text:
Fullerene Based Sensor and Biosensor Technologies
By Hilmiye Deniz Ertuğrul Uygun and Zihni Onur Uygun
Submitted: October 24th 2019Reviewed: July 3rd 2020Published: July 30th 2020
Home > Books > Smart Nanosystems for Biomedicine, Optoelectronics and Catalysis
Sensor and biosensor technologies have shown rapid progress in recent years. These technologies use nanomaterials that have an important place in immobilization materials for recognition analyte molecules. Although fullerenes among these materials have attracted much attention in recent years, their number of studies is less than other carbon-based nanomaterials. Thanks to its completely closed structure and at least 30 double bonds, it can be modified from 30 points, which provides a great advantage. At these points, thanks to the ability to modify amine, thiol, carboxyl or metallic groups, modification residues can be created for all kinds of immobilization. According to the zero-dimensional nanomaterial class, fullerenes provide an extremely large surface area. Therefore, it provides more biological or non-biological recognition receptors immobilized on this surface area. Moreover, increasing the surface area with more recognition agent also increases the sensitivity. This is the most important parameter of sensor technologies, which is provided by fullerenes. In this book chapter, the development of fullerene-modified sensor and biosensor technologies are explained with examples, and fullerene modifications are given in figures as fullerene derivatives. Contribution was made in the method development stage by giving comparison of fullerene type sensor and biosensor systems.
fullerene
molecular imprinting
Hilmiye Deniz Ertuğrul Uygun
Nanoscience and Nanoengineering Department, Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey
Zihni Onur Uygun*
Medical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ege University, Turkey
*Address all correspondence to: onur.uygun@ege.edu.tr;, onur_uygun@hotmail.com
Smart Nanosystems for Biomedicine, Optoelectronics and CatalysisEdited by Tatyana Shabatina
Smart Nanosystems for Biomedicine, Optoelectronics and Catalysis
Edited by Tatyana Shabatina and Vladimir Bochenkov
Carbon, which is the source of our lives, apart from our metabolic activities, attracts attention with its extraordinary structures created in nature. These structures are materials that are formed and discovered over time in the environment of high temperature and pressure [1]. The chemical properties of these materials are very different from those of inert carbon. Conductivity, strength, and catalytic properties are only a few of the carbon nanomaterials. By taking advantage of these features, the ability of today's technology to further develop products or make R&D increases. This, together with costs, can facilitate the development of technology.
With the development of biotechnology and the interdisciplinary sciences over time, the use of nanoscale materials is increasing in biotechnological process developments. Nanomaterials created new opportunities especially in biotechnology, with their easy modification advantage, especially in the field of diagnosis, and they offered significant advantages over traditional diagnostic methods in terms of sensitivity and selectivity. Diagnosis is the most important step in terms of developing health technologies. The correct diagnosis brings with it the rightful treatment, the right prognosis, the well-being of the patient, and the decrease in health expenditures. The important parameters in the exact diagnosis are sensitivity and accuracy. These two terms can describe the technological power of the diagnostic systems. In the development of sensitivity and accurate measurement, nanomaterials have an important place in today's technologies [2].
Among the various nanomaterials, carbon nanomaterials offer wide advantages due to their outstanding electrical, thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties [3]. Composite materials derived from carbon nanomaterials are used in energy storage and conversion, sensors, drug delivery, field emission, and nanoscale electronic components [4].
Depending on the purpose of use, carbon nanomaterials increase sensitivity by increasing surface area and conductivity especially in diagnostic systems. A promising sub-branch of diagnostic systems has made great progress in recent years, creating an important area in the development of point-of-care diagnostic tests. This area is especially developed on the fundamentals of sensor and biosensor technology. The technology consists of a recognition agent placed on a physicochemical transducer. In this simple system, electrodes, optic systems, or piezoelectric systems can be used as physicochemical transducers. Electrodes are physicochemical conductors that can detect electrochemical signals in a solution. On the other hand, optical sensors can detect light-matter interactions, and piezoelectric systems can perform specific and sensitive mass analysis. The recognition layer on these transducers plays a key role for biosensors and sensors. In biosensor systems, this recognition receptor is called biorecognition agent such as enzymes, antibodies, DNA, RNA, and other proteins that can be used as biorecognition elements [5]. As a result of the interaction of these biomolecules with the target molecule, catalytic or affinity-based biosensor systems can be developed. Otherwise, molecularly imprinted polymers, nanoparticles, and other polymers can be used as recognition agents in sensor systems instead of biological receptors [6]. Increasing the effectiveness of these recognition agents depends entirely on the properties of the immobilization/modification material used in the modification of the physicochemical transducer. Fortunately, nanomaterials can be used in sensor and biosensor systems in order to increase the power of the measurement system or to use it as recognition materials. These materials increase the surface area to obtain more sensitive signals and increase the possibility of interacting with more target molecules by binding more recognition agents to the surface. Technically, nanomaterial forms of inert metal/organic materials can be used as catalytic agents when they are in nano form.
In this book chapter, the production method, modification, and use of fullerene nanomaterials, which is a nanomaterial in the development of biosensor and sensor systems developed with biological or non-biological recognition agents, are described.
2. Fullerenes
2.1 Fullerene structure
Production and applications of carbon-based nanomaterials have gained speed in recent years. Carbon nanomaterials that can be found in different conformations with Sp2 hybridization can be extremely useful (Figure 1). These nanomaterials include nanotubes, graphene, carbon nanoparticles, carbon fibers, and fullerenes [7]. Among these materials, fullerenes are nanomaterials that have gained speed in recent years due to their structure and unique properties.
General structure of the graphene and fullerene.
Fullerenes are spherical carbon nanomaterial derivatives. This structure, unlike other carbon structures, consists of a closed form of pentagonal and hexagonal carbon structures fused together [1].
Graphene nanomaterials are called two-dimensional nanomaterials because they consist of only one layer, while fullerenes are classified as zero dimensional closed cage type nanomaterial. The spherical form of the fullerene nanomaterial gives this nanomaterial a large surface area [8, 9, 10]. This feature is a sought after feature for biosensors and sensor systems. The most advantageous feature of the double bonds formed by the carbon structure is that they can be modified as they can easily respond to chemical reactions. Most of the chemical reactions occurred by the nucleophilic attacks can form active sides on the fullerene sphere. With these modifications, fullerenes can be chemically modified. Chemical modification is important for biomolecule immobilization or surface modification. Fullerene in 60 carbons has the capacity to form 30 bonds due to its spherical structure and 30 double bonds. These bonds can be modified with different chemical agents to form fullerene derivatives.
2.2 Fullerene derivatives and chemical reactions
The most isomerically found types of fullerene derivatives are C60 and C70 fullerenes. These derivatives can only be dissolved in highly non-polar liquids such as toluene and benzene. Thanks to this hydrophobic property, it can be used as a drug carrier, intercalator or modification material in hydrophobic layers as lipid layers. In computer studies about fullerene, solubility attempts that were made in 75 different solvents were examined [11].
Although it is possible to dissolve in different solvents, surface modification of fullerenes for biosensor and sensor technology is the most effective way to use fullerene. The solubility in water can be achieved by being modified with polar groups. The method developed by Hirsch and colleagues, fullerene was modified by 18 carboxyl groups, gained solubility in water as 34 mg/mL at pH = 7.4 [12]. In these studies, a nucleophilic cyclopropanation procedure was performed; the protection was removed with the help of bis-(polyamide)-malonate dendrimer; and 18 carboxyl groups were created (Figure 2). With this modification, a material, which can be used as an advantage in water solubility for modification of the carboxyl group, especially for sensor and biosensor technology, is obtained. With the activation of EDC/NHS, 18 carboxyl groups can be made to bind the amino group or a fullerene nanomaterial containing carboxyl groups can be modified on an amino group-modified transducer.
Poly-carboxylated (18) fullerene.
In another study, Cusan and his colleagues synthesized three ethylene glycol and three ammonium groups in poly charged fullerene-pyrrolidone derivatives [13]. In this study, which was carried out on two strategies, 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)diethylamine was reacted by amino esterification with benzyl bromoacetate. Subsequently, the substance was interacted with carboxylate groups on fullerene to obtain fulleropyrrolidine in toluene. In this method, the authors have shown that purification is difficult and yield is low. For fullerene-PEG, in terms of biosensor and sensor technology, the fullerene derivative has two different arms with an amino group that can be used for modification by activating amino groups with glutaraldehyde a cross linker (Figure 3).
Poly-charged fullerene derivative.
Fullerene modifications can be carried out entirely through the modification of the C = C bonds on fullerene. Fullerene modifications and derivatives of these modifications are seen in several studies. Accordingly, fullerene can be used to develop biosensors and sensors after being modified [14].
Apart from their use for modification material, another interesting feature of fullerene and fullerene-like materials is their photocatalytic advantage. The C60 shows a semiconductor-diode-like behavior and shows photo activity when illuminated at a value close to 1.4 eV [1]. This photocatalytic feature shows that it can be used as a photo catalyst in optical sensors and biosensors.
In conclusion, due to its catalytic properties, the use of fullerene is not only used as an immobilization material but also it is used in biosensor and sensor systems.
3. Fullerene-modified sensors and biosensors
Sensor and biosensor technology is an important start line in the development of miniature analyzers. This technology is divided into two classes depending on the interaction of the sensor and analyte molecule: if the analyte molecule is transformed on the sensor surface called as catalytic based and if the analyte interacts with the surface called affinity-based sensors and biosensors [5]. The measurement can be performed electrochemically, optically, and piezoelectrically. In electrochemical sensors, electrodes are used as transducers. Different types of electrodes can be used according to the modification and measurement principle. The electrodes can be gold, carbon, platinum, and their derivatives. It is desired to create a modification layer over self-assembly monolayer; thiol containing chemicals can be used for gold and gold derivative electrodes [15]. Carbon derivative electrodes can be used for polymer production and adsorption type studies [16]. Thus, measurement is carried out with electrodes modified with the immobilized recognition agent. If the recognition agent is a catalytic agent (enzyme or nanoparticle), the electroactive species are released as a result of the target molecule that is transformed by recognition receptor. The method of measurement may also vary depending on the type of these species. For example, an amperometric technique is used if an electroactive species is formed, or a potentiometric measurement method is used if an ion is formed. In addition, interaction-based measurement is desired without a reaction between the analyte molecule and the recognition receptor on the electrode surface (DNA, antibody, MIP, polymer, etc.), and impedimetric techniques can be used [15, 17, 18].
Optically designed sensor and biosensor systems use optic systems with optic sensitivity as transducers or surface plasmon resonance systems, which are a highly sensitive system that is used quite frequently today with laser canteen systems. The photons detected by the transducer with chemical reaction light sensing capability that occurs in optic systems can be converted into meaningful signals. In cantilever systems, measurement is performed by creating differences in the angle of the reflected laser signal as a result of the analyte molecule, which is attached to the surface of the cantilever, whose laser signal is reflected under a lever, changes the oscillation of the lever [19]. In surface plasmon resonance type sensors, the laser signal reflected behind the gold bit surface changes with the binding of the target molecule to the dielectric constant of this gold surface [20]. Here, too, the main purpose is the interaction between the analyte molecule and the recognizing receptor. If there is a catalytic effect, a photon sensing transducer, if there is an affinity-based measurement, cantilever or SPR sensor systems are used.
Apart from these two techniques, piezoelectric systems, which are mass detection systems, can be designed as affinity-based instead of catalytic in biosensor and sensor systems. The method principle is the analyte molecule interacts with piezoelectric crystals used as transducers can generate signals by changing the oscillation of the piezoelectric systems [21].
In conclusion, the interaction between the target molecule and the recognition receptor on sensor and biosensor systems can be measured with electrical, optic, and piezoelectric systems. The important point in these measurements is the characteristic of the modification layer on which the recognizing receptor is immobilized. As we mentioned above, the usage of nanomaterials in biosensor and sensor systems is to increase the surface area and electrical conductivity, to create more stable layer for immobilization, and to use nanomaterials catalytically by generating electroactive signals from the electrical characteristics of nanomaterials. With the advantages of these materials, more sensitive and selective sensor and biosensor systems can be developed.
3.1 Fullerene-modified sensors
As we mentioned above, sensor systems can use molecularly imprinted polymers, nanocomposites, and other polymeric or dendrimer materials as recognition agent, instead of a biomolecule from biological source, and measurement basis can be formed with it. In this section, examples of this type of sensor technologies are given with the use or modifications of fullerene nanoparticles.
Zhong and colleagues performed the fullerene nanoparticles for catalytic activities, fullerenes were covalently modified with cysteine, and then palladium nanoparticles were added to this spherical structure to create Pd@Cys-C60 structure (Figure 4) to glucose detection without enzyme [22]. Firstly, the fullerene covalently bonded with the alpha amino group of cysteine on the nucleophilic attack basis in the medium containing the nanoparticles NaOH and EtOH. Then palladium cation was added, and Pd@Cys-C60 nanocomposite material was obtained. As is known, palladium is highly effective catalytic material in nano form. In this way, the researchers modified the glassy carbon electrode with this nanocomposite and developed a sensor system that can measure glucose between 2.5 μM and 1 mM, at the lowest detection limit of 1 μM. In selectivity studies, it gave 4.8% signal to substances such as fructose and ascorbic acid. As a result, sensitive and stable signals were obtained with fullerene, such as glucose sensors modified with previously made palladium nanoparticles [23].
Palladium nanoparticles and cysteine-modified fullerene particles (Pd@Cys-C60).
Anusha et al. used fullerene nanomaterials with bimetallic nanoparticles to develop electrochemical sensors for vitamin D3 determination [24]. Copper and nickel metal nanoparticles were used in this study. Glassy carbon electrode was used as the working electrode, and this electrode was modified by dropping C60 in toluene. The C60 was further reduced in the solution KOH solution and then to the solutions containing CuNPs, NiNPs, and nanoparticles were deposited electrochemically on this electrode, respective electrodeposition steps. Modifying the electrode with these nanoparticles is due to their surface area enhancing and catalytic effects. VitD3 was measured by cyclic voltammetry by the electrochemical oxidation on NiNPs-CuNPs-C60-GCE. With the development of the method, 1.25–475 μM linearity and 0.0025 μM LOD values were achieved. As a result of the study, a more sensitive method was developed than similar methods [25, 26, 27, 28].
Saha and Das have developed a moisture sensor with C60 nanoparticles that immobilized on thick alumina layer [29]. In this study, they created nano-sized cavities on the sensor surface with the use of fullerene nanoparticles. With these gaps, they have improved the surface area and have developed a sensor that can detect even trace amount of moisture not in literature by fullerene advantage. The sensor was briefly prepared by heating a ceramic layer at 900° after being modified with fullerene, alumina, and polyvinyl alcohol, respectively. The sensor enables capacitive measurements to detect moisture at the ppm levels, in the range of 1–25 ppm. Supported with fullerene has the potential to be used successfully in the gas, oil, and food drying industries, due to the small pore sizes, a highly selective sensor has been developed for other volatile liquids.
Shetti and colleagues have developed a fullerene-modified GCE biosensor for electrochemical acyclovir (ACV) determination [30]. The GCE modification with fullerene was carried out according to the drying process on the previously mentioned GCE method. In this study, fullerene was dissolved in dichloromethane instead of toluene, dried by dropping on GCE and reduced in KOH. Afterwards, the electrode was immersed in ACV and the accumulation of ACV on the electrode surface was carried out electrochemically. ACV measurement was carried out with DPV, and real sample experiments were carried out by adding ACV to the real samples as spike. With this sensor, ACV linear measurement was achieved between 90 nM and 6 μM and 1.48 nM lower limit. The sensor gave more sensitive results compared to other ACV measurement methods by modification with fullerene [31, 32, 33, 34, 35]. Tartaric acid made the most interference on the sensor with 11.6%. In real sample experiments, a matrix effect of less than 3% is observed.
Ertuğrul Uygun and colleagues have developed an impedimetric sensor system modified with cortisol-imprinted polymers on fullerene for the determination of cortisol in saliva [36]. In this study, fullerene C60 was dispersed in dimethylformamide and dried on a carbon screen printed electrode. COOH groups were then formed on fullerene by oxidation process in 2 M H2SO4. Afterwards, acrylamide was polymerized with APS around cortisol via these COOH groups, and cortisol-imprinted polymers were synthesized on the electrode surface. After removing cortisol with acetic acid, the CE-C60-polyAcry sensor is ready for the determination of cortisol (Figure 5). In this study, which was performed in real saliva samples and compared with tandem mass spectrometry, the cortisol measurement was performed between 0.5 and 64 nM and the lowest detection limit of 0.14 nM was achieved. Modification of fullerene with carboxyl groups facilitated the synthesis of polymers and increased surface area. Sensor regression analysis compared to tandem mass spectrometry was found to be 0.9778.
C60-acry modified fullerene material.
Another sensor study developed the preparation of molecularly imprinted polymers by making them more advantageous with fullerene for the determination of ATP by Sharma and his colleagues [37]. In this study, fullerene C60 nanomaterials were primarily modified with amide derivatives. After this modification, fullerene derivatives assembled around ATP by crosslinking them with Pd nanoparticles (Figure 6). The fullerene derivatives used herein are amide, carboxyl, and uracil functionalized fullerene nanomaterials. This sensor is characterized by complex measuring systems. Concentration determination was carried out capacitive, and characterization of the polymer layer was performed piezoelectrically and voltammetrically. The ATP measurement was carried out piezoelectrically. 0.062 to 1.0 mM linear ATP was measured capacitively, and the lowest detection limit was 0.31 mM.
Amide, carboxyl, and uracil modified fullerene polymers for ATP imprinted sensor.
3.2 Fullerene-modified biosensors
Biosensor systems use biorecognition agents from biological origin as the recognizing agent. These systems can also be catalytic and affinity-based just as mentioned before. Enzymes are used in catalytic biosensors. The important point here is a catalytic biosensor system can measure the electroactive species or mediators released by enzymatic reaction. In affinity-based biosensors, the basis of the measurement is based on the measurement of the interaction between the biorecognition receptor and the target molecule. These interactions are DNA-DNA, DNA-protein, antigen-antibody, or protein-ligand. In this section, fullerene-modified biosensor systems are discussed.
Pan and Shih fullerenes have developed a piezoelectric-based immunosensor system with C60 nanomaterials [38]. In this system, piezoelectric quartz crystals were modified by spin-coating the toluene solution containing polyvinyl chloride and fullerene onto these crystals. An adsorption type modification was carried out by adding anti-immunoglobulin G on this modification. In this biosensor, IgG determination reached the determination range between 0.0001 and 0.01 mg/mL and the lowest detection limit below 0.0001 mg/mL and has shown a very high selectivity.
Suresh and colleagues have developed another C60 modified immunosensor [39]. With this sensor, prostate specific antigen was determined, and the lower measurement limit of 0.002 ng/mL was reached. The biosensor can detect PSA in a measuring range from 0.005 to 20 ng/mL. GCE was used as the working electrode in the study. The C60 dissolved in toluene and dried on GCE. CuNPs were then deposited electrochemically on fullerene which was electrochemically reduced in NaOH. Then, the electrode was immersed in hydroquinone (HQ) solution and electrochemically bound to surface by the application of potential. After that, HQ-modified electrode was activated with EDC/NHS, and anti-PSA was covalently immobilized to this surface. PSA was determined by measuring the hydrogen peroxide reduction of HRP by forming a layer-by-layer on electrode by blocking the active ends exposed with BSA and the secondary antibody labeled with PSA and HRP, respectively. Electrochemical characterization was performed by CV and EIS. The measurement was carried out with the CV method by the principle of measuring the reduction of the HQ. The biosensor in serum showed a more sensitive result than similar studies with its fullerene modification, showing a 2% matrix effect [40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45].
Zhou et al. performed an ultra-trace amount of miRNA-141 measurement in another fullerene-modified biosensor study [46]. In this study, a new method has been developed that provides a double signal increase. G-quadruplex, which is complementary with miRNA-141, was combined to form the DNA-RNA hybrid. The DNA fragment was then cut with a duplex-specific nuclease, and miRNA-141 was released to triggering the next step and measuring. The reason of the system's ultra-sensitivity is that by C60-modified gold electrodes modified with amino and thiol groups. The fullerene dissolved in toluene, then passed to the water phase by removing toluene. PTC-NH2 was obtained by adding anhydrous ethylenediamine to the solution containing 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) (Figure 7). PTC-NH2 was mixed with the fullerene in the aqueous phase to form amid groups on the fullerene. Afterwards, more active groups were formed by adding EDC/NHS on C60 by activated Cys. Gold electrode modification was carried out by forming the Au-SH bond of SH groups on the modified C60. Electrochemical characterization of the biosensor was carried out by EIS and CV, and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used as the method of analysis. The target miRNA-141 was determined with this biosensor to measure between 0.1 pM and 100 nM, and the lowest detection limit of 7.78 fM was achieved. As a result of increasing the surface area with fullerene on developed biosensor, the researchers have reached a very low detection limit.
SH and NH2 modified PTC-NH2-C60.
Uygun et al. have developed an impedimetric Fetuin-A biosensor, modified with Fullerene-PAMAM (G5) [15]. In this study, the gold electrode, as a working electrode, was first modified by forming self-assembly mono layer of 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP). Then, activated by EDC/NHS poly-hydroxylated fullerene was firstly dropped to this surface. Au-4ATP-C60-OH was modified by PAMAM (G5) dropped to the surface and anti-Fetuin-A antibodies were dropped to the surface, respectively (Figure 8). The biosensor compared to ELISA provided linear measurement between 5 and 400 ng/mL and the lowest 1.44 ng/mL measurement opportunity. The fullerene-PAMAM modification has shown that the biosensor is more advantageous than ELISA due to its three-minute determination and high surface area.
Modification layers of the fullerene-PAMAM modified anti-Fetuin-A biosensor (red indicated nitrogen groups represent the active immobilization residue).
Chuang et al. measured glucose with the piezoelectric system using C60 modified with glucose oxidase enzyme [47]. After the enzyme fullerene and glucose oxidase was incubated for 70 hours, it was immobilized on the piezoelectric crystal. In the sensor system where glucose was measured, LOD was found to be 39 μM. It is stated that in the system, which has a linear glucose measurement between 100 μM and 10 mM, glucose measurement can be made in real samples.
Sensor and biosensor studies have shown that the use of fullerene has been an advantage in these systems. It is summarized in Table 1 with the complete example.
Linear detection range
Chronoamperometry Pd@Cys-C60 Glucose 2.5 μM–1 mM 1 μM [22]
Cyclic voltammetry NiNPs-CuNPs-C60 Vitamin D3 1.25–475 μM 0.0024 μM [24]
Capacitive C60−Alumina Moisture 1–25 ppm 1 ppm [29]
Differential pulse voltammetry ACV-C60 Acyclovir 90 nM–6 μ M 1.48 nM [30]
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy C60-poly-acrylamide Cortisol 0.5–64 nM 0.14 nM [36]
Capacitive Amide-C60, carboxyl-C60, uracil-C60 ATP 0.062–1 mM 0.31 mM [37]
Piezoelectric Anti-IgG-PVA-C60 IgG 0.0001–0.01 mg/mL 0.0001 mg/mL [38]
Cyclic voltammetry C60-CuNPs-HQ-anti-PSA PSA 0.005–20 ng/mL 0.002 ng/mL [39]
Differential pulse voltammetry C60-PTC-Cys miRNA-141 0.1 pM–100 nM 7.78 fM [46]
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy 4ATP- C60-polyOH-PAMAM-anti-FetuinA Fetuin A 5–400 ng/mL 1.44 ng/mL [15]
Piezoelectric C60-GOx Glucose 100 μM–10 mM 39 μM [47]
Comparison of the fullerene-modified sensor and biosensor technology.
Nanomaterials are becoming more important and interesting day by day and their usage areas are increasing. In this book section where the sensor and biosensor systems modified with fullerene are explained, how the fuller is adapted to these systems and how it is modified is explained with examples. As a result, fullerene has successfully completed the task and contributed significantly to the development of these systems. The use of fullerene enabled the development of sensitive sensors by increasing the surface area. At the same time, its contribution to being an indestructible immobilization material and providing durability cannot be ignored.
This chapter was dedicated to our lovely son Bora Metin UYGUN. All figures were created by usinghttps://chemdrawdirect.perkinelmer.cloud/rest/onlineprogram.
Authors have no conflict of interest.
4-ATP
4-aminothiophenol
bovine serum albumin
COOH
carboxyl
CuNPs
copper nanoparticles
cyclic voltammetry
cysteine, cysteamine
differential pulse voltammetry
N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N′-ethylcarbodiimide
glassy carbon electrode
GOx
glucose oxidase
Horse radish peroxidase
micro RNA
milliliter
NaOH
nanogram
PAMAM
poliamidoamin
prostate specific antigen
PTCDA
3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride
quartz crystal microbalance
thiol
2.Fullerenes
3.Fullerene-modified sensors and biosensors
Hilmiye Deniz Ertuğrul Uygun and Zihni Onur Uygun (July 30th 2020). Fullerene Based Sensor and Biosensor Technologies, Smart Nanosystems for Biomedicine, Optoelectronics and Catalysis, Tatyana Shabatina and Vladimir Bochenkov, IntechOpen, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.93316. Available from:
Edited by Tatyana Shabatina
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Q: Can I re-enroll BioExcess fingerprints without Finger Convenience? Just got a new Lenovo laptop and, like the idiot I am, typo'd my username. No problem, thinks I, I'll just remove that user and create a new one.
Unfortunately, I had already registered almost all my fingers to the typo'd account. Now, with my new, correctly spelled account, I can only "enroll" the finger that I didn't on the old account.
It seems the BioExcess®™ way to do this is to use the supplied Finger Convenience utility. Of course, wise old Lenovo have decided that their OEM version of BioExcess doesn't need such frivolity.
When I rang Lenovo support, I was advised to do a factory reset. This seems like nuking a nut to me; especially as I've spent several hours installing stuff by this point.
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A: Ran into similar problem except I enrolled fingers on a local account, joined the computer to a domain, and then deleted the local account.
My solutions was to go to the BioExcess data directory ("C:\ProgramData\Egistec\BioExcess\Data" on my computer), make a backup of the directory, delete the files (user.data and another directory with a long hex name starting with {S...), restart the computer, then redo the enrollment.

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With the Super Eagles setting their sights on securing the World Cup ticket against the Chipolopolo, the former midfielder urges them to avoid errors.
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package com.xjj.web.websocket;

import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
import org.slf4j.Logger;
import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;

import javax.websocket.Session;
import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.util.concurrent.CopyOnWriteArraySet;

/**
 * Created by XuJijun on 2017-03-21.
 */
//@ServerEndpoint("/cmd-websocket")
//@Component
public class CmdWebSocket {
	protected final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(this.getClass());

	private static int onlineCount = 0;
	private static CopyOnWriteArraySet<CmdWebSocket> webSocketSet = new CopyOnWriteArraySet<>();

	private Session session;

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	public void onOpen(Session session) throws IOException{
		this.session = session;
		webSocketSet.add(this);
		if(getOnlineCount()>0){
			this.sendMessage("对不起,此服务只允许有一个连接。请稍后再试。");
			session.close();
			return;
		}

		incrOnlineCount();

		logger.info("new connection...current online count: {}", getOnlineCount());
	}

//	@OnClose
	public void onClose() throws IOException{
		webSocketSet.remove(this);
		decOnlineCount();
		logger.info("one connection closed...current online count: {}", getOnlineCount());
	}

//	@OnMessage
	public void onMessage(String message, Session session) throws IOException, InterruptedException {
		logger.info("message received: {}", message);

		if(message.equals("execute cmd")){
			//执行命令,然后返回结果
			Process process;
			//一次性执行多个命令
			String cmd = "cmd /c \"E: && cd gitBackup && pullAll.bat\"";

			try {
				Runtime runtime = Runtime.getRuntime();

				System.out.println("开始执行。。。");
				process = runtime.exec(cmd);

				//打印执行的输出结果
				InputStream is = process.getInputStream();
				InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(is, "gbk"); //gbk:解决输出乱码
				BufferedReader br = new BufferedReader(isr);
				String line;
				while ((line = br.readLine()) != null){
					System.out.println(line);
					if(StringUtils.isNotBlank(line.trim())) {
						this.sendMessage(line);
					}
					//Thread.sleep(500);
				}

				is.close();
				isr.close();
				br.close();
			}catch (IOException e){
				e.printStackTrace();
			}

		}else {
			this.sendMessage("不支持的命令。");
		}

	}

	public void sendMessage(String message) throws IOException {
		this.session.getBasicRemote().sendText(message);
	}

	public static synchronized int getOnlineCount(){
		return CmdWebSocket.onlineCount;
	}

	public static synchronized void incrOnlineCount(){
		CmdWebSocket.onlineCount++;
	}

	public static synchronized void decOnlineCount(){
		CmdWebSocket.onlineCount--;
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


We did family portraits in Prospect Park on a gorgeous fall day, and Calvin had me charmed the entire time. First, he pointed out letters of the alphabet with an accuracy that surprised me given how young he is, then he found a tiny dinosaur in the grass and carted it along with his model F train from home which made me laugh, and - the kicker - he serenaded me with a very quiet song.
"Is that his ABC's? I can barely hear him." I asked, leaning in. His parents chuckled and answered, "No, it's Enya." Toddlers, man. They never stop surprising me, and I love it.
Calvin's fascination for all things subway led to the shot of them in the stairwell of the F/G stop, and I really liked that Grandma came along for photos, too. I adore my grandmother, and it was fantastic to have her living so close when I was growing up. Getting to take photos of Calvin having the same experience was pretty great.


Learn to make your own body care products!
Minga Skillbuilding Hub, a Transition Guelph partner with the reskilling working group is hosting an exciting workshop for DIY fans: Body Care Products!
Body care products are chock-full of ingredients that have harmful effects on you and your family: Tricolsan, Sodium-Laurel Sulfates and synthetic fragrance are just a few. Healthy alternatives can be expensive. You can learn to make your own healthy and inexpensive body care products that are perfect for yourself, your family and make a wonderful gift. In the class, Minga instructors will show how to make five products: lotion, deodorant (that actually works), lip balm, tooth paste and body spray/perfume.


Build an articulated and detailed Batman Arkham City action figure with SpruKits! The Batman Arkham City SpruKits Level 2 Model Kit features realistic details and articulation to allow you to position and display your completed figure in custom action poses. Parts are already molded in separate colors with no paint required. Easily snaps together with no glue required. Easy and fun to build! Realistic details and articulation allow you to position and display your completed figure in custom action poses. This model kits gives about 60-90 minutes of assembly enjoyment to create a 5-inch tall figure consisting more than 70 pieces! With enhanced detail and increased action posability, this Batman Arkham City SpruKits Level 2 Model Kit delivers a figure with articulation and detail not found in traditional action figures.


text:
#ifndef __CROS_EC_CONFIG_CHIP_H
#define __CROS_EC_CONFIG_CHIP_H

/* CPU core BFD configuration */
#include "core/cortex-m/config_core.h"

/* Number of IRQ vectors on the NVIC */
#define CONFIG_IRQ_COUNT	93

/* Use a bigger console output buffer */
#undef CONFIG_UART_TX_BUF_SIZE
#define CONFIG_UART_TX_BUF_SIZE	2048

/* Interval between HOOK_TICK notifications */
#define HOOK_TICK_INTERVAL_MS	250
#define HOOK_TICK_INTERVAL	(HOOK_TICK_INTERVAL_MS * MSEC)

/* Maximum number of deferrable functions */
#define DEFERRABLE_MAX_COUNT	8

/*
 * Number of I2C controllers. Controller 0 has 2 ports, so the chip has one
 * additional port.
 */
#define CONFIG_I2C_MULTI_PORT_CONTROLLER

#define I2C_CONTROLLER_COUNT	4
#define I2C_PORT_COUNT		5

/****************************************************************************/
/* Memory mapping */

/*
 * The memory region for RAM is actually 0x00100000-0x00120000.
 * RAM for Loader = 2k
 * RAM for RO/RW = 24k
 * CODE size of the Loader is 4k
 * As per the above configuartion  the upper 26k
 * is used to store data.The rest is for code.
 * the lower 100K is flash[ 4k Loader and 96k RO/RW],
 * and the higher 26K is RAM shared by loader and RO/RW.
 */

/****************************************************************************/
/* Define our RAM layout. */

#define CONFIG_MEC_SRAM_BASE_START	0x00100000
#define CONFIG_MEC_SRAM_BASE_END	0x00120000
#define CONFIG_MEC_SRAM_SIZE		(CONFIG_MEC_SRAM_BASE_END - \
					CONFIG_MEC_SRAM_BASE_START)

/* 2k RAM for Loader */
#define CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_LOADER		0x00000800
/* 24k RAM for RO /RW */
#define CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_RORW		0x00006000

#define CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_TOTAL		(CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_LOADER + \
					CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_RORW)
#define CONFIG_RAM_BASE_RORW		(CONFIG_MEC_SRAM_BASE_END - \
					CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_TOTAL)
#define CONFIG_RAM_BASE			CONFIG_RAM_BASE_RORW
#define CONFIG_RAM_SIZE			CONFIG_RAM_SIZE_TOTAL

/* System stack size */
#define CONFIG_STACK_SIZE		4096

/* non-standard task stack sizes */
#define IDLE_TASK_STACK_SIZE		512
#define LARGER_TASK_STACK_SIZE		640

#define CHARGER_TASK_STACK_SIZE		640
#define HOOKS_TASK_STACK_SIZE		640
#define CONSOLE_TASK_STACK_SIZE		640
#define HOST_CMD_TASK_STACK_SIZE	640

/* Default task stack size */
#define TASK_STACK_SIZE			512

/****************************************************************************/
/* Define our flash layout. */

/* Protect bank size 4K bytes */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_BANK_SIZE		0x00001000
/* Sector erase size 4K bytes */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_ERASE_SIZE		0x00001000
/* Minimum write size */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_WRITE_SIZE		0x00000004

/* One page size for write */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_WRITE_IDEAL_SIZE	256

/* Independent of the Flash Physical size of the board
256KB Max size used. Located at the top most segment */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_PHYSICAL_SIZE	0x00040000

/* Program memory base address */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_BASE		0x00100000

#define CONFIG_CDRAM_BASE		0x00100000
#define CONFIG_CDRAM_SIZE		0x00020000

/* Size of one firmware image in flash */
#ifndef CONFIG_FW_IMAGE_SIZE
#define CONFIG_FW_IMAGE_SIZE		(96 * 1024)
#endif

/* Loader resides at the beginning of program memory */
#define CONFIG_LOADER_MEM_OFF		0
#define CONFIG_LOADER_SIZE		0x1000

/*
 * RO / RW images follow the loader in program memory. Either RO or RW
 * image will be loaded -- both cannot be loaded at the same time.
 */
#define CONFIG_RO_MEM_OFF		(CONFIG_LOADER_MEM_OFF + \
					CONFIG_LOADER_SIZE)
#define CONFIG_RO_SIZE			CONFIG_FW_IMAGE_SIZE
#define CONFIG_RW_MEM_OFF		CONFIG_RO_MEM_OFF
#define CONFIG_RW_SIZE			CONFIG_RO_SIZE

#define CONFIG_FLASH_SIZE		CONFIG_FLASH_PHYSICAL_SIZE
#define CONFIG_FW_INCLUDE_RO

/* Write protect Loader and RO Image */
#define CONFIG_WP_OFF			(CONFIG_FLASH_PHYSICAL_SIZE >> 1)
/* Write protect 128k section of 256k physical flash
which contains Loader and RO Images */
#define CONFIG_WP_SIZE			(CONFIG_FLASH_PHYSICAL_SIZE >> 1)
/****************************************************************************/
/* SPI Flash Memory Mapping */

/* Size of SPI memory used (lfw + RSA Keys + RO + RW + boot header) */
#define CONFIG_FLASH_BASE_SPI		(CONFIG_SPI_FLASH_SIZE - (0x40000))

/* RW image starts at the beginning of SPI */
#define CONFIG_RW_STORAGE_OFF		0

/* WP region consists of second half of SPI, and begins with the boot header */
#define CONFIG_BOOT_HEADER_STORAGE_OFF	CONFIG_WP_OFF
#define CONFIG_BOOT_HEADER_STORAGE_SIZE	0x240

/* Loader / lfw image immediately follows the boot header on SPI */
#define CONFIG_LOADER_STORAGE_OFF	(CONFIG_BOOT_HEADER_STORAGE_OFF + \
					CONFIG_BOOT_HEADER_STORAGE_SIZE)

/* RO image immediately follows the loader image */
#define CONFIG_RO_STORAGE_OFF		(CONFIG_LOADER_STORAGE_OFF + \
					CONFIG_LOADER_SIZE)

#define CONFIG_RO_IMAGE_FLASHADDR	(CONFIG_FLASH_BASE_SPI + \
					CONFIG_RO_STORAGE_OFF)
#define CONFIG_RW_IMAGE_FLASHADDR	(CONFIG_FLASH_BASE_SPI + \
					CONFIG_RW_STORAGE_OFF)

/* Non-memmapped, external SPI */
#define CONFIG_CODERAM_ARCH
#undef  CONFIG_FLASH_MAPPED
#undef  CONFIG_FLASH_PSTATE
#define CONFIG_SPI_FLASH

/****************************************************************************/
/* Customize the build */
/* Optional features present on this chip */
#if 0
#define CONFIG_ADC
#define CONFIG_PECI
#define CONFIG_MPU
#endif
#define CONFIG_DMA
#define CONFIG_FPU
#define CONFIG_I2C
#define CONFIG_LPC
#define CONFIG_SPI
#define CONFIG_SWITCH

#define GPIO_PIN(index) (index / 10), (1 << (index % 10))
#define GPIO_PIN_MASK(pin, mask) (pin), (mask)

#endif  /* __CROS_EC_CONFIG_CHIP_H */


text:
PPP Loan Data — The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America, New York, NY
ALERT: There are 2 PPP loans for a total of $6.22M in our database for businesses with the name "The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America" in New York, NY. This this is typically due to the same business receiving both first and second-draw loans, but may also include similarly named but unrelated businesses, multiple branches of the same business, mistaken multiple applications, or potential fraud. Click each loan below to see full details.
$2M Loan - Non-profit Organization - February, 2021
Lender: Signature Bank
$4.22M Loan - Non-profit Organization - April, 2020
NY Nonprofit Organization
Entity: Non-profit Organization
Industry: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America is a non-profit organization located at 3080 Broadway in New York, New York that received a Coronavirus-related PPP loan from the SBA of $2,000,000.00 in February, 2021.
Signature Bank
The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America in New York, NY received a Paycheck Protection Loan of $2M through Signature Bank, which was approved in February, 2021.
For The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America, the calculation used to estimate payroll costs is shown below:
($2M / 2.5) * 12 = $9.6M
Based on the standard PPP eligibility formula, it may be possible to estimate the payroll expenses represented by a company on their PPP application (see details above). In order to qualify for the PPP loan amount received, The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America's 2019 payroll expenses are estimated to be at least $9.6M.
On the PPP application, The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America reported intending to use the proceeds of their PPP loan for the following expenses:
Utilities: $1
Because the loan received by The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America is at least $2M dollars, it is subject to a full review by the SBA to ensure eligibility and compliance with PPP program requirements.
Business Information - The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America in New York, NY
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
New York County, NY — SBA Office 0202 — Congressional District: NY-13
There are 4 other businesses that received a PPP loan registered to the same address as The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America.
The Foundation For Conservative Mesorati
Grantmaking Foundations
Masorti Foundation For Conservative Judaism In Israel
Rabbinical Assembly Of America
National Ramah Commission, Inc
All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries
Similar Companies near New York
In the New York area, 5 businesses in the "Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools" industry received a PPP loan. These local businesses reported an average of 124 employees (compared to this company's 177) and received an average PPP loan of $1,618,385 (compared to this company's $2M).
Learnabi, LLC
The Union Theological Seminary In The City Of New York
Neslihan Senocak
Nationwide, 3,254 businesses in the "Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools" industry received a total of $2.07B in PPP loans. This industry in total received less than 1% of the total PPP funding distributed.
PPP recipients in this industry report an average of 77 employees, 56% lower than The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America's reported 177 employees, and received an average PPP loan of $636,003, 68% lower than this company's loan of $2M.
The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America is a non-profit organization located at 3080 Broadway in New York, New York that received a Coronavirus-related PPP loan from the SBA of $4,220,243.00 in April, 2020.
The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America in New York, NY received a Paycheck Protection Loan of $4.22M through Signature Bank, which was approved in April, 2020.
This loan's status is reported by the SBA as "Paid in Full", which includes both loans repaid and those fully forgiven from repayment under PPP guidelines. The loan's status was last updated by the SBA in August, 2021.
Based on the standard PPP eligibility formula, it may be possible to estimate the payroll expenses represented by a company on their PPP application (see details above). In order to qualify for the PPP loan amount received, The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America's 2019 payroll expenses are estimated to be at least $20.26M.
In the New York area, 5 businesses in the "Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools" industry received a PPP loan. These local businesses reported an average of 124 employees (compared to this company's 242) and received an average PPP loan of $1,618,385 (compared to this company's $4.22M).
PPP recipients in this industry report an average of 77 employees, 68% lower than The Jewish Theological Seminary Of America's reported 242 employees, and received an average PPP loan of $636,003, 85% lower than this company's loan of $4.22M.
Source: www.federalpay.org/paycheck-protection-program/the-jewish-theological-seminary-of-america-new-york-ny


text:
Vaccination Key to 'Super Immunity' Against COVID-19 | Health & Fitness
Robert Preidt
TUESDAY, Jan. 25, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Coronavirus infections before or after vaccination provide equal levels of increased immunity, and the key to this so-called "super immunity" is to be vaccinated, researchers report.
"It makes no difference whether you get infected-and-then-vaccinated, or if you get vaccinated-and-then-a-breakthrough infection," said study co-senior author Fikadu Tafesse. He is an assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Medicine, in Portland.
"In either case, you will get a really, really robust immune response — amazingly high," Tafesse said in a university news release.
The study included 104 university staff who received the Pfizer vaccine. Of those, 42 had never been infected, 31 were infected before vaccination, and 31 were infected after vaccination (breakthrough infections).
Blood samples from the participants were exposed to three variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the results showed that both groups who had been infected had much stronger immunity against the viruses than those who hadn't been infected.
Specifically, the blood of those who'd been vaccinated and infected (hybrid immunity) had equally more abundant and more effective antibodies — at least 1,000% more effective — than the blood of those who'd been vaccinated but never infected.
The study was conducted before the emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant, but the authors believe the hybrid immune response would be similar with that variant.
"The likelihood of getting breakthrough infections is high because there is so much virus around us right now," Tafesse explained. "But we position ourselves better by getting vaccinated. And if the virus comes, we'll get a milder case and end up with this super immunity."
The findings were published online Jan. 25 in the journal Science Immunology.
"I would expect at this point many vaccinated people are going to wind up with breakthrough infections — and hence a form of hybrid immunity," said study senior co-author Dr. Bill Messer, an assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology and medicine (infectious diseases) at OHSU.
As Omicron continues to rage, many unvaccinated people who were previously infected are likely to be infected again, and will have a much more variable degree of immune response than those who are vaccinated, according to Messer.
"I can guarantee that such immunity will be variable, with some people getting equivalent immunity to vaccination, but most will not," he added. "And there is no way, short of laboratory testing, to know who gets what immunity. Vaccination makes it much more likely to be assured of a good immune response."
Another member of the research team agreed.
"Immunity from natural infection alone is variable. Some people produce a strong response and others do not," said study senior co-author Dr. Marcel Curlin, an associate professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at OHSU and director of OHSU Occupational Health. "But vaccination combined with immunity from infection almost always provides very strong responses."
For more on COVID-19 vaccines, go to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCE: Oregon Health & Science University, news release, Jan. 25, 2022
This article originally ran on true.
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text:
Q: Data frame no longer a data frame once element is removed I have a simple data frame as
myframe<-data.frame(c(NA, NA,NA, 1,2,3,4,5,NA,7,8,9))

I remove the first element like so:
myframe<-myframe[-1,]

And when I do this:
is.data.frame(myframe)

The result I get is:
[1] FALSE

I can fix it by:
myframe<-data.frame(myframe[-1,])

but I thought that the data frame wouldn't stop being a data frame after removing elements
What's happening here? I've been coding all day and my brain is fried and I cannot figure this out. Please help.
My objective is to only remove the first n occurences of NAs in a data frame. If they occur somewhere in the middle, it doesn't matter.
Thank you!

A: Because you only have one column, R automatically converts the result to a vector. If you want to preserve the data frame structure you can type
myframe[-1, , drop = FALSE]


SERVPRO of Western Union County loves attending events like the Fanwood Street Fair in Fanwood, NJ. It allows us to get more involved in our community while having a lot of fun!
SERVPRO of Western Union County Celebrates a Birthday!
Here at SERVPRO Western Union County, we always like to show our appreciation for one another. Whether it be buying a coworker coffee or throwing a surprise birthday lunch, we always show our gratitude for each other in one way or another!
Each year Western Union County hosts a Pet Adoption Day! At this event, we assist local shelters in finding homes for animals in need. It's a day we look forward to all year!
A Special Visitor at SERVPRO of Western Union County!
Some days we have special visitors at SERVPRO of Western Union County. We especially love when Nala comes to visit! She really wants to be a part of the SERVPRO team!
Here at SERVPRO of Western Union County, we value our time together outside the workplace just as much as we do inside. We also understand the importance of getting involved within the community. We are always attending events as a team and always having fun!
A BIG Addition to our SERVPRO of Western Union County Fleet!
We have added an old military-grade truck to our fleet. This truck is almost always at events we sponsor and has become a staple in our community. When people see the Big Rig, they know SERVPRO of Western Union County is here!


An agreement between Israel and the PLO concluded in Cairo, Egypt, on 4 May 1994, as part of the Oslo Process. It was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and witnessed by the United States, Russia and Egypt. Following the 1993 Declaration of Principles, it made for the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the Jericho area. It also formally established the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as a 24-member body combining executive and legislative powers, which was put in charge of the areas from which Israel was to withdraw. The withdrawal took place as scheduled on 25 May 1994. The Cairo Agreement was followed and superseded by the Interim Agreement of September 1995, turning over additional responsibilities to the PNA.
Credit: ECF - Economi Cooperation Foundation. Last update at 2016-01-31 04:04.
Share "Cairo Agreement on Gaza and Jericho (1994)"


Without proof of immunizations or a valid exemption, students may be suspended from school until updated records are provided to Public Health.
This year, Public Health will send a letter directly to families whose immunization records are not up to date. Suspensions for out of date immunizations for elementary students will begin on March 27, 2019.
How do I report my child's immunizations?
Please submit all immunization records to Public Health. You can submit records online at e-immunization-regionofwaterloo.ca or by calling 519-575-4400 ext. 5001 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday) or in person at any Public Health location – 99 Regina Street South, Waterloo or 150 Main Street, Cambridge.
Contact your health care provider and book an appointment to receive any immunizations. Be sure to bring your immunization record with you. If you do not have a health care provider, call Public Health at 519-575-4400 or make an appointment with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) Clinic by contacting Public Health at 519-575-4400 ext. 5003.
More information on school immunizations and the Immunization of School Pupils Act is available on Public Health's website.


Being a rabbit owner can be exciting and relaxing. But on the other side its challenging reason being bunnies are delicate creatures.
But if you really know what you are doing then you will be a happy owner. If you are new to keeping rabbits then its a good idea that you learn all you can in rearing these creatures. Once you learn about rearing rabbits then you will be prepared for what is ahead of you.
Rabbits are high maintenance creatures which need a lot of attention plus affection. Although they are cute cuddy creatures that you could think aren't harmful, in reality they may hurt you if you handle them in a way they don't like. Their back legs are very strong and they use them to kick you off. So before you choose the decision in rearing rabbits they are some things that you need to know.
– There are different sizes of rabbits. They are little rabbits that may be kept in small houses and are not good for meat production. Then they are the bigger ones that need a lot of space to reside. These are the rabbits that are raised for the production of meat and mating.
– When it comes to feeding bunnies you have to know that they are vegetarians, so you can't feed them meat. You must feed them chewy vegetables like carrots and cabbages. You can also feed them rabbit pellets since they have a lot of nutrients which will help them germinate more powerful and healthy. A supplementary diet of hay and alfalfa may be given to them as well.
– You must decide if you want to keep indoor or outdoor bunnies. If you want to keep outdoor bunnies then you should be sure you to offer protection for them. You should build them shelter and a safety fence. Rabbit houses must be made from stainlesss steel cages or wood cages because rabbits can eat on the wood.
Raising bunnies is not the simplest thing to do but at the same time its not that difficult. Just manage them by giving them good housing, feeding them right and also some little bit of cuddling.
Becoming a bunny owner can be exciting and relaxing. But on the other side its challenging reason being bunnies are delicate creatures.
But if you really know what you are doing then you will be a cheerful owner. If you are new to keeping bunnies then its recommended that you discover all you can in raising these creatures. Once you learn about rearing rabbits then you will be prepared for what is in front of you.
Rabbits are high maintenance creatures which need a lot of attention plus affection. Although they are cuty creatures that you may think are not harmful, in reality they can hurt you if you handle them in a manner they don't like. Their back legs are strong and they use them to beat you off. So before you make the decision in raising bunnies they are some things that you may want to learn.
– There are different sizes of bunnies. They are small rabbits that may be kept in small houses and are not good for producing meat. Then they will be the bigger ones that need a lot of space to live in. These are the bunnies that are raised for meat production and reproduction.
– When it comes to feeding rabbits you need to know that they are non-meat eaters, so you can't feed them meat. You must feed them chewy vegetables like carrots and cabbages. You can also feed them bunnie pellets since they have a lot of nutrients which will help them germinate more powerful and healthy. A supplementary diet of hay or alfalfa may be given to them as well.
– You should decide if you would like to keep indoor or outdoor rabbits. If you need to raise outdoor rabbits then you should ensure you offer protection for them. You must build them shelter and a safety fence. Rabbit houses should be made from metal cages or wood cases because bunnies can eat on the wood.
Raising bunnies is not the easiest thing to do but at the same time its not that difficult. Just look after them by giving them good housing, feeding them right and also some little cuddling.


Iweta came to work for GSM Careers in May 2014 as a paid intern working as an administrative assistant on the Greenford campus. On the surface, this role appeared to have few long-term prospects. However, Iweta viewed it as an opportunity to develop a range of useful skills within an academic environment. She also took on additional responsibilities and helped to promote the GSM industry themed weeks and employer-led events on campus.
She made full use of the GSM Careers Team to assist her in refining her CV and add the skills she acquired in full-time work. Her career ideas began to be more specific and focused On the role as she searched for a full-time role. Throughout this process, she sought consultancy services from the GSM Careers team. Whilst her proficiency in English was good, she ensured her applications for suitable roles were checked over by a member of the GSM career team before submitting.
She also displayed a considerable degree of resilience, undaunted by initial rejections by employers and keen to learn by seeking feedback from them where possible. In December she did land an interview and her first action was to call upon more of the internal resources of the GSM careers team. By booking several mock interviews with Paul Cannons and Janki Amin she learned some of the key interview techniques that can increase a candidate's chances of securing a job. The advice she gained ranged from modifying the tone, pace and overall body language of her presentation as much as the content of her responses.
So the lessons are firstly to try and secure temporary or administrative work in a sector of future interest. This helps to turn theoretical knowledge into useful practical knowledge. Many of the skills gained in work are transferable and as Iweta found when working with the GSM career team these are adapted onto any application form or CV.
Resilience also helps. Being rejected from one role can provide useful feedback to become more experienced for the next interview. Being supported throughout the application process helps to build confidence and provide a clearer focus of opportunities. 'Practice can make perfect' and Iweta's mock interviews gave her an insight into many of the UK graduate recruitment practices.
Some of the opportunities Iweta accessed in her internship are available to all GSM students. For example, GSM students can get support with their applications forms and practice interviews on both campuses and also long after they have graduated. Such sessions are termed 'consultancy sessions' and usually last up to 45 minutes. They can be booked on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons on both campuses via the GSM careers team. So why not follow in the footsteps of Iweta and book an appointment today to increase your chances of landing an interview and potentially a full-time job.


Two thousand eighteen shifted the way we view our timelines, market and create content, and what that content even is.
Snapchat: Reliable News Source & Effective Marketing Tool?
Snapchat. It's a silly app for Gen Y & Z. No real value and certainly not worth reading about, right? But the truth is however, that Snapchat is a revolutionary app. I dare say.


text:
Techstars turn up: Atlanta accelerates inspiration for Roy Scott's Healthy Hip Hop
It's official: 'Shark Tank' casting call coming Feb. 21 to Kansas City's 18th & Vine District
Two KC edtech startups just won $50K each, tickets to OHUB's demo day at SXSW
TOP VC-BACKED COMPANIES
STARTUPS TO WATCH
RESOURCE NAVIGATOR
Home Government Want a globally competitive KC? Look beyond smart city 'bling,' Digi.City founder says
Want a globally competitive KC? Look beyond smart city 'bling,' Digi.City founder says
By: Leah Wankum- February 19, 2018
Chelsea Collier, Digi.City
The U.S. has a lot of catching up to do, said Chelsea Collier, founder of Digi.City.
It's not quite doomsday, but Collier wanted to express a sense of urgency, she said Friday during a Smart Metro Summit at Plexpod Westport Commons. Cities need to get smart — fast — or the United States will continue to slip behind in global competitiveness.
"(Americans) are so used to being No. 1, but all you have to do is go spend four weeks in China to realize that is a very tenuous reality," she said. "I came back from that experience with my eyes blown wide open. We talk about the China of 10 years ago or the China of their revolution, (but) it is a very different place. They are investing in innovation. They are investing in technology. They are moving 100 miles an hour because they know there's no time to waste."
Several countries in Asia and Europe — namely Singapore, China, Japan and members of the European Union — are meeting the new technology era head-on, Collier said. She urges the United States to do the same.
"We need to speed up or we won't be able to catch up," she said. "And that's not what I want to see."
Collier is traveling the country to spread her message. Thanks to the Eisenhower Fellowship, she has been studying smart cities to see what's working in other parts of the country and across the world.
Kansas City was no pit stop. Collier has been watching the metro with great interest since the Gigabit City Summit last year, she said. In her mind, the city is preparing itself for global competitiveness as a smart city.
In fact, because of Kansas City's efforts to develop smart infrastructure, Smart Cities Connect — of which Collier is editor — selected Kansas City as the next host of its annual Smart Cities Connect Conference March 26-29.
Collier wants other cities to start paying attention to what local entrepreneurs — including those in the Kansas City, Missouri, city government — are doing right, she said.
A self-dubbed cheerleader and champion for cities getting smart, Collier said city staff and elected officials are laying the groundwork for smart infrastructure, including the KC streetcar project.
Collier also mentioned a "staggering" statistic provided by Troy Schulte, city manager for Kansas City, Missouri: 29 mobile broadbands are competing in the metro area. And Kansas City is preparing for 5G, when devices will communicate with each other without human connections, she noted.
But most importantly, it's Kansas City's "entrepreneurial spirit," creativity and willingness to look outside the city limits to what other cities are doing — and how Kansas City can learn from other cities' experiences — that caught Collier's attention, she said.
How does she define a smart city? It's not just having cool gadgets, Collier stressed.
"There's a lot of criticism about smart cities that it's just a new buzzword, and I kind of deflate when I hear that because it's a lot easier to point to a physical device, a sensor, or a drone or an autonomous vehicle and say, 'Well, those cities have those things, so they must be smart cities,'" Collier said. "Smart cities is much more internal and it's much more complicated than that."
In Collier's mind, a smart city has the digital infrastructure and has invested for the foreseeable future, laying the groundwork for 5G and modernizing existing utility infrastructure. On a foundational level, that means developing infrastructure and policies and procedures for the internet of things, security, privacy, big data and cloud storage, just to name a few.
"If a city is just talking about their bling, then that's just the icing on the cake," she said. "They're not talking about the things that make a smart city run."
Kansas City is one of several U.S. cities on her radar, she said. In 2016, Collier received an Eisenhower Fellowship, which allowed her to study smart cities, economic development technologies and innovation. Digi.City is the product of Collier's fellowship. Through her digital platform and blog, she wants to share what she's learned from smart cities across the nation and all over the world to help U.S. cities get smart.
Fellows funded by the Eisenhower Fellowship typically write papers to explain their findings, Collier said. But creating Digi.City made more sense because smart cities were moving so fast that her findings would quickly become antiquated, she said.
RootMetrics rated Kansas City second in the nation for best overall mobile performance. But while Kansas City can brag for a minute, internet and mobile connectivity isn't everything, Collier said.
The U.S. is slipping behind in global competitiveness, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Center. Cities that work now on developing their policies, regulations and infrastructure, however, could be rewarded 10, 20 or even 50 years down the road, she said.
Some are calling it the Fourth Industrial Revolution; that's not hyperbole to Collier, who said the world is on the brink of a new era of technology, a "transformative time" not unlike a century ago, when the steam engine was invented.
"How we work, how we connect, where we live, how we live, all of that is going to change drastically, and I really want cities to be ready for that because the ones that are ready will continue to prosper, and the ones that are not are really going to struggle, and I don't want to see that happen," Collier said. "If there's anything that I can do with what I've been fortunate enough to experience and learn, then I want to share it."
One piece of advice from Collier that is unique to the Kansas City metro area: Don't get hung up on border war history.
"I get it, but man, how silly when you're looking at the global competitive forces," she said, touting KCK and KCMO's collaborative efforts to be more attractive on a global scale. "Quit quibbling about the small stuff. Don't look down at your feet. Look out at the horizon and see what's coming, and get ready. Start working together, both sides. Both communities have something to add. Both communities have value. Both communities are creative. It is not about winners and losers in this game when you're talking about a regional competitiveness."
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text:
Event: The 18 days
Occupation: JournAlyst
Ahmed Mohamed Mahmoud Mohamed Bakhit
Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud graduated from the Faculty of Commerce, but was passionate about the journalism which is why he joined Al-Taawm. He achieved his dream of establishing his own publishing house and his only daughter, Norhan, 10 at the time, was his life.
On Saturday, January 29, he told his wife, Inas Abdel-Alim, a journalist at Al Masaa newspaper, that he would go to his publishing house, which was located next door to Ministry of the Interior on Lazoughly street. He asked her not to leave the house for any reason because of the demonstrations and that it was not safe for her or their daughter. He hugged his daughter and told her he would be back soon. He parked his car away from his office and was cautious due to the violence that was expected from the protests.
"On this day I felt that Ahmed was behaving strangely," said his wife Inas, "Take care of our daughter he repeated several times." She added, "I did not know that this was his last will."
Shortly after Ahmed arrived at his office, he heard the voices of demonstrations on the street. Looking out the window he started documenting the events with his camera, including the police brutality against the demonstrators. It wasn't long until a police sniper saw Ahmed, according to witnesses, and targeted him with a bullet that penetrated Ahmed's right eye, he fell unconscious immediately. His colleagues at the office carried him to the nearby Al-Qasr Al-Aini Hospital where he was placed in intensive care.
Ahmed's colleagues did not immediately inform his wife, as they didn't know how critical his condition was until the following day. Ahmed's brain continued bleeding and the doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his head. He passed away 6 days later, making him the first journalist killed during the events of the January revolution.
His wife speaks of his last days saying he documented the revolution from day one, and expressed his fears for the young revolutionaries—the oppression they will continue to face because of the regime. He recorded the youth chanting slogans of the revolution and send it to his daughter's phone.
Despite providing a video of the shooting to the authorities that was recorded by a witness, it was not enough for the prosecution to determine who was the killer. Evidence lied in what type of bullet was used, but Ahmed's family refused to do autopsy.
Two days after his death, Egyptian journalists carried out a symbolic funeral for Ahmad from the headquarters of Press Syndicate and marched to Tahrir Square on his birthday, February 8, 2010.


text:
Kuramosciadium is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Apiaceae.

Its native range is Central Asia.

Species:
 Kuramosciadium corydalifolium Pimenov, Kljuykov & Tojibaev

References

Apiaceae
Apiaceae genera

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We are Ana and Stephen Price; along with our baby Joel who was born in Zacatecas. We a young family, giving our lives to missions in Zacatecas, Mexico. We chose this location in the summer of 2012 while asking God to highlight where he wanted us to serve. We live in Zacatecas, which is the capital city in the state of Zacatecas.
It is 8,000 feet in elevation and has a desert climate, which is a big change from the flat humid regions where we grew up in Illinois!
Thank you for visiting our site! Feel free to browse around, read stories and drop us a line, we'd love to hear from you!


text:
Gustavia monocaulis é uma espécie de lenhosa da família Lecythidaceae.

Pode ser encontrada nos seguintes países: Colômbia e Panamá.

Está ameaçada por perda de habitat.

Referências
  Mitré, M. 1998.  Gustavia monocaulis.   2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.   Dados de 10 de Julho de 2007.

Lecythidaceae


Our church was rebuilt in 1997 after a major fire. Now as you can see it is a bright, light building providing up to date facilities for worship and social activities.
These two images were taken at the Queen's 60th Jubilee.
Would you like to be married here? It is possible and the nearby Rookery Hall or Reaseheath College could provide a venue for your reception.
Should you wish to be baptised at St. Oswalds or to organise a funeral or burial service please contact either the Vicar or one of the Church Wardens listed at the top of this page.
Are you interested in the wider Anglican Church?
Near to the church is Worleston CofE Primary School.
Use your browser's back button to return to this site.
The Wardens now have bound copies of magazines from the 1930ies.
Below is a sample from January 1932.
If you would like to look at the bound copies please contact the Wardens.
St. Oswald's Worleston takes its duty and obligation to protect all extremely seriously. We have adopted the national Church of England's robust procedures and guidelines. You can find out more about the national policies and procedures at www.churchofengland.org/safeguarding.


At the beginning, YARSI Foundation's sole concern was the shortage of medical personnel in Indonesia, especially the low number of Muslims working in health care. This was reflected in the fact that in 1967 none of the existing medical education institutions and hospitals was managed by an Islamic institution.
Concerned with this and realizing the potential of Muslims in Indonesia as a majority, on April 15, 1967, YARSI Foundation established YARSI Medical College, which later in 1969 was changed to YARSI Medical School in accordance with Law No. 22 of 1961.
The idea to expand the medical school to a university had been considered since 1979. With the experience of managing medical study programs which have proved to be successful, the foundation was optimistic that it would also be able to manage non-exact courses like Law, Economics and others.


Green Apple Dog Raincoat, you choose fleece or cotton lining!
What a cheerful way to keep the rain drops away with your fur pal! This Green Apple Dog Raincoat is made with a waterproof oilcloth material for the outer shell and a handsome blue linen fabric for the liner. Make this coat warmer by choosing navy blue fleece for the lining. Oilcloth is vinyl on a cotton mesh base and is very durable!
If you don't know your dogs measurements you can easily measure each size aspect A, B, and C. With a measuring tape for A, measure your dogs body length from base of neck to back above the tail. For measurement B measure from center of the spine down the side of the dog as far as you would like the coat to go. And finally to get measurement C, the girth, measure around the belly of the dog at the central point. Need a different size? Convo me I can make one for your dogs measurements.
Simply wipe coat dry to clean. I do not recommend use of a dryer on this item due to the oilcloth and to keep reflective qualities nice and bright. Coat may be lightly ironed on the lining side to remove any wrinkles on slicker side.
Ordered size small for my 7 months old French bulldog girl. It fits her 20" chest, 14" body length perfectly and it is extremely well made! I asked for red cotton lining instead of navy blue and the collar and the Velcro belt that faces the element is done in matching red waterproof material! Very thoughtful. Thank you so much! Love it!!
Thank you, really nice quality!


Vitiligo affects the social life of patient up to very much extent that many Vitiligo patients feel disappointment towards their social life, so most of the patients are mainly concerned about chances of recovery in Vitiligo. Contact Sarmista Cosmetic Plastic And Laser Surgery Centre today, to clear all your queries.
How much does Vitiligo surgery cost in Andhra Pradesh, India? Check Vitiligo before and after images, Vitiligo reviews, Vitiligo price, Question and Answers, Book Appointment Online in India. Compare from 6 Vitiligo Centers, Hospitals, Clinics & Doctors from India.


LearnKey's A+ (220-902) Series include the five domains that are covered in exam 220-902. This series thoroughly covers the objectives in each domain and will prepare students for A+ exam 220-902. These domains include: Domain 1: Windows Operating Systems Domain 2: Other Operating Systems and Technologies Domain 3: Security Domain 4: Software Troubleshooting Domain 5: Operational Procedures ____________________________________________________ Included with the purchase of this series is a project workbook. With 215 pages of practice exercises consisting of hands-on labs, conceptual design exercises, and troubleshooting exercises, all with the purpose of sharpening your skills in preparation for the A+ 220-902 exam. The workbook maps directly to the video portion of this series, making it easy for you to get the right kind of training and practice for each exam objective.


text:
The Blogwild salmonAlaskasalmon
Mr. President: Keep Wild Salmon on Our Plates!
Bristol Bay demonstrates that some places should be left free of industrial development because their natural resource values, and the benefits they provide to people, outstrip short-term development values.
Chris Wood, Contributor
President and CEO, Trout Unlimited
Feb 16, 2012, 11:48 AM EST | Updated Apr 17, 2012
It is not often that a fish can define your life's work. Rarer still can the most powerful man on earth, the President of the United States, determine the future of that fish. President Obama must decide before his re-election campaign is over whether nearly one-third of the wild salmon consumed in the United States can continue to provide an important source of delicious and healthy protein for millions of Americans (try, for example, Grilled Salmon with Ancho Honey Porter Glaze). Or, whether an ill-conceived, open pit mine in the headwaters of Bristol Bay, Alaska, is more important
It all started for me more than 20 years ago in Alaska. I watched hundreds of deformed, hook-jawed, flesh-sloughing salmon roil along the banks of a river that I'd planned on fishing. No way was I going to allow what had contaminated the fish get on my sweet new rubber Ranger waders. So, I left, and went to the nearest library. Remember those places with books, before Wikipedia?
I learned salmon are born in freshwater streams, migrate to the ocean for several years and then return to their birth stream. How they can travel hundreds of miles on their journey home, gaining thousands of feet of elevation, subsisting only off the fat they have stored. They go through the physical transformation described above and have sex one time. One time, then die.
What started as a humbling educational experience blossomed into a career that's allowed me to help conserve the landscapes that we love to fish and hunt, while also providing food for my family. All of that, and more, is at risk in Bristol Bay. In this remote corner of southwest Alaska, more than 40 million salmon return to spawn every year. The future of this place, an area the size of Ohio where a visitor is more likely to see a caribou or bear than another person, is in the hands of President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That is why Trout Unlimited (TU) is working with Alaska native people, recreational and commercial fishermen, hunting and angling organizations, outdoor retailers, talented chefs, jewelers, and many others to protect what is the world's largest and most important salmon fishery.
Several mining companies have proposed building the world's largest open pit mine in Bristol Bay's headwater rivers. In addition to tons of copper, gold and molybdenum, the proposed Pebble Mine would produce 10 billion tons of toxic waste and store it behind a 700 foot high earthen dam. In this seismically active region, independent scientists question whether a dam could withstand an earthquake. Recall that Anchorage was devastated by a 9.2 magnitude quake in 1964.
Fearing the impacts to wild salmon, Alaska Natives asked the Obama Administration to use its authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine. TU led 500 other hunting and angling organizations to support this action. In response, the EPA in February 2011 launched a science review to evaluate the potential impacts from industrial scale development to Bristol Bay's extraordinary fish and wildlife. Importantly, the people who live closest to the mine and whose lives, literally, depend on the salmon fishery, recently formally declared their opposition to the mine.
At first glance, the Obama Administration appears confronted with the classic jobs vs. the environment conundrum. The reality is that the Pebble Mine would create between 1000-2000 annual jobs while imperiling 12000 commercial and recreational fishery-related jobs in the $600 million annual salmon fishery. And the mining jobs would disappear once the minerals are extracted. In contrast, the jobs supported by salmon will continue long past when the mine is shuttered as long as we take care of the habitat. Do the math; in Bristol Bay, protecting the environment protects jobs.
This is the wrong mine in the wrong place, and President Obama should stop it before more time and resources are wasted. Bristol Bay demonstrates that some places should be left free of industrial development because their natural resource values, and the benefits they provide to people, outstrip short-term development values.
In our faltering economy, jobs are a critical issue and stopping the Pebble Mine gives President Obama the rare opportunity to protect the environment in the name of protecting jobs and economic development.
Please ask President Obama to keep wild salmon on our dinner plates, in our imagination, at the end of our lines, and in our wallets.
wild salmonAlaskasalmonPebble Minegreen


"St. Louis Kolache on Whiskey And Soba"
There are few things more shameful than knowing less than a Texan.
About two years ago, a Texan coworker came into work with the ubiquitous white cardboard box that every donut and bagel shop uses and gleefully announced, "KOLACHE TIME!" I didn't know what that meant, but like a dog who sees his bowl, I ran for it. I tore the box top open, and inside I saw what appeared to be baseball-sized Hawaiian rolls.


Our group does research in solid state physics with focus on electric transport properties of superconducting and magnetic layered structures.
Regarding teaching we cover a broad range, from courses for first year students (Physics I, II) up to courses for advanced students (solid state physics, superconductivity, quantum phenomena).
Our research team consists of approx. 30 people, including students who -- within their bachelor-/master-/diploma and PhD thesis -- do research on up-to-date hot topics of modern solid state physics.
Our group is member of the Center for Quantum Science (CQ) and of the Center of Light-Matter-Interaction, Sensors & Analytics (LISA+).


text: Bataille de Gamonal (1808)


text:
The Post and Logistics Union (, PAU) is a trade union, principally representing postal workers, in Finland.

The union was founded on 1 June 2005, when the Postal Union merged with the Postal Officers' Union.  The two unions, originally representing separate groups of workers, and affiliated to different union federations, had increasingly come to co-operate.  The new union chose to affiliate to the Central Organisation of Finnish Trade Unions.

By 2007, the union represented 82% of eligible workers in the postal service, with approximately half the members being women.  As of 2020, the union had 25,004 members.

Presidents
2005: Esa Vilkuna
2014: Heidi Nieminen

References

Postal trade unions
Trade unions in Finland
Trade unions established in 2005


Note: This article was first published on 24th September 2018.
AMD has taken great pride in its recent CPU releases, and with good reason. It's first to market with a 32-core processor for consumers, and if you're already running a first-generation Threadripper chip, you won't even need to buy a new motherboard for the Threadripper 2990WX.
The company has put a lot of emphasis on fleshing out its ecosystem of motherboards, coolers, and other accessories, which is why it's taken care to ensure backward compatibility with the existing X399 platform and SocketTR4.
You'll be able to drop any Threadripper 2000-series chip into an existing X399 motherboard, which certainly saves you some money if you're already on the platform.
That said, what's a motherboard maker to do when there's technically no need for any new boards? Do they stick to their existing line-up or do they release new models with even beefier specifications and more features?
As it turns out, Gigabyte has opted for the latter route with the X399 Aorus Xtreme, its new X399 flagship that's been jam-packed with nearly every conceivable feature.
The X399 Aorus Xtreme is built like a tank. It is extremely heavy, no thanks to a metal backplate that spans the entire length and width of the board. That said, the extra structural support is reassuring and really helps prevent the flexing of the PCB, especially since this is an E-ATX board. According to Aorus, the backplate functions as more than just structural support and can act as a passive heatsink to lower the backside PWM component temperatures by up to 10 per cent.
Moving over to the front of the board, you'll find massive VRM heatsinks encircling the CPU socket. This is clearly a board built for overclocking, where it's important to keep the MOSFETs and other crucial components running cool. The MOSFETs can get pretty hot with high currents, which in turns affects the resistance of the semiconductor. This could lead to a drop in efficiency and precipitate a vicious cycle that leads to more heat.
The main heatsink is built from copper, which is more effective at dissipating heat than aluminum. It's also not every day you see proper heatsink fins on a motherboard, so Gigabyte has really gone all out here.
The two heatsink fin arrays are linked to each other via a single heat pipe. This heat pipe is also in direct contact with the MOSFETs and helps transfer heat from them to the heatsink arrays. In addition, Gigabyte says it uses high thermal conductivity pads in the VRM region to further aid in heat transfer.
There's built-in active cooling for the VRM components as well. The large I/O shroud houses two 30mm fans that blows at the MOSFET heatsinks. They're pegged to VRM temperatures as reported by an onboard thermal sensor and can stop spinning entirely during low loads.
Speaking of overclocking, the board also features a 10+3-phase power design and Infineon IR3578 rectifiers. It's sporting digital PWM controllers and PowlRStage MOSFETs as well, which can handle up to 50A of current on each phase. Gigabyte also equipped the board with two 8-pin connectors for the CPU, and you should make sure to connect the both of them.
Cooling for the storage devices hasn't been neglected either. The X399 Aorus Xtreme will take up to three M.2 drives, including two 22110 slots and one 2280. Each of these has their own heatsink, and the design is such that it blends in really well with the rest of the board.
The number of SATA ports has been decreased from eight to six, which is an acknowledgment of the growing popularity of M.2 drives.
There are a total of four full-length PCIe 3.0 slots, two of which can run at full x16 speeds. The other two are limited to x8/x8 mode, and there's also a fifth PCIe 2.0 x1 slot. 48 PCIe 3.0 lanes have been reserved for the graphics cards, so you'll be able to run 4-way SLI or CrossFire with no problems in an x8/x16/x8/x16 configuration.
If you want still more power to overclock your cards, there's an additional 6-pin PCIe power connector next to the SATA ports. On the topic of power connectors, Gigabyte says it's using what it refers to as solid pin power connectors on this board, which supposedly offer a larger contact area for electricity, a longer lifespan, and a better ability to sustain higher power and heat.
The rear I/O panel houses plenty of USB connectors, a power/reset button, and a button for clearing CMOS. There's also an integrated I/O shield, which helps simplify the installation process somewhat.
In total, the board has one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-C, one USB 3.1 (Gen 2) Type-A, eight USB 3.1 (Gen 1) Type-A, and no fewer than three RJ-45 ports. The latter comprises dual Intel Gigabit Ethernet ports and one 10 Gigabit connector provided by an Aquantia GbE LAN chip. On top of that, there's support for 802.11ac dual-band Wi-Fi (maximum throughput up to 867Mbps) and Bluetooth 4.2.
Is this too much? Probably, but that's what this board is all about. You'll need a 10 Gigabit plan from your ISP to even begin to take advantage of the Aquantia port, but it's there if you ever need it.
In addition, the board also comes with a debug display at the bottom right, and dual onboard BIOS for easier recovery from failed overclocks.
If I had one gripe though, it would be how close the RAM slots are located to the CPU socket. Having worked with both the ASUS ROG Zenith Extreme and the Aorus board, it's obvious that ASUS has left more space between the socket and the RAM slots.
I don't see this as a big problem, especially since most folks will probably use a closed loop cooler or a custom liquid cooling solution. However, it could possibly present some hiccups with large air coolers and high-profile RAM sticks, so it's just something you should be aware of.
Gigabyte does score a point against the ASUS board though. I had a notoriously difficult time trying to get the torque screws holding the CPU plate on the ROG Zenith Extreme to catch, to the point that I had to push down on the board with my entire body weight for there to be any hope of the screws threading. On the other hand, it seems like Gigabyte has made its screws slightly longer, or at least it's doing something right, because I had no problems in this area at all.
Finally, what's really striking about the board is how subdued it is compared to some of Gigabyte's other premium offerings. There are plenty of RGB LEDs and LED strip headers to be sure, but they aren't glaring at you from every corner of the board. Instead, the lighting is mostly limited to an underglow on the board's right edge and the I/O shroud and PCH heatsinks. I find this a lot more appealing than having the PCIe and RAM slots light up as well, and I sure hope Gigabyte chooses to implement this approach on more of its boards.


On our last day in Los Angeles we had the opportunity to visit the Environmental Learning Center at Hyperion (ELC). The center is located opposite of the beach front of LA in a highly secured complex. Our visit started off with an interesting introduction by Jennifer and James who gave us their perspective of the city department about Zero Waste. Further, James presented the Solid Waste Integrated Resources Plan (SWIRP) also known as the City's Zero Waste Plan. The Plan focuses on strategies, policies and environmental infrastructure in order to reduce waste by 2030. Among others the guiding principles of the SWIRP include education on recycling and consumption from an early age, creation of incentives and construction of safer and modern technology.
Jennifer also pointed out that the United States are a convenience driven society and therefore up to 40% of food is wasted, which was shocking to hear.
The visit ended with a tour around the complex where we stopped at different stations and learned about their sanitation system. Last but not least it was interesting to compare the approaches of New York City and Los Angeles, two cities that could be not more different from each other.


text:
package com.johnlotito.intelvideotest.util;

import android.os.Build;

public class AndroidUtils {
    public static boolean isLollipop() {
        return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP;
    }

    public static boolean isKitKat() {
        return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.KITKAT;
    }

    public static boolean isJellybean() {
        return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN;
    }

    public static boolean isJellybeanMR1() {
        return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN_MR1;
    }

    public static boolean isJellybeanMR2() {
        return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN_MR2;
    }

    public static boolean isJellybeanMR1orOlder() {
        return Build.VERSION.SDK_INT <= Build.VERSION_CODES.JELLY_BEAN_MR1;
    }
}