text stringlengths 12 4.76M | timestamp stringlengths 26 26 | url stringlengths 32 32 |
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Cyril Sloth
We can’t get over how gorgeous Cyril Sloth is. No wonder this little guy moves so slowly - everyone should see his scrummy tawny fur and snuggle that feathery softness. Flopsy, sleepy and smiley, with the friendliest grin, he’s the perfect gift for adventurous boys and girls. Curl up with sweetie Cyril at the end of a looong, looong day. Height: 17”
SAFETY & CARE
Tested against and passed ASTM requirements.
Not recommended for children under 12 months due to fibre shedding.
Hand wash only; do not tumble dry, dry clean or iron. Not recommended to clean in a washing machine. | 2024-04-04T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1445 |
Populus balsamifera
Populus balsamifera, the Ontario Balsam Poplar, is a species of the genus Populus. Populus is from the Latin for poplar and balsamifera from Latin meaning "balsam-bearing".[1]
Balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera) is the northernmost American hardwood. It grows transcontinentally on upland and flood plain sites but attains the best development on flood plains. It is a hardy, fast-growing tree which is generally short lived, with some trees reaching 200 years. Other names are balm-of-gilead, bam, tacamahac, cottonwood, or heartleaf balsam poplar. Many kinds of animals use the twigs for food. The light, soft wood is used for pulp and construction.[2] | 2024-01-22T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6858 |
West Point superintendent takes responsibility for pillow fight turned bloody
Gregg Zoroya | USA TODAY Opinion
Show Caption Hide Caption 30 cadets injured during bloody pillow fight 30 cadets were injured during an annual pillow fight between freshman cadets at the United States Military Academy. The pillowcases were reportedly stuffed with hard objects.
The superintendent of the Army's premier West Point Military Academy took full responsibility for a bloody pillow fight among cadets last month that left 30 injured.
The rite-of-passage event on Aug. 20 that each year marks the end of summer training for freshmen cadets left two dozen of them with concussions after some participants used pillows stuffed with hard objects such as helmets. The New York Times first reported the story Friday.
Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, academy superintendent, issued a statement Saturday saying that military police are investigating the fracas that left 30 first-year cadets — known as plebes — with such injuries as a broken nose, dislocated shoulder and a hairline fracture of a cheekbone. Photos showed cadets with blood streaming from mouths or noses.
"I assure you that the chain of command will take appropriate action when the (police) investigation is completed," Caslen said.
The annual pillow fight by freshmen is designed to instill "esprit de corps" among classmates and has been an annual event for generations. It follows summer physical training and Caslen said this year's freshman class had a "tough first summer."
He said the academy has never condoned "any activity that results in harm to a teammate. Although the vast majority of the class appears to have maintained the spirit of the event, it is apparent that a few did not."
Caslen said the dozen concussions suffered all were minor and that academy medical personnel are following up in monitoring the cadets to ensure that any brain injury doesn't impact their performance in school. All of the injured plebes have returned to duty.
This is the second time since Caslan became the 59th superintendent of the academy in July 2013, that he has dealt with scandalous behavior.
He issued a statement last year accepting responsibility for alleged recruiting violations in which high school football players were courted with alcohol at a bowling alley party followed by a bus ride home with strobe lights, loud music and cheerleaders. The NCAA issued a warning to West Point regarding the event. | 2023-10-08T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8692 |
Q:
json decode with an array in php
I am having a problem with getting data from json. I cant change the way it is saved in the database since it is generated by the framework and after that read for the fields generation. My json looks like this:
{"102":{"textinput":{"comment":"2"}},"104":"34"}
OR
{"78":{"textinput":{"comment":"1"}},"82":"34"}
Comment value is my serialnumber that I net to get from this json. I tried with :
$json_sn = json_decode($customer_json_sn, true);
$snr = $json_sn['78']['textinput']['comment'];
But this is not the solution I need, since I never know the value of first numeric key, I cant rely on that. Any help would be appreciated.
A:
If this format is going to be always the same, you can use reset() function on this one. Consider this example:
$json_sn = json_decode($customer_json_sn, true);
$snr = reset($json_sn);
echo $snr['textinput']['comment'];
| 2024-02-28T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6183 |
Ben Drawbaugh posted a nice primer on High Definition Acronyms over at EndgadgetHD.
What is ATSC, PSIP, QAM and 8-VSB?
Prepared to geek out a little with Ben (he's insanely good at this HD technical stuff) and learn a bunch about the basic terminology of HD Technology. I consider this a highly recommended read if you're interested in High Definition at all. At least skim it and read up on the terminology you might not know or understand.
If you're looking for a good HTPC software that has a powerful extender for all media playback, SageTV isn't the only kid on the block. GB-PVR is making strides in the extender category with a custom GB-PVR client made for the Network Media Tank's PopcornHour media players.
As many of you may already know, some developers for GB-PVR created a project to use the popular media player PopcornHour (PCH) device by Networked Media Tank as an extender with GB-PVR. This project is an extension of the same project they used to modify the Hauppauge MediaMVP's as extender in GB-PVR. They announced this month that the project was adding some new features to improve the extender performance and usefulness that will make many GB-PVR users very happy.
Updates include:
Comskip Support - commercial detection will work after the updated PCH
Video File Remote Navigation - You will be able to use GB-PVR style navigation in recorded programs, in-progress recordings and LiveTV. Fast forwarding, rewinding and skip forward/back all will work.
MPEG TS/PS Video File HandlingSupport for .ts, .tp, .mpg, and .mpeg files. Movement in a file is now primarily controlled by GB-PVR, so if you jump randomly you can typically blame sub or me, and not the PCH. The vast majority of problem files for the NMT that I have gathered play properly too, including some I stated were "junk" on the NMT forums.
OSDThe standard GB-PVR on screen display (OSD) is now available while playing videos. This include the guide, mini-guide, program details, and timeline bar.
Live TV ImprovementsI find that LiveTV is now much smoother on the PCH than on the MVP. There are 2 second channel changes, the OSD doesn't have to run with the minimal OSD option, and some of the things that have caused me problems in the past (ie jumping to liveTV from the EPG while playing from the Video Library) just work like they are supposed to.
ResumeThere is resume from the Recording menu popups and also an OSD resume from Video Library. No PCH limits like the last 10 files played or that the device must stay powered on.
AudioFull background mp3 play as released in the last trial.
PCH IntegrationWith all of above, access to the PCH player for all non-mpeg files, including mkv, dvd, avi files, continue to be available directly from the GB-PVR menu. I hope to be be ready to release for public beta soon, maybe this weekend. For those of you who said you'd try component video this is a good time to get ready. For this version 1080i settings are preferred over 720p. If you have an SD TV, it took about a year, but now the MVP is 100% obsolete. There still is some work to do especially on h264 1080i video and very high bitrate mpeg files in general but it is running pretty well.
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
It's only been a few weeks since the last one, but the SageTV has released another beta for their Windows, Linux, Mac and Extender HTPC software programs. This one is packed full of bug fixes and a few other tidbits. Highlights include:
Fixed bug where playback of idx/sub files with SageTVPlayer didn't show the options for subtitles the first time they were played back
Fixed bug on Vista/Win7 where SageTV would fail to properly resume from standby sometimes when using the Hauppauge HVR-2250
Fixed bug where an error in the subtitle parsing could crash the entire UI
Fixed issue on Windows where new performance optimizations to use larger push buffer sizes with the extender had negative impacts (optimizations are still there; its just done slightly different now) - for extenders
Fixed bug where the aspect ratio was wrong on 4:3 DVDs during the main movie content for extenders
Added support to recognize BluRay disks in the video browser & other places. Also added themed generic BluRay icon. All on the default STV.
Today Amazon had their Kindle event and announced their new, bigger, more expensive Kindle. The focus for this one is definitely on the newspaper, periodical and textbook consumer. More details below.
The Kindle 3 Name
The new Kindle is named the Kindle DX. I sure would like a name like "Kindle Extra!" or something a little more catchy, but oh well.
Size - It's Bigger
The Kindle DX sports a 9.7-inch display which is two and a half times the size of Kindle 2. This will definitely help for those reading newspapers or magazines on the device, but I fear it puts it a bit too large for the avid reader that the Kindle 1 and Kindle 2 appeals to. Not quite as easy to hold in a single hand for extended periods of time. The Kindle DX keyboard looks more compact and that certainly makes sense to me.
Look, it Rotates
iPhone users will be familiar with this one. As you turn the Kindle DX it automatically switches between portrait and landscape. A nice feature that again tends to lend itself to the newspaper, magazine or textbook readers.
Native PDF Support
This is a great new feature - something I really wish the current Kindles could handle better. The new Kindle DX has native PDF support although I wonder how fast that screen refresh will be for PDFs when you have that big of a screen to deal with.
Price - It's Not Just Bigger, its Even MORE Expensive!
I sort of suspected the price of the new Kindle would be about the same as the Kindle 2 unless they threw in a color screen or something really new. Amazingly the price is even higher than the Kindle 2. Kindle DX is $489 while the Kindle 2 remains at $359. I'm sorry, but they will not sell many of these at a price of $489 - it's just too expensive. Watch for a fire sale of these devices with a much reduced price come Christmas when they still haven't sold out of their first inventory.
Reduced Subscription Prices on Major Newspapers with LT Commitments
If you definitely will be reading your favorite newspaper on the Kindle DX, several of the newspapers will be offering reduced prices for long-term commitments. This makes sense, but so far I haven't seen pricing on that yet - and my local paper, the Kansas City Star still isn't on the list of Kindle Newspapers.
It does Textbooks Too
Amazon announced agreements with three major textbook publishers (I didn't see names yet) who will supply their textbooks (not sure how many or which ones) on the Kindle platform. The following Universities announced agreements with Amazon: Arizona State University, Case Western Reserve University Princeton, Reed College and University of Virginia Darden School of Business.
EARLY CONCLUSIONS
We have many of the same positives with the Kindle DX as with prior Kindles:
The new Kindle DX has a bigger screen and therefore easier to read and navigate for newspapers, periodicals and textbooks
And we still have the negatives:
Price is prohibitive for most people. The higher price of the DX will push most who are interested to the Kindle 2.
Bigger isn't better for all readers - The Kindle 2 is about perfect in size for the avid book readers. Those will continue to prefer the smaller and less expensive Kindle 2
No Color still
Not enough newspapers available
That's my early take. I see the Kindle 2 selling much better than this new Kindle DX. Its definitely a step in the right direction in some ways, but I'm watching for some steep competition coming Amazon's way soon. I'm shocked that we don't see a subscription model to reduce the price. I imagine that has more to do with the difficulty in getting the publishers on board than anything else.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
We’ve seen rumors of a new, large-screen version of Amazon’s Kindle eBook reader for months now and this past week those rumors have become very likely. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times have both had stories leading us to believe that tomorrows Amazon “Event” announcement will be for the new, bigger Kindle that I’d like to name the “Kindle Extra!”
Pay attention to tomorrows event and we’ll see if I’m on the money for the name, Kindle Extra! It’s way better than the rumored “Kindle DX” name.
Questions abound about this new version of the Kindle including:
Will it be in color? This would undoubtedly help in the adoption rate of the Kindle for newspaper and periodical readers. Illustrations must be well implemented and color is a part of that let alone everyone's beloved cartoons you find in both newspapers and magazines.
How much bigger will the screen be? Navigation of a newspaper is inherently different than it is with a book. A somewhat larger screen will assist in the adoption of a eBook readers use for newspapers and magazines.
Will it be cheaper than the current Kindle? By far, the biggest stumbler to Kindle adoption is the current steep cost of the Kindle 2. Bring it down to the $150 range and you’ll see it “kindle” a firestorm (pardon the pun) of adoption.
Will they announce new newspaper and periodical support for the Kindle with this new version? I currently can’t get my Kansas City Star (a McClatchy company) on the Kindle. While the NYTimes is nice and the Wall Street Journal is essential, I really need to have my local newspaper the Kansas City Star arrive on the Kindle to make it a true, newspaper reader. Rumors of cheaper subscriptions exclusive to this device abound.
How many textbook publishers will support the Kindle? If you want a school or student to foot the cost of a Kindle for textbooks, it really will need to support most or all textbooks. I can’t see purchasing one for half or fewer of a students textbooks – it has to be more than that.
Will the new Kindle allow new annotations within text – especially useful with textbooks
Will the new Kindle include a PDF reader? I’m going to guess it will.
Is Amazon serious about making money from the Kindle, the content or both?
Amazon’s time to fend of the oncoming tidal wave of new, competing eBook readers is coming very and soon. They have to be on their game and evolve extremely quickly or they’ll quickly become a dinosaur despite their current success in the small, but expanding eBook reader world.
It’s only been a week since the last one, but SageTV developers don’t let that keep them from another HD Theater update. This one includes a few fixes and support in Media Player mode to recognize BluRay disks in the video browser and other places.
Complete Changelog for beta version *20090505 0* include: Core changes: 1. Fix playback of some mkv and wmv files 2. Improve performance of streaming from network shares when using a windows server. Media Player (Standalone) UI changes: 1. Disabled editing NTE number assignments because there is no keyboard, which is needed to enter the letters & symbols for each number. 2. Remember last workgroup entered in network file browser & restore the last workgroup path when returning to the parent of the server currently being browsed. 3. Added support to recognize BluRay disks in the video browser & other places. Also added generic BluRay icon. When using the STP-HD200 as a SageTV media extender, it is recommended that SageTV server beta v6.5.14 or newer be used.
To avoid interruption, it’s recommended that you and your customers rebuild test machines by using a valid Windows operating system before Windows 7 Beta and Windows 7 RC expire. Windows will automatically notify you that the expiration process is about to begin. Two weeks later, your PC will shut down every two hours. For Windows 7 Beta, the bihourly shutdowns will begin July 1, 2009. The software will expire August 1, 2009. For Windows 7 RC, the bihourly shutdowns will begin March 1, 2010. The software will expire June 1, 2010.
I don't really see this as a problem - if you like Windows 7 enough to still be using it by those dates, you probably should purchase it by then anyway right? Just be sure you remember to save all of that stuff you have on the PC with the beta (or unofficial) Windows 7 installed before the deadlines.
I reported this last week, but many might have missed the importance of the update. SageTV last week released a firmware update for the older HD extender HD100. The HD100 is no longer sold, but there are many boxes out there. This latest update includes some features that many SageTV HD200 owners have been enjoying, but HD100 owners couldn't get.
Monday, May 04, 2009
We've seen many HTPC themes for the various HTPC programs out there, but you don't see them for Snapstream's BeyondTV very often. Last week a new one was released that looks pretty interesting called BTV Reactor.
BTV Reactor replaces the original BTV skin and icon elements and leaves you with a unique look for BeyondTV. | 2024-06-17T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9275 |
The effect of colostrum and colostral antibody SIgA on the physico-chemical properties and phagocytosis of Escherichia coli o86.
A hydrophilic effect of human colostrum and colostral antibody SIgA binding on Escherichia coli o86 has been demonstrated by hydrophobic interaction chromatography on Octyl-Sepharose and partition in a polymer two-phase system containing dextran, poly(ethyleneglycol) and poly(ethyleneglycol)-palmitate. Furthermore, antibody SIgA binding reduced the negative surface charge of the E. coli bacteria. The reaction between centrifuged but not further purified colostrum and bacteria yielded a complex which, compared to bacteria alone, showed decreased negative and increased positive surface charges, the latter being sensitive to pepsin. Binding of SIgA or colostrum to E. coli showed no definite effect on the attachment to and phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear cells in vitro. The effects observed are discussed in relation to the structure of SIgA. | 2023-08-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8259 |
Record income
Last financial year, councils in Britain collected an estimated £885 million in parking charges but in the face of falling funding from central government many are reportedly looking at ways to increase this income.
Councils say they need to increase the cost of on-street parking to cover and road maintenance costs. (Picture: Shutterstock)
Councils say they need to increase the cost of on-street parking to cover the cost of parking services and road maintenance. (Picture: Shutterstock)
Nottingham, Cambridge, Reading and Brighton are among the councils identified by the RAC Foundation analysis and, in total, local authorities are expected to make a record £1bn from parking charges in the 2019/20 financial year.
Counter productive
However, Steve Gooding from the RAC Foundation said that the move to make more money from drivers could backfire on councils and force people away from town and city centres.
He commented: “With sums this large in play, the question must be whether they are actually helping or whether it feels more like motorists being targeted to help increasingly cash-strapped councils balance their books.”
Councillor Martin Tett, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, insisted that councils were not simply trying to rake in more cash from motorists.
He said: “They have to strike a balance when setting parking policy to make sure that there are spaces available for residents, high streets are kept vibrant and traffic is kept moving.
“Any income raised through on-street parking charges is spent on running parking services and any surplus is only spent on essential transport projects, such as tackling our national £9bn roads repair backlog and other transport projects that benefit high streets and local economies.” | 2023-09-25T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3979 |
At least 10,000 Cambodians have protested in the capital, Phnom Penh, expressing their anger at an opposition leader who allegedly described a notorious Khmer Rouge prison as a Vietnamese invention.
The rally on Sunday came two days after parliament passed a law banning the denial of atrocities committed by the hardline communist regime, a move that the opposition claimed was politically motivated before elections in July.
In a recording posted on a government website last month, the deputy head of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), Kem Sokha, purportedly said that Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh was staged by Vietnamese soldiers who ousted the Khmer Rouge in 1979.
The CNRP has said his remarks were doctored to cause "political trouble" before the July 28 elections, when Prime Minister Hun Sen is seeking to extend his nearly three decades in power.
Survivors from Tuol Sleng, also known as S-21, urged Kem Sokha to apologise as protesters gathered in a park in Phnom Penh before marching to the headquarters of the CNRP.
"I won't allow anyone to distort history while I'm alive. We demand that Kem Sokha lights incense sticks and apologises before the souls of the dead," said 83-year-old survivor Chum Mey, who led the protest.
Local media reported thousands more people protested in provinces across the country.
Tortured and executed
Around 15,000 men, women and children from Tuol Sleng were tortured and executed during the "Killing Fields" era.
The former head of the prison, Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, was sentenced to life in prison last year.
Protesters carried banners reading: "Kem Sokha is the first person who dares to insult the souls of all victims from Pol Pot's regime" and "Kem Sokha is more cowardly than Duch".
"I feel very hurt and I am angry with what he said," said Nov Sorn, 61, who lost her husband, father and a brother under the communist regime, which oversaw the deaths of an estimated two million people.
Pro-government media recently publicised comments allegedly made by Sokha that exhibits at Phnom Penh's famous Tuol Sleng genocide museum were faked.
Yim Sovann, a spokesman for Sokha's party, said the rally Sunday was "orchestrated" by ruling party supporters.
"The protest was orchestrated by the Cambodian People's Party," he told the AFP news agency, alleging that people were paid to attend.
Under the new law, which was approved on Friday by a parliament controlled by legislators from Hun Sen's party, anyone denying Khmer Rouge atrocities risks a prison sentence of up to two years.
Led by Pol Pot, who died in 1998, the Khmer Rouge from 1975-79 wiped out nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population through starvation, overwork or execution in a bid to create an agrarian utopia. | 2024-05-15T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1544 |
Resource Library
Most Large Cities Actually Growing During Housing Crisis
A new Brookings report shows that even as population growth in many suburbs, exurbs, and smaller metropolitan areas is slowing down during the current housing crisis, population growth is accelerating in many large central cities. In cities such as Washington, DC, and Atlanta, central city growth has surpassed suburban growth according to the most recent Census Bureau data.
The Census figures used in the report are current up to the 12- month period ending in July 2008 when the worst effects of the mortgage and foreclosure crisis began to materialize. As a group, all cities with populations over 1 million residents grew at a faster rate during this period than at any other time this decade. In addition, 54 of the 75 cities with populations exceeding 200,000 grew faster compared to the peak years of the housing bubble in 2004-2005.
The report states that the numbers show that large urban centers that are economically and demographically diverse are resilient during the current economic recession while smaller cities and one-industry towns have been struggling. Other factors that may have contributed to the growth was the ability of large cities to retain and attract residents who were no longer moving to the suburbs, as speculative mortgage lending dried up and immigrants returned to networks in established city communities.
The cities that did have a decline in population growth rates were those that were in the center of the foreclosure crisis, such as Orlando and Las Vegas, and those with large manufacturing industries such as Detroit and St. Louis. However, the report states that declines in large city population were relatively rare.
The report cautions that it does not include Census data from the worst effects of the economic recession from late 2008 to early 2009. It will not be another year until Census figures are available that show the full impact of the recession and rising unemployment on population growth in cities. | 2024-07-23T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1804 |
Aphasic status epilepticus: a case report.
Complex partial status epilepticus with aphasia as the sole manifestation has been reported only twice before. We studied a 60-year-old diabetic who was aphasic for 12 days. The diagnosis of aphasic status was supported by electroencephalographic seizure patterns in the left hemisphere. | 2023-11-23T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5360 |
Sas4 and Sas5 are required for the histone acetyltransferase activity of Sas2 in the SAS complex.
The SAS2 gene is involved in transcriptional silencing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Based on its primary sequence, the Sas2 protein is predicted to be a member of the MYST family of histone acetyltransferases (HATs). Sas2 forms a complex with Sas4 and Sas5, which are required for its silencing function. Here we show that recombinant Sas2 has HAT activity that absolutely requires Sas4 and is stimulated by Sas5. The recombinant SAS complex acetylates H4 lysine 16 and H3 lysine 14. Furthermore, a purified SAS complex from yeast shows similar activity and specificity. In contrast to other MYST HATs, neither the recombinant nor the native SAS complex acetylated nucleosomal histones under conditions that were optimum for acetylating free histones. Finally, although the SAS subunits interact genetically and physically with Asf1, a histone deposition factor, association of H3 and H4 with Asf1 blocks their acetylation by the SAS complex, raising the possibility that the SAS HAT complex may acetylate free histones prior to their deposition onto DNA by Asf1 or CAF-I. | 2024-01-04T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6746 |
765 F.2d 370
1986 A.M.C. 1032
Barbara STISSI, Individually and as Personal Representativeof the Estate of Ronald Stissi, Deceased, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.INTERSTATE AND OCEAN TRANSPORT CO. OF PHILADELPHIA, Defendant.In the Matter of the Complaint of INTERSTATE TOWING CO., asOwner of the tug Delaware, Interstate Marine Transport Co.,as Owner of the barge Interstate 36, and Interstate andOcean Transport Co., as Bareboat Charterer of the bargeInterstate 36, and the tug Delaware, Plaintiffs forExoneration from or Limitation of Liability.Judith LAX, as Administratrix of the Estate of Ruth Calabro,Deceased, Plaintiff-Appellee,v.INTERSTATE TOWING CO., as Owner of the tug Delaware,Interstate Marine Transport Co., as Owner of the bargeInterstate 36, and Sonat Marine, Inc., formerly known asInterstate and Ocean Transport Co., as Bareboat Charterer ofthe barge Interstate 36, and tug Delaware, Defendants,Sonat Marine, Inc., Defendant-Appellant Cross-Appellee.Thomas J. FUREY, Plaintiff-Appellee Cross-Appellant,v.INTERSTATE TOWING CO., as Owner of the tug Delaware,Interstate Marine Transport Co., as Owner of the bargeInterstate 36, and Sonat Marine, Inc., formerly known asInterstate and Ocean Transport Co., as Bareboat Charterer ofthe barge Interstate 36, and tug Delaware, Defendants,Sonat Marine, Inc., Defendant-Appellant Cross-Appellee.
Cal. Nos. 650, 760, Dockets 84-7699, 84-7735.
United States Court of Appeals,Second Circuit.
Argued Jan. 21, 1985.Decided June 20, 1985.
James M. Hazen, New York City (Leonard & Kenny, New York City, of counsel), for defendant-appellant cross-appellee Sonat Marine, Inc.
Edward F. Gerace, Tampa, Fla., for plaintiff-appellee Barbara Stissi.
David Holmes, Merrick, N.Y. (Curtis, Zaklukiewicz, Vasile & Devine, Merrick, N.Y., of counsel), for plaintiff-appellee cross-appellant Thomas J. Furey.
James S. Rowen, New York City, for plaintiff-appellee cross-appellant Thomas J. Furey.
Jesse S. Waldinger, New York City (Kramer, Dillof, Tessel, Duffy & Moore and Charles F. McGuire, New York City, on the brief), for plaintiff-appellee Judith Lax.
Before VAN GRAAFEILAND, MESKILL, and WINTER, Circuit Judges.
VAN GRAAFEILAND, Circuit Judge:
1
This is an appeal and cross appeal from a judgment of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (Nickerson, J.) apportioning fault and fixing damages in connection with a collision between a motorboat and a barge which occurred on Long Island Sound on August 22, 1980. Because this appeal follows a second trial and two reported opinions, one by this Court, 717 F.2d 752, and one by the district court, 590 F.Supp. 1043, there is no need for an extended recital of the facts. The accident occurred at night when Thomas Furey's motorboat, operated by Ronald Stissi with Furey and Ruth Calabro as passengers, attempted to cross the wake of the tugboat DELAWARE. The motorboat fouled its propeller on the DELAWARE's tow line and was struck by the barge that the DELAWARE was towing. Stissi and Calabro died as a result of the collision, and their respective estates are represented by Barbara Stissi and Judith Lax. The DELAWARE was chartered to Sonat Marine, Inc., formerly Interstate and Ocean Transport Co.
2
On the prior appeal, we affirmed in part and vacated in part Judge Nickerson's decision apportioning 80% of the fault for the collision to the tug and barge and 20% of the fault to the Furey boat. We held that the district court was correct in denying Sonat's and Furey's request for exoneration from, or limitation of, liability but concluded that the district court had erred in assessing only 20% of the fault to the Furey boat. Upon remand, the district court consolidated the claims for trial before a jury, the jury's verdict in the Lax and Furey actions to be advisory only. The district court held that Stissi was entitled to a binding verdict because she had elected to invoke the savings to suitors clause, 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1333, during the first trial.
3
Following a six-day trial, the jury found Sonat 94% at fault, Stissi 3% at fault, and Furey 3% at fault. The jury also fixed damages in the amount of $1,110,024 for Stissi, $567,574 for Lax and $40,000 for Furey. Thereafter, the district court adopted the jury's findings on both apportionment and damages. 590 F.Supp. at 1050.
4
Sonat argues on this appeal that the district court erred in retrying the issue of apportionment of fault instead of reconsidering that issue on the record of the first trial. We disagree; our mandate did not preclude a retrial. However, the district court did err in disregarding certain legal conclusions reached on the first trial and appeal, which should not have received de novo consideration. For reasons hereafter discussed, the issue of apportionment of fault will have to be tried a third time.
5
In 1980, a tug such as the DELAWARE, which had another vessel in tow, was required by then-current federal navigation rules to carry certain lights. One of these rules, 33 U.S.C. Sec. 173 (1976), provided that the tug should "in addition to her side lights" carry three bright lights not less than three feet apart in a vertical line. Section 173 also provided, by reference to 33 U.S.C. Sec. 172(a) and (f) (1976), that these lights should be carried "on or in front of the foremast, or, if a vessel without a foremast, then in the forepart of the vessel" (Sec. 172(a)), or, alternatively, in the same position that the after range single light would occupy on a vessel containing only a two-white-light central range (Sec. 172(f)).
6
There is no dispute as to the lights carried by the DELAWARE on the night of the accident. The evidence as to the lights was identical on both trials; the tugmaster's and Coast Guard's descriptions of the lights, as given on the first trial, were read into evidence on the second. At the conclusion of the first trial, the district court held that "the tug was exhibiting the lights required by Article 3 of the Inland Rules [33 U.S.C. Sec. 173] for a tug towing a barge astern, namely a white bow light, port and starboard running lights, three vertical bright white lights and an optional stern light." This Court agreed. 717 F.2d at 754. These were not findings of fact; they were conclusions of law.
7
When a decision turns on the meaning of words in a statute or regulation, the decision is one of law which must be made by the court. Trust of Bingham v. Commissioner, 325 U.S. 365, 371, 65 S.Ct. 1232, 1235, 89 L.Ed. 1670 (1945); Day v. Trans World Airlines, Inc., 393 F.Supp. 217, 220 (S.D.N.Y.), aff'd, 528 F.2d 31 (2d Cir.1975), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 890, 97 S.Ct. 246, 50 L.Ed.2d 172 (1976); Gaibis v. Werner Continental, Inc., 565 F.Supp. 1538, 1548 (W.D.Pa.1983). The application of a statute's terms to undisputed facts also is a question of law. Gold Kist, Inc. v. United States, 339 F.Supp. 1249, 1255 n. 6 (N.D.Ga.1971), aff'd sub nom., ICC v. Gold Kist, Inc., 409 U.S. 808, 93 S.Ct. 106, 34 L.Ed.2d 67 (1972); United States v. Thompson, 252 F.2d 6, 9 (8th Cir.1958); see Nelson v. Montgomery Ward & Co., 312 U.S. 373, 376, 61 S.Ct. 593, 595, 85 L.Ed. 897 (1941); Dowell, Inc. v. Lyons, 238 F.2d 633, 635 (6th Cir.1956); Coleman Furniture Corp. v. Home Insurance Co., 67 F.2d 347, 351 (4th Cir.1933).
8
The district court's legal conclusions concerning the tug's compliance with Article 3, which were approved and adopted by this Court, thus became the law of the case and should have been followed by the district court on the second trial. Doe v. New York City Department of Social Services, 709 F.2d 782, 788-89 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 195, 78 L.Ed.2d 171 (1983). Instead of adhering to this well-established rule, the district court permitted Richard Riley, a tugboat captain for the Texaco Company, to hold forth erroneously and at great length concerning the allegedly mandatory lighting requirements for a tug with tow astern on Long Island Sound. The end result was prejudicial and reversible error.
9
On six separate occasions, Riley, without referring to any specific rule or regulation, testified that the DELAWARE should have carried a yellow light on the stern; this, he said, was "mandatory". He testified that, because this light was absent, a pilot in Mr. Stissi's position "probably would be confused". It was only after Stissi's counsel informed the district court that Riley himself was confused about the yellow light that the district court told the jury a yellow light was unnecessary.
10
Assuming for the argument that Riley's error with reference to the yellow light was cured by the court's instructions, another more egregious error concerning the forward range light never was cured. Although the testimony and the photographs introduced on the first trial clearly established the presence and location of the white bow or range light, and the existence of this light was approved specifically by both the district court and this Court, Riley testified that the light was improper. What's more, he convinced the district court to overturn, not only its own prior ruling to the contrary, but also the holding of this Court, which, as stated above, established the law of the case.
11
The district court attempted to justify its ruling, stating that the evidence on the first trial "did not reveal, as it did at the jury trial, that in addition to the three vertical lights displayed by the tug it was also carrying an additional light that at certain angles could be mistaken for a fourth vertical light" and that "[t]his could have caused Stissi to mistake the three mast lights signalling that a barge was in tow." 590 F.Supp. at 1047. In making this statement, the district court erred, not once, but twice.
12
In the first place, even the most casual observer of the photograph of the bow of the DELAWARE, which was in evidence on both trials, could not help but see that, when viewed from directly ahead of the vessel, the forward range light would be directly in line with the three mast lights behind it. In the second place, the evidence is uncontroverted that Stissi never was directly in front of the tug so as to have this view.
13
Unfortunately, these errors were reflected in the district court's instructions to the jury. The judge charged the jury that, pursuant to Article 3 of the Inland Water Rules (33 U.S.C. Sec. 173), the DELAWARE was required to carry three white lights on its mast but that, under Article 1 of those Rules (33 U.S.C. Sec. 171), the DELAWARE was not permitted to carry other lights which might be mistaken for the prescribed lights. Even if we had not already established the law of the case with reference to the forward range light, we would hold that the presence of this light was proper and not in violation of the applicable rules.
14
An understanding of why this is so requires some knowledge of the nature and purpose of the so-called range lights, whose history antedates that of the red and green side lights. See Belden v. Chase, 150 U.S. 674, 694, 14 S.Ct. 264, 270, 37 L.Ed. 1218 (1893). Ordinarily, range lights consist of two white lights in the same vertical plane as the keel of a vessel, with the rear range light higher than the forward one. By observing the relative position of these two lights, the lookout on an approaching ship can readily determine the course of the light-bearing vessel. As one commentator puts it:
15
Range lights are a valuable aid in determining the relative heading of another vessel when she is first sighted at night. These white lights are both brighter and higher than the side lights, and consequently they normally will be seen well before the colored light or lights can be detected and read for their meaning.
16
The relative location of the two range lights will be the key. Should they be seen one directly over the other, the other vessel is headed directly toward the observer and danger of collision exists. Should the lower forward range light be seen to the right or left of the higher light, the other vessel is on an oblique course and the angle can be roughly gauged by the horizontal separation between the lights.
17
Charles F. Chapman, Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling 64(d).
Judicial comment is in accord:
18
The rule for inland waters and narrow channels differs in one respect from that for open waters. It not only requires the two colored side lights, but it requires the two white range lights, to be up and burning. The red and white side lights only show in what general direction the steamer is going; they do not show with accuracy the course held by the steamer moving in that general direction. In narrow waters it is necessary to safety that this course shall be known; and the high light aft, and the lower light forward, fixed on a range with the center of the vessel, as required by rule 7, shows this course.
19
These two sorts of lights are probably more important in narrow channels than the red and white lights. They are both essential. It is for this reason that every steamer navigating narrow waters at night is required to have these lights up. If a steamer has them not it is in fault; it is grossly in fault.
20
The Conoho, 24 Fed. 758, 760 (E.D.Va.1885).
21
As of the date of the accident, section 172(a) provided that a steam vessel, such as a tugboat, under way should carry a white light in its bow. Section 172(f) provided that such vessel should carry a central range of two white lights, the afterlight being carried at an elevation at least fifteen feet above the light at the head of the vessel. Section 173 provided that a tug towing one or more vessels astern should carry three vertical lights in the same position as the after range light mentioned in section 172(f). The purpose of requiring those lights to be placed in this position seems clear; if an approaching vessel was so located that the forward range light was directly below the three mast lights, the approaching vessel would know that it was on a direct collision course with the tug. Of course, since the Furey boat never was directly ahead of the DELAWARE so that the lights would be observed in this manner, the district court's comments concerning possible confusion were simply academic.
22
We are as satisfied now as we were at the conclusion of the first trial that there was nothing improper about the lights on the DELAWARE. The district court's holding to the contrary, 590 F.Supp. at 1047, was error.
23
Because the issue of fault must be retried, it is appropriate that we comment briefly concerning certain matters that are likely to recur. As the district court correctly stated, what the nautical rules say was a matter for it to decide. It was not Riley's function to testify as to what the rules required or prohibited. The district court therefore should not have permitted Riley to give the jury his version of the rules. The prejudice resulting from the disregard of this evidentiary rule as it related to the lighting on the tug already has been discussed. Enforcement of the rule also would have precluded Riley from telling the jury that, when the Furey boat was seven-tenths of a mile away, "by law" its lights would have been visible to a vigilant lookout on the tug; that the blowing of a danger signal was "mandatory"; that a rule which Riley did not deign to identify required that the tug's whistle be heard "in all directions", "astern as well as ahead"; and that when the DELAWARE backs up, it is required "by law" to sound a whistle. The effect that testimony of this kind has on a jury seldom is eliminated by a cursory curative statement that the jury is to take the law from the court, particularly where, as here, the court fails to give its own version of the legal pronouncements that the witness has made.
24
On the other hand, the district court did not abuse its discretion in redacting the double hearsay and conclusory portions of the Coast Guard report. See City of New York v. Pullman, Inc., 662 F.2d 910, 914-15 (2d Cir.1981), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 1164, 102 S.Ct. 1038, 71 L.Ed.2d 320 (1982); Lindsay v. Ortho Pharmaceutical Corp., 637 F.2d 87, 94 (2d Cir.1980). Because Sonat disputed the feasibility of shortening the 1000-foot hawser, the district court likewise acted within its discretion in permitting evidence to be introduced that the hawser was shortened following the accident. See Anderson v. Malloy, 700 F.2d 1208, 1212-14 (8th Cir.1983). Finally, the district court did not err in admitting testimony concerning a prior incident when Stissi, operating Furey's boat, observed and heeded the warning of a tug showing three towing lights. See United States v. Smith, 727 F.2d 214, 219-21 (2d Cir.1984). This evidence bore on the question whether Furey permitted an inexperienced pilot to operate his boat. Moreover, even if its admission was error, it was not prejudicial error. The more knowledgeable Stissi was concerning nautical signals, the more negligent he was in ignoring the warning lights that the DELAWARE showed on the night of the accident.
25
Turning to the charge, we do not believe the district court erred in refusing to incorporate the statement from this Court's prior opinion that crossing the wake of a tug displaying towing lights, such as were shown here, is "inexcusable negligence" justifying a finding that the motorboat operator was "grossly at fault". Because appellate opinions are designed for a different purpose than are jury instructions, it sometimes is not advisable to incorporate language from the former directly into the latter. See Howland Pulp & Paper Co. v. Alfreds, 179 Fed. 482, 484 (1st Cir.1910); Devitt and Blackmar, Federal Jury Practice and Instructions Sec. 8.01 at 243. Moreover, language such as "inexcusable negligence" and "grossly at fault" may tend to confuse or mislead the jury. See Rainey v. Paquet Cruises, Inc., 709 F.2d 169, 171 (2d Cir.1983). The district court correctly charged that "where mast lights indicate the existence of a two, it is negligence to cross behind the stern of the towing vessel without knowing the position of the tow."
26
Sonat was entitled, however, to have the jury instructed pursuant to former Article 27 of the Inland Water Rules, 33 U.S.C. Sec. 212 (1976) that, in obeying the Rules, the DELAWARE should take into consideration "any special circumstances which may render a departure from the above rules necessary in order to avoid immediate danger." Because a new trial is to be had in any event, we need not decide whether, in view of the court's charge on the somewhat similar provisions of section 80.11 of the Pilot Rules, 33 C.F.R. Sec. 80.11 (1980), the failure to charge Article 27 was harmless error.
27
The district court did not err in treating the jury's findings with respect to Furey in an advisory capacity. Furey waived his right to a jury trial by failing to request one at the outset of the limitation proceeding. See Noonan v. Cunard Steamship Co., 375 F.2d 69 (2d Cir.1967). The district court did not err in holding Furey and Sonat jointly liable to Lax for the entire amount of Lax's damages. During the limitation proceeding, Lax had asserted a cross-claim against Furey. Although this Court subsequently affirmed the denial of exoneration and limitation, 717 F.2d at 757, the district court, sitting as an admiralty court, retained jurisdiction to adjudicate all claims arising out of this proceeding, including Lax's cross-claim against Furey. See Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. v. Southern Pacific Co., 273 U.S. 207, 216-18, 47 S.Ct. 357, 359-60, 71 L.Ed. 612 (1927); see also British Transport Commission v. United States, 354 U.S. 129, 138, 77 S.Ct. 1103, 1108, 1 L.Ed.2d 1234 (1957).
28
Although we are reversing and remanding on the issue of fault, we see no need for a retrial on the issue of damages. The damage awards were not so grossly excessive that they should not be permitted to stand. The award to Stissi's stepchildren was not improper. See Spiller v. Thomas M. Lowe, Jr. and Associates, Inc., 466 F.2d 903, 904-08 (8th Cir.1972). The court did not err in allowing prejudgment interest on the awards to Stissi and Lax. Independent Bulk Transport, Inc. v. Vessel "Morania Abaco", 676 F.2d 23, 25 (2d Cir.1982); Mitsui & Co., Ltd. v. American Export Lines, Inc., 636 F.2d 807, 823 (2d Cir.1981). Finally, the court did not err in refusing to impute Stissi's contributory negligence to Furey in determining the amount of Furey's contribution toward Stissi's damages. See Red Star Towing & Transportation Company v. Cargo Ship "Ming Giant", 563 F.Supp. 224, 226 (S.D.N.Y.1983); Shiver v. Burnside Terminal Company, 392 F.Supp. 1078, 1079 (E.D.La.1975).
29
We affirm that portion of the judgment which fixed the amount of plaintiffs' damages but vacate that part which apportioned fault between the parties, and remand for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.1
30
No costs.
1
In view of Judge Nickerson's statement that he agreed with the jury's apportionment of liability, 590 F.Supp. at 1047, a question might be raised concerning the wisdom of returning this case to the same judge for a third trial. However, we have every confidence that Judge Nickerson will fairly try the issue of apportionment on the evidence properly introduced on the third trial, and what we have held to be the law of the case concerning the lights on the tug
| 2024-05-15T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8214 |
Running Kentico on Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure is a cloud platform for hosting and managing applications and services.
When you want to host your project on Microsoft Azure, you first need to decide which hosting option is the most suitable for you. To decide if you will host your project in Azure Web Apps, Azure Cloud Services or Azure Virtual Machines, see: | 2024-03-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4727 |
How Good Was 538? - robg
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/11/how-good-was-53.html
======
llimllib
The race between 538 and intrade was basically too close to call. See:
[http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/06/in...](http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/06/intrade-
versus-fivethirtyeight/)
and
[http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/odd-
numbers/2008/11/05/...](http://www.portfolio.com/views/blogs/odd-
numbers/2008/11/05/and-the-winner-isprediction-markets?tid=true)
~~~
davidmathers
That portfolio.com link is being misleading by only showing the EV totals. If
we assume, as he does, that McCain will win MO that means the betting markets
got the right number because they got _two_ states wrong, whereas 538 got the
wrong number because Nate only got one state wrong. So which one was actually
more accurate?
I posted the predictions broken out by state here on HN the night before the
election: <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=353182>
~~~
llimllib
I tend to agree that 538 was better; I shouldn't have editorialized that the
race was too close to call. I really just meant to summarize the two articles
I'd come across that were on exactly this topic.
Thanks for collecting that data.
------
sown
Electoral-vote.com was pretty accurate, too.
<http://electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Nov03.html>
Chris Bowers wrote, "So much information is publicly available now that a few
nerds obsessed with poll numbers are much better sources for election
information than you will ever get from big media."
[http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=16AE5E72EE66...](http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do;jsessionid=16AE5E72EE66F64BCDA37B4B70262523?diaryId=8971)
~~~
tallanvor
Yeah, Electoral-vote's results were pretty much the same as 538's. --And I
consider Tanenbaum's site to be better overall, because while it's not as
pretty, he's completely open about how he arrives at his results and makes all
the data he uses available.
~~~
sown
I also like that it is heavy on data.
Also, I get tempted by their master's program that I don't qualify for.
------
ivankirigin
Meta news.yc comment: when 538 called it for obama, the thread was killed:
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=354128>
That was a mistake. People paying attention knew 538 was right, and
consistently better than the major news outlets.
Also, I feel the geek behind 538 deserved to be the top story, not some play-
it-safe news outlet.
~~~
hugh
I thought it was killed for being politics.
Unfortunately the later winner-of-the-election thread stayed up.
~~~
ivankirigin
Politics that matters should be on HN. Winning an election matters. He called
it with certainty.
------
Readmore
I fell in love with this site over the last few months. Not only were the
numbers almost dead-on but the daily updates were all well written and
insightful.
Great work!
------
kqr2
To be statistically meaningful, 538 will have to be this good for several more
elections.
~~~
randallsquared
I don't think so. They successfully predicted quite a few elections on
Tuesday. I think it's a statistics error to group them into a single datum
simply because they were all held on the same day.
~~~
khafra
Or an information-theoretic error: At the very least, we have one bit of
information per state, and one per Senate race. You could probably eke out
some more by comparing win percentages, although that's problematic without
knowledge of his algorithm.
~~~
llimllib
But you can't assume that these events are independent of each other, can you?
~~~
dangoldin
Can you assume that the next elections are independent of the current ones?
~~~
llimllib
Yes.
Which is not to say that this year's election outcomes don't influence future
events, but rather that the information flow from this year's elections will
be so insignificant compared to future information by the time the next
elections occur that we may accept them as independent variables.
(Certainly as _more_ independent than dependent, but I'd conjecture that the
effects of the current election are so small that they may be safely handwaved
away. Interesting arguments that this year's elections on any level are a
major determining factor in future elections are of course welcome.)
~~~
dangoldin
I'll take a stab at it but I'm gathering data now - I have a feeling that it's
pretty common for a president to get elected for a 2nd term - and repeat
offices in general.
~~~
llimllib
A person getting elected to repeat offices doesn't mean that their elections
are dependent on each other - it's easy to argue that a party usually allows
an incumbent to run, and each election is usually between only two people, so
a high re-election rate can be modeled without making elections dependent on
each other.
What you'd need to somehow show in order to claim that elections are not
independent is that the _data from the previous election itself_ influenced
the next election.
(right? I'm no statistician so if I'm being dumb somebody please correct me)
~~~
dangoldin
But if I am elected to an office and there is a 70% chance that if I run again
I'll be reelected doesn't that mean the latter is dependent on the former.
Anyways, I did some analysis of the Presidential elections data using
wikipedia and it turns out that there were 8 presidents who ran for reelection
and lost and there were 16 presidents who had more than 1 term in office.
I'll write this up in a blog post to show the data.
------
Oompa
The real question is: How good were the betting markets?
~~~
davidmathers
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=353182>
Everyone got IN wrong. MO was almost 50/50, but Nate had it going to McCain
and the markets had it going to Obama. Right now, pre-recount, McCain won MO
by 0.2%.
On the morning of the election the markets flipped IN and gave it to Obama.
~~~
llimllib
> FiveThirtyEight got Indiana right on Oct 1
from
[http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/06/in...](http://www.bayesianinvestor.com/blog/index.php/2008/11/06/intrade-
versus-fivethirtyeight/)
(OTOH, intrade got NC when 538 didn't)
~~~
davidmathers
Why is Oct 1 significant? On the night before the election Nate had IN as a
64% McCain win. Also, Nate, intrade, and betfair all predicted that Obama
would win NC. See the link above for all the numerical details.
------
time_management
538 indeed kicked ass. They also got all of the Senate races right, except for
the Steven race in Alaska (way off, apparently, but who'd have expected a
felon to win?) and possibly Franken/Coleman in Minnesota, where they gave
Franken a 52% chance.
~~~
utnick
has he open sourced his model for election predictions?
I would be curious to see if it outperformed a naive averaging of the major
polls.
~~~
robg
No, and he probably won't. His baseball projections are based on a proprietary
algorithm (PECOTA).
They did seem to do better than Pollster which is a naive averaging.
| 2024-04-20T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5437 |
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an oscillation device and a timepiece with temperature compensation function.
2. Related Art
As a timepiece having such high accuracy as that of an “annual equation” timepiece, there has been known a timepiece with temperature compensation function for correcting the temperature characteristic of a quartz crystal oscillation circuit for outputting a time reference signal (see, e.g., JP-B-6-31731 (Document 1)). Further, there has also been known an oscillation circuit equipped with a frequency adjustment mechanism for adjusting the frequency of the oscillation signal of a quartz crystal oscillation circuit (see, e.g., JP-A-2008-244617 (Document 2)).
In Document 1 and Document 2, load capacitances to be connected to both ends of the quartz crystal resonator and a power supply are switched by control using data written to a nonvolatile memory such as an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a programmable ROM (PROM) or a control signal from a control circuit incorporated in an IC to change the capacitance to thereby change the oscillation frequency.
However, the data from the EEPROM, the PROM, or the like and the control signal from the control circuit are not a signal in a constant voltage level. Therefore, due to a variation of the power supply voltage, the control signal input to a switch or a transmission gate configured using a MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor) varies.
Since the control signal is applied to the gate of the switch or the transmission gate formed of the MOSFET, the flowability of a current varies due to the variation of the voltage. If the flowability of the current in the switch or the transmission gate varies, there arises a problem that the time for charging the capacitance for adjusting the oscillation frequency varies, and thus, the oscillation frequency varies. | 2024-05-22T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5992 |
Q:
Angular JS getting something in dropdown menu from api
I am getting this json data from an api:
$scope.industry = [];
$http.get('/industrygroup?languageid=1')
.then(function (result) {
$scope.industry = result.data;
});
the json data is $scope.industry
and I use ng-option to get a values for my dropdown menu:
ng-options="p.Name for p in industry[0].Occupations"
and that works fine, I am just looking to change this to use Name instead of Occupation. Here is my JSON below to show you:
{
"Language":{
"Id":1,
"Name":"English"
},
"Occupations":[
],
"Id":2,
"Name":"Food and Beverage"
}
I am looking to get the Name "Food and Beverage" in my dropdown. This was example of 1 row that was returned from my api, so I am looking to get all Names (Not Language Name)
A:
You need to get all the names from the result.data. Something like this using underscore:
var names = _.uniq(_.pluck(result.data, 'Name')));
$scope.names = names;
This may also be what you need:
p.Name for p in industry
| 2024-03-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2573 |
Chrome OS launch: Good news for the CrunchPad? - fromedome
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-chrome-os-almost-here-good-news-for-the-crunchpad-2009-11
======
dan_the_welder
What a stupid article. You would think that a "Silicon Alley Insider" would
know that it already has a custom OS (window manager/distro) designed
especially for it by Fusion Garage, Arrington's partners.
Also you would think an 'insider' would know that a fresh OS would need more
customizing and bug fixing for a brand new hardware device than can be done in
a reasonable amount of time. Speculatively before Christmas.
The last speculative article I read suggested they were waiting for PixelQI
displays, which seems reasonable unlike this twaddle.
| 2024-07-20T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4917 |
%
% Usage: AAt =mexCalcAAt(A);
%
% Name: mexCalcAAt
%
% Description: Compute efficiently AAt = A*A', when A is sparse
% and has a lot more columns than rows. In some cases, it is
% up to 20 times faster than the equivalent Matlab expression
% AAt=A*A';
%
% Inputs: A: double sparse m x n matrix
%
% Output: AAt: double m x m matrix
%
% Author: Julien Mairal, 2009
| 2024-04-12T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2097 |
In turn, the fan blog Redanian Intelligence published a short video from the event. What's noteworth about is the fact that for a moment you can get a glimpse at the logo of the series. Of course, it may still be subject to change before the premiere.
Let us remind that the first season will consist of eight episodes. In accordance with Netflix's tradition, all episodes will be published at the same time.
The exact release date has not yet been disclosed. Some time ago, Ted Sarandos, Netflix' head of content, announced that we the series will air in the fourth quarter of this year. A few weeks ago there were unconfirmed reports that the series will debut on December 20.
It is worth mentioning that recently we have had many opportunities to write about The Witcher. The materials from the plan show Nilfgaard armour, and stuntman Vladimir Furdik revealed that the scenario of the upcoming adaptation was significantly changed nine times during the production process.
The great popularity of Game of Thrones made many services and channels want their own fantasy series. Netflix showed the best reflexes and the Witcher will air before the debut of the biggest competitors, among which are the adaptation of the novel cycle The Wheel of Time, prequel to Lord of the Rings (both projects are created for Amazon) and the spin-off to Game of Throne.
Netflix does not intend to limit itself to the Witcher only. The company also plans a series based on The Chronicles of Narnia and a live action adaptation of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. | 2024-02-01T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9037 |
Paul Pogba’s £112m return to Manchester United has reportedly been agreed and is likely to be confirmed by the club this weekend with the Frenchman set to earn £290,000-a-week.
The 23-year-old will move to Old Trafford as part of a world-record deal - once agent, salary and administrative fees are included - making him the most expensive football player in history.
The Independent understands that United will pay £92m for the Juventus midfielder while the Serie A giants are expected to foot the tax bill in a move which will lower the expectation on Pogba.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic's first Manchester United training session (Video credit: MUTV).mp4
Because of this, it has been reported that Juventus will announce the transfer fee at £84.3m, just shy of the £86m Real Madrid paid to Tottenham Hotspur for Gareth Bale in 2013.
Furthermore, United and Juventus have also agreed upon a £20m agent fee for Mino Raiola, the Dutch super-agent, with the Italian champions paying for the additional £4m owed.
This follows the news that Pogba had flown to Los Angeles from Miami for his medical on Thursday evening. With this evaluation now believed to have been completed, the Daily Mail suggests that the 23-year-old has agreed to sign a five-year contract with United worth £290,000-a-week.
Paul Pogba transfer story so far Show all 23 1 /23 Paul Pogba transfer story so far Paul Pogba transfer story so far Friday 8 July - Mourinho wants signing completed before Community Shield clash Reports emerged that Jose Mourinho wanted to complete a deal for Paul Pogba ahead of United’s Community Shield encounter with Leicester City in August. At this stage it was understood that the Frenchman favoured a move to Spain. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Friday 8 July - Pogba tells close friends he wants to leave Turin More rumours, more speculation. Days before France’s Euro 2016 final, Pogba reportedly told his close friends that he wanted to leave Juventus. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Saturday 9 July - Real Madrid "abandon" their Pogba pursuit According to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, the La Liga giants decided they were not prepared to match United’s record-breaking £100m bid and “abandoned the auction”. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Monday 11 July - Pogba could stay put after all On the day after the Euro 2016 final it briefly looked like Pogba would be staying put in Turin after Juventus offered the star an improved contract deal. Mino Raiola added to these rumours after he remarked that Pogba “is in no rush to leave” and is “happy” in Turin. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Thursday 14 July - United "are my family" Paul Pogba offered United fans hope after commenting that he considered United as “my first family.” Pogba made his remarks in a rare interview with ESPN in which he was presented with a Manchester United shirt. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Thursday 14 July - Petit labels Pogba a "waste of money" Emannuel Petit labelled Pogba a “waste of money” in an interview with Yahoo Sport and argued that “he is not a big star for me”. Petit added: “He hasn’t reached the level of the Champions League yet or the level with the national team.” Paul Pogba transfer story so far Tuesday 19 July - Zidane offers United more hope The Real Madrid boss confirmed reports that the club weren’t interested in competing with United for the player after he stressed that he was “happy with the squad I have”. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Tuesday 19 July - Woodward stays in England If the reports are to be believed, United’s executive vice-chairman stayed in England to wrap up the Pogba deal as the squad flew out to China for their pre-season. The club neither confirmed or denied this. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Wednesday 20 July - The deal looks to be done Reports from both England and France claimed that that an agreement between Juventus and Manchester United had been reached. It was reported that Pogba would earn £220,000-a-week and that the deal was worth £92m plus add-ons but Juventus’ club director, Guiseppe Marotta, remarked that no contact had been made. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Thursday 21 July - Pogba asks for peace The speculation appeared to get a bit too much for Pogba who issued a plea with fans “to let him rest a bit” as he enjoyed his holiday in America. The player made the request via his Instagram account and showed him playing basketball in Las Vegas. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Friday 22 July - Mourinho gives little away Speaking to the Independent, United boss Jose Mourinho gave very little away regarding the Pogba move. He remarked that “75 per cent” of United’s transfer business was done and the club were “going to get a fourth player but maybe it’s not the one you think”. Elsewhere, he remarked that the club were in a “comfortable position” within the transfer market. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Friday 22 July - Mino Raiola attacks the media Pogba’s agent denied claims via Twitter that the transfer had been finalised, remarking that: “There is no deal done”. He also spoke out against the media, publicly stating that: “I don’t give a damn about record transfer fees. The newspapers write that Pogba could set the record, but I’ve already set records with Ibrahimovic and Nedved.” Paul Pogba transfer story so far Saturday 23 July – Juventus confirm negotiations are underway Massimiliano Allegri confirmed that negotiations between the two clubs were underway. “Pogba is a Juventus player at the moment but we don't know what is going to happen. The club are looking after negotiations,” he said. Allegri’s revelation was the strongest official suggestion at that stage that talks were taking place between the two clubs. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Monday 25 July – £92m bid submitted Reports suggested that United had submitted an offer worth £92m for Pogba. It was also the first time that it emerged that agent Mino Raiola would be entitled to 20 per cent of the sum set to be paid by United to Juventus. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Monday 25 July – Cryptic Pogba Instagram post Paul Pogba appeared to tease Manchester United supporters on Monday after posting a cryptic message on his official Instagram account. The Juventus midfielder posted a picture which showed him and his agent, Mino Raiola, laughing by a swimming pool on a sunny day. The caption on the image read: "We say it all by saying nothing at all." Paul Pogba transfer story so far Tuesday 26 July – Deal ‘held up’ by row The transfer appeared to stall as it emerged that Juventus were refusing to pay a penny of Mino Raiola’s agent fees. While United were reportedly happy to half the £20m figure, it was claimed that Juventus had grown frustrated with Raiola’s conduct and were thus refusing to pay him. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Wednesday 27 July – ‘Cancelled’ Pogba medical In yet another strange turn of events, Mino Raiola allegedly cancelled Pogba’s medical which the 23-year-old was expected to complete in Miami. According to reports, the deal was not close enough to justify a medical. However, the doctor supposedly involved with the procedure, Dr Italo Linfante, denied any knowledge of the medical even being set to take place. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Wednesday 27 July – Zidane back in the picture Zinedine Zidane claimed that Real Madrid could still hijack Manchester United's move for Paul Pogba, insisting that “anything can happen” before the end of the transfer window. "In this moment we are still working [on a move for Pogba], and I cannot say anything more," the Madrid coach told Goal. "Until August 31 anything can happen…” Paul Pogba transfer story so far Wednesday 27 July – ‘Don’t believe everything you read’ Pogba whipped up further speculation after he appeared in a short film for sponsors Adidas in which he remarks: “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers.” Adidas’ short clip also showed Pogba reading a newspaper with the words "Blah, blah, blah" in a large font, in an apparent reference to Raiola’s tweet. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Thursday 28 July – Yet another Instagram post Pogba excited United fans again with another playful Instagram post. Many believed that Pogba’s use of a red, white and black filter – United's traditional colours – was confirmation that he would be joining the club shortly. His caption – ‘on route 66 #holidays #route66’ – was also interpreted as an indicator that he would be wearing the No.6 shirt at Old Trafford. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Friday 29 July – £112m deal allegedly agreed A £112m deal was reportedly agreed between the two clubs on Friday afternoon, with the dispute over Raiola’s agent fees also believed to have been agreed. Reports claimed that United would pay the Serie A club £92m while a further £20m would go to Raiola. United were apparently eager to officially confirm Pogba as their player but no such announcements emerged out of Old Trafford. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Friday 29 July – Raiola brands journalists ‘parrots’ Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola hit out against the media once again, branding journalists as “parrots” while claiming that there is “no deal done”. The 48-year-old wrote on Twitter: “Journalist = parrots No deal done between Clubs. It’s a game between Italy press and UK press who announce it first and who is worse.” The tweet angered fans who have grown tired of Raiola and Pogba’s apparent games. Paul Pogba transfer story so far Satuday 30 July – Pogba signs Manchester United shirt for fan Pogba suggested that his long-drawn-out move to United is nearing completion after signing a fan’s shirt. Jonathan Perkins, who was celebrating his 18th birthday while wearing a new United jersey with "Pogba 6" printed on the back, spotted the France international in Los Angeles on Friday. Perkins asked him for an autograph and, despite the fact that Pogba’s return to Old Trafford is yet to be confirmed, the French player obliged.
As part of the deal, Juventus will receive a bonus payment should the French ace renew his United contract and another should he win the Ballon d’Or.
Mark Ogden: Man Utd confident of Pogba deal
The agreed £92m fee easily smashes the previous transfer record paid by a British club when United brought Angel Di Maria to Old Trafford from the Real Madrid for £59.7m two years' ago.
With the Manchester club apparently eager to announce the signing, Pogba is set to become Jose Mourinho’s fourth, and potentially last, signing of the summer.
He follows defender Eric Bailly, striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
However, Raiola, the man behind the deals which took Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan to Old Trafford this summer, has taken to Twitter to brand journalists as “parrots” before accusing them of engaging in an on-going battle between the English and Italian media after rejecting claims of a done deal.
Mino Raiola claims that no deal has been agreed (Getty)
The 48-year-old’s latest tweet, posted on Friday evening, will alarm United fans who considered Pogba’s switch to have been all but agreed with a medical reportedly taking place in Los Angeles ahead of an imminent announcement this weekend. | 2023-11-16T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4530 |
---
abstract: 'Actomyosin contractility is essential for biological force generation, and is well understood in highly organized structures such as striated muscle. Additionally, actomyosin bundles devoid of this organization are known to contract both *in vivo* and *in vitro*, which cannot be described by standard muscle models. To narrow down the search for possible contraction mechanisms in these systems, we investigate their microscopic symmetries. We show that contractile behavior requires non-identical motors that generate large enough forces to probe the nonlinear elastic behavior of F-actin. This suggests a role for filament buckling in the contraction of these bundles, consistent with recent experimental results on reconstituted actomyosin bundles.'
author:
- Martin Lenz
- 'Margaret L. Gardel'
- 'Aaron R. Dinner'
title: Requirements for contractility in disordered cytoskeletal bundles
---
\[sec:Introduction\]Introduction
================================
The large-scale motion of living organisms often depends on their ability to harness the power of nanometer-sized molecular motors to generate macroscopic displacements. For instance, our striated muscles rely on clusters—or “thick filaments”—of the molecular motor myosin to generate forces. Myosin thick filaments are able to slide directionally towards the barbed end of polar actin filaments (F-actin), and the characteristic organization of striated muscles into periodic sarcomeres arranged in series allows the transfer of this microscopic motion to larger scales \[Fig. \[fig:muscle\](a)\] [@Alberts:1998aa].
Despite its familiarity, sarcomere-like organization is far from a universal feature of contractile actomyosin assemblies. In some instances, partially periodic arrangements reminiscent of sarcomeres are observed, as in subcellular contractile bundles known as stress fibers [@Peterson:2004]. In many other cases, however, no such organization is known to exist. Examples include smooth muscle fibers [@Fay:1983], transverse arcs [@Heath:1983], graded polarity bundles [@Cramer:1997], the cell cortex [@Medalia:2002] and lamellar networks [@Verkhovsky:1995]. Sarcomere-like contraction is unlikely to apply to these systems, and there is no consensus regarding their actual deformation mechanism.
*In vitro* experiments using purified proteins are useful for understanding contraction in these systems, and have been used to identify the minimum requirements of actomyosin contractility since the 1940s [@Szent-Gyorgyi:1947]. Modern attempts using dilute actomyosin gels were not able to induce contractility in the presence of actin and myosin alone, although adding the actin cross-linker $\alpha$-actinin did produce observable contraction [@Janson:1991; @Mizuno:2007aa; @Bendix:2008; @Koenderink:2009]. However, a more recent study using denser actomyosin bundles shows that F-actin and myosin can induce contractility on their own [@Thoresen:2011]. Unlike in sarcomeres, in these bundles F-actin lacks polarity ordering and myosins are not aligned in register, and we thus refer to them as “disordered”.
Previous theoretical work on disordered actomyosin systems include continuum models focused on length scales much larger than an individual actin filament [@Kruse:2003ab; @Kruse:2004aa; @Kruse:2005aa; @MacKintosh:2008aa]. In these elegant descriptions, contractility is introduced phenomenologically, which circumvents the question of its emergence from microscopic interactions. Several other studies do however investigate this connection. In simulations without sarcomeric organization or cross-linkers, thick filaments simply sort F-actin by polarity without inducing any overall contraction [@Zemel:2009]. To restore contractility, several models assume that thick filaments tend to dwell at the barbed end of F-actin after sliding over its whole length [@Kruse:2000; @Kruse:2003aa; @Liverpool:2003; @Ziebert:2005], or more generally that their velocity depends on their position relative to the filament [@Liverpool:2005]. In these models, F-actin tend to have immobilized motors that transiently act as passive cross-linkers at their barbed ends. This essentially introduces a small amount of sarcomere-like organization and results in contractility [@Zemel:2009]. However, no direct experimental evidence of thick filaments dwelling at the barbed end of F-actin is available.
Here we investigate the possibility of bundle contraction in the absence of any sarcomeric organization, including motors dwelling at the filament barbed ends. After introducing a general bundle model in Sec. \[sec:Bundle Model\], we show in Sec. \[sec:Situations without telescopic deformation\] that underlying symmetries between contraction and extension \[Fig. \[fig:muscle\](b)\] imply that disordered bundle contraction requires non-identical motors and a non-linear elastic behavior of the filaments. Intuitively, non-identical motors induce mechanical frustration in a disordered actomyosin bundle, thus generating both contractile and extensile stresses. The filament non-linear behavior then allows the former to deform the bundle while resisting the latter, yielding overall contraction. Finally, in Sec. \[sec:Discussion\] we discuss the limitations of our model and propose a minimal model for the contraction of a non-sarcomeric bundle.
\[sec:Bundle Model\]Bundle model
================================
In order to make general statements about a disordered bundle of potentially complex internal geometry, we develop a detailed description of its mechanics without resorting to the simplifying mean-field approximations widely used in previous studies [@Kruse:2000; @Kruse:2003aa; @Liverpool:2003; @Ziebert:2005; @Liverpool:2005]. The main assumptions of our model are as follows. First, we assume that the velocity of a motor only depends on the force applied to it by the F-actin to which it is bound. Second, the average deformation of a thermally fluctuating section of filament in the bundle only depends on the force applied longitudinally at its ends. Third, we consider a stabilized bundle where F-actin polymerization and depolymerization do not occur. Finally, our model does not include the attachment-detachment dynamics of motors and cross-linkers to F-actin. The relevance of these choices is discussed in Sec. \[sec:Discussion\].
We describe a bundle of arbitrary geometry by subdividing it into interacting “units” of three types characterized by their lengths, velocities and tensions (Sec. \[sec:Linkers, filaments and junctions\]). Introducing general notations to describe the physical connections between different units, we express the relationships between their forces and velocities as a function of their spatial arrangement (Sec. \[sec:Bundle geometry and topology\]). The central physics of bundle mechanics are then described by introducing the filament force-extension relationships and the motor force-velocity relationships (Sec. \[sec:Filament elasticity and motor operation\]). Conservation equations are then used to derive a compact description of the bundle amenable to further discussion (Sec. \[sec:Dynamical equations for bundle deformation\]).
\[sec:Linkers, filaments and junctions\]Linkers, filaments and junctions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here we consider a single bundle constituted of F-actin, thick filaments of myosin molecular motors, and optionally passive actin cross-linkers. F-actin are assumed to be aligned in the $z$ direction, and for simplicity we refer to the direction of positive (negative) $z$ as the “right” (“left”) in the following. To describe the bundle, we decompose it so as to distinguish three types of “units” (Fig. \[fig:bundle\]):
- **linker units**, representing a whole myosin thick filament or an passive actin cross-linker (passive cross-linkers are equivalent to immobile motors). The total number of linker units in the system is denoted as $n''$.
- **junction units**, representing the point of contact between a myosin thick filament or passive actin cross-linker on the one hand, and an F-actin on the other. The total number of junction units in the system is denoted as $n'$.
- **filament units**, representing a *portion* of an F-actin comprised between two junction units, or between one junction unit and an F-actin free end. We do not consider freely floating F-actin (filament units with two free ends). The total number of filament units in the system is denoted as $n$.
We label the filament units by $i=1,\ldots,n$, and denote by $f_i$ the tension of filament unit $i$ ($f_i>0$ for a filament unit under extension). We allow filament units to bend away from the $z$-axis while maintaining their overall $z$ orientation, and thus introduce filament unit $i$’s contour length and end-to-end length as two independent variables $L_i$ and $\ell_i$, respectively. Finally, we introduce the velocity $v_i^r$ of the rightmost monomer of filament unit $i$, and the velocity $v_i^l$ of its leftmost monomer. These two velocities are Eulerian velocities; in that respect, one might think of junction 1 of Fig. \[fig:bundle\] as a bridge and of the actin as the water that flows under it. Then the velocities $v_1^r$ and $v_2^l$ associated with filament units 1 and 2 are the velocities of the water just upstream and downstream from the bridge, as opposed to being the velocities of a specific fluid element. The notation is summarized in Fig. \[fig:notation\](a).
We label junction units by $i'=1,\ldots,n'$, and linker units by $i''=1,\ldots,n''$. We introduce the velocity $v_{i''}''$ of linker unit $i''$, *i.e.*, the velocity of the bridge itself in our previous analogy. We choose to work in the reference frame where the center-of-mass of all linker units is motionless, which reads $$\label{eq:referenceframe}
\sum_{i''=1}^{n''}v''_{i''}=0.$$ Note that the velocities $v_i^r$ and $v_i^l$ are absolute velocities defined in this reference frame, as opposed to being velocities relative to the neighboring linker. We delay labeling the other forces and velocities involved in junction and linker units until the introduction of convenient notations in the next section.
\[sec:Bundle geometry and topology\]Bundle geometry and topology
----------------------------------------------------------------
To describe the physical connections between junction and filament units, we define the $n'\times {n}$ matrices $\rho$ and $\lambda$ by
$$\begin{aligned}
\rho_{i'i}&=&
\begin{cases} 1 & \text{if $i$ is the right-hand neighbor of $i'$}
\\
0 & \text{otherwise}
\end{cases}\\
\lambda_{i'i}&=&
\begin{cases} 1 & \text{if $i$ is the left-hand neighbor of $i'$}
\\
0 & \text{otherwise.}
\end{cases}\end{aligned}$$
For instance, the bundle represented in Fig. \[fig:bundle\] is described by $$\label{eq:lambdarhoexample}
\lambda=\left(
\begin{array}{ccccccc}
1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 0
\end{array}
\right),
~
\rho=\left(
\begin{array}{ccccccc}
0 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 1 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 0 & 1
\end{array}
\right).$$ The usefulness of these matrices is illustrated by introducing the notation $\bm{f}=(f_1,\ldots,f_{{n}})$ for the vector of all filament tensions, as well as similar notations $\bm{L}$, $\bm{\ell}$, $\bm{v}^r$, $\bm{v}^l$, $\bm{v}''$. The matrix product $\rho\bm{f}$ is a vector of length $n'$ whose $i'$th component $(\rho\bm{f})_{i'}$ is the tension of the filament unit that is the right-hand neighbor of junction unit $i'$. This neighbor thus exerts a force $(\rho\bm{f})_{i'}$ on junction unit $i'$, while its left-hand neighbor exerts $-(\lambda\bm{f})_{i'}$. The sum of these two forces is equal and opposite to the force applied to junction unit $i'$ by its linker unit. This last force thus reads $[(\lambda-\rho)\bm{f}]_{i'}$ \[Fig. \[fig:notation\](b)\].
Further use of $\rho$ and $\lambda$ indicates that the velocities of the rightmost and leftmost actin monomers involved in junction unit $i'$ are $(\rho\bm{v}^l)_{i'}$ and $(\lambda\bm{v}^r)_{i'}$, respectively \[Fig. \[fig:notation\](b)\]. As junction units are point-like objects, the net actin flow in and out of them vanishes and $$\label{eq:filamentvelocitycontinuity}
\lambda\bm{v}^r=\rho\bm{v}^l.$$
The reasonings used here can be generalized in the following way: if $x_i$ is a quantity associated with filament $i$, then $(\rho\bm{x})_{i'}$ is associated to the right-hand neighbor of junction unit $i'$. For instance, in the two previous paragraphs we considered $x_i=f_i$ and $x_i=v_i^l$ or $v_i^r$, respectively. Just as this statement relates junction units to quantities associated with the neighboring filament units, we can conversely relate filament units to quantities associated with their junction unit neighbors as follows. If $x'_{i'}$ is associated with junction unit $i'$, then $(\rho^T\bm{x}')_{i}$ is associated with the junction unit that is the *left* neighbor of filament unit $i$ if it has one, or is equal to zero if it does not (the superscript $T$ denotes the matrix transpose). A similar statement holds for $\lambda^T$. Combining this with the fact that each junction unit has exactly one right-hand and one left-hand neighbor, we find that $(\rho\rho^T\bm{x}')_{i'}=x'_{i'}$ always. More generally, $$\rho\rho^T=\lambda\lambda^T={\mbox{$1 \hspace{-1.0mm} {\bf l}$}},$$ where ${\mbox{$1 \hspace{-1.0mm} {\bf l}$}}$ denotes the identity matrix. We further note that filament units may have one or two neighbors, which implies $$\label{eq:projector}
(\rho^T\rho\bm{x})_{i}=
\begin{cases} x_i & \text{if $i$ has a left-hand neighbor}
\\
0 & \text{if it does not.}
\end{cases}\\$$ This means that matrix $\rho^T\rho$ is a projector onto the subspace of filament units that have a left-hand neighbor. A similar statement holds for $\lambda^T\lambda$. This discussion implies that $n'<n$.
To describe the polarity of the filament units, we introduce the diagonal $n\times n$ matrix $\Pi$, where $\Pi_{ii}=1$ if the pointed end of filament unit $i$ points to the right, and $\Pi_{ii}=-1$ if it points to the left. As an example, Fig. \[fig:bundle\] has $$\label{eq:Piexample}
\Pi=
\textrm{diag}(1,1,-1,-1,1,1,1)
$$ A similar diagonal polarity matrix $\Pi'$ is associated with junction units, and since neighboring filaments and junction units have the same polarity we have $$\label{eq:pprime}
\Pi'=\rho \Pi\rho^T=\lambda \Pi\lambda^T.$$
Turning to the linker units, we define the $n''\times n'$ matrix $\gamma$ by $$\gamma_{i''i'}=
\begin{cases} 1 & \text{if $i'$ is connected to $i''$}
\\
0 & \text{otherwise.}
\end{cases}$$ For instance, Fig. \[fig:bundle\] has $$\label{eq:gammaexample}
\gamma=\left(
\begin{array}{cccc}
1 & 1 & 1 & 0\\
0 & 0 & 0 & 1\\
\end{array}
\right).$$ Therefore, the velocity of the linker unit connected to junction unit $i'$ is $(\gamma^T\bm{v}'')_{i'}$ \[Fig. \[fig:notation\](b)\]. Each junction unit is connected to a linker unit, but one linker unit can be connected to several junction units, which implies $n''\leqslant n'$.
To obtain the forces associated with the linker units, we reason that if $i'$ experiences a force $[(\lambda-\rho)\bm{f}]_{i'}$ from its linker unit, then the $i'$ exerts an equal and opposite force $[(\rho-\lambda)\bm{f}]_{i'}$ on the linker unit \[Fig. \[fig:notation\](c)\]. Force balance imposes that the sum of the forces applied on any linker unit vanishes, and thus $$\sum_{i'\text{ connected to }i''}[(\rho-\lambda)\bm{f}]_{i'}=0,$$ or, in vector notation: $$\label{eq:linkerforce}
\gamma(\rho-\lambda)\bm{f}=0.$$ Although this condition comprises $n''$ scalar equations, those equations are not all independent. This can be seen by considering the mechanical subsystem formed by all junction and filament units (but not including the linker units). As inertia and friction against the background fluid are negligible, the sum of all forces applied to this system by junction units must vanish: $$\label{eq:subsystemforcebalance}
\sum_{i'=1}^{n'}[(\lambda-\rho)\bm{f}]_{i'}=-\sum_{i''= 1}^{n''}[\gamma(\rho-\lambda)\bm{f}]_{i''}=0,$$ where the first equality follows from the fact that $\gamma$ has exactly one element equal to 1 per column and zeros everywhere else. As Eq. (\[eq:subsystemforcebalance\]) is always trivially true, Eq. (\[eq:linkerforce\]) expresses only $n''-1$ linearly independent scalar conditions.
\[sec:Filament elasticity and motor operation\]Filament elasticity and motor operation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Having defined notations for all lengths, forces and velocities in our system (Fig. \[fig:notation\]), as well as enforced velocity continuity and force balance conditions, we turn to characterizing the more substantial physics of the junction and filament units.
Filament units are sections of semiflexible polymers shorter than or with a length comparable to their persistence length. We thus assume that the force required to hold a filament unit of given contour length $L_i$ in mechanical equilibrium is uniquely determined by specifying its end-to-end length $\ell_i$, which defines the force-extension relationship $F$: $$\label{eq:generalfext}
\quad f_i=F(\ell_i,L_i).$$ In the case of a thermally fluctuating polymer, $\ell_i$ denotes the end-to-end length averaged over thermal fluctuations. Thermal bending of the filament unit moreover implies that $\ell_i$ is smaller than $L_i$ even when $f_i=0$. Since filament units are shorter than the filament persistence length, we expect deformations of this kind ranging from zero to $\approx 20\%$. In vector notation, we write $$\label{eq:vectorfext}
\bm{f}=\bm{F}(\bm{\ell},\bm{L}),$$
Motor operation at junction $i'$ is described by a functional relationship between the local velocity of the linker relative to the F-actin and the force applied to $i'$: $$\label{eq:nopolfv}
(\rho\bm{v}^l-\gamma^T\bm{v}'')_{i'}
=
\tilde{V}'_{i'}\left\lbrace
[(\lambda-\rho)\bm{f}]_{i'}
\right\rbrace,$$ where the function $\tilde{V}'_{i'}$ *a priori* depends on the polarity $\Pi'_{i'i'}$ of the junction unit. This dependence can be explicitly determined by noting that the force-velocity relationship must not depend on our arbitrary choice of the direction of positive $z$. Reversing this choice is equivalent to reversing the sign of all velocities, forces and polarities. The only way for Eq. (\[eq:nopolfv\]) to be invariant under this transformation is to write $$(\rho\bm{v}^l-\gamma^T\bm{v}'')_{i'}
=\Pi'_{i'i'}V'_{i'}\left\lbrace
\Pi'_{i'i'}[(\lambda-\rho)\bm{f}]_{i'}
\right\rbrace,$$ where function $V'_{i'}$ is the force-velocity relationship of motor $i'$, an *a priori* nonlinear function independent of $\Pi'$. In vector notation, $$\label{eq:fv}
\rho\bm{v}^l-\gamma^T\bm{v}''
=\Pi'\bm{V}'\left[
\Pi'(\lambda-\rho)\bm{f}
\right].$$
\[sec:Dynamical equations for bundle deformation\]Dynamical equations for bundle deformation
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To provide a kinematic description of bundle contraction and extension, we write the conservation of F-actin contour length. The rate of change of the contour length of a filament unit is directly related to the velocity at which the neighboring junction units slide relative to F-actin. If $i$ has a neighboring junction unit on its right-hand side, the velocity of the linker unit there is $(\lambda^T\gamma^T\bm{v}'')_i$, and its sliding velocity relative to the actin is $(\lambda^T\gamma^T\bm{v}''-\bm{v}^r)_i$. We rewrite this sliding velocity as $(\lambda^T\gamma^T\bm{v}''-\lambda^T\lambda\bm{v}^r)_i$, which is equal to the previous expression if $i$ has a right-hand neighbor, and to zero if it does not. Using a similar reasoning for the left-hand side, we obtain $$\label{eq:darclengthdt}
\frac{\d \bm{L}}{\d t}=(\lambda^T\gamma^T\bm{v}''-\lambda^T\lambda\bm{v}^r)-(\rho^T\gamma^T\bm{v}''-\rho^T\rho\bm{v}^l).$$ The first (second) term on the right-hand side of this equation accounts for actin-linker sliding on the right-hand (left-hand) side of the filaments units, and vanishes for the filaments units that do not have a right-hand (left-hand) neighbor junction unit.
We describe the evolution of the end-to-end length of a filament unit in different ways depending on whether it has two junction unit neighbors or has a free end. In the former case, $$\frac{\d \ell_i}{\d t}=\left(\lambda^T\gamma^T\bm{v}''\right)_i-\left(\rho^T\gamma^T\bm{v}''\right)_i,$$ where the two terms in the right-hand side are the absolute velocities of the right and left neighbors of $i$, respectively. To describe a filament unit with one free end, we first note that it has vanishing tension. If the contour length of the filament unit is known, its end-to-end length is given by its force-extension relation Eq. (\[eq:generalfext\]) with $f_i=0$. Differentiating with respect to time, we obtain $$\label{eq:differentiatefloppiness}
\frac{\partial F}{\partial \ell}\frac{\d \ell_i}{\d t}+\frac{\partial F}{\partial L}\frac{\d L_i}{\d t}=0.$$ Defining the diagonal matrices
$$\begin{aligned}
\left(\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{L}}\right)_{ij}
=\frac{\partial f_i}{\partial L_j}
&=&\delta_{ij}\frac{\partial F}{\partial L}(\ell_i,L_i)\\
\left(\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{\ell}}\right)_{ij}
=\frac{\partial f_i}{\partial\ell_j}
&=&\delta_{ij}\frac{\partial F}{\partial \ell}(\ell_i,L_i),\end{aligned}$$
where $\delta_{ij}$ is the Kronecker delta, we rewrite Eq. (\[eq:differentiatefloppiness\]) as $$\frac{\d \ell_i}{\d t}=-\left[\left(\frac{\partial \bm{F}}{\partial \bm{\ell}}\right)^{-1}\frac{\partial \bm{F}}{\partial \bm{L}}\frac{\d \bm{L}}{\d t}\right]_i$$ for a filament unit with a free end [^1]. Making use of Eq. (\[eq:projector\]) and its analog for $\lambda^T\lambda$, we write an equation that describes filament units whether they have one or two neighboring junction units: $$\begin{aligned}
\frac{\d \bm{\ell}}{\d t}&=&(\rho^T\rho\lambda^T-\lambda^T\lambda\rho^T)\gamma^T\bm{v}''\nonumber\\
&&-({\mbox{$1 \hspace{-1.0mm} {\bf l}$}}-\rho^T\rho\lambda^T\lambda)\left(\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{\ell}}\right)^{-1}\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{L}}\frac{\d \bm{L}}{\d t}.\label{eq:dlengthdt}\end{aligned}$$
We finally use Eqs. (\[eq:filamentvelocitycontinuity\]), (\[eq:vectorfext\]) and (\[eq:fv\]) to eliminate $\bm{f}$, $\rho\bm{v}^l$ and $\lambda\bm{v}^r$ in Eqs. (\[eq:darclengthdt\]) and (\[eq:dlengthdt\]). This yields
\[eq:diffsystem\] $$\begin{aligned}
\frac{\d\bm{L}}{\d t}
&=&(\rho^T-\lambda^T)\Pi'
\bm{V}'[\Pi'(\lambda-\rho)\bm{F}(\bm{\ell},\bm{L})]\label{eq:diffsystemL}
\\
\frac{\d\bm{\ell}}{\d t}
&=&
-\left(\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{\ell}}\right)^{-1}\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{L}}
(\rho^T\rho-\lambda^T\lambda)(\rho^T+\lambda^T)\Pi'
\bm{V}'[\Pi'(\lambda-\rho)\bm{F}(\bm{\ell},\bm{L})]
+(\rho^T\rho\lambda^T-\lambda^T\lambda\rho^T)\gamma^T\bm{v}''_s(\bm{\ell},\bm{L}),\label{eq:diffsystemell}\end{aligned}$$
where the nonlinear vector function $\bm{v}''_s(\bm{\ell},\bm{L})$ is the solution of the linear (in $\bm{v}''$) system of equations formed by Eq. (\[eq:referenceframe\]) and the following vector equation, obtained by combining Eqs. (\[eq:linkerforce\]) and (\[eq:vectorfext\]), then differentiating with respect to time and inserting Eqs. (\[eq:diffsystem\]) into the result: $$\label{eq:v''eq}
\gamma(\rho-\lambda)\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{\ell}}(\rho^T\rho\lambda^T-\lambda^T\lambda\rho^T)\gamma^T\bm{v}''
=
\gamma(\rho-\lambda)\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{L}}(\rho^T\rho\lambda^T-\lambda^T\lambda\rho^T)
\Pi'\bm{V}'[\Pi'(\lambda-\rho)\bm{F}(\bm{\ell},\bm{L})].$$
Equation (\[eq:v”eq\]), just like Eq. (\[eq:linkerforce\]), has only $n''-1$ independent scalar equations, and supplementing it with Eq. (\[eq:referenceframe\]) thus results in a complete set of equations for $\bm{v}''_s$. Finally, supplementing Eqs. (\[eq:referenceframe\]), (\[eq:diffsystem\]) and (\[eq:v”eq\]) with an initial condition $[\bm{\ell}(t=0),\bm{L}(t=0)]$ completely specifies the dynamics of a bundle of arbitrary geometry.
\[sec:Situations without telescopic deformation\]Situations without telescopic deformation
==========================================================================================
We now ask under what conditions contraction occurs. We are interested in bundles much longer than the size of any single one of their constituents (F-actin or motor). Significant contraction of such a bundle requires that it contracts throughout its length, as opposed to, *e.g.*, contracting at its extremities while the bulk of the bundle retains a constant length. We thus focus on “telescopic deformation”, whereby the end-to-end velocity of a bundle contracting under vanishing external load is proportional to its length. This constitutes the standard behavior of contractile actomyosin structures *in vivo* [@Alberts:1998aa; @Bement:1991; @Herrera:2005; @Carvalho:2009] and *in vitro* [@Thoresen:2011]. Telescopic deformation is characteristic of systems formed of a serial arrangement of many independently deforming elements, often referred to as “contractile units” [@Thoresen:2011; @Herrera:2005; @Carvalho:2009].
Here we demonstrate two requirements for telescopic deformation. In Sec. \[sec:Motors with identical force-velocity relationships\] we show that it cannot arise if the motors all have identical force-velocity relationships. Sec. \[sec:Disordered bundles with linearly elastic filaments\] then tackles situations where motors with different force-velocity relationships are present. In that case, we prove that bundles lacking polarity organization (*e.g.*, sarcomeres) comprised of linearly elastic (*i.e.*, rigid) filaments do not undergo telescopic deformation. Such rigid filaments units represent situations where the filament persistence length is very large (*e.g.*, bundles of microtubules and kinesin oligomers), or when the filament units themselves are very short (*e.g.*, strongly cross-linked bundles, where the spacing between two junctions is small).
To completely determine the bundle dynamics, we need to specify an initial condition $[\bm{\ell}(t=0),\bm{L}(t=0)]$. We thus choose an arbitrary vector $\bm{L}_0$ of length $n$ and impose $\bm{L}(t=0)=\bm{L}_0$. To avoid confusion between the effects of motor-generated stresses, which are relevant for contractility, and those of bundle prestress, which are not, we consider bundles that are initially stress-free: $$\label{eq:noprestress}
\bm{f}(t=0)=\bm{F}[\bm{\ell}(t=0),\bm{L}(t=0)]=0.$$ This imposes $\bm{\ell}(t=0)=\bm{\ell}_0$, where $\bm{\ell}_0$ is the solution of the equation $\bm{F}(\bm{\ell}_0,\bm{L}_0)=0$, and thus completely specifies the bundle initial condition.
\[sec:Motors with identical force-velocity relationships\]Motors with identical force-velocity relationships
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a bundle where the motors have identical force-velocity relationships, the junction units have identical spontaneous sliding velocities $v^*$ in the absence of applied force. Defining $\bm{v}^*$ as the length $n'$ vector with all its components equal to $v^*$, we can thus write $$\label{eq:identicalunloaded}
\bm{V}'(\bm{f}=0)=\bm{v}^*.$$ We now demonstrate that under this assumption, all linker units are immobile throughout the dynamics and all right-pointing filaments undergo a uniform translation with constant velocity $v^*$, while left-pointing filaments translate with $-v^*$.
We define the set of functions $[\bm{\ell}^*(t),\bm{L}^*(t)]$ by $$\bm{L}^*(t)=\bm{L}_0+(\rho^T-\lambda^T)\Pi'\bm{v}^*t$$ and by defining $\bm{\ell}^*(t)$ as the solution of $\bm{F}[\bm{\ell}^*(t),\bm{L}^*(t)]=0$. This set manifestly satisfies the initial condition $[\bm{\ell}_0,\bm{L}_0]$ chosen above. Inserting $[\bm{\ell}^*(t),\bm{L}^*(t)]$ into Eqs. (\[eq:diffsystem\]), we further verify that these functions satisfies the equations of motion, implying that they describe the dynamics of the bundle. Using Eqs. (\[eq:fv\]) and (\[eq:v”eq\]), we find that $\bm{v}''=0$ and $\rho\bm{v}^l=\lambda\bm{v}^r=\Pi'\bm{v}^*$ for all times, thus confirming that linker units are immobile and that the velocities associated with right- and left-pointing actin are $v^*$ and $-v^*$, respectively.
In this regime, the maximum relative speed between any two actin filament units is $2|v^*|$ irrespective of bundle geometry. Defining the contraction velocity of the bundle as the difference between the velocity of its leftmost and rightmost filaments, this implies that the contraction velocity cannot exceed the constant $2|v^*|$. It is thus impossible for the contraction velocity to scale linearly with bundle length, and telescopic contractility does not occur. Instead, filaments are segregated according to polarity, as observed experimentally in Ref. [@Tanaka-Takiguchi:2004]. Note that this result does not require the bundle to be disordered.
\[sec:Disordered bundles with linearly elastic filaments\]Disordered bundles with linearly elastic filaments
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In a bundle with arbitrary force-velocity relationships, the reasoning of the previous section does not apply, and some amount of contraction or extension is generally present. We thus ask whether bundles contract *on average*, and find that they do only if filament polarities are organized across the bundles, or if the filaments display nonlinear elastic behavior.
To prove this statement, we first give a mathematical description of bundles devoid of both polarity organization and filament nonlinear elastic behavior (Sec. \[sec:Mathematical formulation\]), and then use Eqs. (\[eq:diffsystem\]) and (\[eq:v”eq\]) to show that such bundles do not contract (Sec. \[sec:Proof of the property\]).
### \[sec:Mathematical formulation\]Mathematical formulation
Consider an arbitrary bundle, which we denote by $B$. Bundle $B$ is fully characterized by specifying matrices $\lambda$, $\rho$, $\Pi$, $\gamma$, the force-velocity functions $\bm{V}'$ and the initial condition $\bm{L}_0$. Therefore, a population of bundles is fully characterized by specifying the distribution ${\cal P}(B)={\cal P}(\lambda,\rho,\Pi,\gamma,\bm{V}',\bm{L}_0)$ of the frequencies at which any possible bundle $B$ arises in the population. For a population without any polarization organization, ${\cal P}(B)$ must be independent of $\Pi$, implying in particular that it is invariant under polarity reversal: $$\label{eq:nopolorga}
{\cal P}(\lambda,\rho,\Pi,\gamma,\bm{V}',\bm{L}_0)={\cal P}(\lambda,\rho,-\Pi,\gamma,\bm{V}',\bm{L}_0).$$ This relationship clearly does not apply to a population of sarcomeres. Indeed, in a sarcomere static cross-linkers are restricted to the barbed ends of F-actin while active, mobile motors are found at the pointed ends. Thus the polarity-reversed image of a sarcomere is not a sarcomere; actually, inverting the polarities of filaments in Fig. \[fig:muscle\](a) results in an extensile, not contractile, structure. Assuming in the following that Eq. (\[eq:nopolorga\]) holds thus excludes sarcomeric contractility from our discussion.
We further assume that filament units exhibit linear elastic behavior, which reads
\[eq:linelastic\] $$\label{eq:linforceext}
\bm{F}(\bm{\ell},\bm{L})=
\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{\ell}}(\bm{\ell}-\bm{\ell}_0)
+
\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{L}}(\bm{L}-\bm{L}_0),$$ where ${\partial{F}}/{\partial{\ell}}$ and ${\partial{F}}/{\partial{L}}$ are constants, *i.e.* $$\label{eq:constantspringconst}
\frac{\d}{\d t}\left(\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{\ell}}\right)
=
\frac{\d}{\d t}\left(\frac{\partial\bm{F}}{\partial\bm{L}}\right)
=0.$$
This assumption is a good description of very stiff filaments, where $\ell_i=L_i$ for any filament unit $i$. Indeed, such filaments can be described by choosing the force-extension relationship $$\label{eq:Kfext}
F(\ell_i,L_i)=K(\ell_i-L_i),$$ which satisfies Eqs. (\[eq:linelastic\]) provided that $K$ is a constant, and enforcing the limit $K\rightarrow+\infty$.
### \[sec:Proof of the property\]Proof of the property
To determine whether a bundle $B=\lbrace\lambda,\rho,\Pi,\gamma,\bm{V}',\bm{L}_0\rbrace$ is contractile or extensile, we imagine labeling its leftmost and rightmost points, and ask whether the distance ${\cal L}^B$ between these two labels tends to increase or decrease with time. To calculate ${\cal L}^B$, we choose a path along the bundle’s linker and filament units going from the left label to the right label as pictured in Fig. \[fig:path\]. We define $\epsilon_i^B$ as equal to $1$ if the path considered crosses filament unit $i$ from left to right, to $-1$ if it crosses it from right to left, and to $0$ otherwise (see the caption of Fig. \[fig:path\]). The contraction velocity of the bundle can then be defined as: $$\label{eq:totallengthderivative}
\frac{\d{\cal L}^B}{\d t}=\sum_{i=1}^{n}\epsilon_i^B\frac{\d \ell_i^B}{\d t}.$$ We use the following notation to refer to the solution of the equations of motion for bundle $B$:
\[eq:Delta\] $$\begin{aligned}
{\bm{L}}^B(t)&=&\bm{L}_0+\Delta{\bm{L}}^B(t)\\
{\bm{\ell}}^B(t)&=&\bm{\ell}_0+\Delta{\bm{\ell}}^B(t).\end{aligned}$$
We now introduce bundle $\tilde{B}$ as the polarity-reversed image of $B$, *i.e.*, $\tilde{B}=\lbrace\lambda,\rho,-\Pi,\gamma,\bm{V}',\bm{L}_0\rbrace$. Substituting Eqs. (\[eq:linelastic\]) into Eqs. (\[eq:diffsystem\]) and (\[eq:v”eq\]), we find that the dynamics of $\tilde{B}$ satisfies
\[eq:Deltatilde\] $$\begin{aligned}
\Delta{\bm{L}}^{\tilde{B}}(t)=-\Delta\bm{L}^B(t)\\
\Delta{\bm{\ell}}^{\tilde{B}}(t)=-\Delta\bm{\ell}^B(t).\end{aligned}$$
Combining this with Eqs. (\[eq:totallengthderivative\]) and (\[eq:Delta\]) while using the path $\epsilon_i^{\tilde{B}}=\epsilon_i^{{B}}$ to assess the contraction of $\tilde{B}$, we find $$\label{eq:Btildecontract}
\frac{\d{\cal L}^{\tilde{B}}}{\d t}=-\frac{\d{\cal L}^B}{\d t}.$$
We finally calculate the average contraction velocity over a population of bundles as $$\left\langle\frac{\d{\cal L}}{\d t}\right\rangle=\sum_B{\cal P}(B)\frac{\d{\cal L}^B}{\d t},$$ where the sum runs over all possible bundles. Reorganizing this sum, we find $$\begin{aligned}
\left\langle\frac{\d{\cal L}}{\d t}\right\rangle&=&\frac{1}{2}\sum_B\left[{\cal P}(B)\frac{\d{\cal L}^B}{\d t}+{\cal P}(\tilde{B})\frac{\d{\cal L}^{\tilde{B}}}{\d t}\right]\nonumber\\
&=&\frac{1}{2}\sum_B{\cal P}(B)\left(\frac{\d{\cal L}^B}{\d t}+\frac{\d{\cal L}^{\tilde{B}}}{\d t}\right)=0\label{eq:noavgcontract},\end{aligned}$$ where Eqs. (\[eq:nopolorga\]) and (\[eq:Btildecontract\]) are used to derive the second and third equalities, respectively. Eq. (\[eq:noavgcontract\]) demonstrates that bundles without polarity organization or nonlinear elastic behavior do not contract or extend on average. This result does not depend on bundle structure or the form of the motor force-velocity relationships, and can easily be generalized to bundles pinned to a rigid substrate, or to include friction of the linker or filament units with the solvent. Mean-field modeling of dilute actomyosin gels with rigid filaments suggest that this symmetry-based reasoning could have a three-dimensional counterpart [@Liverpool:2005]. However, geometrical nonlinearities in two or more dimensions can take on the role played by elastic nonlinearities in one-dimensional bundles, thus enabling contraction in disordered networks of rigid filaments [@Dasanayake:2011].
\[sec:Discussion\]Discussion
============================
In this paper we consider bundles of sliding motors and filaments with arbitrary geometries and motor force-velocity relationships and show that their contractility requires
1. non-identical motors
2. and
1. either polarity organization
2. or nonlinear elastic response of the filaments.
While our model is framed in term of F-actin and myosin for clarity, our results are much more general and could equally apply to bundles comprised of other types of motors and filaments (*e.g.*, kinesins and microtubules). Our description includes as a special case the well-understood contractility of striated muscle sarcomeres \[Fig. \[fig:muscle\](a)\]. Their architecture includes both identical myosin thick filaments and passive cross-linkers (which are mathematically equivalent to motors with velocity zero), thus satisfying condition (1). They moreover have a distinctive polarity organization, and thereby fulfill condition (2a). Similarly, bundles with motors whose velocities depend on their position relative to the filaments [@Kruse:2000; @Kruse:2003aa; @Liverpool:2003; @Ziebert:2005; @Liverpool:2005] generically break polarity-reversal symmetry, which results in polarity organization.
Besides establishing the requirements for contractility, the formalism presented here can describe the dynamics of a wide range of contractile bundles. For instance, straightforward numerical simulations of Eqs. (\[eq:diffsystem\]) and (\[eq:v”eq\]) could be used to describe bundle deformation as a function of the initial arrangement of the filament and motors. Comparing these predictions to experimental observations while varying these initial parameters could yield insight into the architecture of the bundles, which is currently lacking. Although such a study is beyond the scope of our work, a simplified version of our formalism still successfully predicts the onset of their contraction [@Lenz:2012].
While the model used here is designed to describe a large class of contractile bundles, some of our assumptions are especially appropriate to describe the reconstituted bundles of Ref. [@Thoresen:2011]. F-actin is phalloidin-stabilized in this system, implying that no actin polymerization-depolymerization takes place; myosin thick filaments are much shorter ($\simeq 300\,$nm) and thicker ($\simeq 50\,$nm) than F-actin ($\simeq 5\,\mu$m and $\simeq 5\,$nm, respectively), justifying our assumption that they behave as rigid objects; and myosin thick filaments do not detach from the bundle on the time scales relevant for contraction, suggesting that the filament-motor attachment-detachment dynamics are inessential to contractility. Indeed, we show elsewhere that attachment-detachment can limit contractility under low myosin conditions [@Lenz:2012].
Going beyond the specifics of the system studied in Ref. [@Thoresen:2011], it is interesting to discuss bundles where this attachment-detachment dynamics is not negligible. In the simplest such situation, motors undergo attachment and detachment at a constant rate, which tends to randomize their distribution in a filament polarity-independent manner. This fails to break the polarity-reversal symmetry discussed in this paper, and the resulting requirements for contractility are unchanged.
A more interesting question is to ask whether contractility could arise from the load-dependent detachment of myosin motors. Specifically, the detachment rate of myosin motors decreases under increasing load, a tendency known as the “Fenn effect” [@Veigel:2003]. To assess its influence on contractility, we consider the simple bundle of rigid filaments illustrated in Fig. \[fig:fenn\](a). This bundle comprises a contracting and an expanding region similar to those of Fig. \[fig:muscle\](b). When faster motors happen to be concentrated in the contracting region, this bundle is contractile. Assuming that its ends are fixed, the bundle comes under tensile force during contraction. As a consequence, its expanding region comes under negative load and the motors there tend to detach. Conversely, the motors in the contracting region experience a positive load and tend to hold on to the filaments. On average, detached motors thus tend to diffuse from the expanding to the contracting region \[Fig. \[fig:fenn\](b)\]. The reduced number of motors in the expanding region implies that its resistance to the applied tension decreases, thus increasing its expansion rate. As the contracting region tends to recruit the slower motors from the expanding region, its contraction rate decreases. Overall, the Fenn effect thus tends to suppress contractile configurations rather than amplify them. This suggests that the Fenn effect cannot generate contractility in the absence of polarity organization or filament nonlinear elastic response.
The requirements derived in this paper offer insight into the contractility of actomyosin bundles devoid of sarcomere-like organization, for which no established contraction mechanism exists. As they do not satisfy condition (2a), we propose that they contract by fulfilling conditions (1) and (2b) [@Lenz:2012]. Consider two antiparallel filaments interacting through several different motors with distinct speeds \[Fig. \[fig:buckle\](a)\]. As motors start to move relative to the filaments, stresses build in sections of the filament flanked by motors with different speeds. When the flanking motor proximal to the barbed end is faster than that proximal to the pointed end, compression arises. When it is slower, tension arises. F-actin responds nonlinearly to these stresses by buckling under compression while resisting extension, which has previously been proposed to play a role in actomyosin contraction [@Silva:2011]. Following buckling of the compressed filament sections, fast motors are free to move quickly while the others move slowly. This results in the growth of the compressed sections and shrinkage of the extended ones, and thus in overall bundle contraction \[Fig. \[fig:buckle\](b)\]. Experimental observations suggest that this mechanism could be at the origin of contraction in reconstituted actomyosin bundles [@Lenz:2012], and that F-actin buckling can occur in cells [@Costa:2002]. These results offer an interesting new perspective on mechanisms underlying actomyosin bundle contraction *in vivo*.
We thank Yitzhak Rabin, Todd Thoresen and Tom Witten for inspiring discussions. This work was supported by NSF DMR-MRSEC 0820054
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[^1]: Mechanical stability imposes that ${\partial{F}}/{\partial{\ell}}$ is always strictly negative, making the matrix ${\partial\bm{F}}/{\partial\bm{\ell}}$ invertible.
| 2023-08-20T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2076 |
Nitric oxide inhibits DNA-adduct excision in nucleotide excision repair.
Sustained induction of nitric oxide (NO) in chronic inflammation may be mutagenic, through DNA damage induction and/or DNA repair inhibition. Although there is good evidence that NO can cause DNA damage, how NO is involved in DNA repair remains elusive. By using DNA synthesis inhibitors to accumulate DNA strand breaks in comet assay, we show that NO and peroxynitrite inhibit DNA-adduct excision in human fibroblasts damaged by UVC, 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide, benzo[a]pyrene dihydrodiol epoxide, cisplatin, or mitomycin C, but not with methyl methane sulfonate. Treating cells with arsenite increased NO production and also inhibited the DNA-adduct excision induced by UVC, 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide, benzo[a]pyrene dihydrodiol epoxide, cisplatin, and mitomycin C, but not by methyl methane sulfonate, H(2)O(2), sodium nitrosoprusside, or 3-morpholinosydnonimine. Arsenite inhibition of DNA-adduct excision was decreased by NO synthase inhibitors and NO scavengers. The nuclear extract prepared from fibroblasts pretreated with sodium nitrosoprusside, dipropylenetriamine NONOate, 3-morpholinosydnonimine, or arsenite also showed decreased activity in excising the DNA adducts induced by UVC and cisplatin but not by methyl methane sulfonate or H(2)O(2) plus Fe. These results are consistent with the notion that NO, peroxynitrite, and arsenite inhibit the DNA-adduct excision in nucleotide excision repair but not that in base excision repair. | 2024-01-28T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7558 |
823 F.Supp. 1050 (1993)
Joseph SCALAMANDRE, Individually and as Executor Under the Last Will and Testament of the late Carolee Scalamandre, Plaintiff,
v.
OXFORD HEALTH PLANS (N.Y.), INC., Oxford Health Insurance, Inc. and Oxford Health Plans, Inc., Defendants.
No. 91-CV-3895 (TCP).
United States District Court, E.D. New York.
June 15, 1993.
*1051 *1052 Louis J. Castellano, Jr., Garden City, NY, for plaintiff.
James Thomas Murphy, Floral Park, NY, for defendants.
MEMORANDUM AND ORDER
PLATT, Chief Judge.
Joseph Scalamandre has brought this lawsuit, as Executor under the Last Will and Testament of the late Carolee Scalamandre, alleging violations of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), 29 U.S.C. § 1001, et seq. Specifically, Mr. Scalamandre challenges, under 29 *1053 U.S.C. § 1132, the denial of health benefits by defendants Oxford Health Plans (N.Y.), Inc., Oxford Health Insurance, Inc., and Oxford Health Plans, Inc. (hereinafter referred to collectively as "Oxford") for expenses incurred in connection with a procedure known as High Dose Chemotherapy with Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant ("HDC/ABMT") performed on Mrs. Scalamandre by physicians at Montefiore Medical Center.
After a five-day trial, during which the Court heard the testimony of the principal actors at Oxford, among others, and having evaluated the witnesses' credibility, the exhibits received in evidence, including the operative documents evidencing Mrs. Scalamandre's medical benefits contract, and the parties' proposed findings of fact and legal contentions, the Court finds that plaintiff is entitled to judgment in his favor.
I. FINDINGS OF FACT
A. THE MEDICAL BENEFITS CONTRACT
In 1991, plaintiff Joseph Scalamandre and the late Carolee Scalamandre were husband and wife living together in Freeport, New York. Joseph Scalamandre was and still is vice president of Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., a corporation incorporated and existing under the laws of the State of New York.
In October of 1989, Oxford issued a medical benefits contract to Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., that covered Carolee Scalamandre. Called the "Freedom Plan," this medical benefits contract emphasizes the fact that it offers broad health care coverage while allowing its members to receive health care from the doctor, hospital, or health care provider of their choice. The Oxford Freedom Plan Member Handbook at 3.
The operative documents constituting the medical benefits contract are Plaintiff's Exhibit 4 in Evidence, The Oxford Freedom Plan Member Handbook (hereinafter The Handbook) and Plaintiff's Exhibit 5 in Evidence, the Oxford Group Enrollment Agreement New York (hereinafter the "Group Enrollment Agreement").
The Group Enrollment Agreement is the contract, effective January 1, 1990, between Oxford Health Plans (NY), Inc. and plaintiff's corporation and employer, Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc. It specifies that Oxford Health Plans (NY), Inc. "shall provide and/or arrange for medical and hospital services" in accordance with the terms and provisions of the Group Enrollment Agreement and the other contracts issued in conjunction therewith to members enrolled thereunder. The Group Enrollment Agreement, in essence, delineates the legal duties and responsibilities of Oxford Health Plans (NY), Inc. and Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., including inter alia, the costs of coverage. It is undisputed that both Mr. and Mrs. Scalamandre were members enrolled under the Group Enrollment Agreement through Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc.
The Handbook, which is not merged into the Group Enrollment Agreement but is incorporated therein, details the legal obligations between Oxford and plaintiff. It consists of fifty-eight consecutively numbered, printed pages in a bound booklet, divided into four parts: (1) a Plan Summary, (pp. 5-11), including instructions on how to use the Freedom Plan, (p. 4); (2) an HMO Group Certificate, (pp. 12-29); (3) a Supplemental Freedom Plan Certificate, (pp. 31-56); and (4) instructions on how to file an Oxford claim form, (p. 57). It is the terms of the Supplemental Freedom Plan Certificate and certain provisions in the Plan Summary which plaintiff claims Oxford breached.
In the first part of the instructions section, The Handbook summarizes "How to Use the Freedom Plan" by stating:
You also may seek medical care outside of the Oxford HMO. This allows you to visit any physician, specialist, hospital or health care provider for medical attention. Coverage will be provided by an Oxford subsidiary company, Oxford Health Insurance, Inc. Non-HMO coverage will be similar to conventional insurance all charges are subject to fee schedule limitations, and benefits will be paid after the applicable *1054 deductible and coinsurance requirements are met.
The Handbook at 4.
On the third page of the Plan Summary and instructions, all insureds are specifically advised that:
Even if you choose to seek medical care from non-Oxford providers, you must still comply with Oxford's Medical Review Guidelines. If you are advised by your physician to undergo elective surgery or be admitted to the hospital, you must first contact Oxford for pre-authorization. We recommend at least 14 days advance notice. Certain procedures require a second opinion. An Oxford Health Services Coordinator will notify you at the time you call for pre-authorization if a second opinion is required. The second opinion will be rendered by a board certified specialist designated by Oxford. This specialist has met all of Oxford's credentialling requirements and has no financial stake in Oxford or the recommended procedure ... Failure to obtain authorization in advance or failure to comply with Oxford's medical review guidelines will result in reduced or denied benefits.
Id. at 6.
Part 4 of the Supplemental Freedom Plan Certificate provides with respect to "Pre-Determination of Medical Treatment":
For the maximum benefits that are described in DETERMINATION OF BENEFITS (and that are later referred to as `Medical Director-Certified Benefits' or simply, `Certified Benefits') to be payable, charges for certain Non-HMO Expenses must be submitted to and certified by the Medical Director, in the following manner.
1. With respect to any Hospital confinement, Certified Benefits will be payable for all Covered Expenses incurred during the period of confinement that occurs under any of the following circumstances:
a) for any non-emergency Hospital confinement, if, at least 14 days in advance of any such confinement, a statement of the reason for and the anticipated period of Hospital confinement is submitted to and certified by the Medical Director;
* * * * * *
Id. at 46. The Supplemental Freedom Plan Certificate also specifically provides under "Supplemental Medical Expense Benefits: Covered Expenses":
* * * * * *
Covered Expenses are the following charges, and benefits payable for such charges are subject to all the terms of this Certificate.
* * * * * *
6. Charges for the following medical services and supplies:
* * * * * *
b) chemotherapy;
Id. at 49. It further lists 44 specific noncovered expenses, none of which is applicable here. Id. at 50-52. Moreover, the Supplemental Freedom Plan Certificate lists 28 separate surgical procedures when a second opinion is "necessary," none of which is applicable here. Id. at 37-38. Finally, it states that a "Non-certified Occurrence" is:
Each instance in which the Medical Director was not contacted but should have been contacted in accordance with the terms of PRE-DETERMINATION OF MEDICAL TREATMENT.
Id.
B. MRS. SCALAMANDRE'S ILLNESS
In 1988, Carolee Scalamandre contracted metastatic breast cancer, which gradually spread to her lymph nodes, lungs and liver. Her treating physician, Ronald Bash, M.D., treated Mrs. Scalamandre by administering rapid sequencing of chemotherapy every three weeks. By July of 1991, her estimated life expectancy was only eight weeks. In an effort to extend this period, Dr. Bash recommended that Mrs. Scalamandre see Peter H. Wiernik, M.D., the chairman of the Department of Medical Oncology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,[1] to explore the *1055 possibility of undergoing HDC/ABMT. Upon this recommendation, Mrs. Scalamandre was examined by Dr. Wiernik, who confirmed that HDC/ABMT might indeed be the best treatment for Mrs. Scalamandre.
HDC/ABMT is often an effective method of treating metastatic breast cancer. The response of cancer cells to chemotherapy is proportional to the dose applied, so in order to achieve favorable results in the treatment of breast cancer it is often necessary to employ high dose chemotherapy. Beyond certain doses, however, chemotherapy can destroy the patient's bone marrow and in turn impair the immune system and make the patient vulnerable to the most minute infections. Therefore, in order to be able to employ high dose chemotherapy without endangering the patient, an Autologous Bone Marrow Transplant is performed, where the surgeon surgically extracts about one liter of bone marrow from the patient's lower back, preserves the bone marrow, administers the high dose chemotherapy, and then intravenously introduces the preserved bone marrow back into the patient. Ideally, within a few weeks the bone marrow regenerates while the cancer has been eradicated due to the high dose chemotherapy.
As a prerequisite to HDC/ABMT, it is ordinarily necessary for the patient to have a bone marrow biopsy in order to determine whether or not the bone marrow is healthy and free of cancer. If the biopsy reveals that the bone marrow is healthy and free of cancer, the patient may proceed with the HDC/ABMT.
In the case at bar, Mrs. Scalamandre entered Montefiore Medical Center on July 8, 1991 on an out-patient basis to have the bone marrow biopsy performed. The biopsy showed that the cancer had not spread to Mrs. Scalamandre's bone marrow, so that it was possible to proceed with the HDC/ABMT. Mrs. Scalamandre was scheduled to enter Montefiore Medical Center sometime around July 25, 1991 to begin the procedure.
Before receiving the bone marrow biopsy, the Comptroller of Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., Martin McCarthy, attempted to ensure that the expenses would be covered under the Freedom Plan. As noted above, HDC/ABMT is not specifically excluded as a "non-covered expense" under the Freedom Plan. The Handbook at 50-52. Moreover, the treatment is a high dose form of chemotherapy, and chemotherapy is listed as a covered expense under the Freedom Plan without qualification as to the dose level. Id. at 49.
Under the Freedom Plan, to receive full benefits for any elective surgery or hospitalization, an Oxford member must request approval through the Oxford Medical Review Program by submitting to the Medical Director "a statement of the reason for and the anticipated period of Hospital confinement." Id. at 46. At least 14 days advance notice is required. Id. When the member calls for pre-certification, an Oxford Health Services Coordinator will tell the member whether a second opinion will be necessary. Id. at 6. If so, the second opinion will be performed by "a board certified specialist designated by Oxford" and with "no financial stake in Oxford or the recommended procedure." Id.
In accordance with the above-mentioned provisions, Mr. McCarthy telephoned Oxford on behalf of Mrs. Scalamandre on July 3, 1991 to request pre-certification for both the bone marrow biopsy and the HDC/ABMT. (Tr. 601, 667). McCarthy spoke with a Health Services Coordinator at Oxford, Suzanne Adams, R.N., who pre-certified the bone marrow biopsy that was to be performed at Montefiore Medical Center on July 8, 1991. (Tr. 667-68). As to the pre-certification of the HDC/ABMT, Suzanne Adams told McCarthy on July 3, 1991 that she could not give McCarthy a pre-certification number at that time because she needed more information about dates and names of physicians. (Tr. 659-60). Adams also suggested to McCarthy that Mrs. Scalamandre explore the bone marrow transplant programs at Duke University Medical Center and/or Hahnemann Medical Center. While it is unclear from the testimony whether Adams' suggestion about Duke and/or Hahnemann occurred *1056 on July 3 or at a later time,[2] it is evident that neither Adams nor anyone else at Oxford told McCarthy or anyone else that it was necessary for Mrs. Scalamandre to obtain a second opinion. Moreover, no one gave McCarthy the specific name of a "board certified specialist."[3]
Some time after Mrs. Scalamandre's bone marrow biopsy on July 8, her doctors at Montefiore scheduled her HDC/ABMT to begin on July 25. McCarthy telephoned Suzanne Adams on or about July 24 to inform her that Mrs. Scalamandre was entering Montefiore for the HDC/ABMT. It was at this point, on July 25, that Adams orally informed McCarthy that certification for Mrs. Scalamandre's HDC/ABMT at Montefiore had been denied. Adams suggested (either for the first time or for the second time) that Mrs. Scalamandre investigate similar programs at Duke and/or Hahnemann, but again, did not offer names of physicians at either hospital or provide any written authorization to make an appointment for a second opinion.
Notwithstanding the representation by Suzanne Adams that Oxford would not certify Mrs. Scalamandre at Montefiore, Mrs. Scalamandre entered Montefiore on July 25, 1991. Her stay was for about six weeks, during which time her bone marrow was extracted and she underwent high dose chemotherapy. Her treating physician during this stay was Niculae Ciobanu, M.D.
During this time, Oxford sent a letter to Mr. Scalamandre dated August 19, 1991 and signed by Alan E. Sokolow, M.D. Plaintiff's Exhibit 2 in Evidence. This letter, sent after Mrs. Scalamandre had already been hospitalized for twenty-four days and commenced HDC/ABMT treatment, stated that:
This is to confirm Oxford Health Plans' decision, already conveyed by phone to your business associate, Mr. McCarthy on August 15, 1991, and to Montefiore Medical Center on August 14, 1991. Oxford Health Plans has denied coverage for your wife Carolee's 7/26/91 admission to Montefiore Medical Center.
The letter went on to explain that had Mrs. Scalamandre undergone the same treatment at Duke or Hahnemann, Oxford would have paid for said treatment. The letter then stated, however, that "[g]iven transplant protocol, Mrs. Scalamandre was deemed an ineligible candidate for both programs, and therefore, would not be eligible for benefits with Oxford Health Plans." (emphasis added).[4] In essence, this letter notified Mr. Scalamandre that there was no hospital at which Oxford would reimburse for Mrs. Scalamandre's HDC/ABMT. Furthermore, this was the first time that anyone at Oxford notified Mr. Scalamandre or his agents in writing of the denial of coverage for Mrs. Scalamandre at Montefiore.
Mrs. Scalamandre was discharged from Montefiore on September 9, 1991 for one week. She reentered Montefiore on September 16, when her treating physicians continued the HDC/ABMT procedure by providing Mrs. Scalamandre with high dose chemotherapy and then restoring her preserved bone marrow. (Tr. 137). Initially, on September *1057 12, 1991 Suzanne Adams at Oxford pre-certified this second admission. Eventually, however, Oxford withdrew this pre-certification because it felt that Messrs. Scalamandre and McCarthy misled Oxford as to the reason for this second admission.
Mrs. Scalamandre was discharged for the final time from Montefiore on October 31, 1991. According to the testimony of Dr. Ciobanu, her doctor at Montefiore, the treatment successfully extended her life expectancy. (Tr. 380). Subsequently, Michael Carroll, an employee of Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., submitted all bills and proofs of claim for the HDC/ABMT to Oxford by certified mail, return receipt requested, on February 10 and February 18, 1992. The alleged total for claims unpaid is $165,041.02.[5]
On October 9, 1991, Mr. and Mrs. Scalamandre filed this lawsuit, seeking to recoup from Oxford claims submitted and unpaid in the sum of $165,041.02 plus interest, costs, disbursements and reasonable legal fees.
On January 10, 1992, Mrs. Scalamandre died at South Nassau Community Hospital in Oceanside, New York. Mr. Scalamandre was appointed Executor under her will pursuant to the decree of the Nassau County Surrogate Court.
II. CONCLUSIONS OF LAW/LIABILITY
A. JURISDICTION
Jurisdiction of this Court is grounded in 28 U.S.C. § 1331, as the case presents a federal question under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA"), 29 U.S.C. § 1001, et seq. The parties agree that the health insurance policy at issue is an ERISA plan, and thus, the statutory and case law governing that Act is to be applied.
B. STANDARD OF REVIEW
It is undisputed that Mrs. Scalamandre was a covered party within the policy of health insurance issued by defendants. Thus, she was and her estate is entitled to payment for medical treatment she received, subject to the policy terms. Oxford raises several grounds on which it based its denial of benefits. Before reaching the merits of these grounds, however, the Court must determine as a threshold matter the standard of review.
The United States Supreme Court has held that in a claim brought pursuant to 29 U.S.C. § 1132(a)(1)(B) challenging the denial of benefits based on the interpretation of an ERISA-regulated plan, the denial "is to be reviewed under a de novo standard unless the benefit plan gives the administrator or fiduciary discretionary authority to determine eligibility for benefits or to construe the terms of the plan." Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., et al. v. Bruch, et al., 489 U.S. 101, 115, 109 S.Ct. 948, 956, 103 L.Ed.2d 80 (1989). When a trustee exercises discretionary powers, an abuse of discretion or arbitrary and capricious standard of review is appropriate. Id. at 111, 109 S.Ct. at 954.
In the case at bar, Oxford argues that its determination that plaintiff is not entitled to health benefits in connection with Mrs. Scalamandre's HDC/ABMT must be reviewed under an arbitrary and capricious standard. In support of its argument, Oxford refers to provisions in The Handbook that Oxford claims give its Medical Director discretion relating to the payment of benefits under the Plan. Specifically, Oxford refers to Part 4, Section 1 which reads:
With respect to any Hospital Confinement, Certified Benefits will be payable for all Covered Expenses incurred during the period of confinement that occurs under any of the following circumstances:
a. for any non-emergency Hospital Confinement, if, at least fourteen (14) days in advance of any such confinement, a statement of the reason for and the anticipated period of Hospital Confinement *1058 is submitted to and certified by the Medical Director.
The Handbook at 46. Further, Oxford refers to a provision in The Handbook entitled "Supplemental Medical Expenses Benefits: Covered Expenses," which reads:
A Covered Expense is the lesser of the Usual Charge or the Reasonable Charge for any of the services and supplies listed below. Such services and supplies must be recommended or approved by a Doctor as medically necessary and incurred while insurance or an Extension of Benefits is in force. They must also be medically necessary, in our judgment, for the treatment of a Covered Person's Injury or Sickness for which insurance is provided under the policy.
Id. at 48. Oxford then quotes from the "Definition" section in The Handbook where "medically necessary services and/or supplies" are defined as:
the use of services or supplies as provided by a Hospital, Skilled Nursing Facility, Physician or other provider required to identify or treat a Member's illness or injury and which, as determined by the Medical Director, are:
1. Consistent with the symptoms or diagnosis and treatment of the Covered Person's condition, disease, ailment or injury;
2. Appropriate with regard to standards of good medical practice;
3. Not solely for the convenience of the Covered Person, his or her Physician, Hospital, or other health care provider; and
4. The most appropriate supply or level of service which can be safely provided to the Covered Person. When specifically applied to an inpatient, it further means that the Covered Person's medical symptoms or condition requires that the diagnosis or treatment cannot be safely provided to the Covered Person as an outpatient.
Id. at 37. Finally, Oxford quotes from the definition of "Necessary Second Opinion Procedure," which reads:
Any procedure that:
1. Can be scheduled at the convenience of the Covered Person and the Covered Person's Surgeon;
2. Is not a Medical Emergency;
3. Requires a Second Opinion, as determined by the Medical Director. The Medical Director must be notified at least 14 days in advance of any [sic] being scheduled which is not a Medical Emergency.
Id.
Oxford argues that these provisions demonstrate "that the Medical Director, as Plan Administrator, has discretionary authority to determine when and if individual members are entitled to coverage of their hospitalizations, out-patient procedures and other benefits and circumstances covered by the Plan," and that "[p]lan language clearly relies upon the judgment of the Medical Director in a host of areas, from in-patient hospitalizations to basic determinations regarding the medical necessity of a proposed treatment." Post-Trial Memorandum at 4. Thus, argues Oxford, because its Medical Director was bestowed with discretionary authority under the Freedom Plan, this Court must review Oxford's denial of benefits by determining whether Oxford acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner.
The Freedom Plan, however, provides in its "Definitions" that its only "Non-certified Occurrence" is:
Each instance in which the Medical Director was not contacted but should have been contacted in accordance with the terms of PRE-DETERMINATION OF MEDICAL TREATMENT.
The Handbook at 38. Thus, there is evidence that The Handbook did not bestow upon the Medical Director broad discretionary authority, as Oxford suggests.
Moreover, the provisions in The Handbook relied on by Oxford are very similar to the insurance contract provisions relied on by the insurer in Masella v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Conn., 936 F.2d 98 (2d Cir.1991), where the Second Circuit held that the plan provisions did not establish that the insurer was granted discretionary authority to construe *1059 the terms of the plan.[6] The Court found that the "plan provisions relied on by [defendant] bear little resemblance to the typical plan provisions cited in recent post-Firestone appellate decisions as the basis for a more deferential review." Id. at 103. Central to the Second Circuit's decision in Masella was its finding that the insurer had the ability to protect itself by including a provision in the contract giving it discretionary authority to interpret the terms of the plan, yet chose not to do so. Id.
Indeed, in the vast majority of decisions since Firestone that have held that a deferential standard of review applies there were explicit provisions in the respective plans giving the trustee or plan administrator discretion to interpret the plan. For instance, in Brown v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, 898 F.2d 1556 (11th Cir.1990), which Oxford cites in its Post-Trial Memorandum, there was an explicit provision granting discretion to the insurer which was quite different from the provisions cited by Oxford in the case at bar. The provision provided:
As a condition precedent to coverage, it is agreed that whenever [Blue Cross] makes reasonable determinations which are not arbitrary and capricious in the administration of the [plan] (including, without limitation, determinations whether services, care, treatment or supplies are Medically Necessary ...), such determinations shall be final and conclusive.
Brown at 1559 (emphasis added). It was solely this provision which led the Eleventh Circuit to conclude that the insurer was entitled to "the benefit of the bargain it made in the insurance contract" and that the arbitrary and capricious standard applied. Id. at 1563.
Similarly, in Bucci v. Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Connecticut, Inc., 764 F.Supp. 728 (D.Conn.1991) (emphasis added), also cited by Oxford, the Court held that defendant's denial must be reviewed under the arbitrary and capricious standard because the plan gave "defendant the `discretionary authority to determine eligibility for benefits.'" See also Jones v. Laborers Health & Welfare Trust Fund, 906 F.2d 480, 481 (9th Cir.1990) (plan gave trustees the power "to construe the provisions of ... the Plan" and provided that any construction adopted by the trustees in good faith would be binding); Batchelor v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 861 Pension & Retirement fund, 877 F.2d 441, 443 (5th Cir.1989) (plan gave trustees, "full power to construe the provisions of this Agreement" as well as the authority to "interpret the Plan"); Guy v. Southeastern Iron Workers' Welfare Fund, 877 F.2d 37, 39 (11th Cir.1989) (plan conferred upon the trustees "full power to construe the provisions of [the] Trust").
In contrast, in the case at bar Oxford has proffered no provision in The Handbook or anywhere else that gives Oxford explicit discretion to construe the insurance contract. As the Supreme Court emphasized in Firestone:
ERISA was enacted `to promote the interests of employees and their beneficiaries in employee benefit plans,' Shaw v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 463 U.S. 85, 90 [103 S.Ct. 2890, 2896, 77 L.Ed.2d 490] (1983) and `to protect contractually defined benefits.' Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co. v. Russell, 473 U.S. 134, 148 [105 S.Ct. 3085, 3093, 87 L.Ed.2d 96] (1985).
489 U.S. at 113, 109 S.Ct. at 956. In this vein, the burden is on the plan administrator to establish that it has discretionary authority in awarding benefits under a plan. Arthurs v. Metropolitan Life Ins. Co., 760 F.Supp. 1095, 1098 (S.D.N.Y.1991); See also Moon v. American Home Assurance Co., 888 F.2d 86, 88-89 (11th Cir.1989); Baxter v. Lynn, 886 F.2d 182, 187 (8th Cir.1989); Brown v. Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp., 876 F.2d 546, 550 (6th Cir.1989). "In making this determination, any ambiguities must be construed against the administrator and in favor of the party seeking judicial review." Arthurs, 760 F.Supp. at 1098.
*1060 Because Oxford has not proffered an explicit provision granting it discretionary authority to interpret the terms of its health insurance plan, it has not met its burden of demonstrating that it was bestowed with such authority, and therefore, Firestone requires that this Court apply a de novo review of the plan interpretation that led to the denial of the Scalamandres' claims, without deference to Oxford's determination.[7]
C. APPROPRIATENESS OF OXFORD'S DENIAL
Upon hearing and reviewing the testimony of the various witnesses at trial and evaluating the exhibits received into evidence as well as the parties' legal arguments, this Court finds that for the following reasons Oxford improperly denied coverage to Mrs. Scalamandre.
As an initial matter, it must be stated that the Scalamandres properly followed the instructions of the Freedom Plan as set forth on pages 6 and 46 of The Handbook. Martin McCarthy communicated with Suzanne Adams at Oxford to obtain pre-authorization on July 3, 1991, which was more than 14 days in advance of Mrs. Scalamandre's admission for HDC/ABMT on July 25, 1991. HDC/ABMT is not listed as an expense not covered under the Freedom Plan; it is not a "Non-certified Occurrence";[8] and it is not specifically listed as a procedure requiring a second opinion. Therefore, unless Oxford had notified Mr. McCarthy that a second opinion would be necessary, McCarthy and the Scalamandres would, based on the Freedom Plan, expect to receive pre-certification for the HDC/ABMT. While it is true that Suzanne Adams notified Mr. McCarthy on July 25 that Oxford would not cover the HDC/ABMT, and while in hindsight it might not have been wise for Mr. Scalamandre to admit his wife to Montefiore without first obtaining authorization from the insurer, unfortunately, Mr. Scalamandre did not have the benefit of hindsight. Mr. Scalamandre testified at trial that the doctors at Montefiore notified him at the last minute that Mrs. Scalamandre was to be admitted on July 25. At that time he was concerned with one thing saving his wife's life and as far as he knew, the only place where this could be done immediately was at Montefiore Medical Center. (Tr. 154, 158, 159, 161).
Moreover, Oxford's response to McCarthy's request for pre-certification breached the terms of the Freedom Plan in several ways. First, if when Suzanne Adams told McCarthy that they should look into Duke or Hahnemann this meant that Mrs. Scalamandre must obtain a second opinion, this was done in violation of the instructions in The Handbook which require Oxford to notify the patient that a second opinion is required "at the time [the patient] call[s] for pre-authorization." The Handbook at 6. Oxford did not do this but suggested that Scalamandre investigate the programs at Duke and/or Hahnemann. McCarthy testified that Suzanne Adams did not even do this during the initial request for pre-certification on July 3, but told him about Duke and/or Hahnemann three weeks after he had requested pre-certification and the day before Mrs. Scalamandre was scheduled for admission to Montefiore. Clearly, this would have been a *1061 breach of the instructions in the Freedom Plan. Even if the Court were to accept the testimony of Suzanne Adams that she told McCarthy on July 3 to look into Duke and/or Hahnemann, this also was a breach of the contract in that there is no provision in the Freedom Plan that states that Oxford may summarily determine at which hospital a surgical procedure is to be performed. The Freedom Plan merely states that a second opinion may be required.[9]
Second, if a second opinion was necessary, the Freedom Plan requires that Oxford designate a board certified specialist to provide it. Oxford never designated a certified specialist. Duke and Hahnemann are institutions, not "board certified specialists." Although Dr. Sokolow testified that Oxford offered the Scalamandres a choice of two physicians Dr. Peters at Duke or Dr. Stadtmeier in Pennsylvania Suzanne Adams was the person with whom McCarthy communicated on behalf of the Scalamandres, and she testified that she never offered the names of any physicians. (Tr. 624).[10]
Finally, under the instructions to the Freedom Plan, the board certified specialist appointed to render a second opinion must have "no financial stake in Oxford or the recommended procedure." The Handbook at 6. Even if one could view the recommendation of programs at Duke and Hahnemann as equivalent to the designation of a board certified specialist (which, as discussed above, it obviously is not), both hospitals would have had a financial stake in the procedure and thus could not have satisfied the contract requirements. (Tr. 880).
In sum, after the Scalamandres followed the proper procedures for obtaining pre-certification for the HDC/ABMT, Oxford responded in a way that breached several provisions of the Freedom Plan. Oxford may not now claim that the Scalamandres failed to obtain pre-certification when the procedure Oxford followed in denying pre-certification breached the terms of the Freedom Plan.
Oxford has offered a number of inconsistent explanations for the denial of coverage to Mrs. Scalamandre. In answer to a pre-trial interrogatory, Oxford stated that all HDC/ABMT procedures had to be referred to programs approved by the National Cancer Institute ("NCI"), and that Montefiore's program would not be covered because it was not NCI-approved. Plaintiff's Exhibit 22 in Evidence.[11] At trial, however, Oxford's Medical Director, Dr. Sokolow, reversed Oxford's position, testifying that whether or not Montefiore had been approved by the NCI was irrelevant to the pre-certification decision. (Tr. 272). Furthermore, Dr. Ciobanu, who is the Director of the bone marrow transplant program at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center, Montefiore Medical Center, testified at trial that Montefiore Medical Center is in fact one of the twenty-five NCI-approved medical cancer centers. (Tr. 292-93).
Oxford also claims in its Post-Trial Memorandum that it denied pre-certification for Mrs. Scalamandre's HDC/ABMT because the treatment was not medically necessary. In support of its contention, Oxford points to a provision in the Freedom Plan which states that for the expense of treatment to be covered the treatment "must be recommended or approved by a Doctor as medically necessary" and "must also be medically necessary, in [Oxford's] judgment." The Handbook at 48. Once again, however, Oxford's position is inconsistent. At trial, Dr. Sokolow testified that he did not and was not able to make a determination that Mrs. Scalamandre's HDC/ABMT at Montefiore was not medically necessary, *1062 (Tr. 869), and that he never told anyone that Mrs. Scalamandre was denied the HDC/ABMT at Montefiore because the program was experimental. (Tr. 522); See also Plaintiff's Exhibit 2 in Evidence. As this was never a stated reason for declining coverage, Oxford may not come in now and argue that Mrs. Scalamandre was not entitled to benefits because the procedure was not medically necessary. Further, Oxford has not explained why, if the treatment was not medically necessary, it was apparently willing to certify the same treatment at either Duke or Hahnemann. Oxford did not even know whether there was any difference between the HDC/ABMT program at Montefiore and those at Duke and Hahnemann, Plaintiff's Exhibit 23 in Evidence, nor did Oxford even attempt to investigate the appropriateness of the Montefiore program. (Tr. 223, 604). While this inaction was not in and of itself a breach of the contract, it demonstrates that Oxford could not have even gathered the necessary information to make a determination that HDC/ABMT was medically necessary at Duke or Hahnemann and not at Montefiore.
In the end, Oxford seems to claim that the actual reason why it denied benefits to Mrs. Scalamandre was because the Scalamandres and/or their agents failed to obtain pre-certification from Oxford before being admitted to Montefiore for HDC/ABMT. Proposed Findings of Fact at 4. As stated above, the Freedom Plan defines a "non-certified occurrence" as "[e]ach instance in which the Medical Director was not contacted but should have been contacted in accordance with the terms of PRE-DETERMINATION OF MEDICAL TREATMENT [part 4 of the Freedom Plan]." The Handbook at 38. The terms referred to require at least 14 days advance notice of confinement and submission to the Medical Director of a statement of the reason for and the anticipated period of confinement. Id. at 46. Presumably, coverage could be denied if these terms were violated, but as stated above, the Scalamandres, through Mr. McCarthy, followed these procedures. Additional reasons why Oxford might deny certification are not enumerated in the Freedom Plan.[12]
Finally, Oxford argues in its Post-Trial Memorandum that public policy supports its denial of pre-certification. Id. at 51. It argues that health care plans, such as the Freedom Plan, with utilization review and pre-certification components were developed expressly to control health care costs by preventing unnecessary and expensive procedures, and that the inappropriate procedure rendered in the case at bar is precisely the type of procedure that these plans have been designed to prevent. Id.
Without commenting on the merits of Oxford's public policy argument, all that needs to be said is that if Oxford desires to do its part to curtail unnecessary and expensive medical procedures, it may do so, but it must explicitly provide for this in its health benefits contract. For instance, if Oxford determines that Duke and Hahnemann are the only hospitals where it will pay for an HDC/ABMT, then it must say so in the contract and it better not say "Freedom Plan" members "retain the freedom each time [they] seek health care to choose any doctor, hospital or health care provider." Id. at 3. Moreover, Oxford's public policy argument does not permit it to decide unilaterally not to follow the procedures set forth in the health benefits contract it drafted itself.
Oxford has offered no consistent, reasonable explanation for denying benefits, and even if it has, it has breached the terms of the Freedom Plan by not following its established procedures. Oxford, therefore, has improperly denied coverage to Mrs. Scalamandre for her HDC/ABMT at Montefiore Medical Center, and Mr. Scalamandre, as Executor of his wife's estate, is entitled to damages as determined by this Court.
III. DAMAGES
Mr. Scalamandre claims he is entitled to judgment against Oxford in the amount of $165,041.02 with interest, plus costs, disbursements and reasonable attorney's fees.
*1063 A. TOTAL UNPAID CLAIMS
The Claims Manager for Oxford, Bernard Gilmore, acknowledged that Oxford has received timely filed proofs of claim for Mrs. Scalamandre's two hospitalizations and treatment in connection with the HDC/ABMT in an amount totalling $161,352.92, which remain unpaid. Plaintiff's Exhibit 27 in Evidence; (Tr. 782). Mr. Scalamandre claims that his company submitted an additional claim for a bill in the amount of $3,688.10, which Oxford claims it never received. Thus, Mr. Scalamandre claims that the total unpaid bill remains $165,041.02, and not merely $161,352.92.
Michael Carroll, an employee of Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., testified that he mailed copies of all bills and claims in two separate groups. One group, which he mailed on February 10, 1992, contained 99 claims with the appropriate claim forms attached. (Tr. 886). The second group, which he mailed on February 18, 1992, contained three claims with the appropriate claim forms. (Tr. 887). Mr. Carroll maintains that the bill for $3,688.10 was included in this second group. (Tr. 887). He sent both groups of claims by certified mail, return receipt requested, and in both instances he received the return receipt with a signature of an Oxford employee.
All the claim forms are assembled together as Plaintiff's Exhibit 6 in Evidence and the return receipt for the second group of forms is Plaintiff's Exhibit 6A in Evidence. Attached to the second group of claim forms is a carbon copy of a hand written message signed by Michael Carroll stating that "enclosed are 3 more claims regarding [Carolee Scalamandre] in relation to her 2 stays at Montefiore Medical Center." Included in this group is the bill for $3,688.10 as well as two additional bills, both of which Oxford admits to having received. Since the two claims that Oxford admits to having received are attached to a hand written message which states that 3 claims are enclosed, the most obvious conclusion is that Oxford also received this third claim with the two additional claims. Therefore, the Court finds that the timely filed proofs of claim total $165,041.02, as alleged by Mr. Scalamandre.
Under the Group Enrollment Agreement covering Peter Scalamandre & Sons, Inc., each individual is required to pay a deductible of $200 and a co-payment of % 20 for all approved charges incurred at a institution outside the Oxford HMO. Plaintiff's Exhibit 5 in Evidence; (Tr. 716). Thus, ordinarily Oxford would be responsible for an amount equalling the total claims less $200, multiplied by % 80. (Tr. 717). In this case, however, Mrs. Scalamandre has already used up her deductible. (Tr. 716). Moreover, under the Group Enrollment Agreement, the maximum out-of-pocket payment for each individual in a given year is $1,200, including the deductible. Plaintiff's Exhibit 5 in Evidence; (Tr. 716). Since Mrs. Scalamandre already paid her deductible, the maximum amount she is responsible for is $1,000, and since there was no testimony indicating that she has exhausted this maximum out-of-pocket expense, the Court will subtract $1,000 from the total claims of $165,041.02. Therefore, Mr. Scalamandre is entitled to $164,041.02 for the expenses associated with his wife's HDC/ABMT.
B. PREJUDGMENT INTEREST
An award of prejudgment interest is appropriate in ERISA cases. Katsaros v. Cody, 744 F.2d 270, 281 (2d Cir.1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1072, 105 S.Ct. 565, 83 L.Ed.2d 506 (1984). However, "it is not axiomatic that such interest should be awarded simply because, as here, the prevailing party has demonstrated entitlement to the funds." Mendez v. Teachers Ins. and Annuity Ass'n, 982 F.2d 783, 790 (2d Cir.1992). "[P]rejudgment interest is a discretionary matter for the court and should be awarded only in cases where such an award is `fair, equitable and necessary to compensate the wronged party fully.'" Id., quoting Wickham Contracting v. Local Union No. 3, IBEW, 955 F.2d 831, 835 (2d Cir.1992), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 394, 121 L.Ed.2d 302 (1992). "An award of prejudgment interest ... must not result in over-compensation of the party to whom judgment has been awarded." Id.
*1064 In the case at bar, Mr. Scalamandre testified that out of the total bill of $165,041.02 he has already paid approximately $100,000. (Tr. 142). Therefore, in order to put Mr. Scalamandre in the position that he would have occupied but for Oxford's improper actions, it is necessary to award Mr. Scalamandre prejudgment interest on the amount that he has paid out of his own or his company's pocket. This payment of prejudgment interest to Mr. Scalamandre clearly does not result in his over-compensation since he made payments of approximately $100,000 that he should not have otherwise made, and has been forced by Oxford's actions to forego interest on this money that he would have otherwise earned.
Mr. Scalamandre contends that the interest should accrue from February 18, 1992, the date upon which all claims had been fully submitted to Oxford.[13] This Court determines, however, that the interest should accrue from the date or dates upon which Mr. Scalamandre made the payments, not from the date upon which he filed the claims, since Mr. Scalamandre did not incur damages until he paid money to Montefiore. See N.Y. CPLR § 5001(b) (McKinney 1992).
In regard to the rate of interest, the rule in the Second Circuit "is that the rate of interest used in awarding prejudgment interest rests firmly within the sound discretion of the trial court." Ingersoll Mill. Mach. Co. v. M/V Bodena, 829 F.2d 293, 311 (2d Cir.1987) (emphasis in original). In exercising this discretion, federal courts in ERISA cases have employed the adjusted prime interest rates set by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6621 as an accurate measure of the cost of money over the relevant period of time. See Diduck v. Kaszycki & Sons Contractors, Inc., 774 F.Supp. 802, 815 (S.D.N.Y.1991); McLaughlin v. Cohen, 686 F.Supp. 454, 458 (S.D.N.Y.1988). Thus, the appropriate rate of interest to be applied is the adjusted prime rate set by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 6621, and this interest must not be compounded daily but should be simple interest. See Id. (26 U.S.C. § 6622, which provides that interest shall be compounded daily "applies expressly only to internal revenue tax cases and post-judgment interest allowed on money judgments ...").
Since counsel for Mr. Scalamandre has not clearly delineated for the Court the precise amount of payments Mr. Scalamandre has made or the dates upon which Mr. Scalamandre made said payments, he is hereby directed to submit to this Court an affidavit from Mr. Scalamandre stating the amount of payments he made on each date. He is directed further to submit his own papers calculating the simple interest due on each expense incurred by Mr. Scalamandre in accordance with the adjusted prime rate set by the Secretary of the Treasury, the amount of each expense, and the number of days between the date the respective expense was incurred and the date of the judgment. See N.Y. CPLR § 5001(b) (McKinney 1992).
C. COSTS, DISBURSEMENTS AND ATTORNEY'S FEES
ERISA, 29 U.S.C. § 1132(g), provides:
In any action under this subchapter ... by a participant, beneficiary, or fiduciary, the court in its discretion may allow a reasonable attorney's fee and costs of action to either party.
Although a reward of attorney's fees is discretionary, the Second Circuit has held that "attorney's fees may be awarded to the prevailing party under ERISA in the absence of some particular justification for not doing so." Birmingham v. SoGen-Swiss International Corp. Retirement Plan, 718 F.2d 515, 523 (2d Cir.1983). Further, the Second Circuit has held that there are five factors to be considered in determining whether an award of attorney's fees is appropriate under § 1132(g)(1):
1. the degree of the offending party's culpability or bad faith;
*1065 2. the ability of the offending party to satisfy an award of attorney's fees;
3. whether an award of attorney's fees would deter other persons from acting similarly under like circumstances;
4. the relative merits of the parties' positions; and
5. whether the action conferred a common benefit on a group of pension plan participants.
Chambless v. Masters, Mates & Pilots Pension Plan, 815 F.2d 869, 871 (2d Cir.1987). No one of the five factors is necessarily decisive, and some may not even be appropriate in a given case, but together they comprise "the nuclei of concerns that a court should address in applying [§ 1132(g)]." Greenblatt v. Prescription Plan Services Corp., 783 F.Supp. 814, 828 (S.D.N.Y.1992), quoting Iron Workers Local # 272 v. Bowen, 624 F.2d 1255, 1266 (5th Cir.1980). Thus, the five factors take "into account the relative merits of the parties' positions and also require findings about bad faith." Chambless, 815 F.2d at 872.
Applying the foregoing five factors, this Court determines that Mr. Scalamandre is entitled to costs, disbursements and reasonable attorney's fees. As to the second factor, Oxford has the ability to satisfy the award. As to the third factor, an award could and should in all likelihood deter Oxford and other insurers from not following its own procedures in the future and from improperly denying benefits. As to the fourth factor, Oxford's position is virtually without merit and plaintiff's case is clearly meritorious. The fifth factor appears to be insufficient. Thus, the sole question is whether Oxford acted in bad faith. In the Court's view, Oxford's inconsistencies in its positions and its refusal to make any reasonable attempt to comply with its own contract clearly show that it did act in bad faith. Accordingly, plaintiff is entitled to all of his attorney's fees and costs and should submit an affidavit of his attorney with time and other expense records that support any dollar amount claimed.
IV. CONCLUSION
For the reasons discussed above, Mr. Scalamandre is entitled to judgment in the amount of $164,041.02 with prejudgment interest, plus costs, disbursements and reasonable attorney's fees. Plaintiff's attorney is directed to submit all affidavits and records as discussed above.
SO ORDERED.
NOTES
[1] Montefiore Medical Center is one of the teaching hospitals affiliated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. (Tr. 412).
[2] Adams testified at trial that during the initial conversation on July 3, 1991 she told McCarthy to explore Duke and/or Hahnemann. (Tr. 601, 660). McCarthy, on the other hand, testified that Adams did not recommend Duke and/or Hahnemann until several weeks later, presumably July 24, when she also notified McCarthy that Mrs. Scalamandre was being denied pre-certification at Montefiore. (Tr. 31, 43, 44).
[3] While Dr. Sokolow, Oxford's Medical Director, testified that Oxford offered Mrs. Scalamandre a choice of two physicians to render a second opinion a Dr. Peters at Duke and a Dr. Stadtmeier in Pennsylvania it is unclear when this choice was offered to Mrs. Scalamandre, if ever. (Tr. 218). Dr. Sokolow admitted that neither he nor, to the best of his knowledge, anyone else at Oxford ever communicated with either of these doctors to request that they render a second opinion in connection with Mrs. Scalamandre. (Tr. 218-19). Dr. Sokolow admitted that pursuant to Oxford's obligations under the Freedom Plan, Oxford is required to set up the mechanics for obtaining a second opinion, but that they did not do so in this case. (Tr. 219).
[4] It appears that Mrs. Scalamandre would have been ineligible at Duke and Hahnemann because she had previously received a drug called Adriamycin, and under the protocols at Duke and Hahnemann, HDC/ABMT may not be performed on a patient who has received Adriamycin. The amount of Adriamycin she received, however, was within the limits of the protocol at Montefiore. (Tr. 365).
[5] The Claims Supervisor for Oxford has acknowledged that Oxford has received timely filed proofs of claim for Mrs. Scalamandre's two hospitalizations and treatment in connection with the HDC/ABMT in an amount totalling $161,352.92, which remain unpaid. Plaintiff's Exhibit 27 in Evidence; (Tr. 782). Mr. Scalamandre claims that his company submitted an additional claim for a bill in the amount of $3,688.10, which Oxford claims it never received. Thus, Mr. Scalamandre claims that the total unpaid bill remains $165,041.02. (Tr. 887).
[6] One of the provisions relied on by the insurer in Masella provided:
The provisions of this Major Medical Expense Plan are subject to the terms and conditions of a basic medical/surgical program which is acceptable to the Corporation, in its sole discretion.
936 F.2d at 100 n. 1 (emphasis added).
[7] It should be noted that even if the Court were to apply an arbitrary and capricious standard Oxford still would not be entitled to the broad discretion to which it claims it is entitled. In Firestone, the Supreme Court noted that "if a benefit plan gives discretion to an administrator or fiduciary who is operating under a conflict of interest, that conflict must be weighed as a `facto[r] in determining whether there is an abuse of discretion.'" 489 U.S. at 115, 109 S.Ct. at 957, quoting Restatement (Second) of Trusts § 187, Comment d (1959). Such a conflict of interest is present in the case at bar where Oxford serves as the decisionmaker for benefits that are paid out of its own assets. Several courts since Firestone have held that when a conflict of interest exists on the part of the fiduciary responsible for benefits determination, the fiduciary has the burden to prove that its interpretation of the plan provisions was not tainted by self-interest. See Brown v. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama, 898 F.2d at 1566; Arthurs, 760 F.Supp. at 1098. Thus, even under an arbitrary and capricious standard, Oxford would have the burden of showing that its denial of benefits to Mrs. Scalamandre was not tainted by self-interest.
[8] As stated above, a "Non-certified Occurrence" is an "instance in which the Medical Director was not contacted but should have been contacted ..." The Handbook at 38. Here, the Medical Director was contacted on July 3, 1991.
[9] Moreover, Suzanne Adams knew that Mrs. Scalamandre would not even qualify under the protocol at Duke (and perhaps even at Hahnemann) because of her Adriamycin treatment. (Tr. 607-612).
[10] Even if she had, both she and Dr. Sokolow admitted that Oxford never set up the mechanics of the second opinion even though under the Freedom Plan they were so required. (Tr. 218-219).
[11] An NCI-approved institution is a comprehensive cancer center which is partially funded by the NCI. One privilege that NCI-approved institutions enjoy is the use of non-FDA approved drugs. In return, the institutions must submit to the NCI the statistical data on the results of the non-FDA approved drugs. (Tr. 252, 293). As of the date of trial, there were twenty-five NCI-approved centers in the United States. (Tr. 293).
[12] Moreover, as stated above, HDC/ABMT is not specifically listed as an expense not covered under the Freedom Plan.
[13] While counsel for Mr. Scalamandre has stated on several occasions that Mr. Scalamandre is entitled to prejudgment interest from February 18, 1991, the Court presumes that he intended to state that interest should accrue from February 18, 1992 since February 18, 1991 was well before any of the facts pertinent to this case transpired.
| 2023-08-28T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4263 |
/**
* Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one
* or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file
* distributed with this work for additional information
* regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file
* to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the
* "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance
* with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
*
* http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
*
* Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
* distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
* WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
* See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
* limitations under the License.
*/
package org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.datanode;
import junit.framework.TestCase;
import org.apache.commons.logging.impl.Log4JLogger;
import org.apache.log4j.Level;
import org.apache.hadoop.conf.Configuration;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FSDataOutputStream;
import org.apache.hadoop.fs.FSDataInputStream;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.DFSClient;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.DistributedFileSystem;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.MiniDFSCluster;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.TestFileAppend4.DelayAnswer;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.datanode.DataNode;
import org.apache.hadoop.hdfs.server.datanode.metrics.DataNodeMetrics;
import org.apache.hadoop.metrics.util.MetricsTimeVaryingLong;
import static org.mockito.Matchers.anyInt;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.doAnswer;
import static org.mockito.Mockito.spy;
/**
* This class tests the building blocks that are needed to
* support HDFS appends.
*/
public class TestStuckDataNode extends TestCase {
{
DataNode.LOG.getLogger().setLevel(Level.ALL);
((Log4JLogger)DFSClient.LOG).getLogger().setLevel(Level.ALL);
}
/** This creates a slow writer and check to see
* if pipeline heartbeats work fine
*/
public void testStuckDataNode() throws Exception {
final int DATANODE_NUM = 3;
Configuration conf = new Configuration();
final int timeout = 8000;
conf.setInt("dfs.socket.timeout",timeout);
final Path p = new Path("/pipelineHeartbeat/foo");
System.out.println("p=" + p);
MiniDFSCluster cluster = new MiniDFSCluster(conf, DATANODE_NUM, true, null);
DistributedFileSystem fs = (DistributedFileSystem)cluster.getFileSystem();
DataNodeMetrics metrics = cluster.getDataNodes().get(0).myMetrics;
MetricsTimeVaryingLong spyBytesWritten = spy(metrics.bytesWritten);
DelayAnswer delayAnswer = new DelayAnswer();
doAnswer(delayAnswer).when(spyBytesWritten).inc(anyInt());
metrics.bytesWritten = spyBytesWritten;
try {
// create a new file.
FSDataOutputStream stm = fs.create(p);
stm.write(1);
stm.sync();
stm.write(2);
stm.close();
// verify that entire file is good
FSDataInputStream in = fs.open(p);
assertEquals(1, in.read());
assertEquals(2, in.read());
in.close();
} finally {
fs.close();
cluster.shutdown();
}
}
}
| 2024-04-29T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9331 |
import EverythingPodcastPanel from './Everything';
import FollowSuggestionsPodcastPanel from './FollowSuggestions';
import PinsPodcastPanel from './Pins';
import TodayPodcastPanel from './Today';
export {
EverythingPodcastPanel,
FollowSuggestionsPodcastPanel,
PinsPodcastPanel,
TodayPodcastPanel,
};
| 2024-07-22T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8829 |
%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------%
% Copyright (C) 1995-1999, 2006 The University of Melbourne.
% This file may only be copied under the terms of the GNU General
% Public License - see the file COPYING in the Mercury distribution.
%-----------------------------------------------------------------------------%
% file: muz.cpp
% main author: philip
:- module muz.
%:- pragma source_file("muz.cpp").
:- interface.
:- import_module io.
:- pred main(io__state::di, io__state::uo) is det.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
:- implementation.
:- import_module word, ztoken_io, zparser, zabstract,
string, ztype, typecheck, pair, maybe, list, dict,
getopt, require, bool.
:- pred short_option(character::in, option::out) is semidet.
:- pred long_option(string::in, option::out) is semidet.
:- pred option_defaults(string::in, option::out, option_data::out) is multi.
:- type option
---> abbreviate
; debug
; help
; toolkit
.
short_option('a', abbreviate).
short_option('d', debug).
short_option('?', help).
short_option('h', help).
short_option('p', toolkit). % used by fuzz: 'p' for prelude
short_option('t', toolkit).
long_option("abbreviate", abbreviate).
long_option("debug", debug).
long_option("help", help).
long_option("prelude", toolkit). % cf. short option 'p' used by fuzz
long_option("toolkit", toolkit).
option_defaults(_, abbreviate, bool(bool.yes)).
option_defaults(_, debug, bool(bool.no)).
option_defaults(_, help, bool(bool.no)).
option_defaults(T, toolkit, maybe_string(yes(T))).
:- func get_flags(option_table(option)) = flags.
get_flags(Option_Table) = F :-
F0 = defaults,
getopt__lookup_bool_option(Option_Table, debug, Debug),
( Debug = yes -> set_debugging_on(F0, F1) ; F1 = F0 ),
Generate = no,
( Generate = yes -> set_generating_logic(on, F1, F2) ; F2 = F1 ),
getopt__lookup_maybe_string_option(Option_Table, toolkit, Toolkit),
set_toolkit(Toolkit, F2, F).
main -->
io__set_exit_status(0),
io__get_environment_var("MUZ_TOOLKIT", MT),
{ MT = no, DT = "/usr/local/apps/muz/lib/toolkit.tex"
; MT = yes(DT)
},
{Option_Ops=
option_ops_multi(short_option, long_option, option_defaults(DT))
},
io__command_line_arguments(AL0),
{getopt__process_options(Option_Ops, AL0, AL, Maybe_Option_Table)},
( {Maybe_Option_Table = error(Message)},
zmessage("muz", [Message]),
usage
; {Maybe_Option_Table = ok(Option_Table)},
( {getopt__lookup_bool_option(Option_Table, help, yes)} ->
usage
; {AL = []} ->
zmessage("muz",
["Filename expected (for stdin use -)"]),
usage
; main(Option_Table, AL),
io__get_exit_status(Status),
io__stderr_stream(StdErr),
( {Status = 0} ->
io__write_string(StdErr,"No errors detected.\n")
; io__write_string(StdErr,"Errors detected.\n")
)
)
).
:- pred main(option_table(option), list(string), io__state, io__state).
:- mode main(in, in, di, uo) is det.
main(Option_Table, AL) -->
{Flags0 = get_flags(Option_Table),
P0 = (pred(I::in, IF::out) is det :- IF = I - Flags0),
list__map(P0, AL, AL1),
MToolkit = toolkit(Flags0),
( MToolkit = no,
AL2 = AL1
; MToolkit = yes(Toolkit),
AL2 = [Toolkit-defaults|AL1]
)},
openInputs(AL2, IOResults),
io__get_exit_status(Status),
( {Status = 0} ->
{getopt__lookup_bool_option(Option_Table, abbreviate, Abbrev)},
% The handling of flags and pragmas here is really ugly.
% These two structures need to be rethought.
processFiles(IOResults, Abbrev, zpragmaInit, ZPragma,
finish(dict__init, [])-init_schema_table, Phase),
{set_zpragma(ZPragma, Flags0, _Flags)},
( {Phase = finish(_Dict, _TP)-_} ->
{true}
; io__set_exit_status(1)
)
; {true}
).
:- type zinput ---> zinput(io__input_stream, flags).
:- pred openInputs(list(pair(string, flags)), list(zinput),
io__state, io__state).
:- mode openInputs(in, out, di, uo) is det.
openInputs([], []) --> [].
openInputs([Filename-Flags|T], Oks) -->
( {Filename = "-"} ->
io__input_stream(Stdin),
{Result = ok(Stdin)},
io__input_stream_name(Filename1) %Filename1="<standard input>"
; io__open_input(Filename, Result),
{Filename1 = Filename}
),
( {Result = error(IOError),
io__error_message(IOError, Message)},
zmessage(Filename1, [Message]), % sets exit status to 1
openInputs(T, Oks)
; {Result = ok(Stream),
Oks = [zinput(Stream, Flags)|Oks1]},
% Kludge to handle first line pragmas
io__putback_char(Stream, '\n'),
openInputs(T, Oks1)
).
:- pred zmessage(string::in, list(string)::in, io__state::di, io__state::uo)
is det.
zmessage(F, ML) -->
{P = (pred(S0::in, S::out) is det :-
string__append_list([F, ": ", S0, ".\n"], S)),
list__map(P, ML, ML1),
list__reverse(ML1, ML2)},
io__stderr_stream(StdErr),
io__write_strings(StdErr, ML2),
io__set_exit_status(1).
:- pred processFiles(list(zinput), bool, zpragma, zpragma, zphase0, zphase0,
io__state, io__state).
:- mode processFiles(in, in, in, out, in, out, di, uo) is det.
processFiles([], _, ZPragma, ZPragma, Phase, Phase) --> [].
processFiles([zinput(Stream, Flags0)|Rest], Abbrev, ZPragma0, ZPragma,
Phase0, Phase)-->
io__set_input_stream(Stream, _),
{set_zpragma(ZPragma0, Flags0, Flags)},
io__input_stream_name(Filename),
processFile(Filename, Abbrev, Flags, Flags1, Phase0, Phase1),
io__close_input(Stream),
( {Phase1 = finish(_, _)-_} ->
% Dont process later files if earlier errors
processFiles(Rest, Abbrev, zpragma(Flags1), ZPragma,
Phase1, Phase)
; {ZPragma = zpragma(Flags1), Phase = Phase1}
).
:- type typed_par == triple(par, subst, ptypes).
:- type zphase0 == pair(zphase, schema_table).
% Used to indicate the earliest phase in which errors have occured.
:- type zphase
---> lexical
; syntax
; typecheck(dict)
; finish(dict, list(pair(typed_par, flag))).
:- pred processFile(string, bool, flags, flags, zphase0, zphase0,
io__state, io__state).
:- mode processFile(in, in, in, out, in, out, di, uo) is det.
processFile(Filename, Abbrev, F0, F, P0-ST0, P) -->
( {debugging(F0)} ->
io__write_strings(["Processing ", Filename, " ...\n"])
; {true}
),
readTokenList(operators(F0), TResult),
( {TResult = ok(TS)},
( {debugging(F0)} -> writeTokenList(TS) ; {true} ),
{specification(TS, Result, ST0, ST1, F0, F1)},
{ Abbrev = no -> set_abbreviations([], F1, F2) ; F2 = F1 },
( {Result = ok(Spec)},
( {debugging(F2)} -> writeSpec(Spec) ; {true} ),
( {P0 = typecheck(D) ; P0 = finish(D, _)} ->
zcheck(F2, Spec, Status1, D, D1),
{(Status1=yes(TSpec1), P0=finish(_, TSpec0)) ->
G = generating_logic(F2),
HoP = (pred(TP::in, TPG::out) is det :-
TPG = TP - G),
list__map(HoP, TSpec1, TSpec2),
list__append(TSpec0, TSpec2, TSpec),
P1 = finish(D1, TSpec)
; P1 = typecheck(D1)
}
; {P1 = syntax}
)
; {Result = error(ErrorList)},
zmessage(Filename, ErrorList),
{P1 = syntax}
),
processFile(Filename, Abbrev, F2, F, P1-ST1, P)
; {TResult = eof,
F = F0, P = P0-ST0}
; {TResult = error(S)},
zmessage(Filename, [S]),
{F = F0, P = lexical-ST0}
),
( {debugging(F0)} ->
io__write_strings(["... finished ", Filename, "\n"])
; {true}
).
:- pred usage(io__state::di, io__state::uo) is det.
usage -->
io__stderr_stream(StdErr),
io__write_strings(StdErr, [
"Melbourne University Z typechecker, version 0.1\n",
"Copyright (C) 1996, 1997, 1998 The University of Melbourne\n",
"Usage: muz [options] <filename(s)>\n",
"Options:\n",
"\t-a-, --no-abbreviate\n",
"\t\tTurn off use of type abbreviations.\n",
"\t-t <toolkit>, --toolkit <toolkit>\n",
"\t\tTypecheck with the specified toolkit, overiding the\n",
"\t\tbuiltin default and MUZ_TOOLKIT environment variable\n",
"\t\t(-t- for typechecking without a toolkit).\n",
"\t-?, -h, --help\n",
"\t\tPrint this usage message.\n",
"\t-d, --debug\n",
"\t\tWrite debugging information to stdout.\n"
]),
io__set_exit_status(1).
| 2024-02-11T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9260 |
been trying the OS 6 and a few of OS 5 (*.979, *.1014, *.442, *.593, *.743) but still all have the same result.
My battery turned extremely hot when using the 3G network and it was also drained so fast like a broken battery (i hv never had this problem when using only GPRS/EDGE network).
Ok, just to confirm, right now and not based on your memory, if you switch mobile network options to 2G only, charge the battery, and test for a few hours, the battery does not drain rapidly and BlackBerry does not get overly warm?Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile
Ok, just to confirm, right now and not based on your memory, if you switch mobile network options to 2G only, charge the battery, and test for a few hours, the battery does not drain rapidly and BlackBerry does not get overly warm?Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile
Yes, if i use only the 2G network, everything's fine. no hot or drained battery.
The only thing I can think of that is not necessairly something wrong is that the battery is draining rapidly and the battery is getting warm because the BlackBerry is hitting the network frequently. Maybe it is apps you have running, or something about your usage patterns, or location in a 3G fringe.
The fact that there is not issue on 2G indicates to me there probably is no problem with the device hardware or battery. I also doubt you will solve the problem by finding an ideal OS version.Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile
The only thing I can think of that is not necessairly something wrong is that the battery is draining rapidly and the battery is getting warm because the BlackBerry is hitting the network frequently. Maybe it is apps you have running, or something about your usage patterns, or location in a 3G fringe.
The fact that there is not issue on 2G indicates to me there probably is no problem with the device hardware or battery. I also doubt you will solve the problem by finding an ideal OS version.Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile
App on my blackberry, they're all just the standard apps like Yahoo msgr,windows live msgr and blackberry msgr itself. blackberry is made to make all of them stay connected right?
3G network is mostly found full. i don't think this blackberry works har
der than any other phone using the 3G network. It's just a standard signal search that i guess it shouldn't give any issue to the phone.
IM apps are notorious causes of shortened battery life. I don't know why you would see a pronounced difference on 3G, but maybe it's normal. So, to find out, shut down, completely shut down, Yahoo and Live messenger. Make sure they are not running in the background. Test for 24 hours on 3G and see what happens.Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile
IM apps are notorious causes of shortened battery life. I don't know why you would see a pronounced difference on 3G, but maybe it's normal. So, to find out, shut down, completely shut down, Yahoo and Live messenger. Make sure they are not running in the background. Test for 24 hours on 3G and see what happens.Posted via BlackBerryForums.com Mobile
i've done all possible test i could do to see the cause of this battery shortage and drainage. Including turning off all apps.
The battery got worst especially when i try to download anything using the 3G network.
I've met someone who had similiar case like me and after he found the best suited OS5 for his phone (which is *.743 i'm using right now), then no
battery shortage or drainage. but this *.743 is not really good on my phone. | 2024-02-22T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7757 |
Prevention and management of radiation myelopathy.
The dramatic nature of radiation-induced spinal cord injury causes clinicians to avoid doses that could lead to this complication, sometimes even to the point of possibly compromising tumor control. As a consequence, clinical data on radiation myelopathy are limited. So far, experimental investigations have been devoted to establishing the dose-response, time-dose-fractionation relationships, and volume effects for CNS injury in various animal models. Concepts and parameters gained from such laboratory studies have been useful for the development of new radiotherapy strategies in terms of dose fraction schedules and dose adjustments as a function of radiation volumes. Further advances in therapeutic strategies, however, must come from elucidation of the pathogenesis of radiation-induced CNS injury. Results of recent studies warrant revision of the current concept that such injuries result simply from reproductive killing of glial "stem cells" and endothelial cells. Emerging evidence indicates that various cell types contribute to determining the progression of radiation lesions. | 2024-07-25T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9054 |
. Suppose 8*b - 13*b + 2510 = q. Is b a prime number?
False
Let l = 10 - -4. Is (-11)/(4/l + 1040/(-3248)) a prime number?
False
Let r(c) = 1 + c**2 + 5*c + 0*c**2 + 0 + 1. Let s be r(-5). Suppose -2*l - 5*h + 1890 = l, s*l = -5*h + 1255. Is l a composite number?
True
Suppose 0 = 4*c - 501 + 4021. Let i = c - -2931. Is i a composite number?
True
Let r(t) = 63202*t**2 - t - 4. Is r(1) a prime number?
True
Is (0 - 74644)*1/(-4) a composite number?
False
Let d = 14 + -1. Let f = 17 - d. Suppose r - 1988 = -3*r - f*j, 505 = r - 3*j. Is r prime?
True
Let z(u) = u - 2. Let o be z(5). Let a be (-162)/(-2)*o/9. Let r = a + -14. Is r a prime number?
True
Is (3/1 - 4)/(5/(-3595)) prime?
True
Suppose -7*u - x + 12 = -2*u, -x = -u. Let t(i) = 55*i**2 - 4*i - 2. Let o be t(4). Suppose u*r = -o + 2972. Is r a composite number?
True
Suppose 3*m - m = 6. Let c(p) = 2 - 7 + 22*p + 9 + 7*p. Is c(m) prime?
False
Suppose -2*c + 569 = w - 940, 5*w - 7597 = 3*c. Is w composite?
True
Let p(o) = 594*o + 9. Let a be p(9). Suppose -3*u - 1079 = -i, a = 5*i - 3*u - 2*u. Is i a composite number?
True
Is 2 + 3 - (1448/(-8) - 8) a prime number?
False
Let p(k) = 30*k**2 - 6*k + 2. Let m be p(-6). Suppose v + m = 3*a, 0*a = 3*a - 3*v - 1116. Is a prime?
True
Suppose -2*b - 7*v + 33 = -2*v, 0 = b + 2*v - 14. Suppose -b*c + 7*c = 555. Is c a composite number?
True
Let x(h) = -h**2 + 2*h - 91. Let m(y) = -y**2 + 3*y - 92. Let l(v) = 2*m(v) - 3*x(v). Let b(n) = 4*n - 4. Let s be b(1). Is l(s) composite?
False
Suppose 2*i - 7 + 33 = 0. Let t(g) = g**3 + 12*g**2 - 19*g. Let w be t(i). Suppose 0 = -0*j - 2*j + w. Is j prime?
False
Let l = 294 - -2676. Let w = 5755 - l. Is w composite?
True
Let i(c) = c**3 - 23*c**2 - 23*c - 38. Let k be i(24). Let s(w) = 9*w**2 + 6*w + 11. Is s(k) prime?
False
Let y(l) = 12*l**2 + 47*l - 23. Is y(8) a prime number?
False
Let y be ((-84972)/(-21))/2 + (-2)/14. Let p = -1068 + y. Is p a composite number?
True
Let o = -105 + 91. Is (-11001)/(-17) - o/(-595)*5 prime?
True
Suppose 10 = -2*b + 8424. Is b prime?
False
Let r(x) be the second derivative of 1/3*x**4 - 4/3*x**3 + 9/2*x**2 - 5*x + 0. Is r(7) prime?
True
Suppose 3*n = 4*m - 55 - 85, -80 = -3*m - 4*n. Let a(d) = -11*d**2 + d**3 + m - 15 + 2*d - 19 + 13*d. Is a(11) a composite number?
False
Let t be (-279)/(-36) + 3/(-4). Is 3/7 - (-118)/t*143 prime?
True
Let r = 11 - 7. Suppose 2*b - 360 = -b. Suppose r*i - 204 = 4*x, 3*x + b = 4*i - 86. Is i prime?
True
Suppose 0 = l + 2*l - 5*p - 42, 5*l - 3*p - 86 = 0. Suppose -l*j + 8635 = -14*j. Is j a prime number?
False
Suppose -13*m - 12 = -7*m. Is (-1)/((6/(-8))/((-303)/m)) prime?
False
Suppose p - 3*p + 32 = -4*x, p - x = 11. Is 5268/18 - (-2)/p prime?
True
Let i be 35841/26 + (-2)/4. Suppose -3*w + w = -i. Is w composite?
True
Let k(p) = p**3 + 15*p**2 - 12*p + 25. Let n = 42 + -56. Is k(n) a prime number?
True
Let u(b) = 36*b**2 - 5*b + 111. Is u(10) prime?
False
Let f(a) be the second derivative of 4*a**3/3 - 3*a**2/2 - a. Let w be f(1). Suppose w*s - 159 = 1156. Is s a prime number?
True
Let w(n) = -6*n**2 - 12*n - 1. Let x(m) = -13*m**2 - 25*m - 3. Let b(k) = -5*w(k) + 2*x(k). Is b(7) a composite number?
True
Suppose -p - 5*u - 40 = -3*p, -18 = -3*p - 3*u. Suppose 15*n - 19*n + 20 = 0. Is 1444/p + 3/n prime?
False
Suppose 0*v = -v + 1. Let l be v/(6/9 - 1). Let k(u) = 4*u**2 - u - 2. Is k(l) a prime number?
True
Suppose -15*c + 1746 = -430359. Is c composite?
False
Let j = 1473 - 76. Is j a composite number?
True
Let u be (-26)/39 - (-16)/6. Suppose -3*q + 864 = -5*m + 266, u*q + m = 377. Is q prime?
True
Suppose k + 5*b + 5 = 0, -b - 5 = 3*k + 4*b. Suppose k*d = 3*d - 9. Suppose d*q - 541 = 596. Is q a composite number?
False
Let p = -1 - -1. Suppose -2*v = -2*b + 2 + 12, 4*v + 13 = -b. Suppose p*s - b = s - 2*t, 0 = -s + t. Is s a prime number?
True
Suppose 157 - 910 = -q - 5*n, q - n - 765 = 0. Is q a prime number?
False
Let j(g) be the second derivative of -g**4/6 + g**3/6 + 2*g**2 + 5*g. Let v be j(-2). Let y(r) = r**3 + 8*r**2 + 2*r - 7. Is y(v) a composite number?
False
Let j be 10/(-25) - (-4)/10. Suppose j = -9*t + 14*t - 28775. Is t a prime number?
False
Suppose m - 5*s - 1404 = 0, 0 = 4*m + 5*s - 176 - 5415. Is m a prime number?
True
Let a be ((-1)/4)/(1/(-4)). Is a*2/(-4)*-166 prime?
True
Suppose -6*r + 2*r - 18 = -3*f, 2*f - r - 17 = 0. Is (-5)/(f/(-4)) - -2537 a composite number?
False
Suppose 4*a - 539749 = -3*l, 3*l + 0*a = -a + 539746. Is l a prime number?
False
Suppose -10 = -7*j + 2*j. Let f be ((-4)/(-3))/2 - 676/(-12). Suppose -j*r + f = -r. Is r prime?
False
Is (-1 - 1) + (-76 - -581) a composite number?
False
Suppose 285 = 2*a - 5. Suppose 20*k = 10*k + 1060. Let n = a + k. Is n a prime number?
True
Suppose -37*y + 40*y = -4*t + 26401, -26405 = -3*y - 2*t. Is y a prime number?
True
Let x = 164 + -104. Suppose x = u - 820. Suppose 0 = k + 2*f - 883, -3*f + u = -2*k + 3*k. Is k prime?
False
Let n(v) = v**2 + 2*v - 1. Let g be n(2). Suppose -3*l - g + 4 = 0, -4*l + 2698 = 2*j. Is j a prime number?
False
Suppose 41*y = 14*y + 2457. Is y composite?
True
Suppose 2*j = 4*a + 226, 745 = 4*j + a + 257. Is j a prime number?
False
Let b(s) = 5*s**2 - 5 + 1 + 47*s - 7 + 0. Is b(-13) prime?
True
Suppose -4*x + 7*x - 2*a = 712, -x - 4*a = -214. Suppose -3*v + f = -x, 2*f = -4*v + 4*f + 314. Is v a composite number?
True
Let d(s) = 69*s**2 - 10*s + 17. Is d(-8) a prime number?
True
Let m(a) = a**2 - 8*a + 9. Let o be m(7). Let v be (-1 + 2)/(o/6). Suppose 320 = v*c - 2*k - 145, 0 = -2*c - 2*k + 310. Is c prime?
False
Suppose -5*w + 3*a + 569 = 0, 15 = -2*a - 3*a. Let s = w + -17. Suppose 4*n = -n + s. Is n a prime number?
True
Suppose -495 = -5*y - 5*c + c, 3*y - 297 = -5*c. Suppose -66*l = -76*l + 140. Let z = y - l. Is z a prime number?
False
Is 1 + 0 + (-3 + -17053)/(-2) composite?
True
Let q(z) = z + 0 - 33 - 25*z + 10*z**2. Is q(-10) a composite number?
True
Let s be 2/(-4)*-1 + (-955)/2. Let p = -34 - s. Is p prime?
True
Let h(w) = -63*w - 16. Is h(-10) a composite number?
True
Let n(g) = g**2 - 7*g + 17. Let y be n(4). Suppose y*i + i - 8454 = 0. Is i a composite number?
False
Let j(c) be the first derivative of -c**4/4 + 11*c**3/3 - 7*c**2/2 + 13*c - 3. Suppose 3*w + 2*w - 50 = 0. Is j(w) prime?
True
Suppose 4*p + 3143 + 45223 = 6*v, 0 = -2*p. Is v prime?
False
Let m(l) = l**3 + l**2 - l + 1. Let n(r) = -5*r**3 - 15*r**2 + 3*r - 10. Let s(t) = -6*m(t) - n(t). Is s(5) a composite number?
True
Suppose 2 - 6 = -j, 5*j = -3*h + 26. Suppose 0 = -h*d + 5*y + 1035 + 176, -5*d + 2*y + 3059 = 0. Is d a prime number?
True
Suppose -3694 = 2*n - 3*n. Let x = 5315 - n. Is x a composite number?
False
Let o(i) = -i**2 - 12*i + 18. Let y be o(-13). Let f(h) = h**2 - 3*h - 11. Let n be f(y). Is 1 + 7*(-12)/n composite?
True
Let g(d) = -2*d**3 + 22*d**2 + 7*d - 29. Let j(l) = -l**3 + 11*l**2 + 3*l - 14. Let q(m) = -3*g(m) + 5*j(m). Is q(12) composite?
False
Let n = -3399 + 6100. Is n a prime number?
False
Let n(j) be the third derivative of -7*j**4/12 - 5*j**3/2 - 14*j**2. Is n(-7) a prime number?
True
Is (145/(-15))/(6874/1146 + -6) prime?
False
Let m be 9/(-54) + (-75)/(-18). Suppose -2*n - m*q = -1350, n + 4*q - q - 670 = 0. Is n prime?
False
Let t = -723 + 3610. Is t composite?
False
Let r(v) = -v + 15. Let n be r(0). Let y = n - 17. Is y/(-2*2/134) a composite number?
False
Suppose 28*w - 33*w = -12595. Is w composite?
True
Let y(v) be the third derivative of v**5/20 - 7*v**4/24 + 7*v**3/6 - 6*v**2. Is y(-10) prime?
False
Let y = -8937 - -19964. Is y composite?
False
Let k(c) = c + 12. Let t be k(-7). Suppose 5*n + 15 = t*f, -2*n + 12 = 3*n + 4*f. Suppose -5*x = -n*x + 2*h - 1827, -4*x + h = -1472. Is x composite?
False
Let o(g) = -6*g + 10. Suppose -3*d + 3*a + 90 = a, d = 2*a + 26. Suppose -5*h - d = -2. Is o(h) composite?
True
Suppose -13*k = -12*k. Suppose 5*m + 3*s = 3682, 3*m + 3*s - 2214 = -k*m. Is m composite?
True
Suppose 12 = -4*y, 1410 + 1585 = 4*i - 5*y. Suppose -6*a = -a + i. Let s = a + 228. Is s composite?
False
Let k be (88/6)/((-75)/(-36) - 2). Let l(n) = -n**3 + 5*n**2 - n + 7. Let b be l(5). Suppose -b*g - k = -684. Is g composite?
True
Let n be ((-1782)/77)/((-6)/28). Suppose -3*h = n - 1446. Is h a prime number?
False
| 2023-11-26T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1170 |
Strategic nuclear forces have unique communications requirements, which are: (1) global coverage, (2) near 100% availability, (3) long lifetime, (4) low probability of detection/interception (LPI/LPD), (5) able to operate without ground intervention, (6) capable of working through challenging atmospheric environments, (7) capable of working through post-nuclear atmospheric effects, (8) resilient to manmade and natural threats, and (9) providing against natural threats, such as Van Allen radiation belts, solar storms, and geomagnetic storms.
Currently, there are a number of communications systems employed and being developed. However, these systems do not meet all of the requirements. These systems include, but are not limited to, the Military Strategic and Tactical Relay (Milstar) communications network/Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite system, the Lunar Laser Communications Demo (LLCD), the Laser Communications Research Demo (LCRD), and the European Data Relay System (EDRS).
Regarding Milstar/AEHF, AEHF satellites are expensive. In addition, since AEHF satellites are in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), they are easy to detect and track.
LLCD demonstrated laser communications between the Earth and the Moon. LLCD's space element was placed into lunar orbit and was designed to relay scientific data from the Moon to the Earth. Although laser communications is inherently LPI/LPD, and the lunar orbit provides some resiliency to threats, LLCD does not provide global coverage, high availability, long lifetime, or the ability to operate without ground intervention.
LCRD is a planned GEO satellite being developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a laser communications technology demonstration. However, LCRD is to be located in and easily detectable GEO and does not provide global coverage, high availability, long lifetime, or the ability to operate without ground intervention.
EDRS is a planned GEO-based satellite system being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA) that utilizes an optical crosslink between two satellites. EDRS does not provide global coverage, high availability, long lifetime, or the ability to operate without ground intervention.
As such, there is a need for an improved communications system that is able to meet all of the strategic nuclear forces requirements. | 2023-09-20T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3034 |
Complicating the security landscape further, there are two or three armed extremist groups that oppose the government, as the protesters do. But these groups seem bent on disrupting the peaceful protests with armed attacks.
Their presence makes it possible for rogue elements within the various government security forces to operate with impunity and blame extremist groups for their activities.
President Salih said the shooting of the protesters was “a criminal, armed attack carried out by criminal and outlaw gangs.” He admonished the security forces, saying their responsibility was not only to protect “the peaceful demonstrators and public and private property” but also to “chase the outlaw criminals and arrest them and bring them to the judiciary for punishment.”
The protesters were shot near the Sinak Bridge, which spans the Tigris River — one of three bridges that have been taken over by protesters. In addition to the deaths, about 100 people were wounded in the shootings.
The assault started in a six-story parking garage that overlooks the bridge and the Tigris River. The garage is one of two buildings that have become protester strongholds.
“What happened was that at 8 p.m. yesterday, we were surprised when we heard a fight happen on the fourth floor and then suddenly there was shooting,” said Murtada Saad, 18, a tuk tuk driver who works around the bridge and had driven his three-wheeled vehicle into the building.
Soon after, there was shooting outside, as well as in a nearby square which the protesters have also occupied. Witnesses described a chaotic situation in which they said some gunmen appeared to be wearing the military uniforms of government forces. Some were wearing uniforms of the Popular Mobilization Forces and some were in civilian clothes. | 2024-07-28T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1384 |
Additive manufacturing systems that generate three-dimensional objects on a layer-by-layer basis have been proposed as a potentially convenient way to produce three-dimensional objects. These systems typically receive a definition of the three-dimensional object in the form of an object model. This object model is processed to instruct an additive manufacturing system to produce the object using one or more build materials. There are many different types of additive manufacturing systems. The processing of the object model may vary based on the type of additive manufacturing system. | 2023-11-05T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6931 |
Q:
Sorting lines within paragraphs
I need to change the order of the lines of the paragraphs in a text file where each paragraph has this structure:
<body>blah blah</body>
<date>some date</date>
<user>some name</user>
I need the line with <user>some name</user> to be the first one in each paragraph. I.e.:
<user>some name</user>
<body>blah blah</body>
<date>some date</date>
How do I accomplish this, in awk, sed, etc.?
A:
awk to the rescue!
assuming paragraphs are separated with one or more blank lines you can do this
$ awk 'BEGIN{RS=""; OFS=FS="\n"} {for(i=1;i<=NF;i++)
if($i~/user/) {$1=$i OFS $1;
$i=""}}1' text
<user>some name</user>
<body>blah blah</body>
<date>some date</date>
<user>some name</user>
<body>blah blah</body>
<date>some date</date>
<user>some name</user>
<body>blah blah</body>
<date>some date</date>
you can fine tune the pattern "user" for a more accurate match but works for the sample input.
| 2023-08-03T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3000 |
This house in Kea was designed and built respecting the special characteristics of its surrounding landscape and using the island’s traditional building techniques. The designed evolved around maintaining the existing flora, restructuring the site’s terracing and organizing the house in volumes that are either independent or ‘rise’ as intermediate gaps.
The building is placed on a terrace, with its entrance found in the void between the volume of the house and the terrace behind it. A path parallel to the slope of the site connects the distinct building volumes and three courtyards, each with different characteristics: a covered courtyard (in the heart of the building), a shaded one by the oak trees (close to the living room) and one exposed to the sun (at the end of the corridor). Perpendicular to the main path, the main areas of the building (the living room and the two bedrooms) open up towards the sea. The circulation and service spaces (entrance, corridors and bathrooms) are defined as voids that connect the different volumes of the main spaces.
The configuration of the flat roof corresponds to the plan of the house, as it depicts the individual volumes and the relationship between them. It also functions as the main facade of the building, directly exposed as one approaches the site. The roof is formed so as to provide cross ventilation to the main living and sleeping areas and features a system of collectors that direct the rainwater to the cistern. The house was constructed using local building techniques, with exposed concrete finishes applied to most of its surfaces (floors, external walls, internal wet areas). | 2023-08-15T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5187 |
AN IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF STANLEY KUBRICK'S FILM THE SHINING - 4 p.m.
Go to Table of Contents of the analysis (which has also a statement on purpose and manner of analysis and a disclaimer as to caveat emptor and my knowing anything authoritatively, which I do not, but I do try to not know earnestly, with some discretion, and considerable thought).
The most important thing which must be kept in mind with Kubrick's films is there is the surface or principle story and then the internal or sub-story. In many of his films, if we're really paying attention, set elements pretty much immediately destroy the surface naturalism. One may not notice this destruction the first, second or third time one watches the film. Through constructive disorientation and disconnectedness, and sleight of hand as to where our eye focuses, Kubrick, the magician, intentionally obfuscates these elements that destroy the overt and naturalistic story line. The surface story lines are the principle ones, and this is maintained and supported by the intentional obfuscation of the deconstructive elements which keep them sub rosa. At the same time, these deconstructive elements are plainly there, alongside his tremendous effort to make things look real and believable, and once we bypass the disorientation and his purposeful refocusing they become a puzzle, annihilating the sense of reality. This destruction of the film's naturalistic story line is difficult enough to conceive of and accept that most people stop at this point and decide these puzzling aspects of Kubrick's films are errors when they are not. They are part of the art of a director cleverly designing the overt story line to be unimpeded by an internal story that tears it apart. Indeed, the sub rosa elements of the internal story may be discreet but they are enough in evidence to complicate the surface story with an aura of attractive, indefinable mystery, which is one of the reasons viewers return to Kubrick again and again. To work with the "reason" and "why of the internal story line is to try to settle into Kubrick's sensibility, examining how these internal stories form a dialogue in his oeuvre with repeating themes and ideas, elaborated upon from film to film. The internal stories haven't a "plot"; they aren't that kind of story. Instead, you have to be willing to deal with comprehending the themes and ideas represented in them as instead ultimately forming a different terrain for the setting of the surface story, guiding and interacting with the overt story and giving it a new form.
SUBHEADERS FOR THIS SECTION:
JACK RELEASED FROM THE STORY ROOM - THE DOUBLE LOCK AND THE BLENDING OF C1 and C2
DICK IN THE SNOWCAT- THE GREEN MAN
REDRUM
JACK ATTACKS - KUBRICK COMMENTS ON JACK's BLOOD MARKING THE DOOR WITH PENDERECK's PASSOVER CANON - IMPLICATIONS OF RESURRECTION CONFERRED BY THE MUSIC
DICK REACHES THE HOTEL - SNOWCAT BEFORE THE PYRAMID OF SNOW - THE CABINET IN WHICH DANNY HIDES - CHANGE OF ORIENTATAION OF THE KITCHEN TO THE HOTEL'S LAYOUT - THE MURDER OF DICK - THE PROBLEM OF THE PILLAR
THE BEAST AND A PRIME REASON WHY IT IS SO DISTURBING
JACK PURSUES DANNY INTO THE MAZE, THE ENTRANCE OF WHICH HAS SHIFTED
GREAT PARTY, ISN'T IT - THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AS THE GREAT DIVIDE AS THE GREAT PARTY
4 P.M. - Into the maze
JACK RELEASED FROM THE "STORY" ROOM - THE DOUBLE LOCK AND THE BLENDING OF C1 AND C2
508 Title card 4 pm(1:54:19)
509 LS exterior Overlook(1:54:22)
The exterior of the lodge again, immersed in darkness. We are deep in the watery blue gloom of winter. The image is the same as opened the Wednesday section, only further removed. The same four lights shine in the left and right wings of the lodge as in the opening, establishing shot on Wednesday. Indeed, there is almost nothing to tell the difference between the two but we view at a greater distance and there is a slight vignette around the periphery.
Figure 1 - 4 p.m.
510 MS Jack zooming out(1:54:27)
Cut to the storeroom in which Jack is asleep on bags of Holly Salt. The red leaf design of the Holly salt is paired with a blue leaf design on a box to the right. A jar of peanut putter is open beside him, peanuts, Oreos. A box of Rice Krispies lies nearby that had fallen when he'd earlier limped to the door to talk to Wendy. We hear the howling wind.
There are four knocks on the storeroom door. After a few moments, Jack stirs. There are four more knocks. He sits up, hand on his hurting head.
JACK: Wendy?
VOICE OUTSIDE DOOR: It's Grady, Mr. Torrance. Delbert Grady.
JACK: Grady?
Jack feels his injured ankle then pulls himself up and struggles limping to the door.
Fig. 2 - Jack rises from his bed of salt.
To the right of the door we see "No Smoking" on the wall. The Calumet tins of baking powder aren't in sight in this shot.
Fig. 3 - No smoking. No Calumet.
JACK: Ah, Grady. Grady, I, uh...hello, Grady.
GRADY: Mr. Torrance, I see you can hardly have taken care of the...
511 MCU Jack from right(1:54:27) Cut to Jack from the side, the right, bracing himself on the door.
GRADY: ...business we discussed.
JACK: No need to rub it in Mr. Grady. I'll deal with that situation as soon as I get out of here.
As Jack stands back from the door, the camera following, we see canisters of the Calumet baking powder behind him.
Fig. 4 - Jack standing before where the door for C2 is out in the hall, unseen on the interior
GRADY: Will you indeed, Mr. Torrance. I wonder. I have my doubts. I, and others, have come to believe that your heart is not in this. That you haven't the belly for it.
JACK (laughs): Just give me one more chance to prove it, Mr. Grady. It's all I ask.
GRADY: Your wife appears to be stronger than we imagined, Mr. Torrance. Somewhat more...resourceful. She seems to have got the better of you.
JACK: For the moment, Mr. Grady. Only for the moment.
GRADY: I fear you will have to deal with the matter in the harshest possible way, Mr. Torrance. I fear...that is the only thing to do.
There is a long moment of silence, the wind howling, then we hear the locks being undone without. Jack smiles.
The camera shows behind Jack the area where the door to the C2 storage room should be in accordance with it being seen in an exterior shot around the corner from the C1 door. But when we saw the C2 storage room door, it was connected with one of those right angle mysterious turns that occurs with a disappearance, such as the C2 room not being possible when we rounded the corner and saw the C1 door. The C2 door may not be there on the interior, but due the existence of the C2 door in the exterior shot, we have, in essence, two rooms suggested as being here, which may have something to do with the two locks on the C1 door whereas the other locker doors have only one each and a padlock.
I don't mean that the C2 door is to be taken as a door to the C1 storage room. Instead, this is a space in which two separate rooms occupy one space.
Much is made of how Jack gets out of the "story" room, C1, as if it can be shown that Wendy didn't properly lock the door and this lapse is sufficient to explain away every weird event in the film. As if the impossible window is any less problematic if we find that Wendy didn't properly lock the C1 door. As if all the impossibilities (and there are many, as the whole place is an impossibility) would be less problematic. The hotel is a hotbed of anomalies that demonstrate that there can be no expectation of absolutely rational answers in the film, not when the Torrances arrived with a comical amount of luggage that in no way would have fit into their small VW. The manner in which Kubrick focuses in on the double locks, as Wendy first opens the C1 door, then closes Jack in, gives the impetus for people to look for a rational reason for Jack escaping. Kubrick makes it reasonable for people to assume she she didn't properly bolt the locks shut when she was having so much problem opening them. But, for me, what stands out is that this door has two locks when the other doors have one.
The problem of the unlocked door returns us also to the problem of how the door to room 237 came to be unlocked. The C1 door has two locks. Room 237 had two doors.
Concerning the emphasis on anamnesis and the choices of music used in this section having to do with Passover and Christ's Death and Resurrection, I think we need to pay attention to those and consider that the door opened mysteriously, just as in the Easter rolling the stone away from the crypt story.
But before getting into that, I'd like to spend a little time looking at this scene in respect of Jacob's ladder. When one considers the already established relationship with the story of Jacob's ladder, one may have cause to wonder if there is an association with Jack's limp. Jacob was also lamed at the end of his wrestling with an "angel" (more appropriately Esau's angel or what might be called Jacob's "evil inclination"). The laming that caused Jacob to limp comes from the word TsLH, meaning one-sided, as in the curve of a rib. Because of the laming there came a ban on eating the sciatic nerve, cutting away the veins and fat. The sciatic nerve, which isn't kosher, is called "gid hanasheh" meaning "to forget", and is symbolic for Jacob's dark side, humanity's darker side, that not ruled by reason, which was the point at which Jacob was weak and so he was struck in this place. NShH (of hanasheh) is to neglect as in the sense of failure, and is also a word for debt, to lend or borrow with interest, oblivion. The ban against eating the sciatic nerve is due it is this place, this thing, which causes one to forget reason and morality.
I explore this not only because of Kubrick's tying in the story with Jacob and Esau, but because of Jack being observed lying on bags of "Holly salt" as this scene opens, which could possibly be intended to bring to mind holy salt. Kosher salt. In the "8 am" scene where we first observed Jack standing in the "story" room, catching his ankle and falling against some boxes, showing he'd been injured, in the foreground was prominently placed a bottle of Kosher Dill Pickles.
Kosher salt is used in porging, draining the meat of blood, in order to make it kosher.
If I pursue some of these angles it's because of the choice of musical compositions and some other elements that fit with them through the course of the movie, or seem to fit to me, so allow me to run with it.
I've already gone into the connection between 42 and "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy". But the English word, dull, seems much like the Hebrew, DLL, which means weakness, poverty, languishing, even something dangling (such as a hair. From this comes the name Delilah, who conquered Samson by cutting his hair, robbing him of his strength. She led him astray from his Nazarite purpose, which I suppose could be compared to Grady being concerned with Wendy and Danny leading Jack away from his near sacred devotion to the Overlook. She threatens to make him forget his responsibilities there for concern for his family.
Kubrick has used many, many well known commercial items in the storeroom, but doing a search of the internet I can find nothing for Holly Salt. Even if it was a commercial product that was eventually discontinued, the internet is pretty good about having histories and old ads for such items, and there is nothing for a brand, Holly Salt. Yet there are at least 6 very large bags of Holly Salt that Jack has made for his bed, surrounded by a wealth of known commercial products--and there are 3 more bags that appear to be Holly Salt on a low pallet beside him. We saw these bags also when Wendy was being shown the storage room by Dick, but they were placed in such a way where we couldn't observe what they were, no product or commercial name shown, and there weren't the 3 extra bags on the low pallet.
Figure 5 - The salt bags on Closing Day.
Music referring to the Passover is also used in the film, and I shall come to that again in a moment and link back again to the storerooms.
Passover, pasach, means to limp, to jump over, to be lame. There is some relationship to be drawn between this and the laming of Jacob, though he was described as lamed as in TsLH.
And now back to how Jack got out of the "story" locker. In Eyes Wide Shut Bill's mask mysteriously disappears from his Rainbow bag and then finds its way onto his pillow at the end of the film. I have written about this in my analysis on the film and shown how in the context of the visual sensibility of the film Bill had himself placed the mask on his pillow. When he puts it in the credenza, Kubrick crossfades to the bedroom and we see, in effect, Bill putting the mask on his bed. We have something of the same happening here with the blending of the C2 and C1 rooms.
When, on Closing Day, Stuart and Bill lead Jack an Wendy to the boiler room, we have a crossfade from the kitchen to the hall behind the office. Note to the right how the door to the "story" room, the C-1 locker, briefly fits right over a metal storage unit before which a worker is laboring.
Fig. 50 - Crossfade from the kitchen to the service hall behind the office.
In some later shots of the hall, one of the doors of the storage unit before which the man is standing is open. This storage unit is a duplicate of another storage unit further down in which Danny will hide when Jack is on his murderous rampage, its door open in that section rather than the one of this storage unit.
Fig. 51 - Stuart leads the Torrances through the service hall behind the office, on the way from the kitchen to the basement.
This storage unit is directly opposite a time clock.
On Closing Day, Jack shows Wendy into the C-4 locker, then we have the skip to his showing her into the C-3 meat locker and we see beyond it the timeclock for the kitchen employees. One should perhaps look at that timeclock as commenting on both and scenes and the "flip" which happens so that Dick shows Wendy an opposing locker.
When the Torrances and Bill and Ullman are going down the hall behind the office on Closing Day, that employee who is standing before the locker in the crossfade turns and crosses the hall and enters Ullman's office door. Kubrick makes a point of showing Ullman turning to look at him as he enters that office door. An entirely innocent crossing but I think it somewhat speaks to Jack's ability to exit the "story" room door. And it concerns the crossfade which links the storage room to that storage unit in the other hall, the one from which the employee turned to open the office door, the one which is later shown with one of its doors open. The storage units are so alike it would be easy to confuse one for the other.
To understand what I'm getting at you'd probably need to read the post on The Internal Logic for the Discovery of the Mask on the Pillow (in Eyes Wide Shut). I have even wondered if the manner in which Kubrick used the cupboard, the mask entering it then appearing on the pillow, and how this is based on a visual logic in the film, was partly an exposition on the metal cupboards in The Shining and how Jack got out of the "story" room. The mask, put in the cupboard, disappears then reappears in what seems a completely different place, but the pillow on the bed has been visually connected with the cabinet. The open door of one of the storage cabinet doors in the hall behind the office, is replaced by the open storage cabinet door of the other cabinet. They are the same but different. Dick begins to show Wendy and Danny into the C-4 lockere, but instead they enter the C-3 locker. The C-2 exterior door is observed but the C-2 room is replaced by the C-1 room and made impossible. But it is there for a purpose. Jack, locked in the C-1 room, may find his way out of the C-1 room because the C-2 room overlays it, it inhabits the same space, not literally, but in the same way that the Greenwich streets Bill navigates in Eyes Wide Shut are all the same streets but with different facades that don't even completely hide their other life. The repeating pieces of a maze, different parts of which look so familiar as to be nearly identical, but aren't, and places that look very different but turn out to be connected.
DICK IN THE SNOWCAT - THE GREENMAN
512 LS Snowcat(1:57:43)
Cut to Dick driving the Snowcat toward the lodge in a curiously peaceful view in which we see no snow falling. Red lights blink alternatively on the left and right side of the vehicle. As the Snowcat nears, it could be said to have an animal-like face.
The scene is so pristine, reminiscent of the clean lines of the maze, and with the manner of its layout, one has the feeling of the Snowcat itself making its way through a maze.
A crossfade from the Snowcat to Dick shows Dick as an anthropomorphized tree, a kind of Green Man.
Figure 7 - Dick as the Green Man.
The most notable instance of something similar was the anthropomorphized plant in the Wednesday sequence in which we had a crossfade of Jack fleeing Room 237 blending him with a plant in Dick's Miami home.
Perhaps Kubrick wanted to have a balance to Jack polymorphing into a plant in Miami, so we now have Dick as the Green Man.
A fairly quick crossfade to the path through the forest seen from behind Dick, Dick appearing as a silhouette.
REDRUM
515 MCU Danny in Suite 3 bedroom(1:58:39)
Cut to Danny in the suite 3 bedroom, seen beside the vanity, a picture of a snowbound landscape behind him. He is dressed in a sweater and plaid shirt in brown and rust tones. He advances forward. We clearly see behind him the television and the window, its drapes shut, which is also an impossible window, this being an interior apartment.
DANNY: Redrum. Redrum. Redrum. Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.
The television in suite 3.
The television is the same model as the ones in Boulder and Miami.
Dick watching Miami's Channel 10 news.
The television in Boulder.
Danny pauses beside the bed, looking down on his mother, who is sleeping, and picks up from the nightstand the knife she had gotten from the kitchen.
We see the lamp on the bedside table now has a wood base, matching a lamp with the wood base that was on the vanity. Beside it we see a toy green army tank.
Cut to Danny standing before the bathroom door, Wendy seen beyond him sleeping. He begins to write with the lipstick. This is a moment he had foreseen and now it is being fulfilled.
DANNY (as he writes the R): Redrum. Redrum. (As he writes the E.) Redrum. Redrum. (As he writes the backwards D.) Redrum. (He writes the backward R. First he makes a small D and then adds its legs, forming an R.) Redrum. (As he writes the U.) Redrum. (As he writes the M.) Redrum. (A pause.) Redrum. Redrum. (He turns to Wendy and his voice rises.) Redrum. Redrum. Redrum.
Note that Danny writes the center R first as a D, then adds the legs, making it an R. The center R and D are backward, whereas the M and U can be read left to right or right to left as they're symmetrical. The R and D remind me of Wendy's yellow jacket in the Saturday section with the two cactus on the front pockets which looked like 4's, and I had wondered if these could represent D's (daleth, door). Then when she turned we saw a cactus on the back of her jacket that was then reversed...and had a person taking a siesta against it. In the next section Wendy was wearing the same jacket and was lying down. Here, Wendy is sleeping. These are the only times we see her resting/sleeping.
Figure 9 - Danny goes to Wendy.
Wendy starts up.
517 MS Wendy seen from the rear of Danny. (2:00:49)
Danny begins saying "redrum" now in his normal voice, coming out of his Tony trance, Wendy shocked to see him facing her with the knife in hand.
WENDY: AH!!
DANNY: Redrum! Redrum!
WENDY: Danny!
DANNY: Redrum!
WENDY: Danny! (She grabs the knife from him.)
DANNY: Redrum!
WENDY: Danny, stop it!
DANNY: Redrum! Redrum!
WENDY: Danny!
DANNY: Redrum!
At 2:00:57 the camera does a quick zoom in on Wendy screaming as she looks at it.
518 MS The bathroom door in the vanity mirror. (2:00:58)
A shot of REDRUM on the bathroom door in the vanity mirror. This is what Wendy had screamed at, reading the word in the mirror as MURDER. The camera does a quick zoom in on the word..
Figure 10 - Wendy sees MURDER.
The reflection of the door in the mirror is slightly different than when the door is seen not in the mirror. There's something on the middle panel above the word murder.
It's interesting that in Danny's vision (less precognitive than one he made manifest, as he saw the word then later writes it) the door was shot from below at an extreme angle such as with the 2001 monolith. Much the same angle was used for Wendy when looking at Jack's papers, then with Jack in the story room at its locked door.
Figure 10b.
Figure 10c.
Figure 10d.
We also had an extreme low angle shot is that of Jack after he's been injured and is locked in the storage room.
Figure 10e.
All of these extreme low angle shots seem to be related to Jack's mysterious movements around the lodge.
When Wendy had been seen at this extreme angle from below the typewriter, Jack had seemingly materialized out of the shadows as she read the repeating phrase on his papers. When Jack had been seen at this extreme angle in the storage room, he had been conversing with Grady and then was mysteriously released from the locked room. With the vision of the door seen at this extreme angle we had precognitively seen a word that Danny would later write. After this event is realized, Jack suddenly appears, having escaped the storage room.
I should note that it appears Wendy may be wearing Jack's blue robe from the Monday section in which Danny went to the suite to get his fire truck and found Jack sitting on the edge of the bed rather than asleep.
JACK ATTACKS - KUBRICK COMMENTS ON JACK'S BLOOD MARKING THE DOOR WITH PENDERECKI'S PASSOVER CANON - IMPLICATIONS OF RESURRECTION CONFERRED BY THE MUSIC
519 MS Wendy and Danny. (2:01:02)
BOOM! Wendy, Danny in her arms, looks to her right (our left) as we hear Jack attack the apartment door.
520 MS Jack axing the door. (2:01:04)
Cut to Jack heaving an axe into the door. Once. Twice.
521 MS Wendy and Danny. (2:01:08)
Wendy lifts Danny in her arms and glances in a panic around the room.
522 MS Jack axing the door. (2:01:11)
Jack slams the axe into the door again. And again.
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523 MS Wendy and Danny. (2:01:13)
Wendy glances to the bathroom door and back at the hall. We hear the axe fall again. And again. She goes to open the bathroom door. Again we hear the axe fall as she enters the bathroom with Danny.
Figure 11 - Wendy hides with Danny in the bathroom.
524 MS Wendy and Danny inside the bathroom. (2:01:21)
Wendy has put Danny down and he clings to her as she bolts the bathroom door and locks it. We hear the axe again.
525 MS Jack axing the door. (2:23:37)
Jack slices open the door with the axe.
526 MS Wendy and Danny inside the bathroom. (2:01:27)
We see the bathroom door in the vanity mirror in the bathroom, Wendy tossing the knife into the sink. We hear the axe again as she rushes to the toilet and pushes off of it all the cleaning supplies and toiletries. We hear the axe as she opens the bathroom window.
527 MS Wendy from outside the window. (2:01:32)
We hear the axe again as we see, from outside, Wendy forcing up the windowpane.
528 MCU Danny. (2:01:35)
Cut to Danny facing the door in terror, clinging to his mother, as he hears again the axe.
529 MS Jack axing the door. (2:01:37)
Cut to Jack again axing the door.
530 MS The bathroom window, exterior. (2:01:38)
Cut to Wendy struggling to get out the bathroom window. We hear the axe.
531 LS The bathroom window, exterior. (2:01:41)
Cut to a long shot of the bathroom window which shows us for the first time the relationship of suite 3 to the lodge and how, with the exception of the bathroom window, the rest of its windows are impossible, for the room is in the center of the lodge and as an interior room it can only have one wall that avails it of window light.
Wendy tries to get out the window but she is too large. She pulls back in.
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532 MS Jack axing the door. (2:01:44)
Jack again heaves the axe.
Figure 12 - Jack axes the door.
533 MS The door from inside the apartment. (2:01:46)
We see the axe successfully take out a chunk of door. Jack peers through the hole.
534 MCU Jack through the door. (2:01:51)
JACK: Wendy, I'm home!
He reaches in and turns the green key.
535 MS Wendy and Danny. (2:01:57)
Wendy lifts Danny to the window.
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536 LS Bathroom window exterior. (2:02:00)
His feet pushed through first, we watch as Danny successfully emerges and slides down the pyramid of snow. One can see in Figure 13 how the bathroom window facing south makes all the other windows of the apartment impossible as they are interior windows and would be on the west. This is the first time we are given an orientation of the apartment relative to the rest of the building, and thus the first time we have any idea that only the bathroom window is legitimate. But then Kubrick has also downplayed the other windows in the apartment. When we have seen daylight in the room, we have never seen it coming from the other windows themselves, only the bathroom window. We have only seen the other windows when they are draped.
Figure 13 - Danny slides down the pyramid of snow.
537 MS Bathroom window exterior. (2:02:11)
Wendy again struggles to get through but is unable. We see in the left hand corner the bathroom curtain billowing wildly, as if a great deal of wind is entering the room through the window.
538 MS Jack mounting stairs. (2:02:16)
Cut to Jack, having entered the suite, mounting the apartment's inner stairs.
539 MS Bathroom window exterior. (2:02:23)
Wendy still struggles to get out the window. Giving up, she retreats back into the bathroom.
540 MS Danny outside lodge. (2:02:27)
Freezing in the wind, Danny watches the bathroom window, waiting for his mother.
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541 MS Jack from rear. (2:02:29)
Cut to shot of Jack from the rear as he advances toward the bedroom.
JACK: Come out, come out, wherever you are.
Figure 14 - Jack enters the bedroom.
From this perspective we don't see the flowers that should be on the vanity, which we saw when Danny took the lipstick from the vanity, which we saw when Wendy viewed the word MURDER in the vanity mirror. They were also unobserved from this perspective (Danny's) in the Monday section when he entered the suite and saw Jack sitting on the side of the bed. The flowers were also there in the Wednesday scenes that took place in this room.
542 MS Wendy. (2:02:35)
Wendy struggles with pushing up the window pane, the camera's angle now from inside the bathtub, watching from beyond the shower curtain. Again, she tries to climb out.
543 MS Bathroom window exterior. (2:02:39)
Cut to Wendy unsuccessfully trying to get out the window.
544 MCU Jack at bathroom door. (2:02:42)
Cut to Jack approaching the bathroom door, a picture of a snowy house or barn beyond him on the wall. He tries the door and finds it locked. Smiling, he knocks.
545 MS Bathroom window exterior. (2:02:56)
Wendy is still only halfway out the window.
WENDY: Danny, I can't get out!
546 LS Danny before the lodge. (2:03:00)
Cut to Danny standing at the foot of the pyramid of snow looking up at his mother.
WENDY: Run! Run and hide! Run! Quick!
Danny turns and runs away from the window, as if toward the unseen maze.
547 MCU Jack before door. (2:03:09)
JACK: Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in.
548 MCU Wendy in the bathroom. (2:03:15) Wendy grabs the knife from the sink. We've a brief view of the bathtub as she goes to stand to the inner right of the door, terrified.
549 MCU Jack before door. (2:03:20)
JACK: Not by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin? Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll...
Cut to a shot of Jack's hand, the knife slashing from left to right off it, splashing blood on the door, the cut hand withdrawing through the door.
Figure 15 - Jack's hand sliced.
561 MCU Jack through door. (2:04:25) Jack screams and turns from the door.
Jack's blood marks the bathroom door. On the other side of the door, in this area, is where Danny had written "redrum" in red lipstick. If we had x-ray vision and could see through this door, we'd see the word "murder". And this seems very important to me, that Kubrick has chosen to have Jack's blood splashed on the opposite side of the door from MURDER/REDRUM.
Both the cutting and the reversal can be compared to the scene in A Clockwork Orange when Alex cuts Dim's hand, receiving inspiration from music he'd heard wafting through a window.
The name Dim is from Burgess' book but it also carries an important connection to Lolita.
When Lolita had appeared in Humbert's room with his breakfast tray, surprising him as he wrote in his secret diary, Humbert attempted to divert her attention from the journal by reading her words from "the divine Edgar", as in Allen Poe.
Notice how he emphasizes this word. "It was hard by the dim lake of Auber, in the misty mid region of Weir." You see, he takes a word like "dim" in one line and twists it? And it comes back as "mid region of Weir".
We can apply this to Kubrick's flip horizontals, his reversals. And with MURDER/REDRUM we've another here, this one echoed by the blood smeared on the other side of the door.
As Jack axed the door, Penderecki's "Kanon Paschy" played, which is concerned with the entombment and resurrection of Christ and is the Passover Canon, Christ serving as the Passover lamb whose blood marked on doors prevented the Destroyer from entering those homes consecrated with the blood, the Destroyer going on to take the lives of the firstborn of the Egyptians and any with unmarked doors.
When Dick had taken Wendy and Danny into freezer C4, he had listed off all the meat contained therein then had asked Danny if he liked lamb, whereupon they exited out of freezer C3 on the other side of the hall. With Jack's mysterious release from the virtual prison of the "story" room and then his axing through a door while the Passover Canon plays, it might do well to consider the idea of entombment and resurrection as signified by the music.
I had already noted the possibility of a Passover theme earlier when Jack was locked in the storage room.
The Passover marking of the door was on the lintel and the two doorposts. Which draws us now to think about the blood red doors of the elevators. We have also seen smaller versions of these that look for all the world to again be elevators, but it is only after the marking of this door, when Wendy is fleeing in a later scene, that she finally uses one of those smaller versions and we find the red panels are not elevators at all but are as large decorative door posts (really, mock doors) to a central brown door.
Struck with the knife, Jack has withdrawn his hand howling, wounded. Though it's a relatively minor wound, Wendy is saved, for Dick now arrives on the scene.
In A Clockwork Orange, after Dim is cut, Alex is taken by his droogs to the cat woman's house. It is a set up, for after he mortally injures the cat woman, the droogs assault him on the doorstep between two sphinx statues (another hybrid animal, of feline and woman) and leave him for the police. Dick's death, he having arrived in the snow cat, thus echoes the death of the cat woman.
DICK REACHES THE THE HOTEL - SNOWCAT BEFORE THE PYRAMID OF SNOW - THE CABINET IN WHICH DANNY HIDES - CHANGE OF ORIENTATION OF KITCHEN TO HOTEL'S LAYOUT - THE MURDER OF DICK
562 MCU View from Snowcat. (2:04:28)
Cut to a view from the Snowcat from behind Dick, it snowing heavily again now. We see old timbers without limbs or foliage that mimic the axed fragments of the panel of the door. A light rises above the horizon. Another two lights to the right of that. We see to the left the tall central pyramidal roof tower of the Overlook, the Snowcat quickly closing in on it.
Figure 16 - Dick sees the Overlook.
563 MCU Wendy. (2:04:46)
Wendy stands, gasping, by the door. Hearing the Snowcat, she looks toward the window.
564 MCU Jack from rear. (2:04:53)
Cut to Jack outside the bathroom door, also hearing the Snowcat. He stands back from the door.
565 LS Snowcat, lodge exterior.(2:05:03)
Cut to the Snowcat descending the hill beside the pipes and driving past the garage.
566 MCU Jack from rear. (2:05:13)
Listening to the Snowcat, Jack faces the bathroom door again.
567 MCU Wendy. (2:05:20)
Wendy glances from the bathroom window to the door.
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568 LS Snowcat, lodge exterior.(2:05:24)
The Snowcat rolls to a stop at the base of the pyramid of snow outside the lit bathroom window. The engine cuts off.
Figure 17 - The Snowcat parks before the pyramid of snow.
I remember the first time I saw The Shining and saw in the snowbank, down which Danny slides, a pyramid, and in the Snowcat the sphinx. My intuition is confirmed by the comparison I've just made between events here and in A Clockwork Orange Dim's hand is cut by Alex; Alex is taken by his droogs to the Cat Woman's house, where he mortally injures her. When Alex exits onto her porch, which is decorated with twin sphinxes, his droogs attack him and leave him for the police. Here, Jack's hand has been wounded. Now Dick arrives in the Snow Cat and parks at the base of the pyramid. Another Snow Cat sits useless in the garage, having been disabled by Jack.
With Dick's approach of the lodge, and our view of it as the front of the Timberline, and then his coming over the hill on the left, we have also yet another confirmation that this view of the set's lodge, however different from the Timberline, serves as the front of the lodge. In the Closing Day section I have already written on this at length, why and how the front and back of the lodge are interchangeable.
569 LS Danny running down service hall.(2:05:30)
Cut to Danny running through the lobby area, past the bathrooms, into the green service hall behind the offices. We hear the wind howling. He passes the clock that appears to read about 5:20. He looks back as he reaches the door to Ullman's office. He looks to his right (our left) at the doors that would lead to the hall beyond Ullman's office, then scrambles into a waiting partially open cabinet.
Figure 8 - Danny hides in the second pairing of cabinets. Just as his mother couldn't get the window all the way open, he can't close the cabinet all the way
I have previously discussed how we have a doubling of the two cabinets in this hall. On Closing Day we don't see this cabinet door open but a door open in the corresponding cabinet of a doubled pair down the hall.
We also see the same door open of the doubled pair in the Saturday section as Danny cycles past on his way to his encounter with the girls.
Figure 9 - A corresponding cabinet of another pair was open on Tuesday but now is closed.
That corresponding cabinet door of that doubled pair, further down the hall, that was open on Closing Day and on Saturday, is closed in this scene. Instead we have this cabinet's door open. The other cabinet couldn't have been used by Danny to hide in as the open door had shown it had a shelf in it, while this cabinet does not. Another benefit of this cabinet door being open, instead of the first, is that Danny will have more time to escape from Jack when Jack enters the hall.
This cabinet, of the second pair of cabinets, doubles the other one so exactly that there even seems to be the same kind of damage on the wall to the left of the cabinet. Or is there damage on the wall? As you can see in Figure 8, the wall has the appearance of being bashed in in 3 places beside the second cabinet. If you look at Figure 9, at the corresponding cabinet in the first set, there are these marks in the same exact spot. However, they are similitudes, for if you look at the area close up you see these may not be bash marks in the wall but some kind of apparatus hidden to the side of the cabinet. This may also be the same case with the other cabinet, but if it is, the apparatus is more carefully concealed so that instead we appear to have the bash marks on the wall.
Comparing the two sets of cabinets.
This is much like the exact doubling of the silhouette of Dick in his Matador car, and the silhouette of Jack as he stepped out from behind the wall/pillar, surprising Wendy.
This adds significance to a Closing Day scene in this hall, when a man with brown-blond hair who was standing at the first set of cabinets putting up dishes then crossed over to Stuart's office door and entered it after the group had passed, Ullman glancing back at him.
What Ullman had said on Closing Day, as he glanced back at the man who was going to his room, was, "Well, the last days are very hectic (glance back). Everybody always wants to be on their way as early as possible. By 5 o'clock tonight, you'll never know anybody was ever here."
There's a kind of odd choreography going on here that links the Closing Day scene in the hall with this one, through Ullman glancing back at the man who enters his office, just as he passes the 2nd set of cabinets in which Danny will later hide, and Danny running down the same hall, seeing "the door" (as Kubrick says in the documentary) and glancing over to the cabinet, seeing its open, and deciding to hide in it. The door he sees is not the one into Ullman's office but the one that goes into the hall behind Ullman's office. And yet, through these glances, the events seem to have some correspondance. It is also after 5 o'clock.
570 MCU Danny inside the cabinet.(2:05:43)
Cut to Danny inside the cabinet.
571 MS Cabinet exterior.(2:05:46)
Danny tries to slam the door shut but it only partially closes.
570
571
572 LS Jack in kitchen.(2:05:47)
Cut to Jack limping through the kitchen past the open door to C1. He appears to have come down the hall leading past the other storage rooms, but this doesn't make much sense as he should have turned at the corner and passed directly outside the C1 door, instead of passing behind the table. Especially as he is injured he would economize movement. Instead, it almost seems as though he has simply materialized in the middle of the kitchen. We've no idea why he would be passing through here when he was last observed in the suite. The wind howls.
Figure 10 - Jack limps through the kitchen.
573 MCU Wendy.(2:05:58)
Weeping in the corner by the bathroom door, Wendy comes to the realization that Jack has left the apartment. She tries the bathroom door and finds the lock jammed. She strikes it with her knife.
574 MS Dick exterior lodge.(2:06:22)
Cut to Dick outside the lodge. He passes two lit windows on the ground floor as he approaches the door Wendy had earlier exited to go check out the Snowcat. The door is still partially open. He enters.
Figure 11 - Dick enters the hotel through the same door Wendy had used to exit earlier.
575 MS Jack enters a hall adjoining the lobby.(2:06:41)
Jack enters a hall adjoining the lobby, which gives the impression the kitchen must be somewhere off in this direction. On Closing Day, it was instead suggested the kitchen was in proximity of the Gold Room, or at least on the other side of the lobby. In the A Month Later section, Wendy comes from the lobby's Gold Room hall on her way from the kitchen to the suite, and passes through the lobby headed in the direction of the elevators. Now, we have just been shown Jack in the kitchen, and next he is exiting a hall that is on the opposite side of the lobby from the lobby's Gold Room hall. As ever, nothing about the hotel makes sense.
Figure 12 - Jack enters the lobby from the kitchen area but is on the east side of it.
He passes the 7-Up hall, and then the parallel hall to it that runs behind the office. He glances down it as he painfully limps past. He begins to ascend the stairs at the rear of the lobby.
DICK (from off-screen): Hello! Anybody here?
Coming around a column, Jack looks down over the lobby and its dark maze. Again, we hear Dick.
DICK: Hello! Anybody here?
Figure 13 - The ashcan behind the pillar.
In figure 13, above, we see an ashcan behind the pillar in the place of which Jack will hide.
Figure 14 - Jack surveys the lobby.
576 LS Dick in Gold Hall outside lobby.(2:07:26)
Cut to Dick entering the Gold Room lobby hall, which Wendy used in the A Month Later section when she was wheeling breakfast to Jack, supposedly from the kitchen.
Figure 15 - Dick enters the hall off the lobby.
DICK: Hello! Anybody here?
When Wendy was seen coming down this hall in the A Month Later section, the camera tracked to screen left before letting us see the place where the July 4th photo will be observed at the end of the film. This time, the camera cuts a little later and we're able to see where the July 4th photo will be placed and that it isn't currently there. All the images seem the same as the day that we saw Wendy going down the hall.
Slowly, Dick advances into the lobby, calling, "Hello!" We see the green fluorescent light of the service hall behind the offices through an open door on the left, the tone of green light that we've come to associate with the eerie. He progresses toward the cashier's area, calling, "Hello! Anybody here?" He passes over the circle on which had rested Danny's Big Wheel with his Bugs Bunny in the A Month Later section when Jack had slammed his yellow ball against the diamond wall hanging and it had bounced off to the right.
Scatman's legs are bowed and this is effectively camouflaged in earlier scenes, but here that bowing almost seems exaggerated by both his boots and the camera angle. His heavy jacket makes his upper body seem overbearing in comparison to his legs. If one compares this shot of him to the earlier poster showing the supposed "skier" as minotaur a curious resemblance can be seen between that silhouette of the minotaur, with its bowed bull legs and the overbearing weight of the upper body, and Scatman's form here. Is Jack, who slowly becomes a minotaur throughout the film, who faces off with Danny in the maze, here slaying a kind of double? As we saw earlier, Jack's silhouette, as he emerged from the shadows in the Colorado room, frightening Wendy, was exactly the same as Dick's silhouette in the Matador when he was driving to get the Snowcat, perfectly mimicking it. Dick (Scatman) is certainly a protective presence in the film and so doesn't seem to fulfill the threatening minotaur archetype, but it does seem that he is here being represented as the creature as well.
Figure 16 - Ashcan moved 90 degrees.
We see the ashcan behind the last pillar has been moved 90 degrees from where we saw it in 575 when Jack was looked over the lobby from the stairs. I found this when I realized the waiter had disappeared perhaps behind a pillar at the other end of the lobby when Jack arrived for his interview and after he made a 90 degree turn to the receptionist desk. I came back to look at this pillar as well, saw the ash can there, and considered Jack couldn't possibly hide behind the pillar with the ash can there. When he looks down from the stairway we see the ashcan behind it. With his limp, Jack shouldn't have had time to duck behind the pillar and move the heavy ash can, but as we can see it has been moved 90 degrees.
A waiter is seen carrying food to a group by the door on the day of the interview. Jack stops and talks to a clerk then the camera returns to show the group. We no longer see the waiter. His absence seems to presage Jack's hiding behind the pillar in this scene, and is followed by Jack crossing over the spot where Dick is slain.
Dick reaches the point between the columns outside the office where, on The Interview day, Jack had glanced up to see the woman descending the rear steps, the older man entering the lobby from the direction where the yellow ball would disappear, and we had heard the first "sha" sound when Jack had tread upon this spot on his way to the office on the day of the interview.
Jack leaps out with a yell and slams the axe into Dick's chest.
Figure 17 - Jack surprises Dick.
577 MCU Jack.(2:08:33)
Brief shot of Jack as he plunges the axe in Dick's chest.
578 CU Axe in Dick's chest.(2:08:33)
Brief shot of the axe in Dick's chest. Dick yelling.
579 CU Danny.(2:08:34)
Brief shot of Danny screaming.
580 MCU Jack.(2:08:34)
Cut immediately to Jack with blood streaming down his cut hand, the axe in Dick's chest, forcing it deeper.
581 MCU Dick.(2:08:35)
Cut to Dick screaming.
582 CU Danny.(2:08:35)
Danny continues to scream.
583 MCU Jack.(2:08:36)
Jack continues forcing the axe into Dick's chest.
584 CU Dick.(2:08:38)
Screaming, Dick turns and falls back and down.
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585 CU Danny.(2:08:39)
Danny continues screaming and we see that this is the image of himself Tony had shown him in on the day of The Interview when he'd had his vision in the mirror.
Figure 18 - Danny's scream.
586 LS hall by elevators.(2:08:39)
Cut to the empty hall that passes by the elevators. We see the diamond rug against which Jack had bounced the ball in the A Month Later section. Danny's scream continues. As it stops, Jack rises into the frame, smiling. The music begins.
587 LS Dick dead in the circle.(2:08:50)
We see Dick lying dead in the circle before the cashier's area, Jack rising, pulling back from the body. Following Danny's scream, he quickly limps around the reception area to the service hall.
It's difficult to tell here--indeed it's staged so we can't tell it here--but the ashcan that had been moved 90 degrees is already back in its place behind the pillar.
Thus we see that a "missing" something can be a matter of a 90 degree turn having removed the object from view.
JACK: Danny! Danny boy!
Figure 19 - Jack runs toward Danny's scream.
He reaches the bathroom doors to gaze down the service hall.
JACK: Danny!
588 LS Service hall.(2:09:05)
A long shot down the empty service hall from behind Jack. Danny emerges from the cabinet door on the left and runs across the hall. Jack pursues him. The clock reads 5:25.
Figure 20 - Danny flees.
THE BEAST AND A PRIME REASON WHY IT IS SO DISTURBING
589 MS Wendy climbing staff stairs.(2:09:13)
Wendy ascends the staff stairs. If these are the same stairs as are shown outside suite 3--we have seen when Danny slid down the pyramid of snow they are on the second floor--she would have to already be up a level and ascending to a 4th floor. We see one lit lamp and two unlit bare bulbs in the ceiling. Furniture is stacked against the walls. She passes a door which is a double digit ending in 5 (perhaps 05).
Why she is climbing the stairs when the last she saw Danny was out in the snow, we don't know. Did she possibly hear him scream? If she heard him scream, there's no reason it should have sounded like it was coming from an upper floor? So we are left to wonder why she looks for Danny upstairs in the staff area.
Figure 21 - Wendy climbs the stairs.
Calling, "Danny", she continues round the stairwell past a double door and pictures of American Indian children looking on.
WENDY: Danny!
Climbing the stairs she looks around in horror as she hears what many will take for chanting as in something like a Black Mass, but the music that is being played as she subsequently witnesses the lodge's ghosts coming to life is actually part of the "Kanon Paschy/Utrenja", by Krysztof Penderecki, meaning "Morning Prayer", based on the entombment and resurrection of Christ. Music from this was also playing when Jack axed the bathroom door and Wendy sliced his hand with her knife.
Figure 22 - The pied cow painting.
The expression on Wendy's face is one of confusion as she continues up the stairs, past a moonlit painting of a pied cow, past a painting of a large house against purple mountains in a snowy landscape, to the next floor where again we see a lit lamp and then one that is unlit and lacking its shade.
The painting of the pied cow, shown above, at one point shows the reflection of the stair rail. This painting is by the same artist who did the painting of the horse racing down the railroad tracks toward a train, seen in the apartment subsequent Danny's vision, the realization of which we are now experiencing. I write on these paintings at length in this post, Stankley Kubrick, Anamnesis, and His Use of Railroad Imagery. The subject is too involved to get into here, for which reason it has its own post, but the reflection of the bannister on this particular painting recalls the railroad track of the painting and would be a replay of it, though flipped horizontally. In the other painting the horse had been charging down the track toward the train. Kubrick in A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut made elaborate but hidden use of railroad imagery to express anamnesis, a meeting of past and present through events recurring though with slight differences.
Colville's "Horse and Train" in the Boulder apartment.
The Alex Colville painting "Moon and Cow" that we see in the stairwell.
Colville's "Horse and Train"
590 LS view of beast.(2:09:44)
We see a room numbered 05.
Past this room we see a door open on a room in which someone, perhaps a man, in a peculiar costume, is bent over a man in a tux on a bed. Their positioning is such that one the impression is intended to be given that the one in costume is performing fellatio on the other.
Becoming aware of Wendy's presence, they sit up and look at her.
Figure 23 - Longshot of the beast and man.
The costume has a drop seat and is perhaps that of a bear or a boar with snaggly, overextended, upper and lower teeth and eerie glowing eyes. What makes the image so terrifying is the nature of the costume which really resembles no creature at all, and its curly plush hide seeming to stand at odds with its plastic face when revealed. There is no way an act of fellatio could be performed by this costumed "beast" with its large fangs. The creature's mouth is shaped in such a way that it is a combination of two expressions, both a smile and a frown. There are no eyeholes for a person inside to look though. Instead the mask has large eyes with large black pupils illuminated with bright white points, the kind of bright illumination on the pupils we've seen with episodes of shining. It's an image that really makes no sense and is as frightening as it is due the shining eyes and the mouth being dual, having both a smile and a grimace.
Which is a reason why I think the creature is so disturbing. Our brains are taking in the seeming sexual context and the costume and the teeth and we don't dig immediately down to what is rawly registering in the unconscious whose business it is to measure and comprehend facial expressions without our conscious input. It sees the face is actually split into a smile and frown, showing both in an incomprehensible way as the shape of the mouth is thus not an oval but an X. It takes a longer time for the conscious mind to catch up and really figure out what is wrong with the face beyond the teeth and the peculiar eyes. Indeed, one feels less a sense of threat than of mocking.
Figure 24 - The beast.
There may be a connection with Danny's vision of the two girls in the Boulder bathroom, when one had a slight grin and the other had a slight frown.
The costume could possibly link back to the large bear pillow on which Danny was resting following his shining in Boulder, when being interviewed by the red-haired doctor. As I've noted elsewhere, the drop seat possibly corresponds with a crossfade image of room 237 to Wendy in the boiler room, in which her rear is briefly obscured by a dark square, and another correspondence had with the similitude (if decorative) of a red handprint on the back of the woman's dress during the party scene in the Gold Room, the individual who had caused the domino effect of Grady bumping into Jack.
This vision seems to be a complement to Jack's vision of the woman in room 237. In Stephen King's book, Danny encounters a man in a dog costume on all fours, and though it's a man his eyes are tiny and red. From the end protruded what rather sounds like a poodle's tail. The man's mouth and chin were covered in blood and he confronted Danny threateningly, saying he wouldn't let Danny by, "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin", and that he would eat him up, beginning with his cock. Danny flees, and he continues to hear the drunken dogman yelling at Harry Derwent to get it up, and that he'll huff and puff until Harry Derwent's all blown down. Harry Derwent was a millionaire (somewhat like a Howard Hughes figure) who purchased the Overlook in 1936 and though he made everything else he touched turn into gold, not so with the Overlook. The dogman was a sometimes lover.
In the book, Jack had a vision of the dogman during a costume ball in which he also confronts Grady, tells him he recognizes him, but Grady says Jack has always been the caretaker.
Back when Wendy was in the boiler room, as she heard distressing yells, she went into the laundry room. I wrote that I heard one of the yells as a dog.
That Danny, in the book, had a vision of the creature that threatened him sexually, saying he wouldn't let him by, "Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin", takes us back to Jack calling to Wendy and Danny, before he began to axe the bathroom door, "Little pigs, little pigs, let me come in. Not by the hair on your chinny-chin-chin? Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!"
Again, the beast-dog has incorporated into its face the idea of opposites. One reason its mouth is so peculiar is because it is cut to have both a frown and a grin, exemplifying in one form the oppositions, such as with the two girls, when one had a slight grin and the other had a slight frown. Something which might seem friendly could turn into a terrifying thing. Whatever is the meaning of what Wendy has seen, it's difficult to say, as there are so many possible connections in cross-analysis. The most pertinent, to me, is the combining of opposites, and that what appears to be one thing can turn into something else.
There are many who posit that Danny has been sexually abused by either his mother or father. I lean instead to something in Jack's past pursuing him, which King seems to allude to in his book but then drops the subject. The fact is that many of Kubrick's films have a young individual who is in some way sexually abused by an older person, or we've the feeling it might have happened. In the book on which Barry Lyndon is based, it is made apparent that Barry, in his young teens, is abused by his cousin who is much older than him, which he mistakes for love and this screws him up, and how he relates to women, for the rest of his life. Lolita is abused by Humbert. In Killer's Kiss we are given the uncomfortable feeling a woman, who has committed suicide, might have been abused by her father, whether emotionally or physically we don't know. The Shining has incorporated the film Summer of 42 in which a teen boy is abused by an older woman, which screws him up. Jack's encounter is then with a young woman who turns into an old one, and pursues him as death.
591 MS Wendy.(2:09:56)
Horrified, Wendy backs up down the hallway and flees in the opposite direction to the left. The camera focuses long enough on a door number at the end of the hall that we're able to see it could be either 107 or 101.
Figure 24 - Wendy flees past 107 or 101.
If we compare this level with the others we see that the area where a room corresponding to suite 3 would be has disappeared.
On the level below the one where Wendy sees the frightening vision, where suite 3 would be, is just beyond the double door at the hall's end.
On the level where Wendy sees the frightening vision, again where a corresponding suite 3 would be is beyond the end wall.
JACK PURSUES DANNY INTO THE MAZE, THE ENTRANCE OF WHICH HAS SHIFTED
592 LS Jack.(2:10:04)
Cut to Jack exiting the hall with the red diamond wall hanging, the same style as was observed through the door when Jack entered the men's room area with Grady. (View image.) It's the same hall Wendy had used when exiting to look at the Snowcat. Coming down this hall with the rug observed in the background, Jack passes on (our) left one of the red elevators. He turns through the door on the right into foyer.
The lodge had only unfolded to the point of our being aware of this area in the 8 am section when it was used by Wendy to go check the Snowcat.
Figure 25 - Jack comes from the same hall as had Wendy earlier.
We see on the left wall in the foyer area a print that was also in the secretarial area, which was only viewed when Bill had entered Ullman's office. It is Norval Morrisseau's "Flock of Loons".
593 LS exterior, Snowcat.(2:10:17)
Looking out the open door, Jack sees Durkin's Snowcat in which Dick arrived.
Figure 26 - Jack sees the Snowcat but not Danny.
The camera pans to the right and we realize that the entrance of the maze has shifted so it is now facing north, the hotel, rather than west. I write about this shift at length in the A Month Later section.
594 MS Jack, interior.(2:10:28)
Jack cuts on the lights, brightly illumining the maze.
Figure 27 - Jack illumines the maze.
Both of the doors are now open fairly wide. Wendy had trouble forcing one door open a little against the snow, and Dick had been able to open that door only about an inch wider. Danny would have passed through them when he returned to the lodge after having escaped outside, and then when he ran back outside. But it isn't possible that he would be able to force these doors open wide when neither Wendy nor Dick could do so.Also, all he would have needed to do was slip through. Instead, it's as though the lodge has opened them for Jack.
595 MS Danny, exterior(2:10:39)
Cut to Danny peeking out from behind the Snowcat.
596 MS Jack, interior(2:10:43)
JACK: Danny!
597 MS Danny, exterior(2:10:48)
Danny steps several feet out from the Snowcat.
598 MS Jack, exterior(2:10:53)
Jack limps into the snow.
JACK: Danny!
599 MS Danny, exterior(2:10:55)
Danny flees to screen right, his eyes on Jack.
600 MS Jack from behind, lodge beyond(2:10:56)
JACK: Danny!
Jack pursues him. We view the lodge beyond him and the Snowcat.
Figure 29 - Jack pursues Danny.
601 LS Danny, exterior maze.(2:11:01)
Cut to Danny climbing a hill to the entrance of the maze and disappearing within it.
Figure 30 - Danny enters the maze.
602 MS Jack.(2:11:05) Jack limps his way toward the maze, the Snowcat and the main entrance to the hotel in the background.
Figure 31 - Jack having passed the Snowcat, Danny having entered the maze, now clutches his right hand shut at his jacket.
I discuss in The Clenched Fist of Jack Torrance how from now on he will pursue Danny with his right hand clenched shut, appearing to hold shut his jacket, only carrying the axe in his left hand. Before now, both hands had been on the axe. As soon as Danny entered the maze this changed.
603 LS Danny in maze(2:11:08)
Cut to Danny running through the maze, the camera following behind. His first turn, after a number of feet, is a left, then an immediate right. He runs a number of feet and takes a left, cutting immediately back around with another left in a hairpin turn. He falls.
Figure 32 - Danny falls.
Figure 33 - Danny presses himself back up.
After running a few feet he next takes a right and then an immediate left and another immediate left, then a right.
604 MCU Jack in maze(2:11:33)
Jack in the maze now we view him from the front as he follows Danny's footsteps.
JACK: Danny! I'm coming! I'm coming, Dan!
605 MCU footsteps in snow(2:11:50)
We view the footsteps Danny has left in the snow.
606 MCU Danny's feet.(2:11:57)
Cut to Danny's feet as he races through the snow. He takes a right and runs down a long lane of the maze, snow flying into the camera.
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606
GREAT PARTY, ISN'T IT
607 LS Wendy in 7-Up hall.(2:12:03)
Cut to Wendy coming down the 7-Up hall.
WENDY: Danny!
Turning to look up the stairs. She stumbles on carafes and other items Jack had earlier knocked on the floor and picks her way through them. After Jack had knocked over the carafes he had exited the hall to come upon balloons in the lobby, evidence of the party going on in the Gold Room.
Exiting the hall, Wendy makes a hairpin turn into the hall parallel it, the one that runs behind Ullman's office.
Figure 34 - Wendy runs down the dark hall.
She reaches the intersecting elevator hallway and looking down it sees Dick lying in the lobby.
608 MCU Wendy.(2:12:28)
Reaction shot of Wendy. The driftwood centerpiece has disappeared.
Figure 35 - The driftwood has disappeared.
609 LS Dick's body.(2:12:30)
Cut to Dick's body, the camera then doing a quick zoom.
Figure 36 - The ashcan is back in place.
We can now observe the ashcan is back in place. We observed it in place in Figure 13 when Jack is looking over the lobby, preparing to hide. Then in Figure 16 we see the ash can is to the right side of the pillar rather than behind it as Dick approaches it. It has moved 90 degrees. In Figure 17, Jack leaps out from behind this pillar, he only having been able to hide behind it because of the ash can having been moved. He doesn't replace it after killing Dick, but here it has been returned to its proper place, a 90 degree shift around the pillar. We should have something that has disappeared, as these 90 degree turns accompany disappearing things. The driftwood?
610 MCU Wendy.(2:12:35)
Return to Wendy. Bewildered, she looks about, takes a couple of steps further down the hall. She then screams and turns to face the direction from which she came, the camera quickly panning to show a man in a tux standing at the end of the hall, blood running from a deep gash in the center of his head. The chandeliers are lit at this end when they hadn't been just a couple of seconds before.
Figure 37 - Wendy sees the party man.
611 MCU Wendy.(2:12:46)
Reaction shot of Wendy, terrified, showing the red panels behind her.
612 MCU Party man.(2:12:47)
Cut to the man and we see that the drink he holds is red with blood.
PARTY MAN (raising his glass): Great party, isn't it?
This refers to Wendy, in the Gold Ball Room on Closing Day talking about what a party they could have there, and Ullman saying they won't do too well unless they brought their own supplies.
I'm of the belief this man could be the one who came around the corner on Interview Day when Jack stepped on the spot where he would later murder Dick and we heard the first "sha" sound.
Figure 38 - Great party, isn't it.
613 MCU Wendy.(2:12:51)
Wendy backs up then runs toward the red doors which resemble the red elevators, only they are not doors. It is only now in the movie that these doors, which have the appearance of the elevators, have ever been used, so it's only now we learn that the brown panel in the middle is a door between red decorative panels. I also think of them as doorposts of a sort (refer to my earlier relation of this to the Passover, when Jack's hand is slashed by Wendy).
Figure 39 - Wendy flees toward the service hall.
The man's head is gashed right down the middle. If one considers the construct of a labrys, a double axe, what you have is possibly a representation of the brain and its two hemispheres--this having all to do with dualities, and I think of the interview and the "second thoughts" mentioned that individuals would have upon learning of the axe-wielding Grady.
The word "party" comes from partire, meaning to divide. I have held that because the opening trip up the Going-to-the Sun road crossfaded east of the Continental Divide (the VW traveling east to west), and because on Closing Day it crossfaded out to the lodge west of the Continental Divide (the VW traveling west to east), that Kubrick was showing the Overlook positioned psychically on the Continental Divide, as in a place of a meeting of opposites.
What is the Continental Divide also called? The Great Divide.
Our partier with the head split down the middle confirms my suspicion, but is also describing the Overlook as a labyrinth and the world maze and its relationship to the Great Divide. As I've stated I believe this is the man who came out of this area and passed the elevators, as Jack, the day of the interview, walked over where Dick would be killed and we heard the "sha" utterance. He was seen after that, a second time, standing before the maze and looking over it when Jack called Wendy to let her know he'd gotten the job. He was standing at the opposite end of the table from where Jack would later stand when looking at the maze, when it had turned 90 degrees and we had viewed it as the world maze from a point of view across the table from him.
I wrote in the A Month Later section...
Though we have seen the opening to the outdoor maze being in the west (or east) and that its heart runs parallel the hotel, as soon as the world maze appears this has changed, and we see this change reflected in the shadows shown as Wendy and Danny walk the heart of the physical maze. The shadows coming from the W/NW, the heart of the maze now runs perpendicular to the hotel. The 90 degree shift of the maze has already occurred. The shadows in the world maze can be assumed to be coming from the W/NW as well which means the camera is viewing the maze from opposite Jack, who stands in the west. The camera is viewing the maze from the position of the elderly man who had been looking at the maze on the day of Jack's interview. The same man who had appeared from around the corner when Jack stepped on the spot where he will later murder Dick.
So, the question is, who is this man? For if this is that man who was looking at the maze, he seems to represent Jack's dilemma as being split down the center. The man also ends up taking the position of the camera in opposition to Jack.
I think back to the party. Might he be at the party? How about after Jack crosses from the hall into the Gold Room, where we have a black divide in the shot as the camera passes behind the wall between the hall and the Gold Room, and the maitre'd (master of the house) greets Jack by name. Perhaps?
As it turns out, I had already intuitively associated the hall, in this scene, with the scene of the slain girls lying side by side, in identical positions, but one face down and the other face up.
From the Wednesday Part 2 section...
Now, the disappearing bread crumb. This is just kind of fun to point out. See the little white dot on the screen above just left of center?
As Jack advances it briefly and noticably brightens. It fades. It disappears as Jack turns to go into the Gold Room.
The crumb brightens (in the blu-ray as well).
The white flecks on the carpet and in the blood of the two girls have always caught my attention.
What happens if we merge the white dot in the gold hallway with the two girls? Two things. The white "bread crumb" from the gold hall is the size of the white flecks scattered about the girls (it is the fleck closest in the foreground). Another thing, Jack's shape merges pretty much perfectly with a bloody stain on the foremost girl's dress.
It occurred to me the axe seemed positioned so that Jack could rather follow it into the Gold Room. So, let's keep this superimposition going for another couple of images.
This is my superimposition, not in the movie. The peculiar "crumb"is of the same size as the white flecks sprinkled about the murder scene.
It occurred to me the axe seemed positioned so that Jack could rather follow it into the Gold Room.
This is my superimposition, not in the movie, of Jack following the axe handle into the Gold Room.
In my superimposition, Jack follows the axe into the Gold Room, party in full swing, where he is greeted by the maitre'd holding the bright red menu.
The man playing the party guest is Norman Gay. The maitre d' is not named. Norman Gay also appeared in bit parts in two other Kubrick films. He was in A Clockwork Orange as a BBC producer, and in Barry Lyndon as a tailor who is keen to sell Barry a garment of the finest velvet that is stitched with silver thread. When I look back to Barry Lyndon I find that I have already associated him with Kubrick's use of two colors of red and how he uses them to represent blood.
Whatever happened to that beautiful red velvet garment that Barry was being shown in shot 530. I don't believe Barry ever wears a suit of that color in the film, but now we have Bryan appear in a suit of that very same color. And it struck me when I saw that bright red of the sofa backing the burgundy red of the suit, as Bullingdon enters the music room with Bryan in shot 606, that we had seen this combination before, with the garment Barry was being shown in shot 530. So I've combined them both below so it can be observed how it seems the burgundy garment Barry is shown in 530 has a bright red interior lining that is the same red as the sofa behind Bullingdon and Byron in shot 606.
Why should we perhaps pay attention to this? Because we have seen the same in A Clockwork Orange. Alex examines his wine, suspicious of it, and we see it from two sides. From one side it is burgundy red, and from the other it is more a kool-aid red. Sitting between Alexander and the strong man, Alex decides to go ahead and drink it. He ends up passing out cold on the table, his face in spaghetti, then waking to Beethoven playing over and over again, driving him to leap out the window in a bid for suicide.
The two shades of red have been compared earlier in the film to how the red on screen, in film, always seems more real. Vino on tap. And the film opens with two distinctly different shades of red.
That is as far as I will take this association for now.
Killer's Kiss, which was a Minotaur Production, features in it an fight between Davey, a boxer, and a dance hall boss who has kidnapped Davey's girlfriend who was working at the dance hall until the boss raped her. The dance hall boss wields the axe, and loses. In the analysis for that film I discuss how a labyrs appears to depicted in it as well.
In some versions of the myth of the birth of Athena, Prometheus (or Hephaestus or Hermes) cleaved Zeus' head with the labrys in order for Athena to be released from him. How did this come to be? Zeus had swallowed Metis, the goddess of crafty thought, as it had been foretold she would bear a child by him more powerful than himself. Within Zeus, Metis began crafting a helmet for Athena, and the pain of the hammering was such that Zeus caused his head to be split in order to ease it. So did Athena spring from his cleaved head fully grown, a patron of both wisdom and battle who made use of strategy rather than brute passion.
It's sensible that the dual blades of the labrys used to cleave Zeus' head might represent dual natures via the two hemispheres of the brain, just as people still tend to think of the brain as having left and right natures. And it makes sense to me that the man with the cloven head would appear as Danny leads Jack into the maze.
For really, it's not that Jack has chased Danny into the maze. Instead, Danny has very sensibly and calculatedly led Jack into the maze, running into it knowing that Jack will follow and that he will be able to lose him there.
614 LS Danny in the maze.(2:12:56)
In the maze we see Danny running, the chanting continuing over. After going down a long lane he takes a left, then a right, we hearing Jack call, "Danny!" He passes down another lane and takes a right followed by an immediate right then an immediate left. We see a bench and realize he's reached the maze's center.
Figure 42 - Danny in the heart of the maze.
615 MCU Jack. (2:13:11)
Cut to Jack seen from the front, yelling.
JACK: Danny, I'm coming! You can't get away! I'm right behind ya!
DICK DISAPPEARS AMIDST SKELETONS AND COBWEBS
616 LS Wendy Gold Room hall off lobby (2:13:33)
Wendy now is shown running down the hall outside the lobby that supposedly leads to the Gold Room Hall. As with when Dick passed down the hall earlier, this time we're allowed to see to the point where the July 4th photo will be on the right wall. The photos that we can see appear to be the same as when Dick passed down, but the place of the photo where Jack will later be seen is this time obscured by shadow.
The mirror that has always been on the far end of the corridor is no longer there. It was hanging on the wall when Dick earlier entered (see Figure 15).
Figure 43 - Wendy enters the Gold Room hall off the lobby.
The hall is cast in greenish-blue light. The camera turns with Wendy as she reaches the lobby doors to see all the lights off and it cast in a deep blue light, spiderwebs covering everything. Dick no longer lies on the floor. Though the drapes were earlier closed, light from the outside maze pours in. Skeletal forms are seated and standing about. Wendy screams.
Figure 44 - Dick has disappeared.
617 MCU Wendy. (2:13:29)
A reaction shot of Wendy's terror.
618 MS skeletons. (2:13:32)
Cut to a group of skeletons seated where Jack had lunch on Closing Day. They wear tuxes, white tie, and long dresses that are of a generation before the flapper party we'd seen earlier. A champagne bottle and glasses rest on a table.
619 MS skeletons by phone booths. (2:13:34)
Cut to the seating area before the phone booths with their modern phones. We see skeletal men in the booths. A skeletal man and two women are seated before the booths. On the table before them are two bottles of champagne and more glasses. Cobwebs are everywhere and the table is thick with dust.
620 MS skeleton and waiter. (2:13:37)
A group of 6 skeletons, including a balding waiter with hair on the sides of his head. Could this be Delbert Grady? But the hair appears longer than his. He looks a little like Bozo the clown. As with the other skeletons, they all seem to be facing Wendy, looking at her. Again, they are in white tie tuxes and dresses that appear to be from an era earlier than the flapper garb.
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DANNY, IN THE HEART OF THE MAZE, COVERS HIS TRACKS
621 LS Jack from behind. (2:13:40)
In the maze, Jack continues to follow Danny's tracks but already he is appearing to become confused. He takes a left for a couple of steps then backtracks and continues on.
622 MS Danny. (2:13:50)
Having reached the heart of the maze, we now see Danny carefully backtracking in his footsteps...one, two steps.
624 MS Danny. (2:14:16) Danny continues retracing his steps, carefully placing his feet in the footprints he'd made in the snow. One more step as we hear Jack yell.
JACK: Danny!
Danny leaps to the side and begins covering any trace of that leap and where he has just stood.
Figure 46 - Danny covers his tracks.
I have discussed several times already how what Danny does is a pattern that appears in the movie, and is based upon Danny's methodology for hiding himself here. We have had numerous instances of an opposition/reversal accompanied by a 90 degree turn and the disappearance of something. This is Danny retracing his steps (opposition) then taking a 90 degree turn into the hedge and covering his tracks.
Thus does Danny disappear from Jack. It is the penultimate disappearing act in the film.
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THE RED HALL AND THE BLOODY ELEVATOR
625 LS Wendy in the red hall. (2:14:25)
Cut to Wendy running down a shocking red hallway with its green tables and stacked chairs. Danny having himself knowingly ennacted the opposition/reversal accompanied by the 90 degree turn and thus disappearing, covering his tracks, Wendy finally will come upon the revelation of the bloody elevator.
Figure 47 - Wendy in the red hall.
Astonished, confused, disbelieving, she looks screen left (her right) into the hall of Danny's bloody elevator vision. We note on the left wall a photo of trees that is the same photo that had been hanging on the right wall of another hall as she fled the bloodied "party" man, but it is not that hall.
The green hall behind Stuart Ullman's office appears to have no direct relationship to the red hall, the appearance of both is distinctly different, but a kind of sympathetic relationship is had.
Figure 49 - Closing Day, on the way to the basement.
Below we see Wendy at a point in the red hall near where she is with the group in Figure 49. We see behind her, on screen left, the two alcoves in the wall in which are the vending machines in Figure 49. We see the vent on screen right in the ceiling. We see the lobby beyond.
Figure 49a - Before seeing the bloody elevator.
The red hall is the set of the green hall that has been reworked. As I've read that Kubrick's plan was to film according to the timeline of the script rather than out of order, this may have been shot toward the end, but I have also read of scenes filmed out of sequence.
And that single appearance of the red hall is shocking, because Kubrick has trained us to view the back service halls of the hotel in greens, but then suddenly, at film's end, the hotel immersed in the icy blues of a blizzard, we're granted a view of this red hall that is made doubly alarming in that it is painted red in glossy, highly reflective paint.
The green tables and stacked chairs that line the walls suggest the red hall is in proximity of the Gold Room.
Figure 49b - Closing Day, Stuart's office.
Figure 49c - Saturday, before Danny happens on the girls in the flowered hall.
Figure 49d - Before the bloody elevator
Continuing down the green hall, we see on the left the rear door to Stuart's office, while on the right is a double door exit.
Our first acquaintance with the green hall is with Jack and Wendy leaving Danny in the kitchen with Dick, Stuart taking them to see the basement. The atmosphere is light-hearted, Wendy eventually comparing the hotel to a ghost ship.
Our second viewing of the green hall is with Danny on his big wheel, just before he runs into the twins in the bloody flowered hallway. The shot of Danny cycling down the green service hall begins just after the thickened sections of wall that separate the rear of Stuart's office from the hall which its impossible window should overlook. That hall outside the impossible window is one we know exists from observation in the lobby, but Kubrick won't show it to us until the scene in which Jack limps toward the lobby stairs, readying himself for his attack on Dick. We do, however, see access doors from that hall to the green service hall on Closing Day (figure 49h).
Having mentioned where the camera begins its pursuit of Danny down the green service hall, before his encountering the twins, when Wendy is fleeing down the red hall she stops in the same location, just before the thickened walls. The thickened walls aren't there in this red version of the hall. Instead there is an unexpected door (figure 49g).
Figure 49e - Closing Day.
Figure 4f - Danny hides.
Figure 49g - Wendy approaching the door.
Figure 49h - Approaching the 7 Up hall on Closing Day.
We can see above how the hall in which Wendy views the bloodied man who announced it's a "great party" exits onto this green hall directly behind Ullman's office, but in the red version of the service hall Wendy instead turns short of it into the hall with the bloody elevator.
Perhaps what may be overlooked, as Wendy approaches that hall, long before she can see down it to the elevator, the blood as yet unleashed, is the fact her expression is one of utter astonishment, as if she is surprised by this hall. Running down the red hall, it's as she passes what would be, in the green hall, Stuart's office door, that Wendy slows, well in advance of being able to see down the hall to the elevator. From her viewpoint, she can't possibly see what is in that adjoining hall, and yet she is dumbfound by it, and as her astonishment and anxiety have nothing to do with an as yet unseen bloody elevator, it must be this hall, its very existence, that amazes her. I think for most audience members, as we soon see the bloody elevator, Wendy's surprise at the hall is compressed instead into her horror at the blood flowing subsequently from the elevators, and they forget that Wendy, advancing toward the hall, had no idea what she would see. She only knew something was different.
Figure 49i - Closing Day detail.
Figure 49j - 4 p.m. hall detail.
Looking at figures 49i and 49j we see that, however different the two halls seem to be, another green hall remnant and identifier is the plaque on Stuart's office door appearing to be the same as the plaque on the door in the red hall, and I'd be curious what that plaque in the red hall reads. So much has been altered, and yet there remains perhaps the same plaque? Why should that be if not to provide a linkage.
My thought is that Wendy is as surprised as she is because this adjoining hall is out of place, it's not supposed to be there, as if she recognizes the red hall should be the green hall and knows there is a now another hall here in the place of the thickened walls.
But as Kubrick maintains ambiguity through the film on the nature of what is happening at the Overlook, whether its nature is purely psychological or has a supernatural element, and because Kubrick also has painstakingly unfolded the hotel for us so slowly, meting the halls and rooms out sometimes in mere inches, it's sensible to say that the red hall could be just another area of the hotel we've not yet viewed, especially considering that it's populated with the Gold Room chairs and tables. Nor does Wendy look alarmed by this red hall proper. We take her, at this point, as fleeing from other horrors she's witnessed, pellmell wandering like a ball in a pinball machine bounced around by frightening situations, looking for a way out as much as she is for Danny. She was obviously terrified by the transformation of the lobby with its blue party skeletons, so why not of the red hall itself if it is indeed the green hall?
What's more important is the audience's reaction. In fact, I think Kubrick understood if we had Wendy reacting in horror to the red hall, leaping in surprise at it, looking all about her as if, "Where did the green hall go?" the audience's horror would be diffused by Wendy's. Vivian Kubrick shot 28 hours of footage for her documentary on the film but only a brief 25 minutes was kept. In that 25 minutes was footage of Kubrick coaching Shelley Duvall not to leap in response to every aggressive or threatening aspect of Jack's performance, that after a while it began to look fake. The same could be said of the hotel. If she expressed overt alarm over every sinister or changing aspect of the hotel, there would have been no room for the audience to feel their own horror and react to their own sense of astonishment, they would have been instead examining Wendy and responding to her. And the audience is surprised, alarmed, horrified by this red hall, its walls saturated with the supernatural, the hotel--and not just its ghosts--seeming to come to life, threatening to swallow Wendy whole.
In the meanwhile, Danny, out in the maze, has just prior this scene successfully concealed himself by covering his footprints, and here Wendy is very near where would be the cupboard in the green hall in which Danny had been hiding when he shined the murder of Dick and we saw his expression of horror as he shined it in his Denver bathroom on the day of Jack's interview. Do I imagine there is a relationship between Danny screaming in the cupboard, his face showing the same horror as it had in The Interview section when he saw the bloody elevator, and that here, in not exactly what would be the same location in the green hall, but near it, Wendy is about to see the vision of the same bloody elevator? Yes, I do. It's as if, in the same psychic location of it, his mother enters the territory of that scream and now will see the same bloody elevator that has threatened Danny from the film's beginning.
Figure 49k - Day of the Interview.
The sections of white ceiling in the red hall have always been curious to me, seeming to stand out in the kind of idiosyncratic way that demands examination of correspondences. To my eye they echo the square fluorescent lights in Stuart's office. But there's more to it than that. I've long questioned those high shelves in Stuart's office which serve only as holders for plants despite the difficulty that would be had in watering those plants. If we compare those high shelves with the green and red halls, we see that they recall the dropped sections of ceiling in those halls that run parallel the walls. Further, the way the light of the impossible window plays on the ceiling, there is more than a passing resemblance with the fluorescent lights in the green service hall. It seems to me that the white boxes in the red hall's ceiling are intended to bring to mind the office where we first saw the impossible window via a similarity to the boxed fluorescent lights.
We know the preposterous window in the office shouldn't be there, that beyond the office is the hall in which Wendy sees the "great party" man. In that "great party" hall is a connection with the hall down which she views the bloody elevator, though they are two separate halls. That connection is in the form of a landscape photo.
Figure 49l - Wendy flees the party man.
Figure 49m - The photo of the trees.
Figure 49n - The photo of the trees.
Figure 49l shows Wendy in the hall behind the office after her discovering Dick's body, and that terror compounded by the apparition of the "great party" man. As she flees that apparition, we see behind her the doors that go to the green hall. On the right we there is a landscape photo of trees, similar to those around the lodge, standing against what may be either an early morning or late evening sky.
In figures 49m and 49n we see this same landscape photo in the bloody elevator hall.
One of the first stand-out intimations we have that something is wrong with the Overlook, that all is not as it seems, is the impossible window in Stuart's office, viewed near the beginning of the film. Here, toward the end, Kubrick returns us to that same impossible window, positioning us to look directly behind it, even between it and the formerly observed "great party" hall, where slips in the shined hall that leads to the bloody elevators. Whatever is the significance of this picture of the trees, I'm not confident, but a reason it stands out is not only for its doubling, being both in the "great party" hall and the bloody elevator hall, but also for reason of its being, aside from the painting of the landscape above the bed in suite 3, and the four seasons photos of the Overlook and its environment just outside the office door in the reception area, the only other image in the Overlook that appears to portray the surrounding landscape. My inclination has been to associate the landscape photo with the impossible window in Stuart's office, reminding us of its impossible view.
My gut emotional feeling as regards the red hall is that this pictorial landscape, because it appears in the same position in both in this and the "great party" hall, intends to suggest that the red hall is--regardless whether it is in fact the green hall or not--one of the maze's variations of the green service hall behind the offices, at the very least the skeleton of a pattern repeating but adorned variously. The tables and chairs from the Gold Room give the impression of a stage now disassembled, yet their presence is also curiously consistent with Wendy's frantic wanderings of the service quarters where the halls were also lined with a clutter of old tables and chairs. These tables and chairs now seem to proliferate and have overtaken the Overlook, when before we were more aware of seeing shiny repetitive carts and cupboards holding dining china and coffee urns which alluded to the kitchen being possibly just beyond any one or even all of the doors in the service halls.
626 MS Red elevators. (2:14:40)
The blood pours forth, filling the hall, as if the blood of how many Passovers, the Passover being an observance to be repeated in perpetuity, forever.
627 MCU Wendy. (2:14:48)
Cut to Wendy gazing on in horror.
628 MS Bloody elevators (2:14:51)
The blood continues to fill the hall.
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THE REVERSED ELEVATOR DOORS
The elevator doors are actually reversed in Danny's vision and Wendy's. This is not something that is at all immediately obvious.
This is how the elevator doors appear when Wendy first sees them.
The elevator doors
Now a close-up look at them. We see the screen left/right side of the door is dominant over the screen right/left side one, as far as overlapping in front of it. This is the proper orientation and is what we see in the Colorado Lounge.
The elevator doors
This is how they appear to Wendy as the blood flows from them. The screen right/left side of the door is now dominant over the screen left/right side, as far as overlapping in front of it.
The elevator doors
Here's a still from when Danny was viewing the elevators.
The elevators
And this is how they would appear if the elevator doors were appropriately oriented.
The elevator doors are reversed
As you can see, Kubrick did not simply take the hall and reverse it while editing. Compare the wall hangings to when Wendy is viewing the elevators, before they are reversed and the blood flows out. The rug wall hangings with the unreversed elevators are in the same position on the "left" wall as they are in the vision when the elevators are reversed and the blood flows from them. Kubrick has once again tricked us so that we aren't seeing what we believe we are seeing.
This shift in dominance we have seen before with the twin girls, and I examine this in the Saturday section when Danny sees them in the bloodied flowered hall.
Below is Danny's vision of the girls in the Boulder apartment bathroom. The screen left/right side girl has her arm in the dominant position over the screen right/left side girl's arm.
The two girls as viewed in the mirror in the Boulder apartment bathroom.
When Danny sees the girls in the game room, we have the same thing. The girl on the screen left/right side has her arm in the dominant position over the girl on the screen right/left side.
In the images below, the girls briefly viewed as Danny looks at the number of room 237, the girl on the screen left/right side is again the dominant one, her arm crossed over the arm of the girl on the screen right/left side.
The two girls as viewed in the left door of Room 237.
Below, the girls as Danny sees them in the flowered hall. These shots have been staged so that they are almost exactly the same. Almost. Look at the folds of the dresses and how the ribbons drape, they are the same. The placement of the girls in the hall is the same, and even their skirts measure about the same distance from the walls. Their unlinked arms are almost but not quite exactly the same, positioned ever so slightly different, but the print of the wallpaper behind their figures and how it relates to their outlines is an exact match. Their hair, when Danny is in the flowered hall, is different. The girl on the left, previously, has hair that is slightly frizzy at the ends, while the other girl's hair is perfectly curled. The situation is now reversed, the girl on the screen left/right side has the hair that is perfectly curled at the ends, and the other girl's hair is not.
The two girls as they are in Danny's fourth vision, in the hall. The girl on the right now has the dominant arm.
It is only when Danny views the girls in the flowered hall, with the screen right/left side one in the dominant position, that Danny has his vision of the bloodied hall and their murder. Just as it is only when the screen right/left side of the elevator doors are in the dominant position, overlapping the screen left, that we see the flood of blood.
JACK IN THE HEART OF THE MAZE
629 MS Danny in the maze. (2:14:57)
Cut to Danny, in the maze, hidden to the side. The camera pans left and we see Jack, exhausted, enter the screen. He stumbles on, always gripping his jacket with that right hand. He will not release it.
Figure 50 - Jack enters the heart of the maze.
630 MS Danny's footprints (2:15:12)
Cut to a POV shot of Jack following Danny's footprints.
Figure 51 - Following Danny's footsteps.
If we look to the screen right of the third footstep from the bottom of figure 51 (shot 630), we may see an ALPh, or aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, that is derived from the West Semitic word for ox.
Two points with a line between by which there is both division and connection.
The footsteps suddenly disappear. No more breadcrumbs to follow. The POV shot moves up to the white light at the end of the path.
Figure 52 - The footsteps end.
Danny will be passed over by his father who follows Danny's tracks to where they suddenly stop, as if he has simply disappeared.
Thus again does the Overlook recall the Passover.
I have read that pesach (passover) is also as a combination of pe, "mouth", and such being something like "converse", this combination meaning that the right to self expression and rule over one's destiny is restored, the individual released from the cage of pre-ordained fate. And it does fit as what we have here has become at least in part an Oedipal coming of age story, the son vanquishing the father, though in the myth of Oedipus he is caught in the tyranny of his destiny. We will see that Jack's ability to converse reasonably has left him, he becoming little more than a beast.
631 CU Jack. (2:15:37)
Bewildered, enraged, Jack turns about.
JACK: Danny!
632 MCU Danny. (2:15:44)
Cut to Danny listening.
633 MCU Jack. (2:15:47)
Jack, smiling, seeming to have gotten an idea, goes to the right (screen left).
634 LS Jack.
He plunges on past the point of Danny's inexplicable disappearance into the frozen maze. He proceeds where there are no footsteps to follow.
635 MS Danny emerging. (2:16:00)
His father having passed, Danny emerges from behind a bank of snow.
636 LS Footprints through the maze. (2:16:09)
Danny's POV of his father's footprints in the snow.
637 MS Danny (2:16:11)
Assured his father is past, Danny emerges from behind the snowbank to run in the opposite direction. He will follow the footprints back out.
638 MS Footprints (2:16:18)
Just as Danny is about to turn right, cut to his POV of the tracks in the snow as he follows them. He turns right.
639 LS back of Jack (2:16:26)
Cut to Jack trudging deeper into the maze over fresh snow. He stops at an intersection and turns about, puzzling whether to go right or left. He continues forward.
640 MCU Jack. (2:16:35)
Cut to Jack from the front, stumbling on.
641 LS light. (2:16:40)
POV shot of Jack as he heads toward the light at the end of that untrodden path. Before reaching it, he turns right, into another light.
642 MS Danny. (2:16:44)
Cut to front of Danny as he runs through the maze. He takes a left.
643 LS Jack. (2:16:49)
Cut to a shot of Jack from the rear, stopping at another light, stepping right, looking back to the left. He decides to go left but seeing nothing he turns back and continues right, exhausted. Jack staggers on, becoming slower and slower, hampered by his limp and the cold. It doesn't occur to him to follow his tracks back out of the maze.
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WENDY AND DANNY, REUNITED, FLEE THE HOTEL
644 MS Wendy outside hotel. (2:17:03)
Cut to Wendy running toward the Snowcat.
645 MS Danny. (2:17:11)
Danny still running through the maze. He turns left, left again. He falls.
Figure 53 - Danny falls again.
646 MS Wendy. (2:17:18)
Danny has fallen at the entrance to the maze for we now see Wendy screaming as she sees him.
WENDY: Danny!
She throws down the knife and runs forward, the bathroom window of Suite 3 still illumined in the dark beyond the Snowcat.
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647 LS Danny outside the maze's entrance. (2:17:20) Danny lies at the entrance to the maze.
Figure 54 - Danny lying at the entrance to the maze.
Or has Danny fallen at the maze's entrance? I don't think so. Where he lies in figure 53 is very different from where he lies in figure 54. Just as we have often had three perspectives, and we've already seen (when examining the mazes) we had three versions of the labyrinth, we have a shift in perspective between when Danny falls and Wendy sees him so that the place where he falls isn't the same as viewed by Wendy from the exterior of the maze.
His mother calling to him, he rises and yells for her, running toward her.
DANNY: Mommy!
The camera pans to Wendy and Danny reaching each other and hugging. Wendy kisses his cheek.
648 MS Jack. (2:17:30)
Cut to Jack still stumbling through the maze. He attempts to yell, "Danny!", but his words are choked, becoming more and more unintelligible. He may yell, "Wait!"
649 LS Wendy and Danny. (2:17:36)
Wendy and Danny run over the snow to the Snowcat, Wendy falling once to her knees. She opens the passenger door and lifts Danny in.
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650 LS Jack from rear. (2:17:48)
Jack struggles through the maze. Finally he falls. We hear the Snowcat starting. Jack rises.
As if to point out how Jack is determined not to unclench that right fist, towards the end of this scene, Danny escaping with his mother in the Snowcat, Kubrick has Jack fall on his right side. He takes a full out tumble on his right side and he never removes his hand from his jacket, never unclenching his fist.
Figure 55 - Jack falls now.
When you fall, you are automatically going to reach out in order to try to brace yourself. The automatic, natural thing for Jack to have done, as he began to fall to his right, would have been to release his coat and reach out with his right hand and attempt to thwart the fall by grabbing the hedge, or brace himself with his hand as he fell into the snowbank. But Jack doesn't do that. The actor, Jack, doesn't do that, which means he has been instructed to keep that right hand always closed and holding his jacket. He had to fight the natural impulse to use that hand to protect himself from falling.
Even as Jack struggles to stand after the fall, he doesn't release his jacket. The natural thing to do would have been for him to use his right hand to help push himself back upright. But, no, the actor, Jack Nicholson, had to have been instructed to not unclench that fist, to keep a hold on the jacket.
Figure 56 - Jack struggles to stand.
Kubrick even showed us earlier the natural way for Jack to fall. It's how Danny fell in figures 32 and 33. Kubrick had Danny also fall on his right side, and he put out his right arm to catch himself and pushed himself up with his right arm.
651 LS Snowcat (2:18:08)
Cut to the Snowcat turning in front of the hotel, Jack yelling unintelligibly from inside the maze.
652 MS Jack (2:18:17)
Hearing the Snowcat drive away, Jack in the maze continues yelling incoherently, grotesquely, as if the bull-headed minotaur, human overwhelmed by animal nature.
653 LS Snowcat (2:18:24)
Having turned around, the Snowcat makes it way past the lodge.
654 MS Jack (2:18:30)
Jack yells inside the maze.
655 LS Snowcat (2:18:38)
The Snowcat drives past the pipes, up the hill and away, enveloped by cloud, the cloud removing it from us so it disappears. We hear Jack yelling in the maze.
Figure 57 - The Snowcat disappears.
656 MS Jack (2:18:50)
Jack stumbles along, cuts right then a hairpin right again as he yells. He cuts left.
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657 LS Jack from behind. (2:19:06)
We watch from behind as Jack stumbles along, much like the Creature from a Frankenstein film. He waves his axe. Finally, he sinks down onto a snowbank, leaning against the hedge.
He still clenches his jacket.
Figure 58 - Jack slumps against a hedge.
658 MCU Jack frozen. (2:19:24)
Daylight. Jack is seen from the front, frozen, engulfed in snow, his eyes rolled partly back in his head, his mouth partly open showing his bottom teeth. His expression is much the same as when he took his first drink of Jack Daniels in the Gold Ballroom. The wind howls.
Figure 58 - Frozen Jack.
This below shot of Jack from "The Overlook Hotel Tumblr" reveals what is going on with Jack's right hand. It rests atop the snow, clenched tight. His left hand is instead relaxed open upon the snow. The holding the jacket shut has been, in a way, an excuse for Jack keeping that right hand closed fast. The holding the jacket shut against the cold was not the important thing. It was not why Jack's hand was clenched shut. Had he continued to hold his axe with that right hand as well as with his left, we would not have noted eventually that something had changed, seemingly in connection with Danny having entered the maze. Seeing Jack here in the snow, frozen, no longer holding his jacket shut, but that right hand still clenched tight, seals that Jack's clenched fist hadn't anything to do with having to hold shut his jacket shut. It's just that as long as he was holding his jacket shut with that clenched fist our attention was not immediately drawn to that clenched fist as peculiar, we thought his fist clenched over the jacket, holding it shut, was in response to the cold. Not so.
Figure 59 - Frozen Jack with his right fist still clenched shut.
659 LS to CU through the lobby to the Gold Room hall. (2:19:33)
The camera moves through the lobby toward the Gold Room hall. The lights are off. The seating is all covered with sheets. It's as if we are at the beginning to Lolita, Humbert entering Quilty's mansion, and any moment one of the sheets will become animated and Quilty will rise, calling out, "I'm Spartacus. You come to free the slaves or something?" The Gold Room sign is on the right again, as it was in The Interview section.
Figure 60 - The ending recalls Humbert entering Quilty's mansion to murder him, Quilty appearing from beneath a sheet on a chair and asking if he's Spartacus come to free the slaves.
There are some very noticeable differences between how the lobby and hall are outfitted in this scene and in other scenes. One that I've discussed previously is how in the opening shot of Jack arriving for his interview we clearly see heating vents for forced air behind the radiant heaters.
The vents for the forced heat are visible behind the radiant heaters just above the baseboard. Click on the image for better view. I've lightened the shot so they can be a little better seen.
There are no forced air vents observed behind the radiant heaters in this section.
The radiant heaters in the closing section.
The camera continues closing in on the photos in the adjoining Gold Room hall. We notice there is no red sofa below these photos.
A kind of curious thing happens in respect to the "center" of the image.
Or, at least, it's curious to me. True center seems to be where we think it is, zeroing right in on Jack in the middle of the photograph that is about to be revealed. And it rather lines up with the center of the wall sconce right above. But it doesn't with the designs in the wainscotting below the photo, nor with the design of the carpet, nor with where we've a "center point" in the design of the lobby floor before the door. One will think I'm picking at details and I don't believe I am. Kubrick's symmetries are not absolutely perfect symmetries, they're not mirror images, nor should they be, but it has struck me that we have at least one other "center" here, which is the light of the sconce just screen right of center, and that we really kind of need to pay attention to the shadow sconce. The sconce that isn't there yet is by virtue of its shadow. The phantom sconce. Also note that Kubrick has it so that the shadow of the left sconce falls perfectly under the "center" one.
We really do need to pay attention to this idea of the "mirrored" sconce reorienting our idea of true center somewhat, for we are, after all, about to have revealed to us the hidden Jack.
I think you can see, with the very opening image of the film set above this closing image, how the island's alignment with the mountain has a certain relationship with the wall sconce and its shadow. And even as we zoom in on the photo that shows Jack we will have yet more hidden information divulged, will we not? It's like something keeps opening up and revealing more to us of what has been hidden.
Figure 61 - The photos. The red diamond rug now to their side and turned 90 degrees from the way we have always seen it.
There is a red and black diamond rug now, instead of a mirror, to the left of the photos, all of which seem, every one of them, to be different from any we've observed earlier on this wall. The rug is the same as was seen in the entry to the red bathroom off the Gold Room and in a hall off the only entry/exit we ever see anyone physically use, but this rug is at a 90 degree angle from those rugs.
We have now revealed to us a photo with Jack in a tux, at the head of a party of people perhaps in the old ballroom.
Figure 62 - Closer in on the photos, we see people at a table in the lower left corner looking up to the middle photo.
Figure 63 - Moving closer in on the photo.
Jack is waving at the camera, at us, a piece of paper tucked in the palm of his hand. A caption on the photo reads July 4th Ball, 1921.
Crossfade to a close-up of the photo clearly showing Jack's face, if there was any question about it. The camera pans down to show Overlook Hotel, July 4th Ball, 1921.
Why was Jack so adamantly holding his fist clenched to his chest? Because he was holding something in that hand, represented by the paper he has now tucked against his palm, held there by his thumb, displayed for the camera to see.
Figure 66 - Detail.
Figure 67 - Detail.
Figure 68 - Detail.
Fade out and begin credits at 2:21:20.
"...surrender all my life to you..." can be heard on the soundtrack.
We wonder how does the man in the photo have Jack's face? Is the current caretaker Jack a sort of double of this person, reborn in some way, pulled back to the Overlook? Has he been pulled into the photo through actions that have taken place in the film, perhaps replacing someone else? Just as the 1970s Charles Grady became the ethereal 1920s Delbert Grady has he assumed a new name and identity through the lodge? What is the piece of paper he holds which makes us feel if we could reach out and take it we might know the answer, it may have a message? Why does the man behind him stand with his hand on Jack's upraised arm? Who is the woman with half closed eyes, in the laurel leaf crown, the heart-shaped pin on her breast, a bow decorating, a feather extending from it? | 2024-03-12T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5075 |
Victory and the Damage Done Part 2: The End of the Rock Star
In a culture that venerates success, there’s a tendency to underrate the destruction it wreaks upon the victor. Similarly, the fact that a victory does not halt time at the pristine pinnacle of success — that life goes on — leads to disillusionment and disparagement when ongoing reality refuses to stay still. 1989-1991 was an era of victory and all the consequent worries, woes and uncertainties that comes with it — a powerful sense of “what next?”
The Sex Pistols had certainly dug a hole in the U.K.’s consensus — exposing and parodying its vile edge in which there’s nothing more than what you can grab from those who will buy — but only in the context of a wider economic malaise and the ongoing decline of Britain from an imperial peak which now made the U.S. the self-confident and true home of rock. While the U.S. embraced some fragments of punk squalor it was primarily theatrical and integrated well into the existing superhero template — Motley Crue, Ted Nugent, Guns n’ Roses; these were the nearest the mainstream came to punk until Nirvana.
The U.K. and Europe similarly possessed genuine socialist parties which acted as strong forces with an influence on the direction of national politics. In the U.S. this simply didn’t exist; open espousal of socialism let alone communism was a severely suppressed thread in politics. While in the U.K. and Europe feminism, gay rights, vegetarianism, anti-war protests and so forth were part of both the mainstream political mix and popular mass causes — in the U.S. these were viewed as left-wing, politically suspect and only of interest to non-mainstream activists and extremists.
The impact of this exclusion was to add these causes to the realm of deviance and non-mainstream interests in which U.S. punk fermented; all were minority activities focused around tiny self-defined communities of ‘outcasts’ and increasingly, as the Eighties went on, the punk scene fused with a strong political edge whether openly critical of the current political mainstream, or of law enforcement, or in favour of pro-gay rights, or of feminist politics. It was the same rooting around in the underground that led some to latch onto extreme racist nationalism, the other side of the coin to punk’s quest for rebel yells outside the vision presented by militaristic, flag-waving, ‘us uber alles’ supermen who infested the mainstream.
Nirvana’s rise didn’t take place in a vacuum; it coincided with the entire political order of the West shifting. Nirvana’s first European tour coincided with the collapse of the Warsaw Pact with the Berlin Wall commencing its fall on November 9, 1989 and Nirvana arriving in the city two days later as people continued tearing at the symbol of the entire post-war reality. Finally, following the attempted coup in August 1991, the Soviet Union itself ceased to exist on December 26, 1991 — just as Nirvana was exploding into mass consciousness.
The colossal weight of what was occurring was amplified and enhanced by the reality that this was the first global shift of the mass media era. The absence of the unifying enemy who had tethered U.S. culture for decades was a grave concern among governing circles after the collapse of the Soviet Union and with it the end of the last substantial external threat to capitalism. Francis Fukuyama’s book The End of History and The Last Man expanded was built on a 1989 article and essentially suggested that progress and time had now halted — that’s how deeply the narrative of Cold War had infected perceptions of reality and how hard it was to envisage a life without it. Fukuyama’s book has been long-criticised but its key point that the last fully functioning alternative to capitalism (in whatever gradation) had ceased and a single economic system now ruled almost the entire dialogue of world civilisation.
The shock of Nirvana’s emergence was so powerful within the U.S. not because of the music itself — debates over its originality and universal popularity are missing the point. Nirvana were the crest of a wave that had travelled far and was now breaking in so many directions. On the one hand, the extreme solipsism and air of defensiveness, indifference, negativity that many saw in Nirvana was an articulation of a new insecurity, a new vulnerability that arose because no one now knew who or where the enemy was. Simultaneously, the music acknowledged and empowered feelings that hadn’t been permitted under the old regime governed by the indestructible ‘rock star’; the need for the strong had gone away and Nirvana helped make it look ridiculous. Instead the marginalised could emerge blinking into daylight and with them all the causes that had been bred into the underground’s rising stars during the previous decade.
The switch in the music culture had been prefaced by an expanding roster of alternative bands on major labels prior to Nirvana’s emergence, there had been bands originating in the indie scene who had made the jump to major label record deals — but success was varied. Among the mainstream survivors, Metallica incorporated a touch more brooding into their major crossover success, Guns n’ Roses acknowledged the turn away from chest-thumping rock only in Axl Rose’s more solitary and sombre meditations, Nine Inch Nails were still to push the dial all the way to The Downward Spiral — while the move toward Cobain’s insularity had been foreshadowed by all this activity, there still wasn’t a superstar until his arrival who looked so firmly inward.
A similar explosion at that time was the twisted tale of the Black Metal scene in Scandinavia and particularly in Norway. Between 1991 and 1995, with a very young coterie of individuals egging each other on to ever more extreme and grim acts, the early scene erupted with over twenty churches burned, suicide, murder, general mayhem. In the book ‘Black Metal: Beyond the Darkness” there’s a quotation from one figure in the scene stating “it is interesting that Black Metal exploded in Norway immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union and the final demise of the idea that fighting against the bourgeoisie and capitalist conservatives, including Christianity, could be defeated by revolutionary socialism…It’s all part of an escape from reality.”
The Norwegian scene couldn’t follow the U.S. simply because Norway was never as fully integrated into the confrontational West versus East face-off. Socialism was a well-represented presence and a successful component of the governing mix within Norwegian politics bringing with it the kinds of policies that the U.S. alternative scene was then busy trying to articulate. The Black Metal scene was forced into a different reaction of similar extremity to the Nirvana effect. A core of individuals substituted a new overarching narrative and competition, one pitching Nordic (white) paganism against other races which were deemed to be diluting strong blood and simultaneously against Christianity on the basis that it had feminised national cultures, another reason why the scene was also homophobic, a further effeminate weakening influence.
Of course it was nonsense, but no more nonsensical than Ted Nugent, AC/DC or the trappings of cock rock that had achieved two decades of dominance in the U.S. It took the world to change for the rock star to die whether in Nirvana’s rain of sardonic laughter (“hi Axl! Hi Axl!”) or Norway’s reign of blood and fire. | 2024-05-03T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6613 |
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Quakes PDL Home Opener vs OC Blue
Quakes defender Christian Carranza leaps over a Blues defender to head a ball during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Quakes wing Luis Martinez attempts a shot on goal during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Quakes forward Juilo Cervantes reaches up to stop a ball during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Quakes players Ramon Martin Del Campo (left) and Nicholas Cashmere (right) close in on a corner kick during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Quakes forward Juilo Cervantes heads a ball in-between two Blues defenders during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Quakes striker Nicholas Cashmere drives past a defender during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Head Coach for the Quakes Dana Taylor looks to his bench during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com
Quakes foward Juilo Cervantes heads a ball for a shot on goal for the Quakes during a game between San Jose Earthquakes-U23 vs OC Blues in a PDL matchup on Saturday, May 31st, at Stan State's Warriors field. jwestberg@modbee.com | 2024-03-31T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5245 |
How Fast Do People Type? (2007) - userbinator
https://imlocation.wordpress.com/2007/12/05/how-fast-do-people-type/
======
zokier
Dug up a more recent study from 2014 about typing speed, with the result of
"median gross WPM was 36.3 with a median of 6 errors, giving a median net WPM
of 30.4."
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3963776/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3963776/)
Notably this study was on physicians and not professional typists (or
programmers), so that probably explains the relatively low score. Also the
assessment text they present seems challenging:
“Patient is a 62 y/o female with PMH of HTN, DM, morbid obesity, asthma, renal
cell carcinoma s/p right nephrectomy in 2001, CAD s/p PCI with c/o left sided
chest pain since 2 days. Patient states that her chest pain is 8/10 in
intensity, squeezing in quality (“like someone is sitting on my chest “),
radiating to left axilla & has been worsening since 2 days. O/E, Vital signs
are stable. Cardiovascular exam is WNL. EKG shows ST segment elevations in
lead 2, V3-5. Echo shows EF of 45%, hypokinesis of the left ventricular wall.”
Frankly I think that even the HNers pushing normally 100+ WPM might struggle
with that.
~~~
userbinator
_Frankly I think that even the HNers pushing normally 100+ WPM might struggle
with that._
Yes, that was very difficult. I timed myself with that text -- 102WPM after 3
tries. My usual speed when writing prose, in chat, etc. is in the 140-150
range, with brief bursts over 200. This is because fast typists don't think of
each letter as they type it; they write entire words at a time, aided by
"muscle memory", so any unfamiliar words or series of symbols causes a return
to character-by-character mode. Ask any fast typist to reproduce random
strings of characters and their speed drops dramatically. In fact it's easier
for me to type a word than think consciously about where each of the keys are
and what fingers I used to press them.
~~~
u801e
I've always wondered what determines the ultimate typing speed of a touch
typist. I typically type between 70 to 80 wpm, and have been for decades. I
don't think I would have any hope of achieving 100+ wpm.
~~~
talltimtom
My experience of going from around 75wpm to an average of 105wpm through the
last couple of months is that it simply takes persistent training. Not even
intense training, I’ve been doing 10-15 min a day with some days just being
just 5min, but almost never skipping a day.
Good places to train in my oppinion are keybr.com and 10fastfingers.com
------
zokier
I find the claim that typing at 120 WPM "borders on the physically impossible"
very funny.
The study they are quoting is based on data from 1993-1997. While the numbers
feel bit low even for that era, I would expect noticeable improvement these
days.
The big error rates are less significant than what the author thinks.
Backspace was disabled in the test, and I imagine vast majority of the errors
would have been corrected on the by the typist had they access to backspace.
Of course one might also raise the question how much did the disabling of
backspace disrupt the typists flow?
~~~
Retric
IMO, any errors on a typing test should fail it. Though this is likely
somewhat biased from an older software dev.
Really though if you can accept errors then speech recognition is much faster.
So, typing is mostly about precision.
~~~
jdietrich
> IMO, any errors on a typing test should fail it. Though this is likely
> somewhat biased from an older software dev.
My IDE will flag my error and offer a correction if I mistype a function or
variable name; it'll offer autocompletion options from the first character.
It'll warn of syntax errors in real time and provide niceties like syntax
highlighting, automatic indentation and automatic bracket closure. Typos do
occasionally cause grief even in a modern development environment, but they're
a relatively minor issue. I don't think I'd notice the difference if somehow I
could reduce my typing error rate by an order of magnitude.
Text-to-speech is horribly cumbersome for code, especially if you're using a
language with a profusion of curly braces and semicolons.
~~~
Retric
Look up tables can sometimes just be a huge array of numbers. 137295.276 vs
137395.276 is the kind of issue I am talking about.
But really any kind of error even if the IDE catches it is still a
distraction. As to errors and speech recognition I am more talking about text
messages or online posts not code.
------
js2
I’ve been typing since I was maybe 10 (I’m 46 now). I’m self-taught and do not
type properly. My fingers don’t rest on the home row correctly. I reach across
with my hands on some keys and so can’t use a split keyboard. When typing
English (as opposed to writing code) my error rate is not great so I’m often
correcting my errors.
Despite that, I’ve never felt my typing speed slows me down when writing (code
or English). I’m sure if my typing were purely mechanical (taking notes,
copying), I’d feel different. But when what I’m typing is something that’s
being synthesized in my head, I guess I feel that the typing paces my thought.
That said, I should probably try to retrain myself some day to type correctly.
Maybe with faster speed and fewer errors I’d realize I’m wrong.
~~~
nhaehnle
I do recommend you give it a try. I was in a similar situation as you,
although I made the conscious decision to teach myself "proper" typing when I
was in my mid-20s. I don't think it has made my typing significantly faster --
maybe a little bit faster, with a bit fewer mistakes -- but I _really_ felt
the difference in how pleasant typing felt. Reducing my hand movements during
typing has probably saved me from early joint / carpal tunnel / whatever
problems.
~~~
js2
I’ve probably been lucky in that I haven’t had any wrist pain and don’t really
find typing uncomfortable but I’ll give it another try. I’ve tried twice
before and didn’t stick with it.
How long did it take you to retrain yourself?
~~~
nhaehnle
It didn't take long, but I really forced myself to do _all_ typing in the
"proper" way. I would say two weeks at most, maybe four until it really sank
in indefinitely. Obviously this is with a lot of typing, and you do need the
luxury to be able to suffer through a few slow days.
------
chris_st
Around the mid-90's I got the kids one of the "Famous Person teaches Typing"
programs so they could try learning to type. It had a few typing games which
they liked, but they didn't get far.
I thought I'd try it out to see if it could improve my typing. It asked my
goal WPM, and I guessed high and put in 45, since I'd done abysmally in high
school typing (actual electric typewriters... this was around the time that
the earth's crust was starting to cool :-).
It then had me take a test to see how fast I could type now, so I'd have a
baseline to start with to see how far I'd come... and I was easily able to do
72 WPM!
With respect to the original article, I wonder if this was on typewriters.
There's a lot more stress typing there, as a typo is a lot "worse", in that
you have to use an eraser, white out, etc.
I imagine that computer keyboards, with the painless backspace, makes things
faster.
------
patsall
Does everyone mean the same thing by "wpm"? I almost always score over "125
wpm" on Typeracer.com, and there are plenty of people there who score higher
than that. So I suspect there is some inconsistency in the counting between
that site and the article. (I don't even consider myself especially fast.)
~~~
zokier
The article seems to be using average of 6 characters per word ("120 WPM means
12 strokes a second"), which sounds pretty typical to me
~~~
stan_rogers
Five characters plus a space. It's a long-standing standard measure (it was
_old_ old fifty years ago when I were a wee lad).
------
yuhe00
Keyboard layout matters. I used to type around 80-85 WPM on a standard
keyboard with QWERTY layout. A little more than a year ago, I started getting
into custom mechanical keyboards and built a split ortho Ergodox and switched
to Colemak all in one go, and have had to re-learn how to type. You can see my
progress here:
[https://www.keyhero.com/profile/yuhe00/](https://www.keyhero.com/profile/yuhe00/)
As you see, I'm quite a bit faster now then I was before. Not to mention the
added benefit of reduced risk of RSI. It's been an interesting experience to
completely rebuild muscle-memory. For the first month or so, I was not very
productive, but it was during a not-so-busy period ;) In my opinion, it's a
good investment for anyone who types a lot as part of their profession.
~~~
codetrotter
I switched to using the Dvorak keyboard layout several years ago and haven’t
looked back. Never focused much on typing speed but I feel very well with
Dvorak in terms of it reducing the amount of finger movement necessary.
When I switched I bought a TypeMatrix 2030 USB with two skins — one with
Dvorak layout printed on it and one that was all black. Used the printed skin
for like a week or so before switching to the black skin. Had no idea where
almost any keys were but this forced me to learn where the keys were very
quickly. Only took about three days from not knowing where any keys were to
being able to touch type Dvorak quite well.
After having used the TypeMatrix keyboard and Dvorak layout for many years I
finally found a mechanical keyboard that looked very compelling. I read about
it a bit and decided to go for it and am very glad I did. The ErgoDox EZ
Shine. It’s programmable so I defined a Dvorak-based layout for it that was
similar to the layout of the TypeMatrix. One of the best things I ever did was
to buy the ErgoDox EZ Shine keyboard, it’s great :D
My layout: [https://configure.ergodox-
ez.com/keyboard_layouts/qppwjy/edi...](https://configure.ergodox-
ez.com/keyboard_layouts/qppwjy/edit)
~~~
ythn
How do you insert spaces with that layout?
~~~
1123581321
The ⎵ symbol represents spacebar.
~~~
ythn
Ah, it was showing up as a box in my browser
------
Juerd
The same question is answered by my own "study", a typing speed website that
has been collecting data since 2008. It uses only simple words to avoid
becoming a reading test (or worse, a typing torture test).
Halfway down the page at [https://typing-speed-test.aoeu.eu/](https://typing-
speed-test.aoeu.eu/) there's a histogram of the statistics, built out of 46
million completed tests.
Because of the immense sample size, I've tried to keep the test compatible
over time. Based on referrer logs I think the user base is incredibly diverse,
although I have no specific statistical data on the participants.
Unfortunately, the database (small SQLite file available on request) is
aggregated and I don't have any data on the development of the statistics over
time.
------
melling
“Less than half the population of the world has the manual dexterity to wiggle
their fingers at the speed of 50 words per minute or better.”
Do we figure out how to get people to type faster or cut the Gordian knot and
remove the need to type?
------
Kagerjay
The vast majority of people IMO don't need to type very fast. Only people
whose sole job is to write(fiction writers, bloggers, etc). For developers
there's always intellisense and text expansion anyhow
I can comfortable type for 10 hours straight on average 45 WPM continously
(I've tested this already), anything more than that just seems like overkill.
The fastest I can type at high accuracy is about 90 WPM, but I can't maintain
it for more than an hour. I own a mechanical keyboard on a qwerty layout
But I also used to play competitive starcraft and my APM (actions per minute)
would hit roughly 250 to 300, roughly at the same level as top korean players.
It becomes incredibly stressful to maintain that level though.
I don't understand how people are typing at 120 WPM or higher with high
accuracy though. You could type at 120 WPM in one minute, but what about one
hour? 3 hours? 10 hours? What's the average there, etc? What makes you even
want to type that fast anyways? I find I can't think and write at 90 WPM all
that well, since I'm more focused on writing as opposed to thinking. Maybe 60
WPM if I really want to get something done faster, but not 90 WPM.
------
woodandsteel
"Less than half the population of the world has the manual dexterity to wiggle
their fingers at the speed of 50 words per minute or better."
This is so stupid. They are assuming that when you type fast, you push down
with one finger, and when you get done you push down with the next, and so on.
But it has long been common knowledge that the key to fast typing is over-
lapping keystrokes. That is, you start to push down with one finger, and
before it gets all the way down you start pushing down with the next, and so
on. The trick for going really fast is how closely you can space the stokes
without getting them out of order.
~~~
saltcured
Your comment has reminded me of an office mate from my university days.
Most of us type in an obviously sequential manner and you can almost imagine
our fingers being the striking arms of an old, mechanical typewriter, flinging
out one at a time to strike a letter. Some go faster or slower, but it seems
like the same process at different speeds.
He typed like a line-printer, somehow rolling his hands up and down the
keyboard and bashing out what looked and sounded like whole lines of text in a
single pulse. It was as if he had a chording system for whole phrases, and his
arm and hand movements would almost remind you of a concert pianist's.
~~~
woodandsteel
Yeah, that is a good way of putting it. I am not as good as that guy, but
though my finger speed is at best average, back when I was typing all day I
could do about 90 wpm. My mother could do 120.
By the way, with overlapping keystrokes, the big problem with slow fingers is
when you have to use the same finger for two strikes in a row.
------
miguelrochefort
I used to type at about 45 WPM.
Then I switched to Dvorak, the Kinesis Advantage keyboard, and learned to
touch type.
I now average 90 WPM on Typeracer and peak at around 115 WPM.
~~~
patsall
Same here -- I jumped from about 70 on Qwerty to about 130 on Dvorak. I think
it's almost entirely due to the fact that I now type "correctly", rather than
anything great about Dvorak. (I don't really recommend switching to other
people, but I don't have the motivation to move back.)
------
nhebb
Having watched plenty of programming videos, I've come to the conclusion that
many programmers are terrible at typing. As a terrible typist myself, I take
great comfort in this.
------
patient_zero
here's the site i use to check my speed. (you can use backspace if you want
to). [http://thume.ca/keyzen/](http://thume.ca/keyzen/)
cold, i'm about 55wpm. I am comfortable with this.
------
lichenwarp
I'm on colemak and just hit 51wpm, what have I done to myself, somebody help
me!
------
booleandilemma
Do I get to use IntelliSense?
~~~
tazard
Wouldn't that hurt your wpm because you never get to type more than half a
word?
------
dandigangi
Well I feel better now. I do about 80-120 words a minute.
------
__s
120wpm involves stenography
~~~
nerdponx
I've hit 115 a few times on Typeracer on a mechanical keyboard with light
switches, on good runs where I don't make typos. I am far from the fastest
typist I know. It's certainly possible to hit 120, depending on how you count
WPM. Most people don't think in terms of the "strokes per 10 seconds"
definition used in the article. The average word is not 5 letters.
~~~
tomsmeding
> The average word is not 5 letters.
Taking "word" to mean "whitespace-delimited", the average word length in your
comment is ~4.35 characters not counting the spaces. With spaces, that would
be 5.35, which is pretty close to 5.
~~~
nerdponx
Interesting. My only other explanation, then, would be the technical nature of
the typing sample, discussed in another comment thread here.
| 2024-05-11T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7585 |
Jacques Pauw, left, and Piet Rampedi, right. (Photos: Daily Maverick | Twitter / @_AfricanSoil)
Investigative journalist Jacques Pauw has brought a lawyer to a Tweet-fight. Pauw is demanding an apology and retraction from the Sunday Independent’s Piet Rampedi – after Rampedi took to Facebook and Twitter to accuse Pauw of racism and child molestation. At the heart of the matter: the never-ending saga of the SARS ‘rogue unit’.
The Sunday Independent’s investigations editor Piet Rampedi did not take kindly to an 18 February article published by investigative journalist Jacques Pauw on Daily Maverick pointing out the glaring flaws in the so-called SARS “rogue unit” story still being peddled by Rampedi.
Rampedi took to Facebook and Twitter in response, labelling Pauw a “racist liar” and demanding that Pauw “clear serious allegations that he molested young boys in Mozambique on SABC assignment in early 2000”. The tweet containing the molestation claim has been retweeted more than 400 times, including by EFF leader Julius Malema.
Now Pauw, in conjunction with his publishers NB Books, has issued a lawyer’s letter to Rampedi demanding a retraction and apology within 24 hours. If Rampedi fails to comply, a defamation action against him will be launched.
Pauw declined to give further comment at this time due to the pending legal action.
Rampedi confirmed to Daily Maverick that he had received the legal communication. He asked that a tweet he posted on Wednesday evening be considered his official comment on the matter, namely:
“I have received a ‘cease & desist’ lawyer’s letter from [Pauw], who demands a retraction & apology. I will NEVER be intimidated by a racist liar like Jacques Pauw, who thinks the world revolves around him. I’m consulting a lawyer with a view to defending the situation in court.”
The letter sent on behalf of Pauw, from attorney Willem de Klerk, labels Rampedi’s allegations against Pauw as being “devoid of any truth, highly defamatory” and infringing on “Mr Pauw’s constitutional right to dignity”.
It continues:
“As an experienced journalist yourself, you are no doubt well aware that the publication of false and defamatory statements is unlawful and possibly even criminal. As the Group Investigations Editor at Independent Media, you are no doubt also aware of the well-known principle in law, namely that a person who publishes a defamatory statement that was made by another is as much the publisher of the defamation as the originator is. It is therefore clear that you acted with malicious intent, in reckless disregard of the law.”
The feud between Rampedi and Pauw has been brewing since the publication of Pauw’s 2017 book The President’s Keepers, which examined the networks enabling former president Jacob Zuma to maintain power.
Rampedi has repeatedly claimed in public that Pauw accuses him in the book of accepting money from the Gupta family and the government to bankroll his newspaper African Times. In 2018, Rampedi contracted a lawyer to demand that Pauw retract this assertion from the book.
In response, Pauw’s lawyers wrote back stating that “despite a detailed reading” of the book, “we have been unable to find any statement that conveys the meaning” that Rampedi and his associates received financial backing from the Gupta family or the government in order to establish the newspaper.
A response from Rampedi and his lawyer was, according to De Klerk, never received.
The passage from The President’s Keepers that occasioned Rampedi’s wrath reads as follows:
Rampedi started a newspaper called the African Times (who the hell starts a newspaper these days – unless you have government or Gupta funding!) and has ever since raved like a wounded animal about “white racist monopoly capital”. The fact that communications minister Faith Muthambi – a mampara of prodigious proportions and a Zuma acolyte – congratulated Rampedi on the launch of the paper says everything. Not long after the first edition, the press ombudsman ordered Rampedi to apologise to [SARS executive] Ivan Pillay about yet another invented tirade.
Rampedi has also accused Pauw of being a member of a “cabal” of journalists who have conspired on behalf of Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan to discredit the so-called SARS “rogue unit” narrative.
Rampedi was one of the original team of Sunday Times journalists who published dozens of stories in 2014 asserting the existence of an unlawful unit within the revenue collector which spied on Zuma. This claim has failed to be substantiated by multiple investigations and legal opinions.
In October 2018, Sunday Times retracted all ‘rogue unit’ stories, together with Cato Manor ‘death squads’ and Zimbabwean ‘rendition’ stories.
But Rampedi and the Independent Newspaper Group have continued to push the “rogue unit” narrative, with Rampedi altering the story in recent months to now reflect the claim that the unit was working to support Zuma rather than attack him. This version of the tale was also given by Malema at a press event in Cape Town on Friday 14 February.
Pauw’s subsequent unpacking of the myriad contradictions and absurdities in the evolving “rogue unit” narrative for Daily Maverick was the catalyst for Rampedi’s most recent attacks on Pauw.
On Wednesday, Rampedi also referred to Daily Maverick as “propaganda media”, and to editor Branko Brkic as “a modern-day Joseph Goebbels”. DM | 2023-09-21T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2735 |
Chemistry in the clouds: the role of aerosols in atmospheric chemistry.
Ever since the discovery of the ozone hole over the Antarctic and the recognition of the damaging effects of acid rain, the role of atmospheric aerosol particles in determining the chemical balance of the atmosphere has received much attention. Aerosol particles produced in combustion can also have a deleterious effect on human health. In this article we review the chemistry that can occur on aerosol particles, particularly on aqueous based aerosols in the troposphere. The sources, transformation and loss mechanisms of atmospheric aerosol will be discussed. In particular, we will focus on the role of chemical transformation on aerosol particles in promoting reactions that would otherwise be too slow in the homogeneous atmospheric gas phase. Heterogeneous reaction mechanisms of some key chemical reactions will be described. Recent observations of a high organic content of tropospheric aerosol particles will be described and a model of organic coated aerosols will be reviewed. | 2024-03-22T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7188 |
"Quite often, computer created documents contain "metadata" which can provide far more information than the hard copy. The electronic data itself may be relevant."
"the parties to litigation are under an obligation to preserve all relevant documents. It is not legitimate, once litigation is either instituted or contemplated, for a party or potential party to destroy documents, either deliberately or inadvertently."
""Litigation" means adversarial proceedings, usually before a court or in an arbitration, and there must be an actual or contemplated case upon which advice is being sought or given."
Disclosure in Guernsey litigation
In any litigation, documents are likely to feature as evidence. Those documents may be significant in their own right or may be crucial in refreshing the memories of witnesses. Disclosure is the legal process pursuant to which the parties to litigation reveal their documentary evidence to each other. This briefing considers in general terms what falls within the definition of "documents"; what documents need to be disclosed; what documents can legitimately be withheld from disclosure; and how to approach the task.
DocumentsThe term "documents" is not restricted to paper material. For the purposes of the disclosure provisions of the Royal Court Civil Rules, 2007 (the "Civil Rules"), it means anything in which information of any description is recorded. In real terms, this would include tape recordings, microfilm, microfiche, computer records, computer files (including voicemails, scanned images and facsimiles), texts and images.
In the case of electronic documents (such as e-mails, word processed documents, voicemails, scanned images, facsimiles, texts and images), it should not be assumed that production of a hard copy represents production of a document itself. Quite often, computer created documents contain "metadata" which can provide far more information than the hard copy. The electronic data itself may be relevant. Whilst considering the extent and parameters of a disclosure exercise, particularly in the context of electronic data, parties must be aware of and consider the extent of the "document universe" (i.e. the servers and locations where relevant data and documents could be stored, including backup tapes and disaster recovery sites).
DisclosureIn Guernsey litigation, the Civil Rules specify the types of document a party must disclose to the other parties. In the case of standard disclosure, the Civil Rules require each party to provide the other parties with a list of documents upon which that party relies; the documents which adversely affect that party's case or another party's case; the documents that support another party's case; and any documents which are required to be disclosed by any relevant practice direction (no such practice directions have been issued to date). The duty to disclose documents extends to all documents which are or have been within a party's control, which means all documents which are or have been in that party's physical possession (in paper or electronic format); all documents which that party has or has had a right to obtain from someone else; and all documents which that party has or has had a right to inspect or take copies of.
The list of documents referred to above must contain a disclosure statement. A disclosure statement sets out the extent of the search that has been made for documents, certifies that the maker understands the duty to disclose documents, and certifies that, to the best of their knowledge, the maker has carried out that duty.
Thereafter, a party will have to permit inspection of the documents disclosed, unless there is a valid claim to privilege. This is usually achieved by providing copies of all the documents to the other parties to the litigation. In the event that documents have been or may have been omitted, applications can be made for specific discovery of specified documents or classes of documents, or for a wider search to be carried out.
The obligation to give discovery is a continuing obligation. If relevant documents come to light in the course of proceedings or after a list of documents has been produced, those documents must be disclosed by way of a supplemental list, verified by a fresh disclosure statement. Similarly, if relevant documents have been lost or destroyed, this fact has to be stated in the disclosure list, together with an explanation of what has happened to the documents and when.
The disclosure obligation is very wide, but is not unlimited in scope. Under standard disclosure, the extent of the search which a party must carry out must be "reasonable". Factors which are relevant in deciding the reasonableness of a search include the number of documents involved; the nature and complexity of the proceedings; the ease and expense of retrieval of any particular document; and the significance of any document which is likely to be located during the search. Where a party does not search for a category of document, on the grounds that to do so would be unreasonable, they must state this in their disclosure statement and identify the category of document.
Moreover, the parties to litigation are under an obligation to preserve all relevant documents. It is not legitimate, once litigation is either instituted or contemplated, for a party or potential party to destroy documents, either deliberately or inadvertently. Accordingly, once litigation is contemplated, any routine document destruction policy should be held in abeyance until specific advice on this issue has been obtained.
In the event that any litigation is instituted or contemplated, it may be appropriate to consider circulating an internal memorandum to all relevant staff in similar terms to the following:
"Litigation has been instituted in relation to [matter x]. As litigation is a possibility, we are obliged to preserve all documents relevant to any issue in that litigation. The duty applies not only to paper documents but also to computer databases, electronic mail, tape recordings and electronic documents, etc. Relevant documents held by directors, employees, subsidiary companies and agents must also be preserved.
It is important that steps are taken to preserve the relevant documentation and ensure that any routine destruction of documents and deletion of tapes and computer records, including electronic mail (whether administered centrally or locally, including system back-ups), is stopped.
It is also important that the creation of new documents relating to the litigation is restricted, in case it may prejudice our position. We must disclose all documents relevant to the matters in dispute to the other side, even if they are harmful to our position. Examples of documents that can cause problems include internal memoranda, e-mails, board minutes, management reports and correspondence with auditors or insurers.
Documents will not, however, have to be disclosed if they are "privileged". The types of documents that are likely to be privileged at this stage are:
Confidential communications between us and our legal advisers for the purpose of giving or receiving legal advice on what should prudently and sensibly be done in the relevant legal context; and
Confidential documents produced for contemplated or pending legal proceedings provided that the sole or dominant purpose of such documents is to conduct the litigation.
We need to implement controls on the creation of new documents relevant to this litigation and take steps to ensure that documents are not circulated or copied unnecessarily such that they cease to be privileged or are susceptible to being disclosed inadvertently.
As an initial step, should you see or receive any documents headed "Privileged: Prepared for the Purposes of Legal Advice" in relation to this matter, please do not copy them or circulate them unless you are certain that this action is appropriate. In case of doubt, please speak to [insert appropriate person]."
PrivilegeAlthough the obligation to give disclosure is far-reaching, there are exceptions to it. Broadly, there are two categories of documents which are protected by privilege and therefore are not required to be produced to any of the other parties to the litigation, although they still need to be identified in general terms in the disclosure list.
The first category concerns those documents subject to "litigation privilege". This protects documentary communications between a client and its lawyer, and between one of them and a third party (for example, a potential witness or expert) provided that the document was created or brought into existence for the dominant purpose of obtaining or giving legal advice in relation to pending or contemplated litigation or collecting evidence to be deployed in such litigation. "Litigation" means adversarial proceedings, usually before a court or in an arbitration, and there must be an actual or contemplated case upon which advice is being sought or given.
The second category concerns those documents which are subject to "legal advice privilege". This is potentially broader in scope, as it does not depend on there being litigation pending or in contemplation. Any documentary communication between a client and a lawyer made for the purpose of obtaining or giving legal advice will be privileged and thus may be protected from disclosure in future litigation which is not at that time pending or contemplated. This type of privilege remains after the occasion for it has passed, unless it is waived (in other words: once privileged, always privileged).
Although these principles may be stated simply, their application can be far from straightforward. For example, in the Three Rivers District Council v Governor and Company of the Bank of England ("Three Rivers") litigation, the English Court of Appeal and the House of Lords had to consider the extent of legal advice privilege on a number of occasions. One of the key issues in upholding a claim for privilege concerns the identity of the "client" in relation to whom legal advice is being sought and whether this encompasses the whole organisation (such as a trust company) or merely specific parts of it (such as a compliance department). In the Three Rivers litigation, the English Court of Appeal decided that, in the case of a large organisation, the client was not the organisation as a whole but, rather, the specific unit or department within that organisation actually instructing the lawyers. Memoranda, communications or documents prepared outside that specific department were not covered by privilege and, therefore, would have to be disclosed.
More recently, in R (on the application of Prudential plc) v Special Commissioner of Income Tax, the UK Supreme Court has had to consider the bounds of legal professional privilege, and in particular whether it should be extended so as to protect tax advice given by accountants. The court held that legal advice privilege should not be extended to communications in connection with advice given by professional people other than lawyers, even where that advice is legal advice which that professional person is qualified to give.
The above decisions are likely to be highly persuasive in Guernsey and, accordingly, consideration needs to be given at a very early stage as to how potentially litigious matters will be dealt with, who is going to be asked to give what advice and for what purpose, and who exactly will comprise the "client" in the event that instructions are required to go to the lawyers. | 2023-11-16T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7664 |
In electronic apparatus such as desktop computers, notebook computers, and mobile communication device, plural electronic components, such as a CPU, coil elements, and capacitors, are provided on a printed circuit board. As electronic apparatus operates faster and becomes more powerful and more sophisticated in functionality, there is a tendency for the calorific values of these electronic components in operation to increase in recent years. To maintain the stable operation of electronic apparatus, there is a need to improve their heat-release properties by quickly releasing heat generated at the electronic components to the outside.
Such being the case, electronic apparatus is generally provided with an air cooling device that cools these electronic components. Such a cooling device is provided with a heat sink that absorbs heat from the electronic components and then dissipates it and a cooling fan that sends cooling air to the heat sink. Since the calorific values of electronic apparatus are forecast to also continue to increase hereafter as described above, it is desired that measures be taken against the increase in the calorific value.
In air cooling devices, measures, such as upsizing of heat sinks and improvement in the performance of cooling fans, and so on, are taken to improve their cooling capability. However, in a case where large heat sinks are used, there is a problem that electronic apparatus also increases in size because of their incorporation. On the other hand, to improve the performance of cooling fans, there is a need to upsize them or increase their number of revolutions; however, such a method causes the problem that it is inevitable that electronic apparatus becomes large or their noise increases. In notebook computers in particular, portability, that is, their size and weight, as well as cooling capability, are important factors and silentness, that is, being silent during their operation is also an important factor; however, the above measures to improve cooling capability and these factors are mutually contradictory.
Therefore a liquid cooling system has been proposed that uses a liquid, such as water, having a specific heat that is higher by far than that of air as a cooling medium (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In the cooling device for an electronic apparatus (notebook computer) disclosed in Patent Document 1, by connecting an electronic component provided to a main body, a radiator unit provided to a display unit, and a pump provided to the main body one after the other through the use of a pipe and circulating a cooling medium through the pipe, heat from the electronic component is transmitted to the radiator unit. In such a case, a method is generally used in which a plate-shaped heat-absorbing member is provided on the top surface of the electronic component and heat absorbed by the heat-absorbing member is dissipated into the cooling medium flowing through the pipe formed in the heat-absorbing member so that the heat can be efficiently released from the electronic component to the cooling medium.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-24372 | 2024-03-30T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4116 |
Q:
MySQL group by TimeStamp
I am writing a Python code where I need to use MySQLdb to retrieve data from a MySQL database. A part of the original database looks like this:
I used this command
SELECT TimeStamp,Pac
FROM SolarData
WHERE DATE(`TimeStamp`) = CURDATE()
GROUP BY HOUR(TimeStamp);
to group the data by hour, but the result is not what i expected:
The Pac number shown for every hour is the same number as the first record of each hour. It's not an accumulated number for the whole hour. What I need is an accumulated number of the whole hour.
A:
That's because MySQL is like your alcoholic uncle when you don't use GROUP BY by the ANSI standard. You probably want:
SELECT HOUR(TimeStamp) AS Hour,
SUM(Pac) AS Pac
FROM SolarData
WHERE `TimeStamp` >= CURDATE()
AND `TimeStamp` < CURDATE() + INTERVAL 1 DAY
GROUP BY HOUR(TimeStamp);
It would be helpful to see the desired result you're looking for. Until then, the above query is just a guess based on group the data by hour. For future reference, use SQL Fiddle to post your table structure/data.
| 2024-06-13T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1001 |
If you have been to court and you were sentenced to spend time in the Whitman
County Jail, you will need to know some things.
When you come to jail, please leave all jewelry at home. This includes tongue
rings, earrings, nose rings, etc. Leave purses and wallets at home as well.
Bring ID, Money, Prescription Medications and the clothing you will need for
your stay.
Below is a copy of the inmate orientation we give to each inmate. It will tell
you what you are allowed to bring, and what you are not allowed to bring.
Whitman County Jail Inmate Orientation
Revision: 1F
It is your responsibility to read and understand the Inmate Manual which is located in each unit. Breaking written rules in the Inmate Manual will result in lockdown.
COMMISSARY
Commissary is ordered via the kiosks. It will be delivered twice per week. You must have money on your books to order items on commissary. DO NOT ask about delivery of commissary. It will be delivered when an Officer is available.
COMMUNICATION WITH CORRECTIONS OFFICERS
Do not use the call buttons located throughout the jail unless there is an emergency. If you need to speak to an Officer wait for an Officer to come by on a round. If an Officer needs to get the attention of an inmate he will flash the dayroom lights. An inmate should go to the intercom and speak to the Officer. If the dayroom lights are turned off. It means that you need to turn off the TV and lockdown.
COURT INFORMATION
Superior Court normally holds first appearances around 3:00 PM. District Court usually holds first appearances around 1:30 PM on Mondays and Fridays, 4:00 PM on Wednesdays, and at random times throughout the day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
DAYROOM PRIVILEGES
From 6:00 AM to 10:00 PM you are allowed to use the dayroom. Failure to follow the Inmate Manual will result in lockdown which limits your access to the dayroom.
MEALS
Meals are served in each unit. Meals start at 6:00 AM, noon, and 5:00 PM. Depending on the location of your unit it may take up to an hour for the meal to get to you. Have your cups on the table and be ready by the time the meal cart arrives. Officers will not wake up sleeping inmates.
MORNING WAKE-UP
At 6:00 AM the doors will click several times. This is your cue to get out of bed and push the door open. Inmates who don't open their cell door at 6:00 AM will spend time locked in their cell.
PHONE CALLS
You will receive a private PIN to be used on all phone calls. Inmates caught sharing PINs will have their PIN de-activated and will receive lockdown. You may add money to your PIN for to use for making phone calls. You will have a credit on your PIN allowing you to make one five minutes phone call from your unit. Do not waste the telephone call. If you get voicemail, leave a message.
Do not contact, or attempt contact, of any victim in your case. Doing so can result in loss of the use of the telephone and possibly more criminal charges.
PREA (Prison Rape Elimination Act)
We do not condone rape or sexual assault. We will investigate all allegations of rape or sexual assault. You may confidentially report situations of assaults that occur within the facility.
PROPERTY
If you bring in property the jail is not responsible for it. Should it be lost, stolen, damaged, or destroyed you will have to replace it on your own. All books you bring into the jail must stay after you are released this excludes school textbooks and your personal Bible.
USE OF RESTRAINTS ON PREGNANT WOMEN
Except in extraordinary circumstances no restraints of any kind will be used on any pregnant woman or youth incarcerated in the Whitman County Jail during transportation to and from visits to medical providers and court proceedings during the third trimester of her pregnancy, or during postpartum recovery.
The Corrections Officers of the Whitman County Jail will not use any kind of restraints on a woman in labor or in childbirth. If restraints are used, as accordance with law, they will be the least restrictive possible. They will be the most reasonable under the circumstance and in no case shall leg irons or waist chains be used on any woman known to be pregnant.
More information is provided in RCW(s) 70.48.500, 70.48.501, 70.48.502, and 70.48.800. This information is available for review upon request.
WORK RELEASE
Just because you are eligible for the work release program does not mean you qualify. One step to obtaining work release is to read the Inmate Manual. If you are reading this, then you will be asked to sign a stamp that states you have read this inmate orientation and that you promise to read the Inmate Manual. It is not a good start for your journey to work release by signing an item where you promise to read the Inmate Manual and then fail to do so. Do yourself a favor and read the Inmate Manual.
You will also be required to complete an application to be considered for work release. You can receive an application by requesting it on a kite.
CONCLUSION
The Inmate Manual covers many of these subjects in more depth as well as several other aspects of the jail operation that Inmates should know such as library, laundry, medical, visiting, commissary, mail, and recreation. It also covers your rights, privileges, rules, and the disciplinary process. Any questions at this point should be asked of your Booking Officer.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT
Read the following statement and indicate that it is true by placing your signature where indicated on the booking coversheet: 'I understand the Inmate Orientation. I further understand it is imperative I read the Inmate Manual and my signature below affirms my promise to read it when I am housed in a unit.' | 2024-05-15T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9545 |
Q:
"ImportError: No module named httplib2" even after installation
I'm having a hard time understanding why I get ImportError: No module named httplib2 after making sure httplib2 is installed. See below:
$ which -a python
/usr/bin/python
/usr/local/bin/python
$ pip -V
pip 1.4.1 from /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pip-1.4.1-py2.7.egg (python 2.7
$ pip list
google-api-python-client (1.2)
httplib2 (0.8)
pip (1.4.1)
pudb (2013.5.1)
Pygments (1.6)
setuptools (1.3.2)
wsgiref (0.1.2)
$ pip install httplib2
Requirement already satisfied (use --upgrade to upgrade): httplib2 in /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages
Cleaning up...
$ python
Python 2.7.5 (default, Sep 12 2013, 21:33:34)
[GCC 4.2.1 Compatible Apple LLVM 5.0 (clang-500.0.68)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import httplib2
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
ImportError: No module named httplib2
I've also done
$ find / | grep httplib2
/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/httplib2
/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages/httplib2/__init__.py
[... edited for brevity]
PLUMBING! >shakes fist at heavens<
A:
If there are multiple Python instances (2 & 3), try different pip, for example:
Python 2:
pip2 install httplib2 --upgrade
Python 3:
pip3 install httplib2 --upgrade
To check what's installed and where, try:
pip list
pip2 list
pip3 list
Then make sure you're using the right Python instance (as suggested in the other answer).
A:
added this to .bash_profile
export PATH=/usr/local/bin:$PATH
then got:
$ which -a python
/usr/local/bin/python
/usr/bin/python
/usr/local/bin/python
$ python
Python 2.7.6 (default, Dec 27 2013, 14:07:24)
[GCC 4.2.1 Compatible Apple LLVM 5.0 (clang-500.2.79)] on darwin
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import httplib2
>>>
can't say for sure why pip was installing to /usr/local instead of system default, but now they're the same, so it's working for now.
A:
I faced similar problems on Windows 7.
Here is how I solved it:
Install Python: Simply download Python and follow the installation instructions of the wizard.
Now, Python should be accessible from the command line. However, in my case, calling
py script.py
resulted in the the same error: "ImportError: No module named httplib2"
I then had to add the Python and Pip installation paths to the "Path" environment variable in order to install the httplib2 module and then execute the script without failure.
I followed the instructions provided here.
Then I was able to execute
pip3 install httplib2 --upgrade
In the end I successfully managed to execute the script containing the httplib2 import statement.
| 2024-05-08T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5776 |
Open Build Service
The Open Build Service (formerly called openSUSE Build Service) is an open and complete distribution development platform designed to encourage developers to compile packages for multiple Linux distributions including SUSE Linux Enterprise Server, openSUSE, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Mandriva, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and Arch Linux. It typically simplifies the packaging process, so developers can more easily package a single program for many distributions, and many openSUSE releases, making more packages available to users regardless of what distribution they use. Also, product and appliance building is supported by OBS.
The Build Service software is published under the GPL. In an acknowledgement of its usefulness to the wider Linux community, the Linux Foundation has announced that the project will be added to the Linux Developer Network (LDN). Also, various companies, MeeGo project and Tizen are using it for developing their distribution.
It also delivers a collaboration environment, allowing developer groups to build and submit changes to other projects.
__TOC__
Workflow and usage
One can either run the Open Build Service as a private installation, or utilize public instances such as the openSUSE Build Service located at build.opensuse.org, hosted by SUSE. The latter offers up to 400 build slots, but external services may impose limitations as to what packages are allowed to be hosted, so private installations are usually chosen when proprietary or legally problematic software is to be hosted.
Each packager has a "home" project by default where they can upload sources and definitions on how to build RPM or Debian packages. Commits outside the home space is possible given permissions have been granted to a developer. After each upload, the Build Service schedules the changed packages to be rebuilt. On completion, the resulting binary packages are published instantaneously to the download server, which makes them available to the public.
The Build Service provides a public API which is implemented in several user interfaces:
a web interface at build.opensuse.org
a command line interface called osc
Furthermore, a plug-in for integrating the Build Service into Eclipse is developed as a Google Summer of Code project, as well as a plugin for Qt Creator.
Instances can be linked, such that sources and packages from a remote host can be reused, thereby eliminating the need to bootstrap/import dependencies manually for preexisting projects.
Versions and history
2006-02-22 — initial announcement
2007-12-21 — version 0.5
2008-04-16 — version 0.9
2008-07-09 — version 1.0
2009-03-19 — version 1.5
2010-06-09 — versions 1.8 and 2.0
2012-05-03 — version 2.3
2013-04-30 — version 2.4
2014-03-31 — version 2.5
2015-02-05 — version 2.6
2016-06-06 — version 2.7
2017-04-07 — version 2.8
2018-03-19 — version 2.9
See also
openSUSE
mer
References
External links
openSUSE Build Service source code
openSUSE Build Service tutorial
openSUSE Build Service presentation at FOSDEM 2006 (Slides)
openSUSE Build Service presentation at FOSDEM 2008 (Slides)
(Video)
Category:SUSE Linux | 2024-06-14T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1550 |
Converting a Recipe to Gluten-Free
Savory Cooking
In savory cooking, the adjustments are usually much simpler than baking. If a recipe calls for flour as a thickener for sauces or fillings, you can use starch dissolved in water (called a slurry). This is a blending of equal parts of starch and cold liquid, often water, stock, or wine. You can use cornstarch, potato starch, or arrowroot depending on what you have on hand and any dietary restrictions your family may have. Start with 1 tablespoon starch with 1 tbsp cold water/stock/wine. Whisk them together and stir them into the hot liquid, whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
If you are breading something, you can use any gluten-free flour such as rice, sorghum, or millet. For a very crispy breading, you can use all starch or a combination of gf flour and starch. Almond meal and hazelnut meal are also delightful coatings for proteins.
Baking
When you have a traditional baking recipe that you want to convert to gluten-free, the first thing you need is a good gluten-free flour blend. No single gluten-free flour will do everything that gluten does. You need a combination of flours and starches to mimic the function of gluten, extra leavening provides lift, and gums help hold everything together. It can seem overwhelming, but the all-purpose flour you buy in the grocery store is actually a blend of different kinds of wheat with varying protein levels to produce a product that can be used in most applications. When you make your own gluten-free blend, you are doing the same thing!
If your homemade blend includes rice flours, do yourself a favor and spend a little more to buy super-finely ground flours. My favorites are those from Authentic Foods. I use their superfine rice flours in all of my blends and I never have any grittiness, sandiness, or other textural issues. You can buy them directly from the website – along with many specific blends and other gluten-free products – or use their Store Locator to find sellers in your neighborhood. They are also available from Amazon.
Weight vs. Volume
Weighing and using metric measures will give you the most consistent results every time. When you use a measuring cup, the moisture in the air, the way you scoop the flour, and whether it was compacted or light and airy changes day to day. A scale never lies! Buy a kitchen scale that goes up to 11 pounds and it will work for every project in your kitchen!
When converting recipes from regular to gluten-free, look at the flour measurement in the recipe. The magic number in gluten-free baking is 120 grams. This is the weight of 1 cup of virtually all the all-purpose flours available in the U.S. As long as you use 120g of a gluten-free flour blend for each cup of flour called for in the recipe, your batters will be very close to the original.
1 cup = 120g 1/2 cup = 60g 1/4 cup = 30g
3/4 cup = 90g 1/3 cup = 37.5g 2 tbsp = 15g
The exception to this is if you are working with a GF flour blend with a higher percentage of whole grain flours which typically weigh more. In that case, shake or whisk your flour blend to lighten it, gently scoop a large spoonful of the blend into a straight sided 1-cup measuring cup (do not use a clear one with multiple measurements on the sides, those are for liquids). Use a ruler or other straight edge to push the excess flour off the cup creating a perfectly flat top. Weigh this amount of flour and make a note of the weight. For that specific blend, that will be your per cup weight.
If you are using a store-bought brand’s gluten-free blend, look at the Nutrition Facts label for the serving size and weight. Do the math to figure out what 1 cup weighs of that specific blend and you’ll have your conversion! For example, King Arthur’s Measure for Measure weighs 31g for 4 tbsp (or 1/4 cup). That equals 124g per cup of that flour blend. The reason this is slightly above the 120g standard is because their blend includes brown rice and sorghum which weigh a little more than other flours.
Using this formula, I am able to convert nearly any recipe I want with little to no additional adjustments, and you can see many of these baking successes on my blog – especially on Chocolate Mondays!
Hints for Successful Baking
Without gluten to give structure and support the rise, it often helps to add a little extra lifting power in the form of additional baking powder. Increasing the amount in the recipe by half again as much (if it calls for 1 tsp, use 1-1/2 tsp) is a good guarantee that your cakes and muffins will rise high and be light and not heavy.
Adding 1/4 tsp xanthan or guar gum per cup of flour to your dry ingredients will help mimic the function of gluten in foods (add only if your GF blend does not already contain it!). Gums help with elasticity, structure/rise, retaining moisture longer, and keeping your baked goods from being crumbly. Some people do not tolerate gums well – if you’ve switched to gluten-free and are still having symptoms, it may be because of gums.
My favorite substitute for xanthan gum is psyllium husk powder (use 1/2 tsp per cup of flour), especially in breads and pizza crusts where its added chewiness is a benefit. If a recipe calls for xanthan and you want to use psyllium instead, just double the amount called for. If the recipe has 1/2 tsp xanthan listed, use 1 tsp psyllium husk powder or flakes.
If you cannot have eggs, you can create a slurry with either ground chia seeds or flax seed meal. To create a slurry, use 1/2 tsp flax seed meal mixed with 1 tsp boiling water per egg called for in the recipe. Stir vigorously to activate and thicken, then set aside to cool. It will be the texture of a beaten egg and function in much the same way. Add the slurry with the liquid ingredients. There are also egg replacer products that will do the same thing.
If you want a moister cake or muffins, you can substitute mayonnaise or sour cream for a portion of the liquids adding a richer texture and increasing the moisture. For example, reduce the liquids by 1/3 cup and add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise. If needed, you can add a tablespoon of water to thin the batter slightly.
More Information
For more information on gluten-free baking and converting recipes, take a look at my info in the pages under the Gluten-Free tab at the top of the page and visit these other talented folks’ articles: Jules Shepard, King Arthur Flour, and Shauna Ahern.
Disclosure: The links on this page are affiliate links which means if you click on them and purchase something, I receive a small amount (at no additional cost to you) to help support The Heritage Cook. | 2023-09-21T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9659 |
Current practice in dialysis central venous catheter management: Multi-disciplinary renal team perspectives.
To explore the current practices related to the insertion, management and removal of dialysis central venous catheters (CVCs) used in patients with chronic kidney disease requiring haemodialysis. This qualitative descriptive study involved semi-structured interviews with surgeons, interventional radiologists, renal physicians, dialysis nurses, renal access nurses and renal researchers involved in the care of patients with chronic kidney disease requiring haemodialysis. Data were collected from staff at eight hospitals in six states and territories of Australia. Thirty-eight face-to-face interviews were conducted. A modified five-step qualitative content analysis approach was used to analyse the data. Improved visualization technology and its use by interventional radiologists has steered insertions to specialist teams in specialist locations. This is thought to have decreased risk and improved patient outcomes. Nurses were identified as the professional group responsible for maintaining catheter access integrity, preventing access failure and reducing access-related complications. While best practice was considered important, justifications for variations in practice related to local patient and environment challenges were identified. The interdisciplinary team is central in the insertion, maintenance, removal and education of patients regarding dialysis CVCs. Clinicians temper research-based decision-making about central dialysis access catheter management with knowledge of individual, environmental and patient factors. Strategies to ensure guidelines are appropriately translated for use in a wide variety of settings are necessary for patient safety. | 2023-11-03T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7167 |
Introduction {#s1}
============
Patients who undergo chemotherapy are prone to develop neutropenia and are thereby susceptible to serious bacterial and fungal infections ([@B1]). In addition to antimicrobial therapy, granulocyte transfusions (GTX) can be a therapeutic option to improve the clinical outcome in case of a deteriorating clinical condition because of the lack of efficacy of antimicrobial agents only ([@B2]--[@B4]). In the past we and others have extensively described the combined administration of G-CSF and Dexamethasone to healthy donors in order to generate sufficient numbers of cells for these GTX products. These mobilized GTX neutrophils show a changed phenotype but a completely intact ability to respond, migrate and kill invading pathogens ([@B5]).
Next to their role of efficient innate immunity killers of micro-organisms, neutrophils are also recognized to be involved in modulation of adaptive immune responses in various disease settings including cancer ([@B6]--[@B9]). Immature and mature neutrophils were reported to have the capacity to suppress T cell-mediated immune responses as so-called granulocyte-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (g-MDSCs), and thereby affect the clinical outcome of cancer patients. In fact, in cancer patients the presence of increased neutrophil counts in the circulation is directly related with a bad prognosis ([@B9]). While the function of g-MDSCs has been investigated in depth and in murine experimental models in particular, the characterization of human g-MDSC activity is still controversial. Lectin-type Oxidized LDL receptor 1 (LOX-1) has been suggested to be a marker to discriminate g-MDSCs from circulating human mature neutrophils and would therefore allow for better distinction without the use of a gradient (low-density g-MDSCs versus high-density mature neutrophils) ([@B10]). However we have found in a recent study that activated mature neutrophils also express LOX-1 ([@B11]), questioning the fact if LOX-1 is indeed a suitable g-MDSC marker. We have recently demonstrated that mature neutrophils (i.e., high-density) from healthy donors can exert MDSC activity (i.e., suppress immune responses) but only upon cell activation ([@B11]--[@B13]), which correlates to the LOX-1 expression. Moreover, the mechanisms involved in the MDSC activity greatly overlapped with the toxic antimicrobial effector functions of neutrophils, being dependent on cell-cell contact (adhesion), production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and release of their granular content (degranulation) ([@B11]).
In this study we investigated whether neutrophils obtained upon overnight mobilization of neutrophils into the bloodstream in healthy GTX donors may have a potentially relevant impact as MDSCs in the treatment of oncology patients.
Materials and Methods {#s2}
=====================
Study Approval
--------------
Heparinized peripheral blood samples were collected from healthy granulocyte transfusion donors 1 day after combined G-CSF (600 μg, subcutaneously) and dexamethasone (8 mg, orally) treatment (G-CSF/Dex), or upon their preference with G-CSF or dexamethasone alone, as described previously ([@B5]). Blood samples were collected after obtaining informed consent and in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Blood Cell Isolation
--------------------
Neutrophils and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated from whole blood by gradient centrifugation using isotonic Percoll (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) with a specific density of 1.076 g/mL. T cells were isolated from the PBMC fraction by magnetic-activated cell sorting with the Pan T cell isolation kit of Miltenyi-Biotec (Bergisch Gladbach, Germany) according to the manufacturer\'s instructions. Neutrophils were obtained from the pellet fraction after erythrocyte lysis with hypotonic ammonium chloride solution at 4°C as previously described ([@B14]).
T Cell Proliferation Assay
--------------------------
Purified T cells were labeled with CFSE (Molecular probes, Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA) and cultured in 96-well flat bottom plates (Nunclon Delta Surface, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA) for 4--6 days at 37°C in IMDM medium (Gibco, Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA), supplemented with 10% (v/v) fetal calf serum (Bodinco, Alkmaar, The Netherlands), 10^4^ U/mL penicillin, 10 ng/mL streptomycin, 200 mM glutamine, and 0.00035% (v/v) β-mercaptoethanol (Sigma-Aldrich, Saint Louis, MO, USA). To induce proliferation, the T cells were stimulated by anti-CD3 (clone 1XE \[IgE isotype\] hybridoma supernatant, 1:1,000, Sanquin, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and anti-CD28 (clone 15E8 \[IgG1 isotype\] at 5 μg/mL, Sanquin) monoclonal antibodies (moAbs; at 20,000 T cells/well). Neutrophils from blood, collected from the pellet fraction after density centrifugation, were added in a 1:3 ratio (60,000 neutrophils/well), in the presence or absence of neutrophil-activating stimuli: fMLF (1 μM, Sigma), TNFα (10 ng/mL, Peprotech EC, London, UK) or LPS (20 ng/mL, *E. coli* 055:B5, Sigma).
After 4--6 days, the cells were harvested from the culture plates and stained with APC-labeled anti-CD4 (clone SK3, BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA, USA) and PerCPCy5.5-labeled anti-CD8 (clone SK1, Biolegend, San Diego, CA, USA) antibodies. The T cell proliferation was assessed by measuring the CFSE dilution of CD4^+^ and CD8^+^ T cells via flow cytometry.
ROS Production
--------------
NADPH oxidase activity was assessed as the release of hydrogen peroxide, determined by the Amplex Red method (Molecular Probes, Life Technologies, Carlsbad, CA, USA) by neutrophils (1x10^6^/mL) stimulated with: fMLF (1 μM), TNFα (10 ng/mL), LPS (20 ng/mL) + LPS-binding protein (LBP) (50 ng/mL, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN, USA) or PMA (100 ng/mL, Sigma) in the presence of Amplex Red (0.5 μM) and horseradish peroxidase (1 U/mL). Fluorescence was measured at 30-s intervals for 4 h with the HTS7000+ plate reader (Tecan, Zurich, Switzerland). Maximal slope of hydrogen peroxide release was assessed over a 2-min interval.
Antibodies and Flow Cytometry
-----------------------------
The following directly conjugated antibodies were used for flow cytometry analysis: PB-labeled anti-CD11b (clone ICRF44, BD Biosciences) and PECy7-labeled anti-CD16 (clone 3G8, BD Biosciences).
Flow cytometry data were acquired using Canto II flow cytometer (BD Biosciences) and analyzed using FlowJo software (Tree Star, USA).
Statistics
----------
Statistical analysis was performed with GraphPad Prism version 8 for Windows (GraphPad Software, San Diego, CA, USA). Data were evaluated by one-way ANOVA or unpaired two-tailed student\'s *t*-test. The results are presented as the mean ± SEM. Data were considered significant when *p* \< 0.05.
Results {#s3}
=======
G-CSF/Dex Mobilized Neutrophils Are Not Able to Suppress the T Cell Proliferation
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We received blood from healthy granulocyte transfusion donors routinely treated with the combination of G-CSF and dexamethasone to test whether the mobilization of neutrophils into the bloodstream resulted in a change of MDSC activity.
One day after G-CSF/Dex administration, the absolute neutrophil count in the peripheral blood was \~30 times increased compared to the neutrophil count before administration ([Figure 1A](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). The rapid increase in blood neutrophil numbers induced by G-CSF/Dex resulted from the predominant release of mature (\~80%) and some immature (\~20%) neutrophils from the bone marrow into the circulation ([Figure 1B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Neutrophil progenitor cells can be divided in four different developmental stages, namely (pro)myelocytes, metamyelocytes, band cells and segmented neutrophils based on the expression of cell surface markers CD11b and CD16 ([@B15], [@B16]), which were all present in the G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophil fraction ([Figure 1B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Apart from the release of the reserve pool of neutrophils from the bone marrow, also the demargination of neutrophils from the (lung) vasculature as well as activation of neutrophils due to the overnight G-CSF/Dex may contribute to a change in phenotype and function of these GTX neutrophils ([@B5]). Although the exact contribution of each of these processes remains unclear, G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils have a completely intact ability to respond to signs of infection, migrate toward an ongoing infection and kill invading pathogens as we had previously studied in great detail ([@B5]).
{#F1}
To investigate the MDSC activity (i.e., suppression of immune responses) of these G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils, we now performed additional T cell proliferation assays. In our previous study ([@B11]), where we have optimized our T cell proliferation assay, we have studied the mechanism behind the suppressive activity of activated mature neutrophils in more depth. Here we found that neutrophils exert their suppressive activity in the first hours/day of the cell culture, after which the suppressed T cells are no longer prone to T cell stimulation. Furthermore, the most optimal read-out of the T cell proliferation by CFSE dilution was between 4 and 6 days of cell culture.
Neutrophils from G-CSF/Dex donors or from healthy controls were cultured simultaneously for 5 days in the presence of isolated CFSE-labeled T cells from an unrelated healthy donor and were left unstimulated or activated with either fMLF, TNFα, or LPS. Just as previously described, T cell proliferation was induced by the strong and uniform activation by the combination of monoclonal anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies and quantified as relative "recursor frequency": i.e., percentage of naïve cells in the initial population that underwent one or more divisions upon anti-CD3/anti-CD28 antibodies ([@B17]). The precursor frequency was then normalized for the condition of anti-CD3/CD28-stimulated T cells and non-activated neutrophils.
We observed that G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils were not able to suppress the T cell proliferation of CD4^+^ or CD8^+^ T cells, neither under resting conditions nor upon their activation ([Figure 2A](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Only the neutrophils from healthy controls were able to suppress T cell proliferation upon proper activation. One of the main effector mechanism in which activated neutrophils suppress the T cell proliferation is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) ([@B11], [@B18]--[@B20]). The G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils showed normal ROS production upon fMLF stimulation and even to a larger extent upon TNFα or LPS/LBP stimulation, when compared to neutrophils from healthy donors ([Figure 2B](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). These data indicate that the lack of MDSC activity of G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils cannot be ascribed to an impaired respiratory burst. As previously shown, also degranulation and adhesion properties were unremarkable and very similar to those of normal neutrophil from healthy controls without prior mobilization for GTX products ([@B5], [@B21]).
{#F2}
Both G-CSF- and Dex-Mobilized Neutrophils Can Suppress the T Cell Proliferation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To investigate whether the lack of MDSC activity by G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils is caused by the G-CSF or Dex component, we isolated neutrophils 1 day after administration from healthy donors who had received only G-CSF or dexamethasone. As we had observed with the G-CSF/Dex donors, the absolute neutrophil counts of either G-CSF- or Dex-treated donors were increased in the peripheral blood compared to the numbers of circulating neutrophils prior to the administration of mobilizing agent, i.e., around nine and three times higher, respectively ([Figure 3A](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). Although the increase in circulating neutrophils was not as high as in G-CSF/Dex-treated donors, also the number of immature neutrophils released into the blood stream were lower in case of the use of G-CSF or Dex only. A small population of CD11b^POS^ CD16^DIM^ cells was present in the G-CSF-mobilized neutrophil fraction next to the mature neutrophils (CD11b^POS^ CD16^POS^), whereas the Dex-mobilized neutrophil fraction only comprised phenotypically mature neutrophils ([Figure 3B](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). The G-CSF-mobilized and Dex-mobilized neutrophils were both able to suppress the T cell proliferation of CD4^+^ and CD8^+^ T cells upon activation, comparable to neutrophils from healthy controls ([Figures 4A](#F4){ref-type="fig"}, [5A](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). Also the activation of the NADPH oxidase complex required for ROS production was intact. Whereas, the G-CSF-mobilized neutrophils showed a higher level of ROS production upon fMLF, TNFα, or LPS/LBP stimulation ([Figure 4B](#F4){ref-type="fig"}), similar to G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils ([Figure 2B](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Dex-mobilized neutrophils showed a normal ROS production, comparable to neutrophils from non-mobilized healthy donors ([Figure 5B](#F5){ref-type="fig"}).
{#F3}
{#F4}
{#F5}
Collectively our data suggest that the MDSC activity is only absent when neutrophils are mobilized with both G-CSF and Dexamethasone.
Discussion {#s4}
==========
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells have been described as a heterogeneous subset of immature myeloid cells, defined by their capacity to suppress T cell activation and proliferation. Apart from their malignant transformation, tumor cells also create a chronic state of inflammation. In cancer, aberrant emergency myelopoiesis, which is defined as the early exit of progenitor neutrophils from bone marrow, is driven by tumor cell-derived and/or locally tissue-induced factors including colony stimulating factors such as GM-CSF, G-CSF and M-CSF ([@B22], [@B23]). These factors are thought to contribute to the release of immature neutrophil-like cells that represent a unique immature g-MDSC subpopulation ([@B22]). The presence and tumor infiltration of MDSCs have been associated with poor prognosis ([@B24]--[@B26]). Hence, an important issue was raised as to whether treating cancer patients with G-CSF for neutropenia could affect the patients negatively in terms of g-MDSC enrichment ([@B22], [@B27]). However, as we have recently reported by studying bone marrow fractions of myeloid cells in different stages of their development, immature neutrophils are not capable of producing ROS ([@B28]). The formation of these toxic metabolites have been shown in several studies to be one of the main effector mechanisms in the suppression of T cells, i.e., MDSC activity ([@B11], [@B18]--[@B20]). In line with these observations, we have previously demonstrated that the immature neutrophils in bone marrow fractions from healthy control individuals were not able to suppress the T cell proliferation upon activation. In contrast, MDSC activity in these bone marrow samples was induced in case of the most mature neutrophils being fully differentiated, as indicated by morphology and expression of surface markers ([@B28]). Our previous findings on bone marrow derived myeloid progenitors question the presence of a subset of highly effective granulocyte-related MDSCs that can be released into the circulation to fulfill instantaneously strong T cell suppressive activity in humans ([@B28]). Although we cannot exclude the presence of such a bone marrow subset in case of the presence of cancer that may chronically induce the development of such a subset of MDSCs, we could not detect such spontaneously active MDSCs in chemotherapy-naïve patients newly diagnosed with Head-Neck Cancer or Mamma Carcinoma ([@B11]). Still, a myeloid progenitor MDSC may be released to "home" to the tumor microenvironment to develop locally in a strong suppressor cell but supportive data are as yet not available to the best of our knowledge.
In our previous study ([@B11]), MDSC activity of neutrophils in cancer patients and controls was found to be very similar and depended completely on prior activation. The process of MDSC activity was defined by a the damaged small T cell subset undergoing cell death as indicated by morphological alterations and cellular ATP depletion of the T cells. In this study we have not assessed other suppressive activities than the most relevant function by which MDSC activity is defined, i.e., T cell proliferation. In our previous study ([@B11]), g-MDSC activity suppressing the T cell proliferation was found to coincide with the lack of cytokine production, making it less likely that a strong induction of T regulatory cells (Tregs) as additional means of suppressive activity would contribute as a result of the direct MDSC activity *per se*. We have also not extended our studies to possible alternative modes of T cell suppression that might be independent of cell-cell contact and may be based on soluble factors otherwise ([@B29]), although such factors have limited impact in our mixed cell culture, as previously demonstrated when kept separated by a permeable filter ([@B11]).
The reason underlying the inability of G-CSF/Dex mobilized neutrophils to perform MDSC activity is as yet unclear. We may speculate on the sequential steps of MDSC activity following initial cell-cell-interactions to eliminate T cells by ROS and degranulation, which may be facilitated by trogocytosis, i.e., the uptake of membrane fragments from T cells by activated neutrophils. Neutrophil trogocytosis does occur at an early stage during the multi-step process of exerting its full g-MDSC activity, and may be an initial, necessary but not sufficient step in this process. Neutrophils from chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) patients, unable to generate ROS, do not show MDSC activity while the extent of trogocytosis was indistinguishable from that of control neutrophils ([@B11]). The fact that both ROS and degranulation are required while being spared in case of G-CSF/Dex mobilized neutrophils leaves us with an as yet unidentified process that seems to be selectively involved in the initiation of g-MDSC activity.
There is sufficient data to support the active role of neutrophil MDSC activity *in-vivo*, for instance, in the ovarian cancer microenvironment ([@B12]). MDSC activity of the neutrophils is actively induced by as yet not fully identified substances within the ascites fluid of these patients. Similar results were obtained when pleural fluid of patients with local metastases were tested ([@B12]), supporting the *in-vivo* relevance of neutrophil-mediated MDSC activity. Therefore, G-CSF-mobilized neutrophils could have a pro-tumor response when entering the tumor milieu, as we show here, and treating cancer patients with G-CSF alone for neutropenia may be an important issue to reconsider unless dexamethasone can be used simultaneously to reduce the inherent MDSC activity.
The relevance to further elucidate g-MDSC activity and the mechanism by which the combined use of G-CSF and Dex may selectively silence this activity bares important relevance to the use of checkpoint inhibitors as well as use of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) as novel forms of effective immunotherapy to treat cancer ([@B30]--[@B32]). In cancer patients the presence of increased neutrophil counts in the circulation is directly related with a poor prognosis ([@B9]). Our data show that G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils lack most of their T cell damaging MDSC activity. Thus, G-CSF/Dex treatment may be a way to silence neutrophils within the tumor environment and thereby protect TILs from local damage, and hence help to improve the development of more effective anti-cancer immunotherapies. Our current studies are focusing on differences in cell-cell contact, signal transduction in both neutrophils and T cells as well as proteomics approaches to find out which toxic mechanisms may be impaired such that T cells may stay unimpaired.
In this study, we explored whether g-MDSC activity of neutrophils can be selectively inhibited when treating cancer, while leaving the effector mechanisms of neutrophils against microbial pathogens unaffected, and show that mature G-CSF/Dex-mobilized neutrophils indeed meet such conditions ([@B5]). Although GTX products are rarely used in practice, they can be life-saving. The fact that G-CSF/Dex-mobilized products are without MDSC activity would be an additional positive safety issue for using these products in case they are needed. Moreover, these products may help to clarify the mechanisms in place to modulate g-MDSC activity specifically without downregulating the antimicrobial activity.
Data Availability Statement {#s5}
===========================
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation, to any qualified researcher.
Ethics Statement {#s6}
================
The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Sanquin Research Institutional Ethical Committee. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.
Author Contributions {#s7}
====================
TK and CA are the principle investigators, who conceived, and designed the study. CA, IH, and CF performed the experiments. RB contributed to the design of the study. CA and IH initiated many of the experiments and performed the analysis. CA wrote the manuscript together with TK. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Conflict of Interest {#s8}
====================
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
**Funding.** This work was supported by Sanquin Blood Supply Product and Process Development Cellular Products Fund (PPOC 2089 & 1873) and the Louise Vehmeijer Foundation.
[^1]: Edited by: Panagiota S. Filippou, Teesside University, United Kingdom
[^2]: Reviewed by: Nelita Du Plessis, Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Rolf Kiessling, Karolinska Institutet (KI), Sweden
[^3]: This article was submitted to Molecular and Cellular Oncology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Oncology
| 2023-08-02T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6270 |
Growth of rural and urban children in the valley of Oaxaca, Mexico.
Weight, stature, arm circumference, and the triceps skinfold were measured in 1,410 school children, 6 through 14 years of age, from two urban colonias in the city of Oaxaca de Juarez (n = 479), and from two rural Ladino (n = 467) and two rural Zapotec (n = 464) communities in the Valley of Oaxaca in southern Mexico. Children from rural Ladino communities and urban colonias are significantly taller, heavier, and more muscular than children in rural Zapotec communities. The differences between rural Ladino and urban colonia children favor the former, particularly for weight and stature. These observations thus suggest 1) that children in the rural, indigenous communities in the Valley of Oaxaca are relatively undernourished compared to children in Ladinoized and urban communities, and 2) that rural-to-urban migration does not necessarily result in improved growth status. | 2023-10-23T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7543 |
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Linda Mary Montano, trained in sculpture at The College of New Rochelle, BA; Villa Schifanoia, Florence, MA; University of Wisconsin, Madison, MFA, began performing 1970, and addressed concepts of silence and persona morphing, using aesthetic paradigms to induce a spiritual consciousness. She balanced this vision with a questioning humor. Always there has been a need to use art to practice and prepare for life and also a need to transform and transfer life traumas into art so that nothing is wasted and all is recycled. Endurance has been used as a raw material and way to mark time and teach awareness, via vow-taking; it comes from her Catholic training and two years in a convent. Performances, persona morphing, three books: Art in Everyday Life, Performance Artists Talking in the 80s, and Letters from Linda M. Montano, numerous videos, teaching and residencies at The Art/Life Institute are ways Montano explores her life as a "living sculpture."
ROMAN CATHOLIC WOMEN PRIESTS & WHEN I AM POPE DREAM MANIFESTO: A STORY IN TWO CHAPTERS; LINDA MARY MONTANO 2013
CHAPTER ONE: ROMAN CATHOLIC WOMEN PRIESTS: A REAL DREAM
Once upon a time there were Catholic women who wanted to be priests. This is a real live story and a true fairy tale so listen closely. In 2002, seven of these CATHOLIC WOMEN who wanted to be priests were actually ordained in Germany by a real live Bishop in good standing with the Catholic church and a Bishop quote " in full apostolic succession". end quote. That means this bishop was the real thing and was doing something real, real scary, something the Pope and Vatican didn't like at all. Bad bad bad bad bad.
The Womenpriests and the Bishops and male priest who sponsored them got in real big big trouble and in 2007 the Vatican said quote " They would excommunicate anyone who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman and excommunicate the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order".endquoteGuess what? That means that Bishops who ordained women who wanted to be Catholic priests and women who became priests were kicked out of the church. Boooooo Hooooooooooo this isn't fair, this isn't good, this is terrible!!
It is very dangerous to be a Catholic Womanpriest. Why do they do this to themselves? They want equality, they want to be included, they want justice, they want equality, they want to serve the people in ministry, they want to be priests and even maybe Popes some day like POPE JOAN was long ago. They feel called by the HOLY SPIRIT and they feel theologically qualified. What more do the men in the Catholic church want?
Some really smart and open minded Catholic Bishops have notorized documents when they ordained these women and placed films and photos with a NOTORY PUBLIC. Wow what brave and radical and correct and right thinking men they are. Thank you, thank you, thank you cool Bishops! And they are making it all legal but alas it isn't theologically legal.
And guess what, these Catholic Womenpriests will allow married women, heterosexual women, homosexual women, grandmothers, divorced women and women who have had marriage annulments to be Womenpriests!! How radical and inclusive is this! Brava brava and applause to all of you.
Opps, this is not good news for sure. And then they said, Quote "The ordination of a woman to the priesthood, even if conducted by a Catholic bishop in good standing, is without sacramental effect." End Quote
Boo hoo boo hoo. but i'm not going to cry for long because now I say yippee hooray because nothing is stopping these women and there are presently in 2013, over 145 ordained CATHOLIC WOMENPRIESTS who feel called to give service and help and miinistry to all in a new, caring, compassionate and loving way.
Now we will move to CHAPTER 2 to read a manifesto I have written which talks about things I will do when I am POPE. I know my hubris and arrogance is outstanding and incorrect but hey, I wanted to be a WOMANPRIEST once and became an artist instead and didn't get to do that so I became an artist instead and now i'm thinking, why not aim high and visualize becoming a woman Pope? Pope Joan did and so can I.
Listen closely to my Manifesto:
A NIGHT DREAM: THE WOMAN POPE MANIFESTO TITLED: WHEN I AM POPE THIS WILL HAPPEN
BY LINDA MARY MONTANO , 2013
1. ALL OF MY SISTER WOMENPRIESTS & NUNS WILL RECEIVE PAY, BENEFITS, VACATIONS AND TITLES EQUAL TO ALL MALE CLERGY.
2. CHOSEN AND WISE WOMEN PRIESTS AND MALE CLERGY ALONG WITH LAY THEOLOGIANS AND WISE ELDERS WILL HELP WRITE ECCLESIATICAL ENCYCLICALS.
3. THE "DEPOSIT OF FAITH", CANON LAWS AND SUPPOSEDLY INFALLIBLE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WILL BE ADJUSTED AND REWRITTEN ACCORDING TO THE TIME, PLACE AND NEEDS OF CURRENT SITUATIONS AND WILL NOT BE RIGIDLY BELIEVED TO BE INFALLIBILE OR UNCHANGEABLE.
4. CONTRACEPTION WILL BE A CHOSEN OPTION AND NOT BE JUDGED TO BE A MORTAL SIN.
5. PRE-MARITAL SEX WILL BE ALLOWED AS NATURAL AND NOT BE JUDGED TO BE A MORTAL SIN.
6. MARRIED SEX WILL BE ALLOWED TO BE PRACTICED BOTH FOR PLEASURE AND FOR PROCREATION. SEX FOR PLEASURE WILL BE DEEMED NATURAL.
7. GAY RIGHTS/MARRIAGE WILL BE JUDGED TO BE NATURAL AND ALLOWED.
8. EQUAL VOTING POWER WILL BE GIVEN TO WOMEN FOR ALL ASPECTS OF CHURCH FUNCTIONING.
9. THERE WILL BE MARRIED CLERGY. THAT IS: WOMEN CLERGY WILL BE ALLOWED TO BE MARRIED WITH OTHER WOMEN OR MEN. AND MEN CLERGY WILL BE ALLOWED TO BE MARRIED TO OTHER WOMEN OR MEN.
10. CELIBATE CLERGY WILL BE OPTIONAL IF CELIBACY IS CHOSEN BY THE INDIVIDUAL. THIS CAN CHANGE AS THE NEEDS OF THE FEMALE AND MALE PRIESTS CHANGE.
11. MEDITATION MUST BE PRACTICED BY ALL CATHOLICS. CATHOLICS FROM ASIA WILL TEACH THEIR MEDITATION METHODS IN EVERY PARISH.
12. MEDITATION WILL BE EXPECTED OF ALL CLERGY AS WELL AS A BODY PRACTICE SUCH AS YOGA, JUDO, DANCING, RUNNING ETC. AND MY CLERGY WILL ALSO HAVE A PRIVATE ART PRACTICE SUCH AS SINGING, WRITING, ACTING ETC.
13. CLERGY CAN RETIRE WHEN NEEDED.
14. SEXUAL INFORMATION AND THE ART OF AUTHENTIC, TRANSPARENT NATURALNESS WILL BE DISCUSSED IN SEMINARY COURSES. SEX THERAPISTS WILL EXPLAIN THE PHYSIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF SEX WHILE THE SEMINARIANS ARE IN TRAINING TO BE PRIESTS. THIS TRAINING WILL BE RENEWED EVERY 7 YEARS.
15. THERAPEUTIC MASSAGE WILL BE PRESCRIBED MONTHYLY FOR EACH PRIEST.
16. THE POPE, BISHOPS , ARCHBISHOPS, CARDINALS, MONSIGNORS AND PRIESTS WILL MEET WITH ALL SEXUAL ABUSE SURVIVORS EVERY YEAR FOR A 7 DAY HEALING CEREMONY. AT THESE MEETINGS, EACH SURVIVOR TELLS THE STORY OF THEIR ABUSE, YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. FINANCIAL PAYMENT WILL BE GIVEN FOR THERAPY FOR ALL SURVIVORS.
17. PARISH FINANCES WILL BE OVERSEEN BY A COMMITTEE OF 20 PARISHONERS ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
18. MASTURBATION WILL BE ALLOWED AND NOT JUDGED TO BE A MORTAL SIN BUT A HEALING THERAPY.
19. PARISH MONEY WILL BE GIVEN TO THE RIGHT CAUSES IN THE RIGHT AMOUNTS, TRANSPARENTLY.
20. WOMEN AND MALE SEMINARIANS WILL SPEND ONE WEEK OBSERVING CHILDBIRTH AT A BIRTHING CENTER, ONE WEEK OBSERVING EMBALMING IN A MORGUE, ONE WEEK WORKING AT A MCDONALDS AND ONE WEEK OBSERVING A COUNSELING SESSION OF A CLERGY ABUSE SURVIVOR WHO IS SUFFERING FROM PTSD.
21. IN EVERY PARISH OR COMMUNITY THERE WILL BE HOMES OF HOSPITALITY FOR UNWANTED NEWBORNS AND ELDERS. THESE TWO POPULATIONS WILL LIVE INTERDEPENDENTLY.
22. CHARISMATICS FROM INDIA, THE PHILIPINES AND BRAZIL WILL BE HOUSED IN EVERY PARISH
COMMUNITY AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR TEACHING AND HEALINGS ON A DAILY BASIS.
23. THE DIVINE FEMININE, FEMALE MYSTICS AND FEMALE DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH WILL BE TAUGHT IN EVERY PARISH COMMUNITY.
24. EVERY PARISH COMMUNITY WILL CREATE SUSTAINABLE ORGANIC VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL FARMS FOR MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE PROXIMITY TO NATURE AND HEALING.
25. FEMALE AND MALE CLERGY WILL FOCUS ON THE MYSTICAL NOT THE MONETARY BECAUSE THEY WILL HAVE ASSIANTANTS WHO WILL GUARANTEE ACCOUNTABILTY IN THE PARISHES WITH OVERSEERERS IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE CHURCH . THAT IS, ALL COMMITTEE AND CHURCH MEETINGS WILL HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE YOUNGEST TO ELDERS WITH EACH HAVING EQUAL TIME TO GIVE INPUT AND CORRECTION.
26. ALL FEMALE AND MALE CLERGY WHO WILL HAVE PUBLIC POSITIONS WILL BE VERSED IN SOCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY SKILLS SO THEY CAN FEEL A FREEDOM OF INTERCHANGE AND A HUMILITY IN INTERACTIONS AND NOT BE FEARED. TO BE A FUNCTIONING CLERGY IN MY PARISHES, ALL CLERGY WILL HAVE APPROPRIATE PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPY.
27. CLERGY WILL BE BE EVALUATED ON INNER WARMTH AND OUTER COMPASSION AND IF THEY ARENT MANIFESTING POSITIVE HEALING INNER JOY, THEY WILL BE ASKED TO RETIRE OR GO ON RETREAT FOR 3 YEARS.
28.THE LAITY WILL BE ABLE TO CHOOSE TO GO TO CONFESSION WITH EACH OTHER IF THEY WISH OR CAN CHOOSE TO CONFESS WITH CLERGY. THE CHOICE IS GIVEN TO THE LAITY, NOT THE CHURCH.
29. IF THE CHURCH IS IN A COUNTRY OR A COMPROMISED SITUATION WHERE THERE IS NOT A FUNCTIONING CLERGY, CATHOLIC LAITY WILL BE ABLE TO ADMINISTER THE SACRAMENTS OF CONFESSION, BAPTISM AND THE SACRAMENT OF THE SICK.
30. TRANSUBSTANTIATION WILL BE THE FOCUS OF EVERY MASS AND 7 MINUTES WILL BE MANDATORY FOR THE TIME WHEN THE BREAD AND WINE ARE "RAISED UP" DURING MASS SO THAT THIS MIRACLE CAN BE FELT AND EXPERIENCED AND MEDITATED ON BY ALL PRESENT, ESPECIALLY THE OFFICIANT.
31. MY CLERGY WILL MEET WITH POLITICAL LEADERS ONLY IF THERE ARE NON VIOLENT COMMUNICATION FACILITATORS, THERAPISTS AND ACCUPUNCURISTS ATTENDING AND PARTICIPATING BY KEEPING EVERYONE EMOTIONALLY CENTERED AND RATIONAL AND KIND CONCERNING DECISIONS ABOUT JUSTICE, LIBERATION THEOLOGY AND THE POOR.
32. END OF LIFE ISSUES WILL BE A CASE BY CASE, ETHICAL AND HUMANE FAMILY AND MEDICAL AND INDIVIDUAL CHOICE NOT A FEARED CLERICAL RULE OR REGUALTION AS TO THE RIGHT WAY TO DIE.
33. MASS WILL BE A CELEBRATION OF LIFE WITH OPTIONS TO ATTEND THE CHURCH OF YOUR AESTHETIC CHOICE: THAT IS PARISHONERS MAY CELEBRATE IN STRICTLY NON-EXPRESSIVE, LATINITE RITUALIZED WAYS OR IN AN EXPRESSIVE AND THEOLOGICALLY ECSTATIC CHARISMATIC MANNER.
34. TEACHERS OF EASTERN THEOLOGIES IINCLUDING HINDU, ZEN BUDDHIST, JAIN AND TIBETAN WILL BE INCLUDED IN ALL TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR CATHOLIC CLERGY.
35. EACH CLERGY MEMBER WILL HAVE TO SPEND 3 YEARS IN A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY GIVING MEDICAL AND ECOLOGICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE PEOPLE OF THAT COUNTRY BEFORE SERVING IN A NON-THIRD WORLD PARISH. WHILE THERE, THEY WILL KEEP THEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS PRIVATE AND THEIR WORSHIP PERSONAL.
36. WOMEN POPES WILL HOLD UP THEIR BIRTH CHILDREN TO CO-BLESS THEIR PARISHONERS FROM THE BALCONY OF ST PETERS.
37. ST MARY MAGDALEN, BRING WISDOM AND COMPASSION TO THE HEARTS, MINDS AND SPIRITS OF ALL FEMALE AND MALE CATHOLIC CLERGY. AMEN
LINDA MARY MONTANO with LISA BARNARD KELLEY will present a performance titled: THERE IS ONLY ONE MIND.
While 2 looped videos of JILL BOLTE TAYLOR and FATHER BEDE GRIFFITH talking of their left brain strokes are playing, Montano and LISA BARNARD KELLEY will walk slowly into the space from different sides of the room. "Technicians" in white lab coats will be sitting at a table and will wire their bodies at different sites and then they will both get into a mechanical lift, raise it 14 feet into the air and perform actions/live sounds which will be mixed with the wired body sounds. The "Technicians " will keep time and after 33 minutes, the video and accompaning sounds stop, and MONTANO/KELLEY will lower themselves down from the lift, then walk into the audience and offer water "blessings".
BACKSTORY: Montano has had a left brain stroke in the past and as a result has used this information to inform her research and performances. | 2023-09-23T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3018 |
Q:
How to find the full pathname of a binary within C?
I am writing a simple app in C that is meant to act as a shell. It takes user input from stdin, stores it as a string, and then uses execl with that string to execute it in the terminal as a binary executable. However, execl does not take binaries in the form of "ls" or "who", but instead it expects their absolute pathname. What can I do, within my C code, to find the full pathname of a given binary executable without a specified path, so that I only have to enter executable binaries such as "ls" and "who" into standard input, and execl can still be given their full pathnames. I am doing this on a Linux.
A:
Use execlp or execvp instead of execl or execvp. The p versions of these calls search PATH to find the executable if it doesn't contain any slashes.
| 2023-08-02T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3734 |
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The Independent flat, which was a Dentist Office before, was decorated with lots of love to detail and comodities. You find a Restaurant/bar just below in the same Building, Restaurant IMBODI where you also find a carpark, you can rent for 5.-Swissfrancs/24hours.
You find a Restaurant/bar just below in the same Building
You find the essentials in the grociery store DENNER, just 5min away by foot and for bigger Shopping:MIGROS at the entrance of the village: Migros. You can reach it within 15min walk or 2min drive. Please check out the guidebook on the Profile for further Information.
St.Niklaus is a small town in Wallis (state/Kanton of Switzerland) has about 3000 inhabitants. It is still very local and you can find Farmers, yound and old People. We do speak Wallis-German here, a very strong Accent, which differs a lot from high-German, spoken in Germany.
Very nice host. Very cosy room for guests who plan to visit Zermatt. The price is also cheap compared to most Swiss hotels.
It was really a nice stay at Käthy's place. The room is well equipped and you can get everything you need, including the kitchen and the bathroom. Btw, there is a grocery nearby. From the house, it is only 8min walk to the St. Nikolaus station, which is just 30min away fromZermatt. And for those who prefer living in quiet and not so commercial areas, this place would be perfect. And most importantly, käthy is really a nice host and we really enjoyed our stay there. We strongly recommend This place!
We have a fantastic stay with Cindy. Her apartment is very easy to find and well situated in the valley. It was beautiful and sweet, it is exactly what was described. Cindy emailed me before my arrival and gave all the help to me during my stay and she came out on the road to help us find the car parking and described home facilities and tell us where are the nice places to go in the surrounding area. We enjoyed our stay very much would definitely recommend! :)
Vivian2016-09-17T00:00:00Z
Beautiful, well-equiped, private, clean and really cosy apartment. Easy access by car to Täsch to take train to Zermatt. A home away from home.
Martinette2017-01-03T00:00:00Z
nice stay and a beautiful appartment with every little things you need, kind enough to lift and drop us at sankt niklaus railway station . highly recommended .
A great chalet with lots of room and everything you need to feel at home, kitchen, wi-fi. Also a little walk away from the skiing area, so it is nice and quiet to relax. Amazing view when the sun comes up in the morning, illuminating the Alps.
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This charming cabin is situated at 1700m, just above the farmervillage Gasenried; it is a good starting point for the Bordier-, Europa- and Topali hut.
The place seems "the end of the world" - no neighbours, quiet and only accessible by foot.
From the inside and the outside you enjoy incredible panoramic views on Riedgletcher, Weisshorn, Bietschhorn.
Ideal for enjoying nature, in all seasons and by all means.
Gasenried has a small shop, a good restaurant, public parking and a busstop.
ENJOY !
Chalet Panorama consists of 2 separate livings. The lower part is for guests.
It has a small garden, a balcony around, a living room with kitchen, a sleeping room, a hall and a bathroom; in total it is 65 m2 and from every window you enjoy incredible views.
Your neighbours are hardworking farmers or beautiful sheep, goats, cows and even alpaca's...right next door.
At night it can be very dark (bring a torch) and during the day it is often sunny.
After a lot of snow- or rainfall it might be a bit of hard work to reach the frontdoor, since the footpath to the chalet is "pure nature".
The walking distance to the cabin depends on where you leave you get off the car or bus; minumum 2 minutes, maximum 12 minutes (uphill!).
What makes this place special is the unique situation of the chalet, close to nice villages, huts, Matterhorn and surrounded by beautiful nature, farmers and animals.
Wonderful place, totally cut off from the world !!! Calm and serenity are the two main words to qualify this little chalet very comfortable, charming and fully equipped. It made us dream for 3 perfect and wonderful days, and we won't hesitate to come back to enjoy calm, nature, and life in a magical place !!!
Annabelle2016-12-28T00:00:00Z
This was a great weekend get away. The house was terrific and the location was perfect. The mountains are close for hiking and the scenery was beautiful. I would definitely stay here again.
We had a great time in Gasenried. The apartment is cosy and the view is gorgeous. Even though it is quite isolated, it is easy to reach with public transportation - it is a 5 or 7 minute walk to the bus station. As others have written, it is a really nice walk to Grächen, and it is possible to find everything one can possibly want there, without being annoyingly touristic. There are a lot of hiking possibilities, both from Grächen and Gasenried. We don't ski but didn't get bored! Communication with Marieke was easy and enjoyable, arrival and departured happened without a problem, the apartment was clean and indications were clear. All in all, I would recommend this Marieke's apartement without hesitation!
Laurence2017-02-11T00:00:00Z
A lovely picturesque cabin, ideal if you want to spend a quiet time in the middle of a magnificent landscape. Marieke was very thoughtful and clear in her explanations. We had a great time thank you Marieke !!
Virginie2017-03-12T00:00:00Z
Marieke is a kind and very good host. Communication and arrival was smooth. The apartment is great and located close skiing opportunities and lovely hiking routes!
We truly enjoyed our stay in St Niklaus! Emma and her family have a beautiful home-description and pictures are very accurate. And best of all, Emma is a great host! She wasn't able to meet us personally but replied very quickly and even checked in with us to be sure everything was going well. She also adjusted the minimum night stay to accommodate our needs. We did meet a wonderful woman who gave us the keys and were greeted with a bottle of champagne to celebrate the New Year! Emma's place is perfect if you're looking for a place to get away and unwind (with beautiful scenery!) but it is also a great location for visiting nearby cities. During our stay at Emma's we drove to Tasch to catch the train to Zermatt, visited Grachen (10 minute drive straight up the mountain), walked the trails around St Niklaus and enjoyed the beautiful sights and sounds of a small mountain village. Even though it was freezing during our stay, my husband still wanted to sit outside on the porch to soak in the beautiful (URL HIDDEN) helps when you have a cup of gluhwein in your hand. We would stay here again in a heartbeat!
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ST. NIKLAUS - ZERMATT - WALLIS - SWITZERLAN(URL HIDDEN)
THE HOUSE
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Functional 35m2 open space chalet with, believe or not, a modern kitchen, a bathroom, a living room with beautiful design sofas original from the 60'ties, a mezzanine with a double bed, and a dinning room with 2 fold-away single beds !
ACTIVITIES
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Astonishing hiking in summer and top notch skiing in winter.
LOCATION
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10min walk from St. Niklaus' train station
07min walk from Supermarket Migros
20km away from Switzerland's postcard Matterhorn in the charming but expensive $$$ village of Zermatt, easily accessible by train.
25km from the huge ski resort area of Saas-Fee, easily accessible by car or bus.
8km from the cosy ski resort area of Grächen, accessible by car or bus.
Nice chalet, stylish interior, clean and cosy
Nathalie2015-06-12T00:00:00Z
The house interior was great, just as pictured. Convenient walking distance from town and the train station (about a mile), as well as a grocery store. It was the perfect landing pad for day hikes out of both St. Niklaus and Zermatt.
Sara2014-09-13T00:00:00Z
We had a great time in this nice and cozy chalet which was nicely furnished and well equipped (we especially liked the tableware). I wish it was located in a little bit calmer place. It was actually very close to a quite loud river and just few meters away from the main road going to Zermatt. Luckily, there was not too much traffic. Disturbing were many flies which always found their way to the chalet (probably, due to the closeness of a cowhouse). But otherwise, I would still recommend it.
Ilya2012-07-10T00:00:00Z
A cute little "urban" chalet located very close to public transport and supermarket. Good value for money. The road is close by but you can't hear the cars when the windows are shut because of the roar of the river behind the house. It's very cosy in rainy weather but not quiet. It's worth mentioning that there is a small power sub-station next door but you can't see it from inside the chalet. Also, there is no cleaning service. Not a problem at all for us but good to know before booking. We had a very nice time there!
The chalet was exactly as described. The kitchen had plenty of equipment for a nice meal, Migros is right next door. It was quiet, with only the sound of rushing water to sleep by. Close to the train and a perfect base for exploration. Great water pressure in the shower! The Brazilian music was a bonus.
Kevin2017-05-28T00:00:00Z
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Chalet Arabesque is located in the authentic mountain village of Grächen at 1620 meters altitude. Whether you enjoy winter sports or summer activeties families love to come here for relaxation and play time! You are most welcome for a wonderful stay at our Chalet.
Chalet Arabesque is detached and has a living room with fireplace, an open kitchen with an electric four-burner stove and dishwasher. On the ground floor is also a toilet and a separate shower.
On the 1st floor there are three spacious double bedrooms and one children's bedroom with bunk bed. There is also a bathroom with toilet and shower.
The Chalet has a large balcony with stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Furthermore, is the house in the car-free part of Grächen, about ten minutes walk from the center and the mountain railway.
Discover your winter or summer holidays in Grächen with stunning mountain views. With attractive weekly entertainment programs. The children go on voyages of discovery, adults take a dip in the culture of the Wallis and families experience an unforgettable adventure!
This place was an absolute gem. The pictures dont do it justice, the view is incredible, it has large bacony and terrace that overlooks the vally and mountains covered in snow. I stopped here before going to see the matterhorn at zermatt. Perfect quiet location. The place had everything i could need. This is the one you should book if your reading this, you wont be dissapointed. Thanks!
The PERFECT mountain retreat. My family stayed here for a long weekend and everything was exactly as depicted in the photos. We didn't get to meet Ursula but her friend was wonderful and showed us everything we needed to know. There is only one restaurant in town, but don't worry, it's REALLY delicious and we were all happy to go there more than once. I completely recommend this listing to anyone who is looking for a mountain getaway in Switzerland, it was the quintessential Swiss mountain experience.
Absolutely worth it. We were a group of 10 and fully enjoyed our stay. The host Ursula is very helpful and was ever ready to help us out over the phone as we got confused during out last leg while trying to reach the house. The views from the house is amazing. The location is ideal for those travelling by car. Even for others it is still fine if you don't mind walking up a bit of slope and the small carriage (can take only up to 8 if there are no luggage) to take you from Kalpetran train station up to Embd. For a big group like us we had to wait for our turns till all of us reached the top or while coming down. Still it was a very nice experience and makes you appreciate the mode of transport sitting in an age where such a hindrance is often unthinkable:-)
This is a perfect location for getting away from the fast pace of life. Nothing in Torbel happens very quickly! Beatrice was able to reply quickly keeping us informed about the procedure for booking the accommodation. (SENSITIVE CONTENTS HIDDEN) translator worked well as my German is limited to school boy level and that's how the transaction progressed to the successful conclusion. The house was very homely, even down to the detail of providing a good set of binoculars and books for young children. Thank you Beatrice fro allowing us to experience a very special part of Switzerland.
The chalet Bannje is situated in a very quiet place about 50-100 meter from the street. From the balcony on the second flour you will have a splendid view to the mountains dominated from the Weisshorn peak. It is perfect to sunbathe and to observe the sky (if the whether is appropriate). If you are there with a car, the chalet is a good starting point to reach Zermatt or Saas-Fee, where you can skiing or go on a hike.
Petko2017-04-15T00:00:00Z
Wonderful traditional chalet, with cozy environment outside. You can hear the Swiss Bell around the mountain in the morning, and beautiful star in the night. Strongly recommend.
Di2016-10-01T00:00:00Z
A great chalet with everything that you need for a complete holiday. Everything was very comfortable, with excellent heating and hot water. The walk up from the main road was steep, and getting the luggage up would have been a problem if there had been lots more snow. The views were absolutely stunning, and much more than expected from the descriptions.
Robert2016-12-31T00:00:00Z
The weekend that we spent in Remy's chalet was very nice. Besides he was very helpful about anything. I strongly recommend to anyone who wants to spend some time in Swiss Alps.
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My accommodation is near Zermatt, Grächen ..., great view, hiking paradise, pure nature. You will love my accommodation when you are a nature lover and love the mountains. Then you are exactly right with me! In the midst of the 4000s of the Alps is my small, rustic apartment and invites you to enjoy and relax! My accommodation is good for couples, solo travelers adventurers, families (with children) and furry friends (pets)
In my region you can make great mountain-bike trips, climbing, hiking in the mountains or just enjoy the nature and the silence. | 2024-01-02T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6199 |
The Myth of Free-Trade Britain
"Free trade should mean just that: free trade, with all goods admitted without duties, quotas, or restrictions. That was not British policy. They removed most tariffs but mostly on items in which they had a comparative advantage."
In the two and a half centuries since Adam Smith first articulated the basic case for free trade, no event has been more significant than the British conversion to open markets in the nineteenth century. In the fable that is now conventional wisdom, nineteenth century Britain turned its back on protection and chose to open its markets to the world. A reform-minded British leadership, preaching the new gospel of free trade pushed their European confreres to open up their own markets, eventually ushering in an age of expansive commerce the likes of which the world had never seen—a precursor of late twentieth century globalization that was in many ways more open than anything before or since.
Yet this story has one big flaw: it's inconsistent with the facts.
As the story is usually told, British free trade came in the 1840s after a bitter political struggle to repeal the Corn Laws—a name given to a series of agricultural tariffs and quotas designed to keep farm prices high. This was quickly followed by rapid and dramatic reductions in duties on hundreds of imports. By the 1850s, all but a handful of commodities were admitted to Britain free of all duties. Sounds good, until you look closely at what products remained subject to high duties: those handful of items were the most contentious and some of the most highly taxed items that historically had been at the core of the mercantile debate in British history. In previous centuries they formed a large and significant fraction of British trade.
Free trade should mean just that: free trade, with all goods admitted without duties, quotas, or restrictions. That was not British policy. They removed most tariffs but mostly on items in which they had a comparative advantage. In other words, they mostly removed tariffs on items for which Britain had little to fear in terms of competition or which were of trivial importance in overall trade.
Britain in the early 1800s had just passed through the Industrial Revolution and was the world's leading producer of cotton textiles and other industrial products. It took little courage to lower tariffs on British manufactures. It would be like Japan promoting free trade in the 1980s by arguing for lower tariffs on compact cars imported from America. Since Japan already made some of the world's best and most economical small cars, such a policy would have had very limited economic impact. Japan's lowering trade barriers in agriculture would have been substantially more important and would have run up against enormous political resistance.
Nineteenth-century Britain had no comparative advantage in agricultural and foodstuffs. That is why the Corn Laws were initially so controversial. Consumers had a lot to gain from the state's permitting the import of grain, because the British were not the cheapest producers of grain, while British farmers had much to lose. Unfortunately, the British did little to modify the tariffs on other contentious items, goods which had made for the commercial equivalent of war. Of these goods, the most important and the most troublesome was wine.
But how important is wine? To answer that we need to go back to the 1600s. Britain in the mid-seventeenth century was a prodigious importer of wine, mostly French. So much so, in fact, that her trade balance was in the red, mostly because of trade with France and mostly because of French wine, spirits and a number of luxury goods. Attempts to limit these imports by restricting trade had mostly failed. Tariffs were levied but never so high as to reduce the imports drastically. But then came the wars.
Two major conflicts spanning a quarter century kept French wine—indeed, all French imports—out of the British market from 1689 to 1713. The Nine Years' War and the War of Spanish Succession led to hostilities between Britain and France and a complete breakdown in trade for this quarter century. During this grape-challenged period, three interest groups derived enormous benefit from the embargo on France—the British brewing industry, British distillers (gin, etc.) and British interests in foreign producers of alcohol—most notably the shippers of Portuguese wine. Prior to the late 1600s, the British drank plenty of wine, mostly French, a little Spanish, but virtually nothing from Portugal. The wars of 1689-1713 gave the Portuguese allies the opportunity of ten lifetimes. Beginning in 1703 a treaty was signed granting Portugal access to British markets for their wines—generally of a much lower quality than those of France, and often needing to be fortified with brandy or spirits in order to keep from going bad. The Methuen Treaty (as it was known) promised that Portuguese tariffs would always be at least a third lower than those of other nations, most especially France.
Of course, most of the Portuguese wine trade was dominated by British ships, merchants, and even vintners working in Iberia. The end of hostilities between Britain and France was seen as a grave threat to all these British interests, and vigorous lobbying by brewers, distillers, and the Anglo-Portuguese merchants stopped attempts to return to the period of open trade with the French. A bill to revive trade on prewar conditions between Britain and France was defeated in Parliament.
Even worse, tariffs were raised even higher throughout the eighteenth century. The result was that French exports of wine to Britain in the 1700s fell to less than 5% of the levels (measured by volume) that had prevailed in the 1600s. A twenty-fold decrease! The high taxes kept out all but the finest French products. Indeed, the French were kept out of the British market for most of the period of the Industrial Revolution, when the middle classes emerged and middle class tastes developed. Only the rich had access to the very finest clarets of Bordeaux. Cheap wine was simply not worth importing. And the British brewers, distillers, and merchant shippers never had it better. One historian has remarked that absent war and protection, the Gin Age1 might never have come into existence.
These assorted tariffs on wine and other consumables—which Adam Smith had condemned for their inefficiency in the eighteenth century—remained at the core of British protection in the nineteenth, when trade was supposedly made free. Though claiming to have moved to open markets, the British hung on to tariffs that were of long standing, and that moreover, prevented much progress from being made in bilateral treaty negotiations. France was not about to sign a bilateral commercial treaty if Britain was unwilling to compromise on wine and spirits.
Britain preached the gospel of free trade and France was cast in the role of the sinner, but there was little truth in this stereotype. France did have more protected products than England did but the average level of French tariffs (measured as total value of duties divided by total value of imports, cf. Figure 1) was actually lower than in Britain for three-quarters of the nineteenth century.2 In other words, tariffs had a smaller impact on French trade than British duties had on Britain's trade. The French, while eschewing free trade, and openly rejecting the Anglo doctrine of open markets, actually succeeded in making their trade more liberal and more open than that of the more vocal British. The master of this was Napoleon III—Bonaparte's nephew—who throughout the 1850s promoted the most radical liberalizing reforms of the French economy, all the while insisting that France was only interested in moderate reform.
Indeed, it was not British unilateral tariff reduction that moved the world to freer trade. Despite the belief that is still common today that British exhortation opened the doors to European free trade in the late 19th century, it was the 1860 Treaty of Commerce, promoted by the Napoleon III and concluded between Britain and France, that really ushered in the age of nineteenth century "globalization". British demands for unilateral tariff reduction usually fell on deaf ears.
Doctrinaire free traders and economic theorists opposed the use of commercial treaties since they felt that unilateral reductions were the most efficient policies for all countries. While correct in the abstract, such claims did little to overcome political resistance to trade liberalization in most countries. On the other hand, unwillingness on the part of the British to lower wine tariffs killed early trade negotiations with both France and Spain. When the British finally decided to moderate their wine tariffs, Britain and France successfully concluded a treaty in 1860 which dramatically changed the landscape of European commerce. Politicians throughout Europe—who had till then resisted all pressure to liberalize trade—suddenly became fearful of being left out of a trade pact that united the two great European powers. The result was that the other major European powers quickly signed bilateral treaties with Britain and France as well.
Since these treaties were all Most Favored Nation treaties—whereby concessions to one party meant extending such concessions to all the others—not just France and Britain, but by 1870 nearly all of Europe including the German states, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and so on were integrated into a highly open trading market. In many ways, Europe was freer than today, partly because the gold standard made capital extremely mobile, and because limitations in border control made immigration and the free movement of labor easy in practice despite differing rules across the continent.
What politicians do and say are often quite different. That hasn't changed. Indeed, though there is much talk about globalization and unfettered trade, there is no country in existence today whose policies come anywhere near the ideal of free trade. Goods and services do flow vigorously throughout the globe, but most countries suffer from a mix of import duties and non-tariff barriers such as quotas, unnecessary inspection rules and a bewildering variety of regulations that make it impossible for any of us to benefit fully from the specialization possible in a truly open world economy.
But more importantly, the example of Britain and France in the 1800s challenges us to rethink and reanalyze the relationship between trade policy and growth. The story of Britain and France shows how easy it is to be misled by the fables of conventional wisdom. The fact that Britain was not as free trade as it claimed doesn't make the case for protectionism. The British did lower their tariffs, and in the last third of the nineteenth century, Britain did fully liberalize trade and benefited from the change. But the interesting and unexamined story is France. Nineteenth-century France doesn't fit our preconceptions. France was in fact, closer to the free trade ideal than the British for much of the century, and did in fact do well, raising the standard of living of the average worker from the 1850s onward.
The Gin Age is often used to describe the early to middle years of the eighteenth century, when the consumption of hard liquor grew substantially, and the consumption of gin, especially among the poor, was seen to be a national problem.
Readers interested in a more technical discussion of the problem of tariff levels in the nineteenth century may consult Nye, 1991, "The Myth of Free Trade Britain and Fortress France," Journal of Economic History and S. Dakhlia and J.V.C. Nye, "Tax Britannica: Nineteenth Century Tariffs and British National Income," working paper available at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=282114.
*John Nye is Associate Professor of Economics and History at Washington University in St. Louis. This piece is adapted from a book in progress to be released under the title, War, Wine, and Taxes.
The cuneiform inscription in the Liberty Fund logo is the earliest-known written appearance of
the word “freedom” (amagi), or “liberty.” It is taken from a clay document written
about 2300 B.C. in the Sumerian city-state of Lagash. | 2024-05-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2371 |
So....my local Hobby shop was out of 2012 Prime and I was jonesing bad to rip some packs........I hesitate to buy retail but after this experience I think I am going to buy all the Prime in town....HAHA.....everything is for sale or trade......I collect Walter Payton, Mike Singletary, Cal Ripken Jr, Ken Griffey Jr, and Willie Mays Autos! I am open for other trades though....my teams are the Bears, Redskins, Ravens, Orioles, Phillies, and the Mariners. | 2023-12-27T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5512 |
Quick Reference
Arm of the n Pacific Ocean off the e coast of Russia, bounded e by the Kamchatka Peninsula and se by the Kuril Islands. The chief ports are Magadan and Korsakov in Russia. Area: 1,528,000sq km (590,000sq mi). | 2024-07-31T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8750 |
ha ha ha, so it looks like you enjoyed the trigger huh? thanks for the other order, hope you like those things too. thanks for the kudos hacker!
i see someone else around here liked our striker idea. seems someone else is thinking of making one very similar to our dragonfly. maybe our idea of lightest isn't necessarily the best idea isn't that bad after all.
Bought some more feednecks from these kind folks. Would not hesitate to do biz again. Thanks again SPPS.
__________________Romans 6:23“God never promises to remove us from our struggles. He does promise, however, to change the way we look at them.”-Max LucadoThe most he did was die for me, the least I can do is live for him.
this site is a really cool site... i will do business with them in the future.... i just need to get my hands on some friggin dough.... i will get the 32* spring kit and valve kit.. as well as the NDZ lowrise feedneck. They also have some pretty sick triggers but i will have to wait to do that.
bought my CCM feedneck from these great people always in contact and also a great price. Buy from these people you wont regret it and they got some awsome triggers but im too poor to buy one right now....but thx for the great product
just another update: the mr's have been in stock. we also received the stock spyder parts and will be ordering more this week. j&j has been contacted and we should be offering the ceramics soon. good news for mr owners, feednecks are on the move but not yet available.
I just put your Snapdragon magno-trigger on my pilot acs today and man what a dream! The magnet return is very quick and smooth and the trigger is not only easy to rip with but also dead sexy. I works flawlessly with the 50g Swix from x-customs.
Both the trigger and 32* adapter i bought came quickly and both worked great. Awesome quality and service. Thanks SPPS. Will order from again!
thanks for your support emf7301. it's always a reward for us to hear your type of positive feedback. everybody seems to just love the snapdragon and for good reason. hope you will give us the opportunity to serve you once again some time in the future.
on a side note: things are just going so fast here. we've recently been adding new spyder specific products available to our customers weekly here. we have some great surprises in store for spyder owners in the near future as well. when ordering from spps, you can rest assured you are investing in the further development of future spps spyder products. while others are simply 'making money', we're continually reinvesting and actually producing products not just saying we will. thanks again for the continued support of all our customers. | 2024-07-12T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4985 |
"Johnny's taking his time," left wing Anders Lee told NHL.com on Wednesday. "There are few times in our careers where we have the power in the situation. I'm not worried about Johnny [returning] in the slightest. He means everything he says, and he's a great teammate and a great player and leader. He's the captain of our team and I don't expect that to change."
New York Islanders captain John Tavares has yet to sign a contract extension and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, but one of his linemates isn't worried about his center going elsewhere.
Tavares, the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, is entering the final season of his extremely cap-friendly contract that has an average annual value of $5.5 million. He has 537 points (235 goals, 302 assists) in 587 NHL games, all with New York.
Lee, selected in the sixth round (No. 152) of the same draft, played on the top line with Tavares for much of last season and scored an NHL career-high 34 goals. Should Tavares enter this season without a contract extension, Lee does not believe it will be a distraction. The Islanders failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs by one point last season, but went 24-12-4 after Doug Weight replaced Jack Capuano as coach on Jan. 17.
Video: BOS@NYI: Tavares weaves into zone and nets wrister
"I think more than anything, the players, we can't worry about that," said Lee, who is participating in Da Beauty League, where a host of NHL players are playing games for charity twice a week through Aug. 23 at Braemar Arena in Lee's hometown of Edina, Minnesota. "It doesn't really bother us because we know where Johnny stands and what he means to this team, and how much he cares about our organization.
"At the same time, he's got to do his due diligence and whatever that is, it's good for him and we all support him on that. We can't worry about things we can't control, especially the guys not involved."
Tavares has maintained his stance that he'd like to remain with the Islanders, which he most recently reiterated to TSN in Toronto on Aug 1.
"I think I'll just keep all that internal," Tavares said of the negotiations. "We've had great open communication. It's obviously a great place to play. I've really enjoyed my time being an Islander and I want that to continue."
NHL.com correspondent Jessi Pierce contributed to this story. | 2023-10-09T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9334 |
Q:
std::sort descending order with operator overloading
I have an std::vector of object for which I overloaded the < operator.
How can I use std::sort to sort it in descending order (without needing to write my own Comparator)?
A:
You could simply transpose the arguments to std::less with the help of std::bind:
using namespace std::placeholders;
std::sort(v.begin(), v.end(), std::bind(std::less<T>{}, _2, _1));
But I think it'd be much cleaner to simply write the equivalent short lambda, even if it goes against the constraint of not writing your own Comparator:
std::sort(v.begin(), v.end(), [](T const& lhs, T const& rhs) { return rhs < lhs; });
| 2024-07-16T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5264 |
Obesity, very low density lipoproteins, and glucose intolerance over fourteen years: The Framingham Study.
A total of 5082 men and women in the Framingham Heart Study population who were free of any glucose abnormality and aged 33 to 67 years were followed prospectively over 14 years for the occurrence of glucose intolerance. The diagnosis of glucose intolerance was defined as developing documented hyperglycemia or being placed on justified treatment by a physician. The 14-year incidence was 6.7% in men and 5.5% in women. Multivariate analysis was used and future glucose intolerance in men and women was highly associated with casual blood glucose, Metropolitan Relative Weight and very low density lipoproteins at the baseline exam. Other factors showed only sex-specific or univariate associations. Obesity and lipoprotein abnormalities were shown to be independent markers in the prediction of future glucose intolerance. | 2024-07-10T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3119 |
Q:
Why does rsync spawn multiple processes for me?
I am using the following cron statement to backup from one folder to another folder in the same machine:
19 21 * * * root rsync -ac --delete /source/folder /dest/folder
When I use pstree, I see the cron forked three processes
├─cron───cron───rsync───rsync───rsync
And ps
9972 ? Ds 1:00 rsync -ac --delete /source/folder /dest/folder
9973 ? S 0:29 rsync -ac --delete /source/folder /dest/folder
9974 ? S 0:09 rsync -ac --delete /source/folder /dest/folder
Why are three processes? Can I limit to only one?
A:
http://rsync.samba.org/how-rsync-works.html
Rsync is heavily pipelined. This means that it is a set of processes that communicate in a (largely) unidirectional way. Once the file list has been shared the pipeline behaves like this:
generator → sender → receiver
The output of the generator is input for the sender and the output of the sender is input for the receiver. Each process runs independently and is delayed only when the pipelines stall or when waiting for disk I/O or CPU resources.
You are running a local rsync (source and destination are local filesystem) so all three processes will run there.
There is nothing you can do, this is by design.
| 2023-09-17T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2094 |
Welcome to Paihia, Bay Of Islands
Paihia is located in the Bay Of Islands, Northland, New Zealand. Paihia is the tourist hub of the Bay Of Islands and Northland. Travelling by car, Paihia is approximately one hours drive north of Whangarei.
Paihia History
Paihia, Bay Of Islands was one of the earliest NZ towns, first settled in 1823. Historic Waitangi is just 5 minutes up the road. While Paihia has modernised there are still several historic buildings, most notably the booking agent waterfront building.
Paihia Activities and Things to Do
Paihia is full of action! The gateway to the Bay Of Islands, you can book all your tours and sightseeing from the numerous information centres and booking agents.
All Bay Of Islands cruises, fishing charters and boat activities depart from Paihia wharf. A visit to one of the information centres will offer you literally hundreds of options for Paihia Fishing. The Bay Of Islands are synonymous with Big Game Fishing. If its Marlin and Swordfish you want to catch, try your luck on a Fishing Charter boat.
On the Paihia waterfront is a unique Aquarium and Restaurant. On a fine day try Parasailing in the Harbour. For the less adventurous there are dozens of island cruises departing throughout the day. Spend some time exploring the bay on a cruise.
Paihia has safe swimming beaches for children. You can also hire kayaks and small yachts by the hour, to explore the coastal areas. You can find more information about Paihia Attractions and Activities | 2024-01-27T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1034 |
Q:
fields_for builder .object method does not allow me to retrieve object values
I've got 3 models that comprise a has-many-through association.
Model code as follows:
ItemAttrVal Model (the transition table)
class ItemAttrVal < ActiveRecord::Base
belongs_to :attr_name
belongs_to :registry_item
end
RegistryItem Model
class RegistryItem < ActiveRecord::Base
has_many :item_attr_vals
has_many :attr_names, :through => :item_attr_vals
accepts_nested_attributes_for :item_attr_vals, :allow_destroy => :true
end
AttrName Model
class AttrName < ActiveRecord::Base
has_many :item_attr_vals
has_many :registry_items, :through => :item_attr_vals
end
The RegistryItem uses a fields_for as follows:
<%= item.fields_for :item_attr_vals do |iav| %>
<%= render 'item_attr_val_fields', :f => iav %>
<% end %>
In the partial, it looks like this:
<% logger.debug "object type is: #{f.object}"%>
<% logger.debug "some details are: #{f.object.attr_name_id}--"%>
<%= f.select :attr_name_id, options_from_collection_for_select(AttrName.all,"id","description"), :selected => f.object.attr_name_id, :prompt => "Select an attribute" %>
<%= f.text_field :raw_value %> <br />
The 1st 2 debug lines are the bit that my question is about, but it first relates to the 3rd line.
There, I am attempting to provide the dropdown select field with a "pre-selected" value. This is so that when the user is editing the RegistryItem, their previously selected AttrName will be displayed.
I'm attempting to use the f.object.attr_name_id to set that value, however it does not actually properly select the previously selected value, and instead, just goes to the 1st.
The 1st two debug lines were then me trying to make sure that my f.object method worked...
When I looked in my logs, I see the following:
object type is: #<ItemAttrVal:0x007fb3ba2bd980>
some details are: --
Basically, the 1st line shows me that I am getting the ItemAttrVal
The second line does not seem to retrieve any information for it.
I've also used the debugger to check, and in there, I am able to use display f.object.attr_name_id to show me the exact value that I'm expecting...
This kind of comes down to two questions...
Why can't I retrieve the values of f.object?
Am I trying to do line 3 (<%= f.select :attr_name_id, options_from_collection_for_select(AttrName.all,"id","description"), :selected => f.object.attr_name_id, :prompt => "Select an attribute" %>) wrong, and there's actually a better way to do it?
Thanks in advance!
A:
Turns out I'd placed the :selected in the wrong location...
Original:
<%= f.select :attr_name_id, options_from_collection_for_select(AttrName.all,"id","description"), :selected => f.object.attr_name_id, :prompt => "Select an attribute" %>
Should be:
<%= f.select :attr_name_id, options_from_collection_for_select(AttrName.all,"id","description", f.object.attr_name_id), :prompt => "Select an attribute" %>
Fixing that solved my problem, the attribute names are now appearing as expected for previously saved attributes.
It still doesn't answer my original query about why I'm not able to get the values for f.object printed out, but at least the original-original problem was resolved.
| 2023-12-17T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6015 |
Edward Chatfield
Edward Chatfield (1802 – 22 January 1839, in London) was an English portrait painter who also painted some historical subjects.
Life
He was the only surviving son of John Chatfield, a distiller from Croydon, and his wife, Anne Humfrey. Through James Elmes, the editor of Annals of the Fine Arts, he obtained an introduction to Benjamin Robert Haydon, who accepted him as a pupil. In Haydon's studio he went through a full course of practical anatomy, and made a close study of two of Haydon's particular enthusiasms, the Elgin marbles and the works of Raphael, especially the cartoons.
His first exhibited picture was the Death of Moses, shown at the British Institution, in the spring of 1823. The reviewer in the European Magazine said the picture was "on large scale, but a physiognomist would certainly conclude from the face of Moses that he did not possess all those mental qualities mentioned of him in Scripture."
Among his portrait subjects were a group Huron chiefs, who visited London in 1825. Lithographs of the paintings were made by Charles Hullmandel. His painting of the Campbells of Islay on an otter hunt, was shown at the Royal Academy in 1834.
He exhibited at the Royal Academy between 1827 and 1838, showing, in addition to some portraits, the Death of Locke in 1833, the Battle of Killiecrankie in 1836, and Ophelia in 1837. He wrote some articles for Blackwood's Magazine, and the New Monthly Magazine, under the pseudonym "Echion''.
He died at 66 Judd Street, Brunswick Square, where he had lived with the wood-engraver John Orrin Smith and Orrin Smith's family for some years, on 22 January 1839.
References
Sources
Category:1802 births
Category:1839 deaths
Category:19th-century English painters
Category:English male painters
Category:English portrait painters
Category:19th-century male artists | 2024-04-06T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8901 |
The Colonial Era (1820-1971)
The rise of Qatar parallels the rise of the ruling al- Thani family, which emerged from among numerous competing elements in 19th century Qatari society to become the dominant, dynastic political entity. This was done with the solicited assistance of the British, who, though they did not colonize Qatar as such, had a hegemonic and stabilizing presence in the Gulf between the years of 1820 and 1971.[1] Modern Qatar is therefore a product of the collaboration between shrewd al- Thani emirs and British naval officers who sought the pacification and cooperation of coastal tribes in order to clear naval routes to India. The flexibility of Qatari foreign policy is a consequence of al-Thani political strategy, which maintains power through diplomacy as leaders negotiate with and leverage others’ competing territorial and strategic interests in the peninsula.
The 1798 Napoleonic invasion of Egypt raised British concerns over French expansion in the Near East, which threatened to sever British routes to India. In response, the British made inroads among coastal Gulf leaders and secured the Persian Gulf under British naval control. The threat of piracy as well as naval disruptions caused by internal struggles among local sheikhs gave rise to the 1820 General Treaty of Peace and 1853 Perpetual Maritime Truce, which officially recognized certain leaders as representative of their particular area along the coast. That is, the British took steps to empower certain sheikhs as leaders as a way of organizing and making “sense” of these tribes in the best way they knew how—namely through the lens of monarchy.[2]
The al-Thani family, led by Muhammad bin Thani, was one of several tribes in Qatar, and one which had a longstanding presence in the area now known as Doha. In 1868, Muhammad bin Thani took advantage of British power by signing a treaty with Britain’s Colonel Pelly to become the ‘official’ ruler of Qatar, thus creating the foundations for a family legacy of inherited leadership rights. However, contrary to popular national narratives, the al-Thani family is a relatively young dynasty and was never historically entitled to regional political power, unlike other nearby families such as the ruling al-Sabah of Kuwait, the Khalifa of Bahrain, or even the al-Saud in Saudi Arabia.[3] In signing its treaty with the al-Thani, Britain replaced the traditional style of leadership among equals through baya, the Islamic oath of allegiance, or shura/majlis, councils of respected elders, with a monarchical model that set the foundation for political power in modern Qatar.
The Ottoman Empire also played a role in the rise of the al-Thani family. The Ottomans warily eyed growing British influence in the Gulf region and sought to reclaim territories that it had once held, particularly in the last days of the Empire when, with the loss of the Balkans, Sultan Abdulhamid II attempted to consolidate power among fellow Muslims and to secure the Empire’s vulnerable boundaries.[4] While Muhammad bin Thani accepted British authority, his son Jassim agreed to a non-tributary Ottoman suzerainty. However, Jassim never permitted the growth of a permanent, politically dominant Ottoman authority, and in 1892 repelled an Ottoman invasion that might have established such a presence. This feat has taken on near-mythical proportions and Jassim is remembered as a hero on National Day.[5] It was also under Jassim that most Qataris adopted the Wahhabi school of Islam as a means of repelling potential Saudi interference.[6]
In emphasizing Jassim as the “founder” and “unifier” of Qatar against the Ottomans, the ruling al-Thani have emphasized their family’s heroic status as well as Jassim’s particular lineage over that of competing al-Thani lineages and over other tribes. Against the backdrop of the First World War in 1916, Britain signed the Anglo-Qatari treaty with Jassim’s son, Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim al-Thani, formally recognizing Qatar as a British protectorate and Sheikh Abdullah as its unquestioned leader.
The Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC, later British Petroleum) was founded in 1908, marking the inception of an era of oil that would radically alter the destinies of Gulf nations. With the early 20th century decline of the pearl industry, Sheikh Abdullah capitalized on the creation of the Standard Oil Company of California and encouraged competition between the Americans and British. In 1935 he signed a contract with APOC granting them an oil concession that laid claim to all petroleum off of Qatar’s coast, which kept the British involved in the Gulf even after Indian independence in 1947 made shipping channels to India less important. As British colonies declared independence in the mid- century, the British Empire seemed less and less relevant and British politicians were pressured by its former subjects to leave the entire Middle East.
[1] James Onley, “Britain and the Gulf Shaikhdoms, 1820–1971: The Politics of Protection,” Center for International and Regional Studies at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, Occasional Paper No. 4 (2009). | 2024-06-06T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7981 |
Not
too much information are available yet but speculations are circulating through
the net, that Tatung also plans to release a Windows Mobile-based UMPC
look-alike Pocket PC. That's even more interesting, after the
HTC Athena appeared first time
and was confirmed a little bit
later, since the original UMPC design was based on Windows XP but now, UMPC
is used as synonym for high-end Pocket PCs.
While not to much information is available about the Tatung UMPC project, some
photos surfaced which seems to be, nevertheless, from the last COMPUTEX in
Taiwan.
Therefore it's speculated, that we will see and hear more at CES in Las Vegas,
early January:
By the way - no, I haven't watermarked the photos with the::unwired logo and
wonder by whom and why the photos were watermarked with the::unwired's site logo?
You can install a lot of different java engines on windows mobile devices. So you can have java on windows mobile but just if you want it. Memory is valuable
GDay Heinz
Posted by Arne Hess on 28.12.06 - 13:46:06
As Heinz said, you are free to install Java on Windows Mobile devices. In addition you have to keep in mind, that it is up to the manufacture if they put Java into the device by default. Some Windows Mobile ODMs and OEMs do, others don't and I have no idea what Tatung plans to do.
Posted by adam on 28.12.06 - 18:30:47
if you look closely at the picture, you can see that it runs windows mobile SMARTPHONE edition, not pocket pc.
Posted by Arne Hess on 29.12.06 - 12:48:47
Yes, you are right but who cares for a prototype or whatever it is?We have seen so many Photoshop'd product announcements and flyer just to figure out after the product launch, that the previous information/images were wrong. So I don't care (yet) what is shown on such a device. Also I haven't licensed the::unwired logo to Tatung but it appears on the screen as well. Should this be seen as an indication for co-branding? | 2024-03-10T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1455 |
Despite voting to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt of Congress, there’s little House Republicans can do in the short term to compel him to turn over documents — unless it wanted to revisit a long-dormant power and arrest him.
The thought is shocking, and conjures up a Hollywood-ready standoff scene between House police and the FBI agents who protect the attorney general. It’s a dramatic and unlikely possibility not least because Congress doesn’t even have a jail any longer. But in theory it could happen.
Republicans say it’s not even under consideration, with House Speaker John A. Boehner’s spokesman flatly ruling it out.
But the process, known as inherent contempt, is well-established by precedent, has been confirmed by multiple Supreme Court rulings, and is available to any Congress willing to force such a confrontation.
“The House is scared to death to use the inherent contempt power,” said Mort Rosenberg, a fellow at the Constitution Project and author of “When Congress Comes Calling.” “They’re scared to death because the courts have said … the way the contempt power is used is unseemly. It’s not that it’s unconstitutional, because it’s been upheld by four Supreme Court decisions, but unseemly to have somebody go arrest the attorney general.”
That’s why it’s been more than 75 years since either chamber has used the option though it used to be somewhat common.
The House on Thursday voted 255-67 to hold Mr. Holder in criminal contempt, and 258-95 to pursue a case against him in the courts.
But those votes do little to break the impasse over his refusal to turn over documents the House is seeking in an investigation into Fast and Furious, a botched gun-walking operation. The House issued subpoenas for the documents last year but President Obama last week asserted executive privilege in withholding them.
A court case will take time, meaning there’s little immediate effect of the two contempt votes.
Indeed, the lack of any penalty for Mr. Holder’s failure to cooperate was cited by one Democrat as his reason for voting against Thursday’s contempt motion.
“While I strongly believe that the Department of Justice should fully cooperate with Congress to ensure transparency in the Fast and Furious operation, this motion lacks an enforcement mechanism to make it anything more than politically motivated,” said Rep. Heath Shuler, North Carolina Democrat.
That’s why Mr. Rosenberg, a former analyst for the Congressional Research Service, said Congress should consider using its own police powers and should try to impose a fine rather than physically arrest someone.
Short of that, there are few options left to Republicans, said Louis Fisher, another former CRS analyst who specialized in separation of powers issues.
“They had hoped that by acting today they would get Holder to make some concessions. That didn’t happen. Now I think it’s pretty awkward,” he said.
He said the best chances for an end to the stalemate now rely on the political process which is one reason why Republicans said they were seeking answers for the family of Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry, who was killed in a shootout where two of the guns from Fast and Furious were found.
Mr. Fisher, a scholar in residence at the Constitution Project who has written a forthcoming article in the National Law Journal criticizing Mr. Obama’s legal reasoning for asserting executive privilege, said a key break could come if more Democrats joined Republicans in pushing for disclosure.
Inherent contempt is not unknown to members of Congress.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi raised the issue last week, noting that when she was House speaker and Congress was fighting with the Bush administration over testimony related to the firing of U.S. attorneys she could have had Karl Rove arrested.
“I could have arrested Karl Rove on any given day,” Mrs. Pelosi, California Democrat, said as part of a sit-down interview with the Huffington Post.
“I’m not kidding. There’s a prison here in the Capitol. If we had spotted him in the Capitol, we could have arrested him,” she said.
Back in 2007 and 2008, there was substantial interest in Congress‘ arrest powers, with CNN even doing a segment in 2008 trying to figure out where Mr. Rove could have been jailed if the House chose to go that route.
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Copyright © 2020 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission. | 2023-12-17T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8611 |
Q:
hook_url_outbound_alter() not working
I'm trying to rewrite the URL of a node. I have the following test code:
function mymodule_url_outbound_alter(&$path, &$options, $original_path) {
if ($path == 'testpage') {
$path = 'test-alias';
$options['alias'] = $path;
}
}
Which doesn't seem to do anything when I visit /testpage or /test-alias. It's definitely executing the code inside the if statement. Am I doing something wrong here?
I have previously implemented hook_url_inbound_alter(), which works perfectly and doesn't do anything on this particular page. I also use the Path module.
A:
If you want to create an alias using hook_url_outbound_alter(), you need to implement also hook_url_inbound_alter(), since the former is for links output from Drupal, and the latter is for links received from Drupal. The former changes the path with its alias, while the latter changes the alias with the equivalent path.
Keep in mind that:
If you are not doing conditional replacements, then it is probably less performance-heavy to use the normal Drupal path aliases
Between the arguments taken from hook_url_outbound_alter(), $path is the path as already changed by the previously executed module, while $original_path is the path before being changed from any module
Also, $options['alias'] is really a boolean, not a string, which tells url() whenever the path being passed to the function is already a path alias. In the case it is, drupal_get_path_alias() will not be called.
| 2024-03-12T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1772 |
GUEST EDITORIAL {#s1}
===============
As we enter the second quarter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS--CoV-2) increasingly available (though still limited and/or slow in some areas), we are faced with new questions and challenges regarding this novel virus. When to test? Whom to test? What to test? How often to test? And, what to do with test results? Since SARS--CoV-2 is a new virus, there is little evidence to fall back on for test utilization and diagnostic stewardship ([@B1]). Several points need to be considered to begin answering of these questions; specifically, what types of tests are available and under which circumstances are they useful? This understanding can help guide the use of testing at the local, regional, state, and national levels and inform those assessing the supply chain to ensure that needed testing is and continues to be available. Here, we explain the types of tests available and how they might be useful in the face of a rapidly changing and never-before-experienced situation. There are two broad categories of SARS--CoV-2 tests: those that detect the virus itself and those that detect the host's response to the virus. Each will be considered separately.
We must recognize that we are dealing with (i) a new virus, (ii) an unprecedented pandemic in modern times, and (iii) uncharted territory. With this in mind, in the absence of either proven effective therapy or a vaccine, diagnostic testing, which we have, becomes an especially important tool, informing patient management and potentially helping to save lives by limiting the spread of SARS--CoV-2. What is the most appropriate test, and for whom and when?
Hypothetically, if the entire world's population could be tested all at once, with a test providing 100% specificity and sensitivity (unrealistic, obviously), we might be able to identify all infected individuals and sort people into those who at that moment in time were asymptomatic, minimally/moderately symptomatic, and severely symptomatic. The asymptomatic and minimally/moderately symptomatic could be quarantined to avoid the spread of the virus, with the severely symptomatic managed and isolated in health care settings. Contract tracing could be carried out to find those at risk of being in the incubation period by virtue of their exposure. Alternatively, testing for a host response, if, again, the test were hypothetically 100% sensitive and specific, could identify those previously exposed to the virus and (if we knew this to be true, which we do not) label those who are immune to the virus, who could be tapped to work in settings where potentially infected individuals (e.g., sick patients in hospitals) might otherwise pose a risk. Unfortunately, these hypothetical scenarios are not reality. However, with this ideal situation as a guide, what we do have available as tests today should be carefully considered in terms of how they can be leveraged to move the current crisis closer to the ideal situation, especially in the absence of therapeutics or vaccines.
Although the virus can be cultured, this is dangerous and not routinely done in clinical laboratories. While detection of viral antigens is theoretically possible, this approach has not, to date, been a primary one, but one that those participating in the summit considered to deserve further research.
TEST 1. TESTS FOR VIRAL RNA {#s2}
===========================
Most tests currently used for direct detection of SARS--CoV-2 identify viral RNA through nucleic acid amplification, usually using PCR. An important consideration is exactly what gets tested for viral RNA. Tests that detect viral RNA are contingent on viral RNA being present in the sample collected. The most common sample types being tested are swabs taken from the nasopharynx and/or oropharynx, with the former considered somewhat more sensitive than the latter ([@B2]); if both are collected, the two swabs may be combined and tested simultaneously in a single reaction to conserve reagents. Today, health care professionals collect these swabs; however, evidence suggests that patients or parents (in the case of young children) might be able to collect their own swabs ([@B3], [@B4]). Following collection, swabs are placed into a liquid to release virus/viral RNA from the swabs into solution. Then, viral RNA is extracted from that solution and subsequently amplified (e.g., by reverse transcription-PCR).
For patients with pneumonia, in addition to nasopharyngeal and oral secretions, lower respiratory tract secretions, such as sputum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, are tested. It should not be assumed that each of these (e.g., nasopharyngeal swab specimen, sputum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid) will have the same chance of detecting SARS--CoV-2; detection rates in each sample type vary from patient to patient and may change over the course of individual patients' illnesses. Some patients with pneumonia may have negative nasal or oropharyngeal samples but positive lower airway samples ([@B5]), for example. Accordingly, the true clinical sensitivity of any of these tests is unknown (and is certainly not 100%, as in the hypothetical scenario); a negative test does not therefore negate the possibility that an individual is infected. If the test is positive though, the result is most likely correct, although stray viral RNA that makes its way into the testing process (for example, as the specimen is being collected or as a result of specimen cross-contamination or testing performed by a laboratory worker who is infected with SARS--CoV-2 \[these are just some examples\]) could conceivably result in a falsely positive result. Also, we note that viral RNA does not equate to live virus, and therefore, detection of viral RNA does not necessarily mean that the virus can be transmitted from that patient. That said, viral RNA-based tests are the best tests that we have in the setting of an acute illness. It is important to recognize that the accuracy of the test is affected by the quality of the sample, and thus it is critical that the sample be obtained in a proper (and safe) manner. Testing patients for SARS--CoV-2 helps identify those who are infected, which is useful for individual patient management, as well as for implementation of mitigation strategies to prevent spread in health care facilities and in the community alike ([Fig. 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}).
{#fig1}
There are numerous unanswered questions, challenges, and controversies surrounding testing for viral RNA. RNA may degrade over time. There are concerns that specimen collection for testing is exhausting the supply of critical personal protective equipment needed to care for infected patients. Alternative strategies for specimen collection, including home collection, should therefore be considered either by a health care provider or patients themselves (or a parent in the case of young children); the use of alternative specimen types, such as oral fluid or nasal swabs (if they are shown to provide results equivalent to those from nasopharyngeal swabs) should also be considered. Spread to health care workers and within health care and long-term-care facilities is a primary consideration for prioritization of testing; testing of patients likely to have SARS--CoV-2 who are in health care facilities or long-term-care facilities, alongside potentially ill workers critical to the pandemic response, including health care workers, public health officials, and other essential leaders, is a priority. That said, testing anyone who has symptoms compatible with COVID-19 should be considered, since broad testing will help define who has this infection, allowing control of its spread. Given that SARS--CoV-2 can infect anyone and result in transmission prior to the onset of symptoms or even possibly without individuals ever developing symptoms, testing asymptomatic patients could even be considered. Unfortunately, little is known at this time about viral RNA detection in asymptomatic patients, and such testing strategies may stretch available resources beyond realistic limits. Some future therapeutics may work best if given early, which will demand early testing for SARS--CoV-2 to realize maximal efficacy. The questions of how many tests are needed and what kind should be performed on individual patients (for primary diagnosis if results of initial testing are negative and subsequently to document clearance of the virus to release patients from isolation) remain open.
As the number of tests available for SARS--CoV-2 increases, new challenges, including the needs to (i) better understand variability in the performance characteristics of the various tests (e.g., sensitivity and specificity), including on different samples types, (ii) optimize assays from their original design (e.g., multiple targets to a single target) to improve reagent utilization while maintaining performance characteristics, and (iii) monitor test performance given the potential for the virus to mutate, are emerging. The last can be addressed by periodically sequencing the evolved virus to look for changes in primer and probe binding regions that might affect the performance of tests based on the detection of viral RNA; periodic sequencing can also aid in tracking viral evolution. Additionally, as testing increases, decreasing the time to results of testing will continue to be crucial to better manage both patients and health care workers. Development of rapid, point-of-care diagnostics is a gap and should be a priority. Measurement of viral levels may also be useful to monitor recovery, response to therapy, and/or level of infectivity. Current RNA-based diagnostic tests are primarily qualitative, and although they could be calibrated to provide viral loads, a standardized process does not currently exist. Of note, there is no established threshold for interpretation of viral loads, which may vary in different hosts.
Although tests have become available, the huge demand for them has created supply chain challenges, compromising their very availability; this includes issues with the availability of nasopharyngeal swabs, RNA extraction reagents and instruments, and PCR reagents and instruments. Even with now-FDA-approved/cleared commercial tests, there are delays with the installation of instruments and supply of reagents/kits to meet the demand at many sites. At the moment, extensive efforts are being made on multiple fronts to address the numerous supply challenges surrounding testing and a secure continuity of testing services.
TEST 2. SEROLOGY {#s3}
================
The other broad category of tests is those that detect IgM, IgA, IgG, or total antibodies (typically in blood). Development of an antibody response to infection can be host dependent and take time; in the case of SARS--CoV-2, early studies suggest that the majority of patients seroconvert between 7 and 11 days postexposure to the virus, although some patients may develop antibodies sooner. As a result of this natural delay, antibody testing is not useful in the setting of an acute illness. We do not know for certain whether individuals infected with SARS--CoV-2 who subsequently recover will be protected, either fully or partially, from future infection with SARS--CoV-2 or how long protective immunity may last; recent evidence from a rhesus macaque study does suggest protective immunity after resolution of a primary infection (<https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.03.13.990226>); however, further studies are needed to confirm this. Antibody tests for SARS--CoV-2 may facilitate (i) contact tracing---RNA-based tests can help with this as well; (ii) serologic surveillance at the local, regional, state, and national levels; and (iii) identification of those who have already had the virus and thus may (if there is protective immunity) be immune. Assuming there is protective immunity, serologic information may be used to guide return-to-work decisions, including for individuals who work in environments where they can potentially be reexposed to SARS--CoV-2 (e.g., healthcare workers). Serologic testing may also be useful to identify individuals who may be a source for (currently experimental) therapeutic or prophylactic neutralizing antibodies. In addition, antibody testing can be used in research studies to determine the sensitivity of PCR assays for detecting infection and be employed retrospectively to determine the true scope of the pandemic and assist in the calculation of statistics, including the case fatality rate. Finally, serologic testing can possibly be used diagnostically to test viral RNA-negative individuals presenting late in their illness.
Summit participants noted that testing for host markers might be needed to fully understand which patients are at risk of developing severe disease from their infection.
In summary, both of the two categories of tests for SARS--CoV-2 should be useful in this outbreak. We are fortunate to have the technologies we do that have allowed diagnostics to be made rapidly available. There is likely to be a direct connection between understanding the level of virus/disease in individual communities and acceptance of control measures that require individual action, such as social distancing. Now, we need to ensure systematic and coordinated efforts between the public, clinical, commercial, and industry sectors to ensure robust supply lines in the midst of the pandemic so that we can leverage the power of testing to address the pandemic confronting us.
**Citation** Patel R, Babady E, Theel ES, Storch GA, Pinsky BA, St. George K, Smith TC, Bertuzzi S. 2020. Report from the American Society for Microbiology COVID-19 International Summit, 23 March 2020: Value of diagnostic testing for SARS--CoV-2/COVID-19. mBio 11:e00722-20. <https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00722-20>.
| 2024-02-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8730 |
HMO enrollment of Medicare recipients: an analysis of incentives and barriers.
Although there has been increased interest in use of the health maintenance organization (HMO) model to resolve a variety of problems relating to provision of health care to older individuals, less than 2 percent of Medicare beneficiaries are currently enrolled in HMOs. This paper examines both legislative and operational barriers to HMO enrollment of the elderly. Legislative reforms, HMO organizational structures, and marketing strategies thought to encourage enrollment of the elderly are discussed. | 2024-03-20T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7362 |
932 A.2d 1169 (2007)
2007 ME 107
STATE of Maine
v.
Christopher Nelson BILYNSKY.
Supreme Judicial Court of Maine.
Argued: June 18, 2007.
Decided: August 14, 2007.
*1170 G. Steven Rowe, Attorney General, James M. Cameron, Assistant Atty. General (orally), Augusta, for the State.
Justin W. Andrus, Esq. (orally), Bath, for the defendant.
Panel: SAUFLEY, C.J., and CLIFFORD, ALEXANDER, CALKINS, LEVY, SILVER, and MEAD, JJ.
SILVER, J.
[¶ 1] Pursuant to a conditional plea agreement in which Christopher Nelson Bilynsky pleaded nolo contendere to criminal conspiracy (Class B), 17-A M.R.S. § 151(1)(B) (2006), Bilynsky appeals from the Superior Court's (Sagadahoc County, Mills and Delahanty, JJ.) denial of numerous motions. Addressing only those motions that merit our discussion, we determine that (1) a warrantless search of Bilynsky's home was justified by probable cause and exigent circumstances; (2) the court did not err in denying Bilynsky's motion for a Franks hearing; and (3) Bilynsky's due process rights were not violated. Accordingly, we affirm the court's denial of Bilynsky's motions.
*1171 I. BACKGROUND
A. Indictment and Plea Agreement
[¶ 2] In December 2004, the Sagadahoc County Grand Jury indicted Bilynsky on two counts of aggravated trafficking of scheduled drugs (Class A), 17-A M.R.S. § 1105-A(1)(B)(1) (2006); criminal conspiracy (Class B), 17-A M.R.S. § 151(1)(B); and unlawful possession of scheduled drugs (Class B), 17-A M.R.S. § 1107-A(1)(B)(3) (2006). Bilynsky pleaded not guilty to all four counts and the court disallowed bail.
[¶ 3] In May 2006, after numerous pre-trial motions, pursuant to M.R.Crim. P. 11(a)(2), Bilynsky entered into a conditional plea agreement, pleading nolo contendere to the criminal conspiracy charge.[1] Pursuant to the plea agreement, Bilynsky preserved the right to appeal from the court's orders denying his various pre-trial motions. Following the plea, the Superior Court (Delahanty, J.) sentenced Bilynsky to eight years incarceration for the criminal conspiracy conviction.
B. Relevant Motions
1. Motion to Suppress[2]
[¶ 4] In February 2005, pursuant to M.R.Crim. P. 41A, Bilynsky filed a motion to suppress evidence containing two separate grounds. First, Bilynsky contended that evidence included in the search warrant affidavit was illegally obtained in a prior search. In a written order, the court rejected that contention, determining that exigent circumstances justified the prior search. Second, Bilynsky contended that if the fruits of the previous search were excised, there was insufficient evidence to support a finding of probable cause. At hearing, the Superior Court orally denied the second of Bilynsky's contentions, reasoning that even if the fruits of the previous search were not considered, there was sufficient probable cause to issue the warrant.
2. Motion for a Franks Hearing
[¶ 5] Pursuant to Franks v. Delaware, 438 U.S. 154, 98 S.Ct. 2674, 57 L.Ed.2d 667 (1978), Bilynsky requested a hearing to challenge the veracity of statements included in the affidavit attached to the request for a search warrant. In a written order disposing of several motions, the court denied Bilynsky's request for a Franks hearing without explanation.
3. Motion to Dismiss Due to the Destruction of Evidence
[¶ 6] Bilynsky filed a motion to dismiss contending that his due process rights were violated when the State destroyed evidence it seized when officers executed the search warrant at his residence. Bilynsky contended that items the State alleges he used for the production of methamphetamine were seized, photographed, and taken to the Department of Environmental Protection without testing and were destroyed. Bilynsky further contended that the items seized contained exculpatory evidence that should have been preserved, and that officers destroyed them in bad faith. The court denied the motion, concluding that there was no evidence that the investigating officers destroyed evidence in bad faith.
*1172 C. The Investigation and Protective Sweep
[¶ 7] After two hearings on Bilynsky's motion to suppress, the court issued a written order finding the following facts.
[¶ 8] Daniel Rousseau, a Special Agent with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency and Barry Kelly, a Kennebec County Sheriff's Department Deputy and a Drug Task Force Officer, have extensive experience and training in the investigation of clandestine laboratories. On October 22, 2004, Rousseau received information from Kelly that police officers believed they had uncovered a clandestine laboratory containing suspicious chemicals. Rousseau entered the residence of Maurice Labonte, who was cooperating with the investigating officers. Rousseau observed containers, muriatic acid, pill dough, and a pasty material in a pie plate, materials he associated with an intermediate step in the process of manufacturing methamphetamine.
[¶ 9] The officers interviewed Labonte, who stated that Bilynsky had been involved in manufacturing methamphetamine for a long time. Labonte also stated that Bilynsky had cooked methamphetamine at Labonte's house three months ago. Labonte described that the cooking process involved significant fumes and occasional smoke, and yielded a product that, when consumed, produced both sickness and a high. Based upon the interview with Labonte and his personal observations, Rousseau concluded that Labonte was involved in the manufacturing of amphetamine or methamphetamine.
[¶ 10] The investigation continued at the residence of William Harmon, where officers discovered red phosphorous, a chemical used in the manufacturing of methamphetamine that emits a lethal gas. Harmon corroborated Labonte's information, stating that Bilynsky had manufactured methamphetamine in his presence, the manufacturing produced fumes, and when consumed, the end-product produced a reaction consistent with that of amphetamine or methamphetamine. Additionally, Harmon produced both a vial of a substance he described as methamphetamine, which tested positive for amphetamine, and a notebook that described the manufacturing process for methamphetamine.
[¶ 11] Harmon and Labonte both stated that Bilynsky possessed paraphernalia used to produce amphetamine and methamphetamine. Harmon stated that Bilynsky kept the paraphernalia in his red diesel van. Harmon and Labonte gave the officers directions to Bilynsky's residence, known as "the chicken barn." Tara Dry, Bilynsky's girlfriend, also resided at the chicken barn, and her father gave the officers directions to the residence.
[¶ 12] Kelly assembled a team to investigate Bilynsky's residence after speaking with officers from Sagadahoc and Kennebec counties, an assistant attorney general, and an assistant district attorney. Kelly next contacted Rousseau, who voiced concerns that Bilynsky was manufacturing methamphetamine and that public safety required that the laboratory be located and safely secured. Rousseau expressed particular concern that the manufacturing process would produce phosgene, an odorless, colorless, lethal gas. Rousseau authorized Kelly, based on exigent circumstances, to safely secure the residence if it appeared that methamphetamine manufacturing was in progress. Agents are trained to conduct a security sweep of the area if the manufacturing process is underway. The sweep consists of removing any occupants, ventilating and securing the area, and leaving as quickly as possible.
*1173 [¶ 13] Kelly located the chicken barn, and when he exited his vehicle he smelled the odor of chemicals used in the clandestine manufacturing of methamphetamine. He observed an electrical cord extending from a shed to the barn. He also noticed that despite the cool temperatureit was approximately forty degrees outsidean air conditioner attached to the chicken barn was turned on high. A cool temperature is part of the methamphetamine manufacturing process. He approached the barn and saw a container being heated, another part of the manufacturing process. He also noticed an individual inside the chicken barn who was not wearing a gas mask. Based upon his training and experience, Kelly knew that if methamphetamine was being manufactured without a mask, there was little time to enter and safely secure the building. He was alerted to the fact that people were inside the barn and was concerned about the safety of the officers and potential occupants of two residences proximate to the barn.
[¶ 14] Officers entered the barn without knocking, encountered both Bilynsky and Dry, conducted a quick search of the area to determine if anything was cooking, found various items typically used in manufacturing methamphetamine, and turned a propane tank off in the shed.
[¶ 15] The next day, pursuant to M.R.Crim. P. 41, Kelly requested that a magistrate issue a search warrant to search the chicken barn and all vehicles on the premises at the time of the search. Officers executed the warrant the day after it was issued and suspected methamphetamine manufacturing items were seized, photographed, and later destroyed.
II. DISCUSSION
A. The Motion to Suppress
[¶ 16] We apply two separate standards of review to the denial of a motion to suppress, reviewing the court's factual findings for clear error and its legal conclusions de novo. State v. Sargent, 2005 ME 78, ¶ 7, 875 A.2d 125, 127.
[¶ 17] We have held that, as a matter of law, a warrantless search is unreasonable unless: "(1) it is supported by probable cause; and (2) exigent circumstances exist requiring a prompt search, without the delay occasioned by the need for a warrant; or (3) the search is pursuant to another recognized exception to the warrant requirement." State v. Leonard, 2002 ME 125, ¶ 12, 802 A.2d 991, 994 (quotation marks omitted).
1. The Officers had Probable Cause
[¶ 18] Probable cause exist "when the officers' personal knowledge of facts and circumstances, in combination with any reasonably trustworthy information conveyed to them, would warrant a prudent person to believe that there is evidence of a crime." State v. Kirby, 2005 ME 92, ¶ 11 n. 3, 878 A.2d 499, 502 (quotation marks omitted); see also, State v. Michael M., 2001 ME 92, ¶ 6, 772 A.2d 1179, 1182.
[¶ 19] At the time of the warrantless search of the chicken barn, officers had probable cause to believe they would find evidence of a crime. The officers gained information through two informants, Harmon and Labonte, both of whom had detailed knowledge of Bilynsky's involvement in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Furthermore, both Harmon and Labonte independently stated that they had personally observed Bilynsky cook methamphetamine three months prior to the search. The cooking process resulted in a drug that produced effects consistent with the use of methamphetamine. Although Harmon and Labonte were under investigation for the manufacturing of methamphetamine, *1174 and had an incentive to cooperate with the investigating officers and provide information that would take the investigation away from them, as aspiring manufacturers, they also had a basis of knowledge on which to rest their conclusions.
[¶ 20] Harmon and Labonte also provided specific information detailing the location of Bilynsky's residence and the means by which he transported his manufacturing paraphernalia. The officers corroborated both the location of the chicken barn and the presence of the red van that Harmon and Labonte described.
[¶ 21] Upon arrival at the chicken barn, Kelly observed evidence that confirmed Harmon's and Labonte's statements that Bilynsky was involved in the manufacturing of methamphetamine. Kelly smelled an odor consistent with odors produced in the manufacturing process; he noticed an air conditioner turned on high, despite a cool ambient temperature; and he observed an individual not wearing a gas mask heating a container.
[¶ 22] The officers were justified in relying upon Harmon's and Labonte's three-month-old information in determining probable cause. We have considered the following circumstances in determining whether evidence sought is likely to remain in place at the time of a search:
(1) the character of the criminal activity under investigation, i.e., discrete crime or regenerating conspiracy; (2) the character of the accused, i.e., nomadic or entrenched; (3) the character of the thing to be seized, i.e., whether it is perishable or easily transferable; and (4) the place to be searched, i.e., forum of convenience or operational base.
State v. Wright, 2006 ME 13, ¶ 9 n. 3, 890 A.2d 703, 706.
[¶ 23] The statements given to the officers indicated that Bilynsky was not involved in a single, isolated, criminal incident, but a complex and continuing criminal enterprise. The laboratory equipment, though apparently portable, was likely to be in existence as long as the manufacturing of methamphetamine continued, and the chicken barn was described as a permanent headquarters for Bilynsky's operation, not a temporary outpost. Indeed, the information provided did not describe a fleeting operation, but an entrenched clandestine laboratory. These circumstances suggested that, in all likelihood, Bilynsky's methamphetamine manufacturing continued for the three months since his last encounter with Labonte.
[¶ 24] Additionally, to the extent that the information supplied by Harmon and Labonte was stale, Kelly's personal observations, which corroborated their statements, freshened the old information. See id. ¶ 11, 890 A.2d at 706.
[¶ 25] The combination of the statements conveyed to the officers by Harmon and Labonte and the officers' personal observations before they entered the chicken barn would warrant a prudent person to believe that the premises contained evidence of the manufacturing of methamphetamine.
2. Exigent Circumstances Existed
[¶ 26] Determining that there was probable cause extends our inquiry into whether exigent circumstances justified the officers' warrantless entry into the chicken barn. "Exigent circumstances exist when there is a compelling need to conduct a search and insufficient time in which to secure a warrant." State v. St. Yves, 2000 ME 97, ¶ 19 n. 8, 751 A.2d 1018, 1023 (quotation marks omitted).
[¶ 27] In Leonard, we determined that exigent circumstances justified the search of a residence, the scene of a stand-off, *1175 after the stand-off ended to determine if: other individuals may been have injured; unsafe conditions posed a threat to individuals; and evidence could potentially be lost or destroyed. 2002 ME 125, ¶ 13, 802 A.2d at 994. We further determined that exigent circumstances exist when it is reasonably believed "that a person is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm." St. Yves, 2000 ME 97, ¶ 19 n. 8, 751 A.2d at 1023 (citations omitted). Thus, we have determined that exigent circumstances may include a threat to the safety of members of the public or police officers. However, we have not addressed whether the exigent circumstances doctrine applies to the threat an operating clandestine methamphetamine laboratory poses to public and officer safety.
[¶ 28] Other courts have decided that narrow issue. In United States v. Williams, 431 F.3d 1115 (8th Cir.2005), the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals determined whether the discovery of a methamphetamine lab constituted an exigent circumstance. In Williams, officers arrested an individual for processing and manufacturing methamphetamine. Id. at 1117. The individual told the officers that he had recently visited Williams's home, which contained a methamphetamine laboratory. Id. The individual gave the officers a description of the home and positively identified Williams. Id. The officers located Williams's home and observed evidence indicative of ongoing methamphetamine production. Id. The officers detained Williams outside his house and upon approaching his home, one officer smelled chemicals utilized in the methamphetamine manufacturing process. Id. The officers entered the house, observed evidence of a methamphetamine laboratory in plain view, ventilated the home, and quickly left. Id. The officers later obtained a search warrant. Id.
[¶ 29] The Eighth Circuit determined that the officers reasonably concluded that it was necessary to protect their own and local residents' safety by conducting a protective sweep of the home. Id. at 1118.
[¶ 30] Although determining exigent circumstances is inherently fact-specific, Williams is consistent with the way in which other courts have determined whether exigent circumstances existed in methamphetamine cases. In a case prior to Williams, the Eighth Circuit noted that "[t]he potential hazards of methamphetamine manufacture are well documented, and numerous cases have upheld limited warrantless searches by police officers who had probable cause to believe they had uncovered an on-going methamphetamine manufacturing operation." United States v. Walsh, 299 F.3d 729, 734 (8th Cir.2002). The court cited five cases from the Ninth and Tenth Circuits to support that proposition. Id. Courts outside the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits have reached the same result. See, e.g., United States v. Denson, No. 1:05-CR-088, 2006 WL 270287, at *4, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7898, at *11-12 (E.D.Tenn. Feb.2, 2006); People v. Duncan, 42 Cal.3d 91, 227 Cal.Rptr. 654, 720 P.2d 2, 10-11 (1986); Holder v. State, 847 N.E.2d 930, 939-40 (Ind.2006); State v. Castile, No. M2004-02572-CCA-R3-CD, 2006 WL 1816371, at *8-9, 2006 Tenn. Crim.App. LEXIS 492 at *23-24 (Tenn. Crim.App. June 28, 2006).
[¶ 31] Courts, however, have also limited use of the exigent circumstances doctrine in methamphetamine cases. In United States v. Chambers, the Sixth Circuit determined that officers had "create[d]" an exigency when they approached a house that had been under surveillance for months for suspected methamphetamine production to talk to its residents, and then used a resident's refusal of consent to enter as justification for entry. 395 F.3d *1176 563, 568-69 (6th Cir.2005). Courts have also declined to find probable cause based solely on the odor of a legal substance which is associated with methamphetamine production. See, e.g., United States v. Berry, 468 F.Supp.2d 870, 882 (N.D.Tex. 2006); Bennett v. State, 345 Ark. 48, 44 S.W.3d 310, 314-15 (2001).
[¶ 32] On the facts of the present case, exigent circumstances justified the officers' warrantless entry into Bilynsky's residence. The officers had detailed information concerning Bilynsky's involvement in the manufacturing of methamphetamine, much of which was verified upon their arrival at Bilynsky's residence. Soon after their arrival, the officers observed evidence that Bilynsky was manufacturing methamphetamine: an air conditioner was on high, providing the requisite cool temperature for production; and Kelly smelled fumes that he associated with the manufacturing process. Evidence that amounted to probable cause that manufacturing was in progress, coupled with Kelly's knowledge of the safety risks associated with the process, provided an adequate basis for a limited warrantless entry to conduct a protective sweep of the residence.
[¶ 33] Premised on safely securing the area, the search did not exceed the bounds of exigency that justified the warrantless entry. See Horton v. California, 496 U.S. 128, 139-40, 110 S.Ct. 2301, 110 L.Ed.2d 112 (1990). The search was brief, and it ended once it was determined that the area was safe. The officers did not conduct a thorough search of the residence. For that, the officers later secured a warrant.
[¶ 34] The facts under which our sister courts did not find exigent circumstances in methamphetamine cases are not present in this case. Probable cause was generated not solely on the smell of methamphetamine production, but also upon information provided from two individuals and the personal observations of the officers. The officers also did not generate the exigency through any of their actions. We accordingly determine that exigent circumstances justified the officers' warrantless search of the chicken barn.
[¶ 35] Because the warrantless search of Bilynsky's residence was supported by both probable cause and exigent circumstances, we do not address Bilynsky's alternative argument that if the fruits of the search were excluded, there would have been insufficient evidence to support a finding of probable cause.
B. The Motion for a Franks Hearing
[¶ 36] Bilynsky contends that the sworn affidavit of a private investigator demonstrated that both Harmon's and Labonte's statements, on which the warrant affidavit relied, were unreliable. Bilynsky further contends that the warrant affidavit intentionally omitted the fact that the smell that Kelly described as chemical was actually incense.
[¶ 37] We have yet to determine how we review the denial of a Franks hearing. In State v. Dickinson, we declined to address whether a de novo or a clear error standard applied to the denial of a Franks motion, noting that federal courts were divided on the issue and, under either standard, the result in that case was the same. 2005 ME 100, ¶ 9 n. 5, 881 A.2d 651, 655. We again decline to address the applicable standard of review because regardless of what standard is applied, we uphold the court's denial of the motion for a Franks hearing.
[¶ 38] To obtain a Franks hearing, a defendant must "make allegations of deliberate falsehood or of reckless disregard for the truth, and those allegations must be accompanied by an offer of proof." *1177 Id. ¶ 8, 881 A.2d at 655 (quoting Franks, 438 U.S. at 171, 98 S.Ct. 2674). Bilynsky asserts that Harmon's and Labonte's statements are unreliable. He does not, however, make any specific allegation that the statements they made included in the affidavit are deliberately false. Likewise, Bilynsky's contention that Kelly's assertion that he smelled chemicals was deliberately false is not supported by any offer of proof, and is speculative as to what Kelly knew at the time he composed his affidavit. The showing Bilynsky is required to make to obtain a Franks hearing requires more than such guessing.
C. Bilynsky's Due Process Rights were not Violated
[¶ 39] Bilynsky contends that officers destroyed in bad faith items allegedly used in the manufacturing process that had exculpatory value because the items had Tara Dry's fingerprints on them, and could have been used to produce biofuel instead of methamphetamine.
[¶ 40] Bilynsky initially presented his contention that his due process rights were violated in a motion to dismiss and appeals the denial of that motion to us. That is not, however, the appropriate way to challenge the impermissible destruction of evidence. We have indicated that the suppression of that evidence is the appropriate remedy. See State v. Anderson, 1999 ME 18, ¶ 6, 724 A.2d 1231, 1233 (reviewing the trial court's determination that the destruction of evidence did not violate due process using the standard of review applied to motions to suppress).[3] Accordingly, we construe the District Court's denial of the motion to dismiss as a ruling on a motion to suppress.
[¶ 41] We have adopted the United States Supreme Court's analysis to determine when the destruction of evidence violates a defendant's right to due process of the law. See State v. Berkley, 567 A.2d 915, 917-18 (Me.1989); Anderson, 1999 ME 18, ¶¶ 6-9, 724 A.2d at 1233-34. In California v. Trombetta, 467 U.S. 479, 104 S.Ct. 2528, 81 L.Ed.2d 413 (1984), the Court fashioned a two-part test to determine whether a defendant's right to due process is violated by the failure to preserve evidence, (1) "the evidence must `possess an exculpatory value that was apparent before the evidence was destroyed;'" and (2) "the evidence must `be of such a nature that the defendant would be unable to obtain comparable evidence by other reasonably available means.'" Berkley, 567 A.2d at 917-18 (quoting Trombetta, 467 U.S. at 489, 104 S.Ct. 2528). Applying the first step of the Trombetta test, Bilynsky overstates the exculpatory value of the fingerprints. Bilynsky contends that the presence of other fingerprints on glass items that the State alleges were used to manufacture methamphetamine gives the items exculpatory value. The fact that other people may have touched items which Bilynsky also handled does not diminish what the State alleged: that Bilynsky conspired to manufacture methamphetamine.
[¶ 42] Applying the second step, we reject Bilynsky's contention that his due process rights were violated because if the evidence had not been destroyed, he could have argued that the glassware was unfit for use in the methamphetamine manufacturing process. To advance this contention, Bilynsky does not need the items themselves because the State took photographs *1178 of the evidence before their destruction. Similarly, Bilynsky does not need the items themselves to advance his alternative use theory that they could have been used to produce biofuel.
The entry is:
Judgment affirmed.
NOTES
[1] M.R.Crim. P. 11(a)(2) mentions only a "conditional guilty plea." The State, however, concedes that there appears to be no rationale for allowing conditional guilty pleas and disallowing conditional nolo contendere pleas.
[2] Bilynsky filed two motions to suppress. The second motion included grounds that Bilynsky had demanded his then-attorney include in the first motion, but which the attorney omitted. The contentions included in the second motion do not merit further discussion.
[3] Further, the Maine Rules of Criminal Procedure do not allow for such a dismissal. A motion to dismiss may be made pursuant to M.R.Crim. P. 6(b)(2) on the lack of qualifications of a member of the grand jury, pursuant to M.R.Crim. P. 48(a) by the State, or 48(b) by the court, if there is an unnecessary delay in bringing a defendant to trial.
| 2023-11-24T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9971 |
#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
int main()
{
int N, D;
cin >> N >> D;
vector<vector<int>> data(N, vector<int>(N, 0));
D--;
int maxResult = 0;
//横
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++)
{
int rowResult = 0;
for (int j = 0; j < N; j++)
{
cin >> data[i][j];
rowResult += data[i][j];
if (j >= D) {
maxResult = max(maxResult, rowResult);
rowResult -= data[i][j - D];
}
}
}
//列
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++)
{
int colResult = 0;
for (int j = 0; j < N; j++)
{
colResult += data[j][i];
if (j >= D) {
maxResult = max(maxResult, colResult);
colResult -= data[j - D][i];
}
}
}
for (int i = 0; i < N; i++)
{
for (int j = 0; j < N; j++)
{
int lrResult = 0;
int i1 = i, j1 = j;
//左到右
while (i1 < N&&j1 < N)
{
lrResult += data[i1][j1];
if (i1-i >= D)
{
maxResult = max(maxResult, lrResult);
lrResult -= data[i1 - D][j1 - D];
}
i1++;
j1++;
}
int rlResult = 0;
i1 = i;
j1 = j;
//左到右
while (i1 < N&&j1 >= 0)
{
rlResult += data[i1][j1];
if (i1 - i >= D)
{
maxResult = max(maxResult, rlResult);
rlResult -= data[i1 - D][D + j1];
}
i1++;
j1--;
}
}
}
cout << maxResult << endl;
return 0;
} | 2024-07-20T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5484 |
Q:
how to hide all panels in windows form?
In my windows application which uses menu strip and multiple panel containers, a panel is displayed depending on menu option
hiding all panels by manually passing names is very time consuming, is there any way to hide all panels or any way to get names of all panels in a form??
A:
foreach (Control c in this.Controls)
{
if (c is Panel) c.Visible = false;
}
And you could even make that recursive, and pass in the ControlCollection instead of using this.Controls:
HidePanels(this.Controls);
...
private void HidePanels(ControlCollection controls)
{
foreach (Control c in controls)
{
if (c is Panel)
{
c.Visible = false;
}
// hide any panels this control may have
HidePanels(c.Controls);
}
}
A:
So presumably you want to get all of the controls anywhere on the form, not just top level controls. For that we'll need this handy little helper function to get all child controls, at all levels, for a particular control:
public static IEnumerable<Control> GetAllControls(Control control)
{
Stack<Control> stack = new Stack<Control>();
stack.Push(control);
while (stack.Any())
{
var next = stack.Pop();
yield return next;
foreach (Control child in next.Controls)
{
stack.Push(child);
}
}
}
(Feel free to make it an extension method if you think you'd use it enough.)
Then we can just use OfType on that result to get the controls of a particular type:
var panels = GetAllControls(this).OfType<Panel>();
A:
Its clean to write something like this
foreach (Panel p in this.Controls.OfType<Panel>()) {
p.Visible = false;
}
| 2024-02-19T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7084 |
Q:
JavaScript express, node and CSVtoJSON
I'm currently developing a 'Dupe Finder' web app for a co-worker. This is my first time using the 'csvtojson' package.
I'm reading from the file just fine on the server, but when I send a response back to the client (ideally containing a json object) I'm getting this very odd console log and I'm not sure if its correct:
To get this response, I have a button on the home page, when clicked, the client makes an http request on the home directory of the server, called '/getnums'. The request reads from the CSV then should be returning and obj with its contents. It is sort of doing that, in the screenshot, if I click the tick next to promiseValue, it'll give me an array. But i'm not sure why its returning a Promise..anyway..
api.js:
var CSVDATA = () => {
fetch('/getnums')
.then(res => {
console.log(res.json())
})
}
export default {
CSVDATA,
}
'/getnums' goes to my router, which is simly router.get('/', mainController.getNums)
in the controller is where the reading begins:
const csv = require('csvtojson')
module.exports = {
getNums: (req, res, next) => {
const csvFilePath = `${__dirname}/../../client/readFrom/main.csv`
csv().fromFile(csvFilePath)
.then(jsonObj => {
return res.status(200).json(jsonObj)
})
.catch(e => {
req.error = e
next()
})
},
}
anyone have an idea what might be going on here?
A:
That is simply how .json() works.
It returns promise so you need to handle it asynchronously
var CSVDATA = () => {
fetch('/getnums')
.then(res => res.json())
.then(json => console.log(json));
}
export default {
CSVDATA,
}
MDN link
| 2023-09-02T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1461 |
Diode Laser Turbinate Reduction in Allergic Rhinitis: A Cross-sectional Study.
Turbinate reduction procedures are recommended for inferior turbinate hypertrophy in allergic rhinitis that fail to respond to medical therapy. Several modalities like turbinectomy, submucosal resection and tissue ablation are available for this purpose. The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of diode laser in the treatment of symptomatic inferior turbinate hypertrophy in allergic rhinitis and explore complications related to the procedure. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in a tertiary care centre. The study enrolled 60 patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy with failure of medical therapy. Inferior turbinate reduction was performed under local anaesthesia using diode laser. All the patients were evaluated subjectively for various nasal symptoms using visual analogue score scale preoperatively and during postoperative visit at three months. The age ranged from 16 to 47 years with median age of 28 years. Twenty nine were male and thirty one were female. There was significant improvement in symptoms like nasal obstruction, nasal discharge, sneezing and decreased sense of smell. Immediate post-operative pain, crusting and persistent nasal discharge were observed as complications of the procedure. However, there was no incidence of mucosal oedema and synechiae formation in our study. Diode laser turbinate reduction procedure is safe, minimally invasive and effective in relieving the symptoms associated with inferior turbinate hypertrophy in allergic rhinitis resistant to medical therapy and can be performed on a day care basis under local anaesthesia. | 2024-06-08T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/3392 |
Molecular characterization and phylogenetic analysis of H3N2 human influenza A viruses in Cheongju, South Korea.
To investigate the genetic characteristics of human influenza viruses circulating in Chungbuk province, we tested 510 clinical samples of nasopharyngeal suction from pediatric patients diagnosed with respiratory illness between June 2007 and June 2008. Genetic characterization of the HA genes of H3N2 isolates indicated the relative higher similarity to A/Virginia/04/07 (99.6%) rather than that of A/Wisconsin/67/2005 (98.4%), a Northern Hemisphere 2007-2008 vaccine strain, based on amino acid sequences. We found several altered amino acids at the H3 HA1 antigenic sites compared with the vaccine strain; K140I at site A, K158R at site B, and K173N (H471) or K173Q, and S262N at site E, but there was no antigenic shift among the H3N2 viruses. Interestingly, A/Cheongju/H383/08 and A/Cheongju/H407/08 isolates had single amino acid substitution at D151G on the catalytic site of the N2 NA while A/Cheongju/H412/08 and A/Cheongju/ H398/07 isolates had one amino acid deletion at residue 146. Furthermore, we found that 25% (3 out of 12 isolates) of the H3N2 subtype viruses had the amino acid substitution at position 31 on the M2 protein (Aspartic acid to Asparagine) and confirmed their drug-resistance by biological assays. Taken together, the results of this study demonstrated continuous evolutions of human H3N2 viruses by antigenic drift and also highlighted the need to closely monitor antigenic drug resistance in influenza A viruses to aid in the early detection of potentially pandemic strains, as well as underscore the need for new therapeutics. | 2024-05-23T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/6328 |
Q:
Normalize a pairwise similarity matrix so that it sums to 1
I have a symmetric similarity matrix that I want to use as input into Rtsne (https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/Rtsne/index.html).
library(Matrix)
example <- data.frame(Source = c(1,1,1,1,1,2,2,2,2,2,3,3,3,3,3,4,4,4,4,4,5,5,5,5,5),
Target = c(1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5,1,2,3,4,5),
Similarity = c(0,0.003,0.0541,0.29,0.0001,0.003,0,0.0123,0.104,
0,0.0541,0.0123,0,0.0067,0.31,0.29,0.104,0.0067,
0,0.0098,0.0001,0,0.31,0.0098,0))
mat <- as.matrix(sparseMatrix(i = example$Source,
j = example$Target,
x = example$Similarity))
dimnames(mat) <- list(Source = unique(example$Source),
Target = unique(example$Target))
According to the original author of the t-SNE procedure, a similarity matrix should be symmetrized and normalized to sum up to one (https://lvdmaaten.github.io/tsne/)
Can I use a pairwise similarity matrix as input into t-SNE?
Yes you can! For instance, we successfully applied t-SNE on a dataset of word association data. >Download the Matlab implementation, make sure the diagonal of the pairwise similarity matrix contains >only zeros, symmetrize the pairwise similarity matrix, and normalize it to sum up to one. You can now >use the result as input into the tsne_p.m function.
I'm unsure how to normalize the matrix to sum up to one. Further does this mean that each row sums to one, each column sums to one, or the entire matrix sums to one?
A:
divide the matrix by the total of its sum
mat <- mat/sum(mat)
then we can check
sum(mat)
[1] 1
| 2024-01-03T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/5776 |
Kevin Navayne and Marcus Garvey. The " 60+ Biopics on Black Public Figures 'In Limbo' " piece I published a week ago traveled quite well, and thankfully led to me receiving a handful of updates on some of the projects on the list - most of them I'm not allowed to share here at this time unfortunately. Of the very few that I can mention on this blog, this is one that I think many of you will be most interested in. I've received confirmation that a Marcus Garvey project is currently filming, starring relative newcomer Kevin Navayne (above photo) as Garvey. It's a project that's been in the works for a number of years; we first alerted you to it in 2012, and it's finally in motion. Steven Anderson is making his feature film debut directing the film, from a script penned by Jodi Sallinder, with a cast that also includes familiar names like Dennis Haysbert (as his father, Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr.) and Janet Hubert (as his mother, Sarah Jane Richards), as well as Tobin Bell, Dan Gauither, Rhashan Stone, and Christian Campbell. Filming is happening in Jamaica, New York City and New Orleans. Financing has been provided by private investors. That's all I can share for now, but as more details are revealed, I'll continue to update this blog. Star Kevin Navayne's resume comprises of mostly TV work; in fact, he was scheduled to co-star in Spike Lee's "Da Brick" (the proposed series that was to be loosely based on Mike Tyson's early years, with John Boyega starring); but, as you might recall, HBO would eventually passed on the project, unfortunately. He also had a recurring role on "CSI: NY" over 2 seasons, playing a Detective Ray Jackson. I should note that Mr. Navayne is originally from Jamaica, as was the character he's now playing on film - Marcus Garvey - was. Born Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr. on August 17th, 1887, in St. Ann's Bay, Jamaica, a film on the life of the controversial entrepreneur, Black Nationalist, Pan-Africanist, and powerful orator, is one that many have called for over the years, for as long as this blog has existed. It appears you're getting your wishes fulfilled. There was a 2001 PBS feature documentary on Garvey, titled "Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind," directed by Stanley Nelson; it's the most comprehensive filmed work on Garvey that I'm aware of. Look for it on DVD or Digital. More to come... | 2024-02-02T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4543 |
much money
There is more than one person in this world who dreams for the impossible for the sake of merely improving their standards of living to even radically prolonging their life spans. Today, money is not the primary problem people have to realize their dream anymore. Even if you have much money on your hands, you still can’t make it come true unless you have the access to certain services. Yes, the inaccessibility to those services is what hinders the realization. But, there is the Eternal Trusts platform now. It is one worth to ask help from.
What You Need to Know About Eternal Trusts
To tell you the truth, improving standards of living or prolonging one’s life span is not impossible dream to realize. Many researches that close to answer that should be there already. If we have to take one example, it would be cloning animals with cloning humans. That being said, things like cloning humans have the services that are not yet approved by regulation. You might find other reasons that enable you to purchase them, like legislative inadequacies and lack of additional research. They are the common reasons of all.
Now, you know that no matter how much money you have, you won’t be able to access them on your own. This is where the Eternal Trusts step in to help you. This platform is there to make it possible for anyone to devise both products and services necessary for their goals. With this platform, research groups would also benefit for having the chance to do potential demand analysis for their latest developments. Even normal customers could make smart contract and infrastructure to give them the power to buy future services.
You have the platform that can make things that were impossible to be impossible now. It is the only platform there is to be able to offer such thing. For the sake of realizing your dreams for the future, the Eternal Trusts sure is worth placing your trust on. Once it becomes possible to buy the services necessary, you can proceed with the realization of your dream, right? Then, it would not be just dream anymore. The Eternal Trusts is just as reliable as that to serve their customers, be it for individual’s dream or for the sake of everyone.
The Eternal Trusts Token and What They Are For
Blockchain platforms would usually build their own ecosystem for digital transactions. For such transaction though, they don’t normally use real money anymore. That is why they have their own crypto currency to sell and buy things within the ecosystem. It applies the same even to the Eternal Trusts platform. The crypto currency used in this platform is called Eternal Trusts Token (ETT). In accordance with the industry standard, their token is based on ERC-20 protocol. Let’s see how this token will be used in the platform ecosystem.
Automatically Help Fulfill the Goals
First than anything, the Eternal Trusts Token is one intended to serve the customers as the fuel for the realization of their goals or dreams. What’s more? It is said to be able to help them automatically fulfill those goals. You must have been wondering how the token can do that much, right? Well, you see, when you submit your goals to the platform, customers are required to pay them with tokens. While it might seem that you can’t hope to simply put them for free, these tokens are what will be needed for the publishing of their objectives.
Now that your objectives have been on the platform, the Eternal Trusts will do the job to constantly search for the providers that are the most suitable to fulfill your goals. The platform can’t help you this far without you paying them with tokens. If you can eventually get the most suitable providers that can give you the exact services you need, it is worth spending your money for, right? After all, we’ve got to pay for their trouble to help us realize our dream. At least, you can entrust it to them since they can promise to make it succeed.
If you are interested in doing the same, make sure to submit your goals to this platform via an automatically executed smart contract. Then, pay their service with tokens and you are all set to make your dream come true. This is how the tokens can automatically help you fulfill the goals. Eternal Trusts Token is not just a part of the ecosystem. In fact, it is the integral part of the product that the platform offers. You might never imagine that investing your money for it could bring you closer to the very realization of your dreams.
Act As the Starter for Goods/Services
Visiting https://eternaltrusts.io/ will make you learn that the Eternal Trusts Token is something that can fuel the fulfillment of our goals. However, you need to remember that it is still the platform’s crypto currency to begin with. With this specific currency, people can do all sorts of transaction in the platform’s ecosystem. Also, there is benefit for using their currency like this. With it, people other than the users and the platform would not be able to meddle in their transactions. You can focus on the business without having to worry.
The tokens you bought from the platform are pretty much meant to let you get your hands on biotech products and services. You pay the platform with the tokens and it will make those products and services accessible for you. Without the tokens, you won’t be able to start with anything. It is pretty much the same with how it is used to automatically fulfill your goals. Without paying with the tokens, you can’t expect to get the most suitable service providers to contribute for it. That is why it is right to say that token can act as kickstarter.
It is the kickstarter of biotech products and services, to be exact. Now that you can get your hands on those products and services, you can be sure that the day your dream comes true is not so far away. To begin with, the inaccessibility to both of them is the only thing that hinders its realization. Now that it is taken care of by the Eternal Trusts, it is true to say that every dream is destined to succeed. The platform won’t boast their capability for nothing. So, you will never go wrong spending money to buy tokens to get the goods and all.
Sell Products and Services Made in ET
From our discussion so far, you must have thought that the Eternal Trusts acts like the mediator between the customers and the service providers. It is because the ET makes it possible for the providers to give their goods and services in exchange of the tokens paid by the customers to the platform. From this, you might have concluded too that the platform brings the goods and services outside to pass them to you. Thus, this is the extent of what the token is meant for. Unfortunately, this ET platform here is nothing of that sort.
The platform is also the place where biotech projects are built as well. People come up with the ideas. Then, researches are made. After that, the products and services are gathered. Thus, the projects undergo the process and development. Finally, new products and services are resulted from those projects. While people can enjoy their own products and services, they have the choice to sell them on the platform as well. As you might have known, we need certain currency to bridge the sellers and the buyers in the ET ecosystem.
This is where the token is used. Yes, besides being the currency for customers to buy products and services, it is also the same currency that is used to sell the new products and services resulted from their projects. This is how the transactions go in the platform’s ecosystem. You might never imagine that your dream can earn you profit, right? This is how far the platform can benefit its customers. It is more than just one that can help you realize your dream. You can actually share the results for the benefits of others. It sure is great ecosystem.
Buy Services Needed by the Clients
For the development of our projects, we can’t neglect the fact that we do need some or several services to make further progress. However, you don’t need to get your projects delayed because of this. You can just make good use of the token facilitated by the platform and you will have smooth process until your dream is finally realized. Tokens are used in all sorts of ways in this platform’s ecosystem. That is why there are all sorts of transactions happening there too. Before, you can use token to sell products and services of projects.
Now, the token will also be used by the platform to facilitate you with the services needed for them. Yes, the token is what it will use to buy the services. When it is like that, you know you will never out of materials to get your projects done, right? Everything is possible because there is this currency to fuel any transaction within the ecosystem. How it is used might vary depending on the situation, but it is sure to benefit both the customers and the platform itself. Why, of course, to begin with, the platform actually aims for certain thing by it.
It would be to generate liquidity in the emerging markets. Now, you know that even the platform dreams this big for itself. Even so, the realization of customers’ dream will still be its primary concern. You might never know that platform token can lead to something big like this and means much for everyone. That is why we can guarantee that you can be one or more steps closer to the realization of your dream if you choose to work things with the Eternal Trusts platform. You won’t regret your choice. Only with the ET here, futuristic dreams can be destined to eventually come true.
So far, internet provides us wide varieties of use; you can use internet for anything you want in your life. You can communicate with your friends, you can open online shop and you can sell your stuff through internet. The one that gets more attention than others is e-commerce; a breakthrough in trading. E commerce is one of the most popular activities chosen by society. It is an effective way for you to promote your business through internet. You can get more advantages by promoting your business through internet.
When you promote your business through internet, you can grab more people to deal with your business. It would be great if you have the ability to promote well. As well as in the real life, when you go to promote your business, then you need some words that are interesting to attract people attention to read your ads and then buy or use your product; that is the essence of e commerce; how to grab people attention toward your business through internet. The advantages of this kind of business are that it is more effective and cheap, you do not need lots of time to do so, and instead, you can spend your leisure time to make your e commerce. It is cheap; Of course, you do not need much money to make your e commerce interesting; you just need to explore creativity.
So, this is the time for you to use internet as your way to promote your business. Without any doubt, once you have given this kind of marketing way to deal with your business, there are so many benefits you can get. You can find internet everywhere; when you are in work, when you are at home, and even when you are in business. Internet gives you lots of opportunities to gain more advantages. Do not ignore the use of internet if you have a business, it is the best way for you to promote your business. E commerce is just the one of the effect of telecommunication development through internet. So, your product will be successfully promoted by internet. | 2024-04-30T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8577 |
[Molecular biological diagnosis of fungal infection].
In the deep-seated mycosis that happens often to compromised hosts, an early diagnosis and treatment influence the life prognosis. Because there are a lot of cases with a difficult identification of the etiologic agent by the microscopy and culture, a molecular biological diagnosis that is rapid, highly sensitive and specific is expected. However, a genetic testing of pathogenic fungi has not been a healthcare service provided by health insurance in Japan yet. In this paper, the loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method that is a new genetic test method is showed in addition to the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method that is a current mainstream test. The mycosis gene diagnosis enables rapid identification of a pathogenic fungus, and so it is expected that the diagnostic method is utilized for a rapid and best therapeutic choice and an epidemiologic analysis. The achievement of an early clinical application will be hoped for in the future. | 2023-10-04T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1016 |
Few adults would place shorter break times high up their list of concerns about schools. Some of them may have shone at football but many will remember hours spent pointlessly milling around the playground or, worse, smoking in the toilets? For a minority of children, now as then, breaks are dreadful. If you don’t have many friends, or aren’t part of the group you would like to join, the experience of leaving the classroom to spend time with your peers can be demoralising. Worse is the opportunity that gaps between lessons, and relative absence of supervision, can create for fighting or bullying.
But news that breaks have continued to diminish, two decades after researchers first flagged this issue up, is awful. Socialising matters, and it matters that the people in charge of schools think it matters. The facts are that a quarter of English secondary schools now give pupils 35 minutes or less to eat their lunch, while afternoon breaks are close to extinction. Overall, primary children aged five to seven have lost 45 minutes of play time since 1995, while 11- to 16-year-olds have lost over an hour. At the same time, children report having less opportunity to socialise with friends outside school. So we can’t rationalise away these findings with the assumption that play dates have taken the place of play times.
Heightened anxiety surrounding children’s safety, some of it justified, is widely understood to have reduced opportunities for playing outside or unsupervised at weekends and evenings. The attractions of gaming and social media have contributed to a shift in leisure as a whole. Now we know that during the school day, too, some young people have lost the chance to interact with each other: to play games, run around, exchange news.
Rising obesity is perhaps the most obvious objection. Exam stress and mental illness among teenagers are others. But the argument for breaks should not only be about damage limitation. School is for education, but even the most knowledge-focused headteacher knows that social life is an aspect of this. School is where people learn to make friends and rub along with others. It’s during childhood that we develop our characters and interests; our ability to hold and express views. All of this is part of the preparation for adult life.
The researchers point to concerns around standards that incentivise schools to pack in as much formal learning as possible, and fears about behaviour that lead them to view breaks negatively. That the backdrop is a culture in which many people work too many hours with too little time off – adults are entitled to just a 20-minute break during a six-hour work shift – is all the more reason to put right what is clearly going wrong.
People of all ages need a chance to rest, and we should encourage children to grow up regarding this as their right. Most of those surveyed said lunchtimes made them “very happy indeed”. Grown-ups deserve that respite and pleasure too. | 2023-08-05T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2805 |
# spaCy API Docker
**Ready-to-use Docker images for the [spaCy NLP library](https://github.com/explosion/spaCy).**
---
**[spaCy API Docker](https://github.com/jgontrum/spacy-api-docker) is being sponsored by the following tool; please help to support us by taking a look and signing up to a free trial**
[<img src="https://images.gitads.io/spacy-api-docker" alt="GitAds"/>](https://tracking.gitads.io/?repo=spacy-api-docker)
---
### Features
- Use the awesome spaCy NLP framework with other programming languages.
- Better scaling: One NLP - multiple services.
- Build using the official [spaCy REST services](https://github.com/explosion/spacy-services).
- Dependency parsing visualisation with [displaCy](https://demos.explosion.ai/displacy/).
- Docker images for **English**, **German**, **Spanish**, **Italian**, **Dutch** and **French**.
- Automated builds to stay up to date with spaCy.
- Current spaCy version: 2.0.16
Please note that this is a completely new API and is incompatible with the previous one. If you still need them, use `jgontrum/spacyapi:en-legacy` or `jgontrum/spacyapi:de-legacy`.
_Documentation, API- and frontend code based upon [spaCy REST services](https://github.com/explosion/spacy-services) by [Explosion AI](https://explosion.ai)._
---
## Images
| Image | Description |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:base_v2 | Base image for spaCy 2.0, containing no language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:en_v2 | English language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:de_v2 | German language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:es_v2 | Spanish language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:fr_v2 | French language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:pt_v2 | Portuguese language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:it_v2 | Italian language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:nl_v2 | Dutch language model, spaCy 2.0 |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:all_v2 | Contains EN, DE, ES, PT, NL, IT and FR language models, spaCy 2.0 |
| _OLD RELEASES_ | |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:base | Base image, containing no language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:latest | English language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:en | English language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:de | German language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:es | Spanish language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:fr | French language model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:all | Contains EN, DE, ES and FR language models |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:en-legacy | Old API with English model |
| jgontrum/spacyapi:de-legacy | Old API with German model |
---
## Usage
`docker run -p "127.0.0.1:8080:80" jgontrum/spacyapi:en_v2`
All models are loaded at start up time. Depending on the model size and server
performance, this can take a few minutes.
The displaCy frontend is available at `/ui`.
### Docker Compose
```json
version: '2'
services:
spacyapi:
image: jgontrum/spacyapi:en_v2
ports:
- "127.0.0.1:8080:80"
restart: always
```
### Running Tests
In order to run unit tests locally `pytest` is included.
`docker run -it jgontrum/spacyapi:en_v2 app/env/bin/pytest app/displacy_service_tests`
### Special Cases
The API includes rudimentary support for specifying [special cases](https://spacy.io/usage/linguistic-features#special-cases)
for your deployment. Currently only basic special cases are supported; for example, in the spaCy parlance:
```python
tokenizer.add_special_case("isn't", [{ORTH: "isn't"}])
```
They can be supplied in an environment variable corresponding to the desired language model. For example, `en_special_cases`
or `en_core_web_lg_special_cases`. They are configured as a single comma-delimited string, such as `"isn't,doesn't,won't"`.
Use the following syntax to specify basic special case rules, such as for preserving contractions:
`docker run -p "127.0.0.1:8080:80" -e en_special_cases="isn't,doesn't" jgontrum/spacyapi:en_v2`
You can also configure this in a `.env` file if using `docker-compose` as above.
---
## REST API Documentation
### `GET` `/ui/`
displaCy frontend is available here.
---
### `POST` `/dep`
Example request:
```json
{
"text": "They ate the pizza with anchovies",
"model": "en",
"collapse_punctuation": 0,
"collapse_phrases": 1
}
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ---------------------- | ------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `text` | string | text to be parsed |
| `model` | string | identifier string for a model installed on the server |
| `collapse_punctuation` | boolean | Merge punctuation onto the preceding token? |
| `collapse_phrases` | boolean | Merge noun chunks and named entities into single tokens? |
Example request using the Python [Requests library](http://docs.python-requests.org/en/master/):
```python
import json
import requests
url = "http://localhost:8000/dep"
message_text = "They ate the pizza with anchovies"
headers = {'content-type': 'application/json'}
d = {'text': message_text, 'model': 'en'}
response = requests.post(url, data=json.dumps(d), headers=headers)
r = response.json()
```
Example response:
```json
{
"arcs": [
{ "dir": "left", "start": 0, "end": 1, "label": "nsubj" },
{ "dir": "right", "start": 1, "end": 2, "label": "dobj" },
{ "dir": "right", "start": 1, "end": 3, "label": "prep" },
{ "dir": "right", "start": 3, "end": 4, "label": "pobj" },
{ "dir": "left", "start": 2, "end": 3, "label": "prep" }
],
"words": [
{ "tag": "PRP", "text": "They" },
{ "tag": "VBD", "text": "ate" },
{ "tag": "NN", "text": "the pizza" },
{ "tag": "IN", "text": "with" },
{ "tag": "NNS", "text": "anchovies" }
]
}
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `arcs` | array | data to generate the arrows |
| `dir` | string | direction of arrow (`"left"` or `"right"`) |
| `start` | integer | offset of word the arrow starts **on** |
| `end` | integer | offset of word the arrow ends **on** |
| `label` | string | dependency label |
| `words` | array | data to generate the words |
| `tag` | string | part-of-speech tag |
| `text` | string | token |
---
Curl command:
```
curl -s localhost:8000/dep -d '{"text":"Pastafarians are smarter than people with Coca Cola bottles.", "model":"en"}'
```
```json
{
"arcs": [
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 1,
"label": "nsubj",
"start": 0
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 2,
"label": "acomp",
"start": 1
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 3,
"label": "prep",
"start": 2
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 4,
"label": "pobj",
"start": 3
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 5,
"label": "prep",
"start": 4
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 6,
"label": "pobj",
"start": 5
}
],
"words": [
{
"tag": "NNPS",
"text": "Pastafarians"
},
{
"tag": "VBP",
"text": "are"
},
{
"tag": "JJR",
"text": "smarter"
},
{
"tag": "IN",
"text": "than"
},
{
"tag": "NNS",
"text": "people"
},
{
"tag": "IN",
"text": "with"
},
{
"tag": "NNS",
"text": "Coca Cola bottles."
}
]
}
```
---
### `POST` `/ent`
Example request:
```json
{
"text": "When Sebastian Thrun started working on self-driving cars at Google in 2007, few people outside of the company took him seriously.",
"model": "en"
}
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `text` | string | text to be parsed |
| `model` | string | identifier string for a model installed on the server |
Example request using the Python [Requests library](http://docs.python-requests.org/en/master/):
```python
import json
import requests
url = "http://localhost:8000/ent"
message_text = "When Sebastian Thrun started working on self-driving cars at Google in 2007, few people outside of the company took him seriously."
headers = {'content-type': 'application/json'}
d = {'text': message_text, 'model': 'en'}
response = requests.post(url, data=json.dumps(d), headers=headers)
r = response.json()
```
Example response:
```json
[
{ "end": 20, "start": 5, "type": "PERSON" },
{ "end": 67, "start": 61, "type": "ORG" },
{ "end": 75, "start": 71, "type": "DATE" }
]
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ------- | ------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| `end` | integer | character offset the entity ends **after** |
| `start` | integer | character offset the entity starts **on** |
| `type` | string | entity type |
```
curl -s localhost:8000/ent -d '{"text":"Pastafarians are smarter than people with Coca Cola bottles.", "model":"en"}'
```
```json
[
{
"end": 12,
"start": 0,
"text": "Pastafarians",
"type": "NORP"
},
{
"end": 51,
"start": 42,
"text": "Coca Cola",
"type": "ORG"
}
]
```
---
### `POST` `/sents`
Example request:
```json
{
"text": "In 2012 I was a mediocre developer. But today I am at least a bit better.",
"model": "en"
}
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `text` | string | text to be parsed |
| `model` | string | identifier string for a model installed on the server |
Example request using the Python [Requests library](http://docs.python-requests.org/en/master/):
```python
import json
import requests
url = "http://localhost:8000/sents"
message_text = "In 2012 I was a mediocre developer. But today I am at least a bit better."
headers = {'content-type': 'application/json'}
d = {'text': message_text, 'model': 'en'}
response = requests.post(url, data=json.dumps(d), headers=headers)
r = response.json()
```
Example response:
```json
["In 2012 I was a mediocre developer.", "But today I am at least a bit better."]
```
---
### `POST` `/sents_dep`
Combination of `/sents` and `/dep`, returns sentences and dependency parses
Example request:
```json
{
"text": "In 2012 I was a mediocre developer. But today I am at least a bit better.",
"model": "en"
}
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `text` | string | text to be parsed |
| `model` | string | identifier string for a model installed on the server |
Example request using the Python [Requests library](http://docs.python-requests.org/en/master/):
```python
import json
import requests
url = "http://localhost:8000/sents_dep"
message_text = "In 2012 I was a mediocre developer. But today I am at least a bit better."
headers = {'content-type': 'application/json'}
d = {'text': message_text, 'model': 'en'}
response = requests.post(url, data=json.dumps(d), headers=headers)
r = response.json()
```
Example response:
```json
[
{
"sentence": "In 2012 I was a mediocre developer.",
"dep_parse": {
"arcs": [
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 3,
"label": "prep",
"start": 0,
"text": "In"
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 1,
"label": "pobj",
"start": 0,
"text": "2012"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 3,
"label": "nsubj",
"start": 2,
"text": "I"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 6,
"label": "det",
"start": 4,
"text": "a"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 6,
"label": "amod",
"start": 5,
"text": "mediocre"
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 6,
"label": "attr",
"start": 3,
"text": "developer"
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 7,
"label": "punct",
"start": 3,
"text": "."
}
],
"words": [
{
"tag": "IN",
"text": "In"
},
{
"tag": "CD",
"text": "2012"
},
{
"tag": "PRP",
"text": "I"
},
{
"tag": "VBD",
"text": "was"
},
{
"tag": "DT",
"text": "a"
},
{
"tag": "JJ",
"text": "mediocre"
},
{
"tag": "NN",
"text": "developer"
},
{
"tag": ".",
"text": "."
}
]
}
},
{
"sentence": "But today I am at least a bit better.",
"dep_parse": {
"arcs": [
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 11,
"label": "cc",
"start": 8,
"text": "But"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 11,
"label": "npadvmod",
"start": 9,
"text": "today"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 11,
"label": "nsubj",
"start": 10,
"text": "I"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 13,
"label": "advmod",
"start": 12,
"text": "at"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 15,
"label": "advmod",
"start": 13,
"text": "least"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 15,
"label": "det",
"start": 14,
"text": "a"
},
{
"dir": "left",
"end": 16,
"label": "npadvmod",
"start": 15,
"text": "bit"
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 16,
"label": "acomp",
"start": 11,
"text": "better"
},
{
"dir": "right",
"end": 17,
"label": "punct",
"start": 11,
"text": "."
}
],
"words": [
{
"tag": "CC",
"text": "But"
},
{
"tag": "NN",
"text": "today"
},
{
"tag": "PRP",
"text": "I"
},
{
"tag": "VBP",
"text": "am"
},
{
"tag": "IN",
"text": "at"
},
{
"tag": "JJS",
"text": "least"
},
{
"tag": "DT",
"text": "a"
},
{
"tag": "NN",
"text": "bit"
},
{
"tag": "RBR",
"text": "better"
},
{
"tag": ".",
"text": "."
}
]
}
}
]
```
### `GET` `/models`
List the names of models installed on the server.
Example request:
```
GET /models
```
Example response:
```json
["en", "de"]
```
---
### `GET` `/{model}/schema`
Example request:
```
GET /en/schema
```
| Name | Type | Description |
| ------- | ------ | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| `model` | string | identifier string for a model installed on the server |
Example response:
```json
{
"dep_types": ["ROOT", "nsubj"],
"ent_types": ["PERSON", "LOC", "ORG"],
"pos_types": ["NN", "VBZ", "SP"]
}
```
---
### `GET` `/version`
Show the used spaCy version.
Example request:
```
GET /version
```
Example response:
```json
{
"spacy": "2.2.4"
}
```
| 2023-12-04T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2229 |
New protein kinase CK2 inhibitors: jumping out of the catalytic box.
Protein kinases are central components of signal transduction cascades often dysregulated in cancer, and they represent some of the most promising drug targets. However, the target selectivity is a major concern because most described kinase inhibitors target the highly conserved ATP-binding pocket. Recently, new classes of inhibitors that do not compete with ATP and exhibit different mechanisms of action have been described. Overexpression of protein kinase CK2 is an unfavorable prognostic marker in several cancers. Consequently, CK2 has emerged as a relevant therapeutic target. Several classes of ATP-competitive inhibitors have been identified, showing variable effectiveness. The molecular architecture of this multisubunit enzyme could offer alternative strategies to inhibit CK2 functions, and this review illustrates these emerging possibilities. | 2023-11-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2284 |
Press Releases
Shea-Porter Campaign Statement on Granite State Poll
Manchester, NH— Tonight, the Carol Shea-Porter campaign released the following statement on the Granite State Poll:
"Carol enters the countdown to Election Day with a solid lead and the wind at her back. New Hampshire voters know Carol is a dedicated, trustworthy public servant who follows her conscience and puts middle class families first. Carol's integrity and honesty stand in sharp contrast to her opponents: one has spent his political career lying to New Hampshire voters about his breaking the law by accepting illegal campaign contributions, and the other keeps switching political parties because he stands for nothing but his own ambition. Both have failed to fool New Hampshire voters, who are set to send a clear message at the ballot box Tuesday: Carol Shea-Porter is the only candidate who has both integrity and experience and will be their trusted, independent representative in Congress," said Naomi Andrews, spokeswoman for Carol Shea-Porter. | 2024-07-15T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9073 |
"What is It?Leveraging a patent-pending combination of built-in laser and LED light devices, iGrow revolutionizes hair rejuvenation. Now you may attain optimal hairhealth almost effortlessly, right at home! See more details below. What is it used for?... more
A Super Moisture Mask That Works From The Inside Out To Restore, Replenish And Repair Structure From The Inner To Outer Layer. Smooth Erratic Texture Bring Out Hair?S Inner Health Promote Incredible Shine, From The Inside Out Strengthen Hair With... more
Hairever II Hair and Scalp VitaminTonic contains vitamins, minerals,amino acids and other extracts neededto maintain healthy scalp and beautifulhair. It helps protect against drynesswhile you moisturize and rejuvenate yourscalp. After shampooing or swimmi more
Thinning hair often starts at the scalpwhen hair follicles become clogged bydried oils (Sebum), fatty acids and haircare product buildup. Hairever ICleansing Scalp Treatment is a specialblend of essential vitamins and emulsifyingoils designed to unclog fo more
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Rahua Omega 9 Hair Mask offers powerful hair repair at home, rejuvenating damaged, dull hair and preserving color vibrancy. The hair mask penetrates the hair to help it spring back to life and shine in good health. more
Stores are responsible for providing Bizrate with correct and current prices. Sales taxes and shipping costs are estimates; please check store for exact amounts. Product specifications are obtained from merchants or third parties. Although we make every effort to present accurate information, Bizrate is not responsible for inaccuracies. We encourage you to notify us of any discrepancies by clicking here.
Store ratings and product reviews are submitted by online shoppers; they do not reflect our opinions and we have no responsibility for their content. | 2023-09-16T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8644 |
Research News
Even 'Goldilocks' exoplanets need a well-behaved star
Team models stellar activity on Milky Way neighbors to judge impact on planets
Scientists are studying Milky Way neighbors to see if their planets have magnetic fields
November 8, 2019
An exoplanet may seem like the perfect spot to set up housekeeping, but before you go there, take a closer look at its star.
Rice University astrophysicists are doing just that, building a computer model to help judge how a star’s own atmosphere impacts its planets, for better or worse.
By narrowing the conditions for habitability, they hope to refine the search for potentially habitable planets. Astronomers now suspect that most of the billions of stars in the sky have at least one planet. To date, Earth-bound observers have spotted nearly 4,000 of them.
Alison Farrish and David Alexander at Rice led the group’s first study to characterize the "space weather" environment of stars other than our own to see how it would affect the magnetic activity around an exoplanet. It’s the first step in an NSF-funded project to explore the magnetic fields around the planets themselves.
"It’s impossible with current technology to determine whether an exoplanet has a protective magnetic field or not, so this paper focuses on what is known as the asterospheric magnetic field," Farrish said. "This is the interplanetary extension of the stellar magnetic field with which the exoplanet would interact."
In the study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, the researchers expand a magnetic field model that combines what is known about solar magnetic flux transport -- the movement of magnetic fields around, through and emanating from the surface of the sun -- to a wide range of stars with different levels of magnetic activity. The model is then used to create a simulation of the interplanetary magnetic field surrounding these simulated stars.
The research is funded through an NSF award aimed at producing advanced computer models by applying techniques developed by the space physics community to astrophysical research into exoplanets.
-- | 2023-10-22T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/7352 |
Q:
Is there an isomorphism between these two finitely generated modules?
Let $A$ be a ring and $M$ a finitely generated module over $A.$ Then $M = Aw_1 + \ldots + Aw_s.$ When exactly is there an isomorphism between $M/Aw_s$ and $Aw_1 + \ldots + Aw_{s - 1}.$ Intuitively, to me, these two should be isomorphic. I guess the most natural way to define a map would be to send $a_1w_1 + \ldots + a_{s - 1}w_{s - 1} + Aw_s \mapsto a_1w_1 + \ldots + a_{s - 1}w_{s - 1}.$ However, I d0n't think this is even well defined. When exactly can we form an isomorphism between these two modules? My guess is when $w_1, \ldots, w_{s - 1}$ is linearly independent...
A:
In any case, there exists a canonical morphism $A w_1 + \cdots + A w_{s-1} \hookrightarrow M \to M / A w_s$ in the other direction. Moreover, it is easy to see that this map is surjective in general. However, the kernel of this map is exactly $(A w_1 + \cdots + A w_{s-1}) \cap A w_s$ which is not zero in general; but if it is zero, then yes, the two modules are isomorphic.
| 2024-02-29T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/9982 |
Report: NY’s 4th-, 8th-graders scores up slightly
A national report card shows New York students are doing slightly better on math and reading tests than they were two years ago and about average when compared with the rest of the country.
Even with the gains, well under half of the state’s fourth- and eighth-graders are considered proficient in the subjects, and achievement gaps remain between white students and minority students.
The nation’s report card, released Thursday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, shows that 40 percent of New York fourth-grade students and 32 percent of eighth-grade students scored high enough to be considered proficient in math. In reading, 37 percent of fourth-grade students and 35 percent of eighth-grade students met that benchmark.
The percentage of white students who demonstrated solid academic performance was more than double that of black and Hispanic students across the board. Girls had better results than boys in reading, while boys did better than girls in math.
The findings are based on assessments given earlier this year and unrelated to the standardized math and English tests administered by the state each spring.
The last report card, in 2011, had 36 percent of New York fourth-graders and 30 percent of eighth-graders proficient in math, and 35 percent of both fourth- and eighth-graders proficient in reading.
New York’s performance generally mirrors the national trend. The NAEP said overall scores showed some improvement among fourth- and eighth-grade students in math and among eighth-grade students in reading.
“I’m encouraged by the progress I’ve seen in classrooms around the state and the hard work educators are doing to help their students succeed,” state Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said. “But the NAEP results for New York students confirm what we already know: Our students are not where they should be. There’s some growth, but scores are relatively flat and there is still an unacceptable achievement gap for minority students.”
New York, along with most other states, have adopted more difficult Common Core learning standards meant to improve their readiness for college or a job after graduation. | 2023-11-27T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2811 |
about
There’s a story about two young fish swimming. They see an older fish who stops and asks: “Hey boys! How’s the water?”
The young fish look at each other and then finally one says: "What the hell is water?"
I began my yoga journey rather spontaneously after stumbling on one of my dearest friends' article on MindBodyGreen. Jamie's words struck a chord in me - BIG TIME. She wrote, "When we're always told what our reality is, it can be hard to see the beauty around us. Worse, it can be hard to see the beauty within us."
I was studying psychology around the time I came across Jamie's writing. This was a time when unhealthy perfectionistic ideals polluted my head and clouded my perspective. Just like the young fish in the story, I was swimming, unaware of the water, unaware of how deep I had gone. It wasn't until my first chillin' flow class with Jamie that I experienced myself - my body, my emotions, my thoughts, my ego - for real.
Yoga helped me to come back to my body. Though the yearning for perfection still exists, I no longer feel forced to follow that desire. Because it's an illusion. It's a false promise that trips me. Instead, I take a break and ask myself "How am I doing this [life] beautifully?" (Thank you Jamie!)
Whenever I'm faced with an emotionally triggering situation, I try to show up and ask myself these questions: How can I stay human in this difficult moment? How can I stay connected to my true self despite the wounds, the defects, and scars?
The answer is always the same....Stay grounded, take a break, take a breath. Life is a practice of flowing in and out of balance, of gently guiding the self back into the body and eventually into the seat of compassion, the heart. | 2023-11-14T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2530 |
A novel, divergent simian T-cell lymphotropic virus type 3 in a wild-caught red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus torquatus) from Nigeria.
We present here a novel, distinct simian T-cell lymphotropic virus (STLV) found in a red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus) (CTO-NG409), wild-caught in Nigeria, that showed an HTLV-2-like Western blot (WB) seroreactivity. The complete genome (8920 bp) of CTO-NG409 STLV was related to but different from STLV-3/PHA-PH969 (13.5 %) and STLV-3/PPA-F3 (7.6 %), and STLV-3/CTO604 (11.3 %), found in Eritrean and Senegalese baboons, and red-capped mangabeys from Cameroon, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of a conserved tax (180 bp) sequence and the env gene (1482 bp) confirmed the relatedness of STLV-3/CTO-NG409 to the STLV-3 subgroup. Molecular clock analysis of env estimated that STLV-3/CTO-NG409 diverged from East and West/Central African STLV-3s about 140,900+/-12,400 years ago, suggesting an ancient African origin of STLV-3. Since phylogenetic evidence suggests multiple interspecies transmissions of STLV-1 to humans, and given the antiquity and wide distribution of STLV-3 in Africa, a search for STLV-3 in human African populations with HTLV-2-like WB patterns is warranted. | 2024-05-27T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8713 |
Why They Done Talk So Funny In 'True Grit'?
One thing you’ll notice when you see True Grit is that the dialogue is a little different. Obviously they don’t talk like OMG, WTF in the Old West, but it’s different than even the Clint Eastwood and John Wayne westerns.
One thing you’ll notice when you see True Grit is that the dialogue is a little different. Obviously they don’t talk like OMG, WTF in the Old West, but it’s different than even the Clint Eastwood and John Wayne westerns. Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) speak with English grammar so formal it sounds like a period piece.
“The dialogue, the formality of it and the floweriness of it also is just from the book,” Ethan Coen said at a press conference for the film. “That might be a question for the actors. Jeff noticed. That was the first thing Jeff mentioned, noticed and liked, the kind of foreign sounding nature of the dialogue and lack of contractions. It wasn’t a problem for us. We just lifted it from the book. I don't know how the actors feel about it.”
Charles Portis wrote True Grit and The Coen Brothers followed his novel more than the John Wayne movie also based on it. Supporting cast like Barry Pepper (as Lucky Ned Pepper), weighed in on the unique language.
“It was more like doing American Shakespeare,” Pepper said. “There’s almost like an iambic pentameter. There’s a musicality and a rhythm to the dialogue. It’s about trying to hit certain notes, maybe an irreverent falloff at the end of a line. It’s such a gift to be able to give some sort of lateral idea to an actor like, ‘Oh, I didn’t hear the musicality of the line like that.’ Just the scene blossoms, completely changes and becomes darkly humorous or odd or quirky or wonderful, bizarre.
Bridges messed around with the script a little. See if you can spot when he dropped an apostrophe into his words. “Every once in a while we’d allow a contraction to slip if it felt right musically,” Bridges said. “It was a fun challenge to take on.”
For a 14-year-old weaned on slang and abbreviations, Steinfeld probably improved her vocabulary the most on this movie. “When I first got the script, that was the first thing I really had to work on was making sure that I understood what everything meant,” she said. “Then I had to go back through and make sure I understood what everything meant to me emotionally and how I could relate to it in my own life.”
Joel Coen revealed that’s actually what won Steinfeld the part. “99.9% of the hundreds or thousands of girls that read for this part sort of washed out at the level of not being able to do the language,” he said. “That was something which was never an issue with Hailee. Right from the beginning it was clear that she was completely comfortable with the language. The language isn’t, as everyone’s pointed out, our language. That was the threshold level at which you could sort of hope to do the part but Hailee had it right from the get go in a very, very natural way.”
The language in the book is based on Portis’s research of the period, so it’s probably more accurate than the westerns we usually see at the movies. Pepper had another theory. “It’s so authentic in my mind because most people were probably pretty illiterate back then,” Pepper said. “They were maybe schooled on the King James bible and that really infused the way they spoke. I think a lot of westerns missed that.”
Ethan Coen agreed. “I’m sure Barry’s right,” he said. “You feel even more strongly reading the novel, the frame of reference for her character who narrates the novel is told in first person by her character is King James bible. It does seem clear that’s where the style derives from.” | 2024-04-28T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8996 |
Q:
Should use ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush for eveything?
As the title says: I'm working on a very big project and in few components I've used ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush to avoid bad performances. I was wondering, is it "good" to put in every component that strategy and, in case, use ChangeDetectionRef.detectChanges() to programmatically update the component when needed?
--
That's a small component I have in the app:
<my-map
(updatedGeometry)="setUpdatedGeometry($event)"
[startGraphEdit]="elementToEdit" [startCut]="elementToCut"
[startCopy]="elementToCopy"
[updateGraph]="elementToUpdate"
[showElement]="elementToShow"
(selectedProfile)="setProfile($event)"
[reducedChange]="reducedChange"
(reduceComposer)="setReducedComposer($event)"
[labelsVisible]="labelsVisible"
(visibleComposer)="setVisibleComposer($event)"
[activateLayers]="activeLayers"
(curLayers)="setCurrentLayers($event)"
[loadExtent]="extentToLoad"
(extent)="setExtent($event)"
[updateZoom]="newZoom"
(curZoom)="setCurrentZoom($event)"
(curLon)="setCurrentLon($event)"
(curLat)="setCurrentLat($event)"
(poiNotesOffset)="setPoiNotesOffset($event)"
[cancelPoiNoteCreation]="visibleDetailPanel"
(poiNoteUpdatedPosition)="setPoiNoteUpdatedPosition($event)"
[updatePoiNotePosition]="poiNotesElementForUpdate"
[removePoiNoteElement]="poiNotesElementForDeletion"
[updatePoiNotes]="updatePoiNotes"
[projectCode]="prjCode"
(poiNote)="poiNote($event)"
[setPrecisionPointerValues]="precisionPointerValues"
(precisionPointerValues)="updatePrecisionPointer($event)"
(exploreToolArea)="setExploreToolArea($event)"
(extentArea)="setExtentArea($event)"
[exploreToolRadius]="exploreToolRadius"
(newExploreToolRadius)="setExploreToolRadius($event)"
[currEnvironment]="currEnvironment"
(elementSelected)="onElementClick($event)"
[setaClasses]="classes"
[height]="mapHeight"
[width]="mapWidth"
[offsetX]="mapOffsetX"
[offsetY]="mapOffsetY"
[geometriesToHighlight]="geometriesToHighlight"
[highlightLineElements]="lineElements"
(poiList)="setPoiList($event)">
</my-map>
the component has a lot of Input and Output, and also communicate with other components using Subjects and BehaviorSubjects.
A:
ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush tells Angular that the component only depends on its @Inputs() and needs to be checked only in the following cases:
The Input reference changes.
An event originated from the component or one of its children.
We run change detection explicitly.
So it depends from your component's content and what you are trying to achieve with it. For example if you are using async pipe for your subscriptions, your component doesn't need ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush, because async will do the job automatically. If your component big and uses a lot of data changes, it should contain OnPush strategy, because it will increase your performance, so your whole component code will not run on every changes. If your component small and has only a few properties and methods, or it doesn't contain any subscription or @Input's, or doesn't do any data changes that will happen often, you don't need ChangeDetectionStrategy.OnPush
| 2024-05-05T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4604 |
Q:
Regular expression to find last word in sentence
How can I find last word in a sentence with a regular expression?
A:
If you need to find the last word in a string, then do this:
m/
(\w+) (?# Match a word, store its value into pattern memory)
[.!?]? (?# Some strings might hold a sentence. If so, this)
(?# component will match zero or one punctuation)
(?# characters)
\s* (?# Match trailing whitespace using the * because there)
(?# might not be any)
$ (?# Anchor the match to the end of the string)
/x;
After this statement, $1 will hold the last word in the string. You may need to expand the character class, [.!?], by adding more punctuation.
in PHP:
<?php
$str = 'MiloCold is Neat';
$str_Pattern = '/[^ ]*$/';
preg_match($str_Pattern, $str, $results);
// Prints "Neat", but you can just assign it to a variable.
print $results[0];
?>
A:
In general you can't correctly parse English text with regular expressions.
The best you can do is to look for some punctuation that usually terminates a sentence but unfortunately this is not a guarantee. For example the text Mr. Bloggs is here. Do you want to talk to him? contains two periods which have different meanings. There is no way for a regular expression to distinguish between the two uses of the period.
I'd suggest instead that you look at a natural language parsing library. For example the Stanford Parser has no trouble at all correctly parsing the above text into the two sentences:
Mr./NNP Bloggs/NNP is/VBZ here/RB ./.
Do/VBP you/PRP want/VB to/TO talk/VB to/TO him/PRP ?/.
There are lots of other freely available NLP libraries that you could use too, I'm not endorsing that one product in particular - it's just an example to demonstrate that it is possible to parse text into sentences with a fairly high reliability. Note though that even a natural language parsing library will still occasionally make a mistake - parsing human languages correctly is hard.
| 2024-02-23T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/1073 |
Q:
Moving from multiprocessing to threading
In my project, I use the multiprocessing class in order to run tasks parallely. I want to use threading instead, as it has better performance (my tasks are TCP/IP bound, not CPU or I/O bound).
multiprocessing has wonderful functions, as Pool.imap_unordered and Pool.map_async, that does not exist in the threading class.
What is the right way to convert my code to use threading instead? The documentation introduces the multiprocessing.dummy class, that is a wrapper for the threading class. However that raises lots of errors (at least on python 2.7.3):
pool = multiprocessing.Pool(processes)
File "C:\python27\lib\multiprocessing\dummy\__init__.py", line 150, in Pool
return ThreadPool(processes, initializer, initargs)
File "C:\python27\lib\multiprocessing\pool.py", line 685, in __init__
Pool.__init__(self, processes, initializer, initargs)
File "C:\python27\lib\multiprocessing\pool.py", line 136, in __init__
self._repopulate_pool()
File "C:\python27\lib\multiprocessing\pool.py", line 199, in _repopulate_pool
w.start()
File "C:\python27\lib\multiprocessing\dummy\__init__.py", line 73, in start
self._parent._children[self] = None
AttributeError: '_DummyThread' object has no attribute '_children'
Edit: What actually happens is that I have a GUI that runs a different thread (to prevent the GUI from gettint stuck). That thread runs the specific search function that has the ThreadPool that fails.
Edit 2: The bugfix was fixed and will be included in future releases.
Great to see a crasher fixed!
import urllib2, htmllib, formatter
import multiprocessing.dummy as multiprocessing
import xml.dom.minidom
import os
import string, random
from urlparse import parse_qs, urlparse
from useful_util import retry
import config
from logger import log
class LinksExtractor(htmllib.HTMLParser):
def __init__(self, formatter):
htmllib.HTMLParser.__init__(self, formatter)
self.links = []
self.ignoredSites = config.WebParser_ignoredSites
def start_a(self, attrs):
for attr in attrs:
if attr[0] == "href" and attr[1].endswith(".mp3"):
if not filter(lambda x: (x in attr[1]), self.ignoredSites):
self.links.append(attr[1])
def get_links(self):
return self.links
def GetLinks(url, returnMetaUrlObj=False):
'''
Function gather links from a url.
@param url: Url Address.
@param returnMetaUrlObj: If true, returns a MetaUrl Object list.
Else, returns a string list. Default is False.
@return links: Look up.
'''
htmlparser = LinksExtractor(formatter.NullFormatter())
try:
data = urllib2.urlopen(url)
except (urllib2.HTTPError, urllib2.URLError) as e:
log.error(e)
return []
htmlparser.feed(data.read())
htmlparser.close()
links = list(set(htmlparser.get_links()))
if returnMetaUrlObj:
links = map(MetaUrl, links)
return links
def isAscii(s):
"Function checks is the string is ascii."
try:
s.decode('ascii')
except (UnicodeEncodeError, UnicodeDecodeError):
return False
return True
@retry(Exception, logger=log)
def parse(song, source):
'''
Function parses the source search page and returns the .mp3 links in it.
@param song: Search string.
@param source: Search website source. Value can be dilandau, mp3skull, youtube, seekasong.
@return links: .mp3 url links.
'''
source = source.lower()
if source == "dilandau":
return parse_dilandau(song)
elif source == "mp3skull":
return parse_Mp3skull(song)
elif source == "SeekASong":
return parse_SeekASong(song)
elif source == "youtube":
return parse_Youtube(song)
log.error('no source "%s". (from parse function in WebParser)')
return []
def parse_dilandau(song, pages=1):
"Function connects to Dilandau.eu and returns the .mp3 links in it"
if not isAscii(song): # Dilandau doesn't like unicode.
log.warning("Song is not ASCII. Skipping on dilandau")
return []
links = []
song = urllib2.quote(song.encode("utf8"))
for i in range(pages):
url = 'http://en.dilandau.eu/download_music/%s-%d.html' % (song.replace('-','').replace(' ','-').replace('--','-').lower(),i+1)
log.debug("[Dilandau] Parsing %s... " % url)
links.extend(GetLinks(url, returnMetaUrlObj=True))
log.debug("[Dilandau] found %d links" % len(links))
for metaUrl in links:
metaUrl.source = "Dilandau"
return links
def parse_Mp3skull(song, pages=1):
"Function connects to mp3skull.com and returns the .mp3 links in it"
links = []
song = urllib2.quote(song.encode("utf8"))
for i in range(pages):
# http://mp3skull.com/mp3/how_i_met_your_mother.html
url = 'http://mp3skull.com/mp3/%s.html' % (song.replace('-','').replace(' ','_').replace('__','_').lower())
log.debug("[Mp3skull] Parsing %s... " % url)
links.extend(GetLinks(url, returnMetaUrlObj=True))
log.debug("[Mp3skull] found %d links" % len(links))
for metaUrl in links:
metaUrl.source = "Mp3skull"
return links
def parse_SeekASong(song):
"Function connects to seekasong.com and returns the .mp3 links in it"
song = urllib2.quote(song.encode("utf8"))
url = 'http://www.seekasong.com/mp3/%s.html' % (song.replace('-','').replace(' ','_').replace('__','_').lower())
log.debug("[SeekASong] Parsing %s... " % url)
links = GetLinks(url, returnMetaUrlObj=True)
for metaUrl in links:
metaUrl.source = "SeekASong"
log.debug("[SeekASong] found %d links" % len(links))
return links
def parse_Youtube(song, amount=10):
'''
Function searches a song in youtube.com and returns the clips in it using Youtube API.
@param song: The search string.
@param amount: Amount of clips to obtain.
@return links: List of links.
'''
"Function connects to youtube.com and returns the .mp3 links in it"
song = urllib2.quote(song.encode("utf8"))
url = r"http://gdata.youtube.com/feeds/api/videos?q=%s&max-results=%d&v=2" % (song.replace(' ', '+'), amount)
urlObj = urllib2.urlopen(url, timeout=4)
data = urlObj.read()
videos = xml.dom.minidom.parseString(data).getElementsByTagName('feed')[0].getElementsByTagName('entry')
links = []
for video in videos:
youtube_watchurl = video.getElementsByTagName('link')[0].attributes.item(0).value
links.append(get_youtube_hightest_quality_link(youtube_watchurl))
return links
def get_youtube_hightest_quality_link(youtube_watchurl, priority=config.youtube_quality_priority):
'''
Function returns the highest quality link for a specific youtube clip.
@param youtube_watchurl: The Youtube Watch Url.
@param priority: A list represents the qualities priority.
@return MetaUrlObj: MetaUrl Object.
'''
video_id = parse_qs(urlparse(youtube_watchurl).query)['v'][0]
youtube_embedded_watchurl = "http://www.youtube.com/embed/%s?autoplay=1" % video_id
d = get_youtube_dl_links(video_id)
for x in priority:
if x in d.keys():
return MetaUrl(d[x][0], 'youtube', d['VideoName'], x, youtube_embedded_watchurl)
log.error("No Youtube link has been found in get_youtube_hightest_quality_link.")
return ""
@retry(Exception, logger=log)
def get_youtube_dl_links(video_id):
'''
Function gets the download links for a youtube clip.
This function parses the get_video_info format of youtube.
@param video_id: Youtube Video ID.
@return d: A dictonary of qualities as keys and urls as values.
'''
d = {}
url = r"http://www.youtube.com/get_video_info?video_id=%s&el=vevo" % video_id
urlObj = urllib2.urlopen(url, timeout=12)
data = urlObj.read()
data = urllib2.unquote(urllib2.unquote(urllib2.unquote(data)))
data = data.replace(',url', '\nurl')
data = data.split('\n')
for line in data:
if 'timedtext' in line or 'status=fail' in line or '<AdBreaks>' in line:
continue
try:
url = line.split('&quality=')[0].split('url=')[1]
quality = line.split('&quality=')[1].split('&')[0]
except:
continue
if quality in d:
d[quality].append(url)
else:
d[quality] = [url]
try:
videoName = "|".join(data).split('&title=')[1].split('&')[0]
except Exception, e:
log.error("Could not parse VideoName out of get_video_info (%s)" % str(e))
videoName = ""
videoName = unicode(videoName, 'utf-8')
d['VideoName'] = videoName.replace('+',' ').replace('--','-')
return d
class NextList(object):
"A list with a 'next' method."
def __init__(self, l):
self.l = l
self.next_index = 0
def next(self):
if self.next_index < len(self.l):
value = self.l[self.next_index]
self.next_index += 1
return value
else:
return None
def isEOF(self):
" Checks if the list has reached the end "
return (self.next_index >= len(self.l))
class MetaUrl(object):
"a url strecture data with many metadata"
def __init__(self, url, source="", videoName="", quality="", youtube_watchurl=""):
self.url = str(url)
self.source = source
self.videoName = videoName # Youtube Links Only
self.quality = quality # Youtube Links Onlys
self.youtube_watchurl = youtube_watchurl # Youtube Links Onlys
def __repr__(self):
return "<MetaUrl '%s' | %s>" % (self.url, self.source)
def search(song, n, processes=config.search_processes):
'''
Function searches song and returns n valid .mp3 links.
@param song: Search string.
@param n: Number of songs.
@param processes: Number of processes to launch in the subprocessing pool.
'''
linksFromSources = []
pool = multiprocessing.Pool(processes)
args = [(song, source) for source in config.search_sources]
imapObj = pool.imap_unordered(_parse_star, args)
for i in range(len(args)):
linksFromSources.append(NextList(imapObj.next(15)))
pool.terminate()
links = []
next_source = 0
while len(links) < n and not all(map(lambda x: x.isEOF(), linksFromSources)):
nextItem = linksFromSources[next_source].next()
if nextItem:
log.debug("added song %.80s from source ID %d (%s)" % (nextItem.url.split('/')[-1], next_source, nextItem.source))
links.append(nextItem)
if len(linksFromSources) == next_source+1:
next_source = 0
else:
next_source += 1
return links
def _parse_star(args):
return parse(*args)
A:
I can't reproduce your problem on my machine. What's in your processes variable? Is it an int?
Python 2.7.3 (default, Apr 10 2012, 23:31:26) [MSC v.1500 32 bit (Intel)] on win32
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import multiprocessing.dummy as multiprocessing
>>> pool = multiprocessing.Pool(5)
>>> pool
<multiprocessing.pool.ThreadPool object at 0x00C7DF90>
>>>
----Edit----
You probably also want to double check if you had messed up your standard library, try an clean install of python 2.7.3 in a different folder.
----Edit 2----
You can quickly patch it like this:
import multiprocessing.dummy
import weakref
import threading
class Worker(threading.Thread):
def __init__(self):
threading.Thread.__init__(self)
def run(self):
poll = multiprocessing.dummy.Pool(5)
print str(poll)
w = Worker()
w._children = weakref.WeakKeyDictionary()
w.start()
| 2023-12-17T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8570 |
---
id: videos
title: Videos
---
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AGkSHE15BSs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
| 2023-09-03T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4559 |
Molen De Dikkert
__NOTOC__
Molen De Dikkert is a defunct restaurant located in a windmill in Amstelveen, in the Netherlands. It was a fine dining restaurant that was awarded one Michelin star in 1983 and retained that rating until 1992.
Restaurant De Dikkert went bankrupt in 1992. During the bankruptcy settlement, the restaurant, owned by Bob Goudsmit, was sold to Yen Ho Kai, who kept the restaurant running.
Arjan van Dijk was head chef in the time of the Michelin stars.
At present, the windmill houses restaurant De Jonge Dikkert, that is awarded a Bib Gourmand, since 1994.
Restaurant Molen De Dikkert was housed in a former windmill. The windmill was originally built in 1672 in Zaandam, as a sawmill. In 1896, the mill was moved to Amstelveen and served there as a flour mill. In 1929, the windmill stopped its working life and slowly fell into disrepair. The mill got renovated in 1965 and was ready for action again in 1966.
See also
List of Michelin starred restaurants in the Netherlands
References
Category:Restaurants in Amstelveen
Category:Michelin Guide starred restaurants in the Netherlands
Category:Defunct restaurants in the Netherlands | 2023-09-26T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4537 |
Dental attachment structure for the removable attachment and support for one of partial denture, an overdenture and bridge in the oral cavity is known to the prior art. Structures as represented generally by Letters U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,324,476 to S. G. Supplee, 1,664,726 to H. A. Adler and 3,787,975 to M. Zuest and others have been used for many years. With regard to the Supplee patent, there is the disclosure of a dental attachment structure including a post member and a sleeve member designed to be telescopically engaged with the post member. Supplee, also, describes a lining, received in position in the sleeve member by a cooperating dent and depression, which functions in the engagement of members in mounting a partial denture in the oral cavity. Engagement is solely through frictional contact between the lining and the post member.
The structure for attachment and support of a partial denture (as disclosed by Adler) essentially duplicates that structure described by Supplee. To this end, the Adler structure includes an independent metal leaf spring providing frictional retention of cooperating members which shall have been telescoped together. As is the case with the Supplee structure, retention of the partial denture described by Adler suffers from the problem of wear of the main components.
The Zuest patent discloses dental attachment structure for removable attachment and support of a partial or full denture in the oral cavity. The attachment structure includes an anchor formed with a socket at the base of a sleeve and a unit for support of the full or partial denture. The anchor is positioned within the root of a tooth which has been endodontically treated. The unit has structure which is attached to the framework of the full or partial denture and a spherically shaped head which is adapted for removable receipt in the socket. The anchor and/or unit are described of being formed of rubber, plastic or metal.
The Supplee, Adler and Zuest dental attachment structures are considered to suffer from various problems and disadvantages, the most important of which may be that of the requirement of repair or replacement of attachment structure in the event that contact surfaces are diagnosed as having become worn. Wear of contact surfaces results from the manner of attachment and support of the appliance within the oral cavity. To this end, the Supplee lining is described as being formed of metal, and most likely a hard metal, to provide the characteristic of elasticity or spring required for retention. Repeated insertion and removal of the appliance results in wear of the post member which ultimately will require repair or reconstruction. The Supplee device is considered to suffer from a further problem, namely a problem that develops from a required shortening of the post member to facilitate mounting to the abutment tooth which may also be short. A shortening of the post member and consequently the sleeve member reduces the area of contact between the lining and the post member, and frictional retention will be limited.
The problem of wear of contact surfaces is considered compounded in the dental attachment structure of Zuest. To this end, Zuest, unlike Supplee and Adler, employs no lining or similar structure so that wear of surface may be diagnosed on either or both of the anchor and unit. Thus, the diagnosis may be such to require replacement of the entire component.
The prior art also includes a form of extracoronal attachment sold by APM-Sterngold of San Mateo, California under the name "Hader Vertical Extension". The Hader extracoronal attachment includes a male member and a female member, and, in use, the male member of a plastic material is cast in metal on the outside of the crown contour of an abutment tooth. The female member is incorporated in an acrylic resin within a hollowed-out plastic tooth of a partial denture. Just as wear of contact surfaces became a problem with the previously referred to prior art dental attachment structures, that problem as well as a problem relating to the strength characteristic of the plastic male member is a problem in Hader structure. A further problem or disadvantage resides in the external placement of the male member of the Hader structure | 2024-05-02T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8734 |
Q:
Extended CreateView does not give the desired output in the template
I have two tables in my model.py:
class Partner(models.Model):
id = models.AutoField(primary_key=True)
name = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True)
class Meta:
db_table = 'partner'
class Device(models.Model):
id = models.AutoField(primary_key=True)
partner = models.ForeignKey('Partner', null=True, blank=True)
username = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True)
password = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True)
class Meta:
db_table = 'device'
I create a View for generic form generation:
class CreateDeviceView(CreateView):
model = Device
template_name = 'device_form.html'
#form_class = DeviceForm
def get_success_url(self):
return reverse('partners')
Which I am calling from the urls.py :
url(r'^device/new', CreateDeviceView.as_view(), name='device-new'),
The template device_form.html is:
<form action="{{ action }}" method="POST">
{% csrf_token %}
<ul>
{{ form.as_p }}
</ul>
<input type="submit" class="btn btn-info" value="Save"/>
</form>
The generated create form has got values in the selection menu (for the foreign keys): Partner Object,Partner Object...
How can I get the values in select menu to be Partner.name?
I tried to build my own form but I did't get the desired output.
A:
In your Partner model, add a __unicode__ method:
class Partner(models.Model):
id = models.AutoField(primary_key=True)
name = models.CharField(max_length=255, blank=True)
def __unicode__(self):
return unicode(self.name)
class Meta:
db_table = 'partner'
| 2024-05-18T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/8573 |
Yohann Blake lit up the Morton Stadium in Santry last night, setting a new stadium record of 10.12, though the cool Dublin evening prevented a first sub-10 second run in Ireland.
Jamaican Blake, the second-fastest man in the world, is on the comeback trail having injured his hamstring after taking Olympic 100m and 200m silver behind Usain Bolt in 2012 delighted the Morton stadium crowd.
"I've always wanted to come to Ireland. I'm a big fan of the Irish Cricket team, especially the O'Brien's," said Blake whose school principal convinced him to pick athletics over cricket.
"I'm very happy with my time," grinned Blake. "It was pretty cold, which made it difficult, but I was happy to get through such a good field. I'm getting faster all the time, my aim is to get faster throughout 2015."
Blake immediately raced into the Morton Stadium crowd to sign autograph's having already missed out on the Jamaican team for this year's World Championships, Blake aims to be on the podium at next year's Olympic games in Rio.
Thomas Barr was a late withdrawal from the men's 400 metres hurdles, complaining of a sore hip. The World university games champion will travel to London for today's anniversary games, part of the Diamond league.
"The hip injury I had last year flared up again," admitted Barr. "I'm going to travel to London and do a full warm-up, if it's not right, I'm going to sit it out in London as well."
Barr watched from the stands as a battling New Zealander Michael Cochrane held off America Quincy Downing to take the 400 metres hurdles title in 50.07 seconds, stretching for the tape in the last few metres.
Barr's club mate Kelly Proper just missed out on the qualifying standard for this year's World Championships, winning the 200 metres in 23.54, 0.34 seconds outside the standard, which has escaped Proper all summer.
England's Jarryd Dunn held off Dubliner Brian Gregan in one of the night's closest races, winning the 400 metres in 45.89 seconds with Gregan clocking 45.99 seconds outside his target time of 45.50 which is needed for next month's World Championships.
Battled
New Zealaner Angela Petty dipped under the two-minute mark in the women's 800 metres, the World University Games champion clocking 1.59.09, while Donegal man Karl Griffin battled to an impressive 800 metres victory clocking 1.47.47.
Ciara Mageen surged home over the final 100 metres to take the women's international mile race in 4.30.65 ahead of American Shelby Houlihan, having battled Houlihan throughout the four laps.
Australian Jeff Casey brought the curtain down with a sub-four minute mile on an electric evening, passing American Pat Casey with 100 metres remaining to stop the clock at 3.57.09. | 2023-09-03T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/4474 |
Q:
java- how to generate a 6 digit random hexadecimal value
I have a scenario in a Android app, where a random hexadecimal value has to be generated with 6 digits. (The range of values can be hexadecimal or integer values).
What is the most efficient way to do this?
Do I have to generate a random decimal number, and then convert it to hexadecimal? Or
can a value be directly generated?
A:
String zeros = "000000";
Random rnd = new Random();
String s = Integer.toString(rnd.nextInt(0X1000000), 16);
s = zeros.substring(s.length()) + s;
System.out.println("s = " + s);
A:
You can use hex literals in your program the same way as decimal literals. A hex literal is prefixed with 0x. Your max value is FFFFFF, so in your program you can write
int maxValue = 0xFFFFFF;
Then you need to generate random numbers in that range. Use the Random class as you normally would.
Random r = new Random();
int myValue = r.nextInt(maxValue + 1);
Note the use of maxValue + 1, because the upper bound for nextInt() is exclusive.
The final step is to print out your hex value.
System.out.printf("%06X", myValue);
| 2024-01-07T01:26:51.906118 | https://example.com/article/2872 |
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