text:
Forecasting through disruption
Despite the disruption to customer behaviour brought by the Covid-19 crisis, Pearson developed a consolidated forecasting process that has enabled it to speed up invoicing, accelerate £60m in cash flow and meet its 2020 targets.
by Rebecca Brace
Published: August 17th 2021
Cash flow forecasting has long been recognised as a major challenge for corporations – and learning company Pearson, which has over 20,000 employees and reported sales of £3.4 billion in 2020, is no exception. "One of the challenges with forecasting is to understand what your assumptions are when producing the forecast," explains Group Treasurer James Kelly. "When you've got lots of people producing forecasts independently, and then consolidating them, you need to have a consistent approach."
Getting people to produce a forecast on time can be difficult, while treasury teams often spend precious time pursuing clerical accuracy. And as Kelly adds, "it is important to have enough detail in your actuals to really understand whether the hypotheses that were ventured in your forecast have actually come to pass."
Forecasting during a pandemic
The latter is particularly important in times of uncertainty – and few things are as unpredictable as the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. For many organisations, the crisis meant that cash flow forecasting became significantly more challenging overnight, not least because disrupted customer behaviour meant that forecasts based on historical sales patterns could no longer be relied upon.
For Pearson, with the company's professional test centres forced to close due to lockdowns, a major challenge came in the form of refunds that had to be issued to customers for tests that had been booked in advance – a situation that was complicated by the differing ways that customers could respond. Some rebooked straight away; some requested an immediate refund, and others waited for a couple of weeks before requesting a refund. And when requesting a refund, customers could either apply to Pearson directly, or request a refund via their credit card companies. All these different scenarios impacted the company's short-term modelling.
The path to better forecasting
While the challenges were considerable, Pearson's treasury had already been on a journey to more effective forecasting before the pandemic began – indeed, the automation of cash forecasting formed part of a treasury and cash management optimisation project that won a EuroFinance Treasury Excellence Award in 2019. The company subsequently adopted Cashforce's AI-powered forecasting system, and continued to work on improving its processes. However, when the pandemic started it was clear that a more comprehensive approach was needed.
"What was interesting about Covid was that some of the basic models that we built around predictable cash flows broke," Kelly comments. "We were able to keep using some of our models for things like payroll – but on the receipt side, a lot of things that had previously been predictable now became unpredictable." What this meant was that the forecasting ability of the system almost became redundant – "and the benefits of the solution became more about hypothesis testing, and as a consolidation engine that allows you to build different scenarios."
With the onset of the pandemic, each business produced a high, medium and low sales forecast, which the treasury team used to build its own set of forecasts. While this exercise was initially carried out using Excel, the treasury's Cashforce-based 12-week forecast demonstrated good levels of accuracy, as well as integrating with key group systems. As such, the system was selected as the basis for the new approach to producing short, medium and long-term forecasts in 16 categories, later expanded to include 120 subcategories.
Building a map of cash flows
By combining this data with information from the company's ERP system, Pearson has been able to generate detailed reports, test hypotheses and converge its low, medium and high scenarios, thereby building a detailed map of what is happening with cash flows.
This proved useful early in the crisis when predicting how many customers would opt to request an immediate refund and re-book later. After initially modelling a range of scenarios, Pearson then used data from the first week to narrow the range. "Overall, we saw a significant proportion of customer request refunds in the first two weeks, mainly through their card companies," comments Kelly. "We then started to see a stabilisation. By the end of the year, advance bookings were back to their normal level, with significant pent-up demand for many tests."
Pearson's functional currency is GBP, so with considerable variability in the company's US profits another question was how to use the forecasting information to hedge currency risk. Again, this drew upon the low, medium and high scenarios: forward contracts were used to hedge committed or highly probable foreign currency flows for the low scenario, with collars and options used to provide protection for the medium and high scenarios.
Pearson has seen numerous benefits as a result of its enhanced forecasting process. Preparing forecasts centrally has freed up significant time for the operating companies, as well as enabling forecasts to be updated daily, instead of weekly or monthly. And Kelly notes that forecasts are now significantly more accurate than they were in 2019, despite uncertainty relating to the pandemic.
Further, Pearson has been able to use insights from the forecasting process to drive better performance in its working capital metrics – in particular, lower DSO, lower variability in DSO, and faster invoicing speed. These initiatives accelerated over £60m of cash flow in 2020, enabling Pearson to achieve its objective of delivering operating cash flow of over £300m, despite the pandemic.
Above all, the crisis has acted as a catalyst for Pearson to rethink the nature and purpose of forecasting. As Kelly concludes: "Whether the forecast is right or wrong becomes less important than understanding why it's right or wrong. So the game we were playing wasn't to get the forecast right on any particular day, but to have a good understanding of the business over time – which then enables you to get it right."
Pearson will be presenting at the 30th anniversary International Treasury Management Virtual Week from Sept 27 – Oct 1. Registration is free for corporate treasurers. Click here to find out more and reserve your place.
Related: HSCS's journey to a digital treasury
Related: Keeping data at the centre of future proofing businesses
Related: Building a data driven treasury organisation


text:
What Is The Charger For The Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch is a video game console released by Nintendo in March 2017. The console is the successor to the Wii U and Nintendo's sixth home console. The console is a hybrid device that can be used as a handheld or home console.
The Nintendo Switch comes with a charging cable and a charging dock. The charging cable is a USB Type-C cable. The charging dock is used to charge the Nintendo Switch. The charging dock has a built-in fan to help keep the console cool while it is charging.
The Nintendo Switch can be charged using a USB Type-C charger or a USB Type-A charger. The Nintendo Switch can also be charged using a computer's USB port.
The Nintendo Switch's battery life is about 2.5 to 6 hours, depending on the game being played. The battery life can be extended by using the charging dock.
1 Can I use a normal USB-C charger for Nintendo Switch?
2 Can I use my phone charger to charge my Switch?
3 Can I charge Switch with IPAD charger?
4 Can I charge Switch with laptop charger?
5 How can I charge my Switch without a charger?
6 Can you use other chargers for Nintendo Switch?
7 Can I use Iphone charger for Nintendo Switch?
Can I use a normal USB-C charger for Nintendo Switch?
The Nintendo Switch is a versatile console that can be used in a variety of ways. One of the ways you can use the Switch is by docking it into the included dock that allows you to use the console on your TV. The dock has a USB-C port on the back that is used to provide power to the Switch and also to send video and audio signals to the TV.
The Nintendo Switch comes with a USB-C to USB-A cable that you can use to charge the console. The cable is used to connect the dock to the power adapter. You can also use a USB-C to USB-C cable to charge the Switch.
There are a number of USB-C power adapters available on the market. You can use a USB-C power adapter that is designed for a laptop or a phone. The power adapter must have a USB-C port and a USB-A port.
See also Snipperclips For Nintendo Switch
The Nintendo Switch will not charge if you use a power adapter that does not have a USB-C port. If you try to use a power adapter that does not have a USB-C port, the Switch will not power on.
The Nintendo Switch uses a lot of power and it will take a longer time to charge the console if you use a power adapter that is not designed for the Switch. It is recommended that you use the included power adapter to charge the Switch.
Can I use my phone charger to charge my Switch?
Yes, you can use your phone charger to charge your Switch. However, not all phone chargers are created equal, so it's important to make sure you're using a charger that is compatible with your Switch.
The Switch comes with a USB-C cable that can be used to charge the device. If you're using a charger that has a USB-C port, you can use the included cable to charge your Switch. If you're using a charger that doesn't have a USB-C port, you can use a USB-C to USB-A adapter to connect the charger to your Switch.
It's important to note that the Switch's battery can only be charged to 80% capacity when using a USB-C charger. If you need to charge your Switch's battery to 100%, you can use the included AC adapter.
Can I charge Switch with IPAD charger?
So you just got a Nintendo Switch and you're looking for a way to charge it. You have an iPad charger lying around and you're wondering if you can use that to charge your Switch. The answer is yes, you can use an iPad charger to charge your Switch.
The Switch uses a USB-C port for charging, so it will work with any USB-C charger. The iPad charger uses a Lightning port, but you can use a USB-C to Lightning cable to connect the two devices.
See also Stylus For Nintendo Switch
Just be sure that the iPad charger has at least a 5 watt output, otherwise it may not be able to charge the Switch. And keep in mind that the Switch's battery will take longer to charge using an iPad charger than it would with the charger that came with the Switch.
Can I charge Switch with laptop charger?
The Nintendo Switch is a portable console that can be played on the go. But what happens when the battery runs out? Can you charge the Switch with a laptop charger?
The answer is yes, you can charge the Switch with a laptop charger. However, you will need to use a USB-C to USB-C cable in order to do so. You can either use the cable that came with your Switch, or you can purchase a third-party cable.
When charging the Switch with a laptop charger, be sure to use the adapter that came with your laptop. Do not use an adapter that is meant for a phone or other device.
It is important to note that charging the Switch with a laptop charger will not charge the battery as quickly as using the included charger. But it will still charge the battery, and it is a great option if you are travelling and don't have access to a Nintendo charger.
How can I charge my Switch without a charger?
There are several ways that you can charge your Nintendo Switch without a charger. One way is to use the USB Type-C port on the Switch to charge it using a USB Type-C cable. Another way is to use the USB charging cable that came with your Switch to charge it using a USB port on a computer or USB wall charger.
Can you use other chargers for Nintendo Switch?
Nintendo Switch is a new video game console that was released in March 2017. It is a hybrid console that can be used as a handheld device or plugged into a television. The console has a 6.2-inch capacitive multi-touch screen and comes with a Joy-Con grip that can be used to attach the two Joy-Con controllers.
See also Rent Nintendo Switch Lite
The Nintendo Switch comes with a power adapter that has a USB Type-C connector. The power adapter is used to charge the console and the Joy-Con controllers. The Nintendo Switch can also be charged using a USB Type-C connector on a computer or other device.
Some third-party chargers that are not made by Nintendo can also be used to charge the Nintendo Switch. These chargers must have a USB Type-C connector and must provide at least 15 watts of power.
Can I use Iphone charger for Nintendo Switch?
Can you use an iPhone charger for the Nintendo Switch?
The answer to that question is yes, you can use an iPhone charger for the Nintendo Switch. However, there are a few things you need to keep in mind.
First, you should make sure that the charger you are using is a USB-C charger. The Nintendo Switch comes with a USB-C charger, so if you have one of those, you're good to go.
If you don't have a USB-C charger, you can use an iPhone charger, but you will need to use a USB adapter. You can find USB adapters at most electronics stores.
Finally, you should make sure that the wattage of the charger is high enough. The Nintendo Switch requires a charger that has at least 15 watts of power. Most iPhone chargers do not have that high of a wattage.
So, if you want to use an iPhone charger for the Nintendo Switch, you will need to use a USB adapter. Make sure that the wattage of the charger is at least 15 watts, and you should be good to go.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The WASC team at Co-op, from left: Kristin Olson Hogan (Elementary Principal), Emily Dale (3rd grade teacher and Self-Study Coordinator), Jim Denight (WASC chair), Fred Murphy (visiting committee member), Marsha Taylor (visiting committee member), Linda Reser (visiting committee member), Chelsea Armstrong (Middle/High School Principal), and Stephanie Douglas (High School Science and Curriculum committee Chair).
Accreditation teams from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) visited Assumption Schools (both elementary and high school) and Majuro Cooperative School recently, as well as public schools, as part of ongoing accreditation review.
Assumption received praise for their continuing efforts to improve the school from visiting WASC representatives Evelyn Managa and Doug Baumgart during an exit report held at the school recently.
Managa admired four key points or goals by the school: to employ more highly qualified teachers; to integrate technology into the school; to get more alumni support; and to get RMI government support.
Majuro Cooperative School received a positive review from the four-member visiting US accreditation team.
Capturing this positive evaluation was the team's top point: "The school community exemplifies in word and action the vision, mission, philosophy, and expected school-wide learning results of Co-op." The team visited as Co-op is winding up a six-year accreditation term.
The team reviewed a "self-study" prepared by the school in advance of the visit, using this report to validate the educational program at Co-op.
The team noted some areas for improvement, including: Board and administration review of establishing school-wide improvement as a continuous process and expand professional development around interventions and teaching strategies for English language learning students.
Reports on both schools go to the WASC Commission that meets in a few weeks to decide accreditation terms for the schools.


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Leader is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language political drama film written and directed by Sekhar Kammula, and produced by AVM Productions. It stars debutant Rana Daggubati alongside Richa Gangopadhyay, Priya Anand, Suhasini Maniratnam, Suman, Subbaraju, Tanikella Bharani and Harsha Vardhan. The plot follows Arjun Prasad (Daggubati) who becomes the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh succeeding his deceased father and his struggle to fight the corruption plaguing the political system.

The film features music by Mickey J. Meyer with cinematography by Vijay C. Kumar and editing by Marthand K. Venkatesh. It was released on 19 February 2010. Leader is listed among the "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade" by Film Companion.

Plot
Sanjeevayya, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh is dead. His last wish is that his son Arjun Prasad should succeed him as the next Chief Minister. However, Arjun's cousin Dhanunjay has aims to become the Chief Minister instead. Arjun is approached by Ali who has given 10 crores to Sanjeevayya to resolve a land dispute in Ali's favour. Arjun finds about his father's corruption, and his mother Rajeswari Devi validates it while sharing Sanjeevayya's desire for a casteless and corruption-less government. Arjun's uncle (Sanjeevayya's elder brother) Mahadevayya, whom he refers to as Peddaina, tolerates corruption as long as it helps his family stay in power. Arjun decides to fulfill his father's dream and enrolls Ali to quietly win the support of his party's MLAs and news reporter Ratna Prabha joins them. Arjun bribes his way to win support from MLAs and ministers and is elected Chief Minister by them. An angry Dhanunjay attempts to assassinate Arjun and is asked to resign from his ministerial post.

Arjun encounters resistance from his own party in his drive to eliminate corruption and plots to win the support of Alliance Party leader Munnuswami's daughter Archana by making her fall for him. His attempts to woo her are successful and he saves his government while Archana's parts away from him upon realizing that she has been used as a ploy. As a condition for Munnuswami's support, he lets an MLA's son go scot-free, even though the son was accused of raping and murdering of a young tribal girl. His mother Rajeswari Devi rebukes Arjun's move and warns the step as compromises that lead to corruption. That same night, she dies. Arjun resolves to go ahead with his corruption elimination drive and resigns the same evening while creating sensation in the media for exposing corruption.

Arjun wins the ensuing election after leaving his uncle's party and establishing a new party. His effort wins back Archana's support.

Cast

 Rana Daggubati as Arjun Prasad, a man who becomes the Chief Minister succeeding his deceased father
 Richa Gangopadhyay as Archana Prasad, a TV channel reporter
 Priya Anand as Ratna Prabha, a news reporter whom Arjun sends to help him win the support of his party's MLAs
 Suhasini Maniratnam as Rajeswari Devi, Arjun's mother
 Suman as CM Sanjeevayya, Arjun's father who gets assassinated
 Subbaraju as Dhanunjay, Arjun's cousin who attempts to assassinate him
 Kota Srinivasa Rao as Mahadevayya (Peddayana), Arjun's uncle and Sanjeevayya's elder brother
 Tanikella Bharani as Chief Secretary Sharma
 Harsha Vardhan as Ali, Arjun's personal secretary
 Rao Ramesh as Mavayya, Arjun's uncle
 Ahuti Prasad as Munnuswami, Archana's father and the Alliance Party leader
 Gollapudi Maruti Rao
 Narsing Yadav
 Rani Rudrama
 Shatru
 Vai Sista in a cameo role
 Udaya Bhanu as item number "Rajashekara"

Critical reception
Leader opened to rave reviews from critics. A The Times of India critic gave three stars of five, noting "Another lineage star Rana Daggubati takes his first bow at the Box Office with an inspiring political saga, he puts in a surprisingly mature performance (for a debutant) and shines in his role of a savvy young CEO of a US-based company who turns a conniving politician with effortless ease."

Radhika Rajamani from Rediff.com also gave a three star rating and said "The film is a relevant take on contemporary politics in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Performance-wise, Sekhar scores. His choice Suhasini as Arjun's mother is good. She brings grace and dignity to her role. An impressive debut, indeed. Richa Gangopadhyay looks pretty and charming. Harshavardhan (who plays Ali) and Priya Anand (Ratna Prabha) are competent in their roles. Mickey J Meyer's music is good too."

A reviewer from Sify explains "The technical aspects of the film are highly impressive with superb cinematography, excellent music and terrific background score. The first half is gripping, giving some promising moments to the audience. But, the second half slips into monotony thanks to the slipshod treatment to the political subject." However it praised the lead performances, saying "Rana has certainly lived up to the expectations of the audiences with his looks and thoroughly trained histrionics."

Soundtrack
The soundtrack has music composed by Mickey J. Meyer. The music was released on 22 November 2009.

References

External links

 Leader Telugu full movie in ZEE5 . https://www.zee5.com/movies/details/leader/0-0-234177

2010 films
Telugu films remade in other languages
2010s political drama films
Films about politicians
Films set in Hyderabad, India
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films scored by Mickey J Meyer
AVM Productions films
Indian political thriller films
Indian political drama films
Films directed by Sekhar Kammula
2010s Telugu-language films

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
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text:
The Charge of the Media Brigade
John Pilger ,
Washington - The TV anchorwoman was conducting a split screen interview with a journalist who had volunteered to be a witness at the execution of a man on death row in Utah for 25 years. "He had a choice
Washington – The TV anchorwoman was conducting a split screen interview with a journalist who had volunteered to be a witness at the execution of a man on death row in Utah for 25 years. "He had a choice," said the journalist, "lethal injection or firing squad." "Wow!" said the anchorwoman. Cue a blizzard of commercials for fast food, teeth whitener, stomach stapling, the new Cadillac. This was followed by the war in Afghanistan presented by a correspondent sweating in a flak jacket. "Hey, it's hot," he said on the split screen. "Take care," said the anchorwoman. Coming up, was a reality show in which the camera watched a man serving solitary confinement in a prison's "hell hole."
The next morning I arrived at the Pentagon for an interview with one of President Obama's senior war-making officials. There was a long walk along shiny corridors hung with pictures of generals and admirals festooned in ribbons. The interview room was purpose built. It was blue and arctic cold, windowless and featureless except for a flag and two chairs: props to create the illusion of a place of authority. The last time I was in a room like this in the Pentagon, a colonel called Hum stopped my interview with another war-making official when I asked why so many innocent civilians were being killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Then it was in the thousands; now it is more than a million. "Stop tape!" he ordered.
This time, there was no Colonel Hum, merely a polite dismissal of soldiers' testimony that it was a "common occurrence" that troops were ordered to "kill every mother fucker." The Pentagon, says The Associated Press, spends $4.7 billion on public relations: that is, winning the hearts and minds not of recalcitrant Afghan tribesmen, but of Americans. This is known as "information dominance" and PR people are "information warriors."
American imperial power flows through a media culture to which the word imperial is anathema. To broach it is heresy. Colonial campaigns are really "wars of perception," wrote the present commander, Gen. David Petraeus, in which the media popularizes the terms and conditions. "Narrative" is the accredited word because it is post-modern and bereft of context and truth. The narrative of Iraq is that the war is won; and the narrative of Afghanistan is that it is a "good war." That neither is true is beside the point. They promote a "grand narrative" of a constant threat and the need for permanent war. "We are living in a world of cascading and intertwined threats," wrote the celebrated New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, "that have the potential to turn our country upside down at any moment."
Friedman supports an attack on Iran, whose independence is intolerable. This is the psychopathic vanity of great power which Martin Luther King described as "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world." He was then shot dead.
The psychopathic is applauded across popular, corporate culture, from the TV death watch of a man choosing a firing squad over lethal injection to the Oscar-winning "Hurt Locker" and a new, acclaimed war documentary "Restrepo." Directors of both films deny and dignify the violence of invasion as "apolitical." And, yet, behind the cartoon facade is serious purpose. The US is engaged militarily in 75 countries. There are some 900 US military bases across the world, many at the gateways to the sources of fossil fuels.
But there is a problem. Most Americans are opposed to these wars and to the billions of dollars spent on them. That their brainwashing so often fails is America's greatest virtue. This is frequently due to courageous mavericks, especially those who emerge from the centrifuge of power. In 1971, military analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked documents known as the Pentagon Papers, which put the lie to almost everything two presidents had claimed about Vietnam. Many of these insiders are not even renegades. I have a section in my address book filled with the names of former officers of the CIA who have spoken out. They have no equivalent in Britain.
In 1993, C. Philip Liechty, the CIA operations officer in Jakarta at the time of Indonesia's murderous invasion of East Timor, described to me how President Gerald Ford and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had given the dictator Suharto " a green light," and secretly supplied the arms and logistics he needed. As the first reports of massacres arrived at his desk, he began to turn. "It was wrong," he said. "I felt badly."
Melvin Goodman is now a scholar at Johns Hopkins University in Washington. He was in the CIA more than 40 years and rose to be a senior Soviet analyst. When we met the other day, he described the conduct of the cold war as a series of gross exaggerations of Soviet "aggressiveness" that willfully ignored the intelligence that the Soviets were committed to avoid nuclear war at all costs. Declassified official files on both sides of the Atlantic support this view. "What mattered to the hardliners in Washington," he said, "was how a perceived threat could be exploited." The present Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, as deputy director of the CIA in the 1980s, had constantly hyped the "Soviet menace" and is, says Goodman, doing the same today "on Afghanistan, North Korea and Iran."
Little has changed. In America, in 1939, W.H. Auden wrote:
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade:
Waves of anger and fear
Circulate over the bright
And darkened lands of the earth,
Obsessing our private lives […]
Out of the mirror they stare,
Imperialism's face
And the international wrong
John Pilger is an Australian-born, London-based journalist, filmmaker and author. For his foreign and war reporting, ranging from Vietnam and Cambodia to the Middle East, he has twice won Britain's highest award for journalism. For his documentary films, he won a British Academy Award and an American Emmy. In 2009, he was awarded Australia's human rights prize, the Sydney Peace Prize. John Pilger's films can be viewed on his website.


text:
Q: Partial group dataframe by two conditions Let's say I have the following dataframe, where I have 3 columns (color (Yellow, Green or Red), label (A, B or C) and val(a numeric value)).
For each colour, there is 100 entries. This results in a 3 x 900 dataframe.

col
label
val

yellow1
A
23

yellow1
B
2

yellow1
C
12

green1
A
42

green1
B
55

green1
C
21

yellow2
A
33

yellow2
B
56

yellow2
C
45

How can I change this dataframe so there is a seperate column for each colour and label. For example...

Yellow.A
Yellow.B
Yellow.C
Green.A
Green.B
Green.C
Red.A

23
2
12
42
55
21
64

33
56
45
24
52
42
24

23
2
232
53
32
24
112

Note: I do not want separate columns for Yellow1.A, Yellow2.A...etc. All 'A's for 'Yellow' should be within a single column.
I use dyplr/tidyverse as well as base.

A: base R
dat$col <- sub("[0-9]+$", "", dat$col)
tmp <- lapply(split(dat, dat[c("col", "label")]), `[[`, "val")
tmp <- lapply(tmp, `length<-`, max(lengths(tmp)))
as.data.frame(tmp)
#   green.A yellow.A green.B yellow.B green.C yellow.C
# 1      42       23      55        2      21       12
# 2      NA       33      NA       56      NA       45

Data
dat <- structure(list(col = c("yellow1", "yellow1", "yellow1", "green1", "green1", "green1", "yellow2", "yellow2", "yellow2"), label = c("A", "B", "C", "A", "B", "C", "A", "B", "C"), val = c(23L, 2L, 12L, 42L, 55L, 21L, 33L, 56L, 45L)), class = "data.frame", row.names = c(NA, -9L))

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Windows has a somewhat unfair advantage when it comes to running applications. Being so popular means it has a large number of unique and innovative applications which are exclusively bound to it. On the other hand most Linux application are open-source and have a port available for Windows. This essentially leaves Windows with its share of application and those of Linux as well!
With Qt 4, the framework was released under GPL for all platforms, which meant that applications using Qt could now easily be ported to Windows. The result is that now we have a functioning build of KDE for Windows with an easy to use installer which can also manage your package installation.
To a limited extent, this means you can get a KDE experience on your Windows system. Still being primarily a Linux desktop environment, this is only a small taste of what the desktop brings. It is important to note that KDE 4 for Windows is not a complete desktop environment, but rather just the collection of some of the application that are available with the Linux version. While it does come with the KDE shell, its functionality is severely limited, and is not a suitable as a replacement for the Windows environment (As of 4.3). However it is a good demonstration of some of the functionalities of KDE under Windows.
KDE for Windows is organized like any other Linux software, and for those uninitiated in Linux, it might be a little off-putting. Different applications in KDE are all available in separate packages, which share dependencies. Meaning that since two applications might use some similar functionalities, the common stuff is installed only once. The installer manages all this for you so you needn't worry.
Step 10 Your part is now done! The installer will now start downloading the packages.
Step 12 Your installation is done! You can now launch KDE4 applications from the Windows start menu.
After installation you will see all KDE application show up in your programs menu, under a "KDE 4.3.x Release" folder. The applications under that are catagorized by function as they are in Linux.


Financial Budget Hacks For Every Student.
Go to the ATM as little as you can. Travel to Europe with as many euros as you feel comfortable having. Remember: every ATM fee is one less souvenir you can buy or one else gelato you can eat, and it definitely adds up quickly.
If the exchange rate is very different from your home currency, look up the conversion before arriving and screenshot it (especially if you will have limited access to Internet). This will make it easier when you're trying to travel on a tighter budget, so you can know how much you're spending.
The Trail Wallet app, helps to keep your travel expenses within budget. You can set a daily budget for yourself on the app and then track your spendings throughout the day. The app creates a pie chart to help you visualize your spendings. It also has the helpful tool of providing you with the current exchange rate for 218 different currencies.
WhatsApp is one way to utilize your phone's Wifi internet connection and place calls for free. Facebook messenger has the ability to make phone calls as does the iPhone Facetime audio feature. Do some research before your trip and make a plan so you don't end up spending all your money on foreign phone call rates.
Have a vague budget before you leave (based on what will/won't be provided by the program), but determine and plan your weekly costs once you've been in your host city for a week. By then, you'll know how many meals you need to buy, the metro fare, and the expenses of fun activities you'll definitely be wanting to do.
We'd all like to believe in the inherent goodness of our fellow travelers at hostels, but to save yourself from the sticky situation of waking up in a foreign country with no cash, cards or passport, consider investing in a comfortable money belt. Whilst you don't always have to wear your money belt when you're out, when sleeping in shared rooms in hostels it gives you some extra security so you're not left stranded abroad.
Since currently being abroad, I have come to thank my parents on multiple occasions for taking the time and allowing me to get a Travelex card. This card is able to be filled and activated by my parents into either Euros, crowns or many other currencies! Yes, you will have a conversion rate from US dollars to other currencies but you don't have the added stress of getting charged when taking out money.
A debit card from Dean Bank has no ATM fees, even when you're abroad! If possible, make sure your cards have chips for fast, easy payment.
One of my favorite memories from being abroad is when my group and I were on the island of Cyprus. Restaurants were a lot more expensive than we were used to and we didn't want to spend a lot on lunch. We decided to go to the local market and each bought two or three items (bread, cheese, fruit, etc) and had a wonderful picnic by the ocean with locally grown/freshly baked foods. It saved a ton of money and we got to taste all sorts of things we wouldn't have originally!
Many major cities offer tourists a city pass, which often covers transportation costs and offers discounts to major sight-seeing spots. In Rome, get the Roma pass for small lines and cheap entry.
Pick a hostel that includes complimentary breakfasts…that's one less meal you have to buy! Hostelworld is very detailed in different categories, which helps you to pick the best one for your budget.
There are so many discounts offered to post-secondary students around the world. Cheaper Eurail tickets and free admission to museums were just some of the deals I took advantage of while I was abroad.
We'd love to know: What are some of your travel budgeting tips?


text:
Official Bloggers Meeting Place
The Curse Facing Ottawa
SoutheastScribe
Making it to the final game or final playoff series during the previous season is no guarantee for future success — in fact it's quite the opposite for professional teams in all four of the major sports.
For the past 20 seasons, the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB teams that finished as runner-ups to the champions in each league have had a difficult time finding success during the following season. While there are several reasons to explain this phenomenon, like free agency, untimely injuries, etc., it seems nearly implausible that only two teams lost in the finals one year, and came back to win a championship the following season. Inexplicably, it hasn't happened in any of the four major sports since 1988.
In the NHL, the landscape is much worse for the runner-up. On paper, it would appear the Ottawa Senators are capable of rebounding from their loss to Anaheim in June, but closer inspection reveals that no NHL runner-up has returned to the Stanley Cup Finals the subsequent season since 1987. Five times the runner-up missed the playoffs altogether and eight times they were bounced in the first round. Those facts don't bode well for the Senators, particularly with the injury to Dany Heatley and Ray Emery's penchant for causing disruption by being late to practices.
One good note is that Jason Spezza told me at the All-Star Game that Heatley is mending quickly and could return earlier than many expected. At first it was reported that Heatley would miss eight weeks. Spezza said it might be no more than five or six.
Runners-Up Since 1987
2007 Senators ?
2006 Oilers missed
2004 Flames (2005 season cancelled)
2003 Mighty Ducks missed
2002 Hurricanes missed
2001 Devils Lost in 1st Round
2000 Stars Lost in 1st Round
1999 Sabres Lost in 1st Round
1998 Capitals missed
1997 Flyers Lost in 1st Round
1996 Panthers Lost in 1st Round
1995 Red Wings Lost in Semi-Finals
1994 Canucks Lost in 2nd Round (season abbreviated)
1993 Kings missed
1992 Blackhawks Lost in 1st Round
1991 North Stars Lost in 1st Round
1990 Bruins Lost in Semi-Finals
1989 Canadiens Lost in 2nd Round
1988 Bruins Lost in 2nd Round
Of course, three teams have won back-to-back Stanley Cups since that time, too. The Penguins in 1992-93, the Red Wings in 1997-98, and Edmonton in 1987-88.
truebluefan
blogs are not here.
http://www.hockeyforum.com/blog.php
The link is where the blogs are at. This is just a meeting forum for the bloggers themselves.
Welcome bloggers!
This forum is for you and you only. Admins and Super Mods can view and talk to you as well, but hopefully nobody else can see it. Forums is to discuss possible topics. Possible bloggers to add and anything else you want to talk about.
truebluefan · updated Jan 30, 2008
truebluefan Jan 31, 2008
Hockey Fan Forums
A forum community dedicated to Competitive Hockey players and enthusiasts. Fan Discussion of NHL Hockey, College Hockey, the Olympics, Major Juniors, the NHL Draft Forum and more!
Hockey Equipment International Hockey College Hockey Forum Hockey History


text:
(AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Wichita State returns to form with 67-50 win over No. 25 Utah
By Rob DausterDec 12, 2015, 5:58 PM EST
Three Things To Know: Shaka's seat heats up, Baylor survives, Virginia doesn't Bracketology: Welcome to the top line, San Diego State Monday's Overreaction: Myles Powell, Payton Pritchard, David Johnson and the two worst chokes of the year
All-Americans Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker combined for just 17 points on 7-for-19 shooting on Saturday afternoon. Connor Frankamp, the Kansas transfer eligible for his second game, finally hit his first shot as a Shocker … with less than a minute left in the game. Anton Grady and Landry Shamet did not play.
And Wichita State still smacked around No. 25 Utah in the Koch Center, winning 67-50 in a game that the Shockers controlled basically from the tip.
They're back, guys.
Zach Brown and Markus McDuffie led the way for the Shockers. Brown finished with 14 points while McDuffie added 13, hitting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. Perhaps more promising is that, for the second straight game, the Shockers held a likely NCAA tournament team to just 50 points in 40 minutes. On Saturday, their game-plan was pretty simple: pressure Utah's guards in the half court, make it difficult for them to run offense and double Jakob Poeltl on the catch, forcing someone else to beat them.
Poeltl finished with just five field goal attempts and six free throws. Utah committed 19 turnovers. Not a bad effort.
The Shockers entered the season as a preseason top 15 team, but a hamstring injury to VanVleet was a major reason that they lost four of their first six games. There had been concern that this group had managed to play their way out of at-large contention in the first three weeks of the season, but those doubts have been assuaged. With their point guard back in the lineup, the Shockers landed wins over UNLV and Utah in Wichita this week, and while that certainly does not lock anything up, it does show us just how good this team can be when they're at full strength.
For Utah, a team that looked like they might be the best in the Pac-12 prior to Saturday, this loss is really concerning. They've now played two top 25 caliber teams this season — Wichita State and Miami — and been beaten fairly easily in both games. Jakob Poeltl is a beast, one of the nation's most improved players, but there's only so much he can do if he can get the ball in the post or a play run for him.
We knew losing Delon Wright was going to hurt this group.
We saw just how much is hurt today.
Tags: Connor Frankamp, Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, Markus McDuffie, Ron Baker, Zach Brown


Aslamo alai kum mera nam shakil aur me Nepal.
Tumhe nahi pata ki isme Tumhare liye kya bhalai hay. Woh to sirf Allah hi janta hay.
Allah ke diye gaye is Task me Pass ho ne ki koshish karo. Sirf complain car ke is task se fail na ho.
How to get all of these photo wt thoughts what's app and facebook?


text:
Q: No 'Access-Control-Allow-Origin' header is present on the requested resource. Nodejs/Apache I have this set up where clients connect through a websocket to a server i have running on Nodejs.
The nodejs server does not serve any content!
The Apache is configured with this directives:
ServerName socket.mydomain.nl

RewriteEngine On
SSLEngine on
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI}  ^/socket.io            [NC]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} transport=websocket    [NC]
RewriteRule /(.*)           ws://localhost:1900/$1 [P,L]

ProxyPass / http://localhost:1900/
ProxyPassReverse / http://localhost:1900/

SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/chat.mydomain.nl/fullchain.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/chat.mydomain.nl/privkey.pem
SSLCACertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/socket.mydomain.nl/chain.pem

The clients connecting come from chat.mydomain.nl.
All goes well but in rare case i'm getting these CORS-messages after a period of time:
Failed to load resource: the server responded with a status of 503 (Service Unavailable)

and
Allow-Origin' header is present on the requested resource. Origin   'https://chat.mydomain.nl' is therefore not allowed access. The response had HTTP status code 503.

Strange thing is that messages that are broadcasted to all clients appear also on this particular client with the CORS-issues and itself can send messages that are broadcasted to all the others.
Messages however directed to this socket aren't getting through.
Someone having an idea what could be wrong? It's happening too often to ignore.


Newsletter produced by Theresa Becchetti Livestock Advisor, Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties. You can receive email notification when the next newsletter is posted.
Click on the link to get all the information.
Johne's Disease in Beef Herds: What are the Issues?
What do New Changes in Aluminum Phosphide Labels Mean for Burrowing Mammal Control?


text:
\section{Introduction}

Spin-glass problems \cite{NishimoriBook} continue to fascinate with
new orderings and phase diagrams under frustration \cite{Toulouse}
and ground-state entropy \cite{BerkerKadanoff,BerkerKadanoffCo}. The
extension of these models from the extensively studied Ising spin
models to less simple spins offer the possibility of completely new
orderings and phase diagrams.  We find that odd $q$-state clock
models are such cases.  Spins in odd $q$-state clock models cannot
be exactly anti-aligned with each other.  Furthermore, for a given
spin, its interacting neighbor has two states that give the
maximally misaligned pair configuration.  This fact immediately
injects ground-state entropy in the presence of antiferromagnetic
interactions, even without the frozen randomness of interactions of
the spin-glass system.

We have calculated, from renormalization-group theory, the phase
diagrams of arbitrary odd $q$-state clock spin-glass models in $d=3$
dimensions. We find that these models have asymmetric phase
diagrams, as is also the case for quantum Heisenberg spin-glass
models \cite{Heisenberg}.  They exhibit no finite-temperature
spin-glass phase.  For all odd $q\geqslant 5$, algebraically ordered
antiferromagnetic phases occur.  One such phase is dominant and
occurs for all $q\geqslant 5$.  Other such phases occupy a small
low-temperature portion of the phase diagram and occur for $5
\leqslant q \leqslant 15$.  All algebraically ordered phases have
the same structure, determined by an attractive finite-temperature
sink fixed point where a dominant and a subdominant pair states have
the only non-zero Boltzmann weights. The phase transition critical
exponents come from distinct critical fixed points, but quickly
saturate to the high $q$ value. Thus, a rich phase transition
structure is seen for odd $q$-state spin-glass models on a $d=3$
hierarchical lattice.

\section{The odd $\textbf{q}$-state clock spin-glass model and the renormalization-group method}
The $q$-state clock models are composed of unit spins that are
confined to a plane and that can only point along $q$ angularly
equidistant directions. Accordingly, the $q$-state clock spin-glass
model is defined by the Hamiltonian
    \begin{equation}
        \label{eq:1}
        \begin{split}
            -\beta \mathcal{H}=&\sum_{\langle ij \rangle}
            J_{ij}\vec{s}_i\cdot\vec{s}_j = \sum_{\langle ij \rangle}
            J_{ij}cos(\theta_{i}-\theta_{j}),
        \end{split}
    \end{equation}
where $\beta=1/k_{B}T$, at site $i$ the spin angle $\theta_{i}$
takes on the values $(2\pi/q)\sigma_i$ with
$\sigma_i=0,1,2,...,q-1$, and $\langle ij \rangle$ denotes that the
sum runs over all nearest-neighbor pairs of sites.  The bond
strengths $J_{ij}$ are $+J>0$ (ferromagnetic) with probability $1-p$
and $-J$ (antiferromagnetic) with probability $p$. This model
becomes the Ising model for q=2 and the XY model for
$q\rightarrow\infty$.

\begin{figure}[h!]
\centering
\includegraphics[scale=1]{fig01c4.eps}
\caption{(a) Migdal-Kadanoff approximate renormalization-group
transformation for the $d=3$ cubic lattice with the length-rescaling
factor of $b=3$. Bond-moving is followed by decimation. (b) Exact
renormalization-group transformation for the equivalent $d=3$
hierarchical lattice with the length-rescaling factor of $b=3$. (c)
Pairwise applications of the quenched probability convolution of
Eq.(5), leading to the exact transformation in (b).}\label{fig:1}
\end{figure}

The $q$-state clock spin-glass model, in $d=3$ dimensions, is
readily solved by a renormalization-group method that is approximate
on the cubic lattice \cite{Migdal,Kadanoff} and simultaneously exact
on the hierarchical lattice
\cite{BerkerOstlund,Kaufman1,Kaufman2,McKay,Hinczewski1}.
Hierarchical lattices have been used to study a variety of
spin-glass and other statistical mechanics
problems.\cite{Gingras2,Migliorini,Gingras1,Hinczewski,Guven,Ohzeki,Ozcelik,Gulpinar,Ilker1,Ilker2,Kaufman,
Barre, Monthus,
Zhang,Shrock,Xu,Herrmann1,Hermann2,Garel,Hartmann,Fortin,Wu,Timonin,Derrida,Thorpe,Hasegawa,Monthus2014,Lyra,
Xu2014, Hirose} Under rescaling, for $q>4$, the form of the
interaction as given in the rightmost side of Eq.(1) is not
conserved and one must therefore express the Hamiltonian more
generally, as
    \begin{equation}
        \label{eq:2}
        -\beta \mathcal{H}=\sum_{\langle ij
        \rangle}V(\theta_{i}-\theta_{j})\,.
    \end{equation}
The energy $V(\theta_{i}-\theta_{j})$ depends on the absolute value
of the angle difference, $|(\theta_{i}-\theta_{j})|$. Thus, the
renormalization-group flows are the flows of $q/2$ interaction
constants for even $q$ and the flows of $(q-1)/2$ interaction
constants for odd $q$. With no loss of generality, the maximum value
of $V(\theta_{i}-\theta_{j})$ is set to zero.

\begin{figure*}[]
\centering
\includegraphics*[scale=0.9]{figQ02c.eps}
\caption{(Color online) Calculated phase diagrams of the odd
$q$-state clock spin-glass models on the hierarchical lattice with
$d=3$ dimensions.  These phase diagrams do not have
ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic symmetry, \textit{i.e.}, they are
not left-right symmetric with respect to the $p=0.5$ line. The phase
diagrams do not have a spin-glass phase, but show a multiplicity of
algebraically ordered phases on the antiferromagnetic side. The
phase diagrams show true reentrance (disordered-ordered-disordered)
as temperature is lowered at fixed antiferromagnetic bond
concentration $p$, on both the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic
sides of the phase diagram. The phase diagrams also show lateral,
true double reentrance
(ferromagnetic-disordered-ferromagnetic-disordered) as the
antiferromagnetic bond concentration $p$ is increased at fixed
temperature, only on the ferromagnetic side. No antiferromagnetic
ordering occurs for the lowest model, $q=3$. Algebracially ordered
antiferromagnetic phases occur for all higher $q \geq 5$ models.  In
these cases, the phase boundary between the dominant
antiferromagnetic algebraically ordered phase and the disordered
phase is slightly asymmetric with the phase boundary between the
ferromagnetic and disordered phases.  To make this slight asymmetry
evident, the latter boundary is also shown (dashed) reflected about
the $p=0.5$ line.  The lower temperature details of these phase
diagrams are shown in Fig.3}
\end{figure*}

\begin{figure*}[]
\centering
\includegraphics*[scale=0.9]{figQ03c.eps}
\caption{Lower temperature details of the phase diagrams shown in
Fig.2}
\end{figure*}

The renormalization-group transformation, for spatial dimensions
$d=3$ and length rescaling factor $b = 3$ (necessary for treating
the ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic correlations on equal
footing), is achieved by a sequence of bond moving
 \begin{equation}
        \label{eq:4}
        V_{bm}(\theta_1-\theta_2) + G_{12} = \sum_{n=1}^{b^{d-1}}
        V_n(\theta_1-\theta_2)
    \end{equation}
and decimation
\begin{equation}
        \label{eq:3}
        e^{V_{dec}(\theta_1-\theta_4)+G_{14}}=\sum_{\theta_2,\theta_3}
        e^{V_1(\theta_1-\theta_2)+V_2(\theta_2-\theta_3)+V_3(\theta_3-\theta_4)},
    \end{equation}
where the constants $G_{ij}$ are fixed by the requirement that the
maximum value of $V(\theta_{i}-\theta_{j})$ is zero.

The starting bimodal quenched probability distribution of the
interactions, characterized by $p$ and described above, is also not
conserved under rescaling. The renormalized quenched probability
distribution of the interactions is obtained by the convolution
\cite{Andelman}
\begin{multline}
\label{eq:5}
        P'(V'(\theta_{i'j'})) =\\
        \int{\left[\prod_{ij}^{i'j'}dV(\theta_{ij})P(V(\theta_{ij}))\right]}
         \delta(V'(\theta_{i'j'})-R(\left\{V(\theta_{ij})\right\})),
\end{multline}
where $R(\left\{V(\theta_{ij})\right\})$ represents the bond moving
and decimation given in Eqs.(3) and (4).  For numerical
practicality, the bond moving and decimation of Eqs.(3) and (4) are
achieved by a sequence of pairwise combination of interactions, as
shown in Fig.1(c), each pairwise combination leading to an
intermediate probability distribution resulting from a pairwise
convolution as in Eq.(5). We effect this procedure numerically, by
generating 5,000 interactions that embody the quenched probability
distribution resulting from each pairwise combination. Due to the
large number of phase diagrams (Figs. 2 and 3), a single realization
of quenched randomness is used. Each of the generated 5,000
interactions is determined by $(q-1)/2$ interaction constants. At
each pairwise convolution as in Eq.(5), 5,000 randomly chosen pairs
are matched by Eq.(3) or (4), and a new set of 5,000 is produced.

The different thermodynamic phases of the model are identified by
the different asymptotic renormalization-group flows of the quenched
probability distributions.  For all renormalization-group flows,
inside the phases and on the phase boundaries, Eq.(5) is iterated
until asymptotic behavior is reached. Thus, we are able to calculate
phase diagrams for any number of clock states $q$.  Similar previous
studies, on other spin-glass systems, are in Refs.
\cite{Gingras1,Migliorini,Gingras2,Hinczewski,Guven,Ohzeki,Ozcelik,Gulpinar,Ilker1,Ilker2}.

In a previous study \cite{Ilker1}, using the above method, we have
considered even values of $q$. In this study, we consider odd values
of $q$ and calculate the phase diagrams, which are not symmetric
around $p = 0.5$. For $q$ odd, the system does not have sublattice
spin-reversal $(\theta_i \rightarrow \theta_i + \pi)$ symmetry,
which leads to the asymmetric phase diagrams.  We obtain
qualitatively new features in the phase diagrams for odd $q$.  These
features do not occur for even $q$.

\section{Calculated phase diagrams for odd $\textbf{q}$-state clock spin glasses in $\textbf{d=3}$}

Our calculated phase diagrams for the odd
$q=3,5,7,9,11,13,15,17,21,361$-state clock spin-glass models are
shown in Fig. 2.  The lower temperature details of the phase
diagrams are given in Fig. 3.  All phase boundaries are second
order.

The phase diagrams of the odd $q$-state clock spin-glass models are
quite different from the even $q$ phase diagrams \cite{Ilker1}: The
odd $q$ phase diagrams do not have ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic
symmetry, \textit{i.e.}, they are not left-right symmetric with
respect to the $p=0.5$ line. The odd $q$ phase diagrams do not have
a spin-glass phase, which is consistent with previous results
\cite{Gingras1,Ilker1} that the XY model, corresponding to the
$q\rightarrow\infty$ limit of the $q$-state clock models, does not
have a spin-glass phase on $d=3$ hierarchical lattices.  The odd $q$
phase diagrams show a multiplicity of algebraically ordered phases
(and one conventionally ordered phase) on the antiferromagnetic
side. All points in an algebraically ordered phase flow, under
renormalization group, to a single stable fixed point (sink) that
occurs at non-zero, non-infinite temperature. Convergence to this
stable critical fixed occurs, to 6 significant figures, within 5
renormalization-group transformations. Further convergence is
obtained for more renormalization-group transformations.  As seen in
Fig. 4, at each renormalization-group transformation, the quenched
probability distribution of interactions changes from the initial
(1-p) and p double-delta function, to eventually reach the critical
sink described below. Because of this flow structure, the
correlation length is infinite and the correlation function decays
as an inverse power of distance (as opposed to exponentially) at all
points in such an algebraically ordered phase. Such algebraically
ordered phases were previously seen by Berker and Kadanoff
\cite{BerkerKadanoff,BerkerKadanoffCo} for antiferromagnetic Potts
models and have since been extensively studied \cite{Qin, Saleur,
Redinz1, Redinz2, Jacobsen1, Jacobsen2, Ikhlef, Jacobsen3,
Jacobsen4}. The correlation function decay critical exponent has the
same value for all points in such a phase, since the
renormalization-group flows are to single fixed point, in contrast
to the continuously varying critical exponents in the algebraically
ordered phase of the $d=2$ XY model, where the flows are to a fixed
line.\cite{Kosterlitz,Jose,BerkerNelson}

The phase diagrams show true reentrance \cite{Gingras1}
(disordered-ordered-disordered) as temperature is lowered at fixed
antiferromagnetic bond concentration $p$, on both the ferromagnetic
and antiferromagnetic sides of the phase diagram. The phase diagrams
also show lateral, true double reentrance
(ferromagnetic-disordered-ferromagnetic-disordered) as the
antiferromagnetic bond concentration $p$ is increased at fixed
temperature, only on the ferromagnetic side.  Multiple reentrances
have previously been seen in liquid crystal
systems.\cite{Indekeu,Netz,Mazza}

No antiferromagnetic ordering occurs for the lowest model, $q=3$.
Algebracially ordered antiferromagnetic phases occur for all higher
$q \geq 5$ models.  In these cases, the phase boundary between the
dominant antiferromagnetic algebraically ordered phase and the
disordered phase is slightly asymmetric with the phase boundary
between the ferromagnetic phase and the disordered phase.  To make
this slight asymmetry evident, the latter boundary is also shown
(dashed) in Fig. 2 reflected about the $p=0.5$ line.  The phase
diagram for the XY model limit, namely odd $q\rightarrow\infty$, is
also shown in Fig. 2, calculated here with $q=361$ clock states. In
this limit, the distinction between odd and even $q$ disappears.
This suggests that the zero-temperature spin-glass phase
\cite{Grinstein} found for even $q\rightarrow\infty$ \cite{Ilker1}
also occurs for odd $q\rightarrow\infty$.

\begin{figure}[]
\centering
\includegraphics*[scale=1]{figQ040i.eps}
\caption{Evolution of the quenched probability distribution under
successive renormalization-group transformations. The case of $q=9$,
starting with the initial condition temperature $1/J=4$ and
antiferromagnetic bond concentration $p=0.8$ is shown here.  For
$q=9$, the generalized interaction potential unavoidably generated
by the renormalization-group transformation is determined by 5
interaction constants (see Table I).  The renormalization-group
transformation gives the evolution, under scale change, of the
correlated quenched probability distribution
$P(V_0,V_1,V_2,V_3,V_4)$.  Shown in this figure are the projections
$P_0(V_0)=\int dV_1 dV_2 dV_3 dV_4 P(V_0,V_1,V_2,V_3,V_4)$ and
similarly for $P_1(V_1), P_2(V_2), P_3(V_3),$ and $P_4(V_4)$. Each
row corresponds to another renormalization-group step $k$, as marked
on the figure.  It is seen here that in four renormalization-group
transformations, the renormalized system essentially reaches the
critical phase sink described in Sec. IV:  The most misaligned pair
state is dominant with Boltzmann weight $e^{V(8 \pi /9)}=1$ and the
next-most misaligned pair state is also present but less dominant
with $e^{V(6 \pi /9)}=1/3$. The other two less misaligned pair
states and the aligned pair state have zero Boltzmann weight at the
sink. }
\end{figure}

\begin{figure}[]
\centering
\includegraphics*[scale=1]{figQ04e.eps}
\caption{(Color online) Top panel: Critical temperatures $1/J_C$ of
the ferromagnetic (circles) and antiferromagnetic (asterisks)
$q$-state clock models in $d=3$. Lower panel: Critical exponents
$y_T$ of the ferromagnetic (circles) and antiferromagnetic
(asterisks) $q$-state clock models in $d=3$.  In both panels, the
values exactly coincide for even $q$, due to the
ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic symmetry that is present for even
$q$ but absent for odd $q$.}
\end{figure}

\section{Algebraically Ordered Phases, Finite-Temperature Renormalization-Group Sinks, and Ground-State Entropy}

Spins in odd $q$-state clock models cannot be exactly anti-aligned
with each other, \textit{i.e.}, $\theta_i - \theta_j = 2 \pi q_{ij}
/ q < \pi$, where $q_{ij}$ is an integer between 0 and $(q-1)/2$
inclusive. Furthermore, for a given spin, its interacting neighbor
has two states that give the maximally misaligned pair configuration
with $\theta_i - \theta_j = \pi (q-1)/q < \pi$.  Thus, for
antiferromagnetic interaction, this local degeneracy is of crucial
distinctive importance, injecting ground-state entropy into the
system, driving the sink of a would-be ordered phase to non-zero
temperature, and thereby causing algebraic order, as generally
explained in Ref. \cite{BerkerKadanoff,BerkerKadanoffCo}.

All points in the antiferromagnetic phases in the phase diagrams in
Figs. 2 and 3 flow under renormalization-group to $p=1$ (just as all
points in the one ferromagnetic phase flow to $p=0$). The most
extant antiferromagnetic phase in Fig. 2, labeled $AF_1(alg)$,
occurring for all odd $q\geqslant 5$ values, is an algebraically
ordered phase. All points in this phase flow to a completely stable
fixed point ("a phase sink" \cite{Berker0}) that is also a critical
point since it occurs at finite temperature
\cite{BerkerKadanoff,BerkerKadanoffCo}. Of the pair-interaction
Boltzmann weights $e^{V(\theta_i - \theta_j)}$, with $\theta_i -
\theta_j = \pi (q-1-2n)/q$, where $n=0$ is the most misaligned pair
state, $n=1$ is the next-most misaligned state, \textit{etc.}, until
$n=(q-1)/2$ is the completely aligned pair state, only two are
non-zero at this sink:  The most misaligned pair state, $n=0$, is
dominant with $e^{V(\pi (q-1)/q)}=1$ and the next-most misaligned
pair state, $n=1$, is also present but less dominant with $e^{V(\pi
(q-3)/q)}=1/3$. The other, less misaligned pair states, with $n
\geqslant 2$, and the aligned pair state have zero Boltzmann weight
at this sink. That these sink fixed-point Boltzmann weights are
applicable for all odd $q$ is consistent with the fact that the
$q-5$ less-misaligned pair states and one aligned pair state have
negligible Boltzmann weights at the sink fixed point, so that the
numerosity of $q$ does not matter. The finite difference between the
energies for $\theta_i - \theta_j = \pi (q-1)/q$ and $\theta_i -
\theta_j = \pi (q-3)/q$ establishes this sink as a
finite-temperature attractive critical fixed point. It can be shown
that, in the basin of attraction of a finite-temperature fixed
point, the order parameter is strictly zero, the correlation length
is infinite, and the correlations vanish algebraically with
distance.\cite{BerkerKadanoff,BerkerKadanoffCo,Fisher,McKay}

The evolution of the quenched probability distribution, under
successive renormalization-group transformations, towards such a
critical sink is shown in Fig. 4. The case of $q=9$, starting with
the initial condition temperature $1/J=4$ and antiferromagnetic bond
concentration $p=0.8$ is shown in the figure.  For $q=9$, the
generalized interaction potential unavoidably generated by the
renormalization-group transformation is determined by 5 interaction
constants (see Table I).  The renormalization-group transformation
gives the evolution, under scale change, of the correlated quenched
probability distribution $P(V_0,V_1,V_2,V_3,V_4)$.  Shown in Fig. 4
are the projections $P_0(V_0)=\int dV_1 dV_2 dV_3 dV_4
P(V_0,V_1,V_2,V_3,V_4)$ and similarly for $P_1(V_1), P_2(V_2),
P_3(V_3),$ and $P_4(V_4)$. Each row corresponds to another
renormalization-group step $k$, as marked on the figure.  It is seen
that in four renormalization-group transformations, the renormalized
system essentially reaches the critical phase sink described above:
The most misaligned pair state is dominant with Boltzmann weight
$e^{V(8 \pi /9)}=1$ and the next-most misaligned pair state is also
present but less dominant with $e^{V(6 \pi /9)}=1/3$. The other two
less misaligned pair states and the aligned pair state have zero
Boltzmann weight at the sink.

The less extant antiferromagnetic phases occur for specific $q$
values, at lower temperatures, and are disconnected from the most
extant antiferromagnetic phase $AF_1(alg)$. In $AF_2(alg)$, the two
sink Boltzmann weights have exchanged roles:  the next-most
misaligned pair state, $n=1$, is dominant with $e^{V(\pi
(q-3)/q)}=1$ and the most misaligned pair state, $n=0$, is also
present but less dominant with $e^{V(\pi (q-1)/q)}=1/3$.  In
$AF_3(alg)$, $AF_4(alg)$, $AF_5(alg)$, $AF_6(alg)$, $AF_7(alg)$,
these roles are played respectively by $n=2,0$, $n=1,2$, $n=2,1$,
$n=1,4$, $n=4,2$. On the other hand, $AF_8(cnv)$ is a conventionally
ordered phase, with a strong-coupling sink fixed point where $n=1$
and $n=4$ are equally dominant.

\newlength{\Oldarrayrulewidth}
\newcommand{\Cline}[2]{%
\noalign{\global\setlength{\Oldarrayrulewidth}{\arrayrulewidth}}%
  \noalign{\global\setlength{\arrayrulewidth}{#1}}\cline{#2}%
  \noalign{\global\setlength{\arrayrulewidth}{\Oldarrayrulewidth}}}

    \begin{table*}[h!]
        \begin{tabular}{! {\vrule width 1.7pt} c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c ! {\vrule width 1.7 pt}  c c l l}

\Cline{1.1 pt}{1-16} \hline
V($\theta_{ij}$)  &\vline & n=0  &\vline &  n=1  &\vline &  n=2 &\vline &  n=3 &\vline & n=4 &\vline & n=5 &\vline &  n=6 & &  $y_T$ &\vline & relevant eigenvectors \\
\hline
q=5  &\vline & 0 &\vline &  -0.0905  &\vline &  -0.1502  &\vline & & & & & & & & & 0.869030&\vline & ( 1, 0.588 )\\
\hline
q=7 &\vline & 0  &\vline &  -0.0538 & \vline &  -0.1242 &\vline &  -0.1569 &\vline &  & & & & & & 0.873691 &\vline & ( 1, 0.782, 0.330 )\\
\hline
q=9  &\vline & 0   &\vline &  -0.0345 &\vline &  -0.0893  &\vline &  -0.1395 &\vline & -0.1599 &\vline &  & & & & 0.873709 &\vline & ( 1, 0.866, 0.544, 0.206 )\\
\hline
q=11  &\vline & 0   &\vline & -0.0238  &\vline &  -0.0649  &\vline &  -0.1111 &\vline &   -0.1475 &\vline & -0.1614 &\vline &   & &  0.873709 &\vline & ( 1, 0.909, 0.675, 0.387, 0.140 )\\
\hline
q=13 &\vline &  0  &\vline & -0.0173 &\vline & -0.0486 &\vline & -0.0873 &\vline & -0.1249  &\vline & -0.1523 &\vline &  -0.1623 & & 0.873709 &\vline & ( 1, 0.935, 0.759, 0.523, 0.287, 0.101 )\\
\hline
\Cline{1.1 pt}{1-16}
\end{tabular}
\caption{Antiferromagnetic critical fixed-point potentials
$V(\pi(q-1-2n)/q)$, critical exponents $y_T$, and corresponding
relevant eigenvectors of different odd $q$-state clock models. Thus,
each column progresses, from left to right, from the most misaligned
pair state $n=0$ to the aligned pair state $n=(q-1)/2$. For each
$q$, the relevant eigenvector is the (only) relevant eigenvector of
the $[(q-1)/2]$ \texttt{x} $[(q-1)/2]$ recursion matrix between the
independent $V(\theta_{ij})$. Although the fixed points and relevant
eigenvectors are distinct for different $q$, the critical exponents
quickly converge $y_T = 0.8737$.\\} \label{tab:1}
\end{table*}

It is thus seen that the stable sink fixed points that attract,
under renormalization-group flows, and characterize the
algebraically ordered phases have identical structure for all odd
$q\geqslant 5.$ A similar, but not identical, phenomenon occurs for
the unstable critical fixed points that control the
antiferromagnetic phase transitions. This is seen in Fig. 5 and
Table I, where the ferromagnetic $(p=0)$ and antiferromagnetic
$(p=1)$ critical temperatures $1/J_C$ are given as a function of
$q$. The fixed-point Boltzmann weight values $e^{V(\pi (q-1-2n)/q)}$
underpinning the antiferromagnetic phase transitions, as well as the
critical exponents $y_T$ and corresponding relevant eigenvectors are
given for different $q$ in Table I. For each $q$, the relevant
eigenvector is the (only) relevant eigenvector of the $[(q-1)/2]$
\texttt{x} $[(q-1)/2]$ recursion matrix between the independent
$V(\theta_{ij})$. Although the fixed points and relevant
eigenvectors are distinct for different $q$, the critical
temperatures and critical exponents quickly converge, for high $q$,
to $1/J_C = 12.2373$ and $y_T = 0.8737$. The critical temperatures
and exponents thus show differences for low q. The convergence for
high q of the critical temperatures at p=0 and p=1 is expected,
since the q-state clock models approach the XY model for large q,
with identical antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic behavior.

\section{Conclusion}

We have calculated, from renormalization-group theory, the phase
diagrams of arbitrary odd $q$-state clock spin-glass models in
$d=3$. These models have asymmetric phase diagrams, as is also the
case for quantum Heisenberg spin-glass models \cite{Heisenberg}. For
all odd $q\geqslant 5$, algebraically ordered antiferromagnetic
phases occur.  One such phase is dominant and occurs for all
$q\geqslant 5$.  Other such phases occupy small low-temperature
portions of the phase diagrams and occur for $5 \leqslant q
\leqslant 15$.  All algebraically ordered phases have the same
structure, determined by an attractive finite-temperature sink fixed
point where a dominant and a subdominant pair states are the
non-zero Boltzmann weights.  The phase transition critical
exponents, on the other hand, vary with $q$ only at low $q$.

A rich and distinctive phase transition structure is thus seen for
odd $q$-state spin-glass models on a $d=3$ dimensional hierarchical
lattice.

\begin{acknowledgments}
Support by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Scientific and
Technological Research Council of Turkey (T\"UBITAK), and the
Academy of Sciences of Turkey (T\"UBA) is gratefully acknowledged.
\end{acknowledgments}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
Ceasefire observed in Trump-Macron war of words at D-Day commemorations
As US and French presidents make effort get along Vladimir Putin's absence widely noted
Thu, Jun 6, 2019, 20:00 Updated: Fri, Jun 7, 2019, 06:33
Lara Marlowe Paris Correspondent
US president Donald Trump and French president Emmanuel Macron shake hands during the press conference in Normandy, June 6th. Photograph: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty
All eyes were on the chemistry between presidents Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump when the French and American leaders met for commemorations of the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy on Thursday.
Macron made only one obvious criticism of Trump. Present-day leaders "owe it to all those who fought to show ourselves worthy of the heritage of peace", the French president said.
Alluding to Trump's disregard for multilateral institutions, Macron said it was crucial to "keep alive the alliance of free peoples. That is what the victors [of the second World War] did when they created the United Nations. That is what the US did when it created the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. That is what the leaders of this continent did when they brought forth the European Union".
Macron's first encounter with Trump, on Bastille Day in 2017, was effusive and affectionate. The French leader reportedly lost all illusions that he could influence the US president during an April 2018 visit to Washington.
Last November 11th, Macron angered Trump by denouncing nationalism and populism at first World War commemorations. Trump retaliated with a volley of tweets mocking Macron's low approval rating and saying that the French would all speak German if the US had not liberated them.
The chill in Franco-American relations continued. Le Monde newspaper found symbolism in the fact that the oak tree planted by the two presidents on the White House lawn died. Judging from their cordial words and behaviour on Thursday, they have decided to try to get along.
The two leaders mostly avoided politics. Both focused their speeches on the historic importance of D-Day, when 132,700 allied troops landed on five beaches in Normandy to begin the liberation of the continent from Nazi Germany.
Astounding heroism
From official speeches and interviews given by some of the 170 second World War veterans in attendance, images of astounding heroism emerged, of soldiers plunging into the sea up to their necks, watching comrades cut down by German gunfire in water and on sand turned red with blood.
The power of the stories told by Trump shone through his poor oratory skills. The army medic Ray Lambert was only 23, "but he had already earned three Purple Hearts and two Silver Stars fighting in north Africa and Sicily", the US president recounted.
Lambert and his brother Bill boarded separate landing craft. "'If I don't make it,' Bill said, 'please, please take care of my family.' Ray asked his brother to do the same," Trump read. "Again and again, Ray ran back into the water. He dragged out one man after another. He was shot through the arm. His leg was ripped open by shrapnel. His back was broken. He nearly drowned."
When Lambert woke up, his brother Bill was on the cot beside him, also wounded. Both survived, though Bill has since died.
"Ninety-eight-year-old Ray is here today, with his Purple Heart," Trump said, going to the old man seated behind the podium. "Ray, the free world salutes you."
Trump then told the story of Private First Class Russell Pickett, who was wounded on Omaha beach, removed to hospital in England and returned to Normandy six days later. By that time, two-thirds of his company had been killed. Pickett was gravely wounded by a grenade, but again returned to combat. The third time he was wounded, Pickett was unconscious for 12 days.
"Believe it or not, he has returned once more to these shores to be with his comrades," Trump said. "Private Pickett, you honour us all with your presence. Tough guy." The frail old man struggled to his feet, supporting himself on a cane.
The French president decorated five US veterans, all aged between 94 and 100, with the Legion of Honour.
At some point soon, there will be no more representatives of what has become known as "the greatest generation" to bear witness. Unlike earlier significant anniversaries, Thursday's commemoration was mostly a Franco-American affair. For the first time, the broader international ceremony had taken place the previous day, in Portsmouth.
In 2004, Jacques Chirac invited German chancellor Gerhard Schröder to the D-Day commemorations, the first time a German leader attended. Five years ago, Vladimir Putin participated in negotiations on Ukraine with US, European and Ukrainian leaders on the sidelines of the ceremony.
Many historians say the war was won in the east, by Soviet Russia, more than by US-led forces to the west. Putin's absence on Thursday was much commented upon. "Why should they always invite me everywhere?" Putin asked at the Saint Petersburg economic forum. "I am not a general from an operetta. I have enough to do here."
At a brief press conference in Caen in Normandy, Trump boasted repeatedly of his relationship with Queen Elizabeth.
Gerhard Shcroeder
Russell Pickett
Ray Lambert
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
D-Day commemorations
British official in charge of Brexit Border preparations leaves her job
Macron urges Trump to fulfil 'promise of Normandy'
Time is up for May but Westminster has already moved on
Danish Social Democrats look to power after election win
US pushes Mexico for more in talks over tariffs and border
Commons cannot be suspended to achieve no-deal Brexit, says Bercow
Economic conference underlines growing China and Russia ties
Romanian leader seeks pact to scrap justice reforms and defend EU norms
African Union suspends Sudan after crackdown on protesters
D-Day anniversary: France will 'never forget', Macron says
Election 2020: Record share of women running for Dáil seats
Coronavirus: Wuhan residents stockpile supplies as transport suspended 07:20
Harvey Weinstein not a 'seasoned sexual predator', lawyer tells court 20:41


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Home / gaming
Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection Review
By Eric Hall @_erichall 4 years ago
Review of: Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection Review
gaming:
Eric Hall
Reviewed by: Eric Hall
Last modified:November 29, 2016
Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection is a great introduction to Ubisoft's popular franchise, but for those already familiar with the series, the lacklustre remaster treatment given here makes it hard to recommend.
I imagine my history with the Assassin's Creed franchise is not too uncommon. I found the first entry in the series to be disappointing, but the follow-up, and subsequent side stories, made me do a 180. However, once Ubisoft made the jump to North America for the third main entry, I soon began to lose interest. A combination of technical hiccups and lack of compelling storytelling made passing on sequels a wise decision. Regardless of how I felt about the series, though, I still held the saga of Ezio Auditore in high regard, which is what made coming back to it with Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection a compelling idea.
With a feature film to promote, but no new entry slated for release, Ubisoft's decision to bring The Ezio Collection to the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 is a smart one. Remastered versions of two of the most beloved entries, Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, and their lesser companion, Assassin's Creed Revelations, would be a good way to bring in new fans, while also potentially enticing older fans to return. Rounding out the set are two short films that go further into the life of Ezio, Assassin's Creed Lineage and Assassin's Creed Embers.
Besides being highly praised for their world building and dynamic gameplay, the Ezio-centered trio of games included here are well-regarded for their beloved main character. Making the transition from Italian playboy to master assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze is in the running for the best Ubisoft created character of all-time, and certainly the best in franchise history. He's both personable and stoic, and his ability to maintain these characteristics despite everything that happens over the course of his life is what makes him a treat to inhabit. His overarching story, which involve liberal use of real-world historical figures, may not hold up under scrutiny, but witnessing the evolution of his character makes it worth delving into.
Of course, while the Italian assassin may be the anchor of the compilation, The Ezio Collection also re-introduces us to modern-day protagonist Desmond Miles. It's through his memories we travel back to the 15th Century via the Animus. While Mr. Auditore may have had the personality to make up for the dull narrative, Desmond does not have the same advantage. His battle against Abstergo Industries was a slog to deal with in 2009, and feels even more tedious now.
Part of that comes from just how ridiculous this sci-fi gobbledy-gook is, but most of the agony of trudging through these sections again comes from the lacklustre cast of characters. Desmond has all the personality of a piece of balsa wood, and his allies run the gamut from grating (Rebecca) to dickish (Shaun). By the time the double-cross happens, you'll be ready to check out for good. Unfortunately, you still have another game to get through.
Of the three titles included, Brotherhood is the one that still stands tallest among Ezio's adventures. The sequel takes the often clunky mechanics of Assassin's Creed II and sharpens them into something that closely resembles more modern games. The parkour feels less cumbersome, and the combat integrates all of his tools better. If anything, jumping between the two entries is a fascinating look at how much Ubisoft was able to evolve the franchise in just a single year. Rome provides a bigger and better playground, while the ability to call in help from a capable stable of assassins was a stroke of genius from the studio. On top of all that, you get to hunt down noted historical jerk, Cesare Borgia.
The flipside of this is that Assassin's Creed II feels much worse than it did back in 2009. The combat is a total mess, with the only (barely) functioning skill being the art of the reversal. The stealth kills fare a little better, but even those can be tricky to pull off due to the clunky movement. Not even my rose-tinted glasses can hide the fact that traversal in this title is an absolute pain. Ezio's once slick parkour skills have devolved into someone with the grace of the town drunk. Sometimes you won't jump despite holding down the two buttons required to, while other times you'll plummet without warning into the streets of Florence.
That leaves us with the black sheep of The Ezio Collection, Revelations. While the quick development cycle of the game is evident in how it fails to match the highs of Brotherhood, it comes off a lot better now than it did in 2011. It looks the best of the three, and the Constantinople setting is a nice change of pace from the more traditional locales of the other two. I'm still not a fan of the tower defense mini-game the pops up during the campaign, but some of the other additions, like the hookblade and bomb crafting system give a new dimension to the gameplay. Plus, it serves as a satisfying conclusion to Ezio's story, which, as we have learned over the years, is no easy accomplishment.
In spite of how important these games are to Ubisoft's popular franchise, and their continued fan support, The Ezio Collection is not a great remaster. The resolution has been bumped up to 1080p, with improved textures and new water and lighting effects. However, the curious decision was made to lock all three titles at 30 frames-per-second, which is odd because these consoles could easily support a higher framerate. And while the graphics do look better than their last-gen counter-parts, no one is going to mistake these for current-gen titles. The facial textures come off the worst, with some scenes of Ezio have him looking like a strange blend of alien and Italian.
It would have been foolish to expect Ubisoft to rework the mechanics of the franchise, as this is only a "remaster," not a remake. With no changes being made to the gameplay, though, it did allow me to experience just how last-gen these three titles are. They feel very much of that era of design, with sprawling open-worlds with limited interactivity, but plenty of crap to collect. It's essentially ground zero for the Ubisoft formula of open-world design that can be seen in everything from Far Cry to The Crew. I don't necessarily dislike this approach, but compared to more modern fare like The Witcher III, or even Grand Theft Auto V, it feels dated.
As someone who previously conquered Rome, Italy and Constantinople previously, Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection was a nice trip down memory lane. All three historical epics were still compelling to play through, even if they don't feel as fresh as they did upon release. While I enjoyed myself here, I do wonder if all those who previously played through Ezio's story will get the same enjoyment. The remaster is lacking in improvements, and I'm not sure the promise of the same old adventure, but for another $60 is enough to draw older fans back in. For the uninitiated, though, this is undoubtedly a great entry point for the franchise.
This review was based on the Xbox One version of the title, which was provided to us.
Assassin's Creed: The Ezio Collection Review
Tags: assassin's creed: the ezio collection, gaming reviews, Reviews
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