks related to mineral properties being subject to prior unregistered agreements, transfers, or claims and other defects in title; risks relating to inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance; risks related to potential litigation; risks related to the global economy; risks related to environmental laws; risks related to the Company's status as a foreign private issuer in the United States; risks related to all of the Company's properties being located in Mexico and El Salvador, including political, economic, social and regulatory instability; and risks related to officers and directors becoming associated with other natural resource companies, which may give rise to conflicts of interests.Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The Company's forward-looking statements are based on beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made. For the reasons set forth above, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements included in this news release if these beliefs, estimates and opinions or other circumstances should change, except as otherwise required by applicable law.CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING NON-IFRS PERFORMANCE MEASURESThis news release includes the term "Free cash flow". This term is commonly used in the mining industry but is not defined under International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS"). The Company believes that, in addition to conventional measures prepared in accordance with IFRS, certain investors use this information to evaluate SilverCrest's performance and its ability to generate cash flow. It is intended to provide additional information and should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with IFRS. Free cash flow is calculated from net cash provided by operating activities less SilverCrest's capital expenditures on its mining interests.Contact:SilverCrest Mines Inc.Fred Cooper(604) 694-1730 ext. 108Toll Free: 1-866-691-173(604) 694-1761info@silvercrestmines.comwww.silvercrestmines.com
I'm not a fan of double Y-axis charts normally, but as this one's more a case of trying to squeeze in more info in less space and not trying to convince you of a non-existent correlation, it's ok. The article it's from is well worth your time, oh reader interested in base metals. That's basically why it's CotD today, to try and get you interested enough to click through and learn something worth learning about the copper market of today.
9/25/14
Please inform us in same piece all other times and dates you made a bullish call on gold in 2014.
Fortunately the capital markets are not a court of law and we normal people have the right to call you blowhard scamming pseudoscientific snake oil peddling fucktards until proven wrong*. With the greatest respect, of course.
*Which does happen. Of the dozens of TA merchants that have crossed my path, two have shown themselves to be smart and trustworthy. Just goes to show that my presumption can be fucktardery too. Which is how it should be.
...and as I've scribbled on the thing, that hole 5 is a bona fide, real live classic discovery hole which announces the arrival of a new mineralized body of gold to the world. And the market's reaction to this news?
It couldn't give a flying fig. The type of news that would have shot a $7m market cap company such as PRG a mile higher just a couple of years ago is completely ignored by the world. So, dear and loving junior exploration stage mining company CEOs, why bother drilling your site? In the world of 2014, not only do you run the risk of ruining your best prospect by finding out the truth, but even if you get lucky and hit something in the style of PRG the reaction will be plain fat zero.
Add that to the 19,435oz of July and you're 2/3rds of the way there to the 3q14 quarterly total, just this month of September missing. The data comes from the official filings RIO.to makes to the Peruvian Ministry of Energy and Mining, here*.
There's this thing about heap/dump leachers, that when you have them running smoothly they tend to start kicking out reasonably predictable and steady results as if on rails. There's always some slight variation as grade or tonnage moved in a small sample timescale such as one calendar month will never be exactly the same, but the uniformity of numbers since January 2014 from La Arena smacks of a "we have this thing down pat now" operation. So all in all, it's a fair guess that RIO.to gives us around 55k oz for 3q14, that would be at upper level of annual guidance and that'd be fine by me.
*All you need to do now is get to the right page inside the MEM site. Good luck and enjoy the Spanish practice.
Millward Brown Vermeer (a subsidiary of advert giants WPP) has put together its annual list of the top 50 most valuable brands in Latin America. The concentration of cash in trade marks is simplicity itself, you need:
A business in Mexico, Brazil or Chile. Then Colombia.
A beer or a bank, or if in Chile a retail chain
Then maybe a phone or an oil & gas company.
The minor variations come further down the line (whole thing here), but apparently the whole region is just one big account-holding, beer slurping, car driving mass of people who love their companies. Maybe you don't get the perspective in your local market, but when you compare the reality of this region to the image the publicists try to sell you the superficial bullshit of advertising gets written in large letters in Latin America. Humanity will not miss them when they are gone.
"Businessman Eike Batista and seven other executives of OGX were today charged by the Sao Paulo Federal Court, accused of the crimes of fraud, conspiracy and deliberate misleading of investors with false information related to the dissemination of information considered highly optimistic regarding potential oil reserves of the company that were later revealed to be unfounded."
This is Times of India or Breitbart level, from the supposed world leader in news* it's frankly embarrassing. Link here, screenshot above to make sure they don't alter without announcing the correction.
...because if their petticoats slip and they mention the subject, dirty little secrets are let out. The following from Hernan Pablo's incisive Argentina econoblog, Hacheas it considers the period of 2001 (the financial crisis moment) to the beginning of 2014 in Argentina's macro economy, considering private sector salaries:
"...from 2001, real salaries increased by 1,205%, while inflation increased by 920%. In other words, if somebody earned ArgP$1,000 they now earn ArgP$13,050, while goods that cost ArgP$100 now cost ArgP$1,020."
Yes folks, you just read that right, no typos there: People in Argentina are better off now in real terms than they were before the high inflation environment kicked in. Go read all the note, plenty more food for thought there. This is the dirty little secret of econo-pseuds that jump to conclusions about high inflation economies, because if salaries keep up or even (in the case of Argentina) outstrip the rate of inflation, buying power of your average citizen is either unaffected or improves.
Here's another example to think about. Who would you rather be?
1) Avg Joe bluecollar in USA, receives average pay increase of 2% per annum in an average 3.5% per annum inflation environment.
2) Avg José azulcollar in Argentina, receives average pay increase of 28% per annum in an average 25% per annum inflation environment.
Don't think about it too long now, willyaz? And before you jump to conclusions about the dataset used by Hernan, the quoted 920% total inflation figure isn't the official State beancouter INDEC version which is rightly considered a tissue of lies; that's the parallel IPC version, the one that's used to whack into INDEC by government opposition parties and the country's constantly hostile mass media. Also drole is how Hernan is picking up on an article in anti-CFK newspaper La Nación and using its figures verbatim, a report that was designed to criticize the sitting administration.
The planet is warming. This statement gets agreement from 99% of scientists studying the issue and disagreement from scientists sponsored by rich people that don't like the idea. As for public reaction:
1) My parents' generation doesn't give a fuck.
2) My childrens' generation thinks it's the most important problem in the world today.
3) My generation just can't seem to make up its mind.
Statement 1 is correct because this generation will be dead before climate change fucks up their lives.
Statement 2 is correct because this generation will still be alive when climate change fucks up their lives.Statement 3 is correct because this generation can't decide whether it will be alive or dead before climate change fucks up their lives.
Or put another way, human beings in 2014 are doing their normal thing because the selfish fucks who run the world are still the rich people from my parents' generation. It just so happens that my kids' generation will be acting from the very same limbic self-preservation, but don't get all misty-eyed over the change when it happens, it's not going to be from altruism or touchyfeelyness about cute fuzzy monkeys in jungles or saving rare mosses in tundra zones. When it's their turn they'll be making choices and decisions that coincide with the well-being of the planetary environment, but the key word is coincide, as in coincidence. Because they'll be the same selfish fucks as we adults are, hardwire reactions don't change in 50 years and humans will continue to be selfish fucks.
But there is some good news: We will not destroy the planet*, so take heart from that.
It was a fairly simple intro to IKN280 last Sunday, but I felt like writing it and did so. For whatever reason the feedback's been positive so what the devil, let's stick it on the blog and give it a wider airing.
Due to
several disparate influences, some market related and others far removed from
the world of the screen and the number, there’s been this thought experiment
going round my head for a few days. The basic premise is to assume that gold is
worth a lot less and the über-bear crowd is correct, so I picked out of the air
the number $400 for a target price of gold (whichcould have been higher or lower, it’s
just my personal line in the sand) and tried to envisage the price there and
what it would mean. But however much I try I can’t see it happening, because to
get to what’s best described as “an
abnormal price*” we’d need wholesale dumping of reserve gold by the world’s
central banks. This would happen at the same time as nearly all gold mines
around the world closing due to unprofitable operations. Finally, we’d also see
a massive increase in consumer demand for gold jewelry. So unless our tastes as
consumers dramatically change and humans turn their collective backs on gold,
the outright “gold is worthless” brigade want us to suppose that drops and
supply dries up while demand rockets, all at the same time. Expanded thought on
those:
1)Most gold
mines would close. Unless of course the US Dollar doesn’t get simply
stronger but a LOT stronger than peer and world currencies, operating costs
would soon rise above revenues for gold mining companies. Most businesses can
survive a period of time under such circumstances, but only if balance sheets
are in order. But then, once revenues fail to cover even a small percentage of
fixed costs all you’ll hear from mines around the world is the sound of keys
turning and locks snapping shut.
2)But the
world would crave supply (see
point 3 below), so gold would have to come from vaults and suchlike. This
would mean banks giving up their solid reserves in preference for currency (again, most likely the dollar) but as
most country central banks only carry a minor part of reserves in gold and
already have a major part in USD (central bank holdings of the Venezuela type
are few and far between) the benefits would be minimal and the dangers of
reducing reserve diversification would quickly be pointed out by the sober end
of the econosphere (not just the goldbug or hard asset fringe). Unless gold
goes suddenly out of favour as a thing worth money by human beings, a move that
would go against thousands of years of human culture and habit, it’s tough to
see gold being swapped for cash on such a scale by the institutional and
country movers.
3)Demand
would rocket. To repeat, we’d need human beings to move away from
a historical love for the rare, shiny, long-lasting metal (1) that can be made
into very pretty objects. And as I look around this me-first, fuck you, baby
boomer world of self entitlement and overwhelming consumer greed it’s very
difficult indeed to imagine a situation where gold wouldn’t be bought in
ravenous quantities by people with access to disposable income and buying power
on a level previously unknown. Bling would be made into crass shapes and forms
as yet unimaginable (anyone for a 18k twerking robot model of Miley Cyrus?) as
the post-industrial consumer dream is offered in 12, easy to pay zero interest
installments. Karl Marx would look down (up?) upon us and smile contentedly as
the last great bastion of elite wealth is spread among the proletariat, not
just confined to the oligarchs or bourgeoisie
Not gonna
happen, folks. Not. Gonna. Happen.
Gold is a
circular argument after all. Its critics (and there are many) are the first to
point out that it’s only expensive because it’s precious because it’s sought
after because it’s expensive etc etc and that circular argument may be annoying
to the cold and calculating world of the quant, but like it or not it’s also a
long-standing fact (and they don’t like it). But it also means the rich have a
vested interest in keeping the barrier to entry high, because they already own
a heapload of the stuff and if the last 200 years of capitalist economic
development has taught us one thing, it’s that the rich don’t like it when you
start messing with the value of their assets. Play with the currency all you
like but don’t discount the value of the things they own, the solid things that
are heavy (house) or pretty (Warhol) or both (gold bar) for which they paid a
lot of money to own.
The
argument is loosely scripted and not particularly original or eloquent either,
but that’s ok because I’m not trying to break into the Gold Bullion Expert Commentary Club anytime soon, merely defending
the position of a holder of juniors in the face of the current bear in their
main underlying metal. Gold may drop in price some more in 2014 but it’s not
going to drop much further, because in 2014 it won’t suit the haves to give
away ownership to the have-nots so easily. In dollar terms we’re either at or
close to the bottom now, the asset value hasn’t changed a jot and it won’t do
so in the future either. As for upside to bullion, I’m aware that my preferred
“gold to $1.4k by end 2014”
has taken several knocks over the last two weeks but I contend it’s still
perfectly possible, which is something that will affect our juniors more positively
than any bullion you might own because (hopefully at least) we’ll reach a price
point where selling the juniors and exchanging shares for cash is the right
move.
*For once I make no apology for the inverted
commas
9/23/14
1) Base two decades of economic growth on primary industry and rapid growth of commodities exports.
2) Complain the way regional beancounters CEPAL complains, because apparently the economic costs of Climate Change would take 2.5% away from regional GDP growth in the event that average temperatures rise 2.5ºC.
It's like all just so fucking unfair, why can't we have our cake and eat it too?
9/22/14
I've had a few inquiries about this JV project over the months and years, the answer has always been "avoid". Today's news is one of the reasons why.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Sep 22, 2014) - Rokmaster Resources Corp. ("Rokmaster" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:RKR)(RKR.V) announces that as a result of the continued presence of illegal miners on the Pinaya Gold-Copper Project (the "Pinaya Project"), in which the Company has an option to earn up to a 75% interest, and Rokmaster's continuing inability to obtain unrestricted access to the portions of the Pinaya Project controlled and occupied by illegal miners, Rokmaster has declared force majeure in accordance with the Option and Joint Venture Agreement dated July 16, 2012, as amended (the "Agreement"), with AM Gold Inc. ("AM Gold") and AM Gold's Peruvian subsidiary, Canper Exploraciones S.A.C. Rokmaster has also learned that the illegal miners have produced toxic substances on the project area as a result of their illegal activities. As a result of the declaration of force majeure, all time limits imposed by the Agreement are extended until the illegal miners and the toxic substances which they have created are removed from the Pinaya Project area rendering such areas accessible and safe.
Your humble scribe was reading a minor report on the state of play in the regional election campaign in Cajamarca this morning (Peru chooses its regional and provincial governors, city mayors etc on October 5th in a pretty important election for the country). It's not the type of article that gets mention on these pages normally, more the type that forms the general background reading, but this one suddenly expanded and gave a quote about the wider political scene in Peru that's both succinct and very accurate. Here it is, translated:
"The person who has the most money gets access to be a candidate (for election).... Simply put, politicians are those who have the most money. Businesspeople are welcome and if they're associated with narcotrafficking it's even better, because they handle even more money and one of the ways to legalize it is to go into politics in order to get protection."
However, there is another part to this media game in LatAm, that's the way in which this biased nonsense itsthen rebounded in the local press. Here for example is the front page of the print edition of Clarin (famously anti-CFK and Argentina's biggest circulation newspaper) that greeted Argentina on Saturday morning.
Yup, a direct re-hash of the Bloomberg note. And what's more, you read the whole Clarin reportand it makes it plain the screaming headline comes directly from the Bloomberg report as paragraph three begins "As reported by the Bloomberg news agency...". But in the very same way as Bloomberg, Clarin's re-hash skips over the facts (not opinion or cherrypicked data, but facts from the very same World Bankfrom IKN Saturday)...
Argentina has 10.8% in the poor bracket, then 31.4% in the vulnerable column and that's how Bloomberg gets the "quadrupling" word into its headline. But what they don't tell you is...
Argentina has the second lowest level of vulnerable in Latin America
Argentina has the third lowest level of poor in Latin America
Argentina has the second highest level of established middle class in Latin America
And this is how bullshit becomes accepted knowledge among the mouthbreather opposition forces in South America (because sadly, this pattern is all too common in most of the region). It goes
9/21/14
Love it, and there are other varieties too. Right here. Via the guy you need to follow for English language coverage of the upcoming election in Brazil , Vincent Bevins of the LA Times and other quality media channels.
"To pollute one river may be regarded as a misfortune; to pollute two looks like carelessness"
News this afternoon is that Grupo Mexico has alerted authorities (at least this time they didn't try a cover-up) that another batch of toxic waste has escaped from its Buenavista copper mine in Sonora State and into water supplies. Yes indeed, this is the very same mine that messed up the local water just a few weeks ago and got the country's politicos baying for its licence to be revoked, well remembered ma'am/sir. This time they're blaming the tail end of the hurricane that came in over the West coast of Mexico last week. Good to have a reason, isn't it?
The shock isn't that they've been found doing it, the shock is that this is finally coming to light because everyone knows how corrupt Peru's police force is. You'll note however that it took a years-long investigation by an outside force, namely the US DEA, to shine light on these scumbags.
"Thousands of recordings made during a DEA bugging program reveal that at least 23 police officers from the National Anti-Drug Directive (Dirandro) have for years been hiding cargos of drugs and stealing drugs of mafia groups in order to re-sell it. Despite the evidence, the national internal investigation by police has moved very slowly and the accused are still working in the units that are supposed to combat narcotrafficking."
A final thought: If you think these 23 officers were doing what they were doing without the knowledge of the higher ranks of Peruvian police, I have a bridge you may be interested in purchasing. Easy terms, low downpayment.
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The information and opinions contained within this site reflect the personal views of Inca Kola News and therefore all material within should not be construed as accurate or reliable or be utilized as advice for investment or business purposes. Independent due diligence and discussions with ones own investment and business advisors is strongly recommended. Accordingly, nothing on this site should be construed as offering a guarantee of the accuracy or completeness of the information contained herein, as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security or as an endorsement of any product or service. All opinions and estimates included on this site are subject to change without notice. All content may be reproduced under fair use doctrine providing proper credit and a return link is made to this site.
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Assignments & Evaluation
Course Practicals
Course practicals may consist of short literature reviews, statistical analysis or computer modelling. Practicals will generally be conducted in small groups of 2-4 students, which will be assembled with the aim of mixing students from different universities and with different expertise. The objective is to encourage team work amongst students from different universities and from different research backgrounds. Students will hand in their assignments at the end of the day on which they are assigned.
Course Project
The project write-up can be submitted up to one week after the course. The format of the project will be flexible, but we will expect presentation of original work, such as a synthesis of ideas, perspectives on current topics in biodiversity science, or analysis and interpretation of new or existing data.
Students can submit their work in French or English.
Auditors are not required to submit a course project.
Course Evaluation and Grading
This applies to students officially registered and who are eligible to receive credits:
Four short assignments, which may consist or written or oral presentations related to specific course modules (40%)
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Happening's
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Took a few days off to do some travel and then a day of rest and a day of yard work.. a three acre or so yard to mow and acres more of trees to worry with and pick up limbs around keep me busy.
Played in a free roll poker tournament. Came home with my investment intact. For you non-players a “free roll” means it costs nothing to enter, thus my investment was nothing and my grubby gambling winnings was…nothing. Rats. But I did have fun!
Pulled up all the tomato plants and watered the bell peppers, cucumbers, squash and okra. Everything except the okra is on its last legs. The okra will grow until the frost hits.
Froze enough black eyed peas to make a dent in the winter’s grocery bills. Corn and homemade spaghetti mix is frozen and ready. The okra is next on the list… Okra and spaghetti with the special mix and a salad on a cold winter night. Wow.
I see that the hoodoos in NYC have approved the Muslims building a mosque on the 9/11 site… and for those who want to argue, the landing gear of one of the hijacked airliners went through the building…. but hey! Why should we care when Muslims want to do what they want to do?
Aren’t we supposed to just be soooooooo tolerant? Can someone tell me when my turn comes?
“Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them.” – Karl Popper
And don’t forget Muslim Six Flags Day on 9/12! My, my what a coincidence!
Brett Favre is retiring is not retiring… again.
Am I the only person to get the connection between Bart Star and Brett Favre and Bart Maverick and Bret Maverick?????
Good news… The University of Tennessee has signed the nation’s top punter. Bad news…. We’ll probably need him.
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt
"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson
“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt
"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson
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}
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