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pietrolesci

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module Intrigue module Core module Model class Issue < Sequel::Model plugin :validation_helpers plugin :timestamps many_to_one :project many_to_one :task_result many_to_one :entity self.raise_on_save_failure = false def self.scope_by_project(project_name) where(:project => Intrigue::Core::Model::Project.first(:name => project_name)) end def validate super validates_unique([:entity_id, :name, :project_id, :source], allow_nil: true) end def uuid project_name = self.project.name if self.project project_name = "missing_project" unless project_name source = source if source source = 'intrigue' unless source out = "#{project_name}##{self.name}#{source}##{entity.uuid}" Digest::SHA2.hexdigest(out) end def to_s "#{name} on #{entity.type} #{entity.name}" end def to_v1_api_hash(full=false) if full export_hash else { :type => name, :name => name, :category => category, :severity => severity, :status => status, :scoped => scoped, :source => source || "intrigue", :pretty_name => details["pretty_name"], :entity_type => entity.type, :entity_name => entity.name } end end ### ### Export! ### def export_hash { :type => name, :name => name, :category => category, :severity => severity, :status => status, :scoped => scoped, :source => source || "intrigue", :description => description, :pretty_name => details["pretty_name"], :identifiers => details["identifiers"], :remediation => details["remediation"], :references => details["references"], :entity_type => entity.type, :entity_name => entity.name, :entity_aliases => entity.aliases.map{|a| {"type" => a.type, "name" => a.name} }, :entity_alias_group_id => entity.alias_group_id, :details => details, :task_result => "#{task_result.name if task_result}", :task_result_entity_name => "#{task_result.base_entity.name if task_result}", :task_result_entity_type => "#{task_result.base_entity.type if task_result}" } end def export_csv "#{type}, #{name}, #{severity}, #{status}, #{description.gsub(",",";")}, #{entity.type}, #{entity.name}, #{entity.alias_group_id}" end def export_json export_hash.merge("generated_at" => "#{Time.now.utc}").to_json end end end end end

He’s only been on Twitter for under an hour and already he has 126,000 followers — and quickly counting. Can you hear me now? — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015 He’s even had time to make a passport joke about Mars: .@neiltyson Thanks for the welcome. And now we've got water on Mars! Do you think they check passports at the border? Asking for a friend. — Edward Snowden (@Snowden) September 29, 2015 With the simple Twitter bio “I used to work for the government. Now I work for the public. Director at ,” he’s introducing us to his work at Freedom of the Press, where he joined the board in 2014. Welcome to Twitter, Snowden. Will you blow away Caitlyn Jenner’s record? She amassed more than 1 million followers in over four hours, beating President Barack Obama’s record of a million followers in 4 hours and 52 minutes.

Triangle Shaped Dining Tables For a true non-conformist triangle shaped dining tables may hold a special appeal. In this case, “four is a crowd” as opposed to the old axiom “three is a crowd”. It definitely makes a different statement in a dining room as opposed to more traditional shapes of rectangular, round or square. This product is called Globe and comes from Domitalia Design. From the second picture it does look like you can squeeze in a fourth chair if needed.

1. Field of the Invention: The present invention relates to an apparatus and method, for use with the satellite-based communications network, for improving the reliability and speed at which communication between a user terminal and the network is established. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for arranging data of a channel request message transmitted from a user terminal to a gateway station via a satellite in the satellite-based network to insure that critical data for establishing communication between the user terminal and the satellite-based network is received at the satellite during the appropriate receiving time frame window. 2. Description of the Related Art: A satellite communications network, such as a geosynchronous earth orbit mobile communications network, comprises at least one geosynchronous earth orbit satellite, a ground-based advanced operations center (AOC) and spacecraft operations center (SOC) associated with the satellite, at least one ground-based gateway station (GS), and at least one user terminal (UT), which is typically a hand-held or vehicle mounted mobile telephone. The satellite enables the user terminal to communicate with other user terminals, or with other telephones in the terrestrial public switched telephone network (PSIN), via the gateway stations under the control of the gateway stations. The AOC provides system-wide resource management and control functions for its respective satellite, and the SOC controls on-orbit satellite operations for its respective satellite. When a user terminal is operated to establish a radio resource connection, it generates and transmits a channel request message to the network on a random access channel (RACH) at a frequency assigned by the gateway station to a spot beam covering an area in which the user terminal is located. Typically, a channel request message includes data used to represent the mobile user terminal, as well as contention resolution and timing synchronization information. To increase the likelihood that the channel request message is received at the satellite during a receiving time frame, the transmitter of the user terminal takes into account an estimated time which will elapse between the point in time when the channel request message is transmitted and the point in time when the channel request message is received at the satellite, which is known as the propagation delay. Typically, a user terminal will calculate, based on information broadcast by the network, the propagation delay for a distance measured from a location on the earth'ss surface at the center of the spot beam in which the user terminal is located to the satellite, which is orbiting at about 22,000 miles above the earth's surface. Because the distance from the surface of the earth at the equator to the satellite is less than the distance from the surface of the earth in the extreme northern and southern hemispheres to the satellite, the propagation delay for a message sent from a user terminal close to the equator is less than that for a message sent from a user terminal in, for example, northern Europe. Also, if the user terminal is at a distance from the center of the spot beam, the propagation delay is different than at the center of the spot beam, because the distance from the user terminal to the satellite is different. However, some user terminals are equipped with global positioning system (GPS) equipment and could thus better estimate their location with respect to the center of their respective spot beam. Also, some user terminals can estimate their location with respect to the center of their respective spot beam based on the power level at which the user terminal receives the spot beam. In either instance, these type of user terminals can better estimate the propagation delay for the channel request message, and therefore increase the likelihood that the channel request message will be received at the satellite during a receiving time frame. Moreover, because the duration of a conventional channel request message is a fraction of the duration of a receiving time frame at the satellite, the entire channel request message can generally be received within the desired time frame. To decrease call set up time, it is desirable to include in the channel request message information pertaining to the position of the user terminal making the call, the called party number, the cause for establishing the call, the service provider identification, and so on, in addition to the contention resolution and synchronization information. However, this additional information increases the overall length of the channel request message, and thus increases the likelihood that a complete channel request message will not be received by the satellite during a receiving time frame window. That is, if the instant at which the channel request message is transmitted is not accurately synchronized with the receiving time frame window, some of the information in the channel request message will not reach the satellite during the receiving time frame window, and will thus be lost. Consequently, if information necessary for call set up, such as contention resolution and timing synchronization information, is not received by the satellite, the call cannot be set up. Furthermore, even if the user terminal resends the channel request message, unless the timing difference between transmission of the channel request message and the appearance of the receiving time frames at the satellite is resolved, the network still cannot set up a call. Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus and method which enables a user terminal to transmit additional call set-up information in a channel request message to accelerate call set-up time between the user terminal and satellite-based communications network, while also assuring that the information necessary for call set-up is received intact by the satellite in the network.

Degranulation status of airway tissue eosinophils in mouse models of allergic airway inflammation. Eosinophil degranulation is a characteristic feature of asthma and allergic rhinitis. However, degranulated eosinophils have not been convincingly demonstrated in the common mouse models of these airway diseases. This study uses eosinophil peroxidase (EPO) histochemistry and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis to assess eosinophil degranulation in the airways of ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized and challenged BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Using TEM we also examined mouse and human blood eosinophils after in vitro incubation with formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA). Although OVA exposure induced significant nasal and lung eosinophilia, we did not observe any of the known cellular processes by which eosinophils release their granule products, i.e., eosinophil cytolysis, piecemeal degranulation, and exocytosis. The occurrence of other allergen-induced degranulation events was ruled out because no difference in granule morphology was observed between lung-tissue eosinophils and blood or bone-marrow eosinophils from control animals. Accordingly, there was no detectable extracellular EPO in lung tissues of allergic mice. Similarly, mouse blood eosinophils remained nondegranulated in vitro in the presence of fMLP and PMA, whereas the same treatment of human eosinophils resulted in extensive degranulation. This investigation indicates that OVA-induced airway inflammation in the present mouse strains does not involve significant eosinophil degranulation. It is speculated that this dissimilarity from the human disease may be due to a fundamental difference in the regulation of mouse and human eosinophils.

The male Guianan Cock-of-the-rock. This video shows the great views we had of this bird. PhoneSkope video by guide Marcelo Barreiros. Having just said our good-byes to the first “Rio Negro Paradise: Manaus” tour group, Marcelo and I had a day to rest up before receiving our second group, ready for another exciting and educational journey, perhaps better-said, “voyage”, through this beautiful, central sector of the Amazon basin. Our opening stroll around the grounds of the stately Tropical Hotel served to introduce numerous common, widespread species that would be familiar companions on many days of the tour, and also produced great views of Variable Chachalaca and Golden-spangled Piculet, both of which are much less frequently sighted. We usually encounter a sloth or two around the forest patch behind the hotel, but we dipped on them this time. After an early but well-appointed breakfast next morning, we were off to the famous Adolfo Ducke Reserve, on the northeast corner of Manaus. We started there with a fine pair of Point-tailed Palm-creepers, certainly one of the most distinctive members of the huge Ovenbird (Furnariidae) family. Soon, Red-bellied Macaws began to pass in small groups, and yelping (White-throated) and croaking (Channel-billed) toucans started sounding off from the forest canopy while both Green and Black-necked aracaris posed for scope views. Just a short distance into the reserve we were treated to a really superb view of a pair of Red-billed Woodcreepers, followed by a pair of Black-spotted Barbets, some perched Red-fan Parrots, Fasciated Antshrike, and an Amazonian Pygmy-Owl being mobbed by a Black-eared Fairy and a White-chinned Sapphire, a Tiny Tyrant-Manakin, and a female White-fronted Manakin. Further down the track, we hit a nice mixed-species canopy flock with a very cooperative Guianan Woodcreeper, Spot-backed Antwren, Mouse-colored Antshrike, Slaty-capped Shrike-Vireo, and a pair of Pink-throated Becards. But tops that morning was a prolonged scope study of a young male Harpy Eagle, the same bird we had seen on the first tour. Our next major venue was the famous INPA research tower, about two hours north of Manaus. We transferred to fairly comfy 4-WD vehicles to make the trip into the tower on a bumpy dirt road, thankful that it was dry and actually in pretty good shape, relative to how it’s been on many previous tours. We had a picnic breakfast at the parking area and scurried down the path and up the (how may is it… 142?) steps to greet the dawning of the day 47 meters (about 150 feet) above the forest floor. It was a gorgeous, birdy morning indeed, highlighted by a fruiting tree that attracted a non-stop parade of birds. We kept an eye on that tree all morning, getting great scope views of Guianan Toucanet and several toucans, Pompadour and Spangled cotingas, and Dusky Parrot, especially. Flock action was good as well, and we eventually tallied Waved and Golden-collared woodpeckers, Curve-billed Scythebill, Ash-winged Antwren, Olive-green Tyrannulet, Guianan Tyrannulet, Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant, Yellow-throated Flycatcher, and a male Glossy-backed Becard, along with Red-billed Pied-Tanager and numerous other tanagers, dacnis, and honeycreepers. Guianan and Pied puffbirds, and several Paradise Jacamars also showed beautifully. After demolishing a fabulous lunch spread in the little town of Presidente Figueiredo, we moved into our home for the next four nights, at Mari Mari. Marcelo and I quickly checked the fruiting acai palms around the lodge dining area, to see if they were still attracting lots of birds, as they had been a couple of weeks earlier, on our first tour. Great news – there was still a lot of fruit and a fine variety of birds! After a little rest, we gathered the group there and the fun started all over again, with four species of toucans, Guianan Cocks-of the Rock of all ages and both sexes, multiple Purple-breasted and Spangled cotingas, Sulphury Flycatchers, saltators and other birds zipping in and out of those trees. Even an immature male Guianan Red-Cotinga showed up for a few minutes. A bit later, we entered the forest proper, where there is an impressive lek of Guianan Cocks-of-the-Rock. The afternoon show was spectacular, as usual, with several males sitting around and doing a little displaying and posturing as we watched, only a few yards away. Also there was a Rufous Nightjar with a recently hatched chick. It must have been sitting on the nest nearby, motionless, incubating its eggs, when we were there on the first tour. Over the course of the next three days, we birded several forest trails around Presidente Figueiredo, including tall, undisturbed rainforest, lower stature “campinarana” forest, and also the “campina” scrub that the campinarana surrounds. The area is famous for its remarkably pure, blackwater streams and sandstone grottos, and we enjoyed seeing lots of birds and mammals there. There was no sign of the Black-faced Hawk that had graced our bin’s on the first tour, nor the handsome Chestnut-belted Gnateater we had seen, but we were compensated by good views of Guianan Red-Cotinga and Capuchinbird, both of which had been heard only before. Musician Wren performed famously (such a great bird!), as did Rufous-tailed Xenops and Ferruginous-backed Antbird. Spotted Puffbird came quite easily (and close!), but Pelzeln’s Tody-Tyrant and Saffron-crested Tyrant-Manakin took some special effort before they provided good views. It also took a while to get a scope on a male Crimson Topaz at our traditional patch of Isertia trees, but we finally did see a male well. Or, we thought it had been a good view until early the next morning, when we found two males feeding on flying gnats over a stream as the sun was rising, perfectly lighting them up as they chased each other around – that was a real WOW! A Green-tailed Goldenthroat paused for nice views, and Blue-and-yellow Macaws winged by in perfect light. Then, as we prepared to enter a campinarana forest trail, we heard a very distant song we had prayed might fall on our ears: a White-naped Seedeater! This rare finch-like tanager (as it is currently classified) has been very spotty in recent years, with most tours failing to see it. This particular morning, the bird was singing up a storm, and we even watched him chase a female out of sight (at least 2 km straight-line, and rising high above the trees) only to come roaring back to his same patch, right in front of us. We enjoyed superb studies of Bronzy Jacamars and had pretty nice looks at Black Manakin and Rufous-crowned Elaenia. We managed to coax a shy Campinarana Flycatcher into view (Cnemotriccus fuscatus duidae, sure to be officially split from the Fuscous Flycatcher complex), but had no luck with Pale-bellied Mourner. One of the more spectacular mammal encounters we have had on recent tours involved about seven Monk Sakis which, at first, seemed to be performing their usual disappearing act, but which then settled down to begin a prolonged allopreening session (check out the video, below!), some of which Marcelo broadcast live via his Instagram account! One afternoon, we took the group to a side-road where we had found a male Crimson Fruitcrow on the first tour. Our plan was to stay late and do some owling. Well, we ended up staying late, alright, just not for owling! After we had gone in a few kilometers, a thunderstorm with high, gusty winds came roaring through the forest and toppled a large tree across the road, completely blocking our exit to the highway. We discovered this on our way out, as rain was thundering down, and had to shift quickly to (non-existent) “Plan B” – which evolved into turning back around to continue down that treacherously slippery mud road where we could hope to find a house where someone might be home, and might have a chainsaw because trees must fall across the road now and then, and then might have gas for the chainsaw… in sum, it was not looking good for us making it out of there that night. Quite honestly, I’m amazed that we did – but, sure enough, the rain let up, we were able to drive in (and back out!) on that messy road, far enough to reach a house, and, after talking with some people there, we found a guy with a chainsaw and plenty of gas for it. He soon arrived on the scene via motorcycle, with his young daughter who had insisted on accompanying him for this adventure with a bunch of gringos. It took over an hour to clear the road of that big tree, which was nearly two feet in diameter. We were greatly relieved, of course, and we compensated the fellow well for his tremendous job, but we asked that he follow along toward the highway, just in case we might need his help again… and, yikes!, we soon came to another tree across the road! Fortunately, this one was smaller, only about 8” in diameter, but it was tangled with branches and vines, and it took another hour to get it out of the way enough to squeeze our van through. We finally made it back to the paved highway about 8:00 p.m., very thankful for the helpful hand we had received from our new friend. Check out the video clips at the end of the list ;-). We did manage to get back there to try some owling on our last evening before getting on the boat, and scored a nice Black-banded Owl. Our four days at Presidente Figueiredo had been great, but now it was time for the boat! Back in Manaus, we found the beautiful Dorinha waiting for us at the Tropical Hotel dock and eagerly descended the steps to go aboard and settle into our rooms. We met our guide for this exciting week on the rivers, Rafael, who later gave us an orientation session covering amenities of the Dorinha and safety procedures. We also had a meet-and-greet with the seven-person crew, which was fun, and very soon we had the bow pointed upriver, toward Anavilhanas National Park. After a jovial checklist/happy hour session and a wonderful dinner that evening, we made a night-lighting excursion a short distance up a small tributary of the Negro in the two long, wooden “canoes” we would use for all of our landings at birding sites. You never know what you might find along these little waterways, but it’s invariably interesting to snoop around at night out there. The water was a good four feet lower than it had been a couple of weeks earlier, on the first Manaus tour. It was a lovely, calm evening as we glided along, spotting a Gladiator Treefrog and a couple of Marine Toads, but not much else. Then, we heard a Crested Owl on a side-branch of the stream, and managed to get the canoes far enough into the area to call it into view – yaHOO! It was getting late and we’d had a big day already, so we called it good and headed back to the Dorinha, spotting a couple of roosting Band-tailed Nighthawks along the way. Deep in the Anavilhanas Archipelago, the pre-dawn darkness of 23 September found us piling into the canoes for another spot-lighting adventure, the targets this time being Spectacled Owl and both of the species of Band-tailed Nighthawks (which, at present, are considered subspecies of a single species). It looked grim for actually seeing the Spec, which was calling persistently from trees not far back from the river edge, but we eventually maneuvered the canoes sufficiently to get the light on one of the pair, which was great. And sure enough, both of the band-tails were present, responding vigorously each to his own vocalization, cutting circles around the canoes as I gave them appropriate, species-specific playbacks. As I explained to everyone later, the taxonomic/nomenclatural issue attending this case is complex, and is going to require just a little more judicious field work to nail down definitively. We gathered on the top deck for breakfast as the sun was rising through the trees. There were pairs and trios of Festive Parrots on all sides, Crestless Curassows boomed in the still-dark forest (we were not fortunate enough to get to see one), and woodcreepers and antbirds of several species contributed to the dawn chorus. Soon we were back in the canoes and headed off to a trailhead where the crew had just made us a set of mud steps up to the flat terrace where we would walk into the forest. “As advertised”, the Wire-tailed Manakins were there and showing their stuff – what a fabulous bird it is! It was a great start to that morning, which, over the next 2-3 hours, produced a fine assemblage of river-island specialties, such as Blackish-gray Antshrike, Black-crested Antshrike, Ash-breasted Antbird, Black-chinned Antbird, Klages’s Antwren, Leaden Antwren, Streak-throated Hermit and Blue-chinned Sapphire, Snethlage’s Tody-Tyrant, and Long-billed, Straight-billed, Zimmer’s and Striped woodcreepers! Scale-breasted and Crimson-crested woodpeckers also showed nicely. That afternoon we stopped at the ship-building town of Novo Airão, where there is a floating dock which serves as a feeding station for Amazon River Dolphins (Pink River Dolphin, Inia geoffrensis). The locals started feeding some of the “botos” there nearly 20 years ago, and now there are about 15 individuals which have become accustomed to these feedings at certain hours on 3-4 days a week. We were fortunate to get to participate in that afternoon’s feeding session, and even to get to touch the “beaks” of some of the animals. This initiative has become an important factor in the conservation of the dolphins, as it has certainly helped raise public awareness of the dolphins’ plight. We also got to see Spix’s Night Monkeys at their tradition day-roost nearby, which was greatly enjoyed by all. We then booted it upriver, traveling through the night to guarantee a pre-dawn arrival at the mouth of the Rio Jau. Sure enough, first light found us anchored at the confluence of the Jau with the Rio Negro. Here, the rivers had not dropped so much, and levels were only 2-3 feet lower than we had experienced a couple of weeks earlier. There were still no sandbars exposed, however, so there were good numbers of Large-billed and Yellow-billed terns around, waiting for them to become exposed so they could commence nesting activities in earnest. Both species of river dolphins were also present, the pink Amazon River Dolphins and also the smaller, gray Tucuxis. As the day dawned behind us, we drifted over to register our entrance into the national park at the floating dock headquarters. Waiting there, we were fortunate to pick up a singing Plumbeous Euphonia and a number of other, more common species. We then motored smoothly up the calm river, spotting a Sungrebe and seeing herons and cormorants and Green Ibis and kingfishers before making our first stop in “chavascal” woodland. This is a strange habitat in which a low diversity of tree species has evolved to survive the severe flooding cycle of these acidic, blackwater river systems, wherein the roots are well underwater for many months in succession. The few species that have evolved to make it here are present in high numbers, such that the density of trees is quite high, and the canopy height relatively uniform, and only about 15 meters tall. We racked up most of the species we were hoping for fairly efficiently, including Lafresnaye’s Piculet, Amazonian Antshrike, Cherrie’s Antwren, Yellow-crowned Manakin, Brown-headed Greenlet, and the still-undescribed, sister-species of Pelzeln’s Tody-Tyrant inhabiting chavascal and campina habitats west of the Rio Negro. Moving up the Jau that afternoon, we spotted a distant Orange-breasted Falcon, which we managed to see pretty well with the scopes. Our traditional owling excursion for that evening started muggily “slow” but kicked into gear bigtime as we threw the lights on both Rufous and White-winged potoos inside of half an hour, the latter cooperating nicely by coming in to the hoped-for snag we had picked out for it, then sitting for leisurely scope study. Back at the river, we pressed our luck with a swing around the margins of the Jau with spotlights, and, just as we were heading back to the Dorinha, we picked up the eyeshine of a Great Potoo high on a dead snag, with, amazingly, a Common Potoo on a snag just below it – thus, we scored a four-potoo evening!! The next couple of afternoons were unseasonally rainy, which caused us to change our planned stop for an initial night near the first big rapids on the Jau. We would take advantage of the unusually high river level to advance father upriver than we had ever ventured, to reach a stream called “Miratucu”, where we expected to find a mix of chavascal and terra firme forest. We went spotlighting that evening, picking up another Common Potoo that stayed put on a stub just above eye-level as we drifted by in the canoes, but a thick fog and drizzle soon set in, and we had to call it quits. However, early morning on the Miratucu was beautiful. We tied up the canoes at a well-lit bend in the stream and, over the next hour or so, spotted a fine assortment of species along a chavascal/terra firme boundary, and also four Giant Otters. Back down to the rapids that evening, we planned to hit the trail at night, in hopes of finding a Nocturnal Curassow. We did hear one, far off, but it sang only sporadically and we weren’t able to get much closer to it. It remained for us to transit out of the Jau and all the way down the Negro, to be in position for an important day of birding on the “whitewater” Rio Solimoes, which is the Brazilian name for the Amazon River before its confluence with the Negro. As expected the “furo”, or cut, through the narrow neck of land separating the Negro and the Solimoes, had plenty of water for us to make the passage easily, and we reached our hoped-for position near the upstream end of huge Marchantaria Island by dawn. Somewhat strangely, the landing areas we planned to bird were all complicated by the combination of the dropping river exposing steep banks and then recently exposed mud as well. Still, we managed to get around most obstacles well enough, and improvised a couple of stops to get some of the young-island specialties. Castelnau’s Antshrikes came in very close, providing superb views, and a nesting pair of Red-and-white Spinetails was also really neat. We had lunch over the “Meeting of the Waters”, where the Negro hits the Solimoes, the two forming the great Rio Amazonas. The scene was properly impressive. Rafael explained the dynamics of the meeting of these two massive, but very different rivers, which don’t mix thoroughly for some 400 kilometers downstream. The Amazon is extremely silty, allowing little sunlight penetration, so relatively cold, while the clear, “black” waters of the Rio Negro absorb lots of solar energy, and are thus warmer and less dense – not to mention much more acidic, due to the high concentration of tannins leached out of leaf litter and drained through sand. The “Encontro das Aguas” is indeed an amazing spot on our great planet Earth! We anchored that evening off the main ferry dock at Manaus, where vehicles cross the Amazon to reach the Transamazon Highway and, eventually, all of southern Brazil. Rising early, we made our way across Manaus to the Ducke Reserve and the fairly new MUSA (Museum of the Amazon) tower. We enjoyed a productive final morning of birding up there, highlighted by a steady stream of parrots and toucans, and woodcreepers and tanagers. Views of the unbroken forest were gorgeous, but we were conscious of the near proximity of the largest city in the Amazon, only a few hundred yards away. That afternoon we made a swing through the public market near the main port of Manaus and then visited the beautiful Manaus Opera House downtown. Back on the Dorinha, we had a couple of hours to rest, clean up, and repack before our final dinner and leisurely transfer to the airport for the American Airlines flight to Miami, and points home. Marcelo and I thank all of you very much for coming with Field Guides and us for two great weeks of birding in the central Amazon basin, mostly on the beautiful Rio Negro. Please come back for more birding in Brazil, you know where to find us! Marcelo will put together our bird and mammal list and get it out to you with some great imagery very shortly. Com grandes abraços -- Bret and Marcelo KEYS FOR THIS LISTOne of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant BIRDS Tinamidae (Tinamous) UNDULATED TINAMOU(Crypturellus undulatus)[*] VARIEGATED TINAMOU(Crypturellus variegatus)[*] Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl) BLACK-BELLIED WHISTLING-DUCK(Dendrocygna autumnalis)– Many of these birds were seen during our morning at Marchantaria island. MUSCOVY DUCK(Cairina moschata) BRAZILIAN TEAL(Amazonetta brasiliensis)– Four birds seen flying over the Marchantaria island. Cracidae (Guans, Chachalacas, and Curassows) VARIABLE CHACHALACA(Ortalis motmot) MARAIL GUAN(Penelope marail) NOCTURNAL CURASSOW(Nothocrax urumutum)– We heard a single bird calling during the night but unfortunately it was too far away and we could not get closer to it. CRESTLESS CURASSOW(Mitu tomentosum)[*] Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants and Shags) NEOTROPIC CORMORANT(Phalacrocorax brasilianus) Some of the nice moments we had during the first half of the tour. Video by guide Bret Whitney. Anhingidae (Anhingas) ANHINGA(Anhinga anhinga) Ardeidae (Herons, Egrets, and Bitterns) RUFESCENT TIGER-HERON(Tigrisoma lineatum) COCOI HERON(Ardea cocoi) GREAT EGRET(Ardea alba) SNOWY EGRET(Egretta thula) CATTLE EGRET(Bubulcus ibis) STRIATED HERON(Butorides striata) CAPPED HERON(Pilherodius pileatus)– This nice looking Heron was seen once during a canoe trip on the Jaú river. Threskiornithidae (Ibises and Spoonbills) GREEN IBIS(Mesembrinibis cayennensis) BUFF-NECKED IBIS(Theristicus caudatus)– A single bird flying over the Marchantaria island. Cathartidae (New World Vultures) BLACK VULTURE(Coragyps atratus) TURKEY VULTURE(Cathartes aura) LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE(Cathartes burrovianus) GREATER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE(Cathartes melambrotus) KING VULTURE(Sarcoramphus papa)– Two adults seen on the way up to Jaú National Park. HARPY EAGLE(Harpia harpyja)– We had great looks at the juvenile Harpy Eagle at Ducke Reserve. The bird was seen in the scope, sitting near to its nest. BLACK-AND-WHITE HAWK-EAGLE(Spizaetus melanoleucus)– Another nice raptor seen at Ducke Reserve, on the first morning of the tour. BLACK-COLLARED HAWK(Busarellus nigricollis) PLUMBEOUS KITE(Ictinia plumbea) CRANE HAWK(Geranospiza caerulescens) SAVANNA HAWK(Buteogallus meridionalis) GREAT BLACK HAWK(Buteogallus urubitinga) ROADSIDE HAWK(Rupornis magnirostris) WHITE HAWK(Pseudastur albicollis)– Great looks at Tucumanduba road on our last morning at Pres. Figueiredo. BLACK-FACED HAWK(Leucopternis melanops)[*] GRAY-LINED HAWK(Buteo nitidus) Harpy Eagle is the largest raptor of the New World. This juvenile was seen near its nest. PhoneSkope video by guide Marcelo Barreiros. SHORT-TAILED HAWK(Buteo brachyurus) Rallidae (Rails, Gallinules, and Coots) GRAY-BREASTED CRAKE(Laterallus exilis)[*] GRAY-COWLED WOOD-RAIL(Aramides cajaneus) RUSSET-CROWNED CRAKE(Anurolimnas viridis)[*] Heliornithidae (Finfoots) SUNGREBE(Heliornis fulica)– Seen a few times in Jaú National Park. Charadriidae (Plovers and Lapwings) PIED LAPWING(Vanellus cayanus) SOUTHERN LAPWING(Vanellus chilensis) Jacanidae (Jacanas) WATTLED JACANA(Jacana jacana) Scolopacidae (Sandpipers and Allies) HUDSONIAN GODWIT(Limosa haemastica) WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER(Calidris fuscicollis) SOUTH AMERICAN SNIPE(Gallinago paraguaiae) SPOTTED SANDPIPER(Actitis macularius) SOLITARY SANDPIPER(Tringa solitaria) Laridae (Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers) YELLOW-BILLED TERN(Sternula superciliaris) LARGE-BILLED TERN(Phaetusa simplex)– Common along the rivers. The Chavascal is the very singular, seasonally flooded habitat, where birds such as the Brown-headed Greenlet live. Photo by participant Rick "The Walrus" Woodruff. BLACK SKIMMER(Rynchops niger) Columbidae (Pigeons and Doves) ROCK PIGEON(Columba livia) PALE-VENTED PIGEON(Patagioenas cayennensis) SCALED PIGEON(Patagioenas speciosa)– Beautiful pigeon seen a few times during the tour. PLUMBEOUS PIGEON(Patagioenas plumbea) RUDDY PIGEON(Patagioenas subvinacea) COMMON GROUND-DOVE(Columbina passerina) RUDDY GROUND-DOVE(Columbina talpacoti) WHITE-TIPPED DOVE(Leptotila verreauxi) GRAY-FRONTED DOVE(Leptotila rufaxilla) Opisthocomidae (Hoatzin) HOATZIN(Opisthocomus hoazin)– This is one of the most peculiar bird families in the world. These are leaf-eating birds that have a nice looking crest, and live near to the water. We saw a big flock on Marchantaria island. TAWNY-BELLIED SCREECH-OWL(Megascops watsonii)– On this tour, we had the great luck to see this little owl in a hole during the day. CRESTED OWL(Lophostrix cristata)– What a bird! Seen really well on our first evening on the boat. SPECTACLED OWL(Pulsatrix perspicillata)– Another great look at Anavilhanas National Park. The same pair of birds were seen two weeks before, and we also heard a young bird calling. AMAZONIAN PYGMY-OWL(Glaucidium hardyi) BLACK-BANDED OWL(Ciccaba huhula)– YES! This big owl is always tough to get! We had great looks at Presidente Figueiredo. Caprimulgidae (Nightjars and Allies) SHORT-TAILED NIGHTHAWK(Lurocalis semitorquatus) BAND-TAILED NIGHTHAWK(Nyctiprogne leucopyga) BLACKISH NIGHTJAR(Nyctipolus nigrescens) COMMON PAURAQUE(Nyctidromus albicollis) LADDER-TAILED NIGHTJAR(Hydropsalis climacocerca)– We saw a female incubating her egg at Marchantaria island. This Rufous Nightjar was a great surprise on the tour! This is one of the adults that were sitting near to the chick at Mari-Mari Lodge. Photo by tour participant Roger Holmberg. RUFOUS NIGHTJAR(Antrostomus rufus)– WOW! This is not a common bird around Manaus. Our friend Betão showed us an adult and its chick near the Guianan Cock-of-the-rock arena. Nyctibiidae (Potoos) GREAT POTOO(Nyctibius grandis)– Every evening out for night birds is unpredictable and sometimes amazing things happen! One night we were fortunate and saw four (!!!) Potoo species in the same night! Even better, we had the Great and the Common Potoo perched in the same tree! COMMON POTOO(Nyctibius griseus)– Seen a few times during the tour. WHITE-WINGED POTOO(Nyctibius leucopterus)– A little Potoo that lives high in the canopy! We had great look at Jaú National Park. RUFOUS POTOO(Nyctibius bracteatus)– Ten minutes before the White-winged Potoo showed up, we had an adult Rufous Potoo on the same perch as the first tour, 15 days earlier. Apodidae (Swifts) CHAPMAN'S SWIFT(Chaetura chapmani) SHORT-TAILED SWIFT(Chaetura brachyura) BAND-RUMPED SWIFT(Chaetura spinicaudus) GRAY-RUMPED SWIFT(Chaetura cinereiventris) LESSER SWALLOW-TAILED SWIFT(Panyptila cayennensis) FORK-TAILED PALM-SWIFT(Tachornis squamata) Trochilidae (Hummingbirds) CRIMSON TOPAZ(Topaza pella)– One of the highlights of the tour! We saw two males hawking some bugs early in the morning in Pres. Figueiredo, for several minutes. WHITE-NECKED JACOBIN(Florisuga mellivora) STRAIGHT-BILLED HERMIT(Phaethornis bourcieri) LONG-TAILED HERMIT(Phaethornis superciliosus) STREAK-THROATED HERMIT(Phaethornis rupurumii)– Great looks on our first morning at Anavilhanas National Park. REDDISH HERMIT(Phaethornis ruber)[*] BLACK-EARED FAIRY(Heliothryx auritus) GREEN-TAILED GOLDENTHROAT(Polytmus theresiae) GREEN-THROATED MANGO(Anthracothorax viridigula)– This bird is only found on the white water islands. BLUE-TAILED EMERALD(Chlorostilbon mellisugus) BLUE-CHINNED SAPPHIRE(Chlorestes notata) GRAY-BREASTED SABREWING(Campylopterus largipennis) FORK-TAILED WOODNYMPH(Thalurania furcata) VERSICOLORED EMERALD(Amazilia versicolor) GLITTERING-THROATED EMERALD(Amazilia fimbriata) RUFOUS-THROATED SAPPHIRE(Hylocharis sapphirina) WHITE-CHINNED SAPPHIRE(Hylocharis cyanus) Trogonidae (Trogons) BLACK-TAILED TROGON(Trogon melanurus)– Seen nicely from the towers. GREEN-BACKED TROGON(Trogon viridis) GUIANAN TROGON(Trogon violaceus)– A male seen very well from the ZF-2 INPA tower. BLUE-CROWNED TROGON(Trogon curucui) Two majestic male Crimson Topaz were seen hawking insects early in the morning at Cachoeira das Lajes private reserve. Photo by participant Roger Holmberg. BLACK-THROATED TROGON(Trogon rufus) Momotidae (Motmots) AMAZONIAN MOTMOT(Momotus momota)[*] Alcedinidae (Kingfishers) RINGED KINGFISHER(Megaceryle torquata) AMAZON KINGFISHER(Chloroceryle amazona) GREEN KINGFISHER(Chloroceryle americana) GREEN-AND-RUFOUS KINGFISHER(Chloroceryle inda) AMERICAN PYGMY KINGFISHER(Chloroceryle aenea) Bucconidae (Puffbirds) WHITE-NECKED PUFFBIRD(Notharchus hyperrhynchus)– Replaces Guianan Puffbird on the west of the Negro river. GUIANAN PUFFBIRD(Notharchus macrorhynchos)– A Guianan shield endemic seen well from the ZF-2 INPA tower. SHORT-TAILED PARROT(Graydidascalus brachyurus)– Hundreds of these loud birds were seen at Marchantaria island. FESTIVE PARROT(Amazona festiva) MEALY PARROT(Amazona farinosa) ORANGE-WINGED PARROT(Amazona amazonica) BLUE-WINGED PARROTLET(Forpus xanthopterygius) RED-FAN PARROT(Deroptyus accipitrinus)– Stunning Parrot! Maybe be most beautiful one in the Neotropics! We had a few nice looks during the tour, especially from the towers. PAINTED PARAKEET(Pyrrhura picta) BROWN-THROATED PARAKEET(Eupsittula pertinax) RED-BELLIED MACAW(Orthopsittaca manilatus) BLUE-AND-YELLOW MACAW(Ara ararauna) SCARLET MACAW(Ara macao)– A very large Parrot flying against the Amazonian canopy is a fantastic view! This is a kind of memory we have from the towers near to Manaus. RED-AND-GREEN MACAW(Ara chloropterus) CHESTNUT-FRONTED MACAW(Ara severus) WHITE-EYED PARAKEET(Psittacara leucophthalmus) Thamnophilidae (Typical Antbirds) ASH-WINGED ANTWREN(Euchrepomis spodioptila)– During our last morning in Pres. Figueiredo, we had a nice flock moving on the forest edge, much lower than usual, for several minutes. Outstanding views of many good species, including this tiny Antwren. Impossible to be better! Green Aracari is a Guianan Shield endemic that we saw visiting the açaí palm trees on the Mari-Mari Lodge grounds. Photo by participant Roger Holmberg. FASCIATED ANTSHRIKE(Cymbilaimus lineatus) BLACK-CRESTED ANTSHRIKE(Sakesphorus canadensis) MOUSE-COLORED ANTSHRIKE(Thamnophilus murinus) CASTELNAU'S ANTSHRIKE(Thamnophilus cryptoleucus)– This is another island specialist only found in white water islands. AMAZONIAN ANTSHRIKE(Thamnophilus amazonicus cinereiceps)– The subspecies "cinereiceps", only found on the north of the Amazon river, doesn't have a black cap as the others do. PEARLY ANTSHRIKE(Megastictus margaritatus) DUSKY-THROATED ANTSHRIKE(Thamnomanes ardesiacus) CINEREOUS ANTSHRIKE(Thamnomanes caesius)– Widespread over the Amazon, this bird is a nuclear species in the understory mixed species flocks. RUFOUS-BELLIED ANTWREN(Isleria guttata)– Another Guianan Shield endemic well seen during the tour. SPOT-WINGED ANTSHRIKE(Pygiptila stellaris)– Usually found with the flocks, an easily distinguished bird by its long bill and very short tail. FULVOUS-THROATED ANTWREN(Epinecrophylla pyrrhonota) PYGMY ANTWREN(Myrmotherula brachyura) CHERRIE'S ANTWREN(Myrmotherula cherriei) KLAGES'S ANTWREN(Myrmotherula klagesi)– Another great bird seen in the islands of the Anavilhanas NP. WHITE-FLANKED ANTWREN(Myrmotherula axillaris) LONG-WINGED ANTWREN(Myrmotherula longipennis) GRAY ANTWREN(Myrmotherula menetriesii) LEADEN ANTWREN(Myrmotherula assimilis)– Tiny little bird found only in flooded forest, we saw these a few times, mainly following the understory mixed flocks. SPOT-BACKED ANTWREN(Herpsilochmus dorsimaculatus) WHITE-FRINGED ANTWREN(Formicivora grisea)– Widespread in the country, this bird is only found in dry forest over the Amazon. We saw it in a Campina forest, near Pres Figueiredo. GUIANAN WARBLING-ANTBIRD(Hypocnemis cantator) YELLOW-BROWED ANTBIRD(Hypocnemis hypoxantha)– Fancy little bird seen a couple of times at Jaú National Park. DUSKY ANTBIRD(Cercomacroides tyrannina) GRAY ANTBIRD(Cercomacra cinerascens) ASH-BREASTED ANTBIRD(Myrmoborus lugubris) BLACK-FACED ANTBIRD(Myrmoborus myotherinus ardesiacus) BLACK-CHINNED ANTBIRD(Hypocnemoides melanopogon) BLACK-HEADED ANTBIRD (HELLMAYR'S)(Percnostola rufifrons subcristata) FERRUGINOUS-BACKED ANTBIRD(Myrmoderus ferrugineus)– One of the greatest birds of the tour, this antbird was seen very well at Cachoeira da Onça private reserve. BLACK-THROATED ANTBIRD(Myrmophylax atrothorax) WHITE-PLUMED ANTBIRD(Pithys albifrons)[*] WHITE-CHEEKED ANTBIRD(Gymnopithys leucaspis)[*] RUFOUS-THROATED ANTBIRD(Gymnopithys rufigula)[*] CHESTNUT-CRESTED ANTBIRD(Rhegmatorhina cristata)– We found an army-ant swarm on the Jaú National Park trails and two of these birds were around but unfortunately, they did not respond very well to the tape and only participant Whitney was able to see the birds. SPOT-BACKED ANTBIRD(Hylophylax naevius)[*] COMMON SCALE-BACKED ANTBIRD(Willisornis poecilinotus) REDDISH-WINGED BARE-EYE(Phlegopsis erythroptera)[*] A gorgeous full moon at Jaú National Park. Photo by participant Rick "The Walrus" Woodruff. Grallariidae (Antpittas) VARIEGATED ANTPITTA(Grallaria varia)[*] Formicariidae (Antthrushes) RUFOUS-CAPPED ANTTHRUSH(Formicarius colma) Furnariidae (Ovenbirds and Woodcreepers) SPOT-THROATED WOODCREEPER(Certhiasomus stictolaemus)– A really hard bird to get. We had nice looks on a Terra-Firme trail at Jaú NP. OLIVACEOUS WOODCREEPER(Sittasomus griseicapillus) LONG-TAILED WOODCREEPER(Deconychura longicauda) WHITE-CHINNED WOODCREEPER(Dendrocincla merula) PLAIN-BROWN WOODCREEPER(Dendrocincla fuliginosa) WEDGE-BILLED WOODCREEPER(Glyphorynchus spirurus) LONG-BILLED WOODCREEPER(Nasica longirostris)– This elegant bird may reach into some deep holes to catch insects using that long bill. AMAZONIAN BARRED-WOODCREEPER(Dendrocolaptes certhia) BLACK-BANDED WOODCREEPER(Dendrocolaptes picumnus)– A large woodcreeper seen very well on our last morning, from the Musa Tower. RED-BILLED WOODCREEPER(Hylexetastes perrotii)– A huge woodcreeper, endemic of the Guianan Shield. We had amazing views at Ducke Reserve, on our very first morning of the tour. STRONG-BILLED WOODCREEPER(Xiphocolaptes promeropirhynchus)[*] STRIPED WOODCREEPER(Xiphorhynchus obsoletus) CHESTNUT-RUMPED WOODCREEPER(Xiphorhynchus pardalotus) OCELLATED WOODCREEPER(Xiphorhynchus ocellatus)– Common in the understory mixed species flocks at Jaú National Park. BUFF-THROATED WOODCREEPER(Xiphorhynchus guttatus) STRAIGHT-BILLED WOODCREEPER(Dendroplex picus) ZIMMER'S WOODCREEPER(Dendroplex kienerii)– This bird, only found in the Amazonian flooded forest, was considered a subspecies of Straight-billed Woodcreeper for many years, distinguished mainly by the color of its feet and voice, that was recorded for the first time only in 1993. CURVE-BILLED SCYTHEBILL(Campylorhamphus procurvoides)– On the way back from the INPA ZF-2 tower, we had a huge flock, including birds in the understory and canopy together. This beautiful woodcreeper was seen a few times foraging with that flock for several minutes. RED-AND-WHITE SPINETAIL(Certhiaxis mustelinus)– Great looks at a pair of birds near to their nest at Marchantaria. WHITE-BELLIED SPINETAIL(Mazaria propinqua) DARK-BREASTED SPINETAIL(Synallaxis albigularis) PALE-BREASTED SPINETAIL(Synallaxis albescens)[*] This year the açaí palm trees were completely full of berries and many birds came in to enjoy it, including this Purple-breasted Cotinga. This gorgeous male was seen around there many times. PhoneSkope video by guide Marcelo Barreiros. OLIVE-GREEN TYRANNULET(Phylloscartes virescens)– It usually takes longer to get, even from the towers and maybe this was the best look we've had in many years! Two birds foraging with a flock 15 feet higher. SLENDER-FOOTED TYRANNULET(Zimmerius gracilipes)– That bird replaces Guianan Tyrannulet on the west of Negro river. GUIANAN TYRANNULET(Zimmerius acer) AMAZONIAN TYRANNULET(Inezia subflava) SHORT-TAILED PYGMY-TYRANT(Myiornis ecaudatus) DOUBLE-BANDED PYGMY-TYRANT(Lophotriccus vitiosus) SNETHLAGE'S TODY-TYRANT(Hemitriccus minor pallens) TODY-TYRANT SP. (Hemitriccus sp. nov.?)– A sister species of Pelzeln's, this bird doesn't have a name yet! WHITE-EYED TODY-TYRANT(Hemitriccus zosterops zosterops)[*] WHITE-EYED TODY-TYRANT(Hemitriccus zosterops rothschildi)[*] PELZELN'S TODY-TYRANT(Hemitriccus inornatus)– It's always a challenge to see this little guy in the canopy, but on this tour we probably had the best looks in many years. A very cooperative individual remained foraging for several minutes near to the group on a Campina trail at Mari-Mari Lodge. RUSTY-FRONTED TODY-FLYCATCHER(Poecilotriccus latirostris) SPOTTED TODY-FLYCATCHER(Todirostrum maculatum) This beautiful little Yellow-billed Jacamar was foraging near to the ground at Cachoeira da Onça private reserve. Photo by participant Roger Holmberg. PAINTED TODY-FLYCATCHER(Todirostrum pictum) YELLOW-BROWED TODY-FLYCATCHER(Todirostrum chrysocrotaphum)[*] BROWNISH TWISTWING(Cnipodectes subbrunneus)[*] YELLOW-OLIVE FLYCATCHER (RIVERINE)(Tolmomyias sulphurescens insignis) YELLOW-MARGINED FLYCATCHER(Tolmomyias assimilis)[*] GRAY-CROWNED FLYCATCHER(Tolmomyias poliocephalus) CINNAMON MANAKIN-TYRANT(Neopipo cinnamomea)[*] WHITE-CRESTED SPADEBILL(Platyrinchus platyrhynchos)– Great looks at Jaú National Park. RUDDY-TAILED FLYCATCHER(Terenotriccus erythrurus)[*] WHISKERED FLYCATCHER(Myiobius barbatus) EULER'S FLYCATCHER(Lathrotriccus euleri) FUSCOUS FLYCATCHER (CAMPINA)(Cnemotriccus fuscatus duidae)– A special bird, only found in the Campina habitats over the Amazon forest. FUSCOUS FLYCATCHER (FUSCOUS)(Cnemotriccus fuscatus fuscatior) RIVERSIDE TYRANT(Knipolegus orenocensis) AMAZONIAN BLACK-TYRANT(Knipolegus poecilocercus)– A pair of birds were seen foraging during our morning at Igarapé Miratucu. RUFOUS-TAILED FLATBILL(Ramphotrigon ruficauda) BRIGHT-RUMPED ATTILA(Attila spadiceus)[*] SIBILANT SIRYSTES(Sirystes sibilator)[*] GRAYISH MOURNER(Rhytipterna simplex) PALE-BELLIED MOURNER(Rhytipterna immunda) DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER(Myiarchus tuberculifer) SWAINSON'S FLYCATCHER(Myiarchus swainsoni phaeonotus) SHORT-CRESTED FLYCATCHER(Myiarchus ferox) BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER(Myiarchus tyrannulus) LESSER KISKADEE(Pitangus lictor) GREAT KISKADEE(Pitangus sulphuratus) BOAT-BILLED FLYCATCHER(Megarynchus pitangua) RUSTY-MARGINED FLYCATCHER(Myiozetetes cayanensis) SOCIAL FLYCATCHER(Myiozetetes similis) YELLOW-THROATED FLYCATCHER(Conopias parvus) THREE-STRIPED FLYCATCHER(Conopias trivirgatus) ISLAND STREAKED FLYCATCHER(Myiodynastes [maculatus] sp. nov.)– Usually seen on the white water island near to Manaus, we saw a single bird singing at theTropical Hotel grounds. PIRATIC FLYCATCHER(Legatus leucophaius) VARIEGATED FLYCATCHER(Empidonomus varius) SULPHURY FLYCATCHER(Tyrannopsis sulphurea)– One of the four species closely related to the Moriche palm trees. WHITE-THROATED KINGBIRD(Tyrannus albogularis) TROPICAL KINGBIRD(Tyrannus melancholicus) The group enjoying the birding at Ducke Reserve, north of Manaus. Photo by participant Gerard Tasset. FORK-TAILED FLYCATCHER(Tyrannus savana) Cotingidae (Cotingas) GUIANAN RED-COTINGA(Phoenicircus carnifex)– This beautiful bird doesn't lek in the same spot, like the Capuchinbird, for example, so it's not easy to find the adult males very often. We had great looks at Cachoeira da Onça private reserve. BLACK-NECKED RED-COTINGA(Phoenicircus nigricollis)[*] GUIANAN COCK-OF-THE-ROCK(Rupicola rupicola)– Even if you visit their arena every year, it is impossible not to feel privileged to be there. Those beautiful orange birds look like flaming torches hanging on the vines. CAPUCHINBIRD(Perissocephalus tricolor)– I do not know if it's better to hear or see this bird! The males do that weird sound all close each other for several minutes. Besides that, it's a big rufous bird with a bald blue head! Oh my god! PURPLE-BREASTED COTINGA(Cotinga cotinga)– At least two adult males and some females were seen feeding on açaí palm trees at Mari-Mari lodge many times. SPANGLED COTINGA(Cotinga cayana) SCREAMING PIHA(Lipaugus vociferans)– The voice of the Amazon! POMPADOUR COTINGA(Xipholena punicea)– It's wonderful to see the males flying over the canopy and even better when we have a fruiting tree near to the tower. Fantastic! Pipridae (Manakins) DWARF TYRANT-MANAKIN(Tyranneutes stolzmanni)[*] TINY TYRANT-MANAKIN(Tyranneutes virescens)– Replaces Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin on the east of Negro river. SAFFRON-CRESTED TYRANT-MANAKIN(Neopelma chrysocephalum) BLACK MANAKIN(Xenopipo atronitens) BLUE-CROWNED MANAKIN(Lepidothrix coronata) WHITE-FRONTED MANAKIN(Lepidothrix serena) YELLOW-CROWNED MANAKIN(Heterocercus flavivertex) WIRE-TAILED MANAKIN(Pipra filicauda)– There's not enough words to describe how cool this bird is. We were very lucky to watch those males displaying! WHITE-CROWNED MANAKIN(Dixiphia pipra) GOLDEN-HEADED MANAKIN(Ceratopipra erythrocephala) WING-BARRED PIPRITES(Piprites chloris) Tityridae (Tityras and Allies) BLACK-TAILED TITYRA(Tityra cayana) VARZEA SCHIFFORNIS(Schiffornis major)[*] BROWN-WINGED SCHIFFORNIS(Schiffornis turdina)[*] DUSKY PURPLETUFT(Iodopleura fusca)– A very rare bird to see near Manaus because the edge of its range is just to the south. We got real nice looks in the Pres Figueiredo area. CINEREOUS BECARD(Pachyramphus rufus) CHESTNUT-CROWNED BECARD(Pachyramphus castaneus) GLOSSY-BACKED BECARD(Pachyramphus surinamus) PINK-THROATED BECARD(Pachyramphus minor)– One of the first birds we saw at Ducke Reserve; a pair of birds foraging with a mixed species flock. Some nice images from the second half of the tour. Photos and videos by guide Bret Whitney. Vireonidae (Vireos, Shrike-Babblers, and Erpornis) RUFOUS-BROWED PEPPERSHRIKE(Cyclarhis gujanensis) ASHY-HEADED GREENLET(Hylophilus pectoralis) GRAY-CHESTED GREENLET(Hylophilus semicinereus) BROWN-HEADED GREENLET(Hylophilus brunneiceps) LEMON-CHESTED GREENLET(Hylophilus thoracicus) SLATY-CAPPED SHRIKE-VIREO(Vireolanius leucotis) DUSKY-CAPPED GREENLET(Pachysylvia hypoxantha)[*] BUFF-CHEEKED GREENLET(Pachysylvia muscicapina)– Replacing Dusky-capped Greenlet on the east bank of the Negro river, this bird is usually found with the canopy flocks and the best way to get it is from the tower, as we did at the ZF-2 INPA tower. RED-EYED VIREO (RESIDENT CHIVI)(Vireo olivaceus solimoensis) Hirundinidae (Swallows) BLACK-COLLARED SWALLOW(Pygochelidon melanoleuca) WHITE-THIGHED SWALLOW(Atticora tibialis) SOUTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW(Stelgidopteryx ruficollis) PURPLE MARTIN(Progne subis) GRAY-BREASTED MARTIN(Progne chalybea) SOUTHERN MARTIN(Progne elegans) BROWN-CHESTED MARTIN(Progne tapera) WHITE-WINGED SWALLOW(Tachycineta albiventer) BANK SWALLOW(Riparia riparia) BARN SWALLOW(Hirundo rustica) Troglodytidae (Wrens) WING-BANDED WREN(Microcerculus bambla) HOUSE WREN(Troglodytes aedon) CORAYA WREN(Pheugopedius coraya) BUFF-BREASTED WREN(Cantorchilus leucotis)[*] Few things are as good as being in the Amazon and having the chance to see and hear the Musician Wren. It's magical. Video by guide Bret Whitney. MUSICIAN WREN(Cyphorhinus arada)– Our "friend" was there and did not disappoint us. It is a pleasure to see and hear such a cooperative individual for a few minutes on the same branch. Polioptilidae (Gnatcatchers) COLLARED GNATWREN(Microbates collaris)[*] LONG-BILLED GNATWREN(Ramphocaenus melanurus) TROPICAL GNATCATCHER(Polioptila plumbea) GUIANAN GNATCATCHER (RIO NEGRO)(Polioptila guianensis facilis) Donacobiidae (Donacobius) BLACK-CAPPED DONACOBIUS(Donacobius atricapilla) Turdidae (Thrushes and Allies) PALE-BREASTED THRUSH(Turdus leucomelas) COCOA THRUSH(Turdus fumigatus) HAUXWELL'S THRUSH(Turdus hauxwelli) BLACK-BILLED THRUSH(Turdus ignobilis) WHITE-NECKED THRUSH(Turdus albicollis) Parulidae (New World Warblers) MASKED YELLOWTHROAT(Geothlypis aequinoctialis) Thraupidae (Tanagers and Allies) RED-CAPPED CARDINAL(Paroaria gularis) RED-BILLED PIED TANAGER(Lamprospiza melanoleuca)[*] HOODED TANAGER(Nemosia pileata) ORANGE-HEADED TANAGER(Thlypopsis sordida)– A pair of birds seen at Marchantaria island. FLAME-CRESTED TANAGER(Tachyphonus cristatus) FULVOUS-CRESTED TANAGER(Tachyphonus surinamus) WHITE-LINED TANAGER(Tachyphonus rufus) RED-SHOULDERED TANAGER(Tachyphonus phoenicius) SILVER-BEAKED TANAGER(Ramphocelus carbo) BLUE-GRAY TANAGER(Thraupis episcopus) PALM TANAGER(Thraupis palmarum) DOTTED TANAGER(Ixothraupis varia)[*] SPOTTED TANAGER(Ixothraupis punctata) TURQUOISE TANAGER(Tangara mexicana) PARADISE TANAGER(Tangara chilensis) OPAL-RUMPED TANAGER(Tangara velia) BLACK-FACED DACNIS(Dacnis lineata) YELLOW-BELLIED DACNIS(Dacnis flaviventer) BLUE DACNIS(Dacnis cayana) PURPLE HONEYCREEPER(Cyanerpes caeruleus) RED-LEGGED HONEYCREEPER(Cyanerpes cyaneus)– Seen well from the ZF-2 INPA tower. GREEN HONEYCREEPER(Chlorophanes spiza) GUIRA TANAGER(Hemithraupis guira) YELLOW-BACKED TANAGER(Hemithraupis flavicollis) BICOLORED CONEBILL(Conirostrum bicolor) PEARLY-BREASTED CONEBILL(Conirostrum margaritae)– Another white water island specialist, this bird is only found in the Cecropia sp. forest. CHESTNUT-VENTED CONEBILL(Conirostrum speciosum) ORANGE-FRONTED YELLOW-FINCH(Sicalis columbiana) BLUE-BLACK GRASSQUIT(Volatinia jacarina) LINED SEEDEATER(Sporophila lineola) CHESTNUT-BELLIED SEEDEATER(Sporophila castaneiventris) White-naped Seedeater was a highlight of the tour! A beautiful male entertained us by singing for several minutes. Photo by tour participant Roger Holmberg. WHITE-NAPED SEEDEATER(Sporophila fringilloides)– We haven't seen this bird during the tour in many years. This year we got lucky and a male was singing spontaneous for us! We also saw a female in the same area. That was FANTASTIC! BANANAQUIT(Coereba flaveola) BUFF-THROATED SALTATOR(Saltator maximus) GRAYISH SALTATOR(Saltator coerulescens) SLATE-COLORED GROSBEAK(Saltator grossus)[*] Passerellidae (New World Buntings and Sparrows) YELLOW-BROWED SPARROW(Ammodramus aurifrons) PECTORAL SPARROW(Arremon taciturnus) Cardinalidae (Cardinals and Allies) YELLOW-GREEN GROSBEAK(Caryothraustes canadensis) BLUE-BLACK GROSBEAK(Cyanoloxia cyanoides)[*] Icteridae (Troupials and Allies) RED-BREASTED MEADOWLARK(Sturnella militaris) GREEN OROPENDOLA(Psarocolius viridis) CRESTED OROPENDOLA(Psarocolius decumanus) SOLITARY BLACK CACIQUE(Cacicus solitarius) YELLOW-RUMPED CACIQUE(Cacicus cela) RED-RUMPED CACIQUE(Cacicus haemorrhous) EPAULET ORIOLE (MORICHE)(Icterus cayanensis chrysocephalus)– Our friend Sibah showed us a pair of birds building a nest near to his house. Thanks a lot, Sibah! SHINY COWBIRD(Molothrus bonariensis) GIANT COWBIRD(Molothrus oryzivorus) ORIOLE BLACKBIRD(Gymnomystax mexicanus) Fringillidae (Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) PLUMBEOUS EUPHONIA(Euphonia plumbea) GOLDEN-BELLIED EUPHONIA(Euphonia chrysopasta) GOLDEN-SIDED EUPHONIA(Euphonia cayennensis)– A male seen from the ZF-2 INPA tower. Here are some extras and outtakes captured by Bret Whitney during this very enjoyable tour. GIANT OTTER(Pteronura brasiliensis)– A group of these majestic creatures seen at Jaú National Park. JAGUARUNDI(Puma yagouaroundi) JAGUAR(Panthera onca)– Lois saw it crossing the trail to access the tower at ZF-2 reserve. Herps SOUTH AMERICAN LANCEHEAD(Bothrops atrox) BLACK CAIMAN(Melanosuchus niger) ADDITIONAL COMMENTS Other nice animals seen during the tour were: Gladiator Tree-frog, Smoky Jungle Frog (Leptodactylus pentadactylus), Red-eyed Treehopper, a Coral Snake, Green Iguana, Cane Toad, a big bat using a termite mount to roosting during the day at Presidente Figueiredo.

/** * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one * or more contributor license agreements. See the NOTICE file * distributed with this work for additional information * regarding copyright ownership. The ASF licenses this file * to you under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the * "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance * with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, * software distributed under the License is distributed on an * "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY * KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the * specific language governing permissions and limitations * under the License. */ package org.apache.apex.malhar.lib.testbench; import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.HashMap; import java.util.Map; import org.junit.Test; import org.slf4j.Logger; import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory; import com.datatorrent.api.Sink; /** * Functional test for {@link org.apache.apex.malhar.lib.testbench.FilteredEventClassifier} for three configuration><p> * <br> * Configuration 1: Provide values and weights<br> * Configuration 2: Provide values but no weights (even weights)<br> * Configuration 3: Provide no values or weights<br> * <br> * Benchmarks: Currently handle about 20 Million tuples/sec incoming tuples in debugging environment. Need to test on larger nodes<br> * <br> * Validates all DRC checks of the node<br> */ public class FilteredEventClassifierTest { private static Logger LOG = LoggerFactory.getLogger(FilteredEventClassifier.class); @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes") class TestSink implements Sink { HashMap<String, Integer> collectedTuples = new HashMap<String, Integer>(); HashMap<String, Double> collectedTupleValues = new HashMap<String, Double>(); /** * * @param payload */ @SuppressWarnings("unchecked") @Override public void put(Object payload) { HashMap<String, Double> tuple = (HashMap<String, Double>)payload; for (Map.Entry<String, Double> e : tuple.entrySet()) { Integer ival = collectedTuples.get(e.getKey()); if (ival == null) { ival = 1; } else { ival = ival + 1; } collectedTuples.put(e.getKey(), ival); collectedTupleValues.put(e.getKey(), e.getValue()); } } /** * */ public void clear() { collectedTuples.clear(); collectedTupleValues.clear(); } @Override public int getCount(boolean reset) { throw new UnsupportedOperationException("Not supported yet."); } } /** * Test node logic emits correct results */ @SuppressWarnings({ "rawtypes", "unchecked" }) @Test public void testNodeProcessing() throws Exception { FilteredEventClassifier<Double> node = new FilteredEventClassifier<Double>(); TestSink classifySink = new TestSink(); node.filter.setSink(classifySink); HashMap<String, Double> kmap = new HashMap<String, Double>(3); kmap.put("a", 1.0); kmap.put("b", 4.0); kmap.put("c", 5.0); ArrayList<Integer> list = new ArrayList<Integer>(3); HashMap<String, ArrayList<Integer>> wmap = new HashMap<String, ArrayList<Integer>>(4); list.add(60); list.add(10); list.add(35); wmap.put("ia", list); list = new ArrayList<Integer>(3); list.add(10); list.add(75); list.add(15); wmap.put("ib", list); list = new ArrayList<Integer>(3); list.add(20); list.add(10); list.add(70); wmap.put("ic", list); list = new ArrayList<Integer>(3); list.add(50); list.add(15); list.add(35); wmap.put("id", list); node.setKeyMap(kmap); node.setKeyWeights(wmap); node.setPassFilter(10); node.setTotalFilter(100); node.setup(null); int numTuples = 10000; HashMap<String, Double> input = new HashMap<String, Double>(); int sentval = 0; node.beginWindow(0); for (int i = 0; i < numTuples; i++) { input.clear(); input.put("a,ia", 2.0); input.put("a,ib", 2.0); input.put("a,ic", 2.0); input.put("a,id", 2.0); input.put("b,ia", 2.0); input.put("b,ib", 2.0); input.put("b,ic", 2.0); input.put("b,id", 2.0); input.put("c,ia", 2.0); input.put("c,ib", 2.0); input.put("c,ic", 2.0); input.put("c,id", 2.0); sentval += 12; node.data.process(input); } node.endWindow(); int ival = 0; for (Map.Entry<String, Integer> e: classifySink.collectedTuples.entrySet()) { ival += e.getValue().intValue(); } LOG.info(String.format( "\n*******************************************************\nFiltered %d out of %d intuples with %d and %d " + "unique keys", ival, sentval, classifySink.collectedTuples.size(), classifySink.collectedTupleValues.size())); for (Map.Entry<String, Double> ve : classifySink.collectedTupleValues.entrySet()) { Integer ieval = classifySink.collectedTuples.get(ve.getKey()); // ieval should not be null? LOG.info(String.format("%d tuples of key \"%s\" has value %f", ieval, ve.getKey(), ve.getValue())); } // Now test a node with no weights FilteredEventClassifier nwnode = new FilteredEventClassifier(); classifySink.clear(); nwnode.filter.setSink(classifySink); nwnode.setKeyMap(kmap); nwnode.setPassFilter(10); nwnode.setTotalFilter(100); nwnode.setup(null); sentval = 0; node.beginWindow(0); for (int i = 0; i < numTuples; i++) { input.clear(); input.put("a,ia", 2.0); input.put("a,ib", 2.0); input.put("a,ic", 2.0); input.put("a,id", 2.0); input.put("b,ia", 2.0); input.put("b,ib", 2.0); input.put("b,ic", 2.0); input.put("b,id", 2.0); input.put("c,ia", 2.0); input.put("c,ib", 2.0); input.put("c,ic", 2.0); input.put("c,id", 2.0); sentval += 12; nwnode.data.process(input); } nwnode.endWindow(); ival = 0; for (Map.Entry<String, Integer> e: classifySink.collectedTuples.entrySet()) { ival += e.getValue().intValue(); } LOG.info(String.format( "\n*******************************************************\nFiltered %d out of %d intuples with %d and %d " + "unique keys", ival, sentval, classifySink.collectedTuples.size(), classifySink.collectedTupleValues.size())); for (Map.Entry<String, Double> ve : classifySink.collectedTupleValues.entrySet()) { Integer ieval = classifySink.collectedTuples.get(ve.getKey()); // ieval should not be null? LOG.info(String.format("%d tuples of key \"%s\" has value %f", ieval.intValue(), ve.getKey(), ve.getValue())); } // Now test a node with no weights and no values FilteredEventClassifier nvnode = new FilteredEventClassifier(); classifySink.clear(); kmap.put("a", 0.0); kmap.put("b", 0.0); kmap.put("c", 0.0); nvnode.filter.setSink(classifySink); nvnode.setKeyMap(kmap); nvnode.setPassFilter(10); nvnode.setTotalFilter(100); nvnode.setup(null); sentval = 0; node.beginWindow(0); for (int i = 0; i < numTuples; i++) { input.clear(); input.put("a,ia", 2.0); input.put("a,ib", 2.0); input.put("a,ic", 2.0); input.put("a,id", 2.0); input.put("b,ia", 2.0); input.put("b,ib", 2.0); input.put("b,ic", 2.0); input.put("b,id", 2.0); input.put("c,ia", 2.0); input.put("c,ib", 2.0); input.put("c,ic", 2.0); input.put("c,id", 2.0); sentval += 12; nvnode.data.process(input); } nvnode.endWindow(); ival = 0; for (Map.Entry<String, Integer> e : classifySink.collectedTuples.entrySet()) { ival += e.getValue(); } LOG.info(String.format( "\n*******************************************************\nFiltered %d out of %d intuples with %d and %d " + "unique keys", ival, sentval, classifySink.collectedTuples.size(), classifySink.collectedTupleValues.size())); for (Map.Entry<String, Double> ve : classifySink.collectedTupleValues.entrySet()) { Integer ieval = classifySink.collectedTuples.get(ve.getKey()); // ieval should not be null? LOG.info(String.format("%d tuples of key \"%s\" has value %f", ieval, ve.getKey(), ve.getValue())); } } }

In the first letter Brigadier General J. C. Persons of the Alabama National Guard sends Governor Benjamin Miller an account of recent events in Birmingham, which was submitted by another officer. The second letter contains the report of Second... Professor S. Ralph Harlow of Smith College writes that he had hoped Chief Justice Anderson's report on the Scottsboro case might have changed the course of things, but is disappointed that their trial will still take place in Decatur, instead of... In the first letter Wright discusses integration efforts at Auburn University, pointing to liberal faculty members as culprits: "You are aware of the fact Southern institutions such as Auburn, in their frantic desire to have all employees with... In the first letter Edwards protests the recent appearance of Ralph McGill, editor of the Atlanta Constitution, on an Auburn television station. On the program McGill criticized Alabama, "the people and their customs." Edwards also encloses a copy... 2010-11-08 QuickView Display a larger image and more item information when the pointer pauses over a thumbnail

Q: actionPerformed method call Java I built an interface and when I call the actionPerformed method it gives me errors. My method: public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evento){ Button active; active = (Button) evento.getSource(); //line 144 if(active==botonSalir) mainF.dispose(); ... } The main method: public static void main(String [] args){ InterfaceE objetoM = new InterfaceE(); objetoM.actionPerformed(); //line 195 } The errors I get are: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException at InterfaceE.actionPerformed(InterfazceE.java:144) at InterfaceE.main(InterfaceE.java:195) What should be the parameters in InterfaceE()? A: you must be invoking method of Interfaz when Interfaz object is not assigned or it must be null inside actionPerformed() method. objectM is not null which is sure as I can see the code. But you have not pasted code for actionPerformed() method. Let's see the code in actionPerformed() method so that we can give you exact answer. Update after your edit in question. aren't you getting compile time error as you have called no argument acionPerformed method ? actionPerformed must be taking anonymous object of ActionEvent class with getSource() method implemented. You are not sending ActionEvent anonymous object in actionPerformed method as a argument. Is your code at line no. 195 looking like, objetoM.actionPerformed(new ActionEvent(){ //this is your line 195 for anonymous object. public ReturnType getSource(){ // some code } } );

Q: Awk, If test to replace 1 column with 2 columns Good day I have the following data matrix 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 2 1 2 2 0 I would like to double the columns according to the following conditions Condition 1 if $i == 0, replace with 1 1 (i.e. in 2 columns) Condition 2 if $i == 1, replace with 1 2 Condition 3 if $i == 2, replace with 2 2 So the expected output for the example, would be 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 I usually use R and Octave matrices but the current matrix in quiet large after a while R get out of memory and it takes long. A: awk 'BEGIN { map[0] = "1 1"; map[1] = "1 2"; map[2] = "2 2" } { for (i = 1; i <= NF; i++) printf "%s", (map[$i] (i < NF ? FS : RS)) }' infile

Strengthening public awareness On Wednesday November 11 the European Union approved a measure labeling Jewish-made goods from Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem and the Golan in a clear anti-Semitic move. Prior to the guidelines being approved, official representatives of the State of Israel as well as initiatives from the U.S Congress and Senate Green Now, the Legal Forum’s environmental sub-organization marked a significant success in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, May 14, following a petition filed in 2012. Green Now petitioned against the dumping of hazardous waste near Bet El. This area,in the Binyamin region,is home to a number of army bases that,since In the last two years, following requests from Holocaust survivors and their families, attorneys from the Legal Forum have been acting within the Knesset and the government to correct injustices in the treatment of Holocaust survivors. After much effort by the Forum and other sources, this week the government approved

describe('nodezip', function() { beforeEach(function() { this.nodezip = require('..')(); }); describe('when initialized', function() { it('should load JSZip in this.nodezip', function() { expect(this.nodezip.options).not.toBeNull(); }); it('should declare JSZip', function() { expect(JSZip).not.toBeNull(); }); }); describe('when archiving a dummy file', function() { beforeEach(function() { this.fs = require("fs"); this.dummyFile = this.nodezip.file('test.file', 'hello there'); this.dummyFileData = this.dummyFile.generate({base64:false,compression:'DEFLATE'}); }); it('should contain valid data', function() { expect(this.dummyFileData).not.toBeNull(); expect(this.dummyFileData).toMatch(/^PK/); expect(this.dummyFileData).toMatch(/test.file/); }); it('should be able to write file', function() { this.fs.writeFileSync('test.zip', this.dummyFileData, 'binary'); expect(this.fs.lstatSync('test.zip')).not.toBeNull() }); it('should be able to deflate file', function() { this.dummyFileData = this.fs.readFileSync('test.zip', 'binary'); this.dummyFile = new JSZip(this.dummyFileData, {base64: false, checkCRC32: true}); expect(this.dummyFile.files['test.file'].asText()).toEqual("hello there"); this.fs.unlink('test.zip'); }); }); });

Actually, that's not surprising. They have CDNs (data servers) all over the world which keep local copies of video/music/apps so that they don't need to continuously clog up the pipes in the middle pushing the same data over and over again. The upshot is that if a major line goes down you can still access your content. I'm just going to get all of the irrational comments out of the way before anybody else does: Steve Jobs is rolling in his urn! This never would have happened if Steve Jobs were alive! Really, Apple? Really?! Wow, just... Wow. Further proof Apple has gone downhill. Figures, more articles on iOS and nothing about any new Macs coming out. (Something about how awesome Android is.) Did I miss anything? - I don't believe Tim Cook's new products anymore - 1GB of RAM ain't enough - This is what you get for having assembly lines in China - Final proof that the iWatch is going to be released. Today. - and the most important of all : "Analists predict that service will be restored in the near or far future."

Table of Contents ================= * [Articles](#articles) * [2018\-01](#2018-01) * [Unsupervised Low\-Dimensional Vector Representations for Words, Phrases and Text that are Transparent, Scalable, and produce Similarity Metrics that are Complementary to Neural Embeddings](#unsupervised-low-dimensional-vector-representations-for-words-phrases--and-text-that-are-transparent-scalable-and-produce-similarity-metrics-that--are-complementary-to-neural-embeddings) * [Knowledge\-based Word Sense Disambiguation using Topic Models](#knowledge-based-word-sense-disambiguation-using-topic-models) * [Unsupervised Part\-of\-Speech Induction](#unsupervised-part-of-speech-induction) * [MaskGAN: Better Text Generation via Filling in the \_\_\_\_\_\_](#maskgan-better-text-generation-via-filling-in-the-______) * [2018\-02](#2018-02) * [Improving Variational Encoder\-Decoders in Dialogue Generation](#improving-variational-encoder-decoders-in-dialogue-generation) * [TextZoo, a New Benchmark for Reconsidering Text Classification](#textzoo-a-new-benchmark-for-reconsidering-text-classification) * [Tensor Comprehensions: Framework\-Agnostic High\-Performance Machine Learning Abstractions](#tensor-comprehensions-framework-agnostic-high-performance-machine--learning-abstractions) * [Ranking Sentences for Extractive Summarization with Reinforcement Learning](#ranking-sentences-for-extractive-summarization-with-reinforcement--learning) * [Deep contextualized word representations](#deep-contextualized-word-representations) * [Latent Topic Conversational Models](#latent-topic-conversational-models) * [Disentangling Aspect and Opinion Words in Target\-based Sentiment Analysis using Lifelong Learning](#disentangling-aspect-and-opinion-words-in-target-based-sentiment--analysis-using-lifelong-learning) * [2018\-03](#2018-03) * [Simple random search provides a competitive approach to reinforcement learning](#simple-random-search-provides-a-competitive-approach-to-reinforcement--learning) * [Achieving Human Parity on AutomaticChinese to English News Translation](#achieving-human-parity-on-automaticchinese-to-english-news-translation) * [Fast Decoding in Sequence Models using Discrete Latent Variables](#fast-decoding-in-sequence-models-using-discrete-latent-variables) * [An Analysis of Neural Language Modeling at Multiple Scales](#an-analysis-of-neural-language-modeling-at-multiple-scales) * [2018\-04](#2018-04) * [Large scale distributed neural network training through online distillation](#large-scale-distributed-neural-network-training-through-online--distillation) * [Frustratingly Easy Meta\-Embedding \-\- Computing Meta\-Embeddings by Averaging Source Word Embeddings](#frustratingly-easy-meta-embedding----computing-meta-embeddings-by--averaging-source-word-embeddings) * [The Best of Both Worlds: Combining Recent Advances in Neural Machine Translation](#the-best-of-both-worlds-combining-recent-advances-in-neural-machine--translation) * [2018\-05](#2018-05) * [Paper Abstract Writing through Editing Mechanism](#paper-abstract-writing-through-editing-mechanism) * [Zero\-Shot Dual Machine Translation](#zero-shot-dual-machine-translation) * [2018\-06](#2018-06) * [TextWorld: A Learning Environment for Text\-based Games](#textworld-a-learning-environment-for-text-based-games) * [2018\-07](#2018-07) * [Talk the Walk: Navigating New York City through Grounded Dialogue](#talk-the-walk-navigating-new-york-city-through-grounded-dialogue) * [2018\-08](#2018-08) * [Fake Sentence Detection as a Training Task for Sentence Encoding](#fake-sentence-detection-as-a-training-task-for-sentence-encoding) * [Dynamic Self\-Attention : Computing Attention over Words Dynamically for Sentence Embedding](#dynamic-self-attention--computing-attention-over-words-dynamically-for--sentence-embedding) * [TaxoGen: Unsupervised Topic Taxonomy Construction by Adaptive Term Embedding and Clustering](#taxogen-unsupervised-topic-taxonomy-construction-by-adaptive-term-embedding-and-clustering) * [Summarizing Opinions: Aspect Extraction Meets Sentiment Prediction and They Are Both Weakly Supervised](#summarizing-opinions-aspect-extraction-meets-sentiment-prediction-and-they-are-both-weakly-supervised) * [2018\-09](#2018-09) * [Adaptive Input Representations for Neural Language Modeling](#adaptive-input-representations-for-neural-language-modeling) * [Weakly\-Supervised Neural Text Classification](#weakly-supervised-neural-text-classification) * [Accelerated Reinforcement Learning for Sentence Generation by Vocabulary Prediction](#accelerated-reinforcement-learning-for-sentence-generation-by-vocabulary-prediction) * [2018\-10](#2018-10) * [Phrase\-Based Attentions](#phrase-based-attentions) * [BERT: Pre\-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding](#bert-pre-training-of-deep-bidirectional-transformers-for-language--understanding) * [2018\-11](#2018-11) * [CALCS: Continuously Approximating Longest Common Subsequence for Sequence Level Optimization](#calcs-continuously-approximating-longest-common-subsequence-for-sequence-level-optimization) * [2018\-12](#2018-12) * [Von Mises\-Fisher Loss for Training Sequence to Sequence Models with Continuous Outputs](#von-mises-fisher-loss-for-training-sequence-to-sequence-models-with-continuous-outputs) Articles ======== ## 2018-01 ### Unsupervised Low-Dimensional Vector Representations for Words, Phrases and Text that are Transparent, Scalable, and produce Similarity Metrics that are Complementary to Neural Embeddings **Authors:** Neil R. Smalheiser, Gary Bonifield **Abstract:** Neural embeddings are a popular set of methods for representing words, phrases or text as a low dimensional vector (typically 50-500 dimensions). However, it is difficult to interpret these dimensions in a meaningful manner, and creating neural embeddings requires extensive training and tuning of multiple parameters and hyperparameters. We present here a simple unsupervised method for representing words, phrases or text as a low dimensional vector, in which the meaning and relative importance of dimensions is transparent to inspection. We have created a near-comprehensive vector representation of words, and selected bigrams, trigrams and abbreviations, using the set of titles and abstracts in PubMed as a corpus. This vector is used to create several novel implicit word-word and text-text similarity metrics. The implicit word-word similarity metrics correlate well with human judgement of word pair similarity and relatedness, and outperform or equal all other reported methods on a variety of biomedical benchmarks, including several implementations of neural embeddings trained on PubMed corpora. Our implicit word-word metrics capture different aspects of word-word relatedness than word2vec-based metrics and are only partially correlated (rho = ~0.5-0.8 depending on task and corpus). The vector representations of words, bigrams, trigrams, abbreviations, and PubMed title+abstracts are all publicly available from [URL](http://arrowsmith.psych.uic.edu) for release under CC-BY-NC license. Several public web query interfaces are also available at the same site, including one which allows the user to specify a given word and view its most closely related terms according to direct co-occurrence as well as different implicit similarity metrics. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.01884 **Notes:** medical-related paper on word embeddings; guys used few tricks over word2vec, like weighted score for 1- & 2-grams or list of important terms; results show their embedding actually improve relatedness of terms for humans; with code! ### Knowledge-based Word Sense Disambiguation using Topic Models **Authors:** Devendra Singh Chaplot, Ruslan Salakhutdinov **Abstract:** Word Sense Disambiguation is an open problem in Natural Language Processing which is particularly challenging and useful in the unsupervised setting where all the words in any given text need to be disambiguated without using any labeled data. Typically WSD systems use the sentence or a small window of words around the target word as the context for disambiguation because their computational complexity scales exponentially with the size of the context. In this paper, we leverage the formalism of topic model to design a WSD system that scales linearly with the number of words in the context. As a result, our system is able to utilize the whole document as the context for a word to be disambiguated. The proposed method is a variant of Latent Dirichlet Allocation in which the topic proportions for a document are replaced by synset proportions. We further utilize the information in the WordNet by assigning a non-uniform prior to synset distribution over words and a logistic-normal prior for document distribution over synsets. We evaluate the proposed method on Senseval-2, Senseval-3, SemEval-2007, SemEval-2013 and SemEval-2015 English All-Word WSD datasets and show that it outperforms the state-of-the-art unsupervised knowledge-based WSD system by a significant margin. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.01900 **Notes:** word sense disambiguation with wordnet, assigning prior as normal distribution; the parameters of normal distribution are determined from corpus at hand; the topics are being modelled by synset disrtibution instead of word themselves ### Unsupervised Part-of-Speech Induction **Authors:** Omid Kashefi **Abstract:** Part-of-Speech (POS) tagging is an old and fundamental task in natural language processing. While supervised POS taggers have shown promising accuracy, it is not always feasible to use supervised methods due to lack of labeled data. In this project, we attempt to unsurprisingly induce POS tags by iteratively looking for a recurring pattern of words through a hierarchical agglomerative clustering process. Our approach shows promising results when compared to the tagging results of the state-of-the-art unsupervised POS taggers. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.03564 **Notes:** unsupervised PoS-tagging; the author use classic backward-forward algorithm to cluster tags produced by HMM; it shows promicing results - only 10% worse that SotA ### MaskGAN: Better Text Generation via Filling in the ______ **Authors:** William Fedus, Ian Goodfellow, Andrew M. Dai **Abstract:** Neural text generation models are often autoregressive language models or seq2seq models. These models generate text by sampling words sequentially, with each word conditioned on the previous word, and are state-of-the-art for several machine translation and summarization benchmarks. These benchmarks are often defined by validation perplexity even though this is not a direct measure of the quality of the generated text. Additionally, these models are typically trained via maxi- mum likelihood and teacher forcing. These methods are well-suited to optimizing perplexity but can result in poor sample quality since generating text requires conditioning on sequences of words that may have never been observed at training time. We propose to improve sample quality using Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), which explicitly train the generator to produce high quality samples and have shown a lot of success in image generation. GANs were originally designed to output differentiable values, so discrete language generation is challenging for them. We claim that validation perplexity alone is not indicative of the quality of text generated by a model. We introduce an actor-critic conditional GAN that fills in missing text conditioned on the surrounding context. We show qualitatively and quantitatively, evidence that this produces more realistic conditional and unconditional text samples compared to a maximum likelihood trained model. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1801.07736 **Notes:** GAN on texts which actually makes sense; gererator is standard seq2seq; discriminator has the same architecture as generator, but it has two outputs: probability for a word to be real and value function, which is used as baseline in REINFORCE for generator ## 2018-02 ### Improving Variational Encoder-Decoders in Dialogue Generation **Authors:** Xiaoyu Shen, Hui Su, Shuzi Niu, Vera Demberg **Abstract:** Variational encoder-decoders (VEDs) have shown promising results in dialogue generation. However, the latent variable distributions are usually approximated by a much simpler model than the powerful RNN structure used for encoding and decoding, yielding the KL-vanishing problem and inconsistent training objective. In this paper, we separate the training step into two phases: The first phase learns to autoencode discrete texts into continuous embeddings, from which the second phase learns to generalize latent representations by reconstructing the encoded embedding. In this case, latent variables are sampled by transforming Gaussian noise through multi-layer perceptrons and are trained with a separate VED model, which has the potential of realizing a much more flexible distribution. We compare our model with current popular models and the experiment demonstrates substantial improvement in both metric-based and human evaluations. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.02032 **Notes:** combined arch for better dialog gen: auto-encoder entangled with conditional VAE; variational HRED for CVAE; CVAE is trained with scheduled sampling; training of the whole model is resembling of GANs: AE or CVAE is freezed while the other has being trained ### TextZoo, a New Benchmark for Reconsidering Text Classification **Authors:** Benyou Wang, Li Wang, Qikang Wei **Abstract:** Text representation is a fundamental concern in Natural Language Processing, especially in text classification. Recently, many neural network approaches with delicate representation model (e.g. FASTTEXT, CNN, RNN and many hybrid models with attention mechanisms) claimed that they achieved state-of-art in specific text classification datasets. However, it lacks an unified benchmark to compare these models and reveals the advantage of each sub-components for various settings. We re-implement more than 20 popular text representation models for classification in more than 10 datasets. In this paper, we reconsider the text classification task in the perspective of neural network and get serval effects with analysis of the above results. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.03656 **Notes:** conceptually simple paper, but the code for it is really useful: guys reimplemented SotA text classification architectures in one manner ### Tensor Comprehensions: Framework-Agnostic High-Performance Machine Learning Abstractions **Authors:** Nicolas Vasilache, Oleksandr Zinenko, Theodoros Theodoridis, Priya Goyal, Zachary DeVito, William S. Moses, Sven Verdoolaege, Andrew Adams, Albert Cohen **Abstract:** Deep learning models with convolutional and recurrent networks are now ubiquitous and analyze massive amounts of audio, image, video, text and graph data, with applications in automatic translation, speech-to-text, scene understanding, ranking user preferences, ad placement, etc. Competing frameworks for building these networks such as TensorFlow, Chainer, CNTK, Torch/PyTorch, Caffe1/2, MXNet and Theano, explore different tradeoffs between usability and expressiveness, research or production orientation and supported hardware. They operate on a DAG of computational operators, wrapping high-performance libraries such as CUDNN (for NVIDIA GPUs) or NNPACK (for various CPUs), and automate memory allocation, synchronization, distribution. Custom operators are needed where the computation does not fit existing high-performance library calls, usually at a high engineering cost. This is frequently required when new operators are invented by researchers: such operators suffer a severe performance penalty, which limits the pace of innovation. Furthermore, even if there is an existing runtime call these frameworks can use, it often doesn't offer optimal performance for a user's particular network architecture and dataset, missing optimizations between operators as well as optimizations that can be done knowing the size and shape of data. Our contributions include (1) a language close to the mathematics of deep learning called Tensor Comprehensions offering both imperative and declarative styles, (2) a polyhedral Just-In-Time compiler to convert a mathematical description of a deep learning DAG into a CUDA kernel with delegated memory management and synchronization, also providing optimizations such as operator fusion and specialization for specific sizes, (3) a compilation cache populated by an autotuner. [Abstract cutoff] **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.04730 **Notes:** really hot engineering work from Facebook: DSL which is really close to mathematic notation, so a researcher could write in it directly, from this DSL an algorithm generates code in CUDA a few times, the best generated code is used for production ### Ranking Sentences for Extractive Summarization with Reinforcement Learning **Authors:** Shashi Narayan, Shay B. Cohen, Mirella Lapata **Abstract:** Single document summarization is the task of producing a shorter version of a document while preserving its principal information content. In this paper we conceptualize extractive summarization as a sentence ranking task and propose a novel training algorithm which globally optimizes the ROUGE evaluation metric through a reinforcement learning objective. We use our algorithm to train a neural summarization model on the CNN and DailyMail datasets and demonstrate experimentally that it outperforms state-of-the-art extractive and abstractive systems when evaluated automatically and by humans. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.08636 **Notes:** new SotA in summarization; CNN for feature extraction from sentences; LSTM for document embedding; embedding based ranking of sentences which are used for summarization; ranking trained by REINFORCE; beam search analog for RL training ### Deep contextualized word representations **Authors:** Matthew E. Peters, Mark Neumann, Mohit Iyyer, Matt Gardner, Christopher Clark, Kenton Lee, Luke Zettlemoyer **Abstract:** We introduce a new type of deep contextualized word representation that models both (1) complex characteristics of word use (e.g., syntax and semantics), and (2) how these uses vary across linguistic contexts (i.e., to model polysemy). Our word vectors are learned functions of the internal states of a deep bidirectional language model (biLM), which is pre-trained on a large text corpus. We show that these representations can be easily added to existing models and significantly improve the state of the art across six challenging NLP problems, including question answering, textual entailment and sentiment analysis. We also present an analysis showing that exposing the deep internals of the pre-trained network is crucial, allowing downstream models to mix different types of semi-supervision signals. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05365 **Notes:** new SotA in NER & other tasks for embeddings; ELMo - n layers of bidirectional language model (4096 LSTM units each direction) and attn over layers, i.e embedding from each layer for each token is taken with softmax weight and summarized ### Latent Topic Conversational Models **Authors:** Tsung-Hsien Wen, Minh-Thang Luong **Abstract:** Despite much success in many large-scale language tasks, sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) models have not been an ideal choice for conversational modeling as they tend to generate generic and repetitive responses. In this paper, we propose a Latent Topic Conversational Model (LTCM) that augments the seq2seq model with a neural topic component to better model human-human conversations. The neural topic component encodes information from the source sentence to build a global “topic” distribution over words, which is then consulted by the seq2seq model to improve generation at each time step. The experimental results show that the proposed LTCM can generate more diverse and interesting responses by sampling from its learnt latent representations. In a subjective human evaluation, the judges also confirm that LTCM is the preferred option comparing to competitive baseline models. **URL:** https://openreview.net/forum?id=S1GUgxgCW **Notes:** generating utterances in dialogues with VAE and topic modelling: before generating a sentense we draw a topic proportion and generate phrase according to it ### Disentangling Aspect and Opinion Words in Target-based Sentiment Analysis using Lifelong Learning **Authors:** Shuai Wang, Mianwei Zhou, Sahisnu Mazumder, Bing Liu, Yi Chang **Abstract:** Given a target name, which can be a product aspect or entity, identifying its aspect words and opinion words in a given corpus is a fine-grained task in target-based sentiment analysis (TSA). This task is challenging, especially when we have no labeled data and we want to perform it for any given domain. To address it, we propose a general two-stage approach. Stage one extracts/groups the target-related words (call t-words) for a given target. This is relatively easy as we can apply an existing semantics-based learning technique. Stage two separates the aspect and opinion words from the grouped t-words, which is challenging because we often do not have enough word-level aspect and opinion labels. In this work, we formulate this problem in a PU learning setting and incorporate the idea of lifelong learning to solve it. Experimental results show the effectiveness of our approach. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1802.05818 **Notes:** Authors are proposing nouvelle technique to extract opinion words from general vocabulary words. They use Amazon review dataset. The key idea here is to found opinion words as being close in multiple domains to base lexicon. ## 2018-03 ### Simple random search provides a competitive approach to reinforcement learning **Authors:** Horia Mania, Aurelia Guy, Benjamin Recht **Abstract:** A common belief in model-free reinforcement learning is that methods based on random search in the parameter space of policies exhibit significantly worse sample complexity than those that explore the space of actions. We dispel such beliefs by introducing a random search method for training static, linear policies for continuous control problems, matching state-of-the-art sample efficiency on the benchmark MuJoCo locomotion tasks. Our method also finds a nearly optimal controller for a challenging instance of the Linear Quadratic Regulator, a classical problem in control theory, when the dynamics are not known. Computationally, our random search algorithm is at least 15 times more efficient than the fastest competing model-free methods on these benchmarks. We take advantage of this computational efficiency to evaluate the performance of our method over hundreds of random seeds and many different hyperparameter configurations for each benchmark task. Our simulations highlight a high variability in performance in these benchmark tasks, suggesting that commonly used estimations of sample efficiency do not adequately evaluate the performance of RL algorithms. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.07055 **Notes:** random search with a few optimizations achieve SotA on continous control tasks! essentially is is random search with scaling of update by reward std. deviation; much more sample efficient then Evolution Strategy; with code! ### Achieving Human Parity on AutomaticChinese to English News Translation **Authors:** Hany Hassan, Anthony Aue, Chang Chen, Vishal Chowdhary, Jonathan Clark, Christian Federmann, Xuedong Huang, Marcin Junczys-Dowmunt, William Lewis, Mu Li, Shujie Liu, Tie-Yan Liu, Renqian Luo, Arul Menezes, Tao Qin, Frank Seide, Xu Tan, Fei Tian, Lijun Wu, Shuangzhi Wu, Yingce Xia, Dongdong Zhang, Zhirui Zhang, and Ming Zhou **Abstract:** Machine translation has made rapid advances in recent years. Millions of people are using it today in online translation systems and mobile applications in order to communicate across language barriers. The question naturally arises whether such systems can approach or achieve parity with human translations. In this paper, we first address the problem of how to define and accurately measure human parity in translation. We then describe Microsoft’s machine translation system and measure the quality of its translations on the widely used WMT 2017 news translation task from Chinese to English. We find that our latest neural machine translation system has reached a new state-of-the-art, and that the translation quality is at human parity when compared to professional human translations. We also find that it significantly exceeds the quality of crowd-sourced non-professional translations. **URL:** https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/uploads/prod/2018/03/final-achieving-human.pdf **Notes:** human level performance in MT from MSFT! really strong claim proved in reliefingly narrow domain of English/Chinese news; not sure if the reference-matching measures are good for MT; arch is Transformer with joint unservised training on monolingual corpora ### Fast Decoding in Sequence Models using Discrete Latent Variables **Authors:** Łukasz Kaiser, Aurko Roy, Ashish Vaswani, Niki Parmar, Samy Bengio, Jakob Uszkoreit, Noam Shazeer **Abstract:** Autoregressive sequence models based on deep neural networks, such as RNNs, Wavenet and the Transformer attain state-of-the-art results on many tasks. However, they are difficult to parallelize and are thus slow at processing long sequences. RNNs lack parallelism both during training and decoding, while architectures like WaveNet and Transformer are much more parallelizable during training, yet still operate sequentially during decoding. Inspired by [arxiv:[URL](/abs/1711.00937)], we present a method to extend sequence models using discrete latent variables that makes decoding much more parallelizable. We first auto-encode the target sequence into a shorter sequence of discrete latent variables, which at inference time is generated autoregressively, and finally decode the output sequence from this shorter latent sequence in parallel. To this end, we introduce a novel method for constructing a sequence of discrete latent variables and compare it with previously introduced methods. Finally, we evaluate our model end-to-end on the task of neural machine translation, where it is an order of magnitude faster at decoding than comparable autoregressive models. While lower in BLEU than purely autoregressive models, our model achieves higher scores than previously proposed non-autogregressive translation models. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.03382 **Notes:** great work from Google; like Non-Autoregressive Trasformer; vector quantization as projection on subspaces; the reconstruction loss for latent space and input with AE; convolutions instead of fully-connecteds; latent variables instead of fertility rate in NAT ### An Analysis of Neural Language Modeling at Multiple Scales **Authors:** Stephen Merity, Nitish Shirish Keskar, Richard Socher **Abstract:** Many of the leading approaches in language modeling introduce novel, complex and specialized architectures. We take existing state-of-the-art word level language models based on LSTMs and QRNNs and extend them to both larger vocabularies as well as character-level granularity. When properly tuned, LSTMs and QRNNs achieve state-of-the-art results on character-level (Penn Treebank, enwik8) and word-level (WikiText-103) datasets, respectively. Results are obtained in only 12 hours (WikiText-103) to 2 days (enwik8) using a single modern GPU. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.08240 **Notes:** new paper from Salesforce: larger well-tuned LSTM (and QRNN) are giving SotA results in language modelling; in addition they use longer BPTT (150) and tied adaptive softmax; interestingly they found that QRNN need to be deeper than LSTM for these tasks ## 2018-04 ### Large scale distributed neural network training through online distillation **Authors:** Rohan Anil, Gabriel Pereyra, Alexandre Passos, Robert Ormandi, George E. Dahl, Geoffrey E. Hinton **Abstract:** Techniques such as ensembling and distillation promise model quality improvements when paired with almost any base model. However, due to increased test-time cost (for ensembles) and increased complexity of the training pipeline (for distillation), these techniques are challenging to use in industrial settings. In this paper we explore a variant of distillation which is relatively straightforward to use as it does not require a complicated multi-stage setup or many new hyperparameters. Our first claim is that online distillation enables us to use extra parallelism to fit very large datasets about twice as fast. Crucially, we can still speed up training even after we have already reached the point at which additional parallelism provides no benefit for synchronous or asynchronous stochastic gradient descent. Two neural networks trained on disjoint subsets of the data can share knowledge by encouraging each model to agree with the predictions the other model would have made. These predictions can come from a stale version of the other model so they can be safely computed using weights that only rarely get transmitted. Our second claim is that online distillation is a cost-effective way to make the exact predictions of a model dramatically more reproducible. We support our claims using experiments on the Criteo Display Ad Challenge dataset, ImageNet, and the largest to-date dataset used for neural language modeling, containing $6\times 10^{11}$ tokens and based on the Common Crawl repository of web data. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.03235 **Notes:** Google large scale language modelling. It is 20 _Terabytes_ of texts with 673 billion tokens. The algorithm they propose called codistillation: distributed learning of similar models with additional loss for each model to predist close to others results. ### Frustratingly Easy Meta-Embedding -- Computing Meta-Embeddings by Averaging Source Word Embeddings **Authors:** Joshua Coates, Danushka Bollegala **Abstract:** Creating accurate meta-embeddings from pre-trained source embeddings has received attention lately. Methods based on global and locally-linear transformation and concatenation have shown to produce accurate meta-embeddings. In this paper, we show that the arithmetic mean of two distinct word embedding sets yields a performant meta-embedding that is comparable or better than more complex meta-embedding learning methods. The result seems counter-intuitive given that vector spaces in different source embeddings are not comparable and cannot be simply averaged. We give insight into why averaging can still produce accurate meta-embedding despite the incomparability of the source vector spaces. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.05262 **Notes:** really simple claim - averaging of different embedding makes them better; it is proved on datasets for semantic properties of words; interestingly averaging is slighly worse then concatenation but don't requires extra storage space ### The Best of Both Worlds: Combining Recent Advances in Neural Machine Translation **Authors:** Mia Xu Chen, Orhan Firat, Ankur Bapna, Melvin Johnson, Wolfgang Macherey, George Foster, Llion Jones, Niki Parmar, Mike Schuster, Zhifeng Chen, Yonghui Wu, Macduff Hughes **Abstract:** The past year has witnessed rapid advances in sequence-to-sequence (seq2seq) modeling for Machine Translation (MT). The classic RNN-based approaches to MT were first out-performed by the convolutional seq2seq model, which was then out-performed by the more recent Transformer model. Each of these new approaches consists of a fundamental architecture accompanied by a set of modeling and training techniques that are in principle applicable to other seq2seq architectures. In this paper, we tease apart the new architectures and their accompanying techniques in two ways. First, we identify several key modeling and training techniques, and apply them to the RNN architecture, yielding a new RNMT+ model that outperforms all of the three fundamental architectures on the benchmark WMT'14 English to French and English to German tasks. Second, we analyze the properties of each fundamental seq2seq architecture and devise new hybrid architectures intended to combine their strengths. Our hybrid models obtain further improvements, outperforming the RNMT+ model on both benchmark datasets. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1804.09849 **Notes:** Google's paper on combination of multi-head and ol' good RNNs; it's somewhat surprisingly better in NMT task; as reguralizers authors use Label Smoothing, Dropout and Weight Decay; an ablation study shows that LS is even more important for NMT than MH attn ## 2018-05 ### Paper Abstract Writing through Editing Mechanism **Authors:** Qingyun Wang, Zhihao Zhou, Lifu Huang, Spencer Whitehead, Boliang Zhang, Heng Ji, Kevin Knight **Abstract:** We present a paper abstract writing system based on an attentive neural sequence-to-sequence model that can take a title as input and automatically generate an abstract. We design a novel Writing-editing Network that can attend to both the title and the previously generated abstract drafts and then iteratively revise and polish the abstract. With two series of Turing tests, where the human judges are asked to distinguish the system-generated abstracts from human-written ones, our system passes Turing tests by junior domain experts at a rate up to 30% and by non-expert at a rate up to 80%. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.06064 **Notes:** generate abstract from title; dataset id published; two networks: writing and editing ones, which relates to back-translation; Attentinve Revision Gate; ROUGE, METEOR and Turing tests (METEOR correlates with the latter, surprisingly) ### Zero-Shot Dual Machine Translation **Authors:** Lierni Sestorain, Massimiliano Ciaramita, Christian Buck, Thomas Hofmann **Abstract:** Neural Machine Translation (NMT) systems rely on large amounts of parallel data. This is a major challenge for low-resource languages. Building on recent work on unsupervised and semi-supervised methods, we present an approach that combines zero-shot and dual learning. The latter relies on reinforcement learning, to exploit the duality of the machine translation task, and requires only monolingual data for the target language pair. Experiments show that a zero-shot dual system, trained on English-French and English-Spanish, outperforms by large margins a standard NMT system in zero-shot translation performance on Spanish-French (both directions). The zero-shot dual method approaches the performance, within 2.2 BLEU points, of a comparable supervised setting. Our method can obtain improvements also on the setting where a small amount of parallel data for the zero-shot language pair is available. Adding Russian, to extend our experiments to jointly modeling 6 zero-shot translation directions, all directions improve between 4 and 15 BLEU points, again, reaching performance near that of the supervised setting. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1805.10338 **Notes:** Google's fresh paper on semi-supervised NMT; zero-shot & back-translation inside; it is still pretty far from supervised models, but that approach adds 2-5 point to every language they tried (UN offial languages); and they opensourcing the model! ## 2018-06 ### TextWorld: A Learning Environment for Text-based Games **Authors:** Marc-Alexandre Côté, Ákos Kádár, Xingdi Yuan, Ben Kybartas, Tavian Barnes, Emery Fine, James Moore, Matthew Hausknecht, Layla El Asri, Mahmoud Adada, Wendy Tay, Adam Trischler **Abstract:** We introduce TextWorld, a sandbox learning environment for the training and evaluation of RL agents on text-based games. TextWorld is a Python library that handles interactive play-through of text games, as well as backend functions like state tracking and reward assignment. It comes with a curated list of games whose features and challenges we have analyzed. More significantly, it enables users to handcraft or automatically generate new games. Its generative mechanisms give precise control over the difficulty, scope, and language of constructed games, and can be used to relax challenges inherent to commercial text games like partial observability and sparse rewards. By generating sets of varied but similar games, TextWorld can also be used to study generalization and transfer learning. We cast text-based games in the Reinforcement Learning formalism, use our framework to develop a set of benchmark games, and evaluate several baseline agents on this set and the curated list. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1806.11532 **Notes:** oh, yes! I've been waiting for that: text quests environment for RL agents! Thanks to MSR and colleagues from McGill! They use classic text adventures from the 80s as a Pierian spring, they introduce fwd and bkwd generation using generative grammars ## 2018-07 ### Talk the Walk: Navigating New York City through Grounded Dialogue **Authors:** Harm de Vries, Kurt Shuster, Dhruv Batra, Devi Parikh, Jason Weston, Douwe Kiela **Abstract:** We introduce "Talk The Walk", the first large-scale dialogue dataset grounded in action and perception. The task involves two agents (a "guide" and a "tourist") that communicate via natural language in order to achieve a common goal: having the tourist navigate to a given target location. The task and dataset, which are described in detail, are challenging and their full solution is an open problem that we pose to the community. We (i) focus on the task of tourist localization and develop the novel Masked Attention for Spatial Convolutions (MASC) mechanism that allows for grounding tourist utterances into the guide's map, (ii) show it yields significant improvements for both emergent and natural language communication, and (iii) using this method, we establish non-trivial baselines on the full task. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1807.03367 **Notes:** the next step in grounding natural language: now it's dialog-based orientation in virtual environment (Google StreetView); NLP, CV and RL mix; innovative MASC - transformation of landmark embeddings to directions for a "tourist"-agent ## 2018-08 ### Fake Sentence Detection as a Training Task for Sentence Encoding **Authors:** Viresh Ranjan, Heeyoung Kwon, Niranjan Balasubramanian, Minh Hoai **Abstract:** Sentence encoders are typically trained on language modeling tasks which enable them to use large unlabeled datasets. While these models achieve state-of-the-art results on many sentence-level tasks, they are difficult to train with long training cycles. We introduce fake sentence detection as a new training task for learning sentence encodings. We automatically generate fake sentences by corrupting some original sentence and train the encoders to produce representations that are effective at detecting fake sentences. This binary classification task allows for efficient training and forces the encoder to learn the distinctions introduced by a small edit to sentences. We train a basic BiLSTM encoder to produce sentence representations and find that it outperforms a strong sentence encoding model trained on language modeling tasks, while also training much faster on smaller amount of data (20 hours instead of weeks). Further analysis shows the learned representations capture many syntactic and semantic properties expected from good sentence representations. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.03840 **Notes:** really nice work on transfer learning in NLP; authors improve SotA results on 5 classification and 1 retrieve tasks with usage of additional goal for a learning - the detection of fake sentences produced by word drop and word shuffle ### Dynamic Self-Attention : Computing Attention over Words Dynamically for Sentence Embedding **Authors:** Deunsol Yoon, Dongbok Lee, SangKeun Lee **Abstract:** In this paper, we propose Dynamic Self-Attention (DSA), a new self-attention mechanism for sentence embedding. We design DSA by modifying dynamic routing in capsule network (Sabouretal.,2017) for natural language processing. DSA attends to informative words with a dynamic weight vector. We achieve new state-of-the-art results among sentence encoding methods in Stanford Natural Language Inference (SNLI) dataset with the least number of parameters, while showing comparative results in Stanford Sentiment Treebank (SST) dataset. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.07383 **Notes:** dynamic sentence embeddings with usage of dense CNN and (interesting!) simplified capsules; dynamic attention is an algorithm of iterative recomputation of simple attention with addition nonlinearity applied; new SotA on SNLI ### TaxoGen: Unsupervised Topic Taxonomy Construction by Adaptive Term Embedding and Clustering **Authors:** Chao Zhang, Fangbo Tao, Xiusi Chen, Jiaming Shen, Meng Jiang, Brian Sadler, Michelle Vanni, and Jiawei Han **Abstract:** Taxonomy construction is not only a fundamental task for semantic analysis of text corpora, but also an important step for applications such as information filtering, recommendation, and Web search. Existing pattern-based methods extract hypernym-hyponym term pairs and then organize these pairs into a taxonomy. However, by considering each term as an independent concept node, they overlook the topical proximity and the semantic correlations among terms. In this paper, we propose a method for constructing topic taxonomies, wherein every node represents a conceptual topic and is defined as a cluster of semantically coherent concept terms. Our method, TaxoGen, uses term embeddings and hierarchical clustering to construct a topic taxonomy in a recursive fashion. To ensure the quality of the recursive process, it consists of: (1) an adaptive spherical clustering module for allocating terms to proper levels when splitting a coarse topic into fine-grained ones; (2) a local embedding module for learning term embeddings that maintain strong discriminative power at different levels of the taxonomy. Our experiments on two real datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of TaxoGen compared with baseline methods. **URL:** https://research.fb.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/TaxoGen-Unsupervised-Topic-Taxonomy-Construction-by-Adaptive-Term-Embedding-and-Clustering.pdf **Notes:** taxonomy generation w/o supervision; authors use spherical K-means, a relevance and the local embeddings for sub-topic construction; the relevance is more sophisticated TF-IDF; the local embs are constructed from subcorpora from (again) clustering ### Summarizing Opinions: Aspect Extraction Meets Sentiment Prediction and They Are Both Weakly Supervised **Authors:** Stefanos Angelidis, Mirella Lapata **Abstract:** We present a neural framework for opinion summarization from online product reviews which is knowledge-lean and only requires light supervision (e.g., in the form of product domain labels and user-provided ratings). Our method combines two weakly supervised components to identify salient opinions and form extractive summaries from multiple reviews: an aspect extractor trained under a multi-task objective, and a sentiment predictor based on multiple instance learning. We introduce an opinion summarization dataset that includes a training set of product reviews from six diverse domains and human-annotated development and test sets with gold standard aspect annotations, salience labels, and opinion summaries. Automatic evaluation shows significant improvements over baselines, and a large-scale study indicates that our opinion summaries are preferred by human judges according to multiple criteria. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.08858 **Notes:** interesting approach to summarization of user reviews: authors use aspect extraction, sentiment analysis and semantic duplication removal to produce a summary of user opinions on one item; with code & data! ## 2018-09 ### Adaptive Input Representations for Neural Language Modeling **Authors:** Alexei Baevski, Michael Auli **Abstract:** We introduce adaptive input representations for neural language modeling which extend the adaptive softmax of Grave et al. (2017) to input representations of variable capacity. There are several choices on how to factorize the input and output layers, and whether to model words, characters or sub-word units. We perform a systematic comparison of popular choices for a self-attentional architecture. Our experiments show that models equipped with adaptive embeddings are more than twice as fast to train than the popular character input CNN while having a lower number of parameters. On the WikiText-103 benchmark we achieve 18.7 perplexity, an improvement of 10.5 perplexity compared to the previously best published result and on the Billion Word benchmark, we achieve 23.02 perplexity. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.10853 **Notes:** Transformer is definitely ground breaking, next step in word embeddings - different number of dimensions for different frequency bins; a Transformer decoder with a few tweaks projects its hidden state to different capacity embeddings ### Weakly-Supervised Neural Text Classification **Authors:** Yu Meng, Jiaming Shen, Chao Zhang, Jiawei Han **Abstract:** Deep neural networks are gaining increasing popularity for the classic text classification task, due to their strong expressive power and less requirement for feature engineering. Despite such attractiveness, neural text classification models suffer from the lack of training data in many real-world applications. Although many semi-supervised and weakly-supervised text classification models exist, they cannot be easily applied to deep neural models and meanwhile support limited supervision types. In this paper, we propose a weakly-supervised method that addresses the lack of training data in neural text classification. Our method consists of two modules: (1) a pseudo-document generator that leverages seed information to generate pseudo-labeled documents for model pre-training, and (2) a self-training module that bootstraps on real unlabeled data for model refinement. Our method has the flexibility to handle different types of weak supervision and can be easily integrated into existing deep neural models for text classification. We have performed extensive experiments on three real-world datasets from different domains. The results demonstrate that our proposed method achieves inspiring performance without requiring excessive training data and outperforms baseline methods significantly. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.01478 **Notes:** authors construct vMF distribution to sample word vectors for keywords and generate pseudo-docs using these keywords for clf; the procedure itself is closely related to LDA motivation but its samples whole embeddings instead; with code! ### Accelerated Reinforcement Learning for Sentence Generation by Vocabulary Prediction **Authors:** Kazuma Hashimoto, Yoshimasa Tsuruoka **Abstract:** A major obstacle in reinforcement learning-based sentence generation is the large action space whose size is equal to the vocabulary size of the target-side language. To improve the efficiency of reinforcement learning, we present a novel approach for reducing the action space based on dynamic vocabulary prediction. Our method first predicts a fixed-size small vocabulary for each input to generate its target sentence. The input-specific vocabularies are then used at supervised and reinforcement learning steps, and also at test time. In our experiments on six machine translation and two image captioning datasets, our method achieves faster reinforcement learning ($\sim$2.7x faster) with less GPU memory ($\sim$2.3x less) than the full-vocabulary counterpart. The reinforcement learning with our method consistently leads to significant improvement of BLEU scores, and the scores are equal to or better than those of baselines using the full vocabularies, with faster decoding time ($\sim$3x faster) on CPUs. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1809.01694 **Notes:** a technique to select important words from a dictionary for sentence generation task; authors use this cherry-picked dictionary to form an action space for reinforcement algorithms and get faster training, inference and less memory consumption; with code! ## 2018-10 ### Phrase-Based Attentions **Authors:** Phi Xuan Nguyen, Shafiq Joty **Abstract:** Most state-of-the-art neural machine translation systems, despite being different in architectural skeletons (e.g. recurrence, convolutional), share an indispensable feature: the Attention. However, most existing attention methods are token-based and ignore the importance of phrasal alignments, the key ingredient for the success of phrase-based statistical machine translation. In this paper, we propose novel phrase-based attention methods to model n-grams of tokens as attention entities. We incorporate our phrase-based attentions into the recently proposed Transformer network, and demonstrate that our approach yields improvements of 1.3 BLEU for English-to-German and 0.5 BLEU for German-to-English translation tasks on WMT newstest2014 using WMT'16 training data. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.03444 **Notes:** convolutional attention prings back multi-word expressions to machine translation; the core idea is to produce one vector from each n-gram and combine it with traditional [multi-head] attention; new SotA on En-De & De-En ### BERT: Pre-training of Deep Bidirectional Transformers for Language Understanding **Authors:** Jacob Devlin, Ming-Wei Chang, Kenton Lee, Kristina Toutanova **Abstract:** We introduce a new language representation model called BERT, which stands for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. Unlike recent language representation models, BERT is designed to pre-train deep bidirectional representations by jointly conditioning on both left and right context in all layers. As a result, the pre-trained BERT representations can be fine-tuned with just one additional output layer to create state-of-the-art models for a wide range of tasks, such as question answering and language inference, without substantial task-specific architecture modifications. BERT is conceptually simple and empirically powerful. It obtains new state-of-the-art results on eleven natural language processing tasks, including pushing the GLUE benchmark to 80.4% (7.6% absolute improvement), MultiNLI accuracy to 86.7 (5.6% absolute improvement) and the SQuAD v1.1 question answering Test F1 to 93.2 (1.5% absolute improvement), outperforming human performance by 2.0%. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1810.04805 **Notes:** new SotA on many tasks from Google; bidirectional transformer language model, which is trained for 1M steps with 128k words/batch; for downstream tasks they train additional output layer with small lr; closely resembles OpenAI GPT, but bigger & better ## 2018-11 ### CALCS: Continuously Approximating Longest Common Subsequence for Sequence Level Optimization **Authors:** Semih Yavuz, Chung-Cheng Chiu, Patrick Nguyen, Yonghui Wu **Abstract:** Maximum-likelihood estimation (MLE) is one of the most widely used approaches for training structured prediction models for textgeneration based natural language processing applications. However, besides exposure bias, models trained with MLE suffer from wrong objective problem where they are trained to maximize the word-level correct next step prediction, but are evaluated with respect to sequence-level discrete metrics such as ROUGE and BLEU. Several variants of policy-gradient methods address some of these problems by optimizing for final discrete evaluation metrics and showing improvements over MLE training for downstream tasks like text summarization and machine translation. However, policy-gradient methods suffers from high sample variance, making the training process very difficult and unstable. In this paper, we present an alternative direction towards mitigating this problem by introducing a new objective (CALCS) based on a differentiable surrogate of longest common subsequence (LCS) measure that captures sequence-level structure similarity. Experimental results on abstractive summarization and machine translation validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. **URL:** http://aclweb.org/anthology/D18-1406 **Notes:** continuous approximation of longest common subsequence (LCS) from Google; nice math proof as for me; shows improvement in machine translation and abstractive summarization on transformer and pointer-nets ## 2018-12 ### Von Mises-Fisher Loss for Training Sequence to Sequence Models with Continuous Outputs **Authors:** Sachin Kumar, Yulia Tsvetkov **Abstract:** The Softmax function is used in the final layer of nearly all existing sequence-to-sequence models for language generation. However, it is usually the slowest layer to compute which limits the vocabulary size to a subset of most frequent types; and it has a large memory footprint. We propose a general technique for replacing the softmax layer with a continuous embedding layer. Our primary innovations are a novel probabilistic loss, and a training and inference procedure in which we generate a probability distribution over pre-trained word embeddings, instead of a multinomial distribution over the vocabulary obtained via softmax. We evaluate this new class of sequence-to-sequence models with continuous outputs on the task of neural machine translation. We show that our models obtain upto 2.5x speed-up in training time while performing on par with the state-of-the-art models in terms of translation quality. These models are capable of handling very large vocabularies without compromising on translation quality. They also produce more meaningful errors than in the softmax-based models, as these errors typically lie in a subspace of the vector space of the reference translations. **URL:** https://arxiv.org/abs/1812.04616 **Notes:** long awaited SoftMax replacement: predicting a word emb instead of a vocab index; computation of NLLvMF loss is 2x faster than SM; interestingly, this loss became possible only two years back when the tight lower bound for Bessel's functions was proven

Monday, March 20, 2017 HOLY SEE : Papal agency marks 90 years of quietly serving poor from Ukraine to India A Catholic organisation has celebrated 90 years of quiet service to the poor in the Middle East, northeast Africa, India and eastern Europe. Mgr John Kozar, secretary of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, said the agency maintains a low profile because it works through and with the local Church. “They know best how to represent the face of Christ. We trust their experience, holiness and knowledge about how to govern and care for their people,” he said in an interview with Catholic News Service (CNS). The mission of the organisation is to serve and accompany Eastern Catholic churches in pastoral and humanitarian activities, generally at the level of the diocese or eparchy, Mgr Kozar said. A secondary mission is to share the needs of the Eastern churches with people in North America who may be confused about where Eastern churches fit in the larger Catholic picture. Eastern Catholic churches have their origins in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, India or northeast Africa, have distinctive liturgical and legal systems, and are often identified by the national or ethnic character of their region of origin. Members of the 22 Eastern Catholic churches enjoy the same dignity, rights and obligations as members of the Latin Church. Msgr Kozar said people in North America have little exposure to Eastern churches and he takes it in stride when asked if Eastern Catholics are “really Catholic” and if they are under the authority of Pope Francis. “I say, ‘Yes! We are one church with two very enriching traditions, Latin and Eastern.'” He said Eastern Catholic churches are typically smaller than Latin churches. Many have deep historic roots and are in areas of suffering and religious persecution. Catholic Near East Welfare Association was founded in 1926 in response to a request by Pope Pius XI to unite all American Catholic organisations providing aid to Russia and the Near East. Near East is an imprecise geographic term that encompasses southwest Asia and the Arabian Peninsula. As a papal organisation, it has a mandate from the Vatican to support the Eastern Catholic Church. Another mandate of the agency is to work for union among Catholic and non-Catholic Eastern churches, including the Orthodox churches. In recent years, the association spent approximately $22 million annually on assistance in 14 countries. The abiding challenge is with refugees and displaced persons in the Middle East, especially Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, Mgr Kozar said. Access in Syria has been sharply limited because of the ongoing conflict, but the organisation is still helping the local churches provide milk, bedding, diapers and antibiotics to their people. “There are heroic priests, Sisters and bishops who never left. Some Catholics and other Christians have been hunkered down for more than five years,” he said. Catholic Near East Welfare Association also is active in areas where the Church has experienced persecution, such as Egypt. In one town, the agency funded the repair of a section of a burned-out orphanage so the Sisters living there could continue to care for 15 children. The orphanage was one of 55 church properties damaged in anti-Christian violence during 2013. The agency also supports school feeding programmes for children in drought-affected parts of the horn of Africa. It serves some of the million families displaced in Ukraine as a result of fighting along the border with Russia. In India, the agency supports evangelisation in the remote tribal areas in the northern part of the country. “It’s very uplifting how people have a yearning to have a different experience of God or to experience him for the first time,” said Mgr Kozar, who has visited the area several times. “It’s the most basic form of evangelisation,” he said. “Priests and sisters live in villages with indigenous peoples and share their prayer life in a very basic way.” The two Eastern Catholic churches in India are the Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara, which trace their origins to St Thomas the Apostle. Pope Francis is expected to travel to India this year, possibly in November. Mgr Kozar said the visit will give hope to the people and encourage them to continue their many good works of charity and service. He said Catholics comprise only 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent of the population. “The Catholic Church contributes tremendously to the education environment, medical care and social services, disproportionate to our numbers,” he said. Catholic Near East Welfare Association works to empower Eastern Catholic churches through education and formation of religious, clergy and communities, according to Michael La Civita, the agency’s communications director. “We’re not teaching them how to be a church. We’re providing resources and sometimes know-how to build more responsive and holy churches,” he told CNS. “They start with a foundation and it has to be sustainable, so we have to be invisible.” “These are churches rooted in the time of Jesus and the apostles, and filled with men and women doing great things,” he said. Instead of falling into despair because of extraordinary challenges in the current day, “they are motivated by the Gospel to do something to change the situation,” he said. Although the organisation’s efforts are “for, through and with” the Eastern Catholic churches, La Civita said humanitarian aid is provided to all as a witness to the Gospel. “This requires us to be in dialogue of other communities of faith,” he said. La Civita said the agency’s accompaniment extends to Orthodox and other Christian and non-Christian traditions. It also participates in national and local Catholic dialogues with Muslims, Jews and Orthodox. As Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Dolan serves as the agency’s chairman.“In this role I have visited a number of Eastern churches in some very challenging areas of the world,” he said in response to a question from CNS. “This papal agency is focused on, as Pope Francis would say, accompaniment – reaching out in a pastoral way to demonstrate solidarity of the Holy Father and the Church universal with these local churches that suffer greatly, and are even persecuted,” the cardinal said. “Our message is clear and simple: You are not alone. We are here, and we love you.”

The allegations that Sen. Al Franken forcibly kissed and groped radio host Leeann Tweeden in 2006 and groped another woman in 2010 came at an unfortunate time for Democrats. Instead of addressing the numerous (and more severe) allegations against Alabama Senate candidate and accused pedophile Roy Moore, the right could simply ask why Franken, who until the allegations were revealed was a much-loved and respected congressman, wasn’t also disqualified from serving in Congress. Trump himself used this defense on Twitter, tweeting “The Al Frankenstien [sic] picture is really bad, speaks a thousand words. Where do his hands go in pictures 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 while she sleeps?” Fortunately, the vast majority of liberals did condemn Franken’s behavior. Within a few hours of the Tweeden allegations, The New York Times, Slate and Vice all published op-eds demanding that Franken resign. Actress Alyssa Milano, who started the #MeToo hashtag in response to the Weinstein revelations, tweeted that Franken “should not be in a position to represent the female constituents in [his] state.” Even CNN’s Chris Cillizza, the most milquetoast man alive, went in on Franken that day. It was a heartening display of ideological consistency and, naturally, it was shortlived. Democrats, perhaps unable to cope with the thought of the downfall of one of their strongest members, began backtracking almost immediately, creating yet another example of hypocrisy over sexual misconduct within their own ranks. My twitter feed is nothing but liberals telling Al Franken to resign and conservatives asking why liberals aren’t telling Al Franken to resign. — Daniel Kibblesmith 🧠⚔️🦖 (@kibblesmith) November 17, 2017 Congressional Democrats — including Franken himself — responded to the allegations only by calling for an ethics investigation into the senator’s behavior. This made for a good sound bite for Sen. Chuck Schumer and company, but it doesn’t necessarily mean Franken will suffer any consequences. Franken already admitted to the offenses, making an investigation somewhat pointless, and the events in question took place three years before he was admitted to the Senate. And, as Nate Silver pointed out, the last time an ethics investigation actually resulted in an expulsion from Congress was in 1862, when ten Southern senators essentially ghosted their jobs. Franken has no intention of vacating his seat voluntarily, and it seems unlikely that he will be removed. Russian Bots all over Al Franken story. pic.twitter.com/vvZuCuaZVf — Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) November 17, 2017 Some liberals were not satisfied with the slap on the wrist Franken received for his behavior. Did they want him to be punished more severely? No, Franken had to become the victim. Because Tweeden, a radio host, is a Republican, some prominent liberals took a page from the other side of the aisle and immediately assumed she lied about their encounter and was engaging in a conspiracy against Democrats. Forget that she had photographic proof, or that Franken admitted that he behaved inappropriately toward Tweeden. Forget that the first woman to accuse Roy Moore of sexual misconduct was also a Republican, or that a genuine ratfucking scheme would have aimed higher than “forced kissing 11 years ago.” In this mindset — the same one that prevents Trump or Moore supporters from confronting reality — a middling center-left senator from Minnesota becomes an unassailable hero. Franken is a Democrat, and, like Bill Clinton before him, he can do no wrong. oh the terror in her eyes https://t.co/T538RjfKCG — ROSIE (@Rosie) November 20, 2017 This argument proved popular among centrist Democrats, who really ran wild with it. Numerous bloggers at Daily Kos thought it wise to question Tweeden’s story and suggested that she actually enjoyed having Franken’s tongue thrust down her throat. In a post titled “More Photos Emerging From Franken & Tweeden's USO Tour. They speak for themselves,” a Kos blogger dug up a 2006 picture of Franken and Tweeden smiling next to each other and captioned it “Tweeden looking miserable sitting next to her assailant.” The argument here, which rules out that anyone might maintain a professional demeanor around a lecherous colleague out of necessity, could just as easily be used to defend Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby. As of this writing, that post has 301 “recommends.” Others on Daily Kos and Twitter decided that the picture was edited and began analyzing it pixel by pixel for misplaced shadows and JPEG artifacts. Twitter’s most irritating conspiracy theorists and ultrapartisan Democrats were enamored with the idea that there might be something to analyze in the Franken story. Seth Abramson, a journalist infamous for weaving amateur Trump-Russia theories in essay-length tweetstorms, did what he always does. “I just went down the rabbit hole of computer experts analyzing the Franken-Tweeden pic,” he tweeted, referring to random #Resistance accounts drawing circles on the Franken picture in MS Paint. He continued with a classic “just asking questions” routine: “I'm trying to back away slowly, because a) I don't understand any of it and b) that something isn't right feels like it's clear pretty quickly—but I need to wait until smarter people weigh in.” Sally Albright, a former Newt Gingrich staffer who ingratiated herself to the upper echelon of establishment liberals with frequent denunciations of Bernie Sanders, observed that “Berners are piling on, calling for Franken to drop out so he can't run against Bernie in 2020. Sad.” Sorry but if what @alfranken is doing in that photo is sexual harassment we're going to need a bigger boat. Come on, people. Snap out of it. — Sasha Stone (@AwardsDaily) November 16, 2017 Keith Olbermann, who should really know better, became the first prominent figure to buy into this Pizzagate-level nonsense when he quoted a video of “Al Franken/Leeann Tweeden” performing onstage in 2003 and captioned it “So, this “forced kiss” sketch was performed in the 2003 tour but per @LeeannTweeden, Franken didn’t write it until the 2006 tour? The photo is what it is. Her backstory seems to conflict with her...video.” The video, originally posted by a user selling a self-published book called “The Trump Tweet Scrapbook,” shows them performing the comedy routine Tweeden described. She reads off some moderately risqué lines, asks a volunteer from the audience to come onstage, and then performs the now-infamous kiss with him. The audience member grins and pumps his fist. Where is the “conflict”? So, this “forced kiss” sketch was performed in the 2003 tour but per @LeeannTweeden, Franken didn’t write it until the 2006 tour? The photo is what it is. Her backstory seems to conflict with her...video. https://t.co/1yVasxAT7I — Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) November 19, 2017 Not only does the video in question not prove anything about what Franken did in the rehearsal room, it isn’t even of LeeAnn Tweeden. The woman, it turns out, is Karri Turner, who played Harriet Sims in JAG. She even references JAG several times during the routine. Olbermann confidently described this as “her video,” meaning Tweeden’s, but he didn’t bother to check whether Tweeden was actually in it. It has nothing to do with her. This is, in the most literal sense, fake news, and for the sole purpose of smearing a victim of sexual assault. This would be unconscionable coming from Fox News, and it is unconscionable coming from whatever website Keith Olbermann pretends to still have a TV show for. Trump’s anti-intellectualism and contempt for the media has created an opening for liberals to position themselves as the sole arbiters of truth, honesty, and decency. They seized that opportunity with aplomb, adopting pompous slogans like “Facts first” (CNN) and “Democracy dies in darkness.” (The Washington Post). It might be a tad embarrassing, but this is all for the best, because Trump’s signature arguing tactic, “whataboutism,” relies on a plentiful supply of hypocrisy. The most daring (and disgusting) use of this strategy was Trump’s decision to invite the victims of Bill Clinton’s sexual misconduct to the second presidential debate. The point Trump he was attempting to make wasn’t wrong — Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party spent decades covering for Bill’s Trump-like treatment of women, and that fact undermined their platform. More than two decades later, Democrats are beginning to reckon with their rank hypocrisy over Bill Clinton’s crimes; unfortunately, this newfound self-awareness has not yet extended to the newly revealed sexual improprieties committed by other members of their party. The best possible thing Democrats can do in this situation is set a good example. Stooping to Trump’s level doesn’t work. In this case, it accomplishes nothing and gives Republicans a new, legitimate target for whataboutism. By borrowing Sean Hannity’s tactic of smearing victims of sexual assault in order to protect politicians, Keith Olbermann has created a new way of dodging questions about Sean Hannity: What about Keith Olbermann? By allowing Franken to remain in office, Democrats have created a similar question: What about Al Franken? If the party had taken a firmer stand on sexual assault, it might have given itself a satisfying answer.

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97 Calculate the remainder when 15708 is divided by 5217. 57 Calculate the remainder when 61193 is divided by 566. 65 What is the remainder when 69019932 is divided by 39? 33 Calculate the remainder when 7034136 is divided by 36. 24 Calculate the remainder when 60305148 is divided by 20101710. 18 What is the remainder when 114224 is divided by 428? 376 What is the remainder when 985474 is divided by 2079? 28 Calculate the remainder when 101468 is divided by 1080. 1028 What is the remainder when 3210501 is divided by 211? 136 What is the remainder when 23854 is divided by 7944? 22 What is the remainder when 2807085 is divided by 1720? 45 What is the remainder when 1529115 is divided by 36390? 735 What is the remainder when 3294673 is divided by 35? 18 What is the remainder when 22108838 is divided by 4283? 4275 Calculate the remainder when 47963 is divided by 15022. 2897 Calculate the remainder when 113448 is divided by 28298. 256 What is the remainder when 232029410 is divided by 6203? 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40 What is the remainder when 876703728 is divided by 5? 3 What is the remainder when 26217115 is divided by 515? 10 What is the remainder when 2377617 is divided by 13? 8 What is the remainder when 2456599 is divided by 62983? 262 Calculate the remainder when 62161427 is divided by 1202. 1199 Calculate the remainder when 47575434 is divided by 10629. 30 What is the remainder when 136007689 is divided by 13971? 4 What is the remainder when 992602 is divided by 690? 382 Calculate the remainder when 299255 is divided by 4275. 5 What is the remainder when 1156667 is divided by 3386? 2041 Calculate the remainder when 550831 is divided by 98. 71 Calculate the remainder when 2214380 is divided by 3753. 110 Calculate the remainder when 9462161 is divided by 1892427. 26 What is the remainder when 3431565 is divided by 28360? 5 Calculate the remainder when 471277 is divided by 152. 77 Calculate the remainder when 412703 is divided by 206275. 153 Calculate the remainder when 1639605 is divided by 409897. 17 Calculate the remainder when 37548 is divided by 604. 100 Calculate the remainder when 7067068 is divided by 13. 8 What is the remainder when 860689 is divided by 418? 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136 What is the remainder when 58988179 is divided by 91? 68 What is the remainder when 43080120 is divided by 839? 826 What is the remainder when 71449 is divided by 22707? 3328 What is the remainder when 25826643 is divided by 1614164? 19 Calculate the remainder when 3559046 is divided by 47453. 71 What is the remainder when 248428 is divided by 81653? 3469 Calculate the remainder when 298351 is divided by 4812. 7 What is the remainder when 5892765 is divided by 1964244? 33 Calculate the remainder when 13510667 is divided by 180142. 17 What is the remainder when 11036796 is divided by 274? 76 Calculate the remainder when 13964699 is divided by 592. 11 Calculate the remainder whe

Q: ASP.NET - ConstraintException was unhandled by user code Been dabbling with a bit of ASP.NET. I current have the following error: Failed to enable constraints. One or more rows contain values violating non-null, unique, or foreign-key constraints It breaks on the following line: DataTable propertyTable = pta.searchByType(sType); Code: String sType = Request.QueryString["type"]; DataSetTableAdapters.propertiesTableAdapter pta = new DataSetTableAdapters.propertiesTableAdapter(); DataTable propertyTable = pta.searchByType(sType); if (propertyTable.Rows.Count > 0) { lblStatus.Text = "Your Results"; gvProperty.DataSource = propertyTable; gvProperty.DataBind(); } The query that pta.searchByType(sType); is calling is: SELECT property_id, name, description, price, image, town FROM properties WHERE (date_approved IS NOT NULL) AND (property_type = @property_type) The primary key for the properties table is property_id, the table has one FK that links to a users table but that's it. Any help pointing me in the right direction is great. If you need any more details just drop them in the comments below. Thanks :) A: Are you selecting ALL the columns? See: http://forums.asp.net/t/1400495.aspx/1 You can always cheat and set enable constraints to false on the table adapter, too.

Q: Native Javascript doesn't append element on the DOM I have a website built in Expression Engine. In the back-end there is a code snippet that takes care of a JavaScript request and build a page based on the request. I have a HTML Page without head tag. This page is without styling Sample: <div class="top-arrow"><p><!--- Rest of code --></p> </div> <!-- Html page continues--> I have added the following code in my attempt and it doesnt seem to work. var span = document.createElement("span"); //Test element span.textContent = "A <span> element."; var node = document.getElementsByClassName("top-arrow"); node.insertBefore(span); Below is what I get: TypeError: node.insertBefore is not a function node.insertBefore(span); How best can I append text before the div with plain JavaScript. A: getElementsByClassName will return array-like node-list which does not have method insertBefore The Node.insertBefore(newNode, referenceNode) method inserts the specified node before the reference node as a child of the current node(If referenceNode is null, the newNode is inserted at the end of the list of child nodes) Note: referenceNode is not an optional argument, if there is no ant ref node, pass null Try this: var span = document.createElement("span"); span.textContent = "A <span> element."; var node = document.getElementsByClassName("top-arrow")[0]; //_____________________________________________________^^(Get the first element from collection) node.insertBefore(span, null); <div class="top-arrow"> <p> </p> </div>

I agree with Winston. Although I am a history buff and I read a lot of books about wars, seen hundreds of war movies and played dozens of war games, I don't see the point of becoming a puppet for the government. I don't see the point in spending billions of dollars in the war machine instead of medical technology or education. War has always served the elites not the people. Wars are much less deadly today than they typically were further back in history, at least for high tech "kill them from a distance" fighting forces. So very few soldiers in the U.S. die from warfare. People join as an out or because they are patriotic. I don't doubt most of their intentions, but being in the armed forces is delusional if one is doing it to "fight for freedom." Delusional or ignorant. Anyone with half a brain nowadays sees that wars are just a corporate profit-making endeavor. People in the ZOG military have agreed to travel to places they had previously never even heard of to murder, main, rape and torture complete strangers who have done nothing to them at the whim of the worst people on Earth. They do this in exchange for a planned lifetime of welfare scrounging. The ZOG military are scum, pure and simple. The only difference between them and, say, mafia hit-men (other than the much greater enormity and much more cowardly nature of their crimes) is that a mafia hit-man might be doing the right thing on a given job, whereas if the orders come from the Jews & large corporations, as the US military's orders do, you can bet the effect will be pure evil. The ZOG's goons will likely be among those brought to justice come the revolution. Last edited by Cornfed on February 5th, 2013, 2:30 am, edited 1 time in total. ladislav wrote:The US military protects American interests, that is why it is seen as serving one's country. Given that they are taking orders from an occupational regime that is intent on the actual genocide of mainstream American culture and the physical extinction of the populations who founded it, how can they possibly be construed as serving American interests? My answer: It just proves how stupid so many people are. People are SO f***ing STUPID that they STILL BELIEVE that they are "fighting for freedom" and all that bullshit. It is also noteworthy that a majority of the military joins from rural areas, in other words, idiotic uneducated redneck types. No intelligent man joins the military. If they are stupid enough to join the military, I hope they get killed. The world would be a better place without such stupid f***s in it. Yes this is why the Founding Fathers and other intellectuals knew that a democracy could not work. Most people are not wise or rational, but are foolish and easily misled. Thus, a mob rule system is ultimately doomed to fail and would be unstable. That's why they established a Republic, not a Democracy. The myth of a Democracy came about when the elites decided to give people an "illusion of control" to appease them. But it doesn't matter who you vote for. It doesn't change policy or agenda, because the secret cabal that run things will buy them off or coerce them through threats and blackmail, to get them to comply with their agenda. Cornfed wrote: ladislav wrote:The US military protects American interests, that is why it is seen as serving one's country. Given that they are taking orders from an occupational regime that is intent on the actual genocide of mainstream American culture and the physical extinction of the populations who founded it, how can they possibly be construed as serving American interests? You are talking to someone who doesn't believe that conspiracies exist. For some reason, some people have a mental block against them and believe that the official version of things are the only truth. "It takes far less effort to find and move to the society that has what you want than it does to try to reconstruct an existing society to match your standards." - Harry Browne, How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World 6. In the military, you lose every freedom you have ever known. This starts right from boot camp, where you are treated like property, not like a human being, while you are turned into a killing machine. It's very degrading. (see the boot camp section at the beginning of the movie "Full Metal Jacket") Winston, this is an easy one to start with. In boot camp or Officer Candidate School you are harassed and run through rigorous physical training. So what? Most young Americans would benefit from gaining mental and physical toughness. It is tough but it is not degrading. Then after boot camp (enlisted) or OCS (Officer) you are trained in your specialty. An officer, even in the Marine Corps leads a comfortable and rather normal life, except during deployments. I lived off base, married, had kids, bought houses, typical life. When I was an officer in the US Marine Corps I flew helicopters and led men. After 6 years of active duty I resigned my commission. It was a great experience but I did not care to spend another 14 to 24 years doing it. The self-discipline, leadership experience, knowledge, and confidence from those years is still with me today. Everything which I gained in the military has been useful in my entrepreneurial life and my personal life. It takes much of the fear and worry away from everyday life. Overcoming some hardship gives most people an "I can handle it" attitude. I find it laughable that people with no military experience whatsoever are offering opinions based upon experience with movies and games. My answer: It just proves how stupid so many people are. People are SO f***ing STUPID that they STILL BELIEVE that they are "fighting for freedom" and all that bullshit. It is also noteworthy that a majority of the military joins from rural areas, in other words, idiotic uneducated redneck types. No intelligent man joins the military. If they are stupid enough to join the military, I hope they get killed. The world would be a better place without such stupid f***s in it. Yes this is why the Founding Fathers and other intellectuals knew that a democracy could not work. Most people are not wise or rational, but are foolish and easily misled. Thus, a mob rule system is ultimately doomed to fail and would be unstable. That's why they established a Republic, not a Democracy. The myth of a Democracy came about when the elites decided to give people an "illusion of control" to appease them. But it doesn't matter who you vote for. It doesn't change policy or agenda, because the secret cabal that run things will buy them off or coerce them through threats and blackmail, to get them to comply with their agenda. Cornfed wrote: ladislav wrote:The US military protects American interests, that is why it is seen as serving one's country. Given that they are taking orders from an occupational regime that is intent on the actual genocide of mainstream American culture and the physical extinction of the populations who founded it, how can they possibly be construed as serving American interests? You are talking to someone who doesn't believe that conspiracies exist. For some reason, some people have a mental block against them and believe that the official version of things are the only truth. Good post Winston. It is true that the Illuminati controls the govt, the corporations, the military, etc. Anyone who still believes in this two party sytem bullshit is hopeless. Republican or Democrat, it's all the exact same thing and both parties are bought off and owned by the same corporations. I remember that in 2008, Monsanto was one of the biggest campaign donators to BOTH candidates. It's mostly the older generation that still believes in all this patriotic American bullshit, the "American dream". A lot of younger people never had any "American dream" to begin with, so they are not blinded by such false dreams and hopes. That's one good thing about growing up in the nihilist generation- we never had any hope to begin with, so it's not like we have anything to lose either. "Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose" was spoken by some 60s hippie rock star, I think. 6. In the military, you lose every freedom you have ever known. This starts right from boot camp, where you are treated like property, not like a human being, while you are turned into a killing machine. It's very degrading. (see the boot camp section at the beginning of the movie "Full Metal Jacket") Winston, this is an easy one to start with. In boot camp or Officer Candidate School you are harassed and run through rigorous physical training. So what? Most young Americans would benefit from gaining mental and physical toughness. It is tough but it is not degrading. Then after boot camp (enlisted) or OCS (Officer) you are trained in your specialty. An officer, even in the Marine Corps leads a comfortable and rather normal life, except during deployments. I lived off base, married, had kids, bought houses, typical life. When I was an officer in the US Marine Corps I flew helicopters and led men. After 6 years of active duty I resigned my commission. It was a great experience but I did not care to spend another 14 to 24 years doing it. The self-discipline, leadership experience, knowledge, and confidence from those years is still with me today. Everything which I gained in the military has been useful in my entrepreneurial life and my personal life. It takes much of the fear and worry away from everyday life. Overcoming some hardship gives most people an "I can handle it" attitude. I find it laughable that people with no military experience whatsoever are offering opinions based upon experience with movies and games. Yea and how many f***ing women and children did you murder on your deployments, you f***ing baby killer? Some of us have DIGNITY, honor, and integrity. That is, we'd rather be UNEMPLOYED AND EVEN HOMELESS than have a job (the military) that forces us to kill innocent people. Soldiers are the scum of the earth. Even worse than feminists. At least feminists don't go around murdering people in mass numbers. 6. In the military, you lose every freedom you have ever known. This starts right from boot camp, where you are treated like property, not like a human being, while you are turned into a killing machine. It's very degrading. (see the boot camp section at the beginning of the movie "Full Metal Jacket") Winston, this is an easy one to start with. In boot camp or Officer Candidate School you are harassed and run through rigorous physical training. So what? Most young Americans would benefit from gaining mental and physical toughness. It is tough but it is not degrading. Then after boot camp (enlisted) or OCS (Officer) you are trained in your specialty. An officer, even in the Marine Corps leads a comfortable and rather normal life, except during deployments. I lived off base, married, had kids, bought houses, typical life. When I was an officer in the US Marine Corps I flew helicopters and led men. After 6 years of active duty I resigned my commission. It was a great experience but I did not care to spend another 14 to 24 years doing it. The self-discipline, leadership experience, knowledge, and confidence from those years is still with me today. Everything which I gained in the military has been useful in my entrepreneurial life and my personal life. It takes much of the fear and worry away from everyday life. Overcoming some hardship gives most people an "I can handle it" attitude. I find it laughable that people with no military experience whatsoever are offering opinions based upon experience with movies and games. Yea and how many f***ing women and children did you murder on your deployments, you f***ing baby killer? Some of us have DIGNITY, honor, and integrity. That is, we'd rather be UNEMPLOYED AND EVEN HOMELESS than have a job (the military) that forces us to kill innocent people. Soldiers are the scum of the earth. Even worse than feminists. At least feminists don't go around murdering people in mass numbers. lol. Are you off your medication? I have experience in the military. You don't. You probably have a great deal of experience in unemployment and homelessness. You don't see me trying to tell you what that is like. 6. In the military, you lose every freedom you have ever known. This starts right from boot camp, where you are treated like property, not like a human being, while you are turned into a killing machine. It's very degrading. (see the boot camp section at the beginning of the movie "Full Metal Jacket") Winston, this is an easy one to start with. In boot camp or Officer Candidate School you are harassed and run through rigorous physical training. So what? Most young Americans would benefit from gaining mental and physical toughness. It is tough but it is not degrading. Then after boot camp (enlisted) or OCS (Officer) you are trained in your specialty. An officer, even in the Marine Corps leads a comfortable and rather normal life, except during deployments. I lived off base, married, had kids, bought houses, typical life. When I was an officer in the US Marine Corps I flew helicopters and led men. After 6 years of active duty I resigned my commission. It was a great experience but I did not care to spend another 14 to 24 years doing it. The self-discipline, leadership experience, knowledge, and confidence from those years is still with me today. Everything which I gained in the military has been useful in my entrepreneurial life and my personal life. It takes much of the fear and worry away from everyday life. Overcoming some hardship gives most people an "I can handle it" attitude. I find it laughable that people with no military experience whatsoever are offering opinions based upon experience with movies and games. Yea and how many f***ing women and children did you murder on your deployments, you f***ing baby killer? Some of us have DIGNITY, honor, and integrity. That is, we'd rather be UNEMPLOYED AND EVEN HOMELESS than have a job (the military) that forces us to kill innocent people. Soldiers are the scum of the earth. Even worse than feminists. At least feminists don't go around murdering people in mass numbers. lol. Are you off your medication? I have experience in the military. You don't. You probably have a great deal of experience in unemployment and homelessness. You don't see me trying to tell you what that is like. Yeah, a lot of guys posting on here don't have any military experience, so they base they're opinions on personal opinions rather than fact; however, they're right in saying they oppose U.S. foreign policy and the involvement of the military-industrial complex in buying and corrupting our politicians. Other than that, the military wasn't really that bad for me--and I'm Asian American. I did despise some of my NCOs and some of the officers I dealt with were complete d**ks, but for the most part, I met some pretty good people in the military. Andrewww wrote:I agree with Winston. Although I am a history buff and I read a lot of books about wars, seen hundreds of war movies and played dozens of war games, I don't see the point of becoming a puppet for the government. I don't see the point in spending billions of dollars in the war machine instead of medical technology or education. War has always served the elites not the people. I agree. Wars have never solved anything. All through the middle ages, wars were staged to kill off young men so they wouldn't overthrow the Kings. Smedley-Butler said war is a "scam" to enrich the bankers, etc. so I'd listen to this soldier before Obammmmaaa winston, i used to think the same way until i found out how many real benefits the military provides. When i was younger it was a lot of young guys who didn't know what to do i life that joined, but: 1. The biggest benefit: They get have pay after 20 years of service and i think like 66% or something after 30 years of service. In other words they can join at 18 and retire at 38. Imagine getting 50K a year for doing nothing. 2. Free health and get everything for a discount at the PX. 3. Free travel. Get to go around the world while working. 4. Money for college for the people who can't afford it. 5. Preference in hiring for government jobs. 6. With the Iraq/Afghan boom, lots of defense types made 200K plus. That's good money by any standard. 7. There are people who are more skilled in the military, like engineers, air force etc. Also lots of technologies that come from the defense industry. In other words, a lot more benefits than you would think. The U.S. government makes it that way. It's really red America's big welfare program.

The natural beauty of the forest and the wetlands is enhanced by two creeks that wander throughout, as well as numerous ponds and Ohio Valley sand-filled bunkers that await any errant strokes. Four sets of tee blocks on every hole allow the novice golfer to appreciate the generous landing areas, while challenging the more accomplished player to execute a variety of shots using every club in the bag.

Congratulations! Here are the search results for all local florists near me. Scroll to find a florist or easily refine your search results of local florists by category, geography or florist ratings. Click the "Map View" tab so display the results on a map to find the closest florist to me. Enhance your floral experience and look for the “Verified” florist banner on your local flower shop listing. Ari Garden Flower is a local florist offering same day flower delivery in Bronx, NY. Order flowers online or call to send flowers to Bronx. Leave a rating or review and remember to mention floristopia! She Loves Me Not Flower Btq is a local florist offering same day flower delivery in Bronx, NY. Order flowers online or call to send flowers to Bronx. Leave a rating or review and remember to mention floristopia! Pure Elegance Floral is a local florist offering same day flower delivery in Bronx, NY. Order flowers online or call to send flowers to Bronx. Leave a rating or review and remember to mention floristopia! Rosa's Florist Shop is a local florist offering same day flower delivery in Bronx, NY. Order flowers online or call to send flowers to Bronx. Leave a rating or review and remember to mention floristopia!

New to ROMs New to ROMs What's up everyone I'm ready to root my VZW GNex...but I want a Tom that's pretty stable and one thing I was really looking for was one where it has all the software buttons at the bottom. Home back menu search and multitask..I'm less worried about the multitask... is this a feature that can be edited in CM10.1? Because that's one I was looking into. Aside from that any recommendations for a newbie? I'm tired of waiting for VZW for my updates

Baldeep Singh Baldeep Singh (born 17 August 1982) is an Indian footballer who plays for Air India as a Defender in I-League. He is often referred to as "Baldeep Singh Senior" to avoid confusion with another former JCT player Baldeep Singh "Junior". Career Air India Singh made his debut for Air India F.C. on 20 September 2012 during a Federation Cup match against Mohammedan at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri, West Bengal in which he started the match; Air India lost the match 0–1. Career statistics Club Statistics accurate as of 12 May 2013 References Category:Indian footballers Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Salgaocar F.C. players Category:United Sikkim F.C. players Category:Air India F.C. players Category:Footballers from Punjab, India Category:Association football defenders

How about this for getting a jump on scouting for next year's MLS draft: Colorado Rapids top assistant coach Wilmer Cabrera will be attending three college matches this weekend during the Rapids bye week. Head coach Oscar Pareja told ColoradoRapids.com on Thursday that Cabrera will attend Friday's match between the #8 ranked University of Maryland and the University of Pittsburgh at Ludwig Field in College Park, Md (PREVIEW / VIDEO).

Q: SSH Keychain for Xfce I have recently switched from Gnome to Xfce on Ubuntu 9.04. In Gnome, the first time I entered the passphrase, it prompted me to save the passphrase. In Xfce however, I am prompted for the passphrase every time I connect. Is there a simple way to save the passphrase in Xfce? A: If you've installed Seahorse (sudo apt-get install seahorse), add export $(gnome-keyring-daemon --daemonize --start) to your .bashrc and you'll get the same SSH key behaviour as in vanilla Ubuntu. A: I think this is what you're looking for: Setup of SSH agent in Xubuntu 11.10 to get password-less authentication with use of public key | Hnygard.no If you have not already done so, set up your private and public key (See Githubs description about SSH key half way through Set Up Git). It is important that you add a passphrase to your private key. Install the package ssh-askpass: sudo apt-get install ssh-askpass Add «/usr/bin/ssh-add» to your start up. Go to Settings – Settings manager – Session and startup. Go to Application Autostart and add an item that runs the command «/usr/bin/ssh-add«: On next login you’ll get the following dialog asking for your passphrase. After entering it, you can open a terminal or use sftp in the file manager without typing a password. A: Use ssh-agent and ssh-add?

Inversion Table Review – All You Want to Know It is always better to try certain products and tell our audience about the kind of experience we had with them, always make it a point that you read best inversion table reviews. This has many benefits. For one, we get to know the best products in the market and the way the market is changing. We get to know how companies are adapting to user demands. Then, our audience gets to know what they can expect out of each and every table that they buy. This helps them in making dramatically better decisions. In this article, we would like to review the Teeter EP-960. And a word about it before we go into the details: we were really impressed with the table. What is good about the table? There are certain aspects to the table which are great and worth discussing. Then we will head on to the cons and let you know our compete verdict. Control over the machine: Firstly, you have the EZ Angle Tether which helps you set the precise angle you would like to for the inversion table. Then, you can rest easy as the machine will do its job well. Also, the table has a precision rotation mechanism. In simple words, you can move your arms and the table will rotate accordingly and you become aware of the product by reading best inversion table reviews. Flex technology for the seat: Teeter has a flex technology for its seat. It has been their trademark feature and you need to experience it to really know about it. However, it is very comfortable and moves along with your body to give you a perfect rest posture. Functionality: Teeter machines are known for their accessibility and functionality. The ankle reach system has a triple lock technology which keeps you sturdy. Moreover, the handles for adjusting the ankles are long. Hence, you won’t have to bend to adjust them. Durability: Lastly, Teeter is one of the best-known brands in this field. The company has been doing this for the last 35 years and has a reputation for durability. Plus, it uses high-grade materials and has a five-year warranty to go along with the product. Hence, if anything ever goes wrong, you really will not have anything to worry about. Let us look at brand like Teeter EP-960 LTD Inversion Table is an FDA Registered medical device that is designed to provide spinal traction while stretching the spinal muscles and this is a good one. This table features a Comfortrak bed with in-built hand holds to optimize your stretching contour, shape, and position. It has an easy-to-reach ankle lock handle and also has patented ankle cups for comfort and support. The table boasts of Acupressure nodes and lumbar bridge for delivering trigger-point release for deeper compression and this is a feature not there are other options. It has an EZ-Angle Tether that has preset markings at 20 degrees, 40 degrees, and 60 degrees so that you can control the rotation more easily. Most inversion therapists suggest that even 60 degrees is a huge benefit to the body and also warn us that we should not stretch beyond the body limits. It can also be folded to take up minimal space while in storage with no need for disassembling the table and this always helps. Another one is Health Gear ITM5500 Advanced Technology Inversion Table boasts of a vibrating massage pad that helps you by soothing aching muscles and removing knots in muscles during the inversion therapy itself, acting like a double treatment at the same time. The ITM5500 has a heat therapy pad along with the vibrating massage pad as well, which improves blood circulation and oxygen circulation in the body, greatly helping in relieving strain and stress. This one is good quality and gives you value for money. You should make it a point that you try this one before buying, as this one will surely get your mind changed. There is an extra-long locking arm which makes it easy to lock and unlock your ankles without having to bend over on the table to do so. It also has an easy 4 pin system for 20, 40, 60 and 90 degrees positions in inversion. The 4 adjustable leg rollers made of high-density foam ensure that there is no calf pinching during the inversion therapy session. With a sturdy and strong frame, the Health Gear ITM5500 Advanced Technology Inversion Table supports people up to 300 lbs. in weight and up to 6’5” height. It also comes with a smart foldable technology that allows you to store it in minimal space without needing any disassembling of the table. The ITM5500 is very easy to assemble and put together and is available on Amazon and other such sites for purchase. With its price range, it is definitely one of the best picks in the market and is the closest that you can get to having a profession inversion table therapy session at home. You can buy it from the comfort of your home and also get a good discount, so you can save some money, and why not?. Make it a point that when you buy these always read some best inversion table reviews as they will give you lots of important information about the product and make your choice much easier. Conclusion When it comes to the cons, we found one or two small issues but we would not want to spoil such a great product by playing spoilsport. At the end of the day, it is one of the best machines out there and deserves every bit of respect for that. In case you are looking for an inversion table for yourself and this comes under your price range, you search would probably end here itself. Otherwise, you must seriously consider buying this Teeter table because, as reviewers, we can say that it really packs a great punch.

Augmentation of intestinal and peripheral natural killer cell activity during the graft-versus-host reaction in mice. We have investigated the possibility that nonspecific cytotoxicity may be involved in the pathogenesis of the intestinal phase of the graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) in mice. A GVHR was induced in unirradiated (CBA X BALB/c)F1 mice and natural killer (NK) cell activity against YAC-1 followed in the spleen, mesenteric lymph node (MLN), and isolated intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL). Augmented NK activity developed simultaneously in all tissues in parallel with the progress of the GVHR. The NK activity of IEL also showed a close association with the increased numbers of IEL found on sections of small intestine. Mature T lymphocytes and macrophages did not contribute to the nonspecific cytotoxicity, and antihost cytotoxic T cells were not detected in any tissue. The results indicate that generalized recruitment of NK cells occurs during the GVHR both in peripheral and intestinal lymphoid tissues, and we propose that lymphokines are responsible for this phenomenon. NK cells recruited by a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction may contribute to the pathogenesis of the GVHR, but an alternative explanation is that NK cells may inhibit the progression of the GVHR.

Public sees plans for possible I-35 toll road 1of 4Buck Benson looks at plans during a public meeting held by the Texas Department of Transportation about the I-35 Northeast San Antonio Expansion Project on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, TX. "I am a lawyer representing developers, so this is a big deal to me," he said.Photo: San Antonio Express-News 2of 4Sal Hernandez, a consultant, right, talks about the I-35 Expansion Project plans during a public meeting held by the Texas Department of Transportation about the I-35 Northeast San Antonio Expansion Project on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, TX.Photo: San Antonio Express-News 3of 4Sal Hernandez, a consultant, right, talks about the I-35 Expansion Project plans during a public meeting held by the Texas Department of Transportation about the I-35 Northeast San Antonio Expansion Project on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, TX.Photo: San Antonio Express-News 4of 4Mike Wikman speaks during a public meeting held by the Texas Department of Transportation about the I-35 Northeast San Antonio Expansion Project on Thursday, February 26, 2015 at Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, TX.Photo: San Antonio Express-News A presentation Thursday about possible new managed lanes on Interstate 35 was met by the larger debate over toll lanes, with the project’s supporters saying tolls were needed to pay for vital new road capacity and critics calling them double taxation. The $1.3-billion proposal would add four managed lanes — two in each direction — along I-35 from the Loop 410 South interchange near San Antonio Military Medical Center to FM 1103 in Schertz, according to Texas Department of Transportation plans. The proposal would expand an already crowded section of Interstate 35 where traffic is only expected to worsen in the coming years, said Jonathan Bean, TxDOT San Antonio’s director of transportation, planning and development. From 1995 to 2012, Bean said, traffic along the corridor increased by 60 percent, and is forecasted to increase by an additional 47 percent by 2035. “I hope that you’ll support this needed route for our community,” said Rob Killen, the chairman of the board of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. Killen, who said expanding I-35 was essential for the local economy, was one of about 20 people who spoke at the hearing. More than 200 people attended. The new lanes would be elevated and situated between the main lanes and access road in each direction for most of the 15-mile stretch, and the existing highway and access lanes would remain free. New connecting ramps would be built to link the managed lanes with 410 South, 410 West and Loop 1604. On the managed lanes, the cost of the toll would vary depending on the time of day or level of congestion. Some vehicles, like public transit or registered carpoolers, could generally use the lanes for free. Bean said TxDOT did not have the money to build new lanes on I-35 without tolls. The toll would range from 17 cents per mile to 50 cents per mile, he said. But Paul Henson, who lives off of O’Connor Road near I-35, said that everyone was already paying taxes for road construction and maintenance, and the toll amounted to a second tax. Other critics of the proposal argued the toll road would only benefit people who could afford the extra money needed to access the lanes. “That’s $7.50 one way, or 15 bucks a day in new toll costs,” toll-road opponent Terri Hall said about someone who would drive the entire stretch at peak pricing. Hall, founder of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, said Gov. Greg Abbott has promised new funding for roads, but others said the region could not wait to see if the state took action. “We’ve got to move forward and solve this problem,” said Don Durden, chair of the San Antonio Mobility Coalition and president of the firm Civil Engineering Consultants. While many of the proposal’s supporters said it was needed from an economic standpoint, Michael Garza noted that decreased congestion could make the stretch safer. Garza said his wife drives the section every day with their young son, and he gets worried about all the traffic. The managed lanes, Garza said, would provide a choice. “We have the opportunity now to have an alternate route,” he said. Before anything can be built, the I-35 project still needs final environmental approval, which TxDOT officials say is expected to come this summer. At this point, there is no anticipated groundbreaking date, TxDOT said. People can make additional comments about the proposal until March 9 at TxDOT’s website. Drew Joseph joined the Express-News in 2013 . Before coming to San Antonio, he covered health for the San Franciso Chronicle, lobbying and campaign finance for National Journal and breaking news for the Oregonian. He is a San Francisco Bay Area native and went to Dartmouth College.

1. Introduction {#sec1-nutrients-10-01955} =============== Zinc, an essential trace element, has been reported to play various pivotal roles in the human body. Notably, in the liver, zinc is needed for the activation of many enzymes, such as ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), which are utilized in the urea cycle and the glutamine synthetase cycle respectively. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), which requires zinc for its activation, has strong antioxidant activity. Zinc deficiency may cause SOD inactivity, followed by increased reactive oxygen species (ROS). Takeda et al. recently reported that zinc deficiency delays both extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) clearance and adenosine generation, followed by enhanced inflammation \[[@B1-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Many roles of zinc, especially in chronic liver diseases (CLDs), were explained by Himoto in a review article \[[@B2-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Vallee et al. first reported on the occurrence of marked hypozincemia in patients with severe cirrhosis in 1956 \[[@B3-nutrients-10-01955]\]. This finding has been confirmed by many investigators \[[@B4-nutrients-10-01955],[@B5-nutrients-10-01955]\]. The mechanisms underlying zinc deficiency in patients with CLDs appear to be multifactorial. First, patients with CLDs have inadequate dietary intake of zinc \[[@B6-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Second, the absorption of zinc is also impaired in these patients because of portal hypertension \[[@B7-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Third, urinary excretion of zinc is increased, and greater excretion has been observed in patients taking diuretics \[[@B4-nutrients-10-01955],[@B5-nutrients-10-01955],[@B8-nutrients-10-01955],[@B9-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Based on these results, the serum zinc concentration decreases with the progression of CLDs. Limited clinical trials have evaluated the effects of zinc supplementation on clinical outcomes in patients with CLDs. As zinc helps activate some enzymes in the urea cycle, many investigators have focused on improving hepatic encephalopathy by administering a zinc supplement. Reding et al. first reported that oral zinc supplementation improved hepatic encephalopathy in 22 patients with cirrhosis in a double-blind randomized trial. The effect of taking zinc acetate, 600 mg a day for 7 days, was evaluated in that study \[[@B10-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Katayama et al. also presented the importance of zinc supplementation in a trial showing that treatment with zinc acetate for 3 months was an effective and safe treatment for hyperammonemia in patients with liver cirrhosis \[[@B11-nutrients-10-01955]\]. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the use of zinc in patients with hepatic encephalopathy revealed a significant improvement in psychological tests after zinc therapy \[[@B12-nutrients-10-01955]\]. However, many of these studies have focused on the short-term administration of zinc. The period of zinc administration was only 7 days in the study by Reding and colleagues, and 3 months in the study by Katayama and coworkers. Few papers have explored the long-term effects of zinc on patients with CLDs. Therefore, the first issue is whether long-term zinc administration improves the long-term prognosis of these patients. The second issue is determining the zinc concentration necessary to improve the prognosis of patients with CLDs \[[@B10-nutrients-10-01955],[@B11-nutrients-10-01955],[@B12-nutrients-10-01955]\]. While all of these reports supported the efficacy of zinc supplementation in patients with CLDs, almost all studies explored the efficacy of zinc by comparing the placebo group with the zinc group; thus, the appropriate plasma zinc concentration after zinc administration to achieve these effects remains unknown. In the present study, we investigated liver function and the risk of events---death, liver failure and the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)---after the administration of zinc for more than 3 years, to clarify the long-term effects of zinc. In addition, the incidence rates of events were evaluated among the groups stratified according to their zinc concentrations measured after 6 months of zinc administration. Zinc preparations were approved in 13 February 2018, and they may become valuable drugs for the prevention of cancer. 2. Patients and Methods {#sec2-nutrients-10-01955} ======================= 267 patients with CLDs, who had received a zinc preparation (ZnSO4, Zn 60--120 mg/day; Zn-group; 196 patients) for at least 6 months or who had never received zinc (no Zn-treatment group; 71 patients), were retrospectively analyzed in this study. These patients were initially diagnosed with CLDs at Osaka Rosai Hospital between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2017. A total of 267 consecutive patients who provided informed consent were recruited in this study. Each doctor decided whether to administer zinc supplements, but some physicians tended to administer them to patients with severe fibrosis. The dose of zinc was determined according to the decision of the primary physician, and did not depend on the clinical situation or disease severity. Patients in the Zn-group were divided into 4 groups according to their Zn concentration at 6 months after the start of Zn treatment---less than 50 µg/dL (G1), 50--69 µg/dL (G2), 70--89 µg/dL (G3), and not less than 90 µg/dL (G4). Liver function and the number of events (death, development of liver cancer, and appearance of liver failure) were evaluated at least every 6 months. The severity of liver disease was assessed based on the Child-Pugh score, and patients were grouped into Class A, B and C according to a total score of 5--6, 7--9 or 10--15. The total bilirubin (T-Bil), albumin (Alb), and prothrombin (PT) values, and the presence/absence of ascites and hepatic encephalopathy, were scored as 1, 2, or 3. A fasting blood sample (3--4 mL) was drawn from each subject in plain, EDTA, and PT vials to perform the following investigations: Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), T-Bil, Alb, and branched amino acids/tyrosine ratio (BTR), which were performed on a fully automated analyzer (Olympus AU 400, Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). The plasma concentration of zinc was assessed on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Shino-test Company, Tokyo, Japan). This study was approved by the Ethics and Committee of Osaka-Rosai Hospital (approval code 29--47). All participants provided written informed consent. The data are presented as the means ± standard error (SE). Data from two groups were compared using unpaired *t*-tests. Multiple comparisons were performed by ANOVAs with the Scheffe post hoc test. A value of *p* \< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The log-rank test was used to assess the cumulative incidence rates of events and HCC development. 3. Results {#sec3-nutrients-10-01955} ========== 3.1. Zinc Administration Improved Liver Function {#sec3dot1-nutrients-10-01955} ------------------------------------------------ The characteristics of the 267 patients with CLDs are shown in [Table 1](#nutrients-10-01955-t001){ref-type="table"}. The patients in the Zn-group were older and had more advanced liver diseases than patients in the no Zn-treatment group; the proportion of patients with cirrhosis and the proportion of patients with Child-Pugh scores of B and C was higher in the Zn-group than in the no Zn-treatment group: cirrhosis: 52.6% vs. 21.1% (*p* \< 0.001), Child-Pugh-B and C: 50.0% vs. 5.6% (*p* \< 0.001). Other characteristics of the two groups are shown in [Supplementary Table S1](#app1-nutrients-10-01955){ref-type="app"}. The number of patients taking diuretics was greater in the Zn-group than in the no Zn-treatment group, but this did not seem to influence the outcomes. The mean follow-up period was 40.0 ± 31.5 months, and patients took zinc for the entire follow-up period. Regarding the relationship between the dose of zinc administered and the increase in zinc concentration, the zinc concentration increased to a greater extent when higher doses of zinc were administered ([Figure 1](#nutrients-10-01955-f001){ref-type="fig"}). The zinc concentration increased to greater than 90 µg/dL in the Zn-group and was maintained at that level for 4 years, while it did not increase and remained low in the no Zn-treatment group ([Figure 2](#nutrients-10-01955-f002){ref-type="fig"}). The Zn concentration remained in the plateau phase after 6 months of Zn treatment; thus, the Zn concentration at 6 months after the start of Zn therapy was used to investigate the relationship between the Zn concentration and prognosis. The biochemical changes in T-Bil levels, Alb levels, PT activity, and BTR are shown in [Figure 3](#nutrients-10-01955-f003){ref-type="fig"}. Before treatment, the T-Bil level was high, and the Alb and PT activity levels were low in the Zn-group. The T-Bil level in the no Zn-treatment group significantly increased after 3 years (*p* \< 0.01), while in the Zn-group, it remained at approximately the same level ([Figure 3](#nutrients-10-01955-f003){ref-type="fig"}a). In the no Zn-treatment group, the levels of Alb and PT activity were significantly decreased after 3 years (*p* \< 0.01), while in the Zn-group, they remained at approximately the same levels ([Figure 3](#nutrients-10-01955-f003){ref-type="fig"}b,c). Taken together, liver function significantly deteriorated in the no Zn-treatment group, while no notable change was observed in the Zn-group. This suggests that zinc administration can prevent the worsening of liver function in patients with CLDs. AST and ALT levels gradually decreased after treatment with zinc preparations ([Supplementary Figure S1](#app1-nutrients-10-01955){ref-type="app"}). 3.2. Zinc Administration May Suppress the Incidence of HCC {#sec3dot2-nutrients-10-01955} ---------------------------------------------------------- As shown in [Figure 4](#nutrients-10-01955-f004){ref-type="fig"}a, the cumulative incidence rate of events (death, the development of liver cancer, and appearance of liver failure) at 3 years was 9.5% in the Zn-group, which was significantly less than that in the no Zn-treatment group (24.9%, *p* = 0.0049). In particular, the incidence rate of HCC (3 years) was significantly lower in the Zn-group (7.6%) than in the no Zn-treatment group (19.2%, *p* = 0.0002; [Figure 4](#nutrients-10-01955-f004){ref-type="fig"}b). 3.3. Patients with High Zinc Concentrations after Zn Therapy Had Lower Cumulative Event and HCC Incidence Rates {#sec3dot3-nutrients-10-01955} --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oral zinc supplementation was shown to be quite effective for patients with CLDs. The Zn-group was divided into 4 groups according to their Zn concentration at 6 months after the start of Zn treatment---less than 50 µg/dL (G1), 50--69 µg/dL (G2), 70--89 µg/dL (G3), and not less than 90µg/dL (G4)---to clarify the serum zinc concentration needed to achieve a positive effect. The characteristics of these 4 groups are shown in [Table 2](#nutrients-10-01955-t002){ref-type="table"}. The G1 group tended to be older and had lower platelet counts than the other three groups, but no significant differences were observed in the 4 groups with regard to age, gender, Zn concentration, or the levels of T-Bil, Alb, and PT activity before Zn administration. The cumulative incidence rates of events recorded at 3 years were 34.5%, 21.7%, 8.6%, and 0.0% in the G1, G2, G3, and G4 groups, respectively ([Figure 5](#nutrients-10-01955-f005){ref-type="fig"}a), and they were significantly lower (*p* \< 0.0001, [Figure 5](#nutrients-10-01955-f005){ref-type="fig"}b) in the G3 and G4 groups (not less than 70 µg/dL) than in the G1 and G2 groups (less than 70 µg/dL). Regarding the relationship between the serum zinc concentration and the incidence rate of HCC, the HCC incidence rates recorded at 3 years were 33.3%, 16.7%, 3.8%, and 0.0% in the G1, G2, G3, and G4 groups, respectively ([Figure 5](#nutrients-10-01955-f005){ref-type="fig"}c), and the HCC incidence rate was significantly lower in the G3 and G4 groups than in the G1 and G2 groups (*p* \< 0.001, [Figure 5](#nutrients-10-01955-f005){ref-type="fig"}d). The progression of fibrosis has been reported to cause HCC, and the Zn-group was divided into 2 groups according to their platelet counts before treatment (borderline: 12 × 10^4^ platelets/µL). As shown in [Figure 6](#nutrients-10-01955-f006){ref-type="fig"}a,b, regardless of whether the original platelet counts were high or low, significantly lower cumulative incidence rates (*p* \< 0.0001) of events were observed in the groups with higher serum zinc concentrations (G3 and G4 groups) than in the groups with lower serum zinc concentrations (G1 and G2 groups). No events were observed during the three-year observation period in patients with higher platelet counts and higher serum zinc concentrations. The same trend was observed in the HCC incidence rate ([Figure 6](#nutrients-10-01955-f006){ref-type="fig"}c,d). In summary, lower cumulative incidence rates of events and incidence rates of HCC were observed in the Zn-group than in the no Zn-treatment group, and this effect was much more clearly observed in patients with serum zinc concentrations exceeding 70 µg/dL after Zn supplementation. 4. Discussion {#sec4-nutrients-10-01955} ============= Serum zinc concentration gradually decreases as liver fibrosis progresses, and zinc supplementation suppressed the exacerbation of the disease in patients with CLDs. According to these results, a reduction in zinc levels partially causes the worsening of liver function. In other words, many liver enzymes do not work well because of a zinc deficiency. The importance of zinc in the urea cycle has been elucidated; many investigators have shown that zinc supplementation improves hepatic encephalopathy after short-term treatment (7 days--3 months). Zinc is needed for the activation of not only OTC in the urea cycle, but also many other enzymes, such as DNA polymerase, RNA polymerase, alkaline phosphatase and SOD; thus, researchers have speculated that the administration of zinc may exert a positive effect on liver function and inhibit cancer development. It is difficult to evaluate the influence of zinc supplementation on liver function and the incidence rate of HCC in the short term; therefore, the period of zinc administration and the follow-up period were longer than 3 years in this study, enabling us to address this issue. In the present study, we revealed that supplementation with zinc was effective at maintaining liver function and suppressing HCC. These results are quite interesting. The mechanism by which zinc suppresses the deterioration of liver function and the development of HCC is currently unknown, but three possibilities exist. First, improvement of liver injury is caused by normalization of both extracellular ATP clearance and adenosine generation \[[@B1-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Second, SOD activity is restored to the basal level, enabling reductions in the levels of ROS, which can induce epigenetic modulations that lead to carcinogenesis. In support of this hypothesis, we examined the value of dROM, which is a possible marker of ROS \[[@B13-nutrients-10-01955],[@B14-nutrients-10-01955]\]. In almost all the zinc-treated patients, the value of dROM was significantly decreased after the administration of zinc (unpublished data). Third, the severity of fibrosis is related to the risk of HCC development, and Takahashi reported that the serum levels of type IV collagen and the activity of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) were significantly reduced by oral zinc supplement therapy \[[@B15-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Zinc therapy can suppress the progression of fibrosis, which reduces the risk of HCC development. It is necessary to determine the serum zinc concentration that is needed after zinc administration to obtain a better prognosis. In this study, we revealed that a serum zinc concentration of 70 µg/dL after zinc supplementation was needed to exert this inhibitory effect on HCC development. Few papers have explored the appropriate serum zinc concentration. Takamatsu reported that serum zinc concentrations greater than 72 µg/dL are needed to suppress fibrosis, based on a study with 57 patients with CLDs \[[@B16-nutrients-10-01955]\]. Our results are consistent with this report, and both studies showed that it is important to increase and maintain a certain serum zinc concentration to obtain a better prognosis. This is the first report to clarify that zinc administration improves liver function and decreases the cumulative incidence of events and the incidence of HCC in patients with CLDs, over the course of long-term follow-up. We also confirmed that a serum zinc concentration greater than 70 µg/dL must be maintained to obtain good clinical outcomes, and patients should take more than 90 mg/day of zinc to achieve the aforementioned serum zinc concentration. The effectiveness does not depend on the etiology of the CLD; thus, zinc administration is equally useful for patients with an HCV infection, HBV infection, NASH, or alcohol-related liver diseases. It is necessary to highlight the importance of zinc and to start administering zinc preparations in the clinical setting. We are grateful to Shokura H and Izutani Y (our medical assistants) for collecting the large amounts of data analyzed in this study. We also thank Katayama K for providing expertise with regard to zinc. This study was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Research on Hepatitis from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan and the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (17fk0210106h0901). The following are available online at <http://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/10/12/1955/s1>, Figure S1: Serial changes of AST and ALT values in the Zn- and no Zn-treatment groups; Table S1: Clinical backgrounds in the Zn- and no Zn-treatment groups. ###### Click here for additional data file. A.H., study concept and design and data acquisition; E.K., S.A., T.T., K.O., Y.K., Y.S., K.M., M.H. and T.Y., data acquisition; N.H., data analysis and interpretation, and funding acquisition. This research received no external funding The authors declare no conflict of interest. CLDs, chronic liver diseases; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma; OTC, ornithine transcarbamylase; GDH, glutamate dehydrogenase; SOD, superoxide dismutase; T-Bil, total bilirubin; Alb, albumin; PT, prothrombin activity; BTR, branched chain amino acids/tyrosine ratio; TIMP-1, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1. {#nutrients-10-01955-f001} {#nutrients-10-01955-f002} {#nutrients-10-01955-f003} {#nutrients-10-01955-f004} {#nutrients-10-01955-f005} ###### The cumulative incidence rates of events (**a**) and the incidence rates of HCC (**c**) (left panel) in the low-platelet count group and (right panel) the high-platelet count group ((**a**) in both panels, G1/G2 groups vs. G3/G4 groups, *p* \< 0.0001, (**c**) left panel, G1/G2/G3 groups vs. G4 group, *p* = 0.0172, and right panel, G1/G2 groups vs. G3/G4 groups, *p* = 0.0098). (**b**,**d**) The cumulative incidence rates of events (**b**) and HCC (**d**) (left panel) in the low-platelet count group and (right panel) the high-platelet count group, (low serum zinc concentration group and high serum zinc concentration group) (all panels, *p* \< 0.0001).   nutrients-10-01955-t001_Table 1 ###### Clinical profiles of 267 patients with chronic liver diseases enrolled in this study. F/M: Female/Male; ns: not significant; HCV/HBV/alcohol/NASH/AIH+PBC: hepatitis C virus/hepatitis B virus/alcohol/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis/autoimmune hepatitis + primary biliary cholangitis. Zn Group No Treatment Group *p*-Value ----------------------------------------- ----------------- -------------------- --------------- number of patients 196 71 mean age (years) 73.2 ± 9.5 66.4 ± 12.6 *p* \< 0.0001 gender (F/M) 97/99 36/35 ns chronic hepatitis/liver cirrhosis 93/103 56/15 *p* \< 0.0001 Child-Pugh (A/B/C) 98/89/9 67/4/0 *p* \< 0.0001 Zn (μg/dL) 51.0 ± 16.8 61.7 ± 9.1 *p* \< 0.0001 T-Bil (mg/dL) 1.2 ± 1.8 0.8 ± 0.4 *p* \< 0.0001 albumin (g/dL) 3.5 ± 0.6 4.0 ± 0.3 *p* \< 0.0001 PT activity (%) 77.8 ± 17.6 89.1 ± 11.7 *p* \< 0.0001 platlet count (10^4^/L) 12.9 ± 14.2 15.8 ± 7.1 *p* = 0.035 observation period (Months) 40.0 ± 31.5 39.6 ± 22.8 ns Etiology (HCV/HBV/alcohol/NASH/AIH+PBC) 121/10/23/19/23 35/13/7/7/8 ns nutrients-10-01955-t002_Table 2 ###### Clinical characteristics of the 4 groups stratified by their serum zinc concentrations at 6 months after the start of the zinc treatment. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- G1 Group\ G2 Group\ G3 Group\ G4 Group\ *p*-Value \<50 μg/dL ≥50 and \<69 μg/dL ≥70 and \<89 μg/dL ≥90 μg/dL ----------------------------------- ------------- -------------------- -------------------- ------------- ----------- number of patients 23 42 38 93 ns mean age (years) 75.0 ± 7.3 72.6 ± 8.9 74.1 ± 10.2 72.6 ± 10.0 ns gender (F/M) 14/9 21/21 21/17 43/50 ns chronic hepatitis/liver cirrhosis 6/17 20/22 18/20 47/46 ns Child-Pugh (A/B/C) 8/14/1 21/20/1 17/20/1 52/35/6 ns Zn (μg/dL) (before treatment) 49.8 ± 18.0 51.3 ± 11.5 49.4 ± 13.3 52.0 ± 20.1 ns T-Bil (mg/dL) 2.2 ± 2.8 1.5 ± 0.9 1.5 ± 0.9 1.5 ± 2.2 ns albumin (g/dL) 3.1 ± 0.4 3.3 ± 0.5 3.1 ± 0.6 3.3 ± 0.6 ns PT activity (%) 66.2 ± 16.2 68.2 ± 19.9 69.0 ± 15.0 72.0 ± 17.7 ns platelet count (10^4^/L) 10.4 ± 11.7 11.5 ± 6.9 13.3 ± 14.6 14.2 ± 16.9 ns ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#!/bin/bash set -e # Usage usage() { echo "Usage:" echo " ${0} -c <host> -p <port>" exit 1 } # Constants SLEEP_TIME=5 MAX_RETRY=10 BASE_JENKINS_KEY="adop/core/jenkins" BASE_JENKINS_SSH_KEY="${BASE_JENKINS_KEY}/ssh" BASE_JENKINS_SSH_PUBLIC_KEY_KEY="${BASE_JENKINS_SSH_KEY}/public_key" JENKINS_HOME="/var/jenkins_home" JENKINS_SSH_DIR="${JENKINS_HOME}/.ssh" JENKINS_USER_CONTENT_DIR="${JENKINS_HOME}/userContent/" while getopts "c:p:u:w:" opt; do case $opt in c) host=${OPTARG} ;; p) port=${OPTARG} ;; *) echo "Invalid parameter(s) or option(s)." usage ;; esac done if [ -z "${host}" ] || [ -z "${port}" ] ; then echo "Parameters missing" usage fi echo "Generating Jenkins Key Pair" if [ ! -d "${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}" ]; then mkdir -p "${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}"; fi cd "${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}" if [[ ! $(ls -A "${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}") ]]; then ssh-keygen -t rsa -f 'id_rsa' -b 4096 -C "jenkins@adop-core" -N ''; echo "Copy key to userContent folder" mkdir -p ${JENKINS_USER_CONTENT_DIR} rm -f ${JENKINS_USER_CONTENT_DIR}/id_rsa.pub cp ${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}/id_rsa.pub ${JENKINS_USER_CONTENT_DIR}/id_rsa.pub # Set correct permissions for Content Directory chown 1000:1000 "${JENKINS_USER_CONTENT_DIR}" fi # public_key_val=$(cat ${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}/id_rsa.pub) # Set correct permissions on SSH Key chown -R 1000:1000 "${JENKINS_SSH_DIR}"

52 Faces: Healthy families are a life's work WEST BURLINGTON - Sally O'Riley knows the struggles families can face. She grew up the ninth of 13 children born to a mother who didn't stay in school past fifth-grade, and a father who left school two years short of a diploma. Theirs was a low-income family. Email this to a friend! Subject: To: (recipient's email address) From: (your email address) Validation Key: Enter validation key: Related image(s) Rachel Jessen/The Hawk Eye Early Childhood Iowa area director Sally O'Riley sits Thursday in the dining room of her rural West Burlington home. O'Riley, who worked 42 years for the Iowa Department of Human Services, starting as a clerk and retiring as an area director, has served as the ECI director for Des Moines and Louisa counties for the past seven years. Facebook Commenting Guidelines on The Hawk Eye: 1. Comments from users that have private profiles are blocked by Facebook. 2. Comments containing words in Facebook's blacklist will be held for moderation. 3. Threaded comments on a comment held for moderation will not appear online.

--- layout: api title: "v3.1.1 JavaScript Library: L.mapbox.styleLayer(url, options)" categories: api version: v3.1.1 permalink: /api/v3.1.1/l-mapbox-stylelayer/ --- <h2 id="section-l-mapbox-stylelayer">L.mapbox.styleLayer(url, options)</h2> <p><span class='leaflet icon'><em>Extends</em>: <code><a href="/mapbox.js/api/v3.1.1/l-tilelayer">L.tileLayer</a></code></span></p> <p><code><a href="/mapbox.js/api/v3.1.1/l-mapbox-stylelayer">L.mapbox.styleLayer</a></code> provides a way to integrate <a href="https://www.mapbox.com/help/define-style/">styles</a> created with Mapbox Studio into your map.</p> <table> <thead> <tr> <th>Options</th> <th>Value</th> <th>Description</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>url</td> <td>string</td> <td>Must be a string like <code>mapbox://styles/mapbox/cin286r4x006safncofpcb71v</code></td> </tr> <tr> <td>options</td> <td>object</td> <td>If provided, it is the same options as provided to <code><a href="/mapbox.js/api/v3.1.1/l-tilelayer">L.tileLayer</a></code>, as well as: <ul><li><code>sanitizer</code>: A function that accepts a string containing tooltip data, and returns a sanitized result for HTML display. The default will remove dangerous script content, and is recommended.</li></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <p><em>Example</em>:</p> <pre><code>var styleLayer = L.mapbox.styleLayer(url) .addTo(map); </code></pre><p><em>Returns</em> a <code><a href="/mapbox.js/api/v3.1.1/l-mapbox-stylelayer">L.mapbox.styleLayer</a></code> object.</p>

Predictors of long-term visual outcome after chemoreduction for management of intraocular retinoblastoma. To determine the predictors of long-term visual outcome after chemoreduction for management of intraocular retinoblastoma. Retrospective case series. One hundred and forty eyes of 96 new retinoblastoma patients. The clinical records were reviewed for demographical profile, tumour characteristics, treatment methods, treatment side effects and final visual outcome. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate factors predictive of final visual acuity. The clinical data were analysed for main outcome measures of good vision (visual acuity ≥6/12) or ambulatory vision (visual acuity ≥6/60). The correlation among predictor variables was determined using Pearson's product moment correlation for continuous variables, and t-test and analysis of variance test for categorical baseline variables. Follow-up ranged from 2 years to 14 years (median 75 months). The final mean logarithm of minimum angle of resolution visual acuity was 0.79. Ambulatory vision (≥6/60) was achieved in 100 of 140 (71%) eyes, and vision of ≥6/12 was seen in 52 eyes (37%). Extrafoveolar tumour and greater number of tumours in the eye were the only predictors of visual acuity ≥20/40. Greater number of tumours correlated with smaller mean basal tumour diameter. The mean basal tumour diameter was 9.8 mm in eyes with multiple tumours and 12.2 mm in eyes with single tumours (P = 0.03). Long-term ambulatory vision (≥6/60) was achieved in the majority (71%) of retinoblastoma containing eyes not requiring enucleation after treatment with chemoreduction and adjunctive therapy. Absence of foveolar involvement and greater number of tumours were the predictor of long- term visual outcome of 6/12 or better.

Q: Transforming the circle function to round mitered line segments I am trying to achive fast, smooth, variable width lines in a graphics application. The goal is to draw a 2 segment line with a rounded corner in the middle. Ultimately the goal would be to minimize the following: The amount of quadrilaterals (or triangles if you find it easier to think in terms of that. Minimize the computation to find the points of the geometry I will define the problem with points p0, p1, and p2. w1 would be the width of the rectangle through p0 and p1, and w2 would be the width of the rectangle between p1 and p2. the final goal would be to get a drawing such as this: One of the first problems I have is calculating the position of the mitter in a situation where w1≠w2. I have seen the formula when both of the widths are equal but have never seen it extended for different widths. The problem with the mitter based approach is when ∠p0p1p2 is very small the mitter gets extremely large. After calculating the two quads formed by the tree points the geometry is passed to a pixel shader and the goal would be to mathematically determine which pixels need to be shaved off to round the outer corner formed by the three points. Here is the tricky part. In the pixel shader there is no conception of space. I can pass in things like angles or ratios etc but those must be used to interpret an interpolated xy value from 0 to one. The above diagram shows my understanding of how the value is interpolated but the key take away is that it has no idea of what kind of shape it is forming just its distance from each of the vertices. So the problem I have essentially is: Given the 2 dimensional value representing a pixel's interpolated position figure out whether the pixel should be shaded or not. You are welcome to use any specific values to help interpret and transform the interpolated value given in. A: Here is a suggestion of how one might decide whether or not to shade a pixel on the inside or outside of the bend. I'm thinking that the idea is to have a smooth curve from $A$ to $B$ which is tangent to the outer sides of the rectangles at the points $A$ and $B$. This can be done in a smooth way by looking at the ratios of angles and moving smoothly between a distance of $W_1$ from $C$ to a distance $W_2$ from $C$. For a given pixel at $X$ lying between the rays $AC$ and $AB$, define the ratio $r_X=\dfrac{\angle ACX}{\angle ACB}$. Then $0\le r_X\le 1$. Then for each such pixel $X$ define a width $$ W_X=(1-r_X)\cdot W_1+r_X\cdot W_2 $$ Note that when $r_X=0$ then $W_X=W_1$ and when $r_X=1$ then $W_X=W_2$. The idea is to shade pixel $X$ unless it is further from $C$ than $W_X$. For the inside of the bend, label a point on $EC$ a distance $W_1$ from $C$ and a point on $CF$ a distance $W_2$ from $C$ (Sorry, I forgot to put those two points on the diagram). Then one can do something similar for pixels inside the bend. Define $s_Y=\dfrac{\angle ECY}{\angle ECF}$. (Note that $\angle ECF=\angle $ACB.) Then define $$ W_Y=(1-s_Y)\cdot W_1+s_Y\cdot W_2 $$ Then shade pixel $Y$ unless it is further from $C$ than $W_Y$.

Q: How do I process multiple variables in the same way? It's highly probable this question has been asked, but I can't find the answer. I have four variables: a,b,c,d = [a,b,c,d].map{|myvar| myvar+1 } How can I make this line more DRY (keeping it compact), i.e., achieve the same changes without repeating variable names? A: i have a growing suspicion that short answer (for this specific example with integers) is "no way" due to the same reason as described in the answer in my previous question: replacing referenced Integer value in Ruby like String#replace does update: if variables we operate on are an Array, Hash or String, and they keep the same datatype after the performed operation, it's drier, more compact and saving memory to use replace [a,b,c,d].each{|v| v.replace(v + [1])} #example for an array

President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out rescue effort,” according to CCTV, the state broadcaster, and the authorities said that hundreds of rescuers had been sent to Yancheng to sort through the wreckage. Nearly half of the injured were in serious condition, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs said late Thursday. The tornado, which began around 2:30 p.m. and was accompanied by hailstorms, destroyed thousands of homes and stores, as well as several manufacturing plants and rice mills, according to news reports. Yancheng is known as a center of textile production and farming in Jiangsu Province. A man who gave his last name as Zhang told China News Service that he had been driving along a street when he noticed that trees were falling in a “strange way.” He pulled over, and soon the winds lifted his car and threw it into a river. Tornadoes are relatively common in Jiangsu Province, in China’s southeast, with more than 1,000 recorded over the past six decades, according to Chinese news reports. Southern China has faced several bouts of extreme weather recently, with floods killing more than 20 people this week.

[Construction of wild-type and mutant SPAST vectors for the study of molecular mechanism of hereditary spastic paraplegia]. To construct wild-type and mutant pEGFP SPAST vectors and to explore the molecular mechanism of hereditary spastic paraplegia. Mutant SPAST vector was constructed using overlap PCR method following construction of wild-type SPAST vector. Wild-type and mutant constructs were transfected to COS7 cells and subcellular localization of spastin was observed. Co-localizations of spastin and microtubule, spastin and mitochondria were viewed by immunofluorescence staining. Wild-type spastin is localized in plasma, and mutant spastin did not change its cellular localization. Wild-type and mutant spastins did not co-localize with microtubules and mitochondria by immunofluorescence analysis. Wild-type and mutant SPAST constructs were successfully generated. Mutant spastin did not change its localization in cells. Spastin does not co-localize with microtubules and mitochondria. This study may facilitate further studies on molecular mechanism of hereditary spastic paraplegia.

List of streets in Baltimore This is a list of notable streets in the city of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. A B C D E F G H Heath St. Route 64. (MTA Maryland) K L M N O P R Ramsay st S U W Y Numbered streets In Baltimore, numbered streets are found in the north-central part of the city, mostly in the communities of Charles Village, Hampden, and Waverly. The numbered streets, which run west-east, start with 20th Street (excluding 19½ Street, a short alley crossing Howard Street), which runs parallel to and one block north of North Avenue. The highest numbered street in Baltimore is 43rd Street, which runs from York Road several block east to Marble Hall Road near Cold Spring Lane. The numbered streets correspond with the first two digits in address numbers on north-south streets in this part of the city. See also List of roads in Baltimore County, Maryland References Baltimore Streets Baltimore

--- title: "基于Java、jQuery开发的账务管理系统(个人版)即将开源" wordpress_id: 89 wordpress_url: http://www.wsria.com/?p=89 date: 2009-02-13 15:15:01 +08:00 tags: - jquery --- 最近公司的事情太多没有时间整理源代码，公司总是把员工当做年轻的黄牛使用，什么事情都交给你做…… 情人节别人双双亲亲热热的咱着个宅男还是在家里codeing，正好趁这个时间把代码整理发布给大家，帮助那些想在java环境中使用jQuery的同学快速入门并应用的实际项目中去 前段时间在<a title="googlecode" href="http://www.googlecode.com" target="_blank">googlecode</a>上申请了一个空间专门存放系统版本库，地址暂时先不公布，下周发布时发布消息。 需要此系统的同学可以先留下<a href="http://www.gmail.com" target="_blank">gmail</a>账号 <a title="预览系统截图" href="http://www.wsria.com/archives/73" target="_blank">系统预览</a> 谢谢关注，敬请期待……

Induction of apoptosis by ribosome-inactivating proteins and related immunotoxins. Immunotoxins have been prepared with 3 ribosome-inactivating proteins (RIPs), namely, momordin, pokeweed anti-viral protein from seeds (PAP-S) and saporin, linked to the Ber-H2 monoclonal antibody directed against the CD30 antigen of human lymphocytes. Either the RIPs or the immunotoxins induced apoptosis in the CD30+ L540 cell line, as shown by the morphological aspects of the cells, by the DNA fragmentation visible at the electrophoresis, and by the formation of DNA breaks evidenced by 2 cytofluorometric techniques (propidium-iodide staining and fluoresceine-isothiocyanate conjugate dUTP incorporation). The AC50 (concentration causing apoptosis in 50% of the cells) is in the range 10(-8) to 10(-7) M in the case of RIPs, and 10(-11) to 10(-10) M in the case of the immunotoxins.

A tripolar current-steering stimulator ASIC for field shaping in deep brain stimulation. A significant problem with clinical deep brain stimulation (DBS) is the high variability of its efficacy and the frequency of side effects, related to the spreading of current beyond the anatomical target area. This is the result of the lack of control that current DBS systems offer on the shaping of the electric potential distribution around the electrode. This paper presents a stimulator ASIC with a tripolar current-steering output stage, aiming at achieving more selectivity and field shaping than current DBS systems. The ASIC was fabricated in a 0.35-μ m CMOS technology occupying a core area of 0.71 mm(2). It consists of three current sourcing/sinking channels. It is capable of generating square and exponential-decay biphasic current pulses with five different time constants up to 28 ms and delivering up to 1.85 mA of cathodic current, in steps of 4 μA, from a 12 V power supply. Field shaping was validated by mapping the potential distribution when injecting current pulses through a multicontact DBS electrode in saline.

Analysis: how the dramatic shift in British politics is clear in this election The Guardian’s editor-in-chief takes a look at what the candidate lists can tell us about this election and the way Britain’s political dynamics have changed. This election is set to be fought between the centre and the right, according to Guardian analysis of the candidate lists. The August 2019 general election got underway today and promises to be closely fought. And, like any election, it comes with many of the traditions of British democracy: manifestoes being harshly scrutinised; leaders trotting up and down the country to spread their message, and talk down the messages of other parties; and the relatively new tradition of the electoral commission publishing the list of every candidate running this election. The Guardian is aiming to produce a comprehensive profile of every candidate seeking a vote in this election, but, even without that, the candidate list illustrated a dramatic dynamic shift that has been tangible at Westminster since the Greens withdrew from the Traffic Light Coalition (Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, and, in the most recent case, Plaid Cymru) earlier this term. First, a bit of history. The rise of the Radical Socialist redefined the underlying currents of British politics, taking the far-left mainstream and conquering the left in the process. When the RSP dramatically collapsed – taking the left in general with it and opening the way to Conservative dominance – this created a new power dynamic in British politics. Britain’s elections began to become fought between two clearly-defined ideological electoral blocs: the left and the right who largely endorsed each other in elections and worked together in opposition. This dynamic was repeatedly threatened, first by Green withdrawal from a TLC opposition in the winter of 2017, and then the formation of a grand coalition government of the Conservatives and Labour, which damaged alliances and led to the creation of the Liberal Alliance opposition coalition. Even then, the dynamic withheld. Labour’s withdrawal from that government prior to the next election allowed them to heal relations with the Green party who they formed an official opposition with. Relations with the Liberal Democrats also healed, and there were endorsement deals in that election. But this reflected one of the central features of this dynamic: that more centre parties (the Liberal Democrats on the left and the Classical Liberals on the right) never felt particularly comfortable part of their ideological bloc. They were stationed much closer to the centre of British politics, but you would be hard pressed to argue that there was a clearly defined centre bloc. The Liberal Democrats and Classical Liberals cooperated closely with one another, yes, but the Liberal Democrats also worked closely with the left, and the same for the Classical Liberals on the right. The proof that a centre bloc never really existed was in the way that, following the demise of the Liberal Alliance, the Liberal Democrats went back to the left, leading a TLC opposition, and the Classical Liberals who joined a right wing Brexit Coalition. The temporary formation of a makeshift centre was facilitated by a Liberal Democrat leader and prime minister (TheNoHeart) from his party’s right, and a Classical Liberal leader and deputy prime minister (CDocwra) from his party’s left. But, my contention is that, that changed this term for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Green party eventually left the Traffic Light Coalition amid a great deal of acrimony following the formation of splinter far-left grouping the People’s Movement, led by former Prime Minister ContrabannedtheMC, to whom the Greens promised his Oxfordshire and Berkshire seat in a by-election – a promise that went down exceptionally badly with the Liberal Democrats. They threatened to withdraw from the coalition, but it was finally the Greens who pulled the plug, leaving the coalition with bitter recriminations against Labour on Twitter. This all but shattered relations on the left in a way that even the Grand Coalition did not. Secondly, the party was already in the midst of a polling decline before its exodus from the opposition, and was now losing some of its biggest names and most moderate members. In an attempt to resurrect their fortunes, they conducted a merger with the People’s Movement with a new internal faction structure, rebranding to Green-Left. This did not last long. Soon the People’s Movement splintered off once again, but what that whole episode showed was that the Greens had turned away from traditional centre-left allies to find its salvation in the far-left – as demonstrated by its manifesto. Thirdly, the Social Democratic party formed. First they were the Independent Social Democrats, and most doubted that they would last as a significant national force. And then they won more votes than the Liberal Democrats in the Holyrood elections and rebranded as the SDP. Seeing Labour as having moved too far left, the SDP set itself up as a progressive alternative for centre-left voters bored of a political dichotomy. Fourthly, Labour rocketed in the polls to top 20% of the vote for the first time since before their departure from the Grand Coalition in 2018. At the same time, the SDP and Classical Liberals rose, while the Greens and the Liberal Democrats fell. For the first time in a long time it is actually starting to look feasible that there could be a Labour prime minister in Downing Street in the form of Secretary_Salami. But, in modern Britain’s electoral system you must be able to form a coalition in order to secure a majority in the House of Commons. The dynamics were clear for Labour: if they want the keys to No 10 they cannot rely on the traditional left alone – neither the Green party, with whom relations had soured and who had secluded themselves on the far-left nor the declining and crisis-stricken Liberal Democrats. Ideologically, Labour had more of an affinity with them, but strategically it made no sense. And that brings us up to now and the candidate list for this election which confirms what that trend means in electoral term. There is no longer simply a left and right bloc. The centre bloc – termed because it is now a cohesive group that sits in the centre between the left bloc, which is now the far-left, and the right bloc, rather than describing Labour as a centrist party – is now a fully fledged alliance of its own, consisting of Labour, the SDP, the Liberal Democrats and the Classical Liberals. Where’s the proof? Notice Labour’s endorsements. Not a single endorsement of, or from, the Greens or any of the other new far-left parties. The same is true of the SDP while the Liberal Democrats have a couple of endorsement deals with the People’s Movement. It’s less true of the Classical Liberals on the right, but, whereas in previous elections they have heavily endorsed the Conservatives and LPUK, this time there are far more centre-left endorsements. Yet, Labour’s very left wing manifesto and the reaction of their fellow centre parties to what has been regarded as a strategic misstep – by producing policies far from what their new, closer-to-the-centre allies could accepted – shows that while it was previously the centre parties who felt uncomfortable in the bloc that the voters forced them to work with, now it is Labour. The party wants to be more left wing, but is forced by circumstance to work with the middle and they have had a very hard time squaring that with where the party currently is ideologically. And although it has moved a little bit to the right compared to February, the manifesto remains very left wing in some places, and occasionally more left wing, and has become more centrist in others. Thus, their manifesto reads as an incoherent, uneven vision with no clear, consistent narrative or sense of identity. The party wants to be back on the left, but, unlike the Greens, they want to form a government and cannot retreat to their ideological comfort zone. Previous Labour manifestos could be left wing because the party didn’t need to worry about forming a majority coalition, but doing the same this time was an error and shows us that even those at the heart of the formation of this new political dynamic have not fully comprehended what this means. Yet, despite that, the centre retains some of the ad-hoc, ramshackled nature that it has always contained. Right wing endorsements are crisp, clean and near universal, with the Tories and LPUK endorsing each other strongly, with occasional endorsements of the Classical Liberals, and one of the Liberal Democrats. The centre meanwhile is a bit of a mess. Besides the Classical Liberals returning the favour with Conservative and LPUK endorsements, while the right has a clean set of endorsements, with just two parties trading endorsements and back and forth across most seats, this is far from true of the centre. Centre endorsements are a complete smorgasboard. In some seats, two have endorsed each other, while the other have their own endorsement deal. In others, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and SDP have endorsed each other while the Classical Liberals have endorsed the LPUK. And in many seats, the Liberal Democrats haven’t endorsed anyone, nor are the running a candidate. As mentioned, they’ve also endorsed The People’s Movement in a small number of seats – a very minor bridge between the left and centre which are, on the whole, divorced from each other. What this says, like Labour’s manifesto, is that these centre parties have not yet realised that they are now one of the main blocs of British politics. They are no longer divided between left and right. It’s a bit of a strategic coup for the right, and demonstrates how rapidly, and stealthily, this dynamic shift has come about. This, I would wager, will be the central story of this election campaign, and will be vital in forming a government in the new Parliament. Relationships, dramatic polling changes, and big developments have given the centre more power than ever before. Parties like the People’s Movement, the Democratic Reformists, and the Phoenix Committee are desperately looking to re-energise the left after the near total collapse of the Greens, and many have endorsed each other, and the Greens, forming the new left bloc – what is essentially now the far-left, since the centre-left is now allied with the centre. Ultimately, though, they have no hope of government and are likely too far leftwards for many Labour voters who may be uncomfortable with who their party is now working with. Despite their best efforts, this election is not left v right – as much as Labour might prefer it – but it is instead now centre v right and it makes it one of the most interesting elections in a long time. The Guardian will continue to cover this story and other stories of the election as they unfold. The Guardian will continue it’s manifesto summaries and analysis soon, with many currently being written. The Guardian is your best source for keeping up with the nuances, twists, turns, and features of this election campaign and what it will mean for the country, with our analysis pieces, op-eds, coverage of the big events, our Agenda Summer 2019 series looking at the big issues of the election, and exclusive interviews. Stick with the Guardian for the next week, and beyond, for your front row seat to history!

Immunodiffusion test for ovine progressive pneumonia. An agar gel immunodiffusion test was developed to detect precipitating antibody against ovine progressive pneumonia (OPP) virus. The test was conducted in plastic petri dishes containing 6 ml of 1% purified agar in tris buffer and 8% sodium chloride. Wells for serum and antigen were 8 mm in diameter and were cut in a hexagonal pattern 3 cm from a central well. Tests were read at 24 and 48 hours. Soluble antigen for the test consisted of concentrated nutrient medium removed every 2 weeks from a cell culture persistently infected with isolate WLC 1 of OPP virus. Specificity of results was verified by testing serums from experimentally exposed sheep and appropriate controls. Two lines of precipitate formed with some serums from experimentally inoculated sheep. Serums taken soon after exposure of sheep to the virus and those taken 3 to 4 years after exposure frequently formed only 1 line of precipitate. Of 37 lambs inoculated with OPP virus, 25% of those tested were positive by postinoculation (PI) month 1, 79% of those tested were positive by PI month 3, and all of those tested were positive by PI month 6. The test appears adequate to detect exposure of sheep to OPP virus.

I’m not exactly sure who introduced me to blood oranges, not clear on where I was, or when it even happened. But I’d like to take a minute and say whoever you are, where ever you are, thank you. I owe ya one (a blood orange, that is). I love bulking up on citrus this time of year. In the winter months, citrus is at its peak season and is so fresh, juicy, and delicious. It’s probably no coincidence either that these vitamin C-packed, immune-boosting fruits are abundant in the winter when cold and flu season is in full-force. The moro (blood) orange is one variety not to miss because of its uniqueness in appearance and flavor. Its flesh is deep red, a far cry from its orange friends and family. And that deep red color means it contains a powerful antioxidant – anthocyanin, which protects the body from oxidative damage. It’s also less acidic than navel oranges and sweet enough that you can almost taste a hint of raspberry or strawberry. I’ve been into roasting fruits lately (ever since my epic roasted balsamic strawberry shortcake last year) and wanted to try roasting blood oranges to see this awesome fruit taken to another level. Roasting caramelized the sugars so it definitely bumped the sweetness up a notch, which made them a perfect addition to morning oatmeal. I feel like oatmeal gets a bad rep and I’m not sure why exactly. People think it’s boring, bland, the list goes on. But everyone knows that an outfit is only as good as its accessories, right? Jeans and a tee shirt can only go so far unless you pair them with a cute pair of flats and a statement necklace. Same thing with oatmeal. You’ve got to accessorize it to make it beautiful (and delicious). I also think this could be a perfectly pretty breakfast-in-bed for you and your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day next weekend. I think I was first introduced to blood oranges when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, and I’ve loved them ever since! I’ve been really into using them in salads, especially with fennel, this winter!

Add Related Product We know you want the goods as soon as possible, which is why orders received by 3pm ET leave our warehouse the very same day. We'll send you an email that day to confirm shipment and the email will include your tracking information. Our warehouse is closed Saturday & Sunday, so orders received after 3pm ET on Fridays will not ship out until Monday. Because I had the solia iron and to this day have not found anything better, I had assumed their blow dryer would be just as amazing to me. I watched reviews and read up on it because I work for minimum wage and it's a big purchase for me - and it looked perfect based on what I saw. I love the way it looks. But I really don't see a difference between my hair using the Solia dryer and my old Conair Infiniti. I've never had problems with knots but this dryer blows my hair everywhere and there's no setting low enough to avoid massive tangles. Dry time takes just as long also. On the plus side, it is literally the prettiest hair dryer I've ever seen. I just wish it was as great as it looks. Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Stevie M. United States Hair Oily Hair Curly Hair Fine or Thin Hair Works For Me! I usually buy blow dryers from the drugstore and they fried my hair. This is my first "high end" blow dryer and I really like it! My hair comes out very shiny and now I rarely use any extra products in my hair. I know there are concerns that this unit doesn't get very hot. I prefer it that way. I find that the hotter the tool, the frizzier my hair gets. Using this dryer cuts down most of that frizz. It also drys my hair faster than the old Conair one I used to use. I've had this product for about a year. Granted, I only use it every once in a while, but I've had no problems with it thus far. I would recommend it to someone who's hair has been burned by cheap drugstore dryers. Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Marisol P. New York Hair Dry Hair Curly Hair Color Treated Hair Miss It So Much Getting Another One! I had this hair dryer! It was amazing. After 3 years my daughter dropped it on my tile floor and broke it. I bought a rusk because I thought it would be better. NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is too strong and all it did was burn my hair and kill my curls. Yes it did dry my hair faster as the Rusk claims but at the expense of my hair. I am ordering my Solia again right now!!!!!!!!!!!!! Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Mon United States Hair Medium Brown Normal Hair Color Treated Hair Thick or Coarse Hair So Far, So Great! I've never owned a nice hair dryer - I always bought the Conair ones from the drug store! I can't believe how well this hair dryer works - Saturday night, my hair was almost completely dry and styled in 8 minutes! I have very thick brown hair that is pretty long. I am so thankful for a good friend who turned me onto this site, and helped me choose an affordable, yet great product. It came with a 2 year warranty - it was in the box, but I am not sure where I put it for "safe keeping" - oops! Only con so far - it is a bit heavy, so if that's an issue for you this won't be a dryer you'll like. I'm enjoying the extra bicep/tricep workout! :-) Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Lori Hair Dark Brown Normal Hair Color Treated Hair Solia - Not Hot Purchased a Solia after four years of owning the Sedu Revolution. The negative reviews for both products are correct. The Solia does not get hot and just blows a lot ...making a frizzy mess. The negative reviews on the Sedu is that back filter piece easily fall off and or breaks. The Sedu did come with the 2 yr warranty and when it was close to the 2yr mark it was not getting as hot. I sent it back to Folica for warranty repair (very easy process), they fixed it and returned it very quickly. After a couple more years of use my Sedu wasn't as hot so I decided to try a new model hair dryer.. the Solia 1875. It just doesn't have the power - makes your hair frizzy - much shorter cord than Sedu and buttons are not that great. Half the time you spend pressing them to see if you have it on the hottest setting,,, which usually you do. I have returned the Solia to Folica and repurchased a new Sedu. The small negative of the Sedu outweigh all the positive. Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Kjc Hair Blonde Curly Hair Color Treated Hair Thick or Coarse Hair The Reviews Were Right! After reading the positive reviews I purchased this hair dryer to replace my very old Babyliss. This is an excellent dryer at a great price! No it doesn't get very hot, but that is a good thing for me since I tend to "fry" my hair. There is enough warm air circulating through the shaft to dry my thick and curly hair. Highly recommend! Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Maritza B. Miami, FL Hair Dark Brown Oily Hair Thick or Coarse Hair Worth It My cousin recommended I step up to a blow dryer that is going to do a good job for a long time - this is it! I am absolutely happy with my purchase. I have thick wavy hair and it used to take me up to two hours to get it straight and just "ok" looking, but now I get to do it under an hour and it looks fabulous! Use this link to send this review via e-mail, Twitter, or to post to your blog. Close Gibson Not So Great.... Based on reviews I purchased this dryer. After using it for a week I have to say it doesn't live up to my expectations. It's no better than any other dryer I have used and certainly no better than the Chi I sent for recycling, but at least I got $40 off the cost of this one. That helps ease the pain. 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Desensitization of the stimulatory A2 adenosine receptor-adenylate cyclase system in vascular smooth muscle cells from rat aorta. We have previously shown that adenylate cyclase present in rat aorta vascular smooth muscle cells can be stimulated by adenosine, its analogs and other agonists. In the present studies, we have examined the effect of preexposure of aorta vascular smooth muscle cells to N-ethylcarboxamide adenosine (NECA) on adenylate cyclase activity stimulated by NECA and other agonists. The vascular smooth muscle cells, when exposed to NECA, resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent loss of NECA-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. NECA stimulated adenylate cyclase activity by about 120% in control cells, which was decreased to 20% in cells pretreated with 50 microM NECA for 30 min at 37 degrees C. However, GTP-, isoproterenol-, and forskolin-sensitive adenylate cyclase activities were not affected by such treatment, suggesting that NECA treatment of the cells resulted in homologous desensitization. Similarly, the exposure of the cells to isoproterenol resulted in the desensitization of isoproterenol-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity without affecting the NECA-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. Furthermore, when NECA-treated cells were washed free of agonist, the desensitized state was reversed and the cells regained about 75% responsiveness to NECA stimulation of adenylate cyclase.

He Cihong He Cihong (born 6 June 1975) is a Chinese former swimmer who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics and in the 1996 Summer Olympics. At the 1994 FINA World Championships, she won the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events, setting the meet record in the women's 100 back at 1:00.16. See also World record progression 100 metres backstroke World record progression 200 metres backstroke References Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:Chinese female swimmers Category:Female backstroke swimmers Category:Olympic swimmers of China Category:Swimmers at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:World record setters in swimming Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Category:Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Category:Asian Games medalists in swimming Category:Asian Games gold medalists for China Category:Swimmers at the 1994 Asian Games Category:Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games

1. Field of the Invention (Technical Field) The present invention relates to the field of digital signal processing. Delta Sigma technology has been widely used in converting analog signals to digital signals, it has not been commonly applied in digital signal processing, because of the lack of Delta Sigma based linear processing circuits. Here, this invention is directed to an alternative method using a 1-bit DSP system to process Delta Sigma bit-streams directly. 2. Description of Related Art In digital signal processing systems, the most important linear circuits are adders, coefficient multipliers, and compressors. To build those circuits with low noise and complexity, pure digital implementations are preferable. However, some previous Delta Sigma processing methods focused on modifying the Delta Sigma modulators, J. Melanson, “Signal processing system using delta-sigma modulation having an internal stabilizer path with direct output-to-integrator connection,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,696,913, 2010; J. Choi, S. Han, J. Jang, and H. Yu, “Structure of delta-sigma fractional divider,” U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0108143; M. Cho, Y. Kim, and J. Kwon, “Coefficient multiplier and digital delta sigma modulator using the same,” U.S. Patent Publication No. 2011/0140940, instead of processing the modulated bit-stream. Moreover some solutions are hindered by involving analog operations, A. Niwa and Y. Ueno, “Delta-sigma modulator and signal processing system,” U.S. Pat. No. 8,581,763, 2013; T. Moue, “Delta-sigma modulator and signal processing system,” U.S. Pat. No. 8,581,764, 2013; V. F. Dias, “Signal processing in the sigma-delta domain,” Microelectron. J., vol. 26, pp. 543-562, 1995, or tri-state digital circuits, C.-W. Ng, N. Wong, and T.-S. Ng, “Bit-stream adders and multipliers for tri-level sigma delta modulators,” Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 54, no. 12, pp. 1082-1086, December 2007, which increase the complexity of the circuits. Other designs are impeded by their ability of processing only first-order Delta Sigma bit-streams, N. Kouvaras, “Operations on delta-modulated signals and their application in the realization of digital filters,” Radio and Electronic Engineer, vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 431-438, September 1978; N. Kouvaras, “Some novel elements for delta-modulated signal processing,” Radio and Electronic Engineer, vol. 51, no. 5, pp. 241-250, May 1981; N. Kouvaras and J. Karakatsanis, “A technique for a substantial reduction of the quantization noise in the direct processing of delta-modulated signals,” Signal Processing, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 107-119, 1985; N. Kouvaras, “Modular network for direct complete addition of delta modulated signals with minimum quantization error,” International Journal of Electronics, vol. 59, no. 5, pp. 587-595, 1985; H. Fujisaka, R. Kurata, M. Sakamoto, and M. Morisue, “Bit-stream signal processing and its application to communication systems,” Circuits, Devices and Systems, IEE Proceedings, vol. 149, no. 3, pp. 159-166, 2002; K. Matsuyama, H. Fujisaka, and T. Kamino, “Arithmetic and piecewise linear circuits for sigma-delta domain multi-level signal processing,” in 2005 International Symposium on Nonlinear Theory and its Applications (NOLTA 2005), October 2005, pp. 58-61; Y. Hidaka, H. Fujisaka, M. Sakamoto, and M. Morisue, “Piecewise linear operations on sigma-delta modulated signals,” in Electronics, Circuits and Systems, 2002. 9th International Conference on, vol. 3, 2002, pp. 983-986 vol. 3; D. Zrilic, “Method and apparatus for mixed analog and digital processing of delta modulated pulse streams including digital-to-analog conversion of a digital input signal,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,349,353, 1994; D. Zrilic, “Circuits and methods for functional processing of delta modulated pulse density stream,” U.S. Pat. No. 6,285,306, 2001; S. Horianopoulos, V. Anastassopoulos, and T. Deliyannis, “Design technique for hardware reduction in delta modulation fir filters,” International Journal of Electronics, vol. 71, no. 1, pp. 93-106, 1991; A. Pneumatikakis, V. Anastassopoulos, and T. Deliyannis, “Realization of a high-order iir delta sigma filter,” International Journal of Electronics, vol. 78, no. 6, pp. 1071-1089, 1995; P. O'Leary and F. Maloberti, “Bit stream adder for oversampling coded data,” Electronics Letters, vol. 26, no. 20, pp. 1708-1709, September 1990; Y. Liang, Z. Wang, Q. Meng, and X. Guo, “Design of high speed high SNR bit-stream adder based on delta sigma modulation,” Electronics Letters, vol. 46, no. 11, pp. 752-753, May 2010; D. McGrath, “Method and apparatus for processing sigma-delta modulated signals,” U.S. Pat. No. 5,990,818, 1999, which do not fit the widely used higher-order Delta Sigma modulators. Furthermore adders in Kouvaras can only take two inputs. So far the most promising structure of processing higher-order Delta Sigma bit-stream is the digital Delta Sigma modulator proposed by Fujisaka et al. in H. Fujisaka, M. Sakamoto, C.-J. Ahn, T. Kamio, and K. Haeiwa, “Sorter based arithmetic circuits for sigma-delta domain signal processing—part ii: Multiplication and algebraic functions,” Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 59, no. 9, pp. 1966-1979, September 2012. Although that system has achieved higher-order noise shaping with high signal-to-noise-plus-distortion-ratio (SNDR), the complicated sorting network in Fujisaka et al. requires a great amount of circuit resources, which may work better with future quantum device. T. Katao, Y. Suzuki, H. Fujisaka, T. Kamio, C.-J. Ahn, and K. Haeiwa, “Single-electron arithmetic circuits for sigma-delta domain signal processing,” in Nanotechnology, 2008. NANO '08. 8th IEEE Conference on, August 2008, pp. 729-732. The Delta Sigma average adder proposed by N. Kouvaras [N. Kouvaras, “Operations on delta-modulated signals and their application in the realization of digital filters,” Radio and Electronic Engineer, vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 431-438, September 1978] is shown in FIG. 1. It uses a binary full adder with switched role of sum and carry output. It can take only two inputs. The analog value of the output bit stream is the average value of the two input bit stream, instead of the sum. The Delta Sigma coefficient multiplier [N. Kouvaras, “Operations on delta-modulated signals and their application in the realization of digital filters,” Radio and Electronic Engineer, vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 431-438, September 1978] based on the average adder is shown in FIG. 2. The tri-state Delta Sigma adder [IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol. 54, no. 12, pp. 1082-1086, December 2007] is shown proposed by Chiu-Wa Ng. et al. is shown in FIG. 3. The circuit uses tri-state digital signals, which is not well compatible with current bi-state digital technology. The digital Delta Sigma modulator proposed by David A. Johns [David A. Johns and David M. Lewis: Design and Analysis of Delta Sigma Based IIR Filter, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Analog and Digital Signal Processing. Vol. 40, No. 4, April 1993, pp. 233-240] is shown in FIG. 4. The main application is digital filtering. The digital Delta Sigma modulator does not have a toggling multiplexer thus the output noise is high. The Delta Sigma adder based on sorting network proposed by Fujisaka et. al., [H. Fujisaka, M. Sakamoto, C.-J. Ahn, T. Kamio, and K. Haeiwa, “Sorter based arithmetic circuits for sigma-delta domain signal processing—part ii: Multiplication and algebraic functions,” Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, IEEE Transactions on, vol. 59, no. 9, pp. 1966-1979, September 2012.] is shown in FIG. 5. The circuit uses complex sorting networks.

Polish-Brazilian pair claim title without dropping a setLukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo dominated the doubles field at the Mutua Madrid Open, clinching their second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 of the year without dropping a set.Kubot and Melo downed Frenchmen Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin 7-5, 6-3 in one hour and 20 minutes on Sunday. The Polish-Brazilian pair turned in an impressive serving performance, claiming 88 per cent of first serve points and saving three of four break points faced. Also the champions in Miami and runners-up in Indian Wells, Kubot and Melo are off to a flying start in their first full season together. They improve to 17-7 in 2017 and open a 240-point lead over Henri Kontinen and John Peers atop the Emirates ATP Doubles Race To London, passing the Finnish-Aussie duo for No. 1."We can't feel better," said Melo. "We played another really good tournament. In four Masters 1000 tournaments we won two and reached another final, so these are pretty big results. I am really happy the way we are playing now and looking forward to the next one."Lukasz went to Barcelona alone because my mom had some health problems, but she's perfect now. She is recovering at home and watched our final today. It's Mother's Day in Brazil so this title is for her." After exchanging breaks midway through the first set, the fourth seeds sealed the opener with another break in the 12th game. They would reel off five straight games, also snatching the early lead in the second set, and did not look back from there. With Melo serving for the match at 5-3, Roger-Vasselin turned aside the first championship point with a rifled return winner, but could not handle Melo's delivery on the second. Individually, it was Kubot's 16th tour-level doubles crown and fourth with Melo. They had also teamed up to win consecutive titles in Vienna in 2015-16. The Brazilian now owns 24 tour-level titles in total, including seven at the Masters 1000 level. They earn 1,000 Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings points and split €323,200 in prize money."We're learning day-by-day how to improve and we're having great results," said Kubot. "We have to be ready for the tough moments and the next big event in Rome. Let's see what will happen in the future."The French duo of Mahut and Roger-Vasselin, meanwhile, were bidding for their fifth team title and first since 2013, when they won on the grass of Newport. Mahut falls to 17-13 in tour-level doubles finals, while Roger-Vasselin drops to 13-6. _________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.” "When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV." _________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.” "When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV." _________________“I doubt about myself, I think the doubts are good in life. The people who don’t have doubts I think only two things: arrogance or not intelligence.” "When these kind of matches happen you suffer, but I really enjoy these moments. I really enjoy suffering, because what's harder is when I am in Mallorca last year and I had to watch these kind of matches on the TV." Rafael Nadal was made to work in claiming his fifth Mutua Madrid Open title, edging Dominic Thiem 7-6(8), 6-4 in his home capital on Sunday. Thiem refused to back down in his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and the pair would produce a stunning display of high-octane tennis from first ball to last. Nadal eventually converted his fourth championship point to close out one of the matches of the year on the ATP World Tour. The five-time champion extended his unbeaten start to the European clay-court season, which stands at 15-0 following the final. He adds to victories at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters and Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he also defeated Thiem in the final. The Spaniard lifted a record-tying 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, joining Novak Djokovic in the elite club. Here is how the final unfolded.. FIRST SET - Nadal 7-6(8)Thiem burst out of the gates on a sunny late afternoon at the Caja Magica, exhibiting no signs of rust after a midnight semi-final finish against Pablo Cuevas. Launching his forehand deep to Nadal's backhand, the Austrian claimed first blood in the third game. Nadal refused to be broken in their Barcelona final just two weeks prior, but he would concede the first break of the match in the Spanish capital as Thiem struck a volley winner. But the home favourite answered in kind in the sixth game, claiming the point of the match with a stunning defensive display from well behind the baseline. He would draw level for 3-all and pushed Thiem to the brink with the 23 year old serving to stay in the set at 5-4. Thiem escaped from a 0/40 deficit in that game, denying all three set points and punctuating the hold with an ace down the T. Continuing to strike his forehand with conviction, Thiem was not fazed by the moment of his first Masters 1000 final and would force an opening tie-break. The margins proved to be razor thin as the set neared its conclusion. Thiem clawed back from a mini-break down with a beautiful forehand into the open court and Nadal rifled a sublime backhand winner at 6-all. The hot shots continued as the tie-break wore on, with Thiem digging deep with a clutch stab volley winner at 7-all. But Nadal is the King of Clay for a reason and he would not be denied, taking the opener 10-8 in the tie-break after a gripping one hour and 18 minutes of high-octane tennis. Eight of the 18 points in the tie-break were won with outright winners. SECOND SET - Nadal 6-4Nadal fired just 14 winners to Thiem's 16 in the first set, but the Austrian was victimised by 21 unforced errors. It would continue to plague him in the opening game of the second set. Nadal was a defensive demon, tracking down everything Thiem sent his way, and he would capture the initial break for 1-0 as the World No. 9 sent a forehand long. Thiem would not back down, proving why he is one of the brightest stars on the ATP World Tour. But despite continuing to fight and battle for every point, his energy began to fade after such an emotionally-charged first set. Nadal held to love in two straight service games and was relentless from the baseline as the match neared the finish line. A brilliant running forehand pass moved him to within two points of the title, with Thiem serving down 5-3. The Austrian would valiantly save two championship points at 15/40 and remarkably held four break points with Nadal serving for the title in the next game. But the Manacor native fired an ace, a service winner and a powerful forehand winner down the line, and he would eventually lift the trophy after two hours and 18 minutes of stunning, world-class tennis. We look into storylines that emerged during the season's second clay-court Masters 1000 event. Nadal Is Appearing UntouchableCan anyone stop Rafael Nadal? The Spaniard picked up his fifth Mutua Madrid Open title and moved to 15-0 on the red dirt this year after prevailing in an epic final over Dominic Thiem. The victory also gives Nadal his 30th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, tying Novak Djokovic for the all-time lead.But what stands out most is Nadal’s dominance in recording these wins. The Spaniard has won 30 of 32 sets he’s played on clay this year and recorded straight-sets wins against everyone he’s faced inside the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings. Major roadblocks including Djokovic, Thiem and David Goffin were swiftly brushed aside.Currently at the top of the Emirates ATP Race to London, which tallies all the race points accumulated beginning Jan. 1 of this year, he is now an overwhelming favourite heading into the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Although Nadal isn’t unbeatable, it will take a brilliant performance to defeat him if he continues to play at this level.Thiem Making Push For Top 5The 23-year-old Austrian reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final in Madrid and showed it certainly won’t be his last by giving Nadal all he could handle in the final. Thiem has been in outstanding form on clay this year, winning in Rio de Janeiro (d. Carreno Busta) and finishing runner-up in Barcelona (l. Nadal).Thiem’s superior fitness means a heavy match schedule – Madrid is his 12th tournament of 2017 – won’t slow him down heading into Rome and Roland Garros. Currently third in the Emirates ATP Race to London, he looks poised to pick up plenty of points over the next few weeks.Goffin Continues Racking Up Top 10 WinsDavid Goffin has never shown fear when competing against the world’s best, but has been especially impressive in scoring scalps on clay. En route to a quarter-final showing in Madrid, the Belgian defeated Milos Raonic in the third round for his fourth Top 10 win of the season. Three of those have come on the dirt, including over Djokovic and Thiem at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters.Goffin is now 8-3 on clay, with two of those losses coming to Nadal. No less of an authority that Nadal praised Goffin as someone who can eventually become World No. 1, and the 26 year old is showing that he will continue to use his arsenal to its fullest potential.The #NextGenATP Players Are Coming#NextGenATP players Alexander Zverev and Borna Coric put together impressive performances in Madrid to reach the quarter-finals. Zverev ousted Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych en route to the last eight. Coric, a lucky loser who only entered the main draw after Richard Gasquet withdrew, defeated World No. 1 Andy Murray in the third round.Zverev and Coric are the top two players in the Emirates ATP Race to Milan, which will determine who qualifies for the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan from 7-11 November. Both men hold sizable leads over their peers in the race and will only continue to add to that gap with their current form.Kubot/Melo Are Hottest Team On TourIn their first year competing full-time as a team, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo picked up their second ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title of the season in Madrid by defeating Nicolas Mahut and Edouard Roger-Vasselin. Kubot/Melo also won in Miami (d. Monroe/Sock) and finished runner-up in Indian Wells (l. Klaasen/Ram).Their win in Madrid also puts them past Henri Kontinen and John Peers for the top spot in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London, and makes them prime contenders to prevail next month at Roland Garros.

Evidence Accumulation and Flow of Control in a Hierarchical Spatial Reasoning System K. M. Andress, Avi Kak Abstract A fundamental goal of computer vision is the development of systems capable of carrying out scene interpretation while taking into account all the available knowledge. In this article, we focus on how the interpretation task can be aided by the expected scene information (such as map knowledge), which, in most cases, would not be in registration with the perceived scene. The proposed approach is applicable to the interpretation of scenes with three-dimensional structures as long as it is possible to generate the equivalent two-dimensional orthogonal or perspective projections of the structures in the expected scene. The system is implemented as a two-panel, six-level blackboard and uses the Dempster-Shafer formalism to accomplish inexact reasoning in a hierarchical space. Inexact reasoning involves exploiting, at different levels of abstraction, any internal geometric consistencies in the data and between the data and the expected scene. As they are discovered, these consistencies are used to update the system's belief in associating a data element with a particular entity from the expected scene.

Q: Gradle - could not initialize class org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLConnectionSocketFactory I try to build my "Hello World" application with Android Studio and can't do it because of some problem with gradle. This is what I have: $java -version java version “1.8.0_151” Java™ SE Runtime Environment (build 1.8.0_151-b12) Java HotSpot™ 64-Bit Server VM (build 25.151-b12, mixed mode) $ gradle -v Gradle 6.5.1 Build time: 2020-06-30 06:32:47 UTC Revision: 66bc713f7169626a7f0134bf452abde51550ea0a Kotlin: 1.3.72 Groovy: 2.5.11 Ant: Apache Ant™ version 1.10.7 compiled on September 1 2019 JVM: 1.8.0_151 (Oracle Corporation 25.151-b12) OS: Linux 4.9.0-6-amd64 amd64 This is gradle file generated by Android Studio $ cat build.gradle buildscript { repositories { google() jcenter() } dependencies { classpath “com.android.tools.build:gradle:4.0.1” } } allprojects { repositories { google() jcenter() } } task clean(type: Delete) { delete rootProject.buildDir } And this is the result: $ gradle --stacktrace FAILURE: Build failed with an exception. What went wrong: Could not initialize class org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLConnectionSocketFactory Try: Run with --info or --debug option to get more log output. Run with --scan to get full insights. Exception is: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Could not initialize class org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLConnectionSocketFactory at org.gradle.internal.resource.transport.http.HttpClientConfigurer.configureSslSocketConnectionFactory(HttpClientConfigurer.java:122) at org.gradle.internal.resource.transport.http.HttpClientConfigurer.configure(HttpClientConfigurer.java:107) at org.gradle.internal.resource.transport.http.HttpClientHelper.getClient(HttpClientHelper.java:195) at org.gradle.internal.resource.transport.http.HttpClientHelper.performHttpRequest(HttpClientHelper.java:141) Could anyone help me to solve this problem? These are my first steps with gradle and I have no idea what to do. If the problem is with dependency, then why this dependency is not included in gradle. Please, help. A: I solved the problem by using OpenJDK instead of Oracle JDK.

COMMERCIAL TI SPECIAL TI OTHER STUFF Titanium allergy is not to be taken lightly, but not too hard either Titanium allergy is so rare that is barely recognized as such within mainstream medical practice. Indeed, it has been reported, but the conditions and symptoms were so diverse and bewildering, that it hasn’t been possible so far for practitioners to pin-point a special symptom category. This is a common occurrence in cases where reports are inconsistent and/or incoherent and there are usually more medical problems attached to the respective patient than a mere allergy. However, the most common occurrence of titanium allergy is definitely related to titanium body jewelry. Titanium is indeed an inert metal and is indeed virtually allergy free. This is what made it the biggest alternative for stainless steel piercings, which contain nickel. Nickel allergy is far more widespread, at about 10% of the population, than titanium allergy. The more popular a product is, the greater the chance of finding a consumer that is allergic to it. The reports of titanium allergy coming from a recent piercing contain symptoms such as skin rashes, swelling, itchiness, skin redness and hives. In most of the cases, these are just the normal responses of the body adjusting to a foreign object. The type and gravity of these symptoms vary with the sensitivity of each individual and the location of the piercings. If you’re worried about a possible titanium allergy case due to a recent titanium body piercing, allow a couple of days before rushing to the hospital. Assuming that you had your piercing done professionally with the hygiene conditions assured responsibly, there is no reason to fret. Chances are the problem will take care of itself. The real symptom for a rare titanium sensitivity is the chronic fatigue syndrome. This is a medical term given to several disorders. It is commonly defined by persistent fatigue unrelated to physical or mental exertion, which doesn’t alleviate by rest and is extended for a period longer than six months. If you experience this kind of symptom, and you have been in contact with titanium metal, in the form of a piercing or a titanium implant, then it is the case indeed that you should consult a physician. Titanium implants, especially for bone reconstruction in the forms of titanium plates or titanium screws are very popular. There are also problems with these implants, but are rarely directly related to titanium allergies. Usually, the principal medical problems come from different stress forces applied in the titanium implant and the adjacent bone, which lead to the failure of the joint. But this is a known and well documented medical issue, and it is thoroughly checked by physicians in every case. There is only one test that can be used to establish titanium allergy, called the MELISA® test. This is a blood in vitro test used for the diagnosis of delayed hypersensitivity to metals. The technology is called “in vitro lymphocyte transformation” and has been utilized for some years to assist in the diagnosis of delayed type sensitivity to metals. In the professional literature, the studies seem to validate the accuracy of this type of test, but more in determining exposure to metals, including titanium, and not necessarily in determining a delayed hypersensitivity that produces allergy. There is also an intense ongoing debate about the interaction of titanium dioxide in the form of nano sized particles with the human body, as the nanotechnology is developing. Titanium dioxide nanoparticles are often used in products that have the potential of presenting allergy risks to human, such as titanium sunscreen, food stuff and paint. Although there were some scientific studies regarding the potential damage to living tissue caused by titanium dioxide nano particles, no final decision has been established yet.

Wed 29 Jul 2020 Why some of us are unable to digest dairy and the intricate process of creating a baby

[/caption] Among one of the first exoplanet systems imaged was HR 8799. In 2008, a team led by Christian Marois at the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Canada, took a picture of the system directly imaging three giant planets. The team revisited the system in 2009 – 2010 with the Keck II telescope and discovered a fourth planet in the system. The new planet, designated HR 8799e, orbits at a distance of 14.5 AU, making it the innermost planet in the system. The other planets all orbit at distances of >25 AU. The images were taken in the near infrared where they are most noticeable because the system is relatively young (<100 Myr) and the planets are still radiating large amounts of heat from their formation. The youth of these planets is part of what makes them an interesting target for astronomers. There exists a controversy in the community of planetary astronomers on the formation method of large planets. One theory states that planets form from a single, monolithic collapse that creates the entire planet’s mass at one time. Another possibility is that the initial collapse forms small cores early on, but then there is substantial growth later, as the planetesimal sweeps up additional material. The discovery of the new planet challenges both theories. Marois states, “none of [the theories] can explain the in situ formation of all four planets.” Thus, a combination of both methods may be in use in the system. Several belts of dust are also known in the system which may help astronomers determine what modes of formation were present. In particular HR 8799e is challenging to an in situ formation because the gravitational perturbations from the parent star should disrupt the formation of large gas planets within 20-40 AU from a single formation. Instead, the new planet would likely have had to been a core collapse with subsequent accretion, or alternatively, moved to its present location via migration. Studying systems such as this may help astronomers better understand the formation of our own solar system. The paper notes that the HR 8799 “does show interesting similarities with the Solar system with all giant planets located past the system’s estimated snow line (~2.7 AU for the Solar system and ~6 AU for HR 8799)”. Additionally, both have debris disks beyond the outer orbits with similar temperatures. Different methods of detecting planetary formation necessarily turn up different types of systems. Radial velocity studies detect massive, close-in planets whereas direct imaging most easily finds more distant planets. These two apparent populations represent different modes of planetary formation and for a full understanding, astronomers will need a continuous sampling that merges the two. Marois notes that we are still far from this goal as “[w]e just do not have enough exoplanets detected by direct imaging (~6 so far)” to make any conclusions besides constraints from the non-detections occurring thus far. To truly merge these two populations, astronomers will likely need to wait until more systems are discovered. Previously, some work has been done to estimate the composition of the atmospheres of the three planets already discovered in the system. These systems have been suggested to have cloudy atmospheres for CH 4 and CO. According to Marois, his team is, “planning more observations on e, but it will be hard. We might have to wait for new instruments, like the Gemini Planet Imager to do it properly.” This new instrument “will put a ‘thumb’ on the star (or what we call a coronagraph) to physically block the star light and allow ‘easy’ detection of nearby faint planets.” While this discovery is a first, it will certainly be one of a long line of exoplanet images. Marois is obviously excited about the ability to directly image planets. I asked him what the single most important thing he wanted readers to get from this research. His response was simple, “That we now have the telescopes and instruments to SEE planets orbiting other stars – that’s really cool! The exoplanet field is still very young and we have so much to learn.”

Q: Show value in textbox before selected from dropdown list JavaScript: $(function(){ $('#userID').change(function(){ $('#username').val($('#userID option:selected').data('username')); }); }); HTML: <select class="form-control" name="nip" id="userID"> <option value='1' data-username='user_id'>1</option> <option value='2' data-username='user_id'>2</option> <option value='3' data-username='user_id'>3</option> </select> <input type="text" name="name" id="username"> This code works to get selected value from dropdown list into textbox if I selected data first. My question is, how to show data in textbox before I selected data from dropdown list? Thanks. A: No mouse or keyboard events fire for option elements. See the msdn documentation for the events available in options: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms535877(VS.85).aspx In this link you can see another approach to your problem: Html Select box options on Hover?

mode_reg = name: 'erb' extensions: { 'erb', 'rhtml' } create: -> bundle_load('erb_mode') howl.mode.register mode_reg unload = -> howl.mode.unregister 'erb' return { info: author: 'Copyright 2014-2015 The Howl Developers', description: 'erb support', license: 'MIT', :unload }

Request an Interview With A Heritage Expert Thank you for contacting us! Adam N. Michel focuses on tax policy and the federal budget as a Policy Analyst in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. His research focuses on the economics of taxation, international tax competition, and the federal budget. Michel is published and quoted in outlets such as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Politico, US News and World Report, and The Federalist. Prior to joining Heritage he was a Program Manager for the Spending and Budget Initiative at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he worked on a broad range of topics relating to federal fiscal policy. He has also worked as a Research Associate at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. Michel received his MA in economics from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA and also holds a BA in politics from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA. He is an alumnus of the Mercatus MA Fellowship program and is currently pursuing his PhD in economics at George Mason University. Originally from California, Michel enjoys rock climbing, skiing, and cooking in his spare time.

<moya xmlns="http://moyaproject.com"> <content docname="testcontent" template="test.html"> <title>Welcoming ${name}</title> <str dst="name">${name}</str> <section name="body"> <text>Welcome, ${name}! This is a test of Moya content renderable</text> </section> <text name="footer">(c) 2012 Will McGugan</text> </content> <macro docname="main"> <render content="testcontent" dst="page"> <str dst="name">Will</str> </render> <echo obj="page"/> </macro> </moya>

Q: Vue Js How to calculate the value on the table and display the sum on the footer I wanted to create simple invoice using bootstrap table and Vue Js. Basically, What i wanted is shown in the image below: I have tried as in the code below, but i am confused on two things, How should i 1) Calculate the total cost and show that as the footer summary. 2) Multiply rate and qnty and display on the corresponding input box on cost. new Vue({ el: '#app', methods: { addService() { this.model.services.push({}); } }, data: { model: { services: [] }, fields: [{ key: "rate", label: "Rate" }, { key: "qnty", label: "Qnty" }, { key: "cost", label: "Cost" } ] } }) <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//unpkg.com/bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//unpkg.com/bootstrap-vue@latest/dist/bootstrap-vue.css" /> <script src="https://unpkg.com/vue"></script> <script src="//unpkg.com/babel-polyfill@latest/dist/polyfill.min.js"></script> <script src="//unpkg.com/bootstrap-vue@latest/dist/bootstrap-vue.js"></script> <div id="app"> <b-card header-tag="header" footer-tag="footer"> <template slot="header" class="mb-0"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-sm" @click.prevent="addService"> <icons :icon="['fas', 'plus']" /> Add Items/Service</button> </template> <b-card-body> <b-table responsive bordered striped hover caption-top :fields="fields" :items="model.services" foot-clone> <template slot="rate" slot-scope="data"> <b-form-input size="sm" class="form-control" v-model="data.item.rate" :name="`rate_${data.index}`" type="text" /> </template> <template slot="qnty" slot-scope="data"> <b-form-input size="sm" class="form-control" v-model="data.item.qnty" :name="`qnty_${data.index}`" type="text" /> </template> <template slot="cost" slot-scope="data"> <b-form-input size="sm" class="form-control" v-model="data.item.cost" :name="`cost_${data.index}`" type="text" /> </template> </b-table> </b-card-body> </b-card> </div> The way i wanted is easily achieved by using normal td and tr, with computed function. But i am confused with how to implement using Bootstrap-vue. Please help! A: Here's a quick way, that calculates the item cost in place <b-form-input :value="(data.item.rate * data.item.qnty) || 0" type="text" /> Improvements can be made here to update the item total in the item, by using a watch t update the data. the total, however is done using a computed value that uses reduce to find the total computed: { total: function() { return this.model.services.reduce(function(a, c){return a + Number((c.rate*c.qnty) || 0)}, 0) } }, here is the complete code: Vue.config.productionTip = false Vue.component('icons', { template: '<a><slot></slot></a>' }) new Vue({ el: '#app', methods: { addService() { this.model.services.push({}); } }, computed: { total: function() { return this.model.services.reduce(function(a, c){return a + Number((c.rate*c.qnty) || 0)}, 0) } }, data: { model: { services: [] }, fields: [{ key: "rate", label: "Rate" }, { key: "qnty", label: "Qnty" }, { key: "cost", label: "Cost" } ] } }) <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//unpkg.com/bootstrap/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//unpkg.com/bootstrap-vue@latest/dist/bootstrap-vue.css" /> <script src="https://unpkg.com/vue"></script> <script src="//unpkg.com/babel-polyfill@latest/dist/polyfill.min.js"></script> <script src="//unpkg.com/bootstrap-vue@latest/dist/bootstrap-vue.js"></script> <div id="app"> <b-card header-tag="header" footer-tag="footer"> <template slot="header" class="mb-0"> <button type="button" class="btn btn-primary btn-sm" @click.prevent="addService"> <icons :icon="['fas', 'plus']" /> Add Items/Service</button> </template> <b-card-body> <b-table responsive bordered striped hover caption-top :fields="fields" :items="model.services" foot-clone> <template slot="rate" slot-scope="data"> <b-form-input size="sm" class="form-control" v-model="data.item.rate" :name="`rate_${data.index}`" type="text" /> </template> <template slot="qnty" slot-scope="data"> <b-form-input size="sm" class="form-control" v-model="data.item.qnty" :name="`qnty_${data.index}`" type="text" /> </template> <template slot="cost" slot-scope="data"> <b-form-input size="sm" class="form-control" :value="(data.item.rate * data.item.qnty) || 0" :name="`cost_${data.index}`" type="text" /> </template> <template slot="bottom-row" slot-scope="data"> <td/><td>Total</td> <td>{{total}}</td> </template> </b-table> </b-card-body> </b-card> </div>

import fs from 'fs'; import puppeteer from 'puppeteer'; import { wait, } from '../../util'; import { getImpl, fromJSON, } from '../..'; import imageReporter from './reporter/image'; import markdownReporter from './reporter/markdown'; interface Case { impl: string; url: string; check: string[]; related: string[]; } interface JobError { type: 'error'; impl: string; error: Error; } interface JobOk extends UnwrapPromise<ReturnType<typeof doJob>> { type: 'ok'; } export type JobResult = (JobError | JobOk) & { duration: number }; // `impl` 기준 사전순으로 정렬할 것 const cases: Case[] = [ { impl: '경향신문', url: 'http://biz.khan.co.kr/khan_art_view.html?artid=201410311921301&code=920100&med=khan', check: ['title', 'subtitle', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified', 'reporters.0.name', 'reporters.0.mail'], related: ['#58'], }, { impl: '국민일보', url: 'http://news.kmib.co.kr/article/view.asp?arcid=0008864720&code=61121111', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created'], related: ['#77'], }, // TODO: 나우뉴스 // TODO: 네이버뉴스 // TODO: 노컷뉴스 // TODO: 뉴데일리 // TODO: 뉴데일리경제 // TODO: 뉴스1 // TODO: 뉴시스 // TODO: 다음뉴스 // TODO: 데일리시큐 // TODO: 데일리안 { impl: '데일리한국', url: 'http://daily.hankooki.com/lpage/politics/201412/dh20141219103740137430.htm', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'reporters.0.name', 'reporters.0.mail'], related: ['#91'], }, { impl: '동아일보', url: 'http://news.donga.com/3/03/20141107/67723014/1', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified'], related: ['#65'], }, // TODO: 디스패치 // TODO: 디지털데일리 // TODO: 디지털타임스 // TODO: 로이터 // TODO: 마이데일리 // TODO: 마이경제 // TODO: 머니투데이 // TODO: 문화일보 // TODO: 미디어스 // TODO: 미디어오늘 // TODO: 민중의소리 // TODO: 뷰스앤뉴스 // TODO: 블로터닷넷 // TODO: 서울경제 { impl: '서울신문', url: 'http://seoul.co.kr/news/newsView.php?id=20141204500025', check: ['title', 'subtitle', 'content', 'timestamp.lastModified'], related: ['#83'], }, // TODO: 세계일보 // TODO: 스포츠경향 // TODO: 스포츠동아 // TODO: 스포츠서울 // TODO: 스포츠조선 // TODO: 스포탈코리아 // TODO: 슬로우뉴스 // TODO: 시사IN Live // TODO: 아시아경제 // TODO: 아시아투데이 { impl: '아이뉴스24', url: 'http://www.inews24.com/view/860573', check: ['title', 'subtitle', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified'], related: ['#61'], }, // TODO: 여성뉴스 // TODO: 연합뉴스 // TODO: 오마이뉴스 { impl: '월스트리트저널', url: 'https://realtime.wsj.com/korea/2014/10/13/%EB%B0%95%EC%9B%90%EC%88%9C-%EC%84%9C%EC%9A%B8%EC%8B%9C%EC%9E%A5-%EB%AF%B8%EA%B5%AD-%EC%96%B8%EB%A1%A0%EC%97%90-%EB%8F%99%EC%84%B1%EA%B2%B0%ED%98%BC-%EC%A7%80%EC%A7%80-%EB%B0%9C%EC%96%B8/', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'reporters.0.name'], related: ['#84'], }, // TODO: 이데일리 // TODO: 일간스포츠 { impl: '전자신문', url: 'http://www.etnews.com/20191031000370?mc=ns_003_00006', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'reporters.0.name', 'reporters.0.mail'], related: [], }, // TODO: 조선비즈 // TODO: 조선일보 // TODO: 중앙데일리 { impl: '중앙일보', url: 'https://news.joins.com/article/23621286', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified', 'reporters.0.name'], related: [], }, { impl: '지디넷코리아', url: 'http://www.zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20141104074223', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified', 'reporters.0.name'], related: ['#69'], }, // TODO: 지지통신 // TODO: 코리아타임스 { impl: '코리아헤럴드', url: 'http://khnews.kheraldm.com/view.php?ud=20141111001137&md=20141111180830_BK&kr=1', check: [ 'title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified', 'reporters.0.name', 'reporters.0.mail', ], related: ['#71'], }, // TODO: 파이낸셜뉴스 // TODO: 프레시안 // TODO: 한겨레 // TODO: 한국경제 // TODO: 한국경제증권 // TODO: 한국경제TV // TODO: 한국일보 { impl: '허핑턴포스트', url: 'https://www.huffingtonpost.kr/entry/story_kr_5d36a558e4b004b6adb5029c?9e4', check: ['title', 'subtitle', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified', ], related: ['#358'], }, { impl: '헤럴드경제', url: 'http://news.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20141023000202&md=20141023091209_BK', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created'], related: ['#56'], }, // TODO: ITWORLD { impl: 'JTBC', url: 'http://news.jtbc.joins.com/article/article.aspx?news_id=NB10639468', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'timestamp.lastModified'], related: ['#70'], }, { impl: 'JTBC-모바일', url: 'http://mnews.jtbc.joins.com/News/Article.aspx?news_id=NB11866214', check: ['title', 'content'], related: [], }, // TODO: KBS World // TODO: KBS // TODO: MBC // TODO: MBN // TODO: OSEN { impl: 'SBS', url: 'https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1002697236', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created', 'reporters.0.name'], related: ['#80'], }, { impl: 'YTN', url: 'https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0103_201411190800481989', check: ['title', 'content', 'timestamp.created'], related: ['#76'], }, ]; async function run() { const jobs = [...cases]; const jobResults: JobResult[] = []; /* const headless = false; const workers = [0, 1]; /*/ const headless = true; const workers = [0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]; //*/ const browser = await puppeteer.launch({ args: ['--no-sandbox', '--disable-setuid-sandbox'], executablePath: 'google-chrome-unstable', headless, }); await Promise.all(workers.map(async () => { let job: Case; while (job = jobs.pop()!) { console.log( `${ jobs.length + 1 } / ${ cases.length } - ` + `${ job.impl }${ job.related.length ? `(${ job.related.join(', ') })` : '' } 처리중...` ); const page = await browser.newPage(); const startTime = Date.now(); const jobResult = await doJob(job, page).then( result => ({ type: 'ok' as const, ...result }), ).catch( error => ({ type: 'error' as const, impl: job.impl, error }), ); const duration = Date.now() - startTime; jobResults.push({ ...jobResult, duration }); await page.close(); } })); await imageReporter(jobResults, browser); const markdownReport = await markdownReporter(jobResults, browser); await browser.close(); fs.writeFileSync( './tmp/health-check.json', JSON.stringify(jobResults, null, 4), ); fs.writeFileSync('./tmp/health-check.md', markdownReport); } run().catch(e => { console.error(e ? (e.stack || e) : e); process.exit(1); }); async function doJob(job: Case, page: puppeteer.Page) { const impl = getImpl(job.impl); const waitForSelector = async (selector: string) => void await Promise.race([ page.waitForSelector(selector, { timeout: 0 } ), wait(3000), ]); await Promise.race([ page.goto(job.url, { timeout: 0 }), ...(impl.readyToParse ? [impl.readyToParse(waitForSelector)] : [] as any), wait(3000), ]); const article = fromJSON(await page.evaluate(doJob.browserScript)); type ProblemReason = 'missing' | 'invalid'; type Problem = [string/* path */, ProblemReason]; interface JobOkResult extends Case { article: typeof article; problems: Problem[]; } if (!article) return { ...job, article, problems: [] } as JobOkResult; return { ...job, article, problems: job.check.map(path => { const value = pincet(article, path); if (!value) return [path, 'missing'] as const; if (path.startsWith('timestamp.')) { if (isNaN(+value)) return [path, 'invalid'] as const; } return null; }).filter(x => x), } as JobOkResult; } doJob.browserScript = ` new Promise(async resolve => { const article = ${ fs.readFileSync('./tmp/health-check.js', 'utf8') }; resolve(await article.default); }) `; function pincet(obj: any, path: string): any { let result = obj; for (const fieldName of path.split('.')) { if (!result) return undefined; if (typeof result !== 'object') return undefined; if (!(fieldName in result)) return undefined; result = result[fieldName]; } return result; }

Q: Does two device will have the same 'UUID' In my iOS app, I have to restrict the user to use iOS app per device. To do this I found a solution that we can use the identifierForVendor method of UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) which will generate a unique ID to uniquely identify an app on a device. (Here, I am not using UDID (Unique Device Identifier) because Apple rejects apps if the app uses UDID). So my question as is there any possibilities that the two devices will have the same UUID. any idea? EDIT 1: I have one more doubt as if I installed the same app on different two devices and save its UUID string into the device KeyChain. Both devices have same iCloud account. Now while doing iCloud sync for this two devices, is one my device KeyChain will gets overwritten? EDIT 2: I have found answer for EDIT 1 as 'Yes, through iCloud Keychain, the keychain would be synced to another one of my devices, and I’d get the same device identifier from here and from below answer too' For the item to be synced with iCloud keychain, I’d need to explicitly set the kSecAttrSynchronizable attribute. Using the SecItem API, we can set this attribute while adding a keychain item. Is there any tutorial how to add item in Keychain (Without third party libraries)? A: No, Two device does not have the same UUID. I am 100% Sure about it. So go with identifierForVendor method. But, The UUID may be changed when you reinstall the the application in your device (If there is not other application for the same vendor). The value in this property remains the same while the app (or another app from the same vendor) is installed on the iOS device. The value changes when the user deletes all of that vendor’s apps from the device and subsequently reinstalls one or more of them. The value can also change when installing test builds using Xcode or when installing an app on a device using ad-hoc distribution. Therefore, if your app stores the value of this property anywhere, you should gracefully handle situations where the identifier changes. EDIT YOUR QUESTION I have one more doubt as if I installed the same app on different two devices and save its UUID string into the device KeyChain. Both devices have same iCloud account. Now while doing iCloud sync for this two devices, is one my device KeyChain will gets overwritten? ANSWER YES. Your keychain will gets overwritten. So you have same UUID for both 2 devices.

Rico Oller Thomas "Rico" Oller (born July 16, 1958) is a Republican U.S. politician from California. He served in the California State Assembly, representing the 4th District from 1996 to 2000, and the California State Senate, representing the 1st district from 2000 to 2004. In 2004, Oller ran for Congress in California's 3rd congressional district, but narrowly lost the Republican primary to former California Attorney General Dan Lungren. On January 10, 2008, Oller again ran for Congress, this time in California's 4th congressional district, for a seat being vacated by retiring Congressman John Doolittle. He faced opposition from former Congressman Doug Ose. On March 4, 2008, Oller dropped out of the race when California State Senator Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) announced that he was running for Doolittle's seat. In a statement, Oller said his decision was "a bitter pill indeed for me to swallow." But, he said he was endorsing McClintock to prevent the election of Ose, whom he labeled as "an unarguably liberal Republican." Oller ran for the newly former 5th Assembly District in 2012 facing Madera County Supervisor Frank Bigelow in the November general election. Oller lost to Bigelow by 5.7%. Legislative record Oller fought against the expansion of Smog Check II and authored legislation to abolish the program. He opposed the use of MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether) in fuel. He also passed legislation to protect the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep. He convened an oversight hearing into the spread of noxious weeds across California and carried legislation to promote the reactivation of the Auburn Dam. Oller was named Legislator of the Year by California Small Business Association and American Electronics Association. He also received an award from Women's Safety Alliance for dedication to safety and the 2000 Defender of Freedom award from the National Rifle Association. Campaigning Oller has won the endorsement of Republican organizations such as the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, the California Taxpayer Protection Committee, the Club for Growth, the California Republican Assembly, the Placer County Republican Central Committee, and Concerned Women for America. Personal history Born in Fresno, California, Oller graduated from California State University, Stanislaus in 1980. In 1981, Oller started his building materials business. He is currently Owner and Chairman of Board of Material Ventures, Inc, the distribution company he founded. External links Rico Oller's campaign site References Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:California state senators Category:California State University, Stanislaus alumni Category:Members of the California State Assembly Category:People from San Andreas, California Category:California Republicans Category:People from Fresno, California Category:21st-century American politicians

Alfred V. Covello Alfred Vincent Covello (born February 4, 1933) is a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Education and career Covello was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from Harvard University in 1954, and then a Bachelor of Laws and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1960. He was in the United States Army Personnel Specialist from 1955 to 1959. He was in private practice of law in Hartford from 1960 to 1974. Covello became a member of the Charter Revision Commission in West Hartford in 1964. He was counsel to this same commission in 1966 and from 1969 to 1970. He was also counsel to the Office of Corporation Counsel in West Hartford from 1964 to 1967. State judicial service Covello served as judge in a number of courts beginning in the 1970s. He was a judge on the Circuit Court for the State of Connecticut from 1974 to 1975, then to Connecticut's Court of Common Pleas from 1975 to 1978. He was a judge on the Superior Court of Connecticut from 1978 to 1992, and a judge on the Appellate Session of the Superior Court from 1980 to 1983. He was a Justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut from 1987 to 1992, and an administrative judge on the Appellate System in 1992. Federal judicial service Covello was nominated to the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut by President George H. W. Bush on April 1, 1992, to a new seat created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 12, 1992, and received commission on August 17, 1992. He became Chief Judge in 1998, serving that status until he assumed senior status on February 4, 2003. References External links Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:Lawyers from Hartford, Connecticut Category:Harvard University alumni Category:University of Connecticut School of Law alumni Category:Connecticut state court judges Category:Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut Category:United States district court judges appointed by George H. W. Bush Category:20th-century American judges Category:United States Army personnel Category:Connecticut Supreme Court justices

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - In the Beyoglu Anadolu religious school in Istanbul, gilded Korans line the shelves and on a table lies a Turkish translation of “Eclipse,” a vampire-based fantasy romance by U.S. novelist Stephanie Meyer. Turkish girls attend a class at the Kazim Karabekir Girls' Imam-Hatip School in Istanbul February 10, 2010. REUTERS/Murad Sezer No-one inside the school would have you believe this combination of Islamic and western influences demonstrates potential to serve as a ‘moderate’ educational antidote to radical Islam. But there is fresh outside interest in schools like this, which belong to the network known as imam-hatip. Some people, particularly officials from Afghanistan and Pakistan, have suggested the Turkish system can light the way to a less extremist religious education for their young Muslims. The interest is understandable. The imam-hatip network is a far cry from the western stereotype of the madrassa as an institution that teaches the Koran by rote and little else. Originally founded to educate Muslim religious functionaries in the 1920s, the imam-hatip syllabus devotes only around 40 percent of study to religious subjects like Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence and rhetoric. The rest is given over to secular topics. The network has incubated the elite of the Islamist-rooted AK party which came to power in Turkey in 2002. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- who went on to study economics -- and around one third of his party’s MPs attended imam-hatip schools. For Turks, however, it’s ironic that a system which for over a decade has been suppressed by the military enforcers of secularism could be seen to champion any institutional accommodation between the Islamic and the secular. A revised system of university credits introduced in the late 1990s puts imam-hatip students seeking to study non-religious subjects at university at a disadvantage. “It’s very interesting that these schools that are so controversial in our own country have become role models elsewhere,” said Iren Ozgur, a Turkish-American academic at New York University who has studied the imam-hatip system. In his office close to the Golden Horn inlet of the Bosphorus, former imam-hatip pupil Huseyin Korkut believes the schools could work abroad if they remain true to “Islamic values.” But he bristles at the idea of the network being pigeonholed into helping solve international security problems. “We are disturbed by this understanding that these schools would educate ‘soft’ Muslims that could easily adapt to the needs and requirements of the international authorities,” said the moustachioed economist. Calling himself a typical graduate of the system, Korkut works at Kirklareli University and is general director of the imam-hatip alumnae association. Current students like Kerem Fazil Cinar, an 18-year-old final year pupil at Beyoglu Anadolu imam-hatip School, see the system as a refuge from the perils of the outside world. Slideshow ( 11 images ) “In the regular school would be the danger of meeting dangerous friends who have not inherited religious values,” said the earnest, bespectacled teenager, the beginnings of a beard sprouting from his chin. “The environment would be more degenerate.” SECULAR FOCUS Named after the preachers and prayer-leaders it was set up to train, the imam-hatip system has earned less media attention in the west than the moderate international network set up by exiled Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen. There are many Gulen schools in Central Asia, and other outposts in the Balkans and Western Europe. Last month, Afghanistan’s Education Minister Farooq Wardak visited an imam-hatip school in Ankara and declared the system could be a model for moderate religious education in his country. Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkey has said the imam-hatip system was discussed in recent high-level talks. And Wardak’s visit followed a Russian delegation, including the deputy minister of education, which came to see the schools last year. “An education system should not just be an education, it should be a tool to fight extremism,” Wardak said, adding that he was impressed by the way the imam-hatip school combined religious instruction with other subjects. “We need to make sure that graduates of religious schools ... also have skills and vocation, and they get a knowledge to be part of the mainstream of society.” Overseas interest in the schools may also have been partly kindled by Turkey’s changing foreign policy priorities, as Ankara seeks to play a greater role among Muslim states -- including Syria and Iran -- and cools on long-term ally Israel. Turkey’s largest ever foreign aid effort is now directed to Afghanistan, and last year it agreed to establish a high-level co-operation council with Pakistan. Russia is Turkey’s main trading partner. In imam-hatip institutions, as in every school in the country, images of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk -- the founder of the Turkish Republic -- are on display. Students can tackle Arabic passages describing the Prophet Mohammad’s journey to Medina in classrooms also displaying Ataturk’s address to Turkish youth. “There has always been a tension between orthodoxy and heterodoxy within the framework of Turkish Islam,” said Professor M. Hakan Yavuz, of the University of Utah’s Middle East Center. “As a result Turkish Islam has these sites outside the control of orthodox Islam, and remains more pluralist, more tolerant.” SENSITIVE But by singling out imam-hatip schools, Afghanistan’s minister may unwittingly have been treading on deep Turkish sensitivities. The network -- which with high standards and low costs proved popular with conservative Turkish families in the past -- was targeted after senior generals pushed out Turkey’s first Islamist-led government in 1997. Whereas in the second half of the 1990s about 600 imam-hatip schools across the country educated half a million pupils, after what was known as the “post-modern coup,” imam-hatip middle schools for pupils aged 11-14 were abolished. Even more damaging were the changes to the university admission system, which calculates the relevance of subjects studied at school to a student’s proposed university course. Modifications after 1997 meant that -- unless they chose to study religion -- imam-hatip students found their grades devalued against those of applicants from conventional schools. Waning prospects for higher education diminished the appeal of imam-hatip schools. Today around 450 educate 120,000 pupils. The AKP has worked toward their rehabilitation, but it has not succeeded yet in changing university entrance requirements. ANGER It is in this context that students like Cinar experience the system. Gathered in a mosque in the heart of the old city with two fellow students -- including Nur Sumeyye Karaoglan, a quiet girl in a patterned headscarf -- the young man’s comments reflect an anger with Turkey’s secular establishment that makes nonsense of such distinctions as “radical” and moderate.” “Surely religion should have a public role,” he said -- a view that flies in the face of Turkey’s 87 years of secularism. “Not only in Turkey, but throughout the world.” Sitting among glass-walled cloisters, he warmed to the theme of Turkey’s suppression of the imam-hatip network, and by extension of its alumni, saying his country needed men like him to stand up for religion and traditional values. “We want Turkish society to feel that it is right to fear us,” he said. Over their tea, his fellow pupils murmured in approval. “I am very proud to be an imam-hatip student,” said Karaoglan, 16, the only girl in the group. “I feel it is in line with human nature.”

Daytona Bits and Pieces (revised) Daytona Bits and Pieces By: Bill King Hoosiers Giving Up? - Durability concerns about the 2005 Grand American Rolex Series spec tire arose during the three-day pre-season test session that ended Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. A ... Daytona Bits and Pieces By: Bill King Hoosiers Giving Up? - Durability concerns about the 2005 Grand American Rolex Series spec tire arose during the three-day pre-season test session that ended Sunday at Daytona International Speedway. A number of Daytona Prototype and GT category teams noted that the tires from Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. to be used for the Rolex 24 in four weeks were not consistent through an entire fuel run. The problem was described as a sudden and dramatic drop in traction resulting in as much as three seconds a lap around the 3.54-mile oval/infield layout. Changing tires at every pit stop will require an increase in the 30-set allotment currently in force for the 24 and a corresponding bump in the weekend's tire bill. Due to the short lead-time, there is no plan to test and manufacture a new tire for the February round-the-clock run. Grand-Am director of competition Mark Raffauf suggested that drivers with Touring Car experience would fare better, being used to taking better care of their tires. Given the rapid pace of 24-hour races, team tire strategies are likely to play a major roll at Daytona next month. Is Emmo Coming Back? - One of the drivers being considered for the fifth seat in the 2004 Rolex 24 winning Doran-Pontiac of Kodak-Bell Motorsports is Emerson Fittipaldi. Car-owner Forest Barber looked at both Fittipaldi and Ralf Kelleners to partner with him, Terry Borcheller, Paul Tracy Emmo's nephew Christian Fittipaldi. "It felt good," said Fittipaldi. "The car has good power and good handling, but I need to get back in the regimen of driving." Both Fittipaldi - who drove only 11 laps - and Kelleners* were well off the pace. Grand-Am to Run with Champ Car? - In an odd bit of maneuvering, the Grand American Rolex Series, scheduled to appear at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City Dec. 4, may run instead with the Champ Cars Nov. 6. Given the obvious politico-racing implications, is anyone other than the organizers interested in this fraught match-up? Grand-Am is looking at two other November dates and an earlier one in October to keep the 2005 season from running into December. Editor's note:* Regarding the statement on Ralf Kelleners being off the pace. The comment was inaccurate as the team has informed Motorsport.com that Kelleners' times were on a competitive level with the times turned by Terry Borcheller. Throughout the three testing days, Kelleners was one of the quickest drivers in the Forest Barber owned Bell Motorsports Daytona Prototype.

Refraction limit of miniaturized optical systems: a ball-lens example. We study experimentally and theoretically the electromagnetic field in amplitude and phase behind ball-lenses across a wide range of diameters, ranging from a millimeter scale down to a micrometer. Based on the observation, we study the transition between the refraction and diffraction regime. The former regime is dominated by observables for which it is sufficient to use a ray-optical picture for an explanation, e.g., a cusp catastrophe and caustics. A wave-optical picture, i.e. Mie theory, is required to explain the features, e.g., photonic nanojets, in the latter regime. The vanishing of the cusp catastrophe and the emergence of the photonic nanojet is here understood as the refraction limit. Three different criteria are used to identify the limit: focal length, spot size, and amount of cross-polarization generated in the scattering process. We identify at a wavelength of 642 nm and while considering ordinary glass as the ball-lens material, a diameter of approximately 10 µm as the refraction limit. With our study, we shed new light on the means necessary to describe micro-optical system. This is useful when designing optical devices for imaging or illumination.

//****************************************************************************************************** // MemoryFileBenchmark.cs - Gbtc // // Copyright © 2014, Grid Protection Alliance. All Rights Reserved. // // Licensed to the Grid Protection Alliance (GPA) under one or more contributor license agreements. See // the NOTICE file distributed with this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership. // The GPA licenses this file to you under the Eclipse Public License -v 1.0 (the "License"); you may // not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at: // // http://www.opensource.org/licenses/eclipse-1.0.php // // Unless agreed to in writing, the subject software distributed under the License is distributed on an // "AS-IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. Refer to the // License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations. // // Code Modification History: // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- // 12/2/2011 - Steven E. Chisholm // Generated original version of source code. // //****************************************************************************************************** using GSF.IO.Unmanaged; using GSF.IO.Unmanaged.Test; using NUnit.Framework; namespace GSF.IO.FileStructure.Media.Test { [TestFixture] internal class MemoryFileBenchmark { [Test] public void Test1() { MemoryPoolTest.TestMemoryLeak(); MemoryPoolFile file = new MemoryPoolFile(Globals.MemoryPool); BinaryStreamIoSessionBase session = file.CreateIoSession(); BlockArguments blockArguments = new BlockArguments(); blockArguments.IsWriting = true; blockArguments.Position = 10000000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); System.Console.WriteLine("Get Block\t" + StepTimer.Time(10, () => { blockArguments.Position = 100000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 200000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 300000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 400000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 500000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 600000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 700000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 800000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 900000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); blockArguments.Position = 1000000; session.GetBlock(blockArguments); })); file.Dispose(); MemoryPoolTest.TestMemoryLeak(); } } }

MODULE_TOPDIR = ../.. PGM = i.gensig LIBES = $(IMAGERYLIB) $(RASTERLIB) $(GISLIB) $(MATHLIB) DEPENDENCIES = $(IMAGERYDEP) $(RASTERDEP) $(GISDEP) include $(MODULE_TOPDIR)/include/Make/Module.make default: cmd

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a physician: a review of the disorder in health care workers. We describe a 58-year-old physician who developed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) 30 years after formal training in pathology. To the best of our knowledge, he is the sixth physician and the 24th health care worker reported with CJD. We summarize the available data on these health care workers.

Tag Archives: wall chargers A classic attribute of technology is that it continuously evolving at light speed into more powerful applications and features. In stride to technological advances, consumer’s behavior has consistently kept text messaging a repeatable revenue source and a sustainable ROI for service providers and carriers across the world. Alas, the halcyon days of text messaging may quickly be coming to a close if recent reports are any indication of trends. Experience the convenience of online shopping for unlocked cell phones and mobile device accessories. Discover wide selection of top quality, innovative protective bags, sleeves and cases as well as premium electronic accessories from the industry's most leading brands. An accessory solution for every lifestyle... this is personal. This is you. This is shopping simplified. A recent column in Forbes outlines that text messaging rates are declining in many countries around the world. The report metrics were based on the text messages sent this past Christmas Eve as it is one of the highest messaging days of the year. As Tero Kuittinen, the author of the article and a senior analyst for MGI Research wrote of the Finnish wireless carrier: Sonera - 'As the major carrier of the Scandinavian country, it is a great marker for that country’s trends. Christmas Eve of 2010, 10.9 million messages had been exchanged. The same day a year later saw a drop to 8.5 million. This kind of decline was also seen in Hong Kong and other highly populated metropolises... with the fall off may being as high as 14%. Get powered up for work, life and play easily and conveniently with the latest collection of desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers. Get all the power and energy you need for the mobile lifestyle. These numbers may seem contradictory considering how consumers leverage cell phones foor both communications and as a pocket PC. Do we talk more? Nope. Traditional texting is down? Yup. Are we using our phones as a multi media tool? You betcha. So where does this equation balance? The word “traditional.” Organic Facebook and Twitter support on Apple and Google smartphones is changing how we communicate. Add in email and free messaging apps (MMS versus SMS) and there is a recipe that doesn’t bode well for carriers and cuts the bonds of contracts and messaging packages that have lined their pockets for approximately 15 years. Discover the widest online selection of Bluetooth Headsets and BlueTooth Car Kits. Latest technology from top brand manufacturers. Hands free functionality is designed for the interactive 'on the go' lifestyle and allows safe driving When considering the increasing popularity of unlocked phones and the growing power of mobile consumers, this news should be closely considered by US carriers like AT&T and Verizon. Kuittinen noted in the Forbes article that for these major American carriers the next few years could see their earnings growth markedly decline. No surprise when “as much as 20% of carrier earnings are derived from text messaging.” These players will seriously have to reconsider their strategy and plans to capture the business from unlocked phone users and the continuing evolution of messaging. Have you ever wondered what kind of advances could be made in the world if hackers and malicious code writers put their brains to something not quite so… well, malicious? Alas, that is a an unlikely scenario considering hackers consider breaking into an OS and accessing it at the root level as something of an art form and a sport. Like IT Tai Chi. Accessories are designed to protect, personalize and enhance your mobile devices. Discover innovative protective solutions and premium electronic accessories from the industry's most leading brands The victim of the most recent OS hack? Microsoft’s Windows Phone. It looks like the attack is carried out through an SMS or a chat message from either Facebook or Windows Live Messenger and is used to disable the phone’s Messaging hub. Get powered up for work, life and play easily and conveniently with their collection of desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers. Get all the power and energy you need for the mobile lifestyle. Some affected users will be notified of the infiltration by the Live tile pinned to the homescreen from the contact you received the message from. Then the phone will freeze. These victims have an easier fix – restart the device and remove the tile prior to it completely loading. A hard reset is still required, but allows a quick backup of photos etc. To prevent a possible infection of your Windows OS at the PC level, use of removable memory is a good precaution. Discover the widest online selection of Bluetooth Headsets and BlueTooth Car Kits. Latest technology from top brand manufacturers. Hands free functionality is designed for the interactive 'on the go' lifestyle and allows safe driving. Unfortunately, in other cases, post attack, the Messaging hub cannot start and will require a hard reset on the device. As with any device consumers, need to consider removable memory cards as a seriously good idea in the event the handset and OS are compromised. To rule out device specific flaws, Windows Phone 7.5 (for both build 7720 and 7740) were tested. Those results point to an issue at the OS level and not with the devices. In all, this malware appears relatively innocuous as it doesn’t appear to compromise the security of the device and Microsoft is already working on a fix. Discover wide selection of top quality, innovative protective solutions and premium electronic accessories from the industry's most leading brands . The Hottest Brands · The Coolest Products · The Lowest Prices PureMobile has an accessory solution for every lifestyle.... This is personal. This is you. 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Bee hives unwelcome in complex Residents of Huntington Landmark senior community don't like the homeowners association sanctioning the hobby. August 14, 2013|By Anthony Clark Carpio Amy Cripps, with the Orange County Beekeepers Assn.,… (SCOTT SMELTZER,…) Huntington Beach council members and residents are buzzing around the issue of where beekeepers should keep their hives. Folks in the Huntington Landmark senior citizens community are clashing with their homeowners association for not addressing their concerns about nine hives being kept on the property. Resident Tom Dern said he has been stung once and believes having the bees poses a threat to the older population within the community, located between Newland and Magnolia streets and Indianapolis and Atlanta avenues. "I don't like the fact that I have to go to the city government because I'm not a big fan of government," he said. "Let people make their own decisions, but [the homeowner's association] won't make the decision here. I want to see the bees gone." Marvin Garrett, a member of Landmark's HOA board and a proponent of the bees, said the beekeepers are housing only docile, European bees. Advertisement "We're trying to preserve honey bees," he said. "Because so many of the honey bees are dying off, and they're trying to figure out why, we decided that instead of killing honey bees, we would keep them. What we're really doing is managing the location of honey bees." To address the residents' concerns, an item to amend an existing ordinance regarding beekeeping was introduced at the Aug. 5 City Council meeting. Existing city law states that a beekeeper's hives are to be located at least 200 feet from the residence. The proposed ordinance would have altered it so that hives would have to be kept at least 200 from any residence. In essence, it wouldn't have banned beekeeping but could have made it near impossible because of the city's density, said Amy Cripps, president of the Orange County Beekeepers Assn. Cripps said the group has around 250 members and that beekeeping is a hobby that's growing in popularity. The Costa Mesa resident gave presentations at the recent Orange County Fair, where she explained that bees shouldn't pose a problem to others as long as they are properly maintained. However, some keepers selectively choose to keep feral species, like Africanized bees, in their hives, contributing to the insect's population decline. "I don't know what these guys are doing in Huntington Beach, but I'm going to venture a guess that their bees are not European," Cripps said. Council members unanimously voted to continue the item to the next meeting, allowing staff to talk to Cripps to find a better solution to allow beekeepers to continue their hobby while protecting residents. "I didn't realize that it was that many people that collected bees for a hobby," Councilman Joe Carchio said. "I'm not begrudging anybody to do that in their house, but when you live in close proximity to other people, like in a condominium or senior park, that could present a little bit of a problem." HOA members appear split. "I don't think that we need to expose senior people to a bunch of bees," said board member Donna Brady. "We had plenty of bees in the wild before, but it's not the same when you start putting hives out for them."

Newspaper headlines: Divorce law change and 'Boris' blonde' By BBC News Staff Published duration 8 September 2018 image copyright AFP/Getty Images image caption The announcement that Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler are to divorce makes a number of Saturday's front pages Divorce features heavily on Saturday's front pages - though for two quite different reasons. Both the Times and the i lead with the government's plans to make it easier to obtain a no-blame divorce. In an editorial , the Times notes the proposals may meet opposition among traditionalists in the Conservative Party or the Church - but it backs them. The paper argues that, like any institution, marriage is strongest when participation is by consent, not coercion. It also calls for further policies to modernise family law, such as ending discrimination against people who are in long-term relationships, but have not married. Three of the papers lead on Boris Johnson's divorce and the claims surrounding his private life, assessing what difference - if any - they could make to his political fortunes. The Sun reports that the former foreign secretary wined and dined a glamorous Tory aide in a restaurant on Valentine's Day. It says that he was meant to be working at the time and that he was also - in the papers words - at "the centre of a Brexit storm". In its front page article, the Daily Mail alleges that he was cheating on his wife at the height of the Chequers crisis and devotes five pages to the story. But Mr Johnson can take heart from its poll suggesting two-thirds of voters do not think the claims of alleged infidelity make him unfit to be prime minister. The Daily Mirror says , despite his private life becoming front page news, Mr Johnson is still preparing to mount a challenge to Theresa May. No confidence vote In its lead, the Daily Telegraph claims that a journalist working for the Iranian state broadcaster has infiltrated the north London constituency party of a Labour MP and is trying to undermine her. It says the reporter - working for Press TV, which is banned from broadcasting in Britain - was able to take part in a vote of a no confidence in the MP, Joan Ryan, who represents Enfield North. Ms Ryan, who chairs Labour Friends of Israel, has demanded that Iranian propagandists be ousted from the party. Labour says it will not discuss individual members. image copyright Labour Party image caption Joan Ryan chairs Labour Friends of Israel Several of the papers cover the Swedish general election, ahead of polling this weekend. Robert Hardman in the Daily Mail asks : "Why is the most liberal country in Europe lurching to the far right?" He says discussion has been dominated by "crime and immigration", leaving many people talking openly about "a national identity crisis". And he adds that although the nationalist Sweden Democrats have their roots in neo-Nazi yobbery, the party could end up holding the balance of power. A contrasting view can be found in the Local - an English-language news site based in Sweden. It criticises the overseas reporting of the country's election, warning "anecdotes about gang violence" is leaving readers with a false impression. Voters, it says, are as exercised by "healthcare and schooling" as by crime and immigration, and it predicts the next government will not include any Sweden Democrat ministers. 'Jumpy' locals The Telegraph reports that traffic signs could soon go up on the Isle of Man warning drivers to beware of... wallabies. Two escaped from a local wildlife park in the 1970s, but since then their numbers have swelled to as high as 160, leaving surprised tourists swerving to avoid them.

--- abstract: 'As a promising application of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs), Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) is expected to be deployed on the public road in the near term. Thus far the majority of the CACC studies have been focusing on the overall network performance with limited insight on the potential impact of CAVs on human-driven vehicles (HVs). This paper aims to quantify the influence of CAVs on HVs by studying the high-resolution vehicle trajectory data that is obtained from microscopic simulation. Two clustering strategies for CACC are implemented: an ad hoc coordination one and a local coordination one. Results show that the local coordination outperforms the ad hoc coordination across all tested market penetration rates (MPRs) in terms of network throughput and productivity. The greatest performance difference between the two strategies is observed at 30% and 40% MPR for throughput and productivity, respectively. However, the distributions of the hard braking observations (as a potential safety impact) for HVs change significantly under local coordination strategy. Regardless of the clustering strategy, CAVs increase the average lane change frequency for HVs. 30% MPR is the break-even point for local coordination, after which the average lane change frequency decreases from the peak 5.42 to 5.38. Such inverse relationship to MPR is not found in the ah hoc case and the average lane change frequency reaches the highest 5.48 at 40% MPR.' author: - - bibliography: - 'CAV\_HV\_Impact\_R1.bib' title: 'Clustering Strategies of Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control: Impacts on Human-driven Vehicles' --- CAV Clustering, Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control, Vehicle Trajectory Analysis, Mixed Traffic Condition, Traffic Flow Characteristics Introduction ============ Cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC) enables closely-coupled vehicular platoons by the extra layers of communication and automation. Being one of the most-studied application of CAVs, CACC is expected to drastically increase mobility, decrease emission, while providing a safer and more convenient way for occupants. The CACC evaluation thus far has been focusing on the benefits that CAV could potentially bring to our transportation network. The potential impact on non-equipped vehicles (i.e. Human-driven vehicles(HVs)) has been overlooked. The motivation of the study is twofold. First, studying CACC under mixed traffic conditions in anticipation of its near-term deployment has gained an increasing amount of attention. It is the consensus that CACC can improve the performance of our transportation system. However, the possible change of the flow characteristic of HVs has often been overlooked. CACC may alter the behavior of the HVs especially when active clustering strategy is employed. The expected impact on HVs from CACC could include: the additional weaving during CACC clustering, the lane change by HVs induced by CACC clustering, increase collision risk, and lane blockage by CACC platoon. Furthermore, the majority of CACC studies focused on the longitudinal movement and put less emphasis on the lateral movement of CAVs which is vital in cooperative driving. The lateral control when it comes to local coordination of forming CACC platoons has to be taken into account, as the development of CACC vehicle progresses. By implementing local coordination, the CACC platoon ratio and consequently the network performance can be increased. In this paper, the comparison among ad hoc coordination and local coordination for CACC are made according to network-wide performance measures. The traffic flow characteristic of HVs was investigated with the emphasis on the interaction between HVs and CAVs based on the high-resolution vehicle trajectory data extracted from microscopic simulation. The proposed methodology developed is also suitable for extracting the driving behavioral data for field deployment and modeling heterogeneous traffic flow that is consisted of HVs and CAVs. Three scenarios are evaluated: base without CAVs, CAVs with ad hoc coordination, and CAVs with local coordination algorithm (e.g., active platoon formation). The organization of the remainder of the paper is as follows. Relevant research regarding research of CACC in mixed traffic will be reviewed in Section \[sect:Literature\], followed by the microscopic simulation framework in Section \[sect:framework\]. The simulation results are presented and discussed in Section \[sect:result\]. Lastly, findings and recommendations are discussed in Section \[sect:conclusion\]. CACC Research in Mixed Traffic {#sect:Literature} ============================== Impact of CACC -------------- CACC can positively increase the traffic performance with sufficient presence in the traffic flow. The reduced time headway and following distance have been recognized as the primary benefits of CACC. Arnaout and Arnaout [@arnaout2014exploring] proposed the Flexible Agent-based Simulator of Traffic framework for evaluating CACC with ad hoc coordination. Moderate, saturated, and over-saturated demand scenarios were tested on a hypothetical four-lane high highway under various of CACC market penetration rates (MPRs). The advantage of CACC showed when MPR was above 40% and the network was able to serve 9,400 out of 10,000 vehicles per hour (vph). Lee et al. [@lee2014mobility] evaluated the potential benefits for both mobility and safety under a wide range of traffic scenarios. It was found that the mobility benefits of CACC were shown at as less as 30% MPR. Songchitruksa et al. [@songchitruksa2016incorporating] evaluated the improvement of CACC on a 26-mile segment of the Dallas I-30 freeway. For simplification, zero demand from the on-ramps was assumed. The highest throughput was observed as 4,400 vph with local coordination, where only rear-join to a platoon was allowed. Van Arem et al. [@van2006impact] assessed the impact of CACC on freeway traffic flow on a 6-km, one-lane freeway with ramps distributed with 1.6-km interval. They found the capacity reached 4,250 vph per lane (vphpl) with full CACC penetration. With the same CACC model, Shladover et al. [@shladover2012impacts] studied the impact of CACC on freeway traffic flow on a one-lane freeway with no demand from ramps. The lane capacity was found to reach 3,600 vphpl at 90% MPR of CACC. All of the above studies assessed the potential benefits brought by CACC on the overall network. However, none of them has investigated the impact that CACC could bring to HVs, especially under local coordination in which a free-agent CAV is actively seeking and subsequently performing lane change to join a platoon. Nowakowski et al. [@nowakowski2010cooperative] studied the acceptance of the short following distance (ranging from 0.6 s to 1.1 s) enabled by CACC. As discovered, while all the drivers showed the willingness to accept the shorter following gaps, male participants were more likely to choose a shorter following distance. The carry-over effect of the short headway in manual driving was exhibited even after the disengagement from the platoons in the KONVOI project [@casey1992changes]. Gouy et al. [@GOUY2014264] investigated the behavioral adaptation effect that potentially caused by the short headway of CACC platoon using driving simulator. Participants were instructed to driver alongside with two CACC platoon configurations: 10-truck platoon with 0.3 s intra-platoon headway, and 3-truck platoon with 1.4 s intra-platoon headway. They found that smaller average time headway was observed when in the short headway scenario. In the first platoon scenarios, participants spent more time under a 1-second headway, which is deemed unsafe [@FAIRCLOUGH1997387]. Lin et al. [@LIN2009620] studied the time-gap of bus ACC system in three aspects: preferred time-gaps for expressway driving, time-gaps that maximized safety, and the influence of the secondary tasks to time-gaps. Calvert and Lint [@Calvert2017will] studied the negative effect of ACC on the system capacity using the propose ACC control. The simulation scenarios contained various traffic flow conditions in terms of demand and flow composition (e.g., ACC vehicles, trucks, etc.). They concluded that the small negative effect on road capacity did exist and it was caused by the higher gap times of ACC. CACC Coordination ----------------- There are three types of clustering strategies: ad hoc coordination, local coordination, and global coordination [@shladover2012impacts]. In this study, only the former two clustering strategies are evaluated due to the scope. Since global coordination requires advance planning for the travel demand at an origin-designation level. CAVs are coordinated to enter the highway in platoons. Global coordination is likely to be sub-optimal without a robust planning system to couple with the logistical challenge under dynamic traffic conditions. ### Ad hoc coordination Ad hoc coordination assumes random arrival of CAVs and no coordination among them. Therefore, the probability of driving behind another CAV is highly correlated to the market penetration rate (MPR). Ad hoc coordination has been observed in the majority of the research due to its simplicity in implementation and the lack of the conceptual framework for CAV platoon formation. However, the ad hoc coordination is not likely to harness the full potential of CACC, as it does not fully utilize the short intra-platoon headway enabled by the CAV technology. Exclusive lane, or other forms of managed lane, has been employed to aid the ad hoc clustering [@segata2012simulation]. In a sense, a CAV lane is a special form of coordination where the target lane is the CAV lane. ### Local coordination Local coordination facilities the platoon formation, where free-agent CAVs are actively seeking clustering opportunity in their surroundings. The subject CAV, as well as the surrounding CAVs can be coordinated to change trajectory to facilitate clustering. There are four basic types of lane change: free-agent-to-free-agent lane change, free-agent-to-platoon lane change, platoon-to-free-agent lane change, and platoon-to-platoon lane change [@wang2017developing]. Lee et al. [@lee2014mobility] developed a local coordination scheme which allows three ways to form a platoon: front-join, mid-join, and rear-join. The longitudinal control was a rule-based acceleration selection. Developed from Lee et al.’s coordination model, Zhong et al. [@Zhong2017a] implemented the MIXIC [@van2006impact] as car following model to study the CAV benefits for arterials. Lee et al.’s [@lee2014mobility] CACC algorithm was updated to using the EIDM for simulating CACC string behavior. The string formation and dispersion mechanism were enhanced, including preferential lane logic, platoon size restriction [@NAP25366]. Zhong [@zhong2018assessing] developed a CACC control model by combining E-IDM and the MOBIL model [@Kesting2007]. The MOBIL model is adopted as the mechanism to prevent lane changing of a free-agent CAV that may be potentially disruptive to the surrounding traffic. When a potential platooning opportunity is identified via V2V communication, the CACC system estimates the impacts on the immediate vehicles based on MOBIL should the lane change be initiated. The Lane-change Model with Relaxation and Synchronization (LMRS) model, proposed in [@Schakel2012], gives a normalized strategic lane-change score by taking into consideration of route, gain speed, and lane preference. For a higher desire score, the driver is willing to accept smaller headway and to decelerate more in LMRS. Calvert and Lint [@Calvert2017will] adopted the LMRS model in conjunction with the IDM+ [@Schakel2010effects] for evaluating the ACC. Evaluation Framework {#sect:framework} ==================== Simulation of Human Driving Behavior ------------------------------------ Human drivers can take into account more input stimulus (e.g., brake lights, next-nearest neighbors, etc.) with anticipation of the situation for the next few seconds [@treiber2013traffic]. All of these aspects can be formulated in terms of psycho-physiological models, such as Gipps’ model [@Gipps1981A] and Weidemann model [@Wiedemann1974]. Weidemann model was re-calibrated in [@reiter1994empirical] using an instrumented vehicle to measure the thresholds among difference driving states. The Weidemann model is used by Vissim as the as the default car-following model. The Vissim car-following model also includes the tactical driving behavior, which carries certain planning in advance with a temporal horizon (multiple time steps) or spatial horizon that is beyond neighboring vehicles [@barcelo2010fundamentals]. There are four different driving states in the Widemann model. free driving, approaching, following,and braking. The acceleration is primarily determined by the current speed, speed difference, and gap to the preceding vehicle for each of the four driving state. The Wiedemann-99 model, suitable for freeway application, has ten calibratable parameters to represent a wide range of driver behavior. Therefore, the Wiedmann model has to be calibrated to specific traffic stream data [@higgs2011analysis; @durrani2016calibrating], as it was initially developed on limited available data. The objective of the calibration process is to minimize the difference between the measured driving behavior in the field and the driving behavior simulated. There are two types of lane change in the Wiedemann model: necessary lane change and free lane change. The former focus on the hard constraint of the lane change, such as lane drop. The latter type is the focus of this study. Such lane change is performed when more space and higher speed is desired for a vehicle. As such, the safety distance plays an important role in the lane change behavior. A suitable gap is found based on the speed of the vehicle changing lane, and the approaching speed of the vehicle from behind on the lane [@ptv2018ptv] Quantify Impact to Human Driver ------------------------------- The trajectory data for HVs are also collected. A before-and-after study is the most straightforward way to assess the changes that are brought by CAVs. The ultimate goal is to determine whether the changes are of statistical significance. Figure \[fig: impactEvaluationMethod\] illustrates the study methodology. First, the human driving behavior is calibrated by multiple sources of data that were collected from the roadway segment of interest. The calibration effort was conducted in [@STOLT4]. With a calibrated behavior model, we then treat the car-following model as a black box. The input and the output to the human behavior model is stimuli (local traffic condition) and reactions of HVs, respectively. Then on a collective level, the traffic flow characteristics and vehicle trajectories are analyzed. \[h\] {width="\textwidth"} Simulation of CAV Driving Behavior ---------------------------------- Longitudinal control (or car-following) and lateral control are the two main components for simulating the behavior of CACC. Numerous car-following models have been proposed. Among them, the Gipps [@Gipps1981A], Wiedemann [@Wiedemann1974], the IDM [@Treiber2000] and its variants have been widely used. ### Longitudinal Control The Enhanced Intelligent Driver Model (E-IDM) [@Kesting2010] is adapt and the longitudinal control model, which is expressed in (\[eq: cahCal\]). $$\label{eq: cahCal} \begin{aligned} & \ddot{x} = \begin{cases} a[1-(\frac{\dot{x}}{\dot{x_{des}}})^{\delta }- (\frac{s^{*}(\dot{x}, \dot{x}_{lead})}{s_{0}})] & \\ \text{ if } x= \ddot{x}_{IDM} \geq \ddot{x}_{CAH} \\ (1-c)\ddot{x}_{IDM} + c[\ddot{x}_{CAH} + b \cdot tanh ( \frac{\ddot{x}_{IDM} - \ddot{x}_{CAH}}{b})] & \\ \text{otherwise} \end{cases}\\ \quad\\ & s^{*}(\dot{x}, \dot{x}_{lead}) = s_{0} + \dot{x}T + \frac{\dot{x}(\dot{x} - \dot{x}_{lead})}{2\sqrt{ab}} \\ \quad\\ & \ddot{x}_{CAH} = \begin{cases} \frac{\dot{x}^{2} \cdot \min(\ddot{x}_{lead}, \ddot{x})}{\dot{x}_{lead}^{2}-2x \cdot \min(\ddot{x}_{lead}, \ddot{x})} & \\ \text{ if } \dot{x}_{lead} (\dot{x} - \dot{x}_{lead}) \leq -2x \min(\ddot{x}_{lead}, \ddot{x}) \\ \min(\ddot{x}_{lead}, \ddot{x}) - \frac{(\dot{x}-\dot{x}_{lead})^{2} \Theta (\dot{x}- \dot{x}_{lead})}{2x} & \\ \text {otherwise} \end{cases} \end{aligned}$$ where $a$ is the maximum acceleration; $b$ is the desired deceleration; $c$ is the coolness factor; $\delta$ is the free acceleration exponent; $\dot{x}$ is the current speed of the subject vehicle; $\dot{x}_{des}$ is the desired speed, $\dot{x}_{lead}$ is the speed of the lead vehicle; $s_{0}$ is the minimal distance; $\ddot{x}$ is the acceleration of the subject vehicle; $\ddot{x}_{lead}$ is the acceleration of the lead vehicle; $\ddot{x}_{IDM}$ is the acceleration calculated by the original IDM model [@Treiber2000]; $T$ is the desired time gap; and $\ddot{x}_{CAH}$ is the acceleration calculated by the CAH component as shown in Eq.\[eq: cahCal\] where $\Theta$ is the Heaviside step function. ### Lateral Control and Coordination We assume all the CAVs are equipped with automated longitudinal control. Each CACC vehicle is able to detect the surrounding traffic and discern CAVs from HVs. Three cases are tested: 1. Base case: case without CAV traffic. This is the baseline for the case study network. The I-66 network has been calibrated. 2. Ad hoc coordination: the CACC system controls only the longitudinal control based on the Enhanced-IDM model. Lateral movement was controlled by the calibrated Wiedenmann model. 3. Local coordination: the CACC control cover both logitudinal and lateral aspects. It was developed in [@lee2014mobility]. The longitudinal control of the is replaced with E-IDM and the lateral control is assumed to be done by the automated driving system as well. A break-down of the cases is shown in Table \[table:scenario\]. Since the focus of the paper is the near-term deployment of CACC in mixed traffic condition, the MPR is set at a medium-to-low range from 0% to 40%. Cases Longitudinal Control Lateral Control --------------------- ---------------------- ----------------------------------------- Base calibrated Weidemann calibrated Weidemann Ad hoc coordination E-IDM calibrated Weidemann Local coordination E-IDM gap acceptance-based [@lee2014mobility] : Simulation Case \[table:scenario\] Case Study Network ------------------ In this study, an 8-km (5-mile) segment (Fig. \[fig: aaControlConfig\]) of Interstate Highway I-66 outside of the beltway (I-495) of Washington D.C. is used. This freeway segment has recurring congestion during weekdays, specifically in the eastbound direction in the morning and westbound direction in the afternoon. The roadway is with four lanes in each direction. The leftmost lane is an HOV 2+ lane with 1500 vphpl peak volume [@lu2014freeway]. Currently, no physical barrier is between the HOV lane and its adjacent GP lane. The Vissim simulation network is available via the U.S. DOT Open Source Application Development Portal [@OSDAP2015]. The calibration was conducted with two independent data sources (i.e., INRIX TMC travel time and RTMS flow data). \[H\] ![I-66 Simulation Testbed[]{data-label="fig: aaControlConfig"}](i66TestBed.eps "fig:"){width="50.00000%"} In anticipation of the increase of the traffic demand over time, we assume a 30% growth in traffic demand from the baseline of the calibrated network. Each deployment scenarios was run five times with different random seeds to factor in the variability of the traffic condition. The duration of the simulation is 3900 s, the first 300 s of which is used to load the network with traffic. No data is collected during this period. The evaluation of the impact is based on the following assumptions: - a low-level vehicle controller for longitudinal (e.g., throttle, brake) and lateral (e.g., steering) control is available. This study only focuses on the tactical driving aspect of vehicle operation. - a calibrated driving behavior model in Vissim with real-world data constitutes a good representation of the human driver. - vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication is perfect (no interference or packet loss). - human drivers do not differentiate CAVs and other HVs as followers Results & Discussion {#sect:result} ==================== The vehicle trajectory data are collected every 0.5 s, which offers a snapshot of the prevailing traffic condition. Not only vehicle dynamic data, but also the interaction state including driving state, interacting vehicle, etc. is available. Network Performance ------------------- Fig. \[fig:netPems\] shows the benefits that CACC bring to the transportation network. Fig. \[fig:netPems\](a) shows the ratio of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and vehicle-hours traveled (VHT). VMT is the output of a transportation system, whereas VHT is considered the input to a transportation system. The ratio of VMT and VHT ratio is referred as Q [@Caltrain2013aGuide], which represents the output of a transportation system with the unit value of the input. In short, the higher the value of the Q, the more productive a transportation system is. Both of the ad hoc and local coordination strategies exhibit an increasing trend as the MPR increases. It is notable that the benefits gained by ad hoc coordination show a diminishing increase after 30% MPR. In comparison, local coordination displays a linear increasing pattern for the performance gain. When it comes to network throughput, Fig. \[fig:netPems\](b) shows that the ad hoc coordination does not increase the network throughput at 10% MPR: the throughput remains as 9398 vph. After 10% MPR, the throughput for ad hoc coordination increases with a liner pattern, which matches the underlying operational implication of ad hoc coordination. The throughput reaches the highest 10167 vph at 40%. With local coordination, additional throughput is observed even at 10% MPR. Then the slope of the throughput curve is greater at the MPR range between 10% and 30% than other tested MPR values. It also shows that the rate of increase of the throughput decrease after 30% MPR. Moreover, the vertical distance indicates the magnitude that the local coordination outperforms the ad hoc coordination at each level of MPR. The greatest difference is observed at 30% MPR. \ Hard Braking Observations ------------------------- Hard braking observation has been used as a safety measure. Abrupt braking is likely an indication of a hazardous traffic situation that drivers respond to [@bagdadi2011jerky]. Hard braking observations are recorded when the acceleration of a vehicle is less than -3 $m/s^2$. Recall our primary focus is the HVs. There are two types of hard braking: the first one occurs when an HV interacts with another HV; whereas the second type occurs when an HV interacts with a CAV. The hard braking observation for HVs when they interact with other HVs is shown in Fig. \[fig:hdCdfHv\](a). Similar patterns of the cumulative distribution function (CDF) curves for hard braking are observed across the testing scenarios. Fig. \[fig:hdCdfHv\](b) shows the sample size for each scenario. The primary factor for the decreasing trend is the reduction of HVs the traffic stream. The linear trend also infers that the likelihood of hard braking remains at the same level. \ Fig. \[fig:hdCdf\](a) shows the CDF curves of the hard breaking observations recorded for HVs when they interact with CAVs under each scenario. The CDFs show two distinctive patterns between two coordination strategies. In the ad hoc coordination cases, the CDFs are with similar distributions. On the other hand, the CDF curves of the local coordination are more sensitive to MPR. The probability of hard braking in the range from -6.5 to -3.5 $m/s^2$ drastically increases even at 10% MPR. The occurrence of hard braking event keeps at the same level in ad hoc coordination; whereas the occurrence of coordination strategy shows an increasing trend until 30% MPR where the value peaks. The sample size is shown in Fig. \[fig:hdCdf\](b). Both strategies exhibit an increasing trend until 30 % MPR, then a declining occurrence after 30% MPR. With the same amount of CAVs, the hard breaking is more sensitive to MPR in Local coordination then that in ad hoc strategy. \ Two-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K-S) test is adapted to further analyze the CDF curves. The K-S test is a powerful tool for testing the hypothesis that whether two random samples have been drawn from the same population [@goodman1954kolmogorov]. It is a non-parametric test where no assumption is made regarding the distribution of the variables [@young1977proof]. The null hypothesis ($H_0$) of the K-S test is that the comparing two sample sets are from the same continuous distribution. The the two-sample K-S test is conducted for hard braking for each pair of the scenarios at 5% significance level. The hypothesis tests show that any pair of the scenarios rejects the null hypothesis and accept the alternative hypothesis that the two samples are not from the same distribution. The $H_0$ is not rejected only in the ad hoc coordination case at 20% and 30% MPR. Lane Change Activity -------------------- Fig. \[fig: lcFreqHV\] shows the accumulative lane change instance recorded at ever 0.5 s for all HVs. The lane change activity of CACC is not recorded as the scope of the paper is confined to HVs. The lane change activity decrease as the MPR of CACC increase in either of the coordination strategies. Local coordination is marginally higher than the ad hoc one when the MPR is low. At 40% MPR, they reach the same level of lane change activity. However, recall that the number of HV within the network decreases as the MPR of CACC increase. As such, the average lane change frequency for each HV is calculated and plotted in Fig. \[fig: lcFreqHV\] as well. The local coordination strategy shows a higher average lane change frequency at 10% and 20% MPR. The average lane change frequency peaks at 30%, then reduced to 5.38 from 5.42. On the contrary, the increasing trend for ah hoc clustering keeps increasing and reach 5.46 and 5.48 at 30% and 40%, respectively. 30% is the break-even point when it comes to average lane change frequency. \[h\] In summary, the local coordination strategy outperforms ah hoc coordination strategy across all levels of MPR in terms of network throughput and productivity. However, the induced hard braking for HV should not be overlooked. The distribution of hard braking for HVs changes substantially when they interacting with CAVs under local coordination. Compared to ad hoc coordination at the same MPR, the probability of the hard braking event in the range of -7.3 to -6.5 $m/s^2$ is higher. Local coordination causes a higher average lane change frequency for HV at low MPRs (i.e., 10% and 20%). It starts to decrease after reaching 30% MPR, whereas in the ad hoc strategy the average lane change frequency maintains the increasing trend. Conclusion {#sect:conclusion} ========== In this paper, we investigate the two types of coordination strategies for CAV platoon formation. Platoon clustering strategy is a crucial aspect when it comes to deploying CAV in mixed traffic condition in the near term. Agreeing with previous studies, CAV is able to bring benefits to the transportation network even with ad hoc coordination. Adapting local coordination can further increase the benefits. The impact on HVs is quantified. The distribution of the hard braking observation for HVs, when interacting with CAVs, change substantially with local coordination strategy for platoon formation. In comparison, the distributions for HVs when interacting with other HV show no substantial changes. The average lane change for HVs increases with the presence of CAVs until 30% MPR is reached. Future research would be focused on the following areas. First, the lateral control is an underexplored area compared to longitudinal control of CAVs. Further investigation of platoon formation in mixed traffic is desired. Currently, there are only a few platoon coordination algorithms, most of which are rule-based. Second, the aggressiveness of the lane change for CAVs when forming a platoon is also an important aspect. As shown, the characteristic of the HVs traffic could be altered. Some of the changes could pose safety concerns for HVs. Third, the comparison between clustering strategies should be expanded to include additional local coordination strategies.

INTERCONTINENTAL REAL ESTATE CORP. PICKS UP 5TH+COLORADO Jan 1, 2018 Boston-based Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. purchased 5th+Colorado, adding a trophy office tower to the Austin properties in its portfolio. Lincoln Property developed the 18-story tower in a partnership with Goldman Sachs. Opened in 2016, 5th+Colorado is one of a handful of office properties completed in a sea of residential towers, roughly in line with properties such as Colorado Tower, Frost Bank Tower and the recently opened 500 West Second St. The Austin Business Journal reported earlier this year the sale of the tower could pull down $120M, which would be a record $670/SF in the Austin commercial market. Intercontinental praised the strategic location and strong mix of tenants. “The acquisition of the 5th & Colorado office tower provides Intercontinental and our investors with yet another great opportunity in the Austin, Texas, market,” CEO Peter Palandjian said in a release. “This investment aligns perfectly with our strategy to target core investments in a highly dynamic market.” Lead tenants include Indeed, co-working space Industrious and Plains Capital Bank, with an available 6K SF restaurant on the ground floor. But the property has not been without its problems, including a widely reported issue of falling debris last March. A subsequent city inspection found no code violations on the property. InterContinental’s properties in Austin also include the Pressler and 5th Street Commons apartments, plus a portfolio of about 500K SF of office space in six properties outside of Downtown. The tower, in the warehouse district, had a multiyear history in Austin’s development pipeline. Once a low-rise warehouse, the site originally was slated for a high-end hotel in 2010, followed by the announcement of plans for an office tower in 2014.”

Q: What did Acton mean by saying "absolute power corrupts absolutely"? John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton said that "[p]ower tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." What did he mean by this? How might power compel evil or restrict free will? A: NOTE: This answer was given to a previous incarnation of this question. The block quotes I am responding to come from this incarnation. If I have the time I will modify my answer to respond more directly to this version of the question. When a person is placed in a position of absolute power, is it necessarily true that this power will condemn that person to commit evil acts? No, it isn't necessarily true, and that isn't a part of the claim Acton is making. Note the use of the word "tends". Many people have defended the possibility of a benevolent dictator. Plato's Republic advances an oligarchy of "Philosopher Kings", which he thought would produce the best society. In effect, does power restrict free will? I don't think there is any very interesting connection between these two concepts, if anything it seems to be the opposite. Someone with absolute (unchallengeable) power would be faced with no external compulsions and so (assuming the possibility of free will) would have the best chance at freely acting. NOTE: The following is a bit of an aside that is only indirectly relevant, but which you may, nevertheless, find interesting. There is, however, an interesting claim that Socrates makes in Plato's Gorgias: I say, Polus, that both orators and tyrants have the least power in their cities, as I was saying just now. For they do just about nothing they want to, though they certainly do whatever they see most fit to do. (Gorgias, 466e) This weird claim has to do with Socrates' denial of akrasia, or weakness of will, where you act against what you believe to be best. Essentially, the claim he makes here is tyrants who commit evil are, in fact, slaves to their stupidity (to put it rather crudely). For, Socrates contends, they are making mistakes in measurement and wrongly considering the evil act to be the best. This is, in fact, a bit of a caricature of the view, at least it doesn't explain it fully. I just thought it was interesting in connection with your question and presents a view on which "doing whatever you see fit" is not to have great power. It is also a view on which someone with the ability to do whatever they see fit actually does very little that they want to do.

Kinetics of halide release of haloalkane dehalogenase: evidence for a slow conformational change. Haloalkane dehalogenase converts haloalkanes to their corresponding alcohols and halides. The reaction mechanism involves the formation of a covalent alkyl-enzyme complex which is hydrolyzed by water. The active site is a hydrophobic cavity buried between the main domain and the cap domain of the enzyme. The enzyme has a broad substrate specificity, but the kcat values of the enzyme for the best substrates 1,2-dichloroethane and 1,2-dibromoethane are rather low (3 and 3.5 s-1, respectively). Stopped-flow fluorescence experiments with substrate under single-turnover conditions indicated that halide release could limit the overall kcat. Furthermore, at 5mM 1,2-dibromoethane the observed rate of substrate binding to free enzyme was faster than 700 s-1 (within the dead time of the stopped-flow instrument) whereas displacement of halide by 5mM 1,2-dibromoethane occurred at a rate of only 8 s-1. The binding of bromide and chloride to free enzyme was also studied using stopped-flow fluorescence, and the dependence of kobs on the halide concentration suggested that there were two parallel routes for halide binding. One route, in which a slow enzyme isomerization is followed by rapid halide binding, was predominant at low halide concentrations. The other route involves rapid binding into an initial collision complex followed by a slow enzyme isomerization step and prevailed at higher halide concentrations. The overall rate of halide release was low and limited by a slow enzyme isomerization preceding actual release (9 and 14.5 s-1 for bromide and chloride, respectively). We propose that this slow isomerization is a conformational change in the cap domain that is necessary to allow water to enter and solvate the halide ion. A solvent kinetic isotope effect of 2H2O was found both on kcat and on the rate of halide release. 2H2O mainly affected the rate of the conformational change, which is in agreement with this step being rate-limiting and the overall stabilizing effect of 2H2O on the conformation of proteins.

Let's start with turnovers. And not just turnovers, but turnovers at inopportune times and at inopportune areas of the field. From the Reggie Bush fumble, to the Tannehill pick 6. And honestly, I stopped watching the game in the 3rd quarter so I am not even sure what happened on the 3rd interception. Preparation - this team obviously came out unprepared and were perhaps looking forward to the division game against the Bills. What did the coaches do this week? Heart - this team showed no heart once it got down by three scores. Defense - they allowed a 100 yard rusher for the first time in 22 games. The run defense and the running game have left the building. It is difficult to win games when you can't win in the trenches. And where was the gameplan to contain a running quarterback with accuracy issues? The Ugly The Titans had something to prove after an absolutely embarassing loss to the Bears. Now the Dolphins have suffered an absolutely embarassing loss. How do you not prepare for the other team coming out with fire? Overall Not much to say here guys. This was an all around collapse. Worse home loss since 1968. Thursday's game against the Bills will say a lot about these players and this coaching staff. Thursday's game against the Bills will say a lot about these players and this coaching staff. You hit the nail on the head. This was an overall bad performance. We looked flat in all three phases of the game. We flat out got whooped. How we respond this week will tell us a lot about the heart of this team. It's gut check time. I think this game comes down to what is between the ears. Even from the beginning they didn't seem to be in the game mentally. Maybe they were thinking about the upcoming Bills game? I just have a hard time imagining Philben not impressing on them to win the game before them. I hate to say that they had a lack of heart, but what else can you say after watching that game. It was a total beat-down by one of the lesser teams in the NFL.

Mit dem Computer verschmelzen Technikvisionäre planen eine Welt, in der Computer unsere Gedanken lesen. Auch das US-Verteidigungsministerium unterstützt Forschung in diese Richtung. Heute kommunizieren manche Personen über eine Elektrodenkappe mit dem Computer. (Bild: Alexandra Wey, Keystone) Der Unternehmer Elon Musk will wieder einmal die Welt retten. Er glaubt, dass intelligente Roboter uns eines Tages überlegen sein werden. Um zu verhindern, dass sie die Weltherrschaft übernähmen, müsse der Mensch über sich selbst hinauswachsen und mit der künstlichen Intelligenz verschmelzen.

Newswise — LA JOLLA, CA—May 14, 2014—A vaccine or other therapy directed at a single site on a surface protein of HIV could in principle neutralize nearly all strains of the virus—thanks to the diversity of targets the site presents to the human immune system. The finding, from a study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), is likely to influence future designs for HIV vaccines and antibody-based therapies. “We found, for example, that if the virus tries to escape from an antibody directed at that site by eliminating one of its sugars, the antibody often can latch on to a neighboring sugar instead,” said TSRI Professor Dennis R. Burton, who is also scientific director of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) Neutralizing Antibody Center and of the National Institutes of Health’s Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology and Immunogen Discovery (CHAVI-ID) on TSRI’s La Jolla campus. Burton was the senior investigator for the study, which appears in the May 15 issue of Science Translational Medicine. Master of Disguise HIV infection is nearly always fatal, if untreated, because the virus is extremely effective at evading the human immune response. Its main strategy is to cover its most exposed parts, the flower-like envelope protein (Env) structures that grab and penetrate host cells, with rapidly mutating decoy proteins and antibody-resistant sugar molecules called glycans. Yet scientists in the past decade have managed to find a few accessible sites on Env where the protein and glycan structures don’t change much, because they are involved in crucial viral functions. Certain rare antibodies can grab these relatively unvarying structures and thereby neutralize a wide range of viral strains. A future HIV vaccine would stimulate the immune system to produce high levels of such “broadly neutralizing antibodies,” to provide effective protection from HIV infection. To reach that goal, researchers need to understand better how these antibodies interact with their protein/glycan target sites, particularly when those sites differ, at least subtly, among viral strains. Blocking Escape In the new study, Burton’s team examined a vulnerable site on Env, known as the “high-mannose patch” for the frequency of molecules called mannoses on its glycans. Some of the most effective antibodies against HIV are targeted against this site. One, PGT121, was recently shown both to protect from new infection and to cause a long-term knockdown of established infection in macaque monkeys. The high-mannose patch on Env is centered on a glycan attachment point designated as N332. At least one recent study has suggested that HIV can “escape” a broadly neutralizing antibody response by mutating in a way that shifts the glycan at this site from N332 to N334. But Burton’s team, including the two lead authors, graduate student Devin Sok and postdoctoral fellow Katie J. Doores, determined that many of the N332-directed antibodies can still neutralize the virus even when it shifts the glycan to N334. “Escape does not necessarily follow a shift in the glycan site from N332 to N334,” Sok said. In fact, the team found that a surprising number of antibodies directed at N332 or N334 continue to neutralize HIV even when no glycan is present at either site—apparently because they are able to grab other glycans within the high-mannose patch. One of the implications of the study is that a broadly neutralizing antibody directed at HIV’s high-mannose patch doesn’t necessarily have a single defined target point—it might find different ways to bind to the available glycans with high enough affinity to neutralize the virus. And although vaccine researchers have widely assumed that a successful HIV vaccine would have to target multiple vulnerable sites on the virus, the new findings suggest that they may not need to. For the sake of thoroughness, they still aim to do so, but in principle, targeting HIV’s high-mannose patch alone, with diverse types or clones of antibody, could neutralize a high proportion of viral isolates, perhaps 90%, and block most avenues of viral escape. That appears to put the high-mannose patch at the top of the list of target sites for candidate HIV vaccines. Other contributors to the study, “Promiscuous glycan site recognition by antibodies to the high-mannose patch of gp120 broadens neutralization of HIV,” were Bryan Briney, Khoa M. Le, Karen F. Saye-Francisco, Daniel W. Kulp, Jean-Philippe Julien, Sergey Menis, and Ian A. Wilson, all of TSRI; Alejandra Ramos, Lalinda Wickramasinghe, William R. Schief and Pascal Poignard, all of TSRI and IAVI, and Michael S. Seaman of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Katie J. Doores is now a researcher at Kings College, London. The research was funded in part by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative’s Neutralizing Antibody Consortium (SFP1849), the National Institutes of Health (R01 AI033292, AI84817, 1U19AI090970, UM1AI100663, 5T32AI007606-10), the Canadian Institutes of Health, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (38619). IAVI’s work is made possible by generous support from many donors including: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark; Irish Aid; the Ministry of Finance of Japan; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD); the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The full list of IAVI donors is available at www.iavi.org. About The Scripps Research Institute The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) is one of the world's largest independent, not-for-profit organizations focusing on research in the biomedical sciences. TSRI is internationally recognized for its contributions to science and health, including its role in laying the foundation for new treatments for cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, hemophilia, and other diseases. An institution that evolved from the Scripps Metabolic Clinic founded by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps in 1924, the institute now employs about 3,000 people on its campuses in La Jolla, CA, and Jupiter, FL, where its renowned scientists—including three Nobel laureates—work toward their next discoveries. The institute's graduate program, which awards PhD degrees in biology and chemistry, ranks among the top ten of its kind in the nation. For more information, see www.scripps.edu.

package loclist import ( "encoding/binary" "github.com/go-delve/delve/pkg/dwarf/godwarf" ) // Reader represents a loclist reader. type Reader interface { Find(off int, staticBase, base, pc uint64, debugAddr *godwarf.DebugAddr) (*Entry, error) Empty() bool } // Dwarf2Reader parses and presents DWARF loclist information for DWARF versions 2 through 4. type Dwarf2Reader struct { data []byte cur int ptrSz int } // NewDwarf2Reader returns an initialized loclist Reader for DWARF versions 2 through 4. func NewDwarf2Reader(data []byte, ptrSz int) *Dwarf2Reader { return &Dwarf2Reader{data: data, ptrSz: ptrSz} } // Empty returns true if this reader has no data. func (rdr *Dwarf2Reader) Empty() bool { return rdr.data == nil } // Seek moves the data pointer to the specified offset. func (rdr *Dwarf2Reader) Seek(off int) { rdr.cur = off } // Next advances the reader to the next loclist entry, returning // the entry and true if successful, or nil, false if not. func (rdr *Dwarf2Reader) Next(e *Entry) bool { e.LowPC = rdr.oneAddr() e.HighPC = rdr.oneAddr() if e.LowPC == 0 && e.HighPC == 0 { return false } if e.BaseAddressSelection() { e.Instr = nil return true } instrlen := binary.LittleEndian.Uint16(rdr.read(2)) e.Instr = rdr.read(int(instrlen)) return true } // Find returns the loclist entry for the specified PC address, inside the // loclist stating at off. Base is the base address of the compile unit and // staticBase is the static base at which the image is loaded. func (rdr *Dwarf2Reader) Find(off int, staticBase, base, pc uint64, debugAddr *godwarf.DebugAddr) (*Entry, error) { rdr.Seek(off) var e Entry for rdr.Next(&e) { if e.BaseAddressSelection() { base = e.HighPC + staticBase continue } if pc >= e.LowPC+base && pc < e.HighPC+base { return &e, nil } } return nil, nil } func (rdr *Dwarf2Reader) read(sz int) []byte { r := rdr.data[rdr.cur : rdr.cur+sz] rdr.cur += sz return r } func (rdr *Dwarf2Reader) oneAddr() uint64 { switch rdr.ptrSz { case 4: addr := binary.LittleEndian.Uint32(rdr.read(rdr.ptrSz)) if addr == ^uint32(0) { return ^uint64(0) } return uint64(addr) case 8: addr := uint64(binary.LittleEndian.Uint64(rdr.read(rdr.ptrSz))) return addr default: panic("bad address size") } } // Entry represents a single entry in the loclist section. type Entry struct { LowPC, HighPC uint64 Instr []byte } // BaseAddressSelection returns true if entry.highpc should // be used as the base address for subsequent entries. func (e *Entry) BaseAddressSelection() bool { return e.LowPC == ^uint64(0) }

# TestOut Name = TestOutCapabilities; Version = 0.3; Author = "HaaTa (Jacob Alexander) 2014-2018"; # Modified Date Date = 2018-01-07; # Enable define Output_TestOutEnabled = "1"; Output_TestOutEnabled => Output_TestOutEnabled_define; # Make sure RawIO is enabled enableRawIO = 1;

Astenois Astenois (Latin pagus Stadunensis) was a pagus, the most basic division of territory in the Roman and Frankish empires. In the Middle Ages, it comprised the parishes of the deaconries of Sainte-Menehould and Possesse. Originally a part of Lotharingia, by the eleventh century its southern part belonged to the Holy Roman Empire and its northern part to the Kingdom of France. The original seat of its counts was at Le Vieil-Dampierre. Traditionally, Astenois, Dormois and Castrice, the three eastern pagi of the archdiocese of Reims were held to belong to the empire. In the eleventh century, as part of a general fragmentation of power in the region, new counties were formed which did not correspond to ancient pagi but were instead named after their main castles. The county of Astenois, which did correspond to an old pagus, became known as the county of Dampierre after its rulers' chief fortress. The counts of Astenois were originally a cadet branch of the counts of Toul. The county was produced through the division of the patrimony of Frederick II. The elder son, Renard III, received Toul, while the younger, Peter, received Astenois. Astenois may originally have been a small fief of the bishops of Toul. It may have passed from the last count of the old line, Renard II, to the first count of the new, Frederick I, through the marriage of the latter to the former's daughter, Gertrude, at the same time as the bishop made Frederick count of Toul (1059). Frederick and Gertrude's son, Frederick II, then divided the patrimony for his sons. __NOTOC__ List of counts and lords Peter Frederick Henry Renard I Renard II Renard III Renard IV Anselm I Anselm II John I John II Notes Sources Further reading Category:Subdivisions of the Holy Roman Empire Category:Medieval France

Police search for driver in Glasgow hit and run Two women struck, one in critical condition after hit and run in Pencader Corporate Center Staff Reports Police are looking for the car that was involved in a hit and run this morning in Glasgow that left two women injured. At 7:30 a.m. Sept. 25, Delaware State Police said that a car struck a 52-year-old Wilmington woman and a 67-year-old Newark woman who were walking in the Pencader Corporate Center. The driver and type of vehicle are unknown and the vehicle is possibly black in color, police said. The women were walking eastbound on the side of the roadway on Corporate Boulevard approaching Lake Drive, police said. A car that was traveling eastbound on Corporate Boulevard struck them from behind while they were walking and drove off without stopping. The 52-year-old woman was taken to the Christiana Hospital Trauma Center and admitted in critical condition with multiple traumatic injuries. The 67-year-old woman was taken to the hospital and is being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Police said that treatment and disposition are unknown at this point and the pedestrians' names are being with held pending next of kin notification. Troopers are continuing to collect evidence at the scene to determine the make and model of the vehicle and are attempting to locate the driver that fled the crash. Anyone with information in reference to this incident is asked to contact the Crash Reconstruction Unit at Troop 2 at (302) 834-2620 Ext. 278 or Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.

[Interstitial pneumonia in patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 infection]. Pulmonary involvement has been demonstrated in patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1)-associated myelopathy (HAM/TSP) or with HTLV-1 uveitis. Pulmonary lesions in these patients are characterized by T-lymphocyte alveolitis. Interestingly, HLTV-1-infected cells were markedly increased in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained from patients with HAM/TSP and those with HTLV-1 uveitis compared to asymptomatic HTLV-1 carriers. Furthermore, the proportion of HTLV-1-infected cells was much higher in BALF than in peripheral blood. These results suggest that increased HTLV-1-infected cells play an important role in evolution of T-lymphocyte alveolitis associated with HTLV-1 infection.

/* * Copyright (c) 2008-2016 Haulmont. * * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. * You may obtain a copy of the License at * * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0 * * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and * limitations under the License. * */ package com.haulmont.cuba.gui.xml.layout.loaders; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.GuiDevelopmentException; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.components.Fragment; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.components.sys.FragmentImplementation; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.components.sys.FrameImplementation; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.config.WindowConfig; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.config.WindowInfo; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.logging.ScreenLifeCycle; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.model.impl.ScreenDataImpl; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.screen.FrameOwner; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.screen.ScreenFragment; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.screen.ScreenOptions; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.FragmentContextImpl; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.FragmentHelper; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.FragmentHelper.FragmentLoaderInitTask; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.ScreenContextImpl; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.UiControllerProperty; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.xml.layout.ComponentLoader; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.xml.layout.LayoutLoader; import com.haulmont.cuba.gui.xml.layout.ScreenXmlLoader; import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils; import org.dom4j.Element; import org.perf4j.StopWatch; import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.Collections; import java.util.List; import static com.haulmont.cuba.gui.logging.UIPerformanceLogger.createStopWatch; import static com.haulmont.cuba.gui.screen.UiControllerUtils.*; import static com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.FragmentHelper.FragmentLoaderInjectTask; import static com.haulmont.cuba.gui.sys.FragmentHelper.NAME; public class FragmentComponentLoader extends ContainerLoader<Fragment> { protected ComponentLoader fragmentLoader; protected ComponentLoaderContext innerContext; @Override public void createComponent() { String src = element.attributeValue("src"); String screenId = element.attributeValue("screen"); if (src == null && screenId == null) { throw new GuiDevelopmentException("Either 'src' or 'screen' must be specified for 'frame'", context, "fragment", element.attributeValue("id")); } String fragmentId; if (element.attributeValue("id") != null) { fragmentId = element.attributeValue("id"); } else if (screenId != null){ fragmentId = screenId; } else { fragmentId = src; } FragmentHelper fragmentHelper = getFragmentHelper(); WindowInfo windowInfo; if (src == null) { // load screen class only once windowInfo = getWindowConfig().getWindowInfo(screenId).resolve(); } else { windowInfo = fragmentHelper.createFakeWindowInfo(src, fragmentId); } StopWatch createStopWatch = createStopWatch(ScreenLifeCycle.CREATE, windowInfo.getId()); Fragment fragment = factory.create(Fragment.NAME); ScreenFragment controller = fragmentHelper.createController(windowInfo, fragment); // setup screen and controller ComponentLoaderContext parentContext = (ComponentLoaderContext) getContext(); FrameOwner hostController = parentContext.getFrame().getFrameOwner(); setHostController(controller, hostController); setWindowId(controller, windowInfo.getId()); setFrame(controller, fragment); setScreenContext(controller, new ScreenContextImpl(windowInfo, parentContext.getOptions(), getScreenContext(hostController)) ); setScreenData(controller, new ScreenDataImpl()); FragmentImplementation fragmentImpl = (FragmentImplementation) fragment; fragmentImpl.setFrameOwner(controller); fragmentImpl.setId(fragmentId); FragmentContextImpl frameContext = new FragmentContextImpl(fragment, innerContext); ((FrameImplementation) fragment).setContext(frameContext); // load from XML if needed if (windowInfo.getTemplate() != null) { String frameId = fragmentId; if (parentContext.getFullFrameId() != null) { frameId = parentContext.getFullFrameId() + "." + frameId; } innerContext = new ComponentLoaderContext(getComponentContext().getOptions()); innerContext.setMessagesPack(fragmentHelper.getMessagePack(windowInfo.getTemplate())); innerContext.setCurrentFrameId(fragmentId); innerContext.setFullFrameId(frameId); innerContext.setFrame(fragment); innerContext.setParent(parentContext); innerContext.setProperties(loadProperties(element)); LayoutLoader layoutLoader = getLayoutLoader(innerContext); ScreenXmlLoader screenXmlLoader = beanLocator.get(ScreenXmlLoader.NAME); Element rootElement = screenXmlLoader.load(windowInfo.getTemplate(), windowInfo.getId(), getComponentContext().getParams()); String messagesPack = rootElement.attributeValue("messagesPack"); if (messagesPack != null) { innerContext.setMessagesPack(messagesPack); } this.fragmentLoader = layoutLoader.createFragmentContent(fragment, rootElement); } createStopWatch.stop(); this.resultComponent = fragment; } protected FragmentHelper getFragmentHelper() { return beanLocator.get(NAME); } @Override public void loadComponent() { loadAliases(); if (getComponentContext().getFrame() != null) { resultComponent.setFrame(getComponentContext().getFrame()); } String src = element.attributeValue("src"); String screenId = element.attributeValue("screen"); String screenPath = StringUtils.isEmpty(screenId) ? src : screenId; if (element.attributeValue("id") != null) { screenPath = element.attributeValue("id"); } if (getComponentContext().getFrame() != null) { String parentId = getComponentContext().getFullFrameId(); if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(parentId)) { screenPath = parentId + "." + screenPath; } } StopWatch loadStopWatch = createStopWatch(ScreenLifeCycle.LOAD, screenPath); // if fragment has XML descriptor if (fragmentLoader != null) { fragmentLoader.loadComponent(); } // load properties after inner context, they must override values defined inside of fragment assignXmlDescriptor(resultComponent, element); loadVisible(resultComponent, element); loadEnable(resultComponent, element); loadStyleName(resultComponent, element); loadResponsive(resultComponent, element); loadCss(resultComponent, element); loadAlign(resultComponent, element); loadHeight(resultComponent, element); loadWidth(resultComponent, element); loadIcon(resultComponent, element); loadCaption(resultComponent, element); loadDescription(resultComponent, element); loadStopWatch.stop(); // propagate init phases ComponentLoaderContext parentContext = (ComponentLoaderContext) getContext(); if (innerContext != null) { parentContext.getInjectTasks().addAll(innerContext.getInjectTasks()); parentContext.getInitTasks().addAll(innerContext.getInitTasks()); parentContext.getPostInitTasks().addAll(innerContext.getPostInitTasks()); } ScreenOptions options = parentContext.getOptions(); parentContext.addInjectTask(new FragmentLoaderInjectTask(resultComponent, options, beanLocator)); parentContext.addInitTask(new FragmentLoaderInitTask(resultComponent, options, innerContext, beanLocator)); } protected List<UiControllerProperty> loadProperties(Element element) { Element propsEl = element.element("properties"); if (propsEl == null) { return Collections.emptyList(); } List<Element> propElements = propsEl.elements("property"); if (propElements.isEmpty()) { return Collections.emptyList(); } List<UiControllerProperty> properties = new ArrayList<>(propElements.size()); for (Element property : propElements) { String name = property.attributeValue("name"); if (name == null || name.isEmpty()) { throw new GuiDevelopmentException("Screen fragment property cannot have empty name", context); } String value = property.attributeValue("value"); String ref = property.attributeValue("ref"); if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(value) && StringUtils.isNotEmpty(ref)) { throw new GuiDevelopmentException("Screen fragment property can have either a value or a reference. Property: " + name, context); } if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(value)) { properties.add(new UiControllerProperty(name, value, UiControllerProperty.Type.VALUE)); } else if (StringUtils.isNotEmpty(ref)) { properties.add(new UiControllerProperty(name, ref, UiControllerProperty.Type.REFERENCE)); } else { throw new GuiDevelopmentException("No value or reference found for screen fragment property: " + name, context); } } return properties; } protected void loadAliases() { if (fragmentLoader instanceof FragmentLoader) { ComponentLoaderContext frameLoaderInnerContext = (ComponentLoaderContext) fragmentLoader.getContext(); for (Element aliasElement : element.elements("dsAlias")) { String aliasDatasourceId = aliasElement.attributeValue("alias"); String originalDatasourceId = aliasElement.attributeValue("datasource"); if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(aliasDatasourceId) && StringUtils.isNotBlank(originalDatasourceId)) { frameLoaderInnerContext.getAliasesMap().put(aliasDatasourceId, originalDatasourceId); } } } } protected WindowConfig getWindowConfig() { return beanLocator.get(WindowConfig.NAME); } }

Select Local Merchants Ming Hair & Nail Spa offers so many beautifying treatments, it needed two locations just to handle them all. Both shops offer a full range of hair styling services, each of which begins with a complimentary consultation. This gives the client the opportunity to voice their goals, and the stylist time to decide whether the look will properly match the patron's facial features and those of the parrot on their shoulder. Cutting, coloring, and styling all fall within the staff's expertise, as do advanced treatments such as keratin straightening. Meanwhile, at Ming's East Brunswick location?dubbed "shop no. 1"?aestheticians attend to skin with treatments ranging from European deep-cleansing facials to LED photo-rejuvenation. Those looking to pamper their hands and feet, on the other hand, can head to shop no. 2 in Green Brook, where spa manicures and pedicures can incorporate soothing extras such as hydrating masks, sugar scrubs, and detoxifying green tea soaks. Technicians at Clearly Beautiful Nails use the 1064 Yag Laser to painlessly rid feet of infections, warts, and nail fungus. In addition to treating toes, the office rents and sells laser units and also creates foot-centered marketing materials for display in waiting rooms. Soothing music and aromatherapy essences waft through The Pedi Spa, a pedicure-focused spa in which clients can recline in leather chairs perched beneath fabric canopies and hanging lamps. As guests sip glasses of sparkling water, technicians attend to extremities with one of nine luxurious pedicures, soaking feet to soften coarse heels and unwind the mind like a ball of yarn crowd-surfing across a sea of massage therapists. Guests can also indulge digits with manicures. When the most basic pedicure offered includes a thorough foot massage, you know you're at a nail salon that values indulgence. And the pampering continues throughout each session at The Pedi Spa, as feet are treated to warm bubble soaks and fragrant exfoliation treatments. After toes have been transformed into perfectly relaxed puddles, nail technicians apply glossy coats of polish before sending patrons on their way.

[Adaptive indication in outpatient psychodynamic short-term psychotherapy. Results of a prospective naturalistic research study]. Health care insurers in Germany fund long-term psychotherapy of up to 240 sessions as well as brief psychotherapeutic interventions of up to 25 sessions. In a former study, it was observed that a substantial proportion of interventions initially designed as brief psychotherapy were changed into long-term therapy. The present study investigated the criteria of such decisions to change treatment plans and is part of a more comprehensive auditing study in outpatient psychotherapy. Twenty-six psychotherapists in private practice participated in the study. During a 12-month recruitment period, 70 patients started with brief psychodynamic psychotherapy. Thirty-six therapies were evaluated according to the study protocol. The results provide evidence that motivation for psychotherapy, satisfaction with the results of therapy, persistence of psychological symptoms at the end of short-term intervention, and aspects of the patient's personality are factors predictive of treatment selection. Patients who changed from short-term to long-term therapy were more motivated towards their therapy (prognostic indication), displayed more severe symptoms, were less satisfied with the results of short-term psychotherapy (adaptive indication), and scored higher on the "structure of personality organization" parameter according to the OPD diagnostic system.

Q: Matrix Factorization algorithms for Recommender Systems I need to learn about Matrix Factorization for recommender systems, so I downloaded this paper https://datajobs.com/data-science-repo/Recommender-Systems-[Netflix].pdf but I found it too shallow. It didn't explain the concepts in depth for me. So can you please recommend some good papers/resources to learn about the topic? I need to learn about them so I can implement a matrix factorization model. A: Matrix factorisation is part of Numerical Linear Algebra (NLA). The following are some useful books in NLA and Data Mining / Statistical Learning. The classic in NLA is Golub & Van Loan's Matrix Computations. Van Loan's webpage lists his books in and links to others. A modern approach that's great for self-study, is Numerical Linear Algebra by Trefethen & Bau, partially available online on Trefethen's website. Bau was working at Google last I checked. For a data mining focus, Numerical Linear Algebra and Applications in Data Mining by Lars Elden is available online. A classic on the statistical side is Elements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Tibshirani, and Friedman. The authors have graciously made available their entire book online. This requires a fair bit of mathematical background, but the introductions to each topic will be accessible more generally. A lighter version of the above is Introduction to Statistical Learning with Applications in R, by the same authors plus Daniella Witten. This is also available online by the authors and provides useful R code.

Hemolysis induced by streptolysin S: kinetics of hemoglobin and 86Rubidium release. Hemolysis of human erythrocytes produced by streptolysin S (SLS) was investigated. Kinetic studies of hemoglobin (Hb) release exhibited typical for SLS latent phase with hemolysis 30-60 minutes after addition of the toxin. Hb release was preceded by efflux of 86Rubidium (86Rb) which started at 5th-15th minutes after addition of the toxin. In erythrocytes treated with 2 HU/ml of SLS about 100% of 86Rb was released after 15 minutes; no hemolysis was observed at this time. Incubation of blood cells in 0.3 M sucrose or 6% DMSO prevented SLS induced hemolysis. Trypan blue was also inhibitory. Bovine serum albumin acclerated 86Rb and Hb release. The possible mechanism of this phenomenon is discussed. The results obtained indicate that SLS-produced hemolysis of human erythrocytes is an osmotic process.

Kuddly In The News: Dogster We love dogs here at Kuddly, and we especially love the amazing Dogster magazine and website! We couldn’t be more honored and excited to be mentioned in this article about The World’s Most Popular Dog Names of 2015 this past week. How completely cool, and how fun to take a look at the most popular dog names of the year. We definitely know some awesome pups that have names on the list. Thank you, Dogster, for the great mention of Kuddly in the article!

At its core, the NFL combine is a fantastic opportunity for teams to test everything about draft prospects except their on-field performance. They see how fast and strong the players are, how they check out medically and how well they respond in an interview, even if some questions are borderline illegal. For draft analysts, the combine is an opportunity to stick irrelevant labels on players such as "high ceiling" and "freak athlete," sexy terms often given to players whose draft stock relies heavily on factors other than on-field performance. Those players have flown up post-combine draft boards this week while players with impressive college careers have started to fall. After a 4-12 season, the Lions aren't in the market for sexy. That's why they should pass on BYU defensive end Ezekial Ansah. He may be the next Jason Pierre-Paul, but he'll enter the league as a project. Instead, they should use the No. 5 pick on a polished pass rusher, with the top targets being LSU's Barkevious Mingo, Georgia's Jarvis Jones and Florida State's Bjoern Werner.

Reduction of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis in chicken manure by larvae of the black soldier fly. Green fluorescent protein-labeled Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis were inoculated at 10(7) CFU/g into cow, hog, or chicken manure. Ten- or 11-day-old soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) (7 to 10 g) were added to the manure and held at 23, 27, or 32 degrees C for 3 to 6 days. Soldier fly larvae accelerated inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 in chicken manure but had no effect in cow manure and enhanced survival in hog manure. The initial pH values of the hog and chicken manure were 6.0 to 6.2 and 7.4 to 8.2, respectively, and it is surmised that these conditions affected the stability of the larval antimicrobial system. Reductions of E. coli O157:H7 populations in chicken manure by larvae were affected by storage temperature, with greater reductions in samples held for 3 days at 27 or 32 degrees C than at 23 degrees C. Pathogen inactivation in chicken manure by larvae was not affected by the indigenous microflora of chicken manure, because Salmonella Enteritidis populations in larvae-treated samples were approximately 2.5 log lower than control samples without larvae when either autoclaved or nonautoclaved chicken manure was used as the contaminated medium during 3 days of storage. Extending the storage time to 6 days, larvae again accelerated the reduction in Salmonella Enteritidis populations in chicken manure during the first 4 days of storage; however, larvae became contaminated with the pathogen. After 2 days of feeding on contaminated manure, Salmonella Enteritidis populations in larvae averaged 3.3 log CFU/g. Populations decreased to 1.9 log CFU/g after 6 days of exposure to contaminated chicken manure; however, the absence of feeding activity by the maggots in later stages of storage may be responsible for the continued presence of Salmonella Enteritidis in larvae. Transfer of contaminated larvae to fresh chicken manure restored feeding activity but led to cross-contamination of the fresh manure.

Evert van Muyden Evert Louis van Muyden (18 July 1853 Albano, Lazio – 27 February 1922 Orsay) was a noted engraver, illustrator and painter, born to Swiss parents. His brothers, Albert-Steven van Muyden (1849-1910) and Henri van Muyden (1860-1936) were also artists. Biography At first studying with his father, the painter Jacques Alfred van Muyden (1818–1898), Evert later lived and studied in Geneva at the Beaux-Arts, under Carl Steffeck in Berlin and under Jean-Léon Gérôme at the Paris Beaux-Arts. He worked in Rome between 1879 and 1884, concentrating on landscapes, and showing the clear influence of Corot. After 1885, he worked in Paris painting animals in the style of Antoine-Louis Barye. He virtually lived at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris and the Zoologischer Garten in Basle, creating hundreds of drawings and engravings of plants and animals. He was sought after as an illustrator of books, providing images for Champfleury's Contes choisis (Paris, 1899) and Emil Frey's Die Kriegstaten der Schweizer (Neuchatel, 1905). His engravings and book illustrations remained popular, overshadowing his occasional portraits and sculptures. Gallery References Category:1853 births Category:1922 deaths Category:19th-century engravers Category:20th-century engravers Category:19th-century Swiss painters Category:Swiss male painters Category:20th-century Swiss painters Category:Swiss engravers Category:Swiss illustrators Category:20th-century printmakers

This invention relates to a small-sized optical element and its manufacturing method, which is used for a light pickup lens of light pickup device and so on. Lately, there are manufactured and on sale, various kinds of optical element of various sizes, such as large-sized optical elements used for telescope lenses and microscope lenses and small-sized optical elements used for light pickup lenses of CD (Compact Disc) and DVD (Digital Video Disc). These optical elements are usually manufactured through so called “injection molding” process in which specific resin corresponding to the application is injected into a prescribed die for molding, however on the surface layer of the mold, there occurs birefringence to some extent, created by a residual stress, and therefore, a light scattering phenomenon occurs on the surface layer to make it difficult to maintain the focal distance to be the wanted design value. In Patent Document 1, it is described that the residual stress generated in a molded product can be relieved and birefringence generated in the mold can be minimized by means of annealing the product at a temperature below the glass transition-temperature after cooling (leaving as it is) at the room temperature. [Patent Document 1] U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,443 However, the objective of the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is to apply annealing process to relatively large-sized optical elements when they are molded to add some preferable performance to the molds, and though the conditions for the annealing process are specified in detail, the conditions are not available to every optical element made of resin manufactured through an injection molding process. For example, regarding a small-sized optical element of a several millimeter scale used as the aforementioned light pickup lens, only if the conditions for the annealing process slightly differ in each manufacturing lot, the difference of the conditions affects performance of forming a spot of condensed light greatly. Therefore, the annealing process of the technique disclosed in the Patent Document 1, can not relieve the residual stress sufficiently and can not maintain the thermal balance condition stably during the annealing process so that sufficient performance can not be obtained for a optical element of light pickup lens.

Characterization of mimetic lipid mixtures of stratum corneum. Lipid mixtures consisting of ceramide III, palmitic acid, and cholesterol were prepared at different thermal and humidity conditions. The lipid mixture, treated at temperature higher than 100 degrees C, displayed the similar thermal character to native human Stratum Corneum (SC), although hydration changed structural characters of the lipid mixtures as well as human SC: Hydration gave rise to the variation of lamellar distances in lipid mixtures such as lengthening of vertical repeat distance and slight-shortening of the lateral repeat distance. It also generated the configurational transition of amide groups. Since these variations depending on the heating and hydrating processes do not occur on pristine lipids, it can be confirmed that the lipid mixture forms hybrid phases by the association between heterogeneous lipids.

function [Xtrain,ytrain,Xtest,ytest] = setupMnist(varargin)%binary, Ntrain, Ntest,full) % Load mnist handwritten digit data % Optional arguments [default in brackets] % binary - if true, binarize around overall mean [false] % ntrain - [60000] % ntest - [10000] % keepSparse - if true, do not cast to double [true] % classes - specify which classes you want train/test data for [0:9] % % Xtrain will be ntrain*D, where D=784 % ytrain will be ntrain*1 % Xtest will be ntest*D, where D=784 % ytest will be ntest*1 % This file is from pmtk3.googlecode.com [binary,Ntrain,Ntest,keepSparse,classes] = process_options(varargin,... 'binary',false,'ntrain',60000,'ntest',10000,'keepSparse',true,'classes',0:9); if nargout < 3, Ntest = 0; end loadData('mnistAll'); % the datacase have already been shuffled % so we can safely take a prefix of the data Xtrain = reshape(mnist.train_images(:,:,1:Ntrain),28*28,Ntrain)'; Xtest = reshape(mnist.test_images(:,:,1:Ntest),28*28,Ntest)'; ytrain = (mnist.train_labels); ytest = (mnist.test_labels); ytrain = ytrain(1:Ntrain); ytest = ytest(1:Ntest); clear mnist; if(binary) mu = mean([Xtrain(:);Xtest(:)]); Xtrain = Xtrain >=mu; Xtest = Xtest >=mu; end ytrain = double(ytrain); ytest = double(ytest); if(~keepSparse) Xtrain = double(Xtrain); Xtest = double(Xtest); end if ~isequal(classes,0:9) Xtrain = Xtrain(ismember(ytrain,classes),:); if numel(Ntest) > 0 Xtest = Xtest(ismember(ytest,classes),:); end end end

What is Movie News After Dark? It ain’t playin’, yo. This is about movin’ news, slingin’ editorial quips and makin’ bank. Whatever ‘bank’ is… Tonight we begin with some lovely artwork from Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a gothic retelling of the classic fairy tale about a puppet who just wanted to be a real boy. If any of you have watched the Disney animated version of Pinocchio recently (or in general, with adult eyes), you’ll know that there’s some seriously spine-tingling creepitude in that story. It’s got puppets from The Jim Henson Company and co-direction from Fantastic Mr. Fox animation director Mark Gustafson. Get excited about this one, kids. IndieWire’s Matt Singer considers The Pros and Cons of Directors’ Cuts. One of his cited Cons, “More versions of a movie mean more confusion about which version is definitive” should be dubbed The Ridley Scott Conundrum. Over the past 48 hours there have been a number of interesting discussions raised around HBO, digital distribution and piracy. None of these involve the people who partake in the latter (you’re unreasonable, you thieving scalawags). Vulture explains The Reasons Why HBO Doesn’t Want Your Money, a simple dissection of why HBO (and other cable network, for that matter) isn’t jumping to let you pay $10/mo. to see all their content outside the cable ecosystem. It’s a big money thing. A BIG money thing. And Corps. got to get they money, yo. (Also, people who want to pay a la carte for cable channels are loud, but they’re a minuscule section of entertainment consumers. This revolution is still in its infancy.) Because going to a theater and being transported (in 3D!) to another world isn’t enough anymore, there’s The Alamo Drafthouse. They’ve got Drafthouse Films in on their next big outdoor moviewatching event. For those in the Central Texas area, you can see the black indie comedy Klown drunk in a canoe. Because that’s the way it has to be. The folks at College Humor have taken the Game of Thrones fever to a new level, creating House Sigils for Other TV Families. The Simpsons got one, The Huxtables got one and even House Swanson is destined to take over some lands with the fire of bacon. These two are personal favorites: “In the wake of the disastrous food storm at the end of the first movie, Flint Lockwood and friends are forced to leave their town of Swallow Falls. But when it is discovered that sentient food beasts have overrun the island, they are asked to return to save the world…again.” This is the synopsis of Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers, the most anticipated animated sequel ever! (According to yours truly.) It’s now due out February 7, 2014. Spaceballs is coming to Blu-ray, a 25th anniversary Blu-ray release that will include at least one new featurette. If it doesn’t come in a giant helmet, I’m going to be incensed. Large corporations are a dangerous thing. Personally, I’ve never trusted a movie website that’s owned by a big media company. Speaking of which, Movies.com presents us with A Guide to the Best Evil Corporations from Sci-Fi Movies. Weyland Yatuni for lyfe, yo. (Why do I continue to say ‘yo’ in this column? Too much time spent with Jesse Pinkman, perhaps.) More from Around the Web: Reject Nation 1 Comment Leave a comment Comment Policy: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Film School Rejects reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. We also reserve the right to modify any curse words in your comments and make you look like an idiot. Thank You!

Some of the best dunking happens in soccer. There’s a growing sense of style and art to team accounts finding ways to harass each other in MLS. Everything from simplistically brutal postgame jabs to elaborate haymakers have become more and more ingrained in the MLS social media culture. Not all of them are winners (oh man, trust me, we’ll get there), but there’s a regular amount of objectively clever content that creates conversation and helps build the community around the sport. Which is a good thing. I promise. And something about MLS lends itself nicely to these kinds of things: There’s enough downtime for ideas to go through a full creative process, and a small enough sample of games for individual moments to carry weight in the season as a whole. Or at least for the moments to be dissected. Say, for example, in a closely contested game a key player maybe or maybe doesn’t, but almost definitely, does take a dive and a player is sent off for the team that goes on to lose. Maybe not a huge deal overall, but still, for at least the week, an important moment. Which means…..well, it means this: Like many good things, the idea to give an opposing player the “Shooting Stars” treatment started as an office in-joke. “It was something we were talking about doing for a few months. It was a thing we kind of enjoyed in the office and something we tried to do in preseason. We almost did it then and then that kind of moment with the Timbers game totally fell in our lap,” Galaxy Senior Director of Digital Media & Marketing, Chris Thomas said. “We were kind of joking after the game about actually using it for that. And our videographer at the time was like, ‘Should I do it?’ We said, ‘Yeah. Whatever. Just go for it.’” “Yeah. Whatever. Just go for it” led to a video that has been viewed nearly 4 million times. It’s been over two years since it posted and you know what the joke is each time it plays. But when the music drops and Diego Chara goes flying through space and time and slip and slides, it’s funny every single time. Even people like World Champion Alex Morgan are in the replies just to say how good it is. The good news here for Portland fans is, first off, scoreboard (they won the match 1-0 on a Chara goal, of course). Secondly, the Timbers social team had plenty of time between the next meeting with the Galaxy to hit back. We all know about the upcoming solar eclipse, but have you heard of the fading star phenomenon? Let us explain. #ScienceIsFun #RCTID pic.twitter.com/aB4ZAsO2LA — Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) August 7, 2017 THE PRODUCTION VALUE. Look, one video has nearly 4 million views, the other one has 80,000. There’s a clear winner in terms of reach. But that is extremely solid from Portland. And numbers don’t mean everything. Imagine Dragons have sold 12 million records. Either way, the great “Shooting Stars”ing of Diego Chara has staying power. Enough so that when another Galaxy opponent — I am not DisCo absolutely do not @ me — went airborne last weekend it only made sense to bring back a classic...With a bit of an Easter Egg at the end. you knew it was coming pic.twitter.com/wUCVpYSv5T — LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) July 22, 2019 Did you catch it? I missed it the first time so I’ll help. DIEEEEEEEEGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Just in time for LA Galaxy vs. Portland (Saturday at 10:30 pm ET on FS1, FOX Deportes, TSN4). Whether it’s FC Dallas tempting fate by provoking Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Minnesota United accentuating a win over FC Dallas with “Dallas,” Sporting KC make some alterations to the Real Salt Lake logo, Atlanta United going full Nintendo, or Philadelphia recruiting a guy in a funny shirt and a giant blue demon snake with arms to destroy a Red Bulls-themed car before the demon snake destroys us ... and uhh, there’s the Illuminati ... apparently, or……uh……. Brisket Bob. [Hey, remember when I said that we would get here?] Anyway, there is a purpose and a philosophy behind the team-on-team social media violence. When Portland takes an opportunity to celebrate ruining Scott Frost Seattle Sounders FC Day, they do it with a few key ideas in mind, which at their heart come back to one thing: This is fun, y’all. “I think for me at the end of the day, sports are entertainment and it's fun to be fun,” Kayla Knapp, Portland’s senior manager of social content and strategy said. “It's about humanizing it, but it's about entertainment and about making it fun to follow all the accounts. Whether it's us, the Galaxy, Seattle, whoever, just making it a positive experience for all the fans across the league.” Fun gets people to pay attention. And while the club standing under the metaphorical basket on the dunk may not exactly enjoy being there, being upset is, in a weird way, one of the most enjoyable parts of following soccer and sports in general. It distracts us from the every day, and when it’s finally our turn to enjoy things for a while, it makes it feel that much sweeter. If these interactions are bringing more people into that fold then, according to Portland’s senior VP of business operations and marketing, Cory Dolich, even better. “It's trying to introduce the club and the brand to people that might not necessarily know it,” Dolich said. “Creating content that isn't always just about the competitive aspects of the organization and just about soccer, I think it has the potential to reach outside your traditional audience.” There is always the danger of overdoing it though, and teams will admit that constantly clapping back can become grating. It’s all about knowing how to pick your spots. Some teams will do it better than others, but it's all a small part in helping to further that connection between the league's clubs and their fans while hopefully entertaining the rest of us along the way. But mostly lol look at Portland doing the LAFC hat thing. Hahahhahahaha. EDITOR'S NOTE: J. Sam Jones is a soccer writer and columnist and regular contributor to DirtySouthSoccer.com. You can listen to him stumble through discussions about Atlanta United on the Dirty South Soccer podcast network and follow him @J_SamJones if you don’t mind occasional ALL CAPS YELLING about American Football and Pitchfork reviews.

--- author: - bibliography: - 'DimensionGammaW.bib' title: 'A simple way to get the box dimension of the graph of the W. function ' --- Sorbonne Université CNRS, UMR 7598, Laboratoire Jacques-Louis Lions, 4, place Jussieu 75005, Paris, France Introduction {#introduction .unnumbered} ============ 0.5cm The determination of the box and Hausdorff dimension of the graph of the Weierstrass function has, since long been, a topic of interest. In the following, we show that the box-counting dimension (or Minskowski dimension) can be obtained directly, without using dynamical systems tools.\ Let us recall that, given $\lambda \,\in\,]0,1[$, and $b$ such that $\lambda\,b > 1+ \displaystyle \frac{3\,\pi}{2}$, the Weierstrass function $$x \,\in\,\R \mapsto { \mathcal W}( x)=\displaystyle \sum_{n=0}^{+\infty} \lambda^n\,\cos \left ( \pi\,b^n\,x \right)$$ is continuous everywhere, while nowhere differentiable. The original proof, by K. Weierstrass [@Weierstrass1872], can also be found in  [@Titschmarsh1939]. It has been completed by the one, now a classical one, in the case where $ \lambda\, b > 1$, by G. Hardy [@Hardy1911].\ After the works of A. S. Besicovitch and H. D. Ursell [@BesicovitchUrsell1937], it is Benoît Mandelbrot [@Mandelbrot1977] who particularly highlighted the fractal properties of the graph of the Weierstrass function. He also conjectured that the Hausdorff dimension of the graph is . Interesting discussions in relation to this question have been given in the book of K. Falconer [@Falconer1985]. A series of results for the box dimension can be found in the works of J.-L. Kaplan et al. [@Kaplan1984] (where the authors show that it is equal to the Lyapunov dimension of the equivalent attracting torus), in the one of  F. Przytycki and M. Urbańki [@PrzytyckiUrbanski1989], and in those by T-Y. Hu and K-S. Lau [@HuLau1993]. As for the Hausdorff dimension, a proof was given by B. Hunt [@Hunt1998] in 1998 in the case where arbitrary phases are included in each cosinusoidal term of the summation. Recently, K. Barańsky, B. Bárány and J. Romanowska [@Baransky2014] proved that, for any value of the real number $b$, there exists a threshold value $\lambda_b$ belonging to the interval  such that the aforementioned dimension is equal to  for every $b$ in . Results by W. Shen [@WShen2015] go further than the ones of [@Baransky2014]. In [@Keller2017], G. Keller proposes what appears as a much simpler and very original proof.\ May one wish to understand the demonstrations mentioned above, it requires theoretical background in dynamic systems theory. For instance, in the work of J.-L. Kaplan et al. [@Kaplan1984], the authors call for results that cannot be understood without knowledge on the Lyapunov dimension. One may also note that their proof, which enables one to obtain the box-counting dimension of the aforementioned graph, involves sequences revolving around the Gamma Function, Fourier coefficients, integration in the complex plane, definition of a specific measure, the solving of several equations, thus, a lot of technical manipulations (on eleven pages), to yield the result.\ Following those results, F. Przytycki and M. Urbańki [@PrzytyckiUrbanski1989] give a general method leading to the value of this box-counting dimension. It was initially devoted to the calculation of the Hausdorff dimension of the graph. It appears simpler than the one by Kaplan et al., calling for Frostman’s lemma [@PrzytyckiUrbanskiBook],  [@Pesin]. The authors deal with continuous functions $f$ satisfying conditions of the form:\ $ \forall\,(x_1,x_2)\,\in\, [0,1]^2 \, : $ -0.5cm $$\displaystyle \sup \, \left \lbrace f(a_1)-f(a_2) \, \big | \, x_1 {\leqslant}a_1 {\leqslant}a_2{\leqslant}x_2 \right \rbrace {\geqslant}C\, | x_1-x_2|^\alpha \qquad (\star)$$ where $C$ and $\alpha< 1$ denote strictly positive real constant.\ In order to apply the results by F. Przytycki and M. Urbańki, one thus requires the estimate ($\star$), which is not that easy to prove. The same kind of estimate is required to obtain the Hausdorff dimension of the graph. As evoked above, existing work in the literature all call for the theory of dynamical systems.\ Until now, the simplest calculation is the one by G. Keller [@Keller2017], where the author bypasses the Ledrappier-Young theory on hyperbolic measures [@LedrappierYoung],  [@Ledrappier], embedding the graph into an attractor of a dynamical system. The proof requires $b-$baker maps, acting on the unit square. It also requires results on stable and unstable manifolds, as well as on related fibers.\ In our work [@ClaireGB], where we build a Laplacian on the graph of the Weierstrass function $\mathcal W$, we came across a simpler means of computing the box dimension of the graph, using a sequence a graphs that approximate the studied one, bypassing all the aforementioned tools. The main computation, which, for any small interval $[x_1,x_2]\subset [0,1]$, leads to an estimate of the form: $$C_{inf}\, | x_1-x_2|^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} {\leqslant}| { \mathcal W}(x_1)-{ \mathcal W}(x_2) | {\leqslant}C_{sup}\, | x_1-x_2|^{2-D_{\mathcal W}}$$ where $ D_{{\mathcal W}}=2+\displaystyle \frac{\ln \lambda}{\ln b} $, and where $C_{inf}$ and  $C_{sup}$ denote strictly positive constants, is done in barely two pages, and does not require specific knowledge, putting the result at the disposal of a wider audience. The key results are exposed in the sequel. Framework of the study ====================== In this section, we recall results that are developed in [@ClaireGB]. We consider the case when the real number $b$ is an integer, that we this choose to denote by $N_b$. **Notation 1.1**\ We will denote by $\N$ the set of natural integers, and set: $$\N^\star= \N\setminus \left \lbrace 0 \right \rbrace.$$ [**Notation 1.2**]{}\ \ In the following, $\lambda$ and $N_b$ are two real numbers such that: $$0 <\lambda<1 \quad, \quad N_b\,\in\,\N \quad \text{and} \quad \lambda\,N_b > 1 .$$ We will consider the Weierstrass function ${\mathcal W}$, defined, for any real number $x$, by: $${\mathcal W}(x)=\displaystyle \sum_{n=0}^{+\infty} \lambda^n\,\cos \left ( 2\, \pi\,N_b^n\,x \right).$$ **Property 2.1.** **Periodic properties of the Weierstrass function**\ For any real number $x$: $${\mathcal W}( x+1)=\displaystyle \sum_{n=0}^{+\infty} \lambda^n\,\cos \left ( 2\,\pi\,N_b^{n }\,x +2\,\pi\,N_b^{n }\right) =\displaystyle \sum_{n=0}^{+\infty} \lambda^n\,\cos \left ( 2\,\pi\,N_b^{n }\,x \right)={\mathcal W}( x ).$$ The study of the Weierstrass function can be restricted to the interval $[0,1[$. We place ourselves, in the sequel, in the Euclidean plane of dimension 2, referred to a direct orthonormal frame. The usual Cartesian coordinates are $(x,y)$.\ The restriction $\Gamma_{\mathcal W}$ to $[0,1[ \times \R$, of the graph of the Weierstrass function, is approximated by means of a sequence of graphs, built through an iterative process. To this purpose, we introduce the iterated function system of the family of $C^\infty$ contractions from $\R^2$ to $\R^2$: $$\left \lbrace T_{0},\hdots,T_{N_b-1} \right \rbrace$$ where, for any integer $i$ belonging to $\left \lbrace 0,\hdots,N_b-1 \right \rbrace$, and any $(x,y)$ of $\R^2$: $$T_i(x,y) =\left( \displaystyle \frac{x+i}{N_b}, \lambda\, y + \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left(\frac{x+i}{N_b}\right)\right) \right)$$ [**Notation**]{}\ \ We will denote by: $$D_{{\mathcal W}}=2+\displaystyle \frac{\ln \lambda}{\ln N_b}$$ the Hausdorff dimension of $\Gamma_{\mathcal W}$. $$\Gamma_{\mathcal W} = \underset{ i=0}{\overset{N_b-1}{\bigcup}}\,T_{i}(\Gamma_{\mathcal W}).$$ For any integer $i$ belonging to $\left \lbrace 0,\hdots,N_b-1\right \rbrace $, let us denote by: $$P_i=(x_i,y_i)=\left(\displaystyle \frac{i}{N_b-1},\displaystyle\frac{1}{1-\lambda}\,\cos\left ( \displaystyle\frac{2\,\pi\,i}{N_b-1}\right ) \right)$$ the fixed point of the contraction $T_i$.\ We will denote by $V_0$ the ordered set (according to increasing abscissa), of the points: $$\left \lbrace P_{0},\hdots,P_{N_b-1}\right \rbrace .$$ The set of points $V_0$, where, for any $i$ of , the point $P_i$ is linked to the point $P_{i+1}$, constitutes an oriented graph (according to increasing abscissa)), that we will denote by $ \Gamma_{{\mathcal W}_0}$. $V_0$ is called the set of vertices of the graph $ \Gamma_{{\mathcal W}_0}$.\ For any natural integer $m$, we set: $$V_m =\underset{ i=0}{\overset{N_b-1}{\bigcup}}\, T_i \left (V_{m-1}\right ).$$ The set of points $V_m$, where two consecutive points are linked, is an oriented graph (according to increasing abscissa), which we will denote by $ \Gamma_{{\mathcal W}_m}$. $V_m$ is called the set of vertices of the graph $ \Gamma_{{\mathcal W}_m}$. We will denote, in the sequel, by $${\mathcal N}^{\mathcal S}_m=2\, N_b^m+ N_b-2$$ the number of vertices of the graph $ \Gamma_{{\mathcal W}_m}$, and we will write: $$V_m = \left \lbrace P_0^m, P_1^m, \hdots, P_{{\mathcal N}^ {\mathcal S}_m-1}^m \right \rbrace .$$ **Consecutive vertices on the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $**\ Two points $X$ and $Y$ of $\Gamma_{{ \mathcal W} }$ will be called ***consecutive vertices*** of the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $ if there exists a natural integer $m$, and an integer $j $ of , such that: $$\left \lbrace \begin{array}{ccc}X &=& \left (T_{i_1}\circ \hdots \circ T_{i_m}\right)(P_j)\\ Y &=& \left (T_{i_1}\circ \hdots \circ T_{i_m}\right)(P_{j+1})\end{array}\right. \qquad\left ( i_1,\hdots, i_m \right )\,\in\,\left \lbrace 0,\hdots,N_b-1 \right \rbrace^m$$ or: $$\left \lbrace \begin{array}{ccc}X &=& \left (T_{i_1}\circ T_{i_2}\circ \hdots \circ T_{i_m}\right)\left (P_{N_b-1}\right) \\ Y &=&\left (T_{i_1+1}\circ T_{i_2}\hdots \circ T_{i_m} \right)(P_{0})\end{array}\right. .$$ For any natural integer $m$, the $ {\mathcal N}^{\mathcal S}_m$ consecutive vertices of the graph $ \Gamma_{{\mathcal W}_m} $ are, also, the vertices of $N_b^m$ simple polygons ${\mathcal P}_{m,j}$,\  , with $N_b$ sides. For any integer $j$ such that , one obtains each polygon by linking the point number $j$ to the point number $j+1$ if , , and the point number $j$ to the point number $j-N_b+1$ if . These polygons generate a Borel set of $\R^2$. **Word, on the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $**\ Let $m $ be a strictly positive integer. We will call **number-letter** any integer ${\mathcal M}_i$ of , and **word of length $|{\mathcal M}|=m$**, on the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $, any set of number-letters of the form: $${\mathcal M}=\left ( {\mathcal M}_1, \hdots, {\mathcal M}_m\right).$$ We will write: $$T_{\mathcal M}= T_{{\mathcal M}_1} \circ \hdots \circ T_{{\mathcal M}_m} .$$ **Edge relation, on the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $**\ Given a natural integer $m$, two points $X$ and $Y$ of $\Gamma_{{ \mathcal W}_m}$ will be called ***adjacent*** if and only if $X$ and $Y$ are two consecutive vertices of $\Gamma_{{ \mathcal W}_m}$. We will write: $$X \underset{m }{\sim} Y .$$ This edge relation ensures the existence of a word [${\mathcal M}=\left ( {\mathcal M}_1, \hdots, {\mathcal M}_m\right)$]{} of length $ m$, such that $X$ and $Y$ both belong to the iterate: $$T_{\mathcal M} \,V_0=\left (T_{{\mathcal M}_1} \circ \hdots \circ T_{{\mathcal M}_m} \right) \,V_0 .$$ Given two points $X$ and $Y$ of the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $, we will say that $X$ and $Y$ are ***adjacent*** if and only if there exists a natural integer $m$ such that: $$X \underset{m }{\sim} Y.$$ **Adresses, on the graph of the Weierstrass function**\ Given a strictly positive integer $m$, and a word ${\mathcal M}=\left ( {\mathcal M}_1, \hdots, {\mathcal M}_m\right)$ of length $m\,\in\,\N^\star$, on the graph $\Gamma_{ {\mathcal W}_m }$, for any integer $j$ of $\left \lbrace 1,\hdots,N_b-2\right \rbrace $, any $X=T_{\mathcal M}(P_j)$ of $ V_m \setminus V_{0}$, i.e. distinct from one of the $N_b $ fixed point $P_i$,  , has exactly two adjacent vertices, given by: $$T_{\mathcal M}(P_{j+1})\quad \text{and} \quad T_{\mathcal M}(P_{j-1})$$ where: $$T_{\mathcal M} = T_{{\mathcal M}_1} \circ \hdots \circ T_{{\mathcal M}_m} .$$ By convention, the adjacent vertices of $T_{{\mathcal M} }(P_{0}) $ are $T_{{\mathcal M} }(P_{1})$ and $T_{{\mathcal M} }(P_{N_b-1})$, those of $T_{{\mathcal M} }(P_{N_b-1})$, $T_{{\mathcal M} }(P_{N_b-2})$ and $T_{{\mathcal M} }(P_{0})$ . [**Notation 2.3.**]{}\ \ For any integer $j $ belonging to , any natural integer $m$, and any word $\mathcal M$ of length $m$, we set: $$\begin{array}{ccc} T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right) & =& \left ( x \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right) \right), y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right) \right) \right) \end{array}$$ $$\begin{array}{ccc} T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) & =& \left ( x \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right), y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right) \right) \end{array}$$ $$L_m= x\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right)-x\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right)= \displaystyle \frac{1}{(N_b-1)\, N_b^m}$$ $$h_{j,m}= y\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right)-y\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right) .$$ Main results ============ **An upper and lower bound, for the box-dimension of the graph $\Gamma_{\mathcal W}$**\ For any integer $j$ belonging to , each natural integer $m$, and each word $\mathcal M$ of length $m$, let us consider the rectangle, the width of which is: $$L_m= x\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right)-x\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right)= \displaystyle \frac{1}{(N_b-1)\, N_b^m}$$ and height $|h_{j,m}|$, such that the points  and  are two vertices of this rectangle.\ Then:\ i. When the integer $N_b$ is odd: $$L_m^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} \,(N_b-1)^{2-D_{\mathcal W}}\, \left \lbrace \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right ) \displaystyle \min_{0 {\leqslant}j {\leqslant}N_b-1 } \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| - \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} \right \rbrace {\leqslant}|h_{j,m}|$$ ii\. When the integer $N_b$ is even: $$L_m^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} (N_b-1)^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} \max \left \lbrace \! \! \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda} \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right ) \! \! \displaystyle \min_{0 {\leqslant}j {\leqslant}N_b-1 } \! \! \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| \! \! -\! \! \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} , \displaystyle \frac{4 }{ N_b^{2} } \displaystyle \frac{1- N_b^{ -2} } { N_b^2-1 } \right \rbrace \! \! {\leqslant}\! |h_{j,m}| \!$$ Also: $$|h_{j,m}| {\leqslant}\eta_{ {\mathcal W} }\,L_m^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} \, (N_b-1)^{2-D_{\mathcal W}}\,$$ where the real constant  is given by : $$\eta_{ {\mathcal W} } = 2\, \pi^2\, \left \lbrace \displaystyle \frac{ (2\,N_b-1)\, \lambda\, (N_b^2-1) } {(N_b-1)^2 \, (1- \lambda )\,(\lambda \,N_b^{ 2}-1) } + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\, N_b } { (\lambda \,N_b^{ 2 }-1)\, (\lambda \,N_b^{ 3 }-1) } \right \rbrace .$$ The box-dimension of the graph $\Gamma_{\mathcal W}$ is exactly $D_{\mathcal W}$. By definition of the box-counting dimension $D_{\mathcal W}$ (we refer, for instance, to [@Falconer1985]), the smallest number of squares, the side length of which is at most equal to $L_m$, that can cover the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W}$ on $[0,1[$, obeys, approximately, a power law of the form: $$c\, L_m^{-D_{\mathcal W}} \quad , \quad c >0.$$ Let us set:\ $$C= \displaystyle \max \,\left \lbrace \left \lbrace \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \displaystyle \min_{0 {\leqslant}j {\leqslant}N_b-1 } \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| - \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} \right \rbrace ,\eta_{ {\mathcal W} } \right \rbrace$$ and consider the subdivision of the interval $[0,1[$ into: $$N_m=\displaystyle \frac{1}{L_m}=(N_b-1)\, N_b^m$$ sub-intervals of length $L_m$. One has to determine a natural integer $\tilde{N}_m$ such that the graph of $\Gamma_{\mathcal W}$ on $[0,1[$ can be covered by $N_m \times \tilde{N}_m $ squares of side . By considering, the vertical amplitude of the graph, one gets: $$\tilde{N}_m =\left \lfloor \displaystyle \frac{C\, L_m^{2-D_{\mathcal W} }}{L_m}\right\rfloor+1 \quad \text{i.e.} \quad \tilde{N}_m = \left \lfloor C\, L_m^{1-D_{\mathcal W} } \right\rfloor+1.$$ Thus: $$N_m \times \tilde{N}_m =\displaystyle \frac{\tilde{N}_m}{L_m}= \displaystyle \frac{1}{L_m}\,\left \lfloor C\, L_m^{1-D_{\mathcal W} } \right \rfloor + \displaystyle \frac{1}{L_m}.$$ The integer $N_m \times \tilde{N}_m$ then obeys a power law of the form $$N_m \times \tilde{N}_m \approx c\, L_m^{-D_{\mathcal W} }$$ where $c$ denotes a strictly positive constant. **Proof of Theorem 1.9.**\ *i*.\ For any pair of integers $(i_m,j)$ of : $$\begin{array}{ccc} T_{i_m} \left (P_{j } \right)& =&\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_j+i_m}{N_b}, \lambda\, y_j + \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left(\frac{x_j+i_m}{N_b}\right)\right) \right). \end{array}$$ For any triplet of integers $(i_m,i_{m-1},j)$ of : $$\begin{array}{ccc} &&T_{i_{m-1}} \left ( T_{i_m}\left (P_{j } \right)\right) =\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \\ \\ &&=\left( \displaystyle \frac{\frac{x_j+{i_m}}{N_b}+i_{m-1}}{N_b}, \lambda^2\, y_j + \lambda\,\cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{N_b} \right)\right)+ \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left(\frac{\frac{x_j+{i_m}}{N_b}+i_{m-1} }{N_b}\right)\right) \right) \qquad\\ \\ & &=\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{ N_b^2}+ \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-1}}{N_b}, \lambda^2\, y_j + \lambda \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{N_b} \right)\right)+ \cos\left( 2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{ N_b^2}+ \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-1}}{N_b}\right)\right) \right).\\ \ \end{array}$$ For any quadruplet of integers $(i_m,i_{m-1},i_{m-2},j)$ of : $$\begin{array}{ccc} T_{i_{m-2}} \left (T_{i_{m-1}} \left ( T_{i_m}\left (P_{j } \right)\right)\right) = \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad&&\\ \\ = \bigg( \displaystyle \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{ N_b^3}+ \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-1}}{N_b^2} + \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-2}}{N_b}, \qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\\ \lambda^3\, y_j \!+ \! \lambda^2\, \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \frac{x_j+ i_m }{N_b} \right)\right) \!+\!\lambda \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{ N_b^2}+ \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-1}}{N_b}\right)\right) \!+\!\cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_j+{i_m}}{ N_b^3}+ \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-1}}{N_b^2} + \displaystyle \frac{ i_{m-2}}{N_b}\right) \right) \bigg). \!\!&& \end{array}$$ Given a strictly positive integer $m$, and two points $X$ and $Y$ of $V_m$ such that: $$X \underset{m }{\sim} Y$$ there exists a word $\mathcal M$ of length , on the graph $\Gamma_{ \mathcal W} $, and an integer $j$ of , such that: $$X= T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right) \quad , \quad Y= T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right).$$ Let us write $T_{\mathcal M}$ under the form: $$T_{\mathcal M}=T_{i_m} \circ T_{i_{m-1}} \circ \hdots \circ T_{i_1}$$ where .\ One has then: $$x \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right) \right ) = \displaystyle \frac{x_j }{ N_b^m}+ \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^m\frac{ i_{k}}{N_b^k} \quad , \quad x \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right) = \displaystyle \frac{x_{j+1} }{ N_b^m}+ \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^m\frac{ i_{k}}{N_b^k}$$ and: $$\left \lbrace \begin{array}{ccc} y\left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right) \right) & =&\lambda^m\, y_{j } + \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_{j } }{ N_b^{k}}+ \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right)\right) \\ \\ y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right) & =&\lambda^m\, y_{j+1 } + \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_{j+1 } }{ N_b^{k}}+ \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right)\right) \end{array} \right. .$$ *ii*.\ Let us note that: $$\begin{array}{ccc} h_{j,m} -\lambda^m\, \left (y_{j+1 }-y_{j } \right) =\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad \qquad& &\\ \\ = \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \left \lbrace \cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_{j+1 } }{ N_b^{k}}+ \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right)\right) -\cos\left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_{j } }{ N_b^{k}} - \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right)\right) \right \rbrace \qquad &&\\ \\ = -2 \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \sin \left( \pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_{j+1 }-x_j }{ N_b^{k}} \right) \right) \, \sin \left(2\,\pi \,\left( \displaystyle \frac{x_{j+1 }+x_j }{ 2\,N_b^{k}}+ \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right) . \qquad \qquad&& \\ \\ \\ \end{array}$$ Taking into account: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \lambda^m\, \left (y_{j+1 }-y_{j } \right) & = & \displaystyle\frac{\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \left ( \cos\left ( \displaystyle\frac{2\,\pi\,(j+1)}{N_b-1}\right )- \cos\left ( \displaystyle\frac{2\,\pi\,j}{N_b-1}\right ) \right) \\ & = & -2\, \displaystyle\frac{\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{2\,\pi\,(j+1-j)}{2\,(N_b-1)}\right )\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{2\,\pi\,(j+1+j)}{2\, (N_b-1)}\right ) \\ & = & -2\, \displaystyle\frac{\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \\ \end{array}$$ triangular inequality leads then to: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \left | y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j +1 } \right) \right)- y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right) \right|=\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad&&\\ \\ =\left | \lambda^m\, \left (y_{j +1 }-y_{j } \right) -2\,\displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right|\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad&& \\ \\ {\geqslant}\left | \lambda^m\, \left | \left (y_{j +1 }-y_{j } \right) \right| -2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| \right| \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \quad&& \\ \\ = \lambda^m\, \biggl | \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad&&\\ -2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| \biggl|. \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\quad&& \end{array}$$ One also has: $$\begin{array}{cccc} 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| {\leqslant}\qquad && \\ \\ {\leqslant}2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\quad && \\ {\leqslant}2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad&& \\ = \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda^{ k}\,N_b^{k } } \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad&& \\ = \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \lambda^{ -1}\, N_b^{-1 } \displaystyle \frac{ 1-\lambda^{ -m}\, N_b^{-m } }{ 1-\lambda^{ -1}\, N_b^{-1 } } \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad&& \\ \\ {\leqslant}\displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \lambda^{ -1}\, N_b^{-1 } \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ 1-\lambda^{ -1}\, N_b^{-1 } } \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad&& \\ \\ = \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad&&\\ \end{array}$$ which yields: $$\begin{array}{ccc} - 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| {\geqslant}- \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} . \\ \end{array}$$ Thus: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad &&\\- 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| {\geqslant}&&\\ \\ {\geqslant}\displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| - \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} . \qquad\qquad&& \\ \end{array}$$ The following results hold: $$\sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) =0 \quad \text{if and only if~$N_b$ is even and~$j=\displaystyle\frac{ N_b}{ 2 } -1 $.}$$ **Proof of lemma 2.3.**\ Since $0 {\leqslant}j {\leqslant}N_b-1$, one has: $$0 {\leqslant}2\, j +1{\leqslant}2\, N_b-1\quad \text{and thus} \quad 0 {\leqslant}\displaystyle\frac{ 2\,j+1 }{ N_b-1 } {\leqslant}2 +\displaystyle\frac{ 1 }{ N_b-1 } .$$ Then, $\sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) =0$ in the sole cases: $$\displaystyle\frac{ 2\,j+1 }{ N_b-1 } = 1 \quad \text{or} \quad \displaystyle\frac{ 2\,j+1 }{ N_b-1 } = 2.$$ The second case has to be rejected, since it would lead to: $$j=N_b-\displaystyle\frac{ 3}{ 2 } \, \notin \, \N$$ The only possibility is thus when $N_b$ is an even number: $$j=\displaystyle\frac{ N_b}{ 2 } -1$$ The converse side is obvious.\ $\square$  $\sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \neq 0$. One has then: $$\left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| {\geqslant}\displaystyle \min_{0 {\leqslant}j {\leqslant}N_b-1}\, \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| =\left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right|{\geqslant}\displaystyle\frac{ 2}{ N_b-1 }.$$ This leads to: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad \qquad&&\\ - 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| {\geqslant}\qquad &&\\ \\ {\geqslant}\displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right ) - \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad&& \\ \\ {\geqslant}\displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ 4}{ (N_b-1 )^2 } - \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi }{ N_b \,(N_b-1)} \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad \qquad&& \\ \\ = \displaystyle\frac{ 2}{ N_b-1 } \, \left \lbrace \displaystyle\frac{4}{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ 1}{ N_b-1 } - \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b } \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1 }{ \lambda \, N_b -1} \right \rbrace \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad\qquad\qquad \qquad&& \\ \\ = \displaystyle\frac{ 2}{ N_b\,(N_b-1 )\,(1-\lambda)\,( \lambda\,N_b-1)} \, \left \lbrace 4\,N_b\, ( \lambda \, N_b -1) - \pi \,(1-\lambda)\, (N_b-1 )\right \rbrace . \qquad\qquad && \\ \end{array}$$ The function $$\lambda \mapsto 4\,N_b\, ( \lambda \, N_b -1) - \pi \,(1-\lambda)\, (N_b-1 )$$ is affine and strictly increasing in $\lambda$, and quadratic and strictly increasing in $N_b$, for strictly positive values of $N_b$. This ensures the positivity of: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \displaystyle\frac{2}{1-\lambda}\, \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi }{ N_b-1 }\right )\, \left | \sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) \right| \qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad\qquad && \\ - 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} \,(N_b-1)} \right) \, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi \,(2\,j+1) }{ N_b^{k+1}\,(N_b-1)}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| . &&\\ \end{array}$$  $\sin\left ( \displaystyle\frac{ \pi\,(2\,j+1 )}{ N_b-1 }\right ) = 0$.\ One has then: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \left | y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j +1 } \right) \right)- y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right) \right| {\geqslant}2\, \lambda^m\, \left | \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} } \right) \, \left | \sin \left( \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1}}+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right) \right| \right| && \\ \end{array}$$ Thanks to the periodic properties of the sine function, one may only consider the case when: $$0 {\leqslant}\displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ N_b^{k+1} }+2\, \pi \, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}} {\leqslant}\displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{2}.$$ Thus: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \left | y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j +1 } \right) \right)- y \left (T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right) \right| &{\geqslant}& \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \displaystyle \frac{2 }{ N_b^{k+1} } \, \left \lbrace \displaystyle \frac{2 }{ N_b^{k+1} }+2\, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right \rbrace \\ & {\geqslant}& \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{ -k}\, \displaystyle \frac{2 }{ N_b^{k+1} } \, \left \lbrace \displaystyle \frac{2 }{ N_b^{k+1} } \right \rbrace \\ &=& \displaystyle \frac{4 \,\lambda^{ -1} }{ N_b^{4} } \, \displaystyle \frac{1- \lambda^{ -m}\,N_b^{ -2m} }{ 1-\lambda^{ -1}\,N_b^{ -2} } \\ & =&\displaystyle \frac{4 }{ N_b^{2} \,(N_b-1)^2} \, \displaystyle \frac{1- \lambda^{ -m}\,N_b^{ -m} } { \lambda \,N_b-1} \\ &=& \displaystyle \frac{4 }{ N_b^{2} } \, \displaystyle \frac{1- N_b^{ -2} } { N_b^2-1 } . \\ \end{array}$$  the above results enable us to obtain the predominant term of the lower bound of  , which is thus: $$\lambda^{m } = e^{ m\,(D_{\mathcal W}-2)\, \ln N_b}= N_b^{ m\,(D_{\mathcal W}-2)} = L_m^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} \,(N_b-1)^{2-D_{\mathcal W}} .$$ *ii.* .\ One has: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \left | h_{j,m}\right| & {\leqslant}& \displaystyle\frac{2\,\lambda^m }{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ \pi^2\,(2\,j+1)}{(N_b-1)^2} + 2\,\displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \lambda^{m-k}\, \pi \,\left\lbrace \displaystyle \frac{2\,j+1}{(N_b-1)\, N_b^k}+ 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}}{N_b^{k- \ell}}\right \rbrace \, \displaystyle \frac{ \pi }{ (N_b-1)\, N_b^k} \\ \\ & =& \displaystyle\frac{2\,\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ \pi^2\,(2\,j+1)}{(N_b-1)^2} + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi^2\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^{m } \,\left\lbrace \displaystyle \frac{(2\,j+1)\, \lambda^{ -k}}{(N_b-1)\, N_b^{2k}}+ 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{\ell=0}^{k}\frac{ i_{ m-\ell}\, \lambda^{ -k} }{N_b^{2k- \ell}}\right \rbrace \\ \\ & = & \displaystyle\frac{2\,\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ \pi^2\,(2\,j+1)}{(N_b-1)^2} \\ && + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi^2\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\, \left\lbrace \displaystyle \frac{\lambda^{-1}\,N_b^{-2}\,(2\,j+1) }{(N_b-1) } \, \displaystyle \frac{ (1- \lambda^{ -m }\,N_b^{ -2m })}{1- \lambda^{ - 1}\,N_b^{ - 2}} + 2\, \displaystyle \sum_{k=1}^m \frac{ (N_b-1)\, \lambda^{ -k} }{N_b^{2k }} \displaystyle \frac{1-N_b^{-k-1}}{1-N_b^{-1}}\right \rbrace \\ \\ & {\leqslant}& \displaystyle\frac{2\,\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ \pi^2\,(2\,N_b-1)}{(N_b-1)^2} + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi^2\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\, \displaystyle \frac{ (2\,N_b-1) }{(N_b-1) } \, \displaystyle \frac{ (1- \lambda^{ -m }\,N_b^{ -2m })}{ \lambda \,N_b^{ 2}-1} \\ \\ && + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi^2\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\, 2\, \displaystyle \frac{ \lambda^{ -1 }\,N_b^{ -2 }\, (N_b-1)\, (1- \lambda^{ -m }\,N_b^{ -2m }) }{ (1-N_b^{-1})\,(1-\lambda^{ -1 }\,N_b^{ -2 })} \\ \\ && - \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi^2\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\, 2\, \displaystyle \frac{ \lambda^{ -1 }\,N_b^{ -3 }\, (N_b-1)\, (1- \lambda^{ -m }\,N_b^{ -3m })}{ (1-N_b^{-1})\,(1-\lambda^{ -1 }\,N_b^{ -3 })} \\ \\ & {\leqslant}& \displaystyle\frac{2\,\lambda^m}{1-\lambda}\, \displaystyle\frac{ \pi^2\,(2\,N_b-1)}{(N_b-1)^2} + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\,\pi^2\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\, \displaystyle \frac{ (2\,N_b-1) }{(N_b-1) } \, \displaystyle \frac{ 1}{ \lambda \,N_b^{ 2}-1} \\ \\ && + \displaystyle \frac{ 4\,\pi^2\, N_b\, \lambda^m }{ N_b-1 }\,\left \lbrace \displaystyle \frac{ 1}{ \lambda \,N_b^{ 2 }-1 } - \displaystyle \frac{ 1}{ \lambda \,N_b^{ 3 }-1 }\right \rbrace \\ \\ & = &2\, \pi^2\,\lambda^m \,\left \lbrace \displaystyle \frac{ (2\,N_b-1)\, \lambda\, (N_b^2-1) } {(N_b-1)^2 \, (1- \lambda )\,(\lambda \,N_b^{ 2}-1) } + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\, N_b } { (\lambda \,N_b^{ 2 }-1)\, (\lambda \,N_b^{ 3 }-1) } \right \rbrace . \\ \\ \end{array}$$ Since: $$x\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j+1 } \right) \right)-x\left ( T_{\mathcal M} \left (P_{j } \right)\right)= \displaystyle \frac{1}{(N_b-1)\, N_b^m}$$ and: $$D_{\mathcal W}= 2+\displaystyle \frac{\ln \lambda}{\ln N_b} \quad , \quad \lambda= e^{(D_{\mathcal W}-2)\, \ln N_b}= N_b^{(D_{\mathcal W}-2) }$$ one has thus: $$\begin{array}{ccc} \left | h_{j,m}\right| & {\leqslant}& 2\, \pi^2\,L_m^{2-D_{\mathcal W} }\, \left (N_b-1\right)^{2-D_{\mathcal W} }\,\,\left \lbrace \displaystyle \frac{ (2\,N_b-1)\, \lambda\, (N_b^2-1) } {(N_b-1)^2 \, (1- \lambda )\,(\lambda \,N_b^{ 2}-1) } + \displaystyle \frac{ 2\, N_b } { (\lambda \,N_b^{ 2 }-1)\, (\lambda \,N_b^{ 3 }-1) } \right \rbrace . \\ \\ \end{array}$$ $\square$ In [@Hunt1998], B. Hunt uses the fact that the Hausdorff dimension of a fractal set $\mathcal F$ can be obtained by means of what is called the $t-$energy, , of a Borel measure supported on $\mathcal F$ (one may refer to [@Falconer1985], for instance): $$I_t(\mu)= \displaystyle \int \!\!\!\int \displaystyle \frac{d\mu(x)\,d\mu(x')}{|x-x'|^t}$$ which enables one to obtain: $$\dim {\mathcal F}=\displaystyle \sup\,\left \lbrace t \,\in\,\R, \, \text{$\mu$ supported on $\mathcal F$} \big |\, I_t(\mu)< + \infty \right \rbrace$$ A lower bound $t_0$ of the Hausdorff dimension can thus be obtained by building a measure $\mu$ supported on $\mathcal F$ such that: $$I_{t_0}(\mu)< + \infty .$$ B. Hunt proceeds as follows: he introduces the measure $\mu_{\mathcal W}$ supported on $\Gamma_{\mathcal W}$, induced by the Lebesgue measure $\mu$ on $[0,1]$. Thus: $$I_t\left (\mu_{\mathcal W}\right )= \displaystyle \int \!\!\!\int \displaystyle \frac{d\mu_{\mathcal W}(x)\,d\mu_{\mathcal W}(x')}{\left \lbrace |x-x'|^2+ |{\mathcal W}(x)-{\mathcal W}(x')|^2\right \rbrace ^{\frac{t}{2}}} .$$ We could also have used a similar argument since, in our case: $$|x- x' |^{2-D_{\mathcal W}}\lesssim |{\mathcal W}(x)-{\mathcal W}(x')| \lesssim |x- x' |^{2-D_{\mathcal W}}.$$ **Thanks** The author would like to thank the anonymous referee for his careful reading, and his very pertinent suggestions and advices, which helped a lot improving the original work.