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Get bacon for $2.97/lb from Zaycon Foods (AZ, UT, NV, TX residents)
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
Have you heard about Zaycon Foods? They provide high quality foods in bulk, at heavily discounted prices. Some of the products they offer include: chicken, turkey, pork, beef, fish, and various fruits.
Then, click on the Events tab and select a location. The cut-off date to place an order is 10/3/2011 or when supplies sell out. They are expected to sell out quickly! I have not ordered from them personally yet, but I have friends and family members who have ordered from them and they said the quality is great! They will have an event with boneless, skinless chicken breasts at stock-up prices soon, too! |
Engine Repair and Replacement in the Lombard Area
Water Pump Replacement
If your vehicle is overheating, it could be a problem with your radiator or your water pump. Your water pump is a crucial part of your engine.Combustion engines generate an excess of heat in order to perform their normal functions. To keep this constant without causing damage, your pump send coolant through your engine. At J1 Auto Repair, we complete auto repair and pump replacement to keep your vehicle at its best. If you are experiencing an overheating engine or water pump failure, call (630) 932-4427 for your replacement in Lombard, IL.
Signs That Water Pump Is Faulty
Aside from the obvious red flag of an overheating engine, there are a couple of other ways to tell if you have a pump problem. If your car refuses to start at all, there is a high likelihood that your pump is broken. When you go to start your car in the morning, take a moment and look under your car. Do you see a green, red, or yellow fluid leaking from underneath your car? This is a coolant leak. When any or all signs of pump failure occur, refrain from using your vehicle and have it taken immediately to your local auto repair shop.
Our expert mechanics are always available to assist you. J1 Auto Repair offers towing service too. We have ASE certified technicians and our auto mechanics have 20 years of experience in the auto repair industry. Give us a call today at (630) 932-4427 for water pump replacement in Lombard, IL.
Water Pump Replacement was last modified: July 7th, 2017 by J1 Auto Repair |
A national survey of the management of atrial fibrillation with antithrombotic drugs in Italian primary care.
The aims of this study were to investigate trends in the incidence of diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), and to identify factors associated with the prescription of antithrombotics (ATs) and to identify the persistence of patients with oral anticoagulant (OAC) treatment in primary care. Data were obtained from 400 Italian primary care physicians providing information to the Health Search/Thales Database from 2001 to 2004. The age-standardised incidence of AF was: 3.9-3.0 cases, and 3.6-3.0 cases per 1,000 person-years in males and females, respectively. During the study period, 2,016 (37.2%) patients had no prescription, 1,663 (30.7%) were prescribed an antiplatelet (AP) agent, 1,440 (26.6%) were prescribed an OAC and 301 (5.5%) had both prescriptions. The date of diagnosis (p = 0.0001) affected the likelihood of receiving an OAC. AP, but not OAC, use significantly increased with a worsening stroke risk profile using the CHADS2 risk score. Older age increased the probability (p < 0.0001) of receiving an AP, but not an OAC. Approximately 42% and 24% of patients persisted with OAC treatment at one and two years, respectively, the remainder interrupted or discontinued their treatment. Underuse and discontinuation of OAC treatment is common in incident AF patients. Risk stratification only partially influences AT management. |
Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
At some unspecified hour or day, the world will learn who won the Iowa Democratic caucuses. This moment, suspended between the first signs that the party’s process for reporting results had gone wrong, and final resolution, is temporary. But it is chaotic, and chaos breeds conspiracy theories. To some activists, Iowa’s shambolic caucuses are further evidence that the party will do whatever it can to knock left-wing candidates like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont out of the race. They aren’t wrong to be suspicious. Into the void the party created stepped Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who declared victory around midnight. A statement from the Biden campaign suggested the eventual results would be illegitimate. The candidate most harmed by all this confusion is Sanders, for whom victory in Iowa would have confirmed his status as a leading primary candidate.
It’s not a secret that party leaders and donors are ill disposed toward Sanders and toward left-wing insurgents in general. But that hostility is not proof by itself that a conspiracy derailed the Iowa caucuses. There are other, more realistic culprits, and only one sensible conclusion to reach: The national party is too incompetent to conspire successfully against any candidate. Its overweening reliance on consultants, lack of a cohesive message, and lackluster investment in its state affiliates render it weak and dysfunctional. If Democratic loyalists are looking for someone to blame for the divisive reaction to Iowa’s failures, they should blame the party itself.
The potential for mayhem in Iowa was evident well before Democrats arrived at their precincts. “Caucus chairs are more concerned this cycle than I’ve ever seen them. They’re very nervous,” one Iowa Democrat recently told The Atlantic. To satisfy Sanders supporters who worried the old rules unfairly handicapped their candidate, party officials drafted complicated new reforms. At the same time, they introduced a new app intended to help them report results. The app, of course, had problems of its own. As The Wall Street Journal reported in January, experts worried it presented a security risk. It also just didn’t work. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Iowa Democratic Party admitted that a coding error had prevented many caucus chairs from reporting their results.
As disasters go, Iowa’s was preventable. An app might look like a shiny new toy to some party officials, but it’s not necessarily the best way to simplify the process of reporting results. The security risks were real, the potential for error was profound, and, crucially, the app itself was unnecessary. A crowded primary field was always going to complicate the caucus process, but that is a problem that additional volunteers on the phones could have helped resolve. The party’s decision to go in a different direction, and use the hilariously named Shadow Inc. on an app, points to existing and widespread problems. It’s not as if the app was developed by high-school students, though they might have done a better job. According to the Des Moines Register, the third-party vendor worked with Harvard’s Defending Digital Democracy Project and “worked with campaign experts Robby Mook and Matt Rhodes.” The consultant class appears to function principally as a jobs guarantee for out-of-work campaign aides, but from email fundraising strategies to digital messaging to the infamous app, it doesn’t look like Democrats are getting much for the party’s money. Endemic grift could rot the party’s infrastructure to pieces.
Grift is its own conspiracy, in this case the disingenuous sale of hope in exchange for consulting work. Activists tend to accuse the party of other, more blatant sins, like the outright theft of votes or the rigging of primaries. What happened in Iowa is almost certainly not theft. But it’s understandable that supporters of Sanders, in particular, see malice where incompetence probably lies.
As a national institution, the Democratic Party has given them few reasons to trust its motivations. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee blacklisted vendors who worked with progressives challenging centrist incumbents. Headlines are replete with tales of Democratic donors frightened by the prospect of a Sanders candidacy. Then there’s the app itself. The team behind its creation was acquired last year by Acronym, a firm co-founded by a veteran of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 tech team. The Buttigieg campaign is a Shadow client, the Los Angeles Times reported, though for a different digital service; other investors include the Biden and Gillibrand campaigns. On Twitter, Acronym’s CEO complained at length about Sanders supporters who had “zero interest” in party unity, and responded to Buttigieg’s campaign announcement with a series of heart emoji. Further fueling the flames of conspiracy, Acronym also invests in CourierNewsroom.com, which NewsGuard described as a for-profit media company that mostly advertises the efforts of moderate Democrats in Congress. On Wednesday, the Daily Beast reported that Acronym was scrubbing its website of any evidence of its ties to Shadow. An understandable public-relations effort, but the move doesn’t exactly dispel fears that a conspiracy was afoot.
Do any of these events prove that Shadow tried to rig Iowa for Buttigieg, with an assist from Acronym? No. But the party has no authority to scold its critics. It faces a crisis of legitimacy entirely of its own making. |
[Incidence and course of early local complications following surgery of the locomotor system (2)].
In the department of traumatology, hand surgery, plastic and rehabilitation surgery of the University of Ulm, a prospective study was carried through over a period of 5 years (1980-1984) to record all early local complications; their course and final outcome were observed throughout this period. A total of 30,217 operations were performed, and we observed a total of 527 (i.e. 1.74%) perioperative and early postoperative complications in 447 patients. This rate remained nearly the same throughout the observation period. The complication most often found was postoperative hematoma, with an incidence of 0.61%; the hematoma had to be removed in a second operation in two-thirds of all cases. The next most frequent complication was infection of soft tissue and bones (incidence 0.49%), followed by lesions of nerve fibres (0.22%) and disturbances of wound healing and necrosis (0.15%). In comparison with those complications we were seldom confronted with luxations after implantation of femoral head prostheses, incorrect internal fixation, refractures and ischaemia after lesion of blood vessels. Most complications were localised in the knee (21.2%) and the lower leg (18.3%). We only observed 148 early complications (infection rate 0.49%), with 54 occurring in bones and joints and only 94 in soft tissue. In open fractures the infection rate totalled 2.03% and in closed fractures, 0.16%. We observed 14 joint infections (infection rate 0.16%), with 3 infections after the implantation of femoral head prostheses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) |
Q:
Synchronizing two components of the same kind in the same parent when only one item is clicked
I am new to Angular 2 and Typescript and am working on a pager component that has been added to a component containing a table. The pager works fine, but I have two of these pagers one on top of the table and another below. When the next button on the first pager is clicked, I need to have both pagers move forward or backward so they are in sync. I've seen suggestions for using a shared service, but I am not sure if that would work since they are the same component.
How can I either trigger the unclicked button to also think it has been clicked, or simply mirror the behavior of the one pager component onto the other pager component? Does Angular 2 have a way of doing this?
Parent HTML:
<table-pager [(resort)]="resort" [recordPerPage]="recordPerPage" [totalItems]="totalItems" (onSetPage)="setPage($event)"></table-pager>
<table class="uReportStandard" id="udfTable">
<thead class="highlight-row">
<tr>
<th role="columnheader">Remove / Edit</th>
<th *ngFor="let column of columns" role="columnheader" (click)="setSort(column)">
{{column.name}}
<img *ngIf="column.sortOrder == 'ASC'" src="./images/sort_asc.png" alt="Ascending" title="Ascending" class="tableIcon" />
<img *ngIf="column.sortOrder == 'DESC'" src="./images/sort_desc.png" alt="Descending" title="Descending" class="tableIcon" />
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr *ngFor="let udf of userDefinedField">
<td class="tableIcons">
<img src="./images/remove.png" alt="Remove"
(click)="deleteRow(udf.ID, 'Are you sure you want to remove the field: ' + udf.NAME)"
title="Remove" class="tableIcon" />
<img src="./images/edit.png" alt="Edit" title="Edit" class="tableIcon" (click)="edit(udf.ID, udf.NAME, udf.DESCRIPTION)" />
</td>
<td>{{udf.ID}}</td>
<td>{{udf.NAME}}</td>
<td>{{udf.DESCRIPTION}}</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table-pager [(resort)]="resort" [recordPerPage]="recordPerPage" [totalItems]="totalItems" (onSetPage)="setPage($event)"></table-pager>
Pager Component:
export class PagerComponent implements OnInit, OnChanges {
@Input() recordPerPage: number;
@Input() totalItems: number;
@Input() resort: boolean = false;
@Output() onSetPage: EventEmitter<any> = new EventEmitter<any>();
totalPages: number;
startIndex: number;
endIndex: number;
currentPage: number;
constructor() { }
ngOnInit() {}
ngOnChanges(changes: any) {
console.log('OnChange called');
//get total pages count
let pagesCount = this.totalItems / this.recordPerPage;
//If there is a remainder then add one to the page
if((this.totalItems % this.recordPerPage) > 0){
pagesCount = pagesCount + 1;
}
this.resort = false;
this.totalPages = pagesCount;
this.setPage(1, null);
}
setPage(page: number, direction: string = null) {
if(direction === 'previous') {
if (this.startIndex <= 1) {
console.log('On the starting page');
return;
}
} else if (direction === 'next') {
if (this.totalItems === this.endIndex) {
console.log('On the last page');
return;
}
} else if (page < 1) {
console.log("Invalid page number.");
//callback
//this.onSetPage.emit(0);
return;
}
this.currentPage = page;
this.startIndex = 1 + (page-1)*this.recordPerPage;
this.endIndex = this.startIndex + +this.recordPerPage - 1;
if(this.endIndex > this.totalItems) {
this.endIndex = this.totalItems;
}
let resortHolder = this.resort;
//callback
this.onSetPage.emit({page, resortHolder});
}
Pager HTML:
<div *ngIf="totalItems == 0">
<p>No records found</p>
</div>
<div *ngIf="totalPages >= 2" class="pagination">
<span [ngClass]="{disabled:currentPage == 1}" (click)="setPage(currentPage - 1, 'previous')">
<img src="./images/previous.png" alt="Previous" title="Previous" class="tableIcon" />
Previous
</span>
<span>{{startIndex}} - {{endIndex}} of {{totalItems}}
</span>
<span [ngClass]="{disabled:endIndex == totalItems}" (click)="setPage(currentPage + 1, 'next')">
Next
<img src="./images/next.png" alt="Next" title="next" class="tableIcon"/>
</span>
</div>
A:
If you don't want to use a shared service an alternative is you could have the two pager components communicate via @Output events e.g. 'next clicked', see this related question
<table-pager #firstPager (nextClicked)="secondPager.clickNext($event)"></table-pager>
// the table html ..
<table-pager #secondPager (nextClicked)="firstPage.clickNext($event)"></table-pager>
Another (simpler?) way would be to change the template of you pager component so that the pager component displays a 'top' and 'bottom' pager, and use content project to place the table between them:
Pager html template:
<!-- Top pager -->
<div *ngIf="totalPages >= 2" class="pagination">
<span [ngClass]="{disabled:currentPage == 1}" (click)="setPage(currentPage - 1, 'previous')">
<img src="./images/previous.png" alt="Previous" title="Previous" class="tableIcon" />
Previous
</span>
<span>{{startIndex}} - {{endIndex}} of {{totalItems}}
</span>
<span [ngClass]="{disabled:endIndex == totalItems}" (click)="setPage(currentPage + 1, 'next')">
Next
<img src="./images/next.png" alt="Next" title="next" class="tableIcon"/>
</span>
</div>
<!-- Content projected here -->
<ng-content></ng-content>
<!-- Below pager -->
<div *ngIf="totalPages >= 2" class="pagination">
<span [ngClass]="{disabled:currentPage == 1}" (click)="setPage(currentPage - 1, 'previous')">
<img src="./images/previous.png" alt="Previous" title="Previous" class="tableIcon" />
Previous
</span>
<span>{{startIndex}} - {{endIndex}} of {{totalItems}}
</span>
<span [ngClass]="{disabled:endIndex == totalItems}" (click)="setPage(currentPage + 1, 'next')">
Next
<img src="./images/next.png" alt="Next" title="next" class="tableIcon"/>
</span>
</div>
And the parent template:
<table-pager [(resort)]="resort" [recordPerPage]="recordPerPage" [totalItems]="totalItems" (onSetPage)="setPage($event)">
<table> .. your table definition ... </table>
</table-pager>
|
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St Jude Medical Inc. (STJ): Today's Featured Health Services Winner
Editor's Note: Any reference to TheStreet Ratings and its underlying recommendation does not reflect the opinion of TheStreet, Inc. or any of its contributors including Jim Cramer or Stephanie Link.
St Jude Medical (
STJ) pushed the Health Services industry higher today making it today's featured health services winner. The industry as a whole closed the day up 0.5%. By the end of trading, St Jude Medical rose $1.28 (2.0%) to $65.31 on average volume. Throughout the day, 3,137,509 shares of St Jude Medical exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 2,550,800 shares. The stock ranged in a price between $64.11-$65.46 after having opened the day at $64.17 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $64.03. Other companies within the Health Services industry that increased today were:
Stereotaxis (
STXS), up 18.5%,
Dehaier Medical Systems (
DHRM), up 14.7%,
Nanosphere (
NSPH), up 10.2% and
Rockwell Medical (
RMTI), up 9.0%.
St. Jude Medical, Inc. develops, manufactures, and distributes cardiovascular and implantable neurostimulation medical devices worldwide. It operates in two divisions, Cardiovascular and Ablation Technologies, and Implantable Electronic Systems. St Jude Medical has a market cap of $18.6 billion and is part of the health care sector. Shares are up 3.4% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday. Currently there are 13 analysts that rate St Jude Medical a buy, 1 analyst rates it a sell, and 8 rate it a hold.
TheStreet Ratings rates
St Jude Medical as a
buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, growth in earnings per share, increase in net income, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance. Although no company is perfect, currently we do not see any significant weaknesses which are likely to detract from the generally positive outlook. |
/* Webcamoid, webcam capture application.
* Copyright (C) 2016 Gonzalo Exequiel Pedone
*
* Webcamoid is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
* it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
* the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
* (at your option) any later version.
*
* Webcamoid is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
* but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
* MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
* GNU General Public License for more details.
*
* You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
* along with Webcamoid. If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
*
* Web-Site: http://webcamoid.github.io/
*/
import QtQuick 2.12
import QtQuick.Controls 2.5
import Qt.labs.platform 1.1 as LABS
import QtQuick.Layouts 1.3
GridLayout {
columns: 2
function toQrc(uri)
{
if (uri.indexOf(":") === 0)
return "qrc" + uri
return "file:" + uri
}
function strToSize(str)
{
if (str.length < 1)
return Qt.size()
var size = str.split("x")
if (size.length < 2)
return Qt.size()
return Qt.size(size[0], size[1])
}
Label {
text: qsTr("Pattern")
}
ComboBox {
id: cbxPattern
textRole: "text"
Layout.fillWidth: true
model: ListModel {
ListElement {
text: qsTr("90° Halftone 6x6")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/dither90Halftone6x6Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Cluster 3")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherCluster3Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Cluster 4")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherCluster4Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Cluster 8")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherCluster8Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Lines 4x4")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherLines4x4Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Magic 2x2")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherMagic2x2Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Magic 4x4")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherMagic4x4Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Ordered 4x4")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherOrdered4x4Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Ordered 6x6")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherOrdered6x6Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Ordered 8x8")
pattern: ":/Halftone/share/patterns/ditherOrdered8x8Matrix.bmp"
}
ListElement {
text: qsTr("Custom")
pattern: ""
}
}
onCurrentIndexChanged: Halftone.pattern = cbxPattern.model.get(currentIndex).pattern
}
ColumnLayout {
Layout.columnSpan: 2
RowLayout {
Image {
width: 16
height: 16
fillMode: Image.PreserveAspectFit
sourceSize.width: 16
sourceSize.height: 16
source: toQrc(txtPattern.text)
}
TextField {
id: txtPattern
text: Halftone.pattern
placeholderText: qsTr("Bitmap pattern")
Layout.fillWidth: true
onTextChanged: {
for (var i = 0; i < cbxPattern.model.count; i++) {
if (cbxPattern.model.get(i).pattern === Halftone.pattern) {
cbxPattern.currentIndex = i
break
}
else if (i == cbxPattern.model.count - 1) {
cbxPattern.model.get(i).pattern = Halftone.pattern
cbxPattern.currentIndex = i
break
}
}
}
}
Button {
text: qsTr("Search")
icon.source: "image://icons/search"
onClicked: fileDialog.open()
}
}
}
Label {
text: qsTr("Pattern size")
}
TextField {
text: Halftone.patternSize.width + "x" + Halftone.patternSize.height
placeholderText: qsTr("Pattern size")
validator: RegExpValidator {
regExp: /-?\d+x-?\d+/
}
Layout.fillWidth: true
onTextChanged: Halftone.patternSize = strToSize(text)
}
Label {
text: qsTr("Lightness")
}
TextField {
text: Halftone.lightness
placeholderText: qsTr("Lightness")
validator: RegExpValidator {
regExp: /-?(\d+\.\d+|\d+\.|\.\d+|\d+)/
}
Layout.fillWidth: true
onTextChanged: Halftone.lightness = Number(text)
}
Label {
text: qsTr("Slope")
}
TextField {
text: Halftone.slope
placeholderText: qsTr("Slope")
validator: RegExpValidator {
regExp: /-?(\d+\.\d+|\d+\.|\.\d+|\d+)/
}
Layout.fillWidth: true
onTextChanged: Halftone.slope = Number(text)
}
Label {
text: qsTr("Intercept")
}
TextField {
text: Halftone.intercept
placeholderText: qsTr("Intercept")
validator: RegExpValidator {
regExp: /-?(\d+\.\d+|\d+\.|\.\d+|\d+)/
}
Layout.fillWidth: true
onTextChanged: Halftone.intercept = Number(text)
}
LABS.FileDialog {
id: fileDialog
title: qsTr("Please choose an image file")
nameFilters: ["Image files (*.bmp *.gif *.jpg *.jpeg *.png *.pbm *.pgm *.ppm *.xbm *.xpm)"]
folder: "file://" + picturesPath
onAccepted: Halftone.pattern = String(fileUrl).replace("file://", "")
}
}
|
The Chinese constitution was adopted on December 4th, 1982 and it is chock full of lofty, benevolent ideas like freedom of assembly and equality of all peoples. Sadly, the soldiers driving tanks through Tianamen Square in 1989 must not have been aware of Article 35, as they crushed a student protest in a bloody massacre that the Chinese Government remains silent about to this day.
One thing the Chinese people can count on is that they won't be Patriot-acted like their American cousins.
"Article 39. The home of citizens of the People's Republic of China is inviolable. Unlawful search of, or intrusion into, a citizen's home is prohibited."
Article 35 may be abused from time to time but Article 40 is most certainly torn to shreds on a daily basis.
"Article 40. The freedom and privacy of correspondence of citizens of the People's Republic of China are protected by law. No organization or individual may, on any ground, infringe upon the freedom and privacy of citizens' correspondence except in cases where, to meet the needs of state security or of investigation into criminal offences, public security or procuratorial organs are permitted to censor correspondence in accordance with procedures prescribed by law."
It could be argued that no nation-state really follows its constitution to the letter, or whatever system of law it holds dear. Countries don't have a conscience and will generally do what allows them to thrive, whether their citizens suffer or not.
Even in our utopic northern liberal paradise, we Canadians have been jerked around by the government countless times. In the Gaspe Coast where I'm from, when the government made Bonaventure Island into a nature preserve, they evicted several families with little or no compensation, uprooting them from the land they had lived on for generations. Same with Mirabel International Airport, the White Elephant they built on the remains of family farms forcibly traded at pitiful prices.
Still, I wish that we could design some form of government that actually believes the words and guarantees that it makes, one that would be willing to declare peace on the peoples of the world. We've all heard of declarations of war, so why not peace?
Since China is the most populous nation on earth, they deserve attention and criticism when their people are being short-changed by a repressive government. In the past two years, I've taken aim on America's shortcomings and mistakes many times but in doing so, I've neglected to admit that nations like China have a long way to go in the march towards freedom. Even with idiotic laws like the ones contained in the Patriot Act, America is still more free than many nations.
If Xinhuanet, the official state-approved news service is any indication, the Chinese people are aware of what is going on in the world around them, and they will take their freedom back one day. (if they've ever been free? Has anyone in the world ever truly been free?) We need a worldwide movement that encourages revolution (peacefully, of course) and that thwarts the oppression and domination of humanity. Who will lead us? Are any of you willing to step forward and risk life and limb for everyone else? Personally, I nominate Dennis Kucinich.
Who would make a good leader for a global freedom movement? Discuss. (Ghandi and other dead folks are excluded from the list!) |
5 Great Colognes for Year-Round Use
Men are always on the hunt for that great cologne, some just don't know where to look. This is why I've gone ahead and listed my top picks for scents that work well all year long. My personal favorite is #4, but to be honest, they're all winners for different reasons.
1. L'Homme, Yves Saint Laurent
2. Light Blue pour Homme, Dolce & Gabbana
3. Lacoste Essential
4. POLIS, Capsule Parfums (My favorite)
5. Gucci Pour Homme II
Each of the colognes above generally has a different purpose, but all of them have the same effect - making people swoon. Scents ranging from a standard musk & oak to a light, tropical floral, they're all irresistible. So if you're the kind of guy looking to get more bang from his buck, then these scents are for you. My only advice to you is don't overdo it - nothing is more offensive to the sense of smell than a man wearing too much cologne. Oh, and don't mix too many scents: shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, AND cologne? Sometimes it's a bit too much at once. Remember to take things one step at a time, one scent at a time, and you'll be sure to be turning heads the right way. |
A new approach to diagnosing mental disorders could become an alternative to DSM-5
A consortium of psychiatrists and psychologists from universities around the world, co-led by Stony Brook University, University of Minnesota and University of Notre Dame researchers, has proposed a new approach to diagnosing mental disorders. The approach, articulated in a paper published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, is a classification system of a wide range of psychiatric problems based on scientific evidence, illness symptoms and impaired functioning. The diagnostic system addresses fundamental shortcomings of the fifth edition (2013) of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the clinicians' and researchers' guidebook to mental illnesses.
Diagnosis of mental illness is important because it defines what treatment a patient should receive. Diagnosis also guides research efforts and is used by drug companies to develop new medications. The newly developed diagnostic approach is called the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP). In the paper, titled "The Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology (HiTOP): A Dimensional Alternative to Traditional Nosologies," the consortium advances classification of psychopathology beyond the traditional diagnostic systems.
According to the authors, Roman Kotov, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Stony Brook University; Robert Krueger, PhD, Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota; and David Watson, PhD, Professor of Psychology at University of Notre Dame, substantial evidence has accumulated that suggest major changes to how mental illness is classified, but DSM-5 offered only modest refinements creating dissatisfaction in the research community. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) produced an alternative model to guide mental health research efforts. But this approach also has been controversial, as it focuses heavily on neurobiology and much less on investigating issues that are important for everyday psychiatric care, such as prognosis about illness course and selection of treatment.
As Professor Krueger explains it, the DSM can be challenging to use in everyday practice. "It's Byzantine," he says. "It's like the U.S. tax code. You can get lost in the complexity of its contents and still not find a compelling or accurate way to conceptualize your patient."
"The HiTOP system has been articulated to address the limitations currently plaguing psychiatric diagnosis," says lead author Dr. Kotov. "First, the system proposes to view mental disorders as spectra. Second, the HiTOP system uses empirical evidence to understand overlap among these disorders and classify different presentations of patients with a given disorder."
For example, Dr. Kotov explained that mental health problems are difficult to put into categories, as they lie on the continuum between pathology and normality, much like weight and blood pressure. This is why the spectrum approach is needed. Applying an artificial boundary to distinguish mental illness from health results in unstable diagnoses, as one symptom can change the diagnosis from present to absent. It also leaves a large group of people with symptoms that do not reach the threshold untreated, although they suffer significant impairment.
Also, different DSM-5 diagnoses co-occur with surprising frequency, with most patients labelled with more than one mental health disorder at the same time. Extensive evidence indicates an underlying pattern of several major spectra that cause this overlap. Furthermore, diagnostic categories are so complex that often two patients with the same diagnosis do not share a single symptom in common.
"The HiTOP solution to these fundamental problems is to classify mental illness at multiple levels of hierarchy: the broad level captures the major spectra and specific level reflects the tightly-knit dimensions within them. This approach allows doctors and researchers to focus on finer symptom in detail, or assess broader problems, as necessary," Dr. Kotov explains.
A good example of this new classification is social anxiety disorder, which is considered a category in DSM-5. The HiTOP model describes social anxiety as a graded dimension, ranging from people who experience mild discomfort in a few social situations (i.e., when giving a talk in front of a large audience) to those who are extremely fearful in most situations. The HiTOP system recognizes that clinical levels of social anxiety are more intense but not fundamentally different from regular social discomfort.
Also, HiTOP does not treat it as a single problem but recognizes important differences between interpersonal fears (i.e., meeting new people) and performance fears (i.e., performing in front of an audience). Moreover, people with social anxiety are prone to other anxieties and depression, and the HiTOP model describes a broad spectrum called "internalizing," which captures overall severity of such problems.
Overall, the authors emphasize that HiTOP adheres to the most up-to-date scientific evidence, rather than relying largely on decisions by committee (the approach used to construct the DSM-5). In the assessment of mental disorders, the HiTOP approach accounts for information on shared genetic vulnerabilities, environmental risk factors, and neurobiological abnormalities, such as differences in brain activity between the patients and healthy individuals. |
Shed mediastinal blood transfusion after cardiac operations: a cost-effectiveness analysis.
Cardiac surgical patients consume a significant fraction of the annual volume of allogeneic blood transfused. Scavenged autologous blood may serve as a cost-effective means of conserving donated blood and avoiding transfusion-related complications. This study examines 834 patients after cardiac operations at the University of Alabama Hospital. Data were collected on patients receiving unwashed, filtered, autologous transfusions from shed mediastinal drainage and those receiving allogeneic transfusions. The data were incorporated into clinical decision models; confidence intervals for parameters were estimated by bootstrapping sample statistics. Costs were estimated for transfusing both allogeneic and autologous blood. The study found a 54% reduction in transfusion risk or a mean reduction of 1.41 allogeneic units per case (95% confidence interval, 1.04 to 1.79 units). The process saved between $49 and $62 per case. The use of autologous blood has the potential to significantly reduce the costs and risks associated with transfusing allogeneic blood after cardiac operations. |
Laccase isoforms with unusual properties from the basidiomycete Steccherinum ochraceum strain 1833.
To isolate and characterize the laccase isoforms from S. ochraceum 1833 - a new active producer of high extracellular laccase activity. Three laccase isoforms (laccases I, II and III) with 57.5, 59.5 and 63 kDa molecular masses respectively were purified from S. ochraceum 1833 and in contrast to the known laccases had strongly pronounced absorption at 611 nm with molar extinction coefficients ranging from 7170 to 7830 mol(-1) l cm(-1). All isoforms showed maximal activity with ABTS at low pH (<or=2) and temperatures in the range 70-80 degrees C, were stable for long time of incubation at high temperature (60-80 degrees C) and at pH values ranging from 2 to 6. Laccase II showed a higher activity and wider substrate specificity. N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis of the purified laccase II (VQIGPVTDLH) showed 80% identity with the N-terminal amino acid sequence of laccase from Lentinula edodes [Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 60 (2002) 327]. Elevated temperature optima, high thermo- and pH-stabilities, the broad substrate specificity of the isoforms make the laccases from S. ochraceum 1833 a suitable model for biotechnological processes proceeding at high temperatures. For the first time, new basidiomycete strain S. ochraceum was reported as a producer of novel thermostable, pH stable, acidophilic laccases with unusual spectral properties. |
[Heart rupture by closed chest trauma].
Cardiac rupture is certainly unrecognised in the context of closed chest trauma. There have been few reports in the literature despite the fact that autopsy series show that it is the second cause of death after serious thoracic injury. The authors report three cases of traumatic rupture of the heart. The clinical presentation, apart from cardiogenic shock, differs according to whether there is an associated rupture of the pericardium. When the pericardium is intact, the diagnosis is suggested by the signs of tamponade: With earlier treatment of trauma by medical teams, this lesion should be diagnosed as soon as possible. Echocardiography has many indications in closed chest trauma. Early surgical intervention is the only treatment of these lesions. |
With the nation mired in two wars and amid an economic meltdown, we endorsed a largely untested young senator from Illinois for president in 2008.
Four years later, the Iraq war is over, the war in Afghanistan has a conclusion in sight, and the economy has made demonstrable — though hardly remarkable — progress.
As President Barack Obama campaigns for re-election, it would be a stretch to say we are bullish on the entirety of his first term. There have been notable accomplishments: rescuing the nation’s auto industry, passing comprehensive (though contentious) health-care reform, and delivering justice to Osama bin Laden. But those accomplishments are juxtaposed against a sluggish economy and less impressive performances in tackling the federal debt and deficits, reducing unemployment and bolstering the housing market.
A largely intransigent Republican Party shares in the blame, however, particularly because of unwillingness to cede any ground to Obama in the last two years on policies — such as the president’s American Jobs Act — that attempt to bolster the economy.
And though there is much in Mitt Romney’s résumé to suggest he is a capable problem-solver, the Republican nominee has not presented himself as a leader who will bring his party closer to the center at a time when that is what this country needs.
His comments on the 47 percent of Americans who refuse to “take personal responsibility and care for their lives” were a telling insight into his views and a low point of the campaign.
Obama, on the other hand, has shown throughout his term that he is a steady leader who keeps the interests of a broad array of Americans in mind.
We urge Coloradans to re-elect him to a second term.
Regardless of the outcome on Nov. 6, America is once again confronted with a daunting economic picture that requires bold action even before the next president takes the oath of office.
This time, politicians cannot blame Wall Street for our plight. Instead, both parties are guilty of pushing our country too close to the so-called fiscal cliff while hoping voters would endorse their view of government come Election Day.
Romney’s approach is one of tax cuts for all, drastic Medicare reform, increased defense spending, and what would be catastrophic cuts to other discretionary programs. In the Republican primary, he said he couldn’t support a plan that included even $10 in cuts for every $1 in new revenue. To expect the country to balance its budget without additional revenue, in our view, is nothing short of fantasy.
The president’s most recent plan for budget-cutting is closer to being the right recipe in that it includes a mix of revenue increases and spending cuts. That said, Obama’s plan is overly reliant upon the windfall from letting the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy expire while counting “savings” from fighting wars that he repeatedly reminds us were put on the credit card.
Avoiding a severe recession
Before the start of the new year, the president and Congress must craft a budget plan that addresses the looming expiration of the Bush tax cuts and $109 billion in mandatory cuts to defense and discretionary spending. Failure to do so promises to drag a fragile economy back into a severe recession.
It is past time for lawmakers from both sides to agree to a sizeable plan of spending cuts, tax revenue increases and — perhaps most important — longer-term entitlement reforms. Doing so would send a signal to the markets, to businesses and to other countries that we are responsible enough to set the table for sustained economic growth in the decades to come.
A bipartisan group is pushing the idea of such a “grand bargain” in the Senate, which we support. The nation needs a president who can lead that charge to push that deal across the finish line, and we believe Obama is committed to seeing it done.
The president was willing to concede on the issue of entitlements in a deal reached with House Speaker John Boehner in 2011. But Boehner couldn’t sell their agreement to Tea Party conservatives in the House. We expect Obama will stand up to liberals in his party to compromise on the sacred cow of entitlement reform as part of a larger budget deal shortly after Election Day.
There is less reason to believe that Romney would attempt to — or even could — manage a similar feat in challenging the Tea Party wing of his party on tax revenues.
The Obama administration can be fairly criticized for leaning too heavily on regulations that hamper business, but on balance we have seen enough to believe the president will pursue policies — and compromise, when necessary — that protect the vulnerable, invest in the middle class, and deliver an economy that drives us to a better future.
Obama has moved the country in the right direction on school reform. On higher education, he has taken steps to address affordability through increasing Pell Grants and streamlining the student-loan process. His executive order that allows qualified illegal immigrants brought here as children a chance to pursue college degrees is a positive step — though much remains to be done on immigration reform.
As commander in chief, he has demonstrated himself capable in a tough situation. He eliminated the military’s discriminatory “don’t ask don’t tell” policy, limited this country’s involvement in Libya while still playing a role in the ouster of Moammar Khadafy, and hasn’t allowed the U.S. to be drawn into the Syrian civil war. He has remained a friend to Israel, but isn’t engaging in war talk over the Iranian nuclear issue. Moving forward, the administration owes the American public a thorough explanation of the troubling events surrounding the murder of four Americans in Benghazi last month.
We know that many have a different view, and point to Romney’s record in Massachusetts as ample reason for his election. Unfortunately, he never seriously campaigned as a centrist alternative to Obama.
From running to the far right on immigration and women’s health in the primary and then saddling his campaign with Rep. Paul Ryan’s extreme and unrealistic budget, the Romney of this election cycle is not the man elected in Massachusetts.
Instead, we must judge him on the menu of options he has repeatedly put forward during this campaign. On policies ranging from tax reform to immigration, from health care to higher education, none of Romney’s numbers add up. Moreover, he has been unwilling or unable to outline for voters specifics that demonstrate his math works — probably because it doesn’t.
Romney has said he will repeal Obamacare, yet insists he can keep its most popular provisions without fully explaining how he would pay for it.
He’s calling for 20 percent tax rate cuts across the board. Independent analysts say the government can’t come close to making up for that lost revenue without closing popular deductions like those for home-mortgage interest and charitable contributions. Romney’s explanations for how he would do that don’t wash.
And his pledge to create 12 million jobs in four years sounds good, but Moody’s Analytics has predicted that type of job growth regardless of who is elected.
Drill-at-all-costs wrong
Romney notes correctly that North America is poised to become an energy exporter. But the drill-at-all-costs mantra he is pushing runs counter to the predominant view in Colorado, which is one that balances energy and environment — particularly when it comes to public land. And, unlike the Republican nominee, we believe our nation’s energy portfolio must include government investment in renewable sources such as wind and solar — both of which can become sources of more power and more jobs in the future.
Republicans are right to remind voters that one month after taking office, President Obama promised to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. But the country’s economic malaise turned out to be much deeper than was known at the time. As recently pointed out by Politico, Obama’s pledge came when it was estimated that the economy shrank at a rate of 6.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. In August 2009, the rate was readjusted to a negative 8.9 percent — the worst single-quarter decline in half a century.
With unemployment dropping below 8 percent and following 30 months of private-sector job growth, now is the time for him to make good on that promise of deficit reduction.
This is an election that begs the candidates to demonstrate what they plan to do moving forward. Neither has done enough to lead us to think voters on Nov. 6 aren’t, to a certain degree, being asked to make a leap of faith. But Obama’s record of accomplishment under trying circumstances and his blueprint for a second term make him the best pick to move the nation forward. |
It is the same scene, the same lightning, just different ISO settings and shutter speeds to keep the same EV. Brightness of all images should be the same, and it is with camera JPEGs, but not with RAFs developed in darktable.
With this feature request I am asking to respect this Fujifilm's tag and automatically apply EV correction depending on value in this tag, so that user is freed from doing that manually.
According to discussion on IRC, one possible way of implementing this: turning on exposure module by default for newly imported RAF images with this tag, and automatically entering EV correction depending on value in tag.
Personal opinion: if architecture of darktable allows it, maybe the code of exposure module can be reused and new module "Raw exposure correction" can be created. This module would be executed just before exposure module, would essentially do what exposure module does, but would lack any user's inputs (except ability to turn module on/ff). Exposure correction value would be internally taken depending on mentioned tag, and shown to the user in this module ("Exposure correction applied: X.XX EV"). I think it would be more clear to user in this way than preapplying correction to the slider in exposure module.
Examining this, I took a "test JPG" image for optical comparison. It appears the test JPG is the same as the view -0.7 image. As a result, the correct exposure to apply is not "+2.2" for ISO 6400, but actually +1.5 (2.2 - 0.7).
As a result, you only need 5 presets to exposure to correct this.
+0.1 at ISO 2500+0.5 at ISO 3200+0.8 at ISO 4000+1.1 at ISO 5000+1.5 at ISO 6400 |
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Sound cloaks enter the third dimension
Concept could lead to sonar-defeating submarines or noise-cancelling highway barriers
A simple plastic shell has cloaked a three-dimensional object from sound waves for the first time. With some improvements, a similar cloak could eventually be used to reduce noise pollution and to allow ships and submarines to evade enemy detection. The experiments appear March 20 in Physical Review Letters.
“This paper implements a simplified version of invisibility using well-designed but relatively simple materials,” says Steven Cummer, an electrical engineer at Duke University, who was not involved in the study. Cummer proposed the concept of a sound cloak in 2007.
This article is available only to subscribing members. Join SSP today or Log in. |
How to avoid unwanted wakeups when killing lots of processes - fanf2
https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/unix/ProcessKillingTrick
======
dozzie
There is a continuation post the next day:
[https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/programming/CodeRea...](https://utcc.utoronto.ca/~cks/space/blog/programming/CodeReadingNarrowness)
It's because there are three or four different things that could be the reason
behind the code he talks about, not just what he described in this post.
------
codedokode
There is a problem though: the code wakes up all the processes with SIGCONT
even if some of them were stopped by some other program (not by systemd)
intentionally.
~~~
JdeBP
Which of those processes will _not_ have a pending SIGTERM/SIGKILL action as
their very first thing to do once continued?
|
959 S.W.2d 732 (1998)
Ex parte William David CROWDER.
No. 03-97-00090-CR.
Court of Appeals of Texas, Austin.
January 29, 1998.
Charles M. Hineman, Austin, for Appellant.
Ronald Earle, District Attorney, Lisa Dotin Stewart, Assistant District Attorney, Austin, for State.
Before POWERS, ABOUSSIE and B.A. SMITH, JJ.
POWERS, Justice.
The district court denied William David Crowder's application for habeas corpus. He appeals. We will affirm the district-court order.
THE CONTROVERSY
Crowder was released on bail on March 2, 1995 following his arrest, on the same day, for sexual indecency with a child. Approximately eleven months after his indictment, Crowder applied for a writ of habeas corpus, contending his restraint was illegal by reason of article 32.01 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. See Code of Criminal Procedure, 59th Leg., R.S., ch. 722, § 1, art. 32.01, Tex. Gen. Laws 317, 441 (Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 32.01) (since amended). The district court denied the application without stating any grounds therefor. Crowder brings four points of error.[1] We believe *733 point of error two is dispositive of the appeal and need not discuss the remaining three points pertaining to "good cause" and the unconstitutionality of statutes.
DISCUSSION AND HOLDINGS
When this cause arose, article 32.01 of the Code of Criminal Procedure provided as follows:
When a defendant has been detained in custody or held to bail for his appearance to answer any criminal accusation before the district court, the prosecution, unless otherwise ordered by the court, for good cause shown, supported by affidavit, shall be dismissed and the bail discharged, if indictment or information be not presented against such defendant at the next term of the court which is held after his commitment or admission to bail.
(emphasis added). "A discharge under ... Article 32.01 ... is a bar to any further prosecution for the offense discharged and for any other offense arising out of the same transaction." Act of June 1, 1987, 70th Leg., R.S., ch 383, § 1, 1987 Tex. Gen. Laws 1885 (Tex.Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 28.061) (since amended).
Crowder was arrested for the offense on March 2, 1995, and released on bail the same day. Three terms of court passed without his being indicted for the offense. He was indicted in the January-March 1996 term; and in the October-December 1996 term he moved to "dismiss" the indictment.[2] The trial court overruled the motion in January 1997 and denied Crowder's application for habeas corpus. The issue reduces to the applicability of article 32.01 in these circumstances.
Article 32.01 is restricted by its terms to persons who are (1) restrained for an offense and (2) not charged in an indictment or information, as in Crowder's case when he was arrested under a warrant issued upon an affidavit setting forth the affiant's belief that Crowder had committed the offense of aggravated sexual assault upon a child. When he was not indicted for the offense at the next grand jury term, he was entitled under article 32.01 "to have an order made by the District Court discharging him from custody because the prosecution" initiated with his arrest was "not continued by the proper and necessary action of the grand jury." Bennett v. State, 27 Tex. 701, 703-04 (Tex.1864) (emphasis added). When Crowder first invoked article 32.01 after he was indicted, however, he invoked a statute that no longer applied to his circumstances by its very termshe was no longer restrained in the absence of an indictment or information. See Tatum v. State, 505 S.W.2d 548, 550 (Tex.Crim.App. 1974); Ex parte Johnson, 142 Tex.Crim. 483, 154 S.W.2d 854 (1941); Payne v. State, 109 Tex.Crim. 287, 4 S.W.2d 53, 54 (1928).[3]
We therefore hold the district court did not err in overruling Crowder's motion to dismiss the indictment by reason of article 32.01. Accordingly, we overrule Crowder's point of error two and hold the district court did not err in denying his application for habeas corpus.
NOTES
[1] Crowder's points of error are as follows: (1) the State did not establish good cause for failing to indict Crowder at the next term of court after his commitment or admission to bail, as required by article 32.01; (2) the district court erred in holding that Crowder must file a "motion to dismiss" before an "indictment is issued;" (3) the trial court erred in holding article 32.01 unconstitutional; and (4) the trial court erred in holding article 28.061 unconstitutional.
[2] The grand-jury terms of the 147th Judicial District Court begin on the first Mondays in January, April, July, and October. See Tex. Gov't Code Ann. § 24.248(b) (West 1988). The events pertinent to the appeal transpired in the 147th Judicial District Court. After his indictment, Crowder's case was transferred to the 167th Judicial District Court.
[3] We acknowledge the conflicting opinions regarding the timely filing of an application for relief under article 32.01. See e.g., Norton v. State, 918 S.W.2d 25 (Tex.App.Houston [14th Dist.] 1996, pet. granted); State v. Ybarra, 942 S.W.2d 35 (Tex.App.Corpus Christi 1996, pet. granted); Holleman v. State, 945 S.W.2d 232 (Tex.App.Amarillo 1997, pet. filed). We agree with the Holleman court that Tatum v. State, 505 S.W.2d 548 (Tex.Crim.App.1974) is the latest decision on the subject by the Court of Criminal Appeals, and we have no authority to circumvent it. Holleman, 945 S.W.2d at 236.
|
Random and not-so-random thoughts following Stanford’s 73-68 victory over Cal on Friday night …
*** The Bears’ subpar performance was as predictable as their offense is difficult to watch. (And goodness, it is difficult to watch.)
Somewhere along the 40-mile bus ride from Berkeley to Maples Pavilion, the Bears forget how to play.
No matter how good, how talented, how hot – they save their worst for Maples.
They kick the ball, leave two-foot shots one-foot short, commit silly fouls, play on their heels more than their toes, clank free throws off the front of the rim and generally conspire to doom themselves in all manners possible.
Two telling stats from Friday night:
1) The Bears were 3 of 10 from the foul line and 2) They committed 20 turnovers.
As Cuonzo Martin noted: That was 20 turnovers “against a team that doesn’t press.”
*** The opposite is true, too.
No matter how bad, how flawed, or how low it sits in the Pac-12 standings, Stanford invariably plays near its maximum at home against the Bears.
Late in the first half and throughout the second, Stanford was the aggressor. The Cardinal mixed defenses, attacked the rim, pounced on Cal lapses. It was more efficient and more energized despite having less on the line (i.e., no at-large possibility).
This was the Cardinal’s sixth win over Cal in the last seven games at Maples, which makes it Cal’s sixth loss in the last seven games at Maples.
In the majority of those seasons, by the way, the Bears have finished with a better conference record than the Cardinal.
It’s not like they are consistently losing to a far superior team/program.
*** The loss could prove to be a gut-punch to the Bears’ NCAA tournament prospects.
They are 9-5 in conference play but on the NCAA bubble because of a lack of quality wins and soft non-conference schedule.
They have beaten one team, USC, in the top 50 of the RPI
That would be problematic enough with a light finishing schedule. But the Bears have Oregon at home and the difficult Mountain roadtrip remaining.
It’s entirely possibly that they’ll enter the Pac-12 tournament on a five-losses-in-six-games skid. At that point, there is only one path to the NCAAs: Win the Pac-12 title.
All of which means Oregon’s visit on Wednesday has become as close to a must-win game for the Bears as it gets.
Neither Utah or Colorado is anywhere close to the top 50. It’s the Ducks or bust for a resume that’s currently a tad too thin.
*** Step back for a big-picture assessment, however, and the Bears, despite their Maples malfunctions, remain on sound footing relative to their rival.
Consider this:
Cal finished four games ahead of Stanford in the Pac-12 standings last season, lost 57 percent of its offense, and is once again four games ahead of the Cardinal.
Meanwhile, Stanford finished in ninth place last season, lost just 21 percent of its scoring, and is back in ninth place. How many teams return 10 of their top-11 players and don’t improve by a single rung in the standings?
Yes, the top of the conference is better, but the bottom tier isn’t. The bottom tier is worse.
*** Does that mean the Cardinal is doomed to mediocrity under Jerod Haase? No, but it means the roster Haase inherited is woefully lacking, especially on the perimeter.
College basketball belongs to the guards, and Stanford’s contingent is far below average.
One notable difference between the Haase and Johnny Dawkins eras (and there are many):
Whereas the Cardinal’s performance typically got worse the second time through the conference under Dawkins, it has improved under Haase.
The uptick isn’t necessarily easy to spot, because the losses are mounting. But Stanford has been far more competitive against Cal and the Arizona schools than it was six weeks ago.
*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline
*** The Hotline podcast is available on iTunes. |
Category:
Dateline:
Public Company Information:
NYSE:
BMY
"The long-term commitment of and collaboration with the MJFF were critical to advancing this program to the stage where it is now perfectly positioned to work closely with Bristol-Myers Squibb for further development"
NASHVILLE, Tenn. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vanderbilt University and Bristol-Myers
Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY) announced today that they have signed a
collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and
commercialization of novel therapies acting on the mGluR4 glutamate
receptor, known as positive allosteric modulators or PAMs, for the
treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Under the collaboration, the Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug
Discovery (VCNDD) will identify drug candidates from its existing
program, which obtained major support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation
for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). Bristol-Myers Squibb will have the
right to develop and commercialize products resulting from the
collaborative research program.
Under the terms of the agreement, Vanderbilt University will receive an
upfront payment and multi-year research funding to continue to discover
additional compounds. Vanderbilt is eligible to receive milestones and
royalties based on developmental success and worldwide sales of the
drugs emerging from the collaboration.
“The long-term commitment of and collaboration with the MJFF were
critical to advancing this program to the stage where it is now
perfectly positioned to work closely with Bristol-Myers Squibb for
further development,” said P. Jeffrey Conn, Ph.D., VCNDD director and
Lee E. Limbird, Chair in Pharmacology. “Partnering with Bristol-Myers
Squibb is a real win for Vanderbilt and for Parkinson’s patients.”
“We all look forward to a productive collaboration with Bristol-Myers
Squibb, which brings tremendous expertise and a strong commitment to
advancing the program,” added Craig Lindsley, Ph.D., VCNDD director of
medicinal chemistry.
“At Bristol-Myers Squibb we are dedicated to discovering and developing
medicines that address serious unmet need,” said Francis
Cuss, MB BChir, FRCP, senior vice president for Research at
Bristol-Myers Squibb. “As part of our strategy, we continually seek to
build relationships with organizations that have innovative programs and
capabilities that complement our own internal efforts. We are thrilled
to have the opportunity to work with the Vanderbilt Center for
Neuroscience Drug Discovery’s highly regarded scientists and
laboratories to potentially find a way to help patients with Parkinson’s
disease.”
About Parkinson’s disease
An estimated 1 million Americans have Parkinson's disease, a progressive
brain disorder characterized by resting tremor, rigidity and slowness of
movement. It is caused by the death of nerve cells in a specific brain
region that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine.
About mGluR4 PAMs
mGluR4 receptors are highly expressed in areas of the brain directly
relevant to Parkinson’s disease. mGluR4 PAMs represent an approach to
correct the dysregulated signaling observed in Parkinson’s disease and
pharmacologically mimic a surgical procedure that has been successful in
alleviating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
About Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University Medical Center is a major referral center for the
Southeast and nation. Its research enterprise, which includes the
Vanderbilt Center for Neuroscience Drug Discovery, is nationally known
for translating scientific discoveries into patient care advances. For
more information, see www.mc.vanderbilt.edu.
About Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission
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It offered tips on ‘pitching the conference to your boss‘, including an email template explaining that attendance would enhance the would-be participant’s clinical expertise and showcase examples of service innovation, efficient models of care, quality and safety in practice, workforce recruitment and retention, embracing change and leadership in nursing.
In the Q&A below, APNA President Karen Booth outlines some of the issues facing nurses, nursing and health systems, amid a projected shortfall of about 27,000 primary care nurses by 2025.
These include ongoing frustration in the profession that nurses are not able still to work to full scope of practice, particularly in primary health care, some hope in the potential of the Health Care Homes model (despite lagging enthusiasm elsewhere and nary a mention in this week’s Budget) and heartening news elsewhere in the Budget.
The conference will also feature APNA’s annual awards for leading nurses, and is calling on delegates to “wield the lasso of truth” and don a cape for its Nurseforce Superheroes conference dinner.
Q&A with Karen Booth
Marie McInerney
Q. Your latest (2016) annual report commented that a Parliamentary Breakfast revealed that some MPs and key policy people knew very little about the work of primary care nurses, and the issues facing the profession. Where do primary health care nurses work and what would you like all health policy leaders to know about your work and issues?
Karen Booth
A. Primary health care nurses work in an extremely wide range of settings. According to the APNA Workforce Survey 2017, the five most common areas of employment in primary health care include general practice, community health service, non-governmental organisation, and being self-employed (i.e. working as a consultant or contractor) (see feature image above).
We want health policy leaders to know that we represent the fastest growing area of nursing which makes up 12.5 per cent of the 640,000 registered health professionals in Australia.
With four in five Australians having at least one chronic disease and an increasingly ageing population, Australia’s traditional approach to healthcare needs to change. Recognising the limitations of our current system, there has been an increased emphasis from governments on primary and community care. The Health Care Home model, for example, which the government is currently piloting, aims to keep people with multiple chronic diseases out of the hospital system by better coordinating their care in the community.
These shifts underline the increasing need for, and value of, primary health care nurses. But as we know, Australia faces a projected shortfall of about 27,000 primary care nurses by 2025. For many, primary care nursing isn’t seen as a career of choice.
APNA supports primary health care nurses through increasing their visibility, recognition and influence in the industry. We do this by developing workshops and resources to improve the knowledge, skills and confidence of nurses.
Another key issue we advocate for is changes to models of care so that primary health care nurses can work to full scope of practice and are valued and optimised as part of an interdisciplinary team.
Marie McInerney
Q. What’s your reaction to this week’s Federal Budget – what were you looking for from the Federal Government and what was the result?
Karen Booth
A. We were very pleased to get the news of continued funding for our work, which the Health Department’s Budget statement said “will help nurses move into primary health care, test new ways for nurses to deliver care and better educate nurses about primary health care.”
It was important to have the government’s recognition of the contribution that our members make in primary health care and we welcomed its comments that the health system should make better use of the breadth of skills and experiences that the nursing workforce has in dealing with patients, particularly in multiple primary health care settings.
That funding commitment will support a number of key projects, including to expand the Enhanced Nurse Clinicsprogram, and for ourTransition to Practice program that supports new nursing graduates and those coming from the tertiary sector into primary health care. It will also support chronic disease education for nurses.
There was also great news in the Stronger Rural Health Strategy announcement of an additional 3,000 nurses – as well as the same number of more highly qualified doctors and hundreds of allied health professionals – in the regions over the next 10 years.
And we welcomed news in the ageing plan of health checks for people at ages 45 and 65 – nurses already do a majority of those sorts of health checks, like the aged health assessment and diabetes assessments, so they will have a key role in that.
However, like the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF), we remain concerned about staffing levels and skills in the aged care sector. Nurses in the sector have a huge workload, huge responsibilities and their numbers are in many cases decreasing.
Marie McInerney
Q. What’s behind the theme for this year’s conference: ‘Nurseforce of the future’?
Karen Booth
A. The APNA national conference provides a platform to recognise and celebrate the achievements of primary health care nurses, and to further cultivate the expertise and collegiality of our nurse workforce—the Nurseforce for the Future.
APNA’s vision is a healthy Australia through best practice primary health care nursing. Health care in the country cannot get better without investing in its Nurseforce. Australia’s Nurseforce is a passionate, capable, scientific, diverse, progressive movement. There are nurses in primary health care Australia-wide trying to optimise their capacity to bring about sustainable, positive health outcomes for individuals, families, communities, and our nation.
Nurseforce for the Future conference is the opportunity to showcase nurses who are responding to their environment and employing innovative, evidence-based approaches to deliver safe, high quality, patient-centred care. We intend to harness the aspirations and expertise of the diverse delegation to pave the way for personal and professional growth.
Marie McInerney
Q. Your APNA Workforce Survey 2017 found that 29 per cent of primary health care nurses felt they could do more in their roles, 11 per cent felt they didn’t get to use their knowledge and skills to the full extent, and of the 22.9 per cent who spoke up to employers, half were not able to negotiate more complex tasks.
What sorts of tasks are they talking about? What are the benefits, risks and barriers to giving primary health care nurses these bigger, more complex roles? Are we seeing a shift?
Karen Booth
A. Working on more “complex tasks” would simply mean to work to the full scope of practice. An individual nurse’s scope of practice may vary considerably from that of another nurse. The tasks themselves can vary depending on several factors including the nurse’s experience, qualifications, clinical specialisation and interests, not to mention the demographics and the need within the community or practice. A nurse can always build their clinical and professional capabilities to expand their scope of practice through education and training.
Complex tasks could be within a broad range of areas including immunisation, women’s health, family planning, health coaching, etc. With the growing number of chronic disease patients on the Australian health agenda, a good example of undertaking a more complex task would be working alongside a general practitioner to develop chronic disease management care plans and care coordination.
Primary health care nurses working to the breadth of their scope facilitate better outcomes by improving access and timeliness to care that the patients need when they need it. This enhances productivity for their teams, value for money for health services, and promotes an integrated care model.
It also helps to streamline care and allows health service to offer additional types of services as well as a reduction in waiting times, more timely assessments and referrals. This is particularly important given the increasing burden of chronic disease and the challenges associated with workforce shortages in Australia’s primary health care system.
Optimal use of the nursing skill-set as part of the interdisciplinary team enables other health professionals, such as general practitioners, to focus their time on higher level diagnostic activity, intervention and care decision making.
We have witnessed a growing interest in nurses wanting to better utilise their skill-set and work to their full scope of practice, especially through our Enhanced Nurse Clinics program funded by the Australian Department of Health. Nurse clinics offer an alternative model of care delivery where the nurse is a key provider of care for the patient utilising a holistic, patient-centred and team-based approach to care
Marie McInerney
Q. The APNA strongly endorsed the concept of the Health Care Homes model ahead of its (belated) 2017 rollout, saying nurses would play an “essential role”. Recently, as Croakey reported, former AMA head Dr Steve Hambleton, who led the expert advisory group on Health Care Homes, admitted that “implementation went wrong somewhere” and that the initial enthusiasm for what was promised has been lost.
What’s been the experience so far for primary health care nurses and what benefits and challenges are emerging?
Karen Booth
A. In my opinion, the commencement of Health Care Homes trial in Australia has only just begun and changes within the system will require adequate time for implementation.
Anecdotal feedback so far suggests that under the Health Care Homes model, nurses have greater autonomy to provide coordinated team-based patient care within their scope of practice. That being said, some nurses will require greater support to take on roles in care coordination, health assessments and patient engagement to support a patient-centred approach to care delivery.
Marie McInerney
Q. Another theme at the conference with be issues with recruitment and retention for nurses in Australia. The previous APNA survey found that 47 percent of respondents were actively looking for another job outside nursing and midwifery and only just over half intended to continue with their nursing/midwifery career in primary health care (including general practice) for the foreseeable future. Has that changed since? Why is that and what needs to be done for both retention, and initial recruitment?
Karen Booth
A. In the APNA Workforce Survey 2017, where 1,703 primary health care nurses across Australia responded, 80 percent claimed they are satisfied and will continue to work in primary health care. That marks a 33 percent increase in job satisfaction since our 2016 survey.
From the survey we could credit that the most satisfying aspects of working in primary health care include: caring for patients and their families; collaboration and effective team-based care; creating positive health outcomes and being a value; and being a valued member of the team.
Nonetheless, recruitment and retention of nurses working in primary health care are still key issues. As mentioned above, primary care nursing isn’t seen as a career of first choice. If you look at it from an educational perspective, many academic courses have traditionally focused on preparing nurses for a career in hospitals, with limited opportunities for undergraduate nurses to experience primary health care. From a career development perspective, while the hospital setting offers obvious career progression opportunities, many primary health care nurses have found it hard to navigate and advance their career in a primary care setting. That view is now changing!
This lack of career structure can be a significant impediment to the development of primary health care roles in general practice and community nursing settings. This state of affairs has made it hard for general practices to recruit and retain nurses—and this is where APNA’s Career and Education Framework comes in.
With funding from the Department of Health, APNA was engaged to develop a framework involving extensive engagement across many consultation phases. Nursing in primary health care is a rewarding and attractive career option, and the project promotes clear pathways to support nurses to find suitable opportunities and a fulfilling career.
Marie McInerney
Q. What conference speakers or issues would you like to highlight ahead of the event?
Karen Booth
A. Our event is packed with essential sessions that is particularly relevant for primary health care nurses. Key issues we would like to address through our sessions would be promoting nurses working to the full scope of practice and building a stronger nursing workforce through recruitment and retention. We would also like to focus on how nurse-led models of care could help nurses work to the top of their scope and make their work, their career opportunities and levels of satisfaction more exciting and rewarding.
About Croakey
Croakey is a social journalism project that enables debate and investigations of health issues and policy. We connect, collaborate, and evolve.
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Hi and how are you doing today. We are almost a week into January already! How did everyone do at the sales? I only picked up a few bits and some goodies from Selfridges.
Today’s blog post is on a very interestingly named box, it’s the DirtyGal! The meme community was expecting lots of mud masks and bird poop products etc.
Official box description:Think dirty. Play dirty. Cake fights, sticky syrup, muddy tracks, grease stains and more, these are some icky-sticky situations you wouldn’t want on your skin and body… or do you? We sure do. Say bye-bye to Miss Clean Freak and unleash your inner dirty girl with this box – bursting with so-called “dirty” but oh-so-fun beauty ingredients! Join in on this hot mess because it’s all about dirty fun, fun, fun in this box! Use these effective goodies made with“dirty” ingredients, plus fun textures to rev up your skin and body care routine!
Snail cream! I love snail creams 🙂 Like most snail mucin creams, this cream helps cell regeneration and decrease the appearance of wrinkles.
I’ve used another snail cream (from Snail box #1) and it was very effective but slightly fiddly to apply. It makes my skin feels moisturised and supple, but I cannot use it every night with it being so heavy on the skin.
This Dr. MJ version feels alot lighter, almost like normal moisturiser cream. I feel that this is more suitable for my oily combination skin than the skin house brand version. They smell very similar, like fresh grass and this Dr. MJ one is less stringy.
I’m happy with this cream and have already bought a back up of it 🙂
Ahhhh this is the “Smurf facial mask”! This is much a fun product to use. With our UK meme group, we’ve set a Sunday as our “Smurfette” night! This is when we all use this mask and post a selfie looking like a smurfette 😛 love it.
OK back to product review! This mask is enriched with peppermint and evening primrose oil. I can definitely smell and feel the peppermint (refreshing!). It was incredibly difficult to spread onto my face, the texture is clay like but spongey, it did take awhile to make the mask stick to my face! A lady in the meme-group said it was easier after mixing the blue mask with small amount of water.
It contains some berry seeds but I’m not sure what those were for. Certainly not exfoliating enough. ..
The mask is known to be very good at vacuuming out skin impurities, excess oil and dirt. It lifts off dead and tired skin cells. For me, I feel it did do a good job of decongesting my skin. This is a good mask with great fun factor.
This hair treatment does not contain any mayo as it was inspired by it only. So it looks like mayonnaise, but it certainly doesn’t even smell or feel like mayo In fact, this hair treatment pack is almost scent less.
Just use this is a deep conditioning conditioner, as you apply it after washing your hair and leaving this on for 3 mins.
I do like this hair treatments from Memebox.
These are one-use wash off masks, they often pop up in memeboxes! I received the pearl and the clay versions. Although these are one-use items, each pod contains more product for one application. So you can store in an airtight plastic bag and save it for couple nights later. Or have a mask night with a BFF.
The mask looks and smells like a standard clay mask. It felt a bit itchy for me for the first few minutes, luckily it went away after the initial itch!
My skin did look brightened and evened out my skintone.
To use, spread evenly over cleansed face; leave for 10 to 15 minutes before rinsing off with lukewarm water.
These costs around £2.99 + shipping on eBay UK
5. Cleomee Natural Donkey Oil 80ml, RRP $83 (!!)
This is a body oil containing natural donkey oil, also the oils of grape seed, olive, annatto, jojoba, sun flower and macadamia.
It does not contain paraben, colouring, benzophenone, phenoxyethanol and mineral oil. Donkey Oils are known to be very nourishing and moisturising to the human skin. There are talks over how donkey oils are obtained, how donkeys are treated in the farms etc. I won’t go into another discussion but please look into it if you have issues with using donkey oils.
This body oil does not smell like normal body oils, it’s an unaltered type of oil scent. It wasn’t as smelly as I initially thought. It feels heavy upon application but my skin seems to happily absorbed it in within 5 mins. Please note I have tested this on my body and not the face!
Total meme-retail value of the box is $174 and the cost of the box was $29 plus shipping.
Very good value box, but unsure if I would buy the body oil for $83! Despite not being an overly exciting box, I’ve used and liked all the items in the box. Score 5 out of 5!
Would you try these “slightly weird” skincare products?
Thank you for reading!
This post contains affiliate links.
From now until 31st January 2015. Get $3 off any order over $30 (excluding shipping and tax), use the discount code: O8WNBL |
595 F.2d 1223
Elamv.Baker
No. 77-3587
United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
4/12/79
S.D.Ohio
AFFIRMED
|
Q:
'Preclude' vs 'Exclude' vs 'Prevent'
I'm trying to really understand how the word preclude differs from either exclude or include. Merriam Webster defines preclude as
to make impossible by necessary consequence : rule out in advance
Which sounds a lot like either prevent or exclude. Does prevent block a future action from happening, while preclude eliminates the possibility of that action altogether?
A:
You are correct that there is some overlap between "preclude" and both "prevent" and "exclude". They may sometimes be almost interchangeable, but certainly not always.
I would say that preclude is used to indicate that one event or circumstance prevents another event or circumstance from happening. It indicates cause and effect.
You've referred to the definition in Merriam-Webster, but did you also look at the usage examples that it gives:
She suffered an injury that precluded the possibility of an athletic career.
i.e. The injury prevented her from pursuing an athletic career.
She couldn't pursue an athletic career because of the injury.
Bad weather precluded any further attempts to reach the summit.
i.e. The bad weather prevented them from making any further attempts to reach the summit.
They couldn't make any further attempts to reach the summit because of the bad weather.
The secret nature of his work precluded official recognition. (Example from ODO)
i.e. His work could not be officially recognised because it was secret.
One dictionary definition seems quite explanatory:
Remove the possibility of; rule out; prevent or exclude; to make impossible.
and, helpfully, gives an example of not precluding:
It has been raining for days, but that doesn’t preclude the possibility that the skies will clear by this afternoon!
i.e. it could still be a clear afternoon even though it has been raining for days.
Using not preclude in this fashion is also fairly common.
So:
Yes, it does mean "prevent", but the word is used in a slightly different way.
Yes, it does mean "exclude", but "exclude" does not carry the implication of cause and effect.
|
# Kodi Media Center language file
# Addon Name: Universal Artist Scraper
# Addon id: metadata.artists.universal
# Addon Provider: Olympia, XBMC Foundation
msgid ""
msgstr ""
"Project-Id-Version: XBMC Addons\n"
"Report-Msgid-Bugs-To: [email protected]\n"
"POT-Creation-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
"PO-Revision-Date: YEAR-MO-DA HO:MI+ZONE\n"
"Last-Translator: Kodi Translation Team\n"
"Language-Team: French (Canada) (http://www.transifex.com/projects/p/xbmc-addons/language/fr_CA/)\n"
"MIME-Version: 1.0\n"
"Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8\n"
"Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit\n"
"Language: fr_CA\n"
"Plural-Forms: nplurals=2; plural=(n > 1);\n"
msgctxt "#30000"
msgid "Enable Artist Fanarts from HTBackdrops.com"
msgstr "Activer les fanarts pour les artistes provenant de HTBackdrops.com"
msgctxt "#30001"
msgid "Enable Artist Thumbs from allmusic.com"
msgstr "Activer les imagettes d'artistes provenant de allmusic.com"
msgctxt "#30002"
msgid "Enable Artist Thumbs from last.fm"
msgstr "Activer les imagettes d'artistes provenant de last.fm"
msgctxt "#30003"
msgid "Enable Artist Thumbs from HTBackdrops.com"
msgstr "Activer les imagettes d'artistes provenant de HTBackdrops.com"
msgctxt "#30004"
msgid "Enable Artist Fanarts from fanart.tv"
msgstr "Activer les fanarts d'artistes provenant de fanart.tv"
msgctxt "#30005"
msgid "Enable Artist Thumbs from fanart.tv"
msgstr "Activer les imagettes d'artistes provenant de fanart.tv"
msgctxt "#30006"
msgid "Get Artist Biography from"
msgstr "Obtenir la biographie de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30007"
msgid "Artwork"
msgstr "Illustrations"
msgctxt "#30008"
msgid "Get Artist Discography from"
msgstr "Obtenir la discographie de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30009"
msgid "Get Artist Genres from"
msgstr "Obtenir les genres de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30010"
msgid "Get Artist Styles from"
msgstr "Obtenir les styles de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30011"
msgid "Get Artist Life-Span from"
msgstr "Obtenir la durée de vie de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30012"
msgid "Get Artist Moods from"
msgstr "Obtenir les humeurs de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30014"
msgid "Get Artist Years Active from"
msgstr "Obtenir les années actives de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30015"
msgid " Preferred Language"
msgstr "Langue préférée"
msgctxt "#30016"
msgid "Fallback to Artist Biography from"
msgstr "Se replier sur la biographie de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30017"
msgid "Fallback to Artist Discography from"
msgstr "Se replier sur la discographie de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30018"
msgid "Fallback to Artist Genres from"
msgstr "Se replier sur les genres de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30019"
msgid "Fallback to Artist Styles from"
msgstr "Se replier sur les styles de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30020"
msgid "Fallback to Artist Life-Span from"
msgstr "Se replier sur la durée de vie de l'artiste sur"
msgctxt "#30021"
msgid "Fallbacks"
msgstr "Replis"
msgctxt "#30022"
msgid "Enable Artist Thumbs from theaudiodb.com"
msgstr "Activer les imagettes d'artiste provenant de theaudiodb.com"
msgctxt "#30023"
msgid "Enable Artist Fanarts from theaudiodb.com"
msgstr "Activer les fanarts d'artiste provenant de theaudiodb.com"
|
Q:
Group Stage in AngularJS sorting by rank
Sorry, I'm learning Angular yet,
I need dev a group stage that is sort by rank (like image below) but your rank is based in yours WINS and LOSES.
I don't how I can do it. =/
Here is my code http://plnkr.co/edit/Q5YtEBjFDjEQ14YXdhii?p=preview
app.controller('marshalLeagueCtrl', function($scope) {
$scope.groups = {
groups: [
{
name: "GRUPO A",
teams: [
{
name: "Time 1",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 2",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 3",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 4",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
}
]
},
{
"name": "GRUPO B",
teams: [
{
name: "Time 1",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 2",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 3",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 4",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
}
]
},
{
name: "GRUPO C",
teams: [
{
name: "Time 1",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 2",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 3",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 4",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
}
]
},
{
name: "GRUPO D",
teams: [
{
name: "Time 1",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 2",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 3",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
},
{
name: "Time 4",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2
}
]
}
]
};
});
<section class="container group-stage league-page" ng-controller="marshalLeagueCtrl">
<div class="row">
<div class="col-sm-12">
<h2>Group Stage</h2>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-12">
<div class="row">
<div class="group-area col-sm-6" ng-repeat="group in groups.groups">
<div class="group-box col-sm-12">
<h3 class="rank-header">{{group.name}}</h3>
<div class="row rank-labels">
<div class="col-sm-2">RANK</div>
<div class="col-sm-6"> </div>
<div class="col-sm-2 text-center">V</div>
<div class="col-sm-2 text-center">D</div>
</div>
<div class="row rank-team" ng-repeat="team in group.teams">
<div class="col-sm-2 text-center">1</div>
<div class="col-sm-6">
<a href="{{team.link}}">{{team.name}}</a>
</div>
<div class="col-sm-2 text-center">{{team.wins}}</div>
<div class="col-sm-2 text-center">{{team.loses}}</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</section>
A:
With angular filters!
Loop through the array and add a property to the array, determining whatever the ranking is. You could also create a custom filter, but I'm assuming you're going to want to display the ranking number elsewhere. Create the function below, and use a for loop to loop through the data structure, analyzing your data and attaching a ranking number.
$scope.addRank = function(person){..../////ranking code here////.....}
So the ranking will end up looking something like this.
{
name: "Time 4",
link: "http://www.google.com",
wins: 5,
loses: 2,
ranking: 4,
//or any number that is determined by your algorithm
}
Once you have that property, it's a simple feat for angular to sort your data using filters! Use the orderBy filter. Filters take care of how you display data you get from controllers.
<div class="group-area col-sm-6" ng-repeat="group in groups.groups | orderBy: 'rank'">
Don't forget the quotation marks around rank!
|
Stay on track with precision. The Ranger S is a quality mirror sighting compass with all the features you need for accurate navigation in any conditions.
The Silva Range S Compass is a popular compass amongst backpackers and mountaineers and is a mirror sighting compass that is easy to use with the Silva 1-2-3 System which is explained in an included booklet.
DryFlexTM Rubber grip
Detachable safety lanyard
Declination scale inside the capsule
Map measuring scales mm and inch: 1:50,000 and 1:25,000
Detachable safety-release lanyard
Luminous markings: enables night navigation
Mirror sighting with sighting hole: It gives accurate bearings.
The Silva Ranger S features DryFlexTM grip for easy handling and comes with a use-anywhere declination scale inside the capsule, a magnifying lens, and base plate map-measuring in mm and scales of 1:50,000 and 1:25,000. Ranger S has the additional benefit of 45-degree angle assistance on the mirror sighting function. A go-anywhere tool for serious compass users. |
We examine to what extent banks' stock market values during the 2007-2012 financial crisis were driven by increases in the default risk of banks designated as globally systemically important by the Financial Stability Board. We find that bank market values hardly respond to changes in the default risk of individual systemic banks. Together, however, changes in systemic banks' default risk explain a substantial part of changes in other banks' market values. This result is robust across several sub-samples, using both credit default swap spreads and Moody's expected default frequencies as indicators of default risk. |
Hemolysis has been shown to be important in the depression of Kupffer cell function and host defense after thermal injury. Phagocytosis of erythrocytes depresses macrophage function. Our recent studies have shown that the phagocytosis of erythrocyte ghosts does not depress host defense suggesting that erythrocyte contents are important in depressing Kupffer cell function. It was also shown that the recovery of macrophage function was associated with digestion of the phagocytized erythrocytes. The hypothesis of the proposed project is that scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites within erythrocytes that have been phagocytized depress macrophage bactericidal function. The specific aims of the project are: 1) to determine the effect of erythrocyte-contained scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites on macrophage immune receptor and bactericidal function. This will be approached by studying the in vivo and in vitro effect of the phagocytosis of erythrocytes in which certain scavengers have been inactivated and the effect of the ingestion of specific scavengers contained within liposomes. 2) To determine if the phagocytosis of erythrocytes depresses the in vitro respiratory burst response to soluble and phagocytic stimuli in macrophages. The effect of the prior ingestion of scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites contained within erythrocytes or liposomes on the expression of the products of the respiratory burst will be determined. 3) To determine the effect of macrophage activation on the rate of recovery of macrophage function following erythrocyte phagocytosis. Lysosomal enzyme activity in macrophages will be related to the rate of digestion of phagocytized erythrocytes. The recovery of normal macrophage bactericidal function should not be possible when scavengers of reactive oxygen metabolites are present within the macrophage. Electron microscopy will be used to evaluate the rate of digestion of phagocytized erythrocytes. The long-range objective of this project is to elucidate the mechanism of the depression of host defense function in severely injured patients and thereby to provide a basis for improved diagnosis and treatment of these patients. |
Q:
When are both $\sum_{n=0}^\infty \log(a_n)$ and $\sum_{n=0}^\infty a_n$ convergent?
I'm new to this site. Can someone give me some examples of when both:
$$\sum_{n=0}^\infty \log(a_n)\qquad \text{ and }\qquad \sum_{n=0}^\infty a_n$$
are convergent?
A:
There are no sequences for which that happens. A necessary condition for the convergence of a series is that the general term is $o(1)$. Hence by assuming that both your series are converging we have $a_n\to 0$ as well as $a_n\to 1$, contradiction.
A:
This can never happen. If $a_n$ does not converge to $1$, then the first sum diverges. If $a_n$ does not converge to $0$, then the second sum diverges. One of these two must always occur.
|
Q:
Flask extension, failing to return image path when using sub-path of root
I'm working on adding additional functionality to Flask-Resize, specifically adding a feature that should serve the original file instead of generating a cached file if the size and other parameters are the same as the original.
I have everything worked out in the checks and so forth, and everything works fine if the image is in the RESIZE_ROOT directory but if not, when the image generator detects that it doesn't need to do anything and returns the original file path, jinja2 doesn't seem to fetch the image.
Using an image test_img.jpg with a size of 200x300px, in the RESIZE_ROOT directory works fine:
<img src="{{ 'test_img.jpg'|resize('200') }}"></img>
Output:
http://127.0.0.1:5000/static/images/test_img.jpg
127.0.0.1 - - [23/Oct/2015 03:44:28] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -
127.0.0.1 - - [23/Oct/2015 03:44:28] "GET /static/css/main.css HTTP/1.1" 200 -
127.0.0.1 - - [23/Oct/2015 03:44:28] "GET /static/images/test_img.jpg HTTP/1.1" 200 -
-- test_img.jpg fetched and displayed correctly
However when the image is moved to a sub-directory say ad/test_img.jpg, then the console output doesn't even indicate that it is fetching the image
http://127.0.0.1:5000/static/images/ad/test_img.jpg
127.0.0.1 - - [23/Oct/2015 03:58:42] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -
127.0.0.1 - - [23/Oct/2015 03:58:42] "GET /static/css/main.css HTTP/1.1" 200 -
-- ad/test_img.jpg isn't even being fetched
Putting <a href="{ 'ad/test_img.jpg'|resize('200') }">image</a> generates a valid link to the image, so the file path is getting returned correctly so I have no idea what's going on.
This is the relevant code; generate_image raises a exc.StopImageGeneration exception if it detects that it should not generate an image.
if not os.path.exists(full_cache_path):
try:
generate_image(inpath=original_path, outpath=full_cache_path,
format=format, width=width, height=height,
bgcolor=bgcolor, upscale=upscale, fill=fill,
anchor=anchor, quality=quality,
progressive=progressive,
placeholder_reason=placeholder_reason,
force_cache=force_cache)
except exc.StopImageGeneration:
full_cache_url = unicode(resize_url+image_url)
print (full_cache_url)
return full_cache_url.replace('\\', '/')
And my Flask-Resize initialisation parameters if it matters:
(RESIZE_URL='http://127.0.0.1:5000/static/images/', RESIZE_ROOT='static/images/')
A:
So turns out this has nothing to do with Flask/Jinja2, it's Adblock's fault; it was blocking the images silently.
After I added an exception for localhost and 127.0.0.1 there was no problem.
|
1941 Double Play Joe Gordon-67 Red Ruffing-68 PSA 8 NM-MT
Ruffing was a big game pitcher in a big game city for some of the greatest Yankee teams of all time. While Gordon brought a blue collar work ethic to the Bronx, shunning statistics and media attention, because as Joe McCarthy once put it, “He just comes out to beat ya’.”
Click on a thumbnail above to display a larger image belowHold down the mouse button and slide side to side to see more thumbnails(if available). |
Q:
Android Manifest merger failed after adding module dependency 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:16.0.0'"
I want to add com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:16.0.0 to my android wear app to the detect the location of the watch.
But i am getting following error:
Manifest merger failed : Attribute meta-data#android.support.VERSION@value value=(26.0.2) from [com.android.support:percent:26.0.2] AndroidManifest.xml:25:13-35
is also present at [com.android.support:support-v4:26.1.0] AndroidManifest.xml:28:13-35 value=(26.1.0).
Suggestion: add 'tools:replace="android:value"' to <meta-data> element at AndroidManifest.xml:23:9-25:38 to override.
My wear.gradle file:
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'
android {
compileSdkVersion 28
buildToolsVersion "28.0.3"
useLibrary 'org.apache.http.legacy'
defaultConfig {
applicationId "de.siyaryikmis.jiyan"
minSdkVersion 26
targetSdkVersion 28
versionCode 1
versionName "1.0"
}
buildTypes {
release {
minifyEnabled false
proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
}
}
}
dependencies {
implementation fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
implementation 'com.android.support:recyclerview-v7:28.0.0'
implementation 'com.android.support:wear:28.0.0'
implementation 'com.google.android.support:wearable:2.4.0'
compileOnly 'com.google.android.wearable:wearable:2.4.0'
implementation 'com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:3.12.0'
implementation 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:16.0.0'
}
my wear.AndroidManifest.xml:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
package="de.siyaryikmis.jiyan">
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.type.watch" />
<uses-feature
android:name="android.hardware.sensor.accelerometer"
android:required="false" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION" />
<application
android:allowBackup="true"
android:icon="@mipmap/tree_of_life"
android:label="@string/app_name"
android:supportsRtl="true"
android:theme="@style/AppTheme"
android:usesCleartextTraffic="true"
tools:ignore="GoogleAppIndexingWarning">
<meta-data
android:name="com.google.android.gms.version"
android:value="@integer/google_play_services_version" />
<meta-data
android:name="com.google.android.wearable.standalone"
android:value="true" />
<uses-library
android:name="com.google.android.wearable"
android:required="true" />
<activity
android:name=".activities.MainActivity"
android:label="@string/app_name" />
<activity
android:name=".activities.LoginActivity"
android:label="@string/title_activity_login">
<intent-filter>
<action android:name="android.intent.action.MAIN" />
<category android:name="android.intent.category.LAUNCHER" />
</intent-filter>
</activity>
<activity
android:name=".activities.Login2Activity"
android:label="@string/title_activity_login2"
android:theme="@android:style/Theme.DeviceDefault.Light" />
<activity
android:name=".activities.NeedIsSentActivity"
android:label="@string/title_activity_need_is_sent"
android:theme="@android:style/Theme.DeviceDefault.Light" />
<activity
android:name=".activities.FailedActivity"
android:label="@string/title_activity_failed"
android:theme="@android:style/Theme.DeviceDefault.Light" />
</application>
</manifest>
Thanks for all your suggestions and help :)
A:
Firstly add tools namespace:
< manifest xmlns: android = "http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
...
xmlns: tools = "http://schemas.android.com/tools" >
Then add meta tag：
<application>
...
..
<meta-data
tools:replace="android:value"
android:name="android.support.VERSION"
android:value="28.0.0" />
</application>
Don't forget to add this line in module build.gradle file:
implementation 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:28.0.0'
|
= 2*y - s*y + 2. Let f be 6/(-14) + (-3)/(-84)*12. Solve f = y*x - 5 - 5 for x.
5
Let o = 15 + -7. Let f = 1 - -1. Let a = -116 - -118. Solve f*z + a = o for z.
3
Suppose -26 = -4*q + 3*y - 0, -4*y + 2 = 2*q. Suppose -q*m + 0*m = -15. Suppose 0 = -x + 2*x. Solve m = -3*p - x*p for p.
-1
Let l = -11 - -18. Let i = -6 + l. Let c(h) = 5*h**2 + h - 1. Let q be c(i). Solve q = 3*p + 2*p for p.
1
Let i be 1 + 1/(3/9). Let y = 0 + 3. Suppose -y*u + 16 = u. Solve i + 0 = u*n for n.
1
Let x be 3/((-12)/4) + 8 + -3. Solve 0 = x*z + z - 5 for z.
1
Let k = 7 + -4. Solve z + 20 = -k*z for z.
-5
Suppose -7*w = -33 + 5. Solve -w*x = -6 - 10 for x.
4
Let h be ((-108)/45)/((-24)/10 + 2). Solve -4*k - 10 = -h*k for k.
5
Suppose -3*d = -11*d + 64. Solve -d - 1 = 3*b for b.
-3
Let o be 8/5*10/4. Suppose 0 = -o*c - 12 - 0. Let f = c + 3. Solve 5*y + f = -5 for y.
-1
Let s = -7 + 12. Suppose -a = -2*w + 12, s*a + 6 = 2*w - 14. Solve w*u - 14 = 11 for u.
5
Let j = -53 + 56. Let a = -13 - -8. Let o be (-2 - a/j)*-6. Solve v + o = -v for v.
-1
Suppose -15*k + 144 = -14*k. Let m be k/7 - 4/7. Solve -5*n - m = 5 for n.
-5
Let q = 23 + -13. Solve q = -y + 6*y for y.
2
Let b(g) = -g**3 + 11*g**2 - 10*g - 12. Let j be b(9). Suppose j = -0*n + 3*n. Let y = -2 + 5. Solve -y*t = 2*t + n for t.
-4
Suppose -2*f = 25 - 7. Let c = -5 - f. Suppose 2*k = 3*k. Solve -c = -o - k*o for o.
4
Suppose -5*g + 2*g + 12 = 0. Suppose -7 = -g*y + 5. Let v = 1 + -1. Solve 0 = -y*b - v*b + 12 for b.
4
Suppose 0*a + 2*a - 2 = 0. Solve v - 4 = -a for v.
3
Let t(w) = -10*w. Let x be t(-1). Suppose 1 = 4*z - 7. Let y be -1 + 10*(-2)/(-4). Solve -z*j - x = -y*j for j.
5
Suppose -4*n = n. Solve n*c = -3*c - 6 for c.
-2
Let n(s) = s + 1. Let p be n(1). Solve -t + 2*t = -p for t.
-2
Let p be 1*5 + (-2)/1. Let z be (-4 - 3/(-1))*0. Let r be 0/p + z + 3. Solve -12 = -7*c + r*c for c.
3
Suppose 0 = 3*x + x - 44. Suppose x = 2*t + 3. Solve t = -5*l - 16 for l.
-4
Suppose 1 = -j, -4*j + 0*j = u + 7. Let p = 15 + u. Solve -3*v + 0 = -p for v.
4
Let a be (-1 + 18/8)*4. Let v be (32/(-6))/((-38)/57). Solve -v = -a*x + x for x.
2
Let s(y) = -y - 5. Let v be s(-6). Let t = 1 + v. Suppose -m - 2*m = 2*l - 67, 3*m - t*l = 83. Solve 0 = 6*q - q - m for q.
5
Suppose 15 = -2*n + 7*n. Solve 3*d = -0 + n for d.
1
Suppose 6 = 2*x - 0*x. Suppose 0 = -4*d + x + 5. Suppose -q + 0*w = -d*w - 11, 5*q = -5*w - 5. Solve -q = -o - 4 for o.
-1
Suppose 0 = -5*h + 35 + 10. Let w(s) = s - 6. Let m be w(h). Solve i + 5 = m for i.
-2
Let y be -2 + 0 + 6 + -2. Suppose 0 = -y*r - 3*r - 45. Let h = -5 - r. Solve -2 = n - h for n.
2
Let j(p) be the first derivative of p**5/120 - p**4/24 - 2*p**3/3 - 2. Let h(m) be the third derivative of j(m). Let d be h(1). Solve 4*u + 0*u + 4 = d for u.
-1
Let h = -3 - 27. Let b be 24/h*5/(-2). Solve t = -1 - b for t.
-3
Suppose -17 - 1 = -2*h. Let b = 11 - h. Let s be 0/(2/(0 + b)). Solve s = -4*q + 8 + 4 for q.
3
Let t be (4 + 1)/(4 + -3). Suppose t = b + 1. Suppose d - 5*d = -b. Solve -3*p = 10 - d for p.
-3
Let o(l) = l**3 - 15*l**2 - 17*l + 20. Let k be o(16). Suppose -q = 2*y + 3*y + 4, 4*q - 32 = 4*y. Solve -r = k - q for r.
2
Let u(v) = 2*v**2 - 3*v + 3. Let a be u(2). Let q = 9 - a. Suppose 0 = -q*t - 3*k + 7 + 7, 4*t - 2*k - 4 = 0. Solve -6 + 2 = t*i for i.
-2
Suppose 3*j - 2*j - 25 = -4*q, 2*q = 4*j - 154. Suppose 3*r - j = -5*t, 4*r + 2*t = -3*t + 41. Solve 0*m = -r*m + 12 for m.
3
Suppose -4*i - 11 = -3, -2*i + 1 = b. Suppose 3*x + 5*m - 9 = 0, -b*m - 12 = 2*x - 6*x. Solve -x = -4*l + 9 for l.
3
Suppose r - 4*x = -r - 2, -3*r = 4*x + 3. Let k be 0/(r/(1/2)). Let y(o) = o**2 - 5*o + 6. Let t be y(2). Solve t = c + 3 - k for c.
-3
Let r(c) = -c**3 + 6*c**2 + 6*c + 10. Let h be r(7). Let a be h/((-2)/((-8)/6)). Solve n = a*n for n.
0
Suppose -m - 4*m = 0. Suppose m = 2*q - 6*q + 8. Suppose -2*w = -q*c - 12, 5*w + 3*c + 0*c - 30 = 0. Solve -3*u + w = -0 for u.
2
Let i = -6 + 6. Suppose a - 31 = -2*a - 4*g, -3*a = -2*g - 7. Solve i*f - a = -5*f for f.
1
Let u(l) = l**3 - 8*l**2 + 8*l - 5. Let i be u(7). Suppose -4*f + 6 = -i. Solve -f*b + 0 = -4 for b.
2
Let x be ((-12)/(-15))/(2/5). Suppose -3*n - 4*u + 37 = 0, 4*n - x*u = n + 49. Let h = n - 11. Solve -4 = -h*d - 0 for d.
1
Let x(i) = i**2 + i - 6. Let b be x(-3). Solve b*w - 2 = -2*w for w.
1
Let j(d) = d**2 - 5*d + 2. Let b be (-10)/8 + 6/(-8). Let t be 5*(1 + b + 2). Let x be j(t). Solve 20 = -3*v - x*v for v.
-4
Let t(p) = p - 1. Let b be t(2). Solve -4*k = b + 3 for k.
-1
Let d(x) = -x**3 + 6*x**2 + 8*x - 5. Let p be d(7). Let h = 6 - p. Solve -q + 5*q = h for q.
1
Let m be (8/6)/(6/9). Suppose 6*l - m*l = 16. Solve -l*s = -0*s - 12 for s.
3
Let k be 3/9 - (-1)/(-3). Solve -j + k*j = -2 for j.
2
Let k be ((-8)/10)/(1/(-5)). Let z = k + -4. Suppose g - 6*g = 25, -d - 5*g = 23. Solve z = d*t - 2 + 8 for t.
-3
Suppose -3*w + 11 + 49 = 0. Let r(z) = z**2 - 6*z - 7. Let j be r(8). Let h = j + -5. Solve 0*i = h*i + w for i.
-5
Suppose 5*g - 54 = 41. Let o be 0/2 - (-38)/g. Solve -o*f = -0*f for f.
0
Suppose 4*y - 9 - 11 = 0, 4*k + y = 13. Solve -4*o + 2 = -k for o.
1
Let r be ((-8)/20)/(2/(-90)). Let n be (-12)/10*(-60)/r. Suppose n*k = k. Solve 0 = p - k + 3 for p.
-3
Let q(l) = -l**3 - 2*l**2 + l - 3. Let x be q(-3). Solve b + 2 = -x for b.
-5
Let o = 0 + 5. Suppose 2*a - 10 - 12 = -4*p, -2*p = 5*a - 15. Solve 0 - p = o*r for r.
-1
Let q(n) = -n**2 + 7*n - 2. Let j be q(6). Let d(m) = 2*m**3 - 2*m**2 + 3*m. Let y be d(2). Suppose -2 = 4*k - 22, 4*k - y = 3*r. Solve j + r = 3*g for g.
2
Suppose -6*r + 6 = -4*r. Solve -r*d = -5*d for d.
0
Let c(n) = n**3 - 2*n**2 - 2*n + 5. Let q be c(3). Solve -4*t - 20 + q = 0 for t.
-3
Let t(q) = -q + 13. Let o be t(10). Let v(f) = -f**2 + 4*f - 3. Let y be v(o). Solve y = -2*m + 6 + 2 for m.
4
Let c(m) = -3 + 7 + 2 - 1 - m. Let l be c(-5). Solve -2*h + 7*h - l = 0 for h.
2
Suppose 0 - 8 = -4*t + 4*y, 3*t - 4*y - 4 = 0. Let a = 4 - 2. Let h be (a + 1)*(-3 - -4). Solve t*u - 1 = h for u.
1
Suppose 3*p = -0*p + 12. Solve p*s + 0 + 12 = 0 for s.
-3
Suppose -4*p + 10 + 6 = 4*g, -2*p = -2*g - 12. Let l(i) = 69*i**2 + 2*i + 1. Let c be l(g). Suppose -2*j - 2*j = -c. Solve 3*n - j + 2 = 0 for n.
5
Let c(n) = -n**2 + 16*n - 24. Let j be c(14). Let g(h) = -h - 1. Let z be g(-3). Solve 0 = j*b - z*b + 2 for b.
-1
Let m be (2 - 1)/(1/(-5)). Let q(v) = -9*v**2 + v. Let w be q(1). Let f = m - w. Solve 0 = -0*s + s - f for s.
3
Let q be 2 + 0 + 4/2. Suppose 18*p - 15*p = 0. Solve q*l = -p*l for l.
0
Let t(w) = -w**3 + w**2 + 6. Let d be t(0). Let n be (6/(-9))/((-4)/6). Suppose x + n = 3*y, -3*x - y = -0*y - 7. Solve 0 = x*p + p - d for p.
2
Let z = 138 + -135. Solve z*i - i + 4 = 0 for i.
-2
Suppose 2*l + 2 = -0. Let h be (l + -1*2)/(-1). Suppose p - 2 = -2*a, -3*p - h*a = -2*a - 6. Solve -p*x = -x + 3 for x.
-3
Suppose -5*d + 51 - 36 = 0. Solve 4*c + 5 = d*c for c.
-5
Let d = 13 - 9. Let x = d + -11. Let z be -1 + 0 - (x - -3). Solve -5*y + 2*y + z = 0 for y.
1
Let o(d) = -d**3 + 2*d**2 + 2. Let b be o(2). Suppose b*f = -2*a + 5*f + 16, a = 5*f + 15. Solve a*g = -7 + 2 for g.
-1
Let d(t) = -t**3 - 6*t**2 - 6*t - 4. Let q be d(-5). Solve 2*n + q = -1 for n.
-1
Let g be 10*((0 - 1) + 3). Solve 6*x - x = -g for x.
-4
Let j(d) = d**3 + 14*d**2 + 17*d - 8. Let o(n) = -5*n**2 - 6*n + 3. Let s(q) = -4*j(q) - 11*o(q). Let k be s(-1). Solve k*r = 2*r + 2 for r.
1
Let b(z) = -z**3 - 12*z**2 - 11*z + 2. Suppose -9 = 5*f + 46. Let u be b(f). Solve -u - 4 = 3*l for l.
-2
Suppose 7*m = 4*m + 9. Let f be (-6)/27 + (-16)/9. Let q be (5/(-10))/(f/80). Solve s + m*s = -q for s.
-5
Suppose -3*l + 6*l + 21 = 0. Let y = -7 - -5. Let g be 46/14 - y/l. Solve -g - 7 = -5*a for a.
2
Suppose -2*y + y + 2*j = -4, 4*y = j + 9. Solve -2*z = y*z + 12 for z.
-3
Suppose -5 = -2*i - 3. Suppose -o + l = -8, -o - 2*l - i = 2*o. Solve -1 - 2 = -o*v for v.
1
Suppose -2 = 4*z + 2*x, z + 4*z + 4*x = -7. Let c be z/((-18)/10 - -2). Solve 4*a - c*a = 3 for a.
-3
Suppose 2*s + 2*h + 3*h - 22 = 0, 0 = s - h - 4. Solve 2*f + s = -f for f.
-2
Let n be (-10)/35 - 24/14. Let d be ((-6)/(-4))/(n/(-4)). Solve d = -4*g + g for g.
-1
Let j(k) = k**2 + k + 3. Let i be j(3). Solve i = -2*f - 3*f for f.
-3
Suppose -16 = q - 21. Suppose -4*u = -u. Let m(i) = -2*i**3 |
NBA Targets: October 25th
The NBA season is finally here, and we tip-off the first night with a three-game slate. Although it is a small slate, there are still a decent amount of studs to choose from, so let’s dive right in.
Point Guard
Stud
Stephen Curry ($9,600) – Curry averaged 0.82 points per minute in the preseason, and although this Warriors team is loaded with a lot of talent, based on the preseason, Curry remains one of the top options on this team. He also has a favorable matchup against Tony Parker who is another year older and will likely have trouble keeping up with Curry. In three of the four games against the Spurs last season, Curry topped 50 DraftKings points. He is also under $10,000 which is a plus as he was a five figure salary player for most of last season.
Other Options – Damian Lillard $8,500, Kyrie Irving $8,000
Value
George Hill ($5,300) – Hill averaged 9.2 shot attempts in 22.8 minutes per game in the preseason. Assuming he plays the 30+ minutes he is expected to play, we could see him take upwards of 12 shot attempts. Based on the preseason, it is clear that he has been given the green light to be more aggressive on his new team. In two games against the Blazers last season, Hill averaged 28.2 minutes per game, 13.5 shot attempts, 16 points, four assists, 3.5 rebounds and 26.4 DraftKings points per game. Last season, Portland was amongst the top 12 in game pace. The potential game flow could play into Hill’s favor, and he comes at a reasonable price.
WATCH: NBA MATCHUPS – RODNEY HOOD
Shooting Guard
Stud
C.J. McCollum ($6,300) – Some people might be concerned about the matchup because the Jazz play at a very slow pace, but McCollum has fared well against them in the past. Last season, in four games against the Jazz, he exceeded value 75 percent of the time by an average of 6.85 points, per Fantasy Labs. He hit 6X in two of those games, smashing value each of those times. If you look back at last season, his average salary against the Jazz was $7,150, making him a bargain to start the season. He is one of my top options at the guard position in tonight’s slate. Keep in mind, he is eligible for the point guard position and could be played in that slot if you are trying to spend less there.
Other Options – Klay Thompson $6,500
Value
Jonathon Simmons ($3,000) – Simmons sat out of the preseason finale with a calf contusion, but he is expected to play in the season opener against the Warriors. The Spurs will be without Danny Green, so Simmons could see some extra minutes in this contest. The Warriors play paced up, which could create more opportunities for Simmons. At min price and potentially playing 20-25 minutes in this contest, he has a good shot at hitting value and possibly exceeding it. Keep an eye on his status prior to lineup lock, but at this time he is expected to give it a go.
Other Options – Courtney Lee $3,700
Small Forward
Stud
LeBron James ($9,000) – James took it easy in the preseason, averaging 18.6 minutes per game, but now that the regular season is underway, he should play his regular 35+ minutes. He averaged 50 DraftKings points per game in four games against the Knicks last season. Melo is not known for his defensive skills, so LeBron should be able to score at will. It is worth noting, that he is eligible for the power forward position as well.
Value
Maurice Harkless ($3,700) – Harkless will get the start at small forward in the season opener for the Trail Blazers. He earned this by outperforming Evan Turner in the preseason, but I anticipate both will play relatively similar minutes. Harkless finished last season on a positive note and even logged in some big minutes in the post season and posted solid numbers. At this price, he should be considered a bargain and he see anywhere between 22-26 minutes in this contest. He averaged nearly a point per minutes in four games against the Jazz last season, averaging 22 DraftKings points per game.
Other Options – Kyle Anderson $3,500, Evan Turner $4,700
WATCH: NBA MATCHUPS – LEBRON JAMES
Power Forward
Stud
Kevin Love ($7,000) – Against the Knicks last season, Love averaged 37 DraftKings points per game and a double-double. He didn’t log many minutes during the preseason and should be well rested for a matchup that favors him. Keep in mind, he is eligible for the center position, and with the lack of options there tonight, he is certainly an option.
Value
Al-Farouq Aminu ($4,400) – Portland is a deep team this season, and aside from Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, scoring will likely be inconsistent for the most part, but Aminu contributes in several categories aside from points such as rebounds and three-pointers. In his last 10 games of last season, he had four double-doubles. He was very hit or miss in the 2015-16 season but at this price he offers 6X upside, which is what you want to shoot for in tournaments.
Center
Value
Mason Plumlee ($4,900) – On paper, this does not appear like the best matchup, but I think a center like Plumlee will be just fine against this front court. Rudy Gobert clogs up the paint and destroys post-play endlessly, but Plumlee is a center that plays everywhere except the paint. If you look back at last season, Plumlee averaged over a point per minute against the Jazz and double-digit rebounds per game. While he isn’t the safest play, there is plenty of upside and ownership should be low.
Other Options – Trey Lyles $3,600 (GPP only)
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Armando28) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above.
Latest Headlines From
Shaun Livingston • PG • GS
Shaun Livingston announces retirement from NBA
Livingston made the announcement on Instagram, putting an end to his 15-year career. He was waived this summer by the Warriors in order to clear space to add D'Angelo Russell to the roster. Livingston wasn't drawing much interest but there have been reports that coach Steve Kerr hopes he remains with the organization, potentially as an assistant coach. Livingston was with eight different organizations after being drafted fourth overall in the 2004 draft by the Clippers, but most notably was with the Warriors for the past five seasons, where he won all three of his career championships.
Several teams were reportedly interested, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that Johnson ultimately landed with the Pistons. He shined in the Big 3 League and ended up walking away with an MVP trophy playing in the 3-on-3 format. While he'll contribute some scoring from Detroit's backcourt, he likely will take on a bench role and would be a pure matchup play on a night-to-night basis. Last season with the Rockets, Johnson averaged 22 minutes per game with 6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. |
Jobst of Limburg
Jobst of Limburg (19 April 1560, Borculo, Gelderland - 7 August 1621) was count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, Lord of Styrum, Wisch and Borculo (1616), and the son of Hermann Georg of Limburg, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst.
He married in 1591 Countess Maria of Schauenburg and Holstein-Pinneberg and they had issue:
Hermann Otto I of Limburg-Styrum, count of Limburg and Bronckhorst, Lord of Styrum and Gemen (born 1592, died 17 Oct. 1644);
Wilhelm Friedrich of Limburg (died 1636);
Johann Adolf of Limburg (died 1624). He married Walpurga Anna von Daun, countess von Falkenstein (d.1618);
Georg Ernst of Limburg Stirum, count of Limburg Stirum, count of Bronckhorst, Lord of Wisch, Lichtenvoorde and Wildenborch (died 1666);
Bernhard Albrecht of Limburg and Bronckhorst (died 1669);
Anna Sophie of Limburg. She married (1st) Baron Johann von Morien and (2nd) Johann Melchior von Dombroeck;
Agnes Elisabeth of Limburg, Abbess of Elten (died 1641).
Literature
Genealogische Handbuch des Adels, Gräfliche Häuser A Band II, 1955;
W. Gf v. Limburg Stirum, "Stamtafel der Graven van Limburg Stirum", 's Gravenhage 1878;
Category:1560 births
Category:1621 deaths
Category:People from Berkelland
Category:Counts of Limburg
Category:Limburg-Stirum |
Filed
Washington State
Court of Appeals
Division Two
November 17, 2015
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION II
CHAMBERS CREEK LLC, a limited liability No. 46898-1-II
company registered to do business in
Washington,
Appellant,
v.
CHARLES SCHMIDT; and ANTHONY UNPUBLISHED OPINION
SCHMIDT,
Respondents.
JOHANSON, C.J. — Chambers Creek LLC (Chambers) appeals the trial court’s order
granting summary judgment to Anthony and Charles Schmidt (collectively the Schmidts) on
Chambers’ claims for civil conspiracy and conversion. Chambers argues that summary judgment
was improper because its settlement agreement with Coyote Excavating, Inc. (Coyote) does not
preclude its claims against the Schmidts and there are genuine disputes of material fact. In
response, the Schmidts argue that Chambers’ claims are barred by judicial estoppel and the
compulsory counterclaims doctrine.
We hold that (1) neither judicial estoppel nor the compulsory counterclaim doctrine bar
Chambers’ conspiracy and conversion claims, (2) Chambers’ settlement agreement with Coyote
does not preclude its claims against the Schmidts, (3) a genuine dispute of material fact exists such
No. 46898-1-II
that summary judgment was improper on Chambers’ conversion claim, but (4) summary judgment
was proper on the civil conspiracy claim. Therefore, we affirm summary judgment on the civil
conspiracy claim and reverse summary judgment and remand for trial on the conversion claim.
FACTS
I. 2011 NEGLIGENCE ACTION
In February 2010, Chambers contracted with Coyote for the demolition phase of a project
owned by Chambers at a former paper mill. Anthony1 was the principal of Coyote. Coyote
subcontracted much of the labor for the project to Dennis Zyph, an employee of Mica Creek
Custom Homes LLC. Coyote demolished several structures that contained asbestos,
contaminating large portions of the project site. In April 2011, Coyote quit Chambers’ demolition
project and left its equipment on Chambers’ property. In September 2011, Chambers sued Coyote
for negligence relating to the asbestos contamination seeking to recover the cleanup cost. Coyote
counterclaimed for conversion of several pieces of equipment that it left at the project site when it
walked off.2 Chambers asserted that it was holding the construction equipment to set off the cost
of cleaning up the asbestos contamination. Chambers and Coyote settled the negligence claim on
June 21, 2013. The notice of settlement provided,
“The parties have reached an agreement at mediation to a dismissal of the captioned
action including all claims by plaintiff against defendant and all claims by
defendant against plaintiff. The equipment currently in the possession of each party
shall remain in the possession of each party. The parties through their respective
1
We refer to Anthony and Charles Schmidt by their first names to avoid confusion when their
individual actions are important, intending no disrespect.
2
Coyote’s counterclaim is not in the record but it is undisputed that it left equipment and that
Chambers did not return it.
2
No. 46898-1-II
attorneys shall cause a Stipulated Dismissal with Prejudice, and without costs or
attorney fees to be entered of record forthwith.”
Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 27.
II. 2013 CONVERSION AND CIVIL CONSPIRACY ACTION
Anthony, as the principal of Coyote, prepared and signed a contract with Chambers that
required Coyote to sell scrap metals from the demolition project exclusively to Metro Metals.
While the negligence action was pending, Chambers discovered that Anthony had not sold all of
the scrap metal to Metro Metals, but instead had sold some portion of the scrap metal to R.S. Davis
and Seattle Iron & Metals. Tim Ralston, Chambers’ manager at the demolition project, declared
that neither he nor the subcontractor Zyph were involved in the sale of metals to R.S. Davis and
Seattle Iron. Coyote had left the demolition project in April 2011 and Ralston claimed that in the
fall of 2012, one of Coyote’s employees notified him of Anthony’s actions. Zyph declared that
Anthony approached him within 10 days of beginning work on the project and asked him to be
involved in a “side deal,” which Zyph understood to mean to sell “metal from the Mill Site without
the knowledge of the project owner, Chambers.” CP at 66. Zyph declined to participate.
Charles is Anthony’s father. Both Charles and Anthony admitted that they sold the scrap
metal to R.S. Davis and Seattle Iron. However, both declared that selling the scrap metal elsewhere
was part of Ralston’s plan to generate more cash flow for the demolition project, and Charles stated
that he learned after the sales that the metals were meant to be exclusively sold only to Metro
Metals. When delivering the scrap metal to R.S. Davis, Charles presented a letter from Zyph
purporting to authorize Charles to sell the scrap metal. Zyph declared that the letter was a forgery
and Anthony declared that he signed Zyph’s name on the authorization letter himself but that Zyph
gave “consent over the phone.” CP at 116.
3
No. 46898-1-II
Before Chambers and Coyote settled the negligence action there were several e-mail
exchanges between the parties’ attorneys that discussed Chambers’ conversion and civil
conspiracy claims against the Schmidts. In May 2013, Chambers filed suit against the Schmidts
alleging civil conspiracy and conversion. The Schmidts moved for summary judgment, arguing
that Chambers’ claims were barred under theories of judicial estoppel and the requirement to assert
compulsory counterclaims. The trial court granted summary judgment in the Schmidts’ favor on
both the conversion and civil conspiracy claims.3 Chambers appeals.
ANALYSIS
First we review and reject the Schmidts’ arguments regarding judicial estoppel and the
compulsory counterclaim doctrine. Then, we turn to Chambers’ argument that the settlement
agreement does not bar its action against the Schmidts. Finally, we analyze whether a genuine
dispute of material fact exists, thus rendering summary judgment on Chambers’ conversion and
civil conspiracy claims improper.
I. STANDARD OF REVIEW
We review the trial court’s summary judgment order de novo. Dean v. Fishing Co. of
Alaska, Inc., 177 Wn.2d 399, 405, 300 P.3d 815 (2013). Summary judgment is appropriate where
“the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the
affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving
party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” CR 56(c). A fact is “material” when it “‘affects
the outcome of the litigation.’” Elcon Constr., Inc. v. E. Wash. Univ., 174 Wn.2d 157, 164, 273
3
Chambers’ amended complaint also included a claim for “civil theft.” But Chambers abandoned
this claim in its response to the Schmidts’ summary judgment motion. CP at 41 (“Defendants
appear to be correct in that ‘civil theft’ appears to be a subspecies of conversion.”).
4
No. 46898-1-II
P.3d 965 (2012) (quoting Owen v. Burlington N. Santa Fe R.R., 153 Wn.2d 780, 789, 108 P.3d
1220 (2005)). We engage in the same inquiry as the trial court, we view the facts in a light most
favorable to Chambers, and we make all reasonable inferences from those facts in its favor as the
nonmoving party. Lyons v. U.S. Bank Nat’l Ass’n, 181 Wn.2d 775, 783, 336 P.3d 1142 (2014).
As the moving party, the Schmidts bear the initial burden of showing the absence of any genuine
issue of material fact. Kofmehl v. Baseline Lake, LLC, 177 Wn.2d 584, 594, 305 P.3d 230 (2013).
II. JUDICIAL ESTOPPEL
The Schmidts argue that summary judgment was proper because Chambers is judicially
estopped from alleging that the Schmidts converted the scrap metals because Chambers already
alleged and settled their claim that Coyote converted metal from the mill project. We disagree that
the Schmidts are entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law on the basis of judicial estoppel
because the Schmidts have not established that Chambers took a clearly inconsistent position.
A. RULES OF LAW
“‘Judicial estoppel is an equitable doctrine that precludes a party from asserting one
position in a court proceeding and later seeking an advantage by taking a clearly inconsistent
position.’” Anfinson v. FedEx Ground Package Sys., Inc., 174 Wn.2d 851, 861, 281 P.3d 289
(2012) (internal quotation marks omitted) (quoting Arkison v. Ethan Allen, Inc., 160 Wn.2d 535,
538, 160 P.3d 13 (2007)). “Three core factors” determine whether judicial estoppel applies: “(1)
whether ‘a party’s later position’ is ‘clearly inconsistent with its earlier position’; (2) whether
‘judicial acceptance of an inconsistent position in a later proceeding would create the perception
that either the first or the second court was misled’; and (3) ‘whether the party seeking to assert an
inconsistent position would derive an unfair advantage or impose an unfair detriment on the
5
No. 46898-1-II
opposing party if not estopped.’” Arkison, 160 Wn.2d at 538-39 (internal quotation marks omitted)
(quoting New Hampshire v. Maine, 532 U.S. 742, 750-51, 121 S. Ct. 1808, 149 L. Ed. 2d 968
(2001)).
B. CHAMBERS DID NOT TAKE A CLEARLY INCONSISTENT POSITION
Chambers’ amended complaint in the negligence action against Coyote did not mention
the scrap metal nor did it address possible claims for civil conspiracy and conversion. Instead, in
its response to Coyote’s summary judgment motion in the negligence action, Chambers stated that
it would file a separate suit against the Schmidts personally for conversion. In its e-mail
correspondence with Coyote’s attorney, Chambers said it planned to name the Schmidts
“personally on claims of conversion and civil conspiracy” and that it would file those claims
separately. CP at 155.
Chambers’ position during the negligence action was consistent with its position here—
that the Schmidts are personally liable for conversion and civil conspiracy. Arkison, 160 Wn.2d
at 538-39. Chambers intended to pursue those claims against the Schmidts personally and in a
separate action. The Schmidts fail to show how Chambers took a clearly inconsistent position in
the negligence action because Chambers did not previously claim conversion in the 2011 litigation.
We hold that judicial estoppel does not bar Chambers from pursuing its conversion and civil
conspiracy claims.
III. COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIMS UNDER CR 13(A)
Next, the Schmidts argue that summary judgment was proper because CR 13(a), the
compulsory counterclaim rule, required Chambers to bring its conversion claim in its prior
negligence action against Coyote. We disagree with the Schmidts.
6
No. 46898-1-II
A. RULES OF LAW
In general, a party’s failure to bring a compulsory counterclaim will bar a later action on
that claim. Schoeman v. New York Life Ins. Co., 106 Wn.2d 855, 863, 726 P.2d 1 (1986). CR
13(a) provides, in relevant part,
A pleading shall state as a counterclaim any claim which at the time of serving the
pleading the pleader has against any opposing party, if it arises out of the transaction
or occurrence that is the subject matter of the opposing party's claim and does not
require for its adjudication the presence of third parties of whom the court cannot
acquire jurisdiction.
Washington courts apply the “logical relationship” test to determine whether the claim and
counterclaim arose out of the same transaction or occurrence. Schoeman, 106 Wn.2d at 865-66.
This test asks whether the claim is logically related to the potential counterclaim. Schoeman, 106
Wn.2d at 865.
B. ALLEGED CONVERSION AROSE OUT OF A DIFFERENT TRANSACTION OR OCCURRENCE
The Schmidts point to their 2011 counterclaim for conversion of Coyote’s demolition
equipment against Chambers and argues that under CR 13(a), Chambers was required to bring its
claim for conversion of the scrap metal at the same time. The Schmidts’ argument fails.
The few facts about Coyote’s counterclaim that are in the summary judgment record
confirm that its claim against Chambers for conversion of its demolition equipment did not arise
out of the same transaction or occurrence as the Schmidts’ alleged scrap metal conversion. In
April 2011, Coyote quit Chambers’ demolition project and left its equipment on Chambers’
property. Chambers refused to return it, claiming the equipment as an offset for the cost of
cleaning the asbestos damage that Coyote caused. In September 2011, Chambers sued Coyote for
negligence relating to the asbestos contamination seeking to recover the cleanup cost, and Coyote
7
No. 46898-1-II
counterclaimed for the conversion of its equipment. It was not until a year later, in late 2012, that
Chambers learned of the Schmidts’ alleged scrap metal conversion. Additionally, Chambers did
not receive documentation from Seattle Iron confirming the Schmidts’ scrap metal sales until May
2013.
Chambers’ scrap metal conversion claim against the Schmidts did not arise out of the same
transaction as Coyote’s counterclaim in the negligence action for conversion of its equipment;
these claims were not logically related. Thus, CR 13(a) does not apply and Chambers was not
required to bring its conversion claim as a counterclaim.
IV. THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT
Chambers contends that the settlement agreement did not resolve its conversion and civil
conspiracy claims against the Schmidts. We conclude that a material issue of fact exists regarding
what claims were settled in the 2011 negligence action.
Here, as the moving party, it is the Schmidts’ burden to demonstrate that there is no dispute
of fact as to whether the settlement agreement resolved Chambers’ conversion and conspiracy
claims against them personally. Kofmehl, 177 Wn.2d at 594. The Schmidts fail to meet that
burden.
The notice of settlement in the negligence action stated,
“The parties have reached an agreement at mediation to a dismissal of the captioned
action including all claims by plaintiff against defendant and all claims by
defendant against plaintiff. The equipment currently in possession of each party
shall remain in the possession of each party. The parties through their respective
attorneys shall cause a Stipulated Dismissal with Prejudice, and without costs or
attorney fees to be entered of record forthwith.”
CP at 22 (emphasis added).
8
No. 46898-1-II
First, the notice of settlement does not explicitly resolve Chambers’ conversion and
conspiracy claims against the Schmidts. The notice of settlement plainly resolves all claims
between Chambers and Coyote—the plaintiff and defendant in the negligence action. The
Schmidts were not a party to the prior action and the settlement refers to dismissal of only the
“captioned action.” Further, there is no explicit reference to dismissal of the filed conversion and
conspiracy cause of action in the notice of settlement.
Second, in its September 2011 amended negligence complaint, Chambers made no mention
of its claims for conversion and conspiracy against the Schmidts, so settlement of “all claims by
plaintiff against defendant” and “dismissal of the captioned action” does not necessarily include
those claims. CP at 22.
Third, Chambers’ counsel corresponded by e-mail with Coyote’s counsel about the fact
that it was considering a claim for conversion against the Schmidts personally in a separate action.
One e-mail stated that “[b]oth Anthony and his father were involved in the unauthorized removal
and sale of metal. We intend to name both personally on claims of conversion and civil
conspiracy.” CP at 155. In another e-mail, Chambers’ counsel stated that his “client [was] still
pondering his options on the conversion claim. If he elects to go forward, I will file a separate
action. I think your advice to keep the claims separate is well taken.” CP at 156 (emphasis added).
Both e-mails suggest that even as Chambers was litigating its negligence claim against
Coyote, it intended to bring separate claims for civil conspiracy and conversion against the
Schmidts personally. In contrast, the Schmidts argue that an email from October 2011 between
Chambers and Anthony tends to show the threat of the conversion and conspiracy suit was used to
9
No. 46898-1-II
bring forth the settlement of the parties. At the very least, this raises a disputed fact as to whether
the settlement agreement was intended to resolve the conversion and conspiracy claims.
In light of Chambers’ pleadings, the language of the settlement agreement and the e-mail
correspondence between the parties, the Schmidts have not met their initial burden to demonstrate
that there is no dispute of fact as to whether the settlement agreement resolved Chambers’ claims
against them. Indeed, it seems reasonable to conclude that the settlement agreement was not
intended to resolve Chambers’ suit against the Schmidts. Accordingly, we agree with Chambers
that summary judgment was improper on this basis.
V. GENUINE ISSUES OF MATERIAL FACT
Chambers argues that summary judgment on its conversion claim and its civil conspiracy
claim was inappropriate because genuine issues of fact exist. We agree in part.
A. CONVERSION
Here, Chambers argues regarding its conversion claim that a genuine issue of material fact
exists as to whether it authorized the Schmidts’ scrap metal sales because Ralston, a Chambers’
employee, and Zyph, a subcontractor, both declared that they did not approve the sale. The
Schmidts argue that Zyph’s and Ralston’s declarations and Ralston’s testimony were insufficiently
specific about the Schmidts’ scrap metal sales and contain no evidence that conversion actually
took place. We agree with Chambers.
A claim of conversion requires the plaintiff to prove three elements: (1) that the Schmidts
intentionally interfered with Chambers’ property, the metal, (2) by taking the property or retaining
it unlawfully, and (3) that the Schmidts thereby deprived Chambers, the rightful owner, of
10
No. 46898-1-II
possession. Aldaheff v. Meridian on Bainbridge Island, LLC, 167 Wn.2d 601, 619, 220 P.3d 1214
(2009).
Anthony, as the principal of Coyote, prepared and signed the contract with Chambers that
required Coyote to sell scrap metals from the demolition project exclusively to Metro Metals.
Anthony declared that he delivered the scrap metals to Seattle Iron personally and that he directed
Charles to deliver scrap metals to R.S. Davis. From Anthony’s own statements there is no dispute
that (1) Chambers owned the scrap metals and (2) the Schmidts deprived Chambers of possession
of the scrap metals when they sold the metals to Seattle Iron and R.S. Davis.
But whether the Schmidts sold the scrap metals unlawfully or whether they had Chambers’
permission is a material disputed fact. This issue “‘affects the outcome of th[is] litigation’”
because if Chambers authorized the Schmidts’ scrap metal sales to Seattle Iron and R.S. Davis, the
Schmidts did not sell the scrap metals “unlawfully” and no conversion occurred. Elcon Constr.,
Inc., 174 Wn.2d at 164 (quoting Owen, 153 Wn.2d at 789).
Zyph declared that Anthony asked him if he was interested in a “‘side deal,’” which he
understood to mean that they would be “selling metal from the Mill Site without the knowledge of
the project owner, Chambers.” CP at 66. Zyph declared further that the letter Charles presented
to R.S. Davis was forged and that he never authorized that sale. Ralston also declared that he “did
not authorize the sale of metal to either R.S. Davis or Seattle Iron [and that n]either [he], nor Mr.
Zyph to [his] knowledge received any portion of the proceeds.” CP at 137.
11
No. 46898-1-II
In contrast, the Schmidts declared that Ralston directed them to find another buyer for the
scrap metal in order to improve cash flow for the demolition project. Anthony also testified that
he did not forge Zyph’s letter to R.S. Davis but signed it on Zyph’s behalf with his authorization.
These conflicting declarations and testimony confirm the existence of a genuine dispute as to
whether Chambers authorized the Schmidts’ scrap metal sales to R.S. Davis or Seattle Iron.
Accordingly, summary judgment on this basis was improper.
B. CIVIL CONSPIRACY CLAIM
Chambers argues that Charles’s “involvement in removing metal” from the project site
supports an inference that he was involved in the scrap metal conversion and therefore participated
in a civil conspiracy. We disagree.
A civil conspiracy requires clear, cogent, and convincing proof that “(1) two or more
people combined to accomplish an unlawful purpose, or combined to accomplish a lawful purpose
by unlawful means; and (2) the conspirators entered into an agreement to accomplish the object of
the conspiracy.” Wilson v. State, 84 Wn. App. 332, 350-51, 929 P.2d 448 (1996) (citing Corbit v.
J.I. Case Co., 70 Wn.2d 522, 528-29, 424 P.2d 290 (1967)). A suspicion or “commonality of
interests is insufficient to prove a conspiracy.” Wilson, 84 Wn. App. at 351 (citing Corbit, 70
Wn.2d at 529). If the facts and circumstances on which the plaintiff bases his claim of conspiracy
are “as consistent with a lawful purpose as with an unlawful undertaking,” the facts are insufficient
to establish a conspiracy. All Star Gas, Inc. of Wash. v. Bechard, 100 Wn. App. 732, 740, 998
P.2d 367 (2000) (quoting Lewis Pac. Dairymen’s Ass’n v. Turner, 50 Wn.2d 762, 314 P.2d 625
(1957). When applying the clear, cogent, and convincing evidence standard in the summary
judgment context, we must determine “whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable
12
No. 46898-1-II
to the nonmoving party, a rational trier of fact could find that the nonmoving party supported [its]
claim with clear, cogent, and convincing evidence.” Woody v. Stapp, 146 Wn. App. 16, 22, 189
P.3d 807 (2008).
Here, there is evidence that Anthony directed Charles to deliver scrap metals to R.S. Davis
and that Charles complied. Ralston testified that he saw Charles on the project site several times,
that Charles told Ralston that he owned the equipment Anthony was using to complete the project,
and that Anthony owed Charles some money for it.
Chambers relies on the fact that Charles drove scrap metals to R.S. Davis and that Coyote
had financial problems as evidence of an agreement to commit civil conspiracy such that summary
judgment was inappropriate. However, this argument ignores the burden of proof. A civil
conspiracy must be proven by clear, cogent, and convincing evidence. Wilson, 84 Wn. App. at
350-51. Here, there is no evidence that Charles knew that Anthony had entered into a contract
with Chambers to sell the scrap metal exclusively to Metro Metals. Without evidence that Charles
knew the sale to R.S. Davis was unauthorized by Chambers there is no evidence that two or more
persons combined to accomplish a lawful purpose by unlawful means. Although Anthony and
Charles both participated in the sale of scrap metal to R.S. Davis, no rational trier of fact could
conclude that there is clear, cogent, and convincing evidence that Charles and Anthony entered
into an agreement to unlawfully convert the scrap metals. Therefore, the trial court properly
granted summary judgment on the civil conspiracy claim.
13
No. 46898-1-II
In conclusion, we affirm the trial court’s summary judgment order as to Chamber’s civil
conspiracy claim. But we reverse summary judgment as to Chambers’ conversion claim and
remand for trial.
A majority of the panel having determined that this opinion will not be printed in the
Washington Appellate Reports, but will be filed for public record in accordance with RCW 2.06.040,
it is so ordered.
JOHANSON, C.J.
We concur:
WORSWICK, J.
MELNICK, J.
14
|
This invention relates in general to data backup systems and in particular, to a system for storing data in one or more backup tape devices.
In many distributed computer environments such as the personal computer local area networks (PC LANs), it is necessary to record data as backup. This is crucial, for example, in certain networks such as in networks for recording airline reservations.
Network backup applications, like other types of data management, is faced with new challenges in distributed environments such as PC LANs.
Because data is often distributed among many nodes on a net, backup performance has been a real problem. In fact, none of the current strategies have significantly reduced "network overhead." However, this invention introduces a new technology which provides a very elegant solution to the apparent complexity of distributed data management. Discussed below are the advantages of shared network backup in the light of this new technology. Specifically, this new technology disspells the myth that a fileserver based solution is the only way to achieve high performance.
Plenty has been written about the details of the more common backup solutions. Highlighted below are aspects of these existing applications which are germaine to the goals of the invention.
The earliest network backup applications put the tape device at a workstation, providing a backup solution for files which could be accessed over the network as well as local data. The performance of these applications were limited by local disk performance and network communication overhead. The result is software which, however functional, falls quite short of the performance capabilities of the streaming tape devices being introduced into the market. For some time, these particular applications were the only way of doing full server disk backups, which greatly intensified the performance problem.
Today, "shared" backup systems which put the tape device at the file server have become popular. Some of these can back server data up at the theoretical rate of the streaming tape device. They can also be used to back up other servers as well as work stations on the net. However, all data not residing at the "host" server is still backed up quite slowly while continuing to significantly impact the network.
The problem remains, then, that unless a tape device is positioned at nearly every node, overall performance is low and the impact to the network is high. The result is that, for a grouping number of functioning LANs, this essential data management function continues to interrupt normal network operations for prohibitively long periods. These applications purport to add value to streaming tape devices. But, because they have not beerable to fully utilize device potential, they have actually been value reducing. |
---
abstract: 'The electronic structure of the rational approximants 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb and 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca to the stable icosahedral CdYb and CdCa quasicrystals is studied by the full-potential linear augmented plane wave method. A comparison is made between several structural models. We show that the (relativistic) spin-orbit (SO) interaction and electronic correlations that are not described by the usual local density approximation, are essential for an accurate description of the electronic structure. In particular, we show that the SO interaction is responsible for a splitting of the Cd-4*d* and Yb-4*f* peaks, and that the experimental peak positions can be reproduced by including a Hubbard $U$ term in the Hamiltonian \[$U$(Cd) $= 5.6$ eV, $U$(Yb) $= 3.1$ eV\]. Our results show very good agreement with a photo-emission (PE) spectrum of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb \[R. Tamura, Y. Murao, S. Takeuchi, T. Kiss, T. Yokoya, and S. Shin, Phys. Rev. B **65**, 224207 (2002)\] and a $350$ eV PE spectrum of 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca, which we present in this paper. Without the relativistic and correlation effects even a qualitative agreement with the PE spectra cannot be achieved.'
author:
- 'E. S. Zijlstra'
- 'S. K. Bose'
- 'R. Tamura'
title: 'Electronic states in 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb and 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca: Relativistic, correlation, and structural effects'
---
The recently discovered binary icosahedral quasicrystals (QCs) *i*-CdYb [@Guo00cdyb] and *i*-CdCa [@Guo00cdca] have received considerable attention. Their electronic structures have been calculated and analyzed [@Ishii01] from the viewpoint of their stability and differences with respect to ternary Al-based QCs. The purpose of this communication is to point out that two elements ignored in previously published calculations, namely, the spin-orbit (SO) coupling and correlation effects, are of crucial importance for an accurate description of the electronic structure of these QCs. In addition, this communication addresses the issue of the stability of various structural models proposed for the 1/1 approximants of these QCs.
The binary icosahedral QCs *i*-CdYb and *i*-CdCa were discovered [@Guo00cdyb; @Guo00cdca] in 2000. Prior to this discovery the most studied QCs were the ternary alloys *i*-AlCuFe, *i*-AlPdMn, *i*-AlPdRe, *d*-AlNiCo, and *d*-AlCuCo. It has been anticipated [@Guo00cdyb] that binary QCs simplify the analysis of experimental properties. The study of *i*-CdYb and *i*-CdCa has indeed shed light on properties that are arguably still not well understood in the above-mentioned ternary QCs, such as the negative temperature coefficient of the resistivity [@Tamura03ntc] and the origin of the pseudogap in the electronic density of states (DOS). [@Ishii01; @Tamura04hybridization]
Theoretically the binary QCs require a more sophisticated approach than the above-mentioned ternary QCs because of the relatively heavy elements they contain: As we will show, the (relativistic) SO interaction and electron-electron interactions that are not described by the usual local density approximation (LDA), cannot be ignored. Because these effects are most prominent in *i*-CdYb, we will focus on this QC.
1/1 Cd$_6$Yb [@Palenzona71] is a rational approximant [@Takakura01] to *i*-CdYb. Its structure can be described [@Gomez03] as a bcc packing of interpenetrating icosahedral clusters (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]).
 Unit cell of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb (spacegroup I23). The Cd (small) and Yb atoms (large) form a shell structure. In the center Cd atoms are located on four vertices of a cube. The next shell (the dodecahedral cavity) consists of Cd atoms placed on the vertices of a dodecahedron. The third shell is a Cd icosidodecahedron composed of triangles and pentagons. Yb atoms are located at the centers of the pentagons. The remaining Cd atoms and Cd atoms of the icosidodecahedra in neighboring unit cells (not shown) form a defect triacontahedron (Ref. ).](xyz){width="8.0cm"}
*i*-CdYb is composed of the same clusters. [@Ryan01; @Sato02] Whereas the exact structure of *i*-CdYb has not been determined, the structure of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb is known. Some uncertainty exists only about the positions of the four Cd atoms inside the so-called dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca is isostructural with 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb: Ca atoms replace Yb. In this paper we present an *ab initio* electronic structure study of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb and 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca. Because of the structural proximity of the binary icosahedral QCs and their 1/1 approximants we expect that our results that do not depend on the long-range order of these materials, are also valid for *i*-CdYb and *i*-CdCa.
We studied 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb and 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca with the computer program <span style="font-variant:small-caps;">wien</span>2k, [@Schwarz02version3] an implementation of the full-potential linear augmented plane-wave method [@Singh94] based on density functional theory. [@Kohn65] For the exchange and correlation potential we used the LDA. [@Perdew92] In our DOS calculations we included the SO coupling using the so-called “second variational treatment.” [@MacDonald80]
Although the LDA gives reliable optimal atomic positions for many materials, for the same materials it may fail to predict the proper electronic ground state. [@Czyzyk94] In particular, the LDA description of the electronic structure of compounds containing (strongly correlated) transition-metal *d* or rare-earth *f* electrons is often inadequate. [@Anisimov97] As we will show below, a good example of this shortcoming of the LDA is the wrong prediction [@Ishii01] for the position of the Yb-4*f* states in the DOS of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb. A qualitative improvement is achieved by the LDA + U method, [@Anisimov93] which takes into account the orbital dependence of the Coulomb and exchange interactions, which is absent in the LDA. [@Anisimov97]
We applied the LDA + U formalism of Ref. to the Cd-4*d* and the Yb-4*f* states. The orbital potentials felt by these states depend on two adjustable parameters: the Coulomb parameter $U$ (also called Hubbard $U$) and the exchange parameter $J$. For fully occupied orbitals like the Cd-4*d* and the Yb-4*f* states in 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb it is straightforward to show that the effect of $U$ and $J$ is to shift the orbital potential by $- \frac{1}{2} (U - J)$. Therefore we could choose $J = 0$ without loss of generality. We adjusted $U$ to find the best possible agreement with a photo-emission (PE) spectrum of Ref. and a PE spectrum that we present in this paper. Our optimal values are $U$(Cd) $= 5.6$ and $U$(Yb) $= 3.1$ eV
Different structural models have been proposed for 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb. They differ essentially only in the positions of the four Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). Structural details are often important for the electronic structure. Therefore we made a comparison of the various structural models. In the original model [@Palenzona71] of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb the Yb and Cd atoms are on the same positions (scaled by the lattice parameter $a$) as Ru and Be in Ru$_3$Be$_{17}$ (Ref. ). Four additional Cd atoms are located [@Palenzona71] on four vertices of a cube \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](a)\] inside the dodecahedral cavity.
 Models of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb differ from each other in the positions of the Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). These positions and the unit cells are schematically indicated for models with symmetries (a) I23, (b) Pn$\bar{\textrm{3}}$, (c) I222, (d) C2, and (e) Imm2 (See text).](I23 "fig:"){width="3.6cm"}  Models of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb differ from each other in the positions of the Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). These positions and the unit cells are schematically indicated for models with symmetries (a) I23, (b) Pn$\bar{\textrm{3}}$, (c) I222, (d) C2, and (e) Imm2 (See text).](Pn3 "fig:"){width="3.6cm"}  Models of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb differ from each other in the positions of the Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). These positions and the unit cells are schematically indicated for models with symmetries (a) I23, (b) Pn$\bar{\textrm{3}}$, (c) I222, (d) C2, and (e) Imm2 (See text).](I222 "fig:"){width="3.6cm"}  Models of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb differ from each other in the positions of the Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). These positions and the unit cells are schematically indicated for models with symmetries (a) I23, (b) Pn$\bar{\textrm{3}}$, (c) I222, (d) C2, and (e) Imm2 (See text).](C2 "fig:"){width="3.6cm"}  Models of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb differ from each other in the positions of the Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity (Fig. \[fig\_xyz\]). These positions and the unit cells are schematically indicated for models with symmetries (a) I23, (b) Pn$\bar{\textrm{3}}$, (c) I222, (d) C2, and (e) Imm2 (See text).](Imm2 "fig:"){width="3.6cm"}
The spacegroup of this original model is I23 (Ref. ).
To calculate a good electronic DOS it is in general necessary to use accurate atomic positions. [@Zijlstra03almnsi; @Zijlstra04alcufe; @Zijlstra04mrs] In particular, idealized positions may lead to a DOS with unphysical features (spikes), [@Zijlstra03almnsi] a pseudogap at the Fermi energy $E_F$ that is too narrow, [@Zijlstra03almnsi] or shifted peaks. [@Zijlstra04alcufe] Therefore we have performed [@Zijlstra04mrs] a structural relaxation of the atomic positions of the original model of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb. Our final positions [@Zijlstra04mrs] are relatively close to the original positions. [@Palenzona71] During the structural relaxation the total energy decreased by $17$ meV / atom. In the DOS the peak around $E_F - 9$ eV became $14$ % narrower \[Figs. \[fig\_dos\](a) and \[fig\_dos\](b)\], indicating a reduced (spatial) overlap of the Cd-4*d* states.
Use of the generalized gradient approximation [@Perdew96] (instead of the LDA) resulted in marginally different atomic positions. The main changes in the DOS were a lowering of the Cd-4*d* states by $0.06$ eV and an increase of the Yb-4*f* peak by $0.01$ eV. In the present study we are not interested in such small differences. Therefore, we present results for the LDA only.
Electrical resistivity, specific heat, and electron diffraction experiments have suggested [@Tamura02pn3] that at low temperatures ($T < 110$ K) a structure with a simple cubic unit cell (spacegroup Pn$\bar{3}$) is favored over the bcc I23 structure. (Later experiments [@Tamura04noncubic] have indicated that the low-temperature phase is noncubic, but for computational reasons we will consider noncubic structures only in the body-centered models.) In the Pn$\bar{3}$ model the Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavities occupy vertices of cubes with an alternating orientation \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](b)\]. The DOSs of the original I23 and Pn$\bar{3}$ models are not significantly different. [@Ishii02] We relaxed the Pn$\bar{3}$ model. The total energy of the relaxed Pn$\bar{3}$ model was $0.4$ meV / atom lower than that of the relaxed I23 model. Further convergence studies would be necessary to establish whether this number is significant. For the present study, however, it suffices to say that we found that the DOSs of the relaxed I23 and Pn$\bar{3}$ models were practically identical, and that we therefore restricted ourselves to the computationally less involved body centered models, such as the I23 model \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](a)\].
Another modification of the I23 model has been proposed on the basis of a recent x-ray diffraction study. [@Gomez03] According to this study the central Cd atoms are located on vertices of a truncated cube \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](d)\]. When we tried to occupy four of these vertices, we found that there are only two inequivalent ways to do this (we discarded Cd-Cd nearest neighbor distances that were shorter than $2.4$ Å). The first possibility is that the Cd atoms are on vertices of a rectangular parallelepiped \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](c)\]. This structure has spacegroup I222. When we relaxed these atomic positions we found that the atoms moved to the positions corresponding to the I23 symmetry \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](a)\], indicating that the I222 structure is not stable. The second possibility is indicated in Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](d). The spacegroup is C2. When we relaxed the atomic coordinates of this model we found that the Cd atoms moved to positions somewhere in between vertices of a cube octahedron \[Fig. \[fig\_symmetry\](e)\] and vertices of an icosahedron. The spacegroup of this model is Imm2. The Imm2 model had a total energy that was $2$ meV / atom lower than that of the relaxed I23 model, indicating that the Imm2 structure is more stable than the I23 structure. The peak positions in the DOSs of the relaxed Imm2 and I23 models were equal within $0.01$ eV.
Summarizing our results so far, we found that the different models of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb had similar electronic DOSs. The only significant change was a narrowing of the Cd-4*d* peak after the structural relaxation of the original I23 model. It is of particular interest that the main features in the DOS were found to be insensitive to the precise positions of the four Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity, which is consistent with the theoretical result of Ref. that these Cd atoms are weakly bound and do not play an important role in stabilizing 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb. In the rest of this paper we present results for the model with the highest symmetry, i.e., the I23 model.
We calculated the electronic DOSs of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb and 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca. A separate structural relaxation was performed for 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca. Figure \[fig\_dos\]
![\[fig\_dos\]Electronic DOS of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb (spacegroup I23). (a) Original model (Ref. ). (b)–(d) Relaxed model (Ref. ). In (c) and (d) the SO interaction is included. (d) was calculated with the LDA + U method. All DOSs were convoluted with a Gaussian with a full width at half maximum of $30$ meV. The DOS in (d) is not as smooth as the other DOSs, because fewer **k** points were used to calculate it.](dos){width="8.0cm"}
shows our results for 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb obtained at various levels of sophistication. The result of Fig. \[fig\_dos\](a) was obtained without SO coupling or orbital potentials (Hubbard $U$s) for the original I23 model. It is essentially equal to the result of Ref. . The main features are the Cd-4*d* peak around $E_F - 9$ eV, one Yb-4*f* peak just below the Fermi energy, and a pseudogap near $E_F$. In Ref. it has been shown that this stabilizing pseudogap is formed as a consequence of hybridization between the free-electronlike *s* and *p* states and low-lying (unoccupied) Yb-5*d* states.
The DOSs of Ref. and Fig. \[fig\_dos\](a) are in disagreement with a PE spectrum [@Tamura02pes] of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb, in which there are two Yb-4*f* peaks around $2.0$ and $0.7$ eV below the Fermi energy. The $1.3$ eV split between these peaks is attributed [@Tamura02pes] to the SO interaction. It has been suggested [@Tamura02pes] that differences between the Yb-4*f* peak positions in the DOS of Ref. and in the PE spectrum of Ref. are due to a shape approximation for the potential that has been made in Ref. . The fact that our full-potential calculation is essentially equal to the result of Ref. shows that this is wrong. In fact, a comparison of Figs. \[fig\_dos\](b) and \[fig\_dos\](c) shows that the most obvious discrepancy between Fig. \[fig\_dos\](a) and the experiment, [@Tamura02pes] namely, the absence of the SO splitting in Fig. \[fig\_dos\](a), is a result of the absence of the SO interaction in the calculation.
As mentioned above the structural relaxation of the I23 model of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb led to a narrowing of the Cd-4*d* peak \[Figs. \[fig\_dos\](a) and \[fig\_dos\](b)\]. The SO interaction split the Yb-4*f* and Cd-4*d* peaks \[Fig.\[fig\_dos\](c)\]. By including a Hubbard-$U$ term in the Hamiltonian for the Cd-4*d* and Yb-4*f* states we could shift these peaks to lower energies \[Fig.\[fig\_dos\](d)\]. We adjusted the $U$s to get the best possible fit with the PE spectra shown in Figs. \[fig\_pes\_cdyb\] and \[fig\_pes\_cdca\].
 Comparison of the calculated DOS of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb with a PE spectrum (Ref. ). The DOS was convoluted with a Gaussian with a full width at half maximum of $200$ meV.](pes_cdyb){width="8.0cm"}
 Comparison of the calculated DOS of 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca with a PE spectrum (See text). The DOS was convoluted with a Gaussian with a full width at half maximum of $400$ meV.](pes_cdca){width="8.0cm"}
Our final DOSs reproduced the experimental peak positions very well (Figs. \[fig\_pes\_cdyb\] and \[fig\_pes\_cdca\]).
The PE spectrum of 1/1 Cd$_6$Ca (Fig. \[fig\_pes\_cdca\]) was measured by x-ray PE spectroscopy with an incident photon energy of $350$ eV at the temperature of $20$ K using a GAMMADATA-SICENTA SES2002 hemispherical analyzer. Details of the sample preparation have been given elsewhere. [@Tamura04hybridization] The Cd-4*d* states are greatly enhanced in the experimental spectrum since at this photon energy the cross section of the Cd-4*d* states is the largest among all the states that may contribute in this binding energy range: For instance, the cross section of Cd-4*d* is one or two orders of magnitude larger than those of Cd-5*s* and Ca-4*s*.
The SO interaction and the strong electronic correlations in 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb are not only important for the peak structure in the DOS, they are also essential for a proper description of the DOS near the Fermi energy. This is illustrated by a comparison of the electronic contributions to the specific heat, $$\label{eq_gamma}
\gamma = \frac{\pi^2}{3} k_B^2 \mathrm{DOS}(E_F) (1 + \lambda),$$ calculated at various levels of sophistication (Table \[table\_gamma\]),
[ldd]{} Calculation / Experiment &\
& &\
LDA calculation \[Fig. \[fig\_dos\](a)\] & 7.3\
LDA calculation \[Fig. \[fig\_dos\](b)\] & 7.4\
LDA + SO calculation \[Fig. \[fig\_dos\](c)\] & 11.8\
LDA + SO + U calculation \[Fig. \[fig\_dos\](d)\] & 6.1\
Experiment (Ref. ) & & 19.2\
Experiment (Ref. ) & & 7\
Experiment (Ref. ) & 51 & 7.5\
where we assumed that the phonon-correction factor $\lambda = 0$. (For a proper comparison with experiment $\lambda$ can, of course, not be ignored. [@Tamura01transport]) Experimental values of $\gamma$ are also given (Table \[table\_gamma\]). It is remarkable [@Dhar02] that $\gamma$ is much lower in the QC than in the 1/1 approximant (Table \[table\_gamma\]). This indicates a substantial rearrangement of states leading to a considerable lowering [@Dhar02] of the DOS at the Fermi energy in *i*-CdYb. This rearrangement of states could be due purely to geometrical effects (Hume-Rothery), or geometrical effects coupled with increased hybridization between the Yb-5*d* states and the free-electronlike *s* and *p* states, a scenario that still remains to be explored.
In 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb the Yb-4*f* states are fully [@Tamura01transport] occupied. The states at the Fermi energy have essentially no Yb-4*f* character. [@Tamura01transport] Therefore, the Yb-4*f* states do not contribute [@Tamura01transport] to transport properties or to the temperature dependence of thermodynamic properties. This is in clear contrast to the mixed-valent compound YbCuAl, in which the Yb-4*f* electrons are important for the heavy fermion character. [@Stewart84]
In conclusion, the four Cd atoms inside the dodecahedral cavity occupied vertices of a (deformed) cube octahedron in the most stable model of 1/1 Cd$_6$Yb. The main features in the electronic DOS were insensitive to the model used. To get a good agreement with PE spectra it was necessary to include the SO interaction in the Hamiltonian, which is responsible for the splitting of the Cd-4*d* and the Yb-4*f* peaks in the DOS. In addition, the Cd-4*d* and Yb-4*f* electrons have strong correlations that cannot be treated in the LDA. We could describe these correlations with the LDA + U method by including a Hubbard-$U$ term in the Hamiltonian for the Cd-4*d* and the Yb-4*f* states.
Financial support for this work was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Part of our calculations were performed on computers of SHARCNET (Hamilton, Canada). R. T. is indebted to Dr. T. Takeuchi and Prof. S. Takeuchi for a collaboration in the experiment.
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|
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MISSING TEENS
Greater Sudbury Police officers are searching for two 15-year-old girls who went missing Aug. 15.
Victoria Colard, 15, is described as being 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds. Her hair is coloured blonde, green and purple. She is believed to be wearing jeans with a black tank top, blue sweater and pink flip flops.
Morgan Hunt, 15, is 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds. She has blue eyes, and has piercings in her left nostril and lower right lip. Her hair is dyed brown.
These youths are known to frequent downtown Sudbury and the Frood Road area of Greater Sudbury. Their families have not seen them since Aug. 15.
The families of the youths are concerned for their well-being. Anyone who knows where they are asked to contact police at 705-675-9171 or Crime Stoppers at 705-222-TIPS, online at www.sudburycrimestoppers.comor by texting TIPSUD and the information to CRIMES (274637).
ARREST MADE IN ROBBERY
Greater Sudbury Police have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection to a robbery and stabbing Aug. 9 at the M&M Variety Store.
Lucas McHugh was arrested on Wednesday and charged with robbery with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and breach of probation.
During the robbery at the 257 Leslie St., store, the store clerk was stabbed with a screwdriver. He did not receive serious injuries and was treated that day at Health Sciences North.
COMMUNITY POLICING
Greater Sudbury Police officers visited the Donovan neighbourhood Wednesday to inform residents about thefts and break-ins that occurred in the area.
The operation was part of the Greater Sudbury Police Service’s Notification of Community Crime program.
Officers visited around 65 homes on Selkirk Street, Secord Crescent, Nicolet Street and Rio Road to inform residents about numerous thefts and break and enters.
Criminals breaking into your home can be deterred by the use of outdoor security lights and an alarm system, police said. |
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — If the human body were a stage, then proteins would rank among the lead actors in the play we call “Life.”
These large biological molecules hold many starring roles, and their lines are dictated by information encoded in our genes. They are production powerhouses, regulating the basic processes of living and controlling countless functions. Many are enzymes that produce or use energy. Others regulate genes.
Researchers are increasingly studying proteins as potential therapies for a variety of dread diseases because they can influence cell behavior by fueling or dampening certain molecular signals.
Now University of Florida researchers have coaxed liver and pancreatic cells within diabetic mice into churning out insulin by injecting the animals with a naturally occurring protein called Pdx1, opening up a new research avenue that someday could lead to safer treatments for type 1 diabetes. Pdx1 activates the genes controlling the development of the pancreas cells that make and release insulin to maintain safe levels of glucose in the body. The UF research team’s novel approach is described online in the journal Diabetes.
“Pdx1 is so special because it possesses a unique amino acid sequence that acts as a sort of molecular passport, allowing it to pass freely into cells, enter the nucleus and activate insulin production and release,” said lead scientist Dr. Li-Jun Yang, an associate professor of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine at UF’s College of Medicine.
Earlier research has shown that inserting the Pdx1 gene into liver or pancreas cells can induce insulin production, but most gene therapy methods use viruses to introduce a piece of genetically engineered DNA into cells. The disadvantage of such approaches is that researchers can never be certain the viruses are entirely harmless, Yang said.
The idea with protein therapy is that eventually a person’s own cells could be reprogrammed to naturally produce the hormone, restoring the body’s ability to properly regulate blood sugar levels without having to use a potentially hazardous virus to slip corrective genes into the body or having to transplant pancreatic cells from someone else. That could eliminate the adverse effects sometimes associated with gene therapy and eliminate the need for lifelong suppression of the immune system so transplanted cells are not rejected, Yang said.
“We sought to see what happens if we inject highly pure Pdx1 protein into (the abdomens of) diabetic animals,” said Yang, who is also a founder and head of the scientific advisory board for Transgeneron Therapeutics Inc., which seeks to develop Pdx1 as a treatment for diabetes. UF holds a provisional patent on Pdx1 protein therapy. “Amazingly, the treated mice did all the rest. Upon daily injection of this protein for 10 days into diabetic animals, their blood glucose levels became normalized within two weeks following the first injection. We repeated the experiment six times, and we got the reproducible result every time. What is remarkable is that the protein also promotes regeneration of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, allowing the diabetic mice to become normal.”
Yang said there is now reason to believe normal blood sugar levels can be maintained for long periods, suggesting that an infrequent Pdx1 injection might someday replace daily insulin injections. Even more importantly, the reprogrammed and regenerated cells should make and release insulin, automatically maintaining safe blood sugar levels, she said.
“Right now, promoting beta cell regeneration has become such a hot topic,” she added. “The trick is to figure out how to trigger glucose-regulated insulin-producing cells to regenerate.”
Still, the approach will have to be tested in studies that assess its safety before scientists could conduct patient trials to determine whether it works in people, studies that are still years away.
“What’s so innovative about UF’s approach is the ability to normalize blood glucose levels in diabetic mice simply by delivering Pdx1 protein in the target cells, thus effectively eliminating the side effects associated with gene therapy,” Yang said.
Dr. Joel Habener, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School whose research team was one of three groups that discovered Pdx1 and identified it as an important regulator of pancreas development, said using viruses as vectors for gene therapy in humans can pose problems because of the body’s immune reaction to them. He heralded the UF findings and said the idea of using a protein to correct a condition like diabetes is appealing because it is naturally occurring, “not a chemical compound that’s been synthesized from the mind of a chemist that’s a foreign substance.”
“What these findings teach is there is promise for a therapeutic approach to the treatment of diabetes,” he said. “I think one of the really major breakthroughs here is the demonstration of principle that the naked protein in and of itself can get into cells and cause changes that are remarkable in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes, the regeneration of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.” |
During the past few months we have had a very solid rally in the stock market, which has been accompanied by higher interest rates. Certainly, the economic results that have been released have not changed that much during that period, and thus we can conclude that the changes in the markets are not because of a change in fundamentals. This conclusion is not surprising, because often the markets trade on feelings rather than results.
We do know that the change in psychology is due to a change in leadership. New leadership and new policies bring a lot of uncertainty to the table. Generally, the markets do not like uncertainty. On the other hand, it is not unusual for optimism to trump uncertainty (excuse the pun). If the markets are optimistic that the changes will help the economy, high stock prices and higher rates are justified. Of course, it does help that the economy is already heading in the right direction.
As slow as it has been, the recovery has seen a precipitous drop in the unemployment rate and a net gain of several million jobs. Revving up an economy which is already growing requires much less energy, as opposed to turning around an economy. And that is what is likely making the markets more optimistic. It is unusual to apply stimulus to a growing economy, as opposed to moving an economy out of recession. On the other hand, too much stimulus to a growing economy could stimulate inflation, and this is the risk which is supporting higher rates. Remember, the markets are not always right regarding what will happen, because there is no way of accurately predicting the future. |
#ifndef VERSION_H
#define VERSION_H
#include <QString>
class Version {
public:
// Returns the current Mixxx version (e.g. 1.12.0-alpha)
static QString version();
// Returns the application name. (e.g. "Mixxx")
static QString applicationName();
// Returns the application title (e.g. "Mixxx x64" on Windows)
static QString applicationTitle();
// Returns the development branch (e.g. features_key) or the null
// string if the branch is unknown.
static QString developmentBranch();
// Returns the development revision (e.g. git3096) or the null string if the
// revision is unknown.
static QString developmentRevision();
// Returns the build flags used to build Mixxx (e.g. "hid=1 modplug=0") or
// the null string if the flags are unknown.
static QString buildFlags();
// Returns a list of the version of each dependency:
static QStringList dependencyVersions();
// Prints out diagnostic information about this build.
static void logBuildDetails();
};
#endif /* VERSION_H */
|
---
abstract: 'Radiation-hard ionization chambers were tested using an intense electron beam from the accelerator test facility (ATF) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). The detectors were designed to be used as the basic element for monitoring muons in the Main Injector Neutrino beamline (NuMI) at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL). Measurements of linearity of response, voltage dependence, and the onset of ionization saturation as a function of gap voltage were performed.'
address:
- 'Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260'
- 'Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin– Madison, Madison, WI, 53706'
- 'Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973-5000'
author:
- 'J. McDonald'
- 'C. Velissaris'
- 'B. Viren'
- 'M. Diwan'
- 'A. Erwin'
- 'D. Naples'
- 'H. Ping'
bibliography:
- 'nim.bib'
title: 'Ionization Chambers for Monitoring in High-Intensity Charged Particle Beams'
---
,
,
,
,
,
and
Introduction {#intro}
============
Future neutrino experiments will drive neutrino beams to intensity levels where beam secondary and tertiary monitoring systems must be concerned about effects of radiation damage on materials and detector response linearity. We have designed a radiation-hard ceramic pad ionization chamber (PIC) with small (adjustable 1-5 mm) gap thickness suitable for this environment. [@NuMiTRD] The device will be used to monitor secondary hadrons and muons in the NuMI neutrino beam for the MINOS experiment. This paper presents measurements performed at the ATF which demonstrate that the system can be used for monitoring charged particle intensities in the range $10^6-10^8$ particles/cm$^2$ in an 8$\mu$sec beam spill, suitable for which are the expected intensities at the MINOS muon monitors.
Minos Beam Environment
======================
The NuMI beam, composed primarily of $\nu_{\mu}$, will be produced from decays of secondaries generated when protons from the Main Injector at FNAL strike a graphite target. [@NuMiTRD] The neutrinos emerge from and decays in a 675 m decay pipe beginning 50 m downstream of a double horn focusing system.
In order to predict the beam flux at the far detector MINOS plans to use the neutrino beam spectrum measured at the near detector. However, neutrino events are collected too slowly at the near detector for spill by spill monitoring of the beamline performance. Beam monitors will be used to measure the distributions of secondary particles at the end of the decay pipe and of muons produced in the $K$ and $\pi$ decays at three locations (muon alcoves) in the earth, see Fig. \[mualcoves\]. This system is designed to be sensitive to beamline component alignment and performance and to provide feedback on the beam on a short time scale.[@NuMiTRD]
In order to monitor the muons in the beam, arrays of PIC detectors will be located immediately downstream of the hadron absorber and successively after 12 m and 18 m of earth in the muon alcoves. To ensure that these chambers will operate in the linear region, we have measured the saturation point (defined later in Sec. \[Results\]), the ionization response yield, the stability of the yield and its dependence on the applied electric field, as described in this paper.
![Schematic of the NuMI neutrino beamline. The absorber region and the locations of the beam monitoring stations are indicated in the right hand side of the figure. Figure is not to scale.[]{data-label="mualcoves"}](muonalcbw.eps){width="0.97\linewidth"}
ATF Beam
========
The Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) at Brookhaven National Laboratory provided the test beam to study the PIC response. The facility delivered 42 MeV electron bunches with pulse lengths of $\sim$10 ps and a range of intensities from 1 pC to 1 nC. [@atf] The beam spot size was typically between 1.0 and 1.2 cm$^2$ (85% containment), thus the typical intensity range available at the facility was $6\times10^6-6\times10^{9}$ particles/cm$^2$/10 ps.
PIC Description {#description}
===============
The is made of two metalized ceramic pads separated by laser cut ceramic washers at the corners to maintain the gap spacing. The ceramic pads are approximately 7.4 cm $\times$ 7.4 cm, a signal pad is shown in Fig. \[fig:front\]. A 0.304 mm gap separates the 1 cm thick guard ring from the active pad. The metalized-ceramic pad is produced commercially using a Platinum-Silver alloy and 1 mm thick ceramic wafers as the substrate by Amitron, Inc. of N. Andover, MA, USA. The components of the basic unit have been chosen for their radiation hardness and flatness of less than 1.35 $\mu$m per cm. The radiation dose in the muon alcoves will be approximately 10 MRads/year. [@Harris] Mechanical Properties of ceramic materials have been tested up to total radiation doses of 10 GRad. [@CERN8912]
![Front view of signal pad.[]{data-label="fig:front"}](signal_nim.eps){width="0.70\linewidth"}
Experimental Setup {#setup}
==================
The experimental setup is shown in Fig. \[fig:bc\]a. The detector pads were mounted in a thin window gas box upstream of the Faraday cup () and the (). The measured the total beam charge per pulse. The was used to measure the beam profile and consisted of a pair of strip ionization chambers. Each chamber had a set of seven 5 mm wide strips: one set oriented horizontally and the other vertically. Each had a gap size of 2.5 mm per plane. Both the and the completely covered the expected beam size of (see Fig. \[fig:bc\]b).
The and the detectors were operated with helium flowing at a rate of 100 $\pm$ 20 cc/min and at a pressure of 0.15 $\pm$ 0.05 inches of water above ambient pressure. The was also operated in a continuously purged atmosphere of dry helium. We used laboratory grade (UHP) helium independently rated to be 99.999% pure by Praxair Inc., Seattle, WA, USA. The helium gas was provided separately to the , and the plastic enclosure sealed with kapton tape around the entire assembly. A gas distribution manifold allowed us to control the flow rate and pressure to each detector. We used 0.25 [*in*]{} polyethylene tubing with brass fittings to distribute the gas. No provision was made to sample the gas for purity.
Voltage to the detectors was provided by two independent high voltage units with local filters to suppress ripples. For all of the data, the voltage remained fixed at 250 V.
Electronics
-----------
The essential features of the electronic system used to acquire data are shown in the simplified schematic of Fig \[fig:setup\]. An operational amplifier removed excess charge from either an ionization chamber with capacitance 18 pF or the Faraday cup and the connecting coax cable, and stored it on a precision 100 pF integration capacitor. The voltage on the capacitor was subsequently digitized by an ADC for computer read out. Voltage on the input to the integrator was maintained at a virtual ground subject to the limitations of the amplifier. This differs from pulse height read out systems that employ a load resistor to develop a voltage at this point in the circuit.
The operational amplifier is part of a Burr-Brown ACF2101 integrated circuit. [@burrbrown] The complete integrated circuit contains the necessary FET switches for clearing the integration capacitor and gating input/output signals. Notable limitations of the amplifier are a 3 V/$\mu$sec slew rate and a random 1 mV charge transfer noise at the output.
Charge integration electronics distinguish these ionization chamber measurements from previous accelerator measurements which used pulse height read out. [@Palestini:1998an; @boag] Pulse height is more susceptible to saturation effects because pulse height and shape depend on charge collection time as well as the amount of charge produced in the detector.
The complete system used for data acquisition was developed by FNAL for read out of a segmented wire ionization chamber (SWIC). [@swic] The system used here differs from the FNAL system by the addition of a bus termination resistor to reduce channel cross talk for large output signals.
A short integration gate time of 5 msec for readout was necessary to prevent a small charge loss that was observed for much longer gate times.
![Schematic of the ionization chamber and input stage of the electronics.[]{data-label="fig:setup"}](circuit-diagram.eps){width="0.80\linewidth"}
In the SWIC electronics, a large contribution to the error comes from random charge transfer errors of 0.1 pC. This contributes significantly to the measurement uncertainty at charges of $\approx$ 1 pC. All pedestals were taken while the beam was disabled. The pedestals did not vary with the operating voltage. The pedestals for the and show stability over time and show no signs of systematic deviation which would be manifest if, for example, a dark current were present. For the PIC detector, a typical pedestal was measured to be with a typical width of . The pedestal width includes both statistical and the dominant charge transfer error.
Analysis
========
We recorded the integrated charge for the , all channels of the and the for each ATF pulse. Data were pedestal subtracted and then selected for beam containment. The ratio of the the to charge in the linear region was examined and anomalous events were removed.
The mean horizontal beam position was determined from the using $X_c =\Sigma q_i i/\Sigma q_i$ where $i$ is the strip number and $q_i$ is the charge collected on strip $i$. $Y_c$, the vertical position was determined similarly. The horizontal and vertical beam widths were estimated using the standard deviation (RMS) of the beam intensity in each view. For the horizontal, this width is $\sigma_{X_c}=\sqrt{\frac{\Sigma q_i i^2}{\Sigma q_i} -
\left(\frac{\Sigma q_i i}{\Sigma q_i}\right)^2}$. It is similarly defined for the vertical width.
The beam position was stable for all charges and the beam width was usually less than one strip. Cuts were made on the beam position and horizontal and vertical widths to select well behaved beam pulses. During a typical run, the efficiency of the cuts was 99%.
Results {#Results}
=======
In gas ionization detectors, particles ionize the atoms of the gas generating electrons and ions which in turn generate a detectable current if an external electric field is applied. With a suitable electric field, the detectors operate in ionization mode where the number of ionized gas particles is simply proportional to the total number of incident charged particles. If the applied field is too large, the ionized charges are accelerated enough to produce additional ionization, and gas amplification occurs.
Saturation occurs when the applied field is not large enough to overcome the field produced by charges from ionization. In this case, ionized charges can recombine and any further increase in beam intensity does not yield a corresponding increase in ionization. At voltages below the gas amplification region, saturation can be overcome by increasing the external electric field or decreasing the amount of material in the active ionization region so that less gas is ionized. The literature on saturation does not provide a complete physical description under all experimental conditions. [@Palestini:1998an; @boag] The saturation point can be experimentally determined by measuring the deviation of the response from linear or by measuring the ionization response yield, i.e. plateau curves as a function of voltage.
Linearity
---------
The linearity measurements for the 5 mm at 250, 500 and 750 V are shown in Figs. \[fig:intscan5mm\], \[fig:intscan5mm2\] and \[fig:intscan5mm3\]. The linearity measurements for the 3 mm were performed at 250 and 400 V. The 3 mm 250 V data are shown in Fig \[fig:intscan3mm\]; the 400 V data are similar. The results of the fits and fit ranges are summarized in Table \[tab:fit\]. All data are shown with error bars giving the statistical uncertainty in each bin and the 0.1 pC SWIC charge transfer error added in quadrature.
The fitting procedure [@numrec] used the values of the and the charge with statistical and systematic errors. For a linear fit, the data were binned in and charge.
An important input to the fit is the choice of fit cutoff. Since the data are expected to deviate from a linear model at charges beyond the saturation point, the $\chi^2$/DOF was used to determine the optimal fit cutoff. We minimized the $\chi^2$/DOF as a function of the fit cutoff. The fit cutoff, chosen in this way, is one objective measure of the deviation from linear behavior.
--------------- --------------- ---------------- -------------- -------
Slope inter- Range
Configuration (pC/pC) cept (pC) $\chi^2/$DOF (pC)
5 mm He-250V 9.95$\pm$0.22 -0.80$\pm$1.15 17.3/18 0-8
5 mm He-500V 9.77$\pm$0.09 0.22$\pm$0.76 30.8/32 0-13
5 mm He-750V 9.57$\pm$0.26 1.39$\pm$1.62 15.1/15 0-11
3 mm He-250V 5.98$\pm$0.03 1.51$\pm$0.32 58.6/52 0-18
3 mm He-400V 5.82$\pm$0.03 2.05$\pm$0.30 48.4/42 0-19
--------------- --------------- ---------------- -------------- -------
![Response of the versus the charge for 5 mm 250 V data.[]{data-label="fig:intscan5mm"}](linearity250v5mm.ps){width="0.70\linewidth"}
![Response of the versus the Charge for 5 mm 500 V data.[]{data-label="fig:intscan5mm2"}](linearity500v5mm.ps){width="0.70\linewidth"}
![Response of the versus the Charge for 5 mm 750 V data.[]{data-label="fig:intscan5mm3"}](linearity750v5mm.ps){width="0.70\linewidth"}
![Response of the versus the Charge for 3 mm 250 V data.[]{data-label="fig:intscan3mm"}](linearity250v3mm.ps){width="0.70\linewidth"}
All data in Fig. \[fig:intscan5mm\]-\[fig:intscan3mm\] are clearly linear below the fit cutoff points, and saturation starts above this cutoff. All 5 mm ionization yields (ion pairs/cm) in Table \[tab:fit\] are consistent at the 1.1 $\sigma$ level. The fit $y$-intercept is consistent with zero. The weighted average ratio of the 3 mm and 5 mm ionization yields is 0.60$\pm$0.01, in excellent agreement with the expectation of 3/5.
Voltage Dependence
------------------
A voltage plateau demonstrates the stable operating range of an ionization chamber. For this measurement, the ATF beam was held at approximately constant intensity while the ionization chamber voltage was varied from a few volts up to 1000 V.
Using the selection criteria described above, the average to yield and RMS were determined from the data. The beam current at lower intensities was stable, but at higher intensities varied by $\approx$20%.
Plateau curves for the 5 mm and 3 mm gap in helium gas are shown in Fig. \[fig:plat5mm\]. The four curves correspond to beam intensities of 5.7$\pm$0.4, 11.9$\pm$1.7, 26.8$\pm$2.4 pC for the 5 mm and 30.2$\pm$2.2 pC for the 3 mm PIC. At the lowest intensity the ratio / rises very quickly with voltage and remains constant beyond $\sim$ 100 V. At the highest intensity / continues to rise even at 1000 V indicating saturation.
![ response as a function of the gap high voltage for different nominal intensities for 5 mm and 3mm gap . The lines are not a fit to the data points.[]{data-label="fig:plat5mm"}](allPlat.ps){width="0.68\linewidth"}
Saturation
----------
To quantify saturation we plot the total collection efficiency which is defined as the data minus the fit divided by the fit. We then characterize saturation as a percent deviation from zero. Fig. \[fig:eff\] shows collection efficiency versus charge measured at 250, 500 and 750 V for 5 mm data. Table \[tab:satlimits\] shows the saturation points as determined from the $\chi^2$ fit (the fit cutoff defined earlier divided by the area) and 5% and 10% saturation points for the 3 mm and 5 mm data. We found the fit cutoff to be a less sensitive measure of the saturation point. The data at higher voltages saturate at higher intensities, as expected.
The ion chamber, where one pad is held at and the other pad at , is analogous to the parallel plate capacitor. When a beam of electrons passes through the gas, this creates a uniform charge distribution, $\rho$. The electric field, $E$, in this case is related to the charge distribution by the Poisson equation, $dE/dz = \rho/\epsilon_0$. Integrating and applying the voltage boundary condition, the electric field is given by, $$E(z) = \frac{\rho}{\epsilon_0}\left(z - \frac{d}{2}\right) -
\frac{V_0}{d}.$$ Saturation in this naive model occurs when , which corresponds to a critical charge density or using the observed ionization response yield of 19.5 ion pairs/cm and $d=0.5$ cm, , with V in volts.
To calculate the intensity per unit area the area of the beam spot on the chamber was measured using three different methods. For each method, we used the data averaged in the linear region, which always extended to intensities larger (due to the smaller gap of the ) than the saturation point of the . The beam spot was observed periodically (for every fifth pulse) with a fluorescent screen viewed with a CCD camera and found to be approximately described by an ellipse. The area given by, $$A =\pi \sigma_{X_c} \sigma_{Y_c},$$ with major and minor axes $2\sigma_{X_c}$ and $2\sigma_{Y_c}$ was determined by fitting a gaussian to the profile for the 85% contained beam area. Fig. \[fig:area\] shows that the measurement of the the area was stable and did not degrade as a function of intensity.
Two additional methods made use of the segmentation of the . A grid of values was formed by the outer product of the two vectors consisting of the charge measured in the horizontal and vertical strips. The resulting matrix was then normalized by the total charge. The first method, (“Box I”), simply added the number of grid elements with more than 5% of the maximum charge. The second, (“Box II”) summed each grid area weighted by its normalized charge.
The results are shown in Table \[tab:area\]. The three methods agree within 20% for all measurements. The average of these three measurements is taken to be our area estimate. The errors on the measurements are highly correlated and the measurements themselves are consistent. Thus, the error on the average was chosen to be the largest percent error from the individual measurements. Due to the large size of the strips compared to the beam size, both the area and error are likely overestimated.
Data
------------ ------------------------------- ----------------- -----------------
$\pi\sigma_{X_c}\sigma_{Y_c}$ Box I Box II
(85% Containment)
5 mm 250 V 1.16$\pm$0.14 1.07$\pm$0.14 1.15$\pm$0.10
5 mm 500 V 1.39$\pm$0.13 1.55$\pm$0.21 1.08$\pm$0.15
5 mm 750 V 1.16 $\pm$ 0.17 1.26 $\pm$ 0.25 1.12 $\pm$ 0.13
3 mm 250 V 0.99$\pm$0.25 1.34$\pm$0.22 0.91 $\pm$ 0.21
3 mm 400 V 0.88$\pm$0.11 1.26$\pm$0.16 0.81 $\pm$ 0.15
![ charge collection efficiency versus integrated beam charge measured in the Faraday cup for the 5 mm data.[]{data-label="fig:eff"}](saturation5mmbbl.ps){width="0.68\linewidth"}
![The 85% contained area plots show the area as a function of intensity for 5 mm 250 V data.[]{data-label="fig:area"}](heall_areaac.eps){width="0.80\linewidth"}
Fig. \[fig:vd2\] shows the intensity at which the data saturate as a function of $V/d^2$ for the 5% and 10% level. The linear fits shown in the figure include only the 5 mm data. The 3 mm data are in good agreement with the fit except for the 400 V 10% data point which is lower by 2.5 sigma. If the 3 mm data are included in the fits, the fit to the 5 % data points does not change substantially, but the $\chi^2/DOF$ for the 10 % fit worsens from 1.1 to 2.1. The 5 mm data demonstrate the naive model expectation that the saturation point behaves linearly in $V/d^2$. For the 5 mm 500 V data, the critical charge density corresponds to $11.3 \times
10^7$particles/cm$^2$, which is in good agreement with the measured value of saturation 11$\pm$ 2 $\times 10^7$ particles/cm$^2$ for the 5% saturation point. We note that we have not attempted to understand the effects of multiplication on ionization yield as well as on the apparent saturation point. At high electric fields and intensities effects of multiplication could make the interpretation of the data more complex.
----------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------
$\chi^2$ Fit 5% Point 10% Point
5 mm 250 V Data 4.4 $\pm$ 0.6 5.0 $\pm$ 0.7 9.4 $\pm$ 1.2
5 mm 500 V Data 6.0 $\pm$ 0.8 11 $\pm$ 2 22 $\pm$ 3
5 mm 750 V Data 5.8$\pm$1.0 14 $\pm$ 3 23$\pm$ 4
3 mm 250 V Data 10 $\pm$3 18 $\pm$ 5 23 $\pm$ 6
3 mm 400 V Data 12 $\pm$3 20$\pm$ 4 23 $\pm$ 5
----------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------
![Saturation point as a function of the voltage. Data for the 5% and 10% saturation points are shown. The two linear fits include only the 5 mm data.[]{data-label="fig:vd2"}](vd2-new.ps){width="0.68\linewidth"}
Conclusions
===========
Results from the ATF measurements have demonstrated that the PIC device with a 5 mm or smaller gap spacing is suitable for operation in the high-rate environment expected at the muon monitors of the NuMI beam. The 5 mm PIC operated linearly with stable response over a voltage range 250-750 V in helium gas with intensities up to 14 (23) $\times
10^7$ particles/cm$^2$ for a 5% (10%) saturation for a short-pulse beam. It is expected that for longer duration beam spills of order 10 $\mu$s, the saturation point should increase and this result will be a lower bound. Furthermore, the results show that saturation can be modified in a controlled manner by increasing or decreasing the externally applied field.
We wish to acknowledge the support of A. Marchionni, D. Harris, S. E. Kopp, R. M. Zwaska from the MINOS beam monitoring group for useful discussions and helpful suggestions. We are indebted to A. Franck, D. Baddorf, B. Hendricks and J. Yu for providing the SWIC electronics, software and critical expertise. We thank the ATF facility operators as well as Ilan Ben-Zvi and X. J. Wang, for carefully controlling the beam and actively supporting our tests.
[02]{}
The MINOS Collaboration, “Neutrino Oscillation Physics at Fermilab: The NuMI-MINOS Project,” Fermilab Report No. NuMI-L-375 (1998).
T. Tsang , “Electro-optical measurements of picosecond bunch length of a 45 MeV electron beam”, Journal of Applied Physics [**89**]{}, 4921-4926, 1 May 2001.
H. Schonbacher and M. Tavlet,“Compilation of radiation damage test data, pt.1,” CERN Yellow Report 89-12, 1989.
Burr-Brown Corp., 6730 S. Tucson Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85706.
S. Palestini [*et al.*]{}, Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A [**421**]{}, 75 (1999). J. W. Boag and T. Wilson, British Journal of Applied Physics, [**3**]{}, 222 (1952).
and A. Franck, “New SWIC Scanner/Controller System,” [*1995 International Conference on Accelerator and Large Experimental Physics Control Systems*]{}, (1996).
, S. A. Teukolsky,W. T. Vetterling and B. P. Flannery, “Numerical Recipies in C,” Cambridge University Press, New York, 1992.
|
Dawsey
loggerhead (Caretta caretta)
Stranding Location: Capers Inlet
Arrival Date: 09/06/2010
Age: juvenile
Weight: 82.34 kg (182 lb)
Case History
A coordinated rescue effort by US Fish & Wildlife, the SCDNR, and SCA staff on Labor Day resulted in this 190-pound juvenile loggerhead’s successful admission into our hospital. Named in honor of Sarah Dawsey of the USFWS, this turtle’s left front flipper was severely wounded in the recent past (the surrounding tissue is an unhealthy gray color) and movement of this limb is severely restricted. Dawsey also suffers from a prolapsed cloaca and possible septicemia.
Treatment
Upon arrival, Dawsey received multiple antibiotics, fluids, an iron injection, and pain medication. Bloodwork results were moderately poor (hematocrit = 18, glucose is elevated at 250+). The severe flipper wound is being treated daily with a saline flush via water pick (to encourage blood circulation and flush bacteria from the wound), massage (also to encourage circulation), an antibiotic cream, and a gauze covering. However, Dawsey is actively refusing food and seems unable or unwilling to use the injured flipper.
Updates
12 September 2010: Daily wound treatment is currently progressing well, and Dawsey easily tolerates the hour s/he spends dry-docked resting on a tire for this process. The color of the tissue surrounding the wound has changed to a healthier tan shade and, although the flipper bone is exposed in one area, we are hopeful we can save the flipper. Additionally, Dawsey demonstrated an interest in food today and, after a bit of tempting, eagerly consumed 4 small mackerel.
3 October 2010: Dawsey has been moved to a filtered tank and is eating well. Daily flipper wound treatment has been discontinued and we are hopeful that the fibrin membrane visible on the wound is protecting the healing granulation tissue underneath. However, one area of exposed bone is still evident and, although s/he is on pain meds, Dawsey doesn’t use the flipper to swim.
27 November 2010: The severe flipper wound is healing well, and Dawsey is no longer receiving medication. We’ve initiated a physical therapy program that involves exercising the flipper multiple times daily (which Dawsey tolerates surprisingly well!) but, although the flipper’s range of motion has improved, Dawsey’s use of the flipper remains minimal.
22 January 2011: Dawsey’s blood work is excellent! She is doing well, although flipper usage remains minimal. |
Where to Dine for Father’s Day!
Do you need last minute ideas for where to take your dad for Father’s Day? Well check out the list below!
Free Brunch for Dad’s at Dantanna’s
“Celebrate your dad this Fathers’s Day by treating him to brunch on Sunday, June 19. With locations in Buckhead, Downtown and Sandy Springs, guests who dine with Dad between 12 and 4 p.m. simply need to order one entree of equal or lesser value and he gets his entree for free.
“Cypress Street Pint & Plate is serving up a special Father Day Brunch on Sunday, June 19th. In addition to the full lunch and brunch menu featuring popular items like the IPA cured salmon Benedict, Cypress frittata, and breakfast burrito, guests who purchase one entree between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. will receive one Father’s Day Special of steak, eggs, and potatoes paired with cellar beer for $10. Full entrees must be ordered to receive the deal; beverages, appetizers and desserts are not included.
Cypress Street Pint and Plate is located on the corner of 6th Street and Cypress Street at 817 West Peachtree, Suite E-125.”
Dads Eat Free at Hampton + Hudson:
“Treat Dad to brunch, lunch or dinner at Inman Park’s newest hotspot, Hampton + Hudsonand he gets a free entree. In addition to locally sourced dishes, they offer 20+ craft beers on draft, wine, cocktails and iced coffee on draft. Simply order an entree of equal or lesser value and dad gets to eat for free. In addition to their expansive craft beer selection, dads can pair their free entree with a $3 SweetWater 420 or $4 Brooklyn Lager.
Looking for something more casual? Head to Atwoods Pizza Cafe in Midtown for not one but two Father’s Day specials this Sunday, June 19th. Dads who visit can get any specialty or build-your-own (up to three toppings) 8” pizza on the house. Or, for those dads that want to stay in, Atwoods is also offering free delivery all day on Father’s Day when ordering from the app using the code DADSDAY.
Atwoods pizzeria and café is located at 817 West Peachtree Street, Suite A105. Parking is available on West Peachtree Street and 6th Street as well as within The Biltmore’s parking deck accessible via 5th Street.
Steak, Bourbon, & Flasks at STK Atlanta:
On Friday, June 17th through Sunday, June 19th, STK, one of Atlanta’s favorite dining and social destinations known for its chic lounge, dramatic dining room, and vibrant, high-energy atmosphere invites families to treat their father’s to fantastic service, delicious fare and unforgettable bourbon flights. In honor of this celebratory day, STK is offering a 34 oz. Cowboy Ribeye topped with two jumbo grilled shrimp paired with a Bourbon Flight of Bulleit, Woodford, and Bookers and a STK Flask for $85. For more information or to make a reservation, visit www.stkhouse.com.
STK is located at 1075 Peachtree Street in Midtown with complimentary valet parking available on 12th Street.
Hope you decide to try one of these places out for Father’s Day!-Emily |
8)/(-20).
-13/5
Evaluate 20/(-7)*-2*21/6.
20
Calculate (-3)/((-216)/(-30))*54/6120*51.
-3/16
6/(-488)*((-83)/((-17347)/228))/(72/(-176))
2/61
What is the value of (((-132447)/(-595))/53)/(7/(-15))?
-9
What is the value of (-2090)/3575*13*((-35)/12)/(-7)?
-19/6
What is (-11)/18*(-13096)/36014?
2/9
What is (-9)/5*23/((-3864)/(-1120))?
-12
((2160/(-20))/(-324))/(-52)
-1/156
(162/21)/((-10)/(-3)*564/658)
27/10
((-20)/2)/(33/(-2046)*-31)*(-26)/13
40
What is 297/16038*12015/356?
5/8
Evaluate ((-42520)/20398970)/(2/(-19)).
2/101
Calculate ((-51)/34)/(30/8)*265/2650.
-1/25
What is 288/27*36/168*-14?
-32
What is the value of (12/(-9))/(329/(-658))?
8/3
(((-840)/(-24))/210)/(10/(-36)*148/185)
-3/4
Calculate (((-320)/28)/(-5)*1610/460)/((-5)/(-1)).
8/5
Evaluate -16*(-12)/192*2256/48.
47
What is the value of (-3*2/10)/(258/(-2236)*-91)?
-2/35
Evaluate (-1050)/(-1225)*(-285)/342*(-56)/(-290).
-4/29
(24/(-9))/(16912/1510)
-5/21
Evaluate (-494)/(-52)*2464/2926.
8
10688/(-2338)*4*(-6)/(-96)
-8/7
-2*64/(-80)*4/(-112)
-2/35
Calculate (4112/37522)/((-10)/(-730)).
8
Evaluate (-6237)/243*(-408)/(-476).
-22
Calculate (2/(-6))/((112/(-12))/14)*(-510)/(-85).
3
Calculate 56/(-18)*(-26811)/1986.
42
What is ((-5)/((-525)/(-20)))/((-15)/(2700/(-16)))?
-15/7
What is the value of ((-28)/(-70))/(6*(-4)/(-1360))*(-27)/12?
-51
What is (((-57)/(-12)*297/(-891))/((-1)/12))/(-1)?
-19
Calculate (65*408/2184)/(56/(-98)).
-85/4
What is (68/21369)/(390/(-585))?
-2/419
Evaluate -5*(-3)/10*(-64)/(-6)*3959/856.
74
Evaluate ((-26)/2)/(59*100/(-17700)).
39
Calculate ((-153)/(-408))/((-1)/(-12))*(-44)/(-99).
2
Calculate (125/(-45))/(-5)*3/24*6/1.
5/12
What is the value of 2504/(-5634)*(-9)/22?
2/11
Calculate 10/16*352*(-10)/(-2640).
5/6
326/(-815)*75/110
-3/11
What is 2946/5401*((-33)/12)/((-9)/456)?
76
What is 1285/6168*(-16)/55?
-2/33
What is the value of 12*735/945*(-6)/(-1036)?
2/37
What is the value of (((-624)/200)/(-13))/((-320)/(-150)*(-3)/(-2))?
3/40
(-48)/(-4870)*(-135)/540*(-160)/(-96)
-2/487
What is ((-1)/(-15)*160/240)/(30/45)?
1/15
What is the value of (-140052)/21220*((-40)/6)/2?
22
248/(-1116)*(-1872)/(-32)
-13
What is ((156/(-65))/((-16)/(-360)*63))/((-4)/462)?
99
What is (-497072)/(-21152)*-2*1?
-47
What is ((-80)/(-84))/((-45)/504)?
-32/3
Evaluate 1736/4340*885/(-18)*3.
-59
13944/(-2573)*10788/(-464)
126
Calculate (2/(-6))/((-1)/(-14)*(-6510)/26505).
19
(((732/7686)/((-30)/(-14)))/6)/1
1/135
What is the value of (-118)/7*19075/5450?
-59
Calculate 6*((-2142)/(-1190))/(243/90).
4
Calculate (-1)/(-2*13/6*(-34)/(-442)).
3
Calculate (-4080)/(-5610)*5/(-2)*22.
-40
What is ((-22*(-33)/(-7623))/(1/(-21)))/(4/(-56))?
-28
Calculate ((-15)/(-4))/((-186)/(-6944)*-42)*(-114)/(-4).
-95
What is the value of 44/(-22)*(-10)/4*(-66)/(-715)*26?
12
Evaluate -6*(-43)/(-73143)*7.
-2/81
What is the value of ((-165)/(-2))/((-2556)/(-1704))?
55
Calculate 20/(-135)*(5/35)/(14/(-49))*-6.
-4/9
What is the value of 275/(-2)*41130/(-171375)?
33
What is (5*2)/((-12212)/30530)?
-25
(700/21)/((-4)/(-228)*38)
50
Evaluate (227/((-40860)/216))/((-102)/2).
2/85
Calculate (-1)/((-8)/(-176))*136/(-4114).
8/11
Evaluate (9/4)/(90/(-80)).
-2
What is the value of ((-5)/(30/(-192)))/((-604)/1208)?
-64
54/(-3402)*126*2/(-72)
1/18
What is (-68)/(-85)*30/(-52)*(-832)/(-64)?
-6
What is the value of (-6*12/(2448/119))/(4*1)?
-7/8
What is the value of 17/(-25)*2239050/(-346035)?
22/5
What is 9/12*4/(-6)*2770/23545?
-1/17
What is ((-9)/63)/(165/(-55))?
1/21
(-2)/(-27)*-45*(-10)/((-260)/741)
-95
Calculate (-5589)/(-138)*6/18*16/3.
72
What is the value of (-190)/(-57)*456*12/240?
76
(66130/(-218229))/((-3)/(-81)*-5)
18/11
Evaluate 197/((-143416)/336)*26.
-12
What is (-1)/(1/1*596/(-27416))?
46
What is the value of ((-5)/(-234))/(3936/(-23616))?
-5/39
What is the value of ((-1)/(-40))/(-3*(-35)/(-210))*1*6?
-3/10
-25*(-210)/350*-5
-75
Evaluate ((-186)/744)/(3/(1344/(-20)))*25/10.
14
(-52)/8*14800/(-1300)
74
What is the value of (-16)/(3328/13)*3/2*(-38)/57?
1/16
Evaluate (12/57)/((-180)/(-570))*-66.
-44
(-87998)/(-5739)*18/(-4)
-69
Evaluate ((-814)/(-8))/(1639/(-1192)).
-74
Calculate ((-190)/(-85))/(1190/10115).
19
Evaluate ((472/(-1770))/((-8)/(-6)))/((24/25)/(-6)).
5/4
Evaluate (-20)/5600*-40*(-28)/6.
-2/3
Calculate (1845/(-6))/(-3)*(-16)/(-120)*3.
41
Evaluate ((-1038)/33735)/((-72)/(-39)).
-1/60
Calculate ((-18)/12600*-35)/(((-42)/(-6360))/7).
53
What is (1/(-4))/(((-81)/594)/(45/33))*-14?
-35
Evaluate ((-503)/3521)/(11/616).
-8
What is the value of (135/(-1))/(((-146125)/175)/167)?
27
16/(4/(-1))*1272/(-147552)
1/29
What is ((-5952)/1612)/((75/(-10))/(-5))?
-32/13
What is (1/(-6)*-44)/(90/(-180)*(-6)/(-9))?
-22
Calculate -55*(-2)/(-33)*32/240.
-4/9
(6/(-18)*3)/(902/51414)
-57
Calculate ((-16)/3008)/(-6*14*(-5)/(-840)).
1/94
What is the value of (-1*(-72)/(-10))/((-90)/150)*3?
36
What is (10/(-74))/((-2075)/1660)?
4/37
What is the value of (((-560)/(-200))/(-7))/(9/(5580/8))?
-31
Calculate 3/((3/(-18)*-3)/(2167/(-394))).
-33
What is (((-748)/21)/(-17))/(392/343)?
11/6
What is the value of (((-3)/(-21))/((-19)/1026))/(9/(-63))?
54
Evaluate -40*24/(-1920)*(-24)/(-2).
6
(18/52)/((-3)/(-4))*26*(-351)/6084
-9/13
(672299/37876)/(((-3)/(-1))/(-12))
-71
Evaluate 2828/(-26572)*-73*13/1.
101
Calculate ((200/4)/((-215)/4644*-126))/(2/14).
60
Calculate (4/(-18)*-3)/(170*(-35)/(-196350)).
22
What is the value of (3158/17369*22/(-8))/((-46)/(-4))?
-1/23
Calculate ((-24)/4)/(4/64*4*3672/68).
-4/9
(((-6)/(-8))/(-3))/((-96)/(-24)*(-10)/9440)
59
What is the value of 3/(-186)*(-37)/(-148)*(-32)/8?
1/62
What is the value of ((-20)/(-40))/(62/(-8)*2)?
-1/31
What is the value of 5*1278/15*456/2736?
71
Evaluate 266/(-8)*(-3793)/56895*60/(-14).
-19/2
What is the value of ((35/(-4))/7)/(145/(-58))*(-8)/10?
-2/5
What is the value of (-1725)/(-1035)*(-4)/2?
-10/3
Evaluate 750/3*1/(-13*9*(-34)/(-1989)).
-125
Evaluate (((-7)/((-84)/27))/3)/(1024239/(-12248)).
-2/223
What is 209*2*(-13)/572*-1?
19/2
Calculate (-452)/(-6780)*20/(-22).
-2/33
What is (-2)/(680/442*182)?
-1/140
What is the value of (-31768)/7581*(-3675)/140?
110
Evaluate (-21080)/(-11594)*(-33)/(-63).
20/21
What is 72/60*(-6)/44*450/216*4?
-15/11
What is the value of (3/(-90))/(((-48)/(-60))/((-6)/(-5)))*-8?
2/5
(-125)/(-16*120/(-768))
-50
Evaluate (13328/14892)/196*2*-1.
-2/219
Evaluate (6/15)/((107/31565)/(8/(-16))).
-59
What is the value of (13/416*16)/(357/(-42))?
-1/17
What is (396/113520*473)/((-1)/((-4)/(-3)))?
-11/5
((-1)/(15/(-4)))/(5592/(-289386))
-69/5
Evaluate (610/(-45))/(208/936).
-61
((-230)/(-15042))/(((-105)/56)/((-126)/(-56)))
-2/109
What is (-2)/(-8)*18048/96*((-35)/(-28))/(-5)?
-47/4
Calculate (-8)/(1/(30/(-18240))).
1/76
Calculate 4/((4/26)/((-14)/546)).
-2/3
(((-8)/28)/((-621)/(-21)))/((-42)/(-126))
-2/69
What is the value of ((-6)/63)/1*(1/2)/(280/(-8400))?
10/7
Calculate ((-36002)/1149)/(4/((-216)/(-30)))*10/(-6).
94
What is 1005/670*(-172)/(-6)?
43
336/140*(100/12)/((-13)/26)
-40
What is (7*(-36)/(-882))/(5/(-91))*5?
-26
Evaluate ((-34)/(-34)*(-154)/21)/((-6)/9).
11
Calculate ((-3)/(18/(-2)))/(4315/5178)*110.
44
Calculate (2/((-11)/((-33)/9)))/(32/(-768)).
-16
What is ((-12)/(-315))/(26*(-21)/4095)?
-2/7
What is the value of (162/(-1470))/(144/(-480))*(-7)/(-3)?
6/7
Calculate ((-1428)/(-28560))/(((-3)/32)/3).
-8/5
(5/(-60)*-3)/(38*(-38)/36100)
-25/4
What is the value of ((-75)/((-5400)/(-24)))/(82/6)?
-1/41
Calculate 28/((27/(-6))/(540/(-84))).
40
Evaluate (-12)/(-26)*9308/(-1253).
-24/7
What is the value of ((-5)/(-25))/(1*-1)*(-6720)/1120?
6/5
What is ((58/(-3))/(500/3000))/2?
-58
What is the value of (-1)/(-1)*((-40)/(-880)*132)/(6/8)?
8
((-1)/(-1))/((-13)/(-143)*253/161)
7
(144/64)/(13*72/(-18720))
-45
(-20)/102*(-21)/((-231)/528*40)
-4/17
Calculate (2/(-52))/(698/(-5584))*(-7)/2.
-14/13
What is the value of (21/(-399)*0)/(4*1*2/(-2))?
0
Evaluate -70*10/3535*(-5)/50.
2/101
What is (-35)/10*(-16)/448*288/(-63)?
-4/7
(129/(-2193))/((-11)/(-9724))
-52
Evaluate (4/((-3)/(-387)*36))/((-2)/6).
-43
(3/18)/(((-825)/(-3510))/(-55))
-39
(1/(189/14))/((-40)/480)
-8/9
6/8*92/10*(-1160)/348
-23
Evaluate ((-52)/2262)/(-3*(-3)/(-27)).
2/29
(-24)/(-42)*21/39*-70*3/(-2100)
2/65
Calculate (-153)/119*301/(-43).
9
Evaluate (((-1836)/72)/(-17))/(1161/(-12)).
-2/129
(505/121 |
Cruise prices for troubled Carnival lower than normal
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
New York • Carnival Cruise Lines prices have taken a dip this spring, according to data, and some industry observers are blaming headlines associated with problems on several Carnival ships.
Todd Elliott, owner of Cruise Vacation Outlet, said his agents have seen a drop in price of 20 percent or more for equivalent cruises.
"Rates are far lower than I have seen in a while for example, the Carnival Dream, seven nights, Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, May 4 is $299 per person," he said. "Last year a similar Carnival cruise would have been at least $399 or higher."
Elliott added that this "seems to be 100 percent a Carnival Cruise Lines issue and not across all cruise lines."
The drop in fares began following an engine fire on the Carnival Triumph in mid-February. The ship lost power and passengers endured filthy conditions as the Triumph was towed to Mobile, Ala., resurrecting stories of a similar incident from 2010 aboard the Carnival Splendor. A number of sailings on the Triumph were cancelled as it undergoes repairs. Since then, cruises were cancelled aboard the Carnival Sunshine while it undergoes a makeover; a trip on the Carnival Dream ended early, with passengers flown home from the Caribbean due to a generator failure, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's Vessel Sanitation Program gave a failing grade to the Carnival Fascination.
ARTICLE PHOTO GALLERY
Priceline Cruises data showed Carnival prices down from a year ago for April-June departures, including Alaska trips down 20 percent, Bermuda down 18 percent and Mediterranean down 21 percent, but spokesman Brian Ek said Carnival fares appeared to be holding up for July on.
Prices for inside cabins on the Carnival Glory's July 21 sailing to Canada are down 40 percent $479 per person now compared to $799 last December, according to the price predictor at AllThingsCruise.com.
But there are also seasonal factors in lower prices. Stewart Chiron, who covers the industry at Cruiseguy.com, says "sailings this time of the year tend to have booking weakness as spring break ends and families are preparing for fourth quarter of school year."
Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor in chief of CruiseCritic.com, said prices dip in late spring not just because of the school calendar, but also due to seasonal popularity in destinations: "The Mediterranean and Alaska are just getting started and the Caribbean is winding up its high season."
Asked to comment, Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer de la Cruz acknowledged "there are some really fantastic rates available right now. That being said, the rates are not completely unprecedented. This sort of pricing has been offered tactically in the past" in the pre-summer, post-spring break period.
An April 4 industry research report from Morgan Stanley, the financial services corporation, blamed "recent incidents onboard various Carnival ships" for what travel agents said were "record levels of cancellations and very low bookings from new cruisers. We hadn't seen such a negative report since the Concordia incident." The Costa Concordia sank off Italy in 2012, killing 32 people.
Data in the Morgan Stanley report showed Carnival prices down 7 percent in April from a year ago for future sailings, compared to an increase in prices at other lines like Princess and Celebrity.
"When a major event affects cruise travel, prices will drop to increase volume," said Brad Tolkin, CEO of World Travel Holdings, a large seller of cruises. "This is evident with pricing on Carnival Cruises Lines, as well as on other cruise lines with similar itineraries." But he added that the price drop has stimulated "a significant increase" in bookings.
Liberty Travel said that while Carnival fares are lower in the past month than they were a year ago or at the start of 2013, there has been an overall increase in fares on other cruise lines for those periods.
Mike Driscoll, editor of Cruise Week, said that "historically, customers are tolerant of problems that happen on ships." But "some agents don't think that the media or late night comedians will leave Carnival alone anytime soon. This raises the potential of creating prolonged pricing problems" for the Carnival brand.
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k) be the third derivative of 185*k**4/12 - 634*k**3/3 + 2*k**2 - 1077*k. Differentiate h(g) wrt g.
370
Let s(t) be the first derivative of -489*t**4 + 11*t**2 - 55*t + 1406. Find the second derivative of s(z) wrt z.
-11736*z
Let r(l) be the second derivative of 5*l + 0*l**3 + 79/12*l**4 + 1/20*l**5 - 3/7*l**7 + 0*l**2 - 12 + 0*l**6. Find the third derivative of r(j) wrt j.
-1080*j**2 + 6
Differentiate 22 - 551 - 31*n - 137*n**2 - 546 + 27*n - 654 with respect to n.
-274*n - 4
Let q(s) = 13*s - 1. Let i be q(6). Let x = 80 - i. Differentiate -147*j**x + 162*j**3 + 6 - 10 with respect to j.
45*j**2
Let w(x) be the first derivative of -88*x - 87/2*x**2 + 10. Find the first derivative of w(z) wrt z.
-87
Find the second derivative of -2*n - 99*n - 1 + 1273*n**5 + 4 - 84*n + 371*n**5 wrt n.
32880*n**3
Let n(d) = -26*d + 5. Let a(v) be the first derivative of -2 - 7*v + 39/2*v**2. Let g(z) = -5*a(z) - 8*n(z). Differentiate g(c) with respect to c.
13
Let f(i) be the first derivative of 18*i**2 + 0*i + 44/3*i**3 + 2/5*i**5 + 0*i**4 - 17. What is the second derivative of f(d) wrt d?
24*d**2 + 88
Let c(l) be the first derivative of -l**2 - 36*l + 14. Let a be c(-20). Find the second derivative of 7*d**4 + 0*d**a + 37*d - 38*d + d**4 wrt d.
96*d**2
Let z(c) = c - 28. Let x be z(31). Suppose -6 = 2*l, 5*g + 4*l = -l. Find the second derivative of 82*k - 75*k - x - 11*k**3 + g wrt k.
-66*k
Let t(v) be the third derivative of 44*v**5/15 + v**4/6 - 49*v**3/6 + 45*v**2 + 16*v. Find the second derivative of t(g) wrt g.
352
Let w(f) be the third derivative of 4/3*f**3 + 0 + 139*f**2 + 0*f - 7/4*f**4. Differentiate w(q) wrt q.
-42
Let w be 8/4 + -2 - -20. Suppose 0 = 3*d + 3*z + 9, -5*d + 2*z + w = -0*z. Find the second derivative of -2*h**3 + 5*h - 2*h**3 - d*h + 3*h**3 wrt h.
-6*h
Find the third derivative of -94*y**2 + 27 + 254*y**2 - 165*y**2 - 2412*y**3 wrt y.
-14472
Let w(s) be the third derivative of -29/70*s**7 - 4/15*s**5 + 110*s**2 - 7/24*s**4 + 0*s + 0*s**3 + 0*s**6 + 0. Find the third derivative of w(f) wrt f.
-2088*f
Let d(g) be the second derivative of -1/10*g**5 + 0*g**3 - 13/2*g**2 - g - 1/12*g**4 - 3/10*g**6 - 228. What is the third derivative of d(m) wrt m?
-216*m - 12
Suppose 0 = 26*x - 9*x - 357. What is the derivative of 1 - 60*o**4 - x*o**4 + 3*o**4 - 18 wrt o?
-312*o**3
Let s = 225/49 - 11687/2940. Let a(r) be the third derivative of 0*r**3 + 0 + 19/24*r**4 - 10*r**2 + 0*r - s*r**5. What is the second derivative of a(n) wrt n?
-74
Let n(a) = 8762*a**3 - 4*a**2 - 9*a + 647. Let u(l) = 3*l**3 - l**2 - l - 4. Let c(h) = n(h) - 4*u(h). Find the second derivative of c(j) wrt j.
52500*j
Let f = 0 - -9. Suppose -12*o = -f*o - 36. Differentiate o*h**4 + 11*h + 6 - 3*h - 8*h with respect to h.
48*h**3
Let o = -3733/5 - -7521/10. Let s(d) be the second derivative of 8*d - 7/6*d**4 + 0*d**3 + 0 - o*d**2. What is the derivative of s(y) wrt y?
-28*y
Find the second derivative of -108*h**5 + 42*h + 345*h + 372*h**5 + 125*h**5 wrt h.
7780*h**3
Let t be 2 + -2 + -1 + (7 - 4). Suppose 1 = w - 0*f + 2*f, -5*w + t*f + 17 = 0. What is the third derivative of n**w - 16*n**3 + 5*n**3 + 7*n**2 + 0*n**3 wrt n?
-60
Let t(d) be the second derivative of 3086*d**6/15 - d**4/3 - 5*d**3/2 - d**2/2 - 1997*d. Find the third derivative of t(x) wrt x.
148128*x
Let t(n) be the third derivative of -449*n**7/30 + 197*n**5/60 + 473*n**2. Find the third derivative of t(v) wrt v.
-75432*v
Differentiate -487*b + 712 - 181*b + 23*b wrt b.
-645
Let u(l) be the second derivative of 5*l**7/42 + 29*l**6/30 + l**4/12 - 591*l**2/2 + 1212*l. What is the third derivative of u(s) wrt s?
300*s**2 + 696*s
Let b(m) = -3*m**2 + 148*m + 322. Let t(o) = -2*o**2 + 98*o + 214. Suppose n = 15*n - 70. Let q(l) = n*b(l) - 8*t(l). Find the first derivative of q(z) wrt z.
2*z - 44
Let l(s) be the third derivative of -83*s**5/20 - 5*s**4/2 - s**3/3 + 3*s**2 - 122*s. What is the second derivative of l(v) wrt v?
-498
Let z(f) be the third derivative of 0*f**6 - 1/70*f**7 - 7/24*f**4 + 2*f - 31*f**2 + 0*f**5 - 137/6*f**3 + 0. Differentiate z(v) with respect to v.
-12*v**3 - 7
Suppose -5*f + 483 = -a, 46 + 62 = f - 4*a. Let s be f/42 - (4/14 - 0). Differentiate 5*n**4 + 104 + s*n**4 - 128 - n**4 wrt n.
24*n**3
Let u(d) = -9126*d**3 + 19*d**2 + d + 2381. Let x(i) = 9127*i**3 - 25*i**2 - i - 2380. Let b(y) = 4*u(y) + 3*x(y). What is the third derivative of b(n) wrt n?
-54738
Let n(w) = -599*w**2 + 3476*w + 5. Let z(x) = 17*x**2 + 3*x - 1. Let u(p) = n(p) + 3*z(p). Find the second derivative of u(v) wrt v.
-1096
Let u(q) be the third derivative of -337*q**6/60 + 13*q**4/8 + 4*q**3/3 - 5*q**2 - 224*q + 1. Find the second derivative of u(r) wrt r.
-4044*r
Differentiate -106080*j - 3724 + 106080*j - 120*j**2 + 742*j**2 with respect to j.
1244*j
Let g(j) be the second derivative of -1/10*j**5 - 5/6*j**3 + 0*j**4 + 3*j**2 + 0*j**6 - 39*j + 8/21*j**7 + 0. What is the second derivative of g(v) wrt v?
320*v**3 - 12*v
What is the second derivative of -73*q**3 + 60*q**3 - 8*q**4 - 37*q**3 + 3 + 495*q - 3 wrt q?
-96*q**2 - 300*q
Let g(f) be the third derivative of 107*f**8/21 - 305*f**4/4 - 181*f**2. Find the second derivative of g(o) wrt o.
34240*o**3
Let a be (-6)/(-7)*(-49)/(-14) - -21. Find the second derivative of -77*w**4 - a*w**4 - 68*w + 1 + 23*w wrt w.
-1212*w**2
What is the second derivative of 844*p**4 + 151*p - 1776*p - 234*p**4 wrt p?
7320*p**2
What is the third derivative of 207*g**5 + 2890*g**4 + 967*g**2 + 2496*g**2 - 2890*g**4 wrt g?
12420*g**2
Let p be 0/(-4*3/6). Let w be 1*6/(-12)*(p + -6). What is the second derivative of 23*v**5 + 35*v**3 - 76*v**3 + 41*v**w - 12*v wrt v?
460*v**3
Let v be (-168)/91 + -1*4/26. Let t be -5 - 14/v - -3. Find the third derivative of -r**t + 2*r**2 - 52*r**2 + 18*r**2 wrt r.
-60*r**2
Let m(j) = j**2 - 13*j + 32. Let w be m(10). Let p be (-5)/3 + 4/6 - -11. What is the derivative of 23*s**4 - 45 + p*s**w - 10*s**2 - 10*s**4 wrt s?
52*s**3
Let z(j) be the first derivative of 64*j**2 + 103*j - 102 + 60*j**2 - 124*j**2 - 19*j**4. Find the first derivative of z(r) wrt r.
-228*r**2
Let v = -160 + 105. Let f be v/(-10) + 2/(-4). What is the third derivative of -7*z + 45*z**5 + 7*z - 35*z**f + 13*z**2 wrt z?
600*z**2
Suppose -65 - 119 = -46*c. Let a(f) be the first derivative of -14 + 0*f + 0*f**c + 0*f**3 - 5*f**2 - 1/5*f**5. What is the second derivative of a(h) wrt h?
-12*h**2
Let o be 8*(-2)/(-8)*-2*7. Let a be o/(-70) + (-46)/(-10). What is the second derivative of -a*v**3 + 13*v**2 - 3*v**3 - 13*v**2 + 20*v wrt v?
-48*v
Let x(l) = -3*l**2 + 7*l**2 - 3*l**2 - 15 - 28*l + 44*l. Let t be x(-17). Find the third derivative of 19*u + 19*u - 16*u**5 - 15*u**t - 38*u wrt u.
-960*u**2
Let t(r) be the first derivative of 1/5*r**5 + 0*r**2 + 0*r**3 + 247 + 258*r + 65/4*r**4. Find the first derivative of t(a) wrt a.
4*a**3 + 195*a**2
What is the second derivative of 2807*a**3 + 18*a + 2654 - 1331 - 1333 wrt a?
16842*a
Let s(f) be the second derivative of 1/6*f**4 - 9/5*f**5 - 6 - 3*f + 9*f**2 + 0*f**3. What is the derivative of s(o) wrt o?
-108*o**2 + 4*o
Let h(b) be the third derivative of 67*b**7/14 - 2276*b**3 - 4525*b**2. Differentiate h(c) with respect to c.
4020*c**3
Let q(l) = 3*l**3 + 2*l + 11. Let h be q(5). Find the third derivative of 2*f**3 + 8*f**2 + 2 + h*f**4 - 279*f**4 - 2*f**3 - f**2 wrt f.
2808*f
Let a(h) be the second derivative of -1/2*h**2 - 7/10*h**5 + 0*h**3 + 0 - 23/12*h**4 + 11*h. Find the third derivative of a(s) wrt s.
-84
Differentiate 25*g**3 + 5*g - 103*g**3 - 3670 + 24*g**3 + 23*g**3 + 32*g**3 wrt g.
3*g**2 + 5
Find the second derivative of -14*u**3 + 151*u**3 + 757*u - 134*u - 26*u**3 + 94*u**3 wrt u.
1230*u
Let p be (2 - -2) + -5 + 4. Suppose 0 = 4*t - p*t - 3. What is the second derivative of -2*v**3 - 10*v**3 + 0*v**3 + 28*v - 3*v**t wrt v?
-90*v
Let t(g) be the third derivative of 769*g**5/20 - g**4/24 - 3277*g**3/2 - 4*g**2 + 3*g - 6. What is the first derivative of t(a) wrt a?
4614*a - 1
Let l be 11/3 + 3/9. Suppose -2*y + 2 + 2 = i, l*i + 5 = -y. Find the second derivative of 35*q - 2*q - 5*q**3 + 12*q**y + 10*q**3 wrt q.
102*q
Let v be -9 + 12 - (-2 - 4). What is the second derivative of v*t**3 - 12*t**3 + 7*t**3 - 3*t**4 - 90*t wrt t?
-36 |
INTRODUCTION {#s1}
============
It is now increasingly clear that post-transcriptional regulation is a fundamental mechanism guiding gene expression in higher eukaryotic cells, such as the core of normal cellular processes, and cancer initiation and development. As we know, RNA maturation, localization, translation and stability are dependent on the cooperation between cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors, such as non-coding RNAs and RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) \[[@R1]--[@R3]\].
RNA-binding proteins of the evolutionarily conserved Mex-3 family are mediators of post-transcriptional regulation in different organisms, and involved in diverse physiological settings. Mex-3 proteins are associated with diseases, particularly cancer. In humans, Mex-3 was identified and was found to have four homologous genes, Mex-3 A-D \[[@R4], [@R5]\]. It is important to ascertain their contribution to carcinogenesis and evaluate their potential as markers of cancer progression or prognosis \[[@R4]\].
Bladder cancer is one of the most common types of urinary system malignant tumors, with an estimated 429,800 new cases with bladder cancer and 165,100 deaths due to bladder cancer in 2012 worldwide. In the present study, one of the four proteins of *hMex-3*, *hMex-3A*, was selected to investigate its function in bladder cancer development and progression for the first time and explored its role in bladder cancer development.
RESULTS {#s2}
=======
Analysis of TCGA database and Mex-3A gene screening {#s2_1}
---------------------------------------------------
The information about RNAseq was downloaded from TCGA database according to bladder cancer-related key words. Using barcode, the original data of 19 paired-samples, in which 2 paired-samples had no pathological information, were found (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). In TCGA database, the difference in Mex-3A expression between cancerous tissue and para-cancerous tissue was reflected by FC (ratio of expression level in cancerous tissue to expression level in para-cancerous tissue) and *P*-value (statistical analysis model which is used to determine whether a statistic is consistent with null hypothesis) (Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}).
###### The original data of 19 paired-samples of bladder carcinoma from TCGA database
No. Sample name Method initial path dx Tissue source site Tumor tissue site Histological type Neoplasm histologic grade
----- -------------- --------------------------------- -------------------- ------------------- ----------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------
1 TCGA-BL-A13J Transurethral resection (TURBT) BL Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
2 TCGA-BT-A20N Transurethral resection (TURBT) BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
3 TCGA-BT-A20Q Transurethral resection (TURBT) BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
4 TCGA-BT-A20R Other method, specify: BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
5 TCGA-BT-A20U Other method, specify: BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
6 TCGA-BT-A20W Other method, specify: BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
7 TCGA-BT-A2LA Other method, specify: BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
8 TCGA-BT-A2LB Transurethral resection (TURBT) BT Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
9 TCGA-CU-A0YN Transurethral resection (TURBT) CU Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
10 TCGA-CU-A0YR Transurethral resection (TURBT) CU Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
11 TCGA-GC-A3BM Transurethral resection (TURBT) GC Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
12 TCGA-GC-A3WC Endoscopic biopsy GC Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
13 TCGA-GD-A2C5 Transurethral resection (TURBT) GD Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
14 TCGA-GD-A3OP Transurethral resection (TURBT) GD Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
15 TCGA-GD-A3OQ Transurethral resection (TURBT) GD Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
16 TCGA-K4-A3WV Other method, specify: K4 Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
17 TCGA-K4-A54R Transurethral resection (TURBT) K4 Bladder Muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma (pT2 or above) High grade
18 TCGA-GC-A6I3
19 TCGA-K4-A5RI
###### Differential expression of Mex-3A in cancerous tissue and para-cancerous tissue from TCGA database
ID Gene symbol FC P-value Total sample Sample unchanged Sample up Sample down
------- ------------- -------- ---------- -------------- ------------------ ----------- -------------
92312 MEX3A 10.737 3.47E-14 19 2 17 0
Identification of hMex-3A in human bladder cancer cell lines 5637 and T24 {#s2_2}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
We measured *hMex-3A* mRNA expression by real-time quantitative PCR in 5637 and T24 cells. The mRNA level of each sample was normalized to that of *GAPDH* prior to comparative analysis using the 2-ΔCt method. ΔCt is equal to the difference between the ΔCts of *hMex-3A* and *GAPDH*. The average ΔCts were 10.76±0.397 and 13.77±0.361 in 5637 and T24 cells, respectively (Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). *hMex-3A* level in *5637* cells was significantly higher than that in T24 cells (*P* \<0.05).
{#F1}
Infection efficiency after RNA interference and transfection {#s2_3}
------------------------------------------------------------
5637 and T24 cells were infected by shCtrl and shMex3A slow virus 72 hours respectively, and the results showed that the fluorescent protein expression (green staining) is about 80% by fluorescence microscope, while the cells shape kept normal mainly (Figure [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}).
{#F2}
Quantitative real-time PCR to determine Mex-3A mRNA levels in post-transfected cells {#s2_4}
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We measured *hMex-3A* mRNA expression by real-time quantitative PCR in 5637 and T24 cells after RNA interference. The mRNA level of each sample was normalized to that of *GAPDH* prior to comparative analysis using the 2-ΔCt method. The relative mRNA levels (*hMex-3A*/*GAPDH*) in shCtrl and shMex3A groups were 1.001±0.053 and 0.260±0.049 in 5637 cells, and were 1.001±0.047 and 0.319±0.038 in T24 cells, respectively (Figure [3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}) (all *P* \<0.05). The knockdown rate of *hMex-3A* was 74% and 68% in 5637 and T24 cells, respectively.
{#F3}
Silencing of hMex-3A by RNA interference inhibits bladder cancer cell growth {#s2_5}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To assess whether *hMex-3A* has an effect on cell growth, RNA interference against *hMex-3A* was carried out in the bladder cancer cell lines 5637 and T24. 5637 cells were infected by shCtrl and shMex3A slow virus for 5 days, and fluorescence microscope showed that the cell count was increased in a time-dependent model, but the increase rates were different at different time points. Celigo Cell Counting indicated that 5637 cell growth was slower in *hMex-3A*-siRNA-transfected group (2196/well) than in negative control group (6777/well) (*P* \< 0.05) in 5 days later. In addition, the cell count and count fold curves showed significant differences between of *hMex-3A*-siRNA-transfected cells group and negative control group in 5637 cells (Figure [4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}) (*P* \<0.05).
{#F4}
Cell growth was slower in *hMex-3A*-siRNA-transfected group (5799/well) than in negative control group (7899/well) in T24 cells 5 days later. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups (*P* \> 0.05). The cell count and count fold curves showed no significant differences between of *hMex-3A*-siRNA-transfected group and negative control group in T24 cells (Figure [5](#F5){ref-type="fig"}) (*P* \>0.05). It implied that the effect of *hMex-3A* on cell growth is dependent on cell type.
{#F5}
Cell apoptotic analysis {#s2_6}
-----------------------
Since *hMex-3A* level in *5637* cells was significantly higher than that in T24 cells (*P* \<0.05) and the effects of siRNA targeting *hMex-3A* on growth inhibition was not marked in T24 cells, we only chose 5637 cell line for the detection of apoptosis. To investigate the apoptosis in 5637, cells were analyzed by flow cytometry 5 days after transfection with si-psc. The apoptosis rates were 3.88±0.0651 and 8.14±0.3579 in shCtrl and shMex3A groups, respectively (Figure [6](#F6){ref-type="fig"}) (*P* \<0.05).
{#F6}
hMex-3A expression in human bladder cancer {#s2_7}
------------------------------------------
We collected 8 samples of bladder carcinoma including one sample from non-invasive urothelial carcinoma (high-level) and 7 samples from invasive urothelial carcinoma. Mex-3A protein expression was detected in these samples and showed dark cytoplasm and nuclei with brown particles (Figure [7](#F7){ref-type="fig"}). The mean of total score including staining intensity and staining rate was 7.0556±2.5961 (Figure [8](#F8){ref-type="fig"}). We found low expression in 2 samples and high expression in 6 samples. Among the 8 samples, hMex-3A expression level (10.25) was the highest in the sample from non-invasive urothelial carcinoma. Mex-3A protein expression in para-cancerous tissue was also determined and it was 2.5126±1.1934. Mex-3A protein expression was significantly higher in cancerous tissue than in para-cancerous tissue (*P* \<0.05).
{#F7}
{#F8}
DISCUSSION {#s3}
==========
Mex-3 proteins play a role in core biological processes, such as embryonic development, epithelial homeostasis, immune responses, metabolism and cancer. For the time being, the Mex-3 family of proteins can adapt to function in complex and diverse fine-tuning regulatory mechanisms of different organisms by constituting a patterning gene. *hMex-3A* and 3B are also associated with Argonaute (Ago) proteins (Ago1 and Ago2) which are the key components of the RNA-induced silencing complex and have been implicated in tumor development \[[@R6]\]. Recently, it has been reported that knockdown of Mex3A by siRNAs inhibits cell proliferation and migration in human gastric cancer cells \[[@R7]\]. Like the regulatory role of CDX2 in gastrointestinal homeostasis and carcinogenesis, when human Mex3A was overexpressed in an intestinal cell line, impaired differentiation and altered polarity were observed with gain of stemness features \[[@R8]\]. Interestingly, maintenance of active germ cell mitosis by Mex-3 in C. elegans comprises repression of the cell-cycle inhibitor cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor-2 (CKI-2) \[[@R9]\], which is orthologs of tumor suppressors. Recently, the functional role of Mex3C as a RNA-binding ubiquitin E3 ligase has been established, mediating the post-transcriptional decay of HLA-A allotypes \[[@R10]\]. It is necessary for normal postnatal growth to enhance the local expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) in bone \[[@R11]\] and IGF1 appears to be involved in metabolic regulation of energy balance \[[@R12]\]. By contrast, Mex3C was described as a new chromosomal instability (CIN) suppressor in CIN^+^ colorectal cancer \[[@R13]\]. Silencing of Mex3C leads to DNA replication stress, structural chromosome abnormalities, and chromosome mis-segregation. Moreover, Mex3 transcript levels are altered in several cancer types and are associated with disease, such as metabolic changes. Down regulation of murine Mex3C plays an important role in regulation of energy balance, because these mice exhibit reduced adipose deposition and increased energy expenditure \[[@R14]\]. Mex3C mutant mice also display a postnatal growth retardation phenotype; possibly due to a role for Mex3C in enhancing insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) mRNA translation in developing bone, given that IGF1 is a primary mediator of growth hormone effects. Finally, polymorphic variations in human Mex3C may produce the susceptibility to essential hypertension \[[@R15]\]. hMex-3D mRNA also has been found in some cell lines and tissues. A variant form of Mex3D called TINO could negatively regulate the antiapoptotic protein BCL-2 in HeLa cells \[[@R16]\]. All the four proteins predominantly accumulate in the cytoplasm, and shuttle between the cytoplasm and the nucleus via the CRM1-dependent export pathway \[[@R17]\].
There are many treatment methods for bladder carcinoma due to its heterogeneity, so the conditions of metastasis, treatment response, relapse and clinical outcomes may vary remarkably among different individuals \[[@R18]--[@R20]\]. Therefore, it is necessary to understand biological properties and molecular mechanism of bladder carcinoma. According to the degree of tumor invasion into bladder wall, bladder carcinoma was divided into non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma and muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma. Both the non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma cell line 5637 (the majority of the patients with bladder carcinoma have non-muscle-invasive cancer \[[@R21]\]) and the muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma cell line T24 were used in this study. As we know, cell line 5637 and T24 can be differentiated from normal bladder cell line. The former is characterized with its lower resistance to chemotherapy, and the latter could be distinguished by its abnormal mitochondrial metabolism. We measured *hMex-3A* mRNA expression in 5637 and T24 cells by real-time quantitative PCR. The results showed that *hMex-3A* mRNA expression was significantly higher in 5637 cells than in T24 cells. We also obtained the similar results in tissue samples of bladder carcinoma. Of the 8 patients with bladder carcinoma, one had non-invasive urothelial carcinoma (high-level) and 7 had invasive urothelial carcinoma. hMex-3A expression level was the highest in the sample from non-invasive urothelial carcinoma (10.25) among the 8 patients. We did not carry out statistical analysis about hMex-3A expression level in tissue samples because of too small number of cases. From these results, we can see that hMex-3A expression is similar in cell lines and tissue sample.
In recent years, RNA interference has been widely applied in exploring gene functions by down-regulating the expression of targeted genes. We used this technique to specifically silence *hMex-3A* expression in the bladder cancer cell lines 5637 and T24. Most notably, *hMex-3A* has been reported to be associated with Ago proteins ^7^. Ago proteins are components of the RNA-induced silencing complex and play a crucial role in RNA silencing \[[@R22], [@R23]\]. Recent studies have revealed that Ago1 and Ago2 play an important oncogenic role in breast and colon cancer \[[@R22], [@R23]\]. These repots suggest that *hMex-3A* may be associated with cancer development and progression. In this study, 5637 cell growth was significantly slower in *hMex*-3A-siRNA-transfected cells than in non-specific siRNA-transfected cells (*P* \<0.05), indicating that 5637 cell line growth is associated with *hMex-3A*. More importantly, flow cytometry analysis displayed that apoptosis rate of 5637 cells was significantly higher in *hMex*-3A-siRNA-transfected cells than in non-specific siRNA-transfected cells (*P* \<0.05), further confirming that 5637 cell line growth is associated with *hMex-3A*. In contrast, the effects of *hMex-3A* on T24 cells were different from that on 5637 cells. The inhibitory effect of *hMex-3A* on T24 cell growth was not marked. Also considering that *hMex-3A* expression level was significantly higher in 5637 cells than in T24 cells, we infer that different inhibitory effect of *hMex-3A* on 5637 and T24 cells may be associated with different expression levels in invasive and non-invasive bladder carcinoma. Our data imply that *hMex-3A* is strongly associated with 5637 bladder cancer cells.
In summary, silencing of *hMex-3A* resulted in a more obvious decrease in proliferation ability of 5637 than T24 bladder cancer cells, suggesting that a reduction in the *hMex-3A* expression level may lead to a more marked suppression of 5637 than T24 bladder cancer cell growth. This study provides a potential target for the treatment of bladder cancer.
The effects of hMex-3 proteins on human bladder tumorigenesis remain to be confirmed by clinical data. And tumorigenesis is a complicated process, so the exact mechanism by which *hMex-3A* contributes to tumorigenesis should be explored in the future.
MATERIALS AND METHODS {#s4}
=====================
All study methods were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University.
Analysis of TCGA database and Mex-3A gene screening {#s4_1}
---------------------------------------------------
The data related to tumor are rich in TCGA database. We selected RNAseq and RNAseqV2 paired sample data for the analysis of expression level. For bladder carcinoma, there are a total of 19 paired-samples in TCGA database. Our analysis was based on the data of RNAseq of the 19 paired-samples.
Specimens and cell culture {#s4_2}
--------------------------
Human bladder cancer 5637 and T24 cells were obtained from the Shanghai Institute of Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. T24 cell line with doubling time of 19h containing H-ras oncogene and tumor specific antigen expression was from a 68-year-old white woman with transitional cell carcinoma of bladder. While 5637 cell line was from a 68-year-old man with bladder carcinoma and it could produce SCF, IL-1, IL-3, IL-6, G-CSF, GM-CSF and so on. Cells were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium (Gibco BRL/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, MD, USA) with 100 IU/ml penicillin, 100 mg/ml streptomycin, and 10% heat inactivated fetal calf serum (PAA, Pasching, Austria) in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO~2~ at 37°C. Typically, cells were seeded and maintained in the culture incubator for 12 h before the addition of other reagents.
RT-PCR to select the cell line with highest level of Mex-3A mRNA from 5637 and T24 cell lines {#s4_3}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total RNA was extracted from the cultured cell lines using Trizol reagent (Invitrogen corp, Carlsbad, CA) and reverse-transcribed into cDNA using the M-MLV reverse transcriptase kit (Fermentas Inc, Hanover, MD). The following oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify the *Mex-3A* and *GAPDH* genes: *Mex-3A* forward, 5\'-CGGAGTGGACTCTGGCTTTGAG-3\' and reverse, 5\'-CAGAGGAGAAGAGCACGGAGGT-3\'; *GAPDH* forward, 5\'-TGACTTCAACAGCGACACCCA-3\' and reverse, 5\'-CACCCTGTTGCTGTAGCCAAA-3\'. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed with a Thermal Cycler Dice Real Time System (Takara, USA) and SYBR-Green I reagent (Takara, USA). Each sample was amplified in triplicate and the specificity was confirmed by dissociation analysis. The mRNA level of each sample was normalized to that of *GAPDH* prior to comparative analysis using the 2-^ΔCt^ method.
Design and synthesis of sequences of siRNAs targeting hMex-3A {#s4_4}
-------------------------------------------------------------
In order to suppress the *hMex-3A* expression in bladder cancer cells, *hMex-3A*- specific small interference RNAs (siRNAs) were chemically synthesized (GeneRay). The siRNA sequences were as follows: si-psc (sense, 5\'- AGGCAAGGCTGCAAGATTAAGCTCGACTTAATCTTGCAGCCTTGCCT-3\' and antisense, 5\'-AGGCAAGGCTGCAAGATTAAGCTCGAGCTTAATCTTGCAGCCTTGCCT -3\'). Irrelevant nucleotides not targeting any annotated human genes were used as the negative control as follows: si-NC (sense, 5\'-CCGGTTCTCCGAACGTGTCACGTTTCAAGAGAA-3\' and antisense, 5\'- CGTGACACGTTCGGAGAATTTTTG-3\'). After PCR identification and sequence analysis of positive clones, plasmids were extracted.
Groups and cell transfection {#s4_5}
----------------------------
Typically, 5637 and T24 cells were divided into 2 groups including negative control (non-specific siRNA-transfected cells) group and *hMex*-3A-siRNA-transfected cells group, respectively. Bladder cancer cells were seeded into 6 well plates for 24 h at a density of 2×105 cells per well. Cells covering 70-- 80% of the hole wall were incubated in 2 ml of serum-free DMEM for 2 h followed by transfection according to the instructions of kit. Five hours later, cells were incubated in DMEM containing 10% fetal calf serum for 72 h followed by extraction of RNA.
RT-PCR to observe Mex-3A mRNA levels in the post-transfected cells {#s4_6}
------------------------------------------------------------------
Real time RT-PCR was performed with an ABI Prism 7700 Sequence Detection System (Applied Biosystems, Darmstadt, Germany) using the Quantitect SYBR Green PCR Kit from Qiagen (Hilden, Germany) following the manufacturer's guidelines. Oligonucleotide primers were designed according to the sequences mentioned before. *hMex-3A* mRNA expression level was normalized to *GAPDH* expression in the cDNA preparation. The testing was performed in triplicate in each sample.
Cell count analysis to assess the proliferation of bladder cancer cells {#s4_7}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Following transfection with siRNAs at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 days, 5637 and T24 cells were harvested. Cell viability was measured using the Celigo Cell Counting (Nexcelom) according to the manufacturer\'s instructions. The testing was performed in triplicate in each sample.
Cell apoptosis performed by flow cytometer {#s4_8}
------------------------------------------
5637 cells were harvested 5 days after transfection, and then fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde for 20 min at room temperature followed by permeabilization with 0.1% Triton X-100 (Sigma) for 5 min on ice. Staining was performed with anti-Mex-3A antibody and visualized with goat anti-rabbit FITC-conjugated secondary antibody. For DNA content assessment, cells were incubated with a propidium iodide (50 mg/ml) and RNAse A (200 mg/ml) solution (Sigma) for 30 min at room temperature. Cell apoptosis was measured using the Annexin V-APC (eBioscience) according to the manufacturer\'s instructions. The testing was performed in triplicate in each sample.
Immunohistochemical staining of hMex-3A in human bladder cancers {#s4_9}
----------------------------------------------------------------
Samples of cancerous tissue and para-cancerous tissue (2 cm from cancerous tissue) were collected from 8 patients who underwent surgical treatment and diagnosed with bladder carcinoma by histopathology in our hospital between February 7, 2013 and March 18, 2016. The inclusion criteria were (1) primary bladder carcinoma; (2) no a history of chemotherapy and (3) definite diagnosis confirmed by pathology. According to pTNM stages, 2 patients were in Ta-T1, 3 patients in T2, 2 patients in T3 and one in T4.
Pathological sections were dried, treated using toluene, dehydrated using graded ethanol, treated using citrate buffer and sealed using goat serum. Rabbit hMex-3A (abcam) (1:200) was added in pathological sections and PBS was added in negative control sections followed by overnight at 4 °C. HRP-goat anti-rabbit secondary antibody was added in the sections for 30 min at 37 °C Followed by DAB coloration and nuclear staining.
Evaluation of staining intensity (0/1+/2+/3+) and staining rate: staining intensity including zero score (no staining), one score (weak staining), 2 scores (moderate staining) and 3 scores (strong staining); and staining rate including zero score (negative), one score (1-25%), 2 scores (26-50%), 3 scores (1-25%) and 4 scores (76-100%). Total score= score of staining intensity ×score of staining rate. The total score ≤ 6 scores were regarded as low expression and the total score \> 6 score was regarded as high expression.
Statistical analysis {#s4_10}
--------------------
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS16.0 software. Each experiment was carried out at least three times, and all figures were showed by mean ± standard deviation ($\overline{x} \pm s$). Statistical analysis was performed using Student's *t*-test. The criterion for statistical significance was set at *P* \< 0.05.
**Author contributions**
Ying Huang wrote the main manuscript text. Ying Huang and Da Liu designed the study and gave important modifications. Chao Fang and Jing-Wen Shi performed statistical analysis. Yu Wen and Da Liu prepared all figures. All authors reviewed the manuscript.
**CONFLICTS OF INTEREST**
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
**FUNDING**
This research was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (81371552) and Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province (2013021020).
siRNA
: small interfering RNA
RBPs
: RNA-binding proteins
siRNAs
: small interference RNAs
CKI-2
: cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor-2
IGF1
: insulin-like growth factor 1
CIN
: chromosomal instability
IGF1
: insulin-like growth factor 1
|
484 P.2d 1216 (1971)
Edwin Evans FAGIN, Eugene Edward Sisneros and David Luther Montoya, Plaintiffs in Error,
v.
The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado, Defendant in Error.
No. 24055.
Supreme Court of Colorado, In Department.
May 17, 1971.
Joseph A. Vento, Pueblo, for plaintiffs in error.
Duke W. Dunbar, Atty. Gen., John P. Moore, Deputy Atty. Gen., Michael T. Haley, Asst. Atty. Gen., Denver, for defendant in error.
EARL A. WOLVINGTON, District Judge.[*]
The plaintiffs in error will be referred to as defendants or by name. The defendants were charged in the District Court of Pueblo County with two counts: Possession of a narcotic drug (C.R.S.1963, 48-5-2 and 48-5-20); and conspiracy to possess a narcotic drug (C.R.S.1963, 40-7-35). The defendants Fagin and Sisneros were found guilty of both counts, but the defendant Montoya was found guilty of only the second count (conspiracy).
Officers Trujillo and Gaide observed the car in which the defendants were riding proceeding in an erratic fashion. The officers turned on their red light, but before the Fagin car came to a stop, the officers noticed considerable commotion and movements by the defendants and something white in color thrown out the right side of the vehicle.
Officer Gaide gave the defendants a verbal warning and then let them proceed. The officers then went back to inspect what the defendants had thrown from their car. They found sixteen cigarettes which they believed contained marijuana. They picked up Sergeant Williams and proceeded to follow the defendants.
The defendants had driven a course which brought them back to the intersection where the cigarettes had been found and they stopped in a parking lot across the avenue. It was there that the defendants were apprehended. Defendants Fagin and Sisneros appeared to be under the influence of either drugs or alcohol but there was no identifiable odor about them. Defendant Montoya did not appear to be under the influence of either.
*1217 A search of defendants' clothes revealed marijuana debris, about the size of a dime, in the trouser pockets of defendants Fagin and Sisneros. Defendants' car was also searched at the police parking lot and a part of a partially smoked marijuana cigarette was found under the right front floormat. Laboratory tests established that the sixteen cigarettes, the pocket debris and the partially smoked cigarette contained Cannabis Sativa L., commonly known as marijuana.
Defendants argue that the trial court erred in giving instruction No. 10 as follows: "The Court instructs you that the statute prohibiting the possession of Cannabis Sativa L. applies to the possession of any amount of the drug." While the statute does not include the word "any," this court has consistently held that the statute denounces the possession of any amount of a narcotic drug. Casias v. People, 160 Colo. 152, 415 P.2d 344; Mickens v. People, 148 Colo. 237, 365 P.2d 679; Duran v. People, 145 Colo. 563, 360 P.2d 132. There was sufficient evidence introduced for the jury to find the defendants Fagin and Sisneros guilty of possession.
The defendant Montoya asserts that because the jury found him not guilty of possession, the guilty verdict of conspiracy to possess is inconsistent and his conviction should be reversed. We have carefully reviewed the record of the trial below and are unable to find evidence of conspiracy apart from that introduced in support of the substantive crime of possession as to Montoya. As the jury found the evidence was insufficient to establish Montoya's guilt as to the possession charge, it follows that the conviction on the conspiracy count must fall as well. See Petty v. People, 167 Colo. 240, 447 P.2d 217 (1969); People v. Way, 165 Colo. 161, 437 P.2d 535 (1968); Robles v. People, 160 Colo. 297, 417 P.2d 232 (1966).
Finally, defendants argue that Exhibits A, B, C, D and E should not have been admitted into evidence. Suffice it to say that this argument is without merit and the trial court was correct in admitting the exhibits.
The judgment is affirmed as to defendants Fagin and Sisneros and reversed as to defendant Montoya and remanded with direction that he be ordered discharged.
DAY and LEE, JJ., and WILLIAM L. GOBIN, District Judge,* concur.
NOTES
[*] District Judge sitting under assignment by the Chief Justice under provisions of Article VI, Section 5(3) of the constitution of Colorado.
|
Gingras also shares some outfit suggestions: "Pair this piece with one of this summer’s simple white sundresses for a hip and casual daytime look or with a deep plunging top for a more sultry evening look." |
Johns Hopkins has been a member of ECOG since 1955. Our primary goal is to bring innovative clinical research protocols and laboratory correlative science piloted at Johns Hopkins to the Group for further development. In conjunction with this, our faculty serves in leadership roles as study chairs and laboratory co-chairs, disease and modality-oriented committee chairs. [unreadable] [unreadable] The specific aims are: 1) to continue to provide scientific leadership in the disease-oriented committees: Breast, Thoracic, Head and Neck, Genitourinary, Brain Tumor Working Group, Lymphoma, Leukemia; 2) to expand our involvement to the disease and modality committees: Gastro-intestinal, Myeloma, Pharmacology and Drug Development; 3) to bring translational research correlates, cell biology and molecular biology into clinical protocols for all stages of disease; 4) to expand our accrual and maintain excellence in data quality. [unreadable] [unreadable] We expect to accomplish these goals through the mission of the Sydney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins: to provide a multidisciplinary approach to the study of cancer that will result in improved means for prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The Center has achieved excellence in translational research with the awarding of six SPORE grants (lymphoma, G-I cancer, prostate, breast, lung, head and neck). In addition, we perform early clinical trials of new drugs (NCI phase I contract since 1982) and hold a contract for Early Therapeutics Development with Phase II Emphasis. These grants allow the development of novel phase II and phase Ill trial concepts which our faculty bring to ECOG with appropriate laboratory science correlative studies. Our accrual and committee involvement is expected to continue to grow because of expanding clinical programs and faculty made possible with a new Cancer Center facility and research buildings occupied since late 2000. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] |
A review of therapeutic studies of idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy.
The treatment of idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy remains an enigma. We have reviewed many of the important clinical trials concerning membranous glomerulopathy using a meta-analysis and a secondary pooled analysis to test the effects of corticosteroid or alkylating, therapy compared with no treatment on renal survival and complete remission of the nephrotic syndrome. A search was performed using MEDLINE (1968 through 1993) for articles on idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy and glomerulonephritis. Bibliographies of articles were reviewed for completeness. Sixty-nine articles were reviewed. Meta-analysis was performed for four trials that evaluated corticosteroids compared with no treatment and for three trials that evaluated alkylating therapy compared with no treatment. Pooled analysis was performed on randomized and prospective studies (10 studies) and then with 22 case series added. All studies evaluated renal biopsy-proven disease. Meta-analysis was performed on the relative chance of being in complete remission for each study. Renal survival could be evaluated by pooled analysis only. For pooled analyses, Cox's proportional hazard and logistic regression models were used to test the effect of therapy on renal survival and the nephrotic syndrome, respectively. Data concerning gender, nephrotic syndrome, and geographic region were used in all statistical models. Evaluation of renal survival revealed no differences by treatment group (P > 0.1). By meta-analysis, the relative chance of complete remission was not improved for corticosteroid-treated patients (1.55; 95% confidence interval, 0.99 to 2.44; P > 0.1), but was improved for patients treated with alkylating agents (4.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.44 to 15.96; P < 0.05) when compared with no treatment. Pooled analysis of randomized and prospective studies, as well pooled analysis with all studies, supported the findings of the meta-analysis. Corticosteroids or alkylating therapy did not improve renal survival in idiopathic membranous glomerulopathy. Complete remission of the nephrotic syndrome was observed more frequently with the use of alkylating agents. |
"Pharmaceutical advertisements is one of the important methods of spreading the information about drugs to the concern Physician or Prescribers".\[[@ref1][@ref2]\] Besides personalized visits by designated representatives, various other methods are also used to spread the awareness about the drug and advertisements in medical journals.\[[@ref3]\] Ethically, the advertisement should contain valid information and sufficient literature support about the claims made in support of drug, as these advertisements can affect the prescribing behavior of physicians.\[[@ref4][@ref5]\] Ethical guidelines for drug promotional activities are set both at national and international level.\[[@ref6]--[@ref8]\] At international level, two important guidelines for regulation of drug promotional activities are "Ethical criteria for medicinal drug promotion" by "World Health Organization (WHO)" and "Code of Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices" by "International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations (IFPMA)."\[[@ref6][@ref7]\] In India, drug promotional activities are largely governed by "Organization of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI)."\[[@ref8]\] Despite guidelines for drug advertisements being in place, insufficient information about the drug and literature quoted to support the claim made in the advertisements have been documented in international journals.\[[@ref9]\] Very few studies on issue of ethical concerns regarding advertisements published in medical journals have been done in India. In 1997, Gitanjali *et al*. conducted a study on drug advertisements published in Indian edition of British Medical Journal (BMJ) and observed that many components of ethical advertisements like generic names, price, and postal address of manufacturers were not adequately reported.\[[@ref10]\] Few studies were also done to document ethical issues related to drug promotional literature distributed by pharmaceutical companies to drug prescribers.\[[@ref11][@ref12]\] Present study is an attempt to study rationality of drug advertisements published in various Indian Medical Journals.
Materials and Methods {#sec1-1}
=====================
Present study included all medical journals related to clinical practice subscribed by the Central Library of Government Medical College, Surat. These Journals included Indian Journal of Pediatrics (IJP), Indian Pediatrics (IP), Journal of the Association of Physicians of India (JAPI), Journal of Indian Medical Association (JIMA), Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine (IJCCM), Indian Journal of Medical and Pediatric Oncology (IJMPO), Indian Journal of Gastroenterology (IJG), Indian Journal of Ophthalmology (IJO), and Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology of India (JOGI). Hence, a total of nine journals were included in the present study. Random selection of three issues of each of the nine journals published in the year 2009-2010 was done. Hence, a total of 27 issues were evaluated for rationality of the drug advertisement. The criteria of evaluation were based on the WHO criteria for rationality of the drug advertisement.\[[@ref6]\] WHO criteria for drug advertisements published in medical journals includes evaluation of information related to generic name of the drug, indication, dosage, precaution, contraindication, adverse effect, price, postal address of pharmaceutical company, and reference to scientific literature. Each author evaluated drug advertisements published in these medical journals independently on the basis of WHO criteria, and two-stage Delphi was used to come to a common consensus. Numbers of claims and references made in each advertisement were also evaluated. Cited references were searched in various search engines like Pubmed, Ind med, and Google search. References then were classified as journal article, generic data on file, specific data on file, meeting abstract or presentation, book or monograph, marketing report, prescribing information, government documents, etc. Journal articles were further classified as original research, review, meta-analysis, guideline of position statement, editorials or comments, case reports, letter, etc. Inclusion criteria included advertisements published in journals between 2009 and 2010, whereas the advertisements on devices and nutritional supplements were excluded, keeping in view of the operational feasibility.
Statistics {#sec2-1}
----------
Descriptive statistics was used for statistical analysis. All values were expressed as frequencies, percentages, and 95% confidence interval (CI) around the percentages.
Results {#sec1-3}
=======
Because of duplication of same advertisements in different journals, a total of 107 drug advertisements were included for evaluation as per the WHO guidelines. Of 107 advertisements evaluated, 76 (72.3%; 95% CI, 63.1% to 80%) were related to single drug and rest 31 (29.5%; 95% CI, 21.6% to 38.8%) were of drug combinations. Majority of the advertisements were related to chemotherapy (30%) \[[Figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}\].
{#F1}
As per the WHO-based evaluation criteria, Brand name was mentioned in all advertisements and generic name was also mentioned in 90% advertisements. Indications of the drug or drug combination were mentioned in 84% advertisements. Appropriate dose for the drug was mentioned in 24% advertisements. Instructions regarding precautions and contraindications were mentioned in 17% and 16%, respectively. Adverse effects following consumption of the drug was mentioned in only 19% of the advertisements. On the major, issue of drug pricing was largely found missing in the advertisements and only 5% of the advertisements displayed pricing. Address of pharmaceutical company was mentioned in 74% advertisements \[[Table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}\].
######
Various parameters according to WHO criteria (*n*=107)
It was observed that of 264 claims made in these 107 drug advertisements (2.4 per advertisement), only 74 (28%; 95% CI, 22.9% to 33.7%) claims were supported with appropriate references. A total of 86 references were cited in support of these 74 claims. Of these 86 references, seven references were not cited properly. Hence, of the remaining 79 references, 59 were journal articles, 11 were books or monographs, six were data on file, and three were prescribing information \[[Figure 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}\]. Of the 59 journal articles cited in support, 42 were original articles, 12 were reviews, two were case reports, two were guidelines, and one was meta-analysis \[[Figure 3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}\]. References when searched in an appropriate search engine, only 53 (61.6%) out of 86 references were available on Pubmed and Google.
{#F2}
{#F3}
Discussion {#sec1-4}
==========
Present study was an attempt to evaluate the drug advertisements published in various Indian Medical Journals and after evaluation against a standard evaluation tool, serious ethical issues surfed out. Very vital information regarding precautions, contraindications, adverse effects, and price were not mentioned in many advertisements. Very few claims as published in the advertisements were supported by appropriate references. It was observed that WHO criterion of ethical reporting of drug promotional material is not followed in majority of the published advertisements. This inadequacy may create confusion and biases in the mind of physician during making decisions regarding rational prescribing of drugs. Hence, it can be concluded that majority of the advertisements that are published in Medical Journals are not to spread awareness and help rational prescribing, but to promote the drugs. It is a matter of serious concern as ethical issues related to drug advertisements are largely overlooked.
This phenomenon of unethical drug advertisement is not confined only to Indian Medical Journals, but also observed in medical journals of other countries.\[[@ref9]\] In our study, generic name was mentioned in about 90% advertisements; similar findings were observed in some other studies done for western journals.\[[@ref13][@ref14]\] In some other studies, generic names were found to be reported less as compared with this study.\[[@ref15]\] In our study, indications were mentioned in 84% advertisements; similar findings were observed in other studies.\[[@ref14][@ref16]\] As compared with other studies done for western journals, information related to contraindications, adverse effects, and precautions are mentioned less in this study, but as compared with previous study done in India, reporting of these parameters are slightly improved.\[[@ref17][@ref18]\] Information related to doses is less in this study as compared with previous studies done for both western and Indian journals.\[[@ref17][@ref18]\]
In this study, it is found that only 28% claims were supported by references; this is very less as compared with western studies, but similar to the studies done in developing countries.\[[@ref19]\] Types of references observed in this study were also similar to other studies done for western and Indian journals.\[[@ref19]\] So, findings of this study are more or less similar to other studies including the few Indian studies done in 90s. This shows that still very less progress is observed in the quality of drug advertisements despite various efforts being done at national and international level and it should be a matter of concern. For rational prescribing, a physician should know not only about the effect of drug, but also about the harm, so that decision for prescribing can be taken after understanding probability of effect and harm, but most of the advertisements were lacking information on adverse effect, contraindications, and precautions. On the basis of this study, it can be suggested that physician should not totally rely on these advertisements for prescribing information and other parallel sources should also be used. Physicians and official bodies of physicians should promote the ethical advertisements and complain should be lodged to official authorities for unethical advertisements. In India, some regional ethics committees are formulated where these complains can be submitted.\[[@ref11]\] It is also a duty of Journal editors to make a policy on ethical advertisements in their journal.
**Source of Support:** Nil
**Conflict of Interest:** None declared.
|
tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27587801.post5169540903467012876..comments2019-02-13T05:50:54.247-05:00Comments on Chevrolet 5th and 6th Gen Camaro: Camaro stop delivery order for ignition key [email protected]:blogger.com,1999:blog-27587801.post-75299882945317276782014-07-10T08:05:31.277-04:002014-07-10T08:05:31.277-04:00Our key was replaced with the plain key and the or...Our key was replaced with the plain key and the original fob with the flip out key removed. That is fine. However, the fob now has an unsightly side where the original key used to be. Also it seems silly to have that much weight for a fob when it does not even include the key [email protected] |
List of signalling pathways
In cell biology, there are several signalling pathways. Cell signalling is part of the molecular biology system that controls and coordinates the actions of cells.
Akt/PKB signalling pathway
AMPK signalling pathway
cAMP-dependent pathway
Eph/ephrin signalling pathway
Hedgehog signalling pathway
Hippo signalling pathway
Insulin signal transduction pathway
JAK-STAT signalling pathway
MAPK/ERK signalling pathway
mTOR signalling pathway
Nodal signalling pathway
Notch signalling pathway
PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway
TGF beta signalling pathway
TLR signalling pathway
VEGF signalling pathway
Wnt signalling pathway
References
Category:Molecular biology
Category:Cell signaling |
Scientific American’s GMO Prescription: Ignorance for the Masses
In preparation for the Ohio State Food Summit in September, Professor Ken Lee passed along an op-ed from Scientific American on the subject of labeling food that contains GMOs. The article is here. The upshot is that labeling food made from GMOs is a bad idea because such food is mostly safe and irrational fear of it would leave humanity worse off.
Leaving aside, for the moment, the question of how safe GMOs are, it is appalling to find respectable adults devoted to scientific enquiry who actively advocate the enforcement of ignorance. Scientific American’s Board of Editors clearly believe that the ends—the benefits of food made from GMOs, like golden rice—justify the means of keeping people in the dark about what’s in their food. They are mistaken.
First, regardless of how right or wrong people are in their beliefs on a given subject, in a democratic society it is deeply offensive to advocate ignorance on that subject as a means of achieving a more enlightened outcome. Certainly, scientific evidence should inform opinion to a much greater degree than it does. Yes, scientific evidence should inform public policy, as in the case of taxes designed to make prices in a free market more accurately reflect costs to society. But none of this justifies legislating ignorance as a shortcut to one’s preferred outcome.
Second, the Board of Editors conflates labeling food made with GMOs with banning such food. These are entirely different issues. The Board writes that distribution of genetically modified golden rice, which contains life-saving beta carotene, has been delayed because of anti-GMO agitation. That’s true, and golden rice is probably the best case one could make for GMOs. But labeling it, rather than banning it, would only forestall its distribution if people choose not to consume it—which should be their choice, not ours or the Board’s.
Finally, the Board argues that, given how widespread GMOs are (they estimate that 70% of processed food in the US contains GMOs), labeling would increase the average American’s food bill significantly. Maybe it would; but again, Americans should be given the choice. Those who sign on to the scientific consensus can save money on their monthly food bill.
For these reasons, we would urge Scientific American’s Board of Editors to reconsider its position on GMO labeling. Their current position reflects, not the scientific integrity for which the publication has rightly become well known, but a degree of intellectual arrogance that is unworthy of their masthead. We would also urge interested individuals in the Columbus area to attend OSU’s food summit and represent their views on the GMO labeling issue to the audience and the speakers.
Apparently Slow Food Columbus’ blog comment notification system is not working. Sorry, Rachel, just noticed this. It’s a bit steep for nonprofits, too, but I would happily have put a good word in with the organizers. Again, apologies. |
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch sensing device and a driving method thereof, and more particularly to a touch sensing device in which touch sensors are embedded in a pixel array, and a driving method thereof.
Discussion of the Related Art
User interfaces (UIs) allow human beings (users) to communicate with various electric and electronic devices to easily control them as intended. Typical user interfaces include a keypad, a keyboard, a mouse, an on-screen display (OSD), a remote controller having an infrared communication or radio frequency (RF) communication function, and the like. UI technologies are advancing toward enhancement of user emotion and operational convenience. Recently, UIs have evolved to a touch UI, a voice recognition UI, a 3D UI, and the like.
The touch UI is often employed in portable information devices such as smartphones and is increasingly applied to notebook computers, computer monitors, home appliances, and the like. Recently, a technique of embedding touch sensors in a pixel array of a display panel (hereinafter, referred to as an “in-cell touch sensor”) has been proposed. According to the in-cell touch sensor technique, touch sensors may be installed in a display panel without increasing the thickness of the display panel. The touch sensors are connected to pixels through parasitic capacitances and signal lines (hereinafter, referred to as “pixel signal lines”). As for a driving method thereof, a period during which pixels are driven (hereinafter, referred to as a “display driving period”) and a period for driving touch sensors (hereinafter, referred to as a “touch sensor driving period”) are temporally divided in order to reduce a mutual influence due to coupling between the pixels and the touch sensors.
In the in-cell touch sensor technique, electrodes connected to pixels of a display panel are utilized as electrodes of the touch sensors. For example, the in-cell touch sensor technique may include a method of dividing a common electrode, for supplying a common voltage to pixels of a liquid crystal display, for use as an electrode of the touch sensors.
As an example of a capacitance-type touch sensor that can be implemented as an in-cell touch sensor, a mutual capacitance-type touch sensor (hereinafter, referred to as a “touch sensor”) has been known.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are a plan view illustrating an electrode pattern of a touch sensor and an equivalent circuit diagram of the touch sensor, respectively.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a mutual capacitance-type touch screen includes transmission (Tx) lines Tx1 to Tx4 and reception (Rx) lines Rx1 to Rx4 intersecting the Tx lines Tx1 to Tx4 with dielectric materials (or insulating layers) interposed therebetween. A mutual capacitance Cm is formed between the Tx lines Tx1 to Tx4 and the Rx lines Rx1 to Rx4. When a touch driving signal (or a stimulating signal) is supplied to the Tx lines Tx1 to Tx4, electric charges are charged in the mutual capacitance Cm. A sensing circuit senses a touch input based on the amount of change in electric charges of the mutual capacitance Cm before and after the touch.
In FIG. 2, R(Tx) is a resistor of a Tx line, R(Rx) is a resistor of an Rx line, C(Tx) is a parasitic capacitance of the Tx line, and C(Rx) is a parasitic capacitance of the Rx line.
When touch sensors are embedded in a pixel array, a large amount of parasitic capacitances affecting the touch sensors due to coupling between the touch sensors and pixel signal lines is added. The pixel signal lines are signal lines for writing data to pixels. In FIG. 3, pixel signal lines include a data line DL for supplying a data voltage to pixels and a gate line GL supplying a gate pulse (or a scan pulse) for selecting data-written pixels. In FIG. 3, Cfinger is a capacitance equivalently expressing a finger when the finger applies a touch. Clc is a capacitance equivalently expressing a liquid crystal cell. Cdg is a parasitic capacitance between the gate line GL and the data line DL, and Cgs is a parasitic capacitance between a gate and a source of a thin film transistor (TFT).
Parasitic capacitances connected to in-cell touch sensors include Ctd, Ctg, Ctc, Cgc, Cdc, and the like, as shown in FIG. 3. Ctd is a parasitic capacitance between the Tx line and the data line DL, Ctg is a parasitic capacitance between the Tx line and the gate line GL, Ctc is a parasitic capacitance between the Tx line and the Rx line, Cgc is a parasitic capacitance between the Rx line and the gate line GL, and Cdc is a parasitic capacitance between the Rx line and the data line DL. As a size of a touch screen employing in-cell touch sensors increases and resolution thereof increases, the touch sensitivity and touch recognition accuracy declines due to parasitic capacitances connected to the in-cell touch sensors. Thus, in order to apply the in-cell touch sensor technology to touch screens of a large-screen display device, the parasitic capacitance of touch sensors needs to be reduced or minimized.
FIG. 4 is a waveforms illustrating driving signals of a display device, such as that the one illustrated in FIG. 3.
As shown in FIG. 4, in order to drive a display device including in-cell touch sensors, a display driving period Td and a touch sensor driving period Tt are temporally divided. During the display driving period Td, a data voltage Vdata and a gate pulse GP are generated to write data to pixels. The gate pulse GP is swung between a gate high voltage VGH and a gate low voltage VGL. During the display driving period Td, Tx lines and Rx lines of touch sensors serve as a common electrode supplying a common voltage Vcom to the pixels. During the touch sensor driving period Tt, a voltage of the data lines DL is held at the final data voltage of the previous display driving period Td and a voltage of the gate lines GL is held at a gate low voltage VGL. During the touch sensor driving period Td, a touch driving signal Tdrv is supplied to the Tx lines. During the touch sensor driving period Td, the sensing circuit is in synchronization with the touch driving signal Tdrv and senses a variation in electric charges of the touch sensors through the Rx lines. |
Matrix metalloproteinase 9 inhibits the motility of highly aggressive HSC-3 oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.
Pro-tumorigenic activities of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 9 have been linked to many cancers, but recently the tumour-suppressing role of MMP9 has also been elucidated. The multifaceted evidence on this subject prompted us to examine the role of MMP9 in the behaviour of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) cells. We used gelatinase-specific inhibitor, CTT2, and short hairpin (sh) RNA gene silencing to study the effects of MMP9 on proliferation, motility and invasion of an aggressive OTSCC cell line, HSC-3. We found that the migration and invasion of HSC-3 cells were increased by CTT2 and shRNA silencing of MMP9. Proliferation, in turn, was decreased by MMP9 inhibition. Furthermore, arresten-overexpressing HSC-3 cells expressed increased levels of MMP9, but exhibited decreased motility compared with controls. Interestingly, these cells restored their migratory capabilities by CTT2 inhibition of MMP9. Hence, although higher MMP9 expression could give rise to an increased tumour growth in vivo due to increased proliferation, in some circumstances, it may participate in yet unidentified molecular mechanisms that reduce the cell movement in OTSCC. |
[Predictors of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with arterial hypertension during exercise stress testing].
Arterial hypertension is an important risk factor for atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. 203 male patients were examined in order to identify predictors of cardiac arrhythmias in patients with arterial hypertension during exercise stress testing. All participants were studied by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, transthoracic echocardiography, an ultrasound scan of the carotid arteries and treadmill test. 47,3% of patients presented cardiac arrhythmias during exercise stress testing. The left ventricular mass, diastolic function and carotid intima-media thickness were found to be independent predictors of exercise-induced arrhythmias. The use of the exercise stress testing may be reasonable for additional risk stratification in hypertensive patients. |
Q:
Issue with date comparison in Oracle 11.2.0.2.0
I've encountered strange behavior of Oracle DBMS.
With the SQL quoted below result set is empty. If I delete either of "this_.order_date >=" condition - it returns expected 2 rows.
SELECT DISTINCT this_.id AS y0_,
this_.order_date AS y1_
FROM flight_trip_orders this_,
int_work_order_info iwoi1_,
state_history_records cs2_
WHERE this_.work_info_id =iwoi1_.id
AND iwoi1_.state_history_records_id=cs2_.id
AND this_.order_date <=to_timestamp('12/16/2011', 'mm/dd/yyyy')
AND this_.order_date >=to_timestamp('12/13/2011', 'mm/dd/yyyy')
AND this_.order_date >=to_timestamp('12/15/2011', 'mm/dd/yyyy')
AND rownum <=2;
How this could happen? Results of the query are different on two different Oracle instances, but both are version 11.2.0.2.0
Please do not suggest optimizing query and removing conditions - the query is generated and I have no power to change it.
EDIT:
Adding hint "ALL_ROWS" helps with the issue. The problem is that I can not add this hint in actual application, as explained above.
A:
If your description of the problem is accurate, it sounds like it could be an optimizer bug. Perhaps the redundant conditions are being handled badly and causing an incorrect filter to be used. The first thing I would do is look at the execution plan for the full query and the query without the "12/13/2011" condition, and look for differences, particularly in the predicates being applied.
|
Warning
The president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, the colorful Zulu polygamist with, at last count, six wives and 21 children, is in trouble with his ruling African National Congress after having fenced much of the country to the Gupta family.
These Indian operators, who moved to South Africa in 1993 to cash in on the end of apartheid, fled to Dubai in 2016, leaving Zuma politically precarious.
Now international elites are castigating the fallen Guptas and their now-defunct London public relations firm, Bell Pottinger, for, curiously enough, having ginned up in their defense an antiwhite PR campaign denouncing “white monopoly capital.”
The New York Times, for example, lashed out at the antiwhite racism of the Guptas’ phrase “white monopoly capital”:
By the following year, Bell Pottinger was embroiled in a national maelstrom. In TV reports, editorials and public rallies, it stood accused of setting off racial tensions through a furtive campaign built on Twitter bots, hate-filled websites and speeches. All were pushing a highly toxic narrative, namely that whites in South Africa had seized resources and wealth while they deprived blacks of education and jobs. The message was popularized with an incendiary phrase, “white monopoly capital.”
Nobody has yet explained, however, why castigating “white monopoly capital” in South Africa is bad, while demonizing “white privilege” in America is very, very good. |
Rayon Antique Wire - 250 ft. Spool
Twisted - Gold - 20 Gauge - Twisted Cord
Rayon Antique Wire - 250 ft. Spool
Twisted - Gold - 20 Gauge - Twisted Cord
Description
These Cloth Covered Antique Wires will give new life to vintage lamps and fixtures while maintaining a vintage appearance. The wires cloth covering gives fixtures with exposed wiring a more finished look, the safe and modern version of the old silk-wrapped cord found on lamps in the 1930's. *This product is not UL or CSA approved and should be used in low temperature and low wattage applications. |
Why A Food Tour Is Needed When In Bologna
Bologna is an attracting place to me: it is a city pained with the characteristic terracotta red, where you find the skyscraper tall medieval towers and the portico along the street that exist nowhere else; there are tons of shops, which make you wish to have more money and more time to spend; and the food there, MAMMA MIA, so good!!!
The very first time I visited Bologna was a cloudy Saturday. We arrived in five to spend family time while exploring the city. Besides the great time spent together, our son got his great gift in Piazza Maggiore: a balloon doll; while for rest of us, the greatest experience was a big lunch at Oltre! I read about this restaurant in a post from Curious Appetite, and booked a table in advance. Oh gosh, that was a mind-blowing meal.
Ever since then, I’ve always wanted to return to Bologna, just for the food! And last month in February, my dream came true! I was invited to Curious Appetite’s La Grassa Bologna food tour for a culinary adventure.
It was not the first food tour I joined in Italy. However after several culinary walks, I am more convinced thatto find the authentic food in an unknown city, you do need the help from someone local and professional.
Bologna as a major city of region Emilia-Romagna, where gives birth to most of the world-famous Italian food: Parma ham, balsamic vinegar, parmigiano cheese, etc, has countless diners & restaurants, which can easily make you feel lost. To pay a meal in a “popular” restaurant in a tourist city feels like gambling. It is hard to know for sure if the food served is authentic or not. But a food tour can, at least, save you from the touristic traps.
Rather than giving you a general list of famous Italian dishes: pizza margherita, lasagna, spaghetti, etc. (each has its own origin), a guided food tour only brings you to taste the local origin!
We were brought to a salumeria, where only locals know and visit, for cured meat tasting. Look at our meat and cheese platter! That facial-mask sized mortadella wrapping on finger bread won my heart!
When in Bologna, a typical food not to be missed is the tortellini! It is the Italian version of “dumpling”, and it is from Bologna. One of the fun part during the tour was to go to the kitchen of a tortellini workshop, see how they are made step-by-step, and DIY our own.
The past dough needs to be rolled into a very thin flat shape, before cut into small square wraps of the tortellini. Then put the stuffing on top of each wraps, and make them into the Italian dumplings.
I like tortellini, or any food in the dumpling form, because it is such a social food. To make them, it calls the whole family members to come together to the table, and spend a good time team-working on it. And when serving, you actually cook in one single pot for everybody, and sharing with each other. One-bite size food contains so much flavors and represents lots of memories and emotions. To me, that’s the beauty of cooking!
Besides gourmet tasting, the La Grassa food tour also introduce city histories during the walk. If you are like me, who are not a huge fun of a serious visit to museum, a food tour is a good compromise.
You may as well know that Bologna has the first public university in the world. So “study” is written in the city’s law (kidding). It is hard to avoid!
One of our stops was the original location of Bologna university. Those more than 5,000 coat of arms pained on the wall, each represented the families of the most important students attended the university, would “WHOA” you once stepping into the courtyard. The university was founded in 1088, and it was the FIRST PUBLIC UNIVERSITY in the world, which means it opened to everybody: man and women; noble and average; and people from different religions, as long as they can afford to pay your fee to the professor.
Just a corner of the coat of arms
And of course the famous over 300 feet tall torre dell’asinello deserves, if not a climb, at least a serious gaze from distance. |
90 Wis.2d 781 (1979)
280 N.W.2d 691
PURE MILK PRODUCTS COOPERATIVE, and another, Respondents,
v.
NATIONAL FARMERS ORGANIZATION, and others, Appellants.[]
No. 76-013.
Supreme Court of Wisconsin.
Argued January 29, 1979.
Decided June 29, 1979.
*784 For the appellants there were briefs by Whyte & Hirschboeck, S.C., attorneys of Milwaukee, and Rowley, Green, Hochberg & Fairman, of counsel, of Washington, D.C., and oral argument by Victor M. Harding of Milwaukee.
For the respondents there was a brief by St. Peter Law Offices of Fond du Lac, and Arent, Fox, Kintner, Plotkin & Kahn of Washington, D.C., and oral argument by George M. St. Peter of Fond du Lac, and Salvatore Romano of Washington, D.C.
SHIRLEY S. ABRAHAMSON, J.
The circuit court enjoined the National Farmers Organization (NFO) from inducing or attempting to induce members of Pure Milk Products Cooperative (PMPC) and Associated *785 Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI), dairy cooperatives, to breach or repudiate their membership and marketing agreements with PMPC and AMPI and from inducing or attempting to induce through improper means members of PMPC and AMPI to breach, repudiate or terminate their membership and marketing agreements with PMPC and AMPI. We vacate the order.
I.
Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI), is a dairy cooperative incorporated in Kansas and licensed to do business in Wisconsin, with its principal place of business in Wisconsin located at the PMPC office in Fond du Lac. AMPI originated from consolidation of, mergers with and acquisitions of a number of dairy cooperatives in 1969. Effective May 1, 1971, AMPI and Pure Milk Products Cooperative (PMPC), a dairy cooperative incorporated in 1929 under ch. 185, Stats., with its principal place of business in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, entered into an "Agreement and Plan of Reorganization, Consolidation, and/or Acquisition." We shall hereinafter refer to AMPI rather than to AMPI and PMPC. AMPI has a membership and marketing agreement with its producer-members by which the member agrees to sell all the dairy products he or she produces to or through AMPI.[1]
The National Farmers Organization, Inc. (NFO), is a not-for-profit corporation incorporated in Iowa. The *786 home office of the NFO is in Corning, Iowa. The NFO was formed in 1955 as a farmers' political protest group, and it first recruited Wisconsin farmers in 1961.[2] In the late 1950's and early 1960's the NFO began to recruit members in Wisconsin, employing a membership agreement which left NFO members free to market their production as they chose until such time as NFO had entered into contracts with a certain percentage of processors in a specified geographical area, which NFO has not yet done.
In 1970-1971 NFO entered into contracts with processors by which NFO agreed to supply the processors with milk. In order to obtain milk to fulfill its contracts, NFO began to operate reload stations at which milk hauled from individual milk producers was combined into larger trucks for shipment to the processors. By the summer of 1971 NFO had opened several reload stations in Wisconsin and had mounted a campaign to persuade milk producers to ship their milk to an NFO reload station. The milk of AMPI members was recruited, and numerous AMPI members signed NFO agreements and switched their milk to NFO. It is this NFO campaign to acquire milk from AMPI members which is the source of the litigation.
By means of operating reload stations and getting farmers to ship their milk through these stations, NFO hoped to gain bargaining power as the representative of NFO members in its dealings with processors. NFO also hoped to use its ability to direct the milk volume passing through the stations in such a way as to increase federally-set prices of milk to milk producers.
*787 On August 31, 1971, AMPI filed a complaint in the circuit court for Fond du Lac County against NFO seeking temporary and permanent injunctions against specified NFO activities. On the same day AMPI obtained an ex parte temporary order restraining NFO from "interfering with the membership agreements between the plaintiffs and their producer-members and inducing or attempting to induce such producer-members of [AMPI] to breach, repudiate or terminate their contract with said [AMPI], either directly or by directing said producer-members of [AMPI] to locations other than those servicing said producer-members of [AMPI] or shipping to new locations operated by National Farmers Organization." A hearing on AMPI's motion for a temporary injunction was held in May, 1972. A temporary injunction, restraining NFO from the activities described in the temporary restraining order, was entered on July 10, 1973. NFO appealed to this court from the temporary injunction order. On June 28, 1974, this court in effect directed the trial court to modify the order by deleting the restraint against inducing producer-members of AMPI to terminate their membership agreements. Pure Milk Products Cooperative v. National Farmers Organization, 64 Wis.2d 241, 219 N.W.2d 564 (1974) (hereinafter Pure Milk I). Following the remand, trial was held in January and February, 1976. On June 14, 1976, the trial court issued an order which permanently enjoined NFO from inducing or attempting to induce in any manner AMPI members to breach their agreements with AMPI and enjoined NFO from using "fraudulent representations, false and disparaging statements or other improper means" to induce or attempt to induce AMPI members to breach, repudiate or terminate their agreements with AMPI. NFO appeals from this order. Further facts are presented in the opinion.
*788 II.
The circuit court concluded that NFO violated sec. 185.43(2), Stats., and issued an injunction pursuant to that statutory provision.[3]
[1-3]
Sec. 185.43(2), Stats., provides that
*789 "[a]ny person, with actual or constructive notice that a contract [authorized by sec. 185.41, Stats.[4]] exists, who induces or attempts to induce any member to breach or repudiate his contract with the association, or who in any manner aids a breach of such contract, is liable to the aggrieved party for damages caused by such interference. The association is also entitled to an injunction to prevent any interference or further interference with the contract."
Under this section, a cooperative may sue for damages and obtain an injunction upon proof that it has a contract with a member or members, that the defendant has actual or constructive notice of the existence of that contract, and that the defendant has induced or attempted to induce a member to breach or repudiate[5] his contract or has in any manner aided a breach of the contract. If these elements are proved the court must grant an injunction; the court has no discretion to refuse an injunction. It is not necessary for the cooperative to prove that there is malicious intent, that the injunction is *790 necessary to prevent irreparable injury, or that the benefits flowing from the injunction will outweigh the harm the injunction will cause. Neillsville Shipping Asso. v. Lastofka, 225 Wis. 350, 353-56, 274 N.W. 280 (1937); Pure Milk I.
[4]
We have said that cooperative associations among farmers are favored by our laws and that sec. 185.43(2), Stats., offers broad protection to Wisconsin cooperatives. Northern Wisconsin Coop. Tobacco Pool v. Bekkedal, 182 Wis. 571, 582, 197 N.W. 936 (1924); Pure Milk I. Chapter 185 of the Wisconsin statutes provides for the organization of cooperatives and protects them. We have said that the precursor of sec. 185.43(2), Stats., "was enacted to meet situations which experience showed was threatening the success of such associations and to compel all outsiders to keep `hands off' in the relations existing between the associations and their members. The sum and substance . . . is to prevent any one from buying the products of a member of such an association during the time when he is under contractual obligation to deliver his product to the association." Watertown Milk Producers Coop. Assn. v. Van Camp Packing Co., 199 Wis. 379, 388, 225 N.W. 209, 226 N.W. 378 (1929).
On appeal the NFO does not deny that NFO knew of a membership and marketing agreement authorized by sec. 185.41, Stats., between AMPI and its members. NFO contends that although it successfully persuaded AMPI members to ship their milk to NFO reload stations, NFO did not violate sec. 185.43(2), i.e., NFO did not induce or attempt to induce AMPI members to breach or repudiate their agreements with AMPI or in any manner aid a breach of the agreements. NFO maintains that when AMPI members shipped their milk to NFO reload stations, the members were complying with not breaching or repudiating their marketing agreements. The *791 issue the NFO focuses upon is thus one of the construction of the marketing agreements between AMPI and its members.
The marketing agreement provides, in pertinent part,
"(2) The Association agrees:
"(a) To buy or act as the collective bargaining agent in the sale of all milk delivered to it by the Producer and pay to the Producer the amount of money it receives therefor, less authorized deductions;
"(b) To extend its general representation services to its members;
"(c) Periodically check the weights and tests of the milk delivered by the Producer to a plant where specific services are rendered by the Association;
"(d) Perform such other services as are authorized by the By-Laws and amendments thereto, all subject, however, to the limitation of the operation of the Association through its By-Laws and amendments thereto.
". . .
"(4) The Producer agrees that he will sell to or through the Association all dairy products produced by or for him or under his control throughout the term of this agreement, including all extensions thereof; the Producer agrees that he will deliver such dairy products at the time and place and in the manner directed by the Association. . . ."[6]
*792 The contract on its face is an exclusive marketing agreement, that is, the member-producer must sell to or through AMPI and must deliver all its milk at the direction of AMPI, and AMPI must buy or act as agent in the sale of all the milk so delivered.
Although the circuit court does not so state, it appears that it construed the agreement to mean that AMPI had total control over its members' production, so that a member could not deliver milk to a specified location without the direction of or prior approval of AMPI. This is a fair and reasonable construction of the agreement, because it is a basic concept of cooperatives that members sell their product exclusively to or through the co-operative, the theory being that united economic power achieves better prices.[7] The circuit court reasoned that because it is undisputed that NFO was soliciting milk from and was obtaining milk from AMPI's members without AMPI directing its members to ship the milk to NFO and without AMPI's approval of the shipment, NFO was interfering with AMPI's contractual rights to the milk thereby inducing a breach of the contract and AMPI is entitled to injunctive relief under sec. 185.43 (2), Stats.
[5]
The circuit court's memorandum decision, findings of fact, conclusions of law and injunction ignore and make no reference to the testimony relating to AMPI's practice of allowing its members to ship their milk to plants of their choice, apparently without obtaining AMPI's *793 approval and apparently without being directed by AMPI. We consider AMPI's practical construction of the agreement and its operations under the agreement of significance in determining what constitutes a breach of the agreement.[8]
Robert Beck, membership director of AMPI, and Lyman McKee, division manager for AMPI, both testified that an AMPI member could ship milk to a plant of his choice apparently without waiting for directions from AMPI and apparently without obtaining AMPI's approval; the AMPI member could ship milk to whomever he wished so long as the plant taking the milk permitted AMPI to perform its services at the plant for its members. Beck testified that the NFO reload station at Stoughton temporarily refused to allow AMPI to test its members' milk, but that at the time of trial NFO reload stations in Wisconsin permitted AMPI to perform *794 the tests. Under the AMPI agreement, a member authorizes and directs the buyer of the milk to deduct from the purchase price for the members' milk and to pay AMPI an amount for the services provided the member by AMPI. The record shows that AMPI certified to NFO a list of its members who were shipping milk to the NFO reload station, and AMPI advised NFO of the "check-off" to be paid AMPI under the agreement. Beck complained that NFO refused to forward to AMPI the "check-off" fee from the price paid AMPI members for their milk. The refusal of all NFO reload stations to forward this fee to AMPI is, Beck stated, one cause of the dispute between AMPI and the NFO. However, Beck testified that this refusal by NFO did not constitute or imply a breach of the AMPI agreement by AMPI members shipping to NFO.[9]
Arthur Steindl, Howard Hunt, and Donald Meyer, AMPI members who notified AMPI when they decided to deliver their milk to an NFO reload station, testified that no one from AMPI challenged their right under their agreement to deliver their milk to an NFO facility.
[6]
On the basis of this testimony, we conclude that an AMPI member did not breach the agreement by delivering milk to an NFO reload station to which AMPI certified *795 its members and where AMPI was permitted to provide testing and other services for its members.
AMPI's brief does not assert that NFO was receiving milk that AMPI had directed its members to deliver to some other location, that AMPI had instructed its members not to deliver to NFO, or that AMPI directed NFO not to accept milk of AMPI members. We agree with AMPI that AMPI need not sue its members to establish a breach; AMPI need only sue the third party inducing a breach. But here there is no evidence that any member was breaching the agreement. From the record it appears that a substantial percentage of the AMPI members shipped to plants of their choice rather than to plants with which AMPI contracted to supply milk. Beck testified that it was consistent with a member's agreement for a member to transfer his milk to an NFO reload station. On appeal AMPI does not contend otherwise. AMPI's brief states that "There is no inconsistency in a cooperative, such as AMPI and PMPC, permitting producer-members to ship to locations where they desire and retaining the right to direct their milk production to particular plants or locations when bargaining or marketing conditions require. . . . The evidence clearly demonstrates that a PMPC or AMPI member could continue to ship his milk to a plant of his choice so long as PMPC was able to render the testing and marketing services provided for in the contract."
In light of this record, we look in vain for an explanation of how the members breached their agreement by shipping to NFO. Nor did NFO cause AMPI to breach its agreement with its members, because AMPI performed the tests. Although AMPI would have us believe that NFO's solicitation of its members' milk is a breach, AMPI's practice and operations defeat this assertion.
[7]
We conclude on the basis of the record of this case that the delivery of milk by an AMPI member to an NFO reload *796 station did not constitute a breach of that member's AMPI agreement. Therefore even if NFO induced AMPI members to deliver milk to NFO reload stations, this inducement would not constitute a breach of the agreement and could not be the basis for an injunction under sec. 185.43(2), Stats. Accordingly we vacate that portion of the circuit court's order enjoining the NFO and others from inducing or attempting to induce AMPI members to deliver their milk to an NFO facility.
III.
We now turn to consider whether the trial court erred in enjoining NFO from purposely causing by improper means of inducement AMPI members to breach, repudiate or terminate their agreements with AMPI.
[8]
In Pure Milk I, 64 Wis.2d at 255, we said, and we reiterate here, that our laws favor cooperative associations and that it is the legislative intent to promote the organization and success of co-operative marketing associations. Nevertheless, we went on to note that the legislature did not intend to limit legitimate competition "by preventing anyone from encouraging or persuading a producer to terminate his association with one marketing group and to join another." Wisconsin protects legitimate competition from predatory tactics by subjecting anyone who wrongfully interferes with existing or prospective contractual relations to liability.
In Pure Milk I, supra, 64 Wis.2d at 257, 258, we said that Wisconsin has adopted the formulation of the common law tort of interference with contracts. Restatement of Torts, secs. 766 and 768.[10] We concluded that *797 NFO was a competitor of AMPI and was privileged to induce AMPI members to terminate their AMPI agreements in accordance with the termination provisions thereof (and not in breach thereof) subject to the limits stated in sec. 768 of the Restatement. We said that "fraudulent misrepresentations are . . . ordinarily improper means of inducement and defeat the existence of a privilege."[11]
The circuit court found that "due to the interference activities of NFO, its officers, employees and staff, acting individually and together and in concert with others, including various NFO County organizations, and the use of fraudulent representations, misrepresentations, false and disparaging statements, large numbers of producer-members of AMPI and PMPC breached, repudiated and cancelled their membership and marketing agreements with AMPI and PMPC." In other findings the circuit court detailed the "fraudulent representations, misrepresentations, and false and disparaging statements" made by NFO officers and others as follows:
(1) that AMPI was going broke and that members of AMPI were going to be assessed;
(2) that dairy farmer Delmar Jenneman made substantially more money shipping his milk to NFO than he made shipping to AMPI;
*798 (3) that AMPI was importing large amounts of butter and hurting farmers by doing so;
(4) that the "butter-powder formula" proposed by cooperatives, including AMPI, would cause the price of milk paid to farmers to go down by over $1.20; and
(5) that NFO has been and is the most significant or sole factor in increasing the Minnesota-Wisconsin (M-W) series price and the market price paid for milk to farmers.[12]
The circuit court found that each of these representations was false and that NFO knew or had reason to know that each was false, as intended to be understood by dairy producers in Wisconsin. The circuit court concluded that
"3. NFO and defendant individuals, their agents, servants, employees and others, acting individually and in concert with others, including various NFO County organizations, induced and attempted to induce, through the use of improper means, including fraudulent representations, misrepresentations, false and disparaging statements, the producer-members of AMPI and PMPC to breach, repudiate and cancel their membership and marketing agreements with AMPI and PMPC in violation of Wisconsin law prohibiting interference with contractual agreements.
"4. Plaintiffs have and will suffer, if NFO's unlawful activities are permitted to continue, substantial and irreparable injury in the form of the loss of large numbers of members, disruption of marketing programs, disruption of plant operation and decrease in plant efficiency due to the unlawful activities of NFO, the individual defendants, their agents, employees, servants and others *799 acting individually and in concert with others, including various NFO County organizations."
The circuit court accordingly permanently enjoined NFO from using such misrepresentations and other improper means to induce AMPI members to breach, repudiate or terminate their marketing agreements.[13]
*800 [9]
Permanent injunctions are not to be issued lightly. The cause must be substantial. Werner v. A.L. Grootemaat & Sons, Inc., 80 Wis.2d 513, 520, 259 N.W.2d 310 (1977). Because an injunction is enforceable by the contempt power, it is "an extremely powerful instrument." Dobbs, Remedies, p. 105 (1973).
[10-13]
The injunction is a preventive order looking to the future conduct of the parties. To obtain an injunction, a plaintiff must show a sufficient probability that future conduct of the defendant will violate a right of and will injure the plaintiff. The Kimberly & Clark Co. v. Hewitt, 75 Wis. 371, 375, 44 N.W. 303 (1890). To invoke the remedy of injunction the plaintiff must moreover establish that the injury is irreparable, i.e. not adequately compensable in damages. Ferguson v. Kenosha, 5 Wis.2d 556, 561, 93 N.W.2d 460 (1958). Finally, injunctive relief is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court; competing interests must be reconciled and the plaintiff must satisfy the trial court that on balance equity favors issuing the injunction.[14]
*801 In view of our holding that NFO did not induce any breach of the membership agreement, we remand the cause to the circuit court to reconsider whether an injunction should issue enjoining NFO from inducing or attempting to induce members through fraudulent representations to terminate their agreements. Upon a review of the record the circuit court may conclude that there is an inadequate basis for making the determinations required, and the circuit court may reopen the case and take additional testimony, if it so elects.
The circuit court enjoined NFO from making the five representations on the ground that NFO's employment of those representations had caused breaches, repudiations and terminations of AMPI marketing agreements. We have concluded above that the record fails to show that the 1,200 AMPI members who delivered their milk to NFO breached or repudiated their marketing agreements by doing so or that NFO induced a breach of the agreements by inducing AMPI members to deliver to NFO facilities. The record shows that between 1970 and 1974 fewer than 150 AMPI members terminated their AMPI agreements while delivering their milk to NFO. Robert Beck testified that the AMPI list with the names of those terminated members was incomplete, but we can find no other evidence of terminations in the record. No evidence regarding terminating members appears in the record for the year 1975, the year before the trial in the instant case began.
The circuit court made no specific finding as to whether any of NFO's five representations caused any AMPI members to terminate or whether the termination of approximately 150 members during 1971-1974, without considering the "1,200 switching" members, constitutes a sufficient threat of irreparable injury to warrant an injunction.
To facilitate further proceedings in the circuit court, we comment on several objections NFO raises to the injunction.
*802 [14, 15]
NFO asserts on appeal that an injunction should not be issued because the record does not sustain the findings of the circuit court that NFO's conduct, unless enjoined, will cause AMPI substantial injury in the future. NFO argues that an injunction should not issue in the instant case unless the record establishes that in the past AMPI members have terminated in reliance upon the alleged NFO misrepresentations. We do not accept this assertion; we agree with AMPI's position that an injunction is designed to prevent injury, not to compensate for past wrongs, and that an injunction may issue merely upon proof of a sufficient threat of future irreparable injury. This court has held that to establish a sufficient probability that a defendant's conduct will injure a plaintiff it is not necessary for the plaintiff to wait until some injury has been done; equity will prevent, if possible, an injury. Threat of an injury is sufficient. The Kimberly & Clark Co. v. Hewitt, 75 Wis. 371, 375, 44 N.W. 303 (1890); Lakeside Oil Co. v. Slutsky, 8 Wis.2d 157, 168, 98 N.W.2d 415 (1959).
Nevertheless, in the instant case NFO conduct about which AMPI complains has persisted for several years. AMPI's theme is that since 1971 NFO has engaged in a massive campaign to induce AMPI members to terminate AMPI marketing agreements by improper means and to deliver milk to the NFO. Under these circumstances, if there is no evidence that those AMPI members who terminated their marketing agreements in fact did so in reliance upon the alleged misrepresentations, a question to be considered is whether AMPI has established that any of the representations complained of threatens irreparable injury to AMPI in the future.
[16]
A critical question for a court in deciding whether to issue a permanent injunction in view of past violations *803 is whether there is a reasonable likelihood that the wrong will be repeated. We recognize that evidence of fraudulent past conduct gives rise to an inference of a reasonable expectation of continued violations. It appears from the memorandum decision that the circuit court would not have issued an injunction unless all (or at least several) of the five aforementioned representations had been made and had been made on a repeated, wide-scale basis, rather than on an isolated basis. NFO asserts that there is no evidence that four of the five representations of which AMPI complains were made within a year of the trial.
[17-19]
NFO objects that the injunction is not limited to enjoining the five representations which the circuit court found to be fraudulent representations and false and disparaging statements or even limited to enjoining any kind of fraudulent representations and false and disparaging statements. The order enjoins NFO from employing "other improper means." The mere fact that a defendant has committed an illegal act does not justify an injunction, under penalty of contempt, which enjoins it from all unlawful practices which the court has neither "found to have been pursued nor persuasively to be related to proven unlawful conduct." Labor Board v. Express Pub. Co., 312 U.S. 426, 433 (1941). The purpose of an injunction is to prevent violations, "the threat of which in the future is indicated because of the similarity or relation to those unlawful acts" which have been committed. We recognize that the breadth of the injunction depends on the circumstances of each case. A too narrow injunction contributes to evasion; a too broad injunction leaves NFO without adequate guides.
We leave the application of these principles to the sound discretion of the circuit court. Here we merely restate them, as well as reaffirm this state's strong tradition *804 of encouraging cooperatives and discouraging unfair competition. While the competitive system encompasses the efforts of rivals to divert business from one another, the efficient operation of the system rests on the free flow of accurate information. Disseminating false information is a wrong against both the consumer and competitors.
By the Court. Order vacated and cause remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
NOTES
[] Motion for reconsideration denied, with costs, on August 27, 1979.
[1] This case concerns marketing agreements entered into by the Pure Milk Products Cooperative (PMPC) and those entered into by Associated Milk Producers, Inc. (AMPI). It appears that under the consolidation agreement PMPC retained some rights in its marketing agreements in effect at the time of the consolidation. The agreements and the operations of PMPC and AMPI are substantially similar, and we shall treat the two as one. We shall refer herein to AMPI, but we mean to include PMPC.
[2] Norbert Connors, Allen D. Skroch and Eralen Strey are NFO employees in Wisconsin and were named defendants in the action along with NFO. We use the term NFO to refer to all the defendants.
[3] The part of the order relating to the violation of sec. 185.43 (2), Stats., is as follows: "IT IS HEREBY ORDERED:
"That the defendant National Farmers Organization and defendant individuals, their agents, servants, representatives, employees and attorneys, and others acting in concert with them, be and they are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from participating or engaging in or causing others to participate or engage in the following acts:
"1. Interfering with the Membership and Marketing Agreements between the plaintiffs* and their producer-members and inducing or attempting to induce in any manner such producer-members of plaintiffs to breach or repudiate their agreements with plaintiffs, either directly or indirectly by means of encouraging or persuading said producer-members of plaintiffs to ship their milk to locations other than those approved by plaintiffs or shipping to new or different locations owned or operated by or affiliated with the National Farmers Organization, their representatives, agents of employees, members or the individual defendants;
"2. Aiding, in any manner, in the breach or repudiation of such Membership and Marketing Agreements between plaintiffs and their producer-members;
"3. Persuading or attempting to persuade in any manner producer-members of plaintiffs to breach or repudiate their Membership and Marketing Agreements with the plaintiffs;
"4. Persuading or attempting to persuade in any manner said producer-members of plaintiffs to sell or ship their milk to plants other than at the direction of the plaintiffs, whether such other plants be owned, operated, or otherwise affiliated with the National Farmers Organization, their representatives, agents or employees, members, or the individual defendants, or any other plants or locations owned or operated by other persons or organizations."
* AMPI and PMPC.
[4] Sec. 185.41(1), Stats., provides:
"185.41 Co-operative contracts. (1) If otherwise lawful, contracts for any of the following purposes, whether written or contained in the bylaws, are valid when made between an association and any member in which such member agrees to:
"(a) Sell, market or deliver all or any specified part of products produced or to be produced either by him or under his control to or through the association of any facilities furnished by it.
"(b) Authorize the association or any facilities furnished by it to act for him in any manner with respect to all or any specified part of such products and any services to be furnished by him.
"(c) Buy or procure all or a specified part of goods or services from or through the association or any facilities furnished by it.
"(d) Authorize the association or any facilities furnished by it to act for him in any manner in the procurement of goods or services."
[5] We have interpreted the word "repudiate" as used in sec. 185.43(2), Stats., to mean an anticipatory breach of contract. Pure Milk I. v. NFO, 64 Wis.2d 241, 254, 219 N.W.2d 564 (1974).
[6] The PMPC agreement is quoted in the text. AMPI's marketing agreement with its members is substantially similar, providing:
"2. Member shall deliver all milk produced under his control for market: to Association or such other person at such time and place and in such form and manner as shall be designated by Association. . . .
"3. Association agrees to handle or market, and sell in its natural or processed state, all milk so produced and delivered, in such form and manner as Association deems best for the advantage of all persons signing agreements similar hereto and to blend the proceeds thereof with proceeds derived from milk delivered by other producers and establish returns therefor, in such manner as Association shall determine, giving consideration to quality, location of farm where produced and market in which the milk is sold."
[7] Evans & Stokdyk, The Law of Agricultural Co-operative Marketing c. IV (1937); Note, Cooperative Marketing, 22 Notre Dame Lawyer 413 (1947); 6A Corbin Contracts, sec. 1418 (1962); Spencer Co-op. Live Stock S. Ass. v. Schultz, 209 Wis. 344, 346, 347, 245 N.W. 99 (1932); Northern Wis. Cooperative Tobacco Pool v. Bekkedal, 182 Wis. 571, 582, 197 N.W. 936 (1924); Watertown Milk Producers Coop. Assn. v. Van Camp Packing Co., 199 Wis. 379, 384-388, 225 N.W. 209, 226 N.W. 378 (1929).
[8] "In cases so numerous as to be impossible of full citation here, the courts have held that evidence of practical interpretation and construction by the parties is admissible to aid in choosing the meaning to which legal effect will be given." 3 Corbin, Contracts, sec. 558, p. 249 (1960); Jorgenson v. Northern States Power Co., 60 Wis.2d 29, 35, 208 N.W.2d 323 (1973).
Cf. sec. 402.208, Stats.:
"Course of performance or practical construction. (1) Where the contract for sale involves repeated occasions for performance by either party with knowledge of the nature of the performance and opportunity for objection to it by the other, any course of performance accepted or acquiesced in without objection shall be relevant to determine the meaning of the agreement.
"(2) The express terms of the agreement and any such course of performance, as well as any course of dealing and usage of trade, shall be construed whenever reasonable as consistent with each other; but when such construction is unreasonable, express terms shall control course of performance and course of performance shall control both course of dealing and usage of trade (s. 401.205).
"(3) Subject to s. 402.209 on modification and waiver, such course of performance is relevant to show a waiver or modification of any term consistent with such course of performance."
[9] Sec. 185.41(4), Stats., provides that if the membership agreement contains an assignment of funds to the association, any person who accepted or receives the product from the member is bound by such assignment after receiving written notice from the association. Sec. 185.41(4), Stats., provides:
"(4) If any contract authorized by sub. (1)(a) or (b) contains an assignment to the association of any part or all of funds due or to become due the membership during the life of the contract for any product produced or to be produced by him or for any services performed or to be performed in producing any product, any person who accepts or receives such product from the member is bound by such assignment after receiving written notice from the association or the member of the amount and duration of such assignment."
[10] After Pure Milk I, Restatement of the Law (Second) 1979 was issued, with changes in ch. 37, Interference With Contract or Prospective Contractual Relation.
[11] Because the complaint before the court in Pure Milk I did not allege use of improper means of inducement by NFO and there was virtually no evidence in the record suggesting that NFO had employed such means, we vacated the circuit court's temporary injunction insofar as it restrained NFO from inducing AMPI members to terminate their agreements pursuant to the terms thereof. AMPI then amended its complaint to allege that NFO used improper means, such as fraudulent misrepresentations and misleading and disparaging statements to induce AMPI members to terminate their agreements. As stated previously, the circuit court found that NFO had used such means and enjoined NFO from using them in the future.
[12] The Minnesota-Wisconsin series is a series of predicted prices for manufacturing grade milk in Minnesota and Wisconsin, published monthly by the United States Department of Agriculture. The monthly predicted prices attempt to reflect accurately the competitive supply and demand conditions in the Minnesota and Wisconsin dairy industry. Federal milk and milk product minimum prices nationwide are in large part a function of the Minnesota-Wisconsin series prices.
[13] "IT IS FURTHER ORDERED:
"That the defendant National Farmers Organization and defendant individuals, their agents, servants, representatives, employees and attorneys, and others acting in concert with them, be and they are hereby permanently restrained and enjoined from participating or engaging in or causing others to participate or engage in the following acts:
"1. Interfering with the Membership and Marketing Agreements between the plaintiffs and their producer-members and inducing or attempting to induce such producer-members of plaintiffs, through fraudulent representations, false and disparaging statements or other improper means, to breach, repudiate or terminate their agreements with plaintiffs, including but not limited to the following improper means:
"A. Misrepresenting the financial condition of plaintiffs to the effect that plaintiffs are going broke or related misrepresentations to the effect that plaintiffs are insolvent or on the verge of insolvency or are in an unsound financial condition.
"B. Misrepresenting the raw milk price that NFO is paying or proposes to pay to dairy producers at any time.
"C. Utilizing deceptive or misleading and false comparisons of the raw milk prices paid dairy producers by plaintiffs and defendants.
"D. Misrepresenting that defendant NFO has been or is a significant, substantial or the sole cause or factor in increasing Minnesota-Wisconsin Series prices or, misrepresenting the pay prices to dairy producers for raw milk; or misrepresenting that defendant NFO could, directly or indirectly, cause the Minnesota-Wisconsin Series price to increase.
"E. Misrepresenting that plaintiffs have imported dairy products and/or the impact of such upon the price level of raw milk, including, but not limited to, the Minnesota-Wisconsin Series Price.
"F. Misrepresenting the position taken by plaintiffs at any Federal Milk Market Order Hearing or at any adjudicative or administrative proceeding of the United States Department of Agriculture and/or the impact of any such position upon the price level (including the M-W Series Price) of raw milk.
"2. Aiding, in any manner, in the breach, repudiation or termination of the Membership and Marketing Agreements between plaintiffs and their producer-members by fraudulent representations, false and disparaging statements or other improper means, including, but not limited to those specified in paragraphs 1 A through F above.
"3. Persuading or attempting to persuade producer-members of plaintiffs to breach, repudiate or terminate their Membership and Marketing Agreements with the plaintiffs by fraudulent representations, false and disparaging statements or other improper means, including, but not limited to those specified in paragraphs 1 A through F above."
[14] Hartung v. Milwaukee County, 2 Wis.2d 269, 281, 86 N.W.2d 475, 87 N.W.2d 799 (1957); McKinnon v. Benedict, 38 Wis.2d 607, 616, 617, 157 N.W.2d 665 (1968). See generally, 11 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure, sec. 2942 (1973).
|
**2*(67*g + 3102)
Determine d so that 3*d**3 + 113403*d**2 + 453576*d + 453564 = 0.
-37797, -2
Factor 3*x**2 + 77553*x.
3*x*(x + 25851)
Factor -5*n**3 + 585*n**2 - 130*n - 52200.
-5*(n - 116)*(n - 10)*(n + 9)
Determine t so that -2*t**2 - 5674*t - 5672 = 0.
-2836, -1
Suppose 42*h**3/11 - 206*h**2/11 - 20*h/11 = 0. Calculate h.
-2/21, 0, 5
What is h in -6*h**2/7 - 264*h/7 + 1152/7 = 0?
-48, 4
Factor -4*p**3 + 3756*p**2 - 7436*p - 56220.
-4*(p - 937)*(p - 5)*(p + 3)
Find i, given that 4*i**3 - 507*i**2 + 371*i + 882 = 0.
-1, 7/4, 126
Let -2*y**4 - 230*y**3 + 490*y**2 + 2550*y - 2808 = 0. What is y?
-117, -3, 1, 4
Determine i so that -i**5/3 + 32*i**4 - 720*i**3 + 1210*i**2/3 + 6507*i - 6222 = 0.
-3, 1, 3, 34, 61
Determine u, given that 3*u**3/4 + 20883*u**2/4 + 208605*u/4 + 521325/4 = 0.
-6951, -5
What is i in -3*i**3 + 111*i**2 - 933*i + 825 = 0?
1, 11, 25
Factor b**3/6 - 1028*b**2/3 - 65730*b - 3018600.
(b - 2236)*(b + 90)**2/6
Suppose 3*f**5 + 195*f**4 + 1635*f**3 - 29895*f**2 + 44262*f + 75600 = 0. Calculate f.
-50, -24, -1, 3, 7
Let 3*f**2 - 786936*f + 51605689008 = 0. What is f?
131156
Suppose 2*h**5 + 1382*h**4/3 + 23698*h**3 - 326490*h**2 + 2729276*h/3 - 468512 = 0. What is h?
-121, 2/3, 3, 8
Factor 5*t**3/3 + 440*t**2/3 + 1255*t/3 - 1700/3.
5*(t - 1)*(t + 4)*(t + 85)/3
Let -d**2/2 + 2433*d/2 + 19592 = 0. What is d?
-16, 2449
Factor 5*h**4 + 3025*h**3 + 650070*h**2 + 56564460*h + 1512191160.
5*(h + 47)*(h + 186)**3
Factor -2*m**2/7 + 112596*m/7 - 225184/7.
-2*(m - 56296)*(m - 2)/7
Factor 2*z**2/7 - 38*z/7 - 1200.
2*(z - 75)*(z + 56)/7
Factor -2*j**2/3 - 4072*j/3 + 94714/3.
-2*(j - 23)*(j + 2059)/3
What is u in 6*u**4/5 + 78*u**3 - 1284*u**2/5 - 3936*u/5 + 9792/5 = 0?
-68, -3, 2, 4
Let 4*z**5/3 + 305*z**4 + 10284*z**3 - 2707598*z**2/3 - 1602384*z - 689871 = 0. Calculate z.
-133, -1, -3/4, 39
Let 3*o**3/7 + 450*o**2/7 + 2103*o/7 - 10440/7 = 0. Calculate o.
-145, -8, 3
Factor -x**2 + 5651*x/4 - 1059.
-(x - 1412)*(4*x - 3)/4
Let 2*y**4/3 + 38960*y**3 + 569205600*y**2 = 0. What is y?
-29220, 0
Factor -3*t**3 + 5241*t**2 - 2358120*t + 59907600.
-3*(t - 860)**2*(t - 27)
Factor -2*l**2/5 + 915284*l/5 - 104718100082/5.
-2*(l - 228821)**2/5
Factor 5*j**2 - 1438390*j.
5*j*(j - 287678)
Suppose -4*u**4 + 8076*u**3 - 4120512*u**2 + 44545472*u - 96769536 = 0. Calculate u.
3, 8, 1004
Factor -3*g**3 - 6960*g**2 - 4043751*g - 8059686.
-3*(g + 2)*(g + 1159)**2
Factor -b**2 + 165*b + 4114.
-(b - 187)*(b + 22)
Determine g so that 80*g**5 - 12282*g**4 - 284290*g**3 - 126384*g**2 + 131624*g - 13920 = 0.
-20, -1, 1/8, 2/5, 174
Factor 2*v**2 + 1352*v - 24984.
2*(v - 18)*(v + 694)
Let -y**4/4 - 93*y**3/2 + 141*y**2 - 283*y/2 + 189/4 = 0. What is y?
-189, 1
Factor k**3 + 256*k**2 + 6580*k + 44688.
(k + 14)**2*(k + 228)
Factor p**3/7 - 370*p**2/7 - 761*p - 2688.
(p - 384)*(p + 7)**2/7
Suppose -3*q**4/8 + 267*q**3/4 - 2073*q**2/8 - 1305*q/4 = 0. Calculate q.
-1, 0, 5, 174
Factor -g**2/4 - 57*g/4 - 53.
-(g + 4)*(g + 53)/4
Factor -z**3/4 - 2326*z**2 - 9303*z/4.
-z*(z + 1)*(z + 9303)/4
Solve -4*h**5 + 2388*h**4 + 14468*h**3 + 2508*h**2 - 57808*h - 48240 = 0.
-5, -2, -1, 2, 603
Suppose -4*w**2 + 16532*w - 33048 = 0. What is w?
2, 4131
Find q, given that -q**5/2 - 1681*q**4 + 6735*q**3/2 + 11764*q**2 - 33634*q + 20184 = 0.
-3364, -3, 1, 2
Find j such that j**5/2 - 318*j**4 + 68650*j**3 - 5284448*j**2 + 55291392*j - 89989120 = 0.
2, 10, 208
Find y, given that 2*y**4/9 + 14*y**3 + 298*y**2/3 + 770*y/9 = 0.
-55, -7, -1, 0
Find w such that -5*w**4/4 - 150*w**3 + 104295*w**2/4 - 103075*w/2 = 0.
-217, 0, 2, 95
Suppose 845*x**5/4 - 30225*x**4/4 - 11555*x**3 + 73215*x**2 - 59940*x = 0. What is x?
-4, 0, 18/13, 37
Find y such that -2*y**5/9 + 52*y**4/9 - 106*y**3/3 + 172*y**2/9 + 544*y/9 = 0.
-1, 0, 2, 8, 17
Factor a**3 - 81*a**2 - 513*a - 783.
(a - 87)*(a + 3)**2
Solve v**3/3 - 29459*v**2/3 - 58925*v/3 + 29461 = 0 for v.
-3, 1, 29461
Let -b**5/5 - 23*b**4/5 + 337*b**3/5 + 167*b**2/5 - 2172*b/5 - 396 = 0. Calculate b.
-33, -2, -1, 3, 10
Factor -18*h**2/5 - 9917*h/5 + 551/5.
-(h + 551)*(18*h - 1)/5
Factor -2*x**3/11 + 562*x**2/11 + 864*x.
-2*x*(x - 297)*(x + 16)/11
Factor -2*d**4/3 - 173746*d**3/3 - 1677189432*d**2 - 16193822063904*d - 80927187822720.
-2*(d + 5)*(d + 28956)**3/3
Determine s, given that -4*s**5 + 396*s**4 - 8312*s**3 - 74008*s**2 - 121476*s - 56180 = 0.
-5, -1, 53
What is p in 4*p**3 + 2400*p**2 + 55676*p + 218880 = 0?
-576, -19, -5
Factor 27*b**3/2 - 357*b**2/2 - 150*b + 42.
3*(b - 14)*(b + 1)*(9*b - 2)/2
Find t, given that t**4 + 87*t**3 - 4262*t**2 - 18060*t - 18392 = 0.
-121, -2, 38
Factor -2*m**2/7 - 963504*m/7 - 116042494752/7.
-2*(m + 240876)**2/7
Let -b**5/5 + 3*b**4 + 13*b**3/5 - 103*b**2 - 36*b/5 + 364 = 0. What is b?
-5, -2, 2, 7, 13
Let 3*l**5 - 144*l**4/7 + 33*l**3 + 120*l**2/7 - 324*l/7 - 48/7 = 0. What is l?
-1, -1/7, 2, 4
Suppose -p**2 + 8306*p/5 - 1661/5 = 0. Calculate p.
1/5, 1661
Let -3*o**3/4 + 525*o**2/4 - 1239*o/2 - 3060 = 0. What is o?
-3, 8, 170
Solve 2*i**3/11 - 7352*i**2/11 + 22042*i/11 - 14692/11 = 0 for i.
1, 2, 3673
Factor 4*f**3 - 36512*f**2 - 36515*f - 9129.
(f - 9129)*(2*f + 1)**2
Determine b so that -28*b**4 + 554588*b**3 + 158568*b**2 - 2218352*b - 633824 = 0.
-2, -2/7, 2, 19807
Solve -3*s**4/4 - 1233*s**3/4 - 26886*s**2 + 984060*s - 7550400 = 0.
-220, 13, 16
Determine j so that 3*j**5 + 54*j**4 - 3189*j**3 - 6696*j**2 + 9828*j = 0.
-42, -3, 0, 1, 26
Factor 4*j**4 - 2032*j**3 + 6072*j**2 - 6064*j + 2020.
4*(j - 505)*(j - 1)**3
Solve 3*o**2/8 - 285*o/8 + 2691/4 = 0 for o.
26, 69
Determine d so that -23*d**4 - 362*d**3 - 847*d**2 - 352*d + 156 = 0.
-13, -2, -1, 6/23
Factor -106*n**3/5 + 8276*n**2/5 - 32370*n + 12168/5.
-2*(n - 39)**2*(53*n - 4)/5
Suppose 3*b**3 - 57282*b**2 + 273263700*b + 1641645000 = 0. What is b?
-6, 9550
Let 3*x**4/5 - 1057833*x**3/5 + 93250359066*x**2/5 + 18650706516*x - 186502833816/5 = 0. What is x?
-2, 1, 176306
Determine o so that -39*o**4 - 315*o**3 - 486*o**2 + 1248*o + 2592 = 0.
-4, -27/13, 2
Factor -r**5/3 - 21*r**4 - 41*r**3 - 61*r**2/3.
-r**2*(r + 1)**2*(r + 61)/3
Factor 49*m**4/3 + 4760*m**3/3 + 127192*m**2/3 + 187680*m + 228528.
(m + 46)**2*(7*m + 18)**2/3
Factor 2*i**4/15 + 1196*i**3/3 - 132286*i**2/15 + 242968*i/5.
2*i*(i - 11)**2*(i + 3012)/15
Suppose -215*g**2 - 100*g + 660 = 0. Calculate g.
-2, 66/43
Suppose -5*s**3 - 350050*s**2 + 350065*s + 700110 = 0. What is s?
-70011, -1, 2
Find m such that -3*m**3 + 16695*m**2 - 23101200*m - 350284500 = 0.
-15, 2790
Solve -w**4 - 10000*w**3 - 25029982*w**2 - 149910000*w - 224730081 = 0.
-4997, -3
Let -5*f**5 - 665*f**4 - 12510*f**3 + 15860*f**2 + 50120*f - 52800 = 0. What is f?
-110, -24, -2, 1, 2
Let 4*a**2 - 1196*a - 17528 = 0. Calculate a.
-14, 313
Factor -11069*c**2 + 11075*c - 6.
-(c - 1)*(11069*c - 6)
Factor -3*d**2/4 - 62289*d/4 + 15573.
-3*(d - 1)*(d + 20764)/4
Solve -x**5/4 - 9*x**4/4 - 17*x**3/4 + 29*x**2/4 + 39*x/2 + 10 = 0.
-5, -4, -1, 2
Factor 2*h**3/9 + 62*h**2/9 - 1730*h/9 + 1666/9.
2*(h - 17)*(h - 1)*(h + 49)/9
Factor -3*h**2/7 - 1074*h/7 + 3249/7.
-3*(h - 3)*(h + 361)/7
Find i, given that i**5 + 89*i**4 + 880*i**3 + 1656*i**2 - 4752*i - 5616 = 0.
-78, -6, -1, 2
Let 3*x**4 - 972231*x**3 + 105025577850*x**2 - 3781761006574644*x - 3781866033124728 = 0. What is x?
-1, 108026
Factor -3*n**5 - 1275*n**4 - 134829*n**3 + 136107*n**2.
-3*n**2*(n - 1)*(n + 213)**2
What is i in 4*i**2 + 27752*i - 27756 = 0?
-6939, 1
Determine i so that -2*i**2/3 + 271040*i - 27548505600 = 0.
203280
Determine x, given that -x**5 - 5759*x**4 - 34526*x**3 - 46018*x**2 + 34527*x + 51777 = 0.
-5753, -3, -1, 1
Determine b so that b**2 + 3321*b + 396428 = 0.
-3197, -124
Determine k so that -2*k**3 + 53302*k**2 + 213232*k + 213240 = 0.
-2, 26655
Factor 2*c**3/15 - 6*c**2 - 416*c/15 + 392/5.
2*(c - 49)*(c - 2)*(c + 6)/15
Let 2*u**5/23 + 42*u**4/23 + 80*u**3/23 - 888*u**2/23 + 1088*u/23 = 0. Calculate u.
-17, -8, 0, 2
Factor -8667*c**2 - 156012*c - 108.
-3*(c + 18)*(2889*c + 2)
Solve 3*q**3 - 2163*q**2 + 98640*q - 1162944 = 0.
24, 673
Factor -4*y**2 + 449972*y - 1349880.
-4*(y - 112490)*(y - 3)
Find y such that -13*y**4/4 + 31*y**3 + 73*y**2/4 - 31*y - 15 = 0.
-1, -6/13, 1, 10
Find s such that -7*s**4 - 89*s**3 + 26*s**2 = 0.
-13, 0, 2/7
Solve -5*o**5 - 2500*o**4 - 396215 |
528 F.3d 1336 (2008)
Douglas KAHN, Petitioner,
v.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Respondent.
No. 2007-3216.
United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit.
June 11, 2008.
*1337 Thomas G. Roth, Law Offices of Thomas G. Roth, of West Orange, NJ, argued for petitioner.
Steven J. Gillingham, Attorney, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, of Washington, DC, argued for respondent. On the brief were Jeanne E. Davidson, Director, Todd M. Hughes, Deputy Director, and Steven Abelson, Attorney.
Before NEWMAN, LOURIE, and SCHALL, Circuit Judges.
SCHALL, Circuit Judge.
Douglas Kahn is a Special Agent ("SA") of the Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), a component of the Department of Justice. He is assigned to the DEA's Atlanta Field Division. In this appeal, he petitions for review of the final decision of the Merit Systems Protection Board ("Board") that dismissed for lack of jurisdiction his individual right of action ("IRA") appeal under the Whistleblower Protection Act, 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) (2000) ("WPA"). Kahn v. Dep't of Justice, No. AT-1221-06-0966-W-1 (M.S.P.B. Mar. 23, 2007) ("Final Decision").[1] In his IRA appeal, Mr. Kahn alleged that his 2005 transfer from Beaufort, South Carolina, to the Atlanta Field Division was in retaliation for his having made protected disclosures under the WPA. The AJ dismissed the appeal for lack of jurisdiction after concluding that the disclosures Mr. Kahn made were not protected disclosures under the WPA because they were made as part of his normal duties. Id. at 5. Because we hold that Mr. Kahn made non-frivolous *1338 allegations that the disclosures he made were outside of his normal duties, we reverse the Final Decision and remand the case to the Board for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
BACKGROUND
I.
On August 24, 2005, Mr. Kahn filed a whistleblowing complaint with the United States Office of Special Counsel ("OSC").[2]Id. at 2. In his complaint, Mr. Kahn alleged that certain reports he made to his superiors constituted protected disclosures under the WPA. Id. Mr. Kahn further alleged that the DEA had engaged in a prohibited personnel practice in retaliation for those disclosures by transferring him to the Atlanta Field Division. Id. On July 5, 2006, OSC gave Mr. Kahn notice that it had terminated its inquiry into his complaint and would not be taking corrective action. Id. Mr. Kahn thereafter filed his IRA appeal with the Board.
II.
The Board has jurisdiction over an IRA appeal "`if the appellant has exhausted administrative remedies before ... OSC and makes "non-frivolous allegations" that (1) he engaged in whistleblowing activities by making a protected disclosure under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8), and (2) the disclosure was a contributing factor in the agency's decision to take a personnel action as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a).'" Fields v. Dep't of Justice, 452 F.3d 1297, 1302 (Fed.Cir.2006) (quoting Yunus v. Dep't of Veterans Affairs, 242 F.3d 1367, 1371 (Fed.Cir.2001)). A protected disclosure under section 2302(b)(8) is defined in relevant part as
(A) any disclosure of information by an employee or applicant which the employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences
(i) a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or
(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety....
The AJ found that Mr. Kahn had demonstrated that he had exhausted his remedies before OSC. Final Decision at 2. In addition, the AJ noted that a transfer or reassignment is a personnel action under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a)(2). Id. at 3. The AJ then turned to the question of whether Mr. Kahn had made non-frivolous allegations of protected disclosures under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) so as to establish Board jurisdiction over his IRA appeal. The AJ noted that the following was undisputed:
In 2002, Mr. Kahn was a member of a "Provisional Task Force" ("Task Force") that operated out of the DEA's Beaufort Office. The Task Force was charged with investigating drug crimes and developing criminal cases against drug offenders. Id. Cases developed by the Task force were prosecuted by the United States Attorney in Charleston, South Carolina. Id.
The Task Force was comprised of DEA agents and officers from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office and the Beaufort Police Department. Id. In addition to Mr. Kahn, the Task Force included DEA SA *1339 Henry Meehan and local law enforcement officers Donald Annis and Tony Herald.[3] The Beaufort Office reported to Steven Mitchell, the Resident Agent in Charge ("RAC") of the DEA's Charleston Resident Office. Id. RAC Mitchell had supervisory responsibility over Mr. Kahn and all other members of the Beaufort Office. Id. RAC Mitchell, in turn, reported to Assistant Special Agent in Charge ("ASAC") John Ozaluk, who was stationed in DEA's Columbia District Office. Id.
At some point in 2002, an individual who had recently been released from prison and who had an extensive criminal record contacted the Task Force and expressed interest in becoming a confidential source. Ultimately, this individual discussed the possibility of becoming a confidential source with TFA Annis. Eventually, Annis proceeded to utilize the individual as a confidential source.
In May of 2002, Mr. Kahn had a series of communications with RAC Mitchell relating to what Mr. Kahn stated was improper conduct of TFA Annis regarding the confidential source. Id. Thereafter, Mr. Kahn documented these communications in a memorandum dated August 16, 2002 to ASAC Ozaluk. Id. In his communications and memorandum, Mr. Kahn reported to his superiors that Annis had used the confidential source without first having him documented and registered as a DEA source and that Annis had been involved with the confidential source in a drug transaction without following required procedures. Id. According to Mr. Kahn, this alleged conduct on the part of Annis was in violation of DEA rules and regulations. In addition, in his August 16 memorandum, Mr. Kahn indicated that he had raised the issue of Annis's conduct with Annis's superiors at the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, including Sheriff P.J. Tanner. Id. Eventually, Sheriff Tanner removed Annis from the Task Force. Id.
The foregoing matters, which the AJ noted were undisputed and which are recited in the Final Decision, were mostly set forth in an affidavit dated December 6, 2006, that Mr. Kahn submitted to the Board. In his affidavit, and through documents that were before the Board, Mr. Kahn alleged, in addition to what is recited in the Final Decision, the following:
Following Annis's removal from the Task Force, Assistant United States Attorney Robert Bickerton of the United States Attorney's Office in Charleston, who had worked with Annis, complained of "integrity problems" in Mr. Kahn's investigative work for DEA. Specifically, Bickerton suggested in a meeting with ASAC Ozaluk that Mr. Kahn had made material misrepresentations in various investigative reports. As a consequence, DEA's Office of Professional Responsibility conducted an investigation of Mr. Kahn. The investigation commenced in January of 2003. Ultimately, in January of 2004, the Office of Professional Responsibility cleared Mr. Kahn of all charges of misconduct.
Even though DEA's Office of Professional Responsibility found no wrongdoing on Mr. Kahn's part, the United States Attorney's Office conducted its own investigation of Mr. Kahn's conduct, so as to determine whether the Office would be required to disclose any past false statements or misrepresentations by Mr. Kahn to criminal defendants against whom Mr. *1340 Kahn testified.[4] During this investigation, the United States Attorney's Office barred Mr. Kahn from presenting any cases to it. Though the United States Attorney's Office also determined that Mr. Kahn had not engaged in any wrongdoing, the Office recommended that Mr. Kahn be transferred to a post outside of the State of South Carolina. Eventually, though Mr. Kahn expressed an interest in working in North Carolina in the event of a transfer out of state, the DEA transferred him to Atlanta, Georgia in July of 2005.
In ruling on the Board's jurisdiction, the AJ focused on one issue:
Even assuming that the appellant possessed a reasonable belief that his oral and written reports concerning Mr. Annis'[s] use of his [confidential source] constituted evidence of a violation of law, rule, or regulation, gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to the public health or safety, to the extent that they represented "disclosures made as part of normal duties through normal channels," they remain unprotected under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8). See Fields v. Dep't of Justice, 452 F.3d 1297, 1305 (Fed.Cir.2006) (citing Huffman v. Office of Pers. Mgmt., 263 F.3d 1341, 1354 (Fed.Cir.2001)); see also Willis v. Dep't of Agric., 141 F.3d 1139, 1144 (Fed.Cir.1998) (reporting in connection with assigned normal duties is not a protected disclosure covered by the Whistleblower Protection Act).
Final Decision at 3-4.
The AJ acknowledged that Mr. Kahn's job description confirmed that investigating the professional misconduct of Task Force agents, such as TFA Annis, did not form part of his normal duties. Id. at 4. The AJ concluded, however, that Mr. Kahn's reports concerning Annis's use of the confidential source did not fall outside of his normal duties. Id. The AJ reasoned that, in discussing Annis's use of the confidential source with his superiors, Mr. Kahn was engaged in the core purpose of his position as a Criminal Investigator GS-13, as set forth in his position description: "to plan and conduct highly complex criminal investigations primarily involving major violators in large-scale drug trafficking networks operating throughout several regions of the United States, nationwide or internationally." Id. The AJ determined that Mr. Kahn's reports concerning Annis's activities with the confidential source related to an ongoing drug investigation. Id. at 5. "This drug operation, and not any independent investigation into Mr. Annis'[s] professional misconduct, was the focus of [the] back and forth communications" between Mr. Kahn and his superiors, the AJ stated. Id. For this reason, the AJ ruled that Mr. Kahn had failed to make non-frivolous allegations that he made a protected disclosure under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8). Id. He therefore held that the Board lacked jurisdiction over Mr. Kahn's IRA appeal. Id.
DISCUSSION
I.
We have jurisdiction over Mr. Kahn's appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(9). Our scope of review in an appeal from a decision of the Board is *1341 limited. Specifically, we must affirm the Board's decision unless we find it to be arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law; obtained without procedures required by law, rule, or regulation having been followed; or unsupported by substantial evidence. 5 U.S.C. § 7703(c); Abell v. Dep't of the Navy, 343 F.3d 1378, 1382-83 (Fed.Cir.2003). We review decisions of the Board regarding its own jurisdiction without deference. McCormick v. Dep't of the Air Force, 307 F.3d 1339, 1340 (Fed. Cir.2002) (citing King v. Briggs, 83 F.3d 1384, 1387 (Fed.Cir.1996)). Before the Board, an appellant bears the burden of establishing Board jurisdiction. Id. (citing Clark v. U.S. Postal Serv., 989 F.2d 1164, 1167 (Fed.Cir.1993)); 5 C.F.R. § 1201.56(a)(2)(i) (2007).
As already noted, the Board has jurisdiction over an IRA appeal if the appellant has exhausted his or her administrative remedies before the OSC and makes non-frivolous allegations that (1) he or she engaged in whistleblowing activity by making a protected disclosure under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8) and (2) the disclosure was a contributing factor in the agency's decision to take or fail to take a personnel action as defined by 5 U.S.C. § 2302(a). The standard for determining whether non-frivolous disclosures exist "is analogous to that for summary judgment." Dorrall v. Dep't of the Army, 301 F.3d 1375, 1380 (Fed.Cir.2002), overruled on other grounds by Garcia v. Dep't of Homeland Sec., 437 F.3d 1322 (Fed.Cir.2006). "[T]he petitioner must show the existence of a material fact issue ... to support Board jurisdiction. Non-frivolous allegations cannot be supported by unsubstantiated speculation in a pleading submitted by petitioner." Id. The determination of whether an allegation of jurisdiction is non-frivolous is made based entirely on the written record, and a hearing with respect to the existence of jurisdiction is unnecessary. Francisco v. Office of Pers. Mgmt., 295 F.3d 1310, 1313 (Fed.Cir.2002). If the employee successfully makes nonfrivolous allegations of jurisdiction, the Board then conducts a hearing on the merits. Yunus, 242 F.3d at 1371; Spruill v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 978 F.2d 679, 687-88 (Fed.Cir. 1992).
II.
The basis for the AJ's conclusion that Mr. Kahn had failed to make non-frivolous allegations that he had made protected disclosures under the WPA was his determination that Mr. Kahn's reports to his superiors were not outside of his normal job duties. According to the AJ, this was because, although it was not part of Mr. Kahn's duties to report wrongdoing of others, it was part of his duties to plan and conduct drug investigations, and it was in that context that he reported to his superiors about TFA Annis.
We addressed the issue presented by this appeal in Huffman v. Office of Personnel Management, 263 F.3d 1341 (Fed.Cir. 2001). In Huffman, we outlined three categories into which a disclosure may fall, only the latter two of which constitute disclosures that are protected under the WPA: (1) disclosures made as part of normal duties through normal channels, (2) disclosures as part of normal duties outside of normal channels, and (3) disclosures outside of normal duties. Id. at 1353-54. On appeal, Mr. Kahn contends that his reports concerning TFA Annis's use of the individual he (Annis) recruited as a confidential source fell into the third Huffman category. We explained in Huffman *1342 that this category involves the situation "in which the employee is obligated to report the wrongdoing, but such report is not part of the employee's normal duties or the employee has not been assigned those duties." Id. at 1354. In making this statement, we noted: "For example, the regulations, 5 C.F.R. § 2635.101(b)(11), specifically require all employees to `disclose waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption to appropriate authorities.'" Id. at 1354 n. 6. In other words, a disclosure comes within the third category of Huffman if, although the employee, like all agency employees, is generally required to report wrongdoing that he or she sees, the disclosure is not part of the employee's assigned duties.
Mr. Kahn argues that he made non-frivolous allegations that the reports he made to his superiors concerning TFA Annis came within Huffman category 3. In advancing this argument, Mr. Kahn relies primarily upon his December 6, 2006 affidavit. In his affidavit, Mr. Kahn outlined the chain of command at the Beaufort Office. Kahn Aff. ¶ 6. In that regard, he stated that all of the agents in Beaufort reported directly to RAC Mitchell and that he (Mr. Kahn) and SA Meehan were co-equals in the office. Id. ¶ 7. Mr. Kahn stated that the ultimate decision to register a confidential source was made by either RAC Mitchell or ASAC Ozaluk. Id. ¶ 8. Mr. Kahn continued that he was not directly involved in the process of registering the confidential source at issue and that SA Meehan and TFA Annis did all of the paperwork to register the confidential source and then passed the paperwork to RAC Mitchell without any review or participation by him (Kahn). Id. ¶ 9. Thus, Mr. Kahn stated, "TFA Annis would have supervised [the confidential source] and controlled his undercover efforts." Id. Mr. Kahn recounted that the confidential source "had been `fronted' an ounce of crack cocaine by a target trafficker." Id. ¶ 10. Mr. Kahn stated that he told Annis that "neither he nor anyone else associated with DEA could properly take custody of such drugs because [the confidential source] had not yet been documented as a [confidential source by DEA]." Id. After setting forth the ways in which Annis violated DEA regulations in his dealings with the confidential source, Mr. Kahn told of his reports to his superiors, RAC Mitchell and ASAC Ozaluk. Id. ¶¶ 12-13. He then stated:
Although I believe that I, like all DEA Special Agents, am obligated to report misconduct if I am aware of it, that is not part of my normal duties with DEA. I have carefully reviewed the job description of the Special Agent position, and I see no reference to the reporting of misconduct committed by other agents or Task Force Officers. Rather, my job is to enforce the federal narcotics laws under Title 21 of the United States Code.
Id. ¶ 14.
Mr. Kahn contends that, because he made non-frivolous allegations of protected disclosures, the Board should have granted him a hearing on the merits of his appeal.
The government responds that it was part of Mr. Kahn's assigned duties to report TFA Annis's alleged violations of DEA rules and regulations. The government notes that Mr. Kahn's duties explicitly included "[d]etermin[ing] the most effective manner for developing and carrying out investigations." Rep't's Br. 12. In addition, the government points to the December 6, 2006 declaration of RAC Mitchell that was submitted to the Board. In *1343 his declaration, RAC Mitchell stated that "[b]ecause SA Kahn was the most senior Agent in such a small office, I designated him to report to me daily regarding administrative matters and ongoing law enforcement operations in ... Beaufort.... SA Kahn called me every day to report what the office was doing administratively and operationally." Mitchell Decl. ¶ 4. RAC Mitchell noted that, during 2002, section 6622 of the DEA Special Agent's manual required that "`[e]ach undercover buy will be thoroughly planned by the immediate supervisor and all participating personnel'" and that "`[a]s much as possible, this planning will encompass all potential developments that could occur.'" Id. ¶ 5. Finally, RAC Mitchell stated:
Pursuant to the Special Agent's Manual requirements in effect in 2002, as well as the more general instructions I gave to SA Kahn to report daily administrative matters and operational activities of the Beaufort [Office] to me, SA Kahn was required, as part of his assigned job duties, to notify me at least verbally of TFO Annis'[s] proposed use of a confidential source ... to purchase crack cocaine or for DEA to provide Official Authorized Funds to a target in a DEA Organized Crime Enforcement Task Force ... investigation.
Id. ¶ 11. Thus, the government maintains that the AJ did not err in his determination that Mr. Kahn's reporting of TFA Annis's activities relating to the confidential source did not fall outside of his normal duties.
III.
The narrow issue before us is whether Mr. Kahn made non-frivolous allegations that his reports concerning TFA Annis's activities were not part of his normal duties, so that they came within Huffman category 3. The evidence of record on this point consists of Mr. Kahn's position description and two competing statements, Mr. Kahn's affidavit and RAC Mitchell's declaration.
Before the Board, Mr. Kahn submitted an affidavit in which he alleged facts indicating that his reports concerning TFA Annis were not part of his normal duties. Specifically, Mr. Kahn acknowledged that, like all DEA agents, he was required to report wrongdoing of which he became aware. At the same time, however, he stated that the reporting of Annis's alleged violation of DEA rules and regulations was not part of his normal duties. He asserted that doing so went beyond his job responsibilities, contending that he had no supervisory responsibility over Annis, no involvement in the recruitment of the individual who became Annis's confidential source, and no specific job duty to ferret out and report misconduct of co-employees. The government relies upon the declaration of RAC Mitchell. In his declaration, RAC Mitchell stated that he designated Mr. Kahn to report to him daily regarding administrative matters and law enforcement operations at the Beaufort Office. Presumably, such reporting would have included Mr. Kahn's communications concerning Annis, thereby bringing those communications within the scope of Mr. Kahn's normal duties. In our view, although this is a close case, the combination of Mr. Kahn's job description and the competing sworn statements of Mr. Kahn and RAC Mitchell places the evidence on the question of Mr. Kahn's normal duties in equipoise. In short, there is a genuine issue of material fact on the question. Under these circumstances, we think that Mr. Kahn has presented non-frivolous allegations that his reports concerning Annis were not part of his normal duties.
*1344 CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we hold that the AJ erred in holding that Mr. Kahn had failed to make non-frivolous allegations that he made protected disclosures under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8). The decision of the Board that it lacks jurisdiction over Mr. Kahn's IRA appeal is therefore reversed. The case is remanded to the Board for a hearing on the merits of the appeal.[5]
REVERSED and REMANDED
NOTES
[1] Pursuant to 5 C.F.R. § 1201.113, the administrative judge's ("AJ's") initial decision became the final decision of the Board on April 27, 2007, after Mr. Kahn failed to file a petition for review with the full Board. Hence, we refer to the AJ's March 23 initial decision as the Board's "Final Decision."
[2] OSC is responsible for receiving and investigating allegations of prohibited personnel practices under the WPA. 5 U.S.C. § 1212(a). The statutory provisions relating to OSC are at 5 U.S.C. §§ 1211-19.
[3] Annis and Herald were designated as Task Force Agents ("TFAs") in the Beaufort Office.
[4] Under Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972), a prosecutor is required to provide to a criminal defendant evidence that affects the credibility of a witness who testifies against the defendant, id. at 154, 92 S.Ct. 763.
[5] Before the Board, Mr. Kahn will have the burden of establishing his WPA claim by a preponderance of the evidence. Johnston v. Merit Sys. Prot. Bd., 518 F.3d 905, 909 (Fed. Cir.2008). Specifically, he will be required to demonstrate that his reports to his superiors concerning TFA Annis constituted protected disclosures under 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8), that the reports were not part of his normal duties, and that the reports were a contributing factor in the DEA's decision to transfer him to Atlanta. Id. At this point, however, Mr. Kahn has made non-frivolous allegations sufficient to establish Board jurisdiction. On appeal, the government does not dispute the AJ's assumption that Mr. Kahn's reports constituted disclosures of violations of DEA rules and regulations. At the same time, we have held that Mr. Kahn made non-frivolous allegations that his reports concerning Annis were not part of his normal duties. Finally, we think that Mr. Kahn's affidavit and the documentary material before the Board concerning the events that took place after his reports and the removal of Annis from the Task Force raised non-frivolous allegations that Mr. Kahn's reports concerning Annis were a contributing factor in the DEA's decision to transfer Mr. Kahn to Atlanta. If Mr. Kahn establishes a prohibited personnel practice by a preponderance of the evidence, the burden will shift to the DEA to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that it would have transferred him to Atlanta even in the absence of his protected disclosures. See Marano v. Dep't of Justice, 2 F.3d 1137, 1141 (Fed.Cir. 1993). If the DEA fails to carry that burden, the Board will then have occasion to fashion such corrective action as it considers appropriate. Id. at 1343.
|
e there in fourty-nine fifths of a hour?
35280
How many centuries are there in 3.34446 decades?
0.334446
How many nanograms are there in one fifth of a microgram?
200
What is one sixteenth of a centimeter in micrometers?
625
What is thirteen quarters of a millimeter in micrometers?
3250
What is one tenth of a millennium in years?
100
Convert 18430.83 years to millennia.
18.43083
What is 21557.706 months in millennia?
1.7964755
How many kilograms are there in 18/5 of a tonne?
3600
What is 5/6 of a decade in months?
100
How many millilitres are there in 9.614542l?
9614.542
How many milligrams are there in fourty-five halves of a gram?
22500
What is 45/2 of a millennium in decades?
2250
What is 9.761045 litres in millilitres?
9761.045
How many micrometers are there in five quarters of a centimeter?
12500
What is 1/15 of a century in months?
80
What is five eighths of a millisecond in microseconds?
625
How many litres are there in 0.6869654ml?
0.0006869654
What is 0.3860893ml in litres?
0.0003860893
Convert 83622.89 millilitres to litres.
83.62289
How many litres are there in 9.421199ml?
0.009421199
Convert 86264.44 hours to seconds.
310551984
How many millilitres are there in 273179.3l?
273179300
How many millimeters are there in 0.265155km?
265155
What is twenty-seven halves of a milligram in micrograms?
13500
What is 141428.61 months in decades?
1178.57175
How many seconds are there in sixty-four fifths of a hour?
46080
How many kilograms are there in 731.7635ng?
0.0000000007317635
What is 829.6279 litres in millilitres?
829627.9
How many centimeters are there in 9283.786m?
928378.6
How many years are there in 6/5 of a millennium?
1200
Convert 2254.65 kilometers to micrometers.
2254650000000
Convert 2.587265 minutes to microseconds.
155235900
How many kilometers are there in 4400.29cm?
0.0440029
How many litres are there in 73146.4 millilitres?
73.1464
What is 799741.1 decades in millennia?
7997.411
How many nanometers are there in 59/5 of a micrometer?
11800
What is fifteen quarters of a millennium in years?
3750
What is 961451.8 weeks in microseconds?
581486048640000000
What is 5.410971ms in microseconds?
5410.971
How many minutes are there in 0.4963969 hours?
29.783814
How many micrometers are there in nineteen quarters of a millimeter?
4750
What is 48/5 of a micrometer in nanometers?
9600
Convert 27362.31l to millilitres.
27362310
How many kilometers are there in 159.0851 micrometers?
0.0000001590851
What is 2055.918 nanoseconds in minutes?
0.0000000342653
How many minutes are there in seven sixths of a day?
1680
What is 490134.8mm in meters?
490.1348
What is 3/32 of a day in minutes?
135
What is 2095.727kg in milligrams?
2095727000
Convert 5789.527 meters to millimeters.
5789527
What is nine tenths of a litre in millilitres?
900
What is 17/4 of a millennium in decades?
425
How many centimeters are there in sixty-four fifths of a meter?
1280
What is 7967.204nm in kilometers?
0.000000007967204
What is twenty-three eighths of a millennium in months?
34500
What is 29/2 of a millisecond in microseconds?
14500
What is 9/10 of a millennium in centuries?
9
How many kilograms are there in 72.78317mg?
0.00007278317
What is 54.05991 millilitres in litres?
0.05405991
Convert 94257.65ug to nanograms.
94257650
How many milligrams are there in three fifths of a gram?
600
What is eleven halves of a micrometer in nanometers?
5500
What is 975.685 tonnes in nanograms?
975685000000000000
What is 1037614.158s in weeks?
1.715631875
How many years are there in 76/5 of a decade?
152
How many hours are there in twenty-nine thirds of a week?
1624
How many centimeters are there in 3/25 of a meter?
12
Convert 945.1281 millilitres to litres.
0.9451281
Convert 144.52353 minutes to days.
0.1003635625
What is 545977.5 millennia in decades?
54597750
How many millilitres are there in 3/8 of a litre?
375
What is 264.4397 millennia in decades?
26443.97
Convert 326.3526mg to nanograms.
326352600
How many millilitres are there in twenty-one quarters of a litre?
5250
How many micrometers are there in eleven halves of a millimeter?
5500
What is 58.03279 days in hours?
1392.78696
What is one fifth of a tonne in kilograms?
200
What is 154.13571 milliseconds in hours?
0.000042815475
How many milliseconds are there in 11/4 of a second?
2750
What is 5.87835 micrograms in tonnes?
0.00000000000587835
Convert 72.07661 litres to millilitres.
72076.61
How many seconds are there in nine tenths of a hour?
3240
What is 3/25 of a microgram in nanograms?
120
How many millilitres are there in 40.85108 litres?
40851.08
Convert 22.80354 centuries to months.
27364.248
What is 3/5 of a litre in millilitres?
600
How many microseconds are there in 572548.4 hours?
2061174240000000
How many minutes are there in 19/4 of a hour?
285
What is fourty-three quarters of a millennium in decades?
1075
How many micrometers are there in one fifth of a millimeter?
200
What is 1437.332 kilometers in nanometers?
1437332000000000
What is 1/10 of a second in microseconds?
100000
How many centuries are there in 18/5 of a millennium?
36
What is 11.08184 kilograms in grams?
11081.84
Convert 3948.955 litres to millilitres.
3948955
How many milligrams are there in 57225.14 nanograms?
0.05722514
How many months are there in 5/4 of a century?
1500
What is 37.60011mg in micrograms?
37600.11
Convert 797.6961ml to litres.
0.7976961
Convert 211.884 meters to micrometers.
211884000
What is 2867.69 grams in kilograms?
2.86769
Convert 398434.8 millilitres to litres.
398.4348
How many milligrams are there in 914.3717 nanograms?
0.0009143717
How many milliseconds are there in 8161.825 hours?
29382570000
How many milligrams are there in 0.5030871ug?
0.0005030871
What is 351.8154mg in grams?
0.3518154
How many months are there in 0.3397935 millennia?
4077.522
How many micrometers are there in 0.720232 nanometers?
0.000720232
How many micrometers are there in 31/2 of a millimeter?
15500
What is 5/8 of a litre in millilitres?
625
How many seconds are there in 11/4 of a hour?
9900
What is thirteen fifths of a gram in milligrams?
2600
How many seconds are there in one ninth of a week?
67200
How many kilometers are there in 350557.4 millimeters?
0.3505574
Convert 33833.4mm to meters.
33.8334
What is 2531.746 litres in millilitres?
2531746
How many litres are there in 49374.04 millilitres?
49.37404
How many micrometers are there in 1.41877km?
1418770000
How many months are there in 2/15 of a millennium?
1600
What is 6/5 of a kilometer in meters?
1200
What is 3940.24365 seconds in weeks?
0.006514953125
How many grams are there in 1/10 of a tonne?
100000
What is 54/5 of a hour in seconds?
38880
What is five quarters of a minute in seconds?
75
How many millilitres are there in 3/40 of a litre?
75
What is fourty-four fifths of a decade in months?
1056
How many months are there in 287460.5 centuries?
344952600
How many meters are there in 1/20 of a kilometer?
50
What is 4.503568ml in litres?
0.004503568
Convert 917.5703um to kilometers.
0.0000009175703
What is 7/6 of a week in minutes?
11760
How many microseconds are there in 1/20 of a second?
50000
Convert 30858.76 micrometers to kilometers.
0.00003085876
What is 6/25 of a meter in millimeters?
240
How many milliseconds are there in eleven tenths of a minute?
66000
How many milligrams are there in one sixteenth of a kilogram?
62500
What is 51/4 of a tonne in kilograms?
12750
How many grams are there in 1/10 of a tonne?
100000
Convert 63217305.9ms to weeks.
0.10452596875
How many hours are there in 86088.501s?
23.9134725
What is 47592.1 decades in years?
475921
How many millilitres are there in fourty-three halves of a litre?
21500
How many milliseconds are there in 80.59991 hours?
290159676
What is 929713.4 millilitres in litres?
929.7134
What is 6108.241 centuries in months?
7329889.2
How many years are there in 45/2 of a millennium?
22500
How many seconds are there in 0.9945997 microseconds?
0.0000009945997
Convert 171344.6 micrograms to tonnes.
0.0000001713446
How many micrograms are there in 0.2687742t?
268774200000
How many micrometers are there in 1/5 of a centimeter?
2000
What is 928.0575 litres in millilitres?
928057.5
What is 168.6225mg in tonnes?
0.0000001686225
How many minutes a |
Q:
Connected to wifi successfully, but no internet connection
I'm a relatively new macOS user. Let me try to describe the problem I'm facing as succinctly as possible
Just this morning, when I'm unable to get any internet connection even though WiFi is connected (full strength). All my other devices has no issues when connected to the same network (it's my home network)
I've logged into the router, and checked, there are no blacklisted IP/MAC addresses.
Additional information
I'm using a tMBP 15" for over a year
I've had no issues with any WiFi connectivity to my home network before today.
ping from terminal doesn't work as well.
I'm able to connect to my phone's hotspot, and get internet from my MBP.
I have bootcamp set up. When I boot into Windows, I'm able to get internet access through my home WiFi
How can I troubleshoot this to get to the root cause of the problem?
A:
You've provided great troubleshooting info, we can isolate the problem to being your Mac and not your router, we can isolate the problem to OSX and not your WiFi card, etc.
I want to say it's an IP address problem. Maybe Windows has taken the IP address that your router gave your Mac's MAC address. I'd recommend going to system preferences --> Network. On the left column does WiFi say "connected" or "self-assigned IP" or something else? In the mean time, I'd recommend going to system preferences --> Network--> select WiFi on the left column --> click advanced on the bottom right --> TCP/IP tab --> Renew DHCP lease.
If this doesn't work, you can try on the WiFi tab (instead of TCP/IP), select your WiFi network and then click the minus (-) button to remove it, click OK, and try to reconnect to the WiFi network again.
If that doesn't work, you can hold option and click on the WiFi symbol on your menu bar (top right). Does your IP address look right? If you're not familiar with networking let me know what your IP address and router address are and we can go from there.
|
Abdominal wall resection and reconstruction with the aid of Marlex mesh.
Treatment of malignant tumours of the abdominal wall is primarily surgical and should consist of ample excision with margin of 4-6 cm into the adjacent healthy tissue. When primary closure of the defect in the abdominal wall is not feasible, it can be repaired with the aid of Marlex mesh, combined if necessary with a pedicled omentum flap and free skin grafts. Major resections of the abdominal wall are thus made possible. |
Introduction
============
As medicine began to expand at an unprecedented rate from the early 19th century in Western, industrialized societies, religiously charged institutions that were traditionally responsible for providing medical service were gradually replaced by professional, more secular, medical institutions.While medicine has become more efficient and effective, at the same time it has developed an impersonal approach toward the patient, viewing him or her as a machine.Physicians are criticizedfor losing the kind of compassion and empathy with which they used to treat patients. They are taught to become emotionally detached and objective ([@B1]). Consequently, modern physicians have less time to spend with individual patients and their previous roles as attentive healers are changed as they become highly educated technicians, whose relationships with patients are contractual ([@B2]).
In response to the domination of modern medicine, which seems to be highly technical but lacking sensitivity, hospital chaplaincy gained momentum. After all, religion can influence health in both positive and negative ways. For example, being angry with God after a terminal diagnosis, or an inability to make sense of intense suffering, can further intensify a health problem.On the other hand, strong faith can help people cope with sickness and pain ([@B3], [@B4]). Hospital chaplaincy provides support for patient's religiosity and spirituality, identifying emotional problems related to religious values and tries to reconcile them.
As an integral part of the healthcare system in North America, hospital chaplains have become increasingly professionalized ([@B5]), meaning that they can be trained and employed by hospitals in full-time jobs as spiritual care providers. In 1969, the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) in the United States provided guidelines for religion and spirituality in hospitals for the first time. In 2003, JCAHO declared that medical services should be offered in such a way that patients' personal, cultural, psychological, and spiritual values would be respected. As a consequence, hospitals are required to demonstrate respect for patients' needs, including the need for pastoral care and spiritual support. According to a survey by Cadge and colleagues ([@B6]), between 54% and 64% of hospitals had chaplaincyservices between 1980 and 2003in the Unites States. It is estimated that more than 10,000 professional chaplains work in American hospitals.
Today, hospital chaplains deal with a wide range of issues including religious and spiritual values, dietary options, pain concerns, end-of-life issues, and the treatment and responsibilities of medical staff. Their daily work may include providing "emotional, practical, ritual and crisis intervention services to patients, families, and staff individually or as members of health care teams ([@B7]-[@B9]).
There are several studies on the emotion management of different healthcare professionals ([@B10]).For example, by arguing that individuals can use either a behavioral mode or a cognitive one to alter their emotions, Thoits ([@B11]) has created an eight-fold classification of emotion management techniques including, among others, leaving the situation, catharsis, taking direct action, seeking support, hiding feelings, and seeing the situation differently. However, hospital chaplaincy is a rather recently professionalized occupation which has been little studied ([@B12]-[@B14]).As employed and paid members of the hospital in which they work, the chaplains' role is organizationally established like other members of the healthcare system. Therefore, they may well be subject to specific feeling rules ([@B15]) and expectations with regard to the management and expression of emotions. This study tries to understand how chaplains manage their emotions in order to beable to perform their job successfully. In doing so, a qualitative approach has been used to provide a deeper understanding of the subtleties of emotion management. Qualitative research has two important features. First, it can be useful for explorations in areas about which little is known ([@B16], [@B17]). Second, it can provide novel and fresh understanding, in detail, of phenomena that are difficult to examine with quantitative methods ([@B18]).
Materials and Methods
=====================
This study is based on a primary data source of 21 in-depth interviews with professional chaplains working, full-time and part-time, in different Toronto Hospitals.
As one of the largest cities of Canada, Toronto has more than 30 hospitals and medical centers, most of which have a spiritual care or chaplaincy department. By estimation, 40 to 50 professional chaplains work across Toronto hospitals. Therefore purposeful sampling, a non-random method of sampling in which the researcher selects "information-rich" cases for in-depth interview ([@B19]), was used to address all potential respondents across different hospitals in a direct and straightforward manner, asking for their voluntary participation. All hospital chaplains who had work experience were potentially "information-rich" cases. In cases where it was mandatory, ethics acceptance was obtained from Research Ethics Boards.
Sampling continued until theoretical saturation, namely, where no new conceptual patterns were emerging from new interviews. Research questions were predominantly related to chaplains' work-related emotional experiences, the resources they rely on in order to protect their mental health and strategies they use while doing their job.
Qualitative fieldwork may be characterized as emergent and interactive. As Loftland and Loftland ([@B20]) argue, gathering, transcribing, coding and analyzing data are complex, overlapping and interweaving phases of the research process. In this research all interviews were transcribed verbatim. As a non-native speaker of English, the researcher faced an additional challenge of making sure that words and sentences were as accurate as possible. Fortunately, most respondents tended to speak slowly and with good articulation. As interview transcripts were critically examined line by line, the researcher was attentive towards what was being revealed. The insights that were developed from the preliminary analysis shaped subsequent stages of data collection. Moreover, the researcher tried to approach each transcript, as Miles and Huberman ([@B21]) say, "prepared to let the interview breathe and speak for itself." In order to analyze the data, Sandelowski's([@B22]) method of qualitative description was used, with a phenomenological inclination, that is, the goal was to describe emotion management experiences as they are lived and felt by respondents.
Qualitative description is a method of analyzing data that researcherscan claim unashamedly without resorting tomethodological acrobatics.Such qualitative analysis is the least interpretive of the different qualitativeanalysis approaches (e.g. phenomenological, ethnographic, grounded theory, etc.), in that there is no mandate tore-present the data in any other terms but their own.
Results
=======
Chaplains who participated in this study were between the ages of 33 and 65. The average age is approximately 52. The least experienced chaplain had two and half years of work experience, in contrast to a chaplain who started her career 26 years ago and was retired from her full-time position but was still working part-time. The average work experience in the sample is 9.6 years. Also, 11 chaplains worked part-time and 10 chaplains worked full-time. 18 of the 21 chaplains in this sample are women. Recruiting more than 3 male chaplains was not possible due to the fact that hospital chaplaincy is a job predominantly occupied by women. In terms of ethnicity, the majority of the respondents are white, with European and Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. However, the sample also includes two Asian chaplains (with Chinese and Indian backgrounds) and one from the Caribbean Islands.
In terms of religious affiliation, the sample includes chaplains from five different religions and faith traditions. The majority of the chaplains were Christian, including five chaplains belonging to the Anglican Church, three to the Roman Catholic Church, two to the United Church of Canada, and one to the Baptist Church. The remaining four Christian chaplains did not specify their Church. Several of the chaplains were church ministers. Also, two chaplains from Buddhism, one from Islam, and one from Judaism were interviewed. Finally, a pagan chaplain, who is a believer in the modern paganism movement and is apparently one of only two such chaplains in Canada, was interviewed.
***Strategies of Emotion management***
*1. Work-Life Balance: Emotional Separation*
All participants of this study were able to identify several sources of support they can benefit from at different points, separately or together, in order to protect their health. There are also various strategies of emotion management and methods of self-care that enable them to avoid or mitigate occupational risks. For example, In order to maintain a work-life balance, chaplains consciously manage to separate work from other aspects of their lives. Like other healthcare professionals, they seek to obtain some degree of objectivity in order to put concrete boundaries between work responsibilities and personal life. Several chaplains described specific rituals as strategies they use in order to separate the work environment from home life.
*My symbolic thing, every day, is to transfer my pager to the person who is on-call and knowing that that's it: I am no longer responsible for anybody here at the end of the day, you know; I would pick it up tomorrow. It's my way of....work is over. It's almost like an emotional break from the place; just transferring my pager to the person who is on-call and to say: "it's all yours now" (laughter)*(Interview No. 13).
As a cognitive method of emotion management ([@B15]), the following chaplain performs her job as effectively as she can and leaves the rest in "God's hands":
*My attitude is when I am here I am gonna do the best job that I know how and when I leave, I leave it in God's hands and so I don't have to worry about people not being well afterwards, because I know God is gonna look after them. I am not God, God is always gonna be here so I can go at the end of day, you know, knowing that I leave them in good hands and the rest will be still here when I come back. A friend of mine always says: "why did God make tomorrow?" So we can come back and pick up what we left off*(Interview No. 12).
Similarly, another chaplain talks about his daily practice to separate the hospital and home environments:
*I walk to work. It takes me a half hour to walk to work and then a half hour to walk home, and for me the process of coming here...because I am not rushing with the subway or driving....I don't have to pay a lot of attention to my route\... I am just walking...preparing myself emotionally to come into this environment and be spiritual care provider here and on the trip to home to divest myself of that, sort of free myself of the experience of being here which is very much...the normal feelings in the hospital are sense of ambiguity, of not knowing, of fear, of anxiety, and to sort of divest myself of that on my walk back home, I think is a really important part of my personal process. It's a walking meditation...*(Interview No. 8).
Similarly, another chaplain explains:
*I try to consciously wash my hands before I go in as a way of preparing myself for when I walk into the space, and then when I leave, the washing of my hands is also a way of leaving it behind so that I don\'t carry it home...*(Interview No. 14).
Such idiosyncratic practices can be described at ritualistic methods of emotion management. Since chaplains perform these rituals on a daily basis, they can be also described as daily rites of passage. Studied frequently by anthropologists, a rite of passage is a ritual that shows what social hierarchies, values and beliefs are important in specific cultures. Rites of passage are often ceremonies surrounding important events such as puberty, coming of age, marriage and death ([@B23]). Since practices discussed here are personal, contextual, and idiosyncratic, they can be described as micro, daily, rites of passage used to manage emotions.
By using such rituals, chaplains unconsciously separate their work from other areas of life, keeping in mind that what happens in the hospital should not be seen as their personal pain, problem or hardship. Although once in a while it may become difficult to get over a particular case, in most cases chaplains are able to move forward and put their work-related thoughts behind them. They should be able to separate other people's pain and suffering from their own or they fail to survive in this job. As one chaplain said:
*I join them \[patients\] and travel with them but in the same token there is a certain amount of professional distance that I have because at the end of the day this isn't my family, this isn't my best friend; we go our separate ways at the end of our time together and I don't miss these people at birthdays and family gatherings*(Interview No. 15).
As another part of maintaining work-life balance, many chaplains decide to work part-time so that they do not have to spend more than two-and-half days in hospital, or commute long distances. One chaplain decided to work part time to avoid driving long distance on a daily basis from home to work and vice versa:
*I used to work full-time for a contract position on oncology and palliative care, so I know what the burnout rate at this profession is, but I learned pretty quickly that with the pace I was going: working full-time and commuting...I have a long commute that did not give me enough solitude to recharge and to have that balance, so I chose to work half-time so that I can still have a family life, my professional life and some time for me to recharge... that's very intentional; I couldn't do that and even now sometimes I struggle because there are many demands and it can be hard to balance everything*(Interview No. 15).
*2. Self-reflexivity*
Hospital chaplaincy is very reflexive work. Chaplains must be very familiar with their own emotional reactions to different situations. After all, successful emotion management is only possible when a chaplain knows what his or her limitations and triggers are. This is a point stressed by several respondents. One experienced chaplain talked about brownout as an indicator that comes before burnout:
*We have to watch for brownout, and brownout is when you are in a city and the lights dim but they don't completely go out and then sometime later they do, and sometimes later they come back on, so that's what I monitor myself for all the time: brownout. If I feel getting dim, then I take measures...*(Interview No. 12).
In their professional training, chaplains are vigilant about identifying and naming their own emotions so that they can effectively manage them. For example, there are situations where chaplains feel angry over medical personnel but suppress or try to transform their feelings into something milder. Mindful of the potential harms such emotions may bring, chaplains remind themselves to let them go. Chaplains may actually talk themselves into changing a feeling or recognizing it as something different. One respondent described a mental mechanism she benefits from whenever emotions are high in a situation:
I have a natural, for better or worse, shut down mechanism (laughter), you might have been hearing about this from other folks as well; so I am monitoring what I do -- it's like watching my feelings, you know: "Amélie, what's happening with you?" and then if...it can...it might even happen not as a conscious choice, there were times when it didn't, it wasn't a conscious choice, there would be a process of numbing out those feelings and*becoming very heady, so my rational mind would take over: "Amélie, what do you need to do to manage the situation?" So my rational mind would say \[to my emotional mind\] like: "you sit in the back, I am taking over here;" and, you know, it would be all about what needs to be done*(interview No. 19).
Such self-talks or self-reminders are psychological methods of emotion management that chaplains use whenever they find themselves in a stressful or crisis situation. They can be explained by Denzin's ([@B24]) phenomenological approach in which emotions are seen as products of the social interplay between inter and intra personal interactions. According to Denzin, our emotionality is influenced by inhibited social acts, sub vocal thought, interpretations and self-conversations in social action.
*3. Methods of Self-Care: Physical, Spiritual and Emotional Well-being*
In addition to the psychological mechanisms, and specific rituals discussed above, chaplains need to be extremely attentive to their self-care and well-being so that they can maintain a high level of health. Participants of this study were able to articulate a variety of different methods of self-care and strategies to cope with emotional difficulties. All respondents showed a heightened level of attentiveness to their spiritual life and emotional well-being. Prayer, meditation, reflection, listening to music, exercise, balanced diet, sufficient sleep, participation in life-giving activities, socializing with friends, community work , silent retreats, vacation trips, professional training, and educational workshops are the typical means through which chaplains maintain the well-being needed to perform their job. They can use a combination of different mechanisms at the same time or, depending on the situation, one particular method may be given priority over the others. When it comes to self-care,taking good physical care of oneself is extremely important. Obviously, this job requires full commitment and full emotional presence. Chaplains must be attentive to their own needs so that they can perform well on the job. Speaking from a holistic perspective, one chaplain said that in order to be emotionally stable, her physical needs must be met first:
*"Usually I have an intense day and often I go to the gym and I work out; I am very...I eat really well, I take very good care of my diet and try balance it so I don't eat processed food or a lot of processed food...I am very careful about that....I make sure that I get a good sleep; I meditate on a daily basis... so those are the sort of the things that I do...."*(Interview No. 6).
The spiritual life of chaplains, in particular, is very important to give them a sense of orientation and groundedness. Spiritual life can be enriched through, among other things, prayer and meditation. For several chaplains, prayer was an indispensable part of their daily work. One chaplain said: *"I do pray and ask for God's guidance and wisdom before I go to a situation"*(interview No. 9). For the only Muslim chaplain in the sample, it was important to maintain his Salat. Another chaplain said:
*I pray every day. By giving the situation to the lord, praying that I would have the strength to go back to the next room and be as compassionate with the next person as I was with the first person. That is why my prayer list is so long, because I pray for a lot of people and I still feel that they are in larger hands than mine...*(Interview No. 17).
"Giving the situation to the lord" is a cognitive technique of emotion management. Coupled with prayer as a ritualistic technique, it helps this chaplain perform her job. Some chaplains distinguished between prayer and meditation. Even though several chaplains said they meditate regularly and separated this from prayer, meditation seemed to be specifically significant in the words of the two Buddhist chaplains, whose religiosity is more embedded in meditative practices.
Among other chaplains, one talked about long walks as a therapeutic, meditative exercise to allow *for "clearing my head and having time to reflect on myself and my own spiritual life"*(interview No. 13). Another chaplain talked about music as an important outlet:
*" I love music, and on the way over I almost always listen to...I like classical music best and I always find music as one of God's gifts. I really feel, you know, I don't know; when you think about it, that we are created in such a way that somebody has the gift of composing the music and another person has the gift of playing the music and that our bodies are made in such a way that we hear sounds and it does something to our souls, to our bodies; I found that miraculous, God's work, so I always listen to music and I find that very helpful and that helps me get some sort of nice frame of mind"*(Interview No. 21).
Several respondents talked about entertaining, life-giving activities such as going to an art gallery, or doing "creative" and "beautiful" things as methods of self-care which help battle work pressures. Sometimes they may do nothing important and let time pass. As one chaplain said: *"sometimes I watch TV and if I choose to watch TV, it is completely mindless stuff"*(interview No. 12).Another chaplain used a cognitive technique to cope with sadness: as a result of working in hospital, she has developed *"a rapidly decreasing tolerance for exposure to suffering outside of work."* Consequently, she does not like to listen to the news or read the newspaper when it is full of pain and suffering. As she puts it: *"I found that I need to limit my exposure to sad things outside of hospital"*(interview No. 18).
Also, a few respondents were more intellectually involved in reading and writing short stories, poetry, prayers or journaling as outlets to deal with their feelings. One of the Buddhist chaplains was co-authorof a book about traditional Chinese medicine and women's health.
Apart from the above practices, some chaplains benefit from silent retreats. Described as a *"vacation with God"* (interview No. 12) by one of the respondents, such retreats are usually characterized by a short, intentional period of isolation in which chaplains disconnect themselves from the outside world, and stay in quiet places with no TV or cell phone use. This temporary withdrawal from the routine, highly industrialized and commercialized world provides chaplains with an opportunity to reflect on their inner lives and attend to their own spiritual needs.
As another source of support, chaplains participate in various educational workshops, occupational training courses or meetings with other colleagues to not only reinforce their institutional role, but also to reflect on the job and receive insight. Such meetings and workshops provide what can be called self-presentational strategiesof interaction to make connections with colleagues:
Our chaplains meet once a week for something called Dialogue and we begin with the reflection; we take turns and each person has a different way of doing it. They bring over reflections which lead into some discussion about that, which leads to a staff meeting. Yesterday, for example, the chaplain who led the Dialogue, she brought something on wonder; she brought an experience she had with her granddaughter and then read something from the book on wonder and then we talked about that\....*so that\'s another way of coping with our, you know, the situations we have because sometimes we can\'t bring to that meeting... if we've got a patient we are concerned about. If you have got a woman upstairs who is just losing her baby, you know, a 25-week pregnant, that\'s one of the hardest things to deal with. So being able to talk to others, about it, about how it\'s affecting you\...* (Interview No. 4).
*4. Chaplains' Emotional Make-up*
Chaplains develop a different perspective towards their job. For many people, hospitals are synonymous with bad news. Most frequently associated with blood, white uniforms, medical instruments, pain, suffering, illness, and ultimately death, hospital is a place to be avoided as much as possible. Chaplains, however, tend to look at these notions differently. They do not enjoy illness and death but gain satisfaction from helping people who are struggling with them. Even though the job is often full of sad stories, and even though situations are stressful, chaplains feel emotionally rewarded because their emotional make up has developed in such a way that they gain pleasure (not in a hedonistic way but in a fulfilling way) from being in the presence of troubled people as care providers, helping them go through their hospital journey. As one respondent suggests:
*"Knowing that you have made a difference in someone's life is energizing, so some days I come away from a challenging situation knowing that I have done a good job, knowing that I have made a difference in someone's life, knowing that I have been able to be the support they need or find the support they need and I come away feeling really good about that, even though it was a sad time*"(interview No. 12).
Although helping people manage their emotions and providing emotional support is rewarding for chaplains, it shouldalso be pointed out that being attentive to the needs of people who are in pain can threaten chaplains' own health.
The findings of this study are in agreement with a few studies on hospital chaplaincy in certain ways. For example, Taylor et al. ([@B12]), Flannelly et al. ([@B13]) and crossly([@B14]) discovered high levels of job satisfaction among the chaplains in their quantitative research. Similar to these studies, the present research reveals a direct relationship between occupational hazards such as burnout and workload in the sense that the more hours chaplains spend working, the higher the chances of becoming stressed and burnt out.
Similar to what crossly([@B14]) uncovered, chaplains of this study paid special attention to their spiritual life and their relationship with God. Not only was their spiritual and religious life an important source of satisfaction, but it was also an essential part of the reasons they chose this line of work.
In contrast to previous studies, however, this research explores multiple resources, strategies and supportive means that chaplains may rely on in order to manage their emotions and perform their job. Generally speaking, quantitative studies often fail to consider the important factors that lead chaplains towards higher job performance. Also, previous studies have not made it clear in what ways chaplain's health can be improved by different strategies of emotion management.
Conclusion
==========
Among the chaplains who were interviewed for this study, there seems to be a high level of job satisfaction. Health conditions and quality of life also seem to be good for the most part, except for a few full-time chaplains. As already discussed, one important reason chaplains work part-time is to protect their health and avoid occupational hazards such as burnout and fatigue. Therefore, hospital chaplaincy can be a very intense and difficult job, not because of the enormity of pain and suffering chaplains see in their everyday interactions with people (far from it, the job is very rich in terms of emotional experience), but because of the workload to which some full-time chaplains are committed. There does seem to be a difference in the health condition of full-time and part-time chaplains. Quite a few full-time chaplains seemed exhausted and close to burnout. However, instead of the emotional difficulties of the job, it is rather the huge workload from which the above chaplains suffer. All chaplains, even those overloaded with work, said they love their job. It is 40 hours of intense weekly work in one of only two trauma centers in Toronto that is overwhelming.
***Limitations of the Study***
As a limitation, it should be noted that even though the small sample of 21 respondents allowed for greater depth and more meaningful interaction with respondents, the findings of this study cannot be generalized to all chaplains who work in Canada. Also, the sample is likely to be biased in terms of gender, as it was not possible to interview more than three male chaplains, in contrast to 18 females.
The author wishes to thank several individuals who provided support and encouragement during the course of this study. Without the help of the chaplains who kindly agreed to be interviewed and frankly answered research questions, the completion of this study would have been impossible. Also, especial thanks to anonymous reviewers at IJPBS for reading an earlier draft of this article and providing the author with valuable feedback as how to improve it.
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587 F.Supp. 937 (1984)
ST. MARY OF NAZARETH HOSPITAL, et al., Plaintiffs,
v.
Margaret M. HECKLER, Secretary of Health & Human Services, Defendant.
MOUNT ZION HOSPITAL & MEDICAL CENTER, Plaintiff,
v.
Margaret M. HECKLER, Secretary of Health & Human Services, Defendant.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP HOSPITAL DISTRICT, Plaintiff,
v.
Margaret M. HECKLER, Secretary of Health & Human Services, Defendant.
Civ. A. Nos. 80-3280, 81-0396 and 81-0994.
United States District Court, District of Columbia.
June 29, 1984.
*938 Dennis M. Barry and Michael H. Cook of Wood, Lucksinger & Epstein, Washington, D.C., for plaintiffs.
Joseph E. diGenova, U.S. Atty., Royce C. Lamberth, Asst. U.S. Atty., Henry R. Goldberg, Sheree R. Kanner and Deborah M. Chaskes, Dept. of Health & Human Services, Washington, D.C., for defendants; Juan A. Del Real and Ann T. Hunsaker, Washington, D.C., of counsel.
ORDER
CHARLES R. RICHEY, District Judge.
These consolidated cases, involving the treatment of labor and delivery room patients in calculating Medicare reimbursement, are before the court upon remand. 718 F.2d 459 (D.C.Cir.1983), reh'g denied, Nov. 18, 1983. Defendant has moved for a remand to the agency for recalculation of the average routine cost per diem of the plaintiff hospitals. Plaintiffs argue that in light of the Court of Appeals opinion and defendant's subsequent admission that on remand it could not produce the evidence referred to in that opinion, no further administrative proceedings are warranted. For the reasons set forth below, the court concludes that remand would be inappropriate and that plaintiffs are entitled to an immediate judgment on the existing record.
THE COURT OF APPEALS ORDERED AN ADMINISTRATIVE REMAND FOR A LIMITED PURPOSE
On September 23, 1983, the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held that labor and delivery room patients should not be included in the routine inpatient count for purposes of calculating the average routine cost per diem under Medicare regulations. After its careful analysis, however, the Court of Appeals conditioned its ruling on one additional finding:
We remand the case to the District Court with instructions to remand to the PRRB [Provider Reimbursement Review Board] for the limited purpose of taking evidence on the issue of whether the use of other ancillary services by Medicare beneficiaries at the census-taking hour suffices to compensate for the dilution of Medicare reimbursement caused by including labor/delivery area patients in the calculation of average general routine costs per diem. Absent substantial evidence to support such a contention, the Secretary is directed to exclude labor/delivery room patients, who have not previously that day received routine service, from the inpatient count used to derive the average cost per diem for general routine services.
St. Mary, 718 F.2d at 474 (emphasis added).
The Secretary has repeatedly acknowledged that the agency cannot make the showing contemplated by the Court of Appeals. Instead of offering evidence on the use of ancillary services, the Secretary now argues that evidence can be produced to show that routine maternity costs generally exceed those of other major patient care units, and accordingly that there is no true dilution of Medicare reimbursement.
*939 The evidence offered by the Secretary concerning routine costs, as opposed to ancillary services, is clearly beyond the scope of the remand in this case. The Court of Appeals issued specific directions, not an open-ended mandate for further administrative proceedings. Referring solely to the use of ancillary services at the census hour by Medicare patients, the Court instructed that
"[i]f there is no such offset or if the Secretary decides not to contest the issue, then the Secretary may not count labor/delivery patients ... among the routine inpatient population ...."
Id. at 474 (emphasis added). This court "must act forthwith to enforce the mandate and require the Secretary to comply with its terms." International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union v. Donovan, 733 F.2d 920 (D.C.Cir.1984). To allow the Secretary to produce new evidence on a topic other than the narrow issue identified by the Court of Appeals would be a violation of its mandate which this court will not permit.
Another district court, facing the identical question, came to the same conclusion. International Philanthropic Hospital Foundation v. Heckler, No. CV81-115 MPR (C.D.Cal. remand denied May 10, 1984). Judge Mariana Pfaelzer, interpreting the Ninth Circuit opinion which adopted St. Mary's reasoning and its limited remand, found that the "assertion of the Secretary regarding the general routine services which labor and delivery room patients purportedly receive is beyond the scope of the remand in this case and in Saint Mary ...." She concluded, therefore, that "the Secretary's motion to remand for calculation purposes must be denied ... [and] that judgment must be entered for plaintiff ...." See also Baylor University Medical Center v. Heckler, 730 F.2d 391 (5th Cir.1984) (refusing to remand and affirming the district court decision to exclude labor and delivery room patients from the midnight census used to compute the average cost of routine services). Cf. Beth Israel Hospital v. Heckler, 734 F.2d 90 (1st Cir.1984) (adopting the D.C. Circuit decision, but explicitly authorizing a broad inquiry on remand).
At oral argument, defense counsel suggested that the Court of Appeals did not really mean what it said when it limited the remand to an examination of "ancillary" services. This court, however, finds no ambiguity or confusion in the Court of Appeals decision. Defendant's new evidence, demonstrating purported offsets to bolster the Secretary's labor/delivery room policy, could have been offered at an earlier stage of these proceedings. At this time, in light of the clear holding of the Court of Appeals, it is irrelevant.
It is therefore by the court this 28th day of June, 1984,
ORDERED that labor/delivery room patients who have not previously that day received routine services, and who enter a routine bed and remain there through the next census hour, may not be counted among the routine inpatient population at the midnight census for calculating the average cost per diem for general routine services under the Medicare statute and regulations; and it is
FURTHER ORDERED that the Secretary's motion to remand for calculation purposes is denied; and it is
FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this final order[*] shall be sent immediately by defendant to the fiscal intermediaries responsible for each of the plaintiff hospitals, with directions to compute the amount owing to each plaintiff for the fiscal years in question no later than forty-five (45) days from the date of this order. Such amounts shall include interest computed to the date of actual payment in accordance with 42 U.S.C. § 1395oo(f). Payment of such amounts shall be made no later than sixty (60) days from the date of this order.
NOTES
[*] This order shall not apply to the claims of plaintiff St. Vincent Hospital and Medical Center of Toledo since the Court of Appeals withheld judgment on those claims.
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Q:
Remote Desktop Connection to Windows has wrong keyboard layout
I'm running:
OS X 10.8
U.S. English as the default system language
a German (Austrian) keyboard layout
Via RDP (specifically the Remote Desktop Connection client 2.1.1 from Microsoft), I'm connecting to:
Windows 8
German (Austrian) as the default system language
a German keyboard layout (as seen in the screenshot)
Unfortunately, the keyboard layout appears to be English in Windows, meaning, when I type y I get z, and when I type - I get a /, et cetera.
I assume the problem is on the Windows side of things, as I've never had issues before, even with RDP connections. Unfortunately, I have no idea what to change or what to tell Windows, since it should actually run just fine.
What can I do?
A:
It appears that despite the settings in the Windows Control Panel, another keyboard layout was set in the task bar:
Changing this back to Deutsch (Österreich) fixed the keyboard layout.
|
Video encoders are now commonly used in consumer end products like DVD reader/writers at consumer affordable prices. Video encoders have also been increasingly found in server software applications for real time internet video streaming. However, these video encoders often do not perform up to par as compared with professional encoders. The resulting poorly encoded video images often contain video artifacts such as blocking, corner outlier, and ringing.
Besides the effects of encoding technology of the video encoders, video pre-processing and post-processing are also performed to improve the quality of the encoded video. Video post-processing processes the decoded video from the bitstream while video pre-processing processes input video data prior to video encoding.
Due to competitiveness in the market of video encoders, low cost solutions with inter-operability of video decoders are preferred. As such, use of video pre-processing is an important method for reducing encoding complexity and for improving video quality for video encoders. This is especially so when the bitstream is decoded by third party video players. It is also desired that the pre-processing solution can be built into existing encoder solutions or with minimal hardware modification such that the system cost is not significantly increased.
Some existing techniques for pre-processing apply pre-filtering on the residual image rather than the image itself. This may result in error residual propagation in a group of pictures giving undesired defects in especially lengthy groups. In addition, spatial filtering is difficult to apply within the video encoder as it limits the filtering in pre-defined block sizes.
Segall, C. A. and Katsaggelos, A. K., “Pre- and Post-processing Algorithms for Compressed Video Enhancement”, provides a good summary of the existing techniques related to pre-processing video data for compressed video enhancement. The different techniques include operating directly on intensity data of original image using for example a low pass filter, operating inside the encoder and using quantized DCT coefficients to remove insignificant features. The disclosed work involves pre-filtering the residual between predicted and current frame with response of filter coupled to quantization scale and distortion metric on blocking artifacts minimized.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,037,986, “Video Pre-processing Method and Apparatus with Selective Filtering based on Motion Detection”, by Zhang et al. describes an adaptive low pass vertical filter (7 taps) selected from predetermined filter coefficients using pre-compression data like bit-rate range, motion metric, frame wise motion and bit-rate or post-compression data like moving average of quantization, sum of absolute motion vectors, number of bits per compressed frame.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,942, “Spatial and Temporal Filtering Mechanism for Digital Motion Video Signals”, by Wang, a technique operating a spatial filter using a 4×4 block with control of heavy, light or no filter dependency on thresholding of block variance is disclosed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,484, “Motion Video Compression System with Adaptive Bit Allocation and Quantization”, Gonzales et al. describes a pre-processing method that selects between 2 sets of 3-tap filters or none according to the degree of quantization.
Other existing methods may also use motion estimation engines to perform motion compensated 3D spatial and temporal filtering. When motion estimation is incorrect, these motion compensated techniques disadvantageously create undesired artifacts such as smearing regions. However, additional motion estimators for correcting these artifacts will disadvantageously increase the costs of these pre-processing solutions.
Pre-filtering may also result in the loss of video resolution, giving reduction in sharpness of image as filter strength of the pre-filters increases. Often the blurring of the image is not compensated by the gain in encoding efficiency.
Furthermore, variable delayed response between filtering and feedback of post-compression parameters are often not considered. In situations of long delay especially when parameters, which are affected by pre-filtering, are used, oscillations between extreme filtering states may occur, leading to instability in video encoding.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved method for improving visual quality of video especially in difficult video sequences with fast motion and low bit rate applications |
Q:
How to stop CAKeyframeAnimation in UIScrollView.layer.addAnimation - removeAnimationForKey and removeAllAnimations do nothing
I have animated a UIScrollView this way:
let anim = CAKeyframeAnimation()
anim.keyPath = "bounds.origin.x"
anim.values = self.animValues
anim.keyTimes = self.animKeyTimes
anim.duration = self.animDuration
anim.additive = true
myScrollView.layer.addAnimation(anim, forKey: "move")
Then when the user taps a Cancel I tried this:
myScrollView.layer.removeAnimationForKey("move")
myScrollView.layer.removeAllAnimations()
Neither one works.
I also tried setting anim.duration = 0.0. That had no effect.
I can't try doing anything with myScrollView.layer.presentationLayer() because presentationLayer() is nil.
The animations do not need to be paused. They can be completely halted and discarded. They are never restarted.
These animations can be 30 seconds or more. Forcing the user to wait until it's finished is not good UX/UI.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
David
A:
I had to rebuild my project file for a different problem, and when I tried this again it worked the way it's supposed to!
That's at least the third time I've had to rebuild the project file for this app.
I must be doing something right!
|
cynthia correa
Strong Love
My love for you is so0 strongI know that nothing can go0 wrongIt just that feeling when were togetherThat amazing feeling we’ll last forever
Every time I talk to you my heart just wants to sinkEvery time I speak to you I wonder what you’ll thinkEvery time I’m with you I never want to leaveEvery second without you makes it harder to breath
I love the feeling, when I look into your eyesBeing with you is the biggest PrizeThe faithful ness there’s never liesOur love will grow and always riseMy feelings are strong and never diesI’ll do something strong and something wiseBe with you forever with no goodbyes |
As a child, I rarely saw my father go to the doctor. No matter how sick he was, there was always a tendency to wait it out or use basic remedies, like over the counter medicines that often could not address more serious complications.
When I was in college, I made similar mistakes when it came to not seeking the best care that I needed. As a student, I turned to alcohol and drugs to cope with the stress many teenagers face in their day-to-day lives. For me, it was a normal thing to get drunk and use drugs — as long as I was getting my work done, things seemed like they were OK. This trend continued for years until, one day, things got serious enough that an intervention was warranted.
Concerned for my safety and well-being, a close friend and college roommate got in touch with my mother and sounded the alarm bells; I was in a vulnerable mental space which required the care of loved ones and the guidance of professionals.
For me and my father, it wasn't (just) a reflection of a certain kind of tough-it-out masculinity that kept us from seeking the care we needed. Going to the doctor meant engaging with the bureaucracy that controls most Americans' access to health care. I witnessed what my parents went through with insurance agencies while trying to receive government assistance: Long phone calls, countless rejection letters, skyrocketing bills and sleepless nights wondering how we were going to access critical treatment.
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And so, for most of my early childhood and adult life, I embraced the same approach regardless of the severity of my mental or physical illness. I can recall many moments when I lay in bed sick, literally unable to carry out basic tasks because I opted to stay home instead of visiting the doctor to seek care. I didn’t believe access to quality, affordable health care was something to which I was entitled, let alone anything I could achieve.
Like millions of Americans across the country, I struggled with gaining access to quality, affordable health care because I didn't know my rights, what I deserved or even how to go about getting it. It wasn’t until I was in my mid-to-late 20s that I even obtained a primary care doctor, and only then because I realized that access to health care was my right, not a privilege. As I got older, I knew that I had to more fully embrace my responsibility of understanding the state of my health care because I was determined to shape my own future.
In August, I revealed that I once attempted suicide, back in 2006; I was in a place that wasn’t healthy and I suffered silently and alone. This episode was serious enough that I took the necessary steps to seek the professional help and treatment that I needed. My advocacy around mental health support is very much rooted in my own personal story.
Mental health and general wellness are often overlooked because they aren't something you can necessarily see, the way you can a broken bone or a case of the flu. I had to seek the treatment I needed to get better and, once I got through it, it inspired me to do more to help other Americans improve the quality of their lives as well.
My health care story isn’t that unique, but it is very much a part of who I am. Getting involved in promoting access to health care is so important to me because it is personal. So many Americans struggle with the fear and stigma associated with seeking health care, whether mental health care or wellness care, particularly in the Black LGBTQ+ community. Studies show that "sexual minority women and LGBTQ people of color report worse health status, more unmet healthcare needs, and perceived and actual discrimination or substandard care than sexual minority men and White, LGBTQ people." Other studies show that a significant proportion of LGBTQ+ people rely on community health centers for their medical care, but 13 states lack such centers.
Recent studies show there is currently a shortage of primary care doctors and that number is only exacerbated when you consider key factors that impact communities of color disproportionately. Studies show that African Americans are less likely to access primary care because of socioeconomic factors, like access to health insurance, and residential segregation, which can make primary care physicians more difficult to access.
As a father, a mental health professional and an openly gay Black man, I’ve used my platform to uplift issues that impact folks like me every single day, including HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention and mental health and wellness advocacy. I am dedicated to using my platform to bring awareness to issues that are often omitted in conversations about access to quality health care and ongoing health disparities in the LGBTQ+ community and in communities of color.
For instance, in 2016, I co-founded 6in10, an organization dedicated to ending the disparities in new HIV diagnosis rates among Black gay and bisexual men — six in 10 of whom were once expected to be diagnosed as positive by the age of 40 — by providing tailored mental health support through viral campaigns and community engagement. (This organization has now been absorbed by a larger agency with more resources.)
These are issues that I believe need to be at the forefront in the debate to protect access to quality, affordable health care, but neither can improve without that access. That is why I have joined the Health Care Voter campaign as a new co-chair to help mobilize voters for November 6.
I’m a proud father of two sons who are the joys of my life, and I believe we must all continue to do our part to make this world a better place for the next generation. This November, please join me in holding our lawmakers accountable in protecting our right to health care. So many lives depend on it. |
using HPAT
using HPAT.API.LinearRegression
using MPI
@acc hpat function calcLinearRegression(file_name)
points = DataSource(Matrix{Float64},HDF5,"/points", file_name)
responses = DataSource(Vector{Float64},HDF5,"/responses", file_name)
coeffs = LinearRegression(points, responses)
return coeffs
end
c2 = calcLinearRegression(HPAT.getDefaultDataPath()*"/linear_regression_train_large.hdf5")
if MPI.Comm_rank(MPI.COMM_WORLD)==0 println("linear regression Coeffs: ", c2) end
|
z(k) = -k + 8. Let s = -14 - -2. Calculate the lowest common multiple of (33/2)/((-9)/s) and z(4).
44
Suppose f + 12 = -3*f, -4*f + 108 = -5*u. Calculate the common denominator of 77/u*(-1 - 3) and 69/10.
30
Let j be (138/360)/((-542)/8252). Let v = -4/1355 - j. What is the common denominator of 31/18 and v?
18
Suppose -15*q + 87 = 14*q. Suppose 3*u = 3 + 12. Calculate the least common multiple of q and u.
15
Let j = 16373 + -24066. Let f = j + 92233/12. Find the common denominator of (-41)/12*6/(-9) and f.
36
Suppose -q = -4*f + 52, -f + 0*f - 4*q = 4. Calculate the least common multiple of f and 22.
132
Let l = 344/11 + -15964/495. Calculate the common denominator of -137/30 and l.
90
Suppose -17 = -2*f + 5*s, -3*f = f - 4*s - 28. Let j be (-4)/(-76)*(-4)/f. Let u = -254/19 - j. Find the common denominator of u and -32.
3
Let z = -18829/10 - -1875. Find the common denominator of -121/48 and z.
240
Let l = 3 - 33. What is the common denominator of ((-3)/(-20))/((-36)/30) and 999/l*(-1)/3?
40
Let z = 1590 + -6451/4. Suppose -h + 6 = 3, 4*q - 351 = 3*h. Find the common denominator of 2/2 + q/4 and z.
4
Calculate the lowest common multiple of (198/72)/((-2)/(-8)) and 3.
33
What is the common denominator of (-422)/24 + (-6)/9 and (-3)/(-3)*-4 - (-549)/(-18)?
4
Let a = 0 - -2. Suppose -5*r - 2 = 4*f, 0 = 3*f + 4*r - 0 + a. Suppose -5*h + h + 12 = 0. What is the lowest common multiple of f and h?
6
Let c = -16803/4 - -35665/8. Let h = c + -257. Find the common denominator of 79/4 and h.
8
Let p be (-5182)/(-60)*6/(-58). Let j = p - 53/145. Calculate the common denominator of j and 85/8.
40
Let a = -2555/366 - -70/61. Calculate the common denominator of -35/6 and a.
6
Let p(i) = i**2 + i. Let t be p(-2). Suppose -t*l = -4 - 4. Suppose r - l = -r. What is the smallest common multiple of r and 2?
2
Let l(s) = s**2 - 4*s - 70. Calculate the least common multiple of l(11) and 10.
70
Suppose 16 = 7*m - 3*m. Let r = m + 0. Calculate the common denominator of 89/14 and (2/(-48))/(r/330).
112
Let c be (7/(-14))/((-1)/20). Calculate the common denominator of 67/8 and 0 - (49/c - 1).
40
Suppose 5*j - 104 = -g, 5*j - 3*g = -8*g + 100. What is the common denominator of (1 - 0)*j/(-6) and -34?
2
Let k be (-3)/(-2)*(-32)/(-12). Suppose -k*w + 91 = 3. What is the smallest common multiple of 22 and w?
22
Let o(f) = f**2 - 5. Let d be o(-5). Let w be 68/10 - (-4)/d. Suppose i - w = -0*i. What is the lowest common multiple of i and 9?
63
Let o(z) = -z**3 + 16*z**2 + 19*z + 12. Let a be o(17). Let p = -95/2 + a. Find the common denominator of p and 81/16.
16
Let f(y) = -2*y - 3. Calculate the smallest common multiple of f(-6) and 2.
18
Let m = 2514 + -25041/10. Let d = -1771/2 - -6987/8. Calculate the common denominator of m and d.
40
Let d(v) = -v - 231. Let q be d(0). Let i = q + 1162/5. Calculate the common denominator of i and -7/9.
45
Let w be (-1 - -3)/(8/60). Suppose 0 = 4*y - 2*q + 6, y + 4*q + 18 = -y. Let i = w + y. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 20 and i.
60
Let j = 5326/3 + -1792. Find the common denominator of j and 93/4.
12
Suppose -9 = -2*n + 19. Calculate the smallest common multiple of n and 12.
84
Let k(u) = -u**3 - 9*u**2 - 9*u - 2. Let i(r) = r**3 + 3*r**2. Let p be i(-2). What is the lowest common multiple of (2 - 6/4)*p and k(-8)?
6
Suppose g + 3*k - 65 = 0, -2*g + k = g - 145. What is the common denominator of 17/3 and g?
3
Let p = -582 + 5847/10. What is the common denominator of -68/9 and p?
90
Let k(u) = u**3 - u**2 - 4*u + 4. Let c be k(3). What is the least common multiple of 4 and 1 + (0 - 3) + c?
8
Let l(z) = 2*z**2 + 52*z - 47. Suppose 4*o - 3*w - 35 = 0, -2*o - 3*w - 5 = -0*w. Calculate the lowest common multiple of l(-27) and o.
35
Let a = -675 - -2757/4. Suppose 4*j + 54 + 162 = -4*p, 5*j - 5*p + 260 = 0. What is the common denominator of 1 + j/4 + -1 and a?
4
Suppose -q - k + 19 = -2*q, 91 = -5*q + 4*k. What is the common denominator of q/(-2)*190/210 and 31/12?
84
Suppose -2*t + 20 = -t. Suppose 4*g = -4*j + 16, 5*j = -3*g + 4 - 0. What is the least common multiple of g and t?
40
Let x = 16740 + -301459/18. What is the common denominator of -53/74 and x?
666
Let w(g) = 2*g**2 + 6*g + 1. Suppose 3*q = -2 - 7. Let t be (12/(-9))/((-1)/q). Calculate the lowest common multiple of 1 and w(t).
9
Suppose 6*o = 2*o + 5*p - 13, 2*p = 10. Suppose b + 4*w = -3 + 1, b - o*w = 19. Find the common denominator of (-5)/b + 4/3 and -95/14.
42
Let d = -1/97 - 2703/1261. Find the common denominator of d and 19/6.
78
Let h = -83753/10312 - 4/1289. Find the common denominator of h and 4/(-6) - (-127)/6.
8
Calculate the smallest common multiple of 7 and (65/(-15))/(1/(-6)).
182
Let u = -408175823/7 + 57951897. Let i = u - -357263. Let p = 1675 + i. Calculate the common denominator of p and 41/11.
77
Suppose -7*q = -2*q + 705. Let z = 201 + -1436/7. Find the common denominator of z and q/15 + (-2)/(-2).
35
Let r be ((-12)/(-15))/((-3)/(-15)). Suppose 3*j - l - 27 = -0*l, -r*j = 4*l - 52. What is the least common multiple of j and 10?
10
Let z = 18 - 8. Let m = z - -8. Calculate the least common multiple of (18/(-5))/((-1)/5) and m.
18
Let j = -24/407 - -23822/3663. Let w = -6953349/28 - -248362. Let l = w + -76/7. What is the common denominator of l and j?
36
Let h be 45/(-4) - 2/(-8). Suppose -t + 5*l - 55 = 3*t, -t - 10 = -5*l. Let d = h - t. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 1 and d.
4
Let c = 1/4905 + 148783/9810. Calculate the common denominator of -75/4 and c.
12
Suppose 5*f - a = -0*a + 15, 5*f = -2*a. Suppose n = -0*n + p, 0 = 4*n + 5*p - 36. Let k = n - 2. What is the smallest common multiple of k and f?
2
Suppose 0 = -3*o - 0*o + 18. Let a = 3 + -6. Let l = 4 + a. Calculate the lowest common multiple of o and l.
6
Let u = -13 + 18. Calculate the least common multiple of u and 9.
45
Suppose -2*w - 27 = w + 3*u, -2*u - 60 = 5*w. What is the common denominator of w and -67/2?
2
Let p = 242 + -4357/18. Calculate the common denominator of -77/10 and p.
90
Suppose -2 = -6*a + 4*a. Let u(q) = -q**2 + 11*q - 18. Let p be u(9). Find the common denominator of 55/12 and (p - a)/((-4)/194).
12
Let j = 1/816 + -715/816. Find the common denominator of j and -53/60.
120
Calculate the common denominator of -11/50 and (2*(-356)/200)/(-2).
50
Let t be 0 + 1497/9 + -1. Let c = t - 1465/9. What is the common denominator of 29/5 and c?
45
Suppose 0 = 5*v - 5, 0*u - 4*u - 4*v + 60 = 0. What is the smallest common multiple of u and 4?
28
Let d(y) be the third derivative of -y**4/6 - 2*y**3/3 - 4*y**2. Suppose -2*r - 2 = x - 5, 4*x - 3*r + 21 = 0. What is the least common multiple of 14 and d(x)?
56
Let h = -611/2 + 353. Find the common denominator of -1*(-10)/28 + -2 and h.
14
Let a(q) = -13*q**3 - 2*q**2 + 1. Let i be a(1). Let y = 6 - i. Calculate the least common multiple of 10 and y.
20
Suppose 3*h - 2*h = 1134. Calculate the common denominator of 1 + (h/20)/7 and 145/6.
30
Suppose 0 = -3*h - 3*y - 102, -3*y = -3*h - 2 - 94. Calculate the common denominator of h and -9/8.
8
Suppose 5*u = 5*x - 35, 2*x - 6 = u + 10. Calculate the least common multiple of 28 and x.
252
Let m = 5/204 + 9481/204. What is the common denominator of -71/8 and m?
8
Let x = 54011/20426 - 2/1459. What is the common denominator of 49/16 and x?
112
Let z be 2/(-2)*(21 + 0). Calculate the common denominator of 4*-1*z/108 and 2/(-6)*78/(-14).
63
Let p = -5231/4 + 1318. What is the common denominator of p and -71/4?
4
Let a(w) = -w + 2. Suppose 0 = 2*h - 0*h + 14. What is the lowest common multiple of a(h) and (6/(-9))/((-6)/81)?
9
Let b = -4876/1463 - 20/209. Let i = -6758 - -53989/8. Find the common denominator of b and i.
56
Let w(k) = k**2 + 2*k + 1. Let j be w(-3). Suppose 0*l - j = l. Find the common denominator of l/14 - (-298)/63 and -32/11.
99
Suppose -2*q + 0*q + 14 = 2*o, 5*o = 4*q - 10. Suppose -8*h - o = -9*h. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 7 and h.
14
Let o(n) = n**3 + 5*n**2 - n + 8. Let a be o(-6). Let m = a - -54. Suppose 5*f = f + m. Calculate the smallest common multiple of 18 and f.
72
Suppose 4*g = 5*g - 90. What is the common denominator of 36 and ((-66)/g)/(4/(-70))?
6
Let z(j) = -j**2 + 8*j - 7. Let i be z(6). Let b be (1/(-2))/(i/(-50) |
Chiron stations retrograde in Pisces on the 20th June 2014 and will remain in backward motion until 24th November 2014.
Chiron was the son of Saturn and a nymph called Philyra. When caught in the act by his wife, Saturn turned himself into a horse in a an attempt to disguise himself. Consequently, Chiron was born half man, half horse. His mother was so ashamed and horrified that she rejected him. Thankfully Chiron was taken in by kindly mentors like Apollo and trained in the arts of healing. Of all the centaurs, Chiron was the most sensitive and intelligent. Even though Chiron sustained a wound he could not heal which caused him terrible pain, he continued to work. Eventually, moved by the sight of Prometheus who endured his liver pecked out day after day as punishment for stealing fire from the Gods, Chiron bargained to swap places with him. The Gods rewarded this act of compassion by placing Chiron in the sky as the constellation Sagittarius
Chiron orbits between Saturn and Uranus so is often seen as a bridge between the old and the new. Whilst we refer to him as the wounded healer, Chiron is also the teacher. He shows that your wounds teach you and that by working with them compassionately, you can eventually reach a higher understanding. By showing you your limitations; what holds you back; what makes you feel so different you dare not show yourself, Chiron leads you along a path to awakening.
As Chiron is travelling through Pisces, collectively the wound he addresses now is the feeling of being separate from each other. He inspires the longing to feel connected. He is the dirty waters of the oceans, craving to be cleared so that we can see right down to the bottom. Chiron is our shame, both personal and collective. He is the fear that we are too different from each other to ever be able to work together as a whole. In Pisces, our wounds manifest as disconnection, disillusion, escapism and victim consciousness.
When Chiron turns retrograde, he intensifies feelings. You may feel more easily hurt, sensitive to undercurrents both around you and within. He prods and pokes at deep hurts seeking to lay them open so that they can be flushed out and cleansed in order to start the healing process. This is the time to allow yourself to feel the pain, to reflect upon the scars that you bare. Whether physical or emotional, Chiron teaches you that your wounds are not your weaknesses, they are your strengths. He reminds you that all of us feel shame, hurt, pain, guilt and all the other nasty emotions that we’d rather not deal with. When we don’t deal with our pain, it is that which keeps us separate from each other.
I’m too hurt to reveal myself to you. I’m too afraid that you’ll find out I’m not like you. I’m too scared to share you what I really am inside because then you might reject me.
It’s about taking a leaf out of Chiron’s book and working through the pain. By acknowledging your own pain, this leads to compassion for another’s. You are more able to walk a mile in their shoes. Love bubbles up, filling the holes, making you realise that you’re not alone. It’s not about someone being better of or worse off than you. Pain is relative. It’s about acknowledging it in order to re-connect.
The danger of Chiron is Pisces is victim consciousness. You aren’t here to suffer. You aren’t helpless. Reclaim those soul parts that have been lost the piece of you that you left drifting because it seemed just too painful to deal with. These are the pearls of wisdom that you must learn to treasure. Relief comes from the restoration of inner peace. Whilst Chiron is retrograde, go within, find your soft spot to fall – surrender.
Look to your chart to see if Chiron makes any aspects to other planets or points. Challenging aspects like squares and oppositions are indicate where your pain is triggered. Flowing aspects like sextiles and trines indicate where and how you can help yourself. For example, my Chiron is semi square Mars. When I hurt, I lose my motivation. My courage fails and I feel like a failure. A trine from Chiron to Neptune however shows that meditation, spiritual healing and music are all sources of healing for me amongst other things. I need to forgive myself my ‘failings’.
Chiron turns retrograde on the Sabian symbol :-
In A Gigantic Tent, Villagers Witness A Spectacular Performance
Rather than taking this Chiron journey alone, it’s about joining together. In so doing, we can become animated by the process, excited by what is happening. By stepping out of your comfort zone and letting others see what you see, you share a special experience that can be profoundly moving. It’s easy to keep our ‘stuff’ within four own four walls. Oh I’m fine you say at work when someone asks, then you go home and cry in private. Chiron is emphasising that it’s time to be honest about what you feel, even if it makes you feel a little vulnerable at first.
The station direct of Chiron lands on the Sabian symbol :-
A Lady Wrapped In A Large Stole Of Fox Fur
The difficulty with this is that there’s a danger of falling into ‘keeping up appearances’ after the retrograde period is over. Back in the time when the Sabian’s were written, the fox fur stole would indicate a woman of standing, someone who belongs to a certain class of people. But wearing the ‘right’ clothes has nothing to do with the person within. Chiron is about being your authentic self. For healing to take place, what you express on the outside must be true to what is inside. That is true grace and elegance. That is the beauty. Fox as a power animal is wily and clever. This is about emotional intelligence. You may be able to trick others into thinking you’re fine, but you can’t trick yourself.
In astrology, Chiron is symbolised as the key but it isn’t a key to one door – it opens all doors. Whilst Chiron is retrograde, this is your chance to find the key, to open the doors and let the healing waters rush in.
Painting – Chiron instructs young Achilles – ancient roman fresco [source wikipedia] |
It is arguably one goal of technology to reconcile conflicting needs. One example of conflicting needs, which have been recognized as requiring reconciling are the needs of persons to have available to them emergency assistance and care while at the same time to, maintain freedom and privacy. The need for emergency assistance and the need for freedom and privacy may not always appear to conflict; however, as the need for emergency assistance or care becomes more imminent or probable, the conflict becomes more real. Examples of this real conflict are lived out daily in the lives of millions of elderly persons who, as they increase in age, become more and more dependent upon the availability of quick-responding assistance or regular care while at the same time retaining the desire and need for the freedom to move about and the privacy to lead their own lives in dignity. Other examples of these real conflicts may be witnessed in the lives of persons with medical problems which require either rapid, emergency assistance, or regular observation and care. Numerous other examples of this real conflict do exist but need not be specifically outlined here.
In its worst case scenario, the Affected Person (i.e. the elderly or medical patients) had to choose between (1) constant care and ever present assistance at the loss of freedom of movement and privacy, or (2) freedom of movement and privacy at the risk of damaging health, frightening injury and even death. The broadly defined industry of monitoring and surveilence has, over the years, provided various technological advances to lessen the harsh dichotomy of the worst case scenario. One such advance was the "nurse call" system which exists in most hospitals and nursing homes today. A problem with these nurse call systems is that they are direct-access systems which require the patient or elderly resident to move to a call button to activate the nurse call. Thus, if the person is injured and unable to move to the button, the injury goes undetected. Thus, in facilities equipped with nurse call buttons only, the Affected Person is confined to a space (i.e. bed) within reach of the call button or to an apartment or room in close proximity to the call button. There are numerous types of emergency alert systems in existence which use small radio transmitters, pendants or wristwatches to communicate with a receiver in order to help the Affected Person free himself/herself from the restricted confines of the direct-access nurse call system. The transmitter of these existing radio linked alert systems are typically coded to a particular receiver located in the room of the Affected Person, and only that receiver matches the particular transmitter. Furthermore, the transmitters typically are restricted to a 100 to 200 foot range and, thus, subject the Affected Person to the confines of a defined, limited area surrounding his/her room. It is also noted that these radio linked emergency alert systems are typically constructed such that the receiver is hard-wired back to a central phone system which dials out to another phone number using the normal phone switch system and phone lines. Thus, among other problems: if the Affected Person leaves the confines of the limited transmission area, he/she cannot communicate an emergency need using the transmitter; or if a phone in the apartment were knocked off the hook or was otherwise out-of-order the transmitter would also not work.
From the point of view of the potential care giver, such as a nursing facility, the existing, radio linked alert systems are, perhaps, less valuable than the direct-access nurse call systems since many facilities might prefer that their alert system be hard-wired to a central point which can be monitored 24 hours a day, rather than depending upon the operation and ability of telephone lines. For the benefit of such facilities, numerous hard-wired communication systems do exist. They generally take the form of a modem at each end utilizing a carrier signal with, generally, frequency shift keying type communications transferring data over a 2-wire line system similar to a telephone line. Such systems have been found to become less acceptable as the number of apartments (or rooms) within a facility increases, since the system becomes more complex and much more expensive as additional locations are added.
User activated devices such as those mentioned above, do not address circumstances where the Affected Person requires possible care due to fainting, extreme weakness, or a fall out of reach of their transmitter. In an effort to address this concern, the industry has provided "activity monitors" which indicate, for example, when a person has opened the door. In this way, a facility can know to check up on an Affected Person if there has been no indication of the monitored activity over a certain period of time. Presently, the number and type of activities which can be monitored are limited by the time and expense of wiring each and every "activity monitor" to some central point where they can all be observed on a 24-hour basis. The expense and complexity of installing all of these individual activity monitors and their related wiring render effective use of such activity monitors difficult to afford for new facilities and practically prohibitive to install as retrofit devices in existing facilities.
Matters become even more complicated, in both new and retrofit applications, if the facility desires to have both user activated monitoring devices (such as a transmitter system) and various other monitoring devices such as activity monitors. The complexity becomes, under the prior art, a seemingly overwelming task both in physical complexities and in expense. |
Properties of cell penetrating peptides (CPPs).
Different approaches have been developed for the introduction of macromolecules, proteins and DNA into target cells. Viral (retroviruses, lentiviruses, etc.) and nonviral (liposomes, bioballistics etc.) vectors as well as lipid particles have been tested as DNA delivery systems. However, all of them share several undesirable effects that are difficult to overcome, such as unwanted immunoresponse and limited cell targeting. The discovery of the cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) showing properties of macromolecules carriers and enhancers of viral vectors, opened new opportunities for the delivery of biologically active cargos, including therapeutically relevant genes into various cells and tissues. This review summarizes recent data about the best characterized CPPs as well as those sharing cell-penetrating and cargo delivery properties despite differing in the primary sequence. The putative mechanisms of CPPs penetration into cells and interaction with intracellular structures such as chromosomes, cytoskeleton and centrioles are addressed. We further discuss recent developments in overcoming the lack of cells specificity, one of the main obstacles for CPPs application in gene therapy. In particular, we review a newly discovered affinity of CPPs to actively proliferating cells. |
//
// ImageTransition.swift
// Kingfisher
//
// Created by Wei Wang on 15/9/18.
//
// Copyright (c) 2018 Wei Wang <[email protected]>
//
// Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
// of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
// in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
// to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
// copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
// furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
//
// The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in
// all copies or substantial portions of the Software.
//
// THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
// IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
// FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
// AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
// LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
// OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN
// THE SOFTWARE.
#if os(macOS)
// Not implemented for macOS and watchOS yet.
import AppKit
/// Image transition is not supported on macOS.
public enum ImageTransition {
case none
var duration: TimeInterval {
return 0
}
}
#elseif os(watchOS)
import UIKit
/// Image transition is not supported on watchOS.
public enum ImageTransition {
case none
var duration: TimeInterval {
return 0
}
}
#else
import UIKit
/**
Transition effect which will be used when an image downloaded and set by `UIImageView` extension API in Kingfisher.
You can assign an enum value with transition duration as an item in `KingfisherOptionsInfo`
to enable the animation transition.
Apple's UIViewAnimationOptions is used under the hood.
For custom transition, you should specified your own transition options, animations and
completion handler as well.
*/
public enum ImageTransition {
/// No animation transition.
case none
/// Fade in the loaded image.
case fade(TimeInterval)
/// Flip from left transition.
case flipFromLeft(TimeInterval)
/// Flip from right transition.
case flipFromRight(TimeInterval)
/// Flip from top transition.
case flipFromTop(TimeInterval)
/// Flip from bottom transition.
case flipFromBottom(TimeInterval)
/// Custom transition.
case custom(duration: TimeInterval,
options: UIViewAnimationOptions,
animations: ((UIImageView, UIImage) -> Void)?,
completion: ((Bool) -> Void)?)
var duration: TimeInterval {
switch self {
case .none: return 0
case .fade(let duration): return duration
case .flipFromLeft(let duration): return duration
case .flipFromRight(let duration): return duration
case .flipFromTop(let duration): return duration
case .flipFromBottom(let duration): return duration
case .custom(let duration, _, _, _): return duration
}
}
var animationOptions: UIViewAnimationOptions {
switch self {
case .none: return []
case .fade(_): return .transitionCrossDissolve
case .flipFromLeft(_): return .transitionFlipFromLeft
case .flipFromRight(_): return .transitionFlipFromRight
case .flipFromTop(_): return .transitionFlipFromTop
case .flipFromBottom(_): return .transitionFlipFromBottom
case .custom(_, let options, _, _): return options
}
}
var animations: ((UIImageView, UIImage) -> Void)? {
switch self {
case .custom(_, _, let animations, _): return animations
default: return { $0.image = $1 }
}
}
var completion: ((Bool) -> Void)? {
switch self {
case .custom(_, _, _, let completion): return completion
default: return nil
}
}
}
#endif
|
A printed circuit board (“PCB”) is a multilayer board that includes printed circuits on one or more layers of insulative (a.k.a. dielectric) material. A printed circuit is a pattern of conductors that corresponds to the wiring of an electronic circuit formed on one or more layers of insulative material. The printed circuit board includes electrical traces that are routed on the various layers of the PCB. PCBs also include vias which are solid electrical paths connecting one layer to another layer. A via can be used to connect a trace on one layer of a PCB to another trace on another layer of the PCB.
A PCB also includes other layers of metallization for ground planes, power planes or reference voltage planes. In many instances a signal carrying via must be routed through one or more of these planes. The signal carrying via cannot electrically connect or couple to these planes. If the signal carrying via does couple or connect to one of these planes, the integrity of the electrical circuit is compromised. As a result, anti-pads or plane clearances are required to separate signal carrying vias from ground planes, power planes, or planes having a reference voltage. An anti-pad is a plane clearance. Generally, a minimum anti-pad clearance is specified in the design after balancing factors that tend to minimize the anti-pad size and those factors that tend to maximize anti-pad size. The anti-pads would be minimized to reduce noise by closely shielding adjacent pins with reference planes, to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI) by minimizing aperture sizes in reference planes, and to maintain a strong reference to ground for single-ended signals and ground referenced differential signals. The anti-pads would be maximized to maximize voltage breakdown spacing between the pin and the reference plane, to increase manufacturability by reducing the chance of shorting, and reduce reflection in a high speed gigabit serial system by reducing the capacitive effect of a plated through hole (used instead of a via).
The semiconductor industry has seen tremendous advances in technology in recent years that have permitted dramatic increases in circuit density and complexity, and equally dramatic decreases in power consumption and package sizes. Present semiconductor technology now permits single-chip microprocessors with many millions of transistors, operating at speeds of tens (or even hundreds) of MIPS (millions of instructions per second), to be packaged in relatively small, air-cooled semiconductor device packages. A by-product of such high density and high functionality in semiconductor devices is an ever increasing pressure to produce PCBs having higher density designs. With increasingly higher density designs, the risk becomes greater that the established industry reliability specification for minimum dielectric spacing between hole wall and adjacent conductive features will be violated. There is also a possibility that with increased device density, the industry will lower the minimum dielectric spacing between features. |
Q:
Content view not yet created in refreshing a list fragment
SOLUTION:
It was a case of having 2 different instances of WinnersFragment which caused the lv = getListView() to be null on the refresh.
My fragment list view works fine on load. However when I call public static void InitTask(String searchState). I get Content view not yet created at lv = getListView().
My goal is to just refresh the listview with new json.
I have tried calling getlistView in pre execute and I have tried using a new inittask.
I believe it has something to do with creating a new instance of the WinnersFragment but I am not sure.
I found this "Content view not yet Created" on Android Fragments but while I understand it hitting the main thread I do not understand how to implement the solution to see if that is my issue.
public class WinnersFragment extends ListFragment {
private static String URL = "http://www.xxx.com/RichardsTesting/winners.json";
Context context;
Winners_List_Adapter adapter;
static View v;
ListView lv;
ArrayList<String> alFName;
private ProgressDialog pd;
private static final String TAG_ID = "id";
private static final String TAG_FNAME = "fname";
private static final String TAG_STATE = "state";
private static final String TAG_CODE = "code";
private static final String TAG_AMOUNT = "amount";
ArrayList<HashMap<String, String>> winnersList;
JSONArray winners = null;
@Override
public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
}
@Override
public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
Bundle savedInstanceState) {
v = inflater.inflate(R.layout.winners_list, container, false);
context = getActivity().getApplicationContext();
new InitTask().execute();
return v;
}
@Override
public void onDestroy() {
lv.setAdapter(null);
super.onDestroy();
}
protected class InitTask extends AsyncTask<Context, Integer, String> {
@Override
protected void onPreExecute() {
pd = new ProgressDialog(v.getContext());
pd.setTitle("Updating...");
pd.setMessage("Please wait.");
pd.setCancelable(false);
pd.setIndeterminate(true);
pd.show();
}
@Override
protected String doInBackground(Context... params) {
// Hashmap for ListView
winnersList = new ArrayList<HashMap<String, String>>();
// Creating JSON Parser instance
JSONParser jParser = new JSONParser();
// getting JSON string from URL
String json = jParser.getJSONFromUrl(URL);
try {
JSONArray json1 = new JSONArray(json);
// looping through All Contacts
for (int i = 0; i < json.length(); i++) {
JSONObject c = json1.getJSONObject(i);
// Storing each json item in variable
String id = c.getString(TAG_ID);
String fName = c.getString(TAG_FNAME);
String state = c.getString(TAG_STATE);
String code = c.getString(TAG_CODE);
String amount = c.getString(TAG_AMOUNT);
// creating new HashMap
HashMap<String, String> map = new HashMap<String, String>();
// adding each child node to HashMap key => value
map.put(TAG_ID, id);
map.put(TAG_FNAME, fName);
map.put(TAG_STATE, state);
map.put(TAG_CODE, code);
map.put(TAG_AMOUNT, amount);
// adding HashList to ArrayList
winnersList.add(map);
}
} catch (JSONException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
return "COMPLETE!";
}
@Override
protected void onProgressUpdate(Integer... values) {
super.onProgressUpdate(values);
}
@Override
protected void onPostExecute(String result) {
super.onPostExecute(result);
// selecting single ListView item
lv = getListView();
if (pd != null) {
pd.dismiss();
}
setListWinners();
}
}
public void setListWinners() {
adapter = new Winners_List_Adapter(this.getActivity(), winnersList);
lv.setAdapter(adapter);
}
public static void InitTask(String searchState) {
if (searchState !=null) {
URL = URL+"?state="+searchState;
WinnersFragment search = new WinnersFragment();
search.new InitTask().execute();
}
}
}
LOG
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): FATAL EXCEPTION: main
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): java.lang.IllegalStateException: Content view not yet created
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.support.v4.app.ListFragment.ensureList(ListFragment.java:328)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.support.v4.app.ListFragment.getListView(ListFragment.java:222)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at com.xxx.xxx.WinnersFragment$InitTask.onPostExecute(WinnersFragment.java:123)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at com.xxx.xxx.WinnersFragment$InitTask.onPostExecute(WinnersFragment.java:1)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.os.AsyncTask.finish(AsyncTask.java:631)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.os.AsyncTask.access$600(AsyncTask.java:177)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.os.AsyncTask$InternalHandler.handleMessage(AsyncTask.java:644)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.os.Handler.dispatchMessage(Handler.java:99)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.os.Looper.loop(Looper.java:137)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at android.app.ActivityThread.main(ActivityThread.java:4898)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invokeNative(Native Method)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:511)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit$MethodAndArgsCaller.run(ZygoteInit.java:1008)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at com.android.internal.os.ZygoteInit.main(ZygoteInit.java:775)
12-04 13:01:48.156: E/AndroidRuntime(1367): at dalvik.system.NativeStart.main(Native Method)
xml
<ListView
android:id="@id/android:list"
android:layout_width="match_parent"
android:layout_height="0dip"
android:layout_weight="1"
android:drawSelectorOnTop="false" />
Calling Fragment code
public class TabsFragmentActivity extends FragmentActivity implements
FragmentTabHost.OnTabChangeListener, OnClickListener {
blablabla
}
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
switch (v.getId()) {
case R.id.btnDismiss:
getSupportFragmentManager().popBackStackImmediate();
break;
case R.id.ibSearch:
LayoutInflater inflater = LayoutInflater.from(this);
final View textenter = inflater.inflate(R.layout.winners_list, null);
final EditText userinput = (EditText) textenter
.findViewById(R.id.etSearchState);
String searchState = userinput.toString();
WinnersFragment.InitTask(searchState);
break;
}
}
A:
onCreateView
Returns a view that is displayed for this fragment as you are trying to access listview before returning this view you are getting that error.
Try doing what @Makario said or else get the list view reference in onCreateView by:
v = inflater.inflate(R.layout.winners_list, container, false);
context = getActivity().getApplicationContext();
listView=v.findViewById(R.id.list);
new InitTask().execute();
And use this listview object in your task.
|
#!/usr/bin/env perl
##**************************************************************
##
## Copyright (C) 1990-2018, Condor Team, Computer Sciences Department,
## University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI.
##
## Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you
## may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may
## obtain a copy of the License at
##
## http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
##
## Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
## distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
## WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
## See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
## limitations under the License.
##
##**************************************************************
use strict;
use warnings;
#
# This is a basic test to determine if the PEAK metrics of Custom Machine
# Resource monitors are working properly.
#
use CondorTest;
use CondorUtils;
use CondorPersonal;
use CustomMachineResource;
#testreq: personal
my $config = <<CONDOR_TESTREQ_CONFIG;
NUM_CPUS = 16
ADVERTISE_CMR_UPTIME_SECONDS = TRUE
MACHINE_RESOURCE_INVENTORY_SQUIDs = $(TEST_DIR)/cmr-squid-discovery
use feature : monitor( SQUIDs, Periodic, 10, $(TEST_DIR)/cmr-squid-monitor-both, SUM:SQUIDs, PEAK:SQUIDsMemory )
SCHEDD_CLUSTER_INITIAL_VALUE = 5000
UPDATE_INTERVAL = 20
STARTER_UPDATE_INTERVAL = 20
SHADOW_QUEUE_UPDATE_INTERVAL = 20
CONDOR_TESTREQ_CONFIG
#endtestreq
my $testName = 'cmr_monitor_both';
my $testDescription = 'Custom Machine Resources - Monitor Test Usage & Memory';
#
# Verify the configuration before running the test.
#
sleep(5);
CustomMachineResource::TestSlotAndSQUIDsCount( 16, $testName );
#
# Verify that the monitor's report is being read correctly.
#
CustomMachineResource::TestUptimeSQUIDsSeconds( $testName );
#
# Verify that we're computing the usage correctly.
#
CustomMachineResource::TestSQUIDsUsage( $testName );
#
# Verify that we're computing the peak usage correctly.
#
exit( CustomMachineResource::TestSQUIDsMemoryUsage( $testName ) );
|
Dual-substrate inhibition kinetic studies for recombinant human interferon gamma producing Pichia pastoris.
Pichia pastoris is considered as one of the prominent host extensively used as a platform for heterologous protein production. In the present study, the growth inhibition kinetics of recombinant P. pastoris expressing human interferon gamma was studied under different initial substrate concentrations of gluconate (10-100 g L-1) and methanol (2-50 g L-1) in modified FM22 medium. The highest specific growth rate of 0.0206 and 0.019 hr-1 was observed at 60 g L-1 of gluconate and 10 g L-1 of methanol, respectively. Various three- and four-parametric Monod-variant models were chosen to analyze the inhibition kinetics. The model parameters as well as goodness of fit were estimated using nonlinear regression analysis. The three-parameter Haldane model was found to be best fit for both gluconate (R2 = 0.95) and methanol substrate (R2 = 0.96). The parameter sensitivity analysis revealed that µmax, Ki, and Ks are the most sensitive parameters for both methanol and gluconate. Different substrate inhibition models were fitted to the growth kinetic data and the additive form of double Webb model was found to be the best to explain the growth kinetics of recombinant P. pastoris. |
The ceremonies celebrated a number of awards and competitions involving student ASABE members across the globe. AEM was the main sponsor of the AEM/ASABE Student Awards Breakfast that recognized this year’s student achievers.
“The future of agriculture engineering looks to be in good hands,” said AEM Director of Materials Management John Wagner. “AEM is proud to be associated with highlighting the accomplishments of these talented young students.”
More than 200 people were in attendance at the AEM/ASABE Student Awards Breakfast, which featured a keynote presentation from Chris Bursiek, manager of product safety standards for John Deere, an AEM member company. Bursiek, an active member of AEM’s agriculture technical committees and ASABE’s technical committees for standards development, shared his thoughts and perspectives on the opportunities afforded to him in his career that are also open to the student engineers in attendance.
Among the competitions recognized at the AEM/ASABE Student Awards Breakfast were: |
Burglary suspect accused of fleeing police in high-speed chases
LAFAYETTE — Forty-four-year-old Calvin Aaron Lowe had a busy night leading police on chases in Tippecanoe and Clinton counties, according to police agencies.
Lowe's early morning adventure started just before 3 a.m. Friday, when Lafayette police received a report of attempted burglaries at several businesses in the old Pay Less Super Market strip mall in the 2800 block of Old U.S. 231, according to police.
Officers arrived to find Lowe still there attempting to break into a store, police said.
Lafayette police briefly chased the suspect, who sped away in his car, but Lafayette officers ended the pursuit, police said.
A short time later near U.S. 231 and Indiana 28, a Tippecanoe County sheriff's deputy saw the car and pursued it until speeds became reckless, according to Tippecanoe County sheriff's Chief Deputy Steve Hartman.
Indiana State Police later spotted the car in Clinton County and gave chase, as did Frankfort police, Hartman said.
Lafayette police reports indicate that the chase went through Frankfort a couple of times before it ended with Lowe's arrest.
Lowe, of 50 Ridgedale Drive, Decatur, Illinois, was booked into the Tippecanoe County Jail at 7:34 a.m. Friday. He faces preliminary charges of burglary, two counts of resisting law enforcement and three counts of reckless driving, according to book-in records.
He remained incarcerated Friday morning in lieu of a $5,000 surety bond and $1,000 cash bond, according to online jail records.
Reach Ron Wilkins at 765-420-5231 or at [email protected]. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2 |
WASHINGTON — President Trump ripped into John Kerry on Monday morning after a Globe story detailed the former secretary of state’s behind-the-scenes attempts to salvage the Iran nuclear deal, a signature Kerry accomplishment that Trump may choose to scuttle as soon as Tuesday.
The Globe reported on Friday that Kerry has been in touch privately with European leaders and the Iranian foreign minister in a bid to keep the 2015 pact alive more than a year after he left office.
“The United States does not need John Kerry’s possibly illegal Shadow Diplomacy on the very badly negotiated Iran Deal,” Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday. “He was the one that created this MESS in the first place!”
Kerry met privately two weeks ago at the United Nations with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to discuss ways to preserve the pact, which is supposed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for easing economic sanctions. He also held discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and top European Union official Federica Mogherini, according to a source familiar with the meetings.
Read: Scot Lehigh: Kerry says Trump’s behavior toward Iran complicates his North Korean gambit
“I think every American would want every voice possible urging Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear agreement that prevented a war,” the spokesman, Matt Summers, wrote in the statement. “Secretary Kerry stays in touch with his former counterparts around the world just like every previous Secretary of State. Like America’s closest allies, he believes it is important that the nuclear agreement, which took the world years to negotiate, remain effective as countries focus on stability in the region.”
Kerry has been meeting with members of Congress in an effort to build support for the deal. Some of his discussions with foreign leaders have been around trying to preserve the agreement even if Trump backs out.
The White House had declined several requests for comment before the Globe story was published on Friday afternoon. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on Monday that they would not comment beyond Trump’s tweet.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice declined to comment on Trump’s tweet, or whether they were pursuing anything related to Trump’s suggestion that Kerry engaged in “possibly illegal” activity.
After the Globe article appeared, Kerry came under fierce criticism from Republicans who charge that he is acting inappropriately in an attempt to potentially undermine a current US administration. Some have suggested that he could be in violation of the Logan Act, an obscure 18th-century law meant to crack down on private citizens acting on behalf of the United States during a dispute with foreign governments.
“Kerry working with foreign governments to save the flawed #IranDeal certainly raises Logan Act questions,” Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, tweeted on Saturday. “Plus, imagine if former Sec. Rice had done this to Obama. What would the reaction have been? #DoubleStandard”
“OMG! Logan Act violations!!” wrote Representative Devin Nunes, a California Republican and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. “Send in the G Men...”
“John Kerry is now violating the Logan Act and nobody seems to care,” Rudy Giuliani, the former New York City mayor who recently joined Trump’s legal team, said Sunday on ABC News.
The problem is that Act., which has never been used, is the one Mueller's biased probe is trying to use against Gen Flynn and that case is on permanent hold.
The new Judge in that case is requiring Mueller's prosecutors to prove they have the authority to bring the case and they must present the evidence which so far they have been withholding hiding behind national security.
“Senator Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fought hard against the Bad Iran Deal, even going at it with President Obama, & then Voted AGAINST it!” Trump tweeted Thursday. "Now he says I should not have terminated the deal - but he doesn’t really believe that!"
Trump went on to suggest he had done a similar about-face on the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Trump announced Tuesday that he was pulling the U.S. out of the Iran deal, which he had long opposed. Trump said the deal had been “so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time.”
In 2015, Schumer praised Obama and then-Secretary of State John Kerry for their work on the agreement, but issued a lengthy statement detailing why he could not support it.
“It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power,” he said.
“Better to keep U.S. sanctions in place, strengthen them, enforce secondary sanctions on other nations, and pursue the hard-trodden path of diplomacy once more, difficult as it may be,” he said at the time.
On Wednesday, Schumer said that Iran has not violated the agreement and that Trump's move could damage international cooperation.
“By dividing our allies ... you’re making it harder to go after Hezbollah, you’re making it harder to go after Iranian activities that are really dangerous and you’re probably making it harder to come to a North Korea deal,” he told reporters.
On Thursday, he responded to Trump’s tweet by using first lady Melania Trump’s anti-bullying hashtag: “#BeBest.”
It would be interesting to see whether BrerRabbit and BoytonBrother have any comments with substance to add to the discussion. Their responses would get them laughed out of any serious debates. Most often I've seen that when the loyal opposition doesn't have any thoughts to back up their statements, they resort to insults and ad hominem attacks, like young'uns on the playground.
quote:It would be interesting to see whether BrerRabbit and BoytonBrother have any comments with substance to add to the discussion.Their responses would get them laughed out of any serious debates.
Well thank you for your comment of substance above that adds to the discussion. And you think Goober and Mule try to have serious debates? By the way, I was going for laughter. Thank you!
quote:Most often I've seen that when the loyal opposition doesn't have any thoughts to back up their statements, they resort to insults and ad hominem attacks, like young'uns on the playground.
What statements? I make fun of their stupidity, and everyone backs me up on that. If you think Mule and Goober create these threads to have a serious discussion, then please, feel free to engage with them. I’ll be waiting for this serious debate you speak of.
quote:It would be interesting to see whether BrerRabbit and BoytonBrother have any comments with substance to add to the discussion. Their responses would get them laughed out of any serious debates. Most often I've seen that when the loyal opposition doesn't have any thoughts to back up their statements, they resort to insults and ad hominem attacks, like young'uns on the playground.
Billastro
Hey look, it's Bill. The guy who once said he would never hire or respect someone who has committed adultry, back to support his favorite multiple time adulturer president. Where have you been?
Anyway, if Kerry has violated the Logan Act, then he should be charged as such.
quote:It would be interesting to see whether BrerRabbit and BoytonBrother have any comments with substance to add to the discussion. Their responses would get them laughed out of any serious debates. Most often I've seen that when the loyal opposition doesn't have any thoughts to back up their statements, they resort to insults and ad hominem attacks, like young'uns on the playground.
Billastro
Hey look, it's Bill. The guy who once said he would never hire or respect someone who has committed adultry, back to support his favorite multiple time adulturer president. Where have you been?
Anyway, if Kerry has violated the Logan Act, then he should be charged as such.
If you're referring to our morally respected president, c'mon...he denies the Stormy Daniels fling, the Karen McDougal multi month affair, and he denies groping 17 women. Is there a reason you don't accept him at face value? He is a role model for the next generation.
quote:It would be interesting to see whether BrerRabbit and BoytonBrother have any comments with substance to add to the discussion. Their responses would get them laughed out of any serious debates. Most often I've seen that when the loyal opposition doesn't have any thoughts to back up their statements, they resort to insults and ad hominem attacks, like young'uns on the playground.
Billastro
"any comments with substance to add to the discussion"
Good luck.
The two you noted, amongst some others, simply will not engage on substance because so often the thread destroys their political agenda.
Uninformed or politically pigeonholed any discussion devolves into insults.
I have been the subject of their insults but when I shoot back they throw a temper tantrum.
I don’t have a political agenda. I vote for the best candidates and campaign. I was ready to vote red for the first time in my life, but then this creature got the nod. Oh well. I call out the lowest rung of our social ladder - people who abandon ration and ignore right and wrong, who breed dysfunction and cancers to our society, who need to fight to release their anger, whether Sean Hannity or CNN, both are the root of our problems.
quote:I don’t have a political agenda. I vote for the best candidates and campaign. I was ready to vote red for the first time in my life, but then this creature got the nod. Oh well. I call out the lowest rung of our social ladder - people who abandon ration and ignore right and wrong, who breed dysfunction and cancers to our society, who need to fight to release their anger, whether Sean Hannity or CNN, both are the root of our problems.
"I call out the lowest rung of our social ladder - people who abandon ration and ignore right and wrong"
Yet I did not hear your call out Obama and Kerry for their piece of crap deal.
You know why he went don't you? He's part of the GROUP. The ELITE who run things, who want the one world order. He's a member of the Skull and Bones group. It goes back further than him though.
Yale and Harvard along with several other “prestigious” universities are owned by the British Crown. They were authorized by the King of England through Crown Colonies. Yale University was authorized by the English Monarch through the Connecticut Colony.
The University of Harvard was authorized by the English Monarch through the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Crown Colonies were issued from the City of London Corporation which is a sovereign municipal corporate state and one mile square block inside of London where royal and corporate charters are issued from. The Crown Colonies are companies owned by the British Monarchs and other royal families that do business inside of the City of London Corporation.
The British royal family uses these universities to recruit their Crown Agents who then serve their interests by infiltrating corporate and government agencies. Many high level members in US military and intelligence come from Yale, Brown, or Harvard. Many powerful politicians were educated at these Crown Universities. They mostly use secret societies or fraternities for recruiting Crown Agents like Skull and Bones, Book and Snake, Porcellian Club, or Phoenix-S K Club.
[SECRET SOCIETIES - Skull and Bones is a secret society. The Bushes and John Kerry are members of that.)
Porter Goss is a member of Book and Snake and was former Director of the CIA. Mark Zuckerberg who is worth over 75 billion has been linked with the Phoenix-SK Club. From CNN Anderson Cooper and David Gergen are members of Yale’s Manuscript Club.
The British Crown also uses Crown Knights as agents who pledge their allegiance to the House of Windsor and in return are granted power and wealth. All heads of MI6 have been knighted by the House of Windsor.
Former CIA Director and US President George Herbert Walker Bush was knighted under the Order of the Bath. Former US Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger is a Knight of the British Empire. Henry Kissinger is a major developer of their depopulation agenda as the author of the National Security Study Memorandum a report on slowing population growth.
Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan is a Knight of the British Empire. John Franklyn Mars was knighted by the House of Windsor’s Order of the British Empire and he is worth about 26 billion. one of the wealthiest men on the planet is Bill Gates and he is a Knight of the British Empire and worth over 90 billion. Bill Gates also openly promotes depopulation and uses his wealth to impose deadly vaccines all around the world. Rudy Giuliani is a Knight of the British Empire. Former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg is a Knight of the British Empire and worth about 50 billion. General Wesley Clark is a Knight of the British Empire. Steven Spielberg is Knight of the British Empire and worth about 3.7 billion. Ronald Reagan was a Knight of the British Empire. Shimon Peres the former President and Prime Minister of Israel was a British Knight of the Order of St Michael and St. George. Knights and Court Factors serve royal courts. Buckingham Palace is a royal court.
The City of London Corporation is a one mile square block in London where the 110 Livery Companies operate from. The 110 Livery Companies represent every industry in the global market. Most major corporations today are connected with the Livery Companies through proxies or subsidiaries. Business at the City of London is mostly private and they conceal ownership through private contracts. The Knights Templar of London were headquartered at the inner temple of the City of London and today are the Order of the Garter headed by the British royal family and British Peerage. The City of London Corporation, Knights Templar, and Order of the Garter all use the same red cross as a symbol.
The Knights Templar were merchants and bankers that held gold for pilgrims who traveled to Jerusalem and provided them with bank notes which were used at the Templar’s merchant shops along the way. The Knights Templar established modern banking. London merchants have a monopoly on gold and silver which they use as leverage over the markets and monetary system. They also manipulate the price of gold and silver from London. This Templar merchant and banking system is rigged and functions like covert monopolies through hidden corporate conglomerates.
Many universities, banks, and merchant companies are connected to the charters that were issued from the City of London Corporation. Some merchant and banking families that operate in London include the Grosvenor, Goldsmith, Rothschild, Montagu, Norman, Guinness, Bailey, Sassoon, and Barclay families. The billionaire brothers David and Frederick Barclay own Press Holdings which includes Telegraph Media Group.
Janus Henderson is located at the City of London Corporation and has assets estimated at around 330 billion. Janus Capital founded by Tom Bailey merged with Henderson Group. The Bailey family are Anglo-Irish bankers that are married with the Guinness family. Diageo which operates from London manufactures Guinness and made around 2.3 billion in 2016. Diageo is part of the Worshipful Company of Distillers. Barclays is a bank operating from the City of London Corporation and has assets at around 1.2 trillion.
The Barclay family are a Scottish and Quaker baronage with Peter Charles Barclay as the head. Ben Goldsmith co-founded WHEB Group an investment firm located in London. The Montagu family created Montagu Private Equity a buy out firm that is headquartered in London. Duke Richard Walter John Montagu Douglas Scott and Baron Ralph Douglas-Scott-Montagu are high level members of the Montagu clan. Hugh Grosvenor is worth about 16 billion and owns Grosvenor Group located in London with assets around 60 billion.
The United States is a federal corporation defined under US code 3002 section 15 and is really a continuation of the Virginia Company.
The Virginia Company was issued by the British Crown from the City of London Corporation for North American settlements. Former Governor of the Bank of England Baron Montagu Norman helped to established the Bank for International Settlements and worked with Nazi businessmen.
They are using the Bank for International Settlements as a proxy to steal from corporate governments through foreign tax contracts like the Belgian Scheldt Dues. They then launder and conceal the wealth in private Swiss bank accounts.
Washington DC was established as a municipal corporate state and headquarters of the United States through the 1871 District of Columbia Organic Act based on debts owed to foreign entities like the Hudson Bay Company, Irish Government, and Kingdom of Belgium. Prince Lorenz of Belgium works at Gutzwiller bank in Basel Switzerland right near the Bank for International Settlements and is overseeing the private accounts of the royal and noble families. The British HSBC Bank is international and operates in Switzerland. Some influential London bankers include Evelyn de Rothschild, Ben Goldsmith, Frank Zac Goldsmith, Baron James Sassoon, Duke Hugh Grosvenor, and Andrew Bailey.
Today Baron James Sassoon is an extremely influential banker from London whose family ran businesses in China, Iraq, and India as subsidiaries of the City of London chartered East India Company. HSBC was co-founded by the British knight Thomas Sutherland. The Sutherland family are a Scottish clan that hold titles of Barons with Countess Elizabeth Sutherland and Lord Alastair Sutherland as current members. The Hudson’s Bay Company was issued from the City of London Corporation by the Stuart family. All these families are British nobility and knights working under the Crown.
Baron Mervyn King of Lothbury is a Knight of the Order of the Garter and former Governor of the Bank of England and member of the Group of Thirty a DC based financial organization. Lothbury is a district of the one mile square block in the City of London Corporation. The current Governor of the Bank of England is Mark Carney who was Jesuit educated from St. Francis Xavier High School. Francis Xavier was a co-founder of the Jesuits.
Baron Peter Carington is a Knight of the Garter and has worked as a high level politician in the UK as Secretary of State for Defence, Secretary General of NATO, and Leader of Her Majesty’s Most Loyal Opposition a position currently held by Jeremy Corbyn who is a covert Crown knight. Baron Robin Butler of Brockwell is a Knight of the Garter and has been a non-executive Director of HSBC Group as well as Private Secretary for Her Majesty’s Treasury and Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury. Baron Charles Kay-Shuttleworth is a Knight of Garter and has worked for the Duke of Lancaster’s personal estate including property, assets, and wealth. Queen Elizabeth II is the Duchess of Lancaster. This is just one of her personal assets.
Sir John Mayor gets his Sir from being Knighted under the Order of the Garter and was former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom which is today held by Theresa May a member of the Fawcett Society with the Dame of the Crown’s British Empire Angela Mason as a top member. Prince Richard the Duke of Gloucester is a Windsor and Montagu and high level Knight of the Garter. Prince Richard’s son is Earl Alexander Windsor.
Foreign members of the Order of the Garter include King Juan Carlos of Spain, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, and Emperor Akihito of Japan. They are members of the Order of the Garter because they covertly do business in London. [the current royals in UK are members of the order of the Garter).
And guess what ID2020 –Biometrically implanting every single person on the planet, the chips. Bill and Melinda Gates will fund it, showing that we have been vaccinated etc.
They are ALL part of the one world order group, and yet you are surprised that Kerry went to Iran.
[Edited on 5/12/2018 by gina]
____________________"Mankind is a single nation" "Allah did not make you a single people so he could try you in what he gave you, to him you will all return, he will inform you where you differed". Quran Chapter 2 Sura 213
quote:I have been the subject of their insults but when I shoot back they throw a temper tantrum
Typical bully mindset. You always claim self defense. Totally unaware that you are constantly on the attack, generating negative response.
It has zero to do with your opinions. That's just your persecution complex and your justification for abusive behavior. There are others who share your views here who are civil and don't start posts with "dumb@ss" or "idiot" or stoop to bullying belittlisms like "junior" and "son", and they get along just fine, even during conflict.
Bullies induce shame and humiliation in others by intuitively recognizing a person's insecurities and attacking them. The bully’s attacks are projections of their own shame and feelings of inadequacy that are modified to penetrate a victim’s vulnerability. Attacking others not only halts any inclination to look within themselves, it also can be exciting as it stimulates the physical experience of power.1 Although bullies diminish others in order to raise themselves up, they are not conscious of how negatively they feel about themselves. Diminishing others keeps their need to elevate themselves out of their conscious awareness.
The ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND name, The ALLMAN BROTHERS name, likenesses, logos, mushroom design and peach truck are all registered trademarks of THE ABB MERCHANDISING CO., INC. whose rights are specifically reserved. Any artwork, visual, or audio representations used on this web site CONTAINING ANY REGISTERED TRADEMARKS are under license from The ABB MERCHANDISING CO., INC. A REVOCABLE, GRATIS LICENSE IS GRANTED TO ALL REGISTERED PEACH CORP MEMBERS FOR The DOWNLOADING OF ONE COPY FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. ANY DISTRIBUTION OR REPRODUCTION OF THE TRADEMARKS CONTAINED HEREIN ARE PROHIBITED AND ARE SPECIFICALLY RESERVED BY THE ABB MERCHANDISING CO.,INC. |
#!/bin/sh
set -e
case "${1}" in
configure)
if ! getent group lrun > /dev/null 2>&1
then
echo "Creating lrun group..."
addgroup --system lrun
fi
if ! dpkg-statoverride --list /usr/bin/lrun; then
chown root:lrun /usr/bin/lrun
chmod 4550 /usr/bin/lrun
fi
if ! dpkg-statoverride --list /usr/bin/lrun-mirrorfs; then
chown root:lrun /usr/bin/lrun-mirrorfs
chmod 4550 /usr/bin/lrun-mirrorfs
fi
if ! dpkg-statoverride --list /usr/bin/lrun-netns-empty; then
chown root:lrun /usr/bin/lrun-netns-empty
chmod 4550 /usr/bin/lrun-netns-empty
fi
;;
abort-upgrade|abort-remove|abort-deconfigure)
;;
*)
echo "postinst called with unknown argument \`${1}'" >&2
exit 1
;;
esac
exit 0
# vim: ft=sh
|
Ben was paralyzed as a result of contracting meningeal worms. His legs are in spastic paralysis and are fixed in a flexed position. In order to accommodate this, Ed made a special saddle that would easy for him to get in and out of, and we put plastic fenders over the wheels to rest his legs on. Ben’s cart has 20” wheels that are raked at an angle for stability. |
The present invention relates to gradient index optical fibers and, more particularly, to a gradient index lens array which transmits an image of an object at an object plane onto an image plane with minimum exposure modulation.
Image transmitters comprising bundled gradient index optical fibers are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,407 describes a light conducting fiber made of glass or synthetic resin which has a refractive index distribution in a cross section thereof that varies parabolically outward from a center portion thereof. Each fiber acts as a focusing lens to transmit part of an image of an object placed near one end thereof and an assembly of fibers, in a one or two-row array, transmit and focus a complete image of the object. The fiber lenses are produced under the tradename "SELFOC", the mark is registered in Japan and owned by Nippon Sheet Glass Co., Ltd.
These gradient index lens arrays have found use in a number of technologies; e.g. in construction of printed type optical circuits as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,062 and as a replacement for conventional optical systems in copiers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,947,106 and 3,977,777.
Imaging systems which utilize gradient index lens arrays are inherently subject to a problem of non-uniformity of exposure of an image at an imaging plane. In the typical staggered two-row prior art device, overlapping subimages of individual fibers result in exposure non-uniformity in the direction perpendicular to the process direction. This non-uniformity can be minimized by greatly increasing the field overlaps but there is a tradeoff in reduced optical tolerances associated with this technique. Another approach to minimize this type of exposure non-uniformity was disclosed in an article by James D. Rees and William L. Lama "Some Radiometric Properties of Gradient Index Fiber Lenses", published on Apr. 1, 1980 in Applied Optics, Vol. 19, No. 7. Essentially, the article disclosed a method of minimizing spatial non-uniformities by optimum selection of the fiber parameters, length, gradient index constant and packing factor. This technique, however, may not lend itself to applications where, for example, system requirements call for a fiber length different from the optimum length. |
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Sunday, March 12, 2017
Study Cites Parental Concerns on Safety as Top Reason Against HPV Vaccination
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Concern about sexual activity is declining as a reason parents do not get their daughters the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, according to a research study presented at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology's 2017 Annual Meeting on Women's Cancer.
Instead, according to a study presented by lead researcher Anna Beavis, MD, MPH, an SGO member and gynecologic oncologist fellow at Johns Hopkins University, parents continue to not see the vaccine as a necessity and are concerned about side effects and safety. The HPV vaccine, introduced in 2006, is used to prevent adolescents from contracting the HPV virus, which causes almost all cases of cervical cancer in women, as well as several other cancers.
"With the new nine-valent vaccine, almost 90 percent of all cervical cancer could be prevented if all adolescents were vaccinated," Beavis said. "Yet unfortunately, vaccination rates in the U.S. have lagged considerably behind those of other Westernized nations."
The data presented compared the National Immunization Survey, or NIS-Teen, data, from 2010-2014, which reported on U.S. parents' responses to a question about why they did not vaccinate their daughters against HPV and did not intend to in the next 12 months.
From 2010-2014, the top two reasons were the concerns regarding safety and side effects and the belief the vaccine is not necessary. Yet, the third most common reason, adolescents' lack of sexual activity, dropped as a reason for parents not vaccinating. According to the data, in 2010, 18 percent of parents reported adolescents lack of sexual activity a reason, but in 2014 it dropped to 9 percent.
Prior literature has shown that physicians often delay or do not discuss HPV vaccination with parents because they feel they would also have to address sexual activity, Beavis said. Yet, the data show that parents need to understand the necessity and safety as well as the benefits of cancer prevention.
Additionally, the vaccine produces a stronger immune response in younger children, and thus only two shots instead of three are recommended if the vaccine is given to children under the age of 15.
"Physicians should not be afraid to discuss the HPV vaccine with parents," Beavis concluded. "Our focus should be on cancer prevention."
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Posted by Editors at 5:20 PM
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Carbon market for added income
Many farmers and timber land owners are realizing extra income from carbon payments, and many more might benefit from participation in the Cap and Trade Carbon Market, particularly if prices rise significantly along with worldwide efforts to combat climate change/global warming.
“Mississippi forest land owners are already getting several million dollars per year in carbon payments,” says Randy Rousseau, associate Extension and research professor at the Mississippi State University Forest and Wildlife Research Center.
“The nice thing is that it’s money that comes in every year — you don’t have to wait until trees reach thinning age or saw timber age. While the trees are growing, you can have money coming in from carbon payments.
“A lot of Mid-South farmers have trees, too, or land that would be suited to trees, so this provides a good opportunity for synergy between agriculture and tree farming.”
And Rousseau says, although prices on carbon contracts are fairly low at present, there is potential for them to increase as power plants and heavy industries need to offset their generation of carbon dioxide through sequestration programs.
“As carbon payment values increase, we could well reach a point where that income would be equal to or greater than the value of the timber.”
Rousseau chaired a recent workshop on carbon trading, which was televised to Extension offices in several counties in Mississippi and Alabama. More than 700 people signed up for the event, indicating a widespread interest in this method of generating additional income.
Forestry ranks No. 2 in agriculture income in Mississippi, following poultry/eggs, and generates more than $1 billion in revenue annually for more than 125,000 landowners.
“We think carbon is going to be an important market in the years ahead, offering mitigation opportunities for forestry,” says Jeffrey O’Hara, senior economist for the Chicago Climate Exchange.
He cited a Congressional Budget Office study projecting that carbon trading could be a $60 billion market by 2012.
Rules and requirements for participation in carbon sequestration programs are complex. The first step for anyone interested, Rousseau suggests, would be to contact an aggregator firm, which can provide advice and assistance.
Several such firms are operating in the Mid-South. A Google search for “carbon aggregator,” “carbon credits,” and “carbon offsets” will turn up names/contact info. |
Welcome to SkySpa
Thermal therapy, massages and unique cares…just a few minutes from downtown Montreal At SkySpa, we use the healing powers of water and its various temperatures to promote an optimal sense of well-being and relaxation, all in stylish and calm surroundings just a few minutes from downtown Montreal. Start your journey with our Thermal Experience where a repeated alternation of hot, cold and relaxation cycles is the basis for this therapeutic body and mind experience. Purifying, energizing and relaxing. Feel the benefits of this Thermal Experience throughout our high quality facilities : four season open-air warm California whirlpools, Finnish sauna, SkyLumina sauna, SkyAroma steam bath, cold water basin and its Nordic waterfall. Besides trying one or all, different SkySpa Thermal Tours are available. To optimize your experience and take you on cloud 9, consult our massage menu, facial cares and body treatments. |
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