text:
Challenging Western Media Narratives about Khashoggi
October 2, 2019 Giorgio Cafiero 5 Comments
Jamal Khashoggi (Al Jazeera)
by Giorgio Cafiero
The grisly murder of Jamal Khashoggi a year ago today caused severe—and perhaps irreversible—damage to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS)'s reputation in the United States. No longer is the Crown Prince making trips to Washington, Wall Street, and Silicon Valley—where, until last year, he was hailed as Saudi Arabia's new reformer and savior. Nor is he able to come to America and continue meeting with celebrities and billionaires like Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Jeff Bezos.
Put simply, because of MbS's purported role in Khashoggi's killing (which the Crown Prince denies), he has become toxic in Washington. Last month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi cited the murder case as the basis of her opposition to the US conducting any military operation against Iran in response to the September 14 attacks on Saudi oil facilities. In November, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham responded to Khashoggi's killing by asserting that MbS "needs to go" and calling the Saudi Crown Prince "crazy."
Over the past year, many articles have been published about Khashoggi and his career. It is important to take stock of what Khashoggi stood for and why this Saudi national was killed in his country's consulate in Istanbul. According to much of the reporting and analysis in the Western press, Khashoggi was an advocate of democracy, human rights, and freedom in the Arab world. Indeed, some of the columnists who knew him well have eulogized him this way.
Six days after his murder, David Hearst wrote in The Guardian that Khashoggi was "concerned about absolutes such as truth, democracy and freedom." David Ignatius stated that Khashoggi had a "mature belief that democracy and freedom were the Arabs' best hope of purging the corruption and misrule he despised" and that he saw the "pro-democracy movement" known as the Arab Spring of 2011 as "a dream come true." Karen Attiah, the Global Opinions editor for the Washington Post, hailed her former colleague's "commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world." In January, Lawrence Wright claimed in a piece for The New Yorker that the slain Saudi journalist "had a dream of the Arab world being free of tyranny and oppression."
Such commentary, however, must seem odd for Arabic speakers who were familiar with Khashoggi's work prior to his "self-imposed exile" to the Washington DC area in June 2017. As As`ad AbuKhalil, who began following Khashoggi's work decades ago, said, throughout much of Khashoggi's career he was a "passionate, enthusiastic advocate of Saudi despotism" and the "Salafization" of Islam. Indeed, according to AbuKhalil, the articles that Khashoggi wrote in English for the Washington Post were not reflective of his career in journalism up until his final year.
It should be noted that Khashoggi served in many respects as a de facto spokesperson for the Saudi royal family prior to relocating to the United States in 2017, so we cannot be entirely sure what his real politics were earlier in his career or how they may have evolved over time. We cannot be certain what Khashoggi's true beliefs were, but based on his public writings and commentary, it would be reasonable to conclude that had he truly believed in democracy, human rights, and freedom for Arabs, he only voiced such opinions publicly after he left Saudi Arabia.
Going back to the 1980s, Khashoggi himself was enamored with the Saudi-backed Arab mujahideen fighting in Afghanistan. During his embedded reporting on these fighters, including Osama bin Laden, Khashoggi joined many not only in Riyadh but also in Washington who glorified the mujahideen's commitment to fighting communism. In 1988, Arab News published one of Khashoggi's reports about his tour in Afghanistan, which featured photos of the Saudi journalist armed with a weapon while dressed in Afghan garb. Later Khashoggi would condemn bin Laden and the al-Qaeda leader's hateful agenda. But he only began doing so as the Saudi government was expelling bin Laden from the kingdom because of his anti-government activities, suggesting the extent to which Khashoggi was a Saudi regime loyalist.
Even non-Arabic speakers who paid attention to his journalism and commentary in English platforms have solid reason to conclude that this uncritical praise of Khashoggi as an advocate of democracy in the Arab world has been, at best, misleading. Indeed, when it came to Iran, Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and sectarian-related issues, Khashoggi constantly promoted the Saudi government's official narratives.
On January 16, 2016, Khashoggi appeared on Al Jazeera English's Up Front, hosted by Mehdi Hasan, to debate Seyed Hossein Mousavian, the former head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Iranian National Security Council. During the show he attributed the hostile state of relations between Riyadh and Tehran following Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr's execution to "Iranian expansionism" without placing any blame on Saudi Arabia's doorstep.
In response to Hasan's question about Western diplomats and journalists claiming that beheadings in Saudi Arabia give one little reason to see much difference between the kingdom and the Islamic State (IS or ISIS), he said: "No, no, no, no, no, no. Execution is an execution. To hang people from a crane or to behead them with a sword, it is execution. It is brutal. But what we are doing in Saudi Arabia is… through [our] judiciary and we are only targeting terrorists or dissidents who are calling for violence, but we are not executing political prisoners."
Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa program director responded to al-Nimr's execution differently, stating that it was illustrative of the Saudi government's use of capital punishment "in the name of counter-terror to settle scores and crush dissidents." Amnesty also released a statement, claiming: "In many death penalty cases [in Saudi Arabia] defendants are denied access to a lawyer and in some cases they are convicted on the basis of 'confessions' obtained under torture or other ill-treatment."
Khashoggi also said in an interview with the Middle East Eye that al-Nimr's execution was justified because the sheikh "openly called for overthrow of the system and allegiance to Wilayit al-Faqih, [Iran's Supreme Leader]" which he claimed "amounts as treason by any democratic country". As Khashoggi explained, the execution was "a clear message to anybody who wants to overthrow the government."
When it came to Saudi security forces entering Bahrain in 2011 to help local authorities crush a pro-democracy movement, Khashoggi defended that action too. In doing so, he used arguments that were lock-step with Riyadh's official narrative about Saudi authorities catering to the request of the government in Manama. Regarding Syria and Yemen, he claimed that Saudi Arabia's intervention in those two countries was about Riyadh "supporting peace and freedom while fighting dictatorship."
In November 2017, Khashoggi appeared on RT for a discussion about Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri being held hostage in the kingdom. When addressing the episode that outraged many in Lebanon and the West, Khashoggi stated, "maybe the way this issue was introduced was too hasty or in such an impulsive way, but it succeeded in bringing the issue of Hezbollah on the table." In defense of Saudi military operations in Yemen, he argued: "Yes, I agree that the war in Yemen is causing suffering, but at the same time the Houthis should not be allowed to rule Yemen…" One of his fellow guests on the program, Sharmine Narwani, later tweeted: "Despite suggestions in the media, [Khashoggi] was a staunch supporter of the Saudi state, system and sense of regional entitlement."
When asked by PBS's Martin Smith why Saudi Arabia was in a rush to enter Yemen in March 2015, Khashoggi replied: "If Saudi Arabia waited for Mr. Obama to approve an intervention in Yemen, Yemen would have been gone and lost a long time ago. It would be controlled by the Iranians and the Houthi[s]. So, we did not wait for Mr. Obama's approval." In response to a follow-up question about alleged human rights abuses on the part of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Khashoggi responded that the Kingdom was facing a "1939 moment," comparing Iran to Nazi Germany.
So, what caused MbS to view Khashoggi, who was no dissident, as so much of a threat? Why did the young crown prince have an incentive to order his killing (which is what the CIA and several Western governments believe happened)? The answer has to do with the fact that Khashoggi's problems were not with the Saudi state, its undemocratic political system, or Riyadh's counter-revolutionary foreign policy. Khashoggi's problems were with MbS himself, and the extent to which the prince began to monopolize power within the Saudi state.
Khashoggi was close to Prince Turki al-Faisal (for whom he was the spokesperson and media aid while the prince was Riyadh's ambassador to London and Washington), Prince Khalid al-Faisal, and Prince al-Waleed bin Talal, all of whom appear to be viewed with suspicion by Mohammad bin Salman. Consequently, the prince also harbored suspicions of Khashoggi, which were further fueled by the reporter's Islamist past as a Muslim Brotherhood member, before the Saudi government designated that movement a terrorist organization. MbS saw Khashoggi as a threat and refused to accept him as an adviser. Undoubtedly his perception of Khashoggi as a threat only grew when the journalist relocated to the U.S. and began criticizing the prince from his perch at the Washington Post.
Khashoggi took issue with MbS's consolidation of power and his habit of arresting religious figures who saw his planned economic and social reforms as going too far for the conservative Saudi kingdom. He also opposed MbS's anti-Muslim Brotherhood agenda, which aligned the crown prince closely with his Abu Dhabi counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed while pitting the new Saudi leadership against Qatar and others in the royal family who saw Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups—as well as Qatar and Turkey—as natural Sunni partners for Riyadh to embrace in a grander struggle against Iran. None of this is to say that Khashoggi stood for democratic change in Saudi Arabia. What he did stand for was the 'rule-by-consensus' style of governance that shaped Saudi politics for generations prior to MbS's ascendancy.
Nothing can justify Khashoggi's murder. That he harbored illiberal views cannot be the basis for criticizing those who are rightfully outraged by the fact that he was killed, especially in such a heinous way. Yet it is not useful for journalists and pundits to misrepresent Khashoggi and what he stood for throughout his career. As Shenaz Kermalli put it: "In the end, it was Khashoggi's own 'friends' that silenced him." Indeed, his subtle and polite disagreements with MbS—not any advocacy of democracy in Saudi Arabia or the grander Arab world—are what led to his barbaric death.
Commentaries, Saudi Arabia Giorgio Cafiero, Jamal Khashoggi, Mohammad bin Salman, Saudi Arabia
Giorgio Cafiero
Giorgio Cafiero is the CEO and founder of Gulf State Analytics, a Washington, DC-based geopolitical risk consultancy. In addition to LobeLog, he also writes for The National Interest, Middle East Institute, and Al Monitor. From 2014-2015, Cafiero was an analyst at Kroll, an investigative due diligence consultancy. He received an M.A. in International Relations from the University of San Diego.
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Trying-to-be-Wise
Thanks for the informative and unbiased article. Seems his own ears didn't received the " clear message to anybody who wants to overthrow the government" by his own wording! So he received an "Execution" which "is an execution" in his own eyes as well as his old comrades! And he received the same judgement he did for others! Hope that we care more about our judgments and think more before! The important effect of his murder was to bring the "normal" brutality of the 'Royal' or better said 'Tribal' family to the world stage in an unprecedented way.
Great piece Georgio. Absolutely essential for accurate engagement on the Saudi-Khashoggi crisis. Excellent analysis of he dynamic, changing Saudi political engagement with Islam and the world.
Going forward, the key issue is internal Saudi dynamics within the Royal family. The ascent of MBS did indeed drastically alter the way the Al Saud interact and relate with each other and the world. Saudia are in very new, unknown political territory.
Agha Hussain
Well written and an important reminder to all of us to not fall for shallow platitudes and cheap marketing for political figures by the media. Khashoggi was no angel and his opposition to MbS had no moral basis.
Monty Ahwazi
Perhaps a good description of a man with a changed heart over time! Not sure if this author has dug in deep in Khashoggi's background.
There are pictures of holding a gun and amo belt around his waist standing amongst the Afghani Mojahedins and armed Salafies in Afghanistan in 1980's. The question is though, if he was working for an agency who's job was to infiltrate the Mojahedins at that time?
Perhaps he had a change of heart when he saw the criminal activities of the Talibans and Salafi fighters who were being supported by the Saudi government? Then he began to write about the atrocities of the sheikdom?
Ted Romano
This is ALL news to me. I'm forever grateful for your courage to introduce skepticism where adoration rules.
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text:
namespace MoreDotNet.Test.Extensions.Common.RandomExtensions
{
    using System;
    using System.Linq;

    using MoreDotNet.Extensions.Common;

    using Xunit;

    public class OneOfTests
    {
        private readonly int[] numbersArray = { 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 };

        [Fact]
        public void OneOf_RandomNull_ShouldHThrow_ArgumentNullException()
        {
            Random random = null;

            Assert.Throws<ArgumentNullException>(() => random.OneOf<int>(this.numbersArray));
        }

        [Fact]
        public void OneOf_NullCollection_ShouldHThrow_ArgumentNullException()
        {
            Random random = new Random();

            Assert.Throws<ArgumentNullException>(() => random.OneOf<int>(null));
        }

        [Fact]
        public void OneOf_ShouldReturn_OneOfIntArray()
        {
            var random = new Random();
            var number = random.OneOf<int>(this.numbersArray);

            Assert.Contains(number, this.numbersArray);
        }
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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text:
Maddy, Penelope. Naturalism in Mathematics
1997, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Categories: Epistemology of Mathematics, Mathematical Naturalism, Philosophy of Mathematics, Science, Logic & Mathematics
Keywords: metaphysics, naturalism, philosophy of mathematics
Added by: Jamie Collin
Publisher's Note: Our much-valued mathematical knowledge rests on two supports: the logic of proof and the axioms from which those proofs begin. Naturalism in Mathematics investigates the status of the latter, the fundamental assumptions of mathematics. These were once held to be self-evident, but progress in work on the foundations of mathematics, especially in set theory, has rendered that comforting notion obsolete. Given that candidates for axiomatic status cannot be proved, what sorts of considerations can be offered for or against them? That is the central question addressed in this book. One answer is that mathematics aims to describe an objective world of mathematical objects, and that axiom candidates should be judged by their truth or falsity in that world. This promising view - realism - is assessed and finally rejected in favour of another - naturalism - which attends less to metaphysical considerations of objective truth and falsity, and more to practical considerations drawn from within mathematics itself. Penelope Maddy defines this naturalism, explains the motivation for it, and shows how it can be helpfully applied in the assessment of candidates for axiomatic status in set theory. Maddy's clear, original treatment of this fundamental issue is informed by current work in both philosophy and mathematics, and will be accessible and enlightening to readers from both disciplines.
Comment: Good further reading in advanced undergraduate or postgraduate courses on metaphysics, naturalism or philosophy of mathematics. Sections from the book - for instance, the chapters in Part II on indispensability considerations in scientific and mathematical practice - could be profitably read on their own. These sections may also be of interest in philosophy of science courses, as they provide a careful analysis of scientific practice (as it relates to what scientists take themselves to be ontologically committed to).

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
The Impact of Covid-19 on Poverty and Inequality in Portugal and the Cushioning Effect of Policies
Joana Silva, Anna Bernard, Francisco Espiga e Madalena Gaspar, PROSPER (Católica-Lisbon's Center of Economics for Prosperity);
Concurso para apoiar projetos de investigação sobre o impacto social da covid-19 (LL20-3)
To what extent did the Covid-19 pandemic impact poverty and inequality in Portugal? What was the role of the extraordinary cushioning policies in mitigating these effects? Based on a simulation of annual incomes in scenarios with and without this crisis, this study estimates that, even when considering the policy response implemented in 2020, the pandemic led to a 25% increase in poverty (measured by the poverty rate) and a 9% increase in inequality (measured by the ratio between the 95th and the 5th income percentiles), when compared with the no-crisis scenario. Without cushioning policies, similar patterns and results would have been observed just with an 8-week lockdown.
The crisis prompted by the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in substantial income loss for the Portuguese population. The annual median equivalised income, adjusted for household size and composition, dropped from €10,100 in the no-crisis scenario to €9,100 in the crisis scenario. The average simulated income loss was 7% of yearly income.
Compared to the no-crisis scenario, 400,000 new individuals fell below the poverty line, defined as 60% of the median equivalised income, increasing the at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) rate by 25% as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.
With the biggest losers already in the bottom half of the income distribution, the crisis increased inequality: the ratio between the 95th and 5th income percentiles rose by more than 9% when comparing crisis and no-crisis scenarios.
The crisis had asymmetric effects. The lower and lower-middle classes, the Algarve region and people with only a 9th grade education were the biggest losers from this crisis, with losses clearly above the national average.
The policies enacted by the Portuguese government in 2020 managed to partly mitigate the rise of poverty and inequality. Without these extraordinary programmes, just the initial 8-week lockdown would have had about the same impact on poverty and inequality as estimated for an entire year.
The poverty rate has increased dramatically since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic
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The Covid-19 crisis reduced household income and significantly aggravated poverty and inequality. It led to an overall reduction of income in Portugal, as revealed by the leftward shift of the income distribution (more individuals near or below the poverty line under the crisis scenario, graph 1). More than 400,000 individuals became poor as a consequence of the Covid-19 crisis and the gap between rich and poor (measured by the ratio between the 95th and the 5th income percentiles) increased by about 9%, from 7.6 to 8.3.
The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted economic activity. This research aims to assess the impact of the crisis on poverty and inequality in Portugal and the cushioning effects of the policies enacted. Using the 2019 Inquérito às Condições de Vida e Rendimento (ICOR) to extrapolate 2020 incomes, various macroeconomic scenarios were built to compare (1) crisis versus no-crisis over the year and (2) crisis with and without protective policies over an 8-week full lockdown. For the crisis scenarios, occupation vulnerability to lockdown restrictions was assessed based on whether it was possible to work remotely and whether the occupation was essential. Under the crisis scenarios, non-vulnerable workers kept their full no-crisis income, while the income of vulnerable workers (who were randomly selected by sector to match aggregate statistics on cushioning policies) was reduced. This is true even taking into account the cushioning measures implemented by the Portuguese government, specifically the simplified lay-off regime, targeting dependent workers, and the extraordinary supports for self-employed workers.
The results show that the pandemic led to a staggering 25% increase in poverty over a year, when compared to the no-crisis scenario, jeopardising the progress made over the last twenty years and the continuous decrease since 2015, when the poverty rate was 19% (graph 2). As for inequality, the analysis points to a 9% increase (graph 5). Losses are concentrated in some groups, such as the lower- and middle-income groups, the Algarve region and people with only a 9th grade education. The policies enacted mitigated the rise of poverty and inequality: without them, the initial 8-week lockdown alone would have led to a similar impact on poverty and on inequality as simulated for the entire year.
2. Effects on poverty: 400,000 individuals fell under the poverty line
The Covid-19 crisis significantly impacted poverty in Portugal. It is estimated that more than 400,000 people fell below the poverty line (which was maintained from the no-crisis scenario to avoid an artificially small increase due to the decline of the median income). This represents an increase in the AROP rate of 25%, from 18.3% (in the baseline scenario) to 23% (in the crisis scenario), inverting the downward trend started in 2015 (graph 2). The poor are also poorer: poverty intensity, which captures how far the poor are from the poverty line, is estimated to have increased by 8%, compared to the no-crisis scenario.
Nevertheless, the policies enacted by the government mitigated the increase in poverty. Without these policies, an 8-week lockdown (in which those who cannot work remotely and are not considered essential stop earning) would have led to an increase in the poverty rate of over 20% and an increase in the poverty intensity of nearly 8% (graph 3) compared to the no-crisis scenario, values similar to estimates for an entire year. In the scenario of an 8-week lockdown that includes the simplified lay-off regime for dependent workers and the extraordinary supports to the self-employed, both poverty measures would have only increased by around 4%.
3. Effects on inequality: 9% increase in the ratio between the 95th and 5th income percentiles
Those who could work remotely or who worked in activities deemed essential kept their salaries, while those who could not work suffered significant losses. The likelihood of being part of this second group is higher among those in the lower income groups. As a result, the share of income lost due to the crisis was greater for those already at the lower end of the income distribution, increasing the gap between rich and poor (graph 4). In the no-crisis baseline scenario, the income of those at the 95th percentile was 7.6 times larger than the income of those at the 5th percentile, whereas with the Covid-19 crisis, it jumps to 8.3 times, that is, a 9% increase in inequality (graph 5).
Policy interventions were important to prevent a more substantial rise in inequality. In an 8-week lockdown, if those who could not work had been left without any income from paid work, the ratio between the 95th and 5th percentiles would have increased by 8% compared to the no-crisis scenario, about the same as simulated for an entire year. With interventions, the ratio between the 95th and 5th percentiles is unaffected over an 8-week lockdown.
4. Who are the biggest losers from the Covid-19 crisis?
According to these simulations, people lost on average 7% of their annual income. This number, however, hides significant variability across income groups. While all income groups suffered with the crisis, the negative impact was considerably skewed towards the bottom half of the no-crisis income distribution (graph 6). Furthermore, looking solely at those with income losses, the average loss rises to nearly 16%, with the lower- and lower-middle income groups suffering the most (19% and 16%, respectively) (graph 6).
The policies enacted, nevertheless, evened the income losses across groups. Without these measures, the first 8-week lockdown alone would have been enough to cause a 7% income loss for people with incomes below the median. Looking at the same period with protective policies, the income loss is smoother: the average, for all income groups, is less than 2%.
However, the asymmetric nature of the crisis is not restricted to original incomes. The simulation suggests that people from Algarve lost, on average, 9% of their yearly income, and people with only a 9th grade education lost, on average, over 10% of their yearly income.
5. Limitations of the study
While this study focused on the divide between workers who can work remotely or are essential (non-vulnerable), and those who cannot (vulnerable), this crisis had very complex outcomes, some of which are not addressed by this study. First, since it was only possible to access the evolution of the total number of workers who benefited from the support programmes, workers were assigned randomly to these programmes, limiting the accuracy of the simulation. Second, in the simulations, only labour income was affected, disregarding eventual changes in non-labour income such as income from investments or state-provided income for low-income families. Third, for simplicity, the analysis assumes a constant rate of employment, while the crisis likely increased unemployment. To minimise estimation errors deriving from this assumption, the effect of the protective policies was assessed only over an 8-week full lockdown. Lastly, for the sake of conciseness, only the AROP rate and the ratio between the 95th and 5th income percentiles are presented as the main poverty and inequality indicators, respectively. The results are also robust to the use of other measures, but these two measures alone are detailed in this article as they reflect the impact of the crisis while also being easily understood.
The Covid-19 pandemic is inevitably linked to the social and economic crisis it triggered. This study estimates that, as a result of the pandemic, the poverty rate in Portugal has increased by a staggering 25% compared to the no-crisis scenario, and the gap between rich and poor has greatly widened as a result of the asymmetric nature of this crisis, with a 9% increase of inequality as measured by the ratio between the 95th and 5th income percentiles, over a year.
Numerous policies were enacted to mitigate the impact of the crisis. This study shows that the simplified lay-off regime for dependent workers and the extraordinary support to the self-employed were effective: without them, the initial 8-week lockdown would have led to a similar impact on poverty and inequality as simulated for the entire year.
The ongoing pandemic and the resulting economic crisis may cause substantial fiscal challenges, as government efforts of the same magnitude may be difficult to sustain for a prolonged period. In light of these results, it is clear that without a strong recovery, a reduction in support could backfire and have drastic consequences for poverty and inequality.
Decree-Law n. º 12-A/2020 from April 6th. Diário da República nº 68/2020, 3º Suplemento, Série I. Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Espiga, F. (2020). Wage inequality: Trends and Drivers in Portugal. Master dissertation in Economics. Católica-Lisbon School of Business and Economics, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
Eurostat. (2018, August 1st). Glossary: At-risk-of-poverty-rate. Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Glossary:At-risk-of-poverty_rate.
Foschiatti, C. B. & Gasparini, L. (2020). El Impacto Asimétrico de la Cuarentena. Documentos de Trabajo del CEDLAS Nº 261, April, 2020, CEDLAS-Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos. (2021, February 19th). Taxa de risco de pobreza: antes e após transferências sociais. PORDATA. https://www.pordata.pt/Portugal/Taxa+de+risco+de+pobreza+antes+e+ap%C3%B3s+transfer%C3%AAncias+sociais-2399
Instituto Nacional de Estatística. (2019). Inquérito às Condições de Vida e Rendimento.
Ministério do Trabalho e Segurança Social. (n.d.). Indicadores Covid-19 MTSSS - Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento. Gabinete de Estratégia e Planeamento (Ministério do Trabalho, Solidariedade e Segurança Social). http://www.gep.mtsss.gov.pt/indicadores-covid-19-mtsss
Neri, M. (2020, August). What are the immediate effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Brazilian Economic Classes? FGV SOCIAL CENTRO DE POLÍTICAS SOCIAIS. https://fgveurope.fgv.br/sites/fgveurope.fgv.br/files/downloads/covideasclasseseconomicas_fgv_social_neri-eng.pdf
Ordinance n.º 71-A/2020 from March 15th. Diário da República n.º 52-A/2020, 1º Suplemento, Série I. Ministry of Employment, Solidarity and Social Security. Lisbon.
Silva, J., Gaspar, M., Fernandes, P., Kouhen, K. & Leitão, M. (2020). Who will bear the costs of the COVID-19 crisis? Analysis of jobs at risk in Portugal, Universidade Católica Portuguesa.
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In many countries, the incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates of the covid-19 virus have disproportionately affected non-white people, but there is a lack of published data explaining this phenomenon. Are admissions to intensive care units proportional among white and black people? Are physicians more likely to, unknowingly, pay more attention to white patients and therefore be more likely to offer them life-saving intensive care treatment?
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Axial CT scan images obtained after IV contrast administration in parenchymal phase (Fig.1-4)demonstrate a well-defined,cortical-based,heterogeneous mass containing areas of fat associated with pathy enhancement arising from lateral aspect of left kidney.Perirenal space shows intermediate-density contents,suggestive of perirenal hematoma which spreads along fascial plane into the posterior pararenal space.Resection of the mass was done.Post operative images included axial CT scan images obtained after IV contrast administration in cortical and delayed phases(Fig.5-9) show wedge-shaped parenchymal defects involve both cortex and medulla and extend to the capsular surface,consistent with renal infarct.Thin rim of cortical enhancement is noted,due to collateral capsular perfusion.
Angiomyolipoma of the kidney, also called renal hamartoma, can be diagnosed noninvasively and with great accuracy by modern imaging techniques because fat within these tumors is usually shown readily by sonography and CT. However, some angiomyolipomas contain only tiny amounts of fat that can be easily over looked unless searched for carefully in the CT study. Careful sampling of low- density regions within the mass must be performed, and the use of nonenhanced scans and thin sections (5 mm) will increase the chances of establishing the presence of fat within the tumor.Treatment for symptomatic lesions often is surgical, but renal embolization has also been used, especially to stop acute bleeding . In the past, surgical removal was common because of the inability to distinguish the lesion from renal cell carcinoma.CT of renal cell carcinoma does not reveal islands of fat in the tumor similar to those in angiomyolipoma.


The Department of Census and Statistics yesterday said Sri Lanka is fast headed in the direction of being a nation free of child labour.
The Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs along with the Department of Census and Statistics unveiled the 2016 report on Child Activity Survey (CAS) at the Water's Edge Hotel. Director General of the Department Amara Satharasinghe said according to the data collected by the survey the percentage of children engaged in employment or work in 2016 has decreased to 2.3% of the entire child population.
"In 1999, when this survey was first done, the percentage was 21%. This decreased in 2008/9 to 12.9% and further decreased to 2.3% in 2016," Satharasinghe said, adding, "We have come far and child labour is on the way to being completely eradicated in Sri Lanka very soon."
The 2016 report is the first survey that included the entire child population of Sri Lanka.
According to the CAS the total population of children is 4,571,442. For purposes of estimating the incidence of child labour, this entire child population has been divided into three age groups.
The working status of children was also divided into three groups: working, child labour and hazardous child labour.
"The survey found that 103,704 children from the entire child population (2.3%) were working children whereas only 43,714 children (1%) were engaged in child labour," he said adding that 39,007 children were engaged in hazardous child labour which was only 0.9%.
Many other related statistics on working children, child labour, hazardous forms of child labour, health conditions of working children, living conditions, etc. are also available in the report seen on the DCS website.


text:
Structure and nucleic acid binding activity of the nucleoporin Nup157
Hyuk-Soo Seo, Bartlomiej J. Blus, Nina Z. Janković, and Günter Blobel
PNAS October 8, 2013 110 (41) 16450-16455; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1316607110
Hyuk-Soo Seo
Laboratory of Cell Biology and
For correspondence: hseo@rockefeller.edu blobel@rockefeller.edu
Bartlomiej J. Blus
Nina Z. Janković
Günter Blobel
Contributed by Günter Blobel, September 2, 2013 (sent for review August 6, 2013)
The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a multiprotein gating complex that allows for bidirectional transport across the nuclear membrane. A key feature of the NPC is a central transport channel that can undergo regulated diameter changes, thus enabling the trafficking of cargo of various sizes. Surrounding this channel is a group of proteins, named "adaptor" nucleoporins, which are envisioned to accommodate and orchestrate these structural changes. Here we show the crystal structure of a fragment of an adaptor nucleoporin, Nup157, which forms a compact C-shaped architecture. Notably, Nup157 contains a positively charged surface consistent with its nucleic acid binding capacity. Furthermore, the predicted hinge regions in Nup157 suggest its flexibility in agreement with the plastic nature of the NPC.
At the center of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) is a uniquely versatile central transport channel. Structural analyses of distinct segments ("protomers") of the three "channel" nucleoporins yielded a model for how this channel is constructed. Its principal feature is a midplane ring that can undergo regulated diameter changes of as much as an estimated 30 nm. To better understand how a family of "adaptor" nucleoporins—concentrically surrounding this channel—might cushion these huge structural changes, we determined the crystal structure of one adaptor nucleoporin, Nup157. Here, we show that a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nup157 protomer, representing two-thirds of Nup157 (residues 70–893), folds into a seven-bladed β-propeller followed by an α-helical domain, which together form a C-shaped architecture. Notably, the structure contains a large patch of positively charged residues, most of which are evolutionarily conserved. Consistent with this surface feature, we found that Nup15770–893 binds to nucleic acids, although in a sequence-independent manner. Nevertheless, this interaction supports a previously reported role of Nup157, and its paralogue Nup170, in chromatin organization. Based on its nucleic acid binding capacity, we propose a dual location and function of Nup157. Finally, modeling the remaining C-terminal portion of Nup157 shows that it projects as a superhelical stack from the compact C-shaped portion of the molecule. The predicted four hinge regions indicate an intrinsic flexibility of Nup157, which could contribute to structural plasticity within the NPC.
gene gating
DNA-binding protein
RNA-binding protein
Multiple copies of only ∼30 distinct proteins, collectively termed nucleoporins (nups), form a large nuclear pore complex (NPC) that, in vertebrates, amounts to an estimated mass of more than 100 MDa. Purification of sufficient quantities of intact and monodisperse NPCs that would be suitable for crystallographic analyses is presently not feasible. In an alternative approach, a recombinant full-length nup, or a nup fragment ("protomer"), or complexes thereof, are crystallized and their atomic structures are modeled into higher-order assemblies that represent distinct regions of the NPC (reviewed in ref. 1).
Arguably, the most notable insights stemming from the aforementioned strategy were obtained from the crystal structures of protomers representing several structured regions of the three "channel" nups, Nup58, Nup54, and Nup62 (2⇓-4). The outcome of these crystallographic analyses was a model of the atomic structure of the central transport channel, the heart of the NPC. The crucial features of this model are midplane rings that undergo dramatic structural rearrangements from the dilated to constricted state of the nuclear pore. In the dilated state, helical segments of four Nup58 and eight Nup54 protomers form a dodecameric module. The arrangement of eight such dodecamers results in a single, heterooligomeric midplane ring with a flexible diameter of 40 to 50 nm. Such a ring can then be rearranged into three smaller homooligomeric rings that collectively represent the constricted form of the nuclear pore with a diameter of 10 to 20 nm. One ring consists of eight modules of Nup58 tetramers and the other two are each comprised of eight modules of Nup54 tetramers (4). A "ring cycle" between a single dilated ring and three constricted rings was proposed, resulting in ∼30 nm changes in the diameter of the central transport channel.
Other than structurally and functionally distinguishing between dilated and constricted forms of the nuclear pore, this model has implications for the function of a large network of nups adjacent to the central channel that constitute the symmetric core of the NPC. Only the channel nups "line" the channel wall, whereas the concentrically surrounding nups, linked to each other in a Rube Goldberg-like network, are envisioned to accommodate and orchestrate the vast shape and diameter changes of the central channel. This involves not only conformational plasticity of individual nups, but likely requires reversible disruptions of interacting sites between nups. Complementarity between interacting sites of distinct nups may establish alternative interactomes (reviewed in ref. 1).
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae (Sc) Nup157 and its paralogue Nup170 are among the family of "adaptor" nups, which concentrically surround the central transport channel (reviewed in ref. 1). Here, we describe the crystal structure of a protomer of Nup157 (residues 70–893) that represents approximately two-thirds of the molecule and will be referred to as Nup15770–893 in the remainder of the text. We show that Nup15770–893 consists of a seven-bladed β-propeller and a downstream helical domain with a unique fold. Multiple van der Waals and electrostatic interactions between these two domains form a compact C-shaped architecture that features large patches of predominantly positively or negatively charged residues. Consistent with a large positively charged surface patch and reports that Nup157/Nup170 are involved in chromatid organization (5, 6), we found that Nup15770–893 preferentially interacts with double-stranded nucleic acids without sequence specificity. We also modeled the C-terminal remainder of Nup157 and combined it with the Nup15770–893 structure. As a result, we obtained a highly asymmetric model of Nup157 with a long superhelical stack extending from the C-shaped compact portion of the molecule. In this model, there are four hinge residues that suggest an intrinsic flexibility of Nup157, supporting a perceived role for adaptor nups in cushioning the shape and diameter changes of the central channel.
Structure Determination.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nup157 is predicted to contain two distinct domains: an N-terminal, ∼610-residue β-strand–rich region followed by a C-terminal, ∼780-residue α-helical fragment (Fig. 1A). Based on this prediction, we designed a series of Nup157 constructs for recombinant expression in Escherichia coli, and identified a stable fragment encompassing residues 70 to 893. Nup15770–893 crystals grew in the primitive monoclinic space group P21, with one molecule in the asymmetric unit. To improve the signal from anomalous scattering, two nonconserved serine residues were mutated to methionines (S217M and S638M). The structure of the ∼90 kDa Nup15770–893 was solved by single-wavelength anomalous dispersion (SAD) using a seleno-methionine derivatized protein. The final model was refined at 2.4 Å resolution (Rwork/Rfree = 18.9%/23.1%). The data collection and refinement statistics are summarized in Table S1.
Structure of the S. cerevisiae Nup15770–893. (A) Schematic representation of the Nup157 domain architecture. The boundaries for each domain are color-coded and marked with residue numbers. Starting from the N terminus: the unstructured fragment (gray) denoted by "U", β-propeller domain (orange), α-helical domain (yellow), and a predicted α-helical region (gray) are indicated. Positions of the N-terminal α-helical extension (α1) and five α-helical insertions (α2–α6) in the propeller domain are indicated: α1/α5/α6, in blue, create an interface between the two domains in Nup157, whereas α2 to α4, in green, are found on the side of the propeller. The bar above the domain architecture corresponds to the crystallized fragment (residues 70–893). (B) Structure of Nup15770–893 in ribbon representation, colored as in A. (Right) A 90°-rotated view. (C) Ribbon representation of the Nup157 β-propeller domain. Seven blades of the β-propeller core (orange), the α-helical insertions (blue and green) are indicated. (Right) Schematic representation of the Nup15770–893 β-propeller domain and locations of its α-helical elements. Dotted gray lines indicate disordered regions. The double Velcro-type closure is highlighted by asterisks.
Architectural Overview.
Nup15770–893 folds into a compact C-shaped structure with overall dimensions of ∼85 Å × 65 Å × 60 Å. Nup15770–893 contains two distinct domains: an N-terminal β-propeller followed by a C-terminal α-helical domain (Fig. 1B and Movie S1). The β-propeller domain contains seven blades with several helical insertions in the interstrand or interblade loops. The downstream α-helical domain forms an irregular α-helical stack that comprises 12 α-helices (Fig. 1B). Three α-helical insertions in the β-propeller domain create an interface between the two domains of Nup15770–893. The α-helical domain extends from one end of the β-propeller domain and progresses toward the opposite end in a zigzag pattern. This arrangement of the two domains results in a cavity that measures ∼35 Å in width and 40 Å in height when viewed from the front of the structure (Fig. 1B).
Domain Organization.
The β-propeller domain conforms to the canonical β-propeller fold in which seven blades of the four β-strands are radially arranged (Fig. 1C). Formed by the innermost strands from each blade, a small funnel-like channel runs through the central axis of the propeller domain. This water-rich channel is wider (∼20 Å) at the bottom and narrower (∼10 Å) toward the top face of the propeller domain. Notably, the Nup157 β-propeller domain contains an additional β-strand in blade 6 (6E). From the N terminus, the outermost strands (6E and 7D) interact with the inner strands (6D and 7C, respectively) to complete the seven-blade propeller structure (Fig. 1C). This structural arrangement, known as a double Velcro-type closure, is thought to contribute to the stability of the β-propeller fold (7).
Radially arranged propeller proteins often accommodate insertions in their connecting loops (7). The β-propeller in Nup157 contains an α-helical extension (α1) and five α-helical insertions (α2 to α6): α1 is positioned nearly perpendicular to the plane of the β-propeller domain, α2 to α4 are found in the interblade loops (7D1A, 4D5A, and 5D6A, respectively), whereas α5 and α6 lie within the interstrand loops (6CD and 7AB, respectively; Fig. 1C). Collectively, α1, α5, and α6 provide a packing platform for the α-helical domain (Fig. 1B).
The Nup157 α-helical domain is composed of 12 α helices (α7–α18) that form a compact, unique fold (Fig. 1B). Exiting from the 7C strand of the β-propeller, the α-helical domain begins with α7/α8 and α9/α10 that form consecutive pairs of antiparallel helices of varying lengths, with each pair orientated roughly perpendicular to the other. The α9/α10 pair is rotated by ∼90° with respect to the α7/α8 pair. The long α11 to α13 helices in the middle of the domain further extend a zigzag pattern that propagates through α16 to α18. Loosely packed α14 and α15 deviate from this zigzag progression, and are likely to be flexible as evidenced by a higher B-factor (∼67 Å2) compared with the rest of the domain (∼38 Å2).
To investigate whether the Nup157 α-helical domain (∼280 residues) is related to any known protein folds, we performed sequence- and structure-based analyses. An iterative PSI-BLAST search using the α-helical domain returned only Nup157 orthologues, indicating that its fold is not found in any other protein families. Moreover, a search of the PDBeFold database (www.ebi.ac.uk/msd-srv/ssm/) (8) did not yield any matches with meaningful structural similarity to the α-helical domain, further supporting that the Nup157 α-helical domain structure represents a unique fold.
Interface Between the Two Domains of Nup157.
The interface between the β-propeller and the α-helical domain consists of conserved residues in α1/α5/α6 and α9/α11 that create a network of hydrogen bonds, which are further reinforced by a coating of neighboring van der Waals interactions (Fig. 2). The core of the hydrogen bond network involves the absolutely conserved Arg718 in α11 and Asp105 in α1 (Fig. 2C and Fig. S1). In addition, Arg718 forms a hydrogen bond with Glu639 of α9, which in turn forms a hydrogen bond with Lys549 of α5. These hydrophilic interactions are further enforced by neighboring hydrophobic pairs: Phe97–Phe709, Leu101–Ala713, Phe590–Tyr635, and Tyr594–Tyr646 (Fig. 2D). In total, ∼40 residues contribute to forming the interface between the β-propeller and α-helical domains, burying a total surface area of ∼3,100 Å2 (Fig. 2 and Fig. S1).
Interface between the Nup15770–893 domains. (A) Space-filling model of Nup15770–893 (Center) and dissection of the buried interface between the β-propeller (orange; Right) and α-helical domain (yellow; Left). The α1 extension and α2 to α6 insertions are color-coded as in Fig. 1. Residues involved in forming the interface between the two domains are in magenta and contoured using a black line. (B) Surface representation of Nup15770–893 is shown in the same view as in A. Conserved residues from multiple sequence alignment (Fig. S1) are mapped onto the surface and shaded in a color gradient from light yellow to dark red (40–100% sequence conservation). A magnified view in ribbon representation of the interdomain interface highlighting hydrophilic (C) and hydrophobic (D) interactions formed by α1/α5/α6 (blue) in the β-propeller and α9/α11 (yellow) in the α-helical domain.
Surface Properties.
The surface of Nup15770–893 features three evolutionarily conserved patches, with two regions located in the β-propeller domain and one region in the α-helical domain (Fig. 3A). Specifically, area 1 is formed by α3 and blades 2 to 4 at the front face of the β-propeller and spans the width of the domain. Area 2, at the bottom of the β-propeller domain, is comprised of 7D1A and 1BC loops. Area 3, in the α-helical domain, consists of the last two helices of the α-helical domain (α17 and α18) and a connecting loop. Although this patch is surface exposed in Nup15770–893, it is likely to be buried by the remaining C-terminal region of Nup157.
Surface properties of Nup15770–893. (A) Conserved residues from multiple sequence alignment (Fig. S1) are mapped onto the surface and shaded in a color gradient from light yellow to red (40–100% sequence conservation). (B) Electrostatic potential surface of Nup15770–893 is depicted in a gradient from red (−5 kT/e) to blue (+5 kT/e) as indicated (Right). The orientation of surface representations is identical in each column. The three most sequence conserved surface patches (areas 1–3) are encircled by a black line.
We further analyzed the surface properties of Nup15770–893 and identified a striking asymmetry in its charge distribution (Fig. 3B). The front side of the molecule is positively charged, whereas the backside is mostly negatively charged. Notably, a vast positively charged area encompasses the front and bottom surface of the β-propeller and largely overlaps with an evolutionarily conserved patch denoted as area 1 (Fig. 3 and Fig. S1).
Nup15770–893 Binds to Nucleic Acids.
In addition to their role in the symmetric core of the NPC, Nup157 and Nup170 have also been implicated in distinct chromatid binding functions (5, 6). Specifically, deletion of the NUP157 gene leads to failure in the relocation of the inducible inositol-1-phosphate synthase (INO1) gene from the nuclear interior to the NPC. Distinct DNA elements of about 20 bp in length have been identified to serve as "zip codes" to relocate the INO1 portion of the chromatid (6). Given these observations and our finding of a large, positively charged surface patch on Nup15770–893, we tested whether Nup157 is directly involved in DNA binding. First, we incubated a DNA library containing random sequences of 30 bp in length with Nup15770–893 or Nup157894–1391 (the C-terminal portion of Nup157; Table S2). Subsequent analyses by EMSA showed that DNA binding was detected only for Nup15770–893, indicating that the crystallized portion of Nup157 is indispensable for DNA binding (Fig. 4A).
Nup157 directly interacts with nucleic acids in vitro. (A) EMSA was used to probe the interaction of Nup15770–893 and Nup157894–1391 with DNA. Protein samples were mixed with a DNA library (refer to Table S2) at a 4:1 molar ratio and analyzed by native PAGE. Free and bound DNAs were visualized by SYBR Gold staining as indicated by black arrows. (B) Three INO1 zip codes (GRS-I and –II and MRS) were tested for Nup157 binding. Eightfold molar excess of Nup15770–893 over ssDNA (sense or antisense 21-mer DNA) or dsDNA was used for EMSA. Background staining of Nup15770–893 is marked by an asterisk. (C) Titration of Nup15770–893 to GRS-I and the reversed GRS-I (GRS-IRev). Both GRS elements were preincubated with increasing amounts of Nup15770–893 at 0-, 0.3-, 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20-fold molar excess and analyzed by EMSA. (D) Titration of Nup15770–893 to the RNA equivalent of the GRS-I element as in C.
Next, we tested for binding of single- vs. double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) by using the recently identified zip code elements of the INO1 gene termed gene recruitment sequences (GRSs)—GRS-I and GRS-II—and a memory recruitment sequence (MRS). We found Nup15770–893 binds to all three dsDNAs, but not to any of the respective ssDNAs (Fig. 4B). As these zip code elements bind Nup15770–893 with apparently comparable affinities, we further inquired about the specificity of the Nup15770–893 interaction with DNA. As expected, increasing concentrations of protein yielded an increase in formation of the DNA–protein complexes; however, reversing the sequence of one of the zip code elements (GRS-IRev) yielded no observable difference in binding affinity compared with the GRS-I sequence (Fig. 4C). Furthermore, the RNA equivalent of the GRS-I element also interacted with Nup15770–893 (Fig. 4D). The binding of Nup15770–893 to dsDNA and RNA is indistinguishable in our assay. Taken together, we conclude that Nup15770–893 directly binds to nucleic acids in vitro in a sequence-independent manner.
NPCs and "nuclear envelope junctions" have previously been proposed to serve as orientation landmarks for the 3D organization of chromatids (9, 10). These reference points of the nuclear envelope might mediate direct or indirect binding to distinct portions of chromatid DNA. In yeast, Nup157 and Nup170 have been implicated in chromatin organization and gene expression ("gene gating") (5, 6, 11⇓–13). Here, we show that the crystal structure of recombinant ScNup157 (residues 70–893) consists of a β-propeller and a downstream α-helical domain joined together in a compact C-shaped overall architecture. Notably, the surface of this protomer displays a highly asymmetric distribution of charged residues. Consistent with a large patch of positively charged surface residues, we observed that Nup157 directly binds to dsDNA or RNA without sequence specificity. A similar positively charged surface has been previously observed in the β-propeller of Rae1, which is an RNA-binding nup involved in mRNA export (14). Moreover, the ability to interact with both types of nucleic acids was previously observed for a number of proteins, including p53 tumor suppressor protein (reviewed in ref. 15). Considering the essential role of Nup157 in INO1 gene recruitment to the NPC and its sequence-independent binding to nucleic acids, we envision that Nup157 could serve as an anchor point for genes that are targeted to the nuclear periphery. Although the biological significance of the RNA-binding activity of Nup157 remains unknown, our finding is supported by the identification of Nup155, a human orthologue of Nup157, as a member of the mRNA interactome (13).
Our discovery that Nup15770–893 binds to nucleic acids raises the question of how Nup157, located within the symmetric core of the NPC, could access DNA. We propose that Nup157 and Nup170 have dual localizations and functions, as is already known for several other nups. For example, the β-propeller nups Sec13 and Seh1, other than being members of the Y-shaped complex of the symmetric core of the NPC, also interact with a rather different set of proteins to assemble coat complexes for vesicular traffic (16⇓⇓⇓–20). Although alternative localizations of Nup157 or Nup170 and their partitioning into distinct protein complexes remain to be established, such complexes might assemble near the nuclear side of NPCs (5, 6) or at nuclear envelope junctions (10, 21). Alternatively, a pool of Nup157 could associate with chromatin and regulate gene expression away from the nuclear periphery, as was previously observed for Sec13 and Nup98 (22, 23).
Modeling the C-terminal remainder of Nup157 (residues 894–1391) by using a previously published crystal structure of the corresponding C-terminal protomer of the Nup170 paralogue (24) yielded a highly asymmetric molecule of approximately 200 Å in length. Taken together, Nup157 consists of an unstructured, N-terminal portion of ∼70 residues, followed by the compact C-shaped segment (the structure of which is reported here), and a long downstream superhelical stack extending from the C-shaped compact region of the molecule (Fig. 5 and Fig. S2). The predicted hinge residues in Nup157 indicate areas of intrinsic flexibility in this highly asymmetric molecule (Fig. 5C). According to elastic network models (25), rigid segments of Nup157 can bend around four hinge regions to adopt alternative conformations (Movies S2 and S3).
A structural model of Nup157. (A) A schematic representation of the Nup157 domain architecture is shown as in Fig 1A. The dotted line above the α-helical region corresponds to the modeled C-terminal remainder of Nup157 (residues 894–1391). (B) Structural comparison between Nup170 (residues 979–1502; Protein Data Bank ID code 3I5P) in cyan and Nup157 (homology model) in gray. The structures align with 1.2 Å Cα rmsd. (C) A composite model of Nup157 (residues 70–1391) is colored as in A. The N-terminal, 69-residue fragment of Nup157 is predicted to be disordered and was therefore omitted from the 3D structure prediction. Four hinge residues (hinge 1-T108, hinge 2-R615, hinge 3-R1053, hinge 4-L1241) predicted by elastic network models are indicated by red arrows.
As demonstrated here for Nup157, crystal structures of protomers derived from two other large adaptor nups, Nup188 and its paralogue Nup192, and modeling the remaining parts of the proteins, yielded similar highly asymmetric molecules consisting of a compact structure near the N terminus followed by a long superhelical stalk (26⇓–28). A common trait of all four large adaptor nups (Nup157, Nup170, Nup188, and Nup192) appears to be their plasticity, consistent with their conceived role as adaptors for the large shape and diameter changes of the central transport channel. The dynamic nature of nups has also been observed in the outer "coat" cylinder of the NPC. A 3D EM reconstruction of the seven-membered Y complex at ∼35 Å resolution identified two specific hinge regions that permit the heptamer to adapt alternative conformations (29). In addition, the unstructured region of the Y complex mediates the interaction between the adjacent heptamers in a head-to-tail arrangement (30). We envision that this flexible tether could also allow for changes in the diameter of the Y complex oligomer to accommodate large structural rearrangements during the ring cycle of the central channel.
The crystal structure of Nup15770–893 presented here completes a list of protomer structures determined for representative adaptor nups (24, 26, 27, 31, 32). Future work will have to address the challenge of determining atomic structures of binary and higher order interactomes between protomers of adaptor nups and their neighboring nups. Exemplary analyses of higher-order interactomes of nups located in various regions of the NPC have already provided remarkable insights into the structure and function of parts of the NPC, such as the proposed ring cycle among the channel Nup54 and Nup58 protomers for dilating and constricting the central channel (4), a model for a dynamic structure of the coat cylinder nups (30, 33), and a structure of a node that joins three distinct asymmetric nups on the cytoplasmic side of the NPC (34).
The details of molecular cloning, expression, purification, crystallization, X-ray diffraction data collection, structure determination, in vitro protein–DNA interaction analysis, and homology modeling are described in SI Materials and Methods. Briefly, recombinant proteins were expressed in E. coli with a cleavable N-terminal GST tag. The proteins were purified by affinity and size exclusion chromatography. The Nup15770–893 structure was solved by SAD.
We thank members of the G.B. laboratory, especially Richard Wing, Junseock Koh, and Elias Coutavas, for discussions and comments on the manuscript; David King (University of California, Berkeley) for MS analysis; Wuxian Shi (National Synchrotron Light Source) for support during X-ray data collection; and Yingli Ma (GlaxoSmithKline) for her contributions at the beginning of this project.
↵1H.-S.S. and B.J.B. contributed equally to this work.
↵2To whom correspondence may be addressed. E-mail: hseo{at}rockefeller.edu or blobel{at}rockefeller.edu.
Author contributions: H.-S.S., B.J.B., and G.B. designed research; H.-S.S., B.J.B., and N.Z.J. performed research; H.-S.S., B.J.B., and G.B. analyzed data; and H.-S.S., B.J.B., N.Z.J., and G.B. wrote the paper.
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data deposition: The atomic coordinates have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank, www.pdb.org (PDB ID code 4MHC).
Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.
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You are going to email the following Structure and nucleic acid binding activity of the nucleoporin Nup157
Structure and nucleic acid binding of Nup157
Hyuk-Soo Seo, Bartlomiej J. Blus, Nina Z. Janković, Günter Blobel
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Oct 2013, 110 (41) 16450-16455; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1316607110


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NBN Review Recommends Greater Oversight For Australia's Competition Watchdog
Luke Hopewell
Jul 17, 2014, 12:45pm
Who watches the watchmen? That's the question being posed by the Vertigan review into the National Broadband Network, which has recommended greater oversight of the government's competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The government yesterday released a report from the Vertigan panel, which was set up to investigate rules surrounding access to the NBN and the operations of NBN Co.
First on the list of the review recommendations includes better scrutiny of the ACCC, which currently acts as an independent body to keep the playing field of business level in Australia. The review recommends that the some of the ACCC's powers be reassessed in line with NBN access requirements, and also recommended that the Consumer and Competition Act 2010 be reviewed to ensure its ongoing effectiveness for assessing issues surrounding the NBN.
TPG's Mini-NBN Under Threat?
The review also specified that the Fibre To The Basement network being built by TPG exclusively for its own use could become "declared", meaning that the ISP would be forced to offer access to the network to its competitors.
NBN Co is at odds with TPG over its FTTB rollout, and is currently racing the ISP to a trial network of its own by 2015.
The Vertigan panel's review also recommended that the Department of Communications keep people up to speed on what is happening with the vectored DSL trials being conducted by NBN Co. You can read more about the review here.
Check out the full report (PDF) from the Vertigan Panel here. [Department of Communications]


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Home / Oscars / Oscars® Ceremonies / Oscars® Ceremonies / The 20th Academy Awards Memorable Moments
The 20th Academy Awards Memorable Moments
Best Picture: Gentlemen's Agreement
Gentlemen's Agreement also won Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Celeste Holm) and Directing (Elia Kazan).
In January 1947, aspiring actress Elizabeth Short was found gruesomely murdered in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. She posthumously became known as The Black Dahlia.
In February 1947, Christian Dior introduced the New Look at his first couture show in Paris.
In April 1947, Jackie Robinson played his first game with the Brooklyn Dodgers and broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball.
In May 1947, the Christmas-themed Miracle on 34th Street was released in theaters. It was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three.
On May 22, 1947, David Lean's film Great Expectations, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, opened in New York.
In November 1947, the television show Meet the Press made its debut on NBC.
On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were married at Westminster Abbey.
On December 3, 1947, Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Marlon Brando, Jessica Tandy, and Kim Hunter, opened on Broadway.
Special Award
To Colonel William N. Selig, Albert E. Smith, Thomas Armat and George K. Spoor (one of) the small group of pioneers whose belief in a new medium, and whose contributions to its development, blazed the trail along which the motion picture has progressed, in their lifetime, from obscurity to world-wide acclaim.
To Bill and Coo, in which artistry and patience blended in a novel and entertaining use of the medium of motion pictures.
Italy – To Shoe-Shine - the high quality of this motion picture, brought to eloquent life in a country scarred by war, is proof to the world that the creative spirit can triumph over adversity.
To James Baskett for his able and heart-warming characterization of Uncle Remus, friend and story teller to the children of the world in Walt Disney's Song of the South.


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Do You Need to Attract Younger Crowds?
January 9, 2019 Twanna Hines
Marketing to Millennials and Centennials
Hi, it's Twanna. I'm on deck for this week's post. I got my first grey hair at 21. So, I've been (semi) rocking grey hair for decades. If you work in an industry where your audiences are likely to have even more grey hairs on their head than mine, you may need to diversify your audiences. And, yes, it goes both ways. At a later date, I'll talk more about why organizations targeting young folks need to attract older audiences, too.
For some industries, getting beyond the archetypal "greying" audiences has been an age-old (pun completely intended!) challenge. According to The Broadway League, the average age of theatregoers during the 2017-18 season was over 40. For plays specifically, the average attendee age was over 50. That's just Broadway. For local theatres, the resulting marketing challenges can be more difficult.
If your organization is like a theater — or actually is one! — one obstacle to teen and young adult engagement could simply be due to a lack of exposure. As artistic directors point out, for people to get down with you, they need to know who you are. For example, keeping with the theater example, it's not unusual for theatre patrons to have "aged into" the art. (The Broadway League notes that most attendees had some exposure to plays and musicals as children.)
So how do you grab the attention of a younger crowd and expose them to your organization?
Consider the Mindset List. Originally geared toward college educators, the List aims to remind folks in academia who were using outdated cultural touchstones that lessons should be relatable to all students. (As one example, consider that students entering the Class of 2022 probably have no concept of a time when space exploration didn't exist.) The Mindset List can be a useful tool for oriented yourself to the mindset of people who may be 5, 10 or even 50 years younger than you are.
Need more specific tips? Here's how you can use the List when developing and marketing your stuff.
Incorporate digital.
According to the Mindset List, films have always been on the Internet and eBooks have always existed for the Class of 2022. Younger millennials and centennials have never known a world where media didn't feature a digital component. So, how are you using digital? Do you use it in your marketing? Good that's a start! Do you incorporate digital into every single aspect of your work?
Use social media.
In the 1970s, Pippin was the first Broadway musical to market itself with a TV commercial. The commercial helped make the new-at-the-time production go "viral" (you know, in a retro, '70s sort of way) and helped to bring audiences to the show. Make the most of your modern-day equivalent by putting a particularly gripping or funny clip of your work on Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter.
Think about the pop culture references.
The movie Less Than Zero is older than anyone under 30. College students may not have seen or know a period when Robert Downey, Jr. wasn't sober (and a superstar). They may only recognize Big Brother as a TV show (and not as the center of a literary plot line), and the phrase "be kind, rewind" will elicit a bunch of blank faces. With this in mind, consider the cultural references in your work – do they refer to the present day in any way? Can they be updated in such a way so they do?
Find the hidden stories.
Whether you're telling a story through a blog post, a tweet, or on stage, good storytelling has never gone out of style, and I hope it never fucking will. Go beyond giving a summary of the plot of a production – is there an interesting story to be told about the play's creation? The writer? The original staging? Different actors who have played in the roles previously? Some folks may not initially respond to the plot line in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?… because they aren't white, or a woman, or into theater, or whatever … but when you give a little information on the play's original scandal-filled run, you might be surprised at who connects with this information. I know, I know!! I'm obsessed with theater. But you can usually find the deeper, hidden stories in anything you're working with.
Include diverse generations in your work.
Representation matters. And this is as true for people of different ages and generations as it is for culture, race, and gender identity. It is not uncommon for arts organizations — and small businesses and nonprofits that services older audiences — to have a young supporters' group. Okay, so, think about taking that one step further and ensuring that your workforce, programming, donors, and other aspects of your work include diverse generations as well.
The Broadway League reports an uptick in youth attendance over the last year – due in part to the staging of youth-centric musicals. Of course, not everyone has the resources provided to Broadway theatre producers! And, of course, not everyone works in theater … but the whole world is, indeed, a stage! By strategically using good storytelling, considering the interests and perspectives of younger audiences in your work, and using external assistance, your organization can successfully market itself to brand new audiences of all ages!
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The futuristically designed system which is designed for effective and timely redressal and settlement of grievances is making a prompt redressal way out to International School of Management, Patna with its establishment inaugurated by the Chief Minister of Bihar Sri. Nitish Kumar in 2011. Orell's Grievance redressal mechanism involves in the process of investigation to enquire and analyze the grievances in a strictly confidential manner. In accordance with the recent directives of AICTE, the institutions which falls under the purview of the council has to mandately register with a redressal system for a complete hassle-free atmosphere.
ISM is serene initiative towards pursuing excellence in field of management in education and entrepreneurship, hopes to change the education scenario prevailing in our country. The institution approved by AICTE and Ministry of HRD under the recognition of the Government of India. The college intends to keep a curriculum in mind for delivering quality education and also conducts social activities.


The Islamic Manuscript Association is pleased to announce that the Tenth Islamic Manuscript Conference will be held at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge from 31 August-2 September 2014. The conference will be hosted in cooperation with the Thesaurus Islamicus Foundation and the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Centre of Islamic Studies, University of Cambridge.
The Tenth Islamic Manuscript Conference will be an occasion to reflect on progress in conservation, preservation, cataloguing, digitisation and research relating to Islamic manuscripts and manuscript collections during the decade since the founding of the Association and to look ahead to anticipated developments in these fields over the next ten years. The conference's special theme — Manuscripts and Conflict — will also constitute a timely opportunity to consider the above subject areas within the intensifying contexts of acute social and political instability or military conflict. Invited keynote speakers, round table sessions, poster presentations, and workshops will promote active participation in a cutting-edge discussion of these subjects.
• General and specific developments in manuscript conservation, cataloguing, digitisation, and research during the last ten years; and anticipated future developments in these fields.
• Discussions of the role that independent organisations such as the Islamic Manuscript Association can and should play in developing and promoting basic practice and best practice in the above fields.
• Case studies of recent or ongoing manuscript rescue efforts.
• Developing and implementing policies for disaster prevention and management, especially in less economically developed areas.
• The role of the international community and of large agencies such as UNESCO, INTERPOL, IFLA, and ICOM in determining and promoting disaster management policies.
• Technologies for preserving and conserving manuscripts following damage sustained during conflict.
• Digitisation of manuscripts in sub-optimal conditions.
• Security of manuscript collections, looting, and the role of the international art market.
• The role of national and international media and social networks during crises affecting cultural heritage.
• Ideological targeting of manuscript collections in both war and peace; 'libricide' and 'biblioclasm'.
• The importance of cultural artefacts such as manuscript collections in post-conflict recovery.
In addition to the above, the Association will also consider submissions on topics that do not fall directly under the purview of the theme, but that are related to the conservation, digitisation, cataloguing, research, and publishing of Islamic manuscripts, and the care and management of Islamic manuscript collections.
This invitation is open to members and non-members of the Association. The languages of the Conference will be Arabic and English, and submissions will be accepted in both languages. The duration of each conference paper is 30 minutes inclusive of 10 minutes of questions and answers. The Association will pay for round-trip economy class travel to Cambridge, accommodation in Magdalene College, and College-based meals for authors whose papers are accepted. Revised versions of successful conference papers will be considered for publication in the Association's peer-reviewed Journal of Islamic Manuscripts.


Charlie Parker, alto saxophonist/bebop pioneer, got the ball rolling on the adding of strings to jazz. This went down in the late 1947 through 1950, on a pair of releases on Mercury Records introducing the sound of the Yardbird backed by a symphony orchestra. These sets were later compiled by Verve Records and issued in 1995 as Charlie Parker with Strings. That offering is a masterpiece of the genre it spawned: Chet Baker with Strings, (Columbia Records, 1954); Clifford Brown with Strings, (EmArcy Records, 1955); Paul Desmond's Desmond Blue, (RCA Victor, 1962). All of these discs featured jazz standards and Great American Songbook tunes played by the individual soloists on those sets, backed by symphony orchestras.
Now pianist Danny Green adds his contribution to the "with strings" mode.
Green has emerged as one today's of he top jazz pianists with his two excellent OA2 Records releases, After The Calm (2014) and Altered Narratives, (2016). Both of these are trio affairs, featuring bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm. There are trios out there who are as in sync, as vibrantly interactive and consistently and collectively inspired as this group—but you can count them on two hands. And almost all them are, as is the Danny Green Trio, long-standing groups, seasoned in the art of trio interaction.
With Altered Narratives Green introduced a string quartet on three tunes to flesh out his compositional ideas. Those three tunes were the appetizer. With One Day It Will he serves up the full banquet. It is a sumptuous one, brimming with unabashed grace, elegance and forthright beauty that leans heavily on the pianist's classical training.
Unike the previously-mentioned "with strings" outings featuring covers of familiar tunes, Green offers up a set of is own engaging compositions. The focus of vision of the project is remarkable. "Time Lapse To Fall," the opener, has a scintillating energy moving through the backdrop sweet, diaphanous string washes. "As The Parrot Flies" continues in this mode, hinting at an interconnectedness of a suite-like listening experience. As the strings drop out, the trio moves into an interlude of on-edge extrapolation, with pianist Green dishing up one surprise after another. The title tune introduces a more majestic, perhaps melancholic mood to the proceedings. "View From The Sky" takes that gorgeous majesty to yet another level of excellence.


SAN FRANCISCO (Sept 11, 2004) - About 50,000 people jammed Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park yesterday for the 6th annual "911 Power to the Peaceful Festival" presented by Michael Franti and Guerrilla Management. Live performances by Spearhead, String Cheese Incident, John Butler Trio, and Xavier Rudd had folks dancing between alternating sunshine and fog. Amy Goodman, Media Benjamin, Mario Africa, Barbara Lubin and a host of Youth Speaks! poets kept things flowing between sets. Despite a 45-minute interruption in the show due to a blown power generator, folks seemed to enjoy the afternoon, check out the dozens of community organizations and "peace/green vendors", and just hang out—who could complain for a completely free show?


Full moon, Coral Bloom and Spring downpour … look around with keen eyes while snorkeling or diving and you may just spot a few Caribbean Reef Squid.
Fairly common in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands waters, they can be difficult to see as their colors naturally blend with the water and suspended particles. Adding to the near-invisibility is the fact that the Caribbean Reef Squid is not that big, averaging six to 12 inches as adults.
If you are lucky enough to spot one, you may even be able to see it change colors and flash dot patterns as it communicates with nearby squid. Wary by nature, they may stick around for observation by a swimmer making a slow and unthreatening approach.
Caribbean Reef Squid will let divers know if they have come to close by wagging a crooked tentacle in the air and jetting away as seen at the end of the video.
The ocean naturally recycles itself. In the Virgin Islands we recognize that fact and have made it illegal to remove natural objects from beaches and shorelines. This includes seashells, coral, natural drift wood, seaweed, pebbles, sand, etc. If it belongs there, leave it there.


With crude oil likely going to pass $100 any time now, some people have started arguing that we may be near peak production with a gloomy future awaiting us.
It consists of around 36 thousand billion metric tons of methane, good for another couple of thousand years.
Since the known natural gas reserves are 52 million billion cubic feet (corresponding to 1.2 million billion kilograms), it all comes down to an untapped reserve 31 times as much as what is currently available. With around 80 years between now and exhaustion of Earth's natural gas deposits, we can burn our way through perhaps another 2,400 years of cooking.
The upshot is that by the time we'll be able to source such a giant methane deposit, the technological advances needed for the endeavour will likely have made all fossil fuels a thing of the past.
The downside is that this newly-found source is a bit far.


The essay is often the most important part of your application; it gives the scholarship committee a sense of who you are and your dedication to your goals. Youll want to make sure that your scholarship essay is the best it can possibly be. The annual Anders Wall ceremony was held in Stockholm, to announce the prestigious scholars of Wallstiftelsen. This year was also the tenth anniversary for the SwedCham Shanghai scholarship.
Essay Scholarships. Perhaps you are a brilliant writer, or maybe you're just going for the most efficient way to rack up the college scholarship money. Either way, youve decided that the key to funding your education lies in winning scholarship essay contests. Essay scholarships are awarded in numerous fields to students of varied backgrounds. Scholarship Essay If you are applying for a scholarship, scholarship essay is a requirement though you may lack the necessary skills to write a winning scholarship.
You may think of the best way of to impress the scholarship committee by giving them brief information about yourself and the dedicated goals. Scholarship Essay The Anders Wall Foundation is offering the International studies scholarship to all master students of economics, who seek funding for travel studies to the US, UK, China, former Soviet Union, and Finland. Anders wall scholarship foundation for Studies at Uppsala University Scholarships will cover the cost of tuition, but not living expenses, for studies at Uppsala University programmes offered during the current admission round and Essay Scholarships Scholarships with essays often have interesting topics which allow you to express your opinion through the written word.
Elizabeth Hoyt. July 11, 2018. If youre a skilled writer, a few hundred (or even a thousand) words is no biggie. SSE Riga Anders Wall Scholarship 2018. 86 likes. The Anders Wall Foundation, established in 1981, awards talented young individuals in the fields of Scholarship Essay Examples are provided for insight on how to write a scholarship essay. The Swedish Federation of Young Scientists is awarding the Anders Wall Scholarship to doctorate students in the areas of natural sciences, matematics, and engineering.


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Alabama Supreme Court: How To Prove Proper Execution Of a Will
In the November 2020 opinion of McElroy v. Estate of McElroy, the Alabama Supreme Court reviewed the basics of how to make a valid will, and how to prove the proper execution of a will that is not-self proving. In this case, the will contestants challenged the validity of the will on the basis of fraud.
The Facts of McElroy v. Estate of McElroy
Decedent died in 2010, leaving an October 15, 2008 will. Shortly after his death, Tracy, Decedent's daughter, petitioned the Alabama probate court to admit the will to probate. Tracy averred that the will was self-proving in accordance with § 43-8-132, Ala. Code 1975. The probate court admitted the will to probate and issued letters testamentary to Tracy.
Tomeka and Marlon, Decedent's son and daughter (the "Will Contestants"), filed a will contest, alleging that Decedent's signature on the will was forged, and that therefore the will was not properly executed under Alabama law.
After a three-day bench trial on the will contest in circuit court, the court entered a judgment finding that, although the will did not meet the requirements of a self-proving will under § 43-8-132, it was properly executed and witnessed and was, therefore, valid under § 43-8-131. After an appeal was initiated, it was determined that the case was not properly removed from probate to circuit court, and that the circuit court never obtained subject-matter jurisdiction over the estate administration or the will contest.
A new trial was ordered. The parties agreed that in lieu of another bench trial the probate court would base its ruling regarding the validity of the will on written materials, including the transcript of the bench trial in the circuit court.
The transcript indicated that:
The will was not signed by Decedent, but was signed by Tracy. Tracy testified that she signed the will at Decedent's direction and in his presence.
Tomeka testified that Decedent said, in the months before his death, that he did not have a will and wanted his estate divided evenly among his four children.
Willie Jackson, one of the subscribing witnesses, testified that he signed a document in Decedent's presence, does not recall if Decedent's signature was on the document when he signed, and that he read the paragraph above the signature line which stated that the document was a will before he signed.
Juandalynn Givan, an attorney, testified that she prepared Decedent's will in accordance with Decedent's instructions, and that she delivered it to Decedent. An executed copy of the will was returned to her, and she kept it in her files.
Gloria Patrick, the notary public, testified that she notarized the will at Decedent's house, and asked Decedent if the signature on the will was his. He said it was.
Proper Execution Of an Alabama Will
We have previously written about how to properly execute a will under Alabama law. To be valid under Alabama law, section 43-8-131 requires:
[E]very will shall be in writing signed by the testator or in the testator's name by some other person in the testator's presence and by his direction, and shall be signed by at least two persons each of whom witnessed either the signing or the testator's acknowledgment of the signature or of the will.
Here, the Will Contestants argued that the will was not properly executed under § 43-8-131 of the Alabama Code because Decedent failed to acknowledge to a witness that he had directed Tracy to sign his name on the will.
Does A Testator Have To Note On the Will That He Directed Someone To Sign His Name?
No. There is no requirement under Alabama law requiring a testator to make any representation to a witness other than to indicate the document is his or her will and to ask the witness to sign it. There is no requirement that the Decedent acknowledge that he directed someone to sign his name.
How Do You Prove Proper Execution of A Will That Is Not Self-Proving Under Alabama Law?
Section 43-8-167 of the Alabama Code sets forth the requirements for proving the proper execution of a will that is not self-proved. Section 43-8-167 provides:
(a) Wills offered for probate, except nuncupative wills, must be proved by one or more of the subscribing witnesses, or if they be dead, insane or out of the state or have become incompetent since the attestation, then by the proof of the handwriting of the testator, and that of at least one of the witnesses to the will. Where no contest is filed, the testimony of only one attesting witness is sufficient.
Here, the will was in writing, signed by someone in the testator's presence and at his direction. The third requirement is subscribing witnesses who witnessed the testator performing one of three acts:
Signing the will
Acknowledging the document as his will
Acknowledging his signature on the will
Here, Jackson, a subscribing witness, did not witness the execution of the will by the Alabama decedent, and could not recall if decedent had signed the will prior to Jackson's signature. The will would nonetheless be valid if Decedent acknowledged to Jackson hat the document Jackson was witnessing was a will. Jackson testified that before signing, he read the paragraph above the signature line which acknowledged that the document was Decedent's will.
The Alabama Supreme court found this sufficient, stating:
Recognizing that the intent of § 43-8- 131 is to provide minimum statutory formalities for a valid will, we conclude that Jackson's testimony, i.e., acknowledging that the page he signed was clearly marked as Clifton's will, satisfies the statutory requirements of §§ 43-8-131 and 43-8-167. Our conclusion is further bolstered by the additional evidence surrounding the execution of the will and, specifically, the fact that the will was prepared by Clifton's attorney at Clifton's request and in accordance with his instructions and the fact that the will was acknowledged by a notary public, which is sufficient to meet the statutory requirements of a witness. The totality of these circumstances strongly suggest that the will was validly executed and was not procured by fraud. To conclude otherwise would frustrate, rather than further, the intent of § 43-8-131, which provides the minimum formalities for a valid will.
The Alabama Supreme Court adhered to the policy of upholding the validity of the execution of a will when possible, to give effect to a testator's intent.
Do I Have to Pay My Parents' Debts When They Die?
Should You Get a Probate Advance?
Can You Challenge a Marriage After Death?
More Alabama Probate and Trust News
Alabama Supreme Court: Failure to Record Marriage Document Before Death Does Not Invalidate Marriage
Who Can Make a Will In Alabama?
The Alabama Supreme Court On Proving The Existence and Terms Of an Oral Trust
Who Are Next Of Kin In Alabama?
Alabama Supreme Court: Administrator Allowed To Sell Estate Real Property


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\section{Introduction}

The fruit fly is considered to be one of the smallest flying insects with a wingspan of about 6 mm. It flies at about 200 wingbeats per second, which yields a Reynolds number of about 120. However, there is a large variety of flying insects that are much smaller in size. One group includes parasatoid wasps. The jewel wasp is one example and has a wingspan of about 3 mm, flying at a Reynolds number of about 60. Another group includes \textit{Thysanoptera}, commonly known as thrips. These insects are characterized by bristled wings and fly at Reynolds numbers around 10.

In 'typical' insect flight, lift is produced when a leading edge vortex is formed and remains attached to the wing, and a trailing edge vortex is formed and separates from the wing during each stroke. For tiny insect flight, neither the leading nor trailing edge vortices separate from the wing during the duration of each stroke.  As the Reynolds number is lowered from 100 to 1, the relative lift forces produced during flapping flight decrease while drag forces increase significantly. These transitions are associated with a change in the behavior of the vortex wakes behind the flapping wings~\cite{Miller:04}.

\section{Methods}
Thrips were collected during July and August locally on the University of North Carolina campus. Fruit flies were obtained from a local collection in the UNC Department of Biology. Jewel wasps were ordered from Carolina Biological. High speed videos of the insects were taken at 4000 Hz. In each case, one or two cameras were focused on a standard pipette tip from which the insects were filmed during takeoff.

Immersed boundary simulations~\cite{Peskin} were performed for a two-dimensional wing with a fixed angle of attack of $45\deg$ immersed in a channel. Reynolds number was calculated as $\frac{\rho UL}{\mu}$, where $U$ was the maximum velocity in the channel, $\mu$ was the dynamic viscosity of the fluid, $\rho$ was the density of the fluid, and $L$ was the chord length of the wing. The initially velocity of the channel was set to zero and then linearly increased to a set velocity determined by the desired Reynolds number.

Particle image velocimetry was used to quantify the flow fields around a dynamically scaled physical model of a wing that rotated about its base. The velocities of particles illuminated in the laser sheet were determined from sequential images analyzed using a cross-correlation algorithm (LaVision Inc. software). Image
pairs were analyzed with shifting overlapping interrogation windows of decreasing size ($64 \times 64$
pixels then $32 \times 32$ pixels). Lift and drag forces were also measured using a dynamically scaled physical model that rotated about its base~\cite{Sane}.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv