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Geographic information system (GIS)-based image analysis for assessing growth of Physarum polycephalum on a solid medium
Hanh T. M. Tran1,
Steven L. Stephenson2 &
Jason A. Tullis3
The conventional method used to assess growth of the plasmodium of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum in solid culture is to measure the extent of plasmodial expansion from the point of inoculation by using a ruler. However, plasmodial growth is usually rather irregular, so the values obtained are not especially accurate. Similar challenges exist in quantification of the growth of a fungal mycelium.
In this paper, we describe a method that uses geographic information system software to obtain highly accurate estimates of plasmodial growth over time. This approach calculates plasmodial area from images obtained at particular intervals following inoculation. In addition, the correlation between plasmodial area and its dry cell weight value was determined. The correlation could be used for biomass estimation without the need of having to terminate the cultures in question.
The method described herein is simple but effective and could also be used for growth measurements of other microorganisms such as fungi on solid media.
Physarum polycephalum Schwein. is a member of the order Physarales of the class Myxomycetes, a group of fungus-like eukaryotic organisms commonly known as slime molds. Like all other members of this group, the life cycle of P. polycephalum is characterized by a distinctive multinucleate trophic (feeding) stage called a plasmodium. The plasmodium of P. polycephalum occurs on decaying plant material and the fruiting bodies of wood-decaying fungi in nature and has a bright yellow color [1]. The rapid rate of growth, the absence of cell walls and the ease with which the plasmodium of P. polycephalum can be cultured have caused it to be widely used in cell biology and behavioral research.
Research that involves a determination of the growth of P. polycephalum growth on a solid medium is commonly carried out by measuring the extent of plasmodial expansion from the point of inoculation by using a ruler [2–6]. Although this is a convenient method that requires very little effort, plasmodial growth is often irregular in shape, which makes any determination of actual size rather challenging. Less commonly, the plasmodium in a particular culture is collected and dried for determination of plasmodial growth by weighing the dry material on a small balance. The value obtained in such a manner is referred to the dry cell weight (DCW) of the culture. This method is more accurate than a measurement taken with a ruler, but the cultures must be terminated in order to collect the total biomass of the plasmodium [7].
As a general rule, geographic information system (GIS) software has been used in science, engineering, and business applications at spatial scales linked to common methods of locational observation (e.g., global positioning systems as well as airborne and satellite-based imaging). However, extension of GIS to finer scales has produced innovations such as 3D topographic analysis of primate teeth (e.g., Zuccotti et al. [8]). In a rare microbiological application, Yang et al. [9] used GIS for measuring fungal growth. The mycelial cultures of the fungi being cultured were photographed and fungal growth was determined on the basis of the proportion of the pixel count of the mycelium divided by the sum of the pixel count of the mycelium and substrate. Our comparable approach, also based on pixel counts, represents a new application of GIS to study the growth of a plasmodium. The relatively precise aerial estimates (i.e., when compared with the use of a ruler) are facilitated by (a) digital camera capture of fine spatial resolution 2D images of plasmodia and (b) GIS-based extraction of areal extents of visually unique patterns in the imagery.
Originally based on the work of Ball and Hall [10], ISODATA clustering is commonly available in GIS software and used to enable classification of (or categorical labeling of pixels in) imagery acquired from various cameras and other types of sensors. ISODATA is well suited to cluster (or group) pixels of various colors found in a typical digital camera-captured image of a Petri dish. For example, the various intensities of the yellow color of the plasmodium, the clear raw substrate, the plastic walls of the dish, and the background materials are each candidates for a cluster, depending on the parameterization of ISODATA. The proportion of yellow plasmodium pixels, relative to the total number of pixels in the Petri dish, can be multiplied by the area of the Petri dish to obtain a systematic area of the plasmodium at the time the photo is acquired. Moreover, this approach is especially useful for any project with the goal of tracking the growth of a particular plasmodium over time or for comparing plasmodial growth between different cultures.
The objectives of the project reported herein were first to evaluate the feasibility of using GIS software as a new approach for measuring plasmodial growth and then to determine the correlation (if any) between the pixel areas of plasmodia and their dry cell weight (DCW) increments.
Images of plasmodial growth profile
Physarum polycephalum was grown in nutrient agar medium culture plates. Each plate contained 25 mL of medium. Inoculum was added to the center of the plate. It can be noticed that the plasmodial extensions were irregular and when the plasmodia migrated away from the points of inoculation, they formed slime tracks, which were colorless. This can be observed from the 36 and 48 h images (Fig. 1).
Images of P. polycephalum plasmodia taken at different times after inoculation from the same starting culture
After 48 h, the plasmodia began clumping together and formed thicker biomass (image not shown). More discussion about this phenomenon is provided below.
GIS analysis of plasmodial images
Eight plasmodial cultures were prepared using the same inoculum size and medium composition as described above. Every 12 h, images of the cultures were obtained and plasmodium was collected from two randomly selected plates for later comparison of growth area and DCW analysis. The original images of the plasmodial culture used for GIS analysis were taken using a Canon EOS 100D camera. All of the images had the same resolution (1920 × 1280 pixels) and were saved as JPEG files.
The plasmodial images were analyzed using Esri's ArcGIS 10.2 for Desktop GIS software with the Spatial Analyst (image analysis) extension enabled. An iterator (for automated looping through plasmodium images) was set up using a graphic block programming capability (ModelBuilder) native to ArcGIS. When executed, the iterator transformed each original JPEG plasmodium image into a grayscale image, with each brightness value representing a unique cluster of similar pixels. Through ISODATA, a signature of each cluster (or unique group of pixels in the plasmodium photo) was determined and reported as (a) mean blue, green, and red brightness values, and (b) a three-band variance–covariance matrix. Configured to search for 100 unique clusters, ISODATA used an iterative process to calculate up to 100 of these unique signatures [10].
With the ISODATA signatures used for reference, a Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) was applied to sort each pixel of the image into a cluster. This produced a grayscale image showing the patterns for the various components (e.g., Petri dish, plasmodium, etc.) but with each brightness value representing a unique cluster or color subcomponent of the image (Fig. 2). Using the diameter of the Petri dish in pixels and a spreadsheet, the pixel counts for a selection of plasmodium clusters were obtained and converted to a value for area.
ArcGIS 10.2 for Desktop ModelBuilder workflow including an iterator to automate the processing of multiple plasmodial images. Each input image file is classified into as many as 99 clusters. Individual clusters (e.g., #85 highlighted here in turquoise) can be selected for expert determination as to whether they represent a plasmodium or some other component of the image
While comparable to the technique used by Yang et al. [7] in terms of counting target pixels, this technique relies upon selection of appropriate target (plasmodium) clusters instead of extraction of pixels based on a blue channel threshold. This technique also eliminates the need for masking out background components of the image, since these simply become clusters that will not be selected.
Many software tools can be adapted to achieve the same image processing results described above, and a number of studies have demonstrated successful image processing approaches for observing spatial and temporal patterns of plasmodia [11–14]. The GIS-based image analysis approach offers an expanding array of tools and intuitive interfaces, workflows history (provenance), and excellent documentation influenced by the current proliferation of multidisciplinary image-producing technologies.
Pixel area and DCW profiles of plasmodial cultures
As indicated in Fig. 3, both pixel area and DCW of the culture increased exponentially over time. It should be noted that after 48 h, the plasmodium began clumping together and formed areas with a thicker biomass. The DCWs still kept increasing exponentially, but pixel area of the corresponding plasmodium did not follow the same pattern; however, it was still significantly higher than the previous value. Presumably, to avoid plasmodial cluster formation, larger containers would need to be used. However, even with cluster formation it should be possible to extract more precise geometric estimates of plasmodial growth from 2D digital photographs and GIS. For example, varying degrees of plasmodial thickness will naturally register as different shades of yellow, and therefore may be grouped into different ISODATA clusters. Using an average estimate of plasmodial thickness for given shades of yellow, it should be possible to estimate plasmodial volume from the respective 2D areas. Future research should examine this approach to determine if improved correlations between GIS-assisted and DCW-based measurements.
Total pixel areas (a) and corresponding DCWs (mg/plate) (b) of P. polycephalum plasmodium at different times after inoculation. Note: each plate contained 25 mL nutrient medium
Correlation between plasmodial culture area and DCW
The relationship between plasmodial culture area and DCW was calculated as
$$y = 2757.1x + 59126 \,\{ 70 < x < 270\}$$
where \(y\) is pixel area and \(x\) is DCW (mg) (Fig. 4). With R2 at 0.99 (over the range observed from approximately 70–270 mg DCW), this relationship is very promising.
Correlation between pixel area and DCW of the culture
As mentioned previously, however, a high degree of accuracy with respect to data on pixel area would be obtained only if the plasmodium does not form clusters.
Determining the correlation between the pixel area of a plasmodium and its DCW provides researchers an additional option for assessing plasmodial growth and the actual product (biomass) being produced over time without terminating the cultures. For instance, the lipid content of the P. polycephalum plasmodium was found to be approximately 10 % of the DCW [7]. In the most commonly used method to determine the lipid amount of a culture, the plasmodium is collected and DCW is determined to derive an estimation of the lipid amount. However, in the method described herein, which uses GIS software, DCW can be calculated from pixel area and the amount of lipid determined accordingly.
A new approach for myxomycete plasmodial growth measurement was developed using GIS software. This approach allows a more accurate assessment of the growth of the plasmodium over time than can be obtained with the use of traditional methods. Moreover, the correlation between pixel area of a plasmodial image and its DCW can be used for biomass estimation with a high degree of accuracy.
The strain of P. polycephalum used in the present study was obtained as a sclerotium from Carolina Biological Supply Company (Burlington, North Carolina).
Medium used
The medium used for activation of the sclerotium was water agar (1.0 L of water agar containing 20.0 g of agar and 1000 mL of distilled water), whereas the medium used for plasmodial growth was nutrient agar (1.0 L of the nutrient agar containing 100 mL of a basal salt solution, 5.0 g of glucose [Difco], 2.5 g of yeast extract [Difco], 20.0 g of agar, and 900 mL of distilled water adjusted to pH 5.5). The basal salt solution contained 29.78 g of citric acid, 33.10 g of K2HPO4, 2.50 g of NaCl, 1.00 g of MgSO4·7H2O, 0.50 g of CaCl2·2H2O, and 1000 mL distilled water.
Plasmodial activation
The plasmodium of P. polycephalum was activated by placing the sclerotium on the surface of a water agar plate (10 cm diameter). Once activated, sterile oat flakes were added on the actively growing plasmodium and the latter incubated in the dark for 1 day. A plug of agar (ca 2 cm2) bearing a portion of the active plasmodium growing in association with the oat flakes was used as an inoculum and transferred to larger plates (14 cm in diameter) containing different types of media. Plates were incubated in the dark at room temperature (ca. 22–23 ℃).
Acquiring images of cultures
A digital image of each culture was obtained every 12 h. In order to maintain the same distance, lightning and size/aspect in all of the images, the camera used to take the images was attached to a small tripod and the latter remained untouched during the entire period the experiment was carried out except when each new image was acquired. Black paper was used as the background to achieve maximum contrast with the color of the culture dish and plasmodium. The position at which the cultures were placed was predetermined and marked on the paper. It should be noted here that to avoid light reflection, paper with a rough surface was selected instead of one with a shiny/smooth surface. In addition, to minimize color bias, culture information was recorded separately on a removable label and the latter was not included in the image obtained of the culture.
Determination of dry cell weight
Fresh biomass of P. polycephalum was collected from each culture and lyophilized (Labconco, freeze-zone 6) to a constant weight and weighed on an analytical balance (AB104-S, Switzerland). This value represented the dry cell weight (DCW).
Experimental statistics
All the experiments were carried out in duplicate. The figures included in this paper are derived from the mean values (±standard errors) obtained from both sets of cultures.
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Knowles CJD, Carlile JM. Growth and migration of plasmodia of the myxomycete Physarum polycephalum: the effect of carbohydrates, including agar. J Gen Microbiol. 1978;108:9–15.
Clark JD, Landolt JC, Stephenson SL. The effects of dictyostelids on the formation and maturation of myxomycete plasmodia. Mycologia. 2002;94:933–8.
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Reid RC, Beekman M, Latty T, Dussutour A. Amoeboid organism uses extracellular secretions to make smart foraging decisions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol. 2013;24:812–8.
Tran HTM, Stephenson SL, Chen J, Pollock ED, Goggin FL. Evaluating the potential use of myxomycetes as a source of lipids for biodiesel production. Bioresour Technol. 2012;123:386–9.
Zuccotti LF, Williamson MD, Limp WF, Ungar PS. Technical note: modeling primate occlusal topography using geographic information systems technology. Am J Phys Anthropol. 1998;107(1):137–42.
Yang J, Jingyin Z, Qian G, Yunsheng W, Wang R. Data acquisition method for measuring mycelium growth of microorganism with GIS. In: Li D, Liu Y, Chen Y, editors. Computer and computing technologies in agriculture IV. Nanchang: Springer; 2011. p. 374–80.
Ball, GH, Hall, DJ. ISODATA, a novel method of data analysis and pattern classification. Report Number AD0699616. Menlo Park, CA: Stanford Research Institute; 1965.
Baumgarten W, Ueda T, Hauser JBM. Plasmodial vein networks of the slime mold Physarum polycephalum form regular graphs. Phys Rev E. 2010;82(046113):12.
Ito M, Okamoto R, Takamatsu A. Characterization of adaptation by morphology in a planar biological network of plasmodial slime mold. JPSJ. 2011;80:074801.
Alim K, Amselem G, Peaudecerf F, Brenner PM, Pringle A. Random network peristalsis in Physarum polycephalum organizes fluid flows across an individual. PNAS. 2013;110:13306.
Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun G, Baetens JM, Van den Bulcke J, Lopez-Molina C, De Windt I, De Baets B. Automated image-based analysis of spatio-temporal fungal dynamics. Fungal Genet Biol. 2015;84:12–25.
HT carried out the culturing experiments, acquired the images of the cultures and partially analyzed the data, SS helped with the culturing techniques and prepared the manuscript, whereas JT analyzed the images. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
This project was funded in part by a Provost's Collaborative Research Grant from the University of Arkansas.
The authors declare that they have no competing interests with respect to any aspect of this manuscript or the project reported in the manuscript.
School of Biotechnology, Ho Chi Minh International University, Ho Chi Minh City, 70000, Vietnam
Hanh T. M. Tran
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
Steven L. Stephenson
Department of Geosciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
Jason A. Tullis
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Correspondence to Hanh T. M. Tran.
Tran, H.T.M., Stephenson, S.L. & Tullis, J.A. Geographic information system (GIS)-based image analysis for assessing growth of Physarum polycephalum on a solid medium. Fungal Biol Biotechnol 2, 7 (2015) doi:10.1186/s40694-015-0017-z
Solid culture


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Bradley Braves Beat Missouri State Bears 83-79 In Overtime
Posted By: Nicole Rodriguez February 20, 2020 @ 8:55 am Local News, News, Sports
The Missouri State Bears come from behind in the second half to force overtime in Peoria, but the Bradley Braves win in overtime Wednesday night.
Here's the recap, courtesy of Missouri State Athletics Communications:
PEORIA, Ill. – Bradley scored seven of its 11 overtime points at the free throw line, including a pair from Elijah Childs with 38 seconds left to help the Braves squeak pass visiting Missouri State, 83-79, in a physical Missouri Valley Conference overtime thriller here Wednesday.
Darrell Brown led five Bradley players in double figures with 19 points, while Missouri State's Lamont West tallied a game-high 20 points to lead the visitors.
The Bears (13-15, 7-8 MVC) erased an 11-point second-half deficit with an incredible run late in the game. Isiaih Mosley scored seven of his nine points in a key one-minute stretch that brought MSU back from a 66-58 margin to within one with 4:31 to go. Moments later, Nate Kennell scored a long jumper for Bradley as the shot clock expired to make it a three-point contest, but the Bears weren't done.
West was up to the task and led MSU's charge with five unanswered points to give Missouri State a 70-68 advantage with 3:13 to play. Both teams added free throws down the stretch, and then both teams traveled on their last offensive possessions of regulation. Brown's turnover for BU came with 4 seconds to go to give Missouri State one last chance, and West's desperation shot from half court was off target, sending the game to overtime tied 72-72.
The extra period saw the Bears jump ahead on a transition layup from Keandre Cook to make it 75-74 with four minutes to go. Bradley notched its next five points at the foul line to retake the lead 79-75 over the next two minutes. MSU responded on a put-back from West and then a layup by Cook that tied it up 79-79 with 58 seconds remaining.
Cook was fouled on his game-tying shot but missed the chance to complete the 3-point play, keeping the score knotted until Childs' two free throws gave Bradley a lead it would not relinquish with 38 ticks showing. On Missouri State's last true possession of the game, Cook's jumper just missed, and Bradley scored on a run-out dunk to win it by four.
The Bears scored more field goals than Bradley, converting 27-of-76 (.355) shots overall and 5-of-23 (.217) from beyond the 3-point arc. Missouri State was also 20-of-27 (.741) at the foul line with just 10 turnovers on the night.
Josh Hall contributed 17 points with a team-high 9 rebounds for Missouri State, while Cook added 13 points and Prim scored 10 with 8 boards before fouling out late in regulation.
Bradley (19-9, 10-5 MVC) was 26-of-53 (.491) from the field, 5-of-13 (.385) from long range and 26-of-36 (.722) at the free throw line. The Braves out-rebounded the Bears by a narrow 44-42 margin and committed 18 turnovers.
Both teams scored 32 points in the paint.
In the first half, the Bears matched Bradley punch-for-punch for the first 12 minutes before a 9-1 run by the Braves pushed the home side ahead 33-25 with three minutes remaining in the half. The Bears responded with a free throw by Darian Scott and then ended a field goal drought of nearly six minutes with a transition bucket from West to get the Bears within five.
But BU pushed ahead by nine at the intermission, 41-32, thanks in part to the third trey of the half from Bradley's Ville Tahvanainen in the final two minutes.
After a hard-fought 1-1 road swing, the Bears return to JQH Arena on Saturday, Feb. 22 to battle Loyola at 2:30 p.m. in a nationally-televised contest as part of MSU Athletics Hall of Fame weekend.
Tickets for the Loyola game, and all home contests, are available at MissouriStateBears.com, or by visiting the Old Missouri Bank Box Office at JQH Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.
Tags: Bradley Braves, Missouri State Bears, Missouri Valley Conference
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December 7, 2022 QueerForty.com What happens when your longterm partner dies just days before the Holidays? Here is my story. 1. We were supposed to grow old together. We won't. We were supposed to have more time. Time to hold each other, kiss each other, say anything we had forgotten to say or still wanted to say. She was supposed to finish the two paintings she had started for me. I was supposed to paint her nails with the teal polish I had bought for her and to finish
LGBT People are Living Longer — But Not Always Better
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As the First Out LGBTQ Generation Ages, Can Their Challenges be Met?
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The NASA CFD Vision 2030 Study (the Study) presents an assessment of the current state of the art in applied computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and provides insight into requirements decades into the future. Mesh generation is a key component in the CFD process with several challenging obstacles to be overcome in order to deliver the Study's required capabilities by the year 2030.
As the Study describes, the majority of recent advancements in mesh generation technology have come from commercial vendors due to reduced government investment in this area. Therefore, we describe herein a commercial software vendor's perspective on future mesh generation requirements in response to the Study.
As a commercial software vendor, the focus of research and development is strongly customer driven, balancing both near- and long-term needs. Some aspects of the Study pertain to capabilities that are needed near term, such as improved geometry model preprocessing and mesh adaptation. These two near-term aspects can be intertwined as mesh adaptation near or on geometry model surfaces must preserve the geometry model's true shape.
Anticipating customer needs drives long-term development priorities. Recently, Finite Element Methods (FEM) using curved, high-order (HO) meshes have been developed for CFD with estimates that within a decade such techniques will be widely used in production environments. Finally, the Study's goal of making mesh generation invisible to the customer is the most obvious long-term development priority.
All CFD analyses begin with a geometry model. This model can be created using a myriad software tools and delivered in a multitude of representations and formats. Meshing software must be able to properly import and process the geometry model to provide a robust starting point for mesh generation. The Study takes geometry interoperability beyond mesh generation by citing the CFD solver's need for geometry access.
Ideally, the geometry model should be persistent throughout the CFD process if the goal is to ultimately perform mesh adaptation, HO mesh generation, and shape optimization. This requires all software components to have access to, and the ability to interact with, the geometry model. Several good geometry kernels exist, both commercial and open source. For CFD, however, the geometry kernel must be lightweight and provide the CFD software with efficient evaluations of quantities of interest such as point, tangent, normal, and curvature. We are currently working to deliver an Application Programming Interface (API) to a lightweight version of the geometry kernel used in Pointwise.
A geometry kernel for simulation solves only part of the problem. To address the lack of an explicit linkage between the mesh and geometry, a strategy is required to provide the associativity robustly, compactly, and efficiently. An aspect that is unique to commercial software is the requirement to export meshes to a wide variety of file formats. For example, Pointwise currently includes export interfaces to over 60 file formats and also provides a plug-in software development kit (SDK) for customers to add their own exporters. Therefore, the mechanism by which mesh and geometry model are linked needs to accommodate all these downstream users. Beyond the issue of file formats is the issue of encapsulating the many-to-many associativity of mesh to geometry. At Pointwise, mesh-geometry associativity is to be addressed by a schema to be delivered within the aforementioned geometry kernel.
For a fully automated CFD process, the mesh must be adapted as the solution evolves. A priori mesh generation – even including best practices – can only take us so far. Some adaptation methods compute gradients of scalar quantities (density, for example) and decrease mesh size where gradients are large. Other methods use adjoint formulations to determine mesh spacing requirements in response to an output function such as lift or drag. Adjoint methods are far more mathematically rigorous and require substantial investment in solver technology. An example of our work on mesh adaptation is shown in Figure 1 for a viscous solution about an ONERA M6 wing.
Figure 1: Adapted mesh at a spanwise location on the ONERA M6 wing using the adjoint-based approach in FUN3D.
The key to performing mesh adaptation is in the definition of the spacing field. Once spacing requirements are known the actual mesh refinement, coarsening or repositioning can be performed. Certain regions of the mesh are more challenging to adapt than others. For example, a prismatic mesh resolving a boundary layer is one example where a restricted adaptation operation may be imposed in order to retain the quality afforded by the prism layers' semi-structure.
Use of FEM in CFD has been evolving rapidly in recent years. The numerical methods can now handle more complicated physics, including shock waves and high Reynold's number flows with turbulence. Linear meshes can be analyzed with FEM CFD solvers to achieve second order spatial accuracy, but a higher accuracy can be achieved by elevating the polynomial degree of the mesh elements.
Large mesh elements constrained to the geometry model can become highly curved when elevated to higher degree. This high curvature can invert neighboring elements. The most important aspect of generating an HO mesh is the blending of the curved surface elements onto the mesh's interior to avoid inversion. Without this step, generating HO meshes for real-world geometries is virtually impossible.
We generated a series of meshes ranging from linear to quadratic and cubic for the NASA High Lift Common Research Model Wing Body used in the 3rd AIAA CFD High Lift Prediction Workshop. The HL-CRM-WB contains a leading-edge slat and two trailing-edge flaps. The surface mesh in the flap-gap region of the cubic mesh is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Cubic, high-order surface mesh for the NASA HL-CRM-WB near the gap between the inboard and outboard flaps.
The Study's vision of CFD in the year 2030 is hands-off and automated. To realistically approach that goal, many mesh generation functions need to be modularized and available in an HPC context. In the same way that geometry modeling functionality can be added to CFD with a geometry kernel, a similar result can be achieved with a mesh kernel. Several of the more important functions in such a kernel are smoothing, viscous mesh extrusion, hexahedral-dominant meshing, and Delaunay meshing. These are briefly described below.
Mesh smoothing plays an important role in many meshing operations. Yet not all methods can ensure quality, validity, or clustering of the mesh. Unstructured smoothing methods include spring analogy, linear-elasticity, Winslow's method, and weighted-condition-number.
Smoothing meshes by using a spring analogy is the most prevalent approach used in unstructured meshes. Because most implementations of spring analogy smoothing cannot robustly control tightly clustered viscous meshes near solid walls, they are typically relegated to the isotropic regions of unstructured meshes.
The most common smoothing method applied to mesh adaptation and HO mesh generation is linear-elastic (L-E) smoothing. L-E smoothing employs the linear-elastic equations from structural mechanics with a modified Young's Modulus to impose stiffness to mesh elements in regions like the boundary layer. When applied to a moving boundary problem or a refined linear mesh it can be very successful. However, L-E smoothing can be problematic when used with HO meshes near curved boundaries, as no strict enforcement of the normal spacing is imposed and element inversion is possible for the most difficult cases.
Winslow smoothing is commonly used in structured grid generation and is applicable to static and moving meshes. It affords a high degree of control over the mesh smoothness, spacing, and quality. Yet, Winslow smoothing is rarely used in unstructured mesh generation due mainly to a major flaw; there is no reliable and robust way to define a global computational mesh on which the method can be applied. This remains an area of active research. HO mesh generation offers an opportunity to apply Winslow smoothing since the curving process can use a copy of the linear mesh as the computational mesh.
Weighted-condition-number (WCN) smoothing perturbs mesh points incrementally to improve a cost function. Originally implemented for isotropic tetrahedral meshes, we have extended it to work on adapted, extruded, and HO meshes. For the latter, the HO mesh elements are subdivided into collections of linear sub-elements. The WCN smoothing of all interior nodes is achieved by enforcing the shapes of the linear sub-elements. WCN smoothing has been used to create numerous HO meshes on simple and complex geometries.
The predominant method used to create clustered meshes in viscous regions is normal (orthogonal) extrusion. The volume mesh is grown away from the geometry model in the normal direction following a prescribed growth rate. Extrusion terminates when the extruded elements reach an isotropic shape, element quality falls below a threshold, or when a collision with another extrusion front occurs. This is a powerful and robust method for generating the anisotropic elements needed to resolve the viscous gradients near the surface and is the basis for Pointwise's anisotropic tetrahedral extrusion (T-Rex) technique.
An alternative to isotropic tetrahedral volume mesh generation is the use of hexahedral meshes. These meshes are rapidly generated and can accommodate solution adaptation requirements. Currently, they are most popular in non-viscous applications. The treatment of geometric boundaries is typically handled using arbitrarily cut cells or boundary embedding techniques can be used. These meshes can also work in conjunction with extruded viscous meshes.
Work recently completed at Pointwise on hexahedral mesh generation is being extended to couple with the T-Rex technique described above, which itself was recently extended to support extrusion of hexahedral layers. The resulting mesh envisioned from this technique would have layers of hexahedra in the boundary layer, a hexahedral mesh in the farfield, and a tetrahedral mesh stitching the two together.
Probably the most important module is the triangle and tetrahedral mesh generation module. It will have applicability in several areas from generating the entire isotropic mesh, creating the stitch mesh in the hybrid scheme just described, and performing mesh topology optimization in an adaptation pass.
The Study describes the mesh generation process as a bottleneck and a dominant cost in terms of human intervention. Progress must be made to automate much of the mesh generation phase of the simulation.
Scripting is an integral component of automated mesh generation. Pointwise, like many commercial tools, has a scripting language that users apply to repetitive operations such as macros. Some scripts are sophisticated meshing templates that allow the entire meshing process to occur automatically. Best practices are usually built into these scripts.
If one assumes the starting point for automated mesh generation is a water-tight geometry model, then fully automated mesh generation is possible today using Delanuay techniques. A next step, not currently a standard practice, would be to add symmetry planes and outer boundaries to the geometry model. A complete solid geometry can be constructed that defines the fluid domain of interest. Existing tools could mesh this solid and the CFD solver could compute and adapt the mesh.
The example above presumes a highly automated and robust meshing algorithm such as the Delaunay technique and an entirely tetrahedral mesh. The mesh generator could theoretically generate a more suitable mesh with boundary layer resolution for a viscous simulation if it had knowledge of where those surfaces were and the flow field parameters (for example, Mach number). Because the case was made above to have persistent geometry, the CFD process should take advantage by attaching meta-data to the geometry. Efforts are underway at Pointwise with researchers at MIT and Syracuse University to explore the creation of a general automated mesh generation process. The geometry model in this case will be provided by ESP and attributed such that the meshing software can generate the mesh fully automatically in a way that is fit for the customer's particular purpose.
Pointwise views the NASA CFD Vision 2030 Study as an important document that provides focus for research into the CFD and mesh generation processes. Key to solving many of the challenges is geometry. Beyond the traditional challenges of interoperability and suitability, mesh-geometry associativity and access to geometry throughout the entire CFD process must be enabled.
Commercial mesh generation software vendors must offer software tools that add value to the engineering process. As the engineering process evolves with more complicated geometry, physics, and analysis capabilities the mesh generation tools must also evolve in coordination with the other analysis tools. The investments made by the commercial vendors should be aligned with research funding in academia and government. The challenges are too great to be attempted in isolation. Collaborative efforts will accelerate the progress toward automated, intelligent mesh generation.
This article is an abridgement of the paper "Mesh Generation Challenges: A Commercial Software Perspective," by Steve Karman, Nick Wyman, and John Steinbrenner, AIAA paper no. 2017-3790, presented at AIAA Aviation Forum 2017 in the Special Session "Capabilities and Challenges in CFD I: Academia, Government, and Industry Perspectives." See the full paper for references to all supporting materials.


text:
By Aram Saroyan
Recently, going about daily errands, I came across an ad, on social media and on the radio, for a diet program improbably called noom.
Half a century ago in the sixties, in my minimalist phase as a poet, I came up with a one-word poem: noom. It was published that year, alone on a page in outsize type, in John Perreault's little magazine, Elephant. It also appears in my poetry collection The Rest (1971). When Complete Minimal Poems (which includes noom) was published in 2007, followed by a rave in the New York Times Book Review, it went through four printings and was honored with the Poetry Society of America's William Carlos Williams award.
R.I.P. MPW
In an email during Thanksgiving week 2013, I learned that USC's Master of Professional Writing program (MPW) would no longer accept new students and would suspend operations entirely by spring 2016. I was a teacher in the program for 15 years, and in the fall of 1996, when I began there, it was exhilarating. My wife Gailyn and I had moved to Santa Monica over the past summer and I'd met with the director of the program, the poet James Ragan, who offered me a job teaching that fall.
Salinger, Mon Amour
A&C Reviews
In "Just Before the War with the Eskimos," a story in J. D. Salinger's second book, Nine Stories (1953)—his first was his novel The Catcher in the Rye (1951)—all four characters, two girls in their teens and two men in their early twenties, are so vividly drawn and speak in such perfectly rendered idiomatic American English that the reader might be watching them in a movie. These days the story also has the quality of a faultless antique: a Manhattan taxi fare, for example, comes to 65 cents.
Rod's Lonely Night
In the winter of 1976, I committed the professional and personal faux pas of giving a poetry reading with Rod McKuen. It took place at the Veterans Auditorium in downtown San Francisco and was supposed to be a benefit for the San Francisco State University poetry program.
When I was a junior or senior in high school at Trinity in New York, Paul Krassner published an interview with Norman Mailer in The Realist in which Mailer stated that he thought masturbation had the effect of muting or blunting or otherwise desensitizing one's sexual compass, so to put it. I thought this was interesting and provocative, although it fell short of exerting a strong influence on my own habit. Still, I admired Mailer, and if I couldn't emulate him I did read him with sincere interest, especially Advertisements for Myself, which contained his heralded sequence "The Time of Her Time," comprising fifty pages about Sergius O'Shaugnessy's efforts to give his Jewish girlfriend an orgasm.


text:
Q: Formatação de strings no console usando js Em um bootcamp foi dado o seguinte desafio:
O seu instrutor de lógica de programação, Damilson Bonetti, quer que você desenvolva uma tela com as seguintes características:
Conter 39 traços horizontais ( - ) na primeira linha;
Conter um traço vertical ( | ) embaixo do primeiro traço e do trigésimo nono traço da primeira linha, preencher no meio com espaço em branco;
Repita o procedimento 2 quatro vezes;
Repita o procedimento 1.
--------------------------------------- (39 traços)
|                                     |
|                                     |
|                                     |
|                                     |
|                                     |
--------------------------------------- (39 traços)
Que método ou função do Javascript eu posso usar para chegar a esse resultado de saída?

A: Se você deseja exibir o resultado no console do navegador, vai precisar utilizar uma estrutura de repetição "FOR" para gerar cada linha, e dentro de cada linha usar um segundo "FOR" para definir a estrutura da linha. Além disso, você vai precisar usar "IFs" para determinar qual o caracter inicial ou final da linha.
De acordo com as condições que você informou, o código ficaria da seguinte forma:
    var resultado = "";
    for (i = 1; i <= 7; i++) {
        for (j = 1; j <= 39; j++) {
            if (i == 1 || i == 7)
                resultado += "-";
            else if (j == 1 || j == 39)
                resultado += "|";
            else
                resultado += " ";
        }
        resultado += "\n";
    }
    console.log(resultado);

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


"American Pie" is partly biographical and partly the story of America during the idealized 1950s and the bleaker 1960s. It was initially inspired by Don's memories of being a paperboy in 1959 and learning of the death of Buddy Holly. "American Pie" presents an abstract story of McLean's life from the mid-1950s until the end of the 1960s, and at the same time it represents the evolution of popular music and politics over these years, from the lightness of the 1950s to the darkness of the late 1960s, but metaphorically the song continues to evolve to the present time. It is not a nostalgia song. "American Pie" changes as America, itself, is changing. For McLean, the transition from the light innocence of childhood to the dark realities of adulthood began with the deaths of his father and Buddy Holly and culminated with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963, which was the start of a more difficult time for America. During this four year period, Don moved from an idyllic childhood, through the shock and harsh realities of his father's death in 1961, to his decision, in 1964, to leave Villanova University to pursue his dream of becoming a professional singer.
"American Pie" was one of the last songs McLean wrote for the American Pie album. He had started writing it in the gatehouse in Cold Spring, New York. Sitting in his office, aimlessly strumming the guitar, he started to think back to his childhood, the neighborhood where he grew up, and being a paper boy for the Standard Star. He remembered Buddy Holly. He remembered the day he cut open the bundle of papers that had been deposited on the doorstep for him to deliver, and there, on the front page, was the story of the death of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. It was a small column on the right hand side. He remembered being in shock while he delivered the papers on his route.
"Of all the unique oddities of my career, I am perhaps proudest of the fact that I am forever linked with Buddy Holly. I bet if you ask any guitar player, he will tell you that he looked at record jackets and guitar catalogs more than anything else while growing up and dreaming. I have heard it said that children dream in a different way than grown-ups. To them, the dreams they have for themselves are as real as reality is for grown-ups. With this in mind, I can say that Buddy was a huge part of my childhood dream. Long before I decided how I would use music or what kind of artist I would be, Buddy was there. When I listened to his music, a mood overtook me which was both happy and sad, and I often looked at the record covers while the music played.
Buddy's music is so musical. The number of great recordings he made in his very short life places him at or beyond the level of any musical artist in almost any category. Elvis never wrote songs, while Buddy composed a huge number. In my opinion, looking back, no rock act, not the Beatles, not the Stones, nor anyone else, can top records like "Peggy Sue" or "Rave On." They are rock mountains that nobody has climbed. The diversity of Buddy's music is also profound. "Moondreams" and "True Love Ways" are musically as advanced as anything by the great popular composers. Gershwin or Berlin would have marveled at these compositions.
His electric guitars were raw, but controlled like bullwhips. They jingle and jangle freely in "That'll Be The Day" and "Oh Boy," and they snake around in "Words of Love." The Beatles and the Stones became the behemoths they are on the back of Buddy Holly and the records he made before anyone made records or wrote songs like his. Aside from his geek image and his sudden and cruel death, his music is a wonder which still contains the potency of its original magic. Buddy was a genuine original. He was a genius.
Buddy's death, for me, an impressionable thirteen year old, delivering papers, was an enormous tragedy. The cover photo of the posthumously released Buddy Holly Story and the Buddy Holly Story, Vol. 2, coupled with liner notes written by his widow, Maria, created a sense of grief which lived inside of me, until I was able to exorcize it with the opening verse of "American Pie." Through my relationship with Buddy, I was able to discover my peculiar writing talent and, much to my amazement, help bring Buddy and his music back from the dead. In a sense, "American Pie" contains the spiritual connection to Buddy Holly which was always in me. It's as if we both gave each other new life.
In the thirty or so years since the chorus was written, the term "Miss American Pie" has come under close scrutiny. An urban legend grew up claiming that American Pie was the name of Buddy Holly's plane that crashed, killing Buddy and his companions. In fact, there is no truth to the story. Buddy and his friends were in a chartered plane. Don McLean created the phrase "American Pie;" it did not exist before he wrote the song. Like much of the song, McLean says the chorus is about America.
McLean grew up as part of the American middle class society of the 1950s, and it was no accident that the only trip he took with his father had been to Washington D.C. His father wanted him to feel the grandeur, power, and history of his country. In contrast, the country that America had become was deeply upsetting to Don.
The image of America evolving from a savior of the free world during World War II, to a bullying military giant in Vietnam, meant to McLean, and to many of his generation, that his country was most definitely lost.
Don McLean, Feb 13, 2015.
Your music was a big part of my life in the 70's, and recently I wondered about you and came upon a video of you singing Vincent. I was captivated, even after having heard it countless times growing up. Watching you sing it gave it a whole new dimension. Thank you for your music.
Of all your songs, I believe the lyrics to Vincent are the best ever written. Thank you for being in my life, I appreciate your talent.
Don McLean and Roy Orbison are the 2 greatest singers, songwriters of all time!
You are so right . Don deserved more acclaim for his songs, those he wrote and those he covered . He never failed to wow his Audience and always delivered. Fellow Musicians saw his talent , maybe more so than critics or , even the Public at large . A great talent , underrated .. Deserves immediate attention for R and Roll HOF ! Criminal he is not in yet .
Absolutely rivetting. Thank you Don.


text:
Q: For loop executing other class method creates massive lag Like the title says.
I am executing a For loop in my Game.java file(which is where "Main" is located too).
and it is Creating massive lag. Only occurs when i am executing a Method from another .java .
This is where i execute it in the "Game.java" (Notice: it is a class inside the Game.java) :
    public class DrawPanel extends JPanel{
    /**
     *
     */
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;

    @Override
    public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
    super.paintComponent(g);

    }

    public void paint(Graphics g) {
        Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
        super.paint(g2d);
        Player.draw(g2d);

        for(int i = 0;i < 640;i+=16)
            block.createBlock(g2d,i,382,"Dirt");

        for(int i = 0;i < 640;i+=16)
            for(int x = 398;x < 446; x += 16)
            block.createBlock(g2d,i,x,"Dirt_WO_Grass");

        repaint();
    }
}

and this is the method in Block.java :
class Block {

public void createBlock(Graphics g, int posx,int posy,String name){
    BufferedImage block = null;
    try {

        block = ImageIO.read(new File("res/"+name+".png"));

        } catch (IOException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
        }
        g.drawImage(block, posx, posy, null);
    }

}

A: From what I can see, "massive lag" should be an understatement :)
You need to refactor your algorithm to cache the image from ImageIO and not read it from file 200 times every paint call.
Side note, performance issues are almost never going to be from calling a method in another class. Java is essentially designed to do that.


text:
Accrington's three to watch: Including ANOTHER mag in attendance at Sunderland's game tonight...
Alright, that headline was slightly tongue in cheek... but here's the three Accrington star players going into Sunderland's game with them tonight. Can any of this trio cause some damage and upset our promotion hopes?
By Graham Falk@GFalkMedia Apr 3, 2019, 2:15pm BST
Share All sharing options for: Accrington's three to watch: Including ANOTHER mag in attendance at Sunderland's game tonight...
Paul Smyth
League One Games/Goals: 9/2
The on-loan Northern Ireland international was their best player at the Stadium of Light, as he nodded home Stanley's second goal in front of the Sky TV cameras.
Signed by Queens Park Rangers from Linfield back 2017, Smyth was struggling to get game time when John Coleman swooped in the January transfer window - and it looks to have been a shrewd signing.
Small in stature, Smyth is strong on the ball and possesses plenty of pace. He caused plenty of problems for Jimmy Dunne with his movement and trickery and will be looking to take advantage of any Wembley hangover.
Daniel Barlaser
League One Games/Goals: 31/1
Another loanee who is making progress in Lancashire is boyhood Newcastle United fan Daniel Barlaser.
Part of the Magpies Academy since 2006, the 22-year-old has struggled for chances at St. James as it becomes quite apparent that the midfielder does not possess anywhere near enough quality to perform in the Premier League. He's became a key component for Accrington though, forming an impressive partnership with Sam Finley that will important in their battle to avoid an immediate return to League Two.
The midfielder has admitted to relishing the games against Sunderland this term and has spoken of his regular attendance in the away end at the Stadium of Light during derbies over the years - so it's safe to say he'll be hoping to get one over us on Wednesday night after years of watching us beat his boyhood club.
Billy Kee
League One Games/Goals: 37/12
We featured the 28-year-old as the main man to watch when Stanley rocked up on a cold Wearside evening in mid-February and, as their star player, it's no surprise to see him re-appear as a key figure for our rearranged game at the Wham Stadium.
Kee is Accrington's top scorer and currently holds the record for most consecutive penalties scored across the top four English divisions, scoring sixteen of his last sixteen penalties - including one at the Stadium of Light. He's deceptively strong and, most importantly, he has a knack for sticking it in the onion bag.
Into his second spell at Accrington Stanley, Kee scored 25-goals last season as Accy won the League Two title under the tutelage of John Coleman and continues to be the main goal threat for his struggling side.


Provided to YouTube by EMPIRE Distribution 777 · Kid Trunks · XXXTENTACION Members Only, Vol. 3 ℗ 2017 Bad Vibes Forever Released on: 2017-07-14 Auto-generated by YouTube.
Angel Number 777 and its Meaning By Imelda Original Video: https://trustedpsychicmediums.com/angel-numbers/angel-number-777-meaning/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Visit Our Spiritual Community With Custom Free Numerology Reading that connects you with the World's More Renowed Psychics►►► http://tinyurl.com/yourdestinynum ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subscribe to the Orapsy YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/Orapsy ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you have articles or channelings that you have recorded in your own voice and would like them to be on the Orapsy Channel, you can submit them via email to: orapsy808@gmail.com for consideration. If there is an article online that includes the text from the recording, please include the link to it with your submission.
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First Officer Chris is seen perfectly piloting his huge Boeing 777F and in fact it was AirClips bringing him there! Don't believe it? It's true! Being a B737 pilot he watched the AirClips.com full cockpit movies on Captain Rikard and his Lufthansa Cargo B777F crew and Chris decided he wanted to fly that thing - now watch how cool he succeeded! AirClips.com was exclusively invited to have an eye on the pilots of German cargo specialist Aerologic, a joint venture subsidiary airline of Lufthansa Cargo and DHL. This is the exclusive first full film from Bangalore, India, to Leipzig, Germany, with Pilot-in-Command F/O Chris and Captain Jo Lichtenberger - TOTALLY FOR FREE and in FULL HD as always! AeroLogic is a German cargo airline based in Schkeuditz near Leipzig. It is a joint-venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo which operates scheduled international and long-haul cargo services out of its hubs Leipzig/Halle Airport and Frankfurt Airport. Managing Directors are Wolfgang Raubgier and Joe Moser. The company was founded by DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo on 12 September 2007. Flight operations started on 29 June 2009] following the delivery of its first aircraft on 12 May of that year, a Boeing 777 Freighter, making AeroLogic the first German operator of that type. AeroLogic's operations are broadly divided in two. From Monday to Friday it mainly flies to Asia, serving the DHL Express network. On weekends, it mainly operates to the United States on behalf of Lufthansa Cargo. The Boeing 777 (Triple Seven) is a long-range wide-body twin-engine jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and has a typical seating capacity of 314 to 396 passengers, with a range of 5,240 to 8,555 nautical miles (9,704 to 15,844 km). Commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven", its distinguishing features include the large–diameter turbofan engines, long raked wings, six wheels on each main landing gear, fully circular fuselage cross-section, and a blade-shaped tail cone. Developed in consultation with eight major airlines, the 777 was designed to replace older wide-body airliners and bridge the capacity difference between Boeing's 767 and 747. As Boeing's first fly-by-wire airliner, it has computer-mediated controls. It was also the first commercial aircraft to be designed entirely with computer-aided design. The 777 is produced in two fuselage lengths as of 2018. The original 777-200 variant entered commercial service in 1995, followed by the extended-range 777-200ER in 1997. The stretched 777-300, which is 33.25 ft (10.1 m) longer, followed in 1998. The initial 777-200, extended-range -200ER, and -300 versions are equipped with General Electric GE90, Pratt & Whitney PW4000, or Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. They have since been collectively referred to as 777 Classics. The extended-range 777-300ER and ultra long-range 777-200LR variants entered service in 2004 and 2006 respectively, while the 777F, a freighter version, debuted in February 2009; these second-generation variants all feature high-output GE90 engines and extended raked wingtips. The 777-200LR is one of the world's longest-range airliners, able to fly more than halfway around the globe and holds the record for the longest distance flown non-stop by a commercial aircraft. In November 2013, Boeing announced the development of the third-generation of the 777, the 777X, consisting of the 777-8 and 777-9 variants. The 777X features composite folding wings and GE9X engines plus further technologies developed for the Boeing 787, and is scheduled to enter service by 2020. In the 2000s, Boeing began studying the conversion of 777-200ER and -200 passenger airliners into freighters, under the name 777 BCF (Boeing Converted Freighter). The company has been in discussion with several airline customers, including FedEx Express, UPS Airlines, and GE Capital Aviation Services, to provide launch orders for a 777 BCF program.


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The wedding date has been revealed.
On 20 May, 2017, Pippa Middleton will marry hedge fund manager James Matthew, according toreports. A source told US Magazine that the couple will be married at St. Marks Englefield in Berkshire, while their reception will be held seven miles away at Pippa's parents Carole and Michael Middleton's house in Buckleberry.
And it looks as though the royal babies will have a role. "Princess Charlotte is going to be one of the flower girls," the source continues. "They're planning for Prince George to be a page boy."
Pippa's sister, the Duchess of Cambridge, won't be a bridesmaid but will likely do a reading at the ceremony.


Christ's Greenfield Lutheran Church: Gilbert, AZ > Do you have a limp?
I broke my toe on Sunday night when I stubbed it while I was moving fast and bumped into a son who was standing still. I have been limping around since then. Yesterday, I even got a pretty black orthopedic shoe to wear on my right foot for the next six weeks. I can't believe that I have three sons between the ages of 10 and 15 and I am the first one to break a bone in our family of five. As unique as that sounds, read the following quote from my devotion yesterday.
I have never had a limp before. Never ever. Can you believe my daily devotion was about how God used a limp to serve as a daily reminder for Jacob to depend on Him? If we backtrack and read the beginning of the quote we see that it is about wanting God's blessings. Jacob wanted God's blessings and God's answer to Jacob was that he would get a limp. How is getting a limp an answer to the genuine prayer that asks for God's blessings?
When we pray for God's blessings, for what are we praying?
Limps. Struggles. Pain. Sorrow. Loss. Hurts. Certainly God doesn't see these as blessings, does He? I mean when you experience them, they are often simply awful. Could it really be that they are allowed so that they serve as a daily reminder to depend on Him?
But what does it really mean to depend on God? Soon after I met my husband, we would often talk for hours about God and our faith. He shared a saying with me that has really stuck with me about what it means to depend on God. "If He isn't Lord OF all (in your life), He isn't Lord AT all." Depending on God, means depending on Him, for everything. And everything really means everything. Depending on God means admitting our weaknesses and dropping our false securities at His feet. Depending on God means we humbly confess what is broken in us, so that He can mend us.
My identity in Christ is all about depending on Him, not me. What HE does. Who HE is. Where HE goes. My limpy steps should be where HE tells me to go.


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FCC Chairman Ajit Pai will step down on January 20th
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai has announced plans to step down from his position when President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on January 20th.
"It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve at the Federal Communications Commission, including as Chairman of the FCC over the past four years," Pai said in a statement. "To be the first Asian-American to chair the FCC has been a particular privilege. As I often say: only in America."
Pai served as FCC chairman for the duration of the Trump administration, overseeing an unusually active period in federal telecom policy. He began the term with the controversial decision to roll back Title II classification, undoing the net neutrality rules put in place under President Obama. More recently, he oversaw…
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The register process has not changed much throughout the years. Facebook normally likes to keep this procedure simple and it's just end up being much more streamlined considering that Facebook's launching. In order to access any one of the functions of the site/app, you'll should do a Facebook register and also this write-up will reveal you how it's done! (If you require a language besides English for the Facebook join, look to all-time low of the desktop website for a listing of other languages.).
2. When you see the signup form (which need to get on the appropriate side of the Facebook web page), enter the required info:.
- Birthday (Since you have to go to the very least 13 years of ages to register. At one point, you needed to be old sufficient to have a college email account.).
- Gender (your choices are Male and also Women and you need to choose one or the other.).
- Email address (you will require this just as soon as to join, however each time you login, like a username. You could later on pick how you desire Facebook to contact you).
- Take care of this now, on the sign up type, and create it down in a secure location so you won't forget it.
4. Click the eco-friendly "sign up" switch. Bear in mind, that by doing this, you consent to the policies of Facebook. If you intend to evaluate those plans, choose the "Terms", "Information Use Plan", as well as "Cookie Usage" links in small print just about the eco-friendly sign up switch.
P.S. If you're utilizing the application (and not a web browser) and also intend to Facebook register new account, pick "Begin" and adhere to steps 2-6 over. Both procedures are really similar as well as very streamlined.
P.S.S. This thinks that you're not a celeb, musician, or organisation. That signup process would be a little various.
If you are a celebrity or firm or band, then you would need to undergo a verification process to confirm your legitimacy. Otherwise, you're home free on the routine Facebook sign up procedure for a brand-new account. The feature I truly delight in most concerning it is the alternative below the page to transform the language of the site to something apart from English. You could have Italian, Swahili, Japanese, or any one of the many languages and also languages recognized by Facebook. There's also a choice for pirate language. It transforms the website right into expressions you would likely listen to on Pirates of the Caribbean the film and also is totally entertaining at finest. The language feature is very useful for people who want to register for a brand-new account on Facebook however don't have a good grasp on English. Once you click the language, the whole site changes. Don't worry. It can be transformed at any moment.
Step-1: Open your internet browser as well as look for Facebook making use of any type of internet search engine like google or bing or any.
Step-2: Click on the initial result in most likely to Facebook homepage. If you do not recognize appropriately exactly what to do, simply go to https://www.facebook.com/ or https://m.facebook.com/. Now, ensure that nobody is visited. If it is, simply click down arrow switch at the top right edge and afterwards select logout.
Step-3: Now, you remain in the Facebook homepage. You can see 2 boxes; one is for email or phone as well as another is for password. If your Facebook was produced with email address, after that enter that email address into the initial box. Or if it was created with contact number, after that get in the phone number on that box. Remember, don't make use of zero or + icon prior to country code and also various other icons. As an example, your contact number is +1 708-990-0555. Get in 17089900555 not +1 708-990-0555. On the next box, enter your Facebook account password.


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Empowerment 4 Girls to hold mental health event in Montesano
Will educate young girls on strategies to prevent self-harm and build confidence
By Allen Leister • November 16, 2022 1:30 am
Tags: Local News
With mental health concerns continuing to build importance in our post-pandemic society, an opportunity for children to learn strategies to properly maintain their mental health is coming to East County.
Empowerment 4 Girls is hosting a free one-day Empowerment Program for Grays Harbor County residents. The event, which is sponsored by Grays Harbor Community Foundation, will allow girls from 10 to 15 years old to practice self-regulation and mindfulness strategies as well as participate in discussion circles and community-building activities.
Michele Drake-Hyde, a board member for Empowerment 4 Girls, said the goal of the organization is to help affirm the self-worth of all girls and build up confidence, resiliency and resourcefulness.
"Our programs fill a gap in social support and affirm spaces for girls at a critical life phase when they are forming identities and learning to cope with numerous stressors that put them at risk for depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation," Drake-Hyde said via email. "We work with girls in our community to promote positive personal development that helps them overcome negative self-talk and bullying that reinforces low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-14, in 2020. While some health experts have stated those stats could have been influenced due to pandemic lockdowns, the rate of suicide for those ages 10 to 24 increased by nearly 60% between 2007 and 2018, a stat Drake-Hyde said is concerning.
"We implement expert-recommended strategies to mitigate risk factors associated with adolescent self-harm and suicide," Drake-Hyde said.
If you want to go:
For people who are interested in attending the Empowerment Program, the event will be held at the Monte Fitness Center Studio on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9:30 am to 4 p.m., in Montesano. The program will include an empowerment packet, handouts, art supplies, snacks and lunch. For more information, people are encouraged to visit www.empowerment4girls.org/program-registration-1.
Aberdeen/Hoquiam deal with multiple late-week structure fires
Fire breaks out in Elma mobile home
Fluoride Presentation sparks in-depth conversation...
By Allen Leister
Unemployment throughout the Harbor rises...
'Kids don't just disappear'
Jordan Bowers pleads 'Not Guilty'...
Aberdeen man was wanted on a felony warrant for noncompliance with the sex offender registration.
By Michael S. Lockett • January 27, 2023 12:30 pm
The invasive species has made itself quite at home where it oughtn't.
By Michael S. Lockett • January 27, 2023 11:30 am
Twice previously, Layman has served as interim chief. Now he's in the job permanently.
By Michael S. Lockett • January 26, 2023 2:30 pm


Mark Ingram carries several Bills defenders into the end zone on one of his three touchdown runs on the day.
The first inkling I had that this Saints team might be special was when left tackle Terron Armstead injured his labrum in the offseason.
I should explain by way of one of my favorite proverbs, one that's referenced in both Taoist and Buddhist writing, and one that, if you saw last week's episode of The Last Man on Earth, you're familiar with already.
It has a few names, but it is mostly known as the parable of the Chinese Farmer.
Good thing, bad thing. Who can say?
This April, when the Saints were on deck with the #32 pick of the draft, Seattle was on the clock. Expecting Seattle wouldn't take a linebacker, the Saints called Alabama's Reuben Foster– the draft's top middle linebacker prospect, a position long considered a key need for New Orleans– to let him know they would be selecting him. The Saints were correct; the Seahawks had no intention of taking Foster.
The Saints, subsequently, selected Wisconsin tackle Ryan Ramczyk, a player who had been unable to work out at any point in the pre-draft process due to a shoulder injury, and who would be projected to back up Armstead and right tackle Zach Strief.
When the story of the Saints calling Foster came out, fans of other teams and some media members got a chuckle at the Saints getting egg on their face. The resulting Ramczyk pick left many of the Saints' own fans perplexed, if not incredulous: This is why we traded Brandin Cooks? For a luxury player who probably won't see the field year one? Who we don't even know is healthy enough to play?
Armstead's June injury required surgery and placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform list to start the season. Ramczyk, without even much preseason experience, had to step in and play NFL left tackle from day 1. Astoundingly, he did quite well, rarely allowing pressure in his time there despite the position's rather steep learning curve.
Eventually Armstead returned, but then Strief went down with a knee injury. Strief was a longtime mainstay and the final tie to New Orleans' 2006 draft class, the one that eventually helped them win the Super Bowl.* It was something of a symbolic goodbye to that era; Drew Brees and Thomas Morstead were the only players on that Super Bowl roster who have remained with the team to this day.** Of course. As soon as we get to full strength, the other one gets hurt.
*Appropriate, then, that he be replaced by a member of the 2017 class, which is shaping up to be similarly great.
** Backup quarterback Chase Daniel has also returned after stints in Kansas City and Philadelphia.
The team signed defensive tackle Nick Fairley to a four-year, $28 million contract after he played well on a one-year deal last season, only to see doctors discover a previously undiagnosed heart condition which caused him to miss the season (and may demand his retirement). Same old Saints. Overpaying free agents and getting nothing for it.
In his absence, second-year player David Onyemata has stepped up as an interior penetrator on the defensive line, among the league leaders in total tackles behind the line of scrimmage (counting both run plays and sacks), despite only playing about half of the defensive snaps on the year.
Marshon Lattimore missed week 3 against Carolina with an injury. The fans held their breath: This is why we're 0-2. We spend high draft picks on injured players. We act like we're always one player away, when we're not.
In Lattimore's absence, Ken Crawley stepped into the starting lineup, and played outstanding football, notching two passes defensed as well as leading the team in tackles. Crawley started next week in London against Miami after P.J. Williams was benched for a violation of team rules, and his end-zone interception on the Dolphins' first drive killed their best chance of scoring in a 20-0 shutout. After those two performances, Crawley took a permanent spot in the starting lineup, forcing the oft-burned De'Vante Harris and the actually-pretty-good Williams to the bench.
It seems like so many of the breaks a team needs have gone the Saints' way so far. Injuries are inevitable; having a good player behind the starter isn't. Discovering a good player because of an injury is rarer still. The Saints have been getting lucky with opponent selection, too, as quarterbacks seem to incur injuries just before they play New Orleans. But you always need breaks to win the Super Bowl, as I mentioned previously.
The simple fact is, winning a road game 47-10, against any other team in the National Football League, is extremely difficult– let alone winning one against a 5-3 team. For comparison, the 0-9 Cleveland Browns' worst home loss this season is by 31-7 to Cincinnati in week 4. That's 24 points; the Saints just beat the Bills by 37 points. The previous worst home loss this year was the New York Giants' 51-17 drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams in week 9. The Giants are now 1-8 and just lost to a certain previously 0-8 team that now employs Reuben Foster. Again, the Bills still have a winning record after the loss to the Saints. Dominated isn't even the right word: Like a mad scientist whose ransom demands aren't met, the Saints fired their Doomsday Laser at Orchard Park on Sunday, leaving only a smoking, scarred crater of an opposing football team and its fans' dreams.
With that working in the running game– as well as Kamara catching all five of his targets for 32 yards– the Saints didn't need much in the passing game. When they did, Michael Thomas was open; he caught nine of his ten targets for 117 of the Saints' 184 passing yards, including two difficult grabs downfield that showed off his body control, awareness, and sure hands, and converted important first downs.
Until a last minute drive in garbage time led by rookie backup Nathan Peterman with the Saints already leading 47-3, New Orleans held Buffalo to an astonishing 3.15 yards per play and five first downs, compared to the Saints' own 6.9 yards per play (excluding kneeldowns) and 32 first downs.
The Saints completely dominated this game defensively, one early LeSean McCoy run and one early Tyrod Taylor run aside. Receivers were never open. New Orleans forced the Bills into long down-and-distance situations and forced Taylor to settle for checkdowns on third-and-long. Though the Saints only sacked Taylor twice, they frequently pressured him into running or scrambling until he could force a low-percentage throw or a throwaway. The defensive line tipped three passes, and Sheldon Rankins nearly scored a touchdown when he dropped into coverage and intercepted a pass.
Sheldon Rankins leaps to make an interception off a tipped pass. Rankins would nearly return the pick for a touchdown.
When the Saints started the season 0-2, I believed we'd be in for more of the same. Another round of gutting the offense to try to patch the defense. Another round of failing to do so and just ending up with one mediocre unit and one bad one. Another round of players being misused by the coaches. Another round of 7-9.
Instead, the adjustments the team has made since then have them humming along at peak efficiency. The best players are getting on the field. The team is largely putting them in position to succeed. (We still got one classic "too clever by half" Sean Payton result this week: A designed unblocked screen for backup tight end Josh Hill, who fumbled after the catch at the Bills' 9.) And the best players are good enough to win football games. The team has won seven in a row since starting 0-2, a feat only matched by the 1993 Dallas Cowboys, who went on to win the Super Bowl.


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NRA Wins Important Appropriations Victories in Congress
On Wednesday, July 17, the House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2014 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill following several votes on amendments of consequence to gun owners. In recent days, the debate over self-defense laws and the addition of Illinois as the 50th state to adopt a law offering citizens some process for exercising their Right-to-Carry have grabbed headlines. But while these issues soaked up public attention, NRA-ILA was hard at work in the halls of Congress defending existing protections against the federal abuse of gun owners and ensuring new gun controls were defeated.
Prominent among the amendments offered was a proposal by U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) that would have deleted a nearly decade-old provision that protects against improper disclosure of confidential law enforcement records.
The law under attack protects law enforcement officers and the public from the misuse of firearms trace data, by limiting the release of such data to legitimate law enforcement purposes. In 2007, Fraternal Order of Police National President Chuck Canterbury excoriated Mayor Michael Bloomberg for attacking these protections, noting that "releasing sensitive information about pending cases can jeopardize the integrity of an investigation or even place the lives of undercover officers in danger." Fortunately, these important protections were preserved by a vote of 30 to 18.
Another anti-gun amendment, offered by Rep. Nita M. Lowey (D-N.Y.), would have allowed the federal government to use secret government lists to deny people their Second Amendment rights. Often portrayed by gun controllers as anti-terrorism legislation, in reality the measure would allow the federal government to circumvent the Fifth Amendment's right to due process and bar people from owning guns based on secret evidence that they would have little or no recourse to dispute.
Such legislation could improperly affect hundreds of thousands of people. The ACLU has estimated that the number of people on government terrorist watch lists is over one million, and that the lists have ensnared those with no unsavory affiliations whatsoever. Thankfully, this amendment was defeated 29 to 10.
And finally, there is good news on a pro-gun amendment successfully offered by Rep. John R. Carter (R-Texas) to end the BATFE's abuse of gun owners and dealers in the Southwest. Since 2010, dealers in the four states bordering Mexico have been required to report to BATFE the sale of two or more center-fire semi-automatic rifles, of greater than .22-caliber and capable of accepting a detachable magazine, to a single seller in a five-day period, in the same manner that has been required for handguns since passage of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The policy subjects buyers of multiple rifles to de facto federal registration and creates an additional paperwork burden for the dealer.
Further, as NRA has explained previously, this policy is an abuse of BATFE's "demand letter" process, which allows the agency to query firearms dealer records in the course of a legitimate investigation. The process was never intended to be used in such an a broad way, and Congress' refusal to include long guns in the Gun Control Act's multiple sales reporting requirement makes clear its intent not to subject gun owners and dealers to this burden. So far, the courts have proved unhelpful in correcting this matter, which makes this week's vote even more important.
Unfortunately, this isn't the end of the appropriations process, and the future of all these provisions remains uncertain. For now, however, the NRA thanks its allies on the Appropriations Committee for working to protect the rights of their constituents and of gun owners everywhere. While such actions may not always garner national headlines, committee members can rest assured that NRA will remind our members of who did--and did not--stand on the side of freedom.
House Appropriations Committee Commerce U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee
Anti-Gun Mayor Bloomberg to Host Fundraiser for Sen. Manchin
Fake News: Washington Post Falsely Suggests Trump Will Arm Foreign Tyrants With American Guns
State Department Snubs Congressional Concerns
Pro-Gun Members of Congress Respond to State Department's Disastrous Manufacturing "Guidance"
Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations Process Yields Wins for the Second Amendment


Summit House is set on a quiet, leafy street in Cardiff city centre, and offers contemporary accommodation only 10 minutes walk to Cardiff University.
And the vibrant city centre is just walk away. During the day there's markets, shopping centres, and coffee shops galore. And when the sun goes down, the bars, nightclubs and restaurants come alive.
For fitness buffs, there is access to a state-of-the-art gym across the street at Windsor House. For film buffs, a big screen TV lounge. For readers, a reading room. And for everyone (…we hope) a laundry room.
All utilities are included in your rent – water, electricity, heating, WiFi, contents insurance and subscription to Perkbox. Which makes budgeting simple. Oh, and you don't need to pay any deposits or fees! How great is that?!
Share Summit House with a friend!


Wie soll ich mein Reb- oder Rosenspalier streichen? Ist ein Anstrich überhaupt erforderlich? Welche Farbtöne bieten sich an? Diese Fragen stellen sich bei klassischen und modernen Rankgittern gleichermaßen. Kletterhilfen aus Holz erhalten im Laufe der Jahre eine "silbergraue Patina", pragmatisch kann man sagen, sie vergrauen. Das muss aber kein Makel sein, ggf. unterstreicht dies das historische Ambiente. Die drei Harthölzer Robinie, Eiche und Esskastanie können, müssen aber nicht gestrichen werden. Alle anderen Holzarten sollten im Freien besser einen schützenden Anstrich erhalten. Dazu müssen die Kanten der Spalierstäbe etwas abgeschmirgelt werden, um der gefürchteten "Kantenflucht" des Anstrichstoffes vorzubeugen. Diese Seite gehört zum Bereich "Rankgitter aus Holz" und wird demnächst neu strukturiert.
Bautzen / Saxony, Sorbian "Witches Hut" from approx. 1600. Trellis as well as roof shingles and gable cladding all in black.
Middelhagen / Rügen / Meckl.-Vorp.
Brockwitz near Dresden / Saxony: White is an especially noble coating. High quality paint should be chosen to postpone repainting as long as possible.
On already structured walls wire rope systems are an alternative. Here a rose trellis in FassadenGrün's heavy construction style.
In the open, a warm yellow-brown wood colour can be maintained with conventional, or even better organic, thick-layered coating for several years. They have to be repainted after 2 - 3, at the latest probably about 7 years. Weatherproof coatings and colorants according to historical recipes sometimes achieve even longer service lives.
With noble, white paint coating, the weather-related colour loss can look particularly negative. That is why high-quality weatherproof or stand oil paints are to be chosen here, which do not peel off, but finely "sand" themselves off and without cumbersome extra sanding can be over painted. Organic egg tempera has proven to be a reasonable and proven alternative.
Conventional wood preservative coatings are suited for trellis laths due to their toxic fungicidal finish, however, it is better not to use them for grapevine and fruit trellises.
Black trellis matched to black-coloured framework. The heating of very dark coloured slats can lead to problems (cracks) in low-grade and not pre-dried woods, possibly also affecting the climbing plants climbing behavior.
Unprocessed, natural oak wood trellis on wooden cladding. The natural greying process is already starting (Patina).
Basic colours of the product group "Sweden red". The Ochre shade is only partly suitable for Robinia and oak wood.
Moritzburg / Saxony, new sturdy trellises made of untreated oak wood for trellis apple.
"Patina" on a raspberry trellis made of Robinia wood. Only weather-resistant hard woods (Robinia, oak,) conditionally also larch can survive in the open air without painting, other woods need it for reasons of wetness and UV protection, and it must then be regularly renewed.