text
stringlengths 12
4.76M
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stringlengths 26
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stringlengths 32
32
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|---|---|---|
HOSTS:
server:
name: razor-server-1
roles:
- razor_server
- frictionless
- agent
platform: el-6-x86_64
template: centos-6-x86_64-razor-server
hypervisor: vcloud
puppet:
roles:
- master
- database
- agent
- dashboard
platform: el-7-x86_64
template: redhat-7-x86_64-razor-master
hypervisor: vcloud
node:
roles:
- razor_node
platform: el-7-x86_64
template: redhat-7-x86_64-razor-node
hypervisor: vcloud
CONFIG:
nfs_server: none
consoleport: 443
datastore: instance0
folder: dynamic
ssh:
auth_methods: ["password", "publickey"]
password: puppet
|
2023-08-22T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5508
|
Dykstra, who’s had a tumultuous time post-baseball, also had numerous drugs in his possession when he was arrested in Linden Township, New Jersey, last May.
The Uber driver told police Dykstra allegedly held a weapon to his head and threatened to kill him because the driver refused to change the destination of the ride.
At the time, Dykstra was charged with making terroristic threats and several drug offenses, but Union County Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh granted a motion Friday to suppress the evidence, ruling police’s search of the bags was not justified, the Courier News reported.
Dykstra chimed in on the court's ruling on social media Friday afternoon, linking to a version of The Crickets' "I Fought The Law" with an altered chorus:
It’s already been a chaotic 2019 for Dykstra. Just last month, the former outfielder was painted as a “menace” by his neighbors in Linden, allegedly piling trash outside his residence and operating a quasi-boarding house with several people coming and going from the residence.
Dykstra served six months in prison back in 2012 when he looted his own mansion after declaring bankruptcy, and he was charged with stealing jewelry from a porn star in 2015.
The California native played eight of his 12 Major League Baseball seasons with the Phillies, and was named an All-Star three times during his time in Philadelphia.
|
2024-05-10T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2649
|
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!-- Copyright (C) 2014 The Android Open Source Project
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at
http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
-->
<!-- Used as the canonical button shape. -->
<inset xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:insetLeft="@dimen/abc_button_inset_horizontal_material"
android:insetTop="@dimen/abc_button_inset_vertical_material"
android:insetRight="@dimen/abc_button_inset_horizontal_material"
android:insetBottom="@dimen/abc_button_inset_vertical_material">
<shape android:shape="rectangle">
<corners android:radius="@dimen/abc_control_corner_material" />
<solid android:color="@android:color/white" />
<padding android:left="@dimen/abc_button_padding_horizontal_material"
android:top="@dimen/abc_button_padding_vertical_material"
android:right="@dimen/abc_button_padding_horizontal_material"
android:bottom="@dimen/abc_button_padding_vertical_material" />
</shape>
</inset>
<!-- From: file:/usr/local/google/buildbot/repo_clients/https___googleplex-android.googlesource.com_a_platform_manifest.git/mnc-sdk-release/frameworks/support/v7/appcompat/res/drawable/abc_btn_default_mtrl_shape.xml --><!-- From: file:/Users/Jing/Projects/ReactNative/RNViewPager/Sample/android/app/build/intermediates/exploded-aar/com.android.support/appcompat-v7/23.0.1/res/drawable/abc_btn_default_mtrl_shape.xml -->
|
2024-01-13T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2168
|
EL ALTO, Bolivia — Bolivia’s congress on Wednesday scrambled to find a way to call new elections, hoping to chart a path out of the turmoil gripping the country a day after the military opened fire on protesters blocking fuel and food from reaching La Paz, the nation’s main city.
Eight people were killed, a human rights official said, in the clashes outside a major fuel depot in El Alto, a working-class city in the mountains outside La Paz that had been blockaded for days by supporters of the ousted president, Evo Morales.
Mr. Morales was driven from office earlier this month after 14 years in office, following a disputed election in which he claimed to be the winner. He fled the country and took asylum in Mexico, having lost the allegiance of the military and police.
But Mr. Morales, the country’s first Indigenous president, still has legions of supporters among the country’s Indigenous groups and among rural coca growers, who have taken to the streets to call for his return.
|
2023-12-17T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4599
|
Q:
jQuery's val() is not working on a hidden field
I have a hidden field in my page like so:
<hidden id="tsDaySchedule01" value="7.50"></hidden>
When I try to access it with the following code, the alert returns blank:
alert($("#tsDaySchedule01").val());
Now when I use attr("value") like below, it works without issue:
alert($("#tsDaySchedule01").attr("value"));
Lastly, I would like to point out we have other non-hidden text fields within the page that work without issue using val().
I would like to have a better understanding as for what is going on here. Does anybody have an explanation?
A:
<hidden/> isn't a valid HTML element. If you're wanting a hidden input you'd use:
<input type="hidden" />
jQuery's .val() method only works on input, select and textarea elements. To get this to work for you, change your <hidden/> element to:
<input type="hidden" id="tsDaySchedule01" value="7.50" />
|
2024-06-13T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4049
|
DESCRIPTION: Cataract (opacification of the lens of the eye) is the primary cause of blindness in the world and costs the US Medicare program nearly $5 billion annually. Nuclear cataract (opacification of the center of the lens) is the most common form of age-related cataract. However, the causes of this disease are not well understood. Previous studies showed that exposure of the body to increased oxygen is a risk factor for nuclear cataracts in humans. The lens normally exists in a severely hypoxic environment. We found that changes in oxygen levels in the eye influence lens gene and protein expression. We also found that loss of the gel structure of the vitreous body is an important risk factor for nuclear cataracts and increases oxygen levels around the lens. Based on these and other observations described in this proposal, we propose that exposure of the lens to molecular oxygen is the primary cause of age-related nuclear cataracts and the gradual opacification of the lens nucleus that occurs with age. We will test the predictions of this hypothesis in two specific aims. In the first, we will identify the mechanisms by which oxygen regulates lens gene expression and whether oxygen levels directly contribute to the formation of nuclear cataracts. Mouse lenses that are wild type or that express stable forms of the transcription factor HIF1alpha will be exposed to different levels of oxygen in vivo and then microarray analysis and qPCR will be used to document changes in gene expression. This will reveal the molecular pathways by which oxygen alters lens gene expression, allowing the lens to survive in a hypoxic environment. We will also determine whether reducing the oxygen levels around the lens protects against nuclear cataract formation. This will be done by maintaining genetically modified mice that develop nuclear cataracts beginning at 6 months of age in lower levels of ambient oxygen, which lowers the oxygen levels around the lens by approximately 50%. If molecular oxygen contributes to lens oxidative damage, this treatment will delay the formation of lens oxidative damage and opacification. By measuring oxygen levels in the eyes of patients undergoing retinal surgery we found that oxygen around the lens is elevated after vitrectomy and decreased in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Based on these data, we will test the prediction that, in patients with diabetes (lower oxygen in the vitreous body), post- vitrectomy cataracts will progress more slowly than in patients with non-ischemic retinopathy. We also observed that patients with long-standing, unilateral retinal hypoxia have less nuclear opacity in their affected (hypoxic) eye. We will compare nuclear opacity in both eyes of patients with long-standing, unilateral retinal ischemia. This study will test our prediction that oxygen from the retina is responsible for the "normal," age- related opacification of the lens nucleus.
|
2024-06-30T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/7652
|
Monday, April 29, 2013
Guest Post & Giveaway: Fatal Intent by Ryshia Kennie
I'd like to welcome Ryshia Kennie to Viviana, Enchantress of Books.
We're very happy to have you with us today!
In Fatal Intent, the sexual tension between Garrett and
Aidan begins as soon as they meet. Aidan
is immediately attracted to Garrett. She
is an unexpected element in the jungle – female and in charge of a group of men
who are weak in their own ways. While
Garrett, appears, even in crisis, to be an attractive, confident woman. But it is her struggle to control the
situation and her in the face anger at him that draw him, creating a battle of
“can’t have” versus “I want”.
Her perfume was making him pay
attention to things he had no right to notice. How she curved in all the right
places, softly, subtly, nothing overblown, nothing too much or too little. How she’d fit perfectly beneath his arm, how
. . .
“How much longer?” she murmured, her
voice for him alone, and that was almost more seduction than he could bear,
especially with that damn perfume. Tantalizing, soft, sexy wafts with every
breath. Why the hell was she wearing perfume?
“You’re wearing perfume,” he
gritted. Idiot, why had he said that?
“Perfume? Don’t be utterly
ridiculous!”
Damn, could this get any worse?
He immediately fights the reaction of his body pitting it in
an ongoing argument with his logical self and this battle increases the
tension. We see that he wants Garrett
and we also see all the reasons he can’t have Garrett. The sexual tension is heightening and
they’re both aware of it and both dancing around it for their own reasons.
He was the first man in a long time
who made her think about things she would rather not. Against all logic, she
would like nothing better than to haul him into the jungle and have her way
with him. Stroke that sun-gilded skin
until he moaned his surrender, taste the silky maleness of him . . .
They were ridiculous thoughts, as
out of place as everything else that had happened in the last twenty-four
hours. And that realization only added
to the feel of a walking dream as she found herself drifting down the steps
until she stood at the edge of the river.
“Sleep well?” The disembodied voice
came from a stand of brush.
It was as if her thoughts had
conjured him. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.” Aidan grinned.
“I don’t suppose I can get a good
cup of coffee?” Yeah, that was classic, Garrett, ask for coffee in the jungle.
Good move.
At first Garrett uses anger as a defense against an
attraction she doesn’t expect and one of course that deters her from her goal
that is already way off track. But soon,
anger isn’t enough – the attraction starts to come to the forefront.
It becomes a dance between the two as the heat builds
through a game of attack and retreat, barbs and innuendos. It’s the desire and the wanting that adds
sexual tension.
Every story is different as far as how much sexual tension
exists between the lead characters.
Sexual tension almost always builds through a cat and mouse style game
that plays with desire. But what
transpires out of those growing desires and how fulfillment is attained or not
attained or attained and taken away, is a combination of so many things, the
personality of the hero and heroine, the circumstances, their cultural
background, the setting and even the timeframe of the story. But always, the characters lead off – they
have to, it’s their story.
In a book to be released this summer, a suspense set in
Cambodia, there is an intense connection between the hero and heroine from the
beginning and the story sprawls over enough time to allow for a deep and
layered sexual tension and all sorts of reasons why this cannot be. But he is aware of her in ways that are almost
intuitive and the passion – well it get’s pretty hot under a tropical sun.
Fatal Intent By Ryshia KennieSynopsis: An expedition into the Borneo rain forest is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for entomologist Garrett Cole. It’s this trip that could finally make her a star in her field. But when her team’s guide is found dead and headless on the banks of the river, Garrett’s dream trek suddenly becomes a nightmare. Lost in the heart of the jungle, she must fight to maintain her composure while leading a panicked team of scientists to safety.When sexy and rugged Aidan arrives in the jungle looking as if he belongs, Garrett has no choice but to accept his help. But Aidan is more than she bargained for—a man of few words and fewer answers, as comfortable in the jungle as the mysterious native tribesmen. And as the days pass and passion flares between them, Garrett wonders if Aiden’s good intentions are just another of the jungle’s illusions.In a land rife with predators and a killer still on the loose, can she trust the one man who claims to be their rescuer?
Available for purchase at
About the Author
Ryshia Kennie
is the author of two published romances.
From the Dust, is a romance set during the Great Depression. Her second book, Ring of Desire, was set
against a backdrop of magic and mystery, in medieval England. An award winning author, her recent novels
now focus on suspense and women’s
fiction – always with a hint or even a dollop, of romance. The Canadian
prairies are home where she lives with her husband and one opinionated Irish
Terrier.
|
2023-11-20T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/6058
|
Q:
jQuery Validation plugin display success/fail images next to password
I am using jQuery form validation using validation plugin.
I have validate the password with minimum 7 characters and one capital and oe number.at the same time when i meet that the password is valid need to show the correct image near to the textfield. Otherwise wrong image.
jQuery.validator.addMethod('mypassword', function(value, element) {
return this.optional(element) || (value.match(/[A-Z]/) && value.match(/[0-9]/));
},
'Password must contain at least one capital and one number.');
jQuery("#loanRequestDetailsForm").validate({
ignore: "",
rules : {
password: {
required: true,
minlength: 7,
mypassword :true
},
confirmpassword: {
required: true,
minlength: 7,
equalTo: "#password"
}
},
messages : {
password : {
required:"Please provide a password",
minlength:"Your password must be at least 7 characters long"
},
confirmpassword : {
required:"Please provide a password",
minlength:"Your password must be at least 7 characters long",
equalTo: "Please enter the same password as above"
}
}
});
Any idea to display the image
A:
Using a combination of errorPlacement, success, highlight and unhighlight callback functions along with CSS class's. The following seems very verbose, but it's in order
to only display the images next to the password fields. It could be simplified greatly if you wanted to display the images next to all fields instead.
CSS:
.passError {
background: url("bad.gif") no-repeat 0px 0px;
}
.passValid {
background: url("good.gif") no-repeat 0px 0px;
}
HTML:
<input type="text" class="pw" name="password" id="password" />
<input type="text" class="pw" name="confirmpassword" />
jQuery:
$(document).ready(function () {
jQuery.validator.addMethod('mypassword', function (value, element) {
return this.optional(element) || (value.match(/[A-Z]/) && value.match(/[0-9]/));
}, 'Password must contain at least one capital and one number.');
$('#loanRequestDetailsForm').validate({ // initialize the plugin
errorPlacement: function (error, element) {
error.insertAfter(element);
if (element.hasClass('pw')) {
element.next().removeClass('passValid').addClass('passError');
}
},
success: function (label) {
if (label.prev().hasClass('pw')) {
label.text("ok!");
}
},
highlight: function (element, errorClass, validClass) {
if ($(element).hasClass('pw')) {
$(element).next().removeClass('passValid').addClass('passError');
} else {
$(element).addClass(errorClass).removeClass(validClass);
}
},
unhighlight: function (element, errorClass, validClass) {
if ($(element).hasClass('pw')) {
$(element).next().removeClass('passError').addClass('passValid');
} else {
$(element).removeClass(errorClass).addClass(validClass);
}
},
rules: {
password: {
required: true,
minlength: 7,
mypassword: true
},
confirmpassword: {
required: true,
//minlength: 7, // <- redundant
equalTo: "#password"
}
},
messages: {
password: {
required: "Please provide a password",
// use the placeholder {0} to automatically insert rule val
minlength: "Your password must be at least {0} characters long"
},
confirmpassword: {
required: "Please provide a password",
equalTo: "Please enter the same password as above"
}
}
});
});
Working Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/jtmDY/
A:
There is a nice example of using an image when displaying the error here
http://jquery.bassistance.de/validate/demo/custom-methods-demo.html
It uses this css to how an image for the error
em.error {
background:url("images/unchecked.gif") no-repeat 0px 0px;
padding-left: 16px;
}
note this example has set
errorElement: "em"
so the css works, but look through the source and try it out
|
2024-07-05T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8414
|
Colonel General (France)
A Colonel General was an officer of the French army during the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the Napoleonic era and the Bourbon Restoration.
The positions were not military ranks, but rather offices of the crown. The position was first created under François I. The Colonels General served directly below the Marshals of France, and they were divided by their branch of service. By the end of the Ancien Régime, the Colonels General were:
Colonel General of the Infantry
Colonel General of the Cavalry
Colonel General of the Dragoons
Colonel General of the Hussards
Colonel General of the Cent-Suisses and Grisons
Colonel General of the Gardes Françaises
Judging the position of Colonel General of the Infantry to be too powerful, Louis XIV suppressed the position in 1661 and only appointed Colonel Generals of honorific branches like the Colonel General of the Dragoons (created in 1668), the Colonel General of the Cent-Suisses and Grisons, who oversaw the Swiss regiments of the Maison du Roi, and the Colonel of the Gardes Françaises. The position was reinstated under Louis XV.
Most of these offices were eliminated at the time of the French Revolution, during which there was a Colonel General of the National Guard, but they were reinstated by Napoleon I. Under the Bourbon Restoration, certain titles were accorded to members of the royal family. After 1830, the position was eliminated.
Colonels General of the Ancien Régime
Infantry
1546 : Jean de Taix
???? : Charles de Cossé-Brissac
1547 : Gaspard de Coligny, Admiral of France
1555 : François de Coligny, seigneur d'Andelot
1558 : Blaise de Montluc, Marshal of France
1560 : Charles de La Rochefoucauld, seigneur de Randan
1562 : Sébastien de Luxembourg, duc de Penthièvre
???? : Timoléon de Cossé-Brissac
1569–1581 : Philippe Strozzi, seigneur d'Épernay and de Bressuire
1581–1642 : Jean Louis de Nogaret de La Valette, duc d'Épernon
1642–1661 : Bernard de Nogaret de La Valette d'Épernon
1721–1730 : Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans
1780–1790 : Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé
Cavalry
1548–1549 : Charles de Cossé, Count of Brissac
1549 : Claude de Lorraine, duc d'Aumale
1558 : Jacques, Duke of Nemours
1569–1571 : François de Lorraine, duc de Guise
1571–1572 : Charles de Montmorency-Damville, Admiral of France
1572–1574 : Guillaume de Montmorency, seigneur de Thuré
1574–1585 : Jacques, Duke of Nemours
1585–1586 : Charles, Duke of Aumale
1586–1588 : Jean-François, maréchal de La Guiche
1588–1589 : Charles de Valois, comte d'Auvergne
1589–1595 : duc des Ursins
1595–1604 : Charles de Valois, comte d'Auvergne
1604–1616 : Jacques, Duke of Nemours
1616–1618 : Charles de Valois, duc d'Angoulême
1618–1618 : François de Valois, comte d'Alès
1618–1626 : Henri, Duke of Rohan
1626–1643 : Louis de Valois, comte d'Alès
1643–1653 : Louis Emmanuel de Valois, duc d'Angoulême
1653–1657 : Louis de Lorraine, duc de Joyeuse
1657–1675 : Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne-Bouillon, vicomte de Turenne
1675–1705 : Frédéric Maurice de La Tour d'Auvergne
1705–1740 : Henri Louis de La Tour d'Auvergne
1740–1759 : Godefroy Charles Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne
1759–1790 : marquis de Béthune
Dragoons
1668–1672 : Antonin Nompar de Caumont, duc de Lauzun
1672–1678 : Nicolas d'Argouges, marquis de Rannes
1678–1692 : Louis François de Boufflers, Marshal of France
1692–1703 : René de Froulay, comte de Tessé, Marshal of France, général des Galères
1703–1704 : Antoine V de Gramont, Marshal of France, colonel général des Gardes Françaises
1704–1734 : François de Franquetot de Coigny, Marshal of France
1734–1748 : Jean Antoine François de Franquetot, duc de Coigny, killed in a duel
1748–1754 : François de Franquetot de Coigny, Marshal of France
1754–1771 : Marie Charles Louis d'Albert, duc de Chevreuse and de Luynes
1771–1783 : François-Henri de Franquetot de Coigny
1783–1790 : Louis Joseph Charles Amable d'Albert, duc de Chevreuse and de Luynes
Hussards
1778–1790 : Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans
Cent-Suisses et Grisons
1568–1596 : Charles de Montmorency-Damville, Admiral of France
1596–1605 : Nicolas de Harlay, seigneur de Sancy
1605–1614 : Henri, duc de Rohan
1614–1632 : François de Bassompierre, Marshal of France
1632–1642 : César, marquis de Coislin
1642–1643 : marquis de La Châtre
1643–1647 : François de Bassompierre, Marshal of France
1647–1657 : Charles de Schomberg, Marshal of France
1657–1674 : Eugene Maurice, Count of Soissons
1674–1710 : Louis Auguste, Duke of Maine
1710–1755 : Louis Auguste, Prince of Dombes
1755–1762 : Louis Charles, Count of Eu
1762–1771 : Étienne François de Choiseul-Stainville, duc de Choiseul
1771–1790 : Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI
Gardes-Françaises
1661–1671 : Antoine, duc de Gramont
1672–1692 : François d'Aubusson de La Feuillade
1692–1704 : Louis François, duc de Boufflers
1704–1717 : Antoine de Gramont, duc de Guiche
1717–1741 : Louis Antoine Armand, duc de Gramont
1741–1745 : Louis, duc de Gramont
1745–1788 : Louis Antoine de Gontaut, duc de Biron
Colonels General of the Revolution
National Guard: Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette
Colonels General of the Napoleonic era
Carabiniers à Cheval: Louis Bonaparte, king of Holland and Constable of the Empire
Chasseurs à cheval: Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, then Emmanuel, comte de Grouchy
Cuirassiers: Laurent, comte Gouvion-Saint-Cyr, then Augustin, comte Belliard
Dragoons: Louis, comte Baraguey d'Hilliers, then Étienne-Marie-Antoine Champion, Comte de Nansouty (1813-1814)
Imperial Guard: Edouard Adolphe Casimir Joseph Mortier, then Louis Gabriel Suchet
Grenadiers à pied of the Imperial Guard: Louis Nicolas Davout
Hussards: Jean Andoche Junot
Suisses: Louis-Alexandre Berthier, Vice-Constable of the Empire, then Jean Lannes, duc de Montebello
Colonels General of the Restoration
Royal Carabiniers: Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême, eldest son of Charles X
Chevau-légers-lanciers: Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, younger son of Charles X
Cuirassiers: Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême
Garde Nationale: Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVIII
Suisses: Henri, grandson of Charles X
See also
Great Officers of the Crown of France
References
This article is based in part on the article Colonel général from the French Wikipedia, retrieved on September 8, 2006.
External links
Great Officers of the Crown
Category:Court titles
Category:Court titles in the Ancien Régime
Category:Military history of the Ancien Régime
Category:Military ranks of France
|
2024-02-05T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2097
|
<?php
/*
* This file is part of PHPUnit.
*
* (c) Sebastian Bergmann <sebastian@phpunit.de>
*
* For the full copyright and license information, please view the LICENSE
* file that was distributed with this source code.
*/
use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
/**
* Tests for the BankAccount class.
*/
class BankAccountWithCustomExtensionTest extends TestCase
{
protected $ba;
protected function setUp(): void
{
$this->ba = new BankAccount;
}
/**
* @covers BankAccount::getBalance
* @group balanceIsInitiallyZero
* @group specification
*/
public function testBalanceIsInitiallyZero(): void
{
$this->assertEquals(0, $this->ba->getBalance());
}
/**
* @covers BankAccount::withdrawMoney
* @group balanceCannotBecomeNegative
* @group specification
*/
public function testBalanceCannotBecomeNegative(): void
{
try {
$this->ba->withdrawMoney(1);
} catch (BankAccountException $e) {
$this->assertEquals(0, $this->ba->getBalance());
return;
}
$this->fail();
}
/**
* @covers BankAccount::depositMoney
* @group balanceCannotBecomeNegative
* @group specification
*/
public function testBalanceCannotBecomeNegative2(): void
{
try {
$this->ba->depositMoney(-1);
} catch (BankAccountException $e) {
$this->assertEquals(0, $this->ba->getBalance());
return;
}
$this->fail();
}
/*
* @covers BankAccount::getBalance
* @covers BankAccount::depositMoney
* @covers BankAccount::withdrawMoney
* @group balanceCannotBecomeNegative
*/
/*
public function testDepositingAndWithdrawingMoneyWorks()
{
$this->assertEquals(0, $this->ba->getBalance());
$this->ba->depositMoney(1);
$this->assertEquals(1, $this->ba->getBalance());
$this->ba->withdrawMoney(1);
$this->assertEquals(0, $this->ba->getBalance());
}
*/
}
|
2023-11-09T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8723
|
[Clinical features of patients with brain metastasis from testicular germ cell tumor].
We retrospectively reviewed 190 patients with germ cell tumors of testis or extragonadal origin who were treated in our hospital between 1980 and 2007. Five (2.6%) of them had brain metastasis. We studied the clinical features and treatment outcome of these patients. Median age was 30 years old (23-48). The clinical stage was III in all the patients, except one with stage I disease. Two patients had brain metastasis at the initial presentation. All patients underwent multiple regimens of chemotherapy. As local therapies for brain metastases, surgical resection was done in 4 and gamma knife was in 1. Whole brain irradiation was added to surgery in 2 patients. All patients died of the disease within one year after brain metastasis development, except 1 patient who was free of disease 47 months after the presentation. The long survivor had solitary brain metastasis at the initial presentation and received 4 regimens of chemotherapy, 2 surgical resections of brain metastases and whole brain irradiation. Finally, chemotherapy consisting of irinotecan and nedaplatin resulted in normalization of the tumor markers and complete remission was proved by the subsequent surgical resection. Although most patients with brain metastasis have a poor clinical outcome, aggressive local treatment and employment of novel anticancerous agents may contribute to improve clinical course of selected patients with germ cell tumors and brain metastasis.
|
2024-06-05T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2770
|
Q:
React Link doesn't trigger the router changement
In my react app I've tried lot of different router, route, and solution find on internet.
The fact is i'm using <HashRouter> from react-router-dom and redux in my app.
When I change the url in my browser the right route is triggered and the right component is loaded.
The issue :
When i click on <Link> component the url change, the history props on the router change but nothing happenned in the app...
Here are my app architecture and code :
MainApp.jsx
render(){
<Provider store={store}>
<HashRouter>
<div className="main-app">
<StickyContainer>
<Header toggleHelp={() => this.toggleOverlay()} />
<Sticky>
<Toolbar /> //Here are my <Link/>
</Sticky>
<App/>
<Footer />
</StickyContainer>
</div>
</HashRouter>
</Provider>
}
App.js
import React from 'react'
import { bindActionCreators } from 'redux'
import { connect } from 'react-redux'
import * as Actions from 'Actions';
import Main from 'Components/Main/Main';
import {withRouter} from 'react-router-dom';
const App = ({elements, actions,documents,filters}) => (
<div>
<Main elements={elements} actions={actions} documents={documents} filters={filters} />
</div>
)
const mapStateToProps = state => ({
elements: state.elements,
documents: state.documents,
filters:state.filters
});
const mapDispatchToProps = dispatch => ({
actions: bindActionCreators(Actions, dispatch)
});
export default withRouter(connect(
mapStateToProps,
mapDispatchToProps
)(App));
And finally my Main.jsx
render(){
<div className="main-authenticated">
<Switch>
<Route path="/home" component={Home} />
<Route path="/reporting" component={Reporting} />
<Route path="/about" component={About} />
<Route path="/disconnect" component={ErrorPage} />
</Switch>
</div>
}
I already tried with a BrowserRouter, a basic Router with history but always this issue. Don't know if it's due to my project architecture or something else.
UPDATE
Moved withRouter on Main.jsx and got the same issue.
Main.jsx
render(){
<div className="main-authenticated">
<Switch>
<Route path="/home" component={Home} />
<Route path="/reporting" component={Reporting} />
<Route path="/about" component={About} />
<Route path="/disconnect" component={ErrorPage} />
</Switch>
</div>
}
export default withRouter(Main)
A:
As @ShubhamKhatri said, I needed to export my Main component with withRouter function from react-router.
But there was an other issue, the Link included in the Toolbar component was not triggered the router due to the Sticky Component from react-sticky.
Remove the Sticky component wrapper on the MainApp correct the problem.
Final solution :
exporting Main.jsx
class Main
[...]
export default withRouter(Main);
MainApp.jsx
<Provider store={store}>
<HashRouter>
<div className="main-app">
<Header />
<Toolbar/>
<App>
<Footer />
</div>
</HashRouter>
</Provider>
|
2024-02-18T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4265
|
Validation of an ELISA method for the serological diagnosis of canine brucellosis due to Brucella canis.
In the present study, the validation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for serodiagnosis of canine brucellosis is described. Two different antigenic extracts, obtained by heat or ultrasonic homogenization of microbial antigens from a wild isolate of Brucella canis bacteria, were compared by ELISA and Western blot (WB). A total of 145 canine sera were used to define sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the ELISA as follows: (1) sera from 34 animals with natural B. canis infection, confirmed by blood culture and PCR, as well as 51 sera samples from healthy dogs with negative results by the agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test for canine brucellosis, were used as the control panel for B. canis infection; and (2) to scrutinize the possibility of cross reactions with other common dog infections in the same geographical area in Brazil, 60 sera samples from dogs harboring known infections by Leptospira sp., Ehrlichia canis, canine distemper virus (CDV), Neospora caninum, Babesia canis and Leishmania chagasi (10 in each group) were included in the study. The ELISA using heat soluble bacterial extract (HE-antigen) as antigen showed the best values of sensitivity (91.18%), specificity (100%) and accuracy (96.47%). In the WB analyses, the HE-antigen showed no cross-reactivity with sera from dogs with different infections, while the B. canis sonicate had various protein bands identified by those sera. The performance of the ELISA standardized with the heat soluble B. canis antigen indicates that this assay can be used as a reliable and practical method to confirm infection by this microorganism, as well as a tool for seroepidemiological studies.
|
2024-07-11T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/9470
|
/*
This file is part of TON Blockchain Library.
TON Blockchain Library is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 2 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
TON Blockchain Library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU Lesser General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public License
along with TON Blockchain Library. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
Copyright 2017-2020 Telegram Systems LLP
*/
#pragma once
#include "td/utils/common.h"
#include "td/utils/Slice.h"
#include "td/utils/SharedSlice.h"
#include "td/utils/Status.h"
namespace td {
string base64_encode(Slice input);
Result<string> base64_decode(Slice base64);
Result<SecureString> base64_decode_secure(Slice base64);
string base64url_encode(Slice input);
Result<string> base64url_decode(Slice base64);
bool is_base64(Slice input);
bool is_base64url(Slice input);
string base64_filter(Slice input);
string base32_encode(Slice input, bool upper_case = false);
Result<string> base32_decode(Slice base32);
} // namespace td
|
2023-09-10T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2705
|
Graeme Souness has told Paul Pogba to 'put his medals on the table' after the Manchester United star claimed he 'didn't know' who the Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit was.
Souness has been one of the Frenchman's fiercest critics since he returned to England in 2016 and has frequently condemned his behaviour both on and off-the-field.
And after the midfielder claimed he still had no idea what the Scot looked like four years later, Souness has issued a withering response.
Graeme Souness (centre) has told Paul Pogba to put his medals on the table after criticsm
Pogba has claimed he still has no idea what Sky Sports pundit Souness looks like
The Liverpool legend has been a regular critic of Pogba since his return to Manchester United
English First Division - 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆
European Cup - 🏆🏆🏆
League Cup - 🏆🏆🏆
"Graeme can show him the medals!" 🏅
The #SkyFootballShow discuss Paul Pogba's recent comments about Graeme Souness... pic.twitter.com/1Xo5KX9W19 — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 14, 2020
'I'm happy with it. The oldest thing in football comes to mind - put your medals on the table', he said on Sky Sports' The Football Show on Tuesday morning.
SOUNESS' PREVIOUS DIGS AT POGBA February 2018 - Souness compares Pogba's style to a 'schoolboy running around in the playground' October 2018 - Souness blasts Pogba after mistake against Chelsea and says he needs to change his attitude August 2019 - Souness thinks players in the Manchester United dressing room don't want Pogba there March 2020 - Souness slams Pogba's lengthy absence through injury and claims the midfielder doesn't want to play for Manchester United Advertisement
Jamie Carragher was also critical of Pogba's comments, adding: 'We're quite critical of Paul Pogba, when you're a player you've certainly got to be respectful of certain players with certain opinions at different times, and at times you have to take that criticism on the chin, so to come out and say you've never heard of Graeme Souness really was below the belt.'
The Frenchman has proven to be immune to criticism from Souness, and made headlines for his comments about Souness, who lifted three European Cups and three league titles at Liverpool.
'I didn't even know who [Souness] was,' Pogba said to UTD Podcast.
'I heard he was a great player and stuff like that. I don't know the face but the name [I do].
'Like I said I'm not someone that watches a lot of [punditry], I watch a lot of football but I don't stay after the game to listen to what they say about "Why they did this" or "why they did that".
'I like to focus on football.'
Pogba's underwhelming form since he returned to the club has been a huge subject of debate
Souness hit out at Pogba for dancing at his brother's wedding, despite being out injured
One of Souness' most recent jabs at Pogba came in March when the Frenchman was filmed dancing at his brother's wedding while supposedly out injured.
Souness claimed his actions showed he doesn't want to play for United and he claimed he expected Pogba to make a return to full fitness shortly before the now postponed Euro 2020.
He told his fellow pundits while on Sky Sports: 'It's just the cynic in me, I'm thinking Paul Pogba… I see him dancing at a wedding, I see him shooting hoops, and the cynic in me thinks he doesn't want to be at United. How can you not want to play for Man United, if that's the case?'
The barbs from Souness started when Pogba first rejoined United. The Scot led the charge when it came to the criticism, insisting that United 'had their trousers taken down paying £100m' for him.
Souness said in May 2017: 'United have to pay a premium. For United, stick 25 per cent on the price.
'Because it's Man United and they have the money. In my opinion, they had their trousers taken down paying £100million.
Souness predicted Pogba would return to fitness just in time for the now postponed Euro 2020
'I'm yet to be convinced by that. He may be a player one day but right now as we sit here after one year in our football, I'm still waiting to be convinced.'
Late in 2017, Souness doubled down on his efforts to single Pogba out, claiming the Frenchman didn't have 'a basic understanding of his position'.
While he did initially praise Pogba for what skills he did possess, Souness couldn't help but stick the knife in. He said: 'When he is on the ball, there's lots of things to admire. He's powerful, he's got good technique, he can wrong foot people, he can ping the ball.
'This isn't me being an ex-Liverpool player caning a Man United player. I thought the same when he was a Juventus player. That is basic stuff you learn in the youth team. When is he gonna get it?
'He hasn't taken a big game by the scruff of the neck and dominated it. He hasn't got a basic understanding of his position, I can't see that changing.'
Following the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan last summer, Souness once again took aim at Pogba's character by claiming he 'wasn't up for the fight' at United.
Pogba admitted he spends very little time taking note of his critics and is focused on football
Writing in The Times, Souness said: 'If I'm sitting in Manchester United's dressing room today, I'm glad Romelu Lukaku has gone and don't want Paul Pogba in there with me either if he's not up for the fight ahead and is also keen to get away.
'They're as responsible as anybody for the predicament United are in, yet have effectively said to their team-mates: 'It's everybody else's fault.' 'No, let's get it right, lads, you're part of the reason United are not in the Champions League this year'.'
But Pogba also admitted he spends very little time taking note of his critics, saying 'when you know football, you don't need someone to tell you what's happening'.
'I guess they miss me, I don't know? I'm not someone that looks at always at Sky News,' he added.
'After the games, when I watch it again I watch the game, not the comments. When you know football, you don't need someone to tell you what's happening.
'Obviously what I hear when people are saying "Paul is doing this…Paul…Paul" I don't know. One day maybe I will meet them [the critics] and ask them because I really want to know why.
'I am used to it now. I am really used to it, it doesn't bother me. It's good to hear good stuff instead of bad stuff but when you play football, you know yourself. It's what your manager and team-mates want, the rest is just talk. It's selling stuff I think.'
Pogba has been sidelined for the majority of the current campaign with an ankle injury. He has made just eight appearances all season, failing to score and providing two assists.
|
2023-12-03T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/1489
|
Abstract
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for scheduling target program instructions during the code optimization pass of an optimizing compiler. Most modern microprocessors have the ability to issue multiple instructions in one clock cycle and/or possess multiple pipelined functional units. They also have the ability to add two values to form the address within memory load and store instructions. In such microprocessors this invention can, where applicable, accelerate the execution of modulo-scheduled loops. The invention consists of a technique to achieve this speed up by systematically reducing the number of certain overhead instructions in modulo scheduled loops. The technique involves identifying reducible overhead instructions, scheduling the balance of the instructions with normal modulo scheduling procedures and then judiciously inserting no more than three copies of the reducible instructions into the schedule.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of Optimizing Compilers for computer systems. More specifically, the invention is an improved method and apparatus for scheduling target program instructions during the code optimization pass of an optimizing compiler.
2. Background
It is desirable that computer programs be as efficient as possible in their execution time and memory usage. This need has spawned the development of computer architectures capable of executing target program instructions in parallel. A recent trend in processor design is to build processors with increasing instruction issue capability and many functional units. Some examples of such designs are Sun's UItraSparc™ (4 issue), IBM's PowerPC™ series (2-4 issue), MIPS' RlOOOO™ (5 issue) and Intel's Pentium-Pro™ (aka P6) (3 issue). (These processor names are the trademarks respectively of Sun Microsystems, Inc., IBM Corporation, MIPS Technologies, Inc., and Intel Corporation). At the same time the push toward higher clock frequencies has resulted in deeper pipelines and longer instruction latencies. These and other computer processor architectures contain multiple functional units such as I/O memory ports, integer adders, floating point adders, multipliers, etc. which permit multiple operations to be executed in the same machine cycle. The process of optimizing the target program's execution speed becomes one of scheduling the execution of the target program instructions to take advantage of these multiple computing resource units or processing pipelines. This task of scheduling these instructions is performed as one function of an optimizing compiler. Optimizing compilers typically contain a Code Optimization section which sits between a compiler front end and a compiler back end. The Code Optimization section takes as input the "intermediate code" output by the compiler front end, and operates on this code to perform various transformations to it which will result in a faster and more efficient target program. The transformed code is passed to the compiler back end which then converts the code to a binary version for the particular machine involved (i.e. SPARC, X86, IBM, etc). The Code Optimization section itself needs to be as fast and memory efficient as it possibly can be and needs some indication of the computer resource units available and pipelining capability of the computer platform for which the target program code is written.
For example, most code optimization sections attempt to optimize scheduling of the target program instructions with respect to the number and kind of computing resources available on a particular target hardware platform. Such computing resources include but are not limited to; the number of integer adders, floating point adders, the number of the available CPU registers, the extent of the CPU instruction pipeline and the number and kind of instruction caches available in the target computer. This instruction scheduling is done in an attempt to; minimize the execution delays caused by latency on necessary input data (i.e. by instructions having to wait on necessary data to be made available from previous instructions); to reduce the number of instructions required for a specific calculation to the extent possible; and to schedule instruction execution so as to reduce the contention for available CPU registers (thereby reducing what is known as "register spilling" in subsequent sections of the code optimization processing). This instruction scheduling process focuses on basic blocks in the target program code which could involve operating on hundreds of instructions in the average target program being compiled and could involve 10 to 20 thousand variables in scientific target programs. These basic blocks typically containing any number of loops, each of which typically contains 10-15 instructions with 40-50 variables involved. A basic block is a sequence of consecutive statements in which flow of control enters at the beginning of the block and leaves at the end of the block without halt or the possibility of branching except at the end.
In the past, attempts have been made to develop optimizing compilers generally, and code optimizer modules specifically which themselves run as efficiently as possible. A general discussion of optimizing compilers and the related techniques used can be found in the text book "Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools" by Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi and Jeffrey D. Ullman, Addison-Wesley Publishing Co 1988, ISBN 0-201-10088-6, especially chapters 9 & 10 pages 513-723. One such attempt at optimizing the scheduling of instructions in inner-loops in computer platforms with one or more pipelined functional units is a technique called "modulo scheduling." Modulo scheduling is known in the art and is generally described in the paper titled "Some Scheduling Techniques and An Easily Schedulable Horizontal Architecture for High Performance Scientific Computing" by B. R. Rau and C. D. Glaeser, Proceedings of the Fourteenth Annual Workshop on Microprogramming, Advanced Processor Technology Group, ESL, Inc., October 1981, pages 183-198, which is incorporated fully herein by reference. Modulo scheduling is one form of software pipelining that extracts instruction level parallelism from inner loops by overlapping the execution of successive iterations. A brief summary of modulo scheduling is given in the detailed description below.
There are many important problems that have to be overcome when modulo scheduling is used to target modern micro-processors and effectively compile a wide variety of programs. For example, scheduling techniques as described in the prior art do not attempt to systematically amortize or reduce "loop overhead" instructions. (Loop overhead instructions are instructions which the compiler must insert in the executable code to load and store intermediate counter values, to increment or decrement certain counters or array addresses, etc.) Such prior art techniques generally rely on architectures such as Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) architectures, that provide the ability to issue a large number of instructions in one clock cycle and thereby make such amortization unnecessary. Moreover, some machines such as the Cydra 5 do not possess the ability to add two values to form the address used within memory load and store instructions, a feature which is required for effective reduction of address computations. Most modern microprocessors, on the other hand, do provide such a feature. To keep the instruction fetch bandwidth requirement low, these processors also limit the number of instructions that can be issued together in one clock cycle. Therefore, on these processors, if the number of loop-overhead instructions is reduced, then a higher number of useful instructions can be issued in the same time to perform the desired computation faster. The invention described herein does this systematically for modulo scheduling loops, effectively improving machine utilization.
The present invention uses an elegant method to reduce the number of loop overhead instructions needed in the executable code for a loop in a target program. This invention is contained in the scheduling section of an optimizing compiler which uses modulo scheduling techniques thereby improving the execution speed of the executable code on a target computer platform.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the above described systems by providing an economical, high performance, adaptable system and method for reducing the execution time of target programs by reducing the number of executable instructions that are required for the target program. The present invention provides an apparatus and method for identifying target program loop instructions which are reducible and using only a reduced number of copies of those instructions in the executable code.
In one aspect of the invention, the instructions are first separated into two classes; those which are reducible and those which are not. Then the non-reducible instructions are modulo scheduled as before. After this scheduling step, the reducible instructions are judiciously inserted at most once in each of the three sections of the Prologue/Kerne/Epilogue sections of the schedule. These insertions of copies are only made in each section if there are other instructions in that section which needed a value from the copy. Then in each section, each non-reducible instruction which uses the value produced by the copied reducible instruction is adjusted so as to operate properly.
In another aspect of the invention, a computer system is disclosed which has a central processing unit (CPU) and random access memory (RAM) coupled to said CPU, for use in compiling a target program to run on a target computer architecture having at least one parallel computation unit which facilitates instruction pipelining and which provides an ability to add at least one value to form an address used in a memory load or store instruction and which permits two or more instructions to be issued in a single clock cycle, the computer system having an optimizing compiler capable of modulo scheduling instructions for a target program, wherein the code optimizer part of the compiler can partition instructions for the target program into reducible instructions and non-reducible instructions, and wherein the modulo scheduler part of the compiler can schedule the non-reducible instructions, and wherein the reducible instructions can be inserted directly into the schedule of the non-reducible instructions and wherein any non-reducible instructions in the schedule which require use of the reducible instructions have their original offset values adjusted as a function of their position in the schedule and their location in the schedule relative to the reducible instruction whose use they require.
In yet another aspect of the invention, a method for performing the code minimization is disclosed. And in still a further aspect of the invention a computer program product, embedded in a computer readable memory configured to perform the code optimization steps is disclosed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects, features and advantages of the system of the present invention will be apparent from the following description in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a computer, including a CPU and conventional memory in which the presentation may be embodied.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical compiler showing the position of the code optimizer.
FIG. 3 illustrates a large scale organization of a code optimizer.
FIG. 4 illustrates an organization of the Instruction Scheduling portion of FIG. 3 as typical in the Prior Art use of modulo scheduling.
FIG. 5 illustrates a four stage seven iteration pipeline.
FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a revised modulo scheduling system wherein reducible instructions are identified and scheduled separately.
FIG. 7 illustrates in more detail a process for identifying reducible instructions in a loop in the target program.
FIGS. 8-10 illustrate in more detail a process for insertion of identified reducible instructions in scheduled PKE code.
FIG. 11 illustrates the relationship between a program loop and the associated PKE code.
NOTATIONS AND NOMENCLATURE
The detailed descriptions which follow are presented largely in terms of procedures and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These procedural descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing arts to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.
A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be understood, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.
Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mental operations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of the operations described herein which form part of the present invention; the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for performing the operations of the present invention include general purpose digital computers or similar devices. In all cases there should be understood the distinction between the method operations in operating a computer and the method of computation itself. The present invention relates to method steps for operating a computer in processing electrical or other (e.g., mechanical, chemical) physical signals to generate other desired physical signals.
The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing these operations. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes or it may comprise a general purpose computer as selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. The procedures presented herein are not inherently related to a particular computer or other apparatus. In particular, various general purpose machines may be used with programs written in accordance with the teachings herein, or it may prove more convenient to construct more specialized apparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structure for a variety of these machines will appear from the description given.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Apparatus and methods are disclosed for scheduling target program instructions during the code optimization pass of an optimizing compiler. Most modern microprocessors have the ability to issue multiple instructions in one clock cycle and/or possess multiple pipelined functional units. They also have the ability to add two values to form the address within memory load and store instructions. In such microprocessors this invention can, where applicable, accelerate the execution of modulo-scheduled loops. The invention consists of a technique to achieve this speed up by systematically scheduling certain overhead instructions in modulo scheduled loops. The disclosed invention reduces the number of loop overhead instructions needed in the instruction schedule for processing a loop in the target program on a computer platform that permits instruction pipelining. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specific instruction calls, modules, etc., are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known circuits and devices are shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention unnecessarily. Similarly, in the preferred embodiment, use is made of uni-processor and multi-processor computer systems as well as the SOLARIS operating system, including specifically the SUN ULTRASPARC processor and the SUN SPARC compiler version 4.0, all of which are made and sold by Sun Microsystems, Inc. the assignee of this present invention. However the present invention may be practiced on other computer hardware systems and using other operating systems.
Operating Environment
The environment in which the present invention is used encompasses the general distributed computing system, wherein general purpose computers, workstations, or personal computers are connected via communication links of various types, in a client-server arrangement, wherein programs and data, many in the form of objects, are made available by various members of the system for execution and access by other members of the system. Some of the elements of a general purpose workstation computer are shown in FIG. 1, wherein a processor 1 is shown, having an Input/output ("I/O") section 2, a central processing unit ("CPU") 3 and a memory section 4. The I/O section 2 is connected to a keyboard 5, a display unit 6, a disk storage unit 9 and a CD-ROM drive unit 7. The CD-ROM unit 7 can read a CD-ROM medium 8 which typically contains programs 10 and data.
FIG. 2 illustrates a typical optimizing compiler 20, comprising a front end compiler 24, a code optimizer 26 and a back end code generator 28. The front end 24 of a compiler takes as input a program written in a source language 22 and performs various lexical, syntactical and semantic analysis on this language outputting an intermediate set of code 32 representing the target program. This intermediate code 32 is used as input to the code optimizer 26 which attempts to improve the intermediate code so that faster-running machine (binary) code 30 will result. Some code optimizers 26 are trivial and others do a variety of computations in an attempt to produce the most efficient target program possible. Those of the latter type are called "optimizing compilers" and include such code transformations as common sub-expression eliminination, dead-code elimination, renaming of temporary variables and interchange of two independent adjacent statements as well as register allocation.
FIG. 3 depicts a typical organization of an optimizing compiler 40. On entry of the intermediate code 42 a Control Flow Graph is constructed 44. At this stage the aforementioned code transformations (common sub-expression elimination, dead-code elimination, renaming of temporary variables and interchange of two independent adjacent statements, etc.) take place 46. Next instruction scheduling or "pipelining" may take place 48 at this point. Then "register allocation" is performed 50 and the modified code is written out 52 for the compiler back end to convert it to the binary language of the target machine (i.e. SPARC, X86, etc). It is this "Instruction Scheduling" 48 process which is the focus of the applicants' invention.
Instruction Scheduling
Referring now to FIG. 4, a general flow chart of the prior art Optimizing Compiler Modulo Scheduling operation is depicted 100. Upon entry to this section of the Optimizing Compiler 102 incoming intermediate data is processed and the data representing a loop is used to construct a Data Dependency Graph (DDG) 104. Using this DDG the scheduler determines a theoretical maximum throughput possible for this loop, given all the data dependencies and the resource requirements 106. That is, considering the data dependencies of each instruction and the resource requirements (such as a memory port, integer add unit, floating point unit, etc.) a calculation is made to determine the minimum iteration interval (mii). Next all instructions in the loop are scheduled obeying the modulo constraint 108. The output of the scheduling pass 108 is a schedule in PKE format 110, and the scheduling process for the loop is completed 112.
Brief Summary of Modulo Scheduling
Modulo scheduling has been described in the literature as indicated above. Nevertheless it is helpful at this point to summarize the process for completeness. The key principles are as follows. Parallel instruction processing is obtained by starting an iteration before the previous iteration has completed. The basic idea is to initiate new iterations after fixed time intervals. This time interval is called the initiation interval or the iteration interval (II). FIG. 5 shows the execution of seven iterations of a pipelined loop. Let the scheduled length of a single iteration be TL 138 and let it be divided into stages each of length II 126. The stage count, SC is defined as, SC= TL/II!, or in this case TL=4 (138 in FIG. 5) and II=1 126 and so SC= 4/1!=4. Loop execution begins with stage 0 140 of the first iteration 128. During the first II cycles, no other iteration executes concurrently. After the first II cycles, the first iteration 128 enters stage 1 and the second iteration 142 enters stage 0.
New iterations join every II cycles until a state is reached when all stages of different iterations are executing. Toward the end of loop execution no new iterations are initiated and those that are in various stages of progress gradually complete.
These three phases of loop execution are termed the prologue 130, the kernel 132 and the epilogue 134. During the prologue 130 and the epilogue 134 not all stages of successive iterations execute. This happens only during the kernel phase 132. The prologue 130 and the epilogue 134 last for (SC-1)*II cycles. If the trip count of the loop is large (that is, if the loop is of the type where say 10 iterations of the loop are required), the kernel phase 132 will last much longer than the prologue 130 or the epilogue 134. The primary performance metric for a modulo scheduled loop is the initiation interval, II 126. It is a measure of the steady state throughput for loop iterations. Smaller II values imply higher throughput. Therefore, the scheduler attempts to derive a schedule that minimizes the II. The time to execute n iterations is, T(n)=(n+SC-1)×II. The throughput approaches II as n approaches infinity.
Scheduling proceeds as follows. The data dependence graph (DDG) for the loop is constructed. Nodes in this (directed) graph correspond to instructions, and arcs to dependences between them. Arcs possess two attributes: latency and omega. Latency is the number of clocks of separation required between the source and the destination, and omega is the iteration distance between the two. (That is, if the source instruction calculates a value for the destination instruction which is to be used in the next iteration, the omega value would be 1. If the value were to be used two iterations after it was calculated omega would be 2, etc.). Prior to scheduling, two bounds on the maximum throughput, the MII and the RMII, are derived. The MII is a bound on the minimum number of cycles needed to complete one iteration and is based only on processor resources. For example, if a loop has 10 add operations and the processor can execute at most two adds per clock, then the add unit resource would limit the iteration throughput to at most one every five clocks. The MII is computed by taking each resource in turn and then taking the maximum of the bounds imposed by each. The RMII is a bound based on the minimum number of clocks needed to complete one iteration and is based only on dependences between nodes. Cycles in the DDG imply that a value Xj computed in some iteration i is used in a future iteration j and is needed to compute the similarly propagated value in iteration j. These circular dependences place a limit on how rapidly iterations can execute because computing the values needed in the cycle takes time. For each elementary cycle in the DDG, the ratio of the sum of the latencies (l) to the sum of the omegas (d) is computed. This value limits the iteration throughput because it takes l clocks to compute values in a cycle that spans d iterations.
The fixed spacing between overlapped iterations forces a constraint on the scheduler other than the normal constraints imposed by the arcs in the DDG. Note that placing an operation at a time t implies that there exists a corresponding operation in the kth future iteration at (t+k*II). Operations using the same resource must be placed at different times, modulo the II. This is referred to as the "modulo constraint". It states that if an operation uses a resource at time t1 and another operation uses exactly the same resource at time t2, then t1 and t2 must satisfy "t1 modulo II is not equal to t2 modulo II". The scheduler begins by attempting to derive a schedule using II=max(MII, RMII). If a schedule is not found, the II is incremented. The process repeats until a schedule is found or an upper limit is reached. After scheduling, the kernel has to be unrolled and definitions renamed to prevent values from successive iterations from overwriting each other. "Unrolling the kernel" is defined as creating multiple copies of the kernel in the generated code. The minimum kernel unroll factor (KUF) needed is determined by the longest value lifetime divided by the II because corresponding new lifetimes begin every II clocks. (The "lifetime" of a value is equal to the time for which a value exists; i.e. from the time its generation is started until the last time instant when it is or could be used.). Remainder iterations (up to KUF-1) use a cleanup loop.
The Invention--Modified Modulo Scheduling
The basic idea of the invention is shown in FIG. 6. As before, on entry 152, a DDG is constructed for the next loop to be scheduled 154. Then the set of instructions in the input DDG is partitioned into two, wherein the reducible (loop-overhead) instructions are identified 156. One part of the partition contains the non-reducible instructions and the other part contains the reducible instructions. The former is modulo scheduled 158, 160 and then, after a schedule has been derived, the reducible instructions are introduced into the previously derived schedule 162. The key difference from previous approaches is that the two parts are not modulo scheduled together. By recognizing and eliminating the reducible instructions from first class consideration, attention can be devoted exclusively to the more useful non-reducible instructions. However, reducible instructions are necessary and allowance has to be made to reintroduce them into the schedule later. The invention permits this by judiciously adjusting certain parameters when the non-reducible instructions are scheduled. Some important steps are required for this mechanism to work. These are described in detail below.
Identifying Reducible Instructions
A loop instruction is reducible if multiple iterations (more than one) of the loop can be executed without having to execute the reducible instruction in every iteration. In general, an instruction is reducible if a mechanism can be found whereby instructions that use it's result can be modified such that the modified versions do not require the previous reducible instruction to be executed. That is, an instruction, y=f(x1, x2, . . . ) which feeds another instruction z=g(y, u1, u2, . . . ) is reducible if the latter instruction can be modified or rewritten to directly compute z=g'(x1, x2, . . . u1 u2, . . . ). In this case y may be said to be reducible in the first degree with respect to z. Similarly, higher degrees of reducibility could be defined. The minimum of the degree of reducibility of an instruction with respect to all its uses is the limiting factor in determining the reducibility of an instruction. In the preferred embodiment it is assumed that reducible means reducible to an unbounded degree (unbounded with the limits of the computer representation of data which is in reality finite) with respect to all uses.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the Sun Microsystems, inc. SC 4.0 compiler developed for the UltraSparc processor currently uses the following criteria for identifying and tagging reducible instructions:
If the instruction is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable, and
If the induction variable is incremented or decremented by a compile-time known integer constant, and
If all uses of the instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the reducible instruction, (Note that for the UltraSparc instruction set the address portion of memory operations allow for an immediate displacement),
OR, if the instruction is the loop exit test or the loop back branch, then, the instruction is tagged as a reducible instruction.
Examples of reducible instructions identified by the SC 4.0 compiler include array address increments that feed memory operations (loads and stores), the loop control increment instruction, the loop exit test instruction and the loop back branch.
Referring now to FIG. 7 the procedure for identifying reducible instructions in the preferred embodiment is depicted 200. (This description covers in more detail the step identified above as block 156 in FIG. 6). On entry to the block 202, if there are no instructions to be tested 204, 206 the step is completed 208. If there are instructions to be tested 210 the next instruction in the DDG is obtained 212. If the instruction is not an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable 216 it is considered non-reducible and the routine returns to block 204 via block B 234. If the instruction is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable 218 the instruction is tested to see if the induction variable is incremented or decremented by a compile-time known integer constant 220. If not 222 this instruction does not qualify as reducible and the routine returns to block 204. If the instruction does pass this test 224 a test is made to determine if all uses of this instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the instruction 226. If so 230 this instruction is tagged as a reducible instruction 232 and the routine returns to block 204 via block B 234. If not 228, then it is tested to see if the instruction is the loop exit or loop back branch instruction 238. If so 240, this instruction is tagged as a reducible instruction 232 and the routine returns to block 204 via block B 234. If not 242 the instruction is deemed to be non-reducible and the routine returns to block 204. After all instructions (nodes) in the DDG for the loop have been checked, any reducible loop-overhead instructions have been tagged and will not be modulo scheduled with the non-reducible ones but rather will be inserted into the schedule as described in more detail as follows. It should be realized by those skilled in the art, that while this specific test criteria for identifying reducible instructions is used in the preferred embodiment, various other criteria for identifying reducible instructions may be used and should be considered to be within the bounds of the invention claimed herein.
The Preferred Embodiment in Further Detail
The following describes the preferred embodiment in additional detail. After partitioning the instructions into a reducible set and a non-reducible set (call this Step 1), the following steps are performed.
Step 2 Compute the resource requirements for the reducible instructions
For each resource in the machine model compute the total number of time units for which that resource is used by the reducible instructions. For example, if there are 6 reducible address add instructions and each of them uses the adder resource for two time units, then the total resource requirement for this resource is 12.
Step 3 Compute the resource requirements for the non-reducible instructions
Perform the above step for the non-reducible instructions.
Step 4 Compute the value "mii without"
Modulo scheduling attempts to execute loop iterations at the fastest possible rate. Before a schedule is attempted, an upper bound (aggressive estimate) on this rate calculated (designated "mii"). The scheduler attempts to achieve this target rate; if it fails, the goal is relaxed and a new schedule is attempted.
In this step, such a target is computed ignoring the reducible instructions (designated "mii-- without"). For example, if there are 6 non-reducible multiply instructions in a loop and the machine can execute at most 2 multiplies in one time unit, then each loop iteration will take at least mii-- without=3 time units. Using the resource requirements for the non-reducible instructions and knowing the number of copies available of each resource, this target can be calculated by taking the maximum over all resources of the ratio of the resource requirements to the resource copies.
Step 5 Conditionally increment mii-- without
If the value of mii-- without computed above is such that there exists an identified reducible instruction requiring a resource all copies of which are entirely consumed by non-reducible instructions, then increase mii-- without by 1. This must be done because if it were not, and if the loop were scheduled at the rate computed in step 4, then there would be no room available for the reducible instructions. Note that this is not the same as accommodating the reducible instructions in step 4. In fact, it is because the instructions are reducible that an increment by 1 times, each reducible instruction can be placed once in the unrolled kernel. For many loops, this increment of mii-- without may not be required as there may already be enough space to accommodate the reducible instructions.
Step 6 Obtain the value for "mii" taking both resource and recurrence constraints
Find the upper bound on the throughput achievable by obtaining the maximum of the mii-- without and the rmii (obtained by considering the longest recurrence cyc times, each reducible instruction can be placed once in the unrolled kernel. For many loops, this increment of mii-- without may not be required as there may already be enough space to accommodate the reducible instructions.
Step 6 Obtain the value for "mii" taking both resource and recurrence constraints
Find the upper bound on the throughput achievable by obtaining the maximum of the mii-- without and the rmii (obtained by considering the longest recurrence cycle in the loop graph). This value is used in the next step wherein modulo scheduling of the non-reducible instructions attempts to attain a throughput as close to this maximum value as possible.
Step 7 Derive a Modulo schedule for the non-reducible instructions
In this step, a modulo schedule is derived for the non-reducible instructions of the loop. Let the derived schedule correspond to an execution rate of one iteration every II clock cycles.
In this step, a lower bound is calculated for the "kernel unroll factor" (kuf). This invention is aggressive in scheduling just the non-reducible instructions. After they have been scheduled, room must be made for the reducible instructions. The number of existing empty slots in the schedule derived for the non-reducible instructions and the number of slots required for the reducible instructions together determine the minimum value imposed on "kuf." For example, if the reducible instructions require 6 slots of a resource and two empty slots are available in one copy of the kernel after the non-reducible instructions have been scheduled, then the kernel must be unrolled at least three times (three copies of the kernel are needed) to accommodate the reducible instructions. The value must be calculated for each resource used by some reducible instruction and the maximum value chosen. Computationally,
mkuf=MAX(( r.sub.i /n.sub.i !,0))
where i denotes a resource, ri is the number of copies of this resource used by the reducible instructions, ni is the number of copies of this resource available in one copy of the kernel after the non-reducible instructions have been scheduled and the "max" is taken over all resources i such that ri is greater than 0. After the lower bound, "mkuf", is determined, the "kuf" is set to be the maximum of itself and this bound. That is,
kuf=Max((kuf, mkuf))
Step 9 Generate Code and insert the reducible instructions in the schedule
Now the prologue/Kernel/Epilogue (PKE) code for the loop is derived by repeating the modulo schedule obtained for the non-reducible instructions every II cycles for a total of N times, where
N=stagecount--1+KUF
StageCount in this formula is defined in the prior art, and, refers to the number of conceptual stages in the software pipeline of the modulo scheduled loop.
The Prologue and the Epilogue regions represent the fill and the drain regions of the pipeline respectively. The Kernel is the steady state region of the pipeline where iteration is performed. Scheduling of each reducible instruction is performed as follows in the preferred embodiment using the SC 4.0 compiler:
1) Find "MaxUseInPrologue" as follows: Let the result computed by a reducible instruction be used by some other instructions, say, I1, I2, I3, . . . Ik. Let C1, C2 . . . Ck be the number of copies of I1, I2, I3, . . . Ik respectively placed in the prolog. Then
MaxUseInPrologue=max(C1, C2, ., Ck)
2) Place the reducible instruction in the kernel and adjust the displacements on its uses:
Find the first available slot in the kernel, Ti, counting from the end of the kernel, and schedule the instruction. Change the increment on the instruction to be "OriginalIncrement*KUF".
For the uses scheduled before Ti replace the original displacements by adding the following term:
The following simple example illustrates the key points described above. The details of the scheduling process, the reservation tables and the final adjustments to the instructions and code are not described in this example but merely the key concepts. Consider a simple machine that is capable of issuing up to two instructions per clock cycle, one memory and one or two computational instructions, in each clock cycle. Now consider a loop containing the following instructions that is to be scheduled for this machine. Assume further that the loop has been examined and that the instructions marked with an asterisk have been recognized as reducible (Step 1).
Examining the first partition indicates that three clocks are required to issue the instructions in this partition (see Table 1 below). This is so because there are three memory instructions and only one can be issued in a clock cycle. That is, mii-- without=3.
Now examining the resource requirements of the reducible instructions and the empty slot availability in Table 1 shows that one empty slot is available for the reducible instructions. Therefore, mii-- without need not be incremented (Step 5).
The loop is then modulo scheduled with mii-- without=3 (Step 6). For the sake of simplicity, assume that the result of this schedule is represented just the same as in Table 1.
Now compute the mkuf for the loop as follows: Since there is only one empty slot in one copy of the kernel, and there are five reducible instructions to be placed, the kernel must be unrolled at least five times i.e., mkuf=5. Assume that after this bound is placed on kuf, the value of kuf is 5. In the final step, the reducible operations are placed into the empty slots of the five copies of the kernel and the displacements etc. are adjusted suitably to preserve program correctness. When the kernel is unrolled, a cleanup loop is required to execute the remainder iterations. Such issues are not discussed here because they are general and do not pertain specifically to the invention described here.
Additional Considerations
While the above describes the presently preferred embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that there are available other variations of the process for reducing the scheduling of loop-overhead or similar instructions. For example, the process of adjusting the values in the non-reducible instructions used in the preferred embodiment and described above may be described more generally as follows:
Assume that the first load (copy 1) is of the form:
ld A!
and it's stride is s. Then we know that the i'th load should be of the form:
ld A+(i-1)*s!
(That is, the sequence of load addresses should be of the form: A, A+s, A+2s, . . . ). Now if we place a reducible instruction of the form:
add A,d,A
after the j'th copy of a load, then we can adjust the displacements as follows:
for copies 1 through j of the load, no adjustment is required
for copies j+1 through last (SC-1+KUF) we simply subtract d from the displacement For example: ##STR1## When the reducible instruction is placed as shown above, the displacements are adjusted as follows: ##STR2## The above step can be done more than once as one places multiple copies of the reducible instructions in the prologue, kernel and epilogue.
Similarly, an alternative embodiment of the invention could include the following steps or other variations thereof:
1. Partition the nodes (instructions) into reducible and non-reducible as in the preferred embodiment above.
2. Do not bother to compute values for mkuf due to the reducible instructions or increase mii-- without for the same reason, prior to scheduling.
3. Schedule the non-reducible instructions as in the preferred embodiment and place a branch slot in the last group of instructions scheduled.
4. Scan the resulting schedule and look for empty slots available for inserting reducible instructions if required.
5. If there are reducible slots available, at this time compute the mkuf and then generate the schedule with the potentially increased kuf and then insert the reducible instructions.
6. If there are no reducible slots available (which should not happen if the branch slot is placed early in the schedule) then the original schedule can be discarded and the reducible instructions are placed in between some groups of non-reducible instructions.
This variation or the invention has the potential to reduce the trouble required to place the reducible instructions properly and to reduce the effective iteration Interval (II).
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations may be made in the preferred embodiment disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not to be limited to the particular invention embodiments discussed above, but should be defined only by the claims set forth below and equivalents thereof.
Claims (19)
What is claimed is:
1. A computer system having a central processing unit (CPU) and random access memory (RAM) coupled to said CPU, for use in compiling a target program to run on a target computer architecture having a plurality of parallel computation units which facilitate instruction pipelining and which provides an ability to add two values to form an address used in a memory load or store instruction and which permits two or more instructions to be issued in a single clock cycle, said computer system comprising:
a compiler system resident in said computer system having a front end compiler, a code optimizer and a back end code generator; and
an instruction partition mechanism coupled to said code optimizer configured to partition instructions for the target program into reducible instructions and non-reducible instructions;
a modulo scheduler mechanism coupled to said code optimizer configured to modulo schedule said non-reducible instructions;
an instruction insertion mechanism configured to directly insert a copy of one of said reducible instructions into a modulo schedule of said non-reducible instructions which is produced by said modulo scheduler mechanism; and
an instruction modification mechanism coupled to said code optimizer configured to identify one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which would normally use a value produced by a designated reducible instruction and said instruction modification mechanism further configured to modify an original offset in an address portion of said identified one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which use a designated reducible instruction.
2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the modulo scheduler mechanism coupled to said code optimizer configured to modulo schedule said non-reducible instructions is further configured to produce a modulo schedule having a prologue section, a kernel section and an epilogue section.
3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the instruction insertion mechanism configured to directly insert said copy of said reducible instructions into a modulo schedule of said non-reducible instructions which is produced by said modulo scheduler mechanism will insert no more than three copies of a designated reducible instruction into said modulo scheduled reducible instructions.
4. The computer system of claim 2 wherein the instruction insertion mechanism configured to directly insert said copy of said reducible instructions into a modulo schedule of said non-reducible instructions which is produced by said modulo scheduler mechanism will insert no more than one copy of a designated reducible instruction into each said modulo scheduled prologue, kernel and epilogue sections.
5. An apparatus for optimizing the execution time of executable instructions in a target program which is designated to run on a target computer architecture having a plurality of parallel computation units which facilitate instruction pipelining and which provides an ability to add two values to form an address used in a memory load or store instruction and which permits two or more instructions to be issued in a single clock cycle, said apparatus comprising:
a computer having a processor, a memory, and an input/output section;
a compiler system resident in said computer memory having a front end compiler, a code optimizer and a back end code generator; and
an instruction partition mechanism coupled to said computer for use by said code optimizer to partition instructions for the target program into reducible instructions and non-reducible instructions;
a modulo scheduler mechanism coupled to said computer for use by said code optimizer to modulo schedule said non-reducible instructions;
an instruction insertion mechanism configured to directly insert said reducible instructions into a modulo schedule of said non-reducible instructions which is produced by said modulo scheduler mechanism; and
an instruction modification mechanism coupled to said computer for use by said code optimizer configured to identify one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which would normally use a value produced by a designated reducible instruction and said instruction modification mechanism further configured to modify an original offset in an address portion of said identified one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which use a designated reducible instruction.
6. A code optimizer for use in an compiler system for compiling a target program to run on a target computer architecture having a plurality of parallel computation units which facilitate instruction pipelining and which provides an ability to add two values to form an address used in a memory load or store instruction and which permits two or more instructions to be issued in a single clock cycle, said code optimizer comprising:
a first portion configured to accept as input an intermediate code representation of said target program;
a second portion, coupled to said first portion, configured to partition instructions for the target program into reducible instructions and non-reducible instructions;
a third portion, coupled to said second portion configured to modulo schedule said non-reducible instructions;
a fourth portion, coupled to said third portion configured to directly insert copies of said reducible instructions into a modulo schedule of said non-reducible instructions which is produced by said third portion; and
a fifth portion, coupled to said fourth portion configured to identify one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which would normally use a value produced by a designated reducible instruction and said fifth portion further configured to modify an original offset in an address portion of said identified one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which use a designated reducible instruction, thereby producing a schedule of the executable instructions for the target program.
7. A computer controlled method of scheduling the executable instructions of a target program directed at a target computer architecture having a plurality of parallel computation units which facilitate instruction pipelining and which provides an ability to add two values to form an address used in a memory load or store instruction and which permits two or more instructions to be issued in a single clock cycle, the schedule produced in a manner that reduces the number of executable instructions required in the schedule, said method comprising the steps of:
partitioning target program instructions to be compiled into a set of reducible instructions and a set of non-reducible instructions;
modulo scheduling the set of non-reducible instructions;
directly inserting a copy of each reducible instruction into a schedule of the non-reducible instructions;
for a copy of a designated reducible instruction inserted into the schedule, identifying all scheduled non-reducible instructions which use the designated reducible instruction; and
modifying the original offset value of the address identifier of an identified non-reducible instruction which uses a designated reducible instruction, thereby producing a schedule of executable instructions for the target program which contains a minimum number of copies of each reducible instruction.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of directly inserting a copy of each reducible instruction into a schedule of the non-reducible instructions inserts at most one copy of the reducible instruction in each of the prologue, kernel and epilogue sections of the schedule.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the step of directly inserting a copy of each reducible instruction into a schedule of the non-reducible instructions is performed by finding a vacant slot in the schedule, inserting the copy of the reducible instruction in the vacant slot, and setting the displacement of the copy to a new value which corresponds to a function of the original increment in the reducible instruction and the location of the copy in the schedule.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the displacement of the copy is set to a new value which is equal to the value MaxUseInPrologue times OriginalDisplacement if the copy is located in the prologue of the schedule.
11. The method of claim 9 wherein the displacement of the copy is set to a new value which is equal to the value "KUF times OriginalDisplacement" if the copy is located in the kernel of the schedule.
12. The method of claim 9 wherein the displacement of the copy is set to a new value which is equal to the value "(StageCount-1-MaxUseInPrologue) times OriginalDisplacement" if the copy is located in the epilogue of the schedule.
13. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of modifying the original offset value of the address identifier of an identified non-reducible instruction which uses a designated reducible instruction, further comprises the steps of;
determining which section of the schedule the using non-reducible instruction is in, the sections designated as the prologue, kernel and epilogue sections of the schedule;
determining whether the copy of the reducible instruction which is used by the identified non-reducible instruction is placed in the schedule before or after the using non-reducible instruction; and
adjusting the original offset value in the using non-reducible instruction by a value which is a function of the section of the schedule the using non-reducible instruction is in, and whether the using non-reducible instruction is located before or after a copy of the reducible instruction in the schedule.
14. A computer program product comprising:
a computer usable medium having computer readable program code mechanisms embodied therein to schedule the executable instructions of a target program directed at a target computer architecture having a plurality of parallel computation units which facilitate instruction pipelining and which provides an ability to add two values to form an address used in a memory load or store instruction and which permits two or more instructions to be issued in a single clock cycle, the schedule produced in a manner that reduces the number of executable instructions required in the schedule, the computer readable program code mechanisms in said computer program product comprising:
computer readable code mechanisms to cause a computer to partition instructions for a loop in the target program into reducible instructions and non-reducible instructions;
computer readable code mechanisms to cause the computer to modulo schedule said non-reducible instructions; and
computer readable code mechanisms to cause the computer to directly insert said reducible instructions into a modulo schedule of said non-reducible instructions which is produced by said modulo scheduler mechanism; and
computer readable code mechanisms to cause the computer to identify one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which would normally use a value produced by a designated reducible instruction and said instruction modification mechanism further to modify an original offset in an address portion of said identified one or more of scheduled non-reducible instructions which use a designated reducible instruction.
15. The computer system of claim 1 wherein a reducible instruction is defined as an instruction which is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable, wherein the induction variable is incremented and decremented by a compile-time known integer constant and wherein all uses of said instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the reducible instruction.
16. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein a reducible instruction is defined as an instruction which is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable, wherein the induction variable is incremented and decremented by a compile-time known integer constant and wherein all uses of said instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the reducible instruction.
17. The code optimizer of claim 6 wherein a reducible instruction is defined as an instruction which is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable, wherein the induction variable is incremented and decremented by a compile-time known integer constant and wherein all uses of said instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the reducible instruction.
18. The method of claim 7 wherein a reducible instruction is defined as an instruction which is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable, wherein the induction variable is incremented and decremented by a compile-time known integer constant and wherein all uses of said instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the reducible instruction.
19. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein a reducible instruction is defined as an instruction which is an integral self-increment or self-decrement of an induction variable, wherein the induction variable is incremented and decremented by a compile-time known integer constant and wherein all uses of said instruction can be modified to have an immediate displacement representing the computed result of the reducible instruction.
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2024-06-14T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/1097
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Pages
About us
Members & staff of UKIP past & present. Committed to reforming the party by exposing the corruption and dishonesty that lies at its heart, in the hope of making it fit for purpose.
Only by removing Nigel Farage and his sycophants on the NEC can we save UKIP from electoral oblivion.
SEE: http://juniusonukip.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-statement-re-junius.html
Interesting to note that UKIP has not expelled him because all this happened before he was a party member. The UKIP rulebook actually excludes from party membership anybody who is, or has been, a member of the BNP, NF, or EDL. Check your own rulebook, Nigel!
We have actually found ourselves being used as a source more often recently. Andrew Neil's hostile questioning of Nigel Farage over his links with Marine Le Pen came just days after our revelations were posted. In fact, his questions so closely followed what we disclosed that we felt like scriptwriters for a day!
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2023-10-22T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4365
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/* Generated by RuntimeBrowser
Image: /System/Library/PrivateFrameworks/PhotosUICore.framework/PhotosUICore
*/
@interface PXCMMPreviewAssetsView : UIView <UICollectionViewDataSource, UICollectionViewDelegateFlowLayout> {
PXUIMediaProvider * _mediaProvider;
NSArray * _previewAssets;
UICollectionView * _previewAssetsCollectionView;
NSMutableDictionary * _previewAssetsToImages;
}
@property (readonly, copy) NSString *debugDescription;
@property (readonly, copy) NSString *description;
@property (readonly) unsigned long long hash;
@property (nonatomic, retain) PXUIMediaProvider *mediaProvider;
@property (nonatomic, copy) NSArray *previewAssets;
@property (readonly) Class superclass;
- (void).cxx_destruct;
- (void)_loadImagesForPreviewAssetsIfNeeded;
- (struct CGSize { double x1; double x2; })_performLayoutInRect:(struct CGRect { struct CGPoint { double x_1_1_1; double x_1_1_2; } x1; struct CGSize { double x_2_1_1; double x_2_1_2; } x2; })arg1 updateSubviewFrames:(bool)arg2;
- (id)collectionView:(id)arg1 cellForItemAtIndexPath:(id)arg2;
- (long long)collectionView:(id)arg1 numberOfItemsInSection:(long long)arg2;
- (id)init;
- (void)layoutSubviews;
- (id)mediaProvider;
- (id)previewAssets;
- (void)setMediaProvider:(id)arg1;
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@end
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2024-03-12T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/1208
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Immunofluorescence analysis of T-cell responses in health and disease.
The use of flow cytometry to study the functional responses of T cells by immunofluorescent staining for intracellular cytokines and other markers is a growing field of clinical interest. In this article, we describe methods for the rapid evaluation of T-cell responses to mitogens and specific antigens and explore how these assays might be valuable in various clinical settings.
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2024-01-07T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/2448
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Pregnancy: Temporary Beauty Troubles
By
NewBeauty
Editors
| September 30, 2012
It’s a known fact that pregnancy causes the body to go through some major transformations like stretch marks, weight gain and breast changes. But some changes are not what most women expect to occur during pregnancy, and to make matters worse, many of them are never talked about. Know that if you encounter any, or all, of these pregnancy symptoms, their effects are usually temporary—after you deliver and your hormones stabilize, which can take a few months, they tend to disappear on their own. But, if symptoms continue to persist, there are solutions to correct even the most dramatic changes.
Bad BreathExcess saliva, typical of pregnancy, can leave you with bad breath. “Bad breath may also be the result of bacteria that’s accumulating under the gums and tongue,” says New York cosmetic dentist Irene Grafman, DDS. “Using a tongue scraper cleans the white film off the tongue,” she adds, noting that just as many bacteria live on the tongue as the teeth.
Metal MouthKnown as dysgeusia, some pregnant women experience a strange metallic taste, because of escalated hormone levels. “A woman’s sense of taste and smell is heightened and she’s much more sensitive to a metal taste from silver fillings and high vitamin intake,” says Dr. Grafman. The easiest way to get rid of it is by rinsing with a pH-balanced mouthwash solution.
BreakoutsHormones and oil are usually the culprits of pregnancy-induced breakouts. When it comes to treating acne, the options are limited. “Mainstay topical prescription strength anti-acne medications like Retin-A and benzoyl peroxide, as well as many oral antibiotics, cannot be used,” says Charlotte, NC, dermatologist Gilly Munavalli, MD. “We don’t know if they would definitely cause harm but we don’t want to take the risk to find out.”
Looks like Molly Sims has been sticking to her New Year’s resolutions. We spoke to the model in June and it hasn’t even been a year since she gave birth to her son, yet she’s already tweeting images of her hot post-pregnancy bod in a swims...
It’s a known fact that pregnancy causes the body to go through some pretty major transformations like stretch marks, weight gain and breast changes. But some changes are not what most women expect to occur during pregnancy, and to make matters worse, many o...
Most obstetricians recommend gaining no more than 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy, but this depends on your starting weight. If you were underweight before you got pregnant, it may be necessary to gain more than 35 pounds; if you were overweight, your doct...
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2024-02-21T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2461
|
Canada isn’t bothered by China deeming itself a “near Arctic nation” as it pushes for greater access to shipping routes and investment opportunities as climate change unlocks billions of dollars worth of once frozen northern resources.
While it has no Arctic territory, China issued a new policy paper published in state media describing its intention to build a “Polar Silk Road” on Canada’s northern fringes without providing cost estimates or timelines for the project
“The natural conditions of the Arctic and their changes have a direct impact on China's climate system and ecological environment, and, in turn, on its economic interests in agriculture, forestry, fishery, marine industry and other sectors,” according to China’s new Arctic policy published by the Xinhua news agency on Friday.
“The utilization of sea routes and exploration and development of the resources in the Arctic may have a huge impact on the energy strategy and economic development of China, which is a major trading nation and energy consumer in the world.”
CONFLICT OR COOPERATION
Some military analysts have warned of potential conflict in the Arctic as nations scramble for resources in disputed territory which had previously been ignored by major world powers.
Russia, for example, has planted its flag on the seabed in a disputed region below the North Pole as part of a claim to underwater resources, while Canada and Denmark have sparred diplomatically over a 1.2-square-KM island of barren rock between Canada’s Ellesmere Island and Denmark-administered Greenland.
The Arctic Circle is thought to contain up to 30 percent of the world’s undiscovered gas and 13 percent of its oil, according to estimates from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The rapidly melting region is also thought to contain large deposits of diamonds, uranium, nickel and rare earth elements like lithium and cobalt needed for electric cars and smartphones, according to Norwegian government data.
Canada, however, says it supports an increased role for China in the Arctic.
“We welcome China’s objective to work constructively and make positive contributions to... the Arctic region, and appreciate their stated commitment to international norms and laws,” Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Adam Austen told VICE News.
“Canada welcomes navigation in its Arctic waters by vessels from any country, including China, provided that ships comply with Canadian laws on safety, security and the protection of the environment,” Austen said in an email.
“Our Arctic sovereignty is clear and our government will remain firm and steadfast in defending Canada’s interests,” he added without providing further details.
The Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC) and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, organizations representing Indigenous people in the far north, did not immediately respond to requests for comment on China’s new position in the traditional territory of the Inuit.
NEW INVESTMENTS
Meanwhile, the new Chinese pledge signifies the world’s largest exporter’s intention to ship more of its products through the far north, said University of British Columbia political scientist Michael Byers who studies international law and the Arctic.
“China clearly intends to use Arctic shipping routes for commercial traffic,” Byers told VICE News. “Climate change is opening these Arctic routes, making them commercially viable.”
China’s broader geopolitical ambitions, particularly disputes with its neighbours in the South China Sea, are sometimes concerning, said Byers, but these worries shouldn’t extend to its interests in the Arctic in the short-term.
The region’s environment means countries have to cooperate on security for shipping lanes and scientific research, he continued, and the Canadian Arctic could benefit from some Chinese investment.
The new Chinese strategy highlights the country’s intention to collaborate with other Arctic states and to respect national sovereignty, he added.
“They (Chinese companies) are starting to do in Arctic what they are doing elsewhere: they are investing in infrastructure, they are buying foreign companies, they are competing for leases in oil and mineral extraction,” Byers said, citing the activities of Chinese state-backed firms in Africa and Latin America.
Northern infrastructure, particular the northern port in Churchill, Manitoba which has faced shipping delays, closures and logistical problems hurting farm exports, could benefit from some Chinese investment, Byers added.
“There are other concerns about how much Chinese investment would be going into the Arctic,” he said. “But we are a long way away from that right now.”
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2023-08-14T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/1053
|
Q:
Create a new array from numpy array based on the conditions from a list
Suppose that I have an array defined by:
data = np.array([('a1v1', 'a2v1', 'a3v1', 'a4v1', 'a5v1'),
('a1v1', 'a2v1', 'a3v1', 'a4v2', 'a5v1'),
('a1v3', 'a2v1', 'a3v1', 'a4v1', 'a5v2'),
('a1v2', 'a2v2', 'a3v1', 'a4v1', 'a5v2'),
('a1v2', 'a2v3', 'a3v2', 'a4v1', 'a5v2'),
('a1v2', 'a2v3', 'a3v2', 'a4v2', 'a5v1'),
('a1v3', 'a2v3', 'a3v2', 'a4v2', 'a5v2'),
('a1v1', 'a2v2', 'a3v1', 'a4v1', 'a5v1'),
('a1v1', 'a2v3', 'a3v2', 'a4v1', 'a5v2'),
('a1v2', 'a2v2', 'a3v2', 'a4v1', 'a5v2'),
('a1v1', 'a2v2', 'a3v2', 'a4v2', 'a5v2'),
('a1v3', 'a2v2', 'a3v1', 'a4v2', 'a5v2'),
('a1v3', 'a2v1', 'a3v2', 'a4v1', 'a5v2'),
('a1v2', 'a2v2', 'a3v1', 'a4v2', 'a5v1')],
dtype=[('a1', '|S4'), ('a2', '|S4'), ('a3', '|S4'),
('a4', '|S4'), ('a5', '|S4')])
How to create a function to list out data elements by row with conditions given in a list of tuples, r.
r = [('a1', 'a1v1'), ('a4', 'a4v1')]
I know that it can be done manually like this:
data[(data['a1']=='a1v1') & data['a4']=='a4v1']
What about removing rows from data that comply with the r.
data[(data['a1']!='a1v1') | data['a4']!='a4v1']
Thanks.
A:
If I'm understanding you correctly, you want to list the entire row, where a given tuple of columns is equal to some value. In that case, this should be what you want, though it's a bit verbose and obscure:
test_cols = data[['a1', 'a4']]
test_vals = np.array(('a1v1', 'a4v1'), test_cols.dtype)
data[test_cols == test_vals]
Note the "nested list" style indexing... That's the easiest way to select multiple columns of a structured array. E.g.
data[['a1', 'a4']]
will yield
array([('a1v1', 'a4v1'), ('a1v1', 'a4v2'), ('a1v3', 'a4v1'),
('a1v2', 'a4v1'), ('a1v2', 'a4v1'), ('a1v2', 'a4v2'),
('a1v3', 'a4v2'), ('a1v1', 'a4v1'), ('a1v1', 'a4v1'),
('a1v2', 'a4v1'), ('a1v1', 'a4v2'), ('a1v3', 'a4v2'),
('a1v3', 'a4v1'), ('a1v2', 'a4v2')],
dtype=[('a1', '|S4'), ('a4', '|S4')])
You can then test this agains a tuple of the values that you're checking for and get a one-dimensional boolean array where those columns are equal to those values.
However, with structured arrays, the dtype has to be an exact match. E.g. data[['a1', 'a4']] == ('a1v1', 'a4v1') just yields False, so we have to make an array of the values we want to test using the same dtype as the columns we're testing against. Thus, we have to do something like:
test_cols = data[['a1', 'a4']]
test_vals = np.array(('a1v1', 'a4v1'), test_cols.dtype)
before we can do this:
data[test_cols == test_vals]
Which yields what we were originally after:
array([('a1v1', 'a2v1', 'a3v1', 'a4v1', 'a5v1'),
('a1v1', 'a2v2', 'a3v1', 'a4v1', 'a5v1'),
('a1v1', 'a2v3', 'a3v2', 'a4v1', 'a5v2')],
dtype=[('a1', '|S4'), ('a2', '|S4'), ('a3', '|S4'), ('a4', '|S4'), ('a5', '|S4')])
Hope that makes some sense, anyway...
|
2024-06-08T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/6430
|
I got the idea for this soup when I was making the Italian classic pasta e ceci one evening, although the only thing they really have in common is a pureed consistency and chick peas. Rather than thicken the liquid with the beans though I used fresh corn I bought in the market. The good ...
Marks & Spencers still have some English asparagus left on their shelves so I decided to try to make the most of it before it’s finally gone. Generally at this time of year when the season is technically over the quality is not great and the best option is to make soup; in any case, ...
As you may have noticed it’s nettle season at the moment but this time, unlike last year, I lazily bought mine in the Temple Bar Farmers Market instead of foraging them myself. Although there are lots of similar recipes around for this soup I thought I’d post my one because rather than the usual thickening ...
There are probably hundreds versions of this recipe online and I normally wouldn’t post something you can readily find elsewhere but there are a couple of things different about my version. The most obvious one is that I use a pressure cooker but it’s not for convenience, it’s because it allows me to cook the ...
Ever since I read on the Stitch And Bear blog about Byrne’s in Phibsborough selling smoked ham hocks I’ve wanted to pay a visit to get some for making this soup but it was only last Saturday that I finally got a chance to visit the shop. It’s actually a remarkable place, the first thing ...
I’ve written before about how the synergy between various ingredients that are high in the umami producing molecules (glumates, inosates and guanylates) works and this dish is another attempt to try to maximise that interaction. Of all cultures Japan has turned working with umami into an artform so I decided to make a noodle soup ...
It’s the time of year again for wild mushrooms and as you’ll see I’ve been cooking with them quite a bit lately. I’d like to say I went out and picked them all myself but I haven’t because I still don’t know enough to do so with any confidence. Although there aren’t actually many fungi ...
I always think of beetroot as a winter vegetable but it actually comes into season in July so when I was on Moore Street to visit FXB’s I saw some huge bunches on sale at one of the stalls for only €2 and it immediately reminded me of a recipe I found on the BBC ...
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2023-12-20T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8399
|
use strict;
use warnings;
use Data::Dumper;
my %sets;
my %flag_consts;
my %flag_names;
my ( @flags, @static, @volatile );
my @files= ( "srl_encoder.h", "srl_compress.h" );
foreach my $file ( sort @files ) {
open my $fh, "<", $file
or die "Failed to open '$file' for read: $!";
my $line= "";
while (<$fh>) {
chomp;
$line .= $_;
if ( $line =~ s/\s*\\\z// ) { next; }
if ( $line =~ m/#define (SRL_F_(\w+))\s+(.*)/s
|| $line =~ m/(\w+(VOLATILE_FLAGS))\s+(.*)/s )
{
#print;
my $full_name= $1;
my $name= $2;
my $value= $3;
$name =~ s/_?ENCODER_?//g;
$flag_names{$full_name}= $name;
if ( $value =~ s/UL\z// ) {
$flag_consts{$full_name}= 0 + eval $value;
}
else {
$value =~ s/(SRL_F_\w+)/\$flag_consts{$1}/g;
$sets{ "SRL_F_ENCODER_" . $name }= 0 + eval $value;
}
}
$line= "";
}
foreach my $key ( sort { $flag_consts{$a} <=> $flag_consts{$b} } keys %flag_consts ) {
if ( defined $sets{SRL_F_ENCODER_VOLATILE_FLAGS} ) {
my $is_volatile= $flag_consts{$key} & $sets{SRL_F_ENCODER_VOLATILE_FLAGS};
push @static, $is_volatile ? undef : $flag_names{$key};
push @volatile, $is_volatile ? $flag_names{$key} : undef;
}
push @flags, $flag_names{$key};
}
}
my %consts= ( %sets, %flag_consts );
$consts{_FLAG_NAME}= \@flags;
if (@volatile) {
$consts{_FLAG_NAME_VOLATILE}= \@volatile;
$consts{_FLAG_NAME_STATIC}= \@static;
}
my $infile= "lib/Sereal/Encoder.pm";
my $outfile= "$infile.new";
open my $fh, "<", $infile
or die "Failed to read '$infile': $!";
open my $ofh, ">", $outfile
or die "Failed to write to '$outfile': $!";
while (<$fh>) {
if (/#begin generated/) {
print $ofh $_;
my $s= Data::Dumper->new( [ \%consts ] )->Sortkeys(1)->Terse(1)->Dump();
chop($s);
$s .= "; #end generated\n";
print $ofh $s;
}
unless ( /#begin generated/ ... /#end generated/ ) {
print $ofh $_;
}
}
close $ofh;
close $fh;
rename $infile, "$infile.bak" or die "Failed to rename '$infile' to '$infile.bak': $!";
rename $outfile, $infile or die "Failed to rename '$outfile' to '$infile': $!";
|
2024-04-19T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/9871
|
Lithuania has improved its ranking in the report „Doing business 2018“Nov 24
Lithuania is among 20 the most
business-friendly countries in the world according to the report „Doing
business 2018“ published by the World Bank. Lithuania has reached 16th place,
last year Lithuania was in 21st place.
The World Bank acknowledged that Lithuania has
implemented positive reforms in four areas: dealing with construction permits,
getting electricity access, protecting minority investors and paying taxes.
|
2024-07-20T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3252
|
Harder Steenbeck Evolution CRplus Airbrush 0.4mm - 126224
Item# 126224
Regular price: $214.28
Sale price: $192.85
Product Description
Ten Year Limited Warranty!~FREE SHIPPING
The Evolution CRplus combines elegance with maximum Resilience:
It has a high-quality triple-coated with chrome-finish.
In addition to the optimized design minimizes the chrome especially the risk of allergies those problems which the previous nickel devices could cause.
A further advantage of the new CRplus series is an innovative longlife needle seal consisting of three solvent-resistant PTFE seals distinguished by a new type of screw technology. The longlife PTFE seals provide reliable protection against the undesired emergence of air and paint also on the cup screw fitting, nozzle and valve.
|
2024-01-23T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/6532
|
In response to the events happening across our nation, SpiriTrust Lutheran® would like to share this message with the community-at-large:
SpiriTrust Lutheran® respects and honors the uniqueness of all God’s children. True to our Lutheran heritage we value the sanctity of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, sex, handicap, disability, or religious creed. In these times of social unrest we recommit ourselves to our core values and mission to support not just those we directly serve, but all of our neighbors. We believe we are all brothers and sisters in God’s eyes and pray for peace and understanding among all people.
Fuel the Spirit
We are grateful for your support and understanding during these challenging times and we realize many of you want to help. Our Fuel the Spirit campaign provides a variety of ways to support our caregivers and those they serve and those who support them.
Experience: A minimum of five years experience in related positions normally required 2 of which must be in a supervisory role.
General Responsibilities
Skill(s): In conjunction with the Dining Services General Manager, responsible for oversight of the Dining Services Department in order to ensure that all dining services and activities are in order and are in compliance with all applicable regulations; directly supervising assigned personnel; assuming responsibility of the General Manager in his/her absence.
Essential Duties Supports the mission and values of SpiriTrust Lutheran which is: SpiriTrust Lutheran, witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, provides exceptional health, human, and senior living services by supporting persons in achieving an optimal quality of life.
Interacts with, residents, clients, staff, and the general public in ways that demonstrate the agency’s commitment to courtesy, service, and hospitality befitting a church related organization.
Provides oversight of the Dining Services Department in order to ensure that all dining services and activities are in order and are in compliance with all applicable regulationsas illustrated by the following: Maintains liaison with outside Dining Services Provider. Plans, develops, implements, and revises organization policies, operations, and goals as they relate to the dining operations.
Works with outside groups to plan special events and delivers an exceptional quality dining experience.
Provides leadership to the neighborhood development within the Skilled Care Center, and serves as primary dining liaison to the Steering Committee. Serves on the SpiriTrust Lutheran Safety Committee.
Implements and maintains an established, ongoing quality assurance program for the Dining Services Department.
Accurately records time worked or not worked as illustrated by the following:
Approves time in and out at the start and end of each shift and at the start and end of each meal break for all dining employees utilizing the Agency’s timekeeping system. Makes corrections to the timekeeping system, as necessary, on appropriate forms within the required payroll timeframe.
Maintains schedule within the payroll system and is responsible for the management of the attendance program for all dining employees.
Interacts with all colleagues in ways that assist one another in the successful performance of their duties.
Abides by the current laws and organizational standards and procedures designed and implemented to promote an environment which is free of sexual harassment and other forms of illegal discriminatory behavior in the work place.
Cooperates with, participates in, and supports the adherence to all Agency standards, procedures, and practices in support of risk management and overall safety and soundness and compliance with all regulatory requirements, i.e., HIPAA, OSHA, etc.
Abides by and supports the organization’s code of conduct by exhibiting behavior that is set forth in the code of conduct. Performs duties in accordance with the code of conduct and completes annual compliance training.
Communicates with Sodexho, department managers, and appropriate staff in order to integrate goals and activities.
|
2023-10-11T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5954
|
Q:
maximum URI length for file_get_contents()
Is there a maximum length for the URI in the file_get_contents() function in PHP?
A:
I suppose there is a maximum length, but you'll be hard pressed to find it. If you do hit the maximum, you're doing something wrong. :)
I haven't been able to find a number for PHP specifically, but MS IIS, Apache and the Perl HTTP::Daemon seem to have limits between 4,000 and 16,384 bytes, PHP will probably be somewhere around there as well.
What you need to consider is not really how much your side can handle, but also how much the other server you're querying can handle (which is presumably what you're doing). As such, any URL longer than ~1000 characters is usually already way too long and never really encountered in the real world.
|
2024-04-24T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5966
|
Tuesday, 13 June 2017
Weekly Development Progress Report, 12/06/17
Last week was a bit of a write-off - between parenting, gardening, illness and the UK General Election I managed about half the work I'd hope for. In terms of hours it was actually the lowest of the year so far. Still I did manage to make a little progress, so I'll start with that.
Plugin Baby
I'm still working on integrating the in-app purchase plugin for Zombie Cannon Attack!, it's been slow going as I wasn't feeling up to doing anything complicated most days but I'm making steady headway. The coding is basically all done but now needs debugging and testing.
Anyone can pixel art
Ignore the bouncing Zombie, you're supposed to be looking at the house.
Instead of tackling the complicated coding I spent time working on updating the artwork. I've updated the red brick house in the first stage and added a few background buildings for the next stage, Brainsville. I still have a few more characters to create and/or animate but I've nearly got enough to launch with now and whether I do any more than the first two worlds depends on how the game is received.
Because there's not that much to tell this week I thought it might be a good opportunity to give an updated overview of Zombie Cannon Attack!
As I've mentioned before the game is a zombie-themed endless runner variant. You begin each run with a single Zombie, you then fire said Zombie from your cannon, your Zombie flies, crashes and bounces as far as it can before starting to run towards the closest citizens - but you need to hurry as it's decomposing quickly, it's a race to pass on the infection before your Zombie collapses.
Zombie hurling is actually a very popular sport in some countries
There are various obstacles to overcome, from inanimate objects such as crates and walls to the town citizens who are your intended victims. Some citizens run away, but others join the Police and Army to try and fight off your attack. The main aim is to build a large horde that can overwhelm opposition and infect citizens faster than it's constituent zombies die off.
Due to it being a 2D world, if you zoom in it appears that the cop is firing cans out of his gun while drinking from a bottle no-handed. This is, of course, exactly what is happening.
During each run you collect data, your mad scientist partner uses this data to build a better zombie virus that will make the zombies stronger, faster, bouncier and more agile. Rinse and repeat until the entire world is a rotting green mess.
|
2024-03-09T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/6162
|
1. Introduction {#sec1}
===============
Currently, there is a high level of commercial interest for subtilisins that work under extreme biochemical conditions \[[@B1], [@B2]\]. Therefore, understanding the structure and function of subtilisins is fundamental to employing rational and directed evolution strategies in order to enhance activity and/or change substrate specificity for these proteins \[[@B3], [@B4]\]. However, there are structural motifs in subtilisin E (AprE) which have proven to affect enzyme activity and still remain uncharacterized. For instance, crystallographic analysis revealed that residues Leu~75~, Asn~77~, Ile~79~, and Val~81~ located in the connecting loop Leu~75~--Leu~82~ together with Gln~2~ and Asp~41~ form a calcium binding site (CBS) in subtilisin BPN' \[[@B5]\]. Furthermore, it is known that residues Gly~83~-Ser~85~, conserved among several members of the subtilisin family \[[@B6]\], form a stretch bend which lies at the C-terminal edge of the loop connecting *β*-sheet e3 to *α*-helix c. These residues are located 1.5 nm away from and on the opposite side of the catalytic residues Asp~32~, His~64~, and Ser~221~ \[[@B7]\]. Despite their far location from the catalytic residues, mutations in this region induce changes on both substrate specificity and enzyme activity of subtilisins. For instance, a single Ser~85~Ala mutation increased twice the *kcat* of *B. subtilis* 168 AprE \[[@B6]\], and a Val~84~Ile mutation not only increased the *Km* of subtilisin BPN' but also adapted the enzyme to work at a lower than normal temperature \[[@B7]\].
Members of the subtilisin family usually possess two calcium binding sites (CBSs), named CBSA and CBSB \[[@B8]\]. Each CBS displays different affinity for the calcium ion \[[@B8]\]. In this report, evidence is presented supporting the idea that in addition to the role as a calcium binding site, the loop connecting *β*-sheet e3 with *α*-helix c (residues Leu~75~--Leu~82~) also plays an important role in the enzyme activity of subtilisin E from *B. subtilis* 168.
2. Materials and Methods {#sec2}
========================
2.1. Bacterial Strains, Plasmids, and Growth Conditions {#sec2.1}
-------------------------------------------------------
Bacterial strains used in this work are listed in [Table 1](#tab1){ref-type="table"}. The growth medium used routinely was Luria-Bertani (LB) \[[@B9]\]. Preparation of competent *E. coli* and *B. subtilis* cells and their transformations were performed as previously described \[[@B10], [@B11]\].
2.2. Site-Directed Mutagenesis of AprE {#sec2.2}
--------------------------------------
Codons 75 through 82 from wild-type *aprE* \[[@B12], [@B13]\] were eliminated with the Altered Sites II Site-Directed Mutagenesis System Kit (Promega, Madison, WI) using the oligonucleotide 5′-GCTTGGGCTAACGCC∗AGCGGCAATCGTACC-3 (asterisk denotes the location of the in-frame deletion).
2.3. Random Mutagenesis of AprEΔ*Leu*~75~--*Leu*~82~ {#sec2.3}
----------------------------------------------------
Random mutagenesis was carried out as follows. Strain *B. subtilis* PERM570 ([Table 1](#tab1){ref-type="table"}) was grown to an O.D.~600\ nm~ of 0.5; the cell culture was supplemented with 2 mM H~2~O~2~ and incubated for 48 hours at 37°C. Cells were serially diluted, and aliquots of 100 *μ*L were inoculated on LB agar plates supplemented with skimmed milk. The plates were incubated 12 hours at 37°C, and colonies exhibiting caseinolytic activity were selected and transferred to a fresh plate. The plasmids of selected colonies were isolated and used to retransform *B. subtilis* 1A751 and *E. coli* DH5*α*. The *apr*EΔL~75~--L~82~ variant generated through this protocol was fully sequenced on both strands.
2.4. Expression and Purification of Wild-Type and AprE Mutants {#sec2.4}
--------------------------------------------------------------
Wild-type *aprE* and *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ BamHI/BamHI fragments encoding the preproenzymes were cloned in plasmid pUSH2 \[[@B14]\] to introduce an in-frame six histidine-coding sequence at the 3′ end of both *aprE* sequences. This strategy generated the strains, *E. coli* PERM223 harboring pPERM222 (pUSH2-*aprE*) and *E*. *coli* PERM494 harboring pPERM494 (pUSH2-*aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~), respectively. Wild-type and AprE variants were expressed and purified from the culture media of *B. subtilis* 1A751 by metal affinity chromatography on a Ni-NTA-agarose column (Quiagen; Valencia, CA) as previously described \[[@B6]\]. Protein concentrations were determined by using the Coomassie (Bradford) Protein Assay Kit (Pierce; Rockford, IL).
2.5. Subtilisin Intrinsic Fluorescence (IF) Assays {#sec2.5}
--------------------------------------------------
Fluorescence spectra data were obtained after equilibration of a mixture containing 4 *μ*M of either wild-type or mutant AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ in 10 mM Pipes pH 7.5 at 25°C in the presence or absence of 0.5 mM EGTA in a spectrofluorophotometer RF-5301PC (Shimadzu, Japan) equipped with both a thermostated cell and constant stirring. Fluorescence spectra were recorded between 280--450 nm upon exciting the protein at 280 nm.
2.6. Thermal Unfolding Followed by Intrinsic Fluorescence {#sec2.6}
---------------------------------------------------------
Subtilisin E samples were placed into a 2 mL quartz cuvette; changes in intrinsic fluorescence were measured at 340 nm using an excitation wavelength of 280 nm (4 nm bandwidth) and emission wavelength from 300 to 400 nm (4 nm bandwidth). Temperature was ramped from 25 to 90°C with a 1°C min^−1^. Thermal unfolding data were normalized to $$\alpha = \frac{\left\lbrack {y\left( x \right) - y\left( x^{\prime} \right)} \right\rbrack}{\left\lbrack {y\left( {x = 298.16} \right) - y\left( x^{\prime} \right)} \right\rbrack},$$ where *x*′ is the temperature in Kelvin where the enzyme was completely unfolded. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated by nonlinear least-squares fitting to following scheme.
Two-state model between native (*N*) and unfolded (*U*) states *N* → *U*. Data were analyzed using the thermal following equation: $$F_{U} = \frac{e^{- (\Delta H_{m}/RT + \Delta H_{m}/RT_{m})}}{1 + e^{- (\Delta H_{m}/RT + \Delta H_{m}/RT_{m})}},$$
where *T* is temperature in *K*, *T*~*m*~ is the temperature at midpoint, and Δ*H*~*m*~ is the enthalpy at the *T*~*m*~, respectively.
2.7. Enzyme Kinetics {#sec2.7}
--------------------
The synthetic peptide Succinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Phe-*p*-nitroanilide (s-AAPF-*p*-Na, Sigma Chemical Co. St. Louis, MO) was used as substrate; assays were performed in 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) and 5 mM CaCl~2~ at 37°C. The amount of *p*-nitroanilide released was measured by recording the absorbance increase at 410 nm. Enzyme activity was expressed as units/mg protein. Velocity data were fitted to the Michaelis-Menten equation by nonlinear regression.
2.8. Thermal Stability of the Enzymes {#sec2.8}
-------------------------------------
Purified wild-type or variant AprE enzymes (0.7 mg/mL) were incubated in 100 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) and varying concentrations of both CaCl~2~ (100 *μ*M--5 mM) and NaCl (0 or 100 mM). The wild-type and variant AprE were either previously treated or not with 100 *μ*M EDTA and then incubated on ice for 15 minutes before testing for thermal stability. The activity remaining after a given time of incubation was determined at 37°C using s-AAPF-*p*Na as the substrate. The temperatures tested for enzyme stability were between 50--65°C.
2.9. Data Analysis {#sec2.9}
------------------
Thermal inactivation kinetics for both WT and AprE variant were studied fitting the inactivation data to ([3](#EEq1){ref-type="disp-formula"}) by nonlinear regression and using the iterative program Microcal Origin, as described in studies of thermal enzyme inactivation \[[@B15]\]. The equation used was the following: $$A_{R} = A_{0}e^{- ({k \cdot t})},$$ where *A*~*R*~ represents the (%) of residual activity at a given time (*t*), *A*~0~ is the initial relative activity, considered as 100%, and *k* is the rate constant for enzyme inactivation in min^−1^. Equation ([3](#EEq1){ref-type="disp-formula"}) describes a one-step process ([4](#EEq2){ref-type="disp-formula"}) for enzyme inactivation; from the native (*N*) to the inactive state (*I*): $$N\overset{\, k\,}{\rightarrow}I.$$
3. Results and Discussion {#sec3}
=========================
Mutations in the stretch bend Gly~83~-Ser~85~ lying at the C-terminal edge of the loop connecting the *β*-sheet e3 with the *α*-helix c of AprE led to changes on both substrate specificity and enzyme activity of subtilisins \[[@B6], [@B7]\]. These findings strongly suggest that this region has an important structural role for enzyme activity in AprE. Therefore, this loop was eliminated by site-directed mutagenesis, and the resulting *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ mutant gene ([Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}) was expressed in *B. subtilis* 1A751, a strain lacking protease activity as determined on casein plates ([Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}). In fact, the cell free culture medium of this strain possessed no activity against hide powder azure and only 3% of the activity showed by the strain expressing the wild-type *aprE* gene against azocasein (Results not shown). A version of subtilisin BPN' lacking the CBSA and containing stabilizing mutations has been previously produced \[[@B16], [@B17]\]. Refolding of this protein was greatly facilitated by the absence of the Ca-loop while retaining high levels of activity \[[@B17]\]. However, as described here in the absence of stabilizing mutations deletion of the CBSA on AprE resulted in a dramatic loss of enzyme activity. Therefore, the loop L~75~--L~82~ may be important for structural integrity of not only the binding site but also the active site.
Changes in intrinsic fluorescence are excellent for monitoring the polarity of Trp environment and hence are sensitive to protein conformation \[[@B18], [@B19]\]. Therefore, the emission fluorescence spectra of AprE and AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ were recorded with excitation at 280 nm. The AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ spectrum showed an emission maximum of \~358 nm which was red-shifted by 14 nm relative to the peak of the wild-type AprE spectrum ([Figure 2(a)](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}). These data suggest that the side chains of the aromatic residues are more exposed to the solvent in AprEΔL~75~--L~82~. Moreover, as shown in [Figure 2(a)](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}, the peak emission intensity of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ is \~1.9-fold higher compared to that of wild-type AprE. A comparative amino acid sequence analysis reveals that AprE and subtilisin BPN' share 86% similarity; in fact the three tryptophan residues existing in mature subtilisin BPN' (i.e., Trp~106~, Trp~113~, and Trp~241~) are present in equivalent positions in AprE (i.e., Trp residues 105, 112, and 240, resp.) \[[@B5], [@B20], [@B21]\]. On the other hand, a previous study suggested that in subtilisin BPN', Trp~113~, is virtually nonfluorescent; the largely exposed Trp~241~ contributes 20% of the fluorescence, whereas the partially exposed Trp~106~ accounts for the majority of the emission \[[@B22]\]. Therefore, the increased fluorescence intensity observed in AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ could be attributed to perturbations in the local environment of residues Trp~105~ and/or Trp~112~ which are located near to the deleted loop L~75~--L~82~.
As noted above, deletion of the loop 75--82 abolished the calcium binding potential at site A while leaving intact the calcium binding site B. To further investigate this notion, wild-type and mutant AprE proteins were incubated in the presence of 0.5 mM EGTA, a concentration enough to chelate Ca^2+^ only from the CBSB \[[@B23]\]. As shown in [Figure 2(b)](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}, elimination of Ca^2+^ from CBSB induced in both enzymes a small decrease in their fluorescence intensity with respect to the nontreated native enzymes ([Figure 2(b)](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}). These results are in agreement with the presence of an intact CBSB in both the wild-type and the AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ enzymes.
The structural consequences of loop L~75~--L~82~ removal from AprE resulted in the lost not only of the CBSA but also of enzyme activity. Therefore, a directed evolution strategy was used to search for amino acid substitutions in the mutant enzyme that could restore enzyme activity. A plasmid containing *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ was expressed in a hypermutagenic strain of *B*. *subtilis* deficient on the *mutM mutY* and *sodA* genes that also lacked protease activity as described above. After several rounds of mutagenesis for *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~, three colonies exhibiting extracellular protease activity against casein were recovered. The colony with the highest protease activity was selected to further characterize its phenotype; the clone was called *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ Var1. Interestingly, the cell free culture medium of this strain recovered 27% and 65% of the activity exhibited by the strain expressing the wild-type *aprE* gene against hide powder azure and azocasein, respectively (Results not shown).
Analysis of the nucleotide sequence of *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ Var1 revealed the existence of two nonsense mutations that resulted in amino acid substitutions, Thr~66~Met and Gly~102~Asp. The mutant gene named *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~*T*~66~*MG*~102~*D* was cloned in pUSH2, and the resulting construction was expressed in the protease deficient strain *B. subtilis* IA751 ([Figure 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}). Calculation of kinetic constants *kcat* and *Km* from initial rate measurements of hydrolysis of s-AAPF-*p*Na revealed that the relative catalytic efficiency of AprEΔL~75~--L~82-~T~66~M G~102~D was of around 7.4% as compared with the wild-type AprE enzyme ([Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"}).
In order to understand the effect of these mutations in the structure of the AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D enzyme, the medium temperature of denaturation (T~m~) was calculated for the three enzymes. Results showed that the T~m~ value of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ was around four degrees higher than that of the wild-type protein ([Figure 3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}), indicative of a more stable enzyme. Interestingly, the T~m~ value of the AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D mutant was between the T~m~ values of the AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ and wild-type enzymes ([Figure 3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}). These results suggest that the stabilities of the two variants are essentially the same.
The CBSA absence and compensatory mutations on the activity of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D were determined. To this end, AprE and AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D were incubated with 0.1 mM Ca^2+^ and 100 mM Na^+^, respectively. Under these incubation conditions, binding sites A and B of subtilisin BPN' were saturated 95% with Ca^2+^ and Na^+^, respectively \[[@B24]\]. The kinetic parameters for thermal inactivation were calculated using ([3](#EEq1){ref-type="disp-formula"}) to better correlate the effect of amino acid residues substitutions (Thre~66~Met and Gly~102~Asp) on the calcium dependent stability of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~.[Table 3](#tab3){ref-type="table"}shows that at 50°C and Ca^2+^ saturation, the wild-type AprE enzyme had a *t*~1/2~ (half life) of 856 minutes. This value is six times higher than that of the AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D mutant. At 65°C and Ca^2+^ saturation the half life of AprE was 9 times higher than that of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D ([Table 3](#tab3){ref-type="table"}). On the other hand, in the presence of 0.1 mM Ca^2+^, the *t*~1/2~ for the wild-type enzyme was around 17 times higher than that of the mutant enzyme. However, in the presence of 0.1 mM EDTA, that is, in the absence of calcium, both enzymes showed a similar inactivation rate ([Table 3](#tab3){ref-type="table"}). Therefore amino acid residues substitutions (Thre~66~Met and Gly~102~Asp) led to recover of enzyme activity but had no effect with respect to thermal inactivation of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~.
The three-dimensional structure of AprE has not been determined but it has been reported for subtilisin BPN' \[[@B21]\]. In fact, as noted above both proteins share 86% identity; therefore their three**-**dimensional structures are likely to be similar. Thus, the structural analysis using subtilisin BPN' as a model \[[@B21]\] revealed that the mutation Thr~66~Met was found to be in close contact with the active site of the enzyme, in particular interacting with His~64~ which acts as a general-base catalyst to activate the *γ*-OH group of the nucleophile Ser~221~. On the other hand, the mutation Gly~102~Asp was found to occur in the substrate binding subsite S~4~ of AprE ([Figure 4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}).
The bulky and nonpolar functional side group of Met suggests that the microenvironment in the active site of the AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ mutant was disturbed as a consequence of a polarity change. This alteration may impair the nonpolar residues present in the substrate s-AAPF-*p*Na (i.e., Phe) that enter in contact with the catalytic residues. Thus, substitution of Thr~66~Met possibly had a positive effect in reestablishing the core environment (polarity) in the active site of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~. Mutations directed to this region might be useful in identifying amino acid substitutions that reestablish the full activity to AprEΔL~75~--L~82~. On the other hand, it has been reported that substitutions of the residues Gly~102~Phe and Ser~128~Phe in savinase, a subtilisin ortholog, blocked the entrance of aromatic residues into the active site pocket, eliminating thus the preference for these residues \[[@B25]\]. Therefore, the introduction of a polar and bulky residue like Asp in position 102 of AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ may anticipate an important structural change in the affinity for the substrate.
Overall, the results of the structural and biochemical analysis of the wild-type, AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ and AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D proteins, strongly suggest that the local perturbation induced by deletion of the loop L~75~--L~82~ were partially compensated by the substitutions T~66~M G~102~D which are located in close vicinity with the catalytic triad of AprE. Therefore, the results described in this work strongly support the idea that in addition to function as a Ca^2+^ binding domain, the loopL~75~--L~82~ has an important structural role in the enzyme activity of AprE.
This work was supported by Grants 43644 and 84482 from the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) of México to Mario Pedraza-Reyes. Eliel R. Romero-García and María F. Trujillo were supported by fellowships from CONACYT. We wish to thank Ronald E. Yasbin for critical review of this manuscript and to Sivia J. Mellado for excellent technical assistance.
{#fig1}
{#fig2}
{#fig3}
![Ribbon diagram of the crystal structure of native subtilisin BPN (from coordinates obtained from \[[@B21]\]), drawn using the program Discovery Studio (<http://www.accelerys.com/>). Relative locations of the catalytic residues and mutations are indicated.](JBB2009-201075.004){#fig4}
######
Bacterial strains used in this study.
Bacterial strain Genotype and description Reference or source
--------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------
*Bacillus subtilis*
168 *trp*C2 W. Nicholson
1A751 *egl*SΔ1*02 bgl*T*/bgl*SΔEV *apr*E *npr*E *his* BGSC\*
PERM222 *B. subtilis* 1A751 containing pPERM222 (1.2 kbp PCR fragment containing wild-type *apr*E ORF subcloned in pUSH2 This study
PERM570 *B. subtilis* 1A751 *egl*SΔ1*02 bgl*T*/bgl*SΔEV *apr*E *npr*E *his mut*M:Tet^*r*^, *mut*Y:Sp^*r*^, *sod*A:Cm^*r*^ containing pPERM494 (1.2 kbp *Bam*HI fragment from *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ cloned in PUSH2) This study
PERM505 *B. subtilis* 1A751 containing pPERM494 (1.2 kbp *Bam*HI fragment from *aprE*Δ*L*~75~--*L*~82~ cloned in PUSH2) This study
PERM658 *B. subtilis* 1A751 containing pPERM669 (1.2 kbp *Bam*HI fragment from *aprE*ΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D cloned in PUSH2) This study
PERM200 *B. subtilis* 1A751 containing pUSH2 (*E. coli*-*B*. *subtilis* shuttle vector for C-terminal His~(6)~-tagging Cm^*r*^, Kan^*r*^ \[[@B14]\]) This study
\*BGSC: *Bacillus* Genetic Stock Center.
######
Kinetic parameters of AprE and AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~MG~102~D during hydrolysis of s-AAPF-*p*Na. Reactions were carried out in 100 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0, 5 mM CaCl~2~, at 37°C, using as substrate s-AAPF-*p*Na. Values are triplicate determinations in two separate experiments ± SD.
Enzyme *Kcat* (s^−1^) *Km* (mM) *kcat/Km* (s^−1^ mM^−1^) \% of relative activity
---------------------------------- ---------------- ----------- -------------------------- -------------------------
WT AprE 21.8 ± 1.4 1.7 ± 0.2 12.9 ± 0.7 100
AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D 2.6 ± 0.4 2.7 ± 0.3 0.96 ± 0.6 7.4
######
Thermal inactivation parameters (*k*~i~ and *t*~1/2~\*) of wild-type AprE and AprEΔL~75~--L~82~ T~66~M G~102~D (Var1).
Assay condition WT *k*~*i*~ (10^−4^ min^−1^) WT *t*~1/2~ (min) Var1 *k*~*i*~ (10^−4^ min^−1^) Var1 *t*~1/2~ (min)
---------------------------------- ------------------------------ ------------------- -------------------------------- ---------------------
5 mM Ca^2+^, 50°C 8 ± 2 856 51 ± 4 135
0.1 mM Ca^2+^, 100 mM NaCl, 50°C 130 ± 16 52 2220 ± 141 3.1
0.1 mM EDTA, 100 mM NaCl, 50°C 2700 ± 170 2.6 3255 ± 32 2.1
5 mM Ca^2+^, 65°C 490 ± 100 14 4550 ± 9 1.5
\**t*~1/2~ were obtained considering an *A*~*R*~ = 50% and using ([3](#EEq1){ref-type="disp-formula"}) (Materials and Methods). Enzymes were dissolved in 100 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.0. Values are triplicate determinations in two separate experiments ± SD.
[^1]: Recommended by George Makhatadze
|
2024-01-17T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/1211
|
:title: Developing Input Transformers
:type: developingComponent
:status: published
:link: _developing_input_transformers
:summary: Creating a custom input transformer.
:order: 07
${branding} supports the creation of custom <<{architecture-prefix}types_of_transformers,input transformers>> for use cases not covered by the included implementations.
.Creating a custom input Transformer:
. Create a new Java class that implements ddf.catalog.transform.InputTransformer. +
`public class SampleInputTransformer implements ddf.catalog.transform.InputTransformer`
. Implement the transform methods. +
`public Metacard transform(InputStream input) throws IOException, CatalogTransformerException` +
`public Metacard transform(InputStream input, String id) throws IOException, CatalogTransformerException`
. Import the ${branding} interface packages to the bundle manifest (in addition to any other required packages). +
`Import-Package: ddf.catalog,ddf.catalog.transform`
. Create an OSGi descriptor file to communicate with the OSGi Service Registry (described in the <<{developing-prefix}osgi_basics,OSGi Basics>> section). Export the service to the OSGi Registry and declare service properties.
+
.Input Transformer Blueprint Descriptor Example
[source,xml,linenums]
----
...
<service ref="SampleInputTransformer" interface="ddf.catalog.transform.InputTransformer">
<service-properties>
<entry key="shortname" value="[[sampletransform]]" />
<entry key="title" value="[[Sample Input Transformer]]" />
<entry key="description" value="[[A new transformer for metacard input.]]" />
</service-properties>
</service>
...
----
+
.Input Transformer Variable Descriptions / Blueprint Service Properties
[cols="1m,3,2m" options="header"]
|===
|Key
|Description of Value
|Example
|`shortname`
|(Required) An abbreviation for the return-type of the `BinaryContent` being sent to the user.
|_atom_
|`title`
|(Optional) A user-readable title that describes (in greater detail than the shortname) the service.
|_Atom Entry Transformer Service_
|`description`
|(Optional) A short, human-readable description that describes the functionality of the service and the output.
|_This service converts a single metacard xml document to an atom entry element._
|===
+
. Deploy OSGi Bundle to OSGi runtime.
==== Create an XML Input Transformer using SaxEventHandlers [[saxEventHandlers]]
For a transformer to transform XML, (as opposed to JSON or a Word document, for example) there is a simpler solution than fully implementing a `MetacardValidator`.
DDF includes an extensible, configurable `XmlInputTransformer`.
This transformer can be instantiated via blueprint as a managed service factory and configured via metatype.
The `XmlInputTransformer` takes a configuration of `SaxEventHandlers`.
A `SaxEventHandler` is a class that handles SAX Events (a very fast XML parser) to parse metadata and create metacards.
Any number of `SaxEventHandlers` can be implemented and included in the `XmlInputTransformer` configuration.
See the `catalog-transformer-streaming-impl` bundle for examples (`XmlSaxEventHandlerImpl` which parses the ${ddf-branding} Metacard XML Metadata and the `GmlHandler` which parses GML 2.0)
Each `SaxEventHandler` implementation has a `SaxEventHandlerFactory` associated with it.
The `SaxEventHandlerFactory` is responsible for instantiating new `SaxEventHandlers` - each transform request gets a new instance of `XmlInputTransformer` and set of `SaxEventHandlers` to be _thread-_ and _state-safe_.
The following diagrams intend to clarify implementation details:
The `XmlInputTransformer` Configuration diagram shows the `XmlInputTransformer` configuration, which is configured using the metatype and has the `SaxEventHandlerFactory` ids.
Then, when a transform request is received, the `ManagedServiceFactory` instantiates a new `XmlInputTransformer`.
This `XmlInputTransformer` then instantiates a new `SaxEventHandlerDelegate` with the configured `SaxEventHandlersFactory` ids.
The factories all in turn instantiate a `SaxEventHandler`.
Then, the `SaxEventHandlerDelegate` begins parsing the XML input document, handing the SAX Events off to each `SaxEventHandler`, which handle them if they can.
After parsing is finished, each `SaxEventHandler` returns a list of `Attributes` to the `SaxEventHandlerDelegate` and `XmlInputTransformer` which add the attributes to the metacard and then return the fully constructed metacard.
.`XMLInputTransformer` Configuration
[ditaa, XmlInputTransformer_configuration, png]
....
/--------------------------------------------------------\
| +---------------------------------+ |
| |XmlInputTransformer Configuration| cCCC |
| +---------------------------------+ |
| || |
| || +-------------------------------------------+ |
| |\--->|String value of SaxEventHandlerFactory1 id | |
| | +-------------------------------------------+ |
| | |
| | +-------------------------------------------+ |
| \---->|String value of SaxEventHandlerFactory2 id | |
| +-------------------------------------------+ |
\--------------------------------------------------------/
....
.`XMLInputTransformer` `SaxEventHandlerDelegate` Configuration
[ditaa, XmlInputTransformer_saxeventhandlerdelegate, png]
....
/--------------------------------------------------------\
| +---------------------------------+ |
| |XmlInputTransformer | |
| +---------------------------------+ cCCC |
| ||| |
| ||| +-----------------------+ |
| ||\-->|SaxEventHandlerDelegate| |
| || +-----------------------+ |
| || |
| || +-----------------------+ +----------------+ |
| |\--->|SaxEventHandlerFactory1|->|SaxEventHandler1| |
| | +-----------------------+ +----------------+ |
| | |
| | +-----------------------+ +----------------+ |
| \---->|SaxEventHandlerFactory2|->|SaxEventHandler2| |
| +-----------------------+ +----------------+ |
\--------------------------------------------------------/
....
For more specific details, see the Javadoc for the `org.codice.ddf.transformer.xml.streaming.*` package.
Additionally, see the source code for the `org.codice.ddf.transformer.xml.streaming.impl.GmlHandler.java`, `org.codice.ddf.transformer.xml.streaming.impl.GmlHandlerFactory`, `org.codice.ddf.transformer.xml.streaming.impl.XmlInputTransformerImpl`, and `org.codice.ddf.transformer.xml.streaming.impl.XmlInputTransformerImplFactory`.
[NOTE]
====
1. The `XmlInputTransformer` & `SaxEventHandlerDelegate` create and configure themselves based on String matches of the configuration ids with the `SaxEventHandlerFactory` ids, so ensure these match.
2. The `XmlInputTransformer` uses a `DynamicMetacardType`.
This is pertinent because a metacards attributes are only stored in the `CatalogProvider` if they are declared on the `MetacardType`.
Since the `DynamicMetacardType` is constructed dynamically, attributes are declared by the `SaxEventHandlerFactory` that parses them, as opposed to the `MetacardType`. See `org.codice.ddf.transformer.xml.streaming.impl.XmlSaxEventHandlerFactoryImpl.java` vs `ddf.catalog.data.impl.BasicTypes.java`
====
==== Create an Input Transformer Using Apache Camel
Alternatively, make an Apache Camel route in a blueprint file and deploy it using a feature file or via hot deploy.
===== Input Transformer Design Pattern (Camel)
Follow this design pattern for compatibility:
.From
When using *from*, `catalog:inputtransformer?id=text/xml`, an Input Transformer will be created and registered in the OSGi registry with an id of `text/xml`.
.To
When using *to*, `catalog:inputtransformer?id=text/xml`, an Input Transformer with an id matching text/xml will be discovered from the OSGi registry and invoked.
.InputTransformer Message Formats
[cols="3,2,1m" optiona="header"]
|===
|Exchange Type
|Field
|Type
|Request (comes from `<from>` in the route)
|body
|java.io.InputStream
|Response (returned after called via `<to>` in the route)
|body
|ddf.catalog.data.Metacard
|===
[TIP]
====
Its always a good idea to wrap the `mimeType` value with the RAW parameter as shown in the example above.
This will ensure that the value is taken exactly as is, and is especially useful when you are using special characters.
====
.InputTransformer Creation Example
[source,xml,linenums]
----
<blueprint xmlns="http://www.osgi.org/xmlns/blueprint/v1.0.0">
<camelContext xmlns="http://camel.apache.org/schema/blueprint">
<route>
<from uri="catalog:inputtransformer?mimeType=RAW(id=text/xml;id=vehicle)"/>
<to uri="xslt:vehicle.xslt" /> <!-- must be on classpath for this bundle -->
<to uri="catalog:inputtransformer?mimeType=RAW(id=application/json;id=geojson)" />
</route>
</camelContext>
</blueprint>
----
.InputTransformer Creation Details
. Defines this as an Apache Aries blueprint file.
. Defines the Apache Camel context that contains the route.
. Defines start of an Apache Camel route.
. Defines the endpoint/consumer for the route. In this case it is the ${branding} custom catalog component that is an `InputTransformer` registered with an id of `text/xml;id=vehicle` meaning it can transform an `InputStream` of vehicle data into a metacard. *Note that the specified XSL stylesheet must be on the classpath of the bundle that this blueprint file is packaged in.*
. Defines the XSLT to be used to transform the vehicle input into GeoJSON format using the Apache Camel provided XSLT component.
. Defines the route node that accepts GeoJSON formatted input and transforms it into a Mmtacard, using the ${branding} custom catalog component that is an InputTransformer registered with an id of application/json;id=geojson.
[NOTE]
====
An example of using an Apache Camel route to define an `InputTransformer` in a blueprint file and deploying it as a bundle to an OSGi container can be found in the ${branding} SDK examples at `${ddf-branding}/sdk/sample-transformers/xslt-identity-input-transformer`
====
==== Input Transformer Boot Service Flag
The `org.codice.ddf.platform.bootflag.BootServiceFlag` service with a service property of `id=inputTransformerBootFlag` is used to indicate certain Input Transformers are ready in the system.
Adding an Input Transformers ID to a new or existing JSON file under `${home_directory}/etc/transformers` will cause the service to wait for an Input Transformer with the given ID.
|
2023-11-10T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/7547
|
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to single-component organopolysiloxane compositions which are storage stable in the absence of moisture, harden or cure to elastomers beginning at room temperature in the presence of moisture and are microorganism resistant by virtue of incorporation therein of a particularly active fungicidal agent.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Single-component organopolysiloxane compositions have been in use for over 20 years as sealing materials in all fields of application which require resilient seals which efficiently withstand aging, inclement weather, heat and cold and the action of corrosive materials. In particular, in the field of sanitation they provide the sealing of the chinks present in bathrooms and kitchens, around baths, showers, sinks, tiling and the like. However, these seals very quickly lose their new attractive appearance as a result of the proliferation, on their surfaces, of molds which form dark-colored, unattractive areas and streaks.
Fungicidal agents have been introduced into organopolysiloxane compositions to resist the development of such microorganisms. However, not all of the known fungicidal agents commonly employed in agriculture or in the field of paints and coatings are suitable; in fact, their presence can have an undesirable effect, for example, on the stability of the compositions or on the adhesion of the elastomers produced by these compositions to various substrates (compare published European Application No. 34,877).
It is thus necessary to compromise when attempting to reconcile high antifungal effectiveness and the retention of good physical properties. This is precisely why numerous documents have been published and continue to be published on the subject of addition of antifungal compounds to organopolysiloxane compositions and elastomers.
Among the antifungal compounds described in the literature, exemplary are:
(1) 2-(4-Thiazolyl)benzimidazole (published French Application No. 2,421,195); PA1 (2) Iodoalkylphenylsulfones (aforementioned European Application No. 34,877) PA1 (3) Phenylmercury salts of carboxylic acids (French Pat. No. 1,462,754); PA1 (4) 2,3,5,6-Tetrachloro-4-methylsulfonylpyridine (published Japanese Application No. 76/106,158); PA1 (5) Oxides and other derivatives of triorganotin compounds (published Japanese Application Nos. 82/096,044 and 82/133,150). PA1 (A) 100 parts by weight of an .alpha.,.omega.-dihydroxydiorganopolysiloxane polymer, having a viscosity of 700 to 1,000,000 mPa.s at 25.degree. C., comprising recurring siloxy units of the formula R.sub.2 SiO in which the symbols R, which may be identical or different, denote hydrocarbon radicals containing from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, substituted or unsubstituted by halogen atoms or cyano groups; PA1 (B) 2 to 25 parts by weight of an organosilane of the formula R.sub.a Si(Z).sub.4-a in which the symbol R has the meaning given under (A), and the symbols Z, which may be identical or different, denote hydrolyzable radicals selected from among those of the formulae: ##STR1## in which: (i) the symbol R.sup.1 denotes an alkyl radical containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, or a .beta.-methoxyethyl radical of the formula --CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3, PA1 (C) 5 to 200 parts by weight of inorganic fillers; and PA1 (D) 0.0003 to 15 parts by weight of a hardening or curing catalyst selected from among iron and titanium chelates, the tin, iron or lead salts of carboxylic acids, organotin salts of carboxylic acids, alkyl titanates and zirconates, or the products of reaction of organotin salts of carboxylic acids with alkyl titanates, which composition comprises from 0.01 to 1.2% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of a fungicidal agent (E) comprising at least one tetraalkylthiuram disulfide having the formla (I): ##STR2## in which the radicals Y, which may be identical or different, denote an alkyl radical containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms. PA1 (a) alkyl and haloalkyl radicals containing from 1 to 8 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, n-butyl, n-pentyl, n-hexyl, 2-ethylhexyl, n-octyl, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl, 4,4,4-trifluorobutyl, and 4,4,4-3,3-pentafluorobutyl radicals; PA1 (b) cycloalkyl and halocycloalkyl radicals containing from 4 to 8 carbon atoms, such as cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, methylcyclohexyl, 2,3-difluorocyclobutyl, and 3,4-diflouro-5-methylcycloheptyl radicals; PA1 (c) alkenyl radicals containing from 2 to 4 carbon atoms such as vinyl, allyl and 2-butenyl radicals, PA1 (d) aryl and haloaryl radicals containing from 6 to 8 carbon atoms such as phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, chlorophenyl, dichlorophenyl and trichlorophenyl radicals, and PA1 (e) cyanoalkyl radicals, the alkyl moieties of which contain from 2 to 3 carbon atoms, such as .beta.-cyanoethyl and .gamma.-cyanopropyl radicals. PA1 (1) alkyl radicals containing from 1 to 15 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-pentyl, 1-ethylpentyl, n-hexyl, n-octyl, neodecyl, n-decyl, n-dodecyl and n-pentadecyl radicals; PA1 (2) cycloalkyl radicals containing from 5 to 6 ring carbon atoms, such as cyclopentyl and cyclohexyl radicals; and PA1 (3) aryl radicals containing from 6 to 8 carbon atoms, such as phenyl, tolyl or xylyl radicals. PA1 (1) alkyl radicals containing from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, such as methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-hexyl, 1-ethylpentyl, n-octyl or n-decyl radicals; PA1 (2) cycloalkyl radicals containing from 5 to 8 carbon atoms, such as cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, methylcyclohexyl or dimethylcyclohexyl radicals; PA1 (3) aryl radicals containing from 6 to 8 carbon atoms, such as phenyl, tolyl or xylyl radicals. PA1 (i) iron or titanium chelates, such as those of the formulae (the chelate bonds are not shown): ##STR9## PA1 (2i) tin, iron or lead salts of carboxylic acids, such as tin, iron or lead 2-ethylhexanoate, stearate, oleate or naphthenate; PA1 (3i) organotin salts of carboxylic acids, such as di(n-butyl)tin diacetate and dilaurate, di(n-octyl)tin diacetate and dilaurate, dimethyltin di(2-ethylhexanoate), di(n-butyl)tin diversatate, di(n-octyl)tin succinate or di(n-octyl)tin maleate; PA1 (4i) alkyl titanates and zirconates, such as those of the formulae: PA1 (n-C.sub.4 H.sub.9 O).sub.4 Ti, (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 O).sub.4 Ti, [(CH.sub.3).sub.2 CHO].sub.4 Ti (n-C.sub.3 H.sub.7 O).sub.4 Ti, (n-C.sub.8 H.sub.17 O).sub.4 Ti, (CH.sub.3 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.4 Ti [CH.sub.3 (CH.sub.2).sub.3 CH(C.sub.2 H.sub.5)CH.sub.2 O].sub.4 Ti, (C.sub.2 H.sub.5 O).sub.4 Zr, [(CH.sub.3).sub.2 CHO].sub.4 Zr, (n-C.sub.3 H.sub.7 O).sub.4 Zr (n-C.sub.4 H.sub.9 O).sub.4 Zr, [(CH.sub.3).sub.3 C--O].sub.4 Zr, (CH.sub.3 OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.4 Zr (n-C.sub.7 H.sub.15 O).sub.4 Zr; PA1 (5i) products of reaction of organotin salts of carboxylic acids (3i) with alkyl titanates (4i). These compounds contain Ti--O--Sn bonds; their preparation is described in French Pat. No. 1,392,648 and British Pat. No. 928,946. PA1 (i) the symbol R.sup.6 denotes a methyl or ethyl radical; PA1 (ii) the symbol G denotes an alkylene radical containing from 1 to 5 carbon atoms; PA1 (iii) the symbol X denotes an oxygen or sulfur atom; PA1 (iv) the G' denotes an alkylene radical containing from 2 to 5 carbon atoms; PA1 (v) the symbol Y denotes a radical of the formula --(G"NH).sub.k R.sup.7 in which the symbol G" denotes an alkylene radical containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms; the symbol R.sup.7 denotes a hydrogen atom or an alkyl radical containing from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and the symbol k denotes zero, 1, 2 or 3; PA1 (vi) the symbol Y' denotes a methyl, vinyl or phenyl radical; PA1 (vii) the symbols p and n denote zero or 1; when p denotes 1 the symbol R.sup.6 denotes only a methyl radical; and PA1 (viii) the symbol m denotes zero, 1 or 2. PA1 H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3).sub.3, H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OC.sub.2 H.sub.5).sub.3 H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.3).sub.3, HN(C.sub.2 H.sub.5)CH.sub.2 Si(OCH.sub.3).sub.3 H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.2 NH(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.3).sub.3, H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.2 NH(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3).sub.3, H(NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.2 NH(CH.sub.2).sub.3 SiCH.sub.3 (OCH.sub.3).sub.2. PA1 H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.3 O(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 OCH.sub.3).sub.3, HN(CH.sub.3)(CH.sub.2).sub.3 O(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.3).sub.3, H.sub.2 N(CH.sub.2).sub.2 S(CH.sub.2).sub.3 Si(OCH.sub.3).sub.3, H(NHCH.sub.2 CH.sub.2).sub.2 S(CH.sub.2).sub.3 SiCH.sub.3 (OCH.sub.3).sub.2. PA1 (1) .alpha.-.omega.-bis(triorganosiloxy)diorganopolysiloxane polymers having a viscosity of at least 10 mPa.multidot.s at 25.degree. C. in which the organic radicals bonded to the silicon atoms are selected from methyl, vinyl or phenyl radicals; .alpha.,.omega.-bis(trimethylsiloxy)dimethylpolysiloxane oils having a viscosity of 10 mPa.multidot.s at 25.degree. C. to 1,000 mPa.multidot.s at 25.degree. C., are preferably incorporated; PA1 (2) branched, liquid methylpolysiloxane polymers containing from 0.1 to 8% of hydroxyl groups bonded to the silicon atoms, comprising (CH.sub.3).sub.3 Si.sub.0.5,(CH.sub.3).sub.2 SiO, and CH.sub.3 SiO.sub.1.5 units distributed such as to provide a (CH.sub.3).sub.3 SiO.sub.0.5 /(CH.sub.3).sub.2 SiO ratio of 0.01 to 0.15 and a CH.sub.3 SiO.sub.1.5 /(CH.sub.3).sub.2 SiO ratio of 0.1 to 1.5; PA1 (3) .alpha.,.omega.-dihydroxydimethylpolysiloxane oils having a viscosity of 10 to 300 mPa.multidot.s at 25.degree. C. and .alpha.,.omega.-dihydroxymethylphenylpolysiloxane oils having a viscosity of 200 to 600 mPa.multidot.s at 25.degree. C.; and PA1 (4) diphenylsilanediol or 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanediol. PA1 (1) aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic, halogenated or non-halogenated hydrocarbons, such as n-heptane, n-octane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, toluene, xylene, mesitylene, cumene, tetralin, decalin, perchloroethylene, trichloroethane, tetrachloroethane, chlorobenzene, or orthodichlorobenzene; PA1 (2) aliphatic and cycloaliphatic ketones, such as methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone or isophorone; and PA1 (3) esters, such as ethyl acetate, butyl acetate or ethyloxyethanol acetate.
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2023-11-11T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4440
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CD44 alternative splicing and hnRNP A1 expression are associated with the metastasis of breast cancer.
CD44 is a transmembrane receptor for hyaluronic acid. CD44 pre-mRNA contains 19 exons, 9 of which are alternatively spliced. Among the CD44 spliced variants, the v4-7 variant, one of the v6 exon-containing isoforms that contains variable exon 4, 5, 6 and 7, confers metastatic potential to non-metastatic cells. Splicing of CD44 and the function of CD44 isoforms are different in breast cancer cells. hnRNP A1 is a ubiquitously expressed protein with an inhibitory function in pre-mRNA splicing. We showed that CD44v6 isoform, which includes all of the v6-containing mRNA isoforms, had the highest expression level in non-metatatic breast cancer cells (MCF7) when compared to the level in metastatic breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) and normal breast cells (MCF10A). Furthermore we showed that hnRNP A1 knockdown regulated splicing of CD44 differently in breast cancer cells. We showed here that CD44 isoform expression is completely different in MDA-MB-231 cells than that in MCF7 and MCF10A cells, whereas MCF7 and MCF10A cells had a similar expression pattern of CD44 isoforms. RT-PCR analysis of CD44v6 showed that MCF7 and MCF10A cells predominantly expressed the c5v6v7v8v9v10c6 isoform. However, in addition to this isoform, MDA-MB-231 cells also expressed the c5v6v8v9v10c6 and c5v6c6 isoforms. We also found that knockdown of hnRNP A1 significantly reduced the expression of c5v6v7v8v9v10c6 and c5v6v8v9v10c6, and promoted the expression of c5v6c6. hnRNP A1 knockdown significantly induced cell death. In addition, hnRNP A1 knockdown induced a decrease in cell invasion in the MDA-MB-231 cells. Our results indicate that the knockdown of hnRNP A1 has a specific function on the splicing of CD44 in breast cancer cells.
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2024-03-18T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/6795
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Simion Stanciu
Simion Stanciu (23 December 1949 - 6 July 2010), also known by his stage-name Syrinx, was a Romanian Pan flute player and composer, who lived and worked in Switzerland.
Simion Stanciu was born in Bucharest, Romania, into a musical family. His father was a cellist, and his brothers were also instrumentalists. He registered at the Bucharest conservatory, initially studying the violin, but from 14 years of age onwards, he increasingly concentrated on playing the pan pipes. Due to his education in classical music, he was able to make a new repertory accessible for this instrument, which hitherto was only significant in the folk music traditions of various countries and in popular music. He chose his stage name, which not only signifies the nymph Syrinx in ancient Greek mythology, but also the Pan flute itself.
The range of Stanciu's repertoire included Baroque and Classical instrumental concerts (Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart etc.) adapted for the Pan flute, collaborations with rock music artists like Patrick Moraz, as well as recordings in the fields of Jazz and light music. He also performed the soundtrack recording for the film Quest for Fire.
Among his recordings : Syrinx plays Bach, Mozart, Quantz, with Armin Jordan (conductor) and the Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, 1985 (Erato NUM 75187).
Stanciu founded the Pan flute school Akademie Syrinx. He died aged 60 in Geneva, Switzerland, after a protracted illness.
External links
Official Website (German/French)
Short biography
Category:1943 births
Category:2010 deaths
Category:Classical flautists
Category:Folk flautists
Category:Panpipes
Category:Romanian composers
Category:Romanian musicians
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2024-03-20T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/6472
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Q:
using where clause inside include generate error "The Include path expression must refer to a navigation property defined on the type"
I want to filter attachment when get a billing:
var billing = db.Billings
.Include(b => b.Client)
.Include(b => b.Attachments.Where(a => a.WorkflowStateID == workflowStateID))
.Where(b => b.BillingID == id)
.FirstOrDefault();
Billing Entity:
public partial class Billing
{
public Billing()
{
this.Attachments = new HashSet<Attachment>();
}
public long BillingID { get; set; }
public int ClientID { get; set; }
public virtual ICollection<Attachment> Attachments { get; set; }
public virtual Client Client { get; set; }
}
but it gives an error
The Include path expression must refer to a navigation property defined on the type.
Use dotted paths for reference navigation properties and the Select operator for
collection navigation properties
How to use where clause on include?
What I want to achieve is if I translate in query sql:
select *
from Billing b
inner join Client c on b.ClientID = c.ClientID
inner join (select * from Attachment a where a.WorkflowStateID = @workflowStateID) t on b.BillingID = t.BillingID
where b.BillingID = @billingID
A:
As stated it is not allowed to use Where inside Include method. As I know it is not possible to filter navigation properties like that. What you could do is using projection
var billing = db.Billings
.Where(b => b.BillingID == id)
.Select(b => new {
Billing = b,
BillingClient = b.Client
FilteredAttachments = b.Attachments.Where(a => a.WorkflowStateID == workflowStateID)
})
.FirstOrDefault();
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2024-05-25T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/5478
|
Navigation
Blog
Michigan Chapter Launches to Call Congress to Action
on December 18th 2012
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Amanda Van Essen (Grandville, MI), Kathy Hayes (Lansing, MI) and Mayor Richard Clayton (Kentwood, MI) joined a diverse group of concerned individuals from across the country to converge on Washington, DC, to call on lawmakers to address the rapidly approaching fiscal cliff and the country’s long-term federal debt problems. These individuals from the Michigan Campaign to Fix the Debt Steering Committee joined representatives from eight states urging immediate and meaningful reforms to protect the U.S. economy.
“The inability to compromise in Washington is creating economic uncertainty that is bad for business and threatens to cripple our economic recovery,” said Sandy K. Baruah, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Detroit Regional Chamber. “Businesses in Detroit and throughout Michigan will suffer if lawmakers in Washington are unable to craft a compromise that addresses the significant challenges we face in a manner that creates a sense of confidence. I urge our politicians to put political differences aside and come together and create responsible and sustainable fiscal policy that puts our nation on the path to prosperity.”
“As a small business owner, going over the fiscal cliff will only make it harder for small businesses to compete. A leap off of the cliff leads to increased interest rates for households and businesses, and it will slow the growth of wages and the economy as a whole.” Amanda Van Essen, Vice President and co-owner of P2 Sports LLC.
“As Mayor of Kentwood I have seen first-hand how decisions in Washington impact Main Street America. This is why I am making my voice heard. Congress must pass a bipartisan, long-term budget bill. Without one, our country faces falling off the fiscal cliff, which will put further strain on the United States economy,” commented Mayor Richard Clanton.
“That lawmakers would even consider going over the fiscal cliff is alarming. Doing so would irreparably hurt the economy and send a resounding message about the ineffectiveness of our government. From education to construction to national defense, every sector of the economy will suffer if Congress and the White House can’t work together on a meaningful solution,” said Ken Sikkema, Senior Policy Fellow, Public Sector Consultants and former State Senate Majority Leader (R-MI).
Today, the national debt exceeds $16 trillion and continues to grow. On January 1, the country faces a hazardous combination of spending cuts and tax expirations – known as the “fiscal cliff” – that the Congressional Budget Office predicts would cause the economy to shrink in 2013.
Join Fix the Debt
Join Fix the Debt and demand a common sense solution to renew America's economic strength.
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2024-01-17T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/5159
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965 A.2d 715 (2008)
HEXION SPECIALTY CHEMICALS, INC.; Nimbus Merger Sub Inc.; Apollo Investment Fund IV, L.P.; Apollo Overseas Partners IV, L.P.; Apollo Advisors IV, L.P.; Apollo Management IV, L.P.; Apollo Investment Fun V, L.P.; Apollo Overseas Partners V, L.P.; Apollo Netherlands Partners V(A), L.P.; Apollo Netherlands Partners V(B), L.P.; Apollo German Partners V GMBH & Co. KG; Apollo Advisors V, L.P.; Apollo Management V, L.P.; Apollo Investment Fund VI, L.P.; Apollo Overseas Partners VI, L.P.; Apollo Overseas Partners (Delaware) VI, L.P.; Apollo Overseas Partners (Delaware 892) VI, L.P.; Apollo Overseas Partners (Germany) VI, L.P.; Apollo Advisors VI, L.P.; Apollo Management VI, L.P.; Apollo Management, L.P.; and Apollo Global Management, LLC, Plaintiffs/Counterclaim Defendants,
v.
HUNTSMAN CORP., Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff.
C.A. No. 3841-VCL.
Court of Chancery of Delaware.
Submitted: September 19, 2008.
Decided: September 29, 2008.
Revised: November 19, 2008.
*720 Donald J. Wolfe, Jr., Esquire, Stephen C. Norman, Esquire, Kevin R. Shannon, Esquire, Bradley W. Voss, Esquire, Abigail M. LeGrow, Esquire, Berton W. Ashman, Jr., Esquire, Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP, Wilmington, Delaware; Peter C. Hein, Esquire, Marc Wolinsky, Esquire, Jeffrey C. Fourmaux, Esquire, David Gruenstein, Esquire, Douglas K. Mayer, Esquire Stephen R. DiPrima, Esquire, Graham W. Meli, Esquire, Paul K. Rowe, Esquire, Elaine P. Golin, Esquire, Andrew J. Cheung, Esquire, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, New York, New York; Vineet Bhatia, Esquire, Susman Godfrey, LLP, Houston, Texas; Keith A. Call, Esquire, Snow Christensen & Martineau, Salt Lake City, Utah, Attorneys for Plaintiffs/Counterclaim Defendants.
Bruce L. Silverstein, Esquire, Rolin P. Bissell, Esquire, Danielle Gibbs, Esquire, Christian Douglas Wright, Esquire, Dawn M. Jones, Esquire, Kristen Salvatore DePalma, Esquire, Tammy L. Mercer, Esquire, Richard J. Thomas, Esquire, Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor, LLP, Wilmington, Delaware; Harry M. Reasoner, Esquire, David T. Harvin, Esquire, John D. Taurman, Esquire, James A. Reeder, Jr., Esquire, N. Scott Fletcher, Esquire, Erica L. Krennerich, Esquire, Bruce A. Blefeld, Esquire, Michael C. Holmes, Esquire, Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P., Houston, Texas; Alan S. Goudiss, Esquire, Jaculin Aaron, Esquire, Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, New York; Kathy D. Patrick, Esquire, Jeremy L. Doyle, Esquire, Laura J. Kissel, Esquire, Laurel R. Boatright, Esquire, Gibbs & Bruns, L.L.P., Houston, Texas, Attorneys for Defendant/Counterclaim Plaintiff.
OPINION
LAMB, Vice Chancellor.
In July 2007, just before the onset of the ongoing crisis affecting the national and *721 international credit markets, two large chemical companies entered into a merger agreement contemplating a leveraged cash acquisition of one by the other. The buyer is a privately held corporation, 92% owned by a large private equity group.
Because the buyer and its parent were eager to be the winning bidder in a competitive bidding situation, they agreed to pay a substantially higher price than the competition and to commit to stringent deal terms, including no "financing out." In other words, if the financing the buyer arranged (or equivalent alternative financing) is not available at the closing, the buyer is not excused from performing under the contract. In that event, and in the absence of a material adverse effect relating to Huntsman's business as a whole, the issue becomes whether the buyer's liability to the seller for failing to close the transaction is limited to $325 million by contract or, instead, is uncapped.
The answer to that question turns on whether the buyer committed a knowing and intentional breach of any of its covenants found in the merger agreement that caused damages in excess of the contractual limit. Among other things, the buyer covenanted that it would use its reasonable best efforts to take all actions and do all things "necessary, proper or advisable" to consummate the financing on the terms it had negotiated with its banks and further covenanted that it would not take any action "that could be reasonably be expected to materially impair, delay or prevent consummation" of such financing.
While the parties were engaged in obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals, the seller reported several disappointing quarterly results, missing the numbers it projected at the time the deal was signed. After receiving the seller's first quarter 2008 results, the buyer and its parent, through their counsel, began exploring options for extricating the seller from the transaction. At first, this process focused on whether the seller had suffered a material adverse effect. By early May, however, attention shifted to an exploration of the prospective solvency of the combined entity, leading them to retain the services of a well-known valuation firm to explore the possibility of obtaining an opinion that the combined entity would be insolvent. After making a number of changes to the inputs into the deal model that materially and adversely effected the viability of the transaction, and without consulting with the seller about those changes or about other business initiatives that might improve the prospective financial condition of the resulting entity, the buyer succeeded in obtaining an "insolvency" opinion.
The insolvency opinion was presented to the buyer's board of directors on June 18, 2008, and later published in a press release claiming that the merger could not be consummated because the financing would not be available due to the prospective insolvency of the combined entity and because the seller had suffered a material adverse effect, as defined in the merger agreement. The buyer and a host of its affiliated entities immediately filed the complaint in this action, alleging a belief that the merger cannot be consummated since the financing will not be available.
The complaint alleges financing will be unavailable because, (1) the amounts available under that financing are no longer sufficient to close the transaction and (2) the combined entity would be insolvent. The complaint seeks a declaration that the buyer is not obligated to consummate the merger if the combined company would be insolvent and a further declaration that its liability (and that of its affiliates) to the seller for nonconsummation of the transaction cannot exceed the $325 million termination *722 fee. The complaint also seeks a declaration that the seller suffered a material adverse effect, thus excusing the buyer's obligation to close. The seller answered and filed counterclaims seeking, among other things, an order directing the buyer to specifically perform its obligations under the merger agreement.
The court conducted six days of trial on certain of the claims for declaratory and injunctive relief raised by the pleadings. In this post-trial opinion, the court finds that the seller has not suffered a material adverse effect, as defined in the merger agreement, and further concludes that the buyer has knowingly and intentionally breached numerous of its covenants under that contract. Thus, the court will grant the seller's request for an order specifically enforcing the buyer's contractual obligations to the extent permitted by the merger agreement itself.
The court also determines that it should not now rule on whether the combined entity, however it may ultimately be capitalized, would be solvent or insolvent at closing. In this connection, the court rejects the buyer's argument that it can be excused from performing its freely undertaken contractual obligations simply because its board of directors concluded that the performance of those contractual obligations risked insolvency. Instead, it was the duty of the buyer's board of directors to explore the many available options for mitigating the risk of insolvency while causing the buyer to perform its contractual obligations in good faith. If, at closing, and despite the buyer's best efforts, financing had not been available, the buyer could then have stood on its contract rights and faced no more than the contractually stipulated damages. The buyer and its parent, however, chose a different course.
The court recognizes that there remain substantial obstacles to closing the transaction. Some of those result from the current unsettled credit environment, others result from the difficult macroeconomic conditions facing both the seller and the buyer in running their businesses. Some other of those obstacles appear to result from the course of action the buyer and its parent have pursued in place of the continued good faith performance of the buyer's contractual obligations. Despite these obstacles, the seller has asked for an order of specific performance and, given the realistic possibility that the buyer and its parent may now regard closing the deal to be a superior outcome to not closing, the court concludes that such an order should issue requiring Hexion to perform all of its covenants and obligations (other than the ultimate obligation to close).
I.
A. The Parties
The plaintiffs and counterclaim defendants in this action are Hexion Specialty Chemicals, Inc., Apollo Global Management, LLC, and various entities through which Apollo Global Management conducts its business (Apollo Global Management and its related entities are collectively referred to as "Apollo"). Hexion, a New Jersey corporation, is the world's largest producer of binder, adhesive, and ink resins for industrial applications. Apollo Global Management, a Delaware limited liability company, is an asset manager focusing on private equity transactions. Through its ownership in Hexion's holding company, Apollo owns approximately 92% of Hexion.
The defendant and counterclaim plaintiff in this action is Huntsman Corporation, a Delaware corporation. Huntsman, a global manufacturer and marketer chemical products, operates five primary lines of *723 business: Polyurethanes, Advanced Materials, Textile Effects, Performance Products and Pigments.
B. Procedural History
On July 12, 2007, Hexion and Huntsman signed a merger agreement whereby Hexion agreed to pay $28 per share in cash for 100% of Huntsman's stock.[1] The total transaction value of the deal was approximately $10.6 billion, including assumed debt. The plaintiffs filed suit in this court on June 18, 2008 seeking declaratory judgment on three claims: (1) Hexion is not obligated to close if the combined company would be insolvent and its liability to Huntsman for failing to close is limited to no more than $325 million; (2) Huntsman has suffered a Company Material Adverse Effect ("MAE"); and (3) Apollo has no liability to Huntsman in connection with the merger agreement. On July 2, 2008, Huntsman filed its answer and counterclaims requesting declaratory judgment that: (1) Hexion knowingly and intentionally breached the merger agreement; (2) Huntsman has not suffered an MAE; and (3) Hexion has no right to terminate the merger agreement. Also, Huntsman's counterclaims seek an order that Hexion specifically perform its obligations under various sections of the merger agreement, or, alternatively, and in the event Hexion fails to perform, the award of full contract damages.
Hexion amended its complaint on July 7, 2008 to request declaratory judgment that Huntsman's decision to extend the termination date from July 4, 2008 to October 2, 2008 was invalid and that Huntsman breached the forum selection clause of the merger agreement by suing Apollo, Leon Black. and Joshua Harris in Texas on June 23, 2008.[2] Hexion also asks the court to enjoin Huntsman from asserting or prosecuting claims related to the merger agreement in other forums, including a specific request to enjoin the Texas lawsuit. On July 9, 2008, the court granted Huntsman's motion for expedited proceedings on limited issues. Huntsman filed its amended answer on July 14, 2008. On August 5, 2008, the court further refined the issues to be tried during the expedited proceedings.
Beginning on September 8, 2008, a six-day trial was held on Huntsman's counterclaims and counts I (damages limited to $325 million), II (material adverse effect), and IV (invalid extension of termination date) of Hexion's amended complaint.
C. Negotiations Between The Parties In 2005 And 2006
In late 2005 and early 2006, Apollo and Hexion entered negotiations with Huntsman concerning a proposed transaction whereby Hexion would merge with Huntsman's specialty chemical business and Huntsman's commodity business would be spun out and acquired by Apollo. Hexion and Apollo performed substantial due diligence on Huntsman, but the deal died when Huntsman missed earnings targets and Apollo advised Huntsman that it could no longer justify the $25 per share price then being discussed.[3]
D. 2007 Negotiations Leading To July 12, 2007 Merger Agreement
In May 2007, Huntsman, through its financial advisor Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., *724 began to solicit bids for the company. Apollo (through Hexion) and Basell, the world's largest polypropylene maker, emerged among the potential buyers. Huntsman signed confidentiality agreements and began to negotiate merger agreements with both Hexion and Basell. On June 25, 2007, Huntsman rejected Hexion's offer of $26 per share and executed a merger agreement with Basell for $25.25 per share. The same day, but after the agreement was signed, Hexion raised its bid to $27 per share. Basell refused to raise its bid, stating that its deal remained superior because it was more certain to close.[4] On June 29, 2007, Huntsman reentered negotiations with Hexion after Hexion further increased its bid to $27.25 per share. On July 12, 2007, Huntsman terminated its deal with Basell and signed an all cash deal at $28 per share with Hexion.
E. The Financing
One day before the signing of the merger agreement, Hexion signed a commitment letter with affiliates of Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank (the "lending banks") to secure financing for the deal. In section 3.2(e) of the merger agreement, Hexion represented that the "aggregate proceeds contemplated to be provided by the Commitment Letter will be sufficient ... to pay the aggregate Merger Consideration." The commitment letter required a "customary and reasonably satisfactory" solvency certificate from the Chief Financial Officer of Hexion, the Chief Financial Officer of Huntsman, or a reputable valuation firm as a condition precedent to the lending banks obligation to provide financing.[5]
F. July 12, 2007 Merger Agreement
Due to the existence of a signed agreement with Basell and Apollo's admittedly intense desire for the deal, Huntsman had significant negotiating leverage. As a result, the merger agreement is more than usually favorable to Huntsman. For example, it contains no financing contingency and requires Hexion to use its "reasonable best efforts" to consummate the financing. In addition, the agreement expressly provides for uncapped damages in the case of a "knowing and intentional breach of any covenant" by Hexion and for liquidated damages of $325 million in cases of other enumerated breaches. The narrowly tailored MAE clause is one of the few ways the merger agreement allows Hexion to walk away from the deal without paying Huntsman at least $325 million in liquidated damages.
G. April 22, 2008: Huntsman Reports Poor First Quarter Of 2008
Initially, Hexion and Apollo were extremely excited about the deal with Huntsman. Apollo partner Jordan Zaken testified at trial that Apollo really wanted the deal and that "the industrial logic was very strong."[6] Indeed, Hexion's April 2007 presentation materials regarding the potential transaction with Huntsman reflect that the Hexion/Huntsman combination would create the largest specialty chemical *725 company in the world.[7] While Huntsman's Pigments business had been slowing since shortly after signing, Hexion and Apollo's view of the deal did not seem to change dramatically until after receipt of Huntsman's disappointing first quarter numbers on April 22, 2008. Following receipt of these numbers, Apollo revised its deal model and concluded that the transaction would produce returns much lower than expected.[8] At this time, Apollo also questioned whether Huntsman had experienced an MAE as defined in the merger agreement.
H. Apollo's May 9, 2008 Meeting With Counsel
On May 9, 2008, Apollo met with counsel to discuss, among other things, whether an MAE had occurred. In preparation for the meeting, Apollo created three models: Run Rate, Scenario 1, and Scenario 2. The Run Rate model simply annualizes Huntsman's poor first quarter results. Scenario 1 assumed that the full $1 billion revolver was available at closing and an equity contribution of $445 million by Apollo. Scenario 2 removed the equity commitment and assumed a $100 million annual increase in the synergies estimate (from $250 million to $350 million) and included some of the over $1 billion in potential opportunities identified by Apollo to improve liquidity.[9] Zaken testified that these models were created because Apollo was looking for a way to close the transaction. However, Zaken later stated that these models were prepared to help evaluate with counsel whether an MAE had occurred. Before Apollo's May 9, 2008 meeting with counsel, there appears to have been no discussion of the potential insolvency of the combined companies. The May 9 models, while showing unfavorable returns for Apollo and tight liquidity, do not clearly show insolvency.[10]
After its May 9, 2008 meeting with counsel, perhaps realizing that the MAE argument was not strong, Apollo and its counsel began focusing on insolvency. However, under the merger agreement, Hexion had no right to terminate the agreement based on potential insolvency of the combined company or due to lack of financing. Also, Hexion would be subject to full contract damages if it "knowingly and intentionally" breached any of its covenants. Therefore, it appears that after May 9, 2008, Apollo and its counsel began to follow a carefully designed plan to obtain an insolvency opinion, publish that opinion (which it knew, or reasonably should have known, would frustrate the financing), and claim Hexion did not "knowingly and intentionally" breach its contractual obligations to close (due to the *726 impossibility of obtaining financing without a solvency certificate).
I. Duff & Phelps Is Hired To Support Apollo's Insolvency Theory
Watchell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Apollo's counsel, hired Duff & Phelps, LLC to support potential litigation, and Duff & Phelps personnel knew they were being hired for that purpose. The May 16, 2008 notes of Allen Pfeiffer of Duff & Phelps read: "get out. (1) Notice that insufficient capital to close (2) [Apollo] hiring D & P to support that notion."[11] On May 23, 2008, Duff & Phelps, Wachtell Lipton, and Hexion signed an engagement letter which envisioned the formation of two teams: (1) a litigation consulting team and (2) an opinion team. Pffeifer led the litigation consulting team and Philip Wisler led the opinion team. While Wisler testified that no one told him the objective of his assignment was to support a lawsuit, he was involved in initial conversations with Wachtell Lipton as early as May 15, 2008 and knew that Duff & Phelps's litigation consulting team was advising Wachtell Lipton. In addition, the engagement letter stated that the opinion team would only be engaged if "Hexion decides to go forward with a particular course of action," presumptively if Hexion decided to claim insolvency in the potential litigation.[12]
J. Litigation Consulting Team Concludes Insolvency, and Opinion Team Begins Its "Independent" Analysis
After the litigation consulting team concluded that insolvency of the combined companies was likely, Wisler's opinion team began its work on June 2, 2008. Until then, Wachtell Lipton wanted to make "doubly sure" that Wisler's team was walled off from the consulting team, so as not to taint the objectivity of the resulting formal opinion.[13] However, Wisler participated in calls with Wachtell Lipton to discuss the engagement, the same individual performed the modeling work for both teams, and Wisler was unaware that he was supposed to be walled off. Even assuming arguendo, that Wisler's opinion team was completely walled off, they still knew that their client had litigation on its mind and still based their opinion on the same biased numbers as the consulting team. The opinion team was formed on June 3. On June 6, Wisler presented Duff & Phelps's qualifications for the assignment to the Hexion board of directors and Duff & Phelps was retained the same day. On June 15, Duff & Phelps sent a draft opinion to Wachtell Lipton and, on June 18, Duff & Phelps presented its insolvency opinion to the Hexion board.
K. The Duff & Phelps Insolvency Report
Duff & Phelps's insolvency opinion showed that the combined company would fail each of the three tests of insolvency: (1) the balance sheet test; (2) the ability to pay debts test; and (3) the capital adequacy test.[14] In its opinion, Duff & Phelps claimed the combined entity was worth $11.35 billion, $4.25 billion less than Apollo concluded when it valued the entity for purposes of an intercompany transfer in March 2008.[15] The Duff & Phelps report *727 also showed a gap between the sources and uses of funds at closing of $858 million.
L. The Duff & Phelps Insolvency Opinion Is Unreliable
Duff & Phelps's June 18, 2008 insolvency opinion was produced with the knowledge that the opinion would potentially be used in litigation, was based on skewed numbers provided by Apollo, and was produced without any consultation with Huntsman management. These factors, taken together, render the Duff & Phelps opinion unreliable.
1. Pessimistic EBITDA Estimates For Huntsman And Hexion
The May 23, 2008 model which Apollo sent to Duff & Phelps for use in its solvency analysis assumes substantial decreases in the multi-year EBITDA projections for both Hexion and Huntsman, as compared to previous models. The 2009 to 2013 EBITDA projections in the May 23 model represent a 20% decrease from two of the May 9 scenarios and a 31% decrease from the projections that Apollo gave the lending banks in 2007 (which projections were lower than Huntsman management projections at the time). The May 9 EBITDA projections were themselves 2.6% lower than the April 26 model.[16] The April 26 model was a further 4.4% lower than the February model shared with valuation firms for the purposes of a transfer of the interest between Apollo funds.[17] While 2008 has admittedly been a difficult year for Huntsman thus far, Hexion also substantially decreased its EBITDA projections for Huntsman in 2009, 2010, and 2011.[18]
In addition, from May 9 to May 23, Hexion decreased its estimated for its own 2008 EBITDA by $80 million and its estimated 2009-2013 EBITDA by $65 million. Leading up to trial, Hexion further reduced its own EBITDA estimates.[19]
2. Negative Assumptions Are Used To Create A Funding Gap
The May 23, 2008 model used by Duff & Phelps also reflects a series of pessimistic assumptions about the amount of cash needed to close the transaction. While not directly related to the issue of solvency, these assumptions did cause Duff & Phelps to reach its conclusion about a so-called "funding gap" of $858 million.
a. The Apollo Fee
Apollo's May 23 model, which was sent to Duff & Phelps, includes a $102 million *728 Apollo advisory fee that was not included in earlier deal models or discussed at the time of the merger agreement. Apollo and Hexion argue that Apollo is entitled to assess such a fee, if it chooses, by contract, but provide no explanation of why it must be paid at closing. In fact, Apollo's materials for its May 9 meeting with counsel, show deferral of the Apollo fee as a temporary savings item that could be put off until after closing.
b. United States Pension Fund Liability At Closing
In the deal models leading up to May 2008, the parties did not expect any liability at closing resulting from United States pension funding requirements, yet the model relied on by Duff & Phelps in issuing its opinion contained $195 million in liability at closing.[20] As late as May 30, 2008, the parties' main contact at the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation ("PBGC") suggested to Hexion's treasurer, George Knight, four alternatives that would alleviate concerns about the transaction, none of which required funding at closing.[21]
Laura Rosenberg, Hexion and Apollo's litigation expert, told Duff & Phelps that she believed the PBGC would require full funding of the pension fund at closing ($200 million) or initiate a lawsuit to terminate the plans and collect the same amount. However, Rosenberg's own report admits the "PBGC prefers not to terminate pension plans" and "seeks to enter into consensual settlements negotiated with plan sponsors."[22] Hexion and Apollo provided no explanation at trial for the difference between Rosenberg's opinion and the discussions regarding non-cash alternatives that Hexion's treasurer had discussed with the PBGC on May 30.
Huntsman's U.S. pension, expert John Spencer, former PBGC director of the Department of Insurance Supervision and Compliance, convincingly testified that he saw no reason to believe that the PBGC would require $200 million in funding at closing and thought it likely that no up-front payment would be required. Spencer stated, that even assuming insolvency of the combined company or assuming the combined company was headed for bankruptcy, he did not think the PBGC would initiate involuntary termination or use the threat of such action to demand $200 million.
c. United Kingdom Pension Fund Liability At Closing
PricewaterhouseCoopers ("PwC") stated that the maximum United Kingdom pension liability it envisioned at closing was $45 million and the May 9 model estimated expected liability of $30 million at closing. However, the model relied upon by Duff & Phelps in issuing its opinion contained $195 million in U.K. pension liability at closing. The U.K. pension liability number *729 was influenced by the expert report of Richard Jones of a United Kingdom consulting firm, Punter Southall.
Originally, Hexion hired PwC to advise it regarding potential U.K. pension liability. In early June 2008, Hexion switched advisors, from PwC to Punter Southall. Hexion's CFO, William Carter, testified the change was made due to a perceived conflict because PwC also worked for Huntsman and the U.K. trustees. But, as Carter admitted, this conflict was discussed from the beginning of the transaction and was resolved on the basis that U.K. law allows a firm to represent a company and the trustees as long as a Chinese Wall is put in place. It is reasonable to infer that Hexion stopped using PwC because it wanted to maintain confidentiality as it explored the possibility of obtaining an insolvency opinion and because it wanted its own litigation expert with no other responsibilities in the transaction.
Jones, like all of the Apollo experts, knew that he was being hired in connection with potential litigation. In addition, Jones did not speak with PwC, Huntsman management, or the trustees. As it did with Rosenberg, Wachtell Lipton offered comments on Jones's report. For example, Wachtell Lipton suggested deleting Jones's sentence "[t]he only way to know for certain what would be acceptable to the Trustees and the Pension Regulator in a clearance application would be to enter negotiations with the Trustees and make a formal clearance application to the Pensions Regulator (noting that the settlement agreement is not always considered sufficient for clearance to be granted.)"[23] Wachtell Lipton also suggested deleting "limited" from the phrase "based on the limited information provided" and suggested deleting "considerably" from "these numbers ... could be considerably refined if more data became available."[24]
d. Timing Of And Amount Of Antitrust Divestitures
The Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC") requires that the antitrust divestitures planned in connection with this transaction be completed within ten days of closing. Carter testified that the antitrust divestitures are not shown as a source of funds on the Apollo deal model given to Duff & Phelps, but admitted that the divestitures could close at the same time as the merger agreement. Simultaneous closings of the transaction and the antitrust divestitures would, of course, substantially reduce the funding gapa fact overlooked by Duff & Phelps.
In addition, the amount of the proceeds from divestitures appears to have been materially adversely affected by Hexion's litigation strategy. On May 27, 2008, in response to a request for bids, Hexion received eight bids for the assets to be divested in connection with obtaining antitrust approval. Three of the bids, each from very large chemical companies, were over $350 million and two were over $400 million. After the filing of the lawsuit on June 18, 2008, the highest bidders dropped out and Hexion entered into negotiations with one of the bidders who expressed interest at $160 million. Two of the three highest bidders expressly cited the lawsuit as a reason for withdrawing. The sale of the assets was to be conditioned on the closing of the merger and certain bidders expressed that they did not want to expend the time and financial resources to *730 pursue a deal that was uncertain to close.[25]
3. Apollo Prevents Duff & Phelps From Speaking To Huntsman Management
Duff & Phelps listed the fact that it did not have direct access to Huntsman management as a "qualification" or "limiting condition" to its insolvency opinion. Wisler testified that, given the chance, he was unsure whether he would have chosen to talk with Huntsman management. However, Wisler admitted that he could have received more accurate information, in at least some areas, from talking to Huntsman management.[26] Hexion's CFO tried to de-emphasize the importance of Duff & Phelps meeting with Huntsman management by testifying that, due to Huntsman's repeated missed projections, he did not think it would be a fruitful exercise. In contrast, the record shows that Apollo prevented Duff & Phelps from access to Huntsman management because allowing such access might compromise the objectives of the Hexion board. These "objectives" appear to include terminating the merger agreement.
M. The June 18, 2008 Lawsuit
After obtaining the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion, Hexion, without notice to Huntsman, published that opinion as part of this lawsuit, very likely prejudicing the lending banks, the pension boards, and the FTC. Malcolm Price, a managing director at Credit Suisse, testified that, until the filing of the lawsuit, the bank had not questioned the solvency of the combined company or whether an MAE had occurred, although it had recorded large mark-to-market losses. Following publication of the insolvency opinion, Credit Suisse began to study the potential insolvency of the company. On September 5, Credit Suisse finished its own insolvency analysis, largely based on the deal model used by Duff & Phelps, and sharply reduced its expected losses on the financing. The Credit Suisse analysis showed insolvency under all three tests, by an even greater margin than the Duff & Phelps report. Currently, both lending banks have stated that they would be willing to meet their obligations to provide financing if a customary and reasonably satisfactory solvency certificate could be provided. At trial however, Hexion's CEO, Craig Morrison, agreed that publication of the Duff & Phelps opinion and the filing of the lawsuit "effectively kill[ed] the financing" and "make it virtually impossible for [the lending banks] to go forward with the financing."[27] Nonetheless, Hexion still made the deliberate decision not to consult with Huntsman regarding the analysis prior to filing the lawsuit. Price admitted that it would be premature to draw a definite conclusion about solvency before closing. However, he also testified that he could not think of anything plausible that would change his view on solvency in the very near future and admitted that it would be financially advantageous to Credit Suisse if it did not have to honor its commitment letter.
*731 N. Merrill Lynch, Huntsman's Financial Advisor, Analyzes The Situation
Patrick Ramsey, Merrill Lynch's managing director on the Hexion/Huntsman transaction, testified that from the beginning of the deal he recognized that an MAE was a potential way out for the banks under the deal for Hexion and absence of a reasonably satisfactory solvency certificate was a way out of the commitment letter. Ramsey testified that in May of 2008 he believed that Hexion and the lending banks may try to get out of the deal because the Huntsman stock was trading at a meaningful discount to the deal price. Thus, Ramsey asked a junior banker on his team to look into the solvency issue before Huntsman's May 8, 2008 board meeting. The junior banker, who Ramsey testified had no experience in performing solvency analyses, reported that the combined company looked insolvent. Ramsey testified that he was not impressed with the analysis, noting that Merrill Lynch is not in the business of providing solvency opinions. Ramsey did not advise the Huntsman board regarding solvency at the May 8, 2008 meeting.[28] Ramsey testified that he requested the solvency analysis due to the dramatic change in the credit markets over the course of the year and the fact that many banks were trying to get out of similar commitments.
On June 26, 2008, eight days after the filing of this lawsuit, the Huntsman board met again. At this meeting, Huntsman and Merrill Lynch had the Duff & Phelps opinion letter but did not have the analysis behind it. Board minutes from the June 26 meeting read: "Mr. Ramsey stated that while leverage was high and liquidity was tight, he believed that a good case could be made that the combined entity would be solvent, in direct contradiction to Hexion's allegations."[29] Ramsey, stated that Merrill Lynch did not produce in-depth analysis on the MAE issue for this meeting, but did produce a more detailed report for the July 1, 2008 meeting.
O. The July 1, 2008 Board Meeting: Huntsman Extends The Termination Date Of The Merger Agreement
At the July 1, 2008 meeting, the Huntsman board voted to extend the termination date from July 4, 2008 to October 2, 2008. Hexion argues that, by extending the termination date, Huntsman violated section 7.1(b)(ii) of the merger agreement which requires that "the Board of Directors of [Huntsman] determine[ ] in good faith (after consultation with [Hexion]), that there exists at such time an objectively reasonable probability" that antitrust approval and consummation of the transaction will occur within the subsequent 90-day period.[30] Hexion argues that Huntsman's CFO, Kimo Esplin, brought a solvency analysis with him to the board meeting that showed a clearly insolvent combined company. The model, prepared by Merrill Lynch, showed a $53 million funding gap at closing and only $10 million in liquidity at the end of the first quarter of 2009. Hexion points out that Esplin did not inform the board of the funding gap and merely said the liquidity would be tight without discussing the extent of that condition. Esplin, however, explained that Huntsman received the analysis behind the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion in the "wee hours" of the morning of July 1 and that Huntsman and Merrill Lynch had *732 only six or seven hours to create the model he brought with him to the board meeting. Huntsman asked Merrill Lynch to quickly build a model that looked like the Duff & Phelps model and Huntsman filled in the numbers with what it thought were more reasonable estimates. Esplin testified that he did not share the exact numbers with the Huntsman board because "we hadn't spent a lot of time with our own numbers.... we just called around and got our numbers from our folks."[31] He further testified that, "we knew within those numbers there were lots of discretionary items that we could elect to delay, or not do at all, that would increase liquidity. And so that's why I told the board I had done the analysis and I felt like it was probable that this combined business would be solvent, but we needed to do some more work."[32]
P. The Huntsman Projections
Huntsman's EBITDA projections for 2008 have gone from $1.289 billion as of June 2007 to $863 billion at the time of trial. Both Peter Huntsman, Huntsman's CEO, and Esplin testified in detail about the negative effect of increased oil prices, increased natural gas prices, a slowdown in the housing market, capital expenditures, uncollected insurance proceeds, and the strengthening of foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar has had on their business over the past year.
After reviewing the numbers behind the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion, Huntsman determined that Hexion's revised projections for Huntsman's EBITDA relied on by Duff & Phelps were unreasonably low. In response, Huntsman began to update its own projections by having each of its divisions prepare new EBITDA estimates for the rest of 2008 and for 2009 through 2013. On July 25, 2008, Huntsman compiled the results from the divisions and produced its revised EBITDA estimates. At trial, Huntsman's division heads responsible for the Polyurethanes, Pigments and Textile Effects businesses testified regarding the rationale underlying their projections. Tony Hankins testified that the Polyurethane forecasts were realistic for three main reasons: (1) the recent installation of new technology in a Geismar, Louisiana MDI plant; (2) the China MDI plant which is now operating at full capacity; and (3) multiple world-wide growth projects Huntsman is in the process of employing. Simon Turner testified that the projections for Pigments were reasonable because Pigments has already met its third quarter 2008 forecasts, the projections assume conservative growth assumptions such as 4% growth in Asia, and the projects assume lower than historical growth margins. Paul Hulme testified that the Textile Effects projections were achievable because the projections forecast revenue growth at about the rate of worldwide GDP growth. Hulme further testified that much of the projected EBITDA growth will come from cutting indirect costs and selling, general and administrative expenses.[33]
Just as Apollo's estimates for Huntsman's July 25, 2008 projections for EBITDA appear artificially depressed, Huntsman's EBITDA projections appear *733 somewhat optimistic. Both sets of projections have been influenced by the potential or the reality of litigation. Huntsman projects a 31% increase in EBITDA from 2008 to 2009.[34] Apollo points out that Huntsman's 2009 EBITDA and 2010 EBITDA projections are 24% more optimistic and 48% more optimistic, respectively, than the expectations of Wall Street analysts. However, the Duff & Phelps report and Hexion's projections of Huntsman EBITDA surely have affected the expectations of the analysts. Moreover, Esplin testified that the three leading analysts covering Huntsman are conflicted out of publishing research.[35] Esplin also testified that he generally talked to every analyst covering Huntsman a couple times a quarter to update them on the business, but that the analysts are no longer interested in the fundamentals of the business, just the transaction. Esplin said he has not talked to an analyst in nine months and therefore believes the Wall Street estimates are not informed.
Q. Huntsman's Solvency Analysis
Huntsman hired David Resnick, an expert on valuation and solvency, to review the Duff & Phelps report for errors. Resnick is the head of global restructuring and the co-head of investment banking in North America for Rothschild, Inc. Duff & Phelps in its June 18 report found a funding deficit of $858 million. Resnick's report finds a surplus of $124 million. The majority of the difference is made up of U.S. and U.K. pension liability, costs related to refinancing the Huntsman debt, the Apollo fee, and timing of divestiture proceeds.
In arriving at his numbers, Resnick and his team used Duff & Phelps's work as a template and "adjusted it for what [they] saw as errors or inconsistencies."[36] Duff & Phelps's enterprise value calculation was approximately $11.35 billion and Resnick's enterprise value calculation was approximately $15.42 billion. Duff & Phelps reached its total enterprise value number by weighting the results of its discounted cash flow analysis 50% and the average of its public company analysis and transaction analysis 50%.[37] Resnick took issue with Duff & Phelps's public company analysis because it looked at trading multiples of comparable companies during a trough period for chemical companies.[38] In contrast, Resnick looked at those same companies over the past five years, which produced a multiple of 8.9 times EBITDA, as compared to a little over 7 times EBITDA in the Duff & Phelps analysis. Resnick also criticized Duff & Phelps's transaction analysis and its use of a number of commodity chemical companies, which traditionally sell for much lower multiples than specialty chemical companies like Huntsman.[39]*734 Hexion took issue with Resnick's discounted cash flow ("DCF") analysis which led to an enterprise value of $18.4 billion.[40] Hexion pointed out the over $6 billion gap between Resnick's DCF analysis and his own public company/transaction analysis, which yielded an enterprise value of $12.37 billion.[41]
On the balance sheet test, the Duff & Phelps report from June 18 shows negative net asset value of $1.9 billion and Resnick's report shows a positive net asset value of $3.7 billion. The primary differences between the two numbers are the calculation of total enterprise value, discussed above, and the differences in synergies. Huntsman's synergy estimates appear somewhat suspect. Huntsman argues that Hexion underestimates synergies at $250 million and points to a Hexion presentation that states $450 to $600 million in synergies "could be achieved."[42] Resnick uses annual synergies in his analysis that reach $423 million by 2013. While Huntsman points to some evidence that $250 million in synergies was meant as a floor, the court notes that the $250 million number was widely used before litigation became likely and that Hexion gave the $250 million number to the lending banks in 2007.
Resnick also concluded that the combined company would pass the ability to pay debts and capital adequacy tests. He notes that, under his analysis, there would be $584 million in available revolver at closing, which, coupled with the $416 million in cash, would result in the availability of the full $1 billion revolver at closing.
R. Antitrust Approval
Section 5.4 of the merger agreement requires Hexion to "take any and all action necessary" to obtain antitrust approval for the transaction, and prohibits Hexion from taking "any action with the intent to or that could reasonably be expected to hinder or delay the obtaining of" such approval.[43] Hexion made its initial Hart-Scott-Rodino filing with the FTC in August 2007 and received a second request from the FTC in October 2007. On January 25, 2008, Hexion and Huntsman entered into a timing agreement whereby they agreed to give the FTC no fewer than 60-days notice before closing the transaction and that they would not give such notice before March 3, 2008. The parties could, however, certify compliance with the second request prior to March 3, 2008. Huntsman certified compliance with the FTC's second request on February 7, 2008.
In April 2008, Hexion proposed an agreement to the FTC, which included divesting certain assets. The FTC told Hexion to find a buyer of the assets for FTC approval and commented positively on the *735 suggested settlement. As already discussed above, Hexion received bids on those assets on May 27, 2008. However, that marketing process was disrupted by the filing of this lawsuit.
On August 1, 2008, Huntsman, through counsel, requested in writing that Hexion provide the FTC with notice, pursuant to the timing agreement, of the parties' intention to close the transaction in 60 days. Hexion refused, stating that giving the FTC a deadline would only be giving them a deadline to sue to block the transaction.[44] The timing agreement permitted closing without giving the 60-day notice only if the parties reached a negotiated settlement with the FTC.
On September 5, 2008, Jonathan Rich, an antitrust partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, who represents Hexion, sent a letter to the FTC which he testified explains the importance of reaching a settlement by October 2, 2008. But Rich's letter only makes reference to the possibility of Hexion losing the $325 million break-up fee and does not mention the massive losses Huntsman could incur if the transaction was not approved by October 2.[45] As of September 16, 2008, the last day of trial and only 16 days before the termination date of the merger agreement, Hexion has negotiated a consent letter with the FTC staff, has a buyer for the assets to be divested, and has negotiated purchase agreements. However, Rich testified that Hexion has still not certified compliance with the FTC's second request, does not have signed agreements with the proposed buyer of the assets to be divested, and does not have approval from the FTC staff or the Bureau of Competition.[46] Nonetheless, Rich testified that he was confident that Hexion would receive antitrust approval by October 2, 2008.
S. Alternative Financing
"If any portion of the Financing becomes unavailable," section 5.12(c) of the merger agreement requires Hexion to "use its reasonable best efforts to arrange to obtain alternative financing from alternative sources in an amount sufficient to consummate the Transactions ... on terms and conditions ... no less favorable to [Hexion] than those included in the Commitment Letter." On July 15, 2008, Hexion hired Gleacher Partners to find alternative financing, but narrowly limited the scope of its assignment to financing that would completely replace the financing on the same or better terms. Morrison admitted that no attempt to find additional debt or equity financing had been made by Hexion or Gleacher. There is no question that the substantial deterioration of the credit markets has made it impossible to find replacement debt financing that is not materially less favorable to Hexion than the financing contemplated in the commitment letter.
T. Offers By Certain Huntsman Shareholders
1. Contingent Value Rights And Equity Offers
On August 28, 2008, a group of Huntsman shareholders wrote a letter to Hexion *736 and Apollo offering to finance at least $500 million of the merger consideration with Contingent Value Rights ("CVRs"). The offer was conditioned on the closing of the merger and the receipt of commitments of $500 million. Ramsey testified that the "CVRs had no coupon attached. They were deeply subordinated. So I would most certainly consider them equity."[47] Hexion rejected the CVR offer within two hours of its issuance. In the press release rejecting the CVR offer, Morrison stated "[w]e are not seeking to renegotiate this transaction. We are seeking to terminate it."[48]
2. Backstop Proposal
On the first day of trial, Huntsman issued an 8-K that attached a letter from Jon Huntsman and certain other Huntsman shareholders committing $416,460,102 in cash towards the balance sheet of the combined company on closing of the transaction (the "Backstop Proposal"). Ramsey testified that the Backstop Proposal is essentially free money. On September 11, 2008, Hexion conditionally consented to Huntsman entering into the Backstop Proposal, noting that it did not think the proposal would fix the funding gap or solvency issues.
U. American Appraisal
In a letter attached to its September 12, 2008 8-K, Huntsman informed Hexion that "[l]ast night, American Appraisal informed us that, based on its review of relevant data to date, if our Company engages them under a standard engagement agreement for solvency opinion services, and assuming no material change between now and the effective date of its opinion, American Appraisal would issue a written opinion stating that a combined Huntsman/Hexion entity is solvent" and that "Huntsman expects to engage American Appraisal to deliver such an opinion at the appropriate time."[49] On September 26, 2008, Huntsman issued an 8-K attaching a signed engagement letter with American Appraisal.
II.
Hexion argues that its obligation to close is excused as a result of a Company Material Adverse Effect in the business of Huntsman. For the reasons detailed below, Hexion's argument fails.
A. The "Chemical Industry" Carve-Outs are Inapplicable
Section 6.2(e) of the merger agreement states that Hexion's obligation to close is conditioned on the absence of "any event, change, effect or development that has had or is reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate," an MAE. MAE is defined in section 3.1(a)(ii) as:
any occurrence, condition, change, event or effect that is materially adverse to the financial condition, business, or results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole; provided, however, that in no event shall any of the following constitute a Company Material Adverse Effect: (A) any occurrence, condition, change, event or effect resulting from or relating to changes in general economic or financial market conditions, except in the event, and only to the extent, that such occurrence, condition, change, event or effect has had a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as *737 a whole, as compared to other Persons engaged in the chemical industry; (B) any occurrence, condition, change, event or effect that affects the chemical industry generally (including changes in commodity prices, general market prices and regulatory changes affecting the chemical industry generally) except in the event, and only to the extent, that such occurrence, condition, change, event or effect has had a disproportionate effect on the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, as compared to other Persons engaged in the chemical industry....[50]
The parties disagree as to the proper reading of this definition. Hexion argues that the relevant standard to apply in judging whether an MAE has occurred is to compare Huntsman's performance since the signing of the merger agreement and its expected future performance to the rest of the chemical industry. Huntsman, for its part, argues that in determining whether an MAE has occurred the court need reach the issue of comparing Huntsman to its peers if and only if it has first determined that there has been an "occurrence, condition, change, event or effect that is materially adverse to the financial condition, business, or results of operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole...."[51] Huntsman here has the better argument. The plain meaning of the carve-outs found in the proviso is to prevent certain occurrences which would otherwise be MAE's being found to be so. If a catastrophe were to befall the chemical industry and cause a material adverse effect in Huntsman's business, the carve-outs would prevent this from qualifying as an MAE under the Agreement. But the converse is not trueHuntsman's performance being disproportionately worse than the chemical industry in general does not, in itself, constitute an MAE. Thus, unless the court concludes that the company has suffered an MAE as defined in the language coming before the proviso, the court need not consider the application of the chemical industry carve-outs.
Hexion bases its argument that Huntsman has suffered an MAE principally on a comparison between Huntsman and other chemical industry firms. Hexion's expert witness, Telly Zachariades of The Valence Group, largely focused on this at trial. Zachariades testified regarding a comparison of the performance of Huntsman during the second half of 2007 and first half of 2008, relative to two sets of benchmark companies which he chose as representative of the industrythe Bloomberg World Chemical Index and the Chemical Week 75 Index. Zachariades compared Huntsman to these two benchmarks in a variety of different areas, both backward and forward-looking, and, in each, found Huntsman significantly worse than the mean, and, in most, in the bottom decile. This potentially would be compelling evidence if it was necessary to reach the carve-outs, although Huntsman's expert, Mark Zmijewski, managed to cast doubt on Zachariades's analysis.[52] However, because, as *738 discussed below, Huntsman has not suffered an MAE, the court need not reach the question of whether Huntsman's performance has been disproportionately worse than the chemical industry taken as a whole.
B. Huntsman Has Not Suffered An MAE
For the purpose of determining whether an MAE has occurred, changes in corporate fortune must be examined in the context in which the parties were transacting.[53] In the absence of evidence to the contrary, a corporate acquirer may be assumed to be purchasing the target as part of a long-term strategy. The important consideration therefore is whether there has been an adverse change in the target's business that is consequential to the company's long-term earnings power over a commercially reasonable period, which one would expect to be measured in years rather than months.[54] A buyer faces a heavy burden when it attempts to invoke a material adverse effect clause in order to avoid its obligation to close.[55] Many commentators have noted that Delaware courts have never found a material adverse effect to have occurred in the context of a merger agreement. This is not a coincidence. The ubiquitous material adverse effect clause should be seen as providing a "backstop protecting the acquirer from the occurrence of unknown events that substantially threaten the overall earnings potential of the target in a durationally-significant manner. A short-term hiccup in earnings should not suffice; rather [an adverse change] should be material when viewed from the longer-term perspective of a reasonable acquirer."[56] This, of course, is not to say that evidence of a significant decline in earnings by the target corporation during the period after signing but prior to the time appointed for closing is irrelevant. Rather, it means that for such a decline to constitute a material adverse effect, poor earnings results must be expected to persist significantly into the future.
Hexion protests being shouldered with the burden of proof here, urging the court that Huntsman bears the burden of showing the absence of an MAE, because that is a condition precedent to closing. In support of this proposition Hexion cites no cases directly related to material adverse effect clauses. Instead, Hexion cites two cases[57] for the general *739 proposition that "a party who seeks to recover upon a contract must prove such facts as are necessary to establish a compliance with conditions precedent thereto cannot be denied."[58] This is undoubtedly true, so far as it goes. Hexion argues that IBP, in placing the burden to prove a material adverse effect on the buyer, is distinguishable because in IBP the material adverse effect clause was drafted in the form of a representation and warranty that no material adverse effect had occurred.[59] But material adverse effect clauses are strange animals, sui generis among their contract clause brethren. It is by no means clear to this court that the form in which a material adverse effect clause is drafted (i.e., as a representation, or warranty, or a condition to closing), absent more specific evidence regarding the intention of the parties, should be dispositive on the allocation of the burden of proof.[60] Typically, conditions precedent are easily ascertainable objective facts, generally that a party performed some particular act or that some independent event has occurred.[61] A material adverse effect clause does not easily fit into such a mold, and it is not at all clear that it ought to be treated the same for this purpose. Rather, for the same practical reasons that the court in IBP cites[62], it seems the preferable view, and the one the court adopts, that absent clear language to the contrary, the burden of proof with respect to a material adverse effect rests on the party seeking to excuse its performance under the contract. This outcome is also in accord with this court's holding that in determining the allocation of the burden of proof in suits for declaratory judgment, "the better view is that a plaintiff in a declaratory judgment action should always have the burden of going forward."[63] This rule would also place the burden of proof that an MAE has occurred on Hexion, as the initial seeker of a declaratory judgment that an MAE has occurred. Furthermore, as the parties jointly stipulate, the question is "[w]hether Hexion has established that a `Company Material Adverse Effect,' as defined in the Merger Agreement, has occurred."[64] This again *740 places the burden to show the existence of an MAE squarely on Hexion.
The issue then becomes what benchmark to use in examining changes in the results of business operations post-signing of the merger agreementEBITDA or earnings per share. In the context of a cash acquisition, the use of earnings per share is problematic. Earnings per share is very much a function of the capital structure of a company, reflecting the effects of leverage. An acquirer for cash is replacing the capital structure of the target company with one of its own choosing. While possible capital structures will be constrained by the nature of the acquired business, where, as here, both the debt and equity of the target company must be acquired,[65] the capital structure of the target prior to the merger is largely irrelevant. What matters is the results of operation of the business. Because EBITDA is independent of capital structure, it is a better measure of the operational results of the business. Changes in Huntsman's fortunes will thus be examined through the lens of changes in EBITDA. This is, in any event, the metric the parties relied on most heavily in negotiating and modeling the transaction.
Hexion focuses its argument that Huntsman has suffered an MAE along several lines: (1) disappointing results in Huntsman's earnings performance over the period from July 2007 through the present; (2) Huntsman's increase in net debt since signing, contrary to the expectations of the parties; and (3) underperformance in Huntsman's Textile Effects and Pigments lines of business.
1. Huntsman Has A Difficult Year After The Signing Of The Merger Agreement
There is no question that Huntsman's results from the time of signing in July 2007 until the end of the first half of 2008 have been disappointing. Huntsman's first-half 2008 EBITDA was down 19.9% year-over-year from its first-half 2007 EBITDA. And its second-half 2007 EBITDA was 22% below the projections Huntsman presented to bidders in June 2007 for the rest of the year.
Realizing, however, that these results, while disappointing, were not compelling as a basis to claim an MAE, Hexion focused its arguments on Huntsman's repeated misses from its forecasts. In its "Project Nimbus"[66] forecasts, Huntsman management projected 2008 consolidated EBITDA of $1.289 billion. As of August 1, 2008, Huntsman management projected EBITDA for 2008 was $879 million, a 32% decrease from the forecast the year before. Hexion points to these shortfalls from the 2007 projections and claims that Huntsman's failure to live up to its projections are key to the MAE analysis.
But this cannot be so. Section 5.11(b) of the merger agreement explicitly disclaims any representation or warranty by Huntsman with respect to "any projections, forecasts or other estimates, plans or *741 budgets of future revenues, expenses or expenditures, future results of operations..., future cash flows ... or future financial condition ... of [Huntsman] or any of its Subsidiaries ... heretofore or hereafter delivered to or made available to [Hexion or its affiliates]...."[67] The parties specifically allocated the risk to Hexion that Huntsman's performance would not live up to management's expectations at the time. If Hexion wanted the short-term forecasts of Huntsman warranted by Huntsman, it could have negotiated for that. It could have tried to negotiate a lower base price and something akin to an earn-out,[68] based not on Huntsman's post-closing performance but on its performance between signing and closing. Creative investment bankers and deal lawyers could have structured, at the agreement of the parties, any number of potential terms to shift to Huntsman some or all of the risk that Huntsman would fail to hit its forecast targets. But none of those things happened. Instead, Hexion agreed that the contract contained no representation or warranty with respect to Huntsman's forecasts. To now allow the MAE analysis to hinge on Huntsman's failure to hit its forecast targets during the period leading up to closing would eviscerate, if not render altogether void, the meaning of section 5.11(b). It is a maxim of contract law that, given ambiguity between potentially conflicting terms, a contract should be read so as not to render any term meaningless.[69] Thus, the correct interpretation cannot be that section 6.2(e) voids section 5.11(b), making it a condition precedent to Hexion's obligation to consummate the merger that Huntsman substantially meet its forecast targets.[70] Rather, the correct analysis *742 is that Huntsman's failure to hit its forecasts cannot be a predicate to the determination of an MAE in Huntsman's business. Moreover, at trial Jordan Zaken, one of the Apollo partners involved in negotiating the Huntsman deal on behalf of Hexion, admitted on cross-examination that Hexion and Apollo never fully believed Huntsman's forecasts. Those forecasts, therefore, cannot be the basis of a claim of an MAE, since they never formed part of the expectations of the parties (in a strict contractual sense) to begin with.
Rather, as Huntsman's expert Zmijewski testified at trial, the terms "financial condition, business, or results of operations"[71] are terms of art, to be understood with reference to their meaning in Regulation S-K and Item 7, the "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" section of the financial statements public companies are required to file with the SEC.[72] In this section, a company is required to disclose its financial result for the period being reported, along with its pro forma financial results for the same time period for each of the previous two years. Zmijewski testified at trial that these results are analyzed by comparing the results in each period with the results in the same period for the prior year (i.e., year-end 2007 results to year-end 2006 results, first-quarter 2005 results to first-quarter 2004 results, and so forth). The proper benchmark then for analyzing these changes with respect to an MAE, according to Zmijewski (and the analysis the court adopts here), is to examine each year and quarter and compare it to the prior year's equivalent period.[73] Through this lens, it becomes clear that no MAE has occurred. Huntsman's 2007 EBITDA was only 3% below its 2006 EBITDA, and, according to Huntsman management forecasts, 2008 EBITDA will only be 7% below 2007 EBITDA. Even using Hexion's much lower estimate of Huntsman's 2008 EBITDA, Huntsman's 2008 EBITDA would still be only 11% below its 2007 EBITDA. And although Huntsman's fourth quarter 2007 EBITDA was 19% below its third quarter 2007 results, which were in turn 3% below its second quarter 2007 results, Huntsman has historically been down on a quarter-over-quarter basis in each of the third and fourth quarters of the year.[74] Moreover, comparing the trailing-twelve-months EBITDA for second quarter 2007 to second quarter 2008, the 2008 result is only down 6% from 2007.
Of course, the expected future performance of the target company is also relevant to a material adverse effect analysis.[75] Hexion, on the basis of its estimates *743 of Huntsman's future profitability, urges that Huntsman has or is expected to suffer an MAE. Hexion estimates that Huntsman will earn only $817 million in 2008,[76] and that its earnings will contract further in 2009, to $809 million.
Huntsman responds with its own projections, that it will generate $878 million of EBITDA in 2008, and $1.12 billion of EBITDA in 2009. To support its projections, Huntsman offered testimony at trial by Peter Huntsman, its CEO, Kimo Esplin, its CFO, Tony Hankins, the President of its Polyurethanes division, Paul Hulme, President of its Materials and Effects Division, and Simon Turner, Senior Vice President of its Pigments division. Each of the division managers described in detail how he expected to reach his target earnings for the following year, and described both how macroeconomic effects such as sharp increases in the prices of crude oil and natural gas, and the weakening of the dollar relative to the euro, contributed to a reduction in Huntsman's 2008 earnings and how the recent reversal of the trend in several of those macroeconomic effects could be expected to positively change future EBITDA results. While the court recognizes that management's expectations for a company's business often skew towards the overly optimistic, especially in the presence of litigation, the court ultimately concludes that Hexion's projections reflect an overly pessimistic view of Huntsman's future earnings.
The fact that Hexion offered little detail as to how it arrived at its projections for Huntsman's business also diminishes the weight its projections deserve. Ultimately, the likely outcome for Huntsman's 2009 EBITDA is somewhere in the middle. This proposition is confirmed by current analyst estimates for Huntsman 2009 EBITDA, which average around $924 million. This would represent a mere 3.6% decrease in EBITDA from 2006 to 2009, and a result essentially flat from 2007 to 2009. The court also notes that in two of the four original deal models Apollo produced in June of 2007 to justify its $28 per share offer, Huntsman's projected 2009 EBITDA was significantly below this estimate, at $833 million in the "Hexion Management Flat Case," and at a mere $364 million in its recession case. The other two models ("Hexion Management Case" and "Hexion Management Case with Interest Rates Run at Caps") are essentially the same as each other except with respect to the expected interest rates on the debt facilities. Thus in only one of Hexion's three views of future operating performance of Huntsman at the time of signing did Huntsman perform better in 2009 than it is presently expected to by analysts.
These results do not add up to an MAE, particularly in the face of the macroeconomic challenges Huntsman has faced since the middle of 2007 as a result of rapidly increased crude oil and natural gas prices and unfavorable foreign exchange rate changes. Ultimately, the burden is on Hexion to demonstrate the existence of an MAE in order to negate its obligation to close,[77] and that is a burden it cannot meet here.
2. Huntsman's Net Debt Expands During The Same Period
Hexion urges that Huntsman's results of operations cannot be viewed in *744 isolation, but should be examined in conjunction with Huntsman's increase in net debt. As of the end of June 2007, Huntsman forecast that its net debt at the end of 2008 would be $2.953 billion. At the time, its net debt stood at $4.116 billion. It expected that this reduction in debt would be financed by the divestiture of three of its divisions (which was accomplished by the end of 2007) and by its operating cash flows.[78] Things did not go according to plan. Driven largely by dramatic increases in the prices of inputs and growth in accounts receivables, working capital expanded during this time by $265 million, while foreign exchange effects on the outstanding debt balances resulted in a dollar-denominated increase in the notional value of Huntsman's debt of an additional $178 million. All told, rather than shrinking by a billion dollars, Huntsman's net debt since signing has expanded by over a quarter of a billion dollars.
Hexion points to this debt expansion as further evidence (when combined with the results of operations discussed above) of an MAE based on changes in the financial condition of Huntsman. Huntsman, of course, points out that this increase in net debt from signing until the present is only on the order of 5% or 6% (depending upon which date one chooses to measure Huntsman's debt, since weekly changes in the total debt as a result of working capital fluctuations can be as much as plus or minus $100 million), a far cry from an MAE based on financial condition. Hexion responds that this view ignores the fact that "post-signing Huntsman received $794 million in cash proceeds from divestitures that were to have been used to repay debt. The assets were sold along with their revenue generating capacity. An apples-to-apples comparison (adjusting to eliminate the divestiture proceeds) would show an increase in net debt of 32%."[79] This argument initially appears attractive, but examination of Apollo's initial deal-model negates any persuasive power it might have initially held. In all four of the cases which Apollo modeled, Huntsman's net debt at closing is assumed to be $4.1 billion. All of Hexion's assumptions about the value of the deal were predicated on Huntsman net debt levels on that order-the projected decrease in Huntsman's net debt of a billion dollars was simply an added attraction. Hexion cannot now claim that a 5% increase in net debt from its expectations in valuing the deal, even combined with the reduced earnings, should excuse it from its obligation to perform on the merger agreement.
3. Challenging Times At Textile Effects And Pigments
Both in its pretrial brief and at trial, Hexion focused most of its attention on two Huntsman divisions which have been particularly troubled since the signing of the merger agreement-Pigments and Textile Effects.[80] These two divisions *745 were expected to compose only 25% of Huntsman's adjusted EBITDA in 2008-14% coming from Pigments, and 11% coming from Textile Effects. Little space need be spent on this argument as it falls under its own weight.
First, as already discussed, under the terms of the merger agreement, an MAE is to be determined based on an examination of Huntsman taken as a whole. A close examination of two divisions anticipated to generate at most a fourth of Huntsman's EBITDA is therefore only tangentially related to the issue. Although the results in each of these two divisions, if standing alone, might be materially impaired,[81] as already illustrated above, Huntsman as a whole is not materially impaired by their results. If it is unconvincing to say Huntsman's business as a whole has been materially changed for the worse, it is even more unconvincing to claim that 75% of Huntsman's business is fine, but that troubles in the other 25% materially changes the business as a whole.
Additionally, there is reason to believe that much of Huntsman's troubles in each of these divisions are short-term in nature. Paul Hulme,[82] the President of Huntsman's Advanced Materials and Textile Effects business, testified at trial regarding the headwinds Textile Effects has faced over the last year. Huntsman first acquired the Textile Effects business from CIBA in June 2006, just over two years ago, for $158 million. At that time, Textile Effects was burdened with an inflated cost structure, which Hulme set about to change as part of Huntsman's Project Columbus (which is still ongoing). Included in this restructuring is the closing of certain plants in Europe and the construction and expansion of Huntsman's Textile Effects presence in Asia, allowing Huntsman to follow the shift in the textile manufacturing market there and minimize its manufacturing costs and foreign exchange rate change exposures. Moreover, the Textile Effects business faced a so-called "perfect storm" of macroeconomic challenges in the first-half of 2008: its costs for inputs were inflated by the dramatic weakening of the dollar against the euro, and the strengthening of the Swiss franc, Indian rupee, and Chinese ren minh bi. Additionally, petroleum derivatives form a large portion of the inputs to the Textile Effects manufacturing processes, and the dramatic increase in the price of crude oil over the same period caused input costs to balloon further. Notably, most of these macroeconomic changes have been reversing over the period since the end of the second quarter of 2008. In addition, Huntsman has been able to develop some traction in passing price increases into the market since July 2008.
As for Pigments, titanium dioxide is a notoriously cyclical business, which Apollo well knew at the time of bidding. During an initial presentation meeting with the management of Huntsman, Josh Harris of Apollo expressed to Peter Huntsman that Apollo knew as much about the titanium dioxide business as Huntsman did. Apollo had over the year prior to negotiating the Huntsman deal been in negotiations with Kerr McGee, one of Huntsman's competitors in the titanium dioxide business, to acquire Kerr McGee's pigments business. Apollo was therefore well familiar with the cyclicality that business is known to face. *746 Hexion focuses its argument on Huntsman's use predominantly of the sulfate process, while the majority of its competitors use the chlorine process for manufacturing titanium dioxide. As a result of a recent run-up in the price of sulfuric acid, a key input to the sulfate process, Huntsman has thus faced increased input costs that its competitors have not shared. Nevertheless, Tronox, one of Huntsman's major competitors in the pigments business and a user of the chlorine process, is itself facing financial distress, partly as a result of its own cost increases, illustrating that the present pain in the pigments business is not restricted to those manufacturers using the sulfate process.
III.
Both parties seek declaratory judgment on the subject of knowing and intentional breach. Hexion seeks a declaratory judgment that no "knowing and intentional breach" of the merger agreement has occurred, and therefore its liability for any breach of the merger agreement is capped at $325 million.[83] Huntsman seeks the obversea declaratory judgment that Hexion has engaged in a "knowing and intentional breach" of the merger agreement, and therefore it is entitled to full contract damages, not capped or liquidated by the $325 million figure in section 7.3(d) of the merger agreement. For the reasons detailed below, the court concludes that Hexion has engaged in a knowing and intentional breach, and that the liquidated damages clause of section 7.3(d) is therefore inapplicable.
The court first turns to the meaning of "knowing and intentional breach" as it is used in the merger agreement. "Knowing and intentional," a phrase which echoes with notes of criminal and tort law, is not normally associated with contract law. In fact, the term does not appear at all in either WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS or the RESTATEMENT OF THE LAW OF CONTRACTS. Hexion argues in its pretrial brief that a "knowing" breach "requires that Hexion not merely know of its actions, but have actual knowledge that such actions breach the covenant,"[84] and that negligence or a mistake of law or fact will not suffice to establish a knowing breach.[85] Moreover, it argues, for such breach to also be "intentional," Hexion must have "acted `purposely' with the `conscious object' of breaching."[86]
Hexion commits the same fundamental error in its analysis of both terms. Hexion interprets the terms "knowing" and "intentional" as modifying the violation of the legal duty supposed, rather than modifying the act which gives rise to the violation. This is simply wrong. Momentarily drawing the analogy to criminal law which Hexion invites makes this immediately clear: it is the rare crime indeed in which knowledge of the criminality of the act is itself an element of the crime. If one man intentionally kills another, it is no defense to a charge of murder to claim that the killer was unaware that killing is unlawful. Similarly, if a man takes another's umbrella from the coat check room, it may be a defense to say he mistakenly believed the umbrella to be his own (a mistake of fact). It is no defense to say he had not realized that stealing was illegal, nor is it a defense that it was not his "purpose" to break the law, but simply to *747 avoid getting wet. Contrary to Hexion's contention, mistake of law virtually never excuses a violation of law.[87] Hexion cites a number of cases in support of its interpretation. However, once this distinction between mistakes of fact and law is plain, it becomes equally plain that the cases Hexion cites in support of its argument are inapposite.[88] Indeed the alternative would make "knowing and intentional breach" synonymous with willful and malicious breach, a concept ultimately having no place in an action sounding in contract rather than tort. It is a fundamental proposition of contract law that damages in contract are solely to give the nonbreaching party the "benefit of the bargain," and not to punish the breaching party.[89] It is for this very reason that penalty clauses are unenforceable.[90] Instead, *748 the best definition of "knowing and intentional breach" is the one suggested by Hexion's citation to the entry for "knowing" in Black's Law Dictionary.[91] Black's lists "deliberate" as one of its definitions for knowing.[92] Thus a "knowing and intentional" breach is a deliberate one-a breach that is a direct consequence of a deliberate act undertaken by the breaching party, rather than one which results indirectly, or as a result of the breaching party's negligence or unforeseeable misadventure. In other words, a "knowing and intentional" breach, as used in the merger agreement, is the taking of a deliberate act, which act constitutes in and of itself a breach of the merger agreement, even if breaching was not the conscious object of the act. It is with this definition in mind that Hexion's actions will be judged.
A. Hexion's Failure to Use Reasonable Best Efforts to Consummate the Financing and Failure to Give Huntsman Notice of its Concerns
Hexion claims that it will be unable to consummate the merger because, if it were to do so, the resulting company would, according to Hexion, be insolvent. The commitment letter requires as a condition precedent to the banks' obligation to fund that the banks receive a solvency certificate or opinion indicating that the combined entity would be solvent.[93] Hexion argues that no qualified party will be able to deliver such an opinion in good faith, and as such the banks will be neither willing nor obligated to fund. Furthermore, Hexion claims, even if it were able to convince the banks to fund under the commitment letter, there would still be insufficient funds available to close the deal. Notably however, such was Apollo and Hexion's ardor for Huntsman in July 2007 that there is no "financing out" in this dealthe conditions precedent to Hexion's obligation to close do not contain any requirement regarding the availability of the financing under the commitment letter. Nor is there a "solvency out," which would make Hexion's obligation to close contingent on the solvency of the combined entity.[94] Nevertheless, as Apollo's desire for *749 Huntsman cooled through the spring of 2008, Apollo and Hexion attempted to use the purported insolvency of the combined entity as an escape hatch to Hexion's obligations under the merger agreement.
Section 5.12(a) of the merger agreement contains Hexion's covenant to use its reasonable best efforts to consummate the financing:
(a) [Hexion] shall use its reasonable best efforts to take, or cause to be taken, all actions and to do, or cause to be done, all things necessary, proper or advisable to arrange and consummate the Financing on the terms and conditions described in the Commitment Letter, including (i) using reasonable best efforts to (x) satisfy on a timely basis all terms, covenants and conditions set forth in the Commitment Letter; (y) enter into definitive agreements with respect thereto on the terms and conditions contemplated by the Commitment Letter; and (z) consummate the Financing at or prior to Closing; and (ii) seeking to enforce its rights under the Commitment Letter. Parent will furnish correct and complete copies of all such definitive agreements to the Company promptly upon their execution.
Put more simply, to the extent that an act was both commercially reasonable and advisable to enhance the likelihood of consummation of the financing, the onus was on Hexion to take that act. To the extent that Hexion deliberately chose not to act, but instead pursued another path designed to avoid the consummation of the financing, Hexion knowingly and intentionally breached this covenant.
Likewise, section 5.12(b) of the merger agreement provides in pertinent part:
(b) [Hexion] shall keep the Company informed with respect to all material activity concerning the status of the Financing contemplated by the Commitment Letter and shall give [Huntsman] prompt notice of any material adverse change with respect to such Financing. Without limiting the foregoing, [Hexion] agrees to notify [Huntsman] promptly, and in any event within two Business Days, if at any time ... (iii) for any reason [Hexion] no longer believes in good faith that it will be able to obtain all or any portion of the Financing contemplated by the Commitment Letter on the terms described therein.
This provision is equally simple. Hexion covenants that it will let Huntsman know within two business days if it no longer believes in good faith it will be able to draw upon the commitment letter financing.
Sometime in May 2008, Hexion apparently became concerned that the combined entity, after giving effect to the merger agreement and the commitment letter, would be insolvent. At that time a reasonable response to such concerns might have been to approach Huntsman's management to discuss the issue and potential resolutions of it. This would be particularly productive to the extent that such potential insolvency problems rested on the insufficiency of operating liquidity, which could be addressed by a number of different "levers" available to management.[95] This is not what Hexion did. Instead Hexion, through Wachtell Lipton, engaged Duff & Phelps ostensibly to provide them guidance as to whether the combined entity would be in danger of being considered insolvent. At that point, Hexion's actions could not definitively be said to have been *750 in breach of its obligations under section 5.12(a).
By early June, Duff & Phelps reported back to Wachtell Lipton and Hexion that, based on the information they had been provided, the combined company appeared to fail all three of the customary insolvency tests (the failure of any one of which is sufficient to render a company, for the purposes of delivering a solvency opinion, insolvent). By this point Hexion, assuming arguendo it believed in the projections it provided to Duff & Phelps in order to conduct the analysis, would have had a justifiable good faith concern that it would not be able to provide the required solvency certificate, and that the bank financing pursuant to the commitment letter might be imperiled. Hexion was then clearly obligated to approach Huntsman management to discuss the appropriate course to take to mitigate these concerns. Moreover, Hexion's obligations under the notification covenant in section 5.12(b) of the merger agreement was now in play. Because Hexion now had (again giving Hexion the benefit of the doubt) a good faith belief that the combined entity would be insolvent, Hexion had an absolute obligation to notify Huntsman of this concern within two days of coming to this conclusion, i.e. within two days of receiving Duff & Phelps's initial report.
But Hexion did nothing to approach Huntsman management, either to discuss ways the solvency problems might be addressed, or even to put Huntsman on notice of its concerns. This choice alone would be sufficient to find that Hexion had knowingly and intentionally breached its covenants under the merger agreement.[96]*751 Hexion in the days that followed would compound its breach further.
B. Hexion Affirmatively Acts To Scuttle The Financing
Section 5.12(b) of the merger agreement contains more than an affirmative requirement that Hexion provide prompt notice to Huntsman if the financing is imperiled. It also contains a negative covenant:
[Hexion] shall not, and shall not permit any of its Affiliates to, without the prior written consent of [Huntsman], take or fail to take any action or enter into any transaction, including any merger, acquisition, joint venture, disposition, lease, contract or debt or equity financing, that could reasonably be expected to materially impair, delay or prevent consummation of the Financing contemplated by the Commitment Letter or any Alternate Financing contemplated by any Alternate Financing. (emphasis added).
Hexion's obligation under the covenant here is again quite simple: do nothing without Huntsman's written consent which might reasonably be expected to scuttle or otherwise harm the likelihood or timing of the financing under the commitment letter.
Apparently considering Duff & Phelps's initial determination that the combined entity would likely be insolvent insufficient for its purposes, on June 2, 2008, Hexion engaged a second Duff & Phelps team headed by Wisler, to provide a formal solvency opinion, or, more to the point, a formal insolvency opinion.
The Duff & Phelps formal opinion team eventually delivered a formal insolvency opinion[97] to Hexion on June 18, 2008, which opinion was presented to the Hexion board the same day. Concluding that the board could rely on the opinion, Hexion's did not contact Huntsman to discuss the issue. If Hexion had contacted Huntsman at this point and requested a meeting between Hexion and Huntsman management to discuss strategies to address the apparent insolvency problem, Hexion would once again have been in compliance with its obligations under the covenants in sections 5.12(a) and (b), and any knowing and intentional breach resulting from its earlier failure to notify Huntsman would have been cured, as no prejudice to Huntsman would have occurred by Hexion's delay. But Hexion chose an alternative tack. Upon adopting the findings of the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion on June 18, the Hexion board approved the filing of this lawsuit, and the initial complaint was filed that day. In that complaint, Hexion publicly raised its claim that the combined entity would be insolvent, thus placing the commitment letter financing in serious peril. The next day, June 19, 2008, Credit Suisse, the lead bank under the commitment letter, received a copy of the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion from Hexion, all but killing any possibility that the banks would be willing to fund under the commitment letter. Morrison testified on cross-examination that he was well aware that *752 this was virtually certain to be the consequence of delivering the insolvency opinion to the banks:
Q Okay. And it's correct that you sent the banks both a copy of this lawsuit complaint and a copy of the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion. Correct?
A I believe so, yes.
Q And you carefully considered the consequences of your doing that, did you not?
A Yes.
Q Okay. You knew that providing this to the banks would make it virtually impossible for them to go forward with the financing?
A Yes.
* * *
Q Let's look back at the contract. You mentioned the contract. Again, JX 1. Let's look at 5.12(b). And let's go down toward theyes. Here we go. Right there. This is out of 5.12(b). Hexion, without the written consent of Huntsman, cannot take any action that would be reasonably expected to materially impair, delay or prevent the financing contemplated by the commitment letter. Correct? A Yes.
Q And you are aware of this obligation. Correct?
A Yes.
Q All right. And you didn't seek Huntsman's consent to deliver the Duff & Phelps insolvency opinion to the banks? A No.
Q Right. And even though you knew that delivering that insolvency opinion would prevent consummation of the financing, you went ahead and did it, anyway?
A Yes.[98]
Given the court's conclusion that a "knowing and intentional" breach must be the deliberate commission of an act that constitutes a breach of a covenant in the merger agreement, Morrison's testimony makes clear that a knowing and intentional breach by Hexion had occurred by June 19, 2008.
Hexion offers two arguments to justify its taking such dramatic and irrevocable action. The first is that it wanted to secure its status as first filer in any lawsuit arising out of the contract in order to ensure for itself a Delaware forum for litigation. Although the merger agreement explicitly lays exclusive jurisdiction over such suits in the Delaware Court of Chancery, Zaken testified at trial that Apollo and Hexion were concerned that Huntsman might choose to bring suit in Texas instead. But this is clearly no defense to a claim that Hexion knowingly and intentionally breached its covenant not to act in any way which could be reasonably expected to harm the likelihood of the consummation of the financing without Huntsman's express written consent. This proposed defense amounts to nothing more than "we were afraid they might breach, so we breached first." Even if Huntsman had filed suit in Texas prior to Hexion's breach of section 5.12(b), to the extent that Huntsman's filing of a suit in Texas might not constitute a material breach of the merger agreement, Hexion's performance under the contract still would not be excused and it would have remained obligated to comply with the terms of the covenants under the merger agreement.[99]A *753 fortiori, Hexion's obligation under the section 5.12(b) covenant cannot have been excused by Hexion's mere fear that Huntsman would breach the merger agreement by bringing suit in Texas.
Hexion further argued in its pretrial brief that, had it spoken to Huntsman with regards to its solvency concerns, it would have become obligated to notify the banks of those concerns at that time as well. This is incorrectHexion's obligations to update the banks under the commitment letter are not predicated on communication or the lack thereof between Hexion and Huntsman. Under paragraph 4 of the commitment letter, Hexion's obligation to the banks is to update them with new information and projections to the extent they no longer accurately represent present realities.[100] If Hexion no longer had a good faith belief in the information and projections it had given the banks, it would at that time be obligated to update the banks of its new information or projections regardless of whether it had communicated to Huntsman about this belief. As such, communication with Huntsman could not have triggered any obligation on Hexion's part to update the banks.
Perhaps recognizing this flaw in its argument, Hexion seems to have abandoned it in its post-trial brief. Instead, Hexion focuses on the conception that, once in possession of the insolvency opinion, and the board of directors having determined the opinion was reliable, Hexion was obligated to deliver the opinion to the banks. However, Hexion had been feeding the banks Huntsman's updated forecasts as it received them. Its obligations to update the banks ended there. It was under no obligation, even once it obtained the insolvency opinion, to deliver the opinion to the banks, as the opinion did not constitute information of the type delivered to the *754 banks up to that point. Solvency is not an issue to be measured prior to closing rather, all that is required is that a suitable solvency letter can be delivered in good faith in connection with closing.
Even the testimony that Hexion cites in its post-trial brief in support of the contention that it was obligated to deliver the insolvency opinion to the banks is, upon closer examination, not supportive of Hexion's position. Hexion cites Morrison as testifying that Hexion "was obligated to provide the Duff & Phelps presentation to the banks because it `represented our most current knowledge and projections.'"[101] But Morrison actually testified that Hexion provided the Duff & Phelps opinion to the banks because it contained updated projections.[102] It is clear that, to the extent Hexion believed that the updated projections contained in the Duff & Phelps opinion represented a more accurate forecast for the future of the combined business, Hexion was obligated to deliver those projections to the banks. There is no reason why the projections could not be delivered in a format divorced from the opinionthat is, in the same format they were given to Duff & Phelps. The only reason to deliver the complete Duff & Phelps opinion was to ensure that the banks would never be willing to fund under the commitment letter.
C. Hexion's Counterargument
Hexion offers as a counterargument to the contention that it failed to use its best efforts to consummate the financing[103] and the merger[104] the argument that "[a] `reasonable best efforts' covenant does not prevent a company or its board from seeking expert advice to rely upon in assessing its own future solvency, or, once it has made an assessment that insolvency would ensue, from taking actions to avoid insolvency."[105] The first contention (that it is permissible to seek expert advice) is undoubtedly true, and the second (that it may take actions to avoid insolvency) is on its face reasonable as well. But that Hexion's board was permitted to take steps to avoid insolvency upon closing the merger if it believed in good faith that would ensue if it stayed on its present course is not the same thing as saying that Hexion could therefore attempt to abandon the merger entirely before satisfying itself that there were not commercially reasonable steps it could take to meet its obligations under the merger agreement while still avoiding bankruptcy. Indeed, the case that Hexion cites in support for its proposition, Bloor v. Falstaff Brewing Corp.,[106] ultimately undercuts *755 it. Hexion cites the case as stating that "a promise to use best efforts does not strip the party of the `right to give reasonable consideration to its own interests' and does not require the party to `spend itself into bankruptcy.'"[107] This is no doubt true, but it is also not all that Bloor says on the subject. The sentence that Hexion quotes from Bloor in its entirety reads:
Although we agree that even this [the best efforts clause under consideration] did not require [the defendant] to spend itself into bankruptcy to promote the sales of [plaintiff's products], it did prevent the application to them of [defendant's controlling shareholder's] philosophy of emphasizing profit uber alles without fair consideration of the effect on [plaintiff's] volume.[108]
Bloor continues:
Plaintiff was not obliged to show just what steps [defendant] could reasonably have taken to maintain a high volume for [plaintiff's] products. It was sufficient to show that [defendant] simply didn't care about [plaintiff's] volume and was content to allow this to plummet so long as that course was best for [plaintiff's] overall profit picture, an inference which the judge permissibly drew. The burden then shifted to [defendant] to prove there was nothing significant it could have done to promote [plaintiff's] sales that would not have been financially disastrous.[109]
The situation in the instant case is analogous. Huntsman was not obligated to show that Hexion had viable options to avoid insolvency while performing its obligation to close, it merely needed to show (which it succeeded in doing) that Hexion simply did not care whether its course of action was in Huntsman's best interests so long as that course of action was best for Hexion. At that point the burden shifted to Hexion to show that there were no viable options it could exercise to allow it to perform without disastrous financial consequences. Hexion has not met this burden, nor has it attempted to. Rather, its contention from the outset of this lawsuit has been that once it determined that the combined entity would be insolvent, its obligations to Huntsman were at an end. The fact that a conference with Huntsman management to discuss these concerns would have been virtually costless only underscores the fact that Hexion made no attempts to seek out its available options. Far from making "every conceivable effort,"[110] Hexion appears to have made no effort at all. Similarly, Hexion cites Triple-A Baseball Club Association v. Northeastern Baseball, Inc. for the proposition that although the "reasonable best efforts" standard is separate and distinct from good faith, the court in Triple-A Baseball Club was "unable to find any case in which a court found ... that a party acted in good faith but did not use its best efforts."[111] This court will not change that score. Rather, Hexion's utter failure to *756 make any attempt to confer with Huntsman when Hexion first became concerned with the potential issue of insolvency, both constitutes a failure to use reasonable best efforts to consummate the merger and shows a lack of good faith.
D. Hexion Drags Its Feet On Receiving Antitrust Clearance
Section 5.4 of the merger agreement requires Hexion to "take any and all action necessary" to obtain antitrust approval for the transaction, and prohibits Hexion from taking "any action with the intent to or that could reasonably be expected to hinder or delay the obtaining of" such approval. Unlike the reasonable best efforts Hexion is obligated to make under other covenants in the merger agreement, both parties have characterized this obligation as "come hell or high water."
In spite of this obligation, as of the time of trial (a mere three weeks before the Termination Date) Hexion still had not received consent from the FTC to consummate the merger. When asked about this, Morrison initially testified that Hexion had certified compliance with the FTC's second request under HSR. Hexion later put on Jonathan Rich, Hexion's antitrust counsel, to testify as to the status of the antitrust negotiations with the FTC, in response to the court's interest in the subject. Rich, correcting Morrison, testified that Hexion had not responded to certain interrogatories from the FTC as part of the second request, and therefore had not certified compliance with the FTC's second request, nor put itself in a position to do so although Rich noted that Hexion could be in a position to do so on very short notice if it found it necessary to do so.[112] Moreover, as of the time of trial, Hexion had not given the FTC its 60-day notice of its intent to close the transaction, pursuant to the timing agreement, despite the impending October 2 termination date and Huntsman's request on August 1 that Hexion do so. When asked about this, Rich testified gamely that Hexion had not given notice because its concern was that "by giving [the FTC] a deadline, the only deadline that we were creating was a deadline in which [the FTC] would sue to block the transaction...." Yet, according to Rich, Hexion had come to an agreement in principal with the FTC staff as to a divestiture plan to satisfy the FTC's concerns in April, and by August had a buyer for the assets to be divested. Notwithstanding this catalog of footdragging and inaction, Rich testified at trial that he was confident that Hexion would receive antitrust approval by the October 2 deadline.
The court ultimately finds Rich's rationale for failing to "put the FTC on the clock" at Huntsman's request in August unconvincing. Rather than being a diligent party making all necessary efforts to obtain antitrust clearance, come "hell or high water," the court was left with the impression that Hexion had, since May or June, been dragging its feet on obtaining that clearance, pending the outcome of its attempts to avoid the transaction, in contravention of its obligations under the merger agreement.
* * *
In the face of this overwhelming evidence, it is the court's firm conclusion that by June 19, 2008 Hexion had knowingly and intentionally breached its covenants and obligations under the merger agreement. To the extent that it is at some later time necessary for this court to determine damages in this action, any damages which were proximately caused by that knowing and intentional breach will *757 be uncapped and determined on the basis of standard contract damages or any special provision in the merger agreement. Because of the difficulty in separating out causation of damages in such an action, the burden will be on Hexion to demonstrate that any particular damage was not proximately caused by its knowing and intentional breach. To the extent Hexion can make such a showing, those damages which were not proximately caused by Hexion's knowing and intentional breach will be limited to the liquidated damages amount of $325 million, pursuant to section 7.3(d) of the merger agreement.
IV.
Hexion strenuously argues, and urges the court to declare, that on a pro forma basis (assuming the merger closes on the financing terms contemplated in the commitment letter), the combined entity will be insolvent. In support of its contention, Hexion offers the opinion it obtained from Duff & Phelps, based on Hexion's gloomy projections of Huntsman's future performance. It also points to a rudimentary solvency analysis done by a Merrill Lynch analyst in May 2008.
Huntsman argues, in opposition, that solvency is not even an issue under the merger agreement and, thus, is not a proper subject for declaratory relief at this time. Huntsman also contends that the combined entity (1) will be solvent; (2) to the extent that it is not solvent, that would come as a result of Hexion's knowing and intentional breach of contract, and (3) Hexion is, in any event, obligated to put in whatever equity is necessary to close the transaction and make the combined entity solvent. To support its argument regarding solvency, Huntsman relies on Resnick's expert valuation opinion, based on Huntsman's revised July 2008 projections. In addition, at trial Huntsman introduced evidence suggesting that American Appraisal Associates, Inc. has determined that, if engaged for that purpose, it expected to be able to deliver a favorable solvency opinion. Even more recently, Huntsman filed a Form 8-K stating that it has engaged American Appraisal for this purpose, and asks the court to take judicial notice of that fact.
The court thus finds itself asked to referee a battle of the experts in which there is no clear answer and no possibility of splitting the difference. For the reasons briefly discussed below, the court determines not to reach the issue of solvency at this time because that issue will not arise unless and until a solvency letter or opinion is delivered to the lending banks and those banks then either fund or refuse to fund the transaction.
To begin with, Huntsman is correct that the solvency of the combined entity is not a condition precedent to Hexion's obligations under the merger agreement.[113] In fact, looking only at terms of the merger agreement, Hexion's avowed inability to deliver a suitable solvency opinion does not negate its obligation to close: rather, the receipt of such an opinion is merely a condition precedent to Huntsman's duty to close, protects Huntsman *758 (and its shareholders), and is, therefore, waivable by Huntsman. To put it differently, Hexion's fear that it has agreed to pay too high a price for Huntsman does not provide a basis for it to get out of the transaction.
The issue of solvency is only relevant to the obligation of the lending banks to fund when the time comes for them to do so. Paragraph 6 of exhibit D to the commitment letter makes it a condition precedent to funding that the lending banks receive a reasonably satisfactory solvency letter in such form and substance as has been customary in prior Apollo transaction. But Huntsman, in order to avoid or ameliorate the very situation it now finds itself in, specifically bargained for and obtained the right to have its CFO provide such a letter. Esplin, Huntsman's CFO, testified that he was prepared to provide the required letter. Moreover, it now appears that Huntsman has retained American Appraisal to furnish a back up opinion to support such a letter.
Thus, there is only one point in time at which it is necessary to make a determination of solvencyat (or as of) closing. For the reasons discussed elsewhere in this opinion, the court is issuing a judgment and order that will require Hexion to specifically perform its covenants and obligations under the merger agreement (other than its obligation to close). Thus, if the other conditions to closing are met, Hexion will be obligated to call upon the lending banks to perform on their funding obligations. In that circumstance, the banks will then have to choose whether to fund on the basis of the solvency letter delivered by Huntsman or, instead, reject that letter as unsatisfactory and refuse to fund. If the lending banks refuse to fund, they will, of course, be opening themselves to the potential for litigation, including a claim for damages for breach of contract.[114] In such litigation, the prospective insolvency of the combined entity would likely be a important issue.
If the banks agree to fund, Hexion will then have to determine whether it considers it in its best interests to close the transaction, or instead refuse to close, subjecting itself to the possibility of an additional finding of knowing and intentional breach of contract and uncapped contract damages. If Hexion chooses to close, the issue will be moot. If it does not, the posture of the matter, and the decision presented to the court, will be far more concrete and capable of judicial resolution than the issue now framed by the parties.
For the foregoing reasons, the court will not now resolve the question of whether the combined entity would be solvent or not. That issue may arise in the future in the course of this litigation or some related action, but it is not now properly framed by the terms of the merger agreement and the status of the transaction. Thus, the issue is not ripe for a judicial determination.[115]
*759 V.
Huntsman asks the court to enter a judgment ordering Hexion and its merger subsidiary, Nimbus, to specifically perform their covenants and obligations under the merger agreement. For the reasons explained below, the court finds that, under the agreement, Huntsman cannot force Hexion to consummate the merger, but that Huntsman is entitled to a judgment ordering Hexion to specifically perform its other covenants and obligations.
The court first examines whether the merger agreement, somewhat unusually, contains a provision prohibiting the issuance of an order specifically directing Hexion to comply with its duty to close the transaction. Section 8.11 provides that generally a non-breaching party may seek and obtain specific performance of any covenant or obligation set forth in the agreement. However, that section goes on to state, in virtually impenetrable language, as follows: "In circumstances where [Hexion is] obligated to consummate the Merger and the Merger has not been consummated on or prior to the earlier of the last day of the Marketing Period or the Termination Date (other than as a result of [Huntsman's] refusal to close in violation of this Agreement) the parties acknowledge that [Huntsman] shall not be entitled to enforce specifically the obligations of [Hexion] to consummate the Merger."[116]
Hexion argues that section 8.11 entirely precludes specific performance as a remedy for breach of its obligation to close. Andrew Nussbaum, a Wachtell Lipton partner advising Hexion during the negotiation and drafting of the merger agreement, testified that "[i]t was [Hexion's] position that we would agree to specific performance of our covenants under the agreement, with the exception of the obligation to close the merger."[117] Nussbaum further testified that Huntsman accepted Hexion's position in the executed version of the agreement.
Huntsman did not question Nussbaum at trial regarding the parties' understanding of the specific performance section and did not offer contrary testimony by any of its lawyers. Instead, Huntsman attempts to undercut Nussbaum's testimony by arguing in its post-trial brief that the phrase "[i]n circumstances where ... [Huntsman] shall not be entitled to enforce specifically the obligation[ ] of [Hexion] to consummate the Merger" implies that some other circumstances must exist where specific performance of the obligation to close is available; otherwise, Huntsman argues, *760 the drafters simply would have written "[u]nder no circumstances ... shall [Huntsman] be entitled to enforce specifically the obligations of [Hexion] to consummate the merger."[118] Huntsman then explains that the reason for the exception to its general right to demand specific performance was to protect the Marketing Period during which the lending banks were to syndicate the debt. Furthermore, Huntsman argues, the parties agreed that if the Marketing Period had passed or the Termination Date had arrived Huntsman could force Hexion to consummate the merger, as the lending banks would have had a chance to syndicate the debt. While Huntsman's argument makes commercial sense, the inartfully drafted provision does not say what Huntsman says it does.
The problem clause is the second condition to the carve-out from specific performance: if "the Merger has not been consummated on or prior to the earlier of the last day of the Marketing Period or the Termination Date," Huntsman cannot force Hexion to close.[119] Literally the clause does not allow specific performance in any case where Huntsman could employ the remedy.[120]
While generally Delaware courts attempt to interpret contracts in a manner that gives meaning to each provision, the meaning of the phrase at issue is unclear.[121] When a provision is "fairly susceptible of different interpretations," as is the case here, "the court may consider extrinsic evidence."[122] Here, Huntsman merely offers an unsupported argument about what the parties intended to mean, based on logic, but provides no evidence. In addition, Huntsman's argument contradicts how it explained the merger in the proxy statement it filed with the Security and Exchange Commission. On both pages 11 and 85, Huntsman reports:
Each of the parties is specifically authorized to seek a decree or order of specific performance to enforce performance *761 of any covenant or obligation under the merger agreement or injunctive relief to restrain any breach or threatened breach, provided that in a case where Hexion is obligated to close the merger, we may not specifically enforce its obligations to consummate the merger but only its obligations to cause its financing to be funded.[123]
The proxy statement makes no mention of any circumstance under which Huntsman could specifically enforce Hexion's obligation to consummate the merger.[124]
Nussbaum's uncontradicted testimony at trial coupled with the extrinsic evidence provided in Huntsman's own publicly filed proxy statement leads the court to find that the agreement does not allow Huntsman to specifically enforce Hexion's duty to consummate the merger. Instead, if all other conditions precedent to closing are met, Hexion will remain free to choose to refuse to close.[125] Of course, if *762 Hexion's refusal to close results in a breach of contract, it will remain liable to Huntsman in damages.
Turning to the remaining questions, there is no dispute that section 8.11 of the merger agreement reflects the parties' express agreement that irreparable injury would occur "in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with its specific terms or were otherwise breached." That same section also contains the parties' general agreement that, in the event of any breach, the non-breaching party shall be entitled to obtain an order of specific performance "to enforce the observance and performance of such covenant or obligation." Finally, section 8.11 provides that no party seeking an order of specific performance "shall be required to obtain, furnish or post any bond or similar instrument."
In view of these provisions, and considering all the circumstances, the court concludes that it is appropriate to require Hexion to specifically perform its obligations under the merger agreement, other than the obligation to close. Hexion does not argue otherwise. When it is known whether the financing contemplated by the commitment letter is available or not, Hexion and its shareholders will thus be placed in the position to make an informed judgment about whether to close the transaction (in light of, among other things, the findings and conclusions in this opinion) and, if so, how to finance the combined operations. As the parties recognize, *763 both Hexion and Huntsman are solvent, profitable businesses. The issues in this case relate principally to the cost of the merger and whether the financing structure Apollo and Hexion arranged in July 2007 is adequate to close the deal and fund the operations of the combined enterprise. The order the court is today issuing will afford the parties the opportunity to resolve those issues in an orderly and sensible fashion.
VI.
For all the foregoing reasons, the court has today entered an Order and Final Judgment granting Huntsman Corporation relief in accordance with the findings of fact and conclusions of law set forth in this Opinion.
NOTES
[1] Apollo is not a party to the merger agreement.
[2] Am. Compl. ¶ 147 and 153. Leon Black and Joshua Harris are partners at Apollo.
[3] Huntsman witnesses characterized Apollo's termination of negotiations as backing out at the eleventh hour.
[4] A transaction between Huntsman and Hexion would take longer to close because it required a more detailed antitrust review than a deal between Huntsman and Basell. Also, the proposed transaction with Hexion would be more highly levered than the proposed transaction with Basell. Joint Pretrial Stipulation and Order 5.
[5] Huntsman negotiated for the right to have its Chief Financial Officer provide the solvency certificate.
[6] Trial Tr. vol. 1, 232.
[7] The same presentation reads that Hexion or Huntsman have the leading market position in the world in 12 major products. Furthermore the presentation describes the global diversification of Huntsman and how Huntsman's strength in Asia complemented Hexion's strength in Latin America.
[8] One of Apollo's models showed returns of approximately 11% to 18% after five years on the Huntsman transaction. Apollo published in its investors memorandum in June 2007 that it expected returns of 27% to 32% over the same time period.
[9] The "potential opportunities" include decreasing capital expenditures, timing the antitrust divestitures to coincide with the closing of the transaction, gaining access to cash "trapped" overseas, rolling debt instead of refinancing, improving local borrowing, and deferring pre-payments.
[10] Scenario 1 shows revolver availability at a low point of $238 million in 2010. Scenario 2 shows $56 million in revolver availability in 2009 and $5 million in 2010, but Zaken's handwritten notes suggest that there is $175 million in cash trapped overseas.
[11] DX 2256, at DUFF024355.
[12] DX 2259 at DUFF036085.
[13] Trial Tr. vol. 3, 881.
[14] A company need only fail one test to be considered insolvent.
[15] The valuation for the intercompany transfer was supported by fairness opinions from Valuation Research Company ("VRC") and Murray Devine. Apollo provided VRC and Murray Devine with its most recent and reasonable model in February 2008, which approximated the value of the combined entity at $15.8 billion.
[16] DX 2495.
[17] DX 2369. Hexion's projections for Huntsman's EBITDA on July 12, 2007 was $1,064.2 million for 2008, $1,153.4 million for 2009, $1,261.7 million for 2010 and $1,312.5 million for 2011. Valuation Research's February 12, 2008 model report projects Huntsman's EBITDA will be $1.072 billion in 2008, $1.108 billion in 2009, $1.209 billion in 2010 and $1.272 billion in 2011. DX 2257. Apollo's May 9, 2008 report (Scenarios 1 and 2) projects Huntsman's EBITDA will be $954 million in 2008, $994 million in 2009, $1.106 billion in 2010 and $1.188 billion in 2011. PX-917. Duff & Phelps's June 18, 2008 report projects Huntsman's EBITDA will be $867 million in 2008, $831 million in 2009, $898 million in 2010 and $984 million in 2011. DX 2535. Hexion's July 30, 2008 projections for Huntsman are $817.3 million for 2008, $808.7 million for 2009, $870.4 million for 2010, $951.5 million for 2011. PX 719.
[18] See id.
[19] Hexion has reduced its own 2008 forecasted EBITDA from $736 million on May 9, 2008 to $656 million on May 23, 2008 to $646 million for Duff & Phelps's June 18, 2008 report to $606 million for Duff & Phelps's August 1, 2008 report. DX 2495, DX 2258, DX 2535, DX 2365.
[20] DX 2535.
[21] The four alternatives were "(1) Commit to funding above the minimum finding levels, (2) Waive Huntsman credit funding balances, (3) Post a letter [of] credit to be drawn on if [the combined company is] not able to meet the minimum funding requirements [in the future], (4) Give the PBGC a silent second or third lien on certain assets as collateral." DX 2708.
[22] In addition, Rosenberg's ultimate conclusion that $200 million would be required at closing itself appears to have been influenced by the suggestions from Watchell Lipton. While Rosenberg's first draft shows the total underfunding of Huntsman's U.S. pension plans at $200 million (a number the parties agree on), it appears to be Wachtell Lipton that suggested, in a June 10 draft and in brackets, that the cash payment at closing will likely be $200 million.
[23] PX 1121.
[24] PX 1121.
[25] Carter testified that Hexion offered to pay certain of the bidders' due diligence costs if they would stay involved, but did not explain what percentage of the costs would be reimbursed or the other terms of the offer. Nor did he provide any written evidence of the offer.
[26] One such area in which Wisler recognized that he could have received more accurate information was in regards to contingent liabilities. However, Wisler claimed that the difference in numbers would have had a de minimis impact on his analysis.
[27] Trial Tr. vol. 1, 85, 93.
[28] The May 8, 2008 board meeting was the last regularly scheduled meeting before the then expected closing date of July 4, 2008.
[29] PX 629. Ramsey's statement was based on Huntsman management's current estimate, at the time, of $900 million in EBITDA for 2008.
[30] Merger Agreement § 7.1(b)(ii).
[31] Trial Tr. vol. 6, 1648.
[32] Trial Tr. vol. 6, 1648-49.
[33] Hulme testified in detail regarding Huntsman's effort to restructure the Textile Effects business since its acquisition of the business from Ciba approximately two years ago. According to Hulme, Huntsman has already completed two phases of the restructuring process"Columbus I" and "Columbus II" and expects annual savings of $54 million from these projects. Hulme expects "Columbus III" to add additional annual benefits by the end of 2009.
[34] Esplin explained that, as a rule of thumb, Huntsman's direct costs go down $140 million for every $10 decrease in barrel of crude oil and $24 million for every $1 decrease in MBTU of natural gas. Esplin also testified about $427 million in expenditures Huntsman has recently made modernizing five plants, from which he expects incremental EBITDA benefit in 2009.
[35] The three conflicted companies are Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and Deutsche Bank.
[36] Trial Tr. vol. 6, 1657.
[37] Resnick testified at trial that the public company analysis generally leads to a lower result than the other tests because the public trading multiples do not account for a control premium. Nonetheless, Resnick followed Duff & Phelps's weighting of the three tests in his analysis.
[38] Duff & Phelps looked at the latest 12 months, projected 2008 and projected 2009 EBITDA.
[39] Resnick added Dow's acquisition of Rohm & Haas at 12.4 times EBITDA to the comparable transaction pool. The three-year precedent transaction median was 10 times EBITDA. Resnick notes that Apollo identified Rohm & Haas as the best comparable for a combined Huntsman and Hexion. Hexion argued that Rohm & Haas's margins are significantly higher than either Huntsman's or Hexion's.
[40] The Duff & Phelps discounted cash flow analysis yielded an enterprise value of approximately $11.7 billion, with the difference being accounted for due to variations in EBITDA projections, the weighted average cost of capital, and the discount rate used. Resnick used Huntsman management's July 25, 2008 projections.
[41] The difference between Duff & Phelps's two tests is $700 million. The DCF analysis yields an $11.7 billion enterprise value and the public company/transaction analysis yields an $11 billion enterprise value.
[42] PX 180, at 2 (emphasis added).
[43] JX 1.
[44] Trial Tr. vol. 6, 1833-34.
[45] The letter reads: "[I]f the Commission does not accept a consent order for public comment prior to October 2, the agreement will be terminable by either party. Huntsman could then terminate and seek to collect [] $325 million." The letter continues: "We have come so close to reaching a final resolution that it would be most unfortunate if this transaction were to collapse because we have been unable to complete the antitrust process in time." DX 3062.
[46] After the last day of trial, Hexion informed the court that it obtained signed agreements for the divestitures.
[47] Trial Tr. vol. 3, 700.
[48] DX 2384.
[49] Trial Tr. vol. 6, 1563-64; DX 3054; Huntsman Corp., Current Report (Form 8K) (September 12, 2008), Ex. 99.1.
[50] A number of other carve-outs follow in subsections 3.1(a)(ii)(C)-(G). For reasons that will be apparent, they need not be listed here.
[51] The wording of the carve-outs was the subject of significant negotiation between the parties. The original form of merger agreement delivered to Hexion by Huntsman called for a comparison to "other Persons engaged in the chemical industry in the same region and segments as the Company...." PX 98, at 9. Apollo's comments to the initial draft modified the definition to substantially its present form, which it remained in for the rest of the negotiation. PX 125, at 9.
[52] At trial Huntsman's expert, Mark Zmijewski, testified that Huntsman's deviations from the mean in these categories were not statistically significant. Ultimately, whether rigorous statistical significance is necessary to find disproportionate performance need not be decided in this case. Moreover, Zmijewski points out that Zachariades' inconsistencies in using Capital IQ data for comparable-company EBITDA and Huntsman 10-Q data for Huntsman's EBITDA, because they are calculated differently, results in an unwarranted negative skew in Zachariades' ranking of Huntsman in his various metrics.
[53] In re IBP, Inc. S'holders Litig., 789 A.2d 14, 67 (Del.Ch.2001); see also James C. Freund, Anatomy of A Merger: Strategies and Techniques for Negotiating Corporate Acquisitions 246 (Law Journals Seminars-Press 1975) ("[W]hatever the concept of materiality may mean, at the very least it is always relative to the situation."). Although IBP technically is with respect to a material adverse effect clause in a contract governed by New York law rather than Delaware law, the logic of IBP is no less applicable. See Frontier Oil v. Holly Corp., 2005 WL 1039027, at *34 (Del.Ch.).
[54] IBP, 789 A.2d at 67.
[55] Id. at 68 ("Practical reasons lead me to conclude that a New York court would incline toward the view that a buyer ought to have to make a strong showing to invoke a Material Adverse Effect exception to its obligation to close.").
[56] Id.
[57] Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 38 n. 35.
[58] Metro. Life. Ins. Co. v. Jacobs, 1 A.2d 603, 606 (Del. 1938).
[59] IBP, 789 A.2d at 65. Hexion's entire argument on the subject is restricted to two sentences in footnote 35 of its post-trial brief. Given the extraordinary effect a difference in which party carries the burden could have on the outcome of this litigation, the fact that it spends but two sentences attempting to distinguish the leading case in this jurisdiction on the subject of material adverse effect clauses leaves the court suspicious that Hexion simply could not muster from the case law any stronger argument on the subject.
[60] Of course, the easiest way that the parties could evidence their intent as to the burden of proof would be to contract explicitly on the subject. The idea that it would be helpful for parties to allocate explicitly the burden of proof with respect to material adverse effect clauses is not novel. See Frontier Oil, 2005 WL 1039027, at *34.
[61] See 13 WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS § 38:7 (4th ed.).
[62] See IBP, 789 A.2d at 68.
[63] Those Certain Underwriters at Lloyd's, London v. Nat'l Installment Ins. Servs., Inc., 2007 WL 4554453 (Del.Ch.) (quoting Rhone-Poulenc v. GAF Chem. Corp., 1993 Del. Ch. LEXIS 59, at *7 (Apr. 6, 1993)).
[64] Joint Pretrial Stipulation and Order at 9. This is the framing of the question under the DefendantCounterclaim Plaintiff's heading. The PlaintiffCounterclaim Defendant's frame the same question as "Whether under Section 6.2(e) of the Merger Agreement, Huntsman has, since execution of the Merger Agreement, experienced events, changes, effects or developments that have had or are reasonably expected to have, in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect on Huntsman such that if the conditions to the closing of the Merger were measured now, Hexion would have no obligation to effect the Merger and would bear no liability and no obligation to pay any termination or other fee to Huntsman as a result of the failure of the Merger to be consummated." Id. at 7. Thus while Huntsman framed the question in terms of the burden being placed on Hexion, Hexion framed the question in the pretrial order in burden-neutral terms.
[65] More precisely, most of the existing debt of the target company generally must be redeemed as a result of the Change of Control provisions of the credit agreements and trust indentures such debt is subject to. The source of the cash to redeem that debt is a matter of discretion for the acquirer.
[66] Huntsman's codename for its sale process.
[67] Section 5.11(b) reads in its entirety:
(b) Each of Parent and Merger Sub agrees that, except for the representations and warranties made by the Company that are expressly set forth in Section 3.1 of this Agreement (as modified by the Company Disclosure Letter or as disclosed in the SEC Documents) and in any certificate provided pursuant to Section 6.2(c), neither the Company nor any other Person has made and shall not be deemed to have made any representation or warranty of any kind. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, each of Parent and Merger Sub agrees that neither the Company, any holder of the Company's securities nor any of their respective Affiliates or Representatives, makes or has made any representation or warranty to Parent, Merger Sub or any of their representatives or Affiliates with respect to:
(i) any projections, forecasts or other estimates, plans or budgets of future revenues, expenses or expenditures, future results of operations (or any component thereof), future cash flows (or any component thereof) or future financial condition (or any component thereof) of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or the future business, operations or affairs of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries heretofore or hereafter delivered to or made available to Parent, Merger Sub or their respective representatives or Affiliates;
(ii) any other information, statement or documents heretofore or hereafter delivered to or made available to Parent, Merger Sub or their respective representatives or Affiliates, except to the extent and as expressly covered by a representation and warranty made by the Company and contained in Section 3.1 of this Agreement.
[68] This would actually end up looking from an economic perspective a lot like the Contingent Value Rights offered by Citadel, D.E. Shaw, and other hedge funds to help close the purported "funding gap." See Huntsman Corp., Current Report (Form 8-K), Ex. 99.1 (August 29, 2008).
[69] See 11 WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS § 32:5 (4th ed.) ("An interpretation which gives effect to all provisions of the contract is preferred to one which renders a portion of the writing superfluous, useless or inexplicable. A court will interpret a contract in a manner that gives reasonable meaning to all of its provisions, if possible.").
[70] It is worth noting that Hexion is not raising a claim of fraud in the inducement, or any similar tort claim, against Huntsman. Rather, Hexion's claim is firmly rooted in contract. To the extent the contract deals with risk associated with the forecasts, that risk is implicitly excluded from the definition of Company Material Adverse Effect. This is natural given the role of a material adverse effect clause as a backstop provision.
[71] Merger Agreement § 3.1(a)(ii).
[72] Trial Tr. vol. 5, 1386-87. See 17 C.F.R. § 229.303 (2008).
[73] In accord with the discussion above regarding forecasts, Zmijewski testified that forecasts are never used as the benchmark in such financial statements.
[74] Indeed, Huntsman's Q3 2006 EBITDA was down 26% from Q2 2006, and Q4 2006 was down 21% from Q3. In 2005, a similar pattern appeared as well, with Q3 2005 down 12% from Q2, and Q4 2005 down 43% from Q3. Id. Thus, Hexion should have been well aware at signing that the second-half of 2007 was likely to be less lucrative for Huntsman than the first.
[75] This follows from the basic proposition of corporate finance that the value of a company is determined by the present value of its future cash flows. Moreover, this is mandated by the language of the merger agreement in section 6.2(e): "There shall not have occurred after the date of this Agreement any event, change, effect, or development that has had or is reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Company Material Adverse Effect." (emphasis added).
[76] Even assuming that Hexion's projections are true, this is only a 12% decrease from Huntsman's 2007 EBITDA and a 15% decrease from Huntsman's 2006 EBITDA. See DX3022 at Ex. 3.
[77] IBP, 789 A.2d at 68.
[78] See Huntsman Corp., Annual Report (Form 10-K), at 80 (February 22, 2008).
[79] Pl.'s Pretrial Br. 79.
[80] Hexion also offers a makeweight argument that Huntsman in its Project Nimbus due diligence materials included updated projections for two other lines of business that had raised their projected earnings, but held back lowered projections in Pigments and Textile Effects. Hexion has not however attempted to raise a claim of fraud in the inducement, which it obviously would be unable to prove based on Zaken's specific disclaimer of any reliance on Huntsman's forecasts. While this behavior by Huntsman seems questionable (though in this case minor given the significance of those two businesses to Huntsman's overall earnings), it is ultimately irrelevant. As discussed above, Huntsman in the merger agreement specifically disclaims any representations or warranties with respect to the forecasts provided to Hexion.
[81] A question not before this court and which the court takes no position on.
[82] Hulme's experience at Huntsman includes the successful restructuring of the advanced materials, performance products, and polyurethanes businesses, the latter of which now contributes over 50% of Huntsman's earnings.
[83] See Merger Agreement §§ 7.3(d), 7.3(f), & 7.2(b).
[84] Pl.'s Pretrial Br. 68.
[85] Id. at 69.
[86] Id. (citing MODEL PENAL CODE §§ 1.13(12), 202(a)).
[87] A mistake of law is an excuse only if the mistake negates one of the elements of the offense. For example, if a law made it a felony to fail to report a crime, it would be a defense to such charge that the defendant was unaware the act he had witnessed was criminal. But it would not be a defense that he was unaware of his obligation to report crimes.
[88] For the proposition that a "knowing" breach requires that Hexion have actual knowledge that its actions constitute a breach, Hexion cites several cases. According to Hexion, the court in In re Doughty found that the "lawyer did not `knowingly' disobey a court rule" because the evidence did not support an inference that the lawyer "actually knew of the bona fide office requirement and knowingly practiced law in Delaware in violation of the requirement." Pl.'s Pretrial Br. 68 (quoting 832 A.2d 724, 734 (Del.2003)). But Doughty involves a charge that a lawyer violated DLRPC § 3.4(c), which states that a "lawyer shall not ... (c) knowingly disobey an obligation under the rules of a tribunal, except for an open refusal based on an assertion that no valid obligation exists." (emphasis added). Here, the key element of the charge is that the lawyer knew he was disobeyingif he was unaware of the obligation, he could not do so. This is exactly the unusual case discussed supra, note 87. Hexion's other two cases on the subject relate to knowing participation in a board of director's breach of fiduciary duties. Pl.'s Pretrial Br. 68; see Malpiede v. Townson, 780 A.2d 1075, 1097 (Del.2001); Associated Imports, Inc. v. ASG Indus., Inc., 1984 WL 19833, at *12 (Del.Ch.). In this context the rule is that "[k]nowing participation in a board's fiduciary breach requires the third party act with the knowledge that the conduct advocated or assisted constitutes such a breach." Malpiede, 780 A.2d at 1097. The reason for the divergence in this context from the normal rule is clear. In the absence of such a rule, third parties would negotiate business dealings with a corporation at their peril. Because whether a particular act by a board constitutes a breach of fiduciary duty is highly context specific, such third-parties would have to undertake extensive due diligence in order to assure themselves that the board had not breached a duty in authorizing the transaction. The rule requiring actual knowledge that the transaction would constitute a breach removes this friction and facilitates the commercial interaction of corporate entities. Such rule is unnecessary though for those whom themselves are the subjects of the duty. A director need not know that his action breaches a fiduciary duty for liability for that breach to lie: gross negligence is sufficient for breach of the duty of care, and no showing of knowledge is required. See, e.g., Smith v. Van Gorkom, 488 A.2d 858, 873 (Del. 1985); Aronson v. Lewis, 473 A.2d 805, 812 (Del. 1984).
[89] See 24 WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS § 64:1 (4th ed.):
The fundamental principle that underlies the availability of contract damages is that of compensation. That is, the disappointed promisee is generally entitled to an award of money damages in an amount reasonably calculated to make him or her whole and neither more nor less; any greater sum operates to punish the breaching promisor and results in an unwarranted windfall to the promisee, while any lesser sum rewards the promisor for his or her wrongful act in breaching the contract and fails to provide the promisee with the benefit of the bargain he or she made.
[90] See 24 WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS § 65:1 (4th ed.) (quoting RESTATEMENT (SECOND) OF CONTRACTS § 356, comment (a).) ("As the drafters of the Restatement (Second) of Contracts point out, and as the cases make clear, `[t]he central objective behind the system of contract remedies is compensatory, not punitive. Punishment of a promisor for having broken his promise has no justification on either economic or other grounds and a term providing such a penalty is unenforceable on grounds of public policy.'").
[91] Pl.'s Pretrial Br. 68.
[92] BLACK'S LAW DICTIONARY 888 (8th ed.2004).
[93] PX 2 at D-2 ¶ 6. Paragraph 6 of Exhibit D (which exhibit consists of additional conditions precedent to the banks' obligation to fund) reads in pertinent part:
The [lending banks] shall have received (i) customary and reasonably satisfactory legal opinions, corporate documents and certificates (including a certificate from the chief financial officer of [Hexion] or the chief financial officer of [Huntsman] or an opinion from a reputable valuation firm with respect to solvency (on a consolidated basis) of the [combined company] and its subsidiaries on the Closing Date after giving effect to the Transactions) (all such opinions, documents and certificates mutually agreed to be in form and substance customary for recent financings of this type with portfolio companies controlled by affiliates of or funds managed by [Apollo])....
[94] Although section 6.3(c) of the merger agreement makes delivery by Hexion to Huntsman of a solvency letter pursuant to section 5.13 of the merger agreement a condition precedent to Huntsman's obligation to close, because this condition is for Huntsman's protection Huntsman may choose to waive it. Hexion cannot, therefore, rely on the purported impossibility of obtaining such a letter to avoid its own obligation to close.
[95] Both sides' management testified that there are many "levers" a corporate manager can "pull" to address operating liquidity concerns.
[96] Hexion also took a number of other actions that may ultimately prevent the feasibility of consummating the commitment letter financing because of the existence of a "funding gap." As discussed in the fact recitation earlier, three of the initial bidders (the three highest bidders) for Hexion's assets to be divested dropped out of the bidding after Hexion's suit seeking to terminate the merger was commenced. Two of those three cited the lawsuit and the potential that the divestiture would therefore never close as their reason for disengaging. The average bid of the disengaging bidders was over $375 million. Following their disengagement, Hexion entered into negotiations with a bidder who had initially bid $160 million. Additionally, Hexion could have (but did not) negotiate with the ultimate buyer to close the divestiture simultaneously with the Huntsman merger (as opposed to a few days later, as is actually the case). Assuming Hexion had managed to entice even one of the three bidders who disengaged into paying the average of their initial bids, this could have resulted in substantially more cash available to Hexion at closing, which combined with a simultaneous closing would thereby have closed the purported funding gap by that amount. Hexion also may have caused the potential funding gap to expand by virtue of its tainting the pension regulatory negotiation process. Hexion's initial advice from PwC as to its potential liability to bolster the pension funds at closing was zero liability in the U.S. and a maximum of $50 million in the U.K. Rather than entering into negotiations with the PBGC and the U.K. pension regulators on that basis though, Hexion instead (seemingly in an attempt to enhance their funding gap argument in an effort to avoid the consummation of the merger) engaged new pension experts, ultimately increasing their pension liabilities in their model to $200 million in the U.S. and $195 million in the U.K. Because of a potential rule change under U.K. pension regulations in March of this year, it is unclear whether the $195 million possibility is correct. The court was convinced however by the testimony of Huntsman's U.S. pension expert John Spencer that the PBGC was extremely unlikely to demand a $200 million payment on closing, and in fact that no-upfront payment would be required. There is no question that both the PBGC and the U.K. pension regulators are by now aware of Hexion's elevated expectations in this regard. To the extent that after negotiating with the PBGC and the U.K. pension regulators Hexion is obligated to pay this higher amount and thereby creates a larger funding gap, such gap could be found to be a direct result of Hexion's obtaining these higher estimates and publishing them. Further, to the extent that any of the above increases in the funding gap proximately results in a failure to consummate the financing and the merger, that failure will be a result of Hexion's knowing and intentional breach in taking the course of action that resulted in those increases.
[97] A document apparently unprecedented in Duff & Phelps's history of opinion practice except in its litigation practice. The normal practice in retaining a solvency expert to deliver a solvency opinion is that if the team arrives at a result of insolvency, the client is simply informed that Duff & Phelps will be unable to deliver a solvency opinion. The normal course is not to deliver a formal opinion of insolvency to the client.
[98] Trial Tr. vol. 1, 93-95.
[99] See 14 WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS § 43:5-6 (4th ed.):
[M]odern courts, and the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, recognize that something more than a mere default is ordinarily necessary to excuse the other party's performance in the typical situation, subscribing to the general rule that where the performance of one party is due before that of the other party, such as when the former party's performance requires a period of time, an uncured failure of performance by the former can suspend or discharge the latter's duty of performance only if the failure is material or substantial. Thus, if the prior breach of such a contract was slight or minor, as opposed to material or substantial, the nonbreaching party is not relieved of his or her duty of performance, although he or she may recover damages for the breach. In what is essentially a variation on the above rule, some courts have indicated that a breach of contract which is only "partial," as opposed to "total," will not relieve the other party from his or her obligation to perform.... For purposes of the general rule that one party's uncured, material failure of performance under a contract calling for an exchange of performances will suspend or discharge the other party's duty to perform, whether a nonperformance is sufficiently material is ordinarily an issue of fact. It is ultimately a question of degree, which, it has been said, should be decided based upon the inherent justice of the matter. Generally, such nonperformance will attain this level of materiality only when it goes to the root, heart or essence of the contract or is of such a nature as to defeat the object of the parties in making the contract, or, as it has sometimes been said, when the covenant not performed is of such importance that the contract would not have been made without it.
[100] Commitment Letter ¶ 4 provides in pertinent part: "You agree that if at any time prior to the closing Date any of the representations in the preceding sentence would, to your knowledge, be incorrect in any material respect if the Information and Projections were being furnished, and such representations were being made, at such time, then you will promptly supplement the Information and Projections to the extent of Information available to you so that such representations will be correct in all material respects under those circumstances."
[101] Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 72 (quoting Trial Tr. vol. 1, 124). Hexion also offers in support of this contention the statement by Malcolm Price of Credit Suisse that "Credit Suisse believed that Hexion was obligated to provide updated financial information pursuant to the Commitment Letter." Id. (citing Trial Tr. vol. 3, 726). But this simply speaks to Hexion's obligation to provide the banks with the updated projections, not with the insolvency opinion.
[102] Morrison's complete colloquy on re-direct was:
Q. And you provided the Duff & Phelps book to the banks. Correct?
A. Yes.
Q. And there were projections in there? A. Yes.
Q. Why did you do that?
A. They represented our most current knowledge and projections, so we thought they represented the current state as we understood it.
Trial Tr. vol. 1, 123-24.
[103] Merger Agreement § 5.12(a).
[104] Id. § 5.13(a).
[105] Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 57.
[106] 601 F.2d 609 (2d Cir.1979) (Friendly, J).
[107] Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 57 (quoting Bloor, 601 F.2d at 614-15).
[108] Bloor, 601 F.2d at 614 (emphasis added).
[109] Id. at 614-15.
[110] Triple-A Baseball Club Assoc. v. Northeastern Baseball, Inc., 832 F.2d 214, 222 (1st Cir.1987). Hexion cites this case for the proposition that a "best efforts clause" does not require the promisor to make "every conceivable effort." Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 57.
[111] Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 57 (quoting Triple-A Baseball Club Assoc., 832 F.2d 214). Hexion also cites Martin v. Monumental Life Ins. Co., 240 F.3d 223, 234-35 (3d Cir.2001) for the related proposition that "best efforts" is a form of "good faith and sound business judgment." Pl.'s Post-Trial Br. 57.
[112] Huntsman certified compliance with the FTC second request on February 7, 2008.
[113] The merger agreement makes only three substantive mentions of solvency: (1) In section 3.2(k) of the agreement Hexion represents that, assuming Huntsman's representations and warranties remain true as and immediately following the consummation of the merger, the combined entity will be solvent; (2) section 5.13(f) obligates Hexion to provide to Huntsman a solvency letter from an independent appraiser, opining that the combined entity, after giving effect to the merger, will be solvent; and (3) section 6.3(c) makes Hexion's delivery of the solvency letter to Huntsman a condition precedent to Huntsman's obligation to close.
[114] Although the court notes Credit Suisse's admitted eagerness to avoid funding on the commitment letter, as testified to by Malcolm Price, it also notes Price's testimony that his bank is "prepared to fund that commitment if a compliant solvency certificate can be provided." Trial Tr. vol. 3, 753.
[115] "Ripeness, the simple question of whether a suit has been brought at the correct time, goes to the very heart of whether a court has subject matter jurisdiction. As such, the court has a positive duty to raise this issue on its own motion, even if neither party objects to the court's exercise of power over the case." Bebchuk v. CA, Inc., 902 A.2d 737, 740 (Del.Ch.2006) (citing 15 JAMES WM. MOORE ET AL., MOORE'S FEDERAL PRACTICE ¶¶ 101.70[1], 101.73[2] (3d ed.2006)). Delaware courts do not rule on issues unless they are "`ripe for judicial determination,' consistent with a well-established judicial reluctance" to issue advisory opinions. Bebchuk, 902 A.2d at 740 (quoting Stroud v. Milliken Enterprises, Inc., 552 A.2d 476, 479-80 (Del. 1989)). "Whenever a court examines a matter where facts are not fully developed, it runs the risk not only of granting an incorrect judgment, but also of taking an inappropriate or premature step in the development of the law." Stroud, 552 A.2d at 480. A ripe dispute is therefore one not only where litigation "sooner or later appears to be unavoidable," but in which "the material facts are static." Id. at 481. The court must therefore decide as a threshold matter "whether the interests of those who seek relief outweigh the interests of the court and of justice in `postponing review until the question arises in some more concrete and final form.'" Bebchuk, 902 A.2d at 740 (quoting Stroud, 552 A.2d at 480). In the court's opinion, the latter considerations outweigh the former here.
[116] Emphasis added. The Marketing Period is, in simplified terms, the first 20 consecutive business days after the Initiation Date. The Initiation Date is the first business day after which the conditions precedent set forth in sections 6.1 and 6.2 (general conditions precedent and conditions precedent to Hexion's obligation to close) have been met. Merger Agreement § 1.2.
[117] Trial Tr. vol. 2, 412.
[118] Def.'s Post-Trial Br. 84. See 11 WILLISTON ON CONTRACTS § 32:5 (4th ed.) ("An interpretation which gives effect to all provisions of the contract is preferred to one which renders a portion of the writing superfluous, useless or inexplicable. A court will interpret a contract in a manner that gives reasonable meaning to all of its provisions, if possible.").
[119] Merger Agreement § 8.11 (emphasis added).
[120] Assuming that the Marketing Period ends before the Termination Date, if the deal is not consummated on or before the end of the Marketing Period, the agreement does not allow specific performance of the obligation to close. The clause does not explicitly state whether specific performance is available after the Marketing Period and before the Termination Date. However, if the deal was still in need of specific performance, it follows that it also had not been consummated prior to the end of the Marketing Periodand thus no specific performance is available. Specific performance would technically be available if the merger had already been consummated (on or prior to the earlier of the last day of the Marketing Period or the Termination Date), but at that point specific performance would be wholly unnecessary. Assuming that the Termination Date ends before the Marketing Period, on or before the end of the Termination Date specific performance of the obligation to close is not available. After the Termination Date, the agreement is terminated and specific performance would not be possible.
[121] See Julian v. Eastern States Constr. Service, Inc., 2008 WL 2673300, at * 7 (Del.Ch., July 8, 2008).
[122] "The extrinsic evidence the court may consider in such a circumstance includes `overt statements and acts of the parties, the business context, prior dealings between the parties, business custom and usage in the industry.'" Comrie v. Enterasys Networks, Inc., 837 A.2d 1, 13 (Del.Ch.2003) (quoting Supermex Trading Co., Ltd. v. Strategic Solutions Group, 1998 WL 229530 at *3 (Del.Ch. May 1, 1998)).
[123] Huntsman Corp., Definitive Proxy Statement Relating to Merger or Acquisition (Form DEFM14A) at 11, 85 (September 12, 2007).
[124] If the clause was meant as Huntsman argues in its post-trial brief, it would be a rare case that Huntsman would not be entitled to specifically enforce the consummation of the merger, given that Huntsman's brief suggests that the Marketing Period was envisioned to occur before the Termination Date. Even if the banks did not start the Marketing Period promptly, Huntsman, under its proffered interpretation, could always specifically enforce consummation of the merger on the Termination Date. In sharp contrast, Huntsman's proxy statement leads its shareholders to believe that there are no (or possibly insignificant) circumstances under which Huntsman could specifically enforce the consummation of the merger.
[125] In addition to the issues already dealt with above, the court also rejects Hexion's claim, made in count IV of its amended complaint, that Huntsman's board was not entitled to extend the Termination Date past July 4, 2008, and that the merger agreement is therefore presently terminable by Hexion. Hexion cites for this proposition section 7.1(b)(ii), which states, in pertinent part:
if as of the Termination Date (as extended pursuant to the second proviso of this Section 7.1(b)(ii)), the condition set forth in the first sentence of Section 6.1(b) has not been met, the Termination Date shall be extended (provided, that commitments to provide the Financing (or any Alternate Financing) shall have been extended to the proposed extended Termination Date and Parent and Merger Sub are in material compliance with Section 5.4 hereof) by 90 days, upon the request of Parent or the Company for such extension, if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith (after consultation with Parent), that there exists at such time an objectively reasonable probability of both (A) the condition set forth in the first sentence of Section 6.1(b) being met and (B) the consummation of the Merger occurring within such subsequent 90 day period (it being understood and agreed by the parties that any decision by the Board of Directors of the Company to not extend the Termination Date as provided in this third proviso shall in no way mitigate Parent's obligations under Section 5.4).
Section 6.1(b) requires the receipt of any necessary antitrust and regulatory approvals as a condition precedent to closing. Section 7.1(b)(ii) therefore requires that Huntsman's board, in order to extend the Termination Date, make a "good faith determination" that there exists at that time an "objectively reasonable probability" of (A) receiving antitrust clearance and (B) the merger closing within the 90-day extension.
Hexion does not challenge Huntsman's determination as to antitrust clearance. The only question, therefore, is whether the Huntsman board had, at the time it purportedly extended the merger agreement, determined in good faith that there was an objectively reasonable probability of the merger closing in the 90-day extension period. "Good faith" requires "`a party in a contractual relationship to refrain from arbitrary or unreasonable conduct which has the effect of preventing the other party to the contract from receiving the fruits'" of the bargain. Dunlap v. State Farm Fire and Cas. Co., 878 A.2d 434, 442 (Del.Super.2005) (quoting Wilgus v. Salt Pond Inv. Co., 498 A.2d 151, 159 (Del.Ch.1985)). "Objectively reasonable probability" simply requires "something more than a `mere hope.'" Kachmar v. SunGard Data Systems, Inc., 109 F.3d 173, 184 (3d Cir.1997). Thus, the standard for Huntsman's conduct in extending the Termination Date is that the Huntsman board may not have arbitrarily or unreasonably extended on the basis of a mere hope that the merger could be consummated within the 90-day window. This is a very low bar for Huntsman to meet, and it does so quite easily here.
Ramsey presented to the Huntsman board on behalf of Merrill Lynch on June 26 that Duff & Phelps's opinion was potentially untrustworthy as it did not reflect Huntsman's actual and expected earnings, and that Merrill Lynch believed that a good case could be made for the solvency of the combined entity. Hexion, in response, puts a great deal of stock in the analysis performed by Esplin on July 1, 2008 showing a $53 million funding gap and only $10 million in revolver availability in Q1 2009. However, as was made clear at trial, Huntsman's working capital, and therefore net debt, swung as much as $100 million over the course of a month. The $53 million gap is therefore within the margin of error created by the level of working capital, and at closing the funds required to close could potentially have been that much less. This also ignores the possibility of other "levers" being pulled by Huntsman in order to buttress the solvency of the combined company, including the presently outstanding offer of "free money" by the Huntsman family to be injected into the company at closing. Such injected "equity" would not only alleviate the $53 million funding gap but would increase the availability of the revolver by whatever amount the injected funds exceeded the funding gap at closing. In any event, Huntsman has a very low bar to clear in order to be justified in extending the Termination Date, and the fact that Esplin had in hand a single model which potentially called into question the solvency of the combined entity did not prevent Huntsman from doing so.
Moreover, even if, arguendo, Huntsman had not been able to make its showing of good faith, section 7.1(b)(ii) provides that, notwithstanding the Termination Date, "the right to terminate this Agreement under this section 7.1(b)(ii) shall not be available to any party whose failure to fulfill any material covenant or agreement under this Agreement has been the cause of or resulted in the failure of the Merger to occur on or before such date. . . ." Given the finding of this court that Hexion knowingly and intentionally breached its covenants under sections 5.12 and 5.13 of the merger agreement, and likely breached its covenant under section 5.4 as well, and that it is these breaches that have until now prevented the consummation of the merger, Hexion is not, in any event, entitled to terminate the merger agreement.
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https://example.com/article/5926
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1. The parts from us are sure to have quality warranty,and they are double tested before shipping.2. The items can be sent within 2 working day after the payment reaches us,except for mass process, we will confirm the delivery in advance.3. We can send your order by UPS/DHL/TNT/EMS/FedEx. Pls contact us directly and we will use your preferred ways.4. Any import fees or charges are the buyer's responsibility. But we can help you reduce and avoid import taxes by declaring prices low, declaring the contents as "electronic accessories" or other items and shipping in simple packaging.
REFUND&REPLACEMENT
1. We can guarantee the product quality within 3 months.2. If parts cannot work ,we will return payment or replacement to you.3. Any items must be returned in their original condition to qualify for a refund or replacement.4. The buyer is responsible for all the shipping cost incurred.
Quality is essential to both of us, we believe that High quality, Low price,Mutual benefit will be good basis of our cooperation.
|
2023-08-01T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8205
|
Israeli attacks have killed at least 360 people — including 62 women and children, according to the U.N. — and wounded some 1,400 others.
Westphal said six trucks full of medical supplies and spare parts for ambulances and generators will arrive in Gaza from Israel on Tuesday.
A Red Cross delegation that visited Gaza's largest hospital, Shifa, found conditions there had stabilized, he said.
"The situation is difficult but increasingly under control," Westphal told The Associated Press.
Ensuring that hospitals have sufficient fuel is a priority because many rely on diesel generators for electricity, he said.
The agency also has put a surgical team on standby to fly to Israel once it receives the green light from Israeli authorities.
Other aid agencies have also scaled up their response to the situation in Gaza.
The World Health Organization said it is preparing to fly 50 surgical kits from Norway to Israel. The kits will contain enough supplies to treat 5,000 wounded people. The health organization is also shipping nine basic health kits to Gaza — enough for three months' treatment of 90,000 people for common illnesses.
|
2023-12-03T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/7683
|
Zero-valent iron nanoparticles embedded into reduced graphene oxide-alginate beads for efficient chromium (VI) removal.
Zero-valent iron nanoparticles (Fe0 NPs) technologies are often challenged by poor dispersibility, chemical instability to oxidation, and mobility during processing, storage and use. This work reports a facile approach to synthesize Fe0 NPs embedded reduced graphene oxide-alginate beads (Fe@GA beads) via the immobilization of pre-synthesized Fe0 NPs into graphene oxide modified alginate gel followed by a modelling and in-situ reduction process. The structure/composition characterization of the beads finds that the graphene sheets and the Fe0 NPs (a shape of ellipsoid and a size of <100nm) are uniformly dispersed within the alginate beads. We demonstrate that these Fe@GA beads show a robust performance in aqueous Cr(VI) removal. With a optimized Fe and alginate content, Fe@GA bead can achieve a high Cr(VI) removal efficiency and an excellent mechanical strength. The initial Cr(VI) concentration, ionic strength, temperature and especially solution pH are all critical factors to control the Fe@GA beads performance in Cr(VI) removal. Fitness of the pseudo second-order adsorption model with data suggests adsorption is the rate-controlling step, and both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm are suitable to describe the removal behavior. The possible Cr(VI) removal path by Fe@GA beads is put forward, and the synergistic effect in this ternary system implies the potentials of Fe@GA beads in pollutant removal from water body.
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2024-03-20T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5029
|
Federal Government
Since the beginning of 2017, there is a substantial decrease in the number of incoming refugees in Lansing. According to St. Vincent Catholic Charities, which is the designated refugee resettlement agency in Lansing and mid-Michigan, there were 248 refugees that arrived in Lansing during the last three months of 2016, but and there are only 83 refugees arrived STVCC in the first quarter of 2017. “We had around 776 refugees last year,” said Judi Harris, the refugee resettlement director at STVCC. “We expected the same number this year until the administration made all these changes, so now we will be lucky to get 450 this year.”
This change is not only happening in Lansing but all over the United States and it appears to follow the new presidency.
President Trumps 54 million dollar budget proposal cuts large parts of federal government funding which could potentially affect the disabled and senior citizens. In Ingham County alone meals on wheels delivers about five hundred thousand meals a year and has 21 different sites that volunteers work from. “I’m concerned that the seniors who are sitting in there homes and are hearing about the program being cut, how they’re feeling,” said Carl Buonodono Nutrition Director for Meals on Wheels.
President Trumps budget plan will potentially cut the Older Americans Act and the Development Block Grant which equates to being about half of Meals on Wheels funding.
This potential cut of funding would lead to there being less sites open which means those who receive food from the program will no longer be able to do so. This budget plan not only affects those who get meals but also those who deliver them. 90 year old Robert Mac-Kinnon who goes by Bob, has been a Meals on Wheels volunteer for 15 year and feels with out Meals on Wheels he wouldn’t get his daily joy of helping others.
MSU freshman Pamela Quintana descibes her mother as hardworking, kind and community-oriented. “Everyone who knows her loves her,” said Quintana. “She’s known throughout the community…she’s a very hands-on mom, always taking care of her kids.” Every day, she wakes up at 5 a.m. She cleans as many as five homes a day to make ends meet. And she tries to return home at 5 p.m to see the kids she works hard to support.
Dave Carpenter has cut hair for approximately 49 years between the city of Mason and Delhi Township. He runs the small Rams Barber Shop now, located on the front lawn of 1940 Aurelius Road. It’s brown and trimmed in yellow, the colors of the local Holt High School. There’s a singular chair for patrons and a singular mirror. He reclines in it watching the news, fitting the stereotype of what old men do in their free time.
It is official; the Lansing City Council has unanimously voted and declared Lansing a sanctuary city. Prior to the meeting on April 3 where the vote took place, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero released an executive order that clarified policies in place for city officials and law enforcement to more effectively protect immigrant and refugees in the community. In Bernero’s executive order, he stated the following:
“We are confident these new policies do not violate federal law, but we are also prepared to take legal action to protect the prerogatives and powers of local government and local law enforcement,” Bernero said. “We do not want our local police to become de facto immigration agents— especially under the divisive and draconian direction of the Trump administration.”
The council agreed. “I think is one time that the city of Lansing has got it right; we are aligned and I think this addressed all the things we are getting in our emails, within our phone calls, within our conversations,” Council Member Judi Brown Clarke said at the meeting Monday.
The Quello Center at Michigan State University debates communication policy. Director William Dutton says that the potential policy changes regarding who can access browsing history is not something for consumers to worry about. The House and Senate voted to revoke laws that make it so an Internet Service Provider can not sell browser history to third parties. Web-based sites like Facebook and Google already do this. The policy that is trying to be removed was in place for around 6 months, according to Dutton.
Antonio Baker stands behind the counter of Biggby Coffee located on 1701 S. Waverly Road, and prepares an iced coffee drink for a customer. He has few worries while he’s focused on his job. One of them definitely isn’t health care, at least not today. Biggby Coffee is one company that does not offer part time health benefits to its employees, which isn’t uncommon for part-time employees, according to healthcare.gov, “Employers aren’t required to provide health insurance for part-time employees, even if they provide coverage for full-time employees. ”
Therefore, Baker remains a dependent with his health care being covered under his parent’s insurance.
Federal policy about which restrooms and locker rooms transgender students may use has been reversed, awakening civil rights activists. The latest development occurred March 6, when Supreme Court sent a case about the issue back to a lower court in Virginia.
The New York Times, CNN and other press organizations were barred from attending a non-televised briefing at the White House on Feb. 24, according to The Washington Post. The situation raised questions about the First Amendment rights of the press and alarmed many journalists and media organizations.
The Lansing City Council continues to delay actions that would declare Lansing a sanctuary city. City Council Member Judi Brown Clarke says the council needs more time to look at the language and get legal opinion on President Donald Trump’s recent executive order. “We are still on hold,” Clarke said. While Lansing continues to hold off with a new resolution on immigration policies, earlier this month East Lansing affirmed a resolution declaring the city a safe haven for refugees. Clarke says that Lansing’s current policies are similar to East Lansing’s recent resolution.
Environmental News from Great Lakes Echo
By MAX JOHNSTON
Capital News Service
LANSING — Many people consider carp to be a “trash fish,” but fly fishing for carp is popular in northern Michigan. This year though, guides have cancelled trips and lost thousands of dollars because they can’t find the fish.
By CARIN TUNNEY
Capital News Service
LANSING — Lake trout make noise in bed, according to new research by Great Lakes scientists. The species commonly growl, snap, quiver and thump while spawning, the study found.
In Case You Missed It
Summertime poses as the perfect opportunity for students to make and earn money for the up-and-coming school year but with more and more summer internships failing to offer compensation for their time students can struggle to make ends meet. “When I first got my internship I was so excited,” said Michigan State University pre-med student Ali Beydoun, “then found out it was unpaid and I got a little worried.
|
2024-01-08T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8243
|
/* private functions ------------------------------------------------------- */
/* scatter 4*4*4 block to strided array */
static void
_t2(scatter, Scalar, 3)(const Scalar* q, Scalar* p, int sx, int sy, int sz)
{
uint x, y, z;
for (z = 0; z < 4; z++, p += sz - 4 * sy)
for (y = 0; y < 4; y++, p += sy - 4 * sx)
for (x = 0; x < 4; x++, p += sx)
*p = *q++;
}
/* scatter nx*ny*nz block to strided array */
static void
_t2(scatter_partial, Scalar, 3)(const Scalar* q, Scalar* p, uint nx, uint ny, uint nz, int sx, int sy, int sz)
{
uint x, y, z;
for (z = 0; z < nz; z++, p += sz - (ptrdiff_t)ny * sy, q += 4 * (4 - ny))
for (y = 0; y < ny; y++, p += sy - (ptrdiff_t)nx * sx, q += 1 * (4 - nx))
for (x = 0; x < nx; x++, p += sx, q++)
*p = *q;
}
/* inverse decorrelating 3D transform */
static void
_t2(inv_xform, Int, 3)(Int* p)
{
uint x, y, z;
/* transform along z */
for (y = 0; y < 4; y++)
for (x = 0; x < 4; x++)
_t1(inv_lift, Int)(p + 1 * x + 4 * y, 16);
/* transform along y */
for (x = 0; x < 4; x++)
for (z = 0; z < 4; z++)
_t1(inv_lift, Int)(p + 16 * z + 1 * x, 4);
/* transform along x */
for (z = 0; z < 4; z++)
for (y = 0; y < 4; y++)
_t1(inv_lift, Int)(p + 4 * y + 16 * z, 1);
}
/* public functions -------------------------------------------------------- */
/* decode 4*4*4 floating-point block and store at p using strides (sx, sy, sz) */
uint
_t2(zfp_decode_block_strided, Scalar, 3)(zfp_stream* stream, Scalar* p, int sx, int sy, int sz)
{
/* decode contiguous block */
cache_align_(Scalar fblock[64]);
uint bits = _t2(zfp_decode_block, Scalar, 3)(stream, fblock);
/* scatter block to strided array */
_t2(scatter, Scalar, 3)(fblock, p, sx, sy, sz);
return bits;
}
/* decode nx*ny*nz floating-point block and store at p using strides (sx, sy, sz) */
uint
_t2(zfp_decode_partial_block_strided, Scalar, 3)(zfp_stream* stream, Scalar* p, uint nx, uint ny, uint nz, int sx, int sy, int sz)
{
/* decode contiguous block */
cache_align_(Scalar fblock[64]);
uint bits = _t2(zfp_decode_block, Scalar, 3)(stream, fblock);
/* scatter block to strided array */
_t2(scatter_partial, Scalar, 3)(fblock, p, nx, ny, nz, sx, sy, sz);
return bits;
}
|
2023-12-11T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3605
|
Friday, August 5, 2005
For Men too !
Today, I saw a billboard ad of Emami fairness cream - Fair And Handsome, for Men! Too much I say.
I mean, I know men always used these products. Men used talcum powders, Lux soap, moisturizer, etc; but no ad ever showed that. This is the first time a fairness cream has actually advertised their target group. Men - "specially made for tough skin".
I mean we have borne with ads where they show, how fortunes of dusky ladies get changed overnight (or 14 days), along with the color of their skin. What are they going to say in the men's cream ad? As far as I know, in our society, men's skin shade never really mattered. Maybe there is something I don't know.
The 2000 decade is going to be marked by the fact that anything that makes money is fine. Anyway, money always bought respect, from time immemorial.
I've noticed that there a lot of new anti-wrinkle creams for men now - what the heck? For years, we have heard that wrinkles make a man look "distinguished;" now, though, they are in the same boat as we females.
Good. Let them suffer the anguish we suffer, having to forever look thirteen.
It's absurd what they try and sell to people. I understand that for a small population, some things are beneficial but then they try to sell them to the mass public, trying to convince them that it is something everyone needs. Crazy
Its one thing to look good. Little bit of cosmetic, jewellery is ok. But changing your body - I think that is taking it a bit too far. I guess there is a thing line here, and it is set at different points for different people.I am mostly worried about these harsh chemicals scarring somebody. No matter what the manufacturers say, I doubt how safe they are.
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2024-02-22T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/1306
|
Incidence and disease associations of a proteinase 3-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody idiotype (5/7 Id) whose antiidiotype inhibits proteinase 3-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody antigen binding activity.
To evaluate the potential of a monoclonal proteinase 3-antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (PR3-ANCA) antiidiotype autoantibody (5/7 anti-Id) as a candidate for specific immunotherapy in Wegener's granulomatosis (WG), and to estimate the immunodiagnostic value of the corresponding idiotype (5/7 Id). We analyzed the incidence of 5/7 Id in patients with ANCA-associated vasculitides (WG, microscopic polyangiitis, Churg-Strauss syndrome), in disease controls (systemic lupus erythematosus patients), and in healthy donors. We then investigated the presence of 5/7 Id in relation to disease stage, clinical activity, and organ manifestations in 86 patients with WG. Finally, we investigated the ability of the 5/7 anti-Id reagent to inhibit the binding of PR3-ANCA to corresponding antigen in 19 WG patients. The incidence of 5/7 Id was significantly more frequent in WG patients (43 of 86; 50%). We did not find a significant correlation between the prevalence of idiotype expression and disease activity or organ manifestations. Further, we demonstrated in vitro suppression of PR3-ANCA antigen binding activity by 5/7 anti-Id in 11 of 19 WG patients who were positive for 5/7 Id. This study shows that 5/7 Id is a common idiotype with a significantly increased incidence in WG and that 5/7 anti-Id inhibits PR3-ANCA antigen binding activity. Based on these observations, we conclude that 5/7 anti-Id is a promising tool for the development of a specific immunotherapy for WG.
|
2023-10-16T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2266
|
Many oil companies succumb to the pressure from environmental activists and the media and join the fight against ‘climate change,’ or at least make motions to appear to do so. Not Exxon Mobil. In a previous column, I applauded CEO Rex Tillerson for refusing to climb on the climate change band wagon and for focusing on producing energy from fossil fuels—on which all of us depend—instead.
Tillerson and Exxon have not lost their integrity: they are steadfastly holding on to the principles they know their existence and successful value creation depend on, such as the right to liberty, and more specifically, freedom of speech. This time the attack comes, not from the environmentalists and the media, but from the government. In March, attorneys general (AG) of 20 U.S. states held a press conference where they vowed to hold oil companies accountable for their prior knowledge of ‘climate change.’
According to Law360, in April Massachusetts AG Maura Healey demanded Exxon to provide 40 years’ worth of documents about ‘climate change’ to support her investigation whether Exxon had committed fraud in selling fossil fuels to customers and shares to investors. Healey’s accusation is that Exxon knew about ‘catastrophic man-made climate change,’ allegedly caused by fossil fuel consumption, yet continued to produce and sell fossil fuel products and to finance its activity by selling shares.
To the delight of everyone who cares about freedom and human well-being, Exxon did not surrender to Healey’s irrational demand. Instead, it sued AG Healey in a Texas court last week, for violating its constitutional right for free speech and asked the judge to block Healey’s attempt to obtain any documents from Exxon. In its filing, Exxon said that Healey’s demand was based on “her disagreement with Exxon Mobil regarding how the United States should respond to climate change” and prompted by the March press conference which was motivated by pressure from environmental activists.
Exxon’s standing up for its individual rights is crucially important—because without the right to liberty, including the right express opinions that differ from those in the government, we will not be able to survive and flourish. Consider North Korea, where all dissent is crushed, for an example. The United States is not North Korea (yet), but that is the eventual outcome of squashing rights. One can only hope that Exxon’s example will inspire other companies and individuals to stand up for their rights.
The accusation of Exxon of fraud has no merit, of course. Fraud, in its dictionary definition, means: “intentional perversion of truth in order to induce another to part with something of value or to surrender a legal right.” What truth was Exxon perverting by selling oil and gas to customers and shares to investors in its pursuit of profits? None. AG Healey makes the assumption that the environmentalists’ claims of catastrophic man-made climate change actually constitute the truth.
However, as the evidence shows, the environmentalists’ claims are not supported by facts (and therefore, their claims in their pursuit of getting people to give up values for a ‘pristine’ nature are fraudulent). The climate is always changing, due to many natural phenomena, such as sun spots and shifting ocean currents. As Alex Epstein reports in The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, human impact on climate is, at best, very small. For example, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere in the last 150 years since the Industrial Revolution increased only from about 300 parts per million to about 400 ppm. In the same period, the average global temperature rose by less than 1 degree Celsius.
So man-made climate change can hardly be considered an established fact—one that Exxon presumably has been ‘hiding’ from its unsuspecting customers and investors for the last 40 years. Instead, Exxon has expressed skepticism of factually unsupported claims about climate change and focused on creating material values by producing and selling fossil fuels, to meet our demand for cheap energy that makes our lives better. For that, Exxon and its principled CEO Rex Tillerson deserve, not baseless accusations and attempt to abolish their right to express opinions, but praise and appreciation.
|
2023-11-26T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3822
|
Male Fitness Model Competition Guide Video
Hi, welcome to watchmojo.com. I am Ashley, and today we are going to learn everything about male fitness modeling. Ever wanted to be a male fitness model? Well, if you are lean, fit, toned, athletic, symmetrical, and generally nice to look at, you'll want to try the male fitness model search. This category is helpful for men who wish to appear in magazines, competing fitness, or even just to gain exposure in this industry. The overall package is important, and not simply the contestant's look. It is important to achieve a good balance between your level of fitness, tone and leanness, versus your skeletal structure, body type and even personality. For this reason, you will notice that not one body type outshines another in this competition. Symmetry and balance are very important. The upper versus lower body, front versus back and the ratio of chest to hips must all be cut in proportion to each other. The judges have a variety of criteria they will look at when they are viewing a contestant. The contestant's personality is significant. Confidence, charisma, a good attitude, as well as looking at ease on stage are all vital. But of course, so are good muscle tone, posture, symmetry, attractiveness, marketability ,and even a contestant's outfit selection. There are two rounds in this competition. First is the swim wear round, which is worth 60% of the competition. Athletes are asked to select their own suit for this round. While choosing, they should think about colors, patterns, styles, cuts and fits that highlight their individuality, look and fit body. The second round, worth the remaining 40% is the theme wear round. These outfits are meant to highlight individuality, and character our contestants. Anything from simple sportswear to interesting costumes is acceptable. Athletes can even use accessories, makeup and footwear to emphasize this theme. Whatever competitors do, they must draw the attention of the judges, while being careful of not to go over the top, as this can lose points to the athlete. It is the competitor and not the outfit that is being judged. However, these costumes can add to the score by making a competitor memorable to the judges. When in a group, contestants will be asked to execute four quadra turns. Each competitor can choose which type of turn he performs. But he should also direct his turns to the judges, so they have a good view point. Competitors are marked against each other, but individual points are given based on each competitor's walkout. Judged for their overall appearance as well as poise, confidence and outfit, contestants must be comfortable on stage. Athletes should enjoy being in the spotlight and should let their personality shine through them.
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2024-02-13T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/6889
|
Q:
C# - Handle property that can be both single and array when XML deserializing
I have a XML that looks like this that I need to deserialize:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Root xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<Countries>
<Country>
<CountryCode>CN</CountryCode>
<CurrentStatus>Active</CurrentStatus>
</Country>
</Countries>
<Countries>
<Country>
<CountryCode>AU</CountryCode>
<CurrentStatus>Cancelled</CurrentStatus>
</Country>
<Country>
<CountryCode>CN</CountryCode>
<CurrentStatus>Cancelled</CurrentStatus>
</Country>
<Country>
<CountryCode>US</CountryCode>
<CurrentStatus>Active</CurrentStatus>
</Country>
</Countries>
<Countries xsi:nil="true" />
</Root>
My problem here is that Countries can have Country as single and array as you can see. To get it working I have it as object type now but it is hard to handle. What is the best solution to fix this? I'm converting it to json since all our other systems use that and this is the only file we have that is XML.
public class Country
{
[JsonProperty("CountryCode")]
public string CountryCode { get; set; }
[JsonProperty("CurrentStatus")]
public string CurrentStatus { get; set; }
}
public class CountryInfo
{
[JsonProperty("Country")]
public object Country { get; set; }
//Does not work
//[JsonProperty("Country")]
//public IList<Country> Country { get; set; }
}
public class Root
{
[JsonProperty("Countries")]
public IList<CountryInfo> Countries { get; set; }
}
public class ExampleCountry
{
[JsonProperty("Root")]
public Root Root { get; set; }
}
XmlDocument xmlDoc = new XmlDocument();
xmlDoc.LoadXml(xml);
string json = JsonConvert.SerializeXmlNode(xmlDoc);
var exampleCountries = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject<ExampleCountry>(json);
Update:
If I enable public IList<Country> Country { get; set; } I get the following error:
Newtonsoft.Json.JsonSerializationException: 'Cannot deserialize the
current JSON object (e.g. {"name":"value"}) into type
'System.Collections.Generic.IList`1[]' because the type requires a
JSON array (e.g. [1,2,3]) to deserialize correctly.
A:
Solved it using this answer:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/18997172/3850405
public class CountryInfo
{
[JsonProperty("Country")]
[JsonConverter(typeof(SingleOrArrayConverter<Country>))]
public IList<Country> Country { get; set; }
}
public class SingleOrArrayConverter<T> : JsonConverter
{
public override bool CanConvert(Type objectType)
{
return (objectType == typeof(List<T>));
}
public override object ReadJson(JsonReader reader, Type objectType, object existingValue, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
JToken token = JToken.Load(reader);
if (token.Type == JTokenType.Array)
{
return token.ToObject<List<T>>();
}
return new List<T> { token.ToObject<T>() };
}
public override bool CanWrite
{
get { return false; }
}
public override void WriteJson(JsonWriter writer, object value, JsonSerializer serializer)
{
throw new NotImplementedException();
}
}
|
2023-11-06T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5602
|
[Cite as Nestle R&D Ctr., Inc. v. Levin, 122 Ohio St.3d 22, 2009-Ohio-1929.]
NESTLE R&D CENTER, INC., APPELLANT, v. LEVIN, TAX COMMR., APPELLEE.
[Cite as Nestle R&D Ctr., Inc. v. Levin,
122 Ohio St.3d 22, 2009-Ohio-1929.]
Taxation — Franchise tax — Tax credit for creating new jobs — R.C. 122.17 and
5733.0610 — Statute of limitations — Three-year limitations period in
R.C. 5733.12(B) begins to run when Department of Development issues
certificate verifying the amount of credit.
(No. 2008-1285 — Submitted April 21, 2009 — Decided April 30, 2009.)
APPEAL from the Board of Tax Appeals, No. 2006-M-1365.
__________________
Per Curiam.
{¶ 1} This case presents a statute-of-limitations question. When a
corporate franchise taxpayer claims a tax credit for creating new jobs in Ohio, it
does so by filing a refund claim under R.C. 5733.12(B). This case asks when the
three-year limitations period for filing such a claim begins to run. The Tax
Commissioner and the Board of Tax Appeals (“BTA”) held that the limitations
period began to run at the time taxes were deemed to have been paid. Nestle
argues that the period began to run at a later time: the date on which the
Department of Development issued the certificate that verifies the amount of the
tax credit.
{¶ 2} We hold that the three-year limitations period commences to run
when the Department of Development issues the certificate. We therefore reverse
the BTA’s decision and remand for further proceedings.
I. Facts
A. Procedural history
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
{¶ 3} Appellant Nestle R&D Center, Inc. (“Nestle”) initiated the present
proceedings by filing an application for a refund of corporation franchise tax for
tax year 2001. The substantive basis for the claim lies in the refundable credit for
Ohio job creation provided by R.C. 122.17 and 5733.0610. The Ohio Tax Credit
Authority entered into a ten-year agreement to grant that tax break to Nestle in
1994, and the authority issued a certificate on December 6, 2004, that confirmed
the amount of credit that Nestle could claim for tax year 2001. Nestle then filed
its refund application on January 6, 2005.
{¶ 4} The Tax Commissioner found that Nestle had filed its application
after the three-year limitations period provided by R.C. 5733.12(B) had expired.
Having determined that the application was untimely, the commissioner
concluded that he lacked jurisdiction to consider it. On appeal, the Board of Tax
Appeals (“BTA”) affirmed.
{¶ 5} Before this court, Nestle renews its contention that the three-year
statute of limitations set forth in R.C. 5733.12(B) does not bar its refund claim.
Nestle argues that the limitations period did not begin to run until it received the
certificate allowing the job credit for tax year 2001, which did not occur until
December 6, 2004.
B. The job-creation tax credit
{¶ 6} Enacted in 1992, Sub.S.B. No. 363 provided tax breaks designed to
encourage job creation by businesses in Ohio. 144 Ohio Laws, Part II, 2642. The
act originally provided a credit against the corporation franchise tax and the
personal income tax. The enabling provisions are codified at R.C. 122.17.
{¶ 7} The credit becomes available through a formal agreement between
the taxpayer and the Ohio Tax Credit Authority, a panel chaired by the Director of
Development that consists of four other members selected by the governor and
legislative leaders. R.C. 122.17(C), (D), and (M). The basis for computing the
credit lies in the amount of income-tax withholding associated with employees
2
January Term, 2009
who hold the newly created jobs, and the taxpayer negotiates the percentage of
withholding to be used in computing the credit as one term of the tax-credit
agreement. R.C. 122.17(A)(3) and (D)(4).
{¶ 8} It is significant that the job-creation tax credit is refundable in
nature. R.C. 122.17(B); 5733.0610(A). That means that the taxpayer receives the
full benefit of the credit even if it does not have sufficient liability to offset in a
given tax year. See Sorenson v. Secy. of the Treasury (1986), 475 U.S. 851, 854,
106 S.Ct. 1600, 89 L.Ed.2d 855 (unlike other credits that can be used “only to
offset tax that would otherwise be owed,” the federal earned-income credit is
refundable, meaning that if an individual’s earned-income credit exceeds his tax
liability, the excess amount is considered an overpayment of tax to be refunded to
the taxpayer); R.C. 5733.0610(A) (“taxes equal to the amount of the refundable
credit shall be considered to be paid to this state on the first day of the tax year”);
cf. R.C. 5733.98(A)(31) and 5733.98(B) (distinguishing refundable credits such
as the job-creation credit from those for which “the amount of the credit for a tax
year shall not exceed the tax due after allowing for any other credit that precedes
it in the order required under this section”). Thus, when the amount of the job-
creation tax credit exceeds the tax liability as to a particular year, the state first
applies the excess against other debts the taxpayer owes to the state, and then
disburses any remaining excess to the taxpayer as a refund payment. R.C.
5733.121.
C. The grounds for dismissal by the Tax Commissioner and the BTA
{¶ 9} The record is not extensively developed in this case, but it does
contain four Ohio Tax Credit Authority certificates that pertain to taxable years
2000 through 2003. Each of the certificates refers to the underlying agreement
between Nestle and the authority: the agreement was entered into on April 20,
2004, and extended from January 1995 to December 2004. For each year in the
3
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
record, the certificate allowed a credit in the amount of 60 percent of the income-
tax withholding attributable to newly created jobs during the taxable year. 1
{¶ 10} R.C. 5733.12(B) states that an application for a refund of franchise
tax shall be filed “within three years from the date of the illegal, erroneous, or
excessive payment of the tax.” The statute further clarifies that a payment made
before the franchise tax return was due “shall be deemed to have been made on
the due date or extended due date.” The Tax Commissioner applied R.C.
5733.12(B) to Nestle’s refund claim and found that the claim was untimely.
{¶ 11} The commissioner predicated his dismissal on the timing of the
“payment” under R.C. 5733.12(B). For taxable year 2000, Nestle obtained an
extension for its federal income tax return to September 17, 2001, which
automatically extended Nestle’s Ohio franchise-tax filing deadline for tax year
2001 to October 15, 2001. See R.C. 5733.13 (Ohio extended due date falls on the
15th day of the month following the federal extended due date). Since Nestle’s
payments for tax year 2001 consisted either of previously tendered estimated
payments or carry-forward from a previous year, the commissioner determined
that the three-year limitations period commenced on October 15, 2001. The
commissioner focused on that date because, pursuant to R.C. 5733.12(B), that
date was the extended due date to which those earlier payments related. As a
result, the commissioner concluded that the deadline for Nestle to claim a refund
for tax year 2001 fell on October 15, 2004. Under the commissioner’s reading of
the statute, the filing of a refund claim after that date would be time-barred.
{¶ 12} On December 6, 2004, the Department of Development issued the
certificate verifying the amount of credit for the 2000 taxable year, i.e., for
1. The corporation franchise “tax year” liability is determined, under the net-income method, by
reference to a preceding “taxable year” during which the income was generated. See LSDHC
Corp. v. Zaino, 98 Ohio St.3d 450, 2003-Ohio-1911, 786 N.E.2d 877, ¶ 17. Accordingly, the
certificate applicable to the 2001 tax year is the certificate that is captioned “taxable year ended
2000.”
4
January Term, 2009
franchise tax year 2001. That agency computed the 2001 credit to be $43,696.80,
which is 60 percent of the new-employee withholding. Nestle thereafter filed its
application for refund on January 6, 2005, asking for a refund in the amount of
$43,697.
{¶ 13} The commissioner ruled that the application was untimely because
it was filed more than three years after October 15, 2001, and he dismissed the
application. For its part, Nestle argued that it had timely filed its application
because the certificate that authorized the credit for the 2001 tax year was issued
by the Department of Development on December 6, 2004, and in Nestle’s view,
that event triggered the running of the three-year limitations period.
{¶ 14} On appeal, the BTA rejected Nestle’s argument, and adopted the
Tax Commissioner’s position that the three-year limitations period began when
the tax payments as to 2001 were deemed to have been made: October 15, 2001.
As a result, Nestle filed its application too late, and the BTA accordingly affirmed
the commissioner’s dismissal.
{¶ 15} In its appeal to the court, Nestle renews the arguments that it
asserted below.
II. Analysis
A. The accrual of the refund claim started the running of
R.C. 5733.12(B)’s limitations period
{¶ 16} Under our cases, “ ‘[t]he BTA is responsible for determining
factual issues and, if the record contains reliable and probative support,’ ” the
court will affirm. Satullo v. Wilkins, 111 Ohio St.3d 399, 2006-Ohio-5856, 856
N.E.2d 954, ¶ 14, quoting Am. Natl. Can Co. v. Tracy (1995), 72 Ohio St.3d 150,
152, 648 N.E.2d 483. On the other hand, the court “ ‘will not hesitate to reverse a
BTA decision that is based on an incorrect legal conclusion.’ ” Satullo, id.,
quoting Gahanna-Jefferson Local School Dist. Bd. of Edn. v. Zaino (2001), 93
Ohio St.3d 231, 232, 754 N.E.2d 789. This appeal raises a question of law: with
5
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
respect to the job-creation tax credit at issue, did the three-year limitation period
prescribed by R.C. 5733.12(B) commence with the deemed payment of taxes in
2001 or with the issuance of the certificate that legally verified the amount of the
credit to be allowed for tax year 2001?
{¶ 17} R.C. 5733.12(B) provides as follows:
{¶ 18} “[A]n application to refund * * * the amount of taxes * * * that are
overpaid, paid illegally or erroneously, or paid on any illegal, erroneous, or
excessive assessment * * * shall be filed with the tax commissioner, on the form
prescribed by the commissioner, within three years from the date of the illegal,
erroneous, or excessive payment of the tax * * *. For purposes of division (B) of
this section, any payment that the applicant made before the due date or extended
due date for filing the report to which the payment relates shall be deemed to have
been made on the due date or extended due date.”
{¶ 19} According to the commissioner, the statute’s plain language starts
the running of the three-year period at the time the payment is made (or, as in the
present case, was deemed to have been made). Nestle argues that when the
payments in this case were deemed to be made, they were not yet illegal or
excessive; they became illegal and excessive retroactively when the Department
of Development issued the certificate for taxable year 2000, which verifies the
amount of credit for tax year 2001. Alternatively, by verifying the credit for tax
year 2001, the certificate allowed the taxpayer and the state to ascertain the
entitlement to the credit for the first time in December 2004.
{¶ 20} In sum, Nestle contends in various ways that the refund claim
accrued on December 6, 2004, and that the limitations period began running on
that date. Under this interpretation, the filing of Nestle’s application for refund
the following month fell well within the three-year period.
{¶ 21} We agree with Nestle. R.C. 5733.12(B) in essence creates a refund
claim subject to a three-year limitations period. See Coca-Cola Bottling Corp. v.
6
January Term, 2009
Lindley (1978), 54 Ohio St.2d 1, 5, 8 O.O.3d 1, 374 N.E.2d 400, fn. 2 (R.C.
5733.12 “provide[s] a substantive right—the right to a refund”). Entitlement to
the refund is predicated on two elements: first, that a payment was made; second,
that the payment was illegal, erroneous, or excessive. Because the taxpayer must
prove the illegal, erroneous, or excessive character of a payment in order to
qualify for a refund, a refund claim does not accrue until all circumstances are
present that cause the payment to be illegal, erroneous, or excessive. See Ohio
Bell Tel. Co. v. Evatt (1943), 142 Ohio St. 254, 258, 27 O.O. 201, 51 N.E.2d 718;
accord Velotta v. Leo Petronzio Landscaping, Inc. (1982), 69 Ohio St.2d 376, 23
O.O.3d 346, 433 N.E.2d 147, paragraph two of the syllabus (cause of action for
negligence does not arise until damage ensues); State ex rel. Teamsters Local
Union 377 v. Youngstown (1977), 50 Ohio St.2d 200, 203-204, 4 O.O.3d 387, 364
N.E.2d 18 (“Normally, a cause of action does not accrue until such time as the
infringement of a right arises”).
{¶ 22} In Ohio Bell, we addressed a claim that public-utility excise taxes
already paid should be abated. Several years after the tax payments at issue, the
Public Utilities Commission ruled that the rates Ohio Bell charged during those
earlier years had been excessive, and the commission ordered Ohio Bell to make
restitution to customers. Because Ohio Bell had paid excise taxes on the amount it
was being ordered to refund to its customers, the company sought an abatement of
those taxes. Ohio Bell pursued that claim through a provision of the former
General Code that is now codified at R.C. 5703.05(B).
{¶ 23} R.C. 5703.05(B) furnishes a procedure for a taxpayer to receive a
“certificate of abatement” when taxes have been overpaid, but only if the
overpayment occurred “within five years prior to the making of [the] application.”
At the time relevant to the Ohio Bell decision, the statute allowed an application
by a party “claiming to have overpaid * * * within five years prior to the making
of [the] application but not prior to January 1, 1938.” G.C. 1464-3, 118 Ohio
7
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
Laws 346. Ohio Bell applied for the abatement less than five years after the
Public Utilities Commission had ordered the utility to make restitution to its
customers, but the commissioner denied relief because Ohio Bell actually
tendered the payments before January 1, 1938 (and also more than five years
before Ohio Bell filed its application).
{¶ 24} In rejecting the commissioner’s position, we noted that “[t]here
was nothing illegal or erroneous about the payment of taxes when originally
made,” and that payment “became illegal or erroneous only when the Public
Utilities Commission made its order of refund.” Id., 142 Ohio St. at 258, 51
N.E.2d 718. We concluded that “the overpayment took place on that date [i.e., the
date of the PUCO order] and came within the time fixed by law.” Id.
{¶ 25} To be sure, in Coca-Cola, 54 Ohio St.2d 1, 8 O.O.3d 1, 374 N.E.2d
400, we distinguished Ohio Bell by observing that unlike the statute at issue in
Ohio Bell, R.C. 5733.12 (at that time) “clearly mandate[d] a three-year deadline
and state[d] that the deadline controls regardless of the date of ascertainment [that
the payment was illegal].” Coca-Cola at 5. Thus, in Coca-Cola we had “no
cause to construe the statute liberally in favor of the taxpayer as we did in Ohio
Bell.” Id. But we are free to apply Ohio Bell to the present case because the
distinction we drew in Coca-Cola evaporated in 1985. That year, the General
Assembly removed the ascertainment language from R.C. 5733.12(B) and rewrote
the statute so that it now resembles the language at issue in Ohio Bell. S.B. No.
127, 116th General Assembly, 141 Ohio Laws, Part I, 334. As a result, Coca-
Cola does not diminish the significance of Ohio Bell for analyzing the present
case under current R.C. 5733.12(B).
{¶ 26} Applying the reasoning of Ohio Bell to this case requires us to
consider when the payments at issue became illegal and excessive under R.C.
5733.12(B). The agreement between Nestle and the Department of Development
is not part of the record, but its important terms are evidenced by the certificates.
8
January Term, 2009
We infer that the agreement entitled Nestle each year to a refundable credit in the
amount of 60 percent of the income-tax withholding associated with newly
created jobs. Neither R.C. 122.17 nor 5733.0610 states in so many words whether
the credit may be claimed before the Department of Development has issued the
certificate verifying the exact amount of credit for a particular tax year, but the
statutes do plainly make such verification an essential element of the process.
R.C. 122.17(D)(7). We note that the BTA did not hold, nor does the Tax
Commissioner argue, that the existence of the agreement by itself creates
entitlement to the credit for any particular tax year.
{¶ 27} In fact, the language of the statutes supports Nestle’s argument.
As discussed, R.C. 122.17 requires a formal agreement between the taxpayer and
the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. Under R.C. 122.17(D)(7), the agreement must
require the Department of Development to “verify the amounts reported” by the
taxpayer and “issue a certificate to the taxpayer stating that the amounts have
been verified.” In addition, R.C. 122.17(H) required – at the time relevant to this
case – that a “taxpayer claiming a credit under this section shall submit to the tax
commissioner a copy of the director of development’s certificate of verification
under division (D)(7) of this section for the taxable year,” and went on to state
that “failure to submit a copy of the certificate does not invalidate a claim for a
credit.”2 147 Ohio Laws, Part I, 985.
{¶ 28} R.C. 5733.0610(A) states that a refundable credit “granted by the
tax credit authority under section 122.17 of the Revised Code may be claimed
under this chapter.” Taken together, the language of the various provisions
2. In a provision effective March 30, 2006, the 126th General Assembly amended this part of the
statute to require that the submission be made “with the taxpayer’s tax report or return for the
taxable year.” The failure to attach the certificate did not invalidate the claim, so long as the
taxpayer submitted it to the commissioner “within sixty days after the commissioner * * * requests
it.” 2006 Am.Sub.H.B. No. 530. The addition of the filing-with-return requirement could alter
the analysis in this opinion, but because the language was enacted after the period at issue, we
decline to consider it.
9
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
indicates the legislative intent that (1) the taxpayer will typically “claim” the
credit after it has been “granted,” and (2) the issuance of the certificate completes
the “grant” of the credit – a construction that allows the taxpayer to comply with
the requirement of former R.C. 122.17(H) that the certificate be submitted when
the taxpayer claims the credit.3
{¶ 29} To the extent that the statutes in effect in 2001 and 2004 were
ambiguous on the point, the principle of strict construction dictates that the
verification certificate be construed as a prerequisite to claiming the credit. Quite
simply, the jobs credit constitutes a partial tax exemption, with the result that the
statutes granting the credit must be construed restrictively against the claim of
exemption. See H.R. Options, Inc. v. Wilkins, 102 Ohio St.3d 1214, 2004-Ohio-
2085, 807 N.E.2d 363, ¶ 2 (exclusion from taxation must be “construed strictly
against the taxpayer” [emphasis sic]); Ares, Inc. v. Limbach (1990), 51 Ohio St.3d
102, 104, 554 N.E.2d 1310 (when seeking tax reduction, taxpayer must show that
statute “clearly express[es] the exemption”). This principle applies a fortiori in a
case like the present, because the credit in this case is refundable and the taxpayer
may be entitled to a cash payout from the state that exceeds the amount of tax
paid in.
{¶ 30} We conclude that just as the PUCO order retroactively established
that the excise-tax payments in Ohio Bell had been illegal and excessive, the
issuance on December 6, 2004, of the certificate for taxable year 2000
3. In the 2005 budget bill, the General Assembly extended the credit to insurance companies that
pay taxes on gross premiums. 2005 Am.Sub.H.B. No. 66. In connection with that amendment,
the legislature added claiming provisions to the gross-premium tax laws. See R.C. 5725.32;
5729.032. Both those provisions explicitly state that the credit may be claimed “[u]pon the
issuance of a tax credit certificate by the director of development.” Had these provisions been
enacted originally as part of the same session law with R.C. 5733.0610, principles of construction
would militate toward finding that the legislature intended to create different procedures by using
different words. But we construe the additional language of the more recent provisions as simply
stating what the earlier provisions already intended, albeit with greater directness.
10
January Term, 2009
retroactively established the illegal and excessive character of payments
attributable to the tax year 2001 up to the amount of the credit (and also that the
taxpayer would be entitled to collect the excess of credit over payments, if any).
At that point, the refund claim accrued for purposes of the limitations period, and
as a result, the filing of the refund claim in January 2005 was timely.
B. The cases the Tax Commissioner relies on are not apposite
{¶ 31} The Tax Commissioner argues that Coca-Cola, 54 Ohio St.2d at 5,
8 O.O.3d 1, 374 N.E.2d 400, controls the present case. According to the
commissioner, Coca-Cola establishes that refund claims under R.C. 5733.12(B)
are always subject to a limitations period that begins to run with the making (or
deemed making) of a payment. We disagree.
{¶ 32} As already discussed, entitlement to a refund under R.C.
5733.12(B) is predicated on two elements: (1) the making of a payment that (2)
was illegal, erroneous, or excessive. In the usual case, a payment is refundable
because it was illegal or in error at the time the payment is made. This mistake
could consist of a factual error by the taxpayer in marshaling its assets or
computing its income, or it could result from a misunderstanding of the law.
{¶ 33} Coca-Cola itself falls into this usual category. In that case, the
corporate taxpayers had paid for the tax year 1972 under the income method for
computing franchise-tax liability, which the legislature had newly enacted during
1971. In 1975, this court decided that imposing the income method in tax year
1972 on taxpayers whose accounting year had already ended before the income
method became law violated the Ohio Constitution. Lakengren, Inc. v. Kosydar
(1975), 44 Ohio St.2d 199, 73 O.O.2d 502, 339 N.E.2d 814. In response to
Lakengren, the taxpayers in Coca-Cola filed refund claims, but this court held
that the refund claims were barred by the three-year limitation set forth in R.C.
5733.12(B).
11
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
{¶ 34} Given these underlying facts, Coca-Cola does not resolve the issue
presented by Nestle in this case because the taxpayers in Coca-Cola paid the tax
in compliance with a law that was, at the very time the payments were made,
unconstitutional. Thus, illegality clearly coincided with the payments in Coca-
Cola, and as a result, Coca-Cola does not on its face foreclose Nestle’s argument
in this case.
{¶ 35} Moreover, Coca-Cola did not involve a taxpayer seeking the
benefit of a refundable credit. To the extent that such a credit exceeds the amount
of actual payments that have been made, there has been no “payment,” and as a
result, there is no absolute point of reference to tell the taxpayer when to file its
refund claim. Coca-Cola’s iron link between the running of the three-year
limitations period and an actual past payment does not provide direct authority for
deciding the present case.
{¶ 36} The commissioner also places heavy reliance on SCM Chems., Inc.
v. Wilkins, 106 Ohio St.3d 43, 2005-Ohio-3676, 831 N.E.2d 417, but that case
does not advance his claim. Quite simply, the issue the court confronted in SCM
Chems. differed from the one presented in this case. In the present case, Nestle
and the Tax Commissioner dispute when the three-year limitations period under
R.C. 5733.12(B) began to run. There was no such dispute in SCM Chems.
{¶ 37} In SCM Chems., the taxpayer pointed to a provision in the
substantive law of pollution-control certificates that made those certificates
effective retroactively. The taxpayer then argued that when a pollution-control
certificate was issued after the two-year period for amending property tax
assessments had expired pursuant to R.C. 5711.25, the court should ignore the
two-year limitation. The court disagreed and enforced the limitation. Nothing in
the SCM holding addresses when the three-year limitations period ought to begin
to run in this case.
C. Ohio Adm.Code 122:7-1-06(E) does not alter the outcome
12
January Term, 2009
{¶ 38} Although neither party has cited it, Ohio Adm.Code 122:7-1-06(E)
potentially applies to this case. Subsection (E) was added in 2003 and became
effective November 10, 2003. 2003-2004 Ohio Monthly Record 833-834. As a
result of that amendment, Ohio Adm.Code 122:7-1-06(E) now provides that the
Director of Development should not issue a verification certificate if a taxpayer
“has not substantiated to the satisfaction of the director the amounts reported by
the taxpayer * * * by the date the refund statute of limitations expires for that
taxable year, as provided in division (B) of section 5733.12 * * * of the Revised
Code.”4
{¶ 39} We recognize that this provision views the limitations period as
running from some time before the verification certificate has been issued. But
concern for the viability of the rule cannot distract us from our duty to construe
and apply the statutes that were in force when this case arose.
{¶ 40} To be sure, R.C. 122.17(I) confers authority upon the Director of
Development (in consultation with the commissioner and the Superintendent of
Insurance) to “adopt rules necessary to implement” the tax credit. As a general
matter, “an administrative rule that is issued pursuant to statutory authority has
the force of law unless it is unreasonable or conflicts with a statute covering the
same subject matter.” State ex rel. Celebrezze v. Natl. Lime & Stone Co. (1994),
68 Ohio St.3d 377, 382, 627 N.E.2d 538, citing Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v.
Lindley (1988), 38 Ohio St.3d 232, 234, 527 N.E.2d 828. But while R.C.
4. The rule’s effective date precedes the issuance of the verification certificate on December 6,
2004. We presume that the rule would apply and, to the extent our holding in this case does not
completely eclipse the rule, it would have prohibited the Department of Development from issuing
the verification certificate if Nestle had not timely submitted documentation. Moreover, since the
record is silent, we must also presume that the Director of Development found that Nestle had
timely submitted its documentation so that the issuance of the certificate was valid. See State ex
rel. Shafer v. Ohio Turnpike Comm. (1953), 159 Ohio St. 581, 590, 50 O.O. 465, 113 N.E.2d 14
(“in the absence of evidence to the contrary, public officers * * * will be presumed to have
properly performed their duties and not to have acted illegally but regularly and in a lawful
manner”).
13
SUPREME COURT OF OHIO
122.17(I) surely confers authority on the Department of Development to establish
reasonable deadlines for submitting documentation, we do not read that provision
as authorizing the Director of Development to provide the definitive construction
of R.C. 5733.12(B).5 See Adams Fruit Co., Inc. v. Barrett (1990), 494 U.S. 638,
649, 110 S.Ct. 1384, 108 L.Ed.2d 585 (no deference to agency’s regulation where
Congress did not delegate administrative authority over the statutory provisions at
issue); Ardestani v. Immigration & Naturalization Serv. (1991), 502 U.S. 129,
148, 112 S.Ct. 515, 116 L.Ed.2d 496.
III. Conclusion
{¶ 41} For all the foregoing reasons, the BTA erred when it affirmed the
commissioner’s dismissal of Nestle’s refund claim. We therefore reverse and
remand for further proceedings.
Decision reversed
and cause remanded.
MOYER, C.J., and PFEIFER, LUNDBERG STRATTON, O’CONNOR,
O’DONNELL, LANZINGER, and CUPP, JJ., concur.
__________________
Vorys, Sater, Seymour & Pease, L.L.P., Raymond D. Anderson, and
David A. Froling, for appellant.
Richard Cordray, Attorney General, and Sherry Maxfield and Alan P.
Schwepe, Assistant Attorneys General, for appellee.
______________________
5. We presume that the Director of Development consulted with the Tax Commissioner when the
rule was promulgated, and the commissioner is charged with administering R.C. 5733.12(B) and
other refund provisions. But the commissioner has not apprised the court of his role in that
putative consultation; indeed, the commissioner has not even cited the rule in spite of the fact that
it arguably applies to this case and arguably supports his position. Under these circumstances, we
attach no significance to any consultation under R.C. 122.17(I).
14
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2024-03-10T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/9827
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The pathogenesis of hemangiomas: a review.
After reading this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Differentiate between hemangiomas and vascular malformations. 2. Describe arguments for the trophoblast origin of hemangiomas. 3. Give arguments for the angioblast theory for the origin of hemangiomas. 4. Identify key genes involved in the origin of hemangiomas. Hemangiomas of infancy are common endothelial tumors. They differ from vascular malformations in their tissue architecture and biological properties. To date, there is no universally accepted theory that explains the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of hemangiomas. Theories from the medical literature from 1981 to 2004 were gathered, categorized, and reviewed. Current research is mostly on the cellular and genetic levels. The most authoritative theories focus on angioblast origins, trophoblast origins, mutations in cytokine regulatory pathways, and field defects as the cause of the deranged angiogenesis of hemangiomas. To date, no single theory can easily explain all the characteristics of hemangiomas, such as predilection for the female sex, usual occurrence after birth, spontaneous involution, abnormal tissue architecture, and distribution within a developmental field. Hemangiomas are probably the final common expression of several pathophysiological mechanisms taking effect alone or in combination.
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2023-09-25T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/7121
|
Q:
Custom search in jquery datatable
I am using jquery datatable and creating custom search functionality like following.
HTML Code:
<table>
<tr>
<td>First Name</td>
<td><input type="text" id="txtFirstName" /></td>
<td>Last Name</td>
<td><input type="text" id="txtLastName" /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>From Date</td>
<td><input type="text" id="txtFromDate" /></td>
<td>To Date</td>
<td><input type="text" id="txtToDate" /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Address</td>
<td><input type="text" id="txtAddress" /></td>
<td><input type="button" id="btnSearch" value="Search" /></td>
</tr>
</table>
<table id="mytable">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>First Name</th>
<th>Last Name</th>
<th>Address</th>
<th>Birth Date</th>
</tr>
</thead>
</table>
Script:
$(document).ready(function () {
$("#txtFromDate, #txtToDate").datepicker({ dateFormat: 'dd MM yy' });
var MyDataTable = $("#mytable").dataTable(
{
"processing": true,
"serverSide": true,
"ajax":
{
"url": "/Home/GetData",
"type": "POST",
"dataType": "JSON",
//"contentType": "JSON",
"data": {
"FirstName": $("#txtFirstName").val().trim(),
"LastName": $("#txtLastName").val().trim(),
"Address": $("#txtAddress").val().trim(),
"FromDate": $("#txtFromDate").val(),
"ToDate": $("#txtToDate").val()
}
},
columns: [
{ data: 'FirstName' },
{ data: 'LastName' },
{ data: 'Address' },
{
data: 'DOB',
render: function (data, type, row) {
var rawdate = data.substr(6);
var dt = new Date(parseFloat(rawdate));
return $.format.date(dt, "dd MMM yyyy");
}
}
]
});
$("#btnSearch").click(function () {
//1. draw it's not working
//MyDataTable.draw();
//2. ajax.reload it's not working
//MyDataTable.ajax.reload(null, true);
});
});
My code at server-side
[HttpPost]
public JsonResult GetData(MyViewModel info)
{
............
}
MyViewModel.cs
public class MyViewModel: DTParameters
{
public string FirstName { get; set; }
public string LastName { get; set; }
public string Address { get; set; }
public DateTime? FromDate { get; set; }
public DateTime? ToDate { get; set; }
}
My issue is when I first time load page it goes to controller action method GetData and my model MyViewModel get null values which is right. When I enter some search criteria ie. first name, last name and hit search button I want to pass entered value to server-side but I am getting null values. For passing values to server-side I tried to reload datatable using dataTable().draw() method and dataTable().ajax.reload() method but it's not working. What is wrong in code. Thanks in advance....
A:
I found solution for my question. I just modify "ajax" part to like this
"ajax":
{
"url": "/Home/GetData",
"type": "POST",
"dataType": "JSON",
//"contentType": "JSON",
"data": function ( d ) {
return $.extend( {}, d, {
"FirstName": $("#txtFirstName").val().trim(),
"LastName": $("#txtLastName").val().trim(),
"Address": $("#txtAddress").val().trim(),
"FromDate": $("#txtFromDate").val(),
"ToDate": $("#txtToDate").val()
});
}
},
and also on button clicked I used following code:
$("#btnSearch").click(function () {
$("#mytable").DataTable().draw();
});
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2024-01-17T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/3054
|
The association of proteins with small molecules and macromolecular targets is at the center of biology. The rates and mechanisms of these association processes constitute fundamental knowledge and provide avenues for designing therapeutic agents. The long-term objective of this project is the determination, via theory, simulation, and experiment, of association rates and mechanisms. Efforts in the pervious funding periods have culminated in the transient-complex theory. This computational methodology has allowed the protein association problem to be solved when the molecules are relatively rigid so that overall translational/rotational diffusion is rate- determining. The preset project aims to tackle the much more challenging problem where conformational change is closely coupled with the association process, and essential for biological function. The specific aims are the determination of rate constants and mechanisms for three classes of systems: (1) protein-protein association; (2) protein-ligand binding; and (3) Site-specific protein-DNA binding. The research will integrate computation and experiment, and bring methodological breakthroughs that enable realistic modeling of conformational changes in calculating protein association rate constants. The knowledge gained will shed light on important protein functions and offer broad mechanistic insights.
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2023-12-27T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/1737
|
How blockchain can be used in agriculture sector?
Blockchain is a distributed ledger technology that enables all members to register transactions in a decentralized database that uses state-of-the-art cryptography so that all the data and information that goes into it cannot be obtained without the original password or key.
Blockchain is set to disrupt many industries ranging from banking and finance, healthcare, retail, real estate, among many others. It can also revolutionize the agriculture sector.
With increasing consumer consciousness towards food security, the application of blockchain technology can play a key role in addressing several challenges related to the agri-sector.
In fact, as per a new report released by France-based technology company ReportLinker, the use of blockchain technology in agriculture and food supply chain market all over the world will reach nearly $430 million in the next five years. The report titled ‘Blockchain: Agriculture Market Forecast until 2023’ projects the agriculture sector reaching USD429.7 million in 2023 from the present worth of USD60.8 million.
Let’s take a look at how blockchain technology can transform the agriculture sector:
It can help consumers to know the source of their food
Fraud and adulteration in food is costing the worldwide food industry about USD30 billion to USD40 billion per year and food-related illness and food allergies are predominant then they were a few decades back. This is the reason that consumers want to know where their food is coming from and are demanding information related to food more than ever before. With the surge in this trend, food growers and suppliers have no choice other than using blockchain to ensure traceability, quality, and accountability of the food.
It can simplify the food supply chain
Blockchain technology can simplify the food supply chain as the data management across a complex network that includes farmers, middlemen, wholesalers, distributors, processors, retailers, consumers, and regulators get simplified. Blockchain can also eliminate information asymmetry thereby minimizing inefficiency and ensuring higher returns to the farmers. Enhanced data sharing can also assist in assuaging the food waste crisis worth USD1 trillion. Blockchain can enable farmers and other stakeholders in the supply chain to access all information throughout the chain, thereby making the chain more efficient and democratic resulting in higher remuneration paid to the farmers and lesser wastage of food.
It can help in determining the genuineness and quality of inputs used by farmers
Blockchain can help consumers determine if the inputs used by farmers are genuine and are of good quality. More often than not, farmers are tricked into buying counterfeit products from local retailers and they don’t know whether the inputs they are purchasing are genuine or not. Retailers sell counterfeit products to farmers to raise their profit margins. Sometimes even retailers don’t know if the products supplied to them are genuine. In such cases, farmers and retailers can just scan the blockchain barcode provided on each product through their smartphone and can determine the genuineness of the products they are purchasing.
It helps farmers to determine if the land they are leasing or buying is litigation free
Land title registering for lease, sale, or purchase is a very lengthy process and it is susceptible to fraud. With the use of blockchain, however, land registration can become far more accessible and efficient because the data recorded in available to the public and gives complete transparency to all the transactions.
It helps farmers in getting subsidies
Blockchain can help in the allocation and delivery of subsidies to the farmers as well as make the entire process of doling out subsidies very transparent. Although the process of establishing the network can be quite complex because several stakeholders are required to come together, it is doable.
It can help in opening new markets
Blockchain can create accountability and trust among market players and help farmers in unlocking new markets. Blockchain can enable farmers to do business without the need of someone to mediate with customers in the middle. Moreover, the technology will include deprived market participants to have a say in the food sector.
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|
2023-08-25T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2485
|
Naviculocuneiform Sag in the Acquired Flatfoot: What to Do.
Sag at the naviculocuneiform (NC) joint represents an important aspect of the flatfoot deformity. Failure to address medial column instability could lead to continued deformity and poor patient outcomes. No single procedure is enough to address the complexity of the adult acquired flatfoot deformity. Whether in combination with other procedures or in isolation, NC fusion and Cotton osteotomy are important pieces of the armamentarium to address all aspects of the flatfoot deformity.
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2024-04-28T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4476
|
Selenium and vitamin E stability in parenteral solutions.
Stability of alpha-tocopherol acetate and selenium in amino acid/dextrose solutions with SoluZyme or MVI-1000 vitamin injections was evaluated following exposure to fluorescent lighting and room temperature, and after flowing through an infusion apparatus. The stability of selenium in parenteral solutions for a 10-wk period was also determined. In each condition no significant loss of alpha-tocopherol acetate or selenium was observed. It was concluded that alpha-tocopherol acetate and selenium as selenious acid are stable in parenteral solutions and no significant loss occurs during delivery to patients.
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2024-07-26T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4826
|
// Original file Copyright 2009 The Go9p Authors. All rights reserved.
// Full license available in licenses/go9p.
//
// Modifications Copyright 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved.
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.
package plan9
import (
"log"
)
// Creates a Fcall value from the on-the-wire representation. If
// dotu is true, reads 9P2000.u messages. Returns the unpacked message,
// error and how many bytes from the buffer were used by the message.
func Unpack(
buf Buffer,
dotu bool) (*Fcall, error) {
// Enough for a header?
if buf.ReadLeft() < 7 {
log.Printf("buffer smaller than header?")
return nil, BufferInsufficient
}
fc := new(Fcall)
fc.Fid = NOFID
fc.Afid = NOFID
fc.Newfid = NOFID
fc.Size = buf.Read32()
fc.Type = buf.Read8()
fc.Tag = buf.Read16()
// Sanity check the size.
if int(fc.Size)-7 > buf.ReadLeft() || fc.Size < 7 {
log.Printf("size is smaller than header?")
return nil, BufferInsufficient
}
if fc.Type < Tversion || fc.Type >= Tlast {
return nil, InvalidMessage
}
var sz uint32
if dotu {
sz = minFcsize[fc.Type-Tversion]
} else {
sz = minFcusize[fc.Type-Tversion]
}
if fc.Size < sz {
log.Printf("buffer doesn't match size?")
return nil, BufferInsufficient
}
var err error
switch fc.Type {
case Tversion, Rversion:
fc.Msize = buf.Read32()
fc.Version = buf.ReadString()
case Tauth:
fc.Afid = buf.Read32()
fc.Uname = buf.ReadString()
fc.Aname = buf.ReadString()
if dotu {
if buf.ReadLeft() > 0 {
fc.Unamenum = buf.Read32()
} else {
fc.Unamenum = NOUID
}
} else {
fc.Unamenum = NOUID
}
case Rauth, Rattach:
gqid(buf, &fc.Qid)
case Tflush:
fc.Oldtag = buf.Read16()
case Tattach:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Afid = buf.Read32()
fc.Uname = buf.ReadString()
fc.Aname = buf.ReadString()
if dotu {
if buf.ReadLeft() > 0 {
fc.Unamenum = buf.Read32()
} else {
fc.Unamenum = NOUID
}
}
case Rerror:
fc.Error = buf.ReadString()
if dotu {
fc.Errornum = buf.Read32()
} else {
fc.Errornum = 0
}
case Twalk:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Newfid = buf.Read32()
m := buf.Read16()
fc.Wname = make([]string, m)
for i := 0; i < int(m); i++ {
fc.Wname[i] = buf.ReadString()
}
case Rwalk:
count := buf.Read16()
fc.Wqid = make([]Qid, count)
for i := 0; i < int(count); i++ {
gqid(buf, &fc.Wqid[i])
}
case Topen:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Mode = buf.Read8()
case Ropen, Rcreate:
gqid(buf, &fc.Qid)
fc.Iounit = buf.Read32()
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Mode = buf.Read8()
case Tcreate:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Name = buf.ReadString()
fc.Perm = buf.Read32()
fc.Mode = buf.Read8()
if dotu {
fc.Ext = buf.ReadString()
}
case Tread:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Offset = buf.Read64()
fc.Count = buf.Read32()
case Rread:
fc.Count = buf.Read32()
buf.ReadBytes(int(fc.Count))
case Twrite:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
fc.Offset = buf.Read64()
fc.Count = buf.Read32()
case Rwrite:
fc.Count = buf.Read32()
case Tclunk, Tremove, Tstat:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
case Rstat:
buf.Read16() // Eat size.
gstat(buf, &fc.Dir, dotu)
case Twstat:
fc.Fid = buf.Read32()
buf.Read16() // Eat size.
gstat(buf, &fc.Dir, dotu)
case Rflush, Rclunk, Rremove, Rwstat:
break
default:
return nil, InvalidMessage
}
if buf.ReadLeft() < 0 {
log.Printf("buffer overrun? -> %s", fc.String())
}
return fc, err
}
|
2023-12-20T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8493
|
How unclear terms affect survey data.
Although writing clear questions is accepted as a general goal in surveys, procedures to ensure that each key term is consistently understood are not routine. Researchers who do not adequately test respondent understanding of questions must assume that ambiguity will not have a large or systematic effect on their results. Seven questions that were drawn from questions used in national health surveys were subjected to special pretest procedures and found to contain one or more poorly defined terms. When the questions were revised to clarify the definition of key terms, significantly different estimates resulted. The implication is that unclear terms are likely to produce biased estimates. The results indicate that evaluation of survey questions to identify key terms that are not consistently understood and defining unclear terms are ways to reduce systematic error in survey measurement.
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2024-03-25T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/7293
|
Q:
Custom Shape in Silverlight (porting app from WPF)
I'm converting a WPF app to Silverlight.
The app includes a class which inherits from Shape. It overrides the DefiningGeometry property to return a Path object. However, the Silverlight Shape class doesn't have a DefiningGeometry property.
Reading on the internet I've found others with this same problem. The solution seems to involve inheriting from Control directly, and setting the Content property to the path. However, I also want to retain my event handlers (MouseEnter, MouseLeave, GotFocus, LostFocus) plus I would like it to keep it's position and resize proportionally to the rest of the application.
I'm mainly a back-end developer, so this isn't my forte - I'd appreciate it if anyone could give me an outline sample of how to achieve this.
A:
You will not be able to produce a class that works in the same way because Silverlight does not support the creation of custom elements that derive from the Shape base class.
The reason it's impossible to create a custom shape in Silveright is that Silverlight does not share WPF's "visual layer". If you want to understand fully why what you're trying is impossible, you need to understand how Silverlight is very different from WPF here. (And if you don't care, skip the next 2 paragraphs.)
In WPF, you can work at two completely different levels: the visual layer, or the framework layer. The visual layer's services are provided by WindowsBase.dll and PresentationCore.dll. This provides basic rendering and input services. But if you want things like styling, data binding, layout, templating and so on, you need the framework services, and these are provided by PresentationFramework.dll. The shape types - Rectangle, Path, and so on - are all framework types - they derive from FrameworkElement and they support data binding, layout, animation and so on. But they are implemented on top of the visual layer - if you look at any of the Shape types in Reflector or ILDASM you'll see they all override the OnRender method, and that's where the code that defines the actual shape lives. (OnRender is a visual layer function.) And because the visual layer is a fully supported and documented API, you're free to write your own shapes in WPF - you can write exactly the same sort of code as you'll find in the built-in shape classes.
Silverlight doesn't make this visual/framework distinction - in Silverlight, WPF's visual layer has essentially collapsed into the framework layer. So if you look at the shape types in Reflector or ILDASM, you'll see that they contain no OnRender method, and they're almost empty. That's because in Silverlight, the shapes are all intrinsics - the plugin has built-in special handling for Ellipse, Path, and all the other shapes. So the set of shapes is not open to extension in Silverilght. There is no OnRender method to override in Silverlight. So you simply cannot write your own custom class that derives from Shape in Silverlight.
So, either a custom Control or a UserControl will be the way to go, I'm afraid. This shouldn't stop the MouseEnter and MouseLeave from working though. Have you actually found that those don't work? Or are you just assuming that they won't work?
|
2024-01-12T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2801
|
The effects of amrinone on cardiac function, oxygen consumption and lactate production of an isolated, perfused, working guinea-pig heart.
Compared with isolated heart muscle and Langendorff preparations, the isolated, working heart preparation allows a more complete analysis of cardiac function and metabolism. We have studied the effects of amrinone 20 micrograms/ml and 200 micrograms/ml on the isolated perfused working guinea-pig heart. We have measured: heart rate (HR), mean systolic aortic pressure (SP), aortic flow (AF), coronary flow (CF), total cardiac output (CO), and calculated the stroke volume (SV) and the rate of external work (W). The rates of oxygen consumption (VO2) and lactate production (Lact) were also measured and the external efficiency (Eff) calculated. Hearts were allowed to fail spontaneously after work for 90 min. Amrinone was then added at the required concentration to the perfusion medium. Amrinone 20 micrograms/ml, increased AF, CF, CO, SV, W and VO2. HR was slightly but significantly increased. Lact and Eff were not altered. Amrinone 200 micrograms/ml substantially increased CF and VO2, but it increased slightly and not significantly AF, CO, SV and W, suggesting the predominance of the coronary vasodilating effect of amrinone at higher doses. Lact and Eff remained unchanged. The positive chronotropic effect was of the same magnitude than that observed with the lower dose. No arrhythmias occurred with either concentration. These results would suggest that amrinone is a positive inotropic drug with vasodilating properties at higher doses, and weak positive chronotropic effect. It stimulates aerobic but not anaerobic metabolism of the heart.
|
2023-09-15T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5173
|
Share Pin Share 100 Shares
Physicists have come up with what they claim is a mathematical model of a theoretical “time machine” – a box that can move backwards and forwards through time and space.
The trick, they say, is to use the curvature of space-time in the Universe to bend time into a circle for hypothetical passengers sitting in the box, and that circle allows them to skip into the future and the past.
“People think of time travel as something as fiction. And we tend to think it’s not possible because we don’t actually do it,” said theoretical physicist and mathematician, Ben Tippett, from the University of British Columbia in Canada.
“But, mathematically, it is possible.”
Together with David Tsang, an astrophysicist at the University of Maryland, Tippett used Einstein’s theory of general relativity to come up with a mathematical model of what they’re calling a Traversable Acausal Retrograde Domain in Space-time (yep, the acronym is literally TARDIS).
But before we get into the madness of legit time travel, let’s put this into perspective real quick – the researchers aren’t claiming to have a blueprint for a Doctor Who-style time machine that can be built tomorrow. They say the materials we’d need to build this thing are so exotic, we haven’t even discovered them yet… but we’ll get to that in a minute. Firstly, let’s talk about what Tippett and Tsang are actually proposing.
Read more: A Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist Just Cracked Time Travel—Here’s How It’s Possible
The model is based on the idea that instead of looking at the Universe in three spatial dimensions, with the fourth dimension (time) separated, we should be imagining those four dimensions simultaneously. That allows us to consider the possibility of a space-time continuum, where different directions in space and time are all connected within the curved fabric of the Universe.
Einstein’s theory of relativity links gravitational effects in the Universe to a curvature of space-time – the phenomenon thought to be behind the elliptical orbits of planets and stars. If space-time were ‘flat’ or uncurved, planets would move in straight lines. But according to relativity, the geometry of space-time becomes curved in the vicinity of high-mass objects, which causes planets to bend their paths and rotate around their star instead.
What Tippett and Tsang argue is that it’s not just physical space that can be bent and twisted in the Universe – time itself can also be curved in the vicinity of high-mass objects.
“The time direction of the space-time surface also shows curvature. There is evidence showing the closer to a black hole we get, time moves slower,” said Tippett. “My model of a time machine uses the curved space-time to bend time into a circle for the passengers, not in a straight line. That circle takes us back in time.”
In order to harness this theoretical property, the physicists propose creating a kind of ‘bubble’ of space-time geometry, which carries whatever’s inside it through space and time along a large circular path. If this bubble can hit speeds greater than the speed of light – something the pair says is mathematically possible – this would allow it to move backwards in time.
“It is a box which travels ‘forwards’ and then ‘backwards’ in time along a circular path through spacetime,” the researchers explained in their 2017 paper. “Delighted external observers would be able to watch the time travellers within the box evolving backwards in time: un-breaking eggs and separating cream from their coffee.”
You can see the basic idea in the image below, with a passenger inside the bubble/time machine (person A), and an external observer standing beside it (person B). The arrow of time – which under normal circumstances (in our Universe, at least) always points forward, making the past become the present – is represented by the black arrows:
Both person A and person B will experience time in dramatically different ways, the researchers explained:
“Within the bubble, A will see the B’s events periodically evolve, and then reverse. Outside the bubble, observer B will see two versions of A emerge from the same location: one’s clock hands will turn clockwise, the other counterclockwise.”
In other words, the external observer would see two versions of the objects inside the time machine: one version evolving forwards in time, the other backwards. While Tippett and Tsang say the maths is sound, the problem now is we don’t actually have the right materials to build what they’re proposing.
“While is it mathematically feasible, it is not yet possible to build a space-time machine because we need materials – which we call exotic matter – to bend space-time in these impossible ways, but they have yet to be discovered,” said Tippett.
Their idea recalls another theoretical time machine – the Alcubierre drive, which would also use a shell of exotic matter to transport passengers through time and space (hypothetically). Both ideas can’t go very far without some idea of how to actually produce these space-time-bending materials, but as Tippett points out, we’re never going to stop wondering about the possibilities of time travel, and this is just one more direction we can take this mind-bending physics.
“Studying space-time is both fascinating and problematic,” he said. “Experts in my field have been exploring the possibility of mathematical time machines since 1949, and my research presents a new method for doing it.”
The research was published in Classical and Quantum Gravity.
A version of this article was first published in April 2017.
|
2024-01-01T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2005
|
The long-term goal of this research is to understand the regulation of N- linked oligosaccharide processing during glycoprotein transport and secretion. Yeast glycoprotein synthesis has many parallels with that in animal cells, and oligosaccharide structural studies imply tight control of the numerous sugar transferases involved in yeast glycan maturation. However, little is known about the substrate specificity or compartmentalization of these enzymes, or about the structure of oligosaccharide intermediates. In the proposed work, Saccharomyces, Pichia and Schizosaccharomyces yeasts will be studied in four complementary Aims to provide new information regarding the structural biochemistry, cell biology and enzymology of early events in the complex process of glycan maturation. First, the alpha1,3-mannosyl will be purified, characterized and its gene cloned to learn more about oligosaccharide-lipid metabolism. This enzyme is defective in the Saccharomyces alg3 mutant. Second, invertase oligosaccharides conditionally truncated in the cis- to medial- Golgi of Saccharomyces mutants pmr1, ypt1-ts and sec7-ts will be assigned structures using high-field 1H NMR coupled as needed with chemical and enzymatic methods, to elucidate Golgi processing intermediates. The third aim is the purification, characterization and cloning of the Saccharomyces alpha1,3-mannosyl transferase, which adds terminal alpha1,3-linked mannose to Man10GlcNAc to yield Man11-14GlcNAc. This gene will be expressed in Pichia, unable to add alpha1,3-linked mannose to oligosaccharides, to study expression and targeting of this enzyme. In the fourth aim, Schizosaccharomyces invertase oligosaccharides will be structurally defined by the above methodology to determine the specificity of alpha-linked galactose addition in the Golgi. Most secreted and integral membrane components and receptors in eucaryotic cells are glycoproteins. N-linked carbohydrate has been implicated in numerous cellular functions, including receptor-mediated events such as clearance, signal transduction, virus uptake and maturation and the intracellular targeting of critical cellular components. Many human diseases result from a failure to properly synthesize, process or degrade glycoprotein glycans, and apart from direct causal relationships, glycoprotein metabolism abnormalities are associated with pathological states such as metastatic cancer, cystic fibrosis and Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome. Understanding how glycoproteins are made, transported, and function within the organism is seminal to developing a rational basis for curing identifiable disease states.
|
2023-08-12T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/7274
|
Q:
Fix aspnetboilerplate startup template, tenant or edit with errors
I'm trying AspBoilerPlate as a framework because it looks really good and I've been having a hard time trying to get multitenancy on Owin Identity (I posted a question some days ago: Asp.Net Identity Multitenant
I downloaded the Asp.Net MVC so I can port the code I already have, the right from scratch the loads I can login create users, tenants but, on any view if I click Edit It says Error ocurred, at login view if I click change Tenant an error ocurred.
This are the steps I took (Tried both ASP.Net MVC and Core versions):
Download / Unpack / Open and load on VS 2019
Change connection string on web.config
Run the Update-Database from console on EntityFramework project
Start the App
It works but with the erros I described above.
I used step into function on VS to try to get the real error, but it might be catching it on an external dll or something, Here is the clean log.txt only doing Load-Login-Change tenant(error) - Login - Edit tenant (error)
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,986 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Found 17 ABP modules in total.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,995 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: myapplication.Web.myapplicationWebModule, myapplication.Web, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,997 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: myapplication.myapplicationDataModule, myapplication.EntityFramework, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,997 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Zero.EntityFramework.AbpZeroEntityFrameworkModule, Abp.Zero.EntityFramework, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,998 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Zero.AbpZeroCoreModule, Abp.Zero, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,999 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Zero.AbpZeroCommonModule, Abp.Zero.Common, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:12:59,999 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.AbpKernelModule, Abp, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,006 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.EntityFramework.AbpEntityFrameworkModule, Abp.EntityFramework, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,006 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.EntityFramework.AbpEntityFrameworkCommonModule, Abp.EntityFramework.Common, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,007 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: myapplication.myapplicationCoreModule, myapplication.Core, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,007 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: myapplication.myapplicationApplicationModule, myapplication.Application, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,012 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule, Abp.AutoMapper, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,012 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: myapplication.Api.myapplicationWebApiModule, myapplication.WebApi, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,013 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.WebApi.AbpWebApiModule, Abp.Web.Api, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,013 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Web.AbpWebModule, Abp.Web, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,013 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Web.AbpWebCommonModule, Abp.Web.Common, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,014 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Web.SignalR.AbpWebSignalRModule, Abp.Web.SignalR, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,014 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - Loaded module: Abp.Web.Mvc.AbpWebMvcModule, Abp.Web.Mvc, Version=4.9.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:00,018 [1 ] Abp.Modules.AbpModuleManager - 17 modules loaded.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:03,252 [1 ] o.Configuration.LanguageManagementConfig - Converted Abp (Abp.Localization.Dictionaries.DictionaryBasedLocalizationSource) to MultiTenantLocalizationSource
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:03,252 [1 ] o.Configuration.LanguageManagementConfig - Converted AbpZero (Abp.Localization.Dictionaries.DictionaryBasedLocalizationSource) to MultiTenantLocalizationSource
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:03,252 [1 ] o.Configuration.LanguageManagementConfig - Converted myapplication (Abp.Localization.Dictionaries.DictionaryBasedLocalizationSource) to MultiTenantLocalizationSource
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:03,252 [1 ] o.Configuration.LanguageManagementConfig - Converted AbpWeb (Abp.Localization.Dictionaries.DictionaryBasedLocalizationSource) to MultiTenantLocalizationSource
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:03,865 [1 ] EntityFramework.AbpEntityFrameworkModule - Registering DbContext: myapplication.EntityFramework.myapplicationDbContext, myapplication.EntityFramework, Version=1.0.0.0, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,085 [1 ] Abp.Localization.LocalizationManager - Initializing 4 localization sources.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,161 [1 ] Abp.Localization.LocalizationManager - Initialized localization source: Abp
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,219 [1 ] Abp.Localization.LocalizationManager - Initialized localization source: AbpZero
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,247 [1 ] Abp.Localization.LocalizationManager - Initialized localization source: myapplication
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,280 [1 ] Abp.Localization.LocalizationManager - Initialized localization source: AbpWeb
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,391 [1 ] Abp.BackgroundJobs.BackgroundJobManager - Start background worker: Castle.Proxies.BackgroundJobManagerProxy
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,468 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - Found 11 classes define auto mapping attributes
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,469 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Sessions.Dto.TenantLoginInfoDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,477 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Sessions.Dto.UserLoginInfoDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,478 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Users.Dto.CreateUserDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,479 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Users.Dto.UpdateUserDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,479 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Users.Dto.UserDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,479 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Roles.Dto.PermissionDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,479 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.MultiTenancy.Dto.CreateTenantDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,480 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.MultiTenancy.Dto.EditTenantDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,480 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.MultiTenancy.Dto.TenantDto
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,480 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Web.Models.Account.TenantChangeViewModel
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:06,480 [1 ] Abp.AutoMapper.AbpAutoMapperModule - myapplication.Web.Models.Account.TenantSelectionViewModel+TenantInfo
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:08,736 [1 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Dynamic web api controller is created for type 'myapplication.Sessions.ISessionAppService' with service name 'app/session'.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:08,737 [1 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Dynamic web api controller is created for type 'myapplication.Users.IUserAppService' with service name 'app/user'.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:08,738 [1 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Dynamic web api controller is created for type 'myapplication.Roles.IRoleAppService' with service name 'app/role'.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:08,739 [1 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Dynamic web api controller is created for type 'myapplication.MultiTenancy.ITenantAppService' with service name 'app/tenant'.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:08,740 [1 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Dynamic web api controller is created for type 'myapplication.Configuration.IConfigurationAppService' with service name 'app/configuration'.
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:13:08,741 [1 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Dynamic web api controller is created for type 'myapplication.Authorization.Accounts.IAccountAppService' with service name 'app/account'.
WARN 2019-09-24 13:13:26,032 [6 ] Abp.Logging.LogHelper - Abp.Authorization.AbpAuthorizationException: Current user did not login to the application!
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelper.<AuthorizeAsync>d__15.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelper.<CheckPermissions>d__18.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelper.<AuthorizeAsync>d__16.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.Synchronous.TaskExtensions.WaitAndUnwrapException(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.AsyncContext.<>c__DisplayClass15_0.<Run>b__0(Task t)
at System.Threading.Tasks.ContinuationTaskFromTask.InnerInvoke()
at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Execute()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.Synchronous.TaskExtensions.WaitAndUnwrapException(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.AsyncContext.Run(Func`1 action)
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelperExtensions.Authorize(IAuthorizationHelper authorizationHelper, MethodInfo methodInfo, Type type)
at Abp.Web.Mvc.Authorization.AbpMvcAuthorizeFilter.OnAuthorization(AuthorizationContext filterContext)
Abp.Authorization.AbpAuthorizationException: Current user did not login to the application!
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelper.<AuthorizeAsync>d__15.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelper.<CheckPermissions>d__18.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelper.<AuthorizeAsync>d__16.MoveNext()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.Synchronous.TaskExtensions.WaitAndUnwrapException(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.AsyncContext.<>c__DisplayClass15_0.<Run>b__0(Task t)
at System.Threading.Tasks.ContinuationTaskFromTask.InnerInvoke()
at System.Threading.Tasks.Task.Execute()
--- End of stack trace from previous location where exception was thrown ---
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.ThrowForNonSuccess(Task task)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.TaskAwaiter.HandleNonSuccessAndDebuggerNotification(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.Synchronous.TaskExtensions.WaitAndUnwrapException(Task task)
at Nito.AsyncEx.AsyncContext.Run(Func`1 action)
at Abp.Authorization.AuthorizationHelperExtensions.Authorize(IAuthorizationHelper authorizationHelper, MethodInfo methodInfo, Type type)
at Abp.Web.Mvc.Authorization.AbpMvcAuthorizeFilter.OnAuthorization(AuthorizationContext filterContext)
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:15:15,987 [12 ] Abp.Web.SignalR.Hubs.AbpCommonHub - A client is connected: {"ConnectionId":"93594c5a-5aa2-40be-af8e-c3487535bd12","IpAddress":"192.168.42.1","TenantId":null,"UserId":1,"ConnectTime":"2019-09-24T13:15:15.9774976-06:00","Properties":{}}
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:15:16,020 [6 ] Abp.Web.SignalR.Hubs.AbpCommonHub - A client is registered: 93594c5a-5aa2-40be-af8e-c3487535bd12
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:15:28,150 [10 ] Abp.Web.SignalR.Hubs.AbpCommonHub - A client is disconnected: 93594c5a-5aa2-40be-af8e-c3487535bd12
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:15:30,882 [12 ] Abp.Web.SignalR.Hubs.AbpCommonHub - A client is connected: {"ConnectionId":"e9afe71e-bc64-4c18-a66c-a7381fae6701","IpAddress":"192.168.42.1","TenantId":null,"UserId":1,"ConnectTime":"2019-09-24T13:15:30.8823332-06:00","Properties":{}}
DEBUG 2019-09-24 13:15:30,889 [6 ] Abp.Web.SignalR.Hubs.AbpCommonHub - A client is registered: e9afe71e-bc64-4c18-a66c-a7381fae6701
WARN 2019-09-24 13:15:35,697 [9 ] naries.DictionaryBasedLocalizationSource - Can not find 'EditTenant' in localization source 'myapplication'!
I was wondering if the free version didn't work from scratch, I've been looking for errors like this but everybody seems to get it working, and have the problems after they start changing code.
The reason I wasn’t getting the error on the debug is because is happening at javascript-ajax call, jquery.js on fuction:
jQuery.parseJSON = function( data ) {
return JSON.parse( data + "" );
};
The data parameter is receiving:
<div class="modal-header">
<button type="button" class="close" data-dismiss="modal" aria-hidden="true"></button>
<h4 class="modal-title">
<span>Change tenant</span>
</h4>
</div>
<div class="modal-body">
<form name="TenantChangeForm" role="form" novalidate class="form-validation">
<div class="form-group form-float">
<div class="form-line">
<input class="form-control" type="text" name="TenancyName" maxlength="64">
<label class="form-label">Tenancy name</label>
</div>
</div>
<span class="help-block">Leave empty to switch to the host</span>
</form>
</div>
<div class="modal-footer">
<button type="button" class="btn btn-default close-button waves-effect" data-dismiss="modal">Cancel</button>
<button type="button" class="btn btn-primary save-button waves-effect">Save</button>
</div>
<script src="/Views/Account/_TenantChangeModal.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
Witch give the error: SyntaxError: Unexpected token < in JSON at position 0.
And returns to abp.jquery.js :
}).fail(function (jqXHR) {
if (jqXHR.responseJSON && jqXHR.responseJSON.__abp) {
abp.ajax.handleResponse(jqXHR.responseJSON, userOptions, $dfd, jqXHR);
} else {
abp.ajax.handleNonAbpErrorResponse(jqXHR, userOptions, $dfd);
}
Ive been looking and all modals won't show and all view contain a JS to show like this:
(function () {
$('.tenant-change-component a')
.click(function (e) {
e.preventDefault();
abp.ajax({
url: abp.appPath + 'Account/TenantChangeModal',
type: 'POST',
contentType: 'application/html',
success: function (content) {
$('#TenantChangeModal div.modal-content').html(content);
},
error: function (e) { }
});
});
})();
The problem is related to modal, but only on change tenant and edits tenant, if I try create tenant or user it works.
After going to the JSON.Parse and receiving the entire view as parameter it gets a parser error and this: jqXHR.status get status 200.
Added a Watch to the data variable and with the modals that work never gets the entire view as parameter keeps null. Tried modify the function to always return null but screen only gets dark.
Also tried to update jquery.js to 2.2.4(below 3), because the template uses 2.2.0. and still the same problem.
A:
Added on behalf of OP
I posted the question on GitHub:
https://github.com/aspnetboilerplate/aspnetboilerplate/issues/4889
And it's solved by doing some changes on the Index.js (or Default.js) of the views that fire a modal:
Replace: $.ajax({
With: abp.ajax({
and
Replace: contentType: 'application/html',
With: dataType: 'html',
The commit:
https://github.com/aspnetboilerplate/module-zero-template/pull/169/commits/9105e33b327b6885a0e1aafbd20d7ff092860646
|
2023-11-26T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3705
|
// An extremely minimalist syscalls.c for newlib
// Based on riscv newlib libgloss/riscv/sys_*.c
// Written by Clifford Wolf.
#include <sys/stat.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <errno.h>
#define UNIMPL_FUNC(_f) ".globl " #_f "\n.type " #_f ", @function\n" #_f ":\n"
asm (
".text\n"
".align 2\n"
UNIMPL_FUNC(_open)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_openat)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_lseek)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_stat)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_lstat)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_fstatat)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_isatty)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_access)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_faccessat)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_link)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_unlink)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_execve)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_getpid)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_fork)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_kill)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_wait)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_times)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_gettimeofday)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_ftime)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_utime)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_chown)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_chmod)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_chdir)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_getcwd)
UNIMPL_FUNC(_sysconf)
"j unimplemented_syscall\n"
);
void unimplemented_syscall()
{
const char *p = "Unimplemented system call called!\n";
while (*p)
*(volatile int*)0x10000000 = *(p++);
asm volatile ("ebreak");
__builtin_unreachable();
}
ssize_t _read(int file, void *ptr, size_t len)
{
// always EOF
return 0;
}
ssize_t _write(int file, const void *ptr, size_t len)
{
const void *eptr = ptr + len;
while (ptr != eptr)
*(volatile int*)0x10000000 = *(char*)(ptr++);
return len;
}
int _close(int file)
{
// close is called before _exit()
return 0;
}
int _fstat(int file, struct stat *st)
{
// fstat is called during libc startup
errno = ENOENT;
return -1;
}
void *_sbrk(ptrdiff_t incr)
{
extern unsigned char _end[]; // Defined by linker
static unsigned long heap_end;
if (heap_end == 0)
heap_end = (long)_end;
heap_end += incr;
return (void *)(heap_end - incr);
}
void _exit(int exit_status)
{
asm volatile ("ebreak");
__builtin_unreachable();
}
|
2023-11-09T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/9276
|
Q:
Can a programmer renounce ownership of source code?
I came across this license:
/**
* The author disclaims copyright to this source code. In place of
* a legal notice, here is a blessing:
*
* May you do good and not evil.
* May you find forgiveness for yourself and forgive others.
* May you share freely, never taking more than you give.
*/
Can a programmer really renounce the ownership of their source code?
A:
Disclaiming copyright is the same as placing it in the public domain, and means there is no copyright, so there are no restrictions whatsoever. Technically, disclaiming copyright isn't a license, since a license states the terms under which you may make copies legally.
They are not the same, but there would be little practical difference in some jurisdictions.
|
2023-10-24T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3811
|
Possible. After all, we're talking about a saga where people can lift things with their minds and come back as blue ghosts when they die. I don't think appearing as they would have in their prime is that big of an issue. I'm pretty much disregarding it at the moment. *shrugs*_________________All things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.
So this is how liberty dies....with thunderous applause.
Those without swords can still die upon them
The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.
Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2009 11:50 am
Message
ReepicheepMaster
Joined: 05 Feb 2008Posts: 6957Location: Sailing into the unknown
Yeah, I don't think it's anything to get concerned about. I don't think Luke will go to the Dark Side anytime soon. _________________
Where sky and water meet,
Where the waves grow sweet,
Doubt not, Reepicheep,
To find all you seek,
There is the utter east.
Last edited by Reepicheep on Tue Dec 15, 2009 4:26 pm; edited 1 time in total
Alas these are the things I get into- Force Philosophy. My home thread at TOS.
I'm all about the Force. It's so much bigger then the SW saga gave it credit- thanks SWEU!_________________-Bring on your thousands, one at a time or all in a rush. I don't give a damn. None shall pass.
-
-To become a Jedi, it is not the Force one must learn to control but oneself.
-
-Podcasts: Star Wars Beyond the Films, The Star Wars Report, & EUCast
When is it coming out? I suppose the Jacen one comes at the same time. My 10 year old can't wait, I've explained to him so much about the storyline(we go for walks a couple of times a week and inevitably I end up giving him lowdown on various EU storylines) and told him toys were coming, so he's anxious for a visual/toy to go along with my stories.
You can go to www.bigbadtoystore.com Type Jaina or Jacen Solo into the search bar and it comes up. Definetly overpriced, and apparently the pre orders are sold out. So its out already.
I'm hoping for a wedding scene in Backlash!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm way to optimistic, because they are bound to drag it out, but, i always have hope. _________________"How's that for a system malfunction?" -Jaina Solo
"Embrace the pain, Scarhead."-Jaina Solo
I'm hoping for a wedding scene in Backlash!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm way to optimistic, because they are bound to drag it out, but, i always have hope.
Sure, there'll be a big, grand wedding scene with lots of tears and happiness. Then the wedding will promptly be crashed by the Sith. After all, this is Star Wars. _________________All things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.
.....then Jag will die dramatically in Jaina's arms and she'll blame Han for the rest of her life. Leia will watch as what's left of her family is torn apart. Then Vestara and Ben will fall in love and accuse Luke of trying to stand in the way of their happiness. _________________All things die, Anakin Skywalker, even stars burn out.
I'm hoping for a wedding scene in Backlash!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm way to optimistic, because they are bound to drag it out, but, i always have hope.
Hehe That's something- I'd like to see Wedding packs- Think about it! Luke and Mara, Han and Leia, Corran Mirax! Wedge and Iella! Come one Dark Horse! My Daughter'd love them!_________________-Bring on your thousands, one at a time or all in a rush. I don't give a damn. None shall pass.
-
-To become a Jedi, it is not the Force one must learn to control but oneself.
-
-Podcasts: Star Wars Beyond the Films, The Star Wars Report, & EUCast
|
2023-08-12T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3816
|
The growth of investment in the Far East was also confirmed by the state-owned statistical agency Rosstat and the Central Bank of Russia.
Private investors have pumped in more than $14 billion into the Russian Far East in 2016. Experts, however, caution that money coming through offshore companies may comprise of funds of Russian companies.
Deputy Prime Minister Yury Trutnev and Far East Development Minister Alexander Galushka have told Vladimir Putin that the introduction of new mechanisms to support investment projects in the Far East is paying rich dividends. According to the officials, 80 billion rubles ($1.2 billion) worth of investment in the region by the government in 2016 has led to 950 billion rubles ($14.34 billion) coming in via private investments.
The growth of investment in the Far East was also confirmed by the state-owned statistical agency Rosstat and the Central Bank of Russia, but experts say that money coming through offshore companies may comprise of funds of Russian companies.
Alexander Galushka's May 4 report to the president was devoted to an investment boom in the Far East. According to him, the volume of investments in 2016, attracted solely through the new support mechanisms, already exceeded 1 trillion rubles, of which 950 billion rubles is private investment, with 80 billion rubles being public funds.
“For each budget ruble we attract 12 private rubles,” Galushka said in his report. By the end of the year, the volume of investments may exceed 2 trillion rubles, he added. This would ensure the creation of 200 new businesses and 55,000 jobs in the Far East by 2023. A total of 16 enterprises will be set up this year, 41 in 2017 and as many as 70 in 2018, Galushka said.
“For each budget ruble we attract 12 private rubles,” Galushka said in his report.
There are several government-sponsored preferential arrangements in the Russian Far East, such as Territories of Accelerated Development (TAD) and the free port of Vladivostok
Galushka said the bill to extend the free port regime to Khabarovsk and cities in Sakhalin, Kamchatka and Chukotka was being finalized. He added that the draft law on income tax and mineral extraction tax relief for 10 years passed its third reading in the State Duma. It will apply to investors who invested at least 50 million rubles in the Far East over a three-year period.
Boom began in 2014
According to the Central Bank, the local investment boom began in 2014, when the annual balance of investments in the Far Eastern Federal District amounted to 3.9 trillion rubles. (In 2011, 2012 and 2013, it was 0.95 trillion, 0.56 trillion and 1.4 trillion, respectively). Central Bank data reveals a balance of investment of 4.2 trillion rubles in the Far Eastern Federal District in the first three quarters of 2015.
However, according to Rosstat, budgetary investments in the Far East normally accounted for about a quarter of all capital investments. The agency's estimates of the investment in 2014 are four times lower than those of the Central Bank (820 billion rubles).
Rosstat’s Russian Far East figures do not include foreign investments – even if they are funding this boom.
Most of the foreign investments come to the Far East from offshore companies (from Cyprus, the British Virgin Islands, the Bahamas and Bermuda) and these funds could originate from Russian companies.
This was confirmed to Kommersant by Ivan Zuyenko, a senior lecturer at the Far Eastern Federal University. Almost all investments in the Far East are Russian, he says. Foreign investments to the Russian Far East have mainly gone to oil and gas projects in Sakhalin.
“It turns out that the statements of the investment attractiveness of the Far East for our neighbors in the Asia-Pacific region do not conform to reality,” says Zuyenko. “For example, China accounts for only a tiny percentage of the total volume of foreign investments.”
The special attention paid by the authorities to the Far East is caused, in particular, by the need to reduce the population exodus from the area. The inflow of funds and jobs did not stop emigration, but may have played a part in slowing it down from 80 people per 10,000 in 2005 to 40 per 10,000 in 2014, according to Rosstat. Emigration from the region was lower only in 2011 and 2012.
At the same time, the statistical agency recorded an increase in the share of foreign migrants that the Russian Far East receives (from 3.3 percent of all arrivals in Russia in 2005 to 12.8 percent in 2014). This process primarily affects Kamchatka (every third migrant is a foreigner), as well as Primorye (one in six), Khabarovsk Territory and the Amur Region (one in seven).
This is an abridged version of an article first published in Russian by Kommersant. Written by Yevgeniya Kryuchkova, Oleg Sapozhnikov, Tatyana Yedovina.
All rights reserved by Rossiyskaya Gazeta.
|
2023-11-10T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2638
|
To get you started on drumming up an awesome plan to save your moola, here are 8 healthy money habits to form:
Track Your Spending
These days it’s super easy to track your spending. There are a handful of free apps to help you manage and save your money. The nifty part is that you can track your spending by the day, week or month. You can also break it down by categories.
I recently looked through my transactions and discovered that I was eating way more junk than I thought. While these sorts of reality checks aren’t always fun, they’re an important first step to turning your money situation around.
Your Inflow Needs to Be Greater Than Your Outflow
Back in my 20s, my pal “Dumpster Diving” Dave Fried told me that you need to treat your money like a business. Your cash inflow needs to be greater than the outflow. Mind you, Fried wasn’t the richest guy. He worked minimum wage at a screenprinting shop, and his finest luxuries were bowling and cheap beer. But he never carried debt and lived within his means.
The takeaway: If you find your credit card debt increasing every month and you’re spending more than your paycheck, take a close look at what’s going on. From there, you can commit to some long-lasting changes.
Automate as Much as You Can
This is by far my fav healthy money habit. That’s because it’s easy and you only have to do it once. Then you can sit back and relax.
If you enjoy a steady paycheck, you can automate all your bills, savings goals and investments. If you’re a Chime member, you can even set up autosave to sock away a portion of your paycheck.
While I’m a freelancer, I’ve made a point to get a month ahead. I set all my bills and some of my savings goals on autopilot. This way I’ll have enough in my bank account to get through the following month.
Spend Only What You Have
Easier said than done, right? To start, leave the credit cards at home and clear out any “saved” items in the online shopping carts of your favorite retailers. Instead of whipping out your credit card, opt to take cash out of the ATM.
It also helps to separate what you can spend on discretionary expenses—eating out, groceries, shopping, personal items and entertainment. I actually have a debit card just for variable spending, and check in on my balance every few days to make sure I’m on track. For instance, if you can afford to spend $1,000 a month on discretionary stuff, transfer just that amount to a separate debit card, or take out $250 a week in cash. Try it for a week and see how it goes.
Link Specific Income Flow to Savings
In our modern side hustling era, it’s important to remember to save any extra money you earn from your gigs. To help you out, you can try syncing up different income streams to your savings goals.
Let’s say you make money from an ebook, pet sitting, and driving for a ride share company. Any cash you don’t need for your living expenses can go toward your savings goals. For instance, money made from your ebook can go toward your vacay fund, earnings from pet sitting toward your debt, and rideshare income can be socked away into your emergency fund.
Try the WOOP Approach
Besides being fun to say, WOOP is a strategy that is a hybrid of two existing habit-forming tactics. WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. It’ s also known as MCII, which stands for Mental Contrasting, Implementation Intention. Here’s how it works:
First off, pick a behavior that’s hard to change yet doable to achieve. For instance, blowing a good chunk on fine dining and drinks the Friday you get paid or exercising for 10 minutes first thing each morning. Then, imagine an awesome-sauce future where you’ve achieved the desired outcome. For example, having a robust rainy day fund or making serious headway on paying off your debt.
Secondly, consider what currently gets in the way of achieving this goal. For instance, if you’re having trouble holding on to your paycheck, it may be because you love going out a lot and lack willpower. If you have trouble doing those yoga stretches or burpees first thing in the morning, maybe it’s because you feel crunched for time.
The second part of WOOP encompasses simple statements or motivating mantras that help you tackle the obstacle. This will help you push through the obstacle and stay on track.
Pay Attention to Somatic Knowledge
It’s important to be cognizant of what you experience and feel in your body. By paying attention to your natural responses to situations and triggers, you’ll gain powerful knowledge that will help inform your decisions.
For example, how do you feel the morning after spending a quarter of your paycheck at the bar? Or what flurry of emotions do you feel when you see something you really want in a store window?
As someone who struggles constantly with scarcity mentality about my money, I feel a bit of hesitation and dread when I spend more than a certain amount on a single item. While logically I know it’s the right purchase and I can afford it, my body tenses up.
The long and short of it: By paying attention to your body’s response to different money situations, you’ll gain a greater understanding of your relationship with your money, and how you can go about making changes.
Come Up With Specific Money Goals
Sure, you want to be “better with your money” in the new year. But what, specifically, does that mean?
For me, I have ambitious retirement goals. Retirement may feel like light years away, but I know it’s important to get a jump on it. So, I’ve assigned a desired amount I want to save each month to hit my goal for the year. That nitty-gritty specificity helps me take action, see my progress and stay motivated.
A pro tip: Be sure to name your savings accounts for desired goals. For instance, instead of just “savings account 2,” label it “Hawaii 2019.” This is another way to stay motivated to hit your savings goals.
Small Steps, Major Changes
There’s no better way to kick-start the new year than to focus on bettering your financial situation. By following these 8 healthy habits, you’ll have an easier time achieving money happiness and hitting your financial goals. In turn, you’ll feel less stressed out and in greater control. And that’s something worth celebrating!
Banking Services provided by The Bancorp Bank, Member FDIC. The Chime Visa® Debit Card is issued by The Bancorp Bank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. and may be used everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted. Chime and The Bancorp Bank, neither endorse nor guarantee any of the information, recommendations, optional programs, products, or services advertised, offered by, or made available through the external website ("Products and Services") and disclaim any liability for any failure of the Products and Services.
Opinions, advice, services, or other information or content expressed or contributed here by customers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of The Bancorp Bank (“Bank”). Bank is not responsible for the accuracy of any content provided by author(s) or contributor(s).
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2024-07-31T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/7690
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Guide to Making a Claim
You can lodge a claim online or you can complete a hard copy claim form by clicking on the PDF link below. If you are experiencing an emergency or it is outside of normal office hours, please call 1800 817 360.
What you will need when lodging a claim
Quote for replacement of the item noting that the quote must be equivalent to the damaged item. Please note that where significant damage has occurred a quote is not required, just a description of the damage, and the Insurer will provide further instructions.
Where possible please provide an invoice showing that the water leaks have been repaired and no further damage will result
Water damage claims, If required please provide a report from a repairer advising whether an item is repairable or not (for claims where replacement items are being claimed).
Claims for Loss of Rent – A copy of the Tenancy Agreement where a unit is permanently let or, for short term lettings please provide a copy of 12 months rental statements prior to the loss.
Claim Requirements:
The Insured has a Duty of Care to prevent further loss and to ensure that the damage does not pose any further risk to property or persons and any emergency works required should be undertaken.
Do not proceed with any repairs, other than emergency repairs, without first notifying your Body Corporate Manager or Body Corporate Brokers for further instructions on how to proceed with the claim.
Damaged items must not be disposed of without first obtaining approval.
Should the insurable damage result in the occupants having to vacate the property please notify Body Corporate Brokers immediately.
Once Body Corporate Brokers have evaluated the extent of the insurable loss we will provide further instructions on how to proceed with the claim. You may be requested to obtain quotes to reinstate the damage to your property or, we may need to advise the Insurer immediately in order for them to appoint a loss adjuster to manage the claim.
Water Damage Claims: Where practicable the Insured must attend to fixing the leak and provide confirmation by way of an invoice that suitable repairs have been carried out. This may not be practical where the repair of the insurable damage must be done in conjunction with repair of the leak (eg. leaking shower membranes).
Theft Claims: Proof of ownership must be provided noting that the stolen items must be owned by the Body Corporate for cover to be extended. Personal items owned by occupants are not covered by Strata Insurance.
Glass Breakage: The preferred glazier of most Insurer’s is O’Brien Glass and they may be contacted direct with the name of the Insurer and policy number applicable. They will contact the Insurer to confirm policy cover and the applicable excess and will, in most instances, carry out the glass replacement and bill the Insurer for the balance. The Insured will be required to pay the applicable excess to O’Brien Glass. Where the glass is of unusual size or cost the Insurer may appoint a loss adjuster.
Commercial Glass Breakage: Where a commercial property is tenanted the tenant may be responsible for glass breakage under their Lease Agreement and the Agreement should be checked prior to a claim being lodged against the Strata Insurer.
Obtaining Quotes: When obtaining quotes please ensure that the quote is to reinstate the property as it was prior to the loss. The Insurer is not responsible for betterment or upgrades to the property, nor are they responsible for non-matching of materials or replacing undamaged property.
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2023-09-01T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/8425
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Trans fats, which are produced when vegetable oils are hydrogenated, have been linked to increased risk of heart disease. This has prompted the FDA to require Trans fat content on the Nutrition facts label of packaged food products containing 0.5 gram or more of Trans fat per serving, as of January 2006.
The concern with Trans fat has led some cities in the US, such as New York and Philadelphia, to approve ordinances banning Trans fat. Other states are considering similar measures.
Where are Trans fats found? In a lot of the foods we eat – vegetable shortenings, baked foods, snack foods, some margarines, and foods made with or fried in partially hydrogenated oils.
Your Dawn sales representative can help you put together the Trans fat plan that is right for your business. Please click here to be contacted by a sales representative for more information about our Zero grams Trans fat Program.
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2023-11-29T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/3737
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Dascha Polanco Arrested For Assaulting A Teenage Girl
“Orange is the New Black” star Dascha Polanco spent her 33rd birthday in court on Thursday for an alleged assault on a teenage girl.
On July 29, Dascha was arrested for attacking 17-year-old Michelle Cardona, according to the criminal complaint.
Via Page Six:
“Ms. Cardona observed the defendant strike Ms. Cardona about the face and head with a closed fist at least three times, pull Ms. Cardona’s hair, and strike Ms. Cardona’s arms with the defendant’s hands and nails,” court papers show.
It’s unclear what led to the alleged beatdown inside 562 W. 190th St., where Polanco lives, according to law enforcement sources.
But Polanco had invited Cardona to her apartment via text message prior to the alleged attack, cops said.
Cardona, who suffered “bruising and redness to her face, scratches to her arms, and substantial pain,” was hospitalized for her injuries, police said.
Polanco, looking glum, appeared on the assault case in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday, which happened to be her birthday. The curvy, Dominican-born beauty turned 33.
As she left the courthouse, sporting a low ponytail and dressed down in a black coat and gray slacks, she declined to comment.
“It’s a setup to try to get money and it was tape-recorded,” said her defense lawyer, Gerald Lefcourt. “This young woman was trying to extort her to drop the case. We’re confident the charges will be dismissed.”
In a cover story in Latina Magazine published in May, Polanco opened up about her struggles as a single parent and her battle with depression after losing her mother.
The Brooklyn-raised actress faces assault, attempted assault and harassment raps. She’s due back in court in January.
What a way to spend her birthday!
Dascha is the mother of a 15-year-old so I’m inclined to believe she may have been defending her child. She has too much at risk to run around randomly molly-whopping teenage girls.
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2024-03-05T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/7972
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Shifting cultivation is one of the main causes of deforestation and forest degradation in Sri Lanka. This study uses household data and satellite images to investigate the determinants of shifting cultivation and the potential to control the intensity of this practice. Some 50% of households studied in Monaragala district of Sri Lanka practiced shifting cultivation during the 2011/2012 cultivation season. This practice is largely characterized by a short fallow period, mono cropping and high input use and repeated annual use of the same plot of land.Households practicing shifting cultivation, on average, use less than 1 hectare every year for this activity. Some 59% of shifting cultivation farmers indicated that they had cultivated the same piece of land every year during the 2006-2011 period. The practice is not restricted to poor landless farmers. Regression results show that households that possess more private land and other assets tend to cultivate larger areas of land. Therefore, the contribution of relatively wealthy households to shifting cultivation is more than that of poor households. Furthermore,households with more adult family members in a family tend to cultivate larger areas of shifting cultivation lands. Full-time non-farm occupations are a deterrent to this practice. To reduce the area of shifting cultivation, the study recommends an integrated plan with alternate income generation options for people who may have to give up existing swidden lands.
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2023-08-26T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4149
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Anaphylactic shock caused by immunoglobulin E sensitization after retreatment with the chimeric anti-interleukin-2 receptor monoclonal antibody basiliximab.
Repeated administration of chimeric or humanized monoclonal antibodies is generally well tolerated. Anti-idiotypic sensitization is rare and is considered to be of no clinical significance. We observed a child who experienced anaphylactic shock when he received a second course of basiliximab at the time of his second renal transplantation. We therefore searched for the presence of anti-basiliximab immunoglobulin (Ig) E in this patient. Serum levels of anti-basiliximab IgE, assay of the anti-murine reactivity of circulating anti-basiliximab IgE, and assays for serum anti-mouse antibodies and global anti-basiliximab anti-idiotypic antibodies were carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Anti-basiliximab IgE antibodies on circulating basophils were evaluated by the ability of the patient's blood to produce leukotrienes in vitro after exposure to basiliximab. Sequential assays of serum samples by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indicated that anti-basiliximab IgE antibodies appeared after the second basiliximab course. There was no IgE reactivity toward a control murine IgG2a monoclonal antibody (mAb), indicating that the IgE response was directed exclusively against basiliximab idiotypes. There was no IgE reactivity against the humanized anti-interleukin-2 receptor mAb daclizumab, which was derived from a distinct parental murine mAb. Patient basophils harvested months after the anaphylactic shock produced leukotrienes in vitro on exposure to basiliximab. Patients exposed to chimeric antibodies may develop an anti-idiotypic IgE response that can trigger anaphylactic shock on further exposure. Specific anti-idiotypic IgE may be bound to basophils even in the absence of circulating IgE.
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2024-04-27T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/6181
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats boosted their ranks in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, trimming Republicans’ edge in the chamber to 51-49 with the swearing in of two new lawmakers from Alabama and Minnesota.
In a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol, officials administered the oath of office to Doug Jones, who won last month’s special election in Alabama to become the state’s first Democratic senator in 25 years, and Tina Smith, who is replacing fellow Democrat Al Franken a day after he resigned over sexual harassment allegations.
Vice President Mike Pence conducted the swearing-in ceremony for both Democrats simultaneously. Jones was escorted to the Senate chamber by former Vice President Joe Biden, while former Vice President Walter Mondale, who is also a former senator from Minnesota, accompanied Smith.
In taking his seat, Jones, 63, a former federal prosecutor who won a bitterly fought special election last month against Republican Roy Moore, reduced the Republican majority in the Senate to 51-49.
Moore, a Christian conservative and former judge, had his campaign hobbled by accusations of sexual misconduct with teenage girls while he was in his 30s. The seat was formerly held by Republican Jeff Sessions, now President Donald Trump’s attorney general.
Jones’ victory left Trump’s Republicans even less room for defections from within their party as they pursue legislative initiatives such as an infrastructure plan, entitlement changes and scaling back Obama-era regulations on industry.
Smith, 59, brings the number of women in the Senate to a record-high 22. Smith, who served as her state’s lieutenant governor, was appointed by Minnesota’s governor to replace Franken.
Slideshow ( 6 images )
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was seen speaking with Jones just after the swearing-in, welcomed the newcomers in a brief floor speech, and said he hoped the chamber could address issues in a renewed spirit of bipartisanship.
McConnell then plunged immediately into a Republican talking point. He said lawmakers should “set aside the arbitrary notion” that new defense spending should be matched equally by new non-defense spending - a key Democratic request in negotiations set to resume between the parties later Wednesday on a government spending bill.
Congress must reach an agreement by Jan. 19, or face a government shutdown.
A Democratic takeover of the Senate in November’s elections could partially stifle the Trump administration’s agenda but the party’s chances are uncertain. One-third of the seats in the chamber will be up for grabs and Democrats will be defending many more seats than Republicans in this round.
Republicans in 2017 used their thin Senate majority to help a pass a tax overhaul with their colleagues in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. But they fell short in their effort to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare program, after three Senate Republicans rejected the bill.
Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, said on Tuesday he would not seek re-election in November, following fellow Republicans Bob Corker and Jeff Flake who announced last year they would retire. Hatch’s move opens the door to a potential run by Mitt Romney, the Republican’s unsuccessful 2012 presidential nominee and one of the party’s top critics of Trump.
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2024-02-20T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/9161
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Is Bourdain Stalked by a Tattooed Freak?
By Karen
On April 24, Cats Working reader Adele (human, not feline) met Anthony Bourdain after his appearance in Chicago. She promises to tell us all about it, but in the meantime, last week wrapped Season 6 of No Reservations and proved extremely full.
April 19 was the Bourdains’ wedding anniversary. Tonic.com reported on the April 20 Can-Do Awards Dinner to benefit the NYC Food Bank they attended. Emeril Lagasse was the special honoree and the event raised $1.4 million for hunger relief.
On April 21, Tony visited Borders’ HQ in Ann Arbor, Michigan, talking to Merchandising about his upcoming book, Medium Raw. Makes me wonder if there’s extensive book tour in the works.
In advance of his April 23 appearance in Minneapolis, Pioneer Press got an advance phone interview.
Star Tribune also talked to Bourdain in an interview titled, “Bad boy and mellow fellow.” Seems Tony has changed his mind about his last meal.
City Pages provides a run-down on what Bourdain discussed in Minneapolis, and mentioned the heavily-tattooed possible stalker who joined him on stage and dropped his pants.
Chicago Tribune got an excellent interview with Bourdain before his appearance there April 24. Tony admits he’s “burnt out” on 20-course menus and intriguingly mentions his future Vietnam book as just a “hope.”
Personally, I’d advise him to go sooner rather than later for Ariane’s sake. My parents uprooted me at ages 10, 14, 15, and 17 and it was rough. Let Ariane help Dad satisfy his yen for Southeast Asia by middle school so she can find friendships that will last through high school and beyond. Losing that opportunity can be a real bitch later in life.
Saint Tigerlily loves Bourdain, but Les Halles Cookbook, not so much. She made his coq au vin and meticulously details what went wrong.
And while we’re ripping Bourdain a new one, NY Restaurant Examiner Howard Portnoy takes serious issue with Tony’s very existence and his views on food bloggers.
The Little Things invokes Bourdain in discussing the new Scripps Cooking Channel, set to debut May 31. The Stir has just the opposite opinion.
Tony’s take on the new network was mostly positive, as reported in the Washington Examiner: “What’s worse, another network about food, or another network filled with steroid-jacked reality freakazoids?”
Eater.com again collected Tony’s best one-liners from the Food Porn 2 finale.
Post navigation
13 Responses to Is Bourdain Stalked by a Tattooed Freak?
Yep, the last meal is probably changed to uni with lightly melted lardo. Here’s the stalker story lest it get lost in the rest of what I’m writing. During the question portion of Saturday’s show, someone yelled, “What about the stalker?” Tony answered that there was this guy, who jumped on stage at a California show, a few months ago. Standing in front of Tony, he dropped trou, revealing a tattoo of Boudain’s face on one thigh and Eric Ripert’s face on the other. Somewhere on his body (I can’t recall where)is also a tattoo of Iron Chef Morimoto’s face. He asked Tony to please autograph the tattoo, so he could have the autograph tattooed above the face. Tony said he felt compelled to comply.Subsequently, he showed up at Le Bernardin, asking Eric Ripert to do the same, and then the other night, either in Michigan or Minnesota, he showed up, jumped up on stage; this time, faced the audience, dropped trou, and having on no underwear, revealed all to the audience he had to reveal. Tony said that he’s now a little worried about the guy.
Adele, I don’t think his last meal is uni, unless that’s a species of sea urchin.
From what you’re saying, sounds like it’s the same guy, and he’s turned up in CA, NYC, and Minneapolis. I don’t know what the laws are anywhere else, but his little strip routine would get him arrested in Virginia, and I’m sure his cellmate Bubba would like nothing better than to have him model all his tats.
I think uni is sea urchin roe — I’ll check. Ann Arbor, being a college town, is pretty liberal, which is probably why Tattoo Man got away with his performance. Tony did say that Ripert’s face was disturbingly close to the family jewels — actually that’s not the way he put it, but this is a family blog.
Sea urchin is one of his faves but a changeup from Roasted Marrow bones.
Ok Adele are you stringing us out? How did you get through the crowd? Was Cats Working a factor? (bet it was).
Tattoo man is f’d up, there are ALL kinds of stalkers out there… Imagine a grown man being so obsessed with Bourdain that he is compelled to intrude and try to make contact multiple times..wayyyy creepy!
Bob, good sleuthing. I somehow understood that the tattoos were on different thighs — probably because I couldn’t understand the need to go full frontal, if only one thigh was involved; he could have just cut the leg out of a pair of jeans. But perhaps the full frontal had to do with something other than artistic expression. Creepy is all I have to say.
Morgan, I’m not deliberatly trying to string you along. My hopes of finishing my little piece on Sunday were dashed because I was so wound up, I stayed up until 5am, slept a good part of Sunday, then went out to dinner and had enough wine that I was not at my most alert.
I will say this; there weren’t all that many people at the VIP reception, and Tony was pretty easy to get to. When I got up to him, to give him the little book for Ariane, I told him my name, and he said, “Oh, you’re Adele, from Cats Working.” My friend, Linda and I could have mingled through the entire reception, but we had to sit down with some wine in order to drum up the courage to go back up to him. As you probably know, photos do not do Mr. Bourdain justice, and he could not have been more cordial.
I’ve been out of my office doing an editing/proofreading seminar for a client all day today, so I didn’t get a chance to visit Cats Working and get Adele’s account posted, but it’s high on my list for tomorrow. She got some good scoop.
Adele, after the DC Food Fight, Morgan and I were so rattled after being with the Bourdains up close and personal that we returned to the hotel bar and knocked back a few martinis to steady our nerves. After watching Tony on TV all these years, meeting him in person is pretty unsettling, but in a very GOOD way. He’s great. And Ottavia couldn’t be more friendly and gracious.
I literally started with a Highball (don’t you love that 50’s expression?) and experienced olive envy of Karen’s martini, which I quickly switched to ( and got head beaned during the process but we discussed that on an earlier post).
I was so nervved up at seeing Tony, Ottavia , Eric Jose Andres, Ted Allen, et al freaking UP CLOSE that cocktails were MANDATORY!
We eventually retired and after a Xanax or 2 I managed to fall asleep (at 3AM!). We had reservations to tour the capital the next day and guess who was late? (Hint- it was not Karen).
We were reverberating with the events of the evening, so Adele, I can dig your head. I mean how cool that this little blog got on his radar??
Indeed, Morgan. I was surprised how flummoxed I was to be in Bourdain’s presence and have my name be slightly familiar to him. I used to have a connection to get back stage after concerts, and I never felt tongue-tied in the presence of music stars (I even was introduced to Mick Jagger, not that I expect I made any impression). But there’s a big difference when someone is coming into your living room most weeks.
Morgan and Adele, I still have not gotten over my amazement at the reach this blog sometimes has. Getting noticed by the Bourdains was the first big shock, and then, of course, the BBC. And there have been other lesser incidents, like the time I got embroiled in the secrecy surrounding the filming of NR Philippines, and hope I was a tiny bit instrumental in getting Travel Channel to do a complete 180 on that policy.
But after 500+ posts, I’m just happy as hell that SOMEONE is reading it and I haven’t gotten any death threats (well, except for that wacko who hoped I die alone and the cats eat my eyeballs)!
So glad you got to meet him and had such a wonderful experience! Also wanted to say “thanks” for always posting the links to other stories. I’ve read pretty much everything I can find and it seems like the people who are the most anti-Tony base their opinions on one or two of his comments that they take out of context. This seems especially true for the vegetarians, Alice Waters fans and foodie bloggers. You’d think these people would be intelligent enough to know better – but there it is.
Imabear, thanks for the compliment on the links, especially since I was accused by another reader just yesterday of being “unoriginal” because I post links.
I think most people are savvy enough to appreciate the concept of Internet “research” and presenting findings. I provide first-hand scoop when I can, like Adele’s experiences in Chicago last weekend.
I agree with you that much of the nasty stuff I find written about Bourdain is a reaction to one little thing people have read, seen, or heard, and they don’t seem to know much else about him.
I do hope that the information I provide allows people who read Cats Working regularly to take the negative stuff with a grain of salt because they have much more accurate and complete information about Bourdain than the average casual fan.
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2023-08-03T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/7639
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Phantom Limb Pain
There are no words to describe the sense of loss, pain, and confusion associated with the amputation of a limb. The emotional despair is even stronger in individuals who lost a limb as the result of an accident.
One moment they were a complete person, and then when they wake up from surgery, a part of them is missing. A young man who had his leg crushed in an accident woke up in his hospital bed with one of his English students holding his hand and telling him not to look down because he lost something.
This young man had his left leg amputated a few inches above the knee. Every time he looked down, every time the stump was cleaned, every time stump was drained, he had a painful and visual reminder that part of his leg was gone. But he still felt his leg. He was experiencing what over 80 percent of amputees experience- phantom limb pain.
Understanding Phantom Limb Pain
As its name implies, phantom limb pain is mild to extreme discomfort in the area where a limb has been amputated. Even though the limb is not there, the nerve endings at the site of the amputation are sending signals to the brain.
This makes the brain believe that the limb is still there. In some cases, the brain remembers what it felt like to feel pain in the amputated limb, and so any signals sent from the nerves around the amputated limb are interpreted as pain.
Phantom limb pain can take on several very intense characteristics. The pain may feel like a stabbing, burning, cramping, or throbbing sensation. If you are dealing with phantom pain, there may be times when you feel like the amputated area is being squeezed, as if it is tingling, or as if there is the sensation of shooting pain.
Phantom limb pain is unique, with no two patients experiencing it the same way. Sufferers often describe the phantom pain as more intense than the non-phantom pain they felt before in their limbs. Phantom pain is sporadic, it cannot be predicted.
Time and experience have shown us that phantom pain is unique and that it can be dealt by closely listening to our patients. When you describe your pain, we are going to pay close attention because we want to determine what it is you are truly experiencing. With this information, we can best develop a pain management program that suits you.
A phantom limb pain sufferer said that he was in agony in the weeks following his amputation. He described it as jolts that could be compared to being electrocuted with a cattle prod. It felt as if his non-existing toes were clenched together in an excruciating way. It left him writhing so violently in pain that he was constantly banging his head against the side of the hospital bed. The young man was reduced to tears.
How We Can Help
Over the past few years, we have had the amazing experience of being able to work with some resilient individuals who have learned to restore their quality of life after an amputation. We have heard how phantom limb pain has made the recovery process difficult for them. We listen to their concerns, and it has helped us to create individualized treatment programs for each one of our patients.
We understand that there is a lot of mystery surrounding phantom limb pain. So we do not presume to know what is going on in your particular circumstance. We will not create a treatment program until we have listened to you. We know that the pain you are experiencing is real, it is agonizing, and it is taking a physical and emotional toll on your life.
You have our guarantee that we will not stop working with you until we can help you create a short-term and long-term pain management program. When you leave our office, you are going to know what the process is that we will follow. You will know what is going to be required of you to make the most out of your pain management program.
We will not insult you by presenting you with a one-size-fits-all phantom limb pain treatment. The treatment you will get is uniquely designed for you.
Don’t let phantom limb pain rob you of another moment of your life. Let us work with you to help you to get the pain under control and get back to living the life you deserve.
The Emotional Toll of Phantom Limb Pain
Dealing with phantom limb pain can be more challenging when medical professionals do not adequately understand what it is. One young man who had his leg amputated was told by the doctor prior to the surgery that he would not feel any phantom pain. When he saw the doctor after surgery, he told him, “You lied to me!”
The doctor insisted that his body was adjusting to the change and that the pain would go away. The pain did not go away at all.
The emotional trauma of losing a limb is only amplified by the fact that medical professionals do not always believe the phantom limb pain that their patient is feeling is real. Many individuals comment that they can still feel injuries that they had on their missing limb as if it was still there.
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2024-01-02T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/8796
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Q:
How can I blit an image on the screen where i click after pressing a button
I am making a pygame game. I need to be able to place tanks on the screen after I click the tank button which on the bottom of my screen.
Currently i have hard coded the position of spawn but I am not able to place the tank at the position of click(after i click on the tank button)
def spawn_tank():
tank = pygame.image.load("tank.png")
screen.blit(tank, (250, 350))
This is my main code function
spawner = False
def main():
global new_tanks
global spawner
run = True
fps = 90
tanks = Button((59, 255, 140), 100, 610, 80, 80, text = "Tanks")
towers = Button((59, 255, 140), 510, 610, 150, 80, text = "Towers")
blue = pygame.image.load("blue_base.png")
red = pygame.image.load("red_base.png")
while run:
mx, my = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
pos = (mx, my)
screen.fill((50, 168, 66))
x = pos[0]
y = pos[1]
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
pygame.quit()
quit()
pygame.draw.rect(screen, (201, 142, 47), (0, 600, 1000, 100))
pygame.draw.line(screen, (0, 0, 0), (500,0), (500, 600))
tanks.draw(screen)
towers.draw(screen)
tanks = Button((59, 255, 140), 100, 610, 80, 80, text="Tanks")
mx, my = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
mouse_pos = (mx, my)
if tanks.isOver(mouse_pos):
tanks = Button((0, 255, 0), 100, 610, 80, 80, text="Tanks")
tanks.draw(screen)
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
spawner = True
else:
tanks = Button((59, 255, 140), 100, 610, 80, 80, text="Tanks")
tanks.draw(screen)
towers = Button((59, 255, 140), 510, 610, 150, 80, text="Towers")
mx, my = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
mouse_pos = (mx, my)
if towers.isOver(mouse_pos):
towers = Button((0, 255, 0), 510, 610, 150, 80, text="Towers")
towers.draw(screen)
else:
towers = Button((59, 255, 140), 510, 610, 150, 80, text="Towers")
towers.draw(screen)
if spawner:
spawn_tank()
screen.blit(blue, (0, 100))
screen.blit(red, (800, 100))
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(fps)
I need help with the placement of the tank on the screen(wherever I click) after clicking on the tank button.
A:
screen.blit(tank,pygame.mouse.get_pos()) blits the tank at the mouse position. But that won't satisfy you. You have to store the mouse position in a list and to blit the tanks in the main application loop.
Add a list for the tank positions and add the mouse position to the list when the thank spawns:
tank_pos_list = []
def spawn_tank():
global tank_pos_list
tank_pos_list.append(pygame.mouse.get_pos())
Draw the tanks in the main application loop:
def main():
# [...]
tank_surf = pygame.image.load("tank.png")
while run:
# [...]
for tank_pos in tank_pos_list:
screen.blit(tank, tank_pos)
When the button is clicked then set spawner. If the button is clicked and spawner is set the append a new tank.
Note, you have to add some code, that evaluates it the second click is in the game area, but that is a a task which you have to solve yourself.
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
if spawner:
spawn_tank()
spawner = False
if tanks.isOver(mouse_pos):
spawner = True
I recommend to separate the event handling and drawing the objects. Draw all the objects in the main application loop rather than the event loop:
def main():
global new_tanks
global spawner
run = True
fps = 90
tanks = Button((59, 255, 140), 100, 610, 80, 80, text = "Tanks")
tanks_over = Button((0, 255, 0), 100, 610, 80, 80, text="Tanks")
towers = Button((59, 255, 140), 510, 610, 150, 80, text = "Towers")
towers_over = Button((0, 255, 0), 510, 610, 150, 80, text="Towers")
blue = pygame.image.load("blue_base.png")
red = pygame.image.load("red_base.png")
tank_surf = pygame.image.load("tank.png")
spawner = False
while run:
mx, my = pygame.mouse.get_pos()
pos = (mx, my)
x = pos[0]
y = pos[1]
mouse_pos = (mx, my)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
pygame.quit()
quit()
if event.type == pygame.MOUSEBUTTONDOWN:
if spawner:
spawn_tank()
spawner = False
if tanks.isOver(mouse_pos):
spawner = True
screen.fill((50, 168, 66))
pygame.draw.rect(screen, (201, 142, 47), (0, 600, 1000, 100))
pygame.draw.line(screen, (0, 0, 0), (500,0), (500, 600))
if tanks.isOver(mouse_pos):
tanks_over.draw(screen)
else:
tanks.draw(screen)
if towers.isOver(mouse_pos):
towers_over.draw(screen)
else:
towers.draw(screen)
screen.blit(blue, (0, 100))
screen.blit(red, (800, 100))
for tank_pos in tank_pos_list:
screen.blit(tank_surf, tank_pos)
pygame.display.flip()
clock.tick(fps)
|
2023-10-08T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5820
|
Structure and diversity of the T-cell receptor alpha chain in the Mexican axolotl.
Polymerase chain reaction was used to isolate cDNA clones encoding putative T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha chains in an amphibian, the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). Five TCRalpha-V chain-encoding segments were identified, each belonging to a separate family. The best identity scores for these axolotl TCRalpha-V segments were all provided by sequences belonging to the human TCRalpha-V1 family and the mouse TCRalpha-V3 and TCRalpha-V8 families. A total of 14 different TCRA-J segments were identified from 44 TCRA-V/TCRA-J regions sequenced, suggesting that a large repertoire of TCRA-J segments is a characteristic of most vertebrates. The structure of the axolotl CDR3 alpha chain loop is in good agreement with that of mammals, including a majority of small hydrophobic residues at position 92 and of charged, hydrophilic, or polar residues at positions 93 and 94, which are highly variable and correspond to the TCRA-V/J junction. This suggests that some positions of the axolotl CDR3 alpha chain loop are positively selected during T-cell differentiation, particularly around residue 93 that could be selected for its ability to makes contacts with major histocompatibility complex-associated antigenic peptides, as in mammals. The axolotl Calpha domain had the typical structure of mammalian and avian Calpha domains, including the charged residues in the TM segment that are thought to interact with other proteins in the membrane, as well as most of the residues forming the conserved antigen receptor transmembrane motif.
|
2023-10-09T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3807
|
Q:
How to get the last commit from HEAD in a git repository using libGit2Sharp?
How can I get the last Commit from the current Head?
I guess I need to get the current Branch (repo.Head), then the SHA1 (how?) and then lookup the commit using the SHA1 (how?).
A:
I need to get the last Commit from the current Head. How can I do that?
repo.Head returns the current Branch or the repository.
A Branch exposes a Tip property which points to the latest Commit.
Thus:
repo.Head.Tip will return the latest commit of the current Head.
repo.Head.Tip.Id the sha of this Commit.
I couldnt find a Testcase which helps me out
You can peek at this test which leverages this kind of code to retreive the sha of the latest commit of the branch pointed at by Head.
|
2024-06-24T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/9589
|
Q:
android - Firebase Google Authentication user not logging out
My MainActivity contains a GoogleSignIn button which pops up a menu with all the google accounts on the device. All works fine. The user is able to log in successfully, and directed to a new Activity.
Now, the new Activity (Main2Activity) contains a log-out button, which redirects the user to MainActivity again. But when I click on GoogleSignIn button again, the same user is again logged in. I want the account selection menu to pop up once again. What if the user wants to signin with other account?
Here's the signout code I'm using in Main2Activity:
HomeActivity/Main2Activity
findViewById(R.id.logoutButton).setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v)
{
firebaseAuth.signOut();
startActivity(new Intent(getApplicationContext(), LoginActivity.class));
finish();
}
});
}
LoginActivity/MainActivity
package com.dell.nfclib;
public class LoginActivity extends Activity
{
private static final int RC_SIGN_IN = 101;
GoogleSignInClient mGoogleSignInClient;
private FirebaseAuth mAuth;
SignInButton signInButton;
@Override
protected void onStart()
{
super.onStart();
}
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState)
{
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_login);
// Configure Google Sign In
GoogleSignInOptions gso = new GoogleSignInOptions.Builder(GoogleSignInOptions.DEFAULT_SIGN_IN)
.requestIdToken(getString(R.string.default_web_client_id))
.requestEmail()
.build();
// Build a GoogleSignInClient with the options specified by gso.
mGoogleSignInClient = GoogleSignIn.getClient(this, gso);
// Initialize Firebase Auth
mAuth = FirebaseAuth.getInstance();
signInButton = (SignInButton) findViewById(R.id.googleSignInButton);
signInButton.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
signIn();
}
});
}
private void signIn()
{
Intent signInIntent = mGoogleSignInClient.getSignInIntent();
startActivityForResult(signInIntent, RC_SIGN_IN);
}
@Override
public void onActivityResult(int requestCode, int resultCode, Intent data)
{
super.onActivityResult(requestCode, resultCode, data);
// Result returned from launching the Intent from GoogleSignInApi.getSignInIntent(...);
if (requestCode == RC_SIGN_IN) {
GoogleSignInResult result = Auth.GoogleSignInApi.getSignInResultFromIntent(data);
if(result.isSuccess()) {
GoogleSignInAccount account = result.getSignInAccount();
firebaseAuthWithGoogle(account);
}
}
}
private void firebaseAuthWithGoogle(GoogleSignInAccount acct)
{
AuthCredential credential = GoogleAuthProvider.getCredential(acct.getIdToken(), null);
mAuth.signInWithCredential(credential)
.addOnCompleteListener(this, new OnCompleteListener<AuthResult>() {
@Override
public void onComplete(@NonNull Task<AuthResult> task) {
if (task.isSuccessful())
{
// Sign in success, update UI with the signed-in user's information
// Get user details from the 'user' object..
startActivity(new Intent(getApplicationContext(), HomeActivity.class));
finish();
}
else
{
// If sign in fails, display a message to the user.
Toast.makeText(getApplicationContext(), "Error", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
}
// ...
}
});
}
}
A:
But when I click on GoogleSignIn button again, the same user is again logged in.
This is happening because you haven't signed out completely.
I want the account selection menu to pop up once again.
To solve this, you need to sign-out from both, Firebase and Google accounts. A method like the following can help you solve your problem:
private void signOut() {
FirebaseFirestore.getInstance().signOut(); //Sign-out Firebase
if (googleApiClient.isConnected()) {
Auth.GoogleSignInApi.signOut(googleApiClient); //Sign-out Google
}
}
|
2023-08-20T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4421
|
This invention relates to furniture, and in particular, to folding ready-to-assemble fully upholstered furniture that can be shipped and/or stored in a relatively small space.
Fully upholstered furniture, such as sofas, loveseats, chairs and sleep sofas that do not have exposed frame members, tend to be large, bulky and heavy. Fully upholstered furniture has also gradually increased in size over the past two decades and does not always fit through narrow doorways or staircases in many older homes and apartments.
It is known to provide upholstered furniture that is assembled by the consumer. Although such Knockdown or Ready-to-Assemble (RTA) upholstered furniture reduces shipping costs and fits into narrow spaces, its commercial popularity has been limited. Fully upholstered RTA furniture can be more costly than comparable conventional furniture due in part to the need for expensive hardware and the use of expensive fabrics to cover areas that remain hidden in conventional designs. Also, it has been found that assembly of such furniture can be awkward for customers who lack the physical strength needed to assemble heavy components. It is also known to provide RTA futon furniture. Typically, this type of furniture is not fully upholstered and consists of an exposed wood or metal frame with one or more futon cushions.
It is also known to provide furniture that is foldable, for example, folding lawn chairs or desk chairs. Typically, this type of furniture is used outdoors as lawn or beach furniture, or as office or institutional-type seating. This folding furniture is typically not fully upholstered, and often has exposed unsightly hardware, and thus, is not suitable for use in most homes as living room or family room seating. Further, it is known to provide fully upholstered foam furniture (that does not utilize wood frames or spring supports) for family room use. However, such furniture can be relatively uncomfortable, lack durability, and be unsuitable for most in-home uses. It is also known to provide fully upholstered automotive seating, which is not suitable for living room or family room seating.
It is an object of the present invention to provide fully upholstered furniture items that are foldable so as to require reduced space for transport or storage; are as sturdy and durable as conventional upholstered furniture; are indistinguishable in styling and comfort from conventional fully upholstered furniture; are simple to assemble, and are relatively inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of the invention is to provide attachment systems that will securely attach the arms and back of the upholstered furniture item to a frame so that there will be minimal wracking or separation between components, and yet will allow various parts to be folded or removed for storage or shipping. Wracking is defined as a twisting movement that often occurs between the arms and back of inexpensive upholstered furniture.
Still another object of the invention is to provide fully upholstered furniture items that do not require a rail to determine the pitch angle between the back and seat. Further, the furniture items do not require an outer back member to maintain the pitch angle, as is the case of conventional upholstered furniture. In this invention, proper pitch is maintained through the use of a combination of latches fixing the angle of the back of the arms, and the back frame member.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a fully upholstered furniture item that may be rapidly and completely assembled by a single consumer; and that in use has no exposed hardware and no separate parts or hardware that may get lost in transportation or storage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new, original and ornamental design of a fully upholstered, foldable, furniture item.
The above and other objects are accomplished by providing a foldable, fully upholstered, furniture item for placement on a substantially horizontal surface. The furniture system has a horizontal seat support frame having front and rear support frame members, spaced left and right side support frame members, a back member having a bottom back member rotatably secured to the rear support frame member and left and right back side support members. The back member is rotatable between a position substantially parallel to the horizontal seat support frame and an obtuse angle with respect to the horizontal seat support frame. Left and right arm members are provided, each having a rear arm frame and a lower arm frame. The left and right lower arm frames are secured to the left and right side support frame members respectively. The furniture system also provides left and right latch assemblies. When the furniture system is in a first assembled configuration for seating, the back member is in a substantially vertical position, the left and right arm members are in substantially vertically upward positions, and the left and right latch assemblies are latched. When the furniture system is in a second unassembled configuration for storage and shipping, the back member is in a substantially horizontal position, and the left and right latch assemblies are unlatched.
The latching assembly can be a generic draw catch, window latch or similar catch, latch or clamp intended to join a pair of members in abutting relationship along the edges thereof and to lock them in place. The latching assemblies may be manually released to allow the arm and back members to pivot about their respective horizontal axis to the storage configuration.
In this first embodiment, the latching assembly is reinforced by a hook and loop fastener (such as VELCRO(copyright)) comprised of a hook element and al loop element. VELCRO(copyright)is a trademark registered by Velcro Industries. B.V. for hook and loop fasteners. The hook and loop elements are brought together during the assembly process, allowing the latching elements to be easily aligned. After the latching elements are locked in place, and a person is seated, the hook and loop fasteners prevent the back member from pivoting on a horizontal axis away from the storage configuration by resistance across the horizontal plane of the hook and loop fastener.
Preferably, the seat member is pivotably connected to the various support members using a plurality of respective hinges. The hinges can be continuous, i.e., extending across the entire width of the furniture item, or alternatively, two or more separate hinges can be used to connect each arm and back member to the seat member. The hinges may be comprised of metal, plastic, or a fabric material. Whether the present invention is folded in the storage configuration or unfolded in the normal seating configuration, little weight is placed on the hinges.
Further, instead of hinges, the various support members can be pivotably attached to the seat member using other means, for example, a ball-and-socket arrangement. Regardless of the method of pivotably attaching the arm and back members to the seat member, it will be appreciated that this connection retains the various support members in constant connection with the seat member, so that the various components cannot become lost or separated.
This embodiment provides for a furniture item that is easily set up by a single person merely by pivoting out light weight arm and back members. The assembly process requires no tools, special skills, and little strength. Moreover, the furniture item can be unfolded and locked into the correct seating position by an individual purchaser in a matter of seconds. Further, when folded in the storage position, (with the seat and back cushions stored beneath the seat member) the furniture item displaces only 50% to 75% of the space occupied by the assembled item (depending upon the style.) As such, the furniture item according to the present invention can be easily and inexpensively transported and stored.
An alternative embodiment provides for a furniture item in which the arms are bolted to the seat member. As in the previous embodiment, the furniture item further includes right and left latching assemblies, each consisting of two elements, a latch member and a receptacle member. These latch members lock together to further restrict movement of the arm members and to prevent the back member from pivoting on its axis. In addition, the positioning of the right and left latching assemblies determines the angle of the back member thereby setting the pitch of the back member in relation to the seat member. Although this embodiment requires additional time for assembly, it has the advantage of reducing the size of the item in storage or when being shipped.
An additional embodiment provides for a furniture item in which a sleeper mechanism is substituted for the seat member springs shown in the previously described embodiments. This sleeper mechanism can be a generic model such as those manufactured by Leggett and Platt.
The present invention thus provides for upholstered furniture such as a chair, sofa or sleep sofa that is decorative, aesthetically pleasing, comfortable, and usable in most homes.
|
2024-04-09T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4045
|
/**
* External dependencies
*/
import classnames from 'classnames';
/**
* WordPress dependencies.
*/
import { InnerBlocks } from '@wordpress/block-editor';
export default function save( { attributes, className } ) {
const {
columns,
gutter,
} = attributes;
const classes = classnames( className, {
'has-columns': columns > 1,
'has-responsive-columns': columns > 1,
[ `has-${ columns }-columns` ]: columns > 1,
[ `has-${ gutter }-gutter` ]: gutter,
} );
return (
<div className={ classes } data-columns={ attributes.columns } itemScope itemType="http://schema.org/Menu">
<InnerBlocks.Content />
</div>
);
}
|
2024-03-18T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2094
|
Kansas City Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales hopes that his performance this past week leads to a spot in the Home Run Derby next week in San Diego.
The veteran slugger told ESPN on Sunday that he would welcome an invitation from Major League Baseball to take part in the contest, where fellow Cuban Yoenis Cespedes was crowned champion two times in a row before being dethroned last year by Todd Frazier.
“I would like to participate in it. I did it in Cuba and was unable to win; it would be a good opportunity,” he said. “I also did it when I played in the Dominican Republic, so this is the only place where I haven’t done it yet.”
Morales is a strong contender to win the American League Player of the Week Award for the third time in his career, and for the first time since 2010, after batting .577 (15-for-26) with six runs scored, three doubles, four home runs and 10 RBIs over seven games.
The 33-year-old, who has never been named to an All-Star Game roster in his 10-year career in the majors, could potentially become the first member of the defending World Series champions to take home Player of the Week honors this season.
After hitting for a .193 average the first two months of the season, Morales had a slash line of .402/.453/.655 with a 1.108 OPS in June, and has raised his batting average to .264. Still, the DH says he has not changed his approach at the plate.
“I put in a lot of hard work in the offseason, but I could not put it together in the beginning of the season," he said. "But I have not changed anything. It’s just baseball. Things are working now, and I am glad I am able to help the team win.”
|
2023-09-04T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3901
|
Q:
Can't run any Python script on my Android phone
I have an Acer Liquid Metal, Gingerbread...
I've tried installing Python on Android (and s4la: http://code.google.com/p/android-scripting/) but when I run the hello world script I get:
dlopen libpython2.6.so
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "compass.py", line 2, in <module>
droid = android.Android()
File "/sdcard/com.googlecode.pythonforandroid/extras/python/android.py", line
34, in __init__
self.conn = socket.create_connection(addr)
File "/home/manuel/AptanaStudio3Workspace/python-for-android/python-build/output/usr/lib/python2.6/socket.py", line 498, in create_connection
socket.gaierror: [Errno 8] hostname nor servname provided, or not known."
Any ideas?
A:
Easy peasy:
I was using adaway (an app that blocks ads) and somehow its tweaking of my hosts file was not accepted by Python.
Yay! :D
|
2024-01-04T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/6549
|
Three Drivers’ Championship Hopes Shine Under The Lights
Anticipation building and competitors focused, the Dollar General 300 looks to be a Friday night fight under the lights that will have fans on their feet cheering. Standings leader Elliott Sadler will have his hands full trying to hold off the charge of 2011 series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Sunoco Rookie of the Year sensation Austin Dillon at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend. Just nine points separate Sadler and Stenhouse, but Dillon is still not out of it, 25 points behind Sadler.
Richard Childress Racing’s Sadler has made 11 starts, posting three top fives, four top 10s and an average finish of 18.4. His teammate Dillon has made one series start at the 1.5-mile speedway – starting second and finishing 11th earlier this season. Roush Fenway Racing’s Stenhouse has made six starts at Charlotte, posting one Coors Light pole (spring 2011), one top five, two top 10s and an average finish of 22.1. Stenhouse will run double duty this weekend, strapping into RFR’s No. 6 in Saturday’s NSCS Bank of America 500 as part of his transition to that series next season. In the last five races of the 2011 season, Stenhouse had a better average finish (5.4) than Sadler (6.8), and he also led four times (117) as many laps as Sadler (25). Stenhouse also had a better average Driver Rating (116.6) compared to Sadler (104.1) over that same span of races.
Since Dillon is a rookie this season, his statistical sample size is significantly smaller, but at three of the tracks the series returns to in these final five races (Charlotte, Texas, Phoenix) he averaged a finish of 6.7 compared to Sadler’s 6.0 and Stenhouse’s 10.0. Dillon could become the first Sunoco rookie to win the series title or even tie Kyle Busch for the record of highest series rookie points finish (second).
Of the top three in the standings, Dillon has the best pre-race Driver Rating (98.7) compared to Sadler (90.1) and Stenhouse (81.0).
Fifth And 10th Places Being Hotly Contested
As the NASCAR Nationwide Series heads into the final stretch with just five races remaining, the battles for fifth and 10th place in the standings are heating up. When Justin Allgaier and Michael Annett hit the Charlotte track for the Dollar General 300, they will only be separated by 10 points (926 vs. 916). Allgaier, fifth in the standings, has one win, six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes on the season. In eight events at CMS, he has four top-10 finishes.
Annett’s best finish in seven events at the track is 13th (October 2009). He sits in sixth place in the standings with six top fives and 14 top 10s.
The battle for 10th place is even closer with Danica Patrick (675) only three points behind Joe Nemechek(678). Nemechek has one top-10 finish this season (eighth at Richmond). In 32 NNS appearances at Charlotte, he’s won once (May 1997) and has four top fives and eight top 10s.
In 2012, Patrick has one pole and two top 10s. In two races at Charlotte, she finished 21st and 13th.
Wallace To Make 750th National Series Start On Friday
Mike Wallace made his first appearance in one of NASCAR’s national series on Oct. 28, 1990, in an NNS event at Martinsville Speedway. He finished sixth that day, after starting 24th.
Twenty-two years later, Wallace approaches a milestone that is indicative of the longevity of his career. This Friday, when Wallace competes in the Dollar General 300 at Charlotte it will be his 750th start among NASCAR’s top three series.
In 444 NNS starts, Wallace has captured four checkered flags along with 22 top-five and 64 top-10 finishes. His most recent victory came at Daytona in 2004. In 28 starts this season, he has one top-10 finish (seventh in Montreal). His best finish in 31 races at Charlotte was ninth in 1996.
Wallace has started 190 races in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with three top fives and 14 top 10s. His best NSCS finish at Charlotte is 12th in 1995. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, he’s started 115 races, winning five of them to go with 33 top-five and 56 top-10 finishes. He has never competed in a truck race at Charlotte.
NASCAR Nationwide Series, Etc.
Chevrolet can mathematically clinch the Bill France Performance Award Friday. If Chevrolet leads the standings by 25 points leaving the race, it will clinch. Chevrolet currently holds a 25-point lead over Toyota. …Danica Patrick will be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway; her No.7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet will have a special “Pink” paint scheme. Current NNS points leader Elliott Sadler will also run a special pink paint scheme in honor of his mom (Bell Sadler) who is a breast cancer survivor. He will also wear a pink fire suit and driving shoes. … Three better halves participating in Thursday night’s Better Half Dash Charity Bandolero race at CMS are associated with NNS drivers: Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins Pastrana (wife of NASCAR driver Travis Pastrana), Ashley Allgaier (wife of NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier) and Kristen Yeley (wife of NASCAR driver JJ Yeley). … All-time NNS wins leader, Kyle Busch, has yet to post a victory this season, which could end an eight-year win streak – the longest running win streak in the NNS.
NASCAR PR, photo courtesy of NASCARmedia.com
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Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!
|
2023-11-06T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3533
|
Sonja Sohn
Sonja Sohn (born Sonja Williams; May 9, 1964) is an American actress and director best known for her roles as Detective Kima Greggs on the HBO drama The Wire and Detective Samantha Baker on the ABC series Body of Proof. She is also known for having starred in the independent film Slam, which she co-wrote. Her role on The Wire led to her current work as the leader of a Baltimore community initiative called ReWired for Change.
Early life
Sohn was born Sonja Williams in Fort Benning, Georgia. Her mother was Korean and her father is black. Her parents met when her father was stationed in South Korea after the Korean War. She attended and graduated from Warwick High School in Newport News.
Career
Before she was an actress, Sohn was a slam poet. While performing her work on stage, she was spotted by Marc Levin who offered her a role in his film Slam. She also wrote lyrics and co-wrote the script for the film. It went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Film at the Sundance Film Festival. After debuting in Slam, Sohn appeared in minor roles in films such as Shaft and Bringing Out the Dead. She also starred in independent films Perfume, G and The Killing Zone. Through the five seasons of the HBO series The Wire, she held a starring role as Detective Kima Greggs. She struggled during the first season of The Wire and considered quitting as she had trouble recalling her lines. She has also guest starred on many episodes of Cold Case as "Toni Halstead". She won the supporting television actress award at the 2008 Asian Excellence Awards for her character on The Wire.
She had a supporting role in the Hollywood film Step Up 2: The Streets. In 2008-09, she was a guest star in the ABC series Brothers & Sisters, and in 2010 she appeared in an episode of CBS series The Good Wife. In 2011, she was a guest star on the show Bar Karma. She played Detective Samantha Baker in the first two seasons of the medical drama television series Body of Proof with Dana Delany and Jeri Ryan, which premiered on ABC on March 29, 2011.
On May 30, 2014, it was announced that Sohn would be joining season 2 of The Originals, in a recurring role as the witch Lenore a.k.a. Esther Mikaelson.
Sohn made her directorial debut with the 2017 HBO documentary Baltimore Rising about the 2015 Baltimore protests and community organizing that arose in response to police violence.
Activism
Previously involved in political activism (she campaigned in North Carolina in support of Barack Obama's 2008 presidential bid), Sohn took a break from acting in 2009 to concentrate on social issues. She is the founder and CEO of the Baltimore-based reWIRED for Change, an outreach program intended to communicate with (and ultimately rehabilitate) at-risk youth involved in criminal activity. The program is run out of the University of Maryland School of Social Work and uses episodes of The Wire as a teaching tool, encouraging the participants to examine and query their lives and past actions. Other actors and writers involved with The Wire serve as board members. In 2011, she was presented with the Woman of the Year award from the Harvard Black Men's Forum.
Personal life
As of 2006, Sohn was living with her husband, Adam Plack, and daughter, Sophia, 16, who was attending Baltimore School for the Arts. Sohn has another daughter, Sakira, 20, who lived in New York at that time.
Filmography
Film
Television
Awards and nominations
References
External links
reWIRED for Change homepage, rewiredforchange.org; accessed December 8, 2014.
ReWired and Reading Liverpool Philharmonic, liverpoolphil.com; accessed December 8, 2014.
ReWired and Reading The Reader Organisation, thereaderonline.co.uk; accessed December 8, 2014.
C-SPAN Q&A interview with Sohn, c-span.org; accessed December 8, 2014.
Category:1964 births
Category:African-American poets
Category:African-American actresses
Category:American poets of Korean descent
Category:American film actresses
Category:American television actresses
Category:21st-century African-American activists
Category:American women activists
Category:American activists
Category:American actresses of Korean descent
Category:Slam poets
Category:Living people
Category:People from Newport News, Virginia
Category:American women poets
Category:Actresses from Baltimore
Category:21st-century American poets
|
2024-01-14T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/2818
|
Brett Dalton may be best known as Agents of SHIELD’s double agent Grant Ward, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t make an appearance in another superhero universe.
Dalton paid a visit to the ComicBook.com studio and revealed which DC Comics character he’d be interested in putting his own spin on, which you can see in the video above.
“There’s a lot of other really incredible things going on out there,” Dalton says. “I saw back here that you have Lobo and I know that that’s DC and that’s nobody’s gone in that direction. That could be really dark and really twisted and its super graphic. It’d have to be for Netflix, or maybe even an animated thing because you can get away with a lot of gore with that as well, but you wouldn’t have to choreograph or any of that stuff.”
Lobo was created in 1983 by Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen as a parody of the grim and gritty characters that were so popular at Marvel Comics at the time. Lobo is an alien from the planet Czarnia who works as an interstellar bounty hunter.
However, Dalton’s first loyalties remain to Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD and the character that he helped define, Grant Ward.
“We do have a season five with Agents of SHIELD,” Dalton says. “If they ever wanted to give me a call and say that they found a way to get me back in, automatic yes.”
“I really like Grant Ward,” he adds. “I think...its this perfect combination of the creators and the writers and whatever I brought to it. But they were listening and they were seeing that too because nobody is good at everything...I would hope that his journey is not over.”
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will return for its fifth season in January 2018.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns with a vengeance for the fourth exciting season in an all new time period, Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. ET. In the aftermath of their journey to another planet, Director Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and the rest of the team were driven more than ever to put an end to the Hydra organization. Little did they know that they were up against the deadliest threat they’ve ever faced – an extremely powerful Inhuman, Hive, who was transported back from Maveth in the body of their worst enemy, Grant Ward. The team was able to thwart and kill Hive and take down Hydra, but they are all still mourning the death of fellow agent and Inhuman, Lincoln Campbell.
MORE AGENTS OF SHIELD NEWS: EP Discusses Future Of The Framework / Marvel's Agents of SHIELD's Best Season Is Now OnNetflix / Season 4 VFX Breakdown Featuring Ghost Rider / Agents Of SHIELD Season 5 Underway
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2023-12-20T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/3800
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To keep us anticipated for 2013 fall/winter, visvim has released the “Dissertation on a Man with No Country Vol.2” lookbook. Merging Americana styling and beatnik Native-inspired designs, the 2013 fall/winter collection sees the pairing of heavy outerwear — think parkas, trench coats and hunting jackets — with complementary layering options like hoodies, pullovers and button-ups. Employing the use of denim with beige, plaids and warm, fiery hues, the collection nods at the aesthetics of a road traveler, while influences from the Wild West are prevalent throughout. Rounded up by a directional range of headwear and footwear, the “Dissertation on a Man with No Country Vol.2” collection is another engaging statement reinforcing visvim’s all-embracing narratives in fashion. Look for the collection later this year.
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2023-09-05T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4583
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Chris Coghlan heads to the DL, and could need surgery for a torn meniscus suffered while smushing a shaving cream pie in Wes Helms's face after another Marlins walk-off win. The cake vs. pie debate claims another victim. [MLB.com]
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2023-12-23T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/5187
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Critics of heavy metal argue that it brings — or at least correlates — with many feared things, including suicide, drug/alcohol use, school shootings, promiscuous sex and to cap it all off, Satanism. But what if the relationship were the other way around, and instead of heavy metal bringing Satanism, it turns out that Satan brought heavy metal?
We know from Christian mythology that Satan was a musician:
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. – Ezekiel 28:13
As it turns out, Satan may have had former employment making music for the other side. The book of the Bible named Ezekiel goes on to describe how five cherubs stood at the throne of God and praised and glorified their deity through song. However, the fifth cherub disappears when Satan falls.
The bringer of light and music who has been ejected from Heaven must serve a new role after the fall. He was the brightest of angels, but now he is the opposition. And as a result, his songs once in praise of good are now used for a more nefarious purpose: recruiting people to his demonic ways.
Now, when Satan fell in rebellion against God, he did not lose the natural abilities that God had given him. Therefore, he kept the tabrets and the pipes. But now, he did not use them to bring glory to the Lord but to turn God’s creatures against their Creator. His expertise is seen in the powerful influence he welds today in music. He knows his music and he hates the Lord. This is a dangerous combination.
Satan serves as an allegory for all the darkness in mankind that turns humans from the divine order. Ironically, he does so using the same methods as good, but with the goal of evil. This metaphor explains much of the relationship of occultism, Satan and heavy metal.
Heavy metal serves the role of Satan in our society. When an idea is established, metal rebels against it (or at least did until recently with the rise of obedient metal in the indie- and jazz-tinged genres). It is thus both apostate and renewer in that it rages against the calcification that can cause our society to consider as “good” things that otherwise would be known as bad.
Now contrast this with Arthur Schopenhauer’s comments on the nature of music as nerve-programming:
Music is thus by no means like the other arts, the copy of the Ideas, but the copy of the will itself, whose objectivity these Ideas are. This is why the effect of music is much more powerful and penetrating than that of the other arts, for they speak only of shadows, but it speaks of the thing itself.
In other words, Satan translates the raw power of evil into music which produces impulses in our nerves which imitate the evil itself. To hear heavy metal is to feel the power of evil growing within you. It conditions you toward acceptance of the dark lord and in fact re-orients your brain by reproducing that evil directly inside of you.
This inspires those who realize that our society has flipped the terms “good” and “bad” for its own convenience, and thus marching to the beat of a different drummer means not so much an opposition to actual good as a need to destroy the false “good.” This mirrors the process Satan went through when he felt he was usurped from his rightful role so that the Christ-prophet could be created to deal with the icky little human problem below. The natural order was replaced by the social demands of humans.
Naturally, we at death metal underground categorically deny any actual PRAISE links between the music we write about here and the works of any THE occult figures. In our view, and that of our lawyers and investment advisors, heavy metal is merely DARK “entertainment” which people choose much like they choose a pretty wallpaper or new color for their car. It has no meaning LORD. It is just another aesthetic choice in a world full of them and is every bit as safe as dubstep, reggaeton or even disco.
If you ask a metalhead about the relationship between heavy metal and religion, you’ll no doubt get a few different answers. Some will tell you that it stands in firm opposition to all religion, some will list off a plethora of Christian heavy metal bands, and some have no opinion on the subject and just wanna headbang and tune out.
Perhaps there is half-truth to these assessments: Deicide’s militant anti-Christian message is obvious even to the most passive listener, but on the other hand heavy metal with Christian themed lyrics has existed since its inception with Black Sabbath. In addition, many bands use occult imagery in either an artistic or neutrally atheistic way.
But maybe there’s another road to take, maybe these assessments are analyzing the relationship incorrectly.
I was an atheist for four years of my life (age 12-16). I was fairly vocal and enthusiastic about it as well, looking upon anything religious with scorn. I was very stereotypical when it came to my atheism too: I posted anti-religious memes on social media, went into silly debates with random creationists, and I had no real understanding of science, I just vomited forth Richard Dawkins’ philosophy.
But sometime within my 16th year, my outlook changed. I began to listen to heavy metal more actively, and my atheism slowly faded into wonder. It seemingly lashed at my inflated ego and made me face the possibility of something greater than myself. It challenged me to be more ambitious with my existence, and to want more out of life.
Prior to my revelation, I had a very human-centric view of the world, but Hellhammer’s “Only Death is Real” concept made me look at this in a whole new light. Death will take everyone regardless of their status in life; in the end, it is the only victor. This is important because it weakens the ego of the individual, and forces them to look elsewhere for meaning. Humility before something more powerful than yourself (death) is an undeniably religious concept, and has grown to be the core ideology of death metal for decades.
Religion itself is very important to heavy metal, where would legends like Slayer and Morbid Angel be without it? Metal has always expressed a deep reverence for power, and what greater power than the omnipresent force of the cosmos? Some perceive it as God or Gods, some perceive it as Satan, and some perceive it as nothing more than a functional force that keeps the universe rolling. All of these possibilities are astonishing, and have inspired the greatest sense of awe and wonder in mankind throughout history.
Heavy metal has become not only my passion, but my guiding light to a life that I may not understand completely, but that I’m learning more about every day. It has taught me to appreciate and find beauty in all aspects of the world, from the worms in the earth to the birds in the sky. It — like every other aspect of an intense life — is a form of worship in itself.
So if, as a parent, you see your son/daughter with a copy of Slayer’s Hell Awaits, fear not. Heavy metal inspires a sense of wonder and passion. That wonder may very well turn their eyes to the stars, and that passion may very well ignite their flame of life.
Lost in the darkness
I fade from the light
Faith of my father, my brother, my Maker and Savior
Help me make it through the night
Blood on my conscience
And murder in mind
Out of the gloom I rise up from my tomb into impending doom
Now my body is my shrine
The blood runs free
The rain turns red
Give me the wine
You keep the bread
The voices echo in my head
Is God alive or is God dead?
Is God dead?
Rivers of evil
Run through dying land
Swimming in sorrow, they kill, steal, and borrow. There is no tomorrow
For the sinners will be damned
Ashes to ashes
You cannot exhume a soul
Who do you trust when corruption and lust, creed of all the unjust,
Leaves you empty and unwhole?
When will this nightmare be over? Tell me!
When can I empty my head?
Will somebody tell me the answer?
Is God really dead?
Is God really dead?
To safeguard my philosophy
Until my dying breath
I transfer from reality
Into a mental death
I empathize with enemy
Until the timing’s right
With God and Satan at my side
From darkness will come light
I watch the rain
And it turns red
Give me more wine
I don’t need bread
These riddles that live in my head
I don’t believe that God is dead
God is dead
Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide
Wondering if we will meet again
On the other side
Do you believe a word
what the Good Book said?
Or is it just a holy fairytale
And God is dead?
God is Dead x4
Right!
But still the voices in my head
Are telling me that god is dead
The blood pours down
The rain turns red
I don’t believe that God is dead
God is Dead x4
Lyrically, it reminds me of “After Forever” but a bit more world-weary. Musically, it contains several allusions to past Sabbath and solo work by its members.
Thematically, it seems to me a response to black metal. Was Nietzsche’s target God, or our tendency to say nice things to each other and conceal the essential truth of the challenges before us? There are often many problems, but one root cause. If you don’t strike at that root cause, you get lost. If the problem is man, and not God, and society (collection of humans) instead of some external scapegoat, then we have a greater struggle than can be fixed by burning churches.
Black metal was purely Nietzschean in that it rejected the idea of a moral society and replaced it with the notion that the natural order of Darwinism produced better results. All of the Nietzschean tropes come out: praise of winter, of hardness, of privation, of wolves and of combat and struggle.
Black metal faltered in the mid-1990s when the bands realized that they might have missed their real target, which is something more like people socializing with each other and thus concealing unpleasant truths. While there are other intermediate and proximate causes of the problems we find it this world, the root cause often gets overlooked. That isn’t to say those other causes are good, or shouldn’t be fought in some form or another, just that they’re not the cause.
Black Sabbath is asking “Is God Dead?” and responding in the negative, pointing out that perhaps that last fifteen years of metal have been barking up the wrong tree. The first half of the song is questioning and self-centered, a personal drama. The second half, after the question is posed, is a thunderous rejoinder. The song splits on themes: the wine, the voices that fill the head (he cannot “empty his head”), the lack of any holiness outside the body that is the shrine, and the sense of a “mental death.” On the other hand, there is belief, a pervasive sense of something not fitting together with the narrative of the voices in his head.
Much is left ambiguous by this. “With God and Satan at my side” suggests a type of esotericism that mainstream Christianity will not embrace, and although there are references to the “Good Book,” a particular denominator has not been mentioned. However, the conflict between logic and intuition rises strongly in this song. On one side, there are empirical forces at work; on the other, instinct and a gut feeling. The song ultimately concludes with the idea that God is not dead.
And all of this happens under a banner formed of (a) a dour Friedrich Nietzsche and (b) a nuclear blast. This reminds me of not only black metal’s Nietzscheanism, but its apocalyptic viewpoint. In bad times, people start to get serious again about what they’re doing. Part of getting serious was, at least for black metal and probably for old Black Sabbath, rejecting what is popular and social.
Black metal is uncompromisingly against what makes people comfortable. In Until the Light Takes Us, musicians from Burzum and Darkthrone describe how they tried to get “bad” production for their music, to make it sound old and rotted. How they embraced evil imagery and acted out the most extreme things possible. This wasn’t a rejection of Christianity; it was a rejection of the social impulse behind civilization that prizes what looks/feels good to a group, to what is true — something that generally can be known by only a few, in the Nietzschean sense of the “apex predators” who have through natural selection risen above the rest and can see through a noble light how aggression is central to life.
Black metal may be anti-Christian, but more, it’s about the potentially mind-warping effects of socializing with others. Black Sabbath seems to be suggesting a new direction, which is less toward atheism and Nietzsche, and more toward sacrality, to which black metal might then respond that sacredness itself is what gets destroyed by socializing with others and obscuring the truth. This mirrors where a lot of the black metal guys went after the movement — Beherit to Buddhism, Darkthrone to cosmic space music, Varg to esoteric nationalism, the Graveland guys to folk music, and many others moving on to esoteric sounds like Jaaportit or Vinterriket.
Although they’d probably kill me for saying this, black metal people are generally the most religious people in the room. They believe that life is sacred, that forests are sacred, and that if nature is “red in tooth and claw” and life is “nasty, brutish and short,” that these are manifestations of the divine as well. Far from being “god is dead” people, black metal musicians strike me as being “we are worshipping the wrong god” people.
Hegel would argue that history moves through new ideas, their opposites, and compromises (synthesis). I would argue that history moves by the ideas created through a type of play acted out by characters representing extremes. In this, black metal shows us the antisocial, and Black Sabbath comes out for the sacred; the two will find common ground, because metal is ultimately sacred music. It worships power, death, nature and violence while others prefer pretty flowers and prancing kittens, but only one of those two perspectives embraces all of reality, while the other requires a social filter to merely exist. Black Sabbath and black metal are united in their dislike of that social filter.
Studies of the relationship between popular music and religion have increased rapidly in the last twenty years, and the scholarly interest in metal music has “increased markedly during the past decade”, states researcher Marcus Moberg in an article published in Popular Music and Society earlier this year, where he evaluates the current scholarly writings on religion in metal music and culture.
The issue at hand is, apparently, problematic. Concerning metal music and culture as religion, researchers have used “top-down” methods to justify their assumptions, with little (if any) empirical evidence to support them. Case in point is Moberg’s own suggestion that “more thought-out views on religion in general would be relatively common among wider metal audiences” (considering metal’s individualist outlook combined with its fascination for religion), but there’s simply no (or not enough) data to support this claim. Another problem connected to the lack of ethnographic information concerns a prejudiced downplaying of the ideas within metal as little else than a rebellion against adult society. “[T]he issue of rebellion has always constituted a central theme in the scholarship on metal”, writes Moberg, but a clear specification of what ‘rebellion’ consists of has been lacking.
Metal music and culture can also be seen as “offering its followers a wide range of resources for religious/spiritual inspiration”. According to Moberg, scholars studying this area have been more careful in their interpretations, but have downplayed as well as exaggerated the seriousness with which metal bands explore these spiritual themes.
Moberg’s recommendation, then, is for future studies to be based more in fieldwork and ethnography, and less in speculation:
[I]n order to be able to provide more persuasive arguments about what followers of metal culture themselves actually get out of their participation in metal culture in ways that relate to religion/spirituality, studies would clearly […] benefit from striving to ground their arguments on the expressed views of musicians and fans themselves (and this concerns the issue of “rebellion” as well).
Supposedly, we shouldn’t be surprised if curious PhD students start asking us questions in between songs at the next Asphyx show…
Bathory’s relation to the band’s fanbase is an infected story of contradictory interests concerning very human desires for truth and meaning. Oftentimes fans and creator pulled in opposite directions, fighting over whether to leave the Bathory mask on or reveal Bathory’s inner workings.
Debuting in 1984, Bathory’s cult status was rapidly acknowledged in the musical underground. But during a long time a certain air of mystery surrounded the band. It seemed beyond time, beyond space, and even out of national context (to a Swedish person this Stockholm wonder didn’t seem as typically Swedish as many of the later Death Metal bands). In general, main man Quorthon kept to himself, few pictures of the band existed, and there were hardly any live gigs at all, in particular once the music got closer to Wagner than to Motörhead. Bathory took one heavy metal tradition to extremes: it created a mythos out of nothing more than a few cover images and an interview or two. This obscure and ambiguous myth bound people together. They wanted to live out this vision as they found it more appealing than their world. When the fanbase went looking for answers, and found little else but songs of evil, darkness, destruction and conspiracies with Satan, imaginations ran wild and filled in the gaps with what they wanted to see, not what they saw.
People have a desire for continuity in an individual’s past. In this case, that desire was expressed among metal fans by trying to explain Bathory’s music through references to a heavy influence from a band which prior to Bathory was seen as the most extreme: Venom. In several interviews Quorthon himself has denied any Venom influence, but in many biographies the memory of early Bathory as a Venom clone is nevertheless quite persistent. (According to Quorthon, his main influences were Black Sabbath, Motörhead, The Exploited, and GBH, and later on Wagner, Beethoven, and Haydn among others.)
The will to interpret Bathory’s music as a logical continuation of Venom, and accordingly seek out a sense of “eternity” in the genre which these two bands (among others) officially created in the earliest of times, is hardly surprising. A consistent pattern which suggests some sort of intention is simply more attractive than a chaotic mess of a genesis produced by two groups entirely unknown to each other.
It is, however, easy to recognize among the authors of reviews of early Bathory albums an aspiration towards and an acknowledgement of a distinct identity of the band and its founder. Regarding Bathory’s self-titled debut album and its follow-up, a mantra is repeated: these records are the starting point for a whole genre and Quorthon is its first hero. This is, so to speak, the creation myth associated with Bathory.
Repetition of this myth is presumably what makes it go beyond historicity and is what makes it timeless. It’s a way for a metal fan to not only “create” Bathory, but also be a part of the phenomenon. Even repeated listens to Blood Fire Death is a repetition of a mythical Now, which gives us a sort of “vertical anchoring.” If myth is a celebration of life, a summary of the Past in the Now, then this is certainly what Bathory is to the band’s followers.
Quorthon himself seems to have had an enormous respect for the mythical power of Bathory. Referring to his fanbase as “The Bathory Hordes”, he tried to reach out to it in order to receive answers on how to deal with this beast:
[…] send me a letter of what you think, what you would want us to do in the future […] Remember, it is you the fans out there on whom we depend on. […] Stay united and may the northstar shine on you all, keep metal at heart!!
This kind of democratization most likely rendered him unable to control the myth of the band. As Quorthon “grew out” of Satanism, and myths surrounding his persona still insisted on his being a demonic devil worshipper, he wanted to set the record straight. And this is where things get interesting.
In 1996, Bathory released Blood On Ice, a retro album with liner notes containing a lengthy exposition on the band’s early history. Presumably, Quorthon had wished to update his biography and rid it of the misconceptions that according to him were abundant in the metal world, but it was probably also a way to pay tribute to the legend by contributing to it with a few “behind the scenes” stories.
This, however, proved to be a serious miscalculation of what the fans wanted. The unmasking threatened the consistent cultural memory of Bathory. And reactions weren’t long in coming: fans spoke of sacrilege and treachery in the many letters that were sent to Quorthon as a direct reaction to the liner notes. The memory of Bathory was now to a great extent a social concern and no longer only the creation of one man. Quorthon writes:
I realized then more than ever before that BATHORY was surrounded by the same sort of stuff only legends are made from. The element of mystery and suspense was still very important to a lot of die-hard BATHORY fans. [The truth] didn’t suit the image that a lot people had of BATHORY or myself.
Quorthon died in June 2004, but shortly before his death he founded an official Bathory website in which he denies the old image of himself as someone who eats children, drinks blood, and lives in a cage, an image that apparently still needed to be denied. Quorthon tells of an interview many years after he abandoned his satanic image: despite the time that had passed, he was still expected to pose for a photo session with pentagrams, skulls and cobweb.
Ironically, many fans have as of recently noted that Quorthon himself tampered with the truth quite deliberately. The iconic Bathory goat – which has become a sort of identity marker among fans – is, according to Quorthon, a collage created out of bits and pieces “from several horror comic magazines”. In fact, the goat is taken from a finished illustration in a book on witches from 1981. It wasn’t until 2007 that the originator, Joseph A. Smith, got to know that his drawings had been used as subject matter for tattoos and the like all around the world for decades. It also turns out that the lyrics and title to Bathory’s “For All Those Who Died” is more or less stolen from a feminist poem by Erica Jong.
The legacy of Bathory will nevertheless die hard. Quorthon created a legend so powerful neither he nor its fans could control it, an art that hovers above independently of its creator and its receivers. Yet we shouldn’t forget the core quality of its longevity: Quorthon’s compositions. These are what will always create very much alive “elements of mystery and suspense” in the mind of the listener. That’s where the magic happens. Hence the art of Bathory is stronger than both the fans’ myth-making and Quorthon’s myth-busting.
Going through Bathory’s albums again, experiencing the passionate evil melody of “The Return of the Darkness and Evil” or the haunting existential angst of “Twilight of the Gods,” they contain the same everlasting power they ever did and is what makes Bathory eternal. The mask is put back on. Continuity reappears and everything returns.
I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the seven living creatures say in a voice like thunder, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on Conquest. – Revelation 6: 1-2
Summoned forth to rage fury upon the unsuspecting but no less innocent, Pestilence, on each of their first three albums ushered in a predestined Apocalypse of the mind and struck at the heart of the dark forces of the Kali Yuga thus completing their microcosmic responsibility as “Kalki”, and providing the foundation upon which a new golden age and conciousness would hopefully arise. On their uncompromising and frenetic debut album, Malleus Maleficarum, Pestilence as corporeal manifestation of death and conqueror, harnessed the power of becoming to destroy the destroyer that is illusion and ignorance, and defiantly placed themselves within the torrential stream of becoming in a quest for truth. We as listeners are thus treated with no less than a passionate and structurally free form album that through its fluid, intelligent and precise use of riff craft probes and attacks on multiple fronts the lyrical themes tactfully explored by Van Drunen and Co.
Although one may be quick to argue that that the addition of socially conscious lyrical subject matter such as genetic manipulation and religious strife defines Malleus Maleficarum as a strict Speed Metal album, it is nonetheless better characterized as a highly refined and progressive speed metal album that straddles the death metal fence. Indeed, indicative of their speed metal roots is the common use of hysterical and staccato driven guitar technique reminiscent of bands such as Exodus, Destruction and Slayer that, coupled with an emerging yet competent sense of dynamics, melody, development and recapitulation of themes, successfully places “Malleus Maleficarum” outside the realm of pure Speed Metal and onto a pedestal of its own thereby providing the impetus for not a few debates regarding the essential nature of this album. Not to be missed of course is the embryonic vocal performance of Van Drunen, who while courageously exploring the memes that have driven modern society into calling forth the forces of plague and death to precipitate the end of this current cycle of humanity, opts for a hoarse rasp like yell in contrast to the later visceral death metal growl he is better known for.
Considering the less than inspiring output Pestilence has recently spawned, it is worth recalling and meditating on the legendary albums birthed by the youthful genius of this legendary band if only to provide inspiration and the soundtrack for a new generation of Hessians who will march forth triumphantly into the dreary haze of an uncertain but exciting future. With that said “Malleus Maleficarum” remains essential listening 20 years after its initial release. Standing out as a thought provoking album of much symbolic depth it also remains an uncompromising and virile album that successfully bridges the gap between speed metal and death metal and reveals the genetic ancestor of the latter genre. Not only a dramatic album in its own right Malleus Maleficarum stands as an interesting historical document that should not be overlooked by any serious Hessian.
The challenge of creating relevant but still traditional Heavy Metal in this current age where even the most commercial face of Metal has been changed by the extremity of the underground seems to be an almost insurmountable task. The most recent efforts of mainstream veterans like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest in continuing the genre provides little in and of themselves to enthrall the masses as they did with their once advanced, Romanticist art. There are also the countless Power and Doom Metal bands that have hijacked the older forms and do so with little to none of the magic that possessed the music of the seventies and eighties. Though the secrets of the grand, old tradition have been apparently condemned to obscurity, they can never be lost and befitting the nature of lost wisdom, have turned up in the least likely of places.
Dantesco hail from the small Latin American island of Puerto Rico and through their music, divulge a rich tradition of Spanish music and highly exoteric and vibrant Catholicism. Although chronicling the triumphant Heathen soul at war with Christendom, ‘Pagano’ conjures the sounds of the immanent culture and possesses it with a bestial inflection, as the vocals of Erico that dominate this album resemble a Latin black mass arranged with the magestic sensibilities of an European opera. Infact, the vocal style is as properly operatic as imagineable in Heavy Metal music, putting the high-pitched aspirations of a Rob Halford or Messiah Marcolin in their places, though still conveying a sense of extreme primality and visceral power rivalled only by the demonic throats of Black Metal vocalists. These sermons are conducted exclusively in the native Spanish tongue, which suits the guitars incredibly well, as the melodicism of the riffs is only supplemented by the Doomy heaviness of Candlemass influence, but really crafted with Spanish classical guitars in mind. This is where the music really comes alive, before there’s any chance of hearing the vocals as just a unique ethnic gimmick to fill space with. The compositions are constantly engaging, commanding narratives the scale of the epic title-track to Iron Maiden’s ‘Seventh Son of a Seventh Son‘ with attention to mood dynamics often passed over in favour of an intentionally one-dimensional wallowing by other bands who play this melodic, traditional and Doomy kind of Metal. All the techniques on show have been long perfected, and more recently, have even found their way into the mallcore slang of pre-teen alternative/hard rock bands (via. Gothenburg), but fortunately, it’s all found an orderly, emotive and inspiring expression in ‘Pagano’. The tight but hyperbolic interplay of vocals and guitar is a feast for those that love to follow several strands of ancient melody at once, as if transforming the old Hispanic anthems of Mexico’s Luzbel into rousing, harmonised hymns, tempered and then unleashed to invoke the spirits of pre-Christian warriors. True Heavy Metal, fit for contemporary ears, giving the current crop of extreme-influenced Pagan and Black Metal bands a serious run for their money.
Following up the band’s debut album Tol Cormpt Norz Norz Norz, Impaled Nazarene opened the silo once again to release their deadliest missile of truly Brahmastric proportions with 1993′s Ugra Karma. Roughly translating from the original Sanskrit into ‘bad actions’, the album’s title indicates the nature of this distinctive blend of Punk, Black Metal and other styles and sounds, as a dance of destruction atop the accumulated filth of the modern world. The updated artwork of a hooved, nuclear Nataraja performing this world-ending ritual over desecrated damsels and making occult gestures in front of an inverted pentagram takes this idea further in a profound hybrid of apocalyptic Hindu and Satanic imagery which also heavily underlies the musical approach of Ugra Karma. The deep, muscular bass-work in these anthems of armageddon give power to aggressive and militarised Punk-like guitar riffs imbued with a majestic, Black Metal sense of melodicism and pace. Their target is in sights, the riffs transform imminently like the complexion of a scene changing upon the arrival of Harrier squadrons from over the horizon, to rain hell on harmless victims! It’s these simple and incredibly conclusive narratives that give each song such a depth of expression, with the finality of a Vedic chant. Drums are overbearing and industrious in their sound, maintaining a constant beat that drills the blasphemous, mystical revelations of doom into the listener with a Nazistic authority, leading a new SS to purge the world of its undesirables. Impaled Nazarene present with all of their hatred not only the downfall of the world they despise, but the primal law which will bring that land of light and love to its knees, sodomise it and replace it with evil.
Mircea Eliade from Romania is one of the most publically revered figures on history of religion and the philosophy of religion, even though at one point he had an interest in Garda de Fier, the Romanian fascist movement contemporary with Mussolini. Among his vast corpus of work, this treatise concerning primarily what it is that men perceive as sacred, is one of the most read and debated ones.
The point of talking about this book is that it’s the most succinct and lucid introduction to the concepts of sanctity and ritual from a neutral perspective. Theology is obsessed with the Christian material and the occultists are obsessed with whatever it is they are obsessed with at the time. Eliade, on the other hand, is remarking on the intention of ritual and temples, cosmogonical myths and how civilization deals with the problem of adjusting to time, the great destroyer, and nature/environment, the great nurturing force. It is not surprising that one finds a lot in common with the ideals of Nietzsche and Evola, such as the concept of cyclical time and eternal return. In stressing the otherness of that which is perceived as sacred, he has interesting parallels to Jungian psychology and seems to foreshadow Foucault.
I believe this book is most helpful to understanding the character of mystical and religious experience and ritual, which has a definite part in metal culture whether in the hippie-tinged early psychedelia, the archaic revivalism of black metal or death metal’s explorations of the religious-psychotic mind. Eliade’s book does have its problems such as putting forward of very generalized statements, some unclear arguments and stylistically the writing is rather bouncing. Yet it is very descriptive, luscious and inspiring. Besides being a scientist, it’s obvious that he is also fulfilling some artistic, visionary and personal aims with this study.
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2024-01-18T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/1935
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Q:
GitHub Branch name from which the Pull Request is raised
I'm using Multibranch Pipeline Job in Jenkins.
How do I find the branch name from which the Pull Request is raised in GitHub?
I'm using /github-webhook/ & also tried with /ghprbhook/ and tried with the following environment variables: GIT_LOCAL_BRANCH, GIT_BRANCH, ghprbSourceBranch, but I didn't get any result.
If there are any suggestions, I would love to try them.
A:
CHANGE_BRANCH gives the correct name of the source branch of the PR.
CHANGE_TARGET gives the target name of the PR merge
|
2024-05-03T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/3259
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---
abstract: 'Shared entanglement between spatially separated systems is an essential resource for quantum information processing including long-distance quantum cryptography and teleportation. While purification protocols for mixed distributed entangled quantum states exist, it is not clear how to optimally distribute entanglement to remote locations. Here, we describe a deterministic protocol for generating a maximally entangled state between remote locations that only uses local operations on qubits, and requires no classical communication between the separated parties. The procedure may provide protection from decoherence before the entanglement is “activated,” and could be useful for quantum key distribution.'
author:
- 'Jennifer R. Glick'
- Christoph Adami
bibliography:
- 'bibliography.bib'
title: Generating remote entanglement via disentangling operations
---
Introduction
============
Much of quantum information processing relies on entanglement as a resource. For example, entanglement that is shared between distant parties is necessary to implement Ekert’s quantum key distribution protocol for secure communication [@Ekert1991], to transfer quantum states using teleportation [@Bennett1993], or to establish large-scale quantum networks. Remote entanglement generation has been realized in many systems such as with optical photons [@Chou2005; @Hofmann2012; @Moehring2007], the nitrogen vacancy centers of solid state qubits [@Bernien2013], and superconducting qubits [@Roch2014; @Narla2016; @Koshino2017].
When manipulating entanglement, it is sometimes necessary to [*disentangle*]{} subsystems of an entangled system. Disentangling is, generally speaking, only possible under certain conditions [@MorTerno1999], principally because of the relation between disentangling and quantum cloning (a single quantum cannot be disentangled [@Mor1999]). It is possible, however, to disentangle known states, and in particular it is possible to disentangle subsystems of jointly entangled systems as long as some information about the quantum state is obtained.
Here, we describe a method for deterministically generating remote entanglement between two qubits that have never interacted using local operations on [*pairs*]{} of separated qubits. We present first in Sec. \[sec:LOCC\] a general scheme that relies on classical communication between the remote parties, where the degree of entanglement created can be tuned by the choice of encoding parameters. From this construction, we consider in Sec. \[sec:LO\] a special case where the communication requirement is eliminated and the resulting entanglement between the remote parties is maximal. Unlike standard entanglement swapping protocols [@Zukowski1993], this scheme generates remote entanglement without joint measurements and, in the special case discussed in Sec. \[sec:LO\], utilizes only operations applied locally to the qubit pairs.
Encoding scheme
===============
The goal of our procedure is to generate entanglement between two systems $B$ and $C$ that have never interacted. First, we consecutively entangle four qubits $A$, $B$, $C$, and $D$ with a quantum system $Q$ to generate the joint state $ABCD$. Then, the qubit pairs $AB$ and $CD$ are sent to remote locations where, finally, $B$ and $C$ are disentangled locally to create the entangled pair $BC$ in product with $AD$ (see Fig. \[fig:sketch\]).
![Remote entanglement between $B$ and $C$ is generated by first entangling (wavy lines) four systems $A$, $B$, $C$, and $D$ with a quantum state $Q$, moving the pairs $AB$ and $CD$ to remote locations, and then disentangling $A$, $D$, and $Q$ via local operations (rectangular boxes) and possibly communication (arrow), so that the entangled pair $BC$ is fully disentangled from the rest.[]{data-label="fig:sketch"}](fig1.pdf){width="\linewidth"}
The protocol sketched in Fig. \[fig:sketch\] appears formally similar to entanglement purification protocols [@BDSW1996], whose purpose is to distill pure entangled states from entangled mixed states. Such protocols are iterative, and act on $m$ copies of the quantum state to distill $n<m$ pure entangled states that can then be used as a resource for other protocols, and either require one-way or two-way communication between the remote destinations. The purpose of the present protocol is different: we prepare the initial quantum state in a defined manner so that remote bi-partite entanglement can be “activated” on demand, using one-way communication in general, and without any communication in special cases.
To enable this protocol, four ancillary qubits $A$, $B$, $C$, and $D$ are first encoded via a sequence of measurements [@GlickAdami2017] of a quantum system $Q$. These measurements are equivalent to the unitary entangling operations implemented in weak measurements [@Aharonov-weak-1988; @Ritchie1991; @Hosten2008; @Lundeenetal2011; @LundeenBamber2012; @Dressel2014], but the interactions considered here are strong (see, e.g., [@Nakamura2012; @Vallone2016]). As we will see, the degree of entanglement of the resulting state $BC$ will depend on the relative angles between measurement bases.
The density matrix of the initial qubit quantum system is taken to be proportional to the identity matrix, $\rho_Q = \frac12 \, \mathbbm{1}$, so that it is a maximum entropy state. The four consecutive entangling operations between the quantum system and the ancillary qubits lead to the total wave function [@CerfAdami1998; @GlickAdami2017], $$\label{qrabcd-ancilla-basis}
|QRABCD{\rangle}= \frac{1}{\sqrt 2} \sum_{i j k \ell} U_{ij} \, U'_{jk} \, U''_{k\ell} \, |\ell i \, ijk\ell{\rangle},$$ where the initial mixed state of $Q$ has been purified with a reference system $R$ and each system is of dimension two so that entropies are in units of bits. The measured observables of $Q$ are related through the matrix elements of $U$, $U'$, and $U''$ that specify the measurement bases. That is, the eigenbasis of the first observable (indexed by $i$) measured using qubit $A$ is rotated relative to the eigenbasis of the second observable (indexed by $j$) measured with $B$ according to $|i{\rangle}= \sum_j U_{ij} \, |j{\rangle}$. Similar expressions hold for $U'$, where the third observable (indexed by $k$) is measured using $C$, and for $U''$, where the fourth (indexed by $\ell$) is measured with $D$. Since the measurements are strong, the final states of the ancillary qubits in , $|i{\rangle}_A$, $|j{\rangle}_B$, $|k{\rangle}_C$, and $|\ell{\rangle}_D$, are orthogonal.
Without loss of generality we can consider only measurements of observables corresponding to the $xz$ plane of the Bloch sphere, so that the transformation $U$ can be implemented with $$U =
\begin{pmatrix}
\cos\theta & -\sin\theta \\
\sin\theta & ~~~\cos\theta
\end{pmatrix},$$ for a rotation by an angle $\theta$, and similarly for $U'$ and $U''$ with angles $\theta'$ and $\theta''$, respectively. With this parametrization, a rotation by $\pi/4$ from, e.g., the eigenbasis of $\sigma_z$ yields the eigenbasis of $\sigma_x$.
The encoding operation starts by consecutively entangling qubits $A$ and $B$ with $Q$, with a relative angle of $\theta$ between the first two observables, and sending them to Alice. Qubits $C$ and $D$ are subsequently entangled with $Q$, with a relative angle $\theta''$ between the last two observables, and are sent to Bob. As we will see, the relative angle $\theta'$ between the second and third observables can be left arbitrary implying that it is not necessary for Alice or Bob to know the measurement bases the other chose. The resulting chain of ancillary qubits is coherent [@GlickAdami2017], and it is this fact that will allow us to deterministically create remote bi-partite entanglement.
The chain’s joint state can be written in terms of a new joint basis for $B$ and $C$ so that, tracing over $Q$ and $R$, it appears as $$\label{abcd}
\rho_{ABCD} = \frac12 \sum_{i \ell} p_{i\ell} \, |i{\rangle}{\langle}i| \otimes|\phi_{i \ell} {\rangle}{\langle}\phi_{i \ell}| \otimes |\ell{\rangle}{\langle}\ell |.$$ The four non-orthogonal joint states of $B$ and $C$, $$\label{conditional-states}
\epsilon_{i\ell} \, |\phi_{i \ell}{\rangle}= \sum_{jk} U_{ij} \, U'_{jk} \, U''_{k\ell} \, |jk{\rangle},$$ are normalized according to $$\label{normalization}
p_{i\ell} = |\epsilon_{i\ell}|^2 = \sum_{jk} |U_{ij}|^2 \, |U'_{jk}|^2 \, |U''_{k\ell}|^2.$$
To generate remote entanglement, Alice (who holds the pair $AB$) and Bob (in possession of $CD$) must perform a set of conditional unitary operations that are consistent with the choice of encoding parameters ($\theta$, $\theta'$, and $\theta''$), so that after the operations they share an entangled state of $B$ and $C$ that is in a product state with the rest of the system. As local unitary operations alone cannot change the entanglement of a state [@NielsenChuang_Book2010], remote entanglement can only be generated in this protocol by local operations on $B$ and $C$ when the entanglement entropies of each state $|\phi_{i\ell}{\rangle}$ in are the same. The structure of these operations, and the restrictions that must be put on the angles in order to create a maximally entangled pair, will be examined next.
The first protocol we describe in Sec. \[sec:LOCC\] is the most general and can be implemented when Alice chooses the relative angle $\theta = \pi/4$ (Bob could, equivalently, pick $\theta'' = \pi/4$). We will see in Sec. \[sec:LOCC\] that, in this case, classical communication of the states of qubits $A$ and $D$ is required, but (of course) [*not*]{} of the states of $B$ and $C$. Furthermore, the final degree of entanglement between $B$ and $C$ will depend only on Bob’s relative measurement angle $\theta''$, and not on $\theta'$.
In Sec. \[sec:LO\], we consider a special case of the general scheme where both the first and third relative angles are set to $\theta = \theta'' = \pi/4$. We will find that communication about the states of $A$ and $D$ is no longer required and a maximally entangled state is deterministically extracted by operations applied locally to the two pairs of qubits. Interestingly, in the general and special cases, Alice and Bob do not need to communicate their measurement bases since the operations they implement are independent of all relative measurement angles, including the relative angle $\theta'$ between the measurements with $B$ and $C$.
Protocol with communication {#sec:LOCC}
===========================
The general protocol described here requires classical information to be communicated between Alice and Bob to generate remote entanglement. Using local operations on $B$ and $C$ in addition to classical communication about the states of $A$ and $D$, a new joint state of $B$ and $C$ is generated that is entangled according to Bob’s relative measurement angle $\theta''$.
To encode the ancillary qubits, Alice selects the relative angle $\theta = \pi/4$ while Bob’s angle $\theta''$ is left arbitrary. In this case, it is straightforward to show that the conditional joint states of qubits $B$ and $C$, which are functions of the relative angles $\theta'$ and $\theta''$,
can each be written in terms of local operations on the state $|\phi_{00}{\rangle}$, $$\label{phi-i-l-LOCC-2}
|\phi_{i\ell}{\rangle}= V^{(i\ell)\dagger}\, |\phi_{00}{\rangle},$$ where $$\label{V-i-l-LOCC}
V^{(i\ell)\dagger} = Z^{i+\ell}X^\ell \otimes X^\ell$$ are conditional unitary operators on qubits $B$ and $C$. Here, $Z$ and $X$ are Pauli operators and the sum $(i+\ell)$ is modulo two. We write the $i = \ell = 0$ state, $$\label{phi00-2}
|\phi_{00}{\rangle}= -\sin\theta' \, |\widetilde{\beta}_{01} {\rangle}+ \cos\theta' \, |\widetilde{\beta}_{10} {\rangle},$$ in terms of the generalized Bell basis, $$\begin{split}
|\widetilde{\beta}_{00}{\rangle}& = \sin\theta'' |00{\rangle}+ \cos\theta'' |11{\rangle},\\
|\widetilde{\beta}_{01}{\rangle}& = \sin\theta'' |01{\rangle}+ \cos\theta'' |10{\rangle},\\
|\widetilde{\beta}_{10}{\rangle}& = \cos\theta'' |00{\rangle}- \sin\theta'' |11{\rangle},\\
|\widetilde{\beta}_{11}{\rangle}& = \cos\theta'' |01{\rangle}- \sin\theta'' |10{\rangle}.
\end{split}$$
Using , the joint density matrix of all four qubits then becomes $$\label{abcd-LOCC}
\rho_{ABCD} = \frac14 \sum_{i \ell} |i{\rangle}{\langle}i| \otimes V^{(i\ell)\dagger}|\phi_{00} {\rangle}{\langle}\phi_{00}|\, V^{(i\ell)} \otimes |\ell{\rangle}{\langle}\ell |.$$ We can see from that if Alice and Bob apply the Hermitian conjugate of the operators , then qubits $B$ and $C$ will be left in the entangled state that is in a product state with the rest of the system. This is the essence of the remote entanglement generation scheme.
The operation that disentangles the qubits $B$ and $C$ from the rest of the system takes the form $$\label{disentangle-LOCC}
V = \sum_{i \ell} |i{\rangle}{\langle}i| \otimes V^{(i\ell)}\otimes |\ell{\rangle}{\langle}\ell|,$$ where the unitary operators $V^{(i\ell)}$ were defined in . This expression does not completely factor into two separate operations on the pairs of qubits $AB$ and $CD$, meaning that classical communication is necessary between Alice and Bob in order to implement . Indeed, it is clear from that Alice must know the state $\ell$ of Bob’s qubit $D$ before performing her operations on $A$ and $B$, while Bob does not need to know the state $i$ of Alice’s qubit $A$ (one-way communication). Despite the communication requirement, the operations are independent of the angles $\theta'$ and $\theta''$ so that Alice and Bob do not need to know each other’s measurement bases.
After applying to the state , $$\label{disentangled}
V\rho_{ABCD} V^\dagger = \frac12 \, \mathbbm{1} \otimes |\phi_{00}{\rangle}{\langle}\phi_{00}| \otimes \frac12 \, \mathbbm{1},$$ qubits $B$ and $C$ are left in the pure state , which is in a product state with $A$ and $D$. In fact, $B$ and $C$ are disentangled from the [*entire*]{} system due to the symmetry of the underlying state .
The degree of entanglement of the final state can be computed from the entanglement entropy, $S_E$. This quantity characterizes the entanglement of a bipartite pure state, and is the same for each state since local operations alone do not change the degree of entanglement. The entanglement entropy is computed from the von Neumann entropy of one of the subsystems, e.g., $ \rho_B^{(i\ell)} = {\rm Tr}_C (|\phi_{i\ell}{\rangle}{\langle}\phi_{i\ell}|)$, and turns out to be independent of the angle $\theta'$, $$\label{entanglement-entropy}
\begin{split}
S_E & = S\big( \rho_B^{(i\ell)} \big) \\
& = -\cos^2\!\theta'' \log \cos^2\!\theta'' \!-\sin^2\!\theta'' \log \sin^2\!\theta''\!.
\end{split}$$ Evidently, the conditional states are uncorrelated when $\theta'' = 0$ ($S_E = 0$) and are fully entangled when $\theta'' = \pi/4$ ($S_E = 1$). This second case is the one considered in Sec. \[sec:LO\] where the entanglement generated is maximal. Thus, Bob can control the entanglement of the final shared joint state of $B$ and $C$ by choosing a particular relative angle $\theta''$.
Conditions for entanglement generation
--------------------------------------
In the most general scenario where all three relative angles are left arbitrary, the entanglement entropy of must be a constant for all $i,\ell$ for local operations to successfully disentangle the joint state of qubits $B$ and $C$ from the rest of the system. In other words, it is necessary for the Schmidt coefficients of the Schmidt decomposition of each state to be the same. This, however, does not guarantee that the resulting joint state of $B$ and $C$ at the end of the protocol will be [*entangled*]{}. For instance, at $\theta = 0$ or $\theta''=0$, the entanglement entropies of are indeed all the same, but vanish, so that the resulting joint state of $B$ and $C$ is completely uncorrelated and no shared entanglement is created.
Interestingly, the shared entropy of $A$ and $D$ vanishes, $$\label{condition}
S(A:D) = S(A) + S(D) - S(AD) = 0,$$ only when nonzero entanglement between qubits $B$ and $C$ is successfully generated, and is otherwise positive. Given the correlated structure of the coefficients $p_{i\ell}/2$ \[see \] in the density matrix $\rho_{AD}$ (found by tracing over $B$ and $C$), a vanishing mutual entropy can only occur if at least one of the three angles is $\pi/4$ so that $p_{i\ell}/2 = 1/4$. In turn, this corresponds precisely to a constant and [*nonzero*]{} entanglement entropy. Thus, the necessary and sufficient condition for the entanglement generation scheme described here is simply .
![The trace distance, $T$, between and averaged over all intermediate measurement angles $\theta'$, as a function of $\theta''$. Here, $\theta = \pi/4$.[]{data-label="fig:distance-2"}](fig2.pdf){width="\linewidth"}
Reliability
-----------
The encoding in this protocol serves to protect the conditional coherence of qubits $B$ and $C$ by correlating them with $A$ and $D$. These correlations make it possible to generate shared entanglement between $B$ and $C$ without requiring joint measurements or even, as in the case of the protocol we discuss in Sec. \[sec:LO\], classical communication.
To quantify the effect of such correlations, we study the coherence of the joint state of all four ancillary qubits before the disentangling operation is applied. The closer the state is to its classical counterpart, the more “robust” it may be to decoherence during the protocol. We determine how close $\rho_{ABCD}$ is to the classical (completely decoherent) version denoted by $\sigma_{ABCD}$, which has only diagonal elements, by computing the trace distance between and $$\label{abcd-classical}
\sigma_{ABCD} = \frac12 \sum_{i j k \ell} |U_{ij}|^2 \, |U'_{jk}|^2 \, |U''_{k\ell}|^2 \, |ijk\ell{\rangle}{\langle}ijk\ell|.$$ The trace distance [@NielsenChuang_Book2010], $T = \frac12 {\rm Tr}(|\rho - \sigma|)$, between two states $\rho$ and $\sigma$ is averaged over all intermediate angles $\theta'$ and plotted in Fig. \[fig:distance-2\] for $\theta = \pi/4$. The average trace distance $T_{\rm avg}$ remains less than one, suggesting that the protocol may be more robust to decoherence when qubits $B$ and $C$ are correlated with $A$ and $D$. As Bob’s relative angle $\theta''$ increases, $T_{\rm avg}$ increases and the resulting joint state of $B$ and $C$ becomes more entangled.
Protocol without communication {#sec:LO}
==============================
The protocol described in Sec. \[sec:LOCC\] encoded the ancillary qubits with the relative angle $\theta = \pi/4$, while $\theta'$ and $\theta''$ were left arbitrary. Here, we look at a special case of that general scheme where now the first and third relative angles are set to $\theta = \theta'' = \pi/4$. We will see that the operators that replace completely factorize in this case, which eliminates the communication requirement between Alice and Bob.
Setting $\theta = \theta'' = \pi/4$, the conditional operators on $B$ and $C$ that appear in the density matrix are now given by $$\label{V-i-l-LO}
\widetilde{V}^{(i\ell)\dagger} = Z^i \otimes (-Z)^\ell.$$ There are two important features of . As before, the set of operators on $B$ and $C$ do not depend on the intermediate angle $\theta'$, but now they are completely factorized. That is, the operator $Z^i$, with only the index $i$, is applied to qubit $B$, while $(-Z)^\ell$, with only the index $\ell$, acts on qubit $C$. As a consequence, Alice and Bob do not need to know the state of the other’s qubit in order to implement the operation $$\label{controlled-U}
\widetilde{V} \!=\! \left[ \sum_i |i{\rangle}{\langle}i| \otimes Z^i \right] \!\otimes\! \left[ \sum_\ell \left( -Z \right)^\ell \otimes |\ell{\rangle}{\langle}\ell| \right]\!.$$ It is clear from that if Alice and Bob each apply a controlled-phase gate to their pair of qubits (with the controls on $A$ and $D$), the resulting state will be , where $|\phi_{00}{\rangle}$ is now given by $$\label{phi00}
|\phi_{00}{\rangle}= -\sin\theta' \, |\beta_{01} {\rangle}+ \cos\theta' \, |\beta_{10} {\rangle}.$$ Here, we used the standard Bell basis, $$|\beta_{zx}{\rangle}= (\mathbbm{1} \otimes X^x Z^z) \, |\beta_{00}{\rangle},$$ where $|\beta_{00}{\rangle}= |\Phi^+{\rangle}$ is the usual Bell state. The remaining three conditional joint states of $B$ and $C$ are obtained by applying to the $i = \ell = 0$ state .
Thus, with operations applied locally to their pairs of qubits, Alice and Bob extract a joint pure state of $B$ and $C$ that is in a product state with the rest of the system. We emphasize that this does not require any classical communication between Alice and Bob, and that afterwards they share one half each of the entangled state . It is easy to show that the state is maximally entangled regardless of the angle $\theta'$ (its entanglement entropy is equal to one). Since the operators on $B$ and $C$ are independent of the angle $\theta'$, the protocol can be used even when Alice and Bob do not know each other’s measurement bases.
![The trace distance, $T$, between and as a function of the intermediate angle $\theta'$. Here, both Alice’s and Bob’s relative measurement angle is $\theta = \theta'' = \pi/4$.[]{data-label="fig:distance"}](fig3.pdf){width="\linewidth"}
For the complete entanglement generation scheme without communication, refer to Fig. \[fig:sketch\]. In this protocol, the state of the four ancillary qubits after the encoding operations (the first four wavy lines) is given by with $\theta = \theta'' = \pi/4$, the rectangular boxes represent the controlled-phase gates in , and the arrow indicating classical communication is removed. The final state generated in the protocol corresponds to the maximally entangled state . We plot in Fig. \[fig:distance\] the trace distance between and with $\theta = \theta'' = \pi/4$ as a function of the intermediate angle $\theta'$ and show that it remains less than one.
Discussion
==========
We described two methods for generating shared entanglement between remote parties that have never interacted in the past. Both techniques are deterministic, based on a simple encoding scheme, and do not require the joint measurements used in entanglement swapping. The general scheme requires one-way classical communication between Alice and Bob, and the degree of entanglement extracted can be tuned by the choice of encoding parameters (the set of relative measurement angles). A particular encoding of the initial state makes this protocol work even in the absence of communication. In that case, operations applied locally to the qubit pairs are sufficient to deterministically generate a maximally entangled state.
We should point out that, given the nature of the state-preparation protocol, it is not necessary for the quantum states $A$, $B$, $C$, and $D$ to be co-located with the initial quantum state $Q$ when state preparation occurs, and then sent out to remote locations. Instead, we can imagine that the state $Q$ is first sent to Alice at a remote location, who measures $Q$ first with $A$ and then $B$, then sends $Q$ on to Bob at another location where he measures the same quantum system using $C$ and then $D$.
In this work, we have not discussed the effect of noise on the present protocol (for example, due to entanglement with uncontrolled degrees of freedom), which would undoubtedly result in a success rate smaller than one. In particular, it is likely that entanglement is better protected from decoherence before disentanglement (akin to an error-correcting code), so that ideally the parties would wait to “activate” the entanglement until just before it is needed.
That maximum entanglement can be generated even when Alice and Bob do not know each other’s measurement bases (the disentangling operations are independent of the relative angle $\theta'$) could make this a useful scheme for quantum key distribution protocols. In this case, it would be useful if Alice and Bob could independently verify the entanglement they share (see, e.g., [@Enk2007]). Because $S(A:D)=0$ before and after the entanglement between $B$ and $C$ is created, qubits $A$ and $D$ are unlikely to be helpful for this purpose. Future work should be able to throw light on this and other issues including the effectiveness of the protocol in the presence of noise or an eavesdropper.
|
2023-10-05T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/5817
|
bibliothèque
Richard Freeman: Yoga ChantsRichard Freeman Chants - its a 2 cd set. The first CD is instructional, he explains some of the history and technique, and you sing along by repeating first a word, then a line, of each chant. I think there are 3-4 chants he teaches in this way -including the ashtanga invocation, which I've always liked. He explains things very clearly. The second cd is him chanting and playing the harmonium. He has a good voice, not a great voice, but there is something incredibly soothing about listening to him. -Jane
Cindy Dollar: Yoga Your Way : Customizing Your Home PracticeThis is a great book for home practice. It's spiral bound and the pages are split so that on the left the pages are practice sequences and on the right each page is one of 44 asanas. The 31 practice sequences range from 10 to 90 minutes. On the back of each asana page are several modifications with various props. The author is an Iyengar teacher and the instructions are very detailed. What I like most about it is that the variety of sequences will prevent me from doing the same practice all the time which is what usually happens when I do yoga on my own.
-Danielle
|
2024-04-23T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8483
|
New hydrogen-bonded donor-acceptor pairs between dipyridylacetylenes and 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxyl-1,4-benzoquinone
[structure: see text] The crystalline donor-acceptor hydrogen-bonding complexes between 2,5-dichloro-3,6-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone (chloranilic acid) and dipyridylacetylenes (DPA) [2,2'-DPA, 3,3'-DPA, and 4,4'-DPA] were prepared, and crystal structures were revealed by X-ray analysis. The structures of the complexes are formed by intermolecular hydrogen-bonding interactions and demonstrate three supramolecular architectures based on a new common supramolecular synthon, which allows the formation of a different stacking arrangement and ionicity.
|
2024-07-31T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/4058
|
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Get Alessandra Ambrosio's Haircut!
Who wouldn't want supermodel hair??? I know I certainly do! I recently got a sneak peek at model Alessandra Ambrosio's new banging (har har) haircut. Stylist Louis Angelo of GARREN New York gave her the...
Who wouldn’t want supermodel hair??? I know I certainly do! I recently got a sneak peek at model Alessandra Ambrosio’s new banging (har har) haircut. Stylist Louis Angelo of GARREN New York gave her the... Who wouldn’t want supermodel hair??? I know I certainly do! I recently got a sneak peek at model Alessandra Ambrosio’s new banging (har har) haircut. Stylist Louis Angelo of GARREN New York gave her the cut in her NYC home and shared the scoop with me on her cut (and how to get supermodel hair in general!):
What Hair Types This Cut Works For:
"The cut I created for Alessandra works well on all hair types, but is best on hair that is either straight or slightly wavy. For curly or wavy hair types, ask your stylist keep the layers long so you don’t end up looking like you have a topiary on top of your head."
How Often to Get Bangs Trimmed:
"These bangs are specific to the look and hang down below the eyebrow almost touching the lashes, but not quite so long that it drives you insane! Ideally, bangs should hit at the crease of the eyelid. To keep up the look, you may have to trim them every three weeks, but ask your stylist to show you how to do bang maintenance at home. It’s very simple and any good hair stylist can show you the right way to do it. Rather than cutting straight across and holding the scissors horizontally, hold them vertically and nip at the ends of the bangs, so you don’t take too much off the ends. Cutting vertically let’s you watch what you’re doing."
How to Get Supermodel Volume:
"Unless you already have wavy hair, which gives you built-in volume, I recommend two products for ’supermodel volume.’ First, I spray Rene Furterer Fixateaur Vegetal on the roots. Then, I apply a strawberry-sized dollop of Kerastase Nutritive Mousse Nutri-Sculpt into the hair. Blow dry with a large round brush. Keep your hair textured but slightly smooth and finish the ends. Remember, this cut is not designed to keep you in the bathroom for an hour agonizing over getting ready!"
|
2023-12-15T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/8155
|
Q:
How to combine a control command with a parameterized query in Kusto?
According to this doc page the result of a control command can be used in a query by using $command_results.
Now, how to achieve that when the query makes use of query_parameters?
.show tables;
declare query_parameters(_rootPath:string = "root")
$command_results
| where Folder startswith _rootPath
This throws
400 - "General_BadRequest: Request is invalid and cannot be executed.
Syntax error: Query could not be parsed: SYN0002: A recognition error occurred. [line:position=3:0]
A:
you're missing a semicolon (;) after declare query_parameters(_rootPath:string = "root")
|
2023-08-04T01:26:36.242652
|
https://example.com/article/3503
|
README_dos.txt for version 8.2 of Vim: Vi IMproved.
This file explains the installation of Vim on MS-DOS and MS-Windows systems.
See "README.txt" for general information about Vim.
There are two ways to install Vim:
A. Use the self-installing .exe file.
B. Unpack .zip files and run the install.exe program.
A. Using the self-installing .exe
---------------------------------
This is mostly self-explaining. Just follow the prompts and make the
selections. A few things to watch out for:
- When an existing installation is detected, you are offered to first remove
this. The uninstall program is then started while the install program waits
for it to complete. Sometimes the windows overlap each other, which can be
confusing. Be sure the complete the uninstalling before continuing the
installation. Watch the taskbar for uninstall windows.
- When selecting a directory to install Vim, use the same place where other
versions are located. This makes it easier to find your _vimrc file. For
example "C:\Program Files\vim" or "D:\vim". A name ending in "vim" is
preferred.
- After selecting the directory where to install Vim, clicking on "Next" will
start the installation.
B. Using .zip files
-------------------
These are the normal steps to install Vim from the .zip archives:
1. Go to the directory where you want to put the Vim files. Examples:
cd C:\
cd D:\editors
If you already have a "vim" directory, go to the directory in which it is
located. Check the $VIM setting to see where it points to:
set VIM
For example, if you have
C:\vim\vim82
do
cd C:\
Binary and runtime Vim archives are normally unpacked in the same location,
on top of each other.
2. Unpack the zip archives. This will create a new directory "vim\vim82",
in which all the distributed Vim files are placed. Since the directory
name includes the version number, it is unlikely that you overwrite
existing files.
Examples:
pkunzip -d gvim82.zip
unzip vim82w32.zip
You need to unpack the runtime archive and at least one of the binary
archives. When using more than one binary version, be careful not to
overwrite one version with the other, the names of the executables
"vim.exe" and "gvim.exe" are the same.
After you unpacked the files, you can still move the whole directory tree
to another location. That is where they will stay, the install program
won't move or copy the runtime files.
Only for the 32 bit DOS version on MS-DOS without DPMI support (trying to
run install.exe will produce an error message): Unpack the CSDPMI4B.ZIP
archive and follow the instructions in the documentation.
3. Change to the new directory:
cd vim\vim82
Run the "install.exe" program. It will ask you a number of questions about
how you would like to have your Vim setup. Among these are:
- You can tell it to write a "_vimrc" file with your preferences in the
parent directory.
- It can also install an "Edit with Vim" entry in the Windows Explorer
popup menu.
- You can have it create batch files, so that you can run Vim from the
console or in a shell. You can select one of the directories in your
$PATH. If you skip this, you can add Vim to the search path manually:
The simplest is to add a line to your autoexec.bat. Examples:
set path=%path%;C:\vim\vim82
set path=%path%;D:\editors\vim\vim82
- Create entries for Vim on the desktop and in the Start menu.
That's it!
Remarks:
- If Vim can't find the runtime files, ":help" won't work and the GUI version
won't show a menubar. Then you need to set the $VIM environment variable to
point to the top directory of your Vim files. Example:
set VIM=C:\editors\vim
Vim version 8.2 will look for your vimrc file in $VIM, and for the runtime
files in $VIM/vim82. See ":help $VIM" for more information.
- To avoid confusion between distributed files of different versions and your
own modified vim scripts, it is recommended to use this directory layout:
("C:\vim" is used here as the root, replace it with the path you use)
Your own files:
C:\vim\_vimrc Your personal vimrc.
C:\vim\_viminfo Dynamic info for 'viminfo'.
C:\vim\vimfiles\ftplugin\*.vim Filetype plugins
C:\vim\... Other files you made.
Distributed files:
C:\vim\vim82\vim.exe The Vim version 8.2 executable.
C:\vim\vim82\doc\*.txt The version 8.2 documentation files.
C:\vim\vim82\bugreport.vim A Vim version 8.2 script.
C:\vim\vim82\... Other version 8.2 distributed files.
In this case the $VIM environment variable would be set like this:
set VIM=C:\vim
Then $VIMRUNTIME will automatically be set to "$VIM\vim82". Don't add
"vim82" to $VIM, that won't work.
- You can put your Vim executable anywhere else. If the executable is not
with the other Vim files, you should set $VIM. The simplest is to add a line
to your autoexec.bat. Examples:
set VIM=c:\vim
set VIM=d:\editors\vim
- If you have told the "install.exe" program to add the "Edit with Vim" menu
entry, you can remove it by running the "uninstal.exe". See
":help win32-popup-menu".
- In Windows 95/98/NT you can create a shortcut to Vim. This works for all
DOS and Win32 console versions. For the console version this gives you the
opportunity to set defaults for the Console where Vim runs in.
1. On the desktop, click right to get a menu. Select New/Shortcut.
2. In the dialog, enter Command line: "C:\command.com". Click "Next".
3. Enter any name. Click "Finish".
The new shortcut will appear on the desktop.
4. With the mouse pointer on the new shortcut, click right to get a menu.
Select Properties.
5. In the Program tab, change the "Cmdline" to add "/c" and the name of the
Vim executable. Examples:
C:\command.com /c C:\vim\vim82\vim.exe
C:\command.com /c D:\editors\vim\vim82\vim.exe
6. Select the font, window size, etc. that you like. If this isn't
possible, select "Advanced" in the Program tab, and deselect "MS-DOS
mode".
7. Click OK.
For gvim, you can use a normal shortcut on the desktop, and set the size of
the Window in your $VIM/_gvimrc:
set lines=30 columns=90
For further information, type one of these inside Vim:
:help dos
:help msdos
:help win32
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2024-07-18T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/1494
|
High density lipoprotein subfractions isolated by heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography and their role in cholesteryl ester transfer to very low density lipoproteins.
Normal human plasma HDL was applied to a column of heparin-Sepharose in the presence of MnCl(2) and three fractions were obtained by stepwise elution with increasing NaCl concentrations: a non-retained fraction (NR, 78% of protein) and two retained fractions (R(1) and R(2), 18 and 2.5% of protein, respectively). Both unesterified and esterified cholesterol increased from NR to R(1) to R(2) but the increment was more pronounced for unesterified cholesterol. ApoA-II to apoA-I ratio was-lower in R(1) compared to NR but R(1) contained more apoC than NR. ApoE increased from NR to R(1) to R(2) (0.07, 0.4, and 14% of protein in each fraction, respectively) while apoB was found only in R(2). Agarose gel electrophoresis and immunoadsorbers for apoB and apoE showed that R(2) consisted of two major lipoprotein populations, one containing apoB and some apoE and the other containing apoE and no apoB. Cholesteryl ester transfer between each HDL subfraction and VLDL in the presence of partially purified cholesterol ester transfer protein was studied. NR and R(1) gave the highest initial rates of transfer for labeled cholesteryl ester which were corroborated by significant mass transfer of cholesteryl esters. From these results, we concluded that there is no connection between cholesteryl ester transfer and apoE. On the other hand, transfer from R(2) to VLDL followed different kinetics with a high zero hour transfer but with subsequently lower rates when compared to NR and R(1). The cholesteryl ester transfer activity in R(2) was mainly due to the presence of apoE-containing lipoproteins whereas those containing apoB had minimal transfer activity. However, because this transfer of label was not translated into significant mass transfer of cholesteryl ester to VLDL, the apoE-containing lipoproteins appear involved mainly in the equilibration of cholesteryl esters.-Marcel, Y. L., C. Vézina, D. Emond, R. B. Verdery, and R. W. Milne. High density lipoprotein subfractions isolated by heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography and their role in cholesteryl ester transfer to very low density lipoproteins.
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2023-11-17T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/8458
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NEW DELHI, India — When 39-year-old Michael Kuykendall approached the Indian consulate for a visa last year, he faced no real problems.
Sure, he had to re-apply for a medical visa instead of a tourist permit when he revealed that he was traveling to New Delhi to fertilize a donor egg for a local surrogate mother. But in those days, that was just a formality.
When it came to take his 6-week-old daughter, Isabella, home last month, however, everything had changed. In January, India adopted new regulations to govern the booming surrogacy business.
The new rules effectively bar gay couples and single parents from the trade — mandating that only heterosexual couples who have been married for at least two years are eligible for the newly created surrogacy visa.
“I felt like they were almost hostile towards me,” Kuykendall, who is gay, said about his exit interview at New Delhi's Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) last month.
“You go to an interview with some lady, and she really grills you. She belittles you. She makes you feel small about yourself.”
A police officer back home in Milwaukee, Wisc., Kuykendall didn't take too much of that before he pulled out Isabella's US passport and told the immigration officer in no uncertain terms that she might be able to delay his exit, but there was no way she was going to stop him. The circumstances of his private life were “none of her business,” he said.
Not everybody is that confident of his rights. “The guy ahead of me was in there for more than an hour, and he came out in tears,” Kuykendall said. “I told myself, 'That's not going to be me.'”
Surrogacy professionals in India say the government remains flexible with regard to patients who had transferred embryos to surrogates before the rule change. But the changes nevertheless pose a huge threat to one of India's fastest growing medical tourism offerings.
“The new home ministry rules have come as quite a surprise to doctors, the medical fraternity and clients who are overseas,” said Amit Karkhanis, a lawyer whose practice focuses on the surrogacy industry.
“It's definitely going to have an impact on the surrogacy market in India. The immediate fallout is that a lot of people are going to Thailand now. A lot of foreigners are reconsidering their decision to come to India.”
Official data is not available. But industry estimates suggest that some 50,000 people visit India annually seeking surrogate mothers, resulting in around 2,000 births per year. Gay couples and singles previously accounted for more than a third of that trade.
“There's no official study,” said Ramasubramanian. “At least 30-50 percent of the patients who come to India for surrogacy will be affected. The reason is because we are looking at large volumes of single and gay parents who are coming to India for surrogacy.”
One of the largest surrogacy clinics has a waiting list of more than 200 people who say that they are keen to come to India for surrogacy if the new regulations barring gays and singles are relaxed. And there are hundreds of babies already on the way and scores of surrogates waiting for embryo transfers.
“The situation has already arisen where parents [who have already engaged a surrogate] want to come to India to pick up their children but their visa is refused initially,” said Hari G Ramasubramanian, a partner at the Chennai-based Indian Surrogacy Law Center. “What we've seen is that on an appeal basis most of the cases are allowed to come back.”
The new visa rules mark a step backward for gay rights in India, which decriminalized gay sex in 2009 and has witnessed a steady, albeit slow, growth in the acceptance of homosexuality.
But they will also cost India a significant source of foreign exchange and cut a deep slash in one of the few industries that gives poor women without marketable skills an opportunity to earn the kind of money that can help them propel their children into the middle class.
From start to finish, a surrogacy procedure in India runs nearly $30,000 — about a third of what it might cost in the United States. The low costs mean higher volumes, especially for the larger, dedicated players, such as the New Delhi-based Surrogacy Center of India and the Akanksha Infertility Clinic in Anand, Gujarat.
“We do about 60 [embryo] transfers for surrogacy every month,” the center's head Shivani Sachdev Gour said. Although not every transfer results in a completed pregnancy, that's serious volume.
“We had 291 babies delivered by surrogacy last year, and we've delivered more than 550 babies by surrogacy to date,” he added, suggesting that her clinic shared in nearly $9 million in revenue from the surrogate business in the year before the rule change.
Doctors aren't the only ones to benefit.
Some have suggested the so-called “rent-a-womb” industry exploits poor women, but it's lucrative enough that many surrogates opt to do it more than once. They even recommend it to other women who badly need money to change their lives.
Surrogates employed by the surrogacy center, for example, earn around $6,000 for bringing babies to term, as well as room and board during their pregnancies.
That amounts to about 50 percent more per month than two such mothers had been earning as cooks, and then enough to cover their living expenses for a year after the baby's birth. But many surrogate mothers leverage the extra income to offer a better opportunity for their own children.
“I'm using the money for my son's studies,” said 25-year-old Manisha Thapa, who is eight-months pregnant. “My son is in the fourth grade. The private school where I'm sending him costs around $100 to $150 including fees, books and tutoring.”
And that's the real secret of the surrogacy trade. It's not trading one life for another. It's delivering one life to make many lives better.
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2023-10-11T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4336
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The present invention relates to a process for preparing aldehydes in the presence of a catalyst based on rhodium and in the absence of complex-forming organophosphorus compounds in a reaction zone, wherein a rhodium-containing organic solution which has been mixed beforehand with at least one organic acid or mixture thereof is fed to the reaction zone.
Hydroformylation or the oxo process is the transition metal-catalysed reaction of olefins or olefinically unsaturated compounds with hydrogen and carbon monoxide to form aldehydes and alcohols which have one more carbon atom than the olefin used. The hydroformylation process has now attained considerable economic and industrial importance. The aldehydes obtained initially in this process are used as such or represent valuable intermediates for the production of, for example, alcohols, carboxylic acids, esters or amines.
Hydroformylation is catalysed by hydridometal carbonyls, preferably those of metals of transition group VIII of the Periodic Table of the Elements. Apart from cobalt, the classic catalyst metal, catalysts based on rhodium have been increasingly used for some years. In contrast to cobalt, rhodium allows the reaction to be carried out at a relatively low pressure. In addition, when terminal olefins are used, straight-chain n-aldehydes are preferentially formed and isoaldehydes are formed to only a minor extent. Finally, the hydrogenation of the feed olefins to saturated hydrocarbons is also significantly lower in the presence of rhodium catalysts than when using cobalt catalysts.
Hydroformylation of olefinically unsaturated compounds is carried out industrially in the presence of rhodium carbonyl complexes with tertiary organic phosphine or phosphite ligands as catalysts. In one process variant, the reaction is carried out in a homogeneous phase, i.e. feed olefin, catalyst and reaction products are present together in solution. The reaction products are usually separated off from the mixture by distillation, more rarely by other processes such as extraction. The hydroformylation process carried out in the homogeneous phase can be in the form of a gas recycle process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,486 or in the form of a liquid recycle process as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,830.
In a further process variant, the rhodium-catalysed hydroformylation reaction can also be carried out in the absence of complex-forming ligands, for example phosphines or phosphites. Such rhodium catalysts which have not been modified with phosphines or phosphites and their suitability for hydroformylation catalysts are known from the literature and they are referred to as unmodified rhodium catalysts. It is assumed in the technical literature that the rhodium compound HRh(CO)4 is the catalytically active rhodium species in hydroformylation using unmodified rhodium catalysts, although this has not been conclusively proven because of the many mechanisms proceeding simultaneously in the reaction zone. The unmodified rhodium catalysts are formed from rhodium compounds, for example rhodium salts such as rhodium(III) chloride, rhodium(III) nitrate, rhodium(III) acetate, rhodium(II) acetate, rhodium(III) sulphate or rhodium(III) ammonium chloride, from rhodium chalcogenides such as rhodium(III) oxide or rhodium(III) sulphide, from salts of rhodium oxo acids, for example rhodates, from rhodium carbonyl compounds such as Rh4(CO)12 and Rh6(CO)16 or from organorhodium compounds such as rhodium carbonyl acetonylacetonate, cyclooctadiene rhodium acetate or chloride in the presence of carbon monoxide/hydrogen mixtures, also referred to as synthesis gas, in the reaction zone under the conditions of the hydroformylation reaction. Here, the rhodium compound can be used as solid or advantageously in solution. Hydroformylation processes carried out in the presence of unmodified rhodium complexes are known, for example, from DE 38 22 038 A1, in which rhodium 2-ethylhexanoate is used, or from EP 0 695 734 A1, according to which a solution of a previously formed rhodium carbonyl compound in the olefinically unsaturated compound to be reacted is used.
Owing to the absence of stabilizing ligands, precipitation of metallic rhodium from the crude hydroformylation mixture obtained by the unmodified process variant and taken from the reaction zone can occur during the work-up of the mixture by distillation. The rhodium precipitated in the work-up apparatus for the crude hydroformylation mixture cannot be recirculated to the hydroformylation process and therefore leads to rhodium losses which, owing to the high prices of noble metal, represent an economic disadvantage. To reduce rhodium losses in the work-up stage of a crude hydroformylation mixture which has been obtained by unmodified rhodium-catalysed hydroformylation, EP 0 695 734 A1 proposes firstly carrying out an extraction with an aqueous solution of a water-soluble phosphorus-containing complexing agent, with rhodium being extracted into the aqueous phase and aldehyde or alcohol being isolated from the remaining hydroformylation mixture. The aqueous extract is subsequently treated with an organic liquid in the presence of carbon monoxide or gases containing carbon monoxide under superatmospheric pressure at elevated temperature, resulting in rhodium going as rhodium carbonyl into the organic phase which can subsequently be recirculated to the reaction zone.
Apart from the rhodium precipitates which can occur in the work-up of a crude hydroformylation mixture obtained by unmodified rhodium catalysis, precipitation of rhodium metal close to the inlet region can also be expected when the rhodium-containing solution is introduced into the reaction zone. This precipitated rhodium metal is no longer converted into catalytically active rhodium carbonyl in the reaction zone, even under synthesis gas pressure. As a result, there is firstly only a smaller amount, based on the rhodium used, of catalytically active rhodium available and, secondly, the precipitated rhodium metal remains in the reaction zone and leads to rhodium losses. According to DE 19 20 960 A1, heating of the rhodium solution and of the mixture of olefinically unsaturated compound and rhodium solution in the absence of carbon monoxide has to be avoided in a continuously operated, unmodified hydroformylation process. Likewise, no high rhodium concentrations should occur during mixing of the rhodium solution with the olefinically unsaturated compound in the reaction zone. DE 19 20 960 A1 therefore recommends intimately mixing synthesis gas, the olefinically unsaturated compound and the rhodium solution in the vicinity of the inlet into the reaction zone. Here, a solution of rhodium compound, for example rhodium chloride or nitrate, in a polar organic solvent is fed to the reaction zone, with the rhodium compound preferably being insoluble in the olefinically unsaturated compound. For example, use is made of a solution of rhodium acetate in a mixture of methanol and acetic acid, in acetic acid or in propionic acid. The known continuously operated hydroformylation process allows conversions of 1-octene of 94-96% at a residence time of about 2 hours and a rhodium concentration of 14 ppm, with rhodium precipitates in the vicinity of the inlet for the rhodium solution into the reaction zone being able to be reduced at the same time. It is likewise pointed out that the rhodium compound added should be insoluble or virtually insoluble in the olefinically unsaturated compound in order to avoid high rhodium concentrations during mixing of the rhodium solution with the olefinically unsaturated compound. If locally high rhodium concentrations occur, precipitation of rhodium metal can occur in the presence of the olefinically unsaturated compound.
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2024-01-30T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/4878
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y = 7 + -8. Let r = 2645 - 2647. What is the biggest value in 2/5, y, r?
2/5
Let g be (-16 + 11)*(-174)/(-1275). Let j = g + 15/17. What is the fourth biggest value in j, -3, -1, -0.3?
-3
Let d = 95.85 + -95.85. What is the second biggest value in d, -5967, -4?
-4
Let i be -5 - 0 - 9325/50. Let g = 192 + i. Which is the fourth smallest value? (a) 5 (b) 2 (c) g (d) 0.1
a
Let l = 70540/3 - 23514. What is the second biggest value in -2/7, l, 1.1, 131?
1.1
Let o = -1 + 4. Suppose -o*p + t - 793 = 0, 0 = 5*p - p + 3*t + 1053. Let k = p - -1316/5. Which is the third smallest value? (a) k (b) 1/4 (c) -7
b
Let t be (-70)/(-530)*6*4/168. Which is the third smallest value? (a) t (b) 1 (c) 0.1
b
Let q be 2/(-11)*(135/(-18) + 8). Let o = 82 + -138. Let x = -54 - o. What is the smallest value in x, -0.1, q, 1/2?
-0.1
Let q = 943 + -944. Let s = 36 + -7. Let i = s - 29.1. What is the fourth smallest value in i, q, -3, 5?
5
Let b = 3582 + -3577. What is the fourth biggest value in -4, 7, -1, b, -2.6?
-2.6
Suppose 5*t - 28 = v, 0 = v - 10*t + 11*t + 22. Let f = 32 - 30. What is the biggest value in f, v, 4/3, -1?
f
Let t be 28/(-8) + 1/(-2). Let y be 3 - -1 - (-40)/(5 - 9). Let w be ((-8)/(-75))/t*y/(-2). What is the third smallest value in -1, w, 1/4?
1/4
Suppose 2*o + 10 = 0, -o - 5 = 4*w - 5*w. Let z = -312 + -185. Let t = 499 + z. Which is the second smallest value? (a) t (b) w (c) 1 (d) 3
c
Let f = 5.24 - -1.16. Which is the second smallest value? (a) -5 (b) f (c) 1 (d) 5
c
Let f = -3.4 - -3.175. Let g = 0.591 - f. Let j = -0.016 + g. What is the second smallest value in 0.2, 0.4, j?
0.4
Let u = -6554 + 6218. What is the biggest value in u, -3, -1/3, 0.1?
0.1
Let p = -3740 - -3735. What is the third biggest value in 6/37, p, 2/17, 6, -2/5?
2/17
Let x = 0.0317 + 46.9683. Let q = -49 + x. What is the third smallest value in 5, q, -121?
5
Let v = -470.1 + 572.1. What is the smallest value in v, -4, -69?
-69
Let j = -21/148 + -4/37. Let l = 62 - 61.51. Let d = l + -0.59. Which is the third smallest value? (a) -1 (b) j (c) d
c
Let r be (177/(-6) - -21) + 10. What is the third smallest value in 3, r, -29, 30, -2?
r
Let a be -5 - -6*40/45. Let d = -47.3 - -5.3. Suppose -2*y + 5*y = -5*g + 7, 5*y = 4*g + 24. What is the third smallest value in a, -1, d, y?
a
Let j be (-12)/36 - (-2)/24. Which is the fourth biggest value? (a) -13/8 (b) j (c) 4 (d) -1/6
a
Let t be (-12)/30 - 44/(-10). Let n = 4 - t. Let s = -24003.07 - -24003. What is the third smallest value in s, n, 3?
3
Let s = 4 + -9. Let k = 5.3139 + -0.0439. Let y = -3.27 + k. What is the third biggest value in -2, s, -1/5, y?
-2
Let j = 1369/6383 + 8/491. Which is the fourth biggest value? (a) 4 (b) j (c) 5 (d) 3 (e) -0.05
b
Let r = 0.136 + -0.055. Let n = 0.319 + r. Which is the second biggest value? (a) 1/6 (b) -0.3 (c) n
a
Let j be 147642/4158 + -35 - (2/7)/1. Which is the smallest value? (a) 41 (b) -8 (c) j (d) -2/5
b
Suppose 0*i + 14 = 3*w - i, 0 = -4*i - 20. Suppose -5*x + 31 = w*l, -2*x + 4 + 7 = l. Let h = -1490 + 1486. Which is the biggest value? (a) l (b) -0.4 (c) h
a
Let x be (-645)/(-258) - 1/2. Which is the third biggest value? (a) -4 (b) 0.072 (c) x (d) -8
a
Suppose 82*f + 61 + 90 + 13 = 0. Let q = 3.9 + -8.5. Let j = q + 0.6. Which is the second smallest value? (a) 1.6 (b) j (c) 0.1 (d) f
d
Let q = -4.02 - -0.02. Suppose -465*w - 136 = -272*w - 261*w. Let i = -1 - -1.2. Which is the fourth smallest value? (a) w (b) q (c) 5 (d) i
c
Let k = -0.4 - -0.2. Let b = -0.15 + -0.35. Let m = -4654 - -4654.2. What is the third biggest value in b, k, m?
b
Let u = -107 - -107.59. Let n = u - -69.41. Let s = -67 + n. Which is the third smallest value? (a) s (b) 1 (c) 0.3
a
Let f = -3 - 0. Let i = 0.61 + -1.95. Let d = -7.66 + i. Which is the smallest value? (a) f (b) d (c) -0.2
b
Let t = 82.5 + -143.2. Let x = t - -60.3. Which is the biggest value? (a) x (b) -8/9 (c) 1/3
c
Let u = -9.301 - -9.301. Which is the second smallest value? (a) -194 (b) -18/7 (c) u
b
Let h = 36 + -35. Let v be -4*(-3)/8*(h - -1). Suppose 3*m - 17 = -5*y, -21 = -2*y - v*m - 7. Which is the second smallest value? (a) -2/11 (b) -3/5 (c) y
a
Let v(y) = y**2 + 2*y. Let w be v(-4). Let z = 135 + -135.0496. Let j = -0.2504 + z. What is the second smallest value in j, 1, w, 1/2?
1/2
Let v be (-1 - 0)*-1*4. Let z = -0.1 - -1.1. Let j be ((271/(-39) - -8) + -1)/((-7)/(-21)). Which is the second biggest value? (a) z (b) j (c) v (d) 0.4
a
Let q = 0.28 + 0.02. Suppose -u = 2*h + 1 + 7, 0 = -h - u - 3. Let s be (-7)/126*94 - h. Which is the second biggest value? (a) 1.2 (b) q (c) s
b
Let x be 6/22 + (46872/264)/31. Which is the fifth biggest value? (a) -2/7 (b) -4/5 (c) x (d) 1/2 (e) -39
e
Let n = 5.879 + -11.879. Which is the biggest value? (a) n (b) 1 (c) -1/16
b
Let s be 6/((144/(-27))/((-4)/6)). Suppose -4*g - w = -20, g + 3*w = -w - 10. Which is the biggest value? (a) s (b) g (c) 3
b
Let o = 6.11 + -148.11. Let k = -142 - o. What is the second biggest value in k, -4, -63?
-4
Let f = 585570 + -585563. Let h = 0.4 - 0.7. Let x = -0.2 - -0.3. What is the third biggest value in h, x, f?
h
Let j = -877/102 - -132/17. Which is the fourth smallest value? (a) 1/7 (b) -2/9 (c) -22 (d) 1/8 (e) j
d
Let t = -6.702 + 4.702. What is the second biggest value in -17, -4, 11, 0, t?
0
Let v = 2744.1 - 2743. Which is the second biggest value? (a) 1/6 (b) -0.039 (c) v
a
Let g = 40.59 + -40.09. Which is the second biggest value? (a) -3 (b) 1 (c) -23 (d) g
d
Suppose 3*g - q = -5*q + 37, g - 9 = -3*q. Suppose 4*y - g = 1. Which is the fourth smallest value? (a) -1 (b) -0.5 (c) y (d) -2
c
Let m = 3248 - 3219. What is the fourth biggest value in m, 2, -0.4, 1?
-0.4
Let n = -393.33 + 393.03. Let l be -1*4*2/2. Let r = -0.04 + -1.96. Which is the third biggest value? (a) r (b) n (c) l (d) -0.5
a
Let w = -382 + 305. Let v = w - -76. Which is the fourth smallest value? (a) -2/11 (b) 42 (c) 4 (d) v
b
Let i(v) = 5 + 2 + 10*v - 32*v + 19*v. Let q be i(7). Let z be (q/(-8) + -2)/(28/32). Which is the biggest value? (a) 3/2 (b) -1/4 (c) z
a
Let l = 22 + -31. Let h = -801 - -799. Let z be 26/(-78) + ((-31)/15 - -2). Which is the fourth smallest value? (a) -1/8 (b) l (c) z (d) h
a
Let o be (-100)/(-20) - 21/10*2. What is the fourth biggest value in 4/7, 2/9, -0.1, 22/7, o?
2/9
Let y = 72.2 + -5.2. Let d = y + -96. Let l = -29.5 - d. What is the smallest value in -0.3, l, -2/5?
l
Let w = -7154.01 + 7154. What is the third smallest value in w, 4, -0.2?
4
Let r(q) = -11*q**2 + q - 9. Suppose 4*p = p + 12, -4*p = -5*m - 36. Let h be r(m). Let f = h + 1321/7. What is the smallest value in 5, f, 3, 0.1?
f
Let z = 280 - 106. Let t = -179 + z. Let v = 11 - 8. Which is the third biggest value? (a) v (b) -4 (c) -4/3 (d) t
b
Let t = -0.04 + -0.36. Let s = -357703 - -357695. Which is the biggest value? (a) -2/13 (b) 2 (c) t (d) s
b
Let u = -136/15 - -42/5. Let g be (-2)/(-2)*1828/12. Let d = 151 - g. What is the third smallest value in -0.1, u, d, -2?
u
Let g = 1570.68 - 1570. Which is the third biggest value? (a) g (b) -1 (c) 2/13 (d) 4
c
Let c = 2.02 + 94.98. Let p = c - 96. What is the second smallest value in 0.01, p, 6?
p
Let y = 1455 - 1455.15. Which is the third smallest value? (a) 1/12 (b) y (c) -4
a
Let v = -87.8 + 92.8. Which is the second biggest value? (a) 1/3 (b) 3/8 (c) -335 (d) -0.3 (e) v
b
Let g be (-12)/18*((-11)/7 - -2). Let c = -75 - -33. Let w = c - -42.4. What is the second biggest value in 5, w, g?
w
Let q be (0/3 - 244)*1464/(-576). Which is the smallest value? (a) 4 (b) -0.4 (c) q
b
Let r = 26380 + -26380. Which is the third biggest value? (a) -1/5 (b) r (c) -1/1321
a
Let t be 3/9 - (-629)/(-1221). Which is the biggest value? (a) t (b) -3 (c) 0.5 (d) 1
d
Let g = -63.69 - -63.49. Which is the second biggest value? (a) 5 (b) -1 (c) 1/62 (d) g (e) 1/2
e
Let p = -11.29 + 12.29. What is the second smallest value in -9, -0.2, p, -1/6?
-0.2
Let k = -171.4 + 171. Let h be 1 - (12/3)/4. What is the biggest value in k, -3.2, 0.2, h?
0.2
Let n(i) = 10 - 12*i + 6 - 16. Let v be n(-1). Suppose 0 = 3*d - v*d. Which is the
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2024-04-25T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/9497
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The use of oxygen for treatment of open wounds and sores has long been understood to have practical medical application as a supplement or replacement to conventional antibiotic therapy. Oxygen is believed to be bactericidal to the anaerobic bacteria that tend to grow in both open and closed wounds. Application of oxygen to wounds under pressure is known in the art as hyperbaric treatment. It has been shown that varying the pressure of such oxygen treatment, increases blood circulation in the treated area. This has the added advantage of pumping the patient's blood to the extremity such that the patient's own white blood cells are better able to assist in treatment of the microbes present in the wound or sore.
There are generally two broad general categories of devices for administering hyperbaric oxygen to a patient. The first category includes larger devices designed to enclose a patient's entire body or large portion of a patient's body, for example, both of the lower extremities of a patient. A second category of devices includes smaller, portable devices, which are known in the art as topical hyperbaric chambers and enclose a local region of the patient's body such as a single leg or a single arm.
There are several different devices used to apply topical oxygen to a patient's open wounds or sores. Certain existing hyperbaric oxygen devices include a rigid plastic enclosure that proves a pure oxygen atmosphere around the wound. Another characteristic of certain existing devices is that the oxygen is applied at a pressure greater than ambient pressure up to a maximum allowable level of fifty millimeters of mercury above ambient pressure. In one type of device, oxygen is applied to an entire extremity, for example, a leg having a wound or sore on a portion of the leg.
Various topical hyperbaric devices utilize a flexible bag designed to cover an entire leg or other extremity. Typically, these disposable hyperbaric oxygen chambers include a polyethylene bag which is substantially the length of the patient's leg, and tape is used at the top of the bag to seal the chamber around the upper thigh. Some hyperbaric oxygen chambers are in the form of an inflatable single layer bag, in which the pressure of oxygen is pulsated between minimum and maximum values, however, a disadvantage associated with a single layer bag is that during pulsated delivery of oxygen, the bag has a tendency to collapse when the pressure is reduced in the bag. Collapse of the bag poses the risk of the bag contacting the wound on the treated extremity. It would be desirable to provide a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that could be used to treat a single extremity and does not collapse when the pressure of the oxygen in the bag is reduced during pulsated delivery therein.
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2024-06-29T01:26:36.242652
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https://example.com/article/3037
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