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<link rel="stylesheet" href="component.css">
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| 2024-04-29T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6410 |
// /** @file
// CPU Exception Handler library instance for SEC/PEI modules.
//
// CPU Exception Handler library instance for SEC/PEI modules.
//
// Copyright (c) 2012 - 2014, Intel Corporation. All rights reserved.<BR>
//
// This program and the accompanying materials
// are licensed and made available under the terms and conditions of the BSD License
// which accompanies this distribution. The full text of the license may be found at
// http://opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php
//
// THE PROGRAM IS DISTRIBUTED UNDER THE BSD LICENSE ON AN "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
//
// **/
#string STR_MODULE_ABSTRACT #language en-US "CPU Exception Handler library instance for SEC/PEI modules."
#string STR_MODULE_DESCRIPTION #language en-US "CPU Exception Handler library instance for SEC/PEI modules."
| 2024-05-02T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9745 |
OBJECTIVE To examine the interaction between the GABA and glutamate neuronal systems. In the first experiment, we measured developmental changes in release of LHRH, GABA, and glutamate in the S-ME. LHRH levels were very low in prepubertal monkeys, increased to higher levels in early pubertal monkeys, with the highest LHRH levels occurring in midpubertal monkeys. As we previously observed, GABA levels were high in prepubertal monkeys and then decreased in early and mid- pubertal monkeys. In contrast, glutamate levels were very low in prepubertal monkeys, increased dramatically in early pubertal monkeys, and then slightly decreased in midpubertal monkeys, although midpubertal levels remained much higher than prepubertal levels. In the second experiment, we measured GABA, glutamate and LHRH in the same samples obtained from prepubertal monkeys which were infused with an antisense oligodeoxynucleotide (AS) for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) 67 mRNA into the S-ME. GAD67 is a catalytic enzyme for GABA synthesis from glutamate, and AS GAD67 mRNA interferes with GAD67 synthe sis. Infusion of the AS GAD67 induced a decrease in GABA release, which subsequently resulted in an increase in LHRH release. Surprisingly, glutamate release also increased several hours after the decrease in GABA release, and the increased LHRH release continued. These data are interpreted to mean that a decrease in GABA synthesis by interference with GAD67 synthesis and the reduction of GABA release in the S-ME trigger an increase in LHRH release, but that a subsequent increase in glutamate release in the S-ME further contributes to the pubertal increase in LHRH release at the onset of puberty. The data further support our hypothesis that GAD plays an important role in the mechanism of the onset of puberty. FUTURE DIRECTIONS We will examine the causal relationship between GABA reduction and glutamate increase. KEY WORDS GABA, glutamate, GAD, antisense DNA, puberty FUNDING NIH HD11355 & RR00167 PUBLICATIONS Terasawa, E., Luchansky, L.L., Kasuya, E. An increase in glutamate release follows a decrease in((-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and the pubertal increase in LHRH release in female rhesus monkeys. Abstracts for the 80th Annual Meeting of the Endocrine Society, held June 24-27, 1998, at New Orleans, LA. p. 58 (OR5-2). [A] | 2024-07-10T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7978 |
Euskaltel Euskadi rider secures WorldTour deal, will race alongside Quintana and Valverde
Stranded when his Euskaltel Euskadi folded and the expected takeover by Fernando Alonso ran into difficulties, Basque climber Igor Antón has been confirmed today as completing the Movistar team roster for 2014.
The multiple Grand Tour stage winner has secured a place in the WorldTour for next season, thus ending a long and stressful search. He will line out alongside strong riders such as Tour de France runner-up Nairo Quintana and former Vuelta a España winner Alejandro Valverde.
Antón will be both an important ally in the mountains and also a protagonist himself, and will be keen to add to a list of victories which include stages in the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España, as well as the Tour de Suisse and Tour de Romandie.
“The Basque rider, one of the most talented climbers in the pro scene, will try to push his career to higher summits after notorious success in the most important competitions in the world,” stated Movistar today.
The contract will run for the next two seasons, giving him much-needed security after the stress of recent months.
There is still no indication where his long time team-mate Samuel Sanchez will race. | 2024-04-12T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4559 |
Have you ever wondered why you should pay for your cloud VM (Virtual Machine) even when your server applications are not used? Cloud computing provides increased flexibility in IT operations, through reducing IT capital expenses and enabling pay-as-you-go models. However, cloud services are charged per hour or per VM, even when computing resources in the cloud data center are not practically used. For such cases a range of more cost-effective solutions has been recently introduced, based on a new paradigm, coined “Serverless computing”.
The term “Serverless computing” has been around since 2-3 years i.e. since the release of Amazon’s AWS Lamda serverless computing platform. The term ‘serverless’ can be quite misleading, since serverless computing does not mean running an application without servers. Rather, it is another form of cloud-based service delivery (i.e. similar to PaaS: Platform as a Service) where the cloud provider charges for services on the basis of the requests to execute a function, instead of conventional cloud measures such as charging per VM used or according to time. This holds the promise to reduce the costs of cloud service delivery by charging for actual usage rather than continuous use of cloud resources. The use of the function as a measure of execution and mode of service delivery is also the reason why serverless computing is sometimes characterized as function as a service (FaaS).
In several cases, FaaS is not used in stand-alone mode, but rather in conjunction with other cloud computing and programming paradigms, such as microservices. For example its quite common for web applications to have one of their parts running in the cloud as microservice and another in a serverless fashion. It’s also common to use serverless code in rich client applications (e.g., sophisticated “fat” web apps or mobile apps) in order to access databases and authentication services in the cloud. The latter, authentication services (such as for example the Auth0 single sign-on and token based authentication), are commonly provided as FaaS. Likewise, the serverless paradigm is used in cases where server-side logic runs in third-party managed, stateless, event triggered containers. In such cases delivering functions in an ad-hoc fashion and charging them per invocation is much more practical and cost effective than the conventional “always connected” cloud computing way. Along these general lines and principles, let’s see some practical use cases.
Practical Use Cases
Serverless Web applications: Using FaaS the delivery of web sites can become more flexible and economical, as web site operators could pay only for the functions they use in addition to some fixed costs for cloud-based database connections and services.
Event driven analytics: You can opt for the serverless model when you would like to selectively invoke some analytics services (e.g., towards analyzing some web or server logs). FaaS is a good idea when you want to do certain analysis only upon the occurrence of specific events rather than continuously and at regular intervals.
Data transformation: When in need of data transformations for your application you can use a FaaS service, as and when they are needed. As a prominent example, whenever you need an ETL (Extract Transform Load) operation you can access it as a serverless service, rather than paying for a dedicated VM for this task.
Report generation: In several cases there is a need for generating reports as part of accessing a cloud database services. This generation can be handled as a FaaS.
Data processing in sensor applications: Several sensor applications are event driven and process notifications in cases where some phenomenon is detected (e.g., a temperature threshold is exceeded). The processing of such notifications can be implemented based on a FaaS invocation.
As evident from the above-listed use cases, FaaS is a good option for handling short running, stateless and event driven functionalities.
FaaS vs. PaaS
FaaS has a clear value proposition when the scaling of an application has to be done at the level of an individual function. This is probably the main differentiator between PaaS and FaaS, as both are cloud models providing scalability and pay-as-you-go characteristics. In general following are the differences between PaaS and FaaS:
In PaaS one has to still pay for spare computing resources that are not used, as is the case with the hourly billing model used in Amazon EC2. On the other hand, the FaaS pricing model is based on used memory, number of requests and the execution duration of the target function.
PaaS offerings are provided 24/7, while FaaS services are event driven, which makes them ideal for handling bursts in demand for the target serverless functions.
Elasticity and scalability in FaaS is slightly different from PaaS, as the measure of scaling in FaaS is the number of parallel executions of the serverless function, rather than the time a VM is used.
FaaS Infrastructures
As already outlined, AWS Lambda is nowadays the most prominent FaaS infrastructure, which is actually considered almost synonymous to serverless computing. AWS Lambda enables the execution of functions, without any need for provisioning or managing servers. It therefore enables a model where there are no charges when the serverless code or function is not used. It provides continuous scaling of a FaaS application as triggers arrive in the cloud and workloads becomes larger. Furthermore, Lambda implements a FaaS oriented metering and charging mechanism, which charges users based on the number of times the code is triggered, while keeping track of use in a time granularity of 100ms.
FUNKTION, is a framework for lambda programming for the Kubernetes container orchestration system. It enables the development of functions in any programming language, while providing the means to access them over HTTP/HTTPS. Furthermore, it facilitates subscriptions to many different event sources (e.g., messaging systems, social media, databases) for FaaS programming.
Apart from Lambda, there is also the Fission framework, which enables the execution of serverless functions over Kubernetes. Using Fission, one can benefit from automated scaling and deployment of the FaaS paradigm. Functions can be instantly deployed using a single command and without any need to build containers and to manage registries.
Serverless computing is certainly a promising paradigm with clear added-value for event-driven applications. Nevertheless, it seems to be complementing, rather than completely replacing, conventional cloud computing models such as PaaS. Hence, FaaS is here to stay, but its level of adoption and overall acceptance remains to be seen.
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tools, for FREE, that enable you to deliver
with global standards. | 2023-08-03T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2199 |
Buzz Builds for Christie as Keynote Speaker at Convention
While feisty New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is said to be on the short list of potential running mates for GOP presidential nominee-to-be Mitt Romney, talk is arising that he may end up as keynote speaker at the convention instead.
Such a role at the August confab in Tampa, Fla., would buttress Christie’s profile as a possible presidential candidate in the future and help his 2013 re-election effort, The Newark Star-Ledger reports.
Recall that President Barack Obama used his rousing speech at the 2004 Democratic convention to launch his presidential aspirations.
As for Christie, "He’s one of the best speakers ever. He’d be a wonderful choice — the best," former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, who delivered the 1988 Republican keynote speech himself, told The Star-Ledger. "I don’t think any [other potential speaker] has the magic that our governor has."
Christie has proven he can fire up the GOP base, as he did in a speech earlier this month to the Conservative Political Action Conference. But he also showed signs of statesmanship, striking a more moderate tone than fellow speakers in criticizing Obama.
That’s the kind of balance a keynote speaker needs to adopt, so that he/she can appeal both to hardcore, grassroots Republicans and the more moderate independent voters who will determine the election’s outcome, Kean said.
"If you neglect one or another, you’re in trouble," said Kean. "You’re talking to troop leaders, but that’s not really your mission. You have to move independent voters to your candidate. That’s more important than anything."
As for Christie’s prospects as Romney’s running mate, while he’s definitely in the mix, the New Jersey governor has pointed out that doesn’t play well as second fiddle. | 2024-07-24T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8849 |
Q:
AppEngine - Optimize read/write count on POST request
I need to optimize the read/write count for a POST request that I'm using.
Some info about the request:
The user sends a JSON array of ~100 items
The servlet needs to check if any of the received items is newer then its counterpart in the datastore using a single long attribute
I'm using JDO
what i currently do is (pseudo code):
foreach(item : json.items) {
storedItem = persistenceManager.getObjectById(item.key);
if(item.long > storedItem.long) {
// Update storedItem
}
}
Which obviously results in ~100 read requests per request.
What is the best way to reduce the read count for this logic? Using JDO Query? I read that using "IN"-Queries simply results in multiple queries executed after another, so I don't think that would help me :(
There also is PersistenceManager.getObjectsById(Collection). Does that help in any way? Can't find any documentation of how many requests this will issue.
A:
I think you can use below call to do a batch get:
Query q = pm.newQuery("select from " + Content.class.getName() + " where contentKey == :contentKeys");
Something like above query would return all objects you need.
And you can handle all the rest from here.
| 2024-07-05T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3237 |
First let me start this question with NO !
I am not wanting to build or modify a weapon into something illegal !!!
A friend and I were wondering while looking at ebay online auction, how people are selling M16 parts.( fire control parts, etc. ) I know its illegal to have any of these parts if you own a weapon they will fit in and don't have the right license , is it illegal to sell those parts to people if they don't have the right license ? What is the law ???
I've got coffee and a doughnut bet on this !!
Thanks for all replies!!!
Buck
It is perfectly legal to sell these to someone with a registered gun, or to someone who didn't own a rifle they would fit in, so the sellers have no problem (remember: Sarco sold them in the first place).
According to BATF, it would be illegal for someone with an AR15 (and no registered M16) to be in possession of those parts.
-Troy
What Troy said with a wrinkle: If the parts, together, are intended solely for the purpose of converting semi to full, they connot be possesed (unless you have a stamp and they are replacement parts- and you don't have them next to a semi AR). | 2023-08-16T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9943 |
Q:
Devexpress, cambiar posicion popup
Tengo un pop un pop up, al que le quiero cambiar la posición en la que aparece al pulsar para que se abra.
He probado varias cosas, y no se si es posible posicionarlo donde quiera de la pantalla.
Estoy usando la versión mas reciente de devexpress
Y el código que uso es muy básico
<dxe:MemoEdit
PopupFooterButtons="None"
ShowEditorButtons="False"
ShowSizeGrip="False"
Name="nombe"
PopupOpened="PopupNAme_PopupOpened">
</dxe:MemoEdit>
A:
He encontrado la solución, la dejo por aquí por si os sirve.
Mi vista, con mis configuraciones, cada uno tendrá las que necesite.
<dxe:MemoEdit
PopupFooterButtons="None"
ShowEditorButtons="False"
ShowSizeGrip="False"
AcceptsReturn="True"
AcceptsTab="True"
MemoVerticalScrollBarVisibility="Visible"
PopupHeight="150"
Name="name">
</dxe:MemoEdit>
Y en el .cs de la ventana. Podéis poner este metodo en el evento que necesitéis del memo
private void OpenCustomMemoEdit(object sender, RoutedEventArgs e)
{
var memo = (MemoEdit)sender;
var popup = memo.GetPopup();
popup.Placement = System.Windows.Controls.Primitives.PlacementMode.Left;
popup.VerticalOffset = memo.ActualHeight;
popup.HorizontalOffset = -5;
popup.MinWidth = this.PopupMemoDescripcion.ActualWidth;
}
Como veis en el objeto popup tenéis todo lo que necesitáis para posicionar el desplable del pop up como necesitéis.
| 2023-11-11T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9886 |
2 Steps 2 Get Started:
Real Time Data Capture
Understanding The Concept
Simply install our patent
pending Navt-Node® on your equipment. We do the rest! The
Navt-Base® system works like a web of networks. The system
creates bridges to each piece of equipment sending data back
and forth up to 500 feet of each device.... Infinitely | 2024-07-12T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1105 |
---
abstract: 'The crossing of the Galactic disk by a Globular Cluster could produce star formation due to gravitational focussing or compression of disk material. We report on simulations of the effect on disk material which reveal that the crossing can sometimes cause local gravitational focussing of disk material. We also present the salient points of a little-known paper by Levy (2000), that shows that strong compression can result from the shock wave generated by GC disk crossing. The main thrust of our paper is a search for remnants of disk crossings by Globular Clusters. Using the gravitational potential of the Galaxy to locate the position of the most recent crossings of a subset of fifty-four Globular Clusters reveals that systematic errors and uncertainties in initial conditions limit the scope for unequivocal identification. From the subset of fifty-four, six possible search sites with the best constraints are retained for further scrutiny. Three of the six potentially promising search areas in the disk are from Globular Clusters NGC 3201, 6397 and NGC 6838, for which we cannot rule out some observed star associations observed nearby as being remnants. The three other of the six areas are too large to provide meaningful identification of remnants. Also, a possible remnant (open cluster NGC6231) is shown not to be due to Globular Cluster impact, contrary to a previous report. In a more wide-ranging screening of one hundred and fifty-five Globular Clusters we identify which Globular Clusters are compatible with being responsible for the formation of any of the Galaxy’s five most prominent Star Super Clusters.'
author:
- |
D. Vande Putte[^1] and Mark Cropper[^2]\
University College London, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, RH5 6NT, UK\
date: 'Accepted yyyy mm dd. Received yyyy mm dd; in original form yyyy mm dd'
title: Detecting the effect of Globular Cluster impacts on the disk of the Milky Way
---
\[firstpage\]
galaxy: disk – globular clusters: general.
Introduction
============
One of the less-studied interactions within our Galaxy concerns the effect of the passage of a Globular Cluster (GC) through the disk, on the disk itself. On average, one Globular Cluster will cross the Galactic disk about every million years. While the Globular Cluster is in the vicinity of the disk, its gravitational field will attract stars and gas in the disk. The result could be a density increase sufficient to cause star formation. Whereas the impacts of High Velocity Clouds with the disk have been examined in some detail (Comerón and Torra, 1994), as they cause gas compression and star formation (and are perhaps the origin of the Gould belt), the effect of GC impacts on the disk has received almost no attention. The earliest mention of the effect of disk crossing by a Globular Cluster on the disk, is from Brosche et al. (1991) who calculated the orbits of Globular Clusters NGC362 and NGC6218, and suggested observers examine their latest crossing points, to see whether any remnants may be present. Wallin, Higdon & Staveley-Smith (1996) developed the idea. Their main argument is that gravitational focussing of disk material, such as gas, towards the GC trajectory would occur. They concluded that large OB star associations would form, possibly some 30 Myr after the disk crossing, over a region of size $\sim$10 pc. Their paper elicited little reaction, aside from two instances. The first was by Levy (2000), who examined compression of disk gas by the shock wave produced during GC travel through the disk. This paper appears never to have been cited, in spite of its importance to this question; we refer to it below. The second reaction to Wallin et al’s paper was the suggestion by R. Rees and K. Cudworth, (reported in Wright, 2004) that the star association NGC 6231 in the Galactic disk is the result of such an interaction by Globular Cluster NGC6397, less than 5Myr ago. They reached this conclusion using positional and proper motion data, together with a code to calculate orbits in the Galactic potential. They found the point of impact of NGC6397 to correspond to the position of open cluster NGC6231, a finding we discuss later.
The phenomena that take place in disk crossings by GCs are akin to those encountered in minor mergers and galaxy harassment, where a large galaxy interacts with a smaller galaxy at low and high relative velocities, respectively. Cox et al. (2006) predict that the global star formation rate decreases with increasing mass ratio, so that mergers with mass ratio$ \, > $ 20 induce hardly any additional star formation in the more massive galaxy, above its quiescent level. In the case of GCs, the mass ratios are even larger, but relative velocities are lower and local effects in the disk may still be significant. Indeed, minor mergers have been proposed as the origin of nuclear starburst rings in some local galaxies (e.g. Mazzuca et al. 2006).
The objective of this work is to examine whether, in principle, star formation, or at least disk material compression could occur in a GC impact, and to look for possible remnants in the Galaxy. In section 2, we describe an approach to modelling the interaction between a GC and the disk, which establishes how compression may occur via gravitational focussing. This includes developing models of the Galaxy and GC potentials to calculate the trajectories of GCs and test masses in the disk. We then note an alternate mechanism for compression, namely shock wave generation. If gas is present, such a mechanism will be more effective at inducing star formation. In section 3, we apply the Galactic models to locate the most recent impact areas of GCs in the disk. Sections 4 and 5 use these location results to search for possible remnants in the Galactic plane. Finally, section 6 provides conclusions.
A preliminary version of this work was reported in Cropper & Vande Putte (2007).
MODELLING
=========
We examine first the case of a gas-free disk, and consider the effect of a GC crossing, using numerical simulations of a series of test masses representing disk material encountering a Globular Cluster as it crosses the disk. These test masses are susceptible to the Galactic potential, and to the potential of the Globular Cluster, but not to one another. We later consider the case where gas is present at the impact site. First, however, we use the next two subsections to describe the methods we employ to calculate orbits in Galactic and GC potentials.
The Galactic potentials
-----------------------
We use four Galactic potentials for which straightforward analytical expressions are available. We denote these DA, FE, FL, and PA, as they appear in Dauphole & Colin (1995), Fellhauer et al. (2006), Flynn, Sommer-Larsen & Christensen (1996), and Paczynski (1990), respectively. Others have used these expressions in studies of galactic dynamics, for example Kalirai et al. (2007), Law, Johnston & Majewski (2005), Pauli et al. (2003), and Dinescu, Girard & van Altena (1999).
These potentials are all axisymmetric, so their expressions are simplest in cylindrical coordinates $R,\phi ,z$ where $R$ is the distance to the z axis, $\phi $ is the azimuthal angle between the x axis and the projection of the position vector on the xy plane, and z the distance above the x, y plane.
The analytical characteristics of the potentials appear in Table 1. They consist of bulge, halo, and disk contributions described by different models, as follows.
[|p[69pt]{}|p[71pt]{}|p[58pt]{}|p[83pt]{}|p[50pt]{}|p[64pt]{}|]{} Potential& Bulge& Halo& Disk& V$_{circ}$ at 8kpc& *M*$_{total}$ at 100kpc\
& & & & km s$^{ - 1}$& 10$^{11}$ $M_{ \odot} $\
Dauphole (DA)& Plummer& Plummer& Miyamoto-Nagai& 225& 7.9\
Fellhauer (FE)& Hernquist& log form& Miyamoto-Nagai& 224& 9.3\
Flynn (FL)& 2xPlummer& log form& 3xMiyamoto-Nagai& 222& 11.8\
Paczynski (PA)& Miyamoto-Nagai& log-atan form& Miyamoto-Nagai& 220& 8.5\
The analytical expression for the potential from a Plummer (1911) sphere is:
$$\label{eq2}
\Phi (r)\, = \, - \,{\frac{{GM_{b}} }{{{\left[ {r^{2}\, +
\,b^2} \right]}^{1 / 2}}}}$$
where $r^{2}\, = \,R^{2}\, + \,z^{2}.$
The Miyamoto-Nagai (1975) potential’s analytical expression is:
$$\label{eq3}
\Phi (R,z)\, = \, - \,{\frac{{GM_{d}} }{{{\left\{ {R^{2}\, + \,{\left[
{a\, + \,(z^{2} + b^{2})^{1 / 2}} \right]}^{2}} \right\}}^{1 / 2}}}}$$
The expression for the Hernquist (1990) potential is:
$$\label{eq5}
\Phi (r)\, = \, - \,{\frac{{GM} }{{r\, + \,a}}}$$
The logarithmic potential form is (Fellhauer et al. 2006):
$$\label{eq6}
\Phi(r) \, = \,{\frac{{v_{0}^{2}} }{{2}}}\,\ln (r^{2}\, + \,d^{2})$$
The logarithmic-arctan combination potential is (Paczynski, 1990):
$$\label{eq9}
\Phi(r) \, = \,{\frac{{GM} }{{r_{h}} }}\,{\left[ {{\frac{{1}}{{2}}}\ln
(1 + {\frac{{r^{2}}}{{r_{h}^{2}} }})\, + \,{\frac{{r_{h}} }{{r}}}{\rm a}\tan
({\frac{{r}}{{r_{h}} }})} \right]}$$
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
{height="7.5cm"} {height="7.5cm"}
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
----------- ---------------------- ------------------- --------------------------- ------------------- ---------------------- ------------------ --
Dauphole $M$=1.3955x10$^{10}$ $M$=6.9776x10$^{11}$ $M$=7.9080x10$^{10}$
$b$=0.35 $b$=24 $a$=3.55
$b$=0.25
Fellhauer $M$=3.4x10$^{10}$ $v_{0}$=186 km s$^{ - 1}$ $M$=10$^{11}$
$a$=0.7 $d$=12 $a$=6.5
$b$=0.26
Flynn $M$=3x10$^{9}$ $M$=1.6x10$^{10}$ $v_{0}$=220 km s$^{ - 1}$ $M$=6.6x10$^{10}$ $M$=-2.9x10$^{10}$ $M$=3.3x10$^{9}$
$b$=2.7 $b$=0.42 $d$=8.5 $a$=5.81 $a$=17.43 $a$=34.86
$b$=0.3 $b$=0.3 $b$=0.3
Paczynski $M$=1.12x10$^{10}$ $M$=5x10$^{10}$ $M$=8.07x10$^{10}$
$a$=0 $r_{h}$=6.0 $a$=3.7
$b$=0.0277 $b$=0.2
----------- ---------------------- ------------------- --------------------------- ------------------- ---------------------- ------------------ --
\
§Masses (M) are in units of Solar mass, halo velocities $v_{0}$ in kms$^{{\rm -} {\rm 1}}$, and remaining parameters in kpc. The numbers of significant figures for parameter values reflect the situation in the original papers. The second disk mass in the FL potential is negative, but the disk and total densities are nevertheless positive everywhere.\
Figure 1 shows a comparison between the potentials, radially along the disk, and as a function of $z$ at *R* = 8kpc. The parameter values for the different cases appear in Table 2.
All calculations are undertaken for a fixed Cartesian Galactocentric right-handed coordinate system. The y-axis points from the Galactic centre to the Sun, and the z-axis points to the North Galactic Pole (NGP). The x-axis therefore points in the direction of motion of the Local Standard of Rest (LSR). The initial position of an object results from its Heliocentric distance, and its celestial coordinates. The velocities of an object with respect to the LSR are determined from its proper motion and radial velocity, and from the Solar motion (U$_{\odot}$=10$\pm
$0.4, V$_{\odot }$=5.2$\pm $0.6, W$_{\odot}$=7.2$\pm $0.4 kms$^{{\rm -} {\rm 1}}$ from Binney & Merrifield 1998, p628). In the LSR’s coordinate system, the U axis points towards the Galactic centre, the V axis points in the direction of motion of the LSR, and the W axis points to the NGP. We transform radial velocities and proper motions to motion in the LSR (U, V, W), using the formalism of Johnson & Soderblom (1987). The final transformation from velocities with respect to the LSR to velocities in a fixed Galactocentric system uses the LSR velocity given above for the four potentials, with an uncertainty of $\pm $15 kms$^{{\rm -
}{\rm 1}}$ suggested by Binney & Tremaine (1994, p14).
We prepared fortran95 computer codes to calculate orbits in the four potentials. We numerically integrate the equations of motion that arise from the potentials in cylindrical coordinates, using a fourth order Runge-Kutta method. The codes require input of the initial position and velocity. We have verified the code by comparison with detailed numerical results from another institute (Turku Observatory in Finland), and by comparisons with published orbits, and discussions with their authors. The codes generate a series of files with the positions, velocities, total energy, $z$-component of angular momentum and elapsed time values. They also produce data on the position and timing of disk crossings, including the velocity at time of crossing. The user is able to specify the length of time and output times for the Runge-Kutta integration. All standard routines are from the NAG library [^3].
Addition of a moving potential
------------------------------
The codes can also include a moving potential, such as that from a GC. In this case, the massive object experiences the potential of the Galaxy, whereas the test masses experience the potential of the Galaxy, as well as that of the massive object, but not of one another. We represent the GC’s potential by a Plummer expression, where the parameter $b$ in Eqn. (1) is derived from the mass of the Globular cluster and its central density *$\rho $*$_{{\rm 0}{\rm ,}{\rm} }$using the expression from Binney & Tremaine (Eqn. 2-47b, 1994):
$$\label{eq10}
\rho _{0} \, = \,{\frac{{3M}}{{4\pi b^{3}}}}{\rm .}$$
Gravitational focussing on a disk scale
---------------------------------------
Wallin et al. (1996) make their case for star formation by considering phenomena at a disk scale of $\sim$ 0.1kpc, and we now investigate this in detail.
Taking a set of fifty-four GCs described in more detail in section 3.1, we calculated the relative velocity, in the Galaxy, of each GC with respect to a cloud of disk material (test masses) on a circular orbit that meets the GC at disk crossing. We then model the cloud as 30,000 test masses placed at random in a box 0.1 kpc wide, 0.1 kpc deep, and 0.1 kpc high, with the GC impacting the box along the normal, at the relevant velocity aimed at the centre of the box. We follow the test masses in the potential of the GC, until the GC leaves the box. Figure 2 shows the cloud of test masses in the box viewed along the GC trajectory for NGC5139 ($\omega$ Cen), the most massive Galactic GC, albeit here for only 2,000 test masses, to avoid crowding the diagram. Gravitational focussing towards the centre is clearly visible, and is expected to be even larger when the gravity of the test masses themselves is accounted for.
We repeated this experiment for a range of GC masses and velocities that cover the cases represented by our set of fifty-four GCs, and examined the compression as a function of GC mass/velocity, 50Myr after start of the experiment, when all GCs have exited the box. Compression is shown in Figure 3, for three values of the parameter $b$ in the Plummer potential (Eqn.1). Generally, compression increases with increasing mass, decreasing velocity, and is affected by the value of $b$. For small values of mass/velocity, compression is higher for small $b$. As mass/velocity increases, the potential gradient is steeper, and the test masses are rapidly scattered away from the GC. For higher $b$, the gradient is smaller(softer potential) and test masses spend a longer time in the vicinity of the GC track, leading to a ring of increased compression, due to an overlap of test masses moving to, and from the GC.
[c@c]{}\
\
\
Shock wave generation and material compression
----------------------------------------------
As modelled above, the test masses obey the collisionless Boltzmann equation, and we have shown that under such circumstances, gravitational focussing can occur. Even if the GC disk crossing does cause gravitational focussing, the perturbation does not necessarily lead to star formation. This depends on the availability of molecular gas. Most of the Galaxy’s molecular hydrogen is inhomogenously distributed and concentrated in a few thousand clouds of 10pc radius with masses $>$10$^{{\rm 5}}$ $M_{ \odot} $ (Binney & Tremaine, 1994), though sizes reach up to 100pc with masses $>$6 $\times$10$^{{\rm 6}}$ $M_{ \odot} $ (Solomon et al., 1987). They are more prevalent in spiral arms, where they provide a fill factor of 0.1–0.5 (McKee & Ostriker, 2007).
In treating the impact on any gas in the disk, we need to include the additional collisional effects. The importance of this was first pointed out and investigated by Levy (2000). Levy treats the GC with an associated Plummer potential, impinging vertically on a gas layer. He uses a 2d hydrodynamical mesh code, and shows that a shock wave is set up by the GC. After dissipation of the shock wave, there remains a disturbed cylindrical region of diameter up to 1kpc for a typical scale height of $ \sim 100$pc. Levy reports compression values in the shock wave of 2-30 for the different runs. If heating and cooling were allowed, these values could be larger. Levy also finds that compression increases with increasing mass, with decreasing velocity and with smaller $b$. We note that the compression values quoted here for the two mechanisms are broadly similar, with a range up to $\sim$30. However, as the shock wave mechanism occurs in gas, it is expected to be more efficient at star formation.
Locating impacts within the disk
================================
Since both the collisionless and collisional treatments, and particularly the latter when gas is present, tend to increase the concentration of disk material, we now examine whether there is any observational evidence of star formation as a result of such impacts.
The sample of Globular Clusters
-------------------------------
The most widely used Galactic GC catalogue is that of Harris (1996), which is regularly updated: the latest version, available at www.physics.mcmaster.ca/Globular.html is dated 2003. This version of the Harris catalogue lists one hundred and fifty-five GCs. The catalogue does not contain proper motion information, and such data are difficult to determine reliably. We therefore have narrowed our study to GCs with well-determined proper motion values from the subset of Allen, Moreno & Pichardo (2006 and 2008), except for NGC 6397, where we use more recent parameter values published since 2006 (Kalirai et al. 2007). The distances from the Sun, radial velocities, and proper motions for the fifty-four GCs are given in Table 3.
=
[llr@[$\pm$]{}lr@[$\pm$]{}lr@[$\pm$]{}lr@[$\pm$]{}lr@[$\times$]{}lllllllll]{} &Cluster& & & & & & &\
& & & & & &\
& NGC104& 5.64& 0.2& -2.05& 0.2& 4.3& 0.35& -18.7& 0.2& 1.0 &$10^{6}$& 1, 2, 3, 12\
& NGC288& 4.4& 0.23& -5.62& 0.23& 7.6& 0.35& -46.4& 0.4& 8.5 &$10^{4}$& 1, 12, 13\
& NGC362& 5.07& 0.714& -2.55& 0.72& 7.8& 0.6& 223.5& 0.5& 3.9 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12, 14\
& NGC1851& 1.28& 0.68& 2.39& 0.65& 11.3& 1.3& 320.5& 0.6& 3.7 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 4, 5, 12\
& NGC1904& 2.12& 0.64& -0.02& 0.64& & 207.5& 0.5& 2.4 & $ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC2298& 4.05& 1& -1.72& 0.98& & 149.4& 1.3& 5.7 &$ 10^{4}$& 1, 12\
& NGC2808& 0.58& 0.45& 2.06& 0.46& & 93.6& 4& 9.7 &$ 10^{5}$& 21, 22, 27\
& NGC3201& 5.28& 0.32& -0.98& 0.33& 5.0& 0.4& 494& 0.2& 1.6 &$ 10^{5}$& 21, 23, 27\
& NGC4147& -1.85& 0.82& -1.3& 0.82& 16.4& 1.9& 183& 1& 5.0 &$ 10^{4}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC4372& -6.49& 0.33& 3.71& 0.32& 5.8& 0.5& 72.3& 1.2& 2.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 21, 24, 25, 27\
& NGC4590& -3.76&0.66& 1.79&0.62& & -95.1& 0.6& 1.5 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC4833& -8.11& 0.35& -0.96& 0.34& & 200.2& 1.2& 3.1 &$ 10^{5}$& 21, 25, 27\
& NGC5024& 0.5& 1& -0.1& 1& & -79.1& 4.1& 5.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC5139& -5.08& 0.35& -3.57& 0.34& 4.9& 0.3& 232.5& 0.4& 3.3 &$ 10^{6}$& 1, 12, 15\
& NGC5272& -1.1& 0.51& -2.3& 0.54& 9.5& 1& -147.1& 0.4& 6.4 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC5466& -4.65& 0.82& 0.8& 0.82& 15.4& 1.6& 107.7& 0.3& 1.0 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC5897& -4.93& 0.86& -2.33& 0.84& 12.4& 1.7& 101.7& 1& 1.3 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12, 16\
& NGC5904& 5.07& 0.68& -10.7& 0.56& 7.2& 0.8& 51.8& 0.5& 5.7&$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC5927& -5.72& 0.39& -2.61& 0.40& & -107.5& 1.0& 2.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 21, 26, 27\
& NGC5986& -3.81& 0.45& -2.99& 0.37& 10.4& 0.5& 88.9& 3.7& 4.1&$ 10^{5}$& 21, 26, 27, 28\
& NGC6093& -3.31& 0.58& -7.2& 0.67& & 7.3& 4.1& 3.3 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6121& -12.5& 0.36& -19.93& 0.49& & 70.4& 0.4& 1.3 & $10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6144& -3.06& 0.64& -5.11& 0.72& & 189.4& 1.1& 8.6 &$ 10^{4}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6171& -0.7& 0.9& -3.1& 1& & -33.8& 0.3& 1.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6205& -0.9& 0.71& 5.5& 1.12& 6.8& 0.7& -246.6& 0.9& 5.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC6218& 1.3& 0.58& -7.83& 0.62& & 43.5& 0.6& 1.4 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6254& -6& 1& -3.3& 1& & 75.5& 1.1& 1.7 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6266& -3.5& 0.37& -0.82& 0.37& 6.9& 0.7& -70& 1.3& 8.1&$ 10^{5}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6304& -2.59& 0.29& -1.56& 0.29& 6.1& 0.6& -107.3& 3.6& 1.5 &$ 10^{5}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6316& -2.42& 0.63& -1.71& 0.56& 11& 1.1& 71.5& 8.9& 3.7 &$ 10^{5}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6341& -3.3& 0.55& -0.33& 0.7& & -120.5& 1.7& 3.3 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6362& -3.09& 0.46& -3.83& 0.46& & -13.3& 0.6& 1.0 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6397& 3.56& 0.04& -17.34& 0.04& 2.6& 0.13& 18.36& 0.13& 7.7 &$ 10^{4}$& 12, 18\
& NGC6522& 6.08& 0.2& -1.83& 0.2& 7.8& 0.8& -21.1& 3.4& 2.0 &$ 10^{5}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6528& -0.35& 0.23& 0.27& 0.26& 9.1& 0.9& 184.9& 3.8& 7.2 &$ 10^{4}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6553& 2.5& 0.07& 5.35& 0.08& 5.6& 0.6& -6.5& 2.7& 2.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6584& -0.22& 0.62& -5.79& 0.67& & 222.9& 15& 2.0 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6626& 0.3& 0.5& -3.4& 0.9& & 15.8 & 1& 3.2 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6656& 8.6& 1.3& -5.1& 1.3& & -149.1& 0.6& 4.3 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6712& 4.2& 0.4& -2& 0.4& & -107.7& 0.6& 1.7 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6723& -0.17& 0.45& -2.16& 0.5& 8.8& 0.9& -94.5& 3.6& 2.3 &$ 10^{5}$& 12, 17\
& NGC6752& -0.69&0.42& -2.85& 0.45& 3.8& 0.19& -32.1& 1.5& 2.1 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12, 19\
& NGC6779& 0.3&1& 1.4& 0.1& 9.4& 1& -135.9& 0.9& 1.5 &$10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC6809& -1.42& 0.62& -10.25& 0.64& & 174.9& 0.4& 1.8 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& NGC6838& -2.3& 0.8& -5.1& 0.8& 3.6& 0.3& -22.9& 0.2& 3.0 &$ 10^{4}$& 1, 12, 20\
& NGC6934& 1.2& 1& -5.1& 1& 14.9& 1.5& -412.2& 1.6& 1.6 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC7006& -0.96&0.35& -1.14& 0.4& 40& 2& -384& 0.4& 2.0 &$ 10^{5}$& 8, 12\
& NGC7078& -0.95& 0.51& -5.63& 0.5& 9.5& 1.1& -106.6& 0.6& 8.0 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC7089& 5.9& 0.86& -4.95& 0.86& 11.2& 1.2& -3.1& 0.9& 6.9 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 6, 12\
& NGC7099& 1.42& 0.69& -7.71& 0.65& & -184.3& 1& 1.6 &$ 10^{5}$& 1, 12\
& PAL3& 0.33& 0.23& 0.3& 0.31& & 83.4& 8.4& 3.3 &$ 10^{5}$& 1\
& PAL5& -1.78& 0.17& -2.32& 0.22& 9.9& 2.2& -55& 16& 2.0 &$ 10^{4}$& 1, 7, 12\
& PAL12& -1.2& 0.3& -4.21& 0.29& 19.5& 0.9& 27.8& 1.5& 1.1 &$ 10^{4}$& 9, 12\
& PAL13& 2.3& 0.26& 0.27& 0.25& 24.3& 1.1& -28& 1.2& 5.4 &$ 10^{3}$& 10, 11, 12\
\
§Refs: 1, Dinescu et al., 1999; 2, McLaughlin et al., 2006; 3, Anderson & King, 2004; 4, Stetson, 1981; 5, Walker, 1998; 6, Dauphole & Colin, 1995; 7, Scholz et al., 1998; 8, Dinescu et al, 2001; 9, Dinescu et al., 2000; 10, Siegel et al., 2001; 11, Côté et al, 2002; 12 Allen, Moreno, and Pichardo, 2006; 13, Alcaino et al, 1997; 14, Székely et al., 2007; 15, van de Ven et al, 2006; 16, Sarajedini , 1992; 17 Dinescu et al., 2003; 18 Kalirai et al., 2007; 19, Renzini et al, 1996; 20, Grundahl et al, 2002; 21, Allen et al., 2008; 22, Faulkner et al 1991; 23, Côté et al., 1995; 24, Hartwick & Hesser, 1973; 25, Geisler et al., 1995; 26, Harris 1996; 27 Casetti-Dinescu et al., 2007; 28, Alves et al., 2001\
$\dag$ No uncertainties on distance could be found for these clusters.\
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
{height="8.3cm"} {height="8.3cm"}
------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
The location of impacts
-----------------------
We used the four potentials and all fifty-four GC initial data to calculate their prior orbits. From this we have determined the location and time of the most recent crossing of the Galactic plane. Then we used the circular velocity at the GC Galactic radius for the potential in use to determine the present-day location of the impact points, knowing the time since the crossing. The resulting present-day positions of these crossings are shown in Figure 4. A few cross outside the visible Galactic disk, but most pass through it. Note that the four points that cluster around $x=-90$ kpc, $y=80$ kpc in the left-hand panel correspond to Palomar 3. The right-hand panel concentrates on the Galactic disk. The average GC speed at time of crossing is $\sim$280 kms$^{{\rm-}{\rm 1}}$ with a standard deviation of $\sim$90 kms$^{{\rm-}{\rm 1}}$.
[lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}lr@[.]{}l]{}
& & & &\
&& & & & & & &\
NGC104& 2&2& 48&$8\pm2.1$& 2&2& 46&$7\pm1.9$& 2&3& 52&$6\pm1.9$& 2&3& 49&$1\pm2.3$\
NGC1851& 2&5& 43&$2\pm8.0$& 2&1& 42&$5\pm7.8$& 2&5& 43&$6\pm8.1$& 2&5& 44&$3\pm8.7$\
NGC3201& 2&5& 5&$5\pm0.4$& 2&5& 5&$4\pm0.4$& 2&5& 5&$5\pm0.4$& 2&5& 5&$5\pm0.4$\
NGC6397& 2&6& 3&$7\pm0.2$& 2&6& 3&$7\pm0.2$& 2&6& 3&$7\pm0.2$& 2&6& 3&$7\pm0.2$\
NGC6752& 2&8& 29&$4\pm1.7$& 2&8& 29&$5\pm1.6$& 2&7& 35&$3\pm2.2$& 2&8& 29&$3\pm1.8$\
NGC6838& 4&5& 15&$6\pm0.5$& 4&3& 14&$6\pm0.5$& 4&4& 18&$6\pm0.7$& 4&4& 14&$7\pm0.5$\
### Effect of the potential model
Systematic errors in impact location arise from our uncertain knowledge of the Galactic parameters, such as the extent and mass of components making up the potential, and from more detailed configuration effects, such as the bar and spiral structure that are not reflected in the homogeneous bulges and disks. We neglect these latter effects as there are still uncertainties about the structure of the bar and arms. However we can gauge the effect of the former uncertainties in extent and mass of components by comparing all four axisymmetric Galactic potentials. For example, in Figure 4 (left-hand panel), the four points at $x\sim0$, $y>$20 kpc correspond to the crossing point of NGC 5024, as calculated with the four potentials. There is a significant scatter of $\sim$ 20kpc in the impact position. The crossing occurred $\sim$200Myr ago. Figure 5 shows a restricted part of the Galactic plane in the region of the Sun. This illustrates that the more concentrated impact points correspond to the more recent crossings, NGC 104 at $\sim $47Myr, NGC 1851 at $\sim $43Myr, NGC 3201 at $\sim $5.4Myr, NGC 6397 at $\sim $3.7Myr, NGC 6752 at $\sim $30Myr, and NGC 6838 at $\sim $15Myr.
We will concentrate our discussion on the six cases noted in Figure 5. They are selected because NGC 104/ 1851/ 3201/ 6397/ 6752 impact points are the closest to us, and thus afford the best visibility. We add the impact point location of NGC 6838, as the path between it and us crosses a less dense region of the disk. In all six cases, the times since impact are short enough for massive stars still to be seen. Table 4 provides the times of crossing and the relevant distances from the Sun for these six GCs for the nominal values of initial conditions in Table 3. The uncertainties in the position of the impact points are discussed in Section 3.2.2. The corresponding uncertainties in time since impact are shown in Table 4, and their origin are also discussed in Section 3.2.2.
### Effect of uncertainties in measured parameters
Uncertainties (random errors) in the values of the Sun’s motion in the LSR, velocity of the LSR, distances, radial velocities, and proper motions affect the error in disk crossing location. We have therefore made a calculation that includes the effect of all these uncertainties. To appreciate the effect of these uncertainties on the impact sites of the six selected GCs, we assume that the values for Solar motion, LSR motion, distances, radial velocities and proper motions are all normally distributed, with standard deviations equal to the quoted experimental errors. We then performed a Monte Carlo simulation for each of the six selected GCs, and 20,000 trials per GC. Figure 6 shows the combined effect of the parameter uncertainties and different potentials, at the 90% level. This also shows that the effect of the potential differences can be as large as the effect of the orbital uncertainties, specifically in the case of NGC104. The combined results for the FE potential appear in Figure 7, as 90$\%$ and 68$\%$ probability contour levels. We note that, as expected, the values of uncertainties in time since impact, and the size of the area encompassed by the 90% contours rank in the same order.
{width="99mm"}
Search areas for remnants of impacts
====================================
Here we explore the six search areas identified above.
Is NGC 6231 a remnant of an NGC6397 impact?
-------------------------------------------
The only claim to have discovered an impact remnant – a cluster – in the disk relates to one of the six cases examined here: NGC 6397. Rees & Cudworth, cited in Wright (2004), suggested the site of the last impact of NGC 6397 to correspond to the open cluster NGC 6231 ($\textit{l}$ = $343.46 \deg$, $b$ = +1.186 $\deg$). The cluster has an angular diameter of 15' (Piatti, Clariá & Bica, 1998). We calculate its impact time to be $\sim $3.7Myr ago, consistent with Rees and Cudworth’s estimate of less than 5Myr. We can compare our time since last crossing at 3.7Myr with further estimates of the age of NGC 3201 in the literature. Piatti, Clariá & Bica (1998) estimate it to be 5Myr. van den Ancker (2007) estimates the age to be $\sim$3Myr. Sana et al. (2007) derive an age of at least 10Myr, based on examining the low-mass stars in the cluster, but they also indicate that low-mass star formation was followed by a starburst 1–4 Myr ago. (Interestingly, van den Ancker (2007) concludes that the stellar population in NGC6231 is not incompatible with star formation being induced by GC impact on the disk, given that the cluster appears to have few low-mass stars, which he suggests may be the signature of a violent origin). Thus apart from Sana’s determination, these ages are consistent with the last crossing time. However, we do not confirm the link established by Rees & Cudworth. Figure 8 shows the position of NGC 6231 and the 90$\%$ level for the NGC 6397 impacts, at the time of impact 3.7 Myr ago. Also shown is the contemporaneous position of NGC 6231 (black square) and the points corresponding to that position $\pm$3$\sigma$ from that position, based on Sana et al.’s (2007) distance estimate of 1637$\pm$30 pc. Note that NGC 6231 is $\sim$7pc in diameter. Clearly, NGC 6231 is not a remnant of the NGC 6397 impact, being $\sim$0.6kpc away from the contour. Regrettably, the proper motions used by Rees & Cudworth were never published, preventing any further comparison.
-- --
-- --
Impact points of NGC 3201, NGC 6397, and NGC 6838.
--------------------------------------------------
The six areas and subtended fields of view from Earth encompassed by the contours in Figure 7 are smallest for NGC 3201, NGC 6397 and NGC 6838. As a result, these offer the best prospects for identifying remnants of crossings. For NGC 3201, the area is enclosed within a radius of 7 on the sky, and a distance range of $\pm $22% from the nominal impact. For NGC 6397, these radii are 3, with distance $\pm $12% and for NGC 6838, they are 6, and $\pm $20%.
We searched the CDS Simbad database[^4] centred on regions of sky corresponding to these areas, and restricted the search to object types “Star cluster, Cl\*", “Open Galactic cluster, OpC", and “Association of stars, As\*" as defined in the database. This leaves 15, 33 and 42 star groups respectively, for NGC 3201, NGC 6387, and NGC 6838, and these are listed in Tables 5, 6 and 7.
[|p[77pt]{}|p[17pt]{}|p[80pt]{}|p[24pt]{}]{} Identifier& Type& Basis for exclusion& Refs\
C 0820-360 & Cl\* & A, D& 1\
C 0815-369 & Cl\* & A& 2\
C 0813-306 & Cl\* & A, D& 1\
NGC 2546 & Cl\* & A, D& 1\
ESO 430-18 & Cl\* & A& 1\
$[$KPR2005$]$ 45 & Cl\* & A& 3\
C 0812-362 & Cl\* & A, D& 1\
C 0810-324 & OpC & A, D& 1\
C 0812-318 & OpC & A, D& 4\
NGC 2588 & OpC & A, D& 5\
\
Potential candidates are C 0805-322, \[DBS2003\] 16, C 0807-343, C 0809-318, DSH J0807.1-3603, pending distance and age data\
Refs: 1, Kharchenko, 2005a; 2, Lindoff, 1968; 3, Kharchenko et al., 2005b; 4, Giorgi et al., 2007; 5, Baume et al., 2004.\
[|p[87pt]{}|p[26pt]{}|p[80pt]{}|p[24pt]{}]{} Identifier& Type& Basis for exclusion& Refs\
C 1715-382 & Cl\* & D& 1\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 97 & Cl\* & D& 2\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 98 & Cl\* & D& 2\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 164& Cl\* & D& 2\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 99 & Cl\* & D& 2\
C 1714-355 & Cl\* & A, D& 4\
$[$DBS2003$]$ 179 & Cl\* & D& 5\
NGC6318 & OpC & A& 3\
\
Potential candidates are \[DBS2003\] 120; \[DBS2003\] 121; \[DBS2003\] 122; \[DBS2003\] 123;MFSW VI; MFSW V; MFSW IV; C 1717 358; MFSW III; MFSW II; MFSW I; DSH J1715.7-3843; \[BDB2003\]G351.61+.17; \[BDS2003\] 119; \[DBS2003\] 118; C 1712-393; C 1727-370; Cl VDBH 214; C 1720-378; C1721-389; C 1728-368; DSH J1713.2-3942; C 1715-387; \[DBS2003\] 166; \[DBS2003\] 165, pending distance and age data\
Refs: 1, Piatti & Clariá, 2002; 2, Bica et al., 2003; 3, Piatti et al., 2000; 4, Kharchenko et al., 2005b; 5, Borissova et al, 2005\
[|p[81pt]{}|p[26pt]{}|p[80pt]{}|p[24pt]{}|]{} Identifier& Type& Basis for exclusion& Refs\
$[$KPR2005$]$ 104 & Cl\* & A, D& 1\
C 1915 +194 & Cl\* & A& 2\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 155 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 153 & Cl\* & D & 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 154 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 146 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 152 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 150 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 151 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 145 & Cl\* & D& 3\
OB cluster in W51 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 148 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 147 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 144 & Cl\* & D & 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 143 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 142 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 141 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 140 & Cl\* & D& 3\
NGC6793 & Cl\* & A, D& 1\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 139 & Cl\* & D& 3\
$[$BDS2003$]$ 138 & Cl\* & D& 3\
DSH J1930.2+1832 & OpC & A D& 4\
DSH J1933.9+1831 & OpC & A, D& 4\
NGC6802 & OpC & A, D& 5\
C 1942+174 & OpC & A, D& 1\
\
Potential candidates are \[BDS2003\] 12; \[BDS2003\] 156; C 1926+173; DSH J1926.0+1945; \[BDS2003\]157; \[BDS2003\] 13; C 1926+147; DSH J1942.3+1939; C 1916+156; DSH J1942.8+1530; C 1940+210; DSH J1912.0+1716; C 1922+136; DSH J1937.3+1841; Cl Czernik 40; DSH J1925.2+1356; Cl Alessi 57, pending distance and age data\
Refs: 1, Kharchenko et al., 2005b; 2, Carraro et al., 2006; 3, Bica, et al., 2003; 4, Kromberg et al., 2006; 5, Netopil et al., 2007.\
We searched the relevant literature for details of age and distance. Where this information is available, we noted for each star group in Tables 5, 6, and 7, the parameter that is incompatible, age (A) by a factor of at least two, and distance (D) outside the bounds given above. We conclude that of a total of fifteen star groups that lie in the direction of NGC3201’s possible impact remnants, ten are definitely not remnants, on the grounds of incompatible age or distance (Table 5). In the remaining five cases, it is possible that the groupings could result from the impact, pending further work on determining the properties (age, distance) of the associations. Examining the corresponding data for NGC6397 (Table 6), out of thirty-three candidates, eight can be excluded. The corresponding data for NGC6838 (Table 7) indicates that twenty five out of forty two candidates, can be excluded. This means that we are able to discount some GCs, and identify potential candidates, pending availability of further data.
Could Super Star Clusters be remnants?
======================================
{width="89mm"}
An alternative approach to linking star formation to GC disk crossings is to work in reverse, looking for evidence of unusual star formation, and asking whether this could be due to a GC disk crossing. For this we have concentrated on Super Star Clusters (SSCs). Portegies Zwart (2004) identifies five such SSCs: Arches, Quintuplet, NGC3603, Westerlund 1, and Westerlund 2. Their distance from the Galactic centre and age appear in Table 8.
Monte Carlo impact analysis
---------------------------
We first look for progenitors amongst our sample of fifty-four GCs as we have already determined their crossings. It is possible to eliminate some of these, on the basis of the time elapsed since the last crossing. The time $t$ since a crossing is given by $t\, = \,t_{C} \, + \,t_{SF} \, + \,t_{A} $ where $t_{C} \,$is the time interval between disk crossing and the onset of star formation, $t_{SF} $ is the duration of star formation, and $t_{A} $ is the age of the cluster. The first time ($t_{C} \,$) is not well known, so three cases are considered here. Firstly, it is possible that this time is small compared to the age of the cluster, so that we can neglect it. Secondly, we adopt the value of 15Myr given by Lépine & Duvert (1994) for the case of star formation after a High Velocity Cloud impacts the disk. Finally, we take the value of 30Myr suggested by Wallin et al. (1996). For the star formation time, we adopt a value of $t_{SF} $=2 $\times$10$^{{\rm 5}}$ years, suggested by McKee and Tan (2002), for massive stars ($M > \,8\,M_{ \odot}
$). Taking the value $t_{C} \,$=30 Myr, and an average SSC age of $t_{A} \,$=5 Myr, we are able to identify 24 GCs as not being SSC progenitors, because the time since impact is too long compared with 35Myr, using the FE potential. As a result, the list of fifty-four GCs to consider for Monte Carlo analysis is reduced to 30 candidates. A Monte Carlo analysis of these 30 candidates, similar to those above, using the FE potential, then shows further that the SSCs could not have been produced by any of these 30 GCs, with the exception of NGC362, 5897, 6093, 6316, 6522, 6584, and 6779, whose impact footprint is compatible with both the Arches and Quintuplet. Hence here too, some GCs can be discounted, while others may be potential progenitors.
Escape velocity analysis
------------------------
Having considered the fifty-four GCs, we then broaden our scope to all one hundred and fifty-five GCs in the Harris catalogue, and note that we can also screen for candidates by using a weaker method but which does not require knowledge of any proper motions or radial velocities. As the position of the GC at the time of impact is the same as the position of the SSC’s ancestral gas cloud, it is possible to calculate the minimum velocity $V$ required for the GC to cover the distance from that position, to its present-day position within a time $t \,$. The escape velocity at the Galactocentric distances ($D$) in Table 8 can then be calculated from the potential, using the relation $V_{esc} \, = \,\sqrt
{2.{\left| {\Phi (D)} \right|}} $ (Binney and Tremaine, 1994). If $V$$ > $ $V_{esc {\rm} {\rm ,}{\rm} }$then the GC’s last disk crossing cannot be the event that triggered the formation of the SSC.
We made the comparison for all GCs in the Harris catalogue, all five Super Clusters, the FE potential, and three times $t_{C} \,$ discussed above. Table 9 summarises the analysis. We can identify the GCs that are definitely not progenitors of the SSCs. As expected and evident in Table 9, the case with the smallest set of excluded GCs is that where $t_{C} \,$=30 Myr, and Table 10 lists the definitely excluded GCs. On the other hand, if star formation as a result of disk crossing is prompt ( $t_{C} \,$$\sim$0) then we can exclude *all* GC crossings as triggering the formation of both NGC3603 and Westerlund 2. If this is generally the case, it may indicate that SSCs are not generated by GC disk crossings.
[|p[53pt]{}|p[51pt]{}|p[38pt]{}|p[21pt]{}|]{} & Distance from Galactic centre
$D$ (kpc)& Age
Myr& Refs.\
Arches& $\sim {\rm 0}{\rm .}{\rm 1}$ & $ {\rm 2}{\rm .}{\rm 5}$$\pm0.5$ & 1\
Quintuplet& $\sim {\rm 0}{\rm .}{\rm 05}$ & $ {\rm 4}$$\pm1$ & 2\
NGC3603& 8$\pm0.4$& $\sim {\rm 1}$ & 3, 4\
Westerlund1& $\sim {\rm 9}{\rm .}{\rm 4}$ & 1-10& 5\
Westerlund2& 9.8$\pm1.7$& $\sim {\rm 2.5}$ & 6\
\
Refs: 1, Figer et al., 2002; 2, Figer, McLean, Morris, 1999; 3, Stolte et al., 2004; 4, Stolte et al., 2006; 5, Vrba et al., 2000; 6, Rauw et al., 2007.\
[|p[55pt]{}|p[46pt]{}|p[50pt]{}|p[50pt]{}|]{} & $t_{C} \,$ = 0 Myr& $t_{C} \,$ = 15Myr& $t_{C} \,$ = 30Myr\
Arches& 20& 76& 93\
Quintuplet& 34& 80& 93\
NGC 3603& 0& 16& 75\
Westerlund 1& 1& 60& 82\
Westerlund 2& 0& 17& 73\
[|p[58pt]{}|p[83pt]{}|p[75pt]{}|p[85pt]{}|p[71pt]{}|p[90pt]{}|]{} GC& SSC& GC& SSC& GC& SSC\
AM1 & A, Q, N, W1, W2& NGC5634 & N, W1, W2& NGC7492& N, W1, W2\
AM4 & N, W1, W2& NGC5694& A, Q, N, W1, W2& Pal1 & N, W2\
Arp2 & N, W1, W2& NGC5824& N, W1, W2& Pal2& A, Q, N, W1, W2\
Eridanus & A, Q, N, W1, W2& NGC6205& W2& Pal3& A, Q, N, W1, W2\
ESOSC06& W1& NGC6229 & A, Q, N, W1, W2& Pal4 & A, Q, N, W1, W2\
IC1257 & N, W1, W2& NGC6341 & N, W2& Pal5 & N, W1, W2\
IC4419& W1& NGC6426& N& Pal11 & N, W2\
NGC1261& W1& NGC6715 & N, W1, W2& Pal12 & N, W2\
NGC1904 & W2& NGC6779& N, W2& Pal13 & N, W1, W2\
NGC2419 & A, Q, N, W1, W2& NGC6864& N, W2& Pal14& A, Q, N, W1, W2\
NGC4147 & N, W1, W2& NGC6934 & N, W2& Pal15& A, Q, N, W1, W2\
NGC5024 & N, W2& NGC6981& N, W2& Pyxis& A, Q, N, W1, W2\
NGC5053 & N, W2& NGC7006& A, Q, N, W1, W2& Rup106& W1\
NGC5272 & W2& NGC7078& N, W2& Terzan7& N, W1, W2\
NGC5466 & N, W2& NGC7089 & N, W2& Terzan8& N, W1, W2\
\
A=Arches; Q=Quintuplet; N=NGC3603; W1=Westerlund1; W2=Westerlund2\
CONCLUSIONS
===========
Globular Cluster interaction with a Galactic disk has been studied in detail from the viewpoint of the GC, see for example Gnedin, Lee & Ostriker (1999). On the other hand, the effect on the disk has received scant attention (Brosche et al. 1991, Wallin et al. 1996, Levy 2000).
The suggestions in these papers is that GC disk crossings could cause star formation. We have therefore explored the process in more detail. We prescribe the Galactic potential, and allow the GC to move within it. We also model the relative movement of a cloud of disk material on a circular orbit, as it encounters the GC crossing the disk, and show that focussing of disk material will occur for several of the GCs. The compression is on a scale of $\sim$ 10pc, as suggested by Wallin et al. The extent of compression increases with GC mass and time spent by the GC in the cloud. Even if no gas is present at the time of interaction, the concentrated disk material can subsequently attract gas, leading possibly to star formation.
Should gas be immediately available in the impact region, a potentially more effective mechanism exists, proposed by Levy (2000), based on shock wave compression by the GC transiting through the disk. The star forming region in this case is estimated to be of kpc size.
We have then examined whether there is any observational evidence for star formation as a result of a GC disk crossing. The uncertainties in the parameters in our subset of fifty-four GCs, combined with the uncertainty in the potential model are such that the impact regions are generally too extensive, subtending large angles on the sky. For some nearby GC crossings this is not the case, however, and for NGC 3201, NGC 6397, and NGC 6838, the subtended angles were smaller, as determined by Monte Carlo simulations. Using the CDS we identified a number of candidate star clusters and associations within the impact regions. We were also able to exclude a number of clusters and associations within the 90% contour on the grounds of age or distance. The only prior candidate for GC disk crossing star formation, the open cluster NGC 6231, lies well outside the 90% contour of NGC 6397 impacts, in contradiction of the suggestion by Rees & Cudworth in Wright (2004).
We then reversed the approach, and considered whether any of the Galaxy’s five most prominent Star Super Clusters (Arches, Quintuplet, NGC 3603, Westerlund 1 and Westerlund 2) could have resulted from an impact by any of the sample of fifty-four GCs, using age arguments, and the Monte Carlo technique applied above. From this we found that only 7 GCs are candidates to provide impact site progenitors for the Arches and Quintuplet SSCs, with none for the other SSCs. As a final test, we considered all 155 GCs in the Harris catalogue and determined which SSCs could conceivably have resulted from a GC disk crossing. We used the criterion that the minimum speed to travel from a prior position of the SSCs to the current GC position should not exceed the Galactic escape velocity. This eliminated many of the larger sample of GCs, depending on the time elapsed between disk crossing and the onset of star formation. If the time between the disk crossing and the onset of star formation is limited to a few Myr, it is possible to exclude any of the Galactic GC disk crossings as a potential cause of NGC 3603 and Westerlund 2 formation.
Acknowledgments {#acknowledgments .unnumbered}
===============
This research used the Smithsonian/NASA ADS, NASA’s Heasarc coordinate converter, and the CDS at Strasbourg. DVP acknowledges the support of an STFC grant. Mike Fellhauer, Ignacio Ferreras, Chris Flynn, Esko Gardner, Jason Kalirai, Barbara Pichardo, and Kinwah Wu helped us greatly by sharing their knowledge of Galaxy modelling. We are also grateful to the referee who helped us clarify some of the aspects of this work, thus improving the paper.
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[^1]: E-mail: dwvp@mssl.ucl.ac.uk (DVP)
[^2]: E-mail: msc@mssl.ucl.ac.uk (MC)
[^3]: www.nag.co.uk
[^4]: http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/, status March 2008
| 2023-12-22T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6288 |
//
// TWAcitivityOpenInSafari.m
// Poster
//
// 8/17/12.
//
//
#import "SPAcitivitySafari.h"
@implementation SPAcitivitySafari
- (NSString *)activityType
{
return @"SPAcitivitySafari";
}
- (NSString *)activityTitle
{
return @"Safari";
}
- (UIImage *)activityImage {
return [UIImage imageNamed:@"button_safari"];
}
- (BOOL)canPerformWithActivityItems:(NSArray *)activityItems
{
for (NSObject *o in activityItems) {
if ([o isKindOfClass:NSURL.class]) {
return YES;
}
}
return NO;
}
- (void)prepareWithActivityItems:(NSArray *)activityItems
{
for (NSObject *o in activityItems) {
if ([o isKindOfClass:NSURL.class]) {
openURL = (NSURL *)o;
return;
}
}
}
- (void)performActivity
{
if (openURL) {
[[UIApplication sharedApplication] openURL:openURL options:@{} completionHandler:nil];
}
[self activityDidFinish:YES];
}
@end
| 2023-10-09T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5361 |
Q:
Opening multiple links in default browser as tabs, why do I get multiple windows?
I have just made a simple script that opens links from a hand typed list in the default browser. It succeeds at opening the pages, but often opens 2 or three windows with all the pages spread out across. What am I missing?
import webbrowser
new = 2
def open_page(url):
webbrowser.open(url,new=new)
def file_len(fname):
with open(fname) as f:
for i, l in enumerate(f):
pass
return i + 1
line_len = file_len('social.txt')
with open('social.txt') as f:
content1 = f.readlines()
for i in range(line_len):
url = content1[i].rstrip()
open_page(url)
print url
A:
This is up to your browser. As the documentation for webbrowser.open says:
If new is 2, a new browser page (“tab”) is opened if possible.
So, why might it not be possible?
At least two reasons, and probably more:
When you call webbrowser.open the second time, it hasn't finished opening the first window yet. So, when it tries to create a new tab in the current window, there is no current window, so it creates a new tab. This may happen a few times if you're spamming it as fast as possible (as you are). Not every browser works this way on every platform, but some do. This is particularly likely in cases where the "browser" program is actually just a script that talks to the real browser program, as with the firefox script on most *nix platforms except Mac OS X.
When you call webbrowser.open the 13th or so time, that exceeds some limit on max tabs/window, so it opens a new window. I believe Gecko-based browsers have this feature but it's disabled in Firefox (as in, you have to dig into about:preferences or edit prefs.js to set a limit), WebKit-based browsers don't have it at all, and I have no idea about IE or Opera.
Again, those are just two possible reasons.
So, how do you fix this? Well, it depends on the problem.
First, there are already some hacky workarounds to avoid the first problem with some browsers. In particular, if you're on a *nix platform, and your default browser is Firefox, but Python can't figure that out (and it's therefore just using $BROWSER and/or using xdg-open or similar), explicitly using firefox instead of the default may help.
But beyond that, this is a classic race condition. The solution to any race condition is to find the right thing to synchronize on. But there's no way to do that in this case. You're calling a function that kicks off a chain of events and gets no feedback whatsoever (e.g., it executes a wrapper script that talks to the real browser program that may itself just be a front-end that sends a message over a pipe to the real real browser program…). As the docs say:
For non-Unix platforms, or when a remote browser is available on Unix, the controlling process will not wait for the user to finish with the browser, but allow the remote browser to maintain its own windows on the display.
As usual with races, you can sort of paper over them with sleeps, but it's never a good solution. No matter how long you sleep between the first and second call, it's not guaranteed to be always long enough—and it's almost certain to be usually too long.
If you dig through the source for BackgroundBrowser and the UnixBrowser, MozillaBrowser, etc. that follow it, you can see that there are some hacks that you might be able to extend that might work in some cases. Or, you can go deeper under the covers and talk to a specific web browser using some more powerful specific API that it provides via, say, COM or AppleEvents or over some pipe or on the command line. But short of that, there's no real answer. (Well, you might be able to use something like Selenium that knows how to drive a number of different browsers, but it's the same basic idea.)
| 2024-01-21T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6605 |
Rio Gold Fly Line
Product Description
The Rio Gold is one of the most popular lines we sell here. It's considered a year round line with power and control for both light dries and heavy nymphs.
It's weighted 1/2 gage heavier for easier loading, i.e. 5wt =5.5wt line
Features include:
*Max Float Tip
*Front based weight to load at close ranges.
*Tapered for flies #22 and #2
*Long head for best casting control.
*Welded Loops at either end. | 2024-03-27T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3294 |
Baba Hatim Ziyarat
The mausoleum of Baba Hatim was built in the 11th and 12th centuries. It is located outside the town of Imam Sahib, in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, near the border with Tajikistan.
Restoration
It was restored between 1978 and 1979 by the Délégation Archéologique Française en Afghanistan and l'Institut Afghan d'Archéologie. When the restorations began, the tomb was structurally unstable, with layers of bricks stripped down from the top of its walls on the exterior. Excavating the walls to reveal their original height, the restoration team replaced the missing bricks, restoring the original cubical shape to the exterior and the four octagonal colonettes embedded at its corners. The dome was reassembled with new mortar and refinished on the exterior with plaster and studded with pairs of bricks protruding in four concentric rings. The circular and octagonal drums of the dome were also reconstructed, and a metal finial was placed atop the dome.
Other names
The Baba Hatim Tomb is also known as Baba Hatem Ziyarat, Baba Hatom Ziarat, Tomb of Salar Khalil (Salar Kalil, Salar Chalil Sayyid.)
References
Archnet
iranica.com
Emam Sahib - Baba Hatim Tomb
Category:Ziyarat
Category:Dargahs
Category:Shrines in Afghanistan | 2023-12-06T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1653 |
---
abstract: 'We present a general formalism for describing stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a multi-level atom. The atom is assumed to have two ground state manifolds $a$ and $b$ and an excited state manifold $e$, and the adiabatic passage is carried out by resonantly driving the $a-e$ and $b-e$ transitions with time-dependent fields. Our formalism gives a complete description of the adiabatic passage process, and can be applied to systems with arbitrary numbers of degenerate states in each manifold and arbitrary couplings of the $a-e$ and $b-e$ transitions. We illustrate the formalism by applying it to both a simple toy model and to adiabatic passage in the Cesium atom.'
author:
- 'A. D. Boozer'
title: 'Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a multi-level atom'
---
Introduction
============
A number of techniques for coherently manipulating atomic systems are based on the idea of adiabatically varying the parameters of a time-dependent Hamiltonian. One such example is the technique of stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP), which can be used to coherently transfer population between the two ground states of a three-level atom in the lambda configuration [@hioe83; @oreg84; @kuklinski89]. The STIRAP technique involves driving the atom with a pair of time-dependent fields that couple the two ground states to the excited state, and relies on the fact that the Hamiltonian for the system has an instantaneous eigenstate, called the dark state, that contains no excited state component. In general this dark state is a superposition of the two ground states, where the overlap of the dark state with each ground state depends on the ratio of the powers in the two fields. Population is transfered from the first ground state to the second by adiabatically varying these powers in such a way that initially the dark state overlaps entirely with the first ground state, during the process the dark state is a superposition of the two ground states, and after the process has been completed the dark state overlaps entirely with the second ground state. The STIRAP technique has been studied experimentally [@gaubatz88; @gaubatz90; @rubahn91; @broers92; @schiemann93; @weitz94; @boozer07], and has formed the basis for numerous theoretical proposals [@marte91; @unanyan98; @theuer99; @unanyan99]. In addition, STIRAP has been generalized to multi-level systems [@shore95; @martin95; @kis01; @kiz04], opening up new possibilities for creating superposition states [@chang01; @kis02; @karpati03; @kis05; @thanopulos].
Here we present a general formalism for describing STIRAP in a multi-level atom. The atom is assumed to have two ground state manifolds $a$ and $b$ and an excited state manifold $e$, where each manifold consists of an arbitrary number of degenerate states, and the adiabatic passage is carried out by resonantly driving the $a-e$ and $b-e$ transitions with time-dependent fields. The Hamiltonian for the system is $$\begin{aligned}
H =
\frac{\Omega}{2}\cos\theta \,(A_b + A_b^\dagger) -
\frac{\Omega}{2}\sin\theta \,(A_a + A_a^\dagger),\end{aligned}$$ where $\Omega$ is a time-independent Rabi frequency that characterizes the strength of the fields, $\theta$ is a time-dependent parameter that is varied to carry out the adiabatic passage, and $A_a$ and $A_b$ are lowering operators that connect states in manifold $e$ to states in manifolds $a$ and $b$. We sweep $\theta$ from $0$ to $\pi/2$ to transfer states from manifold $a$ to manifold $b$, and we sweep $\theta$ from $\pi/2$ to $0$ to transfer states from manifold $b$ to manifold $a$.
Let us denote the Hilbert spaces for manifolds $a$, $b$, and $e$ by ${\cal H}_a$, ${\cal H}_b$, and ${\cal H}_e$. We will show that ${\cal H}_a$ and ${\cal H}_b$ can be decomposed as follows: $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:decomposition-a}
{\cal H}_a & = &
{\cal H}_a^\lambda \oplus {\cal H}_a^d \oplus {\cal H}_a' \\
\label{eqn:decomposition-b}
{\cal H}_b & = &
{\cal H}_b^\lambda \oplus {\cal H}_b^d \oplus {\cal H}_b'.\end{aligned}$$ Under adiabatic passage from $a$ to $b$, states in ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ coherently evolve into states in ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$, states in ${\cal H}_a^d$ remain unchanged, and states in ${\cal H}_a'$ are driven to the excited state manifold and scatter incoherently. Similarly, for adiabatic passage from $b$ to $a$, states in ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ coherently evolve into states in ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$, states in ${\cal H}_b^d$ remain unchanged, and states in ${\cal H}_b'$ are driven to the excited state manifold and scatter incoherently. The coherent evolution from ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ to ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ is described by a unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$, and the coherent evolution from ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ to ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ is described by the unitary transformation $U^\dagger:{\cal H}_b^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_a^\lambda$. Given arbitrary operators $A_a$ and $A_b$, our goal is to perform the Hilbert space decompositions described in equations (\[eqn:decomposition-a\]) and (\[eqn:decomposition-b\]) and to calculate the unitary transformation $U$.
The paper is organized as follows. In section \[sec:decompositions\], we show how to preform the Hilbert space decompositions described in equations (\[eqn:decomposition-a\]) and (\[eqn:decomposition-b\]). In section \[sec:unitary-transformation\], we calculate the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$, and consider in detail the special case $\dim {\cal H}_a^\lambda = \dim {\cal H}_b^\lambda = 2$. The formalism developed in sections \[sec:decompositions\] and \[sec:unitary-transformation\] gives a complete description of the adiabatic transfer process, and in section \[sec:example-system\] we illustrate this formalism by applying it to a simple toy model. Finally, in section \[sec:cesium\] we use the formalism to analyze adiabatic passage in the Cesium atom.
Hilbert space decompositions {#sec:decompositions}
============================
We will first show how to perform the Hilbert space decompositions described in equations (\[eqn:decomposition-a\]) and (\[eqn:decomposition-b\]) for a given pair of atomic lowering operators $A_a$ and $A_b$. Let ${\cal H}_a^d$ be the space of states in manifold $a$ that are dark to the $a \rightarrow e$ transition, let ${\cal H}_b^d$ be the space of states in manifold $b$ that are dark to the $b \rightarrow e$ transition, and let ${\cal H}_e^d$ be the space of states in manifold $e$ that are dark to the $e \rightarrow b$ transition. Note that ${\cal H}_a^d$, ${\cal H}_b^d$, and ${\cal H}_e^d$ are just the null spaces of the operators $A_a^\dagger$, $A_b^\dagger$, and $A_b$: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_a^d & = &
\{ |\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a \mid
A_a^\dagger|\psi_a\rangle = 0 \} \\
{\cal H}_b^d & = &
\{ |\psi_b\rangle \in {\cal H}_b \mid
A_b^\dagger|\psi_b\rangle = 0 \} \\
{\cal H}_e^d & = &
\{ |\psi_e\rangle \in {\cal H}_e \mid A_b|\psi_e\rangle = 0 \}.\end{aligned}$$ Define ${\cal H}_a^\perp$, ${\cal H}_b^\perp$, and ${\cal H}_e^\perp$ to be the complements of these spaces in ${\cal H}_a$, ${\cal H}_b$, and ${\cal H}_e$: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_a & = &
{\cal H}_a^\perp \oplus {\cal H}_a^d \\
{\cal H}_b & = &
{\cal H}_b^\perp \oplus {\cal H}_b^d \\
{\cal H}_e & = &
{\cal H}_e^\perp \oplus {\cal H}_e^d.\end{aligned}$$ Clearly, states in ${\cal H}_a^d$ and ${\cal H}_b^d$ are dark states of $H$. In addition, $H$ has dark states of the form $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:lambda-dark-state}
|\Lambda\rangle = \cos\phi\,|\psi_a\rangle +
\sin\phi\,|\psi_b\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a^\perp$ and $|\psi_b\rangle \in {\cal H}_b^\perp$. We will call such states lambda dark states, and say that $|\psi_a\rangle$ and $|\psi_b\rangle$ form a lambda pair. Since $H|\Lambda\rangle = 0$, we have that $$\begin{aligned}
\cos\theta\sin\phi\,A_b^\dagger |\psi_b\rangle =
\sin\theta \cos\phi\,A_a^\dagger\,|\psi_a\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ This equation must hold for all values of $\theta$, so $\phi$ must be related to $\theta$ by $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:angle-relation}
\tan \phi = \lambda \tan\theta\end{aligned}$$ for some value $\lambda$. Thus, states $|\psi_a\rangle$ and $|\psi_b\rangle$ are related by $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:pair-relation}
\lambda A_b^\dagger |\psi_b\rangle =
A_a^\dagger |\psi_a\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Note that by using equation (\[eqn:angle-relation\]), we can also express $|\Lambda\rangle$ as $$\begin{aligned}
|\Lambda\rangle = (\cos^2\theta + \lambda^2 \sin^2\theta)^{-1/2}\,
(\cos\theta\,|\psi_a\rangle + \lambda\sin\theta\,|\psi_b\rangle).\end{aligned}$$ Define ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ to be the space of states $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a^\perp$ such that $A_a^\dagger |\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_e^\perp$, and define ${\cal H}_a'$ to be the complement of ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ in ${\cal H}_a^\perp$: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_a^\perp & = &
{\cal H}_a^\lambda \oplus {\cal H}_a'.\end{aligned}$$ Note that from the definitions of ${\cal H}_a'$ and ${\cal H}_e^d$, it follows that $\dim {\cal H}_a' \le \dim {\cal H}_e^d$.
We will now show that for every normalized state $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a^\lambda$, we can construct a normalized state $|\psi_b\rangle \in {\cal H}_b^\perp$ such that $|\psi_a\rangle$ and $|\psi_b\rangle$ form a lambda pair. First, note that we can view the raising operator $A_a^\dagger$ as a mapping $A_a^\dagger:{\cal H}_a \rightarrow {\cal H}_e$. Since the image of ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ under $A_a^\dagger$ lies entirely in ${\cal H}_e^\perp$, we can define a new mapping $R_a^\dagger:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_e^\perp$ by $$\begin{aligned}
R_a^\dagger|\psi_a\rangle \equiv
A_a^\dagger|\psi_a\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $|\psi_a\rangle$ is an arbitrary state in ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$. Similarly, given the definitions of ${\cal H}_b^\perp$ and ${\cal H}_e^\perp$, we can define mappings $R_b^\dagger:{\cal H}_b^\perp \rightarrow {\cal H}_e^\perp$ and $R_b:{\cal H}_e^\perp \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\perp$ by $$\begin{aligned}
R_b^\dagger|\psi_b\rangle & \equiv &
A_b^\dagger|\psi_b\rangle \\
R_b|\psi_e\rangle & \equiv &
A_b|\psi_e\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $|\psi_b\rangle$ and $|\psi_e\rangle$ are arbitrary states in ${\cal H}_b^\perp$ and ${\cal H}_e^\perp$. Note that the only state in ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ that lies in the null space of $A_a^\dagger$ is the null state, the only state in ${\cal H}_b^\perp$ that lies in the null space of $A_b^\dagger$ is the null state, and the only state in ${\cal H}_e^\perp$ that lies in null space of $A_b$ is the null state; thus, the null spaces of $R_a^\dagger$, $R_b^\dagger$, and $R_b$ are trivial. This means that the mapping $R_b^\dagger R_b: {\cal H}_e^\perp \rightarrow {\cal H}_e^\perp$ is invertible, and we can define a mapping $M:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\perp$ by $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:mapping-M}
M = R_b\,(R_b^\dagger R_b)^{-1}\,R_a^\dagger.\end{aligned}$$ Define ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ to be the image of $M$, and define ${\cal H}_b'$ to be the complement of ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ in ${\cal H}_b^\perp$: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_b^\perp = {\cal H}_b^\lambda \oplus {\cal H}_b'.\end{aligned}$$ Note that because the null spaces of $R_a^\dagger$, $R_b^\dagger$, and $R_b$ are all trivial, the null space of $M$ is also trivial, and therefore $\dim {\cal H}_b^\lambda = \dim {\cal H}_a^\lambda$. Given a normalized state $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a^\lambda$, define $\lambda$ by $$\begin{aligned}
\lambda = \langle \psi_a | M^\dagger M|\psi_a\rangle^{1/2},\end{aligned}$$ and define a normalized state $|\psi_b\rangle \in {\cal H}_b^\lambda$ by $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:map-to-lambda-pair}
|\psi_b\rangle = \frac{1}{\lambda} M|\psi_a\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Using equations (\[eqn:mapping-M\]) and (\[eqn:map-to-lambda-pair\]), we find that $$\begin{aligned}
\lambda A_b^\dagger |\psi_b\rangle =
\lambda R_b^\dagger |\psi_b\rangle =
R_b^\dagger M |\psi_a\rangle =
R_b^\dagger R_b\,(R_b^\dagger R_b)^{-1}\,R_a^\dagger |\psi_a\rangle =
R_a^\dagger|\psi_a\rangle =
A_a^\dagger|\psi_a\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Thus, states $|\psi_b\rangle$ and $|\psi_a\rangle$ satisfy equation (\[eqn:pair-relation\]) and therefore form a lambda pair.
We claim that none of the states in ${\cal H}_a'$ can form lambda pairs with states in ${\cal H}_b^\perp$. To see this, consider a superposition of states $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a'$ and $|\psi_b\rangle \in {\cal H}_b^\perp$: $$\begin{aligned}
|\phi\rangle = c_a |\psi_a\rangle + c_b |\psi_b\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Because of the way we have defined ${\cal H}_a'$, there must be a state $|\psi_e\rangle \in {\cal H}_e^d$ such that $$\begin{aligned}
\langle \psi_e |A_a^\dagger |\psi_a\rangle \neq 0.\end{aligned}$$ Since $|\psi_e\rangle \in {\cal H}_e^d$ we have that $A_b|\psi_e\rangle = 0$, so $$\begin{aligned}
\langle \psi_e |A_b^\dagger |\psi_b\rangle = 0,\end{aligned}$$ and therefore $$\begin{aligned}
\langle \psi_e | H |\phi\rangle =
-\frac{\Omega}{2} \sin\theta\,
\langle \psi_e |A_a^\dagger | \psi_a\rangle\,c_a .\end{aligned}$$ Thus, for $c_a \neq 0$ and $\sin \theta \neq 0$ we have that $H|\phi\rangle \neq 0$, so $|\phi\rangle$ cannot be a lambda dark state.
Since all the states in ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ form lambda pairs with states in ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$, and none of the states in ${\cal H}_a'$ form lambda pairs with states in ${\cal H}_b^\perp$, it follows that none of the states in ${\cal H}_b'$ form lambda pairs with states in ${\cal H}_a^\perp$. Thus, states in ${\cal H}_a'$ and ${\cal H}_b'$ do not form dark states of $H$, and under adiabatic passage they are driven to the excited state manifold and scatter incoherently.
Unitary transformation {#sec:unitary-transformation}
======================
In the previous section we defined Hilbert spaces ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ and ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$, which are subspaces of the total Hilbert spaces for ground state manifolds $a$ and $b$. We will now show that under adiabatic passage from $a$ to $b$ states in ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ coherently evolve into states in ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$, and we will derive the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$ that describes this evolution.
First, choose an orthonormal basis $\{ |\psi_{a1}\rangle,\, \cdots,\, |\psi_{an}\rangle \}$ for ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$, and use the mapping $M$ given in equation (\[eqn:mapping-M\]) to construct a normalized basis $\{ |\psi_{b1}\rangle,\, \cdots,\, |\psi_{bn}\rangle \}$ for ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$, where $|\psi_{bj}\rangle$ is defined by $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:b-basis-states}
|\psi_{bj}\rangle & = & \frac{1}{\lambda_j} M |\psi_{aj}\rangle \\
\label{eqn:lambda-factors}
\lambda_j & = &
\langle \psi_{aj} | M^\dagger M|\psi_{aj} \rangle^{1/2}.\end{aligned}$$ Note that the basis states for ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ will not necessarily be mutually orthogonal. The states $|\psi_{aj}\rangle$ and $|\psi_{bj}\rangle$ form a lambda pair, and define a lambda dark state that is given by $$\begin{aligned}
|\Lambda_j(\theta)\rangle =
\cos\phi_j(\theta)\,|\psi_{aj}\rangle +
\sin\phi_j(\theta)\,|\psi_{bj}\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:phi-j}
\phi_j(\theta) = \tan^{-1}(\lambda_j\tan\theta).\end{aligned}$$ The states $\{ |\Lambda_1\rangle,\, \cdots,\, |\Lambda_n\rangle \}$ form a basis for the lambda dark states, so we can express a general lambda dark state $|\Lambda\rangle$ as $$\begin{aligned}
|\Lambda\rangle = \sum_j c_j\,|\Lambda_j\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ In the adiabatic limit, the time evolution of $|\Lambda\rangle$ is given by Schrödinger’s equation: $$\begin{aligned}
i \frac{d}{dt} |\Lambda\rangle = H |\Lambda\rangle = 0.\end{aligned}$$ Thus, substituting for $|\Lambda\rangle$, we find that $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:schrodinger-dark}
\sum_j (\dot{c}_j\,|\Lambda_j\rangle +
c_j\,\dot{\phi}_j\,|\bar{\Lambda}_j\rangle) = 0,\end{aligned}$$ where the dots indicate derivatives with respect to $\theta$, and where we have defined $$\begin{aligned}
|\bar{\Lambda}_j\rangle = \frac{d}{d\phi_j}|\Lambda_j\rangle =
-\sin\phi_j\,|\psi_{aj}\rangle +
\cos\phi_j\,|\psi_{bj}\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Taking the inner product of equation (\[eqn:schrodinger-dark\]) with $\langle \Lambda_k|$, we obtain $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:eqns-of-motion-temp}
\sum_{j} (\dot{c}_j\,\langle \Lambda_k|\Lambda_j\rangle +
c_j\,\dot{\phi}_j\,\langle \Lambda_k|\bar{\Lambda}_j\rangle) = 0.\end{aligned}$$ Since $\{ |\Lambda_1\rangle,\, \cdots,\, |\Lambda_n\rangle \}$ is a complete basis for the lambda dark states, the matrix $\langle
\Lambda_k|\Lambda_j\rangle$ is invertible; we will denote its inverse by $L_{ik}$: $$\begin{aligned}
\sum_k L_{ik}\,\langle \Lambda_k|\Lambda_j\rangle =
\delta_{ij}.\end{aligned}$$ If we multiply equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion-temp\]) by $L_{ik}$ and then sum over $k$, we obtain the following equations of motion for the expansion coefficients $c_i$: $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:eqns-of-motion}
\dot{c}_i =
- \sum_j \sum_k L_{ik}\,\langle\Lambda_k|\bar{\Lambda}_j\rangle\,
\dot{\phi}_j\,c_j.\end{aligned}$$ Note that we can express an arbitrary state $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a^\lambda$ as $$\begin{aligned}
|\psi_a\rangle =
\sum_j c_j(0)\,|\psi_{aj}\rangle =
\sum_j c_j(0)\,|\Lambda_j(0)\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ for some set of amplitudes $c_j(0)$. We can then integrate equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]) subject to these initial conditions to obtain a state $$\begin{aligned}
U|\psi_a\rangle =
\sum_j c_j(\pi/2)\,|\Lambda_j(\pi/2)\rangle =
\sum_j c_j(\pi/2)\,|\psi_{bj}\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ This defines the unitary transformation $U$.
Example: $\dim {\cal H}_a^\lambda = \dim {\cal H}_b^\lambda = 2$ {#sec:unitary-transformation-two-level}
----------------------------------------------------------------
As an example, we will write down the equations of motion explicitly for the case $\dim {\cal H}_a^\lambda = \dim {\cal H}_b^\lambda = 2$. We choose an orthonormal basis of states $\{ |\psi_{a1}\rangle,\, |\psi_{a2}\rangle \}$ for ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$, use equation (\[eqn:b-basis-states\]) to obtain a basis of states $\{ |\psi_{b1}\rangle,\, |\psi_{b2}\rangle \}$ for ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$, and use equation (\[eqn:lambda-factors\]) to obtain the values $\lambda_1$ and $\lambda_2$. The matrices $\langle\Lambda_k|\Lambda_j\rangle$ and $\langle\Lambda_k|\bar{\Lambda}_j\rangle$ are given by $$\begin{aligned}
\langle\Lambda_k|\Lambda_j\rangle & = &
\left(
\begin{array}{cc}
1 & z \sin\phi_1\sin\phi_2 \\
z^* \sin\phi_1\sin\phi_2 & 1
\end{array}
\right) \\
\langle\Lambda_k|\bar{\Lambda}_j\rangle & = &
\left(
\begin{array}{cc}
0 & z \sin\phi_1\cos\phi_2 \\
z^* \cos\phi_1\sin\phi_2 & 0
\end{array}
\right),\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
z = \langle \psi_{b1} | \psi_{b2} \rangle.\end{aligned}$$ The inverse of $\langle\Lambda_k|\Lambda_j\rangle$ is $$\begin{aligned}
L_{ik} & = &
(1 - |z|^2 \sin^2\phi_1\sin^2\phi_2)^{-1}
\left(
\begin{array}{cc}
1 & -z \sin\phi_1\sin\phi_2 \\
-z^* \sin\phi_1\sin\phi_2 & 1
\end{array}
\right).\end{aligned}$$ Substituting these matrices into equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]), we find that the equations of motion for $c_1$ and $c_2$ are $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:eqns-of-motion-two-level}
\left(
\begin{array}{c}
\dot{c}_1 \\
\dot{c}_2
\end{array}
\right) =
(1 - |z|^2 \sin^2\phi_1\sin^2\phi_2)^{-1}
\left(
\begin{array}{cc}
|z|^2 \sin\phi_1\cos\phi_1\sin^2\phi_2 & -z \sin\phi_1\cos\phi_2 \\
-z^* \cos\phi_1\sin\phi_2 & |z|^2 \sin\phi_2\cos\phi_2\sin^2\phi_1
\end{array}
\right)
\left(
\begin{array}{c}
\dot{\phi}_1\,c_1 \\
\dot{\phi}_2\,c_2
\end{array}
\right),\end{aligned}$$ and from equation (\[eqn:phi-j\]) we have that $$\begin{aligned}
\cos \phi_k & = &
(\cos^2\theta + \lambda_k^2\sin^2\theta)^{-1/2}\,\cos\theta \\
\sin \phi_k & = &
(\cos^2\theta + \lambda_k^2\sin^2\theta)^{-1/2}\,\lambda_k \sin\theta \\
\dot{\phi}_k & = &
\lambda_k\,(\cos^2\theta + \lambda_k^2\sin^2\theta)^{-1}.\end{aligned}$$ Given $\lambda_1$, $\lambda_2$, and $z$, these equations of motion can be integrated to obtain the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$. For certain special cases, we can perform the integration analytically and write down the explicit form of $U$.
First, suppose $|\psi_{b1}\rangle$ and $|\psi_{b2}\rangle$ are orthogonal. Then $z = 0$ and the equations of motion reduce to $\dot{c}_1 = \dot{c}_2 = 0$, so the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow
{\cal H}_b^\lambda$ is given by $$\begin{aligned}
U|\psi_{a1}\rangle & = & |\psi_{b2}\rangle \\
U|\psi_{a2}\rangle & = & |\psi_{b2}\rangle.\end{aligned}$$
Next, suppose $\lambda_1 = \lambda_2$, so there is a single angle $\phi = \phi_1 = \phi_2$ that characterizes both lambda dark states. Also, for simplicity, assume that $z$ is real. Then we can express the equations of motion as $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:eqns-of-motion-simplified}
\left(
\begin{array}{c}
c_1' \\
c_2'
\end{array}
\right) =
z\,\sin\phi\cos\phi\,(1 - z^2 \sin^4\phi)^{-1}
\left(
\begin{array}{cc}
z \sin^2\phi & -1 \\
-1 & z \sin^2\phi
\end{array}
\right)
\left(
\begin{array}{c}
c_1 \\
c_2
\end{array}
\right),\end{aligned}$$ where primes denote derivatives with respect to $\phi$. We can decouple these equations by defining new variables $\eta_\pm = c_1 \pm c_2$: $$\begin{aligned}
\eta_\pm' =
\mp z \sin\phi \cos\phi\,(1 \pm z\,\sin^2\phi)^{-1}\,\eta_{\pm}.\end{aligned}$$ These equations can be integrated to give $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:eta-integrated}
\eta_\pm(\phi) =
(1 \pm z\,\sin^2\phi)^{-1/2}\,\eta_{\pm}(0).\end{aligned}$$ Thus, $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:phi-integrated}
c_1(\phi) & = &
\frac{1}{2}[(1 + z\,\sin^2\phi)^{-1/2}\,(c_1(0) + c_2(0)) +
(1 - z\,\sin^2\phi)^{-1/2}\,(c_1(0) - c_2(0))] \\
c_2(\phi) & = &
\frac{1}{2}[(1 + z\,\sin^2\phi)^{-1/2}\,(c_1(0) + c_2(0)) -
(1 - z\,\sin^2\phi)^{-1/2}\,(c_1(0) - c_2(0))].\end{aligned}$$ For adiabatic passage from $a$ to $b$ we sweep $\theta$ from $0$ to $\pi/2$, and from equation (\[eqn:phi-j\]) we see that $\phi$ also sweeps from $0$ to $\pi/2$. Thus, after the adiabatic passage has been completed $\phi = \pi/2$, and the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$ is given by $$\begin{aligned}
U|\psi_{a1}\rangle & = &
\alpha\,|\psi_{b1}\rangle + \beta\,|\psi_{b2}\rangle \\
U|\psi_{a2}\rangle & = &
\beta\,|\psi_{b1}\rangle + \alpha\,|\psi_{b2}\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:alpha}
\alpha & = & \frac{1}{2}((1 + z)^{-1/2} + (1 - z)^{-1/2}) \\
\label{eqn:beta}
\beta & = & \frac{1}{2}((1 + z)^{-1/2} - (1 - z)^{-1/2}).\end{aligned}$$
Example system {#sec:example-system}
==============
![ \[fig:example\] Level diagram for the example system. Horizontal lines indicate states in ground state manifolds $a$, $b$ and excited state manifold $e$; diagonal lines indicate transitions coupled by $A_a$ and $A_a^\dagger$; vertical lines indicate transitions coupled by $A_b$ and $A_b^\dagger$. ](figure-1.eps)
We will now illustrate the formalism developed in sections \[sec:decompositions\] and \[sec:unitary-transformation\] with a simple example. Consider an atom that has the following internal states: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_a & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |a_+\rangle,\, |a_0\rangle,\, |a_-\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_b & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |b_+\rangle,\, |b_0\rangle,\, |b_-\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_e & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |e_+\rangle,\, |e_0\rangle,\, |e_-\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ Define atomic lowering operators $A_a$ and $A_b$ by $$\begin{aligned}
A_b & = &
|b_+\rangle \langle e_+| +
|b_0\rangle \langle e_0| +
|b_-\rangle \langle e_-| \\
A_a & = &
|a_+\rangle (\langle e_+| + \langle e_0|) +
|a_-\rangle (\langle e_-| + \langle e_0|).\end{aligned}$$ The transitions coupled by these operators are shown in Figure \[fig:example\].
We will first apply the results of section \[sec:decompositions\] to find the decompositions of Hilbert spaces ${\cal H}_a$ and ${\cal H}_b$. There is a single dark state $|a_0\rangle$ for the $a \rightarrow e$ transition, and there are no dark states for the $b \rightarrow e$ and $e \rightarrow b$ transitions, so $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_a^d & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |a_0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_a^\perp & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |a_\pm \rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_b^d & = & \{ \} \\
{\cal H}_b^\perp & = & {\cal H}_b \\
{\cal H}_e^d & = & \{ \} \\
{\cal H}_e^\perp & = & {\cal H}_e.\end{aligned}$$ Since $A_a^\dagger|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_e^\perp$ for every state $|\psi_a\rangle \in {\cal H}_a^\perp$, we find that $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_a^\lambda & = & {\cal H}_a^\perp =
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |a_\pm \rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_a' & = & \{ \}.\end{aligned}$$ The mapping $M:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\perp$ is given by $$\begin{aligned}
M =
(|b_+\rangle + |b_0\rangle)\langle a_+| +
(|b_-\rangle + |b_0\rangle)\langle a_-|.\end{aligned}$$ We can use this mapping to define states $|B_\pm\rangle$ that form lambda pairs with states $|a_\pm\rangle$: $$\begin{aligned}
|B_\pm\rangle =
\frac{1}{\lambda_\pm}M|a_\pm\rangle =
(1/\sqrt{2})(|b_0\rangle + |b_\pm\rangle),\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
\lambda_\pm =
\langle a_\pm |M^\dagger M | a_\pm \rangle^{1/2} =
\sqrt{2}.\end{aligned}$$ Note that $|B_+\rangle$ and $|B_-\rangle$ are not orthogonal: $$\begin{aligned}
z = \langle B_+ | B_- \rangle = 1/2.\end{aligned}$$ From the results of section \[sec:decompositions\], it follows that $$\begin{aligned}
|\Lambda_\pm\rangle =
\cos\phi(\theta)\,|a_\pm\rangle + \sin\phi(\theta)\,|B_\pm\rangle\end{aligned}$$ are lambda dark states of $H$, where $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:phi-example}
\phi(\theta) = \tan^{-1}(\sqrt{2} \tan \theta).\end{aligned}$$ Define a state $|s\rangle$ in ${\cal H}_b$ that is orthogonal to both $|B_+\rangle$ and $|B_-\rangle$: $$\begin{aligned}
|s\rangle =
(1/\sqrt{3})(|b_-\rangle - |b_0\rangle + |b_+\rangle).\end{aligned}$$ Since the image of $M$ is ${\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_\pm \rangle \}$, we find that $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_b^\lambda & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_\pm \rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_b' & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |s\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$
Now that we have decomposed the Hilbert spaces ${\cal H}_a$ and ${\cal H}_b$, let us apply the results of section \[sec:unitary-transformation\] to calculate the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$. We first note that a general lambda dark state of $H$ is a superposition of $|\Lambda_+\rangle$ and $|\Lambda_-\rangle$: $$\begin{aligned}
|\Lambda\rangle = c_1 |\Lambda_+\rangle + c_2 |\Lambda_-\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Since $\lambda_+ = \lambda_-$, the equations of motion for $c_1$ and $c_2$ are given by equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion-simplified\]). As was shown in section \[sec:unitary-transformation-two-level\], these equations of motion can be integrated to give $U:{\cal H}_a^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_b^\lambda$: $$\begin{aligned}
U|a_+\rangle & = &
\alpha\,|B_+\rangle + \beta\,|B_-\rangle \\
U|a_-\rangle & = &
\beta\,|B_+\rangle + \alpha\,|B_-\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are given by equations (\[eqn:alpha\]) and (\[eqn:beta\]) with $z=1/2$.
The Hilbert space decompositions and unitary transformation $U$ give a complete description of the behavior of the example system under adiabatic passage: for adiabatic passage from $a$ to $b$, states $|a_\pm\rangle$ coherently evolve into states $U|a_\pm\rangle$ and state $|a_0\rangle$ remains unchanged; for adiabatic passage from $b$ to $a$, states $U|a_\pm\rangle$ coherently evolve into states $|a_\pm\rangle$, and state $|s\rangle$ is driven to the excited state manifold and scatters incoherently.
It is interesting to note that if we start in state $|a_+\rangle$ and perform adiabatic passage from $a$ to $b$, population is transferred to $|b_-\rangle$ despite the fact that $\langle b_- |A_b\,A_a^\dagger | a_+ \rangle = 0$. The population reaches state $|b_-\rangle$ by passing through state $|a_-\rangle$; at time $t$ the population in $|a_-\rangle$ is given by $$\begin{aligned}
P(|a_-\rangle) = |c_2(\phi)|^2\,\cos^2\phi,\end{aligned}$$ where $c_2(\phi)$ is given by equation (\[eqn:phi-integrated\]) with $c_1(0) = 1$, $c_2(0) = 0$, and where $\phi = \tan^{-1}(\sqrt{2} \tan \theta(t))$.
Adiabatic passage in Cesium {#sec:cesium}
===========================
![ \[fig:cesium-spectrum\] Level diagram for Cesium. The two hyperfine ground state manifolds $6S_{1/2}, F=3$ and $6S_{1/2}, F=4$ correspond to manifolds $a$ and $b$ in our theory, and one of the excited state hyperfine manifolds, either $6P_{3/2}, F'=3$ or $6P_{3/2}, F'=4$, corresponds to manifold $e$. ](figure-2.eps)
In order to show how the formalism developed in sections \[sec:decompositions\] and \[sec:unitary-transformation\] applies in a more physical context, we will use it to analyze adiabatic passage in the Cesium atom. A level diagram for Cesium is shown in Figure \[fig:cesium-spectrum\]; the two hyperfine ground state manifolds $6S_{1/2}, F=3$ and $6S_{1/2}, F=4$ correspond to manifolds $a$ and $b$, and one of the excited state hyperfine manifolds, either $6P_{3/2}, F'=3$ or $6P_{3/2}, F'=4$, corresponds to manifold $e$. For simplicity, we will denote the $6S_{1/2}, F=3$ and $6S_{1/2}, F=4$ ground state manifolds by $g_3$ and $g_4$, and the $6P_{3/2}, F'=3$ and $6P_{3/2}, F'=4$ excited state manifolds by $e_3$ and $e_4$.
Adiabatic passage between manifolds $g_3$ and $g_4$ is performed by driving the atom with a pair of classical fields that connect these manifolds to the excited state manifold $e_{F'}$. The field driving the $g_F \leftrightarrow e_{F'}$ transition corresponds to an atomic lowering operator that is given by $$\begin{aligned}
A_F = \vec{A}_F\cdot\hat{\epsilon}_F,\end{aligned}$$ where $\hat{\epsilon}_F$ is the polarization of the field. The operator $\vec{A}_F$ is defined by $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:vector-rasing-operator}
\vec{A}_F^\dagger \equiv
\sum_{m'}\sum_m \sum_{q=-1}^1 \beta(F',F)\,
\langle F',m'|1,q;F,m\rangle\,|F',m'\rangle \langle F,m|\,
\hat{e}_q^*,\end{aligned}$$ where $\langle F',m'|1,q;F,m\rangle$ is the Clebsch-Gordan coefficient that connects ground state $|F,m\rangle$ to excited state $|F',m'\rangle$ via polarization $\hat{e}_q^*$, $$\begin{aligned}
\label{eqn:circular-polarization-vectors}
\hat{e}_{\pm 1} & = &
\mp \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(\hat{x} \pm i \hat{y}) \\
\hat{e}_0 & = & \hat{z},\end{aligned}$$ is a orthonormal basis of polarization vectors, and $\beta(F',F)$ is given by the following table: $$\begin{aligned}
\begin{array}{|c|cccc|}
\hline
F' & 3 & 3 & 4 & 4 \\
F & 3 & 4 & 3 & 4 \\
\beta(F',F) & \sqrt{3/4} & \sqrt{1/4} & \sqrt{5/12} & \sqrt{7/12} \\
\hline
\end{array}\end{aligned}$$ In the following sections we apply the results of section \[sec:decompositions\] to perform the Hilbert space decompositions given in equations (\[eqn:decomposition-a\]) and (\[eqn:decomposition-b\]) for adiabatic passage via both the $F'=3$ and $F'=4$ excited state manifolds.
Adiabatic passage via the $F'=3$ manifold {#ssec:passage-via-e3}
-----------------------------------------
For the $g_4 \leftrightarrow e_3$ transition there are two dark states $|d_{4e}\rangle$, $|d_{4o}\rangle$ in $g_4$ (these dark states are calculated in Appendix \[dark\_state\_f\_to\_f\_minus\_1\]), and there are no dark states in $e_3$, so $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_4^d & = & {\mathrm{span}}
\{ |d_{4e}\rangle,\, |d_{4o}\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_e^d & = & \{ \}.\end{aligned}$$ For the $g_3 \leftrightarrow e_3$ transition there is a single dark state $|d_3\rangle$ in $g_3$ (this dark state is calculated in Appendix \[dark\_state\_f\_to\_f\]), so $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |d_3\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ From the dimensions of ${\cal H}_3^d$, ${\cal H}_4^d$, and ${\cal H}_e^d$, we can work out the dimensions of all the Hilbert spaces in the decompositions of ${\cal H}_3$ and ${\cal H}_4$. First, note that because $\dim {\cal H}_e^d = 0$ and $\dim {\cal H}_3' \leq \dim {\cal H}_e^d$, we must have that $\dim {\cal H}_3' = 0$. Next, since the dimensions of ${\cal H}_3^\lambda$, ${\cal H}_3^d$, and ${\cal H}_3'$ must sum to $7$, we find that $\dim {\cal H}_3^\lambda = 6$. Finally, since $\dim {\cal H}_4^\lambda = \dim {\cal H}_3^\lambda = 6$ and the dimensions of ${\cal H}_4^\lambda$, ${\cal H}_4^d$, and ${\cal H}_4'$ must sum to $9$, we find that $\dim {\cal H}_4' = 1$. Thus, the dimensions of the Hilbert spaces are $$\begin{aligned}
\begin{tabular}{|c|ccc|}
\hline
F & $\dim {\cal H}_F^\lambda $ & $\dim {\cal H}_F^d$ &
$\dim {\cal H}_F'$ \\
\hline
3 & 6 & 1 & 0 \\
4 & 6 & 2 & 1 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}\end{aligned}$$ Note that these dimensions are independent of the polarizations of the classical fields.
### Example: $\hat{\epsilon}_3 = \hat{\epsilon}_4 = \hat{z}$
The Hilbert space decompositions are $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_3' & = &
\{ \} \\
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,\pm 1\rangle,\, |3, \pm 2\rangle,\,
|3, \pm 3\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4, \pm 4\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4, 0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4,\pm 1\rangle,\, |4, \pm 2\rangle,\,
|4, \pm 3\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ States $|3,m\rangle$ and $|4,m\rangle$ are lambda pairs for $m=\pm 1,\pm 2, \pm 3$. Since the lambda dark states corresponding to these pairs are mutually orthogonal, equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]) decouples and the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_3^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_4^\lambda$ can be written down explicitly: $$\begin{aligned}
U = \sum_m |4,m\rangle \langle 3,m|,\end{aligned}$$ where the sum is taken over $m=\pm 1,\pm 2, \pm 3$.
### Example: $\hat{\epsilon}_3 = \hat{z}$, $\hat{\epsilon}_4 = \hat{x}$ {#ssec:example-3-2}
The Hilbert space decompositions are $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_3' & = &
\{ \} \\
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,\pm 1\rangle,\, |3, \pm 2\rangle,\,
|3, \pm 3\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |d_{4e}\rangle,\, |d_{4o}\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |s\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_{\pm 1}\rangle,\,
|B_{\pm 2}\rangle,\,
|B_{\pm 3}\rangle \},\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
|s\rangle \equiv (1/\sqrt{2})\,(|4,1\rangle - |4,-1\rangle)\end{aligned}$$ and the dark states are given by $$\begin{aligned}
|d_{4e}\rangle & = &
(1/8\sqrt{2})\,(
|4,4\rangle +
\sqrt{28}\, |4,2\rangle +
\sqrt{70}\, |4,0\rangle +
\sqrt{28}\, |4,-2\rangle +
|4,-4\rangle) \\
|d_{4o}\rangle & = &
(1/4)\,(
|4,3\rangle +
\sqrt{7}\, |4,1\rangle +
\sqrt{7}\, |4,-1\rangle +
|4,-3\rangle).\end{aligned}$$ We have defined states $|B_{\pm 1}\rangle$, $|B_{\pm 2}\rangle$, and $|B_{\pm 3}\rangle$ that form lambda pairs with states $|3,\pm 1\rangle$, $|3,\pm 2\rangle$, and $|3,\pm 3\rangle$; they are given by $$\begin{aligned}
|B_{\pm 3}\rangle & = &
(1/8\sqrt{254})\,(
127 |4,\pm 4\rangle -
2\sqrt{7} |4, \pm2\rangle -
\sqrt{70} |4, 0\rangle -
2\sqrt{7} |4, \mp 2\rangle -
|4,\mp 4\rangle ) \\
|B_{\pm 2}\rangle & = &
(1/4\sqrt{15})\,(
15 |4,\pm 3\rangle -
\sqrt{7} |4, \pm1\rangle -
\sqrt{7} |4, \mp 1\rangle -
|4,\mp 3\rangle ) \\
|B_{\pm 1}\rangle & = &
(1/24\sqrt{638})\,(
99\,|4,\pm 4\rangle +
198 \sqrt{7} |4, \pm2\rangle -
29 \sqrt{70} |4, 0\rangle -
58 \sqrt{7} |4, \mp 2\rangle -
29 |4,\mp 4\rangle ),\end{aligned}$$ and the corresponding $\lambda$ values are $$\begin{aligned}
\lambda_{\pm 3} & = & \sqrt{10287/1792} \\
\lambda_{\pm 2} & = & \sqrt{45/14} \\
\lambda_{\pm 1} & = & \sqrt{8613/8960}.\end{aligned}$$ The unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_3^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_4^\lambda$ can be obtained by numerically integrating equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]) using the above expressions for the states and $\lambda$ values. We can say something about the structure of this unitary transformation by noting that the polarizations of the classical fields impose the selection rule $\Delta m = \pm 1$. Thus, it is useful to decompose ${\cal H}_3^\lambda$ and ${\cal H}_4^\lambda$ into subspaces of even and odd Zeeman states: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\cal H}_3^{\lambda e} \oplus {\cal H}_3^{\lambda o} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\cal H}_4^{\lambda e} \oplus {\cal H}_4^{\lambda o},\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^{\lambda e} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3, \pm 2\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_3^{\lambda o} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,\pm 1\rangle,\, |3, \pm 3\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^{\lambda o} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_{\pm 2} \rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^{\lambda e} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_{\pm 1}\rangle,\, |B_{\pm 3}\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ The selection rule implies that U maps ${\cal H}_3^{\lambda e}$ to ${\cal H}_4^{\lambda o}$ and ${\cal H}_3^{\lambda o}$ to ${\cal H}_4^{\lambda e}$. Since $\dim {\cal H}_3^{\lambda e} = \dim {\cal H}_4^{\lambda o} = 2$ and $\lambda_{+2} = \lambda_{-2}$, we can use the results of section \[sec:unitary-transformation-two-level\] to write down the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_3^{\lambda e} \rightarrow {\cal H}_4^{\lambda o}$ explicitly: $$\begin{aligned}
U|3,+2\rangle & = &
\alpha\,|B_{+2}\rangle + \beta\,|B_{-2}\rangle \\
U|3,-2\rangle & = &
\beta\,|B_{+2}\rangle + \alpha\,|B_{-2}\rangle,\end{aligned}$$ where $\alpha$ and $\beta$ are given by equations (\[eqn:alpha\]) and (\[eqn:beta\]) with $z = \langle B_{+2} | B_{-2} \rangle = -1/15$.
Adiabatic passage via the $F'=4$ manifold {#ssec:passage-via-e4}
-----------------------------------------
For the $g_4 \leftrightarrow e_4$ transition there is one dark state $|d_4\rangle$ in $g_4$ and one dark state $|d_e\rangle$ in $e_4$ (these dark states are calculated in Appendix \[dark\_state\_f\_to\_f\]), so $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_4^d & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |d_4\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_e^d & = & {\mathrm{span}} \{ |d_e\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ For the $g_3 \leftrightarrow e_4$ transition there are no dark states in $g_3$, so $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = & \{ \}.\end{aligned}$$ As with adiabatic passage via $F'=3$, we can use the dimensions of ${\cal H}_3^d$, ${\cal H}_4^d$, and ${\cal H}_e^d$ to say something about the dimensions of the other Hilbert spaces in the decomposition of ${\cal H}_3$ and ${\cal H}_4$. For adiabatic passage via $F'=4$, however, there are two separate cases to consider: since $\dim {\cal H}_3' \leq \dim{\cal H}_e^d$ and $\dim{\cal H}_e^d = 1$, we find that $\dim {\cal H}_3'$ can be either $0$ or $1$. For $\dim {\cal H}_3' = 0$ the dimensions of the Hilbert spaces are $$\begin{aligned}
\begin{tabular}{|c|ccc|}
\hline
F & $\dim {\cal H}_F^\lambda $ & $\dim {\cal H}_F^d$ &
$\dim {\cal H}_F'$ \\
\hline
3 & 7 & 0 & 0 \\
4 & 7 & 1 & 1 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}\end{aligned}$$ and for $\dim {\cal H}_3' = 1$ the dimensions of the Hilbert spaces are $$\begin{aligned}
\begin{tabular}{|c|ccc|}
\hline
F & $\dim {\cal H}_F^\lambda $ & $\dim {\cal H}_F^d$ &
$\dim {\cal H}_F'$ \\
\hline
3 & 6 & 0 & 1 \\
4 & 6 & 1 & 2 \\
\hline
\end{tabular}\end{aligned}$$ Thus, for adiabatic passage via $F'=4$ the dimensions of the Hilbert spaces depend on the polarizations of the classical fields.
### Example: $\hat{\epsilon}_3 = \hat{\epsilon}_4 = \hat{z}$
For this example $\dim {\cal H}_3' = 1$, and the Hilbert space decompositions are $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = &
\{ \} \\
{\cal H}_3' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3, 0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,\pm 1\rangle,\, |3, \pm 2\rangle,\,
|3, \pm 3\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4, 0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4, \pm 4\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4,\pm 1\rangle,\, |4, \pm 2\rangle,\,
|4, \pm 3\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ States $|3,m\rangle$ and $|4,m\rangle$ are lambda pairs for $m=\pm 1,\pm 2, \pm 3$. Since the lambda dark states corresponding to these pairs are mutually orthogonal, equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]) decouples, and the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_3^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_4^\lambda$ can be written down explicitly: $$\begin{aligned}
U = \sum_m |4,m\rangle \langle 3,m|,\end{aligned}$$ where the sum is taken over $m=\pm 1,\pm 2, \pm 3$.
### Example: $\hat{\epsilon}_3 = \hat{x}$, $\hat{\epsilon}_4 = \hat{z}$
For this example $\dim {\cal H}_3' = 1$, and the Hilbert space decompositions are $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = &
\{ \} \\
{\cal H}_3' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |-\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,\pm 2\rangle,\, |3, \pm 3\rangle,\,
|3, 0\rangle,\, |+\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4,0\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |s_e\rangle,\, |s_o\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_{\pm 2} \rangle,\,
|B_{\pm 3} \rangle,\, |B_0\rangle,\, |B_+\rangle \},\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
|\pm\rangle \equiv (1/\sqrt{2})(|3,1\rangle \pm |3,-1\rangle)\end{aligned}$$ and $$\begin{aligned}
|s_e \rangle & \equiv &
(1/4)\,(|4,4\rangle + \sqrt{7}|4,2\rangle -
\sqrt{7}|4,-2\rangle - |4,-4\rangle) \\
|s_o \rangle & \equiv &
(1/\sqrt{32})\,(
3|4,3\rangle + \sqrt{7}|4,1\rangle -
\sqrt{7}|4,-1\rangle - 3|4,-3\rangle).\end{aligned}$$ We have defined states $|B_+\rangle$, $|B_0\rangle$, $|B_{\pm 2}\rangle$, and $|B_{\pm 3}\rangle$ that form lambda pairs with states $|+\rangle$, $|3,0\rangle$, $|3,\pm 2\rangle$, and $|3,\pm 3\rangle$; they are given by $$\begin{aligned}
|B_{\pm 3} \rangle & = &
(1/\sqrt{8})\,(\sqrt{7}|4, \pm4\rangle - |4, \pm2\rangle) \\
|B_{\pm 2} \rangle & = &
(1/4)(\sqrt{7}|4, \pm3\rangle - 3|4, \pm1\rangle) \\
|B_0\rangle & = &
(1/\sqrt{2})\,(|4,1\rangle + |4,-1\rangle) \\
|B_+ \rangle & = &
(1/\sqrt{2})\,(|4,2\rangle + |4,-2\rangle),\end{aligned}$$ and the corresponding $\lambda$ values are $$\begin{aligned}
\lambda_{\pm 3} & = & \sqrt{25/49} \\
\lambda_{\pm 2} & = & \sqrt{200/147} \\
\lambda_0 & = & \sqrt{250/49} \\
\lambda_+ & = & \sqrt{375/392}.\end{aligned}$$ The unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_3^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_4^\lambda$ can be obtained by numerically integrating equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]) using the above expressions for the states and $\lambda$ values. As with the example given in section \[ssec:example-3-2\], the polarizations of the classical fields impose the selection rule $\Delta m = \pm 1$, so it is useful to decompose ${\cal H}_3^\lambda$ and ${\cal H}_4^\lambda$ into subspaces of even and odd Zeeman states: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\cal H}_3^{\lambda e} \oplus {\cal H}_3^{\lambda o} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\cal H}_4^{\lambda e} \oplus {\cal H}_4^{\lambda o},\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^{\lambda e} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,0\rangle,\, |3, \pm 2\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_3^{\lambda o} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |+\rangle,\, |3, \pm 3\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^{\lambda o} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_0\rangle,\, |B_{\pm 2} \rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^{\lambda e} & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |B_+\rangle,\, |B_{\pm 3}\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ The selection rule implies that $U$ maps ${\cal H}_3^{\lambda e}$ to ${\cal H}_4^{\lambda o}$ and ${\cal H}_3^{\lambda o}$ to ${\cal H}_4^{\lambda e}$.
### Example: $\hat{\epsilon}_3 = \hat{\epsilon}_4 = \hat{e}_{+1}$
For this example $\dim {\cal H}_3' = 0$, and the Hilbert space decompositions are $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal H}_3^d & = &
\{ \} \\
{\cal H}_3' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ \} \\
{\cal H}_3^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |3,0\rangle,\, |3,\pm 1\rangle,\,
|3, \pm 2\rangle,\, |3, \pm 3\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^d & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4, 4\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4' & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4, -4\rangle \} \\
{\cal H}_4^\lambda & = &
{\mathrm{span}} \{ |4,0\rangle,\, |4,\pm 1\rangle,\,
|4, \pm 2\rangle,\, |4, \pm 3\rangle \}.\end{aligned}$$ States $|3,m\rangle$ and $|4,m\rangle$ are lambda pairs for $m=0,\pm 1,\pm 2, \pm 3$. Since the lambda dark states corresponding to these pairs are mutually orthogonal, equation (\[eqn:eqns-of-motion\]) decouples, and the unitary transformation $U:{\cal H}_3^\lambda \rightarrow {\cal H}_4^\lambda$ can be written down explicitly: $$\begin{aligned}
U = \sum_{m=-3}^3 |4,m\rangle \langle 3,m|.\end{aligned}$$
Conclusion
==========
We have presented a general formalism for describing stimulated Raman adiabatic passage in a multi-level atom with ground state manifolds $a$ and $b$ and excited state manifold $e$, where each manifold consists of an arbitrary number of degenerate states. This formalism describes how the Hilbert spaces for manifolds $a$ and $b$ decompose into subspaces, each of which evolves in its own characteristic way under adiabatic passage. In particular, we identified subspaces ${\cal H}_a^\lambda$ and ${\cal H}_b^\lambda$ that coherently evolve into one another under adiabatic passage, and calculated the unitary transformation that describes this evolution. We have illustrated the formalism with a simple toy model, and used it to analyze adiabatic passage in the Cesium atom. The formalism gives a complete description of the adiabatic passage process, and should be useful for analyzing adiabatic passage in a wide variety of atomic systems.
The author would like to thank A. Boca and T. E. Northup for helpful suggestions.
Dark states
===========
Here we calculate the dark states for an optical field driving an $F \rightarrow F$ or $F \rightarrow F-1$ transition. We will choose a coordinate system such that the field propagates along the $\hat{z}$ axis, and define a basis of Zeeman states relative to this quantization axis. The polarization $\hat{\epsilon}$ of the field can be expressed as $$\begin{aligned}
\hat{\epsilon} = \alpha_+ \hat{e}_{+1} + \alpha_- \hat{e}_{-1},\end{aligned}$$ where $\hat{e}_{\pm 1}$ are given by equation (\[eqn:circular-polarization-vectors\]). If $|d\rangle$ is a dark state of the field, then $$\begin{aligned}
\hat{\epsilon}\cdot \vec{A}^\dagger
|d\rangle = 0.\end{aligned}$$ Thus, for every state $|F',m'\rangle$ in the excited state manifold, we have that $$\begin{aligned}
\sum_m\,
\langle F',m' |\hat{\epsilon}\cdot \vec{A}^\dagger |F,m\rangle\,
c_m = 0,\end{aligned}$$ where $$\begin{aligned}
c_m \equiv \langle F, m|d\rangle.\end{aligned}$$ Using equation (\[eqn:vector-rasing-operator\]) to substitute for $\vec{A}_F^\dagger$, we obtain the following dark state conditions: $$\begin{aligned}
\langle F',m|1,+1; F,m-1\rangle\,\alpha_+ c_{m-1} +
\langle F',m|1,-1; F,m+1\rangle\,\alpha_- c_{m+1} = 0\end{aligned}$$ for $-F' \leq m \leq F'$. We will now consider $F \rightarrow F$ and $F \rightarrow F-1$ transitions as separate cases.
Dark state for an $F \rightarrow F$ transition {#dark_state_f_to_f}
----------------------------------------------
The Clebsch-Gordan coefficients for $-F < m < F$ are given by $$\begin{aligned}
\langle F,m|1,+1; F,m-1\rangle & = &
-\left(\frac{(F+m)(F+1-m)}{2F(F+1)}\right)^{1/2} \\
\langle F,m|1,-1; F,m+1\rangle & = &
+\left(\frac{(F-m)(F+1+m)}{2F(F+1)}\right)^{1/2}.\end{aligned}$$ Thus, the dark state conditions are $$\begin{aligned}
\sqrt{(F+m)(F+1-m)}\,\alpha_+ c_{m-1} =
\sqrt{(F-m)(F+1+m)}\,\alpha_- c_{m+1}\end{aligned}$$ for $-F < m < F$, and $$\begin{aligned}
\alpha_+ c_{F-1} = \alpha_- c_{-(F-1)} = 0.\end{aligned}$$ For each value of $F$ there is single dark state that meets these conditions. The dark state for a $3 \rightarrow 3$ transition is $$\begin{aligned}
|d_3\rangle =
N(
\sqrt{5}\, \alpha_+^3 |3,3\rangle +
\sqrt{3}\, \alpha_+^2 \alpha_- |3,1\rangle +
\sqrt{3}\, \alpha_+ \alpha_-^2 |3,-1\rangle +
\sqrt{5}\, \alpha_-^3 |3,-3\rangle),\end{aligned}$$ and the dark state for a $4\rightarrow 4$ transition is $$\begin{aligned}
|d_4\rangle =
N(
\sqrt{35}\, \alpha_+^4 |4,4\rangle +
\sqrt{20}\, \alpha_+^3 \alpha_- |4,2\rangle +
\sqrt{18}\, \alpha_+^2 \alpha_-^2 |4,0\rangle +
\sqrt{20}\, \alpha_+ \alpha_-^3 |4,-2\rangle +
\sqrt{35}\, \alpha_-^4 |4,-4\rangle),\end{aligned}$$ where $N$ is a normalization constant that depends on $\alpha_\pm$.
Dark states for an $F \rightarrow F-1$ transition {#dark_state_f_to_f_minus_1}
-------------------------------------------------
The Clebsch-Gordan coefficients for $-F < m < F$ are given by $$\begin{aligned}
\langle F-1,m|1,+1; F,m-1\rangle & = &
\left(\frac{(F-m)(F+1-m)}{2F(2F+1)}\right)^{1/2} \\
\langle F-1,m|1,-1; F,m+1\rangle & = &
\left(\frac{(F+m)(F+1+m)}{2F(2F+1)}\right)^{1/2}.\end{aligned}$$ Thus, the dark state conditions are $$\begin{aligned}
\sqrt{(F-m)(F+1-m)}\,\alpha_+ c_{m-1} =
-\sqrt{(F+m)(F+1+m)}\,\alpha_- c_{m+1}.\end{aligned}$$ for $-F < m < F$. For each value of $F$ there are two dark states that meet these conditions. The dark states for a $4\rightarrow 3$ transition are $$\begin{aligned}
|d_{4e}\rangle & = &
N(
\alpha_+^4 |4,4\rangle -
\sqrt{28}\, \alpha_+^3 \alpha_- |4,2\rangle +
\sqrt{70}\, \alpha_+^2 \alpha_-^2 |4,0\rangle -
\sqrt{28}\, \alpha_+ \alpha_-^3 |4,-2\rangle +
\alpha_-^4 |4,-4\rangle) \\
|d_{4o}\rangle & = &
N(
\alpha_+^3 |4,3\rangle -
\sqrt{7}\, \alpha_+^2 \alpha_- |4,1\rangle +
\sqrt{7}\, \alpha_+ \alpha_-^2 |4,-1\rangle -
\alpha_-^3 |4,-3\rangle),\end{aligned}$$ where $N$ is a normalization constant that depends on $\alpha_\pm$.
[99]{}
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| 2023-08-31T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7200 |
Is the Big Bang in the Bible?
The “Big Bang” theory of the origin of the universe got a big boost this week when scientists reported the discovery of 14-billion-year-old echoes of the universe’s first moments—the first proof of an expanding universe, and the last piece of Einstein’s general theory of relativity.
Creationists and other conservative religious believers have a curiously ambivalent relationship with the Big Bang—unlike evolution, which is universally condemned. Young-earth creationists mock the Big Bang as a wild guess, an anti-biblical fantasy that only atheists determined to ignore evidence of God’s creation could have invented. In contrast, creationists who accept that the earth is old—by making the “days” of creation in Genesis into long epochs—actually claim that the Big Bang is in the Bible. Some of them are rejoicing in the recent discovery.
The leading evangelical anti-science organization is Answers in Genesis (AIG), headed by Ken Ham, the guy who recentlydebated Bill Nye. AIG’s dismissive response to the discovery is breathtaking in its hubris and lack of insight into how science works. They call for Christians to reject the discovery because the “announcement may be improperly understood and reported.” This all-purpose response would also allow one to deny that there is a missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777.
Secondly, Answers in Genesis complains that the predictions being confirmed in the discovery are “model-dependent.” They fail to note that every scientific prediction ever confirmed, from the discovery of Neptune, to DNA, to the Ambulecetus transitional fossil is “model-dependent.” The whole point of deriving predictions in science is to test models, hypotheses, theories. Finally, AIG suggests that “other mechanisms could mimic the signal,” implying that, although the startling prediction was derived from Einstein’s theory of general relativity and the inflationary model of the Big Bang, it could have come from “some other physical mechanism.” No alternative mechanism is suggested.
Story continues
The AIG response declares instead that “Biblical creationists know from Scripture that the universe did not begin in a big bang … we know from Genesis 1 that God made the earth before He made the stars, but the big bang requires that many stars existed for billions of years before the earth did.”
Not all biblical literalists take such a hard-line stance. Like Ham, the popular Christian apologist Hugh Ross is a biblical literalist who rejects all forms of evolution: Ross believes that the “days” of creation in Genesis are vast epochs and thus the universe can be billions of years old. Ross heads the organization Reasons to Believe, which is often ++attacked by AIG++ and other young earth creationist groups for having a “liberal” view of the Bible. (http://creation.com/the-dubious-apologetics-of-hugh-ross)
Ross, an astronomer by training, was delighted by the discovery of the gravitational waves and told the Christian Post that “The Bible was the first to predict big bang cosmology.” Ross, in fact, is convinced that many ideas in modern science—including the inflationary model for the Big Bang confirmed by the recent discovery—were actually predicted by the Bible. He argues—to the dismay of Hebrew scholars—that the word “bara,” translated “create” in Genesis 1:1, means “to bring into existence that which did not exist before.” Ross has ingeniously located much of modern physics in the Bible, including the laws of thermodynamics and the Big Bang.
The initial response from the Discovery Institute, the headquarters of the Intelligent Design (ID) movement, maligned the motivations of the cosmologists searching for the gravity wave, claiming they found more theologically friendly models of the Big Bang “disturbing,” and wanted to refute them. The recent discovery of the gravity waves—after years of searching—is being trumpeted by the scientific community because it “saves the jobs of a thousand people at two national labs who are having to justify their expensive failure.
Despite his organization’s snarky cynicism, the Discovery Institute’s director, bestselling ID author Stephen Meyer, was in the this-new-discovery-proves-the-Bible camp. Meyer went on the John Ankerberg show to extol the theological virtues of the Big Bang. Using the same arguments as Hugh Ross, Meyer finds both the Big Bang and even the inflation model in the Bible: “We find repeated in the Old Testament, both in the prophets and the Psalms,” he told the Christian Post, “that God is stretching or has stretched out the heavens.” Meyer says this “stretching” means that “Space expanded very rapidly,” and the recent discovery provided “additional evidence supporting that inflation.”
Meyer and Ross are right that English translations of the Bible do speak of the heavens being “stretched out.” But to suggest that this is what has been confirmed by the recent discovery is simply not possible. A typical biblical passage supporting this claim is found in Isaiah 40:22 where we read that God “stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” Does this really sound like an event at the beginning of time when the universe experienced a momentary burst of expansion? And what do we make of the apocalyptic vision described in Revelation 6:14 that, at the end of time, “the sky rolled back like a scroll”?
The biblical authors—and most ancients—understood the sky over their heads to be a solid dome—an inverted bowl resting on a flat earth for the authors of Genesis, a crystalline sphere surrounding a round earth for Aristotle and most Christians until the scientific revolution. The Hebrew word used in Genesis for the sky is “raqia” which means “bowl” or “dome.” It does not mean “space-time continuum” and it is not something that could be “inflated.” It could, however, be “stretched out like a tent” or “rolled back like a scroll.” These divergent responses are full of hubris in both directions, making extravagant claims for or against scientific discovery, embracing or rejecting science on the basis of existing religious commitments. But these extremes aren’t the only ways for religious believers to respond to major scientific breakthroughs. Not every scientific idea has to have a theological interpretation, although the tendency to fit new science into ancient religious frameworks is often irresistible. And the Big Bang is certainly no exception.
The Big Bang theory, in fact, was developed in the 1920s by a Catholic priest who was also an acclaimed physicist, the Monsignor Georges Lemaître. It was ridiculed and rejected by Lemaître’s atheist colleague, Fred Hoyle. Hoyle applied the derisive term “Big Bang” to Lemaître’s theory in a 1949 BBC interview—a nasty label that stuck.
Hoyle, who labored heroically to produce an alternative theory, didn’t like the theological implications of the universe beginning suddenly in a moment of “creation.” It sounded too much like the first verse in the Bible: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” And, as Hoyle and others noted, Lemaître was a priest who might reasonably be suspected of trying to smuggle Catholic theology into science.
Hoyle’s concern was amply illustrated in 1951 when Pope Pius XII declared that, in discovering the Big Bang, science had indeed established the Christian doctrine of the “contingency of the universe” and identified the “epoch when the world came forth from the hands of the Creator.” “Creation took place,” the pope said. “Therefore, there is a creator. Therefore, God exists!”
Both Lemaître and the Vatican’s science advisor were horrified by the Pope’s confident assertion that physics had proven God. They warned him privately that he was shaky ground: the Big Bang was not a theory about the ultimate origin of the universe and should not be enlisted in support of the Christian belief in a Creator. The pope never mentioned it again.
Ironically, in this dispute, the atheist Hoyle was on the side of the pope in seeing a linkage between the Big Bang and God. It was Lemaître and the pope’s science advisors who saw clearly that scientific theories, no matter how well-established, should not be enlisted in support of theological notions. And, as the Catholic Church learned in the Galileo affair, scientific theories should not be opposed on theological or biblical grounds.
These lessons have been learned by Catholics, for the most part, as evidenced by the relative scarcity of prominent Catholic science-deniers. Unfortunately, we cannot say the same things for many evangelical Protestants, many of whom belong to truncated religious traditions that began after Galileo, or even after John F. Kennedy. They lack the accumulated wisdom that restrains the pope from inspecting every new scientific discovery and either rejecting it because it counters a particular interpretation of Genesis or enthusiastically endorsing it because it confirms this or that doctrine. And when the pope strays, his advisors quickly get him back on track. Catholic thinking on science is informed by the pontifical academy of science, an advisory group with no counterpart in Protestantism.
Ken Ham and his colleagues at Answers in Genesis, Hugh Ross and his colleagues at Reasons to Believe, and Stephen Meyer and his colleagues at the Discovery Institute are too quick to embrace, reject, or gloss with theological meaning the latest scientific discoveries. Rather than rushing to the Bible to see whether its ancient pages can accommodate the latest science, they would do well to heed this caution from Lemaître, as he spoke of the theory that he discovered:
“We may speak of this event as of a beginning. I do not say a creation … Any preexistence of the universe has a metaphysical character. Physically, everything happens as if the theoretical zero was really a beginning. The question if it was really a beginning or rather a creation, something started from nothing, is a philosophical question which cannot be settled by physical or astronomical considerations.”
Like us on Facebook - Follow us on Twitter - Sign up for The Cheat Sheet Newsletter | 2024-03-01T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6053 |
Tijana Ibrahimovic
Tijana Ibrahimovic is an entertainment journalist and TV personality. She was born in the city of Sombor in Northern Serbia, the province of Vojvodina, Yugoslavia at the time. She first left her native country to complete Serbo-Hungarian high school in Budapest, Hungary. She moved to the US as an international student and attended CUNY. Today she is recognized as a lifestyle expert bringing along her refined European sense of style, and the charm of the European culture.
Education
Tijana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brooklyn College. She also studied theater management at the BMCC in New York where she completed associate degree .
Early life
Born in Serbia Tijana is fluent in Serbian and other languages of former Yugoslavia. She also speaks Hungarian but attributes her passionate and outgoing personality to her Balkan roots.
Tijana fell in love with theater as a child and wanted to be an actress so as a member of the theater group she volunteered for smaller non speaking roles at the local theater. She also competed in reciting and qualified for a national competition. This is where unknowingly her training for broadcast journalism started. Upon graduating from high school she was accepted to acting school in Belgrade but her desiree to build international career lead her to New York City.
Professional career
Upon graduating from Brooklyn College she briefly worked as a news anchor for the Radio Television of Vojvodina, where she gained a lot of experience, but it was clear entertainment was her call.
Since, she covered/hosted red-carpets, film premiers, events and fashion shows for Elle Serbia, Jones Magazine, Fashion One, Examiner.com, The Source, Vigore! Magazine, The Sybarite, Fashion Reverie,The Knockturnal, Glammonitor, Style Music TV and Wannabe Magazine. She was a regular on Wetpaint show "The Tea".
Notable interviews: Oscar de la Renta, Joan Rivers, Kelsey Grammer, Bette Midler, Debra Messing, Katherine, Crown Princess of Yugoslavia and many others.
In 2015 Tijana founded Pop Style TV channel and website. She is the host and executive producer of their videos. The channel covers entertainment, music and fashion and provides viewers with the latest news from the entertainment industry.
She is also known for her philanthropic work with the "Save St. Sava" annual benefit in efforts to help rebuild Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava destroyed by fire in 2016.
References
External links
Official website
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Living people
Category:American women journalists
Category:Serbian expatriates in the United States
Category:Brooklyn College alumni
Category:Borough of Manhattan Community College alumni | 2024-03-23T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3991 |
Prothane 6-1604-BL Details
Ford/Lincoln/Mercury Transmission Mounts
Designed To Control Torque
Eliminates Breakage
Specifications:
Manufacturer's Part Number:
6-1604-BL
Prothane mounts are designed to limit unwanted movement and control torque thereby putting more power to the wheels
and also reducing the chance of breakage. You will notice performance gains on the street or track with their almost indestructible mounts. Prothane motor and transmission mounts are strong and tough like a solid metal mount without the vibration and noise. All mounts are very durable and resistant to oil, chemicals and road contaminants that deteriorate rubber mounts. Prothane mounts feature application specific engineering. In other words they are not a universal ''one fits all '' application. This will insure you to get a maximum benefit from a Prothane product. Where applicable, mounts feature internal ''run safe'' interlocking engineering or specially designed mechanical interlocking steel inserts. Certain mounts also feature an innovative mounting method which allows one mount to fit multiple applications without compromising fit or quality. Prothane mounts are manufactured of the highest quality specially formulated polyurethanes. In a nut shell Prothane will provide you with the performance and value you demand.
Please use the following link to find your specific application. Mounts are available in Red or Black (-BL).Application Guide | 2024-06-10T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5836 |
约翰霍普金斯大学
分享
课程概况
This specialization covers the concepts and tools to understand, analyze, and interpret data from next generation sequencing experiments. It teaches the most common tools used in genomic data science including how to use the command line, Python, R, Bioconductor, and Galaxy. The sequence is a stand alone introduction to genomic data science or a perfect compliment to a primary degree or postdoc in biology, molecular biology, or genetics.
第 1 门课程
Introduction to Genomic Technologies
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
This course introduces you to the basic biology of modern genomics and the experimental tools that we use to measure it. We’ll introduce the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology and cover how next-generation sequencing can be used to measure DNA, RNA, and epigenetic patterns. You’ll also get an introduction to the key concepts in computing and data science that you’ll need to understand how data from next-generation sequencing experiments are generated and analyzed.
This is the first course in the Genomic Data Science Specialization.
第 2 门课程
Genomic Data Science with Galaxy
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
Learn to use the tools that are available from the Galaxy Project. This is the second course in the Genomic Big Data Science Specialization.
第 3 门课程
Python for Genomic Data Science
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
This class provides an introduction to the Python programming language and the iPython notebook. This is the third course in the Genomic Big Data Science Specialization from Johns Hopkins University.
第 4 门课程
Algorithms for DNA Sequencing
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
We will learn computational methods — algorithms and data structures — for analyzing DNA sequencing data. We will learn a little about DNA, genomics, and how DNA sequencing is used. We will use Python to implement key algorithms and data structures and to analyze real genomes and DNA sequencing datasets.
第 5 门课程
Command Line Tools for Genomic Data Science
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
Introduces to the commands that you need to manage and analyze directories, files, and large sets of genomic data. This is the fourth course in the Genomic Big Data Science Specialization from Johns Hopkins University.
第 6 门课程
使用Bioconductor分析基因组科学数据
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
Learn to use tools from the Bioconductor project to perform analysis of genomic data. This is the fifth course in the Genomic Big Data Specialization from Johns Hopkins University.
第 7 门课程
Statistics for Genomic Data Science
即将开课的班次：5月 9 — 6月 13。每隔 3 周会有一个新班次开课。
课程概述
An introduction to the statistics behind the most popular genomic data science projects. This is the sixth course in the Genomic Big Data Science Specialization from Johns Hopkins University.
毕业项目
Genomic Data Science Capstone
毕业项目介绍
In this culminating project, you will deploy the tools and techniques that you’ve mastered over the course of the specialization. You’ll work with a real data set to perform analyses and prepare a report of your findings. | 2023-09-11T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9213 |
Q:
Magento2 factory pattern advantages over Magento 1
Magento 2 is using factory classes for non-injectables.
For example product class: ProductFactory
For example customer class: CustomerFactory
I don’t understand what is the type of factory pattern here?
Because for each class associated with 1 factory class.
I'm thinking its something duplicate.
Why we shouldn’t create abstract factory for CustomerFactory, ProductFactory etc?
and also for example:
We can pass AbstractFactory for type checking instead of ProductFactory in ProductRepository class constructor.
So we can avoid tight coupling between ProductRepository and ProductFactory
Abstract Factory class:
namespace Magento\Framework\ObjectManager\Code\Generator;
/**
* Abstract Factory class
*/
abstract class AbstractFactory
{
/**
* Object Manager instance
*
* @var \Magento\Framework\ObjectManagerInterface
*/
protected $_objectManager = null;
/**
* Instance name to create
*
* @var string
*/
protected $_instanceName = null;
/**
* Create class instance with specified parameters
*
* @param array $data
* @return \Magento\Catalog\Model\Product
*/
public function create(array $data = array())
{
return $this->_objectManager->create($this->_instanceName, $data);
}
}
Abstract Factory implementation:
namespace Magento\Catalog\Model;
use Magento\Framework\ObjectManager\Code\Generator\AbstractFactory;
/**
* Factory class for @see \Magento\Catalog\Model\Product
*/
class ProductFactory extends AbstractFactory
{
public function __construct(\Magento\Framework\ObjectManagerInterface $objectManager, $instanceName = '\\Magento\\Catalog\\Model\\Product')
{
$this->_objectManager = $objectManager;
$this->_instanceName = $instanceName;
}
}
What is the relation between object manager and factory?
There is so much of chaining objects:
For example ProductRepository(here we can call it as client)
requires Product object.
For this its depends on specific ProductFactory object.
ProductFactory object depends on ObjectManager object.
ObjectManager object depends on Factory Object (here Developer Object).
Off course they are using Interfaces for loose coupling. Still
really confusing flow.
Can you someone give in-depth advantages with Magento 2 factory pattern & also how it differs from Magento 1?
A:
I may be wrong here, but this is an advantage I found.
The auto generated factories are some how similar with the magic getters or setters.
Let's say you want something to happen when an instance of a specific entity (let's call it BlogPost) is created. Let's say you want to set a default value to a field.
The example may not be the best but hear me out.
If you use an abstract factory, you will have to modify it so that when you receive the instanceName as parameter 'BlogPost' you call setDate after instantiating.
If you use autogenerated factory, you can later create that factory, call the setter in your code, remove the generated factory and it will work.
Similar to what you do with the magic setter. You implement the method and it's called everywhere.
A:
One thing to remember is we auto-generate factory classes ONLY IF YOU DON'T DEFINE ONE YOURSELF. That means, if you need to do some special magic in the factory, you can do so. (E.g. if you want to log every creation of an instance for some reason, write the factory yourself and we won't auto-generate it.) If we used a single abstract factory class for everything, this would not work.
It can also help a bit with debugging - you get to see the real class, can set breakpoints, see more meaningful stack-traces etc.
| 2023-08-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1111 |
Thursday, December 18, 2008
An Emotional Month of Reading
I've had a book titled (Not) Keeping Up with Our Parents by Nan Mooney on my reading list for several months - probably a year. I spotted it at our local library a couple of weeks ago, and snatched it up.
I was quite surprised at the emotional response this book evoked in me, especially since most of the book reads like a report or thesis (complete with end notes), with a few anecdotes thrown in. I expected more interviews and anecdotes. Mooney introduces topics with anecdotes, and supports their experiences with research and general observations of American culture today.
What emotions did this book elicit? Relief - my husband and I are not alone in my struggles in this economy. Sadness - that people in my generation are facing these issues. Relief - again - that I was able to graduate from college without any student loan debt, unlike almost everyone interviewed in this book. Sorrow - again - wondering what assumptions and expectations do we have as a generation and as a society that we feel so 'on the brink' of survival?
Mooney's message throughout the book is that we, as a society, need to pressure the government to continue to pressure the government to provide health care, child care and retirement funding so that people can feel safe. She scoffs at the individualistic spirit that America is founded upon.
I think that America was more founded upon individual responsibility within a community than individualistic spirit. In our homeschool for the past year and a half, my children and I have been studying American history. I have been struck by the intense sense of community in the books we've been reading. While people generally felt a high sense of personal responsibility, I've noticed that rarely did people live in isolation from some sort of community. Even in The Little House on the Prairie, the Ingalls depended upon their neighbors.
Perhaps part of our underlying sense of panic - financial and in general - is a result of our isolation from community - our near neighbors and our faith communities. Before our parents' and grandparents' generations, our families and our faith communities gave a sense of security. The idea that no matter what happened, we could get through it together.
That changed with the Great Depression, when collectively, society looked to the government. Today, however, the government has proved it's not a great steward of money and responsibility for our personal financial security. No matter how hard it is for my family to make it financially, I do not want to hand over more taxes to the government, assuming that they'll take good care of my children, my health or my future.
Bottom line: our security should rest in a personal relationship with Yahweh, not in our government.
After reading this book, I am all the more committed to working with my children to get them through college without any school loans. From what I read, in most of the people's lives profiled in this book, the student loan payments are the proverbial 'straw the breaks the camel's back.' That, and child care costs. Which is why it makes sense for a parent to stay home with their children when they're young. It's certainly worth crunching numbers.
After reading Mooney's book, I see similar symptoms not only in my family, but also in those of my friends. However, I think the cause of those symptoms are different than her conclusions. As a society as a whole, we've shifted away from local, faith-based communities, we have high, perhaps unrealistic, expectations of what our lives should be like, we have become dependent upon debt to finance that life which has left a huge burden on our shoulders, and we have shifted away from the traditional family model of society - mother, father and children at home with a loving parent or family member as a caretaker.
In my case, we've made some choices with hard consequences, which has made it hard for us. Plus, we live in a high-cost area, which squeezes our dollars more. However, my faith is in Yahweh, who sees me, my family and will provide in ways I cannot see. And just because we cannot save right now for our children's college education doesn't mean that we won't have the income to pay for it when the time comes. Especially if we can continue to be disciplined in managing our expenses.
Speaking of income - if you feel a sense of affinity with Mooney's book, I'd recommend to you also read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Cash-Flow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki. A new economy requires new thinking. | 2023-12-02T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9750 |
The invention is directed to a rough pumping method for a displacement pump as well as to a displacement pump device for establishing a rough differential pressure.
In the present context, a rough differential pressure is understood to be a negative differential pressure in the sense of a rough vacuum or a positive differential pressure in the sense of an application of rough pressure. A typical rough vacuum has a magnitude of up to 500 mbar of differential pressure and typically ranges from 100 to 300 mbar of differential pressure. For a large variety of applications there is a great need for rough vacuum pumps that are mostly designed as single-shaft centrifugal compressors or as side channel blowers. Side channel blowers have a defined volume flow capacity and must continually be operated at a continuously high rotational speed. They operate based on the principle of torque transmission according to Euler's energy equation for compressible fluids. For the generation of a correspondingly low volume flow, side channel blowers must be operated at their full volume flow capacity, even if a large differential pressure exists between the inlet and the outlet of the compressor or blower. The power required by the compressor is proportional to the volume flow capacity, the theoretically required minimum power for compressing and transporting a small gas flow being proportional to the actual volume flow capacity. Due to this difference between the actual power output and the power physically required for compressing the gas, the use of such conventional rough vacuum compressors is inefficient.
Displacement pumps, such as a Roots pump, for example, are particular effective in maintaining low pressures with no large volume flows being conveyed, or in generating small differential pressures. For generating a rough vacuum with a large differential pressure, displacement pumps, such as Roots pumps, for example, are presently not employed. | 2023-11-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7808 |
In synchronous integrated circuits, the integrated circuit is clocked by an external clock signal and performs operations at predetermined times relative to the rising and falling edges of the applied clock signal. Examples of synchronous integrated circuits include synchronous memory devices such as synchronous dynamic random access memories (“SDRAMs”), synchronous static random access memories (“SSRAMs”), and packetized memories like SLDRAMs and RDRAMs, and include other types of integrated circuits as well, such as microprocessors. The timing of signals external to a synchronous memory device is determined by the external clock signal, and operations within the memory device are typically synchronized to external operations. For example, data is read from the memory device in synchronism with the external clock signal. To provide the data at the proper times, an internal clock signal is developed in response to the external clock signal, and is typically applied to latches contained in the memory device to clock the data into the latches. The internal clock signal and external clock must be synchronized to ensure the internal clock signal clocks the latches at the proper times to successfully provide the data. In the present description, “external” refers to signals and operations outside of the memory device, and “internal” refers to signals and operations within the memory device. Moreover, although the present description is directed to synchronous memory devices, the principles described herein are equally applicable to other types of synchronous integrated circuits.
Internal circuitry in the memory device that generates the internal clock signal necessarily introduces some time delay, causing the internal clock signal to be phase shifted relative to the external clock signal. As long as the phase-shift is minimal, timing within the memory device can be easily synchronized to the external timing. As used herein, the term synchronized includes signals that are coincident and signals that have a desired delay relative to one another. However, with higher frequency clock signals, the time delay introduced by the internal circuitry becomes more significant. This is true because as the frequency of the external clock signal increases, the period of the signal decreases and thus even small delays introduced by the internal circuitry correspond to significant phase shifts between the internal and external clock signals. As a result of intrinsic delays, the data provided by the memory device may not be valid at the time the internal clock signal clocks the latches.
Additionally, as the frequency of the external clock increases, variations in the duty cycle of the clock signal introduce a greater duty cycle error. An ideal duty cycle for a clock signal is typically 50 percent. That is, over the period of a clock cycle, the clock signal is HIGH for 50 percent of the period. As the period of the clock signals become shorter due to the increased clock frequency, a clock variation that results in a subtle shift in duty cycle, and which can be ignored at a lower clock frequency, may result in a much more significant shift in the duty cycle of the higher frequency clock signal. In such instances, if the duty cycle of the clock signal is left uncorrected, timing errors may cause the memory device to fail.
To synchronize external and internal clock signals in modern synchronous memory devices, a number of different approaches have been considered and utilized, including delay-locked loops (“DLLs”) with duty cycle correction (“DCC”) circuits. Clock synchronizing circuits, such as DLLs, generate output clock signals that are in phase, or synchronized, with input clock signals. A DCC circuit can correct a distorted duty cycle of clock signals. One DCC technique takes a first clock signal and a second clock signal that is 180 degrees out of phase from the first clock signal and shifts the phase of one of the two clock signals so that rising edges of the first and second clock signals correspond to rising edges of two clock signals having ideal 50 percent duty cycles. Although the clock signals still appear distorted, circuitry operating in response to rising edges of the first and second clock signals will function as if provided with clock signals having 50 percent duty cycles.
FIG. 1 illustrates a DLL 100. The DLL 100 operates in a conventional manner, with it providing delayed output clock signals DCLK0 and DCLK180 that are in phase with input clock signals CLK0 and CLK180, respectively. The CLK0 and CLK180 signals are 180 degrees out-of-phase, as are the DCLK0 and DCLK180 signals. Operation of the DLL 100 will be described ignoring operation of the tAC trim and tOH trim circuits 140, 150, the operation of which will be described in detail below. The CLK0 and CLK180 signals are buffered by input buffer circuits 102, 104 and provided to a variable delay line 106. The variable delay line 106 delays the CLK0 and CLK180 signals by a delay controlled by a phase detector 110. The delayed CLK0 and CLK180 signals are buffered by output clock buffer circuit 112, 114. The delayed CLK0 signal output by the variable delay line 106 is further delayed by a model delay 108 having a delay equal to the total intrinsic delay of the input and output buffer circuits 102, 104 and 112, 114. The phase detector 110 receives and compares the phase of the buffered CLK0 signal and a CLKFB signal output by the model delay 108. Based on the phase of the two signals, the variable delay line 106 is adjusted until the buffered CLK0 signal and the CLKFB signal are in phase. Under this condition, the DLL is described as being “locked” and the resulting DCLK0 and DCLK180 signals will be in phase (i.e., “synchronized”) with the CLK0 and CLK180 signals.
The variable delay line 106 has a range of adjustable delay between a minimum delay and a maximum adjustable delay. In order to accommodate a wide range of input clock frequencies and variations in circuit performance that can result from manufacturing variations, it is desirable for the variable delay line 106 to have a wide range of adjustable delay. Providing such an adjustable delay circuit, however, requires a considerable number of delay stages. This results in a relatively “large” circuit that consumes significant power. Additionally, typical delay stages include delay circuits having respective delays that are affected by electrical noise, such as power noise. As a result, an input clock signal that propagates through a long chain of delay stages is more susceptible to “clock jitter” since the delay of each stage is affected by electrical noise and the total noise-induced shift in delay is additive over the entire length of delay stages. Thus, the range of adjustable delay that an adjustable delay is designed to provide is a compromise between providing sufficient delay to accommodate an acceptable range of clock and account for variations in circuit performance, and the desire to reduce circuit size, power consumption and susceptibility to noise-induced clock jitter.
With the range of adjustable delay of the variable delay line 106 tailored to balance competing considerations, it may be necessary to trim a static or non-adjusted delay of the DLL 100 due to a mismatch between the model delay 108 and the actual delay of the input buffer circuits 102, 104 and the output clock buffer circuits 112, 114. The static delay of the DLL 100 for tAC is generally represented by the variable delay line 106, but set to a default delay, and the model delay 108. The static delay of the DLL 100 for tOH is generally represented by the default delay of the variable delay line. The tAC and tOH trim circuits 140, 150 provide examples of this trimming functionality. The tAC trim circuit 140 is used to trim static clock synchronization accuracy and the tOH trim circuit 150 is used to trim static duty cycle. The tAC trim circuit 140 includes a static delay circuit 120 that provides a fixed delay and further includes an adjustable delay 122 having a delay that is adjusted by a trim decoder circuit 124. The trim decoder circuit 124 receives a tAC trim signal that is used to set the amount of delay trim for the tAC trim circuit 140. The tOH trim circuit 150 similarly includes a static delay circuit 130 and an adjustable delay circuit 132 that has a delay that can be adjusted by a tOH trim decoder 134. A tOH trim signal is used to set the desired delay trim of the tOH trim circuit 150. The tAC and tOH trim signals are typically determined during testing of the memory device where its performance is measured and compared to performance specifications. Where the memory device is not performing to tAC and tOH specifications, trim signals suitable to correct the deviations are generated and applied accordingly.
FIG. 2 illustrates the static delay 120, 130 and the adjustable delay 122, 132 of the tAC and tOH trim circuits 140, 150. In the case of the tAC trim circuit, the CLK0 and CLKFB signals are provided to the static delay 120 and the adjustable delay 122 to produce the delayed output signals CLK0_trim and CLKFB_trim signals, all respectively. As for the tOH trim circuit, CLK0VD and CLK180VD output by the variable delay 106 are further delayed by the static delay 130 and the adjustable delay 132 to provide CLK0VD_trim and CLK180VD_trim signals, all respectively. The adjustable delay 122, 132 provides a range of adjustable delay between a minimum delay, typically an intrinsic delay 204 and a maximum delay. The tAC/tOH trim decoder 124, 134 adjusts the delay of the adjustable delay 122, 132 according to a respective trim signal. The default delay of the adjustable delay 122, 132 is typically one-half of the maximum delay. The static delay circuit 120, 130 has an intrinsic delay 202 and also provides a fixed delay that is approximately one-half of the maximum delay of the adjustable delay 122, 132.
By providing a static delay circuit 120, 130 of one-half of the maximum delay and an adjustable delay 122, 132, the phase of a first clock signal can be shifted in time in either the positive or negative direction relative to the phase of a second clock signal. That is, the first clock signal can be shifted earlier or later in time relative to the second clock signal. For example, with particular reference to the CLK0 and CLKFB signals, assume that in an initial condition the CLK0 and CLKFB signals are in phase and the adjustable delay 122 is set to provide the same delay as the static delay circuit 120 (i.e., one-half the maximum adjustable delay). The CLKFB_trim signal can be shifted earlier in time relative to the CLK0_trim signal by adjusting the adjustable delay 122 to provide less delay than the static delay circuit 120 (i.e., less than one-half the maximum adjustable delay). Conversely, the CLKFB_trim signal can be shifted later in time relative to the CLK0_trim signal by adjusting the adjustable delay 122 to provide more delay than the static delay circuit 120 (i.e., more than one-half the maximum adjustable delay). Shifting the CLKFB_trim signal relative to the CLK0_trim signal can be used to trim tAC since the phase detector 110 (FIG. 1) will adjust the variable delay line 106 according to the phase relationship of the CLK0_trim and CLKFB_trim signals. Where the tAC specifications are not met, the CLKFB_trim signal can be shifted either earlier or later in time relative to the CLK0_trim signal so that the synchronization of the CLK0_trim and CLKFB_trim signals by the variable delay line 106 is possible. As previously discussed, such a situation can occur due to variations in the fabrication process of the memory device or due to timing differences between the real clock path and that of the clock path including the model delay 108.
The tOH trim circuit 150 operates in a manner similar to the tAC trim circuit. A DCC circuit (not shown) can precisely adjust the phases of the DCLK0 and DCLK180 signals to provide rising clock edges corresponding to an ideal 50% duty cycle. However, the DCLK0 and DCLK180 signals should be in a correctable range of the DCC circuit. The tOH trim circuit 150 can be used to adjust the phases of the DCLK0 and DCLK180 signals so that a distorted duty cycle outside of the correctable range can be corrected by the DCC. The tOH trim circuit can shift the phase of the CLK180VD_trim signal to an earlier or later time relative to the CLKVD0_trim signal. For a duty cycle that is too low for correction by the DCC circuit, the adjustable delay 132 can be set to provide more delay than the static delay circuit 130 in order to “increase” the duty cycle so that it can be corrected. For a duty cycle that is too high for correction by the DCC circuit, the adjustable delay 132 can be set to provide less delay than the static delay circuit 130 in order to “decrease” the duty cycle so that it can be corrected.
Although the tAC and tOH trim circuits 140, 150 can provide adjustability for trimming tAC and tOH, the static delay circuit 120, 130 necessarily adds a delay of one-half the maximum adjustable delay of the adjustable delay 122 to the CLK0 and CLK0VD signals, even if tAC and tOH trimming is unnecessary. In the cases where tAC and tOH trimming are required, the delay of the adjustable delay 122, 132 will typically be centered around the default setting of one-half of its maximum adjustable delay. Thus, in either case, both the CLK0, CLKFB and CLK0VD, CLK180VD signals will necessarily be delayed. As previously discussed, adding delay increases susceptibility to noise-induced jitter and also presents the possibility of increased power consumption. In applications where having precision clock signals and relatively low power consumption are both desirable, the costs associated with conventional delay trimming circuits may be unacceptable.
Therefore, there is a need for a delay trimming circuit that can trim delays using less forward delay, and as a result, is less susceptible to noise-induced clock jitter and has lower power consumption. | 2024-07-16T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2161 |
Fast & Easy Way of Creating Hair or Fur Text Effect In Photoshop
In this video training tutorial, I will show you how to create a hair or fur text effect in Photoshop. Although the results are extremely realistic, there is no Photoshop 3D used at all! Only very clever techniques using Layers, and Layer Masks!
The whole project won’t take you more than 20 minutes to complete and it is a very useful technique that you can apply to many other projects, not just the fur text effect.
You can use whatever image of a furry creature that you like to achieve this effect. I will use a picture of my cat but feel free to use any image of hair or fur to complete this Photoshop text effect.
In This Fur Text Effect In Photoshop Tutorial:
02:20 – Add texture to a font.
04:45 – Use a brush to add more detail to text.
05:50 – Create a custom brush.
08:22 – Make a work path from a selection.
08:45 – Stroke a path using custom brush.
12:00 – Add layer styles to create depth.
13:50 – Add hi-lights and shadows to the text.
Photoshop Fur Text Effect – Final Image:
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This one had me going. The stroke path was always grayed out. Every time I selected the path, the layer would deselect. It was unseen, so it took a while to find the problem. What would cause it to do that? Yours didn’t.
Although it’s good to know how to make a custom brush, there is another way(!) … to rotate the brush.
Select the “Dune Grass” or “Grass” brush. Go to the Brush window, and then to Shape Dynamics.
Set the Control of the Angle Jitter to Direction (the bottom one in the drop-down menu).
Note: click and drag the brush (your mouse) clockwise.
(If you go counter clockwise you’ll get the bottom part of the brush on the outside.)
Just play around with it and have fun! 🙂 | 2024-05-22T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6487 |
"***Editor\'s note:****An invited commentary on this article appears on page 106.*"
The body mass index (BMI; weight (kg)/height (m)^2^) of the general population has increased worldwide during recent decades, and in 2008 there were an estimated 300 million obese (BMI ≥30) women in the world ([@KWW046C1]). In Sweden, the prevalences of overweight (BMI 25--\<30) and obesity (BMI ≥30) in early pregnancy (usually the first trimester) increased from 20% and 6%, respectively, in 1992 to 25% and 13%, respectively, in 2013 ([@KWW046C2]). In the United States in 2011--2012, 53% of gravid women were reported to be overweight or obese in early pregnancy ([@KWW046C3]).
Maternal obesity is associated with increased risks of gestational diabetes, large-for-gestational-age birth, preterm birth (\<37 weeks' gestation), and congenital malformations ([@KWW046C4]). Risks of stillbirth and infant mortality also increase with maternal overweight and obesity ([@KWW046C9]). However, the possible influence of genetic or early environmental factors has not been accounted for in previous studies.
Twin and family studies show that heritability plays a substantial role in determining BMI ([@KWW046C14]). Genetic factors may also influence risks of stillbirth and infant mortality, and there is a recurrence risk of stillbirth in successive pregnancies ([@KWW046C15]). Fetal growth restriction is one of the main causes of stillbirth ([@KWW046C16]), and there is a strong familial aggregation of small-for-gestational-age births ([@KWW046C17], [@KWW046C18]). Preterm birth is a major cause of infant mortality ([@KWW046C9]) and has been shown to be clustered in families ([@KWW046C19], [@KWW046C20]). Quantitative genetic analyses show that maternal genetic factors are of importance for preterm birth ([@KWW046C21]). Congenital anomalies are commonly seen in both stillbirths and infant mortality ([@KWW046C22], [@KWW046C23]) and may be caused by genetic factors ([@KWW046C24]).
Full sisters have approximately 50% of their genomes in common and are usually brought up together. Thus, results from a study of risks related to maternal BMI within sister pairs discordant for the outcome would be controlled for familial factors (i.e., shared genetic and early environmental factors) by design. In this population-based study, we investigated associations between BMI in early pregnancy and risks of stillbirth and infant mortality using 2 reference groups: population controls and sister controls.
METHODS {#s2}
=======
Data sources {#s2a}
------------
In this study, data from nationwide Swedish registries were linked using the individually unique personal registration number assigned to all Swedish residents ([@KWW046C25]). The Swedish Medical Birth Register was established in 1973 and includes information collected prospectively during pregnancy, delivery, and the neonatal period ([@KWW046C26]). Information on early-pregnancy BMI has been included in the Register since 1992. The Cause of Death Register, which provides information on dates and causes of death in Sweden, was used to identify cases of infant mortality ([@KWW046C27]). Information about the mother\'s highest achieved educational level was retrieved from the Swedish Register of Education ([@KWW046C28]). The Multigeneration Register includes data on all subjects born in 1932 and later (index persons) and their first-degree relatives (parents, full and half siblings, and children) and was used to identify full sisters of mothers included in the Medical Birth Register ([@KWW046C29]).
Study population {#s2b}
----------------
From 1992 through 2011, there were 2,038,185 births recorded in the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Because parity influences both BMI and rates of stillbirth and infant mortality ([@KWW046C9], [@KWW046C30], [@KWW046C31]), we included only births to primiparous mothers (*n* = 871,330). We excluded births to women without a primiparous sister (*n* = 495,669), births to women not born in Sweden (as their full sisters were less likely to be identified in the Multigeneration Register (*n* = 148,766)), and twin births (singletons and twins differ with respect to risk factors and rates of stillbirth and infant mortality (*n* = 23,227)). Consequently, the study population was restricted to 203,668 singleton births to primiparous women who also had a primiparous sister with a singleton birth between the beginning of 1992 and the end of 2011 (Figure [1](#KWW046F1){ref-type="fig"}).
{#KWW046F1}
Outcomes {#s2c}
--------
Stillbirth was defined as fetal death occurring at or after 28 completed weeks of gestation. In 2008, the definition of stillbirth in the Medical Birth Register was changed from 28 weeks or later to 22 weeks or later, and we decided to use the same stillbirth definition throughout the study period (i.e., intrauterine deaths occurring at ≥28 weeks). Therefore, in the analysis of stillbirth, we excluded 726 births (stillbirths and live births) that took place at 22--27 weeks' gestation. Infant mortality was defined as the death of a liveborn infant during the first year of life. Analyses of infant mortality were based on all live births occurring from 22 completed weeks' gestation onward; 563 stillbirths were excluded, of which 36 occurred at 22--27 weeks' gestation (Figure [1](#KWW046F1){ref-type="fig"}). Neonatal mortality was defined as infant mortality occurring within the first 27 completed days after birth, and postneonatal mortality was defined as infant mortality occurring 28--364 completed days after birth.
Study design {#s2d}
------------
We selected 2 control groups: population controls and sister controls, both having their first singleton birth during the study period. If a case mother had more than 1 suitable sister control, the sister who gave birth closest in time to the case mother was selected as the control (Figure [1](#KWW046F1){ref-type="fig"}). For the stillbirth case-control study, we identified 527 cases of stillbirth, 201,813 population controls, and 527 sister controls with live births at 28 weeks' gestation or later (Figure [1](#KWW046F1){ref-type="fig"}). For the case-control analyses of infant mortality, we identified 558 cases of infant mortality, 201,905 population controls, and 558 sister controls for which infants in both control groups survived the first year of life. Of the 558 cases of infant mortality, there were 390 neonatal deaths and 168 postneonatal deaths.
Exposures {#s2e}
---------
Information on maternal height and weight was collected at the first antenatal visit, which occurs within the first trimester for more than 90% of Swedish women ([@KWW046C26]). Height was self-reported, while weight was measured by the midwife. BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared. The World Health Organization\'s classification was used to categorize BMI as underweight (BMI \<18.5), normal-weight (BMI 18.5--24.9), overweight (BMI 25.0--29.9), obese grade 1 (BMI 30--34.9), or obese grade 2--3 (BMI ≥35) ([@KWW046C32]). Self-reported information on smoking in early pregnancy was also collected at the first antenatal visit. Information on maternal age at delivery was calculated from the mother\'s birth date (included in the personal registration number) and the date of delivery. Information on the mother\'s highest level of education attained (by December 31, 2011) was retrieved from the Education Register. Maternal age, height, smoking, and educational level and period of child\'s birth (in 5-year groups) were categorized as presented in Table [1](#KWW046TB1){ref-type="table"}.
######
Distribution of Maternal Characteristics for Cases of Stillbirth, Population Controls, and Sister Controls Among Singleton Births in Sweden, 1992--2011
Stillbirth Cases Controls
------------------------------- ------------------ ---------- --------- ------- ----- -------
Total 527 100.0 201,813 100.0 527 100.0
Maternal body mass index^a^
\<18.5 14 2.7 4,675 2.3 15 2.9
18.5--24.9 244 46.3 120,962 59.9 308 58.4
25--29.9 120 22.8 37,398 18.5 102 19.4
30--34.9 38 7.2 10,198 5.1 24 4.6
≥35 26 4.9 3,832 1.9 13 2.5
Missing data 85 16.3 24,748 12.3 65 12.3
Maternal age, years
≤24 143 27.1 52,569 26.1 153 29.0
25--29 188 35.7 80,862 40.1 195 37.0
30--34 137 26.0 53,081 26.3 139 26.4
≥35 59 11.2 15,301 7.6 40 7.6
Maternal height, cm
≤154 14 2.7 2,712 1.3 6 1.1
155--164 171 32.5 59,112 29.3 173 32.8
165--174 246 46.7 105,518 52.3 262 49.7
≥175 46 8.7 21,326 10.6 56 10.6
Missing data 50 9.5 13,145 6.5 30 5.7
Smoking in early pregnancy
Yes 71 13.5 18,939 9.4 66 12.5
No 414 78.6 172,818 85.6 441 83.7
Missing data 42 8.0 10,056 5.0 20 3.8
Education, years
≤9 42 7.9 10,944 5.4 44 8.4
10--11 88 16.7 28,448 14.1 87 16.5
12 155 29.4 56,414 28.0 137 26.0
13--14 77 14.9 30,129 14.9 89 16.9
≥15 161 30.6 74,994 37.2 165 31.3
Missing data 4 0.8 884 0.4 5 1.0
Time period of child\'s birth
1992--1996 118 22.4 46,089 22.8 133 25.2
1997--2001 145 27.5 47,283 23.4 117 22.2
2002--2006 149 28.3 56,757 28.1 159 30.2
2007--2011 115 21.8 51,684 25.6 118 22.4
^a^ Weight (kg)/height (m)^2^.
The study protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee at Karolinska Institutet (Stockholm, Sweden).
Statistical analyses {#s2f}
--------------------
In order to control for familial confounding (i.e., genetic and family environmental factors), we compared results from case-control analyses using population controls and sister controls. If an association is seen using population controls but not when using sister controls, the association is confounded by familial factors. We used unconditional logistic regression for the population case-control analyses of associations between maternal BMI and risks of stillbirth and infant, neonatal, and postneonatal mortality. The dependency in the data (due to the fact that all mothers had a sister in the population) was handled with a generalized estimating equations model. In the analyses of case-control sister pairs, we used conditional logistic regression. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and results were adjusted for maternal age, height, smoking, education, and time period (5-year groups) of child\'s birth. In the analyses of infant mortality, there were too few sister controls in the obesity grade 2--3 category (BMI ≥35) for analysis (*n* = 8); therefore, all women with obesity (BMI ≥30) were collapsed into 1 category. In analyses of neonatal and postneonatal mortality, underweight mothers were excluded because of small numbers (7 cases of neonatal mortality and 5 cases of postneonatal mortality).
Because data on maternal BMI were missing for up to 19% of participants, we also performed analyses using multiple imputation. Missing values for BMI, maternal height, smoking, and education were imputed by means of ordinal logistic regression, using available information on maternal age, time period of child\'s birth, stillbirth, and/or infant mortality. Ten data sets were created and were analyzed with the same logistic regression models as in the complete-case analyses. Parameter estimates and covariance matrices were analyzed with the MIANALYZE procedure in SAS (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, North Carolina). These estimates were used in sensitivity analyses, and the results were compared with those of the complete-case analyses (Figures [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"} and [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}).
{#KWW046F2}
{#KWW046F3}
We also performed trend tests with BMI included in the analyses as a continuous variable. *P* values for neonatal mortality and postneonatal mortality are presented. SAS software, version 9.4, was used for all analyses.
RESULTS {#s3}
=======
Among the stillbirth case mothers, rates of overweight (BMI 25--29.9), obesity grade 1 (BMI 30--34.9), and obesity grade 2--3 (BMI ≥35) were higher than corresponding rates among population controls and sister controls. The stillbirth case mothers were slightly older and were more often smokers than population controls and sister controls (Table [1](#KWW046TB1){ref-type="table"}).
Among the infant mortality case mothers, 17.6% were overweight and 12.9% were obese. Corresponding rates were 18.5% and 6.9%, respectively, in population control mothers and 20.6% and 7.0%, respectively, among sister control mothers (Appendix Table [1](#KWW046TB3){ref-type="table"}). Smoking during pregnancy was equally common among case mothers and their sisters (13%), as compared with 9.4% among population controls.
In adjusted analyses, we found positive associations between maternal BMI and stillbirth risks, both when using population controls (Figure [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"}A) and when using sister controls (Figure [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"}B). Compared with normal weight, the stillbirth risk increased with BMI in the population case-control analyses (overweight: odds ratio (OR) = 1.51 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.21, 1.89); obesity grade 1: OR = 1.77 (95% CI: 1.24, 2.50); obesity grade 2--3: OR = 3.16 (95% CI: 2.10, 4.76)) (Figure [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"}A). In the sister case-control analyses, corresponding odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were similar (overweight: OR = 2.00 (95% CI: 1.32, 3.03); obesity grade 1: OR = 2.33 (95% CI: 1.22, 4.46); obesity grade 2--3: OR = 3.08 (95% CI: 1.28, 7.40)) (Figure [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"}B). We found no statistically significant association between being underweight (BMI \<18.5) in early pregnancy and stillbirth risk, either when using population controls (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 0.78, 2.39) or when using sister controls (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.38, 2.45). The estimates from the multiple imputation analyses were similar to those from the complete-case analyses (Figures [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"}A and 2B).
In analyses of BMI and infant mortality, we also found a similar risk pattern regardless of whether we used population controls (Figure [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}A) or sister controls (Figure [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}B) as the reference group. In the population case-control analyses, infants of obese women (BMI ≥30) had a more than doubled risk of infant death (OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 1.83, 3.16) compared with infants of normal-weight women. Infant mortality risk was not increased among infants of overweight women (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.50) or underweight women (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.62, 2.00) (Figure [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}A). In the sister case-control analyses, infants of obese women had a 4-fold higher risk of infant death (OR = 4.04, 95% CI: 2.25, 7.25) than infants of normal-weight women. The odds ratios for infant mortality were 1.29 (95% CI: 0.85, 1.95) for infants of overweight women and 1.67 (95% CI: 0.53, 5.24) for infants of underweight women (Figure [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}B). The estimates from the multiple imputation analyses showed results similar to those of the complete-case analyses (Figure [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}A and 3B).
Finally, we estimated risks of neonatal and postneonatal mortality, respectively (Table [2](#KWW046TB2){ref-type="table"}). Most infant deaths occurred during the neonatal period, and the association between maternal BMI and risk of neonatal mortality was similar to that in the analyses of BMI and infant mortality. Compared with infants of normal-weight mothers, the adjusted risk of neonatal mortality was higher in infants of obese mothers, both when using population controls (OR = 2.52, 95% CI: 1.83, 3.47) and when using sister controls (OR = 4.86, 95% CI: 2.33, 10.14). Compared with infants of normal-weight mothers, the risk of postneonatal mortality was doubled among infants of obese mothers in the crude analyses. In the adjusted analyses, although point estimates were similarly elevated, a statistically increased risk was achieved only when population controls were used (Table [2](#KWW046TB2){ref-type="table"}).
######
Maternal Body Mass Index in Early Pregnancy and Risks of Neonatal Mortality and Postneonatal Mortality Derived Using Both Population Controls and Sister Controls, Sweden, 1992--2011
Population Control Analyses Sister Control Analyses
------------------------------ ----------------------------- ------------------------- ---------- ------------ ------ ------------ ------ -------------
*Neonatal Mortality* ^b^
Maternal BMI^c^
18.5--24.9 1.00 Referent 1.00 Referent 1.00 Referent 1.00 Referent
25.0--29.9 1.23 0.93, 1.61 1.20 0.90, 1.59 1.17 0.73, 1.88 1.14 0.67, 1.96
≥30.0 2.35 1.72, 3.21 2.52 1.83, 3.47 4.00 2.05, 7.81 4.86 2.33, 10.14
*P* for trend \<0.0001 \<0.0001 \<0.0001 \<0.0001
*Postneonatal Mortality* ^d^
Maternal BMI^e^
18.5--24.9 1.00 Referent 1.00 Referent 1.00 Referent 1.00 Referent
25.0--29.9 1.08 0.70, 1.67 1.12 0.72, 1.75 1.53 0.80, 2.92 1.76 0.83, 3.74
≥30.0 2.24 1.38, 3.61 2.03 1.20, 3.42 2.45 1.02, 5.87 2.41 0.82, 7.09
*P* for trend 0.0006 0.0028 0.0068 0.0150
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio.
^a^ ORs were adjusted for maternal age, maternal height, smoking, education, and time period (5-year groups) of child\'s birth.
^b^ Neonatal mortality was defined as death occurring during the first 27 completed days of life (*n* = 381 cases, *n* = 197,228 population controls, and *n* = 381 sister controls).
^c^ BMI was defined as weight (kg)/height (m)^2^. Women with a BMI below 18.5 were excluded because of very low numbers of cases and sister controls (*n* = 7 cases, *n* = 2 sister controls, and *n* = 4,677 population controls).
^d^ Postneonatal mortality was defined as death occurring within the first year of life, after the first 27 completed days of life (*n* = 160 cases, *n* = 197,228 population controls, and *n* = 160 sister controls).
^e^ Women with a BMI below 18.5 were excluded because of very low numbers among cases and sister controls (*n* = 5 cases, *n* = 5 sister controls, and *n* = 4,677 population controls).
DISCUSSION {#s4}
==========
In this large population-based study, we found that risk of stillbirth increased with overweight and increasing obesity, both when using population controls as the reference group and when using sister controls. Moreover, in the analyses of infant mortality, we found that obesity but not overweight in early pregnancy was associated with increased infant mortality risk irrespective of control group. These findings indicate that the associations between BMI and stillbirth and infant mortality are not confounded by familial factors.
Many earlier studies found an association between maternal overweight/obesity and risks of stillbirth and infant mortality ([@KWW046C9], [@KWW046C10], [@KWW046C16], [@KWW046C33]). In a large meta-analysis, a dose-response association between BMI and stillbirth was shown, with an increased relative risk of 24% per 5-unit increase in BMI ([@KWW046C34]). Maternal weight gain between the first and second pregnancies also increases risks of stillbirth and infant mortality in secondborn offspring ([@KWW046C31], [@KWW046C35]). Weight loss in overweight or obese women during pregnancy seems to decrease the risk of gestational diabetes, large-for-gestational-age birth, and neonatal mortality ([@KWW046C31], [@KWW046C35], [@KWW046C36]). These studies strengthen the possibility of a causal relationship between maternal overweight/obesity and risks of stillbirth and infant mortality.
The mechanisms behind the associations between maternal BMI above the normal range and stillbirth and infant mortality are probably multifactorial. Inflammation and infection have been associated with stillbirth, and obesity may contribute to dysregulation of inflammatory responses and increase the risk of infection, leading to fetal loss ([@KWW046C37]). Adipose tissue in obese individuals mainly releases proinflammatory cytokines (e.g., tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, leptin), while adipose tissue in lean individuals secretes antiinflammatory adipokines (adiponectin, transforming growth factor β, interleukin-10) ([@KWW046C38]). Histopathological investigations of placentas have shown a higher prevalence of both acute and chronic placental inflammation among stillbirths ([@KWW046C39], [@KWW046C40]). Genetic studies have shown an association between stillbirth and heritable thrombophilias. One example is a common association between stillbirth, fetal growth restriction, and placental abruption and 4G/4G homozygosity for the hypofibrinolytic plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 gene (*PAI-1*) ([@KWW046C41], [@KWW046C42]). Proinflammatory cytokines may also be responsible for the obesity-related increased risk of spontaneous extremely preterm birth, which is a main cause of infant mortality ([@KWW046C5], [@KWW046C9]). Further, maternal obesity increases the risk of preeclampsia, which may increase risks of stillbirth and infant mortality through fetal growth restriction and preterm birth ([@KWW046C43], [@KWW046C44]). Obesity is also a risk factor for gestational diabetes, which increases risks of antepartum stillbirth ([@KWW046C45]), large-for-gestational-age birth, and neonatal infant mortality due to asphyxia ([@KWW046C9], [@KWW046C46], [@KWW046C47]). Moreover, congenital anomalies, which may cause stillbirth and infant mortality, are also more common in pregnancies of obese women ([@KWW046C7], [@KWW046C9], [@KWW046C23]).
Strengths of this study include the large population-based study base. The study base included more than 870,000 births to primiparous women, recorded in reliable health registries. The subsidized health-care system in Sweden gives all mothers equal access to antenatal and delivery care free of charge. We were able to perform linkage between sisters' data using individually unique Swedish personal registration numbers and the Multigeneration Register. We were also able to control for additional important confounding factors, such as smoking, education, and maternal age.
Limitations of this study included a lack of statistical power to use finer BMI categories in the analyses of infant mortality and neonatal and postneonatal mortality. The mothers included in our study might have had a more stable family background than the general population, as we only included full sisters who gave birth during a limited time period. However, the same inclusion criteria were applied to both sibling and population controls, and our focus was to compare associations between maternal BMI and stillbirth and infant mortality when cases were compared with either sibling or population controls, rather than generalizability. Maternal BMIs were calculated from self-assessed height and from weight measured at the first antenatal care visit. Self-assessed height tends to be overestimated ([@KWW046C48]), and differences in time of weight measurement in early pregnancy might under- or overestimate BMI in early pregnancy. However, these data were recorded prospectively and would be unlikely to lead to systematic misclassification of BMI between cases and controls. We had up to 19% missing information on BMI in our data, and the rates of missing values were higher among cases than among sister or population controls. We used multiple imputation to assess the risk of selection bias due to missing data, and found that the estimates from the multiple imputations were similar to those from the complete-case analyses (Figures [2](#KWW046F2){ref-type="fig"} and [3](#KWW046F3){ref-type="fig"}).
Although the sibling case-control study design controls for factors shared by the siblings, including genetic and early environmental factors, it may be sensitive to bias due to nonshared confounding ([@KWW046C49]). Moreover, if the sibling pairs differ more with regard to the confounders than with regard to the exposure of interest, a spurious association due to nonshared confounding bias may occur. In our study, the largest differences between the sisters were seen in BMI and not in the other confounders (Table [1](#KWW046TB1){ref-type="table"} and Appendix Table [1](#KWW046TB3){ref-type="table"}), so there seems little reason to assume the presence of confounding bias. However, this does not include unmeasured confounding bias.
In conclusion, we found that obesity in early pregnancy is associated with increased risks of stillbirth and infant mortality independently of genetic and early environmental risk factors shared within families.
Author affiliations: Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (Anna Lindam, Stefan Johansson, Olof Stephansson, Anna-Karin Wikström, Sven Cnattingius); Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (Stefan Johansson); Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California (Olof Stephansson); and Department of Women\'s and Children\'s Health, Faculty of Medicine, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden (Anna-Karin Wikström).
Financial support was provided by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (grant 2014-0073) and a Distinguished Professor Award to S.C. from the Karolinska Institutet (grant 2368/10-221).
Parts of this study were orally presented at the 28th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric and Perinatal Epidemiologic Research, Denver, Colorado, June 15--16, 2015.
Conflict of interest: none declared.
######
Distribution of Maternal Characteristics for Cases of Infant Mortality, Population Controls, and Sister Controls Among Singleton Births in Sweden, 1992--2011
Infant Mortality Cases Controls
------------------------------- ------------------------ ---------- --------- ------ ----- ------
Total 558 100.0 201,905 100 558 100
Maternal body mass index^a^
\<18.5 12 2.2 4,677 2.3 7 1.3
18.5--24.9 268 48.0 120,918 59.9 335 60.0
25--29.9 98 17.6 37,389 18.5 115 20.6
≥30 72 12.9 14,017 6.9 39 7.0
Missing data 108 19.4 24,904 12.3 62 11.1
Maternal age, years
≤24 183 32.8 52,582 26.0 174 31.2
25--29 201 36.0 80,872 40.1 213 38.2
30--34 127 22.8 53,134 26.3 122 21.9
≥35 47 8.4 15,317 7.6 49 8.8
Maternal height, cm
≤154 7 1.3 2,714 1.3 12 2.2
155--164 185 33.2 59,118 29.3 161 28.9
165--174 241 43.2 105,463 52.2 292 52.3
≥175 48 8.6 21,314 10.6 57 10.2
Missing data 77 13.8 13,296 6.6 36 6.5
Smoking in early pregnancy
Yes 74 13.3 18,916 9.4 75 13.4
No 416 74.6 172,783 85.6 457 81.9
Missing data 68 12.2 10,206 5.1 26 4.7
Education, years
≤9 48 8.6 10,928 5.4 58 10.4
10--11 106 19.0 28,472 14.1 87 15.6
12 155 27.8 56,453 28.0 152 27.2
13--14 68 12.2 30,168 14.9 83 14.9
≥15 174 31.2 75,002 37.2 173 31.0
Missing data 7 1.3 882 0.4 5 0.9
Time period of child\'s birth
1992--1996 176 31.5 46,073 22.8 145 26.0
1997--2001 128 22.9 47,301 23.4 143 25.6
2002--2006 147 26.3 56,798 28.1 144 25.8
2007--2011 107 19.2 51,733 25.6 126 22.6
^a^ Weight (kg)/height (m)^2^.
[^1]: Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio.
| 2023-11-03T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8904 |
Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the charging and/or powering of electronic devices (e.g., consumer electronic devices), and more particularly to improving an efficiency at which such devices are charged. Accordingly, a length of time that is required to fully charge a device may be shortened.
Background
Electronic devices may draw power from a battery (e.g., an internal battery).
Power for charging the battery, as well as for powering the electronic device, may be supplied by connecting the device to an electrical outlet (e.g., a wall outlet) via a second device. The second device may be a wall charger such as an AC (alternating current) adapter. Commonly performed, connecting the device to an electrical outlet has proven to be an effective way of charging the battery. | 2023-09-23T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2181 |
Q:
PHP error "Notice: Use of undefined constant row - assumed 'row'" MySQL
Error:
Notice: Use of undefined constant row - assumed 'row'
Relevant Code [PHP]:
if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
echo BuildDisplay($row['name'], $row['price'], row['link'], $sc);
if ($sc = 4) {
$sc = 1;
} else {
$sc = ($sc + 1);
}
}
} else {
echo "<p>No Products Available!<p>";
}
A:
row['link'] is missing a dollar sign: $row['link']
| 2024-01-19T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4220 |
Q:
How to change Odometer value on hover
I have implemented Odometer in a site: http://github.hubspot.com/odometer/docs/welcome/
The value of the Odometer needs to have a default value of 100 (which is the sum of six assigned numbers).
I have 6 links. Each link has a data attribute and when you hover over them the Odometer needs to change to show the assigned value. When exiting hover, the odometer needs to return to the default sum.
Really new to jQuery and it's a massive success that I even have Odometer working in the first place, but really struggling with getting much further. Any help or advice would be much appreciated!
Current jQuery code to set default value is:
setTimeout(function(){
odometer.innerHTML = 100;
}, 0.100);
HTML is:
<div class="wrap">
<div id="odometer" class="odometer count">100</div>
</div>
<div class="sectors">
<ul>
<li data-value="10" class="n_1"><a href="#" title="">Item 1</a></li>
<li data-value="25" class="n_2"><a href="#" title="">Item 2</a></li>
<li data-value="12" class="n_3"><a href="#" title="">Item 3</a></li>
<li data-value="13" class="n_4"><a href="#" title="">Item 4</a></li>
<li data-value="22" class="n_5"><a href="#" title="">Item 5</a></li>
<li data-value="18" class="n_6"><a href="#" title="">Item 6</a></li>
</ul>
</div>
A:
You can start from this example:
HTML:
<div id="odometer" class="odometer">123</div>
<a href="" data-id=134>One</a>
<a href="" data-id=332>Two</a>
<a href="" data-id=132>Three</a>
<a href="" data-id=344>Four</a>
<a href="" data-id=345>Five</a>
jQuery:
var def = 0;
$(function () {
$('a').hover(function () {
def = $(this).attr('data-id');
odometer.innerHTML = 456;
}, function () {
odometer.innerHTML = parseInt(def);
});
});
Demo: http://jsfiddle.net/lotusgodkk/GCu2D/317/
About jQuery Hover: http://api.jquery.com/hover/
| 2023-10-16T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7113 |
He lied to Congress, but he’s going to tell the truth on Tumblr.
On his official Tumblr blog, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (shown) announced August 29 that he will soon declassify a cache of documents disclosing how many people are being watched under the various federal surveillance schemes.
DNI Clapper writes:
In June, President Obama directed the Intelligence Community (IC) to declassify and make public as much information as possible about certain sensitive U.S. Government surveillance programs while being mindful of the need to protect sensitive classified intelligence and national security.
Consistent with this directive and in the interest of increased transparency, the DNI has determined, with the concurrence of the IC, that going forward the IC will publicly release, on an annual basis, aggregate information concerning compulsory legal process under certain national security authorities.
Specifically, for each of the following categories of national security authorities, the IC will release the total number of orders issued during the prior twelve-month period, and the number of targets affected by these orders:
FISA orders based on probable cause ( Titles I and III of FISA, and sections 703 and 704).
Section 702 of FISA
FISA Business Records (Title V of FISA).
FISA Pen Register/Trap and Trace ( Title IV of FISA)
National Security Letters issued pursuant to 12 U.S.C. § 3414(a)(5), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1681u(a) and (b), 15 U.S.C. § 1681v, and 18 U.S.C. § 2709.
The watcher-in-chief hedges, of course, adding, “Our ability to discuss these activities is limited by our need to protect intelligence sources and methods.”
He goes on to trot out the Establishment’s favorite trope: All the violations of the Constitution “are an important part of our effort to keep the nation and its citizens safe.”
Freedom for safety seems to be the only available currency exchange in the economy of the surveillance state.
In light of the protections afforded by the Fourth Amendment, this is the trade demanded only by tyrants.
Americans are endowed by their Creator with the right to be free from unwarranted searches and seizures. When the government takes away these rights, then there is no liberty, regardless of pretexts and purposes put forth by the federal government.
Besides, is there any demonstrable evidence that any of this unconstitutional surveillance has helped avert even a single terrorist attack? Has a single would-be bomber been snared in the NSA’s surveillance dragnet?
Furthermore, these unconstitutional searches undermine legitimate efforts to protect national security. Logically, when everyone is suspect, then no one is a suspect.
And Americans must remember that it isn’t just evidence of criminal activity that is being collected, collated, and stored by the federal surveillance apparatus. When every form of communication is monitored, then the universe of things that could be exposed to view expands exponentially.
While it’s true that most Americans have “done nothing wrong” criminally speaking, it is equally true that most of us have done many embarrassing things that we would prefer not to have put in a file for future use by political enemies — inside or outside the government. What are these possible peccadilloes? Think: bad credit, poor scholastic performance, web surfing habits, sensitive medical diagnoses, etc.
It is most important to remember that there is no evidence that such massive surveillance and deprivations of rights has made us any safer. What, then, is the true purpose of the surveillance?
It isn’t security. As one German writer recently observed, “A monitored human being is not a free human being.”
Lest constitutionalists and libertarians see Clapper’s declaration as some sort of victory for freedom, it is important to remember that the list of those being watched will be limited and will not include even a fraction of the number of Americans being monitored in direct, open, and hostile violation of the Bill of Rights.
Evidence of the extreme editing that will precede Clapper’s disclosure in found in the history of the effort last year by Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Mark Udall (D-Colo.) to force the feds to reveal how many citizens they are treating as suspects.
In July of 2011 and again in May 2012, Udall and Wyden co-authored a letter to DNI Clapper, asking him a series of four questions regarding the activities of the NSA and other intelligence agencies regarding domestic surveillance.
In one of the questions, the senators asked Clapper if “any apparently law-abiding Americans had their communications collected by the government pursuant to the FISA Amendments Act” and if so, how many Americans were affected by this surveillance.
Regarding the Wyden-Udall inquiry, in a letter dated June 15, 2012, I. Charles McCullough III informed the senators that calculating the number of Americans who’ve had their electronic communications “collected or reviewed” by the NSA was “beyond the capacity of his office and dedicating sufficient additional resources would likely impede the NSA’s mission.
In other words, the NSA is too busy illegally recording our private e-mails, texts, Facebook posts, and phone calls to figure out how many of us are already caught in their net. And, furthermore, there is nothing Congress can do about it.
Naturally, Senators Udall and Wyden didn’t take kindly to Inspector General McCullough’s brush-off. In a response to the response, the senators told McCullough that they just wanted a “ballpark estimate” of the number of American citizens who have been monitored under the authority of the FISA. In an additional statement released by Senator Wyden he expressed concern that the figure is likely very high:
I am concerned, of course, that if no one has even estimated how many Americans have had their communications collected under the FISA Amendments Act, then it is possible that this number could be quite large. Since all of the communications collected by the government under section 702 are collected without individual warrants, I believe that there should be clear rules prohibiting the government from searching through these communications in an effort to find the phone calls or emails of a particular American, unless the government has obtained a warrant or emergency authorization permitting surveillance of that American.
When and if any reports are released, DNI Clapper says they, “like other unclassified information related to foreign intelligence surveillance activities, will be available on our Community website established at the direction of the President.”
Congress, it seems, doesn’t merit a response, but when the president speaks, Clapper listens.
The documents, as with the promise of them, will be posted on the DNI’s official Tumblr.
Photo of DNI James Clapper: AP Images
Joe A. Wolverton, II, J.D. is a correspondent for The New American and travels frequently nationwide speaking on topics of nullification, the NDAA, and the surveillance state. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | 2024-05-16T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3837 |
Creating VideoGames has always been one of my biggest dreams. I was born in 1981 and I’ve had the privilege to play classic 2D games on pieces of computer history such as the Commodore 64 and the Amiga (500, 500+, 600, 1200 and the terrible CD version). Guys, back then I used to have black curly hair… I used to have hair! Well… let’s talk about Cocos2D.
Thanks to the rise of smartphones and social networks, 2D games have a second life and Cocos2D in my opinion is our best way to be part of this new 2D era.
In this article I want to give you a simple overview of Cocos2d that should help you move seamlessly through the best resources I’ve found in these last few months about the subject.
In my opinion it is completely useless to write another tutorial that shows you how to create yet another simple game, there are a whole lot of cool resources out there for that. I’d rather show you some theory and share with you the resources on Cocos2D I consider to be the best.
Cocos2d? Uhm… tell me more
Cocos2D is a 2D Game Engine that takes care of some really important tasks for you, like: rendering, audio and input management, menu and scene generation/management, physics simulation and more.
As you can imagine there is a lot of work to put all these stuff together from scratch. Cocos2D does the job really well!
There are currently different versions of Cocos2d:
cocos2d-x: This is the cross platform version. It can compile for Android, Blackberry, iOS, OS X, Linux, Windows and Windows Phone. With this version you’ll mainly write code in C/C++.
Cocos2d-iphone v1.x: It only works with iOS and you can write code in Objective-C and Objective-C++. This version use OpenGLES 1 so you can create apps that are suitable for old devices.
Cocos2d-iphone v2.x: This is (at the time I’m writing this article) the latest version and it’s built on top of OpenGLES 2. Again, you write in Objective-C and Objective-C++ and you can only build for iOS.
Cocos2D elements
Cocos2D helps you structure your game in a nice way.
It could take a while to grasp it and to understand how to use each component in the right way, but once you get it I’m sure you’ll really appreciate every part of the engine.
In the next sections I want to introduce the main elements of Cocos2d without using a row a code, I’ll just speak about how they work together to bring the magic your game.
Scene Graph
Even a simple game could be composed by many different parts. In the main game view, for example, we could have a GUI to draw the score, the commands with a virtual joypad and the game graphics itself.
To combine every part of the game, Cocos2d uses a technique called Scene Graph that keeps track of each component through a simple hierarchy.
Scene and Layers
With this method you can group objects using layers and define the order in which these layers must be drawn. The highest layer is on top, while the innermost is overlapped by the other layers.
These layers are going to compose a scene.
Let’s compose the simple scene we have previously described,
it is named Game Scene and it is composed by 3 layers:
GUI: The Score label
Command: The Joypad
Game: The game graphics etc
We want the GUI and the Command to be displayed over the Game Layer, so we can build our scene with this hierarchy:
Game Scene
|——– Game at z:0
|——– GUI at z:1
|——– Command at z:2
To describe the scene we can say that the Game layer is at Z level 0, the Score layer at 1 and the Command layer at 2 and all the layers are children of the scene. So a lower Z value means a deeper level in the scene graph and a layer with an higher Z value is closer to the user’s point of view.
In Cocos2d a basic scene is described with the class CCScene and the layer by CCLayer.
Sprites
Now let’s focus on the Game layer.
As you can see it contains different objects: a spaceship and some asteroids.
These objects are drawn through sprites: they are elements mainly based on images and in this case they are children of the Game Layer.
The same applies to the other two layers: the GUI uses a sprite for the label and the command layer uses some other sprites to draw the joypad and the buttons.
So our Scene Graph is deeper than what I’ve previously shown you:
Game Scene
|——– Game at z:0
|——— Asteroids
|——— Spaceship
|——– GUI at z:1
|——— Labels
|——– Command at z:2
|——— Joystick
|——— Button A
|——— Button B
In Cocos2D a sprite is an instance of CCSprite. Keep in mind I’m only trying to tell you about the main classes, while many other subclasses exist (just a simple example: a label can be better described by the class CCLabelTTF, subclass of CCSprite).
All the elements I showed you so far inherit by a class called CCNode. This class has the basic information needed to describe an object of the Scene Graph.
Director
As you can imagine a game is composed by more than one scene.
Usually a game begins with one or more screens with the logos of the software houses involved in the game, then the player can choose what to do next thanks to a Menu that presents some choices like “Single Player”, “Settings”, “Scores”. Each of these steps can be defined by a different Scene.
To control how these scenes are presented, Cocos2D relies on a special object called Director. The director, as the name says, is the responsible of the scene sequence.
Through this element we can detect which is the current scene and move to the next one.
The Director is also useful to manage other information, like screen data and frame rate.
Let’s do it!
Believe it or not… these are all the components you need to create your first (no audio, no physics, single player) simple game.
Where to go next?
Right now you have an overview of the main components needed to start with Cocos2d. Obviously there are many other important aspects to grasp.
Download Cocos2d
First you have to download and install Cocos2d :). This is extremely simple, just follow the instructions you find in the Readme.txt to install some really useful templates for Xcode and you are all set.
You can choose between the version 1 and 2 (they are slightly different though and some code for a version doesn’t work well with the other version). You can also get the development version that is the most updated but it is not considered as Stable. You’re free to take your risks 🙂
Ray Wenderlich
The next tutorial that I’d read after this introduction is “How to make a simple iPhone game with Cocos2D” by Ray Wenderlich. It is a three part tutorial but in my opinion the first part is what you need to really understand how to write code for Cocos2d.
Ray’s website is the best resource that you’ll find online for Cocos2D. It has a huge list of tutorials from beginner to advanced.
Steffen Itterheim
Steffen is the author of the best book I’ve read about Cocos2d.
This book at the moment is the only one that’s completely updated at the version 2.X.
Plus, he is the developer of a really interesting framework called Kobold2d. I consider this framework an evolution of Cocos2d, but to be honest I haven’t tried it yet. Reading his book I’ve read many information about Kobold and I’m sure it’s worth a try.
Last but not least, Steffen writes really interesting tutorials that you can find at his blog.
Maniacdev
You probably already know Maniacdev, it is a great resource. Here you can find a list of Cocos2D example and searching for Cocos2d you get many other selected articles.
iForce2d
It’s too early to speak about Physics and I haven’t introduced the subject so please consider this paragraph kind of Off-Topic, but Cocos2D comes with 2 Physics engines: Box2D and Chipmunk.
Personally, I prefer Box2D, so yes my next suggestions are lean towards that.
When it comes time for you to learn how to use Box2D please take a look a this website. Here you’ll find the best tutorials about it.
The author is also the developer of R.U.B.E. a box2D editor that helps you write complex scenes.
Documentation
The last link is the official documentation (nothing more than a technical reference).
I know that there are many other resources, I’ve spent a lot of time googling, reading books and tutorials and I’m confident in saying that you don’t need more then what I listed here to begin with Cocos2d in easiest and most reliable way.
Happy learning! | 2023-11-20T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9815 |
/*
* Copyright Elasticsearch B.V. and/or licensed to Elasticsearch B.V. under one
* or more contributor license agreements. Licensed under the Elastic License;
* you may not use this file except in compliance with the Elastic License.
*/
package org.elasticsearch.xpack.security.cli;
import joptsimple.ArgumentAcceptingOptionSpec;
import joptsimple.OptionSet;
import joptsimple.OptionSpec;
import org.bouncycastle.asn1.DERIA5String;
import org.bouncycastle.asn1.x509.GeneralName;
import org.bouncycastle.asn1.x509.GeneralNames;
import org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.BouncyCastleProvider;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.PEMEncryptor;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.jcajce.JcaPEMWriter;
import org.bouncycastle.openssl.jcajce.JcePEMEncryptorBuilder;
import org.bouncycastle.pkcs.PKCS10CertificationRequest;
import org.elasticsearch.ExceptionsHelper;
import org.elasticsearch.cli.EnvironmentAwareCommand;
import org.elasticsearch.cli.ExitCodes;
import org.elasticsearch.cli.Terminal;
import org.elasticsearch.cli.UserException;
import org.elasticsearch.common.ParseField;
import org.elasticsearch.common.Strings;
import org.elasticsearch.common.SuppressForbidden;
import org.elasticsearch.common.io.PathUtils;
import org.elasticsearch.common.network.InetAddresses;
import org.elasticsearch.common.util.set.Sets;
import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.ConstructingObjectParser;
import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.LoggingDeprecationHandler;
import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.NamedXContentRegistry;
import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.ObjectParser;
import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentParser;
import org.elasticsearch.common.xcontent.XContentType;
import org.elasticsearch.env.Environment;
import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.ssl.CertParsingUtils;
import org.elasticsearch.xpack.core.ssl.PemUtils;
import javax.security.auth.x500.X500Principal;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.OutputStream;
import java.io.OutputStreamWriter;
import java.io.Reader;
import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Path;
import java.nio.file.StandardOpenOption;
import java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFileAttributeView;
import java.nio.file.attribute.PosixFilePermission;
import java.security.KeyPair;
import java.security.KeyStore;
import java.security.PrivateKey;
import java.security.cert.Certificate;
import java.security.cert.X509Certificate;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collection;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.HashSet;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
import java.util.Set;
import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;
import java.util.zip.ZipEntry;
import java.util.zip.ZipOutputStream;
/**
* CLI tool to make generation of certificates or certificate requests easier for users
*
* @deprecated Replaced by {@link CertificateTool}
*/
@Deprecated
public class CertificateGenerateTool extends EnvironmentAwareCommand {
private static final String AUTO_GEN_CA_DN = "CN=Elastic Certificate Tool Autogenerated CA";
private static final String DESCRIPTION = "Simplifies certificate creation for use with the Elastic Stack";
private static final String DEFAULT_CSR_FILE = "csr-bundle.zip";
private static final String DEFAULT_CERT_FILE = "certificate-bundle.zip";
private static final int DEFAULT_DAYS = 3 * 365;
private static final int FILE_EXTENSION_LENGTH = 4;
static final int MAX_FILENAME_LENGTH = 255 - FILE_EXTENSION_LENGTH;
private static final Pattern ALLOWED_FILENAME_CHAR_PATTERN =
Pattern.compile("[a-zA-Z0-9!@#$%^&{}\\[\\]()_+\\-=,.~'` ]{1," + MAX_FILENAME_LENGTH + "}");
private static final int DEFAULT_KEY_SIZE = 2048;
private static final BouncyCastleProvider BC_PROV = new BouncyCastleProvider();
/**
* Wraps the certgen object parser.
*/
private static class InputFileParser {
private static final ObjectParser<List<CertificateInformation>, Void> PARSER = new ObjectParser<>("certgen");
// if the class initializer here runs before the main method, logging will not have been configured; this will lead to status logger
// error messages from the class initializer for ParseField since it creates Logger instances; therefore, we bury the initialization
// of the parser in this class so that we can defer initialization until after logging has been initialized
static {
@SuppressWarnings("unchecked") final ConstructingObjectParser<CertificateInformation, Void> instanceParser =
new ConstructingObjectParser<>(
"instances",
a -> new CertificateInformation(
(String) a[0], (String) (a[1] == null ? a[0] : a[1]),
(List<String>) a[2], (List<String>) a[3], (List<String>) a[4]));
instanceParser.declareString(ConstructingObjectParser.constructorArg(), new ParseField("name"));
instanceParser.declareString(ConstructingObjectParser.optionalConstructorArg(), new ParseField("filename"));
instanceParser.declareStringArray(ConstructingObjectParser.optionalConstructorArg(), new ParseField("ip"));
instanceParser.declareStringArray(ConstructingObjectParser.optionalConstructorArg(), new ParseField("dns"));
instanceParser.declareStringArray(ConstructingObjectParser.optionalConstructorArg(), new ParseField("cn"));
PARSER.declareObjectArray(List::addAll, instanceParser, new ParseField("instances"));
}
}
private final OptionSpec<String> outputPathSpec;
private final OptionSpec<Void> csrSpec;
private final OptionSpec<String> caCertPathSpec;
private final OptionSpec<String> caKeyPathSpec;
private final OptionSpec<String> caPasswordSpec;
private final OptionSpec<String> caDnSpec;
private final OptionSpec<Integer> keysizeSpec;
private final OptionSpec<String> inputFileSpec;
private final OptionSpec<Integer> daysSpec;
private final ArgumentAcceptingOptionSpec<String> p12Spec;
CertificateGenerateTool() {
super(DESCRIPTION);
outputPathSpec = parser.accepts("out", "path of the zip file that the output should be written to")
.withRequiredArg();
csrSpec = parser.accepts("csr", "only generate certificate signing requests");
caCertPathSpec = parser.accepts("cert", "path to an existing ca certificate").availableUnless(csrSpec).withRequiredArg();
caKeyPathSpec = parser.accepts("key", "path to an existing ca private key")
.availableIf(caCertPathSpec)
.requiredIf(caCertPathSpec)
.withRequiredArg();
caPasswordSpec = parser.accepts("pass", "password for an existing ca private key or the generated ca private key")
.availableUnless(csrSpec)
.withOptionalArg();
caDnSpec = parser.accepts("dn", "distinguished name to use for the generated ca. defaults to " + AUTO_GEN_CA_DN)
.availableUnless(caCertPathSpec)
.availableUnless(csrSpec)
.withRequiredArg();
keysizeSpec = parser.accepts("keysize", "size in bits of RSA keys").withRequiredArg().ofType(Integer.class);
inputFileSpec = parser.accepts("in", "file containing details of the instances in yaml format").withRequiredArg();
daysSpec = parser.accepts("days", "number of days that the generated certificates are valid")
.availableUnless(csrSpec)
.withRequiredArg()
.ofType(Integer.class);
p12Spec = parser.accepts("p12", "output a p12 (PKCS#12) version for each certificate/key pair, with optional password")
.availableUnless(csrSpec)
.withOptionalArg();
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
exit(new CertificateGenerateTool().main(args, Terminal.DEFAULT));
}
@Override
protected void execute(Terminal terminal, OptionSet options, Environment env) throws Exception {
final boolean csrOnly = options.has(csrSpec);
printIntro(terminal, csrOnly);
final Path outputFile = getOutputFile(terminal, outputPathSpec.value(options), csrOnly ? DEFAULT_CSR_FILE : DEFAULT_CERT_FILE);
final String inputFile = inputFileSpec.value(options);
final int keysize = options.has(keysizeSpec) ? keysizeSpec.value(options) : DEFAULT_KEY_SIZE;
if (csrOnly) {
Collection<CertificateInformation> certificateInformations = getCertificateInformationList(terminal, inputFile);
generateAndWriteCsrs(outputFile, certificateInformations, keysize);
} else {
final String dn = options.has(caDnSpec) ? caDnSpec.value(options) : AUTO_GEN_CA_DN;
final boolean prompt = options.has(caPasswordSpec);
final char[] keyPass = options.hasArgument(caPasswordSpec) ? caPasswordSpec.value(options).toCharArray() : null;
final int days = options.hasArgument(daysSpec) ? daysSpec.value(options) : DEFAULT_DAYS;
final char[] p12Password;
if (options.hasArgument(p12Spec)) {
p12Password = p12Spec.value(options).toCharArray();
} else if (options.has(p12Spec)) {
p12Password = new char[0];
} else {
p12Password = null;
}
CAInfo caInfo = getCAInfo(terminal, dn, caCertPathSpec.value(options), caKeyPathSpec.value(options), keyPass, prompt, env,
keysize, days);
Collection<CertificateInformation> certificateInformations = getCertificateInformationList(terminal, inputFile);
generateAndWriteSignedCertificates(outputFile, certificateInformations, caInfo, keysize, days, p12Password);
}
printConclusion(terminal, csrOnly, outputFile);
}
@Override
protected void printAdditionalHelp(Terminal terminal) {
terminal.println("Simplifies the generation of certificate signing requests and signed");
terminal.println("certificates. The tool runs interactively unless the 'in' and 'out' parameters");
terminal.println("are specified. In the interactive mode, the tool will prompt for required");
terminal.println("values that have not been provided through the use of command line options.");
terminal.println("");
}
/**
* Checks for output file in the user specified options or prompts the user for the output file
*
* @param terminal terminal to communicate with a user
* @param outputPath user specified output file, may be {@code null}
* @return a {@link Path} to the output file
*/
static Path getOutputFile(Terminal terminal, String outputPath, String defaultFilename) throws IOException {
Path file;
if (outputPath != null) {
file = resolvePath(outputPath);
} else {
file = resolvePath(defaultFilename);
String input = terminal.readText("Please enter the desired output file [" + file + "]: ");
if (input.isEmpty() == false) {
file = resolvePath(input);
}
}
return file.toAbsolutePath();
}
@SuppressForbidden(reason = "resolve paths against CWD for a CLI tool")
private static Path resolvePath(String pathStr) {
return PathUtils.get(pathStr).normalize();
}
/**
* This method handles the collection of information about each instance that is necessary to generate a certificate. The user may
* be prompted or the information can be gathered from a file
*
* @param terminal the terminal to use for user interaction
* @param inputFile an optional file that will be used to load the instance information
* @return a {@link Collection} of {@link CertificateInformation} that represents each instance
*/
static Collection<CertificateInformation> getCertificateInformationList(Terminal terminal, String inputFile)
throws Exception {
if (inputFile != null) {
return parseAndValidateFile(terminal, resolvePath(inputFile).toAbsolutePath());
}
Map<String, CertificateInformation> map = new HashMap<>();
boolean done = false;
while (done == false) {
String name = terminal.readText("Enter instance name: ");
if (name.isEmpty() == false) {
final boolean isNameValidFilename = Name.isValidFilename(name);
String filename = terminal.readText("Enter name for directories and files " + (isNameValidFilename ? "[" + name + "]" : "")
+ ": ");
if (filename.isEmpty() && isNameValidFilename) {
filename = name;
}
String ipAddresses = terminal.readText("Enter IP Addresses for instance (comma-separated if more than one) []: ");
String dnsNames = terminal.readText("Enter DNS names for instance (comma-separated if more than one) []: ");
List<String> ipList = Arrays.asList(Strings.splitStringByCommaToArray(ipAddresses));
List<String> dnsList = Arrays.asList(Strings.splitStringByCommaToArray(dnsNames));
List<String> commonNames = null;
CertificateInformation information = new CertificateInformation(name, filename, ipList, dnsList, commonNames);
List<String> validationErrors = information.validate();
if (validationErrors.isEmpty()) {
if (map.containsKey(name)) {
terminal.println("Overwriting previously defined instance information [" + name + "]");
}
map.put(name, information);
} else {
for (String validationError : validationErrors) {
terminal.println(validationError);
}
terminal.println("Skipping entry as invalid values were found");
}
} else {
terminal.println("A name must be provided");
}
String exit = terminal.readText("Would you like to specify another instance? Press 'y' to continue entering instance " +
"information: ");
if ("y".equals(exit) == false) {
done = true;
}
}
return map.values();
}
static Collection<CertificateInformation> parseAndValidateFile(Terminal terminal, Path file) throws Exception {
final Collection<CertificateInformation> config = parseFile(file);
boolean hasError = false;
for (CertificateInformation certInfo : config) {
final List<String> errors = certInfo.validate();
if (errors.size() > 0) {
hasError = true;
terminal.errorPrintln(Terminal.Verbosity.SILENT, "Configuration for instance " + certInfo.name.originalName
+ " has invalid details");
for (String message : errors) {
terminal.errorPrintln(Terminal.Verbosity.SILENT, " * " + message);
}
terminal.errorPrintln("");
}
}
if (hasError) {
throw new UserException(ExitCodes.CONFIG, "File " + file + " contains invalid configuration details (see messages above)");
}
return config;
}
/**
* Parses the input file to retrieve the certificate information
*
* @param file the file to parse
* @return a collection of certificate information
*/
static Collection<CertificateInformation> parseFile(Path file) throws Exception {
try (Reader reader = Files.newBufferedReader(file)) {
// EMPTY is safe here because we never use namedObject
XContentParser xContentParser = XContentType.YAML.xContent()
.createParser(NamedXContentRegistry.EMPTY, LoggingDeprecationHandler.INSTANCE, reader);
return InputFileParser.PARSER.parse(xContentParser, new ArrayList<>(), null);
}
}
/**
* Generates certificate signing requests and writes them out to the specified file in zip format
*
* @param outputFile the file to write the output to. This file must not already exist
* @param certInfo the details to use in the certificate signing requests
*/
static void generateAndWriteCsrs(Path outputFile, Collection<CertificateInformation> certInfo, int keysize) throws Exception {
fullyWriteFile(outputFile, (outputStream, pemWriter) -> {
for (CertificateInformation certificateInformation : certInfo) {
KeyPair keyPair = CertGenUtils.generateKeyPair(keysize);
GeneralNames sanList = getSubjectAlternativeNamesValue(certificateInformation.ipAddresses, certificateInformation.dnsNames,
certificateInformation.commonNames);
PKCS10CertificationRequest csr = CertGenUtils.generateCSR(keyPair, certificateInformation.name.x500Principal, sanList);
final String dirName = certificateInformation.name.filename + "/";
ZipEntry zipEntry = new ZipEntry(dirName);
assert zipEntry.isDirectory();
outputStream.putNextEntry(zipEntry);
// write csr
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(dirName + certificateInformation.name.filename + ".csr"));
pemWriter.writeObject(csr);
pemWriter.flush();
outputStream.closeEntry();
// write private key
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(dirName + certificateInformation.name.filename + ".key"));
pemWriter.writeObject(keyPair.getPrivate());
pemWriter.flush();
outputStream.closeEntry();
}
});
}
/**
* Returns the CA certificate and private key that will be used to sign certificates. These may be specified by the user or
* automatically generated
*
* @param terminal the terminal to use for prompting the user
* @param dn the distinguished name to use for the CA
* @param caCertPath the path to the CA certificate or {@code null} if not provided
* @param caKeyPath the path to the CA private key or {@code null} if not provided
* @param prompt whether we should prompt the user for a password
* @param keyPass the password to the private key. If not present and the key is encrypted the user will be prompted
* @param env the environment for this tool to resolve files with
* @param keysize the size of the key in bits
* @param days the number of days that the certificate should be valid for
* @return CA cert and private key
*/
static CAInfo getCAInfo(Terminal terminal, String dn, String caCertPath, String caKeyPath, char[] keyPass, boolean prompt,
Environment env, int keysize, int days) throws Exception {
if (caCertPath != null) {
assert caKeyPath != null;
final String resolvedCaCertPath = resolvePath(caCertPath).toAbsolutePath().toString();
Certificate[] certificates = CertParsingUtils.readCertificates(Collections.singletonList(resolvedCaCertPath), env);
if (certificates.length != 1) {
throw new IllegalArgumentException("expected a single certificate in file [" + caCertPath + "] but found [" +
certificates.length + "]");
}
Certificate caCert = certificates[0];
PrivateKey privateKey = readPrivateKey(caKeyPath, keyPass, terminal, prompt);
return new CAInfo((X509Certificate) caCert, privateKey);
}
// generate the CA keys and cert
X500Principal x500Principal = new X500Principal(dn);
KeyPair keyPair = CertGenUtils.generateKeyPair(keysize);
Certificate caCert = CertGenUtils.generateCACertificate(x500Principal, keyPair, days);
final char[] password;
if (prompt) {
password = terminal.readSecret("Enter password for CA private key: ");
} else {
password = keyPass;
}
return new CAInfo((X509Certificate) caCert, keyPair.getPrivate(), true, password);
}
/**
* Generates signed certificates in PEM format stored in a zip file
*
* @param outputFile the file that the certificates will be written to. This file must not exist
* @param certificateInformations details for creation of the certificates
* @param caInfo the CA information to sign the certificates with
* @param keysize the size of the key in bits
* @param days the number of days that the certificate should be valid for
*/
static void generateAndWriteSignedCertificates(Path outputFile, Collection<CertificateInformation> certificateInformations,
CAInfo caInfo, int keysize, int days, char[] pkcs12Password) throws Exception {
fullyWriteFile(outputFile, (outputStream, pemWriter) -> {
// write out the CA info first if it was generated
writeCAInfoIfGenerated(outputStream, pemWriter, caInfo);
for (CertificateInformation certificateInformation : certificateInformations) {
KeyPair keyPair = CertGenUtils.generateKeyPair(keysize);
Certificate certificate = CertGenUtils.generateSignedCertificate(certificateInformation.name.x500Principal,
getSubjectAlternativeNamesValue(certificateInformation.ipAddresses, certificateInformation.dnsNames,
certificateInformation.commonNames),
keyPair, caInfo.caCert, caInfo.privateKey, days);
final String dirName = certificateInformation.name.filename + "/";
ZipEntry zipEntry = new ZipEntry(dirName);
assert zipEntry.isDirectory();
outputStream.putNextEntry(zipEntry);
// write cert
final String entryBase = dirName + certificateInformation.name.filename;
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(entryBase + ".crt"));
pemWriter.writeObject(certificate);
pemWriter.flush();
outputStream.closeEntry();
// write private key
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(entryBase + ".key"));
pemWriter.writeObject(keyPair.getPrivate());
pemWriter.flush();
outputStream.closeEntry();
if (pkcs12Password != null) {
final KeyStore pkcs12 = KeyStore.getInstance("PKCS12");
pkcs12.load(null);
pkcs12.setKeyEntry(certificateInformation.name.originalName, keyPair.getPrivate(), pkcs12Password,
new Certificate[]{certificate});
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(entryBase + ".p12"));
pkcs12.store(outputStream, pkcs12Password);
outputStream.closeEntry();
}
}
});
}
/**
* This method handles the deletion of a file in the case of a partial write
*
* @param file the file that is being written to
* @param writer writes the contents of the file
*/
private static void fullyWriteFile(Path file, Writer writer) throws Exception {
boolean success = false;
try (OutputStream outputStream = Files.newOutputStream(file, StandardOpenOption.CREATE_NEW);
ZipOutputStream zipOutputStream = new ZipOutputStream(outputStream, StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
JcaPEMWriter pemWriter = new JcaPEMWriter(new OutputStreamWriter(zipOutputStream, StandardCharsets.UTF_8))) {
writer.write(zipOutputStream, pemWriter);
// set permissions to 600
PosixFileAttributeView view = Files.getFileAttributeView(file, PosixFileAttributeView.class);
if (view != null) {
view.setPermissions(Sets.newHashSet(PosixFilePermission.OWNER_READ, PosixFilePermission.OWNER_WRITE));
}
success = true;
} finally {
if (success == false) {
Files.deleteIfExists(file);
}
}
}
/**
* This method handles writing out the certificate authority cert and private key if the certificate authority was generated by
* this invocation of the tool
*
* @param outputStream the output stream to write to
* @param pemWriter the writer for PEM objects
* @param info the certificate authority information
*/
private static void writeCAInfoIfGenerated(ZipOutputStream outputStream, JcaPEMWriter pemWriter, CAInfo info) throws Exception {
if (info.generated) {
final String caDirName = "ca/";
ZipEntry zipEntry = new ZipEntry(caDirName);
assert zipEntry.isDirectory();
outputStream.putNextEntry(zipEntry);
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(caDirName + "ca.crt"));
pemWriter.writeObject(info.caCert);
pemWriter.flush();
outputStream.closeEntry();
outputStream.putNextEntry(new ZipEntry(caDirName + "ca.key"));
if (info.password != null && info.password.length > 0) {
try {
PEMEncryptor encryptor = new JcePEMEncryptorBuilder("DES-EDE3-CBC").setProvider(BC_PROV).build(info.password);
pemWriter.writeObject(info.privateKey, encryptor);
} finally {
// we can safely nuke the password chars now
Arrays.fill(info.password, (char) 0);
}
} else {
pemWriter.writeObject(info.privateKey);
}
pemWriter.flush();
outputStream.closeEntry();
}
}
private static void printIntro(Terminal terminal, boolean csr) {
terminal.println("******************************************************************************");
terminal.println("Note: The 'elasticsearch-certgen' tool has been deprecated in favour of the");
terminal.println(" 'elasticsearch-certutil' tool. This command will be removed in a future");
terminal.println(" release.");
terminal.println("******************************************************************************");
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("This tool assists you in the generation of X.509 certificates and certificate");
terminal.println("signing requests for use with SSL in the Elastic stack. Depending on the command");
terminal.println("line option specified, you may be prompted for the following:");
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("* The path to the output file");
if (csr) {
terminal.println(" * The output file is a zip file containing the certificate signing requests");
terminal.println(" and private keys for each instance.");
} else {
terminal.println(" * The output file is a zip file containing the signed certificates and");
terminal.println(" private keys for each instance. If a Certificate Authority was generated,");
terminal.println(" the certificate and private key will also be included in the output file.");
}
terminal.println("* Information about each instance");
terminal.println(" * An instance is any piece of the Elastic Stack that requires an SSL certificate.");
terminal.println(" Depending on your configuration, Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana, and Beats");
terminal.println(" may all require a certificate and private key.");
terminal.println(" * The minimum required value for each instance is a name. This can simply be the");
terminal.println(" hostname, which will be used as the Common Name of the certificate. A full");
terminal.println(" distinguished name may also be used.");
terminal.println(" * A filename value may be required for each instance. This is necessary when the");
terminal.println(" name would result in an invalid file or directory name. The name provided here");
terminal.println(" is used as the directory name (within the zip) and the prefix for the key and");
terminal.println(" certificate files. The filename is required if you are prompted and the name");
terminal.println(" is not displayed in the prompt.");
terminal.println(" * IP addresses and DNS names are optional. Multiple values can be specified as a");
terminal.println(" comma separated string. If no IP addresses or DNS names are provided, you may");
terminal.println(" disable hostname verification in your SSL configuration.");
if (csr == false) {
terminal.println("* Certificate Authority private key password");
terminal.println(" * The password may be left empty if desired.");
}
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("Let's get started...");
terminal.println("");
}
private static void printConclusion(Terminal terminal, boolean csr, Path outputFile) {
if (csr) {
terminal.println("Certificate signing requests written to " + outputFile);
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("This file should be properly secured as it contains the private keys for all");
terminal.println("instances.");
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("After unzipping the file, there will be a directory for each instance containing");
terminal.println("the certificate signing request and the private key. Provide the certificate");
terminal.println("signing requests to your certificate authority. Once you have received the");
terminal.println("signed certificate, copy the signed certificate, key, and CA certificate to the");
terminal.println("configuration directory of the Elastic product that they will be used for and");
terminal.println("follow the SSL configuration instructions in the product guide.");
} else {
terminal.println("Certificates written to " + outputFile);
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("This file should be properly secured as it contains the private keys for all");
terminal.println("instances and the certificate authority.");
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("After unzipping the file, there will be a directory for each instance containing");
terminal.println("the certificate and private key. Copy the certificate, key, and CA certificate");
terminal.println("to the configuration directory of the Elastic product that they will be used for");
terminal.println("and follow the SSL configuration instructions in the product guide.");
terminal.println("");
terminal.println("For client applications, you may only need to copy the CA certificate and");
terminal.println("configure the client to trust this certificate.");
}
}
/**
* Helper method to read a private key and support prompting of user for a key. To avoid passwords being placed as an argument we
* can prompt the user for their password if we encounter an encrypted key.
*
* @param path the path to the private key
* @param password the password provided by the user or {@code null}
* @param terminal the terminal to use for user interaction
* @param prompt whether to prompt the user or not
* @return the {@link PrivateKey} that was read from the file
*/
private static PrivateKey readPrivateKey(String path, char[] password, Terminal terminal, boolean prompt)
throws Exception {
AtomicReference<char[]> passwordReference = new AtomicReference<>(password);
try {
return PemUtils.readPrivateKey(resolvePath(path), () -> {
if (password != null || prompt == false) {
return password;
}
char[] promptedValue = terminal.readSecret("Enter password for CA private key: ");
passwordReference.set(promptedValue);
return promptedValue;
});
} finally {
if (passwordReference.get() != null) {
Arrays.fill(passwordReference.get(), (char) 0);
}
}
}
private static GeneralNames getSubjectAlternativeNamesValue(List<String> ipAddresses, List<String> dnsNames, List<String> commonNames) {
Set<GeneralName> generalNameList = new HashSet<>();
for (String ip : ipAddresses) {
generalNameList.add(new GeneralName(GeneralName.iPAddress, ip));
}
for (String dns : dnsNames) {
generalNameList.add(new GeneralName(GeneralName.dNSName, dns));
}
for (String cn : commonNames) {
generalNameList.add(CertGenUtils.createCommonName(cn));
}
if (generalNameList.isEmpty()) {
return null;
}
return new GeneralNames(generalNameList.toArray(new GeneralName[0]));
}
static class CertificateInformation {
final Name name;
final List<String> ipAddresses;
final List<String> dnsNames;
final List<String> commonNames;
CertificateInformation(String name, String filename, List<String> ipAddresses, List<String> dnsNames, List<String> commonNames) {
this.name = Name.fromUserProvidedName(name, filename);
this.ipAddresses = ipAddresses == null ? Collections.emptyList() : ipAddresses;
this.dnsNames = dnsNames == null ? Collections.emptyList() : dnsNames;
this.commonNames = commonNames == null ? Collections.emptyList() : commonNames;
}
List<String> validate() {
List<String> errors = new ArrayList<>();
if (name.error != null) {
errors.add(name.error);
}
for (String ip : ipAddresses) {
if (InetAddresses.isInetAddress(ip) == false) {
errors.add("[" + ip + "] is not a valid IP address");
}
}
for (String dnsName : dnsNames) {
if (DERIA5String.isIA5String(dnsName) == false) {
errors.add("[" + dnsName + "] is not a valid DNS name");
}
}
return errors;
}
}
static class Name {
final String originalName;
final X500Principal x500Principal;
final String filename;
final String error;
private Name(String name, X500Principal x500Principal, String filename, String error) {
this.originalName = name;
this.x500Principal = x500Principal;
this.filename = filename;
this.error = error;
}
static Name fromUserProvidedName(String name, String filename) {
if ("ca".equals(name)) {
return new Name(name, null, null, "[ca] may not be used as an instance name");
}
final X500Principal principal;
try {
if (name.contains("=")) {
principal = new X500Principal(name);
} else {
principal = new X500Principal("CN=" + name);
}
} catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
String error = "[" + name + "] could not be converted to a valid DN\n" + e.getMessage() + "\n"
+ ExceptionsHelper.stackTrace(e);
return new Name(name, null, null, error);
}
boolean validFilename = isValidFilename(filename);
if (validFilename == false) {
return new Name(name, principal, null, "[" + filename + "] is not a valid filename");
}
return new Name(name, principal, resolvePath(filename).toString(), null);
}
static boolean isValidFilename(String name) {
return ALLOWED_FILENAME_CHAR_PATTERN.matcher(name).matches()
&& ALLOWED_FILENAME_CHAR_PATTERN.matcher(resolvePath(name).toString()).matches()
&& name.startsWith(".") == false;
}
@Override
public String toString() {
return getClass().getSimpleName()
+ "{original=[" + originalName + "] principal=[" + x500Principal
+ "] file=[" + filename + "] err=[" + error + "]}";
}
}
static class CAInfo {
final X509Certificate caCert;
final PrivateKey privateKey;
final boolean generated;
final char[] password;
CAInfo(X509Certificate caCert, PrivateKey privateKey) {
this(caCert, privateKey, false, null);
}
CAInfo(X509Certificate caCert, PrivateKey privateKey, boolean generated, char[] password) {
this.caCert = caCert;
this.privateKey = privateKey;
this.generated = generated;
this.password = password;
}
}
private interface Writer {
void write(ZipOutputStream zipOutputStream, JcaPEMWriter pemWriter) throws Exception;
}
}
| 2024-03-08T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3053 |
Patio decor brings the inside out: 7 tips for outdoor styling
Beautiful outdoor furniture and weatherproof decor elements transform the outdoors into a cozy extension of the home. High-quality design will keep you comfortable from dusk till dawn – and for countless summers to come!
Decorative cushions add comfort and coziness also outdoors. The beautiful Selandia outdoor furniture is by Skagerak.
Decorate with cushions
Multi-colored decorative cushions soften the look of patio furniture and offer a splash of color while waiting for summer flowers to bloom. Mix and match prints and colors forgetting all rules and regulations, or tone down with a soft palette of earthy hues. Opt for durable, quick-drying cotton or linen. &Tradition's Collect Indigo cushion features a gorgeous dip-dyed effect that looks just as charming both outdoors and in.
Cane-line's On-the-move table is available in several sizes and shades.
Take the table with you
A nimble, movable side table is an excellent addition to the terrace furniture. True to its name, Cane-line's On-the-move side table is light and easily transportable due to its handle. The tabletop can also be detached and used as a separate tray. The streamlined table travels from a breakfast at the balcony to a coffee break at the garden, and in the winter it serves just as magnificently indoors.
Nightless nights require clever lights
Long summer days offer a lingering light that only fades as night falls. Even then there's no need to head inside, as weatherproof luminaires provide an ambient light for late nights. Designed for Marset by the Spanish Sputnik Estudio, the Santorini outdoor lamp is a beautiful and durable lighting fixture, that can be hung on the terrace or balcony, or even in the garden.
The String Outdoor collection is made from stainless, galvanized metal.
Store in style
A storage unit designed for outdoor use is a perfect way to tidy up the balcony or the garden. The popular String shelving system by String Furniture also features a design for the outdoors. Mix String Outdoor shelves and side panels to create the unit you need, whether it's one for storing garden tools or a beautiful open shelving for a summer kitchen.
Ferm Living's Bau balcony boxes and pots can easily be combined to form a gorgeous ensemble.
Who let the pots out?
Green plants are an easy way to introduce a lush and laid-back mood to the balcony, even in the middle of the city. As days grow longer and warmer the most resilient indoor plants can move outside, though it might still be best to let them in for the night. Lending its look from the aesthetics of Bauhaus architecture, Ferm Living's Bau balcony box offers a striking home for all plants from fragrant herbs to summer flowers.
The delightful Flow collection gives the table setting a comfy, cozy feel. The Hale tea towels made from cotton and linen are also by Ferm Living.
Taking you out for dinner
In the summer every meal is a picnic! Ferm Living's Flow tableware features an organic, jovial look that is just perfect for easygoing summer table settings. The fun Flow jam jar adds a nostalgic vibe to the breakfast table or a pancake party, and it can just as well be used for storing salt or sugar.
The resilient Pond rug can also be used at a seaside sauna or by the pool as it doesn't mind saltwater or chlorine.
Weather the weather
Is there anything more pleasant than green grass under your toes? Well, a nice weather-resistant rug comes pretty close and it also makes the terrace or balcony instantly more cozy. The Pond rug by Woodnotes doesn't mind even the ficklest summer weather and its stylish, minimalist look can easily be combined with all outdoor furniture.
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Days at home can at times feel a little bit too much like the Groundhog Day and staying active might turn out to be quite the task. Give your home a fresh, exuberant vibe with blogger Kasia Rutkowiak's #stayathome tips and find a sweet silver lining in the days spent inside.
Read more
Interior architect Maija Rasila talks about her favorite products and styles in Design Stories' Favorites of the Month column. The most inspiring color palette for June includes brown shades that are slightly untypical for the season.
Read more
The main exhibition of Helsinki’s Design Museum for summer 2020, called Travel as a Tool, offers a glimpse into the world of travel from a designer’s perspective, presenting trips and journeys taken by designers and architects from the 1940s until the present day. The exhibition also considers the reasons the designers might have had for traveling as well as the role it has played in their work.
Read more | 2023-11-21T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9779 |
Kevin Youngblood
Kevin G. Youngblood (born November 22, 1980) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played with the Atlanta Falcons in 2006.
He now lives in the Washington, DC metro area and works for the United States Secret Service.
References
External links
Pro-Football reference
Category:1980 births
Category:Living people
Category:Sportspeople from Jacksonville, Florida
Category:Players of American football from Florida
Category:American football wide receivers
Category:Clemson Tigers football players
Category:Atlanta Falcons players
Category:Georgia Force players
Category:Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Category:Carolina Panthers players | 2024-03-19T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1002 |
Beginning of a dialog window, including tabbed navigation to register an account or sign in to an existing account. Both registration and sign in support using Google and Facebook accounts. Escape will close this window.
Description
140 mm tall and 120 mm wide and in very good condition. A couple of very light marks commensurate with age, a slight wobble on the hand finished 'bird bath' base and a very small, hardly joticeable, glass crease, common with the manufacturing process of these and many other Sklo Union vases.
Payment by PayPal seems to be the easiest method for all these days, we also accept Etsy gift cards and are set up to accept credit or debit cards through the Etsy payment system.
Returns & exchanges
I gladly accept returns, exchanges and cancellations
Contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back within: 14 days of delivery
Request a cancellation within: 12 hours of purchase
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Custom or personalised orders
Perishable products (like food or flowers)
Digital downloads
Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
Items on sale
Returns and exchange details
Refunds for returns will be for the item only, the original shipping cost will not be refunded. If the item has been mis-described, although we always try to be as accurate as possible with descriptions, we will issue a full refund for the item and your original shipping cost. All UK orders are free shipping so as such no shipping will be refunded.
Questions about your order?
Please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
Shipping policies
We pack all items very securely using recycled packaging where possible. Insurance and tracking can be added at additional costs if required, please email for details.
We take intellectual property concerns very seriously, but many of these problems can be resolved directly by the parties involved. We suggest contacting the seller directly to respectfully share your concerns. | 2024-07-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7260 |
Banksia rufistylis
Banksia rufistylis is a shrub endemic to Western Australia.
References
External links
rufistylis
rufistylis | 2024-03-30T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4424 |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Harvard University will replace the official shield of its prestigious law school which features the family crest of an 18th century slave holder, after students objected to its racist associations, the school said on Monday.
The Harvard Corporation, the Massachusetts university’s governing body, voted to approve a recommendation by a Harvard Law School committee to retire the shield.
The decision comes as emblems linked to slavery on college and public properties have been the target of protests by students and others who see them as insensitive.
Harvard President Drew Faust told Martha Minow, dean of the law school, on Monday that the university backed the recommendation.
Designed in 1936, the shield displays three sheaves of wheat taken from the Royalls family coat of arms, with the university’s motto, “Veritas,” the Latin word for truth, scrolled on three panels across the top.
The emblem was modeled on the coat of arms of the family of Isaac Royall, who media reports said was the son of an Antiguan slaveholder and endower of the first law professorship at Harvard.
A committee organized by the law school voted to recommend scraping it after criticism by a student group.
Faust said she hoped the law school would introduce a new seal in time for the law school’s bicentennial in 2017.
“While we accept the request to change the shield, we do so on the understanding that the school will actively explore other steps to recognize rather than to suppress the realities of its history, mindful of our shared obligation to honor the past not by seeking to erase it, but rather by bringing it to light and learning from it,” she wrote. | 2024-03-20T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5494 |
The BBC reporter said most of the injured people were looking at the meteor through windows when the shock wave from the explosion shattered the windows. Note to self: if I am inside and notice a large meteor in the sky run outside to observe it.
Signature
You cannot have a rational conversation with someone who holds irrational beliefs.
Some asteroids travel as part of something called a “collision family”. Its a group of rocks that were all part of a single asteroid at one time but got broken off in a collision with a smaller asteroid. The collection of material made up of usually a small number of large pieces and a larger number of small pieces then travel in a similar orbit around the sun. I would be curious to know if astronomers think that the piece that hit Russia was part of a collision family that included the rock that missed us. It seems like a good possibility.
Signature
For every complex problem there is a solution that is simple, obvious,.... and just plain wrong
Wow! At least it missed Kazakhstan! Apparently they can thank god for that. Maybe he dosen’t like Putin, even though he thanked god there were no deaths. We should also ask Ted Cruz why he’s covering up that new US weapons system we’re testing over Russia. what about it Senator? Care to comment?
I’ve seen the light caused by this one. Doing my evening dog round I suddenly saw houses lit by some flashes behind me. I turned around and saw still some light glare coming from behind the horizon. I immediately thought about a meteorite, the next day I heard it in the news. The meteorite fell in Bavaria, I am living close to Lucerne in Switzerland, that is still quite a distance. It is a kind of eerie feeling seeing such an event… | 2024-02-10T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1477 |
771 A.2d 487 (2001)
138 Md. App. 314
AK'S DAKS COMMUNICATIONS, INC. et al.,
v.
MARYLAND SECURITIES DIVISION.
No. 689, Sept. Term, 2000.
Court of Special Appeals of Maryland.
April 27, 2001.
*489 J.B. Grossman, LL.M. (Adorno & Zeder, Boca Raton, FL, Thomas D. Renda and Siskind, Grady, Rosen, Hoover & Levin of Baltimore, MD, on brief.) for appellants.
Lucy A. Cardwell, Asst. Atty. Gen. (J. Joseph Curran, Jr., Atty. Gen. and Timothy F. Cox, Asst. Atty. Gen. on the brief) Baltimore, MD., for appellee.
Argued before DEBORAH S. EYLER, KRAUSER, and WILLIAM W. WENNER, (Ret'd, Specially Assigned), JJ.
*488 DEBORAH S. EYLER, J.
On April 4, 1995, the Maryland Securities Division ("the Division"), appellee, issued a summary cease and desist order and initiated formal proceedings against Express Communications, Inc., Pendleton Waugh, Patricia T. Phipps, Charlie Mae Lewis, Ak's Daks Communications, Inc., SMR Advisory Group, Albert Koenigsberg, Warren Blanck, Puma Communication, Inc., David Meredith, Communication Consultants, Jerry Calloway, Manning Communications Consultants, David Evans, and David Smith.[1] On October 3, 1996, the Division issued a show cause order against Ak's Dak's Communications, Inc., SMR Advisory Group, L.C., Albert Koenigsberg, and new respondent Jimmy Evans, charging them with violations of the original summary order to cease and desist.
The two cases were consolidated and a hearing was held before an Administrative Law Judge (the "ALJ") on November 18, 19, and 20, 1996, and January 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31, 1997. The ALJ issued findings and submitted them to the Maryland Securities Commissioner ("Commissioner").[2] The Commissioner held a hearing and *490 thereafter determined that Ak's Daks Communications, Inc., SMR Advisory Group, L.C., Albert Koenigsberg, Jimmy Evans, Warren Blanck, Puma Communication, Inc., David Meredith, and Manning Communications Consultants, appellants, violated Maryland securities laws. He imposed a fine of $178,000.
Appellants filed an action for judicial review of the Commissioner's decision in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. The circuit court (Berger, J.) affirmed the Commissioner's decision. The appellants now appeal to this Court, presenting the following questions for review, which we have rephrased:
I. Was the Commissioner legally correct in deciding that limited liability company interests sold to Maryland investors were investment contracts and, therefore, securities?
II. Was the evidence legally sufficient to support the Commissioner's decision that the appellants violated sections 11-301, 11-401, 11-402, and 11-501 of the Maryland Securities Act?
For the following reasons, we answer yes to both questions. Accordingly, we shall affirm the judgment of the circuit court.
FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS
The Appellants
Ak's Daks Communications, Inc. ("Ak's Daks") is a Florida corporation that was organized on April 9, 1992. Albert Koenigsberg is its president and sole shareholder. Ak's Daks entered into contracts with each of the 55 limited liability companies ("the LLC's") involved in this case (as discussed below) to serve as their administrative agent. Pursuant to the contracts, Ak's Daks was responsible for the administrative and record-keeping needs of each of the LLCs.
SMR Advisory Group ("SMR Advisory") is a Florida limited liability company that was organized on March 10, 1994, by Koenigsberg, Warren Blanck, and Bobbi Chubirka. SMR Advisory is a founding member of each of the LLCs. SMR Advisory is a telecommunications strategic planning, engineering, and construction enterprise that was formed to operate specialized mobile radio ("SMR") systems in the 220-222 MHZ spectrum. It contracted with Ak's Daks to construct and manage 220-222MHz radio dispatch systems for the LLCs.
Warren Blanck is president of Unicall Communications, a membership recruiting organization for various of the LLCs. Unicall was founded by SMR Advisory.
Puma Communications, Inc. ("Puma Communications") is a membership recruiting organization for various of the LLCs. It was founded by SMR Advisory and is a Florida corporation. David Meredith is the president, sole shareholder, and employee of Puma Communications. Meredith also is a member of SMR Advisory.
Jimmy Evans is a member and employee of SMR Advisory.
The LLCs & Their Formation
Each LLC was formed to offer SMR dispatch services from a particular location. The SMR dispatch services consist of a two-way radio system that allows one person to speak at a time. Forty-two of the LLCs are located on the west coast of the United States and are intended participants in the proposed Western Regional Network. If created, that network would provide uninterrupted SMR service to clients throughout the western range of the LLCs. Thirteen of the LLCs are located on the east coast.
The 220-222 MHZ SMR systems have limited capacity for general use in communications.
*491 This is because the technology necessary to permit a SMR system to operate as a two-way communications device has not yet been developed. Also, the narrow band width of the 220-222 MHZ frequency restricts the amount of information that can be transmitted and radio signals in the 220-222 MHZ range cannot penetrate buildings as effectively as 800 MHZ systems.
The LLCs all were organized by SMR Advisory and either one member of the public, an affiliate, or a holder of a 220 MHZ license from the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC"). For the LLCs in which Maryland residents invested, the other founding member either was an employee or owner of SMR Advisory, or was otherwise related to SMR Advisory or Koenigsberg. SMR Advisory received an 8% equity ownership interest in the "Class B" LLC interests. The holder of the FCC license received a 20% interest in the LLC and was required to transfer his license to the LLC. These original members entered into agreements to start the build-out of the SMR facility and then sought out other members "to provide additional capital and whatever other participation each additional LLC member deemed appropriate." The additional members were "Class A" members; upon completion of the build-out of the 220 MHZ operating system, the Class A members became Class B members, and the Class A interests ceased to exist. New members from the public also became Class B members.
Each LLC has, on average, 38 investors and each LLC has raised approximately $275,000 from those investors. Twenty-one Maryland residents invested a total of more than $161,000 in various of the LLCs. Nationwide, over 1100 people invested in the LLCs. Investor funds from all of the LLCs were pooled in a single bank account.
Offering Materials
Investors were solicited through a variety of means, including radio commercials. Membership recruiters also solicited investors who previously had invested in wireless communications. Members were not sought on the basis of their technical or business expertise in the field, even though operating the 220-222 MHZ SMRs requires a technical understanding of the mobile radio field.
Membership recruiters promised potential investors a profitable outcome, telling one potential investor that a $7,500 investment could produce revenues of $50,000 to $60,000 in five years. The membership recruiters did not inform potential investors of the characteristics of the market, the site, or the projected earnings for the particular LLC involved. The recruiters arranged for Ak's Daks or SMR Advisory to send promotional material to the potential investors.
The offering materials prepared by Ak's Daks stated that Koenigsberg had 15 years of experience in FCC license and filing programs. It did not reveal that his experience was gained with a company whose president was convicted of federal crimes. The material also highlighted SMR Advisory as a major player in the wireless communications field. Potential investors were advised that SMR Advisory was to be the administrator of the offering and would provide various services, including: formation of the LLC, negotiation with 220/222 MHZ license holders, coordination and execution of legal documents, provision of monthly newsletters to members and quarterly performance statements to clients, and compliance with FCC rules and regulations. The materials stated that *492 SMR Advisory had operating company profit margins in excess of 28 percent.
The offering materials included a forecasted financial statement for the Western Regional Network. It projected that the LLCs on the west coast would have a combined net income of $10,181,100 in 1999 and a total net income for a five year period of $28,965,700. These figures average out to a net income of $18,148 on a $3,500 investment over a five year period. The offering materials also projected over $4,939,000 in interconnect revenues and over $1,600,000 in revenue from data transmission services for the Western Regional Network. The interconnect revenue projections contained in the materials were fifteen times the projections made by the appellants' expert witness, Stephan Virostek, and were based upon estimations of rates and percentage of subscribers for interconnect services that were well-above industry averages.
The offering material included a document depicting the Western Regional Network as an interlocking network of SMR stations from north of Los Angeles to Seattle. The material described this as "a project underway to develop the largest seamless narrowband wireless network in the United States." The offering material did not mention the existence of the "forty mile rule," an FCC regulation that restricts common ownership of SMR systems in the same community. This regulation would thwart the appellants' plans for the Western Regional Network. The representations concerning this network and of the potential for high profit were important factors in some Maryland residents' decisions to invest.
The offering material also failed to inform investors of the characteristics of the market or projected earning for specific LLCs. The solicitation material contained some information on the promoters' financial interest in the investments, but did not reveal that 35% of the investment fund went to the membership recruiter and 12% of the investment fund went to Ak's Daks, and 25% of the gross income went to SMR Advisory. The offering materials further did not disclose that there were proceedings pending against these parties in South Dakota and Arizona. Potential investors were told that the LLCs were member managed companies operated under the control of a majority vote of the members.
Upon receipt of the offering material, a potential investor would send a reservation form and money to Ak's Daks, thereby holding an investment in a particular LLC for the investor. Potential investors then were contacted by a compliance interviewing company that ran through a series of questions designed to elicit an acknowledgment by the investor that he was aware that the LLCs were member-managed companies, that his money was totally at risk, and that his liability was limited to the amount invested. The compliance interview conducted with one Maryland investor contained approximately 25 questions and lasted between three and five minutes. Approximately 1% of potential investors were rejected as a result of the compliance interview process.
Membership summaries were sent to investors; the summaries contained copies of contracts that already had been entered into on behalf of the LLCs. The appellants gave the investor the right to rescind the investment up until seven days after the receipt of these summaries. If the investor chose to retain the investment, he or she was required to ratify the previously negotiated contracts.
No investment opportunity offerings in the LLCs were registered in Maryland as securities under the Securities Act. None of the appellants have registered in Maryland as a broker dealer or a broker dealer *493 agent under the Securities Act. After the Commissioner issued the cease and desist order of April 4, 1995, the appellants continued to solicit Maryland residents to invest in the LLCs.
Operation of the LLCs
Koenigsberg, SMR Advisory, and Ak's Daks negotiated all of the contracts for the LLCs. Koenigsberg signed all of the subscription agreements for the new members; he did not consult current members before accepting the new members. Koenigsberg signed nearly all of the contracts on behalf of the LLCs. He signed some of the contracts on behalf of both parties. On various occasions, Koenigsberg signed as "founding member," "officer" and "President/founder." Yet, he is not the founding member, president, or officer of any of the LLCs. Many of the contracts involving LLCs in which Marylanders invested were signed before the Maryland investors became members of the LLC; the Maryland investors had no input into the terms of these contracts. Eleven contracts were signed, after Maryland residents invested, between the LLCs that had Maryland members and Ak's Daks, SMR Advisory, the FCC licensee, or radio tower site owner. The investors had no say in the terms of these contracts.
SMR Advisory's contracts with the LLCs give it a broad range of authority. The contracts have five-year terms. Many provide that renewal of the contracts may not be unreasonably withheld, except for gross negligence or fraud. Other of the contracts with SMR Advisory and with Ak's Daks provide that renewal may not be unreasonably withheld.
SMR Advisory sent proxies to investors on various issues, requiring the investors to make business decisions for the LLCs. The proxies did not contain important technical and cost information, however, and some proxies asked the members to ratify decisions that already had been made.[3]
DISCUSSION
I
The appellants first contend that the Commissioner erred as a matter of law in determining that the interests in the LLCs that they offered and sold to investors were securities. Specifically, they argue that in analyzing the issue the Commissioner should have applied a presumption that interests in limited liability companies are not securities. The Division responds that the Commissioner was legally correct in its analysis and in concluding that the LLC interests were securities.[4]
*494 We apply a de novo standard of review to legal determinations made by an administrative agency. See Young v. Board of Physician Quality Assurance, 111 Md.App. 721, 726, 684 A.2d 17 (1996), cert. granted, 344 Md. 568, 688 A.2d 447, cert. dismissed, 346 Md. 314, 697 A.2d 82 (1997). In ascertaining the propriety of an agency's legal conclusions, we must consider whether the agency recognized and applied the correct principles of law governing the case. Id. Our review is limited to the conclusions of law actually made by the agency, and we will affirm the agency's decision only if it is sustainable on the grounds given. United Parcel Serv., Inc., v. People's Counsel, 336 Md. 569, 585, 650 A.2d 226 (1994); United Steelworkers v. Bethlehem Steel Corp., 298 Md. 665, 679-80, 472 A.2d 62 (1984).
Maryland Code (1999 Repl.Vol.), § 11-101(r) of the Corporations and Associations Article ("CA") defines a "security" as any
(i) note; (ii) stock; (iii) treasury stock; (iv) bond; (v) debenture; (vi) evidence of indebtedness; (vii) certificate of interest or participation in any profit-sharing agreement; (viii) collateral-trust certificate; (ix) preorganization certificate or subscription; (x) transferable share; (xi) investment contract; (xii) voting-trust certificate; (xiii) certificate of deposit for a security; (xiv) certificate of interest or participation in an oil, gas, or mining title or lease or in payments out of production under the title or lease; (xv) in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a "security"; or (xvi) Certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificate for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrantor right to subscribe to or purchase any of the preceding.
This definition is substantially the same as the federal definition of a "security" under the Securities Act of 1933 § 2(1), 15 U.S.C. § 77b (a)(1) (1997), and is to be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the federal definition. CA § 11-804. See also O'Neil v. Marriott Corp., 538 F.Supp. 1026, 1032 (D.Md.1982); Caucus Distribs., Inc. v. Maryland Sec. Comm'r, 320 Md. 313, 324, 577 A.2d 783 (1990). For that reason, we will rely in large part on federal case law in interpreting the term "security."
The Commissioner found that the LLC interests met the "investment contract" definition of a security. Although an "investment contract" is not further defined by Maryland or federal securities law or regulations, its meaning has been explained by the United States Supreme Court in the seminal case of Securities and Exchange Commission v. Howey, 328 U.S. 293, 66 S.Ct. 1100, 90 L.Ed. 1244 (1946). There, the Court held that an investment contract, within the meaning of the federal securities laws, is an investment of money in a common enterprise with an expectation of profits derived solely from the efforts of others. The Court explained:
The term "investment contract" is undefined by the Securities Act or by relevant legislative reports. But the term was common in many state "blue sky" laws in existence prior to the adoption of the federal statute and, although the term was also undefined by the state laws, it had been broadly construed by state courts so as to afford the investing *495 public a full measure of protection. Form was disregarded for substance and emphasis was placed upon economic reality. An investment contract thus came to mean a contract or scheme for "the placing of capital or laying out of money in a way intended to secure income or profit from its employment." State v. Gopher Tire & Rubber Co., 146 Minn. 52, 56, 177 N.W. 937, 938. This definition was uniformly applied by state courts to a variety of situations where individuals were led to invest money in a common enterprise with the expectation that they would earn a profit solely through the efforts of the promoter or of some one other than themselves. By including an investment contract within the scope of § 2(1) of the Securities Act, Congress was using a term the meaning of which had been crystallized by this prior judicial interpretation.... It embodies a flexible rather than a static principle, one that is capable of adaption to meet the countless and variable schemes devised by those who seek the use of the money of others on the promise of profits.
Id. at 298-99, 66 S.Ct. 1100 (footnote omitted) (emphasis added). See also Reves v. Ernst and Young, 494 U.S. 56, 64, 110 S.Ct. 945, 108 L.Ed.2d 47 (1990) (stating that Howey provides the method for determining if an instrument is an "investment contract"); Teague v. Bakker, 35 F.3d 978, 986 (4th Cir.1994), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 1153, 115 S.Ct. 1107, 130 L.Ed.2d 1073 (1995) (stating that an investment contract exists when there has been (1) an investment of money in (2) a common enterprise with (3) an expectation of profits derived solely from the efforts of others).
The parties do not dispute that the sale of an interest in a limited liability company satisfies the first two factors of the Howey definition of an investment contract. The only issue in this case is whether, under the final Howey factor, the investors in the LLCs expected profits to be derived solely from the efforts of others.[5] There is a long line of factual cases interpreting this prong of the Howey definition of an investment contract.
In determining if an investor expects profits solely from the efforts of others, the courts have interpreted the word "solely" with some flexibility, so as to further the purpose of the securities laws and ensure that they are not easily circumvented. Long v. Shultz Cattle Co., 881 F.2d 129, 133 (5th Cir.1989); SEC v. Glenn W. Turner Enter., 474 F.2d 476, 482 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 821, 94 S.Ct. 117, 38 L.Ed.2d 53 (1973). These cases restate the inquiry in terms of whether the efforts made by those other than the investor are the undeniably significant managerial and entrepreneurial efforts. Teague, 35 F.3d at 986 n. 7 (citing Bailey v. J.W.K. Properties, Inc., 904 F.2d 918, 920 (4th Cir.1990)); SEC v. International Loan Network, Inc., 297 U.S.App. D.C. 22, 968 F.2d 1304, 1308 (1992); Bailey, 904 F.2d at 920-21; Long, 881 F.2d at 133; SEC v. Aqua-Sonic Prods. Corp., 687 F.2d 577, 582 (2d. Cir.), cert. denied sub nom. Hecht v. SEC, 459 U.S. 1086, 103 S.Ct. 568, 74 L.Ed.2d 931 (1982); Glenn W. Turner Enters., 474 F.2d at 482-83.[6] Thus, minimal *496 efforts by the investor will not preclude an interest from being classified as an investment contract.
The cases take a fact-driven approach to determining whether managerial efforts by those other than the investor are the significant efforts. They emphasize the economic realities of the transaction over the actual form of the transaction. International Bhd. of Teamsters v. Daniel, 439 U.S. 551, 558, 99 S.Ct. 790, 58 L.Ed.2d 808 (1979); United Hous. Found. v. Forman, 421 U.S. 837, 851-52, 95 S.Ct. 2051, 44 L.Ed.2d 621 (1975); Howey, 328 U.S. at 298-99, 66 S.Ct. 1100; Waterman v. Alta Verde Industries, 643 F.Supp. 797, 804-05 (E.D.N.C.1986), aff'd, 833 F.2d 1006 (4th Cir.1987). The investors must have an actual, practical ability to exercise management rights and control over the business. Howey, 328 U.S. at 299-300, 66 S.Ct. 1100.
In the case at bar, the Commissioner's analysis of the nature of the interests in the LLCs touched upon the form of the entity, the power delegated to the members by the membership and management agreements, and, most importantly, the economic realities of the members' interest in the LLCs. In its economic realities analysis, the Commissioner noted that the SMR industry is highly technical and complex; the investors lacked experience in the SMR field; the investors were solicited via radio commercials and telemarketing; the investors were asked to make decisions only on minor issues; many of the "decisions" that the investors were asked to make actually were ratifications of decisions that already had been made; the investor members were not consulted before new members were accepted into the LLCs; and the investors were completely dependent upon SMR Advisory and Ak's Daks. This is precisely the type of factoriented analysis that is required to determine the economic realities of the investors' interest.
The appellants argue that Williamson v. Tucker, 645 F.2d 404, (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 897, 102 S.Ct. 396, 70 L.Ed.2d 212 (1981), supports their position that, by failing to apply a strong presumption that the interests were not securities, the Commissioner incorrectly applied the law in determining that the interests in the LLCs were securities. In Williamson, the Fifth Circuit adopted a narrow exception to the standard economic realities approach. The appellants assert that it is this rule that governs the case at bar.
In Williamson v. Tucker, supra, 645 F.2d 404, the Court held that in analyzing the third Howey factor in the context of general partnership business entities, there is a strong, yet rebuttable, presumption that general partners do not rely solely on the efforts of others for profit and, therefore, general partnership interests do not fall within the scope of "investment contracts" and are not securities. Id. at 422-23; see also Rivanna Trawlers Unlimited v. Thompson Trawlers, Inc., 840 F.2d 236 (4th Cir.1988).
The rationale for the Williamson presumption is that general partners have a legal right to participate in the management and control of the partnership and *497 can promote its success through their efforts, and that even if they delegate their actual authority, they retain the apparent authority to bind the partnership. In addition, general partners remain liable for the acts of the partnership; therefore, they cannot expect to be passive investors who derive profits solely from the efforts of others. Williamson, 645 F.2d at 421-22; Great Lakes Chem. Corp. v. Monsanto Co., 96 F.Supp.2d 376, 391 (D.Del.2000). "These factors critically distinguish the status of a general partner from that of the purchaser of an investment contract who in law as well as in fact is a `passive' investor." Williamson, 645 F.2d at 421, (quoting New York Stock Exchange, Inc. v. Sloan, 394 F.Supp. 1303, 1314 (S.D.N.Y. 1975)).
The Court in Williamson also set forth a three-part test for determining when the presumptionthat a general partnership interest does not meet the third prong of Howey and is not a securityhas been overcome. This test provides that if "the partner has irrevocably delegated his powers, or is incapable of exercising them, or is so dependent on the particular expertise of the promoter or manager that he has no reasonable alternative to reliance on that person, then [the] partnership powers may be inadequate to protect [the partner] from the dependence on others which is implicit in an investment contract." Williamson, 645 F.2d at 422-23.
Other courts have addressed whether the Williamson presumption for general partnerships applies to interests in limited liability companies. In Great Lakes Chemical Corporation v. Monsanto Company, supra, 96 F.Supp.2d 376, the court was asked to decide whether interests in a limited liability company were securities and, thus, whether the sale of those interests was governed by federal securities law. The court compared the general partnership form of business entity and the limited liability company form of business entity. It noted that the two forms do share some of the same characteristics. Id. at 391. Like general partners, members in a limited liability company may participate actively in the management and control of the business.[7]Id. The court concluded, however, that the factors distinguishing limited liability companies from general partnerships are significant. Id. at 383. Unlike general partners, members in a limited liability company are not personally liable for the obligations of the company solely by virtue of their membership in the company. Rather, their liability is limited, like the liability of shareholders. Id. See also CA § 4A-301. Further, depending on the nature of the particular limited liability company's operating agreement, the members also may be less involved in the management of the business than general partners are. Great Lakes Chem. Corp., 96 F.Supp.2d at 391. See also CA § 4A-401. Based on these distinctions, the court declined to extend the Williamson presumption, that interests in general partnerships are not securities, to interests in limited liability companies.
In Nutek Info. Sys. v. Arizona Corp. Comm'n, 194 Ariz. 104, 977 P.2d 826 (Ct. App.1998), cert. denied sub nom. Ak's Daks Communications, Inc. v. Arizona Corp. Comm'n, 528 U.S. 932, 120 S.Ct. 332, 145 L.Ed.2d 259 (1999), this same issue was again addressed, this time by the Arizona court.[8] The Arizona Court of Appeals *498 undertook substantially the same analysis as did the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in Great Lakes Chemical Corporation. It compared the characteristics of general partnerships and limited liability companies and concluded that the distinctions between the two business forms militated against extending the strong presumption that general partnership interests are not securities to limited liability companies. Nutek Info. Sys., 977 P.2d at 833-34.
Some courts have reached the opposite conclusion, however, and have extended the Williamson presumption to interests in limited liability companies. Those courts start from the premise that an interest in a limited liability company is not a security and apply the factors set out in Williamson to determine whether that presumption is overcome. Yet, those cases have extended the Williamson presumption to limited liability companies with little or no discussion of the distinctions between general partnerships and limited liability companies. See Tschetter v. Berven, 621 N.W.2d 372 (S.D.2001); SEC v. Shreveport Wireless Cable Television Partnership, [1998 Transfer Binder] Fed. Sec. L. Rep. (CCH) ¶ 90,322, 1998 WL 892948 (D.D.C.1998).
We believe that the better approach to this issue is the one taken by the courts in Great Lakes Chemical Corporation and Nutek Information Systems. In Williamson, the court cited a general partner's liability for the obligations of the partnership and his right to control the business and the general partner's extensive control over the business as being the "critical factors" to distinguishing a general partnership interest from an investment contract. 645 F.2d at 421. Because limited liability companies ordinarily do not share these characteristics, there is no justification for a broad presumption against interests in limited liability companies being investment contracts. Extending the Williamson presumption for general partnership interests to interests in limited liability companies is not appropriate, given the essential distinctions between the two business forms. See Great Lakes Chem. Corp., 96 F.Supp.2d at 391-92. We eschew a presumption that interests in limited liability companies are not investment contracts, within the meaning of the securities laws, and conclude that the Commissioner applied the proper legal standard for determining whether the interests in the LLCs in this case were securities.
II
The appellants contend that there was insufficient evidence to support the Commissioner's finding that they violated the anti-fraud provisions of section 11-301 of the Maryland Securities Act.[9] The Division responds that this issue was not preserved for review and that even if it was, the evidence was sufficient to support the Commissioner's findings.[10]
Ordinarily, we will not decide an issue unless it plainly appears to have been raised in and decided by the lower court. Md. Rule 8-131. The Division contends that at the circuit court level, the appellants *499 did not question the sufficiency of the evidence to support the Commissioner's findings of fraud. In their written papers in the circuit court, the appellants stated:
A reading of the Commission's recommended findings supporting the Commission's finding of fraud, though, tracks Mr. Hatfield's statements. Further, the Commission's statements as to fraud have no support in any of the other witnesses testimony. Thus, the only witness to claim fraud was the only witness not to participate in the investment, and who had a bias against the investment's success.
We will view this as an assertion that there was insufficient evidence to support the Commissioner's finding of fraud. Thus, the issue was properly preserved for appeal. Md. Rule 8-131.
Section 11-301 of the Maryland Securities Act provides:
It is unlawful for any person, in connection with the offer, sale, or purchase of any security, directly or indirectly to: (1) Employ any device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (2) Make any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in the light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading; or (3) Engage in any act, practice, or course of business which operates or would operate as a fraud or deceit on any person.
The Commissioner found that the appellants violated subsection two of this statute in five ways. First, they failed to clarify for investors the interrelationship between Ak's Daks, SMR Advisory, the membership recruitment companies, and the compliance interviewing company. Second, they did not inform investors that money intended for investment in one LLC site could be switched to an entirely different site. Third, they overestimated the potential for profit from the interconnect revenues and misrepresented the fees that were to be paid to Ak's Daks, SMR Advisory, and the recruiters. Fourth, the offering materials that the appellants provided to potential investors did not explain the risks posed to the LLCs by orders against the appellants in South Dakota and Arizona. Finally, the appellants failed to inform investors of the existence of the "forty mile rule," which prohibits the construction of the proposed Western Regional Network.
In essence, appellants' challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is that the testimony of Dale Hatfield was biased and "patently not credible" and because Mr. Hatfield's testimony "was the sole basis for the Commission's fraud finding, those findings are unsupported by the record."[11] In determining whether an agency's decision is supported by sufficient evidence, we apply a substantial evidence standard. Caucus Distribs., Inc., 320 Md. at 323-24, 577 A.2d 783; Beeman v. Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, 105 Md.App. 147, 155, 658 A.2d 1172 (1995). Under that standard, we determine whether a reasonable mind could have reached the factual conclusion reached by the Commissioner. Caucus Distribs., Inc., 320 Md. at 324, 577 A.2d 783.
The Commissioner made over 135 findings of fact to support his decision. Of the findings of fact that are relevant to whether the appellants violated § 11-301 of the Maryland Securities Act, only one expressly relied upon the testimony of Mr. Hatfield *500 to any extent.[12] That finding involved the Commissioner's determination that the appellants violated CA § 11-301 by overestimating the amount of interconnect revenues and anticipated profit to potential investors. The Commissioner's finding did not rest solely on the testimony of Mr. Hatfield, however, but also relied upon the testimony of the appellant's expert witness, Stephen Virostek.[13] Mr. Virostek testified that the number of subscribers estimated in the offering materials was nearly twice his projection and that the interconnect revenue estimates in the offering material were fifteen times greater than his projection. Mr. Virostek also testified that the estimation, contained in the offering materials, that 50 percent of the total subscribers to the LLCs' services would be using the interconnect services was higher than industry averages and that 25 percent was more in line with the industry average. This evidence would allow a reasoning mind to reach the factual conclusion reached by the agency. Thus, the evidence was sufficient, even without Mr. Hatfield's testimony, to support the Commissioner's finding that the appellants overestimated the potential for profit from the interconnect revenues.
The appellants also assert that there was insufficient evidence to support the Commissioner's finding that they committed fraud by failing to provide potential investors with the risk factors prior to their receipt of the membership summaries. They state that the testimony of the individual investor witnesses shows that the risks were discussed before that time and were reiterated in the membership summaries.
Under Md. Rule 8-501(c), the record extract filed in this Court must "contain all parts of the record that are reasonably necessary for the determination of the questions presented by the appeal...." When an appellant raises a sufficiency of the evidence argument, the portions of the record that are material to the issue must be included in either the record extract or an appendix to the brief. Sawyer v. Novak, 206 Md. 80, 84, 110 A.2d 517 (1955).
In the case at bar, the appellants did not include evidence in the record extract to support their assertion that the testimony of investor witnesses shows that risks were discussed prior to the membership summaries. They provide no citations to the transcript of the hearing or to any other part of the record itself that would support their position. We are not required to ferret out from a voluminous record information the appellants should have included in the record extract. HEK Platforms & Hoists, Inc. v. Nationsbank, 134 Md.App. 90, 98-101, 759 A.2d 293 (2000) (noting that the Court would be well within its discretion to dismiss the case under Md. Rule 8-501 (m) because of the deficient record extract, but reaching the merits because the appellant had at least provided citations to the transcript to aid the Court); Eldwick Homes Ass'n v. Pitt, 36 Md.App. 211, 373 A.2d 957, cert. denied, 281 Md. 736 (1977) (dismissing the case for failure to include necessary information in the record extract). Accordingly, the appellants waived this issue for consideration. Davis v. Davis, 97 Md.App. 1, 24, 627 A.2d 17 (1993), aff'd, 335 Md. 699, 646 A.2d 365 (1994); Mitchell v. State, 51 Md. App. 347, 357-58, 443 A.2d 651, cert. denied, *501 459 U.S. 915, 103 S.Ct. 227, 74 L.Ed.2d 180 (1982).
JUDGMENT AFFIRMED.
COSTS TO BE PAID BY APPELLANTS.
NOTES
[1] On January 31, 1996, default judgments were entered against Express Communications, Inc., Pendleton Waugh, Patricia T. Phipps, Charlie Mae Lewis Communication Consultants, Jerry Calloway, David Evans, and David Smith, based on their failure to respond to the summary order or request a hearing.
[2] During the course of the proceedings, thenCommissioner Robert N. McDonald left his position as Securities Commissioner. The new Commissioner delegated to him the authority to continue to be the final decisionmaker in this case.
[3] For instance, SMR Advisory sent the LLC members proxies regarding the loading of the system with customers. The proxy asked the members to approve a payment of $3,500 per LLC. The proxy did not identify the company that would be providing the loading service and did not provide any terms of the contract other than the $3,500 fee.
[4] The Division makes two additional arguments, neither of which we find to be applicable to the case at bar. First, the Division maintains that, under the doctrine of "law of the case" the Commissioner's determination that the appellants violated the order to show cause of October 3, 1996 controls the outcome of the issue before us. We do not believe that the doctrine of "law of the case" is properly applicable here, but, given our final determination on the merits of the matter, the issue is moot. The Division also argues that our review of this issue is barred by the doctrine of res judicata, because Nutek Info. Sys. v. Arizona Corp. Comm'n, 194 Ariz. 104, 977 P.2d 826 (Ct.App.1998), determined that the interests in these LLCs were securities. We do not need to address the res judicata issue, because we reach the same result on the merits of the issue as the Arizona court did. We further note that in order for the principle of res judicata to apply, the parties must be the same or in privity with the parties to the earlier case. FWB Bank v. Richman, 354 Md. 472, 731 A.2d 916 (1999). Here, the Maryland Securities Division was not a party to the original suit and was not in privity with a party to that suit; while the Maryland Securities Division and its Arizona counterpart may share similar interests, they are not the same party and are not in privity.
[5] The Howey test has sometimes been characterized as a three part test and sometimes as a four part test. This is a matter of phrasing only and does not involve any substantive differences. Compare Reves, 494 U.S. at 64, 110 S.Ct. 945 (phrasing the Howey test as a four part test) with Teague, 35 F.3d at 986 (phrasing the Howey test as a three part test). In the case at bar, the only dispute involves, under either version, the last prong of the Howey test.
[6] In United Hous. Found. v. Forman, 421 U.S. 837, 95 S.Ct. 2051, 44 L.Ed.2d 621 (1975), the Supreme Court noted that the Ninth Circuit had held that the term "solely," as used in the Howey test, should not be interpreted literally. The Court declined to say whether it would adopt that formulation of the Howey test. Id. at 852 n. 16, 95 S.Ct. 2051. Four years later, in International Bhd. of Teamsters v. Daniel, 439 U.S. 551, 558, 99 S.Ct. 790, 58 L.Ed.2d 808 (1979), the Court, quoting Howey, retained the term "solely" in its formulation of the test. In 1990, in Reves, the Court omitted the term "solely" from its formulation of the Howey test. Reves, 494 U.S. at 64, 110 S.Ct. 945.
[7] Under CA § 4A-401, each member of a limited liability company is an agent of the company, unless the articles of organization or the operating agreement states otherwise.
[8] This is the "companion" case to the case at bar.
[9] Although the appellants' question presented on this issue refers to all of the provisions that they were found to have violatedsections 11-301, 11-401, 11-402 and 11-501 of the Securities Acttheir position focuses only on the sufficiency of the evidence to support the Commissioner's finding of fraud. Of the four provisions above, only section 11-301 prohibits fraud in connection with the sale or purchase of a security.
[10] The appellants did not respond in their reply brief to the Division's assertion that this argument was not preserved for review.
[11] By stipulation of the parties, the evidence adduced at the hearing involving these appellants before the Arizona Corporation Commission was made a part of this proceeding. That evidence included the testimony of Dale Hatfield.
[12] In fact, the Commissioner made very little use of Mr. Hatfield's testimony, referring to it in support of only 6 of the 137 findings of fact.
[13] Mr. Virostek's testimony was given in the Arizona proceeding and, like the testimony of Mr. Hatfield, was admitted in this proceeding by stipulation of the parties.
| 2024-07-12T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4107 |
@extends('layouts/default')
{{-- Page title --}}
@section('title')
PHP Info
@parent
@stop
@section('header_right')
<a href="{{ route('settings.index') }}" class="btn btn-default"> {{ trans('general.back') }}</a>
@stop
{{-- Page content --}}
@section('content')
<div class="row">
<div class="col-md-12">
<div class="box box-default">
<div class="box-header">
<h2 class="box-title">PHP Info</h2>
</div>
<div class="box-body">
<?php
ob_start();
phpinfo();
preg_match ('%<style type="text/css">(.*?)</style>.*?(<body>.*</body>)%s', ob_get_clean(), $matches);
# $matches [1]; # Style information
# $matches [2]; # Body information
echo "<div class='phpinfodisplay'><style type='text/css'>\n",
join( "\n",
array_map(
function ($i) {
return ".phpinfodisplay " . preg_replace( "/,/", ",.phpinfodisplay ", $i );
},
preg_split( '/\n/', $matches[1] )
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),
"</style>\n",
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@stop
| 2023-08-14T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7470 |
Store Availability: Available to OrderSpecial Order Lead Time: 21 Days is the standard special order lead time, actual lead time may vary depending on dealer's location. Contact the store for more info.
Recliners - Medium Romulus Swivel Rocker Recliner
The Romulus Recliner is a great, casual chair to update your home with. It features plush pillow arms, a cushy tufted back cushion and a fully-cushioned chaise pad seat. Choose from a wide variety of upholstery options to customize the look of this chair to the decor and style of your home. This recliner is available in Power Lift, Wallhugger, Power Wallhugger, Swivel Glider, Rocker, Power Rocker and Swivel Rocker options.
The Recliners - Medium Romulus Swivel Rocking Reclining Chair by Best Home Furnishings from A1 Furniture & Mattress. We proudly serve the Madison, WI area. Product availability may vary. Contact us for the most current availability on this product.
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Recliners - Medium Romulus Swivel Rocker Recliner Specifications
Item & Dimensions
Manufacturer
Best Home Furnishings
Width (side to side)
37.5" W
Depth (front to back)
38.5" D
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42" H
Arm Height
25.5"
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Custom Options
Custom Fabrics or Leathers
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More Items From The Recliners - Medium Collection
Browse other items in the Recliners - Medium collection from A1 Furniture & Mattress in the Madison, WI area. | 2024-01-21T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5508 |
Q:
SQL Server Dynamic Pivoting - Not Usal Pivot With Count
I need to Pivot Questions With Their Answers.The Desired Output of the pivot Query is below and the table structure too.
I have Created the SQL fiddle Here Sql Fiddle. I saw many examples of count with pivot but couldn't find something similar to this.
A:
You simply need some joins to get the base data and a dynamic pivot to show the result in the desired format.
try the following:
drop table if exists #temp
--base table with all details
select s.ID SurveyID, s.SubmittedBy, sq.Question, sa.Answer
into #temp
from @Survey s
join @SurveyMaster sm on sm.ID = s.SurveyMasterID
join @SurveyQuestion sq on sq.SurveyMasterID = s.SurveyMasterID
join @SurveyAnswers sa on sa.SurveyQuestionID = sq.ID and sa.SurveyID = s.ID
--dynamic pivot
DECLARE @cols AS NVARCHAR(MAX),
@query AS NVARCHAR(MAX);
select @cols = STUFF((SELECT distinct ',' + QUOTENAME(c.Question)
FROM #temp c
ORDER BY 1 DESC
FOR XML PATH(''), TYPE
).value('.', 'NVARCHAR(MAX)')
,1,1,'')
set @query = 'SELECT SurveyID, SubmittedBy, ' + @cols + ' from
(
select SurveyID, SubmittedBy, Question, Answer
from #temp
) x
pivot
(
max(Answer)
for Question in (' + @cols + ')
) p '
--execution
execute(@query)
Please find the db<>fiddle here.
| 2023-10-19T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8772 |
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Slideshow ( 2 images )
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Robert Kaplan said on Friday that the U.S. central bank could begin to allow its $4.5 trillion balance sheet to shrink “as soon as September,” but that on interest rate hikes, he wants to be patient.
Speaking with reporters in Mexico City after a speech here, Kaplan said he is hopeful that winding down the balance sheet in a gradual and predictable way will reduce swings in financial markets.
At the same time, Kaplan reiterated his view that while the U.S. is near full employment, inflation has been muted, and he would like to see more progress before raising U.S. interest rates further.
“I think in these periods where you’re getting conflicting signals, the best course of action is to be patient,” Kaplan said. “I simply want to wait, I want to be patient and review more information to see how the economy is unfolding and see evidence that we’re making progress toward our 2-percent inflation goal.”
Kaplan supported the Fed’s two interest-rates hikes so far this year. The central bank has signaled it expects to raise short-term rates again before the end of the year.
But inflation failed to strengthen in recent months, despite an unemployment rate that is down to 4.4 percent, weakening the case for tightening monetary policy further.
Noting that inflation data was “somewhat better” in April and May than March, Kaplan told reporters that “as we remove slack from the labor market you’re going to likely see with a time lag more wage pressure, and some of that will likely translate into greater inflation pressure.”
Separately, Kaplan noted that the peso’s recent strengthening suggests investors are hopeful about prospects for a renewed trade agreement with the United States, and he reiterated his view that free and open trade are in the U.S. interest.
U.S President Donald Trump has vowed to redo trade agreements to get better deals for American workers. | 2024-04-03T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3503 |
Q:
jQuery- Detect change in the content of a SPAN field
I have the below piece of code which is used to simulate a text box:
<label for="alertCmpVal">ALERT VALUE:</label>
<span class="center textBox displayField highlight" id="alertCmpVal" contenteditable> <?php print $alert_val;?> </span>
I need to know when the content changes, e.g. I click on it, and change it from 0 to 1.
I tried:
$(document).ready(function()
{
$(document.body).on('change','#alertCmpVal',function()
{
alert("boo");
$('#alertCmpVal').removeClass('highlight');
})
}
but this doesn't seem to work.
(n.b. $(document.body) is used because on my main page, the initial field is loaded dynamically)
I'm guessing it is the 'change' that it doesn't like, but can't see what to replace it with. (jQuery / HTML5 is fine, as it is only used internally).
I've seen a few examples, but they generally seem to be for more complex scenarios, requiring multiple functions to detect the change when certain other things occur, but I figure there must be a simpler solution similar to the on change method.
A:
You can use this event DOMSubtreeModified:
$("span").on('DOMSubtreeModified', function () {
alert("Span HTML is now " + $(this).html());
});
Snippet
$(function () {
$("a").click(function () {
$("span").html("Hello, World!");
});
$("body").on('DOMSubtreeModified', "span", function () {
alert("Span HTML is now " + $(this).html());
});
});
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.9.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<span>Hello</span>
<a href="#">Click</a>
| 2023-11-20T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8681 |
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2 Kan. App. 2d 18 (1978)
574 P.2d 971
MAURICE R. CONNOLLY and JAMES L. GEISENDORF, on behalf of themselves and all others similarly situated, Appellees,
v.
ROBERT F. FROBENIUS, individually and as president of The Union Cemeteries Association, and Union Cemeteries Association, Inc., and as incorporator and president of Roselawn Service Company, Inc.; UNION CEMETERIES ASSOCIATION, INC.; ROSELAWN SERVICE COMPANY, INC.; and THE UNION CEMETERIES ASSOCIATION, Appellants.
No. 49,125
Court of Appeals of Kansas.
Opinion filed January 13, 1978.
Aubrey G. Linville and Bruce Keplinger of Clark, Mize & Linville, Chartered, of Salina, for the appellants.
John Q. Royce of Hampton, Royce, Engleman & Nelson, of Salina, for the appellees.
Before HARMAN, C.J.[*], ABBOTT and SPENCER, JJ.
Petition for review denied 223 Kan. clxxi.
*20 SPENCER, J.:
The named plaintiffs, as owners of lots and graves in the cemetery operated by the Union Cemeteries Association, Inc., Salina, Kansas, and as owners of crypts in the Mausoleum Williamsburg located in that cemetery, commenced this class action on behalf of themselves and all other persons similarly situated to permanently enjoin the construction and operation of a mortuary and other commercial development on land platted and dedicated as a cemetery. The injunction was granted and defendants have appealed.
The facts in this case have been stipulated and are essentially as follows:
Defendants Union Cemeteries Association and Union Cemeteries Association, Inc., are one and the same cemetery corporation, duly organized under the laws of Kansas on April 27, 1927. The cemetery operated by the corporation has been at various times referred to as "Memorial Park Cemeteries," "Memorial Park Gardens," "Roselawn Memorial Park Cemetery," and "Roselawn Cemetery," but all relate to one cemetery located on the real estate hereinafter described.
On July 21, 1927, the cemetery corporation caused a plat of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section nineteen, township fourteen south, range two, west of the Sixth Principal Meridian, containing forty acres more or less, to be placed of record in the office of the register of deeds, Saline County, Kansas. The certificate to that plat, executed and acknowledged by the then president and secretary on behalf of the corporation, is in part as follows:
"... The Union Cemeteries Assn. of Ottawa, Franklin County, Kansas, is the owner of the following described property, to wit;
"[Real estate description] and have the same to be subdivided into Lots and Sections, with Streets, Avenues and Walks for the purposes of Sepulture.
"The foregoing described tract of land as subdivided and platted is dedicated to the purpose herein mentioned and the faith of the organization is pledged for its preservation and improvement...."
Following the filing of the plat, the corporation advertised the area as a park plan cemetery and offered for sale and sold lots in the cemetery to members of the public. At the time of this suit, more than 6,000 persons had purchased lots or plots within the cemetery and more than 3,500 burials had been made therein.
Defendant Robert F. Frobenius first acquired an interest in the cemetery corporation in April, 1952. At the time this action was *21 commenced, he was president of the corporation and, together with members of his immediate family, owned all of the issued and outstanding stock of the cemetery corporation. Frobenius is also president of defendant Roselawn Service Company, Inc., which was incorporated under date of February 25, 1974, and he, together with members of his immediate family, own all of the issued and outstanding stock of that corporation.
On October 20, 1959, the north 200 feet of the 40 acres in question were annexed into the city of Salina and, in 1960, the corporation constructed a mausoleum on the cemetery.
On July 25, 1960, plaintiff Geisendorf purchased a crypt in the mausoleum and received a deed which provided that the purchase was subject to the rules and regulations of the corporation, then existing or thereafter adopted.
On September 19, 1972, the cemetery corporation caused a replat of the north 200 feet of the 40 acres (that portion previously annexed into the city) to be filed in the office of the register of deeds. This area comprises lots one through eight, block one, on the replat of Union Cemetery Addition to Salina, Kansas. On October 5, 1972, the city rezoned this area to authorize, among other commercial uses, the construction and operation of a mortuary. Plaintiffs appeared at that meeting in opposition to the rezoning, but did not appeal from the results.
On March 13, 1973, plaintiff Connolly purchased cemetery lots and received a deed which was also subject to the rules and regulations of the corporation, then existing or thereafter adopted.
At a meeting of the board of directors of the cemetery corporation held November 16, 1973, the corporation agreed to sell to the defendant Frobenius and his wife, lot seven, block one, of the replat of Union Cemetery Addition, for the sum of $5,500. The agreed consideration was handled by means of a bookkeeping entry made on the books of the cemetery corporation, reducing notes payable by the corporation to the defendant Frobenius and his wife by that amount. No part of the recited consideration was deposited with the permanent maintenance fund of the cemetery. However, that deed was never executed by the corporation and, on March 9, 1974, the corporation executed a deed for the same property to Roselawn Service Company, Inc., pursuant to an agreement by defendant Frobenius to exchange that property at the agreed value of $33,000 for 33,000 shares of stock of Roselawn Service Company, Inc.
*22 On May 21, 1974, a building permit was issued for the construction of a mortuary on lot seven, and construction of that building commenced on or about May 23, 1974. This action was commenced on June 6, 1974, and from the record before us it appears that the work on the mortuary continued and that the building is now completed and is being operated as a licensed mortuary. The record also reveals that the cemetery, mausoleum, and mortuary are listed for tax assessment purposes in Saline County.
On August 16, 1974, it was determined by the trial court that this action be maintained as a class action and that letter notice of the action be given to all members of the class whose names and addresses could be reasonably ascertained. Following such notice, twenty-seven persons joined the action as plaintiffs.
While the main thrust of this appeal is the legality of the mortuary on the land in question, defendants have presented other issues which we elect to give prior consideration.
Defendants argue that this is not a proper class action because Connolly and Geisendorf are not proper representatives for the class, in that their claims are not typical under K.S.A. 60-223(a)(3), and they do not adequately represent the class under K.S.A. 60-223(a)(4).
It is said that plaintiffs are moved to litigation by motives which are unique unto themselves; that Geisendorf is the owner of a mortuary which competes with defendants and he seeks to restrain that competition; that Connolly was involved in a dispute with defendant Frobenius over the placing of a monument at Connolly's wife's grave and is motivated by personal animosity.
K.S.A. 60-223(a) provides in part:
"One or more members of a class may sue or be sued as representative parties on behalf of all only if .. . (3) the claims or defenses of the representative parties are typical of the claims or defenses of the class, and (4) the representative parties will fairly and adequately protect the interests of the class."
Defendants refer to four factors enumerated in 3B Moore's Federal Practice, § 23.07(1) at XX-XXX-XXX for testing adequate representation. The factors relied upon as indicative that Connolly and Geisendorf could not adequately represent the class are (1) coextensive interests with other members of the class, and (2) proportion of the representatives to the total membership of the class. *23 Defendants' principal argument is that there is no coextensiveness of interest in this case. They base their argument on the claim that "coextensive" means "having the same scope or boundaries."
In Helmley v. Ashland Oil, Inc., 1 Kan. App.2d 532, 571 P.2d 345, rev. denied, 222 Kan. 749, 571 P.2d 345, this court considered the adequacy of the representation requirements of K.S.A. 60-223(a)(3) and (4). Six factors were listed as determinative of whether the representation was adequate. Coextensiveness of interest is one of those recognized factors. In the course of the opinion, it was stated:
"The coextensiveness requirement does not mandate that the positions of the representative and the class be identical; rather, only that the representative and class members `share common objectives and legal or factual positions.' (7 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, Civil § 1769, p. 655.) ..." (1 Kan. App.2d at 536.)
Moreover, it has specifically been held that the mere fact that the representative has interests which go beyond those of the class is not enough to defeat the action, as long as the representative has interests which are at least coextensive with the class interest. First American Corporation v. Foster, 51 F.R.D. 248 (N.D. Ga. 1970); Bucha v. Illinois High School Association, 351 F. Supp. 69 (N.D. Ill. 1972). See also, 7 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, Civil § 1768, pp. 646-647, where it is stated:
"... The main consideration is `the forthrightness and vigor with which the representative party can be expected to assert and defend the interests of the members of the class, so as to insure them due process.' Therefore the fact that plaintiff may have an ulterior motive in bringing the action ... does not in and of itself demonstrate that his interests are antagonistic to those of the class."
Although Connolly and Geisendorf may have other interests in bringing this action, it is undisputed that they are lot of crypt owners; that each has a relative buried in the cemetery; and that the subject matter of the action is the use made of the cemetery land.
Helmley also noted as a factor "quality of the named representative, not quantity." (1 Kan. App.2d at 535.) As stated in 7 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, Civil § 1766, p. 631, most courts now reject the view that the proportion of the representatives to the total class is an element in determining whether a class action is proper. Most courts now assess the *24 character of the representation rather than looking to numbers alone.
Defendants also argue that the class action was unnecessary since an injunction granted one person would have the same effect as that granted to the entire class. K.S.A. 60-223(b) provides in part:
"An action may be maintained as a class action if the prerequisites of subdivision (a) are satisfied, and in addition:
"(1) The prosecution of separate actions by or against individual members of the class would create a risk of ... (B) adjudications with respect to individual members of the class which would as a practical matter be dispositive of the interests of the other members not parties to the adjudications or substantially impair or impede their ability to protect their interests; or
"(2) the party opposing the class has acted or refused to act on grounds generally applicable to the class, thereby making appropriate final injunctive relief or corresponding declaratory relief with respect to the class as a whole...."
The trial court found that this action was maintainable under both K.S.A. 60-223(b)(1)(B) and (b)(2). Many recent decisions, in an attempt to reduce the number of class actions, and no doubt in response to the abuse to which they have been put, have denied class treatment when confronted with class actions seeking only declaratory or injunctive relief on the ground that an award for plaintiff alone necessarily would benefit all the class members. See 7 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure (1976 Supp.) § 1754, p. 61, and cases cited therein. There may be instances where such a denial would be proper, even though the statute would otherwise seem to allow the class. As Helmley noted, the trial judge must be afforded substantial discretion in the decision-making process as to the maintenance of a class action. (1 Kan. App.2d at 535.) With this in mind, we hold that the trial court did not err in conducting this matter as a class action.
In support of their motion for new trial, defendants offered the affidavit of H.D. Bledsoe, vice president of the National Association of Cemeteries, which indicates that the national trend is to locate mortuaries in cemeteries, or immediately adjacent thereto, as a matter of convenience for the public. Defendants suggest error by the trial court in refusing to consider that affidavit.
Whether to grant a new trial for newly discovered evidence is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court. The burden *25 is on the party seeking the new trial to show that the new evidence could not with reasonable diligence have been produced at trial. K.S.A. 60-259(a); State v. Johnson, 222 Kan. 465, 471, 565 P.2d 993; McHugh v. City of Wichita, 1 Kan. App.2d 180, 184, 563 P.2d 497, rev. denied, 221 Kan. 757. A new trial should not be granted unless the new evidence is of such materiality as to be likely to produce a different result upon re-trial. State v. Johnson, supra, Syl. 3.
The proffered affidavit was of questionable relevance, and the showing made by defendants that they could not have secured the evidence contained in that affidavit prior to trial was not clearly convincing. Under the circumstances, we find no abuse of discretion by the trial court in not considering the contents of the affidavit and in denying the new trial. See McHugh v. City of Wichita, supra.
Defendants make note of the fact that the, land in question was rezoned by the city of Salina on October 5, 1972; that plaintiffs took no action to challenge the rezoning; and that the present action was not filed until one and one-half years later, two weeks after construction had begun on the mortuary. They argue that the delay constitutes laches and that plaintiffs are estopped to deny the validity of the rezoning, such being a matter of legislative record, citing 28 Am.Jur.2d, Estoppel and Waiver § 2, p. 600. Plaintiffs treat this argument rather lightly, however, contending that there was nothing for them to contest until the construction began. This is not correct. Under K.S.A. 12-712, plaintiffs could have brought an action to challenge the reasonableness of the zoning ordinance. As the land was dedicated for "purposes of sepulture," it might well be that the city was without authority to authorize other uses merely by rezoning it to accommodate such other uses. Cooper v. City of Great Bend, 200 Kan. 590, 438 P.2d 102; The State, ex rel., v. City of Manhattan, 115 Kan. 794, 225 Pac. 85. The zoning was for "office district" which included a mortuary. May it reasonably be argued that any type of office building may be located on the land, simply because the city has zoned it that way? Such would be the result if plaintiffs were estopped to challenge uses not within the ambit of "purposes of sepulture."
It has been held that, as to lands dedicated to the public and vested in the control of the city, neither laches nor estoppel will lie.
*26 "Those rights, duties, and privileges conferred and imposed upon a municipal corporation exclusively for the public benefit cannot ordinarily be lost through nonuse, laches, estoppel, or adverse possession, and statutes of limitation are not ordinarily applicable thereto." Douglas County v. City of Lawrence, 102 Kan. 656, Syl. 4, 171 Pac. 610.
See also, Devine v. City of Seward, 174 Kan. 734, 737, 258 P.2d 302. Although plaintiffs here are private parties, the rule against laches and estoppel in the defense of a dedication should apply equally to them. If not, an important element in the protection of dedicated land might be lost, for it is not uncommon for the city government to be the advocate in the alteration of a dedicated use, rather than a defender of it. See e.g. Cooper v. City of Great Bend, supra. On the other hand, it has specifically been said that "[a]ctions seeking to enjoin interference with dedicated property will be barred by laches if not brought with reasonable promptitude after notice of such interference." 26 C.J.S., Dedication § 73, p. 570. As noted, plaintiffs had notice of the rezoning for some time but did nothing. The action was not filed until construction on the mortuary had begun. Defendants had expended considerable time and money by that time. However, defendants are not here with completely clean hands. We are informed that the mortuary is now complete, which can only mean that the building was completed after notice of the suit. Although no temporary injunction was sought, can defendants properly "shore up" their laches argument by pointing to a now complete building? Defendants correctly note that the doctrine of laches is equitable, depends upon all the surrounding circumstances, and must be determined on a case-by-case basis. Clark v. Chipman, 212 Kan. 259, 510 P.2d 1257. We hold that the trial court did not err in failing to apply the doctrine of laches or estoppel to defeat plaintiffs' claim.
We are reminded that the deeds executed to the plaintiffs and all members of the class provided that the recipients were taking the deeds subject to the rules and regulations of the cemetery corporation, then existing and thereafter adopted. Defendants direct attention to the corporate charter which initially provided for "[b]uilding & maintaining a Park Plan Cemetery & selling lots in same for the purpose of sepulture," but which was amended under date of December 20, 1954, and again under date *27 of July 22, 1971, to finally authorize the corporation to "maintain cemeteries, mortuaries, mausoleums, vaults, chapels and other buildings and improvements for the protection, preparation for the burial ... of the dead; the construction, purchase and operation of greenhouses, conservatories, maintenance buildings and office buildings to include collecting departments, savings and loans, insurance, trust departments and other things necessary and incidental to laying out, paving its streets, collection of accounts ... ornamentation, maintenance and management of such cemetery...." Defendants suggest that plaintiffs are bound by the rules of the corporation set forth in the charter, as amended, and cannot now seek to enjoin the construction of a mortuary or other buildings incidental to the cemetery business.
It is to be noted that plaintiffs do not here challenge the power of the corporation to operate a mortuary, but rather the power to do so on land dedicated as a cemetery. Taken to its logical conclusion, the defendants' argument would seem to indicate that the owners of lots and crypts in the cemetery would be bound to accept whatever enterprise the corporate directors might elect to pursue on the dedicated premises, however remote from the ordinary operation and maintenance of the cemetery itself.
Imprinted on the reverse side of each of the deeds in question is the general rule that "the owners of Roselawn Memorial Park, in order to preserve and maintain uniformity, harmony and beauty, to provide for stability and against decay and deterioration, to safeguard the sanctity of each lot or grave against future inefficient care, reserves for itself, its successors and assigns, the right to make any and all rules, regulations, limitations and restrictions, that it may deem necessary to protect and provide for the future welfare of Roselawn Memorial Park ... all of which it binds itself to do." Although the owner of a cemetery lot may be bound by reasonable and uniform rules and regulations established by the cemetery corporation (14 Am.Jur.2d, Cemeteries § 38, p. 745), such does not preclude a challenge to any use of the land dedicated for cemetery purposes, deemed to be inconsistent with those purposes. The California case cited by defendants (Wing v. Forest Lawn Cemetery Assn., 15 Cal.2d 472, 101 P.2d 1099 [1940]), which is discussed in more detail in following portions of this opinion, is distinguishable on this point as *28 involving an attempt to read into the deed a restrictive covenant prohibiting the mortuary on land owned by the cemetery association-grantor. It is true that the rule in Kansas is that restrictive covenants are to be construed strictly with any doubt being resolved in favor of the free use of the land. South Shore Homes Ass'n v. Holland Holiday's, 219 Kan. 744, 549 P.2d 1035. However, that is not the rule as to dedication. Far from supporting defendants' position here, City of Russell v. Russell County B. & L. Assn., 154 Kan. 154, 159, 118 P.2d 121, provides that, in matters of dedication, all ambiguities must be resolved against the dedicator and in favor of the public.
Defendants say there is no evidence in the record of any injury caused the plaintiffs in their capacity as cemetery lot owners by the operation of a mortuary, and in such situation, the granting of an injunction is improper. We accept the rule that injunctive relief will not ordinarily be granted without a showing of substantial and positive injury. Dill v. Excel Packing Co., 183 Kan. 513, 331 P.2d 539. However, in 43 C.J.S., Injunctions § 22, p. 440, it is stated:
"... [T]here is an obvious distinction between injury and damage that is not always observed in dealing with the question of injunctive relief, and courts of equity will interpose in a proper case to protect a right, without any reference to the question of actual damage...."
In 42 Am.Jur.2d, Injunctions § 29, p. 765, it is stated:
"... [T]here is an obvious distinction between injury and damage, which is not always observed in dealing with the question of injunctive relief. Whatever invades a man's right of dominion over his property is a legal injury, whether damage ensues or not. It is a right for the violation of which the law imports damage, and courts of equity will interpose in a proper case to protect the right, without any reference to the question of actual damage; a showing of specific money damage is not necessary to support an injunction."
Defendants suggest one example of injury is that plaintiffs have an interest in property upon which the alleged unauthorized business is being conducted. That is precisely the issue. In every dedication of property, there are three interested parties the dedicator, the general public, and property owners with special interests, such as owners of lots. The State, ex rel., v. City of Manhattan, supra. There is no doubt in the minds of this court that the owners of lots in a dedicated cemetery, as well as the owners of crypts in a mausoleum situated on that cemetery, are possessed of sufficient special interests to entitle them to seek *29 relief from any unauthorized use to be made of the cemetery by means of injunction. See Hagaman v. Dittmar, 24 Kan. 42.
We come now to the vital issue on this appeal. May a mortuary properly be constructed and operated on land dedicated "for purposes of sepulture."
Admittedly, the precise issue here presented has not previously been before the appellate courts of this state. Although it is stipulated in this case that at least four other mortuaries in Kansas are located adjacent to or within the boundaries of cemeteries, the circumstances by virtue of which those mortuaries exist are not revealed.
It must be borne in mind that the real estate here involved was platted and dedicated on April 23, 1927, for the purpose of building and maintaining a park plan cemetery and selling lots therein for the "purpose of sepulture" and for no other stated purpose. Defendants correctly suggest that, whether a particular use amounts to a diversion from the purpose for which the dedication was made, depends on the circumstances of the dedication, but any use is authorized that is fairly within the terms of the dedication and reasonably serves to make the property fit for enjoyment by the public in the manner contemplated. Also, the dedicator is presumed to have intended the property to be used by the public, within the limits of the dedication, in such a way as is most convenient and comfortable to the public, and this is true not only to usages known at the time of the dedication, but also to those uses justified by change of conditions. They cite 23 Am.Jur.2d, Dedication § 67, pp. 57-58, wherein it is stated:
"When land is dedicated for a special and limited use, use for any other purpose is unauthorized .... In any case, however, such use is authorized as is fairly within the terms of the dedication and reasonably serves to fit the property for enjoyment by the public in the manner contemplated. The dedicator is presumed to have intended the property to be used by the public, within the limitations of the dedication, in such way as will be most convenient and comfortable and according to not only the properties and usages known at the time of the dedication, but also to those justified by lapse of time and change of conditions."
See also, 14 Am.Jur.2d, Cemeteries § 19, pp. 723-724.
There are conflicting views as to whether a mortuary is a use which may properly be made of land dedicated for burial purposes. The state of California, as reported in Wing v. Forest Lawn Cemetery Assn., supra, and Sunset View Cemetery Assn. v. *30 Kraintz, 196 Cal. App.2d 115, 16 Cal. Rptr. 317 (1961), clearly adheres to the position that a cemetery corporation empowered to hold land "exclusively as a cemetery for the burial of the dead" may operate a mortuary thereon as a use incidental to the use authorized by statute. In Wing, the California court noted cases which had authorized such operations as greenhouses, vault and grave marker production and sale, and concluded that a mortuary was a much more intimate incident of burial than any of those. See Annotation, 130 A.L.R. 130. The rule adopted in Wing is:
"... [C]emetery lands may be used for such purposes as are incident to the burial of the dead, so long as the rights of the lot owners in their own lots and their rights of egress and ingress are not invaded. [Citations omitted.]" (15 Cal.2d at 478.)
An opposite view appears to have been adopted by the state of Georgia in the case of Greenwood Cemetery, Inc. v. MacNeill, 213 Ga. 141, 97 S.E.2d 121 (1957), wherein it was held:
"... [T]he property of Greenwood Cemetery, Incorporated, here involved, including the proposed site of the mortuary, is dedicated for cemetery purposes.... When a tract of land has been dedicated as a cemetery, it is perpetually devoted to the burial of the dead and may not be appropriated to any other purpose.... "The owner of the fee is subject to a trust for the benefit of those entitled to use the land as a place of burial. He has no right to recover the use of the land for any enjoyment or purpose of his own. Again, while the owner of a cemetery has a perfect right to sell and convey it as such, he can do nothing which interferes with the use of the land as a cemetery....' 10 Am. Jur. 491 § 8....
"... [I]t must be held that the property in question can only be used as a place for burying the dead, and any other attempted use is an unlawful attempt to appropriate property dedicated for cemetery purposes to other uses, which cannot be done. It therefore follows that the judgment of the court below enjoining the construction of the mortuary here involved was not error." (213 Ga. at 142-143.)
It was apparently on the basis of the Georgia authority that the trial court entered its findings of fact and conclusions of law.
The Kansas courts have often stated the general rule that property dedicated for a particular purpose cannot be used for any other purpose. Some cases have involved clear deviations. In Cooper v. City of Great Bend, supra, it was held that the city could not construct a parking lot on land dedicated as a park. In Comm'rs of Wyandotte Co. v. Presbyterian Church, 30 Kan. 620, 1 Pac. 109, it was held that land dedicated for church purposes could not be used for a courthouse. In State, ex rel., v. City of Kansas City, 189 Kan. 728, 371 P.2d 161, it was held that land *31 dedicated as a park may not be used for a library and school offices and that, vice versa, land dedicated for school purposes may not be used as a park. It has also been held that land dedicated for a particular purpose cannot be sold to a private party, and the proceeds then used for the dedicated purposes elsewhere. See Comm'rs of Franklin Co. v. Lathrop, 9 Kan. 453; The State, ex rel., v. City of Manhattan, supra.
As to incidental use, the court has recognized that land dedicated as a street may be put to any incidental use "which reasonably conduces to the public convenience and enjoyment...." Wood v. National Water Works Co., 33 Kan. (2d ed.) 590, 596, 7 Pac. 233; Cummins v. Summunduwot Lodge, 9 Kan. App. 153, 58 Pac. 486.
Kansas cases involving cemeteries have been limited to statements of the general rule.
"... All lots and tracts of land contained within the boundaries of a cemetery platted by a cemetery corporation are dedicated exclusively for burial purposes and cannot be used for any other purpose. (K.S.A. 17-1302, et seq. [Weeks 1969]; Earhart v. Holbert, 116 Kan. 487, 227 Pac. 351; Davis v. Coventry, 65 Kan. 557, 70 Pac. 583.)...." Topeka Cemetery Ass'n v. Schnellbacher, 218 Kan. 39, 44, 542 P.2d 278.
Defendants argue that the dedication was for purposes of sepulture, by definition synonymous with burial, which has been defined as "the act or ceremony of burial" and, by applying these definitions, a mortuary for the conduct of funeral services is clearly within the purposes of "sepulture."
Surely no one will argue with the fact that the services of a licensed mortician in Kansas are intimately associated with the act of burial of the dead. By the same token, it is doubtful that anyone will argue with the fact that services ordinarily provided by a mortuary in Kansas are competitive commercial enterprises, with aims and goals not solely for the enjoyment and use of the public. K.S.A. 65-1713, et seq. Where will the line be drawn? The general rules set forth on the deeds to the cemetery lots and to the crypts give no indication to the more than 6,000 purchasers that any part of the area in which they have selected lots to bury their loved ones, or in which they themselves may eventually be buried, will be used for any commercial enterprise, whether it be the operation of a mortuary or buildings housing offices for collection departments, savings and loans, insurance, trust departments, or others. In fact, the record here is indicative of the *32 contrary that purchasers of lots and crypts in the dedicated cemetery had every reason to believe that no part of the dedicated area would be used for any purpose other than for human interment, and certainly not for commercial purposes.
The statutes governing cemetery corporations are K.S.A. 17-1302, et seq. Essentially, cemetery corporations are empowered to convey burial lots for burial purposes only (K.S.A. 17-1309), and the corporation is required to set aside not less than fifteen percent of the purchase money for the permanent maintenance fund of the cemetery (K.S.A. 17-1311). Upon the sale of all of the burial lots in the cemetery, or upon a vote of two-thirds majority of the stockholders of the corporation, the corporation may be dissolved and thereupon the permanent maintenance fund, together with all investments and all books, records and papers of the corporation, shall be turned over to the city treasurer of the city in which, or adjacent to which, the cemetery is situated. The governing body of the city is then required to provide for the investment of the funds and to care for and maintain the cemetery (K.S.A. 17-1313).
Plaintiffs direct attention to the fact that no portion of the consideration paid by Roselawn Services, Inc., for lot seven, on which the mortuary was erected, has been paid into the maintenance fund.
Defendants counter that "burial purposes" include the operation of a mortuary; that the land conveyed for the mortuary was never platted into burial lots and, therefore, the statute requiring sale for "burial purposes" only and contribution to the maintenance fund does not apply. At this point, we make the observation from the copies of the plat and the replat provided us that, although lot seven on which the mortuary was erected does not appear to have been subdivided into burial lots, a sizable portion of the north 200 feet of the 40 acres in question was initially so divided, and the replatting of the north 200 feet of the cemetery has the effect of eliminating a sizable number of those burial lots.
Defendants also argue that the pledge of the original dedication "for its preservation and improvement" somehow justifies the construction of the mortuary for "a building is normally considered to be an improvement upon the land of its situs" and, therefore, the construction of the mortuary is an improvement and consistent with the dedication and the Kansas statutes. We do *33 not believe this to be the type of improvement ever intended by the dedicator.
We conclude that the construction and operation of a mortuary on the real estate here involved (which was dedicated for purposes of sepulture), or any other commercial use of any portion of that area not directed to the selling of cemetery lots with proper access thereto or for the maintenance and beautification of the area, constitutes use in a manner not contemplated by the original dedication, not fairly within the terms of that dedication, and not within the scope of the statutes of this state regulating cemetery corporations.
Judgment affirmed.
NOTES
[*] This opinion was approved by HARMAN, C.J., prior to his retirement.
| 2024-03-06T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3642 |
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crash and can be triggered remotely. | 2024-07-27T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4886 |
The present invention relates to a process and device for inflating a tire. The invention applies to the inflation of a tire, the beads of which are respectively intended to be mounted on peripheral seats of a special rim, this inflation being effected without using the valve of said rim.
The structure of this rim is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,366.
As can be seen in FIG. 1, to which reference will be made hereafter, said rim 10 comprises, starting from its peripheral edges formed of two projections 11 and 12, a first and a second seat 13 and 14 inclined towards the outside and intended respectively to receive a first and a second bead 21 and 22 of the tire 20. Between the seats 13 and 14 there is provided, firstly, a bearing surface 15 intended to receive a bearing support 23 for the tread 24 and, secondly, a mounting groove 16 connecting the bearing surface 15 to an axially inner flange 17 of said first seat 13.
In the Test of the present description, by convention the seat which is adjacent to the groove 16 will be referred to as the first seat 13, and the seat which is on the opposite side from said groove 16 will be referred to as the second seat 14.
As for the axially outer flange of each seat 13, 14, it is formed by the corresponding peripheral projection 11, 12.
In known manner, the tire 20 is mounted on this special rim 10 in the following manner.
The first bead 21 is presented on the rim 10, on the side of the second seat 14, then this first bead 21 is slid axially over the bearing surface 15 so as to introduce it into the groove 16. Then the second bead 22 is mounted on the second seat 14.
Then, in an extraction step, the first bead 21 is extracted from the groove 16 so as to bring it axially against the outside of the projection 11 of the first seat 13.
Finally, in a mounting stage, this first bead 21 is mounted on the first seat 13.
Among the devices for inflating without using a valve which are known to date, mention may be made in particular of the device described in German Patent Specification DE-A-3 411 433, which comprises a bell formed of a cover of an upturned U-shaped cross-section. This bell is intended to be mounted hermetically in one of the sidewalls of a tire which has beforehand been mounted on the seats of a rim and which lies with its other sidewall flat on a horizontal support, also hermetically.
This rim comprises said seats on its inner face, and these seats are connected together by a planar central portion which is extended by two kinked sections directed towards the inside of the rim. Each seat is axially delimited, on the inner face of the rim, by one of said kinked sections and by a peripheral projection which forms an axial end of the rim and which is also directed towards the inside thereof, such that these seats are symmetrical to each other relative to said central portion.
When the tire is wedged between said support and said bell, the beads of the tire are thus mounted on said seats.
The bell is provided, within its internal space and close to its side wall, with four sliding means which may possibly also be pivoting means, such as levers, which are provided to bear on the upper bead located opposite the bell, so as to bring it towards the lower bead and thus to form an annular space between this upper bead and the rim, around the entire periphery of said bead.
Following the formation of this space, the tire is inflated by injecting compressed air into the bell and, consequently, between the tire and the rim via said space. Then said bearing means are caused to slide in the opposite direction, the effect of which is to reposition said upper bead on the corresponding seat, and the injection of compressed air into the bell is terminated, such that the tire is in the inflated state.
Mention may also be made, among the valve-less mounting devices, of those described in German Patent Specification DE-A-3 423 307 and in Belgian Patent Specification BE-A-888 537, which differ essentially from the former in that the bearing means which each of them comprises are formed by the cylindrical side wall itself of the corresponding bell, which is provided to be able to slide axially, that is to say, parallel to the axis of revolution of the tire.
One major disadvantage of these known inflation devices is that they are not suitable for inflating a tire mounted on a rim, such as the special rim described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,836,366, because, once said first bead of the tire has been mounted on said first seat of this special rim, the axially inner flange of this first seat and the aforementioned inclination of the latter towards the outside would hinder the circumferential deformation of this first bead towards said second bead, for creating said annular space. | 2023-08-12T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2864 |
Welcome to DBSTalk
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A setup with 1 HR34 and 3 C31s would eliminate the need for any DECA connection (DECA connected to your router) right? You can just plug the HR34 into your router via ethernet and the C31s via coax (SWM LNB, 4 or 8 port splitter) and get OnDemand content on the HR34 that can be viewed and served from the C31s. No wireless connection kits, no wired connection kits, pretty simple right?
That can be done with any setup that has an HR34. AN HR34 and 3 H25s can be set up the same way with the ethernet connected directly to the HR34. The HR34 and all 3 H25s (or H24s) would all have internet connections as well as Whole Home DVR functionality.
DirecTV just doesn't tell the techs that to avoid confusion with the HR24 that can't be set up that way. If you hooked up one HR24 and 3 H25s (or H24s) and hooked up the ethernet connection directly to the HR24 only the HR24 would have an internet connection and Whole Home DVR would no longer work (because the DECA adapter built into the HR24 would shut itself off).
Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn’t drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."
-by Jack Handy
How is the trick play latency? It was unusable with my Samsung TV - so bad in fact that I went back to autonomous receivers. I'm also curious how the PQ compares between the client and direct connect - there was a noticeable improvement when I went to direct connect, even though the RVU Alliance claims no PQ degradation.
How is the trick play latency? It was unusable with my Samsung TV - so bad in fact that I went back to autonomous receivers. I'm also curious how the PQ compares between the client and direct connect - there was a noticeable improvement when I went to direct connect, even though the RVU Alliance claims no PQ degradation.
I'm not overly excited about the RVU pricing structure.
PQ is identical, no ifs ands or buts. I've got clients on three TVs that previously had HR2x boxes on them. Same input, same calibrations, no difference in picture.
Trickplay latency in my experience is on par with a pre-HR24 receiver (HR20-23), in my opinion. I have not timed things with a stopwatch to be certain, but it subjectively feels TO ME like watching with a typical DVR. Not as quick as an HR24 but certainly acceptable.
"Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!"Directv since 1997Will Work for Beer
How is the trick play latency? It was unusable with my Samsung TV - so bad in fact that I went back to autonomous receivers. I'm also curious how the PQ compares between the client and direct connect - there was a noticeable improvement when I went to direct connect, even though the RVU Alliance claims no PQ degradation.
I'm not overly excited about the RVU pricing structure.
Instant Replay still needs a little adjusting to get it comparable to what we have on the HRxx STBs, but I suspect that might be an easy fix in the future.
PQ on channels is identical to my eyes... and I have VERY critical eyes, so take that for what it's worth.
The poster art is fuzzier for some strange reason though...
I think there will be a $6 fee for the C31, but you don't have a mirroring fee like you do for a regular receiver.
Technically, they changed the name to "Additional TV" fees for other receivers.
I am not clear on this but maybe it is too early to ask this but..... If I were to purchase two C31's and only activate a single client on my account will be able to have them at different locations and only use one at a time with a single client charge?
I am not clear on this but maybe it is too early to ask this but..... If I were to purchase two C31's and only activate a single client on my account will be able to have them at different locations and only use one at a time with a single client charge?
No, that won't work since the HR34 will only allow you to activate one C31 if that's all DIRECTV has activated on your account.
I am not clear on this but maybe it is too early to ask this but..... If I were to purchase two C31's and only activate a single client on my account will be able to have them at different locations and only use one at a time with a single client charge?
From what Shadow (Stuart Sweet) is saying, in order to register an RVU client for use, you'll have to pay the $6 monthly fee for that client; whether you use it or not.
It will be interesting to see how they go about adding and removing clients from a billing perspective (and whether there is a fee for same).
Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought. -- JFK
I am not clear on this but maybe it is too early to ask this but..... If I were to purchase two C31's and only activate a single client on my account will be able to have them at different locations and only use one at a time with a single client charge?
Sorry that would not work. The clients have would both have to be authorized and you would get charged for both. | 2024-06-21T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8038 |
Q:
How to connect to local SQL Server database?
I am creating a web application/website using ASP.net in visual studio 2010. We have our basic website and I even created a SQL Server database which is in the App_Data folder of my web application folder.
I created tables and a few procedures, but I do not know how to have my web forms or their controller (C#) classes access the tables. Below is my rough setup to access it. I don't know what to set the string to equal. The database is in webapplication1/App_Data/database.mdf.
The file I want to access it is webapplication/App_Code/DataConnect.cs. What should the string equal. What do I need to do to test it?
{
SqlConnection _sqlConn = null;
string _connectionString = ?
_sqlConn2 = new SqlConnection(_connectionString);
_sqlConn.Open();
}
A:
You may use following connection string.
string _connectionString =@"Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\Database.mdf;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True"
You can also add the connection string into web.config's connectionString section and later use it in code.
<connectionStrings>
<add name="CnStr"
connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;AttachDbFilename=|DataDirectory|\Database.mdf;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True"
providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"/>
</connectionStrings>
To retrieve connectionString from web.config
string _connectionString=System.Configuration.ConfigurationManager.ConnectionStrings["CnStr"].ConnectionString;
A:
You can manually write connection string into your code...
string strcon = @"Data Source=SERVERNAME; Initial Catalog=DATABASENAME; Integrated Security=True";
OR
Follow below steps to connect local SQL Server database...
Go to View > Server Explorer/Database Explorer
Right click on Data Connections > Add Connection...
Select Server name, Choose authentication type, Select your created database.
Test your connection and then OK.
Right click on database > Properties and use connection string...
Check below link for more understanding....
Bind Gridview In ASP.NET
Overview SQL Server Database
| 2023-12-26T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4865 |
OU students speak about benefits of home-school background – The Oklahoma Daily
OU students speak about benefits of home-school backgroundThe Oklahoma DailyFor three OU students who were home-schooled, these topics of conversation are somewhat expected. According to the Institutional Research and Reporting office, OU admitted 183 home-schooled students in the spring, fall and summer semesters of 2017, … | 2023-08-23T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4522 |
Disney Interactive has housed some of this generation's biggest surprises, so far. First there was Pure, which was downright fantastic and utterly breathtaking. Now, we have Split/Second, which is an unusual take on the action-racing genre where the environment is your weapon, and there are no pick-ups. In my Blur review, I concluded my bit by simply saying if you had to choose between both Split/Second and Blur, you'd be best off with Split/Second. The bottom-line is that both of these games are action-racers where battling is key, and that's more than enough to legitimately compare the two against one another.
First, let's go over how a game can have attacks without having any pick-ups. Simple, your driving generates a power gauge, called the Powerplay Meter, that you can use to trigger explosive rigged objects on the course. Performing drifts and drafting your opponents will build this gauge, which has three bars to fill up. You can either deplete the bars by using a standard attack using the X button - this is usually a smaller scale strike such as a helicopter dropping a bomb, a rigged explosive, an exploding vehicle, a crane that smashes you with a giant block, a truck smashing you, an exploding fuel-tanker, collapsing bridge and much, much more. You may have noticed that I called those a "standard attack", because there is still a second wave of madness that is so massive and epic that it depletes all three bars. By pressing the Circle button when available, you will be able to trigger absolutely monumental destruction, which includes a plane crashing down, a giant tower (think Seattle's Space Needle) toppling over, an entire construction site crumbling to pieces, a bridge exploding, and so many other absolutely jaw dropping moments that going further would probably be considered spoilers. I mean, there's nothing out there today that'll allow your car to get crushed by falling buildings or even an airplane…it's just insanity.
How the game mechanic works is actually very simple. When there is an opportunity to do some damage to your opponents, a trigger will appear over them letting you know that they are near an explosive area and you can trigger that action simply by pressing X or Circle. You'll have to be careful to not wipe yourself out, so pay close attention to what's going on up ahead. Speaking of paying attention, often times if you have multiple cars ahead of you, you can wreck multiple cars with one shot, which is always extremely rewarding. As far as how the game controls, I quite like the feel of the cars and just how sturdy the controls are. Your vehicles feel planted to the ground, as opposed to being overly loose and flimsy on every turn. Now, since I'm explaining the game mechanic, I should also explain the premise of the game, which is directly tied to the presentation. Split/Second is the name of an in-game TV show, and you are participating in its newest season. Each episode is a series of races, and each race won earns you points. The basic progression system is very simple and you've seen it done before, so as you keep playing you'll unlock more races, modes, cars, and tracks.
Unlike Blur, which forces you to play through the career without any quick play or practice modes, Split/Second offers Season, Quick Play, Online multiplayer, and Split-Screen multiplayer, so if you've played through a bit of the Season, you should have enough content to enjoy in the Quick Play mode. A total of eight-players can go online, and two can play split-screen which is a far cry from Blur's 20-player online setup and 4-player split-screen setup. Split/Second includes an assortment of race modes, all of which are rather intense. Given the nature of the game, a game mode such as Air Strike is a given; here the premise is to avoid incoming missiles from a helicopter and earn points in the process. There is also a mode that is the very opposite of Air Strike, called Air Revenge, where you turn the tables and attack the helicopter. Another mode, Detonator is where you're on the road course all alone…with the entire track exploding all around you! Detonator is a great way to experience just some of the hell this game allows you to cause, and dodging all of it is absurdly fun. Survival mode pits you against trucks that are dropping explosive barrels all over the track, hit them and you'll either wreck or lose a lot of speed. The premise of Survival is to pass as many of these trucks as possible and accumulate as many points as possible until time runs out. And when the time does run out, it's sudden-death and the entire course will be flooded with even more barrels, until you wreck yourself for good. Other modes include the usual such as Race and Elimination (last place driver gets eliminated when timer reaches zero). Trust me when I say that Split/Second is just an absolutely adrenaline filled rush, and definitely one of the best action-racers I've played in a long time.
Visually, Split/Second runs extremely smooth with never a framerate hiccup to be found. The game engine is always doing a ton of work, especially when you consider the kind of drama that goes on all around you, it's pretty intense stuff to render. The backgrounds feature massive structures and the draw-in distance is superb when you've got a vast view outside of the course. I also absolutely love the simplistic HUD that keeps the screen extremely clean and allows you to judge each and every turn very accurately. That said, there are some minor visual hitches that need to be addressed. For starters, anti-aliasing is sorely missing. Jagged lines are very prevalent all over the screen, marring some of fantastic details in this, otherwise good looking game. Keen eyes will also notice some pop-up here and there, usually small stuff like smoke or a shadow. Regardless, Split/Second is still a good looking game that moves at a great pace and boasts a whole bunch of eye-candy around every corner.
The audio is the standard: bassy-beats, voice over that guides you through the game, and lots of sounds that go "kaboom!" Blur has pretty much the same offerings, but Split/Second does it better. First off, the soundtrack in Split/Second is a bit more varied and not nearly as repetitive. Second, and most important, the sound effects are far more pronounced here than the other game. Where as in Blur attacks felt practically hollow, Split/Second delivers a much punchier sound that'll please your ears. Still, perhaps Black Rock could've turned up the 'boom' just a bit more - I want my ribs to crack in a game this wild.
All in all, if you like games like Burnout, MotorStorm, and the like, there's no question that you'll love Split/Second. The game boasts terrific heart-racing gameplay, great presentation, awesome game mechanics, very tight controls, solid sense of speed, bright visuals, and a bunch of replay value. This is definitely one of those games you'll keep coming back to time and time again. | 2024-05-05T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2580 |
Targeted Therapy for Melanoma Metastatic to the Brain: Current Treatment Paradigms
Targeted Therapy for Melanoma Metastatic to the Brain: Current Treatment Paradigms
In this video, Tara Gangadhar, MD, examines a recent phenomenon, the successful long-term treatment of patients with melanoma metastatic to the brain. Reviewing three recent reports presented at ASCO 2017 (Checkmate 204, ABC and Combi MG), Dr. Gangadhar describes the targeted immunotherapies in these trials, their application as up-front therapy in select patients (asymptomatic, steroid-naive) and their result: durable partial or complete responses in the majority of treated patients in the absence of neurosurgery or radiation therapy. Also discussed: combination local/systemic therapy and the need for increased radiological monitoring in treated patients.
For more than 20 years, BroadcastMed has been innovating digital strategies for healthcare organizations. The company was first in the world to broadcast live surgeries on the internet using its ORLive solution which provides an intimate look inside the operating room. | 2023-11-22T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2533 |
Gasps, whistles, and cheers burst from 300 observers as the SpaceLoft 7 rocket blasted into the sky from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico. Among the crowd were 60 students, ranging from middle school through university level, who watched the rocket carry experiments they had designed and built.
“That feeling of seeing something you built fly up into space is incredible,” said 13-year-old Emerson Schoeppner. He and other students at Camino Real Middle School and La Academia de Dolores Huerta Middle School, both in Las Cruces, New Mexico, developed experiments using algae.
“Students were asked to propose experiments using algae because NASA is interested in technologies that enable humans to live and work in space,” said Dr. Patricia Hynes, director of the New Mexico Space Grant Consortium, which conducts the Student Launch Program. “Algae can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere inside the space station. It can produce crude oil which can be refined into bio‑fuels for aviation, another research area of NASA’s. Algae is also nontoxic, inexpensive, and can be used by students without much risk to their health.”
The students used two types of algae, growing samples of each type in a nutrient-rich liquid and in agar gel. Control samples stayed in the schools, while experimental samples rode the rocket. The students had to design containers for the samples that would not leak during the spaceflight. They placed the algae samples in the containers two months before the flight so the containers could be sent to UP Aerospace’s headquarters in Highland Ranch, Colorado. There, the rocket manufacturer bolted the containers to 9-inch-diameter Plexiglas plates and then attached a stack of plates to the base of one of seven 10-inch-tall aluminum cylinders that would comprise the rocket’s payloads. After each metal canister was closed, it was spun to balance it and verify that the contents were securely fastened.
Two days before the flight, UP Aerospace workers prepared the cylinders for insertion into the rocket at Spaceport America. A credit-card-size opening in the side of each canister provided access so the students could inject the liquid and gel growth mediums through tube systems they had designed.
At eight o’clock the morning of June 21, 2013, the 20-foot-long SpaceLoft 7 (SL-7) rocket shot off the launching pad, reaching a speed of Mach 5 (about 3,800 miles an hour) on its way to an altitude of 74 miles—a record for both UP Aerospace and Spaceport America. The experiments it carried experienced 17 g’s of force and four minutes of microgravity. At the end of its 15-minute flight, the rocket’s payload section parachuted to the ground 23 miles from the launch pad, at its target site on White Sands Missile Range. The recovery team loaded it onto an Army helicopter, flew back to Spaceport America, and circled the crowd at the observation post on its way to the launch control center a mile and a half away. After the UP Aerospace team removed five canisters containing other customers’ payloads, the helicopter carried the rocket section to the observation post. There, students watched as the two remaining canisters were removed and opened, and each team’s experiments were taken out and turned over to the students.
“Some of the experiments leaked during flight and the algae were ‘disadvantaged,’“ Hynes reported. “But by July 1, all flown cultures, including the ‘disadvantaged,’ were reproducing similarly to the controls on the ground.”
Besides the two experiments from middle school teams, the rocket carried five experiments from high school and university students. For instance, a team at Cobre High School in Silver City, New Mexico, designed a flexible container for liquid experiments. The students sewed layers of heat-resistant Nomex and water-resistant Gore-Tex into a pouch and closed it with a waterproof zipper. Filled with water for the test flight, the pouch was wrapped with an absorbent mat in case it leaked. In their post-flight report, the students wrote, “After the flight while completing the de‑integration process, no water leakage on the Pigmat material was detected. Only a few drops of water was left in the form factor. It is theorized that the water vaporized due to exposure to high temperatures or because of the lapsed time between pre‑launch preparation and time of flight.”
Students at Las Cruces High School and Dona Ana Branch Community College sent bean sprouts on the rocket. During the flight, their instruments recorded a number of factors including humidity levels, carbon dioxide levels, and temperature. They planned to plant the sprouts from the experimental and control groups and monitor their growth and productivity.
A team of seniors in New Mexico State University’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department tested their design for a common power-data bus that could supply electricity to student payloads and collect data from the experiments. To date, student experiments requiring electric power have used batteries.
The students were excited to see their experiments fly into space and examine them after their safe return. “I woke up at two in the morning to come here, so I was ready,” Schoeppner said. “That feeling of success—just awesome.”
Another exciting aspect of this launch was that it was sponsored by NASA and carried experiments for several government agencies and commercial companies alongside the students’ payloads.
“This flight was under NASA’s Flight Opportunities program,” said Christine Anderson, executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority. “We used to have the Shuttle that would carry experiments and mature technology, and we don’t have that anymore. That’s the reason why NASA developed this particular program. We’re happy that their first flight of that was here, and we had a number of customers for the payloads for that vehicle.”
NASA reserved space for its own payload on the rocket it purchased for the flight. The Suborbital Flight Environment Monitor is designed to monitor and record onboard environmental conditions throughout the flight. The information will be useful in planning future missions, which the instrument will also monitor.
The Federal Aviation Administration tested an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast System device on the flight. The system will be used on aircraft and rockets to ensure they share airspace safely. The Department of Defense, Virginia-based Control Dynamics, the Italian engineering firm DTM, and several commercial enterprises also flew experiments or other cargo on the rocket.
The June 2013 flight was the eleventh launch by UP Aerospace from Spaceport America. It was the seventh to use the company’s SpaceLoft rocket, while the other four involved test vehicles made by other companies. For the first time, this SpaceLoft vehicle was equipped with a de-spin system designed to quickly slow the rocket’s bullet-like spin after it left the atmosphere. It used a set of weights attached to the rocket by cables. When the system was activated, the weights swung outward and slowed the rocket’s spin much as figure skaters do by extending their arms.
SL-7 was the first UP Aerospace flight sponsored by NASA’s Flight Opportunities Program and the program’s first suborbital spaceflight that carried student experiments. Flight Opportunities Program Executive L.K. Kubendran took the opportunity to make his first visit to Spaceport America. “Our goal is to fly more payloads, and eventually more student payloads,” he said. “On one side, we want to mature technology for spaceflights in the future. On the other side, we also want to encourage and foster industry to develop [flight technology] that’s faster and that’s cheap, so that in the end, we’ll have a lot more companies flying commercial spaceflights. NASA would just be one of the many paying customers, not the only customer.”
New Mexico’s Student Launch Program is unique. Since 2009, 827 students have participated in the program, sending a total of 76 experiments on five suborbital flights. “This is the only educational initiative in the country that gives students access to a commercial launch complex on a consistent basis,” Hynes said. However, Kubendran explained that students have other NASA-sponsored oppor-tunities to experiment in conditions of extremely high altitude and microgravity. Some projects fly on helium balloons that float at altitudes above 20 miles for up to 20 hours. Others fly on a modified Boeing 727 owned by Zero-G Corporation, which follows a series of vertical parabolic arcs, achieving 30 seconds of microgravity at the top of each arc.
“We have done three to four flight weeks every year on the Zero-G platform,” Kubendran said. “We hope to continue that on an ongoing basis. That gives an opportunity for the students to develop the experiment, build the experiment, fly the experiment, and to be in zero gravity with it”
New types of spacecraft being developed by Virgin Galactic and XCOR will offer additional possibilities when they are ready for operation. NASA already has contracts with both of those companies. “Obviously, with UP Aerospace, you’ve got to send the experiments alone,” Kubendran told the crowd as they waited for the SL-7 payloads to be brought back to Spaceport America. “But when Virgin Galactic and XCOR start flying, maybe there’s an opportunity for the researchers in this audience to fly with their payload into space. That’s coming in the near future.”
Other opportunities for students and educators nationally:
Education programs sponsored by NASA, www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/descriptions/All_Alpha.html.
The Student Spaceflight Experiments Program, http://ssep.ncesse.org.
Student contests sponsored by the National Space Society, space.nss.org/contests/.
This article appeared in the 4th issue of RocketSTEM magazine.
Download PDF Issuu Reader Buy Print Edition | 2024-05-09T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8177 |
Q:
ambiguous overload for 'operator==' error
I have:
remoteDB();
QSqlQuery query("SELECT * FROM products");
int id = query.record().indexOf("id");
int aa = query.record().indexOf("license_type");
int bb = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_product_code");
int zz = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_license_number");
int xx = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_claimed_current_status");
int cc = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_correctly_validated_on");
int dd = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_start_date");
int ee = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_stop_date");
int ff = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_lasting_days");
int gg = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_issued_by");
int hh = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_license_issued_on");
int ii = query.record().indexOf("free_trial_mac_address");
int jj = query.record().indexOf("full_license_product_code");
int kk = query.record().indexOf("full_license_number");
int ll = query.record().indexOf("full_license_claimed_current_status");
int mm = query.record().indexOf("full_license_correctly_validated_on");
int nn = query.record().indexOf("full_license_licensed_to");
int oo = query.record().indexOf("full_license_email");
int pp = query.record().indexOf("full_license_telephone_number");
int qq = query.record().indexOf("full_license_issued_on");
int rr = query.record().indexOf("full_license_issued_by");
int ss = query.record().indexOf("full_license_cost");
int tt = query.record().indexOf("full_license_mac_address");
while (query.next()) {
QString theid = query.value(id).toString();
QString license_type = query.value(aa).toString();
QString free_trial_product_code = query.value(bb).toString();
QString free_trial_license_number = query.value(zz).toString();
QString free_trial_claimed_current_status = query.value(xx).toString();
QString free_trial_correctly_validated_on = query.value(cc).toString();
QString free_trial_start_date = query.value(dd).toString();
QString free_trial_stop_date = query.value(ee).toString();
QString free_trial_lasting_days = query.value(ff).toString();
QString free_trial_issued_by = query.value(gg).toString();
QString free_trial_license_issued_on = query.value(hh).toString();
QString free_trial_mac_address = query.value(ii).toString();
QString full_license_product_code = query.value(jj).toString();
QString full_license_number = query.value(kk).toString();
QString full_license_claimed_current_status = query.value(ll).toString();
QString full_license_correctly_validated_on = query.value(mm).toString();
QString full_license_licensed_to = query.value(nn).toString();
QString full_license_email = query.value(oo).toString();
QString full_license_telephone_number = query.value(pp).toString();
QString full_license_issued_on = query.value(qq).toString();
QString full_license_issued_by = query.value(rr).toString();
QString full_license_cost = query.value(ss).toString();
QString full_license_mac_address = query.value(tt).toString();
QDate date = QDate::currentDate();
SimpleCrypt processSimpleCrypt(35363728);
QString macaddress = getMac();
QString separator = "_";
QString l_type;
QString f_trial_product_code;
QString f_trial_license_number;
QString f_trial_claimed_current_status;
QString f_trial_correctly_validated_on;
QString f_trial_start_date;
QString f_trial_stop_date;
QString f_trial_lasting_days;
QString f_trial_issued_by;
QString f_trial_license_issued_on;
QString f_trial_mac_address;
QString f_license_product_code;
QString f_license_number;
QString f_license_claimed_current_status;
QString f_license_correctly_validated_on;
QString f_license_licensed_to;
QString f_license_email;
QString f_license_telephone_number;
QString f_license_issued_on;
QString f_license_issued_by;
QString f_license_cost;
QString f_license_mac_address;
l_type = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(license_type % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_product_code = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_product_code % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_license_number = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_license_number % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_claimed_current_status = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_claimed_current_status % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_correctly_validated_on = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_correctly_validated_on % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_start_date = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_start_date % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_stop_date = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_stop_date % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_lasting_days = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_lasting_days % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_issued_by = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_issued_by % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_license_issued_on = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_license_issued_on % separator % macaddress);
f_trial_mac_address = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(free_trial_mac_address % separator % macaddress);
f_license_product_code = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_product_code % separator % macaddress);
f_license_number = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_number % separator % macaddress);
f_license_claimed_current_status = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_claimed_current_status % separator % macaddress);
f_license_correctly_validated_on = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_correctly_validated_on % separator % macaddress);
f_license_licensed_to = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_licensed_to % separator % macaddress);
f_license_email = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_email % separator % macaddress);
f_license_telephone_number = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_telephone_number % separator % macaddress);
f_license_issued_on = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_issued_on % separator % macaddress);
f_license_issued_by = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_issued_by % separator % macaddress);
f_license_cost = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_cost % separator % macaddress);
f_license_mac_address = processSimpleCrypt.encryptToString(full_license_mac_address % separator % macaddress);
if ((ui.validateInput->text() == full_license_number) && (full_license_claimed_current_status == 2))
{
QSqlQuery query;
query.prepare("UPDATE products SET full_license_claimed_current_status=:full_license_claimed_current_status, full_license_correctly_validated_on=:full_license_correctly_validated_on,full_license_mac_address=:full_license_mac_address WHERE id=:id");
query.bindValue(":id", theid);
query.bindValue(":full_license_claimed_current_status", 1);
query.bindValue(":full_license_correctly_validated_on", date);
query.bindValue(":full_license_mac_address", macaddress);
query.exec();
QMessageBox msgBox;
msgBox.setText("Success,The License Has Been Validated.");
msgBox.exec();
}
but i am getting
error: ambiguous overload for 'operator==' in 'full_license_claimed_current_status == 2'
when i compile.
A:
Did you try with brackets?
if ((ui.validateInput->text() == full_license_number) && (full_license_claimed_current_status == 2))
Also what are the types of full_license_number and full_license_claimed_current_status?
| 2023-09-17T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8160 |
Syria cease-fire possible ‘if Turkey seals border’
MUSCAT
AFP photo
Shutting down smuggling across the Turkish-Syrian border is a condition for halting Russia’s bombing campaign in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said as peace talks in Geneva began to encounter more difficulty.It will be difficult to impose a cease-fire unless Syria’s border with Turkey is secured to prevent smuggling and the movement of fighters, he said.“Regarding a cease-fire, we have pragmatic ideas, we talked with the Americans who head the Syria support group, and we look forward to discussing these ideas at a meeting on Feb. 11,” Lavrov said Feb. 3 in Muscat, referring to the International Syria Support Group that is due to meet in Munich on Feb. 11.Russia has accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his family of helping the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) through illegal oil trading, claims Ankara has strongly denied.Lavrov said Russia would not stop its air strikes on Syria until terrorist organizations, like ISIL and al-Nusra, were defeated.“Russian strikes will not cease until we really defeat terrorist organizations like al-Nusra. And I don’t see why these air strikes should be stopped,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by Reuters.Lavrov’s comments came at a time when the Syria peace talks in Geneva have become troubled as the Syrian government denied formal talks had begun and the opposition canceled a second meeting with U.N. special envoy Staffan de Mistura following intense Russian air strikes.One day after declaring that the talks in Geneva were still “in a preparatory phase” – contrary to de Mistura’s words on Feb. 1 stating the peace talks had officially started – the Syrian government’s delegation chief, Bashar al-Ja’afari, said the preparatory phase of the talks was likely to take longer than anticipated.“It seems the first phase of preparations will take a much longer time expected and we don’t know yet when we will finish,” al-Ja’afari told Reuters in an interview. “The official discussions did not take off yet unfortunately. We are still discussing how to proceed.”Ja’afari said the government was still unclear on who its interlocutors would be, how many delegations they would face and the names of all participants.“I couldn’t tell you much about what’s going on because we are waiting for Godot and Godot hasn’t come yet,” he said.Godot was a fictional character in the Samuel Beckett play “Waiting for Godot.” In the play, two other characters wait for someone called Godot who never arrives.De Mistura announced the formal start on Feb. 1 of the first attempt in two years to negotiate an end to a war that has killed 250,000 people, caused a refugee crisis in the region and Europe and empowered ISIL militants. But both government and opposition have since said the talks have not in fact begun, and fighting on the ground has raged on without constraint.Meanwhile, Syrian opposition chief Riad Hijab arrived in Switzerland in the afternoon of Feb. 3, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) said, according to AFP.“Riad Hijab has arrived in Geneva,” the Saudi-backed HNC said on its official Twitter account.Hijab was expected to immediately join a tense internal HNC meeting in which the group would decide its next steps in the talks.“With Hijab here, the HNC can better demonstrate a unified position in representing the opposition,” a Western diplomat told AFP in Geneva on condition of anonymity.“This is a very complicated process, and it’s going to require all the actors to remain in constant dialogue,” the diplomat said.On the same day, the International Committee for the Red Cross said an aid convoy was en route to a besieged rebel-held town near Damascus.The convoy heading to Moadamiyeh is the second humanitarian aid delivery to rebel-held areas near the capital in as many days, a spokesman for the organization, Pawel Krzysiek told The Associated Press, adding that 12 trucks carrying food, medicine and medical equipment were expected to arrive later in the day.The humanitarian situation in the town worsened toward the end of last year after the government choked off the last access point. Opposition activists and residents say there are dozens of cases of severe malnutrition in Moadamiyeh.The aid delivery appears to be a confidence-building gesture on the part of the government after the Geneva talks began with tension.The Syrian opposition has demanded that aid be allowed into 18 besieged areas throughout the country and that Syrian and Russian forces halt the bombardment of rebel-held areas ahead of the talks.Syria’s opposition said on Feb. 3 that such deliveries are meaningless while government troops launch an offensive on Aleppo, further undermining prospects for peace talks underway in Geneva.The latest aid delivery is a “positive development,” said Basma Kodmani, a member of the HNC in Geneva, but “it is way below what we are hoping to see happen.” | 2023-09-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7056 |
Spiritual Quotes
I find the spiritual quotes on this page very uplifting, and I hope you will too.
Quotes that inspire us are so necessary some days.
I find it very uplifting to read inspiring quotes and sayings, words of wisdom and some proverbs.
There are days when they lift us from the dolrums or simply remind us of what is important.
I hope you are comforted, inspired to dream, or have your spirits raised by one or more of these wonderful spiritual quotes.
Spiritual Quotes
"What you are is God's gift to you, what you make of yourself is your gift to God."
Jewish Proverb
One of my favorite spiritual quotes from Stephen Covey:
"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey."
Stephen Covey
"It isn't until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are - not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within - that you can begin to take control."
Oprah Winfrey
"The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
"Each of us must be the change agent we want to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi
"Spiritual life is like a moving sidewalk. Whether you go with it or spend your whole life running against it, you're still going to be taken along."
Bernadette Roberts
"There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a person's eye when he feels that we have sympathized with him, understood him, interested ourself in his welfare. At these moments something fine and spiritual passes between two friends. These moments are the moments worth living."
Don Marquis
"Spirituality leaps where science cannot yet follow, because science must always test and measure, and much of reality and human experience is immeasurable."
Starhawk
"In order to experience everyday spirituality, we need to remember that we are spiritual beings spending some time in a human body."
Barbara De Angelis
"Whatever you're thinking about is literally like planning a future event. When you're worrying, you are planning. When you are appreciating, you are planning...What are you planning?"
Abraham
Abraham-Hicks workshop April 19th, 1997
Two wonderful spiritual quotes from A Course in Miracles:
"When you have learned how to decide with God, all decisions become as easy and as right as breathing. There is no effort, and you will be led as gently as if you were being carried down a quiet path in summer."
A Course in Miracles
"Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it."
A Course In Miracles
"True intelligence operates silently. Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found."
Eckhart Tolle
"Great men are they who see that the spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Prayer is the great engine to overthrow and rout my spiritual enemies, the great means to procure the graces of which I stand in hourly need."
John Newton
"One night alone in prayer might make us new men, changed from poverty of soul to spiritual wealth, from trembling to triumphing."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
One of my favorite spiritual quotes:
"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
Albert Einstein
"Every time you don't follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power, a sense of spiritual deadness."
Shakti Gawain
"Intuition is a spiritual faculty and does not explain, but simply points the way."
Florence Scovel Shinn
"Everyone and everything around you is your teacher."
Ken Keyes Jr.
"A guru might say that spiritual deepening involves a journey toward the unselfconscious living of life as it unfolds, rather than toward a willful determination to make it happen."
John Fortunato
More favorite spiritual quotes...
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
Wayne Dyer
"Everything in your life is there as a vehicle for your transformation. Use it!"
Ram Dass
"At any moment, you have a choice, that either leads you closer to your spirit or further away from it."
Thich Nhat Hanh
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
Albert Einstein
"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
By Chinese proverb
"The quickest way to change your attitude toward pain is to accept the fact that everything that happens to us has been designed for our spiritual growth."
M. Scott Peck
"If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought."
Peace Pilgrim
"When I use the word spirituality, I don't necessarily mean religion; I mean whatever it is that helps you feel connected to something that is larger than yourself."
Dean Ornish
"The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it."
Henri J. M. Nouwen
"There are no accidents... there is only some purpose that we haven't yet understood."
Deepak Chopra
"Heaven on Earth is a choice you must make, not a place you must find."
Wayne Dyer
"Overwhelment is about you not being up to speed with what you told the Universe that you want. The Universe is yielding to you. You're just not ready to receive it right now."
Abraham-Hicks
"When a man is willing and eager, the gods join in."
Aeschylus
"All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become."
Buddha
"Great men are they who see that the spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
New! Comments
Have your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below.
Do you have spiritual poetry that you would like to share?
If you write spiritual poems or know someone who does (whose permission you have to submit their work), our readers would love to read it. Use the form below to share any spiritual poems or stories. You may be adding a wonderful light to someone else's day. | 2023-11-12T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7463 |
For many years coin operated vending machines, and especially juke boxes, have used electro-mechanical coin switches. After a coin or coins have passed through a slug rejector the coins go into a multiple slot or multiple chute coin detecting device having a mechanical coin detector adjacent each slot or chute. Engagement of the mechanical detector by a coin causes closure of mechanical switches. Such coin switches have evidenced various degrees of difficulty over the years. The contacts become pitted and burned, and also dirty. Switches thus may operate falsely, or fail to operate at all. Cleaning by a service man from time to time is essential, and adjustment of the physical position of the detector also is necessary from time to time due to the fact that constant physical agitation thereof by dropping coins causes bending, misalignment, etc.
A further problem has become more pronounced in recent years with the move toward digital electronic operation of coin operated devices. Mechanical contacts tend to bounce. Such bouncing will produce a series of pulses, rather than a single pulse, and may result in false crediting. This problem is particularly irksome when contacts are burned or dirty. | 2023-08-08T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5973 |
Biology of rice bug Leptocorisa oratorius (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae), population change and alternative host plants.
Leptocorisa oratorius (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae) is a major rice pest which feeds on the sap of stems and rice seeds. Some graminaceous weed species serve as an alternative host of L. oratorius causing outbreaks throughout the rice growing season. Population changes of L. oratorius during both rice growing seasons - wet-season rice and dry-season rice - including the influence of alternative host, barnyard grass Echinochloa crus-galli (Graminaceae) on the development of L. oratorius was studied. Results presented that L. oratorius was the dominant pest species during the late phase of rice growth. Adults of L. oratorius started their migrations to wet-season rice at the vegetative stage of rice growth, while they migrated to dry-season rice at the repropuctive stage of rice growth. Leptocorisa oratorius breds rapidly in rice fields. Meanwhile, other adults migrated to the rice field. The population of adults and nymphs significantly increased from the reproductive stage to grain formation and ripening stage in both rice growing seasons. The population of nymphs was greater than adults but not significantly different in their number of individuals. Leptocorisa oratorius had one generation in each rice growing season. The results of the host plant study indicated that L oratorius developed completely in barnyard grass E. crus-galli as well as rice Oriza sativa (Graminaceae). However, L. oratorius preferred rice to barnyard grass for feeding and oviposition. | 2024-04-06T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5057 |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a parking brake apparatus for applying a brake force to wheels of a parked vehicle. More particularly, the present invention is related to an electrically operated parking brake apparatus for applying the brake force to the wheels through the driving force of an electric motor without relying upon the force applied by the hand or foot of a driver.
2. Description of the Related Art
JP-A-2000-309255 discloses an electrically operated parking brake apparatus with a screw mechanism having in turn a screw-threaded shaft adapted to be rotationally driven by an electric motor, and a nut member adapted to mesh with the screw-threaded shaft. When the screw-threaded shaft is rotated, the nut member is moved along the screw-threaded shaft, whereby a brake operating force is transmitted to wheel brakes via cables connected to the nut member.
Since the electrically operated parking brake apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2000-309255 is of a type in which cables connected to wheel brakes are linearly pulled by a screw mechanism including a screw-threaded shaft and a nut member, there is less possibility that the cables bend and produce friction when compared to a type of electrically operated parking brake apparatus in which cables are wound around a rotational barrel (for example, JP-A-7-257356). Therefore, the electrically operated parking brake apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2000-309255 is superior in operation efficiency in pulling the cables and durability of the cables than the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-7-257356.
When the electric rotor is stopped after the electric motor is driven so as to pull the cables via the screw mechanism, the screw-threaded shaft is caused to rotate in a reverse direction by the tension of the cables, whereby the nut member is caused to move. This leads to the possibility that the brake force applied to the wheel brakes may be released. To cope with this, in the parking brake apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2000-309255, a worm reduction gear is disposed between the electric motor and the screw mechanism to prevent the reverse rotation of the screw-threaded shaft by a reverse rotation preventing function provided in the worm reduction gear.
However, while the worm reduction gear has the function to prevent the reverse rotation of the screw-threaded shaft, since the worm reduction gear is not constructed to transmit the load (i.e., the tension of the cables) from the screw mechanism to the electric motor side in a reverse fashion, it is not possible to estimate the magnitude of a brake operating force from the magnitude of the load of the motor which is indicated, for example, by current flowing to the electric motor. Therefore, there is a drawback in that a brake force cannot be generated on the wheel brakes which corresponds in magnitude to the inclination of a road surface where the vehicle is parked.
The present invention was made in view of the aforementioned problems in the related art, and an object of the invention is to provide an electrically operated parking brake apparatus which can estimate the magnitude of a brake operating force from the load of an electric motor which is generated in accordance with the load that is transmitted in the reverse fashion, while preventing the brake force applied on the wheel brakes from being loosened with the load transmitted from the screw mechanism side to the electric motor side in the reverse fashion.
With a view to attaining this object, an electrically operated parking brake apparatus, includes:
an electric motor;
a screw mechanism including a screw-threaded shaft adapted to be rotationally driven by the electric motor, and a nut member meshing with the screw-threaded shaft, the nut member being movable along the screw-threaded shaft by the rotation of the screw-threaded shaft;
a transmission member connected to said nut member for transmitting a brake operating force to a wheel brake; and
a rotation preventing unit for confining said screw-threaded shaft to a stationary portion of a vehicle body thereby preventing rotation of said screw-threaded shaft so as to hold said brake operating force by fixing a position of said nut member relative to said screw-threaded shaft.
According to one embodiment, the rotation preventing unit is constituted by an electromagnetic brake for confining the screw-threaded shaft to the stationary portion of the vehicle body. Therefore, even if a power transmission path between the electric motor and the screw mechanism is constituted by a unit for transmitting the load on the transmission members from the screw mechanism side to the electric motor side in the reverse fashion, the magnitude of brake operating force can be estimated based on the motor load of the electric motor, such as current generated on the electric motor in accordance with the load of the transmission members that is transmitted in the reverse fashion when the confinement of the screw-threaded shaft by the electromagnetic brake is released. This configuration also prevents the loss of the brake force applied to the wheel brakes by preventing the reverse rotation of the screw-threaded shaft with the electromagnetic brake while the parking brake apparatus is in operation. Thus, for example, a brake force can be generated on the wheel brakes which corresponds in magnitude to the inclination of a road surface where the vehicle is parked
In addition, since the electromagnetic brake in this embodiment confines the screw-threaded shaft to the stationary portion of the vehicle body by virtue of friction force, the inertia force of the electric motor can be controlled more easily when compared, for example, with the confinement of the screw-threaded shaft with a ratchet mechanism, whereby the nut member on the screw-threaded shaft can be controlled accurately to a target position. Furthermore, in case the magnitude of friction force is altered by controlling current that is fed to the electromagnetic brake, the confinement and release of the confinement of the screw-threaded shaft can be implemented in a moderate fashion, whereby the operating noise of the parking brake apparatus can be reduced.
Note that Bowden cables 13, 13 in an embodiment correspond to the transmission members of the invention, a housing 41 in the embodiment to the rotation preventing unit in the invention, and a ball screw mechanism 49 in the embodiment to the screw mechanism in the invention. | 2024-07-02T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3281 |
I sincerely believe that it is far more beneficial and far less costly to help a child build confidence than it is to fix an adult who has little or none.
We all want people to be nice to us and treat us with respect. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don’t even know how to treat other people with respect because they haven’t been treated very well themselves. Kindness can be contagious so maybe we could start the ball rolling. If we started being nice to other people and treating them with respect and kindness, it might affect them in a positive way. Of course, it won’t happen instantly but in time, our good example might just help teach them how to be nice.
So how do you treat other people? When someone is hurtful and mean, do you respond in the same way or do you respond with kindness. Being negative in a negative situation will never have a positive outcome! Let’s start showing people what it looks like to have a good attitude and be a kind, loving person:) What have you got to lose? Maybe some negativity?
Every new school year is the start of something different and for many teens it is the start of more problems. They are already experiencing drastic changes in their bodies which can cause a lot of stress and anxiety. Added to that are overwhelming pressures to become that ‘perfect’ and ‘beautiful/handsome’ person so they will be accepted by their peers. Teens start looking around and comparing themselves to actors, actresses, models and the kids that have been labelled ‘popular’. They believe that everyone else is better looking, smarter and has more friends. They seen themselves as inferior and unworthy. These untrue beliefs cause them to put their value in how they look and what they have instead of who they are.
We should never measure ourselves against other people because we are all unique individuals. We can’t possibly be the same as somebody else and we are not supposed to be. Many of the people we are comparing ourselves to, are often very insecure about themselves.
Teens need to develop confidence and increase their self-esteem so they will be able to stand up to negative peer pressures and make good choices in life. As parents, we can help our own children and any teens we are connected to. Here are some ways that we can help them build esteem:
Show love – Take very opportunity to show how much you love your children. No, they don’t just know!!! You have to tell them and show them. A child who feels loved at home won’t go looking for love in all the wrong places.
Be encouraging – Life will always have problems and teens are very sensitive when they fail or do something wrong. They need to be encouraged to keep going and know that you will support them.
Have an open mind – Teens need to know that you that you are listening to them and that you are not going to judge everything they say. You may not always agree with what they are saying, but they aren’t you and they will think differently. Be honest and open. Teens will talk to whoever with listen, so make sure that person is you.
Be a positive role model – Teens always watch the people around them to see how they speak and act, so we need to make sure we are presenting a positive example for them to follow. Be the person you want your teen to be.
Choose your words carefully – Your words have the power to impact your teen in a positive or negative way. Once your words are spoken, they can’t be taken back, so be very careful you don’t say something that is damaging. Say things that remind them of their great abilities and strengths.
Spend time with them – Teens do like to spend time with their parents as it makes them feel valued. Plan some special times as a family and also one-on-one, to build a closer relationship. Make sure you aren’t spending time criticizing them or they will prefer to spend time with someone else.
The teen years are very difficult and your teen really needs your love and support. Be there for them and help them navigate through all the challenges they face. You will face obstacles and often feel like nothing is working, but if you keep the lines of communication open and keep trying to maintain a good relationship, your teen will feel your support and know how much you care.
Always feel like something bad is going to happen? Nothing seems to go right? Everyone else has a better life? You always get the short end of the stick?
If a black cloud seems to be hanging over you all the time, it is probably because you have developed a habit of negative thinking and you are continually looking at life with a negative perspective. Your distorted perception will stop you from finding any happiness or success in your life.
The only way to brighten up your life and get rid of that black cloud is to become aware of what you are thinking and then try to develop a new habit of positive thinking. Don’t just let your thoughts wander around without paying attention to them. When you catch yourself thinking a negative thought:
stop for a few seconds and take a deep breath
try to visualize something that makes you happy or peaceful
replace your negative thought with a positive thought
say a positive affirmation
say ‘I can’ instead of ‘I can’t’
You can stop that black cloud from hanging over you. Always be aware of what you are thinking and work hard to replace those negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Start today and you’ll soon see some positive changes in your life! It worked for me and it can work for you:)
Did you realize that you carry a dangerous weapon with you every day? Yes, we all do. It is just something small but it can do a lot of damage. It is more dangerous than guns or knives and we have access to it 24/7.
Have you figured out what I’m referring to? Our tongue! When we speak, we can impact people in a positive or negative way. Our words can hurt people or help people. Our words can damage or repair a relationship. Our words can build up or tear down.
We should always choose our words carefully so we aren’t causing pain to someone else. We should also be careful that we aren’t hurting ourselves with any negative self-talk. Words are so powerful and once they are spoken, they can’t be reversed.
What are you loading your weapon with? We certainly don’t want to be facing someone who is loaded with anger, bitterness or hatred. Make sure you are loading your weapon with love and kill people with kindness!
We all have baggage. Nobody has gone through life without picking up some problems and many people carry these with them throughout life. Then when we form a relationship, we combine our baggage and the problems grow.
Many times we expect other people to carry our load. If we have been treated badly in the past, we carry these hurts with us and we unload our pain on the people around us. We expect them to solve our problems and bring us happiness and when they can’t follow through, we blame them for our problems.
It is unfair when we try to burden other people with our past hurts. We have to take responsibility for our own actions and try to deal with these problems so they don’t affect our relationships. Instead of expecting other people to carry our load, we should be trying to lighten theirs by being upbeat and positive about life. We are responsible for our own happiness and we can become the bright light in someone else’s life.
Have you ever stopped to consider the power that you have in your tongue? Just one small part of your body speaks volumes about the type of person you are. When you open your mouth to speak, you can reveal a lot about your character. Your words can show love or hatred, calmness or anger, encouragement or criticism, modesty or boastfulness. Your words can tell the truth or they can lie. Your words can help or they can hurt. It all depends on what kind of mindset you have.
If your thoughts are mostly positive, they will produce positive words, positive actions and positive results. However, if your thoughts are mostly negative, they will produce negative words, negative actions and negative results.
What is going on in your mind? Are positive or negative thoughts floating around? If they are negative, it is time to start thinking about what you are thinking. Be aware of your thoughts, stop yourself before anything comes out of your mouth, and try to change anything that is negative into something that is positive. At first it may be hard, but the more you practice, the easier it gets. Just taking a few seconds to breathe and think can stop you from saying hurtful, damaging words or doing something that you might regret.
Our biggest problem is right under our nose. The tongue is so powerful and we need to learn how to control it.
Society tries to make us believe that having more of everything is a good thing. If we have more money, more possessions and more power then we will have a better life. If we have more friends, more intimate relationships, eat more and fill our lives with more activity, we will find happiness. Really?
What is the result of having MORE of everything? It leads to more depression, more sickness, more loneliness, more stress, more debt, more broken marriages and families, more unwanted pregnancies, more sexual diseases, more addictions and more teens having serious problems that carry on into their adult years.
Money, possessions and power can’t bring us happiness and it can’t mend all the brokenness in the world. What we need is MORE love, MORE compassion, MORE kindness. These are things that money can’t buy yet they have a much higher value.
More CAN be better if we put our priorities in the right place and stop listening to the voice of the world telling us how we should live. We don’t have to follow the crowd and go in the wrong direction. We need to learn how to listen to our own inner voice and always do what we know is right. It isn’t easy being a person of integrity in this fallen world, but we can start being a positive example to other people.
People are always looking for a new diet, a faster and better way to lose weight. They listen to promises that they will look better and feel better in just a few days or weeks. But if these promises were true, how come so many people are continually on diets? The sad fact is, about 90% of people who diet will gain the weight back and sometimes will gain back more.
We don’t need a new diet, we need a new lifestyle. Dieting doesn’t work in most cases. People want their weight to drop quickly and will try almost anything that promises a quick fix. They don’t think realistically. The math is simple – you can’t lose 100 pounds in a few weeks when it took years to put on.
Don’t listen to all the crazy promises that you hear. Companies will tell you anything just to make a buck. The only way you can lose weight and keep it off, is to eat healthy foods and exercise daily. Drink water, eat fruits and vegetables and consume smaller portions. Cut out junk foods and only have a small ‘treat’ once in a while just to keep you motivated.
Your health depends on what you eat and how you take care of your body. You only get one body for life, so treat yourself with care. You deserve it!
Have you ever noticed that when you are around someone who is miserable, that you seem to feel miserable too? Or when you are around someone who is angry that it makes you feel angry too? Well, it works the same way when you are around someone who is cheerful and happy. It makes you want to be cheerful and happy too.
Attitudes can be contagious. Most people are influenced greatly by the attitude of the people around them. If you walk into a room where everyone is crying, you will certainly not start laughing. Yet when you walk into a room full of laughter, it makes you feel light and happy. Having a positive attitude is much better than having a negative attitude. When you are around negative people, you feel uncomfortable and probably wish you could leave. But when you are around positive people, you feel wonderful and enjoy spending time with them.
What do you spend most of your time focusing on? If you spend your time focusing on good stuff, you will probably feel good. However, if you spend your time focusing on bad stuff, you will probably feel bad. It’s pretty simple: what you focus on becomes the your reality.
We all have problems in our lives. There is no possible way that we can stop bad things from happening to us. We can’t control what other people do to us and we can’t change what happens in the world. But we DON’T have to drag our problems with us everywhere we go. We CAN stop focusing on past problems and start focusing on how to make positive changes in our lives and work towards a solution. Many of our problems can be resolved by just changing our perspective.
In any situation we can focus on the negative side or the positive side. We can focus on a glass that is half empty or a glass that is half full. We can focus on the muddy footprints that were left on the kitchen floor or the smiling child as they ran past. We can focus on our poor test results or on working hard to do better next time. We can focus on losing weight or eating healthy.
The next time you face a problem, don’t think about all the bad things that are going to happen. Instead try to think about a realistic solution and keep a positive perspective. | 2023-09-30T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1094 |
Q:
KDB select where x in other query result
I have a query
top:flip select [10] Name from `Val xdesc select sum Val by Name from table
and I want another query filtering based on that result
select from table where Name in top
however that gives me a type error. I also tried
select from table where {x in y}[Name; top]
but that yields an empty table. Any suggestions how this can be done?
A:
The second parameter to in needs to be of list type, so you could do:
select from table where Name in exec Name from top
or:
select from table where Name in top[`Name]
You could also make top a list to begin with. Using the take operator to get the first 10 items in the sorted table:
top:10#(exec Name from `Val xdesc select sum Val by Name from table)
and then you would be able to do:
select from table where Name in top
| 2024-03-17T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8436 |
ich is bigger: x or -1?
-1
Let u be -3*2*15/(-9). Let g = 8 - u. Let n be 0 + g + (-60)/(-27). Which is greater: n or 0?
n
Let h = -1 + 1.1. Which is greater: -2 or h?
h
Suppose 7*n + 20 + 50 = 0. Is -28/3 > n?
True
Let s(d) = -d**2 - 16*d - 12. Let w be s(-15). Which is smaller: 14/5 or w?
14/5
Let a(n) be the third derivative of n**5/60 - n**4/3 - 2*n**3/3 - 9*n**2. Let m be a(9). Is 6 <= m?
False
Let z = 2 + 0. Let k be 0 - (2 + 3/(-2)). Which is smaller: k or z?
k
Let r be 242/172 - (-36)/(-24). Which is bigger: 1 or r?
1
Let d = -24 - -25. Is 1/7 < d?
True
Let z = 0.068 + 0.032. Which is bigger: z or 0.42?
0.42
Let r = -3 - -6. Suppose -r*t + 18 = 6. Suppose -5 + t = u. Is 1/3 smaller than u?
False
Let l be 2362/(-14) + (-4)/14. Let y = -849/5 - l. Is y equal to 0?
False
Let d = 2.2 - 0.2. Let z = d - 3. Which is smaller: z or -2?
-2
Suppose -4*t = -3*t - 5*j - 10, -3*t + 66 = 3*j. Suppose 5*p = p + 4*i + t, 3*p + 5*i = -1. Suppose 4 - p = -x. Are x and -1/4 nonequal?
True
Let m be 4/4 + (-4)/6. Let o = -1 + 2. Is m > o?
False
Let g(d) = -7*d**2 + 2*d + 2. Let m be g(-1). Which is greater: m or -6?
-6
Suppose 2*j = 0, -5*n = 5*j + 21 + 9. Let f(i) = -3*i + 5. Let c be f(4). Which is smaller: n or c?
c
Let h = -266.1 - -292. Let s = 26 - h. Let c = -261 - -1309/5. Is s greater than or equal to c?
False
Let w = -0.55 + 0.05. Which is smaller: -2 or w?
-2
Let d be (-2)/5*15/54. Which is bigger: d or 0?
0
Let r(k) = -k**2 + 6*k - 2 + 2 - 4 + 3. Let t be r(6). Is 1/5 at least as big as t?
True
Let l = -2/179 - -551/1253. Is -0.6 greater than or equal to l?
False
Let v(o) = o**2 - 10. Let u be v(0). Let s be u/12 - 5/(-15). Let l be 6/(-14)*2/(-3). Which is bigger: s or l?
l
Let j = 206.76 + -172.8. Let g = j + -32. Let t = g + 0.04. Which is smaller: t or -0.1?
-0.1
Let d = 12 - 14. Let k be 21/(-2)*6/(-9). Suppose -5*c = 20, -k*c + 3*c = -2*p + 12. Is d not equal to p?
False
Let t = -1075/57 + -636/19. Let s = -53 - t. Suppose -2*p + 8 = 5*z, -z - 2*z + 4 = p. Which is smaller: z or s?
s
Let t = -0.521 + 0.021. Is t at most as big as -0.06?
True
Let j = 1.7 + -2. Let s = j - -0.4. Let r(m) = -4*m - 62. Let i be r(-16). Is i > s?
True
Suppose -3*c - 5*y + 37 = 0, -68 = -5*c - 2*y - 0*y. Suppose 0 = 2*k - 4*r - 18, -3*r = k - r - 5. Let l be ((-2)/24)/(k/c). Is l smaller than 1?
True
Let d be (-2)/(-9) - (11/9 + 0). Let z(t) = -t**3 + 2*t**2 + 3*t - 3. Let p be z(3). Let u be 1 + 1 + p/3. Which is greater: u or d?
u
Let j(k) = k + 4. Suppose 3*t - 8 = 4*f, 3*t - 2 = -4*f - 10. Let d be j(f). Are 2 and d nonequal?
False
Let x be (6 + -2)*(-3)/6. Let o(b) = -b + 5. Let w be o(6). Which is bigger: x or w?
w
Let a = -6 + 10. Let v be a/(-8) + (-14)/4. Suppose -5*s + 25 - 7 = -r, -9 = -r - 4*s. Is v at most r?
True
Let q be ((-1)/(-2))/(1/(-12)). Suppose -6*c = 44 + 4. Which is bigger: c or q?
q
Let m be 3/(-14)*4/3. Which is smaller: m or 7/5?
m
Suppose 0*z - 10 = 4*z - 5*x, -4*z - 3*x = -6. Let n = -7/8 + 9/8. Is z greater than n?
False
Let x = -21 + 31. Is 9 greater than x?
False
Let d = 22 + -8. Which is greater: 10 or d?
d
Let y be 1/3*(-3)/(-1). Let x be (-26)/(-22) + 3 + (-2 - 2). Which is bigger: x or y?
y
Let o = -2486 - -27322/11. Which is greater: o or -2?
-2
Suppose 3*k + 48 = 7*k. Suppose 0 = -5*f + 3 + k. Suppose -f*r + r = -2. Which is greater: 1/4 or r?
r
Suppose 2*x - 92 = -5*c, -3*c = 2*x - x - 56. Which is smaller: 19 or c?
19
Let j = 18 + -12. Let l be 3/(-6) + (-30)/(-4). Let z = j - l. Which is greater: -1/5 or z?
-1/5
Let p(b) = b**3 + 10*b**2 + 9*b + 1. Let x be p(-9). Let z = 8/11 + -45/77. Is x greater than z?
True
Let q = 11 - 11.2. Let h = q + -1.8. Let a = 18/11 - 112/55. Is h greater than a?
False
Suppose 11 + 0 = -w. Let x = w + 12. Are x and -1 nonequal?
True
Let t = -1/483 - 2386/14007. Is 1 bigger than t?
True
Suppose -3*j - 4*o = -4, -4*j + 3*o - o = -42. Which is bigger: j or 0?
j
Let w be (17 - 2)/((-3)/(-2)). Is w > 10?
False
Let w be 1/((-3)/((-12)/(-38))). Let s = 52/133 + w. Suppose -2*t - m = m + 8, -10 = 5*t + 3*m. Which is smaller: t or s?
s
Let v = 2.91 - 3. Let m = v + -0.91. Which is smaller: 1 or m?
m
Let d = -252 + 221. Is d > -63/2?
True
Let d = -495899/141 + 3517. Is -1 <= d?
True
Let l be 0*((-5)/2 + 2). Which is smaller: 4/3 or l?
l
Let r = 19 - 10. Let k = r - 9.03. Which is greater: -2 or k?
k
Suppose 4*w + 0 = -32. Which is smaller: w or -9?
-9
Suppose -11 - 1 = 2*x. Let l be (15/(-50))/(x/16). Which is smaller: l or 2?
l
Let o be (-2)/44*(-10 - -8). Which is bigger: 1 or o?
1
Let r = 1 - -1. Suppose 5*z = 25, -r*v + 10 = -v + 2*z. Let n be v/((3 - 1) + -4). Which is smaller: n or 1?
n
Let a = 118 + -127. Is a less than or equal to -2?
True
Suppose b + 32 = 5*b. Which is smaller: 6 or b?
6
Let t = 0 - -3. Let r = 0 + t. Are r and 1/2 unequal?
True
Let g(p) = -4*p**3 + 3*p**3 + 3 - 5*p**2 + 1 - 2*p. Let a be g(-4). Let c be 9/(-6)*a/3. Which is smaller: c or 3?
c
Let s be (6/(-4) - -1)*0. Suppose s = -2*t + 14. Which is smaller: t or 1?
1
Let z = -67 + 336/5. Is 3/5 equal to z?
False
Let f(k) = 2*k + 1. Let p be f(-5). Let z be 7/p + (-2)/9. Is 1/4 smaller than z?
False
Let m(q) = q - 6. Let t be m(9). Suppose -2*y - 2 = -t*u, -u = 4*y + y - 12. Is 2/3 at most as big as u?
True
Let w(x) = -x**2 + 9*x - 8. Let v be w(6). Let r be (-4)/20 - (-2)/v. Is 4/7 greater than or equal to r?
True
Let t = 26 - 105/4. Let a be 6*2/(-3)*-1. Suppose 0 = -4*w - a. Which is smaller: t or w?
w
Let d = 28 + -34. Which is smaller: 0 or d?
d
Let q be 3 - (1 + (1 - -1)). Suppose 5*m = s - 5*s - 18, -4*m + 5*s - 39 = q. Let i = m - -6. Is -4 equal to i?
False
Let x = 0 - -1. Suppose -x = -5*w + 4. Is w greater than or equal to -1/7?
True
Let b = 244/39 + -19/3. Let l = -14 + 27/2. Are b and l equal?
False
Let z = 23 + -22. Suppose -w = 3*w - 8. Suppose -1 - 1 = -w*q. Is q at most as big as z?
True
Let b be (-1 + 0)/((-4)/(-12)). Let h(c) = c + 4. Let m be h(b). Which is smaller: 1/3 or m?
1/3
Let p = -0.07 + 0.17. Is -2 != p?
True
Let w = 4.07 - 0.07. Which is bigger: w or -0.1?
w
Let u = -7.4 - -24.4. Which is greater: 3 or u?
u
Let t be ((-36)/16 + 2)*11. Which is smaller: t or -4?
-4
Suppose 3*u + 23 = 4*s - 0*u, 4*s - 3 = -u. Let y = -4 - s. Which is smaller: -0.1 or y?
y
Let q = -1985/7 - -283. Suppose -2*c + 4*c - 2 = 4*a, 0 = 5*a - c + 1. Is a not equal to q?
True
Suppose -4*u - 42 = 4*f + 6, -5*f - 32 = u. Let r = 1 - 6. Are r and u unequal?
True
Let m(z) = z**3 + 3*z**2 + 1. Let i be m(-2). Suppose 3*q - 5 = 5*c - 3, -i*q = c - 22. Let t = 0 - c. Does t = -1?
False
Suppose 4*h = 5 + 31. Are 10 and h equal?
False
Let f be 1/((3 + -5)/(-2)). Are 7/4 and f non-equal?
True
Suppose -8 = -3*a + 1. Let i be (a - (-21)/(-12)) + -2. Is i at most as big as 0?
True
Let j = -27 - -28. Which is smaller: 0.1 or j?
0.1
Let l(o) = o**2 - 4*o + 7. Suppose 4 = 2*d - 6. Let i be l(d). Suppose 0 = 4*f - i. Which is smaller: f or 2?
2
Suppose 0 = -3*t - 12, -2*n + 2 = -2*t - 2. Let d(w) be the third derivative of -w**6/120 - w**5/30 + w**3/3 - 2*w**2. Let f be d(n). Are 2/7 and f non-equal?
True
Let j be (1 + -3)*1*1. Does j = -6/11?
False
Let y = 21 - 24. Which is smaller: 1/9 or y?
y
Let m = 1 - 1.1. Let b = -0.9 + 1. Let l = b - m. Which is greater: 2 or l?
2
Let q be ((-5)/(-90))/((-6)/8). Which is greater: 0 or q?
0
Let t(u) = -5*u**3 - u - 4. Let v be t(-4). Let x be v/(-55) + (-4)/22. Is -5 <= x?
False
Let h = 0.747 - -0.143. Let t = h - -0.11. Let d(x) = -3*x + 1. Let o be d(1). Which is bigger: o or t?
t
Let x = -1 + 0. Suppose j = 4*y + 16, -5*j = -2*y - 28 + 2. Suppose -j = z - s, -4*z + 8*z - 2 = -5*s. Which is bigger: z or x?
x
Suppose m + 2 - 1 = 0. Let a be 2/(-4) + (-3)/6. Let r be (a - 1 - m)/1. Do 1/3 and r have the same value?
False
Let t = -1 - -2. Let m = 8 - 9. Let a = m - t. Is 0.1 bigger than a?
True
Suppose -6 = -w + 10. Which is greater: 17 or w?
17
Suppose -2*x = 2*x + 60. Is x less than or equal to -16?
False
Let y = 4 + 0. Let r = y - 2. Do r and 0 have the same value?
False
Let w(l) = l**2 + l - 1. Let j = -4 + 3. Let d be w(j). Let r = 10 - 31/3. Which is smaller: d or r?
d
Suppose 4*k - 2*h - 12 - 46 = 0, -4*k + 55 = -5*h. Is 14 < k?
True
Let y be ((-77)/(-429))/((-1)/(-861)). Let c = 155 - y. | 2023-11-10T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6435 |
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ClickBank is the retailer of products on this site. CLICKBANK® is a registered trademark of Click Sales Inc., a Delaware corporation located at 1444 S. Entertainment Ave., Suite 410 Boise, ID 83709, USA and used by permission. ClickBank’s role as retailer does not constitute an endorsement, approval or review of these products or any claim, statement or opinion used in promotion of these products.
WARNING: Please Do Not Waste Your Money on This Book, Unless You Intend To Implement The Scientific Studies Described Inside, Because They Really WORK and Might Change Your Life!
The website’s content and the product for sale is based upon the author’s opinion and is provided solely on an “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE” basis. You should do your own research and confirm the information with other sources when searching for information regarding health issues and always review the information carefully with your professional health care provider before using any of the protocols presented on this website and/or in the product sold here. Neither ClickBank or the author are engaged in rendering medical or similar professional services or advice via this website or in the product, and the information provided is not intended to replace medical advice offered by a physician or other licensed healthcare provider. | 2023-11-02T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9485 |
Introduction {#S1}
============
Majority of organisms experience periodic changes in the environment, such as daily alternations of light, dark and temperature. Circadian clocks are time-measuring mechanisms that evolved as an adaptation to prepare for these external changes and thus to anticipate events like sun dawn, the flowering of particular plants, or avoiding predators. Circadian clocks free run under constant conditions, such as constant darkness (DD), with periodicity close to 24 h. This free-running period (tau, τ) remains almost constant over a physiologically relevant range of temperatures, a phenomenon termed "temperature compensation" ([@B11]). Some clock mutants show impaired temperature compensation, whereas other mutations are temperature-independent ([@B14]; [@B29]; [@B39]; [@B46]).
Circadian clocks can (and need to) be synchronized with the environment. The strongest cues, the "zeitgebers" (from German Zeit: time, Geber: giver), are light-dark cycles (LD), and temperature cycles (TCs), but circadian clocks can also be synchronized by other cues including food availability and social interaction ([@B26]; [@B11]; [@B44]; [@B45]).
The circadian clock of the fruit fly, *Drosophila melanogaster*, the premiere insect model, is very well understood at the genetic, molecular and anatomical levels. The clock consists of several interlocked transcriptional-translational feedback loops (reviewed in [@B15]; [@B34]; [@B49]). The light input is mostly mediated by protein CRYPTOCHROME (CRY), a deep brain photoreceptor expressed in clock neurons ([@B12]). However, flies with mutated or completely removed *cry* gene can be still synchronized by LD, although the synchronization requires more days ([@B48]; [@B10]). This second synchronization pathway involves opsins in the compound eyes, ocelli, and the Hofbauer-Buchner eyelet (for review on the light input see [@B17]).
In contrast to light entrainment, the mechanism underlying temperature synchronization is less understood. Moreover, temperature affects circadian timekeeping in different ways. While the τ is temperature compensated, the actual daily activity profile and phase are temperature-dependent. Periodic TCs can synchronize the clock, whereas temperature pulses and steps can reset its phase ([@B44]; [@B52]).
The daily activity profile reflects the life strategy of a specific species used for coping with the environment. Adults of *D. melanogaster* display clear bi-modal locomotor activity with mid-day siesta, although the behavioral pattern is more complex under natural conditions ([@B30]; [@B54]). At simplified regimes in a laboratory with constant temperature and alternation of LD without any ramp of light intensity and color, flies display clear morning and evening activity peaks. At 25°C and LD 12:12 the morning peak corresponds to light-on signal and the evening peak matches light-off. At 18°C, the morning peak is delayed and evening peak advances, whereas at 29°C the morning peak starts already during DD and the evening peak is delayed to DD ([@B28]). A similar trend of centering activity to mid-day at low temperatures and spreading activity to morning and evening at high temperatures was reported for the house fly, *Musca domestica*, although the actual molecular mechanism behind the trend differs between *D. melanogaster* and *M. domestica* ([@B4]).
*Drosophila* behavioral rhythm can be entrained by TCs even in constant light (LL) and requires functional *norpA* and *nocte* genes ([@B13]). When conflicting TCs and LDs were applied, the light seems to be the dominant signal ([@B58]). However, detailed systematic comparison of conflicting zeitgebers revealed that the light dominates temperature for maximal misalignments, but smaller delays of LD relative to TCs lead to rhythms that predominantly follow the temperature cue. Notably, certain alignments of TCs and LD result in dramatic behavioral disruption during and even after exposure to sensory conflicts ([@B16]).
Although the circadian clock toolkit is remarkably conserved between the *D. melanogaster* and mammals, certain important differences exist. For instance, mammals lack photosensitive *Drosophila*-like CRY responsible for the light input, instead, two closely related non-photosensitive CRYs work as transcriptional repressors in the feedback loop ([@B25]). Interestingly, close inspection of insect circadian clocks revealed various combinations of mammalian-like CRY and *Drosophila*-like CRY in different insect species ([@B60]; [@B51]). In the present study, we explored the effect of the light and temperature cycles on the entrainment of the locomotor activity of the linden bug, *Pyrrhocoris apterus* (Heteroptera), insect species that lacks light-sensitive *Drosophila*-like CRY and instead contains mammalian-like CRY ([@B2], [@B3]).
The linden bug has been used to elucidate eco-physiological aspects of insect seasonality ([@B9]; [@B22]; [@B8]), particularly the photoperiodically induced reproductive diapause ([@B40], [@B41]) and the hormonal regulation of this reproductive arrest ([@B18]; [@B47]; [@B53]). The diapause is induced by short photoperiods during the last larval stages resulting in non-reproductive adults. Although *P. apterus* clearly distinguishes between long and short photoperiods at ambient temperature such as 25°C, the photoperiodic response curve is affected by temperature and shifts to longer photoperiods at low temperatures and to short photoperiods at high temperatures, respectively ([@B33]). Diapausing *P. apterus* females are characterized by reduced locomotor activity, with the activity peak advanced when compared to the activity of reproductive females ([@B19]). Comparable phase advance is observed in the locomotor activity of nymphs ([@B24]). Apart from this basic characterization of locomotor activity in reproductive and diapause animals, no information is available on the role of light and temperature in *P. apterus* circadian entrainment. Therefore, the goal of this study was to provide basic characterization of the linden bug locomotor activity under various thermoperiodic and photoperiodic regimes and to describe the effect of different zeitgebers on the circadian clock entrainment.
Materials and Methods {#S2}
=====================
Insect Rearing and Locomotor Activity Measurements {#S2.SS1}
--------------------------------------------------
The colony of *P. apterus* from the Czech line Oldrichovec ([@B36]) was maintained in the laboratory under diapause-preventing conditions (photoperiod LD 18:6 and constant temperature 25°C). Males 3--5 days after adult ecdysis were individually transferred to the LAM (Large Activity Monitors, Trikinetics, Inc., Waltham, MA, United States), supplemented with food and water *ad libitum* and activity was recorded every 5 min during the entire experiments. Unless specified, bugs were entrained for 5 days to a new photo- and thermoregime. Afterward, bugs were released for 12 days into constant conditions (constant temperature with either constant darkness or constant light) to determine their τ. For assessing entrainment ability of *P. apterus* to temperature cycles, males were kept in specific entrainment conditions for 10 days. The actual temperature profile was recorded during the entire experiment by Drosophila Environmental Monitors (Trikinetics, Inc., Waltham, MA, United States). All activity measurements were performed in the Cooled Incubator Sanyo MIR-154 equipped with a built-in electronic timer. Temperature steps between cryophase and thermophase were completed within approximately 20 min and temperature fluctuations during experiments did not exceed ±0.5°C. Light intensity (∼white light, see [Supplementary Figure 1](#FS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"} for the spectrum) in LD and LL experiments was ∼400 lx.
Locomotor Activity Analysis {#S2.SS2}
---------------------------
Lomb-Scargle periodogram in ActogramJ ([@B43]) was used to determine the rhythmicity of bugs and τ in constant conditions, and double-plotted actograms were further inspected by eye ([@B37]; [@B6]). Three categories were defined: (1) *Strongly rhythmic* males: periodogram peak crossed the significance line and PN value calculated by ActogramJ software was \>65. (2) *Weakly rhythmic* males: periodogram peak crossed the significance line and PN values were within 35--65. (3) *Arrhythmic* males: periodogram peak either did not cross the significance line or periodogram peak crossed the significance line but PN value was \<35 ([@B36]).
Daily profile of locomotor activity was analyzed in ActogramJ software ([@B43]). The activity of all rhythmic individuals in a particular group was averaged, smoothed (Gaussian smooth 3) and displayed as double-plotted actogram. The activity of the last entrainment day and first 2 days in constant conditions were plotted in 5 min resolution for average from all animals in the experiment without any smoothing. For comparison of the activity phase at 21.5°C, the activity of all measured individuals was averaged to 1-h bins and plotted without any smoothing.
Ability to synchronize locomotor activity to TCs was assessed from 10-day recordings under constant dark and long thermoperiod consisting of 18 h of thermophase and 6 h of cryophase differing by 1, 3, 5, or 7°C (18--19, 18--21, 18--23, 18--25, 24--25, 22--25, and 20--25°C). Periodic locomotor activity was determined by the Chi-square periodogram algorithm in ActogramJ ([@B43]). If analyses showed significant rhythm of 24 h (±15 min) and actograms passed visual confirmation, males were considered as "synchronized." The reference locomotor activity under constant dark at 18 or 25°C was analyzed analogously with Chi-square periodogram.
Statistical Analysis {#S2.SS3}
--------------------
The differences between τ were tested for statistical significance by *t*-test and Kruskal--Wallis test with Dunn's *post hoc* test using Graphpad7 software (Prism, La Jolla, CA, United States).
Results {#S3}
=======
*Pyrrhocoris apterus* Locomotor Activity Is Synchronized by Light and Temperature Cycles {#S3.SS1}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first experiments addressed if the locomotor activity of *P. apterus* can be synchronized by light or temperature. Since the Oldrichovec strain has τ longer than 24 h ([@B36]), simple alignment of activity to 24 h zeitgebers reliably indicates the successful synchronization. Therefore, to simplify the assay, males developing at 25°C and LD 18:6 were transferred to a new regime where ZT0 corresponded to ZT0 during the development.
Data from individual bugs are very noisy. Until now we were not able to reliably determine the precise time of the locomotor activity onset, off-set or acrophase for a single bug, which is usually used for determining the exact phase of activity ([@B37]; [@B6]). Therefore, the average activity of all bugs was analyzed. Males exposed to LD 18:6 and constant 25°C are active during the majority of the photophase with a small delay of activity onset and anticipation of the light off ([Figure 1A](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). The same photoperiod at a lower temperature (18°C) results in a narrower peak with the activity onset comparable to onset at 25°C, but the activity offset was 6 h before light off at 18°C ([Figure 1B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). When released to DD, the first activity cycle is clearly delayed at 18°C (compare [Figures 1A,B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) and the locomotion then continues rhythmically ([Figure 1B](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Locomotor activity is also clearly synchronized by TCs in DD ([Figure 1C](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Notably, the activity onset followed the temperature rise with only minimal delay and this early rise of activity is not observed in DD at a constant temperature. This startling behavior represents most probably a direct response to the temperature rise (masking effect). Although a majority of males were strongly rhythmic in DD, the τ values were quite dispersed after TC entrainment ([Figure 1E](#F1){ref-type="fig"}), which resulted in a noisy average activity and thus the offset is visible only for the first two DD cycles. A synergistic combination of the photoperiodic and thermoperiodic entrainment ([Figure 1D](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) synchronized locomotion with the onset during the photophase-thermophase comparable to the timing of the onset observed under LD at 25°C ([Figure 1A](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Interestingly, the startling effect to the temperature rise is absent in these conditions. The activity after all entrainment regimes continues rhythmically in DD with average τ longer than 24 h ([Figure 1E](#F1){ref-type="fig"} and [Supplementary Table 1](#TS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and shows no significant difference of the τ between bugs synchronized by different entraining protocols (*p* \> 0.05 Kruskal--Wallis test). The τ values are quite dispersed in DD conditions at 18°C ([Figure 1E](#F1){ref-type="fig"}) and extremely short (below 18 h) and long τ (above 30 h) are observed. The correlation analysis between significance level of the Lomb-Scargle periodogram (PN value) and τ ([Supplementary Figure 2](#FS2){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) shows that the shortened τ correlate weakly with the lower PN values (Spearman correlation *p* \< 0.001, *r* = −0.355). We cannot rule out that the extremely short τ could be a result of false-positive signal recognition from noise by the Lomb-Scargle periodogram algorithm ([@B61]). On the other hand, extremely long periods (τ \> 30 h) do not show reduced power (PN) values (Spearman correlation *p* \> 0.05, *r* = 0.0823) and eye-inspection further confirmed the presence of the long τ. Majority of bugs shows strong rhythmicity in DD and constant temperature after all entrainment regimes, with only a small portion of bugs being arrhythmic ([Figure 1F](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). Combination of the photoperiodic and thermoperiodic entrainment produced the highest percentage of strongly rhythmic bugs in DD with no arrhythmic individuals ([Figure 1F](#F1){ref-type="fig"}).
![Long periods of light and/or temperature synchronize locomotor activity in the linden bug, *Pyrrhocoris apterus*. Adult males raised under long photoperiod D6:L18 at 25°C were entrained for 5 days either by long photoperiods **(A,B)**, long thermoperiods **(C)**, or combination of both light and temperature **(D)** and released to constant dark at either 25°C **(A)** or 18°C **(B--D**). Double-plotted actograms represent the average activity of all males rhythmic under DD conditions \[see panel **(F)** for the rhythmicity\]. Detailed activity profile is plotted from all males for day 5--7 \[right panels in **(A--D)**\]. The actual temperature recorded during the experiment is shown in red (right *y*-axis). The rhythmicity under constant conditions was determined from 10 days and is presented as the free-running period of each individual male (dots) and mean ± SEM shown in magenta **(E)**, there is no difference in the free-running period between groups (*p* \> 0.05, Kruskal--Wallis). The same small letters above categories indicate no statistical difference. The percent of arrhythmic, weakly rhythmic and strongly rhythmic males is shown in panel **(F)**.](fphys-11-00242-g001){#F1}
Light Is a Stronger Signal Than Temperature {#S3.SS2}
-------------------------------------------
In the second set of experiments, males were entrained by short (12:12) photoperiodic and/or TCs. Males transferred from LD 18:6 to LD 12:12 and constant 25°C needed approximately two to three cycles for synchronization. The activity in LD 12:12 then covered the entire photophase starting during the scotophase and the activity continued in phase during DD ([Figure 2A](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Under short TC, locomotor activity raised immediately with temperature ([Figure 2B](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Conflicting LD and TC regime (photophase combined with cryophase, and scotophase matching thermophase) resulted in a very mild peak during the photophase/cryophase and clearly bimodal activity during the beginning and end of scotophase/thermophase ([Figure 2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Release into constant conditions (DD and 18°C) clearly indicates that the activity phase corresponded to the photophase, thus the activity during the thermophase was clearly a masking effect (compare [Figures 2A--C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Different cycling condition, even conflicting LD and TC regime did not affect bugs rhythmicity nor the τ of their locomotor activity upon release into DD ([Figures 2D,E](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).
![Light is a stronger signal than the temperature for locomotor activity synchronization in *P. apterus*. Adult males developing under long photoperiod (D6:L18) were entrained by 5 days of short photoperiod D12:L12 **(A)**, short thermoperiod **(B)** or conflicting cycles of short photoperiod and thermoperiod where the photophase was combined with the cryophase and the thermophase was combined with the scotophase. After 5 day synchronization, males were released to DD at either 25°C **(A)** or 18°C **(B,C)**. Double-plotted actograms represent the average activity of all males rhythmic under DD conditions \[see panel **(E)** for the rhythmicity\]. Detailed activity profile is plotted from all males for day 5--7 (right panels in **(A--C)**). The actual temperature recorded during the experiment is shown in red (right *y*-axis). The rhythmicity under constant conditions was determined from 10 days and is presented as the free-running period of each individual male (dots) and mean ± SEM shown in magenta **(D)**, there is no difference in the free-running period between groups (*p* \> 0.05, Kruskal--Wallis test). The same small letters above categories indicate no statistical difference. The percent of arrhythmic, weakly rhythmic and strongly rhythmic males is shown in panel **(E)**.](fphys-11-00242-g002){#F2}
Thermophase Defines the Phase of Activity Under TC {#S3.SS3}
--------------------------------------------------
To further characterize thermoperiodic entrainment, males were synchronized by long TC consisting of 18 h at 25°C and 6 h at 18°C. Consistently with TC-induced behavior described in [Figure 1C](#F1){ref-type="fig"}, the activity raised immediately with temperature ([Figures 3A,B](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). To determine if the phase of activity is influenced by the thermophase or cryophase, males were released to intermediate 21.5°C either from 25°C, or from 18°C ([Figures 3A,B](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). Clearly, the activity phase corresponded to previous thermophase ([Figures 3E](#F3){ref-type="fig"}) and no phase change is observed in either of tested conditions, when compared to activity during the entrainment. Although the percent rhythmicity in DD was comparable in both groups, a small significant increase in τ was observed for males released from the thermophase ([Figures 3C,D](#F3){ref-type="fig"}).
![Phase of activity is defined by the thermophase. Adult males developing under long photoperiod (D6:L18) were entrained by 5 days of constant dark and long thermoperiod 18:6 with thermophase at 25°C and cryophase at 18°C. Then, males were released to intermediate temperature (21.5°C) either from the thermophase **(A)** or from the cryophase **(B)**. Double-plotted actograms represent the average activity of all males rhythmic under constant conditions (see panel **(D)** for the percent rhythmicity). Detailed activity profile is plotted from all males for day 5--7 \[right panels in **(A,B)**\]. The actual temperature recorded during the experiment is shown in red (right *y*-axis). Detail activity profiles averaged into 1-h bin are shown for the last day of thermoperiodic entrainment and the first day of constant conditions **(E)**. The rhythmicity under constant conditions was determined from 10 days and is presented as the free-running period of each individual male (dots) and mean ± SEM shown in magenta **(C)**, where different small letter above categories indicate statistical difference *p* \< 0.05 (*t*-test). The percent of arrhythmic, weakly rhythmic and strongly rhythmic males is shown in panel **(D)**.](fphys-11-00242-g003){#F3}
Synchronization by TC {#S3.SS4}
---------------------
To determine the sensitivity of *P. apterus* to TC, males were released from LD to TC in the constant dark, where thermophase corresponded to the previous photophase. Since the majority of males have τ that differs from 24 h by more than 15 min (the very left data in [Figures 4A,B](#F4){ref-type="fig"}), males with periodic activity within 24 h (±15 min) were considered as "synchronized." Clearly, 1°C range of TC is not sufficient to synchronize locomotion, whereas 3°C synchronized either ∼one quarter (18/21°C) or ∼40% (22/25°C) of males. The percent of synchronized males was higher with a higher difference between thermo- and cryophase, reaching up to ∼80% for the 7°C difference. Thus, temperature cycles of relatively high amplitude were even more potent for synchronizing bugs activity than LD cycles (intensity of light ∼400 lux), which synchronized only ∼60% of males.
![Synchronization efficiency to thermoperiodic cycles depends on the temperature range. Adult males developing in long photoperiod (L18:D6) were released to thermoperiodic cycles (thermophase 18 h matched the previous photophase of LD) with 1, 3, 5, or 7°C steps. Periodicity of locomotor activity is determined from 10 days with chi-square algorithm and males with period 24 h (±15 min) are considered as synchronized \[magenta window in panel **(A)**\]. As a positive control, males synchronized by LD regime at a constant 25°C (brown) are used. As a reference, τ in constant DD at 18°C (blue) or at 25°C (red), respectively, are plotted. The percentage of synchronized males is shown for each temperature steps in panel **(B)**.](fphys-11-00242-g004){#F4}
Locomotor Activity Can Be Synchronized by TC in Constant Light {#S3.SS5}
--------------------------------------------------------------
To further test the capacity of TC in synchronization of *P. apterus* activity, males were exposed for 10 days to LL and TC. The activity rose immediately with the temperature during the thermophase and felt down during the cryophase, mimicking temperature cycles ([Figure 5A](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). When exposed to LL and constant temperature, males at 25°C were more active than males at 18°C ([Figures 5B,C](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). At an individual level, a significant portion of bugs displayed clear rhythm in LL and constant temperature (for the description of this behavior see the next chapter), however, their activity was not synchronized. This eventually resulted in a clearly arrhythmic locomotor activity pattern when the activity of all bugs was averaged ([Figures 5B,C](#F5){ref-type="fig"}).
![Locomotor activity can be synchronized by temperature cycles in constant light. Adult males developed under long photoperiod (D6:L18) and were exposed either to 10 days of constant light and 18°C or 25°C \[panels **(B**,**C)**, respectively\] or to constant light and long thermoperiod **(A)**. Afterward, males were released to constant DD at 18°C. Double-plotted actograms represent the average activity of all males rhythmic under DD conditions \[see panel **(D)** for the rhythmicity\]. Detailed activity profile is plotted from all males for day 10--12 \[right panels in **(A--C)**\]. The actual temperature recorded during the experiment is shown in red (right *y*-axis). The rhythmicity under constant conditions was determined from 10 days and is presented as the free-running period of each individual male (dots) and mean ± SEM shown in magenta **(D)**, where different small letter above categories indicate statistical difference *p* \< 0.05 (Kruskal--Wallis test with Dunn's *post hoc* test). The percent of arrhythmic, weakly rhythmic and strongly rhythmic males is shown in panel **(E)**.](fphys-11-00242-g005){#F5}
When bugs were kept in LL with TC and then released to constant DD and 18°C, τ of all rhythmic bugs was slightly longer (27.31 h) but not statistically different from bugs entrained by light:dark cycle (25.07 h) and/or TC (25.64 h) ([Figure 5D](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). If only strongly rhythmic bugs were compared, τ after combined LL and TC entrainment was significantly different from all other groups ([Supplementary Figure 3](#FS3){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Bugs released from LL without TCs as a synchronizing agent, showed clear and significant extension of τ (33.45 h if released from LL at 18°C and 35.76 h if released from LL at 25°C) ([Figure 5D](#F5){ref-type="fig"}). In all cases, bugs released from LL were only rarely arrhythmic, and the majority of bugs were strongly rhythmic ([Figure 5E](#F5){ref-type="fig"}).
Rhythmicity Is Impaired in Constant Light or Constant Thermophase Conditions {#S3.SS6}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Given the relatively solid rhythmicity observed in LL, we sought to further explore activity resembling day versus night conditions. Males entrained to LD at 25°C and released to DD at 25°C were arrhythmic in 6.35% and weakly rhythmic in 26.98%. Release to LL from the same entrainment regime produces arrhythmicity in 17.86% and weak rhythm in 41.07%.
In the following experiment, males were entrained by TCs and released either to constant cryophase or to constant thermophase. The percent rhythmicity of males at cryophase (2.73% arrhythmic, 26.36% weakly rhythmic) were comparable to rhythmicity in DD at 25°C, whereas males released to thermophase showed reduced rhythmicity (26.37% arrhythmic, 31.87% weakly rhythmic), similarly to rhythmicity in LL at 25°C ([Figure 6B](#F6){ref-type="fig"} and [Supplementary Table 1](#TS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}).
{#F6}
The mean τ is significantly longer in constant cryophase than in constant thermopase after thermoperiodic entrainment (25.64 h at 18°C & DD versus 24.31 h at 25°C & DD). Similar, but the non-significant trend is observed in case of photoperiodic entrainment (24.76 h at 25°C and DD versus 24.31 h at 25°C and LL) ([Figure 6A](#F6){ref-type="fig"} and [Supplementary Table 1](#TS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}).
Discussion {#S4}
==========
This study explored the role of photoperiod and thermoperiod as zeitgebers in *P. apterus* and clearly indicate that either light or temperature is sufficient to synchronize their locomotor activity. Under TC conditions, the activity of bugs followed immediately the rise of temperature, resembling masking effect. Similar earlier onset of the activity with temperature cycles when compared to LD cycles was observed also in *Gryllus bimaculatus* ([@B20]), honey bees ([@B32]) and *D. melanogaster* ([@B5]). *Drosophila* kept in reverse photo- and thermoperiod is active still during the photophase (without any increase in activity during scotophase), however, the evening peak is advanced by ∼5--6 h ([@B7]). The authors concluded that this effect apparently required interaction between the light- and temperature-dependent entrainment mechanisms because it produced an increase in activity at a time of day when neither light nor temperature elicited this effect on their own. In linden bug, the masking effect was particularly strong in conflicting zeitgebers, when bugs showed bi-modal activity during thermophase. However, when released to a constant temperature, the bi-modal disappeared and the activity peak corresponded and matched the almost negligible peak from the photophase ([Figure 2C](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). In nature, these two zeitgebers act synergistically together in order to adjust the temporal activity to environmental conditions. When temperature and light cycles are aligned, linden bugs are showing orchestrated rhythmic activity without any periods of hyperactivity, a situation caused by rapid changes in the ambient temperature in the beginning and the end of the thermophase. Additionally, when both zeitgebers participate synergistically in the entrainment, the stability of the rhythm in constant darkness increases is characterized by an increased % of rhythmic bugs. When LD and TC were applied in maximal misalignment, light dominated temperature. Similarly, the dominance of light over temperature was reported for *Drosophila* ([@B58]) and for the cricket *G. bimaculatus* ([@B21]; [@B20]).
In case of the cricket, this conclusion was obtained from the fact that crickets entrain to the new photoregime much faster (5 cycles) than to the new thermoregime (17 cycles). Here it is important to note that crickets have both type of cryptochromes: the mammalian-like CRY which functions as a transcription repressor, and the *Drosophila*-like CRY that should serve as an efficient light receptor ([@B50]). It would be very interesting to see if the linden bug, which lacks *Drosophila*-like CRY ([@B3]), has a lower sensitivity to light. Unfortunately, the relatively low and particularly noisy locomotor activity makes analysis of phase shifts (determining activity on-set, off-set or acrophase) at an individual level virtually impossible. However, the noisy activity records do not prevent reliable determination of the free-running period for individual bugs ([@B37]; [@B61]; [@B6]). In this context, it is remarkable that ∼40% of males were strongly rhythmic and another ∼40% weakly rhythmic in LL with an intensity of 400 lux ([Figure 6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}), whereas even much weaker light intensities cause complete arrhythmicity in *Drosophila* ([@B42]).
When linden bugs were released to DD after LL, the τ was prolonged up to 33.45 h. Similar observations, called after-effect of LL, were observed in mice, cockroaches and chaffinches ([@B35]; [@B1]). After several weeks in DD animal's τ shortens back to ∼24 h. The duration of our experimental set up in the linden bug did not allow us to determine the expected "return" of τ back to "normal" values observed in DD.
Thermocycles in LL can force linden bugs to align their activity to temperature changes. This involves a masking effect since insects, as ectothermic animals, are very sensitive to temperature. This masking effect was shown for temperature cycling to enforce the rhythmic activity of clock mutant flies in both LL and DD conditions ([@B59]). On the other hand, it was also shown in *Drosophila*, that temperature cycles in LL do not only provoke rhythmic activity but also synchronize molecular machinery of the clock ([@B13]; [@B7]). Are temperature cycles in LL conditions entraining the clock in the linden bugs? Different τ between bugs exposed to TC and bugs exposed to constant temperatures suggest that TC did not serve only as a synchronization cue in LL (note that at individual level linden bugs are often rhythmic in LL, but their activity is not synchronized between each other). τ of bugs synchronized by TC in LL is significantly shorter than τ of bugs from LL conditions, however, it still does not reach values observed in bugs synchronized by LD cycles or TC implemented in constant darkness ([Supplementary Table 1](#TS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). This observation shows that TC cycles can reduce, but not overcome the after-effect of LL signifying the notion of the stronger impact of the light on *P. apterus* circadian clock.
The rhythmicity of linden bug in different regimes can be approached from a different perspective. Although often rhythmic in LL, the deteriorating effect of the LL on the rhythmicity is clearly observed. The behavior is noisier which is revealed in our quantitative analysis as a higher percentage of weakly rhythmic individuals. The same situation occurs when TCs are used as entraining cues and then bugs are released to the constant thermophase. Because light phase and higher temperature are conditions which bugs are experiencing during the day, we hypothesize that constant "day-like" conditions are in some manner disruptive for the function of the clock. This effect is relatively mild, because rhythmicity of only some portions of animals was affected in this experimental setup. Interestingly, bugs which are still rhythmic in constant thermophase after TC entrainment maintain τ close to 24 h, which shows that the temperature compensation of the clock is not affected. To our knowledge, there is no report in the literature of the constant thermophase to be equivalent to LL conditions. Contrary, two *Drosophila* studies, which had identical experimental set up like ours, showed that releasing flies to constant thermophase after TC entrainment did not affect their rhythmicity ([@B5]; [@B7]).
Alternative explanation for observed behavior could be that the high temperature step-up could affect the clock function. Somewhat related observation of the impact of the relative temperature on the functionality of the clock was described in one of *Drosophila* studies. [@B57] showed that, while single temperature step-down of 10°C can evoke several cycles of behavioral rhythmicity in wild type, *per*^*S*^ and *per*^*L*^ flies kept in LL, the single temperature step-up does not have this potential and all flies lines show arrhythmic behavior ([@B57]).
Difference between linden bug and *Drosophila* was revealed in other sets of experiments. When flies are released from TCs to a constant intermediate temperature, the phase of activity depends, if they were released from thermophase (phase delay) or cryophase (phase advance) ([@B7]). In the case of *P. apterus* we did not observe any change of the activity phase, and bugs clearly follow phase set up by the thermophase during the entraining conditions. Those results could suggest that for linden bug temperature entrainment works in a slightly different manner than for *Drosophila*, however underpinning mechanism of entrainment still needs to be elucidated.
Different insect species display different sensitivity to temperature cycling amplitude. For example, honeybees are not able to entrain to TCs with an amplitude below 10°C ([@B32]), whereas *Drosophila* is able to entrain even to temperature oscillations of 1.5--4°C ([@B55]; [@B7]). Thus the 3--5°C minimal amplitude needed for synchronization of *P. apterus* seems to fit the range observed in insects.
Temperature can effectively synchronize behavior and produce periodic activity patterns even in circadian clock mutants *per*^01^, *tim*^01^, and *cyc*^01^, although the one-peak-profile determined in arrhythmic mutants clearly differs from the bi-modal activity characteristic for rhythmic flies ([@B7]). Similarly, rhythmic behavior was observed in natural conditions and was further confirmed in a semi-natural laboratory environment ([@B54]).
Over the past few years, details of the molecular mechanism of the temperature entrainment of the *Drosophila* circadian clock started to be unveiled ([@B31]; [@B56]; [@B27]; [@B38]). It is however unknown, if the mechanisms described for *Drosophila* are universal for all insects. Thus, it will be interesting to explore the phenomenon of the temperature entrainment in the other insect models, like *P. apterus*, with circadian clock repertoire slightly different than *Drosophila* ([@B2], [@B3]) and with recently engineered circadian clock mutants ([@B23]).
Data Availability Statement {#S5}
===========================
All datasets generated for this study are included in the article/[Supplementary Material](#FS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}.
Author Contributions {#S6}
====================
JK-R designed the study with input from DD and MK. MK, JK-R, and HV performed the experiments. MK analyzed the results. DD wrote the manuscript with input from all authors.
Conflict of Interest {#conf1}
====================
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.** The work was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon 2020 Program Grant Agreement 726049. MK acknowledges support from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 765937.
We would like to thank Nirav Takkar for proofreading the manuscript and all members of our laboratory for a warm, friendly and workaholic environment.
Supplementary Material {#S9}
======================
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.00242/full#supplementary-material>
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[^1]: Edited by: Charalambos P. Kyriacou, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
[^2]: Reviewed by: Taishi Yoshii, Okayama University, Japan; Carla V. Finkielstein, Virginia Tech, United States; Eran Tauber, University of Haifa, Israel
[^3]: This article was submitted to Chronobiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology
| 2023-12-17T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5965 |
Q:
Django: dynamically mapping views in urls.py
I have a viewsdirectory containing say a hundred view files. How can i make my urls.py transfer control to these view files without putting in an "intermediate handler" as described here (answered 3 years back).
Basically- is there a cleaner way for redirecting control to views in django?
A:
The view function returns an HTML page that includes the current date and time. To display this view at a particular URL, you’ll need to create a URLconf; see URL dispatcher for instructions.
https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.7/topics/http/urls/
For redirecting you should use the Django redirect shortcut function:
from django.shortcuts import redirect
def my_view(request):
...
return redirect('some-view-name', foo='bar')
https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/1.7/topics/http/shortcuts/#redirect
| 2023-08-25T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3235 |
Parish honors archbishop emeritus with award
Deacon Don Pool displays the St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Award for the congregation to see. It was given this year to Archbishop Emeritus James P. Keleher for his contributions to Catholic education. Archbishop Keleher was unable to attend because he was recovering from three shoulder surgeries. He was, however, able to accept the award via speaker phone. LEAVEN PHOTO BY MARC ANDERSON
by Marc and Julie Andersonmjanderson@theleaven.org
MOUND CITY — Sometimes, technology allows people to connect in unusual ways.
Take for instance, this year’s St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Award recipient Archbishop Emeritus James Patrick Keleher.
Due to three shoulder surgeries, he is currently recovering at a care facility in Kansas City. But Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann was still able to award him — by speaker phone, anyway — the prestigious honor at an awards banquet held Nov. 18 in the social hall of Sacred Heart Church in Mound City.
“Archbishop Keleher is such a perfect choice for this St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Award,” began Archbishop Naumann, “because he has been so passionate about our Catholic schools and Catholic education. And, of course, that was a big part of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne’s life.”
Archbishop Naumann said his predecessor also possessed a passion for Catholic formation and vocations, as well as for making sure the schools “fulfill their primary purpose in making disciples for Jesus Christ.”
“No one’s done more to promote Catholic education,” he said.
He then read the plaque aloud, starting with the quote from St. Rose Philippine Duchesne: “All desire but that of doing God’s holy will has been extinguished in me.”
“Presented to Archbishop James Patrick Keleher,” he continued, “who exemplifies the spirit of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne through his teaching, generous spirit and shepherd’s heart — from the Sacred Heart Catholic Community, Mound City, Kansas.’”
“You and I have often talked about the charm of that wonderful parish and the wonderful people,” Archbishop Keleher responded. “I don’t feel worthy of this honor, but the fact that they remember me is really a blessing, too, for me.”
He found the inscription on the plaque particularly moving.
“Oh my, how beautiful,” said Archbishop Keleher. “What a beautiful testimony. Thank you so much.”
Prior to the banquet, Mass was celebrated in the church, during which Archbishop Naumann told the congregation it was a joy for him to be there in Mound City as the parish honored “the only canonized saint to have lived in our archdiocese.”
In his homily, the archbishop explained that it has been the parish’s custom to annually honor “an individual that somehow exemplifies the spirit of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne.”
The archbishop, who grew up in St. Louis, said it was easy there to see the impact of the life of the saint.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, who with other members of her order first landed in New Orleans, made her way up the Mississippi River and spent most of her time in the St. Louis area, near what is today Florissant and St. Charles, Missouri.
“She devoted a lot of her life to opening schools, particularly for young women,” he said, “and helping to form them in the faith, but also helping them to develop their talents and their abilities so they would lead happy and fruitful lives.”
She was also “always preparing [them] for that ultimate end,” the archbishop continued, “always passing onto them the truth of the Gospel.”
Near the end of Mass, pastor Father Barry Clayton thanked the archbishop for his presence and announced that the parish is producing miniature copies of the shrine’s statue of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, which will be available for purchase in February.
“We have the very first one available tonight,” he told Archbishop Naumann, “and at this time, we’d like to present that to you and to the parish and ask your blessing upon this statue.”
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne, the archbishop concluded, provides an example of what Pope Francis describes as missionary discipleship and reminds archdiocesan Catholics that they’re “called to bring others to the faith as well. | 2023-09-05T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4190 |
Bulbous nasal tip: an anatomical and histological evaluation.
The operative management of the bulbous nasal tip is a challenging and unsolved problem. Surgical alteration often leads to disappointing postoperative results. Surgical options for the soft tissue range from tip defatting and scoring of the dermis to no soft-tissue removal at all. The goal of this study was to determine anatomically and histologically the exact nature of the nasal tip soft tissue. Forty-two tissue specimens were obtained from 23 patients undergoing nasal surgery. These specimens were stained with standard hematoxylin and eosin stain and a combined Mallory trichrome and elastic stain and examined under light microscopy by a pathologist. Qualitative assessment of the tissue types present demonstrated that collagenous fibrous tissue was abundant. Skeletal muscle was present in significant amounts and in some cases made up the majority of the subdermal tissue. The adipose tissue component was less than expected. | 2024-03-11T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8515 |
The website and the grafana are outdated and need updates! The chat is not working and maybe it’s a good idea to just stop the chat and focus on the forum/website. To return the peg people need to feel that NBT team is doing everything they can!
@smooth is burning around 55.000 USNBT and the team around 22.000 USNBT every week but there isn’t any sign that the price is going up.
The total USNBT burned until today is 659.120,21 USNBT (team and smooth burns) and used around $44.052,56 to do this. But the USNBT price started at $0,10 but dropped down to $0,05. When will we see something happening with the price / when will you start your peg bot?
We are working on preparations, but it might still take a few months before we are ready.
In terms of price continuing to fall, it will only fall as far as there are people offloading. When we are left with the strong hands, then the price has to rise. And the current burn program will necessarily remove the majority of the weakhands over time. It seems slow maybe, but the burn has been very significant over a relatively short period of time…
I run Nubits Underground, I set it up before Nubits had a telegram channel and it doesn’t have any Nubits staff in it. The official Nubits telegram channel is connected to their Riot chat in a somewhat broken fashion (Riot chat posts by staff members don’t show up in their telegram channel). | 2023-12-13T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2308 |
/*************************************************************************
This project implements a complete(!) JPEG (Recommendation ITU-T
T.81 | ISO/IEC 10918-1) codec, plus a library that can be used to
encode and decode JPEG streams.
It also implements ISO/IEC 18477 aka JPEG XT which is an extension
towards intermediate, high-dynamic-range lossy and lossless coding
of JPEG. In specific, it supports ISO/IEC 18477-3/-6/-7/-8 encoding.
Note that only Profiles C and D of ISO/IEC 18477-7 are supported
here. Check the JPEG XT reference software for a full implementation
of ISO/IEC 18477-7.
Copyright (C) 2012-2018 Thomas Richter, University of Stuttgart and
Accusoft. (C) 2019-2020 Thomas Richter, Fraunhofer IIS.
This program is available under two licenses, GPLv3 and the ITU
Software licence Annex A Option 2, RAND conditions.
For the full text of the GPU license option, see README.license.gpl.
For the full text of the ITU license option, see README.license.itu.
You may freely select between these two options.
For the GPL option, please note the following:
This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
(at your option) any later version.
This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU General Public License for more details.
You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*************************************************************************/
/*
** This class is the base class for all floating-point based transformers,
** most notably profiles A and B of 18477-7.
**
** $Id: floattrafo.hpp,v 1.3 2014/09/30 08:33:16 thor Exp $
**
*/
#ifndef COLORTRAFO_FLOATTRAFO_HPP
#define COLORTRAFO_FLOATTRAFO_HPP
/// Includes
#include "colortrafo/colortrafo.hpp"
#include "boxes/parametrictonemappingbox.hpp"
#include "tools/traits.hpp"
#include "std/string.hpp"
///
/// FloatTrafo
class FloatTrafo : public ColorTrafo {
//
protected:
//
// The output transformations. These are always parametric.
// They implement the last step in the decoding of the samples.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pOutputTrafo[4];
//
// Secondary base and residual transformations. These are the
// second to last step, just one step before the merging takes
// place.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pSecondBase[4];
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pSecondResidual[4];
//
// The intermediate residual transformation. This goes between
// the residual color (not decorrelation) transformation and the
// second residual transformation. It is typically a gamma map
// or an identity.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pIntermediateResidual[4];
//
// The prescaling transformation. This transformation computes the
// from the luminance of the precursor image a scale factor for the
// luminance components of the residual.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pPrescalingLUT;
//
// The postscaling transformation. This transformation computes from
// the luminance of the residual a scale factor for the entire image.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pDiagonalLUT;
//
// This also exists as a lookup table for decoding.
const FLOAT *m_pfDecodingDiagonalLUT;
//
// The scaling transformation (Q-transformation) that relates the
// decoded residual samples with the correction factors for the chroma
// components. The output of these scaling factors are the input to
// the scaling procedure by nu.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pResidualLUT[4];
//
// The "L transformation" or base transformation that computes from the
// samples in the legacy domain a linear luminance image. This exists
// as a 256-byte lookup table and as a parametric version. It is typically
// a gamma mapping.
class ParametricToneMappingBox *m_pDecoding[4];
FLOAT *m_pfDecodingLUT[4];
//
// The color transformation in the legacy coding path. Usually an
// identity or a transformation from 601 colors to a larger gammut
// color space.
FLOAT m_fC[9];
//
// The inverse (encoding) version of the larger-gammut to 601-color
// colorspace.
FLOAT m_fInvC[9];
//
// The decoding version of the R-transformation, i.e. the color
// transformation in the residual coding path. This is typically
// the usual ICT, YCbCr to 601-RGB.
FLOAT m_fR[9];
//
// The inverse (encoding) version of the R-transformation. These are the
// coefficients from RGB to 601 (or something related to that.
FLOAT m_fRInv[9];
//
// The prescaling linear transformation, prescaling matrix: This is
// used to compute the luminance from the three components of the precursor
// image.
FLOAT m_fP[9];
//
public:
FloatTrafo(class Environ *env,LONG dcshift,LONG max,LONG rdcshift,LONG rmax,LONG outshift,LONG outmax)
: ColorTrafo(env,dcshift,max,rdcshift,rmax,outshift,outmax)
{ }
//
virtual ~FloatTrafo(void)
{ }
//
// Transform a block from RGB to YCbCr. Input are the three image bitmaps
// already clipped to the rectangle to transform, the coordinate rectangle to use
// and the level shift. This call computes a LDR image from the given input data
// and moves that into the target buffer. Shift and max values are the clamping
// of the LDR data.
virtual void RGB2YCbCr(const RectAngle<LONG> &r,const struct ImageBitMap *const *source,
Buffer target) = 0;
//
// In case the user already provided a tone-mapped version of the image, this call already
// takes the LDR version of the image, performs no tone-mapping but only a color
// decorrelation transformation and injects it as LDR image.
virtual void LDRRGB2YCbCr(const RectAngle<LONG> &r,const struct ImageBitMap *const *source,
Buffer target) = 0;
//
// Buffer the original data unaltered. Required for residual coding, for some modes of
// it at least.
virtual void RGB2RGB(const RectAngle<LONG> &r,const struct ImageBitMap *const *source,
Buffer target) = 0;
//
// Compute the residual from the original image and the decoded LDR image, place result in
// the output buffer. This depends rather on the coding model.
virtual void RGB2Residual(const RectAngle<LONG> &r,const struct ImageBitMap *const *source,
Buffer reconstructed,Buffer residual) = 0;
//
// Inverse transform a block from YCbCr to RGB, incuding a clipping operation and a dc level
// shift.
virtual void YCbCr2RGB(const RectAngle<LONG> &r,const struct ImageBitMap *const *dest,
Buffer source,Buffer residual) = 0;
//
// Return the external pixel type of this trafo.
virtual UBYTE PixelTypeOf(void) const
{
return TypeTrait<FLOAT>::TypeID; // this is always FLOAT.
}
//
// Various methods to define the paremeters of this transformation.
//
// Define the base transformation, L-Transformation in the legacy domain.
// This defines the transformation as parametric curve - this is only required
// for encoding.
void DefineBaseTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curves[4])
{
memcpy(m_pDecoding,curves,sizeof(m_pDecoding));
}
//
// Define the base transformation, L-Transformation in the legacy domain as a lookup
// table. This is necessary for encoding and decoding.
void DefineBaseTransformation(const FLOAT *luts[4])
{
memcpy(m_pfDecodingLUT,luts,sizeof(m_pfDecodingLUT));
}
//
// Define the residual NLT transformation, Q-Transformation in the residual
// domain. This is always a curve for profiles A and B.
void DefineResidualTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curves[4])
{
memcpy(m_pResidualLUT,curves,sizeof(m_pResidualLUT));
}
//
// Define the second base transformation. This is either the identity and
// usused for profile A, or it is a log map for profile B.
void DefineSecondBaseTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curves[4])
{
memcpy(m_pSecondBase,curves,sizeof(m_pSecondBase));
}
//
// Define the second residual transformation. This is also either the identity
// and unused for profile A, or it is a log map for profile B.
void DefineSecondResidualTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curves[4])
{
memcpy(m_pSecondResidual,curves,sizeof(m_pSecondResidual));
}
//
// Define the intermediate residual transformation. This is either the identity for
// profile A, or it is a gamma map for profile B.
void DefineIntermediateResidualTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curves[4])
{
memcpy(m_pIntermediateResidual,curves,sizeof(m_pIntermediateResidual));
}
//
// Define the prescaling transformation to compute \nu from the luminance of the
// precursor image.
void DefinePrescalingTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curve)
{
m_pPrescalingLUT = curve;
}
//
// Define the postscaling transformation that computes \mu from the luminance of
// the residual image. This is the encoder version which requires a parametric
// curve. Decoding is good enough with a LUT.
void DefinePostscalingTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curve)
{
m_pDiagonalLUT = curve;
}
//
// Defines the output conversion that computes the final output value from the
// merged ldr/hdr sample value.
void DefineOutputTransformation(class ParametricToneMappingBox *curves[4])
{
memcpy(m_pOutputTrafo,curves,sizeof(m_pOutputTrafo));
}
//
// Define the postscaling transformation as a floating-point based lookup table.
void DefinePostscalingTransformation(const FLOAT *lut)
{
m_pfDecodingDiagonalLUT = lut;
}
//
// Defines the residual transformation. This is the transformation from the Q-values
// to the residual color space. It is typically just the ICT (YCbCr to RGB), but it
// can be something different in profile B.
void DefineResidualDecodingMatrix(const FLOAT trafo[9])
{
memcpy(m_fR,trafo,sizeof(m_fR));
}
//
// Define the inverse of the R-matrix, for encoding.
void DefineResidualEncodingMatrix(const FLOAT trafo[9])
{
memcpy(m_fRInv,trafo,sizeof(m_fRInv));
}
//
// Define the color transformation for decoding. This linear transformation (matrix) transforms the
// 601-colors of the base transformation to the extended color gammut of the HDR image.
void DefineColorDecodingMatrix(const FLOAT trafo[9])
{
memcpy(m_fC,trafo,sizeof(m_fC));
}
//
// Define the color transformation for encoding. This is the inverse of the C matrix.
void DefineColorEncodingMatrix(const FLOAT trafo[9])
{
memcpy(m_fInvC,trafo,sizeof(m_fInvC));
}
//
// Define the prescaling matrix. This matrix (or rather, vector, as only the first three
// components are used) computes the luminance from the input vector, the precursor image,
// and computes from that a prescaling factor.
void DefinePrescalingMatrix(const FLOAT trafo[9])
{
memcpy(m_fP,trafo,sizeof(m_fP));
}
};
///
///
#endif
| 2024-02-09T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7101 |
FULL STORY
STOLEN SUGAR WORTH OVER E100 000 SEIZED FROM SHOPS
The syndicate has been draining the Eswatini economy as truckloads of sugar were being stolen and exported to South Africa.
As things stand, sugar amounting to over E100 000 has been recovered from shops around the country.
The stolen sugar was also to local retailers mostly Asian owned shops. Information gathered is that police have been investigating cases whereby truckloads of sugar would just vanish from a certain factory in Matsapha.
Information gathered from reliable sources is that a delivery truck carrying large quantities of sugar would be diverted by employees to a different destination
It is alleged that the driver of the truck would be told to go deliver the sugar at a certain destination.
Upon reaching that destination, the sugar would be packaged into 50kg or 25kg bags.
It is said the syndicate had its own packaging plant. Once the sugar is re-packaged it is said it would then be sold to different stores around the country and South Africa.
Police received intelligence about the whole operation. Information gathered is that after a thorough search police were able to recover about 14 tons of sugar which had already been sold to different shops around the country.
It was gathered that in Nhlangano, police confiscated 178 bags of 50kg sugar while at Siphofaneni 33 bags of 25kg bags were recovered and at Ngcamphalala area 87 bags of 50kg were recovered.
supplier
It is said the bogus supplier even provided invoice receipts to the unsuspecting buyers to make the whole deal look legit.
It has also been gathered that most of the buyers were Asian nationals who bought the sugar in bulk for their shops.
Police are still investigating the case of the trucks which were diverted to South Africa with loads of sugar.
Mamba said police discovered that the syndicate was diverting trucks carrying sugar and delivered the sugar to a bogus supplier.
He said police had already recovered almost half of the stolen sugar.
Mamba sent out a stern warning to those who are in possession of the supplies not to dispose of the sugar in a bid to conceal evidence because police already know who the buyers are and that they are being tracked down.
trade
It has been gathered that those who bought the sugar believed that they were involved in a genuine trade because they were even furnished with receipts by the bogus suppliers.
The police have since appealed to those who might be in possession of the stolen sugar to bring it to their nearest police station or drop it off at Manzini Police Regional Quarters or contact Manzini Regional Crime Branch Officer Clement Sihlongonyane (7612 7994) Officer Sipho Methula from the Fraud Unit at (7612 8045), or the investigation officer Hanson Mavimbela (7679 6148). | 2024-05-30T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/1453 |
Renovators working on Notre Dame cathedral were regularly smoking illegally before the fire that almost destroyed the famous Paris landmark, it has been reported.
Extensive interviews carried out by detectives since last week’s horrific blaze has led to a number of confessions, according to French media.
"In the hearings, some workers admitted that they were smoking on the scaffolding, despite the strict ban," says a shock report in the Canard Enchaine (The Chained Duck), France’s leading investigative news outlet.
Police have also found seven discarded cigarette butts on the scene, the publication adds.
While the cause of the fire is still considered accidental, any proof that a discarded cigarette butt led to the fire could result in a prison sentence.
The flames gutted the roof of the famous cathedral (Image: YOAN VALAT/EPA-EFE/REX)
Read More
The damage was minor, and the fire was easily brought under control by firefighters, but Le Bras restorers were once again implicated, and interviewed by police.
The Paris investigating source said: "The company has accepted responsibility for the fire in Belleville, but not the one in Paris. What happened in Belleville is obviously of significance to the enquiry in Paris."
Le Bras Freres last year finished a widespread restoration programme of Reims Cathedral in eastern France.
It had won the contract to restore the Notre Dame spire that was designed by the architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc and erected in 1859.
Emmanuel Macron has pledged to rebuiled the famous monument (Image: REUTERS)
They were due to be on site for up to four years along with Europe Scaffolding, another company which had just put 250 tons of scaffolding around Notre Dame, along with a lift that could move up and down the 300ft fire.
Notre Dame has been closed for the foreseeable future, but a trust fund has already raised more than a billion euros for its restoration.
French president Emmanuel Macron has pledged that it will reopen ‘within five years’ and that it will be ‘more beautiful’ than before. | 2024-06-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5087 |
Q:
How to close an open polygon in mysql GIS spacial extensions
I have a mysql table containing polygons some of which are open and I need to close them. Presumably by appending the "StartPoint" to the end of the "Linestring" and rewriting as a polygon. Any ideas?
Sure I can grab out and test a polygon to see if its open or closed with
SELECT ExteriorRing(SHAPE) into @testshape from tablename where OGR_FID=1;
SELECT (StartPoint(@testshape)) INTO @SP;
SELECT (EndPoint(@testshape)) INTO @EP;
SELECT @EP=@SP as myIsRing;
ok fine but when it's open I need to append the Startpoint to the end of the line string in order to close the polygon. Is there a way to append that "closure" point and create a closed polygon?
Might be worth noting that I tried (as per the man page)
SELECT UNION(@testshape,@SP) INTO @newshape;
And got the standard syntax error ERROR 1064 (42000) as though my version didnt accept the UNION function.
A:
Sorry everyone, Threw a couple more hours at the problem and got the following
select polygon(geomfromtext(astext(concat(geomfromtext(astext(@testshape)),(geomfromtext(astext(@SP))))))) INTO @newpoly;
Not exactly clean but it worked and can be tested with:
SELECT (StartPoint(EXTERIORRING(@newpoly))) INTO @SP2;
SELECT (EndPoint(EXTERIORRING(@newpoly))) INTO @EP2;
SELECT @EP2=@SP2 as myIsRing;
| 2023-10-05T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2210 |
Q:
How to get data from props.children to its parent in ReactJS?
I'm trying to get data from a props.children[Input] to it's parent[Form], to build an all in one form component. I am currently stuck at getting data to Input component to Form component.
This is what i have done so far =>
edit.js =>
export default class Edit extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props)
this.state = {
formFields: {
name: '',
email: ''
}
}
}
render() {
return (
<Form
id={ this.props.match.params.id }
onReceiveFormData={ this.onFiledDataChange.bind(this) }
>
<Input
label='name'
name='name'
value='some'
/>
<Input
label='email'
name='email'
value='email@gmail'
/>
</Form>
);
}
}
Input.js =>
export default class Input extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props)
this.state = {
value: this.props.value
}
}
static setValue(val) {
return val ? val : ''
}
handleInputChange = (event) => {
this.setState({
value : event.target.value
})
this.props.onInputChange({
[event.target.name] : event.target.value
})
}
render() {
return (
<input
name={ this.props.name }
value={ Input.setValue(this.state.value) }
/>
);
}
}
Form.js =>
export default class Form extends Component {
constructor(props) {
super(props)
}
saveClick() {
/**
Save logic => I want to get the field data here
**/
}
render() {
return (<div>
{
this.props.children
}
<Button
onClick={ () => this.saveClick() }
>Save</Button>
</div>
);
}
}
For example, If post -> edit page and user -> edit page =>
I would like to do setting the input value inside the Form.js, Form.js will be responsible for setting the values inside those Inputs when it is mounted and it will be responsible for sending the data to the server.
I would like to the know, the scenario I have suggest is possible or is there a better way to do it?
A:
Invert control (make Input a controlled component). Keeping state inside components unnecessarily is generally a bad design practice. Look at the existing <input> it takes a value and an onChange. Your component should do too.
const Input = ({
className,
...rest
}) => (
<input
className={classNames('Input', className)}
type="text"
{...rest}
/>
);
Then the parent has the state for when the form is submitted in Edit.
onFormSubmit = e => {
e.preventDefault();
console.log(this.state.name, this.state.email);
}
onChange = name => e => this.setState({ [name]: e.target.value })
// ...
<Input onChange={this.onChange('name')} value={this.state.name} />
<Input onChange={this.onChange('email')} value={this.state.email} />
If you want Form to listen in on state changes you could do this:
onChange = (e, originalOnChange) => {
console.log('onChange called:', e.target.value);
originalOnChange && originalOnChange(e);
}
// ...
const children = React.Children.map(this.props.children, child =>
React.cloneElement(child, { onChange: e => this.onChange(e, child.props.onChange) })
);
It's a bit unorthodox but technically achievable.
| 2023-09-11T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9253 |
Find information about pretty much everything at FactExpert.
CPAP Provided with Machines
Cpap machines have revolutionized the way sleep apnea is treated because they have provided a viable way to deal with this sleep disorder and prevent problems caused by it. Sleep apnea, a sleep disorder whose main symptoms are constant fatigue and snoring, affects millions of people across the country and many of them do not even realize it. Characterized by temporary cessation of breathing at repeated intervals throughout the night, sleep apnea occurs when the airway collapses or becomes obstructed, preventing air from reaching the lungs. The body naturally corrects this problem by awakening itself to restore breathing function, but the continual awakening throughout the night interrupts the normal sleep cycle and causes the body to remain unrested and tired.
CPAP Machines Offer Help for Apnea
Cpap machines are such an effective treatment option because they generally eliminate nearly all problems associated with the disorder with a minimal occurrence of negative side effects. A cpap machine functions by providing a pressurized stream of air into the lungs, keeping the airway constantly open as it is supported by the strong, unbroken airflow. A small bedside unit is the central piece of cpap machines, and it pumps the air into the lungs through tubing and a breathing mask worn by the sleep apnea sufferer while sleeping.
Although the general function of the cpap machines are all the same, there are different varieties and otions that can cater to the different needs of users. Some cpap machines have only one speed or pressure of air that remains the same at all times. There are other machines, however, that are able to be customized to provide different pressures of air depending on what is needed by the individual. Some people prefer to choose the pressure themselves, while others prefer their machines to have automatic adjustments based on sensors in the cpap machines. BiPAP machines are very similar to cpap machines, but they provide different air pressures for exhalation and inhalation, which makes it easier for many people to breathe more naturally.
Cpap machines have been effective in treating all degrees of sleep apnea in over 98% of all cases. However, this treatment option is not without disadvantages or side effects. People who use cpap machines on a regular basis often complain of dryness of the throat and nasal tissues caused by the lack of moisture in the air pumped by the cpap machine. Additionally, the masks themselves can also be problematic because they can cause some people to feel claustrophobic or they can disrupt sleep when they become dislodged or uncomfortable. However, there are solutions for each of these problems, and people with sleep apnea are encouraged to look for ways to deal with the side effects constructively instead of discontinuing the therapy. | 2024-07-21T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8947 |
31 Pumpkin Carving Ideas For Overly Ambitious People (PHOTOS)
Most of us limit our yearly Halloween pumpkin carving to the standard two-triangles-and-a-mouth "face," if anything. (Though some nix the knifework entirely and want to cover everything in glitter.) If you're game to trying something a little different this year, the below 31 Jack O'Lantern ideas will give you a nice little challenge to work towards. For most of these ideas, you'll want to trade that blunt steak knife that's been with you through two apartment moves in favor of specialized sculpting tools. | 2024-07-12T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9848 |
News
In the July 28 Post and Courier, the editorial staff wrote “A vision for South Carolina pension system reform in 2020.”
Although editorial staff members are well-intentioned, they couldn’t be more wrong with their approach to South Carolina’s state pension system.
South Carolina’s state pension system is in good shape, and over the last couple of years, lawmakers have been making full payments into the system. If lawmakers decided to close the state pension system to new hires, as the editorial suggests, they would be making the same fateful mistake that other states and municipalities have made in the past.
Michigan, West Virginia, and Alaska have all, at one point, closed their pension systems to new hires. Not only did the unfunded liability of their respective pension systems worsen, but recruitment plummeted and they had a hard time retaining qualified state employees.
In Palm Beach, Florida, and Branford, Connecticut, these municipalities made the same mistake and saw their public safety officers head for the door to seek employment in other departments with better benefits.
Things got so bad in these states and municipalities that West Virginia, Palm Beach and Branford reopened their pension systems to retain quality employees and relieve their operational budgets.
South Carolina lawmakers should not repeat the mistakes of other states and cities by closing the state’s pension system to newly hired public employees. By continuing to make employee and employer contributions, the pension system will continue to stabilize.
In four days, the Kentucky House of Representatives and Senate filed, heard, debated and ultimately passed HB1. While this bill is supposed to solve the mess created by both chambers at the end of the regular legislative session, it violates the law and manages to exacerbate KRS’ funding issues.
HB1 seeks to reward quasi-governmental agencies that decide to leave KRS by offering those agencies that sever from KRS a rate freeze, while those that remain in the system continue to face budgetary pressure. These quasi agencies are forced to choose between their operating budgets and providing retirement security to their employees. The employees whose agencies leave KRS lose access to a pension that ensures they can retire in dignity and are moved to a riskier 401(k)-style retirement plan.
This portion of HB1 violates the inviolable contract the state has with these employees — making sure that they receive the benefits they were promised at the start of employment, including their pension. Violating the inviolable contract will surely end with HB1 in front of judges, costing the state hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Additionally, HB1 perpetuates the same flawed logic lawmakers used to justify other failed KRS plan design changes. With HB1 driving agencies to 401(k) plans, fewer people contribute to KRS and the system’s unfunded liability will increase. This occurred when lawmakers moved all newly hired public employees participating in KRS to a cash balance retirement plan in 2013.
The 2013 law created two problems. First, it meant public employees worked towards a diminished benefit, weakening their retirement security. Second, by diverting employee contributions from KRS, the unfunded liability grew. States such as West Virginia, Alaska and Michigan implemented similar policies, resulting in high turnover and rising pension debt.
It is important to note the cause for KRS’ current funding. It is not the fault of the employees who dedicated their careers to public service. Rather, years of lawmakers making partial or zero payments into the Kentucky Retirement System (KRS) inflated the system’s unfunded liability. When the unfunded liability reached a critical point, lawmakers implemented benefit cuts to public employees who provide vital services throughout the state.
Looking forward, Kentucky lawmakers cannot continue to diminish employees’ retirements due to the legislature’s failure to make adequate contributions. Nor can lawmakers allow the governor to continue to use special sessions to ram through legislation.
At the very least, the options presented should have been allowed to go before the full House for proper debate during the actual session. This crisis was manufactured to drive a special session and make harmful benefit cuts. A clean rate freeze should have been passed in the spring, allowing any further discussion on policy changes to take place in an open and democratic format.
Bridget Early is executive director of the National Public Pension Coalition, which is based in Washington, D.C.
After several failed attempts and a special legislative session, Kentucky — the state with the worst-funded pension system — now has a plan to ease the financial burden that employees’ retirements are taking on quasi-governmental agencies.
But opponents of the new law warn that the controversial changes could worsen the state pension plan’s already precarious finances.
The bill freezes the pension payments for quasi-governmental institutions for another year, essentially allowing them to pay half of their bill until it significantly increases after 2020. And in an unprecedented move, the law allows those agencies to leave the state’s pension system and pay off their debt, with interest, over the next 30 years; those agencies can also now move employees hired after 2013 out of the state retirement system.
Pension advocates say the new law threatens the solvency of the $2.7 billion Kentucky Retirement System and will likely leave it waiting decades to get the money it’s owed. The state employees’ plan is already one of the worst-funded in the nation, with just 16 percent of the assets it needs to meet its expected liabilities.
Bridget Early, executive director of the National Public Pension Coalition, says the legislation builds on years of state changes that have weakened the system.
“Instead of finding a way to get money into the system, they’ve all focused on benefit cuts,” she says. “That ultimately removed needed contributions.”
The bill was pushed for by presidents of the state’s regional universities, who say that increasing pension costs are squeezing their budgets and forcing them to raise tuition.
A similar bill passed the legislature during the regular session, but it contained extreme conditions that could have led to retirees not getting pension checks. Bevin vetoed it and called a special session to address the issue.
The state’s 118 quasi-governmental agencies can start leaving the Kentucky Retirement System in April. If they do, they have to provide other options for their employees, such as a 401(k) — but they don’t have to continue contributing money toward their retirement.
Most observers expect the law to be challenged in court, most likely by state Attorney General Andy Beshear, a Democrat and frequent Bevin critic who is running against him for governor.
In the meantime, there are eight months, a governor’s election and the better part of a legislative session until agencies are eligible to exit the retirement system. A lot could change.
“They didn’t do anything draconian that starts right now,” says Brian O’Neill, a spokesman for the Kentucky Public Pension Coalition. “There are still opportunities to work on this.”
Kentucky’s Gov. Matt Bevin got his wish, as a special session for the General Assembly to determine a fix for the state’s looming pension crisis will happen Friday morning.
Bevin’s office announced the news Monday. His administration has been trying to get a special session in order since the end of the year’s regular session, which like in 2018, failed to pass anything on a pension reform.
Last session, the governor introduced two proposals designed to help Kentucky’s retirement funds. The first was to shake up the Teacher Retirement System’s board with his own appointees. The other would have moved future university employees into a defined contribution plan and freeze the contribution rate of Kentucky’s quasi-governmental agencies for a year, which was half of a similar bill that passed, but was soon vetoed by Bevin. The governor then resubmitted his version, which tacked on the DC clause.
Quasi-agencies include regional universities, health departments, domestic violence centers, and community health centers. After July 1, members’ contribution rates to the Kentucky Retirement Systems, the institution responsible for their pensions, skyrocketed to a near 70% increase, to 83% of payroll from 49%.
The $12.3 billion fund had rapidly been making large cuts to its assumed rate of return and adjusted contribution rates in a similar fashion over the past several years. New mortality tables created a further contribution increase to the levels made this month. If nothing happens by August 10, the pension costs will become delinquent and the fund is on its own until at least next session.
The pension plan’s board would then decide how large of a fine they would have to pay to cover the delinquent plan, while still being on the hook for paying the benefits. The newfound budget constraints could lead to agencies laying off staff and possibly closing their doors.
Bevin’s latest proposal is to freeze the pension costs until April and give the quasi-agencies the option to leave the retirement system. That will be the subject of the special session, expected to last through Wednesday. If all goes well for Bevin, a bill could wind up on his desk as early as next week.
“The proposal [the governor’s administration] put through created this mess because of all of the other things they incorporated rather than just setting a rate freeze for the quasis,” Bridget Early, executive director of the National Public Pension Coalition, told CIO. “It’s unfortunate when this is how policy—particularly pension policy that impacts the livelihoods of the retirees—is being decided: in these shotgun moments that do not lend themselves to transparency or a conversation about how to address the root of the issue.”
The Kentucky Retirement System houses the retirement assets for five retirement plans, the two Kentucky Employees Retirement Systems (hazardous and non-hazardous), the State Police Retirement System, and the two County Employees Retirement Systems (also hazardous and non-hazardous). The one that affects the agencies is the non-hazardous variant of the ERS, which is about 14% funded, according to Brian O’Neill, a Louisville firefighter and spokesperson for activist group the Kentucky Public Pension Coalition.
The association opposes Bevin’s concept.
“It’s not good,” O’Neill told CIO, suggesting it also encourages and incentivizes those organizations (quasi-agencies) to mistreat their employees while giving them a way to get out of the retirement system. “Now you’ve got fewer people actually paying into the system, which harms the system as a whole.”
O’Neill also said the 401(k)-like solution also creates opportunity for those organizations to freeze the benefit package for their employees. This, he said, would continue to harm the pension system as no members would be paying into the KRS.
The Kentucky Retirement System is 39.3% funded, according to its most recent annual report.
A new Maryland law requires greater transparency in disclosing millions of dollars in fees paid by the state’s pension system to Wall Street investment firms.
The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System has reported paying about $370 million annually in fees to the firms that invest its $51 billion in assets.
But the real amount of fees paid is anywhere from $460 million to $570 million. That’s because so-called “carried interest fees” — a cut of the Maryland fund’s profits that goes to the outside investment managers — have not been not disclosed publicly.
That’s about to change.
Del. Kumar Barve, a Montgomery County Democrat, sponsored legislation this year to demand greater transparency, in part because he thinks the state is getting a bad deal.
“You, me and every member of the public can invest and get better returns while being charged lower fees than the state of Maryland,” Barve said.
Baltimore County Republican Del. Robin L. Grammer Jr. was the bill’s other lead sponsor.
At one point, the legislation sought to cap the amount of fees the firms could charge the pension system, but it was amended to become a bill requiring greater disclosure. Both chambers of the General Assembly passed the revised bipartisan legislation unanimously and Republican Gov. Larry Hogan signed it into law.
The pension system now must publicly disclose the amount it pays in carried interest fees by the end of each calendar year. The first report, due Dec. 31, will include the fees from fiscal years 2015 through 2019.
The pension system says it administers retirement benefits, as well as death and disability benefits, for more than 405,000 retired and current state employees, teachers, judges, state troopers and other law enforcement officers.
Barve argues the pension system needs reform because Maryland’s pension fund has underperformed passive index funds — costing the state about $5 billion in gains over 10 years that he says it’s missed out on. At the same time, fees the state has paid to dozens of Wall Street firms, which actively manage investments from the state pension system, have totaled more than $3 billion, Barve says.
Jeffrey Hooke, a senior lecturer at the Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business who co-wrote a report on the state pension fund for the Maryland Public Policy Institute, argued that the hundreds of millions in fees charged each year to the state could be used for better purposes — such as funding public schools.
Hooke estimates that Wall Street firms receive about $200 million a year from Maryland through carried interest fees; the state pension system puts the number closer to $90 million annually.
“It seems to me there is an opportunity to save a ton of money,” Barve said in February when he and Hooke testified for the bill in Annapolis.
“The public is not really aware of how much money we have been wasting to pay these fund managers,” said Carol Park, a senior policy analyst at the Maryland Public Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.
R. Dean Kenderdine, director of the state pension system, and Andrew C. Palmer, the system’s chief investment officer, testified in February against capping the fees. Both argued capping the fees would disincentivize Wall Street managers from bringing in higher returns for Maryland’s pensioners.
Kenderdine and Palmer testified, however, they had no objection to disclosing the fees to increase transparency.
Maryland is part of a trend of states requiring greater transparency in their pension systems. In recent years, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System have released reports showing carried interest earned by the Wall Street general partners managing investments on their behalf.
In its first report, California reported $700 million in carried interest payments to investment firms in fiscal year 2015.
In just 10 days, pension contribution rates for regional universities and quasi-state agencies are set to about double. “It was one of those deals when once again, something was getting done at the very end of the session,” Larry Totten said of House Bill 358. When the legislature passed HB 358 on the very last night of the legislative session, Totten, the president of the Kentucky Public Retirees, felt it was a bad move. “It was pretty obvious that it was not a bipartisan piece of legislation, that there were issues that came up after it was passed that was not a surprise,” explained Totten.
Both Totten, and his counterpart with the Kentucky Government Retirees, Jim Carroll, say they were happy Governor Matt Bevin vetoed the bill. “I was relieved he vetoed the bill, because it had some serious problems with the bill having to do with the contract rights of participants inKentucky Retirement Systems,” Carroll said. However, they say Bevin’s replacement bill isn’t much better. Carroll said, “Think it’s a bad bill because it basically turns Kentucky retirement systems into a bank. It makes KRS, the Kentucky Retirement System basically take on the risk of allowing quasi government employers to leave the system and to pay off their liabilities over decades and that’s a bad idea when we’re the nation’s worst funded state pension system.”
“The bill has issues, not the least of which is that is penalizes, to some degree, Tier 1 and Tier 2 employees, depending on how their employers chose to leave KRS,” added Totten. Totten said he’s pleased with some of the governors changes to the original bill. “It’s got some things that the governor tried to address in his four points that he agreed to change. The fact that in the first version, a state employee could not sue a bill, was something I’d never seen before.”
Bevin has said he won’t call a special session until he has the votes. Senator Chris McDaniel (R-Taylor Mill) said he isn’t sure if Bevin has the votes yet. McDaniel told reporters, “Whether the House has the votes, I don’t know at this point. No-one has told me that the definitely do, so I just don’t know the answer to that question.”
Suzanne Miles (R-Owensboro), who is the majority caucus chair insinuated the House does not have the necessary votes, but did say she has been looking at scheduling. “I have been cross referencing multiple calendars and conferences. We have a lot of people who are signed up for conferences. As you know, if the governor calls a special session, those arrangements will be canceled and people will be coming in, rather than going to conferences. And that’s part of it. And we all know,” said Miles. Totten and Carroll are both hoping for more changes before the special session is called.
Carroll requested, “Lets look at putting funding, so these quasi government agencies can participate in KRS and not dis-enroll all of their employees. What we say is freeze it and then fund it. So lets go ahead and freeze the contribution rate that they’re paying now, that they’ve paid over the last fiscal year, for another year, and then lets take a serious look at funding options for the 2020 session.” Totten says he that’s what he wants, but he says he doesn’t think that will happen. If that doesn’t happen, he says he has an alternative, explaining, “What I want to happen is KRS get its funding so that all of us that worked 30 and 40 and 50 years in the system have pensions as we were promised when we were hired. Now, how you get there. There’s obviously different paths to how you get there. And funding on that isn’t part of the issue. I used to call it a hole in the dyke, now I think it’s more of a whack-a-mole issue.” Rates will go up July 1, the first payment at those rates won’t be due until the end of July, so lawmakers say they do have a bit more time.
Sign up to Take Action
We need you to join the fight. When the failed politicians and Wall Street interests—the same folks who tried to privatize social security—attack retirement security for public workers, only you can stop them from pushing our economy out-of-balance. | 2023-11-30T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/5263 |
Pets vs baby
i know, its unethical to compare babies to animals but hey...a fren of mine mentioned that i shld get a baby instead of pets (i have 6 hedgehogs, and a dog). this is just a 'fun' post, ppl, no offense to parents worldwide. and yes, i do intend to get one in this 5 years.
Pets
generates side income for me in 6 months
i bathe them once a week
i can ignore them
i can put 6 of them in one place
they are always hapi to see me
they dont complain abt their food
their maintenance cost is lower
the dog pees when i scold her
Babies
might or might not generate side income for you and that takes 18 years! | 2023-08-03T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6654 |
Republic Fleet Heavy Assault Missile Launcher
Locations
A launcher intended for use on cruiser-class spacecraft. While assault launchers do not possess the sheer damage-dealing capability of regular heavy missile launchers, their blend of speed and attack power lends them application across a good range of tactical situations. | 2023-08-06T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7887 |
---
abstract: 'The protograph low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes possess many attractive properties, such as the low encoding/decoding complexity and better error floor performance, and hence have been successfully applied to different types of communication and data storage channels. In this paper, we design protograph LDPC codes for communication systems corrupted by the impulsive noise, which are modeled as additive white symmetric alpha-stable noise (AWS$\alpha$SN) channels. We start by presenting a novel simulation-based protograph extrinsic information transfer (P-EXIT) analysis to derive the iterative decoding threshold of the protograph codes. By further applying the asymptotic weight distribution (AWD) analysis, we design new protograph codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protograph codes can provide better error rate performance than the prior art AR4JA code, the irregular codes optimized for the AWGN channel, as well as the irregular codes optimized for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel.'
author:
- 'Xingwei Zhong, Kui Cai, , Pingping Chen, and Zhen Mei [^1] [^2]'
bibliography:
- 'refs.bib'
title: 'Design of Protograph Codes for Additive White Symmetric Alpha-Stable Noise Channels'
---
Introduction {#sec1}
============
Many communication systems are corrupted by the impulsive noise, such as the indoor wireless communication system [@blackard1993measurements], the shallow water acoustic system [@qarabaqi2009statistical], and the power-line communication system [@laguna2015use; @middleton1999non]. The impulse noise is non-Gaussian distributed, whose first order probability density function (PDF) follows the symmetric alpha-stable (S$\alpha$S) law [@middleton1999non]. Therefore, the corresponding communication systems can be modeled as additive white symmetric alpha-stable noise (AWS$\alpha$SN) channels.
In the literature, the low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes have been studied for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel as a type of capacity-approaching channel codes. In particular, their asymptotic performance with optimal and sub-optimal $\log$-likelihood ratios (LLRs) is investigated by [@maad2010asymptotic] through density evolution (DE). The waterfall region performance of LDPC codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel is analyzed by [@mei2016finite; @mei2017performance]. Recently, a quantized DE (QDE) based extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) chart is applied to construct capacity-approaching code ensembles for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel [@dai2017exit]. However, as the parity-check matrices have irregular structures, the proposed code ensembles are not suitable for practical implementations.
In the recent few years, the protograph LDPC codes have been found to achieve superior error performance over the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, the partial response (PR) channels, and the high-density magnetic recording channels [@liva2007protograph; @divsalar2009capacity; @chen2015design; @zhong2018rate]. Furthermore, their protograph structure facilitates low-complexity encoding with readily parallelizable decoder implementations. For example, the AR4JA codes are well-known capacity-approaching protograph codes optimized for the AWGN channels [@divsalar2009capacity]. However, up till now, no work has been carried out for designing protograph LDPC codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel.
As the alpha-stable noise is non-Gaussian, the conventional closed-form protograph EXIT (P-EXIT) analysis [@liva2007protograph] derived for the AWGN channel cannot be directly applied to the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. Although a QDE based EXIT analysis [@dai2017exit] can be extended to measure the decoding threshold of the protograph codes with the help of full-DE [@richardson2008modern **7.2.2**] for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, it will have huge computational complexity [@richardson2008modern], and hence is impractical. In this paper, we present a novel simulation-based P-EXIT analysis to compute and optimize the decoding threshold of the protograph LDPC codes. Through further analyzing the asymptotic weight distribution (AWD) of the code ensembles, we construct new protograph LDPC codes which achieve better error rate performance than the prior art AR4JA code, the irregular codes optimized for the AWGN channel, as well as the irregular codes optimized for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel [@dai2017exit].
In the rest of the paper, Section 2 gives a review of the AWS$\alpha$SN channel model. Section 3 presents a novel simulation-based P-EXIT analysis for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. In Section 4, we design new protograph LDPC codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. Section 5 compares their error rate performance with the prior art LDPC codes. The paper is concluded by Section 6.
{height="0.8\columnwidth"}
Channel Model
=============
We adopt a characteristic function to define the S$\alpha$S distribution, given by [@dai2017exit]: $$\label{symmetric}
\phi(l)=e^{(-\gamma^{\alpha} |l|^{\alpha})},$$ where $\gamma>0$ is the dispersion that measures the spread of the PDF. Here, $\alpha$, ranging from 0 to 2, is the characteristic exponent which sets the degree of impulsiveness of the PDF. When $\alpha=2$, the noise becomes Gaussian and hence will not be considered in this work. When $\alpha=1$, the noise is actually Cauchy distributed. For other values of $\alpha$, the noise follows the S$\alpha$S distribution and will have no closed-form expression. With the decrease of $\alpha$, the degree of impulsiveness of the distribution increases. Therefore, the PDF of an S$\alpha$S random variable is given by $$\label{pdf}
f_{\alpha}(p; \gamma)=\frac{1}{2\pi}\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}\exp(-\gamma^{\alpha} |l|^{\alpha})e^{-jlp}dl .$$ We illustrate by Fig. \[pdf\_figure\] the PDFs of S$\alpha$S distributions with different values of $\alpha$, for $\gamma = 1$.
Furthermore, the additive noise model can be expressed as $$\label{model}
F=P+B,$$ where $F$ is the channel output signal, $P \in \{-1, 1\}$ is the channel input signal with binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) constellation, and $B$ is the alpha-stable channel noise. We follow [@gonzalez2006zero] and adopt the geometric signal-to-noise ratio (G-SNR) defined for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, given by $$\label{GSNR}
\text{G-SNR} = \frac{1}{2C_{g}^{(\frac{2}{\alpha}-1)}\gamma^2},$$ where $C_{g}\approx 1.78$ denotes the Euler’s exponential constant. The corresponding $\frac{E_{b}}{N_{0}}$ is calculated as $$\label{ebn0}
\frac{E_{b}}{N_{0}} = \frac{\text{G-SNR}}{2R},$$ where $R$ is the code rate.
Analysis of Protograph Codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN Channel
==========================================================
A protograph can be represented by a small tanner graph consisting $T$ check nodes (CNs), $S$ variable nodes (VNs), and the edges which connect the CNs with the VNs. Unlike other types of LDPC codes, a protograph can contain parallel edges. We refer a $S \times T$ adjacency matrix $\pmb{B}$ corresponding to a protograph as the base matrix, with $b_{st}$ being the $(s,t)^{th}$ entry of $\pmb{B}$. For example, the base matrix of the AR4JA protograph code which shows superior performance over the AWGN channel [@divsalar2009capacity], is given by $$\label{basematrixB}
\pmb{B}_{A4}=\left(
\begin{array}{ccccc}
1 & 2 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 3 & 1 & 1 & 1\\
0 & 1 & 2 & 2 & 1\\
\end{array}
\right),$$ where the corresponding protograph consists of 5 VNs, 3 CNs, and 15 edges. Through a sequence of “copy-and-permute” operations on $\pmb{B}$, the tanner graph of an LDPC code with any desired block length can be derived [@liva2007protograph]. During the design of protograph LDPC codes, the P-EXIT analysis [@liva2007protograph; @chen2015design], together with the AWD analysis [@divsalar2009capacity], are effective theoretical methods to evaluate the decoding performance of the designed protograph code at the waterfall region and error floor region, respectively.
P-EXIT Analysis for the AWGN Channel
------------------------------------
For the AWGN channel, the P-EXIT analysis can track the convergence behavior of iterative decoding based on a closed-form multi-dimensional technique [@liva2007protograph; @ten2004design]. Let $J(\sigma)$ denote the mutual information (MI) $I$ between the LLR value $L_{ch}$ and a coded bit [@ten2004design]. we have
$$\label{Jfunction}
J(\sigma) = 1-\int_{-\infty}^{\infty}\frac{E(-((t-\sigma^2/2)^2/(2\sigma^2)))}{\sqrt{(2\pi\sigma^2)}}*log_{2}[1+E(-t)]dt$$
With the help of the function $J$ and its inverse $J^{-1}$, the P-EXIT analysis proposed for the AWGN channel [@liva2007protograph] can be summarized as follows:\
1) [**Initialization**]{}. Select a $E_{b}/N_{0}$. Initializing a vector $\pmb{\sigma_{ch}}=(\sigma_{ch,0},\ldots,\sigma_{ch,T-1})$ such that: $$\label{sigmach}
\sigma_{ch,t}^2=8R(E_{b}/N_{0})_{t}.$$ where $R$ is the code rate of the protograph. If $t$ is the puncture node, set $\sigma_{ch,t}=0$.\
2) [**VN to CN Renewal**]{}. For $t\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,T-1 \rbrace$ and $s\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,S-1 \rbrace$, compute $$\label{LEij1}
I^{(s,t)}_{E,V}=J\left(\sqrt{\sigma_{ch,t}^2+\sum_{c=1}^{S}(b_{ct}-\delta_{cs})(J^{-1}(I^{(c,t)}_{E,C}))^2}\right).$$ If $c=s$, set $\delta_{cs}=1$. Otherwise, set $\delta_{cs}=0$.\
3) [**CN to VN Renewal**]{}. For $t\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,T-1 \rbrace$ and $s\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,S-1 \rbrace$, compute $$\label{LCij1}
I^{(s,t)}_{E,C}=1-J\left( \sqrt{\sum_{x=1}^{T}(b_{sx}-\delta_{xt})
(J^{-1}(1-I^{(s,x)}_{E,V}))^2}\right) .$$ If $x=t$, set $\delta_{xt}=1$. Otherwise, set $\delta_{xt}=0$.\
4) [**A Posteriori MI Accumulation**]{}. For $t\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,T-1 \rbrace$, compute $$\label{Lmie1}
I^{t}_{MIE}=J\left(\sqrt{\sigma_{ch,t}^2+\sum_{c=1}^{S}(J^{-1}(I^{(c,t)}_{E,C}))^2}\right).$$\
5) [**Stopping criterion**]{}. Return to Step 2 and carry on the iteration until $I^{t}_{MIE}=1$ for all $t$. The decoding threshold is the lowest value $E_{b}/N_{0}$ that meets the stopping criterion.
However, the above P-EXIT analysis derived for the AWGN channel cannot be applied to the AWS$\alpha$SN channel since the S$\alpha$S noise is non-Gaussian. The QDE based EXIT analysis is also impractical for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel due to its huge computational complexity for the desired protograph codes. Hence, in the following, a simulation-based EXIT function is first derived for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, based on which a novel P-EXIT analysis is proposed for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel.
{height="0.9\columnwidth"}
EXIT Function for the AWS$\alpha$SN Channel
-------------------------------------------
The EXIT analysis is designed to track the LLRs exchanged between the CN decoder (CND) and the VN decoder (VND). The LLR output from the VND is computed by [@ten2004design]: $$L_{out,i}=L_{ch}+\sum_{j\ne i}^{}L_{in,j},$$ with $i=1,2,\ldots,d_{v}$, and $d_{v}$ being the degree of the VN. Here, $L_{out,i}$ represents the $i$th output extrinsic LLR of the VN, $L_{in,j}$ denotes the $j$th [*a priori*]{} LLR, and $L_{ch}$ is the channel LLR. Unlike the AWGN channel, the PDF of the S$\alpha$S distribution cannot be described in the closed form. Therefore, we apply the numerical method [@nolan1997numerical] to compute $P(F|P)$, the conditional PDF of the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, as well as the corresponding channel LLRs given by $L_{ch}=\log\frac{P(F|P=+1)}{P(F|P=-1)}$.
On the other hand, as it is difficult to derive the $L_{in}$ of the AWS$\alpha$SN channel analytically, we propose the following approximation method. It has been found that the EXIT curves for the binary symmetric channel (BSC) and BEC provide the lower and upper bounds, respectively, for repetition codes over the binary-input, symmetric channel (BISC) [@land2005bounds; @ashikhmin2004extrinsic]. Since both the AWGN channel and the AWS$\alpha$SN channel are BISCs, the EXIT curves for both the channels should lie between the BEC and BSC curves. This idea is verified by Fig. \[IaverursIe\], which illustrates the VND EXIT curves for length 3 repetition codes over the various channels. In the figure, $I_{VND,E}$ and $I_{VND,A}$ are the extrinsic MI and the average [*a priori*]{} MI of the VND, respectively. The BEC and BSC EXIT curves are obtained from [@land2005bounds Fig. 8], while the AWGN channel curve is based on the channel noise variance [@ashikhmin2004extrinsic Example 3]. For the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, we adopt an EXIT curve generation method proposed for the non-Gaussian channel [@chen2013exit]. We remark that the method proposed by [@chen2013exit] generates the EXIT curves by using tedious and time-consuming simulations, and hence is not suitable to be used for the P-EXIT analysis for designing protograph codes. Observe from Fig. \[IaverursIe\] that the EXIT curves for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel are very close to that of the AWGN channel, for both $\alpha=1.8$ (slightly impulsive noise) and $\alpha=1$ (strong impulsive noise).
By adjusting the noise variance of the AWGN channel, the mean squared error between the VND EXIT curves for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel and that for the AWGN channel can be as low as possible. Therefore, it is reasonable to use $L_{in}$ of the AWGN channel to approximate that of the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. This enables the derivation of the extrinsic MI of the VND for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, given by $$\begin{aligned}
\nonumber \label{IEV}
I_{VND,E} & = I(X;L) = 1-E\left\lbrace \log_{2}\left( 1+e^{-L} \right)\right\rbrace \\ \nonumber
&\approx 1-\frac{1}{M}\sum^{M}_{n=1}\log_{2}\left( 1+e^{-L_{n,out,i}} \right), \\\end{aligned}$$ where $M$ denotes the number of $L_{out,i}$ samples. Here we consider that the all-zero codeword is transmitted. Correspondingly, the LLR output from the CND can be calculated using a “box-plus” operation and hence the extrinsic MI of the CND can be calculated similarly as .
To further verify the effectiveness of the above proposed EXIT function, we compare the correspondingly obtained decoding thresholds with those computed by using the DE method [@mei2016finite]. Here, we consider the regular (3,6) and (4,8) LDPC codes and set the number of samples to be $M=30000$. The difference of the decoding thresholds obtained by using the two methods, denoted by $|\epsilon|$, is illustrated in Table \[Table 1\] for different values of $\alpha$. Observe that the difference $|\epsilon|$ of the decoding thresholds obtained by using the two methods is at most 0.06 dB, over a wide range of $\alpha$, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed EXIT function for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel.
---------- ---------- -------- -------------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------------
$\alpha$ EXIT(dB) DE(dB) $|\epsilon|$ $\alpha$ EXIT(dB) DE(dB) $|\epsilon|$
1.9 1.34 1.33 0.01 1.9 1.77 1.75 0.02
1.8 1.55 1.52 0.03 1.8 1.99 1.96 0.03
1.7 1.73 1.69 0.04 1.7 2.19 2.15 0.04
1.6 1.90 1.87 0.03 1.6 2.38 2.35 0.03
1.5 2.09 2.05 0.04 1.5 2.64 2.59 0.05
1.4 2.29 2.25 0.04 1.4 2.88 2.83 0.05
1.3 2.51 2.47 0.04 1.3 3.10 3.06 0.04
1.2 2.76 2.72 0.04 1.2 3.42 3.38 0.04
1.1 3.03 2.98 0.05 1.1 3.76 3.71 0.05
1.0 3.33 3.27 0.06 1.0 4.16 4.10 0.06
---------- ---------- -------- -------------- ---------- ---------- -------- --------------
: Difference of the decoding thresholds computed by using the two methods.[]{data-label="Table 1"}
Novel Simulation-based P-EXIT Analysis for the AWS$\alpha$SN Channel
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Unlike the closed-form P-EXIT analysis based on the $J$ and $J^{-1}$ functions [@liva2007protograph] for the AWGN channels described in Section *3.1.1*, the proposed novel simulation-based P-EXIT analysis is summarized as follows:\
1) [**Initialization**]{}. Given a $\frac{E_{b}}{N_{0}}$. According to , initialize a vector $\pmb{\gamma}=(\gamma_{0},\ldots,\gamma_{T-1})$ such that: $$\label{gamma}
\gamma_{t}=\sqrt{\frac{1}{4R_{c}C_{g}^{(\frac{2}{\alpha}-1)}(\frac{E_{b}}{N_{0}})_{t}}}.$$ If $t$ is the puncture node, set $\gamma_{t}=0$.\
2) [**VN to CN Renewal**]{}. For $t\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,T-1 \rbrace$ and $s\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,S-1 \rbrace$, compute $$\label{LEij}
L^{(s,t)}_{out,s}=L^{t}_{ch}+\sum_{c=1}^{S}(b_{ct}-\delta_{cs})(L^{(c,t)}_{in,t}).$$ If $c=s$, set $\delta_{cs}=1$. Otherwise, set $\delta_{cs}=0$. The MI of $L^{(s,t)}_{out,s}$, denoted by $I^{(s,t)}_{VND,E}$, can then be obtained by using .\
3) [**CN to VN Renewal**]{}. For $t\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,T-1 \rbrace$ and $s\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,S-1 \rbrace$, compute $$\label{LCij}
L^{(s,t)}_{out,t}=\sum_{x=1}^{T} \boxplus (b_{sx}-\delta_{xt})(L^{(s,x)}_{in,t}).$$ If $x=t$, set $\delta_{xt}=1$. Otherwise, set $\delta_{xt}=0$. The MI of $L^{(s,t)}_{out,t}$, denoted by $I^{(s,t)}_{CND,E}$, can then be obtained by using .\
4) [**A Posteriori MI Accumulation**]{}. For $t\in \lbrace 0, \ldots ,T-1 \rbrace$, compute $$\label{Lmie}
L^{t}_{MIE}=L^{t}_{ch}+\sum_{c=1}^{S}(b_{ct})(L^{(c,t)}_{in,t}).$$ The corresponding MI $I^{t}_{MIE}$ can be computed by measuring the LLRs $L^{t}_{MIE}$ as in .\
5) [**Stopping criterion**]{}. Return to Step 2 and carry on the iteration until $I^{t}_{MIE}=1$ for all $t$. The decoding threshold is the lowest value $\frac{E_{b}}{N_{0}}$ that meets the stopping criterion.
Asymptotic Weight Distribution Analysis
---------------------------------------
According to [@divsalar2009capacity], the normalized logarithmic asymptotic weight distribution (AWE) $r(\delta)$ can be expressed as $$\label{detection threshold}
S_{t}r(\delta)= \max_{\bm{\delta}_{t} : |\bm{\delta}_{t}| = S_{t}\delta}\left\lbrace \sum_{i=1}^{T}a^{c}(\bm{\delta}_{i}) - \sum_{j=1}^{S}(d_{vj}-1)H(\delta_{j}) \right\rbrace,$$ where $S_{t}$ is the number of transmitted VNs, $a^{c}(\bm{\delta}_{i})$ denotes the normalized logarithmic AWE for CN $c_{i}$ with normalized partial weight vector $\bm{\delta}_{t}$, $d_{vj}$ is the degree of the VN $vj$, and $H()$ is the binary entropy function [@divsalar2009capacity].
By exploting the AWD analysis, we can check whether the minimum distance of the code ensemble increases linearly with the codeword length or not.The second-zero crossing point of $r(\delta_{2c})$ is defined as the typical minimum distance ratio. If $\delta_{2c}>0$, then the minimum distance increases with the codeword length with a high probability, thus leading to a low error floor during decoding,
Protograph LDPC Code Design
===========================
The goal of designing a protograph LDPC code is to achieve a lower decoding threshold and at the same time the code ensemble is expected to have the linear minimum distance growth [@divsalar2009capacity]. Although AR4JA protograph codes [@divsalar2009capacity] optimized for the AWGN channel can preserve the linear minimum distance growth property, its decoding thresholds are 0.98 dB for $\alpha=1.8$ and 2.27 dB for $\alpha=1$, while those of the optimized code ensembles for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel [@dai2017exit] are 0.86 dB and 2.02 dB, respectively. Thus, the decoding thresholds achieved by the AR4JA code are higher than those achieved by the optimized irregular LDPC codes. Therefore, in the following, we propose the design of novel protograph LDPC codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel which achieve lower decoding thresholds than the AR4JA code.
Through testing over the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, it has been found that the VNs with degree-2 in the protograph lead to superior error rate performance when the G-SNR is low. However, as the number of the VNs with degree-2 increases, error floor may occur at the high G-SNR region [@divsalar2009capacity]. Furthermore, we found that applying precoding to the protograph can decrease the decoding threshold [@divsalar2009capacity]. Based on the above observations, our proposed criteria for designing the protograph over the AWS$\alpha$SN channel are summarized as follows.
1\) Adjust the ratio of the VNs with degree-2 to obtain a protograph with the lowest decoding thresholds, and also guarantees the linear minimum distance growth property by using the AWD analysis. That is, if a normalized logarithmic AWD function begins at zero and returns back to zero after travelling to negtive values, the second-zero crossing is known as the typical minimum distance ratio. A positive value of the typical minimum distance ratio implies that there is a large chance that the code ensemble’s minimum distance will increase linearly with the length of the code block, which leads to a low error floor for decoding.
2\) Apply precoding to the protograph obtained from Step 1 to further improve the decoding threshold.
Based on the above code design criteria, we start by constructing the rate$=$1/2 protograph LDPC codes, with $S=4$ and $T=7$. We then apply precoding and puncture the highest degree VNs. To reduce the search space, we search for the protograph subjected to the constraints: $$\begin{cases}
2\leq\sum_{i=1}^{4}(b_{ij})\leq7, j\neq1,\\
b_{i2}+b_{i6}\geq1, i=2,3,\\
b_{ij}\in\lbrace0,1,2\rbrace.
\end{cases}$$
In this way, we obtain the base matrix $\pmb{B}$ of the designed code, given by $$\label{basematrixB}
\pmb{B}=\left(
\begin{array}{ccccccc}
1 & 0 & 2 & 1 & 0 & 0 & 0\\
0 & 1 & 2 & 2 & 0 & 1 & 2\\
0 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 1 & 2 & 1\\
0 & 0 & 2 & 0 & 2 & 0 & 0\\
\end{array}
\right).$$ Fig. \[proposed protograph code\] illustrates the protograph structure of the designed code, where the white circle denotes the punctured node, and the black dots denote the normal nodes. The simulation-based P-EXIT analysis indicates that the correspondingly achieved decoding thresholds are 0.81 dB for $\alpha=1.8$, and 1.95 dB for $\alpha=1$. Furthermore, the second-zero crossing point of the design code is 0.006 according to the AWD analysis. This indicates that the constructed code ensembles for sure to have the linear minimum distance growth property[@divsalar2009capacity].
![Protograph of the designed rate-1/2 LDPC code.[]{data-label="proposed protograph code"}](PROTO_LDPC_alpha.eps){height="0.2\columnwidth" width="0.51\columnwidth"}
![BER comparison between the proposed protograph LDPC code and the prior art codes, for $N=8000$ and $\alpha=1.8$.[]{data-label="alpha=1.8"}](myfinalresult18.eps){height="0.8\columnwidth"}
![BER comparison between the proposed protograph LDPC code and the prior art codes, for $N=8000$ and $\alpha=1$.[]{data-label="alpha=1"}](myfinalresult1.eps){height="0.8\columnwidth"}
Simulation Results
==================
In this section, we evaluate and compare the error rate performance of our designed protograph codes with various prior art LDPC codes proposed in the literature over the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, including the AR4JR code which is the protograph code optimized for the AWGN channel, the irregular LDPC codes optimized for the AWGN channel, as well as the irregular LDPC codes optimized for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel [@dai2017exit]. To meet up with the requirements of different applications, we construct protograph codes with different codeword lengths of N=8000, N=4000, and N=1000, respectively. For all the codes, the code rate is 1/2. With the help of the progressive-edge-growth (PEG) algorithm and circulant permutation [@hu2005regular], the proposed protograph codes can be constructed easily. In our simulations, we also take different levels of the noise impulsiveness of $\alpha = 1$ and $\alpha = 1.8$, respectively. The simulations have a maximum of 100 iterations per code block and are terminated after 100 block errors for each $E_{b}/N_{0}$.
Fig. \[alpha=1.8\] and Fig. \[alpha=1\] illustrate the bit-error rate (BER) comparison between the proposed code and the prior art codes when the codeword length is 8000 bits, for $\alpha=1.8$ and $\alpha=1$, respectively. From the figures, we observe that the proposed protograph code achieves the best performance over all the other codes, for both $\alpha=1.8$ and $\alpha=1$. In particular, both the irregular code optimized for the AWGN channel and the irregular code optimized for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel show an error floor at BER of around $10^{-6}$, while our proposed protograph codes and the AR4JA codes do not have an error floor. Furthermore, at BER = $10^{-5}$, our proposed codes outperform the AR4JA codes by nearly 0.1 dB with $\alpha=1.8$, and by 0.2 dB with $\alpha=1$. The above BER simulation results coincide with our simulation-based P-EXIT analysis and the AWD analysis.
In Fig. \[1Kalpha=1\] and Fig. \[4Kalpha=1\], we further extend the BER comparison between the proposed codes and the prior art codes to two different codeword lengths of $N=4000$ and $N=1000$, for $\alpha=1$ only for the sake of simplicity. It is observed that the error floor of the the two types of irregular codes becomes higher with the decrease of the codeword length. Our proposed protograph codes achieve around 0.2 dB performance gains over the AR4JA codes for both $N=4000$ and $N=1000$. The above BER simulation results coincide with our simulation-based P-EXIT analysis and the AWD analysis, and demonstrate the potential of our proposed protograph LDPC codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel.
![BER comparison between the proposed protograph LDPC code and the prior art codes, for $N=4000$ and $\alpha=1$.[]{data-label="1Kalpha=1"}](4kfinalresult1.eps){height="0.8\columnwidth"}
![BER comparison between the proposed protograph LDPC code and the prior art codes, for $N=1000$ and $\alpha=1$.[]{data-label="4Kalpha=1"}](1kfinalresult1.eps){height="0.8\columnwidth"}
Conclusion
==========
We have proposed a novel design of protograph codes for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. Since the distribution of S$\alpha$S noise is non-Gaussian, the original P-EXIT analysis proposed for the AWGN channel cannot be applied to the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. Therefore, we have first derived an EXIT function for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, based on which we proposed a novel simulation-based P-EXIT analysis to measure the decoding thresholds of the protograph codes designed for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel. We have further applied the AWD analysis to ensure that the code ensemble constructed to possess the linear minimum distance growth property. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protograph code outperforms the prior art AR4JA code, the irregular codes optimized for the AWGN channel, as well as the irregular codes optimized for the AWS$\alpha$SN channel, for different codeword lengths and different levels of impulsiveness.
Acknowledgment
==============
This work is supported by Singapore Agency of Science and Technology (A\*Star) PSF research grant, Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 2 MOE2016-T2-2-054, and SUTD SRG grant SRLS15095.
[^1]: X. Zhong, K. Cai, P. Chen, and Z. Mei are with the Department of Science, Singapore University of Technology and Design, Singapore. (e-mail: xingwei$\_$zhong@mymail.sutd.edu.sg; cai$\_$kui@sutd.edu.sg; mei$\_$zhen@sutd.edu.sg).
[^2]: P. Chen is also with the College of Physics and Information, Fuzhou University, China. (e-mail: ppchen.xm@gmail.com)
| 2024-02-16T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4575 |
Treatment of hyperlipidemia in women.
To assess the evidence that lipid lowering prevents coronary heart disease (CHD) events in women. English-language literature assessing the effects of cholesterol lowering with dietary and/or drug interventions as primary or secondary prevention on CHD events in women. Coronary heart disease and total mortality were the primary outcomes assessed. Angiographic regression of coronary atherosclerosis was a secondary outcome. STUDY SELECTION, DATA EXTRACTION, AND DATA SYNTHESIS: All nine of the identified studies that met the criteria were included. Relative risks for CHD and total mortality were calculated from available data. Summary relative risks were calculated using meta-analytic techniques. There is no evidence from primary prevention trials that cholesterol lowering affects total mortality in healthy women, although the available data are limited. Limited evidence suggests that treatment of hypercholesterolemia in women with coronary disease may decrease CHD mortality. Future research should address the role of dietary and other nondrug treatment of hypercholesterolemia in women at high risk for CHD. | 2024-05-01T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3072 |
[The method of axonal stimulation (AS) for jitter evaluation in the diagnosis of neuromuscular transmission disorders].
The results of jitter measurements in 15 patients with myasthenia gravis and 10 control group persons are presented using single fiber emg (SFEMG) method during weak voluntary activation and intramuscular AS. The method of AS is described, advantages of its use in evaluation of neuromuscular transmission disorders, some limitations and technical traps that the investigator encounters are presented. Jitter values obtained by both methods are compared and existing differences are discussed taking into account two variants of jitter origin. | 2023-08-27T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/4605 |
On the go and no time to finish that story right now? Your News is the place for you to save content to read later from any device. Register with us and content you save will appear here so you can access them to read later.
However, he was friends with several members of the Petone Mongrel Mob chapter who lived in a nearby flat. When they were confronted by rival Rogue members from Porirua, he stepped in to try to help his mates and was shot during the fracas.
Shane Harrison, 43, and a 19-year-old man were charged with his murder and will stand trial in September.
The Herald can reveal Harrison is one of eight Mongrel Mob members to feature in a month-long exhibition of portraits by photographer Jono Rotman at the Gow Langsford Gallery.
Mr Matalasi's father, Iafeta, was shocked about the portrait.
"What this gallery is doing is immortalising him. It doesn't matter what their view is, that portrait is going to be around forever and to immortalise a person like this is actually wrong," he said.
"It's a big slap for me and my family. I want the photo excluded. It is utterly unacceptable, in my view."
"I cry every night. I look at my son's photo and I cry. We are already going through the court case, and now this. It's just wrong."
His partner, May Barnard, emailed the gallery yesterday explaining why the portrait upset her family.
Gallery director Gary Langsford said it would not be taken out of the exhibition.
"However, we do understand the concerns of the Matalasi family and will withdraw this image from any future publicity," he said.
"The image was sent out on Thursday last week as part of our normal process to alert all media to our upcoming exhibitions. We were unaware that the subject of the photo was awaiting trial for murder."
Mr Langsford said it was gallery policy "not to censor an artist's work", and the portraits "should be considered in the context of fine art".
He said the Herald was trying to "sensationalise these images".
Rotman acknowledged last week that there would be some "negative reactions" to his work. | 2023-10-17T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7396 |
Somebody get him before he pokes an eye out! This Forky Funko Pop! pin was made for soup, salad, maybe chili—and then your backpack. We hope he finds a way back to Bonnie in Disney•Pixar's Toy Story 4, but for now, you should give him a home.
A BoxLunch Exclusive!
1 1/2" tall
Enamel; metal
Imported
PayPal/Venmo is currently not accepted on Presale and Backorder items. | 2024-04-27T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3285 |
Jobs & Open Positions
WordPress Developer (full-time, remote) – Apply Below
WP Runner is a friendly Australian-based WordPress support business. We build and support many Australian WordPress websites.
We are currently looking for a remote WordPress Developer to join our team on a full-time basis.
This person will help us support our clients with many WordPress tasks from small fixes all the way up to full builds.
In a nutshell – we need someone who can work on highly customised WordPress websites for a guaranteed monthly salary.
In return we’ll look after you and do our best to support your growth. We will make you feel like a real part of our team and teach you everything we know about WordPress and web development.
Must have:
Knowledge of WordPress, PHP, JavaScript, CSS and HTML – knowing code is important since you’ll be required to write code to extend the functionality of plugins and themes
Basic knowledge of cPanel, PHPMyAdmin and FTP is also helpful so please mention it if you have experience there
Good written English is important too since you’ll be required to write short email replies to reply to our clients
An example of the type of work you might do is, fix a broken mobile menu in less than 30 minutes. That includes logging in to the client’s website, working out what the problem is, fixing it, testing your fix and then responding to the client using our support desk software.
We need someone with a good level of attention to detail so if you are interested in this role please add the words “WP Rockstar” somewhere in your application.
Please also send us a few samples of your previous work and a short explanation of why you think you would be a good fit for our team and your expected salary requirements.
We are looking for WordPress developers with an intermediate level of WordPress experience (2-5 years).
Note: This role is not basic theme installing. You will be required to write your own custom code for WordPress. | 2024-04-03T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3243 |
Q:
Can't call forAll on int[]
I'm reading Effective C# by Bill Wagner regarding query syntax and there is this example:
int[] foo = (from n in Enumerable.Range(0, 100)
select n * n).ToArray();
foo.ForAll((n) => Console.WriteLine(n.ToString()));
when testing it I get this error:
'int[]' does not contain a definition for 'ForAll' and no extension method 'ForAll' accepting a first argument of type 'int[]' could be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)
I used the following directives:
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
what else am I missing?
thanks in advance
update: testing on VS 2012 & .Net 4.5
both w.b and Ned Stoyanov answers work but not the example as it's in the book.
should I consider that just a wrong example?
I just noticed that AsParallel doesn't produce the expected result from the example.
Mentally running the example code it should print numbers from 0 to 99*99 in ascending order, while AsParallel prints the numbers but not the same order. So I guess AsParallel is not the exact answer, no?
A:
There is a ForAll in PLINQ, in which case your code should be:
foo.AsParallel().ForAll((n) => Console.WriteLine(n.ToString()));
Here is a link to the documentation. Note that AsParallel invokes the specified action for each entry in parallel and therefore not execute the lambda for each entry in the order of the entries in the enumerable.
A:
You omitted some important text from between those two lines of code, and immediately after them.
Excerpted from "Effective C# (Covers C# 4.0): 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#" by Bill Wagner:
int[] foo = (from n in Enumerable.Range(0, 100)
select n * n).ToArray();
You can then do a similar change to the second loop, although you'll also need to write an extension method to perform some action on all the elements:
foo.ForAll((n) => Console.WriteLine(n.ToString()));
The .NET BCL has a ForAll implementation in List<T>. It's juts as simple to create one for IEnumerable<T>:
public static class Extensions
{
public static void ForAll<T>(
this IEnumerable<T> sequence,
Action<T> action)
{
foreach (T item in sequence)
action(item);
}
}
He created a ForAll extension method himself, so you'll need to copy that code too for your program to compile. It's just an extension method that uses foreach to loop over the elements in foo and perform the Console.WriteLine() action on each of them.
| 2024-02-18T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7931 |
The perfect
kid-friendly
tea party food
, the origin of the PB&J Tahini Tea Cookie Sandwiches was a spontaneous snack-searching discovery. Using our
Tahini Tea Cookies
, some
all-natural peanut butter,
and fruit jam, you can create this indulging and satisfying flavor combination for a midday snack. Oh, and did we mention it’s a no-bake and easy-to-make treat?
This recipe, although seemingly simple, can be an inspiration for your own flavor creation. We used peanut butter, raspberry jam, and apricot jam, but the flavor possibilities are endless. If you or your kids don’t like peanut butter, you can substitute it with anything from almond butter, to sunbutter, to nutella. Try it with cherry preserves or orange marmalade.
These cute little bites can be eaten as sandwiches with both the peanut butter and the jam, or open-faced with only one of the spreads. Serve these sandwich cookies at tea parties, or as homemade desserts, or even snacks during breaks. Tell us your favorite flavor combinations of PB&J Tahini Tea Bites!
PB&J Tahini Tea Bites
Ingredients:
1 box of
Tahini Tea Cookies
4 tablespoons of peanut butter or your favorite alternative
4 tablespoons of raspberry jam or your favorite alternative
Method: | 2024-07-30T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6509 |
[The influence of interferon therapy on CNS function--from the aspects of quantitative EEG and biogenic amines].
Various CNS side effects have been reported since interferon (IFN) was introduced for the treatment of chronic active hepatitis C (CAHC) patients. Most reports of EEG changes after IFN therapy were inspective, and there is no report of quantitative EEG analysis. In this study, changes in quantitative EEG and biogenic amines after IFN therapy were studied to enable identification of CNS side effects early in CAHC patients. Before and 7 days after IFN therapy, EEG records and plasma and urinary amines were examined in 36 CAHC patients (46.9 +/- 12.3 years, 29 men and 7 women) who were hospitalized for the IFN therapy. After IFN therapy, no notable change in biogenic amines was recognized. On EEG, 13 patients (39.4%) showed increased slow wave activities and 2 patients (6.1%) showed paroxysmal discharges after IFN therapy. On quantitative EEG, the patients showed significantly increased absolute power in slow alpha, theta and delta bands and decreased absolute power in fast beta band (paired-T test). After IFN therapy, 4 of 36 patients developed psychiatric disorders; 2 patients developed depressive symptoms and 2 other patients developed manic states. One depressive patient and one manic patient had 6 Hz spike and slow waves before IFN therapy. On quantitative EEG, the other manic patient had shown significantly increased absolute power in slow alpha and decreased power in fast alpha and beta bands, and the other depressive patient had shown significantly increased absolute power in fast theta band and decreased power in fast beta band before the development of the psychiatric disorders. These results suggest that the changes of quantitative EEG, between before and 7 days after IFN therapy, can be useful in assessing the risk for the development of psychiatric symptoms induced by IFN therapy. It also suggests that patients with slight EEG abnormality such as a 6 Hz spike and slow waves before IFN therapy need careful observation. | 2023-11-07T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/6749 |
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Category Archives: travel
The mother with the daughter reminds an icon; an icon of togetherness and dependence , dependence to each other.The icon enlightens a feeling of shelter; an attachment that brings safety and security to each other and the world around.So, being in such an attachment provides a light around the world to kindle affection and intimacy among the generations and the geography of different regions of the globe in order to flourish affection and affinity in each individual regardless of the creed….,
It is curious to see that the young and the old people sitting behind the glass windows before the dining table to have their meals, especially in the morning.While the young are upright awaiting their dishes, the old ones remain inclined towards themselves before having what they have had for the breakfast !The glass windows reflecting the morning lights make a halo behind each so as to enlighten their lively attitude of age and taste.!
The waysides of this July were sprang up in full blooms of the season in the Islands of Seychelles.The Silky magnetic White and Pink petals unveiled the magnificent rejuvenating spirits of Nature and the heavenly ecstasy brought out by the plants upon the landscape that proclaims the essential aspects of visual richness and pleasing harmony of colors and fragrance surpassing
THE PETALS IN PINK AND WHITE AND THE BUDS IN A BUNCH
the boundaries of time and space!!
THE HEAVENLY HARMONY AND CONTRAST OF COLORS AND FORMS IN BRIGHT LIGHTS | 2024-06-18T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3730 |
Q:
Extending the behavior of an inherited function in Python
Let's say we have the following classes:
class Base(object):
def load(self):
# do logic A
# do logic B
class Child(Base):
def load(self):
# do logic C
I know decorators can be used to extend function behavior in Python but I don't know how I can apply it in my case.
When Child's load() is called, how can I get the following code executions in this order?:
logic A
logic C
logic B
What I don't want to do
class Base(object)
def logicA()
pass
def logicB()
pass
def load()
pass
class Child(Base):
def load(self):
super.logicA()
# do logic C
super.logicB()
I just want to code up logic C, without having to explicitly call logic A and B
A:
You mean something like this:
class Base(object):
def load(self):
print('do logic A')
print('do logic B')
class Child(Base):
def load(self):
super().load()
print('do logic C')
c = Child()
c.load()
This will print:
do logic A
do logic B
do logic C
The only other way I can think of is this one:
class Base(object):
def load(self):
print('do logic A')
self.new_logic() # call new logic from child class, if exist.
print('do logic B')
def new_logic(self):
# overwrite this one in child class
pass
class Child(Base):
def new_logic(self):
print('do logic C')
c = Child()
c.load()
This prints:
do logic A
do logic C
do logic B
| 2023-11-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9382 |
#!/usr/bin/perl -w
# Pragma ------------------------------
use 5.006;
use strict;
# Utility -----------------------------
use Getopt::Long 2.19 qw( GetOptions );
my $prefix;
GetOptions('prefix=s' => \$prefix,)
or die "Options parsing failed";
my @cmd = ($^X => 'Makefile.PL');
push @cmd, "PREFIX=$prefix"
if defined $prefix;
exec @cmd;
| 2023-08-05T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7666 |
Q:
Enqueueing scripts if a file exists
I work with wordpress on my child theme.
My site is installed into mydomain.xx/install, but runs from mydomain.xx.
My functions.php works and looks like this:
<?php
/* Script in head */
function carica_scripts() {
/* Common scripts */
// insert scripts here, if some
/* Page-based script */
$pageId = get_the_ID();
$pageType = get_post_type();
$myBaseURL = get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/js/';
/* Page-type scripts */
if($pageType == "product") {
wp_enqueue_script('CondAll', $myBaseURL . 'CondAll.js', array('jquery'));
wp_enqueue_script('CondShipping', $myBaseURL . 'CondShipping.js', array('jquery'));
}
/* Page-id scripts */
if($pageId == "1") {
wp_enqueue_script('Cond1', $myBaseURL . 'Cond1.js', array('jquery'));
}
if($pageId == "294") {
wp_enqueue_script('Cond294', $myBaseURL . 'Cond294.js', array('jquery'));
}
if($pageId == "318") {
wp_enqueue_script('Cond318', $myBaseURL . 'Cond318.js', array('jquery'));
}
if($pageId == "232") {
wp_enqueue_script('Cond232', $myBaseURL . 'Cond232.js', array('jquery'));
}
/* END of page-based script */
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'carica_scripts' );
?>
What I want to achieve is avoiding all the ifs on $pageId, and to auto-enqueue jQuery script CodXXX.js on page id XXX if the relative file exists in the subdirectory /js/ of my child theme.
A:
file_exists() expects an absolute path to a file rather than a URL.
Use get_stylesheet_directory() to get the path you need. Also get_the_ID() shouldn't be used outside of the loop.
Example:
/*
* Enqueue CondXXX.js on page XXX if file CondXXX.js exists
*/
function carica_scripts() {
global $post;
// Check we're on a page.
if ( ! is_page() ) {
return false;
}
// Build the filename to check.
$handle = 'Cond' . $post->ID;
$relpath = '/js/' . $handle . '.js';
// Get path + url to file.
$file_path = get_stylesheet_directory() . $relpath;
$file_url = get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . $relpath;
if ( file_exists( $file_path ) ) {
wp_enqueue_script( $handle, $file_url, array( 'jquery' ) );
}
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'carica_scripts' );
A:
The answer given by Nathan Dawson does not work in my case, I had to do some workarounds. I ended up with the following code:
/* Load scripts in head */
function carica_scripts() {
/* Common scripts */
/* END of common scripts */
/* Page-based script */
$pageId = get_the_ID();
$pageType = get_post_type();
$handle = 'Cond' . $pageId;
$file = $handle .'.js';
$relPath = '/js/';
$styleSheet_path = get_stylesheet_directory();
$domain_base = 'mydomain.it/public_html/';
$start_pos = strpos ( $styleSheet_path, $domain_base) + strlen ($domain_base);
$basePath = substr ( $styleSheet_path, $start_pos); // I need everything after 'mydomain.it/public_html/'
$file_path = $basePath. $relPath . $file;
$enqueue_path = get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . $relPath;
$enqueue_file = $enqueue_path . $file;
/* if page-type is ... (product, in this case) */
if($pageType == "product") {
wp_enqueue_script('CondAll', $enqueue_path . 'CondAll.js', array('jquery'));
wp_enqueue_script('CondShipping', $enqueue_path . 'CondShipping.js', array('jquery'));
}
/* If page id is... (1, in this case - because page 1 is not product but I want CondAll here too) */
if($pageId == "1") {
wp_enqueue_script('CondAll', $enqueue_path . 'CondAll.js', array('jquery'));
}
/* auto load script CondXXX.js from subdir js/ if file exists */
if ( file_exists( $file_path ) ) {
wp_enqueue_script( $handle, $enqueue_file, array( 'jquery' ) );
}
/* END of page-based script */
}
add_action( 'wp_enqueue_scripts', 'carica_scripts' );
Now the the scripts load.
| 2024-02-21T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/2563 |
Revised. Amendments from Version 1
==================================
We discuss further in the Introduction, the differences of ChemMaps with other similar approaches. We updated the Figures 1-3 for better visibility. Dataset 1 has been updated to also contain HDAC1 compounds used in the study. We have expanded the perspectives of the work in the Conclusion. The Supplementary File has been updated with Supplementary Methods, Supplementary Results and Table S1, containing the curation of the database and PCA details. Supplementary Figures S1-S4 have been revised, and we added a new Supplementary Figure 5 comparing the variance percentage contribution of the PCs for each studied database.
Introduction
============
Visual representation of chemical space has multiple implications in drug discovery for virtual screening, library design and comparison of compound collections, among others ^[@ref-1]^. Amongst the multiple methods to explore chemical space, principal component analysis (PCA) of pairwise similarity matrices computed with structural fingerprints has been used to analyze compound datasets ^[@ref-2],\ [@ref-3]^. A drawback of this approach is that it becomes impractical for large libraries due to the large dimension of the similarity matrix ^[@ref-4]^. Other approaches use molecular representations different from structural fingerprints, such as physicochemical properties or complexity descriptors, or methods different from PCA, such as multidimensional-scaling and neural networks ^[@ref-5],\ [@ref-6]^.
In representation of the chemical space based on PCA there have been "chemical satellite" approaches, such as ChemGPS, which select satellites molecules that might not be included in the database to visualize, but have extreme features that place them as outliers, with the intention to reach as much of the chemical space as possible ^[@ref-7]--\ [@ref-10]^. Also, a related and more recent approach, Similarity Mapplet, makes possible the visualization of very large chemical libraries, by considering PCA of different molecular features, including structural ^[@ref-11]^.
Although we concur with the fact that not all compounds in a compound data set should be necessary to generate a meaningful chemical space, there are still obvious limitations of using a fixed set of satellites to which the user is blinded. Also, until now there was no proposal of such a method based on structural similarity.
We therefore suggest the hybrid approach, ChemMaps, in which a portion of the database to be represented is used as satellite, thereby decreasing the computational effort required to compute the similarity matrix without losing adaptability of the method to any particular database. Since it is expected that more diverse sets would require more satellites, a second goal of this study was to qualitatively explore the relationship between the internal diversity of compound datasets and the fraction of compounds required as satellites, in order to generate a good approximation of the chemical space.
Methods
=======
[Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"} summarizes the six compound data sets considered in this study. Note that small median similarity values imply higher diversity. The datasets were selected from a large scale study of profiling epigenetic datasets (unpublished study, Naveja JJ and Medina-Franco JL) with relevance in epigenetic-drug discovery. We also included DrugBank as a control diverse dataset ^[@ref-12]^. Briefly, we selected focused libraries of inhibitors of DNMT1 (a DNA-methyltransferase; library diverse 2D and 3D), L3MBTL3 (a histone methylation reader; diverse 3D and less diverse 2D), SMARCA2 (a chromatin remodeller; diverse 2D, less diverse 3D), and CREBBP (a histone acetyltransferase; less diverse both 2D and 3D). Datasets were selected based on their different internal diversity (as measured with Tanimoto index/MACCS keys for 2D measurements and Tanimoto combo/OMEGA-ROCS for 3D; see [Figure S1](#SF1){ref-type="other"} in [Supplementary File 1](#SF1){ref-type="other"}). Data sets in this work have approximately the same number of compounds except for HDAC1 and DrugBank, which were selected to benchmark the method in larger databases ( [Table 2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). We evaluated 2D diversity using the median of Tanimoto/MACCS similarity measures in KNIME version 3.3.2, and 3D diversity using the median of Combo Score from the ROCS, version 3.2.2 and OMEGA, version 2.5.1, OpenEye software ^[@ref-13]--\ [@ref-15]^.
###### Compound data sets used in the study.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dataset Description Size 2D\ 2D\ 3D\
similarity ^[a](#fn1){ref-type="other"}^ similarity ^[b](#fn1){ref-type="other"}^ similarity ^[c](#fn1){ref-type="other"}^
-------------------- --------------------------- ------- ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------
DNMT1 inhibitors DNA-methyltransferase 244 0.44 0.12 0.16
SMARCA2 inhibitors Chromatin remodeller 220 0.51 0.15 0.23
CREBBP inhibitors Histone acetyltransferase 178 0.67 0.22 0.16
L3MBTL3 inhibitors Histone methylation\ 115 0.77 0.41 0.03
reader
HDAC1 inhibitors Histone acetyltransferase 3,257 0.49 0.16 0.12
DrugBank Approved drugs 1,900 0.35 NC NC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
^a^Median of Tanimoto/MACCS similarity; ^b^Median of Tanimoto/ECFP4 similarity; ^c^Median of OMEGA-ROCS similarity; NC: not calculated
To assess the hypothesis of this work we performed two main approaches A): *Backwards approach*: start with computing the full similarity matrix of each data set and remove compounds systematically; and B) *Forward approach:* start adding compounds to the similarity matrix until finding the reduced number of required compounds (called 'satellites') to reach a visualization of the chemical space that is very similar to computing the full similarity matrix. The second approach would be the usual and realistic approach from a user standpoint. Each method is further detailed in the next two subsections.
Backwards approach
------------------
The following steps were implemented in an automated workflow in KNIME, version 3.3.2 ^[@ref-17]^:
1\. For each compound in the dataset with *N* compounds, generate the *N* X *N* similarity matrix using Tanimoto/extended connectivity fingerprints radius 4 (ECFP4) generated with CDK KNIME nodes.
2\. Perform PCA of the similarity matrix generated in step 1 and selected the first 2 or 3 principal components (PCs).
3\. Compute all pair-wise Euclidean distances based on the scores of the 2 or 3 PCs generated in step 2. The set of distances are later used as reference or ' *gold standard*'. It should be noted that the "real" distances or true gold standard would consider the whole distance matrix. However, for visualization purposes it is unfeasible to render more than 3 dimensions. Therefore, we selected as reference the best 2D or 3D visualization possible by means of PCA.
4\. Repeat steps 1 to 3 with one compound as satellite, generating an *N X 1* similarity matrix. The first compound was selected randomly. In this case, for example, it is only possible to calculate one PC, but as the number of satellites increases, we can again compute 2 or 3 PCs.
5\. Calculate the correlation among the pairwise distances generated in step 2 obtained using the whole matrix (e.g., *gold standard*) and those obtained in step 4.
6\. Iterate over steps 4 and 5 increasing the number of satellites one by one until *N - 1* satellites are reached. To select the second, third, etc. compounds, two approaches were followed: select compounds at random and select compounds with the largest diversity to the previously selected (i.e., Max-Min approach).
7\. Estimate the proportion of satellite compounds required to preserve a 'high' (of at least 0.9) correlation.
8\. The prior steps were repeated five times for each dataset in order to capture the stability of the method.
Forward approach
----------------
The former approach is useful only for validation purposes of the methodology as a proof-of-principle. However, the obvious objective of a satellite-approach is to avoid the calculation of the complete similarity matrix e.g., step 1 in backwards approach. To this end, we developed a satellite-adding or forward approach, in contrast with the formerly introduced backwards approach. We started with 25% of the database as satellites and for each iteration we added 5% until the correlation of the pairwise Euclidean distances remains high (at least 0.9). A further description of the methods for standardizing the chemical data and integrating the dataset can be found in the Supplementary material, as well as a further description of the PCA analysis used.
######
No special software is required to open the SDF files. Any commercial or free software capable of reading SDF files will open the data sets supplied.
######
Click here for additional data file.
Copyright: © 2017 Naveja JJ and Medina-Franco JL
2017
Data associated with the article are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Zero \"No rights reserved\" data waiver (CC0 1.0 Public domain dedication).
Results
=======
Backwards approach
------------------
In this pilot study, we assessed a few variables to tune up the method, such as the number of PCs used (2 or 3) and the selection of satellites at random or by diversity. We found that selection at random is more stable, above all in less diverse datasets ( [Figure 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"} and [Figure 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}; [Figure S2](#SF1){ref-type="other"} and [Figure S3](#SF1){ref-type="other"}). Likewise, selecting 2 PCs the performance is slightly better and more stable (compare [Figure 1](#f1){ref-type="fig"} and [Figure 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"} against [Figure S2](#SF1){ref-type="other"} and [Figure S3](#SF1){ref-type="other"}).
{#f1}
{#f2}
Therefore, from this point onwards we will focus on the results of the at random satellites selection and using 2 PCs ( [Figure 2](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). From the four datasets, we conclude that for datasets with lower 2D diversity (CREBBP and L3MBTL3, see [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}), around 25% of satellite compounds are enough to obtain a high correlation (≥ 0.9) with the gold standard (e.g., PCA on the whole matrix), *w*hereas for 2D-diverse datasets i.e., DNMT1 and SMARCA2, up to 75% of the compounds could be needed to ensure a high correlation. Nonetheless, even for these datasets, using 25% of the compounds as satellites the correlation with the gold standard is already between 0.6 and 0.8; using 50% of the compounds as satellites the correlation is between 0.7 and 0.9. Hence, the higher the diversity of a dataset (especially 2D), the higher the number of satellites required.
Forward approach
----------------
Evidently, a useful method for reducing computing time and disk space usage should not use the PCA on the whole similarity matrix to determine an adequate number of satellites for each dataset. With that in mind, we decided to design a method that starts with a given percentage of the database as satellites, and then keeps adding a proportion of them until the correlation between the former and the updated data is of at least 0.9. In [Figure 3](#f3){ref-type="fig"} we depict this approach on the same databases in [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"} for step sizes of 5% and starting from zero. Similarly as what we saw in the backwards method, around 5 steps (25% of the database) are usually necessary to reach a stable, high correlation between steps. [Figure S4](#SF1){ref-type="other"} shows that for step sizes of 10% there is no further improvement. Therefore we suggest that the method should, for default, start with 25% of compounds as satellites and then keep adding 5% until a correlation between steps of at least 0.9 is reached.
{#f3}
Application
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In this pilot study we applied the ChemMaps method to visualize the chemical space of two larger datasets (HDAC1 and DrugBank with 3,257 and 1,900 compounds, respectively, [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). As shown in [Table 2](#T2){ref-type="table"}, a significant reduction in time performance was achieved as compared to the gold standard, and the correlation between the gold standard and the satellites approach was in both cases higher than 0.9. [Figure 4](#f4){ref-type="fig"} depicts the chemical spaces generated in both instances. Although the orientation of the map changed for HDAC1, the shape and distances remain quite similar, which is the main objective. This preliminary work supports the hypothesis that a reduced number of compounds is sufficient to generate a visual representation of the chemical space (based on PCA of the similarity matrix) that is quite similar to the chemical space of the PCA of the full similarity matrix.
###### Benchmark with larger databases.
-------------------------------------------------------
Database Gold standard\ Satellites\ Correlation
timing (s) timing (s)
---------- ---------------- ------------- -------------
DrugBank 162 147 0.92
HDAC1 406 287 0.99
-------------------------------------------------------
{#f4}
Conclusion and future directions
================================
This proof-of-concept study suggests that using the adaptive satellite compounds ChemMaps is a plausible approach to generate a reliable visual representation of the chemical space based on PCA of similarity matrices. The approach works better for relatively less-diverse datasets, although it seems to remain robust when applied to more diverse datasets. For datasets with small diversity, fewer satellites seem to be enough to produce a representative visual representation of the chemical space. The higher relevance of 2D diversity over 3D in this study could be importantly related to the fact that the chemical space depiction is based on 2D fingerprints. Therefore, the performance of the methods depicting the chemical space based on 3D fingerprints could also be assessed.
A major next step is to conduct a full benchmark study to assess the general applicability of the approach proposed herein, and also in larger databases, in which we anticipate this method would be even more useful. A second step is to propose a metric that determines the number of compounds required as satellites for PCA representation of the chemical space based on similarity matrices. As well, it is pending the development of quantitative metrics for assessing the stability of the satellites selection and thus conclusively establish the superiority of at random satellite selection. Finally, a more comprehensive and in-depth study of this new methodology should be addressed, in order to further characterise its applicability domain, including a dataset diversity threshold above which the confiability of the approach decreases.
Data availability
=================
The data referenced by this article are under copyright with the following copyright statement: Copyright: © 2017 Naveja JJ and Medina-Franco JL
Data associated with the article are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Zero \"No rights reserved\" data waiver (CC0 1.0 Public domain dedication). <http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/>
**Dataset 1. This file contains the six compound datasets used in this work in SDF format.** No special software is required to open the SDF files. Any commercial or free software capable of reading SDF files will open the data sets supplied. <http://dx.doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.12095.d171632> ^[@ref-18]^
Insightful discussions with Dr. Jakyung Yoo (Daewoong Life Science Research Institute) are highly appreciated. The authors thank OpenEye for the academic license granted.
Supplementary material {#SM1}
======================
**Supplementary File 1: File with supporting methods, results and five figures.** Figure S1: 3D-Consensus Diversity Plot depicting the diversity of the datasets used for the backwards approach; Figure S2: Backwards analysis with 3PCs picking satellites by diversity; Figure S3: Backwards analysis with 3PCs picking satellites at random; Figure S4: Forward analysis with 2PCs picking satellites at random with step sizes of 10%; Figure S5: Plot of the percentage of variance explained by each principal component in the studied datasets.
Click here for additional data file.
10.5256/f1000research.13342.r24805
Referee response for version 2
Maggiora
Gerald
1
Referee
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1839-2650
BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
8
9
2017
Version 2
Although the main issue I raised in my earlier review regarding the 'gold standard' was not addressed, the authors did make mention of the issue, and they did address some of it in Figure S5. While I'm not totally satisfied with this, I feel that their work is ready for publication, but with the reservation regarding the issue just mentioned. This issue should be considered in more detail in their future work.
The authors have made some helpful improvements in their manuscript, but there are still some issues they may want to consider to further improve it, although it is not necessary for them to do so.
Step 1 in the 'Backwards approach' is unclear. Perhaps an example would help clarify exactly what is being done. I could not reproduce Step 1 as it is currently written.In step 3 of the 'Backwards approach' the authors state that:Compute all pair-wise Euclidean distances based on the scores of the 2 or 3 PCs generated in step 2. The set of distances are later used as reference or ' *gold standard*'. It should be noted that the "real" distances or true gold standard would consider the whole distance matrix. [However, for visualization purposes it is unfeasible to render more than 3 dimensions.]{.ul} Therefore, we selected as reference the best 2D or 3D visualization possible by means of PCA.With regard to the underlined text in the authors' statement above, I believe they are missing the point. The reason for considering the full or a significant subspace for a given compound collection and not the 2- or 3-dimensional subspaces derived from a PCA has nothing to do with the impossibility of rendering the data in more than three dimensions because this 'gold standard' is not going to be graphically depicted. The important point is that the distances calculated in this space are exact within the limitations of the methodology and means of data collection used. Hence, they form the best 'gold standard' that can be achieved within these limitations. The difficulty with this approach is the need to compute Euclidean distances in the full higher-dimensional space, which may require some additional work. However, this distance matrix need only be computed once. I feel the authors should consider this in the future work. Alternatively, the authors need not necessarily involve the complete space, but they should chose a subspace of sufficient dimension to ensure that a significant percentage of the variance, say greater than 90%, is accounted for as a basis for the gold standard. In Step 8 the terminology 'prior steps' is used. Does this include all prior steps? I think it would be clear to name the actual steps as is done in earlier steps in this section, e.g. step 4 states "Repeat steps 4 and 5 increasing..."Although unnecessary, might the authors comment on less well behave character associated with the iterations of the DNMT1 inhibitors dataset compared to the other datasets depicted in Figure 1.Line 2 in the 'Forward approach' should read: "... e.g., step 1 in [the]{.ul} backwards approach."If I understand the %variance plots in Figure S5 correctly, it seems that the %variance for two PCs are for three of the databases greater than or equal to 50%, but three are less than 50%, with the SMARCA2 database only reaching about 20%. Is the %variance in the latter three cases, but especially for the SMARCA2 database, sufficient to provide a basis for a reasonably faithful representation for all of the respective datasets?
I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard, however I have significant reservations, as outlined above.
10.5256/f1000research.13342.r24807
Referee response for version 2
Osolodkin
Dmitry I.
1
2
Referee
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0462-2945
Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS, Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
14
8
2017
Version 2
I thank the authors for addressing most of the issues. However, two problems still appear. The authors say that \"selecting 2 PCs the performance is slightly better and more stable (compare [Figure 1](https://f1000research.com/articles/6-1134/v2#f1) and [Figure 2](https://f1000research.com/articles/6-1134/v2#f2) against [Figure S2](https://f1000research.com/articles/6-1134/v2#SF1) and [Figure S3](https://f1000research.com/articles/6-1134/v2#SF1))\" than with 3 PCs. When I compare Figure 1 with Figure S2, it seems to me that 3 PCs are at least not worse than 2 PCs, and maybe even slightly better on the basis of smaller difference between runs. Thus, without a quantitative measure it cannot be said that performance of 2 PCs is better, it may be only said that 3 PCs do not provide improvement over 2 PCs (though it is not obvious from the plots), and if 3 PCs scheme has higher computational demands, it may also be mentioned.The compound standardisation procedure (Supplementary Methods) looks as it is taken from a different manuscript. For example, compound activity is mentioned, although not used in this study. It is also not stated that standardisation procedure was not applied to DrugBank (at least to the SDF file available in the supplementary dataset).
I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard, however I have significant reservations, as outlined above.
10.5256/f1000research.13342.r24806
Referee response for version 2
Reymond
Jean-Louis
1
Referee
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-2942
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
7
8
2017
Version 2
Thanks for citing our paper on similarity maps. However the key point is missing: in our 2015 paper (Awale & Reymond 2015) we computed similarity values for all ChEMBL molecules (\> 1 million) to only 100 molecules used as reference (the same as \"satellites\" here), and not the full similarity matrix. We then performed a PCA of the resulting similarity fingerprint to obtain a 2D-map (see the interactive \"similarity-mapplets\" web portal at www.gdb.unibe.ch). We have also published another implementation of similarity maps to visuzalize the Protein DataBank, using the same principle of choosing a limited set of sattelites only (Jin *et al. *2015).
The authors are doing exactly the same similarity calculation here using a limited set of reference compounds, as we did then, nothing is new. What is interesting in the present report is to look at how the selected set of \"satellites\" influences the PCA-map.
I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard, however I have significant reservations, as outlined above.
Medina-Franco
José L.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
8
8
2017
Dear Dr. Reymond, thank you for your feedback. Following your comment in our initial submission (point 1 in your report), we have acknowledged your approach. Indeed, ChemMaps is highly related to your work (as well as to Chem-GPS). A key difference, however, ChemMaps is meant to analyze individual data sets of compounds that might be included or not in ChEMBL or Protein Data Bank. This would be useful for corporate databases. We are not proposing a defined set of standard compounds or satellites. The set of satellites would be \"dynamic\" and dependent on the data sets.
10.5256/f1000research.13086.r24277
Referee response for version 1
Reymond
Jean-Louis
1
Referee
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2724-2942
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
31
7
2017
Version 1
J. Jesús Naveja *et al* present a methodology for representation of chemical space of small sets of compounds. In general, the approach involves selection of satellite compounds from the database, computing the similarities of all compounds in the database to these satellites, and finally projection of the resulting similarity matrix using principal component analysis. J. Jesús Naveja *et al* further report various methods for selecting satellite compounds (backward or forward selection approach; selection at random or selection by diversity check) and show how the number of selected satellite compounds influence the quality of projection.
Comments: The authors are completely hiding the fact that similarity mapping is quite well-known and absolutely not new, the authors should read and cite Awale et al., J. Chem. Inf. Model., 2015, 55 (8), pp 1509--1516 and the detailed discussion of literature precedents on similarity mapping presented therein.The authors compare their satellites to the satellite compounds used by T. Oprea in his 2001 approach to mapping chemical space. Obviously either they did not read Oprea's paper or they misunderstood it: Oprea's satellites are artificial molecules with extreme properties such as to orient the PCA projection and stretch its dimensions in reproducible directions. However the projection is simply PCA, and does not involve similarity mapping. In similarity mapping the satellites are molecules from within the database to which similarities are calculated.In the abstract, author mentioned that "3D diversity played a secondary role, although it becomes increasingly relevant as 2D diversity increases". However, I didn\'t found the relevant explanation in main text supporting this statement.Figure 1 and Figure 2: The five random sets in the legend. Its not clear exactly what the author meant by five random sets. As per my understanding the author used the complete set of compounds for each target and what is changing is the random selection of satellites, which is repeated for five times.In case of forward selection approach: "..With that in mind, we decided to design a method that starts with a given percentage of the database as satellites, and then keeps adding a proportion of them until the correlation between the former and the updated data is of at least 0.9. " The correlation between projections obtained from the current set of satellites and projections obtained from former set of satellites might well be high, but still the correlation to the projection obtained from the complete similarity matrix is low. How one can assure the quality of projection in this case?For all plots axis labels are too small to read.
I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard.
Medina-Franco
José L.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
2
8
2017
Dear Dr. Reymond, thank you for your comments to this Research Note.
Regarding the modifications we have done considering your comments: In the Introduction we briefly discuss other similarity approaches to visualize the chemical space. We have expanded that discussion there with a reference to the Similarity Mapplet approach.We did not intend to imply that Oprea's and Gottfires' ChemGPS approach is based on structural similarity. To clarify this point we rephrased that in the introduction.In the corresponding Figures legends we changed "random sets" with "iterations".We added to the Supplementary Information a discussion on the correlation of the complete similarity matrix Euclidean distances and using only 2 and 3PCs. However, we would like to highlight that our approach is intended to approximate the best possible chemical space visualization using PCA. This last is given by the first 3PCs at most.We augmented the font size in all figures.
10.5256/f1000research.13086.r24276
Referee response for version 1
Osolodkin
Dmitry I.
1
2
Referee
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0462-2945
Institute of Poliomyelitis and Viral Encephalitides, Chumakov FSC R&D IBP RAS, Moscow, Russian Federation
Department of Chemistry, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
28
7
2017
Version 1
The paper under consideration presents an elegant approach to efficient mapping of chemical space using principal component analysis. Being technically sound in general, well-written and easily understandable, the paper lacks several technical details without which it is not complete. In particular:
The concept of \'chemical satellites\' is discussed in a rather concise manner, a bit more details may be added and the seminal paper by Oprea & Gottfries \[1\] needs to be cited. The approach suggested here is rather different from the Oprea\'s one, because satellites are defined there as intentional outliers, whereas in the current work they are just extracted from the mapped dataset. This difference should be stated in a clearer way.Dataset processing routine is not presented. Although the suggested technique would work on totally random datasets (by the way, addition of such a dataset to the list of examples would be beneficial and illustrative), standardization of structures should be performed for consistency and for more informative application of similarity measures. Targeted datasets in the supplement look standardized, but DrugBank contains metal ions, unconnected molecules, and macromolecules, all of which may significantly distort the comparison. For HDAC1 inhibitors the procedure to obtain this dataset from ChEMBL should be provided, because simple target keyword search for \'hdac1\' gives 9 different datasets.Diversity of datasets may be additionally illustrated by any of currently available visualization methods. A method that clearly shows compound clustering or diversity of the dataset would be preferred.Visual comparison of figures is not sufficient to make conclusions about preference of random selection over diversity-based (Figures 1, 2, S2, S3). Differences are visible, but their importance and significance are not obvious (maybe just for me), so use of a quantitative measure would be highly appreciated. Random selection shows sometimes lower stability of the backwards analysis (larger difference between the iterations), and this observation could be discussed.Some analysis of the technique applicability domain would significantly improve the conclusions of the paper. One parameter that deserves attention is dataset diversity threshold above which the technique becomes unstable or less useful. Will it work good for totally random or intentionally diverse compounds or for datasets with two or three large congeneric series? A slightly more thorough characterization of example datasets would be useful to deal with this question.
I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard, however I have significant reservations, as outlined above.
Medina-Franco
José L.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
2
8
2017
Dear Dr Osolodkin, thank you, we highly appreciate your comments to this Research Note.
Regarding the modifications we have done considering your comments: We added a citation to the first publication related to ChemGPS by Oprea and Gottfries. In the Introduction, we further, although briefly (given the extension limit of a Research Note), explained the differences among these two approaches.We added a Supplementary Information file describing the data curation methodology used. -We also added the HDAC1 dataset to the supplementary files.Supplementary Figure 1 should address the visualization of the diversity of the datasets.We find quite interesting your observation about quantifying the stability of the iterations, as well as that about determining the applicability domain of the approach (including defining a diversity threshold). Based on this Research Note we are planning an extensive study fully addressing these concerns.
10.5256/f1000research.13086.r24274
Referee response for version 1
Maggiora
Gerald
1
Referee
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1839-2650
BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
20
7
2017
Version 1
Graphically representing coordinate-based chemical spaces requires some type of dimensionality reduction. One method involves the use of similarity matrices treated as data matrices that are subsequently subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). The first two or three PCs are then used as a basis to graphically depict the chemical space. Although this approach works reasonably well, the size of chemical spaces that can be treated is somewhat limited, since the PCA transformation requires diagonalizing a matrix whose dimension is equal to the number of molecules in the chemical space of interest. The work of Naveja and Medina-Franco seeks to overcome this limitation by building a lower dimensional representation of chemical space in a stepwise manner using "backwards" or "forward" procedures. While the method has the potential for accomplishing their goals, it does not in my estimation provide a sufficiently rigorous test of the approximations that are the foundation of their approach. For this reason additional work needs to be done before their method can be applied with confidence.
My objection is based on the authors' use of the first 2 or 3 PCs as the 'gold standard' for representing of the entire chemical space, and as a basis for all subsequent comparisons of the approximate chemical spaces. I would at least like to see what percent of the total sample variance is accounted for by these PCs. If it is an insignificant amount, then approximating these PCs by whatever method will not produce a sufficiently accurate model of the chemical space and their model will have to be improved. The true 'gold standard' is the original set of column vectors in their data matrix from which the PCs are obtained. This will produce the 'true' distance between 'molecular points' in the full dimensional chemical space, but because of its very high dimension computing distances in the original chemical space can be a problem. An alternative is to carry out the PCA and choose a larger subset of PCs (say 6 or 8) that do account for most of the sample variance and then use these in the correlation or error analysis.
I have read this submission. I believe that I have an appropriate level of expertise to confirm that it is of an acceptable scientific standard, however I have significant reservations, as outlined above.
Medina-Franco
José L.
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
**Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
27
7
2017
Dear Dr. Maggiora,
We thank you for your feedback on this Application Note. We entirely agree with your comment that if the variance captured by the first 2 or 3 PCs is not high enough, the visual representation of the chemical space will not be meaningful. For the data sets included in this work, we have seen that the variance is high. We also agree that formally speaking the ´true gold standard´ would involve computing the distances for the full matrix. Based on your feedback we are preparing a revised version of this manuscript.
[^1]: **Competing interests:**No competing interests were disclosed.
| 2023-08-10T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9636 |
Can preoperative radiographic parameters be used to predict fusion in non-instrumented posterolateral fusion for degenerative spondylolisthesis?
Prospective cohort. To determine whether preoperative radiographic parameters (translation, angular motion, and lateral disc height) can predict fusion status in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent a single-level decompression and non-instrumented posterolateral fusion using autogenous iliac crest bone graft. Non-instrumented posterolateral fusion is sometimes considered in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis who do not have radiographic evidence of instability. No previous study has attempted to determine whether preoperative radiographic parameters can be used to predict successful fusion. A prospective, randomized, controlled, multicenter clinical study was previously conducted to compare the outcomes of osteogenic protein 1 (BMP-7) putty to autogenous iliac crest bone graft for single-level non-instrumented posterolateral fusion for the treatment of symptomatic degenerative spondylolisthesis with spinal stenosis. A total of 90 patients who were randomized to the autograft group formed the basis of this study, 67 of whom had data on the 3 radiographic parameters. Preoperative and postoperative radiographs were evaluated by 2 independent observers. The spine was determined to be fused if there was presence of continuous bone bridging between the transverse processes, an angulation of ≤5°, and a translational movement of ≤3 mm on flexion/extension radiographs of the affected level. Forty-two (63%) of the 67 patients had a radiographic fusion. The mean preoperative translation in this group was 1.87 mm (range, 0.3-7.35 mm), the angular motion was 4.44° (range, 0.1°-12.1°), and the lateral disc height was 8.74 mm (range, 0.2-15.34 mm). Twenty-five (37%) of the 67 patients had a radiographic pseudarthrosis. The mean preoperative translation in the pseudarthrosis group was 1.20 mm (range, 0-3.55 mm), the angular motion was 4.66° (range, 1.1°-12.95°), and the lateral disc space height was 8.10 mm (range, 1.98-13.315 mm). There was no significant difference in these 3 parameters between the fusion and the pseudarthrosis group. These results indicate that preoperative radiographic parameters that may indicate the absence of gross instability in degenerative spondylolisthesis are not reliable in predicting radiographic fusion in a single-level non-instrumented fusion. | 2024-04-06T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8407 |
Few things are more distinctive than the bitter zest of a hoppy beer. Hops, the flower of of the plant Humulus lupulus, has been used to give hoppy beers that characteristic flavor for centuries. But hops are expensive and require lots of water to grow. So scientists figured out how to do without. As Douglas Quenqua reports for The New York Times, Charles Denby, a biochemist at the University of California, Berkeley, and his colleagues have created a beer that tastes and smells hoppy — sans hops.
Denby works in a lab that uses plant molecules called terpenes to create sustainable fuel. But he is also a home brewer, Quenqua writes. When Denby learned that some terpenes could mimic the taste of hops, he decided to experiment.
The goal was to craft a brew with the flavor of Cascade hops, a popular variety used in many craft ales and India Pale Ales (IPAs). So the researchers first isolated the various oils naturally produced by hops, writes Quartz’s Katherine Ellen Foley. Once they found other plants that naturally produce the same oils, they isolated the genes that created the distinctive zest. After several trials, they found that genes from mint and basil worked best.
The team genetically modified strands of DNA from brewer's yeast, an essential ingredient in beer that converts sugar to alcohol, inserting series of DNA from the basil and mint. This allowed the yeast to produce the hoppy oils. They detailed their experiment in an article published this week in the journal Nature Communications.
As Katie Langin reports for Science, the team then brewed up some beer using their modified yeast. And the results were convincing. Taste testers gave the scientists’ creation a “hoppier” rating than a traditionally hopped beer in a blind taste test. "This was one of our very first sensory tests, so being rated as hoppier than the two beers that were actually dry-hopped at conventional hopping rates was very encouraging," Rachel Li, a UC Berkeley doctoral candidate and co-author of the study, says in a UC Berkeley press release.
Though hops have been used in beer for centuries, it’s still a comparatively new ingredient in the long timeline of the fizzy drink. As Philly Beer Scene reported in 2010, beer has been produced for thousands of years. But it wasn't until the 8th century when records of hops started to appear.
Its popularity has risen over the years, with some brewers considering hops as essential as water or barley in the brewing process. German beer purity law even dictates that beer be made out from water, hops, barley and yeast, according to the Hop Growers of America. The popularity of American IPAs has also sparked a trend of brewers developing beer so hoppy it reaches max bitterness levels. Added for flavor and aroma, hops were originally used as a preservative, helping the brew last longer.
But hops are expensive and unsustainable, according to the university press release. In fact, 50 pints of water are used just to grow the hops required to make one pint of craft beer. Denby hopes his research can help brewers use yeast to make hoppy beer. "My hope is that if we can use the technology to make great beer that is produced with a more sustainable process, people will embrace that," Denby says in the statement.
With that in mind, Denby and Li have launched a startup called Berkeley Brewing Science, and they plan to market several strains of hoppy yeasts for brewers. | 2024-05-17T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8084 |
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President Obama has sent a wave of terror through the Republican Party by suggesting that the most direct way to get rid of Citizens United is to require mandatory voting by every eligible citizen.
In response to a question about Citizens United, President Obama said:
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Now, here’s the problem. Citizens United was a Supreme Court ruling based on the First Amendment, so it can’t be overturned by statute. It could be overturned by a new Court, or it could be overturned by constitutional amendment. And those are extraordinarily challenging processes. So I think we have to think about what are other creative ways to reduce the influence of money, given that in the short term we not going to be able to overturn Citizens United.
And I think there are other ways for us to think creatively, and we’ve got to have a better debate about how we make this democracy and encourage participation — how we make our democracy better and encourage more participation.
For example, the process of political gerrymandering I think is damaging the Congress. I don’t think the insiders should draw the lines and decide who their voters are. And Democrats and Republicans do this, and it’s great for incumbents. But it means, over time, that people aren’t competing for the center because they know that if they win a Democratic primary or a Republican primary, they’ve won. So they just — it pushes parties away from compromise in the center.
I think that — now, I don’t think I’ve ever said this publicly, but I’m going to go ahead and say it now. We shouldn’t be making it harder to vote. We should be making it easier to vote.
…..
In Australia, and some other countries, there’s mandatory voting. It would be transformative if everybody voted. That would counteract money more than anything. If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country, because the people who tend not to vote are young; they’re lower income; they’re skewed more heavily towards immigrant groups and minority groups; and they’re often the folks who are — they’re scratching and climbing to get into the middle class. And they’re working hard, and there’s a reason why some folks try to keep them away from the polls. We should want to get them into the polls. So that may end up being a better strategy in the short term.
Long term, I think it would be fun to have a constitutional amendment process about how our financial system works. (Applause.) But, realistically, given the requirements of that process that would be a long-term proposition.
Republicans reacted with predictable terror to the idea that everyone would vote. Sen. Marco Rubio wigged out on Fox News’s Hannity over the idea, “I don’t put anything past him. I mean, there are a lot of things that have already happened that I never thought I would see. Here’s the point he refuses to point out or that he misses: Not voting is also a legitimate choice that some people make. I wish more people would participate in politics, too, but that is their choice. That is the choice of living in a free society.”
Mandatory voting would be the most direct way to neutralize Citizens United. Mandatory voting would also hand the House and Senate back to the Democratic Party. The Republican Party would have to completely change, and the competition for votes in politics would shift to the center. Democrats and Republicans could not exclusively appeal to one side of the ideological spectrum and be successful. Republicans would be forced to move to the center or face extinction.
The entire Republican model for political success is based on conservative millionaire and billionaire donors, and keeping the electorate as small as possible.
When Americans show up to vote, the Republican Party doesn’t win. President Obama’s mandatory voting idea would be the most direct way to return America’s representative democracy back to the people. | 2023-12-10T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/9950 |
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| 2023-08-03T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/8110 |
The Cost of Responding to Immigration Detainers in California
In our criminal justice system, detainers to hold individuals wanted by law enforcement agencies are issued by judges after they have reviewed the underlying circumstances leading to the request. Immigration detainers, or “ICE holds” are issued by ICE administrative officials without the benefit of judicial review. In this preliminary report, based on data from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, Justice Strategies finds that the cost to Los Angeles of complying with these administrative requests is more than $26 million annually.
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Los Angeles County is spending an estimated $26 million a year to hold undocumented immigrants under the Secure Communities program, according to a report released Thursday by Justice Strategies. Secure Communities, also known as S-Comm, checks the legal status of anyone booked into a local jail and transfers those who are undocumented to ICE custody.
Among the report’s findings:
Los Angeles County taxpayers spend over $26 million per year to detain immigrants for ICE.
Individuals in Los Angeles County custody who are subject to immigration detainers spend, on average, 20.6 extra days in county custody.
California taxpayers spend an estimated $65 million annually to detain immigrants for ICE.
Based on L.A. County averages the report concludes S-Comm is costing the state an estimated $65 million.
A new report finds that Los Angeles County spends $26 million a year to detain undocumented immigrants for the federal Secure Communities program.
Here’s how Secure Communities works: When local law enforcement makes any arrest, the detainees' fingerprints are sent to a federal database. If the person is deportable, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will ask local law enforcement to keep the person in detention for no more than 48 hours, until federal agents can transfer that person to one of its facilities.
WASHINGTON -- Los Angeles County is spending more than $26 million a year to hold undocumented immigrants under a federal immigration enforcement initiative, individuals it would otherwise release, according to a report on Thursday. Critics say that demonstrates the high cost of the program, in which some local governments would rather not participate.
The report by Justice Strategies found that the cost of Secure Communities, a cooperative program between local police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, is steep mainly because jails hold suspected undocumented immigrants are held an average of 20 days longer at ICE's request than they otherwise would. The advocacy group examined public records from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department provided to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca is among the California law enforcement officials who may defy a proposed state law and continue to detain arrestees who are illegal immigrants when asked to do so by federal authorities.
The Trust Act, which cleared the state Legislature on Friday, is the latest measure nationwide to push back against federal immigration policy, either by reducing or increasing enforcement. The law would prohibit local authorities from complying with federal detention requests except when a suspect has been charged with a serious or violent crime...
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Private Prison Blog
Since March 2007 Justice Strategies, in cooperation with Grassroots Leadership, has operated Texas Prison Bid’ness, a blog that keeps Texans and others around the country informed of developments in the private prison capital of the world. | 2023-12-07T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/7286 |
From the Mat to the Grocery Store
Jessi AndricksApril 1, 20130
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As yogis, we want to bring awareness into our bodies and minds. In time, that awareness starts to seep away from the mat and into our everyday lives. So how do we eat with awareness in a highly processed world?
One of the hardest parts of <a href="http://www.myyogaonline.com/healthy-living/green-living/planet-namaste-ahimsa-for-green-living" target="_blank">going green</a> is changing the foods we eat. Food can be a tremendous emotional trigger for many people, and with so many choices and differing opinions on what is truly healthy, simply shopping for groceries can seem overwhelming. Luckily, when given the right tools, improving our diets can also be one of the easiest transitions.
Replace as you go: The best way to start is by not getting overwhelmed with a complete dietary overhaul. Simply start by replacing things when you run out of them; search for products that are healthier versions of your current staples.
<a href="http://www.myyogaonline.com/healthy-living/nutrition/top-ten-reasons-to-eat-organic" target="_blank">Organic </a>is king: Look for organic ingredients, even if it is a packaged food. Usually, when food is labeled organic, it is less processed and contains fewer preservatives and chemicals than its mainstream counterpart. Remember, the fewer ingredients the better.
Produce: There are several great tools and lists of which produce always to buy organic, and which produce you can opt for the non-organic (produce sprayed with pesticides and herbicides). For me, the best way is to look at the ones I use most; if I’ll be consuming them more, then I will buy them organically grown.
Cut back on <a href="http://www.myyogaonline.com/videos/mind-body-tv/is-dairy-the-right-food-for-you" target="_blank">dairy</a>: I know this is a touchy subject, because milk is often considered a nutritional staple, but honestly, it is not. Try these two approaches: If you do consume dairy, look for milk from cows that are grass-fed, and organically fed, with no hormones or antibiotics given. This way, if you are eating and drinking dairy, you are cutting back on the amount of extra additives you consume. Also, try using a milk alternative: almond, coconut, rice, and soy are all delicious options.
Cut back on meat. Our intestinal systems are not made for processing large amounts of meat, and neither are our hearts. If you do continue to eat meat, look for grass-fed animals, without added hormones or antibiotics. For chickens, look for birds labeled “free range”, with ample space to roam. Finally, of course, go organic with your meat.
Start simple. Replace when you run out. Try organic versions of your pantry staples. Buy organic in your dairy, meat, and most frequently used produce. Start small for big changes. You’ll be a conscious grocery shopper in no time.
Jessi Andricks is a yoga and mind-body fitness teacher in Charleston, SC. She teaches a blend of vinyasa, as well as mind-body fitness classes. Jessi is a certified Green Living Expert and is receiving training in Holistic Health Coaching. She hopes to help people learn to live vibrant, healthy lives through holistic lifestyle habits.
Website: <a href="http://www.thehouseofhealthy.com/" target="_blank">www.thehouseofhealthy.com</a>
<a href="http://www.thehouseofhealthy.com/" target="_blank"></a>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HouseOfHealthy" target="_blank">House of Healthy</a>
Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/househealthy" target="_blank">@HouseHealthy</a>
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Jessi Andricks
Jessi Andricks is a 200-hr certified yoga teacher and group fitness instructor in the Charleston, SC area. She has taught many styles of classes, including vinyasa flow, hot power yoga, hot yoga, basics, beginners, yin, gentle, and Ayurvedic yoga. Currently, she teaches a blend of vinyasa, as well as several mind-body fitness classes. These classes all incorporate steadying energy levels to find balance in a hectic world. Jessi is a certified Green Living Expert and is receiving training in Holistic Health Coaching through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. She is also pursuing training as an Ayurvedic Yoga specialist. She currently helps people learn to live vibrant, fulfilling, healthy lives with holistic exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle habits through her health blog.
Website: www.thehouseofhealthy.com
Facebook: House of Healthy
Twitter: @HouseHealthy | 2023-12-28T01:26:19.665474 | https://example.com/article/3220 |
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