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H.D. Chalke
Herbert Davis Chalke OBE (Mil), TD, FRCP, MRCS, MA (Cantab) (June 15, 1897—October 8, 1979) was a British physician known for his work in the fields of social medicine and medical history. He was the founding editor-in-chief of the medical journal Alcohol and Alcoholism.
Biography
Chalke was educated at Porth County School, the University of Wales, Cambridge University, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital. He later served in the Royal Flying Corps during part of World War I and all of World War II, retiring as a colonel. In the 1930s, the King Edward VII Welsh National Memorial Association appointed him to study tuberculosis mortality in Wales. He played a major role in a campaign to control a typhus epidemic in Naples, Italy during the 1940s, for which he received the Typhus Commission Medal from the United States government.
He is survived by his son David John Chalke, now a leading social analyst in Australia.
References
External links
Wellcome Library page
Category:1897 births
Category:1979 deaths
Category:20th-century British medical doctors
Category:Medical journal editors
Category:Alumni of the University of Wales
Category:Researchers in alcohol abuse
Category:Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Category:British medical historians | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Q:
Unable to toggle button click event on AJAX request
<div class=" pull-right">
<?php if ($placement['placementStatus'] == Campaign::STATUS_IN_PROGRESS): ?>
<a class="pausebtn btn btn-small" onclick="pausePlacement($(this), '<?=$placement['placementTag']?>');" href="#"><i class="elusive-pause"></i></a>
<?php else: ?>
<a class="startbtn btn btn-small" onclick="startPlacement($(this), '<?=$placement['placementTag']?>');" href="#" ><i class="elusive-play"></i></a>
<?php endif; ?>
<a class="trashbtn btn btn-small" onclick="deletePlacement($(this), '<?=$placement['adId']?>');" href="#"><i class="elusive-trash"></i></a>
</div>
function pausePlacement(el, placementTag) {
$.ajax({
url: '/campaign/pausePlacement/' + campaignId + '/' + placementTag,
dataType: 'json',
type: 'GET',
success: function(data) {
if(data.responsecode != '1') {
bootbox.alert(data.validationerror);
} else {
el.html('<i class="elusive-play">');
el.off('click').on('click', function() {
startPlacement(el, placementTag);
});
}
}
});
}
function startPlacement(el, placementTag) {
$.ajax({
url: '/campaign/startPlacement/' + campaignId + '/' + placementTag,
dataType: 'json',
type: 'GET',
success: function(data) {
if(data.responsecode != '1') {
bootbox.alert(data.validationerror);
} else {
el.html('<i class="elusive-pause">');
el.off('click').on('click', function() {
pausePlacement(el, placementTag);
});
}
}
});
}
If the initial state is paused for instance, then the play button is displayed. If you hit the play button, it changes the state to playing and now it becomes the pause button. But now if you hit the pause button, for some maddening reason it makes another ajax request to change the state to playing and then makes a subsequent request to pause the placement.
So the first click, only 1 ajax request. The second click, 2 ajax requests. On the third click, 1 again. And so forth.
Why is it doing this and what do I need to change? Thanks
A:
According to the jQuery documentation:
The off() method removes event handlers that were attached with .on().
But you have handlers set via inline onclick="... attributes. So after the first click you have both an inline onclick="... and a jQuery-bound click handler. Bind the click handlers with jQuery in the first place.
<?php if ($placement['placementStatus'] == Campaign::STATUS_IN_PROGRESS): ?>
<a class="pausebtn btn btn-small" data-placement="<?=$placement['placementTag']?>"
href="#"><i class="elusive-pause"></i></a>
<?php else: ?>
<a class="startbtn btn btn-small" data-placement="<?=$placement['placementTag']?>"
href="#" ><i class="elusive-play"></i></a>
<?php endif; ?>
And then:
$(document).ready(function() {
$("a.pausebtn").click(function() {
var $this = $(this);
pausePlacement($this, $this.attr("data-placement"));
});
$("a.startbtn").click(function() {
var $this = $(this);
startPlacement($this, $this.attr("data-placement"));
});
});
Or, given that your existing functions are almost identical, you can probably combine them to something like this:
$(document).ready(function() {
$("a.pausebtn,a.startbtn").click(function() {
var $this = $(this),
placementTag = $this.attr("data-placement");
$.ajax({
url: '/campaign/'
+ ($this.hasClass("pausebtn") ? 'pausePlacement' : 'startPlacement')
+ '/' + campaignId + '/' + placementTag,
dataType: 'json',
type: 'GET',
success: function(data) {
if(data.responsecode != '1') {
bootbox.alert(data.validationerror);
} else {
$this.toggleClass('btnpause btnstart')
.find('i').toggleClass('elusive-pause elusive-start');
}
}
});
});
});
That is, bind a click handler to whichever of pausebtn and startbtn exists initially. Then within that handler set the URL for the Ajax call according to which class the clicked item has, then on success toggle the classes.
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
Just over a month ago, Chinese smartphone brand Vivo announced the Vivo V7 which is essentially the smaller version of the V7+. Now today, Vivo has announced the Vivo Y75 which comes with design and specifications similar to the V7.
The Vivo Y75 sports bezel-less design which is similar to the V7. It sports a 5.7-inch FullView display having a resolution of 1440 x 720 pixels and an aspect ratio of 18:9. As the bezel are small, there are no capacitive navigation keys or fingerprint scanner below the display.
The fingerprint scanner is located at the back of the phone below which is the Vivo moniker, and above which is the 13 MP primary camera accompanied by LED flash. For selfies and video calls, there’s a 16 MP camera on the front. Well, for those unaware, this is a downgrade from the 16 MP rear and 24 MP front camera found on the V7.
That said, the Vivo Y75 is powered by MediaTek’s Helio P23 SoC that’s laced with 4 GB RAM and backed by Mali-G71 MP2 GPU. The Vivo Y75 also comes with Face Wake feature that lets you unlock the smartphone by looking at it using face recognition.
The Vivo Y75 runs Funtouch OS 3.2 based on Android 7.1 Nougat and has 32 GB of on-board storage which can be expanded up to 256 GB via microSD card. The Y75 is offered in three colors – Gold, Rose Gold and Matter Black, and, comes with a 3000 mAh battery that keeps the lights on. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
[Involvement of salicylic acid and nitric oxide in protective reactions of wheat under the influence of heavy metals].
This article studies the effect of salicylic acid (SA) and nitric oxide (NO) on Triticum aestivum L. wheat plants exposed to the influence of high concentrations of copper and zinc compounds. It is shown that heavy metals (HMs) caused a decrease in the growth parameters in the overground and underground plant parts and contributed to a sharp deterioration in the energy balance and the situation regarding oxidative stress. SA and NO exerted a protective effect, which was expressed in the increased ability to accumulate shoot and root mass, stabilize the energy balance, and reduced lipid peroxidation. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
562 N.E.2d 27 (1990)
William F. KIRTLEY, Phyllis Kirtley and Thomas Garrison, Directors of the Pointe Services Association, Inc., and Terry Pierson, As a Past Director of the Pointe Services Association, Inc., Appellants (Defendants below),
v.
Howard W. McClelland, et al, Appellees (Plaintiffs below). the Pointe Services Association, Inc., Cross-Appellant (Defendant below),
v.
Thomas A. Berry, Esq., Cross-Appellee (As Attorney and in Trust for All Plaintiffs below).
No. 53A01-8912-CV-493.
Court of Appeals of Indiana, First District.
October 31, 1990.
Opinion on Denial of Rehearing February 12, 1991.
*28 William H. Andrews, Michael L. Carmin, Cotner Andrews Mann & Chapman, Bloomington, for appellants.
Thomas A. Berry, Berry & Mills, Bloomington, David A. Reidy, Jr., Gosport, for appellees.
ROBERTSON, Judge.
For the purpose of simplifying the identity of the parties to this appeal, the appellant-defendants will be referred to as the directors or as Kirtley and the appellee-plaintiffs as the Pointe Service Association (PSA). The appellants, William Kirtley, Phyllis Kirtley, Thomas Garrison and Terry Pierson, present or past directors of The Pointe Services Association, Inc., a unit owner's association, appeal from a judgment rendered against them following the bench trial of a shareholders' derivative action. The judgment ordered payment in the sum of approximately $150,000, an accounting and transfer of funds, and ordered payment of attorneys' fees.
We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.
An overview of the basic facts shows that "the Pointe" is a planned residential community built around a golf course and situated on the shore of Lake Monroe. In 1974, Caslon Development Co., the original developer, created the resort community, starting with four independent condominium villages totaling about 250 units. Eventually, plans called for a total of about 1500 residences. To facilitate general community administration, Caslon subjected the development property to certain covenants and restrictions for the benefit of the community as a whole, incorporated PSA, an Indiana not-for-profit corporation, and delegated to PSA responsibility for:
maintaining and administering the common areas and common facilities, administering and enforcing ... covenants and restrictions, establishing a procedure for assessing its members, and disbursing ... charges and assessments.
For the most part, PSA acts through its managing agent to perform these duties. It handles, for example, road maintenance, snow removal, general grounds maintenance, accounting services and repairs on the television system, all through contractors. PSA has no employees or equipment other than a television tower and antennae.
Caslon created two classes of membership in PSA as a means of maintaining control over the development process: class A consisted of the owners of units or residential lots while class B referred to the 1500 potential memberships held by Caslon. If all went as planned, Caslon would gradually relinquish control over PSA as well as ultimate financial responsibility [Caslon paid no dues but was to fund deficits in PSA's annual budget], such that *29 PSA, which had high fixed maintenance and security costs, would become self-funding. In any event, by the terms of the Declaration of Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions (Declaration) Caslon would be out of PSA by January 1, 1990.
However, by 1982, growth of the Pointe had stagnated. Only 344 units had been sold. Financial considerations caused Caslon's successor, Indun Realty, a subsidiary of Indiana National Corporation, to attempt to sell the development. A buyer for the entire project could not be found; but, the country club, 30 residential units, and the golf course were sold to Resort Management Association (RMA), a limited partnership formed by the directors. As part of the agreement to purchase, RMA became the managing agent of PSA.
Development at the Pointe remained slow. Kirtley became concerned that RMA's investment in the club could be devalued by the plans of potential purchasers of the remaining land and so entered into negotiations with Indun to purchase the undeveloped property at the Pointe. Once the purchase had been consummated, in December, 1982, Kirtley formed a partnership, Pointe Development Company (PDC), and conveyed the property to PDC. Indun assigned the 1500 PSA class B memberships to Kirtley who assigned them to PDC and elected appellants Kirtley, his wife Phyllis Kirtley and brother-in-law Pierson the new directors of PSA. PDC began making changes immediately to encourage the sale of additional units. Among the changes, PDC sold tracts to builders and then diverted part of the purchase price to PSA to fund the deficit.
Over time, discontentment grew among the unit owners who were unable to elect board members, had no say in PSA's decision-making, and were unable to exercise any control over PSA assessments or spending. As a consequence, a group of class A unitowners brought this action against the directors alleging a number of irregularities in the management of the Pointe. One of the points of contention concerns payment to RMA for mowing certain easements and other property shared with PSA. Another involves Kirtley's purchase and sale of television satellite equipment. The issues raised in this appeal are as stated hereafter.
I.
Whether the court erred in denying defendant's motion to dismiss the second amended complaint where no Indiana statutory or common law authority exists for a shareholder's derivative suit against a non-profit corporation.
The directors argue first that the court below erred in denying their motion to dismiss in which they asserted that McClelland and the other plaintiffs, as members of a nonprofit corporation, lacked standing to maintain an action on behalf of the corporation. The directors emphasize the absence of express statutory authorization in the Indiana Not-for-Profit Corporation Act of 1971, Ind. Code 23-7-1.1, and case law addressing use of the derivative remedy by members of nonprofit corporations. They urge a narrow reading of Ind. Trial Rule 23.1, arguing that the language "shareholders" refers to "corporation" while "members" used in conjunction with "unincorporated association" refers solely to members of unincorporated associations.
But for being members of a not-for-profit corporation, PSA has stated a cause of action. The appellees have brought the action to recover losses the corporation wrongfully sustained through the allegedly improper actions of its officers and directors, a situation where relief ordinarily would be obtained through suit by the corporation acting to protect its property and interests but the corporation either actually or effectively refuses to institute suit on its own. Hence, the essence of the question before us is simply whether an equitable forum is available to a corporation formed for purposes other than pecuniary gain to redress injury to its property and interests.
Admittedly, few examples of derivative actions brought by members of not-for-profit corporations or incorporated associations can be found in Indiana case law, but see, e.g., Consumers' Gas Trust Co. v. Quinby (7th Cir.1905), 137 F. 882, cert. *30 denied, 198 U.S. 585, 25 S.Ct. 803, 49 L.Ed. 1174 even though corporations organized for purposes other than pecuniary gain have had legislative approval since at least 1901. See e.g. Rev.St. 1889, ch. 79 (Burns' Ann.St. 1901 § 4613). Nonetheless, we are convinced that equitable redress would have been available at common law for members of a nonprofit corporation or an incorporated voluntary association had such plaintiffs sought to utilize it.
First, there is nothing about the remedy itself which warrants distinctive treatment based upon corporate purpose, for a derivative action by nature has as its aim the non-pecuniary benefit of the corporation, not the individual stockholder or member. Scott v. Anderson Newspapers, Inc. (1985), Ind. App., 477 N.E.2d 553, trans. denied; J. Pomeroy, Equity Jurisprudence § 1090 (1941). A stockholder is permitted to sue on behalf of the corporation, not because his rights have been violated, but simply as a means of setting in motion the judicial machinery of the court. The stockholder commences the action and prosecutes it, but in every other respect the action is brought by the corporation; it is maintained directly for the benefit of the corporation and final relief when obtained belongs to the corporation. Pomeroy, § 1095; Dotlich v. Dotlich (1985), Ind. App., 475 N.E.2d 331, 339, trans. denied.
The stockholder plaintiff never has a direct interest in the subject matter of the controversy because he owns no estate, legal or equitable, in the corporation's property. He is permitted, notwithstanding the want of a direct interest, to maintain an action solely to prevent an otherwise complete failure of justice. Pomeroy, § 1095. Equity will not suffer a wrong without a remedy. Dodd v. Reese (1940), 216 Ind. 449, 462, 24 N.E.2d 995, 999. Jurisdiction of a court of equity does not depend upon the mere accident of the court having in some previous case granted relief under similar circumstances. Id. Consequently, courts of equity have granted relief even to a former shareholder of a merged corporation when its equity has been adversely affected by the fraudulent act of an officer or director and means of redress otherwise would be cut off by the merger. Cf. Gabhart v. Gabhart (1977), 267 Ind. 370, 392, 370 N.E.2d 345, 358.
In Indiana, standing is achieved by showing a personal interest in the corporation. Wright v. Floyd (1908), 43 Ind. App. 546, 86 N.E. 971. "Shareholders and stockholders in a corporation, or an interested member, may bring suit on behalf of the corporation to protect the interest of the corporation, and incidentally the interest of the members; but, in doing so, their interest must be shown ..." Id. at 548, 86 N.E. 971.
That such a remedy remains available to members of nonprofit corporations is reflected in the text of T.R. 23.1. This rule is broader than its federal counterpart, extending relief to "shareholders or members or holders of an interest in such shares or membership, legal or equitable, to enforce a right of a corporation or of an unincorporated association ..." Members of nonprofit corporations literally fall within this class; ownership of stock is not an express prerequisite for relief.
Furthermore, T.R. 23.1 expressly assures the availability of derivative actions brought by members of an unincorporated association, giving legal entity treatment to the association when historically, for formalistic reasons, it could not sue or be sued as a jural person at common law. See, e.g., Lafayette Chapter of Property Owners Association v. City of Lafayette (1959), 129 Ind. App. 425, 157 N.E.2d 287. Hence, the rule seeks to facilitate redress where formerly it did not exist, rather than restrict the assessibility of such a remedy.
Finally, the drafters did not explicitly limit T.R. 23.1 to for-profit corporations. The text suggests therefore that the derivative action was not perceived as a procedural vehicle created solely for the benefit of for-profit corporations.
The absence of a statutory procedure for initiating a derivative action by a not-for-profit corporation when one has been affirmatively provided for for-profit corporations does not require the conclusion that statutory authorization is a necessity either. A court of general jurisdiction has *31 inherent equitable power unless a statute either explicitly or by necessary implication provides otherwise. State ex rel. Root v. Circuit Court of Allen County (1972), 259 Ind. 500, 506, 289 N.E.2d 503, 507. The Not-for-Profit Corporation Act does not expressly bar derivative actions by members of a nonprofit corporation.
The directors assert that I.C. 23-7-1.1-65, 66 impart a legislative intent to vest oversight of nonprofit corporations exclusively in public officials. I.C. 23-7-1.1-65 makes an act in excess of a corporation's powers "avoidable at the instance of the prosecuting attorney ... in a direct proceeding instituted by him against the corporation." This section permits a prosecuting attorney, as a representative of the public, to sue the corporation when it acts beyond the scope of the powers conferred by charter. Neither § 65 nor § 66 (which authorizes the state attorney general to bring proceedings for dissolution) speaks to the enforcement of rights belonging to the corporation but of the public's interest in the affairs of the corporation. Neither section expressly or by unmistakable implication purports to preclude a shareholder or member from challenging the binding nature of a corporation's ultra vires act, a right belonging to the member at common law, see Tatman v. Rochester Lodge No. 47 I.O.O.F. (1929), 88 Ind. App. 507, 511, 164 N.E. 718, 720; Pomeroy, § 1093, or to seek a dissolution of the corporation for reasons other than those affecting the corporate charter.
Accordingly, having found nothing in I.C. 23-7-1.1 indicative of a legislative intent to preclude the courts from exercising equitable jurisdiction over actions initiated by members of a non-profit corporation, we conclude the derivative remedy is available. The trial court correctly determined that minority members of PSA have standing to sue.
II.
Whether the court erred by permitting plaintiffs to litigate a cause of action not encompassed within any of the three versions of plaintiffs' complaint and not raised by a pre-trial order, motion or discovery.
At the heart of this issue is the classic tension between the lack of specificity in pleading and the notice pleading concept. In particular, we are dealing with the lost corporate opportunity as it pertains to the distribution of television signals which will be discussed at length in the next issue.
It appears from the record that PSA became aware, to some degree, that the directors had sold the distribution rights of the television signals to Pegasus, a cable television purveyor, during June of 1987. However, it also seems that the implications of that transaction did not dawn on PSA until very shortly before the trial began. As the trial progressed, and it became more apparent that the distribution of television signals was a matter in contention, the directors began objecting to this evidence as being outside of the pleadings. PSA countered that rhetorical paragraph 26 of the pleadings included the distribution of television signal issue. That paragraph reads:
The defendants, PSA Directors, have breached their fiduciary duty to PSA and the PSA Class A Members by providing services, at PSA expense, to businesses owned or controlled by the PSA Directors or to builders who contract with PDC all contrary to Indiana law.
The trial court ruled that the television signal issue was within the scope of the pleadings. The directors made a continuing objection to the evidence.
The directors first argue that the filing of the second amended complaint was contrary to the provisions of T.R. 15(A) which requires leave of court before filing second or subsequent amended complaints. No such leave was obtained by PSA. Our review of the record does not show that the directors objected to the filing of the second amended complaint. If that is so, we are faced with an invited error situation. A party may not take advantage of error which is the natural consequence of his neglect. Stolberg v. Stolberg (1989), Ind. App., 538 N.E.2d 1.
*32 Additionally, the directors did not seek a continuance when faced with the trial court's ruling that the television signal distribution issue was to be tried. When a party objects to evidence because it is outside the issues raised by the pleadings, the question of the utility of a continuance arises. Ayr-Way Stores, Inc. v. Chitwood (1973) 261 Ind. 86, 300 N.E.2d 335. A portion of a motion for a continuance would have been dedicated to showing on the record what specific prejudice would occur to the movant by the addition of a new theory of the case. Id. Obviously we now are denied on review the opportunity to measure the exact harm arising from the directors' claim. Furthermore, when the objecting party bases a claim of prejudice on the argument that he was not prepared to meet the new theory, the proper course for the trial court is to allow an amendment to the pleadings and grant a continuance to allow for adequate preparation to defend against the new theory of recovery. Bank of New York v. Bright (1986), Ind. App., 494 N.E.2d 970; T.R. 15(B). A failure to request the continuance under these circumstances has been held to constitute a waiver of the issue. Id.
Hindsight would allow the observation that neither party handled this matter very well when it came to observing the letter and spirit of T.R. 15(A) and (B).
One other observation about this issue is that the purpose of T.R. 15(A) and (B), within the context of the directors' argument, is to protect a party from being placed at a serious disadvantage. Bright, 494 N.E.2d 970. The directors fail to make a convincing argument as to how they were harmed. It would appear from the record that they had the opportunity to present the desired evidence to defend against the television signal distribution claim. That being the case, no error exists on this issue.
III.
Whether appellant Kirtley breached a fiduciary duty to PSA by appropriating a corporate opportunity when he upgraded the existing television reception system, provided PSA with satellite based cable television and sold the equipment he had purchased with a covenant not to compete to an independent cable company.
The question arises as a consequence of Kirtley's dual role as developer and director/officer. Kirtley wanted to furnish the development with certain amenities which would enhance the resort image and the desirability of the community overall. Television reception without an unsightly array of antennae was one amenity assured the Pointe residents by Caslon.
Caslon precluded individual unit owners from maintaining outside antennae through the Declaration, which encumbered the entire property making up the Pointe. Caslon then purchased and installed master antennae on developer-owned property, laid cable to the exterior of the units, sold the antennae and tower to PSA on contract at 8% interest, and granted PSA an easement to maintain the system. Hence, PSA owned equipment and provided off air television service to its members.
During the first year of the directors' ownership, it became apparent that the off air set up designed by Caslon was not meeting member expectations. Indun had contacted cable television purveyors to determine whether cable television could be provided members, many of whom were investors, at a rate they were willing to pay. Indun's research indicated that members would agree to a $5.00 per month increase in their assessment for cable television but the lowest proposal called for a $7.50 increase per month. After surveying the members to determine whether two-thirds of them would be willing to pay $5.00 per month for four cable channels, Kirtley took it upon himself to upgrade the system, purchasing top-of-the-line modulators, receivers, converters and satellite dishes.
Instead of selling the system to PSA as Caslon had done, Kirtley operated it himself.[1] Kirtley, through PSA, billed the unit *33 owners at the agreed rate which was commercially reasonable and far below the prevailing market rate. Kirtley therefore had no conflict of interest in the provision of service itself which would render the transaction void or voidable. I.C. 23-7-1.1-61. See also, Schemmel v. Hill (1930), 91 Ind. App. 373, 169 N.E. 678.
PSA maintains, however, that Kirtley was obligated at the time he purchased the equipment and began operating the system to obtain the opportunity for PSA as PSA had historically provided television reception service to its members. A corporate fiduciary may not appropriate to his own use a business opportunity that in equity and fairness belongs to the corporation. Hartung v. Architects Hartung/Odle/Burke (1973), 157 Ind. App. 546, 555, 301 N.E.2d 240, 243. Tower Recreation, Inc. v. Beard (1967), 141 Ind. App. 649, 652, 231 N.E.2d 154.
Guth v. Loft, Inc. (1939), 23 Del. Ch. 255, 5 A.2d 503 contains the classic statement of a corporate opportunity:
[W]hen a business opportunity comes to a corporate officer or director in his individual capacity rather than in his official capacity, and the opportunity is one which, because of the nature of the enterprise, is not essential to his corporation, and is one in which it has no interest or expectancy, the officer or director is entitled to treat the opportunity as his own, and the corporation has no interest in it, if, of course, the officer or director has not wrongfully embarked the corporation's resources therein ... On the other hand, ..., if there is presented to a corporate officer or director a business opportunity which the corporation is financially able to undertake, is, from its nature, in the line of the corporation's business and is of practical advantage to it, is one in which the corporation has an interest or a reasonable expectancy, and, by embracing the opportunity, the self-interest of the officer or director will be brought into conflict with that of his corporation, the law will not permit him to seize the opportunity for himself. And, if, in such circumstances, the interests of the corporation are betrayed, the corporation may elect to claim all the benefits of the transaction for itself, and the law will impress a trust in favor of the corporation upon the property, interests and profits so acquired.
5 A.2d at 510-11.
Briefly summarized, the undisputed evidence of record establishes that Kirtley learned of the need for cable television service in his capacity as director/officer of PSA; that PSA was in the business of providing services to its members, among them television reception; and that PSA was about to obtain cable television for its members when the opportunity to provide it arose. The factual issue seems to center upon whether PSA had the capacity both financially and technically to take advantage of the opportunity. The trial court made numerous findings of fact but ultimately found that PSA had the corporate and financial capacity to provide the service which Kirtley supplied in 1983 and 1984.
A complaint alleging a breach of fiduciary duty by converting a corporate opportunity to the fiduciary's benefit places upon the plaintiff the initial burden of establishing that the fiduciary attempted to benefit from a questioned transaction. Once that burden has been met, the law presumes fraud and the burden of proof shifts to the fiduciary to overcome the presumption by showing that his actions were honest and in good faith. Dotlich, 475 N.E.2d at 342.
In essence, the trial court found against Kirtley on the issue upon which he had the burden of proof. Hence, he may not question the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings but may challenge the judgment only as being contrary to law. Id. On appellate review, we must accept the trial court's fact-finding, without reweighing the evidence or reassessing the credibility of witnesses, unless the facts and judgment are clearly erroneous. State Election Bd. v. Bayh (1988), Ind., 521 N.E.2d 1313, 1315. Indeed, the trial court will not be reversed upon the evidence unless there is a total lack of supporting evidence or the evidence is undisputed and *34 leads only to a contrary conclusion. Id.; Dotlich, 475 N.E.2d at 453.
Although there is evidence tending to show that Kirtley purchased the satellite cable system believing at the time that PSA was unable to acquire the system itself without his financial assistance and that it would ultimately be in the best interests of the unit owners to keep assessments as low as possible in order to promote sales, the record also shows that the planned development concept undertaken by Kirtley contemplated developer deficit funding regardless of major capital expenditures financed by member assessments and reserves. The Declaration permits increases in annual assessments and special assessments for the purpose of defraying replacement costs of a capital improvement. PSA had 344 assessment paying members at the end of 1983. The evidence showed Kirtley made $10,367 in profit in the six months he operated the system. The equipment and engineering support cost him $13,157. With the increased assessment of $5.00 per unit per month approved by the directors for 1984, the system and costs of operation would have paid for themselves in less than a year. The effect upon unit sales as compared to the third party purveyor method surely would have been negligible. Moreover, it is undisputed and the trial court found that PSA's options simply were not explored or considered. Though Kirtley had no duty to finance the project, Caslon, a subsidiary of Indiana National Corp., was willing to finance the first system at a rate advantageous to the members. Another investor might have emerged had PSA actively sought one. As for technical expertise, Kirtley acquired it by paying for it. PSA could have taken the same approach. After all, it had Kirtley's skills, as a director and through RMA.
Kirtley argues that the trial court's special findings are inadequate to sustain the judgment because the court failed to state specifically the opportunity misappropriated by Kirtley and the resulting breach of fiduciary duty. This argument refers at least in part to PSA's contention that Kirtley misappropriated both a corporate opportunity and a corporate asset, namely, PSA's distribution rights when Kirtley exchanged, on behalf of PSA, the exclusive right to distribute cable television at the Pointe for a service contract with Pegasus on the same day he sold his equipment and a covenant not to compete for $120,000.
Whether a trial court's findings of fact are adequate depends upon whether they are sufficient to disclose a valid basis under the issues for the legal result reached in the judgment and whether they are supported by evidence of probative value. Ridenour v. Furness (1987), Ind. App., 504 N.E.2d 336, 339, affirmed and vacated, 514 N.E.2d 273; College Life Insurance Co. v. Austin (1984), Ind. App., 466 N.E.2d 738, 742. Although conclusions of law are useful in delineating the theories upon which the trial court relied, as a general rule they do not change our scope of review which is to affirm the trial court on any possible basis supported by the factual findings. Havert v. Caldwell (1983), Ind., 452 N.E.2d 154, 157.
The trial court's factual findings, all supported by the record, that PSA owned the off air system and cable distribution at the Pointe;[2] that Kirtley purchased his system and began providing service while bids were being accepted and negotiations were being conducted; that Kirtley provided service without a written contract or disclosing to class A members that he was supplying the service to which they had subscribed; that the total cost of installation and amounts due signal providers was significantly less than yearly assessments or the balance of Indun funding after proper credits; and that the PSA directors gave no consideration to obtaining either authorization for a capital assessment to purchase the equipment or financing for the purchases as Caslon had done, disclose a valid basis for concluding that Kirtley appropriated an opportunity belonging to PSA by purchasing and placing in operation satellite receiving equipment. Profits generated from the operation of the system are *35 benefits of the transaction itself which would have accrued to PSA had Kirtley not diverted the opportunity to himself.
Kirtley maintains that monies received on the sale of the equipment and covenant not to compete do not belong to the corporation. The trial court awarded PSA $117,210, the total profit on the operation and sale, on the theory that the noncompetition agreement was a sham and the $100,000 paid for it was akin to a premium or commission for bringing PSA's business to Pegasus. Kirtley insists that the evidence does not support the trial court's findings in that there is no evidence PSA had exclusive rights to distribute the cable signal at the Pointe.
We have carefully considered this contention and Kirtley's assertion that the noncompetition contract had value independent of the exclusive right to distribute given by PSA, and agree. The record does not sustain the trial court's ultimate findings in this regard.
The trial court's conclusions of law on this issue are as follows:
William Kirtley signed the PSA Cable Television Services Contract and the Sales Contract with Pegasus. The PSA contract giving Pegasus the exclusive right to operate a cable television system on The Pointe renders Kirtley's covenant not to compete with Pegasus at The Pointe worthless. Quite simply, Kirtley had nothing to sell. He was precluded from competing at The Pointe with Pegasus by the exclusive right given to Pegasus by PSA. Craig Brubaker of Pegasus testified that he pays a premium to a developer for the right of distribution and the amount is based on the anticipated profits to be made. It is in the nature of a "commission" or a "finders fee." The inclusion of a non-compete clause in the Sales Contract was nothing more than a means to pay William Kirtley for bringing PSA's business to Pegasus. William Kirtley intentionally appropriated PSA's fee for himself and did not in good faith and openly deal with the corporation and its members.
The trial court's conclusions are supported by the critical factual finding that the PSA/Pegasus contract "acknowledged that PSA `controls the distribution of cable television signals' at The Pointe and by its terms grants to Pegasus `the exclusive right ... to operate a cable television system' at The Pointe."
What the PSA/Pegasus contract says is that PSA "controls the distribution of cable television signals within certain real estate located in Monroe County, Indiana, upon which real estate is located a complex of individual residential units generally and commonly known as the Pointe." (Emphasis supplied.) By the terms of the PSA/Pegasus contract, PSA controls distribution to a complex of individual residential units; it does not control distribution to all of the property subjected to the Declaration, including undeveloped land held by PDC.[3] Indeed, PSA exercises power of administration only over the common areas and common facilities, defined by the Declaration as "all real property owned by the Association for the benefit, use and enjoyment of its members and all facilities and real property leased by the Association or wherein the Association has acquired rights by means of contract or this Declaration." Cable "facilities" as they existed extended only to completed units. Though zoning requirements might stand in PDC's way, nowhere in the Declaration or the warranty deed did Caslon restrict the Pointe residential community to owner occupied condominium units. While owners of "units" or "lots" automatically acquire class A membership, PDC is expressly excepted. It pays an assessment only on rental "units." As the record indicates, other options, such as a trailer park, though not attractive to RMA, exist for the land. And, PDC owns the common roadways reaching the undeveloped tracts.
Hence, a sizable potential secondary market does exist at the Pointe. Kirtley's agreement not to compete with Pegasus "in the operation of a satellite cable television *36 system in the residential properties developed at the Pointe" has value and may have had value to Pegasus' Brubaker who contracted with PSA with the expectation "that it was going to be a growing market."
The record therefore does not support the trial court's conclusions that Kirtley had nothing to sell and his covenant not to compete was worthless. Whether the $100,000 paid Kirtley also included a commission for bringing PSA business to Pegasus we cannot discern from the record. No one asked Brubaker why he offered $100,000 above the price of the equipment. We will not speculate solely based upon the testimony of Brubaker, that incentives are sometimes paid to the developer by Pegasus, that one actually was paid here.
The trial court erred in its determination that the $120,000 from the sale of the equipment and covenant not to compete belonged to PSA. It was correct, however, in awarding PSA the $10,367 profit Kirtley made operating the system.[4]
IV.
Whether the court erred by enforcing a covenant in the golf course deed of conveyance from Indun to RMA, requiring RMA to maintain at its expense the nonpaved area of an easement granted it by Indun.
At trial, PSA maintained that the directors breached their fiduciary duties to the corporation by expending sums for mowing easements which RMA was required to maintain at its own expense. In support of this position, PSA offered the warranty deed which conveyed the golf course subject to the easements granted PSA. That deed contains the following provision:
Grantor hereby also grants and transfers to Grantee, for the benefit of the Real Estate conveyed hereby, a private, non-exclusive surface easement for the purpose of affording Grantee ... necessary access to the Real Estate upon and across the easements . .. (The "Roadway Easements") heretofore granted by Grantor or its predescessor, Caslon Development Company, to the Pointe Service Association, Inc. By its acceptance of this Deed, Grantee agrees to mow the grass upon, and otherwise maintain in a sightly appearance, the nonpaved portions of said Roadway Easements.
Kirtley acknowledges the duty to mow the easement but claims that the parties intended to provide for mowing without shifting the expense. Kirtley also argues that PSA, not being a third party beneficiary to the agreement to mow, had no standing to enforce the covenant.
The trial court found the covenant to be clear and unambiguous in requiring RMA to mow the roadway easement at its own expense. It also concluded from the warranty deed, Declaration and PSA's easements that PSA stands "in the position of a third-party beneficiary of the mowing condition to which RMA's Roadway Easement is subject."
The object of deed construction is to ascertain the intent of the parties. Brown v. Penn Central Corp. (1987), Ind., 510 N.E.2d 641, 643. Where there is no ambiguity in the deed, the intention of the parties must be determined from the language of the deed alone. Id. However, it is the court's obligation and duty in determining the intention of the parties to consider their intentions in the light of the surrounding circumstances which existed at the time it was made. The court should consider the nature of the agreement, together with all facts and circumstances leading up to the execution of the contract, the relation of the parties, the nature and situation of the subject matter, and the apparent purpose of making the contract. Rieth-Riley Construction Co. v. Auto-Owners Mutual Ins. Co. (1980), Ind. App., 408 N.E.2d 640, 645 (citing Standard Land Corp. v. Bogardus (1972), 154 Ind. App. 283, 289 N.E.2d 803, 823.)
*37 Kirtley points out that the deed does not state in explicit terms that the cost of mowing was to be assumed by RMA. But by necessary implication, it was part and parcel of the conveyance of the easement. Had the parties intended any other arrangment, the deed either would have been silent, leaving the arrangement a matter of contract, or it would surely have stated that responsibility for maintenance of the nonpaved portions of the easement was to be shared. We agree with the trial court that no other reasonable interpretation can be accorded the language of the deed.
Our conclusion is underscored by the circumstances existing at the time the sale transpired. As part of the sale of the golf course to RMA, Indun agreed to transfer the golf course mowing equipment which it had been using since 1975 to mow areas where the playable golf course did not meet the access roads. (This situation occurred at least 50% of the time.) Indun had already conveyed to PSA the roadway easements with the responsibility for maintaining the road surface but because of the proposed sale to RMA, Indun no longer would have access to the special equipment and high-powered mowers needed to maintain the grassy and rocky areas adjacent to the roadways but part of the easement. Testimony from the golf course superintendent established that it was fairly easy for golf course employees to take a path wide enough to pick up the areas along the road when they mowed the golf course. Given the ease of maintenance for RMA and its possession of the equipment, it makes sense that Indun would transfer responsibility for the nonpaved portions of the easement to RMA as consideration for the easement.[5]
Similarly, we are of the opinion that the trial court correctly determined PSA to be a third party beneficiary of the agreement. One not a party to an agreement may nonetheless enforce it by demonstrating that the parties intended to protect him under the agreement by the imposition of a duty in his favor. Garco Industrial Equipment Co. v. Mallory (1985), Ind. App., 485 N.E.2d 652, 654, trans. denied. To be enforceable, it must clearly appear that it was the purpose or a purpose of the contract to impose an obligation on one of the contracting parties in favor of the third party. Jackman Cigar Manufacturing Co. v. John Berger & Son Co. (1944), 114 Ind. App. 437, 445, 52 N.E.2d 363, 367. It is not enough that performance of the contract would be of benefit to the third party. It must appear that it was the intention of one of the parties to require performance of some part of it in favor of such third party and for his benefit, and that the other party to the agreement intended to assume the obligation thus imposed. Id. The intent of the parties should be gathered from the terms of the contract itself, considered in its entirety against the background of the circumstances known at the time of execution. Id.; see also, Mogensen v. Martz (1982), Ind. App., 441 N.E.2d 34, 35. However, the intent of the parties to benefit a third party is not to be tested by a rule any more strict or different than their intention as to other terms of the contract, Freigy v. Gargaro Co., Inc. (1945), 223 Ind. 342, 349, 60 N.E.2d 288, 291 (citing Nash Engineering Co. v. Marcy Realty Corp. (1944), 222 Ind. 396, 416, 54 N.E.2d 263, 271); it can be shown by specifically naming the third party or by other evidence. Russell v. Posey County Dept. of Public Welfare (1984), Ind. App., 471 N.E.2d 1209, 1211, trans. denied.
At the time of the Indun-RMA conveyance, PSA had responsibility for maintaining the central road system, and the common areas and facilities. Consequently, Indun, which had control of PSA at the time by its class B membership, must have been bargaining for PSA. Furthermore, as the trial court observed, Indun envisioned ownership *38 of the roadways by PSA. It demonstrated this intent expressly in the Declaration. In light of these circumstances, it is apparent that Indun not only intended to benefit PSA, it intended to impose an obligation in favor of PSA. Indeed, any benefit accruing to Indun was indirect at best because, whether by virtue of the easements or the Declaration, Indun intended and did delegate maintenance of the Roadway Easements to PSA.
For these reasons, we conclude the trial court correctly determined that the directors wrongfully expended PSA funds for mowing expenses, thereby breaching a fiduciary duty to the corporation.
V.
Whether the trial court erred in compounding prejudgment interest.
Since we reverse on the third issue, resulting in a change of the money judgment, the need to recalculate prejudgment interest exists. The trial court is directed to the following from Northern Indiana Public Service Co. v. Citizens Action Coalition (1989), Ind., 548 N.E.2d 153, 161, dismissed, 476 U.S. 1137, 106 S.Ct. 2239, 90 L.Ed.2d 687:
The Court of Appeals addressed the issue of compound interest as damages in Indiana Telephone Corp. v. Indiana Bell Telephone Co. (1977), 171 Ind. App. 616, 638, 641, 360 N.E.2d 610, 612 (on rehearing), and quoted from 11 Williston on Contracts, § 1417 at 638 (3d ed. 1968): "The general rule is that compound interest is not allowed as damages." We adopt that general rule, and since the interest award here is based on the right to receive interest as damages, we hold that the interest should not be compounded but calculated as simple interest.
The trial court should compute the prejudgment interest herein accordingly.
VI.
Whether the court erred in ordering defendants to reimburse PSA for attorneys' fees incurred in defending this cause where no evidence of such expense was introduced and where defendants were entitled to indemnification pursuant to Indiana statute and within the terms of the Declaration and PSA By-laws.
The trial court made an award of a little over $60,000 in attorneys' fees to the property owners which was to be paid by the directors. The primary factors prompting the attorneys' fees appear to be the directors' intentional breach of their fiduciary duty and willful misconduct in performing their duties. Because we reverse the trial court on the distribution of television signals question, a substantial change in the award of attorneys' fees is required. As a result, we remand on this issue with instructions to hold a hearing and receive evidence from both sides on the matter of attorneys' fees.
PSA raises two issues on cross-appeal:
VII.
The trial court incorrectly failed to award [PSA] damages for PSA funds improperly spent by PSA directors to provide security services to non-PSA businesses in which PSA directors had an interest.
We note that PSA appeals from a negative judgment on this issue and that the issue can only be attacked as contrary to law. The trial court's judgment will be affirmed if it is sustainable on any legal theory. Naderman v. Smith (1987), Ind. App., 512 N.E.2d 425.
The facts show that the nighttime security guards were paid by PSA and that they patrolled the entire complex which included property owned by PDC and others. PSA sought reimbursement for their security expenditures to the extent that nighttime security benefited other parties. The trial court made a finding that PDC and others had benefitted from the security patrols but the evidence on the calculation of damages was "problematic" and, as a result, no damages were awarded to PSA on this issue.
On appeal, PSA argues several possible theories or formulas which could have been used to reach a dollar amount for damages. It is our observation that the evidence presented by PSA on this issue failed to *39 provide plausible theories to support a calculation of damages.
In reference to the trial court's finding that damages were not susceptible of calculation we believe that the following, from Indiana University v. Indiana Bonding & Sur. Co. (1981), Ind. App., 416 N.E.2d 1275, 1288, is appropriate:
To support an award of compensatory damages, facts must exist and be shown by the evidence which afford a legal basis for measuring the plaintiff's loss. The damages must be susceptible of ascertainment in some manner other than by mere speculation, conjecture or surmise and must be referenced to some fairly definite standard, such as market value, established experience, or direct inference from known circumstances. (Citations omitted.)
A review of the evidence on this issue sustains the trial court's finding.
VIII.
The trial court erroneously refused to consider PSA's request for treble damages.
In its motion to correct error, PSA made a request for treble damages pursuant to I.C. XX-X-XX-X. This was the first mention of treble damages in the course of the proceedings. PSA defends this belated request, in part, on the basis that it did not know of Kirtley's appropriation of the television signal fees to himself until the second day of trial. Previously recounted facts would indicate that PSA was aware of the situation somewhat earlier than after final judgment.
It is fundamental that a party may not raise an issue in the motion to correct error which was not raised in the trial court. Allen v. Scherer (1983), Ind. App., 452 N.E.2d 1031. PSA's failure to timely advise the trial court of its request for the treble damages must result in waiver.
CONCLUSION
We reverse the judgment insofar as it awards damages associated with the sale of cable television distribution rights. We reverse and remand with instructions to hold a hearing on attorneys' fees. We affirm in all other respects.
RATLIFF, C.J., and MILLER, J., concur.
OPINION ON REHEARING
ROBERTSON, J.
The petitions for rehearing filed by the appellant and appellee are in all things denied. We write only for the purpose of clarifying that it was and is our intent, as stated in the majority opinion, to remand the cause to the trial court for plenary consideration of all attorney fee questions.
RATLIFF, C.J. and MILLER, P.J., concur.
NOTES
[1] Art. II, § 3 of the Declaration reserves in the developer the right, but not the obligation, to convey to PSA such recreational facilities and other amenities as it deems desirable.
[2] The evidence shows PSA controlled the distribution and that it owned the tower and antennae. Whether it also paid for the cable and installation is not apparent from the record.
[3] After the sale in December, 1982, PDC and RMA held better than two-thirds of the real estate at the Pointe.
[4] We reach this conclusion without assessing any weight to Brubaker's testimony that he never pays a homeowners' association for the right to distribute cable television signals. The consideration for the right comes in the form of the rate to be paid and the level of service to be provided.
[5] We acknowledge the testimony in the record concerning Indun's oral agreement with RMA but have not considered it in resolution of this issue for, as the trial court observed, in the absence of fraud or mistake, all prior or contemporaneous negotiations or executory agreements, written or oral, leading up to the execution of a deed are merged therein by the grantee's acceptance of the conveyance in performance thereof, and any variance or inconsistencies therein must yield to the language of the last document. Stack v. Commercial Towel & Uniform Service, Inc. (1950), 120 Ind. App. 483, 492, 91 N.E.2d 790, 794.
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In Natural Born Heroes, Chris McDougall’s follow-up to his bestselling Born to Run, he tells the story of Churchill’s “dirty tricksters”. This makeshift squad – comprising such unlikely heroes as English archaeologists, artists and poets alongside local resistance fighters – helped resist the Nazi invasion of Crete by kidnapping a German general and bustling him on foot across the tiny, uneven tracks that network the island.
Modern trail runners can retrace these historic steps – there is even an ultra race that traces all 156.2km of it.
It is safe to say that stopping en route for a bit of R&R by a hotel pool probably was not on the resistance agenda, but a stay in Daios Cove today does not require a heroic effort of will. In fact, it is a wonderful base for exploring local paths before recovering by the sea or the pool with a glass of something cold. As for the food – well, a few more days at the hotel and I’dI would have had to enter that ultra race after all, just to burn it off. The hotel is in the north-east of the island, near Agios Nikolaos, about an hour’s drive from Heraklion airport.
When I mentioned to friends that I was heading for a few days in Crete, I received a few warnings about attempting to run while I was there. “Insane drivers” and “feral dogs” were muttered about. But over the course of four runs on the roads and paths around the hotel, I barely saw a car – and the only dogs I encountered were behind fences on private properties.
If you are feeling just a tiny bit heroic, though, there are some very steep paths for bashing out hill reps. Being solo, I mostly stuck to the tarmac; those venturing on to the trails should consider the uneven terrain, stony paths and sharp undergrowth when choosing footwear.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Yoga time at Daios Cove.
Crete’s temperature is good for warm-weather training – with the emphasis on warm. The best times to head oudoors are first thing and just before sunset. The best way to run is to tackle hills: the terrain is more suited to short, sharp reps than long, steady runs. Those who prefer air con and a rubber belt, though, are well catered for in the hotel’s gym, which is unusually large and well equipped; it includes treadmills with a view over the ocean. There is also a deck area where you can stretch out, either by yourself or in one of the hotel’s yoga classes.
By far the top attraction for tired legs, however, is the fact that every room at Daios Cove has its own pool. Sure, they are small – the size of a large balcony – but cooling down your legs in unheated water just five steps from your bed is blissful. Of course, there is also the sea to swim or dive in, plus a larger pool if you want to do lengths. Watching the sun set from that pool – or the veranda restaurants – is the perfect end to an active holiday day. Or, indeed, any holiday day.
Running further afield
Exploring Crete requires a car, but a trip to Samariá Gorge is a must. You have to be a seasoned trail runner – or a mountain goat – to run much of it, but even walking it is a proper training effort. On a previous visit to Crete, years before, I hiked down (not even up) the gorge and could barely walk to the plane home the next day. Admittedly, I wasn’t very fit at the time, but believe me: those aches were real.
Those seeking a goal more specific than “justifying another large portion of Daios Cove’s amazing homemade ice-cream” (although I would say that is a worthy goal in itself) may want to investigate the Crete half marathon, which in 2018 falls on Sunday 7 October. It takes place in central Crete, passing through small villages and olive groves and vineyards.
•Kate Carter stayed at Daios Cove. Some suggested trail runs can be found here. | {
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An ongoing demand exists for action toys having novel features. It is of course important that any such toy be effective in its appearance and operation, while being durable and relatively facile and inexpensive to manufacture. The prior art discloses numerous forms of action toys in which various parts can be moved in different ways. Typical are the following U.S. patents:
Iwao U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,346 discloses a turtle-like toy wherein the head is mounted for extension by spring power. This is achieved by actuation of plural-mode releasing means, which serves to actuate each of several movable parts.
In the amusement game device of Ulrich et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,327, the tail of the dragon-like figure disclosed is manipulated to cause its neck to curl upwardly and rearwardly.
Rhodes U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,552 shows an animated figure wherein a body-mounted blade is caused to extend the head as the upper and lower torso sections are rotated relative to one another.
Mednick et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,67l discloses a toy figure wherein the neck can be held frictionally in any of a number of extended positions, due to eccentric disposition of a heavy portion of the skull attached to it.
Baxter U.S. Pat. No. 188,841 discloses a toy in the form of a simulated tortoise, wherein each of two pieces includes a pair of legs, the pieces being pivotable within the body and actuated by a spring-operated propelling wheel.
Woerner U.S. Pat. No. 699,780 shows a foot rest in the form of a turtle, wherein a lazy-tongs arrangement serves to actuate simulated legs.
Musselwhite et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,614,365 and Pelunis U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,008 both disclose dolls in which spring-mounted arms may be actuated in an embracing movement.
Ikeda U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,615 provides a mechanical turtle having legs and a head that extend and retract, and a tail that spins.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel toy figure having a unique action feature in the form of an extensible and thrusting head portion.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such a figure wherein a unique mechanism is provided for effecting such action.
An additional object of the invention is to provide such a toy, particularly in the form of a creature figure, which is effective in its appearance and operation, is durable, and is relative facile and inexpensive to manufacture. | {
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Boeing will eliminate about 4,000 jobs in its commercial airplanes division by the middle of this year as it looks to control costs, a company spokesman told Reuters on Tuesday.
The planemaker will reduce 1,600 positions through voluntary layoffs, while the rest are expected to be done by leaving open positions unfilled, spokesman Doug Alder said.
"While there is no employment reduction target, the more we can control costs as a whole the less impact there will be to employment," Alder said. | {
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You are here:Home > Americas > GAATES Design of Public Spaces Course Re-launched!
GAATES Design of Public Spaces Course Re-launched!
Americas, Built Environment, News, June 22 2018
ONTARIO, CANADA: The Global Alliance for Assistive Technology and Environments (GAATES) has re-launched the Design of Public Spaces (DOPS) online course to a new platform housed on the GAATES website at http://courses.gaates.org
This accessible online course provides a comprehensive orientation to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Accessibility Standard for the Design of Public Spaces. With development funding through Ontario’s Enabling Change Program, it was initially targeted to design professionals practicing in Ontario. The content is based on Universal Design principles and can be applied in many other regions outside of Ontario. It is available to members of the organizations below to achieve development credits, as well as individuals with an interest in making public spaces universally accessible.
On completion of the course, participants will understand the scope, application criteria and technical requirements of the accessibility standard, as well as their professional obligations to comply with this regulation within Ontario.
Course topics include:
Overview of the regulation
Definition for Public Spaces
Compliance obligations – who needs to comply and by when
Technical design requirements for the Public Spaces that are regulated including:
Gallery
About Us
The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES) is the leading international organization dedicated to promoting the understanding and implementation of accessibility of the sustainable More information about GAATES | {
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Kiril Dojčinovski
Kiril "Kiro" Dojčinovski (Macedonian: Kиpил Kиpo Дojчинoвcки; born 14 October 1943) is a Macedonian former footballer.
Playing career
Club career
Dojčinovski started playing in the youth team of FK Vardar in 1958. He successfully made his way into the senior squad, and after a few seasons he made a transfer to Red Star Belgrade. During his club career he played for Vardar Skopje, Crvena Zvezda, Troyes and Paris FC. With Red Star he won one Yugoslav championship and one cup.
International career
Dojčinovski had earned caps for the cadet, youth, Olympic and B Yugoslav national teams before debuting for the main senior national team.
He earned six caps for the Yugoslavia national football team and participated in the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
Managerial career
Dojčinovski later became a manager and coached the El Salvador national football team on two occasions. He also coached several clubs from El Salvador, Greece and Macedonia.
Personal life
In 2009, both of his legs were amputated due to complications from gangrene.
Honours
As player:
Red Star Belgrade
Yugoslav First League: 4
Winner:1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1972-73
Yugoslav Cup: 3
Winner:1967-68, 1969-70, 1970-71
Mitropa Cup: 1
Winner: 1967-68
Iberico Trophy Badajoz: 1
Winner: 1971
Trofeo Costa del Sol: 1
Winner: 1973
Trofeo Naranja: 1
Winner: 1973
UEFA Champions League:
Semi-finalists: 1970-71
Quarter-finalists: 1973-74
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup:
Quarter-finalists: 1971-72
As coach:
C.D.Luis Angel Firpo
Primera: 2
Winner: 1991-92, 1992–93
Runner-up: 1995-96
Notes
References
External links
Career story at FFM
laprensa.com
Category:1943 births
Category:Living people
Category:Macedonian footballers
Category:Yugoslav footballers
Category:Yugoslavia international footballers
Category:1974 FIFA World Cup players
Category:FK Vardar players
Category:Red Star Belgrade footballers
Category:Troyes AC players
Category:Paris FC players
Category:Macedonian football managers
Category:Sportspeople from Skopje
Category:Macedonian expatriate footballers
Category:Yugoslav expatriate footballers
Category:Expatriate footballers in France
Category:Yugoslav First League players
Category:Ligue 1 players
Category:Expatriate football managers in El Salvador
Category:El Salvador national football team managers
Category:FK Vardar managers
Category:C.D. Luis Ángel Firpo managers
Category:Iraklis Thessaloniki F.C. managers
Category:Association football defenders | {
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Takis Evdokas
Takis Evdokas (; 19 June 1928 – 12 February 2020) was a Greek Cypriot far-right politician, psychiatrist and writer. He was the founder of the Democratic National Party which advocated union of Cyprus and Greece (Enosis).
References
Category:1928 births
Category:2020 deaths
Category:People from Limassol
Category:Leaders of political parties in Cyprus
Category:Greek Cypriot writers
Category:Cypriot politicians | {
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Q:
How do I change the Unit:Characters in Matlab?
For portability, I set the units of my GUIs to 'characters'. Now I have a user who wants to use Matlab on his netbook, and the GUI window is larger than the screen (and thus cropped at the top).
I think I could try and write something in the openingFcn of the GUI that measures screen size and then adjusts the GUI accordingly, but I'd rather avoid that, because I then need to deal with text that is bigger than the text boxes, etc.
What I'd rather like to do is somehow adjust the unit 'character' on his Matlab installation. None of the font sizes in the preferences seem to have an effect on unit:character, though. Does anyone know whether there's a setting for that, which can be changed from within Matlab (I don't mind if it's something that is reset at every reboot, since I can just put it into the startup script)?
A:
Might I suggest an alternative to consider when designing your GUI:
Create all of your GUI objects with the 'FontUnits' property set to 'normalized'.
Create the figure with a default size, with everything set to look the way you want.
Set one or more of the CreateFcn/OpeningFcn/ResizeFcn functions so they will resize the GUI to fit the screen size.
When the GUI and its objects are resized, the text will resize accordingly, thus helping to avoid text that ends up bigger than the text boxes. One thing to keep note of is that normalized units for the font will interpret the value of 'FontSize' property as a fraction of the height of the uicontrol. I also make it a habit to set the 'FontName' property to 'FixedWidth' to help control the width of the text.
| {
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A known image forming apparatus includes a developing device unit, and a belt unit and a drum unit that are disposed above the developing device unit. To prevent the developing device unit from interfering with the drum unit when the developing device unit is drawn, the image forming apparatus is configured to move the drum unit upward and downward in response to the opening and closing movements of an upper cover of the image forming apparatus. After the upper cover is opened to retract the drum unit upward, a front cover of the image forming apparatus is opened to withdraw the developing device unit. | {
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Q:
Web API Design: Form POST'ing key-value pairs: JSON or checkbox style?
Design question for RESTful APIs: one of the input parameters to my API (that is, the data sent from the client to my API) is a dictionary (hash / key-value pairs). What's the best way to encode this so that the API can be easily invoked from web pages as well as scripts/programming languages?
My first thought was to json encode the object, something like this:
var data = {a:'one', b:'two'};
form_paramter_x = JSON.stringify(data);
and decode on the server:
data = simplejson.loads( request.POST['form_paramter_x'] )
The alternative would be to encode as key-value pairs html-form-checkbox style:
form_param_x=a:one&form_param_x=b:two
The latter alternative would require ad-hoc parsing of the key and value (the "a:one" part), and generally seems less clean, but also seems closer to a basic HTML form, which is probably a good thing.
Which of these is cleaner? Or is there another better alternative?
A:
If you're designing your API for other parties to use, I'd consider what is going to be easiest for them to encode for. JSON is widely supported these days, so that isn't a deal breaker. In the end, I'd go w/ whichever is easier for your clients to code. Emotionally, I'm leaning towards the JSON encoding.
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
market signal
Indication or information passed passively or unintentionally between participants in a market. For example, a firm issuing bonds indirectly indicates that it needs capital and that there are reasons (such as desire to retain control of the firm) for which it prefers loan capital over equity capital. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
#
# obj_use.R, 27 Feb 20
# Data from:
# The New C Standard: An Economic and Cultural Commentary
# Derek M. Jones
#
# Example from:
# Evidence-based Software Engineering: based on the publicly available data
# Derek M. Jones
#
# TAG C variable_read variable_write function_variable-use
source("ESEUR_config.r")
library("plyr")
plot_layout(2, 1)
plot_points=function(df, t_lty)
{
lines(df$objects, df$occurrences, col=df$col_str[1], lty=t_lty)
}
ext_int_loc=function(df, x_str)
{
pal_col=rainbow(3)
df$col_str[grepl("loc_", df$use)]=pal_col[1]
df$col_str[grepl("ext_", df$use)]=pal_col[2]
df$col_str[grepl("int_", df$use)]=pal_col[3]
acc=subset(df, subset=grepl("_access", df$use))
mod=subset(df, subset=grepl("_modify", df$use))
plot(0.5, type="n", log="y",
xaxs="i", yaxs="i",
xlim=c(0, 50), ylim=c(1, 1e5),
xlab=x_str, ylab="Functions\n")
legend(x="topright", legend=c("Function", "External", "File"), bty="n", fill=pal_col, cex=1.2)
d_ply(acc, .(use), plot_points, 1)
d_ply(mod, .(use), plot_points, 2)
}
# ext - external linkage, e.g., extern
# int - internal linkage, e.g., static
# loc - locals (technically no linkage)
# ind references to the same object (cannot remember what ind means)
ou=read.csv(paste0(ESEUR_dir, "sourcecode/obj_use.csv.xz"), as.is=TRUE)
tot_use=subset(ou, subset=!grepl("^ind_", ou$use))
ind_use=subset(ou, subset=grepl("^ind_", ou$use))
loc_use=subset(ou, subset=grepl("loc_", ou$use))
ext_int_loc(ind_use, "References to same variable")
ext_int_loc(tot_use, "References to all variable")
| {
"pile_set_name": "Github"
} |
1999 Commonwealth of Independent States Cup
The 1999 Commonwealth of Independent States Cup was the seventh edition of the competition between the champions of former republics of Soviet Union. It was won by Spartak Moscow for the fourth time.
Format change
Starting with this edition of the tournament, all participating nations were split into two divisions. Eight nations which were represented in 1998 Cup quarterfinals were included in the Top Division, while the other seven nations included in the First Division. This format lasted for three years (1999–2001), before being reverted to the previous format (used from 1996 till 1998). The change was implemented to reduce the number of non-competitive games between opponents with big strength gap, such as 1998 match between Spartak Moscow and Vakhsh Qurghonteppa, which was won by the Russian side with a record-setting score 19–0.
Top Division: In the First Round, eight participants are split into two groups (A and B). Nations, whose representatives finish last in their groups, are being relegated to the First Division for the next season. Two best-placed clubs from each group will advance to the Semifinal Round, with two games between the clubs advanced from the same group being carried over from the First Round. In the Semifinal Round, clubs will play two games against two teams which qualified from the opposing First Round group. Two best clubs of the Semifinal Round table advance to the Final match.
First Division: Seven nations of the First Division are split into two groups (C and D). Unofficial participant Russia U21 national team is added to one of the groups, but their games are not counted for the official table. Nations, whose representatives win their groups, are being promoted to the Top Division for the next season.
Participants
1 FBK Kaunas replaced Žalgiris Vilnius (league's top team at the winter break), who withdrew after delegating most of its players to the national youth teams during tournament's time frame.
2 Dinamo Tbilisi were represented by youth/reserve players.
3 Tulevik Viljandi participated as a farm club of Flora Tallinn (1998 Estonian champions).
4 Spartak-2 Moscow replaced Pakhtakor Tashkent (1998 Uzbek champions), who withdrew along with other Uzbek teams.
First Division
Group C
Unofficial table
Official table
Moldova promoted to the Top Division
Results
Group D
Unofficial table
Official table
Armenia promoted to the Top Division
Results
Top Division
Group A
Georgia relegated to First Division
Results
Group B
Turkmenistan relegated to First Division
Results
Final rounds
Semifinal
Two results carried over from the First Round: Dynamo v Skonto 4–3 and Spartak v Kaunas 2–0
Results
Final
Top scorers
References
External links
1999 CIS Cup at rsssf.com
1999 CIS Cup at football.by
1999 CIS Cup at kick-off.by
1999
Category:1999 in Russian football
Category:1998–99 in Ukrainian football
Category:1998–99 in European football | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Article Surfing Archive
Acupuncture And Depression - Is It Effective? - Articles Surfing
Are you severely or mildly depressed and wondering about acupuncture and depression? According to research and case studies, acupuncture is effective in treating depression. But, did you know that there is a way to treat the depression without the needles? More on that later.
It appears that the most effective treatment for depression is medication. After all it works. I've used medication for both depression and anxiety and have had phenomenal success in both cases. However, I prefer to use natural remedies whenever possible because medications do have side effects and also introduce toxic elements into the body.
So what about acupuncture and depression? The good news is there is some scientific research that supports the effectiveness of acupuncture in decreasing the severity of depression in patients. Remember that medical research doesn't really 'prove' anything, it just supports claims. It is really hard to conclusively prove claims.
Anyway, this study was conducted by the National Institute of Health in 1998. I will not bore you with the design of the study. You can look up the study and read that for yourself. I'll just share the results it found on acupuncture and depression. In this controlled experiment, all the participants that received acupuncture for depression collectively experienced a 43% reduction in their depression symptoms, which was 21% greater than the dummy control group. This suggests that the acupuncture did something for the depression symptoms.
Theory on acupuncture and depression is this. Acupuncture states that there are energy pathways in the body called meridians. Various illnesses occur when these meridians become blocked. The acupuncturist attempts to unblock the clogged up meridians by inserting needles into certain points along these meridians. When the energy is allowed to flow again, the symptoms of the illness subside. And so it is with acupuncture and depression.
If you don't like needles but are interested in the possibilities of acupuncture and depression, there is a form of acupressure that has been found to be equally successful. No needles here. It merely involves correctly tapping certain points on special meridians with your finger tips. The best thing about this approach is you can do it yourself. You don't need to pay a professional to do it for you. Although, that option does exist.
In any event, there is a lot of promise for acupuncture and depression. With the help of a qualified psychologist you can get your symptoms under control. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Q:
Adding a public class that extends JPanel to JFrame
Basically as the title says, I'm having a bit of an issue working out how to add a class that extends JPanel to a JFrame.
I've looked on here and on other forums, but no answer that I've tried out has work.
I've also got 3 separate files, my main.java my frame.java and panel.java (abbreviated for convenience)
Apparently it's good practice to have public classes in different files(?) or so I've been told!
I'd appreciate any help on how to actually add the JPanel to the JFrame, even just a link to some documentation I may not have seen. Also I'm open to any constructive criticisms that anyone has about the way I've entered/laid out my code.
Thanks!
main.java
public class MyGuiAttempt {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new mainFrame();
}
}
frame.java
public class mainFrame extends JFrame {
public mainFrame() {
setVisible(true);
setTitle("My Game");
setSize(800, 600);
setResizable(false);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
add(mainScreenMenu); //This is where I'm clearly going wrong.
}
}
panel.java
public class mainScreenMenu extends JPanel {
public mainScreenMenu() {
JLabel homeMenuBackground = new JLabel(new ImageIcon("images/my_image.jpg"));
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(800,600));
add(homeMenuBackground);
setVisible(true);
}
}
A:
You need to create a new instance of your class
add(new mainScreenMenu());
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
Subchronic oral toxicity assessment of N-acetyl-L-aspartic acid in rats.
We investigated the systemic effects of subchronic dietary exposure to NAA in Sprague Dawley® rats. NAA was added to the diet at different concentrations to deliver target doses of 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg of body weight/day and was administered for 90 consecutive days. All rats (10/sex/group) survived until scheduled sacrifice. No diet-related differences in body weights, feed consumption and efficiency, clinical signs, or ophthalmologic findings were observed. No biologically significant differences or adverse effects were observed in functional observation battery (FOB) and motor activity evaluations, hematology, coagulation, clinical chemistry, urinalysis, organ weights, or gross pathology evaluations that were attributable to dietary exposure to NAA. Treatment-related increased incidence and degree of acinar cell hypertrophy in salivary glands was observed in both male and female rats in the high dose group. Because there was no evidence of injury or cytotoxicity to the salivary glands, this finding was not considered to be an adverse effect. Based on these results and the actual average doses consumed, the no-observed-adverse-effect-levels (NOAEL) for systemic toxicity from subchronic dietary exposure to NAA were 451.6 and 490.8 mg/kg of body weight/day for male and female Sprague Dawley® rats, respectively. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Differential effects of diazoxide, cromakalim and pinacidil on adrenergic neurotransmission and 86Rb+ efflux in rat brain cortical slices.
The effects of diazoxide, cromakalim and pinacidil on depolarization-evoked tritium overflow from the rat brain cortical slices preloaded with [3H]noradrenaline were studied. Diazoxide inhibited both transmural nerve stimulation (TNS)- and 25 mM K(+)-evoked tritium overflows more potently than cromakalim. Diazoxide effects were only partially antagonized and cromakalim ones were totally reversed by 1 microM glibenclamide. Diazoxide, but not cromakalim, reduced the 45 mM K(+)-evoked tritium overflow, which was not antagonized by glibenclamide. Both diazoxide and cromakalim stimulated 86Rb+ efflux to a similar extent, the effects being completely abolished by glibenclamide. Glibenclamide (> or = 3 microM) by itself enhanced the TNS-evoked tritium overflow. Pinacidil increased both TNS- and K+ (25 and 45 mM)-evoked tritium overflows with little effect on 86Rb+ efflux. Pinacidil-induced increase in the TNS-evoked tritium overflow was still observed in the presence of cocaine or hydrocortisone. Pinacidil failed to affect the inhibitory action of xylazine on the TNS-evoked tritium overflow, whereas phentolamine attenuated it. These results indicate that ATP-sensitive K+ channels are present in the adrenergic nerve endings of rat brain. These channels seem to be pharmacologically different from those reported for vascular smooth muscles and pancreatic beta-cells. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Breakdown news
* The free MOT and car wash offer is available to new customers purchasing any option in addition to roadside assistance.
The free MOT is valid for 1 Class 4 MOT test at National Tyres and Autocare (standard rate: £54.85) and must be redeemed within 13 months of purchase. The vehicle presented for testing must be registered at the same address as the breakdown cover and customers will be required to show their membership card in order to claim the offer. Failure to comply may result in the customer being charged for any MOT completed. Any work required to pass the MOT is not included in the offer.
Eligible customers will also receive 6 car wash vouchers for use at participating IMO/ARC car wash centres. Each voucher is valid for one 'Wash 3' service (standard rate: £5) that includes a hand pre-wash, wheel wash, 8 brush soft wash, dry and under car wash. The vouchers must be presented upon arrival at the IMO/ARC car wash centre and are valid until 31 October 2015. Defaced, illegible, damaged or photocopied vouchers will not be accepted. The vouchers cannot be used with any other promotion and their use is subject to the availability of the car wash facility and the terms and conditions of IMO/ARC.
We'll write to you with details on how to claim your free MOT and car wash vouchers after a validation period of 28 days from the cover purchase date. The offer ends 22 April 2015 and is not available to customers living in Northern Ireland or to those arriving from 'cashback' websites such as Quidco, TopCashback, Asperity or Greasy Palm. No cash equivalent or alternative offer is available and the AA reserves the right to withdraw or alter this promotion without prior notice at any time.
1 Source: Y&R BrandAsset™ Valuator April 2014. The AA came first in a survey of over 3000 people in the UK, ahead of the Post Office and Boots (charities excluded).
2 AA members can save up to 20% on food and drink at over 50 Moto service areas across the UK. For more information see Moto terms and conditions.
3 Source: AA Case Repair Rate September 2013 – August 2014
4 Source: AA Breakdown Cover Monthly Holdings Report, September 2014.
Which? is an independent consumer research group that has named us as a recommended breakdown provider.
Defaqto is an independent financial research company that has awarded AA breakdown services a 5-star rating.
Existing breakdown customers
Broken down?
If you have Breakdown Repair Cover (parts and garage cover) and your vehicle needs parts and/or garage labour, please see How to make a claim or call our claims helpline on 0844 579 0042.Mon–Fri 9am–6pm, Saturdays 9am–1pm
Had an accident?
For free advice following a road-traffic accident call the AA Accident Assist team on 0800 048 2678
Change or renew your breakdown cover
We'll write to you well in advance of your renewal, but if you'd like to talk to someone about renewing or changing your cover now, call:
Frequently asked questions
All you need to know about AA Breakdown Cover
About AA Breakdown Cover
How does the AA compare with other breakdown organisations?
As the UK's largest breakdown organisation, we fix more breakdowns by the roadside than anyone else. There's no charge for labour at the roadside and over 95% of our breakdown cover reviews recommend us. Members are also entitled to member benefits, which could save you more than the cost of your membership.
What are the chances of you repairing my car at the roadside?
We're able to help over 3.5 million people a year. We fix 8 out of 10 cars at the roadside using unique on-board computers to help diagnose faults when you've broken down.
How many times can I break down?
You can call us out five times in one year of cover (seven times with cover for two people or eight with family cover) without incurring any call-out charges. If you've been with us for over 12 months, you can have two additional call-outs a year.
How quickly can you reach me?
If you break down, we've got the latest satellite technology to help find the shortest route to get to you. We also give priority to people in vulnerable situations. If you download our app we can locate you by using your mobile phone's GPS signal.
Will you come out if I'm the passenger rather than the driver?
Yes, you'll be covered as a driver or a passenger. If you've got cover for you this applies for any vehicle. With vehicle cover, you'll be covered in the vehicle you've registered with us.
Are pets covered if I break down?
We'll try to accommodate pets wherever possible. If we can't transport your pet we'll do what we can to help with alternative arrangements for them. We recommend that pet owners use suitable pet travel carriers or restraints that are transferable in order to help ensure they can be transported safely.
Will family cover apply to my child when they're away at university?
Yes, students living away while studying at university or living at a temporary address are still covered under family cover.
Do you cover taxis?
Yes, but we can't offer the optional parts and garage cover to taxis or any vehicles used for reward.
Do you cover caravans and trailers?
Yes, we'll provide assistance for a caravan or trailer that's on tow at the time of a breakdown as long as it fits within our weight and width restrictions (see below).
Do you have any vehicle height and weight restrictions?
We do have some restrictions in place to make sure we can recover your vehicle if necessary. It must be under 3.5 tonnes (3,500kg) and be no wider than 7ft 6in (2.3m).
Is there a vehicle age or mileage limit?
No, we can cover vehicles of any age or mileage.
What vehicles can I cover with parts and garage cover?
We'll cover vehicles of any age or mileage as long as they aren't used for reward. This means that we can't cover vehicles such as taxis, limos or delivery vehicles.
What's Silver and Gold membership?
These are membership upgrades that provide breakdown cover enhancements to our loyal breakdown members. Please see Silver and Gold membership for more information.
Buying breakdown cover
How soon will I be covered if I apply online?
Your Roadside Assistance begins immediately after your online application has been successfully processed. If you provide your email address we'll email you confirmation of your cover. Your documents and membership card(s) will be posted to you within 28 days. Please note: cover at home, national recovery and onward travel options only start 24 hours after your membership begins. Parts and garage cover begins 14 days after your cover has started.
Can I buy cover online if I've broken down?
If you're currently broken down you can't buy cover online but you can still call us on 0800 88 77 66 or 0121 275 3746 to arrange cover and assistance. Please note: additional charges will apply if you don't already have cover when you break down.
Do I get a discount if I've got another AA product?
We have introductory offers for the first year of cover so there aren't any additional discounts available for customers who already have another AA product such as car insurance.
Can I buy breakdown cover for someone else?
If you want to arrange personal cover for someone else please call us on 0800 085 2721. However, if you just want to cover a specific vehicle you can buy vehicle cover online.
Is my online payment secure?
Yes. We use the highest form of encryption generally available to make sure your payment is safe. Our secure-server software scrambles all the details you input before they are sent, so that only we can understand them.
When are monthly payments collected?
If paying monthly, you'll pay an initial deposit by card and we'll then set up a monthly Direct Debit from your bank account. Your first Direct Debit payment will be taken in two weeks time, followed by monthly payments on or around the same date of each month.
Can I just make a one-off payment for one year of cover?
We only offer continuous payment options online as this is the easiest way to arrange cover. If you want to use a one-off payment method, please call us on 0800 085 2721.
How do I claim the free cover that came with my insurance policy?
If you've received free breakdown cover as part of your home or car insurance, visit Free Roadside Cover to claim it.
Existing breakdown customers
I've broken down but haven't received my membership card yet. What should I do?
Don't worry, just call us on 0800 887766 or 0121 275 3746 if you break down. If you bought your breakdown cover online, please remember to quote the membership number that was emailed to you at the time.
Can I change the way I pay for AA Breakdown Cover?
Yes. We provide a choice of easy payment methods. When you renew you can choose to set up a direct debit or a continuous payment by credit or debit card. These options will save you time in the future as we'll renew your cover automatically at the end of the year. You can also make a one-off payment with either a credit or debit card when renewing. We accept Visa and MasterCard. Alternatively, you can pay for your cover monthly directly from your bank account. Just call us on 0844 316 4444.
Can I make changes to my breakdown cover?
Yes. If you'd like to talk to someone about changing your cover, please call us on 0843 316 4444 or 0161 332 1789.
How do I claim the offer I've received to upgrade my cover online?
If you've received a special offer to upgrade your cover online, visit Boost your breakdown to claim it.
How do I complain about AA products or services?
If you're unhappy with our service for any reason, we really want to hear from you. Please see the information on what you need to do next.
Renewing your cover
How can I renew my breakdown cover?
We'll send you a renewal invitation about three weeks before your cover is due to expire. This will include details of your renewal and the various ways to renew. If you're not already paying on a continuous credit card or annual direct debit basis, you can choose a payment method to suit you. You'll soon be able to renew your cover online, but until then call us on 0844 316 4444.
Will I keep my existing membership number when I renew my breakdown cover?
Yes, your membership number will stay the same even if you've made changes to your cover.
How much will my renewal price be next year?
This will depend on your individual circumstances, which include things like where you live, your breakdown history and any other relevant information we hold about you as a customer of the AA Group. We'll contact you before your renewal date to let you what your renewal price will be. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
// Boost.Geometry (aka GGL, Generic Geometry Library)
// Copyright (c) 2014-2015, Oracle and/or its affiliates.
// Licensed under the Boost Software License version 1.0.
// http://www.boost.org/users/license.html
// Contributed and/or modified by Menelaos Karavelas, on behalf of Oracle
#ifndef BOOST_GEOMETRY_ALGORITHMS_DETAIL_OVERLAY_FOLLOW_LINEAR_LINEAR_HPP
#define BOOST_GEOMETRY_ALGORITHMS_DETAIL_OVERLAY_FOLLOW_LINEAR_LINEAR_HPP
#include <cstddef>
#include <algorithm>
#include <iterator>
#include <boost/range.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/core/assert.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/core/tag.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/core/tags.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/overlay/copy_segments.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/overlay/follow.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/overlay/inconsistent_turns_exception.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/overlay/overlay_type.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/overlay/segment_identifier.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/overlay/turn_info.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/detail/turns/debug_turn.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/convert.hpp>
#include <boost/geometry/algorithms/not_implemented.hpp>
namespace boost { namespace geometry
{
#ifndef DOXYGEN_NO_DETAIL
namespace detail { namespace overlay
{
namespace following { namespace linear
{
// follower for linear/linear geometries set operations
template <typename Turn, typename Operation>
static inline bool is_entering(Turn const& turn,
Operation const& operation)
{
if ( turn.method != method_touch && turn.method != method_touch_interior )
{
return false;
}
return operation.operation == operation_intersection;
}
template <typename Turn, typename Operation>
static inline bool is_staying_inside(Turn const& turn,
Operation const& operation,
bool entered)
{
if ( !entered )
{
return false;
}
if ( turn.method != method_equal && turn.method != method_collinear )
{
return false;
}
return operation.operation == operation_continue;
}
template <typename Turn, typename Operation>
static inline bool is_leaving(Turn const& turn,
Operation const& operation,
bool entered)
{
if ( !entered )
{
return false;
}
if ( turn.method != method_touch
&& turn.method != method_touch_interior
&& turn.method != method_equal
&& turn.method != method_collinear )
{
return false;
}
if ( operation.operation == operation_blocked )
{
return true;
}
if ( operation.operation != operation_union )
{
return false;
}
return operation.is_collinear;
}
template <typename Turn, typename Operation>
static inline bool is_isolated_point(Turn const& turn,
Operation const& operation,
bool entered)
{
if ( entered )
{
return false;
}
if ( turn.method == method_none )
{
BOOST_GEOMETRY_ASSERT( operation.operation == operation_continue );
return true;
}
if ( turn.method == method_crosses )
{
return true;
}
if ( turn.method != method_touch && turn.method != method_touch_interior )
{
return false;
}
if ( operation.operation == operation_blocked )
{
return true;
}
if ( operation.operation != operation_union )
{
return false;
}
return !operation.is_collinear;
}
template
<
typename LinestringOut,
typename Linestring,
typename Linear,
overlay_type OverlayType,
bool FollowIsolatedPoints,
bool FollowContinueTurns
>
class follow_linestring_linear_linestring
{
protected:
// allow spikes (false indicates: do not remove spikes)
typedef following::action_selector<OverlayType, false> action;
template
<
typename TurnIterator,
typename TurnOperationIterator,
typename SegmentIdentifier,
typename OutputIterator
>
static inline OutputIterator
process_turn(TurnIterator it,
TurnOperationIterator op_it,
bool& entered,
std::size_t& enter_count,
Linestring const& linestring,
LinestringOut& current_piece,
SegmentIdentifier& current_segment_id,
OutputIterator oit)
{
// We don't rescale linear/linear
detail::no_rescale_policy robust_policy;
if ( is_entering(*it, *op_it) )
{
detail::turns::debug_turn(*it, *op_it, "-> Entering");
entered = true;
if ( enter_count == 0 )
{
action::enter(current_piece, linestring,
current_segment_id,
op_it->seg_id.segment_index,
it->point, *op_it, robust_policy, oit);
}
++enter_count;
}
else if ( is_leaving(*it, *op_it, entered) )
{
detail::turns::debug_turn(*it, *op_it, "-> Leaving");
--enter_count;
if ( enter_count == 0 )
{
entered = false;
action::leave(current_piece, linestring,
current_segment_id,
op_it->seg_id.segment_index,
it->point, *op_it, robust_policy, oit);
}
}
else if ( FollowIsolatedPoints
&& is_isolated_point(*it, *op_it, entered) )
{
detail::turns::debug_turn(*it, *op_it, "-> Isolated point");
action::isolated_point(current_piece, linestring,
current_segment_id,
op_it->seg_id.segment_index,
it->point, *op_it, oit);
}
else if ( FollowContinueTurns
&& is_staying_inside(*it, *op_it, entered) )
{
detail::turns::debug_turn(*it, *op_it, "-> Staying inside");
entered = true;
}
return oit;
}
template
<
typename SegmentIdentifier,
typename OutputIterator
>
static inline OutputIterator
process_end(bool entered,
Linestring const& linestring,
SegmentIdentifier const& current_segment_id,
LinestringOut& current_piece,
OutputIterator oit)
{
if ( action::is_entered(entered) )
{
// We don't rescale linear/linear
detail::no_rescale_policy robust_policy;
detail::copy_segments::copy_segments_linestring
<
false, false // do not reverse; do not remove spikes
>::apply(linestring,
current_segment_id,
static_cast<signed_size_type>(boost::size(linestring) - 1),
robust_policy,
current_piece);
}
// Output the last one, if applicable
if (::boost::size(current_piece) > 1)
{
*oit++ = current_piece;
}
return oit;
}
public:
template <typename TurnIterator, typename OutputIterator>
static inline OutputIterator
apply(Linestring const& linestring, Linear const&,
TurnIterator first, TurnIterator beyond,
OutputIterator oit)
{
// Iterate through all intersection points (they are
// ordered along the each line)
LinestringOut current_piece;
geometry::segment_identifier current_segment_id(0, -1, -1, -1);
bool entered = false;
std::size_t enter_count = 0;
for (TurnIterator it = first; it != beyond; ++it)
{
oit = process_turn(it, boost::begin(it->operations),
entered, enter_count,
linestring,
current_piece, current_segment_id,
oit);
}
#if ! defined(BOOST_GEOMETRY_OVERLAY_NO_THROW)
if (enter_count != 0)
{
throw inconsistent_turns_exception();
}
#else
BOOST_GEOMETRY_ASSERT(enter_count == 0);
#endif
return process_end(entered, linestring,
current_segment_id, current_piece,
oit);
}
};
template
<
typename LinestringOut,
typename MultiLinestring,
typename Linear,
overlay_type OverlayType,
bool FollowIsolatedPoints,
bool FollowContinueTurns
>
class follow_multilinestring_linear_linestring
: follow_linestring_linear_linestring
<
LinestringOut,
typename boost::range_value<MultiLinestring>::type,
Linear,
OverlayType,
FollowIsolatedPoints,
FollowContinueTurns
>
{
protected:
typedef typename boost::range_value<MultiLinestring>::type Linestring;
typedef follow_linestring_linear_linestring
<
LinestringOut, Linestring, Linear,
OverlayType, FollowIsolatedPoints, FollowContinueTurns
> Base;
typedef following::action_selector<OverlayType> action;
typedef typename boost::range_iterator
<
MultiLinestring const
>::type linestring_iterator;
template <typename OutputIt, overlay_type OT>
struct copy_linestrings_in_range
{
static inline OutputIt
apply(linestring_iterator, linestring_iterator, OutputIt oit)
{
return oit;
}
};
template <typename OutputIt>
struct copy_linestrings_in_range<OutputIt, overlay_difference>
{
static inline OutputIt
apply(linestring_iterator first, linestring_iterator beyond,
OutputIt oit)
{
for (linestring_iterator ls_it = first; ls_it != beyond; ++ls_it)
{
LinestringOut line_out;
geometry::convert(*ls_it, line_out);
*oit++ = line_out;
}
return oit;
}
};
template <typename TurnIterator>
static inline signed_size_type get_multi_index(TurnIterator it)
{
return boost::begin(it->operations)->seg_id.multi_index;
}
class has_other_multi_id
{
private:
signed_size_type m_multi_id;
public:
has_other_multi_id(signed_size_type multi_id)
: m_multi_id(multi_id) {}
template <typename Turn>
bool operator()(Turn const& turn) const
{
return boost::begin(turn.operations)->seg_id.multi_index
!= m_multi_id;
}
};
public:
template <typename TurnIterator, typename OutputIterator>
static inline OutputIterator
apply(MultiLinestring const& multilinestring, Linear const& linear,
TurnIterator first, TurnIterator beyond,
OutputIterator oit)
{
BOOST_GEOMETRY_ASSERT( first != beyond );
typedef copy_linestrings_in_range
<
OutputIterator, OverlayType
> copy_linestrings;
linestring_iterator ls_first = boost::begin(multilinestring);
linestring_iterator ls_beyond = boost::end(multilinestring);
// Iterate through all intersection points (they are
// ordered along the each linestring)
signed_size_type current_multi_id = get_multi_index(first);
oit = copy_linestrings::apply(ls_first,
ls_first + current_multi_id,
oit);
TurnIterator per_ls_next = first;
do {
TurnIterator per_ls_current = per_ls_next;
// find turn with different multi-index
per_ls_next = std::find_if(per_ls_current, beyond,
has_other_multi_id(current_multi_id));
oit = Base::apply(*(ls_first + current_multi_id),
linear, per_ls_current, per_ls_next, oit);
signed_size_type next_multi_id = -1;
linestring_iterator ls_next = ls_beyond;
if ( per_ls_next != beyond )
{
next_multi_id = get_multi_index(per_ls_next);
ls_next = ls_first + next_multi_id;
}
oit = copy_linestrings::apply(ls_first + current_multi_id + 1,
ls_next,
oit);
current_multi_id = next_multi_id;
}
while ( per_ls_next != beyond );
return oit;
}
};
template
<
typename LinestringOut,
typename Geometry1,
typename Geometry2,
overlay_type OverlayType,
bool FollowIsolatedPoints,
bool FollowContinueTurns,
typename TagOut = typename tag<LinestringOut>::type,
typename TagIn1 = typename tag<Geometry1>::type
>
struct follow
: not_implemented<LinestringOut, Geometry1>
{};
template
<
typename LinestringOut,
typename Linestring,
typename Linear,
overlay_type OverlayType,
bool FollowIsolatedPoints,
bool FollowContinueTurns
>
struct follow
<
LinestringOut, Linestring, Linear,
OverlayType, FollowIsolatedPoints, FollowContinueTurns,
linestring_tag, linestring_tag
> : follow_linestring_linear_linestring
<
LinestringOut, Linestring, Linear,
OverlayType, FollowIsolatedPoints, FollowContinueTurns
>
{};
template
<
typename LinestringOut,
typename MultiLinestring,
typename Linear,
overlay_type OverlayType,
bool FollowIsolatedPoints,
bool FollowContinueTurns
>
struct follow
<
LinestringOut, MultiLinestring, Linear,
OverlayType, FollowIsolatedPoints, FollowContinueTurns,
linestring_tag, multi_linestring_tag
> : follow_multilinestring_linear_linestring
<
LinestringOut, MultiLinestring, Linear,
OverlayType, FollowIsolatedPoints, FollowContinueTurns
>
{};
}} // namespace following::linear
}} // namespace detail::overlay
#endif // DOXYGEN_NO_DETAIL
}} // namespace boost::geometry
#endif // BOOST_GEOMETRY_ALGORITHMS_DETAIL_OVERLAY_FOLLOW_LINEAR_LINEAR_HPP
| {
"pile_set_name": "Github"
} |
Standing up and standing out for Red Ribbon Week
Red Ribbon Week is about taking a stand against the insidious devastation of drug and alcohol abuse in our community.
It’s also about standing out in that pledge, united in an indefinite commitment toward a drug-free, healthy community.
More than 2,000 teenagers within North Idaho’s five counties are addicted to either alcohol or drugs, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse.
Addiction affects everyone, the individuals and their families.
This year’s campaign message, The Best Me is Drug Free, is a catalyst for change. This section of the Coeur d’Alene Press is dedicated to how programs like the Good Samaritan, Daybreak Youth Services, the Anchor House and the Idaho Youth Ranch, are working toward these life-saving solutions.
Let us not only make a commitment to remaining drug free as individuals, but let’s pledge to extending a helping hand to people in our lives who are deep in their addiction and want to be helped. Sometimes just pointing a person in the right direction can set them on the path towards healing and recovery. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Q:
Как удалить репозиторий из списка слева на главной Гитхаба?
Репозиторий не мой, я его не форкал, просто создал issue, но сейчас закрыл. От уведомлений отписался. Я им даже не пользуюсь, просто глаза мозолит. Как решить вопрос?)
A:
Пообщавшись с мужиком из саппорта, узнал от него, что в этом списке висят репозитории, с которыми мы как-либо взаимодействовали. И, внимание, удаляются они из этого списка автоматически спустя 4 месяца после взаимодействия.
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
Guest post by Joe Hoft
The DOW Reached Another All Time High Yesterday – It’s the Greatest US Stock Market Rally Ever – But Mainstream Media Won’t Report It!
It was the 12th Straight Daily Close at an All Time High for the DOW!
It was also the 19th consecutive day where the DOW reached an all time high at the closing bell. More than Half a Month of Consecutive All Time Highs!
TRENDING: RUTH BADER GINSBURG DEAD! Supreme Court Justice Dies at Home Surrounded by Family
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DOW) hit another record new high on Monday! This incredible rally started back on February 9th.
In the history of the DOW, going back to January 1901, the DOW record for most continuous closing high trading days was set in January of 1987 when Ronald Reagan was President. The DOW set closing highs an amazing 12 times in a row that month.
Yesterday the DOW matched the All Time Historical record with its 12th Record Close in a Row!
Here are some more DOW highlights since Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States:
* Economist Says Stock Market Gained $2 TRILLION in Wealth Since Trump Elected!
* The S&P 500 broke $20 Trillion for the first time in its history.
* The DOW daily closing stock market average has risen more than 13% since the election on November
8th.
* Since the Inauguration on January 20th the DOW has risen 5% . According to Fox Insider , Trump’s first month in office is the DOW’s biggest gain for any President in his first 30 Days since way back in 1909 when Taft was President.
* Including November 9th through today, there have been 74 trading days. For more than 40% of these days, the DOW has reached all time highs (31 times).
* The DOW has hit new All Time Highs 14 of 26 days since the Trump Inauguration for an amazing 54% of the closing bells.
* Also, another record during the Trump Rally is that the stock market moved between 1000 point markers (between 19,000 and 20,000) in only 42 trading days. The only time it moved faster between significant markers was in 1999 when it took 24 days to reach 11,000.
The prior All Time High for the DOW before the November 8th election was on August 15th, 2016. This is why the ‘Trump Rally’ is such an anomaly and totally due to President Trump and his winning policies.
The big news is that the main stream media is not reporting the rally!
CNN reports nothing on its home page – not even in its CNN Money Section
Nothing at CBSNews.com home page but they do have a post “Wall Street wonders: Can Trump deliver the goods?
Nothing at NBCNews.com home page.
Nothing at ABCNews.go.com. Politico.com has nothing. Nothing at MediaMatters.org.
The greatest stock market rally ever and the ‘main stream news’ and the far left blogs don’t report it. How can these people be so biased against Trump? | {
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high frequency induction heater built in an injection mold for applying a local heat to the plastic, and more specifically, to a high frequency induction heater formed on a side of a stamper by micro electromechanical system (MEMS) technologies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The injection compression molding technology has become mature in recent years. The injection compression molding technology combines the injection molding technology with the compression molding technology. The injection compression molding technology reduces the injection pressure required when filling the plastic into the cavity. In addition, since the pressure of the melting plastic in the cavity is equally distributed, thus a sink head or a warp problem is prevented. Therefore, the shrinkage of the product is well controlled, in light or the above-mentioned advantages, the injection compression molding technology is normally employed in fabricating optical precision moldings or compact discs. For example, if the compact disc is fabricated by conventional injection molding technology, the plastic cannot be filled completely, which is known as short shot. Thus, thin moldings having large areas, such as compact discs, cannot be formed by conventional injection molding technology. At present, the compact discs are fabricated by injection compression molding technology combining with hot runner design. Since the temperature of the plastic in the sprue is relatively higher, the short shot problem is therefore avoided. U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,952 discloses a method or fabricating DVD discs using injection compression molding technology, in this patent, an inclined angle design is adopted in the cavity for improving the fluidity of the plastic. It is possible to fabricate thin moldings having large areas (diameter: 120 mm; thickness: 0.6 mm) by injection compression molding technology. However, if thinner moldings having larger areas and being coplanar (inclined angle design is not allowed) are desired, or die pattern of die stamper is more complicated (such as the molding includes via holes), and the following problem may occur: If a single sprue method is employed, the plastic cannot be completely filled into the cavity.
2. If a multiple sprue method is employed, and the temperature distribution of the molding is not equal, then the molding may have warps after being cooling.
3. The plastic flow is obstructed and split so that a seam line will generate after the plastic flow converges.
4. Since the molding has large area and thin thickness, if the fluidity of the plastic is not good, the pattern of the microstructure in the stamper will be ruined by the applied pressure.
Generally speaking, 3D micro moldings require precise micro molding injection technology. At present, one of the methods to fabricate 3D micro moldings is carried out by a micro injection machine. The micro injection machine is one of the methods to fabricate complicated and micro plastics, ceramics, and metal parts. Technologically, the injection molding technology is the first choice for fabricating 3D products with a complicated shape. Basically, the micro injection molding technologies are simply classified into 3 types: microstructure injection molding technology, micrometer-level injection molding technology, and micro injection molding technology. All of the three technologies have to overcome the problems such as micro injection machine design, micro mold manufacturing, micro mold flow analysis, micro injection process monitoring, etc. For example, the requirements for the processes of the micro injection machine are listed as follows:
1. An injection machine under 20 tons or a micro injection machine is required.
2. Short detention time is necessary for avoiding the degradation of the plastic.
3. Long injection stroke: the diameter of the screw must be as small as possible (generally the diameter of the screw of the micro injection machine is 4 mm).
4. A long and thin plunger is required.
5. High shear stress is required to lower the viscosity of the plastic.
6. High injection pressure filling is required due to a high flow length/wall thickness ratio and micro channel.
One of the largest shortcomings for the micro injection molding technology is that a precise micro injection machine is required. In addition, the design and manufacturing of the micro injection mold is not standardized yet, thus the number of the molding products cannot reach a mass amount during one single process.
In Japan Patent JP2000-218356, an external heater with sensors is employed to detect the temperature of the movable mold-half and the stationary mold-half and to heat the movable mold-half and the stationary mold-half when the mold is open. Since the fluidity of the melting metal is improved, the metal moldings having complicated structure and large areas can be formed. However, if this method is employed to form plastic moldings having complicated structure and large areas, the following problems may occur: 1. Since the mold is heated when it is open, it is easy for the mold to have an unequal temperature distribution. 2. This method is employed to inject metal material, thus the temperature is too high for plastic materials. 3. This method heats the mold entirely, thus the mold cannot be heated locally according to this method. 4. The mold is heated only when the mold is open, thus the mold temperature is controlled by prediction.
In light of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention forms a high frequency induction heater on a side of the stamper by MEMS technology. The high frequency induction heater provides two main functions. First, the high frequency induction heater applies a local heat to sections of the plastic having a thin thickness or sections having a large difference of cross sectional areas so that the plastic remains fluid. Second, when the temperature of the plastic molding is not equally distributed, the high frequency induction heater can adjust the overall temperature so that the temperature difference is reduced.
In MEMS industries, since the precise injection molding technology is mature and the cost of plastic material is cheap, polymers such as plastics are used to fabricate housings or covers. For a long time, optical wafers, bio wafers, and communication passive devices are fabricated by LIGA technology and hot embossing molding. Hans-Dieter Bauer et al. produces optical waveguide devices by LIGA technology and hot embossing molding. Since the refractive index is one of the key factors that influence the transmission of light, the precision and accuracy of the size and relative position of the optical waveguide device is important. Generally speaking, the hot embossing molding can form the optical waveguide device. However, the hot embossing molding technology cannot apply an equal pressure so that the moldings having complicated structure and large areas are not easy to be formed. In addition, the production rate is not outstanding, and the microstructure of the hot embossing mold is easy to be broken when being pressurized.
The present invention forms a high frequency induction heater on a side of the stamper such that moldings having a microstructure or large areas, such as optical wafers, bio wafers, and communication wafers, can be well defined. In combination with a substrate having MEMS devices or ICs thereon, a wafer-level package can be made. In such case, the cost of individual package will be enormously reduced. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
We have reduced support for legacy browsers.
What does this mean for me? You will always be able to play your favorite games on Kongregate. However, certain site features may suddenly stop working and leave you with a severely degraded experience.
What should I do? We strongly urge all our users to upgrade to modern browsers for a better experience and improved security.
~~For what reason?
For being a lot better than you?
20×50 = 1000, which means that half of his kills has been used for gold medal, there is no hack or cheating here.~~
Edit: sorry I misread, I have reported him to Igor. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Q:
Customizing WooCommerce Short Description Metabox title
Can someone guide me by telling me how I can customize/change Text label in Wordpress - I recently installed WooCommerce on my wordpress, and need to change the label "Product Short Description" on the "Add Product" page to something else. Is there a way to getting this done? Please see this image for reference:
A:
To answer to your question: YES there is a working filter hook that can translate text by the internationalization functions (__(),
_e(), etc.)
Here is this code:
add_filter( 'gettext', 'theme_domain_change_excerpt_label', 10, 2 );
function theme_domain_change_excerpt_label( $translation, $original )
{
if ( 'Product Short Description' == $original ) {
return 'My Product label';
}
return $translation;
}
This code goes in function.php file of your active child theme (or theme) or also in any plugin file.
The code is tested and fully functional.
References:
gettext
Change The Title Of a Meta Box
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
Universities are to be allowed to hire staff on salaries higher than the Taoiseach’s under new measures aimed at attracting top talent to the third-level sector.
The Government recently agreed that pay restrictions should be lifted to allow colleges hire world-leading scientists and engineers on salaries of up to €250,000.
The move is aimed at attracting top academic talent from universities in the UK and elsewhere in light of the uncertainty caused by Brexit.
The move is likely to put pressure on the Government to increase salary limits for senior public servants such as members of the judiciary, gardaí and secretaries general of Government departments.
Under strict public sector pay rules, public sector employees may not earn more than the Taoiseach’s €190,000 salary. However, there is speculation that a salary of up to €300,000 is being considered for the next Garda commissioner.
Universities say they are facing major difficulties attracting top academics under public sector pay rates and have argued for the limits to be increased.
World-leading researchers
In a statement, the Department of Education confirmed a “special derogation” had recently been approved to help universities hire world-leading researchers. It said pay caps were acting as a barrier to attracting “exceptional academics” to Ireland.
While the move may lead to pressure to increase salary limits for other public servants, the department said top academic appointments will be limited to lucrative research projects funded by Science Foundation Ireland, a State body.
This will allow for the recruitment of up to 10 research professors at any one time in targeted areas of economic importance such as science, technology, engineering and maths.
While research projects will be funded by Science Foundation Ireland, it is understood the salaries of any scientists or engineers recruited will be paid for by third-level colleges themselves. This is likely to make it more difficult for the Government to argue they are ring-fenced appointments.
It is understood at least one university is in the process of hiring a key staff member under this change in policy which was formalised in recent times, according to sources. The decision to give colleges greater freedom to pay more for top-level appointments marks a significant shift in policy.
The past decade has seen greater controls placed on universities over their salaries and the number of appointments, even at a time of reduced State funding.
Greater leeway
However, universities argue they should be give greater leeway now that many of them generate the bulk of their income privately.
While there are difficulties hiring top talent, average salaries for professors in Irish universities remain very generous by international standards.
These grades range between €101,000 and €136,000, depending on the point of the scale a professor is on. This is more than average salaries for professors in countries with some of the best universities in the world, such as the UK and US.
While salaries in Ireland are capped, there is scope to provide for exceptions under a process known as the “departures framework”.
Latest figures show there are at least 17 staff working in universities on salaries of €140,000 or more which were authorised by the Government.
While more than 60 staff across higher education institutions earn more than €200,000, the vast bulk of these are academic medical consultants whose salaries are paid by the HSE. | {
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
} |
In Situ Visualization of Electrocatalytic Reaction Activity at Quantum Dots for Water Oxidation.
Exploring electrocatalytic reactions on the nanomaterial surface can give crucial information for the development of robust catalysts. Here, electrocatalytic reaction activity at single quantum dots (QDs) loaded silica microparticle involved in water oxidation is visualized using electrochemiluminescence (ECL) microscopy. Under positive potential, the active redox centers at QDs induce the generation of hydroperoxide surface intermediates as coreactants to remarkably enhance ECL emission from luminol derivative molecules for imaging. For the first time, in situ visualization of the catalytic activity of water oxidation with QDs catalyst was achieved, supported by a linear relation between ECL intensity and turn over frequency. A very slight diffusion trend attributed to only the luminol species proved in situ capture of hydroperoxide surface intermediates at catalytic active sites of QDs. This work provides tremendous potential in online imaging of electrocatalytic reactions and visual evaluation of catalyst performance. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
1926–27 Prima Divisione
The 1926–27 Prima Divisione was the 1st edition of a second tier tournament of the Italian Football Championship which was organized at national level.
The Carta di Viareggio
In 1926 the Viareggio Charter reformed the Italian football organization. This important document introduced in the Italian football the status of the non-amatour player receiving a reimbursement of expenses. In this way FIGC managed to mislead FIFA, that defended strenuously sportive amateurism.
The fascist Charter transformed the old Northern League into an authoritarian and national committee, the Direttorio Divisioni Superiori, appointed by the FIGC. The second level championship, which took the diminished name of Prima Divisione, consequently had to be reformed to give space to a group of clubs from the southern half of Italy.
Teams selection
The old Northern Seconda Divisione second-level championship had four local groups, so it was decided to reserve one of them for the clubs from Southern Italy in the new national Prima Divisione. More, some teams from the South were put in the first level championship too, so some Northern clubs were relegated from it. Consequently, solely half of the clubs of the old Northern second level joined the revamped cadet tournament, to give space to their Southern counterparts.
In Southern Italy the situation was different. There, the previous reform of 1921-1922 did not take place, so the pyramid of 1912 had been maintained, with the Prima Divisione, former Prima Categoria, as the sole tournament above the regional level. So, in a lexical continuity, the old Prima Divisione remained the bulk of new one, excluding three promoted teams and the last relegated ones, but with the relevant difference of the elimination of the regional qualifications.
Group A
Novara promoted to 1927–28 Divisione Nazionale.
Speranza Savona relegated, later merged into Savona.
Group B
Pro Patria promoted to 1927–28 Divisione Nazionale.
Udinese later readmitted.
Results
Group C
Reggiana promoted to 1927–28 Divisione Nazionale.
Anconitana later readmitted.
Results
Group D
Events
Lazio promoted to 1927–28 Divisione Nazionale.
Bankruptcies
Ilva Bagnolese and Casertana both bankrupted.
Palermo relegated and bankrupted.
Mergers
Pro Italia Taranto merged with Audace Taranto into Taranto.
Roman merged with Alba and Fortitudo into Roma.
Final Group
Novara champions 1926-27.
Results
References
Category:Serie B seasons
2
Italy | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
China Turns Zinc Into Car Parts as Consumer Demand Surges
Record spending by Chinese consumers on new refrigerators, cars and laptops is boosting zinc demand, creating the biggest production shortfall for the metal in eight years.
Demand for zinc used in everything from steel auto parts and brass plumbing fixtures to rubber and sunscreen will exceed output by 117,000 metric tons this year, almost double the 2013 deficit, the International Lead and Zinc Study Group estimates. Morgan Stanley predicts prices in London will rise more than any other industrial metal in 2015.
Chinese producers including Baiyin Nonferrous Metals Co. are restarting smelters they closed last year as stockpiles tracked by the London Metal Exchange shrink to a two-year low. While the economy is slowing in China, the world’s biggest user, growth is more than twice the rate of the U.S. as Premier Li Keqiang seeks to spur consumer spending and car sales increase by double-digits.
“The supply-and-demand picture has really improved,” said Sameer Samana, a St. Louis-based international strategist at Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, which oversees about $1.4 trillion. “Inventories have come down, and we’re starting to see the very beginning of demand rebounding.”
Zinc for delivery in three months on the LME is up 0.3 percent this year at $2,060.50 a ton, after slipping 1.2 percent in 2013. An LME index tracking zinc, copper, aluminum, nickel, lead and tin is down 2.5 percent. The Standard & Poor’s GSCI (SPGSCI) Spot Index of 24 commodities rose 4.3 percent. The MSCI All-Country World Index of equities climbed 0.6 percent, and the Bloomberg Treasury Bond Index rose 1.9 percent.
Cash Prices
Annual average cash prices on the LME may climb 13 percent to $2,331 in 2015 from $2,066 in 2014, more than the other five industrial metals on the bourse, Morgan Stanley estimated in an April 8 report. Barclays Plc forecast a price of $2,400 in a March 26 report. Zinc averaged $2,024.65 this year.
Use of the metal will expand 4.5 percent to 13.6 million tons this year, while refinery output will increase 4.4 percent to 13.5 million tons, the zinc study group said in an April 2 report. Deutsche Bank AG sees a gap of 400,000 tons, forecasting demand growth at 5.4 percent, up from 4 percent last year.
China will use 7 percent more zinc this year, according to Barclays. The nation now accounts for 44 percent of the world total compared with 16 percent in 2000, the study group estimates. Imports rose 21 percent last year, customs data show.
Chinese Consumer
Li wants Chinese shoppers to have a bigger role in the economy. The government will employ “a comprehensive set of policies to boost consumer spending, raise people’s spending power, increase consumption of goods and services and reduce distribution costs so that consumption can provide greater support for economic development,” he said on April 10.
The shift will provide a bigger jolt to purchases of zinc than for copper and iron ore, said Samya Beidas-Strom, a senior economist at the Washington-based International Monetary Fund.
“Metals move with per capita income,” Beidas-Strom said in a telephone interview. “As the Chinese people start buying more washing machines and fridges and cars, they will use more metals that go into durable goods,” including zinc, she said.
About half of the metal’s use is for consumer products, electrical appliances and transportation, the zinc study group estimates.
Household Spending
China’s per-capita urban household spending climbed 8.1 percent in 2013 to the highest since Bloomberg began collating the data in 2002. In terms of zinc demand, the nation is following the same track as South Korea, Asia’s third-largest user, where consumption has surged in line with per-capita income, Beidas-Strom said.
By contrast, Chinese demand for copper will slow to 5.7 percent this year and 5.5 percent in 2015, from 7.3 percent last year, according to Morgan Stanley. Prices will slip to $6,200 a ton over the next 12 months from $6,649 today, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said in an April 13 report.
Prospects for a slowing economy are still a concern, with 55 economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecasting 2014 growth at 7.4 percent, which would be the weakest since 1990. While China last month set an expansion target at 7.5 percent, the same as last year, that’s less than the 7.7 percent reached in 2013. There’s already speculation it will miss its goal. Growth eased to 7.4 percent in the first three months.
Outside Exchanges
Chinese demand may also be “overstated” as unreported stock building is confused for consumption, Citigroup Inc. said in an April 14 report. Signs of declining inventory in exchange warehouses may be driven by traders seeking to take advantage of lower rental rates in non-exchange storage, the bank said.
The market “continues to struggle under what we believe is a considerable volume of reported and unreported zinc inventory,” according to the bank, which forecasts the metal will remain in a range of $1,900 to $2,100 a ton this year. It forecasts stronger prices in 2015, rising as high as $2,400.
While stockpiles on the Shanghai Futures Exchange are 40 percent below the record high reached in 2011, they rose about 5 percent this year, according to bourse data.
About a quarter of zinc goes into transportation, mostly cars. Vehicle sales in the top market will grow 10 percent a year through 2020 and reach 40 million units annually after reaching 22 million last year, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.
Inventories
The ratio of global stockpiles to usage, a measure of how long inventories would last, will drop to 4.4 weeks by 2015, the lowest since 2008, Morgan Stanley forecasts. LME inventory is now 35 percent below an 18-year high in 2012, after slipping 14 percent to 801,500 tons this year.
Mine output will grow 5.9 percent in 2014, with gains slowing to 3.9 percent in 2015 and 0.5 percent in 2019, the bank estimates. New capacity arriving in a timely fashion and at reasonable cost could prove “a challenge,” Morgan Stanley says. The long-term incentive price needed to attract new developments is $2,740 a ton on a nominal basis, it said.
Baiyin Nonferrous Metals, China’s sixth-biggest smelter, last month started one of two plants in Gansu province it shut in August as prices fell. The 100,000 ton-a-year plant resumed operations on March 26, with the other still idled, Zhang Jinlong, a company spokesman, said April 15.
‘Zinc Cycle’
“Commodities move in cycles, and the zinc cycle has been bad for some time now,” said John Kinsey, a fund manager at Caldwell Securities Ltd. in Toronto, which oversees C$1 billion ($908 million). “When these things happen, the marginal mines close, and so that reduces supply. This is a better year for zinc because supply and demand is in better balance.”
For Shenzhen Zhongjin Lingnan Nonfemet Co. (000060), China’s third-largest producer, improving demand means it can keep mining and smelting at full capacity. Operating profit, which shrank 50 percent to 481.4 million yuan ($77.4 million) in fiscal 2013, will rise 4.5 percent this year and 15 percent in 2015, the average of four estimates compiled by Bloomberg shows.
“We would hope operating profit will increase by 10 to 15 percent this year,” said Wu Xijun, the senior analyst at Shenzhen Zhongjin. “Zinc consumption will remain strong in the next ten years.” | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
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The invention relates to hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers having an OH value from 40 to 260 mg KOH/g, a number average molecular mass (Mn) from 1500 to 20000 g/mole and a glass transition temperature Tg from −40° C. to 80° C., containing
B) at least one compound having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group in the molecule that is reacted with the epoxy functional group of the polymerized olefincially unsaturated monomers,
C) at least one additional polymerized olefinically unsaturated monomer capable of radical polymerization which is different from component A) and
D) optionally at least one lactone reacted with the polymer.
It also relates to processes for making the copolymers and to coating compositions that contain the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers and to the use thereof in multi-layer automotive coatings.
WATER-DILUTABLE COATING BASED ON POLYOLS AND POLYISOCYANATES, PROCESS FOR PREPARING THE SAME AND ITS USE.
Primary Examiner:
Tarazano, Lawrence D.
Attorney, Agent or Firm:
Fricke, Hilmar L.
Claims:
What is claimed is:
1. Hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers having an OH value from 40 to 260 mg KOH/g and a number average molecular mass (Mn) from 1500 to 20000 g/mole, comprising components A) polymerized monomers of at least one epoxy-functional, olefinically unsaturated monomer, B) at least one compound having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group being reacted with the epoxy-functional group of the polymerized olefinic unsaturated monomers, C) at least one additional polymerized olefinically unsaturated monomer being different from component A) and D) optionally at least one lactone being reacted with the polymer.
2. Hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers according to claim 1, having an OH value from 80 to 220 mg KOH/g, a number average molecular mass (Mn) from 2000 to 15000 g/mole and a glass transition temperature Tg from −40° C. to 80° C.
6. Hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers according to claim 1, in which component B) is selected from the group consisting of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids, reaction products of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids and lactones, reaction products of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids and acid anhydrides which are reacted in a further reaction with epoxy-functional compounds, and mixtures of the said compounds.
7. Hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers according to claim 3 in which component C) comprises C1) 0 to 60 wt-% of at least one alkyl (meth)acrylate, C2) 0 to 50 wt-% of at least one vinylaromatic hydrocarbon, C3) 0 to 30 wt-% of at least one hydroxy-functional olefinically unsaturated monomer, C4) 0 to 20 wt-% of at least one further olefmically unsaturated monomer which is different from C1), C2) and C3), and the sum of the proportions of A), B), C1), C2), C3) and C4) being 100 wt-%.
8. Hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers according to claim 4 in which component C) comprises C1) 0 to 60 wt-% of at least one alkyl (meth)acrylate, C2) 0 to 50 wt-% of at least one vinylaromatic hydrocarbon, C3) 0 to 30 wt-% of at least one hydroxy-functional olefinically unsaturated monomer, C4) 0 to 20 wt-% of at least one further olefinically unsaturated monomer which is different from C1), C2) and C3), and the sum of the proportions of A), B), C1), C2), C3) C4) and D) being 100 wt-%.
9. Process for the preparation of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers according to claim 1, wherein the epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymer is prepared by radical polymerization of component A) and component C), and in which the polymer is further reacted with component B), the reaction with component B) taking place before, during and/or after the polymerization reaction.
10. Process for the preparation of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymers according to claim 1, wherein the epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic polymer is prepared by radical polymerization of component A) and component C), and in which the polymer is further reacted with component B) and then with component D), the reaction with component B) taking place before, during and/or after the polymerization reaction.
In automotive coatings in particular, there is a need for coating compositions which produce flexible, scratch resistant and chemical and acid resistant coatings. It is already known from the prior art that scratch resistant coatings can be obtained by using hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers whose hydroxyl groups are modified with lactones.
For example, coating compositions for automotive coatings that are based on epsilon caprolactone-modified (meth)acrylic copolymers and aminoplastic cross-linking agents are described in U. S. Pat. No. 4,546,046. The (meth)acrylic copolymers are prepared from carboxy-functional or hydroxy-functional unsaturated monomers, unsaturated monomers without further functionality, and epsilon caprolactone. The modification with epsilon caprolactone may be carried out in various ways: epsilon caprolactone may be added directly to the unsaturated monomers, or the addition is made only after polymerization of the unsaturated monomers. Similarly, pre-adducts of epsilon caprolactone and hydroxy-or carboxy-functional unsaturated monomers may be formed and then polymerized with further unsaturated-monomers;
Coating compositions of the binders thus prepared produce flexible coatings with good scratch resistance but insufficient acid resistance. Also, when the above-mentioned coating compositions are applied as clear coats, particularly to solvent-based base coats, the base coat is partially dissolved by the clear coat.
This invention provides hydroxy-functional binders based on (meth)acrylic copolymers which, when used in one-component and two-component coating compositions, produce flexible scratch resistant coatings with very good chemical and acid resistance. When applied as a clear coat to solvent-based base coats in particular, there is no or only a slight dissolution of the base coat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers having an OH value from 40 to 260 mg KOH/g, a number average molecular mass (Mn) from 1500 to 20000 g/mole and a glass transition temperature Tg from −40° C. to 80° C., comprising
at least one compound having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group in the molecule that is reacted with the epoxy-functional group of the polymerized olefinically unsaturated monomers (component B),
at least one additional polymerized olefinically unsaturated monomer capable of radical polymerization (component C) which is different from component A, and
optionally, at least one lactone (component D) reacted with the polymer.
The invention also is directed to a process for the preparation of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers, wherein the copolymer is formed by radical polymerization of epoxy functional, olefinically unsaturated monomers (component A) and at least on additional polymerizable olefinically unsaturated monomer (component C) and at least a part of the hydroxyl groups are introduced into the copolymer by reaction of the epoxy group of the epoxy-functional, olefinically unsaturated monomer (component A) with compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B). The hydroxyl groups introduced in this way are situated in the copolymer side chain and result from the hydroxyl groups originating from component B and the secondary hydroxyl groups obtained during the ring-opening reaction of the epoxy groups of component A) with the carboxyl groups of component B).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
The term (meth)acrylic as used here and hereinafter should be taken to mean methacrylic and/or acrylic.
Surprisingly, it was found that hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers prepared in this way, when used in coating compositions, form coatings having, in particular, a balanced ratio between good acid resistance and good scratch resistance.
The hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers contain at least one further olefinically unsaturated monomer capable of radical polymerization (component C) which is different from component A).
Preferred hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers have an OH value from 80 to 220 mg KOH/g, a number average molecular mass Mn from 2000 to 15000 g/mole, especially preferred from 4000 to 12000 g/mole and a glass transition temperature Tg from −40° C. to 60° C. Component A) is contained preferably in an amount from 1 to 90 wt-%, component B) from 1 to 80 wt-% and component C) from 5 to 80 wt-% in the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers, the proportions by weight of components A), B) and C) totaling 100 wt-%.
Further preferred hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers also contain at least one lactone (component D). The at least one lactone may be present preferably in an amount from 2 to 50 wt-%, particularly preferably 5 to 30 wt-%, based on the total amount of components A), B), C) and D), the proportions by weight of components A), B), C) and D) totaling 100 wt-%.
The compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B) are, for example, hydroxymonocarboxylic acids having at least one hydroxyl group, preferably hydroxymonocarboxylic acids having 1 to 3 hydroxyl groups. The hydroxyl groups may be primary or secondary hydroxyl groups. The hydroxymonocarboxylic acids may be linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated. They may for example be hydroxymonocarboxylic acids having 2 to 20 carbon atoms in the molecule.
Further suitable compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group are reaction products of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids and lactones. The lactones undergo an addition reaction with the hydroxyl group. Suitable hydroxycarboxylic acids are those already mentioned above. Examples of suitable lactones are those containing 3 to 15 carbon atoms in the ring and where the rings may also have various substituents. Preferred lactones are gamma butyrolactone, delta valerolactone, epsilon caprolactone, beta hydroxy-beta-methyl-delta valerolactone, lambda laurinlactone or mixtures thereof. Epsilon caprolactone is particularly preferred.
Further compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group are compounds which contain ester groups in addition to the carboxyl group and the at least one hydroxyl group. Such compounds C) may be obtained, for example, by reaction of the above-mentioned hydroxymonocarboxylic acids with acid anhydrides and further reaction of the compounds thus obtained with epoxy-functional compounds, e.g., olefinically unsaturated epoxy-functional compounds. Examples of suitable olefinically unsaturated epoxy-functional compounds are those mentioned above in the description of component A). Examples of suitable acid anhydrides are phthalic anhydride, hexahydrophthalic anhydride, succinic anhydride, methylhexahydrophthalic anhydride, tetrahydrophthalic anhydride and methyltetrahydrophthalic anhydride.
Further highly suitable unsaturated monomers are vinylaromatic hydrocarbons, preferably those having 8 to 9 carbon atoms in the molecule. Examples of such monomers are styrene, alpha-methylstyrene, chlorostyrenes, vinyltoluenes, 2,5-dimethylstyrene, p-methoxystyrene and tertiary butylstyrene. Styrene is used in preference.
It is also possible to use small proportions of olefinically polyunsaturated monomers. These are monomers having at least 2 double bonds capable of radical polymerization. Examples thereof are divinylbenzene, 1,4-butane diol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, neopentylglycol dimethacrylate, glycerol dimethacrylate.
Further suitable unsaturated monomers are those monomers that, apart from an olefinic double bond, contain additional functional groups. Additional functional groups may be, for example, hydroxyl groups. Hydroxy-functional unsaturated monomers may be used in cases where the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention are required to contain additional hydroxyl groups which are not introduced into the (meth)acrylic copolymer by reaction of the epoxy-functional unsaturated monomers (component A) with compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B). Examples of suitable hydroxy-functional unsaturated monomers are hydroxyalkyl esters of alpha, beta-olefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids having primary or secondary hydroxyl groups. Examples include the hydroxyalkyl esters of acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, crotonic acid and/or isocrotonic acid. The hydroxyalkyl esters of (meth)acrylic acid are preferred. The hydroxyalkyl radicals may contain for example, 1 to 10 carbon atoms, preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms. Examples of suitable hydroxyalkyl esters of alpha, beta-olefinically unsaturated monocarboxylic acids having primary hydroxyl groups are hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyamyl (meth)acrylate, and hydroxyhexyl (meth) acrylate. Examples of suitable hydroxyalkyl esters having secondary hydroxyl groups are 2-hydroxypropyl (meth)acrylate, 2-hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate, and 3-hydroxybutyl (meth)acrylate.
Further hydroxy-functional unsaturated monomers which may be used are reaction products of alpha, beta-unsaturated monocarboxylic acids with glycidyl esters of saturated monocarboxylic acids branched in the alpha position, e.g., with glycidyl esters of saturated alpha-alkylalkane monocarboxylic acids or alpha, alpha′-dialkylalkane monocarboxylic acids. These are preferably the reaction products of (meth)acrylic acid with glycidyl esters of saturated alpha,alpha′-dialkylalkane monocarboxylic acids having 7 to 13 carbon atoms in the molecule, particularly preferably having 9 to 11 carbon atoms in the molecule. The formation of these reaction products may take place before, during or after the copolymerization reaction.
Further hydroxy-functional unsaturated monomers, which may be used, are reaction products of hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates with lactones. At least a part of the hydroxyalkyl esters of alpha, beta-unsaturated monocarboxylic acids described above may be modified in this way. This takes place by means of an esterification reaction, which proceeds with ring opening of the lactone. Again, hydroxyl groups in the form of hydroxyalkyl ester groups corresponding to the lactone in question are formed in the terminal position during the reaction. Examples of suitable hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates are those mentioned above. Examples of suitable lactones are those containing 3 to 15 carbon atoms in the ring and where the rings may also have various substituents. Preferred lactones are gamma butyrolactone, delta valerolactone, epsilon caprolactone, beta-hydroxy-beta-methyl-delta valerolactone, lambda laurinlactone or mixtures thereof. Epsilon caprolactone is particularly preferred. The reaction products are preferably those of one mole of a hydroxyalkyl ester of an alpha, beta-unsaturated monocarboxylic acid and 1 to 5 mole, preferably on average 2 mole, of a lactone. The modification of the hydroxyl groups of the hydroxyalkyl esters with the lactone may take place before, during or after the copolymerization reaction has been carried out.
The preparation of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention may take place by radical copolymerization. This may be carried out in a manner known to the skilled person by conventional processes, e.g., bulk, solution or pearl polymerization, particularly by radical solution polymerization using radical initiators. Examples of suitable radical initiators are dialkyl peroxides, diacyl peroxides, hydroperoxides such as cumene hydroperoxide, peresters, peroxydicarbonates, perketals, ketone peroxides, azo compounds such as 2,2′-azo-bis-(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), azo-bis-isobutyronitrile, C-C-cleaving initiators such as, e.g., benzpinacol derivatives. The initiators may be used in amounts from 0.1 to 4.0 wt-%, for example, based on the initial monomer weight.
The solution polymerization process is generally carried out in such a way that the solvent is charged to the reaction vessel, heated to boiling point and the monomer/initiator mixture is metered in continuously over a particular period. Polymerization is carried out preferably at temperatures between 60° C. and 200° C. and more preferably at 130° C. to 180° C.
Examples of suitable organic solvents which may be used advantageously in solution polymerization and also later in the coating compositions according to the invention include: glycol ethers such as ethylene glycol dimethylether; propylene glycol dimethylether; glycol ether esters such as ethyl glycol acetate, butyl glycol acetate, 3-methoxy-n-butyl acetate, butyl diglycol acetate, methoxy propyl acetate, esters such as butyl acetate, isobutyl acetate, amyl acetate; ketones, such as methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, isophorone, aromatic hydrocarbons (e.g. with a boiling range from 136° C. to 180° C.) and aliphatic hydrocarbons.
Chain transfer agents such as, e.g., mercaptans, thioglycolates, cumene or dimeric alpha methylstyrene may be used to control the molecular weight.
Preferred (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention contain:
B) 5 to 70 wt-% of at least one compound having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group selected from the group comprising hydroxymonocarboxylic acids, reaction products of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids and lactones, reaction products of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids and acid anhydrides which are reacted in a further reaction with epoxy-functional monomers, and mixtures of the above-mentioned compounds, and
C) 5 to 80 wt-% of at least one additional polymerizable olefinically unsaturated monomer selected from the following:
C1) 0 to 60 wt-% of at least one alkyl (meth)acrylate,
C2) 0 to 50 wt-% of at least one vinylaromatic hydrocarbon,
C3) 0 to 30 wt-% of at least one hydroxy-functional olefinically unsaturated monomer,
C4) 0 to 20 wt-% of at least one additional olefinically unsaturated monomer which is different from A) C1), C2) and C3), and
D) 0 to 50 wt-% of at least one lactone,
the sum of the proportions of components A), B), C1), C2), C3), C4) and D) being 100 wt-%.
Particularly preferred (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention are those containing:
Hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers used in particular preference are those which contain, as component B), reaction products of hydroxymonocarboxylic acids and lactones and those which contain, as component B), hydroxymonocarboxylic acids in which at least a part of the hydroxyl groups introduced into the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer by means of the hydroxymonocarboxylic acids is modified in a secondary reaction with lactones (component D). Naturally, the compounds, which may be used as component B) may in each case generally, be used on their own or in combination.
The preparation of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention may take place in various ways. Preferably, a copolymer is prepared from component A) and component C). According to a first embodiment, the preparation may involve initially preparing an epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer from components A) and C), which is then reacted with component B). The epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers prepared from components A) and C) by radical copolymerization preferably have an OH value from 0 to 130, preferably from 0 to 80 mg KOH/g, a calculated epoxy equivalent weight from 142 to 2800 g/mole, preferably from 230 to 980 g/mole and a number-average molecular weight (Mn) from 1500 to 10000 g/mole, preferably from 2000 to 5000 g/mole.
The reaction of the epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers obtained in the first stage by radical copolymerization with compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B) takes place generally at temperatures from 60° C. to 200° C., preferably at 120° C. to 180° C. The equivalent ratio of epoxy groups to carboxyl groups may be, for example, 1:2 to 2:1, preferably 1:1 to 1:0.92. The reactants should be used in such a way that an epoxy equivalent weight of more than 6000 and an acid value of less than 10 is preferably obtained.
Another possibility of preparing the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention involves providing a charge of the compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B) and then polymerizing the olefinically unsaturated monomers (components A) and C) in the presence of said component.
A third possibility of preparing the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention involves initially reacting at least a part of the epoxy-functional unsaturated monomers (component A) with at least part of the compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B) to obtain a preliminary product followed by polymerization with further unsaturated monomers (component C) and optionally remaining epoxy-functional unsaturated monomers (component A). The hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer optionally still containing epoxy functions may then be reacted with optionally present residual amounts of component B).
A fourth possibility of preparing the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention again involves initially preparing an epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer from components A) and C) and then reacting this with compounds having a carboxyl group and at least one hydroxyl group (component B), wherein substantially only hydroxymonocarboxylic acids are used as component B) in the latter stage. The hydroxyl groups of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers thus obtained are then modified at least partially with lactones (component D) and/or acid anhydrides. The third possibility of preparing the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention may also be modified in a similar way, again by using substantially only hydroxymonocarboxylic acids as component B) and then modifying the hydroxyl groups of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers obtained at least partially with lactones (component D) and/or acid anhydrides.
Optionally, catalysts may be used for the reaction of the epoxy groups of the epoxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers with the carboxyl groups of component B). Examples of catalysts are metal hydroxides such as, e.g., lithium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide and quaternary ammonium salts such as, e.g., alkylbenzyldimethyl ammonium chloride, benzyltrimethyl ammonium chloride, methyltrioctyl ammonium chloride and tetraethyl ammonium bromide.
Antioxidants may also be added to the (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention, e.g., phosphorus compounds such as phosphites or phosphonates.
Solvent-based coating compositions may be prepared from the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention. The coating compositions may contain one or more cross-linking agents for the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers. Depending on the type of cross-linking agents, one-component or two-component coating compositions may be prepared. The invention also relates, therefore, to coating compositions, which contain the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention and optionally at least one cross-linking agent component. As a suitable cross-linking agent component compounds having groups which are reactive towards hydroxyl groups may be used. For example, these may be polyisocyanates having free isocyanate groups, polyisocyanates having at least partially blocked isocyanate groups, aminoresins and/or tris-(alkoxycarbonylamino)triazines, such as, e.g., 2,4,6-tris-(methoxycarbonylamino)-1,3,5-triazine and 2,4,6-tris-(butoxycarbonylamino)-1,3,5,-triazine.
Examples of the polyisocyanates include any organic polyisocyanates having aliphatically, cycloaliphatically, araliphatically and/or aromatically bound free isocyanate groups. The polyisocyanates are liquid at room temperature or liquefied by the addition of organic solvents. The polyisocyanates generally have a viscosity from 1 to 1 to 6,000 mPas at 23° C., preferably more than 5 and less than 3,000 mPas.
Polyisocyanates of this kind are known to the skilled person and described, for example, in DE-A 38 29 587 and DE-A 42 26 243.
The polyisocyanates are preferably polyisocyanates or polyisocyanate mixtures having exclusively aliphatically and/or cycloaliphatically bound isocyanate groups having an average NCO functionality from 1.5 to 5, preferably 2 to 4.
Particularly suitable examples are the so-called “coating polyisocyanates” based on hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI), 1-isocyanato-3,3,5-trimethyl-5-isocyanatomethyl-cyclohexane (IPDI) and/or bis(isocyanatocyclohexyl)-methane and the inherently known derivatives of said diisocyanates having biuret, allophanate, urethane and/or isocyanurate groups from which, after their preparation, excess starting diisocyanate is removed, preferably by distillation, to obtain a residual content of less than 0.5 wt-%. Triisocyanates such as nonane triisocyanate may also be used.
In principle, diisocyanates may be reacted in the usual way to higher functionality compounds, for example, by trimerization or by reaction with water or polyols, such as, e.g., trimethylolpropane or glycerin.
The polyisocyanate cross-linking agents may be used on their own or in mixture. They are the conventional polyisocyanate cross-linking agents in the coating industry which are described comprehensively in the literature and are also available as commercial products.
The polyisocyanates may also be used in the form of isocyanate-modified resins.
Blocked or partially blocked polyisocyanates may also be used as the cross-linking component. Examples of blocked or partially blocked isocyanates are any di- and/or polyisocyanates in which the isocyanate groups or a part of the isocyanate groups have been reacted with compounds containing active hydrogen. Di-and/or polyisocyanates used may also be corresponding prepolymers containing isocyanate groups. These are, for example, aliphatic, cycloaliphatic, aromatic, optionally also sterically hindered polyisocyanates, as already described above. Trivalent aromatic and/or aliphatic blocked or partially blocked isocyanates having a number average molecular mass of, e.g., 500 to 1,500 are preferred. Low molecular weight compounds containing acid hydrogen are well known for blocking NCO groups. Examples thereof are aliphatic or cycloaliphatic alcohols, dialkylamino alcohols, oximes, lactams, imides, hydroxyalkyl esters, malonates or acetates.
Amino resins are also suitable as cross-linking agents. These resins are prepared according to the prior art and are supplied by many companies as sales products. Examples of such amino resins include amine-formaldehyde condensation resins, which are obtained by reaction of aldehydes with melamine, guanamine, benzoguanamine or dicyandiamide. The alcohol groups of the aldehyde condensation products are then etherified partially or wholly with alcohols.
More particularly, cross-linking agents used are polyisocyanates having free isocyanate groups and polyisocyanates having blocked isocyanate groups, the latter optionally in combination with melamine resins.
The coating compositions may contain additional hydroxy-functional binders apart from the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention. For example, the additional hydroxy-functional binders may be hydroxy-functional binders well known to the skilled person, of the kind used for the formulation of solvent-based coating compositions. Examples of additional suitable hydroxy-fuinctional binders include hydroxy-functional polyester, alkyd, polyurethane and/or poly(meth)acrylic resins which are different from the (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention. The additional hydroxy-functional binders may also be present in the modified form, e.g., in the form of (meth)acrylated polyesters or (meth)acrylated polyurethanes. They may be used on their own or in a mixture. The proportion of additional hydroxy-functional binders may be 0 to 50 wt-%, for example, based on the amount of hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers used according to the invention. The coating compositions may also contain low molecular weight reactive components, so-called reactive diluents that are capable of reacting with the cross-linking agent components in question. Examples of these include hydroxy- or amino-functional reactive diluents.
The hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers and the corresponding cross-linking agents are used in each case in such quantity ratios that the equivalent ratio of hydroxyl groups of the (meth)acrylic copolymers to the groups of cross-linking agent components which are reactive towards hydroxyl groups is 5:1 to 1:5, for example, preferably 3:1 to 1:3, particularly preferably 1.5:1 to 1:1.5. If further hydroxy-functional binders and reactive thinners are used, their reactive functions should be taken into consideration when calculating the equivalent ratio.
The coating compositions according to the invention contain organic solvents. The solvents may originate from the preparation of the binders or they may be added separately. They are organic solvents typical of those used for coatings and well known to the skilled person, for example, those already mentioned above for the preparation of solution polymers.
The coating compositions may contain conventional coating additives. The additives are the conventional additives, which may be used, in the coating sector. Examples of such additives include light protecting agents, e.g., based on benzotriazoles and HALS compounds (hindered amine light stabilizers), leveling agents based on (meth)acrylic homopolymers or silicone oils, rheology-influencing agents such as fine-particle silica or polymeric urea compounds, thickeners such as partially cross-linked polycarboxylic acid or polyurethanes, anti-foaming agents, wetting agents, curing accelerators for the cross-linking reaction of the OH-functional binders, for example, organic metal salts such as dibutyltin dilaurate, zinc naphthenate and compounds containing tertiary amino groups such as triethylamine for the cross-linking reaction with polyisocyanates. The additives are used in conventional amounts known to the skilled person.
Transparent or pigmented coating compositions may be prepared. In order to prepare transparent coating compositions, the individual constituents are mixed together in the usual manner and homogenized or dispersed thoroughly. In order to prepare pigmented coating compositions, the individual constituents are mixed together and homogenized or milled in the usual way. For example, the procedure may be such that initially a part of the hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymers according to the invention and optionally additional hydroxy-functional binders are mixed with the pigments and/or fillers and conventional coating additives and solvents and milled or dispersed in conventional equipment. The resulting ground stock is then completed with the remaining amount of binder.
Depending on the type of cross-linking agents, one-component or two-component coating compositions may be formulated with the binders according to the invention. If polyisocyanates having free isocyanate groups are used as cross-linking agents, the systems are two-component, i.e., the hydroxyl group-containing binder component, optionally with pigments, fillers and conventional coating additives, and the polyisocyanate component may be mixed together only shortly before application. In principle, the coating compositions may be adjusted with organic solvents to spray viscosity before application.
The coating compositions according to the invention may be applied by known methods, particularly by spraying. The coatings obtained may be cured at room temperature or by forced drying at higher temperatures, e.g., up to 80° C., preferably at 20° C. to 60° C. They may also, however, be cured at higher temperature from, for example, 80° C. to 160° C.
The coating compositions according to the invention are suitable for automotive and industrial coating. In the automotive coating sector the coating agents may be used both for OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) automotive coating and for automotive and automotive part refinishing. Stoving or baking temperatures from 60° C. to 140° C., for example; preferably from 110° C. to 130° C., are used for standard automotive coating. Curing temperatures from 20° C. to 80° C., for example, particularly from 40° C. to 60° C. are used for automotive refinishing.
The coating compositions according to the invention may be formulated, for example, as pigmented top coats or as transparent clear coats and used for the preparation of the outer pigmented top coat layer of a multi-layer coating or for the preparation of the outer clear coat layer of a multi-layer coating. The present invention also relates, therefore, to the use of the coating compositions according to the invention as a top coat coating composition and as a clear coat coating composition, and to a process for the preparation of multi-layer coatings, wherein in particular the pigmented top coat and transparent clear coat layers of multi-layer coatings are produced by means of the coating compositions according to the invention.
The coating compositions may be applied as a pigmented topcoat layer, for example, to conventional 1-component or 2-component primer surfacer layers. The coating compositions according to the invention may also, however, be applied as a primer surfacer layer, for example, to conventional primers, e.g., 2-component epoxy primers or to electrodeposition primers.
The coating compositions may be applied as transparent clear coat coating compositions, for example, by the wet-in wet method, to solvent-based or aqueous colour-and/or special effect-imparting base coat layers. In this case, the colour- and/or special effect-imparting base coat layer is applied to an optionally pre-coated substrate, particularly pre-coated vehicle bodies or parts thereof, before the clear coat coating layer of the clear coat coating compositions according to the invention is applied. After an optional flash-off phase, both layers are then cured together. Within the context of OEM automotive coating, flash-off may be carried out, for example, at 20° C. to 80° C. and within the context of refinishing over a period of 15 to 45 minutes at ambient temperature, depending on the relative humidity.
The curing temperatures depend on the field of application and/or the binder/cross-linking agent system used.
Clear coat and topcoat coating compositions with a high solids content may be formulated with the binders according to the invention. The binders according to the invention and the coating compositions prepared from them may be used within the context of a multi-layer coating to prepare top coat layers and clear coat layers with good scratch resistance and good chemical and acid resistance. Similarly, the binders according to the invention and the coating compositions prepared from them may be used within the context of a base coat/clear coat two-layer coating to prepare clear coat layers which do not bring about partial dissolution of the base coat layer.
The invention will be explained in more detail on the basis of the examples below. All parts and percentages are on a weight basis unless otherwise indicated.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Preparation of a Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer A
A 4 liter three-necked ground glass flask fitted with an agitator, contact thermometer, dropping funnel and spherical condenser is charged with 500 parts by weight of solvent naphtha (onset of boiling: 164° C.) and heated to 155° C. with stirring and reflux cooling. A monomer mixture of 780.0 parts by weight of butyl acrylate, 325.0 parts by weight of styrene, 177.5 parts by weight of glycidyl methacrylate, 50.0 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and 25.0 parts by weight of di-tert.-butyl peroxide was added continuously from the dropping funnel over a period of 5 hours. After the addition, the monomer-mixing vessel and the dropping funnel were rinsed with 75 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and the contents added to the reaction mixture. The reaction mixture was then cooled to 145° C. and 155 parts by weight of dimethylol propionic acid were added. The reaction mixture was then heated again to 155° C. and after the set temperature had been reached the mixture was held at this temperature for 30 minutes. 162.5 parts by weight of epsilon caprolactone were then added over a period of one hour. The dropping funnel was rinsed with 100 parts by weight of solvent naphtha. Post-polymerization was then carried out for 3 hours at 155° C. The mixture was then cooled to 125° C., diluted with 125 parts by weight of butyl acetate 98/100 and diluted with 25 parts by weight of solvent naphtha to a solids content of about 64%.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 63.5% (1h, 125° C.), and a viscosity of 770 mPas/25° C. and a OH value of 120 mg KOH/g, and the polymer had a lactone content of 10 wt-% and a number average molecular mass (Mn) of 9300 g/mole.
Example 2
Preparation of a Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer B
A 4 liter three-necked, ground glass flask fitted with an agitator, contact thermometer, dropping funnel and spherical condenser was charged with 500 parts by weight of solvent naphtha (onset of boiling 164° C.) and heated to 155° C. with stirring and reflux cooling. A monomer mixture of 837.5 parts by weight of butyl acrylate, 350.0 parts by weight of styrene, 177.5 parts by weight of glycidyl methacrylate, 50.0 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and 25.0 parts by weight of di-tertiary-butyl peroxide was added continuously from the dropping funnel over a period of 5 hours. After the addition, the monomer-mixing vessel and the dropping funnel were rinsed with 75 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and the contents added to the reaction mixture. The reaction mixture was then cooled to 145° C. and 155 parts by weight of dimethylol propionic acid were added. The reaction mixture was then heated again to 155° C. and after the set temperature was reached this temperature was held for 30 minutes. 80.0 parts by weight of epsilon caprolactone were then added over a period of 1 hour. The dropping funnel was rinsed with 100 parts by weight of solvent naphtha. Post-polymerization was then carried out for 3 hours at 155° C. The mixture was then cooled to 125° C., diluted with 125 parts by weight of butyl acetate 98/100 and diluted with 25 parts by weight of solvent naphtha to a solids content of about 64%.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 64.4% (1 h, 125° C.) and a viscosity of 1010 mPas/25° C.
Example 3
Preparation of a Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer C
A 4 liter three-necked, ground glass flask fitted with an agitator, contact thermometer, dropping funnel and spherical condenser was charged with 600 parts by weight of solvent naphtha (onset of boiling 164° C.) and heated to 147° C. with stirring and reflux cooling. A monomer mixture of 475.0 parts by weight of butyl methacrylate, 345.0 parts by weight of butyl acrylate, 162.5 parts by weight of styrene, 177.5 parts by weight of glycidyl methacrylate, 167.5 parts by weight of 2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate, 50.0 parts by weight of solvent naphtha, 25.0 parts by weight of di-tert.-butyl peroxide and 20.0 parts by weight of dicumyl peroxide was added continuously from the dropping funnel over a period of 6 hours. After the addition, the monomer-mixing vessel and the dropping funnel were rinsed with 75 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and the contents added to the reaction mixture. The reaction mixture was then cooled to 145° C. and 155 parts by weight of dimethylol propionic acid were added. The reaction mixture was then heated again to 155° C. and after the set temperature was reached this temperature was held for 30 minutes. 97.5 parts by weight of epsilon caprolactone were then added over a period of one hour. The dropping funnel was rinsed with 75 parts by weight of solvent naphtha. Post-polymerization was then carried out for 3 hours at 155° C. The mixture was then cooled to 111° C., diluted with 25 parts by weight of n-butanol and diluted with 25 parts (by weight) of solvent naphtha to a solids content of about 64%.
The resulting solution had a solids content of 64.2% (1 h, 125° C.) and a viscosity of 1040 mPas/25° C.
Example 4
Preparation of a Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer D
Example 4.1
Glycidyl-functional Acrylic Prepolymer
A 6 liter glass flask equipped with a stirrer, thermometer and condenser was charged with 800 grams of xylene and heated to reflux. (140° C.) A mixture of 1036 grams styrene, 1036 grams 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate. 728 grams of glycidyl methacrylate, 120 grams of t-butyl peroxy 2-ethylhexanoate (Trigonox 21S from Akzo) and 200 grams of xylene was added dropwise at a uniform rate over 5 hours while keeping reflux. After the addition, 40 grams of xylene were added to rinse the addition funnel and the reactor contents were held another 30 minutes at reflux. Finally 40 grams of xylene were added.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 71.4% and a viscosity of Z3+{fraction (1/2 )} (Gardner-holdt) and the polymer had a Mn of 5800 and a Mw of 10500.
Example 4.2
Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer D
In a 10 liter reactor equipped as described in Example 4.1., 4000 grams of the glycidyl functional acrylic prepolymer from Example 4.1. were reacted at reflux with 126 grams of dibutyl tin dilaurate, 1536 grams of 12-hydroxy stearic acid and 1014 grams of butylacetate till the acid value was below 2.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 77.6% and a viscosity of Z4-(Gardner-holdt) and the polymer had a Mn of 4300 and Mw of 17300.
Example 5
Preparation of a Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer E
Example 5.1
Glycidyl Functional Prepolymer.
In a 6 liter reactor equipped as in Example 1, 800 grams of Solvesso 100 (Exxon) were heated to about 165° C. reflux. Over a period of 5 hours, a mixture of 1690 grams styrene, 910 grams glycidyl methacrylate, 60 grams of di-tertiary-butylperoxide and 340 grams of Solvesso 100 was added uniformly. The addition funnel was rinsed with 40 grams of Solvesso 100 and the reactor contents held for another one hour at reflux. Finally 160 grams of Solvesso 100 were added
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 67.6% and a viscosity of Z4+{fraction (1/2 )} (Gardner-holdt) and the polymer had a Mn of 2900 and a Mw of 7100.
Example 5.2
Hydroxy-Functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer E.
Following the procedure of Example 4.2. 4000 grams of glycidyl-functional prepolymer of Example 5.1. were reacted with 1920 grams 12-hydroxystearic acid and 1000 grams of butylacetate.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 68.5%, a viscosity of Y+{fraction (1/2 )} (Gardner holdt), an acid value of 3.7 and the polymer had a Mn 5100 and a Mw 13000.
Example 6
Preparation of a Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer F
Example 6.1
Hydroxy-acid Functional Intermediate
In a reactor equipped as described in Example 4.1. 536 grams of dimethylol propionic acid were reacted with 2736 grams of epsilon caprolactone and 6 grams of dibutyl tin dilaurate.
The resulting polymer had a Mn of 1250 and a Mw 2700.
Example 6.2.
Hydroxy-functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer F
In a reactor equipped as in Example 4.2. 2000 grams of glycidyl-functional prepolymer from Example 5.1. were reacted with 2627.4 grams of the hydroxy-acid of Example 6.1. in the presence of 16.8 grams of tetraethylammonium bromide and 919.6 grams butylacetate.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 71.8%, a viscosity of Z+{fraction (1/3 )} (Gardner-holdt) and an acid value of 3.1 and the polymer had a Mn of 8500 and Mw of 27600.
Example 7 (Comparative Example)
A polymer was prepared without any epoxy functional olefinic unsaturated monomers and had a caprolactone content of 10 wt-% and an OH value of 120 mg KOH/g was prepared according to claim 1 of DE-OS 22 60 212.
A 4 liter three-necked ground glass flask fitted with an agitator, contact thermometer, dropping funnel and spherical condenser is charged with 500 parts by weight of solvent naphtha (onset of boiling 164° C.) and heated to 145° C. with stirring and reflux cooling. A monomer mixture of 150 parts by weight of epsilon caprolactone, 575 parts by weight of butyl acrylate, 150 parts by weight of styrene, 222.5 parts by weight of methyl methacrylate, 372.5 parts by weight of 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate, 30 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and 30 parts by weight of di-tertiary-butyl peroxide was added continuously from the dropping funnel over a period of 6 hours. After the addition, the monomer-mixing vessel and the dropping funnel were rinsed with 70 parts by weight of solvent naphtha and the contents added to the reaction mixture. Post-polymerization was then carried out for 3 hours at 145° C.
The mixture was then cooled to 111° C. and diluted with 400 parts by weight of n-butyl acetate to a solids content of about 60%.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 58.3% (1 h, 125° C.), a viscosity of 265 mPas/25° C. and the polymer had a number average molecular mass (Mn) of 9400 g/mole.
Example 8
Preparation of a Hydroxy Functional (Meth)acrylic Copolymer G
Example 8.1
Hydroxy-acid Functional Intermediate
In a reactor equipped as described in Example 1, 340 grams of dimethlol propionic acid were reacted with 2280 grams of epsilon caprolactone and 0.18 grams of dibutyl tin dilaurate in 1549.82 grams butylacetate. This adduct solidifies at room temperature and was used further in Example 8.
Example 8.2
Hydroxy Functional (Meth)acrylic Polymer G
In a reactor equipped as in Example 1,2000 grams of glycidyl functional acrylic prepolymer from Example 5.1. were reacted with 1656 grams of the above hydroxy-acid functional intermediate of Example 8.1. in the presence of 8 grams of tetraethylammonium bromide and 120 grams butylacetate.
The resulting hydroxy functional acrylic polymer has a hydroxyl value of 216 and about 30% caprolactone on polymer weight composition grafted on the ackbone.
The resulting polymer solution had a solids content of 70%, a viscosity of Z3-{fraction (1/3 )} (Gardner-holdt) and an acid value of 3.7 and the polymer had a Mn of 3000 and Mw of 12500.
Example 9 (Comparative Example)
A caprolactone grafted acrylic polymer was prepared using the technique known in the prior art by reacting caprolactone with a hydroxy functional monomer. The overall weight % caprolactone was 30% on polymer and the hydroxyl value was 216. In a reaction flask equipped as Example 5.1. 494 grams of hydroxypropyl methacrylate; 442 grams of styrene, 884 grams of hydroxyethylmethacrylate, 780 grams of caprolactone, 42 grams of di-tertiary-butylperoxide and 118 grams of Solvesso 100 were added and then 799.94 grams of Solvesso 100 and 0.06 grams of dibutyl tin dilaurate were added and held at reflux temperature for 5 hours. 40 grams of Solvesso 100 were added next as a rinsing step that was followed by a 1 hour hold at reflux temperature. Next 8.4 grams of tetraethylammonium bromide were added dissolved in 71.6 grams of butylacetate and the batch was held for about 3 hours until a constant viscosity was reached.
The resulting polymer solution was cloudy and had a solids content of 66.7%, a viscosity of Z1+{fraction (1/3 )} (Gardner-holdt) and an acid value of 4.4 and the polymer had a Mn of 2300 and a Mw 6300.
Example 10
The two components of a clear coat based on a hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer A according to Example 1 and a polyisocyanate cross-linking agent were prepared as follows:
Component I
97.43 parts by weight of the copolymer A solution from Example 1 were mixed homogeneously with 1.00 part by weight of a 1% silicone oil solution in xylene, 0.6 parts by weight of a light protecting agent of the benzotriazole type and 0.6 parts by weight of a light protecting agent of the HALS type, 0.32 parts by weight of diethyl ethanolamine and 0.05 parts by weight of a 10% dibutyl tin laurate solution in butyl acetate.
Component II
An isocyanate curing agent solution was prepared as follows:
9.0 parts by weight of xylene, 25.0 parts by weight of butyl acetate, 10.0 parts by weight of solvent naphtha, 2.6 parts by weight of methoxypropyl acetate, 53.3 parts by weight of a commercially available polyisocyanate (Desmodura 3300/Bayer) and 0.1 part by weight of a 10% dibutyl tin laurate solution in butyl acetate were mixed homogeneously to obtain the solution of curing agent.
Example 11 (Comparative Example)
The two components of a clear coat based on a hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer according to Example 7 (Comparative Example) and a polyisocyanate cross-linking agent were prepared.
For Component I, the process of Example 10 is followed in an analogous way, whereby the copolymer A is replaced by the polymer of Example 7.
Component II is identical to Component II of Example 10.
Example 12
A clear coat based on a hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer A according to Example 1 with a melamine resin cross-linking agent was prepared as follows:
48.3 parts by weight of the copolymer A from Example 1 were mixed homogeneously with 24.0 parts by weight of a commercially available 60% butylated melamine resin (Luwipal® 012/BASF), 0.6 parts by weight of a light protecting agent of the benzotriazole type, 0.6 parts by weight of a light protecting agent of the HALS type and 1.0 part by weight of a 34% solution of a blocked p-toluene sulfonic acid catalyst in a isopropanol/water mixture (89:11).
Example 13 (Comparative Example)
A clear coat based on a hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer according to Example 7 (Comparative Example) with melamine resin cross-linking agent was prepared.
The process of Example 10 is followed in an analogous way, whereby the copolymer A is replaced by the comparative resin.
Application of the Coating Compositions from Example 10 and 11
Body steel sheets pre-coated with commercial cathodic electrodeposition coating (18 μm) and commercial primer surfacer (35 μm) used in OEM automotive coating were coated with commercial solvent-based metallic base coat in a dry film having a thickness of 15 μm. In each case, the wet films were pre-dried for 30 minutes at room temperature. The clear coats from Example 10 and 11 were applied wet-on-wet directly afterwards after mixing Component I with Component II, the isocyanate curing agent solution, in a volume ratio of 2:1 by spray application in a dry film thickness of 35 μm and hardened for 30 minutes at 60° C. after 10 minutes flash-off at room temperature.
Application of the Coating Compositions from Example 12 and 13
Body steel sheets pre-coated with commercial cathodic electrodeposition paint (18 μm) and commercial primer surfacer (35 μm) used in OEM automotive coating were coated with commercial-solvent based metallic base coat to form a dry film having a thickness of 15 μm. In each case, the wet films were pre-dried for 6 minutes at 80° C. The clear coats from Example 12 and 13 were applied wet-on-wet directly afterwards by spray application in a dry film thickness of 35 μm and baked for 20 minutes at 140° C. after 5 minutes flash-off at room temperature.
Coating results:
Clear coat:
Example 10
Example 11
Sulfuric acid test:
Etching:
18 min
14 min
Base coat attack:
>30 min
28 min
Scratch resistance
Initial gloss
89%
88%
Final gloss
74%
70%
Residual gloss
83%
80%
Partial dissolution of the base coat
0
1
Clear coat:
Example 12
Example 13
Sulfuric acid test:
Etching:
8 min
6 min
Base coat attack:
24 min
23 min
Scratch resistance
Initial gloss
90%
89%
Final gloss
60%
56%
Residual gloss
67%
63%
Partial dissolution of the base coat
0
1
Methods of Determination:
Acid Resistance:
The dripping-test with 10% sulfuric acid was used to test the clear coats for acid resistance. The test sheets were positioned on a heatable plate and heated to 60° C. It must be ensured here that the sheets rest on the plate in a flat manner in order to obtain optimal temperature transmission. At the end of the heating-up phase, i.e. at 60° C., one drop per minute is applied to the clear coat surface. The total time is 30 minutes. At the end of the testing time the coatings are rinsed with distilled water. If necessary, a brush can additionally be used for the cleaning.
In order to evaluate the acid resistance, the exposure time, at which the first visible deterioration (etching) and the base coat attack occurred, is given in minutes.
Scratch Resistance:
The travelling block method with the Erichsen-Peters block, type no. 265 was used to test the coatings for scratch resistance. The dimensions are 75×75×50 mm, base area=3750 mm2. The weight is 2 kg. A 2.5 mm thick wool felt, dimensions 30×50 mm, is bonded beneath the abrasive block with Velcro tape. Then 1 g of a water-soluble grinding paste is distributed evenly onto the bearing surface. The block travels to and fro 10 times over a period of 9 seconds. The to and fro movement takes place parallel to the 75 mm edge of the block, the abrasive path is 90 mm in one direction. The surface is then rinsed with cold water, dried and a gloss measurement carried out at an angle of 20 °.
The residual gloss remaining after the abrasive stress is given in percent as a measure of the scratch resistance of a coating. Residualgloss(%)=Glossafterstress×100Glossbeforestress
Example 10 (coating composition of the invention with polyisocyanate cross-linking agent) gave significantly better acid etch resistance and better scratch resistance in comparison to the coating composition of Example 11 which is representative of prior art compositions. Example 12 (coating composition of the invention with melamine resin cross-linking agent) gave better acid etch and scratch resistance in comparison to the coating composition of Example 13 which is representative of prior art compositions. The coating compositions of the invention (Example 10 and 12) further showed no partial dissolution of the base coats. In comparison the coating compositions of prior art (Example 11 and 13) showed slight partial dissolution of the base coats.
Example 14
A clear coat based on a hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer G prepared according to Example 8.2, a standard clear coat and a comparative clear coat based on comparative hydroxy-functional (meth)acrylic copolymer prepared according to Example 9 were prepared using the same polyisocyanate cross-linking agent.
In the table below the compositions of three clear coats are given in which the standard clear coat is a commercial clear coat based on an acrylic copolymer in which no caprolactone is used. All clear coat formulations contained the same amount of binder solids. The three clear coats were activated with a commercial activator (polyisocyanate) based on Desmodur® 3390 (Bayer). Each of the clear coats were applied over blue commercial basecoats and baked for 30 minutes at 60°C.
TABLE
Compara-
tive
Standard
Clear Coat
Clear Coat
Clear
Based on
Based on
Coat
Example 8
Example 9
Methyl isobutyl ketone
4.47
13.82
12.93
Primary amyl acetate
2.36
7.29
6.83
Ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate
3.43
10.6
9.93
Propylene glocol methylether acetate
0.68
2.1
1.97
Ethylene Glycol monobutylether
1.73
5.34
5.01
BYK 306 (polyether modified
0.05
0.05
0.05
dimethyl polysiloxane)
BYK 332 (polyether modified
0.05
0.05
0.05
dimethyl polysiloxane)
BYK 361 (polyacrylate copolymer)
0.2
0.2
0.2
D.B.T.D.L. (1% solution) dibutyl tin
1.49
1.49
1.49
dilaurate)
Tinuvin ® 292 (hindered amine light
0.3
0.3
0.3
stabilizer)
Tinuvin ® 1130 (benzotriazole UV
0.6
0.6
0.6
absorber)
Diethylethanolamine
0.25
0.25
0.25
Acrylic resin standard
83.29
/
/
Acrylic resin Example 8
/
56.81
/
Acrylic resin Comparative Example 9
/
59.29
Acetic acid
0.3
0.3
0.3
Butylacetate
0.8
0.8
0.8
100
100
100
NCO/H ratio
1.05
1.05
1.05
Appearance
Clear
Clear
CLOUDY
Drying time: tape free initial
VP/F
VG/Ex
Not tested
Fischer hardness (init./1 week)
0.2/13.4
0.56/11.0
Not tested
Perzos hardness (init./1 week)
55/310
53/179
Not tested
Scratch (gloss before/after)
89.8/18.2
88.1/61.7
Not tested
Test Methods used:
Drying
Standard metal panels (10×30 cm) are clear coated (50μ) and baked horizontally for 30 minutes at 60° C. After a 10 minutes cooldown period a strip of masking tape is applied across the panel, smoothing it out manually using moderate firm pressure to insure uniform contact. A 2 kg weight is rolled over the tape to and from. After 10 minutes the tape is removed and the degree of marking is observed. After 30 minutes recovery the tape imprint is evaluated again.
Scratch Resistance
The clear coated panels are scratched after 7 days aging using the linear Gardner brush test (nylon brush) (according to ASTM D2486-89) through using an abrasive medium based on calcium carbonate. Each panel undergoes 30 brush cycles. The gloss before and after scratching is measured.
Summary of Results of Above Table:
The clear coat based on acrylic copolymer of comparative Example 9, where the same amount of caprolactone is used as in the acrylic copolymer of Example 8, is cloudy due to incompatability with the activator and is considered an unacceptable automotive clear coating. No additional tests were conducted on this unacceptable coating. The method of grafting caprolactone as claimed in this invention and shown in Example 8 allows for the formulation of a clear coat with excellent appearance in comparison to the clear coating, formulated from the copolymer of Example 9. The clear coating of the copolymer of Example 8 has a better property balance of drying time and scratching resistance when compared with a typical commercial standard clear coat. | {
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Noninvasive measurement of reepithelialization and microvascularity of suction-blister wounds with benchmarking to histology.
We explored use of the suction-blister wound model in the assessment of not only epidermal regeneration but also pain, the microvascular response and bacteriology. The effects of topical zinc sulfate were studied to articulate the methodologies in this double-blind trial. One epidermal suction blister (10 mm) was induced on each buttock in 30 healthy volunteers (15 females:15 males) and deroofed on day 0. The wounds were randomized to daily treatment with 1.4% zinc sulfate shower gel (n = 20), placebo (n = 20) or control (n = 20). Digital photography coupled with planimetry, transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurement and optical coherence tomography (OCT) was benchmarked to the gold standard of histology of 60 full-thickness wound biopsies on day 4. Pain increased after application of the shower gels. Microvessel density, determined from OCT images, increased from day 0 to day 2 in the three groups but increased more with the placebo than with the zinc shower gel (p = 0.003) or the control treatment (p = 0.002) and correlated (rS = 0.313, p = 0.015) with the inflammatory response on day 4, as determined by histology. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were more common in wounds compared with skin (p = 0.002) and was reduced (p = 0.030) with zinc sulfate treatment. Planimetric analysis of digital wound images was not biased (p = 0.234) compared with histology, and TEWL measurements showed no correlation (rS = 0.052, p = 0.691) with epithelialization. Neoepidermal formation, determined by histology, did not differ (p = 0.290) among the groups. Zinc sulfate reduced (p = 0.031) the release of lactate dehydrogenase from cultured gel-treated keratinocytes isolated from the blister roofs. Therefore, combination of the standardized suction-blister wound model with noninvasive planimetry and OCT is a useful tool for assessing wound therapies. Zinc sulfate transiently dampened inflammation and reduced bacterial growth. | {
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To move through the world, you need a sense of your surroundings, especially of the constraints that restrict your movement: the walls, ceiling and other barriers that define the geometry of the navigable space around you. And now, a team of neuroscientists has identified an area of the human brain dedicated to perceiving this geometry. This brain region encodes the spatial constraints of a scene, at lightning-fast speeds, and likely contributes to our instant sense of our surroundings; orienting us in space, so we can avoid bumping into things, figure out where we are and navigate safely through our environment.
This research, published today in Neuron, sets the stage for understanding the complex computations our brains do to help us get around. Led by scientists at Columbia University's Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute and Aalto University in Finland, the work is also relevant to the development of artificial intelligence technology aimed at mimicking the visual powers of the human brain.
"Vision gives us an almost instant sense where we are in space, and in particular of the geometry of the surfaces -- the ground, the walls -- which constrain our movement. It feels effortless, but it requires the coordinated activity of multiple brain regions," said Nikolaus Kriegeskorte, PhD, a principal investigator at Columbia's Zuckerman Institute and the paper's senior author. "How neurons work together to give us this sense of our surroundings has remained mysterious. With this study, we are a step closer to solving that puzzle."
To figure out how the brain perceives the geometry of its surroundings, the research team asked volunteers to look at images of different three-dimensional scenes. An image might depict a typical room, with three walls, a ceiling and a floor. The researchers then systematically changed the scene: by removing the wall, for instance, or the ceiling. Simultaneously, they monitored participants' brain activity through a combination of two cutting-edge brain-imaging technologies at Aalto's neuroimaging facilities in Finland.
"By doing this repeatedly for each participant as we methodically altered the images, we could piece together how their brains encoded each scene," Linda Henriksson, PhD, the paper's first author and a lecturer in neuroscience and biomedical engineering at Aalto University.
Our visual system is organized into a hierarchy of stages. The first stage actually lies outside brain, in the retina, which can detect simple visual features. Subsequent stages in the brain have the power to detect more complex shapes. By processing visual signals through multiple stages -- and by repeated communications between the stages -- the brain forms a complete picture of the world, with all its colors, shapes and textures.
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In the cortex, visual signals are first analyzed in an area called the primary visual cortex. They are then passed to several higher-level cortical areas for further analyses. The occipital place area (OPA), an intermediate-level stage of cortical processing, proved particularly interesting in the brain scans of the participants.
"Previous studies had shown that OPA neurons encode scenes, rather than isolated objects," said Dr. Kriegeskorte, who is also a professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of cognitive imaging at Columbia. "But we did not yet understand what aspect of the scenes this region's millions of neurons encoded."
After analyzing the participants' brain scans, Drs. Kriegeskorte and Henriksson found that the OPA activity reflected the geometry of the scenes. The OPA activity patterns reflected the presence or absence of each scene component -- the walls, the floor and the ceiling -- conveying a detailed picture of the overall geometry of the scene. However, the OPA activity patterns did not depend on the components' appearance; the textures of the walls, floor and ceiling -- suggesting that the region ignores surface appearance, so as to focus solely on surface geometry. The brain region appeared to perform all the necessary computations needed to get a sense of a room's layout extremely fast: in just 100 milliseconds.
"The speed with which our brains sense the basic geometry of our surroundings is an indication of the importance of having this information quickly," said Dr. Henriksson. "It is key to knowing whether you're inside or outside, or what might be your options for navigation."
The insights gained in this study were possible through the joint use of two complementary imaging technologies: functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). fMRI measures local changes in blood oxygen levels, which reflect local neuronal activity. It can reveal detailed spatial activity patterns at a resolution of a couple of millimeters, but it is not very precise in time, as each fMRI measurement reflects the average activity over a five to eight seconds. By contrast, MEG measures magnetic fields generated by the brain. It can track activity with millisecond temporal precision, but does not give as spatially detailed a picture.
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"When we combine these two technologies, we can address both where the activity occurs and how quickly it emerges." said Dr. Henriksson, who collected the imaging data at Aalto University.
Moving forward, the research team plans to incorporate virtual reality technology to create more realistic 3D environments for participants to experience. They also plan to build neural network models that mimic the brain's ability to perceive the environment.
"We would like to put these things together and build computer vision systems that are more like our own brains, systems that have specialized machinery like what we observe here in the human brain for rapidly sensing the geometry of the environment," said Dr. Kriegeskorte.
This paper is titled "Rapid invariant encoding of scene layout in human OPA." Marieke Mur, PhD, who has since joined Western University in Ontario, Canada, also contributed to this research.
This research was supported by the Academy of Finland (Postdoctoral Research Grant; 278957), the British Academy (Postdoctoral Fellowship; PS140117) and the European Research Council (ERC-2010-StG 261352). | {
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NBCU Names Kimberley D. Harris General Counsel
New advisor served as White House counsel; veteran Rick Cotton to work on piracy issues
NBCUniversal named Kimberley D. Harris executive vice president and general counsel Tuesday. Based in New York, she will report directly to Steve Burke, Chief Executive Officer, NBCUniversal. Her appointment begins on September 3rd.
Harris replaces NBCU veteran Rick Cotton, who first joined NBC in 1989 as executive veep and general counsel of NBC, and who has served as exec veep and general counsel of NBCUniversal since 2004. Cotton, who announced his intention to step down as General Counsel in May of 2012, will assume the post of Senior Counselor for IP Protection, working closely with the anti-piracy team at NBCUniversal and Comcast on anti-piracy policy and advocacy.
In her new role Ms. Harris will provide legal advice to the NBCUniversal senior management team and supervise its law department, which handles legal matters for all of NBCUniversal’s business units, including the company’s film studio, two broadcast networks, 18 cable channels, 50-plus digital sites, and theme park operations. Ms. Harris also will coordinate NBCUniversal’s global regulatory and legislative agenda.
She joins NBCUniversal from Davis Polk & Wardwell, where she served most recently as a partner in the litigation department. During her tenure, she handled investigations by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the U.S. Congress, among other matters.
From 2010 to 2012, Harris served in the White House Counsel’s Office, most recently as Deputy Counsel and Deputy Assistant to the President. During her tenure at the White House, Harris advised senior Executive Branch officials on congressional investigations and executive privilege issues, and senior White House officials on a wide range of compliance and risk management issues, as well as other legal matters. In addition, she developed and implemented the White House response to congressional investigations, and managed litigation matters relating to the President.
Harris graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, and holds a law degree from Yale Law School. | {
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Going where the blogs take me and I should add a DISCLAIMER:
All the pictures featured on this page belong to their respective owners. If you see your picture featured and don't want it to be, email me with link and I will take it down right away.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Just smarter that's all
To have people liking you
Some might be jealous
Some just angry people
Some preoccupied with their own lives and problems
Quite a lot are in this category
But most will be open to how they find you
And how will they find you?
Take a moment to think honestly about how you come across
Look in the mirror, how do you come across?
If this can be worked on then do so
Not just your face but also your body language has an impact upon others
How is yours?
Again if this can be improved then work on it
Now we get to the more important but maybe subtle points
How you feel also influences others
We sense how others feel
So if you are angry then for sure we feel this
More subtly though it is your natural energy profile that we feel
One of enjoying life or is life a burden and struggle?
Most of us do not want other peoples problems
Even when these are unstated and hidden we feel this
So to have others like you more work on this area
How you truly feel about life
Sham enthusiasm comes through as just that, false
.
So time to learn how to feel good about every day even when things are going pear shape
.
How to feel good when people are not so nice to you
.
Yes it can be done and the rewards of feeling good inside are much greater than most other things you can do
.
It's the energy you project
.
And the energy you project comes from inside
.
After a while seeing life through positive eyes makes you become what you truly are deep down inside | {
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Minnesota at Toronto
Twins 8, Blue Jays 4
DUNEDIN, Fla. (AP) - Justin Morneau is finding his hitting touch early in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.
Morneau had two hits, including an RBI double, and the Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-4 on Tuesday.
Morneau and teammate Joe Mauer, both taking part in next month's WBC, made the 2 1/2-hour trip from Fort Myers.
"Just to get my legs underneath me," Morneau said. "There's a big difference between playing five innings and playing nine. Knowing we're going to start earlier with the WBC, crank it up a little bit earlier."
Morneau, who will be playing for Canada in the WBC, received a nice cheer when he was introduced during the announcement of pregame lineups. The first baseman hit a three-run double in Minnesota's 5-4 victory over Pittsburgh on Monday.
Romero allowed two runs - both coming on Joe Benson's second-inning homer - and two hits. The left-hander had an arthroscopic procedure during the offseason to clean up his left elbow, and also received platelet-rich plasma treatments to both knees to help the recovery of his quadriceps tendinitis.
"I'm going to use this spring to work on my sinker," Romero said. "I think that's basically about 90 percent of what we threw, maybe 95. I'm just trying to get that pitch back and get it under control."
Romero said his percentage of sinkers thrown last year decreased. He went 9-14 with a 5.77 ERA in 2012, and left his final start of the season on Sept. 30 after three innings due to an injury to his left leg.
Pelfrey gave up three runs and five hits. The right-hander made only three starts for the New York Mets in 2012, a season cut short by elbow ligament-replacement surgery on May 1.
Adam Lind hit a two-run homer off Pelfrey during a three-run first.
Before the game, Toronto manager John Gibbons said a decision on whether J.P. Arencibia will catch knuckleballer R.A. Dickey this season will be made after the pair return from the WBC.
"When they come back, we've got to made a decision one way or the other," Gibbons said. "You don't want to let this linger. If he's the guy, or it's one of the other guys, that individual, he's got to work with him the rest of the way."
Arencibia caught Dickey in Monday's game against Boston. Other candidates include Dickey's former teammates on the Mets - Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas - and Henry Blanco.
Dickey is scheduled to start the Blue Jays regular-season opener against Cleveland on April 2.
"Whoever is going to be his catcher is going to start opening day, regardless," Gibbons said. "That's the right way to do it."
NOTES: Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen is long tossing on flat ground to build arm strength. Janssen, who finished with 22 saves last season, had surgery in November to address lingering shoulder soreness. ... Morneau said he received a text recently from Cincinnati 1B Joey Votto, a likely WBC teammate. Votto, who hurt his knee last year, said in the message that everything is going good. "We expect to have him there, which will be obviously huge," Morneau said. "He's probably the best left-handed hitter in the game right now, so to have him on our team makes a huge difference in our lineup." ... Twins 3B Trevor Plouffe (sore right calf) was back in the lineup and had a third-inning RBI single.
Copyright 2015 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or
distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The
Associated Press is strictly prohibited. | {
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Q:
JSF and j_security_check connection
I have an .xhtml page in which I have tried both BalusC's suggestion here and also the following without avoiding the OP's issue
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="#{session.maxInactiveInterval}"/>
Basically, I start the application and the form based authentication page is rendered. I then wait for the session time to expire. If I try to login after that then the OP's problem occurs.
A:
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="#{session.maxInactiveInterval}"/>
The #{session} is available in Facelets only. That it doesn't work suggests that you are not using Facelets for this particular view, but its legacy predecesor JSP or even plain vanilla HTML.
For JSP you should be using ${pageContext.session} to get the session, exactly as demonstrated in my answer on the question which you found yourself.
<meta http-equiv="refresh" content="${pageContext.session.maxInactiveInterval}"/>
Or, much better, get rid of legacy JSP altogether and replace it by its successor Facelets.
| {
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Validation of a knowledge-based boundary detection algorithm: a multicenter study.
A completely operator-independent boundary detection algorithm for multigated blood pool (MGBP) studies has been evaluated at four medical centers. The knowledge-based boundary detector (KBBD) algorithm is nondeterministic, utilizing a priori domain knowledge in the form of rule sets for the localization of cardiac chambers and image features, providing a case-by-case method for the identification and boundary definition of the left ventricle (LV). The nondeterministic algorithm employs multiple processing pathways, where KBBD rules have been designed for conventional (CONV) imaging geometries (nominal 45 degrees LAO, nonzoom) as well as for highly zoomed and/or caudally tilted (ZOOM) studies. The resultant ejection fractions (LVEF) from the KBBD program have been compared with the standard LVEF calculations in 253 total cases in four institutions, 157 utilizing CONV geometry and 96 utilizing ZOOM geometries. The criteria for success was a KBBD boundary adequately defined over the LV as judged by an experienced observer, and the correlation of KBBD LVEFs to the standard calculation of LVEFs for the institution. The overall success rate for all institutions combined was 99.2%, with an overall correlation coefficient of r=0.95 (P<0.001). The individual success rates and EF correlations (r), for CONV and ZOOM geometers were: 98%, r=0.93 (CONV) and 100%, r=0.95 (ZOOM). The KBBD algorithm can be adapted to varying clinical situations, employing automatic processing using artificial intelligence, with performance close to that of a human operator. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
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printvar( """""" );
printvar( '''line\n
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| {
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Matthew Glenesk
[email protected]
Twelve cities are vying for four spots as Major League Soccer looks to expand for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Indy Eleven owner Ersal Ozdemir handed in the team's expansion paperwork at MLS headquarters in New York on Tuesday. The Eleven's bid includes a proposed 20,000-seat Downtown stadium that will cost in excess of $100 million, according to the team's latest estimates.
So how does the Eleven's bid stack up against the competition?
Indy Eleven's MLS bid won't come easily — or cheaply
Here's a look at 11 other cities with MLS aspirations:
Nashville, Tenn.
Nashville’s ownership group first made contact with MLS officials last year. Unlike several others getting looks, Nashville has never fielded a pro soccer team at any level. And Nashville's metropolitan population is the smallest of the cities under consideration.
“We do sit in a bit of an underdog role, on the one hand,” said John Ingram, the lead investor of Nashville's bid. “On the other hand, I’ve never really been as concerned about where you start as where you finish."
Securing a stadium remains a crucial box that is unchecked for Nashville, but the group has made important progress. The Tennessean first reported Jan. 26 that Mayor Megan Barry has zeroed in on the city-owned Nashville Fairgrounds for a future MLS stadium and is throwing her support behind the group’s bid.
Although Nashville lacks widespread notoriety as a pro soccer town, the steering committee hopes the city’s string of well-attended international friendly matches at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium show the city has a passionate fan base that can grow.
The most recent, a match between Mexico and New Zealand in October, drew 40,287 fans. In December, Nashville was named one of 14 cities that will host matches in next year's CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Detroit
Detroit’s bid is a joint venture between NBA owners Tom Gores and Dan Gilbert, who announced in April their plans for a $1 billion development at the former Wayne County Jail site that would include a 23,000-seat soccer-specific stadium.
“Detroit sports fans are some of the most passionate in the world. No where else can you find as many major league teams in the urban core than in Detroit,” Gilbert said in the statement. “Since soccer is the most popular global sport, we also hope having an MLS team will put Detroit on the map with new audiences, attracting more visitors and more residents to the city.”
On Friday, the county announced it will try to restart the long-stalled jail project. But on Monday, a statement attributed to Matt Cullen, head of Gilbert's Rock Ventures, said the Gilbert team is working to develop an offer for the jail site.
MLS commissioner Don Garber has previously stated the jail site is the preferred location for a potential MLS stadium should Detroit be awarded an expansion team.
St. Louis
Considered a favorite, along with Sacramento, Calif., for 2020 expansion, St. Louis' bid is led by Paul Edgerley, former managing director at Bain Capital.
St. Louis voters could decide whether to help the financing of a new 20,000-seat stadium April 4. A proposal first needs to be approved by the Board of Alderman on Friday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Post-Dispatch reports the proposal would put $60 million in city money toward the stadium, along with $95 million in private money. The ownership group also would pay for construction cost overruns, maintenance and any shortfall in the city's financial obligation if the city's funding revenue source falls short of projections.
"We’ve spent a lot of time with MLS officials and feel that St. Louis is very well positioned to be awarded a club," Edgerley said in a news release. "There is still a long way to go, but thanks to the recent progress made possible through collaboration with city officials, we are very close to bringing Major League Soccer and a multi-purpose stadium to the downtown area.”
Sacramento, Calif.
Up until Tuesday, it was all but assumed that Sacramento, with its strong ownership group and shovel-ready stadium plan, would be a lock for 2020 expansion.
Well, not so fast.
It seems there's some turmoil among the impressive group of Sacramento investors, led by Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle. The group includes Meg Whitman, president and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Dr. Griff Harsh, a professor of neurosurgery and otolaryngology at Stanford University Medical Center. Several local investors in the Sacramento Kings, as well as Jed York of the San Francisco 49ers, also are part of the group.
However, the role the Sacramento Republic, the city's USL team, played in the MLS expansion bid process Tuesday, or lack thereof, has created some confusion. Deadspin has more on the situation.
The club's downtown stadium plan for a 20,000-seat MLS stadium has already cleared all regulatory approvals, according to a statement by the team.
Phoenix
Phoenix is the largest city in the country without an MLS team.
The investment group is led by Berke Bakay, the chief executive officer of Kona Grill, along with former Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy, now with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Phoenix group revealed a plan to privately fund the building of a new, climate-controlled, soccer-specific stadium on a 45-acre site that is under contract. The soccer complex will include the club's academy, as well as light rail access for fans.
“We offer MLS the largest population of Millennial and Hispanic soccer fans, and the most TV households," Bakay said in Tuesday's release. "Phoenix is also the only expansion market without an existing MLS team within 400 miles. It’s time for the MLS to come to the southwest and rise with our fans in Phoenix.”
Raleigh/Durham, N.C.
A group led by North Carolina FC owner Steve Malik has confirmed an expansion bid has been submitted for the Raleigh/Durham area. Formerly the Carolina Railhawks of the North America Soccer League, NCFC rebranded in December with an eye on MLS expansion.
The area has been one of the fastest growing regions in the country for over a decade, giving it the highest growth rate among MLS-contender markets.
In the statement announcing the official expansion application, North Carolina FC noted it would reveal more information about its stadium plans in the coming weeks.
San Antonio
San Antonio's bid is led by Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which runs United Soccer League side San Antonio FC. The seventh-largest city in America with a population of 1.4 million, San Antonio often has flirted with the MLS, but never crossed the finish line.
SS&E negotiated an $18 million deal with the city and Bexar County to purchase Toyota Field in 2015, where San Antonio FC currently plays.
“The only reason we did this deal was to get to MLS,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, told MLSSoccer.com. “There was no other reason.”
Cincinnati
An attendance juggernaut in the United Soccer League, FC Cincinnati currently play at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, but will look to build a soccer-specific stadium if granted an MLS expansion.
By month's end, the franchise is expected to provide a list of greater Cincinnati sites to MLS where a new soccer stadium and related facilities could be built. Jeff Berding, team president and general manager, has declined to comment on the sites that will appear on the short list.
“We have our eyes wide open here," Berding told The Enquirer in November. "We have said, 'OK, here's a map of Greater Cincinnati. Here's the river. Here's UC. New stadiums are approximately 20 acres. We live in a pretty dense urban environment, a historic urban environment. Where would 20 acres even exist?' "
Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies jumped from the NASL to USL this offseason. Now, they've set their sights on MLS. And they went big on trying to make an impression at MLS HQ on Tuesday. Owner Bill Edwards brought a packet filled with more than 200 letters of support from local politicians, and roughly 30 co-workers and friends to present the bid. During their pitch, the group proposed an expansion of Al Lang Stadium into an 18,000-seat facility.
The MLS has called Tampa home before. The Tampa Bay Mutiny were an original member of MLS in 1996, but folded in 2002 amid ownership concerns.
San Diego
You think San Diego wants another pro franchise after being jilted by the Chargers?
While most of the expansion bids were hand-delivered in New York, MLS commissioner Don Garber received the San Diego delegation's paperwork aboard the USS Midway in San Diego, joined by the city's mayor Kevin Faulconer and U.S. national team icon and MLS star Landon Donovan.
San Diego's proposal includes a privately-funded 30,000-seat stadium where the former home of the Chargers sits. The local ownership group includes former Qualcomm president Steve Altman, technology entrepreneurs Massih and Masood Tayeb (co-founders of Bridgewest Group), San Diego Padres managing partner and local investor Peter Seidler and sports media executive Juan Carlos Rodriguez.
"Any city can really come out and support our league but it seems like we have something very special in San Diego," Garber said at Monday's battleship ceremony.
Charlotte, N.C.
Charlotte sports entrepreneur Marcus Smith, president and CEO of Speedway Motorsports, officially submitted the bid despite the Charlotte city council recently canceling a vote on a proposal to spend $43.5 million on a soccer stadium, putting its bid in limbo.
Per the Charlotte Observer, Speedway Motorsports executive Mike Burch said the group will ask the city for the original request of $43.75 million. Burch added that he believes council members ultimately will vote for subsidizing the project.
“The city is trying to put forth tourism dollars, and we think this is a great use of those dollars,” Burch told the Observer. “Every day that goes by that we’re not putting our best foot forward is a day we potentially risk falling behind."
The Tennessean, Detroit Free Press, Arizona Republic and Cincinnati Enquirer contributed to this story. | {
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The financial services provided by this website carry a high level of risk and can result in the loss of all of your funds. You should never invest money that you cannot afford to lose. Please ensure you read our terms and conditions before making any operation in our trading platform. Under no circumstances the company has any liability to any person or entity for any loss or damage cause by operations on this website. | {
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793 F.2d 672
Herbert WELCOME, Petitioner-Appellant,v.Frank BLACKBURN, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary,Respondent-Appellee.
No. 85-4546
Summary Calendar.
United States Court of Appeals,Fifth Circuit.
July 3, 1986.
Drew Louviere, Baton Rouge, La., for petitioner-appellant.
Dracos D. Burke, Bernard E. Boudreaux, Jr., Asst. Dist. Attys., New Iberia, La., for respondent-appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
Before CLARK, Chief Judge, WILLIAMS, and HIGGINBOTHAM, Circuit Judges.
CLARK, Chief Judge:
1
Herbert Welcome was convicted of two counts of first degree murder in the shooting deaths of Dorothy Guillory and Wallace Maturin. Welcome received a death sentence for the slaying of Guillory and life imprisonment for killing Maturin. He exhausted his state post-conviction remedies and then filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus in the district court. The district court initially stayed Welcome's execution but subsequently denied the petition and dissolved the stay. Welcome filed an application for a certificate of probable cause with this court which was granted on August 28, 1985. The matter has been held since that time pending a decision by the United States Supreme Court in Grigsby v. Mabry, 758 F.2d 226 (8th Cir.) (en banc), cert. granted, 474 U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 59, 88 L.Ed.2d 48 (1985), a case which would bear on one of Welcome's claims.
2
* The Supreme Court of Louisiana described the facts of the killings thus:
3
On August 21, 1981, defendant Herbert Welcome shot and killed his aunt, Dorothy Guillory, and her paramour, Wallace Maturin, outside the house in which defendant resided with his mother.
4
According to the testimony of eyewitnesses, as the victims, Guillory and Maturin, were visiting on the front porch of the house, Welcome quarrelled with Maturin about the ownership of a pocketknife. The argument developed into a scuffle between Welcome and Maturin in front of the house. Dorothy Guillory entered the struggle by striking Welcome several times on the head with her purse.
5
A hand gun Welcome was carrying fell to the ground. Guillory shouted for Maturin to get the weapon, but Welcome grabbed it first and began shooting. He fired upon Maturin three times at close range and Maturin fled around the corner of the house. Welcome followed and shot him several more times. Maturin died almost immediately from his wounds.
6
Defendant returned to the front of the house and called out threats to Guillory as he reloaded his weapon. Guillory fled through the house and down a nearby street. Defendant ran Guillory down and shot her several times. She died three days later from multiple gunshot wounds.
7
State v. Welcome, 458 So.2d 1235, 1237-38 (La.1983).
8
Welcome pleaded not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. At trial he presented testimony by a psychiatric expert to the effect that although he was not legally insane, he was mentally retarded. An intelligence test indicated that he possessed the mind of an eight-year old.
II
9
On appeal, Welcome contends that the trial court erred in charging the jury on insanity and intent. The court instructed the jury during the guilt phase of the trial that "any mental disability short of legal insanity, that is, inability to distinguish between right and wrong cannot serve to negate specific intent and reduce the degree of crime." Welcome argues that since intent was the lone disputed element at trial, this instruction created an irrebuttable presumption on a material element of the offense charged. It not only relieved the State of its constitutional burden of proving each element of the offense charged beyond a reasonable doubt but also stripped Welcome of the presumption of innocence and prevented him from presenting his only defense. Welcome contends that the instruction effectively precluded the jury from considering the testimony of his psychiatrists to the effect that his subnormal mentality impaired his ability to formulate the requisite intent, and thus denied him the right to present evidence.
10
The quoted portion of the charge which explained the legal definition of insanity is a proper statement of Louisiana law, State v. Andrews, 369 So.2d 1049, 1054 (La.1979), and is permissible as a matter of federal constitutional law. Fisher v. United States, 328 U.S. 463, 66 S.Ct. 1318, 90 L.Ed. 1382 (1946).1
11
In reviewing allegations of error in jury instructions, an appellate court must determine whether the charge, considered as a whole, properly enabled the jurors to understand the issues to be tried. There is no merit in this objection when viewed in the context of the overall charge; a fortiori it presents no basis for relief from a federal habeas court. The structure and composition of the charge separated the concepts of insanity and intent. The jury was clearly advised that, if so disposed, it could find Welcome both sane and not guilty of murder in the first degree by concluding that he had not formed the requisite intent.
III
12
Welcome also challenges the Court's failure to instruct the jury in the penalty phase of the trial that they could consider the evidence of Welcome's mental defect not only in mitigation of his acts but also with regard to whether any aggravating circumstance was proven. The statutory aggravating circumstance advanced by the State in this case was that Welcome "knowingly created a risk of death or great bodily harm to more than one person." La.C.Cr.P. art. 905.4(d). Welcome argues that his mental condition was obviously relevant not only to whether he could have formed the intent to kill but also to whether he "knowingly created a risk of death ..." and the jury should have been told that it was free to consider his mental defect in this aspect of the penalty phase of the trial.
13
The State counters Welcome's argument with the assertion that the trial court had no obligation to provide such instructions sua sponte, and that Welcome failed to make a timely request for such an instruction. The State alternatively urges that the substance of such instructions was given. We hold that Welcome's failure to request an instruction to the jury on this issue or to object to the lack thereof renders his contention meritless. Henderson v. Kibbe, 431 U.S. 145, 97 S.Ct. 1730, 52 L.Ed.2d 203 (1977).
IV
14
Welcome attacks his conviction on the grounds that the "death qualified" jury that found him guilty did not contain a constitutionally adequate cross-section of the community. During Welcome's voir dire, the prosecution was allowed to excuse for cause seven prospective jurors with conscientious or religious objections to capital punishment. This procedure accorded with our decision in Spinkellink v. Wainwright, 578 F.2d 582, 594 (5th Cir.1978), cert. denied, 440 U.S. 976, 99 S.Ct. 1548, 59 L.Ed.2d 796 (1979) (interpreting Witherspoon v. Illinois, 391 U.S. 510, 88 S.Ct. 1770, 20 L.Ed.2d 776 (1968)). The Eighth Circuit decided the question differently in Grigsby v. Mabry, 758 F.2d 226 (8th Cir.1985) (en banc), ruling that the removal for cause of "Witherspoon-excludables" resulted in "conviction-prone" juries and violated the petitioners's constitutional right to a jury selected from a fair cross-section of the community.
15
In Lockhart v. McRee, --- U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 1758, 90 L.Ed.2d 137 (1986), the Court held that "... the Constitution does not prohibit the states from 'death qualifying' juries in capital cases." The Court refused to apply the Sixth Amendment's fair cross-section requirement "to require petit juries, as opposed to jury panels or venires, to reflect the composition of the community at large." Id.
16
In addition, the Court went on to explain that even if they did feel compelled to apply the fair cross-section requirement to petit juries, they would not consider a death qualified jury to be a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to a jury comprised of a fair cross-section of the community. "The essence of a 'fair cross-section' claim is the systematic exclusion of 'a "distinctive" group in the community.' " Id. citing Duren v. Missouri, 439 U.S. 357, 364, 99 S.Ct. 664, 668, 58 L.Ed.2d 579 (1979). The Court did not view "Witherspoon-excludables" as a "distinctive group" for fair cross-section purposes. The jury selection procedures followed in choosing Welcome's liability phase jury will not sustain a constitutional attack on his conviction.
V
17
Welcome contends that his conviction of first degree murder is not supported by the evidence. For Welcome to be convicted of first degree murder in Louisiana under the facts of this case, the prosecution was required to prove that he had "a specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm upon more than one person." La.R.S. 14.30(A)(3). He asserts that his actions in separately pursuing and killing Maturin and Guillory do not fulfill the element. Welcome asserts Louisiana requires that to meet this requirement the accused intend by a single act to kill or inflict great bodily harm on more than one person. He insists that no rational trier of fact could have found that the elements of the offense were proved beyond a reasonable doubt and thus his conviction cannot stand.
18
Welcome's theory might have carried more weight before the Louisiana Supreme Court decided State v. Williams, 480 So.2d 721 (La.1985). The Louisiana case law preceding Williams had been less than crystal clear as to whether the statute was intended to be limited to the results of a single act. See State v. Andrews, 452 So.2d 687 (La.1984) and State v. Stewart, 458 So.2d 1289 (La.1984).
19
The Louisiana Supreme Court clarified the statutory language, however, in Williams when it decided that the aggravating circumstance set out in LSA.C.Cr.P. art. 905.4(d)2 and the definition of first degree murder contained in La.R.S. 14:30(A)(3)3 "should be construed similarly, despite the difference in statutory language." Id. at 726. The court concluded that both statutes were intended to proscribe those murders
20
in which the murderers specifically intended to kill more than one person and actually caused the death of one person and the risk of death or great bodily harm to at least one other person, all by a single act or by a series of acts in a single consecutive course of conduct.
21
Id. (emphasis added) Welcome's argument is foreclosed by Williams.
VI
22
Welcome contends that the statutory aggravating circumstance upon which the State relied in the penalty phase of his trial--that "the offender knowingly created a risk of death of great bodily harm to more than one person"--is unconstitutionally vague in that it fails to give notice of what behavior is proscribed. Welcome supports this attack with the same arguments he advanced in support of his previous argument. This challenge too must fail because, as Welcome's brief concedes, the Louisiana Supreme Court corrected any possible ambiguities in its prior interpretations of this statute in State v. Williams, 480 So.2d 721 (La.1985). In so doing, the court exactly defined the aggravated conduct proscribed, thereby eliminating the possibility of an overly broad interpretation of the statute. Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976).
VII
23
Welcome also claims that the aggravating circumstance relied on to justify the imposition of the death penalty duplicates one of the elements of the crime of which he was convicted: first degree murder. Welcome asserts that this allows a jury which had already convicted him of that crime to use part of their guilt determination to find the identical aggravating circumstance "as a matter of course"--just as the prosecutor urged them to do. This, he asserts, impermissibly heightens the danger that the death penalty will be wantonly or arbitrarily imposed contrary to Zant v. Stephens, 462 U.S. 862, 103 S.Ct. 2733, 77 L.Ed.2d 235 (1983). Welcome asserts that every statutory aggravating circumstance must serve to separate the few cases of first degree murder in which the death penalty is imposed from "the many cases of the crime in which it is not"; and thus to narrow the class of persons eligible for the death penalty. This claim is not well-founded.
24
Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262, 96 S.Ct. 2950, 49 L.Ed.2d 929 (1976) approved as constitutional the Texas capital sentencing system that narrowed the categories of murderers that can be convicted of the underlying crime to those whose crimes which included well defined aggravating circumstances. The Court limited its approval, however, to a system that allowed the sentencing authority to consider mitigating circumstances. That is precisely what Louisiana provides for and what was done in Welcome's case.
25
Louisiana's inclusion as an element of the crime of first degree murder of the aggravating circumstance of committing multiple murders in a single consecutive course of conduct serves to cull out of the class of all murders, a small group which the State makes eligible for the death penalty. But finding that circumstance present in the course of determining guilt does not fix punishment. It only serves to permissibly advance the sentencing jury to the stage of weighing mitigating as well as aggravating circumstances in order to make an individualized determination of life or death based on the character of the individual and the circumstances of the crime. Zant v. Stephens, 462 U.S. 862, 103 S.Ct. 2733, 2743-44, 77 L.Ed.2d 235 (1983). The finding of this aggravating circumstance as a part of the guilt determination process does not finally control the imposition of the death penalty. Such a finding only permits the death penalty to be considered. Furthermore, we note that the Louisiana Supreme Court has held that a jury is not compelled to find an aggravating circumstance was present merely because it found the accused guilty of murder, State v. Knighton, 436 So.2d 1141 (La.1983), cert. denied, 465 U.S. 1051, 104 S.Ct. 1330, 79 L.Ed.2d 725 (1984). In short, Louisiana does not enforce the sort of mandatory death penalty statute condemned in Woodson v. North Carolina, 428 U.S. 280, 96 S.Ct. 2978, 49 L.Ed.2d 944 (1976).
26
An analagous argument was rejected by this court in Gray v. Lucas, 677 F.2d 1086 (5th Cir.1982). Gray argued that a defendant convicted of felony murder in Mississippi will automatically be eligible for the death penalty because one of the aggravating factors, commission of a murder in the course of a felony, will have already been proved. The court found that this contention mistakenly presupposed a constitutional requirement that the death penalty be imposed proportionately among the statutory aggravating factors. Instead, the Eighth Amendment only requires that the death penalty be consistently imposed among similarly situated defendants.
27
Welcome's charge that because Louisiana statutory scheme duplicates an aggravating circumstance in the underlying crime, it unconstitutionally fails to narrow the class of persons qualifying for the death sentence is sophistical. By classifying first degree murder as including certain aggravating circumstances the state has narrowed the class of those subject to the death penalty as effectively as if it allowed a broader class to be convicted but then limited those within the broader class who could be sentenced to death to only persons whose crimes are accompanied by specific aggravating circumstances.
VIII
28
Welcome asserts that the jury based its imposition of the death penalty on the finding of an aggravating circumstance (murder committed in an especially heinous, atrocious or cruel manner) that was unconstitutionally vague and wholly unsupported by the evidence. This argument begins by noting the fact that the State argued and presented evidence on only one aggravating circumstance--that the offender "knowingly created the risk of death or great bodily harm to more than one person," yet the trial court read, without explanation, the entire statutory list of aggravating and mitigating circumstances to the jury. As to the only conviction for which the death penalty was imposed--the murder of Guillory--the jury found both that Welcome "knowingly created the risk of death or great bodily harm to more than one person" and that the killing was "committed in an especially heinous, atrocious or cruel manner."
29
Where the jury finds at least one aggravating circumstance that was valid and supported by the evidence, this Court has ruled that the refusal to review the validity of additional aggravating circumstances found by the jury is permissible as long as the jury's finding of arguable invalid aggravating circumstances "affected none of petitioner's substantial rights." Williams v. Maggio, 679 F.2d 381 (5th Cir.1982). The Supreme Court sustained a death sentence imposed under similar circumstances in Zant v. Stephens, 462 U.S. 862, 103 S.Ct. 2733, 77 L.Ed.2d 235 (1983). There the Georgia Supreme Court had held one of the aggravating circumstances found by the jury was unconstitutionally vague. Because the sentence was adequately supported by two other valid aggravating circumstances, the Supreme Court found that the narrowing function served by statutory aggravating circumstances was properly fulfilled. The two valid findings "adequately differentiate[d] this case in an objective, evenhanded and substantively rational way" from the murder cases in which the death penalty was not imposed. Id. at 879, 103 S.Ct. at 2744. Similarly, the fact that Welcome's jury properly could find that he knowingly created a risk of death to more than one person validates their imposition of the death penalty in this case notwithstanding their additional finding regarding heinousness.
30
Welcome asserts that the jury's unwillingness to impose the death penalty for the murder of Maturin demonstrates that they imposed the death penalty for his killing of Guillory based solely upon a finding of heinousness. Under State v. Culberth, 390 So.2d 847 (La.1980), the aggravating circumstance of heinousness is satisfied only if the killing involves torture or the pitiless infliction of unnecessary pain on the victim. Welcome asserts that there was no proof that would satisfy this standard. Assuming this is so,4 we find that the clear proof of the first aggravating circumstance--the killing of two persons in a consecutive course of conduct--is sufficient to demonstrate that the jury finding of heinousness was harmless error.
31
There is an additional safeguard against the arbitrary imposition of the death penalty in this case. The Louisiana Supreme Court engaged in an elaborate capital sentence review. The procedure as described in State v. Welcome, 458 So.2d 1235 (La.1983) was as follows:
32
Every sentence of death imposed in this state is reviewed by this court to determine if it is constitutionally excessive. In making this examination, this court determines whether the sentence was imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice or any other arbitrary factors, whether the evidence supports the jury's finding of a statutory aggravating circumstance, and whether the sentence is disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant. Id. at 1244.
33
The court found it reasonable for the jury to conclude that Welcome contemplated and caused the deaths of the two victims in a single consecutive course of conduct. In addition, the court made a detailed proportionality analysis which not only evaluated Welcome's background but all other first degree murder prosecutions in the district of the crime. On reconsideration after Pulley v. Harris, 465 U.S. 37, 104 S.Ct. 871, 79 L.Ed.2d 29 (1984), a more detailed proportionality analysis was undertaken which went beyond the requirements of Louisiana statute to survey all reported first degree murder convictions involving multiple killings in the entire state since 1976. That survey indicated that juries generally recommended the death penalty when two or more persons were killed in similar murders. The Supreme Court concluded from its review of this record and its survey of other death penalty cases that the jury's recommendation was not reached arbitrarily and was not based on improper considerations. We agree. Any error in the court's inclusion in its instructions of a listing of all aggravating circumstances, or in the jury's inclusion in its verdict on punishment of a finding of heinousness, was harmless.
IX
34
Welcome finally contends that his death sentence should be set aside because portions of the prosecutor's closing argument were improper. Instead of emphasizing that the jury's duty is to decide whether death is the appropriate punishment in the specific case before them, Welcome alleges that the prosecutor relied on society's general interest in deterrence of crime, which violated Welcome's constitutional right to an individualized decision by the jury.
35
"In order for a defendant to establish that the prosecutor's remarks rendered his or her trial fundamentally unfair, he or she 'must demonstrate either persistent and pronounced misconduct or that the evidence was so insubstantial that (in probability) but for the remarks no conviction would have occurred.' " Willie v. Maggio, 737 F.2d 1372 (5th Cir.1984), citing Fulford v. Maggio, 692 F.2d 354, 359 (5th Cir.1982), rev'd on other grounds, 462 U.S. 111, 103 S.Ct. 2261, 76 L.Ed.2d 794 (1983). Welcome did not allege or establish either ground of error.
36
While the prosecutor's closing argument touched on the prospect of general deterrence, it also emphasized Welcome's actions and the jury's responsibility to make a sentencing determination that applied the death penalty to Welcome's individual case. Woodson v. North Carolina, 428 U.S. 280, 96 S.Ct. 2978, 49 L.Ed.2d 944 (1976). Welcome failed to carry his burden of establishing that the prosecutor's closing argument rendered his trial fundamentally unfair. Willie v. Maggio, 737 F.2d at 1390.
37
The judgment of the district court denying the writ of habeas corpus and dissolving the stay of execution is
38
AFFIRMED.
1
Three circuits have upheld the action of state courts which follow the M'Naughten rule in excluding the proffer of psychiatric testimony to show diminished intent. Wahrlich v. Arizona, 479 F.2d 1137 (9th Cir.), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 1011, 94 S.Ct. 375, 38 L.Ed.2d 249 (1973); Muench v. Israel, 715 F.2d 1124 (7th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1228, 104 S.Ct. 2682, 81 L.Ed.2d 878 (1984), and Campbell v. Wainwright, 738 F.2d 1573 (11th Cir.1984). See also United States v. Lyons, 731 F.2d 243 (5th Cir.1984) (en banc)
2
"the offender knowingly created a risk of death or great bodily harm to more than one person."
3
"when the offender has a specific intent to kill or inflict great bodily harm upon more than one person...."
4
The proof showed that after killing Guillory's paramour, Maturin, in Guillory's immediate presence and hearing, Welcome shouted threats to her as he reloaded his weapon. Welcome then chased Guillory through the house and down a nearby street before proceeding to shoot her five times as she begged for mercy. The shots were so placed that she lived for three days
| {
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Skinny Everything (Part 1 of 3)
At Revelry, we build web apps using Rails. Working with any MVC framework, you will come across the saying “Fat model, Skinny Controller”. The idea is to slim the the controller down to basic CRUD actions, and put the rest of the more complex functionality in the model. Now, while it is definitely good to have a slim controller for sake of code reusability, readability, and testing, it is also good to have a skinny model (for the exact same reasons). In fact, it’s just good to have a skinny everything.
What tends to happen when you move all logic into models is that you get God like Models which become impossible to understand and maintain. Jon Cairns also wrote a great article about why Fat model, Skinny Controller is a load of rubbish. Unfortunately, Cairns doesn’t list any of the ways to keep everything skinny. So, I have decided to write a three-part article that will explain some of the tactics we use at Revelry to maintain “Skinny Everything” in our Rails applications.
The rest of this article will cover the first of these tacticts:
1. Decorators
Sometimes you need a way to implement display logic on an object. For example, you have an Event object. In your view you want to call @event.start_date , and have it be a correctly formatted date (because Rails doesn’t store dates the way humans like to look at them). You might think it would make sense to just add a method to the model:
That seems like a good idea, because then you will be able to call @event.start_date everywhere that you have an Event object. However, according to MVC, the model isn’t supposed to deal with presentation; that’s meant to happen primarily in the controller. Not to mention, display methods like this can add up, leading to fat models. You might consider writing a helper method that formats the date for you. That is probably a bad idea.
Instead, the best option is to use a decorator. At Revelry, we use Draper for decorators. Here’s an example of solving the above issue with a with Draper decorator:
Then in the controller, you decorate the @event object with EventDecorator.decorate(@event) , which returns the decorated @event object. So now you have the start_date method accessible via the decorated object.
It’s important to remember that you need to decorate the event object in order to get the decorator methods. It might seem obvious, but consider this situation:
Before you knew it was a bad idea, you put a display logic based method in a model. Now that you know better, you decide you want to move it into a decorator. Smart. Thing is, if that method was already being called all over the application, you’re gonna need to make sure that all instances of that model are getting decorated before the new decorator method is called. When it was just a model method, you could call it on any instances of the at model, but with a decorator, you can only call it on a decorated instance object.
Decorators are great because they keep display logic out of the models, and they keep your models skinnier (without resorting to using helpers).
Part 2 covers concerns,
and Part 3 covers partials.
More Posts by Daniel Andrews: | {
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the artificial cultivation of Lentinus edodes by using an artificial solid culture medium (hereinafter referred to as "cultural medium"), in which Lentinus edodes can successfully be harvested in a short time in large quantities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, Lentinus edodes has heretofore been cultivated by the so-called bed log cultivation method using raw wood. However, since this bed log cultivation method is a natural cultivation method in which a long time, such as about 1.5 years, is required from the time of inoculation of the fungus seed to generation of a fruit body, the cultivation results are inevitably influenced by weather conditions and are very erratic. Further, the cultivation is often inhibited by injurious fungi and the harvest is frequently reduced by such damage. Furthermore, the price of raw wood is increasing because of the shortage thereof and the problem of the shortage of manpower in rural and mountain districts is becoming serious.
Accordingly, it has been desired to develop a method of cultivating Lentinus edodes in which raw wood is not used and a good harvest can be obtained on a regular and stable basis in a relatively short time without the need for extensive manual labor. However, an artificial cultivation method comparable to the bed leg cultivation method from the economic viewpoint was not found, prior to our invention. More specifically, various methods for artificially cultivating Lentinus edodes have heretofore been proposed, but they are defective in that a long time is required for cultivation and very complicated operations must be performed. Moreover, it often happens that no fruit bodies grow at all or if fruit bodies grow, the harvest thereof is small and most of the fruit bodies are deformed and have low commercial value. Therefore, the prior methods are not suitable as a technique for replacing the bed log cultivation method.
In contrast, for cultivation of other mushrooms such as Pholiota nameko and Pleurotus ostreatus, artificial methods are mainly used in place of the bed log cultivation method. If Lentinus edodes is cultivated following the artificial cultivation methods used for cultivating these other mushrooms, economical results cannot substantially be expected, apparently because the biological properties of Lentinus edodes are significantly different from those of Pholiota nameko, Pleurotus ostreatus and the like.
When the state of growth of Lentinus edodes in the bed log cultivation method is carefully examined, it is seen that, as shown in FIG. 1, most of the fruit bodies 3 grow from the bark face 1 and in general, fruit bodies do not grow from the cut end 2. In contrast, in the bed log cultivation of Pholiota nameko and Pleurotus ostreatus, fruit bodies grow well not only from the bark face but also from the cut end. It is considered that in case of Lentinus edodes, differentiation of hyphae to fruit bodies takes place only on the bark face, but in the case of Pholiota nameko and Pleurotus ostreatus, differentiation is possible if only hyphae grow and gather. That is, Lentinus edodes is substantially different from Pholiota nameko, Pleurotus ostreatus and the like with respect to differentiation of hyphae to fruit bodies. Accordingly, it is considered that Pholiota nameko, Pleurotus ostreatus and the like grow even on the surface of a culture medium which is not equivalent to the bark face of a log (namely, under the same conditions as those on the cut end of the log), but Lentinus edodes scarcely grows from the surface of such a culture medium. According to various artificial cultivation methods heretofore proposed, it is intended to cause fruit bodies of Lentinus edodes to grow, contrary the effects of nature, on the surface of a culture medium where spontaneous growth of fruit bodies is substantially difficult and therefore, a long time is required for cultivation, deformed fruit bodies are obtained and other serious defects occur.
As regards the role of the bark in the bed log cultivation of Lentinus edodes, there have been proposed various theories, for example, a theory of catalytic stimulus, a theory of nourishment and a theory of pressure stimulus. We have departed from these theories and, as a result of our studies, we have arrived at the conclusion that the bark has the role of adjusting the amount of air that permeates into the places where the rudiments of the Lentinus edodes fruit bodies form (namely, the zone between the bark and the xylem). | {
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Vote For the Next Cover of Paste Magazine
Our cover shoot with Felicia Day at her home in Los Angeles went so well that photographer extraordinaire Matt Hoyle gave us too many great choices, and we want your help in deciding. Vote for the cover of next week’s mPlayer, and one random winner will receive a year’s subscription to Paste’s new digital magazine (and the Paste magazine app coming soon to iPad).
Vote by midnight, Sunday, Oct. 9, for your chance to win. The winning cover (and winner) will be revealed on Tuesday, Oct. 11. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Q:
What is the maximum size of the plaintext message for RSA OAEP?
OAEP is an important technique used to strengthen RSA. However, using OAEP
(or any technique that adds randomness) reduces the size of plaintexts that can be encrypted.
Assume for instance that OAEP is using a 160-bit seed and a hash function that produces a 256-bit value. In that case, how large a plaintext can be handled when RSA is used with 2048-bit key?
A:
The input length of OAEP is directly specified in the standard:
M message to be encrypted, an octet string of length mLen,
where mLen <= k - 2hLen - 2
or simply mLen = k - 2 * hLen - 2 if we want to calculate the maximum message size.
Where:
k - length in octets of the RSA modulus n
hLen - output length in octets of hash function Hash
mLen - length in octets of a message M
The key size of RSA is defined as the number of bits within the unsigned modulus representation. So the key size is identical to the modulus size in bits.
So to complete the calculation we have to include k = ceil(kLenBits / 8) where kLenBits is the key size in bits. This can be rewritten as k = (kLenBits + 7) / 8 for integer-only calculations. However, since kLenBits is commonly limited to multiples by eight k = kLenBits / 8 usually suffices.
The same goes for hLen which is practically always the hash output in bits - say hLenBits divided by 8. From here on all calculations will be in octets / bytes.
To calculate the maximum payload of RSA OAEP we then substitute the nLen and hLen by their respective calculations (and <= by = because we're looking for the maximum):
mLen = k - 2 * hLen - 2
becomes
mLen = kLenBits / 8 - 2 * hLenBits / 8 - 2
If we observe this we see that the amount of overhead only depends on the hashlength: 2 * hLenBits / 8 - 2. This makes it easy to write out the possibilities for SHA-1, SHA-2 and SHA-3:
\begin{array} {|l|c|c|}
\hline
\text{HASH} & \text{OVERHEAD} & \text{RSA 1024} & \text{RSA 2048} & \text{RSA 3072} & \text{RSA 4096} \\
\hline
\operatorname{SHA-1} & 42 & 86 & 214 & 342 & 470 \\
\hline
\operatorname{SHA-224} & 58 & 70 & 198 & 326 & 454 \\
\hline
\operatorname{SHA-256} & 66 & 62 & 190 & 318 & 446 \\
\hline
\operatorname{SHA-384} & 98 & 30 & 158 & 286 & 414 \\
\hline
\operatorname{SHA-512} & 130 & \text{N/A} & 126 & 254 & 382 \\
\hline
\end{array}
note that SHA-1 has an output size of 160 (or hLen = 20 in PKCS#1). Probably better to simply include the calculation in your source code if the function to calculate the maximum input size is missing from your crypto library. Of course you want to avoid 1024 bit RSA; I've added it just for when backwards compatibility is required.
Great so now we can finally fill in the numbers as kLenBits = 2048 and hLenBits = 256:
mLen = 2048 / 8 - 2 * 256 / 8 - 2 = 256 - 64 - 2 = 190
so the message has a maximum size of 190 bytes.
| {
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Keiko Sonoi
was a Japanese actress who died as a result of the 1945 Hiroshima bombing.
Biography
Early life
Keiko Sonoi was born on 6 August 1913 in Matsuo, a village in Iwate Prefecture. She was the first-born daughter of and his wife , who both ran a business that made and sold sweets.
She moved to Morioka to stay with her uncle 's family, in order to attend the "upper elementary school" there.
Later, she and her uncle moved to Otaru, where she attended .
Her real name was "Tomi", as officially registered in her koseki (family register). But during childhood, this name provoked the taunting of other children, who chanted the line from the kabuki play . She therefore decided to re-christen herself , by which she was exclusively known as during her time in the Takarazuka Revue. She later called herself , and her last letter, written four days before her death, was signed with that name. She allegedly chose these aliases from being immersed in onomancy (), a type of fortune-telling based on the name.
Takarazuka aspirations
She learned of the existence of the all-girl Takarazuka Revue through girl's magazines, and by the time she graduated (upper) elementary school, she wished to join this musical revue theatrical company, but this was foiled when her mother opposed the decision.
During the time she attended the Otaru high school, she had opportunity to see a for the first time in her life. Her determination to join Takarazuka remained steadfast, and after dropping out of high school, she entered the (Takarazuka Ongaku Kageki Gakkō) in March 1929.
A rather different perspective is taken by other sources, according to which Sonoi as a high schooler went to see a proletarian shingeki play put on by the (Tsukiji Little Theater) performing on road in Otaru, and thenceforth, her true aspiration was to perform as shingeki actor. However, that would be a road to economic hardship, and instead she entered the Takarazuka School, which paid even first-year students (yoka-sei) a 10 yen (or 15 yen) monthly salary, most of which she would send to her family.
One of the principal actors at the Tsukiji Little Theater was , and Keiko Sonoi later did indeed retire from Takarazuka to become a shingeki actor under Maruyama's direction.
As a student she earned the nickname Hakama from her real name Hakamada, and was particularly close to her roommate .
Takarazuka Revue
In 1930, she became second-year student (yoka-sei) and was now a performing member of the . She was assigned to the group, and initially performed under the stage name of Kiyono Kasanui making the stage debut in Haru no odori in April. She changed her stage name later that year to Keiko Sonoko.
After graduating in 1931, she was assigned to the Tsuki-gumi (Moon) then moved to other troops. In October, she was cast as the old gate-keeper lady in 's Lilac Time, and was praised as "the greatest (fruit of my endeavor) this year" by Ichizō Kobayashi, the head of the Hankyu-Toho conglomerate.
Typecasting
She became recognized as a skilled and versatile supporting actress, especially in comedic roles. Her close colleagues Hisako Sakura and recalled that she excelled in her role as Frédéri's mother in , which was the Takarazuka adaptation of L'Arlésienne. Other comments include: "Not flashy but giving a 'flavorful' performance"(Yoshio Sakurauchi, politician well-known as zuka-fans), "Skillfully executes cheery, witty roles" (Ken Harada, another politician), "Skillfully executes cheery, witty roles" (Issei Hisamatsu, Takarazuka stage director and writer).
Because she was considered too small of stature for male roles, but largish for female roles, she became type-cast for the sanmaime (a short-of- handsome, comic male) or elderly role. Even though one Takarazuka director, asserted that the Revue had precious few sanmaime talents, and "only the truly skilled can execute sanmaime parts", Sonoi herself despised being called sanmaime.
Takarazuka Films
In 1938, Takarazuka Films was established, and she was cast in several of its movies, until the production company was forced to shut down in 1941 as the war-times situation turned more serious. She appeared in ("Female Students of a Military Nation", 1938), Yama to shōjo ("A Mountain and a Girl", 1939), ("Primrose" 1939), Minami jūjisei ("Southern Cross", 1941).
Playing outside repertoires
In January 1941, Sonoi and Toho Studio movie star Hideko Takamine made guest appearances in theatrical productions by comedian Roppa Furukawa's company in Tokyo. This received notice as the first time a current Takarazuka member was seconded to appear on stage elsewhere. According to some sources, Sonoi was specially picked out by playwright who wrote for Roppa's troupe; Kikuta had already regarded Sonoi as a promising talent and insisted she be cast in his Sekijūji-ki wa sususmu at Takarazuka in 1940.
Leaving Takarazuka
Around this time, Sonoi had already indicated her inclination to convert to Shingeki acting. Correspondence from Jūzaburō Yoshioka at the Tokyo Takarazuka office shows that management was aware she "wanted to do plays like the Tsukiji" (Tsukiji Little Theater, i.e., shingeki plays), but Yoshioka suggested she settle for performing with Roppa for the time being.
In the end, she would not be persuaded to remain, and after starring as the original cast lead in , Sonoi resigned from Takarazuka Revue. who wrote the script later recalled being stunned by this choice of casting, but , long-lived doyenne of Takarazuka, revealed that she had been tapped for the part, but lobbied to cede the role to Sonoi after learning of her imminent departure.
The Takarazuka Revue tried to retain her by offering her terms that would allow her some leeway to perform in film or shingeki theater, but the compensation and performing restrictions they offered were unsatisfactory, according to her correspondence to Shizu Nakai.
Film role in Matsu
In 1943, Sonoi was cast opposite top leading actor Tsumasaburō Bandō in , where she played Mrs. Yoshioka, whom Muhōmatsu (or Matsu the Untamed, played by Bandō) becomes romantically but unrequitedly attached to. The film became a box office hit.
The child actor billed as Akio Sawamura (actor Hiroyuki Nagato of later years) said he earnestly wished he could marry a woman like Sonoi.
The director, Hiroshi Inagaki recalled that Takako Irie and had been the first choices for the role but were not available, and the offer was made to Sonoi on Sayo's recommendation.
Due to success of this film, Daiei offered Sonoi a studio contract, but she declined saying she preferred to continue studying with her theatrical company, Kuraku-za (cf. below). The director, Hiroshi Inagaki was eager to sign Sonoi onto his new projects at the time; in later years, the director reflected that Sonoi was "not so much a skilled performer as someone with a passion for performing. She had the basics of inhabiting the persona of her role, down pat".
Non-musical theater
The theatrical troupe was formed afterwards, on July 8, 1942 (2 months prior to Sonoi leaving Takarazuka) by and others, namely Tokuemon Takayama (), Keita Fujiwara (Kamatari Fujiwara), and Musei Tokugawa. Of the initial run of three plays, Sonoi was cast in Genkanburo ("entryway bath"). She continued performing for the troupe, appearing in Yume no su ("Dream's nest", 2nd run, June 1943 at the ), Eien no otto ("Eternal husband". 3rd run, January 1944 at the Kokumin Shingekijo).
Sonoi played the widow's role as in the movie when the troupe produced the theater adaptation of Muhōmatsu no isshō, first in Kuraku-za's 4th run at Hōgakuza in October 1944, after which the troupe took this play on the road, traveling through a large part of Western Japan.
After the regional tour finished in December, the bombing raids intensified in Tokyo and food procurement became difficult. The Kuraku-za decided to disband, but Maruyama suggested the members regroup as a traveling troupe with the objective of the populace beleaguered by war, and twelve other actors joined. They came up with the name "Sakura-tai" for the new troupe while they were at the in Sonoi's hometown of Morioka, Iwate, rehearsing for Shishi ("Lion", written by ). But this name was not made official until June, 1945 after they became stationed at Hiroshima.
The mobile troupe was only able to do a grand tour briefly, from January to March 1946, travelling to parts of the Kanto area and then Hiroshima. In Kanto they mainly visited manufacturing plant workers, but in Hiroshima they "comfort-visited" wounded soldiers as well.
The Nihon Ido Engeki Renmei (Japan Touring Theatre League) then instructed all troupes to cease touring city by city, and perform in the confines of an evacuation (sokai) area. It was decided Kuraku-za would be assigned to stay in Hiroshima or its vicinity.
Hiroshima
The choice of Hiroshima as their evacuation zone was a source of consternation for members, because the city remained relatively unscathed despite its military strategic importance, and a major strike was thought imminent. Sonoi wrote in April stating that she tried to refuse going to Hiroshima and remain in Tokyo (which had been incinerated in the March bombing), but was pressured to change her mind. Also while she was still at Tokyo, she went to the Toho Studio office asking if there were any film roles for her, which she wanted to take to extricate herself from touring under heavy bombardment. In fact director Kajirō Yamamoto was hoping to cast her in his new film (Kaidanji) but the office replied no, and she had left.
The Kuraku-za's mobile unit, now officially renamed reached Hiroshima on June 22. From July 5, they toured the San'in region. Due to illness, the troupe returned to Hiroshima prematurely ahead of schedule. This marked the end of perfromance by the Sakura-tai.
Members either dropped out of Sakura-tai or left Hiroshima, so that in August only 9 members remained at their office in Hiroshima. Sonoi spent time recuperating in Kobe (at the home of Shizu Nakai and husband Yoshio) August 2 to August 5, returning to Hiroshima on the fateful day.
Thus Sonoi, Maruyama and others were in Hiroshima when the Atomic Bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. They both succumbed to the aftereffects shortly thereafter.
Hiroshima A-bomb
When the Atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Sonoi was thrown from the hallway to the yard by the blast, and momentarily lost consciousness, but otherwise had no visible wounds. She found actor (son of Kuraku-za co-founder Tokuemon Takayama aka ) lightly injured, and the two of them fled to approximately away. Sadao Maruyama and Midori Naka also left the scene, each separately, but were in poor condition were taken into custody at different locations. The remains of the five others members were found skeletonized at the burning wreck of the office.
Sonoi and Takayama subsequently took the train and reached the Nakai residence in Kobe. Sonoi's face and clothing were soiled, and she wore a jika-tabi on one foot and a man's shoe on the other, so that she looked "like a beggar" and was nearly beyond recognition.
On August 15, when informed the war had ended, Sonoi expressed her gladness at being able to act to her hearts content to Akiko Utsumi who was visiting, and also wrote a letter dated August 17 to her mother Kame in Morioka expressing this sentiment.
However, Sonoi's condition deteriorated. Her hair started to fall off at night, before suffering high fever around August 19, according to Mrs. Nakai; Other symptoms such as hematochezia, internal bleeding and delusions also presented.
By August 19, who was a stage director for Sakura-tai tracked Sonoi down, and came to see her at the Nakai residence. Sonoi asked of news about Maruyama, and sensed he must have passed away. On August 21, Sonoi's fever reached 40 degrees C, and Mrs. Utsumi rushed out to procure ice. Sonoi felt the coolness of the chilled gauze, and said "Oh, how good it feels". Those were the last words before she died.
Sonoi's remains were cremated the following day, and her bones and ashes buried in Onryū-ji in Morioka.
The story of the Sakura-tai's demise was written up in a book by author in 1980, which was adapted into the film Sakura-tai chiru (1988) directed by Kaneto Shindō.
Legacy
Infuence on Tezuka's art
The childhood home of manga artist Osamu Tezuka in Takarazuka, Hyogo belonged to a row of houses dubbed "Musical Theater Tenements" (Kageki nagaya), and Tezuka recalls that Keiko Sonoi lived at the end of this block. The manga Ribbon no kishi (Princess Knight) was "totally nostalgia of the Takarzuka Revue", in the artist's words. He was also a devoted fan of the Takarazuka production of Pinnochio (which starred Sonoi), and his Astro Boy may have been influenced by it.
Matsuo village
In 1989 her birthplace Matsuo, Iwate commmemorated the centennial of the founding of the village by holding an exhibit of Sonoi's belongings and related printed materials, and publishing a scrapbook compilation Shiryōshū.
Related works
Sakura-tai zemetsu (1980), a non-fiction account of the demise of the troupe.
Kaneto Shindo dir., (1988 film), based on Ezu's non-fiction. Sonoi was portrayed by .
Hisashi Inoue's play (first run in 1997). Sonoi played by in the original cast.
See also
Midori Naka
Explanatory notes
References
Citations
Bibliography
External links
Category:1913 births
Category:1945 deaths
Category:Hibakusha
Category:Victims of radiological poisoning
Category:Actors from Iwate Prefecture
Category:20th-century Japanese actresses | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
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Q:
Where is a good place in California to go gold panning for a beginner?
I have some gold pans and a portable shovel. I live in California and I am interested in places with camping grounds and nearby water to do some recreational gold panning.
Know of any good places for a beginner?
A:
If you want to do this as a hobby, there's lots of places you can go. The American, Yuba, & Klammath rivers have the most gold. A lot of the parks have something in place to allow to do a little panning. You should be able to find a few flakes to show your friends, but you won't make any substantial money doing it.
Also, using any kind of mechanical help, like a sluice, is not allowed.
Most of the good places to find gold already have claims filed, so you won't be able pan there without permission. Some of those claims are owned by clubs, so you'll have to join to get access.
Just a word of warning, if you're trying to do anything more than a hobby, you may be disappointed. really looking for gold is hard work, requires expensive equipment, and often proves to be a bust. If you still want to do it, look for ads for used equipment. A lot of people give up shortly after buying a lot of new equipment.
Lastly, if you strike it rich, remember who helped you out. :-)
A:
You can visit Columbia, CA (also near Yosemite) to check out a historical state park where they offer gold panning activities. This might be a fun place to go since you can see a lot of history for the CA gold rush. Link to CA Park website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552
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Q:
Sending message from Android client to Java server
I am developing an Android application, and I need to send a message from the application to the Java Server.
Java Server works like this:
thread = new Thread(){
public void run(){
System.out.println("Server is running...");
try {
ServerSocket socket = new ServerSocket(7000);
while(true){
Socket s = socket.accept();
DataInputStream dis = new DataInputStream(s.getInputStream());
System.out.println("Received from client: " + dis.readUTF());
dis.close();
s.close();
}
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
};
thread.start();
In my application I send the message in this way:
mt = new Thread() {
public void run() {
try {
Socket socket = new Socket("192.168.1.100", 7000);
DataOutputStream dos = new DataOutputStream(socket.getOutputStream());
dos.writeUTF(song_field.getText().toString());
dos.flush();
dos.close();
socket.close();
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
};
mt.start();
Toast.makeText(context, "Your Message is sent. Thank you!", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
I can send the message with emulator and my phone successfully, since they are connected to the same wifi connection, but if the device is not connected to the same network, message is not sent to the server. I want everybody to be able to send message to my computer server regardless of their internet connection.
How can I fix this problem?
A:
In general you'll need to use something like Web Sockets to achieve what you're trying to do where, as would typically be the case, client/server are on different networks. There are a few different Web Socket implementations e.g. https://medium.com/square-corner-blog/web-sockets-now-shipping-in-okhttp-3-5-463a9eec82d1#.w9hrc1icw
EDIT
I initially misread question and thought you were trying to asynchronously send message from server to client (which would require something like Web Sockets). If you are just making requests from client to server then a typical solution would be to expose REST API from your server (and using something like Retrofit to make requests from client).
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Q:
Swift 3 sorting an array of tuples
I found these answers:
Sort an array of tuples in swift 3
How to sort an Array of Tuples?
But I'm still having issues. Here is my code:
var countsForLetter:[(count:Int, letter:Character)] = []
...
countsForLetter.sorted(by: {$0.count < $1.count})
Swift 3 wanted me to add the by: and now it says that the result of the call to sorted:by is unused.
I'm new to swift 3. Sorry if this is a basic question.
A:
You are getting that warning because sorted(by... returns a new, sorted version of the array you call it on. So the warning is pointing out the fact that you're not assigning it to a variable or anything. You could say:
countsForLetter = countsForLetter.sorted(by: {$0.count < $1.count})
I suspect that you're trying to "sort in place", so in that case you could change sorted(by to sort(by and it would just sort countsForLetter and leave it assigned to the same variable.
A:
Sorted() returns a new array, it does not sort in place.
you can use :
countsForLetter = countsForLetter.sorted(by: {$0.count < $1.count})
or
countsForLetter.sort(by: {$0.count < $1.count})
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---
abstract: 'The phase diagram and surface critical behaviour of the vertex-interacting self-avoiding walk are examined using transfer matrix methods extended using DMRG and coupled with finite-size scaling. Particular attention is paid to the critical exponents at the ordinary and special points along the collapse transition line. The question of the bulk exponents ($\nu$ and $\gamma$) is addressed, and the results found are at variance with previously conjectured exact values.'
address: 'Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modélisation (CNRS UMR 8089), Université de Cergy-Pontoise, 2 ave A. Chauvin 95302 Cergy-Pontoise cedex, France'
author:
- D P Foster and C Pinettes
title: 'Surface critical behaviour of the vertex-interacting self-avoiding walk on the square lattice'
---
Introduction
============
Polymers in dilute solution are known to undergo a collapse transition as the temperature or solvent quality is changed at what has come to be known as the $\Theta$-point[@flory]. Using universality arguments, it is reasonable to expect the thermodynamic behaviour of a lattice model to be the same as the continuum real system as long as the dimension of the system, basic symmetries and range of interactions are the same. Such lattice models (self-avoiding walks) have been used as models for real, linear polymers in solution for over three decades[@vanderbook].
The quality of the solvent may be introduced by the inclusion of short-ranged interactions in the model; typically an attractive energy is included for non-consecutive nearest-neighbour occupied lattice sites. This model is the standard Interacting Self-Avoiding Walk model (ISAW) or $\Theta$-point model[@flory; @degennes75]. The model has been shown to accurately predict the critical behaviour of a wide range of real linear polymers in solution, not only in the high-temperature phase, but also at the collapse transition, which occurs as the temperature is lowered, at the $\Theta$ temperature. The model is successful because it captures the strong entropic repulsion between different portions of the polymer chain (the self-avoidance), as well as the effect of the difference of affinity between monomer-monomer contacts and monomer-solvent contacts (attractive interaction).
Whilst the relevant physical dimension in polymer physics would usually be $d=3$, the ISAW model has been much studied in two dimensions. This is partly motivated by the realisation that $d=3$ is the upper critical dimension of the collapse transition, and that the model in two dimensions provides an interesting playground. In this paper we shall concentrate on the two-dimensional square lattice.
In the late eighties and early nineties there was much discussion about the universality class of the ISAW model, particularly with respect to the adsorption of the collapsing walk in the presence of an adsorbing wall[@ds; @seno88; @dsb; @merovitchlima; @dsc; @vss91; @foster92]. For a while there was an apparent contradiction between a slightly modified walk model on the hexagonal lattice (the $\Theta^\prime$ model) and the standard $\Theta$ model[@ds]. This contradiction arose in the surface exponents; the exact surface exponents from the $\Theta^\prime$ point model were not the same as those calculated numerically for the $\Theta$ model[@veal; @ss88]. The apparent contradiction was resolved when it was realised that the exact solution of the $\Theta^\prime$ model gives the exponents at the so called special point (where collapse and adsorption occur simultaneously) whilst the numerical calculations were at the ordinary point (where collapse occurs in the presence of the wall, but without adsorption)[@vss91]. This was verified for both models at the two different points using exact enumeration[@foster92].
The debate over the $\Theta$ and $\Theta^\prime$ models opened the debate over to what extent the nature of the collapse transition depends on the details of the model. Different models were examined, and a range of collapse transitions were observed. Blöte and Nienhuis introduced an $O(n)$ symmetric model which in the limit $n\to 0$ gives a bond self-avoiding walk model, which is allowed to visit sites more than once but not the lattice bonds[@blotenienuis]. The walk is not allowed to cross. Since the interactions are on the lattice vertex, we shall henceforth refer to this model as the vertex-interacting self-avoiding walk (VISAW). This model was shown to have a different collapse transition than the $\Theta$ point model, with different bulk exponents[@wbn]; the correlation exponents $\nu=12/23$ for the VISAW compared to $4/7$ for the ISAW and the entropic exponent $\gamma=53/46$ compared to $\gamma=8/7$ for the ISAW. These exponents are conjectured based on a Bethe-Ansatz calculation of Izergin-Korepin model[@wbn], and to the best of our knowledge have not been numerically tested since their conjecture.
In recent years there has been a revival in another model with vertex interactions: the interacting self-avoiding trails (ISAT) model[@massih75]. This model corresponds to the VISAW in which the no-crossing constraint is relaxed. Evidence was presented by one of us that the $\nu$ exponent was also given by $\nu=12/23$, whilst $\gamma=22/23$[@F09]. A similar situation occurs in the ISAW on the Manhattan lattice, where the walk can only go one way down a row or column of lattice bonds, but the allowed direction alternates from one row (column) to the next. Here too the correlation length exponent is the same as the normal ISAW one, but $\gamma=6/7$ rather than $8/7$[@bradley89; @bradley90].
Recently the surface exponents of the ISAT model were calculated using transfer matrix calculations[@F10]. We propose here to similarly calculate the surface critical behaviour of the VISAW model. In the case of the VISAW model, the no-crosssing constraint allows us to extend the transfer matrix calculation using the related density matrix renormalisation group (DMRG) method introduced by White[@white92; @white93], applied to two-dimensional classical spin models by Nishino[@nishino95] and extended to self-avoiding walk models by Foster and Pinettes[@FC03a; @FC03b].
The finite-size calculations rely on results from conformal invariance, which lead one naturally to calculate the scaling dimensions $x_\sigma$ and $x_\varepsilon$ with fixed boundary conditions. Translating these to the more standard exponents requires a knowledge of $\nu$. The value of $\nu$ arising from the transfer matrix calculation is at variance with the conjectured exact value for the model. We take the opportunity of extending the original transfer matrix calculation by Blöte and Nienhuis[@blotenienuis]. We find that, up to the lattice widths we attain, our best estimate for $x_\varepsilon=0.155$ as found by Blöte and Nienhuis[@blotenienuis] rather than the required $x_\varepsilon =1/12=0.083333\cdots$. We conclude that either the finite-size effects are particularly severe with this particular model, or a more subtle effect is at play. Either way more work is required.
Model and Transfer Matrix Calculation
=====================================
The model studied here is defined as follows: consider all random walks on the square lattice which do not visit any lattice bond more than once. The walk is not allowed to cross at doubly visited sites but may “collide". A collision is assigned an attractive energy $-\varepsilon$. The walk is allowed to touch, but not cross, a surface defined as a horizontal line on the lattice. Each step along the surface is assigned an attractive energy $-\varepsilon_S$. For the transfer matrix calculation that follows, it is convenient to consider a strip of width $L$ with an attractive surface both sides of the strip. This is not expected to change the behaviour in the thermodynamic limit $L\to \infty$; the bulk critical behaviour should not depend on the boundary conditions and when calculating the surface critical behaviour, a walk adsorbed to one surface needs an infinite excursion in order to “see" the other surface. Additionally, the finite-size scaling results which link the eigenvalues of the transfer matrix to the scaling dimensions $x_\sigma^s$ and $x_\varepsilon^s$ (see and ) rely on the conformal mapping of the half plane (one adsorbing surface) onto a strip with two adsorbing surfaces[@cardy]. A typical configuration is shown in .
The partition function for the model is $$\label{part}
{\cal Z}=\sum_{\rm walks} K^N \omega_s^{N_S} \tau^{N_I},$$ where $K$ is the fugacity, $\omega_s=\exp(\beta\varepsilon_S)$ and $\tau=\exp(\beta\varepsilon)$. $N$ is the length of the walk, $N_S$ is the number of steps on the surface, and $N_I$ is the number of doubly-visited sites.
![A vertex interacting self-avoiding walk model showing the vertex collisions, weighted with a Boltzmann factor $\tau=\exp(\beta\varepsilon)$. Surface contacts are weighted $\omega_s=\exp(\beta\varepsilon_s)$ and a fugacity $K$ is introduced per walk step. The walk is shown on a strip of width $L=5$. []{data-label="model"}](model){width="10cm"}
The average length of the walk is controlled by the fugacity $K$ through $$\label{n}
\langle N\rangle=K\frac{\partial \ln{\cal Z}}{\partial K}.$$ As $K$ increases from zero, $\langle N \rangle$ increases, diverging at some value $K=K^\star(\omega_s,\tau)$. To start we consider what happens in the absence of the adsorbing boundary. For $\tau$ small enough, $$\langle N\rangle\sim (K^\star(\omega_s,\tau)-K)^{-1},$$ whilst for large enough $\tau$ the divergence is discontinuous. Whilst $\langle N\rangle$ is finite, the density of occupied bonds on an infinite lattice is zero, whilst once $\langle N \rangle$ has diverged, the density is in general finite. For small enough $\tau$ the density becomes non-zero continuously at $K=K^\star$ and for large enough $\tau$ the density jumps at $K=K^\star$. $K^\star$ may then be understood as the location of a phase transition, critical for $\tau<\tau_{\rm coll}$ and first order for $\tau>\tau_{\rm coll}$. The problem of infinite walks on the lattice is equivalent to setting $K=K^\star$ and varying $\tau$, then it may be seen that for $\tau<\tau_{\rm coll}$ the density is zero and is non-zero for $\tau>\tau_{\rm coll}$. It then follows that $\tau_{\rm coll} $ defines the collapse transition point.
Now let us consider the effect of the adsorbing boundary at constant $\tau$. For $\omega_s$ small, the entropic repulsion of the wall is strong enough for the walk to remain in the bulk. Once $\omega_s$ is large enough for the energy gain to overcome the entropic repulsion, the walk will visit the boundary a macroscopic number of times, and the walk adsorbs to the surface. These two behaviours are separated by $\omega_s=\omega_s^\star$. For $\omega_s\leq \omega_s^\star$ the behaviour of the walk is not influenced by the wall, and $K^\star$ is independent of $\omega_s$. The transition $K=K^\star$ if critical ($\tau\leq\tau_{\rm coll}$) corresponds to ordinary critical behaviour. However, for $\omega_s>\omega_s^\star$, $K^\star$ is a function of $\omega_s$, and the transition is referred to as a surface transition. The point $K=K^\star$, $\omega_s=\omega_s^\star$ is referred to as the special critical point (again $\tau\leq\tau_{\rm coll}$).
As the critical value $K^\star$ is approached, and in the absence of a surface, the partition function and the correlation length $\xi$ are expected to diverge, defining the standard exponents $\gamma$ and $\nu$: $$\begin{aligned}
\label{xib}
\xi\sim|K-K^\star|^{-\nu}\\
{\cal Z}\sim|K-K^\star|^{-\gamma}\end{aligned}$$ The effect of the surface on the walk is to introduce an entropic repulsion, pushing the walk away from the surface. The number of allowed walks is reduced exponentially if the walk is constrained to remain near the surface, in particular if one or both ends of the walk are obliged to remain in contact with the surface. In this case the divergence of $\cal Z$ is modified, and two new exponents are introduced, $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_{11}$. Defining ${\cal Z}_1$ and ${\cal Z}_{11}$ as the partition functions for a walk with one end, and both ends, attached to the surface respectively, then: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal Z}_1\sim|K-K^\star|^{-\gamma_1}\\
{\cal Z}_{11}\sim|K-K^\star|^{-\gamma_{11}}\end{aligned}$$ Whilst the bulk exponents, such as $\nu$ and $\gamma$, are the same at an ordinary critical point and at the special critical point, the surface exponents $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_{11}$ differ. The exponents $\nu$, $\gamma$, $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_{11}$ are related by the Barber relation[@barber]: $$\label{barb}
\nu+\gamma=2\gamma_1-\gamma_{11}.$$
The partition function may be calculated exactly on a strip of length $L_x\to\infty$ and of finite width $L$ by defining a transfer matrix ${\cal T}$. If periodic boundary conditions are assumed in the $x$-direction, the partition function for the strip is given by: $${\cal Z}_L=\lim_{L_x\to\infty}\Tr\left({\cal T}^{L_x}\right).$$ The free energy per lattice site, the density, surface density and correlation length for the infinite strip may be calculated from the eigenvalues of the transfer matrix: $$\begin{aligned}
f(K,\omega_s,\tau)=\frac{1}{L}\ln\left(\lambda_0\right),\\
\rho(K,\omega_s,\tau)= \frac{K}{L\lambda_0}\frac{\partial \lambda_0}{\partial K},\\
\rho_S(K,\omega_s,\tau)= \frac{\omega_s}{\lambda_0}\frac{\partial \lambda_0}{\partial \omega_s},\\\label{xi}
\xi(K,\omega_s,\tau)=\left(\ln\left|\frac{\lambda_0}{\lambda_1}\right|\right)^{-1},\end{aligned}$$ where $\lambda_0$ and $\lambda_1$ are the largest and second largest (in modulus) eigenvalues.
Our first task is to find estimates of $K^\star(\omega_s,\tau)$. An estimate for the critical point where the length of the walk diverges may be found using phenomenological renormalisation group for a pair of lattice widths[@mpn76], $L$ and $L^\prime$. The estimated value of $K^\star$ is given by the solution of the equation: $$\label{nrg}
\frac{\xi_L}{L}=\frac{\xi_{L^\prime}}{L^\prime}$$
Both these methods give finite-size estimates $K^\star_L(\omega_s,\tau)$ which should converge to the same value in the limit $L\to\infty$. Using at the fixed point defined by , estimates for $\nu$ and the corresponding surface correlation length exponent, $\nu_s$, may be calculated using $$\begin{aligned}
\label{nuestim}
\frac{1}{\nu(L)}&=&\frac{\log\left(\frac{{\rm d}\xi_L}{{d}K}/\frac{{\rm d}\xi_{L+1}}{{d}K} \right)}{\log\left(L/(L+1)\right)}-1,\\\label{nusestim}
\frac{1}{\nu_s(L)}&=&\frac{\log\left(\frac{{\rm d}\xi_L}{{d}\omega_s}/\frac{{\rm d}\xi_{L+1}}{{d}\omega_s} \right)}{\log\left(L/(L+1\right)}-1.\end{aligned}$$
The critical dimensions of the surface magnetic and energy fields may be calculated from the first few eigenvalues of the transfer matrix: $$\begin{aligned}
\label{sig-dim}
x^s_\sigma&=&\frac{L\ln\left|\frac{\lambda_0}{\lambda_1}\right|}{\pi},\\\label{eng-dim}
x^s_\varepsilon&=&\frac{L\ln\left|\frac{\lambda_0}{\lambda_2}\right|}{\pi},\end{aligned}$$ with $\lambda_2$ the eigenvalue with the third largest absolute value.
The surface scaling dimensions $x^s_\sigma$ and $x^s_\varepsilon$ may be related to the surface correlation length exponent $\nu_s$ and the exponent $\eta_\parallel$, controlling the decay of the correlation function along the surface, through standard relations $$\begin{aligned}
\label{nuref}
\nu_s&=&\frac{1}{1-x^s_\varepsilon},\\\label{eta}
\eta_{\parallel}&=& 2x^s_\sigma.\end{aligned}$$ The entropic exponent $\gamma_{11}$ is related to $\eta_{\parallel}$ through: $$\label{gam11eta}
\gamma_{11}=\nu(1-\eta_\parallel).$$
For a more detailed discussion of the transfer matrix method, and in particular how to decompose the matrix, the reader is referred to the article of Blöte and Nienhuis [@blotenienuis].
Results
=======
The finite-size results obtained are, where possible, extrapolated on the one hand using the Burlisch and Stoer (BST) extrapolation procedure[@bst] and on the other hand fitting to a three point extrapolation scheme, fitting the following expression for quantity $X_L$: $$\label{3ext}
X_L=X_\infty+aL^{-b}.$$ Calculating $X_\infty$, $a$ and $b$ require three lattice widths. The extrapolated values $X_\infty$ clearly will still depend weakly on $L$, and the procedure may be repeated, however weak parity effects can be seen in their values, often impeding further reasonable extrapolation by this method.
Phase Diagram
-------------
![The phase diagram calculated using the Phenomenological Renormalisation Group equation. The vertical line is placed at the best estimate of the collapse transition, expected to be independent of the surface interaction. (Colour online)[]{data-label="pd"}](phase.eps){width="10cm"}
The phase diagram is shown as a function of $\omega_s$ and $\tau$, projected onto the $K=K^\star(\tau,\omega_s)$ plane, in Figure \[pd\]. $K^\star$ is determined using equation (\[nrg\]) using two lattice sizes $L,L+1$. The adsorption line is then fixed by the simultaneous solution of for two sets of lattice sizes, $L,L+1$ and $L+1,L+2$, so that each line requires three lattice sizes. The vertical line is fixed from the best estimate for the bulk collapse transition, here $\tau_{\rm coll}=4.69$[@FC03a].
In the adsorbed phase, shown in the phase digram in Figure \[pd\], the number of contacts with the surface becomes macroscopic, scaling with the length of the walk, and the density decays rapidly with the distance from the surface. For the $\Theta$-point model it has been shown that there is another special line in the phase diagram separating the collapsed phase in two: for small enough $\omega_s$ the collapsed walk avoids contacts with the wall, but for higher values of $\omega_s$ the outer perimeter of the collapsed globule wets the surface, defining an attached globule “phase"[@kumar]. To investigate the possibility of such a phase, we examine the order parameter for the adsorbed phase () and the density of interactions one lattice site out from the wall (there are no interactions on the wall, since four occupied bonds must collide) (). In the $\Theta$-point model the presence of such a phase manifests itself by a plateau in the order parameter. Such a plateau exists, but starts at or below $\omega_s=1$, indicating that the globule is probably attached for all attractive wall interaction energies. This is consistent with the plots of the normalised density of interactions. Both plots show crossings at a value of $\omega_s$ consistent with the adsorption transition. We suggest that the entire phase is “surface-attached", and so there is no additional line on the phase diagram shown in Figure \[pd\].
![The order parameter ${\cal O}=\rho_s/(L\rho)$ plotted as a function of $\omega_s$ for $\tau=6$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="op"}](op.eps){width="10cm"}
![The order parameter for a possible globule attached phase ${\cal O_I}=\rho_{i1}/(L\rho)$ is plotted as a function of $\omega_s$ for $\tau=6$. The density of interactions one row from the surface is used since it is not possible to have collisions on the surface because there are only three lattice bonds per surface site. (Colour online)[]{data-label="rhoi"}](rhoi1.eps){width="10cm"}
[@lllll]{} $L$ & $K_{\rm coll}$ & $\tau_{\rm coll}$ & $\nu_{\rm coll}$ & $\eta^{\rm ord}_{||} $\
3 & 0.359410 & 4.071423 & 0.614465& 1.024334\
4 & 0.351725 & 4.410526 & 0.596955& 1.147824\
5 & 0.347865 & 4.540658 & 0.588407& 1.233790\
6 & 0.345694 & 4.598914& 0.583712& 1.297254\
7 & 0.344369 & 4.628215 & 0.580898 & 1.346184\
8 & 0.343508 & 4.644460 & 0.579079& 1.385168\
9 & 0.342920 & 4.654221 & 0.577827& 1.417020\
10 &0.342502 & 4.660572 & 0.576905& 1.443585\
BST $\infty$ & 0.3408 & 4.673 & 0.574 & 1.77\
\
3 & 0.339412 &4.696857 & 0.571064& 2.103158\
4 & 0.340217 & 4.681105& 0.572693& 1.963018\
5 & 0.340540& 4.676727 & 0.573260& 1.901623\
6 & 0.340676& 4.676316& 0.573231& 1.868539\
7 & 0.340749& 4.676871& 0.573019& 1.845418\
8 & 0.340767 & 4.678731 & 0.572356& 1.832298\
BST $\infty$ & 0.3408 & 4.69 & 0.572 & 1.77\
In we locate the collapse transition in strips with fixed walls and $\omega_s=1$. The collapse transition is determined as follows: solutions to the critical line $K^\star_L(\tau)$ are found by using the phenomenological renormalisation group on a pair of lattice widths ($L$ and $L+1$) and looking for crossings in the estimates for $\nu$ for consecutive pairs of $L, L+1$. Since $\nu$ is different at the collapse point than along $\tau<\tau_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau>\tau_{\rm coll}$ lines, these estimates converge to the correct $\nu$ for the collapse transition. This gives us the following estimates: $K_{\rm coll}=0.3408$, $\tau_{\rm coll}=4.69$ and $\eta_{\parallel}^{\rm ord}=1.77$, as well as $\nu_{\rm coll}=0.572$. It is noticeable that its value is much closer to that expected for the $\Theta$-point model ($\nu_{\Theta}=4/7$) than the predicted value for this model ($\nu_{O(n=0)}=12/23$). We shall see that, whilst the estimates for the other quantities of interest are remarkably stable, the estimates for $\nu_{\rm coll}$ seem rather sensitive to how they are calculated. We will return to this point later.
[@lllll]{} $L$ & $K_{\rm coll}$ & $\tau_{\rm coll}$ & $\omega_s^{\rm sp}$ & $\eta^{\rm sp}_{||} $\
3 & 0.335871 & 4.989134 & 2.452162& -0.120915\
4 & 0.337720& 4.868882 & 2.418298 & -0.110883\
5 & 0.338679 & 4.809216& 2.399537 &-0.104452\
6 &0.339256 & 4.774456& 2.387539 & -0.099806\
7 & 0.339624& 4.752731 & 2.379405 & -0.096306\
8 & 0.339874 &4.738301 &2.373598 &-0.093563\
9 & 0.340050& 4.728276& 2.369291&-0.091352\
BST $\infty$ & 0.3408 & 4.6901 & 2.3513 & -0.07843\
\
3 & 0.340975 &4.682860 & 2.344211& -0.06881\
4 & 0.341078& 4.676046 & 2.338622 & -0.059977\
5 & 0.340899 & 4.684292& 2.343044 &-0.064925\
6 & 0.340848 & 4.686507&2.343975 & -0.065385\
7 & 0.340811& 4.688205 & 2.344840 & -0.066177\
In we seek the special point along the collapse transition, in other words the point at which the extended, collapsed and adsorbed phases co-exist. A different set of critical exponents is expected. In order to find the special point, we need an extra lattice width; three are required to find $\omega_s^\star(\tau)$ and a fourth is required to fix the collapse transition. We find $K_{\rm coll}=0.3408$ and $\tau_{\rm coll}=4.69$ as in the case when $\omega_s=1$. The special point is found to be at a value of $\omega^{\rm sp}_s=2.35\pm0.01$. The estimate of $\eta_{\parallel}^{\rm sp}$ is not very precise, but here seems to be around $-0.06 \to -0.07$.
Results for the semi-flexible VISAW
-----------------------------------
The model may be extended by introducing different weighting for the corners and the straight sections. We follow the definitions in Reference[@blotenienuis] and add a weight $p$ for each site where the walk does not take a corner (i.e. for the straight sections). As $p$ is varied we expect the collapse transition point to extend into a line. It turns out that there is an exactly known point along this line. The location of this point is given exactly as[@blotenienuis]: $$\label{exactpt}
\left.\begin{array}{rcl}
z=K^2\tau&=&\left\{2-\left[1-2\sin(\theta/2)\right]
\left[1+2\sin(\theta/2)\right]^2\right\}^{-1}\\
K&=&-4z\sin(\theta/2)\cos(\pi/4-\theta/4)\\
pK&=&z\left[1+2\sin(\theta/2)\right]\\
\theta&=&-\pi/4
\end{array}\right\}.$$ This gives exactly the location of the multicritical collapse point when $p=p^\star=0.275899\cdots$ as $K_{\rm coll}=0.446933\cdots$ and $\tau_{\rm coll}=2.630986\cdots$. Using this exactly known point we hope to be able to extend the number of different data points and improve the precision of the determination for different surface exponents.
In we calculate estimates for $\eta_\parallel^{\rm ord}$ in two ways. Firstly we fix $\omega_s=1$ and $p=p^\star$ and determine $K^\star$ by solving and determining the multicritical point by looking for crossings in the estimates for $\nu$. Fixing the multicritical point this way requires three lattice sizes, $L, L+1$ and $L+2$. Estimates for $K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau_{\rm coll}$ calculated in this way are shown in the columns marked [**A**]{} and are seen to converge nicely to the expected values. The second method used consisted in fixing $K$, $\tau$ and $p$ to their exactly known multicritical values, and fixing $\omega_s$ to the ordinary fixed point looking for solutions to . This only requires two lattice widths, giving an extra lattice size. The values of $\eta_\parallel^{ord}$ are shown as calculated from the two methods, and converge to values consistent with the $p=1$ case.
[@l|lll|lll]{} & &\
$L$ & $K_{\rm coll}$ & $\tau_{\rm coll}$ & $\eta^{\rm ord}_{||} $ & $\omega^{\rm ord}_s$ & $\eta_\parallel^{\rm ord}$\
3 &0.464018 &2.309912 & 1.401892& 0.760808 &1.813498\
4 & 0.457207& 2.451700 &1.471983&0.785333 &1.787052\
5 & 0.453616& 2.520291& 1.520159&0.797646 &1.776227\
6 & 0.451604 &2.556015 &1.554337& 0.805442 &1.770439\
7 & 0.450391 &2.576330 &1.579631 & 0.811096 & 1.766807\
8 &0.449615 & 2.588789 &1.599034& 0.815550 &1.764286\
9 & 0.449089 & 2.596962 & 1.614375& 0.819245 & 1.762416\
10 &0.448720 & 2.602583 &1.626774 & 0.822417 & 1.760965\
11 & — & — & — & 0.825204 & 1.759802\
BST $\infty$ & 0.4473 & 2.597 & 1.708 & 0.8955 &1.7499\
exact & $ 0.446933\cdots$ & $2.630986\cdots$ &\
\
3 & 0.444582 &2.656251 & 1.953742& 0.824571& 1.761506\
4 & 0.446572 &2.628298 & 1.807661& 0.789157& 1.757867\
5 & 0.447052& 2.622897& 1.774328& 0.799994& 1.755193\
6 & 0.447197 & 2.621984& 1.762266& 0.863901&1.753208\
7 & 0.447252 &2.622163 & 1.754657& 0.881961&1.751795\
8 & 0.447224 & 2.623411&1.753850 & 0.816627& 1.750839\
9 & — & — & — & 0.820168& 1.750223\
In we present results calculated fixing $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$ and looking for simultaneous solutions of the phenomenological renormalisation group equation . These solutions exist at two values of $\omega_s$, the ordinary and the special fixed points. The values of $K_{\rm coll}$, $\omega_s$ and $\eta_\parallel$ are given for the two fixed points. Again agreement is found with previous values calculated.
[@l|lll|lll]{} & &\
$L$ & $K_{\rm coll}$ & $\omega^{\rm ord}_s$ & $\eta_{||}^{\rm ord}$ & $K_{\rm coll}$ & $\omega^{\rm sp}_s$ & $\eta_{||}^{\rm sp}$\
3 & 0.444849 &0.727730& 1.876811 & 0.444289 & 3.840487& -0.254004\
4 & 0.446261& 0.765809& 1.816907 &0.445726 & 3.660264 & -0.191557\
5 &0.446626&0.782852 & 1.795039 & 0.446279&3.575039 & -0.157742\
6 & 0.446763 &0.792806& 1.784181& 0.446537 &3.527515& -0.136796\
7 &0.446826 &0.799587&1.777736 & 0.446675 & 3.498075& -0.122630\
8 & 0.446861&0.804688 & 1.773440 & 0.446754 & 3.478454& -0.112441\
9 & 0.446881&0.808784& 1.770341 & 0.446804& 3.464654& -0.104773\
10 & 0.446894 &0.812223& 1.767979& 0.446836 & 3.454537& -0.098797\
BST $\infty$ & 0.446933 &0.8529 & 1.75 &0.44693 &3.4029 &-0.05241\
exact & $0.446933\cdots$& & & & &\
\
3 & 0.445398&0.740647& 1.855322& 0.444797 &3.415470& -0.065260\
4 &0.446899&0.821222& 1.809568&0.445915 & 3.410716& -0.062347\
5 &0.446915& 0.830707& 1.791541 &0.446934&3.506065 & -0.060003\
6 & 0.446923&0.794846& 1.782160& 0.446933&3.407005& -0.058240\
7 & 0.446928 &0.801100 & 1.755376&0.446932&3.406126& -0.056866\
8 &0.446931 & 0.867939 & 1.753498 &0.446932&3.405498& -0.055762\
[@lllllllll]{} $L$ & $\omega^{\rm sp}_s$ & $\eta_{||}^{\rm sp}$ & $\nu$ & $\nu^{\rm sp}_{s} $ & $\phi_s=\nu/\nu_s$ & $x_\varepsilon^s(L)$ & $x_\varepsilon^s(L+1)$\
3 & 3.575571 & -0.170489&0.527116& 1.829877 & 0.288061 & 0.527910&0.422737\
4 & 3.506382& -0.135551&0.534983& 1.725710& 0.310008 & 0.449880&0.401500\
5 & 3.472677&-0.116031&0.540007&1.668509 & 0.323646 & 0.416568&0.388462\
6 & 3.453634& -0.103697&0.543502& 1.632771&0.332874 & 0.397954&0.379518\
7 &3.441756 &-0.095233&0.546069&1.608442 & 0.339497&0.386019 &0.372974\
8 &3.433803 & -0.089075&0.548029&1.590960 & 0.344477 & 0.377697&0.367970\
9 &3.428190 &-0.084396&0.549571& 1.577675& 0.348349& 0.371554&0.364018\
10 & 3.424062 &-0.080719&0.550811&1.567260 & 0.351393& 0.366832&0.360818\
11 &3.420926 &-0.077751&0.551828 & 1.558893& 0.353944 &0.363087 &0.358175\
BST $\infty$ & 3.402 & -0.0499 & 0.5592 & 1.487& 0.3777 & 0.332 & 0.332\
\
3 & 3.404662& -0.056758&0.567274& 1.504747& & 0.367160& 0.330606\
4 &3.404891 &-0.056025 &0.566011&1.501149& & 0.351913& 0.326878\
5 &3.404606&-0.054962 & 0.564760&1.497315& & 0.344469&0.326617\
6 & 3.404268 &-0.053981&0.563832&1.498468& &0.340278 & 0.327150\
7 & 3.403967&-0.053136& 0.563148& 1.488934& &0.337719 & 0.327793\
8 & 3.403715& -0.052418&0.562652&1.488636& & 0.336068& 0.328375\
9 & 3.403508 & -0.051807 &0.562224&1.488766& & 0.334959& 0.328865\
At the ordinary point the exponent $\nu_s$ is expected trivially to take the value $-1$, and this was verified in the various calculations at the ordinary point, with good convergence. At the special point the correlation length along the surface is not expected to be trivial. In order to obtain the best estimate for this exponent we determined the location of the special point by fixing $K$, $\tau$ and $p$ to their multicritical values and then determining the special point by looking again for solutions to the phenomenological renormalisation equation , shown in and using and . One may also obtain an independent estimate for $\nu_s$ calculating the scaling dimension $x_\varepsilon^s$ using , from which $\nu_s=(1-x_\varepsilon^s)^{-1}$. The special point was determined using the odd sector of the transfer matrix, whereas the calculation of $x_\varepsilon^s$ requires the even sector, so whilst the determination method only gives one estimate of $\eta_\parallel^{\rm sp}$ it gives two estimates (one for each lattice size) for the critical dimension $x_\varepsilon^s$. These different estimates are shown in . The values of $\nu^{\rm sp}_s$ converge to $1.487$ whilst $x_\varepsilon=0.332$, which gives $\nu^{\rm sp}_s=1.497$. It seems likely that $\nu^{\rm sp}_s=1.49\pm0.01$. Again the estimates of $\nu$ do not converge to $\nu=12/23$, but neither do they converge to the values found above for $\omega_s=1$ and $p=1$ (see ). The crossover exponent is calculated from the estimates found for each size $\phi_s=\nu/\nu_s$, therefore the extrapolated value is only as good as the estimated values of $\nu$ and $\nu_s$. If we believe $\nu=12/23$ and $\nu_s=1.5$ then $\phi_s=8/23=0.34782\cdots$.
Extending the results with DMRG
===============================
One of the limitations of the transfer matrix method is the limited number of lattice widths that may be investigated. One way of getting round this problem is to generate approximate transfer matrices for larger widths. There exists a method of choice for doing this; the Density Matrix Renormalisation Group Method (DMRG) introduced by White[@white92; @white93], extended to classical 2d models by Nishino[@nishino95] and self-avoiding walk models by Foster and Pinettes[@FC03a; @FC03b].
The DMRG method constructs approximate transfer matrices for size $L$ from a transfer matrix approximation for a lattice of size $L-2$ by adding two rows in the middle of the system. This process is clearly local, whereas the VISAW walk configurations are clearly non-local. This problem is solved by looking at the model as the limit $n\to 0$ of the $O(n)$ model.
The partition function of the $O(n)$ model is given by: $${\cal Z}_{O(n)}=\sum_{\cal G} n^{l} K^N p^{N_{\rm st}} \omega_s^{N_S}\tau^{N_I},$$ where ${\cal G}$ denotes the sum over all graphs containing loops which visit lattice bonds at most once and which do not cross at lattice sites and $l$ is the number of such loops. $N_{\rm st}$ is the number of straight sections. In the limit $n\to 0$ the model maps onto the expected model with the odd sector of the corresponding transfer matrix giving the walk graphs, as above. Viewing the model in this way enables us to map the loop graphs into oriented loop graphs. Each loop graph corresponds to $2^{N_{\rm loops}}$ oriented loop graphs. We associate different weights $n_+$ and $n_-$ for the different orientations, with $n=n_++n_-$, and this enables us to rewrite the partition function as follows: $$\begin{aligned}
{\cal Z}_{O(n)}&=&\sum_{\cal G} \left(n_++n_-\right)^{l} K^N p^{N_{\rm st}} \omega_s^{N_S}\tau^{N_I}\\
&=&\sum_{\cal G^\star} n_+^{l_+}n_-^{l_-} K^N p^{N_{\rm st}} \omega_s^{N_S}\tau^{N_I}.\end{aligned}$$ Whilst the weights $n_+$ and $n_-$ are still not local, they may be made local by realising that four more corners in one direction than the other are required to close a loop on the square lattice. If we associate $\alpha$ with each clockwise corner and $\alpha^{-1}$ for each anti-clockwise corner we find $n_+=\alpha^4$ and $n_-=\alpha^{-4}$, setting $\alpha=\exp(i\theta/4)$ gives: $$n=\alpha^4+\alpha^{-4}=2\cos\theta.$$ The model studied here then corresponds to $\theta=\pi/2$. The resulting local (complex) weights are shown in .
\
![Local complex vertices for the DMRG method](vertices "fig:"){width="10cm"}\[vertices\]
Now that the vertices are local, the DMRG method may be applied. The vertices represented in may be most easily encoded by defining a three state spin on the lattice bonds, for the horizontal bonds the three states would be arrow left, empty and arrow right. For details of the DMRG method the reader is referred to the articles by White[@white92; @white93] and Nishino[@nishino95], but in essence the method consists in representing the transfer matrix for the VISAW model as the transfer matrix for an equivalent system where the top and bottom of the strip is represented by an $m$-state pseudo-spin with only the inner two of rows kept explicitly in terms of the original 3 state spins. For small lattice widths this identification may be done exactly, and the interaction matrix may be chosen exactly, but for a fixed value of $m$ there will come a stage where this procedure is no longer exact. At this stage the phase space in the $m$-spin representation is smaller than for the real system and an approximation must be made. Starting from the largest lattice width that may be treated exactly by the pseudo-spin system, two vertices are inserted in the middle (see ). The $3\times m$ states at the top of the system must be projected onto $m$ states to recover a new pseudo-spin system. This must be done so as to lose the smallest amount of information, and this is where the DMRG method comes in. It turns out that the best change of basis is derived by constructing the density matrix for the top half of the lattice strip from the ground-state eigenvector by tracing over the lower half system. The density matrix is then diagonalised and the $m$ basis vectors corresponding to the $m$ largest eigenvalues of the density matrix are kept.
\
![Figure shows the schematic transfer matrix obtained from DMRG iteration. Circles show spins defined for the original model (3 state spins for the lattice bond: empty, and two arrow states). Squares show the m-state pseudo spins. The open circles are summed. The projection of the upper half is also shown schematically. []{data-label="DMRG"}](projection "fig:"){width="10cm"}
\
[**A**]{} \
![Location of the ordinary collapse point (A) and corresponding value of $\eta^{\rm ord}_{\parallel}$ (B) with $p=p^\star$, $K=K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="DMRGord"}](wsord "fig:"){width="10cm"} \
[**B**]{} \
![Location of the ordinary collapse point (A) and corresponding value of $\eta^{\rm ord}_{\parallel}$ (B) with $p=p^\star$, $K=K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="DMRGord"}](etaord "fig:"){width="10cm"}
\
[**A**]{} \
![Location of the special collapse point (A) and corresponding value of $\eta^{\rm sp}_{\parallel}$ (B) with $p=p^\star$, $K=K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="DMRGsp"}](wssp "fig:"){width="10cm"} \
[**B**]{} \
![Location of the special collapse point (A) and corresponding value of $\eta^{\rm sp}_{\parallel}$ (B) with $p=p^\star$, $K=K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="DMRGsp"}](etasp "fig:"){width="10cm"}
There are two modifications on the basic method which improve the quality of the results obtained. The number of left arrow minus the number of right arrows is conserved from one column to the next, so the transfer matrix may be split into sectors which are much smaller than the original. Since the DMRG method may be viewed as a variational method, the quality of the results may be improved by using the scanning (or finite size method) DMRG method where once the desired lattice width is obtained one grows one half of the system and shrinks the other, whilst projecting as before, so that the exactly treated spins move across the system. As few as three or four sweeps is known to vastly improve the precision of the method[@white92; @white93].
![Calculation of $x_\varepsilon^s$ using DMRG at the special collapse transition with $p=p^\star, K=K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="DMRGxepsi"}](xepsi){width="10cm"}
Clearly the precision of the method is controlled by $m$; the larger $m$ the greater the information kept. In what follows we varied $m$ up to values of $m=200$ and verified that good convergence was obtained. This conditioned the lattice size we looked at in DMRG. Whilst physical quantities such as the density converge rapidly with $m$, scaling dimensions (which interest us here) converge more slowly. As a result the largest lattice width presented here is $L=20$, which nevertheless corresponds to a good improvement over the pure transfer matrix method.
For the DMRG calculation we fixed $p=p^\star$; $K=K_{\rm coll}$; $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$ and used the solutions of to find the ordinary and special fixed points as well as the corresponding $\eta_\parallel$. The $x_\varepsilon^s$ were calculated from the even sector at these fixed points.
In and we show the DMRG results along with the transfer matrix results for $\omega_S$ and $\eta_\parallel$ for the ordinary and special points. We deduce for the ordinary point $\omega_S^{\rm ord}=0.86\pm0.01$ and $\eta_\parallel^{\rm ord}=1.75\pm 0.01$ and for the special point $\omega_S^{\rm sp}=3.41\pm0.01$ and $\eta_\parallel^{\rm sp}=-0.05\pm0.01$.
In we show the estimates for the scaling dimension $x_\varepsilon^s$ calculated at the special point. We determine $x_\varepsilon^s=0.333\pm0.001$. This leads to $\nu^{\rm sp}_s=1.5$.
Discussion
==========
\
![Bulk scaling dimensions $x_\sigma$ and $x_\varepsilon$ calculated at $p=p^\star$, $K=K_{\rm coll}$ and $\tau=\tau_{\rm coll}$ for periodic boundary conditions using DMRG with $m$ up to $m=190$. (Colour online)[]{data-label="DMRGperiodic"}](xper "fig:"){width="10cm"}
To conclude, we summarise the exponent values found:
[ccccc]{} Method & $\eta_\parallel^{\rm ord}$ & $\eta_\parallel^{\rm sp}$ & $\nu_s^{\rm sp}$ & $x_\varepsilon^s$\
TM& $1.75\pm 0.05$ & $-0.05 \to -0.08$ & $1.48\pm0.04$ & $0.332\pm 0.005$\
DMRG&$1.75\pm 0.01$ & $-0.05 \pm 0.01$ &—& $ 0.333\pm 0.001$\
As discussed above, the calculation of the exponents $\gamma_1$ and $\gamma_{11}$ as well as $\phi_s$ require a knowledge of the bulk exponents $\nu$ and $\gamma$. Whilst there are conjectured exact values for these exponents, and in particular the exponent $\nu=12/23$ is found to a good level of precision for the Trails model which tends to lend support to this value, the transfer matrix calculations for the VISAW walk model do not seem to reproduce the required values, Blöte and Nienhuis[@blotenienuis] find $x_\varepsilon=0.155$ rather than the required $x_\varepsilon=1/12$ for example. We extend the transfer matrix results for the periodic boundary conditions using DMRG, and find a result for $x_\varepsilon$ consistent with Blöte and Nienhuis[@blotenienuis](see ).
Further work is required to calculate the exponents by different methods, for example Monte Carlo, in order to understand the apparent differences in results which arise in the exponent $\nu$. Either the differences are a result of particularly strong finite-size scaling effects, which is surprising since the surface exponents themselves seem to be remarkably stable in comparison, or perhaps an indication that the critical behaviour of this model is more subtle than initially thought. Either way the model warrants further study.
[12]{} P. Flory *Principles of Polymer Chemistry*, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1971 C. Vanderzande, *Lattice Models of Polymers*, Cambridge: CUP, 1998 P. G. de Gennes, *J. Phys. Lett* [**36**]{} L55 (1975) B. Duplantier and H. Saleur, *Phys. Rev. Lett.* [**59**]{} 539, (1987) F. Seno, A. L. Stella and C. Vanderzande, *Phys. Rev. Lett.* [**61**]{} 1520 (1988) B. Duplantier and H. Saleur, *Phys. Rev. Lett.* [**61**]{} 1521, (1988) H. Meirovitch and H. A. Lim, *Phys. Rev. Lett*, [**62**]{} 2640 (1989) B. Duplantier and H. Saleur, *Phys. Rev. Lett.* [**62**]{} 2641, (1989) C. Vanderzande, A. L Stella and F. Seno, *Phys Rev Lett* [**67**]{} 2757 (1991) D. P. Foster, E. Orlandini and M. C. Tesi *J. Phys A* [**25**]{} L1211 (1992) A. R. Veal, J. M. Yeomans and G. Jug *J. Phys. A* [**24**]{} 827 (1991) F. Seno and A. L Stella, *Europhysics Lett* [**7**]{} 605 (1988) H. W. J. [Blöte]{} and B. Nienhuis, *J. Phys. A*, [**22**]{} 1415, (1989) S. O. Warnaar, M. T. Batchelor, and B. Nienhuis, *J. Phys. A*, [**25**]{} 3077, (1992) A. R. Massih and M. A. Moore, *J. Phys. A*, [**8**]{} 237, (1975) D. P. Foster, *J. Phys. A*, [**42**]{} 372002 (2009) R. M. Bradley *Phys Rev A* [**39**]{} R3738 (1989) R. M. Bradley *Phys Rev A* [**41**]{} 914 (1990) D. P. Foster, *J. Phys. A*, [**43**]{} 335004 (2010) S.R. White, *Phys. Rev. Lett.* [**69**]{} 2863 (1992) S.R. White, *Phys. Rev. B* [**48**]{} 10345 (1993) T. Nishino, *J. Phys. Soc. Jpn.* [**64**]{} 3598 (1995) D. P. Foster and C. Pinettes *J. Phys. A*, [**36**]{} 10279 (2003) D. P. Foster and C. Pinettes *Phys Rev E*, [**67**]{} R045105 (2003) J. Cardy in *Phase Transitions and Critical Phenomena*, eds. Domb and Lebowitz, [**Vol. XI**]{} (Academic, New York), 1986 M. N. Barber, *Phys. Rev B* [**8**]{} 407 (1973) B. Derrida and H. G. Herrmann 1365 (1983) M. P. Nightingale [*Physica*]{} [**A83**]{} 561(1976) R. Bulirsch and J. Stoer, *Numer. Math.* [**6**]{} 413 (1964); M. Henkel and G. Schütz *J. Phys. A* [**21**]{} 2617 (1988) Y. Singh, D. Giri and S. Kumar *J. Phys A* [**34**]{} L67 (2001)
| {
"pile_set_name": "ArXiv"
} |
Double-blind comparison of ropivacaine 7.5 mg ml(-1) with bupivacaine 5 mg ml(-1) for sciatic nerve block.
Two groups of 12 patients had a sciatic nerve block performed with 20 ml of either ropivacaine 7.5 mg ml(-1) or bupivacaine 5 mg ml(-1). There was no statistically significant difference in the mean time to onset of complete anaesthesia of the foot or to first request for post-operative analgesia. The quality of the block was the same in each group. Although there was no statistically significant difference in the mean time to peak plasma concentrations the mean peak concentration of ropivacaine was significantly higher than that of bupivacaine. There were no signs of systemic local anaesthetic toxicity in any patient in either group. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
UNPUBLISHED
UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE FOURTH CIRCUIT
No. 97-7592
STEVEN WHISENANT; RICHARD LAMAR FENSTERMACHER,
Plaintiffs - Appellants,
versus
RONALD ANGELONE, Director of Virginia Depart-
ment of Corrections; LARRY W. HUFFMAN, Region-
al Director; G. P. DODSON, Warden, Coffeewood
Correctional Center,
Defendants - Appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western Dis-
trict of Virginia, at Roanoke. Samuel G. Wilson, Chief District
Judge. (CA-96-234-R)
Submitted: April 29, 1998 Decided: May 14, 1998
Before MURNAGHAN, NIEMEYER, and WILLIAMS, Circuit Judges.
Dismissed by unpublished per curiam opinion.
Steven Whisenant, Richard Lamar Fenstermacher, Appellants Pro Se.
Collin Jefferson Hite, SANDS, ANDERSON, MARKS & MILLER, Richmond,
Virginia, for Appellees.
Unpublished opinions are not binding precedent in this circuit.
See Local Rule 36(c).
PER CURIAM:
Appellants filed an untimely notice of appeal. We dismiss for
lack of jurisdiction. The time periods for filing notices of appeal
are governed by Fed. R. App. P. 4. These periods are "mandatory and
jurisdictional." Browder v. Director, Dep't of Corrections, 434
U.S. 257, 264 (1978) (quoting United States v. Robinson, 361 U.S.
220, 229 (1960)). Parties to civil actions have thirty days within
which to file in the district court notices of appeal from judg-
ments or final orders. Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1). The only exceptions
to the appeal period are when the district court extends the time
to appeal under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(5) or reopens the appeal
period under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(6).
The district court entered its order on Sept. 29, 1997; Appel-
lants' notice of appeal was filed on Nov. 3, 1997, which is beyond
the thirty-day appeal period. Appellants' failure to note a timely
appeal or obtain an extension of the appeal period leaves this
court without jurisdiction to consider the merits of Appellants'
appeal. We therefore dismiss the appeal. We dispense with oral
argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately
presented in the materials before the court and argument would not
aid the decisional process.
DISMISSED
2
| {
"pile_set_name": "FreeLaw"
} |
.\" Copyright (c) 1997
.\" John-Mark Gurney. All rights reserved.
.\"
.\" Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
.\" modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
.\" are met:
.\" 1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
.\" notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
.\" 2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
.\" notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
.\" documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
.\" 3. Neither the name of the author nor the names of any co-contributors
.\" may be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software
.\" without specific prior written permission.
.\"
.\" THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY John-Mark Gurney AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS''
.\" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
.\" IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
.\" ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
.\" FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
.\" DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS
.\" OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
.\" HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT
.\" LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY
.\" OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
.\" SUCH DAMAGE.
.\"
.\" $FreeBSD: src/usr.bin/brandelf/brandelf.1,v 1.17 2007/03/09 14:36:18 ru Exp $
.\"
.Dd February 6, 1997
.Dt BRANDELF 1
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm brandelf
.Nd mark an ELF binary for a specific ABI
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Nm
.Op Fl l
.Op Fl f Ar ELF_ABI_number
.Op Fl t Ar string
.Ar
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Nm
utility marks an ELF binary to be run under a certain ABI for
.Dx .
.Pp
The options are as follows:
.Bl -tag -width indent
.It Fl f Ar ELF_ABI_number
Forces branding with the supplied ELF ABI number.
Incompatible with the
.Fl t
option.
These values are assigned by SCO/USL.
.It Fl l
Writes the list of all known ELF types to the standard error.
.It Fl t Ar string
Brands the given ELF binaries to be of the
.Ar string
ABI type.
Currently supported ABIs are
.Dq Li FreeBSD ,
.Dq Li Linux ,
and
.Dq Li SVR4 .
.Dx
uses
.Dq Li FreeBSD
as its native branding.
.It Ar file
If
.Fl t Ar string
is given it will brand
.Ar file
to be of type
.Ar string ,
otherwise it will simply display the branding of
.Ar file .
.El
.Sh EXIT STATUS
Exit status is 0 on success, and 1 if the command
fails if a file does not exist, is too short, fails to brand properly,
or the brand requested is not one of the known types and the
.Fl f
option is not set.
.Sh EXAMPLES
The following is an example of a typical usage
of the
.Nm
command:
.Bd -literal -offset indent
brandelf file
brandelf -t Linux file
.Ed
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Rs
.%A The Santa Cruz Operation, Inc.
.%T System V Application Binary Interface
.%D April 29, 1998 (DRAFT)
.%O http://www.sco.com/developer/devspecs/
.Re
.Sh HISTORY
The
.Nm
manual page first appeared in
.Fx 2.2 .
.Sh AUTHORS
This manual page was written by
.An John-Mark Gurney Aq Mt [email protected] .
| {
"pile_set_name": "Github"
} |
1. Introduction {#sec1-materials-13-02142}
===============
Silicon carbide (SiC) fiber synthesized from polycarbosilane is one of the most important reinforcements for ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), which are now finding more and more applications to meet harsh environments of high temperature and air-oxidation such as turbo-engine blades in aerospace industry \[[@B1-materials-13-02142],[@B2-materials-13-02142],[@B3-materials-13-02142],[@B4-materials-13-02142],[@B5-materials-13-02142]\]. Polycrystalline SiC fiber exhibits brittle fracture behavior at room temperature but being ductile under applied certain stress at temperatures above 1200 °C. In fact, plastic deformation and rupture caused by creep has become a key limitation of this material for any possible long-time applications at temperatures above 1200 °C under loading \[[@B6-materials-13-02142],[@B7-materials-13-02142],[@B8-materials-13-02142],[@B9-materials-13-02142]\].
In general, SiC does not melt at any known temperature and its high decomposition temperature (approximately 2700 °C) makes it natural candidates for high temperature applications without the risk of creep failure under temperatures of 1200 °C (\~0.5T~m~, in K) \[[@B10-materials-13-02142],[@B11-materials-13-02142]\]. However, a recent research showed that a cavitation-governed creep of crystalline SiC fine fibers with diameters smaller than 15 microns occurs dramatically at 1200 °C \[[@B5-materials-13-02142]\]. Amorphous silica (glass phase) and crystalline oxides (alumina or titanium oxide) with low melting points existing along grain boundaries (GBs) of SiC fine grains enhance creeping. Therefore, larger grain size in stoichiometric SiC fibers leads to both, minimum numbers and high viscosity of GBs, which results into suppressing cavitation movement and GBs sliding. On the other hand, the larger crystalline size of SiC in a continuous fiber results in extremely high modulus (about 440 GPa for H-Nicalon type S) with decreased tensile strength and toughness. Thus, the rigid SiC fibers increase difficulties in weaving quite as well as a rise of the cost caused by purification and growth of SiC grains at higher temperatures and extended retention time \[[@B12-materials-13-02142],[@B13-materials-13-02142]\].
Crystallization and strengthening of GBs in polycrystalline SiC can also be achieved via precipitation or introduction of non-soluble secondary phase with a higher melting point and modulus than SiC. Creep in SiC fiber can be retarded by introduction TiB~2~ with only 2.4% in mass. It was found that the incorporated \~50 nm TiB~2~ particles reside in triple point of SiC GBs which limits the sliding of SiC \[[@B14-materials-13-02142],[@B15-materials-13-02142]\]. Thus, some high-melting carbides and borides such as zirconium and hafnium are an essential prerequisite for using as resistance to creep in SiC fiber. With this attempt, direct polymerization of 1-methylsilene into polycarbosilanes has been investigated using various metallocenes as catalyst during surface dechlorination of dichloromethylsilanes by sodium \[[@B16-materials-13-02142]\]. For the first time, we have shown a metallocene catalytic insertion polymerization of tautomeric 1-silene into polycarbosilanes as analogs of polyolefins \[[@B16-materials-13-02142],[@B17-materials-13-02142]\]. The polycarbosilanes synthesized through this molecular insertion process is suitable for spinning into SiC--ZrC composite ceramic fibers. These transition metal carbides may act as reinforcements that improve the creep resistance as well as the thermal and oxidation resistance of the SiC ceramic \[[@B18-materials-13-02142]\].
2. Materials and Methods {#sec2-materials-13-02142}
========================
2.1. Polymeric Precursors {#sec2dot1-materials-13-02142}
-------------------------
Polyzirconocenecarbosilane (PZCS) was synthesized from dimethyldichlorosilane, zirconocene dichloride and metallic sodium in toluene and used as precursor for the fabrication of the SiC--ZrC composite fiber. The synthesis procedure and pyrolysis behavior of PZCS polymer have been reported in detail \[[@B16-materials-13-02142],[@B17-materials-13-02142]\], which was a product of zirconocene catalytic insertion polymerization of 1-methylsilene transient intermediates (CH~2~=SiHCH~3~) with a molecular Equation (1) \[[@B13-materials-13-02142]\], herein R = CH~3~ and n = 10--25. The polymer has an average molecular weight of 1080 g/mol, as determined by a gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) using toluene as the eluent and polystyrene as the calibration standard. The softening point of PZCS for melt spinning is around 120 °C and the ceramic yield in Ar at 1000 °C is 58%.
2.2. Fabrication of Fibers {#sec2dot2-materials-13-02142}
--------------------------
PZCS about 40 g was charged into the spinning can and heated to the spinning temperature (135--140 °C) under a nitrogen atmosphere and then extruded through a single-hole spinneret with a diameter of 0.25 ± 0.05 mm. The PZCS green fibers were cured in a flow reactor in argon by electron-beam irradiation (beam current of 1.0--2.5 mA, retention time of 3--5 h and dose for the curing is about 5--8 MGy). The as-cured fibers were heated to 1000 °C under H~2~ or Ar atmosphere, then heated to 1600 °C under Ar atmosphere and maintained at 1600 °C for 1 h. In above-mentioned two cases, a heating and cooling rate is 2 °C/min. For ease of description, the former was marked as H~2~--Ar process fiber and the latter was marked as Ar--Ar process fiber.
2.3. Characterizations {#sec2dot3-materials-13-02142}
----------------------
The elemental contents in the fibers were analyzed, in which the contents of Si and Zr were measured by ICP-OES in a Thermo Fisher ICAP6300 spectrometer (Waltham, MA, USA), the contents of carbon and hydrogen were acquired by an Elementar Vario EL determinator (Langenselbold, Germany). The TC-436 N/O analyzer was used to determine the content of oxygen element (LECO, St. Joseph, MI, USA).
The phase compositions in the pyrolysized fibers were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD, PANalytical X'Pert-PRO diffractometer, Eindhoven, Netherlands) at 2θ = 10°--90° with Cu K~α~ radiation (λ = 0.15406 nm at 40 kV and 30 mA).
Free carbon in the fibers was examined with a Raman micro-spectrometry (Horiba Jobin-Yvon, Paris, France), using the green line of a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm) as excitation source and scattering was measured in the first-order spectrum ranging 900--2000 cm^−1^.
The microstructures and elemental concentrations of the particles in the fibers were characterized with scanning electron microscopy (SEM, S4800, Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM, TecnaiG20, FEI, Hillsboro, OR, USA) equipped with an X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). The samples were sprayed with a carbon film and then observed with SEM.
3. Results and Discussion {#sec3-materials-13-02142}
=========================
3.1. Morphologies of the Polymeric and Ceramic Fibers {#sec3dot1-materials-13-02142}
-----------------------------------------------------
The used precursor PZCS is a thermoplastic polymer, which shows excellent spinnability around 150 °C, but the derived green fiber will undergo remelting and lose their fabric shape before thermosetting and pyrolysis into inorganic fiber. Therefore, curing or aging of this green fiber into thermosetting one is the first key step herding the following inorganic chemical transformation. It was well known that a traditional polycarbosilane can be cured by oxidation in hot air or oxidized gases such NO~2~, which happens via chemical reactions between Si-H with oxygen into Si-O-Si linkage and water \[[@B1-materials-13-02142],[@B12-materials-13-02142],[@B14-materials-13-02142]\]. This curing clearly occurs starting from the surface of the fiber and goes slowly into deeper site governed by oxygen diffusion. Oxidation curing will inevitably and in-homogenously introduce oxygen into the polymeric fibers, which leads to a silicon-carbon-oxygen complex formation in the organic fiber after pyrolysis. Therefore, irradiation of the fiber by electron-beams (EB) with high energy was applied for a homogeneous curing of the green fiber without introducing of oxygen contamination, which is also applied in this study. Mechanisms of this thermosetting process based on elimination reaction between two Si-H into Si-Si linkage and hydrogen releasing has been investigated and discussed by Takeda et al. \[[@B13-materials-13-02142]\].
Surface and cross-section morphologies of the EB-cured PZCS fiber are shown in [Figure 1](#materials-13-02142-f001){ref-type="fig"}a,b, which shows a smooth surface and very dense cross-section fracture morphology of the green fiber after EB-curing in argon. The EDS images of Si and Zr distribution from the surface to core are shown in [Figure 1](#materials-13-02142-f001){ref-type="fig"}c,d. No aggregation of zirconium phase is observed on the surface and cross-sectional parts of the as-cured fiber.
The as-cured fibers are then transferred into a thermosetting state that does not undergo remelting during pyrolysis up to 1000 °C either in H~2~ or in Ar atmosphere. Pyrolysis of the PZCS in Ar finally leads to formation of ZrC, SiC and free carbon in the residual inorganic fibers after releasing of complicated gaseous species such as methane, hydrogen and silanes \[[@B18-materials-13-02142]\]. The surface and cross-sectional morphologies of the ceramic fibers treated by H~2~--Ar process or Ar--Ar process at the temperatures of 1200, 1400 or 1600 °C show minor differences from each other. [Figure 2](#materials-13-02142-f002){ref-type="fig"} shows SEM images of the surface and cross section of the fibers obtained by H~2~--Ar process 1200, 1400 or 1600 °C for 1 h. In all three cases, the ceramic fibers show very dense and homogeneous microstructures without any visible cracks, voids or other flaws.
The backscattered electron (BSE) image mainly reflects the distribution of elements on the sample surface. The brighter the region, the higher the atomic number. BSE images of the fibers at 1200 °C ([Figure 2](#materials-13-02142-f002){ref-type="fig"}b) and 1400 °C ([Figure 2](#materials-13-02142-f002){ref-type="fig"}d) show a bright image, from which the SiC and ZrC in the fibers cannot be distinguished. The contrast of bright and dark regions are observed in the image at 1600 °C ([Figure 2](#materials-13-02142-f002){ref-type="fig"}f), wherein Zr-rich brighter spots with the diameter of about 200 nm are dispersed in darker Si-rich matrix. It can be seen that obvious aggregation of Zr in the fibers is more likely to occur at 1600 °C, which may be ascribed to the faster migration of Zr cations at higher temperatures.
3.2. Phases Composition in the Ceramic Fibers {#sec3dot2-materials-13-02142}
---------------------------------------------
XRD analysis of the above ceramic fibers annealed by H~2~--Ar process at 1200, 1400 and 1600 °C for 1 h is shown in [Figure 3](#materials-13-02142-f003){ref-type="fig"}a. It is indicated that ZrC is the only crystalline phase existing in the ceramic fibers after annealing at 1200 °C. With the temperatures up to 1400 and 1600 °C for 1 h, both of the crystalline phases of ZrC and SiC are identified in the ceramic fibers. The sharper diffraction peaks at 1600 °C than those at 1400 °C indicate a better crystallinity, which is in accordance with the SEM results.
XRD analysis of the other ceramic fibers by Ar--Ar process up to various temperatures of 1200, 1400 or 1600 °C is given in [Figure 3](#materials-13-02142-f003){ref-type="fig"}b. According to the XRD patterns, the major phase existing in the ceramic fibers obtained at 1200 and 1400 °C is also only ZrC. When the annealing temperature is up to 1600 °C, both crystalline phases of ZrC and SiC can be identified in the ceramic fibers, which indicates that the crystallinity of ZrC and SiC increases with increasing temperatures.
Compared the results shown in [Figure 3](#materials-13-02142-f003){ref-type="fig"}a,b, it is concluded that the diffraction peaks of crystalline SiC formed by the Ar--Ar process at 1200 °C are close to those appeared by the H~2~--Ar process. With the temperature up to 1400 °C or 1600 °C, the diffraction peak shapes of crystalline ZrC formed via the H~2~--Ar process become sharper than those formed via the Ar--Ar process. It is also very clear that the crystallinity of SiC formed via the H~2~--Ar process is better than that via Ar--Ar process when the heat treatment is up to 1600 °C. That is, the introduction of H~2~ atmosphere below 1000 °C has effect on the growth of ZrC and SiC grain sizes at 1600 °C, which is got to know via the following analysis.
[Table 1](#materials-13-02142-t001){ref-type="table"} lists the elemental compositions and C/(Si + Zr) Atomic ratio of different fibers. Compared with green fibers, the fibers after pyrolysis at 1000 °C in Ar or H~2~ atmosphere consist of Zr, Si, C and O elements. With the pyrolysis atmosphere changing from Ar to H~2~ below 1000 °C, the Si content increases from 43.82% to 51.95%, the Zr content from 14.88% to 17.10%, and the carbon content decreases by about 10%, which results in the decrease of the C/(Si + Zr) atomic ratio from 1.90 to 1.15. After the Ar--Ar process or H~2~--Ar process at 1600 °C, the contents Si and Zr slightly increase while the carbon content further decreases, which can be ascribed to carbothermal reduction of C and O elements. The C/(Si + Zr) atomic ratio in the fibers by H~2~--Ar process at 1600 °C is 1.11, which means the fibers consist of near-stoichiometric ZrC and SiC.
It was known that pyrolysis of PZCS in Ar led to the formation of ZrC, SiC and free carbon in the resultant fiber \[[@B18-materials-13-02142]\]. Then free carbon remaining in the fibers obtained at 1600 °C is analyzed and determined by its micro-Raman spectra ([Figure 4](#materials-13-02142-f004){ref-type="fig"}). For the fibers obtained via the Ar--Ar process, the strong and sharp peaks at 1358 and 1590 cm^−1^ are recorded. The scattering peak at 1590 cm^−1^ is ascribed to the E~2\ *g*~ mode of the graphene layers and usually labeled as G band (name after "graphite"), while the scattering peak at 1358 cm^−1^ is designated to the D band of pyrolytic carbon (named after "defect"). The ratio of intensities of D band and G band is larger than 1, which means a large amount of free carbon exists in ceramic fiber obtained in argon at 1600 °C. In the fibers obtained via the H~2~--Ar process, the intensities of both peaks at 1358 and 1590 cm^−1^ become very weak, which means free carbon in the SiC--ZrC ceramic fibers is almost removed by H~2~.
Compared with the Roman spectra of the SiC--ZrC fibers obtained via the Ar--Ar process ([Figure 4](#materials-13-02142-f004){ref-type="fig"}a), the peaks at 784 and 955 cm^−1^ ascribed to the β-SiC in [Figure 4](#materials-13-02142-f004){ref-type="fig"}b are identified, which means a better crystallization of β-SiC in the ceramic fibers obtained via the H~2~--Ar process.
From the elemental analysis and Raman spectra, it is found that a larger amount of carbon can be removed from the as-cured fibers by the introduction of H~2~ atmosphere below 1000 °C. Benefiting from the decarbonization of H~2~, the production of free carbon in the ceramic fibers is reduced and the crystallinity of ZrC and SiC grain sizes is increased, as well as stoichiometric ZrC and SiC can be obtained.
[Figure 5](#materials-13-02142-f005){ref-type="fig"} shows high-resolution TEM (HR-TEM) images of the as-cured fibers after the Ar--Ar processes up to 1400 or 1600 °C. It can be seen that amorphous carbon is observed around ZrC and SiC nanocrystallites. In contrast, the ceramics fibers obtained via the H~2~--Ar process consist of two clearly defined phases of SiC and ZrC while free carbon is hardly observed in [Figure 6](#materials-13-02142-f006){ref-type="fig"}a,b. These results confirm the analysis of Raman spectra.
Based on the data of X-ray powder diffraction and the Debye-Scherrer formula, the average grain sizes of SiC and ZrC in the ceramic fibers heated at various temperatures are computed, as shown in [Figure 7](#materials-13-02142-f007){ref-type="fig"}. When the heat treatment temperature at 1200--1300 °C, ZrC crystals are formed first with the size of about 2--4 nm. With the heat treatment temperature from 1400 up to 1600 °C, the grain size of ZrC is up to 10 nm or even larger. The crystalline grain size of ZrC at 1600 °C is around 8--10 nm larger than that of SiC, which may be related to the fact that Zr cations aggregate in the fibers at higher temperatures. After heat treatment at 1600 °C via the H~2~--Ar process, the average crystalline grain size of ZrC is about 18 nm ([Figure 7](#materials-13-02142-f007){ref-type="fig"}a) and the size of SiC is also increased to about 8 nm ([Figure 7](#materials-13-02142-f007){ref-type="fig"}b). The crystalline grain sizes of ZrC and SiC obtained at 1600 °C via the H~2~--Ar process are 3--5 nm more than those via the Ar--Ar process. From this tendency, it is supposed that the rapid growth of ZrC and SiC crystalline grains obtained via the H~2~--Ar process will be kept and the growth of ZrC and SiC grains obtained via the Ar--Ar process will become lower.
4. Conclusions {#sec4-materials-13-02142}
==============
A composite ceramic fiber of SiC--ZrC was fabricated from a single polymeric precursor of polyzirconocenecarbosilane, and it was shown that both of stoichiometric β-SiC and ZrC in the fibers could be formed through decarbonization of the electron-beam cured green fiber in hydrogen up to 1000 °C and subsequently annealing the inorganic fiber in argon up to 1600 °C. The microstructures of the SiC--ZrC fibers exhibited homogenously dispersion of nano-sized ZrC crystallites (\~18 nm) in a matrix of β-SiC with smaller grain size (\~8 nm). After pyrolysis in hydrogen below 1000 °C, a more rapid growth of ZrC and SiC crystalline grains occurred in Ar up to 1400 or 1600 °C. In the same ceramic fiber, the crystalline grain size of ZrC was larger than that of SiC and the aggregation of Zr became apparent at 1600 °C.
We are grateful to Yanguo Wang at the Institute of Physics/CAS for help with microstructure analysis of the ceramic fibers.
M.G. and W.Z. conceived and designed the experiments; X.L., S.Y. and H.Z. performed the experiments; M.G., S.Y. and Z.L. helped perform the data analysis; M.G. wrote the manuscript; W.Z. performed the manuscript review. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
This work was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2018YFC1902401), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers 51471159, 51671180, 51472243 and 51272251).
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
######
Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the surface (**a**) and cross-section (**b**) of the electron-beams (EB)-cured polyzirconocenecarbosilanes (PZCS) fiber and X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) images (**c**) and (**d**) from surface to core of the fiber.
![](materials-13-02142-g001a)
![](materials-13-02142-g001b)
![Surface and cross-sectional SEM images of the as-cured PZCS fibers after H~2~--Ar process up to various temperatures of (**a**,**b**): 1200 °C; (**c**,**d**): 1400 °C; (**e**,**f**): 1600 °C, wherein (**b**,**d**,**f**) are the backscattered electron images.](materials-13-02142-g002){#materials-13-02142-f002}
![XRD patterns of SiC--ZrC ceramic fibers through (**a**) H~2~--Ar process and (**b**) Ar--Ar process up to various temperatures of 1200, 1400 or 1600 °C.](materials-13-02142-g003){#materials-13-02142-f003}
![Raman spectra of the SiC--ZrC fibers obtained at 1600 °C via the Ar--Ar process (**a**) and the H~2~--Ar process (**b**).](materials-13-02142-g004){#materials-13-02142-f004}
![HR-TEM images of the as-cured fibers obtained via the Ar--Ar process up to (**a**) 1400 and (**b**) 1600 °C.](materials-13-02142-g005){#materials-13-02142-f005}
![HR-TEM images of the as-cured fibers obtained via the H~2~--Ar process up to (**a**) 1400 and (**b**) 1600 °C.](materials-13-02142-g006){#materials-13-02142-f006}
![Crystalline grain sizes of ZrC (**a**,**b**) and SiC (**c**,**d**) in the composite fibers after pyrolysis at 1000 °C and annealing at various temperatures from 1200 to 1600 °C (**a**,**c**: H~2~--Ar process; **b**,**d**: Ar--Ar process).](materials-13-02142-g007){#materials-13-02142-f007}
materials-13-02142-t001_Table 1
######
Content and C/(Si + Zr) Atomic ratio of different fibers.
Content (wt %) Si C Zr O H Cl C/(Si + Zr) Atomic Ratio
----------------------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------ ------- ------ --------------------------
Green fibers 32.94 44.37 6.80 1.21 12.66 2.02 2.96
Fibers in Ar (1000 °C) 43.82 39.51 14.88 1.89 / / 1.90
Fibers in H~2~ (1000 °C) 51.95 28.32 17.10 2.63 / / 1.15
Ar--Ar process fiber at 1600 °C 45.19 38.82 14.93 1.16 / / 1.82
H~2~--Ar process fiber at 1600 °C 52.73 27.68 17.45 2.10 / / 1.11
| {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Central"
} |
Search
Buying a co-op is substantially different than purchasing a condominium. A co-op buyer needs to … some east coast cities. In Seattle, there are far more condos than cooperatives, but you will find co-ops in some older buildings in the city. … Because co-ops are so different than condominiums, it helps to work with real estate agents and lenders who are familiar with the process. You must spend … 920 Dexter Ave N Seattle, WA 98109; 206-462-6200; [email protected] … | {
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} |
Chromatographia
Chromatographia is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Verlag, covering liquid and gas chromatography, as well as electrophoresis and TLC.
Impact factor
Chromatographia had a 2014 impact factor of 1.411, ranking it 50th out of 74 in the subject category "Analytical Chemistry" and 65th out of 79 in "Biochemical Research Methods".
External links
References
Category:Chemistry journals
Category:Publications established in 1968
Category:Springer Science+Business Media academic journals
Category:Monthly journals | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Q:
Has a Kendo UI Widget been applied to a DOM object (to avoid duplication)
This function display the dialog. While opening, it creates also a kendo editor. The problem is that, when the dialog is closed then reopened, the editor is duplicated.
function openChangeProjectStatusPopup(popupElementName) {
$("#" + popupElementName).dialog({
width: 700,
height: 400,
draggable: false,
resizable: false,
modal: true,
open: function () {
$('#changePhaseTextArea').kendoEditor();
},
close: function () {
}
});
}
To avoid duplication, I should do a check like this
if(changePhaseTextArea is a not already a kendoeditor){
$('#changePhaseTextArea').kendoEditor();
}
I've checked the kendo websites, I can't find where one can check the type of the object.
Thanks for helping
A:
The easiest way is asking for the widget object that is referenced via data("kendoEditor") or in general data("kendo_<String>") where <String> is the name of the widget.
For your code example:
var elem = $("#changePhaseTextArea");
if (!elem.data("kendoEditor")) {
$('#changePhaseTextArea').kendoEditor();
}
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Gignac Market (Gignac, France)
We are in the south of France...Languedoc. It was Saturday and that means its market time in Gignac the town next to ours (which is only 10 minute drive away). We always drive to the Gignac market because we have several favourite producers we like to buy products from.
The first beautiful flowers of Spring.
The organic vegetable producer.
A cheese trailer.
Beautiful veggies and fruits.
The meat trailer; every meat eater's dream.
Our favourite egg and chicken woman. We always buy her fresh eggs; her eggs are always so fresh and big...and they are so cheap. We also always buy her chicken for our roasted chicken dinner. They are always fresh and delicious.
Our favourite cheese woman. We cannot believe this old woman makes the best cheeses around (also a cheese cake to die for). She also has fresh milk, yoghurt and butter. We buy it all.
The bread stand.
The roasted chicken trailer.
The olives and tapenade trailer.
There are hundreds of stalls and trailers selling the best agricultural products of the area. We are really lucky to have one with such good quality near our home. The day was sunny with blue skies, a bit chilly and so much yummy looking fresh products...a day with so many pleasures for the senses. | {
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Alexis Sanchez's family arrive in London in preparation for Arsenal exit
The Chilean's family are in London and sources close to the player believe that a January move is close to happening
Alexis Sanchez’s family have arrived in London in preparation for the Chilean’s departure from , Goal has learned.
The 29-year-old is subject of a transfer tussle between and this month, although it’s understood that the former Barcelona man has his heart set on a move to the Etihad Stadium, where he will link up with his old coach Pep Guardiola.
Arsenal are demanding a fee of £35m for Sanchez while the player's agent Fernando Felicevich, previously dubbed ‘the king of South American football’ by Forbes magazine, is requesting a fee of £5m for facilitating the transfer.
City have made it known that they are unwilling to meet Felicevich's personal demands, believing the total package requested by the agent and Arsenal does not represent value for money.
But Goal understands that while the club insist they are willing to walk away from a deal this month, potentially leaving United with a clear run, the Blues would rather find an agreement that suits all parties and sign the Chilean before the transfer window closes.
Sanchez’s older brother Humberto arrived at Heathrow Airport on Saturday with a number of family members in preparation for the player’s departure from Arsenal.
It's understood that the two-time winner wants his closest family to be alongside him for when his exit from the Gunners is confirmed this month.
“It looks like Sanchez will not extend his contract,” Arsenal boss Wenger told reporters in the embargoed section of Friday’s pre-match press conference.
“But we want to keep Jack [Wilshere] and if we have an opportunity maybe to keep [Mesut] Ozil, the rebuild will be less deep than if all the three left.”
Goal understands that Bordeaux starlet Malcom tops Wenger’s wishlist as a replacement for Sanchez, while Thomas Lemar – who came close to joining the Gunners on transfer deadline day last summer – remains another target.
Contrary to reports, the French side own 100 per cent of the player's rights and there is no third party ownership involved in any potential deal.
Malcom’s representatives were in London meeting with Arsenal officials on Friday and it's understood that the club will sanction the sale of Sanchez to City once they secure a replacement. | {
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Soldak
Soldak Entertainment, Inc. is a small independent developer, focused on bringing new and unique gameplay to the entertainment industry. Soldak was founded by Steven Peeler. Before embarking on his own in late 2004 to create Depths of Peril, Steven was Technical Director of Ritual Entertainment.
http://www.soldak.com/ | {
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Optical sensors with molecularly imprinted nanospheres: a promising approach for robust and label-free detection of small molecules.
Molecularly imprinted nanospheres obtained by miniemulsion polymerization have been applied as the sensitive layer for label-free direct optical sensing of small molecules. Using these particles as the sensitive layer allowed for improving response times in comparison to sensors using MIP layers. As a model compound, well-characterized nanospheres imprinted against L-Boc-phenylalanine anilide (L-BFA) were chosen. For immobilization, a simple concept based on electrostatic adsorption was used, showing its applicability to different types of surfaces, leading to a good surface coverage. The sensor showed short response times, good selectivity, and high reversibility with a limit of detection down to 60 μM and a limit of quantitation of 94 μM. Furthermore, reproducibility, selectivity, and long-term stability of the sensitive layers were tested. The best results were achieved with an adsorption on aminopropylsilane layers, showing a chip-to-chip reproducibility of 22%. Furthermore, the sensors showed no loss in signal after a storage time of 1 year. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
You will need Real Player 8 Basic which you can obtain free of charge. The one for the Mac downloads an installer. Clicking on the installer icon unpacks Real Player and makes appropriate adjustments to your system. I believe that the one for Mac challenged, PC users works the same way.
If you believe that you have Real Player G2 installed, see if you can play the following sound clip. You will use physical as the name and rocks as the password. Click on the arrow pointing to the right on the real icon at the top of the page.
If your system does not meet or exceed the above minimum system requirements, please click
here to download an older version of RealPlayer. This is somewhat experimental depending on the operating system you are using. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
The Apple Lightning connector is new. Apple is a registered trademark of Apple, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Apple Lightning is a pending trademark of Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. (US Trademark application 85726560). The Apple Lightning connector has a smaller external footprint than the legacy 30-pin connector, but a portion of the connector that does not have pins extends deeper into the device. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
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About Gas Grill Parts
Gas grills can be an investment and when you get used to the nuances of operating your particular model, it makes sense to try to fix it when something goes wrong before thinking of purchasing a new one. Sometimes you can even find grill accessories to take performance to the next level. From replacement grill igniters to propane regulators, count on Ace to help you find the gas grill parts you need.
Depending on how frequently you use your grill, the grill grates can accumulate grease, food residue and other stubborn cooking sediment that cannot be easily removed with a grill brush or good wash. Some grates even have a tendency to rust when exposed to the outdoors over long periods of time. You can typically find two types of replacement cooking grates – either stainless steel or ceramic cooking grates. Stainless steel grates are more common, but ceramic cooking grates tend to supply a more even heat to the food being grilled.
For more help finding the gas grill parts you need, visit your local Ace. Or if you end up needing a new grill, check out our grill buying guide.
Contact: Have questions or comments? Send us an
email
or call 1.866.290.5334 | {
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} |
Monday, October 26, 2009
The sense that Wall Street has pulled off a coup d'etat and taken over the machinery of the United States is the most powerful meme out there now, and its power is growing in magnitude every day among all classes of Americans...
The government has given trillions in bailout or other emergency funds to private companies, but is largely refusing to disclose to either the media, the American people or even Congress where the money went
Congress has largely been bought and paid for, and two powerful congressmen have said that banks run Congress
The head of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the former Vice President of the Dallas Federal Reserve, and two top IMF officials have all said that we have – or are in danger of having – oligarchy in the U.S.
Economist Dean Baker says that the real purpose of bank rescue plans was “A massive redistribution of wealth to the bank shareholders and their top executives”
The big banks killed any real chance for financial reform months ago
----
Tent cities growing:
----
Bloomberg:Marc Faber, publisher of the Gloom, Boom & Doom Report, talks with Bloomberg's Deirdre Bolton and Erik Schatzker about the performance of the dollar and U.S. economic outlook.
Faber also discusses the outlook for equities, the correlation between the dollar and the stock market and the fiscal position of the U.S. which he describes as a "complete disaster" and "Dollar Will Go To A Value Of Exactly Zero" ... | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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Tag Archives: data modeler
Recently I started looking at the unit testing functionality within Oracle’s SQL Developer, as a possible alternative to ut/PLSQL. Oracle’s Jeff Smith has a useful starter page on this, Unit Testing Your PL/SQL with Oracle SQL Developer. As he notes, the first thing you need to do is set up a unit test repository, which is essentially a schema within an Oracle database that SQL Developer will create for you for the unit test metadata. The schema contains 24 tables, and when I set it up I thought it would be nice to see an entity-relationship diagram for it.
I often draw these myself after running an analysis query on the foreign key network, as described in a recent post, PL/SQL Pipelined Function for Network Analysis. However, in this case I remembered that SQL Developer also has a data modeler component, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn how to use this tool to reverse-engineer a diagram from the schema. It’s actually very easy, and in this article I will show the result (see another Jeff Smith post for learning resources on the data modeler, Data Modeling). For good measure, I will include outputs from my own metadata queries, and add similar for Oracle’s HR demo schema (and linked schemas, in version 12.1).
12 July 2015I added a section on the Oracle v11.2 Apex schema, APEX_040000, which has 425 tables, to see how the data modeler handles larger schemas.
Unit Test Repository Schema
I created the diagram by following the wizard from File/Import/Data Dictionary – see the link above for more information on how to use the Data Modeler.
I had to import the three schemas (HR, OE and PM) one at a time, merging with the previous one, am not sure if you can do it in one go, or if the diagram is affected by the order of import.
Data Modeler Diagram
Manual Visio Diagram
For comparison, here is a manual diagram, deliberately omitting column and other detail. It was done as an illustration of the network analysis program output, and I therefore did not include useful information such as on relationship optionality.
Apex Schema – APEX_040000 (v11.22)
This imported quickly, with 425 tables. However, the diagram was not so useful. Trying to print it to .png or .jpg (via File/Print Diagram/To Image File) silently failed; printing to .pdf worked, but the reader opens at a zoom level of 1.41% and it’s not practical to navigate the links. Maybe text-based analysis reports are more useful for the larger schemas.
Data Modeler Diagram
Here is a screenshot of the modeler diagram:Network Analysis Output
I include my standard summary listings in this case, showing that the schema splits into 21 sub-networks, with 298 tables having foreign key links, the remaining 127 being thereby excluded from this report. | {
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DNA replication fidelity.
DNA replication fidelity is a key determinant of genome stability and is central to the evolution of species and to the origins of human diseases. Here we review our current understanding of replication fidelity, with emphasis on structural and biochemical studies of DNA polymerases that provide new insights into the importance of hydrogen bonding, base pair geometry, and substrate-induced conformational changes to fidelity. These studies also reveal polymerase interactions with the DNA minor groove at and upstream of the active site that influence nucleotide selectivity, the efficiency of exonucleolytic proofreading, and the rate of forming errors via strand misalignments. We highlight common features that are relevant to the fidelity of any DNA synthesis reaction, and consider why fidelity varies depending on the enzymes, the error, and the local sequence environment. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
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Attorney General William Barr claimed in an NBC News interview that former President Barack Obama posed the “greatest danger” to democracy in the 2016 election — not Russia.
Barr told the network that he disagreed with his own department’s inspector general report, which concluded that the FBI did not “spy” on the Trump campaign and was justified in launching an investigation into its ties to Russia.
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Nonetheless, the attorney general claimed that the Obama administration posed the biggest threat to democracy because of alleged spying, which was debunked Monday by the release of the report.
“I think, probably, from a civil liberties standpoint, the greatest danger to our free system is that the incumbent government used the apparatus of the state — principally, the law enforcement agencies and the intelligence agencies — both to spy on political opponents. But as to use them in a way that could affect the outcome of the election,” Barr alleged. “As far as I’m aware, this is the first time in history that this has been done to a presidential campaign.”
Barr claimed to NBC News reporter Pete Williams that the FBI may have opened the investigation in “bad faith” and insisted that Trump’s campaign was “clearly spied upon” in spite of inspector general Michael Horowitz’s nearly two-year investigation which found no such evidence.
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He also downplayed the Trump campaign’s extensive contacts with Russian officials, insisting that “presidential campaigns are frequently in contact with foreign persons.”
Barr’s comments were a stark contrast from Horowitz’s report, which found no evidence of the “spying” allegations invoked by the president and his conservative allies.
"I think our nation was turned on its head for three years based on a completely bogus narrative that was largely fanned and hyped by a completely irresponsible press," Barr said Tuesday as he rejected the report’s findings. "I think there were gross abuses . . . and inexplicable behavior that is intolerable in the FBI."
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"There was and never has been any evidence of collusion, and yet this campaign and the president’s administration has been dominated by this investigation into what turns out to be completely baseless,” Barr claimed.
However, former special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators, who took over the FBI probe, found 272 contacts between Trump’s team and Russia. Barr also did not mention that Trump’s former campaign chief, deputy campaign chief, national security adviser, longtime attorney, and multiple other campaign advisers were convicted in the Russia probe.
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Barr issued a statement slamming Horowitz’s report Monday, as did U.S. attorney John Durham, who was handpicked by Barr to investigate the origins of the Russia probe.
The attorney general praised Durham for issuing a rare statement criticizing the inspector general report, arguing it was “necessary to avoid public confusion.”
"It was necessary to avoid public confusion," he said. "It was sort of being reported by the press that the issue of predication was sort of done and over. I think it was important for people to understand that Durham's work was not being preempted and that Durham was doing something different."
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Speaking at an event hosted by the Wall Street Journal after the interview, Barr doubled down on his comments, calling the Russia investigation a “travesty.”
“There were many abuses, and that’s by far the most important part of the [inspector general] report," he said. “If you actually spent time looking at what happened, I think you’d be appalled."
Unlike Barr and Durham, FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a statement acknowledging that the investigation found that the Russia probe was opened “for an authorized purpose and with adequate factual predication.”
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“The FBI accepts the report’s findings,” he added.
Trump lashed out Tuesday at Wray after he did not not put a positive spin on the report.
“I don’t know what report current Director of the FBI Christopher Wray was reading, but it sure wasn’t the one given to me,” Trump tweeted, after insisting that the report had proven his baseless allegations about the FBI. It did the opposite.
Barr’s latest comments were widely criticized and renewed allegations that he was acting as the president’s personal attorney instead of the top law enforcement official in the country.
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“Barr is acting in incredibly bad faith,” tweeted Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. “With this revisionist campaign to undermine a thorough, two-year IG investigation, the Attorney General is once again substituting partisan rhetoric for politically inconvenient facts.”
“We cannot overstate the damage Bill Barr is doing to the rule of law,” added Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., who sits on the House Judiciary Committee.
“Barr’s accusation that the career men and women at the FBI were acting in bad faith a day after a comprehensive investigation failed to find that is a new low,” former Justice Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. “Just sheer partisan hackery.”
New York Times columnist Wajahat Ali predicted that Barr’s clear partisanship could pose a serious risk to the 2020 election.
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“He's an ideological extremist using Trump for his dangerous agenda. I hope more people in the Justice Department speak out against him,” he wrote.
National security attorney Bradley Moss concluded that as he did with his interference in the release of the Mueller report, Barr once again showed that “Trump definitely found his Roy Cohn.” | {
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Early maternal separation induces preference for sucrose and aspartame associated with increased blood glucose and hyperactivity.
Early life stress and exposure to sweeteners lead to physiological and behavioral alterations in adulthood. Nevertheless, many genetic and environmental factors as well as the neurobiological mechanisms that contribute to the development of these disorders are not fully understood. Similarly, evidence about the long-term metabolic effects of exposure to sweeteners in early life is limited and inconsistent. This study used an animal model of maternal separation during breastfeeding (MS) to analyze the effects of early life stress on consumption of sweeteners, weight gain, blood glucose and locomotion. Rats were housed under a reversed light/dark cycle (lights off at 7:00 h) with ad libitum access to water and food. In the MS protocol, MS pups were separated from the dam for 6 h per day in two periods of 180 minutes (7:00-10:00 and 13:00-16:00 h) during the dark phase of postnatal day (PND) 1 to PND 21. Non-separated (NS) pups served as controls. On PND 22 rats were grouped by sex and treatment. From PND 26 to PND 50 sucrose and aspartame were provided to rats, and sweetener intake, body weight and blood glucose-related measures were scored. On PND 50, both male and female rats were exposed to the open field test to obtain locomotion and anxiety-related measures. Results showed that both early maternal separation and sweetener intake during adolescence resulted in increased blood glucose and hyperactivity in male rats but not in female rats. Data suggest that the combination of early stress and exposure to sucrose and aspartame could be a risk factor for the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, as well as for behavioral alterations. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
PUT IT ALL ON THE LINE | {
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} |
Search Stefan's Blog for Stuff
Monday, September 29, 2008
This was just awesome! We have seen Singapore turned party town!Not only was the race sensational, but also the entire set up for the Grand Prix. Needless to say that everything (at least on the surface) went smooth as silk. The organisers of the inaugrual Singapore GP have done a great job. The spirit of the helpers on track was amazing and I liked the fact that the Formula 1 ticket was a ticket into numerous parties as well (NB: in KL you would have to pay to get into most venues). The only thing I really hated was that there was no live commentary on the radio. Earmuffs with Radio were advertised as "Race Radio" and did cost a fortune. When asked, the sellers told me how cool it is to listen to music at the race. Honestly,... I don't listen to radio when I am in the cinema. You know what I mean...?
Kersten (above) made the trip from Hong Kong, just to see the race. He left Monday morning at 4 to catch his flight back to the office. Thanks to him I actually got to see a lot of sights I haven't seen so far. Like the Cafe del Mar on Sentosa. Now I need to get some sleep. | {
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This is a mix I recorded recently for the Acid Wave Podcast crew in Dortmund. The mix actually premiered back on January 1st, so I have been a bit slack in getting around to posting it here and making it available for download. Sorry about that!
So what is going on with this mix? Well, it’s a modern acid mix, starting with acid house / lighter acid techno before going in to acid electro and then finishing with some boshing full-power acid techno. All vinyl and all stuff from the last few years.
Here’s a little guide to the tracks I included in the mix:
Posthuman – Nightride to New Reno (Balkan Vinyl) The mix kicks off with the first track from Posthuman’s new album, Mutant Acid City – Posthuman are probably the most prominent London acid house revivalists, known as they are for the excellent I Love Acid label and parties, as well as their productions and appearances on other labels. This is a slow-burning spacy acid track, and I thought it would be the perfect intro tune.
Neville Watson – De-Basement (I Love Acid) The second track is from the most recent release on Posthuman’s I Love Acid label, and is by Neville Watson. I don’t know anything about the guy actually, I just know this is my favorite tune on the release, and it’s a perfect continuation from the opener – a minimal acid rumbler that is just that bit grittier, crucial to slowly turning up the intensity.
Photonz – Blood Is Life (Acid Avengers) Acid Avengers is a French label with some of the best artwork around – just check out their Bandcamp. This is a thumping acid track with a deep and eerie breakdown.
Boston 168 – J The Master (Attic Music) Boston 168 are an Italian acid techno duo making stuff that is pretty clearly influenced by old psychedelic and hard trance. Which is nice! Music is pretty cyclical, right, so it’s interesting that producers like Boston 168 are rediscovering the early trance sound, when trance was rhythmic, melodic and hypnotic, and not the over-the-top cheese it became by the late 1990’s. These guys seem to have become pretty big and are taking their live set everywhere at the moment. One apology: there is a slightly wonky mix into this track. I did fix it quickly, though. This is on the darker end of their sound. Heavy drums, acid lines, and dark vibes. Simple but effective.
Alien Rain – Alienated 2A (Alien Rain) Alien Rain is a long-running minimal acid project from Berlin-based Patrick Radomski (aka Milton Bradley). If you’ve heard any of my other modern acid mixes in recent years you will have heard some of his other tracks. They mostly follow a similar template – lots and lots of hypnotic repetition, but I think they work nicely as a bridging device.
Dax J – Zion (Monnom Black) Dax J is definitely the biggest name on this mix. He’s an English techno dj and producer who is based in Berlin and who has become a key figure in the revival of proper banging techno. Fuck loopy minimalism! His label Monnom Black has been consistently putting out bangers, and on the dj front he just kills it. This is another great track of his, wiring multiple acid lines over a slamming percussive base.
Nite Fleit – Partly Sunny (Steel City Dance Discs) Nite Fleit is an Australian dj/producer who is based in London (I think?). I think her release on Steel City Dance Discs was probably one of my all-around favorite releases last year, featuring as it does three kicking electro tracks and one gorgeous breaks track. I featured ‘Little Friend’ from the same EP on Get It 002 and am planning to use the breaks tune as the intro on a breakbeat-oriented Get It mix, maybe 4 or 5. This is a great track to transition into the electro section of the mix – jagged robotic beats and a steadily filthier acid riff. Massive tune.
Nonentity – Granite City Acid (Source Material) Here’s some seriously pumping acid electro from a new label from Aberdeen (hence the Granite City name). Back in the Rampage days I even played in Aberdeen once and then went back to an afterparty in a council flat where I tried (and failed!) to drink Buckfast on an empty stomach. Interesting times.
No Moon – Acid IX (Mechatronica) No Moon is an electro artist from Manchester and this was his first release on Mechatronica, which is a label that my friend Mejle runs with some friends. This is probably my favorite release on Mechatronica and I also used the title track Sirens on Get It 002. This is quite a spaced-out electro track, a little step down in intensity from the previous track, but that was deliberate, as I thought it would make sense to take the pressure off for a moment or two.
Locked Club – Electro Raw (Private Persons) Again, this is another release where I used a different track on Get It 002, and in this case this is from Locked Club, who are described in their promo material as ‘Russian electro punk’, which sounds good enough to me! This is another step up in intensity after the lull of the previous track, and a fitting end to the electro section.
Andreas Gehm – Two Times More (I Love Acid) OK, so back to techno. This is a straightforward acid banger from Andreas Gehm, the Cologne producer who sadly passed away several years ago. It’s well worth checking out his back catalogue, as he produced a lot of great dance tracks, covering everything from funky electro to jacking Chicago-style house to smooth Detroit-style techno and on to heads-down acid mayhem like this. A great starting point would be his posthumously released album on Solar One, The Worst of Gehm.
Collin Strange – Private Thoughts (Long Island Electrical Systems) Another release that I don’t know too much about – this is from New York’s Collin Strange and it’s an acid banger, no more no less. L.I.E.S. has become a pretty big label in the techno scene in recent years, with a very diverse output, and I have to be honest that I’m not huge on all of it. This release was great though – I also used the track Private Lives on last year’s Junior Techno Fruit Gang.
Regal – Acid Is The Answer (Involve) Regal is a Spanish producer from Madrid who is doing ravey acid techno, and this is one of his bigger tunes (in fact it just got repressed) – rolling basslines, stuttering vocal, and twisting acid – dude this hits me right in the metaphorical g-spot.
Dax J – Reign Of Terror (Electric Deluxe) Yeah, another Dax J tune. So? I was happy with the double-drop into this … go me!
I’ll talk about these two together, because … it’s easier. Anyways, the artist seems to be from somewhere in Northern England and he has done a whole bunch of these Extreme Acid releases, all of which involve heavy metal style artwork with dragons and stuff like that and hard distorted drums and really filthy acid. Absolute mayhem, but probably good only in small doses.
Regal – Still Raving (Involve) Regal’s most recent tune – I just threw this in because I like it. Actually I guess you could argue this mix was a little lazy in that I reused a number of the artists through the mix, but I guess it’s fine.
SMD – SMD5 (A) (SMD) The very last track is from the one and only DJ Slipmatt under his SMD (aka Slipmatt Dubs) alias – this one takes the famous acid riff from Josh Wink’s ‘Higher States of Consciousness’ and the melody from Underworld’s ‘Rez’ and layers it all over a thumping 4/4 kick. It’s always been one of my favorite acid riffs, so it’s nice to have it in a format like this, as the original version is a somewhat slow breaks track that doesn’t always work for me, given my long-term love for fast music. | {
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} |
Emergence and phylogenetic analysis of amantadine-resistant influenza a subtype H3N2 viruses in Dublin, Ireland, over Six Seasons from 2003/2004 to 2008/2009.
To determine the prevalence of amantadine-resistant influenza A viruses and perform genetic analysis of isolates collected in Dublin during six seasons (2003/2004 to 2008/2009). Known mutations in the matrix 2 gene (M2) conferring amantadine resistance were screened and phylogenetic analysis of the haemagglutinin gene (HA) performed. Of 1,180 samples, 67 influenza A viruses were isolated, 88% of which were subtype H3N2. Amantadine resistance was only found in subtype H3N2 and increased dramatically from 7% in 2003/2004 to 90% in 2008/2009. A maximum likelihood tree of the HA gene of influenza A H3N2 isolates differentiated them into two distinct clades, clade N and clade S, where the majority of isolates were amantadine-resistant and amantadine-sensitive, respectively. The clades were distinguished by amino acid substitutions, S193F and D225N, which probably conferred a selective advantage for the spread of such viruses. Phylogenetic analysis showed some degree of antigenic drift when compared with the vaccine strain of the corresponding season. This study showed that circulation in Ireland of a distinct lineage, clade N, among H3N2 viruses favoured emergence of amantadine resistance. Furthermore, comparison of circulating Irish viruses and vaccine strains used in the northern hemisphere showed high similarity. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Q:
cycling through a div
Take a look at this code: jsfiddle
Use the arrow keys to cycle trough the div list. As you can see there is a gap after ''Mark'' and above ''Luca''. In other words; at some point non of the divs has a blue background. My question: How can I cycle trough the divs without the gap?
(Focus the input first)
A:
With only a slight modification of your original code: http://jsfiddle.net/Wf2mR/
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
United States Court of Appeals
For the Eighth Circuit
___________________________
No. 14-3295
___________________________
Michael A. Hoelscher; Theresa Hoelscher; C. M. Hoelscher, by Next Friend,
Theresa Hoelscher, a Minor
lllllllllllllllllllll Plaintiffs - Appellants
v.
Miller's First Insurance Co.; Miller’s Classified Insurance Co.; George S. Milnor,
President and CEO, Individually and Corporate Capacity; John M. Huff, Division
Director, Consumer Affairs, State of Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial
Institution and Professional Registration, Consumer Affairs Division; Matt Barton,
Director, Consumer Affairs, State of Missouri Department of Insurance, Financial
Institution and Professional Registration, Consumer Affairs Division; Carol A.
Harden, Consumer Service Coordinator, State of Missouri Department of
Insurance, Financial Institution and Professional Registration, Consumer Affairs
Division; Mike Haymart; G & C Adjusting Services LLC; Wayne Bernskoetter;
Wayne Bernskoetter Constructions; Victor R. Sapp; Sapp Home Pro, Inc.; Jude
Markway; Jude Markway Construction; Jeff Sapp
lllllllllllllllllllll Defendants - Appellees
____________
Appeal from United States District Court
for the Western District of Missouri - Jefferson City
____________
Submitted: March 23, 2015
Filed: March 31, 2015
[Unpublished]
____________
Before LOKEN, BOWMAN, and KELLY, Circuit Judges.
_____________
PER CURIAM.
Michael Hoelscher, Theresa Hoelscher, and C. M. Hoelscher, by Next Friend,
Theresa Hoelscher (the Hoelschers) appeal the district court’s1 dismissal of their civil
complaint. Upon careful de novo review, we conclude that the Hoelschers’ claims
were time-barred, and that dismissal was therefore proper. See Fullington v. Pfizer,
Inc., 720 F.3d 739, 744, 747 (8th Cir. 2013) (standard of review; appellate court may
affirm dismissal on any basis supported by record); cf. Gross v. United States, 676
F.2d 295, 300 (8th Cir. 1982) (statute of limitations for continuing tort generally runs
from date of last tortious act). We further conclude that the district court did not
abuse its discretion in denying the Hoelschers post-judgment relief. See Miller v.
Baker Implement Co., 439 F.3d 407, 414 (8th Cir. 2006) (standard of review).
Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is affirmed. See 8th Cir. R.
47B.
______________________________
1
The Honorable Nanette K. Laughrey, United States District Judge for the
Western District of Missouri.
-2-
| {
"pile_set_name": "FreeLaw"
} |
COKE BRINGS FIFA TROPHY TOUR TO PAKISTAN
Pakistan is a country where football is loved by millions. The love can be seen during the league matches and the enthusiasm is on its peak during the Worldcup. Even the famous city of Sialkot provides nearly half of the world’s soccer balls. Unfortunately Pakistan failed to qualify for FIFA Worldcup but still we have a great news for all the football fans. We will have a chance to get a glance of the glorious 2018 FIFA World Cup Trophy being brought to our country by Coke.
COKE BRINGS FIFA TROPHY TOUR TO PAKISTAN – GET READY FOR CELEBRATION
Pakistan has suffered a lot of damage during the last many years. Last year Ronaldinho and friends came to Pakistan for an exhibition match and we witnessed how excited Karachi and Lahore were for them. Coke’s step of bringing the trophy to Pakistan is promoting a soft image of Pakistan. These activities are of utmost importance for a country as they result in international recognition of the country.
Coke is a multinational brand and it has contributed a lot in promoting Pakistan at an international level. Pakistan is one of the 51 blessed countries that will see FIFA Football World Cup Trophy on February 3rd 2018 and it is going to be a big day for football enthusiasts in Pakistan. Coke is a renowned brand and not in need of any introduction. It is also said that the most popular word in the word after HELLO is COCA COLA. It associates itself with various sports around the world. It is evident through social media that there is cult following in Pakistan for different international football clubs.
There is no doubt cricket is the most cherished sport in Pakistan and hockey is the national sport but football has a special place in heart of Pakistanis. The enthusiasm of Lyari youth cannot be matched. There is no doubt football has a promising future in our country
About us
Raddipaper is a project of renowned facebook page “Comics By Majid” and marketing company “Business Knights”. Finance Professionals, Beauty Vloggers, Qualified Chefs and passionate individuals are part of our team. Our objective is to promote Pakistani talent on all of our platforms and to provide our readers with entertainment and fine quality stuff. Come to us if you are talented, got a crazy mind and passion to do things differently. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Lightning Data Upgrade - NEW
Lightning Events
In December 2014 we upgraded our lightning network to the latest in sensor technology as used by the world's leading meteorological agencies. This has resulted in changes and improvements to the lightning data you will now see. The main changes are:
Related Links
About Weatherzone Radar
Distance and latitude/longitude coordinates are displayed when you mouse over the map. The
origin for distance measuring is indicated by a red dot and defaults to either your location, if specified and in range, or the location
of the radar/the centre of the map. The origin may be changed by clicking elsewhere on the map.
The colours and symbols used on the radar and satellite maps are described on
our legend page. View legend »
Radar Details
Dampier Radar has an unrestricted 360 degree view from its site 50 metres above sea level, and though no major permanent echoes appear, a small amount of low intensity clutter may be visible around parts of the coast and the islands surrounding Dampier and offshore to the west. Dampier Radar is susceptible to a small amount of false echoes on land during the dry months. These echoes are characterised by erratic movement and very low intensities. During the wet season between December and March anomalous propagation may cause significant false echoes to appear for distances up to 60 kilometres along the coastline and seaward of it. During the wet season (primarily January to March), thunderstorm clouds and cyclonic formations are generally well defined for distances up to approx 250 kilometres. Beyond hat distance signal attenuation gives the appearance of less intensity than possibly exists. These formations are easily identified from false echoes by their regular rates in movement and direction. Thunderstorm activity can be viewed generally on a daily basis during the wet season, general preferred locations are in a trough line from the southwest to the southeast of Dampier/Karratha in and about the ranges. Heavy rain directly over the radar site can cause attenuation of all signals. Path attenuation can also occur when the radar beam passes through intense rainfall, with the returned signals from cells further along that path reduced.
Site search
Enter a postcode or town name for local weather, or text to search the site.
» advanced search | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
The field of transgenics was initially developed to understand the action of a single gene in the context of the whole animal and the phenomena of gene activation, expression, and interaction. This technology has also been used to produce models for various diseases in humans and other animals and is amongst the most powerful tools available for the study of genetics, and the understanding of genetic mechanisms and function. From an economic perspective, the use of transgenic technology for the production of specific proteins or other substances of pharmaceutical interest (Gordon et al., 1987, Biotechnology 5: 1183-1187; Wilmut et al., 1990, Theriogenology 33: 113-123) offers significant advantages over more conventional methods of protein production by gene expression.
Heterologous nucleic acids have been engineered so that an expressed protein may be joined to a protein or peptide that will allow secretion of the transgenic expression product into milk or urine, from which the protein may then be recovered. These procedures have had limited success and may require lactating animals, with the attendant costs of maintaining individual animals or herds of large species, including cows, sheep, or goats.
The hen oviduct offers outstanding potential as a protein bioreactor because of the high levels of protein production, the promise of proper folding and post-translation modification of the target protein, the ease of product recovery, and the shorter developmental period of chickens compared to other potential animal species. The production of an avian egg begins with formation of a large yolk in the ovary of the hen. The unfertilized oocyte or ovum is positioned on top of the yolk sac. After ovulation, the ovum passes into the infundibulum of the oviduct where it is fertilized, if sperm are present, and then moves into the magnum of the oviduct, lined with tubular gland cells. These cells secrete the egg-white proteins, including ovalbumin, lysozyme, ovomucoid, conalbumin and ovomucin, into the lumen of the magnum where they are deposited onto the avian embryo and yolk.
2.1 Microinjection
Historically, transgenic animals have been produced almost exclusively by microinjection of the fertilized egg. Mammalian pronuclei from fertilized eggs are microinjected in vitro with foreign, i.e., xenogeneic or allogeneic, heterologous DNA or hybrid DNA molecules. The microinjected fertilized eggs are then transferred to the genital tract of a pseudopregnant female (e.g., Krimpenfort et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,384). However, the production of a transgenic avian using microinjection techniques is more difficult than the production of a transgenic mammal. In avians, the opaque yolk is positioned such that visualization of the pronucleus, or nucleus of a single-cell embryo, is impaired thus preventing efficient injection of the these structures with heterologous DNA. What is therefore needed is an efficient method of introducing a heterologous nucleic acid into a recipient avian embryonic cell.
Cytoplasmic DNA injection has previously been described for introduction of DNA directly into the germinal disk of a chick embryo by Sang and Perry, 1989, Mol. Reprod. Dev. 1: 98-106, Love et al., 1994, Biotechnology 12: 60-3, and Naito et al., 1994, Mol. Reprod. Dev. 37:167-171; incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Sang and Perry described only episomal replication of the injected cloned DNA, while Love et al. suggested that the injected DNA becomes integrated into the cell's genome and Naito et al. showed no direct evidence of integration. In all these cases, the germinal disk was not visualized during microinjection, i.e., the DNA was injected “blind” into the germinal disk. Such prior efforts resulted in poor and unstable transgene integration. None of these methods were reported to result in expression of the transgene in eggs and the level of mosaicism in the one transgenic chicken reported to be obtained was one copy per 10 genome equivalents.
2.2 Retroviral Vectors
Other techniques have been used in efforts to create transgenic chickens expressing heterologous proteins in the oviduct. Previously, this has been attempted by microinjection of replication defective retroviral vectors near the blastoderm (PCT Publication WO 97/47739, entitled Vectors and Methods for Tissue Specific Synthesis of Protein in Eggs of Transgenic Hens, by MacArthur). Bosselman et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,215 also describes a method for introducing a replication-defective retroviral vector into a pluripotent stem cell of an unincubated chick embryo, and further describes chimeric chickens whose cells express a heterologous vector nucleic acid sequence. However, the percentage of G1 transgenic offspring (progeny from vector-positive male G0 birds) was low and varied between 1% and approximately 8%. Such retroviral vectors have other significant limitations, for example, only relatively small fragments of nucleic acid can be inserted into the vectors precluding, in most instances, the use of large portions of the regulatory regions and/or introns of a genomic locus which, as described herein, can be useful in obtaining significant levels of heterologous protein expression. Additionally, retroviral vectors are generally not appropriate for generating transgenics for the production of pharmaceuticals due to safety and regulatory issues.
2.3 Transfection of Male Germ Cells, Followed by Transfer to Recipient Testis
Other methods include in vitro stable transfection of male germ cells, followed by transfer to a recipient testis. PCT Publication WO 87/05325 discloses a method of transferring organic and/or inorganic material into sperm or egg cells by using liposomes. Bachiller et al. (1991, Mol. Reprod. Develop. 30: 194-200) used Lipofectin-based liposomes to transfer DNA into mice sperm, and provided evidence that the liposome transfected DNA was overwhelmingly contained within the sperm's nucleus although no transgenic mice could be produced by this technique. Nakanishi & Iritani (1993, Mol. Reprod. Develop. 36: 258-261) used Lipofectin-based liposomes to associate heterologous DNA with chicken sperm, which were in turn used to artificially inseminate hens. There was no evidence of genomic integration of the heterologous DNA either in the DNA-liposome treated sperm or in the resultant chicks.
Several methods exist for transferring DNA into sperm cells. For example, heterologous DNA may also be transferred into sperm cells by electroporation that creates temporary, short-lived pores in the cell membrane of living cells by exposing them to a sequence of brief electrical pulses of high field strength. The pores allow cells to take up heterologous material such as DNA, while only slightly compromising cell viability. Gagne et al. (1991, Mol. Reprod. Dev. 29: 6-15) disclosed the use of electroporation to introduce heterologous DNA into bovine sperm subsequently used to fertilize ova. However, there was no evidence of integration of the electroporated DNA either in the sperm nucleus or in the nucleus of the egg subsequent to fertilization by the sperm.
Another method for transferring DNA into sperm cells was initially developed for integrating heterologous DNA into yeasts and slime molds, and later adapted to sperm, is restriction enzyme mediated integration (REMI) (Shemesh et al., PCT International Publication WO 99/42569). REMI utilizes a linear DNA derived from a plasmid DNA by cutting that plasmid with a restriction enzyme that generates single-stranded cohesive ends. The linear, cohesive-ended DNA together with the restriction enzyme used to produce the cohesive ends is then introduced into the target cells by electroporation or liposome transfection. The restriction enzyme is then thought to cut the genomic DNA at sites that enable the heterologous DNA to integrate via its matching cohesive ends (Schiestl and Petes, 1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 7585-7589).
It is advantageous, before the implantation of the transgenic germ cells into a testis of a recipient male, to depopulate the testis of untransfected male germ cells. Depopulation of the testis has commonly been by exposing the whole animal to gamma irradiation by localized irradiation of the testis. Gamma radiation-induced spermatogonial degeneration is probably related to the process of apoptosis. (Hasegawa et al., 1998, Radiat. Res. 149:263-70). Alternatively, a composition containing an alkylating agent such as busulfan (MYLERAN™) can be used, as disclosed in Jiang F. X., 1998, Anat. Embryol. 198(1):53-61; Russell and Brinster, 1996, J. Androl. 17(6):615-27; Boujrad et al., Andrologia 27(4), 223-28 (1995); Linder et al., 1992, Reprod. Toxicol. 6(6):491-505; Kasuga and Takahashi, 1986, Endocrinol. Jpn 33(1):105-15. These methods likewise have not resulted in efficient transgenesis or heterologous protein production in avian eggs.
2.5 Nuclear Transfer
Nuclear transfer from cultured cell populations provides an alternative method of genetic modification, whereby donor cells may be sexed, optionally genetically modified, and then selected in culture before their use. The resultant transgenic animal originates from a single transgenic nucleus and mosaics are avoided. The genetic modification is easily transmitted to the offspring. Nuclear transfer from cultured somatic cells also provides a route for directed genetic manipulation of animal species, including the addition or “knock-in” of genes, and the removal or inactivation or “knock-out” of genes or their associated control sequences (Polejaeva et al., 2000, Theriogenology, 53: 117-26). Gene targeting techniques also promise the generation of transgenic animals in which specific genes coding for endogenous proteins have been replaced by exogenous genes such as those coding for human proteins.
The nuclei of donor cells are transferred to oocytes or zygotes and, once activated, result in a reconstructed embryo. After enucleation and introduction of donor genetic material, the reconstructed embryo is cultured to the morula or blastocyte stage, and transferred to a recipient animal, either in vitro or in vivo (Eyestone and Campbell, 1999, J. Reprod Fertil Suppl. 54:489-97). Double nuclear transfer has also been reported in which an activated, previously transferred nucleus is removed from the host unfertilized egg and transferred again into an enucleated fertilized embryo.
The embryos are then transplanted into surrogate mothers and develop to term. In some mammalian species (mice, cattle and sheep) the reconstructed embryos can be grown in culture to the blastocyst stage before transfer to a recipient female. The total number of offspring produced from a single embryo, however, is limited by the number of available blastomeres (embryos at the 32-64 cell stage are the most widely used) and the efficiency of the nuclear transfer procedure. Cultured cells can also be frozen and stored indefinitely for future use.
Two types of recipient cells are commonly used in nuclear transfer procedures: oocytes arrested at the metaphase of the second meiotic division (MII) and which have a metaphase plate with the chromosomes arranged on the meiotic spindle, and pronuclear zygotes. Enucleated two-cell stage blastomeres of mice have also been used as recipients. In agricultural mammals, however, development does not always occur when pronuclear zygotes are used, and, therefore, MII-arrested oocytes are the preferred recipient cells.
Although gene targeting techniques combined with nuclear transfer hold tremendous promise for nutritional and medical applications, current approaches suffer from several limitations, including long generation times between the founder animal and production transgenic herds, and extensive husbandry and veterinary costs. It is therefore desirable to use a system where cultured somatic cells for nuclear transfer are more efficiently employed.
What is needed, therefore, is an efficient method of generating transgenic avians that express a heterologous protein encoded by a transgene, particularly in the oviduct for deposition into egg whites. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
Low Back Pain.
This article provides an overview of evaluating and treating low back pain in the outpatient setting. As most cases of acute low back pain have a favorable prognosis, current guidelines on imaging studies recommend conservative treatment for 6 weeks prior to obtaining an MRI if no red flags are present. Of these red flags, a prior history of cancer is the strongest risk factor for a malignant etiology and requires urgent evaluation with MRI. Management of acute low back pain is mainly conservative with oral non-narcotic analgesics and mobilization as the initial recommendations. For patients with radiculopathy, epidural steroids may result in short-term pain relief, but long-term effects are still unclear. A systematic, evidence-based approach to the patient with low back pain is key to providing safe and cost-efficient care. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Business Communications II FYBMS Question Bank 2019 Please note that these are a set of important questions, however the whole syllabus needs to be done well. For any further clarifications, please feel free to contact Prof Vipin Saboo on 9820779873 Advertisement Paper pattern:- Q1. Objectives (15 marks) Q2. Full...
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BMS.co.in is aimed at revolutionising Bachelors in Management Studies education, also known as BMS for students appearing for BMS exams across all states of India. We provide free study material, 100s of tutorials with worked examples, past papers, tips, tricks for BMS exams, we are creating a digital learning library.
Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with any university or government body in anyway. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Calculate 0 + -2 + 3 - -4.
5
Calculate 2 + 2 + 1 - 3.
2
Evaluate (-1 - 1) + 2 + -2 + -2.
-4
What is the value of 0 + -6 - (0 - 0)?
-6
Calculate -3 - (0 + -3 + -5).
5
Evaluate -7 - (5 + -3 - (5 + 3)).
-1
What is -7 + 0 + -1 - (-18 - -14)?
-4
Calculate 10 + 5 + -11 + 3 + -8.
-1
Calculate -5 + (14 - (8 + -4)).
5
What is 23 - (2 + 5) - (17 + -11)?
10
Evaluate 5 + (-7 - (0 + (2 - 2))).
-2
What is the value of (-4 - -1 - -8) + (4 - 7)?
2
29 - 16 - (4 + 12)
-3
1 + (0 - 4) + 2 + 3
2
Evaluate -6 - (-2 - -7 - 1) - -2.
-8
-17 - -19 - ((-2 - 1) + 0)
5
3 + (7 - (4 - 0))
6
What is (-5 - -1) + (2 - -5) + 2?
5
Calculate 8 - (-6 - -11) - (7 - -2).
-6
1 + -2 - -6 - (1 - -3)
1
What is the value of 11 - 2 - (10 - -6)?
-7
15 + 0 + -17 + 0 + -6
-8
Evaluate 3 - (2 + -1) - (5 - 4).
1
What is 23 - (16 + -8) - 9?
6
What is 7 + -8 + -4 - -6?
1
(2 - -3) + (1 - (3 + -8))
11
What is 1 - ((-28 - -29) + -2 + -1)?
3
Evaluate 7 + -25 + 6 + 4.
-8
What is 0 - (4 + 6 + -3 - 3)?
-4
Calculate (-17 - -20) + (-1 - -1).
3
What is the value of -1 + -3 - (-9 - -8) - -3?
0
-5 + (-2 - (7 - 13) - 1)
-2
-1 + (-13 - -7) + 5 + 1
-1
Calculate (-12 + 15 - (3 + 4)) + 3.
-1
Calculate -10 + 11 + (2 - (2 - 3)).
4
-6 + (3 - -4) + 12 - 7
6
What is 0 + -5 - ((6 - 6) + 1)?
-6
What is the value of (2 - -2 - (4 + 3)) + -3?
-6
What is the value of 3 - (3 + (-4 - -3) - 3)?
4
Calculate 8 - (12 + (2 - -1)).
-7
What is 110 + -121 + 1 + 2?
-8
Calculate -2 + 12 - (16 - 11).
5
(-4 - -3) + 2 + (-1 - -1)
1
Evaluate -8 + 0 - (-42 - -38).
-4
What is the value of -4 + 6 + -4 - 2 - -2?
-2
-5 + 6 + -4 + -1
-4
What is the value of (-8 - -4) + 4 + -1?
-1
3 - (2 - (1 - -1))
3
Calculate -10 + 2 + (-4 - (7 - 15)).
-4
Calculate -7 + 19 - -1 - 7.
6
Evaluate -5 - (7 + (-6 - 2)).
-4
(0 - (1 - 1)) + 5
5
What is -2 + 0 + (1 - 0) + 0?
-1
What is (-3 - (-2 - -8)) + 5 + 6?
2
What is (1 - (0 - 0) - 3) + 7?
5
Calculate -7 + (-1 + -1 - -5).
-4
Calculate -5 - (-3 + 6 + -4 + -1).
-3
-7 + 3 + -4 + 3
-5
-5 - 9 - -9 - (-13 - 2)
10
What is the value of 0 + 1 + 1 + -3 - 3?
-4
What is 0 + -5 + (-7 - -18) + -11?
-5
Evaluate -1 + (-13 - -2) + 9.
-3
What is 0 + -1 + (25 - 25) + 4?
3
Calculate -12 + -2 + 4 + 6.
-4
What is 0 - (0 - ((2 - 1) + 1))?
2
Calculate (35 - 39) + 0 + 4 - 0.
0
What is (9 - (7 - 9)) + -21?
-10
Evaluate -6 + (5 - -5) + 1.
5
2 - (3 - (6 + -12 + 2))
-5
Evaluate -30 + 26 + 2 + -2.
-4
Evaluate (-13 - (-18 + -5)) + 0 + 1.
11
Evaluate -1 - 0 - (4 - 4 - -5).
-6
What is the value of -4 + 2 + 3 + -3 + -2?
-4
What is 3 + 3 - (-3 + 7)?
2
Evaluate -19 + (1 - -12) - -7.
1
Evaluate 3 + (-1 - 5) - 0.
-3
Calculate 1 - (-12 + 10 + 0 + 0).
3
Evaluate 1 + 1 + 3 + -4 + 4.
5
Calculate (-3 - (-2 - -6) - -12) + -5.
0
0 + -3 + (-3 - 0 - -2)
-4
Evaluate -7 - (11 - 15 - -4).
-7
What is -5 - -6 - ((-3 - -5) + -2)?
1
16 - 16 - (3 - 7)
4
What is the value of -8 - -9 - (0 - 4)?
5
Evaluate 1 + 1 + 5 - 6.
1
29 - 46 - (-16 + 4)
-5
What is the value of -57 - -69 - (14 + 2)?
-4
What is (-2 + -3 - -5) + 7?
7
What is the value of -13 - -11 - -5 - 11?
-8
Calculate -7 - (-6 - (-3 - -2)).
-2
Calculate 1 + -9 - (171 - 184).
5
Evaluate 1 - 1 - (-1 + -3).
4
Calculate -2 - (-3 - (-7 - -11 - 6)).
-1
(0 - (8 + -17)) + -9
0
Evaluate -11 + 15 + 1 + -4.
1
1 + -2 + -4 - (66 + -69)
-2
Calculate (2 - 5) + (7 - 1).
3
Calculate (-6 - -5) + 2 - (-4 - -1).
4
Evaluate (1 - 0) + 1 + (23 - 17).
8
Calculate -8 + 20 + -8 + 6.
10
What is the value of -9 + -2 - (-28 + 10)?
7
Calculate (-3 - (-3 + 6 - 1)) + 5.
0
What is -9 - -12 - (0 - -1 - 1)?
3
What is the value of 3 - (-3 - (-3 + (-1 - 1)))?
1
What is the value of 4 - (-4 + 3 + -3)?
8
What is (1 - -8) + (-96 - -84)?
-3
8 + (-29 - -8) + 7
-6
-3 - (4 - 7 - 5)
5
Evaluate -1 + -3 + -3 + (2 - 0).
-5
-4 - (-12 - (2 - 7))
3
Evaluate 0 - (2 + -7 + (56 - 46)).
-5
What is the value of -5 + (0 - (-8 - -5))?
-2
What is 6 - (9 + 0) - -11?
8
5 - (6 - (-2 + 4 - 5))
-4
What is 8 - (4 - (-5 - -10) - -1)?
8
Calculate -12 + 15 - (2 + 6) - -5.
0
Evaluate -3 + 3 - -9 - 3.
6
Calculate 19 - (26 - 12) - (-1 - -2).
4
Evaluate -3 + 9 + (-3 - 3).
0
Calculate -15 + 29 + 0 + -24.
-10
Calculate -9 - (-2 - -6 - 9).
-4
What is 8 + (-2 - -2) + (-4 - 0)?
4
What is -1 - -4 - (102 + -91)?
-8
Evaluate -1 - (8 - 15 - (-1 - 2)).
3
(-4 + 4 - -5) + -5
0
Evaluate (-4 - -10 - -1) + -6.
1
Evaluate -9 + 3 - (-8 - -12 - 12).
2
Calculate 1 + (5 - (1 - -6) - 6).
-7
Evaluate -2 - ((2 - 5) + -3).
4
Calculate 3 - (-7 + (8 - 6) - -15).
-7
What is 7 - (5 + 10) - -6?
-2
What is the value of 1 - (-1 - (-3 + -3))?
-4
What is the value of -1 + -1 + 1 + (1 - 0)?
0
What is 173 + -187 + (-1 - -21)?
6
5 + -1 + 6 + -4
6
(1 - 1 - -1) + -22 + 23
2
What is the value of -11 + -9 + 25 - 9?
-4
(11 - (3 - 3)) + -16
-5
What is the value of (40 - 41) + (3 - 1)?
1
What is -1 + (7 - 3 - 4)?
-1
What is -7 + (-1 - (-7 + -5))?
4
What is the value of -4 + 15 + -6 - (5 + -2)?
2
Evaluate -1 + -12 - (-316 - -302).
1
Evaluate 4 + (9 - 6) - 14.
-7
-8 + 2 + (-2 - (-5 + 0))
-3
What is the value of 1 + -1 + 2 - (-76 - -75)?
3
What is the value of 6 + -2 + -1 + -9 - -3?
-3
Evaluate (5 - 9) + 1 + 1 + -2.
-4
What is 3 + 0 - (-41 + 43)?
1
What is the value of 5 - (0 + 8 + (-3 - -1))?
-1
What is the value of (-5 + 2 + -4 - -3) + 2?
-2
Calculate -3 + -1 - 0 - 3 - -2.
-5
Calculate (-2 + 1 - (2 + -5)) + 0.
2
1 + 1 + -1 + -1 + 5
5
What is the value of -4 + (5 - (-2 + -4 - 1))?
8
5 - ((2 - 8) + 9)
2
Evaluate 4 + -4 - -9 - (0 + 0).
9
Evaluate (4 - 5) + -3 + 2.
-2
What is (6 - 0) + -29 + 23?
0
What is the value of -8 + 1 + 7 + -5 - -3?
-2
Calculate -4 + (-1 - (3 + -6)).
-2
Evaluate 10 + -6 + 3 + -4 + 0.
3
-3 + -3 + 5 + 0 + -1
-2
Evaluate (252 - 240) + (2 - 1 - 7).
6
Evaluate (-1 - (0 - -2 - 4)) + -3.
-2
Calculate -1 - -2 - (0 + (7 - 2)).
-4
Calculate 0 + (4 - -6 - 5).
5
What is (-4 + 6 - 8) + 6?
0
What is 2 + (-3 - 0) + 1?
0
What is -1 + (3 - 0) + -9 + 2?
-5
Evaluate -9 + (14 + -5 - 7).
-7
2 + 6 + -19 + 7
-4
Calculate 1 + (-4 - 1) + (0 - -1).
-3
What is (-1 - (-3 - -3)) + -5 + 1?
-5
-2 - (2 + -5 + 6)
-5
What is -2 - -9 - 4 - -4?
7
What is the value of 6 + (-6 - 2 - -8)?
6
What is the value of -30 + 25 - (-1 + -2)?
-2
What is the value of 7 - ((-3 - -1) + 2 - -2)?
5
Evaluate 0 - (2 - (-1 - 2)).
-5
What is 5 - 5 - (-5 - (-2 + 1))?
4
(-8 - (2 + -7)) + 11 - 11
-3
Evaluate 5 + (5 - 11) - (-4 - 0).
3
What is -3 + (1 - 0 - (2 - 6))?
2
What is the value of (-3 - -2) + -1 - (-1 - -2)?
-3
Evaluate (-6 - -6) + -8 - -6.
-2
Evaluate 10 + -3 + -6 + 2 + 2.
5
What is the value of 5 - (-4 - (-9 + 4)) - 8?
-4
Evaluate -5 - (-8 - (-5 - 4)).
-6
What is the value of (-3 + 0 - (6 + -8)) + -3?
-4
What is 9 - (-1 + (6 - (3 - 2)))?
5
Evaluate 1 + -16 + 8 + -23 + 23.
-7
Calculate (-2 - -3) + (-5 + 2 - -6).
4
Evaluate -5 + 2 + 2 + 3 - 1.
1
What is -5 + 8 + -7 + 1?
-3
-2 + 0 + -6 + (-23 - -40)
9
Calculate -1 + (1 - -2 - 0) + 2.
4
Evaluate -5 - -2 - ((2 - 6) + 2).
-1
What is the value of 0 + (3 - (4 - 1)) + -5?
-5
7 + 1 - (5 + (1 - 0))
2
Evaluate 0 - (2 + 1 + 0) - 2.
-5
Calculate -9 - (-14 - (-10 - -8)).
3
Calculate -5 - -8 - (2 - (-5 - -4)).
0
What is the value of 4 + -1 - (12 - 14)?
5
What is -4 - (3 - 6) - -4?
3
Calculate -5 - (3 + 1 - 4).
-5
-6 - (-11 - -15) - -3
-7
What is 1 - (-1 + 6) - 1?
-5
What is 0 + -3 + -2 + 6?
1
Calculate (-15 - -1) + 10 - 3.
-7
What is the value of -1 - (4 + -1) - (-17 - -10)?
3
Evaluate -2 - (0 + (-4 - -4)) - -8.
6
What is the value of (7 - 2 - 5 - -4) + -1?
3
Evaluate (0 - (-2 + 2)) + -33 + 31.
-2
What is -1 + -3 + 3 + (6 - 6)?
-1
Evaluate -5 - (1 + -2 + 1).
-5
4 + 3 + 9 + -16
0
Evaluate 1 + -5 - (4 - (0 + 2)).
-6
What is the value of (-2 - 3) + 1 + 4 + -4?
-4
3 + -6 + (-1 + 6 - 0)
2
What is the value of -2 - (7 + -22 + 7)?
6
(-3 - (-2 - -3)) + 3
-1
Calculate 1 + 0 + -6 + 5.
0
Evaluate 1 - (-4 - (-1 - (-1 + 3))).
2
Calculate -4 + 0 + 7 - 3.
0
What is the value of -3 - (-8 - -2) - 2 - -1?
2
(-15 - -23 - 11) + -1 + 7
3
Calculate (-7 - 2) + (11 - 11).
-9
What is -6 + 0 - (-37 - -28)?
3
Calculate 10 + -3 + -13 + -2.
-8
Calculate 0 + (-6 - (6 + -18)) + -1.
5
What is the value of -6 - (-11 - (5 + (4 - 9)))?
5
-1 - (13 - 5 - 3)
-6
What is the value of -1 + (10 - (13 + 1))?
-5
Calculate -3 + (8 - (9 - 6)) + -4.
-2
What is (1 - 6 - -3) + 0?
-2
What is (-12 - (-5 + -2)) + -8 + 3?
-10
What is the value of -4 - (12 + -7 + -8)?
-1
Wha | {
"pile_set_name": "DM Mathematics"
} |
In view of the news today (Straits Times, Home section, first page), you know by now that SBS Transit, the bus company has blocked apps such as ShowNearby from featuring bus timings.
We at ShowNearby have initiated conversation with the bus company. However, they stand by their decision not to allow ShowNearby to feature their bus timings.
We believe that with the provision of bus timings on multiple platforms and various applications, commuters in Singapore are better served as a result of wider reach and convenient access to the information.
We also wish to state that we are open to collaborating with SBS Transit to bring the timings to iPhone, Android and BlackBerry users.
We have almost half a million users using our free-to-download app and see it as a genuine disservice to all of them when access to bus timing information is blocked.
This is an unfortunate setback for us as a provider of information to people in Singapore. We are always working in collaboration with state and public service organisations to aggregate relevant and value-added information to any person in Singapore who downloads the app.
We are most supportive of the free flow of information in the interest and benefit of the public. There are similarly spirited initiatives spearheaded by the government in the Data.Gov.sg project. There have been movements towards and arguments for open information too, and we wish to share them here and here. According to the latter source, the opening of data will "drive the creation of innovative business and services that deliver social and commercial value".
We will continue to work hard towards an outcome that is favourable to all our users, whether they are on iPhone, Android phones or BlackBerry. We hope to continue to provide value-added services to people in Singapore. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Bacteriology of deep neck abscesses: a retrospective review of 96 consecutive cases.
This study aimed to review the microbiology of deep neck abscesses and identify the factors that influence their occurrence. A retrospective chart review was done of patients diagnosed with deep neck abscesses at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore between 2004 and 2009. The data of 131 deep neck abscess patients were reviewed, and those with positive pus culture were included in the study. Logistic regression was applied to analyse and compare the incidence of common organisms in various conditions (age, gender, aetiology and effects of diabetes mellitus). Of the 96 patients recruited, 18 had polymicrobial cultures. The leading pathogens cultured were Klebsiella (K.) pneumoniae (27.1 percent), Streptococcus milleri group (SMG) bacteria (21.9 percent) and anaerobic bacteria-not otherwise specified (NOS) (20.8 percent). K. pneumoniae (50.0 percent) was over-represented in the diabetic group. SMG bacteria (68.8 percent) and anaerobic bacteria-NOS (43.8 percent) were most commonly isolated in patients with odontogenic infections. K. pneumoniae was found more commonly among female patients (39.3 percent). The distribution of the three leading pathogens between patients aged below 50 years and those 50 years and above was comparable. K. pneumoniae was the commonest organism cultured in parapharyngeal space abscesses, while the submandibular space and parotid space most commonly isolated SMG bacteria and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are recommended for treating deep neck abscesses. Empirical antibiotic coverage against K. pneumoniae infection in diabetic patients, and SMG and anaerobic bacteria in patients with an odontogenic infection, is advocated. Routine antibiotic coverage against Gram-negative bacteria is not paramount. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of emission control equipment for boilers, heaters, kilns, or other flue gas-, or combustion gas-, generating devices (e.g., those located at power plants, processing plants, etc.) and, in particular to a new and useful method and apparatus for preventing the plugging, blockage and/or contamination of an SCR catalyst. In another embodiment, the method and apparatus of the present invention is designed to protect an SCR catalyst from plugging and/or blockage from large particle ash that may be generated during combustion.
2. Description of the Related Art
NOx refers to the cumulative emissions of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and trace quantities of other nitrogen oxide species generated during combustion. Combustion of any fossil fuel generates some level of NOx due to high temperatures and the availability of oxygen and nitrogen from both the air and fuel. NOx emissions may be controlled using low NOx combustion technology and post-combustion techniques. One such post-combustion technique is selective catalytic reduction using an apparatus generally referred to as a selective catalytic reactor or simply as an SCR.
SCR technology is used worldwide to control NOx emissions from combustion sources. This technology has been used widely in Japan for NOx control from utility boilers since the late 1970's, in Germany since the late 1980's, and in the US since the 1990's. The function of the SCR system is to react NOx with ammonia (NH3) and oxygen to form molecular nitrogen and water. Industrial scale SCRs have been designed to operate principally in the temperature range of 500° F. to 900° F., but most often in the range of 550° F. to 750° F. SCRs are typically designed to meet a specified NOx reduction efficiency at a maximum allowable ammonia slip. Ammonia slip is the concentration, expressed in parts per million by volume, of unreacted ammonia exiting the SCR.
For additional details concerning NOx removal technologies used in the industrial and power generation industries, the reader is referred to Steam: its generation and use, 41st Edition, Kitto and Stultz, Eds., Copyright© 2005, The Babcock & Wilcox Company, Barberton, Ohio, U.S.A., particularly Chapter 34—Nitrogen Oxides Control, the text of which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
Regulations (March 2005) issued by the EPA promise to increase the portion of utility boilers equipped with SCRs. SCRs are generally designed for a maximum efficiency of about 90%. This limit is not set by any theoretical limits on the capability of SCRs to achieve higher levels of NOx destruction. Rather, it is a practical limit set to prevent excessive levels of ammonia slip. This problem is explained as follows.
In an SCR, ammonia reacts with NOx according to the following stoichiometric reactions (a) to (c):4NO+4NH3+O2→4N2+6H2O (a)12NO2+12NH3→12N2+18H2O+3O2 (b)2NO2+4NH3+O2→3N2+6H2O (c).
The above reactions are catalyzed using a suitable catalyst. Suitable catalysts are discussed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,540,897; 5,567,394; and 5,585,081 to Chu et al., all of which are hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein. Catalyst formulations generally fall into one of three categories: base metal, zeolite and precious metal.
Base metal catalysts use titanium oxide with small amounts of vanadium, molybdenum, tungsten or a combination of several other active chemical agents. The base metal catalysts are selective and operate in the specified temperature range. The major drawback of the base metal catalyst is its potential to oxidize SO2 to SO3; the degree of oxidation varies based on catalyst chemical formulation. The quantities of SO3 which are formed can react with the ammonia carryover to form various ammonium-sulfate salts.
Zeolite catalysts are aluminosilicate materials which function similarly to base metal catalysts. One potential advantage of zeolite catalysts is their higher operating temperature of about 970° F. (521° C.). These catalysts can also oxidize SO2 to SO3 and must be carefully matched to the flue gas conditions.
Precious metal catalysts are generally manufactured from platinum and rhodium. Precious metal catalysts also require careful consideration of flue gas constituents and operating temperatures. While effective in reducing NOR, these catalysts can also act as oxidizing catalysts, converting CO to CO2 under proper temperature conditions. However, SO2 oxidation to SO3 and high material costs often make precious metal catalysts less attractive.
As is known to those of skill in the art, various SCR catalysts undergo plugging and/or poisoning when they become contaminated by various compounds including, but not limited to, ash from the combustion process (in particular coal ash). One common source of plugging in SCRs is large particle ash (typically defined as any ash that has a particle size large enough to lodge in the catalyst passages, pores, or honeycomb structure present in the SCR catalyst blocks).
Given the above, a need exists for a system and method that can prevent the plugging and/or poisoning of a catalyst in an SCR with fly ash, particularly large particle ash. | {
"pile_set_name": "USPTO Backgrounds"
} |
On-column refolding and purification of recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rHuIL-1ra) expressed as inclusion body in Escherichia coli.
Recombinant human interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (rHuIL-1ra) was produced in E. coli as an inclusion body. rHuIL-1ra was purified to Over 98% purity by anion exchange chromatography after on-column refolding. The optimized processes produced more than 2 g pure refolded rHuIL-1ra per 1 l culture, corresponding to a 44% recovery, without an intermediate dialysis step. Refolded rHuIL-1ra had full biological activity with the MTT assay. An intramolecular disulfide linkage in the oxidized recombinant protein was suggested by data from HPLC and non-reducing SDS-PAGE. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Weight loss interventions and progression of diabetic kidney disease.
Progressive renal impairment (diabetic kidney disease (DKD)) occurs in upwards of 40 % of patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and is a cause of significant morbidity and mortality. Means of attenuating the progression of DKD focus on amelioration of risk factors. Visceral obesity is implicated as a causative agent in impaired metabolic and cardiovascular control in T2DM, and various approaches primarily targeting weight have been examined for their impact on markers of renal injury and dysfunction in DKD. The current report summarises the evidence base for the impact of surgical, lifestyle and pharmacological approaches to weight loss on renal end points in DKD. The potential for a threshold of weight loss more readily achievable by surgical intervention to be a prerequisite for renal improvement is highlighted. Comparing efficacious non-surgical weight loss strategies with surgical strategies in appropriately powered and controlled prospective studies is a priority for the field. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
//
// INSearchForNotebookItemsIntent_Deprecated.h
// Intents
//
// Created by Kyle Zhao on 9/18/17.
// Copyright © 2017 Apple. All rights reserved.
//
#import <Intents/INSearchForNotebookItemsIntent.h>
NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_BEGIN
@interface INSearchForNotebookItemsIntent (Deprecated)
- (instancetype)initWithTitle:(nullable INSpeakableString *)title
content:(nullable NSString *)content
itemType:(INNotebookItemType)itemType
status:(INTaskStatus)status
location:(nullable CLPlacemark *)location
locationSearchType:(INLocationSearchType)locationSearchType
dateTime:(nullable INDateComponentsRange *)dateTime
dateSearchType:(INDateSearchType)dateSearchType API_DEPRECATED("Use the designated initializer instead", ios(11.0, 11.2), watchos(4.0, 4.2));
@end
NS_ASSUME_NONNULL_END
| {
"pile_set_name": "Github"
} |
Memory disturbances in migraine with and without aura: a strategy problem?
Cognitive defects in migraine have been reported by several authors. These findings however, are controversial. In this study we carried out an investigation on 14 patients with migraine with aura and 16 with migraine without aura according to the International Headache Society criteria. They were submitted to a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests. The patients were compared with a control group not significantly different as to age, sex and education. Migraine subjects showed impaired neuropsychological performances only on some cognitive tests. Both groups of patients did worse than the control group on visuo-spatial memory tasks, while only migraineurs without aura showed significantly impaired verbal memory performances. The memory defects, both on visuo-spatial and on verbal cognitive tasks, could depend on an impaired recall mechanism. These memory difficulties seem related to strategically and organizationally defective aspects of learning. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
Sunday, April 22, 2012
. “Some of them were saying they didn’t know they were prostitutes,”
explained Congressman Peter King, chairman of the House Homeland
Security Committee.
“Some are saying they were women at the bar.”
Amazing to hear government agents channeling Dudley Moore in Arthur:
“You’re a hooker? I thought I was doing so well.” It turns out U.S.
Secret Service agents are the only men who can walk into a Colombian
nightclub and not spot the professionals. Are they really the guys you
want protecting the president? | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
[Clinical case of the month. A recurrent chylothorax in Bourneville tuberous sclerosis].
Bourneville's disease, first described in 1862, is a phacomatosis that is either autosomal dominant or sporadic. Its typical clinical signs include mental retardation, epilepsy and cutaneous adenomas. The pulmonary form is rare, less than 1%, and is secondary to occlusion of the bronchus, vascular and lymphatics by immature smooth muscle cells. Chylothorax may appear in more than 50% of all cases. No guidelines currently exist for treatment of recurrent chylothorax. However, several possibilities are described in the literature. | {
"pile_set_name": "PubMed Abstracts"
} |
On Thursday, Linden Lab had a large in-world meeting in their private Second Life regions. Linden staffers that we’ve not seen in-world for a long time (at least not using their Linden accounts) dusted off their long-unused Linden accounts and logged in for the meeting. Since then, I’ve been getting queries and questions from Second Life customers who are a bit concerned about this sort of gathering.
Right or wrong, these rare “all-hands” (or so they seem) meetings are considered to be portents or harbingers of bad news by Second Life customers. People tend to associate them with the announcement of nasty things like layoffs or major strategic direction changes.
Whether it is truly justified or not, these sudden, sporadic major meets make people concerned and a bit gun-shy.
I reached out to Peter Gray, Linden Lab’s PR spokesperson to see if there was any public reassurances that he could give us.
“We don’t discuss internal meetings publicly,” he told me.
Okay, so not exactly an unexpected response, considering the Lab’s communications policies.
Realistically, there’s probably nothing to actually worry about, however it wouldn’t surprise me if any of the Lab’s upcoming actions are examined with a more critical eye than is usual by Second Life users and customers over the next little while in the wake of it.
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Tags: Linden Lab / Linden Research Inc, Opinion, Peter Gray / Pete Linden, Second Life, Virtual Environments and Virtual Worlds | {
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
} |
Q:
Delphi XE2 TPointerList usage
I have a following problem trying to compile some components in XE2. These components were not prepared for XE2, but I'm trying to compile them anyway.
Within a component it is declared like
FList : TList;
when used it is for example like
SomeVariable := Integer(FList.List^[i]);
It produces "Pointer type required" compile error.
I can be corrected it like this
SomeVariable := Integer(FList.List[i]);
but god knows how much time would I need to fix all occurencies of error.
Is there some compiler directive, or setting that can handle this. I've tried {$X} and {$T} without effect.
In XE2 Delphi TPointerList (TList.List property) is declared as dynamic array
type TPointerList = array of Pointer;
If anyone can help?
A:
a) Integer(FList[i]) would also work.
b) There is no such setting.
c) Maybe you can Search&Replace .List^[ -> [ ?
| {
"pile_set_name": "StackExchange"
} |
#define GLM_ENABLE_EXPERIMENTAL
#include <glm/gtx/compatibility.hpp>
int main()
{
int Error(0);
Error += glm::isfinite(1.0f) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::isfinite(1.0) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::isfinite(-1.0f) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::isfinite(-1.0) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::all(glm::isfinite(glm::vec4(1.0f))) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::all(glm::isfinite(glm::dvec4(1.0))) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::all(glm::isfinite(glm::vec4(-1.0f))) ? 0 : 1;
Error += glm::all(glm::isfinite(glm::dvec4(-1.0))) ? 0 : 1;
return Error;
}
| {
"pile_set_name": "Github"
} |
Coworker tell boss you're on your phone at your desk shit on her desk
100 shares | {
"pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2"
} |
Bibhu Bhattacharya
Bibhu Bhattacharya (17 September 1944 – 22 September 2011) was a Bengali Indian male actor of TV and films. He was born in Jharia, Bihar, British India (now Jharia, Jharkhand, India). He gained prominence and became a household name only in 1998 as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly) in Sandip Ray’s Feluda, based on stories by his late father, maestro Satyajit Ray. In 2011, he died of a heart attack in Kolkata, West Bengal.
Acting career
Bibhu Bhattacharya never attended any school. He was acting in studios, when other boys of his age were studying. At the age of four-and-a-half he started acting in a film called Maryada, starring Uttam Kumar.
He was called Master Bibhu, one of the most prominent child actors in Bengali films and very popular with actors like Jahar Ganguly and Chhabi Biswas. He played the title role in the movie Prahlad (1952) and did movies like Bindur Chhele (1952), Dhruba (1953), Rani Rashmoni (1955) and Dui Bon (1955). After he grew up and became a teenager, he could no longer be a child actor and offers began to dry up. His last film as a child actor was Sagar Sangame (1959). Then, he didn’t get another film for almost 38 years. In between, he kept himself busy with theater and TV serials.
Feluda series
It was only in 1998 that he got the dream role of Jatayu. His first film as Jatayu was Jahangirer Shornomudra (1999) and he also acted as Jatayu in Bombaiyer Bombete (2003), Kailashey Kelenkari (2007), Tintorettor Jishu (2007) , Gorosthaney Sabdhan (2010) and Royal Bengal Rahasya (2011). He was legendary in his performance and managed to capture in essence the spirit of the character so well that even Sandip Ray, the director, found him perfect as a replacement. He had completed dubbing for the Feluda film Royal Bengal Rahasya the day before he died. Initially, it was difficult to replace the legendary actor, Santosh Dutta as Jatayu, but he became popular with time.
Filmography
Macho Mustanaa (2012)
Bhooter Bhabishyat (2012)
Aalo Chhaya (2012)
Royal Bengal Rahasya (Feluda theatrical film) (2011) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Tenida (2011)
Gorosthaney Sabdhan (Feluda theatrical film) (2010) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Bela Sheshe (2009)
Mallick Bari (2009)
Swartha (2009)
Tintorettor Jishu (Feluda theatrical film) (2008) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Abelay Garam Bhaat (2008)
Kailashey Kelenkari (Feluda theatrical film) (2007) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Bombaiyer Bombete (Feluda theatrical film) (2003) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Satyajiter Priyo Golpo (Dr Munshir Diary For ETV Bangla) (Feluda TV film) (2000) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Satyajiter Goppo (Jahangirer Swarnamudra, Ghurghutiyar Ghotona, Golapi Mukto Rahashya, Ambar Sen Antardhan Rahashya for DD Bangla) (Feluda TV films) (1999) as Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Sagar Sangame (1959)
Swapnapuri (1959)
Thakur Haridas (1959)
Purir Mandir (1958)
Sree Sree Maa (1958)
Harishchandra (1957)
Janmatithi (1957)
Khela Bhangar Khela (1957)
Omkarer Joyjatra (1957)
Mamlar Phal (1956)
Putrabadhu (1956)
Bir Hambir (1955)
Dui Bon (1955)
Jharer Pare (1955)
Prashna (1955)
Rani Rasmani (1955)
Srikrishna Sudama (1955)
Agnipariksha (1954)
Bakul (1954)
Ladies Seat (1954)
Nababidhan (1954)
Prafulla (1954)
Dhruba (1953)
Sitar Patal Prabesh (1953)
Aandhi (1952)
Bindur Chhele (1952)
Bishwamitra (1952)
Nildarpan (1952)
Pallisamaj (1952)
Prahlad (1952)
Sahasa (1952)
Bhakta Raghunath (1951)
Kulhara (1951)
Pratyabartan (1951)
Maryada (1950)
Feluda Series TV films
Jahangirer Swarnamudra (1998)
Ambar Sen Antordhan Rahashya (1998)
Golapi Mukta Rahashaya (1998)
Dr. Munshir Diary (2000)
See also
Satyajit Ray
Literary works of Satyajit Ray
Sandip Ray
Santosh Dutta
Feluda
Jatayu (Lalmohan Ganguly)
Feluda in film
Professor Shonku
Tarini khuro
Tarini Khuro in other media
Culture of Bengal
Culture of West Bengal
References
External links
My Fundays Telegraph Kolkata article 24 December 2008
Category:Indian male film actors
Category:Male actors from Kolkata
Category:Bengali male actors
Category:Male actors in Bengali cinema
Category:2011 deaths
Category:1944 births
Category:20th-century Indian male actors
Category:21st-century Indian male actors
Category:Bengali male television actors
Category:Indian male television actors
Category:People from Howrah | {
"pile_set_name": "Wikipedia (en)"
} |
Links
Meta
Should College Freshman Start A Roth IRA?
September 3, 2009 — Sam H. Fawaz
At no time since the Great Depression have college students worried more about money. Tuition continues to rise, financing sources continue to contract. So why should a student worry about finding money for, of all things, retirement?
Because even a few dollars a week put toward a Roth IRA can reap enormous benefits over the 40-50 years of a career lifetime that today’s average college student will complete after graduation. Take the example of an 18-year-old who contributes $5,000 each year of school until she graduates. Assume that $20,000 grows at 7.5 percent a year until age 65. That would mean more than a half-million dollars from that initial four-year investment without adding another dime.
Consider what would happen if she added more.
There are a few considerations before a student starts to accumulate funds for the IRA. First, students should try and avoid or extinguish as much debt – particularly high-rate credit card debt – as possible. Then, it’s time to establish an emergency fund of 3-6 months of living expenses to make sure that a student can continue to afford the basics at school if an unexpected problem occurs.
To contribute to an IRA, you must have earned income; that is, income earned from a job or self-employment. Even working in the family business is allowable if you get a form W-2 or 1099 for your earnings. Contributions from savings, investment income or other sources is not allowed.
Certainly $5,000 a year sounds like an enormous amount of outside money for today’s student to gather, but it’s not impossible. Here’s some information about Roth IRAs and ideas for students to find the money to fund them.
The basics of Roth IRAs: I’ll start by describing the difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA and why a Roth might be a better choice for the average student. Traditional IRAs allow investors to save money tax-deferred with deductible contributions until they’re ready to begin withdrawals anytime between age 59 ½ and 70 ½. After age 70 1/2, minimum withdrawals become mandatory.
Roth IRAs don’t allow a current tax-deductible contribution; instead they allow tax-free withdrawal of funds with no mandatory distribution age and allow these assets to pass to heirs tax-free as well. If someone leaves their savings in the Roth for at least five years and waits until they’re 59 1/2 to take withdrawals, they’ll never pay taxes on the gains. That’s a good thing in light of expected increases in future tax rates. For someone in their late teens and early 20s, that offers the potential for significant earnings over decades with great tax consequences later. Also, after five years and before you turn age 59 1/2, you may withdraw your original contributions (not any accumulated earnings) without penalty.
Getting started is easy: Some banks, brokerages and mutual fund companies will let an investor open a Roth IRA for as little as $50 and $25 a month afterward. It’s a good idea to check around for the lowest minimum amounts that can get a student in the game so they can plan to increase those contributions as their income goes up over time. Also, some institutions offer cash bonuses for starting an account. Go with the best deal and start by putting that bonus right into the account. Watch the fine print for annual fees or commissions and avoid them if possible.
It’s wise to get advice first: Every student’s financial situation is different. One of the best gifts a student can get is an early visit – accompanied by their parents – to a financial advisor such as a Certified Financial Planner™ professional. A planner trained in working with students can certainly talk about this IRA idea, but also provide a broader viewpoint on a student’s overall goals and challenges. While starting an early IRA is a great idea for everyone, students may also need to know how to find scholarships, grants and other smart ideas for borrowing to stay in school. A good planner is a one-stop source of advice for all those issues unique to the student’s situation.
Plan to invest a set percentage from the student’s vacation, part-time or work/study paychecks: People who save in excess of 10 percent of their earnings are much better positioned for retirement than anyone else. Remarkably few people set that goal. One of the benefits of the IRA idea is it gets students committing early to the 10 percent figure every time they deposit a paycheck. It’s a habit that will help them build a good life. Better yet, set up an automatic withdrawal from your savings or checking account for the IRA contribution.
Get relatives to contribute: If a student regularly gets gifts of money from relatives, it might not be a bad idea to mention the IRA idea to those relatives. Adults like to help kids who are smart with money, and if the student can commit to this savings plan rather than spending it at the mall, they might feel considerably better about the money they give away. At a minimum, the student should earmark a set amount of “found” money like birthday and holiday gift money toward a Roth IRA in excess of the 10 percent figure. Again, the IRA contributions cannot exceed the student’s earned income for the year.
Sam H. Fawaz is a Certified Financial Planner ( CFP ), Certified Public Accountant and registered member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) fee-only financial planner group. Sam has expertise in many areas of personal finance and wealth management and has always been fascinated with the role of money in society. Helping others prosper and succeed has been Sam’s mission since he decided to dedicate his life to financial planning. He specializes in entrepreneurs, professionals, company executives and their families. This column was co-authored by Sam H. Fawaz CPA, CFP and the Financial Planning Association, the membership organization for the financial planning community, and is provided by YDream Financial Services, Inc., a local member of FPA.
No doubt about that fact that the earlier one begins saving, especially in a Roth IRA, the bigger the nest egg. Those students who could pull off only 10-20% of what Sam is recommending would end up well ahead of their peers. There are a few issues to consider: 1) will saving in a Roth result in taking on more student debt? If so, the returns will be minimized. 2) will the student’s financial aid be reduced by 25% of the value of the Roth? At private colleges using the CSS Profile, this is a virtual certainty. All things considered, this is good food for thought. I commend the author for taking the time to address the issue. | {
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