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The Problem with Paying Executives in Stock In Europe and the United States, stock-based compensation discourages long-term corporate sustainability Executive compensation in Europe: Realized gains from stock-based payIn the ongoing recovery of the global economy from the Great Recession a decade ago, real wages in both the United States and Europe continue to stagnate. In the United States and the European Union, real monthly earnings of employees annually grew 0.8 and 0.3 percent on average respectively during the period between 2009 and 2015. Yet senior executives of the major business corporations in the US and the EU receive massive paychecks that have the tendency to explode over time, contributing to increasing income inequality. Underpinning the explosion of executive pay is the high proportion of their total remuneration that comes from stock-based pay. How much? In answering this question, we confront the problem that, following an accounting practice that originated in the United States, the most commonly reported executive-pay statistics are based on the “estimated fair value” of stock-based pay rather than the realized gains that executives actually take home and put in their bank accounts. As a result, most researchers, including experts of the subject, have been systematically mismeasuring the value of executive compensation in the US and Europe. For the highest-paid executives, the published data tend to underestimate actual executive pay significantly, further distorting the general public’s misconception of how large the gap between the pay of a CEO and average worker really is. For the US case, Hopkins and Lazonick have shown that almost all reporting on CEO pay in the United States has relied upon estimated—and indeed fictional—“fair value” measures of stock-based pay which understate, often substantially, the realized gains from stock-based pay that these executives actually receive when their companies’ stock prices are increasing. Their research shows, for example, that in 2015 the average total compensation of the 500 highest-paid US executives based on actual realized gains was $32.6 million, of which 82 percent was from realized gains from stock-based pay. When based on the estimated fair value measure, the average total compensation of the 500 highest paid drops to $17.1 million, with 62 percent attributable to stock-based pay. As should be obvious, therefore, as part of the explanation of the growth in income inequality, one needs an accurate measure of the actual value of executive pay, including the realized gains from stock-based pay. Drawing on these insights, we conducted a study, funded by the European Commission, the Institute for New Economic Thinking, and the Gatsby Foundation on executive compensation among CEOs of companies from 11 countries in the S&P 350 Europe Index, with a focus on the realized gains from stock-based pay. Our research provides, for the first time, factual information on how and to what extent the compensation packages of major European companies incentivize and reward their CEOs. We document that on average half of the total compensation of the European CEOs in our sample is stock-based, measured by actual realized gains. However, there are large differences between countries, with the largest proportion of stock-based compensation found in companies headquartered in the UK, France and Ireland (60%, 58% and 57%, respectively) and the lowest in Spanish and Italian companies (15% and 14%). French and British companies also tend to have the highest CEO-to-average employee pay ratios. Twenty-three CEOs from our sample received more than €10 million in total compensation in 2015, mostly in the form of exercised stock options and vested stock awards. At 79 percent, the average stock-based portion of the compensation of these 23 highest-paid executives was much higher than the average of 49% for the entire sample. The highest average CEO pay in Europe can be found in the IT sector which also has the highest average share of stock-based pay. It is followed by sectors focused on consumer durables, consumer services, and staples. Our study also adds to the empirical evidence on the formulae that determine the realized gains from stock-based pay. We look at the performance measures that are used to determine whether and to what extent the CEO is eligible for stock-based compensation. A considerable number of companies use earnings per share and total shareholder return—the most widely used financial metrics for assessing company performance—as measures to determine the level of executive stock-based remuneration. There is clear evidence that as result of the preponderance of stock-based pay, the primary incentive for CEOs is to keep the stock price of the company high. We also document that more than half of the companies in our sample chose at least one non-European or out-of-sector peer to decide on the level of stock-based compensation to be offered to their executives. Considering the very high levels of executive compensation offered by large US companies, benchmarking of European companies with their US peers can be especially problematic. Our research findings add to the existing debate on the role of CEO pay in favoring financialization over innovation in the allocation of corporate resources. The possibility of realized gains from stock-based executive pay plays an important role in undermining investment in innovation because to boost stock prices executives have incentives to distribute very high proportions of profits to shareholders in the forms of cash dividends and stock buybacks. In contrast to the United States, however, where the ratio of buybacks to dividends for companies in the S&P 500 Index has been about 3:2, Sakinç shows companies in the S&P 350 Europe favor dividends over buybacks by about 3:1. In both the US and the EU, however, the tendency has been for major companies to devote almost all profits to distributions to shareholders for the sake of “maximizing shareholder value.” The results have been stagnant wage growth, unstable employment, and sagging productivity. To reorient corporate resources allocation toward innovation and away from financialization, corporate executives need to be incentivized to invest in productive capabilities rather than use corporate profits to give manipulative boosts to the company’s stock price. That means constructing performance measures for executive pay based on the criteria related to innovativeness and corporate sustainability. Basic to this reconceptualization is an analysis, lacking in conventional economics, of how a business firm operates and performs as an innovative enterprise.
package job import ( "errors" structType "github.com/golang/protobuf/ptypes/struct" apiPb "github.com/squzy/squzy_generated/generated/proto/v1" "github.com/stretchr/testify/assert" "net/http" scheduler_config_storage "squzy/internal/scheduler-config-storage" "testing" "time" ) type mockError struct { } func (m mockError) SendRequestTimeoutStatusCode(req *http.Request, timeout time.Duration, expectedCode int) (int, []byte, error) { panic("implement me") } func (m mockError) SendRequestTimeout(req *http.Request, timeout time.Duration) (int, []byte, error) { return 0, nil, errors.New("afsaf") } type mockSuccess struct { } func (m mockSuccess) SendRequestTimeoutStatusCode(req *http.Request, timeout time.Duration, expectedCode int) (int, []byte, error) { panic("implement me") } func (m mockSuccess) SendRequestTimeout(req *http.Request, timeout time.Duration) (int, []byte, error) { return 0, []byte(`{"name":"John", "age":31, "city":"New York", "success": true, "time": "2012-04-23T18:25:43.511Z", "raw": {"name":"ahha"}}`), nil } func (m mockSuccess) SendRequest(req *http.Request) (int, []byte, error) { return 0, []byte(`{"name":"John", "age":31, "city":"New York", "success": true, "time": "2012-04-23T18:25:43.511Z", "raw": {"name":"ahha"}}`), nil } func (m mockSuccess) SendRequestWithStatusCode(req *http.Request, expectedCode int) (int, []byte, error) { panic("implement me") } func (m mockSuccess) CreateRequest(method string, url string, headers *map[string]string, logId string) *http.Request { req, _ := http.NewRequest(method, url, nil) return req } func (m mockError) SendRequest(req *http.Request) (int, []byte, error) { return 0, nil, errors.New("afsaf") } func (m mockError) SendRequestWithStatusCode(req *http.Request, expectedCode int) (int, []byte, error) { panic("implement me") } func (m mockError) CreateRequest(method string, url string, headers *map[string]string, logId string) *http.Request { req, _ := http.NewRequest(method, url, nil) return req } func TestExecHttpValue(t *testing.T) { t.Run("Should: return error on http request", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}}, &mockError{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_ERROR, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) }) t.Run("Should: return error because value not exist", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_STRING, Path: "asfasf", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_ERROR, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, "", s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetStringValue()) }) t.Run("Should: not return error because selectors is missing", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) }) t.Run("Should: parse single bool value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_BOOL, Path: "success", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, true, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetBoolValue()) }) t.Run("Should: parse single string value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_STRING, Path: "name", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, "John", s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetStringValue()) }) t.Run("Should: parse single number value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_NUMBER, Path: "age", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, float64(31), s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetNumberValue()) }) t.Run("Should: parse single any value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_ANY, Path: "age", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, "31", s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetStringValue()) }) t.Run("Should: parse single raw value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_RAW, Path: "raw", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, `{"name":"ahha"}`, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetStringValue()) }) t.Run("Should: parse single time value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_TIME, Path: "time", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.Equal(t, "2012-04-23T18:25:43Z", s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetStringValue()) }) t.Run("Should: parse multipile value", func(t *testing.T) { s := ExecHTTPValue("", 0, &scheduler_config_storage.HTTPValueConfig{Method: http.MethodGet, Headers: map[string]string{}, Selectors: []*scheduler_config_storage.Selectors{ { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_TIME, Path: "time", }, { Type: apiPb.HttpJsonValueConfig_NUMBER, Path: "age", }, }}, &mockSuccess{}) assert.Equal(t, apiPb.SchedulerCode_OK, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Code) assert.EqualValues(t, &structType.ListValue{ Values: []*structType.Value{ { Kind: &structType.Value_StringValue{ StringValue: "2012-04-23T18:25:43Z", }, }, { Kind: &structType.Value_NumberValue{ NumberValue: float64(31), }, }, }, }, s.GetLogData().Snapshot.Meta.Value.GetListValue()) }) }
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a facsimile apparatus which has a multi-address transmission function in different communication modes. For example, the invention relates to a facsimile apparatus which is capable of performing transmission while switching as necessary between a peer-to-peer multi-address transmission with a public telephone network and a multi-address transmission with the Internet. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, facsimile apparatuses have become widespread, and not only the frequency of domestic facsimile communication but also the frequency of overseas facsimile communication has become high. However, in the case of establishing long-distance communication with, for example, an overseas destination by facsimile communication through the use of a public telephone network, there is a problem that communication costs get enormously high. Therefore, an Internet-ready facsimile apparatus which performs, in addition to facsimile communication via a public telephone network, facsimile communication by connecting to the Internet has been developed. The Internet-ready facsimile apparatus eliminates the need for communication costs other than fixed costs, and enables large reduction of communication costs in long-distance communication such as overseas communication. In the case of using this Internet-ready facsimile apparatus, image data of a document to be transmitted is attached to a mail address of a destination and transmitted in the form of an electronic mail to a mail server on the Internet. A facsimile apparatus of the destination periodically checks the mail server to receive data and expands the data to printing data to print it out. Further, this Internet-ready facsimile apparatus is capable of multi-address transmission of one image data in both the facsimile mode and the electronic mail mode. Up to this time, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 10-42068 (1998) and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 11-55486 (1999), in the case of multi-address transmission of one image data to destinations in both the facsimile mode and the electronic mail mode, every time when a destination is inputted by abbreviated dialing or the like, the facsimile apparatus judges whether the destination is ready for the facsimile mode with a public telephone network or ready for the electronic mail mode via the Internet, and sequentially performs transmission of the image data based on the results of judgement. In the case of multi-address transmission of one image data in both the facsimile mode and the electronic mail mode, however, there is a problem as follows. In the case of, every time when one destination is inputted, judging the ready mode of the destination and sequentially performing transmission as in the above conventional method, communication cannot be established with efficiency. Due to characteristics of communication modes, data can be transmitted at a higher speed in the electronic mail mode than in the facsimile mode. However, in the case of, every time when one destination is inputted, judging the ready mode of the destination and transmitting image data in the facsimile mode or the electronic mail mode as in the conventional method, communication in the facsimile mode with a relatively long transmission time and communication in the electronic mail mode with a relatively short transmission time are performed at random. As a result, such an inconvenience occurs that an electronic mail to be instantly transmitted reaches a destination very late, and efficiency of communication decreases as a whole. Particularly, in the electronic mail mode, it is possible to transmit to a plurality of destinations at a time in one mail transmission process. However, in the case of transmitting to the destinations separately, it is necessary to perform a transmission process for each, and therefore it is quite inefficient. Moreover, even when all destinations are of electronic mail mode or all destinations are of facsimile mode, it is necessary to change a conversion mode for every destination in the case where the types of image data compression methods, file formats or the like are different. In this case, when resetting is needed prior to each conversion, resetting is performed again and again before image data is transmitted to all the destinations. As a result, a time for control gets longer and communication efficiency decreases as a whole.
import React from 'react'; import PropTypes from 'prop-types'; import Pill from '~/components/pill'; import Icon from '~/components/icon'; import Avatar from '~/components/avatar'; import IconSettings from '~/components/icon-settings'; const noop = () => undefined; class Example extends React.Component { static displayName = 'PillWithIconExample'; static propTypes = { action: PropTypes.func, }; static defaultProps = { action: () => noop, }; state = { pill1: true, pill2: true, pill3: true, }; onClick = (event) => { this.props.action('onClick')(event); }; onRemove = (event, pill) => { this.props.action('onRemove')(event); this.setState({ [pill]: false, }); }; render() { return ( <IconSettings iconPath="/assets/icons"> <div className="slds-grid slds-grid_pull-padded-medium"> <div className="slds-p-horizontal_medium"> {this.state.pill1 ? ( <Pill labels={{ label: 'Pill Label', title: 'Full pill label verbiage mirrored here', removeTitle: 'Remove', }} icon={ <Icon title="Account" category="standard" name="account" /> } onClick={this.onClick} onRemove={(event) => this.onRemove(event, 'pill1')} /> ) : null} </div> <div className="slds-p-horizontal_medium"> {this.state.pill2 ? ( <Pill labels={{ label: 'Pill Label', title: 'Full pill label verbiage mirrored here', removeTitle: 'Remove', }} avatar={ <Avatar variant="user" title="User avatar" imgSrc="https://lightningdesignsystem.com/assets/images/avatar2.jpg" /> } onClick={this.onClick} onRemove={(event) => this.onRemove(event, 'pill2')} /> ) : null} </div> <div className="slds-p-horizontal_medium"> {this.state.pill3 ? ( <Pill labels={{ label: 'Pill Label', title: 'Full pill label verbiage mirrored here', removeTitle: 'Remove', }} hasError icon={ <Icon title="Error" category="utility" name="warning" className="slds-icon-text-error" /> } onClick={this.onClick} onRemove={(event) => this.onRemove(event, 'pill3')} /> ) : null} </div> </div> </IconSettings> ); } } export default Example; // export is replaced with `ReactDOM.render(<Example />, mountNode);` at runtime
Q: Graph embedding in space: always possible? Because graph theory is mostly concerned with embeddings on surfaces, I was wondering what would happen if we would consider higher-dimensional objects. My question is: can every graph always be embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$? Maybe this is a very silly question with an easy answer, but I don't see any obvious way to prove it. Anyway, I'm happy to receive any answers, references or suggestions. A: Every (finite) graph can be embedded in $\mathbb{R}^3$. Imagine that we place $n$ vertices in $(0,0,1),\dots,(0,0,n)$, and $m$ edges can be well embedded in those planes $x=jy$ ($j=1,\dots,m$). Briefly to explain, it is like putting vertices in the spine of a book, and placing the edges in the pages.
Annan, al-Assad meet over Syria crisis MUST WATCH Story highlights No new weapons will be delivered "until the situation stabilizes," says Russian official Russia has been the long-time principal supplier of arms to Syria Kofi Annan says he will take "an approach" agreed to by al-Assad to the opposition Russia will not deliver new weapons to Syria so long as the situation in that country is unstable, an official at the body in charge of monitoring Russia's arms trade said Monday, state media reported. "Russia, as well as other countries, is concerned by the situation in Syria," said Vyacheslav Dzirkaln, deputy head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, RIA Novosti reported. "We are not talking about new arms supplies to that country." "Until the situation stabilizes we will not deliver any new weapons (to Syria)," said Dzirkaln. He specifically said Russia would not supply Syria with Yak-130 aircraft. Russia has signed a $550 million contract for the delivery of three dozen such planes, RIA Novosti said. Still, it was not clear whether the official was saying Russia would discontinue the delivery of all arms, or whether it was stopping just the supply of "new weapons." The report seemed to leave open the possibility that Russia could continue to deliver some arms to Syria under existing contracts. The move could be a major blow to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting to stay in control after more than a year of popular protests and a brutal government crackdown. Russia has been the long-time principal supplier of arms to Syria since the days when it was the Soviet Union. The weapons sales have more than doubled in recent years. According to Congressional Research Service, Russia sold Syria $4.7 billion in arms from 2007 to 2010, compared with $2.1 billion from 2003 to 2006. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last month the continued supply of arms from Russia has strengthened al-Assad's regime, despite denials by Russian President Vladimir Putin that any munitions it was providing to Syria were being used against its own people. Also last month, a shipment of refurbished Russian helicopters headed for Syria had to turn around and return to Russia after its British insurance company dropped coverage on the ship carrying the helicopters. News of the suspended shipments comes the same day the joint U.N.-Arab League envoy to Syria said al-Assad has agreed on "an approach" to ending the bloodshed in Syria. Kofi Annan made the statement after meeting with al-Assad in Damascus. He then flew to Tehran for meetings with Iranian leaders about the Syrian conflict. Annan gave no details of the "approach" al-Assad agreed to but said he vowed to share it with the "armed opposition." Annan also said al-Assad "reassured me of the government's commitment" to Annan's six-point peace plan, brokered in March, which has done nothing to stop the deadly violence. Syria said the two men discussed a recent gathering of world leaders in Geneva, Switzerland, aimed at taking steps to bring peace to Syria, "with emphasis on the need for dialogue to be among Syrians and led by Syrians" -- a phrase emphasizing Syria's resistance to foreign intervention of any sort in the conflict. Later, Annan announced he was in Tehran "to discuss the situation in Syria" and "to see how we can work together to help settle the situation." JUST WATCHED Rights group: Thousands killed in Syria MUST WATCH JUST WATCHED War of words out of Syria MUST WATCH War of words out of Syria02:40 PLAY VIDEO Iran's state-run Press TV said he planned to "hold talks with senior officials." Even as Annan was in Syria, al-Assad's regime reported it had conducted live-fire training exercises that simulated a defense against foreign attacks. Throughout the 16-month uprising, the regime has blamed violence on armed terrorist groups involving people from outside Syria. At least 41 people were killed Monday as the Syrian regime continued its crackdown, according to the Local Coordination Committees of Syria opposition group. It said at least 60 people were killed in fighting Sunday. Monday's violence included house-to-house raids and arrests in Daraa and "very intense shelling" in Homs, with helicopters flying overhead, the LCC said. Eighteen of the deaths were in Idlib, the LCC said. Gruesome video from the town of Areeha in Idlib showed blood-soaked bodies being dumped onto pickup trucks amid apparent destruction. A man is heard yelling, "Allahu akbar" ("God is great") and calling the dead "victims of the indiscriminate shelling." As with so many other videos that have emerged from the conflict, it was impossible to know the full story behind the images. Heavy gunfire also erupted Monday in the northern Lebanese state of Akkar near the border with Syria, the official Lebanese news agency reported. A number of shells fell inside Lebanese territory, it said. CNN can not independently confirm reports of violence as Syria has severely limited the access of international journalists. Syrian state-run TV, meanwhile, broadcast what it called "confessions of four terrorists who admitted to committing murder, rape, abduction and robbery, in addition to smuggling weapons and gunmen, in Homs' countryside." The so-called confessions aired Sunday, state-run news agency SANA reported Monday. It said one of the terrorists "started off by being part of a group that attempted to incite people to protest, and his job was to transport protesters from mosques to squares in the town of al-Qseir." SANA reported that on Monday, authorities "clashed with an armed terrorist group" on the outskirts of Aleppo. The United Nations says more than 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the violence in Syria. Opposition groups give an even higher figure. The violence erupted in March 2011 when Syrian forces launched a brutal crackdown on anti-government demonstrations, part of the Arab Spring that swept through several countries. While members of the U.N. Security Council, which includes the United States, have called for an end to the violence and for al-Assad to step aside, efforts to adopt a resolution that would allow for aid to the rebels have been blocked by Russia and China, key Syrian trade partners. Russia and China are strongly opposed to armed intervention, saying the outcome in Syria should be decided by its people.
<?php namespace Oro\Bundle\DraftBundle\Acl\AccessRule; use Oro\Bundle\DraftBundle\Entity\DraftableInterface; use Oro\Bundle\DraftBundle\Helper\DraftPermissionHelper; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\AccessRule\AccessRuleInterface; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\AccessRule\Criteria; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\AccessRule\Expr\Comparison; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\AccessRule\Expr\CompositeExpression; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\AccessRule\Expr\Path; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\Acl\BasicPermission; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\Authentication\TokenAccessorInterface; use Oro\Bundle\SecurityBundle\ORM\Walker\AclConditionDataBuilderInterface; /** * The access rule that allows access to the drafts that owned by the current user * and based on the value of VIEW_ALL_DRAFTS permission */ class DraftAccessRule implements AccessRuleInterface { /** * @var AclConditionDataBuilderInterface */ private $builder; /** * @var DraftPermissionHelper */ private $draftPermissionHelper; /** * @var TokenAccessorInterface */ private $tokenAccessor; /** * @var bool */ private $enabled = false; /** * @param AclConditionDataBuilderInterface $builder * @param DraftPermissionHelper $draftPermissionHelper * @param TokenAccessorInterface $tokenAccessor */ public function __construct( AclConditionDataBuilderInterface $builder, DraftPermissionHelper $draftPermissionHelper, TokenAccessorInterface $tokenAccessor ) { $this->builder = $builder; $this->draftPermissionHelper = $draftPermissionHelper; $this->tokenAccessor = $tokenAccessor; } /** * @param boolean $enabled */ public function setEnabled(bool $enabled): void { $this->enabled = $enabled; } /** * @param Criteria $criteria * * @return bool */ public function isApplicable(Criteria $criteria): bool { $entityClass = $criteria->getEntityClass(); $permission = $criteria->getPermission(); return $this->enabled && is_a($entityClass, DraftableInterface::class, true) && BasicPermission::VIEW === $permission; } /** * @param Criteria $criteria */ public function process(Criteria $criteria): void { $entityClass = $criteria->getEntityClass(); $permission = $criteria->getPermission(); $globalPermissionName = $this->draftPermissionHelper->generateGlobalPermission($permission); $conditionData = $this->builder->getAclConditionData($entityClass, $globalPermissionName); if (empty($conditionData)) { return; } [$ownerField, $ownerValue, $organizationField, $organizationValue, $ignoreOwner] = $conditionData; $alias = $criteria->getAlias(); // No access if (null === $ownerField && null === $ownerValue && null === $organizationField && null === $organizationValue ) { // records that owned by current user should be always visible $criteria->setExpression($this->getConditionByCurrentUser($alias)); return; } // Access to the organization if (null !== $organizationField && null !== $organizationValue) { $expression = new CompositeExpression( CompositeExpression::TYPE_OR, [ $this->getConditionByOrganization($alias), $this->getConditionByCurrentUser($alias) ] ); $criteria->orExpression($expression); } } /** * @param string $alias * * @return Comparison */ private function getConditionByCurrentUser(string $alias): Comparison { return new Comparison( new Path('draftOwner', $alias), Comparison::EQ, $this->tokenAccessor->getUserId() ); } /** * @param string $alias * * @return Comparison */ private function getConditionByOrganization(string $alias): Comparison { return new Comparison( new Path('organization', $alias), Comparison::EQ, $this->tokenAccessor->getOrganizationId() ); } }
Skin weathering and ashiness in black Africans. Ashiness describes a common physiological skin condition that may develop in people with dark skin complexion. Environmental influences, particularly cold and dry weather, seem obvious. This condition has seldom been studied so far. In the present study, skin ashiness was assessed in 37 black African women by means of colorimetric assessments and xerosis ratings. Colour changes were measured by the parameters a* and the individual typology angle ITA degrees. Xerosis was assessed by visual inspection, the ultraviolet light-enhanced visualization (ULEV) method, and the cyanoacrylate skin surface stripping (CSSS) method. The assessments were performed on ashy skin of the legs and on the normal looking forehead during the winter season. Ashy skin was lighter but not erythematous. The ITA-revealed colour changes were correlated with xerosis severity as assessed by dry dermoscopy and by the ULEV and CSSS methods. In conclusion, ashiness due to skin weathering does not appear to be related to mild inflammation. It corresponds to a peculiar type of xerosis with reduction in Fresnel reflection by the stratum corneum.
TOYS FOR ALL AGE GROUPS Kids learn social, ambulatory and cognitive skills during their play time. One of the biggest challenges for modern day parents is juggling time between work, parenting, their own personal life and social activities. Playing with educational toys help the child to come up with ideas and be creative
Monday, July 18, 2011 The steeper, faster life When Missy the poodle first came to our place, she could hardly walk a block. Her owners rarely walked her or let her out except for potty. She had never been on a leash. I bet she got the shock of her life to be taken outside every morning. When Spike would need a good run, Missy would sit in the wicker basket and relax... while the terrier stretched his wandering legs. The Walky-Dog has got to be one of my favorite inventions. Though our dogs are small, they love to run. I'm too old--well, certainly too out of shape--to be running for long. Hence the clamp and post on the seat stem of my Brompton makes both the dogs and me happy. They love to be leashed onto the coupler, a recycled convention lanyard. "Let's bike!" I call, and they run for the door to wait patiently while I get the bike out. In no time, we're off. They pull me for a few blocks like miniature sled dogs until their initial energy abates a bit. Do I feel stupid being pulled by a 12 lb. terrier and an 8lb poodle groomed like a Hollywood show dog? Nah. Not a bit. I think it's funny, and I'm glad to have found the quickest way to scoot around our hilly neighborhood for 2-4 miles, especially on a rainy day. We don't go very fast: the dogs run at 7-11 mph and trot at 4-7mph. But... when we get home, the dogs relax and enjoy the rest of the day indoors. It's especially nice to have a cycling option when I come back from a MWF exercise class that runs 6-7:30am. (Crazy, I know. But who's going to fight for my attention at that time of day? And what books are compelling enough for research at that time of morning?) I wonder about seasons of our lives when we've been inactive, sitting on the sofa content with being fed, cuddled, and hugged by an appreciative group of friends or family, like our Missy was. Then without warning, our limp muscles are challenged. Off we go. Life drags us off the couch, calls us to step up the pace. Every day seems longer and steeper, rather than easier. (You'd think we'd get time off as we get older.) I find myself whining, "Oh please! Give me a break," reluctantly leashed to a new trip around the block. Like Missy, we get strong quickly with harsh realities from which there is no escape. For some of us, the adventure is prayer and intercession. For others, hard service. For yet others, painful and intense thinking and planning. Along the way we stretch and contract until we can hardly recognize the person in the mirror. Oh, our face and form may look similar, but inside, the stamina and flexibility tells the story of a new creation. In case you wonder, Missy can outrun Spike at this point in speed and stamina. Inside the lazy lapdog was a crazy, bouncy runner, just waiting for a challenge. Read more: *Wisdom has built her house; she has carved its seven columns. She has prepared a great banquet, mixed the wines, and set the table. She has sent her servants to invite everyone to come. She calls out from the heights overlooking the city. "Come in with me," she urges the simple. To those who lack good judgment, she says, "Come, eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways behind, and begin to live; learn to use good judgment." Proverbs 9:1–6 NLT *Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. Then Peter called to him, 'Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.' 'Yes, come,' Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. Matthew 14:22–25, 28–29 NLT *To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV
import logger from 'electron-timber'; import _ from 'lodash'; import { StreamData, StreamQuery } from '../plugins.types'; import StreamProviderPlugin from '../streamProvider'; import * as Soundcloud from '../../rest/Soundcloud'; class SoundcloudPlugin extends StreamProviderPlugin { constructor() { super(); this.name = 'Soundcloud Plugin'; this.sourceName = 'Soundcloud'; this.description = 'Allows Nuclear to find music streams on Soundcloud'; this.image = null; } resultToStream(result): StreamData { return { source: this.sourceName, id: result.id, stream: result.stream_url + `?client_id=${process.env.SOUNDCLOUD_API_KEY}`, duration: result.duration/1000, title: result.title, thumbnail: result.user.avatar_url }; } search(query: StreamQuery): Promise<StreamData | void> { const terms = query.artist + ' ' + query.track; return Soundcloud.soundcloudSearch(terms) .then(data => data.json()) .then(results => { const info = results[0]; return info ? this.resultToStream(info) : null; }) .catch(err => { logger.error(`Error while looking up streams for ${terms} on Soundcloud`); logger.error(err); }); } getAlternateStream(query: StreamQuery, currentStream: { id: string }): Promise<StreamData | void> { const terms = query.artist + ' ' + query.track; return Soundcloud.soundcloudSearch(terms) .then(data => data.json()) .then(results => { const info = _.find(results, result => result && result.id !== currentStream.id); return info ? this.resultToStream(info) : null; }) .catch(err => { logger.error(`Error while looking up streams for ${terms} on Soundcloud`); logger.error(err); }); } } export default SoundcloudPlugin;
Q: OCaml - separate compilation of a class possible (without outer module)? In a previous question asked I learned that a separate file is forcibly a module. This is of course true for a class definition in a file. I have a file point.ml with the class point, compiled, and are doing in the toplevel: # #load "point.cmo";; # let p = new point (1,1);; Error: Unbound class point # let p = new Point.point (1,1);; val p : Point.point = <obj> # Is there a way to get rid of the outer module Point? Accepted solution I asked two times, and there seems to be no way around automatic module generation per file. So one has to adjust to it, and either open the module, or make best use of module and object name to turn this into a feature. There still are module aliases, and the module name of an object is quite irrelevant after instantiation. A: You can open the module: # open Point;; It doesn't get rid of it, but it opens up the top-level names for use without qualification by the module name. For quick testing you can also do #use to read a source file without creating a module: # use "point.ml";; The top-level acts like you have typed in the whole file. If you have source files named apple.ml and orange.ml that define single classes, you can just name the class t in each file. From other modules you can then refer to the classes as Apple.t and Orange.t. This has worked out well for me. If you do this, you definitely don't want to open the modules.
Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to fuel anabolic processes required for their proliferation and survival. One way by which cancer cells reprogram metabolism is by hijacking the evolutionarily conserved metabolic function of the PI3K/Akt/mTORC1 signaling pathway. Another way is by markedly elevating the expression of the hexokinase isoform, HK2, which catalyzes the first committed step in glucose metabolism. The long-term goal of this grant application is to overcome challenges in targeting cancer metabolism and Akt for cancer therapy. Although cancer cells can be selectively detected because of their high glucose metabolism (FDG-PET scan), exploiting this property for selective targeting is challenging because interference with glucose metabolism could have adverse consequences. We overcame this roadblock by showing that hexokinase 2, which catalyzes the first committed step in glycolysis, and is selectively expressed in cancer cells, can be systemically deleted in mice without any adverse consequences. The proposal is based on findings made in my laboratory at the cellular and organismal levels, and address the following paradigm shifts: (i) Germ-line deletion of hexokinase 2, which is markedly elevated in cancer cells, is embryonic lethal. However, we found that its systemic deletion in adult mice is well tolerated, and therapeutic in several mouse models of cancer. This grant application will specifically address the role of hexokinase 2 in metastasis. We will investigate the role of hexokinase 2 in EMT and metastasis through a novel mechanism. (ii) Akt is perhaps the most frequently activated oncoprotein in human cancer. However, we found that, paradoxically, hepatic deletion of Akt1 and Akt2 in mice induces liver injury, inflammation, and early onset of hepatocellular carcinoma. We will determine how the HCC cells survive and proliferate in the absence of Akt. (iii) We found that systemic deletion of Akt1 and Akt2 in adult mice elicits rapid mortality, and that Akt2 deficiency in mice could be pro-tumorigenic and increased metastasis of chemically- induced HCC, possibly because of hyperinsulinemia. Therefore, we launched a comprehensive approach in which Akt1 or Akt2 or both can be conditionally deleted either in a cell autonomous manner or systemically, after tumor onset, to follow tumor growth and metastasis. Our findings showed marked and unexpected differences between cell autonomous versus systemic deletions of Akt isoforms with respect to tumor initiation and progression. (iv) The inhibition of AMPK is considered pro-tumorigenic. Paradoxically, we found that AMPK activation is required for cell survival during solid tumor formation and possibly metastasis. We will delineate the role of AMPK during metastasis in human cells and mouse models of breast and prostate cancer. We anticipate that the proposed studies will uncover new mechanisms of tumorigenesis associated with cancer metabolism, yield strategies that exploit cancer metabolism for cancer therapy, and uncover vulnerabilities of cancers displaying hyperactivation of PI3K/Akt signaling.
Paulette Cruz Paulette Cruz (born January 8, 1989 in Colima, Colima) is a beach volleyball player from Mexico, who played during the Qualification Tournament of the Swatch FIVB World Tour 2006, playing with Wendy Guizar; they finished 41st. She played at the 2009 NORCECA Caymand Islands Tournament with Vanessa Virgen, winning the silver medal, and later the bronze at the Boca Chica Tournament, in the Dominican Republic. References External links BV Database profile FIVB profile Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:Mexican beach volleyball players Category:Sportspeople from Colima Category:Women's beach volleyball players
New electronic patient record system at MKUH A new electronic patient record system that will improve the way Milton Keynes University Hopsital cares for local people is set to go live at the hospital from 18 May 2018. The electronic patient record system is called eCARE. It is more than just a new computer system. It will give the hospital’s staff access to improved up-to-date information so that they can deliver safer, more efficient and more timely care. The electronic patient record system will collate patient details in one easy-to-access place that is secure and confidential. This includes medical history, laboratory test results, allergies and current prescriptions. Previously, this information may have been stored in many different places and in many different forms. Often, these were not easily accessible to clinicians and patients may have had to repeatedly give the same information as they moved through the hospital. eCARE will help to prevent this. As each department and ward at the hospital switches over to eCARE from 18 May, staff may temporarily have to document patient details on paper which will later be logged onto the electronic patient record system. During this period and the week’s after eCARE ‘goes live’ it may take a little longer than usual to process patient information. We would ask for your patience and understanding during this period. Caroline Hutton, Director of Operations at the hospital, said: “This is a hugely positive step forward for the hospital, our staff and our patients. It will ultimately improve the already excellent care we offer local people. Hospitals up and down the country are implementing or looking to implement similar systems to make sure patients are enjoying all the benefits that new technology can offer. It is exciting that we will soon be able to offer these benefits.” “eCARE will reduce the time it takes to record and access relevant information about a patient’s health, care and treatment whilst also helping to improve safety through many intuitive alerts and double checks. Our staff have all completed relevant training and preparations for the new system but we would still ask for patience while we acclimatise to eCARE. In the long run it will hugely benefit us all.” eCARE will provide many new benefits to care at the hospital. In addition to better managing a patient’s care in hospital, eCARE will: Support clinical decision-making and care planning to improve safety and patient experience Give the hospital’s doctors and nurses access to real-time patient information, helping them plan the right treatment more easily Allow GPs to view hospital records of patients under their care Contain a full audit trail so that information on who has accessed patient records is fully recorded Once eCARE is live, patients may see hospital staff working in a different way. Staff may spend more time at a computer so they can access and utilise all of the relevant information to deliver excellent care. This may be a different experience for patients initially, however it will ultimately result in quicker, safer and improved treatment for the people of Milton Keynes.
Field of the Invention The present invention relates in general to a signal converter device. In particular, the present invention relates to a signal converter device, which is used for dealing with the horizontal and vertical composite sync signal of a monitor. In general, the color monitor of a personal computer is designed in RGB system. That is, the monitor generates the color pixels according to the R (the red video frequency signal), G (the green video frequency signal), B (the blue video frequency signal). Moreover, the monitor makes sure each frame's displaying mode of the pixels is based on the input sync signals. The monitor displays the pixels by the combination of the continuous single frames. The frames are composed of a plurality of scanning lines. The operation of displaying the frames is used for scanning the scanning lines from the upper scanning line to the bottom scanning line. The vertical sync signal (written as V hereinafter) and the horizontal sync signal (written as H hereinafter) of the composite sync signal are used for vertical scanning the etch scanning line in turn and horizontal scanning the pixels of the scanning lines, respectively. Therefore, in order to display the pixels correctly, the monitor should be inputted the signals of R, G, B, V, H at least. Normally, the generation of the video frequency signals R, G, B and sync signals V, H and the signals transmitting to the monitor are controlled by the video card or the display card in the computer system. Refer to FIG. 1, which depicts a part of structure of the computer system. The video card 10 is inset to the expansion of the computer system, and the video card 10 gets the displaying data from others parts of the computer system through the data bus, such as AGP or PCI. Then the video card generates the R,G, B,V,H signals according to the displaying data and sends the data to the monitors. The video frequency signals R, G, B are outputted directly. However, the transmission of the sync signals may be done in different ways. One way is to use the separate sync signals. The vertical sync signal H and the horizontal sync signal V are inputted to the different terminals of the monitor, respectively. The other way uses the composite sync signals. The vertical sync signal H and the horizontal sync signal V are stacked to form the composite sync signal, then the composite sync signal is inputted to the specific terminals of the monitor, such as at the V terminal. At this time, the analog/digital converter circuit in the monitor will generate the clocks through the phase lock loop (written as PLL hereinafter) according to the composite sync signals. The monitor must separate the composite sync signal from the vertical sync signal H and the horizontal sync signal V to display the pixels. The separating of the composite sync signal uses a specific circuit to integrate the composite sync signal and generates a shelter signal according to the polarization of the composite sync signal. Then, the shelter signal is inputted to the analog/digital converter circuit to turn off the PLL for interrupting the output of the clock. However, there are many errors when dealing with the composite sync signal that may cause the display of a frame error. Refer to FIG. 2, which depicts the timing of the composite sync signal HS and the shelter signal COAST-A of the prior art. To separate the composite sync signal correctly, the range of the shelter signal COAST-A must cover the range between the points B and K of the composite sync signal HS. Therefore, the clock outputted from the PLL will be blocked to prevent the abnormal pixels. However, because of the circuit characteristics and the delay of the signals, the shelter signal usually cannot cover the range between the B and K of the composite sync signal HS completely. When the range between the points B and C of the composite sync signal HS is not covered by the shelter signal COAST-A, the analog/digital converter circuit will keep supplying the clock in the period between the points B and C, and this situation will effect the performance of the display.
All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Introduction {#sec001} ============ Dense bony growths protruding into the external auditory canal, external auditory exostoses (EAE), have been documented clinically for more than a century (e.g., \[[@pone.0189390.ref001],[@pone.0189390.ref002]\]), known anthropologically since at least the analyses of Hrdlička \[[@pone.0189390.ref003]\], and summarized extensively more recently \[[@pone.0189390.ref004]--[@pone.0189390.ref006]\]. They are usually rounded hyperostotic protrusions into the meatus that may partially or largely occlude the canal. Clinical and bioarcheological observations indicate that they are principally due to an environmental irritation of the mucoperiosteum of the canal (see \[[@pone.0189390.ref004],[@pone.0189390.ref006]--[@pone.0189390.ref008]\]). The most frequently observed irritant is cold water, in the context of cold water sports and foraging. However, they may occur in a variety of contexts, given sufficient inflammation of the soft tissue lining of the auditory canal. They are often benign but can lead to cerumen impaction and conductive hearing loss. EAE were first observed in human fossil remains by Boule \[[@pone.0189390.ref009]\] in the La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1 Neandertal, and subsequently by Weidenreich \[[@pone.0189390.ref010]\] in the Middle Pleistocene Zhoukoudian Skull 10. More recently, EAE presence has been noted in several western Eurasian Middle and Late Pleistocene archaic humans \[[@pone.0189390.ref011]--[@pone.0189390.ref014]\] and in a few Late Pleistocene early modern humans \[[@pone.0189390.ref015]\], and their absence noted in several more \[[@pone.0189390.ref016]--[@pone.0189390.ref018]\]. Moreover, EAE were recently noted in the two early Late Pleistocene partial neurocrania from Xuchang \[[@pone.0189390.ref019]\], but they have not been mentioned for the similarly aged Xujiayao 15 temporal bone \[[@pone.0189390.ref020]\]. Given these paleopathological and distributional considerations, we present here these bony auditory growths in the Xuchang and Xujiayao late archaic humans, and evaluate their implications in the contexts of the available Middle and Late Pleistocene eastern Eurasian human remains and the patterns of frequencies across recent human skeletal samples. Materials and methods {#sec002} ===================== Xuchang 1 and 2 {#sec003} --------------- The Xuchang 1 and 2 crania were excavated *in situ* in Layer 11 of the Lingjing site in Xuchang county, Henan Province, northern China (34° 04' 08.6" N, 113° 40' 47.5" E) between 2007 and 2014 \[[@pone.0189390.ref019]\]. Layer 11 has yielded a diverse late Middle to early Late Pleistocene macromammalian fauna \[[@pone.0189390.ref021],[@pone.0189390.ref022]\], a Middle Paleolithic lithic and bone assemblage \[[@pone.0189390.ref023],[@pone.0189390.ref024]\], and a consistent series of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates placing Layer 11 between 125,000 and 105,000 years ago \[[@pone.0189390.ref019]\]. The overlying Layers 10 and 9 have provided OSL determinations between 100,000 and 90,000 years ago, substantiating the early MIS 5 (MIS 5e or 5d) age of the human crania. Xuchang 1 and 2 consist of partial neurocrania, that of the former being more complete \[[@pone.0189390.ref019]\]. Each cranium retains the posterior cranial base from right to left temporal bones. Xuchang 1 has most of the vault from the supraorbital torus posteriorly, but Xuchang 2 preserves primarily occipital and posterior parietal bones in addition to the temporal bones. The crania were excavated as 26 and 16 pieces respectively, and the elements have been kept separate, the crania having been reconstructed virtually and with casts. They derive from young adults (based on relatively open cranial vault sutures), and there is no evidence of abnormalities on them, other than the EAE presented here. They are considered as eastern Eurasian late archaic humans given their low and broad neurocrania with the maximum breadth inferiorly, the presence of supraorbital and nuchal tori, a "Neandertal" suprainiac fossa, and their labyrinthine proportions \[[@pone.0189390.ref019]\]. The Xuchang 1 right temporal bone (\#7019; [Fig 1](#pone.0189390.g001){ref-type="fig"}) has the auditory canal from the (lateral) porus to the attachment area of the tympanic membrane (mediolateral breadth of the canal: 22 mm), but it consists only of the roof from the complete postglenoid process to the anterior mastoid process. Only the posterosuperior edge of the tympanic bone remains, adjacent to the mastoid process. The left temporal bone (\#7016; [Fig 1](#pone.0189390.g001){ref-type="fig"}) preserves the auditory canal only along its roof from the postglenoid process to the mastoid process, with a posterolateral portion of the tympanic bone adherent to the anterior mastoid process. It is also present from the tympanic membrane attachment area to the lateral extent of the canal (mediolateral breadth of the canal: 21 mm). ![Xuchang 1 temporal bones.\ A: lateral views of the preserved portions. B: inferior views of the preserved portions. Rt: right; Lt: left. Scale bar: 5 cm.](pone.0189390.g001){#pone.0189390.g001} The Xuchang 2 right and left temporal bones (\#14004 and \#14005 respectively; [Fig 2](#pone.0189390.g002){ref-type="fig"}) preserve their auditory canals to a similar extent as those of Xuchang 1, in that each extends from the complete postglenoid process to the anterior mastoid process and from the tympanic membrane attachment area medially to the lateral porus. They lack the tympanic bones entirely. The auditory canals are 19.5 to 20 mm mediolateral. ![Xuchang 2 temporal bones.\ A: lateral views of the preserved portions. B: inferior views of the preserved portions. Rt: right; Lt: left. Scale bar: 5 cm.](pone.0189390.g002){#pone.0189390.g002} Xujiayao 15 {#sec004} ----------- The Xujiayao 15 temporal bone (\#PA1498) was discovered during excavations in 1979 at Locality 74093 (40° 06′ 02″ N, 113° 58′ 39″ E) of the Xujiayao site complex in Houjiayao village, northwestern Nihewan Basin, northern China. The Xujiayao locality is an open-air site comprised of fluviolacustrine deposits. The paleoanthropological remains derive from sediments that have been dated to the early Late Pleistocene (most likely Marine Isotope Stage 5) based on associated faunal species \[[@pone.0189390.ref025],[@pone.0189390.ref026]\], six Uranium-series dates on *Equus* sp. and *Coelodonta antiquitatis* tooth enamel (≈104 to ≈125 ka BP) \[[@pone.0189390.ref027]\], and the presence of an underlying paleomagnetic reversal that most likely represents the Blake Excursion ≈123 ka BP \[[@pone.0189390.ref028],[@pone.0189390.ref029]\]. Suggestions of an earlier (Middle Pleistocene) age from the sedimentary paleomagnetism \[[@pone.0189390.ref030]\] are based on unverifiable assumptions of sedimentation rates, and there is uncertain stratigraphic correlation between a recently excavated late Middle Pleistocene section and the deposits that yielded the human remains \[[@pone.0189390.ref031]\]. The Xujiayao human fossils consist of 17 pieces of immature and mature craniofacial remains and isolated teeth, which probably represent a smaller number of individuals. Xujiayao 15 is a largely complete and isolated left temporal bone (\[[@pone.0189390.ref020],[@pone.0189390.ref032]\]; [Fig 3](#pone.0189390.g003){ref-type="fig"}). The portions making up the external auditory canal are complete and undamaged. The foramen of Huschke is closed, but there is a fusion line along the inferior tympanic bone, open medially and laterally. The Xujiayao sample is aligned with other eastern Eurasian late archaic humans in terms of its labyrinthine proportions, nuchal tori, nasal floor and mandibular ramal morphology, and dental morphological details \[[@pone.0189390.ref032]--[@pone.0189390.ref036]\]. ![Xujiayao 15 left temporal bone.\ A: lateral; B: inferior. Only the zygomatic process, the medial petrous tip, and small chips along the squamous suture are absent; a sutural bone was likely present anterosuperiorly. Scale bar: 5 cm.](pone.0189390.g003){#pone.0189390.g003} Comparative samples {#sec005} ------------------- To provide a context for the Xujiayao and Xuchang EAE, data have been collected for two samples, a regional paleontological one ([S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and a global recent human one ([S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). The fossil sample ([Table 1](#pone.0189390.t001){ref-type="table"}; [Fig 4](#pone.0189390.g004){ref-type="fig"}) includes the available and sufficiently preserved Middle and Late Pleistocene temporal bones from eastern Eurasia, including China, Okinawa (Japan) and Indonesia. The archaic fossils derive from the Middle Pleistocene sites of Dali, Hexian, Jinniushan, Ngandong, Yunxian, and Zhoukoudian Locality 1 (ZKD) ([S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). The early modern human EAE data are from the Late Pleistocene Gezi, Jingcuan, Lijiang, Liujiang, Minatogawa, Wajak, and Zhoukoudian-Upper Cave (ZKD-UC) crania ([S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). The Xuchang, Xuchiayao, Hexian, Jingcuan, Yunxian, Gezi and Lijiang observations are from visual inspection of their temporal bones. The Dali and Liujiang ones are from CT scans of the crania. The ZKD observations are from Weidenreich's \[[@pone.0189390.ref010]\] descriptions, combined with his photographs and casts, and the Ngandong observations are similarly from Weidenreich \[[@pone.0189390.ref037]\], Santa Luca \[[@pone.0189390.ref038]\] and casts. The Minatogawa ones are from Suzuki's \[[@pone.0189390.ref015]\] descriptions, combined with his photographs and a cast of Minatogawa 1. The Wajak 1 score is from a photograph of the temporal bone, and the Jinniushan and ZKD-UC observations are based on casts. ![Eastern Eurasian middle and late Pleistocene sites yielding crania preserving at least one auditory meatus sufficiently intact to provide information on external auditory exostoses.\ 1: Dali; 2: Hexian; 3: Jinniushan; 4: Ngandong; 5: Yunxian; 6: Zhoukoudian Loc. 1; 7: Xuchang; 8: Xujiayao; 9: Gezi Cave; 10: Jingcuan; 11: Liujiang; 12: Lijiang; 13: Minatogawa; 14: Wajak; 15: ZKD-Upper Cave; 16: Ziyang.](pone.0189390.g004){#pone.0189390.g004} 10.1371/journal.pone.0189390.t001 ###### The eastern Eurasian Pleistocene remains providing external auditory exostosis observations and their contexts. ![](pone.0189390.t001){#pone.0189390.t001g} *Site* *Location* *Site form* *Latitude* ---------------------------- --------------------- ----------------------- ------------ **Middle Pleistocene** Dali Shaanxi, China river terrace gulley 35° 52' N Hexian Anhui, China cave 31° 45' N Jinniushan Liaongning, China cave 40° 34' N Ngandong Java, Indonesia fluviatile terrace 7° 18' S Yunxian Hubei, China river terrace 31° 51' N Zhoukoudian Loc. 1 Beijing, China cave 39° 41' N **Early Late Pleistocene** Xuchang Henan, China lacustrine 34° 04' N Xujiayao Hebei-Shanxi, China fluviatile/lacustrine 40° 06' N **Upper Paleolithic** Gezi Cave Liaoning, China cave 41° 15' N Jingcuan Gansu, China gulley near river 35° 23' N Lijiang Yunnan, China fluviatile 26° 47' N Liujiang Guangxi, China cave 24° 10' N Minatogawa Okinawa, Japan fissure fill 26° 07' N Wajak Java, Indonesia cave 8° 06' S ZKD-Upper Cave Beijing, China cave 39° 41' N Ziyang Sicuan, China fluviatile 30° 07' N The recent human global sample consists primarily of EAE presence/absence frequencies from 114 samples. The majority of the data (57%) are from Kennedy \[[@pone.0189390.ref004]\], to which have been added data from additional and more recent sources ([S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Only samples with N ≥ 30 have been included, and in several cases closely related smaller samples (i.e., from neighboring archeological sites of a given period/culture) have been pooled. Male and female data when available are combined, given the absence of reliable sex assessments for all but one (Jinniushan 1) of the archaic human remains and many of the early modern humans. Moveover, sex-specific frequencies are not available for a substantial number of the recent human comparative samples \[[@pone.0189390.ref004]\]; it is recognized that male frequencies are often higher than those of the females, but this should have little effect if the male-female proportions are generally similar across the samples and/or the sample frequencies are low. Only late adolescent and adult data are included; although the frequency or severity of EAE, as a degnerative process, should increase with age, they can occur at any age after mid-adolescence. Moreover, reliable adult ages-at-death are not available for most of the fossil specimens or recent human samples. Following Kennedy \[[@pone.0189390.ref004]\], the samples are allocated to low (\<30°), middle (30°--45°), and high (\>45°) latitude samples. In addition, because there is abundant evidence for the proximity to water and aquatic resource exploitation to be involved in the etiology of EAE (\[[@pone.0189390.ref006]\]; see below), the latitudinal samples are divided into "dry" (terrestrial) and "wet" (maritime and riverine) samples (considering evidence of aquatic resource exploitation when available, and bearing in mind that the "wet"/"dry" distinction is not always evident) (see [S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). More limited recent human comparative data exist for the frequencies of grades of EAE. The available data are provided in [S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. Although the paleontological samples span the low and middle latitudes ([Table 1](#pone.0189390.t001){ref-type="table"}), they are not so separated in terms of frequencies ([Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"}) given their modest numbers ([S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). 10.1371/journal.pone.0189390.t002 ###### Distribution of external auditory exostosis grades among middle and late Pleistocene eastern Eurasian archaic \[without and with Xuchang (XUC) and Xujiayao (XJY)\] and early modern humans. Paleopathological details are in the text and S1 Text. ![](pone.0189390.t002){#pone.0189390.t002g} Grade 0 Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 N --------------------------------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---- Eastern archaic humans 46.7% 46.7% 6.7% --- 15 Eastern archaics plus XUC & XJY 38.9% 44.4% 11.1% 5.6% 18 Eastern early modern humans 41.7% 50.0% 8.3% --- 12 Methods {#sec006} ------- External auditory exostoses are identified as growths into the auditory canal from its sqamous and/or tympanic portions \[[@pone.0189390.ref005],[@pone.0189390.ref008],[@pone.0189390.ref039]\]. They are usually rounded protrusions and may occur as single or multiple growths. They normally do not develop from the tympanosquamous or tympanomastoid sutures; such sutural protrusions are osteomata, or benign neoplasms, which normally occur laterally within the meatus, are less frequent, and are often solitary \[[@pone.0189390.ref008],[@pone.0189390.ref039]\]. It is possible that osteomata have been included within some of the comparative data \[[@pone.0189390.ref005]\], but every effort has been made to distinguish between exostoses and osteomata, and to exclude the latter. The EAE were scored using the four part ordinal scale of Cooper et al. \[[@pone.0189390.ref040]\], Crowe et al. \[[@pone.0189390.ref041]\] and Villotte et al. \[[@pone.0189390.ref042]\] (see also \[[@pone.0189390.ref005]\]). Grade 0 indicates the absence of EAE, Grade 1 indicates small mildly protruding single or multiple exostoses, and Grade 2 reflects one or more large EAE projecting well into the auditory canal. Grade 3 indicates a meatus which is largely or completely blocked by exostosis growth. A number of the Pleistocene tympanic bones are thickened at their lateral margins, especially where the inferior tympanic crest meets the porus. This thickening is not considered to be part of the EAE, which consist of bony growths into the meatus. The grades for the comparative eastern Eurasian paleontological specimens are in [S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}, along with brief descriptions of the growth(s), and summary frequencies for the grades of the paleontological and available recent human samples are in [Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"} and [S2](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"} Text. For those fossil specimens that adequately preserve both temporal bones, grades for both sides of specimen are provided in [S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. For the cases in which a cranium is asymmetrical in its grade, the grade of the side with the larger exostoses is employed for that specimen in the computation of sample frequencies by grade ([Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"}) to provide an indication of maximum response. There is some degree of interobserver error in these qualitative ordinal grades \[[@pone.0189390.ref006]\], but it is generally small (\<2% in one analysis \[[@pone.0189390.ref041]\]). The Xujiayao 15 retains its entire auditory canal, and hence complete observations are possible for it. The Xuchang meatus, however, all lack the tympanic bone, such that observations are limited to the superior halves of the canals. These descriptions of the Xuchang canals therefore represent a conservative assessment of their EAE development. Results {#sec007} ======= Xuchang 1 {#sec008} --------- The Xuchang 1 right auditory meatus ([Fig 5](#pone.0189390.g005){ref-type="fig"}) has a 9 mm long rod-like growth, 2 mm in diameter, running mediolaterally along the superior apex of the canal, from the tympanic membrane to near the mediolateral middle of the canal. At the medial end of the canal, there is a small rounded knob of bone between the rod and the posterior edge of the canal. Anterior to the rod along the apex of the canal, there is a more irregular growth of new bone, 6.7 mm mediolateral and 6.0 mm superoinferior. It extends close to the inferior end of the postglenoid process. In addition, posteriorly close to where the tympanic bone would have articulated with the anterior mastoid process, there is an exostosis (most evident in lateral view) projecting 1--2 mm into the canal. This posterior growth tapers off as it extends towards the medial end of the canal. ![Xuchang 1 auditory meatus.\ Left: lateral views of the external auditory canals. Right: inferior views of the superior auditory canals. Rt: right; Lt: left. Note that only the superior portions of the canals are preserved, but they extend from the lateral margins to the original positions of the tympanic membranes. Not to scale.](pone.0189390.g005){#pone.0189390.g005} The left meatus of Xuchang 1 ([Fig 5](#pone.0189390.g005){ref-type="fig"}) has a rod-like growth, 2 mm wide and 8.3 mm long, on the middle of the postglenoid process and extending laterally from the area of the tympanic membrane. There is also a curved, rod-like growth, 8 mm mediolateral, in the anterosuperior canal, also extending laterally from the medial canal. The middle of the roof of the canal is smooth, but the posterior wall has a broader growth, 3.5 mm wide at its medial end and expanding to 8.2 mm wide laterally, and extending 15 mm from the tympanic membrane area. This posterior broader growth appears as a series of small rods of bones along the medial 6 mm, which then blend into a wider growth laterally. When both Xuchang 1 meatus are viewed laterally ([Fig 5](#pone.0189390.g005){ref-type="fig"}), they appear to impinge moderately on the auditory canal, but collectively they substantially reduce the size of the canal. Any further exostoses from the absent tympanic bones would only increase the constriction. They should therefore be scored as Grade 2. In addition, the medial ends of the exostoses on both sides substantially reduced the area of the tympanic membrane, and they are likely to have impinged on the membranes. Xuchang 2 {#sec009} --------- The right auditory canal of Xuchang 2 ([Fig 6](#pone.0189390.g006){ref-type="fig"}) presents two substantial exostoses. The larger one is along the anterosuperior meatus, extending from just above the inferior apex of the postglenoid process to the superior apex of the canal roof. It is evenly ≈3 mm thick, has a maximum breadth (posterosuperior-to-anteroinferior) of 8.5 mm, and extends 14.5 mm (74% of the canal length) from the tympanic membrane attachment. The second growth is along the posteroinferior break of the bone, and it lacks its inferior extent due to damage to its inferior edge. It also extends 14.5 mm from the medial canal and is ≈3 mm in thickness. At the medial end of the auditory canal, these two exostoses reduce the superior diameter of the canal from ≈8 mm to ≈3 mm in the middle of the canal and to 2.3 mm at the roof of the canal (a diameter reduction to ≈38%; or a reduction to ≈14% of the cross-sectional area if the observable portion of the auditory meatus is representative of the canal as a whole). ![Xuchang 2 auditory meatus.\ Left: lateral views of the external auditory canals. Right: inferior views of the superior auditory canals. Rt: right; Lt: left. Note that only the superior portions of the canals are preserved, but they extend from the lateral margins to the original positions of the tympanic membranes. Not to scale.](pone.0189390.g006){#pone.0189390.g006} The left canal of Xuchang 2 only has a single exostosis attached to the roof of the canal ([Fig 6](#pone.0189390.g006){ref-type="fig"}). It is rod-like on its medial half and more irregular and porous laterally. It extends 13 mm from the tympanic membrane area, has a maximum anteroposterior breadth in the middle of 7.5 mm, and has a maximum superoinferior projection of ≈3.5 mm at its lateral end. There is no evidence of further growth on the preserved anterior or posterior portions. The two large exostoses of the right canal, even without any further exostoses on the missing tympanic bone, qualify it as Grade 3. The single large one on the superior left canal, if the only one that was present, would provide at least a Grade 2; any further tympanic growths, however, would qualify it as Grade 3. Moreover, as with the growths in the Xuchang 1 meatus, those of Xuchang 2 would have impinged on the tympanic membrane, given their medial extents, especially the more anterior growth in the right canal. Xujiayao 15 {#sec010} ----------- In contrast, the Xujiayao 15 auditory canal has little impingement of lumen ([Fig 7A](#pone.0189390.g007){ref-type="fig"}). The lateral tympanic bone is anterosuperiorly narrow (1.8 mm), then thickens through the anteroinferior potion (4.1 mm), and then thins slightly inferiorly (3.5 mm). Its meatal surface is smooth anteriorly, but it becomes more irregular inferiorly and especially posteroinferiorly ([Fig 7B](#pone.0189390.g007){ref-type="fig"}), the changes extending 13--15 mm into the canal. On both the lateral margin and into the meatus there is a series of small knobs of bone. The variable thickening of the tympanic bone is normal variation, especially in Pleistocene archaic humans \[[@pone.0189390.ref010]\], but the irregular surface and series of small knobs along the posterior and posteroinferior tympanic bone into the canal represents a minor degree of extra growths into the canal. These minor growths indicate a Grade 1 EAE formation for Xujiayao 15. ![Xujiayao 15 left auditory meatus and porus.\ A: lateral view of the auditory porus and anterior mastoid process. B: anterior view of the posterior portion of the lateral tympanic bone, showing the irregularities of the surface. C: inferior view of the superior (squamous) portion of the auditory porus, with the porous new bone extending across the superior portion and extending into the meatus. Scale bar: 5 cm.](pone.0189390.g007){#pone.0189390.g007} In addition, there is an area of new porous bone along the superior opening ([Fig 7C](#pone.0189390.g007){ref-type="fig"}). lateral of the meatus but covering the superior portion of the porus. It is not properly an EAE, but it indicates additional inflammation of the auditory canal region. Comparative assessments {#sec011} ----------------------- The Xuchang 1 and Xujiayao 15 EAE are unexceptional in the context of Middle and Late Pleistocene eastern Eurasian humans. Moderately large ones (Grade 2) are present in ZKD Skull 10 and in Minatogawa 2, and 46.7% and 50.0% respectively of the archaic and early modern samples exhibit small (Grade 1) exostoses ([Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"}, [S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Grade 2 exostoses are also present in four western Eurasian archaic humans, La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1, Krapina 39.1, Spy 1 and Tabun 1 \[[@pone.0189390.ref014]\]. The very large (Grade 3) ones of Xuchang 2 are relatively unusual. None of the other eastern Eurasian Pleistocene crania have ones as large, and only one other Pleistocene human (the Shanidar 1 Neandertal) has EAE that are larger \[[@pone.0189390.ref014]\]. Among recent human samples for which grade frequencies are available ([Fig 8](#pone.0189390.g008){ref-type="fig"}; [S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}), less than half of the samples exhibit any Grade 3 EAE, and the frequencies are ≈5% or less. ![Distributions of the 4 grades of external auditory exostosis formation.\ The bars are for the recent human "dry" and "wet" samples ([S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and for the eastern Eurasian early modern (EEEM) and archaic (EEAH) human samples (see [Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"}). The EEAH sample includes the Xuchang and Xujiayao specimens.](pone.0189390.g008){#pone.0189390.g008} At the same time, the overall frequencies of the eastern Eurasian Pleistocene EAE are elevated relative to almost all of the recent human samples. The frequencies for the presence of any grade of EAE, including Xuchang 1 and 2 and Xujiayao 15 in the archaic sample, are 61.1% (n = 18) for the archaic sample and 58.3% (n = 12) for the early modern humans ([Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"}). These values are exceeded by only two recent human samples ([Fig 9](#pone.0189390.g009){ref-type="fig"}), one from coastal Brazil and one from the Canary Islands \[[@pone.0189390.ref043],[@pone.0189390.ref044]\]. If two of the eastern Eurasian archaic crania with very small EAE are considered to lack them (Ngandong 6 and ZKD Skull 12), and if the same approach is applied to the ZKD-UC 102 and Jingcuan 1 early modern human crania, the eastern Pleistocene frequencies decrease to 50.0% and 41.7%. These values still place them above all of the recent human interquartile ranges, within the ranges of the low and middle latitude "wet" samples, but above the other sample distributions ([Fig 9](#pone.0189390.g009){ref-type="fig"}). These more conservative lower frequencies are matched or approached (\>40% EAE) by only 6 (5.3%) of the recent humans samples. ![Frequencies of external auditory exostosis (EAE) presence.\ Box plots for the global recent human samples, with the frequencies for the eastern Eurasian archaic and early modern human samples. The recent human samples are separated into Low (\<30°), Middle (30° - 45°) and High (\>45°) latitude samples, each separated into coastal/riverine ("wet") versus inland/terrestrial ("dry") samples. The numbers of samples, from low and "wet" to high and "dry" are: 30, 22, 14, 19, 13 and 16. The lines are for the maximum eastern Eurasian archaic (EEAH) and early modern (EEEM) human samples (solid lines) and the more conservative ones removing specimens with very small EAE from the frequencies (dashed lines) (see text).](pone.0189390.g009){#pone.0189390.g009} Discussion {#sec012} ========== The presence of these exostoses in the Xuchang and Xujiayao auditory canals, the high frequencies of them in the eastern Eurasian later Pleistocene samples, and the sizes and forms of the ones in Xuchang 1 and 2 all have broader implications. In particular, they relate to levels of aquatic proximity and resource exploitation and reduction in auditory acuity. EAE and cold water {#sec013} ------------------ As summarized by Villotte and Knüsel \[[@pone.0189390.ref006]\], there is abundant evidence that the osseus development of EAE is greatly enhanced by exposure to cold water. In particular, frequent exposure of the canal to cold water leads to subperiosteal vasodilation, increased tension in the periosteum, and consequent bone deposition (\[[@pone.0189390.ref045]\]; see \[[@pone.0189390.ref006],[@pone.0189390.ref008]\]). As a result, extant humans who engage in a variety of cold water activities, including swimming, surfing, kayaking and diving, exhibit a marked elevation in the formation of EAE (hence "swimmer's ear," "surfer's ear" and "diver's ear") (e.g., \[[@pone.0189390.ref006],[@pone.0189390.ref040],[@pone.0189390.ref046]--[@pone.0189390.ref050]\]). In addition, among recent human archeological samples with evidence of aquatic resource exploitation, there is often an elevated frequency of EAE (e.g., \[[@pone.0189390.ref042],[@pone.0189390.ref043],[@pone.0189390.ref051]--[@pone.0189390.ref054]\]). The cold water exposure can consist of immersion of the head during activities and/or damp and cold wind \[[@pone.0189390.ref045]--[@pone.0189390.ref050]\], and therefore the presence of EAE may reflect aquatic activities and/or proximity to wetlands. Although the precise pathophysiology of their formation is poorly known \[[@pone.0189390.ref008]\], some form of auditory canal irritation (of which cold water is by far the best documented) appears to be involved. There have been suggestions of an inherited component being involved (at least in terms of susceptibility) \[[@pone.0189390.ref003],[@pone.0189390.ref055]\], but its effects on population frequencies are likely to be minor (see discussions in \[[@pone.0189390.ref004]--[@pone.0189390.ref006]\]). This global pattern was summarized by Kennedy \[[@pone.0189390.ref004]\], in which she found the highest frequency of EAE among middle latitude (30°--45°) samples, arguing that higher latitude populations would avoid exposure to the very cold water and lower latitude water would be insufficiently cold to induce EAE. Further analyses and additional data ([S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}), with latitudinal samples separated into "wet" and "dry" contingents (see above and [S2 Text](#pone.0189390.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}), provides a slightly modified pattern ([Fig 9](#pone.0189390.g009){ref-type="fig"}). High latitude EAE remain infrequent, as do low latitude "dry" ones. Yet, a number of "wet" samples from both low and middle latitudes provide higher frequencies. Their frequency distributions are not significantly different from the middle latitude "dry" one, but they are distinctly separate from the low latitude "dry" samples, and the middle latitude "wet" distribution is substantially different from both high latitude ones ([Table 3](#pone.0189390.t003){ref-type="table"}). This global pattern therefore further supports the clinical and paleopathological observations in indicating a predominant role for aquatic/wetland exposure in EAE formation, but especially in the lower latitudes where the "wet" and "dry" frequency distributions are significantly different. 10.1371/journal.pone.0189390.t003 ###### Kruskal-Wallis Z-values for two-tailed pairwise comparisons across the six sets of recent human external auditory exostosis (EAE) frequencies. With a Bonferroni correction, the medians are significantly different if Z \> 2.935. Overall Kruskal-Wallis p \< 0.0001 (corrected for ties; χ^2^ = 37.59). Normality (both skewness and kurtosis) rejected at p \< 0.0001. ![](pone.0189390.t003){#pone.0189390.t003g} Low "wet" Low "dry" Middle "wet" Middle "dry" High "wet" -------------- ----------- ----------- -------------- -------------- ------------ Low "dry" 3.345 Middle "wet" 2.594 5.203 Middle "dry" 0.242 3.225 2.183 High "wet" 2.555 0.259 4.383 2.554 High "dry" 1.831 1.133 3.844 1.880 0.754 It is therefore of interest that the eastern Eurasian later Pleistocene humans exhibit an elevated frequency of EAE and of the higher grades of EAE ([Table 2](#pone.0189390.t002){ref-type="table"}; Figs [8](#pone.0189390.g008){ref-type="fig"} and [9](#pone.0189390.g009){ref-type="fig"}). Among the early modern humans, the only maritime sample is the Minatogawa one, and all three of the individuals preserving auditory canals exhibit EAE ([S1 Text](#pone.0189390.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). EAE are, however, also present on four of the other early modern human crania, none of which derive from coastal sites but one derives from a river terrace ([Table 1](#pone.0189390.t001){ref-type="table"}). Moreover, there is early Upper Paleolithic evidence for coastal adaptations from Okinawa and further south \[[@pone.0189390.ref056]--[@pone.0189390.ref059]\], as well as isotopic evidence of aquatic resource utilization inland in northern China \[[@pone.0189390.ref060]\]. Among the archaic humans, the Xuchang, Xujiayao, Dali, Yunxian and Ngandong fossils were directly associated with water lain sediments ([Table 1](#pone.0189390.t001){ref-type="table"}); the Xuchang site formed in spring lacustrine deposits \[[@pone.0189390.ref019]\], and the Xujiayao, Dali, Yunxian and Ngandong sediments are fluviatile or fluviolacustrine \[[@pone.0189390.ref025],[@pone.0189390.ref061]--[@pone.0189390.ref063]\]. Archeological evidence for aquatic resource exploitation at Xuchang, Xujiayao and the eastern Middle Pleistocene sites is unavailable, but inland and coastal aquatic resources were exploited in the late Middle and earlier Late Pleistocene of western Eurasia and Africa \[[@pone.0189390.ref064]--[@pone.0189390.ref070]\], making it likely that they were utilized as well in the east. It therefore appears reasonable to infer that the elevated frequencies of EAE in the eastern Eurasian samples are due, at least in part, to maritime or riverine/lacustrine proximity and activities, most likely related to the exploitation of aquatic resources. It should nonetheless be noted that such an inference is based on the overall pattern of these geographically and temporally pooled samples. As emphasized by Villotte and Knüsel \[[@pone.0189390.ref006]\], "EAE should not be used as a marker of aquatic activities in case studies of single prehistoric individuals." In addition, all of the Chinese archaic humans are from middle latitude sites (albeit some close to 30°; Hexian and Yunxian: ≈31°, Xuchang: ≈34°, Dali: ≈35°), for which the recent human "wet"/"dry" EAE frequency distributions extensively overlap ([Fig 9](#pone.0189390.g009){ref-type="fig"}) and are not significantly different ([Table 3](#pone.0189390.t003){ref-type="table"}). And the evidence for infection on the superior auditory porus of Xujiayao 15, in the form of the porous new bone ([Fig 7C](#pone.0189390.g007){ref-type="fig"}), may indicate a non-aquatic origin of its auditory canal changes. Yet, the overall pattern is sufficiently pronounced, for both the eastern Eurasian archaic and early modern human EAE, to argue for a substantial contribution of exposure to cold water. EAE and auditory acuity {#sec014} ----------------------- The degree of development of some of the eastern Eurasian Pleistocene EAE, and in particular those of Xuchang 1 and 2, also has implications for their hearing abilities. The more advanced stages of EAE are associated with conductive hearing loss (CHL) in extant humans \[[@pone.0189390.ref002],[@pone.0189390.ref040],[@pone.0189390.ref047],[@pone.0189390.ref048],[@pone.0189390.ref071]--[@pone.0189390.ref074]\]. Most EAE are located laterally in the auditory canal, and therefore they do not usually impinge directly on the tympanic membrane. Yet, they may extend medially, causing stenosis of the canal (atresia) and associated CHL \[[@pone.0189390.ref075]\]. Moreover, large (Grade 3) EAE make it extremely difficult for the normal irrigation of the ear canal to cleanse the cerumen and exogenous debris from the canal \[[@pone.0189390.ref008],[@pone.0189390.ref074],[@pone.0189390.ref076]\]. The accumulated material then reduces both the sound transmission through the ear canal and the ability of the tympanic membrane to transmit the sound waves to the middle ear \[[@pone.0189390.ref077],[@pone.0189390.ref078]\]. Accumulated cerumen and exogenous material in the canal is therefore a common cause of EAE related CHL in recent humans. The Grade 2 EAE of Xuchang 1 are likely to have caused only minor CHL, since they produced only minor atresia of the canal and (unless there were large ones on the missing tympanic bones) are not likely to have greatly inhibited normal meatal irrigation. The larger left and especially right Grade 3 ones of Xuchang 2, with the apparent stenosis, would have impeded such cleansing of the canal. In addition, all of the Xuchang EAE extended to the attachment area for the tympanic membrane. To the extent that they impinged on that membrane (most evident on the right ones), they would have reduced the ability of sound waves to be transmitted to the ossicles of the middle ear and further promoted CHL. Consequently, Xuchang 2 appears to minimally have had an advanced degree of unilateral conductive hearing loss and probably some CHL on both sides. Xuchang 1 probably also had some degree of CHL. In addition to a general reduction in hearing acuity, unilateral CHL limits one's ability to discern the signal from background noise and to locate sounds in space. Among modern urban children it affects cognitive development \[[@pone.0189390.ref079]\]; it is likely to have been a much more serious impairment among Pleistocene foragers given its relationship to hunting effectiveness in recent human foragers \[[@pone.0189390.ref080]\]. Effective hearing is also an important component in learning lithic (and other) technology, given the need for auditory feedback \[[@pone.0189390.ref081]\]. In addition to a reduced effectiveness in communication and coordinated social activities, it would have made the individuals vulnerable to the ubiquitous medium to large carnivores of Late Pleistocene Eurasia \[[@pone.0189390.ref082]\], including early Late Pleistocene China; *Pachycrocuta* cf. *sinensis*, *Ursus* sp. and *Viverra* cf. *zibetha* are represented at Xuchang (including coprolites of the first and canine marks on faunal remains), and *Canis lupus* and *Panthera* cf. *tigris* were present at Xujiayao \[[@pone.0189390.ref021],[@pone.0189390.ref022],[@pone.0189390.ref083],[@pone.0189390.ref084]\]. In addition, both of these sites preserve abundant remains of a suite of large and potentially dangerous herbivores, including *Palaeoloxodon* sp., *Coelodonta antiquitatis*, *Dicerorhinus mercki*, *Equus ferus*, *E*. *hemionus*, *Bos primigenius* and *Megaloceros ordosianus*. The pronounced EAE of Xuchang 2 in particular (and to a lesser extent that of Xuchang 1) therefore indicate severely compromised auditory abilities. These impairments would have impeded the individuals' abilities to participate in socially coordinated activities and would have made them vulnerable to large mammals, both carnivorous and herbivorous. The EAE therefore imply some level of social support to enable their survival in their Pleistocene contexts. As such, Xuchang 1 and 2 join a series of other Pleistocene individuals with serious developmental or degenerative abnormalities (see list in \[[@pone.0189390.ref085]\]), including two others with CHL (Atapuerca-SH Cr.4 and Shanidar 1) \[[@pone.0189390.ref012],[@pone.0189390.ref014]\]. Most of these abnormalities would have impeded their abilities to function fully in a Pleistocene foraging context (e.g., \[[@pone.0189390.ref014],[@pone.0189390.ref086]--[@pone.0189390.ref089]\]), and many would have required some level of social support beyond the mother-child dyad for long term survival (see the extended discussion in \[[@pone.0189390.ref014]\]). Conclusions {#sec015} =========== The early Late Pleistocene Xuchang 1 and 2 and Xujiayao 15 late archaic humans provide evidence of external auditory exostoses (EAE), minor in the last, moderate in the first, and pronounced in Xuchang 2. As such, they join a suite of eastern Eurasian Pleistocene archaic and early modern humans with minor to moderate EAE, both samples presenting overall frequencies at the top of recent human distributions. The Xujiayao 15 one is associated with auditory porus new porous bone which may indicate an infectious origin for the EAE, but the other fossils are likely to have developed EAE from generalized inflammation of the meatus. The most likely stimulant, based on recent clinical and bioarcheological data, is cold water from aquatic proximity and/or activity, presumably for resource exploitation among these Pleistocene humans. In addition, the pronounced EAE of Xuchang 2 in particular implies conductive hearing loss and consequent social support for coordinated activities and protection from the dangers of a Pleistocene foraging existence. Supporting information {#sec016} ====================== ###### External auditory exostoses in eastern Eurasian humans. (PDF) ###### Click here for additional data file. ###### External auditory exostoses in recent human samples. (PDF) ###### Click here for additional data file. M. Wu made the Xujiayao fossils available for analysis, and Z.Y. Li provided the Xuchang fossils for study. H. Li, S. Villotte and J. Zilhão provided helpful comments and information. [^1]: **Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
968 F.2d 1226 NOTICE: Federal Circuit Local Rule 47.8(b) states that opinions and orders which are designated as not citable as precedent shall not be employed or cited as precedent. This does not preclude assertion of issues of claim preclusion, issue preclusion, judicial estoppel, law of the case or the like based on a decision of the Court rendered in a nonprecedential opinion or order.Norma SOSA, Petitioner,v.DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Respondent. No. 92-3041. United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit. May 11, 1992. Before ARCHER, LOURIE and CLEVENGER, Circuit Judges. ARCHER, Circuit Judge. 1 Petitioner Norma Sosa seeks review of the decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board (board), Docket No. ATO7529110188, which sustained the decision of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to terminate Ms. Sosa's employment for falsification of form SF-86 "Security Investigation Data for Sensitive Position." We affirm. 2 Ms. Sosa answered "no" to question 18 of SF-86 which asked: 3 Have you ever been arrested, taken into custody, held for investigation or questioning, or charged by any law enforcement authority? 4 She had in fact been arrested by Canadian customs officials a few years before when she and two friends had attempted to cross the border. The Canadian officials found one pound of cocaine in the possession of one of the friends who was driving the car. Ms. Sosa was arrested, charged with possession of and trafficking in narcotics and held in jail for 21 days before being released on a $13,000 cash bond. The charges against Ms. Sosa, however, were eventually dropped. 5 The board was required to decide whether this falsification was intentional and, if so, whether the penalty imposed by the agency was reasonable. See Naekel v. Department of Transportation, 782 F.2d 975, 977 (Fed.Cir.1986). Based on the testimony of witnesses, including Ms. Sosa, the board found that Ms. Sosa acted with intent to mislead the INS when she falsified the SF-86 form. This finding was based on the incomplete and deceptive information she gave to two advisors, her personal lawyer and an FBI agent, from whom she inquired whether her arrest needed to be reported on the form, her failure to check on the status of her arrest record either with her Canadian lawyer or with the Canadian authorities prior to completing the form, and from her less than candid explanation of the circumstances of the incident to her direct supervisor. The supervisor was led to believe that she had not actually been arrested, only that the car was stopped. 6 We are convinced that the board's finding of intent to mislead or deceive the INS is amply supported by substantial evidence in the record. As the board correctly stated "[i]ntent is a state of mind which is generally proven by circumstantial evidence," citing Tucker v. United States, 624 F.2d 1029, 1033 (Ct.Cl.1980). The board considered all of the circumstantial evidence, as well as the credibility of the witnesses' testimony, and properly concluded that Ms. Sosa had intended to falsify her answer on the SF-86 form. In view of the sensitive position she held with the INS in dealing with aliens, the deciding official of the INS and the board adequately considered the Douglas factors, Douglas v. Veterans Administration, 5 M.S.P.R. 280, 305 (1981), in determining that removal was an appropriate penalty. We have considered Ms. Sosa's other arguments and do not find them persuasive.
If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. The link is probably 9.5; we'll know for sure when it's announced and the download page is updated. The question is really will it work on *your* 4870; 4870s have been supported for almost a year. I think the folks on #ati might have been talking to you about the open source drivers rather than the Catalyst driver. When 9.5 comes out, uninstall your current fglrx driver (if you haven't already done so), then build and install package(s) for your distro. Don't use the generic installer. Remember to run aticonfig --initial before starting X with the driver. I believe there is a special option for aticonf --initial when you have a crossfire board. Should be in aticonfig -- help, post back if it isn't. The link is probably 9.5; we'll know for sure when it's announced and the download page is updated. The question is really will it work on *your* 4870; 4870s have been supported for almost a year. I think the folks on #ati might have been talking to you about the open source drivers rather than the Catalyst driver. When 9.5 comes out, uninstall your current fglrx driver (if you haven't already done so), then build and install package(s) for your distro. Don't use the generic installer. Remember to run aticonfig --initial before starting X with the driver. I believe there is a special option for aticonf --initial when you have a crossfire board. Should be in aticonfig -- help, post back if it isn't. would you be kind enouth to explain steps and code I need to take to make this thing work. Because other that aticonfig --initial I don't know anything else .....let's say it's a clean install on 9.04 Haven't heard a thing about this bug being fixed: Has anyone been able to get a 4850x2 or 4870x2 working with the 9.5 driver and Ubuntu 9.04? (Or even 8.10 for that matter... I couldn't get it to work there either.)
23 E. 39th St. Mgt. Corp. v 23 E. 39th St. Dev., LLC (2015 NY Slip Op 09605) 23 E. 39th St. Mgt. Corp. v 23 E. 39th St. Dev., LLC 2015 NY Slip Op 09605 Decided on December 29, 2015 Appellate Division, First Department Published by New York State Law Reporting Bureau pursuant to Judiciary Law § 431. This opinion is uncorrected and subject to revision before publication in the Official Reports. Decided on December 29, 2015 Tom, J.P., Renwick, Andrias, Moskowitz, Manzanet-Daniels, JJ. 117303/08 -15971 15970 15969 [*1] 23 East 39th Street Management Corporation, Plaintiff-Appellant-Respondent, v23 East 39th Street Developer, LLC, Defendant-Respondent-Appellant, Bruce Benjamin, etc., et al., Defendants. 23 East 39th Street Developer, LLC, Counterclaim Plaintiff-Respondent-Appellant, -against-vAllen Gutterman, Counterclaim Defendant-Appellant-Respondent. Robert J. Kheel, New York, for appellants-respondents. Robinson Brog Leinwand Greene Genovese & Gluck P.C., New York (Michael A. Leon and Jonathan W. Rich of counsel), for respondent-appellant. Judgment, Supreme Court, New York County (Doris Ling Cohan, J.), entered February 13, 2015, awarding defendant 23 East 39th Street Developer, LLC (defendant) the sum of $349,999.98, representing rent for the months May 2008 through October 2008, and bringing up for review an order, same court (Lancelot B. Hewitt, Special Referee), entered April 10, 2014, which, inter alia, denied defendant unpaid rent for the months of November 2008 through January 2009; and denied plaintiff's request to set off its security deposit against unpaid rent and other charges, and an order, same court and Special Referee, entered February 3, 2015, which, inter alia, granted defendant's motion for reargument to the extent of awarding prejudgment interest at the statutory rate commencing on August 31, 2007, unanimously reversed, on the law, without costs, the judgment vacated, the matter remanded for further proceedings in accordance with this order. Appeals from the foregoing orders, unanimously dismissed, without costs, as subsumed in the appeal from the judgment. Plaintiff (tenant) and defendant (landlord) entered into a lease dated August 31, 2007, which became effective October 9, 2007. In accordance with the terms of the lease, tenant paid landlord a $400,000 security deposit to be held in a segregated account. Counterclaim defendant Allen Gutterman executed a personal guaranty dated August 31, 2007, guaranteeing tenant's obligations under the lease. Either party had the right to terminate the lease "[s]ubsequent to the first consecutive twelve month anniversary of the rent . . . by providing at least ninety (90) day written notice to the other. . ." On May 15, 2008, tenant informed landlord of its intent to vacate the premises, and did vacate the premises on October 8, 2008, one year after the lease became effective. Plaintiff tenant commenced this action seeking to recover $115,944.19, i.e., the balance of its $400,000 security that defendant landlord failed to maintain in a segregated account. (Plaintiff admitted that it failed to pay rent for the months of May 2008 through September [*2]2008.) Defendant counterclaimed for $246,212.12 representing rent for the additional three months after plaintiff had vacated the premises. The motion court (Doris Ling-Cohan, J.) granted plaintiff summary judgment on its claim for conversion of the security deposit, noting that defendant had conceded that the funds had never been placed in a separate account as required by Section 7-103 of the General Obligations Law. The motion court noted that landlord's conversion entitled plaintiff to an immediate recovery of its deposit (i.e., $400,000). The court accordingly granted plaintiff summary judgment in the amount of $115,944.19, i.e., the amount of the security, less monies plaintiff admitted owing defendant for rent and other charges, with interest at the statutory rate from the date the funds were converted (i.e., October 9, 2007, the date the lease went into effect). The motion court denied plaintiff's motion for summary judgment dismissing defendant's counterclaims, finding that plaintiff could not vacate prior to three months after the one-year anniversary of the lease, i.e., January 2009. The motion court ruled that defendant was entitled to summary judgment in its favor on the counterclaim against plaintiff for rent and additional rents from May 2008 through January 15, 2009, together with interest, in an amount to be determined by a Special Referee. In an order entered April 10, 2014, the Special Referee awarded landlord the total sum of $349,999.98, representing rent owed by tenant for the months May 2008 through October 2008. In an order entered February 3, 2015, the Special Referee denied in large part the parties' respective motions for reargument and/or renewal. The Special Referee granted the motions to reargue only to the limited extent of awarding interest on the judgment from the date of August 31, 2007, the date counterclaim defendant executed his personal guaranty. The Special Referee exceeded the scope of the reference in denying landlord recovery for unpaid rents for November 2008 through January 2009 (401 Hotel v MTI/Image Group, 271 AD2d 228, 229 [1st Dept 2000]). The motion court found that tenant had failed to terminate the lease in accordance with its terms, and therefore was liable for unpaid rents through January 2009. The court referred the matter to the Special Referee only to determine the amount of any such rents owed. The Special Referee also exceeded the scope of the reference in determining that tenant was not entitled to an offset representing the amount the motion court found to be owing on account of landlord's conversion of the security deposit. Section 7-103 prohibits landlords from commingling security deposits with their own funds. Violation of the statute gives rise to an action in conversion and the right to immediate return of the funds (see Tappan Golf Dr. Range, Inc. v Tappan Prop., Inc., 68 AD3d 440, 441 [1st Dept 2009]). A landlord who violates Section 7-103 of the General Obligations Law cannot use the security as an offset against unpaid rents. This is so because a landlord is considered to be a trustee with respect to those funds deposited as security. To allow the landlord to set off the rent against the deposit would be to treat the deposit as a debt and the landlord as a debtor, the situation the statute was enacted to change (see Matter of Perfection Tech. Servs. Press [Cherno-Dalecar Realty Corp.], 22 AD2d 352, 356 [1st Dept 1965], affd 18 NY2d 644 [1966]). The same logic does not pertain where a tenant seeks to apply the security deposit to reduce amounts found owing to the landlord. The motion court having already determined that the tenant was entitled to the full amount of the security as the result of the landlord's conversion of the funds, the Special Referee exceeded the scope of his reference in refusing to reduce amounts owed the landlord by a setoff representing the amount of the security deposit to which the tenant was entitled. Interest on the past due rents should be calculated at the rate of 2%, not the statutory rate of 9% (see CPLR 5004). Here, the lease provides that tenant must pay a charge of 2% for each payment that is more than ten days late (see Board of Mgrs. of the 25th Charles St. Condominium v Seligson, 126 AD3d 547, 549 [1st Dept 2015]; CPLR 5004). Landlord is entitled to interest from the date in May 2008 when tenant's rent payment was due, not from the date that Gutterman executed the guaranty. Tenant is entitled to interest on the full $400,000 security deposit from the date of its conversion, October 9, 2007, as determined by the motion court. We remand the matter for further proceedings in accordance with this decision. THIS CONSTITUTES THE DECISION AND ORDER OF THE SUPREME COURT, APPELLATE DIVISION, FIRST DEPARTMENT. ENTERED: DECEMBER 29, 2015 CLERK
Geevarghese Mar Dioscoros Geevarghese Mar Dioscoros was a bishop of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Life Geevarghese Mar Dioscoros was born on 12 October 1926, the youngest son of Kunjupappi and Achamma of the Thevervelil Family in Kozhencherry. After completing Intermediate at Madurai American College in 1948, he joined the Madras Christian College. He graduated from there in 1950 and took his master's degree in Sociology from the Bombay School of Economics. He worked as the Secretary of the Co-operative Bank in Kozhenchery. While undergoing the officer's training course at the Reserve Bank of India he resigned and joined the Orthodox Theological Seminary at Kottayam for studies in Divinity. He was ordained as a deacon in April 1963, and as a priest in 1964 by Geevarghese Catholicose II. In 1966, he went for higher studies in theology at Jerusalem. In 1970, he founded the Holy Trinity Ashram in Ranni and opted to reside there. In 1973 he became the diocesan Secretary of Thumpamon. On 16 May 1977, the Malankara Association that met at Mavelikara elected him for the Episcopal order. He was consecrated as Episcopa Geevarghese Mar Dioscorus by Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I, Catholicos of the East on 15 May 1978 at Pazhani Church. He became the first Episcopa of the newly formed Diocese of Thiruvananthapuram on 1 January 1979. On 28 February 1981, he was consecrated as a Metropolitan in the old Seminary Chapel. He founded the Ranny Holy Trinity Ashram, the Ulloor Orthodox Church Centre, the Edamulaikal V.M.D.M Centre, the Sreekariyam Handicapped Children's Welfare Centre, and the Thiruvananthapuram Holy Trinity School and Convent. He died on 23 July 1999 and was interred in Holy Trinity Ashram, Ranny. References External links http://indianchristianity.org/orthodox/former1.html http://smosc.com/SMOSC/Diocese.html Category:Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church bishops Category:1926 births Category:1999 deaths Category:20th-century Oriental Orthodox bishops
Study Abroad The School of International Service (SIS) organizes a variety of optional experiential learning programs and internships abroad throughout the year. Available to International Relations Online students, these opportunities include AU faculty-led programs, courses offered at partner institutions abroad, and international internships. Program locations change to reflect student needs and interests. The SIS study abroad program is designed to allow busy professionals to participate while continuing to work full time and keep their responsibilities at home. This is why pre- and post-departure meetings are held online in the evening (EST) and time abroad is kept intentionally brief. Why Study Abroad? The goal of International Relations Online is to help students gain a global perspective so they can succeed in the field of international affairs. Study abroad opportunities help students apply the skills they gain from their courses and build intercultural competency by: analyzing and interpreting conflicts that involve people of different cultures while experiencing them firsthand gaining real-world experience with the concepts they learn in the classroom collaborating with peers in groups acting as consultants for international organizations networking with influential organizations, world leaders, and American University’s top faculty “The South Africa summer study abroad was life-changing! We learned from leading scholars at UCT [University of Cape Town] discussing a variety of issues concerning South Africa, including foreign policy, inequality, education, HIV/AIDS, economic and political history, domestic politics, environment sustainability, and much more.” Available Study Abroad Programs Study abroad programs led by SIS faculty include an online component and an abroad component. The online component—which includes 1–2 meetings per week before and after the trip—prepares students for their time abroad and facilitates further discussion after they return. The duration of time abroad varies by course, ranging from one to four weeks and averaging about two weeks. Summer Abroad Courses During the summer, SIS offers a series of short-term, experiential courses that include lectures, discussions, workshops, and site visits. In 2018, courses will include: Washington, D.C., and Mexico City, Mexico Students will study the complex web of issues that unites and divides the U.S. and Mexican governments—including free trade, security, corruption, immigration, and environmental challenges. They will spend about two weeks in Washington, D.C., interviewing a variety of U.S. and Mexican officials involved with Mexico. They will then spend about one week interviewing in Mexico City to formulate an official policy recommendation for the U.S. government. Freetown, Sierra Leone Sierra Leone is one of the world’s poorest countries, still recovering from a decade-long civil war and, more recently, an outbreak of Ebola. Students will travel there for two weeks to investigate how officials across levels—including the UN, international NGOs, and community-based organizations—partner to achieve shared development goals. Practicum Experiences During a summer practicum experience, students consult with an international client while producing original research that is relevant to the community, country, or broader region. Upcoming summer practicum programs include: Ketura, Israel (3 credits) In 2018, this practicum will focus on the three-year Arava/PWEG “Green Technologies in Cooperative Date Farming” project launched in 2017. The project seeks to engage Palestinian and Israeli farming communities in joint cooperative and learning efforts as a peace and confidence-building measure. The principal research task of the program will be to assess the project at its midway point. Copenhagen, Denmark (3 credits) During this course, students will study the cyber conflict in the area; how cyber tactics are used for coercion; and to what extent the conflict spills over into the commercial space, creating new markets for malware and cybercrime. The course includes a visit to NATO’s “northern flank” Scandinavian and Baltic countries and concludes with a student presentation on how government and corporate partners forecast the future of cyber conflict in the region. Yogyakarta, Indonesia (3 credits) Students will spend roughly two weeks in Indonesia conducting project design, monitoring, and evaluation tasks with local NGOs. The partner for the practicum will be VIA, a non-profit organization that specializes in cross-cultural understanding and transformative education programs in Asia and the United States. Local NGOs will likely include organizations that work in public health, human rights, development, interfaith dialogue, and other areas. New Providence, Bahamas (3 credits) Students will work virtually with the FOCUS program, a longstanding after-school program for historically underserved Bahamian youth. They will develop relevant evaluation indicators, build an analytical plan and begin an evaluation of the program’s impact. They will then present their findings and future recommendations to foundation staff in person in the Bahamas, exercising intercultural competency skills as they engage with our Bahamian partners. International Internships Because SIS has relationships with organizations all over the world, it offers direct connections to internship opportunities abroad. Students can participate in an international internship independently or in a more structured format. In the structured internship placements, students are directly supported by SIS faculty or connected through an AU Abroad Center. Faculty and staff have selected opportunities and organizations that are directly relevant to students’ academic and professional interests. Students wishing to work more independently can choose from a wider range of internships from approved organizations. Although SIS faculty members do not directly assist with these placements, they can advise students and share experiences of prior students working with these organizations. Graduate Global Program The Graduate Global Program is a support system for students who want to conduct independent research, secure their own internships, and participate in other professional development activities such as conferences or workshops abroad. Academic advisors and the SIS Office of International Programs (OIP) can help students to: connect with relevant faculty or institutions abroad register their activities (regardless of whether they are credit- or non-credit-bearing) Eligibility Requirements Hold status as a graduate student at American University. Non-AU graduate students may only apply to select programs (see program specific pages for eligibility). Achieve and maintain good academic and university standing. Submit an approved plan of study. As part of the application process, students should meet with their academic advisors to get approval for the courses they plan to take. Each program will have additional eligibility requirements listed on its respective website. To learn more about study abroad opportunities, visit the Office of International Programs or contact them via email.
All-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and its stereoisomer, 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA), are two active metabolites of vitamin A which are known to regulate a broad range of biological processes, including vertebrate development, growth, proliferation and cell differentiation. Retinoids are understood to induce cell differentiation by binding to distinct families of ligand-activated nuclear receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs). Naturally occurring retinoids, including ATRA, 9-cis-RA (9CRA) and 13-cis-retinoic acid (13CRA), can be described as chromophores since they selectively absorb light. Such molecules are essentially composed of three structurally distinct regions: a hydrophobic end, a polyene linker and an acidic group. The polyene linker in naturally occurring retinoids is highly conjugated and it is this region that gives it the ability to absorb light (at a frequency of 300-400 nm depending on the solvent). It is due to this feature that these molecules are particularly susceptible to photoisomerisation and can degrade into a mixture of different retinoic acid isomers. The resulting concentration of retinoid levels has also been shown to decrease markedly over time in culture and this could be a consequence of both their degradation and metabolism. Moreover, retinoids such as ATRA are temperature sensitive and are known to oxidise readily. Isomerisation of ATRA is understood to be an important part of its metabolic pathway because the resulting isomers have different mechanisms of action. This is an important point that is all too often over-looked by users of ATRA in the cell culture laboratory. It has been reported that the isomers of ATRA differentially affect the ability of mammalian stem cells to differentiate along alternative lineages and stated that extreme care should be taken to protect retinoic acids from isomerisation in such experiments (Murayama et al J. Nutr. Sci. Vitaminol 43(167) 1977. This is particularly relevant when the cellular response is determined by the concentration(s) of the isomer(s) present in solution. For example, the induction of the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells using retinoids is quite often variable, resulting in the formation of heterogeneous cultures of cells composed of different proportions of alternative cell types. To reduce such variability in differentiation response and improve reproducibility, it is essential that whatever is used to induce cell differentiation is in the same form and concentration every time it is used. Currently, this cannot be guaranteed when using reagents such as ATRA and its stereoisomers, all of which are light and heat sensitive and are prone to undergo isomerisation under sample preparation conditions, under storage of stock solution conditions and in culture conditions. It is because the different isomers have diverse effects on cells that some attempts have been made to control ATRA's sensitivity and tendency to isomerise. For example, a number of additives preventing cis-trans interconversions or oxidation of retinoic acids have been evaluated, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), fibrogen, lysozyme, phosphatidylcholine N-ethylmaleimide and vitamin C (Chen et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126 (410) 1995; Wang et al. J Chromatogr 796, 283, 2003). However, the addition of such molecules to cell culture media is not desirable; for example, the use of BSA would not be possible in serum free culture media. There is a need for improved alternatives to ATRA that do not suffer from the aforementioned stability problems and which can readily be used in cell culture applications.
Fetal colour tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI): biventricular reference ranges for the time segments of the cardiac cycle in second and third trimesters of gestation. To construct biventricular reference ranges for isovolumic time intervals (isovolumic contraction time, ICT; isovolumic relaxation time, IRT) and ejection time (ET) for colour tissue Doppler imaging (cTDI) between 15 and 37 weeks' in healthy fetuses. This was a prospective multicentre cross-sectional study involving 160 singleton pregnancies between 15 and 37 weeks of gestation, using cTDI. ICT, ET, IRT and myocardial performance index (MPI) were analysed offline using a small region of interest (ROI) within the basal part of the right and left ventricular wall immediately distal to the annulus. Regression analysis was used to determine gestational age-adjusted reference ranges and to construct nomograms for cTDI parameters. Right and left ventricular ICT (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001) and ET (p = 0.011 and p = 0.050) increased, whereas IRT (p = 0.862 and p = 0.067) and MPI (p = 0.476 and p = 0.777) remained constant with gestational age. This is the first study to evaluate fetal isovolumic time intervals in the second and third trimesters of gestation using cTDI. Normal data for fetal isovolumic time intervals and biventricular MPI by colour tissue Doppler imaging are provided. The reference ranges may be useful in research or clinical studies and can be used in fetuses with compromised cardiac function.
This invention relates generally to the providing or supplying of inflation gas. More particularly, the invention relates to assemblies for providing or supplying an inflation gas such as may be desired for certain inflatable passive restraint systems for use in vehicles for restraining the movement of an occupant in the event of a vehicular collision as well as methods of forming or making such inflator assemblies. It is well known to protect a vehicle occupant by means of safety restraint systems which self-actuate from an undeployed to a deployed state without the need for intervention by the operator, i.e., “passive restraint systems.” Such systems commonly contain or include an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint or element, such as in the form of a cushion or bag, commonly referred to as an “airbag cushion.” In practice, such airbag cushions are typically designed to inflate or expand with gas when the vehicle encounters a sudden deceleration, such as in the event of a collision. Such airbag cushions may desirably deploy into one or more locations within the vehicle between the occupant and certain parts of the vehicle interior, such as the doors, steering wheel, instrument panel or the like, to prevent or avoid the occupant from forcibly striking such parts of the vehicle interior. For example, typical or customary vehicular airbag cushion installation locations have included in the steering wheel, in the dashboard on the passenger side of a car, along the roof line of a vehicle such as above a vehicle door, and in the vehicle seat such as in the case of a seat-mounted airbag cushion. Other airbag cushions such as in the form of knee bolsters and overhead airbags also operate to protect other or particular various parts of the body from collision. In addition to one or more airbag cushions, inflatable passive restraint system installations also typically include a gas generator, also commonly referred to as an “inflator.” Upon actuation, such an inflator device desirably serves to provide an inflation fluid, typically in the form of a gas, used to inflate an associated airbag cushion. Various types or forms of inflator devices have been disclosed in the art for use in inflating an inflatable restraint system airbag cushion. One particularly common type or form of inflator device used in inflatable passive restraint systems is commonly referred to as a pyrotechnic inflator. In such inflator devices, gas used in the inflation of an associated inflatable element is derived from the combustion of a pyrotechnic gas generating material. Typically, pyrotechnic inflators include a pressure vessel housing so as to be able to withstand the 10 MPa to 30 MPa internal pressures created during combustion of the pyrotechnic gas generating material contained within the inflator. In practice, such pressure vessels are commonly made by welding together two or more metal, e.g., steel or aluminum, components after the loading therein of the inflator internal contents, such as the pyrotechnic gas generating material, for example. The automotive industry, however, continues to seek inflatable restraint systems that are smaller, lighter, and less expensive to manufacture. As industry constraints regarding factors such as the weight and size of vehicle components continue to evolve, corresponding changes to associated inflatable restraint systems are desired and required in order to better satisfy such constraints.
Oral sucrose compares favourably with lidocaine-prilocaine cream for pain relief during venepuncture in neonates. To compare the relative efficacy of oral sucrose versus EMLA cream for pain relief during venepuncture, 51 full-term newborns (38M, 13F; postnatal age <4 d) in a stable condition were randomly allocated to one of four treatment groups: placebo (2 ml spring water); 2 ml sucrose 24% w/v; 1 g lidocaine-prilocaine 5% cream (EMLA); or EMLA plus sucrose. Water or a single dose of sucrose solution was administered orally 2 min before venepuncture. EMLA cream was applied in the antecubital fossa 45-60 min before venepuncture and covered by a Tegaderm dressing. A pacifier was given before skin puncture, but it was not actively held or replaced during the procedure or observation periods. In total, 55 venepunctures were performed blindly, always for clinical reasons. As indicators of pain, the total crying time was recorded and heart rate, respiratory rate and arterial oxygen saturation were measured blindly at baseline, immediately post-venepuncture, and 2 and 4 min afterwards. The main effects observed were: (i) time spent crying decreased significantly in the sucrose alone (p = 0.001) and EMLA plus sucrose (p = 0.008) groups; (ii) the above treatments attenuated significantly (p < 0.05) the immediate heart rate response to pain; and (iii) the concomitant use of EMLA did not increase further the analgesic efficacy of sucrose. This study shows that a 24% oral sucrose solution compares favourably with EMLA cream as a safe and cheap analgesic procedure to decrease pain responses to venepuncture in newborns.
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CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers' coaching search is progressing -- and aging. For the second straight day, the team met with a Los Angeles Clippers assistant about its head-coaching job. Alvin Gentry is the third known candidate to interview this week with the Cavs, who this month fired Mike Brown for the second time. Cleveland executives met Tuesday with Chicago assistant Adrian Griffin, and the Cavs interviewed Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue on Thursday. Both the 39-year-old Griffin and 37-year-old Lue represent the new breed of NBA coaches: young, former players who are highly regarded but lack head-coaching experience. On Saturday, the Cavs are to meet with former Memphis coach Lionel Hollins. Like Gentry, the 60-year-old Hollins has an extensive head coaching resume and now the Cavs must decide whether to go with an unproven candidate or one who has been through the grind. Gentry, 59, could be considered a favorite because of his background with new Cavs general manager David Griffin. They worked together in Phoenix and have remained close. Griffin has said he wants to find a coach who is more offensive-minded than Brown, who improved Cleveland substantially last season but failed to develop the team's offense. Gentry is also reportedly a candidate for the Lakers' opening. It's unclear if David Griffin will expand his search to find Cleveland's third coach in three years. The Cavs initially dipped into the college ranks to gauge interest in high-profile coaches like Kentucky's John Calipari and Florida's Billy Donovan, and they may circle back if they're not sold on any of the four candidates brought in this week. Gentry went 335-370 during stints with Miami, the Clippers, Detroit and Suns. He spent last season -- along with Lue -- on Doc Rivers' staff. Hollins guided Memphis to a 56-26 record in 2012-13, but the club decided not to renew his contract despite him leading the Grizzlies to the Western Conference finals for the first time. He won an NBA title as a player with Portland in 1977 and had been with the Memphis franchise since 1999, when the team was in Vancouver and he became interim coach after Brian Hill was fired. Hollins is 214-201 overall and 18-17 in the playoffs. His departure in Memphis has been followed with upheaval in the front office. David Griffin understands the Cavs' job could be a tough sell, given the team has changed coaches in each of the past two offseasons. However, Cleveland's opening recently became more appealing when the Cavs won the draft lottery for the second consecutive year and will have the No. 1 overall pick for the third time in four years. The Cavs have a young, talented roster and salary-cap space. And owner Dan Gilbert is determined to move his club back among the league's elite. He just needs someone to lead it -- young or old.
Vincent Kompany: We're up for scrap Vincent Kompany has warned Bayern Munich that Manchester City are dtermined to win Receiving Bayern Munich at the Etihad is something that hasn’thappened for a long time Vincent Kompany has warned Bayern Munich that Manchester City are dtermined to win City must beat the German giants at the Etihad and hope that Villarreal can get at least a draw against Napoli. But fresh from Saturday’s 5-1 trouncing of Norwich, Kompany warned: “Any team coming here is not going to be favourite, I don’t care who they are. “Bayern are a team that know each other very well. “They have played together for a long time and have a habit of being in these big occasions so we can’t underestimate the fact that they will be ready. “But it will be a special night, and with the players we have, we are capable of anything. "Receiving Bayern Munich at the Etihad is something that hasn’thappened for a long time so we should show respect to the moment and make a special night of it. “The mood is good. We had a good result at An- field and a great one at the Emirates so we couldn’t be in a better mind-set for that game. “We know it will be dif- ficult as Bayern Munich are a difficult side to beat. “I don’t even expect them to play a weakened team, because that is the mentality I know. They are that kind of club. “It will be a hard game but we have every reason to still believe in it because Napoli have an equally hard game on their hands. “We believe 100 per cent we can do it.” City’s 25-year-old skip- per pinpointed Sergio Aguero as being crucial to his side’s hopes. Aguero, 23, has made a flying start since making a £38m switch from Atletico Madrid in the summer. He has hit 13 goals already this season, but Kompany insists there is even more to come. He said: “We have only seen the best of Mario this year, and only seen the best of Edin this year. “It’s been the same with David Silva, so it might be next year that we see the real Sergio – may- be he has got another level on him. “That’s a great prospect for us, that players like Samir Nasri, Sergio and Gael Clichy, who are in their first year at this club and even though they have been performing excep- tionally well, all still have another level to go to. “With us still learning to know each other better and learning a different style to what we played last year, there is still a lot to come from our team.” AC MILAN last night confirmed that Manchester City had given them permission to hold formal talks about a possible move for Carlos Tevez in January.
NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3. SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-5535-17T4 EDWARD F. CASTELLANO, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. GARRETT ENTERPRISES, LLC, JOSEPH URAS MONUMENTS CORPORATION, and CERTIFIED BUILDING MAINTENANCE, INC., Defendants, and ST. JOSEPH PARISH, JEREMIAH HOUSE, and DIOCESE OF TRENTON, Defendants-Respondents. __________________________________ Argued October 3, 2019 – Decided October 10, 2019 Before Judges Fisher and Rose. On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Monmouth County, Docket No. L-1076-15. Lee Michael Levitt argued the cause for appellant (Lee Levitt, LLC, attorneys; Lee Michael Levitt and Stacy L. Dwyer, on the brief). Christine M. Pickel argued the cause for respondents (Backes & Hill, LLP, attorneys; Christine M. Pickel, on the brief). PER CURIAM As part of the disposition of his second drunk-driving conviction, plaintiff Edward Castellano was ordered to participate in a forty-eight-hour IDRC1 program. The program he attended in February 2014 was located on property owned and operated by defendant St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Keyport.2 It had snowed in the days leading up to his attendance, including the night before, and as plaintiff walked about the premises before the program's start, he slipped and fell, causing the alleged injuries for which he sought compensation in this lawsuit. 1 Intoxicated Drivers Resource Center. See N.J.A.C. 10:162-1.2. 2 It is undisputed that defendant St. Joseph's Church owns, operates and maintains the property in question. The church property includes Jeremiah House, which contains meeting spaces, lounges, a Eucharistic Chapel, and sleeping quarters with forty-three beds. Defendant Garrett Enterprises ran the IDRC program that plaintiff was attending. Garrett and St. Joseph's Church had an agreement that allowed Garrett to use Jeremiah House for its forty-eight-hour IDRC program in exchange for its payment to St. Joseph's Church of $100 per client. A-5535-17T4 2 Following pretrial discovery, St. Joseph's Church 3 successfully moved for summary judgment on charitable immunity grounds. Plaintiff appeals, arguing the judge erred in granting summary judgment because, in his view, St. Joseph's Church "was not engaged in the performance of the charitable objectives it was organized to advance" and he was "unconcerned in and unrelated to the benefactions of" St. Joseph's Church.4 We reject these arguments and affirm substantially for the reasons expressed by Judge Katie A. Gummer in her comprehensive and thoughtful oral decision. We add only the following comments. In "distilling" the language of the Charitable Immunity Act5 "to its essence," our Supreme Court has recognized that an entity qualifies for immunity when it "(1) was formed for nonprofit purposes; (2) is organized exclusively for religious, charitable or educational purposes; and (3) was 3 The parties have not distinguished between or among St. Joseph's Church, Jeremiah House, and the Diocese of Trenton, as if, for present purposes, they are indistinguishable. Accordingly, like plaintiff, we will focus on the role of St. Joseph's Church in this matter. 4 Plaintiff and Garrett settled their differences. Defendant Joseph Uras Monuments obtained summary judgment in its favor; plaintiff does not appeal that disposition. 5 N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-7 to -11. A-5535-17T4 3 promoting such objectives and purposes at the time of the injury to plaintiff who was then a beneficiary of the charitable works." O'Connell v. State, 171 N.J. 484, 489 (2002) (quoting Hamel v. State, 321 N.J. Super. 67, 72 (App. Div. 1999)); see also Ryan v. Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 175 N.J. 333, 342 (2003). There is no doubt that, in moving for summary judgment, St. Joseph's Church met the first two prongs; it was organized as a nonprofit entity exclusively for religious purposes, and plaintiff does not suggest otherwise. Plaintiff's argument focuses on the third element, which poses two questions: was the entity "engaged in the performance of [its] charitable objectives" at the time of the incident and was the plaintiff a beneficiary of those good works? Ryan, 174 N.J. at 350. These concepts are to be viewed liberally, as the Court of Errors and Appeals observed long ago: The church function is not . . . narrowly confined. It is not limited to sectarian teaching and worship. In [the] modern view, exercises designed to aid in the advancement of the spiritual, moral, ethical and cultural life of the community in general are deemed within the purview of the religious society. A social center is now commonly regarded as a proper adjunctive of the local church – conducive to the public good as well as advantageous to the congregation. [Bianchi v. South Park Presbyterian Church, 123 N.J.L. 325, 332-33 (E. & A. 1939).] A-5535-17T4 4 Our Supreme Court remains committed to this broad interpretation of charitable objectives and good works, Ryan, 175 N.J. at 350; indeed, that approach is mandated by the Legislature, which declared that the Act is to be "deemed remedial and shall be liberally construed so as to afford immunity," N.J.S.A. 2A:53A-10. The record – even when viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, Brill v. Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 142 N.J. 520, 540 (1995) – demonstrates that, in making its property available for IDRC purposes, St. Joseph's Church was acting in accord with its charitable objectives. Contrary to plaintiff's inventive contentions, the IDRC program's essential purpose is not to incarcerate – participants were free to leave any time 6 – but to provide alcohol and drug education and highway safety; the program coordinator might also evaluate a participant for further treatment. All those goals fit well within the church's broad mission. Even if the court were to interpret the purpose of IDRC programs in the manner urged by plaintiff, ministering to the imprisoned is hardly inconsistent with the principles upon which St. Joseph's Church was founded. See, e.g., Matthew 25:36, 40 ("I was in prison and you came to visit me . . . I 6 To be sure, a participant's failure to complete the program would likely generate consequences, such as incarceration; but that incarceration would not occur at St. Joseph's Church. A-5535-17T4 5 tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me"). By providing a place for highway safety education as well as alcohol and drug education and evaluation – for the rehabilitation of DWI offenders – St. Joseph's Church acted well within the scope of its mission and for plaintiff's benefit.7 Affirmed. 7 We also recognize that Garrett's payment to St. Joseph's Church for the use of Jeremiah House would appear to have no relevance in the immunity analysis. See Green v. Monmouth University, 237 N.J. 516, 539 (2019). A-5535-17T4 6
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733 So.2d 993 (1999) ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY, Petitioner, v. Robert BOECHER, Respondent. No. 92,436 Supreme Court of Florida. April 22, 1999. Richard A. Sherman and Rosemary B. Wilder of the Law Offices of Richard A. Sherman, P.A., Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Robert R. Reynolds, IV of Dickstein, Reynolds & Woods, West Palm Beach, Florida, for Petitioner. Julie H. Littky-Rubin of Lytal, Reiter, Clark, Fountain & Williams, L.L.P., West Palm Beach, Florida, for Respondent. PARIENTE, J. We have for review Allstate Insurance Co. v. Boecher, 705 So.2d 106 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998), in which the Fourth District certified conflict with Carrera v. Casas, 695 So.2d 763 (Fla. 3d DCA 1997), regarding *994 whether this Court's decision in Elkins v. Syken, 672 So.2d 517 (Fla.1996), or Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii) prevents discovery requests from being propounded directly to a party regarding the extent of that party's use of and payment to a particular expert. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. We conclude that neither our decision in Elkins nor Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii) prevents this type of discovery and therefore approve the result in Boecher. The relevant facts are set forth in the Boecher opinion denying certiorari review of the trial court's order on discovery: This is a suit by the alleged victim of an accident against Allstate Insurance, his uninsured motorist carrier. On the basis that Allstate would call Biodynamics Research Corporation (an accident reconstruction and injury causation expert employed by the UM carrier) as an expert in this case, the claimant propounded interrogatories to Allstate as to information concerning the relationship between the UM carrier and Biodynamics. The questions sought the identity of cases in which Biodynamics had performed analyses and rendered opinions for Allstate nationally and in the preceding three years. The questions also sought to learn the amount of fees Allstate had paid Biodynamics nationally and during the preceding three years. Boecher, 705 So.2d at 106. The trial court overruled Allstate's objections: Because the discovery in question was directed to Allstate, a party, and not to the expert, the trial court found inapplicable Elkins v. Syken, 672 So.2d 517 (Fla.1996), in which the supreme court approved a district court's decision quashing, as overly burdensome, an order requiring expert witness physicians to produce tax records and information regarding patients examined for litigation purposes. The trial court reasoned that requiring such discovery from a party was not as "invasive" as requiring it directly from the expert. Id. at 106-07. The Fourth District agreed with the trial court based on its reading of Elkins, the policy concerns of that decision, and the language of rule 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii). See id. at 106-08; see also State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. v. Berg, 721 So.2d 835 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998) (denying a petition for certiorari review, citing Boecher). In Carrera, the conflict case, one party sought to discover from the opposing party the amount the opposing party paid to their expert witness in other cases where the party had retained the expert. The Third District did not address the relevancy of the request but determined that the request exceeded the permissible scope of the rule and Elkins. See Carrera, 695 So.2d at 764-65. In State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. v. Adair, 722 So.2d 958, 960-61 (Fla. 3d DCA 1998), the Third District reaffirmed its decision in Carrera and its disagreement with Boecher. The issue presented for our review is whether a party is prohibited from obtaining discovery from the opposing party regarding the extent of that party's relationship with an expert. We consider only the conflict issue. We specifically do not decide whether, as Allstate contends, the discovery sought in this case was unduly burdensome.[1] We note, however, that at the time the Fourth District rendered its decision in Boecher, there were no affidavits, depositions, or other sworn testimony in the record to support Allstate's claims of undue burden. 705 So.2d at 108.[2] *995 As stated in the seminal case of Surf Drugs, Inc. v. Vermette, 236 So.2d 108, 111 (Fla.1970), "[a] primary purpose in the adoption of the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure is to prevent the use of surprise, trickery, bluff and legal gymnastics." See also Schlagenhauf v. Holder, 379 U.S. 104, 114-15, 85 S.Ct. 234, 13 L.Ed.2d 152 (1964) (rules of discovery should be afforded "`broad and liberal treatment' to effectuate their purpose that" trials should not be "`carried on in the dark'") (quoting Hickman v. Taylor, 329 U.S. 495, 501, 507, 67 S.Ct. 385, 91 L.Ed. 451 (1947)). Our rules of civil procedure broadly allow parties to obtain discovery of "any matter, not privileged, that is relevant to the subject matter of the pending action," whether the discovery would be admissible at trial, or is merely "reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence." Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.280(b)(1). In Surf Drugs, we recognized four exceptions to the general rule requiring complete discovery that are still applicable today: (1) The subject matter of the discovery procedure must be relevant to the cause. (2) Discovery procedures may not be used or conducted to harass or embarrass litigants or witnesses or for malicious purposes. (3) The inquiry must not invade the ancient and necessary right of privileged communications between lawyers and clients.[[3]] (4) The work product of the litigant, his attorney or agent, cannot be examined, absent rare and exceptional circumstances. 236 So.2d at 111-12 (footnotes omitted). Further, rule 1.280(c), entitled "Protective Orders," allows a party or the person from whom discovery is sought "for good cause shown" to obtain a court order to "protect a party or person from annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, or undue burden or expense that justice requires." Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.280(c). This Court has not shrunk from condemning any practice that "undermines the integrity of the jury system which exists to fairly resolve actual disputes between our citizens." Dosdourian v. Carsten, 624 So.2d 241, 243 (Fla.1993); see also Government Employees Ins. Co. v. Krawzak, 675 So.2d 115, 118 (Fla.1996). Only when all relevant facts are before the judge and jury can the "search for truth and justice" be accomplished. Dodson v. Persell, 390 So.2d 704, 707 (Fla.1980). As was observed in Dosdourian, "[u]nder our adversary system a jury can usually assume that the parties and their counsel are motivated by the obvious interests each has in the litigation," but, when the alignment of interests is unclear, "[t]he fairness of the system is undermined." 624 So.2d at 243. With these guiding principles providing the framework for our modern discovery practice and the trial of a lawsuit, we examine our decision in Elkins. In Elkins, the discovery requests in the consolidated cases were directed not to the parties, but to the expert medical witnesses who had performed compulsory physical examinations (IMEs)[4] of the plaintiffs. The discovery orders required the physicians to produce the number of IMEs performed by them in the preceding years, the amount of income and percentages of *996 income earned from IMEs, the number of IME exams performed for insurance carriers and for defense attorneys, the identity of every person the expert had examined at the request of defense counsel, as well as all billing and payment information related to examinations and opinions rendered at the request of any insurance company or law firm. See Elkins 672 So.2d at 519-20. The en banc court of the Third District quashed the trial court's orders, finding the requests to the defense expert physicians to be unduly burdensome, while yielding "little useful information." Syken v. Elkins, 644 So.2d 539, 545 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994). We quoted with approval the Third District's observations that decisions in this field have gone too far in permitting burdensome inquiry into the financial affairs of physicians, providing information which "serves only to emphasize in unnecessary detail that which would be apparent to the jury on the simplest cross-examination: that certain doctors are consistently chosen by a particular side in personal injury cases to testify on its respective behalf." The production of the information ordered in the cases before us causes annoyance and embarrassment, while providing little useful information. In Syken, the court ordered additional discovery which, in light of the doctor's affidavit, is only duplicative, annoying and oppressive. In Plaza, the information necessary to demonstrate the basis for a claim of bias is most likely readily available through oral or written deposition without intrusive and improper examination of the doctor's 1099 forms and federal income tax returns. The least burdensome route of discovery, through oral or written deposition, was simply not followed. Elkins, 672 So.2d at 521-22 (quoting Syken, 644 So.2d at 545) (citations omitted) (emphasis supplied). The Third District set forth eight criteria[5] to be followed in seeking financial information from an expert "in an effort to prevent the annoyance, embarrassment, oppression, undue burden, or expense, claimed on behalf of the medical experts." Id. at 521 (quoting Syken, 644 So.2d at 546-47) (emphasis supplied). This Court subsequently adopted those criteria. See Elkins, 672 So.2d at 522. In rejecting the argument that the information was necessary to explore the bias of the expert witness, this Court balanced the probative value of the information sought against the annoyance and embarrassment to the expert physicians caused by the discovery requests. See id. at 521-22. The Court concluded that the Third District's criteria struck a "reasonable balance *997 between a party's need for information concerning an expert witness's potential bias and the witness's right to be free from burdensome and intrusive production requests." Id. at 522. In striking this balance, this Court observed that it is "essential" to keep in mind the purpose of discovery, which is "to eliminate the element of surprise, to encourage settlement of cases, to avoid costly litigation, and to achieve a balanced search for the truth to ensure a fair trial." Id. To the extent that we strove in Elkins to achieve a balance between the need for information concerning potential bias and the right of the expert to be free from intrusive requests, the analysis of the competing interests in this case is qualitatively different. We conclude that where the discovery sought is directed to a party about the extent of that party's relationship with a particular expert, the balance of the interests shifts in favor of allowing the pretrial discovery. On one side of the scale, we focused in Elkins on protecting the rights of the expert against unduly intrusive requests. We expressed concern for the expert having to divulge matters regarding personal financial privacy and further expressed concern for the burden imposed on the expert of compiling the requested information. See id. at 521-22. We concluded that such expansive discovery could have a "chilling effect" on a party's ability to obtain doctors willing to testify. Elkins, 672 So.2d at 522. None of these concerns are present when the discovery sought is from the party who has employed the expert regarding the extent of that party's relationship with the expert and the financial remuneration paid by the party to the expert witness over a period time. The opposing party has no corresponding "right" to prevent this discovery. On the other side of the scale, we considered in Elkins the probative value of the information sought where the expert was employed by that party for the pending case. However, we acknowledged the need for information concerning the potential bias of an expert witness. See id. at 522. We concluded that little useful information would be obtained to justify broad discovery concerning an expert's financial matters. Unlike the information requested in Elkins, which related to the extent of the expert's relationship with others, the specific information sought from Allstate in this case pertains to the expert's ongoing relationship with Allstate. We note that cases from other jurisdictions demonstrate the existence of longstanding and extensive relationships between parties and their expert witnesses. See, e.g., Brown v. Dobbs, 691 N.E.2d 907 (Ind.Ct.App.1998) (observing the "symbiotic" relationship between Biodynamics and State Farm); Eccleston v. State Farm Mut. Ins. Co., 587 N.W.2d 580 (S.D.1998) (observing that State Farm paid $7.5 million to Biodynamics between 1990 and 1995). The information sought here would reveal how often the expert testified on Allstate's behalf and how much money the expert made from its relationship with Allstate. The information sought in this case does not just lead to the discovery of admissible information. The information requested is directly relevant to a party's efforts to demonstrate to the jury the witness's bias. The more extensive the financial relationship between a party and a witness, the more it is likely that the witness has a vested interest in that financially beneficial relationship continuing. A jury is entitled to know the extent of the financial connection between the party and the witness, and the cumulative amount a party has paid an expert during their relationship. A party is entitled to argue to the jury that a witness might be more likely to testify favorably on behalf of the party because of the witness's financial incentive *998 to continue the financially advantageous relationship. Any limitation on this inquiry has the potential for thwarting the truth-seeking function of the trial process. As we observed in Krawzak, we take "a strong stand against charades in trials." 675 So.2d at 118. To limit this discovery would potentially leave the jury with a false impression concerning the extent of the relationship between the witness and the party by allowing a party to present a witness as an independent witness when, in fact, there has been an extensive financial relationship between the party and the expert. This limitation thus has the potential for undermining the truth-seeking function and fairness of the trial. See Dosdourian, 624 So.2d at 243. Thus, we conclude that the jury's right to assess the potential bias of the expert outweighs any of the competing interests expressed in Elkins. Although Allstate may not want the plaintiff to discover information regarding the extent of the relationship between Biodynamics and Allstate, as Judge Farmer so aptly observed, that information would be "indisputably relevant and meaningful." 705 So.2d at 107. Unlike the circumstances discussed in Elkins, 672 So.2d at 521-22, there are no compelling policy concerns to prevent discovery from the party who possesses the information. For all of these reasons, we conclude that Elkins should not be extended to limit the discovery sought from the party in this case. We now turn to whether the discovery is otherwise prohibited based on rule 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii). The Fourth District in Boecher concluded that the rule restricted only discovery obtained directly from experts. 705 So.2d at 107. The Third District in Carrera and Adair concluded that the rule makes no distinction and restricts discovery concerning experts, whether obtained from the party or from the expert. See Adair, 722 So.2d at 961; Carrera, 695 So.2d at 764-65. Rule 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii), promulgated in response to Elkins, was "intended to avoid annoyance, embarrassment, and undue expense"[6] to the expert. Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.280 committee notes (1996). It is a subdivision of the rule governing the "[d]iscovery of facts known and opinions held by experts." Fla. R. Civ. Pro. 1.280(b)(4). Although Elkins was limited on its facts to medical experts, rule 1.280(b)(4) is applicable to all experts. See id. A reading of rule 1.280(b)(4) in its entirety reveals an intent to restrict the information that can be discovered from the expert, even though the discovery is answered *999 by the party. For example, the rule states: "[T]he expert shall not be required to disclose his or her earnings," and "[a]n expert may be required to produce financial and business records only under the most unusual and compelling circumstances." Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii). In this case, Boecher attempted to discover facts known directly by Allstate concerning the extent of Allstate's relationship with its expert witness. We find no indication from either the language of rule 1.280(b)(4) or our opinion in Elkins that the rule was intended to shield a party from revealing the extent of its relationship with an expert witness. To the extent that the rule can be read to place a blanket bar on discovery from parties about information they have in their possession about an expert, including the party's financial relationship with the expert, we direct the Civil Procedure Rules Committee to advise the Court whether changes to the wording of the rule are necessary to clarify the Court's intent in adopting rule 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii). Availability of Certiorari Relief We further note that Boecher, Carrera, and Adair all involved petitions for certiorari. In Boecher the Fourth District denied relief, as opposed to dismissing the petition, indicating that it had considered the merits of the petition. See Bared & Co. v. McGuire, 670 So.2d 153 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996) (explaining the difference between denying and dismissing a petition for certiorari relief). In Carrera and Adair, certiorari relief was granted. In Martin-Johnson, Inc. v. Savage, 509 So.2d 1097, 1098 (Fla.1987), this Court explained the applicable limits of the use of petitions for writs of certiorari to appeal an order granting discovery. We described certiorari relief as an "extraordinary remedy" that "should not be used to circumvent the interlocutory appeal rule which authorizes appeal from only a few types of non-final orders." Id. at 1098. We observed that orders granting discovery had traditionally been reviewed by certiorari, because when discovery is wrongfully granted "the complaining party is beyond relief." Id. at 1099. However, we concluded that not every erroneous discovery order creates certiorari jurisdiction in an appellate court, and focused on "irreparable harm" as the governing standard. Id. at 1099 (emphasis supplied). The Court found illustrative of this type of discovery order one that would let the "cat out of the bag" and provide the opponent material that could be used by an unscrupulous litigant to injure another person. Id. at 1100. More recently, in Allstate Insurance Co. v. Langston, 655 So.2d 91, 94-95 (Fla. 1995), this Court, citing to Martin-Johnson with approval, explained that certiorari is the appropriate remedy when a discovery order "departs from the essential requirements of law, and thus causes material injury to the petitioner throughout the remainder of the proceedings, effectively leaving no adequate remedy on appeal." The Court echoed the holding in Martin-Johnson that not every erroneous discovery order creates certiorari jurisdiction because some orders are subject to adequate redress on appeal from the final judgment. See id. The Court disapproved contrary decisions from the appellate courts to the extent they could be interpreted as "automatically equating irrelevant discovery requests with irreparable harm." Id. at 95. Although approving the Fourth District's analysis of certiorari jurisdiction, the Court also quashed the district court's decision under review "to the extent that it permit[ted] discovery even when it has been affirmatively established that such discovery is neither relevant nor will lead to the discovery of relevant information." Id. Apparently, this language in Langston caused at least one appellate court to experience "an increase in the number of petitions for certiorari seeking review of discovery orders." Eberhardt v. Eberhardt, 666 So.2d 1024, 1024 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996). *1000 Judge Klein concluded in Eberhardt that this Court's decision in Langston did not expand certiorari review in the discovery context. Id. at 1025. We agree with Judge Klein's analysis in Eberhardt and reiterate that Martin-Johnson properly sets forth the parameters for certiorari relief in pretrial discovery. In conclusion, we approve the result in Boecher and disapprove the Third District's contrary opinions in Carrera and Adair. It is so ordered. HARDING, C.J., WELLS and ANSTEAD, JJ., and KOGAN, Senior Justice, concur. SHAW, J., and OVERTON, Senior Justice, concur in result only. NOTES [1] We also do not address the majority's observations regarding the ease of compiling the requested information in this computer age. See Allstate Insurance Co. v. Boecher, 705 So.2d 106, 108 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998). [2] Because it was not before the Fourth District, we do not consider the record from the proceedings in the trial court regarding Allstate's continued assertion that the requested discovery was burdensome. Those proceedings took place after the Fourth District's decision and after the petition for review was filed in this Court. [3] The scope of the recognized privileges is not restricted to the attorney-client privilege. See generally Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.280(b)(5). [4] Although still referred to as an IME, which stands for "independent medical examination," the rules of civil procedure recognize that the expert is no longer considered "independent," but rather an expert hired by the party requesting the compulsory court-ordered examination pursuant to Florida Rule of Civil Procedure 1.360(a). Thus, rule 1.360(c) specifically provides that the witness "shall not be identified as appointed by the court." [5] 1. The medical expert may be deposed either orally or by written deposition. 2. The expert may be asked as to the pending case, what he or she has been hired to do and what the compensation is to be. 3. The expert may be asked what expert work he or she generally does. Is the work performed for the plaintiffs, defendants, or some percentage of each? 4. The expert may be asked to give an approximation of the portion of their professional time or work devoted to service as an expert. This can be a fair estimate of some reasonable and truthful component of that work, such as hours expended, or percentage of income earned from that source, or the approximate number of IME's that he or she performs in one year. The expert need not answer how much money he or she earns as an expert or how much the expert's total annual income is. 5. The expert may be required to identify specifically each case in which he or she has actually testified, whether by deposition or at trial, going back a reasonable period of time, which is normally three years. A longer period of time may be inquired into under some circumstances. 6. The production of the expert's business records, files, and 1099's may be ordered produced only upon the most unusual or compelling circumstance. 7. The patient's privacy must be observed. 8. An expert may not be compelled to compile or produce nonexistent documents. Syken v. Elkins, 644 So.2d 539, 546 (Fla. 3d DCA 1994) (footnotes omitted), quoted in Elkins v. Syken, 672 So.2d 517, 521 (Fla.1996). [6] The rule states: Discovery of facts known and opinions held by experts ... may be obtained only as follows: . . . . (iii) A party may obtain the following discovery regarding any person disclosed by interrogatories or otherwise as a person expected to be called as an expert witness at trial: 1. The scope of employment in the pending case and the compensation for such service. 2. The expert's general litigation experience, including the percentage of work performed for plaintiffs and defendants. 3. The identity of other cases, within a reasonable time period, in which the expert has testified by deposition or at trial. 4. An approximation of the portion of the expert's involvement as an expert witness, which may be based on the number of hours, percentage of hours, or percentage of earned income derived from serving as an expert witness; however, the expert shall not be required to disclose his or her earnings as an expert witness or income derived from other services. An expert may be required to produce financial and business records only under the most unusual or compelling circumstances and may not be compelled to compile or produce nonexistent documents. Upon motion, the court may order further discovery by other means, subject to such restrictions as to scope and other provisions pursuant to subdivision (b)(4)(C) of this rule concerning fees and expenses as the court may deem appropriate. Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.280(b)(4)(A)(iii).
Social Icons Chanel Illusion D'ombre Long Wear Luminous Eye Shadow in New Moon 12.2.15 New Moon is a glittery iridescent copper shade with a metallic finish. The pigmentation is pretty good, although the texture when applying it becomes less creamy due to the glittery texture causing the colour pay off to be a bit less than I'd hope. It last a good few hours on me but I imagine wouldn't last too long on oily eye lids. The shade looks great with blue/green eyes, really making them 'pop'. It's great for that one swipe eye shadow look, very quick and easy but a lovely result. This eye shadow is beautifully sparkly, great for an evening out or a more dressed up day time look. It can easily be applied with either fingers or a flat brush; simple!
Many swimmers use swimming caps to cover their heads during swimming. Swimming caps generally cover the upper portion of the swimmer's ears and contain the swimmer's hair during swimming. In competitive swimming where winning margins are often measured in hundredths of a second, a swim cap may be particularly important for reducing the hydrodynamic drag on the swimmer. A conventional swim cap covers the crown of a swimmer's head, a portion of the swimmer's forehead and the ears, and the upper portion of the nape of the neck. The wearer's hair is generally tucked inside the cap during use. Conventional swim caps are typically generally hemispherical in shape and are made from a relatively thin, pliant, stretchable, and resilient material, such as a manmade fabric (e.g., spandex), silicone, or latex. Silicone and latex are convenient materials for swim caps due to their relative toughness, flexibility, and easy manufacturability. The pliability of the conventional swim cap is particularly important when the swimmer is engaging in strokes requiring a high degree of arch in the back and neck, such as the butterfly stroke, so that the swim cap does not interfere when the swimmer's neck is arched back. A disadvantage of conventional swim caps, however, is that the upper portion of the swim cap tends to deform during use, forming transverse wrinkles, particularly over the crown of the swimmer's head. These transverse wrinkles result from a variety of factors, including the highly flexible and stretchable materials used to form the swim cap, the swimmer's hair enclosed by the swim cap, the motion of the swimmer's head and neck, and hydrodynamic and other forces acting on the swim cap during entry into the water and swimming. The transverse wrinkling reduces the efficiency of the swimmer by increasing the hydrodynamic drag as the water flows about the swim cap. In addition, during use a conventional swim cap typically covers only the upper portion of the swimmer's ears, leaving a portion of the ears in the flow stream. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a swim cap that adequately covers portions of the swimmer's head and hair, including all of the swimmer's ears, but that does not tend to form wrinkles or otherwise deform to reduce the efficiency of the swimmer in the water.
Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary is a medium-sized Japanese–English Dictionary published by Shogakukan. The third edition (), published in 2001, has some 90,000 entries. Category:Japanese dictionaries Category:Shogakukan
Q: WPF connect two windows to drag and resize I want to create a sort of side-window next to another window. It should resize with the mainwindow and also move with it when I drag the mainwindow. How do I do this? A: the first thing you do is to create your second window. SecondWindow secondwindow; Then you call the window directly next to your MainWindow. secondwindow = new Secondwindow(); secondwindow.WindowStartupLocation = WindowStartupLocation.Manual; secondwindow.Left = this.Left + this.Width; secondwindow.Top = this.Top; secondwindow.Height = this.Height; secondwindow.Show(); If you want the second window to resize with your MainWindow (I guess just the height) type this in your MainWindow - SizeChanged - event. private void mainwindow_SizeChanged(object sender, SizeChangedEventArgs e) { if (secondwindow != null) { secondwindow.Left = this.Left + this.Width; secondwindow.Top = this.Top; secondwindow.Height = this.Height; } } Same without the height-change for the LocationChanged. private void mainwindow_LocationChanged(object sender, EventArgs e) { if (secondwindow != null) { secondwindow.Left = this.Left + this.Width; secondwindow.Top = this.Top; } }
"For God's sake, look at the state of my curtain." "Look at you." "If I've told you once, I've told you umpteen times." "Keep your trousers tucked in your boots." "Ryan Quinn!" "Are you listening to me?" "Come here." " Ma, can I go out and play?" " You can go out after." "Ma, leave it." "I'll do it." "I look like a spaz with them tucked in." "You won't say that when you trip and fall on your backside." "I look stupid." "You keep 'em tucked in." "Is your foot in?" " Yes." "I'll do it myself." "Ma, can I go out and play?" " No, you can't." " Ma, where are you going?" "Ma, can I go out and play, please?" "You're going to see your dad." "Don't you want to see your dad?" "James, what are you up to?" "What are you doing?" "You fucking bastard!" "Did you shit yourself?" "I got you one there, huh?" "I think this is what I'm looking for." " Hi, how you doing?" " Fine." "How are you?" " Just going to Susan's." " Say hello for me." "See you later." "I thought it was you." "To the little man." "Get the fuck away from there!" "Hey, beat it!" "This is me." "You're not going to let me /walk up here by myself." "Look, why don't you come up /to my place for a little coffee?" "George, what you need /is a good woman to look after you." "George!" "Where have you been?" "Go back to sleep." "Watch where you're going!" "A little mouse!" "Don't be touching it, darling." "No, no, no." "Give me your hand." "Don't, please." "You can't touch it." "It's vermin." " It's just a little mouse." "Well, these conditions /speak for themselves." "You can't possibly deny" "that there is a very considerable /health risk under which" "many of the good people /of Glasgow are at present living." "There's a risk in the form /of decomposition of this material," "a risk of fire," "a risk of it being spread by rats," "which are notorious vectors /of disease." "Remember Pete Connelly?" "He waited months before he heard anything." "You've told me already." "Well, they ended up with a great house, didn't they?" "They were going to throw this stuff out at work." "What's that for?" "It's brand-new." "Hasn't even been opened." "What color is it?" "It's a kind of pastel shade." "You've got to be joking." "It's gray!" " It's pale blue." " Your ass it is." "Look at it in the light." "It's pale blue." "Definitely." " You're not putting that up in here." " Why not?" "It's good-quality paint." " It's bloody horrible!" "Look, give this place a couple of coats, cheer it up a little bit, it's going to look beautiful." "What's the point?" "We're moving." "Yeah, maybe." "There's tea in the pot if you want some." "All right, I'm off." "It's good-quality paint." "James, don't you go near that canal." "Do you hear me?" "What are you staring at, you little pervert?" " That's my ma's." " So?" "What's it got to do with you?" "Do you want a photo?" " Of you?" "Stop making a mess of that table." "Shut up." "Hey, gorgeous!" "Where are you going?" "Don't you have a pal or something?" "Where are you going?" "Nowhere." "Make yourself useful." "Get me a can of beer from the fridge." "What?" "Go on, do what I tell you." "Move." "Yes!" "You beauty!" "Go on, son!" "Beautiful, Celtic, beautiful!" "I'm telling my dad on you." "My head!" " Big girls don't cry." "Go away." " You gonna tell my da?" " Yes, I'm telling." "And I'll tell him you drank his beer as well." "Anne Marie, shut up!" "Okay, I won't tell." " So you're not gonna tell my da?" " No, I won't tell." "Where's my beer?" "Dad?" "Where were you?" "You gonna watch football?" "It's an old firm game." " I don't like football." " I like football, Dad." "Can I watch it?" "You come over here and watch it with me." "I've got it." "Over here!" "Where's the little mouse?" "Remember that little mouse you put down the toilet?" "The little mouse." "It's gone out to sea, darling." "The seaside?" "Yes." "It went for a swim." "Da, James hurt me." "He drank your beer as well." "Did he now?" "I'll see to that later." "Now let me watch." "Go on, son." "Jump for it!" " You killed my mouse, Dad." "Yes, yes!" "Goal!" "Attack!" "Give them back, you bastard." " Say pretty please." " Pretty please." " Pretty please with a cherry on top." " Pretty please with a cherry on top." "What will you give me if I give you them?" " Anything." " No." "Fuck off." " The stupid cow can't see a thing." " Have you lost your panties as well?" "Just give me them back." "See you later, darling." "You bastard!" "Fucking cow." " Asshole!" " Fuckin' bitch!" "Can you see my glasses in there?" "Can you?" " No." " Are you sure?" " Yes." " Come and sit over here." " What?" " Sit here." " What's your name?" " James." " You want a drag?" " No." "I'll kill that bastard Matt Monroe." "That canal gives me the creeps." "Did you know that boy who drowned down here?" "Ryan Quinn?" "You wanna touch it?" "See you later, James." " It's heavy." " Help me get it on." "Don't tilt it too much." "Have you got it?" " Yes." "Hurry up." "Hold on a minute." "Okay, push it in." "Lift it up." "What did you let go for?" " It's your fault." " What are you talking about?" " It's all your fault!" "You want to calm down?" "What's the matter with you?" "You killed my boy." "What are you fucking talking about?" "That was my boy as well." "I loved him just as much as you, and you know it." "You killed him." "You weren't there!" "Come on, get a grip on yourself." "Please." "Get away from me, you bastard." "I hate you!" "Get away!" "I can't deal with you anymore." "Every time I come near you, we argue." "He left us." "He left my boy." "I couldn't watch him myself." "I hate him." "He killed my boy." "Where is James going?" "James, get my packages." "Leaving them lying in the middle of the street." "Hurry up." " James, come here, son." " Where are you going?" " I was gonna take the packages up." " Just do what you're told." "Would you give me a little hug?" "He's the double of my Ryan, isn't he?" "The same eyes." "Yes." "Maybe a little." "Will you do me a little favor?" "Will you go up to Ryan's room for me and get the little box on Ryan's bed?" "Will you do that for me?" "Go on, James." "It's all right." "Oh, fuck." "They look great." " They're hurting me." " Shut up, you." "What do you say?" "Say thanks to Mrs. Quinn." " They're too small." "Thanks." "James, look what I've got." "Ah, it's lovely." "What's its name?" " Suzy." "She's a she." " It's nice." "I've got budgies and gerbils in the house." "On my birthday I'm getting rats, tigers, bears, and mouse-eating snakes." "That's good." "When I'm older, I'm going to have the biggest zoo in the world." "Look." "I'm a member of the RSPCA." "That's good, man." " What are you looking for?" " Nothing." "Wow, look at all the little tadpoles in there." " Have you ever seen a perch?" " A peach?" "A perch." "It's about that size, with spiky, jagged fins." "I saw a guy catch one the other day." " Was it big?" "About that size." " You want to catch one?" " It's not that easy, Kenny." "I've got a net in the house." "It would pull you under." " I'm a great swimmer." " Another time, Kenny." "See you later." "James, what am I?" "Are you a bird?" "No, I'm an ostrich." "An ostrich can't fly." "See you later, Kenny." "James, are you coming to my zoo tomorrow?" " Maybe." "Bye." " See you later." "Is your mommy home, sweetheart?" "She just went out to see my auntie at the hospital." "Because I thought I saw her coming up the road there." "She came up and then she went back out." "I see." "Will you give her this?" "Your mom's never in, is she?" "Here, give her this from me." "Tell her the rent is due." "Has he gone away?" "You could get 50 pence for this." "A nice one there." "The smell in this place!" "What's that?" "Somebody's tossed out a perfectly good dog." " The smell of it!" " It's full of maggots." " Fancy a swim?" " Fuck off." " Fancy a Ryan Quinn?" " Fuck off." "You first, mate." "Are you a good swimmer?" "In you go." " Piss off." " What?" "Hey, leave him alone." "Don't do that to the little guy." " You shit yourself." " Just joking." "Hey, Stephen!" "All right!" "Big man." "How are you doing?" "We're off to Margaret Anne's." "Keep a look out the window in case her ma comes." " "All right, Margaret Anne, guess who. " - "Billy? "" "Try harder." "Who is it, Margaret Anne?" "Stephen." "Okay, I don't know, but you better /get my glasses back, you prick." "Who is it, Margaret Anne?" "It's you, Tommy." "Just fuck off." " "Not bad, girl." "One out of four. " - "Leave me alone. "" "Your breath stinks." "Piss off." "Piss off." "Don't you want a shot, man?" " Go on." " Come on, on you go." "Hurry up." "Go for it." "Go for it." "Go on." "Scared of the bird?" "Whip it out." " We've been there, done that." " Got the T-shirt." "Hey, man, you okay?" "What's it like down there?" "He boldly went where no man's gone before." "Call an ambulance for that guy." "Feather duster." "Push the cobwebs away." " What was that?" " He stuck his two fingers up at us." "Hi, Lisa." "Hi, Leanne." "Margaret, is it all right if I leave her here?" "My ma will be back soon." "Lisa, don't play in the rubbish." "Where are you going?" "Piss off." "I'm telling my ma on you." "I can do what I like." "It's a free country." "There's no way you're getting on this bus with me." "Go home." "Beat it." " Have you got a boyfriend?" " It's none of your business." "Look at the state of your knees." "They're pure black." "No, they're not." "Look, go home." "You're not getting on this bus with me." " Just tell me where you're going." " No, I'm not telling you nothing." " Can I have a ten pence, please?" " Where are you going?" " Can I have a ten pence, please?" " Where are you going, son?" "Here." "Just go on." "Go on." "Okay, son, that's as far as I go." "This is the end of my line." "Are you getting off or what?" " You know I love you, don't you?" " Oh, go away." "Come here, gorgeous." "I'm always gorgeous when you're half drunk." "Your ma..." "is one in a million." "Da, shut up." "I'm trying to watch this." "Your ma is one in a million." "Look at him." "Anne, have you seen my cigarettes?" "Ow, it's stinging!" "It's nowhere near your eyes." "Get up." "They're not here." " "Scottish League Division Two, "" " I was watching that." "Stirling Albion 20, Selkirk 0." "You jerk." "What?" "Come here, you." "You've been scratching and all." "No, I haven't." " Your head's crawling." " No, it's not." "James, sit." "Where are my cigarettes?" "Has anyone seen my cigarettes?" "If you'd open your eyes, you might find them." "They're over there." "I looked there." "There's your wages, sweetheart." "You want me to leave a couple of cigarettes for you?" "No, that's all right." "I've got some." "Okay, see you later." "James, take this trash down." "You take it down!" "I got them from you, you little cow." "Shut up!" "Ma, he was scratching before me." "Take her out now and get her ready, will you?" "Ma, have you heard anything about the new house yet?" "No, sweetie, we're still waiting." "Keep your head down." " Can I see it?" " Stay still." "What do they look like?" "I can't see anything." " Look." "Is that it?" "James, you're gonna catch lung cancer." " Is that right, Kenny?" " I'm not allowed to play down there." "It's an envir... an enviro..." "A really mental health hazard." "What?" "Guess what." " What?" " It's my birthday today." "Happy birthday." "Want to see my present?" "Two minutes." "Are you still here?" " Yeah." "Are you all right in there, Snowball?" "Happy birthday, Kenny." " "Who's your pal, James? " - "Look, it's animal boy. "" " What's that you've got?" " Stop it." " I'm not doing anything." " Stop it." " Look, it's a rat." " It's not a rat." " What's its name, Kenny?" " Snowball." " Ah, that's lovely." " Let's see it out." "No." "OnlyJames can see it." "Let me see it." "It's lovely." " Let me see it." " No." "Come on, you're one of the boys." "Am I, James?" "Yeah, so is James." "He's one of us." "Okay, then, but only for a minute." "The little bastard bit me." "Give me my mouse back." "The fucking thing cut my finger." "Give it back!" "Give me my fucking mouse back!" "Move." "I want it back!" "You're going to kill it." "Throw it on the ground." "It can fly, Kenny." "Let it fly toJames." "Go on." " All right, James!" "My mouse can fly." " Where's it gonna fly to?" " Go on, James." "Fucking kill it." " Where will it fly to, James?" "Just fling it at the wall." " The moon." " That's sad." "My mouse is going to the moon?" "You better put it back in its cage." "It's done enough flying today." "My ma's gonna slap you for this." "Your mother only wears panties to keep her ankles warm." " "Is that a friend of yours, James? " - "You going to the moon with him? "" " "Look, James. " - "He's a fuckin'psycho. "" ""I'm going to the moon. "" "Look, everybody." "Bye-bye, Snowball." "Hi, James." "Hi, Kenny." "What are you doing?" " What?" " What are you doing?" " I'm gonna catch a perch." " How are you gonna do that?" " I'll show you." "You see this bread?" "I'm going to throw it in like that." "When they come up, I'm going to do this and catch it." "I'll catch one, James." "Watch this." "I've got it, I've got it!" " Do some more." "See that, man?" " What was that, Kenny?" " They're bitin'." " Aren't there any down there?" " Don't know." "Must be." " You want a hand?" " No, James." "I want to do it all myself." "Okay." "I'm gonna go, Kenny." "See you later." "Is he stupid or something?" "He's all right." "I've got one." "Oh, it got away." "Ow, you're hurting me." "You wanna see 'em?" "I can't see anything." "There's the little beast." "See?" "You need your glasses back." "Hang on." "I'll find another one." "A bigger one." "I've got it." "See it?" "Yes, I think so." "The big beast." "You're done." "Did you kill them all?" "I think so." "You need to go wash it now." "George!" "George, you have to help me." "It's my boy... he's in the canal!" "You've got to wet your hair first." "Fifty-seven!" "I can get up to 7 0 if I count faster." " Where's the soap?" " I don't know." "I need to pee." "Although neither side /is willing to say so openly," "it's clear the threat to bring in troops /made the strike leaders back down." "Clearing up all this mess will mean /thousands of pounds" "in bonuses and overtime /for the refuse collectors," "compensating them for the nine weeks /they've been on strike." "The threat of someone else /doing the work" "and the fact they'd lose /all the extra money" "produced an abrupt /change of heart." "Your da's a hero." " "Is your mother or father in? " - "My da's in, but he's sleeping. "" " "We're from the council." "Can we come in? " - "Is it about our new house? "" "Come on in." "Da." "It's the new house people." "Wake up." " Fuck off." " It's the new house people." " What?" "Who the fuck are you?" "I'm Miss McDonald." "This is Mr. Mohan." "We're from the council." "We've come to inspect the condition of your property and assess your standard of living." "Have we caught you at a bad time?" "We just want to look around." " Mrs. Fowler's boy was in the canal." "I had to go in the canal, and I can't even swim." "I had to go through the rubbish out back." "Have you seen out there?" "It's a fucking disgrace." "I see it's a three-bedroom property you're looking for, Mr. Gillespie." "That's right." "Are we getting a big house with a bath, a toilet and a field?" "Are we, Da?" "You'd better come back when the wife's here." "We've got all the information we need." "Thanks very much, Mr. Gillespie." "Bye-bye now." "Sorry about the mess." "Come here, you." "Can't you fucking do anything right?" "What did you let them in for?" " 'Cause I thought that..." " 'Cause you thought." "Are we still getting the new house?" "If we don't, it's your fucking fault." "Now get out of my sight." "Would you hold still a minute?" "What's the matter with you?" "I'm itchy." "Are you about finished?" "I think you caught something in that canal." "All right, you're all done." "Margaret says the council inspectors were up to see her house today." "They didn't come here, did they?" " Who?" "This place was a mess." "Dad, here." "Mr. Mullen never took the money for it." "He didn't?" " Tell you what:" "You keep it, sweetie." " Really?" "Thanks, Da." "He told me to tell you you're a hero." " Did he?" "Look at the face on you." "Here's your shoes, Daddy." "That's brilliant." "Can I have 50 pence?" "That's Mom's!" "Where does that boy go?" "Ladies and gentlemen, /boys and girls," "it's a great pleasure for me /as Lord Provost" ""to welcome you here"..." "Check out that guy's sideburns." "James, do you think Snowball's on the moon yet?" "You be quiet." "I don't want to hear another word about that mouse." "Now shut up." " Even the McKays are moving soon." " Yes, I heard, sweetie." " When are we going to be moving?" " We'll hear soon." "You always say that." "I will now hand out the certificates and the medals as awards for your acts of bravery." "Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen." "As I call your name, will you please come forward?" "Thanks, George." "Don't know what I would have done." "I can't thank you enough." "What have you got to say to Mr. Gillespie, Kenny?" "We sent Snowball to the moon." "Didn't we, James?" "What did I tell you to say?" "Look at the man when you're speaking!" "Thanks for saving my wife..." "I mean life." " My da's a hero." " That's right, sweetheart." "Look, there he is up there." "See him?" " Alan McCallen." " George Gillespie." "Da, it's lovely." "Can I keep it?" "I'm going for a quick drink, meeting the boys at the pub." "Don't be too long." "See you later, sweetie." "Ma, remember:" "Put Tom Jones on." "Ma, I asked you to put Tom Jones on." "You weren't listening." "I told you to put Tom Jones on." "You guys wouldn't know a good tune if it came up and bit you." " Put Tom Jones on!" " Stop screaming in my ear." "Tom Jones is shit, Anne Marie." "You're a big shit." "Hey, you two, that's enough of that language in my house." " He said it first." " You hear me, young lady?" " Da swears all the time." " Okay, who's dancing?" "Come on, who's gonna dance?" "I'll dance by myself." "Me and your da were the best jivers at the Lindella." "She's mad." "Is that right?" "Bet you couldn't do it." "Are you dancing?" "You're supposed to say, "Are you asking?" Are you dancing?" " No way." " Come on, James." "One dance for your Ma." "James can't jive." "James can't jive." "Watch this move." "James can jive." "Let's try a double." " James can't jive." " Yes, he can." "James is a good jiver." "I'll dance with you, Ma." "One drink, one little drink." "That's all." "Then you can go home." "You're a lovely woman, but I need to go." "I don't have any money." "Come on." "I've got to go." "Buy yourself a drink, okay?" "You're a lovely woman." "See you later, darling." "Look after yourself." "You too." "Bye." "Mister, can you hold my cat for me so I can go to the ice cream van?" "Sure I can." "Be careful crossing the street." " Yes, dear?" " Can I get one of these?" "Where'd you get the cat, you pussy?" "Fuck off, all of you." "Who do you think you're talking to?" "Try them on." "I don't want to." "I bought them for you, you ungrateful little bastard." "Now get 'em on." "Look at 'em." "They're too big." "Let me see." "I don't fuckin' like football!" "I thought I heard a noise." "What are you doing up here, son?" "Who are you looking for?" "Don't you have a tongue in your head?" "Oh, my God, they're getting younger and younger." "Another one." "Shit." "There's your ma." "Don't worry, she won't come in." "Just turn the light out." "I'm freezing." "Aren't you coming in?" "James, do you love me?" "Yes." "Come on, let's go." "Don't forget that mask." "Get those masks on!" "Scabs!" "You're nothing but a bunch of scabs." "Every last one of you." " "Shut your face. "" "It's about time /these bags were cleared." "You mind your own business, /you old cow!" "Hey, come on." "Beat it!" "James!" "Look!" " Can I get up?" " No, we're too busy." "James, look." "I killed it." "I thought you were a member of the RSPCA." "My ma says they're verm... verm..." "They're pests." "You're ma's looking for you." " Is she?" "Yes." "Look at the moon." "Hello, Snowball." "Snowball's dead, Kenny." "You killed him." "Calm down, for fuck's sake." "Go for it." "Poor cow, poor cow, poor cow, poor cow." "Come on, it's my turn." "Remember, be nice to him." "I'm not your pal anymore." "Fuck off, fuck off." " Fucking spastic!" " I saw you, I saw you, I saw you." "You killed Ryan Quinn." "You killed him." "Where have you been?"
Bojan Bogdanovic Will Stay In Turkey After the reported three year for $2.5million deal halted, the Nets and Bojan Bogdanovic have officially went their separate ways for this season. The Nets tried to buyout Bogdanovic from Fenerbahce but would be complicated since its at least $1 million . Also, there were questions if Bogdanovic really wanted to play with the Nets this season. He seemed optimistic and he had people in his corner convincing him to stay. Here's what his coach from Fenerbahce had to say. "I told him, don't go to the NBA just to go. Go to the NBA if you know that you can play. Bogdanovic is a young player who can still grow a lot. NBA won't escape, he can go there in one year or two. He told me that he will stay with Fenerbahce" Billy King has few options left and one might be Andrei Kirilenko but they will likely fail. Kirilenko just opted out an one year $10 million contract and the Nets can only offer him that for three years. There is also Alan Anderson, who averaged around 11 points last season with the Toronto Raptors. The search of a backup for Paul Pierce is still in progress even though they haveDamion James, but King spoke on this situation. Joe Johnson will play some minutes at small forward,” King said, adding that the Nets have the versatility to go with a small lineup. “Starting with the interview with Kidd and how he envisioned our players, moving guys in different positions.” “Obviously with some guys, we’re going to try to monitor some of the guys’ minutes as we go forward,” King said, clearly referring to Garnett and Pierce . After all, the Nets are better off saving money and just sticking with what they have. There are enough scores on the team and maybe they should develop Tornike Shengelia who showed some flashes last season.
German Patent Application Nos. DE 100 19 416 A1, DE 100 19 417 A1, and DE 100 19 418 A1 describe general concepts for rollover sensing using methods and devices based on the analysis of a yaw rate sensor and two acceleration sensors which are integrated in the central airbag control unit. The yaw rate sensor ascertains, by the gyroscopic principle, the rotation rate about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle; in addition, the acceleration sensors measure the acceleration of the vehicle in the direction of the transverse and vertical axes of the vehicle. The yaw rate is analyzed in the main algorithm. Using the measured values of the acceleration sensors, the type of rollover may be recognized, and these values are also used for plausibility checking. If the yaw rate algorithm detects a rollover, safety measures are activated only if they are enabled by the plausibility check at the same time. A timely deployment decision in the event of a rollover at a high lateral acceleration by taking into account a float angle and a transverse velocity of the vehicle, as well as a vehicle tipping motion, is described in German Patent Application No. DE 101 49 112 A1. However, the float angle and therefrom the lateral velocity as needed for rollover detection are not determinable by conventional methods such as used in vehicle dynamics control, for example, in an angle range greater than 20°. These methods, such as those using a model from tire characteristics and lateral force, for example, are suitable only for angle ranges of less than 10°. The reason for the small validity range is that vehicle dynamics control may no longer be successfully performed at larger float angles. German Patent Application No. DE 102 39 406 A1 describes a device for determining float angles greater than 20° and the lateral velocity for rollover detection. This device divides the vehicle's state into chronologically consecutive phases and determines the float angle and the vehicle's transverse velocity from the vehicle dynamics data differently in the individual phases. The disadvantage here is that the initial float angle for “setting up” the algorithm is a constant parameter, which is a function of the application and of the vehicle.
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hard film, a sliding part, and a method of manufacturing the sliding part. 2. Description of the Related Art Techniques for reducing the friction of sliding parts have been intensively studied to contribute to reduction of fuel consumption in internal combustion engines and to improvement in the working life of parts. Their typical examples are development for the solid lubrication films and development of texturing allowing a desired concavo/convex shape to be formed on the surface. Solid lubrication films exhibit satisfactory effects in a circumstance with no lubrication and, in contrast, the texturing, which uses a structure in which lubrication oils are accumulated, effectively functions in a circumstance where the lubrication oils are used. Further, by combining the techniques described above, a technique in which the solid lubrication film and the texture coexist has been devised. Such a combined technique is applied to a sliding circumstance where the thickness of the oil membrane of the lubrication oil changes or to a lubrication circumstance where the thickness of the oil membrane is thin and a solid contact is innegligible. A technique of providing a concavo/convex shape to the surface of a film has been developed as in JP-2002-235852-A and JP-H06 (1994)-41721-A. According to JP-2002-235852-A, a film having a plateau shape at the surface prevents oil run out and exhibits a low friction property in a lubrication oil. According to JP-H06 (1994)-41721-A, a hard film having a truncated concavo/convex shape ensures oil retention and thus has anti-galling property and wear resistance. Meanwhile, DLC (Diamond-like Carbon) is a typical material for a solid lubrication film. DLC is well-known as a film adapted to allow high hardness and self-lubrication property to coexist. DLC is a film which is a material also referred to as amorphous carbon, a-C (amorphous carbon), a-C:H (hydrogenated amorphous carbon), i-C (i-carbon), and hard carbon. The film deposition method of DLC includes a PVD method or a plasma CVD method such as sputtering and arc ion plating, wherein when a hydrocarbon gas is used for the starting material, a carbon film containing hydrogen is formed. The micro structure of DLC is an amorphous structure including both sp2 bonding and sp3 bonding as bonding of carbon atoms to each other but not having a distinct crystal structure (not having grain boundary). DLC can provide high hardness and high toughness in comparison with a crystalline hard film made of TiN (titanium chloride), TiAlN (titanium aluminum nitride), and CrN (chromium nitride), or the like. DLC has a low friction coefficient since it has self-lubricity derived from the sp2 bonding. However, DLC suffers from deterioration of film quality such as a decrease in film strength or formation of defects on the surface in a temperature region of 300° C. or higher, with DLC having heat resistant temperature that is remarkably low compared with about 500° C. of TiN and about 800° C. of TiAlN. Since the friction surface is at a high temperature state locally due to heat of friction, DLC may sometimes be worn remarkably depending on the sliding condition. A film with addition of other elements to DLC has been developed with an aim of improving the wear resistance of DLC and JP-2011-26591-A describes DLC containing 5 to 25 atomic % of hydrogen and 4 to 30 atomic % of boron at the surface of a member used in a lubrication oil. With an aim of ensuring low friction property in a no-lubrication state, a molybdenum additive is blended to a lubrication oil in JP-2002-235852-A, while sulfur, phosphorus, zinc, calcium, magnesium, sodium, barium, and copper are blended each in an appropriate amount to the lubrication oil in JP-H06 (1994)-41721-A. Further, with an aim of improving the heat resistance, a film with addition of boron and nitrogen together to DLC has also been developed. According to JP-2004-60668-A, a rolling device are improved in anti-galling property and wear resistance by forming a B—C—N layer comprising amorphous carbon containing boron and nitrogen. According to JP-2005-282668-A, a fastening jig has a sliding surface'coated with a film comprising from 40 atomic % or more to less than 99 atomic % of carbon and from 1 atomic % or more and less than 40 atomic % of hydrogen where carbon is substituted with boron and nitrogen in a range of 10 to 80%. Such a fastening jig exhibits satisfactory anti-galling property.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a complex disease of substantial public health concern, and is the 4th leading cause of mortality globally, with morbidity and mortality expected to worsen by the year 2020. Tobacco use is a major environmental risk factor in the development of COPD;however, only 10-20% of smokers develop symptomatic disease. Animal and human studies provide support for the role of genetic factors for both smoking behavior and its associated outcomes, including lung function and other manifestations of COPD, yet only a small proportion of potentially causal genes have been identified. The Lung Health Study (LHS), a 14.5-year, multicenter, randomized clinical trial aimed to determine whether a program of smoking intervention and use of an inhaled bronchodilator can slow the rate of decline in pulmonary function or alter COPD mortality, represents one of the largest COPD cohorts worldwide (N=5,887). As part of a previous NHLBI-funded study, we developed a DNA repository including >4,800 LHS participants. We plan to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for COPD and associated quantitative traits in this well-characterized cohort and use existing GWAS datasets to validate our findings. Because we also hypothesize that some genes may contribute to nicotine addiction and thus tobacco use (the strongest environmental risk factor in COPD), we will test for association between genetic markers and this outcome, and will similarly validate those findings, and test for gene-environment interaction. A major strength of our application is the collaborative effort with colleagues at the James Hogg iCAPTURE Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research in Vancouver, and the LHS Data Coordinating Center at the University of Minnesota. Additional collaborations with investigators conducting GWAS in relevant datasets include those from Harvard University (the Framingham Health Study, the National Emphysema Treatment Trial/Normative Aging Study), University of Washington (the Cardiovascular Health Study), University of North Carolina (Tobacco and Genetics Network), and University of Toronto (Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients Study). Goals of this study are: (1) to perform GWAS in European American and African American LHS subjects using a genome-wide array of 550,000 SNPs, with individual rate of decline of lung function and COPD susceptibility as the primary outcome phenotypes;(2) to cross-validate significant associations using existing GWAS data in independent populations;(3) to test for gene-environment interactions using markers associated with COPD outcomes, with a particular focus on tobacco use;and (4) to perform tests for association between the markers and outcomes reflecting nicotine addiction (e.g. sustained quitters vs. continuous smokers), and to validate significant associations in a replicate population. Findings from this study will provide a better understanding of the complex pathways related to risk of COPD and its associated phenotypes.
A measurement device has already been disclosed by German Patent Publication 195 24 634 A1, which includes a plate-shaped sensor element with a dielectric membrane that is inserted into a recess of a sensor support. The sensor element is made of a semiconductor material, e.g. silicon, and is manufactured in a micromechanical construction. The membrane is comprised of a dielectric material, for example silicon nitride or silicon oxide. A measurement resistor and a heating resistor are disposed on the dielectric membrane, which are to a large extent thermally insulated from a silicon frame that encompasses the membrane due to the thin embodiment of the membrane and the low heat conductivity of the dielectric membrane. Between the dielectric membrane and the sensor support, there is a hollow space in the plate-shaped sensor element, which extends from a bottom face adjoining the sensor support to the dielectric membrane and is manufactured, for example, by means of an etching process. The sensor element is fixed in the recess of the sensor support by means of a glue. Since the relatively thin membrane must be protected from excess pressure peaks, a ventilation of the hollow space provided underneath the membrane cannot be omitted. The ventilation of the recess in the measurement sensor or the rear of the membrane, however, must take place so that a flow of the medium is kept away from the rear of the membrane in order to prevent the rear flow from contributing to the measurement signal. In order to prevent the penetration of glue into the hollow space adjoining the membrane, the gluing region does not extend over the entire sensor element, but the sensor element is glued into the recess of the sensor support on only half of its surface and the region of the sensor element which has the electric membrane is disposed freely in the recess. In order to prevent underflow of the membrane, i.e. a flow of the medium to the hollow space embodied underneath the membrane, or to at least counteract this, a flow conduit is provided, which is embodied in the sensor support as a channel-shaped recess and extends around the sensor element. At the same time, the provision is made that the recess embodied in the sensor support is matched to the dimensions of the sensor element so that only a small gap respectively remains between the lateral boundary of the sensor element and the lateral boundary of the recess in the sensor support, which permits only a throttled flow of the medium to the hollow space disposed underneath the dielectric membrane. However, it is disadvantageous in this embodiment that the sensor element must be aligned with high precision in regard to the recess of the sensor support during mounting in order to produce the extremely narrow gap. But this task cannot always be reliably fulfilled for tolerance reasons and due to manufacturing variations so that not insignificant losses in efficiency occur during manufacture. A measurement device can be inferred from German Patent Publication 42 19 454 A1, in which a sensor element with a dielectric membrane is inserted into the recess of a cooling body. The cooling body has a ventilation bore between the cooling ribs in order to assure the ventilation of the rear of the membrane.
Data are available upon request due to legal and ethical restrictions from the Medical Ethics Committee of the University Medical 202 Center Utrecht. Interested researchers may contact Branko M. van Hulst (<[email protected]>), Patrick de Zeeuw (<[email protected]>), and Sarah Durston (<[email protected]>). Introduction {#sec001} ============ Reward processing, and reward anticipation in particular, have been implicated in child and adolescent disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) \[[@pone.0142413.ref001]\], oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) \[[@pone.0142413.ref002]\] and depression \[[@pone.0142413.ref003]\]. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have addressed reward anticipation using the monetary incentive delay (MID) paradigm \[[@pone.0142413.ref004]\]. In this paradigm, a cue is presented at the beginning of each trial, signaling the amount of monetary reward that can be won (or lost) on the upcoming trial. By contrasting trials with different monetary cues, brain activation related to reward anticipation can be assessed \[[@pone.0142413.ref004]\]. In adults, the MID paradigm has been shown to reliably activate ventral striatum in anticipation of reward (e.g. \[[@pone.0142413.ref005],[@pone.0142413.ref006]\]). Yet the symbols used in the task are highly abstract and there is no storyline. Accordingly, it has not often been used successfully with younger children and in particular those with developmental disorders. We designed a child-friendly version of the task to be compatible with an fMRI environment \[[@pone.0142413.ref007]\]. We focused on making the task more engaging, as sustained attention is not yet fully developed at school age, and can be particularly challenging for children with developmental disorders. Furthermore, we used response times to develop a measure of performance that captures individual reward sensitivity, but does so in a manner that is independent of intra-individual variability in response times. This is important as intra-individual variability in response times is often increased in developmental disorders and can confound statistical inferences \[[@pone.0142413.ref007],[@pone.0142413.ref008]\]. The inclusion of a performance measure of reward sensitivity is essential to the interpretation of changes in activity of ventral striatum and can aid the generalization of results to a real life construct of reward sensitivity. Other studies that successfully modified the MID task to be more suitable for use with children have reported on task performance, but have not considered the relationship between task performance and brain activation in the interpretation of their results \[[@pone.0142413.ref009],[@pone.0142413.ref010]\]. In the MID task, faster reaction times signify better performance, as participants are instructed to press a button as fast as possible following a cue. Accordingly, the anticipation of greater reward may elicit faster reaction times \[[@pone.0142413.ref011]\]. Nevertheless, the effect of performance on brain activation has rarely been studied in the context of this task. This is likely related to the typical implementation of a staircase procedure in this task, designed to keep accuracy constant at a predetermined level (usually 60--70%) for all participants. Task performance then appears equal across participants. However, within individual participants, task performance (as expressed by mean reaction times, accuracy scores or both) may still differ across incentive conditions. Such a difference across incentive conditions may vary between participants and could therefore be operationalized as a behavioral measure of individual reward sensitivity. Following this rationale, we devised our measure of individual reward sensitivity by comparing rank-ordered reaction times across incentive conditions \[[@pone.0142413.ref007]\]. In previous studies, we have used our child-friendly version of the MID-task to show that participants with ADHD had lower behavioral sensitivity to reward compared to typically developing controls \[[@pone.0142413.ref007],[@pone.0142413.ref008]\]. In this pilot-study, we set out to validate our child-friendly, modified MID task for use as a developmental fMRI paradigm. First, we tested whether it could elicit ventral striatal activation during the anticipation of reward in typically developing children and young adolescents. Second, we hypothesized that our individual measure of reward sensitivity should be associated with activity in ventral striatum. If so, future studies could use such a performance measure in the interpretation of their neuroimaging results. Methods {#sec002} ======= Participants {#sec003} ------------ A total of 18 right-handed children and young adolescents were recruited through schools in the wider Utrecht area. After screening for data quality (for details see [S1 Text](#pone.0142413.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) two participants were excluded from further analyses due to anatomical abnormalities and three participants were excluded due to excessive motion during acquisition of the fMRI data. Data from six male and seven female participants, with an average age of 12.2 years (range: 9.5--14.5) and average IQ of 116, were available for fMRI analyses (see [Table 1](#pone.0142413.t001){ref-type="table"}). The parents of participants reported no psychiatric diagnoses on the DISC-IV interview \[[@pone.0142413.ref012]\]. After the study procedures had been explained, all parents and adolescents (aged 12 and older) gave full written consent, while children provided verbal assent. The study and its procedures were approved by the medical ethical review board of the University Medical Center Utrecht (approval number: 08--081). 10.1371/journal.pone.0142413.t001 ###### Characteristics of the 13 subjects included in the fMRI analyses. ![](pone.0142413.t001){#pone.0142413.t001g} Mean (SD) --------------------- -------------- **Age** 12.2 (1.62) **Gender (m/f)** 6/7 **IQ** 116 (11.8) **MRT 0ct** 424ms (63.2) **MRT 5ct** 408ms (57.8) **MRT 15ct** 405ms (63.7) **B** ~**0vs15ct**~ 0.89 (0.31) SD, standard deviation; m, male; f, female; MRT, mean reaction time, ms, milliseconds; ct, cents; B~0vs15ct~, shift in reaction time distribution between high reward and no reward trials. Monetary incentive delay paradigm {#sec004} --------------------------------- We used a modified version of the monetary incentive delay task \[[@pone.0142413.ref007]\] in a rapid event-related fMRI design. The task was made more engaging for use in children by adding a two-choice response selection aspect to the task. Trial sequence was as follows: first, the cue, a picture of a wallet with 0, 5 or 15 cents was shown (2000 ms), indicating the amount of money that could be won on the upcoming trial. Next, pictures of two popular cartoon figures (SpongeBob and Patrick Star from the SpongeBob TV-series) were shown (750 ms) and participants were to guess which cartoon figure was hiding the wallet by pressing either the left or the right response button. They were instructed to respond as fast as possible. Subsequently, a black screen was shown (500 ms) and finally, a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down picture, indicating a correct or incorrect choice, was shown (750 ms) along with the total amount of money won so far. The task was rigged in such a way that outcome of each trial was fixed; the choices made did not affect reward outcome. If participants did not respond within a 1250 milliseconds timeframe after the appearance of SpongeBob and Patrick Star, the feedback text "too late!" was presented. The task consisted of 240 four-second trials (80 trials per cue) divided evenly into four blocks and consequently took four minutes per block to complete. Each block had a fixed reward frequency of either 20% (low reward) or 80% (high reward). Participants were randomly presented with one out of two counterbalanced reward sequences ('high-low-high-low' or 'low-high-low-high'), so that average reward frequency totaled 50% for the full task. For a schematic overview of task design see [S1 Fig](#pone.0142413.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. Performance measures {#sec005} -------------------- The primary neuropsychological outcome measure was the shift in reaction time distribution between rewarded and unrewarded trials. This was quantified using linear regression of the rank ordered reaction times to high rewarded trials (15 cents) on the rank ordered reaction times to unrewarded trials (0 cents), as described previously \[[@pone.0142413.ref007]\]. We chose this measure as it is minimally influenced by differences in reaction-time variability, which is an important consideration in studying developmental disorders such as ADHD, where intra-individual variability in reaction times is greater than in typical development \[[@pone.0142413.ref013]\]. A regression coefficient smaller than one indicates faster responses time on rewarded then on unrewarded trials. fMRI acquisition {#sec006} ---------------- The study was run on a 3.0 T Achieva MRI scanner (Philips Medical Systems, Best, the Netherlands) using an eight-channel sensitivity-encoding (SENSE) parallel imaging head coil. For anatomical reference, a whole-brain three-dimensional fast field echo T1-weighted scan (200 slices; repetition time = 10 ms; echo time = 4.6 ms; flip angle = 8°; field of view, 240 x 240 x 160 mm; voxel size: 0.75 x 0.8 x 0.75 mm isotropic) was acquired. Whole-brain T2\*-weighted echo planar images (EPI) with blood-oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) contrast (4 sessions; 126 volumes per session; 33 slices per volume; interleaved acquisition; TR = 2.00 s; TE = 35 ms; field of view = 240 × 240 × 116 mm; flip angle = 70°; voxel size = 3.0 × 3.0 × 3.5mm) oriented in a transverse plane were acquired. We acquired six dummy scans to allow for T1 equilibration effects. Preprocessing of fMRI data {#sec007} -------------------------- FMRI data were analyzed using SPM8 (r4290) (<http://www.fil.ion.ucl.ac.uk/spm/software/spm8>) as implemented in Matlab 7.12 (Mathworks Inc., Natick, MA, USA). To correct for between-scan head motion, all images were realigned to the first volume using rigid body transformations, and subsequently resliced. Next, the data were temporally interpolated to the middle slice to adjust for time differences due to multislice image acquisition (i.e., slice time correction). The anatomical image was co-registered to the first fMRI image using the mutual information criteria method and subsequently normalized to Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space using unified segmentation, finally the image was resliced at a voxel size of 1.0 x 1.0 x 1.0mm. Functional images were normalized using the normalization parameters generated in this step, the images were resliced at a voxel size of 3.0 x 3.0 x 3.0mm. Finally, the fMRI images were spatially smoothed with a Gaussian kernel with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 8 mm. In addition, scan-to-scan movement was assessed using ArtRepair \[[@pone.0142413.ref014]\]. Scans with more than 0.5 mm scan-to-scan movement or more than 1.5% deviation from the average global signal, were replaced using a linear interpolation of the values of neighboring scans. Participants with more than 15% corrected scans were excluded from further analyses (for details, see [S1 Text](#pone.0142413.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Statistical analyses---performance {#sec008} ---------------------------------- After testing for normality (Shapiro-Wilk test) and sphericity (Mauchly's test), a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to test for the effect of incentive magnitude on mean reaction time. Next, we tested for an effect of age on the shift in reaction time distribution using single-factor ANCOVA. Statistical analyses---fMRI {#sec009} --------------------------- Statistical analyses were performed within the framework of the general linear model following a two-level procedure \[[@pone.0142413.ref015]\]. First level analysis involved the modeling of blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) activation invoked by 0, 5 and 15 cents cues as conditions of interest, and realignment parameters as potential confounders (condition of no interest) for each subject. Regressors were created by convolving delta functions coding for cue onset with a canonical hemodynamic response function (as implemented in SPM8) for each cueing category separately. The estimated regression coefficients for the 0, 5 and 15 cents condition were then contrasted resulting in three first-level contrast images for each subject: 0 versus 5, 0 versus 15 and 5 versus 15 cents. Data were high-pass filtered using discrete cosine basis functions with a 128 second cut-off. At the group level we conducted two analyses. First, we tested for brain activation related to the anticipation of reward by conducting one-sample t-tests on the contrast images of the three different contrasts separately. We corrected for multiple comparisons using a family wise error (FWE) correction on a predefined volume of interest (VOI) (i.e., small volume correction). This VOI was generated by combining the bilateral nucleus accumbens masks provided by the WFU PickAtlas toolbox \[[@pone.0142413.ref016]\] and dilating the resulting mask by one voxel in all dimensions (size of VOI: 151 voxels, 4077 mm^3^). Next, we tested for associations between reward-related brain activation and both task performance and age. We conducted six separate single-factor ANCOVAs, using the three first-level contrasts as dependent variables and the measure of task performance (the regression coefficient of rank ordered reaction times for the greatest contrast, 0 versus 15 cents; B~0vs15ct~), and age as separate continuous predictors (i.e., covariate of interest). Again we applied FWE correction for multiple comparisons restricted to the bilateral ventral striatum. When anticipatory ventral striatal activity was found, we additionally tested for an effect of reward frequency on brain activation by contrasting activity in blocks with high (80%) and low (20%) reward frequency (for the contrast in question). This was done using a one-sample t-test on a newly created contrast image, again we corrected for multiple comparisons using FWE in the same VOI. Results {#sec010} ======= Task tolerability {#sec011} ----------------- 18 Subjects participated in an fMRI session and performed the task without problem. Data for five subjects had to be excluded from the analyses due to anatomical abnormalities on the T1-weighted scan or motion during fMRI-scanning. They did not differ in terms of age, gender or IQ from the 13 subjects for whom fMRI data were available for analysis. Behavioral data {#sec012} --------------- There was an effect of reward magnitude on mean reaction times (F(2,24) = 4.41,p = 0.023). Average reaction times were 424 ms, 408 ms and 405 ms across respectively no reward, low reward and high reward conditions. The mean B~0vs15ct~ (the shift in reaction time distribution between high reward and no reward) was 0.89 (SD 0.31), indicating faster responses on high reward then on no reward trials. There was no effect of age on the shift in reaction time distribution. fMRI data {#sec013} --------- The first analysis aimed to test whether the MID task would elicit ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation. We contrasted the anticipation of 0 versus 5 cents, 5 versus 15 cents, and 0 versus 15 cents, separately. We found reward-related activation in the bilateral ventral striatum for the 0 versus 5 cents contrast (see [Table 2](#pone.0142413.t002){ref-type="table"}), but not for the two other contrasts (5 versus 15 cents and 0 versus 15 cents). Next, we tested for a relationship between task performance and reward-related activity in ventral striatum by conducting a single-factor ANCOVA with the shift in reaction time distribution between high reward and no reward trials (B~0vs15ct~) as a continuous predictor. We found an association in bilateral ventral striatum for both the 5 versus 15 and the 0 versus 15 cents contrast (see [Fig 1](#pone.0142413.g001){ref-type="fig"}), but not for the 0 versus 5 cents contrast. We found no effect of reward frequency or age on anticipatory activity in ventral striatum. ![Ventral striatal activity is related to task performance.\ There was a positive correlation between activation in ventral striatum and the shift in reaction time distribution (B~0vs15ct~) (FWE corrected for multiple comparisons). Both panels display the T-map of a single-factor ANCOVA with B~0vs15ct~ as continuous predictor variable. Panel A shows the effect of task performance on the activation difference between low and high reward conditions. Panel B shows the effect of task performance on the activation difference between no reward and high reward conditions.](pone.0142413.g001){#pone.0142413.g001} 10.1371/journal.pone.0142413.t002 ###### Activity in ventral striatum during the anticipation of reward. ![](pone.0142413.t002){#pone.0142413.t002g} Contrast L/R P-value cluster Cluster size P-value peak T-value peak MNI coordinates ------------------------- ------------- ----- ----------------- -------------- -------------- -------------- ----------------- **Baseline activity** 0ct vs 5ct L 0.016 7 0.041 4.29 -18, 5, -11 0ct vs 5ct R 0.021 5 0.024 4.69 15, 14, -8 Reward related activity 5ct vs 15ct L 0.008 14 0.025 4.76 -15, 5, -8 5ct vs 15ct R 0.034 2 0.019 5.01 9, 5, -5 0ct vs 15ct L 0.003 25 0.019 4.90 -15, 5, -8 0ct vs 15ct R 0.017 7 0.006 5.91 6, 11, -8 L, left; R, right; MNI, Montreal Neurological Institute; ct, cents. All reported p-values were FWE corrected for multiple comparisons. Discussion {#sec014} ========== We set out to validate our child-friendly, modified MID paradigm as a task appropriate for use in developmental fMRI studies. The task successfully elicited activity in ventral striatum during the anticipation of reward. Furthermore, our task-based measure of reward sensitivity was associated with striatal activity during reward anticipation. The task was well tolerated by all subjects. In all, we conclude that this task has potential as a tool for assessing reward anticipation in developmental populations. We found that the task was well tolerated by all subjects: children and young adolescents, ranging in age from nine to fourteen years, were able to comprehend and complete the modified MID-task in a scanner environment. In previous studies we have shown that children as young as six years old were able to comprehend and complete the task outside of the scanner \[[@pone.0142413.ref007],[@pone.0142413.ref008]\]. The task successfully elicited activity in ventral striatum during the anticipation of reward. Furthermore, we found that a task-based measure of reward sensitivity correlated positively with striatal activation during reward anticipation. This suggests that anticipatory activity in striatum may be interpreted as a neurobiological measure of reward sensitivity in the context of this task. Such a direct interpretation of results is likely to be crucial in linking fMRI findings to real-world reward sensitivity, as assessed by differences in approach behavior. To date, results from studies reporting response-time differences across incentive conditions have been mixed \[[@pone.0142413.ref004],[@pone.0142413.ref009],[@pone.0142413.ref017]--[@pone.0142413.ref020]\] and when found, their relationship to brain activation has not previously been explored \[[@pone.0142413.ref017],[@pone.0142413.ref019],[@pone.0142413.ref020]\]. A study by Lamm and colleagues did report a relationship between task performance and brain activation in an MID paradigm, yet they only included performance as a nuisance variable \[[@pone.0142413.ref021]\]. In this way the potential value of task performance in the interpretation of fMRI results is left unexploited. As in previous studies with adults \[[@pone.0142413.ref005],[@pone.0142413.ref006]\], we found ventral striatal activation when contrasting no reward cues to low reward cues. However, we found no differences in activation when contrasting low reward cues to high reward cues. Stoppel and colleagues \[[@pone.0142413.ref022]\] have suggested that the effect of contrasting low reward to high reward is smaller than that between no reward and low reward, as the former contrast only probes reward magnitude and not reward itself. In addition, developmental studies using overlapping age-ranges (12--18 years) have reported reduced striatal engagement \[[@pone.0142413.ref017],[@pone.0142413.ref021]\] and decreased discrimination between reward magnitudes \[[@pone.0142413.ref021]\]. As such, the difference between the anticipation of low and high reward may have been too subtle to elicit significant differences in brain activity, particularly given our relatively modest sample size. Likewise, the absence of an effect of age on anticipatory ventral striatal activity may be a result of limited power. Furthermore, we only found an association between reward sensitivity and activity in ventral striatum for the contrast of high versus either low or no reward, but not for the contrast of low versus no reward. This may be related to increased inter-individual variability in striatal activation in high reward conditions, associated with individual differences in overall task performance. This increased variability may explain the lack of activation in the 0 versus 15 cents contrasts. Following this rationale, anticipatory striatal activation is more likely to be linked to a neuropsychological construct of reward sensitivity under high reward, than under low reward conditions. To conclude, we show that a child-friendly version of the MID-task elicited activity in ventral striatum during the anticipation of reward in children and young adolescents. Furthermore, this striatal activation was related to inter-individual differences in a task-based measure of reward sensitivity. In all, this task assesses ventral striatal activity in a child-friendly manner. The combination with an individual task-based measure of reward sensitivity makes the task a potentially powerful tool for developmental imaging studies of reward processing. Limitations {#sec015} ----------- First, the sample size of this pilot study was modest. This was in part caused by the exclusion of five datasets due to high subject motion or anatomical abnormalities (for details see [S1 Text](#pone.0142413.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). As a result, any negative findings in this study should be interpreted with caution. In particular, tests to be expected to have a modest effect size (e.g. the manipulation of reward frequency) would be vulnerable to type II errors. Second, an important distinction between this version of the task and the classical MID is that participants had no control over their results (although they would be expected to have experienced control). This could have affected our results, as a recent study by Lorenz and colleagues \[[@pone.0142413.ref023]\] showed that subjective lack of control can attenuate ventral striatal activity. Third, it should be mentioned that the task was set up to have optimal statistical power with as many as 80 trials per condition. However, this led to a total time-on-task of 16 minutes, which may also have taxed sustained attention. Finally, the participants in our sample had above average IQ, necessitating prudence when interpolating findings to participants with an average IQ. Supporting Information {#sec016} ====================== ###### Task design. A schematic overview of task design is shown. Panel A shows the time course of a single trial. Panel B shows the two different reward frequency blocks. Panel C shows three different reward magnitudes that were used as trial types and contrasted for further analyses. Reprinted with permission from "Deficits in Cognitive Control, Timing and Reward Sensitivity Appear to be Dissociable in ADHD" by De Zeeuw et al, 2012, PLoS One. Jan;7(12):e51416. (TIF) ###### Click here for additional data file. ###### Screening of data quality. (DOCX) ###### Click here for additional data file. We thank all children and parents who participated in this study. Also, we thank the research assistants and interns, and all the members of our team who contributed to data collection. [^1]: **Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. [^2]: Conceived and designed the experiments: PdZ DJB SD. Performed the experiments: KL DJB. Analyzed the data: BMvH PdZ SFWN. Wrote the paper: BMvH PdZ SFWN SD.
The newest film in the Pixar SparkShorts series is called “Kitbull,” and it’s probably going to make you cry. The sweet short film tells a tale of unlikely friendship between a fiercely independent stray kitten and a pit bull. As every cat owner knows, it can take a while for cats to warm up, especially when they feel threatened by a much larger creature. But as this short shows, sometimes cats and dogs can make the best of friends. “Kitbull” was written and directed by Rosana Sullivan and produced by Kathryn Hendrickson. Meet the team behind this heartwarming new short in the video below. And get a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this 2D-animated short here: This film is the third release in the Pixar SparkShorts series, following “Purl” and “Smash and Grab.” Jim Morris, President of Pixar Animation Studios, says, “The SparkShorts program is designed to discover new storytellers, explore new storytelling techniques, and experiment with new production workflows. These films are unlike anything we’ve ever done at Pixar, providing an opportunity to unlock the potential of individual artists and their inventive filmmaking approaches on a smaller scale than our normal fare.” Additional projects from the SparkShorts program will debut on Disney+, Disney’s upcoming streaming service set to launch later this year.
Computed tomography in the diagnosis of parotid gland tumours. Twenty patients with swelling of the parotid region have been examined by computed tomography (CT). CT correctly demonstrated a mass in eleven patients and correctly excluded a mass in nine patients. Five patients had primary parotid neoplasms, all of which showed higher attenuation values than normal salivary tissue. The other masses included cystic hygroma, branchial cyst, carotid sheath hamartoma and metastases in the region of the gland. Neither intravenous nor intraglandular contrast medium was necessary for diagnosis. CT is superior to sialography in demonstrating the total extent of a mass, particularly when there is involvement of the deep lobe of the gland or the parapharyngeal space. The appearance at CT following sialography with oily contrast media suggest that oil persists in the gland despite apparent complete clearing at sialography. CT should be regarded as the investigation of choice in patients with clinical features suggesting a mass in the region of the parotid.
861 S.W.2d 64 (1993) Donald Edwin ROSS, Appellant, v. The STATE of Texas, Appellee. No. 09-92-154 CR. Court of Appeals of Texas, Beaumont. August 25, 1993. Discretionary Review Refused November 19, 1993. Christine R. Brown, Orange, for appellant. John D. Kimbrough, Orange County Atty., Allison Fletcher, Asst. County Atty., Orange, for State. Before WALKER, C.J., and BROOKSHIRE and BURGESS, JJ. OPINION WALKER, Chief Justice. This is an appeal from a conviction for the felony offense of Aggravated Robbery. Appellant was found "guilty" by a jury but elected to have the trial court assess punishment. Appellant pleaded "true" to two enhancement allegations which raised his punishment exposure to that of an habitual offender. The trial court assessed appellant thirty (30) years' confinement in the Institutional Division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Appellant requests our consideration of four points of error, viz: Point 1: The evidence is insufficient to support the conviction. *65 Point 2: The trial court abused its discretion in failing to grant appellant's motion for new trial. Point 3: The appellant was not granted effective assistance of counsel as provided for in the 6th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Point 4: The trial court erred in overruling appellant's objection that the photographic lineups should not be admissible due to the fact that the individuals used in the lineup were not similar enough to the description of the suspect and thus were suggestive. Although appellant's first point of error complains of the lack of evidence to support the conviction, a detailed rendition of the facts is not in order as appellant concentrates his argument on the specific issue of lack of identity of appellant as the perpetrator of the robbery. The record reflects that there were two eyewitnesses to the robbery which occurred at the Texaco Star Stop # 1 in Orange on November 23, 1991. The State elicited testimony from both witnesses, Kathy Mendoza, the clerk on duty at the time of the robbery, and Juleia Domingue, an assistant clerk who was located near the beverage coolers when the robbery occurred. The record reflects that throughout their testimony, which included some very vigorous and heated cross-examination questions regarding the identity of the perpetrator, both Ms. Mendoza and Ms. Domingue steadfastly maintained that it was appellant who committed the robbery. Both women positively identified appellant in court as the perpetrator of the robbery. Indeed, Ms. Domingue's testimony included the fact that she had seen appellant in the store earlier on the day of the robbery and was able to describe his appearance down to the color of his eyes. The argument contained in appellant's brief under this point of error notes a variety of discrepancies in the testimony of Ms. Mendoza as compared to the testimony of Ms. Domingue. Portions of testimony from the State's third witness, Dan Robertson, police chief of the city of Pinehurst, are also used by appellant to point out possible inconsistencies in the women's testimony. The long established rule in Texas, however, is that the jury is the exclusive judge of the facts proven, the credibility of the witnesses, and the weight to be given to their testimony. See, TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC.ANN. art. 38.04 (Vernon 1979); Sharp v. State, 707 S.W.2d 611 (Tex.Crim.App.1986), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 872, 109 S.Ct. 190, 102 L.Ed.2d 159 (1988); Hudson v. State, 418 S.W.2d 813 (Tex.Crim.App.1967). Texas law further provides that a jury may believe a witness even though the witness's testimony has been contradicted; and that a jury may accept any part of a witness's testimony and reject the rest. Sharp, supra, 707 S.W.2d at 614; Jackson v. State, 505 S.W.2d 916 (Tex.Crim. App.1974). In reviewing this point, we must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict in determining whether a rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the offense proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154 (Tex. Crim.App.1991). Under Jackson v. Virginia, the jury is permitted to resolve conflicts in the testimony, weigh the evidence, and draw reasonable inferences from basic facts to ultimate facts. A verdict resulting from said process must stand unless it is found to be irrational or unsupported by the evidence, with such evidence viewed under the light most favorable to the verdict. Moreno v. State, 755 S.W.2d 866, 867 (Tex.Crim.App. 1988). We find that based upon the strength of Ms. Mendoza's testimony alone, any rational trier of fact could have found each element of the offense, including appellant's identity as the robber, proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Point of error one is overruled. Appellant's second point of error centers on the contention that, following his conviction, appellant was told by a fellow jail inmate, Tommy Johnson, that another inmate, Oliver Dindore, confessed to Johnson that he (Dindore) had committed a robbery with a knife at a "Star Stop Store." Appellant complains that the trial court clearly abused its discretion in denying appellant's motion for new trial at the close of testimony of the hearing on said motion. On this issue, the record reflects that Johnson, Dindore, *66 and appellant testified at the hearing.[1] The record further reflects that Dindore flatly denied admitting his complicity in any robbery, other than the robbery out of Jefferson County for which he (Dindore) was incarcerated at the time, to Johnson or anyone else. Dindore further stated that appellant's trial attorney interviewed him prior to March, 1992, at which time Dindore told appellant's counsel that he (Dindore) did not commit the November 23, 1991 robbery of the Texaco Star Stop in Orange.[2] Johnson's testimony essentially contradicted that of Dindore's. Johnson stated that, while describing the disposition of several robbery charges against him, Dindore told Johnson that the authorities did not charge Dindore with one of the robberies, "the aggravated one." Johnson further testified that Dindore admitted using a knife and that the robbery occurred at a "Star Stop Store." In Meriwether v. State, 840 S.W.2d 959, 962 (Tex.App.-Beaumont, 1992, pet. ref'd), we construed TEX.R.APP.P. 30(b)(6), which replaced TEX.CODE CRIM.PROC.ANN. art. 40.03 (repealed) as the standard by which motions for new trial were to be considered, to be composed of only two prongs: (1) the evidence must be newly discovered, and (2) the evidence must be favorable to the accused. Another matter that must be considered in our review of such hearings, especially in light of the backgrounds of witnesses Dindore, Johnson, and appellant in the instant case, is that of witness credibility. It is somewhat axiomatic that the credibility of witnesses is left to the determination of the factfinder. In a hearing on a motion for new trial this determination is for the trial court. See Etter v. State, 679 S.W.2d 511, 515 (Tex. Crim.App.1984); Todd v. State, 601 S.W.2d 718, 721 (Tex.Crim.App.1980). In the instant case, while it appears that the witness Johnson was not known to appellant prior to being convicted, and that the gist of Johnson's testimony is favorable to appellant's basic defense of alibi, we cannot find a clear abuse of discretion on the part of the trial court in light of the conflicting nature of the testimony on this issue in the motion for new trial hearing coupled with the trial court's knowledge of the prior felony criminal histories of both Johnson and appellant. Simply put, the trial court had every right not to believe the testimony of Johnson and appellant.[3] Point of error two is overruled. Appellant's third point of error complains of ineffective assistance of trial counsel in that counsel failed to bring forth witnesses Oliver Dindore and Star Callahan at trial. Specifically, appellant argues in his brief as follows: "Appellant testified on the stand that his counsel had knowledge of these witnesses. There was a clear reason to bring forth these witnesses and have their testimony heard. Their testimony lends credence to defense witnesses that state that the Appellant was at his stepdaughter's home the entire evening in question. Appellant would assert that counsel's failure to call these witnesses to the stand during trial was such deficient performance as to meet the first prong set forth in Strickland."[4] We find appellant's contentions under this point of error disingenuous to say the least. The record reflects the following testimony by appellant during the hearing on the motion for new trial: Q. (the State) Ms. Callahan and Mr. Dindore, they were never called as witnesses, but they had all this material and information which may have helped your case, right? A. (appellant) Are you asking me? *67 Q. I'm asking you. They weren't called as witnesses. Right? A. We couldn't get them to show up. We couldn't get Alanda Star Callahan to show up. Q. You couldn't get Mr. Dindore to show up? A. I didn't figure it would do any good to have him in here. I figured he was going to lie. * * * * * * Q. Did you or your attorney ask for a subpoena to be issued for Ms. Callahan? A. Yes, sir, for this hearing. Q. No, I mean for the trial. A. No, sir. I figured she was going to show up on her own. By his own testimony, appellant "figured" that neither Dindore nor Callahan would aid his defense at trial. The state of the record before us indicates that appellant probably figured right. Indeed, the record reflects that appellant's trial counsel visited Dindore in jail approximately one month prior to trial and was told by Dindore that he (Dindore) did not commit the Texaco Star Stop robbery. Trial counsel certainly had no duty to call Dindore to the stand under those circumstances. Furthermore, the record indicates that a trial strategy avoiding any reference to Dindore was probably the better strategy as Dindore's written statement, admitted into evidence during the motion for new trial hearing, reflected that appellant and Dindore participated in a live line-up approximately two weeks before the trial began. At this line-up, Ms. Mendoza picked appellant out as the perpetrator of the robbery. At any rate, our examination of the record provides absolutely no support for appellant's allegations of ineffectiveness of his trial counsel. Strickland `s "deficient performance" prong has not been met. Point of error three is overruled. Appellant's final point of error complains that two photographic lineups should not have been admitted at trial because "the individuals used in the lineup (sic) were not similar enough to the description of the suspect and thus were suggestive." An important fact of which we take note at the outset is that the record reflects no objection raised by appellant either pretrial or during the trial of either Ms. Mendoza's or Ms. Domingue's in-court identification of appellant as the robber. We find no complaint by appellant to the trial court that either witness's identification of appellant was tainted by overly suggestive pretrial procedures on the part of the authorities. The record reflects that both Ms. Mendoza and Ms. Domingue were permitted to identify appellant during direct examination by the State. It was only during the testimony of Chief Robertson which followed that of Ms. Mendoza and Ms. Domingue that appellant objected to the State's tender of the photo spreads. The trial court overruled appellant's objection. On appeal, appellant's argument attempts to turn the issue into one of tainted or suggestive pretrial identification procedures. We reiterate that this was simply not the basis for the objection at trial. The trial objection, as we appreciate it, was simply limited to the physical items (the two photo spreads) themselves. The reasoning appellant's trial attorney expressed for his objection was "that the pictures just aren't similar enough to overweigh (sic) a tainted identification in this case." Yet our examination of the record reveals that this is the first mention of any sort of taint with regard to appellant's identification. We find this point controlled by the discussion in Perry v. State, 703 S.W.2d 668 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). In Perry, the Court of Criminal Appeals held that while an accused has a due process right to identification procedures, either out-of-court or in-court, which are as fair and reasonable as possible, said right is waived for purposes of appeal where the accused fails to object to identification at trial without cause, justification, or excuse. Perry, 703 S.W.2d at 670. We further find that the basis for appellant's objection at trial differs from the basis of his complaint on appeal. As such, appellant has preserved nothing under point of error four for review. Sterling v. State, 800 S.W.2d 513, 521 (Tex.Crim. App.1990), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 111 S.Ct. 2816, 115 L.Ed.2d 988 (1991). Point of *68 error four is overruled, and the judgment and sentence of the trial court are affirmed. AFFIRMED. NOTES [1] None of these men testified at trial. [2] The record reflects that this interview took place at least one month prior to the start of appellant's trial on the instant offense. [3] The need for such a "factoring-in" by appellate courts of the factfinder's weighing of witness credibility appears significant based on language contained in Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. ___, 113 S.Ct. 853, 122 L.Ed.2d 203 (1993), which observed: "In the new trial context, motions based solely upon affidavits are disfavored because the affiants' statements are obtained without the benefit of cross-examination and an opportunity to make credibility determinations." Id., 506 U.S. at ___, 113 S.Ct. at 869, 122 L.Ed.2d at 227. [4] Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984).
If there is one thing that brings out the Grinch in me, its Christmas cookie plates. I know its a nice gesture for the holidays and I like to know that someone is thinking of me, but before I know it, the counter is full of cookie plates, plus my own holiday treats, and only half of it gets eaten because there are just too many sweets, even for a family of 10. Even though I try really hard not to eat too many sweets, before I know it I’m pulling out my fat pants and spanks and run an extra mile everyday at the gym (or should I saying jiggle an extra mile) all of January just to work all these treats off! But despite all that, I make treats anyways. This year I thought it would be fun to try some peppermint patties. I found a recipe at Hanielas but as soon as I got started I was already disappointed with the recipe. The center was more of a Junior Mint texture than a patty. So with a few changes, I was able to pull together a delicious batch of patties for my Christmas cookie plates this year. Ingredients 3 cups powdered sugar (divided) 1 1/2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1 1/2 tablespoons water 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable shortening 10 ounces dipping chocolate wafers Directions -Combine 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, corn syrup, water, peppermint extract and shortening. Stir until the ingredients are combine. -Add the last 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and knead until smooth. Add extra powdered sugar if needed until the dough is no longer sticky. -Refrigerate the dough for about 15 minutes. They will be easier to dip when cold. -Create patties by pulling off a small piece of dough and creating about a 1/2 inch diameter ball.Then place on a piece of wax paper and pat the ball down until it is about 1/4 inch thick. -Melt the chocolate and dip the patties. -Place the patties on wax paper and refrigerate for about 15 minutes or until the chocolate has hardened.
Separate from the ongoing and very complicated Erik Karlsson trade rumours, another big trade target and unresolved situation remains. Artemi Panarin, whose name hasn’t been in headlines as much as the aforementioned Karlsson, is also looking to be swapped, and reportedly favours a trade to the New York Rangers according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. Also detailed in the report, however, was New York’s stance on the possibility. Portzline reported that the timing at the moment would not work for the Rangers to work out a deal. In the middle of a rebuild, and with no real urgency to make a push for the playoffs, the fit isn’t there at the moment. But it appears that there is another team which is using its lovely beaches and volleyball nets to actively recruit the star forward. Vasy and I showing @9Artemi how good it is to play in Tampa pic.twitter.com/I1sWJgWINz — Nikita Kucherov (@86Kucherov) August 23, 2018 Pictured in the photo with Panarin are Tampa Bay Lightning players Andrei Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov. There’s nothing unusual about hockey stars who play for the Lightning posting pictures showcasing the joy of a Florida summer. However, when you do so with a certain Columbus Blue Jackets star who happens to be looking for a trade, eyebrows are going to be raised. In addition, Kucherov’s tweet was retweeted by Panarin. And if that isn’t enough for you, the three-year pro has also purchased a condominium in Miami worth $800,000. Tampa Bay currently has just under $3 million in cap space, while the impending UFA’s final year comes with a tag of $6 million. So some contract juggling would need to be done for the Lightning to afford the winger. But if we have learned anything about team general manager Steve Yzerman, it is that he can probably make this work.
News Fr. Mackin to step down as Mount president next year December 18, 2013 Newburgh, NY - Fr. Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, the fifth president of Mount Saint Mary College, will be stepping down after the conclusion of the 2013-14 academic year. He will have served as president of the college for six years, and as a Franciscan friar, professor, and executive for more than 50 years, including 11 years as president of Siena College where he holds the title of president emeritus. Fr. Mackin, who said his plans include addressing health issues, has guided Mount Saint Mary College during a time of seismic changes in regional and national economies and priorities. “I have had great joy serving at the Mount,” said the esteemed educator, who will be 76 next year. “As we culminate our first ever strategic plan, I’ve given this transition much thought. I pray that the administrators, faculty, staff and students, along with the Board of Trustees, are poised for a new planning process to address the ever changing world of higher education.” “Fr. Kevin has served with great distinction,” said Dr. Albert J. Gruner, chairman of the board for the college. “He led the Mount in its first five-year strategic plan, hired faculty strategically, and improved institutional practice, while also doubling applications for enrollment and expanding our academic offerings.” Since 2008, Mount Saint Mary College achieved specialized accreditation for its academic business programs, a fully online RN to BS degree program, an interdisciplinary major in technology and digital media, and a new sports management concentration. Fr. Mackin praised the efforts of longtime Mount Saint Mary College supporter William Kaplan for his work on the campus and at the Newburgh Armory. He also commended the faculty, staff and students who step up in providing active educational services at the facility. Fr. Mackin’s idea of encouraging community service among the student-athletes is now distinguished as the “Knights in the Community.” Under Fr. Mackin's direction, the college purchased the Dominican Center, and launched “A Call to Excellence: The Campaign for the Dominican Center” in 2012, to raise $10 million for the transformation to a new, truly state-of-the-art library and living-learning environment. “Students and faculty/staff are absolutely thrilled with the opportunity the Dominican Center presents,” said Fr. Mackin, “and Cardinal Dolan has arranged to dedicate the building next year.” The college will be doing a national search for a president. For more information contact Dr. Albert J. Gruner at 845-569-3202. Key accomplishments during the presidency of Fr. Kevin E. Mackin, OFM, at Mount Saint Mary College Established the Catholic and Dominican Institute at Mount Saint Mary College Achieved specialized accreditation for the Mount's academic business programs Hired more full-time faculty and improved student/faculty ratio Ranked a Tier 1 Regional University by U.S. News & World Report Created a fully online RN to BS degree program Introduced the interdisciplinary major in technology and digital media Focused on academic and co-curricular environment Implemented a new sports management concentration and expanded the inter-collegiate athletic programs, now including 20 varsity teams With Fr. Mackin's direction, the college purchased the Dominican Center, and launched “A Call to Excellence: The Campaign for the Dominican Center”
237 F.Supp.2d 1139 (2001) Burr BATTIG; et al., Plaintiffs, v. James R. SIMON; et al., Defendants. No. CIV.00-972-JO. United States District Court, D. Oregon. June 20, 2001. *1140 Dennis V. Messoline, Paul R.J. Connolly, Connolly & Doyle, LLP, Dennis L. Dunn, Salem, OR, for Plaintiffs and Pro Se Plaintiff. James R. Simon, Ignacio, CA, Patti Plunkett, Dallas, TX, Richard J. Tucker, Henderson, NV, Defendants Pro Se. OPINION AND ORDER ROBERT E. JONES, District Judge. Plaintiffs bring this action against defendants James Simon, Patti Plunkett, and Richard Tucker, alleging seven[1] claims: (1) sale of unregistered securities (against Simon and Plunkett); (2) sale of securities through an omission or misstatement of material fact (against Simon and Plunkett); (3) breach of contract (against Simon); (4) fraud (against Simon and Plunkett); (5) control person liability in the sale of unregistered securities (against Tucker); (6) control person liability in the sale of securities *1141 through a misstatement or omission of material fact (against Tucker); and (7) conversion (against Simon). In earlier proceedings, this court dismissed defendant Margaret Lombardo, a trustee for First Fidelity Acceptance Corporation ("FFAC"), for lack of personal jurisdiction. The case is now before the court on two separate motions for summary judgment filed by the plaintiffs (## 45, 55). The first, filed on behalf of the "trust plaintiffs," is directed solely against Tucker and appears to be limited in scope to Claim 6 of the Second Amended Complaint. The second motion, filed on behalf of the "loan plaintiffs," is directed against defendants Simon and Plunkett and focuses on Claims 1, 2, and 3 of the Second Amended Complaint. As explained below, both motions are granted in part and denied in part. STANDARD Summary judgment should be granted if there are no genuine issues of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fed. R.Civ.P. 56(c). If the moving party shows that there are no genuine issues of material fact, the non-moving party must go beyond the pleadings and designate facts showing an issue for trial. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322-23, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986). A scintilla of evidence, or evidence that is merely colorable or not significantly probative, does not present a genuine issue of material fact. United Steelworkers of America v. Phelps Dodge, 865 F.2d 1539, 1542 (9th Cir.1989). The substantive law governing a claim determines whether a fact is material. Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); see also T.W. Elec. Service v. Pacific Elec. Contractors, 809 F.2d 626, 630 (9th Cir.1987). Reasonable doubts as to the existence of a material factual issue are resolved against the moving party. T.W. Elec. Service, 809 F.2d at 631. Inferences drawn from facts are viewed in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id. at 630-31. FACTUAL BACKGROUND The general background of this litigation is set forth in my earlier opinion and order, see Battig, et al v. Simon, et al, Civil No. 00-972-JO (Opinion and Order, Dec. 6, 2000)(# 35). The specific factual background for each separate motion is set forth, as necessary, in the discussion below. DISCUSSION I. MOTION I: Trust Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment Against Defendant Tucker The trust plaintiffs[2] move for summary judgment against Tucker, as an alleged "control person," on their claim for violation of ORS 59.115(1)(b). In support of their motion, trust plaintiffs contend that they invested in FFAC Auto Receivables Trust 2 certificates ("Trust 2 certificates"); that the investments are securities under Oregon securities law; that the securities were sold by "means of an untrue statement of material fact or an omission to state a material fact"; and that Tucker *1142 controlled FFAC and is personally liable to them as a "control person" pursuant to ORS 59.115(3). A. Facts Relevant to this Motion The following facts are, except as noted, undisputed on the present record. Trust plaintiffs invested $598,828 in the purchase of Trust 2 certificates. Concise Statement of Facts in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion ("Plaintiffs' Statement"), ¶ 1. The Trust 2 certificates were offered for sale through a Private Placement Memorandum ("PPM") dated June 5, 1996. Plaintiffs' Statement, ¶ 2.[3] The PPM identifies the "seller" of the certificates as FFAC Auto Receivables Corporation, and identifies its "sole stockholder" as FFAC, called the "Company" throughout the PPM. Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, p. 1. The section entitled "Management of the Company" on page 21 of the PPM identifies Tucker as "Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company." Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, p. 37.[4] The PPM provides the following summary description of the Trust 2 certificates, the seller, and FFAC's business: The Seller is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company recently incorporated in the State of Delaware in contemplation of the creation of FFAC Auto Receivables Trust-1, which successfully completed a $2,500,000 offering in May, 1996. The Company is a purchaser of automobile retail installment sale contracts (hereinafter referred to as "Autoloans") through a nationwide network of factory authorized automobile dealers. On a regular basis, the Company's subsidiaries sell these Autoloans or securitize them through private sales of unrated asset backed securities, payments in respect of which are generated from payments on the related Autoloans. The Company utilizes a third party as an Autoloan servicer and two separate trustees, one to control the collateral and distribution of funds to Certificate-holders while the other trustee serves as lienholder of record on vehicle certificates of title securing the Autoloans and acts for third-party financial institutions investing in the Autoloans and asset backed securities. The financing and funding functions for the vast majority of the Autoloans purchased are performed by third-party financial institutions and individuals, not by the Company or its subsidiaries. The Company presently purchases Autoloans from approximately 100 franchised automobile dealers secured by new and used automobiles and light trucks. The borrowers are of marginal creditworthiness, but meet the Company's credit criteria relating to stability, ability to pay and willingness to pay. Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, p. 17. The PPM describes the "Offering" of Trust 2 certificates as follows: $25,000 minimum per Certificate with a maximum of $10,000,000. The Seller reserves the right to offer up to an additional $2,000,000 of Certificates at its sole discretion. Each Certificate bears interest from the date of issuance at a rate of prime rate plus 3¼% (presently 11.50%) per annum, payable monthly in arrears by the independent *1143 Trustee. Certificateholders will be repaid 100% of the principal amount of their Certificates 90 days after delivery of written demand to the Company. Id. The first page of the PPM contains the following warning concerning the degree of risk involved: THE CERTIFICATES OFFERED HEREBY INVOLVE A VERY HIGH DEGREE OF RISK AND SHOULD BE PURCHASED ONLY BY PERSONS WHO CAN AFFORD THE LOSS OF THEIR ENTIRE INVESTMENT. SEE "RISK FACTORS."[5] The PPM also contains the following "blue sky legend" applicable to Oregon residents: THESE SECURITIES ARE BEING OFFERED IN A TRANSACTION EXEMPT FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE OREGON SECURITIES ACT PROVIDED BY SECTION 59.035 OF SAID ACT. THE SECURITIES CANNOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED EXCEPT IN A TRANSACTION WHICH IS EXEMPT UNDER SUCH ACT OR PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SUCH ACT OR IN A TRANSACTION WHICH IS OTHERWISE IN COMPLIANCE WITH SUCH ACT. Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, p. 11. The PPM contains similar notices to residents of many other states as well. See Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, pp. 4-15. The summary of "subscription receipts" from June 11, 1996, through March 18, 1998 (Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 2), reveals subscriptions during that time totaling $7,319,766.52, including the trust plaintiffs' subscriptions totaling $598,828. FFAC collapsed in April 1998. B. Were the Trust 2 Certificates "Securities" Under Oregon Law? Trust plaintiffs contend that the Trust 2 certificates are "debt instruments" or "investment contracts" that qualify as securities subject to regulation under ORS Chapter 59. Tucker characterizes the certificates as debt instruments, but denies that they qualify as securities. Instead, Tucker contends that the certificates are subject only to Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code ("U.C.C."). Defendant Tucker's Response, p. 3. That something may be characterized as a "debt instrument" does not, as Tucker proposes, exempt it from regulation as a security. Under Oregon law,[6] "security" is broadly defined and includes, among other things: [A] note, stock, * * * debenture, evidence of indebtedness, * * * investment contract * * * or, in general, any interest or instrument commonly known as a "security," or any certificate of interest or participation in, temporary or interim certificates for, receipt for, guarantee of, or warrant or right to subscribe to or purchase any of the foregoing. ORS 59.015(19)(a). In keeping with the mandate of S.E.C. v. C.M Joiner Leasing Corp., 320 U.S. 344, 64 S.Ct. 120, 88 L.Ed. 88 (1943), courts, including the Oregon appellate courts, construe the definition of "security" *1144 liberally, to protect the investing public. See, e.g., Jost v. Locke, 65 Or.App. 704, 710, 673 P.2d 545 (1983). As the Joiner court explained, The reach of the [Securities] Act does not stop at the obvious and common place. Novel, uncommon or irregular devices, whatever they appear to be are also reached if it be proved as a matter of fact that they were widely offered or dealt in under terms or courses of dealing which established their character or commerce as "investment contracts" * * *. 320 U.S. at 351, 64 S.Ct. 120;[7]see also Reves v. Ernst & Young, 494 U.S. 56, 60-61, 110 S.Ct. 945, 108 L.Ed.2d 47 (1990)(in enacting Securities Acts, Congress "recognized the virtually limitless scope of human ingenuity, especially in the creation of `countless and variable schemes devised by those who seek the use of the money of others on the promise of profits'" (citation omitted)). The trust plaintiffs have not specified which form of security they contend the Trust 2 certificates in question take, arguing instead that under any analysis — as notes, debentures, evidence of indebtedness, investment contracts, or in general — the Trust 2 certificates are, in fact, securities. I agree. The PPM repeatedly describes the offering as a securities offering with all the appropriate warnings; indeed, the PPM leaves no room for doubt as to the nature of the offering. Tucker's dismissal of the PPM as "for sales agent compliance purposes only" fails to address the overwhelming implication that what was being offered was a sale of unregistered securities. The language of the "Certificate" itself underscores the express representation to investors that what was being offered were securities. The sample Certificate included in the PPM begins with the following disclaimer: THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED PURSUANT TO THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND MAY NOT BE TRANSFERRED OR SOLD UNLESS PURSUANT TO AN AVAILABLE EXEMPTION AND THE SATISFACTION OF CERTAIN OTHER REQUIREMENTS SPECIFIED IN THE SUBSCRIPTION AGREEMENT. Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, p. 72. If the Trust 2 certificates are, as Tucker contends, "notes," then I agree with trust plaintiffs that under Reves, the notes qualify as securities. Reves established four factors to be evaluated in determining whether a note is a security: (1) the motivation for entering the transaction; (2) the plan of distribution; (3) the reasonable expectations of the investing public; and (4) whether there are any risk reducing factors that would make application of the securities laws unnecessary. Reves, 494 U.S. at 66-67, 110 S.Ct. 945; see also S.E.C. v. R.G. Reynolds Enterprises, Inc., 952 F.2d 1125, 1131 (9th Cir. 1991). In this case, the evidence shows that the seller's purpose was to raise money for the general use of a business enterprise, and the buyers primarily were interested in the profit the notes were expected to generate. It matters not, as Tucker contends, that the profit was in the form of interest. See Reynolds, 952 F.2d at 1131. *1145 Second, the plan of distribution, described above, involved a private offering through the PPM to potential investors on a nationwide basis through, as Tucker concedes, broker-dealers, suggesting the notes, if notes they are, are securities. Third, the PPM and the accompanying documents could not fail to lead an investor to reasonably expect that he or she was making an investment, and a "risky" one at that. Finally, there appear to be no risk reducing factors that would make application of the securities laws unnecessary. On this point, I am not persuaded by Tucker's argument that the Article 9 of the U.C.C. offers the investors sufficient — if any — protection.[8] In summary, I find that the Trust 2 certificates are securities, and the trust plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment on this issue, therefore, is granted. C. Were the Securities Sold by Means of Untrue Statement or Omissions? Trust plaintiffs next ask the court to rule that as a matter of law, the sale of the Trust 2 certificates violated ORS 59.115(1)(b), which imposes liability on any person who [s]ells a security by means of an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they are made, not misleading (the buyer not knowing of the untruth or omission) * * *. Trust plaintiffs identify five statements in the PPM that they contend were clear misstatements of material fact. See Memorandum in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion, pp. 2-6. In support of their motion, trust plaintiffs have submitted various financial documents and summaries of financial transactions for the court's consideration. Even assuming that these documents, without more, were sufficient, for purposes of summary judgment, to establish the untruth of or omission to state certain information contained in PPM, trust plaintiffs' submissions are insufficient to compel the ruling they seek. The Oregon Court of Appeals has explained that the determination of "materiality" on summary judgment presents a special problem. Everts v. Holtmann, 64 Or.App. 145, 151, 667 P.2d 1028 (1983). In Everts, quoting TSC Industries, Inc. v. Northway, Inc., 426 U.S. 438, 450, 96 S.Ct. 2126, 48 L.Ed.2d 757 (1976), the court stated: "In considering whether summary judgment on the issue is appropriate, we must bear in mind that the underlying objective facts, which will often be free from dispute, are merely the starting point for the ultimate determination of materiality. The determination requires delicate assessments of the inferences a `reasonable shareholder' would draw from a given set of facts and the significance of those inferences to him, and these assessments are peculiarly ones for the trier of fact. Only if the established omissions are `so obviously important to an investor, that reasonable minds cannot differ on the question of materiality' is the ultimate issue of materiality *1146 appropriately resolved `as a matter of law' by summary judgment." Everts 64 Or.App. at 150, 667 P.2d 1028 (additional citations omitted); see also Loewen v. E.B. Galligan, 130 Or.App. 222, 242, 882 P.2d 104 (1994)("[m]ateriality is an objective question that can be answered as a matter of law only when reasonable persons could not differ about the importance of the misrepresentations or omissions"). The trust plaintiffs have failed to present evidence sufficient to establish, as a matter of law, the materiality of the alleged untruths and omissions. The trust plaintiffs themselves have been silent, that is, they have not submitted affidavits or declarations on this issue. Consequently, the court is unable to rule on the record that as a matter of law, the sale of the Trust 2 certificates violated ORS 59.115(1)(b). On this issue, trust plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment must be denied. D. Control Person Liability Finally, trust plaintiffs ask the court to rule that Tucker is personally liable as a "control person" for their alleged losses under ORS 59.115(3), which provides: Every person who directly or indirectly controls a seller liable under subsection (1) of this section, every * * * officer or director of such seller, every person occupying a similar status or performing similar functions, and every person who participates or materially aids in the sale is also liable jointly and severally with and to the same extent as the seller, unless the nonseller sustains the burden of proof that the nonseller did not know, and, in the exercise of reasonable care, could not have known, of the existence of facts on which the liability is based. Any person held liable under this section shall be entitled to contribution from those jointly and severally liable with that person. Tucker responds that he was not the issuer or seller of the Trust 2 certificates, and concludes that he cannot be held liable as a control person. The evidence, however, belies his argument. Tucker was Chairman and CEO of FFAC, facts that he admits. Affidavit of Richard J. Tucker ("Tucker Aff."), ¶ 2. FFAC, in turn, was the sole shareholder of and therefore controlled the seller of the securities, FFAC Auto Receivables Corporation. See Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, p. 1 (which describes FFAC as "the sole stockholder of Seller"). Moreover, in his affidavit, Tucker admits that he "was directly involved with the creation of the Certificate structure," and states that "[i]t was [his] intent that the Certificate transactions were to be governed" by law other than Oregon securities law. Tucker Aff., ¶¶ 3, 11. This evidence supports, rather than negates, a finding that Tucker sufficiently controlled the seller or otherwise participated or aided in the sale of the Trust 2 certificates to bear potential liability under ORS 59.115(3). Nonetheless, two unresolved issues of fact prevent summary judgment on this issue. First, liability under ORS 59.115(3) only becomes an issue once a "seller [is found] liable under subsection (1)," something that has not yet occurred. Second, ORS 59.115(3) provides a defense to control person liability that the parties have failed to address in any respect. Consequently, summary judgment in favor of trust plaintiffs on this issue must be denied. To summarize, trust plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment is granted in part and denied in part as follows: The court finds as a matter of law that the Trust 2 certificates are securities; the remainder of the motion is denied. *1147 II. MOTION II: Loan Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment Against Simon and Plunkett The "loan plaintiffs"[9] seek summary judgment against defendants Simon and Plunkett on their claims for sale of unregistered securities (Claim 1), and sale of securities by means of an omission or misstatement of a material fact (Claim 2). Additionally, plaintiffs Dean Maddox and Toni Maddox Smith seek summary judgment on their breach of contract (Claim 3), against Simon only. A. Facts Relevant to This Motion At all relevant times, Simon was President and a director of FFAC; Plunkett was a director. It appears that in April 1998, plaintiff Dennis Dunn[10] was elected to the FFAC board of directors. Dunn's involvement in the events leading to the present litigation has yet to be explored in any detail in the various motions that have been filed. In affidavits filed earlier in this case, Dunn explained that he is a lawyer, and that during the relevant time period he was licensed with United Pacific Securities, Inc., and/or Magellan Securities, Inc., both of which are licensed broker/dealers. Declaration of Dennis L. Dunn (filed October 16, 2000)("Dunn Decl."), ¶ 3. According to Dunn, he "sold the FFAC Trust Certificate program to his clients," i.e., the trust plaintiffs. Dunn Decl., ¶ 5. With respect to the loan portfolio at issue in the second motion, Dunn states that After the collapse of FFAC in April of 1998, I became a director of the company in an attempt to protect my clients. I organized a group of my clients who purchased some of FFAC's corporate assets to provide funds to allow FFAC to reorganize through Bankruptcy. After these purchases, we learned that another party, the Allen Family Trust, claimed a security interest in the car loans that we had purchased. This security interest had not been disclosed to my clients. Dunn Decl., ¶ 12. According to the affidavit Dunn filed in connection with the loan plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment, when FFAC collapsed in 1998, he "attempted to assist Mr. Simon in * * * restructuring the company, largely in an attempt to protect [his] investors who had also lost large sums of money." Affidavit of Dennis Dunn ("Dunn Aff."), ¶ 3. Simon "indicated that FFAC had a portfolio of assets that could be sold to secure the restructuring of the corporation." Id. The "portfolio of assets" consisted of receivables due on vehicle financing loans. The loan sales by FFAC to Dunn and his clients are documented in two transactions. The first, to plaintiff Dean Maddox, is reflected in a "Confirmation and Assignment" dated April 13, 1998. Plunkett's Opposition to Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment ("Plunkett Response"), Exhibit 106. According to Schedule A attached to that document, the transaction involved loans with a total principal balance of $250,126.91 as of March 31, 1998, Plunkett Response, Exhibit 106, p. 3. *1148 The second sale was to Dunn, and is documented in another "Confirmation and Assignment" dated May 28, 1998. Plunkett Response, Exhibit 101. The second transaction involved loans totaling $233,725.99. Id. at p. 2. According to Dunn, the FFAC offered the loans at approximately 50 percent of their face values, "to compensate my investors for the heavy default risk of high interest loans." Dunn Aff., ¶ 6. The Maddox Confirmation and Assignment Agreement also contains an agreement by FFAC to repurchase the loan portfolio "within one year for 110% of the amount paid by the Purchaser * * * allowing a return of 15% interest * * * in addition to the 10% premium being paid for the repurchase." Plunkett Response, Exhibit 106, p. 2. Dunn's Confirmation and Assignment contains no similar language. See Plunkett Response, Exhibit 101. Also according to Dunn, the loan plaintiffs invested a total of $362,000 in the loan portfolios. The loan plaintiffs paid for their investments either through Dunn or by funds sent directly to FFAC.[11] Dunn "operated as trustee for the investors" and in that role: received funds from the American Loan Finance Corp. ("ALFI") for the benefit of investors, had the funds deposited into a separate account, had an accounting done as to what portion of the funds was to be paid to each investor, and sent the amount to either the investor or to investment accounts that they owned. Supplemental Affidavit of Dennis Dunn, ¶ 4. In May 1998, to save on management fees, Dunn and Maddox decided to add the Maddox loan portfolio to the other portfolio(s) with Dunn acting as trustee. Supplemental Affidavit of Dennis Dunn, ¶ 5. Since 1993, the Allan Family Trust ("Allen") has held a first security interest in the FFAC loans. See Second Amended Complaint, Exhibit 8 (UCC-1). In 1994, Allen subordinated "its security interest" to Margaret Lombardo, a trustee for the Trust 2 certificates. See Affidavit of James Simon ("Simon Aff."), Exhibit 104. At some point, Lombardo filed a financing statement in Texas also covering the FFAC loans.[12] In April 1998, Allen gave notice to FFAC that it was in default on various obligations totaling $725,000, and demanded that FFAC remit all moneys due to it directly to Allen. Plunkett Response, Exhibit 107. Loan plaintiffs who have filed affidavits and Dunn deny that Plunkett or Simon disclosed Allen's security interest to them before sale of the loan portfolios. See, e.g., Dunn Aff., ¶ 8; Affidavit of Shirley Tripp, ¶ 4; Affidavit of Sherlee Cave, ¶ 3; Affidavit of W.H. Bulmer, ¶ 4. Dunn claims that he first learned of Allen's lien when Allen took steps to foreclose the security interest. Dunn Aff., ¶ 8. In contrast, both Plunkett and Simon state in their affidavits that they discussed the Allen security interest and subordination with Dunn at the time of the loan portfolio sales. Simon Aff., ¶ 4; Affidavit of Patti Plunkett, ¶ 4. B. Was the FFAC Loan Portfolio a "Security" Under Oregon Law? Loan plaintiffs contend that the loan portfolio is a security in the form of *1149 an "investment contract."[13]See ORS 59.015(19)(a). As discussed earlier in this opinion, in determining whether an instrument is an investment contract, Oregon applies the definition outlined in Securities and Exchange Commission v. Howey, supra, 328 U.S. 293, 301, 66 S.Ct. 1100, 90 L.Ed. 1244 (1946), as modified by the Oregon courts. The relevant factors are: (1) an investment of money (or money's worth), (2) in a common enterprise, (3) with an expectation of profit, (4) to be made through the management and control of others. Pratt v. Kross, 276 Or. 483, 497, 555 P.2d 765 (1976); see also Computer Concepts, Inc. v. Brandt, 310 Or. 706, 713, 801 P.2d 800 (1990). Simon and Plunkett do not address the Howey factors in their arguments; instead, they merely state that the loan portfolio was an asset subject to a UCC-1 financing statement. That response, however, ignores the breadth of the definition of "security," and is not helpful to the court. Measuring the evidence against the factors, it is without dispute that the first factor — an investment of money — is met. The second factor, "common enterprise," requires a showing of either an enterprise common to an investor and the seller, promoter, or some third party (vertical commonality), or an enterprise common to a group of investors (horizontal commonality). Reynolds, supra, 952 F.2d at 1130; see Jost v. Locke, supra, 65 Or. App. at 711-12, 673 P.2d 545 ("`common enterprise' element [means] a scheme in which the `fortunes of the investor are interwoven with and dependent upon the efforts and success of those seeking those investments or of third parties'") (quoting Securities & Exchange Com'n v. Glenn W. Turner Ent., Inc., 474 F.2d 476, 482 n. 7 (9th Cir.1973)). Based on the record presently before the court, it appears that horizontal commonality, that is, "the pooling of interests combined with the pro-rata sharing of profits," is present. See Jost, 65 Or.App. at 712, 673 P.2d 545 (citing Turner, supra). That commonality is sufficient to meet the "common enterprise" element of the Howey test. Reynolds, 952 F.2d at 1131. With respect to the last two factors, "expectation of profit" "to be made through the management and control of others," the evidence of record shows that the loan plaintiffs purchased their shares of the loan portfolio at a discount and, presumably, expected to make a profit upon payment of the loans. Further, it is undisputed that the loan plaintiffs[14] were not employed by or involved in the management of FFAC or its loan servicer, ALFI. In this sense, the loan plaintiffs meet the description of "investor" set forth in the trial court decision in Securities & Exchange Com'n v. Glenn W. Turner Ent., Inc., 348 F.Supp. 766 (D.Or.1972), aff'd, 474 F.2d 476 (9th Cir.1973): The most essential consistency in the cases which have considered the meaning of "investment contract" is the emphasis on whether or not the investor has substantial power to affect the success of the enterprise. * * * When he is relatively uninformed and unskilled and then turns over his money to others, essentially depending upon their representations and their honesty and skill in *1150 managing it, the transaction is an investment contract. 348 F.Supp. at 775 (Skopil, J.). In the absence of any compelling or even persuasive evidence or argument to the contrary, I find that as to the loan plaintiffs, the loan portfolio was a security. Simon and Plunkett do not contend that the portfolio was registered as a security or that it was exempt from registration, consequently I also find that the sale of the security in Oregon violated ORS 59.055(1). C. Control Person Liability Loan plaintiffs next contend that Simon and Plunkett should be held personally liable as "control persons" under ORS 59.115(3). In view of their positions as officers and directors of FFAC, I agree with loan plaintiffs that Simon and Plunkett both are control persons subject to potential personal liability. As explained above in connection with the trust plaintiffs' motion, however, control person liability under ORS 59.115(3) becomes an issue only upon a finding that there has been a violation of ORS 59.115(1)(b), i.e., that a person has sold a security by means of an untrue statement or an omission to state a material fact. Because on the present record there is a disputed issue of fact concerning the extent of Dunn's[15] knowledge of Allen's lien position when he encouraged the loan plaintiffs to invest, summary judgment on the issue of control person liability would be premature and must be denied. D. Breach of Contract Claim Against Simon Dean Maddox and Toni Maddox Smith seek summary judgment against Simon based on the following language in the Maddox "Confirmation and Assignment": The following parties agree to be personally responsible if the representations contained in the Representations of Seller are inaccurate in any material way. Plunkett Affidavit, Exhibit 106. The "Representations of Seller," in turn, include the following: Representations of the Seller: The following representations are made related to all of the loans in Schedule A: * * * * * * 3. [FFAC] is the legal owner of all loans listed on Schedule A of the Confirmation and Assignment and has first priority on the security. 4. The loans are being held and processed by American Lenders Financial Services and [will be] separate from FFAC and are bankruptcy remote related to FFAC. Id. The short answer to this portion of loan plaintiffs' motion is that the evidence of record is incomplete, confusing, and, consequently, insufficient to permit a ruling on this overwhelmingly fact-bound matter as "a matter of law." Fed.R.Civ.P. 56. It may well be that as a factual matter, FFAC did not have "first priority on the security" or that the loans were not "separate from FFAC," as plaintiffs contend, but those facts may not be "material," depending on what these plaintiffs knew or did not know at the time of the transaction. Moreover, it is not clear what, precisely, Simon was undertaking to do, if anything, as his "personal responsibility." Consequently, this portion of loan plaintiffs' motion must be denied. *1151 To summarize, loan plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment is granted in part and denied in part as follows: The court finds as a matter of law that sale of the loan portfolio to the defined group of loan plaintiffs was the sale of an unregistered security; the remainder of the motion is denied. CONCLUSION Trust plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment against defendant Tucker (# 45), and loan plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment against defendants Simon and Plunkett (# 55) are granted in part and denied in part as set forth in this opinion. NOTES [1] The caption of the Second Amended Complaint lists only five claims. [2] The "trust plaintiffs" are plaintiffs who purchased Trust 2 certificates and include Burr and Jean Battig, Lyle and Shirlee Cave Trustees, Gary and Joanne Cosentino, Cotrustees Hillard Hansen, Trustee, Clare and Margery Hoffman, Bernard and Debbie Jueden, Frank and Laura Long, Cotrustees, Dean Maddox, Danforth Martin, Leland Ramos, Trustee, RMS Farms, Inc. President Mildred Schmidt, Jack and Leah Spitzmesser, Shirley Tripp, Trustee, Russell and Aleen Wilson Cotrustees, and Donald and Carole Whigham. [3] Tucker denies that the certificates were offered through the PPM, but on this point, the document speaks for itself. Compare Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, pp. 1, 17-18, with Defendant Tucker's Response to Trust Plaintiff's Concise Statement ("Tucker's Statement"), ¶ 2. [4] Defendant Simon is identified as "Director," and defendant Plunkett as "Vice President" and "Chief Financial Officer." Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, pp. 37-38. [5] The "risk factors" appear on pages 4-5 of the PPM and include lack of significant operating history, fluctuations in operating results, marginal credit borrowers, competition, dependence on key personnel, no sinking fund, limited liquidity of the seller, limited liquidity of FFAC, dependence on loan sale and securitization transactions, and regulatory limitations. Plaintiffs' Statement, Exhibit 1, pp. 20-21. [6] Tucker's suggestion that Texas law governs this securities action, based on language in the Trust Agreement, is without merit. [7] Moreover, that an instrument may be subject to Article 9 of the U.C.C. does not, as Tucker supposes, give rise to a presumption that the instrument is not a security; to the contrary, the Supreme Court has held that "a note is presumed to be a security * * *." Reves v. Ernst & Young, 494 U.S. 56, 67, 110 S.Ct. 945, 108 L.Ed.2d 47 (1990). [8] Because both sides agree that the Trust 2 certificates are properly evaluated as notes, I will not separately analyze them as "investment contracts," except to say that I agree with the trust plaintiffs that the certificates appear to meet the factors set forth in S.E.C. v. W.J. Howey Co., 328 U.S. 293, 66 S.Ct. 1100, 90 L.Ed. 1244 (1946), as modified by the Oregon courts. The factors are: (1) an investment of money (or money's worth), (2) in a common enterprise, (3) with an expectation of profit, (4) to be made through the management and control of others. Pratt v. Kross, 276 Or. 483, 497, 555 P.2d 765 (1976); see also Computer Concepts, Inc. v. Brandt, 310 Or. 706, 713, 801 P.2d 800 (1990). [9] The "loan plaintiffs" are plaintiffs who purchased shares in a loan portfolio and include Burr and Jean Battig, W.H. and Rita Bulmer, Lyle and Sherlee Cave, Gertrude Cook, Keith and Sherry Dahle, Earl and Mary Edmonds, Hillar Hanson, Glare and Margery Hoffman, Penny Linwood, Dean Maddox, Toni Maddox Smith, Leland Ramos, Calvin and Joyce Rose, Doug Schmidt, Ronald and Mildred Schmidt, Leonard and Nancy Schultz, Shirley Tripp, and Russell and Aleen Wilson. For reasons not apparent on the present record, plaintiff Dennis Dunn has not included himself among the moving plaintiffs on either motion. [10] See footnote 9. [11] Plunkett and Simon both state in their responses that the loan plaintiffs did not purchase any loan portfolio from FFAC and that Dennis Dunn was the sole purchaser, see Plunkett Response, p. 1, and Simon Response, p. 1, but the evidence suggests otherwise. See, e.g., Plaintiffs' Reply Memorandum, Exhibit 11 (copies of checks written to FFAC). [12] The relative lien positions of the two secured parties was or is the subject of litigation in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Orange, entitled Robert M. Allan v. Dennis Dunn, et al, Case No. 797077. See Plunkett Response, Exhibits 107 and 108. The details of that litigation are unknown to the court on the present record. [13] Loan plaintiffs also assert that the loan portfolio is an "evidence of indebtedness" under ORS 59.015(19)(a), but do not separately discuss that theory. [14] Again, Dunn is not among the group defined, for purposes of the present motion, as "loan plaintiffs." [15] Dunn appears to have been acting as the loan plaintiffs' agent and his knowledge, if any, may potentially be imputed to them.
Introduction ============ Birth defects are a major challenge worldwide, requiring improvements in reproductive healthcare. For example, in 2015, congenital chromosomal abnormalities were one of the leading causes of under-5 mortalities [@B1]. Currently, the survival rates of trisomy 21, 18 and 13 are still low (1 in 800, 1 in 6000, and 1 in 10 000, respectively) [@B2], indicating poor quality of life. Therefore, prenatal diagnosis of birth defects is vitally important. However, conventional prenatal diagnostic methods have several limitations and are not adequately reliable or safe. In general, maternal serum biochemical screening (i.e., screening plasma protein A, free beta human chorionic gonadotropin and alpha-fetoprotein in the first or second trimester) and sonographic screening (e.g., measuring nuchal translucency) are reported to have an excessive false positive rate for certain aneuploidies. Other diagnostic techniques such as chorionic villus sampling, cordocentesis, or amniocentesis are all invasive and may cause complications leading to miscarriage, infections or even maternal fatality [@B3]. Considering that birth defects are largely induced by genetic abnormalities such as fetal chromosomal aneuploidy and genetic aberration, there has been an emphasis on the development of diagnostics using easily accessible maternal peripheral blood that contains abundant fetal genetic materials. Several non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) techniques based on blood tests have been established which mainly depend on cell-free fetal DNA (cffDNA) or fetus-derived cells in the maternal peripheral blood. cffDNA-based NIPT is extensively used in the clinic [@B4],[@B5] for screening for trisomy 21, 18, and 13 in high-risk gravidas [@B6],[@B7], presents no risk of pregnancy loss and provides an inexpensive, convenient and effective method compared to other invasive technologies. However, cffDNA-based NIPT suffers from the following limitations [@B8]: 1) it cannot eliminate chromosomal anomalies like mosaicism, duplication, and deletion; 2) limited data are currently available on the use of NIPT in twins and multiple pregnancies [@B9]; 3) cell-free DNA cannot be used to distinguish specific abnormalities such as Robertsonian translocation and high-level mosaicism [@B10]; and, 4) samples from gravidas with a low-level mosaicism or solid tumor as well as a high body mass index (BMI) [@B11] or early gestational age will result in variations of circulating cffDNA impacting prenatal testing results. Due to inherent drawbacks of cffDNA in NIPTs, circulating fetus-derived cells in the maternal bloodstream have attracted much attention. Four types of fetal nucleated cells have been reported: trophoblasts, fetal nucleated red blood cells (fNRBCs), hematopoietic progenitor cells, and lymphocytes. Among these, fNRBCs are the preferred choice for NIPTs due to their unique characteristics [@B12]. First, fNRBCs have intact nuclei containing the total fetal genome for prenatal analysis. And second, fNRBCs have distinct cell markers, such as epsilon hemoglobin transferrin receptor (CD71), thrombospondin receptor (CD36), GPA, and antibody 4B8/4B9 [@B13]-[@B18], enabling isolation of these rare cells from large volumes of maternal blood. A variety of fNRBC isolation strategies have been developed, such as density gradient centrifugation (DGC) [@B19], fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) [@B20], and magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS) [@B21]. Recently, fNRBC isolation approaches with better yields and less cell damage have employed microfluidic chips of silicon, glass, and other plastic materials like polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) [@B22],[@B23]. Huang et al. [@B14] and Bhagat et al. [@B24] developed high throughput microfluidic techniques to isolate fNRBCs from maternal blood based on cell size differences. These strategies enabled enrichment of fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood with high recovery and purity for clinical applications. Nevertheless, retrieving intact fRNBCs from substrates for subsequent biomedical analysis and directly integrating prenatal diagnostics with the fNRBC isolation platform remains considerable challenges. Previously, many methods for detaching fNRBCs have been described [@B24]-[@B26]. In this study, we employed nanostructure microchips to isolate fNRBCs for prenatal diagnosis. Our microchip was made of biocompatible biotin-doped conductive polypyrrole (Ppy) nanoparticles for effective isolation of fNRBCs. These nanoparticles form a topographic three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure to increase the rate of antibody-chip surface bio-conjugation. These nanostructures simulate extracellular matrix (ECM) to enhance the interaction between fNRBCs and microchips [@B27]. Furthermore, if triggered by electric fields, Ppy can reveal the doped biotin inside and thus help release the antibody-captured fNRBCs from the microchips [@B28],[@B29]. We used a fNRBC-specific cell membrane antibody, anti-CD147, and validated its specificity by flow cytometry and Western blotting. fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood at optimum pregnancy age were isolated [@B30] and validated by three color immunofluorescent staining. Using these cells, prenatal diagnosis based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed to diagnose various birth defects (chromosomal aneuploidy and microdeletion syndrome) (Fig. [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). We also investigated the association between fNRBC quantity and fetal abnormality. We believe that our method will benefit non-invasive prenatal diagnostics, especially for screening the complex genetic disorders, which present a challenge for clinical cffDNA-based NIPTs. Materials and Methods ===================== Ethics Statement ---------------- This study was approval by the Ethics Committee at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University. Related informed consent was signed before the study, and the study protocols were based on the ethical principles for research that involves human subjects of the Helsinki Declaration for medical research [@B31]. Materials --------- Anhydrous ethanol, methanol, acetic acid, and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) were purchased from Sinopharm Chemical Reagent Co. Nonyl phenoxypolyethoxylethanol (NP-40), saline sodium citrate (SSC), phosphate buffered saline (PBS), lymphocyte separation medium (LSM), Tween-20, pyrrole, biotin, sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (NaDBS), 1-ethyl-3-(3- dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC), N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS), paraformaldehyde (PFA, 36% in water), Triton X-100, bovine serum albumin (BSA), normal goat serum and 4,6- diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI) were purchased from Sigma-Aldrich. RIPA buffer was purchased from Beyotime Biotechnology Co., Streptavidin and 0.25% Trypsin-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) (Gibco, 1×) were obtained from Invitrogen. Biotinylated anti-CD147/BSG and human TfR (Transferrin R)/anti-CD71 antibody (goat immunoglobulin G) were acquired from R&D Systems. Phycoerythrin (PE)-labeled anti-fetal hemoglobin-epsilon (anti-ε HbF) antibody, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled anti-CD71 antibody, fluorescein diacetate (FDA) and propidium iodide (PI) were purchased from BD Biosciences. Prime-Script RT reagent kits were purchased from Takara. FISH X-13, X-21 and FISH Y-13 and Y-21 chromosome probes were obtained from Jinpujia Medical Technology, Inc. Glass slides were cleaned using acetone and then ethanol, and dried using compressed nitrogen. Cells ----- Nucleated erythrocyte cell line (CRL_2003, TF-1) was purchased from ATCC Co. and the monocyte cell line was harvested from patients at Union Hospital of Tongji Medical College in Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Blood samples collection ------------------------ Blood samples were drawn ahead of any procedure. Approximately 3 mL blood from gravidas who were recruited to this study was collected into anti-coagulant K~2~-EDTA Vacutainer tubes (Becton-Dickinson) with a proprietary preservative (available from Rare Cyte). Identification and determination of the specific surface antigen on nucleated red blood cells --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Western blots and flow cytometry assay were performed according to standard protocols. Monocytes from normal blood, monocyte from leukemia and nucleated erythrocytes from leukemia were collected to identify their specific surface antigen. Western blotting was performed according to the routine procedure. Briefly, cells were lysed in RIPA buffer with protease/phosphatase inhibitors. After protein quantification, lysates were resuspended in sample buffer and loaded on the gradient gels (Criterion Tris-HCl Gel, 8-16%). Proteins were transferred onto polyvinyl difluoride (PVDF) membranes. Primary antibody CD147 (Abcam, Ab108317) was used. Blots were incubated with the HRP-conjugated secondary antibody (Boster, BA1054) and developed using Epson V300 scanner. Alpha Innotech software was used to analyze the gray value. For flow cytometry, cell samples were incubated with combination antibody FITC-labelled anti-CD147 (BD Biosciences, \#4192771) at room temperature (RT) for 2 h in the dark. Cells were then centrifuged, resuspended in PBS, and loaded into a FACS Aria flow cytometer. Data were analyzed by FlowJo (Tree Star) software. Preparation of biotin-doped Ppy microchips and modification with specific antibody on the microchip --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For the preparation of biotin-doped Ppy microchip, first indium tin oxide (ITO) glass substrates were cleaned using acetone and ethanol successively and then dried using compressed nitrogen. Ppy polymerization was carried out in 0.1 M pyrrole and 0.01 M NaDBS aqueous solution containing 1 mM biotin with the application of chronoamperometry (CA) at 0.8 V (versus Ag/AgCl) for 2 min. Subsequently, clean ITO substrates were immersed in the Ppy solution to obtain biotin-doped Ppy microchips. The microchips were immediately washed with ultrapure water 3 times and dried in air for next use. Surface modification of the microchips for antibody conjugation was carried out according to the protocol reported by Jeon and Nagrath et al [@B27],[@B32]. In brief, the biotin-doped Ppy-based microchip was modified in an EDC (0.095 g) / NHS (0.061 g) aqueous solution (10 mL) for 45 min, followed by rinsing with ultrapure water 3 times. The chip was further incubated with 50 µL of streptavidin (20 µg/mL in water) for 1 h and then washed with ultrapure water 3 times. The streptavidin-modified microchips could be stored at 4 °C. Before fNRBC isolation, 10 mL biotinylated anti-CD147 (10 µg/ mL in PBS with 1% BSA (w/v)) was added onto the microchip and incubated at RT for 2 h. After washing with PBS, the chip was incubated with 100 µL of 1% BSA (w/v) in 1× PBS to reduce nonspecific binding. The microchip was washed with PBS 3 times and was ready for fNRBC isolation. A general schematic diagram of biotin-doped polypyrrole-based microchip fabrication and the antibody bio-conjugation procedure is depicted in Fig. [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}. Blood sample pretreatment ------------------------- The blood samples were processed according to a density gradient centrifugation (DGC) protocol. First, 1 mL blood sample was 1:1 diluted with PBS. Subsequently, the diluted blood was carefully added onto the surface of LSM in a centrifuge tube to form an obvious liquid-liquid interface. The tube was centrifuged horizontally at 1800 rcf for 30 min to separate the liquid into four layers. The mononuclear cells containing fNRBCs were obtained from two middle layers and suspended in 1mL of PBS for the capture procedure. fNRBC isolation and release --------------------------- The mononuclear cell suspensions containing fNRBCs was loaded onto the microchip, which was modified with anti-CD147. After incubation for 60 min, the chip was gently washed five times with PBS to remove nonspecifically adsorbed cells. To release captured fNRBCs from the Ppy nanostructure substrate, the microchip with the cells was placed into a size-matched container. Subsequently, an electric stimulation system applied the release voltages (0.3 V, 0.5 V and 0.8 V) on the microchip for 15 s, following which the microchip was taken out and washed with PBS. The eluent and the solution in the container were collected in a tube and centrifuged to retrieve the released fNRBCs for subsequent biomedical analysis. fNRBC capture, immunofluorescent staining, and FISH analysis ------------------------------------------------------------ Immunofluorescent staining was performed to identify fNRBCs. First, the captured cells were fixed with 1 mL 4 % PFA in PBS at RT for 10 min. The cells were then incubated with 1 mL 0.1 % Triton X-100 in PBS for 10 min to increase cellular permeability. Subsequently, 3 % BSA in PBS was used to treat the cells for 30 min to block non-specific bonding sites. Finally, cells were immunofluorescently stained with the block solution containing 10 mL PE-labelled anti-ε-HbF (10mg/ mL) and 10 mL of FITC-labelled anti-CD71 (10 mg/ mL) and then incubated in the dark at RT for 2 h. Before microscopy, fNRBCs were nucleus-stained with DAPI (0.1 mg/ mL in deionized water) for 10 min and then washed with deionized water. The FISH analysis [@B33] was performed according to the kit protocol provided. Briefly, the microchip with captured fNRBCs was immersed in the 2× SSC buffer at RT for 10 min to enhance the permeability of the nuclei. Then the chip was treated with 70 %, 85 % and 100 % ethanol for 2 min dehydration. Subsequently, FISH probes with a volume ratio of 1:4 Chromosome X/Y, 21, 18, or 13 probes or their mixture in the hybridization buffer were added to the chip, which was covered with a coverslip, and sealed with rubber oil. The chip was placed in a 75 ℃ water bath for 5 min and then incubated at 42 ℃ in a dark, wet box for more than 20 h. Subsequently, the coverslip was carefully removed, and the microchip was first soaked in 2 × SSC for 10 min and immersed in NP-40 (0.3 % in 0.4 × SSC) in a 67 ℃ water bath for 90 s, followed by immersion in another NP-40 solution (0.1 % in 2 × SSC) for 30 s at RT. Finally, the chip was dehydrated in 70 % ethanol for 3 min and then air dried. Nuclear staining was done with DAPI (0.1 mg/ mL) for 15 min. After covering with another coverslip, cell imaging and counting were performed on IPP software. All images were recorded by DP72 charge-coupled devices (CCD, Olympus, Japan), mounted on an IX81 inverted microscope (Olympus, Japan), and analyzed using Image-Pro Plus (IPP) software (Media Cybernetics Inc., USA). Chromosomal karyotype analysis of amniotic fluid cells ------------------------------------------------------ Chromosomal karyotype analysis of amniotic fluid cells, which were compared to fNRBC samples, was done by the Prenatal Diagnostic and Birth Health Clinical Research Center of Hubei Province. All procedures were performed according to the standard protocol. Briefly, amniotic fluid was obtained from women in their second-trimester of pregnancy through amniocentesis. The amniotic fluid was centrifuged at RT for 10 min and cells were recycled and cultured at 37 ℃ for 5-10 days. Adherent viable cells were collected and made into cell slices [@B34],[@B35]. The cell karyotype analysis was performed by CytoVision analyzer. Whole exome sequencing analysis of samples ------------------------------------------ To analyze and assess the diagnostic accuracy of the captured fNRBCs, cell samples from maternal peripheral blood, umbilical cord blood, and maternal peripheral blood after at least 42 days of pregnancy were collected for whole exome sequencing. The sequencing was carried out on genomic DNA using Hiseq-2500 platform (Illumina). The data were obtained after mapping to the reference human genome (Hg 19) and comparing the data during and after pregnancy. Results and Discussion ====================== Verification of the specificity of anti-CD147 --------------------------------------------- Isolation of fNRBCs from the microchip required a specific antigen on the cell membrane to separate fNRBCs from monocytes. The protein CD147 (also known as basigin, BSG, EMMPRIN and M6, [@B14]), linked with spermatogenesis, embryo implantation [@B36], proliferation, invasiveness, migration, and angiogenesis of cancer [@B37], is expressed on the membrane of nucleated erythrocytes [@B30], [@B38]. To investigate the expression of CD147 on the fNRBC membrane, flow cytometry assay and Western blotting were performed. As shown in Fig. [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}A, the fluorescence intensity of fNRBC-CD147 was much higher compared with that of monocyte-CD147. To further validate the high expression of CD147 on the fNRBC membrane, expression of CD147 in the monocyte lineage was compared with that on the primary monocytes collected from nonpregnancy women by Western blotting (Fig. [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}B-C). There was no difference in the expression of CD147 in the control group and monocyte cell lineage indicating that CD147 expression was not affected by hematopathy. However, CD147 expression was much higher in NRBCs than in monocytes confirming its utility as an ideal antigen for the separation NRBCs from monocytes. Characterization and optimization of biotin-doped Ppy-based nanoparticle microchip ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Biotin-doped Ppy-based nanoparticle microchip was fabricated on a conductive indium-tin oxide (ITO) glass and has many excellent characteristics: (1) its good biocompatibility allows biotin-doped Ppy to be widely used in drug delivery systems, (2) its transparency feature facilitates FISH analysis, (3) it possesses a high volume ratio that allows trapping of cell capture agents, (4) it favors release of cells for easy operation with minimal harm to cell integrity. Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}A displays the mini-size microchip. The captured cell analysis can take advantage of its transparency characteristics. Under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}B) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) (Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}C), the Ppy-based microchip showed cell-to-chip contact ability due to its raised and hollow surface. When a specific antibody was used, the Ppy-based nanoparticle microchip showed its ability to recognize and capture fNRBCs. To verify the cell-capture ability of the Ppy-based microchip, the NRBC suspension was introduced onto a 1cm^2^ biotin-doped Ppy-based microchip, which was modified with biotinylated anti-CD147. As a control, a flat ITO microchip modified with biotinylated anti-CD147 was also examined in parallel. As shown in Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}D-G, the Ppy-based microchip could capture many more cells than the flat ITO microchip. This suggested that the high-volume ratio of Ppy-based microchip was possibly responsible for the enhanced cell-capture numbers. The cells captured on the flat ITO microchip and Ppy-based microchip exhibited vastly different cell numbers and marked morphology differences by SEM observation (Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}F-G). The insets in Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}F-G show the cells captured on the flat ITO appeared more rounded, and no cell filopodia were observed. These results indicated the preferred interaction of NRBCs with the biotin-doped Ppy-based microchip with three-dimensional topography. To optimize the cell-capture agents, the concentration of anti-CD147 used for the surface bio-conjugation on the microchip as well as the electric potential application for electroplating Ppy and biotin on the microchip were investigated. NRBCs were suspended at a density of 2×10^6^ cells/ mL in PBS. Four different concentrations of anti-CD147 were used for cell isolation (Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}H). The results showed that the 10 mg/mL of anti-CD147 concentration had the highest cell capture number. Also, 2 min of electric potential was applied at three different voltages (0.5 V/0.8 V/1.2 V) during electroplating. The results obtained are displayed in Fig. [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}I and show that more cells could be captured when the applied voltage was increased from 0.5V to 0.8V with the number of captured cells reaching its maximum at 0.8V or above. Identification and release of fNRBCs ------------------------------------ fNRBCs were isolated on microchips using maternal peripheral blood collected from gravidas at optimal gestational age. Tricolor immunofluorescent staining was performed using the biological dye DAPI, and anti-ε-HBF [@B13] and anti-CD71 [@B16] antibodies to identify nuclear, cytoplasmic and cytomembrane localization, respectively. Additionally, chromosome X/Y probes were employed to verify whether the stained cells had maternal origin or stemmed from the fetus. Fig. [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}A presents representative images of isolated fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood using the nanostructure microchip under fluorescence microscopy. Male fetal nucleated red blood cells were isolated and identified by two FISH signals (chromosome X/Y) and the reliability of anti-CD147 to isolate fNRBCs was validated. In previous studies, Jeon et al. used electroactive applications to release cancer cells from biotin-doped Ppy films [@B27], whereas Tao Gao et al. employed an electrochemical system based on redox-control to capture and release cancer cells [@B39]. Our study used, for the first time, electrical stimulation for releasing fNRBCs from the microchip. Captured nucleated erythrocyte cell line was used in a preliminary study for electric stimulation. NRBCs, isolated from biotin-doped Ppy microchips, were divided into three groups and 0.3 V, 0.5 V and 0.8 V electric stimulation was applied to the chips for 15 s. Subsequently, the viability of the released cells was observed by fluorescence-based live-dead cells assay with green and red fluorescence of FDA and PI, respectively. The microscopic images of NRBCs before and after electric stimulation with different voltages are shown in Fig. [S1](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. Comparison of the cell numbers before and after electric stimulation indicated that higher electric stimulation might enhance cell release without having a noticeable impact on cell viability (Fig. [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}A). Therefore, 0.8 V was used for releasing cells from the microchip by electric stimulation. Representative images of NRBCs are shown under the brightfield and fluorescence views before and after 0.8V electric stimulation (Fig. [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}B-D). Fifteen maternal peripheral blood samples at the 18^th^ gestational age were collected from gravidas pregnant with a male fetus; the fetus sex was determined by the fNRBCs immunofluorescent staining and FISH analysis. The number of fNRBCs from all samples are presented in Table [S2](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}. The samples were divided into three groups of 5 samples/group, and electric stimulation was used for releasing fNRBCs from the microchips. Subsequently, the residual cells on the chips were counted under fluorescence microscopy after electric stimulation. Releasing efficiencies of fNRBCs were 68.3%, 76.2% and 94.6% respectively in the 0.3 V, 0.5 V and 0.8 V groups (Fig. [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}B), further indicating that the electric stimulation of 0.8 V for 15 s was sufficient for the maximum fNRBCs release. Prenatal diagnostics of chromosomal aneuploidies and microdeletion syndrome --------------------------------------------------------------------------- To confirm the feasibility of fNRBCs-based NIPT, fetal genetic defects such as chromosomal aneuploidy cases (including autosomal aneuploidy and sexual aneuploidy) and microdeletion syndrome were collected for diagnosis by FISH technique and WES. Maternal peripheral blood samples were drawn mostly around the 18^th^ week of gestation, which was previously determined to be the optimum time point [@B30]. fNRBCs were isolated from high risk fetal chromosomal or genetic aberration samples (the data were from cffDNA-based NIPT or B-type ultrasound examination). For the diagnosis of fetal chromosomal aneuploidy, three prominent fluorescence staining signals of chromosomes 21/13/18/X were seen in the fNRBCs while using corresponding fluorescent probes (Fig. [7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}A). Five cases of Down syndrome, three cases of trisomy 13 syndrome, two cases of trisomy 18 syndrome, and two cases of Klinefelter\'s syndrome were detected. These results were compared with subsequent amniocentesis and G-banding karyotyping analysis (Fig. [7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}B) and demonstrated that the non-invasive analysis of fNRBCs could diagnose fetal chromosomal aneuploidy malformations in all twelve cases. The numbers of fNRBCs from these samples were counted (Table [S3](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and compared with fNRBCs isolated from normal pregnancy (Table [S2](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). Fig. [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}C shows that the number of fNRBCs from gravidas who conceive a fetus with chromosomal aneuploidy was significantly higher than those with normal chromosomal aneuploidy. These results confirmed that high counts of fNRBCs indicated abnormal gravidity, which was consistent with previously reported studies [@B40]. A typical example was from a woman at 21 weeks of gestation whose three-dimensional B-type ultrasound manifested fetus with multiple organ structure abnormities including high airway obstruction syndrome and heart malformation. According to ACOG guidelines [@B41], amniocentesis and chromosomal microarray (CMA) were performed for prenatal diagnosis. The results showed that the fetus suffered 18q21 microdeletion encompassing a pathogenic gene DYM, which is associated with dysosteogenesis and mental retardation (Fig. [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}A). In this case, fNRBCs, representative of fetal genetic material, were isolated from the maternal peripheral blood and released from the nanostructure microchips by electric stimulation. Simultaneously, mouth mucosa exfoliative cells were collected to identify the maternal genetic material and WES of both samples was performed. After the removal of sequencing adapters and trimming of low-quality bases, \~11.93 Gb of cleaned reads data were obtained for each sample (Table [S1](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). More than 99.03% of the sequencing reads were aligned to the human reference genome (hg19), with 49.82% effective reads from target regions obtained after the removal of PCR duplications. The average sequencing depth for each sample was 99.32-fold, with more than 92.06% of target regions having at least a 10-fold coverage. A total of 13683 and 15950 SNVs or InDels were identified, respectively, in the gravida peripheral blood sample and maternal independent sample. The copy ratios (CNVs of gravida peripheral blood sample/maternal independent sample) that manifested genetic amplification or deletion were calculated and 4568 exomes were identified. 101 exomes were present on chr 18, and the copy ratio of DYM gene was 0.262 (1 was the benchmark), which signified microdeletion (Fig. [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}B). The WES result conformed with the CMA result. Thus, it was clear that fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood could be used to diagnose fetal chromosomal aneuploidy and microdeletions without any risk to fetus and mother. Conclusion ========== In this study, we used biocompatible Ppy nanoparticles to fabricate nanostructure microchips and conjugated the device with a highly specific antibody anti-CD147 to isolate fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood for NIPT of certain birth defects. These biocompatible biotin-doped Ppy nanoparticles formed 3D nanostructures that increase antibody bio-conjugation as well as cell-microchip interactions. Together with highly specific anti-CD147 (validated by flow cytometry and Western blots) as the capture agent, fNRBC in maternal peripheral blood were distinguished from monocytes and effectively captured using our device. Electric stimulation was used to release the captured fNRBCs from the Ppy microchips that could be retrieved for downstream prenatal diagnosis. fNRBCs were validated for their fetal origin using three color immunofluorescent staining and FISH analysis. The fNRBCs could be used to identify fetal abnormalities. 12 cases of chromosome aneuploidy samples were diagnosed using FISH, while WES detected the microdeletion syndrome in fNRBCs. These NIPT results obtained from fNRBCs of maternal peripheral blood were validated by conventional diagnostics. We believe this method has great potential in the development of molecular diagnostics for non-invasive prenatal testing of birth defects, especially for those genetic disorders that are difficult to diagnose by cffDNA-based NIPTs. Supplementary Material {#SM0} ====================== ###### Supplementary figures and tables. ###### Click here for additional data file. We thank Key Laboratory of Artificial Micro- and Nano-Structures of Ministry of Education of Wuhan University and Outpatient Department of Obstetrics and Gynechology of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University for fabrication of nanostructure substrates and samples collection, respectively. This project was funded by National R&D Program for Major Research Instruments (No. 81527801) and Hubei Province Sci-Tech Support Program (No. 2015BCA310). fRNBC : fetal nucleated red blood cell NIPT : noninvasive prenatal testing cffDNA : cell-free fetal DNA BMI : body mass index CD71 : transferrin receptor CD36 : thrombospondin receptor GPA : glycophorin A DGC : density gradient centrifugation FACS : fluorescence-activated cell sorting MACS : magnetic-activated cell sorting PMMA : polymethyl methacrylate PC : polycarbonate PDMS : polydimethylsiloxane Ppy : polypyrrole ECM : extracellular matrix FISH : fluorescence in situ hybridization WES : whole exome sequencing DMSO : dimethyl sulfoxide NP-40 : nonyl phenoxypolyethoxylethanol SSC : saline sodium citrate PBS : phosphate buffered saline LEM : lymphocyte separation medium NaDBS : sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate EDC : 1-ethyl-3-(3- dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide NHS : N-hydroxysuccinimide PFA : paraformaldehyde BSA : bovine serum albumin DAPI : 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole dihydrochloride EDTA : ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid PE : phycoerythrin FITC : fluorescein isothiocyanate FDA : fluorescein diacetate PI : propidium iodide PVDF : polyvinyl difluoride RT : room temperature ITO : indium tin oxide CA : chronoamperometry ε-HbF : εchain of hemoglobin CD147 : a member of a super family in immune globulin SEM : scanning electron microscopy AFM : atomic force microscopy CMA : chromosomal microarray CNVs : copy number variations. ![Schematic showing NIPT using fNRBCs isolated by our nanostructure microchips. fNRBCs are captured from maternal peripheral blood by the biotin-doped Ppy nanoparticle microchip grafts with anti-CD147 targeting agent, and then retrieved from the substrate through electric stimulation. These isolated fNRBCs are used for chromosome analysis and whole exome sequencing to diagnose birth defects non-invasively.](thnov08p1301g001){#F1} ![Schematic diagram showing the biotin-doped polypyrrole-based microchip fabrication and antibody bio-conjugation procedure.](thnov08p1301g002){#F2} ![Validation of cytomembrane protein CD147 in nucleated red blood cells using flow cytometry assay and western blotting analysis. **(A)** In flow cytometry analysis, the x-axis represents fluorescence intensity and the y-axis means the number of cells. **(B)** Representative pictures from protein gel electrophoresis imaging in three kinds of cells. **(C)** Western blots of protein lysates from control-monocytes, nucleated red blood cells and monocytes; data are representative of 3 independent experiments. No difference between control-monocyte group and monocyte group (\*\*p\>0.05) was present; there was a difference between NRBC group and monocyte group/control-monocyte group (\*p\<0.05).](thnov08p1301g003){#F3} ![Microchip characterization. **(A)** Photograph showing the biotin-doped Ppy nanostructure microchip. Typical SEM image **(B)** and AFM image **(C)** showing 3D nanostructures formed by biotin-doped Ppy nanoparticles on the ITO substrate. **(D-G)** Representative fluorescence images and SEM images of the flat ITO microchip and the biotin-doped Ppy microchip on which NRBCs were captured. The biotin-doped Ppy microchip exhibited considerably better cell capture efficiency than the flat ITO microchip due to its high volume ratio. **(H)** Comparison of the cell numbers on the nanostructure microchips using different concentrations of anti-CD147 applied for cell capture. **(I)** Comparison of the cell numbers on the microchips after applying different voltages for electroplating Ppy and biotin.](thnov08p1301g004){#F4} ![**(A)** Identification of fNRBC in maternal peripheral blood using immunofluorescent staining and FISH technique. Representative pictures of fNRBCs from gravida who conceived male infants are shown. The scale bars are 5 μm. **(B-C)** Representative images of nucleated red blood cells on the microchip before/after electric stimulation by 0.8 V. **(D)** FDA and PI staining of cells on the microchip after 0.8 V electric stimulation.](thnov08p1301g005){#F5} ![**(A)** Comparison of the average number of NRBCs on the microchip before and after electric stimulation by 0.3 V, 0.5 V and 0.8 V. **(B)** Using fNRBC to detect releasing efficiency at three different voltages. **(C)** Comparison of the number of fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood from abnormal pregnancy (Table [S2](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) and normal pregnancy (Table [S1](#SM0){ref-type="supplementary-material"}) at 18 weeks of gestation.](thnov08p1301g006){#F6} ![**(A)** Representative images of diagnosis of chromosome aneuploidy using FISH staining of isolated fNRBCs from maternal peripheral blood. Green fluorescence, red fluorescence and blue fluorescence respectively represent chromosome 13/X, chromosome 21/Y and chromosome 18. The scale bars are 5 μm. **(B)** Check experiments were performed by amniocentesis and G-banding karyotyping of each sample. Representative pictures of chromosomal karyotype analysis are shown comparatively.](thnov08p1301g007){#F7} ![**(A)** A 122kb chromosome 18q21.1 deletion (Chr 18: 46,888,182-47,010,397) was detected by CytoScanTM HD array. The log 2-based test/reference intensity ratios of DNA clones located on chromosome 18 were below -0.5 (black arrow)---the position of the 18q21.1 deletion within the DYM gene.**(B)** A picture is demonstrated that the distribution of genetic CNVs surrounding DYM gene in chromosome 18. The log 2-based maternal peripheral blood sample (MPB)/maternal independent sample (Mat) ratio was calculated; \>0 means genetic duplication and \<0 means deletion. The gene which has a high grey spots coverage part means a high false positive rate.](thnov08p1301g008){#F8} [^1]: \* equally contributing first author [^2]: ^\#^ equally contributing senior authorship [^3]: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists.
NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday said that institutions have weakened under BJP government as judiciary was not intervening promptly on important matters involving citizens’ rights such as Article 370 , leading to anxiety among citizens.It said that on the issue of Article 370, the Supreme Court has constituted a constitutional bench but has not started the hearing.Addressing a press conference, AICC spokesman Anand Sharma said, “There has been institutional subversion and the institutions which I expected to administer and deliver justice to uphold India’s constitutional democracy and fundamental rights of citizens have been weakened. We have expected throughout that the judiciary of this country, being the custodian of the statute, shall protect its foundational values and citizens’ fundamental rights. There are concerns that timely intervention and delivery is not taking place.”The former Union minister and deputy leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha said, “When serious constitutional matters come up, those should be taken up promptly. You cannot delay issues pertaining to the Constitution by months. We hope that will not happen and the judiciary will rise to the occasion to reassure the citizens that the foundational values of the Indian Constitution shall remain protected and secured.”He said delay in timely intervention on many constitutional matters leads to questions marks in the global community while also disheartening the people it concerns.At the same time, Sharma accused the BJP government of persecuting opposition leaders, referring to the legal troubles of former home minister and Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram and of Karnataka leader D K Shivakumar and other opposition leaders. “There can be differences of views but in a democracy, the rights of all citizens which are guaranteed under the Constitution should be protected. These concerns are bonafide concerns,” he said.“Are there two sets of rules and two sets of laws in the Republic of India — one that governs the opposition and one that benefits ruling party leaders,” Sharma asked.
The character of the Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg will be the protagonist of a new TV film being made by Channel 4. He will be the unlikely key part in a drama written by James Graham, the playwright behind such recent political theatre treats as This House and Privacy. The drama will follow the tortuous, tense backroom dealings that led, in the space of days, to the creation of the coalition. The film will be a one-off, 90-minute creation and has the working title Coalition. The Telegraph reports playwright Graham's explanation of his rather niche idea for a drama: In May 2010, British politics was faced with a dilemma it hadn't had to face in peacetime for over 75 years. The public were asked 'Who should govern?', and they came back with the answer 'We don't know'. What we try to capture in this drama is the tension, the high stakes, and the frequent farcical and absurd nature of what happens when a power is wrangled, negotiated and fought over like children trading cards in the playground. In May 2010, after decades of single party rule and amidst growing disillusionment, all eyes turned to one man. A man who found himself with the power to change the landscape of British politics - and his career - forever. But at what cost? Rather convincing. But Clegg's team seems less sure about the idea. One spokesperson joked to the Telegraph "That would explain why Brad Pitt keeps calling", whereas Michael Savage of the Times was told by a source close to the Deputy Prime Minister, "That explains why Daniel Craig has been calling", and the Guardian's Nicholas Watt had "that would explain why George Clooney's been calling". Twitter has other ideas, citing, among others, Colin Firth, Hugh Dennis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ricky Gervais and, err, Idina Menzel.
NEW YORK -- Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Deryk Engelland has been suspended for five games, without pay, for an illegal check to the head of Detroit Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader during NHL Game No. 491 in Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 14, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today. The incident occurred at 19:30 of the first period. Engelland was assessed a match penalty for an illegal check to the head. Based on his average annual salary, Engelland will forfeit $14,529.90. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund. For a full explanation of the decision, complete with video, please click on the following link: http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=60&id=514993&lang=en.
1. Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to a mobile communication terminal, and more particularly, to a mobile communication terminal having a multi-band antenna. 2. Description of the Related Art A mobile communication terminal is a portable device that can be hand-carried, as well as having at least one of a voice and video communication function, an information input and output function, a data storage function, and the like. As it becomes multifunctional, for example, such a mobile communication terminal has complicated functions such as capturing events or moving images, playing music or video files, gaming, receiving broadcast, and the like, so as to be implemented as an integrated multimedia player. Various new attempts have been applied to such a multimedia player in the aspect of hardware or software to implement a complicated function therein. As an example, a user interface environment is provided for the user to easily or conveniently retrieve or select a function. A mobile communication terminal also includes radio frequency elements to transmit, receive and process radio signals. Thus, the mobile communication terminal may communicate with wireless base stations using wireless communication, and attempts for providing various wireless communication services in one terminal in an integrated manner have been carried out. For example, the mobile communication terminal may perform communication using cellular phone bands of 850 MHz, 900 MHz, and 1900 MHz (for example, major Global System for Mobile communications or GSM cellular phone bands). Furthermore, for Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) services, it is also used for the mobile communication terminal to provide wireless communication services even at a bandwidth of 1.8-2.17 GHz. Wide bandwidth components are also used to provide all such multi-band services in one mobile communication terminal. However, an antenna element for transmitting or receiving electromagnetic waves has a resonant characteristic, thereby causing the problem of having a narrow bandwidth characteristic.
Q: java: is using a final static int = 1 better than just a normal 1? I just saw a class (an big API module), where there is alot of stuff like readParamString(Object params, int index) and they have in that class 10 fields final static int PARAM1 = 1 ... final static int PARAM10 = 10 which are being used with readParam functions but you can also use a normal int like readParamString(o, 1); is final static int somehow better than using a normal int ? A: One advantage of declaring a static final constant is to prevent multiple references to the same literal value througout the code, which could potentially lead to unwanted variation; e.g. if a programmer inadvertently changes one literal without changing the others. In your example, I'd question the value of declaring a constant PARAM1 with the value 1, especially if this is private to the containing class and only referenced once. If however, there was some semantic meaning to the literal value then it might be more useful; e.g. public static final int LOAD_ACTION = 1; public static final int SAVE_ACTION = 2; public static final int DELETE_ACTION = 4; public static final int MOVE_ACTION = 8; However, typically an enum would be used instead of this approach. A: That's silly. The reason for extracting numeric constants is to give them a telling name. PARAM1..PARAM10 are not very telling. A: In the example you give, I'd say that having the named values is not better than just using the int directly. The parameter is a count, so the int representation of the parameter is just as descriptive as the named version. This seems to be kind of like when I occasionally come across C code that has things like #define ZERO 0 #define ONE 1 There's really not much point. In fact, when I see those names used (instead of when I'm looking at the definitions), I get tempted to jump to the defines to make sure the names aren't lying (It's been a long, long time, but, I've actually come across code that had FALSE defined to 1, -1 or something non-zero, for example, which is really, really bad). Edit: on second look, it appears that the names might indicate which field in the first parameter that are of interest, in which case the names might make more sense - as long as the names have some meaningful tie to the field rather than just the numeric offset. It's hard to say whether or not that's the case, since you might be paraphrasing the code you're really working with.
This 1,125 square foot bungalow has oak flooring throughout the living room, hall and 3 spacious bedrooms on the main level. Fully developed basement has a 3 piece bathroom, massive recreation or family room, den (which can EASILY be used as a bedroom with the addition... More details Come and walk through this well-kept 3-Level Split type home located on a CUL-DE-SAC with an OVERSIZED DOUBLE DETACHED GARAGE on one of the BIGGEST LOTS in Fairview!! Lot size is 7,675 SQFT. WOAH. The massive WEST FACING and PRIVATE back yard is perfect for entertaining... More details OPEN HOUSE SUN MAY 26, 2:00 - 4:00. This ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS FAMILY HOME has been substantially RENOVATED & UPDATED! Features include vinyl siding, wiring, plumbing, windows, doors, flooring, kitchen & bathrms! OPEN MAIN FLOOR with gorgeous HARDWOOD floors & TONS OF... More details STYLE, LOCATION AND COMFORT! This charming, solidly built home has the original thick oak flooring and lovely decorative ceilings with the added benefit of a tasteful renovation allowing for open concept design throughout. Three bedrooms on the main floor and another in... More details This home conveniently faces a large green space with mature trees & additional parking for family and friends. This fully renovated property offers an open concept layout with refinished hardwood flooring. Oversized kitchen & dining features granite counters... More details This is an absolutely beautiful property that you would love to call HOME!! Nestled in the trees of Feirview. It has been beautifully UPGRADED...all reno's inside over few last years.. new kitchen cabinets & appliances, baths, beautiful tile flooring, heated main... More details A work of art describes this One-Of-A-Kind home!!! Fun and Whimsical.... Entire home has been renovated over the years. Cozy, bright living room w/floor-to-ceiling windows, custom California shutters + wood burning wood stove. Adjoining dining area features a quaint... More details Welcome home to your fully renovated bungalow in Fairview. Every inch from the 3 bedroom main floor to basement is brand new! Enjoy the open concept and prepare meals in your gourmet kitchen or entertain on your large quartz countertop under the impressive skylight. For... More details Data supplied by CREB®’s MLS® System. CREB® is the owner of the copyright in its MLS® System. The Listing data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by CREB®. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license. The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS®, and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Socioeconomic Status, Family Functioning and Delayed Care Among Children With Special Needs. Parents of children with special healthcare needs (CSHCN) face tremendous stress in caring for their children. Families of CSHCN face increased barriers to health services as evidence also reflects the influence of socioeconomic factors on access. This study investigates the impact of socioeconomic factors and family functioning on delayed care. Descriptive, bivariate, and adjusted multivariate logistic regression were performed using sampling weights. findings suggest that family dynamics are more impactful on delayed care than socioeconomic predictors. Promoting family-centered care that incorporates social support for families to reduce barriers is essential for improved quality of life and health outcomes.
Effectiveness of digitoxin versus trichlormethiazide/amiloride in congestive heart failure NYHA class II/III and sinus rhythm. The effects of digitoxin and/or diuretic agents were investigated in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) in sinus rhythm with respect to changes in hemodynamic parameters, cardiac dimensions, and bicycle ergometric exercise capacity. In a randomized, double-blind study 16 male patients with CHF NYHA class II and III received a placebo for 1 week (baseline) and then were randomly allocated, double blind, to take either digitoxin (digitalis group, DI: N = 8) or trichlormethiazide/amiloride (diuretic group, DG: N = 8) for 3 weeks (VP I). The patients who were first treated with digitoxin received the diuretic agent for a further 3 weeks and vice versa (VP II). At baseline and after VP I and II, a physical examination, two-dimensional echocardiography, and bicycle ergometry were performed. Heart rate (HR), systolic (BPs), and diastolic (BPd) blood pressure at rest, and BPs and 50 watts, were not significantly changed during the observation period. HR at 50 watts was decreased in DI (11.5 +/- 10.1 beats/min.) after VP I and II, but not in DG. BPd was significantly reduced after VP II in DI (8.2 +/- 4.6 mmHg) and in DG (9.3 +/- 8.9 mmHg). DI presents at baseline significantly higher end-diastolic (LVEDV) and end-systolic (LVESV) left ventricular dimensions, whereas left atrial diameter (LA) and stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (LVEF) were not significantly different. After VP I, a significantly decreased LA was found in DI, but not in DG. After VP II, all cardiac dimensions were significantly reduced compared with the baseline in DI, whereas in DG only a decrease in LVESV was found. SV was significantly increased in DI, but not in DG after VP I, SV and LVEF were significantly improved in DI and in DG after VP II. Exercise capacity did not change significantly in DI and DG. Digitoxin in combination with trichlormethiazide/amiloride is effective in reducing primarily enlarged left atrial and left ventricular dimensions, and is sufficient to improve the impaired systolic left ventricular function in CHF of NYHA class II and III in sinus rhythm. However, a significant increase in exercise capacity was not found. Treatment with digitoxin seems to be more relevant as a monotherapy with trichlormethiazide/amiloride.
IDD : intervertebral disc degeneration NPCs : nucleus Pulposus Cells ROS : reactive oxygen species MRI : magnetic resonance imaging LDH : lumbar disc herniation PTED : percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy DAMPs : danger-associated molecular patterns (s) PAMPs : pathogen-associated molecular patterns (s) LPS : lipopolysaccharide SOD : superoxide dismutase PBS : phosphate buffered saline NAC : N-Acetyl-L-cysteine DCF : dichlorofluorescein TBST : tris-buffered saline and tween 20 MOI : multiplicity of infection INTRODUCTION ============ Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common reason of low back pain and has become a huge social and economic burden \[[@r1]\]. The intervertebral disc consists of superior and inferior end plates, jelly-like nucleus pulposus and fibrous annulus \[[@r2]\]. It is generally believed that nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) are responsible for matrix biosynthesis in the NP region, which first exhibits degenerative changes during disc degeneration \[[@r3]\]. Previous studies have shown that the reduction and dysfunction of NPCs is the main cause of IDD, but its potential mechanism remains to be revealed \[[@r4], [@r5]\]. Studying the mechanism of NPC reduction will help to find effective targets to restore intervertebral disc function and alleviate the course of IDD. In addition to the widely recognized apoptosis, cellular reduction can also be caused by other forms of cell death. Pyroptosis is a newly discovered form of cell death and significantly different from apoptosis in terms of cell morphological changes and mechanisms. Apoptosis requires activation of casase-3, -8, -9 and is accompanied by karyopyknosis, lysis of DNA and nucleases, and preservation of plasma membrane integrity. During the process of apoptosis, the contents of apoptotic cells are packaged into apoptotic bodies, which are phagocytosed and cleared by phagocytes without causing inflammation. However, pyroptosis is an inflammatory cell death which can be mediated by activated caspase 1 (CASP1) \[[@r6]\]. As a common activator of CASP1, NLRP3 inflammasome is composed of NLRP3, PYCARD and CASP1 \[[@r5]\]. In the early stage of pyroptosis, small cation-permeable pores are formed on the plasma membrane, which lead to the disappearance of the ion gradient and the osmotic swelling and dissolution of the cell. The most prominent feature of pyroptosis is that it depends on the activation of CASP1 and is accompanied by an increase of inflammatory cytokines of cleaved interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 \[[@r7]\]. Our previous studies have revealed that inflammatory factors, especially IL-1β, are closely related to IDD and highly expressed in degenerated intervertebral discs \[[@r8]\]. Since apoptosis is non-inflammatory cell death, it is reasonable to assume that NPCs undergo both apoptosis and pyroptosis during IDD progress. Exploring the pyroptosis of NPCs will help to find new ideas for the treatment of IDD. In degenerated human intervertebral discs, the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increases and is closely related to age-related degeneration including cell senescence and reduction \[[@r9], [@r10]\]. With the increase of the degree of degeneration, the content of ROS in human intervertebral disc increases while the transcription factor NFE2L2, which increases the expression of antioxidant protein, decreases \[[@r11]\]. It has been previously reported that ROS also activates autophagy in NPCs to prevent cell aging \[[@r12]\]. However, the roles of autophagy induced by ROS, NFE2L2 and ROS in the pyroptosis of NPCs are still unknown. Exploring the role of autophagy and NFE2L2 in the pyroptosis of NPCs will contribute to developing new strategies for the treatment of IDD. This study aims to reveal the potential mechanism of pyroptosis of NPCs under oxidative stress and the roles of autophagy and the transcription factor NFE2L2 during pyroptosis. RESULTS ======= Pyroptosis related proteins were increased in NPCs with higher ROS level ------------------------------------------------------------------------ According to Pfirrmann\'s classification, T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of intervertebral discs with different degrees of degeneration was shown in [Figure 1A](#f1){ref-type="fig"}. The average age of patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH) of grade IV and V was 47 and 49 years old, respectively. There was no statistical difference between two groups in age, sex ratio and distribution of surgical stages. Case 1 and case 2 represented LDH patients of grade IV and V, and their imaging and morphological information were shown in [Figure 1B](#f1){ref-type="fig"}. Immunohistochemical staining showed that CASP1 was present in NPCs ([Figure 1C](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). The expression of CD24 in NPCs was identified by qPCR test ([Figure 1D](#f1){ref-type="fig"}), and expression of collagen type II alpha 1 chain (COL2A1) and aggrecan (ACAN) was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining ([Figure 1E](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). Flow cytometry analysis showed that the ROS level of NPCs of patients with grade V was higher than that of patients with grade IV ([Figure 1F](#f1){ref-type="fig"}, [1G](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). In NPCs from grade V patients, the expression of cleaved IL-1β, IL-18 and CASP1 was also higher ([Figure 1H](#f1){ref-type="fig"}, [1I](#f1){ref-type="fig"}). ![**Cleaved CASP1, IL-1β and IL-18 was higher expressed in NPCs with higher ROS level.** (**A**) Magnetic resonance images of the discs of patients with intervertebral disc degeneration of different Pfirrmann's classifications. A, B, C, D and E represented the images of patients with grade I, II, III, IV and V intervertebral disc degeneration. (**B**) The representative spinal magnetic resonance images and gross pictures of included patients of grade IV and V treated with transforaminal endoscope. (**C**) The immunohistochemical staining for detection of CASP1 in tissues from patients of grade IV and V (magnification: ×200, scale bar = 100μm). (**D**) The mRNA expression of CD24 in nucleus pulposus cells isolated from included patients with intervertebral disc degeneration of grade IV and V. (**E**) The representative images of immunofluorescence staining for detection of COL2A1 and ACAN in the cultured nucleus pulposus cells from patients of grade IV and V (magnification: ×400, scale bar = 50μm). (**F**) The flow cytometry for detecting the reactive oxygen species level in the cultured nucleus pulposus cells from case1 and case 2. (**G**) The comparison of the percentage of nucleus pulposus cells with high ROS level of patients with intervertebral disc degeneration of grade IV and V. (**H**) The representative western blot images showing the expression of p20, cleaved IL-1β, and cleaved IL-18 in the nucleus pulposus cells isolated from patients of grade IV and V. (**I**) The comparison of pyroptosis related proteins between the patients of grade IV and V based on western blot results. The data were presented as the mean ± SEM. \**P* \< 0.05.](aging-12-103109-g001){#f1} Hydrogen peroxide induced pyroptosis of NPCs through NLPR3/ PYCARD inflammasome ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Compared with the control group, the ROS level and apoptosis rate of hydrogen peroxide treatment group were increased during flow cytometry test ([Figure 2A](#f2){ref-type="fig"}--[2H](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). Immunohistochemical staining performed on cell climbing slices showed that the positive index of CASP1 expression was also increased in NPCs treated with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 2I](#f2){ref-type="fig"}--[2L](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). Treatment with 200μmol/L hydrogen peroxide for 3h not only significantly increased the level of ROS and the rate of apoptosis in flow cytometry, but also significantly decreased the viability of NPCs in CCK-8 test ([Figure 2M](#f2){ref-type="fig"}--[2O](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). Western blot analysis showed that the expression of pyroptosis related proteins NLRP3, PYCARD, cleaved CASP1 (p 20), cleaved IL-1β and cleaved IL-18 was increased in NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide for 3h ([Figure 2P](#f2){ref-type="fig"}, [2Q](#f2){ref-type="fig"}). Hochest33342/PI double staining showed that PI positive cells were also increased significantly after hydrogen peroxide treatment ([Figure 3A](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). In addition, increased ball-like bulge and membrane pore-forming in hydrogen peroxide treated NPCs were observed by scanning electron microscope ([Figure 3B](#f3){ref-type="fig"}). ![**Hydrogen peroxide induced the pyroptosis of NPCs.** (**A**--**D**) The reactive oxygen species level of the nucleus pulposus cells treated with hydrogen peroxide of 0μM, 100μM, 200μM and 300μM for 3h was detected by flow cytometry. (**E**--**H**) The corresponding apoptosis rates of nucleus pulposus cells treated with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide were detected by flow cytometry using annexin V/PI double staining. (**I**--**L**) The immunohistochemical staining revealed the expression of CASP1 in the nucleus pulposus cells treated with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (magnification: ×40, scale bar = 50μm). (**M**) The panel showed the comparison of percentage of nucleus pulposus cells with high reactive oxygen species level after treatment with hydrogen peroxide of different concentrations. (**N**) The panel showed the percentage of PI positive cells measured after treatment with hydrogen peroxide with different concentrations. (**O**) The CCK-8 test showed the viability of the nucleus pulposus cells treated with different concentration of hydrogen peroxide. (**P**) The expression of NLRP3, cleaved CASP1 (p20), cleaved IL-1β, cleaved IL-18 and PYCARD in the cultured nucleus pulposus cells treated with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide. (**Q**) The panel showed the averaged data measured from the images as shown in the Figure P. The data were presented as the mean ± SEM. \**P* \< 0.05, \*\**P* \< 0.01, \*\*\**P* \< 0.001.](aging-12-103109-g002){#f2} ![**The change of the cell membrane permeability of NPCs caused by hydrogen peroxide.** (**A**) Hochest33342/PI double staining revealed hydrogen peroxide (200μM, 3h) increased the PI positive nucleus pulposus cells (magnification: ×10, scale bar = 200μm). (**B**) The scanning electron microscopy showed that ball-like bulge and membrane pore-forming were increased by hydrogen peroxide.](aging-12-103109-g003){#f3} N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) attenuated NPCs pyroptosis induced by hydrogen peroxide --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Flow cytometry analysis showed that pretreatment with NAC decreased the ROS level and apoptosis rate of NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 4A](#f4){ref-type="fig"}--[4H](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). CCK-8 analysis showed that NAC with a concentration of 1mmol/L could improve the activity of NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 4I](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). Pretreatment with NAC also inhibited the upregulation of p20, cleaved IL-1β and cleaved IL-18 in NPCs induced by hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 4J](#f4){ref-type="fig"}, [4K](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). Fluorescence staining test showed that NAC pretreatment could significantly reduce the proportion of PI positive cells after hydrogen peroxide treatment ([Figure 4L](#f4){ref-type="fig"}). ![**N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) attenuated hydrogen peroxide-induced pyroptosis by inhibiting ROS production.** (**A**--**C**) The reactive oxygen species level of the nucleus pulposus cells of C+H, C+N and C+N+H group was detected by flow cytometry. p1 value in the lateral panel revealed the average fluorescence intensity of 1\*10^4^ cells. (C+H: The cells treated with hydrogen peroxide; C+N: The cells treated with NAC; C+H+N: The NPCs were pretreated with NAC before treatment with hydrogen peroxide.) (**D**--**F**) The flow cytometer assay showed the rates of PI positive nucleus pulposus cells from the C+H, C+N and C+N+H group in the Q1-UR quadrant. (**G**) The reactive oxygen species levels of the nucleus pulposus cells from C+H, C+N and C+N+H group were compared. (**H**) The rates of PI positive nucleus pulposus cells from C+H, C+N and C+N+H group were compared. (**I**) The CCK-8 test revealed the viability of the nucleus pulposus cells pretreated with different concentrations of NAC before treatment of hydrogen peroxide (200μM, 3h). (**J**) The expression of NLRP3, PYCARD, p20, cleaved IL-1β and cleaved IL-18 in the nucleus pulposus cells of C+H, C+N and C+N+H group was detected by western blot. (**K**) The comparison of the data measured in the Figure J. (**L**) The hochest33342/PI double staining showed that the PI positive cells were decreased by pretreatment of NAC before treatment of hydrogen peroxide (200μM, 3h). (magnification: ×10, scale bar = 200μm) \*P \< 0.05, \*\*P \< 0.01, \*\*\*P \< 0.001.](aging-12-103109-g004){#f4} Short hairpin RNA targeting NLRP3 or PYCARD (NLRP3-shRNA, PYCARD-shRNA) attenuated the pyroptosis of NPCs induced by ROS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ NLRP3-shRNA and PYCARD-shRNA effectively decreased the expression of NLRP3 and PYCARD, and inhibited the activation of CASP1 induced by ROS in NPCs ([Figure 5A](#f5){ref-type="fig"}--[5D](#f5){ref-type="fig"}). Fluorescence staining test showed that both NLRP3-shRNA and PYCARD-shRNA could reduce the proportion of PI positive NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 5E](#f5){ref-type="fig"}). ![**ROS-induced pyroptosis was NLRP3 and PYCARD dependent.** (**A**) The western blot detecting the expression of cleaved CASP1 and PYCARD in the nucleus pulposus cells transfected with PYCARD-shRNA and non-targeting shRNA (NVC) before treatment with hydrogen peroxide. (**B**) The panel compared the data measured in Figure A. (**C**) The western blot detecting the expression of cleaved CASP1 and NLRP3 in the nucleus pulposus cells after transfection with NLRP3-shRNA and non-targeting shRNA (NVC) before treatment with hydrogen peroxide. (**D**) The panel compared the data measured in Figure C. (**E**) The hochest33342/PI double staining showed that the PI positive cells were decreased when NLRP3 or PYCARD was silenced before treatment with hydrogen peroxide. (magnification: ×10, scale bar = 200μm) The data were represented as mean ± SEM. \*P \< 0.05.](aging-12-103109-g005){#f5} The autophagy of NPCs was activated to prevent pyroptosis induced by ROS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pretreatment with 3-MA of 10mmol/L upregulated sequestosome1 (SQSTM1), downregulated microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3 beta II (MAP1LC3BII, LC3II), promoted the cleavage of CASP1, and increased the PI positives NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 6A](#f6){ref-type="fig"}, [6B](#f6){ref-type="fig"}, 6I). CCK-8 analysis showed that rapamycin with a concentration of 500nM increased the activity of NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide ([Figure 6C](#f6){ref-type="fig"}). Pretreatment with rapamycin also decreased the PI positive NPCs and expression of SQSTM1, cleaved CASP1, IL-1β and IL-18, but increased the expression of LC3II ([Figure 6D](#f6){ref-type="fig"}, [6E](#f6){ref-type="fig"}, 6I). ![**Autophagy and NFE2L2 both inhibited CASP1 cleavage.** (**A**) The western blot detecting the expression of SQSTM1, MAP1LC3B and p20 in the nucleus pulposus cells with or without pretreatment with 3-MA before treatment with hydrogen peroxide. (**B**) The comparison of the data measured in the Figure A. (**C**) The CCK-8 test revealing the viability of the cells pretreated with different concentration of rapamycin before treatment with hydrogen peroxide (200μM, 3h). (**D**) The western blot detecting the expression of SQSTM1, MAP1LC3B and p20 in the nucleus pulposus cells with or without pretreatment with rapamycin before treatment with hydrogen peroxide. (**E**) The comparison of the data measured in the Figure D. (**F**) The CCK-8 test detecting the effect of ML385 of different concentrations on viability of nucleus pulposus cells. (**G**) The western blot detecting the expression of NFE2L2 and p20 in the NPCs with or without pretreatment with ML385 before treatment with hydrogen peroxide. (**H**) The comparison of the data measured in the Figure G. (**I**) The hochest33342/PI double staining showed the PI positive cells were decreased when nucleus pulposus cells were pretreated with rapamycin and increased when those were pretreated with 3-MA or ML385. (magnification: ×10, scale bar = 200μm) The data were represented as mean ± SEM. \*P \< 0.05, \*\*P \< 0.01.](aging-12-103109-g006){#f6} The negative regulation of transcription factor NFE2L2 on ROS-induced pyroptosis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CCK8 test showed that ML385 had no obvious toxic effect on NPCs when the concentration was below 40μM ([Figure 6F](#f6){ref-type="fig"}). Western blot analysis showed that hydrogen peroxide also upregulated the expression of NFE2L2 in NPCs. Compared with NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide only, the cleavage of CASP1 and PI positive cells were increased in NPCs pretreated with ML385 ([Figure 6G](#f6){ref-type="fig"}--[6I](#f6){ref-type="fig"}). DISCUSSION ========== The expression characteristics of pyroptosis related proteins in NPCs --------------------------------------------------------------------- After failure of conservative therapy for 3months, IDD patients are recommended for surgical treatment. From our clinical observation, most of the patients with surgical indications are those suffering IDD of grade IV or V according to Pfirrmann\'s classification. Therefore, the two most common types of patients were included and treated with percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy (PTED), which made it possible to obtain nucleus pulposus tissue without being contaminated by other cells \[[@r13]\]. According to the results of immunohistochemistry, nucleus pulposus tissue is mainly composed of extracellular matrix such as COL2A1 and ACAN, and only a small part of them is NPCs, which makes it impossible to obtain total cell protein with a high concentration. Therefore, due to objective factors, the tests we can do on the NP tissues were limited, and most of them were carried out in the cultured NPCs. As reported, the cultured cells can be identified as NPCs by detecting the expression of CD24, ACAN and COL2A1 \[[@r14]\]. Unlike apoptosis, pyroptosis is a programmed inflammatory death and characterized by cleavage of CASP1 and release of cleaved IL-1β and IL-18 \[[@r7]\]. The canonical pathway for inducing pyroptosis is CASP1 dependent and can be activated through the danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) and(or) pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). But the non-canonical pathway is caspase 4/5 or caspase 11 dependent and generally activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria \[[@r15]\]. Since the intervertebral dis is a bacteria-free environment, in this study, we focused on studying the canonical pathway for inducing the pyroptosis of NPCs. Compared with NPCs from patients with grade IV disc degeneration, the expression of cleaved CASP1, IL-1β and IL-18 was higher in NPCs from patients with grade V disc degeneration. Among the included patients, the ROS level of NPCs was also increased in those with higher degree of disc degeneration, which was consistent with previous report \[[@r10]\]. These evidences were in line with our previous hypothesis that ROS would induce pyroptosis of NPCs. However, the number of patients included in this study was limited and large-scale studies were warranted. To further explore the relationship between ROS and pyroptosis of NPCs, we used hydrogen peroxide to stimulate NPCs from patients with lower degree of degeneration before detecting the pyroptosis related index as Wu described previously \[[@r16]\]. ROS induced the pyroptosis of NPCs through NLRP3/ PYCARD pathways ----------------------------------------------------------------- The relationship between ROS and CASP1 activation varies with the situation. In vitro experiments of macrophages and monocytes, when the production of ROS is inhibited by compounds or knockdown of NADPH oxidase subunits, the activation of CASP1 is inhibited \[[@r17]--[@r19]\]. However, in patients with chronic granulomatosis disease, the impaired ROS production due to genetic defects does not affect or even increases the secretion of IL-1β \[[@r20]--[@r22]\]. In the macrophages of superoxide dismutase (SOD)1-deficient mice, higher level of ROS inhibits the activation of CASP1 \[[@r23]\]. In this study, hydrogen peroxide upregulated pyroptosis related proteins of cleaved CASP1, cleaved IL-1β and cleaved IL-18 and increased PI positive NPCs, both of which could be attenuated by pretreatment of NAC. In other words, increased ROS level was responsible for the activation of CASP1 and the pyroptosis of NPCs. After treatment of hydrogen peroxide, the increased and enlarged membrane pores observed by scanning electron microscope also provided powerful evidence for ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs. In addition, transfection of NLRP3-shRNA or PYCARD-shRNA inhibited the CASP1 cleavage and decreased the PI positive NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide, suggesting that NLRP3 and PYCARD were necessary for ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs. According to the achieved results, we first reveal that ROS can induce the pyroptosis of NPCs, which depends on the expression of NLRP3 and PYCARD. The potential role of autophagy in ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs ----------------------------------------------------------------- Autophagy is a conservative cellular behavior that maintains intracellular homeostasis. However, the exact role of autophagy may be reversed under different conditions, and the mechanism of this conditional dependence, from protecting cells to promoting cell death, remains unclear \[[@r24]\]. Our previous studies have revealed that hydrogen peroxide could induce the autophagy of NPCs \[[@r12]\]. However, the role of autophagy in ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs remains unclear. To explore the possible relationship between autophagy and ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs, we used 3-MA and rapamycin to inhibit and activate the autophagy of NPCs. In line with our hypothesis, ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs was aggravated and alleviated when the autophagy was inhibited and activated. We also report for the first time that autophagy is activated during ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs and shows negative regulation and self-protection effect. Autophagy is different in different cell lines, therefore, the ultimate effect of elevated ROS level on cellular pyroptosis may be different. This may partly explain the inverse relationship between ROS and CASP1 activation observed in these different situations \[[@r17]--[@r23]\]. Negative regulatory effect of NFE2L2 on ROS-induced pyroptosis of NPCs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The role of NFE2L2 during the inflammasome and CASP1 activation is also controversial. Freigang, S reported that NFE2L2 was essential for cholesterol crystal-induced inflammasome activation and exacerbation of atherosclerosis \[[@r25]\]. Similarly, in THP-1 cells, NFE2L2 is required for inflammasome activation \[[@r26]--[@r28]\]. However, in many different inflammatory disease models, the activation of NFE2L2 has been found to be accompanied by the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome \[[@r29]--[@r34]\]. In NPCs, the relationship between NFE2L2 and pyroptosis is still unclear. It has been reported that NFE2L2 was decreased in the IDD patients with higher degree of degeneration \[[@r11]\]. In this study, cleaved CASP1 was found increased in NPCs of IDD patients with higher degree of degeneration, which suggested a negative correlation between NFE2L2 and pyroptosis of NPCs. To further prove the negative regulatory effect of NFE2L2 on ROS-induced pyroptosis, we used ML385 to inhibit the expression of NFE2L2 and detected the related index after hydrogen peroxide treatment. Compared with NPCs treated with hydrogen peroxide, pretreatment with ML385 downregulated NFE2L2 and increased the CASP1 cleavage and PI positive NPCs, which indicated that NFE2L2 upregulated by hydrogen peroxide also exhibited negative regulatory effect on pyroptosis. Taken together, we have also for the first time revealed that transcription factor NFE2L2 was increased by increasing ROS level and inhibited the pyroptosis of NPCs. CONCLUSIONS =========== In summary, this study evaluated the relationship between oxidative stress and pyroptosis of NPCs. Our results demonstrated that ROS induced the pyroptosis of NPCs through NLRP3/ PYCARD inflammasome and established negative regulation by increasing autophagy and NFE2L2 ([Figure 7](#f7){ref-type="fig"}). This study provides a new idea for studying the decrease of NPCs and a new strategy for the treatment of IDD. ![**Proposed model of the ROS-induced pyroptosis and the negative regulation in NPCs.** By increasing the reactive oxygen species level of nucleus pulposus cells, hydrogen peroxide upregulated the expression of NLRP3 and PYCARD to promote the expression of cleaved CASP1, IL-1β and IL-18 and the pore-forming in the membrane. The increased reactive oxygen species also increased the autophagy and NFE2L2 which both attenuated reactive oxygen species induced pyroptosis of nucleus pulposus cells.](aging-12-103109-g007){#f7} MATERIALS AND METHODS ===================== NPC isolation and culture ------------------------- This study was approved by the ethics committee of the first affiliated hospital of Chongqing medical university. All written informed consents were obtained before surgery. Nucleus pulposus tissue was obtained from patients with LDH treated by PTED. According to Pfirrmann\'s classification \[[@r35]\], each three patients with IDD of grade IV and V from the age group 35-55 were included to explore the expression characteristics of pyroptosis related proteins. In each group, the herniated lumbar disc was L5/S1. Inclusion criteria: ① Patients without obvious communication obstacles; ② Patients who were diagnosed as LDH according to symptoms, signs and imaging data; ③ Patients who had waist and leg symptoms after failure of conservative therapy for 3 months. Exclusion criteria: ① Patients with other diseases about spine or systemic diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart disease, etc. The NPCs isolated from patients with IDD of grade IV were used for further experiment exploring the mechanism of pyroptosis of NPCs. NPCs were isolated and cultured as described previously \[[@r36]\]. Briefly, the nucleus pulposus tissue extracted from the operation was washed with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) containing streptomycin and penicillin, cut by ophthalmology, and digested with 0.25% trypsin and 0.2% type II collagenase (Sigma, USA) at 37°C for 3-5h. The cells in the supernatant were collected by centrifugation and cultured in condition medium consisting of 83% DMEM/F12 medium and 17% fetal bovine serum (Gibico, USA). NPCs were cultured in a humidified incubator with 1% O2, 5% CO2, and 94% N2 at 37°C. The NPCs of second-passage were used for further experiment as described previously \[[@r37]\]. Cell treatment -------------- According to our previous experience and CCK-8 result, 200μmol/L hydrogen peroxide was added to the medium for 3h to induce the oxidative stress of NPCs. NPCs were pretreated with 1mmol/L of NAC (Sigma, U.S.A, CAS No. :616-91-1) \[[@r3]\] for 1h to exhibit anti-oxidant function, 500nmol/L of rapamycin (Selleck, U.S.A, CAS No. :53123-88-9) \[[@r37]\] and 10mmol/L of 3-MA (Sigma, U.S.A, CAS No. : 5142-23-4) \[[@r38]\] to activate and inhibit the autophagy, and 20μmol/L ML385 (MCE, U.S.A, CAS No. : 846557-71-9) to inhibit the expression of NFE2L2. RNA isolation and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The primers of CD24 were designed and synthesized by Shanghai Shenggong Biological Co., Ltd., with actin beta (ACTB) as the internal reference control. ([Table 1](#t1){ref-type="table"}) According to the manufacturer's instructions, the total RNA of NPCs was extracted utilizing Trizol reagent (Invitrogen, USA). Then 5μL of RNA was reverse transcribed to achieve cDNA products for amplification. Each group had three duplicates. The obtained Ct value of each group was presented by 2^-ΔΔCt^. ###### Primer sequences utilized for RT-qPCR analyses. ---------- -------------------------------- **Gene** **Sequence** CD24 Forward 5\'-CCCACGCAGATTTATTCCAG-3\' Reverse 5\'-GACTTCCAGACGCCATTTG-3\' ACTB Forward 5\'-GGACTCGTCATACTCCTGCTTG-3\' Reverse 5\'-GGAAATCGTGCGTGACATTAAG-3\' ---------- -------------------------------- Cell viability assay -------------------- Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay was performed to detect the viability of NPCs according to the manufacturer\'s instructions. Briefly, 1×10^4^ cells/well were inoculated in 96-well plates and incubated with different concentrations of H~2~O~2~ for 3h. After medium change, 100μL basic medium containing 10μL CCK-8 solution was added to each well at 37°C for another 2h. Finally, the absorbance of each well at 450nm was measured by enzyme-labelling measuring instrument (Tecan, Infinite 200 Pro, USA). Each group had three duplicates. Reactive oxygen species detection --------------------------------- The intracellular production of ROS was evaluated by DCFH-DA (Beyotime, S0033), which would be oxidized into fluorescent green dichlorofluorescein (DCF) by ROS. Briefly, the treated cells were collected and suspended in diluted DCFH-DA at a concentration of one million to twenty million/mL, and incubated in a 37°C cell incubator for 20mins. Before detection by flow cytometry (BD Biosciences, USA), the cells were washed three times with serum-free cell culture medium to fully remove the DCFH-DA that did not enter the cells. Apoptotic incidence detection ----------------------------- The incidence of apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry (BD Biosciences, USA) using annexin V/PI double staining. Briefly, each 1×10^5^ NPCs were collected and incubated with 5μL of annexin V and 5μL of PI at 37°C for 30mins. Then, the samples were analyzed by flow cytometry within 1h. Fluorescence staining --------------------- Hochest33342/PI double staining was performed to detect the pyroptosis of NPCs as described previously \[[@r16]\]. Briefly, the treated NPCs on 6-well culture-plates were stained with mix solution of hochest33342 and PI at 4°C for 40mins, and then observed under a fluorescence microscope. Normal cells showed low blue/low red light, apoptotic cells showed high blue/low red light, and pyroptosis cells showed low blue/high red light. Protein isolation and Western blot analysis ------------------------------------------- To isolate the total cellular protein, the NPCs were lysed using modified RIPA buffer (Beyotime, China, Cat. No.: P0013B) which was supplemented with 1mmol/L of PMSF on ice following the manufacturer\'s protocol. Each protein sample (40μg) was resolved by SDS-PAGE (12%) and transferred to PVDF. After transferring, the membrane was blocked with 5% nonfat milk in Tris-buffered saline and tween 20 (TBST) at room temperature for 2h and then incubated overnight with primary anti-NLRP3(1:1000; Abcam, USA, Cat. No.: ab210491), PYCARD (1:500, Santacruz biotechnology, USA, Cat. No.: sc-514414), CASP1 (1:1000, Proteintech, Chicago, USA, Cat. No.: 22915-1-AP), IL-1β (1:500, ABclonal, Boston, USA, Cat. No.: A1112), IL-18(1:500, ABclonal, Boston, USA, Cat. No.: A1115), MAP1LC3B (1:1000, Abcam, USA, Cat. No. ab51520), SQSTM1 (1:1000, Abcam, USA, Cat. No.: ab56416), NFE2L2 (1:1000, Abcam, USA, Cat. No.: ab62352), ACTB (1:500, Santacruz biotechnology, USA, Cat. No.: sc-47778) at 4°C. The membrane was washed with TBST solution for 3 times and incubated with the secondary antibody at room temperature for 1h. The band was visualized using an ECL-Plus detection kit (New Cell and Molecular Biotech Co., Ltd, P10100). The abundance was quantified by densitometry using Quantity One software (Bio-Rad, USA). Transfection with adenovirus ---------------------------- For depletion of NLRP3 or PYCARD in NPCs, short hairpin RNA targeting NLRP3 (NLRP3-shRNA 5' to 3': GCCAAGAATCCACAGTGTAAC or GCAAAGGGCCATGGACTATTT (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)) or PYCARD (PYCARD-shRNA 5' to 3': GGCAATCCCACCAAATCATCC or GCGGAAGCTCTTCAGTTTCAC (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)) was transfected into NPCs using recombinant adenovirus vector (GenePharma, Shanghai, China). Scrambled shRNA with no known mammalian homology (non-targeting shRNA (Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)) was used as negative controls. Briefly, NPCs were transfected with NLRP3-shRNA or PYCARD-shRNA with multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 50 for 2h and then cultured in fresh conditional medium for 96h. Immunofluorescence staining --------------------------- The treated cells were fixed with formaldehyde for 10mins and incubated in 1% BSA/10% normal goat serum/0.3M glycine in 0.1% PBS-Tween for 1h to permeabilize the cells and block non-specific protein-protein interactions. The cells were then incubated with the primary anti-COL2A1 (1:50, Santacruz biotechnology, sc-52658) and ACAN (1:200, proteintech, 13880-1-AP) antibody overnight at 4°C. The secondary antibody (green and red) was goat anti rabbit and mouse (proteintech, SA00003-2 and proteintech, SA00009-1) Ig G(H+L) which were used at a dilution of 1 to 50 for 1h. DAPI was used to stain the cell nuclei(blue) and its concentration was 1.43μM. The cells were observed by fluorescence microscope (CTR4000B, Leica). Experiments were repeated three times independently. Immunohistochemical staining ---------------------------- The sections of the paraffin-embedded nucleus pulposus tissue were deparaffinized using xylene and rehydrated using decreasing concentrations of ethanol (100, 95, 85, and 75%), followed by immersion in sodium citrate buffer and heating in a steamer for 30mins for antigen retrieval. Then, 3% hydrogen peroxide was used to remove endogenous peroxidase activities, and the sections were blocked with normal goat serum at room temperature for 15mins. The sections were incubated with the primary antibody CASP1 (1:150, Proteintech, Chicago, USA, Cat. No.: 22915-1-AP) overnight at 4°C. The secondary antibody goat anti rabbit IgG-HRP (1:50, Beyotime, China, A0208) was applied at 37°C for 30mins, and the streptavidin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate was added at 37°C for another 30mins. Then, the sections were stained with DAB for 1min and hematoxylin for 10s. Cells were visualized using a microscope (CTR4000B, Leica). Experiments were repeated three times independently. Scanning electron microscopic observation ----------------------------------------- The slides of cells treated with and without hydrogen peroxide were dehydrated by increasing concentrations of ethanol (30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%). After drying in the CO~2~ critical point dryer, the sample was adhered to the sample stage with double-sided conductive tape and sprayed by ion sputter, then observed and photographed by electron microscope (Hitachi, SU8010). Data analysis ------------- The data were expressed as mean ± SEM and analyzed by SPSS 22(IBM Corp., USA). The enumeration data like sex ratio were compared with χ2 test. The measurement data were compared with student-t test or one-way ANOVA method. The graphs were produced by GraphPad 5.0 software. A p value less than 0.05 was considered significant. We sincerely appreciated those from whom the nuclear pulposus tissue was collected. Thank you for the contribution you have made to the cause of human medicine. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. **AUTHOR CONTRIBUTIONS:** Bai, ZB and Liu, W designed the experiments and helped the experiments. Shen, JL helped the experiment and wrote the manuscript. He, DS helped the experiment and analyzed the data. Luo, CQ helped wrote the manuscript. Wang, YY helped generated and analyzed the data. Yi, WW helped prepared the figures. Hu, ZM helped designed the experiments and revised the article. **CONFLICTS OF INTEREST:** The authors declare no conflicts of interest. **FUNDING:** This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO.81372003) and Chongqing Natural Science Foundation (No.cstc2018jcyjA0293 to JL S). The study sponsors were not involved in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
Asthma & COPD - SMi's sixth annual conference. SMi's sixth annual conference on Asthma & COPD, held in London, included topics covering new therapeutic developments in the field of asthma and COPD. This conference report highlights selected presentations on understanding these diseases; bronchodilators and corticosteroids, both of which remain a mainstay in asthma therapy; new developments in COPD therapy; PI3K inhibitors as a new treatment approach for asthma and COPD; and oligonucleotides, particularly DNAzyme therapy for asthma.
Cops Up Lyrics Still locked at the hoodest spot Still no security, Still got a swagga like muh pops Still water run deep when that coke is cheap but when that price goes soft get ya surf boards out still got a little pimp in me from muh past still got some lil cousins that'a beat yo ass Yo im the only dude that you know burn the block up so why the hell i gotta call the cops up. Shawty is so amazing, bodies bangin, convorsation My heart is racin you know what im sayin YA bodies toned up look at those big thighs Grandmama musta been feedin you right shake it to the left mama shake it to the right [Chorus] Somebody call the cops up, lil mama done stole my heart shes makin me fall in love shes not gonna give it up Somebody call the cops up somebody call 911 Tell em i been shot threw the heart a grown man and i cant get up Somebody call the cops up
Traffic Ghost Hunting (2013) - prostoalex http://nautil.us//issue/71/flow/why-a-traffic-flow-suddenly-turns-into-a-traffic-jam ====== notacoward ...and here's how to break up those jams. [https://www.livescience.com/61862-why-phantom-traffic- jams-h...](https://www.livescience.com/61862-why-phantom-traffic-jams- happen.html) ------ basicplus2 All this talk of the sudden braking causing all the problems.. i think the cause is earlier.. it is the excessive rate of accelleration bcausing the need to brake heavily causing the problem ------ taneq Waves of slow traffic occur naturally, sure, but that doesn't mean the majority of traffic jams aren't caused by some asshole doing 20 under in the fast lane. ~~~ mikestew After twenty years of observation, I’m convinced that much of Seattle’s traffic problems are self-inflicted. California’s problems are often just too damned many cars. Seattle’s problems are often poor lane discipline and an inability to merge at a speed that matches the flow of traffic.
136 Conn. 617 (1950) KATHERINE D. MARINO v. ROCCO MARINO Supreme Court of Connecticut. Argued March 8, 1950. Decided May 2, 1950. BROWN, JENNINGS, BALDWIN, INGLIS AND O'SULLIVAN, JS. Michael V. Blansfield and Harry M. Albert, for the appellant (defendant). Cornelius D. Shea, for the appellee (plaintiff). INGLIS, J. This is an action in equity brought by a wife against her husband for support. The complaint alleged that the parties were married, that they separated owing to the fault of the defendant and that for some time prior to the institution of the action the defendant had failed and refused to support the plaintiff. An answer was filed in which the defendant alleged by way of several special defenses that the plaintiff had abandoned him and that the separation resulted from her misconduct. Thereafter there was entered the order for support pendente lite from which this appeal was taken. The principal contention of the defendant is that the order was entered improperly because upon the hearing on the motion for the order he was denied the right to offer evidence on the merits of the case and, in particular, evidence that the plaintiff had abandoned the defendant. It appears from the finding that it was proved, either by agreement of the parties or by evidence, that the parties were married and had separated; that, after the separation and down to December 22, 1948, the defendant had paid the plaintiff $25 weekly for her support but thereafter had paid nothing; and that the plaintiff's income was $24 per week and the defendant's *619 $7000 per year. It is found that the plaintiff claims that life with her husband was intolerable by reason of his cruelty and that the defendant claims that the plaintiff abandoned him without cause. It is further found that there was introduced in evidence the transcript of the testimony which had been admitted on the trial of a charge of nonsupport against the defendant in the Hartford Police Court. In an equitable action for support, it is within the power of the court to enter an order for temporary support pending the action. Whether such an order shall enter lies in the sound discretion of the court. Harding v. Harding, 144 Ill. 588, 596, 32 N. E. 206; Robinson v. Robinson, 87 Wash. 520, 523, 151 P. 1128; 27 Am. Jur. 21. Upon a motion for such temporary support, the question is not whether, on the merits of the entire case, the wife is entitled to support. It is rather whether the wife has a prima facie case and is suing in good faith. Harding v. Harding, supra. The function of such an order is to enable the wife to live pending the determination of the principal question in the case. Hiss v. Hiss, 135 Conn. 333, 336, 64 A. 2d 173. Prima facie, the husband's obligation to support his wife is a continuing one, where there is no doubt about the existence of the marriage. The burden of proof of the existence of facts which will relieve him of that obligation is upon him. Curley v. Marzullo, 127 Conn. 354, 359, 17 A. 2d 10; see State v. Newman, 91 Conn. 6, 11, 98 A. 346, State v. Schweitzer, 57 Conn. 532, 538, 18 A. 787. Accordingly, all that is ordinarily essential to justify the entry of an order for support pendente lite is proof of the marriage and the husband's ability to support. If the wife's good faith in instituting the action is questioned or if for any reason it appears that justice requires it, the court should hear evidence and then exercise its discretion as to whether it should *620 enter the order. But, if this is done, it should always be borne in mind that before support pendente lite is awarded the question to be decided is whether the plaintiff is suing in good faith and, prima facie, has a case entitling her to support, and not whether on the merits she is actually entitled to support. The defendant's claim was that he had the right to try fully the issues on his affirmative defenses in this preliminary hearing. He had no such right. Evidence was taken, and the trial court was within its discretion in concluding that a "hearing on the merits of the underlying action for support is not a condition precedent to an order for support pendente lite" and that the facts found justified the entry of the order appealed from. The defendant has also assigned as error the trial court's entry of an order for an allowance to the plaintiff to defend this appeal. He makes the same contentions with respect to that order as he does with respect to the order for temporary support, i. e., that it was entered without any finding that her cause of action was meritorious or that she was proceeding in good faith. So far as the factor of good faith is concerned, it is enough to point out that this allowance was made simply to permit the plaintiff to defend the appeal taken by the defendant from the order made in her favor for temporary support. In such a situation her good faith appears on the face of the record. It is now well established that it is within the power of the court in its sound discretion to order a husband to pay suit costs to his wife in cases in which the latter is attempting to enforce her marital rights. This is true whether she is seeking to enforce those rights in an action for divorce or in any other kind of proceeding. Valluzzo v. Valluzzo, 104 Conn. 152, 155, 132 A. *621 406. The theory upon which such an order is permitted is that a wife should not be deprived of her rights and the security to which she is entitled by virtue of the marriage and that usually the only property available to finance the enforcement of those rights is in the control of her husband. Steinmann v. Steinmann, 121 Conn. 498, 504, 186 A. 501. In passing upon a wife's motion for an allowance to prosecute an appeal, the court should inquire into the merits of the appeal. Dochelli v. Dochelli, 125 Conn. 465, 467, 3 A. 2d 666; Valluzzo v. Valluzzo, supra, 156. When, however, the question is upon an allowance to defend an appeal taken by the husband, the fact that the judgment or order appealed from has been in the wife's favor is ample evidence of merit to justify an allowance being made to her. The court should also take into consideration the question whether the wife has financial ability of her own to meet the expenses of the appeal. Steinmann v. Steinmann, supra, 505. In the case at bar, however, the defendant makes no claim that the trial court failed to consider this factor. We cannot say that the trial court in this case abused its discretion in entering the order for an allowance to defend this appeal. There is no error. In this opinion the other judges concurred.
Lion Lions are the second largest cat species, behind the tiger. Lions are tawny in color with dark tufts of hair on the end of their tails. Lions are sexually dimorphic, meaning there is a visual difference between males and females. Male lions sport a mane (a ruff of hair) around their necks and females do not. Lions are also the only social cats, living in family groups called prides. The average lifespan for a lion in the wild is 8-10 years. In captivity they can live between 15-18 years. Shape & Size Male lions average between 300 and 575 pounds and females between 250 and 400 pounds. Lions have large, muscular front legs to drag down their prey. Lions use their powerful, retractable claws to grip their prey and then use their weight and strong front legs to pull prey animals off their feet. Color Pattern Lions are a tawny or light brown color. The backs of their ears are a darker brown or black, and they are the only cats with dark tufts of hair on their tails. Male lion manes can range in color from blonde to dark brown and can be a variety of thicknesses. Behavior Lions are the only social cats that live in family groups. Lions hunt mostly at night, and have excellent eye sight. The females do the majority of the hunting and each member of the hunting party has their own specific job. Male lions are charged with protecting their territory and will often hang back and wait for the hunting party to return. Because they are larger and bulkier, male lions are less efficient hunters than female lions. Habitat Lions live in grassy plains, the savanna, and dry, open woodlands in Africa. A lion pride’s territory can be anywhere from 15 to 400 square miles. Principal Threats Lions have long been killed as part of tribal rituals and for their supposed medicinal and magical powers; it is feared that they may replace tigers as sources of ingredients for Chinese medicines. Lions are also threatened by burgeoning human populations. As human population grows into lion habitat, lions lose their range and also become targets for poisoning and poaching by livestock ranchers. Trophy hunting is another threat to their wellbeing, with white lions being especially popular in canned hunting. In the wild, lions face an indirect threat from climate change called co-infection, in which they acquire both canine distemper and a tick-borne parasitic disease during times of severe drought; together, the diseases cause high mortality. In 1994, the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania lost 30% of its lions within a few weeks. Such droughts are predicted to become more common. In addition to distemper, most African lions eventually acquire feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), though they do not become sick from it; they also suffer parasitic diseases. Hyenas and leopards will kill lion cubs. Weak, sick and wounded adult lions may be attacked by hyenas. Panthera leo Range Map Range Lions can be found from Sub-Saharan Africa to Northern South Africa. Food Lions are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat meat to survive. Lions eat a variety of wild animals in Africa, including zebras, antelope, gazelle. and occasionally they will take down larger prey such as rhinos, giraffes, and elephants. Reproductive Habits A lion’s gestation period is about 110 days. A litter will contain between 2-4 cubs. Behavior Lions are the only cat to live in family groups. Although there are occasional scuffles between pride members, they rarely last long. Most of the time, lions in prides can be seen showing affection for each other. All female lions in the pride help care for the cubs, and males will help protect the cubs as well. Lions spend the majority of their day sleeping, hunting mostly at night. Lions are very strategic when they hunt, with all members of a hunting party having a specific role to fill. Conservation Lions are currently listed as vulnerable. They are considered a keystone species, which means that the ecosystems where they live would change drastically if lions were to go extinct. Since the killing of Cecil the Lion (by the American dentist), many people have now become aware of "canned hunting," in which lions are raised to be killed. Canned hunting is not a means of conservation. Fun Facts A lion pride can range from as few as 3 lions, up to as many as 40 Female lions will outnumber males in a pride Female lions do the majority of the hunting, but the males will always eat first
Q: Deadpool uncensored in Sweden? Wikipedia states that with records set for the biggest February and R-rated openings in numerous markets including Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Netherlands, Sweden, France, and the U.K Implying that Deadpool is r-rated in Sweden. However, on my local cinema, I found that is it from 15 years onwards: Deadpool 1 timme 48 minuter , Från 15 år Action, Äventyr, Science-Fiction In Sweden, the movie appears (as most of movies) in original language with sub-titles, so I'm wondering if it is possible that different cinemas have different English versions (and hence some of them have it r-rated), or whether either source (my cinema, or wikipedia) have it wrong. A: Different countries have different boards who classify movies and assign ratings, often with different criteria for determining which rating it should receive and sometimes requiring scenes to be cut or otherwise modified to allow the film to receive a rating at all. See, for example, this question about the cuts made to Deadpool to make it suitable for showing in India. To make matters even more complicated, there's no universal system of ratings, so an R-rated movie in the US isn't going to have an R rating in the UK (because no such rating exists). Fortunately, the Wikipedia page on Motion picture rating system has a handy comparison table. From that you can see that the US R rating roughly corresponds to the Swedish "Not approved" rating, which is suitable for viewers aged 15 and above. The section on Sweden further down the page seems to back this up, and suggests that "Not approved" (for children) is the same thing as "15", which is the highest rating given. With all that information, I'd assume that you'll see the uncensored cinematic release of Deadpool in Sweden (i.e. the same version that was released under an R rating in the US). As additional, anecdotal evidence, Deadpool has a 15 rating in the UK too, and having seen the film I can't imagine there's anything that was removed from the US R-rated version, since it contains a LOT of violence, blood, nudity and strong language.
Q: ModalViewController in iOS8 I am upgrading old code to latest iOS8, I see lots of this: if (controller.modalViewController && controller.modalViewController.parentViewController == controller) if(tabcontroller.modalViewController) .... I see lots of documentation about how to present a modalViewController, but not for when its a property like above code. What's the equivalent of above code in iOS8? THanks A: If you look at the documentation, it says: modalViewController (iOS 6.0) The controller for the active presented view'that is, the view that is temporarily displayed on top of the view managed by the receiver. (read-only) Deprecation Statement Use presentedViewController instead. That's probably a good place to start.
Photosynthetic response of two seaweed species along an urban pollution gradient: evidence of selection of pollution-tolerant species. Urbanization leads to the expansion of ephemeral seaweed species and the decline of important perennial, canopy-forming seaweed species. Understanding the mechanisms that lead to these changes is a current challenge. In the present study, laboratory assays and field transplantations were performed with two seaweed species: the perennial, canopy-forming seaweed Sargassum stenophyllum and the ephemeral seaweed Ulva lactuca. Photosynthetic efficiency was assessed using modulated chlorophyll fluorometry. Brief exposure to urban waters does not appear to be a major stressor to the photosynthetic efficiency of either species. However, after 26 days of transplantation in urban waters, S. stenophyllum declined, whereas U. lactuca had enhanced photosynthetic efficiency. This difference reflects their divergent abilities to regulate the energy distribution at the PSII and shows that urban stressors alter these mechanisms. Our results provide evidence of the physiological causes for the decline of Sargassum species and the expansion of Ulva species in impacted urban areas.
Share this... Linkedin Before we get into the reviews of these titanium cookware sets, the following introductory article is a fairly quick and simple rundown on how ceramic and titanium are used in pots and pans and how it stacks up against other ordinary cookware that you might have in your kitchen right now. Titanium Cookware Sets Reviews If you feel you are already well educated on this topic, then please feel free to scroll down to the reviews portion below. Titanium is a fairly amazing material. It is incredibly powerful and mild, nontoxic, and amazingly cheap to implement into cookware. But how can this compare to stainless steel, aluminum, or ceramic cookware ** Updated: 01/09/2020** Titanium in Cookware – Implementation and Use Obviously, pots and pans supply a means for you to move heat from the stove into a secure, readily washed cooking surface. That cookware has to be hardy and sufficient enough to survive constant use and variable heat. It must also be non-invasive so as to be washed easily, and be completely “food safe”. Additionally, it should regulate heat reasonably well by heating up evenly and quickly. This helps make sure that material in various areas on your pan’s or pot’s surface area cook at precisely the same pace and temperature. Titanium does not meet every one of these standards by itself. However, it is powerful and mild, meaning that your Titanium infused pans will last through a very long period of use, and also be simple to take care of. It is an excellent conductor of heat, but it does not make an especially superior cooking surface alone. Because of this, you are not likely to find many pans and pots which are created from Titanium exclusively. Ceramic vs. Titanium: Strength vs. Price? Truthfully, the differences of titanium vs. ceramic in cookware is not that large. Ceramic coating might create a better non-stick, scratch resistant surface, however there are loads of contemporary scratch resistant non-metallic coatings which don’t utilize ceramic. Even better, titanium cookware sets do not cost more than equal priced sets with no titanium in them at all, like ceramic cookware. So why by a ceramic only cook-set when you can get one infused with Titanium for almost the same price? Is Titanium Cookware Safe To Use? Yes, Titanium cookware is safe to use. The metal, is just as secure as cookware sets with no titanium contained in their surface material. After all, a “Food Safe” cooking substance like Titanium is scientifically designed to be sterile and non-reactive. There is a great deal of opinion online concerning the comparative safety of different cooking-material substances. Both professional chefs and “home” chefs, assert that Teflon (for example) is dangerous, but some assert you could literally consume chips of Teflon without any ill consequences. In regards to Titanium, the debate starts to become very, very important, because unlike a substance like Teflon, there is no debate about the safety of Titanium pans. It is unilaterally believed to be safe. This metal can be used in pans to reinforce either the outside or the inside surface: When it is used on the outside: it is hard to argue that it is unsafe on the outside, as it doesn’t actually come into contact with your food and it is nontoxic anyhow. When it is employed as the non-stick coating: a few people may still argue that it is a dangerous cooking surface, but this is not due to the titanium. On the contrary, it’s because people are not convinced by producers and government agencies asserting that contemporary non-stick coatings in general are “food-safe”. As for me, I believe newer PFOA complimentary non-sticks are most likely just as secure as the producers state they are. I am far more worried about how many non-titanium, non-stick coatings, interact with large temperatures, but that is something I can observe myself in my cooking. Best Titanium Cookware Set Reviews Of 2019: Below, we will review the following Titanium Cookware Sets that include Titanium pans and pots. This review list was updated in 2019. Heston Nanobond Titanium Cookware T-fall Titanium Collection Black and Decker (Titanium Collection) Scanpan CTQ Nonstick Titanium Skillet 1. Heston Nanobond – Editor’s #1 Top Pick Nanobond’s molecular titanium cooking surface delivers both exceptional resilience and gleaming brilliance. Not only is NanoBond 400% harder than stainless, it’s 100% toxin free. NanoBond also achieves 35% greater heat conductivity than other aluminum-clad cookware. NanoBond utilizes remarkable culinary innovation instead of chemicals or coatings. Thousands of titanium-based Nano layers are bonded directly to stainless steel. The resulting super dense cooking surface is stain-resistant; thus ensuring the brilliant titanium luster lasts for generations. Designed and engineered to provide superior cooking performance and lasting beauty – this exclusive NanoBond is far superior to any stainless steel cookware available today. How is NanoBond Titanium Cookware Created? NanoBond is created inside a high-heat vacuum chamber using a blend of Titanium and chromium-based alloys. The metal alloys are vaporized, then bonded to the stainless steel. This patented process is chemical-free, environmentally-friendly and truly revolutionary in the cookware market. Cooking with Nanobond Titanium Technology: America’s most acclaimed chefs rely on the exceptional performance and resilience of NanoBond in their restaurants. Now you can, too. To achieve chef-level results, always start by pre-heating the pan and adding a little butter or oil. This not only prevents sticking, it’s crucial for proper browning, crisping, searing and enhancing flavors. Chef Matt Bolus demonstrates how to cook perfectly crispy skin fish using NanoBond Titanium Cookware. Easy Cleanup: It’s easy to keep your NanoBond shining as if it were new for years to come. NanoBond is dishwasher safe, but we recommend hand-washing with warm soapy water and the use of a Scotch-Brite pad. Thanks to NanoBond’s flush rivets and sealed rims, there are no crevices to trap food. Feel free to use steel wool on extra stubborn food residue. Although steel wool will ruin typical stainless cookware, NanoBond’s molecular titanium surface is incredibly scratch resistant! After cooking certain foods, you may notice a slight bluing of the pan. This is a food film that the molecular titanium prevented from penetrating the pan. It is easily removed with Hestan cleaning solution or any soft cleanser. 2. T-Fal Ultimate Hard Anodized Titanium Nonstick Set (Titanium Interior) This T-Fal collection is also popular, and it’s simple to see why. It has got plenty of helpful features that allow it to contend with the best non-invasive cookware, however the Heston set is still far superior. To be clear however the T-Fal cookware collection is not primarily made from titanium. Each pan & pot within this T-fal collection is constructed from hard anodized aluminum. The titanium comes into play at the innovative non-stick coating which outlines the cooking surface of every piece. Titanium helps create a remarkably hard, slippery surface which allows your meals slide around easily within these pans. The distinct titanium-infused non-invasive process used within this collection will have a longer working life compared to a few other non-invasive coats, which means that you can take advantage of this set for a long time before you must replace it. It is metal utensil and dishwasher safe, and that means you’re able to use a metal spatula and wash this collection with unbelievable ease. In regards to cooking functionality, this set is really wonderful. It is not likely to warm up or cool off as quickly as a copper cookware set, needless to say, however, the tough anodized aluminum remains excellent when it has to do with heat supply. The pots and pans are pretty mild, along with its silicone grips can be used with no warmth protection. More on the Thenon-Stick Surface: Titanium Cookware Revamped? Thenon-stick coat on those pots and pans plays wonderfully. Additionally, it appears to be lasting, even though the true lifespan on your kitchen will be dependent on how you utilize it. There are two valid drawbacks related to this collection. If you intend to use a fancy induction stove, you’ll absolutely need to acquire a different cookware collection. It is also only dishwasher safe to 400 degrees. This is probably a result of the silicone grips. You most likely don’t wish to throw away your pots and pans from the oven frequently, but that does restrict your capacity to sear meat then throw it under the broiler. I realized that steamer inserts are a remarkably helpful tool to get for cooking many different dishes that are common. It may be a bit of a pain to locate one which is suitable for your requirements, so the addition of the tool for this cookware collection is a welcome bit. It is not a massive deal, clearly, but it may help you opt for this cookware collection above a comparably priced option. This T-Fal Titanium collection set comes in many different sizes The 17-piece collection includes the following pieces: 8″ skillet 10.25″ skillet 11.5″ skillet with fitting lid 10.25″ square griddle 1-quart tsp with fitting lid 2-quart tsp with fitting lid 3-quart tsp with fitting lid 3.5-quart deep skillet 5-quart dutch oven with fitting lid 3-quart steamer add A Single Egg Magic 3. Black & Decker 83355 Titanium Nonstick Interior Cookware: In general, this ceramic cookware collection offers a great deal, particularly given the fair price. It has got an excellent heat resistance, the non-invasive coating is superbly well designed, and the pieces have been covered by a lifetime guarantee. I believe that it’s most likely the ideal ceramic cookware collection available at the moment other than the Heston Set. This collection is really similar to this T-Fal set above in many ways. It is made from similar stuff (aluminum center using a contemporary ceramic non-stick), it has got glass gloves and rubberized grips though, but it provides pretty amazing heat consistency for its’ price point. This Black and Decker collection isn’t dishwasher safe which sucks, but this unique collection can be found in three distinct colors which is great. They are all fairly muted color schemes (you still have a choice between aluminum, granite, and slate), however it’s wonderful to have a choice in regards to your own cookware color. Nevertheless, it is not without drawbacks: To begin with, (and most problematically), Black + Decker does not supply an oven safe version of this set. It is very likely this cookware set is dishwasher safe though for about the exact same 400 F in comparison to the T-Fal collection, but that I can not tell for certain. This usually means that you should be particularly attentive once you cook to observe over-heating. You need to avoid using this collection in the oven when at all possible. Secondly, this collection includes two silicone utensils in the box. This could be favorable if those were “additional” pieces. Rather, they are a part of that “14 pieces” when Black Decker states”14-piece set”. To put it differently, you are getting 7 pans and pots, 5 lids/covers, and 2 utensils within this particular collection. Make sure you keep the quality and consistency in mind instead of only the amount of “included pieces” when you compare these collections. Black & Decker asserts that this collection includes special ergonomic grips. In training, I think that it’s fairly unlikely you’ll observe a difference between those and some “average” rubber grips. This is not a terrible thing, particularly since the grips on those ceramic pans remain safe to touch even after “high heat” cooking for extended periods of time. Your purchase of this collection is shielded with a limited lifetime guarantee, the same as the T-Fal set. It is unclear how long the working lifetime of the cookware set will likely be in your own kitchen, but it is certainly assuring to understand Black + Decker stands behind their workmanship and will replace a faulty piece, a few weeks or even months later on. The 14-piece group comprises: In general, this collection makes a superb choice overall. It is a fantastic alternative if it is available. If you favor the Black + Decker to the T-Fal, or you just like the aesthetics of the set the collection can be found in three colors, which makes it a lot simpler to fit a new piece into your current cookware collection, or match the decoration of your kitchen. 4. Scanpan CTQ Nonstick Skillet Despite being a fairly considerable skillet for its price, this non-traditional aluminum pan handles extremely well in any kitchen. It’s induction compatible, oven safe to 500 F, and totally dishwasher and metal utensil safe. On top of that, the non-stick coating is a distinctive ceramic/titanium mix that boasts exceptional cooking attributes and also a surprising level of scratch resistance. This particular pan permits you to create yummy pan-made sauces once you are finished cooking your meats. All you have to do is put in a little bit of wine (or a different liquid if you prefer) and include any extra flavorings you would like your sauce to get, and since it is no-stick, you don’t have to worry about it burning on! All in all, the way that this pan manages while you cook is fairly impressive. It has got outstanding heat compatibility, the non-stick internal surface is more than powerful enough, and it has got just the ideal amount of weight to make it seem strong to the grip. The grip around the pan is constructed from metal unfortunately, therefore it will get a little hot after the pan continues to be around the warmth of the stovetop, but that can be fixed pretty easily using a potholder. If you are a more experienced or professional cook and you desire a titanium skillet, this saucepan is certainly an amazing choice. The simple fact that it is oven and dishwasher safe makes it a very excellent selection for practically any kitchen. Closing Thoughts On Our Titanium Cookware Reviews: No matter your choice you will be extremely happy that you switched over to Titanium cookware. It will make cooking more enjoyable, and cleanup an absolute breeze! I would say however, that hands down my top pick would be the Heston Nano Bond set. I hope you have enjoyed this article and please like or share it on social media! It would help me out, and would be so appreciated! Thanks!
<center> <!-- inner / gutter --> <div class="width-toggle tile"> <!-- tile header --> <table class="width-toggle" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody class="width-toggle"> <tr class="width-toggle"> <td class="" style="padding-top:16px; padding-bottom:16px; padding-left:16px;"> <div style="display:inline-block; text-align:left;"> <div class="h3 bold collapse" style="margin-bottom:4px"> You've received <%= pluralize @award.cents, "#{@product.name} coin" %> </div> </div> </td> </tr> <tr class="width-toggle"> <td style="padding:16px;"> <%= image_tag 'emails/fireworks.png', width: 600-16-16, style: 'max-width:100%' %> </td> </tr> <tr class="width-toggle"> <td class="" style="padding:16px;"> <p> <b>Congratulations!</b> Due to your recent efforts completing the bounty <b><%= @bounty.title %></b> on <%= @product.name %>, @<%= @award.awarder.username %> has awarded you <%= @award.coins %> coins. </p> <p> <%= @product.name %> is a community built product on Assembly. In case you're not sure, Assembly is a platform where people build products together and share in the ownership. </p> <p> You're just a few clicks away from claiming coins in <%= @product.name %>. Having coins makes you a partner in the organization. </p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table class="width-toggle" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody class="width-toggle"> <tr class="width-toggle"> <td style="width:10%"></td> <td align="center" style="font-size: 18px; font-weight:bold; line-height: 22px; padding:18px 82px; color:#ffffff; border-radius:50px; background-color: #33d6a6;"> <a href="<%= new_user_registration_url(token: @award.token) %>" style="display:block; text-align:center; color:#ffffff; text-decoration: none; cursor:pointer;"> Claim your coins </a> </td> <td style="width:10%"></td> </tr> <tr class="width-toggle"> <td style="padding:16px;"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <!-- tile main --> <table class="width-toggle" align="center" bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="max-width:600px; display:block;"> <tbody class="width-toggle" style="display:block;"> <tr class="width-toggle" style="display:block;"> <td class="width-toggle" style="display:block;"> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </div> </center> <!-- gap --> <!--[if mso]> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tr><td class="office-gap-2">&nbsp;</td></tr> </table> <![endif]--> <div class="gap-2"></div> <!-- prefooter -->
Q: Storing URLs in a JSON and calling in JavaScript I am fairly new to programming and currently writing a bot for Discord using the Discord.js library, and when a user enters a command, I would like it to randomly select a link and send it. I have a system like that setup, but all of the links are being stored in an array inside the .js file, and it's very tedious to add new links when I choose to. I am wondering how I could store a list of links inside a JSON and then randomize and send on command. Thank you! :) A: I have a command where I save links into a text file and also a randomizer that takes a random line from that text file and posts in channel. I'll just give you the code and you can use/play around with it if you want. if (message.content.startsWith(prefix + "save")) { fs.appendFileSync("links.txt", message.content + "\r\n", encoding = "utf8"); message.channel.send("Saved."); } if (message.content.startsWith(prefix + "link")) { fs.readFile("links.txt", "utf8", function(err, data) { if (err) return console.error(err); var lines = data.split("\r\n"); //reads it line by line var linesTotal = lines.length; var lineSend = Math.floor(Math.random() * linesTotal); var randomMsg = lines[lineSend]; message.channel.send(randomMsg); }); }
[Risk perception of the building population]. The development of a new measure to investigate risk perception in afield setting as building was the aim of this work. Workers' cognitive representation of risk and relation among ris perception, risk-acceptance and risk taking was the goals of the measure. The methodological approach for the measure development was the psychometric paradigm (Fischhoff, Slovic, Lichtenstein, Read e Combs, 1978). A first data collection in field context demonstrates measure's validity and reliability.
Of Folly and Fault I lifted my trunk, letting a jet of water free and trumpeting in pleasure as it pattered and pittered amongst the murky water. “Coco!” Mother yelled angrily. “Have I not told you to stay out of the water, little one? You must learn to respect the land, else one day it will cause you no end of displeasure.” She stamped a foot and swished her trunk, beckoning me from the banks of River Caelum. “Isn’t there? I suppose you’re telling me you believe that log is floating upstream? And that tree is growing a branch so fast my bare eye can see it?” Mother wrapped a trunk around my neck—a comfort against her scolding tone. “Danger is always around, little one. You must learn to respect nature, and be careful of her wrath.” I snapped from remembrance as the shrill shriek pierced the silent coastline—the landscape had changed in the past centuries. Now littered with concrete cartons of shrieking, pale apes, the great jungle along the riverbank had retreated against the onslaught of modernisation. The little apelings laughed, jumping and skipping along the coast. I watched as they squashed what little vegetation pierced the pebbled shore under their pale-skinned feet. Boorish exploration neared the standing stone—the one I had once defiled. Wind gathered. Water turned misty and dark as spirits of long-forgotten lands gathered, preparing their judgements. The apelings remained benighted. I trumpeted warning against my mirrored folly—a ghostly honk amongst the building mist. “Beware the stone!” In the distance, a mournful trumpet replied. “Feel my wrath.” I looked upon my new companions as they turned from flesh to stone. Stone as I had once been. Flesh as I had once been. *** Written for Aussie Speculative Fiction’s – Make-it-up Monday. Each week a photo prompt is posted for the group to write a flash piece (under 300 words) inspired by the image. One flash is published on their website – check out the winning entry here.
Description & Features+ It's super-style time for a super-style event! This Barbie doll wears a signature party dress with an ultra-hip silhouette and tons of sparkle and shine! The pretty pink look features a one-shoulder style with slivery trim on the metallic top and a glittery textured treatment on the full skirt. Matching shoes and purse complete the color statement while silvery drop earrings add a touch of extra glam for an extra-glam occasion! Doll cannot stand alone. Ages 3 and older. Signature party dress features ultra-hip silhouette•It's super-style time for a super-style event! •Glittery, textured treatment adds flair to skirt•Shoes and purse colored to match•Silvery drop earrings add touch of glam
Leslie Palenius Shores Ms. Shores joined the firm in 2005 as of counsel after being a founding member of her own law firm for twelve years. With over thirty years of legal experience and more than 40 jury trials, Ms. Shores has handled and tried a variety of defense cases in numerous counties in Texas including gross negligence fatalities, medical negligence for physicians and hospitals, wrongful death, personal injury from premises and products liability, with mass tort litigation for medical products and prescription drugs, and construction defect cases representing commercial general contractors, subcontractors and residential home builders. Ms. Shores has over twenty years of experience handling OSHA investigations of fatalities for employers throughout the state of Texas from the informal conference level up to litigation with the ALJ against the Solicitor’s Office for the U.S. Department of Labor. Ms. Shores has also handled litigation with federal administrative agencies EPA and EEOC. Her representation of employers has been both directly and through their workers’ compensation carriers, in state court, federal court and through arbitration. Hospitality law has also been a part of Ms. Shores’ practice. She has represented and defended owners of hotels/motels, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs against various allegations involving sex trafficking, assault, sexual assault, premises liability, and dram shop liability. Ms. Shores was born on an Air Force base in France, grew up on Air Force bases all over the world, has lived in four countries and traveled to twenty others. She is a long-time active volunteer in many organizations and most recently is a “laundry fairy” for hurricane Harvey disaster relief for All Hands through her church. Ms. Shores enjoys travelling to College Station where her sons were in the corps of cadets at Texas A&M and is a proud Army mom. She has been a presenter at conferences for State Bar of Texas CLE, hotel industry associations and insurance companies.
This invention relates generally to methods for modulating light and more specifically to methods and arrangements for producing modulated light having linear gray scale in light modulating systems with a plurality of states, wherein the response time for the light modulator to modulate between the states may be longer than the duration of at least one of the time periods used to produce a desired gray scale intensity. It is well known that humans viewing successive images within short time intervals may perceive the images as a single or continuous image. For instance, cinematic motion pictures include a series of individual images; however, the individual images appear as a continuous image when viewed in succession above a certain frame frequency. This frequency has been called the critical flicker frequency and in many systems, the critical flicker frequency is roughly 60 hertz. Thus, in most situations, when the time interval for each image in a series is on the order of {fraction (1/60)}th of a second, the individual images become indiscernible. Certain display systems exploit this concept to produce images. For example, consider a display system consisting of an array of pixels, each pixel having only two states, ON and OFF. This type of display system is know as a binary display system. In such a system, the pixels switch between the two states, thus modulating light so as to produce images. Binary display systems are used in a variety of applications, including head-mounted, hand-held, desk-top and projection devices. Consider further that this display system is capable of switching the individual pixels between the two states at frequencies much greater than the critical flicker frequency. If a specific pixel is ON for half of the time and OFF for half of the time and the frequency of modulation is less than the critical flicker frequency, the pixel appears to flash. However, if the pixel modulates between ON and OFF at a frequency greater than the critical flicker frequency, then the pixel appears to be ON continuously, but the intensity appears to be half as great as the intensity if the pixel was in the ON state. Likewise, a pixel that is ON for one-fourth of the time and OFF for three-fourths of the time appears to have one-fourth the intensity of the pixel being always in the ON state, assuming the frequency of modulation is greater than the critical flicker frequency. This intensity variation in light modulating systems such as the one described above is known as gray scale. The greater the number of different intensities the system is able to produce, the greater the level of gray scale the system is said to have. In order to maximize the number of different intensity levels a system produces, the framexe2x80x94the time period during which a single image is producedxe2x80x94is typically divided into time segments or slots. In one common example, the duration of each slot is determined such that each slot is twice as long as the next shortest slot, and the total duration of all slots combined is equal to the frame duration. Each slot is then assigned to be either ON or OFF. Thus, if the frame is divided into eight slots of unequal duration as explained above, (e.g., having duration ratios of 1:2:4:8:16:32:64:128), the slots may be assigned ON or OFF in 256 ways (28=256) to produce 256 unique intensities. Such a system is called an eight-bit gray scale system since the eight slots may be represented by eight binary bits with, for example, a 1 representing the ON state and a 0 representing the OFF state. The demand to produce systems with more intensities, or greater levels of gray scale, is increasing as display system applications become more pervasive. However, if the system is incapable of modulating between states instantaneously, the speed with which the system switches between states may limit the level of gray scale the system is able to produce. For instance, if the response timexe2x80x94the time the light modulator takes to changes statesxe2x80x94is longer than the shortest slot, then the light may not be displayed for the correct amount of time during that slot to produce the desired intensity. Display systems are not the only systems that encounter the gray scale limitation caused by the light modulating speed. Any multi-state light modulating system that has a non-zero response time to switch between states may experience this restriction. For example, referring initially to FIG. 1, one example of a basic system for modulating light and generally designated by reference numeral 10 is illustrated. Light modulating system 10 includes a light source 12, a light polarizer 14 and a light modulator 16. Light source 12 is configured to direct light 18 toward polarizer 14. Polarizer 14 is configured to pass light of one polarization state, for instance horizontally polarized light (i.e., horizontal with respect to the orientation of the polarizer). Horizontally polarized light H is then directed toward light modulator 16. For this example, light modulator 16 may be any binary light modulating system that has a non-zero response time to switch between states. In the present example, light modulator 16 has an ON state, wherein horizontally polarized light 20 is allowed to pass through to a viewing area 22, and an OFF state, wherein no light passes through to viewing area 22. The state of light modulator 16 is controlled by a drive signal from controller 24. Thus, light modulating system 10 is configured to produce a temporal pattern of light directed toward viewing area 22. Having generally described the configuration and operation of light modulating system 10, a more detailed method for operating the system will now be described, continuing to refer to FIG. 1. As previously stated, light modulating system 10 is configured to produce a temporal pattern of modulated light directed toward viewing area 22. Depending upon the frequency with which the light is modulated, the pattern may appear to a human viewer as a series of flashes. This would occur, for instance, if the frequency of modulator 16 is less that the critical flicker frequency of the human eye. However, if the frequency is greater than the critical flicker frequency, then modulated light 20 would appear continuous and have an intensity corresponding to the fraction of time that modulator 16 is in the ON state. Thus, light modulating system 10 has the ability to vary the intensity of light 20 directed toward viewing area 22, even though the intensity of light source 12 remains constant. Light modulating systems such as system 10 and methods for operating them are well known in the art. For example, light modulating system 10 may be a miniature display system of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,451, which is incorporated herein by reference. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,164, which is incorporated herein by reference, discloses several methods for using such a system to produce images having gray scale and/or color. However, as described above, if any slots are deficientxe2x80x94have duration shorter than the response time of the light modulatorxe2x80x94the system may not produce the desired intensity when the specific intensity level requires the light to be ON during that slot. Thus, the system may not produce a linear gray scale response. A linear gray scale response occurs when the ratio of any two input signals is equal to the ratio of the output intensities resulting from the two input signals. For example, consider a four-bit gray scale system, including bits A, B, C, and D, each bit corresponding to a slot. Bit A, the least significant bit (LSB), determines the state (ON or OFF) of the shortest slot and has a time weight of 1; bit D, the most significant bit (MSB), determines the state of the longest slot and has a time weight of 8. The system is capable of providing 16 different intensities (24=16). Assuming a frame time period of {fraction (1/60)}th of a second, or 16.7 milliseconds, the duration of the slots associated with each bit are as follows: Bit Axcx9c1.1 milliseconds; Bit Bxcx9c2.2 milliseconds; Bit Cxcx9c4.4 milliseconds; and Bit Dxcx9c8.8 milliseconds. If the light modulator has a response time greater than 1.1 milliseconds, then the system will not properly display all 16 gray scale intensities. The reason for this is explained below. Referring to FIGS. 2a-d, the drive signal and light modulator response for each of the four slots is illustrated for a system that has a response time greater than the LSB. FIG. 2a illustrates drive signal 30 and light modulator response 32 for bit D. In this example, drive signal 30 is in the OFF state prior to bit D, and bit D requires the light modulator to be in the ON state. Therefore, at the start 33 of the bit D slot, drive signal 30 transitions from the OFF state to the ON state. The transition in drive signal 30 causes the light modulator, as indicated by light modulator response 32, to begin transitioning from the OFF state to the ON state. The light modulator is not yet completely switched into the ON state for a period of time equal to the response time, indicated by reference numeral 34. In this example, drive signal 30 is in the OFF state after bit D. Therefore, at the end 35 of the bit D slot, drive signal 30 switches from the ON state to the OFF state, causing the light modulator to begin transitioning from the ON state to the OFF state as indicated by light modulator response 32. The light modulator is not yet fully switched into the OFF state until a period of time equal to response time 34 has passed. Although it may appear that response time 34 would limit the light modulator""s ability to produce the desired optical response, this is not the case. The light modulator""s optical response as a result of bit D includes the entire period influenced by bit D drive signal 30, not just the light modulator response during the bit D slot. In other words, the optical response as a result of bit D is the integral of light modulator response 32 over the entire period influenced by bit D drive signal 30. This response equals the desired optical response that corresponds to the gray scale intensity represented by bit D being ON. FIGS. 2b and 2c provide similar illustrations for bits C and B, respectively. FIG. 2d illustrates drive signal 36 for bit A and corresponding light modulator response 38. As indicated by drive signal 36, the desired light modulator state is OFF both before and after the bit A slot. At the beginning 40 of the bit A slot, the drive signal switches to the ON state, at which time the light modulator begins to transition to the ON state, as indicated by light modulator response 38. However, because the light modulator has a response time 34 greater than the duration of the bit A slot, the light modulator is not able to switch completely to the ON state before the end 42 of the bit A slot. Thus, at the end 42 of the bit A slot, the drive signal switches to the OFF state and causes the light modulator to begin transitioning back to the OFF state. In this case, however, the light modulator does not produce the desired optical response, as explained next. In the three previous cases, the ON delay in the light modulator""s response at the end of the slot compensated for the OFF delay at the beginning of the slot. In the present case, the delays essentially overlap in time and the light modulator never reaches the fully ON state. Therefore, even though the delay at the end of the bit A slot partially compensates for the delay at the beginning of the slot, the two segments together are not of sufficient duration to produce the desired optical response. That is, the integral of light modulator response 38 over the period influenced by bit A drive signal 36 is less than the desired optical response that corresponds to the gray scale intensity represented by bit A being ON. Thus, conventional methods of producing gray scale such as this are limited in their ability to correctly produce linear binary gray scale in cases where the LSB slot time is shorter than the light modulator response time. Referring now to FIGS. 3a and b, another factor is illustrated that further complicates efforts to produce linear gray scale in a binary system where, for illustration, the LSB slot time is shorter than the light modulator response time. FIGS. 3a and b illustrate timing diagram 50, drive signal 52 and light modulator response 54 for a case where the LSB, bit A, is positioned in time between bits D and C. In FIG. 3a bits D and C have a value of 0, representing the OFF state, while bit A has a value of 1, representing the ON state. As described above with reference to FIG. 2d, the light modulator, as indicated by light modulator response 54, is unable to completely transition to the ON state within the bit A slot time. Thus, the integral of the light modulator""s response over the period influenced by the bit A drive signal does not produce the desired optical response that corresponds to the gray scale intensity represented by bit A being in the ON state. The integral of the light modulator""s optical response in this case is represented by the region designated by reference letter X. In FIG. 3b bit D has a value of 0, while bits C and A have a value of 1, as indicated by drive signal 56. When drive signal 56 reaches the point in time 57 when it represents bit C, the light modulator is still responding to the bit A signal. However, because bits A and C have the same value, the light modulator continues to transition toward the ON state. The integral of the light modulator""s response over the period influenced by the bit A drive signal is represented by reference letter Y. Although the LSB, bit A, has the same state in each of FIGS. 3a and 3b, the integrals of the light modulator""s response in each case, X and Y, are not equal. Thus, the light modulator""s response to the drive signal for bit A depends on the state of the light modulator before and after bit A. This factor further complicates the ability of conventional methods of producing linear gray scale in binary systems where the LSB slot time is shorter than the light modulator response time. The present invention overcomes the aforementioned limitations and provides a method of producing light having linear gray scale in multi-state systems where at least one slot is shorter than the light modulator response time. As will be described in more detail hereinafter, methods and arrangements for producing modulated light having grayscale are herein disclosed. The method includes providing a light modulator having grayscale based on a series of time intervals and having a plurality of light modulator states. The method also includes establishing the duration of each time interval such that the time intervals in the series have progressively varying duration. The method further includes determining a drive signal for each time interval that causes the light modulator to assume a specific light modulator state. The method further includes causing the light modulator to produce a desired time-averaged light level over the series of time intervals by in part driving the light modulator using the drive signal that corresponds to a particular time interval for a duration that is longer than the duration of the particular time interval, the particular time interval having duration shorter than the response time of the light modulator. The method may also or alternatively include sensing the temperature of the light modulator and determining the duration by which the drive signal corresponding to the particular time interval exceeds the duration of the particular time interval based in part on the sensed temperature. The method may also or alternatively include arranging the series of time intervals such that the light modulator is in the same state immediately prior to the particular time interval as the light modulator is in immediately after the particular time interval. The method may also or alternatively include arranging the time intervals such that the particular time interval immediately follows a first part of a longer one of the time intervals and immediately precedes a second part of the longer time interval. The method may also or alternatively include reducing the duration of the drive signal corresponding to the longer time interval by an amount of time that is related to the amount of time by which the drive signal corresponding to the particular time interval exceeds the duration of the particular time interval. In one embodiment of the invention, a light modulator has grayscale based on a series of time intervals. The light modulator also has a plurality of light modulator states. The time intervals have progressively varying duration and each time interval has an associated drive signal that causes the light modulator to assume a specific light modulator state. The light modulator includes a controller that causes the light modulator to produce a desired time-averaged light level over the series of time intervals by in part driving the light modulator using the drive signal that corresponds to a particular time interval for a duration that is longer than the duration of the particular time interval, the particular time interval having duration shorter than the response time of the light modulator. The light modulator also or alternatively includes a first arrangement that senses the temperature of the light modulator and a second arrangement responsive to the first arrangement that determines the duration by which the drive signal corresponding to the particular time interval exceeds the duration of the particular time interval based in part on the sensed temperature. The light modulator also or alternatively includes a controller that arranges the series of time intervals such that the light modulator is in the same state immediately prior to the particular time interval as the light modulator is in immediately after the particular time interval. The light modulator also or alternatively includes a controller for arranging the time intervals such that the particular time interval immediately follows a first part of a longer one of the time intervals and immediately precedes a second part of the longer time interval. The light modulator also or alternatively includes a controller for reducing the duration of the drive signal corresponding to the longer time interval by an amount of time that is related to the amount of time by which the drive signal corresponding to the particular time interval exceeds the duration of the particular time interval. The light modulator may be a ferroelectric liquid crystal display. Alternatively, the light modulator may be a nematic liquid crystal display, a plasma display or a micro-mechanical deformable mirror device.
Q: AngularJS: get the order of selection in md-select multiple When I select two options in <md-select>, I got array of two values. My question is how to get the order of selection? For example in the codepen, when I select One first, and then select Two, I got ['1','2']. Is it possible that I can get ['2','1'] when I select the Two first and then One? A: You should do it by implement ng-change yourself. This's my example in codepen https://codepen.io/vuph31/pen/dJvGmN?editors=1111
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Docket No. 41212 STATE OF IDAHO, ) 2014 Opinion No. 38 ) Plaintiff-Respondent, ) Filed: May 7, 2014 ) v. ) Stephen W. Kenyon, Clerk ) STEPHEN D. L’ABBE, ) ) Defendant-Appellant. ) ) Appeal from the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District, State of Idaho, Ada County. Hon. Michael R. McLaughlin, District Judge; Theresa Gardunia, Magistrate. Order, on intermediate appeal, affirming judgment of conviction for speeding, affirmed. Stephen D. L’Abbe, Boise, pro se appellant. Hon. Lawrence G. Wasden, Attorney General; Lori A. Fleming, Deputy Attorney General, Boise, for respondent. ________________________________________________ GUTIERREZ, Chief Judge Stephen D. L’Abbe appeals from the district court’s intermediate appellate decision affirming L’Abbe’s judgment of conviction for speeding, a violation of Idaho Code § 49-654(2), entered by the magistrate court. Generally, L’Abbe makes two arguments: (1) the magistrate court was without subject matter jurisdiction or personal jurisdiction to try him; and (2) the magistrate erred by ruling that L’Abbe was not entitled to a Seventh Amendment jury trial on his speeding citation. For the reasons set forth below, we affirm. I. FACTS AND PROCEDURE L’Abbe was cited by a Boise police officer for speeding. L’Abbe pled not guilty to the citation and a court trial was set. Prior to the court trial, L’Abbe filed several motions generally challenging the State of Idaho’s authority and jurisdiction over him. At trial, L’Abbe made a record of his arguments challenging the State’s authority and jurisdiction. All of his motions 1 were denied. 1 The magistrate found that L’Abbe violated Idaho Code § 49-654(2) by driving 38 mph in a 25 mph zone and entered a judgment of conviction. L’Abbe appealed to the district court, which affirmed the judgment of conviction entered by the magistrate court. L’Abbe now appeals to this Court. II. STANDARD OF REVIEW When reviewing the decision of a district court sitting in its appellate capacity, our standard of review is the same as expressed by the Idaho Supreme Court: The Supreme Court reviews the trial court (magistrate) record to determine whether there is substantial and competent evidence to support the magistrate’s findings of fact and whether the magistrate’s conclusions of law follow from those findings. If those findings are so supported and the conclusions follow therefrom and if the district court affirmed the magistrate’s decision, we affirm the district court’s decision as a matter of procedure. Pelayo v. Pelayo, 154 Idaho 855, 858-59, 303 P.3d 214, 217-18 (2013) (quoting Bailey v. Bailey, 153 Idaho 526, 529, 284 P.3d 970, 973 (2012)). Thus, the appellate courts do not review the decision of the magistrate court. Bailey, 153 Idaho at 529, 284 P.3d at 973. Rather, we are procedurally bound to affirm or reverse the decisions of the district court. State v. Korn, 148 Idaho 413, 415 n.1, 224 P.3d 480, 482 n.1 (2009). III. HISTORY OF STATE COURTS’ JURISDICTION This Court understands L’Abbe’s concerns to be centered on the legality of the judiciary, as well as the State’s other government departments, enforcing the State’s laws over L’Abbe and other Idaho citizens. L’Abbe believes the State of Idaho is only a corporate body, which should only have authority to enforce laws over individuals who contracted with it. As this is the third time in less than two years that L’Abbe has appeared before this Court, asserting similar issues in all three cases, it is apparent that this Court’s previous analyses have done little to assuage L’Abbe’s chief concern. Additionally, a growing number of Idaho’s citizens have expressed views similar to L’Abbe’s. With that in mind, this Court believes it is important to more fully 1 The underlying facts of the case are uncontroverted and were not challenged on intermediate appeal. The State presented its case through the Officer’s testimony, which was not challenged on intermediate appeal. 2 analyze the history of Idaho courts’ jurisdiction. We will now take the opportunity to attempt to inform and educate L’Abbe and others similarly situated. A. Authority of the States Before Adoption of the United States Constitution Throughout L’Abbe’s briefs are express and implied references to the State of Idaho’s lack of authority to pass, approve, execute, expound, and enforce state laws. However, L’Abbe does submit to the authority of the Constitution of the United States and the Article III judiciary. Missing from L’Abbe’s argument is the fact that state governments existed before the creation of the national government, are repeatedly referred to in the U.S. Constitution, and their power and capability are continuously referred to in federal court opinions. As the Federalist Papers reveal, a chief concern for the people of the thirteen states was distribution of authority between the states’ governments and the proposed federal government if they adopted the proposed U.S. Constitution. In Federalist Paper No. 45, James Madison provided examples of past nations that failed for want of a powerful, centralized government. He also softened the concerns for potential lost state power by writing, “[T]he states will retain, under the proposed Constitution, a very extensive portion of active sovereignty . . . .” THE FEDERALIST NO. 45 (James Madison) (emphasis added). This concern also included the degree of retained state sovereignty in conjunction with the federal government, to which Madison wrote, “The States governments may be regarded as constituent and essential parts of the federal government; whilst the latter is nowise essential to the operation or organization of the former.” Id. After stating the national government was not essential to the operation or organization of the states, he illustrated why: The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government, are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite. . . . The powers reserved to the several States will extend to all the objects which, in the ordinary course of affairs, concern the lives, liberties, and properties of the people, and the internal order, improvement, and prosperity of the State. Id. (emphasis added). In a later paper, Alexander Hamilton described the envisioned “few and defined” powers delegated to the federal judiciary: [T]he judiciary authority of the Union ought to extend to these several descriptions of cases: 1st, to all those which arise out of the laws of the United States, passed in pursuance of their just and constitutional powers of legislation; 2d, to all those which concern the execution of the provisions expressly contained in the articles of Union; 3d, to all those in which the United States are a party; 3 4th, to all those which involve the PEACE of the CONFEDERACY, whether they relate to the intercourse between the United States and foreign nations, or to that between the States themselves; 5th, to all those which originate on the high seas, and are of admiralty or maritime jurisdiction; and, lastly, to all those in which the State tribunals cannot be supposed to be impartial and unbiased.[2] THE FEDERALIST NO. 80 (Alexander Hamilton). Having explained the limitation of the federal judiciary’s jurisdiction, Hamilton reiterated Madison’s claim that the state government’s retained powers were “numerous and indefinite.” “I shall lay it down as a rule, that the State courts will RETAIN the jurisdiction they now have, unless it appears to be taken away in one of the [few and defined] enumerated modes.” THE FEDERALIST NO. 82 (Alexander Hamilton). Hamilton later restated this point by writing: I hold that the State courts will be divested of no part of their primitive jurisdiction . . . and I am even of opinion that in every case in which they were not expressly excluded by the future acts of the national legislature, they will of course take cognizance of the causes to which those acts may give birth. Id. Although the Federalist Papers are not law or persuasive authority, they reveal insight to the concerns and ideas present at the creation and formation of the federal government and the U.S. Constitution. The Federalist Papers indicate that prior to the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, state governments were recognized to have sovereign authority over their jurisdictions, which included making and enforcing state laws. The Federalist Papers also signify the concern over any sovereignty the states would be required to relinquish if the U.S. Constitution was adopted. As both Madison and Hamilton detailed, the federal government’s powers were “few and defined” and the state government’s powers were “numerous and indefinite.” B. United States Constitutional References to States’ Powers The U.S. Constitution was written to establish and govern the national government, not to abolish the state governments. This notion is exemplified by the U.S. Constitution’s references to each of the three bodies of state governments: the state executive is referenced in Article I, Section 2, Clause 4 and Article I, Section 3, Clause 2; the state legislature in Article I, Section 3, Clause 1 and Article I, Section 3, Clause 2; and the state judiciary in Article IV, Section 1, 2 The last example refers to a case concerning citizens from differing states. 4 Clause 1. 3 Aside from the express and implied powers of the national government, the U.S. Constitution also restricts the power of the states in a limited manner. 4 (See U.S. CONST. art. I, § 9, cl. 5; art. I, § 9, cl. 6; art. I, § 10, cl. 1; art. I, § 10, cl. 2; art. I, § 10, cl. 3.) The remaining powers are left to the states or the people. The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution describes the reserved state powers. “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” U.S. CONST. amend. X. This reservation of states’ powers was reiterated by the Supreme Court: The Tenth Amendment likewise restrains the power of Congress, but this limit is not derived from the text of the Tenth Amendment itself, which, as we have discussed, is essentially a tautology. Instead, the Tenth Amendment confirms that the power of the Federal Government is subject to limits that may, in a given instance, reserve power to the States. New York v. United States, 505 U.S. 144, 156-57 (1992). Thus, the U.S. Constitution has relatively little to say about the states’ powers. This is because the document was intended for the creation and governance of the national government. Still, it shows clear intent to reserve powers for the states. The powers reserved to the states are those that are not necessary for the administration of the newly formed national government. C. Creation of the State of Idaho and Its Authority It is clear from the documents available at the time of the U.S. Constitution’s proposal that the thirteen then-existing states would take part in the U.S. Constitution’s adoption process. These states, and their sovereignty, would both benefit and suffer from the protections and restrictions of the U.S. Constitution. The creation of additional states was addressed by the U.S. Constitution’s provision controlling the admittance of new states to the Union. The newly admitted states were guaranteed equal footing with other states upon admission. See, e.g., U.S. CONST. art. IV, § 3, cl. 1; art. IV, § 3, cl. 2; Utah Div. of State Lands v. United States, 482 U.S. 193 (1987); Skiriotes v. Florida, 313 U.S. 69, 77 (1941). Article IV, Section 3, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the ability to admit new states into the Union, but not to form states.  The “equal footing” requirement means 3 The examples in this list were limited for brevity. 4 The implied powers are only those that are necessary and proper to carry out the requirements of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. CONST. art. I, § 8, cl. 18. 5 Congress cannot admit an entity that is considered less than a currently existing state. Skiriotes, 313 U.S. at 77. For a state to be admitted, it must already exist as a separate political body and possess a constitution. See, ACT FOR ADMISSION OF WEST VIRGINIA INTO UNION, 10 Op. Att’y Gen. 427 (1862). Therefore, the people using the powers reserved to the states or the people via the Tenth Amendment, must pass a constitution before Congress can vote on admitting a new state to the Union. See generally, Coyle v. Smith, 221 U.S. 559, 568-570 (1911); Conway v. United States, 1 Ct. Cl. 68 (1863). In 1889, the people of the Territory of Idaho held a constitutional convention. See Idaho Admission Bill, ch. 656, 26 Stat. 215 (1890). Later in the same year, the people of the territory voted to adopt the proposed constitution. Id. The Constitution of the State of Idaho was approved on July 3, 1890, when President Benjamin Harrison signed the Idaho Admission Bill, admitting Idaho into the Union. Id. The Idaho Constitution, which was created and voted on by the people of the Territory of Idaho and approved by President Harrison, creates departments of government. IDAHO CONST. art. II, § 1. The Idaho Constitution also distributes the state’s powers of those departments that it creates. Article III, section 1, of the Idaho Constitution provides, “The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a senate and house of representatives.” Additionally, article V, section 2 of the Idaho Constitution provides in part: The judicial power of the state shall be vested in a court for the trial of impeachments, a Supreme Court, district courts, and such other courts inferior to the Supreme Court as established by the legislature. . . . The jurisdiction of such inferior courts shall be as prescribed by the legislature. Thus, the creation and the authority the State of Idaho has, is derived from both the people of the state and the national government. The people had to vote on and establish a state constitution before the national government would admit Idaho into the Union. The national government had to admit Idaho into the Union before Idaho could be guaranteed “equal footing” with currently existing states. Due to the equal footing requirement, Idaho has the same state powers and restrictions as the original thirteen states that adopted the U.S. Constitution. 6 IV. ANALYSIS A. The Magistrate Court Had Both Subject Matter and Personal Jurisdiction L’Abbe primarily argues that the district court, acting in its intermediate appellate capacity, erred by finding that the magistrate court had subject matter and personal jurisdiction to enter judgment in L’Abbe’s case. 5 Whether a court lacks jurisdiction is a question of law, over which this Court exercises free review. State v. Jones, 140 Idaho 755, 757, 101 P.3d 699, 701 (2004). To properly proceed in a criminal case, a court must acquire both personal and subject matter jurisdiction. State v. Rogers, 140 Idaho 223, 228, 91 P.3d 1127, 1132 (2004). Personal jurisdiction refers to a court’s power to bring a person into its adjudicative process, whereas subject matter jurisdiction refers to jurisdiction over the nature of the case and the type of relief sought. State v. Ambro, 142 Idaho 77, 79, 123 P.3d 710, 712 (Ct. App. 2005). Thus, without personal jurisdiction, the court has no person to hold accountable; without subject matter jurisdiction, the court has no alleged crime to hold the person accountable for. Rogers, 140 Idaho at 228, 91 P.3d at 1132. L’Abbe asserts the magistrate court lacked subject matter jurisdiction to try him because the magistrate court is not an Article III court under the U.S. Constitution. 6 However, as we addressed above, state governments are not created by the U.S. Constitution. Article V, section 2 of the Idaho Constitution delegates the state’s judicial powers to the state’s courts and delegates the power to prescribe the inferior courts’ jurisdiction to the legislature. This provision of the Idaho Constitution was intended to make the legislature the sole authority in determining the jurisdiction of inferior courts. Acker v. Mader, 94 Idaho 94, 96, 481 P.2d 605, 607 (1971). In accordance with article V, section 2 of the Idaho Constitution, the legislature enacted Idaho Code § 1-2201, establishing in each county of the state of Idaho a magistrate division of the district court. Subject to the rules promulgated by the Idaho Supreme Court, the legislature also assigned to the magistrate division those proceedings arising under the Idaho Traffic Infractions Act. I.C. § 1-2208; see also Idaho Infraction Rule 4 (“Every magistrate in the state of Idaho is 5 L’Abbe’s brief generally challenges both the magistrate and district court’s decisions. This Court will address these issues on appeal under our Pelayo standard of review above. 6 L’Abbe’s Seventh Amendment issue is addressed under subsection B. 7 hereby assigned and granted the authority and jurisdiction to hear, process and determine . . . any citable offense alleged to have occurred within the state of Idaho.”) Thus, the magistrate court had subject matter jurisdiction to try L’Abbe’s speeding violation infraction. L’Abbe also asserts that the magistrate court did not have personal jurisdiction over him because he only made a special appearance to challenge the magistrate’s jurisdiction in this case. The State of Idaho has personal jurisdiction over any person who commits all or part of a crime within its territory. I.C. § 18-202; see also Rogers, 140 Idaho at 228, 91 P.3d at 1132. The Supreme Court of Idaho has held that a traffic infraction is criminal in nature. State v. George, 127 Idaho 693, 699, 905 P.2d 626, 632 (1995); see also IDAHO CONST. art. V, § 1 (“[E]very action prosecuted by the people of the state as a party, against a person charged with a public offense, for the punishment of the same, shall be termed a criminal action.”). In a criminal case, an Idaho court acquires personal jurisdiction over the defendant after his or her first appearance in that case. Rogers, 140 Idaho at 228, 91 P.3d at 1132. 7 Aside from L’Abbe’s alleged special appearance, which is of no significance, he does not challenge the claim that he made an appearance in this case at the pretrial conference. 8 Thus, the magistrate court acquired personal jurisdiction over L’Abbe when he appeared at the pretrial conference for the traffic infraction committed within this state. B. No Right to a Seventh Amendment Jury Trial for an Infraction Citation L’Abbe argues that the district court, acting in its intermediate appellate capacity, erred by finding that the magistrate correctly denied L’Abbe a Seventh Amendment jury trial to determine if L’Abbe committed a traffic violation. The Seventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution refers to common law suits in federal court, to which a jury trial is guaranteed if the value in controversy exceeds twenty dollars. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that a Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial in a civil case is not incorporated by the Fourteenth Amendment and is not applicable to the states. 7 Additionally, this Court has “consistently and unequivocally rejected the notion that a state must contract with a citizen either to obtain personal jurisdiction or to subject the citizen to its laws.” State v. Simmons, 115 Idaho 877, 878, 771 P.2d 541, 542 (Ct. App. 1989). 8 L’Abbe’s reference to a special appearance is misplaced. Idaho Rule of Civil Procedure 4(i)(2) allows for a special appearance to contest personal jurisdiction. However, no similar rule exists in criminal law. 8 Minneapolis & St. Louis R.R. Co. v. Bombolis, 241 U.S. 211, 216-17 (1916). Because of the holding in Bombolis, and the Supreme Court’s subsequent holdings on the issue, L’Abbe has no constitutional right to a Seventh Amendment jury trial in state court. Additionally, the Idaho legislature has denied the right to a jury trial for traffic infractions. I.C. § 49-1502(1) (“The procedure for processing an infraction citation and the trial thereon, if any, shall be the same as provided for the processing of a misdemeanor citation under rules promulgated by the supreme court, except there shall be no right to a trial by jury.” (emphasis added)). As a result, L’Abbe had no right to either a federal or state jury trial. C. Other Claims L’Abbe concedes that the definitive issue is jurisdiction. However, he presents several nonjurisdictional arguments on appeal. L’Abbe previously used similar arguments in an attempt to overturn two prior convictions, which this Court affirmed in unpublished opinions. See State v. L’Abbe, Docket No. 40833 (Ct. App. Nov. 25, 2013); State v. L’Abbe, Docket No. 39376 (Ct. App. Sept. 4, 2012). Upon review of the record, we conclude that L’Abbe’s nonjurisdictional arguments are without merit. In addition, L’Abbe fails to support his arguments with citations to relevant authority, as the authority he cites is inapplicable or irrelevant. As a result, L’Abbe’s nonjurisdictional arguments are meritless. V. CONCLUSION We conclude that the district court correctly found the magistrate court had both subject matter and personal jurisdiction over this case and L’Abbe. Also, the district court correctly found that the magistrate properly denied L’Abbe’s request for a Seventh Amendment jury trial. L’Abbe’s remaining claims are without merit. The district court’s intermediate appellate decision upholding L’Abbe’s judgment of conviction for speeding is affirmed. Judge LANSING and Judge MELANSON CONCUR. 9
se 14 -18 What is -11 (base 2) in base 6? -3 What is -11 (base 5) in base 7? -6 -32 (base 11) to base 6 -55 What is 22 (base 9) in base 5? 40 What is -2 (base 9) in base 12? -2 Convert -12 (base 12) to base 10. -14 Convert -13 (base 9) to base 8. -14 Convert -7 (base 12) to base 4. -13 16 (base 9) to base 4 33 2 (base 15) to base 8 2 What is 1 (base 10) in base 13? 1 What is 27 (base 14) in base 7? 50 What is -1101 (base 2) in base 13? -10 147 (base 16) to base 9 403 Convert -b (base 15) to base 4. -23 0 (base 16) to base 3 0 Convert 210 (base 5) to base 6. 131 -1 (base 15) to base 10 -1 What is 303 (base 6) in base 15? 76 11110 (base 4) to base 15 17a -20 (base 14) to base 4 -130 Convert -3 (base 4) to base 10. -3 Convert 6 (base 9) to base 12. 6 What is 53 (base 8) in base 14? 31 What is -52 (base 15) in base 7? -140 What is -27 (base 15) in base 11? -34 -4 (base 11) to base 8 -4 What is 101 (base 2) in base 3? 12 Convert -30 (base 9) to base 10. -27 -41 (base 8) to base 16 -21 What is 25 (base 12) in base 13? 23 Convert -4 (base 14) to base 16. -4 -4 (base 13) to base 2 -100 Convert -14 (base 15) to base 9. -21 Convert -6 (base 16) to base 12. -6 Convert -1c (base 15) to base 2. -11011 Convert 14 (base 5) to base 7. 12 Convert -1011 (base 2) to base 11. -10 What is -323 (base 6) in base 12? -a3 Convert 50 (base 14) to base 9. 77 Convert -5 (base 9) to base 5. -10 Convert -25 (base 7) to base 2. -10011 -5 (base 15) to base 14 -5 What is 122 (base 12) in base 8? 252 -132 (base 6) to base 2 -111000 Convert 14 (base 12) to base 15. 11 What is -2 (base 11) in base 6? -2 What is 2202 (base 3) in base 6? 202 Convert 2 (base 7) to base 10. 2 What is -45 (base 12) in base 16? -35 Convert 7 (base 12) to base 6. 11 What is 8 (base 16) in base 5? 13 Convert 32 (base 6) to base 16. 14 -26 (base 11) to base 3 -1001 -2 (base 16) to base 8 -2 Convert -201 (base 3) to base 6. -31 What is -37 (base 11) in base 16? -28 What is 93 (base 14) in base 4? 2001 Convert 0 (base 2) to base 5. 0 Convert -75 (base 14) to base 3. -10211 What is -3 (base 7) in base 16? -3 Convert 44 (base 10) to base 9. 48 Convert -4 (base 6) to base 9. -4 What is -21 (base 3) in base 16? -7 What is -10 (base 7) in base 14? -7 -1 (base 13) to base 15 -1 What is 0 (base 16) in base 11? 0 Convert -5 (base 8) to base 2. -101 8 (base 16) to base 2 1000 Convert 46 (base 12) to base 15. 39 What is -1110 (base 2) in base 13? -11 Convert 1103 (base 7) to base 10. 395 What is -4 (base 10) in base 7? -4 Convert -22 (base 11) to base 14. -1a Convert 110 (base 2) to base 14. 6 d3 (base 14) to base 10 185 What is -11 (base 12) in base 6? -21 What is 2220 (base 3) in base 7? 141 23 (base 12) to base 4 123 What is -80 (base 16) in base 6? -332 8 (base 11) to base 12 8 -133 (base 7) to base 8 -111 What is -2 (base 10) in base 7? -2 3 (base 11) to base 9 3 Convert -3 (base 13) to base 3. -10 13 (base 4) to base 13 7 10 (base 14) to base 2 1110 What is 0 (base 13) in base 5? 0 Convert -2f (base 16) to base 13. -38 Convert 132 (base 7) to base 12. 60 Convert 102 (base 5) to base 12. 23 -13 (base 13) to base 9 -17 What is -42 (base 7) in base 14? -22 Convert 101000 (base 2) to base 10. 40 Convert 10 (base 6) to base 4. 12 What is 59 (base 12) in base 16? 45 What is -3 (base 7) in base 3? -10 -8 (base 16) to base 3 -22 What is -2 (base 11) in base 12? -2 Convert -3 (base 11) to base 10. -3 Convert -2 (base 8) to base 9. -2 Convert 8 (base 15) to base 16. 8 Convert -16 (base 12) to base 11. -17 -4 (base 8) to base 5 -4 -38 (base 9) to base 15 -25 Convert -4 (base 9) to base 15. -4 11 (base 10) to base 5 21 What is 110 (base 10) in base 14? 7c What is -1 (base 12) in base 3? -1 Convert -5 (base 15) to base 10. -5 Convert 1 (base 13) to base 7. 1 10010 (base 2) to base 14 14 Convert 22 (base 6) to base 11. 13 Convert 19 (base 16) to base 2. 11001 -4 (base 7) to base 3 -11 What is -a6 (base 13) in base 6? -344 -11110000 (base 2) to base 4 -3300 What is -95 (base 12) in base 3? -11012 20 (base 6) to base 2 1100 100 (base 3) to base 4 21 -1000 (base 2) to base 12 -8 -22 (base 13) to base 14 -20 What is -45 (base 10) in base 14? -33 -2 (base 11) to base 9 -2 Convert -69 (base 11) to base 10. -75 4 (base 14) to base 8 4 Convert -b (base 16) to base 14. -b -17 (base 10) to base 5 -32 What is 80 (base 14) in base 8? 160 What is -10010 (base 2) in base 15? -13 What is 25 (base 8) in base 7? 30 3 (base 12) to base 7 3 -b (base 15) to base 4 -23 Convert -5 (base 12) to base 6. -5 Convert -2 (base 9) to base 16. -2 Convert 41 (base 5) to base 15. 16 -8 (base 9) to base 16 -8 Convert -367 (base 8) to base 6. -1051 What is -1 (base 8) in base 6? -1 What is 1 (base 11) in base 5? 1 -f9 (base 16) to base 4 -3321 Convert -15 (base 16) to base 12. -19 What is -1111 (base 3) in base 6? -104 1 (base 13) to base 4 1 Convert -12220 (base 3) to base 8. -237 What is 140 (base 6) in base 10? 60 Convert 1 (base 14) to base 9. 1 111 (base 2) to base 10 7 What is 39 (base 15) in base 7? 105 What is -21 (base 15) in base 10? -31 What is -5 (base 10) in base 2? -101 Convert -11 (base 12) to base 3. -111 Convert 0 (base 7) to base 13. 0 Convert -a (base 14) to base 10. -10 Convert 7 (base 16) to base 14. 7 -1001000 (base 2) to base 16 -48 What is -36 (base 16) in base 4? -312 200 (base 11) to base 5 1432 Convert 38 (base 9) to base 14. 27 9 (base 14) to base 8 11 -2 (base 7) to base 13 -2 Convert -8 (base 14) to base 4. -20 25 (base 9) to base 12 1b -5a (base 12) to base 15 -4a 2 (base 13) to base 15 2 What is 1 (base 9) in base 13? 1 What is -4 (base 12) in base 4? -10 -58 (base 12) to base 3 -2112 114 (base 5) to base 13 28 Convert 20 (base 3) to base 10. 6 -132 (base 6) to base 9 -62 6 (base 14) to base 12 6 Convert -151 (base 8) to base 10. -105 Convert -6 (base 8) to base 11. -6 Convert 233 (base 5) to base 8. 104 What is -31 (base 8) in base 12? -21 -1 (base 4) to base 14 -1 What is 12 (base 9) in base 13? b 2 (base 7) to base 16 2 -9 (base 11) to base 3 -100 What is -18a (base 11) in base 2? -11011011 1b (base 13) to base 4 120 Convert -3 (base 8) to base 6. -3 Convert 8 (base 10) to base 11. 8 266 (base 7) to base 8 222 What is -25 (base 16) in base 12? -31 What is 8b (base 15) in base 8? 203 -13 (base 10) to base 14 -d -4 (base 9) to base 6 -4 What is 7 (base 13) in base 10? 7 What is -6 (base 13) in base 5? -11 -51 (base 6) to base 9 -34 What is -2 (base 9) in base 2? -10 68 (base 12) to base 2 1010000 Convert 11 (base 8) to base 2. 1001 Convert -1 (base 2) to base 5. -1 Convert 11 (base 5) to base 15. 6 11 (base 7) to base 15 8 Convert -1 (base 6) to base 2. -1 3 (base 11) to base 14 3 Convert -6 (base 16) to base 5. -11 What is -62 (base 10) in base 3? -2022 Convert 5 (base 13) to base 6. 5 220 (base 3) to base 5 44 Convert 43 (base 11) to base 6. 115 Convert -7 (base 15) to base 9. -7 Convert 10 (base 3) to base 10. 3 Convert 3 (base 8) to base 4. 3 1222 (base 4) to base 11 97 1 (base 9) to base 15 1 Convert 1011 (base 4) to base 12. 59 -3 (base 14) to base 4 -3 a (base 15) to base 3 101 -36 (base 10) to base 16 -24 Convert -28 (base 13) to base 11. -31 -67 (base 16) to base 12 -87 What is 2 (base 6) in base 8? 2 What is 25 (base 10) in base 5? 100 -17 (base 8) to base 10 -15 Convert 7 (base 13) to base 2. 111 What is -224 (base 11) in base 2? -100001100 What is -7a (base 13) in base 16? -65 What is -1103 (base 4) in base 7? -146 b5 (base 14) to base 6 423 -5 (base 9) to base 10 -5 What is -113 (base 5) in base 12? -29 What is -28 (base 14) in base 4? -210 What is -26 (base 10) in base 14? -1c Convert 2022 (base 3) to base 12. 52 What is -10 (base 4) in base 15? -4 1a (base 16) to base 14 1c -21 (base 9) to base 3 -201 42 (base 7) to base 4 132 What is -102 (base 5) in base 2? -11011 Convert -23 (base 15) to base 11. -30 22 (base 6) to base 8 16 -45 (base 10) to base 8 -55 20 (base 4) to base 14 8 12 (base 8) to base 15 a What is 1 (base 2) in base 3? 1 Convert 41 (base 7) to base 13. 23 Convert 130 (base 5) to base 15. 2a Convert -111 (base 5) to base 15. -21 25 (base 7) to base 13 16 Convert 1252 (base 6) to base 10. 320 3 (base 14) to base 2 11 -1313 (base 4) to base 10 -119 Convert 10 (base 2) to base 6. 2 10 (base 15)
The Adventures of Tintin Intrepid young reporter, Tintin and his loyal dog, Snowy are thrust into a world of high adventure when they discover a ship carrying an explosive secret. As Tintin is drawn into a centuries-old mystery, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine suspects him of stealing a priceless treasure. Tintin and Snowy, with the help of salty, cantankerous Captain Haddock and bumbling detectives, Thompson & Thomson, travel half the world, one step ahead of their enemies as Tintin endeavors to find The Unicorn, a sunken ship that may hold a vast fortune, but also an ancient curse.
--- abstract: 'We describe a statistical hypothesis test for the presence of a signal. The test allows the researcher to fix the signal location and/or width a priori, or perform a search to find the signal region that maximizes the signal. The background rate and/or distribution can be known or might be estimated from the data. Cuts can be used to bring out the signal.' author: - 'W.A. Rolke' - 'A.M. López' title: How to Claim a Discovery --- Introduction ============ Setting limits for new particles or decay modes has been an active research area for many years. In high energy physics it received renewed interest with the unified method by Feldman and Cousins [@Cousins-Feldman]. Giunti [@Giunti] and Roe and Woodroofe [@Roe-Woodroofe] gave variations of the unified method, trying to resolve an apparent anomaly when there are fewer events in the signal region than expected. They all discuss the problem of setting limits for the case of a known background rate. The case of an unknown background rate was discussed in a conference talk by Feldman [@Feldman] and a method for handling this case was developed by Rolke and López [@Rolke; @and; @Lopez]. Little work has been done though on the question of claiming a discovery. This problem could be handled by finding a confidence interval and claiming a discovery if the lower limit is positive. Instead the question of a discovery should be done separately, by performing a hypothesis test with the null hypothesis $H_{o}$:There is no signal present. Rejecting this hypothesis will then lead to a claim for a new discovery. In carrying out a hypothesis test one needs to decide on the type I error probability $\alpha $, the probability of falsely rejecting the null hypothesis. This is of course equivalent to the major mistake to be guarded against, namely that of falsely claiming a discovery. In practice a hypothesis test is often carried out by finding the p-value. This is the probability that an identical experiment will yield a result as extreme (with respect to the null hypothesis) or even more so given that the null hypothesis is true. Then if $p<\alpha $ we reject $H_{0}$; otherwise we fail to do so. For the test discussed here it is not possible to compute the p-value analytically, and therefore we will find the p-value via Monte Carlo. Maybe the most important decision in carrying out a hypothesis test is the choice of $\alpha $, or what we might call the discovery threshold. As we shall see, this decision is made much easier by the method described here because we will need only one threshold, regardless of how the analysis was done. What a proper discovery threshold should be in high energy physics is a question outside the scope of this paper, although we might suggest $\alpha =0.001$ (roughly equivalent to $3\sigma $). Sinervo [@Sinervo] argues for a much stricter standard of $5\sigma $, or $\alpha =2.9\ast 10^{-7}$. We believe that such extreme values were used in the past because it was felt that the calculated p values were biased downward by the analysis process, and a small $\alpha $ was needed in order to compensate for any unwittingly introduced biases. If we were to trust that our p-value is in fact correct, a $1$ in $1000$ error rate should to be acceptable. A general introduction to hypothesis testing with applications to high energy physics is given in Sinervo [@Sinervo].  A classic reference for the theory of hypothesis testing is Lehmann [@Lehmann]. The Signal Test =============== Our test uses $T=x-b$ or $T=x-y/\tau $ as the test statistic, depending on whether the background rate $b$ is assumed to be known or not. Here $x$ is the number of observations in the signal region, $y$ is the number of observations in the background region and $\tau $ is the probability that a background event falls into the background region divided by the probability that it falls into the signal region. Therefore $y/\tau $ is the estimated background in the signal region and $x-y/\tau $ is an estimate for the signal rate $\lambda $. $T$ is the maximum likelihood estimator of $\lambda $, and it is the quantity used in Feldman and Cousins [@Cousins-Feldman] without being set to $0$ when $x-y/\tau $ is negative. This is not necessary here because a negative value of $x-y/\tau $ will clearly lead to a failure to reject $H_{0}$. Other choices for the test statistic are of course possible. For example, a measure for the size of a signal that is often used in high energy physics is $S/\sqrt{b}$. Under the null hypothesis this statistic is approximately Gaussian, at least if there is sufficient data. Unfortunately the approximation is not sufficiently good in the extreme tails where a new discovery is made, leading to p-values that are much smaller than is warranted. Even when using Monte Carlo to compute the true p-value, this test statistic can be shown to be inferior to the one proposed in our method because it has consistently lower power, that is its probability of detecting a real signal is smaller. In order to find the p-value of the test we need to know the null distribution. In the simplest case of a known background rate and everything else fixed this is given by the Poisson distribution, but in all other cases it is not possible to compute the null distribution analytically, and we will therefore find it via Monte Carlo. As an illustration consider the following case shown in figure 1: here we have $100$ events on the interval $[0,1]$, with the signal region a priori set to be $[0.44,0.56]$. There are $25$ events in the signal region, and the background distribution is known to be flat. Therefore we find $x=25$, $y=75$, $\tau =7.33$ and $T=14.77$. Because we know that the background is flat on $[0,1]$, and because under the null hypothesis all $100$ events are background we can simulate this experiment by drawing $100$ observations from a uniform distribution on $[0,1]$ and computing $T$ for this Monte Carlo data set. Repeating this $150000$ times we find the histogram of Monte Carlo $T$ values shown in figure 2, case 1. In this simulation $8$ of the $150000$ simulation runs had a value of $T$ greater than $14.77$, or $p=0.000053$. Using $\alpha =0.0001$ we would therefore reject the null hypothesis and claim a discovery. Note that in addition to rejecting the null hypothesis we can also turn the p-value into a significance by using the Gaussian distribution and claim that this signal is a $3.87\sigma $ effect. How would things change if the signal region had not been fixed a priori but instead was found by searching through all signal regions centered at $0.5$and we would have accepted any signal with a width between $0.01$ and $0.2$? That is if we had kept the signal location fixed but find the signal width that maximizes $T$, the estimate of the number of signal events? Again we can find the null distribution via Monte Carlo, repeating the exact analysis for each simulation run individually. The histogram of $T$ values for this case is shown in figure 2, case 2. Here we find a value of $T$ larger than $14.77$ in $570$ of the $150000$ runs for a p-value of $0.0038$ or $2.67\sigma $. At a discovery threshold of $\alpha =0.001$ we would therefore not find this signal significant anymore. Even more, what if we also let the signal location vary, say anywhere in $[0.2,0.8]$? That is for any pair of values $(L,H)$ we define $[L,H]$ as the signal region and $[0,L),(H,1]$ as the background region, compute $T_{L,H}$ for this pair and then maximize over all possible values of $L$and $H$. Note that because $T_{L,H}$ is monotonically increasing in $\tau $ as long as all the observations stay either in the signal or in the background region, we can find the maximum fairly quickly by letting $L$and $H$ be the actual observations. The histogram of $T_{L,H}$ values for this case is shown in figure 2, case 3. We find a value of $T$ larger than $14.77$ in $9750$ of the $150000$ runs for a p-value of $0.065$ or $1.51\sigma $, clearly not significant. It was necessary in the second and third cases above to limit the search region somewhat, to the interval $[0.2,0.8]$ and to signals at least $0.01$ and at most $0.2$ wide, because otherwise the largest value of $T$ is almost always found for a very wide signal region, even when a clear narrow signal is present. This restriction will not induce a bias as long as the decision on where to search are made a priori. In the general situation where the background is not flat on $[0,1]$ we can make use of the probability integral transform. Of course this requires knowledge of the background distribution $F$, but if it is not known we can estimate it from the data, either using a parametric function fitted to the data or even using a nonparametric density estimator. Again all calculations are done under the null hypothesis so we do not need to worry about the signal or its distribution. As long as we copy exactly for the Monte Carlo events what was done for the real data we will find the correct p-value. This includes using cuts used to improve the signal to noise ratio, but it then requires the ability to correctly Monte Carlo all the variables used for cutting, including their correlations. Performance of the Method ========================= As an illustration for the performance of the signal test consider the following experiment: we generate $100$ events from a linear background on $[3,5]$ and (if present) a Gaussian signal at $3.9$ with a width of $0.05$. Then we find the signal through a variety of situations, from the one extreme where everything is fixed a priori to the other where the largest signal of any width is found. The background density is found by fitting and the background rate is estimated. The power curves are shown in figure 3. No matter what combination of items were fixed a priori or were used to maximize the test statistic, and with it the signal to noise ratio, all cases achieved the desired type I error probability, $\alpha =0.05$. Not surprisingly the more items are fixed a priori, the better the power of the test. Conclusion ========== We have described a statistical hypothesis test for the presence of a signal. Our test is conceptually simple and very flexible, allowing the researcher a wide variety of choices during the analysis stage. It will yield the correct type I error probability as long as the Monte Carlo used to find the null distribution exactly mirrors the steps taken for the data. Monte Carlo studies have shown that this method has satisfactory power. [1]{} R.D. Cousins, G.J. Feldman, A Unified Approach to the Classical Statistical Analysis of Small Signals, Phys. Rev, D57, (1998) 3873.C. Giunti, A new ordering principle for the classical statistical analysis of Poisson processes with background , Phys. Rev D59, 053001 (1999). B.P. Roe, M.B. Woodroofe, Improved Probability Method for Estimating Signal in the Presence of Background, Phys. Rev D60 053009 (1999) G. Feldman, Multiple measurements and parameters in the unified approach, talk at Fermilab Workshop on Confidence Limits 27-28 March, 2000, http://conferences.fnal.gov/cl2k/  , p.10-14. W.A. Rolke, A.M. López, Confidence Intervals and Upper Bounds for Small Signals in the Presence of Background Noise, Nucl. Inst. and Methods A458 (2001) 745-758 P.K. Sinervo, Signal Significance in Particle Physics, Proceedings of the Conference: Advanced Statistical Techniques in Particle Physics, Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology, University of Durham, UK, 2002, 64-76. E.L. Lehmann Testing Statistical Hypotheses, 2nd Ed. (1986) Wiley, New York Acknowledgments {#Ack} =============== This work was partially supported by the Division of High Energy Physics of the US Department of Energy. Appendix ========
Players push back against Goodell letter On Thursday, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to every player summarizing the offer made by the league on March 11 and urging the players to pressure their representatives to respond. The bold move possibly has backfired. Multiple players have spoken out against the gesture, using it as the latest rallying cry against the owners. It’s the same dynamic that Ross Tucker of Sirius NFL Radio spelled out during a visit to PFT Live on Thursday. NFL players wouldn’t have become NFL players if they were willing to back down from a fight, and these NFL players perceive the NFL Commissioner to be trying to spark an implosion of the NFLPA*. “Looking at what Commissioner Goodell sent out, it would be pretty easy for guys to say, ‘You know what? This actually looks pretty decent,'” Gonzalez told Marvez. “But we know as advocates for our players that we need to go point-by-point on this letter and show them how deceptive this really is. “Deceptive isn’t the word. To say there are half-truths in that letter is ambitious. They’re like quarter-to-less truths. We’re trying to fill in the gaps.” “When you just look at the email itself, it’s really a joke,” Washington Football Club defensive end and player representative Vonnie Holliday said. “That’s why you see some of the players around the league speaking out. This does not tell the story. This is just another ploy by the NFL to make us look like bad guys, to divide us. But we’re strong. Our leadership has been strong. Our players are informed. “For the most part, I think [the NFL is] surprised at how strong we are as a group and what we’ve been able to accomplish so far. That’s what’s going to carry us throughout the rest of this process.” Or it possibly will carry a lot of them to Chapter 7. We continue to be neutral in this matter. We simply want this all to end, so that we can get back to the offseason and free agency and everything else that makes the NFL popular months before a game is even due to be played. At this point, the players can huff and puff all they want about Goodell’s tactics. But their representatives know what the offer was, and their representatives should be developing a response. We’ve got no problem with players saying things aimed at keeping other players from going to Twitter after drinking a few Friday night fuzzy navels and firing off F-bombs in the direction of the NFLPA*. Still, the representatives should be doing more than using actual or perceived assaults on solidarity to pull the players’ strings and/or to keep them in line. The representatives need to be looking for ways to get this resolved so that the players can be working out with their teams, getting new contracts, having access to counseling, and being able to talk to their coaches. We’ve previously said that players shouldn’t voice concerns publicly if they believe something is amiss, and we strongly suspect that something is. Still, they should find a way to make their concerns known, before a small handful of lawyers or agents or players put a brick on the gas pedal as the car approaches the point of no return. How dare he send out a letter to let everyone know exactly what was offered to the NFLPA!!! How dare you sir! I’ve never been so insulted. In the future please never tell me anything i prefer to be left in the dark. These player reps are idiots. Goodell isn’t saying here is the entire deal tell your union heads to sign it. He’s saying these are things we are offering, so come back to the negotiating table because it’s not “The worst deal in sports history”… I don’t care how strong you are, 50 percent of you can get replaced tomorrow and no one would notice. You really aren’t as valuable as you think you are. and I’m still trying to figure out how that letter wanted the players to divide? I thought that was a simple letter about bringing both sides together? Agh. How did these people even get in college. ttommytom says:Mar 18, 2011 5:03 PM You all don’t think the players should speak out? You posted Goodell’s letter thus bringing it to the attention of 1 million readers. So now these guys want to also respond publicly to not look bad. Human nature. p.s. Please pass this response Greg. I will vote for you to have a salary one day. hail2tharedskins says:Mar 18, 2011 5:04 PM I don’t think this a backfire at all. If the players by-and-large were dismissing the let the player reps would not be spending all this time publicly denouncing it. Apparently enough players have read Goodell’s letter and started asking questions, which of course was the intent. Just look at the hard-line player responses, the hard-liners are being further divided from the moderate player base (and of course the fans and retired players) with each over-the-top response they give. The point is that the NFL made an offer, regardless of how you want to characterize it. All the fans – and likely members of the NFLPA – are all still waiting for your counter offer. That’s da fact, Jack. vomitingliberals says:Mar 18, 2011 5:06 PM Oh no! The players are being asked to take 45% of overall revenue (which would still see them horribly overpaid) instead of robbing their respective franchises by taking just south of 60%. Quick, somebody frisk them and take away all of their shoelaces! Who cares if franchises become completely unprofitable in the future due to the current 15% annual player salary increases, at least we will be able to watch the league die amidst all of our favorite players retiring really, really rich! Man, I’d love to see the “clarifications” these two amateur economists came up with. Why can’t the players understand that this was nothing more than an offer with some concessions. The next step is to counter with desired adjustments accompanied by concessions to less critical points as incentive to get the other side to agree to some the new proposals. Rinse and repeat. The amateur psychologist in me likes to point out that when stupid people are presented with a situation that they are too stupid to comprehend more often then not they lash out in anger. Stupid people are also apt to blindly follow and violently defend one they believe can comprehend the situation and that can gain their trust. duanethomas says:Mar 18, 2011 5:12 PM Way to win friends ans influence people Mr Goodell. I’m not a betting man, but I would bet a significant wager that’s the last letter the commish will send to the players. April 6th! jeff061 says:Mar 18, 2011 5:13 PM Backfired? Don’t think so – its spot on as it has shown the public what the offer is – and they whining and name callign by the players, absent of any details or counter offer – is making them look like idiots. I’m really sick of these players. Can you put together a potential scab list please? tdk24 says:Mar 18, 2011 5:22 PM It really appears that this players are going to hold on forever. Instead of feeling lucky to have the career that they do, they take it for granted. That is what really pisses me off. Sure, you can fight for “point-for-point” issues, but you’re not going to win them all! That’s what negotiations are all about. It’s like this… the buyer(team owner) offers the seller(the players) a deal. The seller says no, i want more. The buyer offers another deal, again the seller says no, i want more. Eventually the buyer is going to say fine, i’ll buy it from someone else, you’re not the only sellers around. He players, don’t get pissed if this happens. For all the college players that wouldn’t normally get a shot in the NFL, it’s called “The American Dream”. If the Goodell and the NFL really care about the fans as much as they say why don’t they NEGOTIATE with Time Warner so I can watch a freakin’ Thursday Night game? Where is my freakin’ letter you shifty a-hole? Deb says:Mar 18, 2011 6:09 PM If one player sneezed and the others said “Bless you!” the owner contingent posting on PFT would tell us all how stupid the players were for saying “Bless you.” Nothing players do satisfies these people–most of whom have only been posting on PFT since last Friday If we’re being honest, most players and fans dislike Goodell–with good reason. He keeps claiming he’s pursuing policies fans want, such as European expansion and an 18-game season, when polls say we don’t want them. He spent the season blathering about safety while fining players for obviously legal hits. But he’s done nothing about poor officiating. It might help if bad hits were flagged as they occurred. But Goodell has proved he’s not interested in problem-solving, but only in playing to the cameras. No wonder the players reacted negatively to a letter from a commissioner they dislike and distrust. It was a foolish gesture. thefiesty1 says:Mar 18, 2011 6:09 PM The players are getting bad advice from their representatives. Get back to the table without De Maurice. Take a look at the last offer from the owners. Your acting like spoiled children you dumb jocks. mick730 says:Mar 18, 2011 6:11 PM “How did these people even get in college?” So asks a previous poster. When I was in college at a PAC-10 school, I used to tutor for the athletic department to earn some extra cash. The stories I can tell! sh4doww4lker says:Mar 18, 2011 6:17 PM Want some credibility in your statements? Provide a link so we can see who votes for or against the responses. Thumbs up — Thumbs down crowd exposed There has not been professional football played in D.C. since the current ownership took over – except that professional football was played by visiting teams. The Washington Team Football may be referred to as “WTF” in newspapers seeking to avoid further legal issues with “TMD”* *The Midget Dictator Jim Fennell says:Mar 18, 2011 6:24 PM I am extremely tired of hearing both sides of this issue whining to the media about what was said or what wasn’t said. Why can’t these idiots simply talk to each other, work out the differences, misunderstandings, half-truths, whatever, and just get on with it already. Each time one side or the other puts out a statement to the media instead of talking with each other, they’re losing points in my book. mayfieldroadboy says:Mar 18, 2011 6:25 PM What did Goodell’s email say? What are the points with which the association of former NFLPA disagree? They say the NFL tells quarter truths, half truths, and downright lies. Could you please reveal the email with the the players’ notations of which points are untruthful and filled with deception. We really should know exactly what the former players are asking – beside wanting to see 10 years of financial statements and wanting to become the senior partner in this employer/employee relationship. The teams financial records were already available to the NFLPA; or do the former players now want to include all the income from the teams’ owners assets? It seems the former players want more than a partnership in the league; the former players now want to become the owners of the owners. You keep hearing “It was a bad deal” over and over again. Yet what we dont hear is why it was a bad deal. Then the player reps tell their “guys” about said “bad deal” and answer questions from their guys about said “bad deal”…Now how exactly can one answer questions about an offer most of them have no 1st hand knowledge about. 85% of these reps werent even at the meetings. They are getting 2nd hand info from the executive bargining group….When asked about a specific point of the NFLs offer, all they can say was it was a lie..Sounds to me these guys are being led blindly and arent asking teh right questions to their leadership pdxpanther says:Mar 18, 2011 7:14 PM joshuavkidd, you’re fooling yourself if you think the NFL is telling the 100% truth of what they offered to the players. All they released were super vague bullet points to make it sound like they were giving the players the best deal ever. All that was missing was the crappy stock powerpoint theme and presentation. The leagues nfllabor.com site is a complete joke. They are doing the same thing to the fans that the union is doing, “pick our side,” when in fact they are both equally stupid in thinking we are that stupid. melikefootball says:Mar 18, 2011 7:29 PM These players don’t get it. They are in the intertainment business. Always someone to come along to take your place , then you can sell your greatest hits on CD Universe. They want to strut their feathers but some are losing their luster to many of the fans. garyman1 says:Mar 18, 2011 7:29 PM “we need to go point-by-point on this letter and show them how deceptive this really is”. That is what Vonnie Holiday said…but I didn’t see anything where he actually goes point by point. BS aside…it’s ALL about the revenue split… the rest is fluff commandercornpone says:Mar 18, 2011 8:23 PM well they can all be replaced. i agree the nfl should put out ads for scab players who have never played in the nfl regular season or playoffs or have played only a handful of games and have been out for at least 2 years. suiting up counts as playing. no union member as of the day before the sham decert can apply. offer them no more than 10% more than the going rates in the best paying other football league out there, per game, if the games are played and they are in them. then watch duh get thrown off a tall building. and the players cave for even “less”. These pretzels are making me thirsty! says:Mar 18, 2011 8:41 PM “We continue to be neutral in this matter.” Most of your commentary suggests the exact opposite, Mike. Been reading your site for six years, love your work, but I really wish your commentary was consistent with your claim. The tone of your posts pegs you as squarely on the players’ side, and the angry undercurrent running throughout the majority of your commentary on this issue is rather unbecoming. You can get your point across without the cheap shots at the owners (clever asides like “Scrooge McDuck coffers”) while criticizing them for not “respecting” the players… or your continued calls for the owners to cave 100% to the NFLPA*’s demands, while ignoring the reality that the players have not, and are unwilling to, negotiate. Not sure what’s at the root of it, but you’re a lawyer, and by all accounts, were pretty successful at it. You’d not have gotten that far if you didn’t know how to negotiate, and didn’t understand the process. All of which makes so much of your commentary on the issue all the more curious. apetits says:Mar 18, 2011 8:45 PM I’m actually giving less of a s**t about the NFL every day this goes on. Go f**k yourselves, players – maybe I’ll actually keep my money in my pocket this year instead of giving it your whiny, disingenuous asses. Deb says:Mar 18, 2011 9:22 PM @commandercornpone … Whatever you may think about this situation, there is a special place in hell for scabs … and the people who support them.
using System; using System.Collections.Specialized; using System.Text; using Platform.Text; namespace Platform.VirtualFileSystem.Providers { /// <summary> /// This class provides a skeletal implementation of the <c>INodeAddress</c>interface to minimize the effort /// required to implement the interface. /// <seealso cref="INodeAddress"/> /// </summary> [Serializable] public abstract class AbstractNodeAddress : INodeAddress { private readonly string scheme; private readonly string absolutePath; // Cached calculated values. private string uri; private string rootUri; private string extension; /// <summary> /// Initialises a new <see cref="AbstractNodeAddress"/>. /// </summary> /// <param name="scheme">The scheme of the <c>FileName</c>.</param> /// <param name="absolutePath">The <c>AbsolutePath</c> of the <c>FileName</c>.</param> protected AbstractNodeAddress(string scheme, string absolutePath, string query) { this.scheme = scheme; this.absolutePath = absolutePath; this.Query = query; } public virtual string InnerUri { get { return ""; } } public virtual string Name { get { return this.NameAndQuery; } } public virtual string NameWithoutExtension { get { int x; string s = this.ShortName; x = s.LastIndexOf('.'); if (x >= 0) { return s.Substring(0, x); } else { return s; } } } public virtual string NameWithoutQuery { get { if (this.nameWithoutQuery == null) { lock (this) { if (this.IsRoot) { this.nameWithoutQuery = this.absolutePath; } else { this.nameWithoutQuery = TextConversion.FromEscapedHexString(this.absolutePath.Right(PredicateUtils.ObjectEquals(FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar).Not())); } } } return this.nameWithoutQuery; } } private string nameWithoutQuery; public virtual string NameAndQuery { get { if (this.nameAndQuery == null) { lock (this) { if (this.nameAndQuery == null) { string nameAndQuery; nameAndQuery = this.ShortName + (this.Query.Length > 0 ? '?' + this.Query : ""); System.Threading.Thread.MemoryBarrier(); this.nameAndQuery = nameAndQuery; } } } return this.nameAndQuery; } } private string nameAndQuery; public virtual string Query { get; private set; } public virtual NameValueCollection QueryValues { get { if (this.queryValues == null) { lock (this) { if (this.queryValues == null) { var dictionary = new NameValueCollection(StringComparer.InvariantCultureIgnoreCase); foreach (var pair in StringUriUtils.ParseQuery(this.Query)) { dictionary[pair.Key] = pair.Value; } System.Threading.Thread.MemoryBarrier(); this.queryValues = dictionary; } } } return this.queryValues; } } private NameValueCollection queryValues; public virtual string PathAndQuery { get { if (this.pathAndQuery == null) { lock (this) { if (this.pathAndQuery == null) { string localPathAndQuery; if (this.Query == "") { localPathAndQuery = this.AbsolutePath; } else { localPathAndQuery = this.AbsolutePath + '?' + this.Query; } System.Threading.Thread.MemoryBarrier(); this.pathAndQuery = localPathAndQuery; } } } return this.pathAndQuery; } } private string pathAndQuery; public virtual string ShortName { get { return this.NameWithoutQuery; } } public virtual string AbsolutePath { get { return this.absolutePath; } } public virtual string Extension { get { if (this.extension == null) { lock (this) { this.extension = this.ShortName.Right(PredicateUtils.ObjectEquals('.').Not()); if (this.extension.Length == this.ShortName.Length) { this.extension = String.Empty; } } } return this.extension; } } public virtual int Depth { get { if (this.IsRoot) { return 0; } if (this.depth == -1) { this.depth = FuncUtils.VolatileAssign(() => this.absolutePath.CountChars(c => c == FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar)); } return this.depth; } } private int depth = -1; public virtual string Scheme { get { return this.scheme; } } public virtual string Uri { get { if (this.uri == null) { lock (this) { if (this.uri == null) { string value; value = this.RootUri + this.absolutePath + (this.Query == "" ? "" : ("?" + this.Query)); value = TextConversion.ToEscapedHexString(value, TextConversion.IsStandardUrlEscapedChar); System.Threading.Thread.MemoryBarrier(); this.uri = value; } } } return this.uri; } } public virtual string RootUri { get { if (this.rootUri == null) { lock (this) { if (this.rootUri == null) { var value = this.GetRootUri(); System.Threading.Thread.MemoryBarrier(); this.rootUri = value; } } } return this.rootUri; } } public virtual bool IsRoot { get { return this.absolutePath.Length == 1 && this.absolutePath[0] == FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar; } } public virtual INodeAddress Parent { get { if (this.IsRoot) { throw new InvalidOperationException(String.Format("Root directory has no parent")); } lock (this) { var parentPath = this.AbsolutePath.SplitAroundCharFromRight(PredicateUtils.ObjectEquals('/')).Left; if (parentPath.Length == 0) { parentPath = FileSystemManager.SeperatorString; } return CreateAddress(parentPath, ""); } } } public virtual INodeAddress ResolveAddress(string name) { return ResolveAddress(name, AddressScope.FileSystem); } public virtual INodeAddress ResolveAddress(string name, AddressScope scope) { int x; var query = ""; if (name.Length == 0 || (name.Length > 0 && name[0] != FileSystemManager.RootChar)) { // Path is relative. if (this.IsRoot) { name = FileSystemManager.RootChar + name; } else { name = this.absolutePath + FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar + name; } } if ((x = name.IndexOf('?')) >= 0) { query = name.Substring(x + 1); name = name.Substring(0, x); } name = StringUriUtils.NormalizePath(name); if (!CheckPathScope(this.AbsolutePath, name, scope)) { throw new AddressScopeValidationException(name, scope); } return CreateAddress(name, query); } public virtual string GetRelativePathTo(INodeAddress name) { if (!this.RootUri.Equals(name.RootUri)) { throw new ArgumentOutOfRangeException(name.ToString()); } return GetRelativePathTo(name.AbsolutePath); } public virtual string GetRelativePathTo(string absolutePath) { var path = absolutePath; var pathLen = path.Length; var basePathLen = this.absolutePath.Length; // When base path is root if (basePathLen == 1) { if (pathLen == 1) { return "."; } else { return path.Substring(1); } } var pos = 0; var maxLen = Math.Min(basePathLen, pathLen); for (; pos < maxLen && this.absolutePath[pos] == path[pos]; pos++) { // Just counting. } if (pos == basePathLen && pos == pathLen) { // Same names. //return path; return "."; } else if (pos == basePathLen && pos < pathLen && path[pos] == FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar) { // path is a descendent. return path.Substring(pos + 1); } var builder = new StringBuilder(path.Length); if (pathLen > 1 && (pos < pathLen || this.absolutePath[pos] != FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar)) { // Not a direct ancestor. Trace backwards. pos = this.absolutePath.LastIndexOf(FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar, pos); builder.Append(path.Substring(pos)); } // Prepend '../' for each elementin the base path past the common prefix. builder.Insert(0, ".."); pos = this.absolutePath.IndexOf(FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar, pos + 1); while (pos != -1) { builder.Insert(0, "../"); pos = this.absolutePath.IndexOf(FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar, pos + 1); } return builder.ToString(); } public virtual bool IsAncestorOf(INodeAddress name) { return name.IsDescendentOf(this, AddressScope.Descendent); } public virtual bool IsDescendentOf(INodeAddress name) { return IsDescendentOf(name, AddressScope.Descendent); } public virtual bool IsDescendentOf(INodeAddress name, AddressScope scope) { return CheckPathScope(name.AbsolutePath, this.AbsolutePath, scope); } public virtual bool IsDescendentOf(INodeAddress name, StringComparison comparisonType, AddressScope scope) { return CheckPathScope(name.AbsolutePath, this.AbsolutePath, comparisonType, scope); } private bool CheckPathScope(string basePath, string comparePath, AddressScope scope) { return CheckPathScope(basePath, comparePath, StringComparison.CurrentCulture, scope); } private bool CheckPathScope(string basePath, string comparePath, StringComparison comparisonType, AddressScope scope) { if (scope == AddressScope.FileSystem) { return true; } if (!comparePath.StartsWith(basePath, comparisonType)) { return false; } var baseLength = basePath.Length; switch (scope) { case AddressScope.Child: if (/* ComparePath is the same as BasePath */ comparePath.Length == baseLength /* ComparePath has same parent as base path but different short name */ || (baseLength > 1 && comparePath[baseLength] != FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar) /* ComparePath is a (grand)*child of basePath */ || comparePath.IndexOf(FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar, baseLength + 1) >= 0) { return false; } break; case AddressScope.Descendent: if (/* ComparePath is the same as base path */ comparePath.Length == baseLength /* ComparePath has same parent as base path but different short name */ || (baseLength > 1 && comparePath[baseLength] != FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar)) { return false; } break; case AddressScope.DescendentOrSelf: if ( /* ComparePath has same parent as base path but different short name */ baseLength > 1 && comparePath.Length > baseLength && comparePath[baseLength] != FileSystemManager.SeperatorChar ) { return false; } break; default: return false; } return true; } public virtual bool RootsAreEqual(INodeAddress nodeAddress) { return this.RootUri == nodeAddress.RootUri; } /// <summary> /// Create and return a new filename of the same type and schema as this file name /// but but with a different path. /// </summary> /// <remarks> /// The only difference between the current <c>INodeAddress</c> and the returned /// <c>INodeAddress</c> is the path. /// </remarks> /// <param name="absolutePath">The absolute path to the node</param> /// <param name="query">The query part of the path (empty string if there is no query part)</param> /// <returns></returns> protected abstract INodeAddress CreateAddress(string absolutePath, string query); /// <summary> /// Gets a string representing the root URI of the filesytem this filename belongs to. /// </summary> /// <returns></returns> protected abstract string GetRootUri(); public override string ToString() { return TextConversion.FromEscapedHexString(this.Uri.ToString()); } public override int GetHashCode() { return this.RootUri.GetHashCode() ^ this.absolutePath.GetHashCode(); } public override bool Equals(object obj) { if (obj == this) { return true; } var address = obj as AbstractNodeAddress; if (address == null) { return false; } return this.Uri.Equals(address.Uri); } public virtual bool ParentsEqual(INodeAddress nodeAddress) { return ParentsEqual(nodeAddress, StringComparison.CurrentCulture); } public virtual bool ParentsEqual(INodeAddress nodeAddress, StringComparison comparisonType) { if (this.Depth != nodeAddress.Depth) { return false; } if (this.IsRoot) { return true; } var x = this.AbsolutePath.LastIndexOf('/'); var y = nodeAddress.AbsolutePath.LastIndexOf('/'); if (x == -1) { return false; } if (x != y) { return false; } return String.Equals(this.AbsolutePath.Substring(0, x), nodeAddress.AbsolutePath.Substring(0, y)); } public virtual string PathToDepth(int depth) { if (depth == 0) { return "/"; } depth++; var builder = new StringBuilder(); foreach (var c in this.AbsolutePath) { if (c == '/') { depth--; if (depth == 0) { break; } } builder.Append(c); } return builder.ToString(); } public virtual string DisplayUri { get { return TextConversion.FromEscapedHexString(this.Uri); } } } }
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The Top Pathways to Achieve Longevity Part I If there is one health-related topic that we can agree on, it is that we all want to live longer. Anti-aging research has progressed to a respectable point where we can draw on science to employ lifestyle, diet and supplement interventions that promote longevity. While it may be unknown how much longer we can extend our lives with these tactics, we can be reassured that taking many of these steps will, at a minimum, enhance our quality of life. Notwithstanding, there are still more unanswered questions in this field of research than answered ones. There are many theories of aging and possibly nine (9) or more causes that collectively contribute to aging. Nevertheless, there are four (4) major associated pathways that we know from research that we can target with the hope of adding a decade or two to our lifespan (1). These include: mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR); adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK); silent information regulators (SIR) or sirtuins; nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB). The focus of this article is to demystify these pathways, and demonstrate lifestyle and diet choices that most effectively target these pathways in a synergistic manner, so you can save time and money. Product/supplement recommendations will follow in Part 2 of this article series and will be geared to whole food options and full spectrum extracts. As you will find out below, exercise, fasting, a polyphenol/ phytochemical-rich diet, cold and hot stress, are our best bets for living longer and healthier until more and better research comes in. mTOR mTOR is a cellular pathway that acts as a signaling controller for cell growth and lifespan, metabolism, and propagation (2). The mTOR pathway regulates processes that convert or utilize energy and nutrients. Essentially, mTOR reacts to nutrients and calories in determining if times are plentiful or stressful; mTOR ramps up if energy and nutrients are in abundance and ramps down in times of stress, such as in caloric restriction (3). Dysfunctional mTOR controlling prompts several detrimental cellular actions, such as those correlated with multiple types of cancers (4). Overactivation of mTOR is linked to many aging-related diseases and conditions, therefore approaches to lower or normalize its activity are a prudent way to proactively promote cellular longevity (5). Exercise activates mTOR the desired way, by increasing activity primarily in the muscles and brain (6). Generally speaking, increasing AMPK will inhibit mTOR. The primary way to inhibit the mTOR pathway is through caloric restriction (CR). Supplements and food compounds that target this pathway in a similar manner to CR are considered caloric restriction mimetics. Food sources should be pursued at this time since there has been lack of human studies affirming the anti-aging potential of many of these compounds. AMPK AMPK is a cellular energy controller that adjusts how and by which our body utilizes and converts energy. AMPK levels decrease as we age. Higher levels of AMPK guard our bodies against diabetes, obesity, and accelerated aging (10). Studies show that increased AMPK activity is linked to an increased lifespan by up to 20%. Increased AMPK has been found to reduce multiple markers of aging including body-fat, blood sugar, blood lipid levels, and inflammation (10) (11) (12). Activating AMPK also protects against dementia, memory impartment and hypertension (13) (14) (15). Trace minerals including lithium, boron; minerals such as zinc and selenium; and Vitamin C (25)(26) SIRT Sirtuins work amongst many cellular pathways that control apoptosis (programmed cell death), turn anti-aging genes on and off, help repair DNA and regulate metabolism. SIRT also plays an important role in blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity (27) (28) (29). SIRT genes require nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) for their activation. NAD+ is found in all cells and is required for the proper functioning of mitochondria (the “working engine” of the cell) since it facilitates the transfer of energy from the foods we eat into forms utilized by the cell. NAD+ is also required for “turning off” genes that are associated with accelerated aging. Like AMPK, NAD+ levels decrease with age (30). Sirtuins also play a role in mitigating the shortening of telomeres (like “caps” on the end of DNA strands, serving to protect the chromosomes within). The shortening of telomeres is associated with a shortening of lifespan (31). NF-kB NF-kB is the central mediator of the immune response, in other words, the master switch for inflammation. It is a like a super sensor detecting threats like free radicals, bad bacteria infiltration, and infections. With age, NF-kB expression increases resulting in chronic inflammation and in the body overreacting to “threats”. This is extremely important because chronic inflammation is related to numerous age related diseases and conditions; in fact, it is associated with 98% of the age related degenerative conditions including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neurodegeneration (50). Obviously, NF-kB activity is something we want to control if we are aiming to increase our life and health span. Inflammatory responses related to exercise are beneficial and necessary. Inhibiting the inflammatory response post-exercise may negate the benefits of exercise. It also important that your PON1 gene is functioning optimally. PON1 is one of the most studied genes and plays a critical role in cardiovascular risk, oxidative stress and inflammation. Its enzymes are also responsible for breaking down chemicals that are detrimental to human health. Recent systems biology perspectives on longevity have identified that PON1 and NF-kB are linked, shedding light on the importance of both in inflammation (51) (52). Undertaking a Nutrition Genome analysis will identify polymorphisms in your PON1 and recommend ways for improving gene function. Lucky for us, PON1 gene function increases by many of the same inhibitors of NF-kB, which you can read more about here. What do all these pathways have in common? Here is the good news: these four pathways interact with each other and in most cases inducing the beneficial effect on one pathway typically does so on other linked pathways. This allows us to target multiple pathways with one lifestyle or diet intervention; killing multiple birds with one stone if you will. Looking at these pathways holistically, what do they all have in common? What do they tell us about longevity? The answers to these questions can be distilled into the following: We need to keep inflammation low; We must ensure essential hormones, vitamins and minerals are present in the body at adequate levels to not inhibit cellular and enzyme activity; It is important that we maintain insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance (and are metabolically flexible); Implementing lifestyle and diet changes (at the right dose) that stress the body in a positive manner (i.e. hormesis), invoke a stressresponse that targets nearly all these pathways in a beneficial way; truly embodying the expression “what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger”. Furthermore, with a review of all the noted strategies to inhibit or activate these pathways, we can safely conclude that the cheapest ways are still the bestwaystotarget the mTOR, AMPK, NF–kB and SIRT pathways (66). To reiterate, these lifestyle and diet strategies are: Eating a diverse healthy diet with many plant phytochemicals; Heat stress; Cold stress; Caloric restriction / fasting; Exercise; Meditation / psychological stress reduction. Below is a visual depiction of how these four pathways interact. Note the relationship between the pathways and inflammation, energy/calories and insulin. A few select food compounds are included to demonstrate how they target these pathways through activation or inhibition. While some phytochemical compounds (polyphenols in most cases) have been touted as anti-aging such as those listed in this article and Figure 1, this does not imply other phytochemicals are ineffective; it more accurately means that science has yet to catch up with the plethora of beneficial plant phytochemicals that we ingest through foods, herbs, and teas. Since there are thousands of these compounds present in plants and foods, it will take time before scientists can test each for their effects on longevity pathways. Our judgement is that many of these “yet to be studied” compounds will produce similar results as to those already studied more extensively, especially if they are in the same phytochemical family (e.g. resveratrol is a stilbene, so it should not be a surprise that pterostilbene is also effective since it is in the same chemical family). As you may have presumed by now, here at The Health Beat we are not fond of extracts of isolated compounds, since whole foods, (and potentially full spectrum extracts) include co-factors, synergistic compounds and “checks and balances” that isolated compounds do not. We have evolved alongside these plant chemicals that provide a positive stress response when consumed in food form, so it is logical to hypothesize that the natural doses present in food (with co-factors) affect our cells the most beneficially, especially over the long term. The Health Beat takes a food first approach; therefore, pharmaceuticals and high dose isolated extracts will not be recommended for daily use. A herbal or food alternative will instead be identified for consideration in your anti-aging regime, not a laundry list of pills to pop which would only be speculative, may be unsafe (especially with chronic use) and can be very expensive. There is no exception to the above principle in the analysis of these longevity pathways. Isolated compounds identified as promising have mostly only been studied extensively in vitro and in vivo animal studies and lack human studies to affirm their efficacy as anti-aging supplementation (66). Furthermore, it is important to not neglect critical vitamins and minerals related to nearly all processes in the body including, but not limited to, Magnesium, Vitamin D, B vitamins, Vitamin C, trace minerals (e.g. Boron, Lithium), Selenium, and Zinc. Remember: 22% of all enzymes require a micronutrient to function (67). Only when we have supplied our bodies with adequate macro and micronutrients can we then look to improve upon our genetic baseline. Nutrition Genome is a tool that may be used to maximize the potential of our genes since some of us, with our gene mutations, may need more or less of these critical vitamins and minerals. For a more detailed article on the necessity of nutrients in the body, read this article. Some Major Questions Regarding Longevity Still Remain Lastly, longevity research still has more unanswered questions than answered ones. Having said that, there are some important facts that we currently do know: we do not know how multiple anti-aging strategies interact(68); most chemical compounds and supplements have yet to be extensively tested in humans(68); doses in studies are usually unpractically high and we do not know the effects of long-term use at those levels; high doses of isolated phytochemical/polyphenols may be detrimental (69)(70); small chronic doses of studied compounds (and in a food matrix) seem to be more effective, and are more in line with what humans would have evolved consuming (71)(70); Diminishing returns result as we compound these lifestyle and diet habits; the same goes for supplements, antioxidants, and phytochemical ingestion; CR mimetics and fasting seem to have reduced impact the better the diet, and the healthier and fitter one is (72)(70); we suspect the same applies to the “stacking” of hormetic strategies (i.e. more is not necessarily better; we need to find the right “dose” and attempt to get the maximum benefit for the least effort). Until research tells us otherwise, the recommendations herein and in Part 2 of this article series take a conservative pragmatic approach. The recommendations focus on nutritional synergies and count on the checks and balances of phytochemical, micronutrient, mineral, macronutrient complexes that are natural to whole foods.
Surprisingly Simple Solutions for Poultry House Ventilation Though we’re heading into September, for growers in the South, the hot temperatures won’t be letting up anytime soon. This means you’re relying on full poultry house ventilation well into September, and probably through October too. Even when cooler weather eventually does set in, cleaning fans and maintaining proper air flow efficiency remains a top priority for poultry farmers. If you’re looking to ensure air flow efficiency, control dust issues, and stop power bills from skyrocketing, here are some essential tips: Minimize hot air leaks Air that leaks between tunnel inlets and tunnel fans automatically makes those fans work harder in order to give off the ideal velocity. If you’ve got leaks happening (even if they may seem miniscule) in any part of your poultry house, you’re forcing your fans to go into overdrive to keep temperatures down and your birds comfortable. This is especially true if you’ve got unsealed cracks in the house. When the sun beats down on roofing or sidewall metals all day, that scorching air is now seeping into the building and raising its overall temperature. When power bills are getting to be unmanageable and it feels like your fans just can’t keep up, check and see if this is part of the problem. Ensure proper maintenance on your fans Beyond keeping fans clean and free of dust, you’ll also want to ensure that these machines are getting regular maintenance. Worn belts, pulleys, and other equipment that start to break down over time has a major impact on efficiency and also prevents maximum velocity from developing. This maintenance should happen ahead of when you need your fans the most, so don’t save it for the hottest part of your growing season. However, if you’ve got larger animals in the houses, you’ll want to verify that your fans are in good working order during the growout. You should also check that your shutters are clean. Make use of products like Swash Dust-Repel™ At FarmLab Innovations, we know that your time is precious and that minimizing dust is a year-round concern. In fact, we recently polled 62 poultry growers in the United States. We asked how often these growers were cleaning their fans between flocks. The results showed that 83 percent of poll participants are required by their integrator to wash their fans between every flock, with only 17 percent washing their fans once per year or never. Because poultry growers are spending such a significant amount of time cleaning fans, our team of chemists developed ourSwash Dust-Repel™ sprayto streamline this process. Our goal is to make cleaning your fans easier and more cost-effective. We’ve found that applying Swash Dust-Repel™ in the late summer and early fall cuts down on dust buildup, thus leading to a 30-50 percent reduction in water usage during clean out. Additionally, fans that are treated with Swash Dust-Repel™ can be cleaned 30 percent faster than those that aren’t. The end result? Reduced ammonia retention in the building, an easier cleaning process, and better health for both your flock and your staff. A key tip to keep in mind as you utilize this product: don’t neglect your fan’s crates. We heard from one grower who used Swash Dust-Repel™ a few months ago who noted that he wished he had thought to treat his crates as well. Remember, crates that get clogged with feathers and other debris slow down your air flow efficiency, so give them proper attention. Better air flow and poultry house ventilation equates to a healthier environment for both your birds and your staff. Better air flow and poultry house ventilation equates to a healthier environment for both your birds and your staff. If you’re interested in learning more about incorporating Swash Dust-Repel™ into your routine to maximize air flow efficiency and lower your cleaning costs, >>> click here.<<< Recent Posts Posts by Tag Follow Us: More about us The name FarmLab Innovations may be new, but our brand has a long history. We’re proud to be part of Piedmont Chemical Industries, a company that’s served as a formidable presence in the field for more than 80 years. Our highly trained scientists draw on their collective 200 years of experience in order to effectively innovate and solve problems that continue to plague our industry.
Q: How to fix encoding problem in shapefile importing? I tried to import a shapefile to postgresql. I used PostGIS shapefile import/export manager. Earlier I have done same thing but did not face any problem. But this time I am facing problem with encoding. First I tried to import into an exsisting database with UTF-8 encoding. It showed following error: Shapefile type: Polygon PostGIS type: MULTIPOLYGON[2] Unable to convert data value to UTF-8 (iconv reports "Invalid argument"). Current encoding is "UTF-8". Try "LATIN1" (Western European), or one of the values described at http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/multibyte.html. Shapefile import failed. So, I created another database with 'LATIN1' encoding with collation C and character type C. Then tried to set client encoding to 'LATIN1' by executing the following query. set client_encoding='LATIN1'; Now tried to import. But still it is showing client encoding is UTF-8 and import fails. Screen shot is attached. What to do? A: I was facing the same problem last days, and that was due to german letters in shapefile attribute table, so for that I did the following: Simply, just click on option button and change UTF-8 to LATIN1
A vehicle behavior control, a vehicle stability control (VSC) and the like, which controls a behavior of a vehicle by controlling at least braking power, performs a control assuming that a center of gravity of a vehicle, one of a parameter determining a controlled variable, is constant. Among the vehicles, there is a loading vehicle whose load significantly changes between a light load and the maximum load and whose center of gravity position changes between front and rear of the vehicle. Even if the vehicle behavior control is performed on such loading vehicle assuming that the center of gravity position is constant, there is a possibility of failing to provide sufficient control performance. Conventionally, considering the change in the center of gravity position between front and rear of the vehicle caused by the load change between the light load and the maximum load, there is an apparatus that performs braking power control. For example, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1, when the rear wheel braking power reaches the rear wheel braking power in the ideal front-rear braking power distribution during the light load, if the rear wheel is not in a slip state, there is an apparatus that performs the braking power control to increase a distribution proportion of the rear wheel braking power.
Superstorm now ashore, its work is far from done October 30th, 2012 Snow coats Highway 33 West in West Virginia as Hurricane Sandy batters the eastern seaboard, and a cold weather system blankets most of the high elevations in West Virginia on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. As the systems meet, blizzard conditions are in effect across multiple counties in West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Robert Ray) Snow coats Highway 33 West in West Virginia as Hurricane Sandy batters the eastern seaboard, and a cold weather system blankets most of the high elevations in West Virginia on Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. As the systems meet, blizzard conditions are in effect across multiple counties in West Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Robert Ray) Kevin Crister steps into a flooded roadway in front of his mother’s mobile home at Meadow Run Mobile Home Park in Conewago Township, Pa., Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. Some residents of the park were told they needed to evacuate due to Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy continued on its path Monday, forcing the shutdown of mass transit, schools and financial markets, sending coastal residents fleeing for higher ground, and threatening a dangerous mix of high winds and soaking rain. (AP Photo/York Daily Record, Jason Plotkin) YORK DISPATCH OUT Don Mullen, of Seven Valleys, uses a flashlight to search the soup selection at Wetzel’s Market in Glen Rock saying he wanted to get some of the usual things before the road flooded out to Seven Valleys, in York, Pa. Manager Mike Wetzel says they stay open during power failures with a natural gas generator powering registers and some lighting. (AP Photo/York Daily Record, Paul Kuehnel) YORK DISPATCH OUT Buy AP Photo Reprints HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The storm that was Sandy isn’t done just yet. After lashing coastal cities and inundating parts of New York City with 13 feet of water, the core of the hybrid storm is beginning a long slog across Pennsylvania and upstate New York, with its effects spreading as far west as Wisconsin and Illinois. The big storm, which has caused wind warnings from Chicago to Maine and Canada to Florida, will continue to be a problem for a couple more days with heavy rainfall, snow and local flooding. “This is going to be an event that for a period of time is going to alter the way we do things,” Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said Monday, warning residents of his state they would not escape with just a glancing blow. By midnight, what’s left of Sandy was near Philadelphia and was forecast to spend most of Tuesday heading across Pennsylvania and then take a sharp turn Wednesday into western New York, weakening as it moved, said Daniel Brown, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center. The once-tropical system has merged with a wintry cold front and is likely to produce heavy rain in the East for the next two or three days — adding up to more flooding, Brown said. Coastal storm surge will likely continue to be elevated Tuesday, especially with morning high tides, but they may be at levels a foot to a couple of feet less than Monday night’s peak, Brown said. On the coast, gale-force winds will continue and subside eventually Tuesday evening, but inland they should subside by midday. In parts of the mid-Atlantic region, particulary higher elevations, several more inches of snow was predicted Tuesday in addition to what fell the night before. On the western shore of Lake Michigan, large waves were a concern. The Village of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., urged residents to evacuate in anticipation of waves as high as 18 feet. In Chicago, emergency officials asked residents and utility crews to be prepared for winds forecast at 50 mph and waves as high as 25 feet. In upstate New York, automated calls warned about 13,000 Rochester-area residents who live near Lake Ontario to watch out for waves of 8 to 10 feet overnight. Emergency officials in neighboring Wayne County also suggested that shoreline homeowners evacuate. The National Weather Service warned of hurricane-force winds with gusts up to 80 mph in New York City and surrounding counties until Tuesday evening. Comments WGGB encourages readers to share their thoughts and engage in healthy dialogue about the issues. Comments containing personal attacks, profanity, offensive language or advertising will be removed. Please use the report comment function for any posts you feel should be reviewed. Thank you.
With nearly 3,500 F-35s still scheduled for production during the life of the Joint Strike Fighter program, it is imperative to look at every aspect of the manufacturing process to reduce costs while ensuring a high level of quality. That is exactly why a team from Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, the Enterprise Drilling Center of Excellence […] A lot of machining plants use custom cutting tools, although the amount varies. For some, it’s standard; for most, it’s occasional, even rare. The question is: When should a machining operation consider custom over standard tools? Here, Andrew Gilpin, business development manager of cutting tool manufacturer AMAMCO Tool, in Greer, S.C., discusses the factors that […] Manufacture of the stealthy Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II has two important precision machining activities: (1) edge routing of the wing skins and forward fuselage panels and (2) drilling of holes in the machined parts to assemble the wings and forward fuselage. All external structural surfaces are made of carbon-epoxy (one of many CFRPs) with […] Machine Tools Process Change Nets 450 Percent More Holes Drilled Per Bit Life Cycle When faced with a tooling change, testing at Lockheed revealed that precise cutting edge geometries allowed operators to greatly reduce span time and increased feed rates. The resulting tool and process change netted a 450 percent increase in the number of […]
#region License /* * 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. */ #endregion using System; using System.Collections.Generic; using System.Globalization; using Cassandra.DataStax.Graph.Internal; using Newtonsoft.Json.Linq; namespace Cassandra.Serialization.Graph.Tinkerpop.Structure.IO.GraphSON { internal abstract class NumberConverter : IGraphSONDeserializer, IGraphSONSerializer { protected abstract string GraphSONTypeName { get; } protected abstract Type HandledType { get; } protected virtual string Prefix => "g"; protected virtual bool StringifyValue => false; public dynamic Objectify(JToken graphsonObject, IGraphSONReader reader) { return graphsonObject.ToObject(HandledType); } public Dictionary<string, dynamic> Dictify(dynamic objectData, IGraphSONWriter writer) { object value = objectData; if (StringifyValue) { value = string.Format(CultureInfo.InvariantCulture, "{0}", value); } return GraphSONUtil.ToTypedValue(GraphSONTypeName, value, Prefix); } } }
[A case of stage IV gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases surviving for more than 4 years by treatment with chemotherapies without surgery]. A 75-year-old male who with type 3 gastric cardia cancer with multiple liver metastases was initially treated with S-1 in July of 2005. After 4 courses of the treatment, the liver metastases became undetectable on abdominal CT scan, with reduction in size of the primary tumor of the stomach. After 7 months of S-1 treatment, however, the progression of the primary lesion was endoscopically detected, and irinotecan was administered, demonstrating primary tumor regression. When re-growth of the primary tumor was observed, 3 courses of paclitaxel treatment showed little effect and was replaced by docetaxel treatment for 5 months, which had a grade 3 adverse effect. The next 10 courses of 5-FU combined with methotrexate were applied for one year until the primary tumor showed enlargement. Then 12 courses of CDDP with S-1 were administered until now, and the size of the primary carcinoma is under control. The patient is being followed on an outpatient basis without any surgical treatment, while the liver metastases have not relapsed on abdominal imaging.
Variable region gene analysis of an isotype-switched (IgA) variant of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia of B-cell origin (B-CLL) is generally thought to arise by neoplastic transformation of B lymphocytes, which express CD5 and have features of an early stage of B-cell differentiation. To study isotype-switched B-CLL as a potentially more differentiated variant, we performed genetic and functional immunoglobulin (Ig) gene analysis in two cases of CD5+ B-CLL in which the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) secreted predominantly IgA (CLL-249) or IgG (CLL-412) when stimulated with pokeweed mitogen in vitro. By cDNA sequencing and by studies of CLL-heterohybridomas, CLL-249 expresses the heavy chain constant region C alpha as anticipated, while CLL-412 expresses C mu, not C gamma. In CLL-249, the expressed VH gene is 98% homologous to VH26, a germline VH3 gene that occurs frequently in the fetal repertoire, and which has been associated with anti-DNA specificity. The VL gene of CLL-249 is a lambda VL gene for which the germline sequence is not known. In CLL-412, the VH gene is 100% homologous to the VH1 gene of a published anti-DNA antibody (21/28), and is probably a germline gene sequence; the VL gene is 100% homologous to 15AVKI, also a germline gene. The supernatant antibody of the CLL-412 heterohybridoma is an IgM-kappa, which reacts with ssDNA and cardiolipin. The CLL-249 heterohybridoma secreted IgA-lambda, which bound none of the antigens tested, a finding that may be related to amino acid differences from the probable germline V genes. The demonstration of an in vivo isotype-switched variant, such as CLL-249, suggests that B-CLL may be a heterogeneous group of clonal disorders, of which less common variants may have features of more differentiated B-cell stages, such as isotype switching.
Article content continued Existing home prices continue to grow in the city with the average price of a detached home up 20.7 per cent in July from a year ago to more than $1.2 million. Across the GTA, existing detached homes are now selling for an average $952,983, while new single family homes have already crossed over $1 million. The economist took dead aim at the province’s Places To Grow Act which has limited the availability of serviced land for ground-oriented housing and set aggressive intensification and density targets. Tal says the Greenbelt Plan, which restricts the type of development that can take place in the area that rings the city is one factor but intensification policies might be playing a larger role. The plan mandated that by 2015 and every year after municipalities must make sure at least 40 per cent of new developments take place in current urban boundaries. Under the plan that intensification can take place through redevelopment of vacant or brownfield land but mostly it has meant development of more dense forms of housing. The province now wants to increase that minimum to 60 per cent. “The higher the rate is, the less land will be released in the outskirts — adding to the lack of land supply,” says Tal. Already the land value of low density units is up 100 per cent over the last decade and 150 per cent for medium density lots, which Tal says is the prime target for intensification. In some cities around the GTA, like Markham, Newmarket and Richmond Hill, land costs make up more than half of the total price of a home.
To make changes in the JavaScript menu of PartnerSite Under the My Language PartnerSites section, click on Manage Site besides the Language PartnerSite, where you wish to make changes to the menu. Under the Edit Main Menu section, click on Edit Menu. This will open the Menu_data.js file for modification. Note The Menu_data.js file contains the various Menu text as well as their links. On the other hand, the Menu_style.js file contains all the style elements of your JavaScript Menu. So if you need to simply make modifications to how the menu is displayed, then you need to only edit Menu_style.js file. See details While the left-hand side textbox displays the Original Content, your modifications need to be submitted into the right-hand side textbox (titled Your Content). Note It is recommended that while making modifications to the menu data, select the Lock Scroll checkbox. This scrolls both the Original Content as well as the Your Content textboxes simultaneously, such that you can easily review the original PartnerSite content while you are modifying it. If you wish to reduce the number of times you have to scroll through the textboxes, you may click on the Increase Size link. On completing the modification, click Save Changes. The changes you have made will be reflected on your PartnerSite immediately. Note You will have to repeat the above process if you have configured multiple languages for your PartnerSite. If you are not satisfied with the modifications and wish to revert to the earlier setting, from the Edit view, click Reset to Default.
Last updated on .From the section Football Reading consolidated their place in the Championship play-off positions with a comfortable victory at Millwall. Pavel Pogrebnyak scored his ninth goal of the season when Stephen Bywater's fumble allowed him to slot home and give Reading a half-time lead. Liam Feeney missed a one-on-one chance to level after the break, before Alex Pearce thumped Reading's second from a tight angle with 18 minutes left. Daniel Williams added the third from close range four minutes later. Reading have now scored 15 goals in their past four games, while Millwall have lost six of their past nine league matches and are just two points above the relegation zone. Despite their poor form, Ian Holloway's side had lost just two home games in 11 ahead of kick-off and they started quickly, forcing Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy to deny DJ Campbell - making his full debut - early on. Steve Morison volleyed over for the home side, before Bywater palmed Jordan Obita's low free-kick behind as Reading settled. But the former West Ham goalkeeper was at fault for the opener, his failure to collect Chris Gunter's delivery allowing Pogrebnyak to apply a left-footed finish. The ex-Fulham striker, who has three goals in four matches, constantly tormented a Millwall defence which has conceded more goals than any other side in the division. McCarthy denied Feeney after the restart when Morison slipped the midfielder through and Reading, who have now won four of their past five league games, took full advantage. New year sparks Royals improvement Reading lost four of their six Championship matches in December 2013, but have won four, draw one and lost one in the league in January. Bywater's parry from Pogrebnyak's header fell into the path of defender Pearce, who scored his first goal of the season, before Williams raced through to add the third, as the Royals stayed four points clear of seventh-placed Ipswich. Millwall manager Ian Holloway: "That is obviously the feeling we have had here before I came and it is amazing how quickly it came back. I inherited a situation and I have got to make it better. "For me I can take some important things from that. In life or football you cannot do anything without structure. We need structure. We need a phase one, a phase two and so on. "I went to try and get back in the game and that is why the score became as bad as it ended. "Reading were better than us out there but they weren't three goals better than us." Reading manager Nigel Adkins: "We have come here able to select the same team for the fifth game running which helps and it was a great workmanlike performance. "You can see the togetherness of everybody which is great and it was a good three points at a very difficult place to come to. "Pavel has been top-drawer. He works very hard in training and just epitomises the way the team is at the moment."
944 So.2d 840 (2006) Terrance BATISTE v. Jose R. GUTIERREZ, et al. No. 2006-911. Court of Appeal of Louisiana, Third Circuit. December 6, 2006. *841 David C. LaBorde, Bradley G. Frizzell, The LaBorde Law Firm, Lafayette, LA, for Plaintiff/Appellant, Terrance Batiste. John F. Wilkes, III, Lisa E. Mayer, Joy C. Rabalais, Libby Heinen, Borne & Wilkes, L.L.P., Lafayette, LA, for Defendants/Appellees, Town of Vinton, Arthur Phillips. Court composed of GLENN B. GREMILLION, ELIZABETH A. PICKETT, and J. DAVID PAINTER, Judges. GREMILLION, Judge. The plaintiff, Terrence Batiste, appeals the trial court's grant of summary judgment in favor of the defendants, the Town of Vinton and Officer Arthur Phillips. This left Officer Phillips and Vinton as defendants. The trial court held that no genuine issue of material fact exists with regard to whether Officer Phillips breached his duty by failing to arrest or detain the driver of a vehicle who later caused injuries to Batiste as a result of being intoxicated. We affirm. FACTS On January 22, 2004, Batiste was changing the tire on his employer's truck, which was parked on the east shoulder of Interstate 10 in West Baton Rouge Parish. The truck, with its attached trailer, was located near mile marker 150 on I-10. At approximately 7:30 a.m., the defendant, Jose R. Gutierrez, who was also traveling east on I-10, struck the trailer attached to the truck, throwing Batiste and three other persons onto the grassy shoulder of the road. Blood tests taken after the accident determined that Gutierrez's blood alcohol concentration was 0.19 grams percent. As a result of the accident, he received his third offense DUI. Batiste filed suit against Gutierrez and Travelers Property Casualty Company of America, the automotive insurer of Batiste's employer, seeking general and punitive *842 damages as result of this accident. Batiste's minor daughter was later added as a plaintiff in this suit. In his second supplemental and amending petition, Batiste named Officer Arthur Phillips, the Town of Vinton, and the Town of Vinton Police Department as defendants. He alleged that Officer Phillips breached the duty owed him when he failed to arrest or detain Gutierrez for driving while intoxicated and for failing to ensure that Gutierrez possessed the required liability insurance when he stopped him at 4:44 a.m. in Vinton, the morning of the accident. Louisiana Commerce and Trade Association Self-Insurers' Fund intervened in the matter seeking to recover workers' compensation funds paid to Batiste as a result of the accident. Its intervention was later dismissed pursuant to a peremptory exception of prescription. The trial court also dismissed Batiste's request for punitive damages and his claims against the Vinton Police Department as a result of a consent judgment between Batiste, Vinton, and Officer Phillips. Vinton and Officer Phillips filed a motion for summary judgment alleging that no genuine issues of material fact existed with regard to whether Officer Phillips breached his duty as a peace officer for failing to arrest/detain Gutierrez for driving intoxicated and for not complying with the Louisiana Motor Vehicle Safety Responsibility Law. La.R.S. 32:861(A)(1). Following a hearing, the trial court granted summary judgment in favor of Vinton and Officer Phillips. This appeal by Batiste followed. ISSUES Batiste assigns two errors committed by the trial court in granting summary judgment in favor of Vinton and Officer Phillips. He argues that the trial court erred in finding that he would be unable to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial and that it erred in granting the motion for summary judgment within ten days of the trial date. SUMMARY JUDGMENT The law pertaining to summary judgment was discussed by the Louisiana Supreme Court in its per curiam opinion in Hines v. Garrett, 04-0806, p. 1 (La.6/25/04), 876 So.2d 764, 765 (alteration in original): We review a district court's grant of summary judgment de novo, viewing the record and all reasonable inferences that may be drawn from it in the light most favorable to the non-movant. Summary judgment is warranted only if "there is no genuine issue as to material fact and [] the mover is entitled to judgment as a matter of law." La.Code Civ.Proc. art. 966(C)(1). In ruling on a motion for summary judgment, the judge's role is not to evaluate the weight of the evidence or to determine the truth of the matter, but instead to determine whether there is a genuine issue of triable fact. All doubts should be resolved in the non-moving party's favor. The party urging the motion for summary judgment bears the burden of proof. However, if that party will not bear the burden of proof at trial, he need only point out that the opposing party will be unable to prove his claim. He does this by noting that the opposing party will be unable to factually prove an element essential of his claim. La.Code Civ.P. art. 966(C)(2). Once this occurs, the burden shifts to the opposing party to "produce factual support sufficient to establish that he will be able to satisfy his evidentiary burden of proof at trial." La.Civ.Code art. 966(C)(2). If the opposing party fails in this particular, no genuine issue of material fact exists and summary judgment is appropriate. *843 In Wellman v. Evans, 03-1720, pp. 5-7 (La.App. 3 Cir. 6/16/04), 876 So.2d 954, 958-59, writ denied, 04-1760 (La.10/15/04), 883 So.2d 1057, we discussed both the duty-risk analysis and the duty owed by police officers to the public: The liability of a police officer is determined using the duty/risk analysis. Mathieu v. Imperial Toy Corp., 94-952 (La.11/30/94), 646 So.2d 318. For a plaintiff to recover, he must prove the defendant had a duty to conform his conduct to a specific standard of care; he failed to conform his conduct to that standard; that substandard conduct was a cause-in-fact of the injury, the substandard conduct was a legal cause of the injury; and damages. A negative answer to any of the inquiries of the duty-risk analysis results in a determination of no liability. Id. at 322. . . . . A police officer, in carrying out his authority to enforce laws, has a duty to perform his function with due regard for the safety of all citizens who will be affected by his action. Hardy v. Bowie, 98-2821 (La.9/8/99), 744 So.2d 606. An officer must act reasonably to protect life and limb, to refrain from causing injury or harm, and to exercise respect and concern for the well being of those he is employed to protect. Syrie v. Schilhab, 96-1027 (La.5/20/97), 693 So.2d 1173. In considering whether an officer breached his duty, the court's task is not to determine whether the officer should have acted differently or if there were better options available, but only to determine whether his actions were reasonable under the totality of the circumstances. Syrie, 693 So.2d 1173; Mathieu, 646 So.2d 318. In dealing with traffic, once an "officer becomes aware of a dangerous traffic situation, he has the affirmative duty to ensure that motorists are not subjected to unreasonable risks of harm." Oubre v. Eslaih, 03-1133, p. 10 (La.2/6/04), 869 So.2d 71, 77. In support of their motion, Officer Phillips and Vinton introduced his affidavit into evidence. Therein, he stated that he issued Gutierrez a traffic citation for traveling eighty-five miles per hour in a seventy mile per hour speed zone. Prior to doing so, he stated that he noticed nothing about Gutierrez's driving or actions to put him on notice that he was intoxicated. He stated that Gutierrez did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol when he exited his vehicle, when he spoke, or in his actions. He further stated that he smelled no alcohol on Gutierrez's breath when sitting in close contact to him in his police unit. Finally, Officer Phillips stated that it not his regular practice to request proof of insurance when citing the driver of a vehicle registered in a state other than Louisiana. In this instance, Gutierrez's vehicle was registered in Texas. In opposition, Batiste introduced several depositions into evidence. Officer Phillips testified that after first stopping him, Gutierrez exited his truck, immediately put his hands up, and had to be told twice to come to his police unit. He stated that these actions were not unusual, as Gutierrez was Hispanic and he did not believe that he understood English as well as he spoke it. Officer Phillips stated that he asked for Gutierrez's license, which was valid, but did not ask him for proof of insurance. He stated that unless he suspects criminal activity or that an accident has occurred, he is not required to ask an out-of-state driver for proof of insurance or vehicle registration, as he cannot enforce out-of-state policies or procedures. He further stated that no Vinton policy required him to approach Gutierrez's vehicle after he stopped it. *844 Officer Phillips testified that had he had a reasonable suspicion that Gutierrez was intoxicated, he would have detained him longer in order to perform a more thorough investigation. However, he stated that he had no such suspicion in this instance. He said that he asked Gutierrez why he was driving fast and was told that he was trying to get to his job in North Carolina. He asked Gutierrez if he had ever been arrested and, as best he could recall, said that this was answered in the negative. He further stated that he received no hits on the National Crime Information Computer system with regard to Gutierrez having any prior criminal history. Officer Phillips stated that as Gutierrez had a North Carolina driver's license and a Texas registered truck, he asked him to sit in his police unit while he checked his information. He said that he also does this so that he can increase his sense of smell by sitting next to a driver in a closed environment. In this instance, he stated that all he noticed was that Gutierrez had been drinking coffee. Officer Phillips stated that he was unaware that Gutierrez had two prior DUI offenses at the time he stopped him. However, he stated that had he known this, he would not have asked Gutierrez for his vehicle registration and proof of insurance as he had no reasonable suspicion that he was intoxicated at the time of the stop. He testified that he did not believe Gutierrez was intoxicated as he did not stumble, had no trouble producing his papers, and did not act or drive erratically when he initially stopped him. Gutierrez testified that he was traveling from his home in New Braunfels, Texas to his job in North Carolina. At the time, he said that he had with him an ice chest and twenty beers. He stated that he drank approximately four beers between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. on the afternoon of the January 21, 2004. He said that he left his home at about midnight and drove from New Braunfels to Sealy, Texas, where he stopped to buy coffee. He stated that upon reaching Vinton, he stopped and bought more coffee, prior to being stopped by Officer Phillips. Gutierrez stated that he was not intoxicated at the time of the accident. In addition to the beer, he testified that he took a hydrocodone on the morning of January 21, 2004, for back pain. Gutierrez testified that he has not drunk alcohol on a regular basis since receiving a 1998 DUI in Texas. He received another DUI in 1990 or 1994, also in Texas. Gutierrez testified that Officer Phillips did not ask him for his vehicle registration papers, insurance papers, or look inside his vehicle. He stated that other than being tired, he did not have trouble getting out of his truck or walking at the time he was stopped. With regard to the accident, Gutierrez said that he did not remember if he was speeding before the accident, as he fell asleep, nor could he recall whether he wove in and out of vehicles, passed on the shoulder, or hit the rail of a bridge. He stated that he made no stops between Vinton and Baton Rouge, and did not recall telling the investigating officer that he began drinking at approximately 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. that morning. Batiste also introduced the deposition of Dr. Francis Ragan, an associate professor of pathology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and a Director of Clinical Pharmacology/Toxicology Laboratory at Charity Hospital Medical Center of Louisiana. He testified that Gutierrez's serum ethanol concentration after the accident at 8:50 a.m., was 245 milligrams per deciliter, which is equivalent to a blood ethanol concentration of 196 milligrams per deciliter or 0.19 gram percent. He stated that for purposes of a DUI, Gutierrez' *845 blood alcohol level would be at 0.19. Dr. Ragan testified that there was 1.2 hours between the accident and the ethanol testing and 4.1 hours between the Vinton traffic stop and the testing. Thus, he stated that Gutierrez's blood alcohol level at the time of the Vinton stop would have been between the range of .23 and .31. At the time of the deposition, Dr. Ragan stated that he had been unable to watch the video tape recorded in conjunction with Officer Phillips' traffic of Gutierrez. Attached to a letter from Dr. Ragan to Batiste's counsel was a list of the stages of influence. Dr. Ragan stated that Gutierrez should have exhibited signs of being within the excitement stage of influence at the time he was stopped in Vinton. This stage occurs when a person's blood ethanol concentration level is between 0.09 to 0.25. During this stage, a person's exhibits emotional instability, loss of critical judgment, and impairment of perception, memory, and comprehension. They will also exhibit decreased sensitory response, increased reaction time, reduced visual acuity, peripheral vision and glare recovery, sensory-motor in coordination, impaired balance, and drowsiness. Dr. Ragan testified that a person in this stage will have a tendancy to cry easily, will be unable to see as sharply as normal, will take longer to recover from the glare of lights, will wobble, will be unable to perform motor skills, and will be sleepy. He felt that if a person weighed 165 pounds and had drunk enough to reach a blood ethanol level of .20, an officer sitting next to that person should notice the odor of alcohol, which he stated emanates from both their breath and the pores of their body. Dr. Ragan stated that the confusion stage occurs when a person's blood ethanol level is between 0.18 to 0.30. At this stage, the person exhibits disorientation, mental confusion, possibly dizziness, exaggerated emotional states, and disturbances of vision and perception of color, form, motion, and dimensions. They also exhibit an increased pain threshold, increased muscular incoordination, staggering gate, slurred speech, apathy, and lethargy. Dr. Ragan testified that Gutierrez's condition should have been well within this stage at the time Officer Phillips stopped him in Vinton. In this stage, he stated that the person will start staggering, and have a tendancy to be unable to stand straight or to stay still. Finally, Batiste introduced the affidavit of Kermit W. Smith, Jr., a former Louisiana State Trooper. Smith stated that based on his personal knowledge, Officer Phillips failed in his duty when he stopped Gutierrez in the following ways: 1. Failed to request proof of compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance. 2. Failed to visually inspect cab of Gutierrez's vehicle. 3. Failed to conduct field sobriety test on Gutierrez based on: a. Gutierrez failed to follow commands. b. Gutierrez was nervous. c. Gutierrez returned to the cab of his truck to drink coffee when he was ordered to remain at the back of the truck. d. Gutierrez failed to follow commands when Officer Phillips told him to enter his police vehicle. e. Gutierrez had to support self on the bed of the truck while Officer Phillips radioed information. f. Gutierrez driving eighty-five miles per hour in a seventy mile-per-hour-speed zone at 4:00 a.m. g. Gutierrez had Texas tags and a North Carolina driver's license. After watching the video tape of the Vinton traffic stop, we agree with the trial court that the actions of Gutierrez at that *846 time were insufficient to alert Officer Phillips that he was intoxicated. Gutierrez did not exhibit any of the signs discussed by Dr. Ragan occurring within either the excitement or confusion stages of influence, both of which stages he stated Gutierrez should have been within based on a calculated blood alcohol level between .23 to .31. Gutierrez did not appear to be driving erratically while being stopped and he was able to exit his vehicle and easily follow the instructions as given to him by Officer Phillips. Further, Officer Phillips testified that he did not smell alcohol on Gutierrez when seated next to him in his police unit, which Dr. Ragan felt he should easily detect if his blood alcohol level was at least .20. Based on the following observations, we find that the trial court correctly granted summary judgment in favor of Vinton and Officer Phillips, finding that Batiste would be unable to prove that Officer Phillips breached his duty of care in failing to arrest or detain Gutierrez due to intoxication. We further find no merit in Batiste's argument that Officer Phillips had a duty to impound Gutierrez's vehicle as he did not possess proof of insurance. The owner of a vehicle registered in Louisiana is not allowed to operate that vehicle unless he can provide proof of insurance as provided by La.R.S. 32:863.1(A). If the driver is stopped by an officer for any reason and is unable to provide proof of insurance, then the officer is allowed to impound the vehicle and issue a notice of noncompliance to the driver. La.R.S. 32:863.1(B), (C). However, with regard to motor vehicles registered in another state, La.R.S. 32:863.1(I) only requires these procedures be followed if the vehicle is involved in a traffic accident or collision in Louisiana. In this instance, Officer Phillips was not required to request proof of insurance when he stopped Gutierrez as a result of a speeding violation. Moreover, Gutierrez was not required to present such proof until he was involved in the accident which is the subject matter of this suit. Therefore, we find that the trial court correctly granted summary judgment in favor of Vinton and Officer Phillips by finding that Officer Phillips did not have a duty to request this information from Gutierrez. TIMELINESS OF SUMMARY JUDGMENT In his next assignment of error, Batiste argues that the trial court erred in granting the summary judgment on November 14, 2005, a day before the trial was to begin on November 15, 2005. The trial court initially granted the motion for summary judgment on November 14, 2005. The motion was revisited on November 16, 2005, during a hearing on an exception of prescription. At that time, the following colloquy took place before the trial court and counsel: BY MR. LABORDE: I went back and read the Code of Civil Procedure. The Code of Civil Procedure, Article 966, a summary judgment article, prohibits a court from granting a summary judgment ten days prior to trial. BY THE COURT: The problem with that, though, is that it's (sic) been set several times. BY MR. LABORDE: I realize that, Your Honor. I don't want to get to the court of appeal the day of trial and have them send it back on those grounds. BY THE COURT: The reason it was heard so close to the trial date is because it had been filed by Mr. Wilkes many months ago. Is that correct? *847 BY MR. WILKES: Yes, and it was set three times. BY THE COURT: I granted continuances in deference to you. That's the only reason that I heard the summary judgment so late. I think because of those facts and because of the fact that you attempted to find Mr. Gutierrez to depose him, I think there's some leeway in there. I'm going to go ahead and grant the summary judgment anyway for those reasons. I granted the summary judgment, so therefore the trial date is gone. Y'all can take it up on appeal. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. So be it. Louisiana Code Civil Procedure Article 966(D) provides, "The court shall hear and render judgment on the motion for summary judgment within a reasonable time, but in any even judgment on the motion shall be rendered at least ten days prior to trial." However, some courts have determined whether the delay in hearing the motion will result in prejudice to the opposing party or whether the delay was caused by the opposing party before deciding whether to vacate a judgment rendered in violation of Article 966(D). See Lassere v. State, Department of Health & Hospitals, Office of Public Health, 00-306 (La.App. 1 Cir. 3/28/01), 808 So.2d 513. The motion for summary judgment was originally set for hearing on June 15, 2005. On June 8, 2005, Travelers sought and was granted a continuance to July 22, 2005. On July 13, 2005, a continuance was granted to Vinton and Officer Phillips, moving the hearing to August 24, 2005. At some point and for a reason not contained in the record, the hearing was changed to October 7, 2005. On October 13, 2005, Vinton and Officer Phillips filed a motion and order for an expedited hearing on the motion for summary judgment. The hearing was then set for November 10, 2005. It was rescheduled on the court's own motion to November 14, 2005. Although not clear from the record, it is obvious from the discussion between the trial court and Batiste's counsel, that the trial court continued the hearing on more than one occasion to allow him more time to depose Gutierrez. Based on this, we find that the delay in hearing the motion was based in part on Batiste's own actions. Accordingly, we find no error in the trial court's grant of summary judgment one day prior to the start of trial. CONCLUSION For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the trial court is affirmed. The costs of this appeal are assessed to the plaintiff-appellant, Terrence Batiste. AFFIRMED.
I only have the onboard video and i have reinstalled the drivers few times (reformatted pc + new drivers) Not sure how to turn off graphics card utilities..... and no idea how to set the J2D_D3D=false.... sry not to wise on java and variables. I have had this problem for long time now trying to run a Lineage 2 L2J server and been searching for a fix for years.... sometimes it happen when i open the server and sometime it waits 2-3-4 hours and runs great then i get that error. No one in the l2j community has even seen this error (or so they say) and has attempted many methods to help me fix it and it always returns.... same error Please if anyone has seen this or knows or a solid fix im all ears...any input helps i will try to do the other things you mentioned angus thanks (if i can fig out how ;-) i have been tryin to solve this problem since java 8.... 2 years ago i have used every java and same error if anyone thinks they can solve this problem hands on... im willing to let you add me on skype: macomb420@gmail and you can guide me threw it on screen share or we can do team viewer your choice. im just willing to do what ever is needed to fix this thing please Dave Tolls Master Rancher Posts: 4042 47 posted 4 weeks ago Can you get it to do a full trace? I'm not sure how to do that, as I've only ever seen one of these with the full stack, so don't know why yours only shows the single frame. Does the log file hold more info? You should be able to figure out what was going on when the error occurred. casey cando Greenhorn Posts: 14 posted 3 weeks ago yea it gives me a whole error log file but i cant post it here.... to many key words that wont work on these forums i got a new hard drive and a new windows 10 edition and reinstalled everything and i still get the error i use mysql8.0+ / navicat 12+ / JDK 12+... its the only 3 things i have on my pc and +the server files i have tryed every version of each program and still same error.... it must be a setting or something!!! Please someone....anyone who can help.... i will give complete access to my pc to anyone who can fix or thinks they can fix this issue. i cant post the log file here if anyone knows a site i can please tell me and ill post here the complete log file After a quick search let me give those who are not into this a bit of a background: Lineage2Java seems to be a "private server" project for the MMORPG Lineage2. "Private servers" are mostly known from World of Warcraft and are basicly modified leaked server files and a client modification enable a community to set up thier own server instead of playing on the official servers run by the original developer. Wikipedia surprisingly have an article about this topic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_server Back to topic: As I couldn't find a download option I couldn't test the files myself, but: As most "private servers" require client modification and most "developers" of theese "communities" don't want "script kiddies" to get how it's done obfuscation is commonly used in this. My top guess here would be the obfuscation used for the files OP try to use somehow freaks out the jvm wich mostly fails in the reported access violation - on unix it's most times a page fault - anyhow for the same reason: by wrong opcodes caused by obfuscation famous C pointer arithmetic goes wrong and cause the jvm to try to access memory not in the process space. Also Minecraft is known for this as Mojang (now M$) uses obfuscation to protect against easy decompiling to make it harder to develop "cracked clients" allowing the game to be played without payment. I once tried a "cleaned up" version where someonw put the effort in and tried to fix most stuff after de-obfuscating with public available Minecraft coder pack - even worse - but most likely due to more errors in underlying LWJGL engine. What's cause the jvm error most likely the jvm, os and/or hardware used by OP is not compatible with the server.jar OP wants to run. Best try: use different hardware and if possible on a basic linux distro instead of windows - so using openJDK. Otherwise: play the original Lineage2 - it's free to play. Matt casey cando Greenhorn Posts: 14 posted 3 weeks ago its not leaked files.... ncsoft allows open based on older versions of the game for people to create and play if you would like to see what it is im working with or test it your self i can give a few links to private server files of projects with alot of developers work on a single project.... my point is that alot of ppl run these servers and this is the first time anyone has ever seen this.... and the original lineage 2 is a diff type of official server..... they come out with a new version every couple years lineage 2 has about 10 diff chronicles and the one im tryin to host is called hi5 freya this is where i get my files L2J Site and their bitbucket bitbucket i use the develop branch I don't want to start an argue about NCSoft policy about releasing old versions - even Blizzard started to sell the original servers (but I think without harddrives - so no server software but the hardware itself) - I just gave an inside to this scene. After downloading the engine and the database files I could startup the "login server" and the "game server" without any issues. About your statement that "No one in the l2j community has even seen this error": sorry to reply that harsh, but a "dev scene" no-one encountered a jvm-hard-crash with this very common issue - sorry, but I can't believe this statement at all. "EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION (0xc0000005)" is very common - because jvm is implemented in part in C - wich is famous for its "pointer arithmetic" wich is THE most reason for any kind of issues, security flaws and almost anything that can go wrong in modern computing. So, any "normal user" encountered issues caused by it at least a few times - let alone "developers". In german there is an insult for such statement: "Flaschen" - not in terms of "bottle" but it terms of "idiots"/"nonesense". So, as the engine and data runs smooth - and at least if one could trust the statement "no one encountered this issue" - and that you freshly re-installed your OS - the next "possible" thing causing this issue: hardware fault - maybe it's just a fault RAM module - maybe issue with CPU and/or motherboard - but it seems an issue specific to your very setup. As a clean os install fixes most anything - it's very likely a hardware fault. Just try to run it on another machine should work. Matt casey cando Greenhorn Posts: 14 posted 3 weeks ago is there any way to test what is bad?.... or i just need to replace part by part on my pc and test the error? the most common tool used for such things is memtest86 why? most issues caused by faulty ram today, at least those wich still let you use your system as normal as expected - cause issues with cpu, motherboard, storage or power supply often result in a system fail to boot ram is used in implementation specific way - so for one system it could be that one module has to fully used up before the second is even considere to use - on another system it could be complete random memtest86 tests the whole installed system ram in a sequential and repeatable way so it can be used to determine if there are any memory related issues passing a run means that at least this time anything went ok so far but it's not a guaranteed all-ok - so if you run memtest on a never before tested system a second full run might be a good idea when memtest encounters errors it could means some different things 1) faulty ram module - most common case and can be resolved by replacing 2) faulty motherboard - this one includes all the way from each pin of the cpu socket to the traces on the board to the pins in the ram socket -> replacement of board as "repair" is mostly unfeasable 3) faulty cpu - as it contains the memory controller it's possible to cause issues by tiny micro-vracks within the silicon possible but un-common 4) power-supply issue: the power-supply can't keep up with the systems demand a full test suite commonly consists of replacing part by part with known good ones and as already mentoined to mitigate software issues using different operating-system and client-software (wich is possible cause using java) if you don't have spare parts try what you can achieve by changing things you can - like just try linux - as you mentoined you formatted the system and don't use it for anything else I guess you could at least give it a try otherwise - well - without taking time and tools and try to figure out what went wrong on your system from the crashlog and dump - that's the most help one could give about the driver mentioned: could also be an issue - bad drivers are readons for funny things like an atm spitting out money without charging anyones account for it - or the other way - you get charged but don't get the paper - try to explain that to your bank casey cando Greenhorn Posts: 14 posted 3 weeks ago It was my RAM... it tested fine with no errors on every program i could find... even on memtest86 so i decided to change it anyways for 2 new sticks of ram and no problems yet... 4 days no errors thanks for the help everyone....really.... i cant thank you guys enough for the help and support from the ranch. Also i am looking for a java developer to help with some events and things in my game. If anyone is interested in giving me a hand or working on a project as a hobby add me on skype: macomb420@gmail Im not the greatest with java but all other aspects of the game i can do easy. The last guy helping to do my java work could create the things i needed in under a hour every time so i dont think its really alot of work (if you all ready know java... i dont) My Goal is to create a good clean server for people to play and have fun on. I have a wife and 3 kids and a full time job so i do this on my free time as i would expect you to do the same. NO ONE NEEDS MORE STRESS!! it's a bit surprising that swapping ram solved it allthough memtest didn't showed an error - but as said: it also could be as simple as just a bad connection on just one pin back the time you last inserted the module responsible even more surprising that the issue only showed up with this very java application - whatever was the real reason, it was a really strange one ot: search on youtube for a video something called along "computer problem noone else could solve" - for this guy it was a faulty reset-switch on its case caused random restarts - or the one from jayztwocents where rgb-lighting overheated the ssd so it stpoed working at all those all the reasons why it could extremly hard to figure out the real cause of issues just from a forum post about some code not executing correctly without touching the system with own hands my guess about possible faulty ram was just personal experience mixed with THE most common issue in modern computing (that is, if you go back to the ibm pc and its at/xt design -predecessor of modern atx-standard - somewhen around the late 80s/early 90s) joseph hu wrote:Try to reserve more space for permgen. As the compiler uses permgen to allocate class structures, it looks the right thing to do. I checked the docs - permgen options were removed in Java8 also I can't see how this could be related to this issue as the dump denotes the C2 compiler thread - wich is, iirc, responsible for jit-native compiling - at wich state the class and objects of it already fully constructed btw - shouldn't it result in simple outofmemory when permgen space is used up?
Q: What to do when property name matches class name In our C# code, we have a class called Project. Our base BusinessObject class (that all business objects inherit from) defines a property: public Project Project { get; set; } This is normally not a problem as long as we stay within the C# codebase. However, these business object classes are exposed in web services over the wire. Some consuming languages (such as Flex's actionscript) cannot handle having a property with the same name as its class. This naming conflict happens all over the place in our code. Sometimes it's easy to change the name of the property or class. Sometimes it's really hard. We've wracked our brains and can't come up with a good standard way to handle this. It's possible to rename the Project class to ProjectType or ProjectInfo, but this is ugly and breaks all of our consumers' existing code. We could leave the type name the same and change the name of the property to ProjectInfo, but this causes the same problem. Does anyone have any guidance or best practices for such a situation? EDIT: Responding to some of the suggestions given: Methods aren't exposed over the wire, so we can't use methods. I'd prefer a standard naming convention that also adheres to Microsoft's own naming standards. Exposing a different contract for Flex may be an option. However, we're using Weborb for Flex interop. Weborb uses reflection to match the property names exactly, rather than using XML or SOAP serialization. If anyone knows more about custom serialization with Weborb, that would be helpful. EDIT #2: For reference, we ended up renaming the property to something like: public Project ProjectInfo { get; set; } A: It sounds like you've got an intractable problem if you've already got the web service out there with the problematic name. If you can't change anything without breaking existing customers, and you can't leave it as it is without breaking Flex, someone's going to be broken. You could potentially expose a parallel API at a different URL. I'd agree with shahkalpesh's suggestion of Get/Set methods where the properties would be problematic. The good thing about this is that you can make the decision once and then be consistent rather than needing to think about it each time. It also means you can probably automate the creation of the second API based on the first.