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08 October 2016 Market Review
The FTSE closed at 7044.4 to be up 2.1% for the week, and was up 4.9% for the Q3. The Dax was down 0.19% this week with a close of 10491 but was up big at 7.5% for Q3. The CAC closed the week at 4449.9 to slide 0.73% but was up a solid 4.9% for Q3.
The Dow closed the week at 18240 to be down 0.37%, but was up 2% for Q3. The Nasdaq composite index closed the week at 5292.4 to be down 0.37% but had a huge Q3 to be up 9.2%.
The Nikkei 225 closed the week at 16860 to be up 2.5% and 4.9% for Q3.
The Dollar had the best week of trading for the major currencies. The Dollar rose against the Sterling 4.5% for the week and 2% for Q3. The Dollar also gained against the Euro with a close of $1.1159 to be up 0.72% but was down 0.91% for Q3. The Dollar gained against the Yen 2.2% for the week with a close of 103.4, but lost ground of 1.4% for the Q3.
The Euro gained against the Yen 1.5% for the week by ending at 115.4, but lost 0.46% for Q3. The Euro did gain against the Sterling by closing at 1.1134 to be up a solid 3.8% for the week but fell 2.9% for Q3. The Euro gained against the CHF 0.04% for the week by closing at 1.094 and was up 0.5% for Q3.
Brent Crude had a decent gain of 3.5% for the week by closing at $51.93 per barrel, but slid slightly 0.32% for Q3. Gold lost 5.1% for the week and 2.1% for Q3 with a close of $1248.9 per ounce.
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BARCELONA (Reuters) - More than 700 mayors from across Catalonia gathered in Barcelona on Saturday to confirm their support for a planned independence referendum that Madrid has declared illegal.
Slideshow ( 13 images )
The Catalan government plans to hold a referendum on self rule for the wealthy northeastern region on Oct. 1, despite strong opposition from government which has challenged the vote in the Constitutional Court.
The mayors met with Catalonia’s regional head Carles Puigdemont in a show of defiance, following Spanish prosecutors warning earlier this week that officials engaging in any preparations for the vote could be charged with civil disobedience, abuse of office and misuse of public funds.
On Wednesday, Spanish prosecutors summoned for questioning more than 700 mayors who had said they would allow municipal spaces to be used for voting. If the mayors do not respond to the order, police should arrest them, the order said.
Meeting in downtown Barcelona in front of hundreds of flag waving pro-independence protesters, the mayors gave speeches in which they promised continued support for the referendum amid chants of “we will vote” and “independence.”
Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, who has reached an agreement with the Catalan regional government to allow voting in the city, criticized Madrid’s response to the crisis in a short speech in the city hall.
“It’s a disgrace that we have a government that is incapable of dialogue and instead dedicates itself to pursuing and intimidating mayors and the media,” Colau said.
So far, 740 of 948 municipal leaders have said they would allow municipal spaces to be used for the referendum, according to the Association for Municipalities for Independence (AMI).
Spanish police have raided several print shops and newspaper offices in recent days in a hunt for voting papers, ballot boxes and leaflets to be used for the referendum.
Catalonia’s top court on Friday issued a warning to seven newspapers not to publish campaign notices for the referendum, a court spokesperson said.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for a return to “rationality and legality” and promised to block the vote.
“The only thing I ask of (Catalan) mayors is that they comply with the law, and as such don’t participate in an illegal referendum,” Rajoy said.
Polls show a minority of Catalans want independence, although a majority want the chance to vote on the issue.
The Scottish government lent its support to the Catalan referendum. Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said Scotland’s 2014 referendum on self rule, which was agreed to by both Westminster and Edinburgh, was a positive example of how to resolve such disputes.
“All peoples have the right to self determination and to choose the form of government best suited to their needs, a principle which is enshrined in the UN Charter,” Hyslop said in a statement on Saturday.
The “No” side won in the Scottish independence referendum.
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Introduction {#Sec1}
============
Chronic heart failure (CHF) poses a massive clinical, social and economic problem. It has been estimated that approximately 14 million people are affected in the European Union \[[@CR1]\] and 5 million in the United States \[[@CR2]\]. The average survival in epidemiological representative patient cohorts may be as poor as 3 years, suggesting that there may be \>2 million new cases of heart failure in the European Union alone each year. Although there have been significant advances in the treatment of the disease over the last 20 years, CHF is still not curable, despite treatment aimed at limiting its progression \[[@CR1], [@CR2]\]. Altogether, the treatment of CHF consumes a greater percentage of healthcare costs than human immunodeficiency virus infection or cancer \[[@CR3]--[@CR5]\]. The last several years have seen growing research interest into subgroups of patients with the disease who are deemed to benefit from tailored therapies. This is particularly true for patients who have CHF and co-morbidities such as anaemia \[[@CR6]\], renal failure \[[@CR7]\], catabolic/anabolic imbalance \[[@CR8]\] or atrial fibrillation \[[@CR9]\]. In addition, dyssynchrony has recently received increasing research interest \[[@CR10], [@CR11]\].
Patients with CHF have different phenotypes, and those with left ventricular systolic dysfunction due to ischemic heart disease have been most intensively investigated \[[@CR1], [@CR2]\]; however, they represent \<50% of patients managed in everyday practice \[[@CR12], [@CR13]\], and thus we still do not have sufficient insight into disease mechanisms, natural course and management of the majority of patients with CHF. There are several subgroups of patients with CHF that have received little systematic research so far. This particularly holds true for patients at the extreme ends of the body weight spectrum, i.e. patients with cardiac cachexia or obesity, as well as patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. They have, so far, been treated as if their co-morbidities were not present, and current guidelines do not differentiate between such subgroups. A thorough understanding of the pathophysiological processes could hold the key to improve their management.
The importance of cardiac cachexia has long been underestimated in clinical practice \[[@CR14]\]. Among 171 unselected patients with CHF, mortality rates were as high as 50% in the cachectic subset compared to 17% in the non-cachectic subset at 18 months of follow-up \[[@CR15]\]. Overall, there is a scarcity of data on the prevalence and incidence of cachexia and obesity in patients with CHF, and only small studies have been reported so far \[[@CR16]\]. In contrast with the widely accepted public belief that obesity shortens life expectancy, patients with CHF and a higher body mass index (BMI) may have better outcomes compared to those with a "normal" BMI in terms of a decreased risk of death and hospitalisation. This so-called "obesity paradox" has been shown in several databases of CHF \[[@CR16], [@CR17]\] and other cardiovascular diseases \[[@CR18], [@CR19]\], but no prospective data are available so far.
Overt diabetes mellitus is another common co-morbidity in patients with CHF, and the EuroHeart Failure Survey reported an incidence as high as 27% \[[@CR20]\]. The prevalence of this co-morbidity ranges between 20% and 30% in prospective large-scale studies of ambulatory heart failure \[[@CR21], [@CR22]\], and elevated levels of glycated haemoglobin have been shown to be strong predictors of mortality among patients with heart failure \[[@CR23]\]. Even less is known about insulin resistance, which also is common and predicts a worse prognosis \[[@CR23], [@CR24]\].
Little is known about the characteristics of these subgroups of CHF patients or about the effects of physical exercise \[[@CR25]\], nutrition \[[@CR26], [@CR27]\] or drug therapies \[[@CR28]\] on them. Neither do we know much about differences in commonly used biomarkers such as N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide nor about the effects of co-morbidities on measures of cardiac function such as left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac output, exercise capacity and cardiorespiratory reflex control. The interplay between skeletal muscle, adipose tissue and other tissues or the pathophysiology of the responsible mediators is poorly researched.
The paucity of data with regard to heart failure and its co-morbidities and between the interplay of different tissues in this clinical syndrome has led to the design of the Studies Investigating Co-morbidities Aggravating Heart Failure (SICA-HF). This article gives details about the rationale, design and methodology of SICA-HF.
Methods {#Sec2}
=======
Study design {#Sec3}
------------
SICA-HF is a prospective, multicentre, multinational, longitudinal, pathophysiological evaluation study, which is being conducted in 11 centres across six countries. SICA-HF receives funding from the European commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007--2013) under grant agreement no. 241558 (SICA-HF) and from the Russian Ministry of Science and Education within the FTP "R&D in priority fields of the S&T complex of Russia 2007--2012" under state contract number 02.527.11.0007. The participating centres are shown in Fig. [1](#Fig1){ref-type="fig"}; the study design is summarised in Fig. [2](#Fig2){ref-type="fig"}. The study is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki principles and local/national regulations. National and/or local ethics committees revised and approved the study protocol. A patient's written informed consent is mandatory prior to inclusion and any study-related procedure. Fig. 1Participating centres in SICA-HFFig. 2Overview of SICA-HF
Eligibility {#Sec4}
-----------
At baseline, patients will be screened for inclusion into the study. The aim of SICA-HF is to include a broad range of patients with CHF with or without co-morbidities at study entry. Both patients with preserved or reduced ejection fraction are eligible. Patients of any aetiology of CHF can be enrolled into SICA-HF. The inclusion/exclusion criteria as specified in Table [1](#Tab1){ref-type="table"} reflect these concepts. Table 1Inclusion and exclusion criteria of SICA-HFInclusion criteria: Clinical diagnosis of heart failure Objective evidence of cardiac dysfunction as evidenced by at least one of the following: Left ventricular ejection fraction ≤40% Left atrial dimension \>4.0 cm (or \>2.5 cm/m in height) NT-proBNP \>400 pg/ml (\>47.3 pmol/l) (or BNP \>150 pg/ml) Age \>18 years Willingness to provide informed consentExclusion criteria: Previous heart transplantation History of unstable angina, myocardial infarction, stroke, cardiovascular revascularization or open abdominal surgery within 6 weeks prior to the planned baseline visit Known pregnancy Patients on haemodialysis at baseline Unable to understand and comply with protocol or to give informed consent*NT-proBNP* N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide
Planned clinical investigations and follow-up {#Sec5}
---------------------------------------------
SICA-HF aims to recruit \>1,600 patients with CHF. In addition, we will enrol subjects into two control groups, \>300 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus without CHF but at risk of developing heart failure and \>150 healthy subjects without obvious risk of developing heart failure. All subjects will undergo a systematic cardiological evaluation, including echocardiography, resting electrocardiogram, full blood count and routine biochemistry analysis. Subjects will undergo a thorough clinical examination as detailed below. In addition, we aim to harvest adipose tissue samples, skeletal muscle and bone marrow by biopsy in selected patients. These samples will be used for ex vivo and in vitro studies that are also described below. About 50% of patients with heart failure are women, but they are generally underrepresented in studies of heart failure, mainly because patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \>40% have been excluded. Epidemiologically, about 70% of patients with LVEF \<40% are men but 60% of patients with LVEF \>40% are women. SICA-HF will recruit patients with a broad spectrum of LVEF, and therefore, we expect about half of all patients should be women, consistent with the known epidemiology \[[@CR29]\].
### Body composition analysis {#Sec6}
In order to understand body composition and its changes over time in patients with CHF, SICA-HF will utilise two principal approaches to body composition analysis: first, body impedance assessment (BIA), and second, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanning. BIA is easily applicable to large patient cohorts using inexpensive equipment, and it provides information on the whole body; hence, it will be possible to use this technology in all recruited patients. DEXA scanning is a more precise method that requires the use of significantly more expensive equipment that can provide body composition results for the whole body as well as any region of interest.
### Peripheral blood flow {#Sec7}
Peripheral blood flow and vascular reactivity will be assessed in the setting of CHF and the association specifically to insulin sensitivity and metabolic and hormonal regulation. Using venous occlusion (strain gauge) plethysmography, we will measure peripheral blood flow of the leg and of the forearm at rest, as post-ischemic peak blood flow and as flow-dependent flow.
### Exercise testing and cardiopulmonary reflex research {#Sec8}
Patients who are able, will undergo exercise testing, in most cases, using spiroergometry. In addition to standard parameters (peak oxygen consumption, ventilatory efficiency), we are planning to analyse numerous other parameters, including an integrative response in ventilation, oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production, and heart rate during exercise and during recovery. Additionally, patients will undergo a comprehensive assessment of cardiopulmonary reflex control, including heart rate and blood pressure control, baroreflex, chemoreflex and ergoreflex sensitivity.
### Insulin resistance {#Sec9}
Non-diabetic subjects are scheduled to undergo whole-body insulin sensitivity testing using a 3-h intravenous glucose tolerance test and minimal modelling technique. Patients will be studied under standardised conditions (start in the morning, fasting, supine position, quiet room). After administration of a weight-adjusted glucose bolus intravenously, repeated serum samples will be obtained for profiles of glucose, insulin and C-peptide. From these profiles, individual insulin sensitivity can be assessed using the minimal modelling approach \[[@CR30]\]. Assessment of the homeostasis model assessment, a reflection of insulin sensitivity and fasting plasma glucose will additionally be performed in a larger cohort of \>500 subjects who have been prospectively recruited at the University of Hull after referral for suspected left ventricular dysfunction.
### Sleep-disordered breathing {#Sec10}
Two types of sleep-disordered breathing are common among patients with heart failure---obstructive sleep apnea--hypopnea (OSAH) and Cheyne--Stokes breathing (CSB). Risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing in patients with CHF vary according to the type of sleep-disordered breathing. With respect to CSB, risk factors include male gender, advanced age, atrial fibrillation and hypocapnia (i.e. transcutaneous carbon dioxide ≤38 mmHg) \[[@CR31]\]. With respect to OSAH, risk factors include advanced age and increasing BMI. Sleep-disordered breathing is best conceptualized as a sequence of events. In an effort to correct the hypocapnia, a hypersensitive respiratory control center initiates apnea. This occurs when the PaCO~2~ is below the "apneic threshold". The PaCO~2~ then begins to rise. The duration from the beginning of the apnea until the respiratory control centre detects the increasing PaCO~2~ is prolonged due to the increased circulatory time caused by the heart failure. Participating patients will be screened for sleep-disordered breathing using a standardised questionnaire, an ambulatory sleep--apnoea screening device and a 24-h ECG monitoring recorder with the measurement of peripheral oxygen saturation.
### Blood and deoxyribonucleic acid bank {#Sec11}
Subjects enrolled into SICA-HF will have blood samples taken to analyse biomarkers and gene profile in order to identify tools for diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic guidance.
Investigations of metabolic and cellular mechanisms {#Sec12}
---------------------------------------------------
SICA-HF aims to elucidate pathways that mediate tissue wasting and obesity in CHF by studying the interplay between muscle and adipose tissue wasting in cardiac cachexia and the role of skeletal muscle, an important factor for insulin resistance, in type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Adipose tissue samples will be obtained by liposuction in a subgroup of patients in SICA-HF and will serve as a basis for understanding the interplay between blood and tissue markers. Two potential mechanisms mediate loss of adipose tissue in cachexia: increased lipolysis or reduced lipogenesis \[[@CR28]\]. Fat cells are sensitive to the lipolytic effects of atrial and B-type natriuretic peptides, both of which are found at elevated plasma concentrations in CHF \[[@CR32]\]. Insulin is a key anti-lipolytic agent.
Skeletal muscle biopsies will be obtained in a subgroup of SICA-HF subjects using the Bergström needle technique. In cachexia, skeletal muscle is lost mainly by proteolysis, which is mediated by different mechanisms, including lysosomal (cathepsins) and calcium-dependent (calpains) pathways, the caspase system, matrix metalloproteinases and the adenosine triphosphate-dependent ubiquitin--proteasome system \[[@CR25]\]. The latter plays a dominant role in myofibrillar protein breakdown \[[@CR28]\]; however, data on patients with CHF are scarce.
Another important task of SICA-HF is to study the roles of circulating progenitor cells in patients with CHF in terms of their blood concentration, relationship to the clinical severity of the disease, measures of heart function, and clinical outcomes. SICA-HF will investigate associations between circulating progenitor cells (as a reflection of the degree of endothelial dysfunction) and circulating angiogenic or anti-angiogenic growth factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Most of these substances have been shown to mobilise EPCs from the bone marrow.
Subjects participating in SICA-HF are scheduled for follow-up visits after 6--8 months and annually thereafter until the study terminates. The total duration of SICA-HF is 48 months. In accordance with local availability, not all the above tests can be performed in all participating centres.
Objectives {#Sec13}
----------
Using the above-described techniques, SICA-HF (<http://www.sica-hf.com>) is designed to evaluate the following primary objectives: Objective 1: To characterise the prevalence, incidence, persistence and phenotype of obesity, cachexia and type 2 diabetes in patients with CHFObjective 2: To describe patterns of exercise capacity and cardiorespiratory reflex controlObjective 3: To analyse body composition and its changes over time in patients with CHF and type 2 diabetes, obesity or cachexiaObjective 4: To investigate the incidence and prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing and its impact on the clinical severity in patients with CHFObjective 5: To establish the impact of impaired vascular reactivity on impaired skeletal muscle metabolic and functional capacity, including its underlying mechanismsObjective 6: To describe the interplay and metabolic signalling pathways between adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, the bone marrow and the heart in patients with heart failure and type 2 diabetes, obesity and cachexia
Discussion {#Sec14}
==========
SICA-HF is the first large-scale multicenter project to systematically collect information about the natural history of CHF and its interplay with three important and common co-morbidities: type 2 diabetes mellitus, cachexia and obesity. Importantly, SICA-HF embraces clinical and basic science research methodologies. One of the principle ideas of SICA-HF is that basic researchers will be provided with biomaterials such as adipose tissue and skeletal muscle biopsies from patients who have undergone a detailed, systematic set of clinical investigations. This will provide a wealth of information helping to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms and to extend this knowledge into translation to clinical parameters.
Another important consideration in designing SICA-HF was to enrol patients irrespective of their LVEF. This is important because patients with preserved LVEF have received little scientific attention so far. Epidemiological and clinical characterisation, as well as therapeutic management, are much better established for patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. We do not know whether available evidence can be extrapolated to patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction \[[@CR33]\]. Clustering of features of the metabolic syndrome, especially arterial hypertension may be particularly common in such patients. A recent study in 1,236 patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction, 44% of whom had a BMI \> 30 kg/m^2^ found an increasing prevalence of arterial hypertension and diabetes mellitus across groups with increasing BMI \[[@CR34]\]. Low BMI was associated with poorest survival, similar to previous observations in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Morbid obesity (BMI \> 45 kg/m^2^), however, also represented an increased risk, and a U-shaped relationship between BMI and mortality was described. Secondary analysis of the Digitalis Investigation Group ancillary trial (988 patients with LVEF \>45%) focused on diabetes mellitus and reported a prevalence of 29% among patients with preserved LVEF \[[@CR35]\]. Diabetics were more likely to be women, to have a history of hypertension and a higher BMI. Adverse CHF-related outcomes, including cardiovascular mortality and hospitalizations, were more common in diabetics. In an adjusted model, diabetes was associated with a 68% increased risk of hospitalisation for heart failure or heart failure-associated death \[hazard ratio (HR) 1.68; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.26--2.25\].
Information about cachexia in CHF with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction is, to the best of the authors' knowledge, lacking, as well is information about body composition and a potential interplay with clinically detectable metabolic changes. Clustering of metabolic issues is known as the metabolic syndrome, which is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular complications, including the incidence of heart failure \[[@CR36]\]. In the general population, aggressive management is warranted whereas no guidance has been published for patients with CHF. Conversely, physicians are inclined to extrapolate knowledge from the general population or from patients with coronary artery disease without heart failure to patients who already suffer from overt heart failure. Available data about the metabolic syndrome in CHF is scarce and with certain methodological drawbacks. A retrospective study in 886 patients \[[@CR37]\] used the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel criteria with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m^2^ substituted for increased waist circumference to confirm the presence of the metabolic syndrome in 625 (71%) patients. In a fully adjusted model, presence of the metabolic syndrome conferred, in contrast to the general population but in line with reverse epidemiology, a protective mortality effect (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56--0.94). It is evident that CHF has a clinically important metabolic component, but the applicability of the current metabolic syndrome definition \[[@CR38]\] to patients with CHF has been challenged \[[@CR39]\]. SICA-HF has the potential for in-depth investigations of metabolic issues and associated mechanisms to evaluate their effect on pathophysiology and outcome. The prospective design will allow to control for changes over time and to assess the implications for clinical presentation of CHF.
CHF is associated with activation of several mechanisms and body systems. Neurohormonal activation initially has protective effects but prolonged (over-)activity translates into clinically apparent damage mediated through neurohormonal and other mechanisms. This seems to be particularly important in the setting of cachexia, when highest concentrations of natriuretic peptides and markers of inflammation are detected \[[@CR40]\]. Our knowledge about the activation and the interplay of existing systems \[[@CR27], [@CR41]\] and the level of induction remains insufficient, particularly so among patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Nonetheless, different organs are no longer considered as separated entities with specific and limited functions but rather as a well-controlled and interactive system. Even fat tissue, which was considered merely as an energy depot, emerges as a sophisticated endocrine organ with precisely adjusted function and effects beyond fat tissue itself \[[@CR42]\]. Adiponectin, for instance, a collagen-like plasma protein produced by adipose tissue, which has in general anti-atherogenic and anti-inflammatory effects, is elevated in patients with CHF \[[@CR43]\], which seems to be mediated through natriuretic peptides \[[@CR44]\]. Data from preclinical experiments suggest that hypoadiponectinemia in hypertension-induced diastolic heart failure exacerbates left ventricular hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction and diastolic heart failure \[[@CR45]\]. Whether this has applications in patients and whether adiponectin replacement could be a novel therapeutic approach to prevent the progression to diastolic heart failure warrants further study.
SICA-HF will be the first detailed, systematic, longitudinal, international, epidemiological study of CHF, providing insights into the progression of cardiovascular and metabolic dysfunction and their relationship to outcome in patients with CHF. Thus, SICA-HF is a unique living laboratory that will help redefine CHF as a clinical entity and improve treatment of both cardiovascular and metabolic components of the disease in the next few decades.
The authors of this manuscript certify that they comply with the Ethical guidelines for authorship and publishing in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle \[[@CR46]\].
**Funding** SICA-HF is a collaborative project funded by the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007--2013) under grant agreement number 241558 (SICA-HF) and the Russian Ministry of Science and Education within the FTP "R&D in priority fields of the S&T complex of Russia 2007--2012" under state contract number 02.527.11.0007.
**Conflict of interest disclosures** There is no conflict of interest relevant to this manuscript.
**Open Access** This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
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Dishwasher Part
I'm trying to locate a Program Switch for a Kitchen Aide dishwasher
from th emid 90's. I can't find it anywhere and the manufacturer no
longer supplies it. I even checked ebay. I'd hate to throw out this
appliance just 'cause a can't find a simple replacement part. Can
anyone help me figure out how to find one. Thanks!
-- RAG --
Log in
HomeOwnersHub.com is a website for homeowners and building and maintenance pros. It is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
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Q:
typeahead.js. How do I capture the suggestions list?
I am using typeahead.js. I see no event handler that would let me capture the subset of my dataset suggested by a given query. Is there no way to get the actual subset of rows from my dataset?
A:
You could use the typeahead:rendered event. It passes all shown items as objects in the arguments array. The event is fired immediately after the list of suggestions is shown ...
.on('typeahead:rendered', function() {
var array = [], i = 1;
for (i; i<arguments.length; i++) {
array.push(arguments[i].value)
}
console.log(array);
});
would console out ["Alaska", "Arkansas", "Illinois", "Kansas", "Louisiana"] if the suggested items in the dropdown is Alaska, Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana ...
demo -> http://jsfiddle.net/kcjgr2rv/ (bear over with the lacking CSS)
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The scarring effect of unemployment on psychological well-being across Europe.
Past unemployment may have a pervasive psychological impact that occurs across nations. We investigate the association between unemployment events across working life and subsequent psychological well-being across 14 European countries. Additionally, we consider the influence of between-country differences in labour market institutions and conditions on the cross-country well-being effects of unemployment. Data detailing life-long employment trajectories and contemporary life conditions are drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The well-being impact of unemployment is modeled using linear, multi-level specifications. Each six-month spell of past unemployment is found to predict reduced quality of life and life satisfaction after the age of 50, having adjusted for a broad range of individual and country-specific covariates. In contrast, the impact of past unemployment on depression is explained by individual demographic factors. We identify the first comparative long-term evidence that unemployment welfare scarring may be a broad, international phenomenon.
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INTRODUCTION {#sec1-1}
============
Respected seniors, President of Indian Psychiatric Society (IPS) and Chairman of this session, all my friends and fellow psychiatrist of IPS, ladies and gentlemen; it is indeed a great honor, my privilege and pleasure to be chosen for the DLN Murthy Rao Oration Award for 2012. I am highly grateful to the IPS for giving me this honor, which is also its highest award in the field of psychiatry in India.
The journey of my belief and understanding of 'Resilience' started as early as 1969, when Department of Pediatrics-B. Y. L. Nair Hospital appointed a Psychiatrist for Child Guidance Clinic for the first time. The team of therapists involved along with me comprised of a psychologist, a social worker, and a play therapist.
Cerebral palsy was the most active disability group followed by the group for mentally challenged. Treatment, training, and research were essential components while planning for the growth and development of children with multiple disabilities. It was while working with this group of special children and their families that I realized that resilience is a dynamic process involving a strong interaction between both causative as well as negative life events.
My 45-years-long journey in the field of child psychiatry built my belief in the need for building resilience with an interventional outlook. This need was recognized not only in special children mentioned above but also in normal children. That is the key reason why school mental health has international back-up by World Health Organization (WHO) world over across all countries. Resilience continues to be important element in child development.
UNDERSTANDING RESILIENCE {#sec1-2}
========================
Defining resilience {#sec2-1}
-------------------
"Resilience" is interestingly a term taken from the physics of materials, i.e. the property of a material that enables it to resume its original shape or position after being bent, stretched, or compressed viz. elasticity. In psychiatry, resilience stands for one\'s capacity to recover from extremes of trauma and stress. It is attributes of some people who manage to endure and recover fully, despite suffering significant traumatic conditions of extreme deprivation, serious threat, and major stress. Resilience in a person reflects a dynamic union of factors that encourages positive adaptation despite exposure to adverse life experiences. Resilience is associated with mental health and considered to be essential as a component of successful psychosocial adjustment. Increasing attention is drawn in recent years to the potential role that personality and neurobiology might play in determining resilience.\[[@ref1]\] In case of children; resilience may stand for successful adaptation to extreme events such as maltreatment or poverty. It may be more evident in all stressful situations in form of how these children respond to the everyday social, physical, and intellectual challenges faced by them.\[[@ref2]\]
Historically, the general notion of protective factors for mental health dates back to the 19^th^ century notion of mental hygiene defined as 'the art of preserving the mind against all incidents and influences calculated to deteriorate its qualities, impair its energies, or derange its movements' and included 'the management of the bodily powers in regard to exercise, rest, food, clothing and climate, the laws of breeding, the government of the passions, the sympathy with current emotions...' (Rossi, 1962). Concepts of 'mental immunity', 'mental hygiene' or 'mental resilience' have in common the aim of broadening research concepts in mental health beyond risk factors for pathology to include wellness enhancement and health promoting factors, in the same way that it has been important to identify the characteristics of infection-resistant groups during epidemics.\[[@ref3]\]
Mental health is a fundamental element of the resilience, health assets, capabilities, and positive adaptation that enable people both to cope with adversity and to reach their full potential and humanity. Mental health is also the key to understanding the impact of inequalities on health and other outcomes. It is abundantly clear that the chronic stress of struggling with material disadvantage is intensified to a very considerable degree by doing so in more unequal societies. An extensive body of research confirms the relationship between inequality and poorer outcomes, a relationship which is evident at every position on the social hierarchy and is not confined to developed nations.\[[@ref4]\]
Resilience and its importance besides gaining importance in the health field with strong connotations to mental health; it has also found its relevance in other contexts, such as educationand social policy and applications in business and public welfare. Interest in resilience is no longer limited to contexts and extreme events, or the variables that define it. The attention is more towards factors that contribute to its development and strengthening of mental health.\[[@ref1]\]
To summarize, resilience is not a permanent capacity but a dynamic construct.\[[@ref5]\]
Delineation regarding resilience {#sec2-2}
--------------------------------
There are different schools of thoughts that define "Resilience" but the tilt is towards positive focus on competence and adaptive behavior more than a negative approach of absence of psychopathology. This delineation is due to involvement of multiple factors and its development in diverse disciplines like medicine, psychology, education, social work, and epidemiology. Rutter defines resilience as "... the finding that some individuals have a relatively good psychological outcome despite suffering risk experiences." It is not immunity or unreceptiveness to trauma but rather the ability to recover from adverse experiences. However, many other authors believe it is not just resistance to adversity but rather the ability to grow and develop under difficult conditions.\[[@ref1]\]
While defining resilience, it is also essential to distinguish it from factors that modulate it and related concepts such as invulnerability, stress resistance, adaptive behaviors, and mental toughness. However, some experts have clearly distinguished three main aspects within the concept of resilience:
The ability to achieve positive results in high risk situationsThe ability to function competently in situations of acute or chronic stressThe ability to recover from trauma.\[[@ref1]\]
Several risk and protection factors pay key role in modulating resilience. In building resilience, families and schools play a key protective role. These are the two institutions that exhibit characteristics of caring, cohesion, openness, commitment, support, positive role models, and an absence of risk factors.\[[@ref1]\]
While understanding resilience, one needs to look at the three factors:
Identifying resilient factors and qualitiesProcesses for building resilienceDeveloping measuring instruments.\[[@ref1]\]
Resilience is built upon the complex interaction and operation of risk and protective factors at individual, family, and community levels. It is important to understand resilience as a process rather than a particular character trait. Three fundamental building blocks of resilience are identified in the literature-a secure base, good self-esteem, and a sense of self-efficacy.\[[@ref6]\]
Resilience concept in mental health research is currently hindered by the lack of a unified methodology and poor concept definition. Resilience has mainly been measured according to specific operational definitions depending on the aims of individual studies or according to predefined indicators relating to the theoretical position of an inventory\'s author.\[[@ref3]\]
Characteristics of resilience {#sec2-3}
-----------------------------
There are number of characteristics of resilience whose integrity or damage indicates resilient capacity:
Control over the process of remembering traumatic experiencesIntegration of memory and emotionsRegulation of emotions related to traumaControl of symptomsSelf-esteemInternal cohesion (thoughts, emotions and actions)Establishment of secure linksUnderstanding the impact of the traumaDeveloping a positive meaning.\[[@ref1]\]
One needs to have a three-dimensional construct for understanding resilience as
A State (what is it and how does one identify it?)A Condition (what can be done about it?) andA Practice (how does one get there?).\[[@ref1]\]
For children who succeed despite suboptimal conditions, the presence of protective or resilience factors that support their success may compensate for the risk factors in their lives. While planning research in child mental health with focus on resilience, more attention needs to be given in identifying these supportive factors and sources in competent children that build resilience in them. This can then also help in putting efforts to increase resilience of less competent children.\[[@ref2]\]
While doing research in the field of resilience, it was evident that there were children who seemed impervious to stressful circumstances. Initially, the research utilized samples of children at risk to seek those who escape its effects, but increasingly, more samples that are representative are being used to determine if the same factors that allow children to escape the effects of adversity produce competence in more favorable circumstances. Although, initially the source of resilience was judged to be a characteristic of the child, increasingly research has pointed to family and social factors as contributing factors to offset environmental stress.\[[@ref2]\]
Resilience has come to be seen as a multidimensional construct. When children show resilience in one area of development, it may be at the cost of more problems in other areas, for e.g., children showing successful adaptation struggled with emotional problems like depression.\[[@ref2]\]
Instead of focusing on unidentified construct of resilience in individuals, one should study social contexts that foster positive outcomes. When you cannot alter social circumstances, improving individual competence is an important strategy. However, competent outcomes would be achieved if efforts were made to change contextual factors rather than individual factors.\[[@ref2]\]
It is unlikely that there is a universal protective factor for all children. The positive factors that promote competence may vary according to the specific age of the child and the developmental outcome being targeted. Contributing factors of resilience requires giving consideration to the broad collection of ecological factors in which individuals and families are embedded.\[[@ref2]\]
There are several thought provoking angles while considering resilience in children. If resilience is a contextual feature, then children with emotionally supportive parents should show resilience. However, if resilience is an individual characteristic, then resilient children should do better in all circumstances. In such scenario, one more question arises on where individual resilience emerges. It could be based on some biologically based characteristics like emotional stability of the child, or it could have developmental correlation, where a secure early relationship with parents produced the later emotional stability.\[[@ref2]\]
Resilience is not necessarily an attribute or personality trait that some children possess and others do not, but rather a developmental process. Resilience is definite: Children who meet the criteria for resilience may not necessarily be doing well continually, in every possible circumstance, and in totality. Children may experience resilience yet still suffer from the residual effects of trauma. Resilience does not mean unharmed or invulnerable. Rather, resilience is demonstrated by adaptive behaviors and life patterns. In this sense, resilience is a process that can be modified as new risks and/or strengths emerge with changing life circumstances.\[[@ref7]\]
Risk factors pose a pervasive threat through the deprivation of children\'s basic needs such as physical sustenance and protection, emotional security and attachment, and social interaction. As a result, exposure to risk factors predicts a variety of difficulties in adjustment and adaptation across the lifespan. Children\'s exposure to risk varies according to age.\[[@ref7]\]
Measuring resilience {#sec2-4}
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Operationalizing and measuring resilience is important for two reasons. First, in clinical psychology, it may provide evidence about which factors are most central for regaining and maintaining mental health for different patients. Second, in predicting the ability to tolerate stress and negative effects, it may help in the selection of personnel who will manage tougher job demands.\[[@ref8]\]
Measuring resilience is as challenging as varied opinions on definition and the difficulties in identifying its characteristics. Even if one arrives at a consensus, many questions emerge while measuring resilience. What is the baseline? What is the reference? What are the most appropriate data sources? Are they external reporting, behaviors, performance, self-reports, etc.? How many should be used? Are they valid for all ages, socio-cultural contexts, and adverse stimuli? When should the evaluation be performed? Is it possible to determine the previous profile?\[[@ref1]\]
Some tools that are potentially useful in situations of abuse require further definition of the variables they measure. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) seems to be a reliable means of measuring resilience, such as the ability to recover from stress, while suggesting ways of coping with stressors. However, there is need for greater agreement, better definition of the actual concept of resilience and broader studies, with rigorous and agreed upon methodology, capable of controlling the variables involved. Evaluating the level of resilience requires the measurement of internal (personal) and external (environmental) factors, taking into account that family and social environment variables of resilience play very important roles in an individual\'s resilience.\[[@ref1]\]
The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale (CD-RISC) is a brief, self-rated measure of resilience that has sound psychometric properties. The CD-RISC comprises of 25 items, each rated on a 5-point scale (0-4), with higher scores reflecting greater resilience. By using the CD-RISC, one can demonstrate:
Resilience is quantifiable and influenced by health status (i.e., individuals with mental illness have lower levels of resilience than the general population)Resilience is modifiable and can improve with treatment, and greater improvement in resilience corresponds to higher levels of global improvement. The CD-RISC could have potential utility in both clinical practice and research.\[[@ref9]\]
A study assessed the predictive validity of the Resilience Scale for Adults (RSA) experimentally in relation to pain and stress. The RSA was deemed as a valid and useful instrument assessing resilience to pain and stress. As it has shown protective effects against stressful life events in real-life contexts, as well as a laboratory setting, it seems to offer versatile applications. Applying these findings to patients with chronic pain problems, one could expect that, in times of increased stress or negative emotions, the RSA may detect individual differences in pain experiences, general level of functioning, and possibly in the use of pain medication, as well.\[[@ref10]\]
One group of resilience scales \[e.g., 2-item CD-RISC and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI)\] measures a subject\'s self-evaluation of his/her prior experience in successfully overcoming stressful events and positive changes. These are likely to be reasonably robust cross-culturally, but require the presence of a stressor (or a research participant\'s recollection of their response to a previous one). In terms of a general immunity model, these scales evaluate sensitivity to or efficiency of recovery from stress via anamnesis (prior life-related information) in the same way that a survey might measure a person\'s previous sensitivity to and efficiency of recovery from influenza or another common infection.\[[@ref3]\]
A second group of scales (like RSA and RS) measure subjective factors, which are empirically considered as determinants of resilience. However, the strong role played by authors' individual opinions and experience in determining underlying constructs for scales like the RS ('Personal competence' and 'Acceptance of self and life') and RSA ('Personal competence', 'social competence', 'structured style', 'Family cohesion', and 'social resources') may limit their cross-cultural applicability. In terms of an immunity model, these scales measure potential actors related to the level of resilience analogous to antibody titers or killer cells. Some authors have incorporated in their scale constructions from both approaches \[e.g., the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER-89) by Block and Kremen, 1996.\[[@ref3]\]
A third or 'reactivity' approach involves measuring resistance to lower-level stressors encountered in daily life or through deliberate exposure to conditions with mental or physical effort contrast. Such approaches include the evaluation of balance of tolerance/sensitivity to regular stress through comparing work/non-work days or waking/sleeping states, or behavioral, subjective and physiological components of emotional reactivity to simple stimuli (e.g., pain), or complex information such as aversive tasks, films or texts in laboratory studies. These tests of reactivity to minor stressors have been proposed to assess a level of adaptive or maladaptive coordination of behavioral and physiological responses in particular contexts as a trait representing a mood-protecting endophenotype and maintaining a balance of negative and positive experiences. In terms of an immunity model, this group of measures is similar to the measurement of immunity/tolerance levels as in the Tuberculin Sensitivity Test to *Mycobacterium tuberculosis* invasion. However, measures from the second and the third groups of resilience measures have been found to be only weakly correlated. The 'reactivity' approach to resilience measurement considers an adaptive reactivity as a common indicator of resilience which has been developed evolutionarily and ontogenetically at different (individual and group) levels and with different biopsychosocial mechanisms.\[[@ref3]\]
Neurobiology of resilience {#sec2-5}
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A central role of the brain involves both the perception and response to stressful stimuli. The mechanisms by which the brain responds to stress are of critical importance to the appropriate function of an organism. In this regard, cellular resilience in the brain and responses at the neuronal level to stress has become intriguing areas of research. The results of stress in the brain appear to include atrophy of hippocampal neurons, other morphometric and structural brain changes, a decrease in neurotrophic support, and changes in behavior in preclinical models. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis appears to play a critical role in mediating these effects. Increasing recent data implicate a critical role for glucocorticoids and corticotropic hormone-releasing factor (CRF) in long-term effects of early-life stress on hippocampal integrity and function. Clinical evidence is consistent with the preclinical evidence including structural and morphometric brain changes, and the finding that a significant percentage of patients with mood disorders display some form of HPA axis activation. Stress is a critical factor in the development of some psychiatric disorders. Some antidepressants, electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT), and mood stabilizers (lithium) appear to modulate glucocorticoid receptor number and/or function, components of the HPA axis, and neurotrophic pathways and molecules in preclinical models. The possibility arises that regulation of these factors may be a principle component of susceptibility to develop psychiatric disorders.\[[@ref11]\] The levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and neuropeptide Y are meaningful when studying the relationship between resilience and post-traumatic stress, along with coping strategies.\[[@ref1]\]
A study investigated the effects of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on neurobiological markers of resilience in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. Physiological (heart rate, respiratory rate, cardiac vagal tone, sympathetic balance, and skin conductance) and neuroendocrine (cortisol and DHEA) variables; and psychometric self-report measures (negative affect, resilience, PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety, and social support) were assessed. Physiological, neuroendocrine, and psychometric responses at rest were measured before and after four months of CBT. The patient was a 45-year-old man who had suffered two armed robberies and failed to respond adequately to pharmacological treatment with paroxetine. CBT led to a reduction in heart rate, respiratory rate, sympathetic balance, skin conductance, and cortisol. It also led to an increase in cardiac vagal tone and DHEA. Furthermore, CBT promoted reduction of PTSD symptoms, depression, anxiety and negative affect scores, and enhancement of resilience and social support scores. CBT in this single case enhanced resilience-related factors such as DHEA, vagal tone, self-reported resilience, and social support suggesting that this therapeutic strategy not only contributed to 'anti' pathology effects but to 'pro' well-being. Additionally, the results show the relevance of investigating the effects of psychological treatments in multiple neurobiological systems in the same PTSD patients to unveil the neurobiological underpinnings of resilience factors.\[[@ref12]\]
Overall, currently available data on resilience suggest the presence of a neurobiological substrate, based largely on genetics, which correlates with personality traits, some of which are configured via social learning. These traits provide varying degrees of vulnerability to stressors and a certain predisposition to the development of some psychopathologies, particularly, personality disorders, anxiety, and emotional disorders. These are noted in future versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD).\[[@ref1]\]
RESILIENCE AT VARIOUS STAGES OF LIFE CYCLE {#sec1-3}
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Resilience in children {#sec2-6}
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Understanding importance of developing resilience has stronger connect with child mental health as children who are exposed to adversities have worse developmental outcomes. A very simple correlation being that of children exposed to poverty being more likely to experience academic problems resulting in poor performance. In addition, children who grow up in a family or are raised by parents with psychiatric diagnoses have high probability of developing mental health issues.\[[@ref2]\]
Stress from any event or life situation that disrupts children\'s routines and sense of security puts children at risk for negative outcomes such as poor physical and emotional health, poor school performance, and lowered self-esteem. The risks increase when children face cumulative stress from many sources and when the stress is prolonged. The good news is that families that are intentional about pulling together in times of need can turn a serious challenge into an opportunity to build resilience in their children.\[[@ref13]\]
One of the most immediately traumatizing events for children and adolescents is the death of a parent. Parental bereavement represents a permanent loss and separation from the primary caregiver. The process of bereavement can be aggravated by additional stressors such as family restructuring, new expectations of children\'s behavior, parental grief and distress, and death reminders.\[[@ref7]\]
Child abuse and maltreatment also pose a severe threat to children\'s development. Child abuse involves a significant deviation from the normative environment required for children\'s successful development and, as a result, few maltreated children experience resilience. Despite this, there are maltreated children who achieve higher levels of adaptation than others do. This is likely due to the heterogeneity of maltreatment experiences.\[[@ref7]\]
Three areas of strength are common among resilient children: (a) External supports and resources that provide safety and security: "I have people I can turn to in times of need"; (b) Personal strengths-attitudes, beliefs, and feelings that allow them to bounce back and move forward: "I am loved and I am lovable"; and (c) Social and interpersonal skills for interacting with others respectfully and responsibly: "I can contribute and share responsibility".\[[@ref13]\]
What children must master at each stage of development {#sec2-7}
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### Early childhood (birth-7 years old) {#sec3-1}
Children in early childhood need to acquire:
Trust-the confidence that adults will be there to care for themAutonomy-the ability to establish their own rhythms of eating, sleeping, self-calming, and explorationInitiative-the drive to be actively engaged in learning about the world.
### Middle childhood (8-11 years old) {#sec3-2}
Friendship-the ability to make friends and gain the approval of peersSense of Self-confidence in one\'s ability to succeed in lifeMastery-command of the basic life skills needed to be successful in school and at home.
Resilience under dire situations: Impact of circumstances of disaster, war, and terrorism on children\'s development {#sec2-8}
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A recent review examined the key components of risk/resilience models of disaster effects and responses: Exposure dose, determinants, and mediators; variability in exposure effects on individuals, including correlates and moderators; and intervention, including exemplary experimental research and consensus guidelines. The effects of disasters and mass violence on individual development can be described in relation to exposure dose or cumulative risks that pose significant threats or disturbances to individuals, families, or communities; resources or promotive factors required to counterbalance these threats or adversities; and moderators that exacerbate or ameliorate the consequences of the risks, often described as vulnerability and protective processes.\[[@ref14]\]
The findings of the review can be summarized as follows:
Extreme adversity experiences in the childhood has important repercussions on the nature of exposure, mediating and moderating processes, protective factors, future adaptive capacity, and design of interventions. Younger children are relatively protected in some ways and vulnerable in others in comparison to older youthThere is growing interest and evidence related to the biological embedding of extreme stress in human development and increasingly plausible explanations of mediating processes that could explain its long-lasting effects on health and well-being, even across generationsGiven the striking shortage of data on intervention effectiveness despite pressing international need, research on pre- and post-disaster interventions to promote resilience in young people and families in mass trauma situations is a top priorityDespite limitations in the evidence base, there is a strong consensus on broad guidelines for child-sensitive preparedness and response to disasters and political conflicts, based on theory, basic and applied research, and field experience. These guidelines include training of all disaster-response personnel on special needs and issues of children; recognition of parents, teachers, and care providers as first responders who also need training; avoiding separation of children from caregivers and reuniting separated families; careful monitoring of media exposure in children; and rapid restoration of routines, schools, and opportunities to play or socialize with peersUnderstanding and addressing the complexities of risk and resilience in human development under conditions of mass trauma require collaboration and greater integration of knowledge and methods across multiple systems and levels of analysis.\[[@ref15]\]
A recent study evaluated resilience as a dynamic concept by looking at risk and protective factors for children of divorce in British-Indian Hindu and Sikh families using Bronfenbrenner\'s ecological model for human development. High resistance for divorce within the British-Indian cultural values present high risk for children in conflict-ridden families. Cultural norms against remarriage further limit women\'s life choices that have an impact on children in lone-mother families. However, cultural ideologies, religion and practices also provide protective and resilience building features. For ethnic minority children, cultural tenets, and practices of worship are also important sources of hope for children to help them cope. The community also presents resources and risks. While this collective can and does provide flexible and informal support for the divorced family, it also acts as an agent that ensures that cultural values are upheld. These cultural values however marginalize and stigmatize the divorced family.\[[@ref16]\]
The larger macro-context serves as an additional context. Though there may be sources of support available in the larger mainstream context, there is structural racism and discrimination that can limit opportunities and access for migrant groups. Migrant groups can thus feel more inclined to build strong community networks with their groups for support and expect loyalty of their community members based on traditional norms that emanate from their countries.
The larger context, nonetheless, offer alternative sources of socialization that is stigma free and provides a more normalized identity to divorced families that are isolated in the British-Indian community. The macro-context also offers support, educational, and employment opportunities that newer generation of British-Indian children can en-cash on.\[[@ref16]\]
Resilience in adolescents {#sec2-9}
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Although there has been a robust growth of a psychology of adolescence, it has been accompanied by a decline in the overall well-being and health status of adolescents. Although morbidity rates for most other age groups have declined in recent decades, today\'s youth continue to experience a host of problems, including adolescent suicide, depression, violence and death due to violence, unplanned pregnancy, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted disease. Further evidence that problems of adolescence are on the rise comes from longitudinal research indicating that rates of emotional and behavioral problems of adolescents (and children) have increased over the past 10 years. These recent trends in research and theory concerned with adolescent development offer a solid foundation for continued understanding of both normative and atypical developmental processes and paths during adolescence. The field will benefit from renewed debate about the usefulness of fundamental psychological models for understanding adolescent development. Recognition of the significance of biological, psychological, and social processes provides a broad framework for understanding adolescent development. An increased attention to the implications of research for interventions is needed to improve the quality of life for adolescents and to guide the development of sound public policy. In spite of the significance of psychosocial problems of adolescence, well-designed, and evaluated interventions for the prevention and treatment of these problems have been rare. The strong knowledge base on biopsychosocial processes in adolescent development provides a foundation for the continued development of interventions to address the problems of adolescence.\[[@ref17]\]
What adolescents must master and acquire to build resilience
Identity-the sense of what is unique and distinctive about themselvesExpectations for the future-the ability to prepare for adulthood.
Waaktaar *et al*., in his multi-informant twin study demonstrated that resilience as a latent personality trait was highly genetically determined for both sexes. In this study, common environmental factor had no effect on trait resilience of the twins, while non-shared environment had moderate to low effect. These findings make genetic make-up one of the strong predictor of resilience in adolescents.\[[@ref18]\]
Resilience in adults {#sec2-10}
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According to the main effect hypothesis, people with relatively strong social support have better health than those with weak social support, irrespective of exposure to stressors. According to the indirect effect (Buffer) hypothesis, people with strong social support have better health than those with weak social support, only under exposure to stressors.\[[@ref19]\]
A landmark 10-year follow-up study done by Dalgard *et al*., confirmed Buffer Hypothesis. The buffering effect in that study was statistically significant only for depression. The study also showed that for the internals (those who see themselves as the most important factor in controlling their own lives) there is no buffering effect of social support, unlike the externals (those who have a feeling of powerlessness and lack self-control). The study directed towards strengthening of social support having preventive effect on mental health.\[[@ref19]\]
Mature defenses comprise one well validated indicator of resilience. In a study done by Simeone *et al*., resilience was significantly negatively correlated with childhood interpersonal trauma and with harm avoidance. Resilience was significantly positively correlated with urinary cortisol secure attachment, reward dependence and superior performance. In a linear regression analysis, the strongest predictor of resilience was childhood trauma, followed by math performance under stress and harm avoidance. This study showed that in adults without manifest psychiatric disorder, resilience was associated with developmental, biological, and cognitive measures which merit further investigations. This observation strongly emphasizes the importance of research needs in understanding effects of various bio-psycho-social factors affecting resilience in adults.\[[@ref20]\]
There is an interesting study done by Ambriz *et al*., highlights mediation model that supports the theoretical assumption of resilience. It incorporates characteristics considered either individual traits or behaviors learnt over time, which protect and enable people to adapt in the face of tragedy, trauma, adversity, hardship, and ongoing significant life stressors. Specifically, psychological resources: Internal control, self-esteem, optimism and coping strategies of acceptance, and seeking emotional support on the one hand and social contacts on the other, conjointly moderate the negative effect of stress on life satisfaction.\[[@ref21]\]
A compilation and review of study done by Portland State University noted that a higher proportion of females than males managed to cope effectively with adversity in childhood and adulthood. They relied more frequently on informal sources of social support than the men. These same gender differences may also apply to coping with old age.\[[@ref22]\]
The association between maltreatment experience and aggression might reflect a gene-environment correlation. Evidence suggests that this is not the case; that the association between maltreatment experience and aggression is one that is environmentally mediated and perhaps causal. Although, a substantial proportion of maltreated children become maltreating parents, this association is neither direct nor inevitable. Multiple circumstances and mediating mechanisms may explain how some maltreated individuals show resilience and do not abuse their own offspring or otherwise demonstrate adequate caregiving. First, an early study of women who had been reared in institutions found that the women who had managed to find supportive, stable spouses demonstrated good quality caregiving that was comparable to the caregiving provided by the non-institutionalized comparison group. The women\'s ability to exercise planning was found to be the most important variable in explaining how well they fared in their marriage and parenting roles, despite having been raised in an institution.\[[@ref23]\]
Resilience in the context of elderly population {#sec2-11}
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Resilience is a concept of growing interest in relation to older people and within the context of population ageing. Older people\'s understandings and experiences of resilience, drawing on interviews and participant-led focus groups with 121 older people living was assessed in two case-study communities in New Zealand. Close reading of extended conversations about what characterizes resilience, such as positive attitude, counting blessings or keeping busy; reveal how all of these apparently internal or personal characteristics are deeply embedded in social and physical contexts. Resilience must be viewed as the process, which can be both individual and environmental. Older people\'s experiences highlight the need to consider the effectiveness of environmental community resources and socio-political structures such as state-funded service availability, as well as the personal characteristics that are usually focused on when considering resilience in old age.\[[@ref24]\]
It is also important to consider different aspects of resilience, so that a person or group might face constraints in one area, such as physical or economic wellbeing, but be strong in other areas such as social relationships or mobility. Resilience can mean acknowledging and incorporating 'vulnerability' and balancing well-being across a range of areas. Therefore, even those living with significant illness or hardship can be understood to be ageing well and indeed to be resilient. Far from using resilience as a narrow measure against which to succeed or fail, resilience is a useful concept framing how ageing well can incorporate multidimensional pathways including both vulnerability and flourishing. Adequate attention must be paid to the broader physical and social contexts and scales that underpin or undermine individual resilience.\[[@ref24]\]
THE CONCEPT OF FAMILY RESILIENCE {#sec1-4}
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A family resilience perspective fundamentally alters that deficit-based lens from viewing troubled families as damaged and beyond repair to seeing them as challenged by life\'s adversities. Rather than rescuing so called "survivors" from dysfunctional families, this approach engages distressed families with respect and compassion for their struggles, affirms their reparative potential, and seeks to bring out their best. Efforts to foster family resilience are aimed to avoid or reduce pathology and dysfunction as well as to enhance functioning and well-being. Such efforts have the potential to benefit all family members as they fortify relational bonds.\[[@ref15]\]
A family resilience framework can serve as a valuable conceptual map to guide prevention and intervention efforts to support and strengthen vulnerable families in crisis. Family resilience involves more than managing stressful conditions, shouldering a burden, or surviving an ordeal. This approach recognizes the potential for personal and relational transformation and growth that can be forged out of adversity. By encouraging key processes for resilience, families can emerge stronger and more resourceful through their shared efforts. A crisis can be a wakeup call, heightening attention to what matters. It can become an opportunity for reappraisal of priorities, stimulating new or renewed investment in meaningful relationships and life pursuits. In fact, families report that through weathering a crisis together, their relationships were enriched and more loving than they might have been otherwise. In other words, members may discover untapped resources and abilities they had not recognized.\[[@ref15]\]
Parent\'s roles in helping the family pull together during difficult times and build resilience {#sec2-12}
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### Show affection {#sec3-3}
Express love in physical and verbal waysFind ways to have fun together.
### Explain the situation to children at a level they can understand {#sec3-4}
Tell them that the situation is not their faultBe specific about what will change and what will remain the sameReassure them that the family will get through this.
### Encourage good problem-solving skills {#sec3-5}
Engage every family member in discussions about the hard choices that this situation might requireAcknowledge everyone\'s ideas and solutions.
### Build responsibility {#sec3-6}
Assign choresShow appreciation for each person\'s efforts.
### Monitor children {#sec3-7}
Maintain rules and routinesAlways know where children areMaintain communication when apart from childrenGet to know children\'s friendsStay involved in children\'s homework and activities.
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE {#sec1-5}
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A study conducted in rural Australian community identified the components of community and individual resilience: Social networks and support, a positive outlook, learning, early experiences, environment and lifestyle, infrastructure and support services, sense of purpose, diverse and innovative economy, embracing differences, beliefs, and leadership. The study findings extend the concept of resilience and increase the evidence base for design of strengths-based approaches to community development and mental health interventions.\[[@ref25]\]
Notable among the components were the following.
Social networking {#sec2-13}
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The importance of the support provided by family, friends, or networks based upon shared cultural, economic, or recreational interests, was strongly emphasized as a foundation of both community and individual resilience. A supportive social network helped an individual to cope during hard times, and positive and caring individuals strengthened the network. Extended family networks were particularly important, with the links resulting from intermarriage, or shared interests such as faith or a profession.\[[@ref25]\]
Positive outlook {#sec2-14}
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Having a positive outlook was seen as a crucial component of individual and community resilience across all groups within the study. Of the characteristics included within the positive outlook concept, determination and perseverance were the most frequently reported as essential components of resilience.\[[@ref25]\]
Learning {#sec2-15}
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Learning from experience was also closely related to having a sense of purpose for some participants.\[[@ref25]\]
Early experience {#sec2-16}
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The influence of early experiences, at both an individual and a community level, was believed to be an important component of resilience. The types of early experiences highlighted included struggle and hardship, specific cultural and heritage factors such as Italian and farming influences, and parenting or school practices. Participants believed that history shaped the future for the community and individuals.\[[@ref25]\]
Sense of purpose {#sec2-17}
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Having a sense of purpose was reported as an important element of resilience. Participants felt that having beliefs was important but the form of the belief was less important. Self-belief was an important aspect of individual resilience for many participants.\[[@ref25]\]
Developing resilience {#sec2-18}
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Is the ability innate or acquired?Can everybody have it?Is it stable or does it change over time?\[[@ref1]\]
Characteristics linked to the development of resilience are a complex and extensive group of concepts: Cognitive and attributional styles, self-control, self-concept, etc.\[[@ref1]\]
Strong attachment, the effect of stress responses and the ability to challenge, controlled exposure to risk and avoidance of limitation and the different coping strategies are related to the development of resilient capacity. The positive psychology movement promotes the teaching of positive form mental attitudes, especially in children and adolescents, thus building resilience. Positive experiences influence health directly through healthy behaviors and social support, and indirectly as a buffer against stress. Protection factors seem to be more important in the development of resilience than risk factors. Available evidence suggests that resilience not only changes over time but also requires adjustments of the operational definition, the data sources and the evaluation method. It is, therefore, a process that lasts a lifetime, with periods of acquisition and maintenance, and reduction and loss to be assessed.\[[@ref1]\]
The role of family and school are extremely important in development of resilience in children. It has been seen that even in presence of one significant adult in child\'s life the resilience development is proper and handling of difficult circumstances are more effective.
Enhancing resilience {#sec2-19}
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Enhancing resilience is an ambitious goal that aims to promote mental health and develop socio-emotional competence. When talking about family resilience from a highly interactive approach, the family plays a significant role in the development of the resilient capacity of its members. The resilience of the most important members contributes to the family\'s capacity to face adverse situations properly with cohesion and caring. Most important among the family factorsthat shape the family\'s resilience are a positive outlook, a spiritual sense, communication and agreement amongits members, flexibility, family time, sharing fun and theexistence of rules and routines.\[[@ref1]\]
The relationship between everyday positive emotions and increased satisfaction is established through resilience. Therefore, satisfactionis derived more from resilient capacity and not so much from positive emotions. The characteristics of the environment are of great importance in personal development and family well-being because they contribute to build resilience. These characteristics include health conditions, home stability, positive role models and available resources, both formal and informal.\[[@ref1]\]
Understanding the origins of resilience is an important precursor of any successful intervention. Where resilience arises from family, school, peer group or community factors, interventions should take place in those settings. Interventions in single domains have not shown resistance to problematic outcomes. Children experience multiple risks in multiple social contexts and it is improbable that a magical solution for prevention and intervention will be discovered. Keeping this in mind, prevention and intervention should use combination of efforts to target multiple sources of resilience. There are various social subsystems that play important role in producing or reducing social and academic competence.\[[@ref2]\]
Approaches for applying resilience theory in practice {#sec2-20}
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Research into factors associated with resilience has led to the development of a number of guiding frameworks for intervention. There is some consensus in the articulation of these frameworks with agreement in the need for practitioners and service designs to focus on.
Altering or reducing a child\'s exposure to riskReducing the "chain reaction" or "pile up" of risk exposuresCreating opportunities or increasing resources available to childrenProcesses, for example, in improving attachment, self-efficacy or self-esteem, or "resilience strings" that can have a knock on effect.
It is suggested that the most effective intervention programmes involve "multi-faceted paradigms that attempt to reduce modifiable risk, strengthen meaningful assets, and recruit core developmental processes within the child, family and the broader community".\[[@ref6]\]
Models for practice {#sec2-21}
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Child welfare academics who have focused on developing models for the practical application of resilience theory identify three fundamental building blocks of resilience:
A secure base, whereby, the child feels a sense of belonging and securityGood self-esteem, that is, an internal sense of worth and competenceA sense of self-efficacy, that is a sense of mastery and control, along with an accurate understanding of personal strengths and limitations.
Alternatively, these can be expressed as "I Have..., I Am..., I Can...". Attention to different domains in children\'s lives-secure attachment relationships, education, friendships, talents and interests, positive values and social competencies-can help practitioners to appraise and identify ways to strengthen these building blocks. It is argued that such resilience frameworks unify and expand upon developmental, attachment, and ecological approaches and can enable a more holistic focus on what children and young people need to fulfil their potential. The framework fits closely with the aim of 'Getting It Right for Every Child' to encourage practitioners to draw on what family, community, and universal services can offer.\[[@ref6]\]
FUTURE DIRECTIONS ON RESILIENCE {#sec1-6}
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Resilience approach in mental health research is currently hindered by the lack of a unified methodology and poor concept definition. Similar to the concept of somatic immunity, the concept of mental resilience is crucial to our understanding of how risks may be modified and disorders prevented. Application of a general immunity model as a common framework to resilience research in mental health can help to clarify underlying mechanisms and challenges, which contribute to our understanding of health in general and mental health in particular.\[[@ref3]\]
The resilience approach is in keeping with the World Health Organization\'s conceptualization of mental health as a positive state of psychological well-being going beyond the absence of disease (World Health Organization, 2005). The absence of mental disorder cannot, therefore, be taken to be synonymous with mental health, and positive well-being cannot be conceptualized, measured or explained simply as the inverse of poor mental health. It should now include factors and mechanisms determining level of protection against adversities, and rates of health promotion and harm-reduction processes in aversive conditions arising from a balance maintained by negative and positive experience as described according to an arousal-related homeostatic hypothesis. This balance of remembered early positive experience and remembered successful coping with stressful episodes may contribute to well-being through more effective coping. However, resilience mechanisms should not be restricted to the individual level but must also be considered to be the result of a variety of group-level (e.g., community and cultural) factors and their interactions.\[[@ref3]\]
In an evolutionary context, the protection of biological systems cannot be developed against all possible challenges, therefore, the function of some specific protection systems must be extended through a restricted range of non-specific defence mechanisms (general anti-stress fortification) and mechanisms with reserve for specific (anti-stress) training. Thus, the resilience approach may help to simplify selection and evaluation of interventions (e.g., psychotherapies) compared to the traditional health risk-related approaches.\[[@ref3]\]
For the purposes of public health intervention, resilience research should not only identify those members (countries, social groups or individuals) of a surveyed 'at-risk' sample who demonstrate resilience, but also identify the specific characteristics of resilient groups or individuals. Failure to investigate these factors will hamper our ability to understand mental health problems and hence promote good mental health. Protective factors have an additional powerful indirect role in mitigating the effect of risk factors and should be measured simultaneously, without simply assuming that the former are the converse of the latter. However, deficit and defects in measurement instruments may limit validation of resilience factors and mechanisms. Because resilience relating to positive adult experiences may stem from childhood protection against adversities, a lifespan trajectory approach is needed to understand the constellation of interacting biological, psychological, social factors that determine, develop or modify resilience (Bennett, 2008). Also, because of the crucial importance of gene-environment interactions with various epigenetic, 'plasticity genes' and 'meaning change' mechanisms relating to resilience, a wide range of research strategies spanning psychosocial and biological methods is needed.\[[@ref3]\]
Despite this accumulating evidence, the study of resilience across the life span is still relatively uncharted territory. There is urgent need to explore the "reserve capacity" of older people who are an increasing segment of our population---their potential for change and continued growth in later life. Future research on resilience also needs to focus more explicitly on gender differences in response to adversity. There is strong need for more evidence from twin, adoptee, and family studies about the mediating effect of genetic influences that lead to positive adaptation in the context of adversity. Future research on risk and resilience also needs to acquire a cross-cultural perspective. Also, one needs to carefully evaluate intervention programs that aim to foster resilience.\[[@ref22]\]
The major concerns about resilience revolve around properly defining the concept, identifying the factors involved in its development and recognizing whether it is actually possible to immunize against adversity. In the clinical field, it may be possible to identify predisposing factors or risk factors for psychopathologies and to develop new intervention strategies, both preventive and therapeutic, based on the concept of resilience.\[[@ref1]\]
**Source of Support:** Nil
**Conflict of Interest:** None declared
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@techreport{NBERw0488,
title = "The Level and Distribution of Economic Well-Being",
author = "Alan S. Blinder",
institution = "National Bureau of Economic Research",
type = "Working Paper",
series = "Working Paper Series",
number = "488",
year = "1980",
month = "June",
doi = {10.3386/w0488},
URL = "http://www.nber.org/papers/w0488",
abstract = {This paper summarizes and critically evaluates what is known about postwar trends in both the level and distribution of economic well-being. Although certain non-income aspects of well-being are considered, the primary focus is on the level and inequality of income. Considerable attention is paid to recent controversies over the effects of transfers in kind and changing life-cycle income patterns on the overall trend in income inequality.},
}
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KNOW YOUR RISK for a heart attack and stroke and TAKE ACTION.
Most of us want to age well, but far too many Americans are dying young or having heart attacks and strokes. In fact, heart disease kills one American every 34 seconds. Heart disease and stroke are not only the leading causes of death but also make it impossible for some adults to return to work and enjoy their favorite activities. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control, there are more people under age 65 who are dying from heart disease and strokes that don’t have to happen than those who are older than 65 years. Once thought to be a man’s disease, heart attacks and strokes kill more women each year that the next four causes of death combined, including cancer.
The blood vessels that feed your heart muscle and brain are called arteries. These arteries carry blood that is the “fuel supply” you need for life. The arteries that feed the heart muscle are called coronary arteries and provide blood to the heart muscle so that it can pump blood. When cholesterol and inflammation build up within the walls of your coronary arteries, it’s called coronary artery disease.
A heart attack can occur when a coronary artery becomes blocked and blood can no longer get through to feed the heart muscle. The blockage is caused by a buildup of cholesterol in the wall of the artery (plaque with a large lipid core) that becomes inflamed and then ruptures or breaks open causing a clot to form. It’s similar to having a sore or pimple on the inside of your artery wall. If there is a lot of cholesterol and inflammation in the plaque, the cap on the sore can become very thin and weak (unstable). If the thin cap is damaged and the inflamed sore breaks open, your body tries to repair the damage by forming a clot. The combination of the plaque and clot together can completely close off the coronary artery and cause a sudden heart attack or sudden death. If this process happens in an artery that brings the blood supply to your brain, a stroke can occur.
Understanding Your Risk
When the walls of your arteries are damaged by things like smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and poor lifestyle habits, the cholesterol in your blood can more easily enter the walls of your arteries.
The cholesterol injures the inside of the artery wall and the body tries to get rid of it in the same way your body tries to get rid of a splinter in your finger. As you know, the inflammation that forms around the splinter can cause a painful, red sore. When cholesterol enters the wall of the artery, the sore forms inside the artery wall. The cholesterol inside the artery may cause a lot of inflammation, enough to trigger a heart attack or stroke. Your doctor has probably tested your cholesterol levels to see if you are at a risk for a heart attack. If you have normal cholesterol levels you may have assumed that you are not at risk for a heart attack or stroke. This is not always true. Approximately 50% of patients who have a heart attack or stroke have normal cholesterol levels. So, what is driving these events (heart attacks and strokes) to still happen? Researchers now understand that events happen because of inflammation in the artery. Measuring cholesterol without inflammation or measuring inflammation without cholesterol may tell only part of the story.
Cholesterol testing provides part of the picture. Inflammation Testing helps provide a more complete picture of YOUR RISK for heart disease.
Inflammation& Heart Disease
Cleveland HeartLab’s inflammation tests can help YOU and your doctor have a better understanding of YOUR PERSONAL RISK of heart attack or stroke.
We know that events (heart attacks and strokes) happen because of inflammation in the artery. Watch the Know Your Risk Video™ to learn more about how these simple blood and urine tests give doctors information on inflammation so they have a more complete picture of your risk for heart attack and stroke. Hear how doctors learn which patients are at risk and from patients who have been tested.
Inflammation Testing
Risk for Disease
Your arteries are protected by a thin layer of cells (endothelium) which act like the shingles on a roof and prevent cholesterol from getting into the artery wall. The endothelium can be injured, or damaged, by various risk factors including uncontrolled blood pressure, uncontrolled diabetes, a poor diet consisting mostly of sugars and red meat, and inflammation.
F2-Isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs) is a 'lifestyle marker' that measures the amount of oxidation in your body that may damage your endothelium. Eating too much red meat, smoking or not exercising enough can increase your F2-Isoprostanes levels and increase your risk for future heart disease.
Oxidized LDL (OxLDL) is a marker that measures the amount of LDL - or "bad cholesterol"- that has been damage due to oxidation. Poor lifestyle habits can increase your OxLDL levels and increase your risk for pre-diabetes.
Presence of Disease
Cholesterol that continues to make its way into the artery wall can lead to inflammation. The body sends in specialized immune cells called macrophages to remove the cholesterol. Macrophages eat the cholesterol and instead of removing it, they turn into "foam cells" - a name given to cholesterol filled macrophages due to their foamy appearance. The foam cells then get trapped in the artery wall and this causes the body to send in more macrophages. The process becomes a vicious cycle that leads to the formation of an inflamed sore on the inside of your artery wall which may lead to a blockage in the artery if the disease process is not discovered and treated.
hsCRP is a general marker of inflammation. The presence of a cold may increase hsCRP levels over the short-term (days to weeks). However, the accumulation of cholesterol in the artery wall many result in increased hsCRP levels over the long-term (years to decades).
Urinary Microalbumin is a marker of endothelial damage in your kidneys. If the endothelium is damaged in your kidneys then it's likely damaged in other parts of your body including your arteries. Increased levels of urinary microalbumin may identify the presence of diabetes or heart disease.
Risk for a Heart Attack or Stroke
Too much cholesterol build-up and inflammation can cause the endothelium to become thin, unstable, and at risk for rupturing.
When it ruptures, the contents of the artery wall are released into the bloodstream which triggers a blood clot. The blood clot can cause a heart attack or stroke.
Lp-PLA2 (The PLAC® Test) is a marker that measures the active build-up of cholesterol inside your artery walls. Your risk for a heart attack or stroke increase as Lp- PLA2 levels increase.
Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is a marker that measures the body's response to a damaged endothelium that has become thinned, cracked and ultimately unstable due to cholesterol accumulation and inflammation. Your risk for a heart attack increases as your MPO levels increase.
Cholesterol testing provides part of the picture. Inflammation Testing provides a more complete picture of YOUR RISK for heart disease.
Cleveland HeartLab offers simple blood and urine testing that provides you and your doctor information that can be used to help evaluate your risk for heart disease. These tests can be used to provide a more complete picture of YOUR RISK for heart disease.
Are You at Risk?
One of the problems with heart disease is that often the first symptom is a heart attack.
Although there are ultrasound and imaging tests that can help doctors know which patients are at risk for heart attack, they cannot be done everywhere and are too expensive to be done on everyone. Fortunately there are new blood and urine tests that are easy to do in your doctor’s office. These simple tests can help you and your doctor know your risk for a heart attack or stroke. When you KNOW YOUR RISK of a heart attack or stroke, you can work with your doctor to REDUCE YOUR RISK of an event (heart attack or stroke). YOU are WORTH “it”!
There are several factors that may define your future risk for heart disease including:
Smoking
High LDL Cholesterol
Presence of Pre-Diabetes/Diabetes
Obesity
Low HDL Cholesterol
Family history of heart disease
Lack of Exercise
Age (Man older than 45 or Woman older than 55)
High Inflammation Levels
Lower Your Risk Now
If you are at
RISK FOR DISEASE
What can I do to help lower my F2-IsoProstane levels?
You can make changes in your daily life which can lower your F2-IsoPs to safe levels.
Reducing the amount of red meat and increasing the amount of fruit and vegetables you eat can help lower your F2-IsoPs levels. Adding one fish meal a week as part of a low-fat diet may also lower F2-IsoPs levels.
Your F2-IsoP levels may also be lowered by increasing the amount you exercise.
If you smoke, quitting will lower your F2-IsoPs levels.
What can I do to help lower my oxidized LDL levels?
Lifestyle changes are the best option to help lower your oxidized LDL levels.
If you smoke, ask your medical provider to help you quit.
Adjust your diet to include foods low in saturated fat and those with zero trans-fat. Fruits and vegetables are also great options as they contain antioxidants.
If you have
PRESENCE OF DISEASE
Lifestyle changes, such as exercising more, eating more heart-healthy high fiber foods such as fruits/vegetables and whole grains or following a Mediterranean diet.
Quitting smoking helps reduce the amount of general inflammation in your body.
Taking good care of your teeth can also help lower hsCRP and reduce your risk of heart disease.
There are prescription and nonprescription medications that also can help lower hsCRP.
What can I do to help lower my urinary microalbumin levels?
Two major factors that contribute to high urinary microalbumin levels are high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels. Therefore, it is important that you work with your medical provider to develop a plan to lower these.
Lifestyle changes, including increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products and reducing the amount of salty or sugary foods you eat may help to reduce your blood pressure and blood sugar.
Exercising regularly can also help you regulate your blood pressure and blood sugar.
There are medications which your medical provider can prescribe if lifestyle changes are not working for you.
If you have
ACTIVE DISEASE
What can I do to help lower my MPO levels? There are a number of things you can do to lower your overall risk of heart disease, as well as lowering your MPO levels.
It is important to maintain a healthy blood pressure because high blood pressure may damage the vessel wall and begin plaque formation.
A heart-healthy diet is also recommended, as research has shown that weight loss helps decrease inflammation.
If you smoke, quit.
There are prescription and nonprescription medicines your medical provider can give you that reduce MPO levels.
What can I do to help lower my Lp-PLA2 levels?
There are a number of things you can do to lower your overall risk of heart disease, as well as lowering your Lp-PLA2 levels.
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bashplate
When the Route takes you off-road, the first thing that comes in mind is “rock protection” of your bike. When a big ADV bike takes a blow in the belly from a rock, this could mean the end of your Adventure, because the bikes elevated overall weight multiplies a simple impact to a catastrophic hit.
For such a crucial part of the bike’s protection, we do not like to take shortcuts and look only for the best. There are many construction brands out there, but from our experience this is a department that you should only go for a 100% heavy-duty built. Combining a top construction built quality with advanced engineering, we opted for an AltRider Skid Plate.
Adding a good Skid Plate is one of the most important upgrades
Made of sturdy 4.75 mm anodized aluminum, the AltRider skid plate features a corrugated design that multiplies its strength. The 1 3/8 inch radii flanges mirror the profile of the headers, which creates a unique shape that tightly conforms to the underside of the bike.
Close turns, brush, and other off road dangers won’t pose a threat to your vulnerable header pipes, because this product gives them substantial coverage. And when the front wheel spits back rocks and dirt, the AltRider skid plate will protect your headers and cross pipe.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image recording device and a method for controlling the image recording device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an image recording device represented by a printer and a copying machine conveys a record medium, and records an image during the conveyance. For example, in the image forming device in the ink jet system, ink is jetted from the head nozzle of the ink head to the medium (for example, printer paper) conveyed by the conveying unit such as a platen etc. to record an image (recording process).
When an image is recorded, although a fed medium is displaced in the direction (main scanning direction) orthogonal to the direction of conveyance (subscanning direction), the ink is not jetted to the conveying system exposed outside the medium as spots. Therefore, the position of the side end portion of the medium is to be correctly detected.
To detect a side end portion, an image sensor, an optical line sensor, etc. are generally used. In the detection using such a light receiving element, the end position of a medium is determined by the level difference of the reflected light from the medium and the member (for example, a conveying belt) which supports the medium.
For example, the patent document 1 discloses the end position detecting method for emitting light to recording paper and detecting the end position of the recording paper based on the quantity of light reflected from the recording paper. The method includes: a step of storing the quantity of reflected light from a recording paper guide device; a step of advancing the recording paper to detect the quantity of reflected light of the recording paper, and calculating the difference from the quantity of reflected light of the medium guide device; a step of multiplying the difference by a value of C exceeding 0 and smaller than 1 to set a reference level; a step of returning the recording paper to the downstream at the position where the reflected light of the recording paper guide device can be detected; and the step of determining that the starting point of the recording paper has reached the reference position at the point where the quantity of reflected light has reached the reference level after advancing the recording paper. [Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 09-136741
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Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Biddle Exits Game with Apparent Injured Knee
LAKEWOOD, NJ- In game 1 of Lakewood's Tuesday night double header against the Hickory Crawdads, lefty pitching prospect Jesse Biddle left a tied contest in the 5th inning with an apparent right knee injury.
With 1 out in the frame, Biddle served up a 2-run game tying double to highly-regarded Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar, and quickly grasped his knee. Biddle, the Phillies' 1st round draft selection last year, was tended to by the team's training staff and walked off the field with a limp, under his own power.
Lakewood coaches were not able to provide details of the injury between games, but updates should be available shortly after tonight's regular season home finale at FirstEnergy Park.
Biddle, 19, was named to the South Atlantic League Post-season All-star team on Tuesday. In his first full season as a professional, Biddle entered action on Tuesday with a 7-8 record, a 2.94 ERA and a .218 batting average against in 24 outings this season with Class A Lakewood.
The start for Biddle, who was already on a 5-innings-per-outing limit, was likely going to be his last of the season. A source stated that if the club missed the post-season, which seems likely, Biddle would not have taken his next turn in the rotation in the team's final game of the season on Monday in Hagerstown.
Biddle is slated to spend time in the month long post-season Instructional League, but that assignment could be in jeopardy, depending on the severity of the leg injury.
*UPDATE*-
According to Biddle, he'll be returning home to Philadelphia and visit a Phillies team doctor on Wednesday or Thursday. Biddle explained that the knee was causing him some discomfort through the entire outing, but he experienced a greater level of pain when he broke to back up home plate on Jurickson Profar's run scoring hit in the 5th inning.
"My knee locked up on me out there," Biddle stated. "It just didn't feel good the whole game and running home to cover behind home plate really made it stiffen up and it didn't really loosen that well for a while, so I just had to come out of the game."
Biddle, who gave up 2 earned runs over his 4 1/3 innings in the contest, admitted that this injury would end his season and expressed displeasure with going out on a down note.
"(My teammates) keep telling me, 'Don't focus on this last outing.' But I just wanted to finish strong and today was a day we could have made our final push for the playoffs, and I just didn't pitch as well as I wanted to."
In a related note, the BlueClaws other Post-season All-star representative, first baseman Jim Murphy, was also sidelined with an injury. In the bottom of the 7th inning of game 2, Murphy came to the plate with 2 runners on in a tie ballgame. After fouling a pitch, the 25-year-old experienced pain in his left hand and was unable to continue. Catcher Cameron Rupp was called upon to pinch hit, and, thanks to a throwing error by Profar, helped the BlueClaws salvage a win and avoid a season sweep at the hands of Hickory.
Murphy will also see a team physician. Early assessment of Murphy's pain suggested that his issue was in the area of the hamate bone.
__________________________________________
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Lake woman gets a kick out of donkeys
Christine ShowSentinel Staff Writer
From her quiet ranch near Lake County's Sugarloaf Mountain, Sandi White is working to find homes for her pointy-eared friends. She isn't rescuing typical pets such as dogs and cats. Instead, the 55-year-old animal lover has an established adoption center for a different four-legged critter: the donkey.
"I'm so in love with donkeys," said White, a practice manager at Lake Cardiology in Mount Dora. "They are the sweetest, most loving animals on the face of the Earth."
White operates the only donkey-adoption center in Florida as part of Peaceful Valley Donkey Rescue, one of the largest donkey-rescue organizations in the country. Before she became a donkey rescuer, White was one of many Central Florida residents worried that her cats could become dinner for coyotes lurking in the area. So after she heard donkeys might intimidate coyotes, she did research and fell in love with the animal.
Now she owns six donkeys — Kumar, Greystroke, Savannah Mae, Eevie, Lacy's Mom and Okie — who mostly lounge in a fenced-in area with an open barn. The affectionate animals, who eat hay, share traits familiar to dog lovers: They crave attention and have an insatiable appetite to be petted. The second your hand moves away, they're nudging your arm right back onto them.
Personality of a dogTheir curiosity prompts them to follow in your direction. If they notice you leaving, they'll line up together, sounding off their high-pitched "hee-haw."
Paul Lorentz, 57, adopted three donkeys from White after the original owner could no longer care for them.
"I just like to watch them out there. They play with each other," said Lorentz, who lives just outside the Eustis city limits. "If I go out there, they'll come right over to me. When it's feed time, they're honking at me."
But there are some restrictions to donkey ownership. For example, Lake County residents need to live in an area zoned for agriculture. In Orange County, the same rules apply as in Lake, but residents need at least an acre of land.
For those who fit the requirements, owning a donkey has its benefits, said Mark Meyers, executive director of Peaceful Valley, which has six adoption centers nationwide, including White's center north of Clermont.
"They have a personality more like a dog," Meyers said. "They are loyal, compassionate and very protective."
Problem worsensPopular misconceptions about these gentle creatures have made it difficult to find good homes for the donkeys, he said. Most often, donkeys are thought of as stubborn animals quick to aggressively kick a nearby human.
"We expect animals to do exactly what we say," said Meyers, 44, who has rescued donkeys since the late 1990s.
Donkeys also face issues including improper care from owners; a lack of veterinarians willing to work with them; and limited local, state and federal funds dedicated to ensure their safety.
So Peaceful Valley tries to make sure both the domesticated and wild animals live in safe conditions as it serves as an advocate for donkeys by educating the public.
The organization mostly rescues wild donkeys called burros from rural areas in the West and works with them at Peaceful Valley's three facilities in Texas, California and Virginia to ensure that they are well-mannered and healthy. Once they are fit for adoption, they are transferred to the adoption centers. Meyers said the organization has about 1,000 donkeys in its system.
"And the number just keeps going up," Meyers said. "Our goal is to be able to rescue a donkey out of any situation anywhere in the country. We're about 10 years away from being able to solve the problem."
Getting attachedThe organization joins several donkey-rescue groups in the United States, from Colorado to Arizona to New York. Frances D'Angela, founder of Crossroads Donkey Rescue in Dimondale, Mich., said she began her rescue program in 2001 after noticing that no such program existed in the area.
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Introduction {#S1}
============
Students' learning outcomes, such as academic achievement, is a major concern for teachers and governments, and one of the most important issues in the field of education and educational psychology, as proven by the large amount of research in the existing literature that focuses on this topic.
However, most of the research conducted to explain or predict learning outcomes which we can find in the literature, have two important limitations. First, no consensus theoretical model is used as a basis. Each author centers on specific variables according to his/her theoretical tradition, which makes comparing and interpreting the results difficult. Second, many of the models used as a reference to guide research in the classroom lack a scientific and solid theoretical basis by, for instance, providing a conceptual framework to consider the teaching and the learning process independently. These limitations hinder progress from being made in this field.
"The Educational Situation Quality Model" (MOCSE, acronym in Spanish), devised by [@B9], [@B10], [@B11]), which we present herein, attempts to overcome the aforementioned shortcomings by providing an integrated and scientific approach to explain students' learning outcomes, such as academic achievement and course satisfaction. Unlike other existing ES models in the literature that lack a solid theoretical basis, MOCSE has been configured by combining contributions from relevant psycho-educational theories, such as: "The Job Demands-Resources Model," "The Expectancy-Value Theory," and "The Achievement Goal Theory." Moreover, previous research that has focused on MOCSE has allowed the original proposal to be refined and has improved the model's predictive capacity. Finally, the model besides being a conceptual framework to guide research, it also provides a methodological way to improve teacher practice and learning outcomes.
As the studies conducted to date have been done exclusively with students (and not with teachers) from University and Secondary Education levels, this is why we present the structural configuration of the model centered on student in the current study. Although more research is needed, the results obtained to date seem to support the MOCSE model's viability with students. In the current study we explain the model's characteristics, how it works and its use to improve learning. Investigating the MOCSE model centered on the teacher is a future challenge.
Theoretical Framework: The Educational Situation Quality Model Focused on Students {#S2}
==================================================================================
What do a student being more engaged than others, learning more than others and obtaining better academic results depend on? What can I, as a teacher, do so that students engage more, learn and, consequently, obtain better results in a given subject? Answering both questions is crucial to implement actions and programs to improve learning outcomes. This article aims to shed light on the answers to both questions from a new approach provided by the Educational Situation Quality Model ([@B9], [@B10], [@B11]). The studies conducted to date about MOCSE have been done from only the student perspective. The data obtained seem to endorse the configuration of the model centered on the student ([@B9]; [@B14], [@B15]; [@B1]). The structural configuration of model centered on students is displayed in [Figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}.
{#F1}
As we can see in [Figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}, students' perception of learning demands, and the perceptions of the supports they are provided with to overcome such demands (Stage I: Appraisal stage), predict intention to learn (Stage II: Intention activation) which, in turn, affect the level of engagement (behavioral, cognitive, relational, and affective) adopted by students during the teaching-learning process (Stage III: Teaching-Learning process) which, in turn, finally has an effect on learning outcomes, such as academic achievement and course satisfaction (Stage IV: Learning outcomes). The whole model pivots around the intention to learn, where the components from Stage I are considered antecedents or predictive variables, whereas those from Stages III and IV are considered consequences or outcome variables. As the course unfolds, students receive continuous feedback about their progress that affects their perception of the demands required and supports received. Consequently, students' perceptions are continuously updated and changing. The model operates as a system, insofar that the changes in one of its five components affect all the others.
This proposal integrates three important motivational theories to explain students' involvement (engagement) and learning outcomes: Job Demands and Resources Model ([@B7]; [@B4]), Expectancy-Value theory ([@B18]), and Achievement goal theory ([@B16]; [@B32]; [@B2]; [@B47]).
Stage I: Demands and Supports for Students in the Classroom Context {#S2.SS1}
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Applying this theory to the school context, first, requires a thorough analysis of what the specific demands required of students and teachers are and, second, which resources/supports are provided to them (students and teachers) to complete those demands. We assume, as a general principle, that students' and teachers' perceptions of the learning and teaching demands, respectively, and the resources/supports they are provided with (or expected to be provided with until the end of the course) in order to overcome those demands, play an important role in the quality of the teaching-learning process (T-L) undertaken, and determine, to a large extent, academic achievement and course satisfaction.
Centered on the students' learning process, the JD-R ([@B7]; [@B4]) was used to study students' perceptions of a specific educational setting in terms of learning demands and the resources/supports (external and internal) they need to overcome such demands. The selected demands or tasks that students have to meet to pass a specific subject matter (e.g., problem solving, assignments, tasks, oral presentations, lab work, etc.) are included and described in the subject's planning. They are all subordinated and aim to fulfill learning objectives (the most important demands). Students may acquire information about their required learning demands at the beginning of the course in the subject syllabus or when the teacher introduces the subject's planning.
We begin with a basic premise ([@B14]; [@B1]; [@B11]), the perception that each student forms of; first, the scheduled learning demands they must complete to pass a given subject; second, the support that they receive or perceive they will have mainly from the teacher and family to face these demands is crucial information to activate students' intention to learn. Consequently, they will decide to engage, or not, in learning a given subject.
### Demands of Students {#S2.SS1.SSS1}
The learning demands in the context of a specific subject, refer basically to the tasks that students have to complete and the contents they have to study to achieve the programmed objectives and pass the subject.
Two major features can be distinguished from a learning demand: (1) the typology, related to the competence that the teacher wishes to be developed (cognitive, socio-affective, etc.); (2) the motivational characteristics of demand, which enable students' intention to learn activation. The motivational characteristics of demands (specifically, activities and tasks that students are required to complete to overcome a specific subject) should meet five major requirements to activate students' intentions to learn and encourage students to engage in the teaching learning process ([@B12]): (a) connect with students' living environment; (b) connect with students' interests and needs; (c) connect with what students already know; that is, with their previous knowledge (see Ausubel); (d) have a moderate level of difficulty (neither too easy, nor too difficult); in other words, the level of difficulty should be located, according to Vygotsky, in the zone of proximal development (ZPD); (e) be useful for students at a personal or a professional level; (f) make sense in the context of the subject matter. The more requirements a demand has, the more motivating it will be.
### External and Internal Support Resources to Overcome Required Demands {#S2.SS1.SSS2}
Regarding the external resources/supports provided by teachers, "most authors have usually distinguished between affective/emotional or instructional/instrumental supports, but there is lack of consistency in the terminology used" ([@B11]). Instructional support provided by teachers aims to facilitate students' content domain which, in turn, will contribute to achieve learning demands. The affective support provided by teachers aims to meet students' psychological needs and wishes in the classroom context. It will contribute to activate positive emotions and to generate a healthy classroom climate. Students' course satisfaction is related to the emotions experienced by students during the course.
Regarding the external resources/supports provided by the family, previous studies have found that when parents or family members provide academic (e.g., assisting with homework) or affective (e.g., recognizing effort) support, students' academic achievement improves ([@B28]). Research has also found that parents' support and involvement positively influence children's perception of their own abilities and also how they value the subjects taught at school ([@B37]).
Finally, regarding internal support, students' self-beliefs related to their personal identity and self-competence (e.g., self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-concept, self-control, self-confidence, etc.) are considered important internal resources/support to predict motivation and goal setting ([@B9]; [@B14], [@B13]; [@B1]). Students' positive self-beliefs act as personal-internal support resources that may shape their initial perception of the T-L process in terms of the demands and supports provided to achieve the planned learning objectives ([@B11]).
The teaching supports considered to date in the research carried out in the MOCSE context are listed below in [Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}. Bearing in mind that three fundamental levels/dimensions exist in an ES situation, namely Academic, Interpersonal and Intrapersonal, which need to be dealt with, we classified teaching supports according to the importance or effect that each specific support has on all three levels.
######
Classification of the teacher supports considered to date in the research conducted in the MOCSE context.
**TEACHER SUPPORTS considered to date in the MOCSE context**
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\(1\) Content comprehension support ^\*^ "The teacher's explanations are clear and understandable".
\(2\) Motivational support ^\*^ "From the beginning, the teacher made an effort to arouse our curiosity and interest in this subject".
\(3\) Formative evaluation (teacher feedback) ^\*^ "The evaluation system attaches much importance to students' continued work and the teacher's feedback".
\(4\) Relational support ^\*^ "The teacher comes over as being willing and open to dialogue".
\(5\) Competence support ^\*^ "From the beginning, the teacher has conveyed to us the idea that we are all qualified to pass this subject if we propose to do so".
\(6\) Recognition support ^\*^ "When we do things right, this teacher values it and praises us for it".
\(7\) Assisting students to improve achievement (study guidance) ^\*^ "The teacher has guided us how to learn more and be better in this subject".
\(8\) Autonomy support ^\*^ "The teacher gives us a chance to focus and organize the work of the topics as we wish".
\(9\) Providing didactic resources to study support ^\*^ "The teacher has provided us with enough varied materials to study and work on this subject".
\(10\) Teacher's accessibility ^\*^ "This teacher quickly and effectively answers the questions raised by students".
\*
Indicates the classroom level affected by such support. (1) Acad., academic level of the educational setting; (2) Inter., interpersonal level of the educational setting; (3) Intra., intrapersonal level of the educational setting.
1. Interpersonal level: it refers to personal relationships (teacher-students, students-students). The teacher's obligation in this area is to improve the classroom climate by managing these interpersonal relationships. Empathy and respect in dealings between teacher-students and among peers are two fundamental requirements to achieve a good classroom climate.
2. Intrapersonal level: it refers to the relationship with oneself. Having low self-esteem, low self-concept, undervalued perception of self, etc., generates fears and insecurities (fear of failure, humiliation, etc.) in students, especially adolescents. These fears hinder learning because these students pay more attention to protect themselves than to progress and master the subject.
3. Academic level: it is a consequence of the two previous levels. It refers to the teaching and learning of curricular content. Successful teachers cover all three levels, but some teachers only cover this level and ignore the above-mentioned two.
The decision to set a goal intention (i.e., choosing a desired end state to strive for) is commonly assumed to depend on both the desirability and the feasibility of a certain outcome (e.g., [@B19]). Goals are most likely to be set when the anticipated end state is subjectively evaluated as both desirable (I want X!) and feasible (I am confident that I can achieve X!). Thus, from a psychological perspective, a strong desire to attain a goal is not sufficient for the formation of a goal intention; in addition, one must be confident that the chances of attaining the goal are high.
Stage II: Intention to Learn Measured Through Expectancy-Value Beliefs and Achievement Goals {#S2.SS2}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Intentionality is considered the immediate previous step of action. According to the theory of Action-Control ([@B26]), intention to learn is a motivational state that is generated in the subject before initiating behavior to achieve a certain goal, and is associated with decision making. The decision to set a goal to strive for is usually assumed to depend on both the desirability and the feasibility of reaching that goal ([@B19]). In other words, a certain goal is more likely to be set when individuals feel a strong desire to attain it and when they are confident that they can achieve it. The formation of a goal intention is governed by motivational principles.
According to a basic educational rule accepted by the majority of authors, successful learning requires "students' intention to learn and the teacher's intention to teach to be activated at the beginning of the educational process, and have to remain active until the process ends" ([@B11]). Intention to learn is activated on the first days of the course, and basically depend on students' perception of both the required demands and the supports provided by the teacher. However, it is assumed that this may change and fluctuate during the T-L process as a result of constant (re)appraisals made by students of the support provided to fulfill learning demands.
### The Expectancy-Value Theory {#S2.SS2.SSS1}
The expectancy-value theory (see [@B18] for a modern version of this theory) is grounded in the social cognitive view of motivation. In this tradition, psychologists claim that individuals' choice, persistence and vigor invested in performance can be basically predicted and explained by their beliefs about how well they will do in the task and the value that the task has for them ([@B3]; [@B46]; [@B45]). The three major constructs that are considered important for psychologists in this tradition are listed below:
1. Expectancy for success (Will I succeed in this subject?). This construct is defined as "individuals' beliefs about how well they will do in upcoming tasks" [@B18], p. 119). Expectancy for success is more future-oriented than simple self-perceptions of competence, and it refers to students' actual beliefs about their future expectancy for success. Expectancy for success usually comprises outcome expectancy and self-efficacy expectancy ([@B30]). Both terms were introduced by [@B5], who differentiated between "self-efficacy or efficacy expectations" and "outcome expectancy." This author defined the former as an individual's belief in his/her own capability to accomplish a given task, while the latter is considered a person's belief that the effort he/she invests will lead to the desired outcome ([@B5]).
2. Expectancy for enjoyment (How will I feel studying this subject?). Given the importance of students' affective state for their engagement while learning, this affective component has been considered by expectancy-value theorists to be crucial ([@B33]; [@B35]). It refers to the feelings that students expect to experience during the course, which derive from the teacher-students, content-students and peer relationships.
3. Task/subject value (What value does this subject have for me?). Task value refers to students' beliefs about if a task or subject is worth pursuing. According to [@B30], students' beliefs about if a task or subject is worth pursuing is a key component for understanding students' behaviors and learning outcomes. The term "value" seems a simple construct, but it is not because it has different understandings. For instance, an object can have an intrinsic, extrinsic and instrumental value. The modern expectancy-value theory ([@B18]; [@B17]) distinguishes four task-value components that we applied to a course subject to assess the subject matter value: utility, importance, interestingness and cost.
Finally, given the importance of the attributional theory in students' motivation, an additional construct was considered and added to the three aforementioned ones.
4. Expectancy of control (To what extent does it depend on me to pass or fail this subject?). Given the importance of the attributional theory ([@B40]; [@B43]) in students' motivation, the construct of control was taken into account in the way of expectations, and an additional fourth construct, called "expectancy of control," was added to the three above- mentioned ones. The theorists of this tradition stress the idea that causal interpretations or attributions made by students of academic results (successes and failures) determine their motivation and efforts to a great extent. For instance, student motivation will suffer, and students will most certainly not make much effort to study a subject, if they consider that it does not depend on them (no matter how much effort they make) to pass or fail it, but on other factors beyond their control; e.g., if they get on well with the teacher, the teacher's mood when correcting exams, luck, etc. Accordingly, if the attributions that students make of their academic successes and failures are controllable, they will be more motivated to learn than if their causal attributions are uncontrollable.
### The Achievement Goal Theory {#S2.SS2.SSS2}
The achievement goal theory ([@B16]; [@B32]; [@B2]; [@B47]) argues that "the purposes that students hold for engaging in a specific learning task or in a learning process followed with a specific subject matter (i.e., their achievement goals) are an important antecedent to their achievement-related processes and outcomes" ([@B30], p. 487). Three main goals are usually considered by researchers in this field: mastery goals, performance goals and performance-avoidance goals. The students who adopt mastery goals focus on developing one's competence to achieve a task or to pass a subject. The students who set a performance goal are concerned about others demonstrating their competence. Finally, the students who set a performance-avoidance goal wish to avoid social judgments and humiliation by others, such as the teacher or peers. For more in-depth details, see the study carried out by [@B29]. Previous research has found associations between the achievement goals adopted by students and outcomes variables, such as engagement/disengagement ([@B24]; [@B30]); academic achievement ([@B34]; [@B38]; [@B8]; [@B44]); and student satisfaction and enjoying class ([@B25]; [@B38]).
In conclusion, we consider expectancy-value beliefs and achievement goals the two main dimensions to assess "intention to learn" (for more details, see [@B11]). Prior research ([@B36]) seems to indicate that achievement goals are well explained by expectancy-value constructs, but not the other way around. That is why we have placed expectancy-value constructs as the first dimension and achievement goals as the second dimension. A high score in both dimension indicates high intention to learn, whereas a low score in both dimension indicates low intention to learn.
Stage III: The Teaching-Learning Process: Students' Engagement {#S2.SS3}
--------------------------------------------------------------
Students' engagement is crucial for academic outcomes and school success, that's why engagement is one of the most important issues of educational research. A review of the literature reveals that no consensus has been reached by authors about defining this construct ([@B41]) and, consequently, about how it should be measured. Broadly speaking, in the school context, it is generally assumed that engagement occurs when students are involved in learning tasks, and is characterized by students' continuous effort, determination and perseverance in learning ([@B30]). On the contrary, disengaged students are characterized by lack of interest, inaction and the use of avoidance strategies. Avoidance strategies are considered a negative indicator of students' engagement. Students use avoidance strategies when they give up, quit or disengage in their learning tasks related to a specific subject matter. In short, we can roughly state that *engagement* refers to involvement or participation; conversely, non-engagement, or disengagement, refers to withdrawal or apathy.
In recent years, students' engagement has been viewed as a multidimensional concept ([@B41]). Centered on an educational setting, engagement is usually examined by considering how students behave (behavioral engagement), feel (affective or emotional engagement), think (cognitive engagement), and socialize or interact (social or relational engagement) in the classroom. Behavioral engagement is more observable and easily measurable. It usually includes actions and efforts made by students ([@B20]; [@B23]), such as, asking questions, taking an active part in class, paying attention and taking notes, participating in learning activities, etc. Cognitive engagement refers to how students feel about themselves and how effective the processing strategies or skills they use to master certain tasks are ([@B31]), such as, synthesizing information, highlighting the main ideas, etc. Emotional engagement has to do with the positive or negative emotions that students experience in their relations with the teacher, peers, content and school ([@B6]) such as, I feel I'm in tune with the teacher, I feel that my classmates like me, etc. Social or relational engagement contributes to create a positive and healthy classroom climate depend on the quality of interactions maintained between students and the teacher, and also between peers, during the course to a great extent. Former research works in the literature on motivation provide key notions and aspects of relational engagement, such as autonomy support ([@B27]) or school belonging ([@B21]; [@B39]).
Stage IV: Academic Achievement and Course Satisfaction {#S2.SS4}
------------------------------------------------------
Learning outcomes, specifically student achievement and course satisfaction, are two of the most important indicators of a successful T-L process. "Student satisfaction is both an outcome of the learning process and a requirement for successful learning" ([@B42], p. 2). Accordingly, in this stage, learning outcomes and course satisfaction should be considered and evaluated. The aim of this evaluation centered on the product is, first, to know to what extent the learning objective has been achieved at the end of the course and, second, to know the level of student satisfaction reported about the followed T-L process. Student satisfaction is related to the emotions experienced by students during the course. This evaluation provides the teacher with valuable information and feedback. It allows the teacher to reflect retrospectively to introduce instructional changes for subsequent courses in order to correct failures and, thus, improve students' achievement and course satisfaction. These changes will focus mainly on those variables that are the teacher's responsibility; that is, learning demands and teacher support from components 1A and 1B.
Applying Mocse to Improve Learning Outcomes {#S3}
===========================================
Actions Centered on the Classroom Level {#S3.SS1}
---------------------------------------
When students' low achievement is detected in a specific subject matter at any level of education, the teacher is encouraged to use the MOCSE model to improve students' engagement and academic results. So, based on MOCSE postulates, we suggest following a procedure that comprises two phases. Implementing the first phase (Intervention Phase 1) is recommended at the beginning of the course, a few days after the course begins, to diagnose students' initial motivational profiles based on intention to learn indicators. To address this diagnosis, the Intention to Learn Questionnaire is provided in [Annex 1](#DS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}.
The specific actions to be implemented into Phase 1 are listed below:
First action (Action 1): to assess "intention to learn" constructs (Expectancy-value beliefs and motivational goals) for a *diagnosis evaluation*. It should be carried out at the beginning of the course, some days after the course begins. Intention to learn is the cornerstone of the model on which the remaining components pivot: antecedents (Components 1A and 1B) and consequents (Components 3 and 4). Based on this structure, the first step consists in assessing intention to lean. "This action will provide teachers with valuable information about the extent to which students will engage in studying and working on a specific subject" ([@B11]).
Second action (Action 2): *analysis of the results* to detect the strengths and weaknesses of students' initial motivational profiles based on intention to learn indicators (Expectancy-value beliefs and motivational goals).
Third action (Action 3): *reflection* on students' initial motivational profile at the beginning of the course, and on the actions than I can take as a teacher. Do I continue with the planned schedule or must I introduce changes?
If appropriate, the teacher can continue with his/her established subject planning without making any changes. If the teacher notes any major deficiencies in intention to learn (either at the class or the individual level, only in some students), then a second intervention will be necessary as soon as possible (Intervention Phase 2). This second intervention aims to assess the predictive variables (demands and supports) to detect the causes responsible for students' low motivational level. With this information, from a scientific basis, the teacher is able to initiate improvement actions by introducing the necessary changes, to avoid or reduce students' risk of failure.
The specific actions to be implemented in Phase 2 are explained below:
Fourth action (Action 4). If deficiencies are detected, a fourth action must be implemented. This consists in designing an *Action Plan* to introduce corrective measures that aim to correct the motivational deficiencies found. It will be necessary to specify in the action plan when the improvement actions will be carried out, how, and in what way its efficacy will be evaluated. Note that the aim of the action plan is to activate and increase intention to learn (the model's Component 3). To achieve this, it is necessary to assess the predictive or antecedent variables, and identify the specific variables responsible for students' intention to learn according to students' point of view; related to learning demands and supports from Components 1A and 1B. To address this assessment, the Demands and Teacher Support Questionnaire is provided in [Annex 2](#DS1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. However, in order to collect more complete and detailed information, on the same dimensions, from students, it is recommendable to use the interview technique as a complementary methodology.
Subsequently, the instructional actions and programs that center on the aforementioned variables, which are the teacher's responsibility and the teacher control, should be implemented. "Besides correcting motivational deficiencies, a diagnosis evaluation also allows the teacher to adjust teacher support to students' characteristics at the beginning of the course" ([@B11]). In short, in order to activate intention to learn, appealing and meaningful demands should be planned, and affective and instructional supports (from teachers, peers, and families) should be provided."
A decline in students' motivation to learn (and as a result learning outcomes) has been found in the transition from Primary to Secondary Education, a period that coincides with the first years of adolescence, a difficult stage in a child's development. Accordingly, it is especially important to use this tool at this level of education to improve students' intention to learn and learning outcomes (academic achievement and course satisfaction). By assuming that a standard Secondary Education course comprises three trimesters and that students' progress is evaluated and reported to parents at the end of each trimester, there are basically three time points at which the students involved in the T-L process re-update their perceptions, and almost simultaneously make decisions about what their own role and involvement must be during the course. The most important time point to check students' intention to learn is the period when the course begins (after some days of class), but the time points corresponding "to the start of the second and third trimesters are also key due to the results obtained at the end of each trimester, provided on a report card" ([@B11]). So if we wish to check the evolution of students' intention to learn (and perception) throughout the course, it is advisable to make evaluations at the three aforementioned time points. Psychologist, can assist teachers to implement the aforementioned actions.
Actions Centered on the School Level {#S3.SS2}
------------------------------------
When students' low achievement is detected in a specific school, the same actions and procedure can be followed at the school level. Previously, teachers should be trained to first understand the conceptual configuration and postulates of MOCSE, and second how it can be applied in class. The "empirical data obtained with MOCSE procedures can provide the scientific basis to design effective programs for different levels and subjects" ([@B11]), to active students' intention to learn and, in turn, to learning outcomes like academic achievement and satisfaction at school. Finally, we wish to point out that teacher training is a fundamental element for teachers to implement changes and improvements into class. In the MOCSE context, teacher training would take two main directions; one, to train them so they are able to formulate stimulating learning demands that match the needs and interests of students in today's society; two, so they are capable of offering students the supports they need at all times while learning.
Discussion {#S4}
==========
In accordance with the aforementioned rationale, and based on previous research, we assert that the MOCSE model explains coherently how an educational setting operates, and provides a scientific and useful framework to be used by both researchers and teachers. On the one hand, it can be used by researchers to guide their research conducted on educational settings to explain and predict academic achievement and course satisfaction from a new approach. On the other hand, it can be used by teachers as a methodological procedure to diagnose and intervene in the classroom to improve students' intention to learn and, consequently, learning outcomes.
The model can be applied at any level of education, to improve students' engagement and academic results. The data obtained to date seem to indicate the model's viability given its capacity to explain students' engagement and academic achievement in undergraduate students ([@B9]; [@B15]) and Secondary Education ([@B1]). However, further research is needed at different levels of education and cultural contexts to obtain more reliable findings. After providing the model's validity, we wish to use this tool to detect regularities in similar educational contexts, that is, at the same level of education and/or in specific curricular contents or degrees. This is a future challenge, for instance, questions such as: What are the best specific teacher supports for primary, secondary or undergraduate students? What are the best specific teacher supports for secondary students in specific curricular subjects? What is the predictive role of learning demands in primary, secondary or undergraduate students? etc. These questions and others like them are still unsolved, but are important to implement efficient instructional actions and programs to improve students' engagement and academic achievement at a specific level or in a given curricular content.
Author Contributions {#S5}
====================
FD-B wrote the manuscript. AG-A and LA-R reviewed the whole manuscript, checked the references, and made significant contributions. All the authors reread the manuscript and approved its submitted version.
Conflict of Interest Statement {#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.
Supplementary Material {#S6}
======================
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01692/full#supplementary-material>
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Click here for additional data file.
[^1]: Edited by: Juan Luis Castejon, University of Alicante, Spain
[^2]: Reviewed by: Miguel Angel Carbonero, University of Valladolid, Spain; Pablo Miñano, University of Alicante, Spain
[^3]: This article was submitted to Educational Psychology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology
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Conventional multi-junction solar cells are widely used for terrestrial and space applications and provide the highest efficiency for solar energy conversion. Multi-junction solar cells comprise multiple p-n or n-p diodes (junctions) in series connection, realized by growing thin regions of epitaxy in stacks on semiconductor substrates. Each junction in a stack is optimized for absorbing a different portion of the solar spectrum, thereby improving the efficiency of solar energy conversion. These types of structures are varied and are well known to those skilled in the art.
Typical fabrication steps in state-of-the-art multi-junction solar cell processing have been described by D. Danzilio et al. “Overview of EMCORE's Multi-junction Solar Cell Technology and High Volume Manufacturing Capabilities”, CS MANTECH Conference, May 14-17, 2007, Austin, Tex., USA. Multi-junction solar cell fabrication generally involves two parts; namely, front-end and back-end processing. Front-end processing includes growth of epitaxial layers, front and backside metallization, and solar cell die isolation. Standard semiconductor fabrication techniques are used in front-end processing, which yields multiple solar cell die on a semiconductor wafer. The die are electrically isolated and the cells are fully functional. Back-end processing includes steps such as singulation of cells on the wafer (e.g. using dicing blade), packaging, and wirebonding.
FIG. 1A shows a top view of a prototypical multi-junction solar cell die (prior art) after front-end processing. FIG. 1B shows the side view of the cross-section 9 in FIG. 1A. Solar cell die 100 are typically rectangular in shape and are laid out on wafer 5 using a grid pattern. A regular rectangular grid is preferred to yield the maximum number of cells of a given size on the wafer. Metal busbars 22 and gridlines 2 sit on a mesa structure 6, which is obtained by partially or completely eliminating epitaxial layers 4 along the outer edges of each die 100. This process step is referred to as the “mesa isolation process”. The die on the wafer are electrically isolated as a result of mesa structure formation. The mesa isolation process leaves an exposed region 8 of the underlying substrate that runs near and parallel to the edges of the mesa structures 6. The width y of the exposed corner regions 8 is typically on the order of tens of micrometers and these regions serve as dicing streets. Dicing streets are narrow pathways along which the wafer is to be cut during back-end processing to singulate the die on the wafer. A metal contact region 52 is provided on the backside of the substrate 5 and serves as an electrode. The other electrodes are the busbars 22, which are typically located along one or more edges of each die. Multijunction solar cells typically have additional features as well, such as anti-reflection coating (not shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B) and cap regions 3. Cap regions 3 are patterned epitaxial regions underlying metal gridlines 2 to provide an electrical contact between the metal and the underlying semiconductor structure 41. Such features and structures are well known to those skilled in the art.
The active area of a solar cell is defined as the area that actually absorbs the sunlight and generates photocurrent. The active area includes the grid of thin metal lines 2 placed in parallel or in other configurations but excludes the areas occupied by the busbars 22. Consequently, the areas under the busbars do not contribute to the generated electrical power. Henceforth, the active area is the area of the mesa 6 less the area of the busbars 22. In the design of multi-junction solar cells, busbar width x is chosen using engineering practices such that current is collected with minimal resistive losses, wirebonding requirements are fulfilled, and the busbars occupy a small area on the die.
In the prior art, typical testing procedure includes voltage and current measurements that are conducted while the cell is illuminated from the top with a solar simulator. Voltage and current measurements can be done after front-end processing (wafer scale) as well as after singulation of solar cell die. These measurements are important to determine and eliminate defective die before packaging. Prior art solar cells have features that reduce the accuracy of electrical measurements.
Multi-junction solar cells (prior art) typically have two electrodes. The top electrode consists of the busbars 22 and the gridlines 2 and the bottom electrode consists of the metal coating 52 on the backside. The junctions 41, 42, and 43 are serially connected through the epitaxy. Voltage contributions of individual junctions cannot be measured, merely the total voltage difference across all junctions can be measured. In addition, certain features of the test setup negatively impact the accuracy of voltage measurements.
Wafer scale measurements are typically done when the wafer is placed on a vacuum chuck. Henceforth, the metal-coated back surface of the wafer makes electrical contact with the chuck. Electrical measurements are done through microscopic mechanical contacts (pins or probes, typically on a probe card) on the top electrode (busbars) and through the chuck on the back electrode. Voltage and current are typically measured using independent pins. For voltage measurements, contact resistance between the chuck and the back metal and the resistance of the chuck play an important role. Multi-junction solar cells used in concentrated photovoltaic applications are typically high-current devices. The current may result in a significant voltage drop on the chuck due to the resistance. The voltage measured in the test setup is the total voltage including the voltage drop across the chuck. The voltage component coming from the chuck reduces the accuracy of the measurement of the actual solar cell voltage, which is the voltage across the junctions.
Voltage measurements on singulated cells have additional challenges. FIG. 2 shows a schematic of a diced chip 101 being tested on a vacuum chuck 13. The back metal 52 (back electrode) is in contact with the chuck 13 and the probe card 12 is in contact with the busbar 22 (top electrode). For singulated cells, typically the vacuum pull is not strong enough to ensure a good electrical contact between the chuck and the chip. The downward pressure coming from the probe card 12 may prevent a portion of the backside of the chip 101 from making contact with the chuck 13. These effects result in increased contact resistance between the chuck 13 and the backside 52 of the chip, resulting in a higher voltage drop due to photo-generated current. Furthermore, the contact resistance between the chuck 13 and the solar cell chip 101 is inconsistent from run to run. Therefore, as a consequence there is increased inaccuracy in voltage measurements for singulated die compared to full-wafer testing.
One way to eliminate the uncertainty in voltage measurements is to probe the substrate only from the top for voltage measurements. In this measurement configuration, the path of the photo-generated current stays the same. Referring to FIG. 3, the path of the current I includes the junctions 4, the substrate 5, the contact between the back metal 52 and the chuck 13, and through the chuck 13, each with an associated voltage drop. The voltage V is measured using a probe 14 in contact with the exposed areas 81 on the substrate and another probe (not shown in FIG. 3) in contact with the busbars 22. The voltage measured does not include variations coming from the resistance of the chuck-back contact interface 53 and the resistance of the chuck 13. The contact resistance of the busbars 22 and the contact regions 3 is typically small. The resistance of the contact 145 between the voltage probe 14 and the substrate 5 must also be small. However, since the contact 145 is not on the current flow path, there is much smaller current flowing through this contact compared to other contacts. Consequently, variations in the resistance of the contact 145 do not result in significant uncertainty in voltage measurements. Nevertheless, it may be preferred to provide a metal contact region (not shown in FIG. 3) on the surface 81 of the exposed substrate to facilitate probing. It may also be preferred to flow short pulses of high current for “burning” contacts, to thereby provide a low resistance path between the probe and the substrate.
Probing the substrate from the top typically improves the accuracy of voltage measurements; however, it is not the preferred method in the prior art. Referring to FIG. 1A, the regions 8, where the substrate is exposed, isolate devices on the wafer and serve as dicing streets. There is a requirement to yield the maximum number of chips per wafer in order to minimize manufacturing costs. Consequently, there is a requirement to make y as small as possible; hence the exposed substrate regions 8 occupy a minimum area on the wafer. The width y of the regions 8 is typically chosen to be on the order of tens of micrometers to ensure electrical isolation and fulfill dicing requirements. It is generally difficult to probe the substrate from narrow exposed corner regions. Nevertheless, for wafer scale measurements the width y of the exposed corner regions 8 might be sufficient such that the substrate can be probed by using small probe tips. Although, in many cases it will be difficult to align the probe and the devices on the wafer and the devices can be damaged during testing. On the other hand, for singulated chips (FIG. 3), the exposed substrate region 81 has a much smaller width z compared to y. This is because, after singulation the total width y is shared between two adjacent die and also some of the substrate material is removed during dicing. Therefore, probing the substrate from the top will be much more challenging for singulated chips. For both wafer-scale and singulated cell measurements, if larger substrate probing areas are used, fewer chips can be placed on the wafer. Therefore, front side voltage probing is not a preferred method in the prior art.
In typical multi-junction solar cells, the voltage contribution of individual junctions cannot be determined. The ability to measure the voltage drop on each junction is desirable to determine the root cause of failures and to optimize the performance of solar cell devices. For such voltage measurements, it is required to probe the interconnection regions between junctions. This can be achieved by a layout modification such that the epitaxial material is partially removed in certain areas around the cell so that interfacial epitaxy regions between junctions become exposed and accessible from the top. Such a layout change requires dedicating real estate on the wafer, which can reduce the number of solar cells of a given active area yielded per wafer. Consequently, the voltage contribution of individual junctions is not typically measured in the prior art.
In multi-junction solar cell characterization, it may be desirable to obtain certain electrical measurements without a back metal contact 52. For example, such a requirement may come from a process sequence that includes thinning down the substrate 5 (e.g. by lapping and/or grinding). In such a case, the back metal 52 is provided subsequent to the substrate thinning step. To reduce processing costs, it can be desirable to identify defective devices and low-yield wafers through electrical measurements before the substrate is thinned down. A sacrificial back contact metallization (to be removed before substrate thinning) can be used. However, this approach results in additional cost and complexity in the process.
In summary, there are problems in the prior art of multi-junction solar cell characterization, which are as listed as follows: 1. Using back contacts for voltage measurements adds uncertainty to voltage measurements because of the voltage drop on the test chuck and across the solar cell—test chuck interface. 2. The uncertainty in measured voltage is even more pronounced for singulated cells because of additional resistance at the solar cell—test chuck interface. 3. Probing the substrate from the top can eliminate the uncertainty in voltage measurements. However, this approach typically requires dedicating additional real estate on the wafer, reducing the number of chips yielded from each wafer. 4. Measurement of the voltage contribution of individual junctions in a multi-junction stack is desirable, but typically requires allocating real estate on the wafer, thereby reducing the number of chips yielded per wafer. 5. It is desirable in some process flows to conduct certain electrical measurements without a back contact.
Thermal runaway is a phenomenon that reduces the lifetime and reliability of semiconductor devices. The power dissipated in a semiconductor device is often released as heat, resulting in an increase in the temperature of a device. In certain semiconductor devices, such as diodes and multi-junction solar cells, the increased temperature may result in an even greater increase in the power dissipated. Such a positive feedback loop typically results in the destruction of the semiconductor device. This process is referred to as “thermal runaway” in semiconductor terminology.
Solar cells tested under sun or under electrical forward bias show a common failure pattern of thermal runaway. Typical III-V solar cell die are bonded to a heatsink before on-sun or forward bias testing. Thermal runaway induced failure may result from an imperfect die-attach process whereby one corner of a die is physically higher than the other three with increased thermal resistance in that corner. The corner of the cell which is the highest will heat up more and consequently thermal runaway failure will occur in that corner. The heating consequences of an imperfect die-attach are further exacerbated by the fact that much of the forward bias current flows under the busbars of the chip, and these busbars typically extend into the corners of the chip.
Both electrical testing and thermal runaway problems of the prior art are addressed by the present invention.
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Thursday, July 02, 2009
My Former Self
This has been an interesting week.
Seth started camp. Both he and I are adjusting to this new schedule, since the bus comes a bit earlier than it did for school, and returns later. He's been totally loving it and coming home completely ravenous. He walks in the door and announces that he's hungry. Now that I expect it from him, I make sure to have dinner started so he can eat pronto.
We've almost made it through another week with the contractors. The basement is moving along. I've come to realize what a truly blind item it is when you hire workers and you have no knowledge of construction. You come to rely on them completely to do what is needed and best. And, that's as it should be. But, I find it funny when the head contractor calls me downstairs to look at their handywork and attempts to explain why certain pipes have been moved, etc. I listen politely, but don't completely grasp all that he is saying. Fortunately, I know in my gut that he's on top of things, and that's what counts in the long run.
My datebook has been chockful of things to do this week....much minutia, I must say. And, it can get overwhelming at times. I was speaking with my dad today, and he started rattling off all that is on his list. It made me realize that we all seem to be grappling with a laundry list of things that require time and attention. When did life get so perpetually full?! And, he said to me that he's only one person (my mom passed away), and I really felt for him. Life can be busy enough if you have a partner to share it with. And, add to that children, and there's much to juggle and attend to.
I received an email via Facebook this week from a gal I used to work with when I was a Vice President at a NYC public relations firm. It was a true blast from the past and a welcome one. It brought me back there right away to the days of my having an office, wearing panty hose (not that I liked them), ordering in a tuna salad lunch from this delivery place I loved, hanging with office mates, and challenging my creativity on a daily basis, which, though pressured, suited me well. I was in my element. I didn't adore all the powers that be at the firm, but ultimately it proved a great learning ground to build my confidence and have my own practice for a period of time.
I was single most of the time I worked there, and hearing from her reminded me of my dating days, socializing with friends in the city, etc. I didn't love the daily routine of commuting into Manhattan (I lived in Queens and then Long Island), but I did relish the energy when I was there.
Last night, Marc and I got a sitter for Seth, which we rarely do on a weeknight. We had gotten tickets to see the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, since Broadwaybox.com had a special running on a number of shows prior to 4th of July.
The show featured music from the 80s. It's been a long time since I've listened to groups like Quarterflash and Journey. (I still have my record album collection in the basement at my parent's house.) It was a lot of fun, and once again, reminded me of another chapter in my life. Though I wouldn't trade where I'm at presently, there are times I must admit that I miss the days when, despite the fact that I worked fulltime, somehow life didn't feel quite as incessantly busy.
Perhaps part of it is the advent of technology. As much as it has the power to connect, inform and enhance people's lives, it's yet one more thing to do. And, really not "one" thing...but many....since the internet never sleeps.
Speaking of sleep....I'm not getting as much as I'd like/need with all that is on my mind and To Do list. But, I'm so glad it's a holiday weekend. I cross my fingers that the weather holds up and we get to hang at the pool.
There, I am somehow better able to focus on the immediate experience, especially when I'm practicing the crawl stroke. I've ever been one who loved swimming with their head in the water, so this is a whole new arena for me, and I'm enjoying the challenge. When my face is submerged, the world takes on an entirely new perspective, and there's something very freeing about that.
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Facebook and Instagram: When Your Favorite App Sells Out - llambda
http://www.nymag.com/daily/intel/2012/04/facebook-and-instagram-when-your-favorite-app-sells-out.html
======
soupboy
"The company is also technologically weird. For example, much of the code that
runs the site is written in a horrible computer language called PHP, which
stands for nothing you care about. Millions of websites are built with PHP,
because it works and it's cheap to run, but PHP is a programming language like
scrapple is a meat. Imagine eating two pounds of scrapple every day for the
rest of your life — that’s what Facebook does, programming-wise. Which is just
to say that Facebook has its own way of doing things that looks very suspect
from the outside world — but man, does it work."
Why is this article on HN exactly? The article took 8-9 paragraphs to even
start talking about the app actually being sold, and even then doesn't have a
single point that addresses the the headline - what to actually do when your
favorite app sells out (or shuts down or stops being maintained)
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How red can Tennessee get after election?
As Tennessee voters take the stage for Act 2 of the 2014 election trilogy, perhaps the biggest question is: Can a red state get even redder?
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam is expected to cruise to a second term this fall without serious Democratic competition. If incumbent U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander withstands state Rep. Joe Carr's tea party challenge in the GOP primary Thursday, he'll probably make it tough for the Democratic nominee to get much traction in November, political analysts say.
The other seats in the state's congressional delegation probably won't change parties either. Democrats could actually lose ground in the state Senate, where they held just seven of 33 seats to begin with, prompting one Democratic contender to crack that they could hold caucus meetings in a minivan. And Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey and a slew of interest groups hope to persuade voters to throw out three Tennessee Supreme Court justices appointed by former Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat.
Even one of the nation's most embattled Republican congressmen, U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais of South Pittsburg, might manage to hang on against a credible primary challenger, state Sen. Jim Tracy, if conservative voters consider present-day positions more than past indiscretions.
Kent Syler, a political science professor at Middle Tennessee State University and former Democratic political operative, said his party will struggle in Tennessee as long as President Barack Obama remains in the Oval Office.
He noted that Tennessee was one of the few states to support Obama's 2008 Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, more than it supported President George W. Bush's re-election bid four years earlier. Obama easily defeated McCain nationally as voters called for change in the White House, but Tennessee marched to a different beat — and hasn't stopped.
Republican campaigners are using "a formula that's worked since 2010: You simply take a picture of your opponent, put a picture of Barack Obama next to him and maybe throw in Nancy Pelosi, and go with it," Syler said. "As long as that keeps working, that's what we'll keep seeing. I honestly can't see any reason it would stop working in 2014."
But Roy Herron, chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party, said he sees an opening for the party's eventual Senate nominee this fall, whether the opponent is Alexander, whom Herron has taken to labeling as a government employee for parts of five decades, or Carr, whose conservative stances place him to the right of many Tennesseans.
Not tea party types
John Geer, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, said Tennessee isn't quite as red as it might appear. The three statewide officeholders — Haslam, Alexander and U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, who doesn't face re-election until 2018 — are conservatives, but they're not tea party types.
"They're much more out of the Howard Baker mold than they are Ted Cruz," Geer said, referring to the legendary, consensus-building Tennessee statesman who died in June and the freshman Texas senator at the forefront of the tea party movement.
Geer said Democrats have their own potentially viable statewide candidates, such as Bredesen and the Nashville and Chattanooga mayors, Karl Dean and Andy Berke. But they've opted to sit this year out, wary of Haslam's strong poll numbers and Alexander's formidable standing.
Democrats should at least have a better Senate contender than they did in 2012, when the extremist views of previously unknown nominee Mark Clayton made the state party a national punch line. Terry Adams and Gordon Ball, two Knoxville attorneys, seem to be the leading candidates for the nomination. But while Herron says the party will compete in November, Geer said he doesn't expect Adams or Ball to give Alexander much of a fight, assuming Alexander prevails over Carr.
"It's going to be an uninteresting fall election," Geer said.
An urban base
Democrats do have pockets of strength in the state, notably Nashville and Memphis. The two cities' congressmen, Jim Cooper and Steve Cohen, are expected to return to Washington for another term.
Maynard and his associates are trying to make sure the Democratic candidates — some black, some white, some incumbents, some newcomers — get over the last hurdle to public service.
"We've called thousands and thousands of voters," he said. "We're telling people that the May election was great, but it was not the final election."
Herron said he thinks all of the Davidson County Democrats will win. But if Republicans manage to capture one or more of those judgeships, that could send another loud signal that the GOP is pushing further into traditionally Democratic territory.
An imbalance outside Nashville
Ballots in the counties around Nashville have already turned bright crimson. In Sumner County, for example, the candidates for local offices are almost all Republicans or independents. A group of Sumner parents who mobilized in anger after school didn't start on time a couple of years ago has thrown its support behind Yvonne Malone, the lone Democrat seeking a seat on the county commission. But she'll have to overcome the county's entrenched impulse to reflexively vote Republican.
The same imbalance prevails in heavily Republican Rutherford County, which is part of the 4th Congressional District, where DesJarlais hopes to overcome Tracy's challenge. Syler said Tracy needs to win by a large margin in Rutherford and the other westernmost counties of the district, which sprawls to the Chattanooga suburbs.
Until recently, it seemed unlikely that DesJarlais could win a third term. Divorce filings released in 2012 — the full details of which didn't become public until after DesJarlais had been re-elected — include statements that he supported two abortions by his former wife before their marriage and had affairs with patients before the divorce was finalized in 2001.
If that doesn't sink a Republican family values candidate, what would? Syler said that if DesJarlais wins, it will be a symptom of the nation's political polarization. In that kind of environment, "a lot of other things get overlooked," he said, and many Republican voters will say, "Well, he votes the way I want him to vote."
With DesJarlais' staunchly conservative voting record and his personal issues already "well aired," coming up with the right message has been a challenge for Tracy, Syler said.
"If it becomes a referendum on who's the most conservative, that's a tough one to win. Senator Tracy needs a lot of moderate Republicans from the western part of the district and a lot of Democrats who are willing to cross over and vote in the Republican primary."
Whether DesJarlais or Tracy wins, Herron said, Democrats will compete for the congressional seat this fall with their candidate, retired accountant Lenda Sherrell of Monteagle. But it's hard not to think the minority party is hoping to see DesJarlais again in November.
"There's a strong contrast between (Sherrell's) ethics and morals and the incumbent's," Herron said.
Geer said his best guess is that Tracy will come out ahead Thursday night. If DesJarlais wins, "it's going to be a testament to a low-turnout election where people are happy with his positions on the issues and they're willing to forgive him."
And it might be one more testament to just how red Tennessee has become.
• Retention elections for Tennessee Supreme Court justices Cornelia A. (Connie) Clark, Sharon Gail Lee and Gary R. Wade. Voters will decide whether each of the three justices, all appointed by former Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen, will be retained or replaced.
• If any of four Republican judicial candidates wins in Davidson County (a fifth stopped campaigning and endorsed his Democratic opponent), the GOP will gain ground in the heavily Democratic county.
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Diversity Issues in Higher Education
Series:
Unleashing Suppressed Voices on College Campuses provides a comprehensive and inclusive lens of diversity for nearly every aspect of higher education: academic affairs administration, faculty tenure and promotion, student affairs administration, student athletes in revenue-producing sports, enrollment management, and business. It addresses relevant concerns for faculty who teach in higher education and student affairs graduate preparation, social foundations of education, counseling, educational psychology, educational policy, and educational leadership and administration programs, and can be used as a training manual for new and continuing faculty and staff in student, business, and academic affairs as well as governance.
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Justices will consider greenhouse gas rules
Sunday
Feb 23, 2014 at 12:01 AMFeb 23, 2014 at 10:04 AM
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration's drive to regulate greenhouse gases could hit a snag at the Supreme Court this week as industry groups and Republican-led states ask justices to block what they call a "brazen power grab" by the president's environmental regulators.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s drive to regulate greenhouse gases could hit a snag at the Supreme Court this week as industry groups and Republican-led states ask justices to block what they call a “brazen power grab” by the president’s environmental regulators.
The Environmental Protection Agency adopted regulations in 2011 that require new power plants, factories and other such stationary facilities to limit carbon emissions.
The agency said the rules were justified by a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that held that carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — seen by some as culprits behind a warming planet — are air pollutants subject to EPA regulation under the Clean Air Act.
In that decision, four conservative justices dissented, insisting that the law covered only air pollutants that make it hard to breathe, such as smog, not those that trap solar energy in the atmosphere and might contribute to climate change.
Now, the dispute is back for Round 2 in the Supreme Court in a legal fight over how far the EPA can go in adapting the 1970s-era anti-pollution law to the 21st-century issue.
It is also a political fight. Texas, Florida and 15 other Republican-led states joined with business and energy groups in accusing the president and the EPA of overstepping their authority. California, Illinois and 13 other Democratic-led states joined with environmentalists in supporting the EPA’s rules.
The case to be argued on Monday asks only whether the EPA may restrict greenhouse gases from stationary sources.
In Obama’s first year in office, the EPA set in motion rules that require new motor vehicles to burn less gasoline and reduce carbon emissions. Those rules were upheld when the Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge against them. Obama last week announced new limits on carbon emissions from trucks and buses.
But when the EPA tried to expand those rules to stationary facilities, industry leaders and Republican-dominated states argued that the agency had gone too far. Justices agreed last year to consider six different appeals of the rules.
Typically, stationary facilities would include power plants, but the challengers said the regulations could potentially extend to millions of others.
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Inhibition of fibrin polymerization by fragment d is affected by calcium, Gly-Pro-Arg and Gly-His-Arg.
Fibrinopeptides A and B were removed from purified human fibrinogen by bovine thrombin, whereas the snake venom protease batroxobin only split fibrinopeptide A from fibrinogen. Aggregation of the resulting desAB- and desA-fibrin monomers was evaluated by recording the turbidity of incubation mixtures. Fibrin assembly was strongly accelerated by increasing the calcium concentration from 10(-5) to 10(-3) M. Fragment D was obtained from fibrinogen by proteolytic degradation with plasmin in the presence of Ca2+. At a 4-fold molar concentration relative to fibrinogen, fragment D dramatically inhibited fibrin polymerization at up to 10(-4) M Ca2+. This anticlotting activity was, however, much less pronounced at 10(-3) M Ca2+. The thrombin clotting time, measured on human plasma, was prolonged by fragment D in a dose-dependent manner. In citrate-containing plasma, the fibrinogen clotting was significantly delayed by an equimolar concentration of fragment D. In barium sulfate-adsorbed oxalated plasma, containing 2.5 mM Ca2+, the same amount of fragment D hardly affected fibrin polymerization. We conclude that fragment D has no important anticlotting effect under physiological conditions. The synthetic peptide Gly-Pro-Arg, corresponding to the amino-terminal sequence of the fibrin alpha-chain, inhibited aggregation of both desA-fibrin and desAB-fibrin at 10(-3) M Ca2+. The inhibition of desAB-fibrin polymerization by Gly-Pro-Arg was abolished at 10(-5) M Ca2+. In addition, Gly-Pro-Arg depressed the anticlotting activity of fragment D at low calcium concentration. An analogue of the amino-terminus of fibrin beta-chain, Gly-His-Arg, strongly accelerated aggregation of desA-fibrin monomers, but only moderately enhanced polymerization of desAB-fibrin monomers at 10(-5) M Ca2+, both in the presence and in the absence of fragment D. This activating effect of Gly-His-Arg was abolished at 10(-3) M Ca2+. It is suggested that the binding of calcium, Gly-His-Arg, and possibly also Gly-Pro-Arg, induces a conformational change in fibrin monomers and thus accelerates the polymerization process.
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Frenchman Sam Favret glides down the face of Cirque de Fond Blanc on his way to winning the Red Bull-sponsored Linecatcher freestyle skiing competition at the Les Arcs ski resort in the French Alps. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
President Obama’s exercise in gun legislation by photo-op and executive order yesterday may cheer liberals and outrage the NRA, but it will do almost nothing to curb gun violence.
Some of the new rules — 23 in all — may at first glance seem reasonable, such as expanding the amount of information available for background checks.
So does the boilerplate admonition to “launch a national safe and responsible gun-ownership campaign.” (But, psst, the National Rifle Association’s been doing that for years.)
And some actually make sense, such as helping schools and churches develop more effective emergency-response programs.
But all these are tepid, marginal stuff.
And others are outright posturing — such as issuing a presidential memorandum “directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence” — or simply risible — such as the order to nominate a new director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Um, what’s stopping you, Mr. President? (Of course, senators may well want to ask the ATF nominee about the Fast and Furious debacle.)
And none of these edicts, will have the slightest effect on psychos who illegally obtain weapons and then attack innocents in the free-fire areas known as “gun-free zones.”
Moreover, some of Obama’s commands raise important questions about civil liberties.
Take No. 4: “Direct the attorney general to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.”
They are, of course: Colorado shooter James Holmes passed background checks, as did the Virginia Tech killer and many others.
But if there were any clear way to identify “dangerous people” in advance (short of establishing a Department of Pre-Crime), we’d already be doing it.
And Obama’s notion of dragooning the country’s doctors into a network of snitches who ask their patients if they have guns at home is just repugnant.
The president has a few more substantive proposals, such as universal background checks on any gun sales — private sales are now exempt, but a tiny percentage of the total — and a restoration of the “assault rifle” ban.
Still, now that Obama has put his ideas on the table, let’s have that “national conversation” about guns he says he wants.
Let’s ask why gun crime is worst in cities such as the one the president began his career in, Chicago, which has long had some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. Laws so strict that a federal court recently found them unconstitutional.
Let’s discuss high-capacity magazines and whether limiting them to 10 rounds really makes any difference when an experienced criminal can swap out magazines in less than a second. Let’s discuss how many mass shootings (and potential ones) have been terminated by the presence of armed civilians willing to risk their own lives to save the innocent and the unarmed.
The fact is, people on the left and the right could easily agree on a basic framework of national gun rules that respect the Second Amendment while ensuring that guns are not easily obtainable by felons and the insane.
For the rest, leave it up to the states and let the people decide.
Connecticut’s gun laws are among the strictest in the country, but they couldn’t prevent the Sandy Hook atrocity.
Meanwhile, just up the road, ultraliberal Vermont has basically no restrictions on gun ownership, no waiting periods and no permits necessary to carry a gun, openly or concealed. And who’s afraid of Vermont?
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Red grass?
hi all... sorry for still being a noob haha. but what is this red grass next to my mushroom, is it algae (bad?) or is it some awesome red type of grass my hermit seems to be cutting it like if it was a bonsai tree lol
thanx thanx
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Photoreceptors are the highly specialized sensory neurons that carry out the first step in vision. The mechanisms for the production of photoreceptors during development are of interest from both a basic science and a therapeutic viewpoint. Photoreceptors, particularly rods, the cells that mediate vision in dim light, are the cell type most often directly affected by genetic diseases that lead to blindness. Cone photoreceptors, which mediate our daylight and color vision, also die due to genetic and environmental causes. Replacement of dying photoreceptor cells will require knowledge of the mechanisms of their genesis. For example, stem cells can be instructed to produce rods and/or cones prior to engraftment. In addition, an understanding of photoreceptor development might lead to interventions that prevent developmental abnormalities, which lead to blindness. We propose to investigate the mechanisms by which photoreceptors are generated. The focus will be on the transcription factors that are required for photoreceptor production, including an analysis of their upstream regulators and downstream targets. State-of-the-art nucleic acid technologies that build on our previous genomic studies, as well as our newly developed methods for the study of gene regulation, will be carried out. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Photoreceptors are the highly specialized sensory neurons that carry out the first step in vision. They are often the target of genetic diseases that lead to blindness. We propose to study the mechanisms for the production of photoreceptors, which can lead to the prevention of developmental abnormalities and/or therapies employing engraftment of photoreceptor cells produced by stem cells.
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A video posted by Kim Joiner to Facebook shows an enormous alligator crossing in front of a group of tourists waiting with their smartphones ready
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Q:
deserializing high speed data
I am trying deserialize data that come out of a LM98640 into 14 bits words:
Attached you can find a figure of the signals out of the LM98640.
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/lm98640qml-sp.pdf
(Figure 24 page 31)
I need to deserialize the signals TXOUT1 and TXOUT2:
A differential clock (TXCLK) is also output with transitions aligned with the center of the data eye. Data rates
range from 80Mbps up to 640 Mbps.
(TXOUT1 and TXOUT2 changes as fast as a 640 MHz clock)
What kind of FPGA should i use to work at these rates?
Can i use flip flops to capture the data and a 14 bit wide shift register to pack this into words of 14 bits wide?
Or is it more complex at these rates? Am i going to face metastability problems since i assume a will be facing crossing time domains between the clock sampling the DATA out of the LM98640 and the clock of the FPGA.
The data deserialized is going to be provided to a NI DAQ or stored in a RAM.
What kind of xilinx FPGA should i use?
Thank you for your help
A:
640Mb/s DDR is a bit quick for fabric logic, but may be manageable with a DDR configured IO block in a reasonably fast part.
However every even semi recent xilinx part has an ISERDES available on the inputs, and these are more then quick enough to deal with 640Mb/s DDR mode data even in speed grade 1.
I note that your chosen ADC is radiation hardened, if you need it, that may well be a bigger issue then link speed as it will massively reduce your FPGA (And configuration device) options. If you don't need rad hard, there are probably far cheaper ADCs that would get it done.
What FPGA, depends on what you need, I would go 7 series just because that gets you Vivado as a tool chain that is getting more love then ISE (Also its constraints file format is less annoying IMHO).
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Appearances
He made his first appearance in "Shadow: The Black Jaguar", where Zach captured him for his new line of Zachbots but he was saved by the Kratts who used Jaguar Powers. He made his second appearance in "To Touch a Hummingbird", as Chris and Martin were zip-lining through the rainforest. He appeared for the third time in "Liturgusa Krattorum," when the Kratt brothers were explaining animal scientific names. For a fourth time in "This Orca Likes Sharks", in a tree with his mom learning to climb and his fifth appearance in "A Creature Christmas."
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How Coderockr ensures maintainable code across dozens of projects
Languages used
Elton Minetto
CEO at Coderockr
“With Codacy our code review process became fast and precise, especially thanks to the integration with GitHub and Slack. Now our team can receive an analysis in each commit and improve the code right away.”
About Coderockr
Coderockr is a consulting and development company based in Brazil. They are experts in web and mobile projects, and work with clients all over Brazil and overseas. They are also developing their own product: http://planrockr.com.
They use mainly PHP, JavaScript and Golang on web projects, and Java/Objective-C to build mobile apps.
Most of the time they have about 10 engineers working on a few different projects.
Before Codacy
Coderockr has had a strong workflow in place for some time now.
Each task on their projects becomes a pull request, and these must be approved by two other team members before they are merged.
A few years ago Coderockr included code reviews in their daily process, with great results. However, even seeing great improvement in their code, they needed to keep this process as agile as the other aspects of their work. Their pursuit for a tool to improve their code review process led them to Codacy.
With Codacy
The first thing they noticed was the time they were saving:
“With Codacy our code review process became fast and precise, especially thanks to the integration with GitHub and Slack. Now our team can receive an analysis in each commit and improve the code right away.”
But that’s not all:
“And a healthy competition started, with every team member looking for a better grade in the commits.”
Which leads us to the other main advantage: better code.
As Coderockr works with so many projects during the year, it’s mandatory for them to ensure all projects are maintainable and easy to evolve.
“When we compare our current projects with the old ones, before implementing code reviews and Codacy, we can easily see the difference. This difference proves that we are in a better way now, using better tools and processes.”
Final Words
Regarding the benefits of using Codacy, Elton mentions that not using it not an alternative:
“Without tools like Codacy it’s impossible to scale a team and keep the code reviews as a core value as we do.”
The best thing about Codacy?
“The integrations. Receive status updates on the quality of each commit on GitHub interface and Slack is a key feature to keep the code reviews as a core value as we do.”
Codacy uses the OAuth protocol to allow you to log in. Depending on the provider, different permissions may be needed due to different OAuth implementations. We strive to request only the required permissions.
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Unless otherwise stated, all images, content and recipes are original and are the sole property of Mary Foreman, DeepSouthDish.com. No photographs or other content may be used without prior written consent.
Privacy Disclosure
Any personal information you provide (e.g., name, email address, etc) will never be released to any entities outside Deep South Dish. As with most websites and blogs across the Internet, third party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's prior visits to websites.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Deep South Dish is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products at amazon.com. Your support is greatly appreciated - Thank You!
Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman
I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN
I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Pork ribs done Memphis style, left overnight with a dry rub marinade, grilled over indirect heat for 1 hour, then brushed with a simple vinegar and mustard mop sauce and finished another hour.
Southern Style Dry Rub Pork Ribs
In many, if not most households, the husband is the master of the grill. Not in this house. The Cajun cooks nothing, and I mean nothing. So I'm the resident cook and griller, though I am certainly as amateur as it comes.
What you read here, is my learning process and what I'm picking up from cookbooks and from research, and frankly might just be all wrong. I am a gas grill girl for the most part, although on occasion I do also use my Weber kettle grill and I actually do even own a cheap-o smoker and more recently purchased an electric one, though purists will say that is not true smoking. The smoker is too time consuming and needy for my attention span and personality, and the wood or charcoal is generally a hassle and too wasteful for just the two of us. So gas and a smoker box is generally the winner for me.
In the past, I have always only owned the cheapest gas grills, which consequently also meant the smallest gas grills, but this spring I stepped up on my grill size to one that is large enough to actually do "zone" cooking - also known as cooking a rack of ribs over indirect heat. In the past I've had to bake them and then finish them with a sear on the grill. I did, of course, christen my brand new grill with my favorite cut of steak, a ribeye, adorned with absolutely nothing.
I got a little help with these ribs from an old cookbook of mine, The Barbecue! Bible, along with most of the tips in the recipe. Although adapted, these are dubbed Memphis style ribs (though mine weren't trimmed) for a couple of reasons.
First, I remove the membrane of the back side of spareribs. I don't know that everybody bothers with this, and while I don't find it necessary to do at all with baby back ribs, it tends to be tough on spareribs so I always remove it. Just work a knife up under the end and pull. If it's being a bit difficult, you can use a pair of pliers with a paper towel to grip it. Then just pull it up and off; discard.
I also remove the extra flap of meat that is on the top side. You can discard it or reserve it for another use, such as seasoning or for stock.
Lift it and gradually work the knife underneath and slice it off.
Now you have a nice, clean rack of ribs that is ready to season.
These start with a nice, dry rub marinade, using paprika, black pepper, a little bit of brown sugar, salt, celery seed, my fabulous and favorite Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, dry mustard and just a tad of cumin. Set aside a little bit of the rub mix to use at the end if you like - it adds another layer of flavor and is another trademark Memphis technique apparently.
The ribs are massaged all over with the rub, covered and left to marinate in the fridge overnight or about 8 hours if possible. Second, they are smoked rather than grilled, or as The Barbecue! Bible refers to them, "smoke cooked." I used some mesquite chips in a smoker box, because that is what I happened to have on hand - there are lots of nice wood blends available these days so check them out!
An hour into cooking, the ribs are treated with a simple vinegar and mustard mop sauce. Memphis style ribs are served sans sauce, so the mop sauce is used only for basting during cooking. I had never tried a mustard based mop before, at least not to my recollection! Surprisingly there wasn't any strong mustardy taste to the finished rib.
The hardest part for me was trying to figure out when the ribs were actually ready. From what I've read, there are apparently a couple of tests, none of which are foolproof. One way is when the meat pulls away from the bone about 1/4 inch or so and is fork tender. Another is sticking a toothpick in several areas (sort of like testing a cake); they are supposedly done when there is no resistance to the toothpick. Another says to bend the rack to see if the meat splits, another to sort of try to split away the bone to see how easily it tears, and another is simply cutting into the center to look!
These ribs were nice and meaty and finished with a nice, crusty exterior. They had a great spicy bite to them that we both loved, and though they were done at about 2-1/2 hours, I wished I would have left them on just a bit longer. These instructions are written for a gas grill, and my new grill has 5 burners plus a searing burner and I did have some challenges regulating the heat at first, finding that I had to run 3 of the 6 burners (30,000 BTUs) on high throughout the entire cooking process, in order to maintain the recommended 350 degrees. To be honest, I think these could have gone a bit longer. They had a nice tooth to them, but had not tightened up enough for me. New grill. First round using indirect cooking on this grill, and I'll definitely be doing these again.
I tried these ribs as is and they were delicious, but since The Cajun and I prefer our ribs a bit on the saucy side, we passed the sauce at the table. My homemade sauce would be excellent for that too!
Combine dry rub ingredients. Set aside a tablespoon of the rub and reserve for sprinkling on the ribs in the last few minutes of cooking, if desired. Pull the papery skin off the back of the spareribs and rub half of the dry rub on the ribs; turn and rub the other half. Wrap and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, or for up to 8 hours.
Preheat the grill and add ribs cooking over indirect heat for one hour. Brush generously on both sides with the mop sauce and continue cooking for another 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender and have shrunk back from the ends of the bone. In the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the reserved rub if desired.
Gas Grill Directions: If using wood chips, about 30 minutes before grilling, soak the wood chips in water. Drain and place into a smoker box, or make a tray out of aluminum foil. Place the smoker box over direct flame on the active side of the grill - the opposite side from where you plan to place the ribs. Light all the burners on the grill to high - you want to get the grill up to about 500 degrees, or hotter.
Once the chips begin to smoke, reduce the heat on the active side down to medium to medium high. You'll want to maintain a temperature of about 350 degrees, so adjust up or down as needed. Turn all of the burners off on the inactive side, where you plan to place the ribs. Under the inactive side where the ribs are going to be, carefully remove the grates and add a cheap aluminum foil tray right under the grates, on top of the heat tent (but not right on the burner), to catch the drippings, if desired. Fill it about halfway with water. Replace and oil the grates using a pair of tongs and a paper towel folded over several times and dipped in oil, and place the ribs on the grate above the drip pan, if using one.
Grill the ribs without turning, over the inactive side of the grill, for one hour. Brush generously on both sides with the mop sauce and continue cooking for another hour to hour and a half, or until the ribs are tender and have shrunk back from the ends of the bone. In the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle with the reserved rub if desired.
Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
hi...just hopped over from sits and signed on to follow. i cook a LOT!!! i have a big green eggs and love it and have been smoking lots of things over this last year. stop by my blog when you have time and look at some of my recipes. also, click on the teddy's treats button on my sidebar and enter my current giveaway. i post one each week and it is usually for vintage glass pieces. there is still time to enter this weeks. the winner will be drawn on saturday and a new giveaway will be posted. i look forward to returning here often!
My dad is the same as The Cajun! I have never seen him cook anything--not even a can of Cambpell's soup. His and my mom's relationship is very egalitarian in every other way (he does laundry and she drives a tractor), but he does not cook. In fact, before my parents were married, he used to go to his mom's house most evenings for dinner...even though he lived 20 miles away! To be fair, though, he did go there most days to work. He had a job in town and also farmed part time with my grandpa. Anyway, I am very grateful to have a guy who cooks. My boyfriend is a very good cook. Cooking was like a treat for him in graduate school. It gave him a break from math and allowed him to focus on something pleasant. He used to tell me my cooking was "fine," which was a compliment from him. I've learned that I'll never compete with his grandma's Sunday dinners, but I have at least trained him to say things are "good" when he eats things other people have made! I'm thinking of getting my boyfriend a grill for his birthday in May...perhaps I'll give him this recipe to go with it :)
Red bout me the The Barbecue Bible for Christmas... Maybe a hint hint to his dad? Since acquiring the new grill, I am studying that book. Your ribs look superb and I'm sure they taste even better. Have a happy and Blessed Easter Mary.
Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!
From time to time, anonymous restrictions and/or comment moderation may be activated due to comment spam. I also reserve the right to edit, delete or otherwise exercise total editorial discretion over any comments left on this blog. If your comment serves only to be snarky, mean-spirited or argumentative, it will be deleted. Please mind your manners.
Hey Y’all! Welcome to some good ole, down home southern cooking. Pull up a chair, grab some iced tea, and 'sit a bit' as we say down south. If this is your first time visiting Deep South Dish, you can sign up for FREE updates via EMAIL or RSS feed, or you can catch up with us on Facebook and Twitter too!
You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients. ~Julia Child
The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.
Oftentimes what makes a recipe southern, is as much a state of mind as it is a matter of geography - Southerners simply decide a particular food is southern, and that's that." ~Rick McDaniel, Food Historian
Material Disclosure: This site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program,
an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from the provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.
DISCLAIMER: This is a recipe site intended for entertainment. By using this site and these recipes you agree that you do so at your own risk, that you are completely responsible for any liability associated with the use of any recipes obtained from this site, and that you fully and completely release Mary Foreman and Deep South Dish LLC and all parties associated with either entity, from any liability whatsoever from your use of this site and these recipes.
ALL CONTENT PROTECTED UNDER THE DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT. CONTENT THEFT, EITHER PRINT OR ELECTRONIC, IS A FEDERAL OFFENSE. Recipes may be printed ONLY for personal use and may not be transmitted, distributed, reposted, or published elsewhere, in print or by any electronic means. Seek explicit permission before using any content on this site, including partial excerpts, all of which require attribution linking back to specific posts on this site. I have, and will continue to act, on all violations.
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Trapping of vesicles on patterned surfaces by physisorption for potential biosensing applications.
The pre-defined selective positioning of a controlled number of vesicles on a rigid substrate is crucial in many potential applications such as diagnostics, biosensors, lab-on-a chip, microanalyses and reaction chambers. In this paper, the vesicles made up of block copolymer using Poly [-(2-methyloxazoline) -poly- (dimethylsiloxane)-poly- (2-methyloxazoline)] (ABA) with dimensions of 100-200 nm are trapped by physisorption on hydrophilic surfaces. We discuss the protocols established for vesicle trapping. The optimum conditions obtained for physisorption is 15 minutes incubation followed by one cycle of DI water rinse. Trapping of 1-10 vesicles in lobe shape micro-wells fabricated by photo lithography using photoresist on UltraStick(™) slides was demonstrated. To overcome the issue of amalgamation of emitted light from optically sensitive photoresist and fluorescently tagged vesicles, an alternative approach of Si/SiO(2) microwell array coupled with APTES (3-AminoPropylTriEthoxySilane) treated bottom surfaces was developed.
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Q:
How to delete all items from databese and base adapter
I have a database to saving all data. There are 3 different activities. First activity has only one word. Second activity has many words and All data go to my database. Third activity All data are being compiled. But I have a problem. I cannot delete all data. There is a little button in 3rd activity. But when I use, My application does nothing. All data are still in my database. I want to delete all data. How can I fix?
My database query:
public void deleteAllName(int id, String name ) {
SQLiteDatabase db = this.getWritableDatabase();
String query = "DELETE FROM " + TABLE_NAME + " WHERE "
+ COL1 + " = '" + id + "' AND "
+ COL2 + " = '" + name + "'";
Log.d(TAG, "deleteName: query: " + query);
Log.d(TAG, "deleteName: Deleting " + name + " from database.");
db.execSQL(query);
}
How to get all data :
Cursor data = mDatabaseHelper.getData();
while(data.moveToNext()){
listDataId.add(data.getString(0)); //all ıds
analiste.add(data.getString(1)); // all datas
}
My little button :
sil.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
for (int i = 0 ; i< listDataId.size() ; i++ ) {
int all_id = Integer.parseInt(listDataId.get(i));
String all_names = analiste.get(i);
mDatabaseHelper.deleteAllName(all_id , all_names);
}
isleme.notifyDataSetChanged();
}
});
}
A:
Hi As per my understanding You can Delete from this code
public void deleteBackGroundTable() {
String deleteQuery = "DELETE FROM " + YOUR_TABLE_NAME;
SQLiteDatabase db = this.getWritableDatabase();
db.execSQL(deleteQuery);
Log.e("Offline Table", "deleteBackGroundTable: DELETED !! ");
}
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Q:
My Background image doesn't show up and is not inspected in the browser
I used mozila and I try to "inspect element" to see if my background image is there. The inspect element even doesn't show the css style mark up like background-image: blah blah; at all.
I am very sure that I have written the code correctly:
background-image: url ('social-icon/button.png');
Some discussion out there said that it may be caused of "javascript" and adviced to disable the javascript, but I don't know how to do that. Eventhough it is true that the problem is the javascript and it means that I can't use Javascript in my html file, it will be worse.
I am just confused?
EDITED :p
LOL, THE PROBLEM IS BECAUSE I HAVE A SPACE BETWEEN URL AND THE SOURCE. IT SHOULD BE LIKE
url{there is no space here}('social-icon/button.png');
It's so funny how we all can't see a little problem when our focus is to the another point of the question. :D :D :D
A:
Is your css file correctly linked in the .html? I understand it as you have your img as a background-image in css?
<link rel="stylesheet" href="yourCss.css">
It's a long shot, but try with removing the image part,
background: url('social-icon/button.png');
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Overview
New Interior paint to the walls and to the living area ceiling, along with brand new carpeting, has bought new life to this charming Home with its fully fenced in yard, situated in a small lane in the desirable Waiakea Uka neighborhood. It is conveniently located near Schools, UH-Hilo, Golf Course, County Parks and Gym. Anyone will enjoy that suburb lifestyle while being so close to many conveniences. The newly trimmed podocarpus trees along the fence line creates a more shrub like feature and helps add to a more private setting. There is a nice covered structure in the back yard to place a dog kennel, BBQ pit or play area. The ceiling fans in the Home creates a cool and comfortable environment. The open floor plan is perfect for entertaining. Property is being SOLD in AS IS condition. This Home is move in ready, waiting for your personal touch. Welcome to your new home!
This 3 bedroom, 2 bath Single Family Home at 7 Hookele Pl Hilo 96720 Located in Waiakea Homesteads 2nd Series MLS 619198 has been listed on LocationsHawaii.com for 144 days and has been priced at $365,000
What is LocationsHawaii.com?
Locations LLC offers thousands of Hawaii real estate listings from each major island including Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai, Lanai, and the Big Island. To start your real estate search, simply enter your property type whether a home, condo, townhouse, or vacant land and then your specific location. You’ll have access to thousands of homes for sale that are currently on the market. Each of our real estate listings provides comprehensive information on essential details including property features, price change, transaction history, and amenities. Our job is to make your home buying or selling experience a pleasant one which is why we also offer a complete set of real estate tools and resources including mortgage calculators, moving guides, Hawaii neighborhood information, real estate buying tips, and articles.
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Disclaimer: The properties we may show you may be Locations LLC listings or listings of
other brokerage firms. Professional protocol requires agent to set up an appointment with the
listings agent to show a property. Locations, LLC may only show properties marked "Active" and "ACS".
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Tag Archive: Health And Wellbeing
Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up every morning knowing for certain that you would enjoy a day completely free of stress and worry? Or perhaps just to wake up with a positive mindset feeling motivated about how you were going to approach the unknown day ahead?
For those weighed down by debt, waking up in the morning is often accompanied by dread, a knot in the stomach and wanting to stay under the covers rather than face the day and all its worries. That’s if you’ve slept at all. The effects Read more [...]Continue Reading
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Malaria is a devastating disease that kills 2-3 million people and is responsible for 300-500 million clinical infections each year. This disease is the result of infection with apicomplexan parasites of the genus Plasmodium and is transmitted to humans by Anopholes species. The life cycle of Plasmodium is a complex process that takes place in two very different hosts and is therefore dependant on stage specific gene expression. Genes are expressed in a continuous cascade-like patter in correlation with phases of development allowing the smooth progression of the parasite life cycle within each host. Our studies have demonstrated that knocking out a conserved phosphatase gene results in an alteration of the cell cycle. We aim to understand the functional properties of this phosphatase in order to understand its role in regulating development and to determine the viability of this protein as a drug target. The burden of malaria in endemic regions exerts a considerable burden both economically and socially, making it a serious public health concern. Research contributing to a greater understanding of the mechanisms dependant on the use of this protein will aid in reducing infection resulting from these parasites.
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Cyanobacteria as a biosorbent for mercuric ion.
The biosorption of Hg(2+) by two strains of cyanobacteria, Spirulina platensis and Aphanothece flocculosa, was studied under a batch stirred reaction system. Essential process parameters, including pH, biomass concentration, initial metal concentration, and presence of co-ions were shown to influence the Hg(2+) uptake. Hg(2+) uptake was optimal at pH 6.0 for both strains. The maximum loading capacities per gram of dry biomass were found to be 456 mg Hg(2+) for A. flocculosa and 428 mg Hg(2+) for S. platensis. At an initial concentration of 10 ppm Hg(2+), A. flocculosa was able to remove more than 98% of the mercury ion from solution. The biosorption kinetics of both strains showed that the metal uptake is bi-phasic, exhibiting a rapid initial uptake followed by a slower absorption process. The presence of dissolved Co(2+), Ni(2+), and Fe(3+) were found to play a synergistic role for Hg(2+) uptake by both strains. Regeneration of the biomass was examined by treating Hg(2+)-loaded samples with HCl and NH(4)Cl over four cycles of sorption and desorption.
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Terror has gripped House Republicans as they have finally realized that President Obama is already working to defeat them in 2014.
Real Clear Politics reported, “When an irate House Speaker John Boehner declared last week that President Obama was out to “annihilate” the Republican Party, he was exaggerating, or at least engaging in a bit of hyperbole. Obama is not out to destroy the Republican Party, just severely cripple it, and thereafter to cement his legacy in the final two years of his presidency.What upset Boehner and many of his Republican colleagues is that they have finally recognized what Obama’s second inaugural address really was: the first speech of the 2014 congressional campaign. That has them in a panic. It is now obvious to Republicans that Obama has no intention of becoming a lame duck president at the end of his second term. He’s seems willing to bide his time and push for a more-friendly Congress.”
It looks like House Republicans are finally getting it. The reason why Obama hasn’t disassembled his campaign operation is that there is another important election to win in 2014. This might have already been obvious to anyone who doesn’t reside in the Republican bubble, but congressional Republicans had adopted the mantra that the worst was over now. (For example, Mitch McConnell’s crackpot declaration that there will be no more discussions about revenue.) Republicans were kidding themselves if they thought that President Obama was going to sit back and let them run out the clock until 2016.
Right wing Fox News based paranoia runs wild in a large segment of the House Republican caucus, but this time they should be paranoid. Barack Obama really is after them.
The math is simple. Obama can’t carry out his agenda while Republicans control the House. In order to move this country forward, Obama needs a Democratic House majority.
If the president puts his ample campaign resources to work, and motivates Obama voters to show up on Election Day 2014, the Republican House majority could be in trouble. More importantly, House Republicans have demonstrated by their behavior so far this year that they have learned nothing. As Obama’s approval rating reaches new highs, Congress continues to sit near historic lows.
A perfect storm could be brewing against House Republicans in 2014. If a popular president decides to mobilize his machine and campaign against the unpopular Republicans in the House, the GOP could find itself back in the House minority. There has been a lot of talk about gerrymandering, but 2014 could be the year that Democrats take advantage of lower midterm election turn out to take back the House.
The message that Democrats must vote in 2014 in order to give Obama the congress that he needs is already echoing across the Internet. Should President Obama choose to adopt this message as a partywide rallying cry, panic could turn into disaster for John Boehner, Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan, and their fellow House Republicans.
House Republicans Freak Out When They Realize Obama’s Coming for them in 2014 was written by Jason Easley for PoliticusUSA.
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Bifidobacterium animalis
Bifidobacterium animalis is a gram-positive, anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium of the Bifidobacterium genus which can be found in the large intestines of most mammals, including humans.
Bifidobacterium animalis and Bifidobacterium lactis were previously described as two distinct species. Presently, both are considered B. animalis with the subspecies Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. animalis and Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis.
Both old names B. animalis and B. lactis are still used on product labels, as this species is frequently used as a probiotic. In most cases, which subspecies is used in the product is not clear.
Trade names
Several companies have attempted to trademark particular strains, and as a marketing technique, have invented scientific-sounding names for the strains.
Danone (Dannon in the United States) markets the subspecies strain as Bifidus Digestivum (UK), Bifidus Regularis (US and Mexico), Bifidobacterium Lactis or B.L. Regularis (Canada), DanRegularis (Brazil), Bifidus Actiregularis (Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain and the UK), and Bifidus Essensis in the Middle East (and formerly in Hungary, Bulgaria and The Netherlands) through Activia from Safi Danone KSA.
Chr. Hansen A/S from Denmark has a similar claim on a strain of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis, marketed under the trademark BB-12.
Lidl lists "Bifidobacterium BB-12" in its "Proviact" yogurt.
Bifidobacterium lactis Bl-04 and Bi-07 are strains from DuPont's Danisco FloraFIT range. They are used in many dietary probiotic supplements.
Therelac contains the strains "Bifidobacterium lactis BI-07" and "Bifidobacterium lactis BL-34" (also called BI-04) in its probiotic capsule.
Bifidobacterium lactis HN019 is a strain from Fonterra licensed to DuPont, which markets it as HOWARU Bifido. It is sold in a variety of commercial probiotics, among them Tropicana Products Essentials Probiotics, Attune Wellness Bars and NOW Foods Clinical GI Probiotic. Fonterra has a yogurt that is sold in New Zealand called Symbio Probalance, where the strain is labelled as DR10.
Research
Bifidobacterim animalis subspecies lactis BB-12 administered in combination with other probiotics has showed "a trend toward increased remission" in a study of 32 patients with ulcerative colitis.
Products
B. animalis is present in many food products and dietary supplements. The probiotic is mostly found in dairy products.
Health concerns
The manipulation of the gut flora is complex and may cause bacteria-host interactions. Although probiotics, in general, are considered safe, there are concerns about their use in certain cases. Some people, such as those with compromised immune systems, short bowel syndrome, central venous catheters, heart valve disease and premature infants, may be at higher risk for adverse events. Rarely, consumption of probiotics may cause bacteremia, and sepsis, potentially fatal infections in children with lowered immune systems or who are already critically ill.
References
External links
whatisbifidusregularis.org/ – A deconstruction of the terms Bifidus Actiregularis, Bifidus Regularis, Bifidus Digestivum, L. Casei Immunitas and their variants, as well as the marketing strategy, and information about the potential health benefits of live yoghurts.
Food-Info.net – How to select a probiotic
Type strain of Bifidobacterium animalis at BacDive - the Bacterial Diversity Metadatabase
Category:Bifidobacteriales
Category:Bacteriology
Category:Digestive system
Category:Probiotics
Category:Bacteria described in 1969
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Clementoni Crystal Laboratory Kit
“
With Clementoni’s Crystal Laboratory children can create and colour differently-shaped crystals, create geodes and discover the chemical reactions of the salts. Plus it’s approved by the Science Museum!
About Little Look
I created Little Look when my daughter girl Alba was born. When shopping for her layette, I had to work hard to find children’s products that were beautiful, practical and environmentally friendly.
I decided to put all my finds (and the pieces I discover along the way) in one place. Little Look combines a curated shopping network, inspirational blog and unique interior design service, all in one place.
Rose
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Rick Santorum doesn’t know what sex is for.
In a recent appearance in New Hampshire, he summarized his thoughts on the subject, saying, “God made man and woman, and men and women come together to have a union to produce children, which keeps civilization going and provides the best environment for children to be raised.” While this may seem a common-sense understanding of the function and purpose of , it doesn’t apply to human beings.
What Santorum is missing can be expressed in simple math. The vast majority of species have sex only to reproduce—a function reflected in a very low ratio of sex-acts-to-births. Gorillas, for example, have intercourse at most about a dozen times per birth. And as with good Catholics, gorilla sex is all business: no oral, anal, manual, or any other kind of non-reproductive dilly-dallying. The female of most mammals only has sex when she is ovulating. Otherwise, no go. But the sexuality of human beings—and our closest primate relations, bonobos and chimps—is utterly different. We and our chimp and bonobo cousins typically have sex hundreds—if not thousands—of times per birth, with or without contraception.
Santorum has argued that contraception is morally wrong because, “It’s a license to do things in a sexual realm that is counter to how things are supposed to be.” But human beings happily experience, witness, imagine, and lament a cornicopia of erotic encounters that couldn’t possibly result in conception. Leaving aside the many “perversions” happily practiced by humans the world over, the human female is available even for Vatican-approved missionary position intercourse—at least theoretically—when she’s menstruating, already , post- , or otherwise precluded from conceiving. Is this, too, an abomination? Even Santorum and his wife, who have had more children than most couples, have certainly had a lot more non-reproductive than reproductive sex over the years.
It’s the nature of the human beast. For Homo sapiens, sex is primarily about establishing and maintaining relationships—relationships often characterized by love, or at least affection. Reproduction is a by-product of human sexual behavior, not its primary purpose.
Another way in which we differ from most mammals is in our complex, multi-male social networks. The gorillas mentioned earlier are polygynous, with one dominant silverback with several females (perhaps more akin to Romney’s religious beliefs than to Santorum’s). The only monogamous ape, the gibbon, lives in isolated nuclear family units in the treetops of Southeast Asia, while humans, chimps, and bonobos all live in complex social groups with multiple males in attendance. Of the hundreds of species of primates, there are precisely no monogamous species living in multi-male groups—except humans, if you buy scientific or religious arguments for the naturalness of human .
Although the nuclear family has been promoted like a soft-drink in recent decades, it’s clear that we are the most social species on the planet, interacting with and depending upon each other in ways that extend far beyond Mom, Dad, and Junior. We intermingle in ways no other creature could imagine—or tolerate. We do not raise our children in isolated treetops. We drop them off at school, where they satisfy their instinctive hunger for community, under the protection of adults whose names we’ll never know. When sick, we take them to doctors we’ve never met in hospitals built and maintained by utter strangers.
If you still doubt that humans are deeply social creatures, consider that our greatest is solitary confinement. Anyone who’s experienced it will tell you that any human companionship—even that of murderers, rapists, and Washington lobbyists—is better than isolation. Sartre got it wrong: Hell is the absence of other people.
Santorum is inadvertently correct that sex “keeps civilization going.” But he’s wrong to credit only heterosexual reproductive sex. Sex of all kinds comes naturally to our species, and most of it has little to do with reproduction and a great deal to do with loving one another. Sex and love hold communities—not just families—together. And in the end, it is our communities, as much as our families, we ask to raise our children, protect us from disaster, and offer us some measure of comfort in our final days.
————————————
Twitter: @chrisryanphd
Facebook: Sex at Dawn
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Siege of Lüshun
The Siege of Lüshun was a military conflict between the Later Jin and Ming dynasty. In the summer of 1634 the Jin attacked and conquered the port city of Lüshun from Ming.
Background
The city of Lüshun had been briefly taken once before by the Jin in 1622, but was retaken soon after.
In the spring of 1633 the ex-Ming commanders Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming defected to the Jin after their rebellion was suppressed by Ming forces. They offered their expertise in naval warfare to take Lüshun.
Course of battle
In the summer of 1634 a Jin army attacked Lüshun. After six days the Jin had lost 4,000 men and were still unable to take the city. However the garrison was suffering from dwindling ammunition. Seeing that defeat was imminent, its commander Huang Long sent a messenger with his seals of office back to Beijing.
The Jin attacked from both sea and land on the seventh day. Although the Ming managed to fend off the naval invasion, the land assault managed to take the walls and brought the fight into the city. Huang and the city garrisons fought until they were surrounded, at which point Huang committed suicide and all his troops were butchered. In total, 5,000 Ming soldiers died in the siege.
Aftermath
The Jin left 2,500 men to garrison Lüshun and it was used as the base of operations for mopping up Ming remnants in the Bohai Sea.
References
Bibliography
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(alk. paper)
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(paperback).
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Category:1633 in China
Category:Battles involving the Ming dynasty
Category:Conflicts in 1633
Category:Sieges of the Early Modern era
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ReBoot
What is ReBoot?
ReBoot is an unconventional fast paced class that will take you through a series of fun but challenging interval and circuit workouts. Two classes are never the same- we utilize bodyweight movements, running, rowing, kettlebells, wall balls, sand bags, tires, ropes- just to name a few- to keep you physically challenged and mentally engaged. These workouts will burn fat, increase muscle tone, improve health, and increase balance/coordination. ReBoot will not only get your heart rate up, but will leave you feeling energized.
ReBoot is suitable for any skill level, from beginner to seasoned fitness veteran. No CrossFit experience is required. These classes are coached by our certified trainers and are a great way to get a taste of what we have to offer at CrossFit Recreate.
Schedule
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:30pm
What makes ReBoot at CF Recreate different?:
Expert coaching. Many bootcamps are started by passionate, fitness enthusiasts who just want to spread their passion and help others- which is nice! BUT many lack the knowledge about important things like energy systems, volume control, progressions, and most importantly – proper mechanics. The unfortunate consequence is that your results aren’t where they could be, it can get repetitive, AND you are at higher risk of injury. Our trainers are experts on all of those nerdy fitness things. We study this stuff for fun…yup, we are obsessed. We constantly seek out certifications and specialty courses to bring you top notch coaching and training. In other words, you are in good hands!
We build a custom program for you…for FREE. Every person that walks through our doors is able to meet with us to set goals and map out a plan to achieve them. Sometimes that plan consists of just ReBoot. Other times we may recommend supplementing your ReBoot classes with a few other things to most effectively achieve your goals. Regardless, we love these 15 minute goal setting sessions because we get to know you!
Unique facility and equipment! We have a beautiful 5,000 sqft facility (have you seen our wall of mountains?!) with an arsenal of cool equipment, so you get to do a larger variety of things. In other words- you’ll never get bored and your body won’t adapt to routine! Other features of our space include a mobility area where you can take advantage of our ROMWOD (think yoga for athletes) space, and we even have a lobby where your kids can keep themselves entertained (and be inspired!) while you get your sweat on!
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This economic disaster will worsen our recession: Fallout from Greece is dragging down the entire euro zone, says Michael Schuman in Time, which will mean "reduced exports from the rest of the world to Europe." And by boosting the value of the dollar, the turmoil makes "U.S. goods less competitive in world markets." Taken together, this will "further dampen job creation" and slow the "recovery from the Great Recession.""What the Greek crisis means for you"
Actually, it could end up helping us out of it: Don't panic, says Jacob Goldstein in NPR. It would take "acute problems in a country bigger than Greece" (Spain, for example) to really hurt the U.S., and even that wouldn't send us back into recession. In fact, Europe's crisis might help our recovery—it's increasing demand for U.S. Treasury bonds, which drives down interest rates, lowers our inflation risk, and makes it easier to borrow money. "Could the Euro crisis derail the U.S. recovery?"
It's the fear that will hurt us: The fears that drove today's crash are largely "psychological," says Andrew Leonard in Salon. A broke government and a rioting citizenry are a "scenario to strike fear in anyone's heart." And while the "U.S. is not Greece," our chances of fixing our own long-term budget problems are "infinitesimal." Unless we address that, "the Greek tragedy currently playing out will turn out to be a dress rehearsal for a much bigger, epic drama.""European crisis: Stocks plummet"
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A jury in Texas has handed down a death sentence for a self-proclaimed Mexican drug cartel hitman who was convicted in the 2017 murders of his roommate, who was beheaded, and the roommate’s 17-year-old girlfriend.
Hector Acosta-Ojeda, originally from Mexico, was sentenced Wednesday in a Tarrant County court a week after he was found guilty of capital murder in the killings of Erick Zelaya and Iris Chirinos. His citizenship status wasn’t immediately clear.
MAN CONVICTED OF FATALLY SHOOTING STORE CLERK IN PLOT TO STEAL BEAR PUT TO DEATH IN GEORGIA
Acosta-Ojeda shot Zelaya and Chirinos in their sleep at the Arlington home they shared in September 2017, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. He beheaded Zelaya and mutilated the couple’s bodies with a machete and two-by-four.
He buried the bodies in a shallow grave in his backyard and left on a bicycle with Zelaya’s head. He brought Zelaya’s head to a walking trail near AT&T Stadium in Arlington, where he left it alongside a sign that threatened more violence, KTVT-TV reported.
“He is extraordinarily violent,” lead prosecutor Kevin Rousseau told the jury in closing arguments. “He deals in terror. It’s his job.”
Prosecutors said Acosta-Ojeda called the killings retribution for a past drive-by shooting he believed Zelaya participated in.
UTAH DEATH ROW INMATE FEATURED IN BEST-SELLING BOOK DIES IN PRISON
Defense attorneys had asked for a life sentence, saying Acosta-Ojeda grew up surrounded by violence in Monterrey, Mexico, and a brain injury may have affected him.
“Some people can get better,” prosecutor Tim Rodgers said. “Some are just bad.”
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
The jury deliberated for just over four hours before handing down the sentence, the station reported. If the jury couldn’t agree on death, Acosta-Ojeda would have received a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment without parole.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Here is an announcement for a specialist microbiology conference the 11th International Symposium on Aeromonas and Plesiomonas (ISAP), to be held in the heart of old Montpellier, France, on June 25, 26 and 27 2014. Click on the flyer below to visit the symposium website.
In the symposium on Biorefinery for Food, Fuel and Materials 2013 (BFF2013) the whole biorefinery value chain is considered, from where biomass cultivation is linked with biomass processing steps to the individual applications and recycling of resources to reduce the overall footprint. The symposium also unites stakeholders from agro, food, chemical, fuel and energy sectors with a common interest within the biorefinery chains.
Biobased chemicals, materials, biofuels and energy
Production of non-food components, such as chemicals, materials, biofuels and energy, from biomass is often considered to compete with food production with respect to land, water and scarce resources. Biorefinery is the key technology in the separation of the components of biomass for their own application. From this basis biorefinery offers the potential to use the biomass for both food and non-food production.
Biorefinery
Biorefineries advanced the use of biomass, but due to the oversupply of raw materials in our food chains in the past, there was no strong driver to improve the efficiency in using biomass. The increased request in food and non-food applications calls for a change in attitude in the interaction between food and non-food chains.
We invite you - researchers, industries and users - to forward the discussion on the development of biorefineries during the symposium on Biorefinery for Food, Fuel and Materials 2013 (BFF2013). The special challenge for the discussion is how food and non-food applications can further benefit from each other. Two times more products from biomass with two times less impact for the environment is the driver for this discussion.
Registration costs and provision
Full fee
Student fee
Before 1 March 2013:
575 euro
375 euro
After 1 March 2013:
675 euro
475 euro
Excursions:
50 euro
The registration fees include
access to the conference
delegates pack containing the abstracts book
lunches and refreshments during the conference
social program and the conference dinner
use of board rooms for satellite meetings (only after consulting the secretariat)
Grant support is offered to a limited amount of PhD students for part of the conference fee. To apply for this, a letter of motivation can be send to the Secretariat (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). PhD students that successfully apply for the grant pay a reduced symposium fee of 250 euros.
Accompanying persons are welcome. Please contact the Secretariat (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to discuss possibilities.
Payment
Payment is only possible by Ideal or Credit Card on the registration site.
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations should be sent to the Secretariat only in a written form by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Until 1 March 2013: No cancellations fees will be applied
From 1 March - 1 April 2013: cancellation fees are 50%
After 1 April: No refund
Organization
Biorefinery for Food, Fuel and Materials 2013 (BFF2013) is organised by Wageningen UR in cooperation with INRA, France.
Organizing committee:
Johan Sanders
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Ton van Boxtel
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Marieke Bruins
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Ben Langelaan
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Michael O'Donohue
(INRA, France)
Hedy Wessels
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Local scientific committee:
Rene Wijffels
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Johan Sanders
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Ton van Boxtel
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Marieke Bruins
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Michael O'Donohue
(INRA, France)
Atze-Jan van der Goot
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Anita Linnemann
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Rene van Ree
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
David Strik
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
International scientific committee:
Hans Reith
(ECN, The Netherlands)
Michel Eppink
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Ludo Diels
(VITO, Belgium)
Axel Kraft
(Frauenhofer, Germany)
Connie Philips
(Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, Canada)
Michael O'Donohue
(INRA, France)
Bruce Dale
(Michigan State University, United States)
Maria Barbosa
(Wageningen UR, The Netherlands)
Wim Soetaert
(Ghent University, Belgium)
Huug De Vries
(IATE/INRA, France)
Lilia Ahrné
(SIK, Sweden)
Jean Francois Jenck
(AlgoSource Technologies, France)
Venue and Hotel
Hotel: Hof van Wageningen has 140 rooms in option for 'BFF2013' at the location of the symposium. When you are booking a room in this hotel, please mention 'BFF2013' with your booking. Reservations can only be made by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The price per night for a single room is €75,- a double room is €92,50; including breakfast, tax not included.
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Why Scientific Peer Review is a Sham
Get the latest Waking Times articles delivered to your inbox. Sign up here.
Brendan D. Murphy, Guest
Waking Times
Today Science is up on a pedestal. A new god has appeared; his high priests conduct the rituals, with nuclear reactors, moon-probing rocket ships, cathode tubes and laser beams. And their territory is sacrosanct; laymen are denied entry. – Bruce Cathie
In recent years the defects in the peer review system have been the subject of a profusion of critical editorials and studies in the literature. It is high time that the world took heed of what the critics are saying, not least of all because of the medical and health ramifications.
The notion of peer review has long occupied special territory in the world of science. However, investigation of suppressed innovations, inventions, treatments, cures, and so on, rapidly reveals that the peer review system is arguably better at one thing above all others: censorship. This can mean censorship of everything from contrarian viewpoints to innovations that render favored dogmas, products, or services obsolete (economic threats).
The problem is endemic, as many scientists have learned the hard way.
In truth, the systemic failure of peer review is one of science’s major, embarrassing open secrets.
As Dr David Kaplan tells us, “[P]eer review is known to engender bias, incompetence, excessive expense, ineffectiveness, and corruption. A surfeit of publications has documented the deficiencies of this system.”[1]
Australian physicist Brian Martin elaborates in his excellent article Strategies for Dissenting Scientists:
Certain sorts of innovation are welcome in science, when they fall within established frameworks and do not threaten vested interests. But aside from this sort of routine innovation, science has many similarities to systems of dogma. Dissenters are not welcome. They are ignored, rejected, and sometimes attacked.[2]
Electric universe researcher and Big Bang critic Wal Thornhill (a REAL scientist) stated plainly in our GFM Media interview that the peer review system amounts to censorship. Fellow independent scientist Gary Novak agrees scathingly:
“Peer review is a form of censorship, which is tyranny over the mind. Censorship does not purify; it corrupts…There is a lot of junk science and trash that goes through the peer review process.”[3]
Brian Martin asks us rhetorically:
What do [scientists] have to gain by spending time helping an outsider? Most likely, the alleged discovery will turn out to be pointless or wrong from the standard point of view. If the outsider has made a genuine discovery, that means the outsider would win rewards at the expense of those already in the field who have invested years of effort in the conventional ideas.[4]
Herein lies the problem in moving science forward and shifting paradigms. A paradigm is only as malleable (or mutable) as the minds and egos invested in it.
The Problem of “Experts”
The reality is (as any real scientist will tell you) that scientists are prone — just like lay people — to being cathected to their pet theories and opinions, especially if they have been visibly rewarded or publicly obtained accolades or financial remuneration as a result. Scientists, like laypeople, have susceptible emotional bodies and often fairly hefty egos — partially due to their “expertise” and academic titles, qualifications, theories, etc.
Once those hefty egos — belonging to people generally known as “experts” — rise to positions of power and/or influence, they can calcify the flow of scientific progress as well as the understanding of new discoveries or theories — particularly if they end up acting as “peer reviewers” at high levels in prestigious publications. In that capacity, too many become mere gatekeepers and seek not to facilitate innovation or vital new Copernican-scale revelations, but to maintain the status quo which got them there in the first place.
Dr Malcolm Kendrick comments in his excellent book Doctoring Data that, “by definition, anyone who is an ‘expert’ in an area of medicine will be a supporter of whatever dogma holds sway.”[5]Close study of power dynamics in medicine bears this out. The players with the deepest pockets have the funds to buy all of the “experts” they need to sell a bogus product or ideology to an unsuspecting public.
Consider the following words from The Lancet’s editor Richard Horton (pictured below):
The mistake, of course, is to have thought that peer review was any more than a crude means of discovering the acceptability — not the validity — of a new finding…We portray peer review to the public as a quasi-sacred process that helps to make science our most objective truth teller. But we know that the system of peer review is biased, unjust, unaccountable, incomplete, easily fixed, often insulting, usually ignorant, occasionally foolish, and frequently wrong.[6] (emphasis added)
Peer review, as a “quasi-sacred” process that somehow supposedly transcends the foibles and follies human nature has taken on sacred ritual status. Has the paper been blessed by the Peer Review Priest? Peer review is held to be more than just pragmatically useful and functional (which clearly it is not, generally speaking) — it is held as a transcendent, almost magical, organizing force occurring in the heavenly ivory towers of Science, which somehow avoids falling prey to human weaknesses by virtue of those humans’ lofty qualifications as “scientists” or “experts.”
Scientists, of course, aren’t quite human — they are something more, something pure, something that the layman can never be. Students undergo a magical alchemical process as they proceed through educational institutions and emerge transformed from their chrysalis with their doctorates, masters, stethoscopes and equations. They are the Chosen Ones, the purified, the holy, the redeemed, the righteous. They do not have to answer to the lowly non-scientific peasantry – let alone unbelieving heretics.
It is clear, however, that not only is the popular view of peer review misleading, but the most prestigious publications are some of the very worst offenders. Significant scientific publications — for example, the journal Nature — have a well documented history of prejudice against findings or hypotheses that run contrary to established scientific dogma.
Writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in May 2000, Canadian-based researcher, David Sackett, said that he would “never again lecture, write, or referee anything to do with evidence based clinical practice,” over his concern that “experts” are stifling new ideas. He wants the retirement of experts to be made compulsory and I think it’s a brilliant proposition.
Sackett says that “…progress towards the truth is impaired in the presence of an expert.”[7]
Trusting “experts” in oncology, for example, is generally a very good way to artificially speed one’s trip to the grave, particularly if one has metastatic cancer (allopathic medicine is notoriously ineffective in that realm). And yet “experts” are now on a rarified level that perhaps only popes and celebrities can understand — they are virtually demigods today.
In the main, “experts” are those people in the establishment who espouse the mainstream dogma and reify the politically correct belief structures. “Experts” are lionized because the world that made them experts promotes and validates them when they affirm the already established (and profitable) beliefs — and the media is complicit in this. If you want to be horribly misled on any number of important issues, just head straight to just about any mainstream news media outlet and listen to the establishment’s “experts.”
Is it not time to get the crusty, rigidified, and corrupt Old Guard out of the way so we can let science move forward?
Is Most Research Just Bullshit?
Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Marcia Angell is the former Editor-in-Chief at the New England Journal of Medicine, where she spent twenty years poring over scientific papers, saturated in the dubious practices that pervade the world of medical research. She states bluntly:
It is simply no longer possible to believe much of the clinical research that is published, or to rely on the judgment of trusted physicians or authoritative medical guidelines. I take no pleasure in this conclusion, which I reached slowly and reluctantly over my two decades as an editor of The New England Journal of Medicine.[8]
Most “experts” in medicine are, psychologically speaking, simply engaged in well-paid groupthink and confirmation bias exercises, vigorously affirming and defending their ego’s (lucrative) construction of the world. To paraphrase physicist Max Planck, medicine, like science, “advances one funeral at a time.”
Once the public has accepted the scientific establishment’s truths, narratives, and designated “experts” then researchers who yield findings deviating from the accepted norm can be immediately branded as crackpots, lunatics, fringe nuts, pseudo-scientists and so on, regardless of how meticulous their methods, and irrefutable their results.
The media is crucial in this control dynamic because it sells the establishment’s reality.
Thus is the politically correct status quo maintained.
Peer “Review” Lets Garbage Through — and Lots of it!
“Peer review” censorship exemplifies the neophobia in the world of science which serves to protect the status quo rather than improve knowledge by weeding out dubious epistemologies and results, as it is meant to. This supposed mechanism of “quality control” has resulted not only in the dismissal of much important and credible research, but it has also let fraudulent research –and lots of it! — be published at the same time. Papers that appear to support fashionable ideas or entrenched dogmas are likely to fare well, even if they are badly flawed — or outright rubbish!
David Kaplan, a professor of pathology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, has stated that,
Peer review is broken. It needs to be overhauled, not just tinkered with. The incentives should be changed so that: authors are more satisfied and more likely to produce better work, the reviewing is more transparent and honest, and journals do not have to manage an unwieldy and corrupt system that produces disaffection and misses out on innovation.[9]
Is it any wonder that John Ionnidis reported in his famous 2005 paper that, “Most research findings are false for most research designs and for most fields”? Given the already outlined problems, is it really surprising that, in Ionnidis words, “Claimed research findings may often be simply accurate measures of the prevailing bias”?[10]
Dr. Marc Girard, a mathematician and physician who serves on the editorial board of Medicine Veritas (The Journal of Medical Truth), has written,
The reason for this disaster is too clear: the power of money. In academic institutions, the current dynamics of research is more favourable to the ability of getting grants — collecting money and spending it — than to scientific imagination or creativity.[11]
In general, peer reviewers — generally not time-rich — don’t try to replicate experiments and rarely even request the raw data supporting a paper’s conclusions. Who has the time for all that? Thus, peer review is, according to Richard Smith writing in Peer review in health sciences,
thought to be slow, expensive, profligate of academic time, highly subjective, prone to bias, easily abused, poor at detecting gross defects, and almost useless for detecting fraud.[12] (emphasis added)
What about fake peer review? This is where the corrupt and abysmal becomes the theatre of the absurd. For example, Berlin-based Springer Nature, who publishes the aforementioned Naturejournal announced the retraction of 64 articles in 10 journals in an August 18th statement in 2015. This followed an internal investigation which found fabricated peer-review write-ups linked to the articles.
The purge followed
similar discoveries of “fake peer review” by several other major publishers, including London-based BioMed Central, an arm of Springer, which began retracting 43 articles in March citing “reviews from fabricated reviewers”.[13]
Yes, that means reviewers that don’t exist — recommended as “reviewers” by the people submitting their work for review. Imagine writing a paper and being able to nominate a non-existent person to review your work, and the contact email supplied to the publisher for this purpose is actually one you made up, which routes the paper back to you (unbeknownst to the publisher), so that you can then secretly carry out a (favourable) review of your own work under a pseudonym!
It’s being done, folks, this is not a joke.
In response to fake peer review some publishers have actually ended the practice of author-suggested reviewers.[14]
And now for the Conceptual Penis…
Recently two scientists performed a brilliant Sokal-style hoax on the journal Cogent Social Sciences. Under the pen names “Jamie Lindsay” and “Peter Boyle,” and writing for the fictitious “Southeast Independent Social Research Group,” Peter Boghossian and James Lindsay wrote a deliberately absurd paper loosely composed in the style of “post-structuralist discursive gender theory” — what exactly that is they made no attempt to find out.
The authors tell us:
The paper was ridiculous by intention, essentially arguing that penises shouldn’t be thought of as male genital organs but as damaging social constructions…We assumed that if we were merely clear in our moral implications that maleness is intrinsically bad and that the penis is somehow at the root of it, we could get the paper published in a respectable journal.[15] (emphasis added)
And they did. After completing the paper, and being unable to identify what it was actually about, it was deemed a success and ready for submission, which went ahead in April 2017. It was published the next month after some editorial feedback and additional tweaking. To illustrate how deliberately absurd the paper is, a quote is in order:
We conclude that penises are not best understood as the male sexual organ, or as a male reproductive organ, but instead as an enacted social construct that is both damaging and problematic for society and future generations… and is the conceptual driver behind much of climate change.[16]
In plain English, they (seemingly) argued here that a penis is not a male sexual organ but a social construct; the “conceptual penis” is problematic for “gender (and reproductive) identity,” as well as being the “conceptual” driver of climate change. No, really. How this ever got published is something to ponder. The paper is filled with meaningless jargon, arrant nonsense, and references to fake papers and authors.
As part of the hoax, none of the sources that were cited were even read by the hoaxers. As Boghossian and Lindsay point out, it never should have been published. No one — not even Boghossian and Lindsay — knows what it is actually saying.
Almost a third of the sources cited in the original version of the paper point to fake sources, such as created by Postmodern Generator, making mock of how absurdly easy it is to execute this kind of hoax, especially, the authors add, in “‘academic’ fields corrupted by postmodernism.”[17] (emphasis added)
The Spectacular Success of Hoax Papers and Non-existent Authors
In April 2010, Cyril Labbé of Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France, used a computer program called SCIgen to create 102 fake papers under the pseudonym of Ike Antkare. SCIgen was created in 2005 by researchers at MIT in Cambridge in order to demonstrate that conferences would accept such nonsense…as well as to amuse themselves.
Labbé added the bogus papers to the Google Scholar database, which boosted Ike Antkare’s h-index, a measure of published output, to 94 — at the time, making Antkare the world’s 21st most highly cited scientist.[18] (emphasis added)
So a non-existent scientist has achieved the distinction of being one of the world’s most highly cited authors — while “authoring” papers consisting of utter gibberish. Congratulations are certainly in order. In February 2014 it was reported that Springer and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), were removing over 120 such bogus papers from their subscription services after Labbe identified them using his own software.
Going back at least as far as 1996 journalists and researchers have been getting spoof papers published in conferences or journals to deliberately expose weaknesses in academic quality controls. “Physicist Alan Sokal (of the famous Sokal Affair) succeeded in the journal Social Text in 1996,” while Harvard science journalist John Bohannon revealed in a 2013 issue of Science that he had duped over 150 open-access journals into publishing “a deliberately flawed study.”[19]Bohannon organized submission of the flawed study (technically, many different but very similar variations of the study) to 304 open access journals worldwide over a period of 10 months. 255 went through the whole editing process to the point of either acceptance or rejection.
He wrote:
Any reviewer with more than a high-school knowledge of chemistry and the ability to understand a basic data plot should have spotted the paper’s shortcomings immediately. Its experiments are so hopelessly flawed that the results are meaningless.[20]
The hoax paper was accepted by a whopping 157 of the journals and rejected by only 98. Of the 106 journals that did conduct “peer review,” fully 70% accepted the paper.[21]
If peer review was a transparent and accountable process, according to Gary Novak,
there might be a small chance of correcting some of the corruptions through truth and criticism; but the process is cloaked in the darkness of anonymity…Due to the exploitive and corrupt process, nearly everything in science has official errors within it…[A] culture of protecting and exploiting the errors creates an official reality which cannot be opposed.[22]
Returning specifically to the arena of (mainstream) medicine, a quote in PLoS Medicine, states:
“Journals have devolved into information laundering operations for the pharmaceutical industry”, wrote Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet, in March 2004. In the same year, Marcia Angell, former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, lambasted the industry for becoming “primarily a marketing machine” and co-opting “every institution that might stand in its way”…Jerry Kassirer, another former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, argues that the industry has deflected the moral compasses of many physicians, and the editors of PLoS Medicine have declared that they will not become “part of the cycle of dependency…between journals and the pharmaceutical industry”.[23]
In the words of John Ionnidis, “Most scientific studies are wrong, and they are wrong because scientists are interested in funding and careers rather than truth.”[24]
If most studies are wrong, and most scientists are more interested in their own careers and funding than getting at the truth — while journals daily allow bogus and flawed pharmaceutical research to be published and promoted — then why would anyone in their right mind believe the claims made by doctors about the efficacy of products based upon “peer review” or pharmaceutical “studies”? What does a term like “safe and effective” even mean in this world of deception and subterfuge?
Clearly the problem of corruption and conflicts of interest have been increasingly on the radar of professional academics for some time now, so much so that it has been the subject of an increasing number of harshly critical articles and editorials. Conveying the depth and breadth of deception to the “uninitiated,” however, presents a unique challenge. And it isn’t just conflict of interest and corruption to blame for the failure of peer review, there is human bias, shoddy review work, fake reviewers and fraud, and varying other human interests to factor in.
At the very least we need to cease indoctrinating students into the dogma that all good things have been peer reviewed, and the converse: anything that has not been peer reviewed is clearly blasphemous and crafted by the unholy hands of sinners. In the meantime, the public needs to be warned: peer review is largely a sham and will not protect you or your family from medical pseudo-science or dangerous pharmaceutical products. Your doctor’s word should not be blindly trusted, especially when we know that doctors rely absurdly heavily on information (read: propaganda) provided by the pharmaceutical industry itself (can you say “conflicted”?!) in developing their views and opinions.
I can’t help but cringe when I hear people ask if a study has been “peer-reviewed.” The response this question most often deserves is simply, “Who cares?”
The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness. — Richard Horton, Offline: What is medicine’s 5 sigma? The Lancet, 11 April 2015, thelancet.com (Horton is editor of The Lancet)
About the Author
Brendan D. Murphy – Co-founder of Global Freedom Movement and host of GFM Radio, Brendan D. Murphyis a leading Australian author, researcher, activist, and musician. His acclaimed non-fiction epic The Grand Illusion: A Synthesis of Science & Spirituality – Book 1 is out now! Come and get your mind blown at www.brendandmurphy.net
“What a wonderful job of collating and integrating you have done! Every person in the field of ‘paranormal’ psychology or related topics should have this book as a major reference.” – Dr. Buryl Payne
“A masterpiece…The Grand Illusion is mind-blowing.” – Sol Luckman, author of Potentiate Your DNA.
“You’ve written the best synthesis of modern science and esoteric science that I’ve seen in 40 years of study in that area. Brilliant!” – Michael K. Wade
Please visit – www.globalfreedommovement.org
Sources:
[1] DAVID KAPLAN, HOW TO FIX PEER REVIEW, HTTP://WWW.NEWMEDIAEXPLORER.ORG/SEPP/2004/01/29/PEER_REVIEW_POLITICS_OF_SCIENCE.HTM
[2] BRIAN MARTIN, STRATEGIES FOR DISSENTING SCIENTISTS, JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION, VOL. 12, №4, 1998, PP. 605–616.
[3] GARY NOVAK, PEER REVIEW IS BROKEN, HTTP://NOV55.COM/PRV.HTML
[4] MARTIN, OP. CIT.
[5] KENDRICK, 133.
[6] RICHARD HORTON, “GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD: CONSTERNATION, CONFUSION, AND CRACK-UP,” THE MEDICAL JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA, 172 (4), 2000.
[7] TOO MANY EXPERTS SPOIL THE SCIENCE, HTTP://WWW.ABC.NET.AU/SCIENCE/NEWS/HEALTH/HEALTHREPUBLISH_124166.HTM
[8] MARCIA ANGELL, DRUG COMPANIES & DOCTORS: A STORY OF CORRUPTIONHTTP://WWW.NYBOOKS.COM/ARTICLES/2009/01/15/DRUG-COMPANIES-DOCTORSA-STORY-OF-CORRUPTION/
[9] DAVID KAPLAN, HOW TO FIX PEER REVIEW, HTTP://WWW.NEWMEDIAEXPLORER.ORG/SEPP/2004/01/29/PEER_REVIEW_POLITICS_OF_SCIENCE.HTM
[10] JOHN IONNIDIS, WHY MOST PUBLISHED RESEARCH FINDINGS ARE FALSE, PLOS MEDICINE, AUGUST 2005
[11] MARC GIRARD, HTTP://WWW.LALEVA.ORG/ENG/2006/02/FALSE_MEDICAL_RESEARCH_SHOWS_UP_SYSTEMIC_FLAWS.HTML
[12] HTTP://WWW.PEERE.ORG/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2016/05/WILLIS.PDF
[13] EWEN CALLAWAY, FAKED PEER REVIEWS PROMPT 64 RETRACTIONS, HTTP://WWW.NATURE.COM/NEWS/PUBLISHERS-WITHDRAW-MORE-THAN-120-GIBBERISH-PAPERS-1.14763
[14] IBID.
[15] PETER BOGHOSSIAN, ED.D. (AKA PETER BOYLE, ED.D.) AND JAMES LINDSAY, PH.D. (AKA, JAMIE LINDSAY, PH.D.), THE CONCEPTUAL PENIS AS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT: A SOKAL-STYLE HOAX ON GENDER STUDIES, HTTP://WWW.SKEPTIC.COM/READING_ROOM/CONCEPTUAL-PENIS-SOCIAL-CONTRUCT-SOKAL-STYLE-HOAX-ON-GENDER-STUDIES/#.WR_YSMA0SSK.FACEBOOK
[16] IBID.
[17] IBID.
[18] RICHARD VAN NOORDEN, PUBLISHERS WITHDRAW MORE THAN 120 GIBBERISH PAPERS, HTTPS://WWW.NATURE.COM/NEWS/PUBLISHERS-WITHDRAW-MORE-THAN-120-GIBBERISH-PAPERS-1.14763
[19] IBID.
[20] HUNDREDS OF OPEN ACCESS JOURNALS ACCEPT FAKE SCIENCE PAPER, HTTPS://WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM/HIGHER-EDUCATION-NETWORK/2013/OCT/04/OPEN-ACCESS-JOURNALS-FAKE-PAPER
[21] IBID.
[22] NOVAK, OP.CIT.
[23] RICHARD SMITH, MEDICAL JOURNALS ARE AN EXTENSION OF THE MARKETING ARM OF PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES, HTTP://JOURNALS.PLOS.ORG/PLOSMEDICINE/ARTICLE?ID=10.1371/JOURNAL.PMED.0020138
[24] IONNIDIS, OP. CIT.
This article (Why Scientific Peer Review is a Sham) was originally published and is copyrighted by Global Freedom Movement and is published here with permission.
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• England coach has ‘empowered me and now I have a role in the team’ • Flanker outstanding in thrilling win against Australia in opening Test
James Haskell praised Eddie Jones after the flanker gave the outstanding performance of his 68-cap England career in the 39-28 victory against Australia in Brisbane.
The 31-year-old openside, who has been revitalised under the guidance of Jones, said: “Eddie treats the boys very fairly and understands that in professional sport you have to talk to people in different ways.
“He knows how to talk to me to get the best out of me. He’s given me an opportunity and I’m really aware there are so many good players in our squad.
Southern comfort as England and Ireland turned rugby world on its head | Eddie Butler Read more
“He’s empowered me and now I have a role in the team. He knows how to get the best out of people and knows that some people need the carrot and others the stick. I’m more of a carrot man.”
England will seal their first series victory in Australia if they win in Melbourne on 18 June and Haskell expects the Wallabies to rally for the second Test.
“We made history because we’ve never won here,” the Wasps captain said. “We were being heckled from the moment we got here which is always quite fun. You know when you’re in Australia because you get a lot of banter.
“It was just important to get the victory and continue the good work we did in the Six Nations. It was important that we can prove we can live with these teams, but next weekend is another test.
“Australia were great in patches and are a very dangerous side. They will regroup after this and the second Test will be another massive physical challenge and big occasion.”
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This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.
Johnny Rockets looks to up college presence with Express concept
The Johnny Rockets diner themed chain has announced plans for further expansion into the college and university market through its Express prototype, which offers flexible floor plans ranging from a 150 square foot free-standing kiosk to a 1,100 square foot restaurant. The move is designed to further the concept’s penetration of non-traditional venues such as airports, malls and other entertainment destinations, as well as colleges.
Featuring an optimized menu that reflects every daypart, a dedicated grab-and-go counter and localized decor, Johnny Rockets Express is designed to accommodate campus location requirements. The chain currently operates three campus restaurants, at Oklahoma State University, Stetson University and Richard Stockton College but also has nearly 45 units across the country that are within a five mile radius of campus locations, giving it presence with the college student demographic.
"Johnny Rockets' premium burgers, sandwiches and shakes have an all-ages appeal, however, we have seen an increased interest from millennials, particularly college and university students making dining decisions for the first time," said James Walker, president of operations and franchise development, in announcing the initiative. "To meet this growing consumer demand, we are targeting more campuses with our new Johnny Rockets Express prototype as a foodservice option for students and faculty. The menu options and flexible footprint ideally fit these venues."
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Cerebellitis presenting as acute hydrocephalus.
A 14-year-old boy presented acutely with occipital headache, nausea and vomiting. MRI showed obstructive hydrocephalus and marked bilateral cerebellar swelling with increased signal on T2-weighted imaging. Following treatment with oral corticosteroids, the clinical and radiological signs resolved. The clinical course and radiological appearances were consistent with cerebellitis associated with a significant mass effect and hydrocephalus.
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nothing in here is true
Saturday, May 27, 2017
i dont know what it is with that guy but every time im with him i want to get back into journalism
the ideas just come flowing out.
he hates all of them, naturally, but whatever, here they come.
he bought incredible seats.
we were near the most incredibly annoying dude in the park: loud, stupid, obvious
i got to the game early because i didnt drive much after work. hadnt eaten well all week and i didnt really want to abuse my body with the typical two dogs nachos and a giant coke. so as i was walking around i saw this lady with a Poke Bowl. i was all, where did you get that?
and i pointed right at her bowl which had an enormous mound of edamame twinking in the sunshine.
she said its called Base Bowls, all the way by the left field pole.
cruised over and saw they also had a chicken teriyaki bowl with tons of broccoli. my love.
$12 seemed a tad less rapey than the other prices at the park
but they also got me for $7 for a Coke.
later i bought three $14 beers.
afterwards we took the shuttle to the train station. i took the purple line to the red line
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Land of song say the Warrior Bards
Though all the world betrays thee.
One sword, at least, Thy Rights Shall Guard,
And one faithful harp shall praise Thee.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Wednesday Random Ten
This one's coming off early, because I am going to be on the road tomorrow morning. Vegas beckons and I must obey. I am driving rather than flying because of the number of instruments I am taking. Phoenix to Vegas is actually a pretty scenic drive. For shows where flying is called for I always, I repeat, ALWAYS, send my instruments ahead FedEx. I have had too many instances in my career of the airlines damaging, or just screwing up the routing on the tools of my trade. It has gotten to the point where some airlines, like Delta, won't even pretend to accomodate a musician. The Musician's Union has called for a boycott of Delta because of their refusing to gate check instruments. I have, especially with my harps, bought seats for my instruments. When a flight is not all that crowded they often would give me a half price seat. Which, during my drinking days, allowed me to have some fun skirting the two drink limit on flights. It would go like this:
Flight Attendant: Would you care for a cocktail?
Me: I'll have a double Bourbon, neat, and my friend here will have the same.
Flight Attendant: But, but, but
Me: See? This label here? This fine instrument was crafted in 1878, way over 21.She does love her bourbon.
Most of the time it worked. It also set up a few instances of in flight recitals that lead to post-flight assignations.
But, I'm digress, again. Let's see where was I? Yeah, boycott Delta. If you really, truly need your stuff to get there undamaged. FedEx my friends. I initially chose them because they were the first ones to offer pressurized cargo handling. Again, the harps are the ones that absolutely require that. Especially the one with the brass strings. The tension on the sound board and the neck is vicious. In an unpressurized or other situation where care is not taken with handling, it could literally disintegrate.
"So, here's a sampling of the music line up for the drive...She Belongs To Me - - Bob Dylan (live at the Bitter End '66)"
Jeff Wells over at is also quite the Dylan fan. A sample of the "lead-in" to one of his essays:
"Have you heard the news?" he said, with a grin. "The Vice-President's gone mad.""Where?" "Downtown." "When?" "Last night." "Hmm, say, that's too bad.""Well, there's nothin' we can do about it," said the neighbor."It's just somethin' we're gonna have to forget.""Yes, I guess so," said Ma. Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet. - Bob Dylan"
If you decide to enter Wells' blog and/or his Discussion Board, open the door gently.
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When Final Fantasy VII hit the PlayStation in 1997, the role-playing adventure genre was changed for ever. Abandoning the stereotypical castles, creatures and grizzled beardy wizards of high fantasy, the game took place in a quasi-futuristic world the likes of which had never been seen in this style of game before. The revolutionary 3D modelled characters, the sci-fi stylings and detailed, often cinematic visuals, led critics and fans to declare it one of the greatest video games of all time.
This April, the Final Fantasy VII Remake promises to redefine the genre again, and developer Square Enix has been keen to point out that this is no shot-for-shot remake. Much will be familiar – the opening cinematic, with Cloud Strife, the game’s iconic, big-haired, big-sworded mercenary hero, arriving at the train station – has been lovingly updated, and the game’s first chapter, of which a demo has been made available this week, takes players on a beautifully re-created version of the original’s Mako reactor bombing mission.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The retro-futuristic architecture of the Shinra building typifies the look of Final Fantasy 7. Photograph: Square Enix
But Final Fantasy VII Remake expands greatly on that world, and will be released in multiple episodes, each providing a unique experience. In the opening release arriving in April, the whole adventure will be set in the slums of Midgar, a sprawling metropolis that is home to the mighty Shinra corporation, which was only seen for a couple of hours in the original. According to the development team, this expansion will “fill in the blanks” from the original, adding depth and detail that wasn’t possible 23 years ago.
“The philosophy behind the remake wasn’t to do something completely new,” explains the remake’s co-director, Naoki Hamaguchi, who has worked on the Final Fantasy series since 2003. “The original game was grounded in the technology of the day. And because of that, there was a lot of storytelling that the player had to fill in with their imagination. In the original, for example, when you travelled between areas, the screen would fade to black; players didn’t see the journey.
“The story would have moved on and what actually happened in the meantime would be left to your imagination. We approached this by thinking, what is actually supposed to be happening here? What are the gaps it doesn’t show you, and how do we fill those in to make what was being implied actually shown? [In the original] there’d be hundreds of things happening in that one night. It feels very weird. We had to find a more realistic way of arranging that story.”
While staying faithful to the original narrative and locations, Final Fantasy VII Remake will add intricate environmental detail. Midgar now feels like a living, breathing city with fascinating new elements to discover. Take the posters on the train platform in that first mission: “We thought, who comes to this platform? What kind of information would they want? Who’d want to put up posters here? I really hope players see how deeply we’ve gone into the world,” says Hamaguchi. Elsewhere, the game’s second chapter introduces us to deadly villain Sephiroth, and plants the seeds of the history between him and Cloud, which the game will contextualise.
Some additions are more nuanced. In the first chapter of the game, as in the original, your team are on an eco-terrorist bombing mission to take down Mako Reactor 1, which is being used by the nefarious Shinra Electric Power Company to exploit the planet’s essential natural Lifestream and threatening life itself in the process.
“In the original, the character performances had to be very over-the-top,” explains Hamaguchi. Now, we get a subtle picture of what your team are thinking, breaking down the motivations of returning fan-favourite character Barret. “You don’t just see his gung-ho attitude. After they blow up the reactor, he has doubts and internal conflict. He obviously believes in his cause, but he’s wondering if he did the right thing.”
Together with the extra storytelling time, refined voice acting performances will add to the authenticity of the world. Battles, too, are faithful to the original’s gameplay – but more dynamic. And importantly, more fun, employing a hybrid of the original’s complex Active Time Battle system with real-time combat. It’s a clever combination that is both fast-paced and strategic.
In line with the classic ATB setup, you must wait for your character’s gauge to build up in order to use magic and to heal, but can use real-time battling to thrash your other weapons at enemies in the meantime. You must switch wisely between those in your party to use their move specialities against appropriate boss weak-spots, too. Cloud’s huge sword is as satisfying as weapons come for close-quarters melee attacks, while Barret’s machine gun (handily also part of his arm) is best used for long-range attacks; Tifa employs martial arts skills, and Aerith uses support-style magic to aid her allies. It’s a lot to think about in the heat of a boss fight, but the complexities make battling rewarding.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Final Fantasy 7 Remake overhauls the original game’s Active Time Battle system with real-time elements. Photograph: Square Enix
“We really did look at what made the original Final Fantasy VII what it was: all the characters, the story, the mini games.” says Hamaguchi. “We’ve definitely got mini games …” Considering the remake is all about nuance and naturalism, it is surprising to hear that mini games will return: it’s difficult to imagine the retro, old-school hangover of this convention being part of the industrial, gritty, highly-defined Midgar world. And yet, some of the most abiding memories of the original game are tapping buttons in a specific order to do squats in the gym at the Wall Market, slicing left and right on your motorcycle in the G Bike game, or tapping furiously to arm-wrestle a sumo warrior in the Wonder Square. And who can resist a Chocobo race?
“They’re all in there,” confirms Hamaguchi. “We didn’t just reproduce the ones from the original game; there really are a lot of different mini games there.”
Now that the first episode of Final Fantasy VII Remake is almost here, the team is working on its sequel, which will take us further into the world beyond Midgar. There’s no word yet on how many more instalments there will be beyond that, but the developers have been open about the saga continuing for not years, but decades, with producer Yoshinori Kitase, another Final Fantasy veteran, announcing that he plans to work on it for the rest of his career. And there is certainly rich enough material to carry it on for as long. It is clear, once again, that there is nothing at all final about this fantasy.
• Final Fantasy VII Remake is released on PS4 on 10 April.
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VICE admits banning AR-15s would do little to stop mass public attacks so they are calling for owners of the rifles to be forced to buy insurance as a way of collectivizing risk.
They do not denounce the ban on principle, but because their are already so many AR-15s in circulation.
VICE’s Krishna Andavolu writes:
I tend to agree with the seemingly obvious idea that AR-15s and other assault weapons serve to ramp up the carnage during mass-shooting events. But statistically speaking, they don’t account for a large share of these tragedies. Which is why I think there’s something more at play when considering the rifle and the idea of forbidding people from buying them.
He adds:
There are too many AR-15s in the country—approximately eight million, according to the NRA—for a ban on future sales to prevent their use in further mass shootings. Unless the US were to enact an Australian-style buyback and amnesty initiative, there’s little to suggest these kinds of guns wouldn’t be used in illegal ways to kill people again, regardless of future regulation.
From here Andavolu moves to consider ways to offset what he sees as a risk posed by ownership of AR-15s and similar rifles. He says, “So instead of banning these rifles, states should require gun owners to buy insurance in case their gun is used to kill wrongfully; that way, at least victims and their families might recover some financial damages.”
Lost in Andavolu’s calls for AR-15 insurance is the fact that rifles of any kind, much less AR-15s in particular, are rarely the weapon of choice in homicides. On October 16, 2017, Breitbart News reported FBI numbers showing more than four times as many people were stabbed to death in 2016 than were killed with rifles of any kind.
Additionally, a Rockefeller Institute of Government study which examined 1966-2016 found that mass public attackers preferred handguns over “assault weapons” by a three-to-one margin.
Lastly, requiring insurance to exercise a constitutional right is tantamount to requiring Americans pay a fee in order to claim that right.
This, in turn, leads to the ability to make the right cost prohibitive, thereby diminishing poorer citizens’ ability to exercise rights that are theirs at birth.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets with AWR Hawkins, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at [email protected]. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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Mitral valve reconstruction.
Modern repair techniques allow reconstruction rather than replacement of the mitral valve (MV) in the majority of patients requiring operation. Such patients are now older and more likely to have nonrheumatic MV disease than those treated in former years. A continuing experience with MV reconstruction was reviewed to determine its safety and efficacy. In 50 patients undergoing isolated MV reconstructions, there have been no postoperative deaths. In 36 patients undergoing mitral reconstruction combined with other cardiac procedures, there have been 5 deaths (14%). Three patients have required MV replacement for an inadequate repair as determined by evaluation during the repair or by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) following cardiopulmonary bypass. Overall complications have included five reoperations for bleeding, two perioperative myocardial infarctions, two strokes, and one aortic dissection. The majority of patients maintain an improved functional state after operation. Multiple reconstructive maneuvers are now available, and the elements of any given reconstruction depend on the pathoanatomy of the valve. Intraoperative TEE has been invaluable in planning, evaluating, and modifying repairs. At present, over 70% of all MV operations are reconstructions, and the most common recent indication for MV replacement is a malfunctioning prosthetic MV rather than native valve disease.
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This is a website designed for you, the discerning buyer or seller of real estate in the Santa Barbara, Montecito, Carpinteria, Goleta, Summerland and Hope Ranch areas. You want nothing less than a real estate professional who has demonstrated integrity and success in Santa Barbara area real estate transactions. You’ve come to the right place. Bill Urbany and Alisa Pepper have a combined 47 years of real estate experience with proven results. We trust that our site will be the tool you need to begin your home sale or purchase and that you will continue to use us as your trusted real estate resource.
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SRC Officer Reports – Week 5, Sem 2, 2018
SRC President Imogen Grant On Sunday the Students’ Representative Council, along with the National Union of Students, hosted a rally against the new Scott Morrison prime ministership which I had the honour of speaking at. The right wing coup in the Liberal Party brought down Malcolm Turnbull. But it has failed to elevate its number…
On Sunday the Students’ Representative Council, along with the National Union of Students, hosted a rally against the new Scott Morrison prime ministership which I had the honour of speaking at. The right wing coup in the Liberal Party brought down Malcolm Turnbull. But it has failed to elevate its number one candidate, former home affairs minister Peter Dutton, to the prime minister’s office.
We are now seeing the bourgeois media pitch Morrison’s victory as a great triumph of “moderation”. But Morrison built his brand and popularity on the back of years of torturing refugees. During his time as immigration minister, was the architect of the government’s inhuman Sovereign Borders boat turnback policy, and presided over the deaths of Reza Barati and Hamid Khazaei on Manus Island in 2014.
He also led the “It’s okay to say No” brigade in the marriage equality plebiscite and led the push for a “religious freedoms” bill to undercut the result.
The political legacy of Morrison’s term as immigration minister is particularly striking when one remembers the leadership challenge came as a 12 year old girl on Nauru tried to set herself on fire, and another 17 year old girl is in a critical condition after refusing food and water.
Morrison’s far right politics are no better than Dutton or Turnbull’s. The Liberals continue to cut penalty rates, privatise education, screw up our public transport, slash Medicare funding, destroy the climate and give tax cuts to their rich mates, while driving racism to distract us. It’s not refugees or migrants cutting our penalty rates and living standards.
Workers in Australia need a decent living wage and a future we can be proud of, not a far-right fearmonger whose policies gain the support of Trump and Hanson. The far right MPs in the Liberal Party are buoyed by the success of Trump and the far right in Europe. They too want a party that is openly bigoted, sexist, racist and shows a complete contempt for science.
The connections between Trump & Morrison are clear – Morrison famously refused to criticise Trump’s travel ban, instead encouraging countries to “catch up” with Australia’s racism. And just yesterday, the US president, Donald Trump, has tweeted his congratulations to the new Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison.And we shouldn’t forget that, for many in the hard right of politics, US president Donald Trump’s against-the-odds success, driven by unashamed bigotry and take-no-prisoners approach, is considered a model to be emulated.
The solution is not to vote our way out of this, but to reignite the refugee rights movement. Social change happens from action – we cannot vote our way out of it. Just like the way we did in after Abbott’s 2014 budget – calling protests, strikes, direct actions and working with unions is something to be replicated today. We must stand up for ourselves because we cannot rely on the Shorton Government to end offshore processing.
We need to kick out the Liberal Government – yes – but we also need to kick the racist policies out & build a movement based on attacking state racism such that such policies become untenable for any party to enact. We have more in common with the workers, activists and unionists locked up in detention than we do with the parasitic Australian ruling class torturing people indefinitely in camps.
Reflecting on this, we don’t want a “stable” Liberal Party. The dominant party of the Australian capitalist class is now in deep crisis because of this factional schism and we want to see the party topple – along with the far-right policies within it!
And there is a role the student movement can play here. There’s a long history of students – no matter their colour – standing up and mobilising against the state’s racism, see the 1965 Freedom Rides. And I am going to make sure that we build we build this movement against the Liberal Government at the University of Sydney and across campuses in this state.
Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any concerns or wish to get involved with the SRC. If you are experiencing any academic, personal or legal issues and wish to seek the advice of an SRC caseworker or solicitor, contact us at 9660 5222 or [email protected].
Education Officer
Lily Campbell and Lara Sonnenschein
The Education Action Group held a protest on campus on August 15th against the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation and Spence’s attempts to strike a deal with the centre. The rally was a success, with speakers from the NTEU, the international student community and Greens MP David Shoebridge. We staged a die in half way through the rally, a somewhat neglected technique of campus protests, which worked really well as a stunt to draw attention to our action from passers by.
The week prior to the protest we held a forum on on the Ramsay Centre in conjunction with the NTEU, the first joint SRC-NTEU event in some years. The forum was also a success, with over 80 attendees and an excellent keynote speech by renowned Sociologist, Raewyn Connell. We, along with the NTEU will be keeping up the pressure to keep Ramsay Out of USyd.
On a broader political level, last week saw Scott Morrison become Prime Minister following a Liberal spill motion. Whilst many have celebrated Morrison’s triumph over Peter Dutton, we believe the two to be cut from the same ideological cloth. Morrison is no moderate and as the former Immigration Minister was the architect of the cruel Operation Sovereign borders policy, where he was responsible for more children in detention than any other government. He also famously brought a lump of coal into parliament and voted no to same sex marriage despite the public issuing a resounding ‘yes’ on the issue during the plebiscite last year. The EAG and the student movement more broadly should take to the streets and oppose ScoMo/Scummo and kick the Liberals out!
General SecretaryNina Dillon Britton and Yuxuan Yang
Last week I was incredibly proud to organise, along with our President, Radical Education Week: a week of free workshops accessible to all that covered everything from drug law reform in Australia to the history of political economy movement to legal skills for activists.
Community leaders, academics, politicians and students themselves led these workshops, breaking down the usual constraints around education and its accessible and providing a vision for education free, accessible and liberating. It is only through these peoples’ generosity in their time, resources and knowledge that we were able to organise this at all, and we saw more than 250 students attend workshops that ranged from intimate chats to packed panel discussions throughout the week. If you’re interested in being involved with organising Radical Education Week next year, please either shoot me a message at [email protected] or message the Radical Education Week 2018 Facebook page.
Last weekend we also organised the SRC’s presence at Open Day, letting incoming students know about the SRC’s services, opportunities to become involved in collectives and the Council’s work and some of the campaigns we are working on at the moment. We also were able to distribute several hundred copies of the Counter-Course I edited at the beginning of the year. Hopefully this will be able to provide a useful insight to people considering attending Sydney University from students attending University themselves, counter-balancing the University’s slick advertising.
Good luck to everyone going with their upcoming assignments, and please feel free to shoot me an email with any questions about the SRC or this report at [email protected].
Admin
Keep in touch
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. The University of Sydney – where we write, publish and distribute Honi Soit – is on the sovereign land of these people. As students and journalists, we recognise our complicity in the ongoing colonisation of Indigenous land. In recognition of our privilege, we vow to not only include, but to prioritise and centre the experiences of Indigenous people, and to be reflective when we fail to be a counterpoint to the racism that plagues the mainstream media.
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5319, -22983, -30647, -38311?
-7664*d + 9
What is the s'th term of 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117?
s + 111
What is the j'th term of 530, 1046, 1562?
516*j + 14
What is the d'th term of -645, -1279, -1899, -2499, -3073, -3615, -4119, -4579?
d**3 + d**2 - 644*d - 3
What is the f'th term of 7610, 30425, 68444, 121667, 190094, 273725, 372560?
7602*f**2 + 9*f - 1
What is the z'th term of 15800, 31587, 47360, 63113, 78840, 94535, 110192?
-z**3 - z**2 + 15797*z + 5
What is the s'th term of -204989, -204999, -205021, -205061, -205125, -205219, -205349, -205521?
-s**3 - 3*s - 204985
What is the g'th term of 6203, 6211, 6245, 6311, 6415, 6563, 6761, 7015?
g**3 + 7*g**2 - 20*g + 6215
What is the s'th term of 10382, 10048, 9714, 9380?
-334*s + 10716
What is the j'th term of -723, -690, -657, -624?
33*j - 756
What is the i'th term of 978, 1956, 2930, 3888, 4818, 5708, 6546?
-2*i**3 + 10*i**2 + 962*i + 8
What is the x'th term of -529697, -529694, -529691, -529688?
3*x - 529700
What is the k'th term of -197, -393, -573, -731, -861, -957?
k**3 + 2*k**2 - 209*k + 9
What is the k'th term of -853, -833, -801, -757, -701?
6*k**2 + 2*k - 861
What is the j'th term of 26735, 26738, 26741?
3*j + 26732
What is the l'th term of 110235, 110216, 110185, 110142, 110087?
-6*l**2 - l + 110242
What is the d'th term of -7216132, -7216133, -7216134, -7216135, -7216136, -7216137?
-d - 7216131
What is the x'th term of 45, 109, 165, 219, 277, 345, 429?
x**3 - 10*x**2 + 87*x - 33
What is the z'th term of 865024, 1730047, 2595070, 3460093, 4325116, 5190139?
865023*z + 1
What is the v'th term of -139, -172, -179, -148, -67, 76?
2*v**3 + v**2 - 50*v - 92
What is the t'th term of 223, 758, 1595, 2734, 4175, 5918?
151*t**2 + 82*t - 10
What is the k'th term of 918, 911, 896, 873?
-4*k**2 + 5*k + 917
What is the n'th term of -36049, -72080, -108093, -144082, -180041?
n**3 + 3*n**2 - 36047*n - 6
What is the z'th term of -172, -265, -344, -403, -436, -437?
z**3 + z**2 - 103*z - 71
What is the c'th term of 123, 264, 427, 612?
11*c**2 + 108*c + 4
What is the y'th term of -47222, -47215, -47204, -47189, -47170, -47147, -47120?
2*y**2 + y - 47225
What is the u'th term of -1262, -1730, -2198, -2666?
-468*u - 794
What is the x'th term of 27553, 27562, 27571, 27580, 27589, 27598?
9*x + 27544
What is the o'th term of 64, 337, 786, 1405, 2188, 3129?
-o**3 + 94*o**2 - 2*o - 27
What is the f'th term of 40, 78, 144, 238, 360, 510?
14*f**2 - 4*f + 30
What is the b'th term of 3185367, 6370733, 9556099, 12741465, 15926831, 19112197?
3185366*b + 1
What is the b'th term of -641, -461, -159, 265, 811?
61*b**2 - 3*b - 699
What is the r'th term of -258889, -517779, -776669, -1035559?
-258890*r + 1
What is the r'th term of -1060, -1701, -2350, -3007, -3672?
-4*r**2 - 629*r - 427
What is the c'th term of 30, 74, 164, 318, 554, 890?
3*c**3 + 5*c**2 + 8*c + 14
What is the f'th term of -5576, -5606, -5626, -5630, -5612, -5566, -5486, -5366?
f**3 - f**2 - 34*f - 5542
What is the n'th term of 440, 880, 1316, 1748, 2176, 2600?
-2*n**2 + 446*n - 4
What is the b'th term of -923, -1893, -2863, -3833, -4803?
-970*b + 47
What is the m'th term of 133546, 267121, 400696?
133575*m - 29
What is the s'th term of -111557, -111551, -111545, -111539?
6*s - 111563
What is the t'th term of -333, -51, 419, 1077, 1923?
94*t**2 - 427
What is the y'th term of -1233853, -2467703, -3701551, -4935397, -6169241, -7403083, -8636923?
y**2 - 1233853*y - 1
What is the t'th term of -204455, -408909, -613363, -817817, -1022271?
-204454*t - 1
What is the x'th term of -235, -309, -427, -589, -795?
-22*x**2 - 8*x - 205
What is the i'th term of -209, -1219, -2889, -5213, -8185?
i**3 - 336*i**2 - 9*i + 135
What is the m'th term of 2261, 4562, 6865, 9170?
m**2 + 2298*m - 38
What is the d'th term of 82945, 165890, 248835, 331780, 414725, 497670?
82945*d
What is the u'th term of -18360, -18362, -18364, -18366, -18368?
-2*u - 18358
What is the x'th term of 67565, 135114, 202663, 270212, 337761, 405310?
67549*x + 16
What is the c'th term of -1529, -1587, -1647, -1709?
-c**2 - 55*c - 1473
What is the n'th term of -1648, -3198, -4736, -6256, -7752, -9218, -10648?
n**3 - 1557*n - 92
What is the y'th term of 270, 537, 792, 1035, 1266, 1485?
-6*y**2 + 285*y - 9
What is the t'th term of 1853, 3733, 5613?
1880*t - 27
What is the r'th term of 175, 295, 517, 859, 1339?
3*r**3 + 33*r**2 + 139
What is the s'th term of -1319132, -2638261, -3957390, -5276519?
-1319129*s - 3
What is the n'th term of -1902, -1613, -1324, -1035?
289*n - 2191
What is the m'th term of 8744, 8817, 8938, 9107, 9324, 9589, 9902?
24*m**2 + m + 8719
What is the h'th term of -54, -106, -246, -516, -958, -1614?
-7*h**3 - 2*h**2 + 3*h - 48
What is the f'th term of 94, 254, 512, 868, 1322?
49*f**2 + 13*f + 32
What is the m'th term of 4236, 4237, 4230, 4209, 4168, 4101, 4002?
-m**3 + 2*m**2 + 2*m + 4233
What is the q'th term of -1557, -1527, -1493, -1455, -1413, -1367?
2*q**2 + 24*q - 1583
What is the j'th term of -34, 59, 240, 533, 962, 1551, 2324?
4*j**3 + 20*j**2 + 5*j - 63
What is the b'th term of -70, -155, -240, -325, -410, -495?
-85*b + 15
What is the t'th term of -135, -1018, -1899, -2778?
t**2 - 886*t + 750
What is the i'th term of -223, -407, -555, -661, -719?
i**3 + 12*i**2 - 227*i - 9
What is the i'th term of -1333, -2651, -3971, -5293, -6617?
-i**2 - 1315*i - 17
What is the k'th term of 610, 2454, 5528, 9832, 15366?
615*k**2 - k - 4
What is the y'th term of 20789, 20783, 20777?
-6*y + 20795
What is the z'th term of -240, -1067, -2448, -4383, -6872, -9915?
-277*z**2 + 4*z + 33
What is the a'th term of -649, -644, -637, -628?
a**2 + 2*a - 652
What is the h'th term of -144, -129, -94, -39, 36?
10*h**2 - 15*h - 139
What is the n'th term of 1576, 3123, 4664, 6199?
-3*n**2 + 1556*n + 23
What is the k'th term of 4130, 6626, 9122?
2496*k + 1634
What is the a'th term of -3320, -6546, -9772, -12998, -16224, -19450?
-3226*a - 94
What is the t'th term of 62260, 124523, 186816, 249145, 311516, 373935, 436408, 498941?
t**3 + 9*t**2 + 62229*t + 21
What is the f'th term of -265, -531, -787, -1033, -1269?
5*f**2 - 281*f + 11
What is the b'th term of 2068, 2069, 2076, 2095, 2132, 2193, 2284?
b**3 - 3*b**2 + 3*b + 2067
What is the r'th term of -241338, -241335, -241334, -241335, -241338?
-r**2 + 6*r - 241343
What is the q'th term of -749270, -1498541, -2247812, -2997083, -3746354?
-749271*q + 1
What is the d'th term of 763, 796, 843, 904, 979?
7*d**2 + 12*d + 744
What is the z'th term of -31034, -62046, -93030, -123974, -154866, -185694, -216446?
2*z**3 + 2*z**2 - 31032*z - 6
What is the o'th term of -139628, -139627, -139626, -139625?
o - 139629
What is the z'th term of 59310, 59309, 59308, 59307?
-z + 59311
What is the u'th term of -965113, -1930227, -2895341, -3860455, -4825569, -5790683?
-965114*u + 1
What is the t'th term of -952, -3743, -8388, -14881, -23216, -33387, -45388, -59213?
t**3 - 933*t**2 + t - 21
What is the l'th term of 668260, 668266, 668276, 668290, 668308, 668330?
2*l**2 + 668258
What is the k'th term of -815, -1607, -2401, -3197?
-k**2 - 789*k - 25
What is the z'th term of -739, -3019, -6837, -12193, -19087, -27519?
-769*z**2 + 27*z + 3
What is the w'th term of -79, -186, -297, -406, -507, -594, -661, -702?
w**3 - 8*w**2 - 90*w + 18
What is the d'th term of 70, 22, -40, -122, -230, -370, -548, -770?
-d**3 - d**2 - 38*d + 110
What is the r'th term of -180, -782, -1786, -3192, -5000, -7210?
-201*r**2 + r + 20
What is the c'th term of 102, 1056, 2010, 2964, 3918?
954*c - 852
What is the s'th term of -478314, -478306, -478288, -478254, -478198, -478114, -477996?
s**3 - s**2 + 4*s - 478318
What is the d'th term of 140, 384, 738, 1202?
55*d**2 + 79*d + 6
What is the i'th term of 189248, 378464, 567682, 756902, 946124, 1135348?
i**2 + 189213*i + 34
What is the t'th term of -56830, -113659, -170490, -227323, -284158, -340995, -397834?
-t**2 - 56826*t - 3
What is the u'th term of -59248, -59249, -59250, -59251, -59252, -59253?
-u - 59247
What is the j'th term of 3307, 6609, 9899, 13171, 16419?
-j**3 + 3309*j - 1
What is the m'th term of 43826, 175312, 394456, 701252, 1095694, 1577776, 2147492?
-m**3 + 43835*m**2 - 12*m + 4
What is the s'th term of -3398, -6798, -10172, -13508, -16794, -200
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Egypt has approved the entry of an Iranian aid convoy with food and medical supplies into Gaza.
Egypt has approved the entry of an Iranian aid convoy into Gaza, a security official told the Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency on Wednesday.
The Iranian government had contacted Egypt to ask that the convoy be allowed into Gaza via the Rafah crossing, the Egyptian security official told Ma'an.
The food and medical aid will enter Gaza in two weeks, he said.
The announcement of the aid convoy comes as Iran continues to boast close relations with the terrorist organizations operating in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
A spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the relations between Iran and both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad are better than they have ever been.
The spokesman also claimed that the Western media is trying to drive a wedge between Iran and Hamas and Islamic Jihad, in the wake of what he claimed was the "defeat" Israel suffered in the recent conflict in Gaza. He said that support for the struggle of the Arab people is a matter of principle for Iran.
During Israel’s recent Operation Pillar of Defense, which targeted the terror infrastructure in Gaza, terrorists fired Iranian-made Fajr missiles at central Israel.
Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said during the operation that Iran had supplied military aid to Hamas, which controls Gaza since taking power in a bloody coup in 2007.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief General Mohammad Ali Jafari also said that Tehran had provided the "technology" for the Fajr missiles used to target Tel Aviv, but denied supplying the actual weapons. He claimed they were being "rapidly produced" in Gaza.
Senior officials in both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad openly admitted that they had received support and assistance from Iran on both the financial and military levels.
This assistance included the transfer of weapons and rockets, information on development of rockets, and training of operatives.
Despite the dispute between the parties due to Iran’s support for the Assad regime in Syria, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood continue to see Iran as a strategic ally against Israel.
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Donald Trump has committed to taking part in all three scheduled presidential debates with Hillary Clinton, as the two candidates sought even more media exposure to make their case to American voters.
On the same day that the Democratic nominee debuted a campaign plane that included space for the media that travels with her, Mr Trump also for the first time invited a small group of reporters for a question-and-answer session on his private jet as he departed Cleveland, Ohio.
“I expect to do all three debates,” Mr Trump said, according to Bloomberg News. “I think it’s an important element of what we’re doing.”
Mr Trump invited reporters on his jet for the first time
The New York tycoon, who has claimed he fears the election could be “rigged”, had previously refused to commit to taking part in all three events, saying he would not be sure the moderators would treat him fairly. The first is due to take place on September 26 at Hofstra University on Long Island, New York.
Ms Clinton also headed to Ohio, considerable a battleground state, and for the first time welcome reporters aboard her plane. The candidates’ planes even crossed path at Hopkins International Airport.
It is a move that will provide the media with greater access to Ms Clinton, who has not held a formal press conference since last December and has only once taken questions from the media.
“I am so happy to have all of you with me,” she said.
The Associated Press said that Ms Clinton powered through a coughing fit at a Labor Day festival at a Cleveland park, sharply criticising Mr Trump's recent trip to Mexico as “an embarrassing international incident”.
“He can try to fool voters into thinking somehow he’s not as harsh and inhumane as he seems but it's too late,” Ms Clinton said.
Ms Clinton has held a consistent lead over Trump in national and battleground polls since the Democratic convention in July, though it has narrowed in recent weeks after reports about her use of private e-mail and about the Clinton family foundation. One poll published last week, put Mr Trump one point ahead.
The debate may determine whether Mr Trump can overcome Ms Clinton’s wide advantage in fundraising and organisation, and close in on her in the final weeks of the race.
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Mr Trump also appeared to pivot away from his hard-line position on immigration, saying: “I’m all about jobs now.”
The Republican real estate mogul said immigrants in the country illegally may not need to return to their countries or origin to obtain legal status, appearing to contradict his past positions. Any immigrants who want full citizenship must return to their countries of origin and get in line, he told reporters.
“We’re going to make that decision into the future,” Mr Trump said in his most extensive comments on immigration since last Wednesday’s speech in Phoenix on immigration.
Mr Trump was in Cleveland with his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Ms Clinton's surrogates were out in force as well, with vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine joining her in Cleveland after appearing with Vice President Joe Biden in Pittsburgh.
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Find Your Forever Home With Us
We Search. We Negotiate. You Save.
We Pass The Savings On To You
We are one of the area's largest home sellers and can work around your timeline and goals for buying your next home. We have a large inventory of homes ready to sell right now. If we don't currently have what you're looking for, we're confident that we can find it for you. We will work hard to ensure that the buying process is straightforward, fast, and efficient. We will take care of all the paperwork and will work hand in hand with you every step of the way.
All Types of Homes, All Price Ranges
Our large inventory of homes and massive network of sellers ensures that we can find the type of property that each client is looking for. We have rehabs to move-in ready and everything in between to satisfy every type of buyer and their corresponding buying goal and price range.
We Are A Real Estate Investing Company
Our company buys, sells, and rents homes. We will not be acting as your real estate agent or broker if we buy your house, sell you a house, or rent you a home. We are excited to potentially work with you directly OR if you are represented by an agent or broker. We are focused on improving neighborhoods and redeveloping areas that we work in. If you have additional questions on agencies please contact your local real estate commission.
Disclaimer:
Please do your own due diligence. House is being sold as-is, and buyer is to pay all closing costs. Price based on a cash or hard money offer. All properties offered are either owned by us, under contract and selling equitable interest, or offered in conjunction with a business associate. All offers on properties require a $2500 non-refundable earnest deposit and 10 day close of escrow. No waiting for a response.We respond immediately to an offer.Equal Opportunity Housing.
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Effect of clonidine on gallbladder contraction and small bowel transit time in insulin-treated diabetics.
Cholelithiasis is more prevalent in diabetics than in nondiabetics. Gallbladder dysmotility is supposed to be one of the causative factors. Reduced alpha-adrenergic tone has been demonstrated in the enterocytes of diabetic rats, and its correction by clonidine might explain the beneficial effect that the drug has on diabetic diarrhea. We therefore surmised that diabetic cholecystoparesis could also be due to alpha-adrenergic alterations. To test this hypothesis, we studied gallbladder contractions by real time ultrasonography, and small bowel transit time by lactulose hydrogen breath test, in 13 insulin-requiring diabetics before and after administration of the alpha-adrenergic stimulant clonidine (0.3 mg orally). That plasma levels were sufficient was evidenced indirectly by a fall in blood pressure. Clonidine significantly improved the rate of emptying (0.0193 +/- 0.00057/min vs. 0.0318 +/- 0.0027/min; p less than 0.005), but not the fasting and residual gallbladder volumes. Small bowel transit time was significantly prolonged after clonidine (169 +/- 17 min vs. 208 +/- 17; p less than 0.05). These results suggest that 1) reduced alpha-adrenergic tone corrected by clonidine may be present in the diabetic gallbladder, and 2) clonidine's antidiarrheal effect might be explained, at least in part, by a prolongation of the small bowel transit time.
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One Of The Newest Treatments For Concussions Might Surprise You
Those of us who train in high-impact sports like Mixed Martial Arts know that we have to remain vigilant when it comes to the health of our brains. After a strenuous round of sparring, it’s important to make sure our minds heal as well as the rest of our body. Now, thanks to the efforts of the NFLPA, we might be able to learn more about the potential of a new method to maintaining the health of both our minds and bodies: CBD.
NFL players are acutely aware of the punishment our bodies can take from contact sports. Thanks to the advocacy of former players like Eugene Monroe, the NFLPA is willing to study the possibility of allowing players to use cannabis sativa derivatives as an alternative to opioids for pain management. The study goes even further because, according to one Harvard researcher, cannabidiol could assist the body’s ability to heal from concussions.
“Lester Grinspoon, a professor emeritus at Harvard and one of the first medical marijuana researchers, said in an interview with the Post…that ‘evidence shows CBD is neuroprotective. I would have each individual take a capsule an hour or two before they play or practice.'”
More studies need to be conducted in order to build a wider body of evidence supporting Professor Grinspoons conclusions, but the potential is already attracting attention from big athletes on the biggest stages.
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ATTENTION FACEBOOK INVESTORS: Mark Zuckerberg Just Said Several Important Things...
In Mark Zuckerberg's interview at Disrupt yesterday, he said several things that Facebook investors should find encouraging.
Most importantly, he suggested that:
Facebook's mobile opportunity is much bigger than people think
Facebook is going to go into the search business
Everyone is now "underestimating" Facebook
One of the big concerns about Facebook is that, as its users migrate to mobile, the company's ability to monetize the users will drop precipitously, thus clobbering Facebook's revenue. Zuckerberg said explicitly, for the first time, that he thinks Facebook will ultimately make money money per user on mobile than it makes on the desktop. If this proves true--and, importantly, if it happens because mobile revenue per user soars instead of desktop revenue collapsing--Facebook's revenue growth should soon reaccelerate and then stay strong for years.
Lastly, Zuckerberg made several comments about how everyone is now "underestimating" Facebook. Reading between the lines, this is encouraging both for the near-term and the long-term. With respect to the near-term, Zuckerberg knows exactly how Facebook is doing this quarter, and we suspect he would have been very hesitant to use the word "underestimating" if Facebook were likely to blow the quarter. Longer term, the word choice suggests that Facebook thinks investors are, in fact, underestimating Facebook's revenue potential.
Now, of course, none of this changes the fact that Facebook's stock is still expensive (~30X next year's estimated earnings), which means the market is counting on revenue reaccelerating this quarter and remaining strong for the next several quarters. And none of it changes the concern that, in October and November, employee lock-up releases will likely lead to additional insider selling--possibly a lot of it.
But it does suggest that a new bull story for Facebook could start to emerge.
Here's what a few smart Wall Street analysts had to say about Zuckerberg's remarks:
BEN SCHACHTER, MACQUERIE:
We thought his comments regarding search over the longer-term were the most noteworthy of the presentation and will drive more discussion about a potential search revenue stream for FB while reigniting some concern about increased competition for GOOG
1) FB's long-term focus: Nothing new here, but FB is clearly focused on the long-term and creating value over next three-fiveyears.
2) Mobile - Clearly wanted to publically highlight his belief that mobile is fundamentally good for FB. He discussed a number of interesting notions:
- mobile is absolutely the key and focus for the company
- on mobile they see more engagement and time spent per user versus desktop, mobile users more likely to be DAU's and twice as likely to use it six out of seven days a week.
- over time, he believes that they can make more money per mobile time spent than desktop
- new iOS app already seeing much improved engagement
- over time, thinks that mobile monetization is more tv-like than desktop.
- mobile ads performing better than desktop already and new product on the way, highlighted a few times that mobile is a "huge opportunity"
- have made mistakes on mobile. Most notably, too early a focus on HTML 5 as opposed to native apps. Correcting that now, though he did note that currently more time spent on mobile web FB than on apps.
- talked about recent product for mobile app installs. (developers/publishers pay for an install) - not a full public launch, but testing. - intersection of platform and distribution...
4) Search - Perhaps the most notable comments of the presentation were in regards to search and their long-term view that FB has unique assets to help answer questions.
- already doing 1 billion search queries per day (and not even trying).
- most searches are to find other people, but many also for pages/brands and apps.
- stated that search represents a "big opportunity" and that search is one obvious thing they could do in the future.
- there is already a team working on search, but wouldn't say how big or clarify if it is doing anything beyond the current search functionality. However, we thought his search comments were the most interesting of the presentation and that he clearly thinks that FB and its social graph are uniquely positioned to improve search in the future.
5) FB phone/hardware - Strongly stated that a FB phone is the wrong strategy and wouldn't move the needle. Wants to be on all phones...
7) FB's mission - Reiterated the long term mission is to connect everyone on the planet and make the world more open and connected. Stated that making money goes hand in hand with this mission and that they need to do both in order to do either.
8) Company morale - When asked about company morale, stated that stock price doesn't help, but focused on the fact that FB has always been controversial and that there is cyclicality in terms of how people think about FB. Right now seems to be on the downside, but he likes that, as he thinks it is when people underestimate the company.
- When they are underestimated, it gives them latitude to take big bets.
DOUG ANMUTH, BARCLAYS
Positive comments on Mobile. Zuckerberg indicated that Facebook and its mobile potential are being underestimated. Mobile users are spending more time per person on Facebook than desktop users and are 2x as likely to use Facebook in 6 of the past 7 days (L6/7). We also believe mobile DAUs are likely higher than web DAUs. In terms of mobile monetization, Zuckerberg indicated that Facebook can make more money from a mobile user per time spent than a desktop user, and that mobile ads in their early days are already performing better than ads on the right rail of the desktop. As published in our recent Facebook report from 9/4/12, we estimate Facebook's mobile ad revenue could be more than $200M this year and above $900M in 2013 driven by higher CTRs and CPMs. Our analysis also suggests mobile ad revenue/user/month could ultimately be higher than on the web as higher engagement and pricing offset the lower number of impressions per visit. See page 2 for our proprietary model, which segments Facebook's ad business into Mobile SS, Web SS, and Web Marketplace.
Search on Facebook's radar. Facebook currently generates ~1B search queries a day—the majority attributed to people search, but also a meaningful portion related to brand pages and apps. In late August Facebook launched Sponsored Results—ads displayed in the search dropdown bar—to capitalize on this opportunity. However, Zuckerberg indicated that Facebook could do more with search in terms of providing users with direct answers to their questions, likely based on information derived from the social graph. This is likely more headline risk for Google than a real, near-term fundamental concern, but the two companies could ultimately overlap more in search down the line.
BOB PECK, CO-RISE
1) He's working on Open Graph - this is very impt as it is the revenue optty I've cited (subscription services, app center, gaming). This is a big part of the potential revenues / upside
2) Search is impt and they are working on it. Once again, this can be very lucrative if done correctly. New revs.
3) the reason they are behind on mobile was a wrong bet on technology. They bet heavily on Html5 and it was a mistake, their mobile apps can be better when native (ie integrated with apple / android).
4) he's very focused on mobile and realizes how impt it is. Interestingly, he thinks it monetizes better than desktop.
5) no phone - and I agree with his view they don't need one
6) he alluded to a model where developers pay for app install as part of app center - once again, impt new revs
7) Instagram - he explained how buying it sped up development of its platform and improved user experience
8) lastly, he seemed more poised than usually and that isn't easy given the stock performance
9) also, I like the continued focus on the long term (much like Jeff Bezos of amzn)
10) I was disappointed that there was no discussion about the insider selling....
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49ers Fall to Seahawks in Seattle
San Francisco suffered a defeat against its NFC West rival before a packed CenturyLink Field and a nationally audience in Week 2.
With two up-and-coming quarterbacks leading explosive offenses, go figure that the 49ers duel with the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night resembled more of a defensive struggle.
The 49ers (1-1, 0-1) fell to their NFC West Division rival, 29-3, at a noisy CenturyLink Field and before national audience. Russell Wilson was his solid self, but it was running back Marshawn Lynch and a turnover-creating defense piloted the Seahawks (2-0, 1-0) to victory.
Kaepernick rushed for a team-high 87 yards but threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. It was his first ever multi-pick game.
"Don't think any of us are proud of our performance tonight," Jim Harbaugh said postgame. "They played very well. We didn't play nearly good enough. Facts are sudden things. That's what took place."
San Francisco’s start to the game wasn't so inauspicious. The special teams unit created a stir early in the first quarter. Craig Dahl blocked Jon Ryan’s punt at the end of Seattle’s second drive of the game. A handful of Seahawks special teamers stood up out of their stance at the snap of the ball. TV commentators speculated that they were reacting to a whistle blown by a fan in the stands.
The 49ers wouldn’t turn the unusual opportunity into points. Nine plays into the ensuing drive, Kaepernick was intercepted by safety Earl Thomas at the one-yard line. Kaepernick’s pass to tight end Vernon Davis was batted into the air by cornerback Walter Thurmond.
"We're not going to win games if I play like that," Kaepernick said postgame. "There were a couple of balls I tried to force in there."
Rookie safety Eric Reid intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson on the next drive. Reid made incidental contact with Wilson’s intended target, wideout Golden Tate, before hauling in his second pick in as many games. In fact, Reid became the franchise’s first rookie to open his career with two straight games with interceptions since the NFL merger in 1970.
Reid left the game on the final series of the first half after a big hit on Seahawks wideout Sidney Rice left Reid motionless at midfield. Concussed, he was taken to the locker room in advance of the halfway mark and replaced in the game by Dahl.
"He couldn't remember the play," Harbaugh said of Reid. "It was assessed as a concussion."
The Reid-authored turnover gave Kaepernick and Co. the ball back at their own 25-yard line but crowd noise again came into play. A false start penalty and a delay of game infraction, which wiped out rookie wide receiver Quinton Patton’s first NFL catch, pushed the offense back, forcing an eventual punt.
Nose tackle Ian Williams, who appeared at fullback on offense for the first time, went down with a left ankle injury during the defense’s second series of the game. He was deemed “out” for the remainder. The team did not comment on the severity of the injury, but Williams broke the ankle, according to media reports.
Harbaugh said Williams was "engaged (in a) zone play when a backside guard cut blocked" him.
"That's legal the way the rules are set up," the coach said.
Williams’ replacement, Glenn Dorsey, recorded a sack of Wilson on the team’s third series, late in the opening quarter.
That’s about when things came to a stop. With just over three minutes remaining in the first quarter, the game was suspended due to the presence of lighting and rain.
Exactly one hour later, at 7:05 p.m. PT, the game resumed.
The defensive struggle continued into the second quarter. With Seahawks stud left tackle Russell Okung out (foot, deemed “questionable” to return) and Steve McQuistan sliding over from his guard spot, 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith sacked Wilson to end Seattle’s first post-delay drive.
Seattle then grabbed a 2-0 lead on San Francisco’s ensuing offensive series. Fullback Bruce Miller was flagged for holding linebacker Malcolm Smith inside the end zone.
The Seahawks extended their lead to 5-0 on Steven Hauschka’s 30-yard field goal thanks to more strong defensive play: In his organizational debut, defensive end Cliff Avril stripped an on-the-move Kaepernick midway through the second quarter, and outside linebacker K.J. Wright picked it up inside 49ers territory.
The advantage became 12-0 on the home team’s first drive of the second half. Wilson found wideout Doug Baldwin for a 51-yard pass-and-catch, then running back Marshawn Lynch ran into the end zone from 14 yards out.
Lynch, who entered Sunday with 100-yard performances in three straight matchups with the 49ers defense, fell just short of a fourth consecutive. He rushed 28 times for 98 yards and recorded two fourth-quarter touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing.
The 49ers finally found an offensive rhythm on their first drive of the third quarter. Kaepernick gained 28 yards, weaving his way down the left sideline. On the next play, he found rookie tight end Vance McDonald for a 19-yard connection.
The highlights led to Phil Dawson’s 21-yard field goal. That decreased the deficit to nine points, but that’s as close as the visitors got to victory.
"We need to bounce back in a big way," Harbaugh said.
The 49ers host Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts (1-1) in Week 3.
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Students at Rowan University will start spring break on Monday but are being told to take an extra week off so the university can develop plans to teach courses remotely if coronavirus prompts a closure, university officials said.
No one in the Rowan University community tested positive for coronavirus, or COVID-19, but college officials said plans needed to be put in place. As of Tuesday, five additional cases of coronavirus were confirmed in New Jersey, bringing the total to 11 confirmed cases. The only case reported in South Jersey so far is that of a man in his 60s who is hospitalized in Cherry Hill.
“All faculty should immediately begin developing a course-continuity plan that will allow you to instruct students online should you be unable to meet in person for an indefinite period of time,” a memo to faculty from Provost Tony Lowman and University Senate President Bill Friend said on Monday.
The decision to extend Rowan University’s spring break through March 27 comes shortly after Princeton University announced it was instructing students not to return to class in person after its spring break and that it’d be moving classes online through at least April 5. Rutgers University had not announced any change in scheduling as of Monday afternoon.
If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, enter your email address below.
Several school districts in New Jersey announced closures and delayed openings for Monday and additional days this week and next to strategize for online classes after the state Department of Education has announced “home instruction” may count toward the required 180-day school year.
“While at this time no decision has been made to move all courses online following the extended spring break, we must be prepared for that possibility,” the letter to faculty said.
The semester itself would not be extended and the university will remain open during the two-week spring break, officials said.
Additional guidance is expected to be announced later this week about upcoming events at the university, which could include canceling them or offering best practices on “social distancing.”
“There will be individuals who are anxious about attending classes for personal and medical reasons and we must be ready to accommodate these students, including providing distance-learning opportunities and the ability to make up work from missed in-class meetings,” the provost and senate president said. “We ask that you accommodate your students accordingly.”
A total of 20 students at Rowan University were studying abroad this semester and at leas six who were studying in Italy have returned and were already given the option of finishing online, the university reported last week.
Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.
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Tag: South Korea
The K-beauty regime is such a big deal in East Asia. It’s also popular to a lesser extent in China (you can buy the products but people don’t necessarily use them all, and there’s fewer brands to choose from in China, but there are still a LOT of brands; it’s just a testament to how much of a big deal K-beauty is in Korea that they have the biggest selection of beauty products that I’ve ever seen in my life). One thing to note, though, is that China has its own beauty brands (usually with European-sounding names) and they don’t like to think of themselves as aficionados of K-beauty. In China, the exact same things are pretty much classed as Chinese beauty. 😉
There’s been a lot of online articles from western magazines and whatnot which are all like, “Korean women spend two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening on their beauty regime!!!” Honestly? While they sure spend time on it, with VISIBLE results, they also generally work very long hours (much longer than people do in the west) and so I’d say twenty minutes to half an hour, morning and evening, is probably more realistic, certainly on the days when I’ve done a full K-beauty regime. Sheet masks, of course, take 15-20 mins all by themselves, but you don’t do those daily; two to four times a week is more reasonable.
Why do they do it? Well, unlike in the west, K-beauty tends to focus on skincare. Get a good canvas, THEN correct flaws with makeup. It’s a much more natural look, and I really like the whole idea, I mean, depending how long you’ve been reading my blog, even before I came to Asia you may remember that most of my beauty articles were skincare related. Makeup? Eh. When I hit twenty-five, I started to feel like taking care of my skin was WAY more important. #realtalk #confessionsofabeautyblogger some days, I don’t even wear any makeup. Most days, I wear the bare minimum. But I never forget my skincare.
So, the FULL K-beauty routine goes like this (usually… there are some variations depending who you ask and what brands they use), starting from a completely cleansed face (you would use cleanser and whatnot first, if your face was dirty):
Essence goes on first. This is usually the most watery or thinnest consistency of product. If you’re ever in doubt about whether you’re using K-beauty properly, usually it goes from thinnest to thickest consistency of product. 😉 And at the end of the day, it’s no biggie if you get one or two steps back to front. I use this Soybean Firming Essence [light] from Innisfree; it’s about the same price in China as in the US, and I plan to review it at some point.
Serum goes on after essence. I use the Innisfree Soybean Energy Serum which TRAGICALLY you don’t seem to be able to get in America. It’s like my favorite thing so that’s very sad. I do also like the Innisfree Jeju Pomegranate Serum which you ALSO can’t get in the US. Sometimes around now I’ll use a moisture spray, too.
Then, you put on something called “skin” if you want, but I’ve never found one I especially loved and the consistency seems to vary between different ones, too, which makes me feel like I’m just washing off my serum and essence. Some K-beauty people call “skin” “toner” but where the west calls toner something you remove makeup with/clean your face with, K-beauty “toner” seems to mean something that improves the tone of your skin. I’m not sure if they mean color or firmness, but I’ve tried a few and none of them did either for me. I skip this step.
Next comes moisturizer or lotion. Some brands call it one, some call it the other. I would usually use one with an SPF, but if it’s a day when I’m not going outside, I’ll use one with other properties instead. My favorite non-SPF is the Innisfree Green Tea balancing cream. My favorite SPF is the Clio Kill Cover SPF 50 but you can’t get that in the US. My second favorite (better for oily skin as it has a matte finish, so with my normal skin, I use it on top of another moisturizer like the Innisfree one, above) is the Etude House Sunprise SPF32 (the US one is SPF50 and reviews claim it’s better for dry skin so maybe that’s a slightly different product to the one I have).
Now you put on your base (or primer, or veil… some people use veil and base, I personally feel they’re interchangable). I have some nice ones of these, and the K-beauty ones all seem to be good for color-correcting, especially if you have dark circles under your eyes. My favorites are the Etude House baby choux because I wear it on its own for color correction and it’s fabulous (I will review this, too, soon) and the Cle De Peau Correcting Creme Veil which I also wear on its own sometimes, without any other makeup on top. It is a French brand but, like many western cosmetics companies, they have a completely different line of (arguably better) products for the Chinese and Korean market, because they have to compete against homegrown Asian products that are really good. And HOLY MACARONI I had no IDEA how much that Cle De Peau one cost as I got it as a thank-you gift, as part of a big set of Cle De Peau cosmetics from a first-grader’s mom after I taught her daughter English. It’s sooooo good though. If all expensive cosmetics are that good, I can totally see why Kim Kardashian looks so good, even if we ignore the surgery and personal trainer sessions.
After primer, you add either BB cream, cushion, or what-have-you (whatever you use for foundation). I was using the Innisfree cushion but I’ve just ran out, so last week I bought the Clio Kill Professional one. I like cushion makeup (it’s like pressed powder but wet… I can’t explain it), because it’s quick to apply, but when I have time, I prefer BB cream applied with a beauty blender (or a 20-cent Chinese knock-off… $10 for a sponge?? Nope) as it’s more nourishing and I think it looks more natural on my face. I haven’t used western foundation since I got to China because it’s complete garbage compared to the stuff here, and SO bad for my skin. All the redness I’ve had, and which I’ve seen pretty much every western beauty vlogger seems to have before they apply their makeup, has vanished since I stopped using western foundation; I think there’s something badly wrong with it. Unless you have deeply tanned skin, Asian foundations are way better.
After that, you do the rest of your make-up; blush, eyeshadow, lipstick, brows.
Lastly, dust with some finishing powder and you’re good to go. And if you feel dry during the course of the day? Don’t be afraid to mist your face with moisturizing spray in public. Seriously, people do this SO OFTEN at coffee shops in Korea. I just got the LaNeige Water Bank Mist last week and I really love it. It’s so much fun, and quick and easy to use, although I’m lazy and only use it about once a day.
HOWEVER, there’s a huge difference between what I know I *should* do and what I actually do. I feel dowdy just thinking about the fact that some people are doing all of this every day. They will look like Zsa Zsa Gabor when they’re 80, and I’ll look like Sir Ian McKellen. I know I should do all this, but it’s so much effort and when I was working full-time I didn’t have time. Anyway, I tend to go along with how my skin feels, and a lot of the time, I don’t feel like I need to use all of that stuff.
So instead, usually I go:
Essence,
Serum,
Moisturizer/moisturizing suncream. I put all those on my face AND neck, because I feel like my neck needs more love than my body lotion can give it. If I get too much product on my hands, I also rub it into the backs of my hands and I’ve noticed the difference in my hand skin since I started doing that, but I still can’t bring myself to regularly use hand cream, it just isn’t me.
If I feel red or washed out I add one of the choux base veils I mentioned.
Then, unless I’m going out somewhere nice or Youtubing, I usually just sort my brows out, throw on some lipstick (my current favorites are Bobbi Brown or Elizabeth Arden… because I know where I left those) and get on with finding where I left my shoes and whether I have any hair elastics.
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Paliperidone reverts Toll-like receptor 3 signaling pathway activation and cognitive deficits in a maternal immune activation mouse model of schizophrenia.
The pathophysiology of psychotic disorders is multifactorial, including alterations in the immune system caused by exogenous or endogenous factors. Epidemiological and experimental studies indicate that infections during the gestational period represent a risk factor to develop schizophrenia (SZ) along lifetime. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the antipsychotic paliperidone regulates immune-related brain effects in an experimental model of SZ. A well described prenatal immune activation model of SZ in mice by maternal injection of the viral mimetic poly(I:C) during pregnancy was used. Young-adult offspring animals (60PND) received paliperidone ip (0.05 mg/kg) for 21 consecutive days. One day after last injection, animals were submitted to a cognitive test and brain frontal cortex (FC) samples were obtained for biochemical determinations. The adults showed an activated innate immune receptor TLR-3 signaling pathway, oxidative/nitrosative stress and accumulation of pro-inflammatory mediators such as nuclear transcription factors (i.e., NFκB) and inducible enzymes (i.e., iNOS) in FC. Chronic paliperidone blocked this neuroinflammatory response possibly by the synergic activation and preservation of endogenous antioxidant/anti-inflammatory mechanisms such as NRF2 and PPARγ pathways, respectively. Paliperidone administration also stimulated the alternative polarization of microglia to the M2 anti-inflammatory profile. In addition, paliperidone treatment improved spatial working memory deficits of this SZ-like animal model. In conclusion, chronic administration of paliperidone to young-adult mice prenatally exposed to maternal immune (MIA) challenge elicits a general preventive anti-inflammatory/antioxidant effect at both intracellular and cellular polarization (M1/M2) level in FC, as well as ameliorates specific cognitive deficits.
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Time to end the carnage in Syria
President Donald Trump gave an inkling of a shift in the policy of restraint pursued by his predecessor in the Middle East when he ordered a guided missile attack on a military facility in Syria after President Bashar al-Assad allegedly sanctioned the use of chemical weapons against his people. It was a clear message from Trump, not only to al-Assad but to all the actors in the multi-pronged internecine war, that the use of chemical weapons, which is a violation of international laws, would not only be frowned upon, but punished under his administration.
This is indeed a paradigm shift. When a similar incident occurred in 2013, President Barrack Obama, who premised his election campaign on keeping American soldiers away from external conflicts, refrained from punishing the Syrian government, despite promising that the use of such weapons was a “red line” that should not be crossed. Casualties in that attack in which Damascus was accused of using the nerve agent, sarin gas, ranged from the initial figure of 300 released by the opposition to the 1,429 confirmed by the United States government, including 426 children.
Rather than act swiftly then to rein in al-Assad, Obama only brokered a deal in which the Syrian government gave up its presumed entire stockpile of 1,300 tonnes of chemical weapons. But failure to take punitive measures had its repercussions; further evidence has since emerged of subsequent deployment of the deadly weapons by all the sides to the conflict, including the rebels, the government and the Islamic State actors.
In fact, backed by Russian president, Vladimir Putin, al-Assad has cast caution to the winds and committed all sorts of war crimes. Russia’s show of naked power in the conflict, where its aerial power has been used to pound opposition fighters, can be rightly said to be an attempt to fill the void created by the US. Under the guise of fighting ISIS, Russian pilots have been dropping bombs in opposition-held territories, thus helping to keep their protégé in power.
The latest use of sarin last week reportedly killed over 80 people. Although the Russian government tried to explain it away as part of the arsenal of the rebels, which exploded after it was hit by a bomb, nobody has been deceived. The Americans have been able to confirm that the deadly gas was actually deployed by the Syrian forces and that is why the airfield from which the aircraft that carried out the attack took off was hit by 59 American cruise missiles.
Even Trump who had been attacking Obama’s policies and warning of the need to steer clear of the war in Syria could not but be appalled by the sight of children who were victims of the deadly gas. Describing it as an affront to humanity, the American president said, “When you kill innocent children, innocent babies, little babies … that crosses … many lines.” That is what the world needs. Even when there is the need to respect the territorial integrity of countries, sovereignty should not be seen as absolute, not when threat to humanity is involved.
America’s strike at the airfield should therefore be seen as another opportunity for a restoration of order to a chaotic situation. It should serve as a rallying point to people of conscience to come together and do something. The war has already lingered for six years and the death toll, according to the New York Times, quoting the Syrian Centre for Policy Research, was put at 470,000 as of February last year, with millions of others displaced or injured. The devastation is already unthinkable. Even the United Nations is said to have lost track of the number of deaths because its data sources are no longer reliable. The European refugee crisis is also one of the spin-offs of this senseless war.
Although the Obama administration had always spoken of a regime change in Syria, it never worked for it. The best it did was to arm the rebels in a contest that soon became one-sided once Russia joined the fray. Efforts must be made to ensure that all the external influences – especially Iran, US, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Russia, Turkey and China, all of whom are fighting a proxy war, using Syria as the battlefield – should agree to a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Russia must also behave responsibly and stop its habit of vetoing all the United Nations resolutions aimed at punishing Syria for its irresponsible behaviour. That has been the reason for the renewed arrogance of al-Assad, who is no longer positively disposed to a negotiated settlement. This has to change. If the battle cannot be won on the field, there has to be a negotiated end to the continued loss of lives, a political solution.
The Geneva peace process remains the best chance to find an end to the Syrian carnage. This is why the Geneva conference on the crisis should be revived. There should also be commitment from all the parties and their backers. Both the opposition and the government of Syria have to make concessions for the sake of the people that are dying daily. There has to be a renewed commitment to ending the war.
Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.
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Tribal Nations May Want to Stash Your Marijuana Cash
The legal marijuana industry continues to grow as more and more states legalize the drug in some form. But despite the fact that the industry already generates billions of dollars in sales per year, marijuana entrepreneurs still struggle to find a way to store and manage all of the cash rolling in from the green rush.
The fact that weed is still very much illegal on the federal level means that most federally-regulated banks are reluctant to come close to any businesses that handle the drug personally, such as dispensaries or growing operations. But Bloomberg reports that the answer to the marijuana industry's banking woes could be found in the form of a a banking system run by the more than 560 sovereign American Indian nations. The Bloomberg article focuses on Anthony Rivera, a Harvard-educated leader in California's Acjachemen Nation, who wants tribal nations to legalize marijuana and call on their experience from decades of managing casinos to establish their own banking system that could tap into the burgeoning marijuana industry.
Rivera told Bloomberg: "The Indian casinos are basically small little banks. They receive deposits in the form of gaming, and they manage that cash in a way which is highly regulated with commissioners and regulators."
Rivera runs an organization called CannaNative that aims to link the leaders of tribal nations, which have been given free reign by the U.S. government to establish their own regulated marijuana markets, with marijuana business-owners and investors, as well as financial professionals to determine how best to establish a banking system that could serve members of the marijuana industry.
A dearth of banking options for businesses in the marijuana industry has made it difficult for business-owners to deal with all of the cash rolling in, creating issues around security and the payments process. With the industry projected to reach $10 billion in legal sales by 2018, according to industry research firm The ArcView Group, and a number of new states expected to vote on additional legalization measures in upcoming elections, the industry's banking issues are likely only to get bigger.
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Distribution of the NPY 1128C allele frequency in different populations.
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a member of the pancreatic polypeptide family. It plays a critical role in the regulation of satiety, reproduction, the central endocrine and cardiovascular systems. The T1128C polymorphism of human NPY gene has been shown to be associated with many cardiovascular diseases. The allele frequency of the 1128C was investigated in 6626 subjects from Europe, North-America, South-America, Asia and the Middle-East. The 1128C allele was observed in all populations of European descent and the Israeli population, with a mean frequency of about 4%. The allele frequency showed a geographical north to south gradient of decreasing frequency. The highest allele frequencies were found in Nordic countries. The NPY 1128C allele might originate in the north of Europe, and then spread to neighboring regions.
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Patient, implant, and alignment factors associated with revision of medial compartment unicondylar arthroplasty.
The investigators reviewed 245 fixed-bearing unicondylar arthroplasties that one surgeon performed as treatment of medial compartment osteoarthritis between 1988 and 1997 using a variety of cemented metal-backed tibial components and gamma-irradiated-in-air polyethylene bearings. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to evaluate how the event of revision was influenced by 3 patient factors, 3 implant factors, and 7 factors assessed from preoperative and early postoperative radiographs. Five factors were statistically associated with revision: (younger) patient age, (thinner) tibial component initial thickness, (longer) polyethylene shelf age, (lesser) angular reduction of medial tibial plateau varus, and (more varus) postoperative hip-knee-ankle angle. Besides illustrating deleterious consequences of using gamma-irradiated-in-air polyethylene in medial unicompartmental arthroplasty, our results support reducing varus angulation of the medial tibial plateau and knee at surgery.
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Many modern electronic devices, such as terminal equipment, personal computers and portable personal digital assistants (PDA), include several useful applications for the users. These versatile devices may thus be used as notebooks, electronic calendars and alarm clocks. The users of these devices do not need separate devices or accessories for each purpose.
The user friendliness and usability of the user interface of these devices, terminal equipment and PDAs in particular, has increased in recent years but there is still need for improvements especially in the interoperation of separate applications.
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837 P.2d 664 (1992)
Dara KENNEY, Appellant (Defendant),
v.
STATE of Wyoming, Appellee (Plaintiff).
No. 91-103.
Supreme Court of Wyoming.
July 20, 1992.
Leonard D. Munker, State Public Defender and Lee E. Christian, Asst. Public Defender, for appellant.
Joseph B. Meyer, Atty. Gen., Sylvia L. Hackl, Deputy Atty. Gen., Barbara L. Boyer, Sr. Asst. Atty. Gen., and D. Michael Pauling, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.
Before MACY, C.J., and THOMAS, CARDINE, URBIGKIT,[*] and GOLDEN, JJ.
URBIGKIT, Justice.
Appellant, Dara Kenney (Kenney), was convicted of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, conspiracy to deliver marijuana, and delivery of marijuana. We decide this case on the primary issue of whether dual representation of co-conspirators creates a conflict of interest by denying Kenney her constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel. To follow our recent decision in Shongutsie v. State, 827 P.2d 361 (Wyo.1992), we reverse and remand.[1]
*665 I. ISSUES
The following issues are presented on appeal, but we find the first issue dispositive:
1. Did Kenney's attorney's representation of both Kenney and her co-conspirator create a conflict of interest which denied Kenney her Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel?
2. Did the trial court err in failing to inquire whether Kenney knowingly and voluntarily waived any constitutional right to conflict-free representation?
3. Did the introduction of Kenney's prior bad acts by her own counsel deny her effective assistance of counsel?
4. Was Kenney's confession voluntary?
5. Were the prosecutor's characterizations of Kenney improper or prejudicial?
6. Did Kenney receive a trial by a lawful and proper jury?[2]
7. Did the State prove that the substance seized was marijuana?
II. FACTS
This is the story of a woman, not without prior troubles, who developed an association with a man who was involved in dealing in controlled substances. It is also the story of their joint representation by one attorney, developed during the criminal proceedings under what must be termed unusual circumstances. Finally, it is a record of her innocent plea, guilty verdict, and penitentiary sentence while her boyfriend, well served by the same attorney, entered into a plea bargain to achieve a more preferable non-penitentiary sentence. In this case, we are provided a clear example of dangers to constitutional rights which can result from joint representation.
On May 17, 1990, the Cheyenne, Wyoming Police Department received a telephone call from an informant stating that she had met a person, Maria Linares (Linares), who said she had access to marijuana. The police set up an undercover narcotics operation and followed Linares to Kenney's home. After her visit to Kenney's home, Linares delivered a package of marijuana to the informant which had apparently been obtained from Kenney. Following the transaction, Kenney telephoned Detective Mark Hollenbach of the Laramie County, Wyoming Sheriff's Department to inquire if she was under investigation, since she had previously worked for Hollenbach as an informant and had spotted the police officer driving by her home on May 17. Kenney testified that the detective responded that she was not under investigation.
A second undercover operation was conducted on July 19, 1990 with police agents going to Linares' apartment to purchase additional marijuana. Police then followed the suspect to a local convenience store from where she placed a telephone call. Kenney arrived shortly thereafter and, after picking up Linares, drove to Linares' apartment where Linares then delivered marijuana to a second informant.
Kenney again telephoned Detective Hollenbach on July 19 to inquire if she was under investigation. Kenney had seen another law enforcement officer as she drove to Linares' apartment during the July 19 drug transaction. The response she received, according to her testimony, was still negative.
On July 23, 1990, Detective Hollenbach went to Kenney's home and requested she voluntarily accompany him to the police station. Kenney complied and Hollenbach drove her to the station. Conflicting testimony arises as to whether she was advised of her Miranda rights upon arrival at the station. (Hollenbach testified: "I advised *666 her of her rights * * *." Kenney testified: "No, he never read me my rights.") At the police station, Kenney confessed to selling marijuana to Linares. Detective Hollenbach and Kenney subsequently left the police station to retrieve the marijuana she admitted was being stored at her parent's home. During the police interview, she stated that John Connette (Connette), her roommate and co-actor in these events, had originally received the marijuana from Alfred Solis (Solis). Detective Hollenbach and Kenney then drove to her home where Connette retrieved additional marijuana and gave it to Detective Hollenbach. Detective Hollenbach and Kenney returned to the police station and Connette arrived shortly thereafter. Following their arrival at the police station, Kenney and Connette signed Miranda waivers and confessions.
Later that evening, Connette participated in an undercover operation which apprehended Solis. Following the arrest of Solis, Connette and Kenney were permitted to return to their home. The following morning, Kenney and Connette went back to the police station for further questioning. The police told them they could proceed with their planned vacation and to call when they returned to Cheyenne. Following their vacation, Kenney and Connette returned to the police station on August 9, 1990, to then be arrested and charged for their controlled substance offenses. Kenney was charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, one count of conspiracy to deliver marijuana, and one count of delivery of marijuana and then released on bail. Connette was charged with one count of possession with intent to deliver marijuana and one count of conspiracy to deliver marijuana.
A preliminary hearing was held on August 23, 1990 with Kenney being represented by Donald E. Miller (Miller), a private attorney who Kenney had retained.[3] The preliminary hearing was a joint hearing with Connette, who was represented by his retained counsel, Mary Kloeckner (Kloeckner). After a brief hearing during which neither defendant testified, probable cause was found and both were bound over to the district court.
The significant procedural events in this case were confined in time. Arraignment was held Friday, September 14, 1990, with Kenney entering a not guilty plea. The case was set for a jury trial on November 13. On September 24, Kenney, through retained counsel Miller, filed a motion to suppress evidence, testimony and statements and a motion for discovery and disclosure of exculpatory matters. The case was re-set and subpoenas changed for a trial date of November 19. On November 14, a comprehensive pretrial Denno suppression hearing was held with testimony from four witnesses, including Kenney and three police officers. Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964). At the close of argument the next day, the trial court announced its decision that the motion to suppress would be denied. The bases stated were: that the confession had been voluntary and the evidence was admissible when Kenney was not in custody at the time of her confession; that she had been advised of her rights; and that her confession was not the product of threat or coercion.
The day after suppression was denied, with trial only three days away, strange things began to happen. November 16 became a busy day for pleadings.[4] A very *667 scholarly and lawyerly sounding letter addressed to Miller and signed by Kenney requested his withdrawal as her attorney. After the order was entered setting the trial for November 19, Miller, as counsel, filed an Emergency Motion for Enlargement of Time, stating that he had been instructed to withdraw as attorney and that Kenney desired to secure different counsel. At the same time, he filed a motion to withdraw and attached the original November 16 representation termination letter.
A very legalistic document entitled "Emergency Motion for Enlargement of Time to Obtain Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice" was filed pro se under the signed name of Kenney, with a certification of service likewise signed by her. A second motion, comprehensively legalistic in text, entitled "Emergency Motion for Court to Grant Leave to Don Miller to Withdraw as Attorney of Record," was similarly filed pro se by Kenney along with her certification of service. The third motion similarly filed pro se was titled "Emergency Motion for Leave of Court to Proceed in Propria Personam Until Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice Can Be Obtained."
A fourth document was filed entitled "Emergency Motion for Hearing on the Emergency Motion to Quash Subpoena" along with an accompanying "Emergency Motion to Quash Subpoena," each filed in the name of the co-conspirator, Connette, and signed by Kloeckner as counsel, with certification of service by Kloeckner.[5] On November 16, a fifteen minute hearing was held where the trial court permitted Miller to withdraw as counsel, and reset the trial for December 3.[6]*668
*669 Kenney was a high school dropout who had been enrolled in the alternative education program of the local school system and then, following final discontinuance, received her GED. It was apparent beyond any reasoned question that a very experienced typist with access to a computer style printing system had finalized the "pro se" documents (except sometimes misspelling the litigant's name) and that the author of the instruments was both trained and experienced in the law.
Samples of the documentation are illustrative. Kenney's "Emergency Motion for Enlargement of Time to Obtain Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice" stated in part:
1. Don Miller told Dara Kenney that he does not know how to defend her, has refused to file the additional pretrial motions requested by Dara Kenney that he file, and tried to get her to plead guilty.
* * * * * *
5. That Dara Kenney's constitutional right to retained counsel of her choice will be denied her if she is forced through trial represented by an attorney she has already discharged, in violation of Article 1, Section 6 and Section 10, of the Consti[tut]ion of the State of Wyoming and the Fourth and Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
6. That the State will not be prejudiced by the minimal time required to obtain replacement counsel after the Court grants leave to Don Miller to withdraw as attorney of record.
Kenney's "Emergency Motion for Court to Grant Leave to Don Miller to Withdraw as Attorney of Record" stated in part:
1. Defendant Dara Kinney [sic] was arrested August 9, 1990, on charges by two seperate [sic] criminal complaints, involving two counts in complaint XX-XX-XXXX, and one count in complaint XX-XX-XXXX. One count charged conspiracy with John Connette to commit the crime of delivery of marijuana. One count charged possession with intent to deliver marijuana. The other complaint charges a single count of delivery of marijuana.
2. Defendants Dara Kinney [sic] and John Connette appeared before Judge Allen and asked for court-appointed counsel due to their indigency. Judge Allen told Defendant Dara Kinney [sic] that he would not appoint counsel because she looked like she was able to work, and told Defendant Dara Kinney [sic] that she must inform the Court by 8/13 who her attorney would be or she would go to jail.
3. Defendant Dara Kinney [sic] had no money to retain counsel and could find no attorney to represent her without prepayment of fees and cost and giving security therefor.
* * * * * *
9. That Dara Kinney's [sic] constitutional right to retained counsel of her choice will be denied her if she is forced through trial represented by an attorney she has already discharged, in violation of Article 1, Section 6 and Section 10, of the Const[itut]ion of the State of Wyoming and the Fourth and Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
In her letter to Miller requesting his withdrawal, Kenney stated in part:
*670 6. Where are the motions to require the State to disclose exculpatory evidence; to disclose the list of witnesses; to preserve the evidence, and release it to us for independent testing; to provide copies of all of their tests results; to disclose their methods and equipment used for the testing; to disclose whether they are going to try to introduce evidence or witnesses so that they could be investigated, otherwise how can you expect to impeach them unless you ask for any impeaching evidence. Without asking specifically for all the things we needed before trial they are forever lost to me, and you open us up for an ambush by the prosecutor.
* * * * * *
8. I have the right to discharge you from employment, and ask you to immediately withdraw from my case as the attorney of record:
The Code of Professional Responsibility in relevant portions states as follows: DR 2-110(B) "Mandatory Withdraw[a]l.. . . . a lawyer representing a client in other matters shall withdraw from employment, if:
(4) He is discharged by his client."
DR 2-110 "Withdraw[a]l from employment.
(A) In general.
(2) In any event, a lawyer shall not withdraw from employment until he has taken reasonable steps to avoid foreseeable prejudice to the rights of his client, allowing time for employment of other counsel, delivering to the client all papers and property to which the client is entitled, and complying with applicable laws and rules.
(3) A lawyer who withdraws from employment shall refund promptly any part of a fee paid in advance that has not been earned."
9. You are also aware that I am entitled to my entire file immediately, so that I will not be prejudiced in obtaining replacement counsel.
Therefore, you are to immediately file the above instructed motions in my behalf, and to return to me all of the records, files, documents, exhibits, and all other papers, in my cases, including the transcripts, and copies of all correspondence and notes taken during telephone calls, relating in any way to me, my case, or others you have been in contact with pertaining thereto, in compliance with the mandatory requirements of the Code of Professional Responsibility.
Do not underestimate the seriousness of these instructions. These motions must be filed immediately, not after trial starts, they must be filed this morning. Your failure to comply as instructed will prejudice me in what is left of my criminal trial, and I must try to salvage what little is left of my right to a defense.
Kenney's "Emergency Motion for Leave of Court to Proceed in Propria Personam Until Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice Can Be Obtained" stated in part:
4. That Dara Kenney cannot arrange for replacement counsel until after this Court grants leave of Court for Don Miller to withdraw as attorney of record.
5. That Dara Kenney's constitutional right to retained counsel of her choice will be denied her if she is forced through trial represented by an attorney she has already discharged, in violation of Article 1, Section 6 and Section 10, of the Consti[tut]ion of the State of Wyoming and the Fourth and Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
* * * * * *
WHEREFORE, the Defendant, Dara Kenney, prays that this Court grant the instant emergency motion for leave to proceed in propria personam until competent replacement counsel of her own choice can be obtained after Don Miller is granted leave of Court to withdraw as attorney of record, and granting this motion is in the interest of justice.[7]
*671 Four days after the withdrawal hearing, on November 20, Kloeckner entered an appearance on behalf of Kenney. A hearing was held after the appearance had been made, which basically related itself to questions of additional discovery. There was, however, during the course of that discussion, the following comment by counsel:
MS. KLOECKNER: I would like to address the issue that you raised about the question you raised about if she decided to fire me at the eleventh hour. I believe she would have the right to do so, Your Honor. Under the Sixth Amendment she has the right to counsel, and I believe it includes a counsel of her choice. However, I would like to state for the record, I don't believe she would have anybody else who would represent her.
It is my understanding from this client, she's talked to over 25 attorneys, she has no money, she's basically indigent. I agreed to accept her case for various reasons.
THE COURT: I'm not worried about that.
MS. KLOECKNER: I'll tell you, if I was fired, the last straw would be a public defender, and that answers your query.
During the discovery hearing session, the subject of the prior completed suppression hearing developed and the following occurred regarding that session:
MS. KLOECKNER: Well, yes, I can, but could I address what you said before first?
THE COURT: Yes. You represented the co-defendant, and you had every right to do that.
MS. KLOECKNER: That is exactly part of what I was going to say.
THE COURT: You had a right and obligation to be there.
MS. KLOECKNER: Yes, sir. My client's name was thrown around.
THE COURT: And you're [sic] client is?
MS. KLOECKNER: Mr. Connette is my client.
THE COURT: And you attended that hearing; is that right? I want the record to show that you were there, and without any responsibilities, and you had no connection to the Kenney matter.
On November 27, a further discovery hearing was held before the trial court *672 which, in variant ways, was described as a due process or a taint hearing.[8] Another discovery hearing was held December 6 and the case finally proceeded to trial December 10. At that time, the co-conspirator dual charges against the co-actor, Connette, remained pending and similarly continued until a plea bargain was made and the sentence of guilty to one count of possession with intent to deliver marijuana and one count of delivery of marijuana was entered on August 16, 1991.
Kenney was tried separately from her co-conspirator and her two-and-one-half day trial began on December 10, 1990, resulting in conviction of possession with intent to deliver marijuana, delivery of marijuana, and conspiracy to deliver marijuana. On March 15, 1991 Kenney was sentenced to eighteen to thirty-six months on all counts to be served in the Wyoming Women's Correctional Facility, with the sentences to be served concurrently. Co-conspirator Connette, after having accepted a plea bargain arrangement, received a suspended sentence and probation. Kenney appeals from her judgment and sentence.
III. DISCUSSION
The primary issue of this appeal is whether Kenney was denied her Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel because of her attorney's dual representation of her and her co-conspirator. While Kenney was tried separately, she contends that her attorney's dual representation created a conflict which adversely affected her.
The Sixth Amendment provides that "[i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right * * * to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence." U.S. Const. amend. VI. This right is applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. Additionally, the Wyoming Constitution provides the right to counsel in art. 1, § 10. This right to counsel not only includes that the assistance of counsel be effective, Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), but also that representation be conflict-free. Cuyler v. Sullivan, 446 U.S. 335, 100 S.Ct. 1708, 64 L.Ed.2d 333 (1980); Holloway v. Arkansas, 435 U.S. 475, 98 S.Ct. 1173, 55 L.Ed.2d 426 (1978); Glasser v. United States, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457, 86 L.Ed. 680 (1942). Cf. Wheat v. United States, 486 U.S. 153, 108 S.Ct. 1692, 100 L.Ed.2d 140 (1988) (considering the converse issue: right of the accused to be represented by the same attorney as a matter of requested substitution of counsel).
While the United States Supreme Court reviews claims of ineffective assistance of counsel due to conflicts of interest under the standard of review adopted in Cuyler, 446 U.S. 335, 100 S.Ct. 1708, Wyoming recently adopted a more stringent approach. Absent a valid waiver, prejudice *673 is presumed in all instances of multiple representation of criminal defendants. Shongutsie, 827 P.2d at 367. The Wyoming Supreme Court has further ruled that "in the absence of an appropriate waiver, multiple representation will constitute reversible error." Id. (A presumption of prejudice in a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel consequently mandates reversal. Lozada v. Deeds, ___ U.S. ___, 111 S.Ct. 860, 112 L.Ed.2d 956 (1991); Strickland, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052; Abels v. Kaiser, 913 F.2d 821 (10th Cir. 1990); Estes v. United States, 883 F.2d 645 (8th Cir.1989)). "Joint representation of conflicting interests is suspect because of what it tends to prevent the attorney from doing." Holloway, 435 U.S. at 489-90, 98 S.Ct. at 1181-82. This presumption of prejudice demands that the trial court separately advise each defendant of the right to be represented by an attorney free from any conflict of interest and of the dangers inherent in multiple representation. Shongutsie, 827 P.2d at 367; W.R.Cr.P. 44(c) (effective March 24, 1992).
It is apparent that the new W.R.Cr.P. 44(c) is somewhat stricter than is the comparable F.R.Cr.P. 44(c). This difference found in the text of the last sentence is apparent. W.R.Cr.P. 44(c) provides: "Unless it appears that there is good cause to believe no conflict of interest is likely to arise, the court shall order separate representation." F.R.Cr.P. 44(c) states: "Unless it appears that there is good cause to believe no conflict of interest is likely to arise, the court shall take such measures as may be appropriate to protect each defendant's right to counsel." See Wheat, 486 U.S. 153, 108 S.Ct. 1692. Overtly, this court has adopted a bright line position. In part, this serves to protect the defendant; in reality, it protects the prosecutor from a subsequent claim of an invalid guilty verdict.
Treating multiple representation problems with reference only to the interests of the client ignores totally the substantial public interests that are at stake. The problems that arise in the context of multiple representation impinge so substantially upon these public interests that the consent of the client should often, if not always, be insufficient to justify multiple representation.
* * * Clearly, the administration of justice may be adversely affected by multiple representation. Considering the notoriously overcrowded condition of criminal trial dockets throughout the country and the frequency with which multiple representation cases form the basis of appeals and habeas corpus petitions, the administration of criminal justice is largely disserved when an attorney represents multiple defendants regardless of whether actual conflict or prejudice exists.
John Stewart Geer, Representation of Multiple Criminal Defendants: Conflicts of Interest and the Professional Responsibilities of the Defense Attorney, 62 Minn. L.Rev. 119, 155-56 (1978) (footnotes omitted). See Allan L. Schwartz, Annotation, Circumstances Giving Rise to Conflict of Interest Between or Among Criminal Co-defendants Precluding Representation by Same Counsel, 34 A.L.R.3d 470 (1970).
If the defendant insists on retaining an attorney who is representing another co-defendant, the trial judge must obtain a "knowing and voluntary waiver of the right to be represented by an attorney free from any conflict of interest" (and, under the new rule, determine that no real conflict exists). Shongutsie, 827 P.2d at 367. While Shongutsie involved defendants who were tried together, this case involves co-conspirators who were tried separately. In either case, the trial judge has a duty to apprise the defendant of conflict problems that may develop during any dual representation of interested parties. The required advice was not provided to Kenney for her to understand the danger in joint representation and, consequently, to waive thoughtfully, with full understanding of the risk. Conversely, of course, under these circumstances, the attorney should not have undertaken *674 the joint representation. Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys at Law, Rule 1.7 (1986). Under the factual circumstances existent between Connette and Kenney, one person likely was the "heavy" as the principal and the other constituted the "follower." At least, that would be the realistic defense. Joint representation was sure to disfavor one or the other. In reality, it turned out to be Kenney against whom primary responsibility was finally assessed. This concern was directly addressed in Wheat, 486 U.S. 153, 108 S.Ct. 1692 and Armstrong v. People, 701 P.2d 17, 21 (Colo.1985). See Glasser, 315 U.S. 60, 62 S.Ct. 457; State v. Olsen, 258 N.W.2d 898 (Minn.1977); and Geer, supra, 62 Minn.L.Rev. 119. An interesting analysis and definitive result for civil litigation is found in Bagdan v. Beck, 140 F.R.D. 650 (D.N.J.1991).
The defendant's right to effective assistance of counsel is best guaranteed by a vigorous adversarial system; a system which is cut short when an attorney has conflicting interests in representing multiple clients. The presumption of prejudice discourages attorneys from compromising their most fundamental duty of loyalty to their client. Shongutsie, 827 P.2d at 367; Strickland, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052; Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys at Law, Rule 1.7.[9] When an attorney represents co-conspirators, any theories of defense should avoid harm to either client and yet represent the best interests of both. Unfortunately, this may not be possible.
This is described in one law journal as "an ever-lurking possibility of a conflict of interests." Arthur John Anderson, Jr., Note, Conflict of Interests in Criminal Proceedings, 23 Ark.L.Rev. 250, 250 (1969).
It must be kept in mind that a conflict of interests is essentially a problem of effective assistance of counsel; it is a cause of the real disease aimed at being preventedi.e., inadequate representation. Lessened effectiveness of counsel is the ultimate result and clearest indication of a harmful conflict of interests.
Id.
Each defendant's strategy is subject to compromise for the benefit of the other client. That is what occurred here. Kenney's trial counsel was not at liberty to inculpate or cast any blame on Kenney's co-defendant, as he was also the attorney's client. Kenney's attorney avoided making any comparison or contrast between Kenney and her co-defendant at both the trial and the sentencing.
Connette was not called as a witness by either prosecution or defense counsel during the Kenney trial. The defense consisted of the testimony of Kenney's sister, who admitted she was on probation from three separate felony convictions for the delivery of cocaine, and Kenney's testimony which principally attacked the conduct of the chief investigating officer for the State. The obvious theory of defense of the primary responsibility of Connette as the source of the "merchandise" was totally absent. The introduction into the trial process of prior bad acts of Kenney and the failure in any way to direct responsibility toward the then untried co-conspirator and jointly represented Connette, clearly justifies the conclusion of Kenney's appellate counsel that not only an operative status of conflict of interest existed, but that the conduct demonstrates prejudicial results. *675 Counsel for Kenney stated in appellate brief:
Appellant stated on direct examination that she had no intent to sell the marijuana found in her parent's shed. * * * Appellant was never asked questions by her attorney regarding Connette's rights to ownership of, or plans with, that marijuana.
A conflict of interest existed at the initial choice of defense strategies. The trial strategy precluded Attorney Kloeckner from defending Appellant by shifting responsibility to Connette by thorough cross-examination of the witnesses. If anything, counsel inflated Appellant's role, and deflated co-defendant's role at trial through introduction of prior bad acts of her own client.[10]
(Emphasis in original.)
Presumed prejudice in cases of multi-client representation promotes judicial economy by insuring a defendant's right to effective assistance of counsel by defining the procedures for multi-client representation. Shongutsie, 827 P.2d at 368; Olsen, 258 N.W.2d 898. Not only must the trial judge explain the consequences of multi-client representation, but the trial court must be satisfied that no real conflict of interest exists. The requirement of a knowing waiver and lack of any reasonable basis for conflict lessens the likelihood of appeals based on claims of ineffective assistance of counsel and establishes a clear standard of review. W.R.Cr.P. 44(c) (effective March 24, 1992). See People v. Easley, 46 Cal.3d 712, 250 Cal.Rptr. 855, 759 P.2d 490 (1988) and Com. v. Davis, 376 Mass. 777, 384 N.E.2d 181 (1978). See also Moreau v. State, 588 P.2d 275 (Alaska 1978).[11]
Since Shongutsie, 827 P.2d 361 is dispositive and mandates reversal, we need not address the other issues raised on appeal. Dara Kenney was not represented by an attorney who was fully free from conflicts of interest between jointly represented clients. She was neither informed of this right by the trial court nor did she knowingly waive her right to conflict-free representation after being fully advised at some *676 time before the trial was undertaken.[12]Easley, 759 P.2d at 500.
Reversed and remanded for retrial.
NOTES
[*] Chief Justice at time of oral argument.
[1] The subject of joint or dual representation of criminal defendants was previously unaddressed in the Wyoming Rules of Criminal Procedure. See W.R.Cr.P. 6 (superseded March 24, 1992). This court's decision in Shongutsie and the current F.R.Cr.P. 44(c) is recognized and more closely delineated in W.R.Cr.P. 44(c), effective March 24, 1992, which now provides:
Joint representation.Whenever two or more defendants have been charged with offenses arising from the same or related transactions and are represented by the same retained or assigned counsel or by retained or assigned counsel who are associated in the practice of law, the court shall promptly inquire with respect to such joint representation and shall personally advise each defendant of the right to the effective assistance of counsel, including separate representation. Unless it appears that there is good cause to believe no conflict of interest is likely to arise, the court shall order separate representation.
[2] This interesting issue will remain undecided in this decision. By mistake, a juror peremptorily challenged by Kenney remained on the jury and participated in its verdict and the resulting criminal conviction.
[3] Kenney stated in a November 1990 affidavit, obviously prepared by her trial time attorney, that prior to her preliminary hearing, she requested the appointment of a public defender on the basis that she was indigent. She further included in the document the contention that the county court judge in Laramie County had denied her request, saying she was able-bodied and could find a job in order to pay her attorney's fees. There is absolutely no confirmation of this bald statement in the information available regarding the preliminary hearing and the county court docket entries. The validity of the statement is clearly questionable.
[4] Filed sequentially in the trial court record were the following instruments:
Kenney filed pleadings designated "Emergency Motion for Enlargement of Time to Obtain Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice"; "Emergency Motion for Court to Grant Leave to Don Miller to Withdraw as Attorney of Record"; and "Emergency Motion for Leave of Court to Proceed in Propria Personam Until Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice Can Be Obtained."
Retained counsel, Miller, obtained a court order setting the jury trial for November 19.
Attorney Kloeckner, representing Connette, filed an "Emergency Motion for Hearing on the Emergency Motion to Quash Subpoena" and an "Emergency Motion to Quash Subpoena."
Attorney Miller filed, as requested by his soon-to-be ex-client, an "Emergency Motion for Enlargement of Time" to secure an extension of time beyond the trial date of November 19. Miller then filed a "Motion for Withdrawal of Counsel" to which he attached the original of a letter he apparently received, dated November 16, from Kenney. The relevant portion of these motions will be discussed, as necessary, in the remainder of this opinion.
[5] The form, style and text of the acknowledgements of service for these five November 16 pleadings, three signed pro se by Kenney and two signed by Kloeckner in behalf of the co-conspirator, Connette, are essentially identical (with the only real difference being the misspelling of Kenney's name). One sample suffices to illustrate:
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I, Dara Kinney, hereby certify that a true and correct copy of the above and foregoing Emergency Motion For Court To Grant Leave To Don Miller To Withdraw As Attorney Of Record was properly served upon all appropriate parties herein by placing a copy thereof in the United States mail with first class postage prepaid and addressed as follows:
Mr. Jon Forwood
Deputy District Attorney
413 Laramie County Courthouse
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
on this 16 day of November, 1990.
signed /s/
Dara Kinney
[6] The full text of the hearing is as follows:
THE COURT: This hearing is pertaining to two filings, 20-228 and 20-229, State of Wyoming versus Dara Kinney [sic].
Mr. Miller, I understand that you have a motion you'd like me to consider; is that correct?
MR. MILLER: Actually, Judge, my motion follows I didn't realize this when I filed the motion, but Mr. Forwood can make or clarify for the Court I've got a motion for withdrawal of counsel, and there have been some other motions filed, prior to my motion, by the defendant. I just found that out. I'm not sure how we want to proceed.
My motion to withdraw is based on a letter from Miss Kenney, informing me that she no longer wants me to represent her in this matter. And after having read the letter, I'm not really anxious to represent her in the matter any further.
I'm not sure, Judge, I've never been in this position, where we go from here. But her complaint[s] [are] numerous and
THE COURT: Is your client in court today?
MR. MILLER: Yes, she is, your Honor.
THE COURT: Would you like to step forward, Miss Kenney. Raise your right hand and be sworn.
DARA KENNEY
a Defendant herein, called for examination on behalf of the Court, having been previously duly sworn, testified on her oath as follows:
EXAMINATION
BY THE COURT:
Q. What's the problem?
A. Well, for one thing, Mr. Miller informed me that if we lost my suppression hearing, that we wou[ld]n't have a chance during the trial.
Q. Well, I don't want to get into that. I think I'm invading the attorney/client privilege if I do. I'm not going to hear anything about communications with your lawyer. I do need to know, however, what are your plans with respect to retaining new counsel.
A. I'd like to look around and see if I could find a counsel.
Q. Have you been in contact with anybody?
A. No, I haven't.
Q. Has anybody contacted you about this matter?
A. No, they have not.
Q. Who drafted this letter, may I ask? Did you draft it?
A. Myself and a friend of mine that's a legal student.
Q. Who is your friend?
A. Her name is Erin. She really doesn't want her name given out.
Q. Well, this idea of due process cuts both ways. The State's entitled to have its case heard too. I'm not going to delay this thing indefinitely.
A. I don't want it delayed indefinitely, your Honor. I just would like to seek a different counsel.
THE COURT: Does anybody wish to examine? I really am reluctant
MR. FORWOOD: If I may?
THE COURT: to breach this attorney/client privilege. I don't [want] you to ask questions of the witness in that regard.
MR. FORWOOD: I would propose that the Court inquire of Miss Kenney, in further detail, as to who drafted the three motions that were filed with the Court; one under the heading of Emergency Motion for the Court to Grant Leave for Don Miller to Withdraw as Attorney of Record; the other emergency motion for Enlargement of Time to Obtain Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice; the third motion being an Emergency Motion Asking Permission for Leave of the Court to Proceed in
THE COURT: Why don't you go ahead and inquire, Mr. Forwood?
MR. FORWOOD: Okay.
EXAMINATION
BY MR. FORWOOD:
Q. Miss Kenney, who drafted those three motions?
A. Myself and a friend of mine.
Q. Who is this friend?
A. Her name is Erin.
Q. Erin what?
A. Your Honor, she requested that I do not state her full name.
THE COURT: Why?
THE WITNESS: Because she is just a student at this time, and I'm not sure if she had anyone else help her with it, but it's not from a legal counsel.
THE COURT: Okay. That sounds as if we probably ought to explore this; what is her name?
THE WITNESS: Erin Hasein.
THE COURT: Pardon?
THE WITNESS: Erin Hasein.
THE COURT: Where does she live?
THE WITNESS: Right now she resides in Fort Collins.
THE COURT: When did you last see her?
THE WITNESS: I saw her last evening.
THE COURT: Does she have a phone number down ther[e]?
THE WITNESS: Umm, yes, but I'm notI don't have it with me.
THE COURT: Go ahead, Mr. Forwood.
Q. (BY MR. FORWOOD) Has there been any contact between you and your co-defendant's attorney of record, Miss Klecker [sic]?
A. No, there has not.
Q. Direct or indirect, or Ms. Hasein?
A. No.
Q. Do you feel there has been any interference with your relationship with Mr. Miller by Miss Clecker [sic]?
A. I do not think so.
Q. Who isI guess, was it your independent idea or someone else's that you file this [sic] motions?
A. More or less, my idea.
Q. More or less? I'm trying to see if you've been receiving counsel from someone else?
A. No, I h[a]ve not, sir.
Q. No other attorney has inter
A. No, I have not.
Q. fered with the attorney/client relationship?
A. No.
Q. The State just wants to make sure that we're not going to later be bombarded by some other claim of interference.
A. No, sir.
Q. You say Ms. Husain [sic] is a law student at which law school?
A. I'm not sure.
Q. How do you know that she's a law student?
A. I know she's going to school. She has been in school for four years.
Q. Who typed these; do you know?
A. She did it on her computer.
Q. She lives in Fort Collins?
A. Uh-huh.
Q. Do you have an address or phone number where I could contact her?
A. No, I don't.
Q. How did you contact her?
A. She contacted me actually, because I had tried to contact her about three weeks ago to ask her for money to retain a counsel. Your Honor, I did not choose Mr. Miller as my counsel. A friend of mine paid him to represent me.
THE COURT: Well, he isI thought he did a very good job in the motions and I find it disturbing that someone would judge their lawyer, depending upon the outcome of the motions. The quality of the work and what the Court ruled are really independent of one another. But unfortunately, that seems to be a school of thought, that the result of a case is the only indication of the quality of a lawyer. That certainly is fallacious.
I have to simply vacate the trial date, grant your motion to withdraw, Mr. Miller, and I'll give you a new trial date. We'll go to trial in two weeks from today. I mean, two weeks from this Monday. Will the State be ready?
MR. FORWOOD: The State will be ready at any time the Court says.
THE COURT: Who will you get to retain as counsel?
THE WITNESS: Umm, I'm not sure. I'm supposed to speak with my mother this afternoon. She'sthe people she works for in Fort Collins, she's talking to them today about maybe either trying to get some money or them hiring me a lawyer.
[7] If it were not for the different sized type that was used by the printing equipment which produced the pro se documents and the difference of names given for the persons involved in the requested action by the trial court filed by Connette's attorney, one would detect more than some similarities other than the specific subject of the certificate of service form which was noted earlier. For example, in one of the pro se motions, the last substantive paragraph stated in part that, "the State will not be prejudiced by the minimal time required to obtain * * *." In the Connette document, we are informed, "the State of Wyoming will not be prejudiced by the Court granting * * *." Furthermore, the form of Kenney's prayers were: "WHEREFORE, the Defendant, Dara Kenney, prays that this Court grant the instant emergency motion * * *." The author of the Connette motion provided: "WHEREFORE, the Defendant, John Connette, prays that this Court grant the instant Emergency Motion * * *." The only difference among the variant documents in regard to this paragraph of the prayer is that in one document, the words "emergency motion" were capitalized and in all of the other documents, those particular words were in lower case. It is noteworthy among all of these instruments that there is almost no misspelling or typographical mistake, except for the spelling of Kenney's name. Punctuation is expert and the phraseology is learned and professional.
Kenney's name is misspelled (Kinney) in her letter to her attorney, correctly spelled on the signature line and then similarly misspelled in the caption and text of the Connette "Emergency Motion to Quash Subpoena" (Kinney); the Connette "Emergency Motion for Hearing on the Emergency Motion to Quash Subpoena" in text and caption; the caption and text of the pro se "Emergency Motion for Court to Grant Leave to Don Miller to Withdraw as Attorney of Record" (eighteen times); correctly spelled on the pro se "Emergency Motion for Enlargement of Time to Obtain Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice" filed the same day (twelve times); as well as correctly spelled on the pro se "Emergency Motion for Leave of Court to Proceed in Propria Personam Until Replacement Counsel of Her Own Choice Can Be Obtained." Kenney's name was generally misspelled in court documents filed by the district attorney, but in the entry of appearance by Kloeckner, the caption was correctly spelled and then misspelled in the text, although correctly spelled in the attached affidavit in caption and text. It was thereafter generally spelled correctly by successor counsel in subsequent filings, but not always.
[8] One of the more unusual exchanges occurred during the session where counsel for Kenney was addressing the question of a taint hearing, which was described as "evidence that was essentially obtained in violation of the inherent right of a defendant as a citizen of the state and the United States of America." In response to the trial court's announcement that a suppression hearing would be held, Kenney's counsel stated:
THE COURT: I expect to have an evidentiary hearing Thursday. I will set aside all afternoon, and I suspect you to have whatever witnesses you intend to call to prove this theory, and I will listen to all of your testimony.
So, why don't you subpoena the officers and put them on the stand and find out what they do know for your due process claim that they somehow overreached.
I don't know what else to tell you. I'm not going to order the state to answer these questions that you raised, to affirm or deny, whatever that means. That is not covered by the rules of criminal procedure.
MS. KLOECKNER: Am I understanding the court to say that the government is not required to state whether or not they broke laws in connection with the investigation and prosecution of this case?
THE COURT: Did you break any law, Jon?
MR. FORWOOD: No, Your Honor.
THE COURT: That's your answer. I knew that was going to be their answer. So what do you want me to do now?
MS. KLOECKNER: Nothing, Your Honor. I'm just doing my job.
THE COURT: They said they didn't break any laws. Now what are you going to do?
MS. KLOECKNER: Present what evidence I can get up to Thursday.
[9] Wyoming has adopted the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Rule 1.7 provides:
(a) A lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation of that client will be directly adverse to another client, unless:
(1) the lawyer reasonably believes the representation will not adversely affect the relationship with the other client; and
(2) each client consents after consultation.
(b) A lawyer shall not represent a client if the representation of that client may be materially limited by the lawyer's responsibilities to another client or to a third person, or by the lawyer's own interests, unless:
(1) the lawyer reasonably believes the representation will not be adversely affected; and
(2) the client consents after consultation. When representation of multiple clients in a single matter is undertaken, the consultation shall include explanation of the implications of the common representation and the advantages and risks involved.
[10] Anomalies clearly exist in this most disturbing record which do not end with the trial events. Initially, Kloeckner stated she was contacted and assumed representation on November 20, 1990. However, materials in a supplementation of the record requested by the Attorney General on March 28, 1991 reveal that at a session involving the continuing prosecution of Connette, this appellant, as well as Kloeckner and Connette, were present when the trial court engaged in extensive examination as to whether either Connette or Kenney would object to the conflict obviously resulting from the prior conviction of Kenney and the forthcoming trial of Connette. At that session, counsel stated:
MISS KLOECKNER: When Dara Kenney and John Connette first contacted me in regards to defending them against the charges back in August of 1990, one of the first things that we discussedand both of the defendants were present at that timewas the conflict of interest. It came up again in November when Miss Kenney decided to change counsel, and contacted me to see if I would be willing to take her case, essentially pro bono. And it came up again within the last weeks in preparation for the suppression hearing. The decision was made whether or not to call Miss Kenney as a witness in that hearing. She decidedwe decided not to call her. But on three separate occasions at least, and also throughout the total representation since August of Mr. Connette, and since Miss Kenney's representation since November.
This has been an issue that I have gone out of my way to explain to both of the defendants, and make them aware that there is a conflict of interest, and I have explained it to the best of my ability at any and all times so that they understood.
There is another document that bears on the subject. An affidavit of Kenney dated September 30, 1991 was originally submitted by appellate counsel for Kenney for inclusion in the record and was initially rejected by order of this court; but now upon reconsideration, it will be considered for the purpose of quoting one sentence from the affidavit: "John Connette paid for my representation by Ms. Mary Kloeckner. Connette is my roommate and was the co-defendant in my case."
[11] The status achieved for Wyoming law, first by Justice Thomas' academic and definitive analysis in Shongutsie, now followed for this appeal, and then comprehensively and finitely defined in the newly adopted W.R.Cr.P. 44(c), was academically advanced and justified in comprehensive legal analysis by Gary T. Lowenthal, Joint Representation in Criminal Cases: A Critical Appraisal, 64 Va.L.Rev. 939 (1978) and Mary Elizabeth Heim, Note, Conflicts of Interest in the Representation of Multiple Criminal Defendants: Clarifying Cuyler v. Sullivan, 70 Geo. L.J. 1527 (1982).
[12] This was not a pleasant case to review nor does Kenney present an enthusiastic challenge to whom relief in constitutional concepts should be afforded. Unhappily, we cannot find that she was provided a constitutionally proper trial in order to justify affirming the conviction.
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Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the Obama administration would extend the $700 billion financial-sector bailout but limit new spending to such areas as housing and small business.
Mr. Geithner, in letters to U.S. lawmakers, said the financial sector has stabilized, but the government needs to have funds available through next October. "It is imperative that we maintain this capacity to respond if financial conditions worsen and threaten our economy," he said.
Extension of the Troubled Asset Relief Program from its scheduled Dec. 31 expiration comes as some Democrats look to tap some of the more than $200 billion remaining for other initiatives, such as those aimed at job creation. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama said the White House would use an additional $50 billion in TARP funds to help small businesses get credit.
Republicans criticized the extension, saying the program shouldn't turn into a piggybank for other initiatives. "The Obama administration just can't seem to let go of the $700 billion in 'walking-around money' taxpayers were forced to put on the line to bail out Wall Street last year," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R., Texas).
Administration officials said the U.S. economy remained too fragile to abandon TARP and that its expiration would spook financial markets. The U.S. government had no other tools to deal with the potential collapse of large financial firms, they said. The administration is seeking additional powers in its proposed financial regulatory overhaul.
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(Photo: Josh Kenzer / Flickr)Arguments for privatization too often hide its true costs.
One hundred years ago, New York state senator George Washington Plunkitt, a member of the Tammany Hall gang, became wealthy through what he called “honest graft” – or, what honest people would call plundering the public purse. Eventually, when the facts came out, the public was enraged and insisted on good government laws to put an end to the Plunkittocracy.
Today, state and federal “sunshine” laws give the public important anticorruption protection, such as open meetings acts, freedom of information acts and civil service regulations that require government decisions to hire or fire be based on facts and merit – not “honest” graft.
This December, Massachusetts can celebrate the 20th anniversary of another important sunshine law – the Pacheco-Menard Law. This law protects the state treasury and infrastructure – and the people of Massachusetts – from looting. But critics of the law treat the decision about whether public services or infrastructure should be private or public as if it were a choice of paper or plastic, or a team sport where you cheer on Team Privatization.
The Pacheco-Menard law is based on facts that will ensure that the “citizens of the commonwealth receive high quality public services at low cost, with due regard for the taxpayers of the commonwealth and the needs of public and private workers.” It creates an open process with fair standards to guide decision-making and ensure that privatization does not cost more. It stops destructive practices by contractors, such as lowering pay and benefits or moving jobs to other states or countries. While it may look as if money has been saved, the reality is that the state loses tax revenue, while the displaced workers draw unemployment and other benefits. The result is less money in the state treasury, no savings and greater costs.
The costs to the public of unemployment and retirement benefits and the monitoring and administering of contract performance add up, but they are often not included in decisions to privatize. The Pacheco law forbids hiding these costs. Before a bid can be accepted, a comprehensive written analysis of the contract cost must be prepared, and the bid must include “the costs of transition from public to private operation.” Other public protections include preventing contractors from making lowball bids based on cutting employee wages and benefits and requiring contractors to submit quarterly payroll records to show whether the contractor has underpaid its workers.
Private and Public Sector Accountability
Hard lessons led to some things being provided by the public sector, while others are provided by the private sector. These decisions come down to accountability, but different types of accountability are needed for the private and public sectors.
Private sector accountability is based on robust market competition that leads to better goods and services at lower cost. Services and infrastructure now provided by state and local government are the result of hard experience with poor service and graft. There is no reason to believe that accountability and quality problems will not recur if public services are privatized.
One privatization advocate claims that “Private firms have access to two federal subsidies that are not available to public agencies: tax deductions for accelerated depreciation on capital equipment and interest payments on borrowed funds” and that “under certain circumstances, the combined effect of these can enable a firm to deliver better services at a lower cost than a public agency can.”
But, a tax deduction to the private sector is a subsidy that shifts costs to the public and makes less money available for public needs. Moreover, if private contractors need a government handout to do the same job that the public sector does without a tax deduction, that is an admission that the private sector costs more.
It is possible to dream up many theories about why the private sector might do a better job than the public sector. But in the real world, facts are facts, and a law that promotes good decision-making is definitely in the public interest.
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Q:
PHP - running script within a loop
I am trying to run a script from within a script and have the below which does not seem to work. I am basically getting a load of data from a database, looping through each row and running a script that will generate XML based on that data.
set_time_limit(0);
//connect to database
$msSqlDB = new mySqlConnect('store');
$select = "SELECT * FROM FStores";
$run = mysql_query($select);
while($row = mysql_fetch_array($run)){
exec('/var/www/web/shop_xml/index.php?shopKeeper=$row[SKID]&shop=1');
}
Whats the best possible way to do this? Will the 2nd row wait until the 1st row is successfully executed or can multiple run at the same time? Many thanks for any advice with this.
A:
You need to do something like this:
exec('php /var/www/web/shop_xml/index.php "'.escapeshellarg($row['SKID']).'" "1" > /dev/null 2>&1 &');
Then, in your index.php script:
<?php
$shopKeeper = $argv[1];
$shop = $argv[2];
// ... do stuff
What you have attempted to do is use a HTTP query string in a file system invoke, which will not work. You need to pass the data as command-line arguments, like you would in a terminal. Then, you can get the data from $argv.
You need to start the command with php otherwise the kernel will (most likely, unless you add a hashbang and set permissions) not know how to execute the script, or have permissions to do it.
If you add > /dev/null 2>&1 & the commands will be run asynchronously, i.e. you will not have to wait for the last command to finish before you can invoke another. Be carefull with this though, you could end up with many processes if your query returns many rows.
To avoid this, you could do somthing like:
<?php
// Number of records to process at a time
$perBatch = 5;
set_time_limit(0);
//connect to database
$msSqlDB = new mySqlConnect('Freewebstore');
// Get the number of records in the table
$query = "SELECT count(*) FROM FacebookStores";
$result = mysql_fetch_row(mysql_query($select));
$count = $result[0];
for ($i = 0; $i < $count; $i += $perBatch) {
// Get $perBatch records from the DB
$query = "SELECT * FROM FacebookStores LIMIT $i,$perBatch";
$result = mysql_query($select);
for ($j = 1; $row = mysql_fetch_array($result); $j++) {
// Base command
$command = 'php /var/www/web/shop_xml/index.php "'.escapeshellarg($row['SKID']).'" "1"';
// Run all except the last asynchronously
if ($j < $perBatch) {
$command .= ' > /dev/null 2>&1 &';
}
exec($command);
}
}
This would get $perBatch records from the DB at a time, and process all but the last asynchronously. This would result in them being processed roughly $perBatch records at a time, and help to avoid a large number of processes eating server resources.
As a side note, you seem to be using an odd mix of OO DB code and procedural DB code - you should stick to one or the other to avoid confusion.
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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="match_parent"
android:orientation="vertical" >
<ListView
android:id="@+id/my_talks_list"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="wrap_content"
android:paddingTop="70dp" >
</ListView>
</LinearLayout>
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I consider Mary Meeker's Internet Trends a must-follow report everytime she puts out an update. How smart it was for KPCB to hire her. She is world-class at research, and every technology entrepreneur and executive would be wise to religiously follow her reports.
Before she left Morgan Stanley for KPCB, I had the pleasure of having dinner with her and Morgan Stanley's CEO, James Gorman, a little over a year before our IPO at Bazaarvoice. It was an evening to remember - a live MBA case study, with James giving the insider's report of the financial crisis. Mary's perspective was fascinating too, not surprisingly.
Here is her latest update, presented on Dec. 3 at Stanford. There is too much to comment on here, and I recommend you study every slide. There are a thousand good business ideas in here for aspiring entrepreneurs that want to change the world.
This just cannot be good for Microsoft. I don't see how this turns around. Windows 8 and the Surface are just not getting the traction expected to maintain their monopoly. For entrepreneurs, though, this creates a lot of opportunity. It also does for Apple, Amazon, and Google, of course.
One of my favorite books is The Innovator's Dilemma and here it is in action again. I consider this a must read for entrepreneurs. It will give you the confidence to go from a perspective of "that's already been done before" to "that's already been done before and can be disrupted because of the dependency on the old order" (Who Moved My Cheese?).
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Iruvudellava Bittu
Iruvudellava Bittu is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language Drama movie which is directed by Kanthraj Kanalli, who did his debut in Kannada Film industry as independent director in 2017 through 'Jalsa' and Produced by Devraj Davanagere featuring Meghana Raj, Tilak Shekar, Achyuth Kumar, Shri Mahadev and Sundeep Malani. The sound track and score is composed by Sridhar V Sambhram known for super hit music albums Mussanjemaatu and Krishnan Love Story, William David has worked as DOP who is famous for his great work in Rangitharanga and Rajaratha. And Raajakumara fame K.M. Prakash is editing the movie.
Plot
The most intelligent and courageous girl, Poorvi (Meghana Raj) is brought up in sophisticated environment is more inclined towards the corporate lifestyle and as per her wish, having decided to stay away from all her relatives/ close ones
She is in live-in relationship with Dev (Tilak Shekar) as per her choice, but with her own ego, self-conceit she is unable to lead a happy life. Eventually, she gets separated from Dev (Tilak Shekar) during pregnancy. After few years, Due to her imprudent decision when she was about to give up her life, Akash (Shri Mahadev) while saving her on road meets with accident and She decides to save him and indirectly saves herself. Later, Inspired by the Akash's lifestyle, will she change her mind to lead a beautiful life again? Will she able to set right her family again? Will she get back to her parents who loved her the most ? Will she get back to her love, Dev again? Or will she get settled with Akash, who inspired her to change her mind? is the curious journey of movie.
Cast
Meghana Raj as Poorvi
Tilak Shekar as Dev
Achyuth Kumar as Poorvi's father
Shri Mahadev as Aakash
Aruna Balraj as Poorvi's mother
Sundeep Malani
Production
Iruvudellava Bittu, which has been made under Devaraj Davanagere newly launched banner Bilwa Creations, has Sridhar V Sambhram's music, William David's cinematography and K.M Prakash's editing. Pavan Ranadheera was the creative head for this film.
Soundtrack
Sridhar V Sambhram has been signed to compose the score and songs for the film. The lyrics for the songs are written by V. Nagendra Prasad, Kaviraj and Jayanth Kaikini.
References
External links
Category:Indian films
Category:2010s Kannada-language films
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Q:
What does 「風が強く吹いている。」 mean?
According to the dictionary, 吹く is a transitive verb (e.g., a verb that needs an object).
However, the following sentence does not have an object. So what should I translate it?
風が強く吹いている。
A:
As you can see here, 吹く can be transitive and intransitive.
風が吹く（自動詞） 笛を吹く（他動詞）
So 風が強く吹いている。 can translate to "(lit.) The wind is blowing hard." i.e. "It's blowing hard."
A:
As choco writes, “吹く” can be used in both ways of transitive and intransitive as a verb, though I think it’s more often used in a transitive than in intransitive form. Here are some examples I picked up at random:
(Transitive):
笛を吹く- play the flute
埃を吹く- blow the dust off
[法螺]{ほら}を吹く- talk big
毛を吹いて傷を求める - suffer great damage by sticking to a trivial matter
息を吹き返す - come back to life
ひと泡吹かせる - flummox someone / give sb a scare
(Intransitive):
そよ風が吹く - A light wind breezes
芽が吹く - The buds sprout.
泉水の水が吹く - The fountain water springs out.
嵐が吹き荒れる - The storm blows violently.
どこ吹く風 - I don't (he, she doesn't) care at all.
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Thursday, December 12, 2013
It is all too easy in this life to gain a reputation for
something that is not a positive thing.Some are notorious hotheads.Some are notoriously stingy.Others are known for their shady dealings or gossip.
And some people are notoriously disagreeable.They
insist on their own way.They
refuse to prefer others even in simple things.It seems that there were at least pockets of this kind of disagreeableness among the saints at Philippi.Scattered throughout Paul’s letter to them, there are hints
that the believers there were having a hard time getting along, and the source
of this conflict was habitual self-seeking.
For example, read the first few verses of Philippians 2:
1 So if there is any encouragement in
Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection
and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same
love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition
or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests
of others.
My paraphrase of vv1-2 would be, “if you guys are really
Christians, it would bring me great joy for you all to get along.”In vv3-4, he tells them exactly what he
means.He wants them to prefer one
another and stop seeking their own way.And then he gives the supreme example of the kind of humility to which
he is calling them by describing Christ humbling Himself to take the form of a man
and die for our sins.
There are other signs in Philippians that there was discord
among the saints.Later in ch2, he
writes: Do all things without grumbling
or questioning.Apparently,
when people in the Philippian church didn’t get their way, they were in the habit
of making noise about it, complaining and challenging one another.
Still later in ch2, Paul commends Timothy to the
Philippians, saying that Timothy is unlike all his other companions, who “all
seek their own interests, not those of Christ.”So even when Paul is not directly addressing the
self-seeking of the Philippians, he is commending those who are not
self-seeking.It appears that Paul
has this issue on the forefront of his mind.And it is interesting that he juxtaposes self-seeking with
Christ-seeking.His comments about
those who are self-seeking demonstrate that it is impossible to advocate for
self and Christ at the same time.
Toward the end of the letter, Paul refers to one specific
pair of antagonists: 2 I entreat Euodia
and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I ask you also, true
companion, help these women…(Phil 4:2-3a).There are at least two striking things about this
passage.First, the rivalry
between Euodia and Syntyche was so serious that it not only needed to be addressed
with specificity, but the church also needed to be called into action in the
matter.Second, the feud was so
well known, that Paul didn’t have to say a word about the nature of the
disagreement – everyone was already aware of the situation.You could say that these women were
notoriously disagreeable.
All of this leads to a remarkable exhortation in 4:5a: Let your reasonableness be known to
everyone.It’s so easy to gain
a reputation for something bad, but it takes time and consistency to gain a
reputation for something good.And
here Paul has called the church to be notoriously reasonable.Can you
imagine preferring others to the extent that you acquire a reputation for
it?That’s some serious
reasonableness!
Take a second to think about your own life.Are you notoriously reasonable?Or are there areas in which you are
seeking your own way at the expense of others?What are they?If we are insisting on our own way, Philippians would tell us that we
are not seeking the interests of Christ and that we should strive to be
reasonable.
But how do we get there?I think we can identify some clues in the letter that would
lead us to conclude that the key is to find our joy and satisfaction in
Christ.I already noted above that
Paul juxtaposed self-seeking with Christ-seeking (2:21).Clearly self-seeking is what we are to
put off, but in its place we should put on seeking the interests of
Christ.Serving Him.Desiring Him.Working to achieve His agenda and sacrificing our own.
Another clue is in the first chapter where Paul describes
his imprisonment for the sake of the gospel.He notes that there are those on the outside who are seeking
to share the gospel in such a way as to antagonize him.His response?Hallelujah!“Only that in every way, whether in pretense
or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice” (1:12-18).Paul was so intent upon seeking the
interests of Christ that it bothered him none to be targeted by others.Most of us would not have felt the same
way.But Paul provided a living
example of what it means to be Christ-seeking instead of self-seeking.
There are other clues.The next section in ch1 reveals that Paul would prefer to leave this
world and go home to be with the Lord, but that he is willing to continue on
this earth for “your progress and joy in
the faith…” (1:19-26).He was
putting off his own interests and seeking the interests of Christ by serving
others.
In ch2, where he explicitly calls the Philippians to seek
the interests of others, he implies that in doing so they will be following the
example of Christ, which results in His being glorified.Again, self-seeking is replaced with
Christ-seeking.
In ch3, Paul details his impeccable credentials as a Jew,
credentials which he formerly used to seek his own interests and which he could
still use if he so chose.But he
chose another way: Indeed, I count
everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord (3:8).What was gain to
him he considered rubbish compared to Christ.It was because of his satisfaction in Christ that Paul was
able to say, “I have learned in whatever
situation I am to be content” (4:10-13).
But the primary reason we can know that the key to being
reasonable is to find our joy and satisfaction in Christ is the immediate
context of the command to be reasonable.The exhortation to notorious reasonableness is bracketed by comments
regarding the joy and closeness of the Lord:
4 Rejoice in the Lord
always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.
The Lord is at hand… (Phil 4:4-5).
If we strive to derive our joy and satisfaction in Christ,
we are freed from self-seeking and are able to prefer others with fervor.As long as He is near, we always have
what we want most and are able to joyfully sacrifice lesser things.
Are you notoriously reasonable?If not, seek to find your joy and satisfaction in Him.In time, your reasonableness with be
known to everyone.
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Providence Bible Fellowship is a reformed church near Cincinnati in West Chester, Ohio. The purpose of this blog is to edify the body of Christ through the writings of our elders and teachers. We pray that you will be blessed by it.Click hereto visit our website.
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High-resolution cw CARS spectra of liquid nitrogen dissolved in liquefied Ar, Kr, O(2), CO, and CH(4).
The high-resolution cw CARS technique has revealed solvent-induced alterations in linewidth and position of the 2326.5-cm(-1) Raman line of liquid, nitrogen, which becomes strongly broadened when Kr or CH(4) is added and is almost unaltered in solutions with CO and O(2). The interpretation is given in terms of motional narrowing and vibrational dephasing theory.
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Spheroidal cast irons of different types and having different structures are currently known and used particularly to provide different types of mechanical components.
Spheroidal cast iron has, as its main characteristic, the shape of the graphite, which is indeed spheroidal, differently from what occurs in conventional gray cast irons with lamellar graphite; the spheroidal structure of the graphite gives the material high ductility.
Spheroidal cast irons subjected to a thermal treatment for normalization have a completely pearlitic matrix. In this case, the material is characterized by a higher wear resistance, although ductility is quite reduced and fatigue strength does not increase due to the thermal treatment. Indeed, with reference to the ISO 1083 standard, pearlitic spheroidal cast iron without thermal treatment, classified by the code JS/800-2/S, has a minimum HBW hardness of 245, a minimum tensile strength of 800 MPa, and a typical fatigue strength of 304 MPa.
Pearlitic spheroidal cast iron subjected instead to a thermal treatment for normalization has a minimum HBW hardness of 270, a minimum tensile strength of 900 MPa, and a typical fatigue strength which is unchanged, i.e., equal to 304 MPa.
Spheroidal cast irons subjected to thermal treatment for hardening in water or oil have a bainitic or martensitic structure. They can optionally be subjected, at the end of the cooling process, to a thermal tempering treatment. Such cast irons are generally characterized by a very low ductility accompanied by high surface hardness and consequently are not used in applications which require a certain fatigue strength.
From what has been described above briefly, it can be seen that if a pearlitic spheroidal cast iron is subjected to a thermal treatment in a classic manner, an increase in fatigue strength is not observed.
In order to try to devise a material which would have improved mechanical strength characteristics and especially improved fatigue strength characteristics, the austempered spheroidal cast iron known commercially as ADI (Austempered Ductile Iron) has been devised.
The thermal treatment required to obtain this type of cast iron consists of a complete austenitizing treatment, keeping the component at a temperature which is higher than the upper limit austenitizing temperature (commonly referenced as Ac3), followed by hardening in a bath of molten salts.
The final structure thus obtained, technically known as ausferritic structure, is composed of acicular ferrite and austenite. This particular structure gives the material high mechanical characteristics and most of all a superior fatigue strength, with lower machinability than traditional spheroidal cast irons.
Since it is essential to avoid the forming of pearlite during cooling, it is necessary to alloy the material with alloying elements such as nickel and/or molybdenum.
In the mid-1980s, the company applying for the present patent developed, under license from Dr. Horst Muehlberger, a particular thermal treatment which allowed to obtain an austempered cast iron known as GGG 70 B/A: this thermal treatment consists of austenitizing at a temperature lower than Ac3 (the upper austenitizing limit temperature) and higher than Ac1 (lower austenitizing limit temperature), followed by hardening in a bath of molten salts.
The resulting final structure, technically known as ausferritic structure with proeutectoid ferrite, is composed of proeutectoid ferrite, acicular ferrite and austenite. Since it is essential to prevent the formation of pearlite during cooling, and since the austenitizing temperature used during the first step of the thermal treatment is also relatively low, in this case also it is necessary to alloy the material with alloying elements such as nickel and/or molybdenum in percentages which are higher than in austempered spheroidal cast irons, which as explained earlier have no proeutectoid ferrite.
This particular type of cast iron has been introduced, in the ISO 17804 standard, with the designation JS/800-10 and more recently in SAE standard J2477 May 2004 revision, with the designation AD750. The fatigue strength of this particular type of cast iron is typically equal to 375 MPa.
Recently, spheroidal cast irons known commercially by the acronym MADI (Machinable Austempered Ductile Iron) have also been proposed; this type of cast iron also is obtained as a consequence of a thermal treatment for partial austenitizing at a temperature which is lower than Ac3 and higher than Ac1 and subsequent hardening in a bath of molten salts. The resulting final structure is different from the structure of the type classified as GGG70 B/A and/or ISO 17804/JS/800-10 and/or SAE J2477 AD750 due to the presence of finally dispersed martensitic needles. However, even MADI cast irons are characterized by the high content of alloying materials such as nickel and molybdenum.
ADI or MADI cast irons ultimately have definitely higher static mechanical characteristics and fatigue limits, but since they are obtained by hardening in salt, as mentioned, they require alloying materials such as nickel and molybdenum in order to ensure their hardenability without the risk of forming pearlite. Currently, therefore, due to the high cost of such alloying elements, these materials, despite being valid in terms of mechanical characteristics, are scarcely competitive on an economical level.
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The Roma – begging for an answer
The number of Roma in Switzerland has increased significantly since the 2004 adoption of the EU’s right of the free movement of persons.
As in other European countries, the result has been a hostile reaction from local inhabitants disturbed by the uncommon sight of beggars on their streets. A study by the University of Zurich, published by the Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) in late December, warns that the negative stereotypes commonly seen in the Swiss media tend to exacerbate, rather than ameliorate, the problem. Too often, the study noted, media reports focus on generalisations about Roma begging, crime, asylum seekers and prostitution.
Journalists were also criticised for not making greater efforts to go beyond stereotyping by speaking directly with the Roma or organisations representing them as part of their reporting rather than relying solely on police statements. Therein lies the problem. There are few organisations in Switzerland defending Roma rights and even fewer Roma who speak French or other languages.
One attorney who has adopted their cause, Dina Bazarbachi of the Roma rights NGO Mesemrom in Geneva, is particularly outraged by the criminalisation of begging in Geneva and Lausanne. “Begging is not a crime. It is not even a misdemeanour. It is not against the law to ask for alms. This is something that has been accepted throughout the centuries. One can always refuse to give alms.”
Bazarbachi denies that the Roma are aggressive beggars or are involved in gangs. “There is no mafia; that is one of the canards we object to! There is more money in prostitution. That’s what interests mafias and there is no evidence the Roma we see on our streets are involved in that.”
Police authorities acknowledge that the 2008 ban on begging has been difficult and costly to enforce and has done little to deter the Roma from coming to Geneva. Last March Mesemrom gathered 3,300 signatures for a petition calling for an end to the ban, which will be presented to Geneva’s Conseil général this year.
Mesemrom’s passionate defence notwithstanding, there is a widespread perception in Switzerland that Roma are behind the rise in pickpocket incidents and snatch-and-grab thefts by their children. “Of course one can refuse to give them money,” said one victim of such an incident, “but how do we defend ourselves when surrounded by a gang of children distracting you until they get your wallet?” Asking to remain anonymous, he admitted he could not prove his attackers were Roma. “But who else uses their children that way?” he asked.
Thus the enduring question remains: whether this migrant people who have lived in Europe since the 12th century have not been allowed to assimilate into European culture, or whether they simply don’t want to.
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Q:
Simple way to adjust an individual subplot's width?
aspect='equal' plots almost a line for long vectors, whereas ='auto' plots it as a matrix, which isn't desired either. How can I force vec to appear as SMALLVEC? I've seen related SO's, but they're all rather verbose and add much code in my application - is there something short, like ax.set_width()? Preferably ax is from a plt.subplots()'s axes.
Code:
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import numpy as np
KWS = dict(weight='bold', fontsize=14)
def plot_auto(mat, vec):
fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2)
plt.suptitle("AUTO", **KWS)
axes[0].imshow(mat, aspect='auto')
axes[1].imshow(vec, aspect='auto')
plt.show()
def plot_equal(mat, vec):
fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2)
plt.suptitle("EQUAL", **KWS)
axes[0].imshow(mat, aspect='auto')
axes[1].imshow(vec, aspect='equal')
plt.show()
def plot_smallvec(smallvec):
plt.imshow(smallvec)
plt.title("SMALLVEC", **KWS)
np.random.seed(0)
mat = np.random.randn(500, 500)
vec = np.random.randn(500, 1)
smallvec = np.random.randn(25, 1)
plot_auto(mat, vec)
plot_equal(mat, vec)
plot_smallvec(smallvec)
A:
Credit to @ImportanceOfBeingErnest for suggesting the use of the third option for the aspect parameter (num). I figured it might be useful to include the general formula if you want to match the aspect generated by a different shape array. The formula is
(reference.shape[0] / reference.shape[1]) / (target.shape[0] / target.shape[1])
Where reference is the array whose plotted aspect you wish to match and target is the array to be plotted with matching aspect. Including this in your example code,
# ...
def plot_equal(mat, vec, smallvec):
fig, axes = plt.subplots(1, 2)
plt.suptitle("EQUAL", **KWS)
axes[0].imshow(mat, aspect='auto')
axes[1].imshow(vec, aspect=(smallvec.shape[0] / smallvec.shape[1]) /
(vec.shape[0] / vec.shape[1]))
plt.show()
# ...
plot_equal(mat, vec, smallvec)
Gives
Note - This formula may break down depending on other mutations to the figure, but within the scope of the example code it works correctly.
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Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Blue Ice
December 07, 2013
Happy Saturday ladies! I hope you are all having a great weekend.
I just wanted to share with you my current mani and a little funny story behind it ;)
So you already know that I really love nail polish strips, and I have reviewed several of them on the blog before and was very happy with them. I personally find the nail polish strips to be a great and easy way to do fast manicures, and I love the fact that they come in various designs and made of real nail polish.
I usually don't like going out with naked nails, and lately I find
myself doing everything at the last minute, which sometimes leads to
leaving home without nail polish at all (which I hate!). But - since I
have a huge stock of Sally Hansen's nail polish strips at home (which I
recently purchased online) I just grab one of these sets and apply them
later.
The funny thing about this manicure is that I decided to
apply it on the go this time. I ended up applying these strips in a
low-light bus, which was of course in movemnt on bumpy roads.
I find it funny and eventually I got this perfect looking manicure despite the awkward conditions I applied them in.
I think this is the best thing about these strips and it proves how easy it is to use them, even on the go. Since it wasn't the first time I used these strips, I already knew which strips are a fit for me, so it was a bit easier and quicker, and the result is perfect as you can see.
These strips that I am wearing it this post are called Blue Ice #280, a gorgeous icy-blue toned glitter.
Sally Hansens' Salon Effects sets include a total of 16 real nail polish strips (sealed in two separate packs of 8), they also include a nail file and an orange stick, along with detailed application instructions. The strips are double sides so you can pick the best fit for your nail shape, and they are easily applied the same way that other nail polish strips are.
I took the photos the next day and the strips looked really great! They are shiny and sparkly, and staying in place for the third day now. I really love how easy and fun they are to apply, and this is defiantly my go-to manicure when I am on vacation, or when I want to get a quick (and dry!) manicure when I'm in a hurry, and even on the go! I just love the finished look, and the fact that they have so many great qualities makes me love these nail polish strips even more!
Wow such a beauty!I found your blog by chance, while peeking others and I decided to check it out! I’m glad I did it, because I am really delighted with yours. I think we're going to get along just fine! ;) I'd like to invite you to meet my space as well and I hope you'll have as much fun as I am having in yours!I wish you lots of success I'll surely follow you by gfc, bloglovin, facebook. I'll be glad if you follow me too )http://eternia-sama.blogspot.ru/Kisses from Russia!
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Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null polymorphisms, smoking, and their interaction in oral cancer: a HuGE review and meta-analysis.
The association between glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null polymorphisms and oral cancer is not consistent across studies, and data on their interaction with smoking in oral cancer are lacking. The authors systematically searched PubMed and SciVerse Scopus for case-control studies examining the association between null genotypes of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genes and oral cancer. Twenty-eight case-control studies published in English were identified. Summary odds ratios were derived via random-effects models. The summary odds ratio for the GSTM1 null genotype was 1.43 in Asians (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.14, 1.78; P < 0.01, I (2) = 73%) and 0.98 in Caucasians (95% CI: 0.76, 1.28; P = 0.91, I (2) = 0%). Case-only analysis of 6 studies (552 cases) showed an inverse multiplicative interaction between GSTM1 null polymorphisms and smoking (ever/high levels of smoking vs. never/low levels) (odds ratio (OR) = 0.51, 95% CI: 0.32, 0.82; P = 0.01, I (2) = 34%). The GSTT1 null genotype was not significantly associated with oral cancer in Asians (OR = 1.07, 95% CI: 0.82, 1.38; P = 0.63, I (2) = 65%) or Caucasians (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.41, 2.65; P = 0.93, I (2) = 55%). In conclusion, the GSTM1 null genotype may be associated with a higher risk of oral cancer in Asians but not in Caucasians, and this effect may be modified by smoking status. The GSTT1 null genotype may not be associated with oral cancer.
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Community mobilization, organizing, and media advocacy. A discussion of methodological issues.
Community Mobilization refers to those activities that prepare communities to accept, receive, and support prevention interventions designed to reduce alcohol-involved trauma. Media advocacy refers to the strategic use of media by those seeking to advance a social or public policy initiative. Within the Community Prevention Trial, both of these activities were critical elements. This article presents the evaluation design for community mobilization and media advocacy implemented for the project. Here the authors argue for the need to include both structured and unstructured community monitoring instruments, coding of local alcohol-related news coverage, and surveying community members about the exposure to alcohol-related problems, and support for project interventions. This article also presents an audience segmentation analysis and discusses the implications of this analysis for media advocacy efforts.
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---
abstract: 'We consider the effect of surface undulations of nanochannels on the motion of particles in it. We report the mechanism of surface induced ratcheting transport of particles against fluid flow in nano channels. We show that, the typical number for the velocity of ratcheting particles could be of the order of 50 nm/sec. This is a considerably large effect which could be used for application in efficient filtration of particles smaller than the width of nanopores.'
author:
- Aakash
- 'A. Bhattacharyay'
bibliography:
- 'references.bib'
title: 'Ratcheting in Nanofluids : Role of confining surface fluctuations'
---
[^1]
[^2]
Nanofluidics is the study of behaviour of fluids confined to nanometer geometry (typically $\sim$ 1 - 100 nm) [@kirby2010micro]. Nanofluidics is a very active area of research at present due to the potential of huge applications. Fluids confined to these channels show transport [@schoch2008transport] which can be very different from that observed in bulk. Due to small channel sizes which gives control over the flow-through surface fluctuation and modulations, nanofluidics finds its application where fluid samples are handled in very small quantities such as coulter counter [@saleh2001quantitative], chemical and particulate separation and analysis of bio molecules such as DNA, proteins and other ionic species [@esmek2019sculpturing; @fu2007patterned; @zeng2007self; @fu2009continuous; @napoli2010nanofluidic; @wang2008bare; @pennathur2005electrokinetic], cell capture and counting and micropumps to name a few areas. People have applied the principle of nano-transport to perform chromatography with porous medium [@saridara2005chromatography; @singhal2012separation; @asensio2014carbon]. Nanofluidics also finds application in nano-optics for producing tuneable microlens and for the detection of viruses and nanoparticles [@mitra2010nano]. Nanofluidics is also significant in the area of biotechnology and molecular diagnosis. [@jayamohan2013applications]. Some carbon nanotubes (CNT) can give rise to ultra-efficient transport mechanism for water and gas molecules [@noy2007nanofluidics; @tao2018confinement; @sparreboom2010transport]. Water transport rate in these nanotubes can be far exceeding that predicted by theory. CNT (Carbon nanotubes) finds their application in desalination and purification of water. Some carbon nanotubes (CNT) exhibit remarkable electrical, thermal and mechanical properties like tensile strength etc. [@tans1997individual; @berber2000unusually; @kim2001thermal]. Apart from these there is a natural analogy between fluid flow in nanochannels and electron and holes motion in semiconductors electronic devices. And this analogy can be exploited in electronic functioning such as rectification of current and bipolar and field effect transistor actions [@perdigones2014correspondence].
In the present paper we are interested in exploiting the possibility of surface driven ratcheting [@ait2003brownian; @ethier2019tilted] in a nano-channel. Ratcheting involves transport of particles against a barrier potential being driven by a directionless force in the presence of thermal noise. The process generally involves a non-equilibrium transport of particles against a force. An essential ingredient for any transport process is inversion symmetry breaking. Normally, in the paradigmatic models of ratcheting of a particle one considers this inversion symmetry being broken at small length scales. This broken inversion symmetry in the presence of thermal noise and a non directional drive to intermittently force the system out of equilibrium essentially results in directed motion of particle.
A recent paper by Marbach et al. [@marbach2018transport] reports an important general method of analyzing particle transport through nano-channels in the presence of fluctuations of the channel wall. This work develops a very essential tool of spectral analysis of motion of test particles in a nano-channel. Under lubrication approximation, this work captures diffusivity renormalisation of a test particle in a nano-channel under various surface fluctuations of the system. In the present paper, in what follows, we will be directly using the relation derived by Marbach et al. [@marbach2018transport], to show that, the overdamped velocity dynamics of the test particle under surface fluctuations indicates that there exists possibility of a surface fluctuation driven ratcheting of particles in such systems.
Surface driven ratcheting of particles in nanopores can result in efficient filtration because one can make the particles move directionally against the flow of the fluid. This would be equivalent to the ratcheting of a particle up against a potential barrier. And, this is exactly where lies the importance of this phenomenon in the realm of nanofluidics by employing which one can think of general mechanism of controlled filtration. Moreover, the existence of such a general mechanism in the realms of nanofluidics also indicates that the mechanism may be already in use in biological systems where nanofluidcs is a norm than an exception.
The way a paradigmatic ratcheting particle moves against a potential, the same mechanism can drive a diffusing particle in a nanofluid to move against the flow of the fluid [@astumian1994fluctuation; @astumian1997thermodynamics; @bhattacharyay2012directed; @tarlie1998optimal; @cisne2011particle; @loutherback2009deterministic; @celestino2011generic]. The very essential inversion symmetry breaking at mesoscopic scales can possibly be realized in nanofluidics by patterning the elasticity of the surface of the confinement of the fluid. By taking a general approach of using a sawtooth surface undulations in the presence of temporal oscillations we show in this paper that surface driven ratcheting can happen and a diffusing particles being subject to such surface fluctuations can be driven against the flow of the fluid in a nano-channel without applying any directional or convective force.
We organize the paper in the following way. For completeness we first present the salient steps of the calculations by Marbach et al. [@marbach2018transport] deriving the general velocity dynamics of the test particle in a nano-channel under surface fluctuations in the lubrication approximations. Then we show how this overdamped dynamics results in a ratcheting in the presence of an inversion symmetry broken patterning of the surface. We show numerical results of this ratcheting process. Following which we conclude the paper with a detailed discussion of the model.
Marginal Advection - Diffusion equation
=======================================
In the following we present the basic analysis as done by Marbach et. al. in ref. [@marbach2018transport] to setup the stage for the analysis of ratcheting. The dynamics of probability density $p(\bf{r},\emph{t})$ of a tracer particle in the presence of velocity field $\bf{u}$($\bf{r}$,*t*) is governed by Fokker-Planck equation.
$$\frac{\partial p({\bf r},t)}{\partial t} = D_{0} \nabla^{2}p({\bf r},t) - \nabla\cdot[{\bf u}({\bf r},t) p({\bf r},t)]$$
Let $h_{u}$([**x**]{},*t*) be the upper surface profile, where [**x**]{} = ($x$, $y$) is the coordinate of the 2D plane at a fixed height $z$ and $h_{u}(\bf{x},\emph{t})$ = $H + h({\bf x},\emph{t})$. Where $H$ is the mean height of an upper fluctuating surface and $h({\bf x},t)$ is the height variation over the mean height. In this calculation [@marbach2018transport], the lower surface confining the fluid layer is considered to be fixed without any loss of generality. Therefore $z$ lies between 0 and $h_{u}$([**x**]{},*t*). The marginal probability distribution function $p^{*} ({\bf x},t)$ is then defined as $$p^{*} ({\bf x},t) = \int_{0}^{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} dz \: p({\bf r},t)$$
Now integrating both sides of Fokker-Planck eqn. (1) from 0 to $h_{u}$([**x**]{},*t*) while using the Leibnitz rule and then simplifying, one obtains an equation for marginal probability distribution $$\frac{\partial p^{*}({\bf x},t)}{\partial t} = D_{0} \nabla^{2}_{||}p^{*}({\bf x},t) - \nabla_{||}\cdot[{\bf v}({\bf x},t)p^{*}({\bf x},t)]$$ where $$\nabla_{||} = \hat{i}\frac{\partial}{\partial x}+\hat{j} \frac{\partial}{\partial y}$$ and $$\nabla_{||}^{2} = \frac{\partial^{2}}{\partial x^{2}} + \frac{\partial^{2}}{\partial y^{2}}.$$ $$\begin{gathered}
{\bf v}({\bf x},t) = D_{0} \frac{\nabla_{||}h({\bf x},t)}{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} + \frac{1}{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} \int_{0}^{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} dz \: {\bf u_{||}} ({\bf r},t) \end{gathered}$$ is the effective velocity field that a tracer particle is getting to see. The equation (6) for effective velocity will be important for later discussions. In deriving the equation (6) one makes use of the following boundary conditions [@marbach2018transport].
1. Kinematic Boundary condition : It implies that the velocity of the fluid at the boundary is zero with respect to the boundary. $$\begin{gathered}
u_{z}({\bf x},h_{u}({\bf x},t),t) - \frac{\partial}{\partial t} h_{u}({\bf x},t) - {\bf u}_{||}({\bf x},h_{u}({\bf x},t),t).\\ \nabla_{||}h_{u}({\bf x},t) = 0\end{gathered}$$ Where ($\nabla_{||}, \frac{\partial}{\partial z}$) and (${\bf u}_{||}, u_{z}$) denote in plane and out of plane coordinates respectively.
2. Conservation of probability at z = 0 : $$\frac{\partial}{\partial z} p({\bf x},z=0) = 0$$
3. Conservation of probability at $z = h_{u}({\bf x},t)$ : $$\nabla p({\bf x},z)|_{z = h_{u}({\bf x},z)}\cdot{\bf n} = 0$$
Using equation (3) and above three boundary conditions one obtains the following equation for marginal probability density $p^{*}({\bf x},t)$ $$\begin{gathered}
\frac{\partial}{\partial t}p^{*}({\bf x},t) = D_{0}\nabla^{2}_{||}p^{*}({\bf x},t) - D_{0}\nabla_{||}\cdot[p({\bf x},h_{u}({\bf x},t),t)\\\nabla_{||} h_{u}({\bf x},t)] - \nabla_{||}\cdot\int_{0}^{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} dz \: {\bf u_{||}} \: ({\bf r},t) \: p({\bf r},t)\end{gathered}$$
But this equation is not in terms of marginal probability density $p^{*}({\bf x},t)$ only. It contains terms involving $p({\bf r},t)$ also. However if one makes use of the Lubrication approximation as is shown by Marbach et al., then one can assume the equilibrium in $z$ direction and factorize the $p({\bf x},z,t)$ into $f({\bf x},t)$ and some function of $z$. Then using the normalisation one can write $p({\bf x},z,t) \approx f({\bf x},t)$. This equation greatly simplifies the above equation and one gets $$\begin{gathered}
p^{*}({\bf x},t) \approx \int_{0}^{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} dz \: f({\bf x},t) = h_{u}({\bf x},t) f({\bf x},t)\end{gathered}$$
Therefore we have the following equation for marginal probability density $p^{*}({\bf x},t)$ $$\begin{gathered}
\frac{\partial}{\partial t}p^{*}({\bf x},t) = D_{0}\nabla^{2}_{||}p^{*}({\bf x},t) - D_{0} \nabla_{||}\cdot[p({\bf x},h_{u}({\bf x},t),t)\\ \nabla_{||}h_{u}({\bf x},t)] - \nabla_{||}\cdot[p^{*}({\bf x},t)\overline{{\bf u_{||}}({\bf x},t)}]\end{gathered}$$ Where $\overline{{\bf u_{||}}({\bf x},t)}$ is average velocity defined by : $$\overline{{\bf u_{||}}({\bf x},t)} = \frac{1}{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} \int_{0}^{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} dz \: {\bf u_{||}}({\bf x},z,t)$$
Finally the following equation is obtained for marginal probability density $$\frac{\partial p^{*}({\bf x},t)}{\partial t} = D_{0} \nabla^{2}_{||}p^{*}({\bf x},t) - \nabla_{||}.[{\bf v}({\bf x},t)p^{*}({\bf x},t)]$$ where $${\bf v}({\bf x},t) = D_{0} \frac{\nabla_{||}h({\bf x},t)}{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} + \frac{1}{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} \int_{0}^{h_{u}({\bf x},t)} dz \: {\bf u_{||}} ({\bf r},t)$$ is the effective velocity field which the tracer particle is moving with.
Surface induced ratcheting
==========================
Let us have a look at how the surface fluctuations induced ratcheting can happen in nano-fluid systems. Under the lubrication approximation, the velocity of the diffusing particle as arrived at by Marbach et al., is
$$\frac{dx}{dt} = D_{0} \frac{\frac{\partial}{\partial x}h(x,t)}{H + h(x,t)} + \frac{1}{H + h(x,t)} \int_{0}^{H+h(x,t)}dz \: u(x,z,t)$$
where we have considered only one of the planar coordinates ($x$,$y$) for the sake of simplicity. In the above equation, there are two terms on the RHS of which the first term gives the average velocity induced by diffusion and surface gradients and the second term stands for the advection of the particle by the fluid of velocity $u(x,z,t)$. If the first term can produce a velocity which is opposite in direction to the second term and can overcome the advection then the particle can actually move in opposite direction to the fluid flow resulting in enhanced filtration. As it is obvious from the presence of gradient term $\frac{\partial}{\partial x}h(x,t)$, the sign of the velocity due to this first term can be reversed and we can always get this part of velocity to be opposite to that coming from the second term. However, this will require a breaking of inversion symmetry at smaller scales.
To look at the possibility of ratcheting in a simpler way, let us consider the velocity of the particle coming from the diffusive coupling alone in the absence of any noise term which would be shown in the later part of the paper to play a very useful role. This gives the velocity of the particle to be $$\frac{dx}{dt} = \frac{D_{0}}{H} \frac{\partial}{\partial x}h(x,t)$$ Where we have gone by the assumption $H \gg h(x,t)$ which is the lubrication approximation. This equation is the overdamped dynamics of a particle in the potential $h(x,t)$. To have a non-trivial result let us consider that $h(x,t)$ = $\chi(x) T(t)$ such that there exists no traveling modes in the surface fluctuations. The nontrivial result of ratcheting should appear in the absence of any traveling mode in the fluctuations of the surface height which plays the role of the effective potential here. Consider the profile of $\chi(x)$ and $T(t)$ as shown in fig.1 and 2.
![Spatial part of potential, sawtooth potential with period $a+b$ (showing the broken symmetry)[]{data-label="fig:1"}](image01.png){width="50.00000%"}
![temporal part of potential with period $t_{1}+t_{2}$ (with positive and negative pulse)[]{data-label="fig:2"}](image02.png){width="50.00000%"}
![temporal part of potential with period $t_{1}+t_{2}$ (with positive and zero pulse)[]{data-label="fig:3"}](image04.png){width="50.00000%"}
We are taking $\chi(x)$ to have a sawtooth profile to have the essential ingredient of ratcheting process which is an inversion symmetric breaking of space at small scales. This can be achieved by patterning the surface of the nano-channel in many ways keeping in mind that what one needs is different lengths of differing elasticity on the surface in a periodic manner to have such inversion symmetry breaking under the temporal non-traveling fluctuations on the surface.
The sawtooth potential in this particular way of modelling plays an essential role which is worth mentioning. It is a very standard practice in the existing literature to consider the inversion symmetry breaking potential of sawtooth form. It is required keeping in mind that we are actually modelling the system by an overdamped dynamics in the absence of a noise term in the beginning. The average effect of the noise on transport is already taken into account in the diffusivity $D_{0}$. Thus, if $\chi(x)$ is a sawtooth function of space, in this way of modelling, the particle will not take infinite time to reach the maximum of $\chi (x)$ in the absence of the fluctuations. Having a discontinuity at the maximum and minimum of the function $\chi(x)$ rids one of this stickiness of the equilibrium points which, otherwise, will have a slowdown effect as the particle reaches the maximum of a smooth $\chi(x)$ function. In a real system, this problem of sticking, even in the case of a smooth $h(x)$ profile, will not be there in the presence of thermal fluctuations.
Having taken into consideration the broken inversion symmetry by $\chi(x)$ in this way which can in principle be realized by surface patterning, let us pay attention to the other most important ingredient for ratcheting and that is intermittently disturbing the system to drive it out of equilibrium which is achieved by $T(t)$. The periodic forcing $T(t)$ can have time period $t_{1}+t_{2}$ where over the time $t_{2}$ this forcing induces a change in sign of the $\chi(x)$ profile and the investigation of the ratcheting using the present model crucially depends on the choice of this intermittent forcing from which the system (the particle) gains energy to overcome the barrier.
Let us qualitatively understand the part of the ratcheting phenomenon in the absence of noise in this model explicitly. As is shown in fig 4.
![[]{data-label="fig:4"}](image03.png){width="50.00000%"}
Consider that the particle was initially sitting at the position A when $T(t)$ is positive. Under the action of the force generated by $\chi(x)$ the particle will move to the point B and will stay in the vicinity of point B for all the time if $T(t)$ does not change its sign. Now consider a flip in sign of the $T(t)$ making an inversion of $\chi(x)$ which brings the particle at B$^{\prime}$. Here the particle again becomes unstable and will start moving either towards C or A. Now, if the interval $t_{2}$ is chosen such that the particle can have about just enough time to reach C and not A then when $T(t)$ becomes positive again, the particle will either be at C or somewhere between the points A and B. If the particle is somewhere between A and B then it will come back to B. However, if the particle is at C then it can again move both ways and can either end up at B or at D. The choice of time interval $t_2$ will play a role here in which way the particle takes i.e., towards B or D in the absence of fluctuations where fluctuations can help it overcome this stricter dependence of transport on $t_2$. However, there definitely exist a finite probability of the particle to go to D and thus, there can happen ratcheting. This ratcheting is just a consequence of the theory developed by Marbach et al., where directed transport can happen without any directional driving. The consideration of noise on top of this will make the process easier by removing the stricter control over the time scale $t_2$.
In any flashing ratcheting model the turning of this on-off time of the intermittent force crucially determines the efficiency of the ratcheting and the present model is no exception. In numerically evolving the system, we have kept in mind the crucial choice of $t_{2}$ time scale and show our numerical results for the deterministic as well as more realistic stochastic situation. In the stochastic case we add a stochastic term to the model which is a Gaussian white noise of strength $\sqrt{2D_{0}}$ which modifies the governing equation as : $$\frac{dx}{dt} = \frac{D_{0}}{H} \frac{\partial}{\partial x}h(x,t) + \sqrt{2 D_{0}} \xi (t)$$ Where $h(x,t)$ = $\chi(x)T(t)$ and $\xi(t)$ is Gaussian white noise with zero mean and unit standard deviation.
Numerical Results
=================
In the Fig.5 we show the directed transport results from the direct simulation of eqn.(17) where the noise is not taken into account. The choice of the parameters are $a$ = 4 nm, $b$ = 1 nm, and $\: h_{0}$ = 1 nm. The time step of simulation is $\Delta t = 0.01 $ and we have employed fourth order Runge-Kutta method.
The diffusivity $D_0 = 10^4$ $\text{nm}^2$/sec and the radius of the channel $H = 100$ nm are set. The velocity scale that $D_0/H$ sets is 100 nm/sec. The typical diffusivity of a protein monomer at room temperature in water is about $10^{8}$ $\text {nm}^2$/sec. The size of the molecule that we are considering here is roughly larger than $10^3$ times in diameter than that of a protein monomer. Our simulation shows that molecules of this size or larger would actually show ratcheting. For smaller molecules, diffusion will dominate.
Figure 5 shows that, there is a dependence of the velocity (here the slope of the trajectory) of ratcheting on $t_2$ as was expected. Actually, we got it to be maximum, for the given set of parameters, at $t_2=0.115$ sec. For this range of other parameters, the ratcheting actually happens over a very small range of $t_2$ around 0.1 sec. Beyond the above mentioned range of $t_2$ the particle practically gets stalled. The choice of $t_1$ is quite flexible so long it is larger than $t_2$ and can be kept even very large which would then reduce the velocity of ratcheting.
![Evolution for deterministic case($x$ is in the unit of nm and t is in the unit of second)[]{data-label="fig:5"}](dt.png){width="9.0cm" height="6cm"}
It is seen that addition of noise makes the model quite robust and increases the velocity of ratcheting by a couple of orders of magnitude. The ratcheting happens not just in the narrow band of $t_2$, as it was for the case without noise. Ratcheting happens for practically all value of $t_{2}$ parameter when we simulate the stochastic eqn.(18). We show these results in the fig.6. As shown in fig.6, although ratcheting happens over a wide range $t_2$ the velocity of ratcheting is highly sensitive to the change in $t_{2}$.
![Evolution for stochastic case ($x$ is in the unit of nm and $t$ is in the unit of second)[]{data-label="fig:6"}](st.png){width="9.5cm" height="6.0cm"}
In the same way we also considered and obtain the results for the case when time pulse oscillates between positive value and zero (fig.3). We have obtained the same qualitative and almost the same quantitative behaviour for $x-t$ curves.
To check the dependence of the velocity of ratcheting on the other relevant parameter $h_0$, we set $t_2$ a constant ($t_2=1.0$) and vary $h_0$. We plot velocity of ratcheting against $h_0$ in fig.7 to have an idea of how the amplitude of surface oscillations can influence ratcheting. In this plot, parameters $a$ and $b$ are kept at the same value as in other ones. The velocity does rise appreciably as $h_0$ varies from 1 to 8 and then falls. We cannot increase $h_0$ roughly beyond 10 nm given the fact that $H = 100$ nm and we are under lubrication approximation. So, neither very small nor very large amplitude of surface oscillations will help increase ratcheting.
![Effect of surface undulation amplitude $h_{0}$ on ratcheting velocity $v$ ($v$ is in nm/sec and $h_{0}$ is in nm.) []{data-label="fig:7"}](h0vel.png){width="9.0cm" height="7.0cm"}
discussion
==========
We have shown in this paper that, based on a broader framework as established by Marbach et al., [@marbach2018transport] there can happen surface fluctuations driven ratcheting of Brownian particles in a nanofluidic channel. This ratcheting of particles can result in velocity of small particles against the motion of a fluid. This in principle can result in effective filtration of particles which are smaller than the pore size.
The typical velocity of the ratcheting that we get is of the order of tens of nanometer per second. This is a considerable velocity that the boundary induced ratcheting can result in where the tube width is about 100 nm. This velocity will increase with the decrease of the channel width, however, that possibly is a regime falling outside lubrication approximation. This means that the velocity of the fluid against which particles will move can safely be about 10 nm/sec.
This mechanism of ratcheting which is possible in nano-fluids under surface fluctuations is a generic one. Most probably such a mechanism is in use in some biological systems where particle transport happens without any directional drive. Effects of other finer details on such transport can be addressed once the existence of the basic mechanism is established. We hope that, possibility of the application of this mechanism in designing efficient filters is quite possible given the ability of nano-scale engineering of such channels these days.
The present analysis of the generic mechanism critically depends on the general revelation by Marbach et al., [@marbach2018transport] of the coupling of diffusivity of particles to the surface fluctuations. In the present paper we have just utilized this coupling which can practically happen in the domain of nanofluidics. In nano-scale flow the typical velocity of fluid through these channels are not very high and the advection term can be comparable to the ratcheting velocity. Moreover, the fluctuation scales in such systems would also be of the order of the particle size within these channels. Matching of all these scales is the key for the emergence of ratcheting induced filtration in nano-channels.
[^1]: [email protected]
[^2]: [email protected]
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The ol' shrunken man in stocking. I know lots of you guys can't get enough of it, and I must admit, i'm a fan myself.
Here's a sample page from a new comic of ours titled 'Pocket Charm'
Synopsis: Megumi has a crush on her classmate Katsu, who unfortunately wants nothing to do with her. Megumi is determined to do whatever it takes to make Katsu hers even if that means taking things too far.
Artwork by Written by me, J. Yubari
Pocket Charm was inspired by one of my favorite movies, Oyayubihime, starring the one and only Chiaki Kuriyama. I'm a big fan of Chiaki. Here is are some vore sketches based on her character GoGo in Kill Bill [link]
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Regulation of the initiation of coronavirus JHM infection in primary oligodendrocytes and L-2 fibroblasts.
Upon maturation, primary rat oligodendrocytes become resistant to coronavirus JHM (JHMV) infection at an early stage. Involvement of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PK) in the regulation of oligodendrocyte differentiation has been established (S. Beushausen et al. (1987). J. Virol. 61, 3795-3803). An inducer which accelerates maturation, dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dbcAMP) also upregulates the expression of the regulatory subunit, R1 of PK1. Since (i) early block preventing infection of mature oligodendrocytes can be bypassed when transfection with genomic RNA is used and (ii) inhibitors of PKs counteract the dbcAMP effect, so as to alleviate the inhibition of JHMV, enhanced expression of R1 appeared to be connected with virus restriction. This idea was confirmed following upregulation of the R1 gene in fully permissive L-2 cells. There was a connection between an effect due to R1 and dephosphorylation of the nucleocapsid protein N by an endosomal phosphoprotein phosphatase (PPPase) having the properties of types 1 or 2A enzyme which occurs during penetration of inoculum virions. An inhibition in vitro (cell free) of N dephosphorylation by R1 together with evidence that in vivo (cell culture) overexpression of R1 inhibited the endosomal PPPase as well as replication of JHMV supports the hypothesis that uncoating of the JHMV inoculum occurs after dephosphorylation, a step obligatory for dissociation of the N protein from the genome. Thus inhibition by R prevents uncoating and thereby interferes with the commencement of replication. These observations intimate the existence of a novel mechanism controlling a virus infection of specific cell target(s) undergoing a process of differentiation and maturation in the central nervous system.
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Q:
InDesign: How to restore text-frame position/size to be managed by the master page instead of the actual page?
I have some designer that moved slightly a text-frame and in order to be managed again by the master page we need to remove the page and create a new one inserting the content in it.
Is there any different way to do it?
I would like to be able to restore the "power" of positioning/size to the master page because now we need to change the master-page to position the text-frame a little bit to the right and in the case above mentioned will not be updated.
Thanks
A:
Select the offending text frame, and open the Palette options in the Pages palette. Choose 'Master Pages' > 'Remove Selected Local Overrides'.
This makes the text frame obey the Master again. It does, however, also remove the frame's content and locks it again. You'll have to re-unlock it and re-add the content.
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Area 51 Tax Battle
The tax situation with Area 51, located in Lincoln County, has been questioned for quite a long time.
Glenn Campbell questioned the situation, maybe first to do so, in the Groom Lake Desert Rat #5. At the time (mid-1994) the base was paying about
$65,517 on a property assessment of $2,517,781???: www.ufomind.com...
It is also mentioned, in relation to Glenn Campbell, in the book "The Dreamland Chronicles" by David Darlington.
Despite the multiple-billion dollar installation in their county (Groom Lake/Area 51) the military has been paying minimal taxes to Lincoln County.
However, some third-party has brokered some kind of sketchy new close-to multimillion dollar tax deal with Area 51.
Details here: www.8newsnow.com...
If Lincoln County is getting satellite imagery of the base, it could possibly be requested through a public documents request.
It is always in their benefit to plead poverty, but Lincoln County probably knows a lot of the contractors at the base. The camo dudes for sure, since
they deputize them. Certainly the road contractors, since they get stone from local quarries.
This content community relies on user-generated content from our member contributors. The opinions of our members are not those of site ownership who maintains strict editorial agnosticism and simply provides a collaborative venue for free expression.
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Royal Stuart Society
The Royal Stuart Society, founded in 1926, is the senior monarchist organisation and the foremost Jacobite body in the United Kingdom. Its full name is The Royal Stuart Society and Royalist League although it is best known simply as the "Royal Stuart Society." It acknowledges Francis, Duke of Bavaria, as head of the Royal House, while refraining from making any claim on his behalf that he does not make himself.
The society organises annual events to commemorate the major anniversaries of Jacobitism and other events of Stuart and royalist interest.
History
After the First World War, the Jacobite movement was in disarray. The Royal Stuart Society was established by Captain Henry Stuart Wheatly-Crowe, who served as its first Governor-General, and representatives of the Royalist Association and other defunct or moribund Jacobite bodies. It considers itself a successor to, and effectively the continuation of, bodies of the Neo-Jacobite Revival, such as the Legitimist Jacobite League of Great Britain and Ireland (founded in 1891 by Herbert Vivian, Ruaraidh Erskine and Melville Henry Massue), the Order of the White Rose and the Thames Valley Legitimist Club. Among its other founders were Lionel Erskine-Young, 29th Earl of Mar (1891–1965) and Reginald Lindesay-Bethune, 12th Earl of Lindsay (1867–1939).
Objectives
The objectives of the Royal Stuart Society are as follows: (1) to be open to all who have an interest in the members of the Royal House of Stuart, their descendants and supporters; (2) to promote research in and further knowledge of Stuart history; (3) to uphold rightful Monarchy and oppose republicanism; and (4) to arrange such commemorations, lectures and other activities as shall advance these objects. It describes itself on its website as being “monarchist and traditionalist”.
the Governor-General was Murray, Duke of St Albans, the Chairman of the Council Julian, Lord Aylmer, and the Acting Principal Secretary Hugh MacPherson.
Activities
The Society organises a variety of events throughout the year. An important part of these events are the commemorations in Whitehall, Windsor and Westminster Abbey. Details of all these events, many of which are open to the public who are always made welcome, appear on the Society's website. A well-attended Service to commemorate the execution of King Charles I is held at his statue in Trafalgar Square on 30 January each year and a wreath is later laid on behalf of the Society on the King's tomb at St George's Chapel, Windsor at the beginning of Choral Evensong. The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, is remembered with a Service at her tomb in Westminster Abbey on 8 February. The nativity of King James VII and II is marked by prayers and the laying of flowers at his statue outside the National Gallery on 14 October. The Society also holds an annual dinner which commemorates Restoration Day and White Rose Day. An informal party for members is usually held in November. The Society's lectures take place at the parish hall of the Jesuit church at Farm Street in London’s Mayfair. Newsletters with details of people, events and news of the Society are produced and edited by the Principal Secretary and sent to members during the year. The Society publishes the Royal Stuart Journal annually and this is available to non-members via the website. The Journal recently replaced a series of publications called Royal Stuart Papers (still available from the Society) which included papers by a number of well known historians such as Roy Porter, Richard Sharp, Murray Pittock, Eveline Cruickshanks, Lady Antonia Fraser and Ronald Hutton.
References
Category:Jacobitism
Category:Monarchist organizations
Category:1926 establishments in the United Kingdom
Category:Organizations established in 1926
Category:Clubs and societies in Norfolk
Category:Monarchism in the United Kingdom
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Amikacin levels in the human biliary tract.
The concentrations of amikacin in serum, gallbladder, and common duct bile, and gallbladder tissue in patients undergoing surgery of the biliary tract were investigated. Patients received 500 mg amikacin intravenously or intramuscularly from 1 to 11 hours before surgery. Another group had T-tubes inserted and blood and bile levels were studied serially postoperatively. One half hour after 500 mg amikacin, serum levels were high and bile levels were 30 per cent of the serum levels, with tissue levels less than 19 per cent of the serum levels. At 6 hours, serum levels were 37 per cent of the 1-hour levels; however, bile levels were 34 per cent of the simultaneous serum levels. At 11 hours, both postdose serum and bile amikacin levels were low. However, simultaneous bile levels were higher than serum levels. No patient suffered from any side effects from amikacin.
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Danmark har modtaget et truende brev med en klar advarsel mod at stemme imod Donald Trump. Det oplyser diplomatiske FN-kilder til Politiken.
FN’s Generalforsamling skal senere torsdag stemme om Jerusalems status. Den amerikanske præsident holder nøje øje med, hvem der går imod hans beslutning om at anerkende Jerusalem som Israels hovedstad og han vil tage det personligt, hvis nogen stemmer imod ham, fremgår det af brevet.
På forhånd har Danmark sammen med de fleste andre EU-lande udtalt sig imod den amerikanske præsidents beslutning. Det forventes, at afstemningen vil vise, at næsten alle andre lande i verden kritiserer beslutningen.
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Species Diversity and Abundance of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Cachoeiras de Macacu Municipality, Rio de Janeiro State: An Area of the Atlantic Forest Receptive and Vulnerable to Malaria.
The present study evaluated the diversity of Anopheles Meigen, 1818 belonging to the subgenus Nyssorhynchus Blanchard, 1902 in four areas of Cachoeiras de Macacu municipality, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The immature collections were carried out during a rainy period and a post-rainy season. During the two periods, 3,932 specimens of Anopheles (Nyssorhynchus) were collected: 562 in the rainy period (14.29%) and 3,370 in the post-rainy period (85.70%). Among 3,932 specimens collected during both periods, 489 were identified, 50 (8.89%) in the rainy period and 439 (13.02%) in the post-rainy period. Nine Anopheles species were recorded: Anopheles albitarsis Lynch Arribálzaga, 1878 s.l. (76.86%), An. braziliensis (Chagas, 1907) (17%); An. evansae (Bréthes, 1926) (8, 48%); An. triannulatus (Neiva & Pinto, 1922) s.l. (8.23%); An. oswaldoi (Peryassú, 1922) (6.43%); An. strodei Root, 1926 (5.40%); An. argyritarsis Robineau-Desvoidy, 1827 (1.54%); An. rangeli Gabaldón et al., 1940 (1.28%); and An. aquasalis Curry, 1932 (0.51%). Among them, An. albitarsis was dominant and abundant in 93.75% of the collection points. Our results show a diverse Anopheles fauna in the municipality of Cachoeiras de Macacu, with a strong association of occurrence between An. rangeli and An. oswaldoi; An. rangeli and An. evansae; An. evansae and An. oswaldoi; and An. albitarsis s.l. and An. braziliensis during the rainy period. However, there was a weak correlation in the post-rainy period, except between An. rangeli and An. oswaldoi and between An. triannulatus and An. aquasalis, which displayed a moderate linear correlation. Our results suggest that following a potential reintroduction of malaria Cachoeiras de Macacu, local transmission of Plasmodium Marchiafava & Celli, 1885 may be enhanced by the presence of nine Nyssorhynchus species (all potential malaria vectors).
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Q:
Resharper ultimate fails to install extentions
Resharper ultimate 2016.3 fails to install extensions with the following error:
14:17:15.792 |E| ExtensionManagerViewModelProvider | The operation has timed out.
--- EXCEPTION #1/2 [WebException]
Message = “The operation has timed out.”
ExceptionPath = Root.InnerException
ClassName = System.Net.WebException
HResult = COR_E_INVALIDOPERATION=80131509
Source = System
StackTraceString = “
at System.Net.ConnectStream.Read(Byte[] buffer, Int32 offset, Int32 size)
at NuGet.HttpClient.DownloadData(Stream targetStream)
at NuGet.PackageDownloader.DownloadPackage(IHttpClient downloadClient, IPackageName package, Stream targetStream)
at NuGet.PackageDownloader.DownloadPackage(Uri uri, IPackageMetadata package, Stream targetStream)
at NuGet.DataServicePackage.<EnsurePackage>b__0(Stream stream)
at NuGet.MachineCache.<>c__DisplayClass34.<InvokeOnPackage>b__33()
at NuGet.MachineCache.TryAct(Func`1 action, String path)
at NuGet.MachineCache.InvokeOnPackage(String packageId, SemanticVersion version, Action`1 action)
at NuGet.DataServicePackage.EnsurePackage(IPackageCacheRepository cacheRepository)
at NuGet.DataServicePackage.get_FrameworkAssemblies()
at NuGet.PackageExtensions.HasProjectContent(IPackage package)
at NuGet.PackageWalker.GetPackageTarget(IPackage package)
at NuGet.PackageWalker.GetPackageInfo(IPackage package)
at NuGet.PackageWalker.Walk(IPackage package)
at NuGet.InstallWalker.ResolveOperations(IPackage package)
at NuGet.PackageManager.Execute(IPackage package, IPackageOperationResolver resolver)
at NuGet.PackageManager.InstallPackage(IPackage package, FrameworkName targetFramework, Boolean ignoreDependencies, Boolean allowPrereleaseVersions, Boolean ignoreWalkInfo)
at NuGet.PackageManager.InstallPackage(IPackage package, Boolean ignoreDependencies, Boolean allowPrereleaseVersions)
at JetBrains.Application.SinceClr4.Extensions.ExtensionManagerViewModelProvider.<>c__DisplayClass33.<>c__DisplayClass3f.<get_Model2>b__29()
at JetBrains.Util.ILoggerEx.Catch(ILogger thіs, Action F, ExceptionOrigin origin, LoggingLevel loggingLevel)
”
--- Outer ---
--- EXCEPTION #2/2 [LoggerException]
Message = “The operation has timed out.”
ExceptionPath = Root
ClassName = JetBrains.Util.LoggerException
Data.ManagedThreadName = <NULL>
InnerException = “Exception #1 at Root.InnerException”
HResult = COR_E_APPLICATION=80131600
StackTraceString = “
at JetBrains.Util.ILoggerEx.Catch(ILogger thіs, Action F, ExceptionOrigin origin, LoggingLevel loggingLevel)
at JetBrains.Application.SinceClr4.Extensions.ExtensionManagerViewModelProvider.<>c__DisplayClass33.<>c__DisplayClass3f.<get_Model2>b__28()
at JetBrains.UI.ExtensionManager.ViewModels.ExtensionActionViewModel.Do()
at JetBrains.UI.ExtensionManager.ViewModels.ExtensionManagerViewModel.<BeginInstallation>b__10(ProgressIndicator indicator, Property`1 description)
at JetBrains.UI.ExtensionManager.ViewModels.ProgressPage.<>c__DisplayClass6.<Run>b__3()
at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart_Context(Object state)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state, Boolean preserveSyncCtx)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
at System.Threading.ThreadHelper.ThreadStart()
”
Does anyone know how to solve this issue?
A:
Try executing an offline plugin installation as described here:
1) Open http://resharper-plugins.jetbrains.com/packages in a browser;
2) Log in to a site;
3) Find a plugin e.g.
http://resharper-plugins.jetbrains.com/packages/JetBrains.AngularJS/
(pay attention, that there may be two versions of a plugin - one for
R# 8.x and one for R# 10.x/2016.x);
4) In Version History, select a plugin version which covers installed
R# build;
5) If you logged in, there will be a Download link;
6) Hit Download link and download the nuget package;
Note: If there are any additional dependencies (apart from "Wave") in Dependencies section on a plugin's page, download and put them to a local folder as well;
7) Put it to any folder;
8) Specify such folder here "ReSharper | Options | Environment |
Extension Manager | Add" and uncheck ".NET Products Gallery" checkbox;
9) Run ReSharper | Extension Manager and install the plugin which
appears there.
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Kwabena Agyapong - How the Mighty Are Falling!!
Kwabena Agyapong amazes me. This is a guy who used to be a hero of mine. To be fair, this was at a time when I was much younger and more foolish than I am now and anyone who correctly strung a few English words together was a hero of mine. I particularly remember watching the 1990 World Cup on television when Kwabena Agyapong, alongside the likes of Foe Amoaning and Carl Tuffuor charmed the nation not only with their wide knowledge of world football, but also with their eloquence and demeanour. Unfortunately, the charming young man who then was has grown into what appears to be, an angry old man in a complete reversal of the usual course of the rhythm of life.
Watching him on Newsfile a few times recently, he talked and looked very much like a guy who had seen better days and as if life had given him a raw deal. But this is a “multi-talented” civil engineer who started off as a sports presenter, dabbled in football management amidst allegations of financial impropriety, ended up as presidential spokesman and then as presidential candidate of the NPP. To see him viciously attacking the personalities of his political opponents was sad indeed. In one such exchange with the young NDC “parrot” Felix Kwakye-Ofosu, he conceded, that the NDC communicators had a deliberate ploy to attempt to make their opponents angry on air, and then, with his face contorted in sheer fury, belched “But I am not angry!!” I bowed my head in shame. The guy had lost it right before our very eyes. How the mighty are falling.
Speaking English well can only take one so far. While we all admire Mr Agyapong’s eloquence, when he starts to attempt to ridicule others and question, for instance, why anybody would elect Mr Hassan Ayariga, “ a man who cannot get his grammar right” as their presidential candidate, the alarm bells start ringing for some of us. Sorry Sir, you seem to be getting carried away. What has speaking English got to do with anything? I would not vote for Hassan Ayariga, but not for a reason as so hopelessly ridiculous as his grammar, but because he failed to address any of the pertinent issues to my satisfaction. Until such time as we eradicate that entire mentality that equates an ability to rattle another man’s language with competence, we stand the danger of being ruled by well-spoken fools.
The issue of Nana Addo’s rather unexpected departure from Oxford University came up in one of the debates, and Mr Agyapong sought to lambast Mr Tsatsu Tsikata for daring to say elsewhere, that he had heard rumours of Nana’s departure from Oxford when he entered the university but was not sure what the actual reason was. Again, Mr Agyapong, lips trembling, went to town, expressing gross disappointment in Mr Tsatsu Tsikata; a guy who used to come to their house, a guy who was the beneficiary of Mr Agyapong’s father’s legal cases when the latter had been called to the Supreme Court and so on. Has this guy completely lost his marbles? What has all that got to do with anything? I felt embarrassed for him and for the NPP. If such was the mentality of the people the party put forward as communicators, then it was no wonder the party could not connect with the ordinary floating voter in Ghana.
Kwabena Agyapong was amongst the NPP top hierarchy that fought tooth and nail to have their own polling agents in every polling station and at every point, all the way to the Electoral Commission’s strong room. They may deny that now for political expediency, but the purpose of that was to take the onus of responsibility for the accuracy of the results at the grassroots from the Electoral Commission into the parties’ own hands. The argument was that if the results were signed off by all the party agents, then the results would have been certified as fair. That is why Kwabena Agyapong’s analogy, that if you have a security man at home and your goods were stolen, you would still complain to the police, sounded quite embarrassingly childish to me. Of course you would tell the police but what you would not do, is to blame the police.
And when Mr Agyapong relates Nana Addo’s illustrious past and personal sacrifices in the battle against dictatorship and the establishment of a free and democratic country, few would argue with that. We need to give the guy some credit. After all, he was involved in Radio Eye when it was ever so dangerous to do so in those days, and has been a presidential aspirant for years. How then do we reconcile these lofty democratic credentials with all-die-be-die? Again, while Nana’s legal credentials are not in doubt, it is baffling why such a legal luminary would file a case in the Supreme Court and then hold a press conference to try the case in the court of public opinion and to whip up sentiments. I have known cases thrown out of court for just these same reasons.
There are too many contradictions to contend with. At one time Mr Akuffo-Addo was going to accept results as declared by the Electoral Commission, now he is only going to accept a Supreme Court verdict. But is he? Who knows? And by the way, Mr Agyapong, it does not matter which country a man comes from, how old he is, what qualifications he has, what sacrifices he has made in the past, how many lawyers he has taught, if he then goes on to promote a policy of all-die-be-die and fails to publicly condemn genocidal sentiments expressed by a close political ally, we are perfectly entitled to disrespect him. For at the end of the day, some of us care more for the lives of our grandmothers in the village than for some buffoons of politicians.
Electoral processes are dynamic. Even America, with their long tradition of voting, had to contend with unacceptably long queues and people being disenfranchised in their recent elections. Obama had to promise to get those problems “fixed” in his victory speech. So we owe it a duty to our democracy, not only to audit performance after each single election to ensure that we identify mistakes, but also, to effect changes aimed at making our system stronger. And thank you very much; we are well capable of doing that as a nation, without NPPs reckless declaration of results, demonstrations, useless press conferences and stabbing of innocent Ghanaians.
We have come a long way as a nation in our electoral processes. We started by changing over to transparent boxes. That was not enough. We introduced picture ID cards. That was not enough to prevent multiple voting. We asked for foreign independent observers. Five different groups of observers are no longer enough. We asked for party polling agents every step of the way. That is no longer enough. The Electoral Commission should be responsible for how these agents perform, according to Mr Agyapong and the NPP.
We asked for results to be faxed. That is no longer enough. The faxed documents, apparently, are being intercepted and altered to favour one candidate. We requested biometric verification. That has now become the problem rather than the solution. Now, to top it all, Mr Agyapong is asking for the Electoral Commission as currently constituted to be disbanded and one set up that has representatives of each political party. You have spoken like a true prodigy Mr Agyapong, but would that be enough should the NPP lose an election? Your guess is as good as mine.
Papa Appiah
Ghanansemsem.blogspot.com
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