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Q: How to access an Objective-C NSMutableDictionary from a Swift class? I have an Objective-C controller called linkedinlogincontroller. Inside that controller I have an NSMutableDictionary called result. Simply, all I need to know is what is the best practice way of having access to that dictionary in a Swift controller? A: Look at this link: Using Objective C & Swift together. Expose the ObjectiveC class in <YourProjectName>-Bridging-Header.h. #import "linkedinlogincontroller.h" ObjectiveC Header // linkedinlogincontroller.h #import <UIKit/UIKit.h> @interface linkedinlogincontroller : UIViewController @property (nonatomic, strong) NSMutableDictionary * result; @end ObjectiveC Implementation // linkedinlogincontroller.m #import "linkedinlogincontroller.h" #import "<YourProjectName>-Swift.h" @implementation linkedinlogincontroller ... self.result = [NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithDictionary:@{@"key":@"value"}]; NSLog(@"Print from Objc %@", self.result); YourSwiftClass * so = [[YourSwiftClass alloc] init]; [so printFromSwift:self]; ... Swift Implementation // YourSwiftClass.swift import Foundation @objc class YourSwiftClass : NSObject { func printFromSwift(vc:linkedinlogincontroller) { println ("Print from Swift \(vc.result)") } }

Second recipe of this week is grape juice. I go for seedless variety when it comes to grapes. but my mom always buys black grapes with seeds and says it is healthier than the seedless one. I feel bored to eat grapes with seeds. So, whenever she buys grapes with seeds, I make this juice to discard seeds and prepare it without ice cubes and water. Today, I prepared it for blog and hence added ice cubes. 1) Pluck the grapes from its stem. Wash it well. 2) Transfer the grapes to the blender/juicer. 3) Add sugar to it. Blend it for 2-3 minutes. 4) Add water and blend it again for a second. 5) Filter it using a strainer. 6) Pour this juice to 3 glasses. Add ice cubes and serve immediately. Notes: 1) Addition of water is optional. Most of the time, I prepare this juice without adding water. 2) The grapes I used are very sweet. So I added only 2 tablespoons of sugar. Adjust the sugar quantity based on the taste of grapes. 3) If you are not serving immediately, keep the juice in refrigerator until ready to serve. Add ice cubes just before serving.

Search form Annual Results Report 2012 International IDEA’s strategy for 2012–17 tackles the persistent threats to democracy around the world. It recognizes that the citizen is at the heart of democracy, and that democracy itself is central to citizens’ aspirations. Without free elections, there is neither the possibility for citizens to express their will, nor the opportunity for them to change their leaders, address wrongs or protest the limitations of their rights. But for democracy to succeed, elections need to be anchored in a sound constitutional culture and the rule of law, which guarantees citizens’ electoral rights and the right of individuals and political parties to run freely for office. Only then will the full democratic process be fair, impartial, credible and fully representative of all groups within society. Keep in Touch International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)

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1. Introduction {#sec0005} =============== Pastoralist communities in the arid and semi-arid areas of sub-Saharan Africa face many challenges related to their physical and socio-political environments. The main physical constraints are low and variable rainfall and vegetation growth, which have customarily been managed through mobility and transhumance, common property resource management, and the supplementation of pastoralism with other activities such as crop production, fishing or trading ([@bib0165]). Common property resource management is the joint ownership and management by local users of common pool resources. For pastoralists, management of the rangeland by traditional institutions makes movement of livestock possible, by regulating who has access to resources and when they can be accessed, depending on need ([@bib0265]; [@bib0170]). The main social and political constraints, such as land tenure and access, marginalisation and conflict, put restrictions on traditional pastoralist strategies and, combined with physical constraints, lead to increased vulnerability to drought and famine, loss of livelihood and poverty, and migration to urban areas ([@bib0165]; [@bib0070]). In addition, the regional and global trends of climate change, human population growth and globalisation are also affecting pastoralist areas ([@bib0090]). While pastoralist systems are more able to adapt to climate variability and uncertainty than other production systems, the effects of climate change and other challenges are pushing them to the limits of adaptation ([@bib0090]). In Africa, there is already a trend of decreasing rainfall, increasing temperature and increasing incidence of drought ([@bib0260]). Although future predictions are uncertain, there is likely to be an increase in temporal and spatial variability of rainfall and an increased frequency of extreme events causing drought, flooding or temperature extremes, which will have an impact on rangeland productivity, and therefore food security and livelihoods ([@bib0160]). Increasing human populations are causing urban expansion and extension of crop agriculture onto rangelands. Together with large-scale land acquisitions for food or bio-fuel production and land set aside for conservation, pastoralists are increasingly restricted to fragmented and less productive rangelands ([@bib0165]; [@bib0260]; [@bib0370]). At the same time, increasing pastoralist populations are leading to a higher ratio of people to livestock with access to a decreasing land area ([@bib0260]). Another major challenge for pastoralism is a high burden of livestock disease causing production losses and mortality that could be mitigated by improved access to animal health services ([@bib0260]; [@bib0365]). Drought exacerbates the impact of disease: malnourished animals are more susceptible to infection and less likely to recover from disease. Some of the key characteristics of pastoralism -- mobility, communal resource use and social support -- increase the risk of pathogen transmission. However, biosecurity measures to reduce risk of disease transmission through movement restriction could radically change these production systems and limit their capacity to adapt to wide variations in rainfall, forage and water availability, making the systems less productive and less resilient. In relation to improving animal health, animal health services for livestock disease surveillance and control should be strengthened and adapted for mobile pastoralist communities, by combining the experiences, concepts and priorities of pastoralist communities together with empirical data. A better understanding of pastoralist systems will contribute to the development of more appropriate and effective strategies for the control of the most important diseases, and will limit their impact on livelihoods, animal welfare and human well-being, while making more efficient use of scarce resources ([@bib0320]; [@bib0110]; [@bib0365]). An important issue when conducting research on animal health in pastoralist systems is the difference in knowledge systems and practices between formally-trained veterinarians who have been educated within the positivist scientific medical paradigm (biomedicine), focussing on the investigation, prevention and treatment of diseases, and the local knowledge of livestock keepers, which prioritises the survival and reproduction of the herd and household, and is derived from traditional knowledge passed down through generations and their own observations and experiences ([@bib0350]). In the 1970s and 1980s, animal health professionals involved in livestock development programmes in developing countries became aware that conventional approaches to the study of animal health were not capturing the complexity of pastoralist systems or the valuable local knowledge of livestock management in marginal areas, and started to collaborate with anthropologists to gain a better understanding of livestock systems. This approach, called "veterinary anthropology" ([@bib0330]) or "ethno-veterinary research and development" ([@bib0230]), aimed to integrate livestock keeper and researcher knowledge for a holistic understanding of context, problems and potential solutions. This approach has been applied in a variety of livestock production systems across the world including pastoralist, agro-pastoralist and small-holder systems in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe ([@bib0240]). Also in the 1980s, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) approaches were being developed to address weaknesses in conventional methods for data collection in rural communities ([@bib0075]). PRA was adapted and applied by veterinarians in developing countries with the aim of addressing gaps in animal health service delivery in marginalised areas. PRA methods such as community meetings, semi-structured interviews, ranking, mapping and timelines were used to investigate local disease terms, their importance and distribution, disease mitigation practices, and to identify potential solutions to important animal health problems ([@bib0185]; [@bib0200]; [@bib0360]). PRA methods were also applied by veterinarians to specific animal disease issues, such as active clinical surveillance in the final stages of rinderpest eradication, termed "participatory disease searching" ([@bib0215]). Participatory methods were developed for field research on livestock disease problems in pastoralist areas, often complemented by clinical examination and laboratory diagnostics ([@bib0060]; [@bib0055]). The use of PRA methods for surveillance and field studies in animal health became known as "participatory epidemiology" (PE) ([@bib0065]). Semi-structured interviews and PRA tools are now widely used in field studies to explore a variety of animal health issues in developing countries, as part of qualitative studies or in combination with quantitative methods, with variation in the focus of analysis between quantitative and qualitative methods (for example [@bib0325]; [@bib0030]; [@bib0345]; [@bib0305]). In this study, we chose to combine qualitative methods to explore local knowledge and understanding of disease together with quantitative methods to quantify disease occurrence, in order to best answer our research question. The qualitative and quantitative methods were implemented in parallel so that each informed the other during the course of data collection and analysis. Our approach was anthropological - prioritising ethnographic methods such as informal interviews and participant observation to document local knowledge of livestock disease with a small number of people and their flocks during repeated visits to the same households and villages over an extended period (15 months), combined with structured and semi-structured interviews and the clinical examination of sick animals ([@bib0025]). Our analysis of animal health knowledge and systems was informed by theories from medical anthropology of health knowledge and medical systems. Health knowledge has been categorised into two types, naturalistic and personalistic ([@bib0105]; [@bib0275]). A naturalistic health knowledge system is one in which disease is understood to originate from natural forces or conditions such as cold, heat, wind or an upset in the balance of the basic body elements, and treatment focuses on the alleviation or cure of clinical signs. By contrast, in personalistic systems, disease or other misfortunes are caused by the purposeful action of an agent and targeted at an individual. The agent may be human, such as witches or sorcerers, non-human, such as ghosts or evil spirits, or supernatural, such as a god. Treatment takes the form of rituals to counteract these forces ([@bib0105]; [@bib0225]; [@bib0145]; [@bib0280]). Naturalistic disease knowledge systems incorporating some spiritual components have been reported in pastoralist and agro-pastoralist groups in East Africa ([@bib0315]; [@bib0155]; [@bib0350]). In general, animal health knowledge systems are usually a mix of naturalistic and personalistic elements, lying on a continuum between predominantly naturalistic to predominantly personalistic systems ([@bib0235]). A medical system can be defined as a community's ideas and practices relating to illness and health. There are three main types of system; professional in which biomedicine predominates, traditional which may be predominantly naturalistic or personalistic, and popular or pluralist in which traditional, biomedical and religious medicine are practised side by side ([@bib0190]; [@bib0280]). In a "popular" medical system, individuals choose who to consult and when and, based on the advice received, decide what action to take, determining for themselves what is effective and when to try something else ([@bib0280]). PPR is a transboundary viral disease of sheep and goats that is endemic in many countries of Africa and Asia, and is a major threat for pastoralist and small-holder farmers, making a significant impact on food security, livelihoods and trade ([@bib0010]). PPR has recently been identified as a target for global eradication ([@bib0270]), but there are important knowledge gaps in understanding the patterns of occurrence of PPR in extensive production systems where small ruminant movement for access to resources, social support and trade underpin the sustainability of the systems. In Ethiopia, the first clinical suspicion of PPR was in goats in Afar (Pegram and Tereke, 1981, cited by [@bib0290]) and the virus was later confirmed as the cause of an outbreak in goats from southern Ethiopia ([@bib0290]). In 1999, a national serological survey found that PPR antibody sero-prevalence was highest in the lowland pastoralist Somali and Afar Regions, and the highland Tigray region ([@bib0355]). It is hypothesised that the lowland pastoralist areas maintain PPR virus circulation and that there is seasonal spill-over into neighbouring highland populations, but data on disease occurrence in pastoralist areas are sparse. During 2008--2011, as part of emergency interventions in response to drought, approximately 15 million sheep and goats were vaccinated against PPR in pastoralist areas, leading to a reduction in reported outbreaks ([@bib0245]). Ethiopia has developed a national plan to eradicate PPR virus through strengthening surveillance and outbreak detection to allow targeted vaccination for virus elimination ([@bib0245]). In this context, a research project was developed that aimed to gain a better understanding of the pastoralist production system and patterns of small ruminant disease in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, to support the development of more effective approaches to infectious disease surveillance and control ([@bib0180]). Here we report the findings of one component of that project, which aimed to explore pastoralist concepts of small ruminant disease and implications for PPR surveillance in the Afar Region. 2. Materials and methods {#sec0010} ======================== 2.1. The study area {#sec0015} ------------------- This study was conducted between October 2013 and December 2014 in Chifra district in the mid-west of Afar Region at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment on the border with Amhara Region ([Fig. 1](#fig0005){ref-type="fig"}). The Afar Region is an arid to semi-arid lowland area lying between 9-14ᵒ latitude north and 40-42ᵒ longitude east, with a land area of approximately 95,000 km^2^, bounded to the west by the eastern edge of the Ethiopian highlands (Tigray, Amhara and Oromia Regions), the north by Eritrea, the north-east by Djibouti, and the south by Oromia and Somali Regions. The rainfall pattern is bimodal with a short rainy season during April and a main rainy season during July to August, but rainfall is temporally and spatially highly variable.Fig. 1Map of the administrative regions of Ethiopia.Afar Regional State is in the north-east. Chifra district, where the study villages were located, is highlighted in grey in the mid-west of Afar Region.Fig. 1 The region is populated mainly by the Afar people, numbering approximately 1.4 million ([@bib0080]), who are part of the South-east Cushitic-speaking group together with the Somali, Oromo, Beja and Rendille peoples of eastern Africa ([@bib0300]; [@bib0175]). The main source of livelihood is mobile multi-species pastoralism, keeping herds of camels, cattle, sheep and goats, and a few donkeys. This is complemented by a variety of other livelihood activities, which vary across the region depending on climate, altitude, vegetation and access to resources, including crop farming, trading, waged labour, salt-mining and charcoal-making ([@bib0120], [@bib0125]; [@bib0135]; [@bib0095]; [@bib0310]; [@bib0150]). Wide variations in rainfall and forage are managed through herd mobility, fluctuating herd size and traditional mutual support systems ([@bib0300]). The size of the livestock population in 2006 was estimated to be 1.9 million cattle, 2.8 million sheep, 2.8 million goats, 0.6 million camels and 95,000 donkeys ([@bib0035]). The region has faced repeated droughts in the last few decades, causing famine and loss of livelihood ([@bib0195]; [@bib0255]; [@bib0340]). A preliminary visit was made to the Afar Region in May 2013 by the first and third authors to meet with regional animal health personnel to obtain an overview of the livestock disease situation, and to visit several districts as possible study sites, to gain an understanding of the pastoralist system and to pilot data collection methods. Chifra district was chosen as the study area because it was secure compared to areas further north, and was relatively less researched compared with areas in the south and east of the region. Two pastoralist villages were purposively selected, one from the west and one from the east of the district, using the following criteria; pastoralist, reasonably accessible but not too close to the town (10--40 km away), and not frequently visited by external actors such as researchers and non-governmental organisations (NGOs). 2.2. Data collection {#sec0020} -------------------- The field research team consisted of three people, a British veterinarian and epidemiologist with training in anthropological research methods and field experience in other pastoralist areas of East Africa (first author), an Afar interpreter, and the district veterinary officer (second author, Amharic-speaker) who was assigned by the district authority to accompany the team. The livestock keepers spoke Afar, and some were able to speak some Amharic. All interviews were conducted in English by the first author with Afar-English interpretation by the interpreter. Some interviews were audio-recorded and later transcribed and translated into English. The main seasons in Afar are the main rainy season that occurs during July-August (*karma)*, which is followed by the long cool dry season from September to March (*gilal)*. A short rainy season occurs during April (*sugum)*, followed by the hot dry season in May-June (*hagay*). Fieldwork was carried out during four periods between September 2013 and December 2014 with the aim of observing seasonal variation; September-December 2013 (early-mid dry season), February-April 2014 (late dry season & short rains), August 2014 (rainy season) and November 2014 (mid dry season). The preliminary visit was in May 2013 during the hot dry season. The weekly flock dynamics questionnaire was carried out from November 2013 to November 2014. Initially in each village, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the village leader and a group of 10--15 men and women from the village to introduce the study, to obtain consent to work in the area, and to gain an overview of the characteristics of the village and livestock disease problems, with a focus on sheep and goat diseases. PRA tools were used to visualise information and stimulate discussion; participatory mapping, seasonal calendar and ranking or proportional piling of livestock diseases (Supplementary Information, SI 1). This was followed by a period of about 3 weeks per village during which individual household visits were carried out early in the morning to be able to observe directly the sheep and goat flocks before they left for grazing, and to examine and discuss any clinical cases. A semi-structured household interview was then carried out focusing on management practices, flock structure and dynamics, and disease problems and their impact (SI 1). The types of informant varied between households; in most cases the husband was the main informant with inputs from his wife (or wives) and children, but for some households the wife was the main informant with inputs from her children, her husband being rarely present. Some households in each village were visited multiple times during the 15-month study, to conduct further semi-structured and informal interviews, to follow the progress of the households and flocks over the different seasons, to investigate reports of disease, and to follow up clinical cases. Some of the households migrated during the course of the study and where possible we visited them in their new locations. Additional interviews were carried out opportunistically and as needed to cross-check or gather additional information. A total of 70 households were interviewed during the study period; 23 households in village A and 47 households in village B, of which 13 in village A and 15 in village B were visited multiple times. A woman was the main informant for 7 of the households in village A (30%) and 8 of the households in village B (17%). When visiting flocks, a general examination of the flock was carried out by walking among the animals, and the livestock keepers were encouraged to point out any sick animals for further examination. The clinical examination of a sick animal was a systematic examination from head to tail looking for abnormalities, which included the examination of eyes, nose, mouth, body condition, respiration, mobility and rectal temperature. During clinical examination, an informal interview was carried out to find out the local name for the disease problem, the history including any treatment given, and the characteristics of the disease problem. After the initial group and household semi-structured interviews, informal interviewing became the main method of data collection when visiting households and opportunistically when walking around the village, looking at flocks, examining sick animals, visiting watering places, when invited to drink milk or coffee or share food at a household, or when sitting in the shade to rest or review data. In response to reports of disease problems, visits were also made to villages in other parts of the district, where group and individual interviews were conducted about the disease situation, common sheep and goat diseases, and clinical examinations carried out. Based on the initial interviews, a structured questionnaire was developed to obtain weekly quantitative flock dynamics data for 14 flocks in village A over a 12-month period, including the number of animals that died and the cause of death, and the number of animals that were sick and the cause of sickness (SI 2). Data collectors from the village were trained to administer the questionnaire by face-to-face interview. The questionnaire was translated into Amharic script because that was the language that the data collectors could read and write, but they conducted the interviews in Afar language. Since PPR was a disease of particular interest for the study, when suspected cases of PPR were identified based on the presence of clinical signs (ocular discharge, nasal discharge, mouth lesions, coughing, sneezing, diarrhoea, fever) in a group of animals, conjunctival swabs were collected from two to four animals in the early stages of disease and examined for the presence of PPR antigen by a rapid diagnostic test ([@bib0015]). Conjunctival and nasal swabs were collected from the same animals and put into virus transport media in a cool box with ice packs, and then transported to the town where they were stored at −20 °C until the end of the period of fieldwork. The samples were then transported in a cool box with ice packs to the National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Centre (NAHDIC) for diagnostic testing by icELISA (immunocapture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and RT-PCR (reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction). 2.3. Data management and analysis {#sec0025} --------------------------------- Initial group and household semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated from Afar into English. During all interviews, observation and clinical examinations, field notes were made. These were reviewed and annotated later the same day, and issues for further enquiry noted. The completed structured questionnaires were checked by the interpreter who translated open text responses into English, and the data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet. Issues were noted for further enquiry during informal interviews. Interview transcripts and field notes were analysed using NVivo 10 (QSR International <http://www.qsrinternational.com>). All records were thoroughly read, inductively coded, and a narrative description was developed for the main themes identified ([@bib0025]; [@bib0045]). Quotations from the transcripts that illustrated the themes were identified. The relative frequency of disease occurrence and seasonal variations were estimated by descriptive analysis using Stata IC 12.1 (StataCorp LLC <http://www.stata.com>). 2.4. Ethical approval {#sec0030} --------------------- Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Royal Veterinary College Ethics and Welfare Committee and the University College London Department of Anthropology. In Ethiopia, the Ministry of Agriculture Animal Health Directorate provided written approval for the study. The livestock keepers who participated in the study gave their oral consent to participate after the objectives and scope of the project had been explained. 3. Results {#sec0035} ========== 3.1. Naturalistic concept of disease {#sec0040} ------------------------------------ The concepts of disease causation, terminology and treatment of the Afar pastoralists in the study villages were predominantly naturalistic, relating to natural rather than supernatural factors, but there was also a spiritual element related to their Islamic religion, with Allah having control over health and outcomes of disease in general. [Fig. 2](#fig0010){ref-type="fig"} provides a summary of the factors described as causing or being associated with disease and death of small ruminants and how they are linked or interact with each other. Disease occurrence was associated with malnutrition, adverse weather and certain seasons, ectoparasites and animal movement. Disease in general or specific diseases were attributed to drought:""If there is drought, there are plenty of diseases. A person who is not hungry \[has enough food\], does not get sick." (group interview with women, village A)"""The root cause of the disease \[referring to *gublo*\] is drought, it happens because of drought and cool weather, especially drought." (group interview with men and women, village A)"Fig. 2Causal diagram of Afar concepts of factors affecting disease and death.Solid arrows indicate direction of causation. Dashed two-headed arrows indicate interaction between two factors to exacerbate disease. Arrows with double lines indicate that a factor causes death.Fig. 2 Shortage of forage due to drought forced them to migrate with their herds and flocks, and disease and death of animals occurred due to lack of forage and exposure to diseases during migration. When lactating animals did not have enough forage they did not produce enough milk, and kids and lambs suffered from disease. The long dry season from September to March was associated with most of the common sheep and goat disease problems due to decreasing availability of forage, and ectoparasites were reported to increase towards the end of the dry season debilitating the animals and predisposing them to other diseases.""*Inkata* \[a type of ectoparasite\] outbreaks happen whenever drought happens, and consequently diseases like *sura'atu, goson, gublo, undahi* and others attack the animals. The *inkata* sucks all the blood of the animal and finally kills it." (household interview in village A)" The rain, wind and cooler weather of the main rainy season was associated with certain disease problems; a type of diarrhoea was linked to the change in vegetation after rain, skin disease occurred after heavy rain, and lameness increased in muddy conditions. These ailments were exacerbated by weak body condition after the long dry season. Infection with lice predisposed animals to other diseases, and ticks were reported to be the cause of some skin diseases and lameness. Disease was described as being spread through contact between sick and healthy animals when they mixed during grazing, watering or when enclosed together:""Animals may get it \[referring to *gublo*\] from other sick animals. If there is one infected animal and if it gets mixed up with other healthy animals, they may get it from it. Or if the sick one drinks water with healthy ones or if it slept with healthy animals in the same field."(group interview with men, village B)" Animals could bring disease from other areas when they were moved for grazing and water resources.""It \[referring to disease\] comes from far places via animals. It is communicable. Once the disease finds itself here, it transmits from one animal to the other." (individual interview, village A)" Some diseases could also be spread by the wind.""Suppose if there is an outbreak of a disease in Awra \[neighbouring district\], the wind brings it towards our land. Be it the animal disease or human disease, it comes by the wind." (individual interview, village A)" 3.2. Medical pluralism {#sec0045} ---------------------- A range of traditional and biomedical methods were applied by the livestock keepers to prevent or treat disease and to promote health. Traditional treatments included herbal preparations that were administered as a drench, intra-nasally or topically, and substances such as salt, animal fat, butter, honey, kerosene or diesel that were applied topically. Fractures were corrected by splinting, and manual correction of dystocia and fetotomy was practised. Preventive measures included cleaning of enclosures, periodic relocation of the household compound, separation of sick animals from healthy, feeding minerals through salty water sources, salty grazing or feeding of rock salt, as well as grazing management to optimise nutrition. Most of the traditional practices were naturalistic, aiming to prevent or cure a physical cause or sign, but there were also communal prayers to Allah for the good health of people and animals. Access to formal veterinary services was very limited at village level; although village animal health posts had been built they were not manned. In the main town, there were district veterinarians and animal health assistants, but they had limited resources and rarely visited the villages, so livestock keepers purchased basic medicines from the town market or the veterinary pharmacy and occasionally sought advice from veterinary personnel. Vaccination campaigns against PPR, sheep and goat pox and pasteurellosis were carried out sporadically by the Regional Animal Health Department and NGOs, when vaccine and funds for vaccine delivery were available. People were familiar with the vaccination of children and livestock to prevent disease, and were willing to have their animals vaccinated but had little control over when and where it was carried out, and which diseases were targeted. If an animal became sick, the livestock keepers could decide to treat the animal themselves using traditional methods or biomedical methods or both, based on their own knowledge or the advice of family members or friends. Knowledge of diseases was variable within the villages; most people knew the more common diseases, but some individual men and women showed more interest and provided more detailed descriptions and explanations of diseases and how to prevent and treat them. Certain individuals were considered to be specialists in treating certain conditions, such as a local leader who had expertise in dealing with dystocia (difficulty giving birth). 3.3. Local disease terms {#sec0050} ------------------------ The Afar language terms for livestock diseases were mainly related to a major clinical sign or the main body part affected. A total of 70 terms were recorded for respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, sheep and goat pox, lameness, skin diseases, ectoparasites, urinary and neurological syndromes, and abortion. These are listed alphabetically for reference as supplementary information (SI 3). The most frequently mentioned terms are described below, and more detailed descriptions are provided as supplementary information (SI 4, SI 5). The terms have been grouped by the body system affected, which reflects the way that the livestock keepers talked about their disease problems. In group and household interviews, the livestock keepers described one or more respiratory syndromes, diarrhoea syndromes, skin problems, ectoparasites and lameness. Less frequently, reproductive, urinary or neurological problems were described. A few terms used for syndromes with pathognomonic signs could be linked to biomedical diagnoses, but most terms were used for syndromes that had several possible diagnoses. Some disease terms were widely used and consistently described and applied within the two villages and in other parts of the district and region, and clinical cases were consistently observed that fitted these descriptions. For example the terms, *gublo* (lungs) was widely used for a respiratory disease and *uruga* (diarrhoea) for diarrhoeal disease. Some syndromes had more than one name, for example the term *korboda* (stones on neck) was used for a pox-like syndrome in one village while the same syndrome was called *waybo* (no literal translation obtained) was used for the same syndrome in the second village, although people from both villages understood both terms and said that *korboda* was the same as *waybo*. When examining clinical cases, different terms might be used by different people to describe the same case, for example, an animal with skin disease was described by one person as *sandera* and as *hamma* by another person. ### 3.3.1. Respiratory syndromes {#sec0055} Commonly used terms for respiratory clinical signs were *sura'atu*, *sura'ale* and *sanak*, meaning "nasal discharge", and *goson*, *kaho* or *kahoenta*, meaning "coughing". Some of these terms were also applied to respiratory syndromes; *sura'atu*, *sura'ale*, and *goson*. *Gublo* and *mesengele* were Afar words for "lung" and both were used to describe a disease syndrome affecting the lungs. *Furoda* was a disease syndrome that affected the eyes and lungs. The terms were sometimes combined to name a syndrome; *sura'atu-goson* (nasal discharge-coughing), *sura'ale-goson* (nasal discharge-coughing), *sura-gublo* (nasal discharge-lungs), or *goson-gublo* (coughing-lungs). *Sura'atu, goson, gublo* and *uruga* (diarrhoea) could occur together, especially in young animals. One respiratory syndrome could progress into another; *sura'atu* or *goson* could develop into *sura-gublo; goson* could develop into *sura'atu* and then *mesengele*; or *mesengele* could become *goson*. Respiratory syndromes were reported to occur during the drier and cooler weather in the long dry season, and during drought. This seasonality was supported by the results of the flock dynamics survey. [Fig. 3](#fig0015){ref-type="fig"}a shows the weekly average number of sheep and goats that died or were sick with respiratory syndromes for each month of the survey. The number of animals affected by respiratory disease increased during the mid-dry season (November to January) to peak in late dry season (February-March).Fig. 3Seasonal distribution of disease and deaths due to a) respiratory syndromes and b) diarrhoea syndromes.The average number of sheep and goats that died or were sick per week as shown for each month of the flock survey (Nov 2013 to Nov 2014). It should be noted that an animal that was recorded as sick in one week and dead in the following week would be included in both datasets.Fig. 3 *Sura'atu* was the most frequent cause of sickness (35.1% of reported sick animals) and the second most frequent cause of death (27.3% reported deaths). Clinical cases of *sura'atu* were commonly seen in both villages with signs of watery, mucoid or purulent nasal discharge, with or without coughing, lacrimation, dyspnoea and weight loss. ### 3.3.2. Abdominal syndromes {#sec0060} The most common abdominal problem was diarrhoea. The Afar word for diarrhoea was *uruga*, which was used to describe the clinical sign of diarrhoea, and was the name of a disease syndrome for which acute or chronic diarrhoea was the main sign, together with variable signs of nasal discharge and lacrimation. Another diarrhoea syndrome was *undahi* (meaning "slowly"), with signs of blackish or bloody diarrhoea, weight-loss and death. *Bogo biyakita* (sick stomach) was occasionally used for animals with diarrhoea or abdominal discomfort. An animal with *arbite* (meaning "bloated") developed a swollen abdomen after eating bread or new grass after rain. [Fig. 3](#fig0015){ref-type="fig"}b shows the weekly average number of sheep and goats that died or were sick with abdominal syndromes for each month of the flock dynamics survey. Cases occurred throughout the year with a decrease in mid-dry season (December) and an increase in the late dry season through the short rains and into the hot dry season (March-May). *Uruga* was the most common cause of death (34.2%) and the second most common cause of sickness (31.4%), while *undahi* caused 7.4% of deaths and 7.7% sickness. Clinical cases of *uruga* were commonly seen during the study, especially during *karma,* but only one case of *undahi* was seen. ### 3.3.3. Pox syndromes {#sec0065} Two terms, *korboda* (stones on neck) and *waybo* (no literal meaning obtained), were used interchangeably for a disease syndrome that was characterised by the typical skin lesions of sheep and goat pox, which was observed in both villages during the study. Two types of *korboda* were described that occurred at the same time within a flock; external and internal.""It is a disease that attacks the body. For some, it attacks the external parts of their body and kills them. For some it attacks the internal part of their body. Internally it becomes like *goson*. It discharges diarrhoea." (Household interview, Village A)" External *korboda* showed small swellings (*duduba*) in the skin all over the body from which most animals recovered, while the signs of internal *korboda* were *karo* (meaning "unwell") with variable signs such as fever, nasal discharge, mouth lesions, coughing, abdominal pain or diarrhoea. ### 3.3.4. Skin disease {#sec0070} Several terms were used to describe disease syndromes causing skin lesions. *Agara* (meaning "itching") was a generalised pruritic condition, while *sandera* and *hamma* (no literal meaning for these terms was obtained) were more localised, with lesions usually occurring on the head, legs and genital areas. The term *dalela* (meaning "wounds") was used for bite wounds and the lesions of *sandera* and *agara*. The terms *dalela* and *afu-delay* (*afu* means "mouth") were also applied to a syndrome of lesions around the mouths of young goats. *Duduba* (meaning "swelling") was used to describe skin abscesses and lumps, such as those associated with *korboda*, infected bite wounds and submandibular or generalised oedema. The term *do'u* (meaning "lump") was also used to describe more discrete abscesses or lumps in the skin. ### 3.3.5. Ectoparasites {#sec0075} There were several terms for ectoparasites; *inkata* (meaning "insects") was the name given to small "insects" that lived in the hair (observed to be lice), while *iba'adu, kilimi* and *silimi* were terms for different types of ticks. ### 3.3.6. Lameness {#sec0080} Lameness, called *iba kosinta* (meaning "lameness"), *iba* (meaning "leg") or *kos* (meaning "limp"), was a common problem, with swelling of the interdigital space and above the hoof, associated with ticks and the rainy season. Another lameness syndrome that was described but not observed during the study was *abeb.* Affected sheep and goats suddenly became lame in all four legs, were "sick in the stomach", and developed wounds in the mouth. Biomedically, these signs are pathognomonic for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). *Abeb* was also reported to be an important disease of cattle, providing further evidence that this syndrome was likely to be FMD because it affects cattle, sheep and goats. ### 3.3.7. Reproductive problems {#sec0085} The term *fanache dalte* (meaning "early birth") was used for animals that had aborted, and was mentioned as a clinical sign of some diseases. Clusters of abortions were observed in several flocks in both villages during the study. Blood samples from five recently aborted animals from three flocks were submitted to the Regional Veterinary Laboratory, and all were strongly positive for brucellosis antibody by the rose Bengal test. From the weekly flock survey results, the estimated annual abortion rate was 4.6% of breeding females in goats and 3.3% in sheep. 3.4. Impact of disease {#sec0090} ---------------------- Ranking and proportional piling exercises during group interviews indicated that the disease syndromes causing greatest impact were diarrhoea (*uruga, undahi*) and respiratory disease (*sura'atu, sura-gublo, gublo, goson*), followed by pox (*korboda*), lameness (*iba*) and skin disease (*sandera, agara*). This was supported by the findings of household interviews and clinical examinations. The main criteria used by livestock keepers to indicate impact were mortality, reduced milk production due to death of lactating animals or decreased production from affected animals, reproductive loss due to death of breeding animals, abortions, stillbirths and neonatal deaths, and reduced market value due to poor body condition or skin lesions. The results of the weekly flock survey supported these qualitative findings. The most common cause of death was *uruga* (diarrhoea, 34.2% of reported deaths) followed by *sura'atu* (nasal discharge, 27.3%), while the most common cause of sickness was *sura'atu* (35.1% of reported sick animals) followed by *uruga* (31.4%). Other frequently reported diseases were *undahi* (slowly, 7.4% deaths, 7.7% sickness), *korboda* (stones on neck, 6.0% deaths, 7.8% sickness), *ululu* (meaning "starvation", 5.9% deaths, 1.0% sickness) and *iba* (lameness, 3.5% deaths, 6.3% sickness). *Sandera* was the most commonly reported skin disease (0.7% deaths, 1.2% sickness). Sheep were more severely affected by all disease syndromes compared to goats, except the skin disease (*sandera*) which more commonly affected goats. Of the clinical cases examined in both villages, respiratory syndromes such as *furoda, goson* and *sura'atu* made up the greatest proportion; 52% of cases in village A and 35% in village B. Other common clinical syndromes seen were *uruga* (diarrhoea)*, waybo* (pox) and *iba* (lameness). *Sandera* was the most common skin disease seen in both villages, and *inkata* (lice) was the most common ectoparasite. Cases of *afu-delay* (mouth wounds) were common in village B but less so in village A. 3.5. Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) {#sec0095} ------------------------------------- Among the disease syndromes described and observed during the study, several had clinical signs that were similar to those of PPR disease, as described in veterinary textbooks and information manuals ([@bib0285]; [@bib0295]). However, none of the suspected cases were confirmed as PPR by either rapid diagnostic test conducted in the field or icELISA and RT-PCR conducted by NAHDIC. An outbreak that occurred in a neighbouring district after the end of the study period was confirmed as PPR by rapid diagnostic test. The clinical signs observed were nasal and ocular discharge, dyspnoea, diarrhoea and fever, and the flock owner called the disease *gublo* ("lungs"), which is one of the respiratory syndromes described above. During key informant interviews with veterinarians and para-professional animal health personnel (Animal Health Assistants, Animal Health Technicians, Community-based Animal Health Workers) working within the study area and in other parts of Afar Region, it was found that they attributed a variety of local names to PPR disease, and that the local names varied depending on whether the predominant clinical signs were respiratory (*sura'ale, gublo, mesengele*) or diarrhoea (*uruga, abel-uruga -* blood-diarrhoea). Other terms attributed to PPR within Chifra district were *aranwagit* (looking to sky), *korboda* (stones on neck), *undahi* (slowly) and *fododa* (no literal meaning obtained). An animal health worker in the south of Afar said that the name for PPR was *ndugulu*, meaning "drowsy" to describe the drooping ears, lowered head and sleepy eyes of the affected animal. This was a term that was formerly used for rinderpest, a disease of cattle that has been eradicated, caused by a virus related to PPRV and causing similar clinical signs. Also in the same area, a veterinarian and another animal health worker said the term for PPR was *gesohabe*, meaning "the pen (*geso*) is taken away", which parallels another local term for rinderpest in cattle; *dugahabe* meaning "the village is taken away". The term *dugahabe* was also used in Chifra for rinderpest but this term was not used for small ruminant disease. It should be highlighted that outbreaks of PPR that had been reported in the region had rarely been laboratory-confirmed so it was uncertain whether the outbreaks being described by the animal health personnel were caused by PPR virus. [Table 1](#tbl0005){ref-type="table"} shows the PPR clinical signs, as described in the veterinary literature, that were reported and/or observed to occur as part of the most common local disease syndromes. This demonstrates that, based on clinical examination, several of the common local disease syndromes would be identified as suspected cases of PPR disease, and laboratory diagnostic tests would be required to confirm or exclude this diagnosis.Table 1Afar small ruminant disease terms that are associated with PPR clinical signs.Table 1[^2] 4. Discussion {#sec0100} ============= The main small ruminant disease syndromes affecting the villages and causing the greatest impact in terms of mortality and loss of productivity were respiratory disease and diarrhoeal disease, followed by sheep and goat pox, lameness and skin disease. Mortality due to disease was highest during mid and late dry season, and sheep were more severely affected than goats. The pastoralists used a range of traditional and modern medicines and practices. In medical anthropology this has been called a "pluralist" or "popular" medical culture, in which people choose who to consult, what action to take, and decide for themselves what is most effective ([@bib0190]; [@bib0280]). Pluralist animal health systems have been reported in other pastoralist systems in East Africa. For the Maasai and Samburu, a pragmatic mixture of traditional and modern medicines has been observed with modern medicines and vaccines increasingly being used where experience demonstrated a contribution to herd survival, and due to increasing access to modern medicines ([@bib0155]; [@bib0350]). A similar situation was found for the Dinka in South Sudan ([@bib0315]), and in South Africa, where traditional medicines were considered to be effective for some diseases and modern medicines for others ([@bib0020]). This flexible, pragmatic approach makes the best use of the resources available to the pastoralists and demonstrates their adaptability, contributing to the resilience of the livelihood system. It also provides an opportunity for strengthening disease control systems: additional effective biomedical disease control measures, such as vaccination and ectoparasite control, were welcomed by the livestock keepers in this study. However, these interventions need to be planned together with the pastoralists to ensure that they are integrated into the daily and seasonal activities that are the foundation of productive sheep and goat rearing in arid and semi-arid rangelands. More regular and effective consultation with livestock keepers to prioritise and plan interventions would increase the impact of existing animal health services. The importance of livestock keeper participation in livestock disease control programmes was exemplified in the efforts to eradicate rinderpest from pastoralist livestock systems in East Africa ([@bib0215]) and will be equally important in the PPR eradication programme ([@bib0220]). Afar concepts of disease in the study area were predominantly naturalistic, which, when viewed from a biomedical perspective, appears to be rational and corresponds well with scientific theory. External stresses such as adverse weather and poor nutrition are exacerbated by the effect of parasites, leading to greater susceptibility to a variety of pathogens that are spread directly through contact or indirectly through the environment. The parallels between Afar and biomedical concepts provide common ground for communication between livestock keepers and veterinary personnel and the development of interventions to mitigate disease that fit with local disease understandings and can be explained in local terms. [@bib0145] asserts that, in general, infectious diseases of humans and animals in African cultures are understood naturalistically, and the concept of disease transmission through contact has also been observed in other African cultures and correlates well with biomedical concepts of contagious disease ([@bib0145]). Predominantly naturalistic animal health knowledge systems have been described in other pastoralist and agro-pastoralist communities in East Africa, such as the Issa Somali pastoralists ([@bib0130]), the Nilotic Dinka and Nuer in South Sudan ([@bib0315]; [@bib0005]), Samburu in northern Kenya ([@bib0155]), and Maasai in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania ([@bib0350]). For the Nilotic groups, there was also a personalistic element; some disease syndromes were associated with god, usually those characterised by sudden death or those with few clinical or post mortem signs ([@bib0005]), or new diseases suddenly occurring in an area ([@bib0155]). The Nuer, Dinka and Samburu also recognised that some diseases were contagious and practised isolation of sick animals and quarantine of affected herds ([@bib0100]; [@bib0005]; [@bib0155]; [@bib0205]). In West Africa, [@bib0040] reported that the FulBe (Fulani) in northern Senegal described some diseases to be contagious, being spread through contact between sick and healthy animals, from wild animals, birds and insects, the wind, or by handling a sick animal and then a healthy animal. They took action to limit spread by isolation and quarantine. Other diseases were associated with vegetation, water or soil, seasonal change, or malnutrition, but some individual animals or herds were fated to be inherently vulnerable, and otherwise unexplainable animal health problems were attributed to sorcery. In South Africa, [@bib0020] explored local animal health knowledge in several rural areas and found that the farmers' knowledge of disease causation was mainly naturalistic, associated with pasture, water, nutrition, weather and the seasons, but there was limited awareness of contagious spread. A few diseases in each area were ascribed to witchcraft, the supernatural or offending the ancestors, usually those related to sudden death or diseases affecting only the animals of a single person. Afar disease terminology in the study area was primarily syndrome-based, describing the main clinical signs or body parts affected. Some disease terms with pathognomonic clinical signs mapped closely to biomedical disease terms, but most terms were non-specific, representing a set of clinical signs that corresponded to several different biomedical diagnoses. There was variation in the use of terms within and between villages, and between different parts of the region, which might be attributed to dialect or variation in disease occurrence by area. At the individual level, variation in use of terms could be related to a person's direct experience of a disease, combined with what they had learnt from relatives and friends, and possibly their interaction with human health and animal health workers ([@bib0140]). From a biomedical point of view, respiratory, diarrhoeal or skin diseases have many possible aetiologies, and the clinical signs caused by a specific pathogen can vary depending on the stage of the disease, the host's immune status, species, age, co-infections and other factors. There have been a limited number of other studies of local veterinary knowledge in other parts of the Afar Region. In the 1990s, as part of community-based animal health projects there were several unpublished studies that aimed to document traditional Afar knowledge in relation to common livestock disease syndromes using semi-structured interviews with livestock keepers in several sites in central and south Afar ([@bib0210]; PARC, 1994). In 1997, [@bib0085] conducted a study of indigenous veterinary knowledge and practices in the northwest of Afar using questionnaires and group discussions with livestock keepers and animal health personnel, and observation in the market and villages. More recently, local knowledge of sheep and goat diseases was explored through group interviews with livestock keepers and animal health personnel in four districts of south and central Afar ([@bib0115]). These studies described a similar range of disease syndromes, and some of the disease terms recorded were the same or similar to those recorded during this study but there were some major differences between the north, centre and south of the region that are most likely due to variations in dialect across the region. More detail is provided in the supplementary information (SI 5). One of the limitations of some of these Afar studies, and other studies of local veterinary knowledge, has been the use of a single semi-structured group interview to represent an area during which a consensus list of terms and disease descriptions is obtained that implies a single body of consistent knowledge rather variation in knowledge at different scales ([@bib0190]; [@bib0250]). We found that using semi-structured interviews followed by clinical examinations combined with informal interviewing promoted more informative discussions than using semi-structured interviews only. [@bib0050] highlights the importance of participant observation and continued presence for accessing information that is taken for granted and therefore is less likely to come out during an interview. Based on their experiences of exploring ethno-veterinary knowledge of FulBe and Arab pastoralists in Cameroon, [@bib0250] comment that much local knowledge is practical and best studied through participant observation combined with interviews, rather than in the abstract solely through interview. We argue that larger scale rapid approaches should be complemented by longer term in-depth studies to improve the validity of the information. However, in general veterinarians do not receive any training in qualitative research methods during under- or post-graduate courses, whether in developed or developing countries, and there tends to be a lack of understanding and respect for knowledge systems that differ from the biomedical paradigm. Greater awareness of other ways of knowing would provide a foundation for improved communication between veterinarians and livestock keepers, and more appropriate animal health service delivery. As part of their training in research methods, veterinarians should be introduced to qualitative as well as quantitative approaches. The promotion of "participatory epidemiology" was an important step in this direction, but training in PE has generally been a short practical course in the use of semi-structured interviews and PRA tools, with little time spent on the epistemological principles of qualitative approaches, and therefore the PE approach falls short because it tends to be used for rapid information-gathering, without taking time for observation and informal interviews, and lacks the rigour of qualitative analysis. The variation in specificity of local disease terms in relation to biomedical terms and the problem of equating local disease terms based on observable clinical signs with biomedical disease names based on aetiology has been highlighted by other authors and can lead to inappropriate treatment advice to livestock keepers ([@bib0335]; [@bib0230]; [@bib0020]). [@bib0140] discussed the diversity of disease names used by various ethnic groups in East Africa and observed that a local disease term may refer to several biomedical diseases that have similar signs, and one (biomedical) disease may have more than one local disease name due to different signs at different stages of the disease or in different age groups. [@bib0155] explored ethno-veterinary knowledge with Samburu agro-pastoralists in northern Kenya and found that there were different local disease terms for different clinical presentations of the same (biomedical) disease. [@bib0005] conducted a study of ethno-veterinary knowledge in agro-pastoralist Dinka and Nuer communities in South Sudan and found that some disease terms were names for syndromes that corresponded closely with biomedical diseases, some had names based on a clinical sign but represented a syndrome with a wider set of signs, and some local diseases changed to another local disease as the clinical signs of a (biomedical) disease progressed. They cautioned against pairing local and biomedical terms. [@bib0060] investigated a chronic weight loss syndrome in cattle in South Sudan, which was generally assumed to be trypanosomiasis, and found that most affected animals had a mixed infection of trypanosomiasis, liver fluke, parasitic gastro-enteritis and schistosomiasis. In their study of local animal health knowledge in South Africa, [@bib0020] suggested that some direct translation from local to English terms was justified, but there were non-specific terms that related to more than one biomedical disease, and there was diversity in naming the same set of signs within and between sites. It is important therefore that veterinary personnel are encouraged (and have the resources) to spend time with livestock keepers and their flocks to understand local disease terms and clinical syndromes and their variability. They should be aware that local disease terms relate to syndromes and not to specific biomedical diagnoses, except where there are obvious pathognomonic signs that are recognised by both veterinary personnel and pastoralists. In relation to surveillance for PPR as part of an elimination programme, it will be important to have a sensitive surveillance system with multiple components including livestock keeper disease reporting and active disease searching. The Afar livestock keepers in this study did not appear to use a specific term for PPR disease, which is not unexpected given the syndrome-based disease terminology and the variability of clinical syndromes that can occur with PPR disease, ranging from mild, mainly upper respiratory tract signs, to pneumonia and/or diarrhoea. When PPR is first introduced into a naïve population there is usually a high mortality epidemic with severe distinctive clinical signs ([@bib0290]), but when the virus has been present in an area for some time, there is reduced mortality and severity of signs, making it less easy for veterinarians and animal health personnel to distinguish it from diseases with similar signs. Veterinary personnel involved in PPR surveillance in this area should be aware that there is no single local disease term for PPR disease, and several of the commonly occurring local disease syndromes have some or most of the clinical signs of PPR. This should be taken into account when conducting passive and active surveillance: PPR should be considered as a differential diagnosis of local disease terms for respiratory, diarrhoea, stomatitis and ocular/nasal discharge syndromes ([Table 1](#tbl0005){ref-type="table"}). During a clinical investigation, some syndromes can be rapidly excluded based on the presence of pathognomonic signs, such as the skin lesions of external *korboda,* which are typical of sheep and goat pox. However, most syndromes will require full history-taking, clinical examination and confirmation of a PPR diagnosis by rapid field diagnostic test or laboratory diagnostic test to confirm or exclude the diagnosis. More routine use of diagnostic tests will lead to a better understanding of the sensitivity and specificity of local disease terms in relation to laboratory-confirmed PPR i.e. which terms are most likely to be associated with true PPR disease. Based on the findings of this study, it is likely that a number of suspected PPR outbreaks may not be caused by PPR virus but may be other diseases that share similar clinical signs. It is therefore very important that an outbreak is fully investigated and confirmed as PPR before starting vaccination because the vaccination will not be effective at controlling the outbreak if the disease is not PPR, and will lead to loss of livestock keeper confidence in vaccination. The combination of qualitative and quantitative methods used in this study generated rich information on local disease terminology and occurrence in the study villages, but the purposive selection of villages and a non-random sample of households means that care should be taken when drawing generalised inferences or extrapolating the study results to other populations. However, the results provide an example that is likely to be of relevance to similar contexts in the Afar Region and in other pastoralist areas of eastern Africa. They contribute to an improved understanding of small ruminant disease in a marginalised pastoralist area to support more appropriate and effective disease surveillance and control strategies. Some of the production losses due to diseases are easily preventable through use of safe and effective vaccines. Vaccination campaigns that are planned together with the livestock keepers and coordinated across the region and with neighbouring regions, could eliminate a disease such as PPR from the region, leading to improved productivity, food security and more resilient livelihoods. Funding {#sec0105} ======= This work was supported by the Royal Veterinary College Research Office and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Animal Health and Welfare ERA-Net Project: Improved Understanding of the Epidemiology of Peste des Petits Ruminants (IUEPPR) \[grant number BB/L013592/1\]. Appendix A. Supplementary data {#sec0115} ============================== The following are Supplementary data to this article: The Animal Health Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Pastoral Agricultural Development Bureau of Afar Regional State in Ethiopia gave permission for this study. Mohammed Ali Siro provided Afar-English interpretation during the field study and Dawud Mohammed transcribed and translated audio-recordings of interviews. Supplementary material related to this article can be found, in the online version, at doi:<https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2019.104808>. [^1]: Present address: Vétérinaires Sans Frontières Germany, Sudan Country Office, PO Box 12970, Khartoum, Sudan. [esmael\@vsfg.org](http://esmael@vsfg.org){#intr0005}. [^2]: The main clinical signs of PPR (as described in veterinary literature) are listed in the left-hand column, and common local disease syndromes are listed across the top of the matrix. For each local syndrome, the shaded cells indicate which of the PPR clinical signs were reported by livestock keepers to be associated with the syndrome and/or were observed by the researchers when examining clinical cases of the syndrome, as named by the livestock keepers.

Exploring adsorption behavior of ethylene dichloride and dibromide vapors on blue phosphorene nanosheets: A first-principles acumens. The interrelation of toxic vapors ethylene dichloride (EDC) and ethylene dibromide (EDB) with the sensory base material blue phosphorene nanosheet (BLPNS) is studied using ab-initio method. The formational stability of BLPNS is ensured by the negative value of formation energy. Prior to the adsorption studies, we calculated the formation energy of BLPNS to ensure its stability, which is calculated to be -5.194eV/atom and found stable. The main motive behind the present work is to detect these toxic vapors using BLPNS. The intercommunication between the targeted vapors and the base material has been analyzed using the aid of adsorption energy, Bader charge transfer, energy band gap, and variation of band gap along with energy bands and DOS spectrum. The energy gap of isolated BLPNS is observed to be 1.621eV. However, the adsorption of EDC and EDB modulates the energy gap of BLPNS. The nature of assimilation is noticed to be of physisorption, which facilitates desorption of EDC and EDB molecules much easier. The successful outcome of the present research validates that BLPNS can be deployed as a prominent sensor for detection of EDC and EDB effectively.

Regulatory affairs department is updating the INGAA database and are requesting the following information from you. 1.??? Job Title 2.??? Company 3.???? Address 4.???? Phone 5.???? Fax?? If you could return this information A.S.A.P. it would be greatly appreciated. Enjoy your day. Melody

Mass cytometry reveals an impairment of B cell homeostasis in anti-synthetase syndrome. Recent data suggest the implication of T, B and NK cells in the anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS); nevertheless their role and activation states are poorly described. We performed deep immune-profiling using 37 markers on peripheral blood cells from 10 ASyS patients versus 17 healthy donors (HD) and 26 myositis control patients. We show decreased percentages of memory B cells in ASyS patients (mean ± SEM: ASyS = 13 ± 3%, HD = 37 ± 4% and 'myositis controls' = 32 ± 3), counterbalanced by increased percentages of naïve B cells. Interestingly, perifascicular infiltrations of memory B cells within muscle biopsies of ASyS patients suggest that they niche within the muscle.

Q: How to implement own custom dict class in python I am learning classes in python and am fiddling around with creating my own version of defaultdict from collections module. Here's what I have tried:- class Mydict(dict): def __missing__(self, key): self.key = [] return [] Here's the output from interactive shell:- >>> d = Mydict() >>> d['x'] #outputs [] >>> d['x'].extend([1,2,3,4,5]) >>> print(d) # Outputs {} I do not understand why does it not store the key x in the d object? What do I miss? A: Edit: To get the stored value returned instead of new list: In [143]: class Mydict(dict): ...: def __missing__(self, key): ...: self.__setitem__(key, []) ...: return self[key] ...: In [144]: d = Mydict() In [145]: d[2].extend([1, 2, 3]) In [146]: d[2] Out[146]: [1, 2, 3] dict uses __setitem__ to set key-value pairs, so you need to use that instead of setting attributes: In [113]: class Mydict(dict): ...: def __missing__(self, key): ...: self.__setitem__(key, []) ...: return [] ...: In [114]: d = Mydict() In [115]: d[1] Out[115]: [] In [116]: d Out[116]: {1: []} FWIW, you can use d.__dict__ or vars(d) to get the attributes dict you set via usual manners: In [117]: class Mydict(dict): ...: def __missing__(self, key): ...: self.__setattr__(key, 'foo') ...: self.__setitem__(key, 'bar') ...: return [] ...: In [118]: d = Mydict() In [119]: d['x'] Out[119]: [] In [120]: d Out[120]: {'x': 'bar'} In [121]: vars(d) Out[121]: {'x': 'foo'}

[Impact of iodine deficiency on the thyroid and neuromental development in children with neonatal transient hypothyroidism]. Ninety-five preschool age children living in an iodine deficiency area were examined. Neonatal screening forcongenital hypothyroidism showed that 79 and 16 children had a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level of 20-50 and 51-100 uIU/ml, respectively, which became normal in the first 6 months of life. A control group comprised 35 children of the same age who had a TSH level of as high as 20 uIU/ml. A study of thyroid function revealed subclinical hypothyroidism in 16.8% of cases and an isolated increase in free triiodothyronine with the normal levels of TSH and free T«. Volumetry Indicated detected thyroid hypoplasia in 36.8% of the children. In the study group, the neuropsychological development Index was 90-110scores in 38(40.0%) children, 80-89 scores in 24(25.3%), and less than 80 scores In 33 (34.7%). The found changes in the pituitary-thyroid system in the study group determine a risk for thyroid disease and cognitive defects, which requires a follow-up of such children and drug correction of thyroid function.

Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon addressed his feud with President Donald Trump during his Monday night monologue. The president lashed out at Fallon earlier this week after Fallon discussed the grief he got for tousling Trump’s hair during an appearance at the height of the 2016 presidential election cycle, an act which prompted many to posit that Fallon was normalizing a man who’d given every indication that he would shatter the norms of the presidency. “Be a man Jimmy!” Trump wrote yesterday after calling Fallon out for “whimpering.” .@jimmyfallon is now whimpering to all that he did the famous “hair show” with me (where he seriously messed up my hair), & that he would have now done it differently because it is said to have “humanized” me-he is taking heat. He called & said “monster ratings.” Be a man Jimmy! “Before we begin, I just wanna give a shout out to our show’s number one fan: the president of the United States!” Fallon began. “As you may have heard, last night, the president of the United States went after me on Twitter. So Melania, if you’re watching, I don’t think your anti-bullying campaign is working.” Fallon’s remarks referred to Melania Trump’s pledge to make cyberbullying one of the cornerstones of her tenure as First Lady. Many have noted the irony of Mrs. Trump’s initiative––or lack thereof––considering how often her husband has instigated online feuds himself, often with private citizens. Now that he is the president, Donald Trump’s tweets hold more power than ever before––he can sway financial markets and make world leaders worry. He can even attack television hosts. “When I saw that Trump insulted me on Twitter, I was gonna tweet back immediately, but I thought, ‘I have more important things to do,’” Fallon continued. “Then I thought, “Wait—shouldn’t he have more important things to do?’” After pulling Trump’s tweet up on a screen for his audience to see, Fallon remarked, “That’s real. It’s crazy. The president went after me on Twitter. It’s pretty much the only thing I have in common with NFL players.” Fallon added: “Well, in response, I made a donation in Trump’s name to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services, or RAICES. When Trump heard, he was like, ‘I love RAICES – they’re my favorite peanut butter cup. There’s no wrong wait to eat a RAICES.” He also took time to address the hair incident. A May 2017 profile on Fallon in The New York Times noted that he believed “that the Trump interview was a setback, if not quite a mistake, and he has absorbed at least a portion of the anger that was directed at him by critics and online detractors.” If nothing else, tonight’s monologue showed that Fallon could approach one of the darker periods of his career with humor: “This is two years ago. We always wanted to touch Trump’s hair…No one has any idea what is on the man’s head!” Addressing the backlash he received, Fallon said, “It’s all in the fun of the show. I made a mistake. I’m sorry if I made anyone mad. And, looking back, I would do it differently.” Fallon’s remarks were a far cry from the president’s own. Speaking hundreds of miles away from The Tonight Show‘s stages at a fiery rally in South Carolina, the president took an opportunity to lambast Fallon. The president’s comments served as an extension of the tweet he’d sent out earlier. “He was so disappointed to find out [my hair] was real. He couldn’t believe it,” Trump said. “Well that’s one of the great things I got. So Jimmy Fallon apologized. He apologized for humanizing me. Can you believe it? Poor guy, because now he’s going to lose all of us.” The president didn’t stop there. He took an opportunity to attack another television host, this time making a reference to Stephen Colbert, the host of The Late Show: Trump called him a “lowlife.” “The guy on CBS, what a lowlife,” Trump said. “I mean honestly are these people funny? They’re not talented people. I can laugh at myself, frankly if I couldn’t I’d be in big trouble. Johnny Carson was talented. This guy on CBS has no talent.”

Yes, sadly, the Rangers came up short Monday in their effort to land Josh Beckett from the Florida Marlins, who rather stupidly elected to take a lesser deal from the Boston Red Sox because the Marlins didn't want to pick up even Hank Blalock's modest contract. Disappointment at the corner of Ballpark Way and Randol Mill was palpable, and it should be. This was the kind of deal the Rangers have been needing to make for years, perhaps even a once-in-a-decade-or-two opportunity. That it fell through left new general manager Jon Daniels almost literally sick to his stomach. But for those of us who have been begging the Rangers to become more aggressive in acquiring pitching on the trade market, even this failed effort signaled that there's a new sheriff in town, and he's pulling no punches. "This was a tough negotiation that we played strong in from the beginning," Daniels said in a conference call late Monday afternoon to announce that the Marlins were going in another direction. "Our goal from Day 1 was to do whatever it takes to obtain a No. 1 pitcher. "That was our No. 1 priority, and it still is." Makes you feel like standing and cheering, doesn't it? Imagine how we'll feel if the Rangers manage to actually land a decent pitcher someday. "The longer it went, after we were willing to meet their asking price, the more we thought another club would be involved," he said. "I don't think I was surprised when I heard from them." Daniels downplayed the possibility that the Marlins might have made the deal if the Rangers had included the pitching prospect earlier in the process. This would have been Daniels' first deal as Rangers GM. He took over in October for John Hart. "You can certainly play the 'what if' game and the decision-making process, I'll look back on," Daniels said. "But I think it was clear that the Marlins were looking to maximize their gain in exchange for two very good players." Everything stopped in Joe Louis Arena on a surreal Monday night, the night Jiri Fischer's heart stopped. The Red Wings' defenseman was in stable condition later Monday at Detroit Receiving Hospital. Team officials said he was awake, responsive and in good spirits while greeting teammates, as he recovered from what was called a seizure. There was no more hockey on this night, surely one of the scariest in NHL history, absolutely the scariest night the Wings could ever remember. The Detroit-Nashville game was stopped in the first period, to be resumed later, a decision that didn't even need to be debated. All involved needed time to compose themselves, and figure out what they saw. We all know Dallas has the best resume of any NFL team since the birth of the Super Bowl, right? Here is a few “I’ll be darned” items in the wrong direction. During Sunday’s Cowboys-Lions pregame show, Mickey Spagnola suggested that the Lions had just one playoff win since 1957. That reminded me of the one win they had, when they steamrolled the very young, very talented, but not ready-for-primetime Dallas Cowboys in 1991 in the Silverdome, 38-6. The Lions are 1-9 in the playoffs since the 1960, with their one win being against maybe the greatest group of players in this NFL generation. What other team holds that odd distinction of stinking, and yet rising up once against the Boys? That’s right Cardinals fans. The Arizona Cardinals (formerly of St Louis and Chicago) have exactly one playoff win since 1947: Texas Stadium in 1998. Honorable mention: Carolina Panthers, who once had only 2 playoff wins – both against America’s team. Of course, they now have 4 (Rams and Eagles, too). What says vintage cold weather football like not running the ball and not stopping the run? Packers lose AGAIN … Thus, the Vikings swept Green Bay for the first time since 1998 and improved to 5-5, still within hailing distance of NFC North Division leader Chicago (7-3). The Packers saw whatever dim hopes they might have had to claim the division title for the fourth straight year all but extinguished. As it stands now, the Packers are one of four National Football League teams mired at 2-8. Houston is the only team worse at 1-9. Limited to 48 yards rushing at halftime, the Vikings pounded away for 112 in the second half to finish with 160. Meanwhile, the Packers had to settle for 21 yards on the ground as neither Samkon Gado nor Tony Fisher found any room to operate behind an offensive line that was clearly whipped at the point of attack by the Vikings' stout front seven. Rockets here tonight …I must tell you, there slow start is surely a surprise. Especially when everyone assured me they were going to be better than the Mavericks. It is still early, but they look like they have no guards again…Who thought Bob Sura was so valuable? But as the Rockets return to American Airlines Center tonight for the first time since they were whipped more thoroughly than any team has ever been whipped in Game 7 of a playoff series, they face more than the rolling Mavericks. Staggering since the 116-76 drubbing, the Rockets bring the worst record in the Western Conference to Dallas as the worst-scoring team in the NBA. And there are indications that a shakeup might be needed. With no backcourt player making better than 40 percent of his shots, the Rockets have begun to wonder whether their time has come and gone. Team management is like a little bity ant frantically crawling around during the offseason, but getting nothing done. Listening to Norm on possible free agent pitchers that Texas might pick up is such a beating because I for one, will NOT be fooled anymore. Texas, your rotation is, what it is as of the end of last year I'm afraid. All Genero casual Ranger fans need to just relax. Florida took a lesser deal because A. they did not need a 3B, and B. they did not want to take back any salary. They were just going to flip Blalock for prospects, so instead they took a very good prospect at a position of need for them. It sucks, but when you have the best deal on the table and you lose, what can you really do? I'm not so sure. If they wouldn't have balked at giving up Danks for 24-48 hours, they might have gotten this deal done before Boston swooped in. That stall was all the time Boston needed even though they have no GM. And don't be fooled. Tom Hicks was the one behind this deal and doing the negotiating, not Daniels. It was Hicks and the Marlins owner that brokered the entire thing. And of course it was Hicks' initial balking on including Danks that probably ended up killing it. Every NFL ref should aspire to his level of communication with the fans. His explanations on overturned or upheld plays via challenges are a hell of a lot better than the vanilla 'After further review, the play stands' explanation that the majority of other NFL refs offer. I know Kevin Weiberg could learn a thing or two from Ed with his 'we don't publically comment about officials' calls' BS policy. i'm very disappointed that this didn't happen. this is a guy that would have changed the face of this franchise. while i'm glad that the rangers are involved in these discussions, the more i think about it, this trade needed to be done b/c it's impossible for this team to draw in free agents due to the launching pad the rangers play in. prospects can come back to bite you in the ass if you trade them and they become stars, but this was for a 25 year old ace, the type of guy this franchise rarely gets the opportunity to get. and it just makes me sick that he's going to boston. i'm getting sick of the freaking yankees and red sox acquiring whoever the hell they want. the rich are still getting richer and the rangers continue to suck.... Daniels and the Marlin GM began the framework on this deal over a month ago. They set up the pieces, and the past few days it had gone to the owners because it began to involve money, who would take on what, etc. Hick did not borker this deal from the beginning. That's just not true. And do you really, really think if we'd agreed to include Danks on Sat, Florida would've just said "sweet, ok. we don't need to check with anyone else" Gimme a break. They probably went into this wanting Hanley Ramirez the entire time. It's not like we balked and then Boston came in with a better offer. In the end, we agreed to what Florida was supposedly asking, and they still went with a lesser package. How much do you want to go up? You're already paying more than market value. Want to throw in Arias too? Hell why not Diamond as well? Look I really, really wanted Becket. But you can't kill your farm system for one guy, unless that one guy is a SURE thing. And Becket simply is not. He has HUGE potential, but he's no sure thing. I was willing to overpay, but I was NOT willing to get run roughshod over. We had a fair, hell, better offer on the table. They chose not to take it. Move on. BTW, I've seen people claim Beckett would have "changed the face of the Rangers." Let's tap the breaks there. The guy has a road ERA over 4.00 in the National League. He has great stuff, but don't think for a second he would have come in here and posted a sub 3.00 ERA and won the Cy Young. He would have been a solid #1 for us, but he is NOT Jake Peavy or Roy Oswalt. I agree that there is a limit where you have to stop and that he isn't a sure thing, but neither are any of the prospects we have. I'm sure daniels gave it his best shot, but they're gonna have to start hitting on trade opportunities like this before we lose the good parts we do have so that hicks can turn a profit. he's the best guy that was available. i'm just frustrated b/c this is another in a long list of misses for the rangers. If you want to be somewhat uplifted as a Ranger fan, go read Jim Reev's column in the FWST telegram today. Bob has it linked up above. That readin made me feel somewhat better, because he accurately points out that this should end up being a sign of things to come with Daniels. If Hart's our GM, this was never even discuseed, because he just doesn't operate this way. Daniels is being creative and aggressive, and is honest about his desire to get better pitching. Beckett may not be the greatest thing ever, but all I know is the guy totally shut down the Yankees in the World Series two years ago. And the Rangers haven't had a pitcher around here that could do anything like that in over a decade at least. This rich get richer line is bunch of bull. Hicks has the money to spend just like the sox and yanks. However he is a meiser and values profit over on the field success. The players the sox traded were all homegrown shrewd draft picks. I cant stand people from Dallas and Houston bitching about big market teams. You think the stros didnt rake this year at the gate. are they going to reinvest nope. I don't begrudge hicks the right to operate as he sees fit, but the rich get richer is a line of BS. i'm not complaining about big market/small market, but over the last 5 years, the red sox and yankees get whoever the hell they want, and yes, those rich teams do seem to get richer each year. look at how much they spend. notice how they are in the playoffs every year? and now one of them just acquired the best pitcher that was available this year. therefore, the analogy does apply in this case. texas is a big market team, and should be spending. the fact that they refuse to do so is one of the reasons they aren't winning. if we're paying more and more each year to watch the rangers, yet they don't spend on the team, i think we do have a right as fans to complain about how hicks operates the team. Has there been talk up there in Dallas about any "off the field" problems with Blalock? I thought he'd been at odds with the front office or somesuch, but the Sun-Sentinal is reporting that the Marlins were scared off by "off field" issues. WTF? "Monday afternoon the Marlins informed the Rangers they were no longer in the Beckett sweepstakes. The Rangers, who were dangling two-time All-Star Hank Blalock and one of two minor league pitchers who were former first-round draft picks, the Marlins had off-field concerns about Blalock." Big Smooth, If its not a big market small market arguement, then the problem lies within your teams management. Yes the Yankees/Sox get whoever they want. I believe its because they can look a Free Agent in the face and say you will compete for a championship if you come here. Take Clement for example. He said he would come to Arlington however recieved no calls from the team. I hope this will be rectified by Daniels. The beckett trade is a perfect example of what a ripe farm system can do. You guys need to unload a few of them for something now. We didnt even know Beckett was on the market. The red sox were also the only team to tell Burnett he would not get 5 years from them but they would listen on $$$. If you look at the makeup of the team from 04 and on its made up of alot of savvy decisions that didnt involve a lot of cash. Mueller bellhorn etc.Look at the sports guy article today on ESPN.com. Very insightful, heres a clip (Note: Isn't it weird how you can grow attached to these faceless baseball prospects that you don't really know anything about? When they brought up Papelbon last summer, I almost felt like he was part of my family. Jon Papelbon! I've been waiting for this day for years! I could be telling my grandkids about this some day! Of course, I said the exact same things about Kevin Morton 15 years ago. There isn't a stranger sport than baseball.) Giving the Rangers credit for "trying to get Beckett" is like giving A&M credit for "playing hard." And as an Aggie, I'm pissed that both teams' respective fans have been reduced to showering them with this kind of praise.

constructing the underdog, part ix: spaceor, if the space program isn't your bag, there's a bit about foreign policy at the endby jeffrey d. walker 9.17.08 news This article is part of a series intended to foster open discussions on the issues as we get set to elect the next President of the United States. See more info about the concept here. You're invited to add your two cents by joining the discussion. And in case you might be wondering, I'm saying nothing about the vice-president could-bes. It's the first name on the ticket who'll do the job, so stay focused. I wanted to be an astronaut as kid. Of course, I thought it would be more like Star Wars or Buck Rodgers, and when I learned it was not like that, my interest abated. Thankfully, space travel goes on without me. But what will happen under our next president? McCain confirms his commitment to the space program on his website, but it's hardly a ringing endorsement. He indicates that NASA is in a "mission-rut", and adds that "Although the general view in the research community is that human exploration is not an efficient way to increase scientific discoveries given the expense and logistical limitations, the role of manned space flight goes well beyond the issue of scientific discovery and is reflection of national power and pride." I want to repeat that last part: "National power and pride." When I re-read McCain's space statement in writing this article, it struck me that McCain's policy on space sounded a lot like his stance on the war: America must emerge victorious! Think I'm kidding? Again, from the website: "In 1971, when the Nixon Administration was looking at canceling the Apollo program and not approving the development of the Space Shuttle - then Office of Management and Budget Deputy Director Casper Weinberger stated that such a policy: "would be confirming in some respects a belief that I fear is gaining credence at home and abroad: That our best years are behind us, that we are turning inward, reducing our defense commitments, and voluntarily starting to give up our super-power status and our desire to maintain world superiority." Three and a half decades later this seems equally valid, if not more so given the increased number of countries that are making significant investments in space." Indeed, in the bullet-point section at the end, McCain's first point is to "Ensure that space exploration is top priority and that the U.S. remains a leader". "Top Priority" Obama's statement on the space program was quite similar to McCain's with one exception: long distance human space travel. As part of Obama's $18 billion dollar a year education plan, "The early education plan will be paid for by delaying the NASA Constellation Program for five years, using purchase cards and negotiating power of the government to reduce costs of standardized procurement, auctioning surplus federal property, and reducing the erroneous payments identified by the Government Accountability Office, and closing the CEO pay deductibility loophole." Many have attacked this statement, asserting that Obama will be dropping all NASA funding, leaving the agency to wither on the vine for five years, and probably destroying its ability to recover after such a pause. And, were that the case, it might be true. However, it's been reported that those budget cuts were meant to refer to delaying only manned space flights beyond the earth's orbit (to the moon and beyond), favoring unmanned long-range missions for the short term, and limiting manned space travel to our planet's orbit, developing the next generation of space vehicles, and completing the international space station. As such, though some conservative bloggers attempt to whip Obama with his statement within the Education policy, his plan for NASA is not so dissimilar from McCain's. And not that I think we should not be leaders, but I get this sense that Obama and McCain are trying to win something here; like there can be a space "winner." I reflected on this point for a while. (For a long while last month, in fact, when I was first writing this story, but was having trouble finishing it, and then got horribly sidetracked by a religious experience). It wasn't until I ran across an article in the "Opinion" section of the Wall Street Journal, published on September 10, 2008, entitled, "The Foreign Policy Difference" that I was able to draw a conclusion. In that piece, the writer portrays McCain favorably as sort of an America-first nationalist, "not eager to be loved by foreigners," contrasted against Obama who, as he puts it, "... proceeds from the notion of American guilt", insinuating that Obama's foreign policies favoring diplomacy are inherently flawed. The writer implies that part of this is due to an age difference in the candidates. While I don't agree with the commentary overall, the age issue presented by the writer proved to me to be the best explanation of why McCain and Obama have similar positions on the space program. If you're under 43, like I am, you probably have no recollection of The Apollo Program. It was declared by Kennedy that America would go to the moon, and less than a decade later, we did. American was competing with the U.S.S.R. to get there, and the whole thing was dubbed the Space Race . But, the quote in McCain's statement holds great truth: the Apollo program was basically the most exciting time in American space flight, not only because of the moon landings, etc., but because it occurred against the backdrop of the cold war, too. I'm old enough to remember the U.S.S.R. as an "enemy" of America, and can grasp a little of the gravity of the U.S.A. / U.S.S.R. dichotomy, but I'll admit that it usually conjures up fewer pictures of bombs in my head, and more conjures up scenes from Rocky IV: Using this as my muse, I contemplated the impact of growing up American, watching America and it's last great enemy empire competing to get to the moon. Both Obama and McCain grew up during the Apollo Program, and saw the whole thing. Considering this, it's no wonder that space exploration to them is a symbol of American pride. That's for people approximately 43 and up. For those if us younger, we're closer to thinking of Star Wars or Buck Rogers. We don't consider America to be in a competition for space with the rest of the world for space. Ultimately, any and all benefits learned or found in space will be shared by all earthlings. There isn't an actual benefit in considering who plants a flag on Mars first, or which country gets a viable civilian space travel company going sooner. In the end, there's enough Tang to go around for everyone. Case in point, America and Russia, the two formal rivals, along with a couple handfuls of other countries, all cooperate in the International Space Station (ISS). What dominance do we really expect given this level of teamwork? I may be showing my age, but I think that either candidate posturing that America should be "#1 in space" is needlessly beating the nationalist drum. I don't I agree with the conclusions that the writer of "The Foreign Policy Difference", but if his portrayals of Obama and McCain as collaborator and separatist, respectively in terms of their foreign policy strategy are true, then I can only think of Rocky IV where he says, "If I can change, and you can change, everybody can change." But what do you think? ABOUT JEFFREY D. WALKER A practicing attorney and semi-professional musician, Walker writes for his own amusement, for the sake of opinion, to garner a couple of laughs, and to perhaps provoke a question or two, but otherwise, he doesn't think it'll amount to much. COMMENTS Hey, Jeff. While I agree with your personal sentiment 100%, I think you miss the critical subtext inherent in the two candidates' position statements. Space, specifically near-earth orbit, is commoditized. Just turn on your TV or call your buddy in Shanghai and you partake in a highly competitive orbital economy. Space has also been highly militarized. The U.S. has deployed space based weapons, defensive capabilities and spy satellites for years. Ronald Reagan helped to bankrupt the Soviet Union by threatening them with a ridiculously expensive space based weapons platform they could not hope to rival. For a more recent example, I would cite China’s big missle launch of January, 2007 when they destroyed one of their own satellites just to prove to the world (i.e., America) that they could defend their interests in space. ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6289519.stm) So when McCain and Obama talk about space and space “exploration” in nationalistic terms (and specifically when McCain mentions “national power and pride”), they mean that they are cognizant of the need to defend our valuable national interests in space. NASA does the exploration thing well, but that’s just the smiley face we put on our comprehensive national space program, which involves massive private corporate investment and the various systems deployed by the military in the name of national security. While we may be able to work with the Russians and others on scientific missions, when it comes to protecting the celestial real estate floating right above our heads, we’re as territorial as a cadre of gangbangers. I think it's going to take something transcendentally awesome to encourage national interest in the space program ever again. After GWB tried to get his JFK on, did you hear the collective gasps of awe? No? Me neither. Kennedy spoke from a position of incredible strength: we were coming out of the hyperindustrial 50s, with a whole generation of WW2 vets that rolled into the burgeoning military-industrial complex courtesy of a GI Bill-funded college education. While just about every other (industrialized) country in the world was finally getting over getting the snot bombed out of 'em, we were soaring. Unstoppable. Well, we all know what the past half dozen years have been like here in the U.S.; we're still in the throes of economic turmoil, foreign policy morasses and pretty dismal national morale. Quite different from 1961. Trying to give the nation a cheerful "Buck up, America!" rah-rah program like returning to the moon or heading to Mars would be rhetorical suicide for either candidate; we've got to salve our real problems first, and I'm sure they understand that. Now, if a case could be built that NASA research can and does assist the nation in achieving energy independence, I'm sure you'd see a more marked embrace of the space program. I agree with Cap Weinberger's statement wholeheartedly. To surrender pursuit of the kind of incredible goals and projects that typify NASA would be a diminishing of national pride, and that's a bad thing. BUT: there is no reason why we cannot immediately pursue incredible goals and projects that are more immediately beneficial to our citizenry and our national security. Let's get our house in order, with a push in engineering, technology and economic growth. With our nation intact as a stable "launch platform" again, the moon and Mars suddenly wouldn't seem nearly so far away.

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-5 + (sqrt(104)/(sqrt(8)*-4*1) - ((sqrt(130) + 5*sqrt(130))*6)/sqrt(10)). -145*sqrt(13)/4 - 5 Simplify (-2*(5 + 1 + sqrt(1053) + -2) + 2*-2*sqrt(13) + sqrt(91)/sqrt(28) + (sqrt(13) + 1)*-4*2)**2. 944*sqrt(13) + 46277/4 Simplify ((5 + (sqrt(19) - sqrt(114)/sqrt(54))*-1)*2)**2 + (4*1*sqrt(76))/(3*sqrt(100) - sqrt(100)). -394*sqrt(19)/15 + 1204/9 Simplify (5 + 2*sqrt(17)*3 - (sqrt(170)/(sqrt(100)/sqrt(10)) + 4))**2 + -3. 10*sqrt(17) + 423 Simplify (2*sqrt(77)*1 + -4*sqrt(77)*-2)/(-3*sqrt(11)*3*-2)*4. 20*sqrt(7)/9 Simplify ((sqrt(10) + -6*sqrt(40))/((-2*sqrt(6))/sqrt(3)) - ((-4 + sqrt(20)/sqrt(4))**2 - (sqrt(720) + ((sqrt(720) - sqrt(720)*3)**2 - sqrt(720))))) + -4. 27*sqrt(5)/2 + 2855 Simplify (-5*-1*sqrt(756)*1)/(sqrt(567)*-6*-6*-6). -5*sqrt(3)/324 Simplify ((5*((sqrt(528) - (3*sqrt(528) + sqrt(528))) + sqrt(528)))/(1*sqrt(147) + sqrt(147) - sqrt(48)*-1))**2*-4. -17600/81 Simplify 2*((-6*2*sqrt(187))/sqrt(11) - (-1 + ((sqrt(136)/(sqrt(8) + -1*sqrt(8) - sqrt(8)))**2 - sqrt(17))))*-4*6. 768 + 528*sqrt(17) Simplify 2*((-2*sqrt(1620)*-5*5)/((2*sqrt(100)*3 - sqrt(100))/(sqrt(160)*-2)))**2. 2073600 Simplify ((sqrt(540)/(1*sqrt(10)))/((sqrt(27) + 2*sqrt(27) + sqrt(27))/sqrt(3)))/(-5*(sqrt(3) - 2*sqrt(12)/sqrt(4))*3). sqrt(2)/60 Simplify (4 + 6*(1 + sqrt(52) + -4*(sqrt(13) + -2*sqrt(13))) + sqrt(26)/(sqrt(6)/sqrt(3)) + 3*sqrt(13)*4)**2. 980*sqrt(13) + 31313 Simplify (-5 + 6*(sqrt(612)*1 + 1 + 3 - (5 + (sqrt(612) - (-5 + 1 + sqrt(612) - sqrt(612))))) + -2)**2. 1369 Simplify -6*(0 + sqrt(68)/(sqrt(576) + 1*sqrt(576) - sqrt(576)) - ((5 + -1 + sqrt(17))**2 - ((sqrt(255)/sqrt(5))/sqrt(3) - sqrt(17)))). 95*sqrt(17)/2 + 198 Simplify (5*-2*sqrt(5) + (sqrt(220)/sqrt(4) + sqrt(55))/sqrt(11) - ((sqrt(5) + 4)*1 + -2))**2 + 0 + 4. 36*sqrt(5) + 413 Simplify 0 + (-3*(-5 + (sqrt(308) + sqrt(308)*3*-1)/(sqrt(7) + (sqrt(7) - sqrt(42)/sqrt(216)))))**2. 2160*sqrt(11)/11 + 7659/11 Simplify (5 + 5*((0 + sqrt(700))*2 - (sqrt(700) + -2 + sqrt(700) + 1 - sqrt(700))) + -4)**2*6*4. 14400*sqrt(7) + 420864 Simplify 3*(1 + -2 + (sqrt(48) + 3 + sqrt(12)*1 + 3 + 2)**2 + 2). 288*sqrt(3) + 519 Simplify (-1*(sqrt(117) + (sqrt(117) - (sqrt(117) - -3*sqrt(117)*2))))/(sqrt(9)*2*2 + 5*sqrt(45)/sqrt(5))*-5. -25*sqrt(13)/9 Simplify 5*(6*(3 + ((sqrt(3200) - (sqrt(3200) + -3 + sqrt(3200))) + 0 - sqrt(3200))*4))**2*2. -3456000*sqrt(2) + 73809000 Simplify (sqrt(40)/sqrt(8) - sqrt(5)) + -4 + sqrt(25)/(sqrt(35)/sqrt(7)) + (-4 + sqrt(20)*-1)*2. -12 - 3*sqrt(5) Simplify -1 + (-2*2*sqrt(11))**2 + -3 + -2 - (5 + ((sqrt(44) + -1*sqrt(44))**2 - (2 + (-1 + sqrt(11) + sqrt(11))**2))*2). -8*sqrt(11) + 259 Simplify ((sqrt(1331) - (-5 + sqrt(1331)*-2))**2 - 6*(-1*sqrt(1331))**2) + (5*(sqrt(1331) - (2 + sqrt(1331))) - (1 + (-2*sqrt(1331) - sqrt(1331))))**2 + -2. -396*sqrt(11) + 16116 Simplify ((-5*2*-3*4*sqrt(75)*-2 + -5)*3)**2. 108000*sqrt(3) + 38880225 Simplify (-2*1*((sqrt(80) - (sqrt(80) + 3 + sqrt(80) + sqrt(80)))*1 - (5 + (-1*sqrt(80) - sqrt(80))))*-5)**2. 6400 Simplify (-2 + 1*-3*(sqrt(200) + 1) - (4*(sqrt(200) + sqrt(200)*-2) - (sqrt(200)*1 - sqrt(200))*-6))**2. -100*sqrt(2) + 225 Simplify -2 + (-3*(sqrt(2187) - sqrt(2187)*-1))/(sqrt(576) + 2*sqrt(576) + (sqrt(63)*2)/sqrt(7)). -27*sqrt(3)/13 - 2 Simplify -2 + (sqrt(968) - ((sqrt(968)*2 - sqrt(968))*-6 - sqrt(968)))/(sqrt(144) + sqrt(144) + sqrt(144) + 3*sqrt(144) + sqrt(144)). -2 + 44*sqrt(2)/21 Simplify (-2*(sqrt(588) + (sqrt(588) - -1*sqrt(588))) + sqrt(588) + 2*sqrt(588)*-6 + sqrt(588) + sqrt(588))/(6*(sqrt(100) - -1*sqrt(100))*3). -7*sqrt(3)/12 Simplify (sqrt(204) + 2*2*sqrt(204))/(1*sqrt(12)*1) + (sqrt(17) + sqrt(17) + 2 + 2 - ((sqrt(204)*1)/sqrt(12))**2). -13 + 7*sqrt(17) Simplify -1*(-4*(sqrt(605) + sqrt(605) + -3)**2 + 5 - (-4 + (-1 + sqrt(605) - sqrt(605)))**2*6) + 3. -528*sqrt(5) + 9864 Simplify (-2 + sqrt(68) + 1 - sqrt(68) - (sqrt(68) + -1 + 1 + sqrt(68)))**2 + (-3*sqrt(68)*-1 + sqrt(68) + -1 + 0)**2. -8*sqrt(17) + 1362 Simplify (-3*sqrt(612)*2 + 2 + sqrt(204)/(sqrt(96)/sqrt(8)) + (sqrt(17) - (2 + (sqrt(17) - (sqrt(17) - (sqrt(17) - sqrt(85)/sqrt(5)))))))**2. 19652 Simplify (1 + (sqrt(567)*1*4 - (4 + sqrt(567) + -4))*2 + 4)**2. 540*sqrt(7) + 20437 Simplify (sqrt(98) + -4*sqrt(98) + -5)**2 + -5 + (-3 + (sqrt(98) + 0 - sqrt(98)) - (2 + (sqrt(98)*-1 - sqrt(98)) - sqrt(98)))**2. 1809 Simplify (-5*5*-6*((sqrt(245) + -2)*6 + -1 + -2*sqrt(245))*-2)**2. -65520000*sqrt(5) + 368010000 Simplify (4 + ((sqrt(77) + 1*sqrt(77))/sqrt(7) - (5 + (sqrt(11) - sqrt(33)/sqrt(3)))))**2 - (2 + -3 + 1 + sqrt(1331)*2)**2. -5279 - 4*sqrt(11) Simplify ((-3*sqrt(66)*3)/(sqrt(72)/sqrt(3)))**2 - ((sqrt(88) + -4*sqrt(88)*1)/sqrt(8) - (-4 + (sqrt(44))**2*4)). 3*sqrt(11) + 1579/4 Simplify (sqrt(143)*2*2 + sqrt(143) - sqrt(143))/(sqrt(11) - sqrt(66)/(sqrt(6)*2)) - 5*(1*sqrt(39)*1)/sqrt(3). 3*sqrt(13) Simplify (-2*sqrt(605)*2 + -1*sqrt(605) + sqrt(605) + -1 + -1 + 4*5*sqrt(605)*2*-5)**2. 8976*sqrt(5) + 25177684 Simplify (sqrt(243)*-1 - (-1*(-1 + sqrt(3)) + sqrt(3) + -5*1*sqrt(3))) + 4 + 5*(-4 + sqrt(75) + 1)**2. -154*sqrt(3) + 423 Simplify ((-1*(sqrt(200) - (5 + sqrt(200) + sqrt(200) + sqrt(200)*-2)))**2 - (1 + (sqrt(200) - (1 + sqrt(200) - sqrt(200))) + -2)) + -3 + -4. -110*sqrt(2) + 220 Simplify (((sqrt(208) - (sqrt(208) + 1 + sqrt(208)))*3 - (-3 + sqrt(208)*1))**2 - ((sqrt(208) + 3)*-1 + -1)**2)*2. -64*sqrt(13) + 6208 Simplify (3*-4*(sqrt(204) + -2*sqrt(204))/sqrt(12)*-6 + sqrt(136)/(sqrt(8)*2) + (sqrt(17) - (sqrt(17) + 0))*-3 + 2 + sqrt(425) + -1)**2. -133*sqrt(17) + 300717/4 Simplify (2*(-4 + -1*sqrt(12) + -4))**2 - -5*(2*(4 + (sqrt(3) + sqrt(3)*2)*-2))**2. -832*sqrt(3) + 2784 Simplify ((-1*sqrt(95)*-2 + sqrt(95))*2*-1)/(-4*(sqrt(5) - sqrt(540)/sqrt(12) - -4*(sqrt(5)*-2 - sqrt(5)))). -3*sqrt(19)/28 Simplify 4 + sqrt(405) + 0 + sqrt(245) + 0 + 3 + -1*(0 + (1*sqrt(500))**2). -493 + 16*sqrt(5) Simplify (5*sqrt(450)*1 - -6*2*sqrt(450))/(sqrt(100)/(sqrt(10)*3) + (-3*sqrt(250) - sqrt(250) - sqrt(250) - sqrt(250))). -153*sqrt(5)/89 Simplify (sqrt(231)/(sqrt(14)/sqrt(2)))/(sqrt(9)/(sqrt(9)/sqrt(3))) + (-2*sqrt(88)*3)/(sqrt(8) + sqrt(8) + sqrt(800)*-2) + 2. 2 + 4*sqrt(11)/3 Simplify -5 + -1 + -5 + 3 + 5 + ((sqrt(1216) + 3)*-4 + -4)**2. 1024*sqrt(19) + 19709 Simplify 1 + ((sqrt(96)*1)/((sqrt(48)/sqrt(4) + sqrt(12))*-3))**2 + (-6*sqrt(32) - sqrt(8)*-5)**2 + -5. 3494/9 Simplify (-5*(2*sqrt(121) + sqrt(121)) + sqrt(121) - sqrt(121))/(sqrt(11)*3*3)*4*2. -40*sqrt(11)/3 Simplify 1*(-6*(5 + -3 + sqrt(891)*2) - -6*(sqrt(891)*-2 + sqrt(891))*3*5)**2. 22032*sqrt(11) + 9270108 Simplify (-4 + 5 + (0 + sqrt(243) + 6*(0 + sqrt(243) - sqrt(243)) - ((1 + sqrt(243))*-1 + sqrt(243)*-1 + 4)))**2. -108*sqrt(3) + 2191 Simplify 3*(-3 + 5*-2*-1*((3 + sqrt(425)*-2 + sqrt(425))**2 - sqrt(425)*-2*3)). 13011 Simplify 2*(4*(-2 + (sqrt(200) - (-2*sqrt(200))**2)) + (-4*sqrt(2) + 2 - (-1 + sqrt(2))*1)). -6410 + 70*sqrt(2) Simplify 0 + (-2 + sqrt(325)*2*4)**2 + (-5*(sqrt(1053) - (sqrt(1053) + sqrt(1053)*-1 + 3) - (-1 + sqrt(1053))*1))**2. -160*sqrt(13) + 20904 Simplify 3*((sqrt(648)*-6)/sqrt(6))**2*4 - 2*(-4 + ((sqrt(3) + sqrt(12)/sqrt(4) + 4)**2 + sqrt(3) - sqrt(576)/sqrt(12))). -26*sqrt(3) + 46608 Simplify ((sqrt(960) + -1*sqrt(960) + sqrt(960) - -3*(sqrt(135) + sqrt(15)))/(3*sqrt(1280)*-1))**2. 25/48 Simplify ((sqrt(95)*-1)/sqrt(5) - (sqrt(209)/(sqrt(44)/sqrt(4)) - sqrt(19)))**2 + (5 + sqrt(171) + 0 + sqrt(171) + sqrt(171) + sqrt(171) + 6*sqrt(171)*-1)**2. -60*sqrt(19) + 728 Simplify -6*(sqrt(1200) - (sqrt(180)/sqrt(5))/sqrt(3))/(sqrt(24)*-1 - (-2*sqrt(6)*-5 + sqrt(6))). 54*sqrt(2)/13 Simplify ((-1*(sqrt(3087) + -1 + sqrt(3087)) + (sqrt(3087) + -3 + sqrt(3087) - sqrt(3087)) + -4)*-1)**2*4. 1008*sqrt(7) + 12492 Simplify -5 + (sqrt(209)/(sqrt(44) - sqrt(11)))**2 + 4 - (-1 + sqrt(114)/(sqrt(60)/(sqrt(80)/sqrt(8)))). -sqrt(19) + 19 Simplify (5*(sqrt(3456) + sqrt(3456) + (2*sqrt(3456) + sqrt(3456))*2 + sqrt(3456)))/((2*(sqrt(588) + sqrt(588)*-1) - sqrt(588))*-6). 90*sqrt(2)/7 Simplify ((sqrt(99) - (sqrt(99) - ((-2*sqrt(99) + sqrt(99))*5 - sqrt(99)))) + sqrt(99) + (sqrt(99) + 3*(sqrt(99) + -1*sqrt(99)) - sqrt(99)))/(3*sqrt(729)*5)*6. -2*sqrt(11)/9 Simplify -4*(sqrt(720)*3*-3 + -5)**2 - (((sqrt(720) + sqrt(720) + sqrt(720)*2 + -4)*1)**2 + 3). -244919 - 3936*sqrt(5) Simplify ((-3*sqrt(486))/sqrt(3))/((sqrt(9) +

966 F.2d 676 Williamsv.County of El Paso* NO. 91-8505 United States Court of Appeals,Fifth Circuit. June 03, 1992 1 Appeal From: W.D.Tex. 2 AFFIRMED. * Fed.R.App.P. 34(a); 5th Cir.R. 34.2

Elimination of Fc receptor-dependent effector functions of a modified IgG4 monoclonal antibody to human CD4. Several CD4 mAbs have entered the clinic for the treatment of autoimmune diseases or transplant rejection. Most of these mAbs caused CD4 cell depletion, and some were murine mAbs which were further hampered by human anti-mouse Ab responses. To obviate these concerns, a primatized CD4 mAb, clenoliximab, was generated by fusing the V domains of a cynomolgus macaque mAb to human constant regions. The heavy chain constant region is a modified IgG4 containing two single residue substitutions designed to ablate residual Fc receptor binding activity and to stabilize heavy chain dimer formation. This study compares and contrasts the in vitro properties of clenoliximab with its matched IgG1 derivative, keliximab, which shares the same variable regions. Both mAbs show potent inhibition of in vitro T cell responses, lack of binding to complement component C1q, and inability to mediate complement-dependent cytotoxicity. However, clenoliximab shows markedly reduced binding to Fc receptors and therefore does not mediate Ab-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity or modulation/loss of CD4 from the surface of T cells, except in the presence of rheumatoid factor or activated monocytes. Thus, clenoliximab retains the key immunomodulatory attributes of keliximab without the liability of strong Fcgamma receptor binding. In initial clinical trials, these properties have translated to a reduced incidence of CD4+ T cell depletion.

Miss Chong, 24, said: "We hadn't realised it was such a big day, and I was so worried I wouldn't be able to get a dress." Advertisement Only two other dates this century remain in which the day, month and year will be the same: 11-11-2011 and 12-12-2012. A spokeswoman for Australian Marriage Celebrants Incorporated, Ann Dally, said there was an unusually high number of weddings booked for next Sunday. Ms Dally said some celebrants in her organisation had been turning couples away. "A lot of celebrants might only get one wedding a week or one wedding a month but all our members are booked out for this date. I have actually had to turn away about 10 couples."

China Teapots The teapot as we know it was invented in China during the Yuan Dynasty in the 13th Century, and probably derived from ceramic kettles and bronze wine pots which were a feature of Chinese life for thousands of years. As experts in the industry for more than 100 years, Havens know almost everything there is to know about teapots!

Persimmon vinegar polyphenols protect against hydrogen peroxide-induced cellular oxidative stress via Nrf2 signalling pathway. Since polyphenols are known to exhibit antioxidative properties, we prepared and characterized persimmon vinegar polyphenols (PVP) in this study. Furthermore, we investigated the protective effect of PVP on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress in HepG2 cells and its underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that flavon-3-ols were the predominant polyphenols in PVP. Pre-treatment with PVP significantly decreased (p < 0.05) H2O2-induced cell damage in a dose-dependent manner, accompanied by decrease in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, aminotransferase activities, and ROS accumulation. Moreover, PVP upregulated the expression of antioxidative enzymes, such as heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), and increased the levels of glutathione. Western blotting results showed that PVP induced the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived-2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2). Taken together, our results indicated that PVP effectively protected HepG2 cells against oxidative stress via activation of the Nrf2 antioxidative pathway.

Four soldiers from SWATIraqi forces captured alive and later killed in Alramadi As we mentioned in the last article that if the Iraqi forces not entered and liberating Fuloja and Ramadi they have to expect more killing.This happened and will occur again. The more the terrorists stayed inside Fuloja and Ramadi the more they will find for themselves strong foothold.On the other hand Baghdad and the other cities received another storms of car bombs and attacks today.Tens of civilians were killed and injured. Seven lorry drivers have been killed today in Baqoba. The only solution is to get Fuloja back from the terrorists which are the responsibility of the government.

Q: Select records between 3 different work shifts? I have a data table called "Requests" that records the requests made by employees in a company, I used to use a Stored Procedure to get all the request from a single workday (starting at 6am and ending at 6am of the next day) USE [DataBase] GO /****** Object: StoredProcedure [dbo].[SP_GetRequests] ******/ SET ANSI_NULLS ON GO SET QUOTED_IDENTIFIER ON GO ALTER procedure [dbo].[SP_GetRequests] as begin DECLARE @from datetime set @from = getdate(); if (DATEPART(HOUR, @from) < 6) set @from = dateadd(day, -1, @from); DECLARE @start_date datetime = CONVERT(datetime, CONVERT(char(9), @from, 112) + '06:00'); DECLARE @end_date datetime = DATEADD(HOUR, 24, @start_date) select * FROM Requests where RequestDate between @start_date and @end_date end Now I need another stored procedure to get all the request from a specific work shift. The company has 3 work shifts (1st: 6am to 2pm / 2nd: 2pm to 10pm / 3rd: 10pm to 6am). Is there a way to get all the requests from a single shift? For example: if the current time is 5am, to only show the requests from the 3rd shift (10pm to 6am) and if it is 3pm to only show the requests from the 2nd shift (2pm to 10pm) A: Here is a quick script to get you started. Use AdventureWorks2017; Go If OBJECT_ID ('tempdb..#Requests') is not null Drop Table #Requests Create Table #Requests (id int identity (1,1) primary key, [Name] varchar (1), DateTime1 Datetime) Insert into #Requests ([Name], DateTime1) Select 'A', '2020-04-03 07:00' UNION ALL Select 'B', '2020-04-03 15:00' UNION ALL Select 'C', '2020-04-03 23:00' Declare @timeofinterest datetime --Set @timeofinterest = GetDate() Set @timeofinterest = '2020-04-03 12:00' --Set @timeofinterest = '2020-04-03 18:00' --Set @timeofinterest = '2020-04-03 02:00' If cast(@timeofinterest as time) between '06:00' and '14:00' Begin Select * from #Requests where cast(DateTime1 as time) between '06:00' and '14:00' and cast(Datetime1 as date) = cast(@timeofinterest as date) End If cast(@timeofinterest as time) between '14:00' and '22:00' Begin Select * From #Requests where cast(DateTime1 as time) between '14:00' and '22:00' and cast(Datetime1 as date) = cast(@timeofinterest as date) End If cast(@timeofinterest as time) between '22:00' and '23:59' or cast(@timeofinterest as time) between '00:01' and '06:00' Begin Select * From #Requests where cast(DateTime1 as time) between '22:00' and '23:59' or cast(DateTime1 as time) between '00:01' and '06:00' and cast(Datetime1 as date) = cast(@timeofinterest as date) End The functionality around midnight needs a bit of work but this uses an if … else to return the records in question. If the time is in shift x it will only return records from that shift. Hope this helps.

Biomodulation of Fluorouracil in colorectal cancer. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) remains the agent of choice for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Research has focused on the biomodulation of 5-FU in order to attempt to improve the cytotoxity and therapeutic effectiveness of this drug in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. Modulation of 5-FU by methotrexate (MTX), trimetrexate (TMTX), interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), leucovorin (LV), or N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-asparte acid (PALA) has produced higher response rates than those observed with 5-FU alone. Methotrexate may improve the durability of response to or survival with 5-FU, but with inferior results compared with those in trials of 5-FU and leucovorin. Trimetrexate produces a number of responses, and further phase III trials are in progress to confirm the results of promising phase II trials with this drug. IFN-alpha has shown therapeutic efficiency when combined with 5-FU alone or with 5-FU and leucovorin, but latest studies with these combinations have shown increased toxicity. Initial single-institution phase I trials with 5-FU and PALA reported promising responses, but the latter responses with PALA were not substantiated in randomized multicenter trials. Leucovorin enhances the cytotoxic activity of 5-FU in vitro and in vivo, and several clinical trials have shown improved response rates and possible trends in improved survival when such therapy is compared with the use of 5-FU as a single-agent. More recent randomized trials have focused their attention on determining the optimal dose and schedule with this combination for producing a better clinical response with minimal toxicity. Schedules using infusional 5-FU appear to be the most active regimens when 5-FU is used as a single agent, as demonstrated by recent randomized trials. The Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) have performed separate randomized trials and have shown that the optimal regimens employ infusional 5-FU as a single agent, and that these are the least toxic regimens, perhaps more effective, and associated with a better quality of life. Future studies will focus on infusional regimens involving either short-term, high-dose protracted or long-term, low-dose protracted infusion of 5-FU, since these regimens have shown the most favorable toxicity spectrum and produced the longest survival times. Future research will also focus on the evaluation of various methods of delivery of 5-FU, including oral administration of the drug in combination with compounds that can modify its catabolism.

Identification of apoptosis-related PLZF target genes. The PLZF gene encodes a BTB/POZ-zinc finger-type transcription factor, involved in physiological development, proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. In this paper, we investigate proliferation, survival, and gene expression regulation in stable clones from the human haematopoietic K562, DG75, and Jurkat cell lines with inducible expression of PLZF. In Jurkat cells, but not in K562 and DG75 cells, PLZF induced growth suppression and apoptosis in a cell density-dependent manner. Deletion of the BTB/POZ domain of PLZF abrogated growth suppression and apoptosis. PLZF was expressed with a nuclear speckled pattern distinctively in the full-length PLZF-expressing Jurkat clones, suggesting that the nuclear speckled localization is required for PLZF-induced apoptosis. By microarray analysis, we identified that the apoptosis-inducer TP53INP1, ID1, and ID3 genes were upregulated, and the apoptosis-inhibitor TERT gene was downregulated. The identification of apoptosis-related PLZF target genes may have biological and clinical relevance in cancer typified by altered PLZF expression.

Sandra K. Holley and Tommie Holley filed a complaint Jan. 23 in Raleigh Circuit Court against J.C. Penney Corp. Inc. alleging the defendant breached its duty to provide a reasonably safe place to shop at its Raleigh County store. According to the complaint, on Feb. 2, 2015, Sandra Holley was a business invitee at the J.C. Penney store at Crossroads Mall. After noticing she had been overcharged, Holley returned, the suit says, and, upon entering the rear door, she slipped and fell on water or ice. The lawsuit says Holley sustained injuries and was taken to a hospital. As a result of her medication, the suit says, she underwent surgery for hemorrhoids problems in the amount of $32,013.19. The suit says Tommie Holley suffered loss of consortium and service of his wife. The plaintiffs allege J.C. Penney failed to maintain its premises in a safe condition. The Holleys seek a trial by jury and judgment sufficient to compensate their respective injuries. They are represented by attorney Paul O. Clay Jr. of Fayetteville. Raleigh Circuit Court Case number 17-c-40 Want to get notified whenever we write about Raleigh Circuit Court ? Next time we write about Raleigh Circuit Court, we'll email you a link to the story. You may edit your settings or unsubscribe at any time.

Andrew Fletcher (businessman) Andrew Vernon Fletcher (born 1948) is a South Australian engineer and defence industry businessman, best known for his role as Chief Executive Officer of Defence SA. In May 2015 he was appointed CEO of Rheinmetall Defence Australia. Career Fletcher began a career in engineering in 1970 in Adelaide with Kinnaird Hill deRohan and Young. For the next decade, he worked for Sir Alexander Gibb and Pak Poy and Kneebone then began his own consultancy. He later merged with Scott and Furphy, which would eventually become CMPS&F. Fletcher then worked at Kinhill, eventually rising to dual positions of Senior Vice President – Global Infrastructure and Senior Vice President – Asia Pacific in 2001. In 2005, Fletcher was appointed Chair of the South Australian Government's Major Projects Facilitation Group (MPFG) . The group was tasked to advise on the implementation of the Building South Australia - Strategic Infrastructure Plan, which was developed that year. He also represented the Economic Development Board of South Australia within the group, along with fellow group members John Bastian, Grant Belchamber. Malcolm Kinnaird offered occasional advice to the group and Simon Stretton provided expertise on probity and auditing. From 2005 until 2007 Fletcher was CEO and Managing Director of the Port Adelaide Maritime Corporation. Fletcher was appointed CEO of Defence SA at its establishment by South Australian Premier Mike Rann in 2007 and held the position until 2014. On leaving the position, Premier Jay Weatherill described him as "a major contributor to South Australia becoming the defence state... He has played a significant role in securing the AWD contracts, creating Techport and he has overseen SA gain a quarter of work from the nation’s defence spend." In 2009, Fletcher was awarded 2009 Professional Engineer of the Year award from the South Australian branch of Engineers Australia. In May 2015, Fletcher was appointed as the CEO of Rheinmetall Defence Australia. He had previously visited the company while on international trade delegations with Kevin Scarce. Fletcher held business interests in the wine industry for twenty years prior to 2013, in partnership with Warren Randall via Tinlins Wines of McLaren Vale. Memberships He is a past and present member of various South Australian boards and councils, including the Council of Flinders University, the South Australian Economic Development Board, the Entertainment Centre Board, the Environment Protection Authority, the Defence SA Advisory Board and the Defence Systems Innovation Centre Advisory Board. Personal views In 2011, Fletcher expressed his personal belief that it would be unlikely for Australia's Future Submarine project to commit to producing nuclear powered submarines, unless a nuclear industry was established in Australia beforehand, or if their production was outsourced offshore. He expressed his belief that a commitment to 12 diesel-powered submarines was more likely. Personal life Fletcher lived in a mansion in Heathfield on a property called Kingsbrae prior to its sale in 2015. References Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Australian chief executives Category:Australian engineers Category:Officers of the Order of Australia

Auckland starts shaping aerotropolis Dramatic gateway aims to link airport to history of Maori and European settlers Spectacular entrance landscaping is part of a refocus of the airport's role in the region. Image / Supplied A big upgrade of Auckland International Airport's entranceway on George Bolt Memorial Drive has started and 9m high mounds of earth will soon be developed to create a dramatic gateway. Peter Alexander, property general manager, said the earthworks for the landscaping project were underway at the northern area in plans designed by New Zealander and acclaimed San Francisco-based urban design adviser James Lord. "This is to create a point of arrival because at the moment you don't really know when you've got to the airport," Alexander said. "We really want to differentiate this place from the backs of warehouses and hotels that's occurred to the north of the airport." The works starts at the Verisimo Drive roundabout and will finish initially at the northern edge of the airport shopping centre. But after that centre is upgraded, the new landscape pattern will continue through the shopping centre to John Goulter Drive, Alexander said. The job is planned to be finished by October. "Our land hasn't really been presented as a place. It's just the remnant of a farmland," Alexander said. Over the next one to three years, the airport will also develop a new public park area featuring a major sculpture trail with local works, cycleways, a mountain bike trail, playground and playing fields. It would also develop a second 24ha public park, about half the size of the Auckland Domain, Alexander said. It also planned further development of its business centre to attract more commercial activity to the precinct, he said. Ludo Campbell-Reid, Auckland Council environment strategy and policy manager, said the entranceway work would result in an "extraordinary landscape, cultural and environmental statement". Lord had been working with the airport for some years and had travelled here quite often to give master planning and advice, he said. "Airports, like waterfronts, are changing. They were once traditionally seen as a single gateway place, very much industrial sheds and where people just moved through with large over-sized buildings and wide roads," Campbell-Reid said. "Planners have always struggled with airports and the focus has been to put them out in the middle of nowhere and Auckland's fathers decided that's where the airport should be," he said. Airports were changing, with less noise due to changing engine technology, Campbell-Reid said. "People's needs are changing too, as there's so many more people coming through airports," he said. "The airport has looked at its role in the city and seen where it fits into the Auckland Plan and the two big ideas for the region are that The Southern Initiative and the City Centre Initiative are the two big economic transformation areas. "The southern area is of such importance to the council that it has its own transformation initiative." Changing the entry area was a local example of bigger plans by the airport management team who realised the airport needed to be a destination in its own right, Campbell-Reid said. Alexander said the airport had a workforce of 12,000 people and had approved $225 million of development work in the last four years, including work completed, under construction and committed to. This month the airport announced expansion and refurbishment of the airport shopping centre, on George Bolt Memorial Drive north of the terminals. Alexander said future-looking airports were embracing the aerotropolis concept as major transportation hubs became urban growth areas with a significant impact on the wider economy. Lord said the roadways would stay exactly the same but landscape parkways will connect an original waka landing site, Oruarangi Creek, with the planned new northern runway. "So the backyard becomes the front yard and the new landscape avenues in the business park will visually connect with the waterways with the new runway," Lord said. The 9m high mounds will be about 100m long and refer to Maori stonefields, he said. "When the iwi arrived, they created the stonefields for their tropical fruit and kumera so their way of survival was to shape the land and line it with rock which heated up. At night the radiant heat kept the plants alive. These mounds recall the stonefields," Lord said. "But running with that is when Europeans arrived, rather than shaping the earth we planted hedge rows and that was our way of creating the kind of environment we needed for the food that would sustain us so the new design is referring to both group's approach and makes a beautiful language of the landscape of New Zealand," he said. "So we're using existing roadways and almost creating these axis off the curves with a double row of poplars which will grow very tall and frame the view and the earthforms will create the hugging or welcoming gesture." New hedging will be native plants and all the lawns now alongside George Bolt Memorial would be removed to create the new native landscape, he said.

Ohio, fed authorities search Judge Mark Belinky's home, probate court YOUNGSTOWN — Agents from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation with help from the FBI and the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office searched the county probate court late today as well as the home of Probate Judge Mark Belinky. Judge Belinky, who earlier this week filed to run for re-election, would not comment other than to read a brief statement which said: “On the advice of counsel, I will only say that since my election I have faithfully discharged my duties as judge of the Mahoning County Probate Court.” Jill Del Greco, a spokeswoman for BCI, said BCI is the lead agency in the investigation and that the FBI and sheriff’s office were assisting. She would not say what agents were searching for, only that they served warrants at the probate court as well as Judge Belinky’s Windsor Road home in Boardman. She said agents seized documents and electronic evidence, such as computers.

Seeding with omental cells prevents late neointimal hyperplasia in small-diameter Dacron grafts. The influence of complete endothelialization of a prosthetic graft on development of late neointimal hyperplasia is unknown. This study was designed to investigate the effect of complete coverage with endothelial-like cells on late neointimal hyperplasia in small-diameter Dacron grafts seeded with omental cells in a canine model. Four-mm-ID Dacron grafts were seeded with cells from omentum and implanted in the carotid arteries in 24 mongrel dogs. Each dog received one seeded and one nonseeded graft. The graft patencies were assessed by angiography at 1, 5, 12, 26, and 52 weeks after surgery. The prostheses were explanted at 5, 12, 26, and 52 weeks after surgery and underwent microscopic studies. The actuarial patency rates at 1, 5, 12, 26, and 52 weeks were 100%, 95%, 95%, 95% and 95% for seeded grafts and 100%, 86%, 49%, 40%, and 13% for nonseeded grafts, respectively. The seeded grafts exhibited a uniform endothelial-like luminal monolayer without the development of late neointimal proliferation or anastomotic neointimal hyperplasia. Neointimal tissue thickness increased up to 6 months; no additional progression of the subendothelial tissue thickness was observed, in fact there was an insignificant decrease. Seeding with omental cells prevents development of late neointimal hyperplasia of small diameter prosthetic vascular grafts in a canine model.

Molodo Molodo is a village and seat of the commune of Kala Siguida in the Cercle of Niono in the Ségou Region of southern-central Mali. The village was created in 1945 to accommodate labourers working for the Office du Niger irrigation scheme. It lies only 4 km from Niono on opposite side of the Fala de Molodo. References Category:Populated places in Ségou Region

Don't have an account? If you're in the Australia and New Zealand region, then why not make one? It's free, it gets rid of those annoying unrelated ads when browsing the boards, and it only takes a few seconds to set up before you can start posting and discussing LEGO with the great ANZFOL community! We look foward to seeing you on the boards! Cheers, Darth Legois, Captain Zuloo and the ANZFOL team! A forum for all LEGO fans, young or old from the Australia and New Zealand regions to discuss their brick building hobby! wow looks like it's goning to be huge!nice wall design, simple but very effective.do you plan to add timber (brown) interia supports or is it going to be completely stone built?looking forward to seeing your progress! Soon after starting my MOC ship/port i realised that it'll end up being thousands of bricks and may take quite some time to collect the parts(my little patch of SNOT water is over 500 pcs).dont give up!! Cheers guys, its been fun, but its been scary browsing bricklink adding things to the basket and seeing a total jump from $20 to $80TM I think I will try to put some timber supports in thereI think size wize it will be a bit bigger than the standard castle but will go up a bit more too.Dunno, see what happens I guess, I really want to finish it, so it will mean no other lego purchases for a while I'll have to post some better pics of them in the other section of the forum. Anyways got some more work done on this last night and today The throne my son Dominik designed Changed the outer side of this block and added the bars in place The whole section completed This is where we are at at the end of tonight.I have another 3 orders in with bricklink for close to $200 worth of stuff so hopefully that will get me somewhere to finishing this offHopefully.................. Did some work in LDD today for a dining hall for the castle, this needs to be inside the walls, roof for it will be flat and will have to make a catapult to go on top of itAlso have another 4 orders for bricks coming from bricklink that were shipped today so hopefully next week can do more building. Cheers chaps, well with the bricklink orders we should have it in the flesh in approx 2 weeks depending on when the orders arrive.I just need to find an aussie seller on bricklink now with brown chairs Dunno if the tower will ever get built, would be nice but not sure at this stage.More bricklink orders arrived and here we are after building till 2.30am last night.Also after designing the dining hall I realised the wall needed to be expanded, its pretty much doubled in length from the first pic Yeah TM its getting there, my youngest son loves it.I dont have any idea of the brick count and it should get huge as I still have the front gate to do. Then some details inside the walls.Might have to order more bricks too, thats gonna make the wife mad Took the tower off the back wall and replaced it with 2 smaller ones in each corner, there will be some tweeking still to go in there.Blacksmiths area, still need to make the anvil for it and maybe redo those weapon racks not real happy with themDining Hall, all it needs now are peopleWe wanted a wizards hut in the castle, this was originally on that back wall but it didnt look right so it was taken down and will go on the ground inside the castle wallsWhere we are at the end of building at the moment. Thanks guys, Its been fun tweaking bits and pieces as we go.This will be a castle that will be played with so things need to be either reasonably solid or repaired easy. Those are the two main things I'm keeping in mind while building this thing

You are here February 2014 Marysland Township Board of Supervisors will be accepting quotes for blading, snow removal, mowing, spraying and gravel until the monthly meeting at the Danvers City Hall at 7 p.m. on April 1, 2014. Quotes may be submitted to Marysland Township Clerk, Cheryl Beyer, at 275 130th Ave. SW, Danvers, MN 56231. CERTIFICATE OF ASSUMED NAME Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 333 The filing of an assumed name does not provide a user with exclusive rights to that name. The filing is required for consumer protection in order to enable consumers to be able to identify the true owner of a business. 1. List the exact assumed name under which the business is or will be conducted: JM Carlson Farms. 2. Principal Place of Business: 550 150th Avenue NE, Murdock, MN 56271. 3. List the name and complete street address of all persons conducting business under the above Assumed Name, Or if an entity, provide the legal corporate, LLC, or Limited Partnership name and registered office address: James Carlson, 550 150th Avenue NE, Murdock, MN 56271 Michael Carlson, 535 170th Avenue NE, Sunburg, MN 56289 Notice is hereby given that quotes are being solicited by Swenoda Township for the following at an hourly rate: grading, mowing of road ditches, and snow removal for the 2014-2015 winter season. Quotes are also being solicited for class 5 gravel on a per yard basis delivered anywhere in Swenoda Township. Board reserves the right to reject any or all quotes, to waive any information therein and to accept quotes deemed most advantageous to the Township. Quotes should be received by March 10, 2014 along with Certificate of Insurance. Remit to Laurie Golden, 660 110th St SW, Danvers, MN 56231. Quotes will be opened at our regular monthly meeting in March 2014. Laurie Golden, Clerk Swenoda Township 2-26-2c ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Annual Election of Town Officers and Annual Township Meeting for Benson Township, Swift County will be held Tuesday, March 11 2014 at the Town Hall in Section 10. The Annual Meeting will begin a 4:00 P.M. Election poll hours will be from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, at which time the voters will elect a supervisor for a three-year term and a Clerk for a two year term. In case of inclement weather, the meeting and election may be postponed until March 18. The Board of Canvass will meet Thursday March 13, 2014 to certify the election results. Audrey Hovland of Alexandria (formerly of Montevideo) died Friday, February 21, 2014 at the Bethany Community Nursing Home in Alexandria, Minnesota at the age of 76. Memorial Services were conducted Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Montevideo with Rev. Tim Ehling officiating. Organist was Sue Bye and vocalist was Beth Hampton who sang “The Lord’s Prayer”. Congregational hymns were “On Eagle’s Wings” “Jesus Loves Me” “We Are Baptized In Christ Jesus” and “How Great Thou Art”. Visitation was Tuesday, Feb. 25 from 5-7 p.m. at the Anderson-TeBeest Funeral Home in Montevideo. Allyn M. Kuhnau, age 61, of Alexandria, and formerly of Benson. Allyn Marjorie (Smith) Kuhnau, 61, died Saturday, February 22, 2014. Funeral services were held Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church in Alexandria. Burial was at Kinkead Cemetery. Allyn was born December 26, 1952 in Benson, Minnesota, the daughter of Ray and Mary Smith. She attended school in Benson and graduated from Benson High School in 1970. Gary William McDaniel, age 65, of Prior Lake, MN passed away on Saturday, February 22nd, 2014, from cardiac arrest. Gary (Quacker) formerly of Benson, MN. was born September 30, 1948. A longtime owner of Gary’s Men’s Wear in Benson, MN. Gary’s outside interests were wine making, he was a member of JAB Homebrewing Association, fishing with his many friends, going to the casino and he loved doing Sudoku puzzles. He was a long time member of the Benson Jaycee Chapter. Gary is survived by his wife, Marjorie Nelson of Prior Lake, his children, William McDaniel of Prior Lake and special friend Sierra Riggs of Crystal, MN, step-son Chad (Lia) Nelson of Shanghai, China, grandson Vincent McDaniel of Crystal, MN , step-grandson Terry Nelson of Woodstock, IL , and his brother Brad (Jackie) McDaniel of Holcombe, WI. He was a caring husband, father, and grandfather. He will be truly missed by his family and many friends. Early Saturday morning the Appleton Police department and the Swift County Sheriff’s office stopped a vehicle that matched one reported to have been driven by a suspect involved in an armed robbery that just occurred in Morris. The vehicle was found in rural Swift County near 200th Avenue and 70th Street SW, several miles northeast of Appleton near U.S. Highway 59 shortly before 1 a.m. During the traffic stop, a Swift County deputy sheriff shot the suspect. The suspect was the only person in the vehicle and the only person injured at the scene, the sheriff’s department reports. The Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Swift County, MN (Swift County HRA) hereby submits for public comment the Annual Plan for the years 2014-2015. A copy of the Plan and supporting documents are available at the HRA office at the Swift County Courthouse during regular business hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All persons are welcomed to review the proposed Plan and make written comments to the Swift County HRA. A public hearing for the Plan will be held at the regular Board Meeting of the HRA on Monday, March 24 at 6:00 p.m. at the Swift County Courthouse. The Plan will be submitted for approval to the HRA Board of Commissioners following the public hearing and will be submitted to HUD prior to March 31, 2014 and after approval by the HRA Board of Commissioners. Vicki Syverson Executive Director Swift County HRA 2-19-1c The Annual Meeting for West Bank Township will be held at the Town Hall Tuesday, March 11, 2014 at 4:30 p.m. Polls for the election of one supervisor for a 3 year term and one clerk for a 2 year term will open at 5:00 p.m. and close at 8:00 p.m. Storm date is Tuesday, March 18, 2014. Linda Styrbicky 2-19-3c

Prospective Endoscopic Ultrasound-Based Approach to the Evaluation of Idiopathic Pancreatitis: Causes, Response to Therapy, and Long-term Outcome. Although idiopathic pancreatitis is common, the natural history is not well studied, and the best diagnostic approach to both single and multiple attacks remains undefined. We prospectively evaluated patients with idiopathic pancreatitis over a 10-year period, and clinical information for each episode was reviewed. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) was performed in all patients. Patients with microlithiasis or bile duct stones were referred for cholecystectomy and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), respectively. For those with a single attack, if EUS was normal or chronic pancreatitis or pancreas divisum was diagnosed, the patient was followed up for recurrence. For those with multiple attacks and a negative EUS, ERCP and sphincter of Oddi manometry with endoscopic therapy as appropriate were recommended. All patients were followed up in the long term to evaluate for recurrent pancreatitis, the primary study end point. Over the study period, 201 patients were identified (80 single attack, 121 multiple attacks; mean age 53 years, range 17-95 years, s.d. 16.3 years; and 53% female). After EUS, 54% of patients with a single attack were categorized as idiopathic, and for multiple attacks sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) was the most common diagnosis (41%). Long-term follow-up (median 37 months; interquartile range 19-70 months) documented recurrence of pancreatitis in 15 (24%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 15-38%) patients with a single attack and in 48 (49%; 95% CI, 38-62%) patients with multiple attacks. Despite endoscopic therapy, patients with pancreas divisum and SOD had relapse rates of 50% (95% CI, 35 to 68%) and 55% (95% CI, 31 to 82%), respectively. Following a single idiopathic attack of pancreatitis and a negative EUS examination, relapse was infrequent. Despite endoscopic therapy, patients with multiple attacks, especially those attributed to pancreas divisum and SOD, had high rates of recurrence. EUS may be a useful, minimally invasive tool for the diagnostic evaluation of idiopathic pancreatitis. The study was listed in Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00609726.

[Pharmacologic characterization of alpha bungarotoxin binding sites on microcellular lung carcinoma cell lines]. Alpha Bungarotoxin binding protein belongs to the group of nicotinic receptors regarding their pharmacologic characteristics. Presence of alpha Bungarotoxin binding sites was confirmed on six cell lines of human microcellular lung carcinomas. The binding sites are saturable, specific and show high affinity for alpha Bungarotoxin. The presence of the binding sites was found on human microcellular lung carcinoma cultured in the mice of "Nude" clones. Using pharmacologically active substances like succinilcholine, decamethonium, atropine and propranolol, the nicotinic characteristics of alpha Bungarotoxin binding sites were confirmed. The presence of alpha 5 subunits in the alpha Bungarotoxin binding protein of human microcellular lung cells was established by Northern blot experiments classifying alpha Bungarotoxin binding protein on microcellular cells as a neuronal nicotinic receptor regarding its structure.

Cyclosporine A up-regulates the expression of TGF-beta1 and its receptors type I and type II in rat mesangial cells. Chronic cyclosporine A (CsA) nephropathy is a well described side effect of CsA treatment. CsA has been shown to induce the synthesis of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in mesangial cells (MCs) in vitro, and glomerulosclerosis in vivo. Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a potent stimulus for the synthesis of ECM proteins in MCs. We investigated whether CsA up-regulates the expression of TGF-beta1 and its receptors type I (TbetaR-I) and type II (TbetaR-II) in cultured rat MCs, and whether this effect translates into enhanced matrix protein accumulation. Resting MCs were incubated in the presence or absence of CsA and anti-TGF-beta1 antibodies. Time- and concentration-dependent expression of TGF-beta1, TbetaR-I and TbetaR-II were measured at both the mRNA (competitive reverse transcription PCR) and protein level (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blotting). Fibronectin (FN) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) synthesis were measured by ELISA. Compared with untreated controls, CsA stimulated mRNA production of TGF-beta1 (maximum at 72 h, 500 ng/ml CsA: 2.1+/-0.5-fold, P<0.001) and TbetaR-II (maximum at 72 h, 1000 ng/ml CsA: 2.4+/-0.4-fold, P<0.005) time- and dose-dependently. TbetaR-I mRNA concentrations remained unchanged. Protein concentrations were analysed at 96 h: TGF-beta1, 220+/-32 vs 86+/-24 pg/ml, P<0.001 (500 ng/ml CsA vs control); TbetaR-I, 2.0+/-0.5-fold, P<0.005 (1000 ng/ml CsA vs control); TbetaR-II, 2.5+/-0.7-fold, P<0.05 (1000 ng/ml CsA vs control). CsA (500 ng/ml) also enhanced the production of FN (1.6-fold, P<0.05) and PAI-1 (2.0-fold, P<0.05). Co-incubation with neutralizing anti-TGF-beta1 antibodies reduced (P<0.05) CsA-induced expression of TbetaR-I (1.0+/-0.1-fold), TbetaR-II (1.3+/-0.1-fold) and PAI-1 (1.3-fold), but not FN production (1.6-fold). Pharmacologically relevant concentrations of CsA time- and dose-dependently up-regulate the expression of TGF-beta1 and, via autocrine mechanisms, its receptors type I and II in rat MCs. Whereas up-regulation of PAI-1 is mediated by TGF-beta1, up-regulation of FN is-at least in part-either directly induced by CsA or mediated by factors other than TGF-beta1.

Battle of Corrichie The Battle of Corrichie, also known as the Battle of Corrichy was a battle fought near Meikle Tap, near Aberdeen, Scotland, on 28 October 1562. It was fought between the forces of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly, chief of Clan Gordon against the forces of Mary, Queen of Scots under James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray. Huntly had defeated the English twenty years earlier at the Battle of Haddon Rig, however at Corrichie he was defeated by Queen Mary's forces, and apparently he died of apoplexy after his capture. Mary had come in person to the north of Scotland intent on confronting the power of the Gordons. At Corrichie, the Gordon's tactic of charging with swords was defeated by Moray's pike drill. Context George Buchanan described the events of 1562 in his History of Scotland. The Earl of Huntly had lost the earldoms of Moray and Mar, which he considered his heritage, and became an enemy of the new Earl of Moray, the half-brother of Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary and Moray arrived at Aberdeen in mid-August, and met the Earl and Countess of Huntly. A stumbling block in their discussions was the case of their son, John Gordon. Mary wished that he be imprisoned in Stirling Castle. (It had previously been suggested that John might marry Mary, but only in order to manipulate his father.) Mary and Huntly journeyed together towards Huntly Castle but the Queen, impatient at Huntly's refusal to hand over his son turned back. The English diplomat Thomas Randolph wrote that Mary came within four miles of Huntly Castle, but would not go there. Randolph accepted an invitation and stayed two nights, commenting that the house was "fayer, beste furnishede of anye howse that I have seen in thys countrie."<ref>CSP. Foreign, Elizabeth, vol. 5 (1867), no.648, 18 September: CSP. Scotland, vol.1 (1898), p.652 no.1139</ref> Mary and her court then travelled to Inverness Castle, but the Gordon Captain refused to give the royal castle to the Queen's representative. At this time the Clan Chattan deserted Huntly and joined the Queen, and others of what Buchanan calls the "ancient Scots" meaning the Gàidhealtachd came to her aid, with the Frasers and Munros. They easily took Inverness Castle on 9 September, and the Gordon garrison was executed (or at least, the Captain). Mary and her court returned to Aberdeen. Huntly tried to get intelligence of the Queen's intentions via his cousin the Earl of Sutherland, but Sutherland's correspondence was discovered and he was forced to flee. Huntly was now close to Aberdeen at Corrichie. The English diplomat Thomas Randolph, who accompanied Queen Mary to Aberdeen, described the battle in letters to William Cecil. These letters add more detail. Randolph says that Huntly had a royal cannon at Huntly Castle (then called Strathbogie) which he had been given by Regent Arran. Mary demanded its return with short notice. Her men went to Huntly Castle on 9 October and attempted to capture the Earl, but he escaped over a low wall at the back gate. The Countess of Huntly stayed at Strathbogie and the Earl went to his house at Badenoch, the site of Ruthven Barracks, and was declared a rebel on 17 October. John Knox mentions another incident which angered the Queen; Mary had sent Captain Stewart with 60 men to seize Findlater Castle. They were surprised in the night at Cullen by Huntly's son John Gordon and sustained a number of casualties. Corrichie, hill, and marsh According to Thomas Randolph, Huntly marched towards Aberdeen with 700 men, and was said to have intended to capture the Queen. Two thousand men led by the Earls of Moray, Atholl and Morton encircled his encampment on 28 October 1562. The Gordons, now numbering 500, had camped on a hill (said Randolph), where the cavalry could not reach them, but arquebus shot drove them down to marshy ground where they were cornered. The Queen's army attacked, and at first her vanguard lost their nerve and threw away their spears. The Earl of Moray forced them to fight. Randolph wrote the battle ended "incontinent" meaning it was over straight away. About 120 Gordons were killed and about 100 captured. Randolph wrote that none of the Queen's army were killed but many were hurt and many horses were killed. The Earl of Huntly was mounted on a horse to be taken to Aberdeen as a captive and before leaving the battlefield suddenly and soundlessly died. George Buchanan says that Huntly waited for Moray's army in "a place surrounded by marshes," and "fortified by nature." Moray gained a small hill as a vantage point that overlooked Huntly's position. Buchanan wrote that Moray's vanguard broke because of the many 'traitors,' who would not fight against Huntly and fixed heather on their bonnets. He continues that the Gordons threw away their spears expecting to use their swords in a pursuit. Moray and his second line stayed firm with extended pikes, despite the retreating vanguard who were forced to go around the pike line on either side. Moray's pikemen won the day because of the length of their pikes, Huntly's men being unable to approach. John Knox in his History of the Reformation'' gave further details. The Earl of Huntly got up late on the morning of the battle which did not help morale. Knox gives him some speeches, making the observation that Moray's vanguard was composed of his friends, and the small company on the hill side (Moray's pike men) were to be feared. Huntly's position was Corrichie Burn or the Fara Bank, meaning a slope amidst the Hills o'Fare. After the vanguard broke, Knox credits the resolution of the second line to John Wishart of Pitarro, the Master of Lindsay, and the Tutor of Pitcur who marched forward with their "spears" through the retreating vanguard. Knox attributes a speech to the Queen's secretary William Maitland of Lethington who prayed for victory. Aftermath After the battle, Huntly's eldest son Sir John Gordon was taken to Aberdeen and executed three days later. A younger brother Adam Gordon of Auchindoun, also captured at Corrichie, was spared. The Earls body was preserved and taken to Edinburgh for trial. Huntly's cousin John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland fled to Louvain in Flanders. At the Parliament of Scotland on 28 May 1563, in the presence of Queen Mary, Huntly, Sutherland, and as John Knox noted eleven other Earls and Barons of the name Gordon were forfeited. In 1565 Queen Mary of Scotland restored the Earls of Huntly, Sutherland and others of the name Gordon who had been forfeited. The Earl of Sutherland was invited to return to Scotland. The Earl of Bedford, Governor of Berwick on Tweed sent a privateer called Wilson who carried Swedish letters of marque to intercept his ship, and the Earl was imprisoned at Berwick. Sutherland was considered a danger to English policy in Scotland. Mary, Queen of Scots, demanded the release of the Earl, who was now sick with an ague. Bedford wrote to Elizabeth I of England on his behalf. The Earl was released in February 1566 after the assurance that he was reconciled with the Earl of Moray. On his return he married Marion Seton, daughter of Lord Seton. Both were poisoned at Helmsdale Castle by Isobel Sinclair, and died at Dunrobin Castle on 23 June 1567. References Category:Conflicts in 1562 Category:16th-century Scottish clan battles Category:1562 in Scotland Category:Mary, Queen of Scots

Q: Use of ifelse after pipe operator I wish to apply one of two functions to elements of vector. Choice of which function to use is made based on vector's values. To be specific: imagine you want to convert years coded with two digits (like '07' for '2007' and '85' for '1985') to four digits, assuming that all the dates are between 1919 and 2018. So, you have to add 1900 to numbers larger than 18 and add 2000 to other numbers. Now I want to do that with %>% operator (to be able to use it inside mutate statment in future). This one: c(18,20,21,15) %>% ifelse(.>18, .+1900, .+2000) produces an error: Error in ifelse(., . > 18, . + 1900, . + 2000) : unused argument (. + 2000) I even understand why: %>% forces vector c(18,20,21,15) to be used as first argument of ifelse. I have a workaround using anonymous function: c(18,20,21,15) %>% (function(x) ifelse(x>18, x+1900, x+2000)) [1] 2018 1920 1921 2015 Can you suggest anything to avoid them (them = anonymous functions)? A: Your solution works fine if you just add curly braces: c(18,20,21,15) %>% {ifelse(.>18, .+1900, .+2000)} # [1] 2018 1920 1921 2015 You could also do this to avoid the {}: c(18,20,21,15) %>% `+`(1900+100*(.<=18)) Or with magrittr: library(magrittr) c(18,20,21,15) %>% add(1900+100*(.<=18)) keeping your ifelse: c(18,20,21,15) %>% add(ifelse(.>18,1900,2000)) A: This is the standard pipe behavior : the left element as a whole is used as the first argument of the function to the right (there is no vectorization here). Here's a solution with purrr::map_dbl : purrr::map_dbl(c(18,20,21,15), ~ ifelse(.>18, .+1900, .+2000)) [1] 2018 1920 1921 2015 If you want to use it with {dplyr}, I strongly suggest you switch to case_when : library(dplyr) df <- data.frame(date = c(18,20,21,15)) df %>% mutate(new_date = case_when(date > 18 ~ date + 1900, TRUE ~ date + 2000)) date new_date 1 18 2018 2 20 1920 3 21 1921 4 15 2015

--- abstract: 'Despite the growing popularity of modern machine learning techniques (e.g. Deep Neural Networks) in cyber-security applications, most of these models are perceived as a black-box for the user. Adversarial machine learning offers an approach to increase our understanding of these models. In this paper we present an approach to generate explanations for incorrect classifications made by data-driven Intrusion Detection Systems (IDSs) An adversarial approach is used to find the minimum modifications (of the input features) required to correctly classify a given set of misclassified samples. The magnitude of such modifications is used to visualize the most relevant features that explain the reason for the misclassification. The presented methodology generated satisfactory explanations that describe the reasoning behind the mis-classifications, with descriptions that match expert knowledge. The advantages of the presented methodology are: 1) applicable to any classifier with defined gradients. 2) does not require any modification of the classifier model. 3) can be extended to perform further diagnosis (e.g. vulnerability assessment) and gain further understanding of the system. Experimental evaluation was conducted on the NSL-KDD99 benchmark dataset using Linear and Multilayer perceptron classifiers. The results are shown using intuitive visualizations in order to improve the interpretability of the results.' author: - bibliography: - 'my\_bibliography.bib' title: An Adversarial Approach for Explainable AI in Intrusion Detection Systems --- Adversarial Machine Learning, Adversarial samples, Explainable AI, cyber-security, (current page.north west) ++(1.5,-0.3) node\[below right,text width=19cm\] [ ©2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works.]{}; (current page.south west) ++(1.7,2.3) node\[below right,text width=9.1cm\] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ \ Accepted version of the paper appearing in the proceedings of the 44th Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, IECON 2018. ; Introduction {#section:introduction} ============ Adversarial Machine Learning {#section:adversarial_machine_learning} ============================ Adversarial machine learning has been extensively used in cyber-security research to find vulnerabilities in data-driven models [@Lowd2005] [@Barreno2010] [@Wagner2002] [@DBLP:journals/corr/LiMSRJ17] [@barreno2006can] [@frederickson2018attack]. Recently, there has been an increasing interest on adversarial samples given the susceptibility of Deep Learning models to these type of attacks [@goodfellow6572explaining] [@kurakin2016adversarial]. Adversarial samples are samples crafted in order to change the output of a model by making small modifications into a reference (usually real) sample [@goodfellow6572explaining]. These samples are used to detect blind spots on ML algorithms. Adversarial samples are crafted from an attacker perspective to evade detection, confuse the classifier [@goodfellow6572explaining], degrade performance [@papernot2017practical] and/or gain information about the model or the dataset used to train the model [@frederickson2018attack]. Adversarial samples are also useful from a defender point of view given that they can be used to perform vulnerability assessment [@barreno2006can], study the robustness against noise, improve generalization and debug the machine learning model [@papernot2017practical]. In general, the problem of crafting an adversarial sample is stated as follows [@frederickson2018attack]: $$\begin{aligned} \max_{{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}\quad & {\mathcal{L}}({{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}) - \Omega({{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}) \label{eq:general_attack}\\ s.t. \quad & {{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}\in \phi({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}) \nonumber\end{aligned}$$ where: - ${\mathcal{L}}({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }})$ measures the impact of the adversarial sample in the model, - $\Omega({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }})$ measures the capability of the defender to detect the adversarial sample. - ${{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}\in \phi({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }})$ ensures the crafted sample ${{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}$ is inside the domain of valid inputs. It also represents the capabilities of the adversary. The objective of Eq. (\[eq:general\_attack\]) can be interpreted as crafting an attack point ${{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}$ that maximizes the impact of the attack, while minimizing the chances of the attack to be detected. The definition of ${\mathcal{L}}({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }})$ will depend on the intent of the attack and the available information about the model under attack. For example: 1) ${\mathcal{L}}({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }})$ can be a function that measures the difference between a target class ${{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{y}} }}}}}$ and the output from the model; 2) $\Omega({{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }})$ measures the discrepancy between the reference ${{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}_0}}$ and the modified sample ${{\hat{{{ {\boldsymbol{x}} }}}}}$ In this paper, instead of deceiving the classifier, we use Equation \[eq:general\_attack\] to find the minimum number of modifications needed to correctly classify a misclassified sample. The methodology is described in detail in section \[section:methodology\]. Explaining misclassifications using adversarial machine learning {#section:methodology} ================================================================ Experiments and Results {#section:results} ======================= Conclusion {#section:conclusion} ========== In this paper, we presented an approach for generating explanations for the incorrect classification of a set of samples. The methodology was tested using an Intrusion Detection benchmark dataset. The methodology uses an adversarial approach to find the minimum modifications needed in order to correctly classify the misclassified samples. The modifications are used to find and visualize the relevant features responsible for the misclassification. Experiments were performed using Linear and Multilayer perceptron classifiers. The explanations were presented using intuitive plots that can be easily interpreted by the user. The proposed methodology provided insightful and satisfactory explanations for the misclassification of samples, with results that match expert knowledge. The relevant features found by the presented approach showed that misclassification often occurred on samples with conflicting characteristics between classes. For example, normal connections with low duration and low login success are misclassified as attacks, while attack connections with low error rate and higher login success are misclassified as normal. Discussion {#section:discussion} ========== An advantage of the presented approach is that it can be used for any differentiable model and any classification task. No modifications of the model are required. The presented approach only requires the gradients of the model cross-entropy w.r.t. the inputs. Non-continuous functions can also be incorporated into the approach, for example rounding operations for integer and categorical features. The presented adversarial approach can be extended to perform other analysis of the model. For example, instead of finding modifications for correct the predicted class, the modifications can be used to deceive the classifier, which can be used for vulnerability assessment. Future research will be conducted to incorporate the explanations to improve the accuracy of the model without having to include new data into the training procedure. 0.2in

A double glazing unit has been commonly employed as window glass for a railway vehicle in order to improve sound insulation, heat insulation and safety (see Patent Document 1 etc.). Such double glazing unit is configured by disposing an exterior-side glass plate and an interior-side glass plate through a spacer, and sealing a peripheral edge by a seal. In the double glazing unit disclosed in Patent Document 1, a non-tempered glass plate (float glass), which has a thickness of 5 mm, has been employed as each of the exterior-side glass plate and the interior-side glass plate. By this arrangement, the double glazing unit has a strength set to a level appropriate to window glass for a railway vehicle. Further, the exterior-side glass plate of the double glazing unit disclosed by Patent Document 1 has a self-dimming film disposed thereon. The self-dimming film is deposited on one of the two sides of the exterior-side glass plates facing the interior-side glass plate by sputtering. The self-dimming film has a function of setting the transmittance of visible light at from 70 to 90% when the light intensity from outside is low and of setting the transmittance of visible light at from 50 to 70% when the light intensity from outside is high.

It's Breast Cancer Awearness , 3rdeye Brand Thinking Of Pink We have created designs in result of showing our support of Breast Cancer Awareness or should I say ”Awearness”. With the use of 3rdeye Brand fashion interpretation, the creation of each look we felt would represent theses fighters and survivors in ways to overcome with the sense of encouragement throughout our fashion expression that we manage to showcase with the help of these wonderful models. A reminder we state: No matter what you going through ALWAYS Dress How You Want To Feel ”Believing Is Seeing” Hand Crafted Artistically Fashionable

A Survey of the Competency of Ambulance Service Personnel in the Diagnosis and Management of Sepsis. Few studies have evaluated the current status of knowledge of sepsis in ambulance service personnel. Our aim was to ascertain the levels of competency and proficiency of ambulance service personnel in the diagnosis and management of severe sepsis. A questionnaire was submitted to a sample of 208 participants in a professional ambulance service conference, and was recovered on site. The study probed eight areas of sepsis diagnosis and management based on modifications of a questionnaire used in a previous study. The term sepsis in Japanese, Haiketsushou, was familiar to 99% of Japanese certified emergency life-saving technicians (ELST) (Group I) and to 92% of noncertified ambulance service personnel (Group II), although 15% of participants in Group I and 44% in Group II ignored the meaning of sepsis. The definition of sepsis as "body's response to infection," "blood poisoning," or "shock due to bacteria in blood" were selected by 17%, 16%, and 37%, respectively, in Group I, and 4%, 6%, and 22%, respectively, in Group II. The mortality associated with sepsis was underestimated by 57% in Group I and 78% in Group II. Vital signs raising a suspicion for sepsis and their pertinent ranges were correctly chosen by only 50% of certified ELST. Hypothermia was prominently undervalued as a sign raising the suspicion of sepsis. Insufficient knowledge and perception for sepsis in Japanese ambulance services is revealed. A higher level of onsite or formal postgraduate education needs to be provided with a view to improve the prehospital management of sepsis.

Reduction in V1 activation associated with decreased visibility of a visual target. The perception of a brief visual target stimulus can be affected by another visual mask stimulus immediately preceding or following the target. The link of this visual masking illusion, with visual cortical activation, offers insights into the neural mechanisms for visual perception. The present study investigated the association of the visibility of a target with cortical activation in humans using psychophysical testing and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). A visual masking protocol that was suitable for an fMRI study was developed. The event-related fMRI was used to measure activation in primary visual cortex (V1) during visual masking and unmasking stimulation. We found that the visibility of the target stimulus was reduced in the masking condition, due to the presence of mask stimuli, but not in the unmasking condition. We also found that the activation in V1 was modulated by the temporal separation of the mask stimuli from the target and was associated with the visibility of the target that was recorded during psychophysical testing and fMRI. These findings are consistent with what has been observed in the primate visual cortex of monkeys, i.e., the transient on-response and after-discharge of V1 neurons to the target stimulus were suppressed by forward and backward mask stimuli, respectively.

Congenital hereditary paresis of ramus marginalis nervus facialis in five generations. We report a case of familial congenital paresis of ramus marginalis nervus facialis in 5 generations. The paresis varied in location, i.e., 2 right-sided and 3 left-sided, 1 side unknown. The primary patient, a 33-year-old female, presented with a complete right-sided congenital lower lip palsy. Electromyographic examination showed absent voluntary activity of the right depressor labii inferior muscle. There was no evidence of denervation of the paretic muscle. These findings may suggest either absence of the depressor labii inferior muscle or possibly absent voluntary activation due to a defect at brainstem level.

Bottom of a Well (Daily Lenten Meditation) Throughout Lent, I will be posting short meditations on the Daily Office readings every day. Please journey and pray with me through these readings. To read previous Lenten meditations click here. Wednesday, February 29 Genesis 37 “Once Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.” Honestly, how can you blame Joseph’s brothers? Joseph, at least as a child, was a prick. He was spoiled and flaunted his blessings as if he had earned them. He was selfish, content to show off his things rather than humbly share them. Granted, planning his murder or selling him into slavery is unforgivable, but surely, Joseph isn’t exactly blameless either, lording his favored status with his father over his brothers. How exactly would any sibling react when told that one day they would be subservient? It might not be as extreme of Joseph’s brothers, but I imagine the sentiment fueling it wouldn’t be far off. So much of the Old Testament is fueled by such family rivalries, dating back to Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael, Hagar and Sarah. Certainly, these stories have much to say about family dynamics, morals from which we could all learn about not playing favorites (Jacob and Esau), about not comparing our children and affirming their unique identities (Cain and Abel) or simply not exploiting one’s family for pride or glory (Isaac, Ishmael, Abraham, Sarah and Hagar). But, for American Christians, I think these stories bear a deeper, metaphorical message as well. We are favored, whether by God or through our own quest for power at all costs. We are the richest Christians in the world. The fattest Christians in the world. The most comfortable Christians in the world. And the most arrogant. We lord our blessings over others as proof that God favors us, that God has chosen us to be bowed before by others around us. Like Joseph, we do not share our blessings with our brothers (and sisters). Like Joseph, we wear our garish favor, our obscene wealth, our coat of colors for all to see. We swagger, oblivious that our actions goad the hungry, the oppressed and the abused. If we continue to hoard our blessings as if God owed us such favors, it should not surprise us if one day, like Joseph, we find ourselves at the bottom of a dry well, naked, without our garish coats. And our only rescuers will be slavers. ********* God, help us to be humble amidst our enormous wealth. Help us, in gratitude for such undeserved favor, or in repentance for so many extorted blessings, not to hold tightly to what we own, what we hoard: our homes, our time, our food, our money, our power. Help us to realize that so many times, our blessings come at the expense of the poor and less fortunate. Help us to realize that so often, our blessings are merely good luck, for having been born in a certain country, with a certain amount of wealth and with a certain skin color. Teach us how to abdicate our self-proclaimed position of favor, for the first shall be last. Or at least, teach us how to wield our power, humbly and peacefully, for the benefit of all. Amen, it wasn’t until I started traveling to other countries and making friends with people who were not like me that I learned how much I really had. I learned that I had a lot, and I had a lot to learn. http://www.facebook.com/unorthodoxologist David Henson I feel like I’m constantly having to relearn these lessons. It always sneaks up on me when I least expect it.

Bellaspira barbadensis Bellaspira barbadensis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Drilliidae. Description The size of an adult shell varies between 6 mm and 15 mm. Distribution This species occurs in the Caribbean Sea off Barbados, the Netherlands Antilles and Venezuela References Fallon P.J. (2016). Taxonomic review of tropical western Atlantic shallow water Drilliidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Conoidea) including descriptions of 100 new species. Zootaxa. 4090(1): 1-363 External links barbadensis Category:Gastropods described in 2016

//==--AArch64StackOffset.h ---------------------------------------*- C++ -*-==// // // Part of the LLVM Project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM Exceptions. // See https://llvm.org/LICENSE.txt for license information. // SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception // //===----------------------------------------------------------------------===// // // This file contains the declaration of the StackOffset class, which is used to // describe scalable and non-scalable offsets during frame lowering. // //===----------------------------------------------------------------------===// #ifndef LLVM_LIB_TARGET_AARCH64_AARCH64STACKOFFSET_H #define LLVM_LIB_TARGET_AARCH64_AARCH64STACKOFFSET_H #include "llvm/Support/MachineValueType.h" namespace llvm { /// StackOffset is a wrapper around scalable and non-scalable offsets and is /// used in several functions such as 'isAArch64FrameOffsetLegal' and /// 'emitFrameOffset()'. StackOffsets are described by MVTs, e.g. // /// StackOffset(1, MVT::nxv16i8) // /// would describe an offset as being the size of a single SVE vector. /// /// The class also implements simple arithmetic (addition/subtraction) on these /// offsets, e.g. // /// StackOffset(1, MVT::nxv16i8) + StackOffset(1, MVT::i64) // /// describes an offset that spans the combined storage required for an SVE /// vector and a 64bit GPR. class StackOffset { int64_t Bytes; int64_t ScalableBytes; explicit operator int() const; public: using Part = std::pair<int64_t, MVT>; StackOffset() : Bytes(0), ScalableBytes(0) {} StackOffset(int64_t Offset, MVT::SimpleValueType T) : StackOffset() { assert(MVT(T).getSizeInBits() % 8 == 0 && "Offset type is not a multiple of bytes"); *this += Part(Offset, T); } StackOffset(const StackOffset &Other) : Bytes(Other.Bytes), ScalableBytes(Other.ScalableBytes) {} StackOffset &operator=(const StackOffset &) = default; StackOffset &operator+=(const StackOffset::Part &Other) { int64_t OffsetInBytes = Other.first * (Other.second.getSizeInBits() / 8); if (Other.second.isScalableVector()) ScalableBytes += OffsetInBytes; else Bytes += OffsetInBytes; return *this; } StackOffset &operator+=(const StackOffset &Other) { Bytes += Other.Bytes; ScalableBytes += Other.ScalableBytes; return *this; } StackOffset operator+(const StackOffset &Other) const { StackOffset Res(*this); Res += Other; return Res; } StackOffset &operator-=(const StackOffset &Other) { Bytes -= Other.Bytes; ScalableBytes -= Other.ScalableBytes; return *this; } StackOffset operator-(const StackOffset &Other) const { StackOffset Res(*this); Res -= Other; return Res; } StackOffset operator-() const { StackOffset Res = {}; const StackOffset Other(*this); Res -= Other; return Res; } /// Returns the scalable part of the offset in bytes. int64_t getScalableBytes() const { return ScalableBytes; } /// Returns the non-scalable part of the offset in bytes. int64_t getBytes() const { return Bytes; } /// Returns the offset in parts to which this frame offset can be /// decomposed for the purpose of describing a frame offset. /// For non-scalable offsets this is simply its byte size. void getForFrameOffset(int64_t &NumBytes, int64_t &NumPredicateVectors, int64_t &NumDataVectors) const { assert(isValid() && "Invalid frame offset"); NumBytes = Bytes; NumDataVectors = 0; NumPredicateVectors = ScalableBytes / 2; // This method is used to get the offsets to adjust the frame offset. // If the function requires ADDPL to be used and needs more than two ADDPL // instructions, part of the offset is folded into NumDataVectors so that it // uses ADDVL for part of it, reducing the number of ADDPL instructions. if (NumPredicateVectors % 8 == 0 || NumPredicateVectors < -64 || NumPredicateVectors > 62) { NumDataVectors = NumPredicateVectors / 8; NumPredicateVectors -= NumDataVectors * 8; } } /// Returns whether the offset is known zero. explicit operator bool() const { return Bytes || ScalableBytes; } bool isValid() const { // The smallest scalable element supported by scaled SVE addressing // modes are predicates, which are 2 scalable bytes in size. So the scalable // byte offset must always be a multiple of 2. return ScalableBytes % 2 == 0; } }; } // end namespace llvm #endif

Nyack Public Schools Nyack Public Schools is a school district headquartered in the Town of Orangetown, New York, United States. It serves several areas in Orangetown and Clarkstown including the villages of Nyack, South Nyack, and Upper Nyack, Upper Grand View, and the hamlet of Valley Cottage. As of December 2004 the district had 2,881 students in all five schools. History A February 1999 report released by a chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Nyack Partners in Education stated that honors classes had nine times as many caucasians as African Americans, while the district that Nyack is a part of had two caucasians for one African Americans as a whole. This caused racial tension in the district. Schools Secondary schools Nyack High School Nyack Middle School (South Nyack) Primary schools Liberty Elementary School (was known as Lake Road School) (Valley Cottage) Upper Nyack School (Upper Nyack) Valley Cottage School (Valley Cottage) References External links Category:School districts in New York (state) Category:Education in Rockland County, New York Category:Year of establishment missing

Q: LWC Composition for fields inside a record-edit-form I have a lightning-record-edit-form with multiple lightning-input-field. I'd like to put some of the input-field into a child component, say childComponent. The code is attached at the end. However, the issue is that the lightning-input-field in childComponent does not render correctly. I assume the connection between lightning-record-edit-form and the API name in field-name are broken. How to fix it? The code for parent component: field3__c and field4__c do not show correctly. <template> <lightning-record-edit-form object-api-name={objectApiName} record-id={recordId}> <lightning-input-field field-name="field1__c"></lightning-input-field> <lightning-input-field field-name="field2__c"></lightning-input-field> <c-child-component></c-child-component> </lightning-record-edit-form </template> The code for child component: <template> <lightning-input-field field-name="field3__c"></lightning-input-field> <lightning-input-field field-name="field4__c"></lightning-input-field> </template> A: You cannot use lightning-input-field as standalone component. The component always works within the context of a lightning-record-edit-form. Without the details of the object-api-name defined in the lightning-record-edit-form, there will be no way to link the field-name on lighnting-input-field back to that SObject. This is from the documentation: To create a record edit layout, use this component with lightning-record-edit-form and pass in a record ID and object API name. To create a record create layout, use this component with lightning-record-edit-form and pass in the object API name of the record you're creating.

Ask HN: Which sites/platforms do you wish had an API? - Jefro118 One can build cool projects on top of APIs like those of Twitter, Facebook, and so on. Which sites do you wish had an API? ====== AznHisoka Here are the data-related API's I wish existed: 1\. Indeed.com - analytics on how many job ads mentioned a specific brand or keyword. 2\. Yelp - analytics on how many checkins a restaurant or chain got every month. 3\. Apple Store - analytics on how many downloads an app got every month. 4\. Amazon Reviews - an API to retrieve reviews for a product. 5\. Google Trends - API to retrieve historical trends for a keyword 6\. Google Search API - API to get search results for a keyword 7\. Linkedin Company Page API - API to get the feed for any company page 8\. Instagram API - API to get the feed for any instagram user or search results for any keyword Here are the non-data API's I wished exist (that could be potential low- hanging fruit startup ideas): ....None ~~~ james2doyle You can query Google search using the Firefox search bar endpoint: [https://suggestqueries.google.com/complete/search?client=fir...](https://suggestqueries.google.com/complete/search?client=firefox&q=a+query) This returns an array of 10 of matches for the term in `q`. This is how the AnyComplete command for Hammerspoon works: [https://github.com/nathancahill/Anycomplete](https://github.com/nathancahill/Anycomplete) ~~~ AznHisoka This is an autocomplete API. How can I get the actual search results for the query? ------ ken Is it too snarky to say I wish there were a _usable_ API for Google Sheets? I spent a week reading documentation, downloading sample code, searching StackOverflow, digging through mailing list archives, and trying to debug what was happening on my test account, but I simply could not get their OAuth workflow to work at all. None of the {documentation, setup screens, sample code, observed behavior} match with any of the others. I mentioned this on HN once before and got a "I thought it was just me!" response. ------ billconan I hope some major stock trading website can have api for 1\. historical data 2\. real-time data 3\. trading api credit card usage/history data (only for myself) that is across all credit card brand. ~~~ raquo I'm pretty sure APIs #1/2/3 do exist, although access costs thousands of dollars, making hobbyist usage impractical. ~~~ lkowalcz I think IEX has a free API with historical and real-time stock info: [https://iextrading.com/developer/docs/](https://iextrading.com/developer/docs/) ------ MoBattah All my banks, credit cards, investment accounts, etc. ~~~ nulagrithom I'm eagerly awaiting a US bank that lets me review transactions and things programmatically. Even better would be webhooks for transactions, or in front of transactions for custom verification. Oh the things I would build... ------ kqr Can I say all of them? Actually, something that may be even more important is free and open access to APIs. I'm okay with registration procedures for larger volumes, but not for hobby use. It seems to me an unnecessary obstacle. If the hit rates are similar to what a user with a web browser would produce why is my script forced to register when the web user is not? ~~~ setr The problem is you can usually just get around the limiter pretty easily, isn't it? Like one site I was scraping did rate limiting by ip; I just spawned 5 aws boxes to do the scraping. And with aws pricing model, there was no real reason to stop at only 5 boxes, since each request was independent.. If I were planning to make a profit on that data, I might well have spawned 1000 boxes to speed things up (took 2 weeks of 24/7 scraping on 5) ~~~ MoBattah Can you elaborate? ~~~ setr If you do non-registration rate limiting on an api, then you still need some identifier to calculate api usage; its not hard to find an identifier for a single machine (ie IP address, which isn't actually but close enough), But without registration, theres no way I can think of to associate multiple machines with a single person. And presumably if you're rate-limiting on individual users of the api (and not the total usage across all users), then you're trying to maximize the number of users accessing the api simultaneously (ie you don't want 1 user maxing out resources, denying all other users). But with things like cloud computing, its trivial for a single user to have an absurd number of machines (legally). AWS charges on compute-hour, not number of machines. Running 1 instance for 50 hours and 50 instances for 1 hour has the same cost. But for the server, that difference is significant; you apply rate limiting _because_ you don't want to be hammered for a short duration followed by nothing, at least not from one user. Registration can also be bypassed somewhat trivially (temporary emails and aliases), but its a good deal more effort than bypassing non-registration rate limiting. And presumably most people who want to scrape a dataset large enough to bother bypassing the limiter are nautrally, by their job, aware of what I've described. Bypassing registration takes a good deal more work, and more specific tooling So tl;dr Rate limiting by ip only affects 1 machine, but not necessarily 1 user Rate limiting by registration affects n machines, with 1 user Before cloud vps, 1 machine basically correlated to 1 user. Now its trivial for n machines to correlate to 1 user. ------ psoots I would like to see software producers provide an API to download the latest release and a list of previous releases. You'd be surprised how difficult it is to automate the installation of (primarily desktop) software (Slack, IntelliJ, etc.) ~~~ RunningDroid I think a Metalink* file would work for this as long as the software can figure out the versioning scheme in use. *[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalink](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalink) ------ vinylkey Netflix would be nice. I'd love to be able to create playlists, or even play random things. Trying to watch through Arrow / Flash / Legends of Tomorrow / Supergirl in chronological order is a real pain in the butt. ~~~ fenwick67 Even better - if all the streaming services had an API that I could query to see who has what shows / movies. I'm sick of searching 3 catalogs (hulu, netflix, amazon) and finding out none of them have what I'm looking for. ~~~ kaniskode You can use [https://www.justwatch.com](https://www.justwatch.com) for that. It's really useful for finding shows on services you use. ------ jacquesc Google Keep. We have been asking them for years, and Google hasnt done anything. Probably never should have started using it in the first place. ------ fgandiya Some of my college’s websites (dining services, course catalog). With an API, my senior project would be so much easier. Unfortunately, I had to scape the information needed which isn’t ideal. ------ ezekg Amazon. I'd love to be able to place orders without using a third-party that needs to know your CC/login credentials. So much automation could happen. ~~~ noamrubin We do this! You can even do it without opening an Amazon account. [https://zincapi.com/](https://zincapi.com/) Disclaimer: I work at Zinc. ------ 66d8kk Any online based computer game. GTA Online and Rocket League are two that spring to mind. The stuff we could create with that data! ~~~ nasso Eve online has tons of APIs, and the entire game is very data driven with an open market, industry and more. Its kind of a developers wet dream if you like that kind of stuff. :) ------ ken iWork files. There's been at least two completely different (and completely undocumented) formats so far, with not even a proprietary library for accessing them. I really wish I could provide integration with Numbers.app, but as a one-man shop I can't afford to get distracted with maintaining a reverse-engineered file format for one use case. ------ djbeadle GaiaGPS - I wish there was an easy way to query my GPS tracks! ~~~ pedalpete What does it mean to "query my GPS tracks"?? Do you mean query points within the track? Or search for tracks? Or something else? ~~~ djbeadle I would really like to programmatically download my tracks. I guess I could make all tracks public and then scrape the my feed page, but a more elegant solution would be nice. ------ MonkoftheFunk GasBuddy for displaying on my magic mirror ------ giza182 The google popular hours API. ------ rmprescott Mint ------ travmatt Amazon wishlist api ------ i_am_nobody XBox ------ m_samuel_l PFSense

Adaptation to Damaging Dance and Repeated-Sprint Activity in Women. Brown, MA, Howatson, G, Keane, KM, and Stevenson, EJ. Adaptation to damaging dance and repeated-sprint activity in women. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2574-2581, 2016-The repeated bout effect (RBE) refers to the prophylactic effect from damaging exercise after a single previous bout of exercise. There is a paucity of data examining the RBE in women, and investigations using exercise paradigms beyond isolated eccentric contractions are scarce. In light of the limited literature, this investigation aimed to determine whether 2 different sport-specific exercise bouts would elicit a RBE in women. Twenty-one female dancers (19 ± 1 years) completed either a dance-specific protocol (n = 10) or sport-specific repeated-sprint protocol (n = 11). Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), limb girths, creatine kinase (CK), countermovement jump height, reactive strength index, maximal voluntary contraction, and 30-meter sprint time were recorded before and 0, 24, 48, and 72 hours after exercise. An identical exercise bout was conducted approximately 4 weeks after the initial bout, during which time the subjects maintained habitual training and dietary behaviors. DOMS and 30-meter sprint time decreased after a second bout of both activities (p = 0.003; (Equation is included in full-text article.)= 0.38 and p = 0.008; and (Equation is included in full-text article.)= 0.31, respectively). Circulating CK was also lower at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the second bout, independent of group (p = 0.010 and (Equation is included in full-text article.)= 0.23). Compared with the repeated-sprint protocol, the magnitude of change in DOMS was greater after a subsequent bout of the dance protocol (p = 0.010 and (Equation is included in full-text article.)= 0.19). These data are the first to demonstrate that dance and repeated-sprint activity resulting in muscle damage in women confers a protective effect against muscle damage after a subsequent bout.

Sputtering of C(60) fullerenes physisorbed on Ar, Xe, H(2)O, O(2), and C(8)F(18) matrix films studied with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry. The ionization and fragmentation of C(60) fullerenes were investigated using matrix films covered with C(60) molecules and bombarded with 1.5-KeV He(+) ions. C(+), C(60)(+), and C(60)(++) ions were sputtered from the C(60) molecules that were physisorbed on Ar and Xe matrix films, whereas the sputtering of C(60) on the O(2) and C(8)F(18) matrix films induced an additional emission of ion adducts, such as (OC(60))(+) and (FC(60))(+), as well as the fragment ions, C(60-2n)(+) (n = 1-10). Very few ions were sputtered from the C(60) molecules that were adsorbed on the H(2)O matrix film and the Ni(111) substrate. The ions are thought to be created at the surface when C (C(60)) collides with the Ar, Xe, O, and F species via the electron-promotion mechanism, and the formation of quasi-molecules is manifested from the emission of the ion adducts. The fragmentation occurs during the interaction with the reactive species at the surface, and the delayed ionization/fragmentation of the internally excited C(60) molecules in the gas phase has negligible contribution in the present experiment. The matrix effect arises from the suppressed neutralization of the C(60)(+) ion because of the localization of a valence hole. The C(60)(+) ion undergoes neutralization on the H(2)O film because the hydrogen bond has some covalent character.

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/* * Linux NET3: IP/IP protocol decoder. * * Authors: * Sam Lantinga (slouken@cs.ucdavis.edu) 02/01/95 * * Fixes: * Alan Cox : Merged and made usable non modular (its so tiny its silly as * a module taking up 2 pages). * Alan Cox : Fixed bug with 1.3.18 and IPIP not working (now needs to set skb->h.iph) * to keep ip_forward happy. * Alan Cox : More fixes for 1.3.21, and firewall fix. Maybe this will work soon 8). * Kai Schulte : Fixed #defines for IP_FIREWALL->FIREWALL * David Woodhouse : Perform some basic ICMP handling. * IPIP Routing without decapsulation. * Carlos Picoto : GRE over IP support * Alexey Kuznetsov: Reworked. Really, now it is truncated version of ipv4/ip_gre.c. * I do not want to merge them together. * * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or * modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License * as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version * 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. * */ /* tunnel.c: an IP tunnel driver The purpose of this driver is to provide an IP tunnel through which you can tunnel network traffic transparently across subnets. This was written by looking at Nick Holloway's dummy driver Thanks for the great code! -Sam Lantinga (slouken@cs.ucdavis.edu) 02/01/95 Minor tweaks: Cleaned up the code a little and added some pre-1.3.0 tweaks. dev->hard_header/hard_header_len changed to use no headers. Comments/bracketing tweaked. Made the tunnels use dev->name not tunnel: when error reporting. Added tx_dropped stat -Alan Cox (alan@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk) 21 March 95 Reworked: Changed to tunnel to destination gateway in addition to the tunnel's pointopoint address Almost completely rewritten Note: There is currently no firewall or ICMP handling done. -Sam Lantinga (slouken@cs.ucdavis.edu) 02/13/96 */ /* Things I wish I had known when writing the tunnel driver: When the tunnel_xmit() function is called, the skb contains the packet to be sent (plus a great deal of extra info), and dev contains the tunnel device that _we_ are. When we are passed a packet, we are expected to fill in the source address with our source IP address. What is the proper way to allocate, copy and free a buffer? After you allocate it, it is a "0 length" chunk of memory starting at zero. If you want to add headers to the buffer later, you'll have to call "skb_reserve(skb, amount)" with the amount of memory you want reserved. Then, you call "skb_put(skb, amount)" with the amount of space you want in the buffer. skb_put() returns a pointer to the top (#0) of that buffer. skb->len is set to the amount of space you have "allocated" with skb_put(). You can then write up to skb->len bytes to that buffer. If you need more, you can call skb_put() again with the additional amount of space you need. You can find out how much more space you can allocate by calling "skb_tailroom(skb)". Now, to add header space, call "skb_push(skb, header_len)". This creates space at the beginning of the buffer and returns a pointer to this new space. If later you need to strip a header from a buffer, call "skb_pull(skb, header_len)". skb_headroom() will return how much space is left at the top of the buffer (before the main data). Remember, this headroom space must be reserved before the skb_put() function is called. */ /* This version of net/ipv4/ipip.c is cloned of net/ipv4/ip_gre.c For comments look at net/ipv4/ip_gre.c --ANK */ #include <linux/capability.h> #include <linux/module.h> #include <linux/types.h> #include <linux/kernel.h> #include <linux/slab.h> #include <asm/uaccess.h> #include <linux/skbuff.h> #include <linux/netdevice.h> #include <linux/in.h> #include <linux/tcp.h> #include <linux/udp.h> #include <linux/if_arp.h> #include <linux/mroute.h> #include <linux/init.h> #include <linux/netfilter_ipv4.h> #include <linux/if_ether.h> #include <net/sock.h> #include <net/ip.h> #include <net/icmp.h> #include <net/ipip.h> #include <net/inet_ecn.h> #include <net/xfrm.h> #include <net/net_namespace.h> #include <net/netns/generic.h> #define HASH_SIZE 16 #define HASH(addr) (((__force u32)addr^((__force u32)addr>>4))&0xF) static int ipip_net_id __read_mostly; struct ipip_net { struct ip_tunnel *tunnels_r_l[HASH_SIZE]; struct ip_tunnel *tunnels_r[HASH_SIZE]; struct ip_tunnel *tunnels_l[HASH_SIZE]; struct ip_tunnel *tunnels_wc[1]; struct ip_tunnel **tunnels[4]; struct net_device *fb_tunnel_dev; }; static void ipip_tunnel_init(struct net_device *dev); static void ipip_tunnel_setup(struct net_device *dev); /* * Locking : hash tables are protected by RCU and a spinlock */ static DEFINE_SPINLOCK(ipip_lock); #define for_each_ip_tunnel_rcu(start) \ for (t = rcu_dereference(start); t; t = rcu_dereference(t->next)) static struct ip_tunnel * ipip_tunnel_lookup(struct net *net, __be32 remote, __be32 local) { unsigned h0 = HASH(remote); unsigned h1 = HASH(local); struct ip_tunnel *t; struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(net, ipip_net_id); for_each_ip_tunnel_rcu(ipn->tunnels_r_l[h0 ^ h1]) if (local == t->parms.iph.saddr && remote == t->parms.iph.daddr && (t->dev->flags&IFF_UP)) return t; for_each_ip_tunnel_rcu(ipn->tunnels_r[h0]) if (remote == t->parms.iph.daddr && (t->dev->flags&IFF_UP)) return t; for_each_ip_tunnel_rcu(ipn->tunnels_l[h1]) if (local == t->parms.iph.saddr && (t->dev->flags&IFF_UP)) return t; t = rcu_dereference(ipn->tunnels_wc[0]); if (t && (t->dev->flags&IFF_UP)) return t; return NULL; } static struct ip_tunnel **__ipip_bucket(struct ipip_net *ipn, struct ip_tunnel_parm *parms) { __be32 remote = parms->iph.daddr; __be32 local = parms->iph.saddr; unsigned h = 0; int prio = 0; if (remote) { prio |= 2; h ^= HASH(remote); } if (local) { prio |= 1; h ^= HASH(local); } return &ipn->tunnels[prio][h]; } static inline struct ip_tunnel **ipip_bucket(struct ipip_net *ipn, struct ip_tunnel *t) { return __ipip_bucket(ipn, &t->parms); } static void ipip_tunnel_unlink(struct ipip_net *ipn, struct ip_tunnel *t) { struct ip_tunnel **tp; for (tp = ipip_bucket(ipn, t); *tp; tp = &(*tp)->next) { if (t == *tp) { spin_lock_bh(&ipip_lock); *tp = t->next; spin_unlock_bh(&ipip_lock); break; } } } static void ipip_tunnel_link(struct ipip_net *ipn, struct ip_tunnel *t) { struct ip_tunnel **tp = ipip_bucket(ipn, t); spin_lock_bh(&ipip_lock); t->next = *tp; rcu_assign_pointer(*tp, t); spin_unlock_bh(&ipip_lock); } static struct ip_tunnel * ipip_tunnel_locate(struct net *net, struct ip_tunnel_parm *parms, int create) { __be32 remote = parms->iph.daddr; __be32 local = parms->iph.saddr; struct ip_tunnel *t, **tp, *nt; struct net_device *dev; char name[IFNAMSIZ]; struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(net, ipip_net_id); for (tp = __ipip_bucket(ipn, parms); (t = *tp) != NULL; tp = &t->next) { if (local == t->parms.iph.saddr && remote == t->parms.iph.daddr) return t; } if (!create) return NULL; if (parms->name[0]) strlcpy(name, parms->name, IFNAMSIZ); else sprintf(name, "tunl%%d"); dev = alloc_netdev(sizeof(*t), name, ipip_tunnel_setup); if (dev == NULL) return NULL; dev_net_set(dev, net); if (strchr(name, '%')) { if (dev_alloc_name(dev, name) < 0) goto failed_free; } nt = netdev_priv(dev); nt->parms = *parms; ipip_tunnel_init(dev); if (register_netdevice(dev) < 0) goto failed_free; dev_hold(dev); ipip_tunnel_link(ipn, nt); return nt; failed_free: free_netdev(dev); return NULL; } static void ipip_tunnel_uninit(struct net_device *dev) { struct net *net = dev_net(dev); struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(net, ipip_net_id); if (dev == ipn->fb_tunnel_dev) { spin_lock_bh(&ipip_lock); ipn->tunnels_wc[0] = NULL; spin_unlock_bh(&ipip_lock); } else ipip_tunnel_unlink(ipn, netdev_priv(dev)); dev_put(dev); } static int ipip_err(struct sk_buff *skb, u32 info) { /* All the routers (except for Linux) return only 8 bytes of packet payload. It means, that precise relaying of ICMP in the real Internet is absolutely infeasible. */ struct iphdr *iph = (struct iphdr *)skb->data; const int type = icmp_hdr(skb)->type; const int code = icmp_hdr(skb)->code; struct ip_tunnel *t; int err; switch (type) { default: case ICMP_PARAMETERPROB: return 0; case ICMP_DEST_UNREACH: switch (code) { case ICMP_SR_FAILED: case ICMP_PORT_UNREACH: /* Impossible event. */ return 0; case ICMP_FRAG_NEEDED: /* Soft state for pmtu is maintained by IP core. */ return 0; default: /* All others are translated to HOST_UNREACH. rfc2003 contains "deep thoughts" about NET_UNREACH, I believe they are just ether pollution. --ANK */ break; } break; case ICMP_TIME_EXCEEDED: if (code != ICMP_EXC_TTL) return 0; break; } err = -ENOENT; rcu_read_lock(); t = ipip_tunnel_lookup(dev_net(skb->dev), iph->daddr, iph->saddr); if (t == NULL || t->parms.iph.daddr == 0) goto out; err = 0; if (t->parms.iph.ttl == 0 && type == ICMP_TIME_EXCEEDED) goto out; if (time_before(jiffies, t->err_time + IPTUNNEL_ERR_TIMEO)) t->err_count++; else t->err_count = 1; t->err_time = jiffies; out: rcu_read_unlock(); return err; } static inline void ipip_ecn_decapsulate(const struct iphdr *outer_iph, struct sk_buff *skb) { struct iphdr *inner_iph = ip_hdr(skb); if (INET_ECN_is_ce(outer_iph->tos)) IP_ECN_set_ce(inner_iph); } static int ipip_rcv(struct sk_buff *skb) { struct ip_tunnel *tunnel; const struct iphdr *iph = ip_hdr(skb); rcu_read_lock(); if ((tunnel = ipip_tunnel_lookup(dev_net(skb->dev), iph->saddr, iph->daddr)) != NULL) { if (!xfrm4_policy_check(NULL, XFRM_POLICY_IN, skb)) { rcu_read_unlock(); kfree_skb(skb); return 0; } secpath_reset(skb); skb->mac_header = skb->network_header; skb_reset_network_header(skb); skb->protocol = htons(ETH_P_IP); skb->pkt_type = PACKET_HOST; skb_tunnel_rx(skb, tunnel->dev); ipip_ecn_decapsulate(iph, skb); netif_rx(skb); rcu_read_unlock(); return 0; } rcu_read_unlock(); return -1; } /* * This function assumes it is being called from dev_queue_xmit() * and that skb is filled properly by that function. */ static netdev_tx_t ipip_tunnel_xmit(struct sk_buff *skb, struct net_device *dev) { struct ip_tunnel *tunnel = netdev_priv(dev); struct net_device_stats *stats = &dev->stats; struct netdev_queue *txq = netdev_get_tx_queue(dev, 0); struct iphdr *tiph = &tunnel->parms.iph; u8 tos = tunnel->parms.iph.tos; __be16 df = tiph->frag_off; struct rtable *rt; /* Route to the other host */ struct net_device *tdev; /* Device to other host */ struct iphdr *old_iph = ip_hdr(skb); struct iphdr *iph; /* Our new IP header */ unsigned int max_headroom; /* The extra header space needed */ __be32 dst = tiph->daddr; int mtu; if (skb->protocol != htons(ETH_P_IP)) goto tx_error; if (tos&1) tos = old_iph->tos; if (!dst) { /* NBMA tunnel */ if ((rt = skb_rtable(skb)) == NULL) { stats->tx_fifo_errors++; goto tx_error; } if ((dst = rt->rt_gateway) == 0) goto tx_error_icmp; } { struct flowi fl = { .oif = tunnel->parms.link, .nl_u = { .ip4_u = { .daddr = dst, .saddr = tiph->saddr, .tos = RT_TOS(tos) } }, .proto = IPPROTO_IPIP }; if (ip_route_output_key(dev_net(dev), &rt, &fl)) { stats->tx_carrier_errors++; goto tx_error_icmp; } } tdev = rt->dst.dev; if (tdev == dev) { ip_rt_put(rt); stats->collisions++; goto tx_error; } df |= old_iph->frag_off & htons(IP_DF); if (df) { mtu = dst_mtu(&rt->dst) - sizeof(struct iphdr); if (mtu < 68) { stats->collisions++; ip_rt_put(rt); goto tx_error; } if (skb_dst(skb)) skb_dst(skb)->ops->update_pmtu(skb_dst(skb), mtu); if ((old_iph->frag_off & htons(IP_DF)) && mtu < ntohs(old_iph->tot_len)) { icmp_send(skb, ICMP_DEST_UNREACH, ICMP_FRAG_NEEDED, htonl(mtu)); ip_rt_put(rt); goto tx_error; } } if (tunnel->err_count > 0) { if (time_before(jiffies, tunnel->err_time + IPTUNNEL_ERR_TIMEO)) { tunnel->err_count--; dst_link_failure(skb); } else tunnel->err_count = 0; } /* * Okay, now see if we can stuff it in the buffer as-is. */ max_headroom = (LL_RESERVED_SPACE(tdev)+sizeof(struct iphdr)); if (skb_headroom(skb) < max_headroom || skb_shared(skb) || (skb_cloned(skb) && !skb_clone_writable(skb, 0))) { struct sk_buff *new_skb = skb_realloc_headroom(skb, max_headroom); if (!new_skb) { ip_rt_put(rt); txq->tx_dropped++; dev_kfree_skb(skb); return NETDEV_TX_OK; } if (skb->sk) skb_set_owner_w(new_skb, skb->sk); dev_kfree_skb(skb); skb = new_skb; old_iph = ip_hdr(skb); } skb->transport_header = skb->network_header; skb_push(skb, sizeof(struct iphdr)); skb_reset_network_header(skb); memset(&(IPCB(skb)->opt), 0, sizeof(IPCB(skb)->opt)); IPCB(skb)->flags &= ~(IPSKB_XFRM_TUNNEL_SIZE | IPSKB_XFRM_TRANSFORMED | IPSKB_REROUTED); skb_dst_drop(skb); skb_dst_set(skb, &rt->dst); /* * Push down and install the IPIP header. */ iph = ip_hdr(skb); iph->version = 4; iph->ihl = sizeof(struct iphdr)>>2; iph->frag_off = df; iph->protocol = IPPROTO_IPIP; iph->tos = INET_ECN_encapsulate(tos, old_iph->tos); iph->daddr = rt->rt_dst; iph->saddr = rt->rt_src; if ((iph->ttl = tiph->ttl) == 0) iph->ttl = old_iph->ttl; nf_reset(skb); IPTUNNEL_XMIT(); return NETDEV_TX_OK; tx_error_icmp: dst_link_failure(skb); tx_error: stats->tx_errors++; dev_kfree_skb(skb); return NETDEV_TX_OK; } static void ipip_tunnel_bind_dev(struct net_device *dev) { struct net_device *tdev = NULL; struct ip_tunnel *tunnel; struct iphdr *iph; tunnel = netdev_priv(dev); iph = &tunnel->parms.iph; if (iph->daddr) { struct flowi fl = { .oif = tunnel->parms.link, .nl_u = { .ip4_u = { .daddr = iph->daddr, .saddr = iph->saddr, .tos = RT_TOS(iph->tos) } }, .proto = IPPROTO_IPIP }; struct rtable *rt; if (!ip_route_output_key(dev_net(dev), &rt, &fl)) { tdev = rt->dst.dev; ip_rt_put(rt); } dev->flags |= IFF_POINTOPOINT; } if (!tdev && tunnel->parms.link) tdev = __dev_get_by_index(dev_net(dev), tunnel->parms.link); if (tdev) { dev->hard_header_len = tdev->hard_header_len + sizeof(struct iphdr); dev->mtu = tdev->mtu - sizeof(struct iphdr); } dev->iflink = tunnel->parms.link; } static int ipip_tunnel_ioctl (struct net_device *dev, struct ifreq *ifr, int cmd) { int err = 0; struct ip_tunnel_parm p; struct ip_tunnel *t; struct net *net = dev_net(dev); struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(net, ipip_net_id); switch (cmd) { case SIOCGETTUNNEL: t = NULL; if (dev == ipn->fb_tunnel_dev) { if (copy_from_user(&p, ifr->ifr_ifru.ifru_data, sizeof(p))) { err = -EFAULT; break; } t = ipip_tunnel_locate(net, &p, 0); } if (t == NULL) t = netdev_priv(dev); memcpy(&p, &t->parms, sizeof(p)); if (copy_to_user(ifr->ifr_ifru.ifru_data, &p, sizeof(p))) err = -EFAULT; break; case SIOCADDTUNNEL: case SIOCCHGTUNNEL: err = -EPERM; if (!capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN)) goto done; err = -EFAULT; if (copy_from_user(&p, ifr->ifr_ifru.ifru_data, sizeof(p))) goto done; err = -EINVAL; if (p.iph.version != 4 || p.iph.protocol != IPPROTO_IPIP || p.iph.ihl != 5 || (p.iph.frag_off&htons(~IP_DF))) goto done; if (p.iph.ttl) p.iph.frag_off |= htons(IP_DF); t = ipip_tunnel_locate(net, &p, cmd == SIOCADDTUNNEL); if (dev != ipn->fb_tunnel_dev && cmd == SIOCCHGTUNNEL) { if (t != NULL) { if (t->dev != dev) { err = -EEXIST; break; } } else { if (((dev->flags&IFF_POINTOPOINT) && !p.iph.daddr) || (!(dev->flags&IFF_POINTOPOINT) && p.iph.daddr)) { err = -EINVAL; break; } t = netdev_priv(dev); ipip_tunnel_unlink(ipn, t); t->parms.iph.saddr = p.iph.saddr; t->parms.iph.daddr = p.iph.daddr; memcpy(dev->dev_addr, &p.iph.saddr, 4); memcpy(dev->broadcast, &p.iph.daddr, 4); ipip_tunnel_link(ipn, t); netdev_state_change(dev); } } if (t) { err = 0; if (cmd == SIOCCHGTUNNEL) { t->parms.iph.ttl = p.iph.ttl; t->parms.iph.tos = p.iph.tos; t->parms.iph.frag_off = p.iph.frag_off; if (t->parms.link != p.link) { t->parms.link = p.link; ipip_tunnel_bind_dev(dev); netdev_state_change(dev); } } if (copy_to_user(ifr->ifr_ifru.ifru_data, &t->parms, sizeof(p))) err = -EFAULT; } else err = (cmd == SIOCADDTUNNEL ? -ENOBUFS : -ENOENT); break; case SIOCDELTUNNEL: err = -EPERM; if (!capable(CAP_NET_ADMIN)) goto done; if (dev == ipn->fb_tunnel_dev) { err = -EFAULT; if (copy_from_user(&p, ifr->ifr_ifru.ifru_data, sizeof(p))) goto done; err = -ENOENT; if ((t = ipip_tunnel_locate(net, &p, 0)) == NULL) goto done; err = -EPERM; if (t->dev == ipn->fb_tunnel_dev) goto done; dev = t->dev; } unregister_netdevice(dev); err = 0; break; default: err = -EINVAL; } done: return err; } static int ipip_tunnel_change_mtu(struct net_device *dev, int new_mtu) { if (new_mtu < 68 || new_mtu > 0xFFF8 - sizeof(struct iphdr)) return -EINVAL; dev->mtu = new_mtu; return 0; } static const struct net_device_ops ipip_netdev_ops = { .ndo_uninit = ipip_tunnel_uninit, .ndo_start_xmit = ipip_tunnel_xmit, .ndo_do_ioctl = ipip_tunnel_ioctl, .ndo_change_mtu = ipip_tunnel_change_mtu, }; static void ipip_tunnel_setup(struct net_device *dev) { dev->netdev_ops = &ipip_netdev_ops; dev->destructor = free_netdev; dev->type = ARPHRD_TUNNEL; dev->hard_header_len = LL_MAX_HEADER + sizeof(struct iphdr); dev->mtu = ETH_DATA_LEN - sizeof(struct iphdr); dev->flags = IFF_NOARP; dev->iflink = 0; dev->addr_len = 4; dev->features |= NETIF_F_NETNS_LOCAL; dev->priv_flags &= ~IFF_XMIT_DST_RELEASE; } static void ipip_tunnel_init(struct net_device *dev) { struct ip_tunnel *tunnel = netdev_priv(dev); tunnel->dev = dev; strcpy(tunnel->parms.name, dev->name); memcpy(dev->dev_addr, &tunnel->parms.iph.saddr, 4); memcpy(dev->broadcast, &tunnel->parms.iph.daddr, 4); ipip_tunnel_bind_dev(dev); } static void __net_init ipip_fb_tunnel_init(struct net_device *dev) { struct ip_tunnel *tunnel = netdev_priv(dev); struct iphdr *iph = &tunnel->parms.iph; struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(dev_net(dev), ipip_net_id); tunnel->dev = dev; strcpy(tunnel->parms.name, dev->name); iph->version = 4; iph->protocol = IPPROTO_IPIP; iph->ihl = 5; dev_hold(dev); ipn->tunnels_wc[0] = tunnel; } static struct xfrm_tunnel ipip_handler = { .handler = ipip_rcv, .err_handler = ipip_err, .priority = 1, }; static const char banner[] __initconst = KERN_INFO "IPv4 over IPv4 tunneling driver\n"; static void ipip_destroy_tunnels(struct ipip_net *ipn, struct list_head *head) { int prio; for (prio = 1; prio < 4; prio++) { int h; for (h = 0; h < HASH_SIZE; h++) { struct ip_tunnel *t = ipn->tunnels[prio][h]; while (t != NULL) { unregister_netdevice_queue(t->dev, head); t = t->next; } } } } static int __net_init ipip_init_net(struct net *net) { struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(net, ipip_net_id); int err; ipn->tunnels[0] = ipn->tunnels_wc; ipn->tunnels[1] = ipn->tunnels_l; ipn->tunnels[2] = ipn->tunnels_r; ipn->tunnels[3] = ipn->tunnels_r_l; ipn->fb_tunnel_dev = alloc_netdev(sizeof(struct ip_tunnel), "tunl0", ipip_tunnel_setup); if (!ipn->fb_tunnel_dev) { err = -ENOMEM; goto err_alloc_dev; } dev_net_set(ipn->fb_tunnel_dev, net); ipip_fb_tunnel_init(ipn->fb_tunnel_dev); if ((err = register_netdev(ipn->fb_tunnel_dev))) goto err_reg_dev; return 0; err_reg_dev: free_netdev(ipn->fb_tunnel_dev); err_alloc_dev: /* nothing */ return err; } static void __net_exit ipip_exit_net(struct net *net) { struct ipip_net *ipn = net_generic(net, ipip_net_id); LIST_HEAD(list); rtnl_lock(); ipip_destroy_tunnels(ipn, &list); unregister_netdevice_queue(ipn->fb_tunnel_dev, &list); unregister_netdevice_many(&list); rtnl_unlock(); } static struct pernet_operations ipip_net_ops = { .init = ipip_init_net, .exit = ipip_exit_net, .id = &ipip_net_id, .size = sizeof(struct ipip_net), }; static int __init ipip_init(void) { int err; printk(banner); err = register_pernet_device(&ipip_net_ops); if (err < 0) return err; err = xfrm4_tunnel_register(&ipip_handler, AF_INET); if (err < 0) { unregister_pernet_device(&ipip_net_ops); printk(KERN_INFO "ipip init: can't register tunnel\n"); } return err; } static void __exit ipip_fini(void) { if (xfrm4_tunnel_deregister(&ipip_handler, AF_INET)) printk(KERN_INFO "ipip close: can't deregister tunnel\n"); unregister_pernet_device(&ipip_net_ops); } module_init(ipip_init); module_exit(ipip_fini); MODULE_LICENSE("GPL");

An innovative model improving success at university for regional Australians suffering educational and social disadvantage. Regional Australia is critically short of registered nurses (RNs) due to an ageing nursing workforce and difficulty in attracting new staff. It is recognised that rural background is the most influential factor shaping a health professional's decision to practise in regional areas. Because of this, Charles Sturt University (CSU), with campuses throughout regional New South Wales (NSW), Australia, offered a bachelor of nursing by distance education (DE), enabling rural and remote enrolled nurses (ENs) trained by the Department of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) to upgrade their qualifications to RN. However, despite the flexible study mode offered, many rural and remote ENs were reluctant to progress to university study. This article describes an outreach model developed in recognition of the importance of supporting ENs to undertake RNs studies. Theories of social capital informed the model, which assisted understanding of the reluctance of rural and remote ENs to undertake university studies to become RNs. Most of the ENs lived and worked in communities where this was not an expectation; in addition, they were not members of social networks that knew about university study. The model assisted the development of participants by recognising and respecting barriers to their university participation. These barriers included their: self-perception as learners; concept of a university and themselves as university students; understanding of enrolment processes and course progression; understanding of what university study entails and the supports available in both community and university. Central to the model was the provision of face-to-face academic workshops for the ENs in the communities where they lived and worked. This allowed direct contact with university lecturers and support staff, enabling the rural ENs to establish the trustworthiness of 'the messengers'. Once this was achieved they were able to build a personal connection with the university and potential support providers, and to develop their own support networks. The workshops occurred at least 6 months before an intake of bachelor of nursing by DE. Eight academic preparation workshops were conducted between 2003 and 2008 throughout rural and remote NSW with a total of 168 participants. Currently 89 participants (63%) have enrolled in the CSU Bachelor of Nursing course by DE. Successive workshops have built on knowledge acquired in this process. The model was supported by CSU and industry partnerships; since 2005 the academic preparation workshops have been supported by area health services' (AHSs) promotion, participation and funding. The workshops now form part of the AHSs' nursing recruitment strategy and have been endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Office, Aboriginal Nursing and Midwifery, NSW Health. The CSU believes the model has potential application beyond prospective nursing.

Serum hyaluronic acid levels do not explain morning stiffness in patients with fibromyalgia. To investigate the serum levels of hyaluronic acid (HA) in Korean female patients with fibromyalgia (FM) and correlate these levels with variables of disease severity including morning stiffness, we measured HA serum levels in 69 FM patients, 72 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and 71 healthy controls by enzyme-linked binding protein assay. The serum levels of HA in FM patients did not differ from those in the age-matched controls, whereas HA levels were significantly higher in RA patients than in FM patients and controls (both P < 0.001). With a cut-off value of 75 ng/mL, the prevalence of seropositivity was higher in RA patients (59.7%) than in FM patients (26.1%) or controls (14.1%; both P < 0.001). There were no differences in seropositivity between FM patients and controls, or between FM patients with severe symptoms and those with mild symptoms. The HA levels in FM patients were significantly correlated with age, age at diagnosis, age at symptom development, disease duration, symptom duration, and level of education. There were no correlations between HA levels and morning stiffness, tender point counts and scores, or Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory scores. In our patients, the serum HA levels were not increased and did not reflect disease severity. These results suggest that serum HA is not a useful laboratory marker for diagnosis and assessment of FM.

Graduate Program The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Sociology offers a Ph.D. in Sociology The graduate program provides all students with a strong foundation in social theory and research methods. Students also develop expertise in specific fields within the discipline. The program’s primary goal is to help students to become outstanding independent scholars and teachers who will make important contributions to a wider body of knowledge. Faculty teaching and research interests are diverse and cut across the discipline’s primary subfields. The department is especially strong in the sociology of education, religion, family, culture, and social movements/political sociology. The department also offers a Ph.D. in Sociology and Peace Studies in partnership with Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Graduates are fully credentialed in sociology and acquainted with the research questions and findings of interdisciplinary peace research. Notre Dame provides a supportive environment for sociological research and graduate training. Students work closely with faculty members who are engaged in cutting edge research and who are leaders and innovators in their fields. The University’s Computing Center makes large-capacity, late-generation networked equipment available to graduate students, for whom several microcomputing labs are also available. Faculty affiliations with on-campus institutes and research centers provide additional resources for graduate students. These include:

Q: How to Interpret Histograms of Computed Gray Images? Situation: unable to interpret histogram of flat images in XnView where no labels on axes where I think y-axis = pixel number, and x-axis = [0,255] Original image: just sin(x) wave going on the gray area Images (similar original image and histogram) I did not find anything about the documentation to interpret it, thread here. Those dotted peaks are about interval lengths in pixel scale [0,255]. Open Why two thin peaks for the gray image? I know that the other peak is caused by the colorbar. The other peak must be caused by the sin wave. - - How can you get labels on the axis such that I can evaluate better it? System: Linux Ubuntu 16.04 64 bit Hardware: Macbook Air 2013-mid Image editing: XnView 0.81 A: Edited new answer What is an histogram? An histogram is a graph that shows the relation between the brightness of a pixel versus the number of pixels that has that brightness. In this case, the level of gray. Comparing the graph with it's photo, some times you can identify the peaks of the graph to some zones on your photo: Depending on the content of the image, for example in a low key photo (a dark one) the graph piles up to the left. In the image on the right I am forcing a lot more the darkness of the image. The brighter value is now on the red arrow, and you can see how the graph piles up more and more. You still can see some parts of the image (yellow arrow). On the case of flat images with biiiig areas of one level you will see only a (proportionally) very tall thin line on your graph, because you have no transitions, no shades, just pure contrast. Almost in all programs, (and cameras that has the feature) the graph scales up and down relative to the highest value. If you have a lot of varity of shades, you will see clear curves as in the photo one. But when you have a very dominant tone, as the second photo, the rest of the values get flatter, proportionally of the increasing height of the tallest peak (meaning a looooooot of pixels has that value). Practical aplications In photography and design it has a lot of aplications, from seeing the overall tone and "mood" of the image, to some very specific warnings. In photography you normally never want to "clip" the bright side, overexposing the highlights. It is an irreparable mistake. In graphic design for print you normally want to avoid an image that has no black, because will look dull when printed. Depending on the image, a white point can be necessary too, so you extend that histogram till the darker point and lighter point touches a bit the sides of the graph. Old answer I tested my version of XnView on windows and I have no problem viewing a normal histogram. If the image you are viewing is a flat black square you will have an histogram that consist on a single tall line staked to the left... that you probably won't see. Try a normal b&w photo.

Q: Get session os user in an oracle trigger I would like to extract the os user from the oracle session executing the command in an tables trigger. Is this possible and if so can anyone point me on how I can achieve this? Thanks. CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER tr_my_table_after_delete AFTER DELETE ON my_table FOR EACH ROW BEGIN INSERT INTO sync_my_table_audit ( id, audit_user, audit_action, audit_date) VALUES ( :old.id, --executing session's os user, 'D', current_timestamp ); END; / A: SYS_CONTEXT('USERENV', 'OS_USER') is your friend, see SYS_CONTEXT

69 F.3d 285 Roger Dale SHERRON, Appellant,v.Larry NORRIS, Interim Director, Arkansas Department ofCorrection, Appellee. No. 95-1265. United States Court of Appeals,Eighth Circuit. Submitted Sept. 11, 1995.Decided Nov. 14, 1995. James H. Phillips, Little Rock, Arkansas, argued, for appellant. Olan Warren Reeves, Assistant Attorney General, Little Rock, Arkansas, argued, for appellee. Before WOLLMAN, LOKEN, and MORRIS SHEPPARD ARNOLD, Circuit Judges. WOLLMAN, Circuit Judge. 1 Roger Dale Sherron appeals the district court's1 denial of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Sherron raises claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel, ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, and violation of his due process and confrontation clause rights in his convictions of first degree murder and first degree battery. We affirm. I. Factual and Procedural Background 2 On the night of July 10, 1983, Sherron, armed with a handgun, went to see his estranged wife, Carolyn, who was staying with Holly Gregory Ashley and Holly's then-boyfriend, David Ashley. Holly testified that Sherron and Carolyn went into the bedroom to talk privately; fifteen minutes later she heard Carolyn "scream a little bit," followed immediately by the sound of a gunshot. Sherron then emerged from the bedroom with the gun, told Holly that she had "messed up everything," and ordered her to take off her clothes. Holly grabbed the gun; they struggled and the gun discharged, the bullet missing them both. Holly testified that Sherron then struck her repeatedly with the gun and that he pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger several times, the gun not firing. After being severely beaten, Holly eventually escaped and ran to a neighbor's house for help. 3 Sherron's version of the facts was somewhat different. He testified that he brought the gun to Holly's house only to protect himself from David Ashley, a man with a history of violence, and that at no time did he intend to kill his wife. According to Sherron, he and Carolyn were in the bedroom seriously discussing a reconciliation when Holly interrupted them and demanded that Sherron leave. Sherron stated that he became angry with Holly because he and Carolyn were in the middle of an intimate conversation and Holly's interruption put an end to his attempts at reconciliation. He pulled the gun intending to force Holly to leave the house. Carolyn grabbed his arm to stop him. During the ensuing struggle the gun went off, the bullet hitting and killing Carolyn. 4 Sherron did not deny beating Holly. He stated that he remembered hitting her only once and that he was simply attempting to leave to get help because there was no telephone in the house. After Holly left, Sherron returned to his apartment and called his brother, Eddie, telling Eddie that he was going to commit suicide. Eddie talked him out of doing so, whereupon Sherron then called the police. 5 Dr. Fahmy Malak, the medical examiner who examined Carolyn's body shortly after the shooting, indicated in his autopsy report that he found gunpowder residue and a cylindrical deposit of trace metal on Carolyn's left hand. Sherron's counsel stipulated to the reading of Dr. Malak's report to the jury in lieu of Dr. Malak's in-court testimony. Trial counsel neither looked at Dr. Malak's file nor interviewed him personally. At the habeas evidentiary hearing, Dr. Malak testified that his findings regarding gunpowder residue and trace metal deposits were consistent with Sherron's testimony that Carolyn's hand was on or near the gun when it was fired. 6 The State called two police officers, Tony Bradley and Irvin Shelton, as witnesses to describe Carolyn Sherron's body. Officer Bradley told the jury that the "left side of her face had been beaten and bruised." Defense counsel objected on the ground that this was a conclusion, but failed to obtain a ruling on the objection. On cross-examination, counsel elicited testimony from Bradley to clarify that the "bruises" were limited to the area immediately surrounding the bullet wound. Officer Shelton then testified that when he saw Carolyn's body "she had large bruises" and that "she had some bruises along the facial area, and I believe there were one or two to the right side of her head." On cross-examination, defense counsel unsuccessfully attempted to elicit an admission from Shelton that the only bruises on Carolyn's body were those immediately surrounding the wound. 7 After cleaning Carolyn's body, Dr. Malak took pictures that showed that she had no bruises. The jury did not see these pictures. 8 In an offer of proof after the jury commenced deliberations, Eddie Sherron testified that his brother had called him on the night of the shooting and said that he had just shot Carolyn and that "he didn't mean to." According to Eddie, Sherron went on to explain that he pulled out the gun to scare Holly into leaving but that Carolyn grabbed the gun and it went off. He further testified that his brother threatened to kill himself because he "didn't have nothing else to live for after his wife was dead." The trial court ruled that Eddie could have testified that he had received a phone call and that his brother sounded upset and was crying, but could not have testified to the substance of the conversation. Because defense counsel had offered only the specific testimony and not the fact of the phone call, Eddie was not allowed to testify. 9 The jury found Sherron guilty of first degree murder and first degree assault and sentenced him to life imprisonment for the murder and to twenty years for the battery. Sherron retained new counsel to handle his direct appeal. The only argument raised by appellate counsel was that the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the lesser-included offense of negligent homicide. The Arkansas Supreme Court affirmed the convictions. Sherron v. State, 285 Ark. 8, 684 S.W.2d 247 (1985), and denied Sherron's pro se petition for state post-conviction relief. Sherron v. State, No. CR 84-138, 1987 WL 10020 (Ark. Apr. 27, 1987). II. Procedural Default 10 We find that three of Sherron's four claims have been procedurally defaulted. Sherron failed to raise his ineffective assistance of appellate counsel, due process, and confrontation clause claims in state court. We will not review claims that appear for the first time in a federal habeas petition unless the petitioner can show adequate cause for his failure to raise them in the state proceedings and actual prejudice from the alleged constitutional violations, or if he can demonstrate that failure to review a claim would result in a fundamental miscarriage of justice. Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 750, 111 S.Ct. 2546, 2564-65, 115 L.Ed.2d 640 (1991); Krimmel v. Hopkins, 56 F.3d 873, 876 (8th Cir.1995). 11 Sherron argues that his pro se status, coupled with the refusal of the state court to grant him access to the trial transcript, is sufficient cause to excuse his procedural default. Sherron sought a copy of the transcript at the time he filed his state post-conviction petition to enable him to "further prepare and amend" his petition. The Arkansas Supreme Court denied Sherron's request because he failed to show a specific need for the transcript. Sherron v. State, No. CR 84-138, 1987 WL 10020 (Ark. Apr. 27, 1987). 12 We have held that pro se status standing alone is insufficient to establish cause for a procedural default. Scroggins v. Lockhart, 934 F.2d 972, 975 (8th Cir.1991); Smittie v. Lockhart, 843 F.2d 295, 298 (8th Cir.1988). Moreover, we have held that the unavailability of a trial transcript does not constitute sufficient cause if the prisoner failed to show that the issues on appeal were nonfrivolous and that the transcript was required to decide the issues. Smith v. Lockhart, 882 F.2d 331, 334 (8th Cir.1989) (citing United States v. Lewis, 605 F.2d 379, 380 (8th Cir.1979)), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1028, 110 S.Ct. 739, 107 L.Ed.2d 757 (1990). Because Sherron failed to make this required showing, the Arkansas Supreme Court permissibly denied his transcript request. Thus, Sherron has not established cause to excuse his procedural default. 13 Sherron's failure to show cause makes a determination of prejudice unnecessary. Hence, we turn to the narrow actual innocence exception to the cause and prejudice requirement. To fall within the actual innocence exception, a petitioner must establish "that it is more likely than not that, but for the constitutional error claimed, 'no juror, acting reasonably, would have voted to find him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.' " Fairchild v. Norris, 51 F.3d 129, 130 (8th Cir.) (quoting Schlup v. Delo, --- U.S. ----, ----, 115 S.Ct. 851, 868, 130 L.Ed.2d 808 (1995)), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 115 S.Ct. 2562, 132 L.Ed.2d 815 (1995). See also Battle v. Delo, 64 F.3d 347, 352 (8th Cir.1995); Whitmore v. Avery, 63 F.3d 688, 689-90 (8th Cir.1995). Having reviewed each of Sherron's three defaulted claims, we find that the new evidence offered is equivocal, at best. None of Sherron's claims, even if proved, would establish that it is more likely than not that, but for the constitutional error, no reasonable juror would have found him guilty of first degree murder. Thus, the actual innocence exception is inapplicable, and so we turn to the merits of the only remaining claim, ineffective assistance of trial counsel. III. Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel 14 In arguing that his trial counsel was ineffective, Sherron points to five errors. First, counsel unreasonably and inexplicably agreed to stipulate to the introduction of Dr. Malak's autopsy report in lieu of his live testimony. Second, counsel failed to interview Dr. Malak personally. Third, trial counsel's cross-examination of Officers Bradley and Shelton was ineffective. Fourth, trial counsel was ineffective for failing to present Eddie Sherron's testimony. Fifth, counsel failed to look at Dr. Malak's file. Finally, Sherron argues that if these five claims are not independently sufficient to warrant a finding of deficient trial counsel performance, cumulatively they establish ineffective assistance. 15 To prevail on his ineffective assistance of counsel claims, Sherron must show that counsel's performance was deficient and that he was prejudiced by that deficient performance. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Counsel's performance was deficient if it fell "outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance." Id. Counsel's performance was prejudicial if "there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different." Id. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. 16 Both components of an ineffective assistance of counsel claim are mixed questions of law and fact. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 698, 104 S.Ct. at 2070. We review the district court's legal conclusions de novo and its factual findings for clear error. Wilson v. Armontrout, 962 F.2d 817, 819 (8th Cir.) (citing Couch v. Trickey, 892 F.2d 1338, 1341 (8th Cir.1989)), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 383, 121 L.Ed.2d 293 (1992). 17 Our review of counsel's performance is highly deferential. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. at 2065. We must look beyond the "distorting effects of hindsight" and ask whether, in the circumstances present at trial, counsel acted outside the "wide range of professionally competent assistance." Id. at 689-90, 104 S.Ct. at 2066. 18 We first address the claim that counsel's failure to interview the medical examiner and his decision to allow a reading of the medical examiner's report in lieu of live testimony amounted to deficient performance. A claim of ineffective assistance cannot be based on decisions that relate to a reasoned choice of trial strategy, even when it later may be shown improvident. Hayes v. Lockhart, 766 F.2d 1247, 1251 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 922, 106 S.Ct. 256, 88 L.Ed.2d 263 (1985). Although, in hindsight, counsel's decision to stipulate to the written report may seem unwise, trial counsel made a reasoned decision. At the evidentiary hearing, counsel testified that Dr. Malak had a reputation of being "anti-defendant," and of "flowering up" his testimony. Thus, the chance that Dr. Malak would testify unfavorably weighed against the advantageous testimony that he might have provided. In addition, this perceived hostility may have prevented counsel from approaching Dr. Malak personally. Given counsel's perception of Dr. Malak, the decisions not to interview Dr. Malak and not to insist on his live testimony did not rise to the level of constitutionally deficient performance. 19 Sherron's claim that counsel's ineffective cross-examination of the police officers amounts to constitutionally deficient performance is likewise without merit. In cross-examining the officers, counsel attempted to procure concessions that the bruises they saw were limited to the area surrounding the wound. Had the officers admitted this, counsel could have argued in closing that the "bruises" were not really bruises at all, but rather a discoloration from internal bleeding caused by the bullet wound. Although counsel's cross-examination may not have been as successful as he might have hoped, flawless cross-examination is rare. Strickland does not require perfect trial performance; it requires only competence. 20 Sherron next claims that counsel's failure to call Eddie Sherron as a witness constituted ineffective assistance. Because at best only the fact of the telephone call and the testimony that Sherron was upset would have been admissible, Eddie's testimony would have merely reinforced already-admitted testimony that Sherron was upset after the shooting. Sherron testified about the telephone call, and several police officers confirmed that Sherron was distraught after the shooting. Officer Brooks testified that Sherron repeatedly said, "I didn't mean to kill her," and that Sherron was so upset that Brooks had to stop the police car so that Sherron could throw up. Given this testimony, counsel's decision to forgo what would at best have been cumulative testimony was not professionally unreasonable. 21 We next address Sherron's claim that counsel was ineffective in failing to look at Dr. Malak's file. The file contained pictures of Carolyn's body, after it was cleaned, showing that she had not been beaten. Counsel could have used these pictures in his cross-examination of the police officers concerning the bruises. Although counsel's performance was deficient in failing to discover these pictures, we find no prejudice. Although the officers testified that Carolyn had been beaten, in light of the other trial evidence it is unlikely that this testimony was prejudicial. Holly would have likely heard some noise coming from the bedroom had Sherron been beating Carolyn; yet she testified that she heard nothing until the scream and gunshot. The medical examiner's report, which was read to the jury, did not mention any bruising. In addition, the jury could have determined from the pictures taken at the crime scene that any "bruising" was limited to the area immediately surrounding the wound. Sherron has thus failed to show that there is a reasonable probability that but for counsel's failure to look at the file, the result of the trial would have been different. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. 22 Finally, Sherron argues that, even if these mistakes were not individually sufficient to constitute ineffective assistance, the cumulative effect of the decisions did so. We have found that only one of counsel's actions, his failure to look at Dr. Malak's file, rose to the level of deficient performance. Moreover, we have found that this failure did not prejudice Sherron. Because we have found only one instance of deficient performance, we need not discuss the question whether the cumulative effect of counsel's alleged errors prejudiced Sherron. See Girtman v. Lockhart, 942 F.2d 468, 474-75 (8th Cir.1991). 23 The judgment is affirmed. 1 The Honorable Stephen M. Reasoner, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas

Signal transduction by the antigen receptors of B and T lymphocytes. B and T lymphocytes of the immune system recognize and destroy invading microorganisms but are tolerant to the cells and tissues of one's own body. The basis for this self/non-self-discrimination is the clonal nature of the B and T cell antigen receptors. Each lymphocyte has antigen receptors with a single unique antigen specificity. Multiple mechanisms ensure that self-reactive lymphocytes are eliminated or silenced whereas lymphocytes directed against foreign antigens are activated only when the appropriate antigen is present. The key element in these processes is the ability of the antigen receptors to transmit signals to the interior of the lymphocyte when they bind the antigen for which they are specific. Whether these signals lead to activation, tolerance, or cell death is dependent on the maturation state of the lymphocytes as well as on signals from other receptors. We review the role of antigen receptor signaling in the development and activation of B and T lymphocytes and also describe the biochemical signaling mechanisms employed by these receptors. In addition, we discuss how signal transduction pathways activated by the antigen receptors may alter gene expression, regulate the cell cycle, and induce or prevent programmed cell death.

**Responsible Editor** Ari Probandari, Sebelas Maret University, Indonesia Background {#S0001} ========== The diagnosis of diabetes is by assessment of plasma glucose concentration alone, or in combination with symptoms of hyperglycaemia, such as polyuria and polydipsia \[[1](#CIT0001),[2](#CIT0002)\]. It is known that sustained hyperglycaemia can lead to micro- and macro-vascular complications \[[3](#CIT0003)\]. Similarly, hypoglycaemia may be life-threatening \[[4](#CIT0004),[5](#CIT0005)\]. While hyperglycaemia is the characteristic feature of diabetes \[[3](#CIT0003)\], patients with diabetes may also be susceptible to hypoglycaemia due to the nature of the disease \[[4](#CIT0004)\] and treatment \[[6](#CIT0006)\]. Maintenance of glycaemic levels within a target range is a major goal of diabetes management \[[7](#CIT0007)\]. The use of portable glucometers by patients at home, along with laboratory tests conducted by health professionals \[[8](#CIT0008)\], remain the two most common methods for blood glucose monitoring in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). While regular self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) levels using glucometers is regarded as an essential tool for self-care \[[2](#CIT0002),[9](#CIT0009)--[11](#CIT0011)\], tests performed in accredited laboratories are preferred for confirming diagnoses, and are used in clinical and therapeutic decision making \[[2](#CIT0002)\]. Self-monitoring may generate awareness of a patient's own disease management \[[12](#CIT0012)\]. However, effective diabetes management through SMBG may be limited by a patient's ability to interpret and act on the 'abnormal' home blood glucose readings \[[13](#CIT0013)\], by the analytical quality of the instruments, and by a patient's knowledge about the device and their understanding of its purpose \[[14](#CIT0014)\]. Studies report that while some patients find self-monitoring useful, it can also cause discomfort and stress, particularly when readings are 'high' \[[12](#CIT0012),[13](#CIT0013)\]. In 2010, a Cochrane review concluded that SMBG was of limited clinical usefulness and unlikely to be cost effective in patients with T2D managed on oral agents or lifestyle alone \[[15](#CIT0015)\]. Diabetes prevalence in Nepal has increased over the past three decades \[[16](#CIT0016)\]; and there appear to be a significant number of undiagnosed cases \[[17](#CIT0017)\]. Effective diabetes management in Nepal, including diagnosis and treatment, is challenged by multiple factors, including poor overall understanding of diabetes in the community \[[18](#CIT0018)\], limited healthcare resources, and substandard diagnostic and laboratory facilities \[[19](#CIT0019),[20](#CIT0020)\]. Whereas laboratory blood glucose monitoring in Nepal is accessible by patients with diabetes without the need to obtain referrals from physicians, the impact of this accessibility on rates of diagnosis and overall diabetes monitoring and management is unknown. Understanding blood glucose monitoring practices is key to a comprehensive understanding of diabetes management among Nepalese individuals. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate Nepalese patients' perceptions of blood glucose monitoring in diabetes, and explore their monitoring practices. Nepalese participants living in Australia and in Nepal were included in the study, which enabled an assessment of the similarities and differences in perspectives and behaviour amongst Nepalese in the two countries. This, in turn, has allowed a deeper evaluation of the factors influencing patients' monitoring practices, including the potential impact of the healthcare system from patients' perspectives. Methods {#S0002} ======= Participants {#S0002-S2001} ------------ Nepalese adults (≥ 18 years) with T2D, who were on at least one anti-diabetic medication were eligible for recruitment. Participants were recruited using several strategies ([Table 1](#T0001)).Table 1.Recruitment strategies.Recruitment in Sydney, AustraliaRecruitment in Kathmandu, NepalAdvertisement in print (Nepalese papers)\ Advertisement on Facebook and Gumtree\ Advertisements placed in selected Nepalese grocery shops and restaurants\ Word of mouth\ Snowballing techniqueAdvertisement in pharmacies and medical centres within travelling distance of Kathmandu\ Word of mouth\ Snowballing technique For participants in Australia, Nepalese origin was defined as any person who was born in Nepal or one or both of whose parents were born in Nepal, and was residing in Australia at the time of interview. The participants could be in Australia on a temporary or a permanent basis. Data collection and analysis {#S0002-S2002} ---------------------------- In-depth, face to face, semi-structured interviews were conducted at a time and public venue convenient for the participants, in Sydney and in Kathmandu. The interviews were based on a protocol which was designed to address broader research aims, and was divided into nine domains of inquiry ([Table 2](#T0002)).Table 2.Broad issues addressed by the interview protocol. Issues explored by the study1.Perceptions of being a diabetic2.Overall diabetes management\*3.Perceptions and beliefs about medications for diabetes4.Information and information sources\*5.Perceptions about own knowledge and understanding6.Medication adherence7.Support in diabetes management and medication taking8.Perceptions of strategies to address overall diabetes management and medication taking9.Perceptions of impact of Nepalese culture on diabetes and medication taking[^1] The protocol was first tested for face and content validity \[[21](#CIT0021)\] with a sample of four participants (not included in the study) in Nepal, by the first author. No changes were made as a result of the testing. Interviews were conducted in both countries until repetition and redundancy in the data (that is, until data saturation) \[[22](#CIT0022)\] were evident. All interviews were conducted by the first author in Nepali language and were audio-recorded. The average duration of the interviews was approximately one hour (range 0.6--2.3 hours). All interviews were transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis \[[23](#CIT0023)\]. The first three transcripts were translated into English and independently analysed by two researchers (first and third authors). Findings relevant to the study aims were coded from as many perspectives as possible; that is, open coding using an inductive approach was applied \[[24](#CIT0024)\]. The initial codes were categorised, organised or grouped into themes and sub-themes \[[23](#CIT0023),[24](#CIT0024)\]. Consensus was reached regarding the themes, and the remaining interviews were analysed by the first author. Themes were refined continuously through regular research team discussions. A constant comparison approach \[[25](#CIT0025)\] was used throughout data analysis. The interviews from the two cohorts were separately analysed. The findings were compared between the two cohorts to determine differences and similarities. Only the findings related to diabetes monitoring practices (an emergent theme) have been reported. Findings related to participants' perceptions and behaviours regarding diet \[[26](#CIT0026)\] and medication taking \[[27](#CIT0027),[28](#CIT0028)\] have been reported elsewhere. Results {#S0003} ======= Participant demographics {#S0003-S2001} ------------------------ Eighteen participants were interviewed in Australia and 30 in Nepal ([Table 3](#T0003)). Of the 18 in Australia, 12 were residing in Sydney on a permanent basis and six were parents visiting their children who lived in Sydney. Those permanently residing in Sydney were all first-generation migrants.Table 3.Participants' demographics.CharacteristicsSydney n (%)Kathmandu n (%)All participants n (%)**Gender**   Male12 (66.7)18 (60)30 (62.5)**Age (years)**   Median\ Range54.2\ 24.0--73.054.5\ 33.0--80.055.5\ 24.0--80.0**Duration of diagnosis**   Median\ Range8.2 years\ 8 months--20 years9.0 years\ 1 month--30 years7.7 years\ 1 month--30 years Blood glucose monitoring practices {#S0003-S2002} ---------------------------------- Study participants reported that they measured their blood glucose for a number of reasons: as a routine general healthcare measure to keep track of their diabetes, because of advice from healthcare professionals, or when they experienced symptoms that made them feel that their 'blood sugar' was not under control. A few participants also measured to observe and understand the effects of food, exercise or medications on their blood glucose levels. While participants in Nepal monitored both fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels, participants in Australia mostly monitored fasting levels. Laboratory-based monitoring was utilised by all participants; however, routine use of glucometers for self-monitoring was more common in participants residing in Australia. The monitoring practices of those participants visiting Australia changed when they were in Australia compared to when in Nepal. Although they conducted home-based monitoring while in Australia, they preferred laboratory monitoring in Nepal. Home blood glucose monitoring {#S0003-S2003} ----------------------------- Home blood glucose monitoring (HBGM) was more frequently conducted by participants interviewed in Australia. This difference appeared to be facilitated by their reported better understanding of the purpose of HBGM, and the availability of free or subsidised equipment (glucometers and strips). There appeared to be differences in perceptions and attitudes towards self-monitoring between the two cohorts. ### HBGM practices {#S0003-S2003-S3001} Of the 12 participants residing in Australia, eight were conducting HBGM regularly; the frequency of measurement varied from twice daily to once a week ([Table 4](#T0004), Q1). Some reported that they would monitor several times a day if they found that their blood glucose level had increased ([Table 4](#T0004), Q2), with one reporting that he used his device only when he felt 'uncomfortable' (A05). Two participants had also maintained a 'log-book' of their HBGM results to track their glycaemic control. Another two stated that although they had used glucometers regularly initially for about a year, they had discontinued this, despite having a device at home ([Table 4](#T0004), Q3).Table 4.Quotes about HBGM perceptions and practice among participants in Australia.HBGM: Nepalese in Australia**Q1***Monitoring and adjusting lifestyle based on results*\ 'I \[check\] almost everyday \[with\] that sugar test machine that I have? In a week almost five to six times, I am doing that \[checking the blood sugar\]. When I do that \[the glucose level\] it almost always stays at six on an average. Sometimes less than six. And if sometimes, if it is increased, what I do is, I control my food. I don't eat carelessly.' (A14)**Q2***Frequency of monitoring is dependent on the results*\ 'Last night, there was a party, the next day after that when I checked my blood sugar level, it had gone very high; when I saw that, that day, I again checked it three to four times in that day. So in such circumstances when you suddenly see an unexpected increase, I check around three to four times a day as well.' (A01)**Q3***Regular monitoring can be stressful*\ 'Initially I used to check regularly, almost every day. Initially after diagnosis straightaway I bought the machine and started \[testing\], after I got the results of the GTT \[Glucose Tolerance Test\] test, with doctor's recommendation. After almost one year, the doctor told that it is not necessary to test every day. This is not necessary; it's a waste of money. That will for no reason increase the stress! "Why has it increased today, why \[has it\] decreased?" you keep on thinking about that. That's why it is not necessary. The doctor told that, which you are doing every three month \[in laboratory\] is enough. In between if you feel like you can check once or twice. So, I stopped.' (A10) Only four participants out of 30 interviewed in Nepal reported that they were conducting HBGM and three of these individuals were using insulin. A further six participants mentioned that they had a device at home, but did not use it; and five reported that they had used a device or had owned one in the past. Nine stated they had heard about a device but had never used one, and the remaining few did not appear to be aware of HBGM. Six out of 30 participants reported that the glucometers had been sent to them by their children/relatives from abroad. ### Perceptions and factors impacting HBGM {#S0003-S2003-S3002} Most participants in Australia perceived HBGM as highly useful in keeping track of their glycaemic control, for detecting unexpected rises or falls in glycaemic levels, as well as for understanding influences on their blood glucose levels such as the effect of different types/amounts of food or the effect of exercise. They reported that adjusting their lifestyle based on the results of HBGM helped them to better manage their glycaemic levels. However, daily monitoring was reported as stressful by a few, leading to reduced frequency of use. The participants in Australia reported that the need to conduct HBGM was reinforced by their doctors. Furthermore, conducting HBGM was reported to be affordable for people residing permanently in Australia, due to the services/facilities they received as members of the Australian Diabetes Association (ADA). Glucometers were provided free of charge, and the strips were available at subsidised rates. They felt that had similar facilities been available in Nepal, this would promote self-monitoring and better diabetes management. In Nepal, except a few (n = 5) who considered HBGM as a quick, efficient and easy way to monitor blood glucose levels, most had doubts about the reliability of the instruments ([Table 5](#T0005), Q4) or did not appreciate a need for having a glucometer at home. Many participants reported receiving information about the unreliability of HBGM from friends, relatives or other people with diabetes. They tended to compare laboratory reports with glucometer readings to assess the glucometer's reliability.Table 5.Quotes about HBGM perceptions and practice among participants in Nepal.HBGM: Nepalese in Nepal**Q4***Unreliable/not accurate*\ 'Yes, I checked \[using glucometer\]. \[The machine\] that \[I found\] was not accurate. It was wrong (laughs). The one that we go and checked in the laboratory? We go there. The \[reading from\] the machine is not that clear. I bought that spending almost 3000--3500 rupees. Then when I checked, if it \[blood sugar\] was 160 \[mg/dl\], the number in my body, in that \[glucometer\] it showed 350, 380! That machine with the battery. Then I did not have faith in that.' (N24)**Q5***Laboratory monitoring is more affordable*\ 'Now to test the blood sugar \[in lab\] they take 100 rupees, \[both\] fasting and PP \[postprandial\]. They take 100 rupees. Now tell me, is it easy to pay 100 rupees or to bring that machine spending 5000--7000 \[rupees\] to find out that your blood sugar has increased, and that you have go to the doctor. So, that is useless.' (N16)**Q6***Stressful and painful*\ 'While I was in America, my son used to prick me three times every day. You know that \[glucometer\] was available there? My son bought, and used to prick me three times! \[That caused\] more stress \[concern\], \[blood sugar\] increased more and more! \[After coming back\] oh... I distributed that \[glucometer\]. I gave it away, did not use it. And I was scared to prick as well! That you had to prick in your finger, I was scared! No I don't use it \[here\]!' (N27)**Q7***Not essential/not necessary*\ 'Look I would like to have a machine, which will tell me that you have this and this problem, and you have to take so and so medications after checking my blood sugar. I need that type of machine. The machine has to tell that. Now it tells you that your blood sugar is this, but then you have to go to the doctor again \[what's the point?\]' (N16) Furthermore, participants in Nepal reported that in general, home monitoring was more expensive than laboratory monitoring ([Table 5](#T0005), Q5), more stressful and painful ([Table 5](#T0005), Q6), and more essential for people with unstable/fluctuating blood glucose levels. A few also felt that keeping a glucometer was futile, given that they would eventually require laboratory reports (for their doctor) and/or a visit to a doctor to seek advice for management in case the results were not within the 'normal range' ([Table 5](#T0005), Q5, Q7). An elderly female reported she did not use the glucometer at home, as she did not 'really know how to use the blood sugar (device)... had tried once or twice, but left it as is after that' (N08). Laboratory-based blood glucose monitoring {#S0003-S2004} ----------------------------------------- Overall, laboratory-based monitoring was understood as a more reliable method of testing blood glucose than using glucometers (by participants in both countries). ### Laboratory monitoring practices {#S0003-S2004-S3001} Participants residing in Australia described a consistent pattern of laboratory monitoring. Based on referrals from doctors, participants generally undertook laboratory tests every three to six months, or at shorter intervals where necessary with regular follow-up consultations with their doctors. Moreover, laboratory testing involved a 'comprehensive review' where, in addition to blood glucose, HbA1c, urea, creatinine and lipid profiles were also tested routinely. In Nepal, the frequency of laboratory monitoring overall was higher than for participants in Australia, albeit highly inconsistent ([Table 6](#T0006), Q8). Just over one third of the participants reported that they monitored their blood glucose once every month or every two months. A few reported that they conducted the monitoring only before scheduled doctor appointments, and others only following symptoms or physical unwellness ([Table 6](#T0006), Q8--Q9). In some, laboratory monitoring was more consistent and regular during the initial days of diagnosis and gradually declined over time.Table 6.Quotes about laboratory-based monitoring among patients in Nepal and in Australia.Laboratory monitoring: Nepalese in Nepal**Q8***Inconsistent pattern of monitoring*\ 'Blood monitoring, sometimes I do in 3 months, sometimes in 2 months, sometimes in 15 days, sometimes even in a week. And about why like that, if my body symptoms is telling me, diabetes is little increased, \[I feel\] if it's increased, like let's say, my body feels a little heavy, if somewhere there is pain... Now people with diabetes are hungry more often, isn't it? Or let's say if I feel that there is something wrong with my body, and I feel curious if the diabetes has increased, then I go and get it \[blood sugar\] checked.' (N02)**Q9***Perception/attitude and influencers of monitoring*\ 'It's been quite a while that I haven't checked \[the blood sugar\]. \[I\] had checked last Magh \[around December, about eight to nine months before\]. And I haven't got it checked since! No more than once a year! When I am controlling, I know what has happened to me. Now if sugar is increased, the frequency of urination will be more, I will be more hungry. And if it is decreased, I wouldn't be able to walk due to vertigo. Then, I will know by myself! Why should I monitor more? And feed them \[the laboratory\] more money?' (N09)Laboratory monitoring: Nepalese in Australia**Q10**'The blood test here, blood test is free. Free, everything is free! The medical everything, we don't have to pay, not even \[for\] the GP visit. Now because we are diabetic patients, we have the facilities to do blood test every three months, everything. We do everything, blood sugar, urea, creatinine, everything! Because of the facilities we have encouragement here. People in Nepal hesitate to pay, yes or no? And it's expensive there too.' (A14) Only a couple of participants in Nepal explicitly stated that they regularly monitored HbA1c and appeared to be aware of the importance of HbA1c measurement. Most had little understanding about the tests that they were recommended, except for fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels. A few participants who had brought their files or recent prescriptions to the interview did have records of HbA1c tests. However, it was unclear if participants in Nepal routinely tested for HbA1c. ### Factors impacting laboratory monitoring practices {#S0003-S2004-S3002} Overall, financial issues, poor time management and limited understanding about diabetes were reported to have had an impact on participants' laboratory monitoring practices. Participants in Australia mentioned that blood glucose testing was free for them, and consequently monitoring was easy and affordable ([Table 6](#T0006), Q10). However, in Nepal, while some participants reported that the doctors told them to routinely conduct laboratory tests, others reported that information regarding monitoring from doctors was restricted to getting their blood glucose measured and the report brought to their next visit -- and/or measuring their blood glucose levels if they felt something was wrong. The method of monitoring used by the participants visiting their children in Sydney varied based on whether they were in Nepal or in Australia. Whilst they would use HBGM in Australia, they preferred laboratory testing in Nepal. Five of six participants visiting Australia had an HBGM device, which they used for monitoring while in Australia. The frequency of monitoring was variable and in most cases did not follow a specific pattern. Only one participant reported regular monitoring with a glucometer while in Nepal. In Australia, they reported that laboratory monitoring was 'bothersome' (A02) and as visitors, felt unfamiliar with the systems and surroundings. Furthermore, due to the lack of healthcare entitlement as visitors, the monitoring was also reported as costlier than in Nepal. Discussion {#S0004} ========== We investigated Nepalese participants' perceptions of blood glucose monitoring practices, their monitoring behaviour and explored the differences in practice and perceptions between Nepalese living in Nepal and Australia. Overall, participants in Australia were more regularly monitoring their blood glucose levels than those in Nepal. While most participants in Australia conducted home monitoring, laboratory monitoring was also conducted. In Nepal, participants mostly sought laboratory monitoring, albeit irregularly, and few practised home monitoring. Laboratory monitoring in Nepal was performed not only by the doctor for periodic assessment of the patients' diabetes control, but also by patients for routine assessment. A number of factors contributed to the popularity of laboratory monitoring in Nepal, for example, easy access to laboratories, doubts associated with glucometer readings and perceived higher cost of self-monitoring. In contrast to the situation in Australia, where laboratory monitoring requires a doctor's referral, in Nepal laboratory testing is directly available to patients. In Nepal, patients would seek a laboratory test either upon a recommendation from a doctor, or whenever they felt a test was required. Once they obtained the laboratory result, patients tended to make lifestyle (or therapy) adjustments on their own without necessarily consulting with a doctor \[[27](#CIT0027),[28](#CIT0028)\]. It has been previously reported that a few of these patients delayed professional consultation after finding out about their increased blood glucose level from tests conducted in laboratories in order to avoid being initiated on medications \[[28](#CIT0028)\]. They were also likely to alter the dose of their current medications based on blood glucose reports \[[28](#CIT0028)\]. Participants doubted the reliability of the glucometers, possibly because of their limited understanding of the devices. This lack of trust in glucometer reliability, together with the reported observation that doctors wanted laboratory tests to make decisions about therapies and interventions, appeared to convince participants that laboratory blood glucose testing was superior to the HBGM devices \[[14](#CIT0014)\]. Additionally, the limitations of participants' own abilities to use glucometers or the perceived (lack of) usefulness of glucometer readings may have influenced their behaviours. A further factor contributing to the higher use of laboratory monitoring in Nepal was the perceived lower cost of laboratory monitoring compared to home monitoring. In Nepal, participants reported having to pay for their glucometers and strips, whilst in Australia, glucometers were reported to have been provided for free with subsidised test-strips. The reduced use of glucometers may also be due to limited participant understanding of the importance and purpose of self-monitoring. Some participants in Australia reported using HBGM to not only monitor their diabetes, but also to understand the impact of diet and exercise on their blood glucose levels. However, in Nepal, the idea that HBGM could facilitate patient empowerment and self-management \[[2](#CIT0002),[29](#CIT0029)\] appeared poorly understood. An additional factor influencing lower HBGM use compared to laboratory testing, as reported by the participants, may be some participants' inability to use HBGM, and/or pain and discomfort associated with daily finger pricking. Laboratory monitoring may have been considered favourably or perceived as more practical, as the blood is taken by someone else and this was less frequent than HBGM. Studies assessing monitoring in patients with diabetes chiefly focus on self-monitoring. No studies assessing patients' laboratory monitoring practices were identified, presenting a gap in the literature. This study underlines the importance of patients' understanding and beliefs about laboratory monitoring practices. This may be particularly important in settings where patients can easily access laboratory tests, and believe that these tests are more reliable and easier to undertake than self-monitoring. Patients' perceptions and practices around laboratory monitoring could influence their perceptions and utilisation of HBGM, and overall diabetes management. In Nepal, access to laboratory services without a doctor's order offers patients a choice of going to (and paying for) laboratory testing, or conducting HBGM. Participants in this study therefore evaluated the pros and cons of each method to make a choice, particularly in deciding whether to conduct HBGM. Whilst laboratory monitoring offered readings that were more 'trustworthy' for interventions by doctors, HBGM did help the patients in tracking the everyday impact of lifestyle (diet and exercise) and offered opportunities for timely action. Educating patients on how each can be valuable can enable them in making a choice based on a sound assessment. The higher frequency of laboratory monitoring practices reported will have implications of increased costs for the healthcare system in Nepal. However, this higher frequency may also be viewed positively as it demonstrates a more stringent approach to blood glucose monitoring adopted by the patients in Nepal. Whilst these implications need further investigation, in Nepal, it is equally important to ensure that laboratory services offered are of good quality \[[30](#CIT0030)\] and that qualified health professionals capable of providing adequate consultation and/or referrals based on the reports are in place. There may be lessons to be learned from Australia, in that provision of cheaper home monitoring by offering free glucometers and subsidised test-strips, with healthcare professional reinforcement and education about self-monitoring practices, may be possible solutions to improve self-monitoring practices in Nepal. Nonetheless, the impact and the feasibility of transferring these services and strategies to a different context and a vastly different healthcare system, such as that of Nepal, need careful consideration \[[15](#CIT0015)\]. Although provisions for free glucometers and subsidised test-strips may be cost-effective to patients, this could have an impact on the already limited healthcare budget in Nepal \[[31](#CIT0031)\]. The clinical benefits of investing in self-monitoring in patients with T2D who are not treated with insulin, especially when funds are limited, have not been proven \[[15](#CIT0015),[32](#CIT0032)\]. Furthermore, whilst guidelines recommend regular self-monitoring for all insulin-treated patients \[[2](#CIT0002)\], no specific guidelines exist for patients with T2D on oral agents or on lifestyle strategies alone. Also important is to consider that home monitoring is effective only when patients are able to interpret and act on results \[[33](#CIT0033)\], and if patients are able to self-adjust therapy \[[15](#CIT0015)\]. In a country like Nepal, where diabetes imposes a huge financial burden on patients \[[34](#CIT0034)\], and where diabetes management is challenged by poor health literacy \[[35](#CIT0035)\] and patients' limited knowledge of diabetes \[[18](#CIT0018),[36](#CIT0036)\], the extent to which self-monitoring should be promoted and to what extent the benefits of self-monitoring may be achieved (and how) should be carefully considered. It is also important to have a realistic expectation of how self-monitoring practices might be implemented effectively. In Nepal, it may also be important to consider if, and how much responsibility patients are willing to accept in managing their diabetes. Whilst self-monitoring can enhance patients' self-management skills \[[12](#CIT0012),[13](#CIT0013)\] and may have favourable outcomes, it can impose a burden affecting patients' quality of life \[[12](#CIT0012),[13](#CIT0013)\]. Before making recommendations for the health system to include a subsidised self-monitoring programme in Nepal, it is also imperative to explore self-monitoring practices in patients for whom self-monitoring is considered more useful, that is, patients with type 1 diabetes and those with T2D on insulin \[[2](#CIT0002)\]. Limitations {#S0005} =========== This study is not able to report on patients' actual diabetes control, and whether participants in Australia had better diabetes management. Moreover, as all interviews were conducted in Kathmandu, the healthcare hub of the country, the study is unable to comment specifically on the monitoring practices in rural Nepal, where healthcare resources are even more limited. Future research should assess the impact of patients' perceptions about monitoring on their actual monitoring practices and on their diabetes control. In Nepal, research should also consider how patients in rural settings monitor their blood glucose levels, and their perceptions about monitoring. Participants' demographic characteristics, such as socio-economic status and literacy or education level, were not assessed. The association of these features with participants' blood glucose monitoring practices, therefore, could not be investigated and should be the focus of future research. Conclusions {#S0006} =========== Laboratory monitoring formed the major method of monitoring blood glucose levels by participants with T2D in Nepal. Participants' preference for laboratory monitoring over home monitoring in Nepal was related to the direct and easy access to laboratories, participants' perceptions that laboratory monitoring is cheaper compared to home monitoring and their inadequate understanding of the purpose of home monitoring. Whilst home monitoring was appreciated and used by participants in Australia, a very small number of participants in Nepal conducted home monitoring. Educating patients about the importance of timely monitoring, and in the value of both self- and laboratory monitoring methods (while in parallel improving the quality of laboratory services) will promote effective diabetes monitoring in Nepal. Recommending a policy of routine self-monitoring should be based on a sound assessment of the financial implications, as well as patients' need, preference and ability to self-monitor and to self-manage their diabetes. Supplementary Material ====================== ###### Supplementary file ###### Click here for additional data file. The authors acknowledge all participants for their participation in the study. We are also thankful to all members of the Nepali community in Sydney for their valuable guidance and assistance in helping locate the volunteers for the research. We also acknowledge the owners of the Nepalese grocery shops and Nepalese restaurants around Sydney for helping us advertise the project. Furthermore, the authors express their gratitude towards the members of the health institutions, pharmacies, friends and family in Nepal for helping us advertise the project. SS, PA and JEB conceived and designed the study. SS conducted all the interviews and translations. SS and PA were involved in interpretation and analysis of the data. SS drafted the manuscript. PA and JEB reviewed and revised the manuscript critically for content and writing style. All authors (SS, PA and JEB) have given approval for the version to be published. Disclosure statement {#S0007} ==================== The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Ethics and consent {#S0008} ================== Approvals for the study were obtained from Human Research Ethics Committee of The University of Sydney (Australia) and Nepal Health Research Council (Kathmandu, Nepal). Verbal, as well as written consent was obtained from each participant before interview. Confidentiality and anonymity of the participants were ensured. Paper context {#S0009} ============= Blood glucose monitoring is an important aspect of diabetes management. Studies conducted in patients with T2D primarily report patients' self-monitoring practices; patients' laboratory monitoring practices are not reported. Nepalese patients' monitoring practices and their perceptions about blood glucose monitoring have not been explored previously. Supplemental Material {#S0010} ===================== supplemental material for this article can be accessed [here](https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2017.1322400). [^1]: \*Findings related to monitoring practices and behaviours emerged in these domains.

The present invention relates generally to compositions and methods for disinfecting the surface of animal carcasses and in particular to a composition and method including certain fatty acids to kill enteric pathogens and spoilage organisms located on the surface of animal carcasses. Bacterial contamination of animal carcasses continues to be a major problem in the meat processing industry. Enteric pathogens and spoilage organisms such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Listeria, Pseudomonas and Enterobacteracae seem to be omnipresent particularly Salmonella and Campylobacter in the poultry environment. These bacteria appear to adapt to changes in the environment and have survived numerous improvements in sanitation, antibacterial drugs and other chemical treatments. Authorities differ in opinion as to how and when carcasses become contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria. Some authorities argue that the Salmonella bacteria is on the skin of most of the chickens entering processing facilities. They further argue that little cross contamination of the carcasses occurs during processing due to existing sanitizing practices. However, existing sanitizing practices do not effectively reduce or eliminate the Salmonella bacteria already on the chickens, especially bacteria that are in pores or other protected areas on the skin. These protected bacteria are spread about the chicken carcasses during processing, so most of the carcasses leaving the processing facility are still contaminated with these pathogens. Others argue that the Salmonella bacteria is attached to relatively few of the chickens entering processing facilities and most of the carcasses are cross contaminated with the Salmonella bacteria during processing. For example, Salmonella may be transferred from the excrement of one carcass to the feathers of another while in a poultry transport container. In order to reveal the numerous possibilities for Salmonella contamination in the processing of poultry, the various steps of the process are briefly set forth. Usually, the process begins with the slaughtering of a chicken and then immersion of the carcass into a scald tank. The scald tank temperature is from about 50 to 60 degrees Centigrade. The carcass is then plucked and eviscerated. The carcass is then placed into a chiller tank. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Safety and Quality Service regulations require that the chicken carcasses be cooled to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit within four hours after slaughter, that two quarts of water must flow from a chiller tank for each chicken carcass cooled. The carcasses must not gain more than eight percent water weight during the entire procedure. Other requirements exist for different types of poultry such as turkeys, and are typically dependent upon the size of the animal. Chillers used in the cooling process normally use cold water or a water and ice slush to remove animal heat from carcasses. Cooling water in the chill tank is maintained at approximately 34 degrees Fahrenheit (F.). The carcasses are typically tumbled through the chiller and in the process blood, lipid, dirt, bacteria and other particulate matter wash off the carcass and become suspended in the chiller water. It has been suggested that various organic acids, such as acetic and lactic be added to the scald tank in an attempt to disinfect the carcasses. Chlorine has been added to both the scald tank and the chiller tank for this purpose. Although these tactics may be successful in reducing or eliminating cross contamination, none of these treatments have been completely successful in eradicating Salmonella on the chicken. Many of the acid treatments are successful in high concentration to kill Salmonella but such high concentrations adversely affect the organoleptic appearance of the carcass or render the skin easily bruised and damaged during the remainder of the processing procedure. It has previously been shown in certain industrial and commercial applications that certain fatty acids have an inhibitory or bacteriocidal effect on certain bacterial species. In particular, mixtures of fatty acids have been utilized for sanitizing processing facilities, such as pipelines; however, the literature does not disclose direct use on animals or animal carcasses. Furthermore, not all fatty acids or compositions containing various mixtures thereof would be acceptable for use on animal carcasses. Certain short chain fatty acids having from about 4 to 7 carbon atoms have a particularly rancid, obnoxious odor, making them unacceptable if used in high concentrations. The low water solubility and surface tension of fatty acids also poses a difficulty in preparing sanitizing solutions having fatty acids dissolved therein.

/* * ECMAScript specification algorithm and conversion helpers. * * These helpers encapsulate the primitive ECMAScript operation semantics, * and are used by the bytecode executor and the API (among other places). * Some primitives are only implemented as part of the API and have no * "internal" helper. This is the case when an internal helper would not * really be useful; e.g. the operation is rare, uses value stack heavily, * etc. * * The operation arguments depend on what is required to implement * the operation: * * - If an operation is simple and stateless, and has no side * effects, it won't take an duk_hthread argument and its * arguments may be duk_tval pointers (which are safe as long * as no side effects take place). * * - If complex coercions are required (e.g. a "ToNumber" coercion) * or errors may be thrown, the operation takes an duk_hthread * argument. This also implies that the operation may have * arbitrary side effects, invalidating any duk_tval pointers. * * - For operations with potential side effects, arguments can be * taken in several ways: * * a) as duk_tval pointers, which makes sense if the "common case" * can be resolved without side effects (e.g. coercion); the * arguments are pushed to the valstack for coercion if * necessary * * b) as duk_tval values * * c) implicitly on value stack top * * d) as indices to the value stack * * Future work: * * - Argument styles may not be the most sensible in every case now. * * - In-place coercions might be useful for several operations, if * in-place coercion is OK for the bytecode executor and the API. */ #include "duk_internal.h" /* * ToPrimitive() (E5 Section 9.1) * * ==> implemented in the API. */ /* * ToBoolean() (E5 Section 9.2) */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_toboolean(duk_tval *tv) { switch (DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv)) { case DUK_TAG_UNDEFINED: case DUK_TAG_NULL: return 0; case DUK_TAG_BOOLEAN: DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv) == 0 || DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv) == 1); return DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv); case DUK_TAG_STRING: { /* Symbols ToBoolean() coerce to true, regardless of their * description. This happens with no explicit check because * of the symbol representation byte prefix. */ duk_hstring *h = DUK_TVAL_GET_STRING(tv); DUK_ASSERT(h != NULL); return (DUK_HSTRING_GET_BYTELEN(h) > 0 ? 1 : 0); } case DUK_TAG_OBJECT: { return 1; } case DUK_TAG_BUFFER: { /* Mimic Uint8Array semantics: objects coerce true, regardless * of buffer length (zero or not) or context. */ return 1; } case DUK_TAG_POINTER: { void *p = DUK_TVAL_GET_POINTER(tv); return (p != NULL ? 1 : 0); } case DUK_TAG_LIGHTFUNC: { return 1; } #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) case DUK_TAG_FASTINT: if (DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT(tv) != 0) { return 1; } else { return 0; } #endif default: { /* number */ duk_double_t d; #if defined(DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) int c; #endif DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_IS_UNUSED(tv)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_DOUBLE(tv)); d = DUK_TVAL_GET_DOUBLE(tv); #if defined(DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) c = DUK_FPCLASSIFY((double) d); if (c == DUK_FP_ZERO || c == DUK_FP_NAN) { return 0; } else { return 1; } #else DUK_ASSERT(duk_double_is_nan_or_zero(d) == 0 || duk_double_is_nan_or_zero(d) == 1); return duk_double_is_nan_or_zero(d) ^ 1; #endif } } DUK_UNREACHABLE(); DUK_WO_UNREACHABLE(return 0;); } /* * ToNumber() (E5 Section 9.3) * * Value to convert must be on stack top, and is popped before exit. * * See: http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~burger/FP-Printing-PLDI96.pdf * http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~burger/fp/index.html * * Notes on the conversion: * * - There are specific requirements on the accuracy of the conversion * through a "Mathematical Value" (MV), so this conversion is not * trivial. * * - Quick rejects (e.g. based on first char) are difficult because * the grammar allows leading and trailing white space. * * - Quick reject based on string length is difficult even after * accounting for white space; there may be arbitrarily many * decimal digits. * * - Standard grammar allows decimal values ("123"), hex values * ("0x123") and infinities * * - Unlike source code literals, ToNumber() coerces empty strings * and strings with only whitespace to zero (not NaN). However, * while '' coerces to 0, '+' and '-' coerce to NaN. */ /* E5 Section 9.3.1 */ DUK_LOCAL duk_double_t duk__tonumber_string_raw(duk_hthread *thr) { duk_small_uint_t s2n_flags; duk_double_t d; DUK_ASSERT(duk_is_string(thr, -1)); /* Quite lenient, e.g. allow empty as zero, but don't allow trailing * garbage. */ s2n_flags = DUK_S2N_FLAG_TRIM_WHITE | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_EXP | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_PLUS | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_MINUS | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_INF | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_FRAC | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_NAKED_FRAC | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_EMPTY_FRAC | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_EMPTY_AS_ZERO | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_LEADING_ZERO | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_AUTO_HEX_INT | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_AUTO_OCT_INT | DUK_S2N_FLAG_ALLOW_AUTO_BIN_INT; duk_numconv_parse(thr, 10 /*radix*/, s2n_flags); #if defined(DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) d = duk_get_number(thr, -1); duk_pop_unsafe(thr); #else thr->valstack_top--; DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(thr->valstack_top)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_DOUBLE(thr->valstack_top)); /* no fastint conversion in numconv now */ DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_NEEDS_REFCOUNT_UPDATE(thr->valstack_top)); d = DUK_TVAL_GET_DOUBLE(thr->valstack_top); /* assumes not a fastint */ DUK_TVAL_SET_UNDEFINED(thr->valstack_top); #endif return d; } DUK_INTERNAL duk_double_t duk_js_tonumber(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv) { DUK_ASSERT(thr != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(tv != NULL); switch (DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv)) { case DUK_TAG_UNDEFINED: { /* return a specific NaN (although not strictly necessary) */ duk_double_union du; DUK_DBLUNION_SET_NAN(&du); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_DBLUNION_IS_NORMALIZED(&du)); return du.d; } case DUK_TAG_NULL: { /* +0.0 */ return 0.0; } case DUK_TAG_BOOLEAN: { if (DUK_TVAL_IS_BOOLEAN_TRUE(tv)) { return 1.0; } return 0.0; } case DUK_TAG_STRING: { /* For Symbols ToNumber() is always a TypeError. */ duk_hstring *h = DUK_TVAL_GET_STRING(tv); if (DUK_UNLIKELY(DUK_HSTRING_HAS_SYMBOL(h))) { DUK_ERROR_TYPE(thr, DUK_STR_CANNOT_NUMBER_COERCE_SYMBOL); DUK_WO_NORETURN(return 0.0;); } duk_push_hstring(thr, h); return duk__tonumber_string_raw(thr); } case DUK_TAG_BUFFER: /* plain buffer treated like object */ case DUK_TAG_OBJECT: { duk_double_t d; duk_push_tval(thr, tv); duk_to_primitive(thr, -1, DUK_HINT_NUMBER); /* 'tv' becomes invalid */ /* recursive call for a primitive value (guaranteed not to cause second * recursion). */ DUK_ASSERT(duk_get_tval(thr, -1) != NULL); d = duk_js_tonumber(thr, duk_get_tval(thr, -1)); duk_pop_unsafe(thr); return d; } case DUK_TAG_POINTER: { /* Coerce like boolean */ void *p = DUK_TVAL_GET_POINTER(tv); return (p != NULL ? 1.0 : 0.0); } case DUK_TAG_LIGHTFUNC: { /* +(function(){}) -> NaN */ return DUK_DOUBLE_NAN; } #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) case DUK_TAG_FASTINT: return (duk_double_t) DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT(tv); #endif default: { /* number */ DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_IS_UNUSED(tv)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_DOUBLE(tv)); return DUK_TVAL_GET_DOUBLE(tv); } } DUK_UNREACHABLE(); DUK_WO_UNREACHABLE(return 0.0;); } /* * ToInteger() (E5 Section 9.4) */ /* exposed, used by e.g. duk_bi_date.c */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_double_t duk_js_tointeger_number(duk_double_t x) { #if defined(DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) duk_small_int_t c = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x); if (DUK_UNLIKELY(c == DUK_FP_NAN)) { return 0.0; } else if (DUK_UNLIKELY(c == DUK_FP_INFINITE)) { return x; } else { /* Finite, including neg/pos zero. Neg zero sign must be * preserved. */ return duk_double_trunc_towards_zero(x); } #else /* DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE */ /* NaN and Infinity have the same exponent so it's a cheap * initial check for the rare path. */ if (DUK_UNLIKELY(duk_double_is_nan_or_inf(x) != 0U)) { if (duk_double_is_nan(x)) { return 0.0; } else { return x; } } else { return duk_double_trunc_towards_zero(x); } #endif /* DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE */ } DUK_INTERNAL duk_double_t duk_js_tointeger(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv) { /* XXX: fastint */ duk_double_t d = duk_js_tonumber(thr, tv); /* invalidates tv */ return duk_js_tointeger_number(d); } /* * ToInt32(), ToUint32(), ToUint16() (E5 Sections 9.5, 9.6, 9.7) */ /* combined algorithm matching E5 Sections 9.5 and 9.6 */ DUK_LOCAL duk_double_t duk__toint32_touint32_helper(duk_double_t x, duk_bool_t is_toint32) { #if defined (DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) duk_small_int_t c; #endif #if defined (DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) c = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x); if (c == DUK_FP_NAN || c == DUK_FP_ZERO || c == DUK_FP_INFINITE) { return 0.0; } #else if (duk_double_is_nan_zero_inf(x)) { return 0.0; } #endif /* x = sign(x) * floor(abs(x)), i.e. truncate towards zero, keep sign */ x = duk_double_trunc_towards_zero(x); /* NOTE: fmod(x) result sign is same as sign of x, which * differs from what Javascript wants (see Section 9.6). */ x = DUK_FMOD(x, DUK_DOUBLE_2TO32); /* -> x in ]-2**32, 2**32[ */ if (x < 0.0) { x += DUK_DOUBLE_2TO32; } DUK_ASSERT(x >= 0 && x < DUK_DOUBLE_2TO32); /* -> x in [0, 2**32[ */ if (is_toint32) { if (x >= DUK_DOUBLE_2TO31) { /* x in [2**31, 2**32[ */ x -= DUK_DOUBLE_2TO32; /* -> x in [-2**31,2**31[ */ } } return x; } DUK_INTERNAL duk_int32_t duk_js_toint32(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv) { duk_double_t d; #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) if (DUK_TVAL_IS_FASTINT(tv)) { return DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT_I32(tv); } #endif d = duk_js_tonumber(thr, tv); /* invalidates tv */ d = duk__toint32_touint32_helper(d, 1); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(d) == DUK_FP_ZERO || DUK_FPCLASSIFY(d) == DUK_FP_NORMAL); DUK_ASSERT(d >= -2147483648.0 && d <= 2147483647.0); /* [-0x80000000,0x7fffffff] */ DUK_ASSERT(duk_double_equals(d, (duk_double_t) ((duk_int32_t) d))); /* whole, won't clip */ return (duk_int32_t) d; } DUK_INTERNAL duk_uint32_t duk_js_touint32(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv) { duk_double_t d; #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) if (DUK_TVAL_IS_FASTINT(tv)) { return DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT_U32(tv); } #endif d = duk_js_tonumber(thr, tv); /* invalidates tv */ d = duk__toint32_touint32_helper(d, 0); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(d) == DUK_FP_ZERO || DUK_FPCLASSIFY(d) == DUK_FP_NORMAL); DUK_ASSERT(d >= 0.0 && d <= 4294967295.0); /* [0x00000000, 0xffffffff] */ DUK_ASSERT(duk_double_equals(d, (duk_double_t) ((duk_uint32_t) d))); /* whole, won't clip */ return (duk_uint32_t) d; } DUK_INTERNAL duk_uint16_t duk_js_touint16(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv) { /* should be a safe way to compute this */ return (duk_uint16_t) (duk_js_touint32(thr, tv) & 0x0000ffffU); } /* * ToString() (E5 Section 9.8) * ToObject() (E5 Section 9.9) * CheckObjectCoercible() (E5 Section 9.10) * IsCallable() (E5 Section 9.11) * * ==> implemented in the API. */ /* * Loose equality, strict equality, and SameValue (E5 Sections 11.9.1, 11.9.4, * 9.12). These have much in common so they can share some helpers. * * Future work notes: * * - Current implementation (and spec definition) has recursion; this should * be fixed if possible. * * - String-to-number coercion should be possible without going through the * value stack (and be more compact) if a shared helper is invoked. */ /* Note that this is the same operation for strict and loose equality: * - E5 Section 11.9.3, step 1.c (loose) * - E5 Section 11.9.6, step 4 (strict) */ DUK_LOCAL duk_bool_t duk__js_equals_number(duk_double_t x, duk_double_t y) { #if defined(DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH) /* Straightforward algorithm, makes fewer compiler assumptions. */ duk_small_int_t cx = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x); duk_small_int_t cy = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y); if (cx == DUK_FP_NAN || cy == DUK_FP_NAN) { return 0; } if (cx == DUK_FP_ZERO && cy == DUK_FP_ZERO) { return 1; } if (x == y) { return 1; } return 0; #else /* DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH */ /* Better equivalent algorithm. If the compiler is compliant, C and * ECMAScript semantics are identical for this particular comparison. * In particular, NaNs must never compare equal and zeroes must compare * equal regardless of sign. Could also use a macro, but this inlines * already nicely (no difference on gcc, for instance). */ if (duk_double_equals(x, y)) { /* IEEE requires that NaNs compare false */ DUK_ASSERT(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x) != DUK_FP_NAN); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y) != DUK_FP_NAN); return 1; } else { /* IEEE requires that zeros compare the same regardless * of their signed, so if both x and y are zeroes, they * are caught above. */ DUK_ASSERT(!(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x) == DUK_FP_ZERO && DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y) == DUK_FP_ZERO)); return 0; } #endif /* DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH */ } DUK_LOCAL duk_bool_t duk__js_samevalue_number(duk_double_t x, duk_double_t y) { #if defined(DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH) duk_small_int_t cx = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x); duk_small_int_t cy = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y); if (cx == DUK_FP_NAN && cy == DUK_FP_NAN) { /* SameValue(NaN, NaN) = true, regardless of NaN sign or extra bits */ return 1; } if (cx == DUK_FP_ZERO && cy == DUK_FP_ZERO) { /* Note: cannot assume that a non-zero return value of signbit() would * always be the same -- hence cannot (portably) use something like: * * signbit(x) == signbit(y) */ duk_small_int_t sx = DUK_SIGNBIT(x) ? 1 : 0; duk_small_int_t sy = DUK_SIGNBIT(y) ? 1 : 0; return (sx == sy); } /* normal comparison; known: * - both x and y are not NaNs (but one of them can be) * - both x and y are not zero (but one of them can be) * - x and y may be denormal or infinite */ return (x == y); #else /* DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH */ duk_small_int_t cx = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x); duk_small_int_t cy = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y); if (duk_double_equals(x, y)) { /* IEEE requires that NaNs compare false */ DUK_ASSERT(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x) != DUK_FP_NAN); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y) != DUK_FP_NAN); /* Using classification has smaller footprint than direct comparison. */ if (DUK_UNLIKELY(cx == DUK_FP_ZERO && cy == DUK_FP_ZERO)) { /* Note: cannot assume that a non-zero return value of signbit() would * always be the same -- hence cannot (portably) use something like: * * signbit(x) == signbit(y) */ return duk_double_same_sign(x, y); } return 1; } else { /* IEEE requires that zeros compare the same regardless * of their sign, so if both x and y are zeroes, they * are caught above. */ DUK_ASSERT(!(DUK_FPCLASSIFY(x) == DUK_FP_ZERO && DUK_FPCLASSIFY(y) == DUK_FP_ZERO)); /* Difference to non-strict/strict comparison is that NaNs compare * equal and signed zero signs matter. */ if (DUK_UNLIKELY(cx == DUK_FP_NAN && cy == DUK_FP_NAN)) { /* SameValue(NaN, NaN) = true, regardless of NaN sign or extra bits */ return 1; } return 0; } #endif /* DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH */ } DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_equals_helper(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv_x, duk_tval *tv_y, duk_small_uint_t flags) { duk_uint_t type_mask_x; duk_uint_t type_mask_y; /* If flags != 0 (strict or SameValue), thr can be NULL. For loose * equals comparison it must be != NULL. */ DUK_ASSERT(flags != 0 || thr != NULL); /* * Same type? * * Note: since number values have no explicit tag in the 8-byte * representation, need the awkward if + switch. */ #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) if (DUK_TVAL_IS_FASTINT(tv_x) && DUK_TVAL_IS_FASTINT(tv_y)) { if (DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT(tv_x) == DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT(tv_y)) { return 1; } else { return 0; } } else #endif if (DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_x) && DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_y)) { duk_double_t d1, d2; /* Catches both doubles and cases where only one argument is * a fastint so can't assume a double. */ d1 = DUK_TVAL_GET_NUMBER(tv_x); d2 = DUK_TVAL_GET_NUMBER(tv_y); if (DUK_UNLIKELY((flags & DUK_EQUALS_FLAG_SAMEVALUE) != 0)) { /* SameValue */ return duk__js_samevalue_number(d1, d2); } else { /* equals and strict equals */ return duk__js_equals_number(d1, d2); } } else if (DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv_x) == DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv_y)) { switch (DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv_x)) { case DUK_TAG_UNDEFINED: case DUK_TAG_NULL: { return 1; } case DUK_TAG_BOOLEAN: { return DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_x) == DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_y); } case DUK_TAG_POINTER: { return DUK_TVAL_GET_POINTER(tv_x) == DUK_TVAL_GET_POINTER(tv_y); } case DUK_TAG_STRING: case DUK_TAG_OBJECT: { /* Heap pointer comparison suffices for strings and objects. * Symbols compare equal if they have the same internal * representation; again heap pointer comparison suffices. */ return DUK_TVAL_GET_HEAPHDR(tv_x) == DUK_TVAL_GET_HEAPHDR(tv_y); } case DUK_TAG_BUFFER: { /* In Duktape 2.x plain buffers mimic Uint8Array objects * so always compare by heap pointer. In Duktape 1.x * strict comparison would compare heap pointers and * non-strict would compare contents. */ return DUK_TVAL_GET_HEAPHDR(tv_x) == DUK_TVAL_GET_HEAPHDR(tv_y); } case DUK_TAG_LIGHTFUNC: { /* At least 'magic' has a significant impact on function * identity. */ duk_small_uint_t lf_flags_x; duk_small_uint_t lf_flags_y; duk_c_function func_x; duk_c_function func_y; DUK_TVAL_GET_LIGHTFUNC(tv_x, func_x, lf_flags_x); DUK_TVAL_GET_LIGHTFUNC(tv_y, func_y, lf_flags_y); return ((func_x == func_y) && (lf_flags_x == lf_flags_y)) ? 1 : 0; } #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) case DUK_TAG_FASTINT: #endif default: { DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_IS_UNUSED(tv_x)); DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_IS_UNUSED(tv_y)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_x)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_y)); DUK_UNREACHABLE(); DUK_WO_UNREACHABLE(return 0;); } } } if ((flags & (DUK_EQUALS_FLAG_STRICT | DUK_EQUALS_FLAG_SAMEVALUE)) != 0) { return 0; } DUK_ASSERT(flags == 0); /* non-strict equality from here on */ /* * Types are different; various cases for non-strict comparison * * Since comparison is symmetric, we use a "swap trick" to reduce * code size. */ type_mask_x = duk_get_type_mask_tval(tv_x); type_mask_y = duk_get_type_mask_tval(tv_y); /* Undefined/null are considered equal (e.g. "null == undefined" -> true). */ if ((type_mask_x & (DUK_TYPE_MASK_UNDEFINED | DUK_TYPE_MASK_NULL)) && (type_mask_y & (DUK_TYPE_MASK_NULL | DUK_TYPE_MASK_UNDEFINED))) { return 1; } /* Number/string -> coerce string to number (e.g. "'1.5' == 1.5" -> true). */ if ((type_mask_x & DUK_TYPE_MASK_NUMBER) && (type_mask_y & DUK_TYPE_MASK_STRING)) { if (!DUK_TVAL_STRING_IS_SYMBOL(tv_y)) { duk_double_t d1, d2; d1 = DUK_TVAL_GET_NUMBER(tv_x); d2 = duk_to_number_tval(thr, tv_y); return duk__js_equals_number(d1, d2); } } if ((type_mask_x & DUK_TYPE_MASK_STRING) && (type_mask_y & DUK_TYPE_MASK_NUMBER)) { if (!DUK_TVAL_STRING_IS_SYMBOL(tv_x)) { duk_double_t d1, d2; d1 = DUK_TVAL_GET_NUMBER(tv_y); d2 = duk_to_number_tval(thr, tv_x); return duk__js_equals_number(d1, d2); } } /* Boolean/any -> coerce boolean to number and try again. If boolean is * compared to a pointer, the final comparison after coercion now always * yields false (as pointer vs. number compares to false), but this is * not special cased. * * ToNumber(bool) is +1.0 or 0.0. Tagged boolean value is always 0 or 1. */ if (type_mask_x & DUK_TYPE_MASK_BOOLEAN) { DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_x) == 0 || DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_x) == 1); duk_push_uint(thr, DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_x)); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_y); goto recursive_call; } if (type_mask_y & DUK_TYPE_MASK_BOOLEAN) { DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_y) == 0 || DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_y) == 1); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_x); duk_push_uint(thr, DUK_TVAL_GET_BOOLEAN(tv_y)); goto recursive_call; } /* String-number-symbol/object -> coerce object to primitive (apparently without hint), then try again. */ if ((type_mask_x & (DUK_TYPE_MASK_STRING | DUK_TYPE_MASK_NUMBER)) && (type_mask_y & DUK_TYPE_MASK_OBJECT)) { /* No symbol check needed because symbols and strings are accepted. */ duk_push_tval(thr, tv_x); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_y); duk_to_primitive(thr, -1, DUK_HINT_NONE); /* apparently no hint? */ goto recursive_call; } if ((type_mask_x & DUK_TYPE_MASK_OBJECT) && (type_mask_y & (DUK_TYPE_MASK_STRING | DUK_TYPE_MASK_NUMBER))) { /* No symbol check needed because symbols and strings are accepted. */ duk_push_tval(thr, tv_x); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_y); duk_to_primitive(thr, -2, DUK_HINT_NONE); /* apparently no hint? */ goto recursive_call; } /* Nothing worked -> not equal. */ return 0; recursive_call: /* Shared code path to call the helper again with arguments on stack top. */ { duk_bool_t rc; rc = duk_js_equals_helper(thr, DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -2), DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -1), 0 /*flags:nonstrict*/); duk_pop_2_unsafe(thr); return rc; } } /* * Comparisons (x >= y, x > y, x <= y, x < y) * * E5 Section 11.8.5: implement 'x < y' and then use negate and eval_left_first * flags to get the rest. */ /* XXX: this should probably just operate on the stack top, because it * needs to push stuff on the stack anyway... */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_small_int_t duk_js_data_compare(const duk_uint8_t *buf1, const duk_uint8_t *buf2, duk_size_t len1, duk_size_t len2) { duk_size_t prefix_len; duk_small_int_t rc; prefix_len = (len1 <= len2 ? len1 : len2); /* duk_memcmp() is guaranteed to return zero (equal) for zero length * inputs. */ rc = duk_memcmp_unsafe((const void *) buf1, (const void *) buf2, (size_t) prefix_len); if (rc < 0) { return -1; } else if (rc > 0) { return 1; } /* prefix matches, lengths matter now */ if (len1 < len2) { /* e.g. "x" < "xx" */ return -1; } else if (len1 > len2) { return 1; } return 0; } DUK_INTERNAL duk_small_int_t duk_js_string_compare(duk_hstring *h1, duk_hstring *h2) { /* * String comparison (E5 Section 11.8.5, step 4), which * needs to compare codepoint by codepoint. * * However, UTF-8 allows us to use strcmp directly: the shared * prefix will be encoded identically (UTF-8 has unique encoding) * and the first differing character can be compared with a simple * unsigned byte comparison (which strcmp does). * * This will not work properly for non-xutf-8 strings, but this * is not an issue for compliance. */ DUK_ASSERT(h1 != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(h2 != NULL); return duk_js_data_compare((const duk_uint8_t *) DUK_HSTRING_GET_DATA(h1), (const duk_uint8_t *) DUK_HSTRING_GET_DATA(h2), (duk_size_t) DUK_HSTRING_GET_BYTELEN(h1), (duk_size_t) DUK_HSTRING_GET_BYTELEN(h2)); } #if 0 /* unused */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_small_int_t duk_js_buffer_compare(duk_heap *heap, duk_hbuffer *h1, duk_hbuffer *h2) { /* Similar to String comparison. */ DUK_ASSERT(h1 != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(h2 != NULL); DUK_UNREF(heap); return duk_js_data_compare((const duk_uint8_t *) DUK_HBUFFER_GET_DATA_PTR(heap, h1), (const duk_uint8_t *) DUK_HBUFFER_GET_DATA_PTR(heap, h2), (duk_size_t) DUK_HBUFFER_GET_SIZE(h1), (duk_size_t) DUK_HBUFFER_GET_SIZE(h2)); } #endif #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) DUK_LOCAL duk_bool_t duk__compare_fastint(duk_bool_t retval, duk_int64_t v1, duk_int64_t v2) { DUK_ASSERT(retval == 0 || retval == 1); if (v1 < v2) { return retval ^ 1; } else { return retval; } } #endif #if defined(DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH) DUK_LOCAL duk_bool_t duk__compare_number(duk_bool_t retval, duk_double_t d1, duk_double_t d2) { duk_small_int_t c1, s1, c2, s2; DUK_ASSERT(retval == 0 || retval == 1); c1 = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(d1); s1 = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_SIGNBIT(d1); c2 = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_FPCLASSIFY(d2); s2 = (duk_small_int_t) DUK_SIGNBIT(d2); if (c1 == DUK_FP_NAN || c2 == DUK_FP_NAN) { return 0; /* Always false, regardless of negation. */ } if (c1 == DUK_FP_ZERO && c2 == DUK_FP_ZERO) { /* For all combinations: +0 < +0, +0 < -0, -0 < +0, -0 < -0, * steps e, f, and g. */ return retval; /* false */ } if (d1 == d2) { return retval; /* false */ } if (c1 == DUK_FP_INFINITE && s1 == 0) { /* x == +Infinity */ return retval; /* false */ } if (c2 == DUK_FP_INFINITE && s2 == 0) { /* y == +Infinity */ return retval ^ 1; /* true */ } if (c2 == DUK_FP_INFINITE && s2 != 0) { /* y == -Infinity */ return retval; /* false */ } if (c1 == DUK_FP_INFINITE && s1 != 0) { /* x == -Infinity */ return retval ^ 1; /* true */ } if (d1 < d2) { return retval ^ 1; /* true */ } return retval; /* false */ } #else /* DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH */ DUK_LOCAL duk_bool_t duk__compare_number(duk_bool_t retval, duk_double_t d1, duk_double_t d2) { /* This comparison tree relies doesn't match the exact steps in * E5 Section 11.8.5 but should produce the same results. The * steps rely on exact IEEE semantics for NaNs, etc. */ DUK_ASSERT(retval == 0 || retval == 1); if (d1 < d2) { /* In no case should both (d1 < d2) and (d2 < d1) be true. * It's possible that neither is true though, and that's * handled below. */ DUK_ASSERT(!(d2 < d1)); /* - d1 < d2, both d1/d2 are normals (not Infinity, not NaN) * - d2 is +Infinity, d1 != +Infinity and NaN * - d1 is -Infinity, d2 != -Infinity and NaN */ return retval ^ 1; } else { if (d2 < d1) { /* - !(d1 < d2), both d1/d2 are normals (not Infinity, not NaN) * - d1 is +Infinity, d2 != +Infinity and NaN * - d2 is -Infinity, d1 != -Infinity and NaN */ return retval; } else { /* - d1 and/or d2 is NaN * - d1 and d2 are both +/- 0 * - d1 == d2 (including infinities) */ if (duk_double_is_nan(d1) || duk_double_is_nan(d2)) { /* Note: undefined from Section 11.8.5 always * results in false return (see e.g. Section * 11.8.3) - hence special treatment here. */ return 0; /* zero regardless of negation */ } else { return retval; } } } } #endif /* DUK_USE_PARANOID_MATH */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_compare_helper(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv_x, duk_tval *tv_y, duk_small_uint_t flags) { duk_double_t d1, d2; duk_small_int_t rc; duk_bool_t retval; DUK_ASSERT(DUK_COMPARE_FLAG_NEGATE == 1); /* Rely on this flag being lowest. */ retval = flags & DUK_COMPARE_FLAG_NEGATE; DUK_ASSERT(retval == 0 || retval == 1); /* Fast path for fastints */ #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) if (DUK_LIKELY(DUK_TVAL_IS_FASTINT(tv_x) && DUK_TVAL_IS_FASTINT(tv_y))) { return duk__compare_fastint(retval, DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT(tv_x), DUK_TVAL_GET_FASTINT(tv_y)); } #endif /* DUK_USE_FASTINT */ /* Fast path for numbers (one of which may be a fastint) */ #if !defined(DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) if (DUK_LIKELY(DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_x) && DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_y))) { return duk__compare_number(retval, DUK_TVAL_GET_NUMBER(tv_x), DUK_TVAL_GET_NUMBER(tv_y)); } #endif /* Slow path */ duk_push_tval(thr, tv_x); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_y); if (flags & DUK_COMPARE_FLAG_EVAL_LEFT_FIRST) { duk_to_primitive(thr, -2, DUK_HINT_NUMBER); duk_to_primitive(thr, -1, DUK_HINT_NUMBER); } else { duk_to_primitive(thr, -1, DUK_HINT_NUMBER); duk_to_primitive(thr, -2, DUK_HINT_NUMBER); } /* Note: reuse variables */ tv_x = DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -2); tv_y = DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -1); if (DUK_TVAL_IS_STRING(tv_x) && DUK_TVAL_IS_STRING(tv_y)) { duk_hstring *h1 = DUK_TVAL_GET_STRING(tv_x); duk_hstring *h2 = DUK_TVAL_GET_STRING(tv_y); DUK_ASSERT(h1 != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(h2 != NULL); if (DUK_LIKELY(!DUK_HSTRING_HAS_SYMBOL(h1) && !DUK_HSTRING_HAS_SYMBOL(h2))) { rc = duk_js_string_compare(h1, h2); duk_pop_2_unsafe(thr); if (rc < 0) { return retval ^ 1; } else { return retval; } } /* One or both are Symbols: fall through to handle in the * generic path. Concretely, ToNumber() will fail. */ } /* Ordering should not matter (E5 Section 11.8.5, step 3.a). */ #if 0 if (flags & DUK_COMPARE_FLAG_EVAL_LEFT_FIRST) { d1 = duk_to_number_m2(thr); d2 = duk_to_number_m1(thr); } else { d2 = duk_to_number_m1(thr); d1 = duk_to_number_m2(thr); } #endif d1 = duk_to_number_m2(thr); d2 = duk_to_number_m1(thr); /* We want to duk_pop_2_unsafe(thr); because the values are numbers * no decref check is needed. */ #if defined(DUK_USE_PREFER_SIZE) duk_pop_2_nodecref_unsafe(thr); #else DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_NEEDS_REFCOUNT_UPDATE(duk_get_tval(thr, -2))); DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_NEEDS_REFCOUNT_UPDATE(duk_get_tval(thr, -1))); DUK_ASSERT(duk_get_top(thr) >= 2); thr->valstack_top -= 2; tv_x = thr->valstack_top; tv_y = tv_x + 1; DUK_TVAL_SET_UNDEFINED(tv_x); /* Value stack policy */ DUK_TVAL_SET_UNDEFINED(tv_y); #endif return duk__compare_number(retval, d1, d2); } /* * instanceof */ /* * ES2015 Section 7.3.19 describes the OrdinaryHasInstance() algorithm * which covers both bound and non-bound functions; in effect the algorithm * includes E5 Sections 11.8.6, 15.3.5.3, and 15.3.4.5.3. * * ES2015 Section 12.9.4 describes the instanceof operator which first * checks @@hasInstance well-known symbol and falls back to * OrdinaryHasInstance(). * * Limited Proxy support: don't support 'getPrototypeOf' trap but * continue lookup in Proxy target if the value is a Proxy. */ DUK_LOCAL duk_bool_t duk__js_instanceof_helper(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv_x, duk_tval *tv_y, duk_bool_t skip_sym_check) { duk_hobject *func; duk_hobject *val; duk_hobject *proto; duk_tval *tv; duk_bool_t skip_first; duk_uint_t sanity; /* * Get the values onto the stack first. It would be possible to cover * some normal cases without resorting to the value stack. * * The right hand side could be a light function (as they generally * behave like objects). Light functions never have a 'prototype' * property so E5.1 Section 15.3.5.3 step 3 always throws a TypeError. * Using duk_require_hobject() is thus correct (except for error msg). */ duk_push_tval(thr, tv_x); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_y); func = duk_require_hobject(thr, -1); DUK_ASSERT(func != NULL); #if defined(DUK_USE_SYMBOL_BUILTIN) /* * @@hasInstance check, ES2015 Section 12.9.4, Steps 2-4. */ if (!skip_sym_check) { if (duk_get_method_stridx(thr, -1, DUK_STRIDX_WELLKNOWN_SYMBOL_HAS_INSTANCE)) { /* [ ... lhs rhs func ] */ duk_insert(thr, -3); /* -> [ ... func lhs rhs ] */ duk_swap_top(thr, -2); /* -> [ ... func rhs(this) lhs ] */ duk_call_method(thr, 1); return duk_to_boolean_top_pop(thr); } } #else DUK_UNREF(skip_sym_check); #endif /* * For bound objects, [[HasInstance]] just calls the target function * [[HasInstance]]. If that is again a bound object, repeat until * we find a non-bound Function object. * * The bound function chain is now "collapsed" so there can be only * one bound function in the chain. */ if (!DUK_HOBJECT_IS_CALLABLE(func)) { /* * Note: of native ECMAScript objects, only Function instances * have a [[HasInstance]] internal property. Custom objects might * also have it, but not in current implementation. * * XXX: add a separate flag, DUK_HOBJECT_FLAG_ALLOW_INSTANCEOF? */ goto error_invalid_rval; } if (DUK_HOBJECT_HAS_BOUNDFUNC(func)) { duk_push_tval(thr, &((duk_hboundfunc *) (void *) func)->target); duk_replace(thr, -2); func = duk_require_hobject(thr, -1); /* lightfunc throws */ /* Rely on Function.prototype.bind() never creating bound * functions whose target is not proper. */ DUK_ASSERT(func != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_HOBJECT_IS_CALLABLE(func)); } /* * 'func' is now a non-bound object which supports [[HasInstance]] * (which here just means DUK_HOBJECT_FLAG_CALLABLE). Move on * to execute E5 Section 15.3.5.3. */ DUK_ASSERT(func != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_HOBJECT_HAS_BOUNDFUNC(func)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_HOBJECT_IS_CALLABLE(func)); /* [ ... lval rval(func) ] */ /* For lightfuncs, buffers, and pointers start the comparison directly * from the virtual prototype object. */ skip_first = 0; tv = DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -2); switch (DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv)) { case DUK_TAG_LIGHTFUNC: val = thr->builtins[DUK_BIDX_FUNCTION_PROTOTYPE]; DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); break; case DUK_TAG_BUFFER: val = thr->builtins[DUK_BIDX_UINT8ARRAY_PROTOTYPE]; DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); break; case DUK_TAG_POINTER: val = thr->builtins[DUK_BIDX_POINTER_PROTOTYPE]; DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); break; case DUK_TAG_OBJECT: skip_first = 1; /* Ignore object itself on first round. */ val = DUK_TVAL_GET_OBJECT(tv); DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); break; default: goto pop2_and_false; } DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); /* Loop doesn't actually rely on this. */ /* Look up .prototype of rval. Leave it on the value stack in case it * has been virtualized (e.g. getter, Proxy trap). */ duk_get_prop_stridx_short(thr, -1, DUK_STRIDX_PROTOTYPE); /* -> [ ... lval rval rval.prototype ] */ #if defined(DUK_USE_VERBOSE_ERRORS) proto = duk_get_hobject(thr, -1); if (proto == NULL) { goto error_invalid_rval_noproto; } #else proto = duk_require_hobject(thr, -1); #endif sanity = DUK_HOBJECT_PROTOTYPE_CHAIN_SANITY; do { /* * Note: prototype chain is followed BEFORE first comparison. This * means that the instanceof lval is never itself compared to the * rval.prototype property. This is apparently intentional, see E5 * Section 15.3.5.3, step 4.a. * * Also note: * * js> (function() {}) instanceof Function * true * js> Function instanceof Function * true * * For the latter, h_proto will be Function.prototype, which is the * built-in Function prototype. Because Function.[[Prototype]] is * also the built-in Function prototype, the result is true. */ if (!val) { goto pop3_and_false; } DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); #if defined(DUK_USE_ES6_PROXY) val = duk_hobject_resolve_proxy_target(val); #endif if (skip_first) { skip_first = 0; } else if (val == proto) { goto pop3_and_true; } DUK_ASSERT(val != NULL); val = DUK_HOBJECT_GET_PROTOTYPE(thr->heap, val); } while (--sanity > 0); DUK_ASSERT(sanity == 0); DUK_ERROR_RANGE(thr, DUK_STR_PROTOTYPE_CHAIN_LIMIT); DUK_WO_NORETURN(return 0;); pop2_and_false: duk_pop_2_unsafe(thr); return 0; pop3_and_false: duk_pop_3_unsafe(thr); return 0; pop3_and_true: duk_pop_3_unsafe(thr); return 1; error_invalid_rval: DUK_ERROR_TYPE(thr, DUK_STR_INVALID_INSTANCEOF_RVAL); DUK_WO_NORETURN(return 0;); #if defined(DUK_USE_VERBOSE_ERRORS) error_invalid_rval_noproto: DUK_ERROR_TYPE(thr, DUK_STR_INVALID_INSTANCEOF_RVAL_NOPROTO); DUK_WO_NORETURN(return 0;); #endif } #if defined(DUK_USE_SYMBOL_BUILTIN) DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_instanceof_ordinary(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv_x, duk_tval *tv_y) { return duk__js_instanceof_helper(thr, tv_x, tv_y, 1 /*skip_sym_check*/); } #endif DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_instanceof(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv_x, duk_tval *tv_y) { return duk__js_instanceof_helper(thr, tv_x, tv_y, 0 /*skip_sym_check*/); } /* * in */ /* * E5 Sections 11.8.7, 8.12.6. * * Basically just a property existence check using [[HasProperty]]. */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_in(duk_hthread *thr, duk_tval *tv_x, duk_tval *tv_y) { duk_bool_t retval; /* * Get the values onto the stack first. It would be possible to cover * some normal cases without resorting to the value stack (e.g. if * lval is already a string). */ /* XXX: The ES5/5.1/6 specifications require that the key in 'key in obj' * must be string coerced before the internal HasProperty() algorithm is * invoked. A fast path skipping coercion could be safely implemented for * numbers (as number-to-string coercion has no side effects). For ES2015 * proxy behavior, the trap 'key' argument must be in a string coerced * form (which is a shame). */ /* TypeError if rval is not an object or object like (e.g. lightfunc * or plain buffer). */ duk_push_tval(thr, tv_x); duk_push_tval(thr, tv_y); duk_require_type_mask(thr, -1, DUK_TYPE_MASK_OBJECT | DUK_TYPE_MASK_LIGHTFUNC | DUK_TYPE_MASK_BUFFER); (void) duk_to_property_key_hstring(thr, -2); retval = duk_hobject_hasprop(thr, DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -1), DUK_GET_TVAL_NEGIDX(thr, -2)); duk_pop_2_unsafe(thr); return retval; } /* * typeof * * E5 Section 11.4.3. * * Very straightforward. The only question is what to return for our * non-standard tag / object types. * * There is an unfortunate string constant define naming problem with * typeof return values for e.g. "Object" and "object"; careful with * the built-in string defines. The LC_XXX defines are used for the * lowercase variants now. */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_small_uint_t duk_js_typeof_stridx(duk_tval *tv_x) { duk_small_uint_t stridx = 0; switch (DUK_TVAL_GET_TAG(tv_x)) { case DUK_TAG_UNDEFINED: { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_UNDEFINED; break; } case DUK_TAG_NULL: { /* Note: not a typo, "object" is returned for a null value. */ stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_OBJECT; break; } case DUK_TAG_BOOLEAN: { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_BOOLEAN; break; } case DUK_TAG_POINTER: { /* Implementation specific. */ stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_POINTER; break; } case DUK_TAG_STRING: { duk_hstring *str; /* All internal keys are identified as Symbols. */ str = DUK_TVAL_GET_STRING(tv_x); DUK_ASSERT(str != NULL); if (DUK_UNLIKELY(DUK_HSTRING_HAS_SYMBOL(str))) { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_SYMBOL; } else { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_STRING; } break; } case DUK_TAG_OBJECT: { duk_hobject *obj = DUK_TVAL_GET_OBJECT(tv_x); DUK_ASSERT(obj != NULL); if (DUK_HOBJECT_IS_CALLABLE(obj)) { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_FUNCTION; } else { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_OBJECT; } break; } case DUK_TAG_BUFFER: { /* Implementation specific. In Duktape 1.x this would be * 'buffer', in Duktape 2.x changed to 'object' because plain * buffers now mimic Uint8Array objects. */ stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_OBJECT; break; } case DUK_TAG_LIGHTFUNC: { stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_FUNCTION; break; } #if defined(DUK_USE_FASTINT) case DUK_TAG_FASTINT: #endif default: { /* number */ DUK_ASSERT(!DUK_TVAL_IS_UNUSED(tv_x)); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_TVAL_IS_NUMBER(tv_x)); stridx = DUK_STRIDX_LC_NUMBER; break; } } DUK_ASSERT_STRIDX_VALID(stridx); return stridx; } /* * IsArray() */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_isarray_hobject(duk_hobject *h) { DUK_ASSERT(h != NULL); #if defined(DUK_USE_ES6_PROXY) h = duk_hobject_resolve_proxy_target(h); #endif return (DUK_HOBJECT_GET_CLASS_NUMBER(h) == DUK_HOBJECT_CLASS_ARRAY ? 1 : 0); } DUK_INTERNAL duk_bool_t duk_js_isarray(duk_tval *tv) { DUK_ASSERT(tv != NULL); if (DUK_TVAL_IS_OBJECT(tv)) { return duk_js_isarray_hobject(DUK_TVAL_GET_OBJECT(tv)); } return 0; } /* * Array index and length * * Array index: E5 Section 15.4 * Array length: E5 Section 15.4.5.1 steps 3.c - 3.d (array length write) */ /* Compure array index from string context, or return a "not array index" * indicator. */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_uarridx_t duk_js_to_arrayindex_string(const duk_uint8_t *str, duk_uint32_t blen) { duk_uarridx_t res; /* Only strings with byte length 1-10 can be 32-bit array indices. * Leading zeroes (except '0' alone), plus/minus signs are not allowed. * We could do a lot of prechecks here, but since most strings won't * start with any digits, it's simpler to just parse the number and * fail quickly. */ res = 0; if (blen == 0) { goto parse_fail; } do { duk_uarridx_t dig; dig = (duk_uarridx_t) (*str++) - DUK_ASC_0; if (dig <= 9U) { /* Careful overflow handling. When multiplying by 10: * - 0x19999998 x 10 = 0xfffffff0: no overflow, and adding * 0...9 is safe. * - 0x19999999 x 10 = 0xfffffffa: no overflow, adding * 0...5 is safe, 6...9 overflows. * - 0x1999999a x 10 = 0x100000004: always overflow. */ if (DUK_UNLIKELY(res >= 0x19999999UL)) { if (res >= 0x1999999aUL) { /* Always overflow. */ goto parse_fail; } DUK_ASSERT(res == 0x19999999UL); if (dig >= 6U) { goto parse_fail; } res = 0xfffffffaUL + dig; DUK_ASSERT(res >= 0xfffffffaUL); DUK_ASSERT_DISABLE(res <= 0xffffffffUL); /* range */ } else { res = res * 10U + dig; if (DUK_UNLIKELY(res == 0)) { /* If 'res' is 0, previous 'res' must * have been 0 and we scanned in a zero. * This is only allowed if blen == 1, * i.e. the exact string '0'. */ if (blen == (duk_uint32_t) 1) { return 0; } goto parse_fail; } } } else { /* Because 'dig' is unsigned, catches both values * above '9' and below '0'. */ goto parse_fail; } } while (--blen > 0); return res; parse_fail: return DUK_HSTRING_NO_ARRAY_INDEX; } #if !defined(DUK_USE_HSTRING_ARRIDX) /* Get array index for a string which is known to be an array index. This helper * is needed when duk_hstring doesn't concretely store the array index, but strings * are flagged as array indices at intern time. */ DUK_INTERNAL duk_uarridx_t duk_js_to_arrayindex_hstring_fast_known(duk_hstring *h) { const duk_uint8_t *p; duk_uarridx_t res; duk_uint8_t t; DUK_ASSERT(h != NULL); DUK_ASSERT(DUK_HSTRING_HAS_ARRIDX(h)); p = DUK_HSTRING_GET_DATA(h); res = 0; for (;;) { t = *p++; if (DUK_UNLIKELY(t == 0)) { /* Scanning to NUL is always safe for interned strings. */ break; } DUK_ASSERT(t >= (duk_uint8_t) DUK_ASC_0 && t <= (duk_uint8_t) DUK_ASC_9); res = res * 10U + (duk_uarridx_t) t - (duk_uarridx_t) DUK_ASC_0; } return res; } DUK_INTERNAL duk_uarridx_t duk_js_to_arrayindex_hstring_fast(duk_hstring *h) { DUK_ASSERT(h != NULL); if (!DUK_HSTRING_HAS_ARRIDX(h)) { return DUK_HSTRING_NO_ARRAY_INDEX; } return duk_js_to_arrayindex_hstring_fast_known(h); } #endif /* DUK_USE_HSTRING_ARRIDX */

Javascript project seeking competent scripter/coder I'll apologize in advance since I'm guessing this is slightly off- topic. I'm not a coder, but I need some help, and my limited knowledge leads me to believe that javascript will be just sufficient for my needs. I'm also under a very tight budget, which is why I'm posting here. In short, I'm looking for someone to do some javascript coding, and specifically, I'm seeking quotes for the following effort: I have a storefront page I would like to update. Each item in the store is represented by a thumbnail picture. Below the picture are the words "Order [item name]." The thumbnail pictures follow a set naming pattern: xxx_t.jpg where xxx is a number. TASK 1) When a thumbnail picture is clicked, it should open a window with a larger version of the picture. These files have a parallel naming pattern: xxx.jpg where xxx is the number identical to the thumbnail of the graphic. If the larger window uses a lightbox effect, that's great, but not necessary. TASK 2) When the "Order Item" link is clicked, it should open an order form. Based on the item, some of the criteria on the order form should be predetermined/precustomized. These customizations are very tightly constrained -- there are only three possible order form options. TASK 3) Submit all the form data to a third party site called Mal's E- commerce. You may need to assist with the correct configuration of our Mal's E-commerce account. I could do tasks 1 and 2 myself in a very tedious fashion, manually, with HTML, multiple order forms, and so forth. It's painful, slow, redundant, and really, I know better. I could do tasks 1 and 2 in a very complex fashion, using a full blown shopping cart system and ready-made CMS along with a MySQL database. It's overkill, and I know better. Neither option is appealing. I believe this can all be handled with a simple bit of Javascript code. While PHP would be a workable alternative, I prefer not to use an external database. An array contained in a separate file would be tolerable. Regardless, I don't code, which is why I'm farming this out. If you feel you can write this Javascript code (or if you have a better suggestion) send me a quote, along with a resume with portfolio that calls out your work. DO NOT REPLY TO THE LIST. This project may be performed entirely remotely. I'd prefer to meet in person at least once, but even that isn't necessary if you have sufficient references and documented credentials. Based on the amount and quality of responses, it may take some time to evaluate quotes and portfolios. I will respond personally to submissions as soon as I can. Knowing that something is off-topic and posting it still is pretty lame. But then, what to expect from an anonymous exploiter: > I'm not a coder, but I need some help, and my limited knowledge leads > me to believe that javascript will be just sufficient for my needs. > I'm also under a very tight budget, which is why I'm posting here. Share This Page Welcome to The Coding Forums! Welcome to the Coding Forums, the place to chat about anything related to programming and coding languages. Please join our friendly community by clicking the button below - it only takes a few seconds and is totally free. You'll be able to ask questions about coding or chat with the community and help others. Sign up now!

Atypical Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis: ataxic hypersomnolence without ophthalmoplegia. Clinical and immunological evaluation of 'incomplete' Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE). We studied two patients with postinfectious brainstem syndromes who presented at National University Hospital Singapore. Laboratory work-up included measurement of antiganglioside antibodies. Both patients displayed hypersomnolence and cerebellar-like ataxia in the absence of external ophthalmoplegia and carried high serum titres of IgG anti-GQ1b antibodies, strongly indicative of BBE. Ophthalmoplegia can be absent or incomplete in BBE, and the absence of this clinical feature should not exclude BBE from the clinicians' differential. Such cases of incomplete BBE could be defined as 'ataxic hypersomnolence without ophthalmoplegia'.

AFRICA: Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood members gathered outside their Cairo headquarters in anticipation of an opposition march on the building. AMERICAS: Venezuelan student protesters, who were marching to protest the electoral commission and the government, clashed with supporters of the late President Chavez. ASIA: A member of the Afghan government-backed militia shot and killed five of his colleagues. EUROPE: Italian President Napolitano said he will hand out a mandate for the formation of a new government. MIDDLE EAST: More than 150 Jordanians took part in a sit-in near the US embassy in Amman in protest of the upcoming visit by US President Obama. TECHNOLOGY: The US government is expanding a cybersecurity program that scans internet traffic headed into and out of defense contractors to include far more of the country’s private, civilian-run infrastructure. TOP STORY Syria: Tensions rise in wake of mosque bombing; US said no chemical weapons have been used; UN to open chemical weapon investigation. A large explosion killed at least 42 people inside a central Damascus mosque, including the top Sunni cleric in the country. President Assad vowed to rid the country of Muslim extremists whom he blamed for the suicide bombing. A senior US official said the US now has strong indications that chemical weapons were not used in a Tuesday attack. Mouaz al-Khatib, the head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces called on Russia and the US not to intervene in Syria. UNSG Ban Ki-moon said the UN will investigate the possible use of chemical weapons in Syria. Italy: President Napolitano said he will hand out a mandate for the formation of a new government. (AFP) Turkey: The US welcomed a call from the jailed rebel leader of the PKK urging his fighters to lay down their arms, saying it was a “positive step.” (AFP) MIDDLE EAST Iraq: The UNSG’s special representative for Iraq said the Iraqis face a complex set of interrelated problems including a spillover of violence from Syria. (Xinhua) Israel: A hard-line Islamist group claimed a rocket attack against southern Israel. (AFP) Jordan: More than 150 Jordanians took part in a sit-in near the US embassy in Amman in protest of the upcoming visit by President Obama. (Xinhua) Lebanon: One man was killed and five others wounded in two separate exchanges of fire in the northern of Tripoli, a security source said. (AFP) Yemen: Three members of pro-government militia were killed in an ambush by al Qaeda militants in Abyan. (Xinhua) TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS Cybersecurity: The US government is expanding a cybersecurity program that scans internet traffic headed into and out of defense contractors to include far more of the country’s private, civilian-run infrastructure. (Reuters) WORLD Cyclones: Nothing to report. Hurricanes: Nothing to report. Earthquakes: Nothing to report. Volcanoes: Nothing to report. TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (23MAR) Global: World Meteorological Day. Pakistan: Republic Day celebrated, which commemorates the Lahore Resolution of 1940 and the transition of the Dominion of Pakistan to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, making Pakistan the world’s first Islamic republic.

TNCA Serie H The TNCA Serie H "Parasol" was a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft manufactured by the Talleres Nacionales de Construcciones Aeronáuticas (TNCA). It was a high-wing monoplane (which was very unusual at the time), which allowed better speed performance. It was one of the first aircraft models made by TNCA and was basically a "Technology Tester", in order to improve the designs of subsequent models. Its design was very similar to the Morane-Saulnier L, especially for the landing gear, the mast and the controls of the rudders, however the fuselage structure was made of metal tubes. It was powered by a 60 HP TNCA Aztatl six cylinders air cooled engine, with an Anáhuac propeller. The aircraft did not carry weapons, however could be mounted side-shot machine guns or bombs under the fuselage. Specifications References External links SEDENA Category:1910s Mexican military aircraft Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft Category:Aircraft manufactured in Mexico

Small intestine (Chinese medicine) In traditional Chinese medicine the Small Intestine () is a fu organ in the Zang-fu concept. The small intestine governs the separation of the clear from the turbid. The small intestine further digests food decomposed initially by the stomach. The clear, referring to the essence of water and grain and to the large amount of fluid, is absorbed by the spleen and distributed to the whole, body. The turbid is sent downwards to the large intestine, while the useless water is infused to the bladder. The disorders of the small intestine are attributable to failure to separate the clear from the turbid dirt the digesting process, manifesting stool and urinary disturbance, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, scanty urine, etc. The Small intestine and its paired organ, the Heart, are associated with the element of fire and the emotions of joy or agitation. Transporting point of SI: Urinary Bladder 27. Conception vessel – anterior midline from perineum to lower lip. This is also the Alarm point for the SI which is called "Gateway to the Source" (guan yuan). Governing vessel is from perineum, to spine to crown of head down to upper lip. SI Meridian Points (S1-S10): SI-1 (Shao Ze/Lesser Marsh): Resuscitates, promotes lactation, opens orifices, clears Heat. SI-2 (Qian Gu/Front Valley): Clears Heat, activates the meridian. SI-3 (Hou Xi/Back Stream): Benefits the neck and back, treats malaria activates the meridian. SI-4 (Wan Gu/Wrist Bone): Activates and clears the meridian, resolves Damp-Heat. SI-5 (Yang Gu/Yang Valley): Clears Heat, clears the meridian, reduces swelling. SI-6 (Yang Lao/Nourishing the Aged): Activates the meridian, benefits the eyes, benefits the shoulder and arm, alleviates pain. SI-7 (Zhi Zheng/Branch of the Upright): Activates the meridian, frees obstructions, calms the Shen, clears Heat, alleviates pain. SI-8 (Xiao Hai/Small Sea): Activates the meridian, alleviates pain, clears Heat and Damp-Heat. SI-9 (Jian Zhen/True Shoulder): Activates the meridian, alleviates pain, benefits the shoulder. SI-10 (Nao Shu/Upper Arm Shu): Activates the meridian, alleviates pain, benefits the shoulder. See also Four stages Six levels Three jiaos References https://theory.yinyanghouse.com/acupuncturepoints/smallintestine_meridian_graphic http://www.sacredlotus.com/go/acupuncture/channel/small_intestine_channel_of_hand_tai_yang http://www.acatcm.com/small-intestine-meridian-hand-tai-yin-points Category:Traditional Chinese medicine

1. Introduction {#sec1} =============== Slow cortical potentials (SCPs) are being considered for their application in hearing aid fitting, particularly for infants \[[@B2]--[@B8]\]. SCP studies related to this purpose have produced mixed results; thus it is not known whether SCPs provide an accurate measure of the brain\'s response to (and, hopefully, behavioural perception of) signals processed by hearing aids, particularly hearing aids with digital signal processing. Several studies have shown that SCPs can be reliably recorded in aided conditions \[[@B3], [@B5]--[@B11]\], and some have reported that stimuli can be reliably differentiated in the SCP response in aided conditions \[[@B6], [@B7]\]. In contrast, there is a puzzling finding that the provision of gain via a hearing aid does not lead to the expected increase in SCP response amplitude for either tonal or speech stimuli \[[@B3], [@B7], [@B1]\]. To understand why SCP amplitude does not increase with hearing aid gain, it is important to quantify the acoustic effects of hearing-aid processing on the test signal; otherwise, the stimulus used to evoke the SCP in aided conditions is not known. This idea is supported by earlier studies which found that due to hearing-aid processing, stimuli used to measure some auditory-evoked potentials (AEP) may not result in valid measurements of hearing aid gain or output \[[@B12], [@B13]\]. Research on AEPs measured with hearing aids in place has yielded varying degrees of success. One reason for this variability may be due to the stimuli used to measure them. More specifically, although there are many commercially available test signals that may be used to assess hearing aids electroacoustically and/or via AEPs (including tonal and complex stimuli), not all stimuli are appropriate for measuring both hearing-aid processing and AEPs. For instance, complex stimuli such as speech-weighted composite noise provide better estimates of gain for speech compared with tonal stimuli \[[@B14]--[@B16]\], whereas tonal stimuli provide better measures of maximum power output (MPO) than do complex stimuli \[[@B15]\]. However, neither of these stimuli may be best for eliciting a given AEP, and the stimuli used to elicit an AEP may not be best for measuring hearing aids \[[@B12], [@B13], [@B17]\]. For example, research on hearing-aid processed stimuli has revealed that the click and brief-tone stimuli used in ABR testing are too short to activate the compression processing and steady-state response of the hearing aid \[[@B12], [@B13]\]. The N1 response does not reflect stimulus changes beyond the first 20--40 ms \[[@B18]--[@B22]\], and rise times between 20 and 30 ms result in the largest N1 amplitudes \[[@B20], [@B21]\]. The tonal stimulus used by Billings et al. \[[@B3]\] was atypical for SCP stimuli in that it had a more rapid rise time (7.5 ms) than is required to elicit a large-amplitude SCP and maintain reasonable stimulus frequency specificity; their stimulus was also much longer in duration than can be reflected by the SCP. The possibility that stimulus characteristics were the reason for the inability to measure hearing aid gain via SCPs was addressed by Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\], who compared N1-P2 amplitudes and N1 latencies in unaided and aided conditions in normal-hearing listeners, using a stimulus designed to elicit larger N1 amplitudes with less compromise of frequency specificity; that is, a 60-ms duration tonal stimulus with a 20-ms rise time \[[@B20], [@B21], [@B23]\]. The results of Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\] were similar to those of Billings et al. \[[@B3]\] in that the SCP amplitude did not increase as expected despite the provision of 20 or 40 dB of gain. What is not clear from many of the SCP studies is what effect hearing-aid processing had on the stimuli. Billings et al. \[[@B24]\] have since examined the effect of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and showed that the SNR may have been similar across aided and unaided conditions in their previous research \[[@B3], [@B7]\], which may explain why N1 amplitudes were not larger in the aided conditions compared with unaided. The purpose of this study was to measure, in the ear canals of subjects, tonal stimuli used for SCP testing before and after hearing-aid processing to determine how hearing-aid processing affected the stimuli, measured under the same conditions as the SCP testing. Of particular interest was whether there would be a difference between the gain measured with standard hearing aid test system stimuli and that measured with the stimuli used for the cortical measures. Also of interest was whether there would be a differential effect of analog and digital processing on gain, particularly within the first 30 ms after stimulus onset, even with all advanced features disabled. 2. Materials and Methods {#sec2} ======================== 2.1. Subjects {#sec2.1} ------------- Five subjects participated (mean age: 23 ± 2.1 years; 4 females). Four of these subjects also participated in Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\]. Subjects were briefed on the study procedures and provided informed written consent prior to participating. All subjects were screened for normal middle/outer-ear function by immittance audiometry. Normal tympanograms were defined by a single-peak static admittance between ±50 daPa in response to a 226-Hz probe tone \[[@B25]\]. Although hearing status would not be expected to influence the results of the acoustic recordings, all subjects had normal hearing. 2.2. Hearing Aids {#sec2.2} ----------------- The same three behind-the-ear hearing aids, coupled with Comply snap tip 9-mm foam earmolds, were used for each participant: (i) Oticon E27 ("Analog"), (ii) Phonak Savia 211 dSZ ("DigitalA"), and (iii) Siemens Acuris S ("DigitalB"). These were the same hearing aids and settings used in our previous study \[[@B1]\]. The digital hearing aids were set, using NOAH 3 and the NOAHLink, to have two programs: one with 20 dB and the second with 40 dB real-ear insertion gain (REIG) for a 50 dB SPL 1000 Hz pure tone, as verified with the Fonix 7000 real-ear system. Both programs were set with a 1 : 1 compression ratio across the frequency range and were verified for linear processing using input/output coupler measures. All additional hearing aid features such as digital noise reduction and feedback management were disabled. Other frequencies were set to minimum gain. Settings for the digital instruments were saved in the NOAH 3 software for each subject and recalled in follow-up sessions. Gain settings for the analog hearing aid were achieved by setting the volume control to 1 (minimum) and turning the dB SPL trim-pot until the REIG was 20 dB for a 1000-Hz pure tone at a 50 dB SPL input level. To achieve the 40-dB gain setting, the volume control wheel was turned up until REIG equalled 40 dB at 1000 Hz. The volume control wheel was then marked for that setting. These gain settings were remeasured in follow-up sessions. REIG measures at 1000 Hz for all subjects and hearing aids are given in [Table 1](#tab1){ref-type="table"}. 2.3. Stimuli {#sec2.3} ------------ Two 1000-Hz "SCP" stimuli were used for the acoustic measures: (i) a stimulus of 60-ms total duration (including a 20-ms rise/fall time), the same as used by Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\], and (ii) a stimulus of 757-ms duration (with a 7.57-ms rise/fall time), similar to the one used by Billings et al. \[[@B3]\]. Stimuli were presented with offset-to-onset interstimulus intervals (ISI) of 940 ms. Stimuli generated by Neuroscan\'s Stim2 software were further amplified by a Wavetek Rockland 852 filter (providing 20 dB of amplification below 3000 Hz), routed through a Tucker Davis Technologies (TDT) PA5 attenuator and HB7 headphone driver, and finally to a speaker in the sound field placed at 1.5 meters from the subject at 0° azimuth. The stimulus output at 80 dB SPL was calibrated with a Larson-Davis sound level meter by measuring the level of a longer-duration 1000-Hz tone (2-s duration, 20-ms rise/fall time; equal in peak-to-peak amplitude to the 60-ms 1000-Hz stimulus) at the head height of the subject, 1.5 m from the speaker. Stimuli were presented at three intensities (30, 50, and 70 dB SPL). 2.4. Procedure {#sec2.4} -------------- Subjects were asked to complete two test sessions, lasting no longer than three hours each and were given the choice of completing the sessions sequentially or on separate days. Procedures were approved by the University of British Columbia Behavioural Research Ethics Board. Subjects were screened for normal outer- and middle-ear function at each test session to ensure no changes across test sessions. Following hearing aid programming, all testing was conducted in a double-walled sound-attenuating booth. Average octave-band noise levels in the sound-attenuated booth at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz were 12, 10, 10, and 12 dB SPL, respectively. There were 36 test conditions (i.e., 18 for each of the short and long stimuli) and presentation order for each subject was randomly assigned prior to the test date(s). During testing, participants were asked to sit as still as possible while watching a movie of their choice in closed-captioning and no audio. Subjects sat in a reclining chair set in the upright position so that each participant was seated with their head above the chair back, the same position used for the previous SCP measurements. ### 2.4.1. Recording {#sec2.4.1} An ER7C probe-tube output (set to provide 20 dB of attenuation) was routed through a second (passive) attenuator to Channel 1 of the Neuroscan recording system. The second attenuator ensured that input was not clipped by the recording system. The recording channel was amplified, filtered (0.05--3500 Hz), and digitized (20,000 Hz) by the Neuroscan Synamps^2^ system and averaged and analyzed by the Neuroscan Scan analysis system, using a 204.75-ms analysis time for the short stimulus (including a 70-ms prestimulus baseline) and a 960-ms analysis time for the long stimulus (including a 100-ms prestimulus baseline). The stimulus was recorded in the ear canal for each test condition until at least 100 accepted trials were obtained. Single-trial epochs were saved for offline processing, which included baseline correction across the stimulus duration and averaging of the single trials. 2.5. Data Analysis {#sec2.5} ------------------ Acoustic measures of interest were (i) gain at 30 ms after stimulus onset, (ii) maximum gain, and (iii) latency of maximum gain, or "rise time" (defined as the time at which the amplitude first reached 90% of maximum amplitude relative to an individually determined 0-ms point). Actual gain values were calculated for 20- and 40-dB hearing-aid gain conditions by determining the relative amplitude differences between aided and unaided stimulus waveforms from averaged recordings in the ear canal. A measurement point of 30 ms after stimulus onset was chosen because several studies indicate this is the most effective rise time and evokes the largest N1-P2 amplitudes; increases in stimulus levels beyond 20--40 ms have little to no effect on SCP amplitudes \[[@B18]--[@B22]\]. Maximum gain was calculated to determine the maximum gain produced at any time during the stimulus, even if this occurred past 30 ms after stimulus onset. Rise time was measured in order to determine whether hearing-aid processing resulted in stimulus rise times longer than 30 ms. The stimulus onsets (0-ms points) were determined for each waveform by a research assistant blind to the study purpose. Using the same zoom settings to visually inspect each waveform, the research assistant identified the time point at which there was periodicity in the recording. A random subset of the waveforms were retested to determine test-retest reliability of the 0-point identification protocol; the average of the absolute values of the errors was less than 1 ms (0.24 ms). 2.6. Statistical Analysis {#sec2.6} ------------------------- For the short-duration (60-ms) stimulus, two repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) were conducted for each of the dependent variables: gain measured at 30 ms, maximum gain, and rise time: (i) to measure the effects of the 20-dB gain setting, a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted comparing three levels of hearing aid type (Analog, DigitalA, and DigitalB) and three input levels (30, 50, and 70 dB SPL) and (ii) to measure the effects of the 40-dB gain setting, a two-way repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted comparing three levels of hearing aid type (Analog, DigitalA, and DigitalB) and two input levels (30 and 50 dB SPL). The same four repeated-measures ANOVAs were performed for the long duration (757-ms) stimulus. Due to the exploratory nature of this study, main effects and interactions for all analyses were considered significant if *p* \< .10. Huyn-Feldt correction factors were applied to the degrees of freedom and reported where appropriate (i.e., when the assumption of sphericity was not met). Significant interactions were examined by analyzing the simple main effects, then conducting paired *t*-tests for any significant simple main effects. Neuman-Keuls post hoc analyses were performed for significant main effects not involved in an interaction. Post hoc analyses were considered statistically significant if *p* \< .10. 3. Results {#sec3} ========== The following section is divided into: (i) gain and rise time results for the short stimulus and (ii) gain and rise time results for the long stimulus. Mean data for gain measured at 30 ms and maximum amplitude, along with the rise times for maximum amplitude, are provided in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"}. ANOVA results are reported in Tables [3](#tab3){ref-type="table"} and [4](#tab4){ref-type="table"}, along with the results for Simple Main Effects when an interaction was significant. 3.1. Short Stimulus {#sec3.1} ------------------- Acoustic waveforms for the short stimulus (60-ms duration) in both unaided and aided conditions (Analog, DigitalA, and DigitalB) are presented for 30, 50, and 70 dB SPL input levels in Figures [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}, [2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}, and [3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}, respectively. Both 20- and 40-dB gain settings are depicted where appropriate (e.g., 30 and 50 dB SPL input levels) and 30-ms and maximum amplitude measurement points are depicted by closed and open triangles, respectively. All figures in the following section illustrate the acoustic measures for a single subject representative of the overall pattern (subject no. 2). Note that for optimum visual representation, the scale is different across stimulus waveform figures. ### 3.1.1. 20-dB Gain Condition: Short Stimulus---Gain at 30 ms after Stimulus Onset {#sec3.1.1} Mean gain values presented in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} indicate that at the 30-ms measurement point for the short stimulus, all hearing aids provided less than 20 dB gain. The analog hearing aid was 3-4 dB below the nominal gain across input levels; DigitalA was 4--9 dB below nominal gain, and DigitalB provided no measurable gain at 30 ms, and even attenuation of up to 3 dB. Effect of Input Level: results from the ANOVA and post hoc analysis revealed that even though all three hearing aids were set to provide linear amplification, less gain was measured for the 30 dB SPL compared with the 50 dB SPL input level for all three hearing aids (*p* \< .1) and the 30 dB SPL compared with the 70 dB SPL input level for all three hearing aids (*p* \< .1). Gain was not significantly different between the 50 and 70 dB SPL input levels for any of the hearing aids (*p* \> .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: the DigitalB hearing aid provided significantly less gain than both the DigitalA and Analog hearing aids at every input level (*p* \< .01). The DigitalA hearing aid provided significantly less gain than the Analog hearing aid for the 30 dB SPL input (*p* \< .05). There was no significant difference between gain provided by Analog and DigitalA aids for the higher input levels, 50 and 70 dB SPL (*p* \> .1). ### 3.1.2. 20-dB Gain Condition: Short Stimulus---Gain at Maximum Amplitude {#sec3.1.2} Mean gain values presented in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} show that, when measured at the maximum amplitude measurement point, once again, all of the hearing aids provided less than 20 dB gain. The Analog aid was again about 3-4 dB below nominal gain, similar to the levels measured at 30 ms. The DigitalA aid had more gain at maximum amplitude than at 30 ms but was still 3-4 dB less than nominal gain. The DigitalB aid, once again, provided less gain than Analog and DigitalA hearing aids, but unlike the 30-ms measurement point, there was some measurable gain, albeit 12--15 dB less than nominal gain. There was no significant interaction between Input Level and Hearing Aid, so the results reported here are the analyses of the Main Effects. Effect of Input Level: the 30 dB SPL input level resulted in significantly less gain than the 50 and 70 dB SPL input levels. Effect of Hearing Aid: DigitalB hearing aid provided significantly less gain than either the Analog or DigitalA hearing aids, and there was no significant difference between the gain provided by Analog and DigitalA. ### 3.1.3. 20-dB Gain Condition: Short Stimulus---Rise Time {#sec3.1.3} The rise time was the time taken to reach maximum amplitude (or, more precisely, the time to reach 90% of maximum amplitude). There was a clear trend for the two digital aids to take longer to reach maximum amplitude than the Analog aid. Rise time for the Analog aid was about 22 ms, similar to the 20-ms rise time of the input stimulus. Rise times for DigitalA ranged from 28 to 39 ms, and DigitalB showed a markedly longer rise times than DigitalA, approximately 45 ms. Effect of Input Level: for the Analog and DigitalB hearing aids, rise time did not differ by input level (*p* \> .1). For DigitalA, measured rise time differed by input level. The measured rise time was shortest for the 50 dB SPL input level (50 versus 70: *p* \< .05), longer for the 70 dB SPL input level, and longer still for the 30 dB SPL input level (30 versus 70: *p* \< .05). Effect of Hearing Aid: at every input level, the rise time differed across hearing aids (*p* \< .01), with the rise time being longest for the DigitalB hearing aid, shorter for the DigitalA hearing aid, and shortest for the Analog hearing aid. ### 3.1.4. 40-dB Gain Condition: Short Stimulus---Gain at 30-ms after Stimulus Onset {#sec3.1.4} Mean gain values in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} indicate that at the 30 ms measurement point, all hearing aids provided less than 40 dB gain. The Analog hearing aid provided 3--5 dB less than nominal gain, which was similar to the 20-dB gain condition. DigitalA provided 5--10 dB less than nominal gain, and DigitalB provided almost 20 dB less than the nominal 40 dB gain. Effect of Input Level: unlike the 20-dB gain condition, where less gain was measured for the 30 dB SPL input level compared to the higher input levels, for the 40-dB gain condition, only DigitalA was measured to have less gain for the 30 than 50 dB input levels (*p* \< .1). The Analog and DigitalB aids were measured to have the same amount of gain for both 30 and 50 dB SPL input levels (*p* \> .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: similar to the 20-dB gain condition, in the 40-dB gain condition, the DigitalB hearing aid provided significantly less gain than the DigitalA and Analog hearing aids at both input levels (*p* \< .1). There was a nonsignificant trend for the DigitalA to provide less gain than the Analog hearing aid for the 30 dB SPL input (*p* = .11). The DigitalA and Analog hearing aids provided equivalent gain for the 50 dB SPL input (*p* \> .1). ### 3.1.5. 40-dB Gain Condition: Short Stimulus---Gain at Maximum Amplitude {#sec3.1.5} Mean gain values follow much the same pattern at maximum amplitude for the short stimulus as at 30 ms. Once again, all of the hearing aids provided less than 40 dB gain: Analog was again 3--5 dB below nominal gain, DigitalA was 4-5 dB below nominal gain, and DigitalB provided much less gain than both Analog and DigitalA hearing aids at about 12--14 dB below nominal gain. There was not a significant interaction between Input Level and Hearing Aid, so the results reported here are the analyses of the significant Main Effects. Effect of Input Level: the 30 dB SPL input level resulted in significantly less gain than the 50 dB SPL input level. Effect of Hearing Aid: DigitalB hearing aid provided significantly less gain than either the Analog or DigitalA hearing aids (*p* \< .01), and there was no significant difference between the gain provided by Analog and DigitalA (*p* \> .1). ### 3.1.6. 40-dB Gain Condition: Short Stimulus---Rise Time {#sec3.1.6} Again, there was a clear trend for the two digital aids to take longer to reach maximum amplitude than the analog aid, and the DigitalB aid took longer than DigitalA. The analog aid again mimicked the rise time of the input signal, with a measured rise time of about 22 ms. The DigitalA had a longer rise time, ranging from 22 to 34 ms. Again, DigitalB had a markedly longer rise time, taking about 41 ms to reach maximum amplitude. Effect of Input Level: for the Analog aid, rise time did not differ between the two input levels (*p* \> .1). For both the DigitalA and DigitalB hearing aids, measured rise time was longer for 30 dB SPL than the 50 dB SPL input level (*p* \< .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: at the 30 SPL input level, DigitalB had a longer rise time than both the DigitalA (*p* \< .05) and Analog (*p* \< .001) hearing aids. DigitalA had a longer rise time than Analog (*p* \< .05). At the 50 dB SPL input level, DigitalB still had a longer rise time than both DigitalA (*p* \< .001) and Analog (*p* \< .001), but DigitalA and Analog had equivalent rise times (*p* \> .1). 3.2. Long Stimulus {#sec3.2} ------------------ Acoustic waveforms for the long stimulus (757-ms duration) in both unaided and aided conditions (Analog, DigitalA, and DigitalB) are presented for 30, 50, and 70 dB SPL input levels in Figures [4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}, [5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}, and [6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}, respectively. Both 20- and 40-dB gain settings are depicted where appropriate (e.g., 30 and 50 dB SPL) and 30-ms and maximum-amplitude measurement points are depicted by closed and open triangles, respectively. Once again, all figures in the following section illustrate the acoustic measures for a single representative subject (subject no. 2). ### 3.2.1. 20-dB Gain Condition: Long Stimulus---Gain at 30 ms after Stimulus Onset {#sec3.2.1} Mean gain values in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} indicate that at the 30-ms measurement point for the long stimulus, once again all of the hearing aids provided less than 20 dB gain, in a pattern similar to that found for the short stimulus. The analog aid was 3-4 dB below nominal gain across input levels; DigitalA was 3--7 dB below nominal gain, and DigitalB ranged from 4 dB gain down to 2 dB of attenuation. Effect of Input Level: again, although all three hearing aids were set to provide linear amplification, in general the measured gain increased slightly as input level increased. For the Analog aid, equivalent gain was measured for the 30 and 50 dB SPL inputs (*p* \> .1), and the gain measured for the 70 dB SPL input was greater than both the lower input levels (*p* \< .1). For the DigitalA hearing aid, less gain was measured for the 30 compared with the 50 and 70 dB SPL input levels (*p* \< .05) and equivalent gain for 50 and 70 dB SPL inputs (*p* \> .1). Finally, the DigitalB hearing aid provided less gain for the 30 compared with the 50 (*p* \< .05) and 70 dB SPL inputs (*p* \< .01) and less gain for the 50 compared with the 70 dB SPL input (*p* \< .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: the DigitalB hearing aid provided significantly less gain than both the DigitalA and Analog hearing aids at every input level (*p* \< .01). The DigitalA and Analog hearing aids provided equivalent gain for all input levels (*p* \> .1). ### 3.2.2. 20-dB Gain Condition: Long Stimulus---Gain at Maximum Amplitude {#sec3.2.2} Mean gain values presented in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} show that, when measured at the maximum amplitude for the long stimulus, once again all of the hearing aids provided less than 20 dB gain. The gain values were similar to the maximum gain values obtained with the short stimulus, with the notable exception of DigitalB aid, which now measured only 3--7 dB below nominal gain. Effect of Input Level: for all three hearing aids, increasing amounts of gain were measured with increases in input level (*p* \< .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: at each input level, there was no difference among hearing aids in the amount of gain measured (*p* \> .1). ### 3.2.3. 20-dB Gain Condition: Long Stimulus---Rise Time {#sec3.2.3} Again, the figures and [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} show a clear trend for the two digital aids to take longer to reach maximum amplitude than the analog aid, with the DigitalB aid showing a markedly longer rise time than DigitalA. Rise time for the Analog aid was about 12 ms, only slightly longer than the 7.5-ms rise time of the stimulus. Rise time for DigitalA ranged from 23 to 40 ms, and DigitalB had a much longer rise time of about 140--150 ms. Effect of Input Level: for DigitalB, the rise time measured for 30 dB was slightly shorter than the rise time measured for the 50 dB SPL input level (*p* \< .05). For DigitalA, the rise time measured for 30 was longer than that measured for 50 and 70 dB SPL input levels (*p* \< .1). For Analog, rise time was equivalent across input levels. Effect of Hearing Aid: at every input level, the rise time differed across hearing aids (*p* \< .01), with the rise time being longest for the DigitalB hearing aid, shorter for the DigitalA hearing aid, and shortest for the Analog hearing aid. ### 3.2.4. 40-dB Gain Condition: Long Stimulus---Gain at 30-ms after Stimulus Onset {#sec3.2.4} Mean gain values presented in [Table 2](#tab2){ref-type="table"} indicate that, similar to the 20-dB gain setting at 30 ms, all of the hearing aids provided less than 40 dB gain. DigitalB provided less gain than either the Analog or DigitalA hearing aids. The Analog aid provided about 5 dB less than nominal gain, similar to the 20-dB gain condition. DigitalA provided about 4--6 dB less than nominal gain, similar to the 20-dB gain condition, and DigitalB provided about 14--16 dB less than the nominal 40-dB gain. Effect of Input Level: the DigitalB hearing aid provided less gain for the 30 than 50 dB input levels (*p* \< .1). Both the DigitalA and Analog hearing aids provided equivalent gain across the two input levels (*p* \> .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: once again the DigitalB hearing aid provided significantly less gain than both other hearing aids at both input levels (*p* \< .01), and there was no significant difference in gain provided by Analog and DigitalA at either input level (*p* \> .1). ### 3.2.5. 40-dB Gain Condition: Long Stimulus---Gain at Maximum Amplitude {#sec3.2.5} Mean gain data indicate that, at maximum amplitude for the long stimulus, all three hearing aids provided gain that was within 3--5 dB of the nominal 40 dB gain for all input levels. There were no significant effects of Hearing Aid or Input Level in the ANOVA. ### 3.2.6. 40-dB Gain Condition: Long Stimulus---Rise Time {#sec3.2.6} Again, there was a clear trend for the two digital aids to take longer to reach maximum amplitude than the analog aid, and the DigitalB aid took longer than DigitalA. The Analog aid was measured to have a rise time of about 12 ms, DigitalA to have a rise time of 19--43 ms, and DigitalB to have the longest rise time at 145--155 ms. Effect of Input Level: both DigitalA and DigitalB had longer measured rise times for the 30 than 50 dB SPL input level (*p* \< .1). Analog had equivalent rise times at the two input levels (*p* \> .1). Effect of Hearing Aid: for both input levels, DigitalB had a longer rise time than both DigitalA and Analog, and DigitalA had a longer rise time than Analog (*p* \< .05). 4. Discussion {#sec4} ============= All three hearing aids provided 20 and 40 dB of insertion gain at mid- and high-level inputs for all subjects when measured with a conventional hearing aid test system (Fonix 7000). When measuring the hearing aids with the stimuli used for the SCP measures, however, all of the hearing aids were measured to have less gain, particularly the two digital aids. The amount of gain reduction differed between the two digital hearing aids, with DigitalB showing much less gain than DigitalA in almost every condition. The two digital hearing aids, DigitalB in particular, reached their maximum gain well past 30 ms after stimulus onset. When the hearing aids were measured with a long stimulus at their maximum gain, there were no longer any differences among hearing aids in the amount of gain measured, but all three hearing aids demonstrated about 3--5 dB less gain than the gain measured with conventional REIG procedures. The first main finding was that the maximum gain of all of the hearing aids was about 3--5 dB less than nominal gain even when a long stimulus was used. Although the conventional and SCP acoustic measures were made with different sets of equipment, different signals, and in different rooms, these effects cannot account for reductions in measured gain. Both acoustic measures (i.e., standard clinical measures and measures of the SCP stimuli) were insertion gain; thus, gain was always calculated as the aided response minus the unaided response. Additionally, the stimulus for both measures was a 1000-Hz pure tone, at the same input levels. Insertion gain is robust to differences in probe-tube insertion depth, measurement bandwidth, and small changes in room acoustics, particularly if the hearing aid has linear processing \[[@B26]--[@B28]\], which was the case for all three hearing aids in this study. Care was taken to ensure that head movement did not lead to substantial changes in the soundfield during SCP testing, which was calibrated with a substitution method rather than the on-line corrections of the commercial hearing aid test system. Because this difference was found for both the analog and digital hearing aids, it is not due to the type of processing (analog versus digital) or programming. It was a consistent finding that less gain was provided by digital hearing aids for the 30 dB SPL input level; this is likely due to the low-level expansion in both hearing aids, which could not be changed or disabled in the programming. Gain for a 30 dB SPL input was not measured with the standard hearing aid test system, as signals that low are not provided. However, reduced gain for low-level inputs cannot explain why nominal gain was not achieved even at higher input levels. The second main finding was that both digital hearing aids altered the rise times of the stimuli such that there was a significant delay for both hearing aids to reach their maximum gain, and the amount of delay differed significantly between the two digital aids. This might be expected because of the commonly reported delays associated with digital processing \[[@B2], [@B29]--[@B35]\]. However, processing delays cannot account for the altered rise times measured for the SCP stimuli in this study for two reasons: first, processing delay was removed from the calculation of rise time by determining the 0-ms point as the time at which periodicity was first noted in the recording, rather than the time of signal presentation; second, even if this method did not fully remove the effects of processing delay, the results are inconsistent with the electroacoustic measures of delay. Electroacoustic measures of delay conducted on the Fonix 7000 system indicated that both digital hearing aids had longer delays (6.8 ms and 2.3 ms for DigitalA and DigitalB, resp.) compared with the Analog hearing aid (0.4 ms). Recall that the stimulus rise time was 20 ms for the short stimulus, so maximum amplitude would not be expected until 20 ms. Any processing delays could cause the maximum amplitude to be reached later than 20 ms. DigitalA did reach its maximum amplitude by 28 ms in some conditions, which is close to what would be expected if the electroacoustic measure of delay (6.8 ms) was added to the 20 ms stimulus rise time. In some conditions, however, DigitalA did not reach its maximum amplitude until 39 ms, beyond what could be explained by processing delay. Perhaps a stronger argument against the conventional measure of processing delay as an explanation for these results is that DigitalB, measured with the Fonix system to have only 2.3 ms processing delay, had the longest measured rise times, of 40 ms for the short stimulus and 150 ms for the long stimulus. Note the difference in measured rise times between short and long stimuli is due to the characteristics of the input signal; at 40 ms, the short stimulus was beyond its plateau and beginning to decrease in amplitude. These changes in altered rise time are also unlikely to be due to hearing aid processing parameters. All of the hearing aids were set (and subsequently verified) to linear processing. Any compression processing, had it remained on, would be expected to have the opposite effect as found here; that is, compression would be associated with faster rise times than measured here due to the overshoot that results from compression attack time \[[@B36], [@B37]\]. All other features were disabled, but again, features such as noise reduction or feedback reduction would demonstrate the opposite effect to the one measured in this study; that is, those features would be expected to show a gradual decrease in gain for the nonspeech pure tone \[[@B38], [@B39]\]. Thus, it is not immediately apparent what could account for the two main acoustic findings of this study. Because of the unknown and somewhat random differences between the two digital hearing aids, it is clear that the stimulus used for testing aided SCP responses must be carefully evaluated with acoustic measures across a range of hearing aid types and ultimately with typical processing features enabled. It is worth noting that the issues identified in this study are unlikely to be problematic only when using tonal stimuli, even though tonal stimuli have proven to be troublesome for measuring digital hearing aid processing \[[@B16], [@B39], [@B40]\]. Tremblay et al. \[[@B7]\] used speech stimuli to examine the effects of amplification on SCP responses and found that even providing 12--26 dB of gain had no effect on N1-P2 amplitude. Detailed acoustic analysis of their stimuli was not provided, but the lack of an amplification effect for speech stimuli suggests that the hearing aid processing altered their speech stimuli in such a way that affected the SCP measurements. 4.1. How Well Did These Acoustic Measures Predict the SCP Responses? {#sec4.1} -------------------------------------------------------------------- In our previous study \[[@B1]\], we demonstrated that the SCP responses measured for hearing-aid processed signals did not have the expected increases in amplitude and decreases in latency that would be predicted from 20 or 40 dB of gain added by the hearing aids. In the acoustic measures of the current study, we demonstrated that (a) the hearing aids failed to achieve 20 or 40 dB of gain when measured with the SCP stimuli and (b) the digital hearing aids, in particular, reached their maximum gain much later than 30 ms after stimulus onset. The acoustic waveforms show that shape varies across hearing aids for both short- and long-duration stimuli, particularly the onset, which is reflected in the measured rise times. The maximum gain is reached more gradually in DigitalB. To determine whether any of the measured acoustic parameters could predict the SCP response, we conducted an analysis of the group mean data from both studies. Although a thorough answer to this question would require a larger-scale parametric investigation of the relationship between acoustic variables and the SCP responses, some initial exploration of the findings can be instructive. Specifically, we used the group-mean SCP amplitude from Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\] and developed a model of the relationship between acoustic measures and N1-P2 amplitude using the unaided responses. That is, we calculated the linear regression between N1-P2 amplitude and each of the three acoustic parameters: stimulus level at 30 ms, maximum amplitude, and slope of onset. See [Figure 7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"} for stimulus level at 30 ms (left panel), maximum stimulus level (middle panel), and onset slope (right panel), where the data for the unaided condition are shown as shaded squares and the fit line is the linear regression for the unaided condition. The data for the aided conditions are also plotted on each panel. To determine how well each acoustic parameter predicted the N1-P2 amplitude in the aided conditions, we calculated the absolute value of the error between the actual mean aided SCP amplitudes and the SCP amplitudes predicted from the unaided data. As a rough estimate of overall how well each acoustic parameter could explain the data observed, we averaged the error across all input, gain, and hearing aid conditions. The results of this analysis showed that both stimulus amplitude at 30 ms (average error: 1.08 *μ*V) and slope of onset (average error: 1.08 *μ*V) predicted the SCP amplitude equally well. The greatest amount of error was seen for maximum stimulus amplitude (average error: 1.35 *μ*V). The analysis is limited because it was performed on group mean data for two different groups of subjects. However, it is likely that the group analysis is representative of individual analysis for several reasons: four participants were in both studies; the hearing aids were set for individual ears; all participants had normal hearing; the acoustic measures generally had low variability. We can cautiously interpret this analysis to mean that the effect of hearing-aid processing on the onset characteristics of the stimulus had a greater influence on SCP amplitude than did the effect of hearing-aid processing on maximum stimulus amplitude. Recall that gain at 30 ms was generally much lower than the nominal gain, and particularly for DigitalB often measured close to 0 dB gain for the 20-dB gain condition. Thus, if the SCP was responding to the first 30 ms after stimulus onset, it is not surprising that primarily there was often little to no difference between aided and unaided acoustic measures, especially for the digital aids. These results are consistent with the view that approximately the first 30 ms of stimulus onset largely determines SCP N1 presence and amplitude \[[@B5], [@B18]--[@B21]\]. However, this interpretation cannot explain why even the Analog hearing aid only showed significant increases in SCP amplitude for the higher input levels. 4.2. Stimulus Level versus SNR {#sec4.2} ------------------------------ Because Billings et al. \[[@B3], [@B4], [@B24]\] hypothesized that their SCP results were due to the SNR in the aided condition, we conducted a brief analysis of SNR for one of our participants. We chose to do the analysis for one participant who had participated in both the current study and in our previous study \[[@B1]\]. For this ad hoc analysis, we measured signal and noise levels on single-trial recordings rather than averages. Noise was the RMS level in a 1/3rd-octave band centred at 1000 Hz measured over a 70-ms period prior to stimulus onset. For each stimulus condition, measures of the noise levels were made for three separate samples and averaged. Stimulus level was the amplitude at 30 ms, as reported in [Section 3](#sec3){ref-type="sec"}. From these calculations, we found that SNR might explain some of the results in the SCP response, but not all of them; generally there was very little noise in the acoustic recordings, even in the aided condition. Three examples have been chosen to illustrate the relationship between SNR, stimulus level, and N1-P2 amplitude; these are shown in [Figure 8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"}. Panel (a) of [Figure 8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"} shows an example where SCP N1-P2 amplitude seems best related to the stimulus amplitude at 30 ms. The first column of Panel (a) shows a single-trial waveform for DigitalA aid at a 50 dB SPL input level with 40 dB gain. The second column shows a single-trial waveform for DigitalB at 50 dB SPL with 40 dB gain. The table to the right provides the relevant data points for input level, stimulus level at 30 ms, noise level, SNR, and SCP N1-P2 amplitude. In this example, although the SNRs are similar for the two conditions, SCP amplitude differs in the same way as the stimulus level changes. Panel (b) of [Figure 8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"} is an example that is in agreement with Billings et al. \[[@B3], [@B4], [@B24]\], where the SCP response seems to be related to SNR. Comparing Unaided for a 50 dB SPL input level to Analog 30 dB SPL input plus 40 dB gain, the SCP N1-P2 amplitudes are almost identical. In this case, the stimulus levels are very different, but the SNRs are similar and both could be considered good. In this case, the good SNR might be the predictor of the SCP response rather than the stimulus level. Finally, in Panel (c), there is an example where neither stimulus amplitude at 30 ms nor SNR seems to be good predictors of the SCP response. In this example, comparing 70 dB SPL unaided to DigitalB 50 dB SPL input +40 dB gain, these measures have similar stimulus levels and similar (good) SNRs, yet the SCP response for DigitalB is much lower than unaided. In this case, neither stimulus level nor SNR can explain the different SCP responses observed. Altogether, this set of examples shows that SCP amplitudes in our data set may be accounted for by changes to rise time in some conditions, SNR in some conditions, and some other, as yet unidentified, acoustic parameter in other conditions. 5. Conclusions {#sec5} ============== In the present study, we attempted to determine why several recent studies, including our own study \[[@B1]\], have been unsuccessful in demonstrating a significant amplification effect on SCP measures. We reduced sources of unknown variability as much as possible by using hearing aids with linear processing and all features disabled. The acoustic measures of the amplified SCP stimuli showed that (a) the hearing aids all provided less than expected gain for these stimuli and (b) the digital hearing aids took longer to reach their maximum gain than the analog hearing aid. The acoustic measures of stimulus level at 30 ms and onset slope were predictive of SCP response amplitude, but it is likely that additional acoustic characteristics, not measured in this study, contributed to SCP response. In light of findings from the present study, it is likely that prior studies using speech or tonal stimuli \[[@B3], [@B5]--[@B10], [@B41]\] were measuring SCPs to stimuli that were substantially altered by the hearing aid in a way that was not quantified. For instance, different speech stimuli may not result in distinct neural response patterns if the hearing-aid processed stimuli are altered in such a way that they are acoustically very similar. Likewise, the same stimulus may be altered in different ways by the same hearing aid, as was the case in the current studies. Prior studies on hearing-aid processed click and brief-tone stimuli (typically used for ABR testing) reported considerable variability among hearing aids in terms of gain provided to onset and steady-state portions of transient stimuli \[[@B12], [@B13]\], thus, these stimuli were determined to be too short for measures of hearing-aid processing. The longer-duration stimuli used for SCP testing were thought to be long enough to overcome this problem \[[@B2]\]; however, findings from the current studies indicate that a tonal stimulus with parameters appropriately set to elicit large unaided N1 amplitudes is still too brief to measure hearing aid gain, particularly those with digital processing, despite the hearing aids being set to provide linear gain with all advanced processing features disabled. The less-than-expected measureable gain resulting from hearing-aid processing for SCP stimuli suggests that SCP stimuli do not provide appropriate measures of hearing aid gain. Our acoustic analysis shows that changes to rise time, particularly in ways that affect stimulus amplitude at 30 ms, may explain our previous findings \[[@B1]\]. However, we cannot rule out SNR, or even another acoustic parameter, as a potential contributor to the SCP measures of Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\]. As a result of these unknown factors, more research concerning aided-SCP testing is needed for clinical application of this technique, and any results must be interpreted very cautiously if used within the hearing-aid fitting process. As has been noted by others, the lack of an SCP response does not ensure that the stimulus is inaudible \[[@B42]--[@B44]\]; similarly, a "present" aided SCP does not ensure that the stimuli are sufficiently audible \[[@B11]\]. Although our studies included only participants with normal hearing, the acoustic alterations of the stimuli that we measured are independent of hearing status. The concerns raised by these studies indicate that much is unknown about the application of SCP measures in hearing aid fitting. Future research might involve (i) additional hearing aid measures to determine the source of alteration to rise time and (b) parametric study of the relationship between the stimulus acoustic measures and the SCP responses. Future research might also explore different/more-appropriate SCP stimuli or presentation paradigms for hearing aid measures to determine under what conditions aided SCP measures would be valid. This research was supported by Discovery Grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada awarded to L. Jenstad and to D. Stapells. {#fig1} {#fig2} {#fig3} {#fig4} {#fig5} {#fig6} ![Group mean SCP amplitude from Marynewich et al. \[[@B1]\] as a function of three acoustic parameters: stimulus level at 30 ms (left panel), maximum stimulus level (middle panel), and onset slope (right panel) for unaided and 3 hearing-aid conditions. The fit line is the linear regression for the unaided condition.](IJOL2012-386542.007){#fig7} {#fig8} ###### Real-ear insertion gain (REIG) (dB) measured with a hearing aid test system for 20 and 40 dB gain settings. Gain setting (dB) 20 40 ------------------- ----------- ------- ------- Subject Analog 1 20.40 20.70 39.90 2 19.90 20.00 39.80 3 20.00 19.70 39.40 4 20.00 20.70 39.70 14 20.50 19.30 39.90 Mean 20.16 20.08 39.74 SD 0.27 0.62 0.21 Subject Digital A 1 20.30 19.80 40.40 2 20.30 20.10 39.60 3 19.50 19.70 39.90 4 20.10 20.30 40.30 14 20.10 19.40 40.40 Mean 20.06 19.86 40.12 SD 0.33 0.35 0.36 Subject Digital B 1 20.10 20.00 40.10 2 20.10 20.60 40.10 3 19.80 19.70 40.40 4 20.00 20.10 40.10 14 20.00 20.20 39.90 Mean 20.00 20.12 40.12 SD 0.12 0.33 0.18 ###### Mean (*n* = 5) and standard deviation for gain measured at (i) 30 ms and (ii) maximum amplitude, and rise time (measured at 90% of maximum amplitude) for the cortical stimuli. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nominal gain (dB)\ Short stimulus (60 ms)   Long stimulus (757 ms) Input (dB SPL) -------------------- ------------------------ ------------ ------------------------ ------------ ------------ --- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- ------------- Analog                        30 ms (dB) 15.9 ± 1.6 17.0 ± 0.9 17.3 ± 1.0 34.9 ± 2.2 36.2 ± 1.8   16.0 ± 0.7 16.7 ± 0.6 17.4 ± 0.7 35.5 ± 0.5 35.5 ± 1.4  Max (dB) 15.7 ± 1.1 16.9 ± 1.0 17.4 ± 0.1 34.5 ± 1.9 36.2 ± 2.0   15.2 ± 1.3 16.6 ± 0.7 17.3 ± 0.8 34.7 ± 1.9 35.3 ± 1.5  Rise time (ms) 22.2 ± 1.9 21.9 ± 1.4 22.4 ± 1.7 22.5 ± 1.4 22.1 ± 1.9   12.5 ± 3.2 11.6 ± 3.2 12.8 ± 2.8 11.9 ± 1.9 12.3 ± 2.6 DigitalA                        30 ms (dB) 10.9 ± 4.5 15.8 ± 3.1 15.6 ± 3.1 30.1 ± 6.1 35.5 ± 3.5   13.1 ± 3.3 17.0 ± 2.0 16.8 ± 2.4 33.8 ± 3.2 36.1 ± 1.5  Max (dB) 15.4 ± 3.2 17.1 ± 2.7 16.7 ± 2.6 34.5 ± 4.3 36.3 ± 2.6   15.7 ± 2.4 17.8 ± 1.6 17.1 ± 2.6 36.9 ± 1.9 36.4 ± 1.3  Rise time (ms) 38.6 ± 3.7 27.9 ± 3.3 30.3 ± 3.1 33.8 ± 6.6 22.6 ± 2.3   39.4 ± 7.2 25.7 ± 7.4 23.4 ± 6.6 43.3 ± 14.7 18.8 ± 5.5 DigitalB                        30 ms (dB) −2.7 ± 2.1 0.9 ± 2.9 0.2 ± 2.3 21.5 ± 3.4 23.1 ± 2.3   −2.0 ± 3.2 1.4 ± 5.3 4.2 ± 3.9 23.1 ± 2.2 26.1 ± 2.6  Max (dB) 4.5 ± 3.8 7.6 ± 2.3 7.5 ± 1.1 26.2 ± 2.2 27.8 ± 1.6   13.8 ± 4.1 15.8 ± 3.1 17.4 ± 2.2 35.4 ± 1.8 37.0 ± 1.8  Rise time (ms) 45.5 ± 2.7 44.2 ± 1.8 45.2 ± 1.5 41.6 ± 2.4 40.9 ± 2.5   141.5 ± 8.9 150.8 ± 4.5 149.6 ± 8.4 154.5 ± 3.3 145.6 ± 3.2 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ###### ANOVA results for all measures of the short stimulus. Shown are *p* values of the ANOVA and of the simple main effects, where appropriate.   20 dB gain 40 dB gain --------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- ------------------- Main effects              Hearing aid (HA) ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  \<  .001**  Input level (LVL) ***p*  =  .001** ***p*  =  .054** ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  =  .045** ***p*  =  .087** ***p*  =  .004**  HA × LVL ***p*  =  .03** *p* = .11 ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  =  .036** *p* = .99 ***p*  \<  .001** Simple main effects              Effect of LVL               For analog ***p*  =  .018** ∗ *p* = .744 *p* = .309 ∗ *p* = .484   For DigitalA ***p*  =  .004** ∗ ***p*  =  .001** ***p*  =  .028** ∗ ***p*  =  .007**   For DigitalB ***p*  =  .048** ∗ *p* = .121 *p* = .194 ∗ ***p*  =  .045**  Effect of HA               At 30 dB SPL ***p*  \<  .001** ∗ ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  =  .001** ∗ ***p*  \<  .001**   At 50 dB SPL ***p*  \<  .001** ∗ ***p*  \<  .001** ***p*  =  .001** ∗ ***p*  \<  .001**   At 70 dB SPL ***p*  \<  .001** ∗ ***p*  \<  .001** --- --- --- Boldface indicates significance at *p* \< .1. ∗: Indicates the analysis was not necessary.  ---: Indicates no data collected for those conditions. ###### ANOVA results for all measures of the long stimulus. Shown are *p* values of the ANOVA and of the simple main effects, where appropriate. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   20 dB gain 40 dB gain --------------------- ------------------- ------------------ ------------------- ------------------- ------------- ------------------- Main effects              Hearing aid (HA) ***p*  \< 0.001** *p* = 0.656 ***p*  \< 0.001** ***p*  \< 0.001** *p* = 0.314 ***p*  \< 0.001**  Input level (LVL) ***p*  \< 0.001** ***p*  = 0.005** *p* = 0.424 ***p* = 0.027** *p* = 0.298 ***p* = 0.016**  HA × LVL ***p* = 0.031** ***p* = 0.09** ***p*  \< 0.001** ***p* = 0.091** *p* = 0.107 ***p* = 0.029** Simple main effects              Effect of LVL               For analog ***p* = 0.023** ***p*  = 0.009** *p* = 0.647 *p* = 0.956\   *p* = 0.429   For digitalA ***p* = 0.006** ***p*  = 0.067** ***p* = 0.02** *p* = 0.134   ***p* = 0.030**   For digitalB ***p*  = 0.002** ***p*  = 0.003** ***p* = 0.07** ***p* = 0.015**   ***p* = 0.007**   Effect of HA               At 30 dB SPL ***p*  \< 0.001** *p* = 0.457 ***p*  \< 0.001** ***p*  \< 0.001**   ***p*  \< 0.001**   At 50 dB SPL ***p*  \< 0.001** *p* = 0.377 ***p*  \< 0.001** ***p*  \< 0.001**   ***p*  \< 0.001**   At 70 dB SPL ***p*  \< 0.001** *p* = 0.97 ***p*  \< 0.001**       -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Boldface indicates significance at *p* \< .1. ∗: Indicates the analysis was not necessary.  ---: indicates no data collected for those conditions. [^1]: Academic Editor: Susan Scollie

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a contact arrangement for use with a pressurized-gas (gas blast) circuit breaker wherein the arrangement includes a nozzle-shaped arc electrode into whose interior runs an arc in the course of the interrupting action of the circuit breaker. 2. Description of the Prior Art It is well known that the interrupting capacity of a high voltage circuit breaker and, in particular, a pressurized-gas circuit breaker can be enhanced by employing a magnetic force component acting on the arc to amplify the effect of the pressurized-gas stream blasting the arc. To accomplish this, a loop is formed which carries the arc current and brings about a magnetic driving force which lengthens the arc. A contact arrangement providing such a magnetic force component is disclosed, for example, in German Pat. No. 2,212,617. In the arrangement of the aforesaid patent, two coaxial nozzle tubes are arranged at a fixed distance from each other. Each of these nozzle tubes is provided with a slot running parallel to the axis of the tube and each has a U-shaped cross section between its interior and exterior surfaces at its respective end face. It is an object of the present invention to provide a contact arrangement of the above type having an increased magnetic force for lengthening the current path of the arc, and thereby increasing the interrupting capacity of the high-voltage power circuit employing the arrangement.

Initiating Coordination Abstract How do rational agents coordinate in a single-stage, noncooperative game? Common knowledge of the payoff matrix and of each player’s utility maximization among his strategies does not ground coordination. What background conditions and principles of rationality suffice? This paper argues that utility maximization among intentions and then acts leads to a payoff-dominant Nash equilibrium. It uses principles of individualistic reasoning to justify a method of initiating coordination. Its account of strategic reasoning elaborates a classical treatment of coordination.

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Stem cell transplantation in severe congenital neutropenia: an analysis from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative treatment of severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), but data on outcome are scarce. We report on the outcome of 136 SCN patients who underwent HSCT between 1990 and 2012 in European and Middle East centers. The 3-year overall survival (OS) was 82%, and transplant-related mortality (TRM) was 17%. In multivariate analysis, transplants performed under the age of 10 years, in recent years, and from HLA-matched related or unrelated donors were associated with a significantly better OS. Frequency of graft failure was 10%. Cumulative incidence (day +90) of acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) grade 2-4 was 21%. In multivariate analysis, HLA-matched related donor and prophylaxis with cyclosporine A and methotrexate were associated with lower occurrence of acute GVHD. Cumulative incidence (1 year) of chronic GVHD was 20%. No secondary malignancies occurred after a median follow-up of 4.6 years. These data show that the outcome of HSCT for SCN from HLA-matched donors, performed in recent years, in patients younger than 10 years is acceptable. Nevertheless, given the TRM, a careful selection of HSCT candidates should be undertaken.

package xyz.wongs.weathertop.war3.system.entity; import lombok.Data; import xyz.wongs.weathertop.base.persistence.mybatis.entity.BaseEntity; import java.util.Date; import java.io.Serializable; /** * @ClassName SysJob * @Description 定时任务调度表(SysJob)实体类 * @author WCNGS@QQ.COM * @Github <a>https://github.com/rothschil</a> * @date 2020/6/19 15:53 * @Version 1.0.0 */ @Data public class SysJob extends BaseEntity<Long> { /** * 任务ID */ private Long id; /** * 任务名称 */ private String jobName; /** * 任务组名 */ private String jobGroup; /** * 调用目标字符串 */ private String invokeTarget; /** * cron执行表达式 */ private String cronExpression; /** * 计划执行错误策略（1立即执行 2执行一次 3放弃执行） */ private String misfirePolicy; /** * 是否并发执行（0允许 1禁止） */ private String concurrent; /** * 状态（0正常 1暂停） */ private String status; /** * 创建者 */ private String createBy; /** * 创建时间 */ private Date createTime; /** * 更新者 */ private String updateBy; /** * 更新时间 */ private Date updateTime; /** * 备注信息 */ private String remark; }

Occurrence of severe vasospasm following intraventricular hemorrhage from an arteriovenous malformation. Report of two cases. The authors present two rare cases of severe cerebral vasospasm following the rupture of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). Computerized tomography revealed intracerebral hemorrhage in the thalamus in one case and in the putamen in the other, both accompanied by cast formation of intraventricular clots without radiological evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Initial angiograms showed arterial narrowing of the bilateral internal carotid arteries in the supraclinoid portion but failed to demonstrate an arteriovenous shunt. Subsequent angiograms clearly demonstrated the existence of an AVM. Radiological features and possible mechanisms are discussed.

Phase I study of the heat shock protein 90 inhibitor alvespimycin (KOS-1022, 17-DMAG) administered intravenously twice weekly to patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a molecular chaperone with many oncogenic client proteins. The small-molecule Hsp90 inhibitor alvespimycin, a geldanamycin derivative, is being developed for various malignancies. This phase 1 study examined the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), safety and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles of alvespimycin in patients with advanced acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients with advanced AML received escalating doses of intravenous alvespimycin (8-32 mg/m(2)), twice weekly, for 2 of 3 weeks. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) were assessed during cycle 1. A total of 24 enrolled patients were evaluable for toxicity. Alvespimycin was well tolerated; the MTD was 24 mg/m(2) twice weekly. Common toxicities included neutropenic fever, fatigue, nausea and diarrhea. Cardiac DLTs occurred at 32 mg/m(2) (elevated troponin and myocardial infarction). Pharmacokinetics revealed linear increases in C(max) and area under the curve (AUC) from 8 to 32 mg/m(2) and minor accumulation upon repeated doses. Pharmacodynamic analyses on day 15 revealed increased apoptosis and Hsp70 levels when compared with baseline within marrow blasts. Antileukemia activity occurred in 3 of 17 evaluable patients (complete remission with incomplete blood count recovery). The twice-weekly administered alvespimycin was well tolerated in patients with advanced AML, showing linear pharmacokinetics, target inhibition and signs of clinical activity. We determined a recommended phase 2 dose of 24 mg/m(2).

Q: canvas drawImage fails I'm fairly new to Canvas so please excuse if this is to simple. I want to resize images prior to upload if the browser supports this using canvas. However, this code var img = document.createElement("img"); var reader = new FileReader(); reader.onload = function(e) {img.src = e.target.result}; var files = event.target.files; reader.readAsDataURL(files[0]); var canvas = document.createElement('canvas'); canvas.width = 100; canvas.height = 100; var ctx = canvas.getContext("2d"); ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0); fails with NS_ERROR_NOT_AVAILABLE: Component is not available slice.call( docElem.childNodes, 0 )[0].nodeType; in my test-browser Firefox. What could be wrong? Update Very strange: If I add a "alert(canvas);" as the 3rd last line (I do that sometimes for debugging, I know I could and should use console.log), the error does not appear, however, I still do not see anything from my image... A: image need to be loaded to be drawn on canvas : var img = new Image() img.onload = function () { ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0) } img.src="image.png" in your exemple: var img = document.createElement("img") var reader = new FileReader() var canvas = document.createElement('canvas') canvas.width = 100 canvas.height = 100 var ctx = canvas.getContext("2d") reader.onload = function(e) { var img = new Image() img.onload = function () { ctx.drawImage(img, 0, 0) } img.src = e.target.result } var files = event.target.files reader.readAsDataURL(files[0])

Ward Nunataks Ward Nunataks () is a linear group of nunataks 4 nautical miles (7 km) north of Alderdice Peak in the eastern part of Nye Mountains, Enderby Land. Plotted from air photos taken from Australian National Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) aircraft in 1956. Named by Antarctic Names Committee of Australia (ANCA) for D.J. Ward, radio officer at Wilkes Station in 1960. Category:Nunataks of Enderby Land

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing a picture tube which apparatus accurately measures and sets the position of an electron gun to the phosphor screen of a picture tube and seals the electron gun at a predetermined position. In the usual production process of color picture tubes, a stem having an electron gun mounted thereto is sealed to the open end of a neck portion of a glass bulb after the phosphor screen, a graphite electrode, and the like, are formed inside the glass bulb and a shadow mask is fitted. In this case, it is necessary to bring the direction of the horizontal axis on the phosphor screen into conformity with the horizontal axis of an aperture center of an in-line type electron gun. The production method of the type described above is carried out in the following way. As can be seen from FIGS. 8a and 8b which are plan views showing the relation of position between the glass bulb and the electron gun, the phosphor screen 1b and a graphite electrode (not shown) are formed on the inner surface of a panel 1a of the glass bulb 1 and a shadow mask or the like is fitted to the glass bulb 1. Then, the outer periphery of the panel 1a of the glass bulb 1 is brought into contact with panel stoppers 3a, 3b, 3c of a later-appearing bulb holder, not shown, as the reference, and the rotation angle .theta. between the standard axis X.sub.1 -X.sub.2 in the horizontal direction of the phosphor screen 1b determined from the panel stoppers 3a, 3b, 3c and the horizontal direction of the in-line gun M.sub.1 -M.sub.2 of the aperture centers 10.sub.1, 10.sub.2, 10.sub.3 corresponding to the blue (B), green (G) and red (R) of the electron gun disposed in such a manner as to face the phosphor screen 1b is detected. Thereafter, the electron gun is sealed into the glass bulb after the rotation angle .theta. described above is adjusted to substantially zero. Such a method is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 97368/1976. In accordance with the production method described above, the standard axis X.sub.1 -X.sub.2 of the phosphor screen 1b in the horizontal direction is detected using the outer periphery of the glass panel 1a as the reference. Since the dimension of the outer surface of this glass panel 1.sub.a has certain allowance for the material and production, the rotation angle .theta. is up to about .+-.0.5.degree.. On the other hand, color picture tubes (CRTs) ,color display tubes (CDTs) and particularly high resolution CDTs of the recent types require a severer rotation angle .theta. of within .+-.0.3.degree., for example, but it is not easy to satisfy such a requirement. Relatively large misconvergence always occurs on both ends of the picture screen and invites the drop of the picture quality. In addition, the number of steps for adjustment becomes greater and productivity drops as much.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> <result> <row>Dell</row> <row>Google</row> <row>HTC</row> <row>Samsung</row> <row>Sony</row> </result>

Are You Ready to Capitalize on Emerging World Growth and U.S. Oil Independence? Frank Holmes is CEO and chief investment officer at U.S. Global Investors Inc., which manages a diversified family of mutual funds and hedge funds specializing in natural resources, emerging markets and infrastructure. The company’s funds have earned many awards and honors during Holmes’ tenure, including more than two dozen Lipper Fund Awards and certificates. He is also an adviser to the International Crisis Group, which works to resolve global conflict, and the William J. Clinton Foundation on sustainable development in nations with resource-based economies. Holmes coauthored The Goldwatcher: Demystifying Gold Investing (2008). Holmes is a former president and chairman of the Toronto Society of the Investment Dealers Association, and he served on the Toronto Stock Exchange’s Listing Committee. A regular contributor to investor education websites and a much-sought-after keynote speaker at national and international investment conferences, he is also a regular commentator on the financial television networks and has been profiled by Fortune, Barron’s, The Financial Times and other publications. Brian Hicks joined U.S. Global Investors Inc. in 2004 as a comanager of the company’s Global Resources Fund (PSPFX). He is responsible for portfolio allocation, stock selection and research coverage for the energy and basic materials sectors. Prior to joining U.S. Global Investors, Hicks was an associate oil and gas analyst for A.G. Edwards Inc. He also worked previously as an institutional equity/options trader and liaison to the foreign equity desk at Charles Schwab & Co., and at Invesco Funds Group, Inc. as an industry research and product development analyst. Hicks holds a master’s degree in finance and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Colorado. The Energy Report: India’s new prime minister, Narendra Modi, has pledged to bring electricity to the 400 million (400M) Indians currently without power. How is he going to do this, and how can investors get exposure to this massive infrastructure investment? Brian Hicks: One of our investing tenets is to follow government policy, because that is a precursor to change. Infrastructure investment in India is a long-term theme, and is going to require a lot of raw materials and fuel sources. The power could come from coal and nuclear. It’s one thing to generate power; it’s another thing to actually distribute that power and get it out to the rural areas. That means a lot of copper to build out the infrastructure grid. In the end, this will be a massive investment, and there will be a number of ways to play it. I would consider investing in the engineering and construction firms like Fluor Corp. (FLR:NYSE), which could win infrastructure contracts. TER: China is in the midst of a similar infrastructure build-out. Is that a coal and nuclear approach as well? BH: Absolutely, and the Chinese are further along than India. China has invested heavily in the power grid. That has resulted in a tremendous ramp-up in production of steel, cement and iron ore, as well as an upswing in copper usage. All go into generating power. Obviously, coal has been fueling much of China’s power generation, and will probably continue to do so. The government is trying to pull back on the margin because of pollution concerns, but it will probably be part of the equation for many years to come. Frank Holmes: The global real gross domestic product (GDP) annual growth rate has declined from a peak 5.4% in 2010 to 3% last year. With the U.S. economy turning up, constructive news out of China and new leadership in India, the global GDP could rise to 3.5%. This is very positive for commodities from energy to copper to gold. Modi’s goal of 400 million people having access to electricity would mean a lot of copper demand and energy consumption. TER: Aside from China and India, what energy resource areas are poised to do better in the second half of 2014? BH: We are very constructive across the spectrum for energy. Oil prices are moving above $100/barrel ($100/bbl), whether it’s West Texas Intermediate (WTI) or Brent crude, and that’s going to be very positive for North American energy companies. We are seeing more signs of instability in key producing areas in the Middle East, including Libya and Iraq. That is going to weigh on global supply and keep oil prices well supported. Companies with production in geopolitically safe areas should do quite well in this environment. “Infrastructure investment in India is a long-term theme, and is going to require a lot of raw materials and fuel sources.” —Brian Hicks We are very positive on natural gas. There has been some complacency about refilling storage after the extremely cold winter, and that should support natural gas prices for the near future. As we get into the summer months, cooling demand could strengthen gas prices again. TER: We recently published an interview with T. Boone Pickens, and he is very optimistic about the shale oil space and the possibility of oil independence for America. Do you share his optimism? BH: We sure do. I’m not quite sure about energy independence, but we are certainly making inroads in that direction. Within our portfolio, we are investing heavily in the shales through upstream oil and gas companies, oil services companies and equipment companies. Shale is transformational; it is really changing the energy landscape. Almost overnight, companies are developing resources that are long-lived and repeatable. Remember, only five years ago we were talking about peak oil. Now, we’re producing roughly 8.4 million barrels per day (8.4 MMbbl/d). That’s the highest we’ve seen since the mid-’80s. It is a trend that is going to continue. At present, the Permian Basin is developing just as the Bakken and the Eagle Ford did a few years ago. The Delaware Basin, in particular, could be larger than what we’ve seen in the Bakken and Eagle Ford combined. It looks like we will be able to unlock millions of barrels of reserves, and increase production from that historic base. The Delaware is a very exciting example of how technology, innovation and investment have changed the conversation over the last five or six years. TER: With all that oil and gas coming out of the shales, do you see an opportunity for money to be made in refiners? BH: We have already had success investing in refiners. San Antonio is home to two of the largest independent refining companies in the country, so we follow that area closely. We also see opportunities for Gulf Coast refiners, such as Valero Energy Corp. (VLO:NYSE). If inventory levels continue to rise, you’re going to see a discount between Louisiana light sweet oil, WTI and Brent. With that spread, refiners with Gulf Coast exposure are able to source lower feedstock costs for crude oil, refine it into gasoline and diesel, then sell it at competitive global prices. That is very good for margins. And it could be sustainable. TER: What about the majors versus the junior explorers and producers? Which has better upside? BH: I think there are opportunities in all of the above. Some majors have tremendous resources. Suncor Energy Inc. (SU:TSX; SU:NYSE), in the Canadian oil sands, is going to be producing for the next 40 years or so. The company has put a lot of money into infrastructure to grow production. And it pays a nice dividend yield. It looks attractive on just about any metric. “Shale is transformational; it is really changing the energy landscape.” —Brian Hicks Juniors are investing in shales domestically and internationally. There are opportunities throughout the market cap spectrum. That is why we take a diversified approach, and look to invest within all those areas. TER: What companies in the junior oil and gas exploration and production space are poised to take advantage of these trends? BH: We have some junior companies that have grown so much they aren’t very junior anymore. Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp. (PRE:TSX; PREC:BVC) is now more of a small- to mid-cap company trading in the $6­–7 billion ($6–7B) range. But we still see it as extremely cheap. “With the U.S. economy turning up, constructive news out of China and new leadership in India, the global GDP could rise to 3.5%.” —Frank Holmes FH: PetroAmerica is going through an acquisition, and when the dust settles, it will be an attractive company on all key metrics, with growth in reserves, production and cash flow on a per share basis. BH: Other areas, such as Kurdistan, have more oil and more proven reserves than Mexico. It’s a huge resource space. Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd. (GKP:LSE) is drilling for oil in an area with huge reserves. It has the potential to eventually produce as much as 100,000 barrels per day. We think there’s tremendous opportunity there. TER: Are you worried about the conflict in Iraq? BH: That is something we factor in, but Gulf Keystone is working in the north, where it is safer. At some point the dust will settle, and we will get production out of Iraq and Kurdistan. Therein lies the opportunity. If you take a long-term view and buy assets when nobody else wants them, they are cheap. That is how you can create alpha—by investing within the context of a portfolio so you’re not buying a large chunk. You only need to buy a small amount of a stock like Gulf Keystone for it to make an impact. TER: Any names closer to home that you like? BH: We used to own Raging River Exploration Inc. (RRX:TSX.V). We almost doubled our money, so we took profits as we entered the second quarter, which seasonally can be a little slow for the juniors. We will look to reload on that name as we get into the fall, and in other names as well. TER: The Raging River stock price really went up in the last six months. What was pushing that? BH: We have seen a resurgence in the junior space in Canada, which has been neglected for the last two or three years as development in the U.S. shale plays have taken hold. Now we are seeing a bit of a handoff back to Canada. Horizontal drilling is developing in the Montney and Duvernay formations, and we’re seeing companies operating there rise to the top. They are starting to do very well with their own unconventional drilling. We have seen value unlocked, and it’s very exciting. A number of companies in the sub-$1B or $500 million market-cap range are starting to grab hold. “At some point the dust will settle, and we will get production out of Iraq and Kurdistan. Therein lies the opportunity.” —Brian Hicks Pressure pumping prices are starting to move up. On the drilling side, more rigs are being contracted into the Permian Basin. A company like Patterson Energy Inc. (PTEN:NASDAQ) should benefit from that. A smaller operator, such as the Canadian drilling company CanElson Drilling Inc. (CDI:TSX.V), also has exposure to the Canadian sands and the Permian Basin. It is benefiting from those two growth areas. Moving down the market cap spectrum, Xtreme Coil Drilling Corp. (XDC:TSX) is doing quite a bit in the Eagle Ford. Higher-spec coil tube drilling is starting to catch on down in that area. I recently returned from a site visit with Xtreme Coil in the Eagle Ford, and it looks like the company is doing quite well. Xtreme recently announced it is going to expand its XSR coil tubing fleet in the U.S. by six additional units, costing $54M. TER: The Global Resources Fund (PSPFX) was up almost a percent for the first three months of 2014, after a couple of negative years. It’s tilted strongly toward oil and gas. Is that part of a strategy to move toward energy stocks? BH: We are overweight in oil and gas. We have some conviction in that area, and we feel like there’s more running room. We’ve shifted at the margin, but we’re holding steady. We’re in an environment where we might see more volatility in the summer months due to instability overseas, so we are keeping a little bit of dry powder. TER: Do you have any advice for readers looking to adjust their energy portfolios going into the rest of 2014? BH: I would focus on the shale plays; the companies in the core regions within these plays. There are opportunities in the juniors—in the small- and mid-cap spaces in North America—that should continue to do well. There are probably attractive opportunities overseas as well, so keep an eye out for those. Overall, it’s going to be a very constructive environment for energy investing. TER: Thanks to you both. Want to read more Energy Report interviews like this? Sign up for our free e-newsletter, and you’ll learn when new articles have been published. To see recent interviews with industry analysts and commentators, visit our Streetwise Interviews page. DISCLOSURE: 1) JT Long conducted this interview for Streetwise Reports LLC, publisher of The Gold Report, The Energy Report, The Life Sciences Report and The Mining Report, and provides services to Streetwise Reports as an employee. She owns, or her family owns, shares of the following companies mentioned in this interview: None. 2) The following companies mentioned in the interview are sponsors of The Energy Report: None. Streetwise Reports does not accept stock in exchange for its services or as sponsorship payment. 3) Frank Holmes: I own or my family owns shares of the following companies mentioned in this interview: None. I personally am or my family is paid by the following companies mentioned in this interview: None. I was not paid by Streetwise Reports for participating in this interview. Comments and opinions expressed are my own comments and opinions. I had the opportunity to review the interview for accuracy as of the date of the interview and am responsible for the content of the interview. 4) Brian Hicks: I own or my family owns shares of the following companies mentioned in this interview: None. I personally am or my family is paid by the following companies mentioned in this interview: None. I was not paid by Streetwise Reports for participating in this interview. Comments and opinions expressed are my own comments and opinions. I had the opportunity to review the interview for accuracy as of the date of the interview and am responsible for the content of the interview. 5) The following securities mentioned were held by the Global Resources Fund as of 6/17/14: Xtreme Coil Drilling Corp., CanElson Drilling Inc., Patterson Energy Inc., Schlumberger Ltd., Halliburton Co., Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd., Gran Tierra Inc., Petromanas Energy Inc., Pacific Rubiales Energy Corp., Suncor Energy Inc., Valero Energy Corp. and Baker Hughes Inc. 6) Interviews are edited for clarity. Streetwise Reports does not make editorial comments or change experts’ statements without their consent. 7) The interview does not constitute investment advice. Each reader is encouraged to consult with his or her individual financial professional and any action a reader takes as a result of information presented here is his or her own responsibility. By opening this page, each reader accepts and agrees to Streetwise Reports’ terms of use and full legal disclaimer. 8) From time to time, Streetwise Reports LLC and its directors, officers, employees or members of their families, as well as persons interviewed for articles and interviews on the site, may have a long or short position in securities mentioned and may make purchases and/or sales of those securities in the open market or otherwise. Investors rely on The Energy Report to share promising investment ideas in the energy industry with institutional and high-net-worth retail investors. Our exclusive interviews with leading industry experts and analysts provide a clear picture of the causes of macro-economic shifts and the strategies that will help you capitalize on these developing trends. This valuable insight is integrated with in-depth company information, summaries from the latest research and news that will help investors make smart investment decisions.

WASHINGTON, D. C. - Disappointed with recruiting rates, the U. S. Army has launched a new recruiting advertising campaign to interest young men in joining the all-voluntary branch of military service. “The offer of a free collegeeducation isn’t doing the trick,” Major General “Beans” Broccoli whined. “Neither is the awarding of millions of dollars of taxpayers’ money as incentives to join. Especially during times of war, young men are less and less likely to be tempted by such incentives when they realize that they may not live to graduate or cash their checks.” The recruiting ads are aimed at men, rather than women, because it is the malesoldier, not the female, who is assigned to combat duty. “We have plenty of women in uniform,” Broccoli told Unnews’ reporter, Lotta Lies. “We need men.” The Army has hired a Madison Avenue advertising firm to develop the campaign. One of the executives associated with the promotion, Edward Medea, says his company, Ads, Inc., has a simple but effective strategy, which he can summarize in two words: “Sex sells.” “We’re targeting men barely out of their teens,” Medea said, “so, obviously, their hormones are our best hope of establishing command and control of their post-adolescent minds, such as they are. We plan to use sexy, scantily clad women, dressed--or, rather, half-dressed--in battle dress uniforms, or what used to be called fatigues. We are toying with various captions to such posters that equate military service with sex and weapons with sex toys or genitals. The Army is very susceptible to Freudian interpretations.” One poster shows a half-dressed female soldier straddling a foxhole. In the caption to the poster, she says, “Won’t you join me--inside?” Another poster shows a soldier launching a missile toward a female soldier dressed in a camouflage mini-skirt and a camouflage halter top. The caption says, “Join the Army, and get your rocks off!” A third poster, directed at the transgender community, shows a transsexual soldier. The caption invites the potential recruit to “Be All You Can Be--in the Army.” According to Broccoli, the Army will pay for male-to-female sex-change surgery after a male recruit has spent four years on active duty. “That’s quite an incentive to a man who wants to be a woman.” The ads cost less than the funerals, Bush boasts A poster displayed only in Greenwich Village, New York; the Castro District, San Francisco; Hillcrest, San Diego; and other locales with a high percentage of gays among the local population shows a handsome young soldier who, armed with a hair dryer rather than a pistol, is drying his curly golden locks. “The Army isn’t all about killing,” the caption assures the viewer. These posters, which have been test marketed in San Francisco, have increased the recruitment of young men, despite the city’s historically high homosexual population. “Even in a state known for its fruits and nuts,” Broccoli said, “our numbers are up. The ads are working.” “As the war continues,” PresidentGeorge Bush said, during a recent press conference, “America needs more cannon fodder. The cost of this campaign to recruit more male soldiers is extremely cost-effective, costing less, on a per-capita basis, than the coffins and funerals we finance to bury the dead.”

Are flash-evoked visual potentials useful for intraoperative monitoring of visual pathway function? Flash-evoked visual potentials (VEPs) recorded from the scalp were used in a series of 35 patients with tumors along the visual pathway: 3 orbital tumors, 25 perisellar tumors, 4 intraventricular tumors, and 3 occipital lesions. Preoperatively, various combinations of impaired visual fields and visual acuity were observed in over 90% of the patients. A postoperative decrease in visual function was observed in 3 cases. Of the 25 perisellar lesions, 13 were operated through a standard frontotemporal craniotomy and 12 were operated through a transnasal-transsphenoidal approach. VEPs were highly susceptible to volatile anesthetics, and there was a significant incidence of spontaneous latency increases and amplitude decreases in a large number of patients. There was an unacceptably high number of cases with significant VEP alteration occurring without concomitant visual function change. During trepanation or the transnasal approach, a reversible potential loss was observed in 11 patients, a profoundly altered wave form was seen in 8 cases, and a loss of single peaks was observed in 15 patients. During dissection of the tumor, a reversible potential loss or a potential with unidentifiable peaks was found in 25 cases; however, the VEPs recovered during closure or in the recovery room. There was no correlation between intraoperative VEP changes and the postoperative changes in visual function. In only 1 patient with an insignificant postoperative decrease in visual acuity from 0.4 to 0.3 was there a concomitant intraoperative potential loss. The major conclusion of our findings is that light-emitting diode flash-evoked VEPs demonstrate intraoperative changes that appear too early and too prominently to be caused solely by manipulation of the optic pathways.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

my transformers collection as of now whats up guys heres my collection as of now. i have g1 metroplex and tripticon on the way. UPDATE OF MY COLLECTION IS ON PAGE 46 to the last page because i update it as new guys come in to see my g1's since there not being displayed at the moment you can check out page 24 or some where around that lol. thanks again for taking the time to check out my collection

On the mechanism of NADP+-linked isocitrate dehydrogenase from heart mitochondria. II. The transient-state kinetics of the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate. The kinetics of a single turnover of enzyme-catalysed oxidative decarboxylation have been studied by mixing a stoichiometric complex of enzyme, isocitrate and Mg2+ with large concentrations of NADP+ in a stopped-flow apparatus, and monitoring the formation of NADPH by fluorescence measurements. A transient is revealed that exhibits enhanced nucleotide fluorescence and is not detectable by light absorption measurements. The results obtained with the largest NADP+ concentrations, such that the product NADPH is largely displaced from its enzyme complex, show that a step that precedes the release of free NADPH is rate-limiting in the oxidative decarboxylation reaction under conditions of catalytic cycling. The rate constants for this step, tentatively identified as the formation of the complex of enzyme, Mg2+ and NADPH from a precursor NADPH-containing complex, and for the dissociation of NADPH from this complex have been estimated from the integrated rate equation for a simple model for the product phase of the reaction, by methods of nonlinear regression analysis. In line with the conclusions from the preceding paper, it is suggested that formation of an abortive complex of enzyme, Mg2+, isocitrate and NADPH under catalytic cycling conditions serves to by-pass the potentially rate-limiting dissociation of NADPH from the enzyme-Mg2+-NADPH complex.

The present invention pertains generally to heating systems for homes, buildings, etc., utilizing a reverse cycle refrigeration process with earthen material being a heat source. In the prior art a number of heating systems have been proposed which utilize a buried ground coil through which a medium passes for heating by the earthen material. Such systems utilize, briefly, a reverse refrigeration process wherein a circulated medium is heated by passage through a buried coil and subsequently pressurized prior to flow through a liquid-to-air heat exchanger. The medium, cooled by passage through the heat exchanger, is directed back in an altered state through a buried ground coil. An expansion valve serves to meter a partially vaporized medium flow to the ground coil. Obvious advantages to such a system if certain drawbacks were overcome include the avoidance of fossil fuel cost and their environmental impact. While several attempts have been made over several years to embody such heating systems in a practical system for single family or larger dwellings, none of the proposed systems have found wide acceptance. One significant problem encountered by the prior art systems was the freezing of the earthen material by the system ground coil. Such freezing rendered the system inoperable and in some cases imparted stresses to adjacent building foundations damaging same. Heretofore it has been proposed that a coil be buried in serpentine configuration to adequately subject the medium to ground heat. The burial of lenghty conduit runs constituted a problem partuclarly when the ground area within which the conduit was buried was of restricted size resulting from various subterranean obstructions and/or real property size limitations. The use of heat pumps in home and building heating systems incurs periodic pump servicing or replacement at considerable expense to the user. Heat pumps, as currently known, are subjected to severe pressures and temperatures which adversely affect their life.

This course will teach you the cognitive science background and the programming bases to design robots and virtual agents capable of autonomous cognitive development driven by their intrinsic motivation.

It were happy if we studied Nature more in natural things; and acted according to Nature; whose rules are few, plain and most reasonable. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Content not thyself that thou art virtuous in the general: for one link being wanting, the chain is defective. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Love labour: for if thou dost not want it for food, thou mayest for physique. It is wholesome for the body, and good for the mind. It prevents the fruits of idleness, which many times come of nothing to do, and leads many to do what is worse than nothing. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Nothing does Reason more right, than the coolness of those that offer it. For truth often suffers more by the Heat of its defenders, than from the arguments of its opposers. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Oppression makes a poor country. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude If Man be the Index or Epitomy of the World, as Philosophers tell us, we have only to read our selves well to be learned in it. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude If love be not thy chiefest motive, thou wilt soon grow weary of a married state, and stray from thy promise, to search out thy pleasures in forbidden places. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Passion is a sort of fever in the mind, which ever leaves us weaker than it found us.... It more than anything deprives us of the use of our judgment; for it raises a dust very hard to see through. Like wine, whose lees fly by being jogg'd, it is too muddy to drink. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude If we would amend the world, we should mend our selves; and teach our children to be, not what we are, but what they should be. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Choose a friend as thou dost a wife, 'till Death separate you. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude It is wise not to seek a secret, and honest not to reveal one. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude It is a cruel folly to offer up to ostentation so many lives of creatures, as make up the state of our treats; as it is a prodigal one to spend more in sauce than in meat. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude The country life is to be preferr'd; for there we see the works of God; but in cities little else but the works of men. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude It is too frequent to begin with God and end with the World. But He is the good man's Beginning and End; his Alpha and Omega. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Only trust thy self and another shall not betray thee. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude To delay justice is injustice. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Where judgment has wit to express it, there's the best orator. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Despise no body, nor no condition; lest it come to be thine own. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude All excess is ill, but drunkenness is of the worst sort. It spoils health, dismounts the mind, and unmans men. It reveals secrets, is quarrelsome, lascivious, impudent, dangerous and mad. In fine, he that is drunk is not a man: because he is so long void of Reason, that distinguishes a Man from a Beast. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Never give out while there is hope; but hope not beyond reason, for that shows more desire than judgment. Dislike what deserves it, but never hate: for that is of the nature of malice; which is almost ever to persons, not things, and is one of the blackest qualities sin begets in the soul. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Cunning to wise, is as an Ape to a Man. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Haste makes work which caution prevents. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude For disappointments, that come not by our own folly, they are the trials or corrections of Heaven: and it is our own fault, if they prove not our advantage. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude He that espouses parties, can hardly divorce himself from their fate; and more fall with their party than rise with it. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Choose thy clothes by thine own eyes, not another's. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Experience is a safe guide. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude 'Tis no sin to be tempted, but to be overcome. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Nothing shows our weakness more than to be so sharp-sighted at spying other men's faults, and so purblind about our own. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude There is a troublesome humor some men have, that if they may not lead, they will not follow; but had rather a thing were never done, than not done their own way, tho' other ways very desirable. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude The usefulest truths are the plainest. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude If thou would'st be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an indifference for more than what is sufficient. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Nor must we always be neutral where our neighbors are concerned: for tho' meddling is a fault, helping is a duty. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Not to be provok'd is best: But if mov'd, never correct till the fume is spent; for every stroke our fury strikes, is sure to hit our selves at last. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude In all debates, let Truth be thy aim, not Victory. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude To be virtuous is to overcome our evil inclinations. If thou hast not conquer'd thyself in that which is thy own particular weakness, thou hast no title to virtue, tho' thou art free of other men's. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Justice is justly represented blind, because she sees no difference in the parties concerned. She has but one scale and weight, for rich and poor, great and small. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Men are generally more careful of the breed of their horses and dogs than of their children. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Friends are true twins in soul. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Knowledge is the treasure, but judgment the treasurer of a wise man. He that has more knowledge than judgment, is made for another man's use more than his own. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude No man is compelled to evil; his consent only makes it his. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude They that censure, should practice. Or else let them have the first stone, and the last too. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Never marry but for love; but see that thou lov'st what is lovely. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude To be dexterous in danger is a virtue; but to court danger to show it, is weakness. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude They have a right to censure, that have a heart to help. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Let the people think they govern, and they will be govern'd. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude But in marriage do thou be wise; prefer the Person before Money, Virtue before Beauty, the Mind before the Body: Then thou hast a Wife, a Friend, a Companion, a Second Self; one that bears an equal Share with thee in all thy toils and troubles. WILLIAM PENN, Some Fruits of Solitude Lend not beyond thy ability, nor refuse to lend out of thy ability; especially when it will help others more than it can hurt thee.

/** @file * * Copyright (c) 2015-2016, Linaro. All rights reserved. * Copyright (c) 2015-2016, Hisilicon Limited. All rights reserved. * * SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-2-Clause-Patent * **/ #ifndef __DW_USB_PROTOCOL_H__ #define __DW_USB_PROTOCOL_H__ // // Protocol GUID // #define DW_USB_PROTOCOL_GUID { 0x109fa264, 0x7811, 0x4862, { 0xa9, 0x73, 0x4a, 0xb2, 0xef, 0x2e, 0xe2, 0xff }} // // Protocol interface structure // typedef struct _DW_USB_PROTOCOL DW_USB_PROTOCOL; #define USB_HOST_MODE 0 #define USB_DEVICE_MODE 1 #define USB_CABLE_NOT_ATTACHED 2 typedef EFI_STATUS (EFIAPI *DW_USB_GET_SERIAL_NO) ( OUT CHAR16 *SerialNo, OUT UINT8 *Length ); typedef EFI_STATUS (EFIAPI *DW_USB_PHY_INIT) ( IN UINT8 Mode ); struct _DW_USB_PROTOCOL { DW_USB_GET_SERIAL_NO Get; DW_USB_PHY_INIT PhyInit; }; extern EFI_GUID gDwUsbProtocolGuid; #endif /* __DW_USB_PROTOCOL_H__ */

0 TS dt 0.1 time 0. 1 TS dt 0.1 time 0.1 2 TS dt 0.1 time 0.2 3 TS dt 0.1 time 0.3 4 TS dt 0.1 time 0.4 5 TS dt 0.1 time 0.5 6 TS dt 0.1 time 0.6 7 TS dt 0.1 time 0.7 8 TS dt 0.1 time 0.8 9 TS dt 0.1 time 0.9 10 TS dt 0.1 time 1. Interpolated solution at time 1. between steps 9 and 10 TS Object: 1 MPI processes type: euler maximum time=1. total number of rejected steps=0 using relative error tolerance of 0.0001, using absolute error tolerance of 0.0001 TSAdapt Object: 1 MPI processes type: none

Q: EmacsW32 renames buffers with old Windows shortened file names Let's see if I can reach the EmacsW32 users on stackoverflow. I've just installed the patched version of EmacsW32 from http://ourcomments.org/Emacs/EmacsW32.html I find it very nice that .txt files are associated wth Emacs, so that when you click on one, emacsclient opens it in the running instance of Emacs. Problem is, for some reason, the buffer is renamed with the old-style shortened file names, so, for example, the buffer with file "activities-2008.txt" is renamed to "ACTIV~1.TXT", which I don't like. How do I get EmacsW32 not to rename the buffer, and use the whole file name as the buffer name instead ? A: Solved. The problem is not with emacs, but with the way Windows runs a program when a file type is associated in the registry. In my registry, I had this value for the keys that associate txt files with Emacs: C:\emacs-23.0.91.1\Emacs\bin\emacsclientw.exe -n "%1" The problem is the %1, which is replaced by a short file name. According to this message http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/help-emacs-windows/2009-05/msg00022.html: %L is long file names. %1 is long file names IF * Explorer can find the exe file (it does not look very hard) AND * The file header says it is Win 95 aware Win16 exe, or * It is a 32 bit program Else %1 will be a short name. The solution is to use %L in place of %1 in the reg keys.

The evolution of blood cells: facts and enigmas. Although the origin and evolution of vertebrate blood cells is conjectural and controversial, it is, nevertheless, of great interest, particularly to comparative immunologists seeking an underlying trend in the phylogenetic development of immunity. This review examines possible relationships between invertebrate and vertebrate blood cells and describes some of the original concepts put forward to account for blood cell evolution.

New visible and selective DNA staining method in gels with tetrazolium salts. DNA staining in gels has historically been carried out using silver staining and fluorescent dyes like ethidium bromide and SYBR Green I (SGI). Using fluorescent dyes allows recovery of the analyte, but requires instruments such as a transilluminator or fluorimeter to visualize the DNA. Here we described a new and simple method that allows DNA visualization to the naked eye by generating a colored precipitate. It works by soaking the acrylamide or agarose DNA gel in SGI and nitro blue tetrazolium (NBT) solution that, when exposed to sunlight, produces a purple insoluble formazan precipitate that remains in the gel after exposure to light. A calibration curve made with a DNA standard established a detection limit of approximately 180 pg/band at 500 bp. Selectivity of this assay was determined using different biomolecules, demonstrating a high selectivity for DNA. Integrity and functionality of the DNA recovered from gels was determined by enzymatic cutting with a restriction enzyme and by transforming competent cells after the different staining methods, respectively. Our method showed the best performance among the dyes employed. Based on its specificity, low cost and its adequacy for field work, this new methodology has enormous potential benefits to research and industry.

//============================================================================= // MuseScore // Linux Music Score Editor // // Copyright (C) 2015 Werner Schweer and others // // This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify // it under the terms of the GNU General Public License version 2. // // This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, // but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of // MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the // GNU General Public License for more details. // // You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License // along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software // Foundation, Inc., 675 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. //============================================================================= #ifndef __IMPORTMXMLPASS2_H__ #define __IMPORTMXMLPASS2_H__ #include <array> #include "libmscore/score.h" #include "libmscore/tuplet.h" #include "importxmlfirstpass.h" #include "importmxmlpass1.h" #include "musicxml.h" // a.o. for Slur #include "musicxmlsupport.h" namespace Ms { //--------------------------------------------------------- // support enums / structs / classes //--------------------------------------------------------- using GraceChordList = QList<Chord*>; using FiguredBassList = QVector<FiguredBass*>; // typedef QList<Chord*> GraceChordList; // typedef QVector<FiguredBass*> FiguredBassList; using Tuplets = std::map<QString, Tuplet*>; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MxmlStartStop //--------------------------------------------------------- /* enum class MxmlStartStop : char { START, STOP, NONE }; */ //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXmlTupletDesc //--------------------------------------------------------- /** Describe the information extracted from a single note/notations/tuplet element. */ struct MusicXmlTupletDesc { MusicXmlTupletDesc(); MxmlStartStop type; Placement placement; TupletBracketType bracket; TupletNumberType shownumber; }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXmlSpannerDesc //--------------------------------------------------------- struct MusicXmlSpannerDesc { SLine* _sp; ElementType _tp; int _nr; MusicXmlSpannerDesc(SLine* sp, ElementType tp, int nr) : _sp(sp), _tp(tp), _nr(nr) {} MusicXmlSpannerDesc(ElementType tp, int nr) : _sp(0), _tp(tp), _nr(nr) {} }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // NewMusicXmlSpannerDesc //--------------------------------------------------------- struct MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc { SLine* _sp { nullptr }; Fraction _tick2 { 0, 0 }; int _track2 {}; bool _isStarted { false }; bool _isStopped { false }; MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc() {} QString toString() const; }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXmlLyricsExtend //--------------------------------------------------------- class MusicXmlLyricsExtend { public: MusicXmlLyricsExtend() {} void init(); void addLyric(Lyrics* const lyric); void setExtend(const int no, const int track, const Fraction& tick); private: QSet<Lyrics*> _lyrics; }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXMLParserLyric //--------------------------------------------------------- class MusicXMLParserLyric { public: MusicXMLParserLyric(const LyricNumberHandler lyricNumberHandler,QXmlStreamReader& e, Score* score,MxmlLogger* logger); QSet<Lyrics*> extendedLyrics() const { return _extendedLyrics; } QMap<int, Lyrics*> numberedLyrics() const { return _numberedLyrics; } void parse(); private: void skipLogCurrElem(); const LyricNumberHandler _lyricNumberHandler; QXmlStreamReader& _e; Score* const _score; // the score MxmlLogger* _logger; ///< Error logger QMap<int, Lyrics*> _numberedLyrics; // lyrics with valid number QSet<Lyrics*> _extendedLyrics; // lyrics with the extend flag set }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // Notation // Most with text base attributes (font-*, placement) //--------------------------------------------------------- class Notation { public: Notation(const QString& name, const QString& parent = "", const SymId& symId = SymId::noSym) { _name = name; _parent = parent; _symId = symId; } void addAttribute(const QStringRef name, const QStringRef value); QString attribute(const QString& name) const; QString name() const { return _name; } QString parent() const { return _parent; } void setSymId(const SymId& symId) { _symId = symId; } SymId symId() const { return _symId; } void setSubType(const QString& subType) { _subType = subType; } QString subType() const { return _subType; } QString print() const; void setText(const QString& text) { _text = text; } QString text() const { return _text; } static Notation notationWithAttributes(const QString& name, const QXmlStreamAttributes attributes,const QString& parent = "", const SymId& symId = SymId::noSym); private: QString _name; QString _parent; SymId _symId { SymId::noSym }; QString _subType; QString _text; std::map<QString, QString> _attributes; }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // forward references and defines //--------------------------------------------------------- class FretDiagram; class FiguredBassItem; class Glissando; class Pedal; class Trill; class MxmlLogger; using SlurStack = std::array<SlurDesc, MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL>; using TrillStack = std::array<Trill*, MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL>; using BracketsStack = std::array<MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc, MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL>; using OttavasStack = std::array<MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc, MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL>; using HairpinsStack = std::array<MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc, MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL>; using SpannerStack = std::array<MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc, MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL>; using SpannerSet = std::set<Spanner*>; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXMLParserNotations //--------------------------------------------------------- class MusicXMLParserNotations { public: MusicXMLParserNotations(QXmlStreamReader& e, Score* score, MxmlLogger* logger); void parse(); void addToScore(ChordRest* const cr, Note* const note, const int tick, SlurStack& slurs,Glissando* glissandi[MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL][2], MusicXmlSpannerMap& spanners, TrillStack& trills,Tie*& tie); MusicXmlTupletDesc tupletDesc() const { return _tupletDesc; } QString tremoloType() const { return _tremoloType; } int tremoloNr() const { return _tremoloNr; } bool mustStopGraceAFter() const { return _slurStop || _wavyLineStop; } private: void addNotation(const Notation& notation, ChordRest* const cr, Note* const note); void addTechnical(const Notation& notation, Note* note); void harmonic(); void articulations(); void dynamics(); void fermata(); void glissandoSlide(); void mordentNormalOrInverted(); void ornaments(); void slur(); void skipLogCurrElem(); void technical(); void tied(); void tuplet(); QXmlStreamReader& _e; Score* const _score; // the score MxmlLogger* _logger; // the error logger MusicXmlTupletDesc _tupletDesc; QString _dynamicsPlacement; QStringList _dynamicsList; std::vector<Notation> _notations; SymId _breath { SymId::noSym }; QString _tremoloType; int _tremoloNr { 0 }; QString _wavyLineType; int _wavyLineNo { 0 }; QString _arpeggioType; bool _slurStop { false }; bool _wavyLineStop { false }; }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXMLParserPass2 //--------------------------------------------------------- class MusicXMLParserPass2 { public: MusicXMLParserPass2(Score* score, MusicXMLParserPass1& pass1, MxmlLogger* logger); Score::FileError parse(QIODevice* device); // part specific data interface functions void addSpanner(const MusicXmlSpannerDesc& desc); MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc& getSpanner(const MusicXmlSpannerDesc& desc); void clearSpanner(const MusicXmlSpannerDesc& desc); private: void initPartState(const QString& partId); SpannerSet findIncompleteSpannersAtPartEnd(); Score::FileError parse(); void scorePartwise(); void partList(); void scorePart(); void part(); void measChordNote(/*, const MxmlPhase2Note note, ChordRest& currChord */); void measChordFlush(/*, ChordRest& currChord */); void measure(const QString& partId, const Fraction time); void attributes(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction& tick); void measureStyle(Measure* measure); void barline(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction& tick); void key(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction& tick); void clef(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction& tick); void time(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction& tick); void divisions(); void transpose(const QString& partId); Note* note(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction sTime, const Fraction prevTime,Fraction& missingPrev, Fraction& dura, Fraction& missingCurr, QString& currentVoice, GraceChordList& gcl,int& gac,Beam*& beam, FiguredBassList& fbl, int& alt, MxmlTupletStates& tupletStates, Tuplets& tuplets); void notePrintSpacingNo(Fraction& dura); FiguredBassItem* figure(const int idx, const bool paren); FiguredBass* figuredBass(); FretDiagram* frame(); void harmony(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction sTime); Accidental* accidental(); void beam(Beam::Mode& beamMode); void duration(Fraction& dura); void forward(Fraction& dura); void backup(Fraction& dura); void timeModification(Fraction& timeMod, TDuration& normalType); void stem(Direction& sd, bool& nost); void doEnding(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const QString& number, const QString& type,const QString& text); void staffDetails(const QString& partId); void staffTuning(StringData* t); void skipLogCurrElem(); // multi-measure rest state handling void setMultiMeasureRestCount(int count); int getAndDecMultiMeasureRestCount(); // generic pass 2 data QXmlStreamReader _e; int _divs; // the current divisions value Score* const _score; // the score MusicXMLParserPass1& _pass1; // the pass1 results MxmlLogger* _logger; ///< Error logger // part specific data (TODO: move to part-specific class) // Measure duration according to last timesig read // TODO: store timesigs read in pass 1, use those instead // or use score->sigmap() ? Fraction _timeSigDura; SlurStack _slurs { {} }; TrillStack _trills { {} }; ///< Current trills BracketsStack _brackets; OttavasStack _ottavas; ///< Current ottavas HairpinsStack _hairpins; ///< Current hairpins MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc _dummyNewMusicXmlSpannerDesc; Glissando* _glissandi[MAX_NUMBER_LEVEL][2]; ///< Current slides ([0]) / glissandi ([1]) Tie* _tie; Volta* _lastVolta; bool _hasDrumset; ///< drumset defined TODO: move to pass 1 MusicXmlSpannerMap _spanners; MusicXmlExtendedSpannerDesc _pedal; ///< Current pedal Pedal* _pedalContinue; ///< Current pedal type="change" requiring fixup Harmony* _harmony; ///< Current harmony Chord* _tremStart; ///< Starting chord for current tremolo FiguredBass* _figBass; ///< Current figured bass element (to attach to next note) int _multiMeasureRestCount; MusicXmlLyricsExtend _extendedLyrics; ///< Lyrics with "extend" requiring fixup }; //--------------------------------------------------------- // MusicXMLParserDirection //--------------------------------------------------------- class MusicXMLParserDirection { public: MusicXMLParserDirection(QXmlStreamReader& e, Score* score, const MusicXMLParserPass1& pass1,MusicXMLParserPass2& pass2, MxmlLogger* logger); void direction(const QString& partId, Measure* measure, const Fraction& tick, const int divisions,MusicXmlSpannerMap& spanners); private: QXmlStreamReader& _e; Score* const _score; // the score const MusicXMLParserPass1& _pass1; // the pass1 results MusicXMLParserPass2& _pass2; // the pass2 results MxmlLogger* _logger; ///< Error logger QStringList _dynamicsList; QString _enclosure; QString _wordsText; QString _metroText; QString _rehearsalText; QString _dynaVelocity; QString _tempo; QString _sndCapo; QString _sndCoda; QString _sndDacapo; QString _sndDalsegno; QString _sndSegno; QString _sndFine; bool _hasDefaultY; qreal _defaultY; bool _coda; bool _segno; double _tpoMetro; // tempo according to metronome double _tpoSound; // tempo according to sound QList<Element*> _elems; Fraction _offset; void directionType(QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& starts, QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& stops); void bracket(const QString& type, const int number, QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& starts,QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& stops); void octaveShift(const QString& type, const int number, QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& starts,QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& stops); void pedal(const QString& type, const int number, QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& starts,QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& stops); void dashes(const QString& type, const int number, QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& starts,QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& stops); void wedge(const QString& type, const int number, QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& starts,QList<MusicXmlSpannerDesc>& stops); QString metronome(double& r); void sound(); void dynamics(); void handleRepeats(Measure* measure, const int track); void skipLogCurrElem(); }; } // namespace Ms #endif

A Trained Pulmonologist Can Reliably Assess Endosonography-Derived Lymph Node Samples during Rapid On-Site Evaluation. The widespread use of rapid on-site evaluation is hampered by constraints related to time and resources, inadequate reimbursement, and evidence from randomized trials that show a lack of increase in diagnostic yield and specimen adequacy associated with its usage. We aimed to verify whether a pulmonologist can assess endosonography-derived lymph node samples after a comprehensive and reproducible training provided by a specialist pathologist. Prospective, observational trial structured in three phases. In the first (training) phase, a pathologist critically evaluated the smears from 150 archival endosonography cases with a pulmonologist. In the second (test) phase, the pulmonologist was asked to assess 50 archival endosonography-derived samples. In the last (real-life) phase, the pulmonologist classified the samples from 200 patients during the endosonography. The overall agreement between pulmonologist and pathologist (gold standard), assessed through κ-statistics, was the primary outcome. The agreement for the identification of specific cytological categories was the secondary outcome. The overallagreement between pulmonologist and pathologist was 84% (κ0.765, 95% CI 0.732-0.826) in the test phase and 89.7% (κ 0.844, 95% CI 0.799-0.881) in the real-life phase. The agreement for specific cytological categories was 92.7% (95% CI 0.824-0.980) for inadequate samples, 90.3% (95% CI 84.5-94.5%) for reactive lymphadenopathies, 90.5% (95% CI 0.845-0.946) for malignancy, and 73% (95% CI 0.515-0.897) for granulomatous samples. A trained pulmonologist can reliably assess adequacy and malignancy for endosonography-derived samples, which could be useful in institutions where a cytopathologist/cytotechnician is not available regularly.

Nets News & Analysis They say you can’t rebuild here, as New Yorkers demand instant results and a winner. They don’t have the patience to endure a potentially long and painful process. It’s not that they want it now, but yesterday. This misconception has been plaguing New York sports teams for what seems like an eternity. It’s a big […] Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack will be a guest analyst on NBA TV tonight, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN. Jack joins a long list of NBA players to appear on the GameTime show following their team’s elimination from the playoffs. For those unfamiliar with the NBA TV format, Jack’s thoughts will bookend Game 2 […] Give Commissioner Adam Silver this: He’s not afraid to dip his toes in the water. Neither are the Nets, it turns out. The Brooklyn Nets will play host to a 44-minute exhibition game with the Boston Celtics this Sunday reducing the time of the game by four minutes. The format reduces each quarter one minute […] Paul Pierce offered a different account of events that led to his signing with the Washington Wizards today while adding in some not-so-lofty expectations for his former team. In an interview with David Aldridge of NBA.com, Pierce suggested that the Brooklyn Nets did not exactly put out the welcome mat for his return despite The […] Mason Plumlee’s summer continues to get better. Fresh off surviving a round of cuts on the U.S. Men’s National Basketball Team, ESPN Analyst Bradford Doolittle made the case that Plumlee deserves more minutes during the ’14-’15 season. From Doolittle’s ESPN Insider piece (subscription required): “Plumlee’s 19.0 PER was a revelation for the Nets a season […] A whole bunch of alleged jerseys from Adidas’ upcoming NBA catalog have leaked and were posted on Uni-Watch last night. There, you can find the Brooklyn Nets and their would-be Christmas Day Uniforms. Stylistically, the jerseys have some few differences worth pointing out: the front will have the “B” logo and the back will have the player’s […] After just one season with Brooklyn, Pierce and the Nets have moved on from each other. Paul Pierce has signed with the Washington Wizards for 11 million over 2 years, Marc Stein reports. With the mega spending from Brooklyn over the last two years, their decision to cut it off now will surely be a […] UPDATE: Marc Stein reports that the Nets are wrapping up a deal with Lionel Hollins to be their next head coach: Sides sorting final details in hopes of wrapping up Lionel Hollins' looming deal w/Nets today. Multiyear deal w/salary in $4-to-5 mil range — Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 2, 2014 ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting […] The Glue Guys, Brian and Mike, are joined by The Brooklyn Game’s Managing Editor Devin Kharpertian to talk about how we got to the point where Kidd is traded to Milwaukee, who is the next Nets coach, how does Kidd leaving impact the team’s free agents, and where the Nets stand in the grand scheme […] Well, tonight officially went bonkers. In case you missed it, the Nets have given head coach Jason Kidd permission to speak to the Milwaukee Bucks to be the head of their basketball operations. Given what information is out there, do you want Jason Kidd back? Vote below. Seeing the inevitable “Kirilenko listed as OUT” tweet on the afternoon of Nets game day was becoming a frustrating sight. As days turned into weeks turned into months, Kirilenko’s absence became just one more drop in the Nets’ ever-cresting wave of disappointment. But back healthy (relatively) and in the lineup again, it’s easy to see […]

Should Traders Read The News? In short: yes. Even if you’re a technical trader, that only looks at charts, it isn’t a bad idea to read the news. I’m not saying that it is a good or bad idea to make your trading decisions off of the news, but you should at least be aware of what is going on in the world. World events such as an election, Brexit, and global conflicts can have an impact on what you’re trading. Often times, these events provide great opportunities and volatility in the market. It’s good to know if there is a binary event that is taking place, so you are aware of if you want to trade it or stay away from it. Market Awareness There tend to be two camps of traders: technical traders and fundamental traders. More often than not, these two schools of thought are very polarized. Most technical traders don’t care for fundamentals, and most fundamental traders don’t care for the technicals. However, this is a mistake. While it’s up to you whether or not you take a trade because of an earnings report or because of a support/resistance level, for the reasons stated above, you should be aware of both. As Paul Tudor Jones put it, in his documentary Trader, the world is one giant flowchart of capital. Everything is correlated. To what degree things are correlated is for a separate article, but the fact remains that there is a cause-effect relationship that everything that happens. People Move Markets… Even if you think the market is moving because of earnings or technical levels, what ultimate moves markets are people. People have many reasons to buy or sell. Some people make their decisions based off of fundamentals, others base their decisions off of technicals. As a trader, your job is to anticipate what the crowd is likely to do and either trade with or against the crowd given the context. You can only know the context if you are aware of both fundamentals (news) and technicals. Should You Trade Based On News? This might seem contradictory, but I personally think that you should not trade off of the news. “Well what the hell man? You’ve been saying I should read the news, but now you’re saying you shouldn’t trade off of it? Hello Mr. Walking Contradiction…”. Firstly, you do you. Capiche? Whatever you do is your decision. That said, price ultimately moves first. If you wait for things to be reflected in the news, odds are you’ve missed the best part of the move and the risk of entering the trade now is a lot higher. Reflexivity If you’ve studied any of George Soros’s writings (which I’m sure a lot of you have), you’ve likely come across his theory of reflexivity. If you haven’t, you should really consider reading his book The Alchemy of Finance. Basically, what Soros defines as reflexivity in the market is the interconnectedness of price and fundamentals and that the two ultimately influence each other. When price goes up, people find reasons why price is going up in the fundamentals. This is largely due to a lot of cognitive biases (which we all have), but it causes a self-reinforcing loop where buying begets more buying, and vice versa with selling. So What Do You Do Now? Have I thoroughly confused you? Hopefully, I haven’t. For the reasons stated, it’s important that you’re aware of both technicals and the news. It’s all related, and to ignore one part is to fly blind. When you’re risking your hard-earned capital, and when you’re playing a game where if you lose your capital you can’t play anymore, it’s important to look at things from many different angles. There is a high amount of cognitive dissonance that can result from seeing conflicting information in the news and in price. That’s the reality of trading. If it were easy… well, you know the saying. As always, I hope this article was helpful to you in more ways than one. If you did derive some benefit or insight from it, please let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading. Operator Trading does not provide financial advice. By using this website, you are giving implied consent that you agree that you are responsible for all of your decisions and release Operator Trading, and any business or person associated with Operator Trading, of all liability. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH ANY TERM OR PROVISION OF OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS, PLEASE EXIT THE SITE IMMEDIATELY. PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT YOUR CONTINUED USE OF THIS SITE OR THE PRODUCTS OR INFORMATION PROVIDED THEREBY SHALL INDICATE YOUR CONSENT AND AGREEMENT TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. U.S. Government Required Disclaimer – Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Futures and options trading has large potential rewards, but also large potential risk. You must be aware of the risks and be willing to accept them in order to invest in the futures and options markets. Don’t trade with money you can’t afford to lose. This website is neither a solicitation nor an offer to Buy/Sell futures or options. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those discussed on this website. The past performance of any trading system or methodology is not necessarily indicative of future results. CFTC RULE 4.41 – HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER-OR-OVER COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY, SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFIT OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN. Options are not suitable for all investors as the special risks inherent to options trading my expose investors to potentially rapid and substantial losses. Please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before investing in options.

Dinar News FlashThe news is flooding in…Iraq’s new prime minister has done what no other prime minister in the last 10 years has been able to do. Iraq’s parliament voted and seated the last 7 ministers of PM Al-Kazemi’s government. If this is fact and it appears to be, this is a monumental accomplishment and fits with everything else Iraq’s leader has done in the last month… BGG ~ We sell Dinar. If you would like to purchase Dinar – please call me directly, leave me a voicemail, send a text (615-509-6256), send an e-mail or Facebook message me for a current quote. www.TheDinarExchange.com MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “Member of Parliamentary Finance: The country’s financial situation is very critical and we are working to get out of the crisis” Another reiteration of what is going on. But, Al-Nassery just told us what he is doing and that is going into the social market economy. That includes the Secondary Markets…They are not going into the market economies of the world at a program rate.The theme is not wait and stagnate it is ACTIVATE!! They say in the current week to come… Dinar Investor – Jeff Article “Parliament passes vacant bag candidates and succeeds in completing the Al-Kazemi government”They have completed the full formation of the government. But remember I told you there were two things needed which are the linchpin. Two not one. They have to finish their agreement with Kurdistan and they had to finish the last 7 ministers. The last 7 ministers is done. Out of 2 you have 1 remaining. Article “Next week a delegation will visit Baghdad to resolve the agreement on the oil file“. This is Kurdistan…you’re gonna have everything pretty much done within a week. They should have this done probably by the 10th…they’re on track to finish the two remaining items. They already got the government done. They could most likely have the second last remaining variable…done next week…that will allow them to probably change the rate during the second half of June…It looks like Iraq will go international as well during that second half of June. Mountain Goat – Dinar Guru Article: “INCLUDING STOPPING THE CURRENCY AUCTION AND CHANGING THE DINAR PRICE .. 5 DEPUTIES PRESENT PROPOSALS TO BRIDGE THE BUDGET DEFICIT” …this is one of those WOW articles. …these are members of the House of Representatives so the next area to take up these recommendations would be the Finance Committee and then the CBI. But I have to tell you this is already in motion and the CBI is already working on these measures. But it was very nice to see parliamentary members making their ideas heard and for once coming up with sensible recommendations that will work. MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article quote: “The President of the Republic emphasizes adopting a balanced monetary policy and working to strengthen the financial situation” There is no stopping this now from the looks of it. All has been coming together and shows that all the years of work, now are aligned and ready to go international… They have published time lines for contractual issues, that will have to be adhered to. I am smiling!! Kaperoni – Dinar Guru A couple of great news articles this week… 1 an opinion piece on changing the dinar exchange rate. The other seems to be recommendations from the parliamentary finance committee today including floating the dinar. Mountain Goat – Dinar Guru …they are now actually openly debating all the options as to what to do to save the economy of Iraq. Part of these discussions does include ending the currency auctions and the possibility of a “float” but, as we can see, they mean a float against other global currencies. You can’t float the dinar against just the US dollar as it is now solely pegged just to the US dollar. This is now a “fixed” rate. So the discussions evolved around a drastic change. By the way the CBI has already announced it WILL NOT devalue the dinar as a solution… MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “After Coming Under Heavy Criticism…The Central Bank Stops The Currency Auction” Now add in the meeting with Alak and the President on financial ongoing’s. Then think about the upcoming meetings to vote on Cabinet,then add in the ISX is scheduled to open again on Sunday, then there is the SFA for the 10th – 11th. All the talk about the borders, taxes & tarrifs, fees all being electronic, the contracts adjusting for shipping costs by 07/01/2020 need to be in place by then.Those things need an international rate and pronto!! The convergence is astonishing! imo … Adam Montana – Dinar Guru These topics will get you up to speed on “the rest of the story” quickly: 1. Kazemi-Kazammi is not a Kurd, he’s not “one of them”, but the Kurds are supporting him. This has monumental potential:2. Iran has lost their power. The “Iran factor” that has held Iraq back in the past is just that… the past.3. Kazzami has reportedly made his picks, and Parliament should rubber stamp them next week. This is progress…They may not vote every one of them in, but 80% will be enough to move forward. 4. …Parliament is working… Life is good, things in the desert look positive… Dinar Investor – Jeff …there’s two things they got to do for the rate change. – 7 ministers of the cabinet. – Complete that agreement with Kurdistan and sign off on it. They’re most likely to complete those the same week. The reason why they didn’t do it today, it’s real simple. It’s because they have a rate change date already set and scheduled. It’s done…the last remaining items they’re theoretically the linchpin for the rate change. What they’re going to do is finish these items in closer proximity to the timing of the rate change…when you see these items they are confirmation that the rate change is about to happen…you’re right on the edge of the rate change. This rate change is not going into July. It’s happening in the second half of June. The date is right in front of your eyes. Adam Montana – Dinar Guru …After a series of unsuccessful attempts at appointing a Prime Minister, Kazemi (RV Kazammy!!!) is approaching only two short months in office, but he’s seriously kicking butt! We don’t have an HCL agreement (yet), so we don’t have an RV. But we are getting close. Kazammi is possibly the first political figure in a position to have a real chance at getting the HCL to pass. One of the reasons is stated on Wikipedia fairly well: Quote: “Al-Kadhimi was a vocal opponent to the dictatorship of the Saddam Hussein regime.[3] He left Iraq in 1985 to Iran then Germany and settled in United Kingdom and lived in exile for several years, yet is not affiliated with any of the Iraqi political parties.” The HCL is a VERY polarized topic. In order for it to come together, a couple of opposing parties have to agree on it… and a neutral party as mediator is the best way to go. That’s our guy Kazzami! Delta – Dinar Guru …this is what the media is telling everybody in Iraq right now…they’re about to come out with a new exchange rates…they’re going to implement the financial reforms and currency reforms and they’re going to change the exchange rate of the IQD…it doesn’t get more crystal clear than this… MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “The government is preparing to issue a new reform package mid this week” Wednesday there is to be meetings on the Laws needed for many things that include Laws for Monetary Reforms. I suspect that since they have been talking about the 2019 FMLA and the secondary markets it will be a day to watch close. …the reforms need the international rate to be applied to the currency to facilitate the ability for the IQD and the ISX to interlink internationally... Delta – Dinar Guru …everybody knows I watch…the Iraqi channel. I speak the language. That’s old news for you…there was this information coming up from Iraq channels and the Central Bank of Iraq they’re coming out with new rates and the new rate is going to be…managed, not float. Then last night one of the financial committee of the parliament…he had an hour and half interview with one of the major Iraqi channels…it is just amazing…he mentions…that they’re going to change the exchange rate. I know some of you might ask, ‘Did they say that on live TV?’ Of course they said that. There’s no secret anymore that they need to change that…this is unbelievable!...I’m not exaggerating. No. MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “Political movement to choose a foreign minister before the strategic dialogue with Washington” Quote: “Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi wants to complete the vacant ministries as soon as possible, indicating that the delay is due to deep differences between the political blocs” There you go… The pressure is on and and big time. The 10th is not far off. imo They need time for the minister to see the files that they will discuss at the SFA meeting… More good stuff for us… imo… Mountain Goat – Dinar Guru I am still hearing from the CBI that they fully intend to complete the project to delete the zeros and do it much sooner than later. But I have no official article or announcements yet from the CBI in this regard. I was told we should see some announcement soon of the progress and what they intend to do next. We still wait for this from the CBI. It is supposed to come out this week. Pimpy – Dinar Guru …There’s a lot of things happening in Iraq that I can’t help to think to myself I’m not sure how they’re gonna do these things or how any of these are gonna be possible without having a currency that’s not recognized internationally. I just don’t know how some of these agreements that they’re getting into are going to be able to be fulfilled without having their currency rate changed or at least recognized internationally. There is some type of conference that’s coming up in July where they open up to the rest of the world to come on in and think about investing into Iraq. There is going to be a plethora of nations invited and I have a feeling you’re gonna see a lot of them come. Having said that it’s gonna be really hard for this to be accomplished if they don’t have a currency that’s recognizable internationally… Kaperoni – Dinar Guru As for the dinar’s value, it is not at a program rate. That is guru’s taking a directive from the IMF and misrepresenting that meaning. The dinar exchange rate is it’s real rate… The currency is already an internationally-recognized currency they just haven’t accepted IMF Article VIII making international banks more willing to want to engage in commerce with it. MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “The government is preparing to issue a new reform package mid this week” Wednesday there is to be meetings on the Laws needed for many things that include Laws for Monetary Reforms. I suspect that since they have been talking about the 2019 FMLA and the secondary markets it will be a day to watch close. …the reforms need the international rate to be applied to the currency to facilitate the ability for the IQD and the ISX to interlink internationally… Mountain Goat – Dinar Guru Article: “THE NATIONAL: SENIOR IRAQI OFFICIAL LAYS OUT JUST HOW BAD IS COUNTRY’S FINANCES” So again we hear news about the necessity for Iraq to bring in investors and move to a private sector economy, taking pressure off the GOI to pay out these salaries each month. Why not let the private sector pay these salaries? But this will not come unless the investors flock in and this will not happen until they know that Iraq has a stable, global currency that can be easily exchangeable to their own currency of their country. When will Iraq reform their currency and get out of this program rate and 3 zero notes? They have gotten so used to surviving off the US dollar now it is hard to move from it. MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “Al-Nusairi: Iraqi-Gulf economic ties are a step in the right direction for Iraq to return to its Arab depth” They have been vocal in recent past per [Guru] Delta (iho) that they have opened the ITB in SA yet, as they are like every one else, the need an international rate to deal with… Looks like the game is at the 2 minute warning now… imo… They are talking about internal and external banking that interlink with each other… They know what to expect by now… imo… Oh ya! It is not a program rate. They are talking on TV a rate change is coming. Alak told us and have others the right thing to do is not devalue the currency but to give value to it…imo! That is exactly what they are going to do…imo. MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “Newspaper: Iraqi-American negotiations will start on June 10” I have a strong feeling they will need to have things sorted MR [Monetary Reform ?] wise prior to the meeting beginning on the 10th. They have a minster they need to place too, prior to that. It looks as that may be slated for Wednesday too. imo The convergence of many things of late is by no coincidence. …ECONOMIC is to be a main focus in the future, imo… MilitiaMan – Dinar GuruArticle: “The Stock Exchange announces postponing its sessions until next week” Fascinating they kicked the can down the road again… Allows for any necessary adjustments that may come their way? lol Yep, imo… With the CBIESD site still showing a massive change to the ISX Indice the chances of them coming back again at a program rate seem to be a no way situation, imo.. From today through June 4th. That is Thursday… Man things look good for us. If they need to notify people, from now through next Saturday could be a very interesting time to do so… If need be… imo MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “A Kurdish deputy calls on the Minister of Finance to take steps to stop manipulating Iraqi imports from Zakho to Basra” another gem talking about implementing radical financial reforms… Radical as in the removal of three zeros and apply REER (Real Effective Exchange Rate)? That would work for me.. Mountain Goat – Dinar Guru …Today’s news continues with the saga of Iraq and its inability to meet the June salaries… So far we see the solution for May and June’s salaries was the borrowing from within the banks of Iraq. But this is only a temporary measure…I am hoping this is a wake-up call for Iraq to now move forward with its reforms in all aspects of non-oil-based revenue generation and allowing foreign investors to comfortably come into Iraq to establish businesses. There has to be some drastic changes and the new prime minister Al-Kazemi must be the one to make them…It may seem gloomy and doomy at times butI see the plan playing out and taking shape… MilitiaMan – Dinar Guru Article: “What does it mean to reduce the Iraqi dinar price against the dollar? .. An economist answers” Gotta love the education they are doing. The explanation of the choices both good and bad..They will make the right choice and they have been telling us about it… the amount of countries coming into Iraq now shows that the doors are about to fully open and they are gearing for…to have the CBI share with the world and the Iraqi’s, as to what they can expect when the exchange rate changes. I suspect those that have a need to know will have been all ears by now… So I am surely liking what I have been told would come is coming…

At 15, Alaba was already involved with Austria Vienna's first team, then at 17 he became Austria's youngest ever capped player. Now, after a superb Champions League campaign, Alaba is attracting the interest of Europe's biggest clubs, but with the approach of a veteran, the teen isn't allowing the speculation to faze him. "I know nothing about it and won't let it drive me crazy," he smiled with reporters when asked about the United and Barca rumours. "I will give my best in every practice, learn and develop myself further. "It's nice to know people have noticed you. But you also need to realise that this is part of the job I'm in. I'm trying to deal with it normally." Spotted by Bayern as a 15 year-old, Alaba had played barely five reserve-team games for Austria Vienna before he was snapped up by the German giants. He was immediately playing regular first team football for Bayern II in the Third Division and his progress never faltered, as he won his first cap that season before being promoted to the senior team the following campaign. "Everything has gone so fast," he reflected recently. "In my development as a player, in my development as a human being. I am, for example, more confident on and off the pitch. The time since I first came to Bayern has really gone fast, it's crazy." This past season, BILD named Alaba as Bayern's best - ahead of the likes of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. "Of course it's an honour. I'm just grateful for the support of the coaching staff and my teammates. Especially Franck Ribery, who has been very important to me - even if he doesn't like to track back!" While still regarded as a junior member inside Bayern's star-studded locker room, for country Alaba is already a leader - and admits he enjoys the responsibility. Austria coach Marcel Koller is playing Alaba in central midfield and the youngster says he's loving the role. "I know I can play better for the team not as a wing-back, but in the midfield. I am pleased. I believe in myself, in any case, because in this position, I just feel most comfortable." But it could've been so different if the Nigerian FA, usually so diligent with players who qualify for the Super Eagles, had been on their game regarding Alaba. Born in Vienna to a Nigerian father and Filipino mother, Alaba admits the NFA never were in touch when he was first considering his international options. "There was a request from the Philippines (to play for them), but Nigeria has never approached me. And Germany would anyway never been an issue, since I have no connection to the country," he revealed. "My Mum is from the Philippines, my Dad from Nigeria. I've visited both countries, most recently Nigeria." Ferguson made a personal check on Alaba during the German Cup final this month, while Barca's interest had Dad George knocking on Bayern's door wanting to know where his son stood in their long-term plans. Bayern have made it clear, however, that the youngster is not for sale, with football chief Christian Nerlinger declaring: "I would like to extend Alaba's contract by 15 years!" With his current deal running to 2015, Bayern can afford to be calm. And even if he were to quit Bayern, United and Barca may be overlooked for a third option, as Alaba revealed when first breaking into the Bayern first team: "I always set myself little goals that I want to achieve step by step. My next goal is to prevail and one day play in the first team (of Bayern Munich). Then I want to go to England, preferably to Arsenal." Given his rapid rise so far, few would bet against David Alaba reaching his "little" Premier League goal - sooner rather than later. About the author Chris Beattie is chief editor and columnist at Tribal Football. Having founded the site some ten years ago, few are more knowledgable and passionate about the game and its fans. Chris cites the highlight of his career as seeing George Best and Denis Law play together in Tasmania.

An improved device for posterior rhinomanometry to measure nasal resistance. Rhinomanometry is a method for measuring nasal resistance for the purpose of providing an objective evaluation of nasal patency. Posterior rhinomanometry is accomplished without the use of a mask, thus allowing the patient to breathe naturally. Here, we report on the improvements we have made to the existing posterior rhinomanometry system. In this system, nasal airflow is measured indirectly by measuring the pressure differential across a small mesh window in the body plethysmograph. We have calibrated this measurement and developed software that automatically provides the correct values for all airflow rates. Also, we have developed software that automatically corrects for the phase shift caused by the plethysmograph structure. These refinements should provide more accurate values for nasal resistance.