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What’s up with ARM - pmjordan http://ldn.linuxfoundation.org/blog-entry/what%E2%80%99s-with-arm ====== edderly Some context: _Gaah. Guys, this whole ARM thing is a f-cking pain in the ass_ <https://lkml.org/lkml/2011/3/17/492> _Let ARM rot in the mainline. I really don't care anymore._ <https://lwn.net/Articles/441384/> It'll be interesting to see what direction this goes. Considering also the forks for the Android kernel and the different directions ARM development wants to go compared to Intel. ~~~ dochtman Yeah, this isn't really new to anyone who reads the LWN (which is edited by the author of the OP, BTW). The LWN is really very good, and subscribing is worth it for those hackers who care about the larger Linux/POSIX ecosystem. ------ zdw This is very welcome. ARM has tended to be somewhat difficult to port to - vendors have multiple versions of the instruction set out there depending on device size/power requirements, with different floating point units (NEON, VFP) etc. The result is we end up with situations like OpenEmbedded supporting multiple kernel trees in it's build engine just to take care of the wide range of hardware it supports. Hopefully this will make the situation somewhat better. ~~~ rbanffy Anything that increases functionality/LoC in the kernel is good. In any complex software project - and the Linux kernel is about as complex as sanity and present technology will allow - you have to do periodical codebase clean- ups. This is one case where the pain to maintain is forcing a cleanup. And, as always, it's discussed openly, so, whoever depends on it doesn't get surprised by the next release. ------ paines This biggest problem with ARM devices is, that the only devices out there for usage are embedded ones. Up to now there is only one Notebook out there (alwaysinnovating) which could be used as a computer on a daily basis. But IMHO 10'' is too small to do serious stuff. 13'' is minimum. Hope we will see them soon in the wild.

A formal enantioselective acetate Mannich reaction: the nitro functional group as a traceless agent for activation and enantiocontrol in the synthesis of beta-amino acids. A two-step procedure involving the enantioselective addition of alpha-nitro esters to imines, followed by reductive denitration, provides a convenient new enantioselective synthesis of beta-amino acids. Specifically, beta-phenyl alanine derivatives with up to 98% ee are formed in good yield (64-88%) over two steps. The utility of the approach is demonstrated through the first enantioselective synthesis of the key beta-amino acid of (+)-chaenorhine.

You are here Yamaha Motif Rack It seems simple enough — take the successful Motif workstation, remove the keyboard, and release it as a more affordable rack unit. But there's lots more to the Motif Rack than meets the eye... As the owner of a studio best described as compact and bijou, I have always applauded the practice of repackaging synthesizers and other keyboard instruments into space-saving rack modules — and latterly, zero-mass software! In many cases, it can be some time after the release of the original keyboard version until the rack module makes an appearance — time enough for the manufacturer to gauge the success of the original instrument, and thus infer a viable market for a module. Yamaha claim on their web site that a modular version of the Motif has been their most-requested product — so, one-and-a-half years after the release of the acclaimed Motif 6, 7 and 8 workstations, the Motif Rack is born. The Motif 7 was reviewed in depth by Derek Johnson and Debbie Poyser in SOS September 2001, so I recommend referring to this for a detailed description of the Motif synthesis engine and other features. The Motif Rack can essentially be described as 'the sound of the Motif in a box' — however, there are some significant functional and feature differences between the keyboard and rack versions. The Motif Rack is a 1U rack, measuring 35cm in depth. The front silver-and-blue liveried panel hosts the 20 buttons, rotary encoder dial and 160x64 backlit LCD display that control the synth within. A master volume control, headphone socket and power switch complete the line-up. Round the back we find the usual wall-wart power connection and MIDI In/Out/Thru. There are six analogue outputs (a stereo Master plus four assignables), S/PDIF and optical digital outputs as standard, and a USB connector. Anyone familiar with the numerous controls on the Motif keyboards may be wondering how on earth all of its features can be condensed down to 20 buttons and a dial. Obviously the control faders and knobs of the keyboard are absent, as are the (redundant) master keyboard controls. Two other principal features of the keyboard versions are also missing from the Motif Rack. Firstly, the Motif Rack has no onboard sampling, nor is there any facility for importing samples — hence no internal sample RAM. Secondly, there is no onboard sequencer — the Motif Rack is purely a tone generator. The Motif synth engine has nevertheless not been compromised in any way as a result of these omissions — if anything, it has been given a shot of steroids The basic Voice structure remains the same — AWM2 (ie. sample-based) waveforms, four AWM2 elements per Voice with subtractive synthesis, each element having ADDSR envelopes for Amp, and HADDSRs for both Filter and Pitch, 20 filter types (six low-pass filters, two high-pass filters, four band-pass filters, one notch filter — or band-elimination filter, as it is called here — and seven dual filters) and one LFO. The major enhancement here is a polyphony of 128 voices, as opposed to the Motif's 62. The effects have also been upgraded to Business Class; the Global effects now boast eight new reverb algorithms (totalling 20) and there are 44 chorus options, which include a selection of 25 reverb/delays and 19 chorus-type effects (see the 'Rack Vs Keyboard Versions' box below). The two Insert effects have also had a makeover — each Insert now has a range of 107 effects to choose from, whereas the Motif had 25 for Insert 1 and 104 for Insert 2. The number of Preset Voices has been upped from three banks to five — each with 128 Presets, totalling 640. There are now two user-programmable banks of 128 instead of one, and even the outputs have been augmented to a total of six — one master stereo pair and four assignables. Due to the absence of an onboard sequencer, the Motif Keyboards' Performance and sequencer Song modes are now represented on the Motif Rack by a Multi mode. This actually handles both of the latter modes in one. You can either dial up a Multi directly from the User bank, or you can access a preset 'library' of Multis. On the review model, this library contains 124 configurations, arranged into two Banks. Bank 1 consists of 59 Performance-type Multis — ie. up to four velocity and keyrange-scaleable parts, all receiving on one fixed MIDI channel, thus making complex layered sounds, some with a drum groove at the lower end of the keyboard overlapping with a pad in the middle and a lead sound at the top. Bank 2 contains 65 Multi-type presets, or 16-part multitimbral configurations, for use with a sequencer. Setups for a variety of musical genres are available here; if you wish, you can simply select the library preset closest to your requirements, then copy it to the temporary buffer. From here you can edit it out of all recognition if you desire, then save it to the Multi User bank. The Arpeggiator remains basically the same as on the original Motif, save for the absence of a User bank — so no bespoke patterns can be created. Nevertheless, fans of Philip Glass will have a whale of a time with the 256 patterns on offer — especially the chordal types. There are various ways to manipulate the patterns; notes can be sorted in the order in which they are played, key velocity can be acknowledged or ignored, and key and velocity ranges can be set. The velocity range is especially useful — if you set the arpeggiator to engage above a certain point, say velocity 120, then any notes played below that threshold will play the voice as normal. In this way you could play an acoustic guitar melody, then hit a chord hard for an instant flamenco flourish — olé! Unlike the Motif, the Motif Rack transmits its arpeggiations from the MIDI Out port, enabling you to arpeggiate any external synth, or to record the arpeggios into a sequencer. My only wish would be that you could have more than one instance of the arpeggiator in a Multi — unfortunately it can only be assigned to one Part, but this is exactly when the ability to record the arpeggio's output to a sequencer should come in very handy indeed. Although the Motif Rack lacks the sampler functions of the keyboard Motifs, it still retains the option to install plug-in boards from Yamaha's PLG range. These plug-ins offer different types of synthesis — analogue modelling, FM and acoustic physical modelling, for example. Not only do they add a complete new instrument to the Motif Rack, they also add their own polyphony and effects — meaning the Motif Rack's own engine is augmented, not compromised. See the 'Plug-In Boards' box for a list of the boards currently suitable for the Motif Rack. Whereas the keyboard Motifs can accommodate three such plug-in boards, the Motif Rack can only take two, due to the obvious size restrictions. The Presets for these boards are already in the Motif Rack's OS, so the sounds are ready to roll from the moment you install a board. The Motif Rack ships with a CD containing audio demos of the PLG plug-ins, plus various application softwares. As well as the requisite Yamaha USB drivers, there are various voice editors — Voice Editor for Motif Rack, editors for each of the PLG plug-ins, and a sequencer, SQ01. Of these, the voice editor and SQ01 sequencer are of particular interest here. The Motif Rack's 160x64 display and 20 buttons, while not too painfully minimalist, are about as economical as they could be without being obstructive. The software editor therefore comes as a welcome bonus, and it was a simple matter to install the USB drivers and software. The voice editor is well-thought-out and very intuitive, making deep-level voice-editing of Motif Rack sounds a relative doddle. Sadly you cannot edit Multis in this program, which means you must endure a certain amount of cursoring and dialling. Nevertheless, you can download the entire voice contents of the Motif Rack to your computer, edit and rearrange the voices, save them, edit effects and so on. There's also an integral librarian function, so all your sounds can be archived to your hard drive. SQ01 deserves a special mention too — it is a fully functional MIDI + Audio sequencer, and while it may not exactly be Sonar or Cubase SX, I was surprised at the extent of the facilities it offers for a free program. Certainly it would be a great help for anyone starting out on a limited budget who wants to get into some serious Motif Rack action while waiting for the funds to accrue towards a sequencer upgrade. The bad news is that SQ01 is only available for Windows... For a 1U rack, the Motif Rack offers a decent number of outputs (one main stereo pair plus four mono assignable outs), plus the MIDI and USB connectors.Photo: Mark Ewing Editing without the software editor can be fairly slow — there's a lot of cursoring to be done, and the rotary dial can sometimes be annoyingly slow when going from one parameter extreme to the other. An Undo facility would help when you're experimenting with values — my dialling finger would certainly agree. Some voice parameters are perhaps not as detailed as on other synths — others more so. For example, each element has only one LFO, with a choice of only three waveforms, and the LFO delay time is combined into one parameter with the fade-in time. By comparison, Roland's XV synth tones have two LFOs, each with 11 waveforms, separate LFO delay and fade, and four fade modes. That said, the Motif Rack voice has 20 filter types as opposed to the Roland's six, not to mention a global Common LFO that enjoys 13 waveforms, and the Motif's amplifier and filter keyboard scaling is blessed with four adjustable breakpoints — very nice — in contrast to the Roland's linear slope. There are a few other editing issues: there is no means of editing two or more elements simultaneously, and you can't copy the settings of one element to another within the Temp Edit buffer. This is true even when editing from your computer. You can copy elements from already saved voices, but each time you want to copy an element, you have to save the sound you're editing before you've finished, which isn't too sensible. In Multi mode, you can make some basic 'offset' type edits to voices while they are in situ within the Multi, but you don't have access to fully detailed, individual element parameters. The amount of reverb and chorus applied to a Voice is global — in other words, there is no individual send level for each Voice element. Although up to four Insert effects can be used per Multi, they must have been programmed into the relevant Voices first. While this is not as flexible as on some other synths, the quality of the effects is consistently first class. One disturbing thing came to light whilst constructing a test multitimbral piece in Sonar — the Motif Rack exhibited some conspicuous timing problems when playing a simple six-part tune. Initially, I thought it was due to the Motif being sluggish to respond over its MIDI ports, but the problem persisted, even when I banished MIDI in favour of the USB port. Loading the same song into SQ01 produced the same timing errors. In order to confirm there was no problem within the sequencers, I copied the drum part to an adjacent track, and routed it to a completely different synth module. This played the drum part back perfectly in time — while the duplicate Motif Rack drum part stumbled conspicuously, and was noticeably late in triggering. In order to get some idea of exactly how much, I recorded an audio snippet of the twin drum parts and inspected the waveform at a high zoom factor. The results showed an average discrepancy of around 1800 samples — ie. 40 milliseconds at 44.1kHz sample rate (the sequence was at 86bpm). Mindful of the fact that sequencers prioritise the scanning of tracks in numerical order (the Motif drums were on track 10, according to their default MIDI channel) I moved both drum tracks to the top of the track list. The problem was slightly ameliorated, but there was still a distinct flamming between the part from the Motif and the one from the other module, more than would otherwise be expected from 'normal' MIDI-timing discrepancies. This time, the delay measured on average 400 samples, which translates into around nine milliseconds — better, but still perceptable. This is a potentially serious problem for a multitimbral synth. As a performance synth, the Motif Rack is a fine-sounding machine, made all the more attractive by the option to add plug-in synth boards. The sounds it produces cover a vast palette of musical genres, and are well-suited to meet the increasing demand for an all-purpose synth that can tackle pretty much any style of music. However, as a multitimbral workstation module, the Motif Rack fared less well at the time of this review due to the timing problems reported above. Yamaha were made aware of this problem, and at the time of going to press were trying to nail it down and see if it was something that could be resolved with a software upgrade, as opposed to a more serious hardware-based problem. Depending on what they find, UK customers may have the benefit, as the Motif Rack was about to start shipping in the UK when Yamaha found out about the problem, and the release has been delayed at the time of writing. As we went to press, Yamaha had the following to say on the subject: "To date, we're unaware of any problematic issues relating to Motif Rack, however thanks to the diligence of the Sound On Sound team we're taking steps to fully investigate this situation, and will be able to respond shortly. Unfortunately, because of the deadlines involved with this issue, we cannot make a full statement, but will of course do so before the product ships within the UK market. For any updates and news, please keep an eye on the SOS web site, where you'll be the first to hear the latest." I really do like the Motif Rack as a synth, so the altruist in me feels compelled to find some way to make it workable as it is. If you used the Motif Rack as your sole sound source, and adopted the practice of assigning any timing-critical parts to the lowest possible track numbers (ie. to the top of the list) then the timing issues might be considered negligible. However, I'm duty-bound to point out that the discrepancies begin to show up when the Motif Rack is part of a larger MIDI setup, in which context it is, after all, likely to be used — so this is clearly an issue which has to be resolved at the earliest opportunity. Taking the optimistic view that a solution is possible, I'll round up by saying that, given the choice of similarly priced (and cheaper) alternatives now available in the sample-based, multitimbral synth module arena, it is the additional sonic potential of those plug-in boards that is most likely to sway potential buyers in favour of the Motif Rack. Since Yamaha have been championing the mLAN cause by fitting the Motif 6/7/8 with a slot for an optional mLAN8E board, it's interesting to note that they have omitted this option from the Motif Rack — especially in view of the recent launch at Frankfurt of the mLAN-equipped 01X Production Studio. As we know, mLAN is supposed to be able to cope with many hundreds of MIDI channels and up to 128 channels of audio down one cable, and while this may be more relevant to the Motif 6/7/8 (with its integrated sampling sequencer), surely it would also be a useful feature on the Motif Rack? Particularly since the 01X can also function not only as an audio mixer but as a complete MIDI control surface — which could naturally be used to extend the performance potential of the Motif Rack. At present, it's not too clear when or whether other manufacturers will embrace mLAN (much less stick to the same set of rules...), so maybe Yamaha are biding their time until they release the next incarnation of the Motif. Extended polyphony and improved range of effects over Motif keyboards. Arpeggiator outputs over MIDI. cons Button-intensive editing without the software editor. Slightly inflexible effects deployment. Some worrying timing problems in multitimbral use at the time of review. summary The essential sound of the keyboard Motifs in a 1U rack, with enhancements. The absence of the sampler and sequencer facilities are made up for with a doubling of polyphony, more effects and outputs, extra preset and user banks, arpeggiator output over MIDI and an excellent (if PC-only...) software sequencer. However, at the time of writing, the Motif Rack is compromised when operating multitimbrally, and this must be addressed before it can be considered a practical alternative to the Motif keyboard.

Tumour micrometastases: the influence of angiogenesis. Many cancer patients have undetected micrometastatic disease at first presentation which ultimately progresses. Angiogenesis-the development of an independent blood supply-is a key event in the growth of metastases. Improved understanding of the influence of angiogenesis on micrometastatic growth may lead to new therapeutic intervention. This study examines current concepts of the significance of micrometastases and the role of angiogenesis in their development and destruction. A comprehensive review of the literature on micrometastasis and angiogenesis was performed using the Medline database between 1966 and 1999. Advances in technology have improved our ability to diagnose metastatic disease, but micrometastases in loco-regional lymph nodes and at distant sites can only be detected by sophisticated histological techniques. While the significance of micrometastases remains controversial, there is increasing evidence that micrometastatic status provides useful prognostic information and should be part of standard staging techniques. Anti-angiogenic therapy has the potential to favourably influence management of certain cancers by manipulating a number of key events in the metastatic process.

Q: Sorting HealthKit data by date I'm trying to get pulse data from HealthKit and sort them by date for use in a line chart. I'm running a 'for loop' to get the correct dates and put the results in an array before putting the results in the chart but it seems like they get put in a random order and I don't understand why. class Pulse { var pulse = 0.0 var startDate = Date() } var pulseData: [Pulse] = [] func getHeartBeatsForAWeek() { for i in 1...7 { getHeartBeats(startDate: date.getStartOfSpecificDateByAddingToToday(day: -i), endDate: date.getStartOfSpecificDateByAddingToToday(day: -i + 1)) } } func getHeartBeats(startDate: Date, endDate: Date) { PulseHelper.shared.averageHearthRate(startDate: startDate, endDate: endDate) { (data) in DispatchQueue.main.async { self.pulseData.append(data) self.updateGraph() } } } Here is my function for fetching the heart rate: func averageHearthRate(startDate: Date, endDate: Date, completion: @escaping (Pulse) -> Void) { let typeHeart = HKQuantityType.quantityType(forIdentifier: .heartRate) let startDate = startDate let endDate = endDate let predicate: NSPredicate? = HKQuery.predicateForSamples(withStart: startDate, end: endDate, options: HKQueryOptions.strictEndDate) let query = HKStatisticsQuery(quantityType: typeHeart!, quantitySamplePredicate: predicate, options: .discreteAverage, completionHandler: {(query: HKStatisticsQuery, result: HKStatistics?, error: Error?) -> Void in DispatchQueue.main.async(execute: {() -> Void in let quantity: HKQuantity? = result?.averageQuantity() let beats: Double? = quantity?.doubleValue(for: HKUnit.count().unitDivided(by: HKUnit.minute())) print("Got: \(String(format: "%.f", beats!)) from \(startDate)") let pulse = Pulse.init() pulse.pulse = beats! pulse.startDate = startDate completion(pulse) }) }) PermissionsHelper.shared.store.execute(query) } This is what I get when I print the results: Got: 82 from 2019-03-30 23:00:00 +0000 Got: 74 from 2019-03-31 22:00:00 +0000 Got: 73 from 2019-03-25 23:00:00 +0000 Got: 74 from 2019-03-27 23:00:00 +0000 Got: 70 from 2019-03-26 23:00:00 +0000 Got: 74 from 2019-03-29 23:00:00 +0000 Got: 108 from 2019-03-28 23:00:00 +0000 I'd like them to get in correct order. A: Just after adding an element to your array, you need to use the sort() function. Here you can find the documentation about all the ways you can implement it. In this situation, if pulseData is an array of Date ( [Date] ), you just need to call: self.pulseData.sort() EDIT: As you could see in the link to documentation I posted, there are several ways to use the sort() function in order to apply your sorting rule to a custom object. In this situation, let's assume you have this class: class Pulse { var pulse: Double = 0.0 var startDate = Date() init(p: Double,d: Date) { self.pulse = p self.startDate = d } } Create an array of Pulse objects: let pulse1 = Pulse(p: .., d: Date(...)) let pulse2 = Pulse(p: .., d: Date(...)) var pulseData: [Pulse] = [pulse1, pulse2] You can sort the array in this way: //Ascending order pulseData.sort(by: {$0.startDate < $1.startDate})

Sundby Church Sundby Church (Danish: Sundby Kirke) is a Church of Denmark parish church located on Amagerbrogade in Copenhagen, Denmark. Completed in 1870 to designs by Hans Jørgen Holm, it is the oldest church on the northern part of Amager. History In the middle of the 19th century, Sundby still belonged to the parish of Tårnby but the old village church there was located almost five kilometres away. A local committee was therefore established in 1868 to raise money for the construction of a new church, charging the architect Hans Jørgen Holm with its design. Construction began in 1869 and the new church was consecrated in 1870. Nathanael's Parish was disjoined from Sundby Parish in 1899. The church was refurbished by Frederik Zeuthen and Cai Bertelsen in 1963. Architecture The church has a cruciform plan and is built in red brick to a Neo-Romanseque design. The roof is topped by an octagonal flèche. The chancel faces north-east. Decorations include corner leseness and round arched friezes on the gables. A porch was built at the nave's south-west gable in 1941. Its tympanum and bronze door were designed by the artist Max Andersen. The bronze door was installed in 1974 to mark the 100th anniversary of the church. The tympanum's relief is identical to the one above the entrance of Absalon Church on Sønder Boulevard. The six reliefs on the bronze door show scenes associated with the Passion of Christ. Interior Sundby Cemetery Sundby Cemetery (Danish: Sundby Kirkegård) was established in 1872 at a site a little to the south of the church and is the main cemetery for Amager. It consists of an old and a modern section, located on either side of Kastrupvej, with a combined area of 10 hectares. The old section will be decommissioned in 2020. References External links Official website Concerts in the church Category:Lutheran churches in Copenhagen Category:Churches completed in 1870 Category:1870 establishments in Denmark

Maternal satisfaction with active management of labor: a randomized controlled trial. Active management of labor reduces the length of labor and rate of prolonged labor, but its effect on satisfaction with care, within a randomized controlled trial, has not previously been reported. The study objectives were to establish if a policy of active management of labor affected any aspect of maternal satisfaction, and to determine the independent explanatory variables for satisfaction with labor care in a low-risk nulliparous obstetric population. Nulliparous women at National Women's Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand, in spontaneous labor at term with singleton pregnancy, cephalic presentation, and without fetal distress were randomized after the onset of labor to active management (n = 320) or routine care (n = 331). Active management included early amniotomy, two-hourly vaginal assessments, and early use of high dose oxytocin for slow progress in labor. Routine care was not prespecified. Maternal satisfaction with labor care was assessed by postal questionnaire at 6 weeks postpartum. Sensitivity analyses were performed, and logistic regression models were developed to determine independent explanatory variables for satisfaction. Of the 651 women randomized in the trial, 482 (74%) returned the questionnaires. Satisfaction with labor care was high (77%) and did not significantly differ by treatment group. This finding was stable when sensitivity analysis was performed. The first logistic regression model found independent associations between satisfaction and adequate pain relief, one-to-one midwifery care, adequate information and explanations by staff, accurate expectation of length of labor, not having a postpartum hemorrhage, and fewer than three vaginal examinations during labor. The second model found fewer than three vaginal examinations and one-to-one midwifery care as significant explanatory variables for satisfaction with labor care. Active management did not adversely affect women's satisfaction with labor and delivery care in this trial. Future studies should concentrate on measurement of potential predictors before and during labor.

Occasional bird treats award your conure with extra attention, and birds quickly learn that a between-meal snack is a fun treat. We offer vegetable or fruit snacks, treat jars, the latest fortified commercial snacks, and much more at reasonable prices you expect from Drs. Foster and Smith. For finches, we recom... Read more Occasional bird treats award your conure with extra attention, and birds quickly learn that a between-meal snack is a fun treat. We offer vegetable or fruit snacks, treat jars, the latest fortified commercial snacks, and much more at reasonable prices you expect from Drs. Foster and Smith. Description: Made from fortified, nutritious ingredients specifically for your parakeetAttached hanger allows you to easily hang the treat in your bird's cage 3 different waysA fun to eat way to add variety and activity to your parakeet's diet Made in ...

Q: Not able to append command line variable in shell script Here is my code: export ALLOW_RPM_UPGRADE=True path='/opt/rpm/latest/' echo $1 file=$1 echo $file dest=${path}${file} echo $dest cp $source $dest Problem: The three echo statements are printing the same value. The third one is not appending path to $dest variable. A: This is because I had created shell script on windows machine. Before executing it on linux we need to covert it through DOS2Unix utility. OR Just create shell script on Linux and save. After this it is working fine. Thanks

Q: Read multiple files in Hive table by date range Let's imagine I store one file per day in a format: /path/to/files/2016/07/31.csv /path/to/files/2016/08/01.csv /path/to/files/2016/08/02.csv How can I read the files in a single Hive table for a given date range (for example from 2016-06-04 to 2016-08-03)? A: Assuming every files follow the same schema, I would then suggest that you store the files with the following naming convention : /path/to/files/dt=2016-07-31/data.csv /path/to/files/dt=2016-08-01/data.csv /path/to/files/dt=2016-08-02/data.csv You could then create an external table partitioned by dt and pointing to the location /path/to/files/ CREATE EXTERNAL TABLE yourtable(id int, value int) PARTITIONED BY (dt string) ROW FORMAT DELIMITED FIELDS TERMINATED BY ',' LOCATION '/path/to/files/' If you have several partitions and don't want to write alter table yourtable add partition ... queries for each one, you can simply use the repair command that will automatically add partitions. msck repair table yourtable You can then simply select data within a date range by specifying the partition range SELECT * FROM yourtable WHERE dt BETWEEN '2016-06-04' and '2016-08-03'

Eulamprotes atrella Eulamprotes atrella, the two-spotted neb, is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It was described by Michael Denis and Ignaz Schiffermüller in 1775. It is found from most of Europe, east to Japan. The habitat consists of mixed deciduous woodlands. The wingspan is 10.8–13 mm. The forewings are brilliantly brownish fuscous, with a yellow blotch on the costa at the apical one-third and also on the tornus. The hindwings are greyish fuscous. Adults are on wing from May to August in one generation per year. The larvae feed on Hypericum species, including Hypericum maculatum. They feed internally in the stems and shoots. Pupation takes place in a case made from part of a leaf. References Category:Moths described in 1775 Category:Eulamprotes

Full text search with Sygic Mobile SDK Written by RS 20. 04. 2017 · 1 min read Today we are going to take a look at another great thing about upcoming Sygic Mobile SDK and it is called Full text Autocomplete Search. Full text search Autocomplete Part of Sygic’s Mobile SDK is super-fast customizable Full text Autocomplete Search engine. One of its advantages is searching POIs in categories, supporting also searching by postal codes. Search is also completely capable to work with misspellings. Speed The main asset of Full text search is its speed, while results are displaying in matter of milliseconds. The more misspellings are in input, the long search it takes. Intelligent Search Full text search considers language localization of the name in the map and also language of user. It gives you results based on your actual position as well. For example, if you type in simple “pizza Paris”, you get all possible pizza restaurants around. It helps you to effectively browse objects around you moreover you can easily add your custom data to already existing ones

All relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files. Introduction {#sec005} ============ Globally, an estimated 225 million women have unmet need for family planning \[[@pone.0153907.ref001]\]. Increasing acceptance and use of family planning requires more than increasing access to health services: truly effective family planning programs must address the social and gender norms that present critical barriers to sexual and reproductive health. Use of family planning is powerfully shaped by social norms, including perceived acceptability of family planning, social pressure for large families, and perceived opposition to family planning by religious and community leaders and spouses \[[@pone.0153907.ref002]\]. Rigid gender roles and unequal power between men and women inhibit couple communication and joint decision-making about family planning: power dynamics in couples have been found to influence the use of family planning and other health services \[[@pone.0153907.ref003]--[@pone.0153907.ref005]\]. Fear of and experience with intimate partner violence or gender-based violence are barriers to contraceptive use \[[@pone.0153907.ref006]--[@pone.0153907.ref009]\]. Women who report intimate partner violence are at higher risk for unintended pregnancy than women who do not report violence \[[@pone.0153907.ref008]\]. Analyses of data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in a number of African countries suggest that key dimensions of gender equity and women's empowerment---including equitable beliefs about gender roles, women's ability to negotiate sexual activity, and women's control over household economic decision-making---are associated with higher contraceptive use \[[@pone.0153907.ref010]\]. Several studies have also found a positive association between spousal communication and the use of contraception \[[@pone.0153907.ref011]--[@pone.0153907.ref014]\]. Despite evidence demonstrating the important relationships between gender, women's empowerment, and family planning, there is little consensus about how to best measure these complex social constructs. Researchers have attempted to measure specific domains of women's empowerment, and several scales have been developed including measures of mobility \[[@pone.0153907.ref015]\], power in relationships \[[@pone.0153907.ref003]\], gender norms and decision-making autonomy \[[@pone.0153907.ref016]\], control over assets \[[@pone.0153907.ref017]\], and social capital \[[@pone.0153907.ref018],[@pone.0153907.ref019]\]. The lack of a standard set of widely used measures for women's empowerment, however, hampers our ability to compare program effects across studies, populations, and cultural contexts. The objective of the research described in this article was to evaluate the impact of a CARE intervention that catalyzed community-level dialogue about gender, sexuality, and family planning on household-level gender dynamics and reported use of family planning among men and women in Kenya. For this evaluation, we used several scales from WE-MEASR (Women's Empowerment-Multidimensional Evaluation of Agency, Social Capital, and Relations) (see [S1 File](#pone.0153907.s001){ref-type="supplementary-material"}), a new tool that CARE developed following multi-year research into the effects and impact of our women's empowerment programming \[[@pone.0153907.ref020]\]. Methodology {#sec006} =========== Study Setting {#sec007} ------------- According to the 2008--09 Kenya DHS, approximately one in four women has an unmet need for family planning \[[@pone.0153907.ref021]\]. A 2013 analysis of DHS data found that Kenyan women who do not use family planning report method-related concerns, especially fear of harmful side effects, as the most common reason for non-use (43%); opposition to family planning (both the perceived religious prohibition of family planning and opposition by husbands/partners) is the second most commonly cited reason (16%) \[[@pone.0153907.ref022]\]. CARE conducted the research described here as part of the Family Planning Results Initiative (FPRI), which we implemented in Siaya County, Nyanza province, Kenya from July 2009 through December 2012. The majority of the county's population of 842,304 is under 30 years old, and 46.1% are between 0 and 14 years of age \[[@pone.0153907.ref023]\]. Over 90% of Siaya County is rural and, like the rest of Nyanza, falls behind the national average on various indicators of development, gender inequality, poverty, education, and health, including infant and under-five mortality, antenatal care coverage, and HIV prevalence \[[@pone.0153907.ref021]\]. The contraceptive prevalence rate among married women in Nyanza province is among the lowest in Kenya: 37.3% of women use any method (compared to 45.5% nationally), and only 32.9% use a modern method (39.4% nationally) \[[@pone.0153907.ref021]\]. The Intervention {#sec008} ---------------- CARE used its *Social Analysis and Action* approach \[[@pone.0153907.ref024]\] to shape FPRI's central intervention about 150 community-based facilitators were trained and held ongoing community dialogues about gender, sexuality, and family planning over three and a half years (July 2009-December 2012). At any one time, an average of 65 facilitators were actively convening dialogues. Monthly planning meetings were held to plan activities and ensure adequate location coverage and topic variation over the entire study area. On a quarterly basis, CARE observed and provided feedback on dialogues and completed progress reviews with facilitators. Based on our monitoring data, CARE organized 759 dialogues between July 2009 and December 2012. Dialogues were held in a variety of venues and were promoted by community leaders or organized around pre-scheduled community meetings. Based on proximity to a respective venue, they were attended by participants from several villages, and, many times, were included in villages' development plans. The dialogues were designed to normalize communication about sensitive topics like gender norms and FP, and to catalyze participants' critical analysis of how gender norms and dynamics restrict family planning acceptability and use. During dialogues, community leaders and satisfied family planning users acted as role models and overtly expressed support for family planning, equitable gender norms, open communication and shared decision-making regarding family planning between spouses. Trained, community-based facilitators convened dialogues in an array of settings, such as markets, churches, women's groups and village meetings. Local theatre groups often performed during the dialogues. Facilitators included community health care workers, religious leaders, local government officials, and teachers. CARE provided ongoing support to facilitators in the form of training and supervision, and also provided transport reimbursement and lunch/refreshments on days when dialogues or trainings were conducted; no incentives were provided for participation in intervention activities to any other community members. All of CARE's activities were coordinated with the District Health Medical Team (DHMT.) During the intervention period, the DHMT coordinated several interventions designed to increase availability and access to contraceptives, including in-service training for providers, strengthening of systems for ordering contraceptives, and some community outreach activities (FP counseling and method provision). To our knowledge, no other similar FP dialogue interventions or activities were implemented by other organizations during the intervention period. Theory of Change {#sec009} ---------------- The intervention aimed to challenge and shift key community norms about gender dynamics and family planning, with the ultimate goal of creating a social environment that is more supportive of equitable gender relations and the use of family planning. Our research goals were to determine whether and how the ongoing dialogues shifted social norms, and whether and how these shifts at the community level influenced communication, decision-making, and family planning use at the couple or household level. Our theorized pathway of change is shown in [Fig 1](#pone.0153907.g001){ref-type="fig"}. {#pone.0153907.g001} Evaluation Design {#sec010} ----------------- We used both qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate the intervention. At baseline (February 2009) and again at endline (December 2012), we conducted household surveys to collect data about men and women's socio-demographic characteristics, pregnancy intentions, family planning knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and use. At endline only, we measured key gender-related beliefs and behaviors and exposure to the intervention, which enabled us to determine whether these were important predictors of family planning use. Also at endline, we conducted in-depth, qualitative interviews with purposively selected couples from the intervention area (described below) to explore changes in communication, decision-making, and gender roles over the previous four years and to identify specific enablers and barriers to family planning use. Ethics Statement {#sec011} ---------------- CARE obtained approval to conduct this research from the Institutional Research and Ethics Committee at Moi University in Eldoret, Kenya. Quantitative Data Collection {#sec012} ---------------------------- Through independent, cross-sectional household surveys, married men (20--49 years) and women (18--45 years) were interviewed by trained interviewers using standardized questionnaires at baseline and endline. Although the two samples were entirely independent (no attempt was made at endline to include or exclude respondents who participated at baseline), both were drawn from the same Siaya county using an identical two-stage cluster sampling approach. Separately at baseline and endline, thirty sub-counties were randomly selected from Siaya's 130 sub-counties, and 60 villages were randomly selected from this sub-set of sub-counties (2 villages from each sub-county,). Households were then randomly selected for interviews using a systematic approach, selecting every 3^rd^ household for women and every 5^th^ household for men. Respondents were eligible for interview if they were married or in union and of reproductive age, as defined above. If household member listing revealed more than one woman/man meeting the eligibility criteria, one interviewee was randomly selected in each household. A total of 1,240 women (n = 650 at baseline, n = 590 at endline) and 590 men (n = 305 baseline, n = 285 endline) completed interviews. Data were double-entered and cleaned by trained clerks under the supervision of a data manager. Qualitative Data Collection {#sec013} --------------------------- To further explicate the quantitative findings, we used qualitative methods to explore gender dynamics and influences on family planning use at the couple level. Data were collected using face-to-face, in-depth interviews, and a visual timeline tool to elicit relationship histories and to explore changes in communication, decision-making, and gender roles during the previous four years. FPRI project staff identified men and women from married couples in the intervention county, and conducted interviews until saturation on key themes was reached (n = 10 couples). In each couple, one or both partners were between the ages of 18 and 49 and had participated in a minimum of three intervention dialogues between 2009 and 2012. Interviews were conducted separately with the man and woman of each couple; each was interviewed by a trained, gender-matched interviewer in the Luo language. Interviews were recorded, detailed notes were taken by a trained observer during the interview, and recordings were used to transcribe, review, and confirm completeness and accuracy of notes. To help ensure data integrity, interviewers completed written summaries on the same day as data collection. Two senior researchers confirmed completeness and clarity of notes from each interview. Narratives from each of the men's and women's interviews were then analyzed and triangulated to create a narrative summary of each couple's relationship and history of family planning use. After each couples' story was analyzed, content analysis was conducted across all narrative summaries to identify key themes related to the theory of change. Quantitative Measures {#sec014} --------------------- ### Family Planning Measures (baseline and endline) {#sec015} At both baseline and endline, men and women were asked identical questions about family planning knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and use in order to measure changes in family planning over time (see [S2 File](#pone.0153907.s002){ref-type="supplementary-material"}). ### Family Planning Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes (Independent Variables) {#sec016} Men and women were asked to report the total number of family planning methods known, and if they knew where to obtain a method of family planning. Beliefs about family planning were measured using a 4-item index, in which men and women reported whether they disagreed (scored as 1), were unsure (scored as 2), or agreed (scored as 3) with four common family planning-related myths. The index score range is 4--12, and a higher score indicates less accurate knowledge about family planning. An index assessed men's and women's approval of family planning use in 5 different circumstances, with each response scored as 1 if the respondent approves and 0 if he/she does not approve. The index was constructed by summing the item scores. The index score range is 1‐5, and a higher score indicates a higher level of approval for family planning. Men and women were also asked if they believed it was acceptable for women to use a family planning method without their partner/husbands' permission, and women (but not men) were asked if they believed they could suggest using a condom to their partner/husband. ### Family Planning Use (Dependent Variable) {#sec017} Men and women were asked if they or their spouse had ever used a method to avoid or delay pregnancy; those who answered 'yes' were asked to list all the methods they had ever used. Men and women were also asked if they or their spouse were currently using a method to avoid or delay pregnancy; those who answered 'yes' were asked to list all the methods they were currently using. These data were used to create two dependent variables: *current use of any contraceptive method* and *current use of a modern contraceptive method* (oral contraceptives, male/female condoms, vasectomy and tubal ligation, intrauterine device, injectable contraception, hormonal implants). ### Exposure, Pregnancy Intentions and Gender Measures (Endline only) {#sec018} In order to measure key predictors of family planning use, at endline we asked men and women questions about their exposure to the intervention as well as their pregnancy intentions. We also used several indices and scales from CARE's WE-MEASR tool to measure key dimensions of gender equity and women's empowerment in the endline survey: men's belief in traditional gender roles (asked of men only), self-efficacy to use family planning (asked of women only), spousal communication and women's decision-making power (asked of both sexes). The WE-MEASR scales used in the evaluation were tested and confirmed to be statistically reliable for use with both men and women in this sample. ### Exposure to the intervention {#sec019} We asked men and women about their exposure to the intervention between 2009 and 2012. To ensure that reported exposure did represent participation in the intervention, FPRI managers suggested unique indicators of exposure, including a mix of dialogue topics unique to the intervention. The three exposure variables were: exposure to any dialogues (yes/no), the number of topics exposed to during the dialogues (\#), and exposure to dialogues specifically focused on family planning (yes/no). ### Pregnancy intentions {#sec020} At endline, we asked men and women whether they would like to have a child/another child, no more children, could not become pregnant, or were unsure. Those who reported wanting another child or being unsure were asked if they would like to get pregnant in the next 12 months, after 1--2 years, after more than 3 years or don't know. Men and women who did not want to have children or were not able to have children (due to sterilization or infertility) were not asked this question. Women/couples who were currently pregnant were also asked if they wanted to have another child after the child they were expecting now, wanted no more children or were unsure. Those who reported wanting another child or being unsure were asked how long they wanted to wait to have another child: within 12 months of the birth of the child they were expecting now, after 1--2 years, after more than 3 years, or don't know. ### Men's beliefs about gender (men only) {#sec021} We used a 9-item scale to measure how much men agreed or disagreed with statements about the roles and entitlements of men and women. We used a 5-point Likert scale, where Strongly Agree = 5, Agree = 4, Neither Agree Nor Disagree = 3, Disagree = 2, and Strongly Disagree = 1. The scale score was the sum of item scores divided by the number of items. The scale score range was 1‐5, and a higher scale score indicated a higher support for traditional gender roles (male dominance). Scale reliability in this sample was good (Chronbach's alpha = .66). ### Spousal communication (men and women) {#sec022} We used a 5-item scale with both men and women to measure interspousal communication across a range of topics. Men and women were asked to report how often they communicated about: what had happened during their day, their worries and fears, their household finances, their fertility intentions/desired family size, and use of family planning. We used a 5‐point Likert scale, where Always = 5, Often = 4, Sometimes = 3, Seldom = 2 and Never = 1. The scale score was the sum of item scores divided by the number of items. The scale score range was 1‐5, and a higher scale score indicated a higher level of interspousal communication. Scale reliability for both samples was good (men: Chronbach's alpha = .63; women: Chronbach's alpha = .75). ### Women's decision-making power (men and women) {#sec023} We measured women's decision-making power in the household by asking both men and women who usually made a range of key household decisions. The scale was not intended to measure a woman's decision‐making power over a specific kind of decision (e.g. household finances), but rather measure a woman's influence over a range of key decisions that affect her life. We used slightly different scales for men and women, as detailed below. We used a 12-item scale to ask women who usually made decisions about her health care, large household purchases, household purchases for daily needs, when she will visit family/relatives/friends, when the whole household will visit family/relatives/friends, how to use the money she brings into the household, how to use the money her spouse brings into the household, when to sell a large asset (e.g. cow), when to sell a small asset (e.g. chicken), whether she can work to earn money, when she and her husband have sex, and whether the woman and her husband use family planning. Item response options included: wife alone, wife and husband together, husband alone, mother‐ or father‐in‐law, someone else, and mother or father. Responses of wife alone or wife and husband together were scored as a 2 and all other responses were scored as a 1. The scale score was the sum of item scores divided by the number of items. The scale score range was 1‐2, and a higher scale score indicated women's self-perceived higher decision-making power. Reliability of this scale for women was good (Chronbach's alpha = .74). With men, we used a similar, 10-item scale that included all items described above, except whether women can work to earn money and who makes decisions about women's health care, The scale score range was 1‐2, and a higher scale score indicated men's perceptions of women's higher decision-making power. The reliability of this scale for men was also good (Chronbach's alpha = .79). ### Women's self-efficacy to use family planning (women only) {#sec024} We used a 4-item scale to measure women's self-efficacy. Women were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with four statements about how sure they felt that they could: discuss family planning with their husband, tell their husband they wanted to use family planning, use family planning, and use family planning without their spouses' approval. We assessed responses based on a 5‐point Likert scale, where Completely Sure = 5, Somewhat Sure = 4, Neither Sure/Unsure = 3, Somewhat Unsure = 2, and Not at all Sure = 1. The scale score was the sum of item scores divided by the number of items. The scale score range was 1‐5, and a higher scale score indicated higher self‐efficacy to discuss and use family planning. We found this to be a reliable scale (Chronbach's alpha = .75). Analyzing Changes in Family Planning Use {#sec025} ---------------------------------------- Sample characteristics were compared between baseline and endline using chi-squared tests for proportions and t-tests for means. We found several significant differences in the characteristics of the samples drawn at baseline and endline, and therefore used propensity scores to establish comparable samples at the two time points. Propensity scoring is a method of matching that uses available information on the characteristics of the study population to establish, in our case, matched pairs of baseline and endline survey respondents. To derive the propensity score used for matching, logistic regression models with survey round (endline vs. baseline) as the primary outcome variable were estimated separately for men and women using the following covariates: respondent's age, age difference between respondent and partner, number of living children, education, partner's education, whether the respondent works for cash, whether the woman makes decisions regarding use of any cash earned, pregnancy intentions, the number of family planning methods known, the summed score on the index assessing family planning beliefs, and the summed score on index assessing approval of family planning use. Only in the estimation models for men, we included knowledge of where to obtain family planning and score on a scale assessing beliefs about gender roles; and, only for women, we included the score on a family planning self-efficacy scale and a variable to assess whether they believed they could suggest the use of condoms to their partners. The predicted probabilities of being interviewed at endline vs. baseline from the models served as propensity scores, and the scores were then used with Stata's psmatch2 command to examine the average difference in family planning use (any family planning method and modern family planning methods) between baseline and endline. After assessing the use of different propensity score matching techniques, we chose kernel matching due to its efficiency. Only propensity score values included in the common support region (the area in which the distribution of propensity scores for being interviewed at endline overlapped with the distribution of propensity scores for being interviewed at baseline) were used in the analysis. This excluded respondents who were least likely to produce a reliable baseline-endline match based on the observed characteristics, specifically, 35 of 1,240 women and 12 of 590 men in our samples. Characteristics of the study population before and after propensity score matching were assessed to ensure that the data were fully balanced with respect to the covariates used to derive the propensity scores. Analyzing Predictors of Family Planning Use at Endline {#sec026} ------------------------------------------------------ To explore associations between exposure to the intervention and use of family planning at endline, we used the endline survey data and fitted separate logistic regression models for two key family planning outcomes: current use of any family planning method and current use of a modern family planning method. The key exposure covariates of interest used in three separate models were: exposure to the intervention (yes/no), the number of discussion topics exposed to during the intervention, and exposure to family planning discussions during the intervention (yes/no). Our multivariate models also explored the associations between current use of family planning (any and modern methods) and other key potential predictors of family planning use, including: childbearing intentions, family planning knowledge and beliefs, men's belief in traditional gender roles, men's and women's reports of spousal communication, men's and women's reports about women's household decision-making power, and women's self-efficacy to use family planning. The multivariate analysis controlled for several background factors, including age of respondent (less than 25 years, 25--29 years, 30--34 years, 35 years or older), years of school completed by respondent and by partner, religion (Protestant, Catholic, or other), and number of living children. We also included a variable measuring difference in spousal age (0--5 years, 5--9 years, 10--14 years, and more than 15 years' difference) which we hypothesized might magnify decision-making power differences between spouses. Analyses were conducted using Stata version 12.0. Results {#sec027} ======= Quantitative Results {#sec028} -------------------- ### Characteristics of Survey Sample {#sec029} [Table 1](#pone.0153907.t001){ref-type="table"} summarizes characteristics of the survey samples. A total of 1,240 women aged 15--45 (n = 650 at baseline, n = 590 at endline) and 590 men aged 18--49 (n = 305 baseline, n = 285 endline) completed interviews. At baseline, 55.6% of women interviewed were under the age of 29, as were 63.9% of women interviewed at endline. By contrast, only 34.7% of men at baseline and 44.9% of men at endline were under the age of 29. Most respondents did not report a large age difference between them and their spouses: 71.1% of women at baseline and 64.9% of women at endline reported age differences of fewer than 10 years. 10.1371/journal.pone.0153907.t001 ###### Sample characteristics. {#pone.0153907.t001g} Characteristics Women Men -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ ------------ --------- -------------- -------------- --------- **Socio-demographic** Age (years; %) \<25 34.5 34.8 \<0.001 13.1 17.9 0.042 25--29 21.1 29.1 21.6 27.0 30--34 17.9 19.0 21.3 21.8 ≥35 26.6 16.4 43.9 33.3 Age difference between male and female partners (years; %)[^c^](#t001fn003){ref-type="table-fn"} \<5 30.3 31.0 0.030 41.0 41.4 0.962 5--9 40.8 33.9 38.4 39.7 10--14 18.9 21.0 14.4 13.3 ≥15 10.0 14.1 6.2 5.6 Number of living children Mean (std dev)[^d^](#t001fn004){ref-type="table-fn"} 3.5 (2.1) 3.3 (1.9) 0.025 3.4 (2.2) 2.8 (2.0) 0.001 Religion (%) Protestant 52.3 48.8 0.107 51.5 49.5 0.750 Catholic 27.1 25.6 30.5 31.9 Other 19.2 24.8 16.1 17.5 None/missing 1.4 0.9 2.0 1.1 Education (years) Mean (std dev) 7.0 (3.0) 8.2 (3.0) \<0.001 8.0 (3.2) 8.9 (3.4) \<0.001 Partner education (years) Mean (std dev) 8.4 (2.9) 9.1 (3.3) \<0.001 7.2 (2.9) 8.3 (2.8) \<0.001 Works outside home for cash (%) Yes 39.1 32.4 0.014 61.3 60.4 0.057 **Women's empowerment / Gender beliefs /Relationship with partner/pregnancy intentions** Woman makes decisions about spending the cash she earns (%) No cash earned 60.9 67.6 0.084 64.6 61.8 \<0.001 All cash 27.2 21.7 29.5 11.9 Some cash 10.6 9.8 5.9 16.5 Missing 1.2 0.9 0.0 9.8 Men's gender beliefs scale score[^e^](#t001fn005){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 2.0 (0.04) 2.0 (0.03) 0.820 Participation in household decision-making scale score[^f^](#t001fn006){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 1.6 (0.2) 1.6 (0.3) Inter-spousal communication scale[^g^](#t001fn007){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 2.9 (0.3) 3.4 (0.8) Pregnancy intentions (%) Wants pregnancy in next 12 months 30.1 35.1 0.001 60.0 64.2 0.026 Wants to delay pregnancy for ≥ 1 year 21.2 26.6 16.17 9.8 Wants no more children 23.9 21.7 4.3 8.4 Does not think about/not sure/not applicable 24.8 16.6 19.7 17.5 **Family planning knowledge/attitudes/subjective norms/ self-efficacy** Family planning beliefs score[^h^](#t001fn008){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 9.1 (1.6) 8.4 (1.9) \<0.001 8.8 (0.1) 8.4 (0.1) 0.005 \# methods known[^i^](#t001fn009){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 3.2 (1.3) 3.9 (1.5) \<0.001 3.4 (0.1) 3.4 (0.1) 0.784 Believe woman can use family planning w/o partner's permission (%) Agree 66.3 11.6 Believe woman can suggest use of condoms (%) Agree 19.4 15.4 0.067 Disagree/unsure 80.6 84.6 0.067 Score on family planning use approval questions[^j^](#t001fn010){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 11.1 (2.0) 11.9 (2.0) \<0.001 11.63 (0.12) 10.82 (0.10) \<0.001 Family planning self-efficacy scale score[^k^](#t001fn011){ref-type="table-fn"} Mean (std dev) 4.2 (1.0) Knows where to get family planning (%) Yes 45.4 **Exposure to intervention** Exposure to intervention, all topics (%) Yes 64.2 66.3 Number of topics exposed to during intervention Mean (std dev) 1.5 (1.5) 2.0 (1.8) Exposure to FP discussions during intervention (%) Yes 60.9 57.9 ^a^We restricted our sample to women aged 15--45 and men 18--49 in both survey rounds, in order to compare women and men of the same age range at the two time points. Thus, only 590 of the 617 women who completed surveys at endline were included in our analysis, and only 285 of the 302 men who completed surveys at endline were included in our analysis. Some information was collected only at endline ^b^Chi-squared tests used to compare percentages and t-tests used to compare means ^c^Difference between age of male and female partners ^d^Std dev: Standard deviation ^e^Range 1--3 ^f^Range 1--2 ^g^Range 1--5 ^h^Range 4--12 ^i^Range 1--12 ^j^Range 5--15 ^k^Range 1--5 Women reported completing fewer years of education than men at both time points, and endline samples comprised slightly more educated men and women. About half of men and women in both samples reported being Protestant. At both interview times, about a third of women and three fifths of men reported working outside the home for cash. Fewer men and women at endline than at baseline reported that women made decisions about the cash they earned: 28.4% vs 35.4%, respectively, among men and 31.6% vs 37.8%, respectively, among women. As measured at endline, men in this sample did not report strong support for traditional gender roles (mean score of 2.0 on a scale of 1--5, where 5 indicates stronger agreement with traditional gender roles). Both sexes reported that women had moderate to high household decision-making power (mean of 1.6 for both men and women on a scale ranging between 1 and 2, where a higher score indicates higher women's decision-making power). Also, men and women both reported moderate to high levels of spousal communication (mean for women 2.9, and for men, 3.4, on a scale of 1--5 where 5 indicates high levels of spousal communication.) At endline, only 11.6% of men as compared to 66.3% of women reported approving of women using family planning without their partners' permission. Very few women (15.4%) believed they could suggest the use of condoms to their husbands. Men and women also reported widely incongruent pregnancy intentions: 30.2% of women interviewed at baseline and 35.1% at endline reported wanting to get pregnant at the time of their last pregnancy, but 60.0% and 64.2% of men reported so at baseline and endline, respectively. Notably, over 20% of women at both time points reported wanting to limit childbearing compared to only 4.3% and 8.4% of men at baseline and endline, respectively. ### Changes in Family Planning Use from Baseline to Endline {#sec030} [Table 2](#pone.0153907.t002){ref-type="table"} shows unmatched and propensity score-matched differences in use of any and of modern methods of family planning between baseline and endline for men and women. Based on propensity score-matched results, 36.5% and 34.0% of women used any method and a modern method, respectively, at baseline, while 51.8% and 51.2%, respectively, did so at endline. Similarly, 33.7% and 27.9% of men used any method and a modern method, respectively, at baseline, and 53.8% and 52.2% did so, respectively, at endline. 10.1371/journal.pone.0153907.t002 ###### Changes in family planning use between baseline and endline. {#pone.0153907.t002g} Outcome Baseline (%) Endline (%) \% difference (std dev) ---------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- ------------- ------------------------- **Women** **Current use of any method** Unmatched 31.7 51.7 20.0 (2.7) Propensity score-matched[^a^](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} 36.5 51.8 15.3 (3.4) **Current use of modern methods** Unmatched 29.4 51.0 21.6 (2.7) Propensity score-matched 34.0 51.2 17.3 (3.2) **Men** **Current use of any method** Unmatched 29.5 54.0 24.5 (4.0) Propensity score-matched 33.7 53.8 20.1 (5.0) **Current use of modern methods** Unmatched 24.3 52.6 28.3 (3.9) Propensity score-matched 27.9 52.2 24.3 (4.8) ^a^Propensity scores (kernel matching technique) derived from logistic regression models with survey round (endline vs baseline) as outcome variable adjusted for the following covariates: respondent's age, age difference between respondent and his/her partner, number of living children, education, partner's education, whether the respondent works for cash, whether the woman makes decisions regarding spending of any cash earned, pregnancy intentions, the number of family planning methods known, the summed score on the index assessing family planning beliefs, the summed score on index assessing approval of family planning use, knowledge of where to obtain family planning (men only,) score on a scale assessing beliefs about gender roles (men only), score on family planning self-efficacy scale (women only) and whether they believed they could suggest the use of condoms to spouse (women only). At baseline, 19.5% of women in the sample were using injectables, 3.3% condoms, 2.9% oral contraceptives, 2.6% had a tubal ligation, 1.4% used implants or IUDs, and 2.0% traditional methods. Notably different at endline, 29.7% of women in the sample were using injectables, 8% used oral contraceptives and 6.8% condoms. Among men, 18.5% and 27.2% reported use of condoms at baseline and endline, respectively; while 4.7% and 3.7% reported that their partners used injectables and oral contraceptives at baseline, 18.3% and 10.4% did so, respectively, at endline (data not shown). ### Predictors of Family Planning at Endline {#sec031} Our fully adjusted regressions models identified significant associations between participation in the intervention and both current use of any method and current use of a modern method of family planning for women ([Table 3](#pone.0153907.t003){ref-type="table"}), but not for men ([Table 4](#pone.0153907.t004){ref-type="table"}). As expected, the strongest associations were found among women exposed to discussions specifically about family planning: these women were 1.78 times more likely to use any method or a modern method than women who were not exposed to these discussions. Yet exposure to any topic covered during the intervention increased the odds of women using any method of family planning by 62% and the odds of using a modern method by 60%. 10.1371/journal.pone.0153907.t003 ###### Key determinants of and use of family planning among women at endline. {#pone.0153907.t003g} Characteristics Current use any method Current use modern method --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- **Socio-demographic** Age (years; \<25 = ref) 25--29 **1.89 (1.15, 3.10)** **1.89 (1.15, 3.11)** **1.86 (1.13, 3.06)** **1.84 (1.12, 3.01)** **1.85 (1.13, 3.03)** **1.81 (1.11, 2.97)** 30--34 **1.82 (1.01, 3.27)** **1.80 (1.00, 3.24)** **1.83 (1.01, 3.29)** **1.87 (1.04, 3.34)** **1.86 (1.04, 3.33)** **1.88 (1.05, 3.37)** ≥35 0.79 (0.40, 1.57) 0.77 (0.39, 1.53) 0.78 (0.39, 1.56) 0.78 (0.39, 1.53) 0.76 (0.38, 1.50) 0.77 (0.39, 1.53) Age difference between partners (years; \<5 = ref)[^d^](#t003fn004){ref-type="table-fn"} 5--9 0.99 (0.62, 1.56) 1.02 (0.64, 1.62) 0.99 (0.62, 1.57) 0.91 (0.57, 1.44) 0.94 (0.59, 1.49) 0.91 (0.57, 1.43) 10--14 1.12 (0.65, 1.91) 1.13 (0.66, 1.93) 1.11 (0.65, 1.89) 1.10 (0.65, 1.88) 1.12 (0.66, 1.91) 1.09 (0.64, 1.86) ≥15 1.02 (0.56, 1.85) 1.02 (0.56, 1.86) 1.02 (0.56, 1.85) 1.00 (0.55, 1.81) 1.01 (0.56, 1.84) 1.00 (0.55, 1.82) Number of living children **1.21 (1.06, 1.37)** **1.21 (1.07, 1.38)** **1.20 (1.05, 1.36)** **1.20 (1.06, 1.36)** **1.21 (1.06, 1.37)** **1.19 (1.05, 1.36)** Religion (Christian Protestant = ref)[^e^](#t003fn005){ref-type="table-fn"} Catholic 0.89 (0.57, 1.30) 0.88 (0.56, 1.38) 0.90 (0.57, 1.41) 0.91 (0.58, 1.42) 0.90 (0.58, 1.41) 0.92 (0.59, 1.44) Other 0.88 (0.55, 1.42) 0.87 (0.54, 1.39) 0.90 (0.56, 1.44) 0.90 (0.57, 1.44) 0.89 (0.56, 1.42) 0.92 (0.57, 1.47) Education (years) 1.00 (0.94, 1.07) 1.00 (0.94, 1.07) 0.99 (0.93, 1.06) 0.99 (0.93, 1.06) 1.00 (0.93, 1.07) 0.99 (0.92, 1.06) Partner education (years) 1.05 (0.99, 1.12) 1.05 (0.98, 1.11) 1.05 (0.98,1.11) 1.04 (0.98, 1.11) 1.04 (0.98, 1.10) 1.04 (0.98, 1.10) **Women's empowerment / Gender beliefs /Relationship with partner/pregnancy intentions** Woman makes decisions about spending the cash she earns (women with no cash earned = ref)[^e^](#t003fn005){ref-type="table-fn"} All cash 1.46 (0.91, 2.33) 1.50 (0.93, 2.39) 1.49 (0.93, 2.38) **1.59 (1.00, 2.54)** **1.63 (1.02, 2.60)** **1.62 (1.02, 2.59)** Some cash 1.27 (0.67, 2.40) 1.22 (0.64, 2.31) 1.29 (0.68, 2.44) 1.24 (0.66, 2.32) 1.19 (0.63, 2.23) 1.26 (0.67, 2.36) Participation in household decision-making scale score 0.71 (0.28, 1.79) 0.72 (0.29, 1.79) 0.72 (0.29, 1.81) 0.66 (0.26, 1.63) 0.65 (0.26, 1.63) 0.66 (0.26, 1.65) Inter-spousal communication scale **1.32 (1.05, 1.65)** **1.30 (1.04, 1.63)** **1.30 (1.04, 1.64)** **1.30 (1.04, 1.63)** **1.29 (1.03, 1.61)** **1.29 (1.03, 1.61)** Pregnancy intentions (wants pregnancy in next 12 months at time of survey = ref) Wants to delay pregnancy for ≥ 1 year 0.91 (0.57, 1.47) 0.93 (0.58, 1.50) 0.90 (0.56, 1.45) 0.93 (0.58, 1.49) 0.95 (0.59, 1.52) 0.91 (0.57, 1.47) Wants no more children 0.98 (0.57, 1.67) 0.98 (0.57, 1.69) 0.96 (0.56, 1.66) 1.01 (0.59, 1.72) 1.01 (0.59, 1.72) 0.99 (0.58, 1.69) Has not thought about/not sure/not applicable 0.64 (0.37, 1.13) 0.62 (0.35, 1.09) 0.62 (0.35, 1.09) 0.66 (0.38, 1.15) 0.63 (0.36, 1.11) 0.63 (0.36, 1.10) **Family planning knowledge/attitudes/subjective norms self-efficacy** Family planning beliefs score 0.99 (0.90, 1.10) 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) 0.99 (0.90, 1.09) 0.98 (0.89, 1.09) 0.98 (0.89, 1.08) 0.98 (0.89, 1.08) \# methods known 1.10 (0.95, 1.26) 1.11 (0.96, 1.27) 1.09 (0.95, 1.26) 1.05 (0.91, 1.20) 1.06 (0.92, 1.21) 1.04 (0.91, 1.20) Woman can use family planning without partner's permission (no = ref) *1*.*48 (0*.*98*, *2*.*21)* *1*.*50 (0*.*99*, *2*.*25)* *1*.*50 (0*.*99*, *2*.*25)* *1*.*45 (0*.*97*, *2*.*18)* *1*.*48 (0*.*99*, *2*.*21)* *1*.*47 (0*.*98*, *2*.*21)* Woman can suggest use of condoms (disagree/unsure = ref) 0.96 (0.56, 1.65) 0.96 (0.56, 1.65) 1.00 (0.58, 1.72) 0.98 (0.57, 1.68) 0.97 (0.57, 1.67) 1.02 (0.59, 1.74) Score on family planning use approval questions 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) 0.99 (0.89, 1.09) Family planning self-efficacy scale score **1.39 (1.12, 1.73)** **1.40 (1.12, 1.74)** **1.36 (1.09, 1.69)** **1.39 (1.12, 1.72)** **1.39 (1.12, 1.72)** **1.35 (1.09, 1.68)** **Exposure to intervention** Exposure to intervention (no = ref) **1.62 (1.08, 2.41)** **1.60 (1.07, 2.38)** Number of topics exposed to during intervention **1.15 (1.02, 1.30)** **1.16 (1.02, 1.31)** Exposure to FP discussions during intervention (no = ref) **1.78 (1.20, 2.65)** **1.78 (1.20, 2.63)** ^a^ Models adjusted for all factors shown; Model I adjusted for exposure to the intervention (yes/no); Model II adjusted for the number of topics of exposure; Model III adjusted for exposure to FP discussions ^b^OR: Odds ratio: statistically significant ORs at p\<0.05 are shown in bold; statistically significant ORs at p\<0.10 are shown in italic. ^c^CI: Confidence Interval ^d^Difference between age of male and female partners ^e^Category for missing data indicator included in the model. 10.1371/journal.pone.0153907.t004 ###### Key determinants of FP use among men at endline. {#pone.0153907.t004g} Characteristics Current use any method Current use modern method -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- ----------------------- **Socio-demographic** Age (years; \<25 = ref) 25--29 0.56 (0.22, 1.41) 0.55 (0.22, 1.39) 0.56 (0.22, 1.42) 0.64 (0.26, 1.59) 0.63 (0.25, 1.57) 0.64 (0.26, 1.60) 30--34 0.87 (0.32, 2.34) 0.85 (0.31, 2.29) 0.88 (0.33, 2.36) 0.99 (0.37, 2.64) 0.97 (0.36, 2.59) 1.00 (0.37, 2.65) ≥35 0.82 (0.26, 2.63) 0.81 (0.26, 2.58) 0.83 (0.26, 2.65) 0.92 (0.29, 2.90) 0.92 (0.29, 2.87) 0.93 (0.30, 2.93) Age difference between partners (years; \<5 = ref)[^d^](#t004fn004){ref-type="table-fn"} 5--9 **2.72 (1.39, 5.32)** **2.79 (1.42, 5.49)** **2.71 (1.38, 4.31)** **2.62 (1.35, 4.10)** **2.68 (1.37, 4.22)** **2.62 (1.35, 4.09)** 10--14 **2.82 (1.06, 5.53)** **2.81 (1.05, 6.51)** **2.82 (1.05, 4.52)** 2.15 (0.82, 4.49) 2.13 (0.82, 4.57) 2.14 (0.82, 4.49) ≥15 2.32 (0.53, 6.04) 2.24 (0.52, 5.68) 2.21 (0.51, 5.51) 2.45 (0.57, 5.98) 2.38 (0.56, 5.90) 2.37 (0.55, 5.87) Number of living children 0.99 (0.82, 1.20) 0.99 (0.82, 1.20) 0.99 (0.82, 1.20) 1.00 (0.82, 1.20) 1.00 (0.82, 1.20) 1.00 (0.82, 1.21) Religion (Christian Protestant = ref)[^e^](#t004fn005){ref-type="table-fn"} Catholic 1.29 (0.66, 2.50) 1.29 (0.67, 2.51) 1.28 (0.66, 2.47) 1.27 (0.66, 2.45) 1.27 (0.66, 2.46) 1.25 (0.65, 2.41) Other 1.79 (0.80, 3.99) 1.88 (0.83, 3.22) 1.72 (0.80, 3.58) 1.49 (0.67, 3.30) 1.55 (0.70, 3.47) 1.48 (0.67, 3.27) Education (years) 1.04 (0.94, 1.16) 1.04 (0.94, 1.16) 1.04 (0.94, 1.16) 1.03 (0.92, 1.15) 1.03 (0.92, 1.15) 1.03 (0.92, 1.15) Partner education (years) *1*.*12 (0*.*98*, *1*.*29)* *1*.*13 (0*.*98*, *1*.*29)* *1*.*12 (0*.*98*, *1*.*28)* 1.12 (0.97, 1.28) 1.12 (0.98, 1.29) 1.11 (0.97, 1.28) Man works outside home for cash (no = ref) 1.64 (0.86, 3.13) 1.65 (0.86, 3.16) 1.65 (0.87, 3.15) 1.68 (0.89, 3.19) 1.69 (0.89, 3.21) 1.69 (0.89, 3.20) **Gender beliefs and roles /relationship with partner/pregnancy intentions** Woman makes decisions re spending cash she earns (women with no cash earned = ref)[^e^](#t004fn005){ref-type="table-fn"} All cash 1.85 (0.74, 4.34) 1.80 (0.72, 3.51) 1.83 (0.73, 3.59) 1.91 (0.77, 3.76) 1.87 (0.75, 3.33) 0.90 (0.76, 3.72) Some cash 1.02 (0.36, 2.87) 0.69 (0.27, 1.82) 0.72 (0.28, 1.89) 0.55 (0.21, 1.41) 0.54 (0.21, 1.40) 0.56 (0.22, 1.45) Male dominance scale score **0.55 (0.31, 0.98)** **0.52 (0.29, 0.94)** **0.54 (0.30, 0.97)** **0.57 (0.32, 1.00)** **0.55 (0.31, 0.98)** **0.57 (0.32, 1.00)** Participation in household decision-making scale score 1.69 (0.45, 3.38) 1.69 (0.45, 4.38) 1.71 (0.45, 4.04) 1.77 (0.47, 4.15 1.76 (0.47, 4.13) 1.78 (0.47, 4.18) Inter-spousal communication scale 1.08 (0.74, 1.59) 1.06 (0.72, 1.56) 1.08 (0.74, 1.59) 1.08 (0.74, 1.59) 1.07 (0.73, 1.56) 1.09 (0.74, 1.59) Pregnancy intentions (wants pregnancy in next 12 months at time of survey = ref) Wants to delay pregnancy for ≥ 1 year 1.63 (0.61, 3.35) 1.70 (0.63, 3.55) 1.58 (0.59, 3.26) 1.78 (0.67, 3.73) 1.85 (0.70, 3.90) 1.75 (0.66, 3.68) Wants no more children **3.19 (1.04, 6.74)** **3.34 (1.08, 7.27)** **3.30 (1.08, 7.10)** 2.58 (0.87, 5.43) 2.66 (0.89, 5.60) 2.64 (0.90, 5.60) Has not thought about/not sure/not applicable 0.97 (0.43, 2.19) 0.97 (0.43, 2.21) 0.96 (0.42, 2.18) 1.06 (0.47, 2.38) 1.06 (0.47, 2.40) 1.06 (0.47, 2.38) **Family planning knowledge/attitudes/subjective norms self-efficacy** Family planning beliefs score **1.16 (1.00, 1.36)** **1.17 (1.00, 1.36)** **1.16 (1.00, 1.36)** 1.13 (0.97, 1.31) 1.13 (0.97, 1.31) 1.12 (0.97, 1.31) \# methods known 1.02 (0.85, 1.23) 1.00 (0.82, 1.21) 1.01 (0.84, 1.22) 1.01 (0.84, 1.22) 0.99 (0.82, 1.20) 1.01 (0.84, 1.21) Woman can use family planning without partner's permission 1.48 (0.60, 3.63) 1.50 (0.61, 3.65) 1.43 (0.59, 3.46) 1.30 (0.52, 3.19) 1.31 (0.54, 3.18) 1.26 (0.52, 3.04) Score on family planning use approval questions **1.53 (1.25, 1.88)** **1.53 (1.25, 1.89)** **1.53 (1.24, 1.87)** **1.45 (1.19, 1.77)** **1.45 (1.19, 1.77)** **1.44 (1.18, 1.76)** Knows where to get family planning (no = ref) 0.34 (0.06, 1.85) 0.34 (0.06, 1.84) 0.34 (0.06, 1.86) 0.15 (0.02, 1.36) 0.15 (0.02, 1.35) 0.15 (0.02, 1.36) **Exposure to intervention** Exposure to intervention (no = ref) 1.26 (0.67, 2.40) 1.22 (0.65, 2.30) Number of topics of exposed to during intervention 1.12 (0.94, 1.33) 1.10 (0.93, 1.30) Exposure to family planning discussions during intervention (no = ref) 1.32 (0.72, 2.40) 1.23 (0.68, 2.23) ^a^ Models adjusted for all factors shown; Model I adjusted for exposure to the intervention (yes/no); Model II adjusted for the number of topics of exposure; Model III adjusted for exposure to FP discussions ^b^OR: Odds ratio: statistically significant ORs at p\<0.05 are shown in bold; statistically significant ORs at p\<0.10 are shown in italic. ^c^CI: Confidence interval ^d^Difference between age of male and female partners ^e^Category for missing data indicator included in the model We also found that women were significantly more likely to report use of any method or of a modern method of family planning if they reported more spousal communication and higher self-efficacy to use family planning. Reported control over their own cash earnings was significantly associated with women's use of modern methods. Beliefs that women can use family planning without their spouses' permission also appears to be positively associated with current use of any or of modern methods, but these associations were not statistically significant (at p\<0.05). Women's younger age and higher number of living children were also significant positive predictors of use of both any and modern family planning methods. As noted, none of the intervention exposure measures was significantly associated with men's reports of current use of any or modern methods of family planning. However, men were significantly more likely to use any or a modern method if they had higher approval scores for use of family planning. Further, for both any and modern methods, men who reported more traditional beliefs about gender roles were less likely to use family planning. Men who reported accurate knowledge about family planning were more likely to use modern methods, but this relationship was not statistically significant. Finally, men who reported that they did not want to have any more children were three times as likely to use any method as those who wanted a pregnancy in the future. Qualitative Results {#sec032} ------------------- ### Description of the Sample {#sec033} Data for this analysis were drawn from ten married couples. All couples were determined to be 'real' marriages or current unions based on the triangulation of key events and stories in the relationship histories from both partners. All couples reported living together in Siaya County during the intervention timeframe. At the time of data collection, couples had been married for between 5 and 32 years. Women were between the ages of 21 and 49 years; four were over the age of 35. Men's ages ranged between 23 and 68 years. Wives were younger than their husbands in all of the relationships, and in six of the 10 couples spouses were within 5 years of age of each other. All couples reported a pregnancy within the first two years of marriage, and at least half of the women reported becoming pregnant prior to marriage. Seven of the ten women interviewed reported having dropped out of school due to pregnancy, lack of school fees, or both. Women reported having between 2 and 5 living children, and one was pregnant at the time of the interview. All respondents reported using at least one method of family planning at some point during their marriage, including calendar, condoms, pills, IUD, injections, implants, and bilateral tubal ligation. Five women reported using a family planning method in secret at some point during their marriage. Two of the relationships were polygamous, and in five relationships the husband was known or suspected to have had sex with someone else during the marriage. There were no reports of wives having other sexual partners than their husbands during the marriage. All couples reported one or both partners having been tested for HIV. In five couples, one or both partners reported incidents of inter-partner violence, all of which involved husbands physically abusing their wives. There was variability in how couples were introduced to the intervention. In some cases, initial exposure occurred by accident (encountered a drama group performing in the community) and in others by invitation (a friend invited them to join a group for couples). Likewise, sometimes the husband participated in dialogues, sometimes the wife participated, and sometimes both husband and wife from the same couple participated in the same dialogues. Men and women from two of the couples interviewed reported actively sharing their stories about family planning during a dialogue convened through the intervention. ### Experience of Participation in the Intervention {#sec034} Several participants discussed attending dialogues about family planning at *barazzas* (community meetings) or events. > *"I was invited to these meetings by a friend*, *and during these meetings there were discussions about role-sharing at home and also \[use of\] family planning*!*"* Men and women reported learning about family planning in community dialogues. One woman recalled her husband's report upon returning from a *barazza*. > *"Today the discussion at the Chief's* barazza *was very heated*. *Imagine*, *we discussed about family chores and family planning*. *I have never known that family planning issues were real*.*"* The intervention offered exposure to discussion of the benefits of family planning: one woman recounted how her peers not only described, but provided 'living proof,' of positive experiences. Both men and women reported learning by contrasting real examples of health and economic stability between family planning users and non-users in the community. Others described feeling comfortable publicly sharing their own family planning stories when they perceived that the social environment was becoming more openly supportive of couples' use of family planning. One man, who had previously opposed family planning, described how learning of others' positive experiences dispelled his beliefs that it caused infertility and birth defects. Dialogues appear to have increased the acceptability of not only talking about, but also using family planning, especially when key opinion leaders (e.g. chiefs and religious leaders) both advocated for and modeled open communication with spouses and use of family planning. One woman described how community members openly supported others to use family planning during the dialogues; she and her husband reported that their ongoing involvement in dialogues about family planning and gender roles influenced how they communicated about these issues at home. ### Shifting Gender Norms {#sec035} Women described shifts towards more equitable household roles, with husbands beginning to help with household duties. Some men also described helping with chores that were traditionally considered 'women's work.' For example, one man spoke of learning the importance of sharing household responsibilities at a dialogue. He cited collecting firewood, going to the *posho* mill, cooking and fetching water as examples of things he now does. One woman relayed a story of how she and the children were shocked when, unprompted, her husband cooked for the family. She recalled her children telling her: > *"Mom*! *Guess what happened in our house today? Dad cooked us lunch!"* Some couples described starting to manage household budgets together and making more joint decisions about household purchases and assets. One woman said that one of the best moments of her marriage was when she and her husband "*made decisions together as man and wife*." Together, they decided to sell the scrap metal her husband had accumulated and bought a cow; when the cow was old enough, they sold it and bought materials for the new house they are now planning to build. One man said: > *"Before*, *what was ours was mine*. *Now*, *what's ours is ours*. *"* Despite such reported changes, both men and women stated that women still did the majority of household work, and that men maintained the majority of household decision-making power. ### Couple Communication {#sec036} Men and women reported more open and equitable communication about family planning. Several women who had previously used a method in secret reported less opposition towards family planning from their partners, and described how they now openly communicated and reached mutual agreement to use a method. One man reported that he reminded his wife to get regular injections and offered to accompany her to the clinic. Another man described extensive communication on selecting a family planning method: the couple jointly decided against oral contraceptives because of the need for daily adherence, and instead chose injectable contraception. Men reported that couple concordance about fertility intentions and desired family size helped them resist external pressure for large families. Previously, some women had experienced conflict about the ideal number of children and family planning use, including questioning and pressure from husbands about getting pregnant. Several men and women reported that improved communication with their spouses both decreased conflict about family planning and increased the "*love and harmony*" in their relationship overall. One woman cited her husband's support for family planning as an enabler for her use of family planning: it boosted her morale and brought harmony to her marriage. Previously she had used family planning without her husband's consent or knowledge, and this had contributed stress and conflict in the relationship. While women described the many benefits of having partner support for using family planning, including increased relationship harmony, they also discussed the critical importance of being able to independently access family planning methods when faced with partner opposition. One woman recalled using family planning without her husbands' permission as a time when she was able to control something about the relationship, and was happy to be free of worry that she would become pregnant. Another recalled that she had learned about family planning methods in the privacy of a health care facility, and started using a method in secret. Family planning use, she said, had helped ensure her children were adequately spaced and that she had children when she had the resources to support them, but she also described experiencing significant stress because her husband continued to pressure her for a baby and was suspicious when she did not get pregnant. She also spoke of the stress of managing side effects on her own. Subsequently, she and her husband came to agreement about the use of family planning, and she has recently switched to a more effective method with her husband's support. However, she stated that she would still be using a method in secret if her husband had not changed his attitude. She emphasized that her previous use of family planning had "*cost her harmony...but it was worth it*" to be able to control her fertility. Discussion {#sec037} ========== Our results suggest that an intervention that supports open and public dialogue about gender, sexuality, and family planning may increase use of family planning among couples in settings where the prevalence of use is relatively low. First, self-reported family planning use increased significantly for both women and men in our study samples between baseline and endline. Reports of family planning use by women at baseline closely matched use estimates for Nyanza Province in the 2008--2009 Kenya DHS \[[@pone.0153907.ref021]\]. In the analysis of endline data, use of family planning by women was significantly associated with participation in the intervention, particularly in specific dialogues on family planning. The intervention's effects were significant for use of both any and modern contraceptive methods and after adjusting for key socio-demographic factors. While similar interventions may have been implemented in similar settings, there are limited evaluation data of such interventions in the published literature. Yet, in line with results from our study, published evaluation data show positive effects of similar community-level interventions in addressing social factors and shifting social norms with regard to reproductive health issues. For example, in 2004, CARE implemented and evaluated a 3-year adolescent reproductive health project to address related behavior changes and local social norms in a rural district of the Republic of Georgia. Community engagement strategies included promoting community support for adolescent reproductive health and using \'Theatre for Development\' to promote community dialogue about social norms. Project evaluation data demonstrated improved knowledge, attitudes, behavior about FP and evidence of shifts in gender norms. \[[@pone.0153907.ref025]\] More recently, Campbell et al. explored pathways between community participation and HIV prevention, treatment and impact mitigation in Zimbabwe, reviewing six qualitative studies in Manicaland \[[@pone.0153907.ref026]\]. These found that community group membership is often associated with decreased HIV incidence and that participation in formal community groups and informal local networks provides opportunities for critical dialogue about HIV/AIDS, often facilitating renegotiation of harmful social norms, sharing of personal experiences of HIV/AIDS, formulation of positive action plans and solidarity to action them. We found that a greater level of spousal communication, and higher self-efficacy to discuss and use family planning, were significant predictors of use for women at endline. As our theory of change suggests, couple communication and self-efficacy are two of three key variables we expected to be positively associated with exposure to the intervention. However, the third key variable---women's greater participation in household decision-making---was not a significant predictor of family planning use. The comprehensive household decision-making measure we used assessed decisions across a wide range of domains. While it may provide a more robust measure of women's overall decision-making power in the household, it is not narrowly focused on decisions about family size, contraceptive use, or healthcare seeking, and therefore may be less predictive of such outcomes; future studies could compare various proposed measures of household decision-making power to compare their predictive power on a range of maternal health outcomes, including family planning. Moreover, it may be that self-efficacy to use family planning is a better measure of women's power to enact these behaviors, and may have accounted for most of the variance in this domain. Reported control over their own cash earnings was also significantly associated with use of modern methods, suggesting that economic empowerment may be associated with access to and/or use of FP. Finally, greater age and a higher number of children were significantly associated with women's family planning use, yet women's reproductive intentions were not a significant predictor of use. For men, approval of family planning, more equitable (less traditional) beliefs about gender roles, and a desire to not have more children were the strongest predictors of family planning use. Neither the scale measuring women's decision-making power in the household, nor any of the intervention exposure variables, were significant predictors of men's current use of any or of modern methods. Of note, the two areas with the most striking differences in men's and women's responses at endline were reproductive intentions (60.0% of men and 30.2% of women wanted another pregnancy at the time of the interview or within the next 12 months) and approval of women's use of family planning without her partners' permission (66.3% of women and only 11.6% of men approved of such use). Given these differences between men and women, an intervention that supports more open communication about reproductive decision-making and family planning seems appropriate. Our findings suggest that improved communication may have enabled more couple acceptance of family planning, and thus increased use of family planning over time. In addition, men's desire not to have any more children was a strong predictor of family planning use among men, whereas women's reproductive intentions were not a predictor of family planning use among women even though women were much more likely to want to delay or limit childbearing than were men. Rather than indicate that men's childbearing desires are more important to a couple's use of family planning use than women's, these results might suggest that when men's intentions are more closely aligned with women's, the couple is more likely to use family planning. Our qualitative results provide additional insight into the ways in which the intervention may have contributed to changes in couple communication and family planning behavior--the mixed-method approach we used is one of the strengths of our analysis. Public dialogues may have increased the perceived social acceptability of family planning and of the benefits of open couple communication about family planning, and these normative shifts at community level may have enabled more equitable communication and decision-making at the couple level. Ongoing, public discourse---often explicitly supported or led by community leaders---may have normalized discussions about family planning and influenced family planning acceptability at the community level. The participation of prominent male opinion leaders in these dialogues may have helped to legitimize men's participation in communication and decision-making about family planning, and may have positively influenced their approval of family planning, thus increasing use. Our quantitative results support this: men's approval of family was an important predictor of family planning use. Public discourse precipitated conversations on family planning in the household as couples discussed what they heard and learned. Men described a change in their acceptance of family planning, and women reported that men began to demonstrate more shared decision-making, better communication, and increased support for family planning. Male support of and male involvement in family planning also appear to be important factors for helping with method adherence. Women reported partners accompanying them to get methods and reminding them to take their pills daily. Increased couple communication may also have contributed to increased harmony and a decrease in conflict. Relationship harmony was highly valued by both men and women. Limitations {#sec038} =========== Our survey data are cross-sectional without a comparison group and we used a two-stage cluster sampling approach, thus the sample obtained does not cover the population as evenly as in the case of simple random sampling. Both our quantitative and qualitative results are subject to self-report bias. Propensity scores were used to reduce selection bias by equating the baseline and endline survey samples based on key measured covariates, yet propensity score matching only accounts for observed covariates: imbalances may remain even after propensity score adjustment if relevant survey respondent characteristics were not measured or were measured imprecisely. Thus, the larger estimated differences in baseline-endline family planning use based on unmatched results may be real. Importantly, self-selection to participation in the intervention is a limitation of our analyses examining associations between exposure to the intervention and family planning use at endline. Yet, some reassurance is provided since the intervention was widely advertised and supported by community leaders, and since 65% of the respondents were exposed. In addition, we cannot account for potential effects of other sources of family planning information (e.g. health providers, HIV/STI testing and counseling, domestic violence counseling, media) to the observed differences in family planning use between baseline and endline surveys and the associations observed at endline. However, to our knowledge, no other similar interventions took place in the study area during the intervention period. Also, the intensity of the intervention was measured as the number of topics covered during intervention activities attended and not as the amount of time of exposure to the intervention. Our qualitative interview guide elicited more reports on the positive than the negative aspects of the intervention and family planning use; this may be the result of social desirability bias or of the nature of our intervention activities (i.e. involvement of community leaders, theatre groups, other forms of entertainment). Finally, we do not have information on women who refused to be interviewed or completed only part of the questionnaire. Conclusion {#sec039} ========== Our results suggest that an intervention that encourages and supports dialogue and communication about gender norms and sexuality can shift gender relations and positively influence family planning use, especially for women. Participation in the intervention and greater spousal communication, in addition to variables indicative of more empowerment (self-efficacy for family planning and control over household assets), all contributed to greater use of family planning for women. For men, approval of family planning, more equitable beliefs about gender roles, and a desire to not have more children were the strongest predictors of family planning use. These findings are consistent with other research that suggests more equitable gender norms and spousal communication are linked to contraceptive use and positive reproductive health outcomes, and provide an effective intervention model for achieving those goals through community-based dialogues. While not definitive, our promising evaluation results now allow for smaller scale studies to examine the impact of specific types of dialogues and experience sharing on specific outcomes. Future studies should consider the local context and, if possible, use a similar mixed-method approach. Supporting Information {#sec040} ====================== ###### WE MEASR Scales and Indices. (DOC) ###### Click here for additional data file. ###### Family Planning Measures. (DOC) ###### Click here for additional data file. ###### Men's Data. (XLS) ###### Click here for additional data file. ###### Women's Data. (XLSX) ###### Click here for additional data file. ###### Codebook for Women's and Men's Datasets. (DOC) ###### Click here for additional data file. We would like to recognize all the CARE staff who contributed to the successful implementation of the FPRI project, especially Luis Ortiz-Echevarria, Marcie Rubardt and Mary Yetter of CARE USA, and Rosemary Mbaluka, Ferdinand Moseh, Rhodah Litoroh, Cynthia Muhambe, Henry Anyona, Mary Nyakomitta and Jude Otogo of CARE Kenya. We would also like to acknowledge Katina Pappas-DeLuca and Colleen Smith for their contributions to the endline program evaluation. Our special thanks go to the team of community-based facilitators who partnered with us throughout the project, and to the District Health Medical Health Team in Siaya for their ongoing support and coordination. [^1]: **Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. [^2]: Conceived and designed the experiments: CW CG. Performed the experiments: CW EW. Analyzed the data: CW AC CG. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CW CG EW. Wrote the paper: CW AC CG EW.

Astrocyte lipid metabolism is critical for synapse development and function in vivo. The brain is considered to be autonomous in lipid synthesis with astrocytes producing lipids far more efficiently than neurons. Accordingly, it is generally assumed that astrocyte-derived lipids are taken up by neurons to support synapse formation and function. Initial confirmation of this assumption has been obtained in cell cultures, but whether astrocyte-derived lipids support synapses in vivo is not known. Here, we address this issue and determined the role of astrocyte lipid metabolism in hippocampal synapse formation and function in vivo. Hippocampal protein expression for the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) and its target gene fatty acid synthase (Fasn) was found in astrocytes but not in neurons. Diminishing SREBP activity in astrocytes using mice in which the SREBP cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) was deleted from GFAP-expressing cells resulted in decreased cholesterol and phospholipid secretion by astrocytes. Interestingly, SCAP mutant mice showed more immature synapses, lower presynaptic protein SNAP-25 levels as well as reduced numbers of synaptic vesicles, indicating impaired development of the presynaptic terminal. Accordingly, hippocampal short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity were defective in mutant mice. These findings establish a critical role for astrocyte lipid metabolism in presynaptic terminal development and function in vivo. GLIA 2017;65:670-682.

Q: Set method for java not working So for my assignment it needs to look like this: Assignment The problem I am facing with this is the setIndent isn't setting the indent but when I mainly change int indent = 20; it will add the indent to the boxes. Also I am confused as to why Rectangle@6bdf28bb is appearing in my code. Here is my code for the assignment. Client // Use this client to help test your Rectangle class for Lab13 // Download it into the same folder as your Rectangle.java file. // Add other tests if you want to. public class RectangleClient { public static void main( String[] args ) { Rectangle box1 = new Rectangle( 4, 5 ); box1.setIndent(-1); System.out.println( box1 ); Rectangle box2 = new Rectangle( 6, 12, '+', 'X' ); box2.setIndent( 5 ); System.out.println( box2 ); Rectangle box3 = new Rectangle( 11, 20, '$', 'o' ); box3.setIndent( 20 ); System.out.println( box3 ); } } Class //Using rectangle class to test public class Rectangle { public double length; public double width; public char fill = ' '; public char pen = '*'; public int indent; //Set variables public void setLength(double len){ if (len <= 0){ throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid length for Rectangle object"); } else{ length = len; } } public void setWidth(double wid){ if (wid <=0){ throw new IllegalArgumentException("Invalid width for Rectangle object"); } else{ width = wid; } } public void setPen(char c){ pen = c; } public void setFill(char c){ fill = c; } public void setIndent(int n){ if (n < 0){ indent = 0; } else { indent = n; } } //Get variables public double getLength(){ return length; } public double getWidth(){ return width; } public double getIndent(){ return indent; } //Main method public Rectangle (){ int count = 0; String indents = ""; String topBottom = ""; String middle = ""; String line = ""; //Creates the indent string while (count<indent){ indents = indents + " "; count++; } //Top boarder and bottom one count = 0; while (count<width){ topBottom += pen; count++; } //Fill inside square width = width - 2; count = 0; while (count<width){ middle += fill; count++; } //Prints square line = pen + middle + pen; count = 0; while (count<length){ if (count == 0 || count == length - 1){ System.out.println(indents + topBottom); count++; } else{ System.out.println(indents + line); count++; } } } // using default or set fill and boarder public Rectangle (double l, double w){ int count = 0; String indents = ""; String topBottom = ""; String middle = ""; String line = ""; //Creates the indent string while (count<indent){ indents = indents + " "; count++; } //Top boarder and bottom one count = 0; while (count<w){ topBottom += pen; count++; } //Fill inside square w = w - 2; count = 0; while (count<w){ middle += fill; count++; } //Prints square line = pen + middle + pen; count = 0; while (count<l){ if (count == 0 || count == l - 1){ System.out.println(indents + topBottom); count++; } else{ System.out.println(indents + line); count++; } } } //To set values without using .setWidth etc public Rectangle (double l, double w, char p, char f){ int count = 0; String indents = ""; String topBottom = ""; String middle = ""; String line = ""; //Creates the indent string while (count<indent){ indents += " "; count++; } //Top boarder and bottom one count = 0; while (count<w){ topBottom += p; count++; } //Fill inside square w = w - 2; count = 0; while (count<w){ middle += f; count++; } //Prints square line = indents + p + middle + p; topBottom = indents + topBottom; count = 0; while (count<l){ if (count == 0 || count == l - 1){ System.out.println(topBottom); count++; } else{ System.out.println(line); count++; } } } } The error I'm getting is that it is not adding the indents and the random Rectangle@2ff4f00f A: You want to move the printing process of your Rectangle outside of the constructor, otherwise it'll always print immediately upon the use of new Rectangle(...), before you're able to use Rectangle#setIndent(int). You should instead set the Rectangle fields' values with your constructor, and then have a separate method for printing the Rectangle. For instance, your constructor which is used to define a specific Rectangle with a custom width, length, pen and fill: public Rectangle(double l, double w, char p, char f) { this.length = l; this.width = w; this.pen = p; this.fill = f; } This would set the Rectangle instance's fields to the values parsed as arguments when using new Rectangle(...). (Note, you might want to redo your other constructors to comply with this as well). To visualize it, you could try add the following code to your Rectangle class @Override public String toString() { return getClass().getSimpleName() + "[w: " + width + "; l: " + length + "; p: " + pen + "; f: " + fill + "; indent: " + indent + "]"; } And then use the following in your RectangleClient Rectangle box1 = new Rectangle(4, 5, '+', 'X'); System.out.println(box1); box1.setIndent(50); System.out.println(box1); It should print Rectangle[w: 5.0; l: 4.0; p: +; f: X; indent: 0] Rectangle[w: 5.0; l: 4.0; p: +; f: X; indent: 50] Since we removed the logic for printing the box from the constructor, we should add it somewhere else. With a separate method for printing the Rectangle, you could do something similar to public void printRectangle() { int count = 0; String indents = ""; String topBottom = ""; String middle = ""; String line = ""; // Creates the indent string while (count < indent) { indents += " "; count++; } // Top boarder and bottom one count = 0; while (count < this.width) { topBottom += this.pen; count++; } // Fill inside square this.width = this.width - 2; count = 0; while (count < this.width) { middle += this.fill; count++; } // Prints square line = indents + this.pen + middle + this.pen; topBottom = indents + topBottom; count = 0; while (count < this.length) { if (count == 0 || count == this.length - 1) { System.out.println(topBottom); count++; } else { System.out.println(line); count++; } } } This is basically just the logic from your constructor, just with the exception that instead of using the local variables (passed as arguments), we use the Rectangle instance's field values instead (e.g. this.width instead of w). Maybe your instructor explicitly wanted you to override the #toString() method, and inside the overridden method, you'd have your logic for printing the Rectangle. If that is the case, you'd of course just move the logic from the #printRectangle() to the overridden #toString() method, which would allow you to use System.out.println(box1) (replace the previous sampled #toString() method, of course). @Override public String toString() { // Logic from #printRectangle() here } If you choose to override #toString(), you should not use System.out.println in the logic, but rather build a string, which you'll return at the end of the #toString() logic. You could take a look at StringBuilder for this.

The body of an Ebola victim remains contagious after death, so collectors must carry full protective gear as they prepare to do their job. Tommy Trenchard for NPR Listen Listening... / Originally published on December 31, 2014 7:40 am "When I wake up in the morning, I will pray to God to give me strength and focus," says 21-year-old Sorie Fofana. His job is collecting the bodies of those who die from Ebola in Monrovia, Liberia's capital city of roughly 1 million people. Before, Fofana was an artist, making designs for T-shirts. The new job pays better — $1,000 a month. But every morning, the lanky, laid-back Fofana has to steel himself to go out and do the job. Fofana serves on one of four government teams of specially trained body collectors in Monrovia, funded by the International Federation of the Red Cross. It's a critical task as the Ebola epidemic worsens in Liberia, with more than 1,300 suspected and confirmed cases, and nearly 700 deaths. In the densely populated city, when someone dies of Ebola, many more people may become infected by coming into contact with the body. On a recent morning, the body collectors pull up to their first stop: a dirt lot at the edge of a steep hill overlooking a river. They've come to collect the corpse of Rachel Wleh. The men change out of jeans and sneakers, into surgical scrubs and rubber boots. Alexander Nyanti, 23, used to study economics at a local college. But the college is closed, along with every other school here, because of the Ebola outbreak. Nyanti isslender and soft-spoken. He looks a little nervous at the thought of going into Wleh's house. "I don't feel fine," he says. "But I have to go there. I must go there." Mark Korvayan is the team leader. He's a longtime employee of the Ministry of Health and a father figure to the crew. The men gather up their gearand begin the difficult hike down the hillside, carefully picking their way over rocks strewn with trash and drying laundry. At the base of the hill, they walk past a cluster of cement-block homes at the river's edge. People stream out of the doorways. The whole neighborhood is turning out to watch. Wleh's husband was the doctor at the local clinic. That's also where the family lived. He came down with Ebola earlier this month and died a few days ago. Wleh took sick soon after. She died the day before. Wleh's four children, ages 15 to 22, stand to one side. They hug their arms to their chests and hang their heads. "She was vomiting," says Larry, the oldest. "She said she was just feeling weak." As Larry describes his mother's symptoms, Korvayan strides up to warn him that he and his brothers and sister absolutely must get tested for Ebola. If they touched their mother while she was sick, there's a good chance they've been infected, too. Wleh's kids just stare back at him, panic flickering in their eyes. Finally, Larry speaks up. He mumbles that their health is fine. Their problem is a different one: In the space of a few days, they've become orphans: "We don't have a father. We don't have a mother." The team dons the last layer of protective gear. They unfurl white plastic jumpsuits and pull them on. Next come face masks and goggles. They tape their sleeves shut with meticulous care and check each other for exposed skin. Their life depends on getting this right: The corpse of a person who dies of Ebola leaks bodily fluids loaded with the virus. Anyone who comes into contact with those fluids can become infected. Their last defense is a prayer. The men gather in a circle and touch hands: "God our father, ... as we are going in ... may you be the protector. We will take the precautionary measures, but may you seal us with your holy spirit and with your angels ..." Korvayan claps his hands twice to signal it's time to go in. They enter the house slowly, single file, and head into a bedroom. They emerge a few minutes later. They've packed Wleh in a green body bag and drag it across the floor. They pause at the door to figure out the best way to lift the body safely, then proceed out of the house. As they carry Wleh past the crowd, several women begin wailing. Others join in. The cries swell to a chorus. Wleh was beloved in this neighborhood. This is the closest thing she'll get to a funeral. The hike back up the hill is excruciating. At the top, the men stop under a tree and collapse against it. Korvayan says the state of Wleh's corpse was unnerving. "When I saw the body," he says, "my skin creeped." She was lying on a bed, blood leaking from her mouth. The men carry Wleh's body over to a long flatbed truck. They heave it in and drag it to the back. Now comes the most dangerous part: getting out of their protective suits. They arch their backs and contort their limbs in an awkward shimmy to avoid touching the outside of the suit. Then they spray each suit with disinfectant and place the suits in a trash bag. Despite the pay — generous by Liberian standards — the men say their families do not want them doing the work. Nyanti, the economics student, says his parents won't even let him stay in the house. They're worried he's going to infect them all. Fofana's parents have begged him to quit. "My mom and dad don't want me to do this job," he says. "But I feel I should do it to save my nation." Like the other men, Fofana says that what started as just a job has become a calling. He is seeing firsthand how crucial this work is to stopping Ebola's spread. He knows the risks. But, he says, someone's got to do it: "I'm going to save my country. If I die, I die for my country." The men close up the back of the truck. Korvayan says he can't even guess how many bodies he's picked up since he started this work. "I cannot give you a specific number. I've gone far. I have picked up enough." But their work is never done. They've got six more bodies to pick up today, and after that a long drive to the city's crematorium. Tomorrow they'll do it all over again. NPR's reporting from Monrovia has been produced by Nicole Beemsterboer. Copyright 2014 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/. Transcript MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: Twenty-thousand - that's how many people the World Health Organization predicts will be infected with Ebola in the next six to nine months. 3,000 people are known to have already come down with the deadly virus. About half of them have died. One of the epicenters of Ebola is the West African country of Liberia. In the densely populated capital of Monrovia, a major concern is how corpses are handled; they're highly infectious. Every day, specially trained teams go out to collect the bodies and they're not able to keep up with the demand. NPR's Nurith Aizenman went out with one of those teams. NURITH AIZENMAN, BYLINE: The body collectors pull up to their first stop of the day. It's a dirt lot at the edge of a steep hill overlooking a river. They've come to collect the corpse of a woman who died in a house at the bottom. Her name was Rachel Wleh. The men change out of jeans and sneakers into surgical scrubs and rubber boots. They're one of four teams doing this work in Monrovia with funding from the International Federation of the Red Cross. ALEXANDER NYANTI: I have my surgical gloves, as you can see. I have my heavy-duty gloves. I have my goggles. AIZENMAN: Alexander Nyanti is pulling on his surgical gloves and gathering his goggles. He used to be a student studying economics at a local college. But the college has been closed along with every other school here because of the Ebola outbreak. Nyanti's 23, slender and soft-spoken. He looks a little nervous at the thought of going into Wleh's house. NYANTI: I don't feel fine, but I have to go there. I must go there. AIZENMAN: A few feet away, Sorie Fofana is more nonchalant. He's the creative one. SORIE FOFANA: I was an artist - T-shirts, drawings. AIZENMAN: People used to pay him to put his designs on their T-shirts, but this job pays better. He's 21, lanky and laid-back. Still, he says, every morning he has to steel himself to go out. FOFANA: When I wake up in the morning I will pray to God to give me strength and focus. AIZENMAN: Mark Korvayan is the team's leader. He's a longtime employee of the Ministry of Health and a father figure to the crew. MARK KORVAYAN: I'm the head of the team - the burial team personnel. AIZENMAN: The men gather up their gear and begin the slow climb down the hillside, picking their way carefully over rocks strewn with trash and drying laundry. At the base of the hill, they walk past cement block homes at the river's edge. People stream out of the doorways. The whole neighborhood is turning out to watch this. Wleh's husband was the doctor at the local clinic - that's also where the family lived. He came down with Ebola earlier this month and died a few days ago. Wleh got sick soon after. She died yesterday afternoon. Wleh's children stand to one side. They hug their arms to their chests and hang their heads. The eldest, Larry Wleh, is 22. LARRY WLEH: She was vomiting. She had chills. She was feeling weak. AIZENMAN: As he describes his mother's symptoms, Korvayan marches up to warn Larry Wleh that he and his brothers and sister absolutely must get tested. If they touched their mother while she was sick, there's a good chance they've been infected too. KORVAYAN: You say you did not touch your mother? Now, who touched her? The person that touched her needs to report himself to the center. AIZENMAN: Wleh's kids stare back at Korvayan in mute horror. Finally Larry, the eldest, speaks up. He mumbles that their health is fine. Their problem is a different one - in the space of a few days they've become orphans. WLEH: We don't have a father, we don't have a mother. AIZENMAN: The team begins putting on their last layer of protective gear. They unfurl white plastic jumpsuits and pull them on. Next come the face masks and goggles. They tape their sleeves shut with meticulous care and check each other for exposed skin. Their life depends on getting this right. The corpse of a person who dies of Ebola is extremely dangerous. It leaks bodily fluids loaded with the virus. Anyone who comes into contact with those fluids can become infected. Their last defense is a prayer. The men gather in a circle and touch hands. God, our father - as we are going in, may you be the protector, Korvayan says. We will take the precautionary measures, but may you seal us with your holy spirit and with your angels. Korvayan claps his hands to signal it's time to go in. The men walk into the house slowly, single file and head into a bedroom. They emerge a few minutes later. They've packed Wleh in an army green body bag and drag it across the floor. They pause at the door and discuss the best way to lift up the body safely and then proceed out of the house. As they carry Wleh past the crowd, several women begin wailing. The cries swell to a chorus. Wleh was beloved in this neighborhood. This is the closest thing she'll get to a funeral. The hike back up the hill is excruciating. At the top, the men stop under a tree and collapse against it. Korvayan says the state of Wleh's corpse was unnerving. KORVAYAN: Well, when I saw the body, my skin creeped. AIZENMAN: He says they found Wleh lying on a bed, blood leaking from her mouth. KORVAYAN: Her nose, I saw was saliva. Very wet saliva. Wet. But her mouth - she was leaking with blood. AIZENMAN: The men carry Wleh's body over to a long flatbed truck. They heave it in and drag it to the back. Now comes the most dangerous part - getting out of their protective suits. They arch their backs and contort their limbs in an awkward shimmy to avoid touching the outside. Then they spray each suit with disinfectant solution and place it in a trash bag. The men are paid for this work, a thousand dollars a month - generous by Liberian standards. But their families do not want them doing it. Nyanti, the economic student, says his parents won't even let him stay in the house. They're worried he's going to infect them all. Fofana's parents have begged him to quit. FOFANA: My mom and dad do not want me to do the job. But I feel I can do it to save my nation. AIZENMAN: Like the other men, Fofana says that what started out as just a job, a way to earn a living, has become a calling. He's seeing firsthand how crucial this work is to stopping the Ebola's spread. He knows the risks, but he says, someone's got to do it for the country. FOFANA: I'm going to serve my country. If I die, I die for my country. AIZENMAN: The men close up the back of the truck. They've got six more bodies to pick up today. And after that, a long drive to the crematorium. Tomorrow they'll do it all over again. Korvayan says he can't even guess how many bodies he's collected since he started this work. Related Content The two U.S. patients who were treated for Ebola have been discharged from Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, where they had been in an isolation ward since returning from Liberia early this month. They are the first patients treated for Ebola on American soil. Dr. Kent Brantly and missionary Nancy Writebol have been released after "a rigorous course of treatment and thorough testing," Emory's Dr. Bruce Ribner said. He added that he's confident that their release from care "poses no public health threat." What’s on the bottom of Lake Washington? Listener Merry McCreery wanted to know. For KUOW Public Radio’s Local Wonder project, I embarked on a strange journey that took me to the heart of this vast lake that separates Seattle from the Eastside. What I learned was astonishing, often gross and, on occasion, heartbreaking. Ross Reynolds talks with KUOW online editor Isolde Raftery about some extra stories that didn't make it into our series, "Labor Intensive." The stories from the labor and delivery ward at UW Medical Center in Seattle are often told breathlessly. A nurse tells of a pregnant woman who arrived at the hospital brain dead after being airlifted from Eastern Washington. She was kept alive as nurses pumped her breasts to feed her baby, who had been delivered by cesarean section. During the Cold War, thousands of Soviet and U.S. fishermen worked together on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean, trawling by day and sharing Russian bread, vodka and off-color jokes in the evenings, while their governments maintained a posture of pure hostility toward each other.

require 'tzinfo/timezone_definition' module TZInfo module Definitions module America module Halifax include TimezoneDefinition timezone 'America/Halifax' do |tz| tz.offset :o0, -15264, 0, :LMT tz.offset :o1, -14400, 0, :AST tz.offset :o2, -14400, 3600, :ADT tz.offset :o3, -14400, 3600, :AWT tz.offset :o4, -14400, 3600, :APT tz.transition 1902, 6, :o1, 724774703, 300 tz.transition 1916, 4, :o2, 7262864, 3 tz.transition 1916, 10, :o1, 19369101, 8 tz.transition 1918, 4, :o2, 9686791, 4 tz.transition 1918, 10, :o1, 58125545, 24 tz.transition 1920, 5, :o2, 7267361, 3 tz.transition 1920, 8, :o1, 19380525, 8 tz.transition 1921, 5, :o2, 7268447, 3 tz.transition 1921, 9, :o1, 19383501, 8 tz.transition 1922, 4, :o2, 7269524, 3 tz.transition 1922, 9, :o1, 19386421, 8 tz.transition 1923, 5, :o2, 7270637, 3 tz.transition 1923, 9, :o1, 19389333, 8 tz.transition 1924, 5, :o2, 7271729, 3 tz.transition 1924, 9, :o1, 19392349, 8 tz.transition 1925, 5, :o2, 7272821, 3 tz.transition 1925, 9, :o1, 19395373, 8 tz.transition 1926, 5, :o2, 7273955, 3 tz.transition 1926, 9, :o1, 19398173, 8 tz.transition 1927, 5, :o2, 7275005, 3 tz.transition 1927, 9, :o1, 19401197, 8 tz.transition 1928, 5, :o2, 7276139, 3 tz.transition 1928, 9, :o1, 19403989, 8 tz.transition 1929, 5, :o2, 7277231, 3 tz.transition 1929, 9, :o1, 19406861, 8 tz.transition 1930, 5, :o2, 7278323, 3 tz.transition 1930, 9, :o1, 19409877, 8 tz.transition 1931, 5, :o2, 7279415, 3 tz.transition 1931, 9, :o1, 19412901, 8 tz.transition 1932, 5, :o2, 7280486, 3 tz.transition 1932, 9, :o1, 19415813, 8 tz.transition 1933, 4, :o2, 7281578, 3 tz.transition 1933, 10, :o1, 19418781, 8 tz.transition 1934, 5, :o2, 7282733, 3 tz.transition 1934, 9, :o1, 19421573, 8 tz.transition 1935, 6, :o2, 7283867, 3 tz.transition 1935, 9, :o1, 19424605, 8 tz.transition 1936, 6, :o2, 7284962, 3 tz.transition 1936, 9, :o1, 19427405, 8 tz.transition 1937, 5, :o2, 7285967, 3 tz.transition 1937, 9, :o1, 19430429, 8 tz.transition 1938, 5, :o2, 7287059, 3 tz.transition 1938, 9, :o1, 19433341, 8 tz.transition 1939, 5, :o2, 7288235, 3 tz.transition 1939, 9, :o1, 19436253, 8 tz.transition 1940, 5, :o2, 7289264, 3 tz.transition 1940, 9, :o1, 19439221, 8 tz.transition 1941, 5, :o2, 7290356, 3 tz.transition 1941, 9, :o1, 19442133, 8 tz.transition 1942, 2, :o3, 9721599, 4 tz.transition 1945, 8, :o4, 58360379, 24 tz.transition 1945, 9, :o1, 58361489, 24 tz.transition 1946, 4, :o2, 9727755, 4 tz.transition 1946, 9, :o1, 58370225, 24 tz.transition 1947, 4, :o2, 9729211, 4 tz.transition 1947, 9, :o1, 58378961, 24 tz.transition 1948, 4, :o2, 9730667, 4 tz.transition 1948, 9, :o1, 58387697, 24 tz.transition 1949, 4, :o2, 9732123, 4 tz.transition 1949, 9, :o1, 58396433, 24 tz.transition 1951, 4, :o2, 9735063, 4 tz.transition 1951, 9, :o1, 58414073, 24 tz.transition 1952, 4, :o2, 9736519, 4 tz.transition 1952, 9, :o1, 58422809, 24 tz.transition 1953, 4, :o2, 9737975, 4 tz.transition 1953, 9, :o1, 58431545, 24 tz.transition 1954, 4, :o2, 9739431, 4 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404888400 tz.transition 1983, 4, :o2, 420012000 tz.transition 1983, 10, :o1, 436338000 tz.transition 1984, 4, :o2, 452066400 tz.transition 1984, 10, :o1, 467787600 tz.transition 1985, 4, :o2, 483516000 tz.transition 1985, 10, :o1, 499237200 tz.transition 1986, 4, :o2, 514965600 tz.transition 1986, 10, :o1, 530686800 tz.transition 1987, 4, :o2, 544600800 tz.transition 1987, 10, :o1, 562136400 tz.transition 1988, 4, :o2, 576050400 tz.transition 1988, 10, :o1, 594190800 tz.transition 1989, 4, :o2, 607500000 tz.transition 1989, 10, :o1, 625640400 tz.transition 1990, 4, :o2, 638949600 tz.transition 1990, 10, :o1, 657090000 tz.transition 1991, 4, :o2, 671004000 tz.transition 1991, 10, :o1, 688539600 tz.transition 1992, 4, :o2, 702453600 tz.transition 1992, 10, :o1, 719989200 tz.transition 1993, 4, :o2, 733903200 tz.transition 1993, 10, :o1, 752043600 tz.transition 1994, 4, :o2, 765352800 tz.transition 1994, 10, :o1, 783493200 tz.transition 1995, 4, :o2, 796802400 tz.transition 1995, 10, :o1, 814942800 tz.transition 1996, 4, :o2, 828856800 tz.transition 1996, 10, :o1, 846392400 tz.transition 1997, 4, :o2, 860306400 tz.transition 1997, 10, :o1, 877842000 tz.transition 1998, 4, :o2, 891756000 tz.transition 1998, 10, :o1, 909291600 tz.transition 1999, 4, :o2, 923205600 tz.transition 1999, 10, :o1, 941346000 tz.transition 2000, 4, :o2, 954655200 tz.transition 2000, 10, :o1, 972795600 tz.transition 2001, 4, :o2, 986104800 tz.transition 2001, 10, :o1, 1004245200 tz.transition 2002, 4, :o2, 1018159200 tz.transition 2002, 10, :o1, 1035694800 tz.transition 2003, 4, :o2, 1049608800 tz.transition 2003, 10, :o1, 1067144400 tz.transition 2004, 4, :o2, 1081058400 tz.transition 2004, 10, :o1, 1099198800 tz.transition 2005, 4, :o2, 1112508000 tz.transition 2005, 10, :o1, 1130648400 tz.transition 2006, 4, :o2, 1143957600 tz.transition 2006, 10, :o1, 1162098000 tz.transition 2007, 3, :o2, 1173592800 tz.transition 2007, 11, :o1, 1194152400 tz.transition 2008, 3, :o2, 1205042400 tz.transition 2008, 11, :o1, 1225602000 tz.transition 2009, 3, :o2, 1236492000 tz.transition 2009, 11, :o1, 1257051600 tz.transition 2010, 3, :o2, 1268546400 tz.transition 2010, 11, :o1, 1289106000 tz.transition 2011, 3, :o2, 1299996000 tz.transition 2011, 11, :o1, 1320555600 tz.transition 2012, 3, :o2, 1331445600 tz.transition 2012, 11, :o1, 1352005200 tz.transition 2013, 3, :o2, 1362895200 tz.transition 2013, 11, :o1, 1383454800 tz.transition 2014, 3, :o2, 1394344800 tz.transition 2014, 11, :o1, 1414904400 tz.transition 2015, 3, :o2, 1425794400 tz.transition 2015, 11, :o1, 1446354000 tz.transition 2016, 3, :o2, 1457848800 tz.transition 2016, 11, :o1, 1478408400 tz.transition 2017, 3, :o2, 1489298400 tz.transition 2017, 11, :o1, 1509858000 tz.transition 2018, 3, :o2, 1520748000 tz.transition 2018, 11, :o1, 1541307600 tz.transition 2019, 3, :o2, 1552197600 tz.transition 2019, 11, :o1, 1572757200 tz.transition 2020, 3, :o2, 1583647200 tz.transition 2020, 11, :o1, 1604206800 tz.transition 2021, 3, 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%verify "executed" %include "arm-vfp/funop.S" {"instr":"ftosizs s1, s0"}

U.S. Supreme Court OREGON v. MATHIASON, 429 U.S. 492 (1977) 429 U.S. 492 OREGON v. MATHIASON ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE SUPREME COURT OF OREGON No. 76-201. Decided January 25, 1977 Where respondent in response to a police officer's request voluntarily came to a police station for questioning about a burglary and was immediately informed that he was not under arrest, and at the close of a half-hour interview left the station without hindrance, respondent was not in custody "or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way," Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444 , so as to require that his confession to the burglary obtained during such interview be suppressed at his state criminal trial because he was not given Miranda warnings prior to being questioned. Certiorari granted; 275 Ore. 1, 549 P.2d 673, reversed and remanded. PER CURIAM. Respondent Carl Mathiason was convicted of first-degree burglary after a bench trial in which his confession was critical to the State's case. At trial he moved to suppress the confession as the fruit of questioning by the police not preceded by the warnings required in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). The trial court refused to exclude the confession because it found that Mathiason was not in custody at the time of the confession. The Oregon Court of Appeals affirmed respondent's conviction, but on his petition for review in the Supreme Court of Oregon that court by a divided vote reversed the conviction. It found that although Mathiason had not been arrested or otherwise formally detained, "the interrogation took place in a `coercive environment'" of the sort to which Miranda was intended to apply. The court conceded that its holding was contrary to decisions in other jurisdictions, and referred in particular to People v. Yukl, 25 N. Y. 2d 585, 256 N. E. 2d 172 (1969). The State of Oregon has [429 U.S. 492, 493] petitioned for certiorari to review the judgment of the Supreme Court of Oregon. We think that court has read Miranda too broadly, and we therefore reverse its judgment. The Supreme Court of Oregon described the factual situation surrounding the confession as follows: "An officer of the State Police investigated a theft at a residence near Pendleton. He asked the lady of the house which had been burglarized if she suspected anyone. She replied that the defendant was the only one she could think of. The defendant was a parolee and a `close associate' of her son. The officer tried to contact defendant on three or four occasions with no success. Finally, about 25 days after the burglary, the officer left his card at defendant's apartment with a note asking him to call because `I'd like to discuss something with you.' The next afternoon the defendant did call. The officer asked where it would be convenient to meet. The defendant had no preference; so the officer asked if the defendant could meet him at the state patrol office in about an hour and a half, about 5:00 p. m. The patrol office was about two blocks from defendant's apartment. The building housed several state agencies. "The officer met defendant in the hallway, shook hands and took him into an office. The defendant was told he was not under arrest. The door was closed. The two sat across a desk. The police radio in another room could be heard. The officer told defendant he wanted to talk to him about a burglary and that his truthfulness would possibly be considered by the district attorney or judge. The officer further advised that the police believed defendant was involved in the burglary and [falsely stated that] defendant's fingerprints were found at the scene. The defendant sat for a few minutes and then said he had taken the property. This occurred within five minutes after defendant had come to the office. The [429 U.S. 492, 494] officer then advised defendant of his Miranda rights and took a taped confession. "At the end of the taped conversation the officer told defendant he was not arresting him at this time; he was released to go about his job and return to his family. The officer said he was referring the case to the district attorney for him to determine whether criminal charges would be brought. It was 5:30 p. m. when the defendant left the office. "The officer gave all the testimony relevant to this issue. The defendant did not take the stand either at the hearing on the motion to suppress or at the trial." 275 Ore. 1, 3-4, 549 P.2d 673, 674 (1976). The Supreme Court of Oregon reasoned from these facts that: "We hold the interrogation took place in a `coercive environment.' The parties were in the offices of the State Police; they were alone behind closed doors; the officer informed the defendant he was a suspect in a theft and the authorities had evidence incriminating him in the crime; and the defendant was a parolee under supervision. We are of the opinion that this evidence is not overcome by the evidence that the defendant came to the office in response to a request and was told he was not under arrest." Id., at 5, 549 P.2d, at 675. Our decision in Miranda set forth rules of police procedure applicable to "custodial interrogation." "By custodial interrogation, we mean questioning initiated by law enforcement officers after a person has been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way." 384 U.S., at 444 . Subsequently we have found the Miranda principle applicable to questioning which takes place in a prison setting during a suspect's term of imprisonment on a separate offense, Mathis v. United States, 391 U.S. 1 (1968), and to questioning taking place in a [429 U.S. 492, 495] suspect's home, after he has been arrested and is no longer free to go where he pleases, Orozco v. Texas, 394 U.S. 324 (1969). In the present case, however, there is no indication that the questioning took place in a context where respondent's freedom to depart was restricted in any way. He came voluntarily to the police station, where he was immediately informed that he was not under arrest. At the close of a 1/2-hour interview respondent did in fact leave the police station without hindrance. It is clear from these facts that Mathiason was not in custody "or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way." Such a noncustodial situation is not converted to one in which Miranda applies simply because a reviewing court concludes that, even in the absence of any formal arrest or restraint on freedom of movement, the questioning took place in a "coercive environment." Any interview of one suspected of a crime by a police officer will have coercive aspects to it, simply by virtue of the fact that the police officer is part of a law enforcement system which may ultimately cause the suspect to be charged with a crime. But police officers are not required to administer Miranda warnings to everyone whom they question. Nor is the requirement of warnings to be imposed simply because the questioning takes place in the station house, or because the questioned person is one whom the police suspect. Miranda warnings are required only where there has been such a restriction on a person's freedom as to render him "in custody." It was that sort of coercive environment to which Miranda by its terms was made applicable, and to which it is limited. The officer's false statement about having discovered Mathiason's fingerprints at the scene was found by the Supreme Court of Oregon to be another circumstance contributing to the coercive environment which makes the Miranda rationale applicable. Whatever relevance this fact [429 U.S. 492, 496] may have to other issues in the case, it has nothing to do with whether respondent was in custody for purposes of the Miranda rule. The petition for certiorari is granted, the judgment of the Oregon Supreme Court is reversed, and the case is remanded for proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion. So ordered. MR. JUSTICE BRENNAN would grant the writ but dissents from the summary disposition and would set the case for oral argument. MR. JUSTICE MARSHALL, dissenting. The respondent in this case was interrogated behind closed doors at police headquarters in connection with a burglary investigation. He had been named by the victim of the burglary as a suspect, and was told by the police that they believed he was involved. He was falsely informed that his fingerprints had been found at the scene, and in effect was advised that by cooperating with the police he could help himself. Not until after he had confessed was he given the warnings set forth in Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). The Court today holds that for constitutional purposes all this is irrelevant because respondent had not "`been taken into custody or otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way.'" Ante, at 494, quoting Miranda v. Arizona, supra, at 444. I do not believe that such a determination is possible on the record before us. It is true that respondent was not formally placed under arrest, but surely formalities alone cannot control. At the very least, if respondent entertained an objectively reasonable belief that he was not free to leave during the questioning, then he was "deprived of his freedom of action in a significant way." 1 [429 U.S. 492, 497] Plainly the respondent could have so believed, after being told by the police that they thought he was involved in a burglary and that his fingerprints had been found at the scene. Yet the majority is content to note that "there is no indication that . . . respondent's freedom to depart was restricted in any way," ante, at 495, as if a silent record (and no state-court findings) means that the State has sustained its burden, see Lego v. Twomey, 404 U.S. 477, 489 (1972), of demonstrating that respondent received his constitutional due. 2 More fundamentally, however, I cannot agree with the Court's conclusion that if respondent were not in custody no warnings were required. I recognize that Miranda is limited to custodial interrogations, but that is because, as we noted last Term, the facts in the Miranda cases raised only this "narrow issue." Beckwith v. United States, 425 U.S. 341, 345 (1976). The rationale of Miranda, however, is not so easily cabined. Miranda requires warnings to "combat" a situation in which there are "inherently compelling pressures which work to undermine the individual's will to resist and to compel [429 U.S. 492, 498] him to speak where he would not otherwise do so freely." 384 U.S., at 467 . It is of course true, as the Court notes, that "[a]ny interview of one suspected of a crime by a police officer will have coercive aspects to it." Ante, at 495. But it does not follow that because police "are not required to administer Miranda warnings to everyone whom they question," ibid., that they need not administer warnings to anyone, unless the factual setting of the Miranda cases is replicated. Rather, faithfulness to Miranda requires us to distinguish situations that resemble the "coercive aspects" of custodial interrogation from those that more nearly resemble "[g]eneral on-the-scene questioning . . . or other general questioning of citizens in the fact-finding process" which Miranda states usually can take place without warnings. 384 U.S., at 477 . In my view, even if respondent were not in custody, the coercive elements in the instant case were so pervasive as to require Miranda-type warnings. 3 Respondent was interrogated in "privacy" and in "unfamiliar surroundings," factors on which Miranda places great stress. Id., at 449-450; see also Beckwith v. United States, supra, at 346 n. 7. The investigation had focused on respondent. And respondent was subjected to some of the "deceptive stratagems," Miranda v. Arizona, supra, at 455, which called forth the Miranda decision. I therefore agree with the Oregon Supreme Court that to excuse the absence of warnings given these facts is "contrary to the rationale expressed in Miranda." 275 Ore. 1, 5, 549 P.2d 673, 675 (1976). 4 [429 U.S. 492, 499] The privilege against self-incrimination "has always been `as broad as the mischief against which it seeks to guard.'" Miranda v. Arizona, supra, at 459-460, quoting Counselman v. Hitchcock, 142 U.S. 547, 562 (1892). Today's decision means, however, that the Fifth Amendment privilege does not provide full protection against mischiefs equivalent to, but different from, custodial interrogation. 5 See also Beckwith v. United States, supra. It is therefore important to note that the state courts remain free, in interpreting state constitutions, to guard against the evil clearly identified by this case. 6 It has been noted that as a logical matter, a person who honestly but unreasonably believes he is in custody is subject to the same coercive pressures as one whose belief is reasonable; this suggests that such persons also are entitled to warnings. See, e. g., LaFave, "Street Encounters" and the Constitution: Terry, Sibron, Peters, and Beyond, 67 Mich. L. Rev. 39, 105 (1968); Smith, The Threshold Question in Applying Miranda: What Constitutes Custodial Interrogation?, 25 S. C. L. Rev. 699, 711-714 (1974). [ Footnote 2 ] The Court's action is particularly inappropriate because the record of this case has not been transmitted to us, and thus our knowledge of the facts is limited to the information contained in the petition and in the opinions of the state courts. [ Footnote 3 ] I do not rule out the possibility that lesser warnings would suffice when a suspect is not in custody but is subjected to a highly coercive atmosphere. See, e. g., Beckwith v. United States, 425 U.S. 341, 348 -349 (1976) (MARSHALL, J., concurring in judgment); ALI, Model Code of Pre-Arraignment Procedure 110.1 (2) (Approved Draft 1975) (suspects interrogated at police station must be advised of their right to leave and right to consult with counsel, relatives, or friends). [ Footnote 5 ] I trust today's decision does not suggest that police officers can circumvent Miranda by deliberately postponing the official "arrest" and the giving of Miranda warnings until the necessary incriminating statements have been obtained. In Opperman, this Court reversed a decision of the South Dakota Supreme Court holding that routine inventory searches of impounded automobiles, made without probable cause or consent, violated the Fourth Amendment. The case was remanded, like this one, "for further proceedings not inconsistent with [the] opinion." 428 U.S., at 376 . On remand, the South Dakota Supreme Court held that such searches violated a nearly identical provision of the State Constitution, and that therefore the seized evidence should have been suppressed. State v. Opperman, 89 S. D. ___, 228 N. W. 2d 152 (1976). MR. JUSTICE STEVENS, dissenting. In my opinion the issues presented by this case are too important to be decided summarily. Of particular importance [429 U.S. 492, 500] is the fact that the respondent was on parole at the time of his interrogation in the police station. This fact lends support to inconsistent conclusions. On the one hand, the State surely has greater power to question a parolee about his activities than to question someone else. Moreover, as a practical matter, it seems unlikely that a Miranda warning would have much effect on a parolee's choice between silence and responding to police interrogation. Arguably, therefore, Miranda warnings are entirely inappropriate in the parole context. On the other hand, a parolee is technically in legal custody continuously until his sentence has been served. Therefore, if a formalistic analysis of the custody question is to determine when the Miranda warning is necessary, a parolee should always be warned. Moreover, Miranda teaches that even if a suspect is not in custody, warnings are necessary if he is "otherwise deprived of his freedom of action in any significant way." If a parolee being questioned in a police station is not described by that language, today's decision qualifies that part of Miranda to some extent. I believe we would have a better understanding of the extent of that qualification, and therefore of the situations in which warnings must be given to a suspect who is not technically in custody, if we had the benefit of full argument and plenary consideration.

Mesoscia procera Mesoscia procera is a moth of the family Megalopygidae. It was described by Walter Hopp in 1930. It is found in Amazonas, Brazil. References Category:Moths described in 1930 Category:Megalopygidae

Title: Wine 0.9.41 发布 Date: 2007-07-14 08:02 Author: toy Category: Apps Slug: wine-0941-released [Wine](http://www.winehq.org/) 于昨日获得了小幅更新，发布了新的 0.9.41 版。这个版本不仅实现了一些新的改进，而且也修订了许多 bug。目前，仅有该版本的源码包可用，适用于常见 Linux 发行版的二进制包还需稍作等待。  据悉，该版本的 Wine 主要包括下列改进： - 实现了许多 gdiplus 函数 - 更为完整的 pdh.dll 实现 - 支持 MSI 远程调用 - 在 crypt32.dll 中提供了消息支持 现在，你可以[获取 Wine 0.9.41 的源码包](http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/wine/wine-0.9.41.tar.bz2)自行编译。当然，你也可以等候官方提供预编译的二进制包。

Benedetto Bartolo Benedetto Bartolo (1627–1684) was a Roman Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Belcastro (1684–1685) and Bishop of Lacedonia (1672–1684). Biography Benedetto Bartolo was born in Giarutana, Italy on 16 December 1627 and ordained a priest on 11 March 1668. On 12 September 1672, he was appointed by Pope Clement X as Bishop of Lacedonia. On 18 September 1672, he was consecrated bishop by Cesare Facchinetti, Bishop of Spoleto. On 18 September 1684, he was appointed by Pope Innocent XI as Bishop of Belcastro. He served as Bishop of Belcastro until his death in November 1685. Episcopal succession While bishop, he was the principal co-consecrator of: Giambattista Morea, Bishop of Lacedonia (1684); Pietro Luigi Malaspina, Bishop of Cortona (1684); and Giovanni Riccanale, Bishop of Boiano (1684). References External links and additional sources (for Chronology of Bishops) (for Chronology of Bishops) (for Chronology of Bishops) (for Chronology of Bishops) Category:17th-century Roman Catholic bishops Category:Bishops appointed by Pope Clement X Category:Bishops appointed by Pope Innocent XI Category:1627 births Category:1685 deaths

Q: Inequality problem: with $x,y,z>0$, show that $\frac{x^5}{y^3}+\frac{y^5}{z^3}+\frac{z^5}{x^3}\geq x^2+y^2+z^2$ I am studying AM-GM inequalities in school and have this problem: With $x,y,z>0$ show that $\frac{x^5}{y^3}+\frac{y^5}{z^3}+\frac{z^5}{x^3}\geq x^2+y^2+z^2$. A: Idea behind the solution By AM-GM you have for each $\alpha, \beta, \gamma \in \mathbb N$ $$\frac{\alpha\frac{x^5}{y^3}+\beta\frac{y^5}{z^3}+\gamma\frac{z^5}{x^3}}{\alpha+\beta+\gamma}\geq \sqrt[\alpha+\beta+\gamma]{(\frac{x^5}{y^3})^\alpha(\frac{y^5}{z^3})^\beta(\frac{z^5}{x^3})^\gamma}$$ Then by symmetry you can permute circularly the coefficients and add the inequalities. Now, set the RHS $=x^2$. This yields $$5 \alpha -3 \gamma = 2\alpha+2\beta+2\gamma \\ 5 \beta- 3 \alpha=0 \\ 5 \gamma -3 \beta =0 $$ Since the third equation is the sum of the first two (this comes from the fact that your inequality is homogeneous) your system has infinitely many solutions. Solving you get $$9 \alpha =15 \beta =25 \gamma$$ In particular the following is a solution: $$\alpha=25 \\ \beta =15 \\ \gamma=9$$ The solution By AM-GM you have $$\frac{25\frac{x^5}{y^3}+15\frac{y^5}{z^3}+9\frac{z^5}{x^3}}{49}\geq \sqrt[49]{(\frac{x^5}{y^3})^{25}(\frac{y^5}{z^3})^{15}(\frac{z^5}{x^3})^{9}}=x^2\\ \frac{9\frac{x^5}{y^3}+25\frac{y^5}{z^3}+15\frac{z^5}{x^3}}{49}\geq \sqrt[49]{(\frac{x^5}{y^3})^{9}(\frac{y^5}{z^3})^{25}(\frac{z^5}{x^3})^{15}}=y^2\\ \frac{15\frac{x^5}{y^3}+9\frac{y^5}{z^3}+25\frac{z^5}{x^3}}{49}\geq \sqrt[49]{(\frac{x^5}{y^3})^{15}(\frac{y^5}{z^3})^{9}(\frac{z^5}{x^3})^{25}}=z^2\\ $$ Add them together. A: By AM-GM $$2x^5+3y^5\geq5\sqrt[5]{(x^5)^2(y^5)^3}=5x^2y^3,$$ which gives $$\frac{x^5}{y^3}\geq\frac{5x^2-3y^2}{2}.$$ Id est, $$\sum_{cyc}\frac{x^5}{y^3}\geq\sum_{cyc}\frac{5x^2-3y^2}{2}=\sum_{cyc}x^2.$$

Benign essential blepharospasm (BEB) and spasmodic torticollis (ST) are progressive forms of focal dystonia characterized by their unique presentation in upper facial musculature and cervical musculature, respectively. Little is known about the role of the cerebral cortex despite the fact that emotional and stress-related events, behaviors regulated by the cerebral cortex, often trigger and exacerbate these disorders. Furthermore, cortical control of lower motor neurons innervating muscles implicated in these movement disorders is poorly understood. This study is designed to isolate for the first time cortical neural systems that directly innervate facial motor neurons selectively engage in BEB and spinal accessory motor neurons selectively engage in ST. Once identified, synaptic interactions of these neuronal assemblies will be anatomically characterized. The major goals of this project are to examine the corticobulbar projection from the face/neck representation of the cingulate motor cortex (M3 or Area 24c) to the facial and spinal accessory nuclei. The investigators will determine if the M3 projection: 1) targets lower motor neurons innervating the orbicularis oculi, corrugator supercilia, frontalis, sternocleidomastoid and trapezius; 2) makes direct contact with these motor neurons; 3) is excitatory or inhibitory. Their studies are designed to test the hypothesis that the cerebral cortex plays a role in the physical expression of BEB and ST. It is further hypothesized that recruitment of musculature in BEB and ST patient is a consequence of neuroplastic alterations, such as local sprouting. This project will lead to an increased understanding of cortical systems governing upper facial expression and cervical torsion. These data will be used to design a cortical model of focal dystonia and provide guidance in developing new approaches to surgical treatment of intractable cranial-cervical dyskinesias.

Your cart is empty. Keep shopping! Vintage, nostalgic mood to this Krakow scene of a bicycle resting beneath one the city's many charming old streetlamps. The black borders are not part of the print but only there to help the image display better, as because of its portrait shape the top and bottom would otherwise appear cropped off in thumbnail previews! ;) This print measures 7x5" in portrait format and is offered with free shipping ... other sizes can be made available upon request with prices adjusted accordingly, let me know if you would prefer a larger print and I can give you a quote for the size of your choice and make a custom order. A professionally printed photograph on archival paper with inks that will not fade in a lifetime. Suitable for matting and framing (not included) International shipping is free (first class mail in the UK, airmail for international orders) The file loaded for display purposes is a small, low resolution file but the shipped print will be printed from the large, high resolution file and the watermark will not appear. Print will be signed on the reverse only if requested All photos in my shop are my own work and I own all rights reserved full copyright, for sale is the printed image only

Love, Beauty, and Charity Inasmuch as love grows in you, in so much beauty grows; for love is itself the beauty of the soul. Augustine of Hippo There is a variant translation to this quote. “Beauty grows in you to the extent that love grows, because charity itself is the soul’s beauty.” Philanthropy is love in action. Through your actions, through your philanthropy, through your charity, you share your love for the world with the world. When love is shared, love grows making yourself and the world a little more beautiful. In whatever way that looks like in your life, I want to thank you for bringing more beauty, more love, more charity, and more change to this world. As 2017 comes to a close, we mark the end of another year at Change Gangs. It was a great year, and together we donated $13,683 to great charities around the world. Since we founded, we’ve given $65,243.50 to nearly 100 different charities. Here are our final recipients of the year. People for Pets Giving Circle This year, the Pets Giving Circle gave $5,335 for a total of $25,833 to great pet charities. For our last donation in 2017, we chose Big Bones Canine Rescue. Big Bones is a 100% volunteer based shelter and foster based rescue network for all breeds of Mastiff and Great Danes. They receive dogs that are about to be euthanized from shelters in CA, TX, OK, KS, and NM. They have a 13 acre property in Windsor, CO with 4 buildings that can hold up to 30 dogs. All the dogs have indoor and outdoor areas that they can access, plus there are isolated kennels to keep new or sick dogs until their health and temperament can be assessed. In 2015, they adopted out 598 dogs. In 2016, they adopted 860 dogs- 250 of whom were puppies. Poverty Busters This year, Poverty Busters donated $4,727.50 for a total of $26,460. For our last donation in 2017, we chose Project Self-Sufficiency. Located in Loveland, CO, Project Self-Sufficiency creates opportunities for single parent families to become selfpowered by providing intensive support to parents who are ready to build new career pathways. When participants enter the program they are partnered with a skilled advisor who helps them calculate a living wage for the family and then customizes a career planning curriculum and time frame for meeting that living wage. While in school or training for a new career, participants receive help to improve the family’s health (physical and mental), access to reliable transportation, child care, and affordable housing. It can take several years to graduate from the program. Veterans Giving Circle This year, the Veterans Giving Circle donated $2,745.50 for a total of $10,625. For our last donation in 2017, we chose War Horses for Heroes.WarHorses for Heroes provides equine-assisted therapy to veterans who have sustained service-related mental or physical injuries. As a therapy partner for those with mental illness, a horse is intuitive and non-judgmental, providing a trusting and open environment for processing and healing. Veterans with histories of depression or PTSD who participate in equine assisted therapy experience consistent improvement in depression symptoms and increased sociability. Veterans with physical injuries also benefit. Horseback riding benefits the rehabilitation process because the rhythm of a horse’s gait is similar to that of a human’s. It provides the sensation of movement to those with severe injuries affecting mobility. Veterans with spinal cord injuries or other physical disabilities experience improved muscle strength and better balance after participating in equine assisted therapy programs. Do you want a donation team? I’d love to welcome you to one of our giving circles. Just click here to choose the cause you care about most. Connect With Us… Like On Facebook About Sharon Throughout my life, I have donated to help animals, the environment, the homeless, the poor, the Food Bank, the Red Cross and more. You name it, and I’ve probably sent them money. Like many others in today’s economy, the few dollars I had left at the end of the month for philanthropy weren’t making a significant difference for the causes I cared most about– until I discovered the power of giving circles. I'm dedicated to helping people make a big impact on the causes they care about most. Quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead Another Quote Past the seeker as he prayed came the crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And seeing them… he cried, “Great God, how is it that a loving creator can see such things and yet do nothing about them?” God said, “I did do something. I made you.” Sufi Teaching Yet Another Quote “What we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.” John Ruskin

Q: What library or project generator to use for a first STM32F3 project? I'm about to start my first STM32 project. (I have previously used atmega MCUs, and have decades of experience with C, mostly server-side.) There seem to be three choices, given that I want to develop on the command-line in Linux, using make. an STM32CubeMX generated makefile project, an STM32CubeMX generated makefile project, including FreeRTOS, or a makefile project using libopencm3. The application will process and send messages on 4 or more serial ports, using different protocols. Occasionally GPIOs will be set or cleared. My questions are: Why does libopencm3 exist? Why would someone choose it over an STM32CubeMX-generated makefile project. Is learning FreeRTOS worthwhile for such a project? A: There are no good free project generation tools that I know. I worked mostly with STM32CubeMX and I can tell you that it's surely useful (expecially for novices) but long from being something you can trust on. I found lots of bugs in it in the years, some has been fixed, others are still in there. IMHO, in general, you should use code generator tool with care better as a training instrument maybe taking snippets of code out of them. I've used FreeRTOS a lot and I can tell you I feel good with it. Maybe it's not good as as a commercial grade product but surely it's well documented and easy to handle. Haven't had any problem with it.

SF millennials won’t be able to buy a home for 20 years, says survey - rajnathani https://sf.curbed.com/2018/12/13/18139261/millennial-renters-homebuyers-san-francisco-apartmentlist-down-payment ====== pontifier Every dollar paid in rent increases the value of property in support of those who already own it. It's a double whammy. I myself benefit from this situation, but see it's vicious cycle. As long as people keep paying rent, rents will rise and property values will rise as well. It's not sustainable indefinitely, and I see problems on the horizon as people change their priorities. ~~~ rajnathani The only direct variable which has an inverse relation to the vicious cycle is the property tax rate, as higher property taxes increases the effective price for property ownership. In California due to Prop 13, the property tax rate (of ~1% of the initially appraised market value of the home) gets negated by inflation, and it's further countered in regions such as the Bay Area by the sustained increase in demand from the influx of residents and higher wage growth.

// Copyright 2015 Dolphin Emulator Project // Licensed under GPLv2+ // Refer to the license.txt file included. #pragma once #include <memory> #include <optional> #include <vector> #include "Common/CommonTypes.h" class PointerWrap; namespace DiscIO { struct Partition; } namespace DVDInterface { enum class ReplyType : u32; } namespace DiscIO { enum class Platform; class Volume; } // namespace DiscIO namespace IOS::ES { class TMDReader; class TicketReader; } // namespace IOS::ES namespace DVDThread { void Start(); void Stop(); void DoState(PointerWrap& p); void SetDisc(std::unique_ptr<DiscIO::Volume> disc); bool HasDisc(); bool IsEncryptedAndHashed(); DiscIO::Platform GetDiscType(); u64 PartitionOffsetToRawOffset(u64 offset, const DiscIO::Partition& partition); IOS::ES::TMDReader GetTMD(const DiscIO::Partition& partition); IOS::ES::TicketReader GetTicket(const DiscIO::Partition& partition); bool IsInsertedDiscRunning(); // This function returns true and calls SConfig::SetRunningGameMetadata(Volume&, Partition&) // if both of the following conditions are true: // - A disc is inserted // - The title_id argument doesn't contain a value, or its value matches the disc's title ID bool UpdateRunningGameMetadata(const DiscIO::Partition& partition, std::optional<u64> title_id = {}); void StartRead(u64 dvd_offset, u32 length, const DiscIO::Partition& partition, DVDInterface::ReplyType reply_type, s64 ticks_until_completion); void StartReadToEmulatedRAM(u32 output_address, u64 dvd_offset, u32 length, const DiscIO::Partition& partition, DVDInterface::ReplyType reply_type, s64 ticks_until_completion); } // namespace DVDThread

/* * Copyright (c) 2003, 2011, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER. * * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it * under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2 only, as * published by the Free Software Foundation. Oracle designates this * particular file as subject to the "Classpath" exception as provided * by Oracle in the LICENSE file that accompanied this code. * * This code 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 * version 2 for more details (a copy is included in the LICENSE file that * accompanied this code). * * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License version * 2 along with this work; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, * Inc., 51 Franklin St, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA. * * Please contact Oracle, 500 Oracle Parkway, Redwood Shores, CA 94065 USA * or visit www.oracle.com if you need additional information or have any * questions. */ package java.lang.instrument; /* * Copyright 2003 Wily Technology, Inc. */ /** * This class serves as a parameter block to the <code>Instrumentation.redefineClasses</code> method. * Serves to bind the <code>Class</code> that needs redefining together with the new class file bytes. * * @see java.lang.instrument.Instrumentation#redefineClasses * @since 1.5 */ public final class ClassDefinition { /** * The class to redefine */ private final Class<?> mClass; /** * The replacement class file bytes */ private final byte[] mClassFile; /** * Creates a new <code>ClassDefinition</code> binding using the supplied * class and class file bytes. Does not copy the supplied buffer, just captures a reference to it. * * @param theClass the <code>Class</code> that needs redefining * @param theClassFile the new class file bytes * * @throws java.lang.NullPointerException if the supplied class or array is <code>null</code>. */ public ClassDefinition( Class<?> theClass, byte[] theClassFile) { if (theClass == null || theClassFile == null) { throw new NullPointerException(); } mClass = theClass; mClassFile = theClassFile; } /** * Returns the class. * * @return the <code>Class</code> object referred to. */ public Class<?> getDefinitionClass() { return mClass; } /** * Returns the array of bytes that contains the new class file. * * @return the class file bytes. */ public byte[] getDefinitionClassFile() { return mClassFile; } }

A film experience Although the film is based on history, “Red Tails” is no staid documentary. It is an action-packed experience that plunges the audience deeply into fast-paced World War II dogfights. It also draws the audience into the brotherhood of black fighter pilots facing the battle against Nazis and racism. The film gives a realistic look back at the struggle of the first Tuskegee Airmen to be recognized as capable pilots despite a long history of prejudice in America’s military. “We had an agenda of really inspiring and uplifting youth. It’s one page being turned out of many in getting our stories told,” Hemingway said. Nate Parker, who plays flight leader Marty “Easy” Julian in the film, said portraying a character based on a real person made him feel a greater responsibility to give an “honest and true” performance. Parker, 32, said connecting with the experience of being a young black man in the era of Jim Crow was easier when he began to draw the parallel between the obstacles of the young men of the 1940s with those of modern times. “The men then are the men now,” Parker said. “We’re still dealing with a very alive struggle.”

Q: Nullpointer exception error for using split and comma operators I want to store the values HTRANS and HBURST in one list and 2'b00 and 3'b000 in another list. But i am getting a null pointer exception in the code which i have written, I have written an SSCCE for the same, please help. import java.util.ArrayList; import java.util.List; public class SSCCE1 { public static void main(String[] args) { List<String> bins = new ArrayList<String>(); bins.add("HTRANS = 2'b00 to 2'b11"); bins.add("HTRANS = 2'b00 to 2'b11, HBURST = 3'b000 to 3'b111"); String[] bins_splitcomma = null; String temp; for(int i =0; i < bins.size(); i++) { temp = bins.get(i); if(temp.contains(",")) { // if element of bins contains comma, case 2. bins_splitcomma = temp.split(","); } else { bins_splitcomma[0] = temp; // if element of bins does not contain a comma, case 1. } } } } Output: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NullPointerException at codecoveragetool.SSCCE1.main(SSCCE1.java:28) Java Result: 1 My full code: String temp1; String[] bins_splitcomma = null; String[] bins_split; List<String> bins_name = new ArrayList<String>(); List<String> bins_bitrange = new ArrayList<String>(); //List<String> bins_bits = new ArrayList<String>(); ArrayList<ArrayList<String>> bins_bits = new ArrayList<ArrayList<String>>(); List<String> bins = dataStr.get("bins"); System.out.println(bins); for(int i =0; i < bins.size(); i++) { temp1 = bins.get(i); if(temp1.contains(",")) { bins_splitcomma = temp1.split(","); } else { bins_splitcomma = new String[]{temp1}; } for(int j = 0; j < bins_splitcomma.length; j++) { bins_split = bins_splitcomma[j].split("="); // HBURST = 3'b000 to 3'b111 if(!(bins_name.contains(bins_split[0].trim()))) { bins_name.add(bins_split[0].trim()); // HBURST bins_bitrange.add(bins_split[1].trim()); // 3'b000 to 3'b111 ArrayList<String> tempo = returnBits(bins_split[1].trim()); // [3'b000, 3'b001, 3'b010, 3'b011, ... , 3'b111] bins_bits.add(tempo); } } } A: Your line bins_splitcomma[0] = temp; is trying to set an element of a null array as defined in your line String[] bins_splitcomma = null; A: As you first element does not contain ,, so your code will go in else statement which will try to put value at 0th position of bins_splitcomma. But you never initialized it. Try this code ... else { if (bins_splitcomma == null) { bins_splitcomma = new String[5]; } bins_splitcomma[0] = temp; // if element of bins does not contain a comma, case 1. }

--- abstract: 'Spermatozoa self-propel by propagating bending waves along an active elastic flagellum. The structure in the distal flagellum is likely incapable of actively bending, and as such is largely neglected. Through elastohydrodynamic modeling we show that an inactive distal region confers a significant propulsive advantage when compared with a fully active flagellum of the same length. The optimal inactive length, typically 2–5% (but up to 37% in extremes), depends on both wavenumber and viscous-elastic ratio. Potential implications in evolutionary biology and clinical assessment are discussed.' author: - 'Cara V. Neal' - 'Atticus L. Hall-McNair' - 'Meurig T. Gallagher' - 'Jackson Kirkman-Brown' - 'David J. Smith' date: October 2019 title: 'Doing more with less: the flagellar end piece enhances the propulsive effectiveness of spermatozoa' --- Spermatozoa, alongside their crucial role in sexual reproduction, are a principal motivating example of inertialess propulsion in the very low Reynolds number regime. The time-irreversible motion required for effective motility is achieved through the propagation of bending waves along the eukaryotic axoneme, which forms the active elastic internal core of the slender flagellum. While sperm morphology varies significantly between species [@austin1995evolution; @fawcett1975mammalian; @werner2008insect; @mafunda2017sperm; @nelson2010tardigrada; @anderson1975form], there are clear conserved features which can be seen in humans, most mammals, and also our evolutionary ancestors [@cummins1985mammalian]. In gross structural terms, sperm comprise (i) the head, which contains the genetic cargo; (ii) the midpiece of the flagellum, typically a few microns in length, containing the ATP-generating mitochondria; (iii) the principal piece of the flagellum, typically 40–50$\,\mu$m in length (although much longer in some species [@bjork2006intensity]), the core of which is a “9+2” axoneme, producing and propagating active bending waves through dynein-ATPase activity [@machin1958wave]; and (iv) the end piece, typically a few microns in length, which consists of singleton microtubules only [@zabeo2019axonemal]. Lacking the predominant “9+2” axonemal structure it appears unlikely that the end piece is a site of molecular motor activity. Since the end piece is unactuated, we will refer to it as ‘inactive’, noting however that this does not mean it is necessarily ineffective. Correspondingly, the actuated principal piece will be referred to as ‘active’. A detailed review of human sperm morphology can be found in [@gaffney2011mammalian; @lauga2009hydrodynamics]. While the end piece can be observed through transmission electron and atomic force microscopy [@fawcett1975mammalian; @ierardi2008afm], live imaging to determine its role in propelling the cell is currently challenging. Futhermore, because the end piece has been considered to not have a role in propelling the cell, it has received relatively little attention. However, we know that waveform has a significant impact on propulsive effectiveness, and moreover changes to the waveform have an important role in enabling cells to penetrate the highly viscous cervical mucus encountered in internal fertilization [@smith2009bend]. This leads us to ask: *does the presence of a mechanically inactive region at the end of the flagellum help or hinder the cell’s progressive motion?* The emergence of elastic waves on the flagellum can be described by a constitutively linear, geometrically nonlinear filament, with the addition of an active moment per unit length $m$, which models the internal sliding produced by dynein activity, and a hydrodynamic term $\bm{f}$ which describes the force per unit length exerted by the filament onto the fluid. Many sperm have approximately planar waveforms, especially upon approaching and collecting at surfaces [@gallagher2018casa; @woolley2003motility]. As such, their shape can be fully described by the angle made between the tangent and the head centreline, denoted $\theta$, as shown in Fig. \[fig:sperm-schematic\]. Following [@moreau2018asymptotic; @hall2019efficient] we parameterize the filament by arclength $s$, with $s=0$ corresponds to the head-flagellum joint and $s=L^{*}$ to the distal end of the flagellum, and apply force and moment free boundary conditions at $s=L^{*}$ to get $$E(s)\,\partial_s \theta(s,t) - \bm{e}_3\cdot\int_s^{L^{*}} \partial_{s'} \bm{X}(s',t) \times \left(\int_{s'}^{L^{*}} \bm{f}(s'',t) ds''\right) ds' - \int_s^{L^{*}} m(s',t)\,ds' =0, \label{eq:elasticity0}$$ with the elastic stiffness given, following [@gaffney2011mammalian], by $$E(s)= \begin{cases} (E_p^*-E_d^*)\left( \frac{s-s_d^*}{s_d^*}\right)^2 + E_d^* & s \leq s_d^*, \\ E_d^* & s>s_d^*, \end{cases}$$ where parameters $E_p^* = 8\times10^{-21}$Nm$^2$, $E_d^*=2.2\times10^{-21}\,$Nm$^2$ and $s_d^*=39\,\mu$m$=3.9\times10^{-5}\,$m have been chosen to model the tapering structure of mammalian sperm flagella and match to experimental stiffness measurements [@Lesich2004; @Lesich2008]. The position vector $\bm{X}=\bm{X}(s,t)$ describes the flagellar waveform at time $t$, so that $\partial_s\bm{X}$ is the tangent vector, and $\bm{e}_3$ is a unit vector pointing perpendicular to the plane of beating. Integrating by parts leads to the elasticity integral equation $$E(s)\,\partial_s \theta(s,t) + \bm{e}_3\cdot\int_s^{L^{*}} (\bm{X}(s',t)-\bm{X}(s,t)) \times \bm{f}(s',t) \, ds' - \int_s^{L^{*}} m(s',t)\,ds' =0. \label{eq:elasticity}$$ The active moment density can be described to a first approximation by a sinusoidal traveling wave $m(s,t)=m_0^* \cos(k^*s-\omega^* t)$, where $k^*$ is wavenumber and $\omega^*$ is radian frequency. The inactive end piece can be modeled by taking the product with a Heaviside function, so that $m(s,t) = m_0^* \cos(k^*s-\omega^* t)H(\ell^* -s)$ where $0<\ell^*\leqslant L^*$ is the length of the active tail segment. At very low Reynolds number, neglecting non-Newtonian influences on the fluid, the hydrodynamics are described by the Stokes flow equations $$-\bm{\nabla}p + \mu^* \nabla^2\bm{u} = \bm{0}, \quad \bm{\nabla}\cdot \bm{u} = 0,$$ where $p=p(\bm{x},t)$ is pressure, $\bm{u}=\bm{u}(\bm{x},t)$ is velocity and $\mu^*$ is dynamic viscosity. These equations are augmented by the no-slip, no-penetration boundary condition ${\bm{u}(\bm{X}(s,t),t)=\partial_t\bm{X}(s,t)}$, i.e. the fluid in contact with the filament moves at the same velocity as the filament. A convenient and accurate numerical method to solve these equations for biological flow problems with deforming boundaries is based on the ‘regularized stokeslet’ [@cortez2001method; @cortez2005method], i.e. the solution to the exactly incompressible Stokes flow equations driven by a spatially-concentrated but smoothed force $$-\bm{\nabla}p + \mu^* \nabla^2\bm{u} + \psi_\varepsilon(\bm{x},\bm{y})\bm{e}_3 = 0, \quad \bm{\nabla}\cdot \bm{u} = 0,$$ where $\varepsilon\ll 1$ is a regularization parameter, $\bm{y}$ is the location of the force, $\bm{x}$ is the evaluation point and $\psi_\varepsilon$ is a smoothed approximation to a Dirac delta function. The choice $$\psi_\varepsilon(\bm{x},\bm{y})=15\varepsilon^4/r_\varepsilon^{7},$$ leads to the regularized stokeslet [@cortez2005method] $$S_{ij}^\varepsilon(\bm{x},\bm{y})=\frac{1}{8\pi\mu}\left(\frac{\delta_{ij}(r^2+2\varepsilon^2)+r_ir_j}{r_\varepsilon^3} \right) ,$$ where $r_i=x_i-y_i$, $r^2=r_i r_i$, $r_\varepsilon^2=r^2+\varepsilon^2$. The flow $u_j(\bm{x},t)$ produced by a filament $\bm{X}(s,t)$ exerting force per unit length $\bm{f}(s,t)$ is then given by the line integral $\int_0^{L^*} S_{jk}^\varepsilon(\bm{x},\bm{X}(s,t))f_k(s,t)\,ds$. The flow due to the surface of the sperm head $\partial H$, exerting force per unit area $\bm{\varphi}(\bm{Y},t)$ for $\bm{Y}\in\partial H$, is given by the surface integral $\iint_{\partial H} S_{jk}^\varepsilon(\bm{x},\bm{Y})\varphi_k(\bm{Y})\,dS_{\bm{Y}}$, yielding the boundary integral equation [@smith2009boundaryelement] for the hydrodynamics, namely $$u_j(\bm{x},t)=\int_0^{L^*} S^\varepsilon_{jk}(\bm{x},\bm{X}(s,t))f_k(s,t)\,ds+\iint_{\partial H} S_{jk}^\varepsilon(\bm{x},\bm{Y})\varphi_k(\bm{Y},t)\,dS_{\bm{Y}}. \label{eq:flow}$$ The position and shape of the cell can be described by the location $\bm{X}_0(t)$ of the head-flagellum join and the waveform $\theta(s,t)$, so that the flagellar curve is $$\bm{X}(s,t)=\bm{X}_0(t)+\int_0^s [\cos\theta(s',t),\sin\theta(s',t),0]^T \,ds'. \label{eq:geometry}$$ Differentiating with respect to time, the flagellar velocity is then given by $$\bm{u}(\bm{X}(s,t),t)=\dot{\bm{X}}_0(t)+\int_0^s\partial_t\theta(s',t)[-\sin\theta(s',t),\cos\theta(s',t),0]^T \,ds'. \label{eq:kinematic1}$$ Modeling the head as undergoing rigid body motion around the head-flagellum joint, the surface velocity of a point $\bm{Y}\in\partial H$ is given by $$\bm{u}(\bm{Y},t)=\dot{\bm{X}}_0(t)+\partial_t \theta(0,t)\,\bm{e}_3 \times (\bm{Y}-\bm{X}_0). \label{eq:kinematic2}$$ Eqs.  and couple with fluid mechanics (Eq. ), active elasticity (Eq. ), and total force and moment balance across the cell to yield a model for the unknowns $\theta(s,t)$, $\bm{X}_0(t)$, $\bm{f}(s,t)$ and $\bm{\varphi}(\bm{Y},t)$. Non-dimensionalising with lengthscale $L^*$, timescale $1/\omega^*$ and force scale $\mu^*\omega^* {L^*}^2$ yields the equation in scaled variables (dimensionless variables denoted with $\,\hat{}\,$ ) $$\partial_{\hat{s}} \theta(\hat{s},\hat{t})+ \bm{e}_3\cdot\mathcal{S}^4\int_{\hat{s}}^1 (\hat{\bm{X}}(\hat{s}',\hat{t})\,-\hat{\bm{X}}(\hat{s},\hat{t})) \times \hat{\bm{f}}(\hat{s}',\hat{t}) \,d\hat{s}' - \mathcal{M}\int_{\hat{s}}^1 \cos(\hat{k}\hat{s}'-\hat{t})H(\ell-\hat{s}') \,d\hat{s}' =0, \label{eq:elasticityND}$$ where $\mathcal{S}=L^*(\mu^*\omega^*/E^{L})^{1/4}$ is a dimensionless group comparing viscous and elastic forces (related, but not identical to, the commonly-used ‘sperm number’), $\mathcal{M}=m_0^*{L^*}^2/E^{L}$ is a dimensionless group comparing active and elastic forces, and $\ell=\ell^*/L^*$ is the dimensionless length of the active segment. Here $E^L$ is the stiffness at the distal tip of the flagellum ($\hat{s}=1$) and the dimensionless wavenumber is $\hat{k}=k^*L^*$. The problem is numerically discretised as described by Hall-McNair *et al*. [@hall2019efficient], accounting for non-local hydrodynamics via the method of regularized stokeslets [@cortez2005method]. This framework is modified to take into account the presence of the head via the nearest-neighbor discretisation of Gallagher & Smith [@gallagher2018meshfree]. The head-flagellum coupling is enforced via the dimensionless moment balance boundary condition $$\partial_{\hat{s}}\theta(0,\hat{t}\,)-\bm{e}_3\cdot\mathcal{S}^4\iint_{\partial \hat{H}}(\hat{\bm{Y}}(\hat{t}\,)-\hat{\bm{X}}_0(\hat{t}\,))\times\hat{\bm{\varphi}}(\hat{\bm{Y}},\hat{t}\,)\,dS_{\hat{\bm{Y}}}=0.$$ Note that for the remainder of this letter we will work with the dimensionless model but drop the $\,\hat{}\,$ notation used to represent dimensionless variables for clarity. The initial value problem for the flagellar trajectory, discretised waveform and force distributions is solved in MATLAB^^ using the built in solver $\mathtt{ode15s}$. At any point in time, the sperm cell’s position and shape can be reconstructed completely from $\bm{X}_0(t)$ and $\theta(s,t)$ through equation (\[eq:geometry\]).\ *Results.* The impact of the length of the inactive end piece on propulsion is quantified by the swimming speed and efficiency. Velocity along a line (VAL) is used as a measure of swimming speed, calculated via $$% \text{VAL}^{(j)} = \frac{||\bm{X}_0^{(j)}-\bm{X}_0^{(j-1)}||}{T}, \text{VAL}^{(j)} = \|\bm{X}_0^{(j)}-\bm{X}_0^{(j-1)}\| / T ,$$ where $T=2\pi$ is the period of the driving wave and $\bm{X}_0^{(j)}$ represents the position of the head-flagellum joint after $j$ periods. Lighthill efficiency [@lighthill1975mathematical] is calculated as $$% \eta^{(j)} = \frac{\left(\text{VAL}^{(j)}\right)^2}{\overline{W}}, \eta^{(j)} = \left(\text{VAL}^{(j)}\right)^2 / \,\overline{W}^{(j)},$$ where $\overline{W}^{(j)} = \left< \int_{0}^{1}\bm{u} \cdot \bm{f} ds' \right>$ is the average work done by the cell over the $j$^th^ period. In the following, $ j $ is chosen sufficiently large so that the cell has established a regular beat before its statistics are calculated ($j=3$ is sufficient for what follows). ![ The effect of the inactive end piece length on swimming speed and efficiency of propulsion at various wavenumbers, along with velocity-optimal waveforms and example data for human sperm. (column 1) Velocity along a line (VAL) versus active length $\ell$ for viscous-elastic parameter choices $\mathcal{S}=18,\,13.5,\,9$, and wavenumbers $k=3\pi,\,4\pi,\,5\pi$; (column 2) Lighthill efficiency versus active length $\ell$ for the same choices of $\mathcal{S}$ and $k$; (column 3) velocity-optimal cell waveforms for each $\mathcal{S}$ and $k$; (column 4) experimental data showing the instantaneous waveform of a human sperm in high viscosity medium, with centerline plotted in purple (tracked with FAST [@gallagher2019rapid]), scale bar denotes 5$\mu$m. []{data-label="fig:results-main"}](results_main_mtg.png){width="90.00000%"} The effects of varying the dimensionless active tail length on sperm swimming speed and efficiency for three choices of dimensionless wavenumber $k$ are shown in Fig. \[fig:results-main\]. Here $ \ell=1 $ corresponds to an entirely active flagellum and $ \ell = 0 $ to an entirely inactive flagellum. Values $ 0.5 \leqslant \ell \leqslant 1 $ are considered so that the resulting simulations produce cells that are likely to be biologically realistic. Higher wavenumbers are considered as they are typical of mammalian sperm flagella in higher viscosity media [@smith2009bend]. Results are calculated by taking $ m_0^* = 0.01 \,\mu^* \omega^* {L^{*}}^2 k / \mathcal{S} $ ($k$ dimensionless, $m_0^*$ dimensional) and hence $ \mathcal{M} = 0.01\, k \mathcal{S}^3 $, the effect of which is to produce waveforms of realistic amplitude across a range of values of $k$ and $\mathcal{S}$. Optimal active lengths for swimming speed, $\ell_{\text{VAL}}$, and efficiency, $\ell_{\eta}$, occur for each parameter pair $(\mathcal{S},k)$; crucially, in all cases considered in Fig. \[fig:results-main\], the optima are less than 1, indicating that by either measure some length of inactive flagellum is generally always better than a fully active flagellum. Values of $ \ell_{\text{VAL}} $ and $ \ell_{\eta} $ for the $ (\mathcal{S},k) $ parameter pairs considered in Fig. \[fig:results-main\] are given in Table \[table:lopt\]. Typically $ \ell_{\text{VAL}} \neq \ell_{\eta} $ for a given swimmer. For each metric, optimum active length remains approximately consistent regardless of the choice of $ \mathcal{S} $ when $ k=3\pi $ or $4\pi $. When $k=5\pi$, much higher variability in optimum active length is observed. In Fig. \[fig:results-colormaps\], the relationship between optimum active flagellum length and each of VAL and $ \eta $ is further investigated by simulating cells over a finer gradation in $ \mathcal{S} \in [9,18] $. When $ k=3\pi $ and $ 4\pi $, we again observe that a short inactive distal region is beneficial to the cell regardless of $ \mathcal{S} $. For $ k=5\pi $, there is a clear sensitivity of $ \ell_{\text{VAL}} $ to $ \mathcal{S} $, which is not observed between $ \ell_{\eta} $ and $ \mathcal{S} $. In all cases, the optimum values $ \ell_{\text{VAL}} $ and $ \ell_{\eta} $ are strictly less than 1. ![ Normalized VAL (top row) and normalized Lighthill efficiency (bottom row) values for varying $ 0.5 \leqslant \ell \leqslant 1 $ and $ 9 \leqslant \mathcal{S} \leqslant 18 $, for three values of dimensionless wavenumber $ k $. Values in each subplot are normalized with respect to either the maximum VAL or maximum $ \eta $ for each $ k $. []{data-label="fig:results-colormaps"}](results_colormaps.pdf){width="65.00000%"} The waveform and velocity field associated with flagella that are fully-active and optimally-inactive for propulsion are shown in Fig. \[fig:results-streamlines\]. The qualitative features of both waveform and the velocity field are similar, however the optimally-inactive flagellar waveform has reduced curvature and tangent angle in the distal region, and increased velocity in both ‘oblique’ regions (i.e. where $\theta\approx\pm\pi/4$).\ ![ Comparison of the normalized flow fields around the end of a simulated sperm for (a) a fully active flagellum, and (b) a flagellum featuring an inactive distal region of length $ 1-\ell_{\text{VAL}} $. The active part of the flagellum is drawn in red and the inactive region in black. Fluid velocity is scaled against the maximum velocity across both frames, with magnitude indicated by the colorbar and direction by the field lines. Here, $ k=4\pi $, $ \mathcal{S}=13.5 $ and $ \ell_{\text{VAL}} = 0.95$. []{data-label="fig:results-streamlines"}](results_streamlines.pdf){width="75.00000%"} *Discussion.* In simulations, we observe that spermatozoa which feature a short, inactive region at the end of their flagellum swim faster and more efficiently than those without. For $k=3\pi $ and $ k=4\pi $, cell motility is optimized when $ \approx 5\% $ of the distal flagellum length is inactive, regardless of $\mathcal{S}$. Experimental measurements of human sperm indicate an average combined length of the midpiece and principal piece of $ \approx 54\mu $m and an average end piece length of $ \approx 3\mu $m [@cummins1985mammalian], suggesting that the effects uncovered here are biologically important. Results for waveforms that are characteristic of those in higher viscosity fluids indicate that in some cases ($k=5\pi$) much longer inactive regions are optimal, up to $ \approx\SI{22}{\micro\meter}/\SI{57}{\micro\meter} $ or $\approx 37\%$ of the flagellum – substantially longer than the end piece observed of human spermatozoa. Sperm move through a variety of fluids during migration, in particular encountering a step change in viscosity when penetrating the interface between semen and cervical mucus, and having to swim against physiological flows [@Tung2015]. Cells featuring an optimally-sized inactive end piece may form better candidates for fertilization, being able to swim faster and for longer when traversing the female reproductive tract [@holt2015sperm]. The basic mechanism by which the flagellar wave produces propulsion is through the interaction of segments of the filament moving obliquely through the fluid [@gray1955propulsion]. Analysis of the flow field (Fig. \[fig:results-streamlines\]) suggests that the lower curvature associated with the inactive end piece enhances the strength of the interaction between the obliquely moving region and the fluid. At high viscous-elastic ratio and wavenumber, a ‘normal’ flagellar waveform can be produced by a relatively large inactive region of around one wavelength (Fig. \[fig:results-main\]). This effect may have physiological relevance in respect of biochemical energy transport requirements from the mitochondria, which are situated in the midpiece. An inactive region of flagellum is not a feature unique to human gametes - its presence can also be observed in the sperm of other species [@fawcett1975mammalian], as well as other microorganisms. In particular, the axomenal structures of the bi-flagellated algae *chlamydomonas reinhardtii* deplete at the distal tips [@jeanneret2016], suggesting the presence of an inactive region. The contribution to swimming speed and cell efficiency due to the inactive distal section in these cases remains unknown. By contrast, the tip of the “9+2" cilium is a more organized “crown" structure [@kuhn1978structure], which will interact differently with fluid than the flagellar end piece modeled here. Understanding this distinction between cilia and flagella, as well as the role of the inactive region in other microorganisms, may provide further insight into underlying biological phenomena, such as chemotaxis [@ALVAREZ2014198] and synchronization [@guo2018bistability; @goldstein2016elastohydrodynamic]. Further work should investigate how this phenomenon changes when more detailed models of the flagellar ultrastructure are considered, taking into account the full “9+2” structure [@ishijima2019modulatory], sliding resistance associated with filament connections [@coy2017counterbend], and the interplay of these factors with biochemical signalling in the cell [@carichino2018]. The ability to qualitatively assess and model the inactive end piece of a human spermatozoon could have important clinical applications. In live imaging for diagnostic purposes, the end piece is often hard to resolve due to its depleted axonemal structure. Lacking more sophisticated imaging techniques, which are often expensive or impractical in a clinical environment, modeling of the end piece combined with flagellar tracking software, such as FAST [@gallagher2019rapid], could enable more accurate sperm analysis, and help improve cell selection in assisted reproductive technologies. Furthermore, knowledge of the function of an inactive distal region has wider applications across synthetic microbiology, particularly in the design and fabrication of artificial swimmers [@dreyfus2005microscopic] and flexible filament microbots used in targeted drug delivery [@montenegro2018microtransformers].\ *Summary and Conclusions.* In this letter, we have revealed the propulsive advantage conferred by an inactive distal region of a unipolar “pusher” actuated elastic flagellum, characteristic of mammalian sperm. The optimal inactive flagellum length depends on the balance between elastic stiffness and viscous resistance, and the wavenumber of actuation. The optimal inactive fraction mirrors that seen in humans sperm ($\approx 3\,\mu$m$/57\,\mu$m, or $ \approx 5\% $). These findings have a range of potential applications. They motivate the development of new methodology for improving the analysis of flagellar imaging data; by model fitting the experimentally visible region it may be possible to resolve the difficult to image distal segment. Inclusion of an inactive region may be an interesting avenue to explore when improving the efficiency of artificial microswimmer design. Finally, important biological questions may now be posed, for example does the presence of the inactive end piece confer an advantage to cells penetrating highly viscous cervical mucus?\ *Acknowledgments.* D.J.S. and M.T.G. acknowledge funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Healthcare Technologies Award (EP/N021096/1). C.V.N. and A.L.H-M. acknowledge support from the EPSRC for funding via PhD scholarships (EP/N509590/1). J.C.K-B. acknowledges support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) U.K. The authors also thank Hermes Gadêlha (University of Bristol, UK), Thomas D. Montenegro-Johnson (University of Birmingham, UK) for stimulating discussions around elastohydrodynamics and Gemma Cupples (University of Birmingham, UK) for the experimental still in Fig. \[fig:results-main\] (provided by a donor recruited at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust after giving informed consent). [10]{} C.R. Austin. Evolution of human gametes: spermatozoa. , 1995:1–19, 1995. D.W. Fawcett. The mammalian spermatozoon. , 44(2):394–436, 1975. M. Werner and L.W. Simmons. Insect sperm motility. , 83(2):191–208, 2008. P. S. Mafunda, L. Maree, A. Kotze, and G. van der Horst. Sperm structure and sperm motility of the african and rockhopper penguins with special reference to multiple axonemes of the flagellum. , 99:1–9, 2017. D. R. Nelson, R. Guidetti, and L. Rebecchi. Tardigrada. In [*Ecology and classification of North American freshwater invertebrates*]{}, pages 455–484. Elsevier, 2010. W. A. Anderson, P. Personne, and A. BA. 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Wednesday, September 10, 2008 How to be the most awesome Dad ever To be the most awesome Dad ever, capable of carrying out feats of skill and mastery usually reserved for the likes of the Avatar, James Bond, or the Doctor, requires just a few common ingredients: The locked, most secret diary of a pre-adolescent daughter (who has lost the key), The knowledge that all such cheap locks are the same, A set of cheap luggage locks with keys, A frantic pre-adolescent daughter in possession of #1 but not #2 or #3, and A flair for the dramatic, with which one discloses that one knows how to pick locks, but it's a secret handed down from master spy to master spy, therefore the work must be done behind a locked door (which neatly conceals the fact that you're rummaging around in your bedroom drawer to find #3).

Zendaya and Val Chmerkovskiy after their performance finale on Monday night's 'Dancing with the Stars.' Tonight's final is at 9 p.m. on WRTV (Channel 6). / Screenshot from ABC.com The monstrous tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburbs, flattening entire neighborhoods with winds up to 200 mph, setting buildings on fire and landing a direct blow on an elementary school. Here, teachers carry children away from Briarwood Elementary after its destruction Monday. KFOR-TV and NBC News reported that seven of the dead were children who drowned at Plaza Towers Elementary, where 75 students and staff members were huddled when the tornado struck around 3 p.m. (4 p.m. EDT). U.S. Rep. Tom Cole, who has lived in Moore for more than 50 years, told CNN the school did not have an underground shelter, just interior rooms with no windows. Estimates of the tornado’s size ranged from a half-mile to two miles wide; video showed a large debris ball at its base at some points. The National Weather Service preliminarily categorized it as an EF-4 in strength. Expect another sticky and hot day, with a high in the 80s, and stay alert for scattered showers and storms, Poteet says. Many residents already heard plenty of thunder overnight: Thousands were without power following an overnight line of storms that downed trees and took down power lines. The fire ravaged the home of Stephanie Eppert, who lived there with her four children, three of whom have autism. Two of them, brother and sister Genesis Eppert, 9, and Forrest Eppert, 8, were killed in the blaze. The family was expected to move this year into a new home specially built by Habitat for Humanity for the children. “Shame on Vogel for not genuflecting when he mentioned the Heat, or for volunteering to kiss James’ ring — ring singular, not rings,” wrote the columnist, tongue firmly in cheek. If you recall, Vogel said on Saturday that Miami was simply the “next” team in the Pacers’ way to an NBA Finals; James took it for an insult. The teams meet next on Wednesday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. The poverty rate rose faster in Indianapolis in the last decade than in all but seven other large cities, according to a book released Monday on poverty in metropolitan areas. The share of the city’s population in poverty increased from 11.95 percent to 21.4 percent between 2000 and 2011. The suburban poverty rate in metro Indianapolis rose from 5 percent to 7.7 percent. Said Robert Wilson of Gleaners Food Bank: “We’re just not creating jobs fast enough, and we’re not creating enough good paying jobs that you can support a family on. So we are continuing to distribute record-breaking amounts of food.” The lawsuit pits seven stylists at Lou’s Creative Styles in Lawrence against a former co-worker, Christina “Christy” Shaw, who holds the winning ticket in a Feb. 16 Hoosier Lottery drawing worth an estimated $9.5 million. Shaw’s co-workers says they are due a share of the winnings. Between 2009 and 2012, the company shielded at least $74 billion in profits by setting up shell companies in Ireland, the report said. While the practice of using foreign operations to avoid U.S. taxes is legal and common, Apple’s scheme was unprecedented in its use of multiple affiliates that had no semblance of a physical presence, Senate staffers said. Apple CEO Tim Cook plans to vehemently defend the company before the panel on Tuesday, arguing that Apple does not break any tax laws, according to a copy of the firm’s prepared testimony. Manzarek succumbed to bile duct cancer, according to his manager, Tom Vitorino. He founded the groundbreaking band in 1965 with the singer and lyricist Jim Morrison, later joined by drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. While Morrison died young and achieved legendary status, Manzarek also played a crucial role in developing their sound and popularity. When the comedian was just starting out, he struck up a friendship with Elizabeth “Mimi” Haist, a woman who volunteered at a Los Angeles laundromat and depended on tips from customers, the New York Daily News reports. When Galifianakis learned a few years ago that his friend, 87, had fallen on hard times and was homeless, he got her an apartment and started taking her to red carpet events. “I’m looking forward to it, I like the excitement of it,” Haist said of his latest movie premiere. Zendaya has a 1-point edge on Kellie Pickler after Monday night’s performance final. One casualty beyond the other two teams: Val Chmerkovskiy bloodied his face when he bashed it during Monday rehearsals when Zendaya accidentally hit him just above the eye with her elbow. Tonight’s two-hour finale at 9 p.m. on WRTV (Channel 6) will include one last "instant" dance for the stars. Scores will be added to the public vote to determine a winner.

Q: Showing that a topological space is ${\rm T}_1$ Let $X$ be a topological space and let $\Delta = \{(x,x) : x\in X \}$ be the diagonal of $X\times X$ (with the product topology). I was asked to prove that $X$ is ${\rm T}_1$ if and only if $\Delta$ can be written as intersection of open subsets of $X\times X$. I think is better (maybe easier) to use the well-known result "$X$ is ${\rm T}_1$ if and only if $\{x\}$ is a closed set $\forall x\in X$". What I've done: Assuming that $X$ is ${\rm T}_1$, let $Y=(X\times X) \setminus\Delta$ and note that (trivially) $$Y = \bigcup_{y\in Y} \{y\}.$$ Then $$\Delta = (X\times X) \setminus Y = (X\times X) \setminus \left(\bigcup_{y\in Y} \{y\} \right) = \bigcap_{y\in Y} (X\times X)\setminus \{y\},$$ where $(X\times X)\setminus\{y\}$ is open since each $\{y\}$ is closed. The other direction seems be a bit harder, I've tried unsuccessfully. Any ideas? Thanks in advance. A: Suppose that $$\Delta = \bigcap \{O_i: i\in I\}$$ for some index set $I$, and all $O_i$ open in $X \times X$. Let $x\neq y$, to show $T_1$-ness, we need to find an open set $O$ of $X$ that contains $x$ but misses $y$. So consider $(x,y)$, which is not in $\Delta$, so there is an $i \in I$ such that $(x,y)\notin O_i$. Now $(x,x) \in \Delta \subseteq O_i$, so by using the product base we can find an open set of the form $U\times V$ that contains $(x,x)$ and sits inside $O_i$. But then $O=U \cap V$ contains $x$ but not $y$, as $y \in U \cap V$ would imply $(x,y) \in U \times V \subseteq O_i$, while we had $(x,y) \notin O_i$ by choice of $i$. So we have our open set as required.

The transmembrane protein CD47, also known as integrin-associated protein (IAP), ovarian cancer antigen OA3, Rh-related antigen and MER6, is an immunoglobulin superfamily member involved in multiple cellular processes, including cell migration, adhesion and T cell function. CD47 was originally identified as a tumor antigen on human ovarian cancer and was subsequently shown to be expressed on multiple human tumor types, including both hematologic and solid tumors. The interaction between CD47 and signal regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα), an inhibitory protein expressed on macrophages, prevents phagocytosis of CD47-expressing cells. CD47 is expressed at low levels on virtually all non-malignant cells, and loss of expression or changes in membrane distribution can serve as markers of aged or damaged cells, particularly on red blood cells (RBC). However, high expression of CD47 on cancer cells blocks phagocytic uptake, subsequent antigen cross-presentation and T cell activation, which collectively contribute to tumor immune evasion. Certain human leukemias upregulate CD47 to evade macrophage killing (U.S. Pat. No. 8,562,997). In many hematologic cancers, high CD47 expression is believed to be associated with poor clinical outcomes, for example, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, etc. (U.S. Pat. No. 9,045,541). Similarly, high CD47 expression has been observed in solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (see, Weiskopf et al. (2016) J. CLIN. INVESTIGATION 126(7): 2610-2620). Agents that block the CD47-SIRPα interaction can restore phagocytic uptake of CD47+ target cells and lower the threshold for macrophage activation, which can enhance the efficacy of therapeutic antibodies with ADCC-enabling activity. Despite the advances made to date, there is still ongoing need for additional agents that block the CD47-SIRPα interaction for use in the treatment of various diseases, including cancers, that are associated with elevated levels of CD47 expression.

Nowadays, as processes for producing fat powder, in general, two processes are known, that is, a process for producing fat powder comprising spray-drying a fat or oil which has been emulsified into an oil-in-water type emulsion with water, an emulsifying agent and a hydrophilic base (spray-drying method); and a process for producing fat powder comprising atomizing a molten fat or oil in the atmosphere at a temperature which is lower than the melting point of the fat or oil (spray-cooling method). Among them, by the spray-drying method, stable, free-flowing fat powder can be obtained regardless of the melting point or S.F.I. (Solid Fat Index) of the fat or oil used because the surface of the fat or oil is coated with the hydrophilic base. However, there are many problems such as energy cost for evaporating water, deterioration of flavor of the fat at high temperature, and loss of volatile flavor by volatilization. To the contrary, in the spray-cooling method, although such problems as the above energy cost and deterioration of the flavor are not present, there is a marked disadvantage in that it is difficult to powder a fat or oil having a low S.F.I. and, even if it is powdered, the resulting powder has a low fluidity since the fat or oil containing unsaturated fatty acids segregates on the surface of the powder to make it adhesive. Due to this marked difference in fluidity, fat powder obtained by the spray-drying method has been predominantly and widely used in the fields such as various mixes for bread, cakes and cookies, instant milk powder, soup powder, fodder powder and the like. However, recently the consumers' have demanded products of a higher grade and genuine taste, thus, the excellent flavor peculiar to fat powder obtained by the spray-cooling method has been reevaluated. Nevertheless, the improvement of the fluidity of products obtained by the spray-cooling method is strongly needed. Heretofore, as a process for improving fluidity of fat powder, 10 to 50% by weight of wheat flour, starch and sugar have been added to the powder. Further, in Japanese Pat. Kokoku No. 50-14650 entitled "Process for Producing Fat Powder", there is disclosed a process of melting a starting fat or oil material at a temperature of at highest 15.degree. C. higher than the melting point thereof; cooling it to a temperature of the range between the solidifying point and the melting point of the fat or oil and lower than one third from the bottom of the range; forming a stable b-type crystal nucleus completely by maintaining it at this temperature for 2 to 30 minutes; and then heating to a temperature of at highest 10% higher than the melting point (1st crystalization step); and followed by spraying it into a crystalization chamber maintained at -15.degree. C. to -30.degree. C.; aging the powder obtained at 0.degree. C. to 10.degree. C. for 0.5 to 10 minutes successively in an aging chamber (2nd crystalization step); and mixing the powder with powder of non-oil soluble natural solid material. However, in order to practice this process, an extremely complicated adjustment of the starting liquid material and strict control of the temperature are required and, therefore, many difficulties in operation must be overcome, if it is to be produced on an industrial basis.

The Atlanta University Center Consortium Council of Presidents and Mayor Kasim Reed announced the completion of a collaborative surveillance program that strategically places video cameras and license plate readers around the campus community to create a safer environment. Working through the University Community Development Corp., a community development arm of the AUC, Presidents John Wilson, Ronald Johnson, Valerie Montgomery Rice, and Mary Schmidt Campbell have forged a partnership with the Atlanta Police Foundation and the Atlanta Police Department to install 35 cameras and five license plate readers around the AUC community. The cameras are monitored by AUC police at their respective schools and APD’s video integration center. Each institution – Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Spelman College – paying equal amounts, and the mayor’s office contributing the remaining balance, funded the $700,000 project. The effort highlights the priority the AUC institutions and the city have to combat crime in the community. The VIC’s state-of-the-art system provides a cohesive unit of 24/7 video feeds from the cameras to serve as an additional layer of security to increase the scope and reach of existing campus police departments.

Background ========== The prevalence of type 2 diabetes rapidly rose over the past three decades. However its burden is not homogeneously distributed: racial and ethnic minorities usually experience higher prevalence than their non-minority counterparts \[[@B1]\] and are at higher risk of developing diabetes-related complications such as blindness, kidney damage, or depression, impacting both quality of life and mortality rates \[[@B2],[@B3]\]. Self-management, defined as the patient's ability to manage not only the symptoms inherent to a chronic condition but also its treatment and associated lifestyle changes \[[@B4]\], has become increasingly important in the treatment of type 2 diabetes \[[@B5],[@B6]\]. However, because adequate diabetes self-management (DSM) may require considerable lifestyle changes to several domains, namely having a healthy diet, exercising, or glucose monitoring, not all the patients are able to properly follow the self-management plans agreed with their healthcare professionals or advised by clinical guidelines. Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely to engage in DSM behaviors than other population groups, which partially explains observed disparities in health outcomes \[[@B7]\]. Some of the barriers faced by these groups for achieving an adequate DSM are related to characteristics of the groups (such as health literacy or health beliefs) and also of the healthcare system (namely accessibility of culturally sensitive information) \[[@B8],[@B9]\]. Several review studies have assessed the effect of DSM educational programs on the general population \[[@B6],[@B10]-[@B17]\]. Those studies have established that DSM educational programs can improve glycemic control \[[@B11]-[@B16]\], and identified the key characteristics for improving glycemic control, including face-to-face delivery, teaching methods based on cognitive reframing \[[@B11]\], and higher contact time between participant and educator \[[@B16]\]. A smaller number of studies have reviewed the evidence of the effect of these programs on racial/ethnic minorities \[[@B18]-[@B20]\]. Only one study \[[@B18]\] examined their impact on glycemic control, observing a reduction on glycated hemoglobin of 0.32%. There were however some limitations underlying that study, as some of the included interventions combined educational programs with other types of quality improvement strategies, making it difficult to disentangle the individual effect of the educational components. More importantly, no previous meta-regression study has identified the key common characteristics of successful educational programs targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups. This represents a considerable gap in the literature, as programs for racial/ethnic minority groups should have different components from those targeting other population groups, namely addressing the cultural idiosyncrasies associated with each group. Therefore it is not reasonable to assume that the same type of successful program will be equally successful when applied to racial/ethnic minority groups. Additionally, in the past years several clinical trials examining the impact of educational programs to improve diabetes self-management on racial/ethnic minorities have been published, making now possible a more detailed review and analysis of the available evidence regarding the effectiveness of these interventions. In this work we systematically reviewed DSM educational interventions specifically targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups. We studied the characteristics and costs of the interventions, and analyzed their impact on diabetes knowledge, self-management behaviors, and clinical outcomes. Whenever data were available, we performed meta-analyses to examine the short and long-term effects of the interventions, and meta-regressions to identify common characteristics of the interventions associated with better results. Methods ======= The review and its procedures were planned, conducted, and reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines \[[@B21]\]. Data sources and searches ------------------------- A comprehensive core search strategy was developed for Medline through Ovid (combining MeSH terms and keywords) and then adapted and implemented in EMBASE and CINAHL (search strategy available in Additional file [1](#S1){ref-type="supplementary-material"}: Table S1). Gray literature and additional articles were searched in twelve more bibliographic sources (Additional file [2](#S2){ref-type="supplementary-material"}: Table S2). The search was not restricted by language or publication date. For all the references selected to be included in the review, backward and forward citation searches were performed in ISI Web of Knowledge. All searches were conducted in October 2012. A bibliographical database was created using EndNote X6, and used to store and manage the retrieved references. Study selection --------------- We included studies analyzing the effectiveness of DSM educational programs targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups with type 2 diabetes. We only included those studies in which at least 90% of the participants pertained to a racial/ethnic minority group considered to be at a higher risk for diabetes complications than the majority population group. Racial/ethnic minority group was defined as a population group with a race or ethnicity different from that of the majority population group of the host country. Groups at higher risk of diabetes complications were identified based on available literature. Interventions had to be exclusively educational, without including any other component such us financial incentives, clinician education or case management. In order to avoid possible comparisons between programs carried out in very heterogeneous settings, with very different health systems and population needs, we restricted this review to those interventions conducted in countries that were members of the OECD \[[@B22]\], when study selection was conducted (November 2012). Eligible designs were randomized controlled trials (RCTs), including cluster randomized controlled trials; controlled trials, including quasi-randomized trials; controlled before-after studies; and non-controlled before-after studies. Studies including a control group were only eligible in case the intervention was compared with care as usual. Titles and abstracts were screened for eligibility, and those fulfilling the inclusion criteria were included in the next stage, where the full texts of the selected articles were retrieved and assessed. Those that met the inclusion criteria were included for data extraction. Two reviewers independently screened citations, and any disagreements were solved by consensus with a third reviewer. Data extraction and quality assessment -------------------------------------- We designed and used structured forms to extract information of interventions' characteristics and their effectiveness. We used a previously developed taxonomy of DSM educational programs to characterize the interventions \[[@B23]\]. The following information was extracted: setting, ethnic group, administration formats, teaching methods, educational contents, educators' background, use of peer educators, and duration. Information of interventions' cost and cost-effectiveness was also extracted. We critically appraised the studies using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies \[[@B24]\], which enables the assessment of both internal and external validity, classifying them into three categories (good, fair or poor) depending on six aspects: selection bias, study design, confounders, blinding, data collection and withdrawals/ dropouts. Two reviewers independently extracted all the information and critically appraised the studies. Disagreements were solved through discussion with a third reviewer. When necessary we contacted the authors of the studies to request additional information. Data synthesis and analysis --------------------------- The effectiveness of the interventions was assessed in terms of their impact on 1) diabetes knowledge, 2) diabetes self-management behavior, and 3) clinical outcomes. Diabetes knowledge was ascertained by measures reflecting the theoretical knowledge the patients had about their condition. Diabetes self-management behavior measured the performance of specific activities related to adequate DSM (diet, exercise, glucose control, foot self-examination, etc.). Clinical outcomes included hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), or blood pressure, amongst others. All outcomes in all the studies were examined and classified as measuring one of these three domains. Variables that measured other domains were not included in the analysis. Additionally, we conducted independent meta-analyses to analyze short and long-term (six months post-intervention) effect of the interventions on glycemic control. Eligibility criteria for the meta-analyses included randomized controlled trials comparing the interventions with usual care. The mean (standard deviation) of HbA1c levels in each study were extracted. This information was transformed into weighted mean difference and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated and combined using random-effects models. We imputed unreported standard deviations by use of established methods \[[@B25]\]. Heterogeneity was quantified by the I^2^ statistic, where I^2^ ≥ 50% was considered evidence of substantial heterogeneity \[[@B26]\]. Sources of heterogeneity were investigated by a Galbraith plot. Publication bias was quantitatively assessed with Egger test. We used bivariate meta-regression to explore relationships between effect size (ES) and interventions characteristics. The number of included studies was insufficient to perform a multivariate regression analysis. We conducted a sensitivity analysis, excluding the studies with higher risk of bias. All analyses were conducted with Stata, version 12.0 (StataCorp, College Station, Texas). For all the analyses, statistical significance was accepted at *p* \< 0.05. Results ======= Article identification ---------------------- Figure  [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"} reports the screening process. A total of 1,988 unique references were retrieved. 1,386 references were excluded based on title and abstract, resulting in 602 references being included in the next stage. Full text articles were retrieved and assessed, with 24 studies meeting the eligibility criteria. Backward and forward search of these 24 articles identified thirteen additional studies, resulting in thirty seven articles being included in the review \[[@B27]-[@B63]\]. Thirty five of them reported one single intervention, whereas two articles reported two distinct interventions per article. Overall, thirty seven articles were identified, which analyzed the effectiveness of thirty nine different interventions. {#F1} Characteristics of the studies and interventions ------------------------------------------------ Table  [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} shows the aggregated characteristics of the interventions and of the studies used to assess their effectiveness. Most of the studies identified were conducted in the US (92%), and published from 2001 onwards (84%). Almost two thirds of the studies were RCTs (73%), and approximately two thirds presented moderate or low risk of bias (65%). ###### Characteristics of the studies and interventions   **Number (N)\*** **Percentage (%)** ----------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ -------------------- ---- **Characteristics of the studies (n = 37)**     Country where the intervention took place       United States 34 92   United Kingdom 2 5   Netherland 1 3 Design       Randomized controlled trial 27 73   Quasi-experimental 10 27 Years of publication       Before 2001 6 16   2001-2006 16 43   2007-2012 15 41 Risk of bias       Low 8 22   Moderate 16 43   High 13 35 Number of participants 159 (117)† 7-529‡ **Characteristics of the interventions (n = 39)**     Ethnicity       African American 13 33   Latinos 16 41   Asiatic 2 5   Alaskan-Eskimos 1 2   Multiethnic group 7 18 Place where intervention took place       General Practice 16 44   Community Center 12 33   Home 3 8   Hospital 1 3   Other 4 11 Setting       One-on-one 13 33   Group 17 44   Both 9 23 Family invited to take part in the intervention       Yes 12 31   No 27 69 Delivery       Face-to-face 27 69   Telecommunication 5 13   Both 7 18 Number of teaching methods       1 7 18   2 24 62   3 or more 8 26 Teaching method\*       Didactic 32 82   Goal-setting, dictated 8 21   Goal-setting, negotiated 10 26   Situational problem solving 23 59   Cognitive reframing 7 18   Other 2 5 Number of educational contents       One 7 18   Two 5 13   Three 5 13   Four of more 22 56 Educational Content       Diet 33 85   Exercise 24 65   Self-monitored blood glucose 23 59   Basic diabetes knowledge 21 54   Medication adherence 11 28   Psycho-social 19 49   Other 11 28 Number of educators       One 18 46   Two 14 36   Three or more 4 10 Educators       Nurse 15 39   Dietitian 21 54   Psychologist 2 5   Physician 2 5   Research team or staff 4 10   Other 16 41   Unclear/unspecified 2 5 Peer provider       Yes 12 31   No 26 67 Culturally adapted       Yes 33 85   No 4 10   Unclear/unspecified 2 5 Length of the interventions (months) 8.2 (8.4)† 0.25-48‡ Length of the interventions (number of sessions) 13.1 (13.6)† 1-52‡ Length of the sessions (minutes) 90 (52.9)† 14-240‡ Length of the interventions (total hours of intervention) 23.3 (36.7)† 0.25-180‡ Intensity (total hours of intervention per month) 4.9 (6.9)† 0.2-36‡ \*N is not equal to 37 for all variables, as some characteristics were not reported for all the interventions. †mean (sd); ‡min-max. In relation to the characteristics of the interventions, most of them targeted African American (33%) or Latinos (41%) and took place either in General Practices (41%) or in Community Centers (31%). Face to face was the most common format of delivery (70% of the interventions). Almost half of the interventions followed a group format (44%), whereas one third was delivered individually. Patients were encouraged to bring their relatives in nearly a third of the interventions (31%). On average programs lasted eight months and included 13 sessions, with each session lasting 90 minutes. Most of the programs included multiple teaching methods and multiple contents. Approximately half of the programs were delivered by multidisciplinary educators (54%). Effectiveness of the interventions ---------------------------------- Additional file [3](#S3){ref-type="supplementary-material"}\'; Table S3 shows the characteristics of each study and their impact on diabetes knowledge, self-management behaviors and clinical outcomes. Fifteen studies analyzed the impact of the interventions on diabetes knowledge \[[@B27],[@B29],[@B32],[@B34],[@B37]-[@B39],[@B44],[@B47],[@B48],[@B50],[@B53],[@B56],[@B60],[@B62]\]. In the majority of studies (nine out of fifteen), diabetes knowledge was only measured immediately after the intervention program was finished. Different types of instruments were used to measure outcomes such as diabetes knowledge and its complications or how to conduct adequate diabetes self-management. Eleven of these studies observed that the interventions significantly improved patients' knowledge, whereas the remaining four did not observe significant effects. Health beliefs were additionally analyzed in two studies, without observing a significant improvement. Twenty studies examined the potential of the interventions to improve self-management behaviors \[[@B27],[@B28],[@B30]-[@B32],[@B34]-[@B36],[@B43]-[@B45],[@B50],[@B54],[@B55],[@B57]-[@B62]\]. Behavioral outcomes were heterogeneous, being related in most instances to dietary or physical activity behaviors, but also to behaviors related to blood glucose testing, foot care, or medication adherence. Fifteen out of twenty studies (75%) observed that the interventions produced improvements in behavioral outcomes. Interventions were more successful in improving dietary behaviors than in promoting physical activity or medication adherence. Thirty-one studies assessed the impact of the interventions on clinical outcomes \[[@B27],[@B29]-[@B33],[@B37]-[@B44],[@B46]-[@B60],[@B62],[@B63]\]. The most frequent clinical outcome was HbA1c, but blood pressure, fasting blood glucose or BMI were also included in a substantial number of studies. Twenty two studies (71%) observed that the educational programs produced statistically significant improvements in clinical outcomes. Educational programs more frequently improved fasting blood glucose, HbA1c and blood pressure (improved in 71%, 59%, and 57% of the studies, respectively) than other clinical outcomes such as lipid profile (40%), weight/BMI (28%) or waist circumference (25%). Costs were reported in only two studies \[[@B33],[@B40]\]. The cost per patient per year was approximately \$280 in the intervention developed by Banister et al. \[[@B33]\] and \$461 in the intervention by Culica et al. \[[@B40]\]. No study included a formal cost-effectiveness analysis. Effectiveness of the intervention on glycated hemoglobin -------------------------------------------------------- Twenty-one interventions employed HbA1c measures and were included in an initial meta-analysis that assessed possible baseline HbA1c differences between intervention and control groups. No statistically significant differences were found (HbA1c mean difference = -0.02% \[95% CI -0.22% to 0.18%\]). A second meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled difference in HbA1c between the intervention and control group immediately after the intervention was completed, observing a significant reduction in the overall HbA1c of -0.47% (95% CI -0.76% to -0.17%). Although heterogeneity was high (I^2^ = 66.3%), it was mainly associated with one intervention \[[@B55]\], and once that intervention was excluded, heterogeneity was reduced to 0%. Twenty interventions were therefore included in the final meta-analysis, reporting on 3,094 patients (1,551 in the intervention and 1,543 in the control group). The combined effect of the intervention produced a significant reduction in the overall HbA1c of -0.31% (95% CI -0.48% to -0.14%) (Figure  [2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Egger test indicated the absence of publication bias (*p* = 0.22). One of the studies included in the meta-analysis presented high risk of bias \[[@B44]\]. We conducted a sensitivity analysis excluding it, obtaining very similar results. {#F2} Only three studies measured HbA1c at six months post-intervention \[[@B30],[@B45],[@B52]\]. A meta-analysis of these three studies observed a reduction in pooled HbA1c of -0.47%, although no significant differences were observed (*p* = 0.13). Intervention characteristics associated with treatment effects -------------------------------------------------------------- We conducted bivariate meta-regressions of the 20 RCTs included in our meta-analysis in order to identify the characteristics associated with increased short-term HbA1c reduction (results reported in Table  [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}). Interventions delivered face to face obtained better results than those interventions supported by telecommunication. Also, those delivered individually performed better than those delivered in a group format. As for the teaching methods, both interventions that employed cognitive reframing techniques, as well as those including only one teaching method, were associated with better outcomes. Finally, those interventions that included at least one peer educator produced significantly better effects than those not including any peer educator. ###### Meta-regression of the effect of intervention´s characteristics on pooled glycated hemoglobin (N = 20)   **Number interventions**^**a**^ **SMD** **95% CI** **Residual I**^**2**^ ---------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------- ------------- ----------------------- ---------------- -------------- --- Country       0.00%   US 18 -0.28\*\* -0.47; -0.09     Netherland 1 -0.82 -1.85; 0.21     UK 1 -0.06 -0.88; 0.77   Year       1.74%   Prior 2001 2 -0.51 -1.29; 0.26     2001-2006 6 0.32 -0.52; 1.15     2007-2012 12 0.18 -0.60; 0.97   Setting       0.00%     Primary Care 9 -0.23 -0.58; 0.11       Community center 6 -0.03 -0.48; 0.41       Other 5 -0.24 -0.74; 0.26   Mean HbA1c at baseline in intervention group       0.08%     HbA1c \< 9% 10 -0.39\*\* -0.96; 0.17       HbA1c ≥ 9% 10 0.06 -0.32; 0.43   Target population       3.33%   Ethnic minority 10 -0.30 -0.58; -0.04     Rural ethnic minority 3 0.31 -0.41; 1.03     Women from ethnic minority group 2 -0.23 -1.04; 0.58     Other (elderly or low income or low literacy) 5 -0.05 -0.47; 0.36   Ethnic minority group       0.00%     African-American 7 -0.10 -0.48; 0.28       Latinos 7 -0.31 -0.80; 0.17       Asiatic 2 -0.54 -1.28; 0.20       Multi-ethnic 4 -0.15 -0.66; 0.35   Individual Vs Group delivered       0.00%     Individual 7 -0.45 -0.75; -0.14       Group 7 0.13 -0.29; 0.56       Both 4 0.32 -0.14; 0.79   Patients accompanied by family       0.00%     No 5 -0.23\*\* -0.44; -0.04       Yes 15 -0.38 -0.84; 0.07   Face to face Vs. telecommunication       0.00%     Exclusively face to face 12 -0.37\*\* -0.62; -0.12       Exclusively telecommunication 3 -0.08 -0.53; 0.37       Combining face to face and telecommunication 5 0.33 -0.11; 0.77   Teaching methods       0.00%     Didactic       0.39%       Yes 14 -0.30\*\* -0.53; -0.07         No 6 -0.03 -0.42; 0.35       Goal setting negotiated       0.00%       Yes 8 -0.29\*\* -0.57; -0.01         No 12 -0.03 -0.41; 0.34       Goal setting dictated       0.00%       Yes 7 -0.26 -0.55; 0.02         No 13 -0.09 -0.48; 0.29       Situational problem solving       0.00%       Yes 10 -0.28\*\* -0.50; -0.06         No 10 -0.08 -0.47; 0.30       Cognitive reframing       0.00%       Yes 4 -0.47\*\* -0.91; -0.03         No 16 0.20 -0.29; 0.68       Number of teaching methods used       0.00%       1 4 -0.58\*\* -1.04; -0.12         2 10 0.37 -0.16; 0.92         3 or more 4 0.27 -0.27; 0.80   Content             Diet       0.00%       Yes 18 -0.35\* -0.54; -0.15         No 1 -0.74 -2.00; 0.50       Exercise       0.00%       Yes 15 -0.33\* -0.54; -0.12         No 4 -0.20 -0.68; 0.28       Blood glucose self-monitoring       0.00%       Yes 13 -0.26\* -0.48; -0.03         No 6 -0.39 -0.81; 0.04       Basic diabetes knowledge       0.00%       Yes 8 -0.28\* -0.53; -0.02         No 11 -0.21 -0.60; 0.17       Medication adherence       0.00%       Yes 9 -0.25\* -0.49; -0.05         No 10 -0.19 -0.58; 0.20       Psycho-social       0.00%       Yes 11 -0.18\* -0.40; 0.03         No 9 -0.38 -0.76; 0.01     Number of contents       5.17%     1 or 2 4 -0.36 -0.84; 0.12       3 or 4 9 0.02 -0.55; 0.58       5 or more 7 0.84 -0.48; 0.65   Educators             Nurse       2.59%       Yes 5 -0.02 -0.43; 0.39         No 14 -0.29\* -0.52; -0.06       Dietician       0.77%       Yes 11 -0.10 -0.27; 0.47         No 8 -0.35\* -0.62; -0.08       Psychologist       2.47%       Yes 1 0.05 -0.65; 0.76         No 18 -0.30\* -0.50; -0.11       Physician       0.00%       Yes 2 0.21 -0.29; 0.72         No 17 -0.33\* -0.54; -0.13       Research team       2.13%       Yes 2 -0.10 -0.77; 0.58         No 17 -0.29\* -0.49; -0.09   Number of types of educators       0.00%     One 11 -0.30\* -0.55; -0.04       Two 6 -0.41 -0.90; 0.07       Three or more 2 0.17 -0.34; 0.70   Peer provider       0.00%     Yes 7 -0.54 -0.93; -0.15\*       No 13 0.29 -0.15; 0.74   Duration of the intervention (months) 8.4 (1.4)† -0.02 -0.05; 0.02   Number of sessions 12.1 (2.1)† -0.01 -0.02; 0.01 0.00% Average duration of each session (hours) 1.5 (0.2)† -0.01 -0.25; 0.23 0.00% Total hours of intervention 21.9 (7.0)† -0.01 -0.01; 0.01 0.00% Intensity (number of hours/month) 4.6 (1.3)† -0.01 -0.09; 0.07 1.60% SMD = standardized mean difference; I^2^ = Variation in standardized mean difference attributable to heterogeneity; 95% CI = 95% confidence interval; HbA1c = glycated hemoglobin. ^a^N is not equal to 20 for all variables, as some characteristics were not reported for all the interventions. \**p* \< 0.05; \*\**p* \< 0.001, † = mean (SE). No statistically significant differences were observed for the total duration of the intervention, the number of sessions included, the duration of each session, the total number of hours of intervention or its intensity (number of hours per month). Discussion ========== In this systematic review we identified and characterized 39 DSM educational programs specifically targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups. Most programs produced some benefits over care as usual in improving diabetes knowledge, self-management behaviors, and clinical outcomes. Furthermore, meta-analyses indicated that these interventions decreased HbA1c, which was significant both from statistical and clinical perspectives. Larger reductions in HbA1c were observed in those interventions delivered individually and face to face, involving peer educators, based on cognitive reframing techniques, and employing a lower number of teaching methods. Long-term effects and cost-effectiveness were rarely assessed. The estimated 0.31% reduction in HbA1c observed in our meta-analysis is modest but clinically significant, as evidence suggests that every percentage point decrease in HbA1c over 10 years is associated with a risk reduction of 21% for deaths related to diabetes, 14% for myocardial infarctions, and 37% for microvascular complications \[[@B64],[@B65]\]. A substantial body of evidence for the effectiveness of educational interventions to improve glycemic control in general population has been generated \[[@B11],[@B12],[@B15],[@B16]\], observing similar effects to the one obtained by our meta-analysis for racial/ethnic minority groups. Our results also reiterate those obtained in a previous meta-analysis of interventions targeting racial/ethnic minority groups (-0.32%) \[[@B18]\]. This is the first meta-regression study analyzing the effect of specific characteristics of educational programs targeted to racial/ethnic minorities. Moreover, meta-regressions of programs targeted to non-minority groups have explored a more reduced number of characteristics \[[@B11],[@B16]\]. Educational programs delivered face to face produced a greater improvement in glycemic control than those delivered using telecommunication based formats. The comparative effectiveness of these two formats of administration is currently a topic of substantial interest, and there is no previous evidence in the context of self-management education in ethnic minorities. Although telecommunication programs have the potential to improve attrition rates, as they can help to overcome barriers such as competing responsibilities and distance to the service, they can represent an additional barrier to patients from racial/ethnic minority groups, who are more likely to have decreased access to information technologies and lower digital literacy \[[@B66]\]. Additionally, our meta-regression suggested that interventions delivered individually produced better results than those delivered in a group format. Previous research on general population has specifically explored this issue, without observing differences between individual and group administration \[[@B10],[@B64]\]. Both the lower maintenance costs and the potential for promoting patient-patient interactions \[[@B67]\] make group-based interventions very appealing. Individual education, however, can more efficiently address patients' individual characteristics and needs, producing better patient engagement. More research is needed to confirm our results. Most of the educational programs included in our review were based on traditional didactic methods, either alone or in tandem with other educational techniques. However, those interventions based on cognitive reframing techniques produced better results. Similar results were obtained in a previous meta-regression of educational programs in the general population \[[@B11]\]. Furthermore, they corroborate previous findings that knowledge of lifestyle guidelines is a necessary but not the only factor required to facilitate the appropriate behavioral changes \[[@B15],[@B17]\], suggesting that a patient's inability to adhere to an adequate self-management might be grounded in motivational factors. The importance of motivational factors to promote the adherence to lifestyle interventions has been previously acknowledged and included in interventions targeting racial and ethnic minorities \[[@B68],[@B69]\]. The involvement of peer providers also produced better results. The benefit of including peer educators has been previously suggested \[[@B70],[@B71]\], and partially explained by the fact that peers can provide a more credible source of information, empower those involved, and reinforce learning through ongoing contact \[[@B72]\]. In order to estimate the complexity of the interventions, we calculated the number of teaching methods and educational contents included in each program. Contrary to our expectations, we observed an inverse association with HbA1c, indicating that less complex interventions led to greater improvements in glycemic control. This is the first study analyzing the relation between complexity and effectiveness, and more research is needed to confirm this potential dilution effect. Strengths and weaknesses ------------------------ The main strength of this study is the comprehensiveness of the searches. Systematic and manual searches were performed in the most relevant bibliographic databases for biomedical research, as well as in specific sites of gray literature. We also examined the effect of a high number of intervention characteristics with the potential to produce better effects, some of which has not previously explored, namely the complexity of the programs or its intensity. Additional strengths are that we specifically focused our review on exclusively educational interventions (i.e., excluding those interventions with additional components such as case management, financial incentives or health provider education) and included sensitivity analysis excluding those studies with higher risk of bias. Our review also has some limitations. First, although we attempted to identify studies conducted in OECD countries, a vast majority of the interventions were conducted in the US, which limits the external validity of our results. Second, our meta-analysis and meta-regression was restricted to glycemic control. Although we attempted to conduct meta-analyses on other relevant outcomes such as diabetes knowledge, they were not consistently available or uniformly measured. Finally, although formal tests on publication bias seemed to exclude its presence, we cannot completely rule out its existence. Remaining gaps in knowledge --------------------------- More than 90% of the studies included in this review were conducted in the US, which limits the external validity of our results. Ethnic/racial inequalities in rates of diabetes-related complication have been observed in multiple countries and ethnic minorities \[[@B3]\]. Therefore, the effectiveness of interventions specifically targeting minorities needs to be assessed. This review also found that there is a considerable knowledge gap regarding the long-term effects of these interventions. Only about a fourth of the studies included had a post-test assessment, the majority of occurred within six months after the intervention ended. Given that type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition, it is crucial to understand not only that self-management educational programs can produce a discrete impact, but also whether the impact is sustained in the long term. Also importantly, a quarter of the interventions included in this review were evaluated through quasi-experimental studies. Some of these studies did not include a randomization element in the design, whereas other did not include a control group (non-controlled before-after studies). Moreover, a significant proportion of the studies (35%) presented a high risk of bias, which included small sample sizes, relevant confounders not adequately being controlled for, and participants not blinded to the intervention. Notwithstanding the difficulties underlying the execution of this type of complex clinical trials, larger and methodologically more robust trials are very much needed to confirm the findings of the present review, and to further identify characteristics of successful programs. Finally, only a small proportion of studies included cost-effectiveness estimation, which constitutes another important area for future research. Conclusions =========== In this systematic review we identified and analyzed DSM educational programs specifically targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups, observing that most of them can improve diabetes knowledge, self-management behavior, and clinical outcomes. Interventions producing higher improvements in glycemic control are those delivered individually and face to face, involving peer educators, based on cognitive reframing techniques, and employing a lower number of teaching methods. The long-term effects on patient-centered and clinically important outcomes, as well as cost effectiveness, remain unknown. Competing interests =================== The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Authors' contribution ===================== IRC and IRP designed the study. DCG, ARG and GP selected the articles and extracted relevant data. MRB conducted the statistical analysis. IRC drafted article. All authors provided input during the preparation of the manuscript, and approved the final version. IRC is the guarantor of this article. Pre-publication history ======================= The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here: <http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6823/14/60/prepub> Supplementary Material ====================== ###### Additional file 1: Table S1 Search strategy in Medline (Ovid). ###### Click here for file ###### Additional file 2: Table S2 Registry of the Bibliographic Searches. ###### Click here for file ###### Additional file 3: Table S3 Characteristics and Effectiveness of the Diabetes Self-management Educational Interventions. ###### Click here for file Acknowledgments =============== The authors thank Victor Sarmiento (Andalusian Agency for Health Technology Assessment, Andalusia, Spain) for designing the bibliographic searches. Funding source -------------- National Institute of Health Carlos III (Study PS09/00747). The funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

A Windows feature which can result in bypassing User Group Policy - miles https://medium.com/tenable-techblog/bypass-windows-10-user-group-policy-and-more-with-this-one-weird-trick-552d4bc5cc1b ====== gruez _yawn_ yet another case of an "exploit" that involves being other side of an airtight hatchway[1]. most/all of the important group policy settings are machine, rather than user. the user group policy settings are mainly with appearance/styling. Let's go through each of the "implications". >Single File Code Execution If you were able to drop that file, you're either that user, or an administrator on the computer. If you're that user, you could also achieve "single file code execution" by dropping a file to the startup folder, or creating an autorun registry key. If you are an administrator, you already own the machine. >Antivirus/EDR Bypass possibly, although your payload would still have to get pass behavioral analysis when it's executing. >Denial of Service yeah, but you can achieve the same thing by adding "logoff" as an autorun entry. [1] [https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=100665](https://devblogs.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/?p=100665), or search for that term on the blog, there are multiple entries. ~~~ wolrah > If you were able to drop that file, you're either that user, or an > administrator on the computer. If you're that user, you could also achieve > "single file code execution" by dropping a file to the startup folder, or > creating an autorun registry key. If you are an administrator, you already > own the machine. As I see it the biggest practical issue with this is that it provides a method for persistence that no user will ever find and even most Windows administrators will have no idea to look for. ~~~ gruez >As I see it the biggest practical issue with this is that it provides a method for persistence that no user will ever find This isn't relevant because if you're logged in as the affected user, nothing you see can be trusted because you're already pwned. For instance, the attacker could have replaced the regedit icon with a patched regedit, or attached a debugger to every process and patched any system calls. The only safe course of action would be to create a new profile. > and even most Windows administrators will have no idea to look for. AFAIK user hives aren't loaded until they're logged in, in which case they're subject to the caveats of the previous paragraph. Also, are administrators really going around and loading each user's registry hive to check for infections? The only real threat I can think of is antivirus vendors not knowing about this feature and not scanning the file as a registry hive. ~~~ throwanem As the article mentions, the threat model here is primarily an insider one, with a "rogue" user leveraging this method to obtain capabilities the domain administrator intends to deny. There are certainly more effective exploits for an outside attacker to use, but that's beside the point. ~~~ dfox User Group Policy isn't exactly a security mechanism, it exists to prevent users from unintentionally breaking their profile. There is multitude of ways how the user in question can inject arbitrary code into processes that are affected by user group policy as these processes are owned by that user. ------ jve Is this a real concern? I always treat User Settings overridable, because they happen either in security context of user or within user registry which lives in %userprofile% - the user has full access to ntuser.dat file. IMHO for real security stuff, Computer Settings are way to go. > Some exploits may be able to drop a file somewhere on the Windows filesystem > as non-admin. If the exploit dropped a “%USERPROFILE\ntuser.man”, with an > autostart registry key to execute a file off of a remote SMB share, then the > exploit now gained reliable code execution simply by dropping one non- > executable file. Well, if malicious guy can write your %USERPROFILE% folder, it's already no- go. You could potentially plant powershell profile scripts etc. > By dropping an empty ntuser.man file in %userprofile%, ProfSvc will fail to > load registry and thus prevent the user from logging in You've already got bigger problems if someone can write %userprofile% ~~~ ocdtrekkie I wonder how many sysadmins truly think about User Settings that way. They should, but I imagine when people are trying to apply a setting to a group of people, and they feel those permissions should follow them regardless of what PC they are on, they would just think to make it a user setting. ~~~ GordonS I work for a mega corp, and many security-related policies are indeed set at the user, rather than machine, level. Even ones that apply to everyone, no idea why. They also enabled the "disable registry editing" policy, but for obvious reasons this only prevent the official regedit app from running, so anyone with local admin can edit the registry using a different app. I feel like I'm pushed in the direction of wasting my time figuring out ways to bypass what I see as silly restrictions - why would you disable registry editing for a developer? Why would you force credentials to be entered _every_ time the UAC prompt is shown? The list goes on... ------ userbinator _Microsoft deemed this to be expected behavior and not a security issue._ For once, thank you for not caving into corporate pressure to make the work experience even more dystopian... those who have worked in such environments will known what I'm referring to. (I wonder if their developers themselves make use of this.) ~~~ Ididntdothis I rely on several of these “exploits” in order to be able to do my job on my work machines. I think even IT knows about these tricks but luckily they look the other way. ~~~ cosmie Besides the one referenced in the article, any tips (or references) about those tricks? ~~~ GordonS I got one I mentioned elsewhere here - if registry editing is disabled, just use a different registry app (there are some on Github that are better than the standard one anyway). Then you can undo group policy settings at will, as long as you know which registry keys to flip. A good site for this is: [https://gpsearch.azurewebsites.net](https://gpsearch.azurewebsites.net) Some settings are set in the local security policy file, rather than in the registry. From memory, if you have local admin rights you have to specifically grant your user account full control to the adm files, then you can use the local security policy MMC snap in to change settings. Once you change things, they will periodically be set back, which is annoying, but the tip near the end of the article might work to stop that. Another tip is to install a dual boot version of Windows on an encrypted partition, and use that instead of the "official" install. Of course, this only works if you don't need frequent access to resources on the domain. ------ Spivak This is actually one of those features that GNOME gets right with dconf lockdown. You can, on a per setting basis, decide whether users are allowed to override each setting. ------ amaccuish Agree with others, yawn. Unplug your computer during login to interrupt the profile load and be assigned a temporary profile (unless disabled) and you'll see no user policies applied.

Physicochemical properties of cross-linked and acetylated starches and products of their hydrolysis in continuous recycle membrane reactor. The aim of the present work was to study the physicochemical properties of doubly modified, by cross-linking and acetylating, starches as well as the products of their enzymatic hydrolysis. A two step procedure of hydrolysis, including the batch and membrane reactors, were investigated. The second step of enzymatic processes were carried out in a continuous recycle membrane reactor (CRMR). Three kinds of commercial starches--two preparations of acetylated distarch adipate E1422 of different degrees of cross-linking, as well as one preparation of acetylated distarch phosphate E1414 were examined. It was found that the degree of substitution of acetyl groups in the macromolecules of starch did not influence the effectiveness of hydrolysis. However, the degree of cross-linking with adipate groups slightly decreased the efficiency of processing in the CRMR. Additionally, the relationship between the type of hydrocolloid and its adsorption activity in the air/water and oil/water systems was considered. All obtained derivatives revealed adsorption properties and reduced the surface/interface tension in the air/water and oil/water systems. The efficiency and effectiveness of adsorption of the investigated hydrocolloids were affected by the type of modification as well as the degree of substitution of acetyl groups in the macromolecules of starch. Particle size distributions formed in aqueous solutions for all investigated hydrolyses were determined and compared with results obtained for commercial products.

This invention relates to a sensor, particularly to an accelerometer, its fabrication method and acceleration sensors which includes such accelerometer. Nowadays, accelerometers have been used in various applications, such as, measuring the magnitude of earthquake and gathering seismic data, detecting the magnitude of collision during a car collision, and detecting the tilting direction and angle of a mobile phone or a game console. As the micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology continues to progress, many nano-scale accelerometers have been widely commercially used. In general, the accelerometers can be categorized into two kinds, one is parallel plate accelerometer, such as Chinese invention patent with publication No. CN102768290A. The parallel plate accelerometer measures the acceleration through the parallel plate capacitor formed between the top cap, the mass, and the bottom cap. When there is an acceleration, the frame displaces towards the direction of acceleration, but due to inertia, the displacement of the mass is relatively small causing the distance or the area of projection between the top cap, the mass, and the bottom cap to change. The capacitance between the top cap, the mass, and the bottom cap also changes. Integrated circuits calculates the direction and magnitude of the acceleration based on the change of capacitance. Another type of accelerometer is comb structure accelerometer, such as Chinese invention patent with publication No. CN1605871. Comb structure accelerometer detects acceleration by measuring the change in capacitance of two spaced apart comb structures. The comb structure comprise movable teeth provided on the mass, and fixed teeth adjacent to the movable teeth. As the mass displaces due to acceleration, the movable teeth also displaces; thus the distance or the area of projection between the movable teeth and the fixed teeth changes, leading to a change in capacitance. Integrated circuits calculates the direction and magnitude of the acceleration based on the change of capacitance. In a parallel plate accelerometer, the mass is relatively large, and the relation between the measurement accuracy and the mass is shown in: Acceleration ⁢ ⁢ due ⁢ ⁢ to ⁢ ⁢ noise ⁢ : ⁢ ⁢ a ¨ _ = F n _ A 1 = F n _ m = 4 ⁢ ⁢ k B ⁢ T ⁢ ⁢ ω 0 mQ where kB represents Boltzmann constant, T represents temperature, ω0 represents resonance frequency, Q represents quality factor, m represents mass. Therefore, when the resonance frequency and the quality factor are fixed, increasing the mass reduces the effect by noise. The capacitance formed between the mass and the cap is also relatively large, which means the sensitivity is high. However, during fabrication, parallel plate accelerometer has a high squeeze-film damping force; thus it requires vacuum environment for packaging, which dramatically increases the packaging and fabrication cost. In comparison, the comb structure accelerometer has a low squeeze-film damping force. Based on the book “Analysis and Design Principles of MEMS Devices” the coefficient of damping force in MEMS chip can be calculated by: c rec = μ ⁢ ⁢ LB 3 h 3 ⁢ β ⁡ ( B L ) , where ⁢ ⁢ L ⪢ B , β = 1 , β = 0.42 ; For example, the coefficient of damping force of 1000 um×1000 um accelerometer with 100 pairs of 500 um×20 um comb teeth is 1.5% of the coefficient of damping force of 1000 um×1000 um accelerometer without comb teeth. Therefore, comb structure accelerometers can be packaged under non-vacuum environment, which means the packaging cost is low. However, due to the characteristics of comb structure, the mass is relatively small, and the capacitance in a comb structure accelerometer is smaller than parallel plate accelerometer. Thus, the sensitivity of comb structure accelerometer is lower compared with parallel plate accelerometer. Furthermore, comb structures are fabricated by using photolithography and etching. The spacing between the movable teeth and the fixed teeth is limited by the etching process to 2 um. On the other hand, parallel plate accelerometers are fabricated by bonding, the spacing between the mass and the caps can be controlled in 1 um. However, the accuracy of bonding technique is lower than photolithography and etching. In conclusion, both parallel plate accelerometers and comb structure accelerometers have their own advantages and disadvantages.

Q: How do you define a generic getter method in Typescript with multiple overloads? I'm trying to define a method that operates as a getter, taking an optional parameter. The getter provides access to an object of type T, and should return either the entire object, or a property on that object. The challenge is that I am trying to defined the method in two places, first in an interface, and second in the actual implementation. Here's my approach: // Getter defines both overloads interface StoreGetter { <T>(): T; <T, K extends keyof T>(prop: K): T[K]; } // Store has a generic type, and exposes that type and properties on that type interface Store<T> { get: StoreGetter; // Either one works individually // get: <T>() => T; // get: <T, K extends keyof T>(prop: K) => T[K]; } export function makeStore<T>(initial: T): Store<T> { let value: T = initial; // Apparently, you can only define overloads via a function declaration // function get<T>(): T; // function get<T, K extends keyof T>(prop: K): T[K]; function get(prop?: keyof T) { if (typeof prop !== 'undefined') { return value[prop]; } return value; } return { get, }; } const store = makeStore({ text: '', items: [], num: 1 }); // Argument of type '"text"' is not assignable to parameter of type 'never'.(2345): store.get('text') // Object is of type 'unknown'.(2571) store.get(). Unfortunately, the two definitions seem to clobber each other. How can I define this method with overloads, and have correct type inference for both calls? A: After many failed attempts, I've discovered one configuration that produces the expected inferences: interface StoreGetter<T> { (): T; <K extends keyof T>(props: K): T[K]; } interface Store<T> { get: StoreGetter<T>; set: (val: any | T) => void; } export function makeStore<T>(initial: T): Store<T> { let value: T = initial; let listeners: Function[] = []; function get(): T; function get<K extends keyof T>(prop: K): T[K]; function get(prop?: keyof T): T | T[keyof T] { if (typeof prop !== 'undefined') { return value[prop]; } return value; } return { get, set: (val: any) => { value = { ...value, ...val, }; listeners.forEach(fn => fn(value)); } }; } const store = makeStore({ text: '', items: [], num: 1 }); // Both work with type inference store.get('text').toUpperCase store.get().items Still hoping to find a way to do it with an inline/anonymous function. On a positive note, this approach works seamlessly in a declarations file (e.g., store.d.ts), enabling the use of a single declaration: interface StoreGetter<T> { (): T; <K extends keyof T>(props: K): T[K]; } interface Store<T> { get: StoreGetter<T>; } export function makeStore<T>(initial: T): Store<T>; export function useStore<T>(store: T, prop?: string): [T|any, (newState: T|any) => void]; And then in a separate JS file: const store = makeStore({ keypresses: 0, text: '', arrows: [], }); // Both inferred: store.get('keypresses').toFixed store.get().arrows.push This produces the expected annotations in VS code:

I am not satisfied in making money for myself. I endeavor to provide employment for hundreds of the women of my race. Madam C.J. Walker In its famous paradox, the equation of money and excrement, psychoanalysis becomes the first science to state what common sense and the poets have long known - that the essence of money is in its absolute worthlessness. Norman O. Brown The middlebrow is the man, or woman, of middlebred intelligence who ambles and saunters now on this side of the hedge, now on that, in pursuit of no single object, neither art itself nor life itself, but both mixed indistinguishably, and rather nastily, with money, fame, power, or prestige. There's a great deal of disturbance in this country and how black feel about what happened in Katrina, and, you know, many of the comics, many of performers are in Las Vegas and New Orleans trying to raise money for what happened there. Michael Richards Waste neither time nor money, but make the best use of both. Without industry and frugality, nothing will do, and with them everything. Billions are wasted on ineffective philanthropy. Philanthropy is decades behind business in applying rigorous thinking to the use of money. Michael Porter For money you can have everything it is said. No, that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money. Arne Garborg There seems to be a frenzy, a momentum to grab up anything you can. The decisions seem to be dictated by money and political expediency.

{{#with tryGetTargetReflectionDeep}} {{#ifCond ../name '===' name}} Re-exports <a href="{{relativeURL url}}">{{name}}</a> {{else if flags.isExported}} Renames and re-exports <a href="{{relativeURL url}}">{{name}}</a> {{else}} Renames and exports <a href="{{relativeURL url}}">{{name}}</a> {{/ifCond}} {{else}} Re-exports {{name}} {{/with}}

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Calories: 2,000 2,500 Total Fat Less than 65g 80g Sat Fat Less than 20g 25g Cholesterol Less than 300mg 300mg Sodium Less than 2400mg 2400mg Total Carbohydrate 300g 375g Dietary Fiber 25g 30g Calories per gram: Fat ● Protein ● Carbohydrates 48 fl. oz. for Personal Shopping Product Details Partially produced with genetic engineering. Rich & creamy. Scooping since 1935. Please send comments to: Consumer Services, Friendly's Ice Cream, LLC, 1855 Boston Road, Wilbraham, MA 01095 USA. 1-800-966-9970 (toll free) or visit our website: www.friendlys.com. Enclose with all correspondence: where product was purchased; product and date codes from package. Making the world Friendly one scoop at a time! The Blake Brothers opened their first ice cream shop in 1935 and called it Friendly to provide a place where families & friends could create lasting memories while enjoying great tasting ice cream made with high quality ingredients. Today, we still source milk daily from local farms and use many of the Blakes' original recipes allowing you to share our scoop shop heritage with family at home! Warnings Directions Keep frozen. Reviews {{averageOverallRating | number:1}} ({{totalReviewCount}}) ENTER STAR RATINGYOUR RATINGAdding a rating or review is a great way for us to hear from you. Please also leave us a comment under your rating Wouldn't try it againNot my favouriteIt was okPretty goodWould buy this again A problem occurred submitting your rating {{submittionErrorMsg}} You already submitted a review. Thanks! Thank you Please note reviews may take up to 30 minutes before they are published.

Zhu Shijie (painter) Zhu Shijie (; 1900 - 1990) was a Chinese painter and educator, who is regarded as one of the fathers of Chinese oil painting and an important art educator of his time. Born in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, Zhu began studying painting in 1912 and founded the Suzhou Art Academy in 1922. In the 1920s, Zhu went to Japan and brought back to China the Bauhaus concepts and ideas of practical art. Zhu, along with Yan Wenliang and Hu Cuizhong comprise the “Three Masters of Suzhou”. Early life Zhu Shijie studied traditional Chinese paintings, including flower, bird, and landscape, under Yan Chunsheng and Fan Shaoyun in 1912. Career In 1922, along with two other artists Yan Wenliang and Hu Cuizhong, He established the Suzhou Academy of Fine Arts. In a national reorganisation in 1952, the Suzhou Fine Arts Institute and the Shanghai Fine Arts Academy were incorporated into the Nanjing Academy of Fine Arts. Zhu, Yan and Hu were passionate about reforming traditional art education in China. They attempted to modernise Chinese art education by introducing western concepts and methods in their school. The Academy fundraised and bought a large amount of torso and plaster from Paris in the late 1930s. While in Europe, Yan assembled a collection of plaster casts of famous European sculptures, which totaled as many as 500 pieces, which he shipped home to be used at the Academy. Zhu was then tasked to fix those sculptures that were damaged during transit. Many well-known artists were nurtured such as Luo Erchun, Mo Pu and Fei Yifu. For a large part of his life, Zhu taught in Eastern China College of Art, the former Nanjing Academy of Fine Arts. Work 9 works including "Jing Gangshan Mountain" and "Small Wharf at Dongting Lake" are part of the collection of the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. His important works such as "Net Casting" and "View of the Bridge" are at Jiangsu Fine Arts Museum. A sizable portion of Zhu's work is in private collections in Taiwan and Hong Kong. See also Yan Wenliang The Bauhaus Notes Category:1900 births Category:1990 deaths Category:Republic of China painters Category:China Academy of Art faculty Category:Victims of the Cultural Revolution Category:Painters from Suzhou Category:20th-century Chinese painters Category:Educators from Suzhou

Intramuscular dissociation of echogenicity in the triceps surae characterizes sporadic inclusion body myositis. Differential diagnosis of sporadic inclusion body myositis (s-IBM) and polymyositis (PM)/dermatomyositis (DM) is difficult and can affect proper disease management. Detection of heterogeneous muscular involvement in s-IBM by muscle sonography could be a unique diagnostic feature. Sonography of the lower leg and forearm was performed in patients with s-IBM, PM/DM and control subjects (n = 11 each). Echo intensities (EIs) of the adjacent muscles [medial head of the gastrocnemius versus soleus and the flexor digitorum profundus (FDP) versus flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU)] were scored by three blinded raters. The mean EIs of these muscles were compared using computer-assisted histogram analysis. Both evaluation methods showed high echoic signals in the gastrocnemius of patients with s-IBM. EIs were significantly different between the gastrocnemius and soleus in patients with s-IBM, but not in those with DM/PM and the controls. In the forearm, although the EI of the FDP was higher in the s-IBM group than in the other groups, the EI differences between the FDP and FCU did not differ significantly between disease groups. The difference in area under the curves to differentiate between s-IBM and DM/PM was greatest between the gastrocnemius-soleus EIs (0.843; P = 0.006). High echoic signals in the medial gastrocnemius compared with those of the soleus are suggestive of s-IBM over PM/DM.

Q: C: My struct's properties don't change when referenced from an Array? I'm having trouble with an array in C that is supposed to hold several structs I defined earlier; The Struct: typedef struct { bool alive; struct Vector velocity; struct Vector acceleration; struct Coordinate position; float mass; int ID; }Sprite; The Array: Sprite Sprites[10]; To make creating structs easier, I have a function that creates them for me: Create Struct Function: Sprite createNewSpriteWithID(int ID, int Mass) { Sprite newSprite; newSprite.ID = ID; newSprite.mass = Mass; newSprite.velocity = VectorWithZero(); newSprite.acceleration = VectorWithZero(); newSprite.alive = 1; int index = returnAvailableSpriteIndex(); if (index < 11 && index > -1){ Sprites[index] = newSprite; printf("Sprite inserted at Index: %d\n",index); spriteCount += 1; } else { printf("Notice: Sprite not added"); } return Sprites[index]; // FIXED MY BAD } This function makes me a new Struct, and then I assign values to some of the properties. However, I do not do this to position, because I want to change this myself. The Problem: The issue is that when I attempt to change the positions myself, they are not reflected in the array. int main(int argc, const char * argv[]) { // Create a test Sprites. Sprite Sprite_A; // Set Sprite Positions and parameters Sprite_A = createNewSpriteWithID(1,300); setPositionForSprite(&Sprite_A,100,100); printf("\nPOS: %f, %f\n",Sprite_A.position.x,Sprite_A.position.y); return 0; } I call a function called setPositionForSprite, which assigns a position to the position property of the passed sprite pointer. Set Position: void setPositionForSprite(Sprite *S, float x, float y) { S->position.x = x; S->position.y = y; } This is where the problem becomes apparent. When I sprite the position shortly after assigning it in Main, it comes out as intended 100,100 However, when I print the Sprites[index_of_Sprite_A], it gives me garbage values. Why is this happening? I can fix it by changing the change-position line inside main to: setPositionForSprite(&Sprites[0],100,100); But It is unfeasible as I have to recall what the index was. Why doesn't changing the properties of my struct variable change them in the array? A: In your createNewSpriteWithID() function, you're returning 1. Again, Sprite newSprite; is local to createNewSpriteWithID(). You cannot return the address of newSprite, either. Instead, you need to have a pointer to Sprite, allocate memory dynamically and return that pointer. Along with that, you need to change the return type of createNewSpriteWithID() to Sprite * and collect the same in another Sprite *. Also, with a definition like Sprite Sprites[10]; if (index < 11 && index > -1){ Sprites[index].... is wrong. Array index in c starts from 0. You need to change to if (index < 10 && index > -1){ EDIT well, your changes are not reflected in the original array because, from your createNewSpriteWithID() function, you're returning the array element value which is then collected in a local variable inside your main(). When you call setPositionForSprite(), you're passing the address of the local variable in the main(), so the change is being reflected in the local variable in the main(), not in the array element. To rectify, use a pointer [i.e., return the address of the element in the array], as I suggested above.

Q: XDocument: Create custom declaration I want to create Windows Media Player playlist files with XDocument. Therefore I have to create this declaration: <?wpl version="1.0"?> However, the XDeclaration object doesn't allow to replace "xml" with "wpl". Is there a proper way to handle this? A: That's a processing instruction, not an XML declaration. new XProcessingInstruction("wpl", "version=\"1.0\"") Your document is still an XML document, so you can additionally include <?xml version="1.0"?> at the top, but that's optional.

import random import multiaddr import pytest from libp2p.peer.id import ID from libp2p.peer.peerinfo import InvalidAddrError, PeerInfo, info_from_p2p_addr ALPHABETS = "123456789ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijkmnopqrstuvwxyz" VALID_MULTI_ADDR_STR = "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/8000/p2p/3YgLAeMKSAPcGqZkAt8mREqhQXmJT8SN8VCMN4T6ih4GNX9wvK8mWJnWZ1qA2mLdCQ" # noqa: E501 def test_init_(): random_addrs = [random.randint(0, 255) for r in range(4)] random_id_string = "" for _ in range(10): random_id_string += random.SystemRandom().choice(ALPHABETS) peer_id = ID(random_id_string.encode()) peer_info = PeerInfo(peer_id, random_addrs) assert peer_info.peer_id == peer_id assert peer_info.addrs == random_addrs @pytest.mark.parametrize( "addr", ( pytest.param(multiaddr.Multiaddr("/"), id="empty multiaddr"), pytest.param( multiaddr.Multiaddr("/ip4/127.0.0.1"), id="multiaddr without peer_id(p2p protocol)", ), ), ) def test_info_from_p2p_addr_invalid(addr): with pytest.raises(InvalidAddrError): info_from_p2p_addr(addr) def test_info_from_p2p_addr_valid(): m_addr = multiaddr.Multiaddr(VALID_MULTI_ADDR_STR) info = info_from_p2p_addr(m_addr) assert ( info.peer_id.pretty() == "3YgLAeMKSAPcGqZkAt8mREqhQXmJT8SN8VCMN4T6ih4GNX9wvK8mWJnWZ1qA2mLdCQ" ) assert len(info.addrs) == 1 assert str(info.addrs[0]) == "/ip4/127.0.0.1/tcp/8000"

/* * Copyright (C) 2014 Freescale Semiconductor * * SPDX-License-Identifier: GPL-2.0+ */ #ifndef __FSL_DPAA_FD_H #define __FSL_DPAA_FD_H /* Place-holder for FDs, we represent it via the simplest form that we need for * now. Different overlays may be needed to support different options, etc. (It * is impractical to define One True Struct, because the resulting encoding * routines (lots of read-modify-writes) would be worst-case performance whether * or not circumstances required them.) */ struct dpaa_fd { union { u32 words[8]; struct dpaa_fd_simple { u32 addr_lo; u32 addr_hi; u32 len; /* offset in the MS 16 bits, BPID in the LS 16 bits */ u32 bpid_offset; u32 frc; /* frame context */ /* "err", "va", "cbmt", "asal", [...] */ u32 ctrl; /* flow context */ u32 flc_lo; u32 flc_hi; } simple; }; }; enum dpaa_fd_format { dpaa_fd_single = 0, dpaa_fd_list, dpaa_fd_sg }; static inline u64 ldpaa_fd_get_addr(const struct dpaa_fd *fd) { return (u64)((((uint64_t)fd->simple.addr_hi) << 32) + fd->simple.addr_lo); } static inline void ldpaa_fd_set_addr(struct dpaa_fd *fd, u64 addr) { fd->simple.addr_hi = upper_32_bits(addr); fd->simple.addr_lo = lower_32_bits(addr); } static inline u32 ldpaa_fd_get_len(const struct dpaa_fd *fd) { return fd->simple.len; } static inline void ldpaa_fd_set_len(struct dpaa_fd *fd, u32 len) { fd->simple.len = len; } static inline uint16_t ldpaa_fd_get_offset(const struct dpaa_fd *fd) { return (uint16_t)(fd->simple.bpid_offset >> 16) & 0x0FFF; } static inline void ldpaa_fd_set_offset(struct dpaa_fd *fd, uint16_t offset) { fd->simple.bpid_offset &= 0xF000FFFF; fd->simple.bpid_offset |= (u32)offset << 16; } static inline uint16_t ldpaa_fd_get_bpid(const struct dpaa_fd *fd) { return (uint16_t)(fd->simple.bpid_offset & 0xFFFF); } static inline void ldpaa_fd_set_bpid(struct dpaa_fd *fd, uint16_t bpid) { fd->simple.bpid_offset &= 0xFFFF0000; fd->simple.bpid_offset |= (u32)bpid; } /* When frames are dequeued, the FDs show up inside "dequeue" result structures * (if at all, not all dequeue results contain valid FDs). This structure type * is intentionally defined without internal detail, and the only reason it * isn't declared opaquely (without size) is to allow the user to provide * suitably-sized (and aligned) memory for these entries. */ struct ldpaa_dq { uint32_t dont_manipulate_directly[16]; }; /* Parsing frame dequeue results */ #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_FQEMPTY 0x80 #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_HELDACTIVE 0x40 #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_FORCEELIGIBLE 0x20 #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_VALIDFRAME 0x10 #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_ODPVALID 0x04 #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_VOLATILE 0x02 #define LDPAA_DQ_STAT_EXPIRED 0x01 uint32_t ldpaa_dq_flags(const struct ldpaa_dq *); static inline int ldpaa_dq_is_pull(const struct ldpaa_dq *dq) { return (int)(ldpaa_dq_flags(dq) & LDPAA_DQ_STAT_VOLATILE); } static inline int ldpaa_dq_is_pull_complete( const struct ldpaa_dq *dq) { return (int)(ldpaa_dq_flags(dq) & LDPAA_DQ_STAT_EXPIRED); } /* seqnum/odpid are valid only if VALIDFRAME and ODPVALID flags are TRUE */ uint16_t ldpaa_dq_seqnum(const struct ldpaa_dq *); uint16_t ldpaa_dq_odpid(const struct ldpaa_dq *); uint32_t ldpaa_dq_fqid(const struct ldpaa_dq *); uint32_t ldpaa_dq_byte_count(const struct ldpaa_dq *); uint32_t ldpaa_dq_frame_count(const struct ldpaa_dq *); uint32_t ldpaa_dq_fqd_ctx_hi(const struct ldpaa_dq *); uint32_t ldpaa_dq_fqd_ctx_lo(const struct ldpaa_dq *); /* get the Frame Descriptor */ const struct dpaa_fd *ldpaa_dq_fd(const struct ldpaa_dq *); #endif /* __FSL_DPAA_FD_H */

Constitutive expression of p21H-Ras(Val12) in neurons induces increased axonal size and dendritic microtubule density in vivo. The small G protein p21Ras is a key signal transducer mediating cellular growth and proliferation responses to extracellular stimuli. We investigated by electron microscopy the effects of augmented p21Ras activity on neuronal processes and microtubule arrangement in vivo. We used transgenic mice with a neuron-specific overexpression of p21H-RasVal12, which starts postnatally around Day 15. Axonal and dendritic diameters and the numerical density of dendritic microtubules were analyzed at postnatal Day 12 before the onset of transgene expression and in adult mice. In adult transgenic mice, calibers of both axons (corpus callosum) and dendrites (layers II/III of somatosensory cortex) were enlarged by about 57% and 79%, respectively. The increase in dendritic calibers was associated with an increment in the amount of microtubules. Even in dendrites of equivalent diameters, the number of microtubules was higher in transgenic mice compared to that in wild-type mice suggesting an elevated microtubule density. Changes in process diameters or microtubule density were not observed at postnatal Day 12 before relevant transcription of transgenic p21H-RasVal12. The present results extend previous findings on neuronal hypertrophy as a consequence of p21H-RasVal12 expression and suggest a profound influence on the dendritic microtubule network.

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Jets on the hunt for options on offence WINNIPEG — It can be a foolish game to play, trying to connect the dots through the first weekend of the National Hockey League’s free agency period and attempting to draw any kind of concrete conclusions. But we’re going to wade in and do it anyway. Fact #1: The Winnipeg Jets need a centre and/or winger to beef up their top two lines and provide punch to a squad that finished 20th in offence last year and lost 11 games by one goal. Fact #2: The team signed six players — three defencemen in Randy Jones, Derek Meech and Mark Flood plus three forwards in Tanner Glass, Rick Rypien and Aaron Gagnon — who have combined to score a grand total of 40 goals in 782 NHL games. Our brilliantly insightful conclusion: The Jets still have some work to do to jump-start their attack. How does the franchise find offensive help with the best available unrestricted free agents on the open market already picked over? • Jason Arnott, centre, Washington: Scored 17 last year and has 400 in his career, but turns 37 in October. • Teemu Selanne, winger, Anaheim: Would be spectacular if he finished as a Jet — he did have 31 goals and 80 points last year — but he’s coming off knee surgery and, if he returns, it’s said that will likely be with Anaheim. • Alex Kovalev, winger, Pittsburgh: Gifted when he’s into the game — he had 16 goals last year and 428 in his career — but he’s 38. • Cory Stillman, winger, Carolina: Has scored at least 20 goals eight times in his long career. • Vaclav Prospal, centre, New York Rangers: Had 23 points in 29 games with the Rangers last year, but might be looking for a new home after they landed Brad Richards. • Nikolay Zherdev, winger, Philadelphia: He’s just 26 and has a ton of skill, but coaches get quickly frustrated with his inconsistency. 2. Trade for offence The Jets do have some intriguing pieces that could be moved — defenceman Zach Bogosian’s name came up a lot around the draft — but the organization might not make a drastic move until it at least gets a feel for the hand they’ve been dealt and what new coach Claude Noel can do with it. 3. Consider the restricted free agent market It would cost to chase some of the talent here — they’d have to give up draft picks, depending on how much a player is signed for — and it’s not exactly the best way to make new friends in the NHL playground. So, debate among yourselves: is Tampa superstar Steven Stamkos worth four future first-rounders? Should the Jets give up future picks for a player like Brandon Dubinksy or Ryan Callahan, both decent goal scorers with the Rangers last year? 4. Cross fingers and pray a young squad finds its goal-scoring mojo this winter Evander Kane doesn’t turn 20 until August, has already posted 14 and 19-goal campaigns and many figure he’s got 35-40 written all over him. Andrew Ladd is just 25 and finished with a career-best 29 goals last year. Bryan Little, 23, scored 31 goals in 2008-09 and has had the same over the last two seasons. Blake Wheeler has posted 21, 18 and 18-goal campaigns over the last three years and Nik Antropov has flashed an occasional touch during his 679-game NHL career. If those players continue their metamorphosis — and first-round draft pick Mark Scheifele is ready to jump to the pros — the Jets may have found their goal-scoring answer from within their own roster. In the end — and as general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff stressed Friday night in meeting with the media — there’s a whole lot of time left between the opening of the free-agent market and the drop of the first puck in October.

Q: how to get my android USSD program to work am building a simple dialler to help me check my account balance but for some unknown reasons am getting some errors, i have a button on my xml which i have set its onclick element to sendMessage1 , but am getting error on my code with the phoneNum[1] telling me cannot reslove symbol phoneNum[1]. this is my code /**Called when the user clicks the Send button */ public void sendMessage1(View view){ //example phoneNum[1] = "*556"; String encodedHarsh = Uri.encode("#"); startActivity(new Intent ("android.intent.action.DIAL", Uri.parse("tel:"+ phoneNum[1]+ encodedHarsh))); //Do something in response to button } @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_mtn); } @Override public boolean onCreateOptionsMenu(Menu menu) { // Inflate the menu; this adds items to the action bar if it is present. getMenuInflater().inflate(R.menu.menu_mtn, menu); return true; } @Override public boolean onOptionsItemSelected(MenuItem item) { // Handle action bar item clicks here. The action bar will // automatically handle clicks on the Home/Up button, so long // as you specify a parent activity in AndroidManifest.xml. int id = item.getItemId(); //noinspection SimplifiableIfStatement if (id == R.id.action_settings) { return true; } return super.onOptionsItemSelected(item); } A: You have to do it doing this : String encodedHarsh = "*" + "556" + Uri.encode("#"); startActivity(new Intent("android.intent.action.CALL", Uri.parse("tel:" + encodedHarsh))); Note, don't forget to add uses-permisions on manifest

Initially signed on a month’s loan from Celtic in January 1982 as a replacement for departing star Neil Orr, tough tackling centre-half Duffy soon made the move permanent in a £25,000 transfer. In total he spent three-and-a-half eventful seasons in Greenock, in which time he played in three Premier League campaigns and experienced two relegations and one promotion. Yet it is the second demotion in 1984-85 — his final season before moving to Dundee in a deal which earned Morton £65,000 — that he is perhaps most remembered for. Despite being a defender who had played in a team that was relegated after conceding 100 goals in 36 matches, Duffy’s impressive displays saw him recognised as the SPFA’s Players’ Player of the Year. The 55-year-old looks back on his spell at the Ton as a positive time and hopes he will be celebrating another promotion next season in his capacity as manager, just as he did as a player in 1983-84. Speaking exclusively to the Tele last night, Duffy, who has signed a two-year deal, said: “I feel this was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. Morton approached Clyde and asked for permission to speak to me and the Clyde chairman then contacted me. It went from there. “I don’t know who else was interviewed — it’s not my business — but once I spoke to the club I was offered the post and it was something I was absolutely thrilled to accept. “There’s obviously a connection with the club which I’m very proud of. Benny Rooney and Mick Jackson were an unbelievable influence in my career. If Benny and Mick didn’t sign me and give me the chance to play, I wouldn’t have had a career in senior football, so I owe everything to them and Morton Football Club. They had the belief in me that I could play at the top level and they gave me the platform to do that. I could not underestimate or overstate how important they were to my career. “Regardless of the fact I’ve now been appointed manager, I would still tell you that I owe a huge part of my career to the club and the belief the management team had in me. “And that was in the Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] era at Aberdeen, the Jim McLean era at Dundee United: we were up against great teams and top class players. “We were involved in some real tough league campaigns. But up until a few players were sold we did very well. When I came here we stayed in the Premier League for the first 18 months then we were relegated. “Once you sell too many of your good players, you’re weakened and that’s what happened — we were relegated. But we managed to bounce straight back again, winning promotion from the First [Division] back into the Premier League on the last day of the season the year I was captain. “So you can look at it either way: the glass is half empty or half full. You have the disappointments of relegation and the elation of promotion. “My glass was half full and I remember my time here fondly — and I hope we will be experiencing that elation of promotion again at the end of this year.” While Duffy doesn’t mind reminiscing about his playing days at Cappielow, he is fully focused on the job at hand and says he is aiming to take the Ton back to the Championship. The former Falkirk, Dundee, Hibs and Brechin boss added: “It’s about where we are now and not where we were 30 years ago. I’m looking at where we are now and how we can take the club forward. “Speaking with the chairman, I understand the demands and expectations of this job, and I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m determined to do the best job I can. I’m under no illusions about how tough it’s going to be and I’m also fully aware that people expect Morton to be up there challenging at the top end of the table. There are high demands, but I’ve never shied away from a job or a challenge in my life in footbal. I’m sure if we can get a team showing real commitment, and playing for the jersey, the fans will get behind us and that’s my initial target. “In reality, it’s not about what you say in newspapers or what you put on a tactics board — it’s about what you do on the pitch on a Saturday, and that will be the test for the players this season.” Meanwhile, the Tele understands that, although a deal has not yet been finalised, another former Morton player will be installed as Duffy’s assistant. Midfielder Craig ‘Hagi’ McPherson, 43, made 118 starts and 67 sub appearances for the Cappielow club between 1994 and 2000 and looks set to leave his position as Falkirk’s head of youth.

High-Efficiency Polymer Solar Cells with Sm/Ca Bilayer Cathode Buffer. The Sm/Ca bilayer buffers together with Al as the cathode, instead of Al or Ca/Al cathodes are applied into bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells. Accompanied with the optimization of Sm/Ca buffer thicknesses, a high power conversion efficiency of 3.98%, an enhanced short-circuit current density (J(SC)) of 10.87 mA/cm², and a fill factor (FF) of 0.61 are achieved in the poly(3-hexylthiophene): [6,6]-phenyl-C₆₁-butyric acid methyl ester (P3HT:PCBM)-based cell. Analysis on the film’s scanning electron microscopy images, light absorption characteristics, the electromagnetic fields distribution, and scattering illustrates that absorption enhancement induced by Sm clusters via the localized surface plasmon resonance and scattering plays a major role in the enhancement of J SC, while a highly efficient electron extraction and a further resulting large FF is dominated by the Cabuffer.

Why is emergency risk communication guidance needed? During public health emergencies, people need to know what health risks they face, and what actions they can take to protect their lives, their health, their families and communities. Accurate information, provided early, often, and in language and channels people understand, trust and use, enables people to make choices that can protect them from health hazards threatening their lives and well-being. What is new about this guidance? WHO has manuals, training modules and other forms of emergency communication and risk communication guidance based on expert opinion or lessons drawn from major environmental disasters, such as the SARS outbreak of 2003 and the H1N1 influenza pandemic of 2009, rather than systematic analysis of the evidence. This is the first ever evidence-based risk communications guidance. The recommendations in this guidance are based on a systematic search of the evidence on key issues in emergency risk communication practice and experience. Not only was the academic structured evidence searched but also ‘grey literature’ to ensure that the lessons learned from recent emergencies, such as the West African Ebola virus disease outbreak in 2014–2015 and the global Zika virus outbreak in 2015–2016, were captured and explored fully. Who should use this guidance? These guidelines were developed for policy- and decision-makers responsible for managing emergencies, particularly the public health aspects of emergencies, and practitioners responsible for risk communication before, during and after health emergencies. Other groups expected to use these guidelines are front-line responders, local, national and international development partners, civil society, the private sector and all organizations, private and public, involved in emergency preparedness and response. What are they key recommendations in this guidance? These guidelines provide WHO Member States, partners and stakeholders involved in emergency preparedness and response with evidence-based, up-to-date, systems-focused guidance on: building trust and engaging with communities and affected populations; integrating risk communication into existing national and local emergency preparedness and response structures, including building capacity for risk communication; emergency risk communication practice - from planning, messaging, channels and methods of communication and engagement to monitoring and evaluation - based on a systematic assessment of the evidence on what worked and what did not work during recent emergencies. How were these guidelines developed A Guideline Development Group (GDG), comprised of experts in risk communication, media relations, public health emergencies and epidemiology, met in Geneva in July 2015 and agreed on 12 key domains of emergency risk communication requiring exploration of the evidence. Twelve questions were framed and used to guide evidence reviews, which were then used as a basis for formulating recommendations during a second meeting held in Geneva in February 2017. An external peer review group made up of emergency risk communication practitioners, emergency responders, academics and policy-makers then reviewed the recommendations. Comments, changes and additions suggested by the External Review Group (ERG) were further reviewed by the GDG who used them to finalize the recommendations. How should these guidelines be used? The recommendations in these guidelines provide overarching, evidence-based guidance on how risk communication should be practiced in an emergency. The recommendations also guide countries to build capacity for communicating risk during health emergencies. Specific ‘how-to-do-it’ step-by-step instructions are beyond the remit of these guidelines. However, in due course, these will be provided in detailed manuals, standard operating procedures, pocket guides, checklists, training modules and other tools developed to elaborate the recommendations. The first ever evidence-based WHO guidance on emergency risk communication Evidence for decision making The GDG agreed on 12 priority questions covering trust, community engagement, integrating emergency risk communications into health and emergency response systems and emergency risk communication practices. These questions were then further developed into potential search terms, using the SPICE Framework and used to guide the systematic reviews and a grey literature search. Training in risk communication This online course in risk communication features five modules of lectures and exercises to equip frontline responders and decision-makers with the information and tools they need to better manage disease outbreaks and health emergencies.

Q: Uploading Image to Firebase Storage and Database I want to put the download URL of images into my Firebase Database. I can upload the Image into storage but I can't figure out how to get the URL into my database with the rest of the "post". @IBOutlet weak var titleText: UITextField! @IBOutlet weak var authorText: UITextField! @IBOutlet weak var mainText: UITextView! @IBOutlet weak var dateText: UITextField! @IBOutlet weak var myImageView: UIImageView! var ref:FIRDatabaseReference? override func viewDidLoad() { super.viewDidLoad() ref = FIRDatabase.database().reference() } override func didReceiveMemoryWarning() { super.didReceiveMemoryWarning() } @IBAction func uploadImage(_ sender: Any) { let image = UIImagePickerController() image.delegate = self image.sourceType = UIImagePickerControllerSourceType.photoLibrary image.allowsEditing = false self.present(image, animated: true) { //after its completed } } @objc(imagePickerController:didFinishPickingMediaWithInfo:) func imagePickerController(_ picker: UIImagePickerController, didFinishPickingMediaWithInfo info: [String : Any]) { if let image = info[UIImagePickerControllerOriginalImage] as? UIImage { myImageView.image = image } else { //error } self.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil) let storageRef = FIRStorage.storage().reference().child("myImage.png") if let uploadData = UIImagePNGRepresentation(self.myImageView.image!){ storageRef.put(uploadData, metadata: nil, completion: { (metadata, error) in if error != nil { print("error") return } print(metadata) //how do I put the download URL in the metadata into my database } ) } } @IBAction func addPost(_ sender: Any) { if self.titleText.text != "" && self.authorText.text != "" && self.mainText.text != "" && self.dateText.text != "" { ref?.child("Posts").childByAutoId().setValue(["Title": titleText.text,"Article": mainText.text, "Author": authorText.text, "Date": dateText.text, "myImageURL": myImageURL]) //the myImageURL part is where I get an error self.performSegue(withIdentifier: "post", sender: self) } else{ let alertController = UIAlertController(title: "Oops!", message: "Field left blank", preferredStyle: .alert) let defaultAction = UIAlertAction(title: "Ok", style: .cancel, handler: nil) alertController.addAction(defaultAction) self.present(alertController, animated: true, completion: nil) } } } A: Organize your upload and save funcs like this: func uploadMedia(completion: @escaping (_ url: String?) -> Void) { let storageRef = FIRStorage.storage().reference().child("myImage.png") if let uploadData = UIImagePNGRepresentation(self.myImageView.image!) { storageRef.put(uploadData, metadata: nil) { (metadata, error) in if error != nil { print("error") completion(nil) } else { completion((metadata?.downloadURL()?.absoluteString)!)) // your uploaded photo url. } } } Next just connect to FIRDatabase and save it to your node. @IBAction func addPost(_ sender: Any) { if self.titleText.text != "" && self.authorText.text != "" && self.mainText.text != "" && self.dateText.text != "" { uploadMedia() { url in guard let url = url else { return } ref?.child("Posts").childByAutoId().setValue([ "Title" : titleText.text, "Article" : mainText.text, "Author" : authorText.text, "Date" : dateText.text, "myImageURL" : url ]) } } You can also look at my answer about uploading data and saving URL's to database Hope it helps A: For Updated Firebase Version And Swift 4.2 Code : func uploadMedia(completion: @escaping (_ url: String?) -> Void) { let storageRef = Storage.storage().reference().child("\(Auth.auth().currentUser?.uid ?? "").png") if let uploadData = self.imgUploadView.image?.jpegData(compressionQuality: 0.5) { storageRef.putData(uploadData, metadata: nil) { (metadata, error) in if error != nil { print("error") completion(nil) } else { storageRef.downloadURL(completion: { (url, error) in print(url?.absoluteString) completion(url?.absoluteString) }) // completion((metadata?.downloadURL()?.absoluteString)!)) // your uploaded photo url. } } } }

Superoxide dismutase administration, a potential therapy against oxidative stress related diseases: several routes of supplementation and proposal of an original mechanism of action. Oxidative stress, involved in many diseases, is defined as an impaired balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and antioxidant defences. Antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) play a key role in diminishing oxidative stress. Thus, the removal of ROS by exogenous SODs could be an effective preventive strategy against various diseases. The poor bioavailability of exogenous SODs has been criticized. However, improvements in SOD formulation may overcome this limitation and boost interest in its therapeutic properties. Here, we provide a review of animal and human studies about SODs supplementation in order to evaluate their therapeutic value. Protective effects have been observed against irradiation, carcinogenesis, apoptosis and neurodegeneration. SODs administration has also been reported to alleviate inflammatory, infectious, respiratory, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and genitourinary and fertility disorders, raising the question of its mechanism of action in these diverse situations. Some authors have shown an increase in endogenous antioxidant enzymes after exogenous SODs administration. The induction of endogenous antioxidant defence and, consequently, a decrease in oxidative stress, could explain all the effects observed. Further investigations need to be carried out to test the hypothesis that SODs supplementation acts by inducing an endogenous antioxidant defence.

Chromosome-breakage syndromes: different genes, different treatments, different cancers. Comparison of the strikingly different distributions of types of cancer that occur in the genetic disorders that feature chromosome instability raises several interesting points. (a) Bloom's syndrome: the distribution suggests that many of the cancers that occur with regularity in the general population just occur more commonly and at an earlier age. (b) Ataxia telangiectasia: cancers of many types are increased in frequency, but lymphoreticular cancers are exceptionally common, the case also in several other genetically determined immunodeficiency disorders. Both Bloom's syndrome and ataxia telangiectasia share defective immunity as a major clinical feature, but the respective roles, if any, of it and of chromosome instability in producing the cancer predispositions are unknown. (c) Fanconi's anemia: cancer apparently has become common only recently. The types and distribution which occur are unusual. Fanconi's anemia cells have been shown to be hypertransformable by oncogenic virus and to be defective in handling certain types of DNA damage (as well as to manifest chromosome instability) so that the recent increase in cancer incidence is both surprising and unexplained. The degree of cancer proneness of Fanconi's anemia per se, untreated by modern methods, must at present be considered unknown. (d) Xeroderma pigmentosum: the cancer predisposition apparently extends only to cells which receive solar damage, i.e., to skin and eye. This would not have been predicted in view of the fact that the cellular mechanism is defective for repairing DNA damage produced not just by sunlight but also by certain classes of chemical carcinogens.

Petaluma father charged in boy's roadside death PETALUMA -- A Petaluma man faces criminal charges after a birthday outing led to the roadside death of his daughter's 13-year-old friend. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat (http://bit.ly/YX5IOJ ) reports that 41-year-old Mike Krnaich was charged Monday with two counts of felony child endangerment in the June 15 accident that resulted in the death of Trevor Smith. The accident occurred when Krnaich was taking his daughter and some friends on a trip to Lake Mendocino, and his pickup truck ran out of fuel on Highway 101. The California Highway Patrol says Smith and another boy jumped out to push the truck, and Smith got run over by the trailer the truck was pulling. He died at the scene. Prosecutors say Krnaich could face more than seven years in prison if convicted.

Oral factor Xa inhibitors for venous thromboembolism prevention in major orthopedic surgery: a review. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery, and routine thromboprophylaxis has been the standard of care over the last 20 years. Currently available options for the prevention of VTE in major orthopedic surgery include low-molecular-weight heparins, vitamin K antagonists and, more recently, the synthetic pentasaccharide fondaparinux. Although effective, these drugs have several limitations, and new oral antithrombotics offering predictable, effective and safe anticoagulation are strongly needed. This overview focuses on the most advanced oral direct inhibitors of factor Xa, rivaroxaban, apixaban, LY517717, YM150 and betrixaban. Specifically, the results of phase II and III studies and the designs of ongoing clinical trials in patients undergoing elective hip and knee replacement are reviewed.

Q: How to configure db-reverse-engineer plugin I am a total Grails noob trying to configure the db-reverse-engineer plugin for my first project. Documentation for the plugin indicates that I need to configure it, but I don't see where I am supposed to edit configuration. Is there a configuration file in my project I need to edit? I have searched through the ./grails-app/conf folder for grails.plugin (the prefix for this plugin's configuration) and found nothing. An SO or Google search for how to configure grails plugins also returns void. I know this is a lame question, but how do I configure this plugin? Is there a UI I need to use, or are there files somewhere to edit? A: You need to configure your database in grails-app/conf/DataSource.groovy. In particular, you'll need to provide the JDBC URL, the database dialect and the databases's username and password. You'll also have to add some extra db-reverse-engineer configuration to grails-app/conf/Config.groovy. This file will already exist. Just append the new properties at the end. Finally, run the reverse engineer script to generate your domain classes: grails db-reverse-engineer

Qohestan Rural District Qohestan Rural District () is a rural district (dehestan) in Qohestan District, Darmian County, South Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 9,849, in 2,819 families. The rural district has 31 villages. References Category:Rural Districts of South Khorasan Province Category:Darmian County

Indians are known to be optimistic about their jobs; once they have one, they assume it is theirs for life. They have a very high opinion about their performance too. They are always expecting that little bit extra from their employer — a promotion, a bonus or simply an extra coffee round. It has become traditional in India to give bonuses during the festive season. It’s more than traditional; in several industries, it is statutory to give one month’s pay as bonus. This gives the excuse and the budget to splurge at such times. But it takes away all motivation from the bonus. Can something statutory be an incentive to work harder? On the other hand, Indians have the fewest public holidays. According to a Mercer Worldwide Benefits and Employment survey, the UK has the highest number of workplace holidays — 36 per annum. (Ratan Tata was right when he spoke of lazy Britishers.) Other leisure-loving countries include Poland and Austria. India is near the bottom with 28. Incidentally, Indians are also amongst the most vacation deprived. The trouble in India is that work and life are regarded as belonging to different buckets. This is true across the world. But only in emerging economies, where rural roots have not yet been forgotten, is work regarded as something alien to life. Farming was hard labour; but it was life. A job is necessary to make a living but it’s only a new generation of Indians that is internalising it. Most bosses belong to an older generation, however; they have to go before attitudes can change. In the West, a bonus is essentially a reward for something you do over and above your normal duties. According to a WorldatWork report (see box), bonuses are in trouble. “Many would say that the economic shift in recent years has left little in the business world unscathed,” says the study. “Total rewards professionals have expressed the same concerns about bonus programmes... New findings suggest that although most respondents indicated a positive effect of bonus programmes on employee engagement, motivation and satisfaction, very few are consistently featuring bonus programmes.” The most popular form of bonus is the referral bonus. There was a time when employees were not encouraged to recommend their friends and families for jobs in their own organisation. Today, kith and kin are supposed to be the best bets. For one, the referral comes from a person who needs to keep his own skirts clean; so you are unlikely to get a lemon. Secondly, most of the referral bonus comes after the new employee has settled in. If he proves to be a dud, you don’t get the money. Finally, this is another indication of the work-life merger. Next in the bonus hierarchy is the sign-on bonus. This shows that even in these days of high unemployment, companies are willing to pay more for the right talent. The spot bonus, which comes next, is most akin to the festive bonus in India. The reasons for spot bonuses are mainly special recognition, and performance above and beyond duty. They score in the high eighties in the WorldatWork poll. Project completion also features with a 72 per cent score but everything else is below 20 per cent. The last major form of bonus — the retention bonus — is on the decline. Companies were asked if they were planning to introduce retention bonuses (if they didn’t have them). A whopping 92 per cent said ‘No’. Bonuses work. They work best in the listed private sector (44 per cent). They also deliver in privately-held companies (33 per cent). Where they don’t is in the public sector (14 per cent) and nonprofits (13 per cent). But public sector and nonprofits bonuses — like in India where there is even a Payment of Bonus Act 1965 — don’t take performance into account. Crismus Bonus and its equivalents have an unwanted existence beyond Asterix comic books.

Many people have a flag bracket attached to the eaves of their home in order to fly a national flag on appropriate holidays, to fly a flag commemorating various holidays, to fly a state flag, or simply to fly a decorative flag. The present invention relates to providing a system for improved installation of a flag into a bracket and raising it to the desired height and angle of flying from ground level without the need for a ladder. More particularly this invention relates to providing a system for placing a flag into a bracket, securing the flagpole in the bracket, and raising the flag to the desired height and angle of flying from ground level without the need to climb a ladder. Moreover, the present invention provides a feature which will prevent the flag from wrapping around the pole on a windy day, allowing the flag to always be visible while flying. Additionally, the present invention provides a system for doing all of the above with a bracket that is hidden on the underside of the eaves of the roof so that the bracket, when not in use, cannot be easily seen.

The present invention relates to storage tanks and, in particular, to a hatch cover system for bulk carriers. Dry bulk carriers are typically used to transport dry particulates, such as dry granular bulk cement, and will be described with reference to mobile units commonly known as dry bulk transports. Therein, a mobile storage unit transported by a tractor includes a main pressure reservoir for loading, holding, and unloading material. The material is loaded through a hatch on the top of the reservoir. After loading, the hatch is mechanically closed and sealed. For unloading, a pneumatic system is used to pressurize the reservoir and discharge the material through discharge openings in the bottom of the reservoir. According, the hatch system for such units must provide a plurality of distinct functions. First the hatch must open for the delivery of contents. Second, the hatch must close securely for transport. Third, the hatch must be securely sealed for operation of the pneumatic discharge system. Conventional hatches for such storage reservoirs typically provide a cylindrical sleeve defining a cylindrical port at the top of the unit. A hatch cover is pivotally connected to the sleeve for movement between an open position for loading and a closed position for latching, sealing and delivery. The hatch cover generally carries an annular seal that establishes an interface between the sleeve and the hatch cover. A plurality of over-center levers are circumferentially disposed about the sleeve and pivotally connected thereto. The levers include an offset cam surface that engages the top of the cover and upon inward rotation engages the periphery of the cover and downwardly biases the cover to compress the sealing interface. At the delivery site, the above procedure is reversed, the levers being disengaged and the hatch cover pivoted to the open position. With such hatch cover system, the loader, typically the vehicle driver, must vertically climb a ladder on the reservoir leading to the cover. Oftentimes, such covers are located a substantial distance above ground. Such reservoirs also typically have a curved upper surface adjacent the hatch. Accordingly, the loader must assume a position thereat and exert substantial force to unlock the levers and pivot the cover, which can weigh between 20 to 40 pounds. In addition to the substantial time to accomplish the above activities, the same must be done in precarious positions during various types of inclement weather, excessive heat and cold, rain, snow, sleet and wind. As should be apparent, conventional hatch cover system require inordinate loading and unloading time and effort and pose substantial risks to the workers under operating conditions. One approach for providing a lower level operator platform for accessing the hatch is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,538,286 to Hoff wherein a platform is positioned intermediate a pair of pressure vessels and requires that the hatches be offset from the top of the vessels. Such platforms and offset are not usable in conventional bulk transports wherein a single elongated tank is employed and optimum storage capacity obtained with the hatch located at the top of the transport. Accordingly, a need exists for a hatch cover system that decreases the time required for loading the transport units, simplifies the latching procedure and reduces the safety risks to the operator. The present invention provides a ground level operated load and latch system for mobile and stationary pneumatic storage reservoirs that reduces associated operator filling time and enables the filling of the reservoir under all conditions without the operator risks set forth above. The present hatch cover system is specifically desireable for dry bulk transports of the type having a upwardly opening hatch communicating with a storage vessel through which the cargo material is loaded. A hatch cover has an upper annular sealing surface for engaging the hatch. The cover is raised and lowered by a lifting pneumatic actuator carried on a support frame that pivots about a vertical axis. A lock bar is shifted by a pneumatic locking actuator between a locked position interposed between the support frame and the cover to maintain a compressive sealing interface for transportation and pressurization of the reservoir. The lock bar is shifted by the locking actuator to an unlocked position to permit raising and lowering of the cover. A pivoting actuator moves the support frame and the cover between the raised position overlying the hatch and an open position remote from the hatch for loading and maintenance. The control system for the actuators is conveniently located at ground level enabling the operator to view easily the operation of the hatch closure system. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an automatic closure system for the hatch of a bulk carrier that can be operated at ground level without requiring the operator to climb atop the carrier body. Another object of the invention is to provide a hatch closure system for the hatch of a dry bulk transport that can be selectively remotely actuated to provide pressure sealing of the hatch and a fully open position for loading and maintenance. A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic hatch closure system for a mobile pneumatic bulk carrier wherein the hatch cover may be remotely controlled to provide unobstructed loading of the carrier reservoir and shifted to a securely closed and locked condition for transportation, delivery and maintenance.

Chevrolet TrailBlazer Ratings, Reviews and Analysis Ratings & Reviews 4 star uncledamapa writes: I am basicly pleased but if I was to do it again I would wait a couple of years for the bugs to be w Over all this vehicle has been good to me. Never left me stranded Just turning 94000 miles and still has factory brake pads. no plans on getting rid of it any time soon. Replacing the front end this summer and the rear shocks are starting to leak. 3 star tlm_outdoors2k3 writes: The mid-size SUV, a mixed bag. Like the 4WD, not so much the engine. would like to swap in a Cummins 4-cylinder turbo diesel, tuned to at least 160 hp, giving 30-40 highway mpg with 3.42 axle ratio. Love the ride, especially with a loaded U-Haul. Love the Black paint over aluminum running boards with black inserts. 5 star hdhunr writes: Thrilling Love the power and the interior. Plenty of room in the back, and it actually comes with its own air pump and hose. That's a small thing, but it is so convenient. I cannot understand why all cars don't cone with them. 5 star ChevroletDriver436 writes: I love this vehicle. My favorite abouth this car: The speakers have built in subwoofers and are all stock. They sound better than any replacement sound system even outside of the vehicle. I wouldn't replace them unless I absolutely had no chioce Safety Ratings and Recalls Safety 2009 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Front Crash Driver Side Front Crash Passenger Side Side Crash Driver Side Side Crash Passenger Side Rollover 2008 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Front Crash Driver Side Front Crash Passenger Side Side Crash Driver Side Side Crash Passenger Side Rollover 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Front Crash Driver Side Front Crash Passenger Side Side Crash Driver Side Side Crash Passenger Side Rollover 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Front Crash Driver Side Front Crash Passenger Side Side Crash Driver Side Side Crash Passenger Side Rollover 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer Front Crash Driver Side Front Crash Passenger Side Side Crash Driver Side Side Crash Passenger Side Rollover Recall Notices 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer (9/24/2015) Campaign Number: 15V599000 Component Name: VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS Manufacturer: General Motors LLC Description: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced. Defect: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended. Corrective Action: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700. 2006 Chevrolet TrailBlazer (9/24/2015) Campaign Number: 15V599000 Component Name: VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS Manufacturer: General Motors LLC Description: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced. Defect: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended. Corrective Action: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700. Defect: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash. Corrective Action: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291. Defect: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash. Corrective Action: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291. 2007 Chevrolet TrailBlazer (7/2/2014) Campaign Number: 14V404000 Component Name: VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS Manufacturer: General Motors LLC Description: General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire. Defect: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made. Corrective Action: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the part number on the door module, and install a new door module if necessary, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. An interim letter was mailed to owners in August 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-955-9007 (SAAB), and 1-800-255-6727 (Isuzu). GM's number for this recall is 14309. NOTE: This recall provides a new remedy for all vehicles covered by recall 13V-248. Vehicles whose modules were modified but not replaced as part of the previous recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign.

Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley, saying it is time for healing and reconciliation, said yesterday that he will reconsider the Archdiocese of Boston's refusals to accept money raised by Voice of the Faithful or to allow new affiliates of the lay organization to meet on church property. O'Malley also told leaders of Voice of the Faithful that he wants to strengthen the role of lay people in administering parishes, and he pledged to make public an audit of the archdiocese's efforts to prevent sexual abuse of minors. O'Malley met yesterday for the first time with leaders of Voice of the Faithful, an international group based in Newton claiming 30,000 members that was formed last year by Catholics upset by the church's handling of the clergy sex abuse crisis. The private meeting lasted about an hour, and was characterized by a level of mutual respect that was not present at meetings between the lay organization and Cardinal Bernard F. Law, according to participants. O'Malley's spokesman, the Rev. Christopher J. Coyne, used the most generous language ever by a Boston church leader to describe Voice of the Faithful, an organization that around the country has been welcomed by some bishops but banned by others and which has been denounced by its critics as dissident. "Each member of Voice of the Faithful who came made it very clear . . . that they are faithful, good members of their parishes, and that the people who are part of Voice of the Faithful are not dissidents, people who are not out to spread disunity within the church, but just people who want to help the church move forward," Coyne told reporters after the meeting. "All of us around the table did not see divisions between Catholic and Catholic, but mainly just saw some issues within the family that need to be resolved." Coyne said that the improved assessment of Voice of the Faithful is possible because of an improved climate at the archdiocese. O'Malley recently brokered an $85 million settlement of legal claims brought by more than 500 alleged victims of clergy sexual abuse, and his straight talk, frequent meetings with victims, and steps to resolve the crisis have been generally greeted with good will. "The circumstances in which we're all living and moving forward as a church have drastically changed in the last six months," Coyne said. "While recognizing that there are still . . . many things to do, that allows for conversation that's open and honest." Two bishops in the United States have reversed bans against the organization: Thomas V. Daily of Brooklyn and Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati. The organization is currently barred from meeting on church property in 10 dioceses, including Fall River, where O'Malley's successor banned the organization as one of his first acts in office. Coyne did not characterize the likelihood of change in Boston, where Law and Bishop Richard G. Lennon -- the interim leader of the archdiocese after Law resigned -- did not accept money raised by the group and said that any chapter of the group formed after Oct. 13, 2002, would be barred from meeting on church property. "He said that he would consider lifting the partial ban on affiliates in the archdiocese," Coyne said of O'Malley. "He also asked the chancellor to look at the financial structure and setup of the Voice of Compassion fund." Voice of the Faithful leaders, speaking after the meeting, said O'Malley strongly suggested he was inclined to accept money raised by them. They told him it is painful for loyal Catholics to be barred from using their own parishes for meetings to discuss the state of the church, but said his posture toward lifting the ban is unclear. Voice of the Faithful has raised approximately $100,000 from people unwilling to give directly to the archdiocese; most of the money has been contributed to Catholic Charities after Law and Lennon declined to accept it. Voice of the Faithful President James E. Post said yesterday's meeting was "considerably more cordial" than six previous meetings with archdiocesan leaders. He and other leaders of the group yesterday presented a portrait of O'Malley, inscribed with a quote from O'Malley's installation homily and with the prayer of St. Francis, to the archbishop as a good-will gesture. "We spoke and he listened; he spoke and we listened," Post said. "I think Archbishop Sean has questions that need to be resolved, and of course we would provide that information. We want to get on with it." O'Malley was accompanied to the meeting by Lennon, Coyne, archdiocesan chancellor David W. Smith, and Barbara Thorp, who is the archdiocese's liaison to abuse victims. Post was accompanied by Steve Krueger, the organization's executive director, as well as by two active members of the organization, Elia Marnik of Reading and Margaret Roylance of Newton. The meeting took place at the house in Brighton formerly used as the archbishop's residence; O'Malley, honoring a pledge he made during the summer, earlier this week moved into the rectory at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End. "Over and over and over again, everybody kept talking about moving forward, moving towards healing," Coyne said. O'Malley has repeatedly said he does not know much about Voice of the Faithful, which did not have chapters in Fall River or Palm Beach when he was the bishop there. A portion of yesterday's meeting involved Voice of the Faithful members explaining how their group came about, and about its goals, which include supporting victims and "priests of integrity" and helping to shape structural change in the church.

Related Tags: PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Been to a high school graduation party this year? How about eighth grade? Or fifth grade? There’s more business for party retailers, as younger and younger grads celebrate. It’s graduation season, and that means Tina Mazzone, manager of Westmont Party supply in South Jersey, is inflating helium balloons nearly non-stop. But it’s not just high school and college. She says more people are celebrating eighth grade and other graduations. “I’m not sure if it’s just that people love to throw parties. And it’s an exciting thing and a happy thing. Maybe that’s the case, and maybe to encourage the kids that what they’re doing is a great thing and they’re advancing.” Customer Lisa Wilson of Oaklyn has noticed the party explosion. “Even the younger ones. They’re doing a lot of parties for 7th and 8th grade graduations, Oaklyn goes to 9th grade so they even have those parties.” Wilson wonders whether all of these celebrations water down the true achievements. “Personally, I think it should be reserved for 12th grade or college.” Either way, Mazzone says more parties are definitely good for her business.

Fill with water and shake! Try to get more water than ice, or drink melted ice. I found this on pinterest, the person drank it 8 weeks straight did no exercise and ate whatever he/she wanted. She/He lost 5lbs. If this is your water bottle please let me know so I can give you credit 🙂 For more recipes, inspirational quotes, my journey and funny memes check back here tomorrow or visit my Facebook Page

Zebrello only delivers news which is tailored to your personal interests - zebrello http://www.zebrello.com ====== qsymmachus [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filter_bubble)

Silver Line Watch, Black Product Details Sometimes less is more. Our Gold & Silver Line relies on understatement: it is subtle and unobtrusive, but nonetheless catches the eye. The case is made of stainless steel, the quartz movement is set under sapphire glass. It's a collection of top quality watches in a timeless design.

Surface-governed molecular regulation of blood coagulation. Among extracellular biological processes the spatial control of blood clotting is a unique phenomenon. Localization in space has very important consequences in both normal and pathological conditions. Under physiological circumstances a clot is formed only in the vicinity of injury, albeit the prerequisites of coagulation are almost completely given in the whole circulation. The local character of blood clotting is secured by the following major conditions: The regulatory signal initiating coagulation-the damaged vascular wall-is itself a surface on which the majority of clotting reactions take place. The first enzyme, factor XII, of the intrinsic coagulation pathway is activated on the collagen fibers exposed in the damaged vascular wall, although the significance of this reaction in respect of the clotting process is ambiguous. On the membrane of platelets adhered to the damaged blood vessel is activated factor XI, too, which is a well-established participant of the intrinsic clotting process. The further consecutive reactions of coagulation are confined to the surface produced by injury, because the enzymes involved contain gamma-carboxyl-glutamyl side chains which are anchored through calcium bridges to the phospholipids of the platelet membrane. The last enzyme of the sequence is thrombin, which is released from the surface. The reactions taking place on the surface form an enzyme cascade, which amplifies the relatively weak triggering signal by several orders of magnitudes. Amplification is ensured not only by the enzyme-substrate relationship of the consecutive reaction partners, but also by spatial confinement, which endows the process with higher efficacy than could be expected on a statistical basis from reactions in solution. It contributes to the efficiency of enzyme cascade that the non-enzymatic regulatory proteins increase the activity of factors IXa and Xa, and thereby the overall process. While the partner of factor IXa, factor VIII, is captured from plasma, factor V, the partner of factor Xa, is derived from the platelets adhered to the damaged surface and orients the binding of factor Xa. The surface localization ensures the protection of the members of clotting system: In the activator complexes found on the surface, the spatial arrangement of clotting factors prevents the inactivation of factors by physiological inhibitors or by proteolytic enzymes and specific antibodies that appear in the circulation in pathological conditions. Platelet factor 4, derived from platelets, binds heparin and thereby markedly decreases the reactivity of antithrombin III, the physiological inhibitor of clotting factors. The above two circumstances are

About Mental Health Month Mental Health Month is celebrated each year in the month of October in NSW. This awareness month encourages all of us to think about our mental health and wellbeing, regardless of whether we may have a lived experience of mental illness or not. This month also gives us the opportunity to understand the importance of mental health in our everyday lives and encourages help seeking behaviours when needed. This year the theme for Mental Health Month is Share the Journey. No- it’s not déjà vu – Share the Journey was the theme for 2017 as well, but we received such incredible and important feedback we decided it should be kept this year as well. Share the Journey means – telling your friends and family when things are a bit tough – finding others who have been through something similar – connecting with your community – finding a health professional you trust – connecting on social media – giving your pet a cuddle – organisations working together for the best possible wellbeing of everyone – sharing your stories with others – creating a sense of security within families and communities – reaching out to someone who might need your help - decreasing the isolation people feel when things aren’t great The message is important – isolation has a huge impact on the wellbeing of people whose mental health isn’t as great as they’d like it to be. We can all share the journey to make things a little easier, to make communities as supportive as possible; to make good mental health a bit more accessible for everyone. And there are benefits to keeping the theme for all of us – greater understanding of how sharing our journeys can help, better awareness of Mental Health Month, and more preparation time for people organising fantastic community events, and our tireless, incredible grant recipients. Grant applications will open earlier – keep an eye out in mid-May - so your event can get funded earlier. It also means we can promote your events for longer, making sure as many people as possible see your message. And if you have resources left over from last year, they can all be reused this year. Please Share the Journey with us another year, and let’s all work to make this Mental Health Month, and good mental health and wellbeing, a journey everyone in New South Wales can share.

Reforming nursing home quality regulation. Impact on cited deficiencies and nursing home outcomes. The federally-mandated nursing home survey and certification process has been criticized for focusing more on the potential of each facility to provide good care than on the demonstrated quality of care delivered or on resultant resident outcomes. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the pilot of a new federal survey process (Patient Care and Services, PaCS) that concentrates surveyor time on the review of resident care, reduces surveyor time spent reviewing policy and procedures, and, for the first time, mandates personal interviews with a sample of facility residents. In Rhode Island, a randomized control design was used to evaluate the impact of the survey on both the number and type of deficiencies cited, as well as on resident outcomes at six month follow-up. The PaCS team cited significantly more deficiencies, in total, than the traditional survey team, and significantly more patient-oriented deficiencies. However, no significant differences in resident outcomes were found when comparing nursing homes in which PaCS was administered and nursing homes in which only the traditional survey was administered.

Q: Mapping deeply nested array properties Example jsFiddle I have a model that is a Calendar at the root level. This Calendar contains many days, each Day contains an Event, each Event contains attendees and each Attendee has 0 or more Intolerances. So it looks like this: function Calendar(data) { this.days = ko.observableArray(data.days); } function Day(data) { this.date = ko.observable(data.date); this.event = ko.observable(data.event); this.daysToEvent = ko.computed(function () { var diff = Math.abs(new Date(), this.date()); return (((diff / 1000) / 60) / 60) / 24; }, this); } function Event(data) { this.name = ko.observable(data.name); this.attendees = ko.observableArray(data.attendees); } function Attendee(data) { this.name = ko.observable(data.name); this.age = ko.observable(data.age); this.intolerances = ko.observable(data.intolerances); } function Intolerance() { this.id = ko.observable(data.id); } I'm passing a JSON string to this model and using the ko.mapping plugin (just started using it) to wire it all up. What I'm not understanding though is how can I tell the plugin to use my objects during mapping? I'm aware of the mapping options param, but at the moment I'm a newbie so not really "getting it" so to speak. I've attempted with this: var viewModel = { calendar: null, loadCalendar: function () { ko.mapping.fromJSON(json, { create: function (opts) { return new Calendar({ days: opts.data.calendar }) } }, viewModel.calendar); } }; Which gets my my Calendar object and the days, but how (and what is the most correct way) do I further map my classes down the tree? A: You can put the mapping code inside the ViewModels themself: function Calendar(data) { this.days = ko.observableArray(); // update the current ViewModel with the given data if (data) { ko.mapping.fromJS(data, { days: { // tell the mapping plugin how to create the days create: function(options) { return new Day(options.data); } } }, this); } } function Day(data) { this.date = ko.observable(); this.event = ko.observable(); if (data) { ko.mapping.fromJS(data, { event: { create: function(options) { return new Event(options.data); } } }, this); } this.daysToEvent = ko.computed(function () { var diff = Math.abs(new Date(), this.date()); return (((diff / 1000) / 60) / 60) / 24; }, this); } ...

The Music of the MRI “Take a picture, what’s inside? Ghost image in my mind Natural pattern like a spider Capillary to the center” Sitting with our morning coffee on Sunday, our pack of dogs snuggled around and on top of us, Caryn and I were listening to NPR’s Weekend Edition. It’s a little thing we try to do on the weekends to recover from one week and steel ourselves for the next. As soon as I heard an introduction of a segment with the letters “IRM”, my attention was caught. It is the acronym, in many languages for what we know as MRI. I made that correlation quickly. What I wasn’t getting was that this was to be an interview with a French singer about her new album. Well, as soon as they played title track from Charlotte Gainsbourg’s release IRM, I knew that my assumption was correct. The unmistakable whine, groan and thump, so familiar to a person living with multiple sclerosis, came across our clock radio. Had it not been for a hypnotic drum track backing the sounds of an actual MRI machine, I may have thought I was having some kind of a flashback! Ms. Gainsbourg had a series of MRIs (and other neurologic tests with which we living with MS are all too familiar) and, like many of us, was profoundly changed by the experience inside the MRI machine’s lonely tube. “Hold still and press the button Looking through a glass onion Following the X-ray eye From the cortex to medulla” The more I listened to her recording (which she co-authored with Beck, who is known for using ordinary sounds to create extraordinary musical experiences) the more I was brought back to my first journey into the world of magnetic revelation of my body. That drumbeat revealed itself as my heart; thumping in my throat, my ears, my eyes…my consciousness. ANYTHING to drown out the electronic grinding and the shaking which seemed to move the very room in which I lay! I must have looked a fright as I sit, propped against a stack of pillows and in the middle of a Wheaton Terrier sandwich! Caryn didn’t say anything until a few minutes into the interview, once I had a chance to shut my gob which was slacked for the experience. I’d never thought of those sounds, the ones we experience in total seclusion, as the basis for art. Even with a modest musical training, I never thought to allow them any place in my mind other than annoyance or fear. I guess it just goes to show us that there can be beauty in nearly every experience; even the MRI. All we have to do is open ourselves to it. The next time (which will be this quarter), I’ll try to stay awake! Get the latest health updates Thanks for signing up! Oops! A system error was encountered. Please try again later. Follow us on your favorite social network! ABOUT THE AUTHOR Trevis Gleason Trevis L. Gleason is a food journalist and published author, an award-winning chef and culinary instructor who has taught at institutions such as Cornell University, New England Culinary Institute and...read more

The Shaggy Dog (1994 film) The Shaggy Dog is a 1994 American made-for-television fantasy-comedy film and a remake of the 1959 film of the same name produced by Walt Disney Television that premiered on November 12, 1994 as an ABC Family Movie. It is the first in a series of four remakes of Disney live-action films produced for broadcast on ABC during the 1994–95 television season. Plot Preteen Martin "Moochie" Daniels just wants a dog, but his dad, Ron, is allergic to canines, like Bundles, the old English sheepdog of New neighbor Charlie Mulvihill who secretly trained his pet to help him steal jewels. Mooch's big brother Wilbur "Wilby" is smart, shy and a promising inventor, but hopelessly clumsy when it comes to girls, and is jealous of his slick mate Trey who has no problems. Desperate Wilby cast a spell on himself (he accidentally got from dad's museum of curiosities), which magically transform him into Bundles the Big Shaggy Dog. back and forward transformation at uncontrollable times. This is how he also knows that the diamond on loan in his father's museum is Charlie's next target, but who would believe his story? Cast Scott Weinger as Wilbur "Wilby" Daniels Jordan Warkol as Martin "Moochie" Daniels Ed Begley Jr. as Ronald "Ron" Daniels Sharon Lawrence as Monica Daniels Jon Polito as Detective Al James Cromwell as Charlie "the robber" Mulvihill Jeremy Sisto as Trey Miller Sarah Lassez as Francesca Natasha Gregson Wagner as Allison Bobby Slayton as Coach Evans Rick Ducommun as Officer Kelly David Pasquesi as Officer Hanson References External links Category:1994 television films Category:1990s fantasy-comedy films Category:American fantasy-comedy films Category:American films Category:American film remakes Category:Films based on American novels Category:Disney television films Category:Disney film remakes Category:Films about dogs Category:Fiction about shapeshifting Category:The Shaggy Dog films Category:Films directed by Dennis Dugan Category:Television remakes of films Category:Walt Disney anthology television series episodes

We've known for a while. However, when you tie compensation to patient satisfaction scores, guess what happens. Luckily I work for a department that acknowledged the risks early and created formalized guidelines for narcotic prescriptions. Even having written policy handouts still doesn't prevent me from having to call security at least once a shift to escort out agitated patients who believe they are owed narcotics. In the context of this study, what does "for a year" mean in regards to using opioids? Is it a continuous, had a prescription fill every month for 12 months? Is it just had another fill a year later? I feel I'm not really understanding exactly what outcomes the study measured. I'd never taken opiods (generic Vicodin) before severely fracturing my arm. It took a week for surgery to be scheduled so I took them for about three weeks before weaning myself off of them and then stopping. Had nasty withdrawal symptoms for several days - can only imagine how difficult it must be for people who take them for any real length of time. In the context of this study, what does "for a year" mean in regards to using opioids? Is it a continuous, had a prescription fill every month for 12 months? Is it just had another fill a year later? I feel I'm not really understanding exactly what outcomes the study measured. For a year = continued use for a year starting from the initial prescription with a gap no greater than 30 days. In the context of this study, what does "for a year" mean in regards to using opioids? Is it a continuous, had a prescription fill every month for 12 months? Is it just had another fill a year later? I feel I'm not really understanding exactly what outcomes the study measured. For a year = continued use for a year starting from the initial prescription with a gap no greater than 30 days. Thanks! Seems in line with my initial impression before my cynicism had me questioning it. Or, people in severe need of pain relief has the same need over a long time? The new CDC recommendations mentioned in the article (to extremely over simplify) are to not prescribe opioids for chronic pain except in cases of cancer, palliative care, or end of life care. People in severe need of pain relief over a long period of time should not be utilizing this type of medication. This assumes that most if not all of these patients on long term opiates don't actually need them. This is simply not the case, life-long pain due to permanent damage is quite real. A lot of it comes from the simple fact that the back-bone evolved for quadrupeds and modified for bipedal walking in a horrible hacked way that would horrify any structural engineer, tack on the obesity epidemic and you have the perfect storm for spinal cord damage In the context of this study, what does "for a year" mean in regards to using opioids? Is it a continuous, had a prescription fill every month for 12 months? Is it just had another fill a year later? I feel I'm not really understanding exactly what outcomes the study measured. For a year = continued use for a year starting from the initial prescription with a gap no greater than 30 days. The paper also notes that this study doesn't include prescriptions paid out of pocket or any opioids obtained illegally so the reported rates are likely underrepresentation. On the whole, the results are not terribly surprising. Patients with more serious issues are likely to be prescribed a longer initial course of pain management and continue using them for a longer duration. Also note that the observation period was 2006 through 2015, so a good chunk of the study was before people really started to realize how problematic long term opioid use is and certainly before the new (2016) CDC guidelines. I think that there is a genetic component involved in the addiction. I am a cancer patient and had been on OxyContin and oxycodone for +4 years. Once I realized that the opioids were making me an aggressive asshole, I went a reduction schedule and stopping completely within 60 days. I had zero withdrawal symptoms. Now I manage with over the counter pain drugs. Or, people in severe need of pain relief has the same need over a long time? Sure, but this is still useful information for doctors even in that context. If as a doctor you know your patient will need at least 10 days of it, you can now be aware of the likelihood that the patient will need the same drugs for much longer. Since there is a 0% chance of a patient using these for a full year and not getting addicted, a doctor should be aware of the potential consequences when starting treatment. That doesn't mean indefinite opioid prescriptions are universally bad though. My grandmother was unwell for a very long time and suffering from extreme pain. She and her doctors were fully aware that she was addicted to the medication, but she wasn't going to ever recover anyway so this was the best they could do. I have never been in the kind of pain that requires this kind of medication so I know that I'm not qualified to make a cost-benefit analysis here, but I find it hard to believe that these drugs are really the best we can do for people in chronic severe pain. I'd like to see the diagnoses for greater than 10 day prescriptions. Did those people have a potentially chronic condition and that lead to long-term use? I have neuropathy from chemotherapy, and I was in terrible pain for 12 years due to being under-medicated. I would have fallen into the long-term user category. But the solution for me wasn't opioid reduction, but switching to extended release morphine. The unintended consequence of all these crackdowns is people with moderate to severe chronic pain being undermedicated, while doing nothing to stop addiction. Doctors have a role in not prescribing opioids willy-nilly, but to claim that opioids shouldn't be used in chronic conditions is absurd. Or, people in severe need of pain relief has the same need over a long time? The new CDC recommendations mentioned in the article (to extremely over simplify) are to not prescribe opioids for chronic pain except in cases of cancer, palliative care, or end of life care. People in severe need of pain relief over a long period of time should not be utilizing this type of medication. The problem is all opioid use is the same when in there are very different valid use cases beyond the guidelines. Also, drug abuse and deaths from drug abuse have been occurring forever. What changes is the current drugs being abused. So a crackdown opioids will in reality shift much of the problem to other dangerous drugs. Then we will have a "new epidemic" of X. I find the headline and general use of the word "opiod" a little too generic (no pun intended). The article only makes a few specific mentions of different types of opiod, does the study make the same distinctions? I'm sure the addiction rates for Vicodin are different from OxyContin are different from fentanyl (edit: oops, not the same as fenfen). I'm sure this will spur massive new public policy reports on reducing opiod consumption and new research on marijuana effects on those with chronic pain. /s, just the last sentence Also this article address chronic vs acute pain in that they are moving away from even using these drugs to treat chronic pain (that's pain that lasts a long time), this article is in regards to short term, acute pain. I find the headline and general use of the word "opiod" a little too generic (no pun intended). The article only makes a few specific mentions of different types of opiod, does the study make the same distinctions? I'm sure the addiction rates for Vicodin are different from OxyContin are different from fentanyl (fenfen). I'm sure this will spur massive new public policy reports on reducing opiod consumption and new research on marijuana effects on those with chronic pain. /s, just the last sentence The paper is linked in the article and does compare different medications and classes of medications. Also, fentanyl is not "fenfen." "Fen-phen" is a combination anti-obesity drug that has nothing to do with opioids. Or, people in severe need of pain relief has the same need over a long time? If only. It is an ever growing need when opiates are involved, which is the problem. Not necessarily. I have been prescribed a variety of painkillers for many years now, and whilst it took a number of years to achieve an effective combination, the prescription mix that I now take (which includes both co-codamol and tramadol) has not changed for more than a decade. I hear the withdrawal from tramadol is pretty nasty as well, these also come in a long acting so I'm wondering why it's singled out as it is? Correct. It does vary with the individual, but I can tell you it was bad. The only thing I've experienced worse was withdrawing from 3mg of Ativan daily (for a year). That took over two weeks of living hell to get over. I had no "lesser drugs" or herbs to blunt the withdrawals. Just weeks of continuous hot and cold sweats, panic attacks, and literally zero sleep at night. I couldn't even sit down for more than a couple of minutes at a time before having to get up and pace. Also this article address chronic vs acute pain in that they are moving away from even using these drugs to treat chronic pain (that's pain that lasts a long time), this article is in regards to short term, acute pain. Beyond excluding cancer patients and those with a history of substance use disorder, this study makes no well defined distinction between the acute vs. chronic pain/diagnosis. Broke my arm in two places a long time ago, 25 years ago. They gave me a prescription for Percocet as if it was aspirin. Took one pill and after the effects wore off threw the rest away and started taking tylenol instead. My mom was given Oxycodone from her Dr. for arthritis pain and by the time she passed away in 2001, she had been addicted for some time. If everyone would have their CYP2D6 gene tested prescribers would know if a patient would metabolize a drug quickly, normally, or poorly. Knowing that would help in prescribing the appropriate treatments. Never tried opioids/hard drugs, can someone tell me what kind of effect it gives you that is so addictive? (Just curious) I've been taking daily opioids for over a decade and I wonder the same thing. I've never felt any high from opioids at a prescribed dose, but euphoria is common at higher doses. The biggest problem with opioids is the physical dependence. Even missing one dose can leave you feeling lethargic, nauseated, or malaise. Withdrawal symptoms are terrible. In addition, opioid tolerance builds up after time. Addicts require increasing dosages to get high. The makes the withdrawal symptoms worse and the viscious cycle spins out of control. And since we put people in jail instead of treating them, you get the problem we're currently experiencing. I don't understand what this even means. As someone who right now is sitting behind this keyboard recovering from spine surgery to remove constant pain, sometimes you NEED pain killers. If someone only gets a supply for 5 days, maybe they had a splinter and they only needed a supply for 5 days. If they got a supply for a whole month, maybe it was a big freaking deal and not just a splinter, but a real pain that may not be going away FOR LIFE until surgery is performed. Anyone can logically look at that and realize they will need multiple months. They aren't getting refills for jollies. They are getting refills, from an initial uncommon 30 day supply, again indicating it was more than just a splinter, because the pain is still there. My background is I had a herniated disc into the spinal cord and nerve root to my right arm. All feeling and movement was replaced with numbness and nails driven through every inch of my arm from my finger tips to my neck. You can't sleep. You can't raise you head. You suffer. Pain meds made it bearable. I had this for 6 months until surgery last week which thankfully removed all the pain. I actually went the last 2 months on no pain meds. Mainly because I didn't enjoy at all going through the stigma and judgement attached to "I need another refill" from someone who has never experienced real pain before and has decided that I am a junkie. Oh how I wished I could have just left the pain with them and went home normal while they lived in my hell. So I just kept my last 30 day supply as an emergency and dealt with it, knowing I had surgery coming. There is no limit to the sympathy I feel for people with chronic pain that there is no fix for. If they want pain meds, let them buy them. If they want to die on pain meds, I understand. Keep them away from those who don't need them. As for this article, I don't see where the length of a prescription means anything other than a correlation to the severity of the injury and stigma against the patient. My grandmother was unwell for a very long time and suffering from extreme pain. She and her doctors were fully aware that she was addicted to the medication, but she wasn't going to ever recover anyway so this was the best they could do. My mother went through the same thing before she died. She had an inoperable problem with her spine, replaced hip, replaced knee, kidney disease, fatty liver disease, severe arthritis, diabetes, etc. She was continuously in a lot of pain. The last year she was alive, she was on extended release morphine and oxy. I am glad that she was able to get some comfort (although it did not eliminate her pain), but being on high doses of those drugs means I actually lost my mother before she died. She wasn't the same person anymore. In the context of this study, what does "for a year" mean in regards to using opioids? Is it a continuous, had a prescription fill every month for 12 months? Is it just had another fill a year later? I feel I'm not really understanding exactly what outcomes the study measured. And does it properly account for those who have switched to heroin black-market pills? Or, people in severe need of pain relief has the same need over a long time? The new CDC recommendations mentioned in the article (to extremely over simplify) are to not prescribe opioids for chronic pain except in cases of cancer, palliative care, or end of life care. People in severe need of pain relief over a long period of time should not be utilizing this type of medication. The problem being that the 'other treatments' that the CDC likes to push are just as poorly studied as opiates. While they have some efficacy, to say that they can simply replace opiates on a broad scale is more than a little disingenuous. For example, Pregabalin (Lyrica) was one of the touted medications to get people off of opiates. Except that the DEA has placed it on the controlled substances list. Oops. Unfortunately, as is typical, policy is being made more to push headlines and get something done, anything at all. Studies like this are interesting but typically get much more traction than are really warranted and, more importantly, tend not to get amplified or repeated. Let me put out one bit of anecdotal evidence that argues against the study. Opiate prescriptions for joint replacements tend to last longer than a week. Usually two or three weeks, sometimes longer. There are a hell of a lot of patients with joint replacements and I don't see anything resembling a 20% chronic opiate use rate in these folks. Likely this reflects the patient's age (joint replacement patients tend to be older) which has an effect on addiction potential, but the point is that reality is going to be quite a bit more complex than the CDC is expressing at this point. This particular study is set up for all sorts of biases and really should be used as a stepping stone to other research, not as a guide to policy as of yet. But repeating or expanding the study will take years and twitter blurbs take seconds. Never tried opioids/hard drugs, can someone tell me what kind of effect it gives you that is so addictive? (Just curious) For some folks—and I'm one of them, unfortunately—opiates very quickly bring on a feeling of wonderful, poignant, intense euphoria. It's a feeling like being warm, except instead of physical warmth it's an emotional warmth. It's like being softly enfolded in a blanket of feeling like everything is going to work out wonderfully, even if you're actually feeling pretty cruddy about life. And there's a physical component to it, not just emotional—a humming undercurrent of goodness that attaches itself to and flows through every part of your body. Everything just feels good. You're comfortable no matter what you're doing. If you're actually injured and taking the pills for that injury, the pain is dulled and put into a little box, and you can ignore the box and not look at it if you want. If you're taking the pills and you're not injured, the effect is magnified because you don't have pain to overcome. Everything is...super interesting, and super exciting. The video game you might be playing is literally the most entrancing, uplifting, fun, vibrant, enjoyable game you've ever played—and while you're playing it, you don't want to ever be doing anything else. The twitter feed you're reading is more fascinating than the best novel you've ever read. The twitch stream you're watching is the most profound, most important thing you've ever seen. An opiate high makes you feel hopeful, because it makes everything not just interesting, but good. If you've got nothing to look forward to on a Tuesday afternoon except coming home after work/school to a dirty empty house and eating a frozen dinner and playing video games until you fall asleep, an opiate high makes that afternoon into something profound, fun, enjoyable, purposeful, and meaningful. It flows in between the gaps and cracks in what would otherwise be soul-crushing boring routine and fills them in with light and joy and sparkling star-stuff and makes you feel awesome about whatever you're doing. And, at least for me, after 5 or 6 hours of bliss, the high slowly fades into a beautiful heavy-limbed drowsiness and I can then sleep soundly for 8-10 hours and wake up feeling incredibly refreshed, with a slight echo of the previous day's high. I am not joking when I say that if I had access to an unlimited supply of opiates, I'd take them every day. Absolutely, 100%. Because they're fucking awesome. I hear the withdrawal from tramadol is pretty nasty as well, these also come in a long acting so I'm wondering why it's singled out as it is? Correct. It does vary with the individual, but I can tell you it was bad. The only thing I've experienced worse was withdrawing from 3mg of Ativan daily (for a year). That took over two weeks of living hell to get over. I had no "lesser drugs" or herbs to blunt the withdrawals. Just weeks of continuous hot and cold sweats, panic attacks, and literally zero sleep at night. I couldn't even sit down for more than a couple of minutes at a time before having to get up and pace. It can vary with time too. I had no problem when the tablets ran out after an operation I had as a kid. Now, though, when the pharmacy have not had the tablets and I have had to go "cold turkey", then yes, I have experienced similar symptoms (and more) to those you describe. That said, I have deliberately weaned myself off the opioids temporarily (just to prove to myself that I could), and to do so over a few days was possible with minimal discomfort. My grandmother was unwell for a very long time and suffering from extreme pain. She and her doctors were fully aware that she was addicted to the medication, but she wasn't going to ever recover anyway so this was the best they could do. My mother went through the same thing before she died. She had an inoperable problem with her spine, replaced hip, replaced knee, kidney disease, fatty liver disease, severe arthritis, diabetes, etc. She was continuously in a lot of pain. The last year she was alive, she was on extended release morphine and oxy. I am glad that she was able to get some comfort (although it did not eliminate her pain), but being on high doses of those drugs means I actually lost my mother before she died. She wasn't the same person anymore. I think you should be blaming the disease on losing your mother, not the drug. If she had no pain relief, you might have lost her more. Opiates are hardly a panacea - but they do have some utility.

Q: TypeScript no error on non-matching return value Why doesn't TypeScript complain about this? async GetCategoriesBySet(set: Set): Promise<Result<Array<ProductCategory>>> { let categories: Array<ProductCategory> = [] if (!set.theme || !set.subtheme || !set.title) { return Promise.resolve(new Result<Array<ProductCategory>>({res: null, err: "Set data is not valid"})) } categories.push(await this.GetCategory(set.theme, {parent: (await this.GetCategory('Themes')).id})) return categories } The return value, categories, is of type Array<ProductCategory>, not a Promise, or even the wrapping Result class. So why is it happy to let me make this mistake? (And is there any way to get it to complain?) Thanks in advance A: The return value, categories, is of type Array, not a Promise, All async functions return a Promise. This is a part of the JavaScript spec. If you return a constant it is essentially Promise.resolveed.

Q: Flood fill algorithm I am implementing a flood fill algorithm using Python and NumPy. I have written the following fill function which works fine: def fill(self, data, xsize, ysize, x_start, y_start): stack = [(x_start, y_start)] while stack: x, y, stack = stack[0][0], stack[0][1], stack[1:] if data[x, y] == 1: data[x, y] = 2 if x > 0: stack.append((x - 1, y)) if x < (xsize - 1): stack.append((x + 1, y)) if y > 0: stack.append((x, y - 1)) if y < (ysize - 1): stack.append((x, y + 1)) I wanted to implement a way that would eliminate the need to re-check a point if it had already been checked. By creating a new list of checked points and then comparing to see if the current point is already in that list, but this ended up making it slower and I wanted to understand if there is a more efficient way to improve upon my existing implementation. A: Instead of using a list to store your points (which has an \$O(n)\$ look-up time), you can use a set object which has an \$O(1)\$ look-up time. For more information regarding Pythonic time complexity, you can look here. I have a couple comments on your style: Instead of x and y, I would use column/col and row. Even though x and y are mathematical coordinate names, I still prefer to be more explicit. Group declarations are OK in the right circumstances, like unpacking an iterator or defining groups of like variables. The way you do this doesn't quite fit into the 'right circumstances' category: you are assigning and then slicing. To get a better implementation, there are a couple of options: Split the statement into its components (assigning x, y and slicing the list) Calling list.pop() to do both at the same time These two options, in terms of efficiency, are probably identical. So, its up to you to choose which one you want to use. Here is their syntax: # 2 statements. col, row = stack[0] stack = stack[1:] # Using `pop`. col, row = stack.pop(0) In Python 3, use the * operator to unpack the list This option is the least applicable (due to your comments below). However, for reference here is that syntax: (col, row), *stack = stack This assigns the first element of the stack to (col, row) and the rest to itself, effectively popping off the first element. P.S. Congratulations. This is probably my shortest review on this site.

Q: How to recursively traverse a tree and create a list of visited nodes in python I have defined a class Tree which consists of a list of TreeNodes as below: class Tree(object): def __init__(self, name, nodes): self.name = name self.nodes = nodes class TreeNode(object): def __init__(self, name, parent): self.name = name self.parent = parent As you can see, for each TreeNode I only define a single parent node. However, I want to write a Tree method that gives me a list of all parent nodes of a target node called targetNodeName (the output list should also include targetNodeName itself). For this, I have written a recursive function that iterates until a node with no parent is found (i.e. the root node) while building a list called results. def allParents(self, targetNodeName, results): currentNode = next((node for node in self.nodes if node.name == targetNodeName)) results.append(currentNode.name) if (currentNode.parent == None): print results return results else: return results.append(self.allParents(currentNode.parent, results)) However my recursive function does not perform as intended. I give an example where I first define a three-level, 7-node tree and then call the allParents method to get all parent nodes of node 'N7' i.e. ['N7', 'N3', 'N1']. # create nodes myTreeNodes = [] myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N1', parent = None)) myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N2', parent = 'N1')) myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N3', parent = 'N1')) myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N4', parent = 'N2')) myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N5', parent = 'N2')) myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N6', parent = 'N3')) myTreeNodes.append(TreeNode(name = 'N7', parent = 'N3')) myTree = Tree(name = 'ST1', nodes = myTreeNodes) a = myTree.allParents(targetNodeName = 'N7', results = []) print a > ['N7', 'N3', 'N1'] > None Although it prints out the correct list of parent nodes -note the 'debug' print command in the function- (i.e. ['N7', 'N3', 'N1']), the function returns None, meaning that i am dropped off the function with nothing to return. How can I fix this? A: Use is for checking if the value equals None or not. The allParents method can be simplified as following: def allParents(self, targetNodeName): currentNode = next(node for node in self.nodes if node.name == targetNodeName) if currentNode.parent is None: return [currentNode.name] else: return [currentNode.name] + self.allParents(currentNode.parent)

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Health Promotion Schools of Excellence: a model program for Kentucky and the nation. This article reviews the development and progress of an innovative, comprehensive school health project in the Jefferson County school district known as the Health Promotion Schools of Excellence (HPSE). This project features unique working relationships between public and private entities seeking a common goal: "A Healthier Community." The goals and development of HPSE have been formulated to coincide with the emerging directives of the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) as well as the growing pressures to control health care costs through effective preventive measures. The results of testing following the first and second years of the project show an encouraging trend of improved physical fitness levels for all students (grades K-12) and improving levels of health knowledge and attitudes in elementary level children (grades 4-8) as well as school faculty and staff. These initial results, although encouraging, will only be meaningful if they translate over time into a healthier, more responsible cohort of adolescents and young adults when compared to their peers not involved in the project. The project, while only in its third year of development, has already been recognized at regional and national levels as a successful model of a comprehensive school health program. As the project continues and grows, the authors anticipate developing one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive longitudinal data bases of childhood and adolescent health information.

KIIZ-FM KIIZ-FM (or Z-92.3) is a commercial Urban Contemporary radio station in Killeen, Texas, broadcasting on 92.3 MHz. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc.. The station's studios are located in nearby Harker Heights, and its transmitter is located in Killeen. History KIIZ started in 1979 on 1050 AM. On February 15, 1991, KIIZ moved the station from the AM dial to the FM dial on to 92.3 FM. External links Z-92.3 official website Category:Urban contemporary radio stations in the United States IIZ-FM Category:Radio stations established in 1979 Category:1979 establishments in Texas Category:IHeartMedia radio stations

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for biochemical reactions, and more particularly to an apparatus which permits adequate agitation of solutions that undergo biochemical reactions. Following description is made with reference to an apparatus for immunological reactions by which the present invention can be most appropriately practised. In the immunological reactions, either the antigen or the antibody is marked with a convenient label (for example, a fluorescent or radioactive material or an enzyme) and the immunological reaction is utilized to form a complex body of the antigen and the antibody. The antibody having the label in it gives a measure to estimate the amount of the object antigen or antibody. For the reaction to proceed adequately, to increase the accuracy and precision of estimation, to carry out the process more rapidly, and to enhance the efficiency of operations, the procedure of stirring is preferable as it is in most chemical reactions. However, in biochemical reactions such as immunological reaction where a small volume of sample, say from several hundreds microliters to several tens milliliters, is commonly employed, difficulties are often met in agitating the solution. A stirrer with blades cannot be used practically and, if the stirring means is brought into contact with the solution, the the estimation may bring about loss in accuracy probably due to "carry over". Stirring by oscillating the vessel itself cannot be expected to be effective and loss of the solution by spattering is feared. Stirring by ultrasonic waves as non-contact stirring may cause the reacting substances to be destroyed and therefore is not universally applicable.

“GOOD IS THE ENEMY OF GREAT.” So says author Jim Collins in his best-selling book Good to Great. In other words, being good can be bad, if it leads to complacency and indifference. If you stopped a typical man or woman on the street and asked who develops the standards they take for granted every day, you’d get a variety of answers, but almost none would say, “Why I do, of course.” But companies can’t operate that way. Great companies don’t operate that way. Good companies use the best standards. Great companies develop them. Here’s what great companies know. They know what standardization does for their products, for their processes, what it does for them in the marketplace, and what it does for their technical experts. Where else can technical experts get a better sense of the marketplace than in a forum of their peers? Where is there a better classroom, a better laboratory, a better network of the best minds in the industry? Technical experts who actively develop standards with other experts are far more valuable to a corporation than those who work in isolation. Great companies invest in their experts, support their involvement in standardization, and listen to them when they come home. There is no way to operate competitively without using the best standards, whether a company’s goal is to capture the market in their hometown or in 17 countries around the world. And there is no way to be a leader in the industry without being involved in the direction in which the product is going. Standardization is the act of investing in the company’s confidence in what it is doing. It is the translation of that confidence into public acceptance. It is the secret weapon of great companies. Standardization is the birthplace of the best ideas in the world. It’s where brilliance and stimulation and debate make good experts great ones. It’s where corporations win the battle for the market — before the product gets there. But it isn’t free. It takes commitment. It takes foresight and the investment of time and resources. What vital company function doesn’t? Good companies can take advantage of the standards work that great companies do for them. But they won’t get there first; they won’t explore the boundaries of their fields, or see the technical trends coming. They won’t put their company’s imprint on what will become the statement that describes the product and its performance. What a loss. For some companies, being good is enough. For others, it’s just the beginning.

640 S.W.2d 758 (1982) Harmon HOOT, Relator, v. Edwin E. BREWER, County Judge, Respondent. No. 01-82-0583-CV. Court of Appeals of Texas, Houston (1st Dist.). September 3, 1982. *759 Frank L. Mauro, Wommack, Denman & Mauro, Lake Jackson, for relator. Charles Stevenson, Asst. Dist. Atty., Angleton, for respondent. OPINION DUGGAN, Justice. This is an original mandamus proceeding in this court wherein relator seeks a writ of mandamus to compel the respondent, who is the County Judge of Brazoria County, Texas, to certify to the County Clerk of Brazoria County, Texas, relator's name to be put on the general election ballot in November, 1982, as a candidate for the office of County Judge. The jurisdiction of this court has been invoked pursuant to Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.41 (Vernon Supp.1982) and Tex.Rev. *760 Civ.Stat.Ann. arts. 1735a and 1823. The jurisdictional requirements have been demonstrated. Relator's position may be summarized briefly as follows: He maintains that he has met the statutory requirements for having his name printed on the official ballot for the general election in November, 1982, in the column for independent candidates. He maintains further that he has complied with Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.50 (Vernon Supp.1982) by a) providing the County Judge with his Notice of Intent to Run as an Independent Candidate within the time frame allowed under Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.12 (Vernon Supp.1982), and b) providing a written application signed by 686 eligible Brazoria County voters who had not voted in the May 1, 1982 primary election. Relator asserts further that his application exceeded the statutory requirement of 500 eligible voters by 186 signatures, and that each step was performed within the statutory time periods. No primary run-off election for the position of County Judge was required. Relator asserts further that he has communicated with respondent on five separate occasions between July 12, 1982 and date of filing of his application for writ of mandamus with no response out of respondent as to why relator's name has not been certified. In this connection he says further that unless respondent puts relator's name on the ballot on or before September 18, 1982, relator may lose his right to run. According to the provisions of Tex.Elec. Code Ann. art. 13.56(f) (Vernon Supp.1982) if relator is declared ineligible before the 44th day before election day (November 2, 1982), his name may not be placed on the ballot. Finally, relator asserts that in the event that respondent decides on the eve of the 44th day prior to election day that relator's application does not meet the statutory requirements for gaining a place on the ballot, there will be no time for relator to obtain a judicial determination of his right to have his name on the ballot. Regarding the likelihood that this situation could occur, relator points to the fact that, if his name is on the ballot in November, he will be an opponent of the respondent for the very position which respondent now holds. In response to all of the foregoing respondent's stance may be summarized briefly as follows: Before a writ of mandamus will issue, relator must have a clear legal right to performance of the act he seeks to compel. The duty of the officer sought to be compelled must be one clearly fixed and required by the law, or the writ will not issue. Further, says respondent, the Court of Appeals has no authority to issue writs of mandamus unless the facts are established without dispute. Provisions of the Election Code concerning the contents of an independent candidate's application to be placed on the ballot at a general election are mandatory, and must be strictly complied with. Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.50, (Vernon Supp.1982) contains the following provisions concerning the requisites of an application of an independent candidate to be placed on the ballot: Subdivision 4. No application shall contain the name of more than one candidate for the same office; and if any person signs the application of more than one candidate for the same office, the signature shall be void as to all such applications. No person shall sign such application unless he is a qualified voter, and no person who has voted at either the general primary election or the run-off primary election of any party shall sign an application in favor of anyone for an office for which a nomination was made at either such primary election. An application may not be circulated for signatures until the day after the general primary election day, or if a runoff primary election is held for the office sought by the applicant, until the day after the runoff primary election day. A signature obtained before the day an application may be circulated is void. Subdivision 5. In addition to the person's signature, the application shall show each *761 signer's address, the number of his voter registration certificate, and the date of signing. Respondent contends further that the names of those persons who signed relator's application prior to the date of the primary runoff election are not valid and may not be counted. Respondent's key position in challenging the sufficiency of the application's conformity with the requirements of the Election Code is that such requirements are mandatory, that relator must strictly comply, and that the applications must contain a sufficient address. Respondent asserts that 133 of the signatures are invalid because they were obtained before June 6, 1982; further, that 221 more of the signatures are invalid because of incomplete address. Quite obviously, says respondent, the applications contained only 268 valid signatures, far short of the required 500 valid signatures. Coming to grips now with the crucial points raised in this original proceeding this court compliments counsel for both parties on their able briefs. We recognize first, as respondent urges, that before a writ of mandamus will issue, relator must have a clear legal right to performance of the act he seeks to compel; further, that the duty of the officer sought to be compelled must be one clearly fixed and required by the law, or the writ will not issue. Oney v. Ammerman, 458 S.W.2d 54 (Tex. 1970); Bozarth v. City of Denison, 559 S.W.2d 378 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1977, no writ); Blanchard v. Fulbright, 633 S.W.2d 617 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1982, no writ). In addition, the authorities are clear that the Courts of Appeals have no authority to issue writs of mandamus unless the facts are established without dispute. Bozarth, supra; Bigham v. Sutton, 565 S.W.2d 561 (Tex.Civ.App.—Austin 1978, no writ); Donald v. Carr, 407 S.W.2d 288 (Tex. Civ.App.—Dallas 1966, no writ). We are mindful also that, whereas provisions of election laws relating to voters are to be construed as directory, the provisions of election laws governing the requirements of candidates are mandatory. McWaters v. Tucker, 249 S.W.2d 80 (Tex.Civ.App.—Galveston 1952, no writ); Geiger v. DeBusk, 534 S.W.2d 437 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1976, no writ); Shields v. Upham, 597 S.W.2d 502 (Tex.Civ.App.—El Paso 1980, no writ). VALIDITY OF SIGNATURE DATES BEFORE JUNE 6, 1982 By respondent's own figures, there were 133 signatures falling into this category. No fact issue whatever is involved in reaching that determination. In concluding whether the signatures on relator's application should be counted if the signature date is prior to June 6, 1982, the date of the run-off election, but after the date of the general primary, Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.50 (Vernon Supp.1982) is determinative. We quote therefrom as follows: An Application may not be circulated for signatures until the day after the general primary election day or if a run-off primary election is held for the office sought by applicant, until the day after the runoff primary election day. (Emphasis added.) The emphasized language is the heart of the matter because it is uncontroverted that there was no runoff election for the office of County Judge of Brazoria County in 1982. We hold, therefore, that the questioned 133 signatures obtained before June 6, 1982 are valid and should be added to the 268 signatures recognized as valid by respondent. In so holding we not only follow the clear wording of the statute, but we have the benefit of Tex.Atty.Gen.Op. No. DAD-49 (1982) which states the question as follows at page 1. 1. Under Subdivision 4 of Article 13.50, is it permissible to have an application to run as an independent candidate that contains signatures dated before the runoff primary election if there is no primary runoff election for the particular office for which a person desires, to run as an independent candidate. At page 2 the answer to such question is given as follows: "1. V.A.T.S. Election Code, art. 13.50, subd. 4, states, in part: *762 An application may not be circulated for signatures until the day after the general primary election day, or if a runoff election is held for the office sought by the applicant, until the day after the runoff primary election day. A signature obtained before the day an application may be circulated is void. Therefore, the answer to your first question is yes. Of course, no signatures could be counted if they were dated before the day after the general primary election. SUFFICIENCY OF ADDRESS Respondent approaches this matter by saying that the question raised is whether or not an address is sufficient if it fails to include the city in which it is located. Going further, he asserts that there are 221 insufficient addresses which fall into two categories: (1) no address listed, (2) no city listed. He says that those signatures with no address listed at all are clearly insufficient and with this we agree. But he does not say in his brief how many of these signatures there are so we must turn to his verified exhibit C attached to his original answer to petition for writ of mandamus. Exhibit C is Mike Sandel's letter to respondent dated July 8, 1982 wherein Sandel, as Director of the Data Processing Department of Brazoria County, summarized the errors found in relator's application. In the category of "Incomplete Address" he lists 221 signatures. Thus, to determine how many signatures are incomplete because no address is listed, one must look to relator's application, also attached to respondent's verified answer. When this is done, it is apparent that no more than five or six such signatures are involved. These are found at pages 7, 15, 46, 47 and 55 of relator's application. On the assumption most favorable to respondent, there are six such signatures with no address whatever shown. This then leaves 215 signatures which provide the crucial issue before this court. Is an address which fails to include the city in which it is found sufficient or insufficient as a matter of law? Subdivision 5 of article 13.50 requires that in addition to a signature: ... the Application shall show each signer's address, the number of his voter registration certificate and the date of signing. Relator urges that the quoted language is broad and does not require specificity in the address provided by a voter who signs an independent candidate's application. Respondent candidly admits that counsel has been unable to find a single case dealing with the meaning of "address" as it appears in Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.50, subd. 5, (Vernon Supp.1982). Relator cites Tyler v. Cook, 573 S.W.2d 567 (Tex. Civ.App.—San Antonio 1978), rev'd on other grounds, 576 S.W.2d 769 (Tex.1978). In Tyler, party candidates for various county offices sought by mandamus to prevent the printing of the names of three independent candidates upon the official general election ballot. The addresses on the independent candidates' applications were challenged because they did not contain street addresses or rural route addresses. By reviewing the 1978 Voter's Registration List for the County involved, the San Antonio Court of Civil Appeals observed that the addresses for the signers of the applications shown on the Voter's Registration List were the same as the addresses the members of the Court noted on the applications of the independent candidates. Respondent, in turn, cites and discusses numerous cases wherein the address requirements under another statute, article 13.08(d), have been construed. He points out that all such cases have held that the recital in a nominating petition of the street address of a signator, without specifying the city in which the street was located, is insufficient as a matter of law. Shields v. Upham, supra; Pierce v. Peters, 599 S.W.2d 849 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1980, no writ); Gray v. Vance, 567 S.W.2d 16 (Tex. Civ.App.—Dallas 1978, no writ). We hold that there are an additional 215 valid signatures on relator's application where such signatures have given street address, P.O. box number or rural route *763 number but have not designated the city or town. In reaching this conclusion we have again been aided by Tex.Atty.Gen.Op. No. Dad-49 (1982) concerning the sufficiency of recitals in the application of a non-partisan or independent candidate for a place on the general election ballot. Looking to that opinion in paragraph "2" of page 1 we find the following question posed: 2. Under Subdivision 5 of Article 13.50, what amount of information is needed to satisfy the requirement of a "signer's address"? If the other information given, along with the list of registered voters in the county, is sufficient to identify a signer as a qualified voter in a particular county, does the address satisfy the requirements of the statute? For example, if a person's street address and the voter's registration number are listed, but there is no city designation, can the signature be counted if the signer's name can be found on the voter's registration list which will provide the city he lives in? The answer to the posed question is found at pages 2, 3 and 4 of the opinion as follows: 2. In Tyler v. Cook, 573 S.W.2d 567, 570 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio 1978), reversed on other grounds 576 S.W.2d 769 (Tex.1978), the court said: "As pointed out above, art. 13.50 does not expressly require ... that the addresses be stated with any degree of specificity." The same court, however, in a decision construing art. 13.08(d), stated: It is clear that the legislature intended that something more be given than a post office box or a mere recital of the city of the voter's residence. There is no reason to believe that language clearly indicating that a description of an address which designates no more than the city in which the voter resides is not sufficient, contemplates that the giving of a street number, without a designation of the city, would be sufficient. `201 Main Street' gives even less information than `San Antonio, Texas'. Pierce v. Peters, 599 S.W.2d 849, 851 (Tex.Civ.App.—San Antonio, 1980, no writ). A comparison of art. 13.098(d) and art. 13.50, subd. 5, will show that the statutory language construed in Pierce, supra, is somewhat more specific than the statutory language in question. Art. 13.08(d) provides, in part: ... The petition must show the following information with respect to each signer: His address (including his street address if residing in a city, and his rural route address if not residing in a city), his current voter registration certificate number (also showing the county of issuance if the office includes more than one county), and the date of signing... Art. 13.50, subd. 5, provides: In addition to the person's signature, the application shall show each signer's address, the number of his voter registration certificate, and the date of signing. The legislative purpose of both of the above-cited statutes is to allow verification of signatures. Furthermore, the language used is mandatory, not directive. "Provisions of election laws governing what is required of candidates are mandatory." Geiger v. DeBusk, 534 S.W.2d 437 (Tex.Civ.App.—Dallas 1976, no writ). Therefore, it is my opinion that for a signature on an application pursuant to art. 13.50 of the Election Code to be valid it must be accompanied by all four of the required items of information. However since the statutory language in question is not specific as to what detail is required in the address, I am of the opinion that it is unnecessary to reject a signature for a technical deficiency in the recital of the address, where the recital is sufficient for the purpose of verifying the signature. The El Paso Court of Civil Appeals, construing art. 13.08(d), said, "The Election Code does not require just a petition which may be verified. It requires specified information ..." Shields v. Upham, 597 S.W.2d 502, 504 (Tex.Civ.App.—El Paso 1980, no writ). This applies as well to independent candidates' applications under art. 13.50. However, the legislature has apparently chosen to be somewhat less specific in its requirements under art. 13.50. *764 SUMMARY An application of an independent candidate for a place on the general election ballot must comply with the mandatory provision of V.A.T.S. Election Code, art. 13.50, subds. 4 and 5. Each signature on the application must be accompanied by the signer's address, the number of his voter registration certificate, and the date of signing. The omission of any one of these items is fatal to that signature. The language of art. 13.50, subd. 5, does not require that the signer's address be stated with any certain degree of specificity. An otherwise valid signature should not be rejected when the recital of the signer's address is sufficient for the purpose of verification. (Emphasis added.) Respondent's Exhibit C at page 2 thereof recognizes 268 valid signatures. To this figure we now add the 133 signatures obtained after the general primary election but prior to June 6, 1982 and the 215 signatures disallowed by respondent because of the alleged insufficient address. By this calculation we find that relator's application included 616 valid signatures and that he is entitled to the relief sought. DUTY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF COUNTY JUDGE Tex.Elec.Code Ann. art. 13.52 (Vernon Supp.1982) provides what the County Judge is to do upon the applicant's having fulfilled the requirements of the article. Upon receipt of an application which conforms to the above requirements ... the county judge shall issue his instruction to the ... county clerk of the county directing that the name of the candidate in whose favor the application is made shall be printed on the official ballot in the independent column under the title of the office for which he is a candidate.... (Emphasis added.) We hold, therefore, that the election code is mandatory rather than directive as to what the county judge shall do once he receives an application meeting the statutory requirements. The writ of mandamus will be issued ordering respondent, Edwin E. Brewer, County Judge of Brazoria County, Texas, to certify to the County Clerk of Brazoria County, Texas the name of relator, Harmon Hoot, as a candidate for the office of County Judge of Brazoria County, Texas. His name is to be put on the general election ballot as soon as practicable, but, in any event, prior to September 18, 1982. DYESS, J., joins in this opinion. DOYLE, J., dissents. DOYLE, Justice, dissenting. I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion ordering that the name of the relator, Harmon Hoot, be placed on the general election ballot as an independent candidate. It is undisputed that the provisions of the Election Code with reference to the placing of the names of independent candidates upon the general election ballot are mandatory and must be strictly complied with. McWaters v. Tucker, 249 S.W.2d 80 (Tex. Civ.App.—Galveston 1952, no writ); Geiger v. DeBusk, 534 S.W.2d 437 (Tex.Civ.App.— Dallas 1976, no writ). The respondent has raised several irregularity issues in connection with the relator's application which warrant serious consideration. Two of such issues concern the sufficiency of addresses appearing on the application and the adequacy of the affidavit required by article 13.51. It is undisputed that if the challenged signers' addresses and affidavits are not allowed to stand, the relator's application would not have the required signatures. The Election Code, article 13.50, Subdivision 5, provides in part, that "the application shall show each signer's address, ...." The Legislature has not defined "address" in the article. Therefore, we are required to give the word its meaning based on ordinary usage. The addresses under challenge in the case before us fail to include the city in which a number of the signers live. In Tyler v. Cook, 576 S.W.2d 769 (Tex.Sup.Ct.1980), the Texas Supreme *765 Court did not rule on a similar address challenge, finding it unnecessary in order to decide the question before it. However, I can not conceive of an address as employed in the ordinary course of usage, as being complete and meaningful, that gives only a house number or post office box number, and omitting all reference to a city. The cases that have considered the address question under Article 13.08 of the Elec.Code, have uniformly held that the omission of the name of the city in a signer's address is fatal to that name. Shields v. Upham, 597 S.W.2d 502 (Tex.Civ.App.—El Paso 1980, no writ); Gray v. Vance, 567 S.W.2d 16 (Tex. Civ.App.—Fort Worth 1978, no writ); Pierce v. Peters, 599 S.W.2d 849 (Tex.Civ. App.—San Antonio 1980, no writ). Under the rationale found in these cases, I fail to see how the address requirement would be interpreted differently for a signer under Article 13.50 than from one under Article 13.08. With or without the specificity as to address set out in Article 13.08(d), I think we are required to give the word "address" its ordinary meaning until the Legislature defines it. As to a signer of an application under Article 13.50 of the Election Code making an affidavit to the effect that he has not "voted at either the general primary election or the runoff primary election of any party," when the runoff primary election is yet to come, we are confronted with an impossible situation. No signer can make such an affidavit under the present wording of the statute. In Tyler v. Cook, supra, the dissent of Chief Justice Cadena, of the San Antonio Civil Appeals Court in 573 S.W.2d 567 at page 571, summarizes my position on the affidavit. He states: Unless we attribute an almost complete lack of knowledge of grammar to our legislators, we cannot escape the conclusion that the statutory scheme requires that the signatures be gathered after the general primary election or the runoff primary election, as the case may be. It is utter foolishness to require a person to state that he has not participated in an event which is not to occur until some future date. In reversing Tyler v. Cook, supra, Justice Barrow of the Texas Supreme Court reasoned similarly. I would deny the mandamus and order the cause dismissed.

Fourth Court of Appeals San Antonio, Texas October 11, 2018 No. 04-18-00475-CV IN THE INTEREST OF N.F.M. AND S.R.M., From the 57th Judicial District Court, Bexar County, Texas Trial Court No. 2017PA00070 Honorable John D. Gabriel, Jr., Judge Presiding ORDER Appellant has filed a motion for an extension of time to file the appellant’s brief because, in part, appellant’s motion for en banc reconsideration regarding this court’s briefing order is still pending. Appellant requests an additional 20 days from the date this court rules on appellant’s en banc motion. We grant the motion for an extension of time in part and ORDER that the deadline for redrawing the appellant’s brief, set by this court’s September 21, 2018 order, is suspended pending further order of this court. _________________________________ Luz Elena D. Chapa, Justice IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the seal of the said court on this 11th day of October, 2018. ___________________________________ KEITH E. HOTTLE, Clerk of Court 

Holy Cow 34 Elder Street, Edinburgh EH1 3DXOpen Mon-Sun, 10.00-18.00 Edinburgh’s newest veggie eatery and it’s 100% vegan, organic and fairtrade. Holy Cow opened on Fri 9 Dec 2016. Everything is cooked from fresh and seasonal ingredients. Rather hidden away behind Edinburgh’s bus station just off York Place. As of mid-Feb 2017 the basement location still has a sign saying “Halo Coffee Co”, but their own sign will be coming soon. Holy Cow offers 5 types of vegan burger, soup, sandwiches and salads. For afters, they have lots of beautiful vegan home baking to go with hot and cold drinks. Very attentive and friendly customer service is clearly a strong suit. Typical vegan dishes:Vegan burger and chips – £9.50 Burger is served in a home-baked bun with home-made vegan mayo and lettuce, tomato and onion

After poor show in domestic T20, Saeed Ajmal mulls retirement Karachi: Failing to impress national selectors after back-toback shoddy performances in the domestic T20, veteran spinner Saeed Ajmal is planning to call time on his international career. "Saeed is disappointed with his own form and his failure to come to grips with his modified bowling action. That is why he also skipped Faisalabad's last match in the tournament in Rawalpindi," one source told PTI informing that the off-break bowler is thinking big time about retirement. Saeed Ajmal Ajmal, 37, finished with two wickets at an average of 62 after conceding 124 runs in four matches and he has struggled to make an impact with his new action since early this year. Chief selector Haroon Rasheed said there was a lot of domestic cricket to be played this season and Ajmal should keep on working on his bowling action and hope for the best. "It is never easy to change your bowling action after you have bowled with it and enjoyed success for so many years. We feel for Ajmal and the problems he must be going through. But atleast he is trying and like I have said the doors are still open for him if he can show us his new action has also become effective," Rasheed said.

// Copyright 2018 The Go Authors. All rights reserved. // Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style // license that can be found in the LICENSE file. // +build aix // +build ppc package unix //sysnb Getrlimit(resource int, rlim *Rlimit) (err error) = getrlimit64 //sysnb Setrlimit(resource int, rlim *Rlimit) (err error) = setrlimit64 //sys Seek(fd int, offset int64, whence int) (off int64, err error) = lseek64 //sys mmap(addr uintptr, length uintptr, prot int, flags int, fd int, offset int64) (xaddr uintptr, err error) func setTimespec(sec, nsec int64) Timespec { return Timespec{Sec: int32(sec), Nsec: int32(nsec)} } func setTimeval(sec, usec int64) Timeval { return Timeval{Sec: int32(sec), Usec: int32(usec)} } func (iov *Iovec) SetLen(length int) { iov.Len = uint32(length) } func (msghdr *Msghdr) SetControllen(length int) { msghdr.Controllen = uint32(length) } func (msghdr *Msghdr) SetIovlen(length int) { msghdr.Iovlen = int32(length) } func (cmsg *Cmsghdr) SetLen(length int) { cmsg.Len = uint32(length) } func Fstat(fd int, stat *Stat_t) error { return fstat(fd, stat) } func Fstatat(dirfd int, path string, stat *Stat_t, flags int) error { return fstatat(dirfd, path, stat, flags) } func Lstat(path string, stat *Stat_t) error { return lstat(path, stat) } func Stat(path string, statptr *Stat_t) error { return stat(path, statptr) }

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will close the book on the sixth season of its popular reality series — “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra” — tonight at The Palms Las Vegas. MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will post live updates, including round-by-round coverage on tonight’s main card and results from the preliminary card, throughout the evening. Additionally, we’ll post an update on tonight’s big announcement from UFC President Dana White. The event kicks off at approximately 7:30 p.m. ET, and the televised main card airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET. Tonight’s nine-fight card includes a main event of lightweight contenders Roger Huerta and Clay Guida, as well as a co-main event between “TUF” finalists Mac Danzig and Tommy Speer. Additionally, every cast member from this latest season of the reality series (except Blake Bowman and Joey Scarola) has been booked for undercard fights. Warning: Live results from tonight’s event will be available after the jump below. If you don’t want to know the live results, do not click the link below. Additionally, a full event recap — including all the results from tonight’s fights — will be posted at approximately 1 a.m. ET. If you’re watching the event on tape delay or later this weekend, be sure to avoid MMAjunkie.com until you’ve watched the event. (Again, if you’d like to comment on tonight’s event, please do so in our discussion thread.) Enjoy the fights, everyone.. . . PAUL GEORGIEFF VS. JONATHAN GOULET Round 1 — Georgieff rocked Goulet with a left hook, but Goulet rebounded to catch a kick and score a takedown. Goulet then unloaded some ground and pound, and he then sunk in a fight-ending rear-naked choke in the final minute of the first round. Jonathan Goulet def. Paul Georgieff via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:42 of the first round. ROMAN MITICHYAN VS. DORIAN PRICE Round 1 — Mitichyan scored a quick takedown, grabbed a leg, and secured an ankle lock that forced Price to tap out in a very quick bout. Roman Mitichyan def. Dorian Price via submission (ankle lock) at 0:23 of the first round. MATT ARROYO VS. JOHN KOLOSCI Round 1 — Arroyo was determined to get the submission in this one. After connecting on a right hook, Arroyo secured an early guillotine. Kolosci escaped the choke, and then escaped an arm-bar. After a stalemate, they returned to their, and after a clinch, Arroyo locked in another guillotine. Kolosci escaped, but he finally got stopped by an arm bar that forced the tap-out. Matt Arroyo def. John Kolosci via submission (arm-bar) at of 4:42 of Round 1. RICHIE HIGHTOWER VS. TROY MANDALONIZ Round 1 — In pre-fight interviews, Hightower and Mandaloniz both told MMAjunkie.com to expect a brawl, and we got one. The fight remained standing as the fighters traded punches for the first few minutes. Mandaloniz began to wear down his opponent with a series of blows, though. As the round came to a close, Hightower was sucking wind and then ate a big punch that dropped him. Mandaloniz followed with a barrage of shots from the top to force a stoppage. Troy Mandaloniz def. Richie Hightower via TKO (strikes) at 4:20 of the first round. ***MMAjunkie.com can now confirm that UFC executives have stripped Sean Sherk of the UFC’s lightweight title. B.J. Penn and Joe Stevenson’s UFC 80 main event will now be for the vacant lightweight title.*** DAN BARRERA VS. BEN SAUNDERS Round 1 –Saunders looked for kicks early while Barrera eyed a takedown. Barrera spent two minutes working for the takedown and ate some knees in the process. Once the fight hit the mat, Saunders nearly secured an arm-bar submission, but Barrera escaped into his opponent’s guard. Saunders is staying as busy from the bottom as Barrera is from the top during the final minute. It should be a 10-9 round for Saunders. Round 2 — Barrera scores the early takedown and takes his opponent’s back, but Saunders rolls out of it. Working from Saunders’ guard, Barrera does little damage from the top. The ref stands them, and Saunders throws a knee just as Barrera shoots for a takedown. The knee doesn’t connect, and Saunders looks for the arm bar. Barrera rolls out of it and takes top position again. The action again slows,and the fighters are stood again. Saunders partially lands a head kick and follows with a series of punches while Barrera tries to grab a leg. As the round ends, Saunders look for the arm bar but can’t secure it. It’s another close one, and despite the kick, it should be 10-9 for Barrera based on overall control. Round 3 — Saunders lands a couple kicks while Barrera tries to counterstrike. With his opponent shooting for a takedown, Saunders peppers him with punches. Saunders takes Barrera’s back and locks in a tight body triangle. Saunders looks for the rear-naked choke and connects on some punches to soften up Barrera. Barrera finally rolls out and takes top position and pushes Saunders against the fence. Barrera does little damage, and the ref again stands them. Saunders throws a body kick while Barrera again shoots. Unable to get the takedown, Barrera continues to eat some punches to the body as the round ends. It’s a 10-9 round for Saunders for what should be a 29-28 victory. Ben Saunders def. Dan Barrera via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27). BILLY MILES VS. GEORGE SOTIROPOULOUS Round 1 — Miles storms his opponent to start the round, but Sotiropoulous quickly takes his back and lands a series of blows to the head. Sotiropoulous sinks in a body triangle and flattens out Miles. Sotiropoulous continues to rain down punches, sinks in the choke, and then forces Miles to tap out. George Sotiropoulous def. Billy Miles via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:36 of the first round. JON KOPPENHAVER VS. JARED ROLLINS Round 1 — Rollins scores an early takedown, but Koppenhaver breaks free thanks to his butterfly guard. Koppenhaver now works from the top, but Rollins avoids much damage. The fighters trade — and connect on — a few elbows. Koppenhaver now throws body punches while Rollins continues elbow strikes to the top of his opponent’s head. Koppenhaver now mixes in body punches with strikes to the head as he pushes Rollins into the fence. Koppenhaver finally produces a cut, but Rollins explodes for a series of elbows that produce a cut of his own. The round finishes a bloody mess as Koppenhaver takes it, 10-9. Round 2 — Koppenhaver is bleeding from the top of the head, and Rollins from the left eye. After a quick exchange, Koppenhaver lands a trip takedown and takes top position. Rollins continues throwing elbows from the bottom as Koppenhaver lands body punches. Both fighters are now drenched in blood. The ref stands the fighters, and Rollins throws a flying knee and Superman punch that miss. Rollins then gets the takedown and finally works from the top. Rollins has his opponent pushed against the fence and then gets side control. Koppenhaver tries to break free, and Rollins takes his back. Rollins transitions into the mount position and connects on some ground and pound and a flurry of punches. The ref looks like he wants to stop it, but the horn sounds. It’s a 10-9 round for Rollins. Round 3 — Big ovation to start the round, and Rollins shoots for the takedown. Koppenhaver maneuvers for top position, though. Koppenhaver lands a series of blows and may have opened another cut. The pace slows, and the ref stands them again. Koppenhaver shoots, but Rollins lands a big knee to the face and a right hook that forces Koppenhaver to collapse. Somehow, Koppenhaver reverses the position, takes mount position, and rains down a series of blows that daze Rollins. The ref is forced to stop it. An amazing comeback for Koppenhaver to pull out the bloody win. John Koppenhaver def. Jared Rollins via TKO (strikes) at 2:01 of round three. MAC DANZIG VS. TOMMY SPEER Round 1 — An early clinch allows Speer to keep Danzig pinned against the fence, but Danzig powers through his bigger opponent for the takedown. Danzig takes the mount position and rains down a combination of punches. Speer tries to roll out of it, but Danzig takes his back and looks for the choke. Danzig flattens him out with a body triangle, and Speer is finally forced to tap. It’s a quick and surprising submission victory for Danzig. Mac Danzig def. Tommy Speer via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:01 of the first round. *** Mac Danzig is the lightweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter: Team Hughes vs. Team Serra.”*** CLAY GUIDA VS. ROGER HUERTA Round 1 — Guida scores the first takedown via single-leg, but Huerta gets back to his feet. However, Guida scores a big slam to return the fight to the mat. Guida moves into sidemount, but Herta roles free and grabs a leg looking for a submission. Guida takes Huerta’s back in the process, but Huerta reverses the position and tags Guida with a knee to the face. Seconds later, Guida responds with his own knee to the face, it’s an illegal blow because Huerta had a knee on the ground. After a brief stop in the action, Huerta says he’s OK and comes out swinging and lands a body kick. A brief scramble on the mat allows Guida to take Huerta’s back and lock in his hooks. Guida works for the rear-naked choke, but Huerta breaks free. The round concludes with Huerta looking for an arm-bar. It’s an exciting first round and hard to call. I give it to Guida 10-9. Round 2 — They go toe-to-toe to start the round before Guida scoops up Huerta for the double-leg takedown. Guida waits for Huerta to get up from the mat to land a knee but eats an uppercut instead. Back on their feet, Huerta works a variety of kicks and snaps his opponent with a leg kick. Guida, though, scores another takedown and works from inside Huerta’s guard. Huerta tries to kick himself free, but Guida takes his opponent’s back momentarily. Back to their feet, they trade shots again, and both fighters land combinations. Guida gets the better of it and scores the takedown and rains down a barrage of hammerfists. Back to their feet, and Huerta lands a combination. Guida fakes a shoot, Huerta drops to his knees, and then eats a back right hook that temporarily dazes the fighter. Guida smells blood and works from top position now and lands some additional hammerfists. The round ends, and it’s a clear 10-9 frame for Guida. Round 3 — They again trade shots to start the round, and Guida eats two big knees and then an uppercut. Guida looks rocked, falls to the mat and gives up his back. Huerta sinks in the rear-naked choke. Guida tries to hang on but is eventually forced to tap. Roger Huerta def. Clay Guida via submission (rear-naked choke) at 0:51 of the third round. *** UFC President Dana White announces that Forrest Griffin will be one of two coaches on the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Additionally, he promises a complete overhaul of the show’s format for the upcoming seventh season.*** ALBANY, N.Y. – MMAjunkie is on scene and reporting live from today’s UFC Fight Night 102 event at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y., which kicks off at 5:45 p.m. ET (2:45 p.m. PT). You can discuss the event here. ALBANY, N.Y. – The way Gian Villante and Saparbek Safarov went at each other, it was clear neither man was interested in a tactical chess match. Instead, what they wanted was a brawl, and that’s exactly what they got, as Villante (15-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) battered (…) ALBANY, N.Y. – After missing weight for her second UFC bout, Justine Kish came out trying to bully octagon newcomer Ashley Yoder. At several points, it got Kish (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in trouble. But her relentless standup attack eventually won the day, with judges (…)

Q: Perl GetOptions Function My Perl Script retrieves the argument in the below way. Have Getoptions function to retrieve the command line arguments. ./test.pl -mode report -writeid 12 13 23...... $rc=GetOptions( 'mode=s' => \$cmdParams{mode} ,'writeid:i{1,}' => \@writeid ,'h|?|help' => \$help ); The problem is when i have alphanumeric characters in the writeid option it's not failing. Writeid is defined as integer ( i{1,}) and it can receive 1 to many values. It doesn't fail when i have alphanumeric character in the second value. ./test.pl -mode report -writeid 12 A3 23...... What is the workaround i can do? A: As you are using the GetOptions function I assume you are using GetOpts::Long, the trouble with the "{1,}" one or more quantity in the option specification is that once you've successfully matched an integer, you've "succeeded". if you removed the quantitive spec and just ran with 'writeid:i' => \@writeid, each write_id would have to be preceded by the flag on the command line and so you would get an error state when it failed to parse.

Austrochthonius insularis Austrochthonius insularis is a species of pseudoscorpions in the family Chthoniidae. Distribution The species is endemic to the Crozet Islands in the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Original publication Vitali-di Castri, 1968 : Austrochthonius insularis, nouvelle espèce de pseudoscorpions de l'archipel des Crozet (Heterosphyronida, Chthoniidae). Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, ser. 2, vol. 40, . External links Catalogue of Life : Austrochthonius insularis Vitali-di Castri, 1968 Category:Crozet Islands Category:Chthonioidea Category:Chthoniidae

Green Line Extension Phase 1 construction meeting March 5 On Tuesday, March 5, 2013, the Green Line Extension (GLX) Project will hold an Abutters Meeting for those directly affected by Phase 1 construction and any concerned citizens interested in the construction relating to the Harvard Street Railroad Bridge in Medford and the surrounding drainage reconstruction. The meeting will be held in the St. Clement School cafeteria, 579 Boston Ave., Medford, at 7 p.m. With Barletta Heavy Division Inc. having received its Notice to Proceed with construction for Phase 1 of the GLX Project, this meeting will be an opportunity for the project team to present the extent of the Harvard Street Bridge and area drainage construction, and address any questions or concerns before the construction begins. In the coming weeks, the GLX project will hold a larger Public Meeting with the Phase 1 contractor and the community to discuss the full extent of Phase 1 construction in Medford, Somerville and Cambridge. It will be an opportunity to meet the team, discuss the schedule and to present opportunities for stakeholders to follow the progress of the project. Notification of the time and location of this Public Meeting will be made later this week. More information about the project is available on the Green Line Extension website. A presentation on the construction work planned for Phase 1 is available under Public Meetings (Early Bridge & Demolition Package, January 25, 2012). As always, if you have any questions on the Green Line Extension Project, you can email us at [email protected].