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::: press sample / affiliate links :::
Maybelline Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencils in Cashmere White, Lustrous Sapphire, and Smooth Charcoal 1.1 g $7.99 USD / $11.99 CAD
I didn't even hint at the fact that these are pretty great, they just are. The Maybelline Lasting Drama Waterproof Gel Pencils are a hybrid-type product that takes everything you love about gel liner, but offer it up in pencil form. The liners have a super smooth, creamy, and pigmented formula that glides on effortlessly (yay for no tugging!) when applied, you have a moment to smudge, but ones these set, they're sticking around. The waterproof formula is easily removed, but stays in place all day without smudging, flaking, or fading. These also wear well on the waterline as they have the waterproof action going (they hold quite well) and are shimmer free.
The range currently has five shades, of which I have Cashmere White (matte white), Lustrous Sapphire (bold matte blue) and Smooth Charcoal (soft matte black) which all perform really well. I have been loving Lustrous Sapphire as it can add a little pop on the lower lash line to liven up a neutral eye (and looks amazing with brown eyes.)
Overall, I am really loving these liners. It's great to see drugstore options that rival higher end formulas. Tried these? What are your favourite liner formulas?
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Produced by: RZA
Raekwon: "That's another beat that RZA had in the basement that sounded real big and real strong. This was when we were in our Cuban Linx chamber and we were starting to build that album. That record right there was definitely one of the records where we were like, 'Yo, we dare anybody to get in our way right now.' Me and Ghost were just blood thirsty wolves right there. The beat was so strong, we already knew that that was definitely gonna be one on the album that niggas was gonna be like, 'Yo, them boys from Staten Island ain't playin' on this microphone.'
"We wind up doing the video. You know me, orchestrating the video, 'I need Benzes, jewels, and waterfalls behind shootin' to the right.' We actually went into the dessert and found a waterfall that shot to the right. I told Ghost, 'I need you to be Vincent 'Chin' Gigante right now. Don't have no muthafuckin' gear on, all I need you in is a mean robe.' And he was like, 'Yeah, you right. I'ma just run with the robes.' And, the next think you know, he's the robe man.
"I'm tellin' you, from that record it opened up the door. It started it. So now it's, 'Yeah, I need my jewels and a robe, I ain't wearin' no clothes no more.' I was all the way into my mafia chamber, so I'm tellin' him, 'Yeah this is how I need you to be. You're my underboss. Yeah, you come, you walk around. We gonna do it like this.' It was just a hot video man."

subset: commoncrawl


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With Spring in the air, it's hard to beat a pair of lightweight, breathable sneakers. The trend has been impossible to miss for the last few years and is still going strong, which means there are more options than ever to choose from. To make your search easier, FN has narrowed down the best picks out now.
Scroll through to shop our favorites.
Nike Air VaporMax, from $239.99; ebay.com
Nike Flyknit Racer, $150; nike.com
Greats G-Knit, $89; greats.com
Adidas Ultra Boost, $179.99; footlocker.com
Reebok Zoku Runner, $114.99; reebok.com
Puma Ignite EvoKnit, $130; puma.com
Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 V2, from $599; stadiumgoods.com


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In this tutorial we'll cover the essential technical stuff you need to know to fly a drone. Knowing the technical specifications of your drone is important because, in order to get great shots, you have to fully understand what your gear can—and really can't—do.
My advice is focused on the DJI Phantom series of drones, but the things to look for are the same for all drones.
Know Your Drone's Battery Limits
One of the first questions to ask is flight time per battery. This is usually roughly 10 to 14 minutes for most models. Manufacturers claim much more time on their specs, from 20 to 23 minutes, however that is if you drain the battery completely—which definitely isn't recommended for most flights. It is common practice to begin to land the drone with about 35% battery left, to prolong the life of the batteries and to have some flight-time left in case something happens and you can't land immediately.
Also note that drone batteries have a limited shelf life. They will eventually 'bloat up' and expire. It's not that your drone will just suddenly fall from the sky one day, but the batteries do inflate with repeated use. Once they reach a certain inflation level, you must dispose of them properly because they can pose a serious fire hazard. If you can no longer fit your flight battery into your drone or if you see any battery leakage, dispose of the battery immediately. Proper battery maintenance includes a full discharge of the battery about every 15 charges. Batteries should be stored with about 50% charge. With proper maintenance you can expect a battery to last one to two years, or roughly 200 flights. Some could last longer even, and others can expire much faster. (It all depends a lot on the user!)
Know Your FPV Transmitter Limits
Depending on which drone you choose, you have different methods of observing your footage from your controller. For most people's purposes there are two main types: digital antenna and wifi signal.
A digital antenna is definitely the less superior choice of the two. These are primarily used with the Phantom 2 and a GoPro camera. In my opinion this method of observation is now outdated, but it is by far the cheapest way to view you footage live if you need use a GoPro camera.
A much better solution is a transmitter that uses a wifi signal, such as those on the DJI Phantom 4 and DJI Inspire 1. These work though a wireless signal sent to your device, a tablet or smart phone, mounted on the controller. The signal is typically much stronger, high-definition, and has a much longer range.
Know Your Maximum Flight Distances
Typically your drone's FPV signal is going to cut out long before your radio control signal does. This is both good and bad. It is good because as the video signal begins to go out, this can act as a good indicator that it may be time to turn around and fly back to a closer range. It is bad however if the signal cuts off completely, because then you are "flying blind" and unless you can physically see your drone (and the direction it is pointing toward) this can make it more difficult to navigate back into range.
GPS Fail-Safe Systems
All of the DJI drones I've mentioned in this lesson have GPS Fail-Safe systems. With a GPS Fail-Safe a drone will automatically fly back to where it originally took off if it completely loses radio signal. It may also do this if the drone battery gets dangerously low.
Mentioned in this tutorial
- FAA Drone Rules
- Know Before You Fly
- GoPro Hero 4 Black
- FPV Transmitter Kit
- DJI Phantom 4
- DJI Inspire 1
- Drone Footage provided by Ozark Drones


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Chilly fall weather is blowing through Arkansas, heralding the approach of winter in the coming months.
Get in the mood for the upcoming winter months with a concert dedicated to Trans Siberian Orchestra and all your favorite TSO wintery songs. During "On a Winter's Night: A Tribute to Trans Siberian Orchestra," sit back and relax as you listen to the sounds of a host of talented musicians as they pay tribute to Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Under the music direction of Dr. Brian Faulkner and the audio/visual direction of Larry Roberts (of RedBea Productions), area musicians will play music from Music from Christmas Eve and Other Storiesas well as a collection of other TSO favorites.
The musicians performing during "On a Winter's Night" include Brian Faulkner (piano/director), Mike Lovelady (drums), Andy Lindemann (bass), James Primm (guitar), Jeff Sweeden (guitar), Wren Jae Whiteseven (violin), Matt Miller (keyboards), Paul Milner (vocals), Dr. Mark Gotcher (vocals), Boyd W. Barton (vocals/acoustic), Zac George (vocals), Shirley D. Faulkner (vocals), Emory Molitar (vocals), Joe Cross (vocals), Coralin Davelaar (cello), Bill Parton (trumpet), Kenneth Cantiz (trombone) and Brice Gunter (sax). In addition, the River Valley Treble Chorus will perform on selected numbers.
"On a Winter's Night: A Tribute to Trans Siberian Orchestra," will be held Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m., at the Center for the Arts, at Russellville High School.
Tickets for the event are reserved. Orchestra tickets are $35, mezzanine tickets are $30 and balcony tickets are $20. Handicapped tickets are also available and can be purchased through the Center's box office. To purchase your ticket, click here.
Proceeds from the concert will go towards supporting the Arkansas Center for Music Education. The Arkansas Center for Music Education is a non-profit organization that provides "quality and affordable music education through class room instruction" as well as providing opportunities for instrumental and vocal ensembles for children. The center also provides enrichment classes that are aimed at helping individuals gain a greater appreciation for music and a greater understanding of themselves.


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I pulled out the good old needle and embroidery floss again and straight stitched a couple of rows (also stitched on that cute white button flower along the bottom, the flower detail is there its just hard to see in the picture). The polka dots were all embossed in clear embossing powder. Check out these cute button flowers...I really love how they hang over the edge of the circle.
Thanks again for stopping in and visiting me today! Hope you have a wonderful Monday! I've had a pretty crazy day so far, nothing seems to be going right (praying for patience!).
All thing grow with love:
- Stamps: Everyday Button Bits & Polka Dot Basics II
- Ink: Ripe Avocado, Raspberry Fizz & Versamark
- Cardstosck: Kraft, Spring Moss, Spring Rain & White
- Accessories: Spring Rain, Raspberry Fizz & White Vintage Buttons, DMC Floss, Circle Punch, Embossed Curves Border Punch, Clear Embossing Powder


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My login is refused!
I'm an ESRS member and whenever I try to login with my ESRS members login data on the ESRS Examination in Sleep Medine website my login is refused and the warning below is shown:
"Warning Username and password do not match or you do not have an account yet."
Please note that your ESRS membership login username and password are not valid for the examination login. This is because we need to use different databases for data protection reasons.


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Exploring Different Virtual Screening Strategies for Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors
The virtual screening problems associated with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors were explored using multiple shape, and structure-based modeling strategies. The employed strategies include molecular docking, similarity search, and pharmacophore modeling. A subset from directory of useful decoys (DUD) related to AChE inhibitors was considered, which consists of 105 known inhibitors and 3732 decoys. Statistical quality of the models was evaluated by enrichment factor (EF) metrics and receiver operating curve (ROC) analysis. The results revealed that electrostatic similarity search protocol using EON (ET_combo) outperformed all other protocols with outstanding enrichment of 95% in top 1% and 2% of the dataset with an AUC of 0.958. Satisfactory performance was also observed for shape-based similarity search protocol using ROCS and PHASE. In contrast, the molecular docking protocol performed poorly with enrichment factors 30% in all cases. The shape- and electrostatic-based similarity search protocol emerged as a plausible solution for virtual screening of AChE inhibitors.
1. Introduction
Acetylcholinesterase (AChE; EC 22.214.171.124) terminates signaling at cholinergic synapses by rapid hydrolysis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine [1]. It is a validated target for the treatment of the Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is the only target that has provided the few palliative drugs presently marketed for the treatment of the AD [2]. AChE inhibitors are also used for the treatment of Glaucoma [3], Myasthenia gravis [4], and so forth.
AChE inhibitors are chemically diverse; the active site of AChE is multifaceted and complex in architecture allowing numerous structurally diverse ligands to bind to different subsites [5], thereby, limiting the application of structure based approaches for a universal virtual screening solution. Though many groups [6–8] have reported the application of structure based approaches to AChE, all the studies are focused on exploring a specific set of analogs rather than finding a universal solution.
In this study, we have explored both ligand-based and structure based approaches for virtual screening of AChE. Ligand based approaches such as similarity search and pharmacophore mapping were used whereas molecular docking was used as a structure based approach. The following virtual screening tools were used for this study: (a) molecular docking using AutoDock and Glide [9], (b) similarity search using ROCS [10] and EON [11], and (c) PHASE-Shape based module and PHASE-pharmacophore search module.
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Dataset Preparation and Query Selection
Known ligands and decoys set for AChE as reported in the directory of useful decoys (DUD) [12] was used. The latest structural databases were downloaded directly from http://www.dud.docking.org/ (DUD release 2, October 22, 2006) in mol2 file format. The DUD dataset is a well-defined and unbiased dataset of annotated active compounds and decoys for the validation of virtual screening. Multiconformers for the dataset were then created using OMEGA [13]. The ligand structures used as queries were extracted from experimentally cocrystallized structures obtained from the http://www.rcsb.org/ PDB IDs: 1ax9 (edrophonium), 1eve (donepezil), 1gpk (huperzine), 1gqr (rivastigmine), and 1odc (tacrine).
2.2. Structure Based Docking
2.2.1. Protein Preparation
PDB code 1b41 was downloaded (http://www.rcsb.org/) and visually analyzed. All the protein structures were initially corrected using MolProbity [14] interactive server. The resulting structure was then further refined using Schrödinger protein preparation wizard. The ionizable residues were set to their normal ionization states at pH 7, and a restrained energy minimization (relatively higher convergence threshold of a gradient to <0.3 kJ/Å-mol) was performed using OPLS2005 force field.
2.2.2. Ligand Preparation
For docking studies all the ligands were energy minimized in the Macromodel minimization panel using the OPLS-2005 force field and GB/SA water model with a constant dielectric of 1.0. Polak-Ribiere first derivative, conjugate gradient minimization was employed with maximum iterations of 1000 and convergence threshold of a gradient to <0.05 kJ/Å-mol. LigPrep2.0 module of Schrödinger was used to generate possible ionization states at target pH . All possible tautomeric states at this pH were also generated using the tautomerizer module of LigPrep2.0. The resulting structures were saved in *.mae format for docking using Glide and *.pdb format for docking using AutoDock.
2.2.3. Docking
All the docking experiments were performed with AutoDock4.0 and Glide. A grid size of 110 × 110 × 110 centered on the ligand was used. For Auto Dock, Lamarckian Genetic Algorithm was employed as the docking algorithm. For making the virtual screening protocol automated a separate script was written and validated [15]. The docking parameters used are as follows: number of genetic algorithm (GA) runs: 10, population size: 150, maximum number of evaluation: 2500000, and maximum number of generation: 27000. Glide standard precision mode was used for the current docking study. 5000 poses were used for passing through initial Glide screening. Scoring window for keeping initial poses was kept at 100 poses. Best 400 poses were chosen for energy minimization during docking; a distance dependent dielectric constant of 2.0 and maximum number of energy minimization steps of 100 were used. All the docked poses were then clustered based on heavy atom RMSD clustering, with a maximum cutoff of 2.0 Å.
2.3. Similarity Search
ROCS shape-based virtual screening: Multiconformer files, which were generated by OMEGA, were saved in oeb.gz format. These generated multi-conformational files were used as input database for performing Rapid Overlay of Chemical Structures (ROCS) [10] similarity search. ROC is designed to carry out large-scale 3D database searches. It performs similarity searches by using a shape-based superposition method that finds the similar but nonintuitive compounds. It uses only the heavy atoms of a ligand ignoring the hydrogens. The output files of the similarity search were then ranked according to their combo score (chemistry and shape search score).
EON electrostatic similarity-based virtual screening: ROCS output structures (oeb.gz) were used as input for analysis using EON. EON [11] calculates the Electrostatic Tanimoto between each database molecule and the query (ROCS overlay hits). EON does not perform any overlay or alter the input orientation of the structures. It calculates new partial charges for the input structures using MMFF94. The output files were clustered according to the EON (ET_combo) score.
PHASE-Shape based similarity: similar to the ROCS program PHASE-Shape program [16, 17] was used to screen a database, based on the shape of any query. The shape search algorithm in PHASE can treat all atoms as equivalent, or it can incorporate information on atom types as part of the search. Searching on atom types favors alignments that superimpose atoms of the same type. In the current study, Macromodel atom types were assigned to all the queries and volume scoring was used to cluster the molecules.
2.4. Pharmacophore Mapping
PHASE version 3.0 was used for pharmacophore elucidation. For this dataset, we performed the PHASE procedure with six built-in types of pharmacophoric features: hydrogen bond acceptor (A), hydrogen bond donor (D), hydrophobe (H), negative ionizable (N), positive ionizable (P), and aromatic ring (R). The graphical user interface of maestro was used. Ligands were processed with the LigPrep program to assign protonation states appropriate for pH 7.0.
Conformer generation was carried out with the Macromodel. Potentials were computed using the OPLS2005 force field. The default pharmacophore feature definitions were used in site generation. After the sites were generated hypotheses were generated by a systematic variation of the number of sites. The number of matching active compounds was kept default, that is, entire training set. The process started with five sites, but the set of five-point hypothesis did not survive the scoring process. Gradually the number of sites was reduced to four. Ten hypotheses were generated by the program, out of which only two survived. The scoring was done using the default parameters. The top hypotheses were then used to build pharmacophore-based model. All the molecules were considered active; no thresholds (active or inactive) were applied to the training set for developing the hypothesis. Before considering the model for virtual screening, the hypothesis was overlayed on the enzyme active site and then visually analyzed. After this overlay study, the generated hypothesis was then used to screen the entire DUD dataset. Receptor excluded volume was subsequently considered.
2.5. Evaluation Metrics
The virtual screening protocols were validated by their enrichment factors [18–21] and by Receiver operating curve (ROC) [22, 23] analysis. Enrichment factor expresses the number of active compounds found by employing a certain virtual screening strategy. It is a widely used validation tool for assessing the quality of virtual screening protocol. Conceptually the enrichment factor metric is simply the measure of how many more actives we find within a defined "early recognition" fraction of the ordered list relative to a random distribution. The enrichment factors (1) were calculated as follows: ( is the number of experimentally found active structures in the top % of the sorted database, is the number of expected active structures, is the total number of active structures in database).
ROC curve analysis is considered as one of the best approaches for the performance characterization of virtual screening protocols so far. The ROC is represented equivalently by plotting the fraction of true positives (TPR: true positive rate) versus the fraction of false positives (FPR: false positive rate).
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Active Site of AChE
The active site of the enzyme is primarily hydrophobic, subdivided into several subsites: esteratic subsite also called the catalytic triad, acyl binding pocket, peripheral anionic subsite, and ligand recognition site (Figure 1(a)). The active site is buried at the bottom of a 20 Å deep gorge approximately in the centre of the molecule (Figure 1(b)). Different type of ligands binds with different subsites; for example, rivastigmine binds with catalytic triad [24]; donepezil interacts with ligand recognition and peripheral anionic site [25]; huperzine interacts with catalytic triad and ligand recognition site [26]; tacrine interacts with ligand recognition site and peripheral anionic site [27] (Figure 1(a)). Every ligand engages different water molecule(s) [24–27] for binding with the enzyme (Figure 1(a)).
Thus, it is not practically feasible to choose intrinsic water molecule(s) for structure based virtual screening studies. Thus, the complexity associated with active site of AChE needs a valid model and working algorithms to overcome the virtual screening difficulty. Therefore, exploration of significant search protocol that reliably identifies the subsite where a ligand is most likely to bind is warranted.
When screening a large dataset, a reasonable model encompassing the entire chemical space is essential. If a model of this category is developed, it can easily serve as query tool for screening any dataset. The virtual screening problem for AChE inhibitors was addressed. We have compared different VS tools and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of them. The molecular docking approach was considered for pose analysis and scoring; in addition ligand based strategies were employed for pharmacophore mapping and similarity search.
3.2. Structure Based Studies
The active site of AChE has a large volume and is divided into many subsites. Therefore, we have used a larger grid (110 × 110 × 110 grid units) that encompasses the entire active site (for both protocols AutoDock and Glide). The results of structure based virtual screening are as follows: for Glide-XP enrichment of 19%, 20% and 24% was observed for top 1%, 2%, and 5% of the dataset, respectively. Whereas, for AutoDock the enrichment was 30%, 34%, and 32%, respectively, for top 1%, 2%, and 5% of the dataset (Figures 2 and 3).
During our redocking experiment, we observed that increasing the grid size consistently increases the RMSD for both AutoDock and Glide docking.
Taking the example of donepezil, when we redocked with a 60 × 60 × 60 grid size, it yielded an outstanding RMSD of 0.69 Å. Whereas when the same molecule is redocked with 110 × 110 × 110 grid size, it yielded a very poor RMSD of 4.34 Å. The redocked poses are shown in Figure 4. Larger grid presents larger space and more conformational freedom. This increase in space increases the number of interacting pharmacophores, thereby increasing the chance of false interactions. Consequently, this promotes the low enrichment score through molecular docking algorithms.
3.2.1. Effect of Point Mutation on Structure Based Studies
We have also studied the effect of docking studies on known mutant of human AChE E202Q. We have used the known ligands and cross-docked them with the mutant form of AChE. As discussed by Krygar and coworkers [25], mutation with neutral GLN in place of charged GLU residue does not change the functional architecture of the active site of AChE. The hydrogen bonding network of GLU202, GLU450, TYR133 is conserved, as a result the architecture and shape of the active site are also maintained. The docking results also correspond to this observation, and no significant changes in docking scores were observed, except rivastigmine. We present a comparison, taking donepezil and rivastigmine as an example (Figure 5).
GLU202 is near to catalytic triad; the presence of this anionic residue is important in molecular recognition for rivastigmine or ligands specific for binding to this triad. Rivastigmine with the protonated nitrogen is naturally attracted towards the anionic site. However, due to mutation in GLU202, we observed a significantly lower affinity for rivastigmine. The affinity of other ligands was unaffected. However, separate studies considering the protein flexibility and intrinsic water molecule(s) are warranted.
3.3. Pharmacophore Modeling
The pharmacophore model was created with the same queries that were used for shape based screening. The model was obtained through an automated mode in PHASE. Before choosing the final model, it was visually inspected through superimposition study on the enzyme active site along with ligand pharmacophore map. Top scoring, four-point AHHR hypothesis was considered further. This generated hypothesis was overlaid on the enzyme active site. The pharmacophoric features were compared with crystallographic information; these interactions were compared and substantiated (Figure 6).
A1 (H-bond acceptor): the ligands should have an acceptor group that accepts a hydrogen bond from protonated W279 and H3 and H5 (Hydrophobes); H3 seems to be accommodated in the hydrophobic pocket created by the side chains of W279 and Q74; H5 occupies the hydrophobic pocket created by the four aromatic amino acids F288, 330, 331 and Y334; R9 (ring aromatic feature) is stacked with W84. The interpharmacophoric distances are presented in Table 1. The distance between two extremely located pharmacophores A1 and R9 is 14.103 Å. As described in the earlier section the active site gorge is around 20 Å, around 6 Å deeper than identified by the hypothesis. Therefore, we do not expect to identify those ligands that interact deeper in the active site, during the virtual screening experiment with larger dataset. As expected the enrichment was poor with 32%, 35%, and 38% for the top 1%, 2%, and 5% of the dataset, respectively. The inclusion of excluded volumes did not improve the results (Figures 2 and 3).
3.4. Similarity Search
Three computational strategies were employed: PHASE shape-based similarity, ROCS shape based similarity search, and EON electrostatic search. An outstanding enrichment factor (EF) of >90% for analysis by a shape based screening using ROCS was observed in all the cases (1%, 2%, and 5%). However, rescoring of this dataset by EON (ET_combo) improved the results to the best possible outcome. It outperformed all other protocols with outstanding enrichment of >95% in top 1% and 2% of the dataset, with an AUC of 0.958. ROCS (AUC = 0.944) and PHASE-Shape based (AUC = 0.898) protocol performed well, but not as well as EON (ET_combo) (Figures 1 and 2). These results revealed the importance of considering both the electrostatic and shape parameters during the similarity search analysis of AChE inhibitors.
The shape based screening protocol adopted in the current study also shows the importance of using multiple queries (Figure 7). Five query ligands were carefully chosen each with different binding mode and occupying different subsite; necessary chemical space is thereby encompassed. Two top models, that is, similarity search using ROCS and ROCS-EON, are scrutinized for influence of individual query molecule on overall quality of the model. Amongst the five queries used (edrophonium, donepezil, huperzine, rivastigmine, and tacrine) in the study, donepezil alone identified 58% and 60% of the entire actives from ROCS and ROCS-EON analysis, respectively. Other query molecules identified around 40% of the actives. If any query molecule is used alone, we would have missed those molecules that are otherwise identified by a different query. Using multiple queries encompasses a much larger chemical space, which is not possible when a single query is employed.
3.5. Comparison with BuChE
We have used five known ligands donepezil, edrophonium, huperzine, rivastigmine, and tacrine. Selectivity towards AChE and BuChE is presented in Table 2. Donepezil [28], huperzine, and edrophonium [29, 30] are selective AChE inhibitors; rivastigmine [31, 32] and tacrine [33, 34] are nonselective.
Donepezil identified around 60% of the HITs through similarity search. It is a selective AChE inhibitor, so the identified HITs are more likely to be AChE selective inhibitors. On the other hand, tacrine and rivastigmine together identified around 20% of the HITs. These identified HITs are more likely to be nonselective. However, there is no way to prove this hypothesis until we perform biological screening.
4. Conclusions
After an exhaustive validation of various virtual screening methodologies, we have found that shape based search using multiple queries performed better as compared to standard docking studies. The study provided a plausible solution to the virtual screening problem on AChE. We found shape based similarity search methods (ROCS and EON) performed significantly better than structure based methods. The study also revealed the importance of using multiple queries for exploring a larger chemical space and encompassing the majority of the pharmacophoric features.
This work was financially supported by University Grants Commission, India. The authors thank all the developers of freely available software, which greatly facilitated their work (cited in Material and Methods section). The authors are grateful to Dr. Ashoke Sharon for his contributions in the paper preparation.
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Wine wedding favors will take your wedding to the next level. If you are having your wedding on a vineyard then this is the perfect wedding favor for your wedding. There are tons of different kinds of wine wedding favors. You can give a bottle of wine from the vineyard or something less expensive like a personalized wine stopper. You could even go in a different direction and give your guests coasters. There are several kinds of coasters to choose from. You can have personalized ones with your wedding date or you can get picture frame coasters. The options are endless so be sure to be creative!
© 2012, ChiqueChic. All rights reserved. On republishing this post you must provide link to original post.


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Asheville GreenWorks is on the hunt for old, but usable t shirts. Our very own crafty Christine Brown, GWorks Environmental Educator will be working with student groups this summer to teach them how to create their own reusable shopping bags.
If you have some old t-shirts clogging up your closet, please consider donating them for this new project series. For more info please contact: [email protected] Ph 828-254-1776
The average American shopper uses 500 single use shopping bags a year. 87% of these baggies end up either in the landfill or worse floating around in the environment. We would like to limit our usage of this single use plastic and show that you CAN carry groceries home in something other than paper or plastic. Check out the Asheville Bag Monster and our mission to reduce our dependance on single use plastics.
Wanna learn how to convert your old t shirts into super cool shopping bags? Check out Mommy Potamus tutorial.
Comments are closed.


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I've followed the simple instructions from the pamphlet Beginners' Guide to Floating: "Don't shave or wax before." Check. "Eat a small meal one and a half hours prior." All right. "Don't drink caffeine before." Done.
I'm on Hawthorne Boulevard in Portland, Oregon, when I come to a window covered with a starburst tie-dyed tapestry. The other windowpanes are so thick with condensation they display only smudges of bright movement inside.
This must be the place. "Float On" reads the steamy door.
I'm here to begin an investigation into sensory deprivation with a 90-minute "restricted environmental stimulation technique" (REST) session in one of Float On's four commercial flotation tanks.
In the waiting room, the humidity's as thick as pink insulation. A turn-of-the-head survey reveals a multigenerational clientele, unified in quiet calm. This is the den of the nothing eaters. Couches and bookshelves line the public space, and clean hardwood floors–as well as tables dotted with drawing books, pastries, and teacups in various states of use–offer visual warmth.
A man behind a computer greets me by name, as if he's known me for years. He is Christopher Messer, sensory-deprivation enthusiast for four decades and one of the owners of Float On. Messer shows me to the last in a row of private float rooms, each containing a tank, a shower, fresh towels, robes, and slippers. He explains the process: I'm to shower first, put in earplugs, turn off the light, then float calmly and effortlessly on my back, buoyed by the thrice-filtered water, which is 40 percent Epsom salt and kept at a temperature of 93.5 degrees.
Moments later I'm stepping from the shower and into the dark, black box.
I am kinda freaked out by the idea of floating. For me, the terms "sensory deprivation" and "flotation tank" are connected to ominous images of steeple-fingered scientists behind mirrored glass.
Consider a passage by E.R. Hilgard from Clinical and Experimental Restricted Environmental Stimulation discussing early experiments with sensory deprivation: "A student could be isolated for two or three days in a soundproof compartment box with a bed in it. . . . Communications between subject and experimenter were made through a headset." The subject wore goggles over his eyes and cardboard sleeves over his arms and hands to snuff out any outside disturbance.
The public perception of modern-day sensory deprivation and recreational float tank use is improving as more commercial float centers sprout up around the globe (with the highest concentration in Sweden). Peter Suedfeld, one of the world's leading experts on REST, cites subjects' overwhelmingly positive emotional response to it. And research indicates that float tanks are a viable option for treating various physical ailments and mental and emotional disorders.
Suedfeld finds a strong link between REST and smoking cessation in 53 percent of patients. A study by Roderick Borrie and Tamara Russell observed a 25 percent reduction in pain after a fibromyalgia patient's first float (which increased to 33 percent after the third session), as well as an increased level of relaxation and a decreased sense of stress. Trials conducted by Marianne Barabasz and Arreed Barabasz found REST an effective method in treating autism, curing eating disorders, and reducing alcohol consumption. Links are also being made between REST and heightened creativity.
Over a two-week period I spend nine artificial nights in the flotation tank, in the fashion of the nothing eater. My longest session is two and a half hours; the others are 90 minutes.
During my first session, I am initially bored and unsure of what to do with my time. This slowly gives way to a feeling of reliving some experience I never committed to memory, then hallucinations–smears of light like the anti-shadows of passing cars and the silhouette of an animal's skull morphing into a single candy corn.
Each of the following sessions is a little different, but with commonalities. A disoriented sense of time is the most ubiquitous reoccurring theme: After the first half hour in the tank, a minute could be an hour and an hour could be a minute. Losing the will to think in terms of language is another common occurrence; the hallucinations are a repeating but less frequent feature.
Intense inward experience isn't the only outcome. After my third session, beer–a once-favorite beverage–becomes entirely unappealing, along with alcohol in general, a side effect that lasts for weeks after my ninth session. I also notice a marked increase in my overall sense of well-being, while my persistent anxiety disappears completely. Additionally, I begin to write creatively with an uninhibited ease that I haven't experienced in years. I am astounded by the changes.
Through discussions with other floaters, I learn that these experiences aren't uncommon. Samantha LaMont, a professional baker, could be a poster child for the benefits of floating. Since her first session in February 2011, this weekly floater has quit smoking and lost 60 pounds following a tank-born urge to take up swimming, while eliminating sugar and alcohol from her diet for several-month stretches. "I feel like I'm a totally different person," says LaMont.
Endorsements for floating have come from some surprising places. One afternoon, sitting on a couch at Float On, I'm introduced to mixed martial artist Pat Healy. Healy is currently a regular in the Strikeforce mixed martial-arts league and has graced television screens around the world as a participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He floats before his fights and uses the tank to visualize his wins. Other mixed martial-arts fighters, such as Dave Jansen, describe floating as a "secret weapon."
And while I also meet a handful of colorful characters–folks studying shamanic medicine or making claims to know how to build power generators that draw from the earth's magnetism–I talk to just as many people who are simply looking for relaxation and the feel-good afterglow of flotation REST.
"Normally my head is several different radio stations playing at once," explains tattoo and comic artist Levi Greenacres. But in the tank, he found relief: "With the lack of sensory stimulation to intake and compute, I discovered an inert state of un-ness, the need to think, feel, and feed completely abolished. The quiet in there is total comfort."
"After floating I feel very open and calm, and less prone to distractions," says illustrator Natalie Phillips. "The better I feel emotionally or physically, the better I am able to focus."
And that might be the most levelheaded walk-away message yet. Whether you're a fighter about to beat the crap out of someone or an artist mining your creative muse, feeling good can only make your tasks easier. Despite Float On's tie-dye dressing in the fogged-up windows, the positive scientific evidence and floater experiences are convincing.
Sensory deprivation has not been fully explored from a medical or neurological standpoint, and I'm not claiming that everyone who floats is going to stop drinking or lose a ton of weight. But it's like this: When people ask me about floating, after describing the benefits I've experienced, I tell them, "At the very least, it's like a blow job for your body." And as Forrest Gump said, that's all I have to say about that.
Matt Stangel writes about art for the Portland Mercury and music for Into the Woods. Excerpted from the Portland Mercury (February 2, 2012), Oregon's always-surprising alternative weekly.


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Kim And Kylie Slay French Braids!
Jenner Slayed Frenc Braids
Remember when you were 10 and your mom use to put those ugly french braids in your head? Well, now it seems that's all the rave since Kim And Kylie Slay French Braids! They have shown us a sassy way to wear them without looking childish. There are different names for these braids; dutch braids, french braids, but the most recent boxer braids. These braids are the BIGGEST hair trend of 2016! French braids are truly versatile, the look is the perfect way to hide bad hair days, second-day hair, for keeping hair under control at events, and the most important it's achievable with all hair types.
How Long Does My Hair Have To Be To Achieve French Braids?
It depends, you aren't going to get the look of an actual french braid if you have short hair without adding Hair Extensions. But, you can french braid short hair, naturally curly or wavy hair, also straight hair. You can also achieve french braids with a vixen sew-in or vixen crochet braids. When trying to achieve the perfect french braids its best to have shoulder length hair, this ensures you won't have fly aways and your braids stay neat and in place.
How To Achieve French Braids
Step 1: Prep your hair. Brush your hair to get all the tangles out and make it smooth and ready to braid. Part your hair directly down the middle and brush the hair down away from the part. You can braid your hair dry or wet whatever is more convenient to you.
Step 2: Begin sectioning hair. Start by gathering hair from the top of one section. All the hair in this section should come from the same "hair row" You don't want to grab strands from higher up or lower down. You start with a small section, but the braid grows thicker as you add more hair.
Step 3: Separate the beginning of braid into three pieces. Create three even pieces at the front of your hairline. Make sure that none of the pieces are larger or smaller than the other two.
Step 4: Begin Braiding. First, you have to get your hand positioning right: hold two strands in one hand between middle finger and pointer finger, and the third strand in the other. Begin braiding by crossing the right strand over to the center. Then, cross the left strand over the center. Repeat until you've made a few rows of a traditional braid.
Step 5: Add Hair Extensions. Keep going with the braid pattern, but start bringing in other small pieces of hair extensions to achieve the size of the braid you desire. Before crossing a section over to center, grab some hair from that side of your head and include it in the cross-over. Every time you cross over works in another small piece of hair behind your natural hair. You want to be consistent with the amount of hair you grab each time, but the less hair you grab, the more intricate the braid will look. For the best-looking French braid, pick up the hair near your face and neck.
Step 6: Finish Braiding That Section Then Repeat On The Other Side. Finish your braid all the way down, keep going until you reach the end of your strands. Then, secure the braid with a ponytail holder that matches your hair color so it can blend in with your hair. Repeat steps 3-6 for your next section and then you will have your perfect french braids.


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If you're planning to eat, drink, and be merry this New Year's we have a list of New Year's Eve/Day restaurant deals and hours to help you do it.
From fancy New Year's Eve events and casual dining to New Year's day brunches and take home options, there is something for families, friends, couples and singles.
Below, you'll find a list of popular restaurants, along with details on their holiday specials, operating hours, reservation information and more.
We also included links to each restaurant's website. Happy New Years:
Most Applebee's locations will be open until 2 A.M. EST on New Year's Eve and open during normal business hours on New Year's Day; check the location near you to be sure.
For New Year's Eve they are offering a special: 1/2 price appetizers (10 P.M.-2 A.M.) and special drinks, including the Midnight Kiss, Resolution 'Rita, Cran-Fetti Lit and more.
They will be open until midnight or later in most locations on New Year's Eve and Day.
They have special priced boneless wings all day and assorted drink specials, which vary by location.
All Dave & Buster's restaurants will have game and dinner packages to help you ring in the New Year. Packages include a buffet, soft drinks & a Power Card to enter in the Million Dollar Midway. Choose from family-friendly or late night packages at your nearest location.
Denny's is open 24 hours, and will be serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner for New Years. Get 20% off New Year's Eve with this coupon (you must print it and bring it with you).
They are open late New Year's Eve (past 1 A.M. EST) and during regular hours New Year's Day.
Their New Year's Eve menu includes seafood and steak options, including Filet Mignon, Crab legs, Lobster and more.
You need reservations, which you can do online.
Most locations will operate under normal business hours New Year's Eve and Day, 10 A.M.-10 P.M. EST.
The Olive Garden in Times Square, however, will be open late and is offering a $400 package, featuring a buffet, open bar, DJ and prime viewing of the ball drop. Call for reservations.
They are open late New Year's Eve (past 1 A.M. EST) and during regular hours New Year's Day.
They are offering $9 glasses of champagne starting at 9 P.M. EST on New Year's Eve.
For those who are hosting a party at home, they are offering 20% off catering orders of $300 or more.
Reservations are suggested in order to ensure you get a seat.
Ruth's Chris will be open late New Year's Eve (past 1 A.M. EST) and open during normal hours on New Year's Day.
Their New Year's Eve dining options include a $55.95 or $65.95 per person menu, each of which includes a starter, entree, side and dessert. Entrees include Surf N' Turf, lobster Tails, Filet Mignon and more.
Reserve a table online.
Most locations will be open New Year's Eve and Day from 11 A.M. EST until 1 A.M. EST; Check the location near you before heading over.
As part of their specials they have:
-Drinks: $3 select drafts (14-ounce), $4 featured shots, $6 Ultimate Blueberry-Pom Long Island Tea, $5 Crown Apple Cooler, $5 Blue Moon Belgian White (14-ounce draft), $4 Regional Craft Beer, $4 House Long Island Tea
-$5 appetizers: mozzarella sticks, Jack sliders, spicy chicken sliders (2), and boneless or traditional wings (6-Pack).
They also have party platters to take home, including a Jack Daniel's wing platter, Baby Back ribs platter, and others; you can order online and pick-up.
How do you plan to ring in 2017?
Share your celebration plans below, and be sure to follow all my latest consumer news reports on Twitter!


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I've been thinking about the shit I ate when I was a kid. Not at home, since if one is at my mother's, the conversation goes like this:
Me: I'm hungry.
Mom: Eat an apple.
Has there ever been a more depressing answer in the history of time beyond, "Eat an apple"?
Me: I'm hungry.
Mom: Eat an apple. Also, an anvil is about to crash onto your head.
But I can't be sure. The latter might be preferable.
I detest apples. Which, by the way, every time I say this to my mother, she says, "No, you don't" as if I have no concept of what I do or don't like. Or she expresses surprise, as if I used to be Johnny Appleseed.
I have always hated apples.
The only apple I can stomach is a Granny Smith, and by the way, whoever came up with that name really went to town. Are the green apples in the Witness Protection Program? Granny Smith. Why not Granny Schwinkendorf? Granny Rose Blossom? Granny Horkheimer?
Mild cheddar was the only other readily available snack at my mother's house, the only other thing that you didn't have to heat up the oven and get the mixer out to have. It was your only choice beyond the mealy-mouthed red apple.
Mild cheddar. The Melanie Hamilton of cheese.
It's no wonder I was so thin in my youth. Sally Struthers should have been standing tearfully in front of our house, begging someone to send me some sharp white cheddar.
So, no. I'm talking about the sugar mecca that was gramma's. If she saw a commercial for something bad for you, you didn't even have to ask. She'd stampede for it. I remember when I was older, and my cousin Katie the Lesbian was a child, gramma said, "We're going out to eat. Katie says she's Wendy's kind of people."
That was all it took. Katie knew how she wanted it: hot off the grill.
But that's '80s food. I'm talking '70s food. Back when food was fantastic.
For example, Snack Packs didn't have any namby-pamby foil lid. It was a real can, and you could cut your lips off with the lid. But oh, it was worth it.
That's the problem with kids today. Everything's too safe. We're raising a generation of mild cheddars. They don't have to worry about getting shards of their Click-Clack in their eye,
or or doing a unicorn impression with a jart.
My gramma had her Snack Packs in the bottom of a narrow cupboard between the stove and the sink. There was also a mousetrap down there, so you had the possibility of dinner and a show. And it was a real, cartoon, SNAP mousetrap. It didn't really dawn on me to be appalled by it. I'd just shout, "GRAMMA!" when a mouse was in there.
"Oh, shit. Okay. I'm coming," she'd say.
This orange juice came in individual-servings cans, as well, and I believe you had to actually puncture the top of the can with the pointy part of a can opener. I mean, it took some work. You were practically a cave woman, hunting a mastodon.
I always admired the orange women; I thought they were pretty. They seem sort of in on a secret, don't they? They're wrong. YOU'RE ALL GETTING JUICED TO DEATH, BITCHES.
Also, in All in the Family, which was on around the time my gramma diet consisted of pudding and orange juice, Archie Bunker was often holding a can, and I thought, man, he drinks a lotta orange juice.
I never said I was a gifted child.
This was a cereal I insisted gramma get, and then I hated. I don't know how to tell you this, but it was too sweet. But it had 100% of my minimum requirements of vitamins and iron.
That can't possibly be true. What, did it have kale in it? How is that possible? Also, this cereal was emoji cereal. No wonder I hated it.
I was just looking at all the other Google images of cereal from the '70s, and came across this. Oh, FUCK YEAH. Why is this not available right now?
I know a lot of why I loved this stuff was because it was at gramma's. Her overly warm house, the cuckoo clock, people coming in and out the front door, bringing the Michigan cold in with them. Her mostly empty upstairs, because all the kids had moved out, that housed her Real Romance magazines and my Uncle Jim's drums that I never, ever touched for fear he would actually break my bones.
You can't help but enjoy something served to you by a person who thinks you hung the moon, when really all you are is a riby midwestern 8-year-old. You can't help but enjoy something when you know your arthritic grandmother saw that brightly colored box in the store aisle and bought it, knowing she'd never be eating it and saw no reason for it other than it delighted her granddaughter.
So, bad food equals love. I know that.
But if you served me some Snack Pack Butterscotch at Tarantula Fest, over at the tent where everyone is vomiting cilantro, I'd still stop everything and say, "Goddammit, this is marvelous."


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Strap Top
Lovely lace top with V-neck and adjustable straps. The popular top is designed with an elegant lace around the neckline and at the hem. The top is available in several colours and is easily styled. Wear it as it is or underneath a shirt or a blazer for a classy and feminine look. - Size 38 is approx. 62 cm long. - Machine wash on max 40 degrees. - Do not tumble dry.


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Construction Materials Testing
Specifications are enforced through quality control in construction. Systematic testing of construction materials is the means by which the architect, engineer, or owner can be sure that materials being used by the contractor are of the quality specified.
AREHNA is staffed and equipped to provide trained engineering technicians at the construction site to perform required tests and inspections related to soils, concrete and pavement systems. Additionally, our in-house, FDOT approved, USACE validated, and AASHTO accredited, construction materials laboratory is equipped to perform a wide range of testing including:
Soil Testing
- Classification and Property Testing
- Limerock Bearing Ratio Testing
- Moisture-Density Relationship Testing
- Corrosion Series Testing
- CBR Testing
- Sand Cone Densities
Concrete & Aggregate Testing
- Compressive Strength Testing
- Gradation Testing
- LA Abrasion Testing
Asphalt Testing
- Compressive Strength Testing
- Extraction-gradation and RICE Testing
- Thickness and Density of Asphalt Cores
Construction Monitoring & Inspection
When a project enters the construction phase, our team is ready to support the project with inspections, observations, and field testing. Our experienced engineering technicians are ACI and CTQP certified. Some of these services include:
- Soil Density Testing
- Concrete Sampling and Testing
- Asphalt Placement Monitoring and Testing
- Compaction and Chemical Grout Monitoring
- Augercast Pile Monitoring
- Vibro-Replacement Monitoring
- Foundation Excavation Inspection
- Drilled Shaft Monitoring
- Pile Driving Monitoring
- Load Test Monitoring
- Soil Anchors/Tie-back Installation Monitoring
- Vibration Monitoring
- Post-Tensioned Concrete Monitoring
- Structural Inspections
Would you like more information?


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Well, that was a refreshing 3-year hiatus! In addition to winding up my long and illustrious career, I got hooked on the 2016 presidential election [actually I got hooked on one of the candidates and his progressive agenda]. One thing led to another and now I am more politically aware and actually participating in the process (not as much as others, but more than before).
With my first year of retirement behind me, I am looking forward to getting more control over my schedule (and over my health). One unintended consequence of my revived interest in things political is that I have not been able to spend nearly as much time as I had planned doing computer programming activities. That has begun to change, but is still being negotiated.
As you can see from the graphic, I have not stopped following international news.
Have a nice day until my next post (hopefully sooner than 2020).


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Annual non-discrimination tests for 401(k) plans are mandated by the IRS to ensure that a plan does not unduly benefit owners and highly compensated employees at the expense of other employees. The Actual Deferral Percentage (ADP) and Actual Contribution Percentage (ACP) tests must be passed in order to satisfy the non-discrimination requirements of the IRS if the plan is to continue. If the plan fails either test, the employer must take corrective action to protect its qualified status in the twelve month period following the close of the plan year in which the oversight occurred.
The ADP and ACP tests will uncover an unfair plan by examining the contribution percents of each group. The test first separates the company's employees into one of the two groups based largely on a set compensation amount. If compensation is greater than a specified dollar amount, the employee is highly compensated. If it is less than the specified dollar amount, the employee is non-highly compensated.
The ADP and ACP tests look at the average contribution percents of each group as a whole. The average contribution percent of the non-highly compensated group directly controls the allowable average of the highly compensated. To determine the allowed percentage of the highly compensated group, the highly compensated group must pass the 1.25 test or the 2% test.
Highly Compensated Employees (HCE):
A Highly Compensated Employee is an employee who for the preceding year had compensation of more than $110,000 (2009, 2010 and 2011) and, if the employer so elects, was in the top 20% of paid employees OR an employee who owns greater than 5% of the business, or is a family member of a 5% owner.
For 2012 plan year testing, a HCE is anyone who was a "5-percent owner" at any time during 2011 or 2012 or anyone who received in excess of $110,000 in compensation during 2011 and, if elected by the employer, is in the top twenty percent of employees based upon compensation. The HCE limit was also $110,000 for 2009, 2010 and 2011 plan year testing. The new HCE limit of $115,000 for 2012 is to be used for 2013 plan year testing.
Since the law includes a look-back provision, employees who earned more than $110,000 in 2010 are generally considered HCEs for 2011 plan year testing, employees who earned more than $110,000 in 2011 are generally considered HCEs for 2012 plan year testing and employees who will earn more than $115,000 in 2012 are generally considered HCEs for 2013 plan year testing.
Actual Deferral Percentage (ADP) Test:
The ADP test measures the deferral rates of two groups: Highly Compensated Employees and Non-Highly-Compensated Employees. For the ADP test, the ratio is salary deferred divided by compensation. The average percent of salary deferred by and to HCEs cannot exceed certain limits based on the average percent of salary deferred by and to the Non-HCEs in the current or preceding year. Essentially, the Non-HCEs of salary deferred as a group on average determine how much the HCEs of salary deferred can be as a group on average.
A plan will pass the test if the average deferrals for the HCEs do not exceed 1.25 times that of the average deferrals for the Non-HCEs OR the average deferrals of HCEs do not exceed the lesser of (a) two percentage points above or (b) two times the average deferrals of Non-HCEs.
Actual Contribution Percentage (ACP) Test:
The ACP test is exactly the same as the ADP only the numerator of the ratio are matching contributions and/or employee after-tax contributions instead of salary deferrals. The same ratio limits between HCE's and Non-HCE's are applied to this ratio to determine if the plan has passed the ACP test.
If it is determined that the Plan has failed either the ADP or ACP test, corrective action must be taken within certain time limits in order for the Plan to maintain it's qualified status. The employer may select from various options depending on the time period when the failure was discovered. These options will be discussed in future articles.
The 1.25 test is satisfied if the highly compensated group does not exceed 1.25 times the average contribution percent of the non-highly compensated group. For example, if the non-highly compensated group's average was 3%, the highly compensated group's average would be limited to 3.75%.
The 2% test is satisfied if the average contribution percent of the highly compensated group is not greater than 2% or no more than twice the average of the non-highly compensated group. Put simply, the highly compensated group's limit is determined by adding 2% to the non-highly group's average, or doubling that average, whichever result is smallest.
Jostock & Jostock, P.C.
Questions: firstname.lastname@example.com
Legal Blog/Article Disclaimer


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It is very possible to know and often very easy to detect if a woman is pregnant before she even misses her menstrual cycle. Women who are trying to conceive, and for whom monitoring their basal body temperature is a usual exercise, they may record fluctuations in their basal temperature at or around the time of ovulation. One of the earliest possible signs of pregnancy is when that temperature remains high after ovulation and then remains high when your next period is due.
Learning to monitor and record your basal body temperature is a very important, simple and useful skill that all women should have, especially women who are trying to conceive. This skill does not require any specialized training or tools.
There are many other symptoms which would allow a woman to believe they are showing the earliest signs of pregnancy. Are your breast tender? do they show any signs of enlargement?. Another sign of pregnancy is frequent trips to the bathroom. This increase in frequency is not as a result of the pushing on the bladder, a condition that only happens until the fetus is much larger. The frequent trips to the bathroom is as a result of an increase in hormones, the (HCG) hormones or human chorionic gonadotropin, in the woman's body. This hormone, if present in the urine is one of the very first sign of pregnancy and it is often tested for by 90% of the popular home pregnancy test. Your doctor may also request a lab work where this very same hormone is tested.
A number of women who are showing early signs of pregnancy may experience some level of cramping within the first few weeks of pregnancy. The growing embryo needs a place to fit, and hence the ligaments need to create space for the incoming embryo when it expand to full size. Some woman may or may not feel this pain, but many others during the course of several weeks will experience unusual cramping and tightening of the uterus. This indicates clear evidence of the earliest possible signs of pregnancy.
While there may be several reasons why a woman may experience irregularities in her menstrual cycle, a missed period is a good indicator to suspect pregnancy. It is important to note that stress or changes in exercise routine can also cause a woman to miss here period. If the period is very short or just spotting, then this is also an indicator that pregnancy may be present. However, a missed period should be viewed together with the other conditions mentioned before when determining early signs of pregnancy. If in doubt, then this is a good time to purchase a known reliable home pregnancy test.
Some test are not as reliable and they may be unable to detect the HCG hormone in the urine in the early weeks. At this point, you will be best advise to consult your doctor and share with him the evidence you have which suggest to you that they are the earliest signs of pregnancy. As mentioned before, he may or may not order lab work, which would definitely confirm whether you are pregnant.
When you confirm you pregnancy, celebration may or may not be the next thing to follow, but if it is and if you are a drinker or a smoker, you must not include those in the celebration. Caffeine consumption should also be eliminated. These substance will harm the embryo, and in the long run will stunt its weight growth. If you are one who is not use to eating right, now would be a good time to start.


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A rebounding lesson from Britain
Donald Trump now looks for inspiration across the pond. "I think we're gonna have a Brexit situation," he has said, claiming Britain's unexpected vote in June to leave the European Union as an example of poll-defying right-wing populist intensity.
Presented with this comparison, Michael Gove, a member of Parliament and one of the architects of Brexit, emphasized the dissimilarities. Gove told me that the Brexit majority did include "nationalists concerned with sovereignty" and working-class voters who blame stagnant wages on unskilled migration. But there were also "free-market liberals" focused primarily on the "regulations and tariffs" imposed by the EU.
Euroskepticism, Gove argued, is broader than working-class populism. "The most ardent free traders are the most opposed to the EU," he noted. "A closer analogy," he said, "is 1776," in which the colonists resented "paying for a distant, inaccessible empire that bossed them around." This spirit of revolt against an unresponsive bureaucracy is different from Trump's authoritarian populism. For its breadth, Gove also compared Euroskepticism to "the Cold War coalition, which included everyone from Ayn Rand to John Paul II." Because of this diversity, Brexit may "mean free trade, or much less trade; it is an open question."
The political comparison between the Trump movement and the Brexit coalition is weak. (And the idea that polls in Britain did not register the strength of Brexit support is a myth.) But center-right parties in both countries are facing similar ideological pressures. Many Western nations are experiencing an intense reaction against economic globalization and multiculturalism by voters who feel forgotten. In Britain, according to Gove, this involves a sense that "those who take [economic] decisions are insulated from the outcomes." That certainly has a trans-Atlantic resonance.
But Britain's Conservative Party has two great advantages over the Republican Party. While the success of Brexit brought down Prime Minister David Cameron (who staked his reputation on the fight against it), his party did not turn to an unelectable demagogue. The new prime minister, Theresa May, was notable for spending much of her career unnoticed. She rose by laying low. She speaks rarely, with the authority that accumulates in the silences. And she has turned out to be a subtle politician, putting the most vocal advocates of Brexit in charge of the Brexit negotiation process. If the result is a disaster (as it may well be), the public will know who deserves the blame.
The Conservative Party's other advantage over the GOP is the fact that its ideological opposition has essentially collapsed. The British Labour Party was so intent on rejecting Tony Blair and all his works that it chose as its leader a socialist ideologue with an expiration date of 1945. The field is essentially clear. Members of Parliament joke that May's biggest opposition is the value of the pound.
So how does May intend on repositioning her party in the aftermath of Brexit? In her first statement as prime minister, she spoke directly to people who are "just managing." "I know you're working around the clock," she said. "I know you're doing your best, and I know that sometimes life can be a struggle. The government I lead will be driven not by the interests of the privileged few, but by yours."
May has gotten the values part right — a conservatism that speaks to wage workers facing profound economic rupture — but the appropriate policies are yet to be determined. People involved in her policy development process variously talk of "Mayism" as the promotion of social mobility, as the development of an "industrial policy" that includes a "massive skills step-up," and as the pursuit of social reform on issues such as human trafficking and mental health.
In Britain, the center-right party has been sobered into self-reflection. In America, it is on the verge of being destroyed. Instead of doing something essential and difficult — finding creative ways to help the "just managing" working class without alienating rising minorities — Republicans are working out internal grudges and dealing with the demons of a narcissistic misogynist. And there is little hope that Election Day will end the bitterness. A recent poll found that Republicans, by a majority of 51 percent to 33 percent, believe Trump to be a better representative of GOP views than House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Only a leader larger than both is likely to turn the GOP toward necessary tasks. And he or she may be quieter than we imagine.
Michael Gerson's email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.
(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group


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The Truth About Uber: Should You Buy the Dip?
Ian Dyer here.
In today's Bold Profits Daily video update, I take a closer look at and discuss the truth about Uber and discuss the headlines you're seeing, my take on Uber's earnings and what we at Bold Profits see in store for Uber in the months and years ahead.
Here are a few highlights:
- Ride-sharing — projected to become a $220 billion industry by 2025, up from $61 billion last year. That's a rise of nearly 360%.
- Food delivery — expected to be a $162 billion industry by 2024.
- Autonomous vehicles — rising to become a $29 billion industry by 2024.
Check out my video below:
Ian Dyer
Editor, Rapid Profit Trader


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[EMN] Nephalia Academy
Nephalia academy
If a spell or ability an oponent controls causes you to discard a card you may reveal the card and put it on top of your library instead of anywhere else
(t) add <> to your mana pool
I was wondering what people thought about putting this in the eldrazi/tks shops decks as a one or two of since discard seems to be on the rise, any thoughts on this? possible sideboard card or is discard not that much of a concern for the eldrazi decks?
brianpk80 last edited by
It's an unfortunate card because it recognizes that we have an issue with rampant discard yet it still puts you down -1 CA and very surprisingly it doesn't even interact with the Thought-Knot Seer, which exiles cards rather than forces discard. One would think given these cards were designed to co-exist in Standard for over a year that the latter one would actually address the issues created by the former...
boerma last edited by
Discard (excluding non-blind Cabal Therapy) does not really put you down -1CA though, as the opponent is also spending their discard spell.
@boerma said:
Discard (excluding non-blind Cabal Therapy) does not really put you down -1CA though, as the opponent is also spending their discard spell.
Opponent goes down 1 spell in hand. You go down 1 spell in hand. You get set back 1 draw. You are down a card.
Of course quality plays a part in the equation which is not so easy to quantify - if they try to make you discard a mentor for example, is redrawing it better than what you would have drawn?
MaximumCDawg last edited by
I can't tell you how many games I've lost because I didn't have Library of Leng in play.
No, really, I have no idea.
boerma last edited by
@Khahan Using this effect is optional, so if you don't want to re-draw the card you don't have to. Good cards go back, bad cards get binned. If anything, this makes the quality of your draws go up. The benefit is marginal and probably not worth it (playing this over Library, Mikokoro, Sea Gate Wreckage, …), but it's still positive.


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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) - Kinder Morgan
reported after the bell Tuesday fourth-quarter earnings of $178.7 million, or $1.43 cents a share, compared with $80.8 million, or 65 cents, a year ago. Operating revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31 totaled $325.8 million, up from $280.2 million a year earlier. Analysts polled by Thomson First Call had expected the Houston-based energy company to hand in earnings of $1.00 a share. For the full year, Kinder Morgan Inc. posted net earnings of $522.1 million, or $4.18 a share, compared with $381.7 million, or $3.08 a share, for 2003.
Jim Jelter was an editor for MarketWatch in San Francisco.
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T&N Debut Album "Slave To The Empire" Out Now
T&N, the new band featuring George Lynch, Jeff Pilson and "Wild" Mick Brown – aka "The Big Three" from Dokken, will be released their debut album "Slave To The Empire" on October 31st via Rat Pak Records.
"Slave To The Empire" was was produced by the band and recorded in Los Angeles at Pilson's Pilsongs Studios. The album's12 tracks consist of seven new original songs with Pilson on vocals, and five re-recorded classic Dokken songs that feature sensational vocal performances by Tim "Ripper" Owens, Doug Pinnick (Kings X), Sebastian Bach, and Robert Mason (Warrant).
The band came together when Lynch asked Pilson to collaborate on new material. "George asked me about working with him on the next Lynch Mob record — and I jumped at the chance" states Pilson. "He and I started writing, got into a groove and wrote an album's worth of stuff, all with the intention of Oni [Logan, Lynch Mob singer] writing lyrics and it being their next record. Brian Tichy laid down some incredible drums at his studio (and co-wrote some music on one track) and we had an incredibly strong start. Then Oni just wasn't feeling the music as being Lynch Mob, so it was shelved. We figured it'd be the start of another Lynch/Pilson record some day. Then, actually, it was Brian who had the idea that Mick, George and I should do a band, similar to what Heaven & Hell was to Black Sabbath, and call it Tooth & Nail (now T&N due to a legal dispute with Tooth & Nail Records). Because of everything else we have going, it'll be just a recording project at first, but sure sounds fun. We'd record the classics keeping true to the originals but make them fresh and organic. Then the idea of doing new songs came up, and it grew from there."
Mick, Jeff, and I have been playing together for many years" states Lynch. "When we go way back in time, we always had the most fun when we were just sitting in a room together or up on stage with the three of us playing."
"Don't think of this as Dokken without Don -that's misleading" adds Pilson. "Think of it as a band with great chemistry coming up with new music that excites them, and also paying tribute to Dokken music which the members all are heavily invested in emotionally. Don is, and will always be, the singer of Dokken and an invaluable part of the Dokken chemistry. No one ever wants to take that away or dispute it one iota. However, the three of us do have time tested amazing chemistry, and because we were writers on these songs, I feel we have a lot to express. If anything, I think this will be a show of respect for Don, not some kind of competition. I only hope people enjoy it in the spirit for which it's intended."
The new material on Slave To The Empire is passionate music with a message. On the opening title track, Pilson challenges the listener to rise up against the system and think for themselves. "What did it take to forge your every thought into an empty state of mind / Always looking for what isn't lost and the first to follow blind / Can't you see what's going on / You're a slave to the empire."
"This record is not meant to be preachy or overly political" states Pilson. "We just want to encourage people that no matter where you come from, don't be asleep at the wheel."
"Slave To The Empire" track listing:
- Slave to the Empire
- Sweet Unknown
- Tooth and Nail (featuring Doug Pinnick of Kings X)
- It's Not Love (featuring Robert Mason of Warrant)
- Rhythm of the Soul
- When Eagles Die
- Into The Fire
- Alone Again (featuring Sebastian Bach)
- Mind Control
- Kiss of Death (featuring Tim "Ripper" Owens)
- Jesus Train
- Access Denied
For more information, check out the band's website:
T&N Facebook:


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O2 Lift Facial is on special-Regular $90 now $80
As we age, the oxygen levels in our facial tissue naturally decline, decreasing blood circulation and causing our skin to look dull. By applying oxygen directly to your face, you can bring back that radiance, freshness, clarity and the firmness of your youth. Oxygen not only softens fine lines and wrinkles, but also kills bacteria, giving the skin a clearer looking complexion. The skin will be smoother, thus making makeup application easier. Receiving oxygen facials will provide instant effects by plumping and hydrating the skin, soften fine lines and wrinkles and un-clog pores, allowing for your skin cells to turn over much faster. The Image O2 Lift Facial a professional treatment designed to do just that and more. Call Outer Image Spa today for an appointment 941 350-0942 www.outerimagespa.com


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Gospel Principles Lesson #7: The Holy Ghost
–When I began student teaching, I was atrocious at classroom management. Fortunately, my supervising teacher would sit at her desk, which happened to be behind the overhead screen, and whisper suggestions to me. It helped dramatically to have real-time, specific, experienced wisdom and I improved a lot.
–We can have that kind of help in all aspects of our lives if we choose to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, which is our topic today.
The Holy Ghost Came to Adam and Eve
–Read Moses 5:1-12.
–For our purposes today of focusing on the Holy Spirit, let's take v9 as a turning point, since that is when "the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam."
–What happened _before_ the Spirit fell upon Adam? (Discuss major points in v1-8, emphasizing praying, following commandments, and especially obedience even when the reason for the obedience is not known. Make connections to how we need to also do those things to be prepared to have the Spirit in our lives.)
–Point out that in v9 the immediate effect of the Spirit is an increased testimony of the Savior.
–What happened _after_ the Spirit fell upon Adam? (Discuss major points in v10-12, emphasizing prophesying, reflecting on past experiences, pondering, worship, and teaching. Make connections to how we do these things when we have the Spirit in our lives.)
–Others thoughts on this passage?
Attributes of the Holy Ghost
–President Packer said, "We do not have the words–even the scriptures do not have the words–which perfectly describe the Spirit." (New Era, 2/10, p3.) I like this because deep theological reflection normally gives me headaches. We know that the Spirit is part of the Godhead, can influence us, and does not have a body. But there is a lot we don't know.
The Mission of the Holy Ghost
–"The convincing power of the Holy Ghost is so great that there can be no doubt that what He reveals to us is true." Really? Because of the 100s of times when I think I have been inspired, I can only say that there is absolutely no doubt for a handful of those times. Does that mean the rest were not inspiration?[1]
–Larger issue of what we do when we are not sure if something is inspiration (or is it just me that has that problem?). Discuss.
–From introduction: "As they came to earth, the memory of their heavenly home was taken from them. But our Father did not shut them away from His influence. He sent the Holy Ghost to comfort and help and guide all of His spirit children." This is interesting to me because the function of the Spirit is often to help us remember (our mortal experiences). Read John 14:26. Thoughts about the role of the Spirit in helping us remember? (Point out that this puts an obligation on us to _learn_ and _experience_ things that we can later remember.)
–What experiences with the Holy Spirit have you had _that are appropriate to share_ that have helped you understand the mission of the Spirit?
–"As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we should make ourselves worthy to receive this special messenger and witness of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ." Thoughts on how we teach new members, children, etc. about how the Spirit can work in their lives?
–D & C 8 is a revelation in response to Oliver Cowdery's desire to translate. Read v2-3.
–NB heart and mind–be suspicious of just one . . . we are perhaps right to worry that people might do crazy things because they think they are inspired . . . how might we guard against this?
–Elder Holland: "Why would the Lord use example of crossing the Red Sea as the classic example of "the spirit of revelation"?" Discuss.
His answer: revelation "almost always comes in response to a question." Then "fear almost always plays a destructive, sometimes paralyzing role." Third: God will provide the means.
Note that I borrowed from Robert Couch's excellent discussion of this lesson, which you can read here.
[1] Personally, I don't think that statement in the manual is completely accurate. I've noticed a tendency in this manual to have sentences that serve to summarize a quotation by way of introducing it; this might not be a problematic practice in itself, but there are some cases when the introductory summary goes far beyond what the quotation says, and I think this is one of those cases. But despite its overreaching (or, perhaps, because of it) I think this is a useful statement for discussion. Or maybe I've just misunderstood the statement, but I can't think of any other way to read it that isn't just a tautology.


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I am a sinful person (as if the Evil in my blog's title was not proof enough).
This tart is proof of my sinful ways. You see, in my heart of hearts I am a slothful person. Don't tell anyone, but there is nothing I like better than to spend a lazy day at home in my jammies watching movies while I neglect the housework, and my adult responsibilities. I have overcome my lazy nature for the most part, my lazy days are few and far between, but sometimes I slip. Like when I want a pretty, fancy, very special treat that looks like I slaved when I did no such thing. I guess add vanity and deceit to my list of sins! Oh dear. Anyway, this tart looks like it takes a lot of effort, but it is the work of moments, and it can be made a day ahead. Bonus! It is made with a super easy to work with crust, a homemade filling made primarily in a food processor, and topped with thin slices of apple. See, easy!
I love traditional frangipane, that sweet paste made from ground almonds, sugar, and eggs. As I prefer pecans, I decided to try making a pecan version of frangipane. It worked like a dream! It produces a thick, buttery yet not overly sweet filling that pairs well with tart apple. Granny Smith was my preference here, to help keep the sweetness in check, but any firm baking apple you like would be fine, just be a little more sparing with sugar on top of the tart if you have a particularly sweet apple. Everything is arranged in a short crust pastry, which is really like a giant butter cookie. What I like about this crust is how easy it is to work with! It rolls out really quickly and is less prone to tears and cracks. Just be sure to work with it in a floured surface and keep it cool. As I said before, you can make this tart a day ahead, just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature before serving. This is perfect with coffee or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Or both. Because, as I am counting my sins now, I am also riddled with greed!
- For the crust:
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- For the filling:
- 8 ounces pecan paste (recipe follows), approximately 1 cup
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup apricot jelly
- Pecan Paste Yield 12 ounces
- 1½ cups pecans
- 1⅓ cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg white
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Begin by preparing the crust.
- In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a medium bowl with a hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar and mix on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and mix on low until the flour is absorbed, then increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough clumps on the paddle, about 20 seconds.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 10 times, or until the dough forms a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
- While the dough chills prepare the filling.
- In the same work bowl you used to prepare the crust add the pecan paste, sugar, butter, flour, and egg. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds then turn the mixer up to medium high and beat until the mixture is lighter in color, about 1 minute.
- Heat the oven to 375F.
- Once chilled pull the dough out of the refrigerator and let stand for 5 minutes to warm up. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to ⅛-inch thick, about a 14-inch circle, turning the dough often to make sure it does not stick. Dust the surface with additional flour if needed.
- Gently tuck the dough into an 11-inch tart pan, making sure not to stretch or pull the dough. Once you line the tart pan remove any excess dough by rolling your rolling pin gently across the top of the pan.
- Spread the pecan filling evenly inside the tart pan. Starting at the outside, layer the apple slices onto the filling in concentric circles. Dust the apples with the sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake the tart for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is deeply golden and the apples are very tender. Cool completely to room temperature before unmolding the tart. Brush the top of the tart with melted apricot jelly before serving.
- *To prepare the pecan paste place all the ingredients into the work bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse until the nuts are ground then let the machine run until the paste is smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to an airtight container and chill for 1 hour before use. Keeps for 1 month in the refrigerator.
© 2014, Evil Shenanigans. All rights reserved.


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The Theatre is a stately, spacious area on the first floor of Building 41. With the original stage, the classic ceiling and antique wooden floors, the original style of the officers' quarter has been preserved. The room is ideal for plenary sessions with up to 300 persons, a party or a festive presentation. Combine it with the Gallery for a reception, cocktailparty or dinner and the exclusive use of the entire building for your guests.
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