fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
We’re Just Getting Warmed Up…
By: Guild Education
Tags: Education, Higher Education, Workforce, Future Of Work, VC

At Guild, we’re on a mission to unlock opportunity for America’s workforce through education, with a double-bottom line business model that does well by doing good.

Today, we’re celebrating a huge step forward in our work to change the lives of the 88 million working adults who need our help to go back to school and upskill for the future of work.

I’m excited to share that Guild has closed Series D funding led by the team at General Catalyst, with their Chairman, Ken Chenault, joining our board. Chenault is the former Chairman & CEO of American Express, and someone who shares my strong belief that American business leaders have the ability — and responsibility — to create positive social change in our world, starting with their own employees & their families. We’ve bonded over our shared passion to help American CEOs and their teams expand opportunity for their employees through education.

This is an investment in the future of the American workforce. Companies offering education to their workforce are changing the lives of their employees and helping tackle the student debt crisis by avoiding student debt altogether. This year alone, Guild and our corporate partners have helped students avoid more than $100 million in debt.

But this isn’t just corporate social responsibility — it’s also good for the bottom line. Our employer partners are seeing significant positive return on investment by offering education to their employees with improved recruitment, retention and upskilling outcomes. I’m especially proud of the fact that employees pursuing their degree through Guild are 2.5x more likely to earn a promotion than their peers. This is life changing for our students who seek to grow professionally & better provide for their families.

Reaching the 88 million Americans who need what we are providing is a challenge we cannot accomplish alone. We’ll be using this investment to better serve our employer & academic partners, and most importantly, our students.

I’m inspired by the resilience & passion of our students every day. It’s because of their stories — and the 88 million working adults we have yet to serve — that I know we’re just warming up. Here’s to the work ahead.

Onward and upward,

Rachel Carlson, CEO & Co-Founder of Guild Education
Alpha Mad Scientist
Tags: Education, Education Reform, Education Technology, Science, Austin

Learning Lab students embarked on a scientific adventure in the Alpha Mad Scientists Workshop last session. Each week, students were introduced to a type of science or engineering, by watching professional scientific productions, then were put to the test with a challenge pertaining to that type of science. From biologists to physicists, or chemists to environmental engineers, they had to put on their problem solving caps and meet a timed challenge in hopes of becoming THE Alpha Mad Scientist!

In their introduction to the workshop, Alpha students had to think like a chemist and determine whether their pumpkin drink or pumpkin volcano underwent a chemical or physical change. During Thanksgiving week, they used the concept of biomimicry and solved a problem using a turkey as their inspiration. They built bridges out of popsicle sticks, created a vessel that would hold at least one cup of water, mixed butter, and constructed as many of the six simple machines as they could. Those who completed the challenges in the allotted time were dubbed the scientist/engineers of that week.

The final challenge had students choose their favorite type of science or engineering, then create their own science video to show off what they know about that science. In their video, they were to name a type of science, include an explanation of that science, then perform an experiment to show off the science. It was exciting to see their videos come together after they considered their host personas, searched for science experiments online, and practiced dialogue to ensure they included all video requirements. Students voted on their favorite scientist video and this one was the winner!

On the final day of the workshop, the student efforts were commended and the prestigious Alpha Mad Scientist Award went to the student who completed the most challenges throughout the entire workshop. This was no small task, as some students failed to complete a challenge each week either due to time restraints, failed contraptions, or they gave up on the challenge when it became too difficult. Students walked away from the workshop with the understanding that in order to be an Alpha Mad Scientist, they must not only know science, but be willing to overcome the struggles that are inevitable when uncovering scientific challenges.
Pregnant river otter arrives in critical condition
By: Conservancy Of Swfl
Tags: Wildlife

By Joanna Fitzgerald | Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital

A river otter was among the 63 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week.

The river otter was seen on the golf course at Naples Lakes Country Club obviously in distress. Staff at Naples Lakes Country Club managed to contain the otter in a ventilated cardboard box (which they placed inside a second cardboard box for added safety) and transported her to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital for care.

The otter was in serious condition when she arrived with the cause of injury unknown. The otter was aware and responsive but not active. She was in good body condition with no obvious wounds. She had full function of all four legs but was not attempting to walk or stand. The otter appeared to have suffered a full-body trauma. While the vet was performing a physical exam she palpated the otter’s abdomen and suspected the otter was a pregnant female. A radiograph confirmed the otter was carrying four fetuses.

The otter’s condition was critical. Our staff veterinarian monitored the otter closely all day to ensure appropriate medications and treatment were being provided. She was able to alter treatment as needed as the otter’s condition changed. Sadly, late in the evening, the otter went into cardiac arrest and passed away.

This situation was heartbreaking for staff and for the people involved from Naples Lakes Country Club. While we hoped for a different outcome for this mother otter, we are incredibly grateful that the staff at Naples Lakes took the time out of their regular busy day to rescue her and get her to our facility so she could receive professional medical care.

Please, if you find an animal in distress, do what you can to help the animal. While it can seem daunting to try and help a wild animal, and human safety must always be the top priority, many situations are easily handled because the animal is in a weakened state from being injured or sick. Call the Conservancy at 239–262-CARE if you have questions; hospital staff can provide information that will help you be prepared if you do see a sick, injured or orphaned wild animal.

Recent Releases

Three eastern cottontails, a gopher tortoise, a Florida snapping turtle, a red-shouldered hawk, a red-eyed vireo and a painted bunting were released this past week.

Opportunities to Help

Please visit the Conservancy website at www.conservancy.org to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Hospital staff are incredibly busy providing medical treatment and care to our patients. If you feel like you could donate your time, either in the hospital working with staff, or as a critter courier helping rescue and transport injured and orphaned animals to our facility, then fill out a volunteer application and get involved. You’ll be glad you did. Your volunteer time, donations, and memberships are vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.
Clash Between Tigers (Brothers) For The Queen Of Ranthambore
Tags: Wildlife, Tigers, Tigers Updates

Clash Between Tigers For The Queen Of Ranthambore

A FIGHT FOR

(NOOR)

A dominant tigress of Ranthambore National Park. She is the “Second Family” of Ranthambore, having descended from the sister of the great Machli, born to T-13.

A FIGHT BETWEEN

(T-57 AND T-58)

The two tigers who have struggled over Noor are both brothers. T57 is a tiger named Singhsth, while T58 is a tiger named Rocky are the children of Sharmili.

The FAMOUS FIGHT BETWEEN TWO BROTHERS FOR NOOR

(IN RANTHAMBORE)

On Tuesday, 15 October 2019, there was a clash between two tigers T57 and T58 for tigress T 39 Noor in the Kundal area of ​​Zone 6 of Ranthambore National Park.Noor was seen lying comfortably with the T57 tiger when his brother T58 walked upon them! Then the deadly fight ensued.

While the brothers were fighting brutally, the tigress T 39 (Noor) escaped from there and reached another area. In the evening, the tigress left both tigers and moved to Zone 1 of Ranthambore, where she was spotted with the third tiger T-34 (Kumbh).

This is not the first time that two tigers have clashed for Noor. Earlier, there was a clash between tiger-34(Kumbha) & T-57 over tigress Noor. T-34 was injured in it & later tranquilized and treated by the Forest Department.

Contact our wildlife experts to experience this love saga of Ranthambore

Experts@WildTrails.Co or Call Us OR WhatsApp at +919901175444

Related
What Herbivore Animal Would Be Horrifying As A Carnivore?
By: S Rohit
Tags: Hypothesis, Wildlife, Animals, Nature, Elephants

An animal that is fully equipped to hunt but thank God, it is herbivore.

Elephant.

See these badass animals get good beating by an elephant:

Hippo:

Image credit: Pinterest

Rhino:

Buffalo:

Image credit: Incredible moment elephant throws 500kg buffalo into the air like a rag doll

Lion:

Image credit: Pinterest

Tiger:

Crocodile:

Added with its weight, speed, thick skin, elephant has two dangerous weapons that no other animal could even come near to it.

First weapon of Elephant: Tusks

Imagine these tusks get sharp and adapt for killing preys. Herbivore elephant’s use them for defense and as a digging tool. But if elephants became carnivore, tusks would be the biggest teeth any animal ever used for hunting.

Second Weapon: Trunk

Elephant’s trunk has 1,50,000 strong muscles that can push down tress and lift unimaginable weights (figure is controversial so I have removed it). Just imagine if Elephants use their trunks to strangle their preys, they could hunt like anacondas.

All those mighty animals who rule the lands would end up in the menu of carnivorous elephants.
Sticks, Leaves & Attenborough
By: Wil Jackson
Tags: Wildlife, Memories, Experience, Passion, Nature

Finding passion is hard in life, but it can come from the most basic of things: natures leftovers of sticks and leaves, and a role model.

“I charged head long down the forest path, with a mighty sword in hand (my sodden stick I found in a ditch) and my heroic knightly armor (once again heroic to those who find sticking leaves to yourself gallant) striking down all wooden arms in front of me. Although arriving home bathed in mud to an unpleasant look from my mum, a simple laugh from her and a recommendation to watch nature from the cleanliness of the room, soon put away her frustration.”

I of course, at the age of 19, do not now charge down my village avenue fighting imaginary tree creatures — But I most definitely still admire Sir David Attenborough. This one precious memory I have of me, with stick in hand and leaf on head mixed with a bit of Attenborough — has inspired me to always come back to my passion of nature when asked with the ultimate question.

What do you want to do in Life?

This is the impossible question that has been, and probably will always be asked of us through out life. Sometimes we feel we have the answer to it, but most of the time we probably still have no idea what we want to do in life, even when we do. When asked with this conundrum of a question now, I think back to my simplest memories that made me feel child-like wonder. Remembering the things that make us feel new to the world and give you a sense of awe, have allowed me to feel less of alien to the world and more of a normal human being with a goal.

Apart from our memories, a role model in our life always helps. Whether it is a family member, friend, fiction or a 93-year-old conservation superhero to our world. Attenborough has always been with me since that day of stick and leaves. Passing on words of inspiration and revealing the secrets of our perceived new small world of social media, to the real vivid world we sometimes forget about.
Drive improvements by avoiding vanity metrics
Tags: Social Impact, Social Entrepreneurship, Charity, Third Sector, Metrics

In social impact, an organisation’s outputs are vanity metrics. Outputs detail what your charity has done or produced. For example, how many interventions or workshops have been conducted. Outputs are easy to measure and are important in understanding your impact as they describe your reach. However, they are not useful for learning and improvement, as they rarely relate to your goals. I have yet to meet a charity whose goal was to run workshops, they are just the chosen medium for achieving social change.

To illustrate the point, consider a charity which performed 100 workshops last year and 90 the year before. Clearly we can say that they are outputting more, but is this good? Are the workshops helping towards the organisation’s goals? Are the beneficiaries actually benefiting from these workshops? Without being able to answer these questions, we cannot assess change.

Outcomes describe the result of your organisation’s efforts. For example, the improvements to a beneficiary’s well-being as a result of an intervention. Measuring outcomes allow a view into the success of an intervention, and as such, there is scope to learn and improve. It is key that the outcomes being measured do relate to your goals, otherwise any efforts to improve them will be misplaced. Tools like theory of change allow mapping from long term-goals to outcomes, ensuring they are aligned.

Finally, to learn from your outcomes, you must understand what actions affect them. For example, if a new intervention is introduced, did it outperform the status quo? To be able to answer this, your outcome reporting must be capable of reporting on different segments of your data. Segments are a subset of your data which have similar attributes. In this example, the data could be segmented based on the type of intervention, allowing comparison between the new intervention and the incumbent. With this capability, organisations can innovate quickly by trialling new approaches and assessing their performance.
A Little Taste of Us
Tags: Blockchain, Blockchain For Good, Social Impact, Social Innovation

Founded in 2018, Blockforce is a Brazilian Blockchain Research & Builder, offering consulting, blockchain-based digital products, and integrated services of development to empower social, environmental, and systemic impact projects at scale. Our value proposition is to promote relevant social impact through the use of blockchain solutions.



We believe in the power of blockchain to create new collaborative realities of trust as a key to accelerate the exponential positive transformations.

We understand blockchain as a new market- transversal infrastructure of transaction, boosting trust and transparency in the relationship among different stakeholders towards a new economy of value.

Our vision of impact involves working in accordance with the SDGs in order to encourage companies, governments, and other civil society organizations to operate in a distributed, collaborative ads conscious manner. Our work is focused on SDGs 9, 11, and 17. From there, we collaborate with initiatives that can touch any SDGs.

We are a B-certified company aiming to promote systemic positive impact through technology. We have renowned partners in the sector, including Amani Institute and Din4mo.

Under the technical pillar, Blockforce is a silver member of the Linux Foundation and a general member of Hyperledger. In addition, we have other institutional partners who are references in the impact and business sectors, such as Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGVces and FGVcemif), C&A Foundation, Institute E, COPPEAD — RJ, Brazilian Association of Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain, Brazilian Association of Start-ups and Pipe Social.



Regarding our scope, we operate based on 4 territories that shape our services:

Data Governance | Traceability | Digital Asset Markets | Blockchain Disruptor

Thus, we offer two types of services:

As a Blockchain Consulting, in which from 0–100, we design, build and provide end2end development support for blockchain applications. We’ve 12 projects in our portfolio.

As a Product Venture, offering Digital Products and Blockchain Development Suites, our tools can speed up punctual and diverse blockchain product development and easily connect to legacy business systems to streamline goals.



Our team is a combination of different skills: product vision, in-depth technical knowledge, and a tireless urge to positively impact society. We pulse and organize ourselves as a blockchain network, based on collaboration, autonomy, and self-responsibility.

Curious to know more about us?! Visit https://blockforce.in/
Robert Turner asks: “If you do not identify as either sex, how do I interact with you?”
By: Alexander, Sascz
Tags: Gender Identity, Nonbinary

Robert Turner asks: “If you do not identify as either sex, how do I interact with you?”

I grew up in a place and time (the US, in the 1960s and 1970s) where the concept of gender — what Turner’s referring to as “sex” — was very binary. As a child who was regarded as female, I felt that I “should have been” a boy, but at the same time, seeing what being “a boy” consisted of, I didn’t feel that I could perform my gender that way. Nor was there really an avenue to become physically male at that time. I continued being female, because there was no way to live my true identity, I assumed, without becoming more traumatized than being female caused.

But make no mistake, being female caused me a great deal of trauma, so much so that I am now completely physically disabled from fibromyalgia. I finally came out, a little less than two years ago, as non-binary/male identified. What my gender identity means to me in practical terms is that I am changing my name to a male one, taking testosterone, and eventually having surgery to change the parts of my body that are obviously female. At the same time, I think of myself as very “femmy”, the kind of guy who if he’d been assigned male at birth would have grown up to be a drag queen.

These two paragraphs are simply to explain my own backstory and identity. I am very happy now, though I was miserable my whole life up until recently. That alone tells me that my current gender identity is right for me.

Now to the question of how one interacts with me, since I don’t identify wholly as either gender. It’s pretty simple, really. Treat me as a human being. If you are treating men substantially differently from how you are treating women, then I have to tell you, you’re not treating either of them as simply human beings who deserve respect regardless of their gender or presentation. Simple human interaction has nothing to do with sex or gender.

I hope that helps. Have a nice day.
Trans Folks & the Road Less Traveled
Tags: Transgender Support, LGBTQ, Transition, Gender Identity, Transgender

Trans Folks & the Road Less Traveled

Photo by Oliver Roos

Throughout the years, people have described themselves using multiple labels such as genderfluid, bi-gender, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, genderqueer, and a wide variety of other terms, including crossdresser. Some of them even explore their sexuality to figure out why they feel and think the way they do about themselves, before finally being able to come to terms with who and what they are, transgender men and women. I was one of those people who defined myself using some of the labels above, I even explored my sexuality in my younger years.

For some of us to acknowledge that we are transgender is a terrifying experience. Without the warm, welcoming acceptance, and willingness of other transgender people openly sharing their vastly different experiences and knowledge, I would not be here now, I’d be in my grave.

We find support in a wide variety of places and people. Sometimes the support comes from our family, our friends, even our employers. Other times we find that support on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook or MeWe. The warm welcome and support found in groups like Empowered Trans Woman and Transgender Support that was extended to me from the members was beneficial because it went a long way to helping me come to terms with my truths and realities as pertains to my gender identity. I can’t speak for everyone, but I believe the same is true for other transgender people.

Please don't push away people who don't meet your standards of what a transgender man or woman must look and/or act like. We need your love and encouragement, not your judgmental consternation.

These photos will give you a small snippet of what it took for me to get where I am now.

By the way, my name is Marie Willa Bobo-Smith and I am a transgender woman. Who are you and what did it take for you to get here?
I’m Finally Dating Someone Who Uses My Correct Pronouns
By: Danny Jackson H.
Tags: Relationships, LGBTQ, Gender, Gender Identity, Transgender

I’m Finally Dating Someone Who Uses My Correct Pronouns

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

A few months ago, I met someone on Tinder named Tristan. I’ve already written about our one-night stand, which I didn’t think was going to be a one-night stand. I thought it was going to be the start of a relationship, but then he just ghosted me.

As we talked that night, I remember at one point in the conversation, he said he firmly believed that there were only two genders.

“I don’t care what you say,” he said obstinately. “You’re not going to change my mind on that.”

In hindsight, I’m so grateful that things didn't work out with Tristan.

Because a few days later, I met D.

I’ve already written about D and how we “U-Hauled,” or basically moved incredibly quickly in our relationship. After only a couple of months together, I’m almost 100% positive that she’s The One for me.

Now, when I first met D, I didn’t actually know that she was a girl.

She was assigned male at birth, and presented as mostly masculine, with the exception of her long, beautiful brown curls. However, on her Tinder profile she stated that she was gender-fluid, and her profile featured multiple pictures of her wearing dresses and makeup, as well as a few in t-shirts and jeans.

She prefers she/her pronouns to he/him, so even though she looks like a stereotypical long-haired man and has not transitioned (yet), I’m going to call her my girlfriend. After all, she has no problem with it.

As for my pronouns, ever since I discovered that some people use they/them, I've always thought they suited me much better than she/her pronouns ever did.

I’ve never felt comfortable identifying as a girl or woman. Every time someone uses a feminine word to refer to me, gender dysphoria rears its ugly head.

But D was one of the first people I told about this. And she uses my correct pronouns all the time.

Before this, I had never experienced gender euphoria, that feeling of someone finally referring to me in the correct way. The words someone was using to describe me finally matched the way I felt on the inside.

I’m a professional writer. My skill with words literally pays the bills. But I can’t find the words to describe how amazing it felt to finally hear someone use pronouns that match who I am inside.

The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone is finally addressing the real me for the first time ever.
Compounding Bias: How Racism and Other Types of Bias Exacerbate the Effects of Sexual Harassment and Discrimination
By: Sonya Dreizler
Tags: Discrimination, Finance, Financial Services, Sexual Harassment, Racism

I was in a casual conversation with three of my male colleagues and manager during our afternoon break. I don’t remember what the original topic was about but the conversation somehow moved into pies and what kind of pie they like. I’m an immigrant, and English is not my first language but my English skills are good enough to be able to finish my master’s degree and work in a top bank. However, American slang, especially sexual innuendo, is not something I learned. Imagine, then, my confusion when the subject switched to pies, and my male colleagues and male manager laughed so hard, especially when I tried to join in the conversation and offer my pie preference. Later that day, I mentioned it to my husband and he explained that “pie” is a sexual reference. I felt very troubled by the conversation and how my colleagues, especially my manager, seemed to enjoy the conversation at my expense, enjoying carrying on a sexual discussion in front of me.

Now What?

How can we make financial services an inclusive field for women of color, women immigrants, women who identify as LGBTQIA, women with disabilities, and women from other underrepresented groups? This is a complex problem, and dismantling the problem involves both self-reflection and action on the part of leaders at all levels of an organization.

I don’t pretend to have all of the answers but below I’ve offered one idea to consider at the systemic level, and a couple at the individual behavior level. But before we jump to working on solutions, I urge you to first continue listening to womens’ experiences to better understand the problem. To keep listening on this topic, please check out season one of the 2050 Trailblazers podcast. The stories there are illustrative and moving, particularly the interview with Angela Moore.

Systemic: Consider engaging a professional company, like Vaya Consulting, Future Work Design, or Ready Set, that specializes in helping organizations foster equitable workplaces.

Individual Behavior: Do a deep dive of learning, reading, and listening in this topic. 2050 Trailblazers Resource Page has good guides. You can find additional learning resources on page 15 of this paper I coauthored.

Intentionally expand your network so you can listen to perspectives of women from groups that are underrepresented in our industry, for example: women of color, women from the LGBTQ+ community, women immigrants, women English language learners, women with disabilities, women veterans, and women military spouses. Social media can be a useful tool here that allows you to listen/ read perspectives that you might not have in your office or work community (yet!).
Boycott GoFundMe For Discriminating Against Low-Income Nation Pregnant Woman
By: Petre Pan
Tags: Racism, Gofundme, Discrimination

As a physician and women’s health equality advocate, I am deeply disturbed that GoFundMe withheld $2,700 in support from a mother in Zimbabwe during Choice42’s fundraising campaign.



Here are the facts. In the past, GoFundMe corporate leadership publicly organized support for Planned Parenthood. Meanwhile, recent reports state GoFundMe denied support for a pregnant woman in Zimbabwe while allowing the same support, through the same fundraising charity (Choice42), for pregnant women in the United States and Canada. Choice42 followed all GoFundMe protocol exactly the same way for all three mothers.



Put together, these events demonstrate a deep anti-woman hypocrisy that, on the surface, also appears motivated by regionalist and racist tendencies. These discriminatory attitudes are, unfortunately, quite common in modern women’s health activism: I have literally read public health books by pro-euthanasia organizations pushing impoverished, “undesirable” women to have less children in favor of the out-dated “rich white babies only” Malthusian population model. In fact, in the US, clinical abortion surveys demonstrate that 30 percent of Black people in my generation have been systematically eliminated by the subtle public health measures that target minority areas over wealthy white suburbia. It appears that, like other health discrimination “charities,” GoFundMe does not believe everyone is welcome on this planet–just members of wealthy nations and privileged social groups.



I have previously raised support on GoFundMe for a friend in need in Uganda, and supported various other medical needs campaigns there–I will be doing so no more. Unless GoFundMe provides an adequate answer quickly, and releases funds to support this woman in need, I will be initiating a boycott of GoFundMe for all my future fundraising needs. I will also begin posting weekly about GoFundMe’s discriminatory behavior until the issue is resolved. The world doesn’t need GoFundMe: Paypal and Change.org both offer fundraising options. I invite you to please contact GoFundMe for further information about Choice42’s campaign.



Choice42’s support for women suffering health disparities can be found here: https://www.choice42.com/resources



You will need the GoFundMe campaign URL for the Zimbabwean woman to contact GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-cover-birth-expenses-for-young-mom



The contact form lives here: https://www.gofundme.com/contact/suggest



Thank you for caring about women in need.



Jen Finelli, MD

byjenfinelli.com
5 Ways to Improve the Performance of C# Code for Free
By: Sasha Mathews
Tags: Software Engineering, Programming, Csharp, Software Development, Dotnet

Avoiding Implicit Linear Searches

Linear search is one of the simplest search algorithms that iterates through all the elements of a collection one by one until the specified element is found.

Although developers do not usually implement linear search explicitly, it still often causes performance degradation.

In this example, Any method uses a linear search algorithm to check if the specified user ID is in the collection.

Developers don’t necessarily need to know the implementation of every one they use. It’s just important to know the basics: In .NET, List<T> collection is based on arrays. And when it comes to finding a value in an unsorted array, its complexity is O(n). Regardless of which LINQ method is used to find a value in the array Any, Contains or Where, the complexity remains the same.

The solution to our particular problem would be to use a data structure suitable for a specific task.

In our case, we have user identifiers which are always unique. It allows us to convert the collection to HashSet<T>.

What happened? HashSetTest is 5x slower than LinearSearchTest. This is because we are also measuring the time to build the HashSet<T> collection which is a time-consuming operation for large sets.

Developers will benefit from converting to HashSet only if they plan to frequently call the Contains method on it.

If we move the collection creation out of the performance tests and measure only time to find the element, the results will differ drastically.
Negative, positive and sorting
By: Davide Bellone
Tags: Csharp, Sorting Algorithms, Programming, Dotnet

Recently I’ve noticed a funny (ehm…) thing.

The guilty

It isn’t true that the inverse of a negative number is always a positive number. Or, equally, that (x < 0) -> (-x > 0) .

You could say “Hey, -(-5) == 5”. Yes, that’s true. We can test it this way:

[Test] public void TestInverse() { int x = -5; int y = -x; Assert.IsTrue(y > 0); }

But what if we consider edge cases?

[Test] public void TestInverse_EdgeCase() { int x = int.MinValue; int y = -x; Assert.IsTrue(y > 0); }

It will fail. Miserably.

The reason

The reason is simple: the sign occupies space. In fact, the range of int is-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. The inverse of -2,147,483,648 would cause overflow, and returns the same value.

The lesson

Why am I pointing at this?

Imagine you are implementing a CompareTo(x, y) method, you know, the usual one that returns 0 if the values are considered equal, -1 if x < y and 1 if x > y.

You could use this method to sort an array. Now you want to sort that array descending. What to do?

This edge case explains why it is a terrible idea to use CompareTo(-x, -y) . Results can be unexpected.
found conflicts between different versions .Net Core 2.2 inside test project
By: Sami C.
Tags: Net Core, Csharp, Microsoft

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of “Microsoft.Extensions.Options” that could not be resolved.

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of “Microsoft.Extensions.Configuration.Abstractions” that could not be resolved.

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of “Microsoft.AspNetCore.Hosting.Abstractions” that could not be resolved.

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of “Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection.Abstractions” that could not be resolved.

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of “Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http.Abstractions” that could not be resolved.

warning MSB3277: Found conflicts between different versions of “Microsoft.AspNetCore.Http.Features” that could not be resolved.

A quick fix is to add the following package in your project that throws the warnings:

<PackageReference Include="Microsoft.AspNetCore.App" />

Rebuild your project and boom! All the warnings are gone!

Better news: starting with .NET Core 3.0, the web reference will flow transitively and you can reference a web project from a test project without any other steps. So I am closing this. The design of 2.x cannot be changed, but we specifically designed things in 3.0 to have transitive FrameworkReferences, and this was a motivating scenario for that.

Happy coding!
You say this like it’s a fact.
By: Jonathank X
Tags: Wikileaks, Russia, Politics, 2016 Election, Propaganda

Russia’s plot to wield social media sites to divide Americans and aid Donald Trump in the 2016 election was even more massive and sophisticated than previously understood…

You say this like it’s a fact. But even mainstream sources disagree. In reality, it has been documented that the effort to reach US residents via social media was “small, amateurish, and mostly unrelated to the election.”

Facebook’s General Council Colin Stretch said that posts from the Internet Research Agency represented a tiny fraction of the social network’s total content. “This equals about four-thousandths of one percent (0.004%) of content in News Feed, or approximately 1 out of 23,000 pieces of content,” Stretch writes. “Put another way, if each of these posts were a commercial on television, you’d have to watch more than 600 hours of television to see something from the (Internet Research Agency).”

Google CEO Sundar Pichai said “we undertook a very thorough investigation, and, in 2016, we now know that there were two main ad accounts linked to Russia which advertised on Google forabout $4,700 in advertising.”

Those are the findings of two independent groups of researchers tasked by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee.

Not only is “New Knowledge” not independent, they’ve actually been caught doing what they claim “the Russians” were doing.

…[T]he reports describe…a consistent pattern of seeking to divide Americans…while boosting Trump and hurting Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The evidence that the Clinton campaign was seeking to undermine the candidacy of Bernie Sanders was much more extensive. You’re also ignoring the widely available evidence that much of the US corporate media was actively coordinating with the Clinton campaign.

The Russian accounts also boosted a widely debunked conspiracy theory that Seth Rich, a slain Democratic National Committee staffer — and not Russian hackers — was responsible for the DNC’s emails making their way to Wikileaks in 2016.

You’re twisting reality here. The “Russian hacking” you refer to is the debunked conspiracy theory. Both Seymour Hersh and Kim Dotcom have directly stated that Seth Rich was the leaker, and Julian Assange has implied that that is the case.

Support for Trump started in the early primaries…

That’s true, but it wasn’t at the behest of Russia. It was because the corporate media were dutifully following their marching orders from the Clinton campaign to elevate Trump and the other “pied piper” candidates Cruz and Carson.

Most of all, you ignore the mounting evidence that “Russiagate” was a fictional construction of Clinton campaign insiders and that Clinton’s own ties to Russia are substantial.
Words as Weapons
By: Milly Mac S Musings
Tags: Socialism, Politics, Capitalism, Propaganda, Revolution

Words as Weapons

Words are powerful weapons. ✍🏼

In sociology class they explain about societal constructs.

A construct is “an idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society.”

Anyone that sinks as much money as the oligarchy does on mass media communications can shape and frame our society at will with the use of propaganda.

They are like a cancer that keeps replicating itself and bribing those among us to become provocateurs and double agents inside our movements.

So how do we stop them? How do we pull back the reigns? Other societies survive and thrive in the democratic socialism model where capitalism and socialism live together without fearing each other’s ism’s. Why can’t we?

I believe the answer lies in the country and the world reaching the boiling point as has been happening. When we have not much to lose, that’s when we will head for the streets to lock everything up.

The day we take our country and sanity back is fast approaching. You can feel it in the air, watch it on the news, in the mass shooter incidents. I pray to the spirits that it won’t. But sometimes things have to become totally broken before they can be rebuilt.
Covid-19 impact: Contrast Media Market Forecasts, 2020–2027
By: Rajesh Varma
Tags: Healthcare, Medical Devices, Helath, Medical, Doctors

May 2020 | Report Format: Electronic (PDF)

The global contrast media market size is expected to reach USD 6.9 billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.6% during the forecast period, according to a new report published by Grand View Research, Inc. Increasing burden of chronic diseases is driving the demand for diagnostic imaging procedures which are anticipated to fuel the contrast agents market growth.

The imaging tests such as Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and x-rays have become an inevitable part of diagnosis for most of the diseases. The large-scale penetration of imaging technology in healthcare has increased the demand for contrast media. Newer contrast agents are constantly being discovered and investigated. Also, the safety of contrast agents for clinical use is under strict scrutiny.

The rapid rise in the use of medical imaging during the last few decades has resulted in a substantial increase in the use of radiologic contrast media. Half of the around 76.0 million computed tomographic and 34.0 million magnetic resonance imaging examinations performed annually include the use of intravenous contrast agents.

Diagnostic imaging modalities are being increasingly used owing to advancements in the underlying technology, ranging from equipment to administration technology. Innovative products such as syringeless injectors help achieve greater accuracy in delivering the right dose of contrast agents as well as reduce wastage. These injectors enable shorter examination time, leading to increased patient throughput. In 2016, the first syringeless injector was launched by Bracco Diagnostics in U.S.for multi-patient use to increase the number of scans performed in a day.

To request a free sample copy of this report, click the link below:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/contrast-media-contrast-agents-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:
Covid-19 impact: Wound Debridement Market
By: Rajesh Varma
Tags: Medical Devices, Doctors, Medical

May 2020 | Report Format: Electronic (PDF)

The global wound debridement market size is anticipated to reach USD 6.97 billion by 2025 at a 6.10% CAGR during the forecast period, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. Rising cases of injuries that require cleaning and removal of necrotic tissue are leading to increasing demand for wound debridement products.

Wound debridement products help in eliminating or reducing the load of microbes and toxins that inhibit wound healing. Increasing incidence of diabetes and obesity escalates the level of chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers. As per the International Diabetes Federation, the incidence of diabetes is expected to reach 642.0 million by 2040. Prevention of wound infection is one of the major concerns for diabetic patients, making wound debridement vital. With increase in number of diabetics in U.S., demand for wound debridement is on a rise. Burns are the most common wounds and account for around 195,000 deaths annually. This, in addition to rise in awareness regarding the importance of wound debridement, is expected to positively affect the market in the coming years.

Development of advanced wound debridement products is also boosting market growth. For instance, launch of keratin-based wound care products that are used along with dressings have proven to be extremely helpful in wound re-epithelialization. The keratin matrix is absorbed in the wound and eliminates the need for dressing change. Such developments are anticipated to create growth opportunities for market players in the coming years.

To request a free sample copy of this report, click the link below:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/wound-debridement-market

Further key findings from the study suggest:
Covid-19 impact: Adhesion Barrier Market
By: Rajesh Varma
Tags: Medical Devices, Medical

May 2020 | Report Format: Electronic (PDF)

The global adhesion barrier market size is expected to reach USD 1.2 billion by 2027, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc., registering a CAGR of 7.1% over the forecast period. The key drivers of the market include increasing incidence of cardiovascular diseases coupled with rising cases of post-surgical adhesions. Factors such as increasing healthcare expenditure and rising awareness about post-surgical complications among patients are adding growth to the market. Moreover, increasing number of cancer cases are also adding demand for surgical interventions. According to National Cancer Institute, in 2018, there were approximately 1.7 million new cases of cancer diagnosed in U.S.

Furthermore, increasing geriatric population is also substantially increasing the usage of adhesion barriers as they suffer from various chronic diseases, which require surgery. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in four persons living in North America and Europe could be aged 65 or more by 2050. The number of people aged more than 80 years is anticipated to reach 426 million in 2050. Additionally, with rising urbanization and increasing inclination towards healthy lifestyle, more people are expected get involve in various sports activities. Therefore, resulting in increasing sports related injuries, causing rising usage of adhesion barriers.

To request a free sample copy of this report, click the link below:

www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/adhesion-barrier-market

Further key findings from the report suggest:
Ocular Photography
By: Hargrave Eye Center
Tags: Vision, Tools, Eyes, Health, Medical

Opthamologists are constantly using technology to gain a better understanding of what diseases are plaguing the eye. If you have ever been to the eye doctors before for a procedure then you have probably had pictures taken of your eyes. Ocular photography or external ocular photography serves a crucial purpose in diagnosing and identifying eye diseases and problems. This article will give an overview of how external ocular works and the capabilities it has to help patients and medical professionals.

Equipment

There is a variety of equipment that can be used during eye exams to diagnose a wide range of problems within the eye. Some basic and common pieces of equipment that you may have seen or heard of before include a Phoropter, Retinal Camera, and Slit Lamp.

Phoropter — also spelled Phoroptor is one of the most common pieces of equipment people think about when they imagine an eye doctor’s office. A Phoropter is used to test an individual’s vision and identify if they may suffer from something like nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. The Phoropter gives the doctor the ability to adjust the intensity of a lens on the fly allowing them to analyze how your vision is corrected through the different intensities. The patient plays a integral part in this because they ultimately decide what lens they think works best for their vision by answering questions from the eye doctor as they change the lens intensity.

Retinal Camera — A Retinal Camera is used to view the back of your eyes including the retina and optic disk. The optic disk holds the optic nerve which is responsible for sending information from your eye to your brain. A Retinal Camera can help your opthamologist identify eye disease such as macular degeneration.

Slit Lamp — A Slit Lamp is another more common piece of equipment that people may be familiar with. A Slit Lamp is used to look at multiple parts of your eye at once. The Slit Lamp is used to view the sclera, the cornea, and the lens of your eye. The Slit Lamp aims a high-powered, bright beam at your eye that scans the previously listed areas of your eye. Preparation for using a Slit Lamp can include dilating your pupils and inserting yellow colored eye drops into your eye to see potential problems in the front of your eye.