text:
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara to the north and the Sudanian Savanna (historically known as the Sudan region) to the south. The Sahel part of Africa includes (from west to east) parts of northern Senegal, southern Mauritania, central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, the extreme south of Algeria, Niger, the extreme north of Nigeria, central Chad, central and southern Sudan, the extreme north of South Sudan, Eritrea, Cameroon, Central African Republic and extreme north of Ethiopia.Sahel zone (Wiki)
This collection contains the electronic versions of 80 books previously published in hard copy as part of the Country Studies Series by the Federal Research Division. Intended for a general audience, books in the series present a description and analysis of the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of select countries throughout the world.Library of Congress Country Study
ECOLEX is an information service on environmental law, operated jointly by FAO, IUCN and UNEP. Its purpose is to build capacity worldwide by providing the most comprehensive possible global source of information on environmental law. The ECOLEX database includes information on treaties, international soft-law and other non-binding policy and technical guidance documents, national legislation, judicial decisions, and law and policy literature. Users have direct access to the abstracts and indexing information about each document, as well as to the full text of most of the information provided. ECOLEX environmental law
BICC's research and advisory work strives to reduce the potentially harmful effects accompanying any effort to organize violence in social relations. BICC's activities can be subsumed in the following three thematic clusters, which are closely related to each other: Armament and arms control: Controlling arms and supporting disarmament; Dynamics of violent conflict: Preventing, transforming and ending violent conflict; Order and change: Understanding violence in social orders. Bonn International Center for Conversion
UNOWAS has the responsibility for preventive diplomacy, good offices and political mediation and facilitation efforts in West Africa and the Sahel. UNOWAS also works to consolidate peace and democratic governance in countries emerging from conflict or political crises.UN Office for West Africa and the Sahel
IPIS is an independent research institute providing tailored information, analysis and capacity enhancement to support those actors who want to realize a vision of durable peace, sustainable development and the fulfillment of human rights.IPIS Research
This project questions the increasing participation of pastoralists in political movements. Until recently they were hardly visible politically. However, during the past decades their way of life is declining under the impact of climate droughts and the advancement of marketed livestock. This research project gives visibility to nomads and the problems they encounter. Nomade Sahel Network
Displacement.iom.int is an IOM online platform designed to enhance access to Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) information products on internal displacement, including a visualization of the scale of displacement monitored by IOM. Click All Reports for reports by region and country.Displacement Tracking Matrix
OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. UNOCHA Humanitarian Affairs
Humanitarian Response is a specialised digital service of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) provided to the community as part of OCHA's responsibility under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Operational Guidance on Responsibilities of Cluster/Sectors & OCHA in Information Management. Humanitarian Response aims to be the central website for Information Management tools and services, enabling information exchange among operational responders during either a protracted or sudden onset emergency.UNOCHA Humanitarian Response
The Centre for Humanitarian Data is focused on increasing the use and impact of data in the humanitarian sector. It is managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The Centre's services are available to humanitarian partners and OCHA staff in the field and at Headquarters free of charge. The website offers data visualizations, impact stories, slideshows and more.Centre for Humanitarian Data
Provides news and publications about human rights wordwide. Amnesty International
Contains country-specific background briefings, commentaries, country reports, and press releases published by Human Rights Watch and others.Human Rights Watch
PricewaterhouseCoopers Worldwide Tax Summaries provides information on corporate and individual taxes in over 150 territories worldwide.PWC Worldwide Tax Summaries
Provide broad mesures of well-being for countries in de UN system and published annually by the United Nations Development Programme.The indicators are health, education, income/command over resources, inequalty, gender, poverty, employment and vulnerability, human security, trade and financial flows, mobility and communication, environment, demography.UNDP Intl. Human Development Indicators
UN-Habitat is the United Nations programme working towards a better urban future. Its mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all.UN Habitat
As a central component of the International Food Policy Research Institute's (IFPRI) "World Food Crisis" project , this open access policy information portal has been established to provide comprehensive and detailed information country-by-country on food policy developments. Food Security Portal
The Global Food Security Index was designed and constructed by the Economist Intelligence Unit and is sponsored by DuPont. The Economist Intelligence Unit exercises full and final editorial control over all content, including data gathering, analysis and forecasting.Global Food Security Index
These country-level climate data summaries are intended to address the climate change information gap for developing countries by making use of existing climate data to generate a series of country-level studies of climate observations and multi-model projections.UNDP Climate Change Country Profiles
RISE is a set of indicators to help compare national policy and regulatory frameworks for sustainable energy. It assesses countries' policy and regulatory support for each of the three pillars of sustainable energy—access to modern energy, energy efficiency, and renewable energy.Sustainable Energy Indicators
The Africa Energy Portal (AEP) is a one-stop-shop for energy sector news, insights, data and more. Launched in November 2018, the AEP focuses exclusively on Africa, serving as a repository for accurate and relevant information and data across the energy value chain. Africa Energy Portal
The Issues Monitor is the World Energy Council's global annual survey of energy leaders. It presents insight into the energy transition's progress, key critical uncertainties and issues for action over the last 10 years. World Energy Issues Monitor
The information represented in the dashboard below comes from the eleven countries utilizing the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) system whose data is available on the HDX platform. The map and chart are live-updating, and so as new data is added to the platform, the visuals will update to accurately reflect internal displacement in the countries.DTM Internal Displacement Dashboard
'Landscapes of West Africa, A Window on a Changing World' presents a vivid picture of the changing natural environment of West Africa. By U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) - Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.Landscapes of West Africa
Provides information about the National Library and the Legal Deposit of Chad (in French).Chad's libraries
Books, maps, images, archived web pages and many other items in the Library of Congress collections, sorted by location.Library of Congress collection items
With its eminent scholars and world-renowned Library and Archives, the Stanford University Hoover Institution seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind.Hoover Institution Collections
The "Webometrics Ranking of World Universities" is an initiative of the Cybermetrics Lab, a research group belonging to the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), the largest public research body in Spain.Webometrics Ranking of Universities
Africa Focus brings together, in digital form, two categories of primary and secondary resources: research and teaching materials collected by University of Wisconsin faculty and staff; and unique or valuable items related to these fields held by the University of Wisconsin Libraries. This collection contains more than 3000 slides, 500 photographs, and 50 hours of sounds from forty-five different countries.University of Wisconsin Africa Focus
The African Media Program (AMP) offers an online, comprehensive database of films, videos, and other audio-visual materials concerning Africa as well as education services about African media. The AMP is a project from Michigan State University's (MSU) African Studies Center, a Title VI National Resource Center in African Languages and Area Studies.The African Media Program
Africa in the Photobook is a website initiated in 2015 by photographer and (photo)historian Ben Krewinkel. The website is about the changing visual representation of Africa as expressed through the medium of the photobook. By showcasing book spreads the books become partly accessible to a wider public and function as a platform for students, collectors and experts to talk about the content of the books. Africa in the Photobook
Videos on DailyMotion.Videos on DailyMotion
Has information on popular and folk music, instruments and artists. Music of Chad on Wikipedia
Recent news on politics, economics and Chadian society (in French).Tchadactuel
Noovell is a global news website which aggregates news stories on current affairs and politics from more than 5,000 news sources worldwide in English, French and Spanish. Noovell presents a mix of articles from both domestic and international news sources for all the countries and regions covered. Noovell global news


Google Website Optimizer is all grown up. Formerly a feature within Google AdWords only, this free website-testing tool is now accessible to anyone worldwide through its own website. You can now use your Google Analytics login to access Website Optimizer and test which designs, headlines, and graphics lead to the highest conversion rates on your site.


Shadows of a Once Bright Day was the first completed work by Noah Owens. It was recorded from 2005-2006 and was released in April of 2006. Each track is without vocals and creates a mood contrasting the previous track, starting with "Shadows" and culminating in the "Beautiful Daytime." This is the first time the entire album has been available for listening online.


text:
package edu.uci.ics.asterix.metadata.feeds;

import edu.uci.ics.asterix.common.feeds.api.IIntakeProgressTracker;
import edu.uci.ics.asterix.metadata.external.IAdapterFactory;

public interface IFeedAdapterFactory extends IAdapterFactory {

    public boolean isRecordTrackingEnabled();

    public IIntakeProgressTracker createIntakeProgressTracker();

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Thank you to everyone who came to this year's show. We hope you had fun in the sun!
The Ibstone Horticultural Society Annual Show and Fete on Saturday 4th August 2018.
We hope that eveyone who came to Ibstone Common on Saturday 4th August enjoyed this year's show and we look forward to seeing you again next year on Saturday 3rd August 2019.
Held on Ibstone Common, HP14 3XT, the Show and Fete will start at 2:00pm and lasts until about 5:00pm, Bar and BBQ from 1.30pm. All sorts of activities are available for young and old. Admission and parking is free.
We always welcome new exhibitors who would like to show vegetables, flowers, painting, photography, cakes, jams and preserves, wine and spirit making, handicraft and there are 3 complete age group sections of children's classes.
The Fete centres around a tea tent, BBQ and bar serving Rebellion beer, with traditional entertainment including live music from the Allsorts Saxes players, games and competitions such as welly wanging, cocoanut shy, the stocks and Bowling the Bacon.
Stalls vary from year to year, but a visit has to be made to the produce stall, the bric a brac and the book stall which are permanent attractions. Finally, there are several raffles and a Grand Draw which include a top prizes of lunch for two at a top local resturant, Champagne Hot Air Balloon Flight, Fine Wines and many more great prizes.
Please view a selection of pictures from the show.
All proceeds raised at the show are distributed to local charities and other local good causes.
The Show is easy to find. From Junction 5 on the M40 take the Ibstone direction and Ibstone Common is about two miles on the right. The postcode is HP14 3XT. View location map.


text:
INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA ATOMIC EMISSION SPECTROSCOPY ASTM D4951
This test method covers the quantitative determination of barium, boron, calcium, copper, magnesium, molybdenum, phosphorous, sulfur, and zinc in unused lubricating oils and additive packages. This test method usually requires several minutes per sample. This test method covers eight elements and thus provides more elemental composition data. This test method can be used to determine if additive packages and unused lubricating oils meet specifications with respect to elemental composition. A sample portion is weighed and diluted by mass with mixed xylenes. An internal standard, which is required, is either weighed separately into the test solution or is previously combined with the dilution solvent. Calibration standards are prepared similarly. The solutions are introduced to the ICP instrument by free aspiration or an optional peristaltic pump. By comparing emission intensities of elements in the test specimen with emission intensities measured with the calibrated standards and by applying the appropriate internal standard correction, the concentrations of elements in the sample are calculable.
FOURIER TRANSFORMER INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY 65
FTIR can measure the amount of infrared light absorbed at particular wavelengths, develop a 'spectra' for the entire infrared wavelength range of how much infrared light was absorbed at what wavelength, and compare that against known standards in a library or against a baseline spectra. On-site FTIR also provides incoming oil quality assurance/quality control, in-service oil analysis and root cause analysis. Basically the FTIR method of Infrared analysis is a quicker and more accurate measurement of Infrared Analysis than the original IR method of analysis.
COLD CRANKING SIMULATOR (CCS) ASTM D 5293 and SAE J300.
Cold-Cranking Simulator (CSS) measure the apparent viscosity of oils at temperatures from –35°C to –5°C within a viscosity range of 900 mPa·s to 25,000 mPa·s. It combines automatic sample loading, computer-controlled operation, and solvent-free cleaning to permit completely unattended operation. No further operator involvement is required after initial loading of the sample table and identification of samples. The CCS- automatically test up to 30 samples at one time, calculate their viscosities, and record the results, freeing the operator for other tasks. Improved temperature management of the rotor/stator eliminates the need for grouping the samples by temperature of analysis, as was necessary in older CCS models. In addition, a thermoelectric sample warming cycle greatly improves the sample flushing process. The CCS meets all the requirements of ASTM D 5293 and SAE J300.
FOUR BALL MACHINE ASTM D2266 & ASTM D2596
ASTM 2596 test method covers the determination of the load carrying properties of lubricating greases. Two determinations are made Load –Wear Index (formerly called Mean-Hertz Load) and Weld Point, by means of the Four-Ball Extreme pressure (EP) Tester. The tester is operated with one steel balls held stationary in the form of a cradle. The rotating speed is 1770 rpm. Lubricating greases are brought to 27⁰C and then subjected to a series of tests of 10-s duration at increasing loads until welding occurs.
ASTM 2266 test method can be used to determine the relative wear-preventing properties of greases under the test conditions and if the test conditions are changed the relative ratings may be different. This test method cannot be used to differentiate between Extreme Pressure (EP) and Non Extreme Pressure (Non-EP) Greases.
FLASH POINT ASTM D92
This test method describes the determination of the flash point and fire point of petroleum products by an Automated Cleveland Open Cup apparatus .This is applicable to all petroleum products with the flash points above 79°C and below 400°C except fuel oils.
Sample filled into a test cup. The temperature of the test specimen increased rapidly at first and then at a slower constant rate as the flash point is approached at specified intervals, a test flame is passed across the cup. The flash point is the lowest liquid temperature at which application of the testflam causes the vapors of the test specimen of the sample to ignite.
POUR POINT ASTM D97
Cloud point and pour point are indicators of the lowest temperature of utility for petroleum products. The sample is periodically examined while it is being cooled in the cloud and pour point apparatus. The lowest temperature at which movement of the test specimen is observed under prescribed conditions of test is recorded as pour point.
VISCOMETER BATH ASTM D445
Kinematic viscosity means the resistance to flow of a fluid under gravity. For gravity flow under a given hydrostatic head, the pressure head of a liquid is proportional to its density. For any particular viscometer, the time of flow of a fixed volume of fluid is directly proportional to its kinematic viscosity. Calibrated viscometers of the glass capillary type are used to determine kinematic viscosity within the limits of the precision given in the precision section.
DROPPING POINT ASTM D566
Dropping point is the temperature at which the grease passes from a semisolid to a liquid state under the conditions of test. A sample of lubricating grease contained in a cup suspended in a test tube is heated in an oil bath at a prescribed rate. The temperature at which the first drop of material falls from the hole in the bottom of the cup is averaged with the temperature readings of the oil bath and recorded as the dropping point of grease.
AUTOMATIC PENETROMETER ASTM D 217
Penetrometer is an instrument that measures the consistency or hardness of semiliquid to semisolid materials by measuring the depth to which a specified cone or needle under a given force falls into the material. The penetration is measured in tenths of a millimeter. The procedures for unworked, worked, and prolonged worked penetration are applicable to greases having penetrations between 85 and 475, that is, to greases with consistency numbers between NLGI 6 AND NLGI 000.
OIL SEPARATION ASTM D6184
This test method is used to determine the tendency of lubricating grease to separate oil at an elevated temperature. This test method shall be conducted at +100⁰C for 30 h unless other conditions are required by the grease specification. This test method is not suitable for greases having a penetration greater than 340 (softer than NLGI No. grade). The weighed sample is placed in a cone-shaped, wire cloth sieve, suspended in a beaker, and then heated under static conditions for the specified time and temperature. Unless otherwise required by the grease specification, the sample is tested at standard conditions of 100⁰C for 30 h. The separated oil is weighed and reported as a percentage of the mass of the starting test sample.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The school summer holidays are afoot, and we've been having a lovely time doing not very much at all.
I love that the older boys are at a great age to entertain themselves at home, although the occasional day out is always a welcome change of scenery!
Last week, we headed into town for the Graco Baby Bootcamp. Graco had teamed up with Babycentre, and the aim around the event was to provide a crash course in tips for new parents and newborn care.
Having been through the newborn stage three times, I listened and nodded along to guest speaker Sarah Redshaw at many points throughout her talk. Pregnant with twins and with a toddler under her belt already. Sarah certainly has her fair share of experience in pregnancy and babies!
Practical newborn tips are great to hear, but generally everyone finds their feet in their own time. What I think it's really important to hear, is that message of confidence, for someone to say "Don't worry too much, you will find your way". Which was very much the vibe of the Graco Baby Bootcamp.
There were also fun activities for the older boys to get involved with too – a photobooth, and an obstacle course. Arlo and Rory busied themselves trying to claim top spot on the leaderboard.
Having recently started using our Graco Evo Avant. The graco baby bootcamp provided my first opportunity to test it out on public transport and the busy streets of London. The Evo Avant handled amazingly, and I would be confident using it as a city pushchair.


text:
News > Laneway 2015 dates & venues announced
The Laneway Festival - which turned 10 this year! - today announces the 2015 Australasian festival dates and venue details.
It's been a decade since Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio threw a party and called it a festival down by the 'colourful' alley in the backstreets of the Melbourne CBD in 2005. In that time, Laneway has hosted some of the world's best artists before they went on to become major stars.
In 2015, we return to this year's iconic locations in Singapore, New Zealand and five Australian cities. An urban music experience like no other, the Laneway Festival continues to define itself by its creative collabs (food, markets, local art and more) and A+ line-up. And we cannot wait.
The full festival line-up for all three countries will be announced at 9AM on Thursday 2 October.
SINGAPORE: SATURDAY 24 JANUARY - THE MEADOW, GARDENS BY THE BAY
The five year-old Singapore event will return to the spacious pastures of The Meadow, Gardens By The Bay, which is as idyllic as the name conveys. The magical site is a beauty, with plenty of space to watch bands and explore the food and drink kiosks and other fun activities around the festival.
Photo credit: Afiq Omar
AUCKLAND: MONDAY 26 JANUARY - SILO PARK
This urban pocket will dish up a day to remember as punters take in music between the Waitemata Harbour and towering Silos. There's plenty of gems back for another year, including The Vivian, fresh local markets and the Thunderdome in Silo Seven.
Photo credit: Aaron Moffitt
BRISBANE: SATURDAY 31 JANUARY - BRISBANE SHOWGROUNDS, BOWEN HILLS (16+)
Brisbane Laneway punters are going to be thrilled: the festival will be held on a Saturday for the first time in six years. Plus we're moving to a completely new, more spacious part of the RNA grounds. Same convenient location: new, improved look and feel. The festival will showcase an impressive line-up of local artistic talent, turning the venue into a creative celebration of both music and the arts. Brisbane Laneway will be open to punters 16 years and older for the first time.
Photo credit: Aaron Webber
SYDNEY: SUNDAY 1 FEBRUARY - SYDNEY COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (SCA), ROZELLE*
Laneway's long-time home at the SCA in Rozelle combines the natural beauty of Callan Park with the historic sandstone of the College. The addition of two main stages to the natural amphitheatre worked a treat last time and we welcome back the SCA artists who enhanced the site with their work, along with some of the city's finest food vendors.
*Subject to DA approval
Photo credit: Maclay Heriot
ADELAIDE: FRIDAY 6 FEBRUARY - HARTS MILL, PORT ADELAIDE (16+)
After its successful debut in 2014, Laneway returns to the historic site at Harts Mill, Port Adelaide, where an industrial space meets the stunning waterfront of the Port River. The festival promises more grass, incredible food and more shade as it continues to step up the grade at this gorgeous venue. Adelaide will also welcome those aged 16 years and older for the very first time.
MELBOURNE: SATURDAY 7 FEBRUARY - FOOTSCRAY COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE (FCAC) AND THE RIVER'S EDGE
FCAC and the River's Edge is the now long-running venue for the spiritual home of the Laneway Festival. Sit on the grass and catch the breeze as you watch the bands on the Amphitheatre Stage or down by the Dean Turner stage on the water. Stellar amenities plus an extravagant Food Village will also feature.
Photo credit: Ben McPherson
FREMANTLE: SUNDAY 8 FEBRUARY - ESPLANADE RESERVE AND WEST END
This year's move from Perth to Fremantle's historic West End and Esplanade Reserve was a good idea. There's a more free flowing space, with pop up restaurants, food stalls and markets helping create the perfect setting for a summer music festival. Watch your favourite artists underneath the giant Norfolk Pines of the Reserve and catch a ride on the resident ferris wheel to take in the stunning views over both the city and the harbour.
Photo credit: Marc Ash


We bring 20 years of commercial experience to every project; uncovering hidden revenue opportunities, service enhancements and expansive possibilities. Let's find out what we can do for you!
We do a whole lot more than design. Take a look. This is some of what we do for our clients.
Our WP Clinic is open to help you solve annoying one-off issues that crop-up with WordPress. Make an appointment and we'll get started.
Our team can provide rapid quotes on your next project - we have been working with WordPress for 10 years.
Need faster hosting? We can find you cost-effective fast hosting for your growing WordPress site.
We build tools and plugins that will help drive more traffic to your website and increase your revenue.
We protect your site with state-of-the-art security, backups and regular core, theme and plugin updates.
Asporea CDN gives you super-fast WordPress media speeds, from our global content delivery network.
Register your domain names online with Asporea at very competitive prices, and manage them in your control panel.
Protect yourself from junk mail with our email filtering service. Multiple services available at low monthly rates.
Send your own client and customer newsletters with our own PDQ Email Marketing platform. It's 50% cheaper than the competition.
"Mobile devices are the future of online content. We've reached the tipping point with more than 50% of all web traffic coming from smart devices. It is how people access web content now."
We love building sites with WordPress.
Whether you need a new site, a refresh, or some new functionality like a plugin or tweak. We can help you quickly and efficiently. Press the button and leave your details, and we'll be in touch very soon.
Put us in charge for just $14.95. Full 30-day money-back guarantee.
We give your site a free security health check and install software that will upgrade your security and alert you to suspicious activity.
We backup your WordPress data every day in small increments, so your site is never overloaded. Your backups are encrypted and stored safely in the cloud.
All your data is easily recoverable and you can request a restore 24 hours a day. Backed by world-class expertise to ensure that site restores run smoothly.
When new versions of WordPress are released, we upgrade your site and ensure everything still works as it should.
We examine which plugins and themes need attention and update them for you. If an update doesn't work we'll alert the developers to get it fixed for you.
We will implement caching technology to speed up your blog and make it faster for visitors and add Asporea CDN to serve your site content super-fast.
A Virtual Private Server will give you an astronishing boost in WooCommerce speed. Find out how smart clients are getting favourable results right now with Asporea VPS.
In a world now obliged by European GDPR laws, have you considered privacy when it comes to the use of file sharing apps like Dropbox or WeTransfer?
In 2019 we are seeing the emerging trends for web design and the impact they'll have on how your old website is perceived.
Our newsletter makes sure you don't miss out on important hints and tips for improving your business online, and save money. We don't share or sell your information and you can unsubscribe anytime.
We develop, maintain and support WordPress websites that get results. Get business grade web hosting platform, engineered for performance and backed by 24/7 expert support.


text:
from distutils.core import setup

setup(
    name='neptune',
    version='0.0.1',
    description='Web Framework with full control',
    author='Yash Mehrotra',
    author_email='yashmehrotra95@gmail.com',
    packages=['neptune'],
    install_requires=['jinja2']
)


Home » Blogs » Karl Hagen's blog » Pronoun-antecedent and subject-verb agreement are not the same thing!
The consensus of all the faculty members was to accept the applicant to the PhD program.
Consensus is the head noun of the subject ("The consensus of all the faculty members"), and as it is singular, so is the complete subject. Faculty members is a noun phrase embedded within the larger noun phrase as part of a prepositional phrase and plays no role in agreement with the verb.
The praise that was given to Peter only made him more egotistical.
Notice that Peter is in a prepositional phrase that is part of the subject, but it's unquestionably grammatical for him to refer to Peter.
There is nothing at all controversial about the observations above. It probably wouldn't even be a significant issue if we didn't have high school students preparing for the SAT and similar tests. These tests feature problems with putative errors in both subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement. And when students are taught how to find subject-verb agreement errors, it's natural for them to over-generalize and apply the same principles to pronoun agreement. I find it less easy to forgive the same confusion in published material.
The pronoun their, which is plural, is referring to the pronoun each, which is singular. If you were correcting this sentence, you would have to replace their with his or her. Notice that the plural noun, members is not the subject of the verb but is placed in the sentence to distract the unprepared test taker.
This question is horribly written. Who writes like this other than authors of grammatical exercises? The awkward "each of the team members" was obviously concocted to provide a gotcha moment for test takers. And even with all the syntactic gymnastics, the question writer still couldn't get it right. Because this is not a problem of subject-verb agreement, the observation that members isn't the subject (i.e., the head of the subject) is utterly irrelevant. There is no syntactic principle that rules out members as a possible antecedent.
The question of whether a singular or plural pronoun is appropriate really boils down to the semantic question of whether it makes more sense for the plays to belong to the team members, in which case their is more appropriate, or severally to the individual team members, in which case his or her would be defensible. Since team plays typically involve multiple people, I find the first scenario far more plausible, so this question really should be marked "No error".
For a student to make this confusion I can understand. But someone who writes a book about this sort of thing ought to be held to a higher standard.
Yes, many of the test questions are poorly written. I've been teaching the Kaplan courses for 3 years and recently started my own company. I decided to use the Kaplan reference books because the principles are sound, but I have been going through the questions carefully and needed to replace many because they were poorly written.
Nice post. I guess this is what happens when the students grow up to write the books. You are holding them to a higher standard, so you may upgrade your ought to will at any time, but that is all I will allow.
ANEKC III HMNEPPATOPS BCE POCCIN Is anyone able to identify this mark stamped into the metal of the what appears to be a communion tray. Please advise me in Los Angeles, CA if possible. Thank you.
Hi, I was wondering if you had found any information on this mark. I just bought one from an estate in Indiana. Thanks so much.


text:
Louisville's 8 best fried chicken spots
By Peter Berkowitz Published On 12/17/2014
MIKE GEBERT
When many people think of Kentucky fried chicken, they all too often think of Kentucky Fried Chicken (weird, right?), but in truth, it's been many decades since we have been proud to eat the Colonel's birds. In fact, here in The 'Ville, beyond one popular local chain, we have to find the stuff tucked away inside the menu of all-purpose restaurants, where it shares space with burgers, steaks, and other non-flying, animal-based meals. But when it is there, it's glorious. Here's where to find the very best stuff...
Big Boi From OutKast Introduces Cliff to Atlanta's Food Scene
The 10 best Kentucky restaurants outside Louisville
Anthony Raspberry/The Silver Dollar
The Silver Dollar
These bourbon-loving cowboys have made their bar/restaurant an approachable blend of country music attitude, Southern and SoCal cuisine, and more of that firewater. Their pan-fried chicken and house-made waffles are predictably good and necessary, whether for that wake-up brunch or late at night.
NuLu
This local leader of the farm-to-table scene sources most of its ingredients from within 100 miles, so this crispy, tender offering is both good and good for the local economy. Currently on the menu: a Southern-fried chicken confit sandwich on a pretzel hoagie.
This hotel-backed resto (Hyatt Regency) tries harder than anyone might expect to provide quality food and a distinct point of view. The name Sway is short for "Southern way", and they call their Southern Fried Chicken their signature dish, with Southern greens and natural gravy listed alongside the creamy mashed potatoes on the plate. So if you're going to expense it, go for something special.
DAN MCMAHON
Four Pegs Beer Lounge
Today's Louisvillian is much more likely to say "Four Pegs" when asked to name their favorite local chicken dish, and specifically, it's their chicken and waffles that bring in the ravenous customers. They weren't first, or last, but there's something special about their version that grabs you and kisses you all over. The homey pub atmosphere probably helps, but it still can't explain the chemistry of why Four Pegs does this so... right.
8 hugely underrated Louisville restaurants
Louisville's 12 best best food & drink neighborhoods, ranked
The fried chicken and waffles at this Top Chef's Southern-American-meets-Asian-comfort restaurant may be the prettiest, and they're also among the tastiest. Chef/owner Edward Lee and his team are true artists, always pushing forward to elevate the simplest ingredients into something extraordinary. Their poetic menu is full of other down-home favorites from surprising places.
Flickr/J. Brian Reese
Indi's Fast Food Restaurant
At the same time, many Louisvillians today would tell you that their nearby Indi's has the best chicken in town today, and few would disagree. This local mini-chain is fast food, but will never challenge KFC because the quality, vibe, and even the graphics offer something timeless and satisfying that goes against all the rules of fast-food chains elsewhere.
Yelp/Eat O.
Shirley Mae's Café
Smoketown
Home cooking at its finest -- now in her 26th year, Shirley Mae and Chef/daughter Theresa continue to make everything by hand daily. It's like going home for the holidays any time you need it (and without all that heated political debate!). Save space, too, for a side of Shirley Mae's Hot Water Cornbread and one or two of Theresa's desserts.
Loop 22
Posted on their Facebook recently: "First coated with honey and select blend of spices, slow cooked on our rotisserie for 5 hours, then cut to specific order, soaked in buttermilk, dredged in seasoned flower, and flash fried. Perfect fried chicken!!" Not only does that communicate the dedicated prep work that goes into their delicious fowl, but it also gives you a taste of their enthusiasm for the stuff. Plus, they're soon going to be frying it in bacon fat.
Sign up here for our daily Louisville email and be the first to get all the food/drink/fun in town.


text:
Let's Become Actors' song "Faith" will be featured on tomorrow's episode of USA Network's "Satisfaction."
The Lazy Waves' song "Wasting Light, Wasting Time" will be playing on Tonight's episode of CBS's Under The Dome.
Best Bars in America
The Lazy Waves song "Wasting Light, Wasting Time" will be featured on tonight's episode of "Best Bars in America."
I'm a Normal Person
Pennsylvania Layover
Squirrel Premieres
Don't Tell Her Art Can't Hurt – a song
Past Lives Pass by EP
The Party's Just Beginning


text:
Mateo (DVD REVIEW)
DVD Review by Kam Williams
DVD Chronicles Career of Country's First, White Mariachi Singer
Matthew "Mateo" Stoneman is a proverbial 98-pound weakling with eyeglasses and a concave chest. But don't let that underwhelming physique fool you. For the nerdy redhead is also a felon who has done a long stretch behind bars in California for robbery and grand larceny.
But while most of his fellow inmates were pumping iron in an effort to become buff, Matthew served his sentence learning to speak Spanish and to play the guitar in order to be able to sing Mariachi, a genre of music he was introduced to by Latino cons he met in the slammer. And after being paroled, he struck out on his own around Los Angeles where he eked out a living between panhandling on street corners and competing with seasoned Chicano performers for gigs at parties and restaurants.
But because Matthew was Caucasian, he managed to gain a little notoriety as the world's first white Mariachi singer, which led the L.A. Times to publish a lengthy profile on him. He would eventually venture to Cuba to record his own album over a number of years, enlisting the assistance of some surviving members of the legendary Buena Vista Social Club as sidemen. On the island, he also met the girlfriend who would bear a child, albeit of questionable paternity.
All of the above is a far cry from what one might expect in a biopic about a gringo born and raised in a tiny town in rural New Hampshire. For that reason, Matthew Stoneman makes for a fascinating subject in Mateo a delightful documentary directed by Aaron I. Naar (I'll Sleep When I'm Dead).
An uplifting testament to the notion that it's still possible for a sinner to find his true calling and turn his life around after first paying his debt to society.
Very Good (3 stars)
In English and Spanish with subtitles
Distributor: XLrator Media
DVD Extras: None.
To see the trailer for Mateo, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU2LapxHpPA
To order a copy of Mateo on DVD, visit:
Spotlight (FILM REVIEW)
Top Ten DVD Releases for 11-3-15
Inside Out (DVD REVIEW)
Best of Enemies (DVD REVIEW)
Vacation (DVD REVIEW)
Kam's Movie Kapsules for 11-6-15
Beverly Johnson (INTERVIEW)
Our Brand Is Crisis (FILM REVIEW)
Top Ten DVD Releases for 10-27-15
Julia (FILM REVIEW)
Southpaw (DVD REVIEW)
Kam's Movie Kapsules for 10-30-15
Time to Get Tough (BOOK REVIEW)
Firefight (BOOK REVIEW)
Rhonda Ross (INTERVIEW)
(T)error (FILM REVIEW)
The Walk (FILM REVIEW)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (DVD REVIEW)
Jurassic World (DVD REVIEW)
Dreams Are Made for Children (BOOK REVIEW)
Felon-Attorney (BOOK REVIEW)
Wesley Snipes (INTERVIEW)
Room (FILM REVIEW)
Goosebumps (FILM REVIEW)
The Gallows (DVD REVIEW)
San Andreas (DVD REVIEW)
Dope (DVD REVIEW)
The Martian (FILM REVIEW)
Davis Guggenheim (INTERVIEW)
Insidious: Chapter 3 (DVD REVIEW)
Magic Mike XXL (DVD REVIEW)
Pan (FILM REVIEW)
In My Father's House (FILM REVIEW)


The data base for the collection and archival of sensor data, the resources for their processing and the TDRM website are hosted by a professional ISP on a root server operated by FIfF e.V.
Sensor data are rooted to this server. A MySQL data base is the kernel of the TDRM server. All incoming sensor data are registered by the data base and deployed for web publishing as well as for retrospective evaluation. The data base is encapsulated by a ReST API. By means of the ReST API sensor data can be transmitted end-to-end encrypted via common router ports which are open by default. Vice versa the website accesses the data base to fetch the data required for presentation on its pages via the ReST API.
The server supervises the operation of all sensor stations and informs, by email, the administrator as well as the host of the respective station about changes of its state of operation.
Once every minute every sensor station generates a data string representing the current dose rate. The string is completed by a time stamp and the station's ID, encrypted and transmitted, via ethernet cable, to the router at the premises of its host. Via Internet the router passes the string to the server. For security reasons a sensor station cannot be addressed from the outside.
At locations which are not supplied with internet access we will prospectively apply the novel LoRaWAN wireless technology. LoRaWAN facilitates a narrow-band transmission over up to 10km in the 868 MHz band. This technology is employed, among others, for public open networks of internet gateways which are built up and operated by the TTN community—the acronym TTN standing for The Things Network. A project group of Karel-de-Grote Hogeschool, Campus Hoboken, Antwerpen has developed a hardware module and appropriate software extensions for TDRM sensor stations to transmit their sensor data via TTN gateways to the TDRM server.
Current and past sensor data can be retrieved locally within the local network to which the station is connected. For this purpose the operating system of sensor stations contains an own local web server. Local web pages can be accessed by the web browser of any computer connected to the same local network.
The local URL of a sensor station reads http://tdrmNN (occasionally http://tdrmNN.local, http://tdrmNN.lan or http://tdrmNN.fritz.box). NN is the unique identification number of the station.
Unfortunately routers which resolve the local URL of connected devices are quite rare. Alternatively the local home page can be adressed by the stations IP number. The IP number which the router 'leased' to the station (e.g. 192.168.1.234) can be found on the administartion pages of the router on the page 'connected devices'.
Please ignore "Websocket Error" messages!


2017-05-23宝马X3 (2004-2009) 安装后杂音大? After installation , BMW X3( 2004-2009) has a big noise ?
2017-05-23如果更改竖屏主界面的车型图片? How to change the car picture on the main interface of Tesla screen ?
2018-01-11如何选择开机LOGO? How to choose the logo you need ?


The IDF destroyed a Hamas terror tunnel that ran underneath Israel's Kerem Shalom border crossing with the southern Gaza Strip as well as under the Egypt-Gaza border.
IDF officers visit the site where a terror tunnel was exposed at Israel's Kerem Shalom border crossing with Gaza on Sunday. Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit.
In a statement, the IDF said that Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck terrorist infrastructure in the Gazan city of Rafah last Saturday night. This was the third Palestinian terror tunnel found infiltrating Israeli territory that Israel has destroyed during the past two months.
As a result of the operation, the Kerem Shalom crossing, which is a key transit point for the distribution of humanitarian goods into Gaza, was temporarily closed. Last year alone, 14,354 tons of textiles, 12,395 tons of agricultural equipment, 3.3 million tons of construction materials, 7,044 tons of medical equipment, 10,373 tons of electrical equipment and 568,764 tons of food were transferred to Gaza through Israel, the IDF said.
Shame to say the NZ media seem biased.
I wrote to the NZ Herald and Star Times about Lorde' s boycott of Tel Aviv concert.
Not published in either paper.
They had to publish the Zionist Fed one, and Friends of Israel, HawkesBay, as they came from organizations that can't be swept under the carpet, but won't publish individual ones.
See what you are up against. Has anyone else had same trouble?


text:
Mystery of NAACP Leader's Race Ignites Firestorm of Controversy
A woman who heads up a local chapter of the NAACP has found herself at the center of a very surprising scandal.
Rachel Dolezal, 37, who serves as the president of the NAACP in Spokane, Wash., has come under fire amidst accusations she's white.
In an interview earlier this week with KXLY in which she discussed hate crimes, which you can see above (an abridged version can be found here), Dolezal, who also teaches classes on African-American culture at Eastern Washington University, is confronted by a reporter about her race (note the exchange, which gets testy around the eight-minute mark).
Dolezal, who is now being investigated by the city, checked that she is African-American on an application to serve on a local police commission. That is what caused the uproar because various public records -- including Dolezal's own birth certificate -- state that both of her parents are white.
Her father, Lawrence Dolezal, even confirmed his daughter's race in an interview with CNN (it should be noted that the younger Dolezal, who attended Howard University, is reportedly estranged from her family):
We are her birth parents. We do not understand why she feels it's necessary to misrepresent her ethnicity."
Interestingly enough, the NAACP appears to have thrown its support behind Dolezal. The organization released a statement, saying, "One's racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership. The NAACP Alaska-Oregon-Washington State Conference stands behind Ms. Dolezal's advocacy record."
Categories: AC, Country, Hot AC, News, Rhythmic, Rock
Check Out The Latest Win Cash Winners
Lake Charles Teacher Arrested on Student Related Sex Charges
Read The Redacted Mueller Report Here
2019 Total News Wire, Townsquare Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


It is absolutely trivial to note that certain songs crop up over and over again in the folk collector's travels; after all, as our blog subtitle reminds us, when we talk about folk, we're talking about a form that by its very nature treats older songs and tunes as part of the communication which makes us community, available to all who lay claim to culture.
But just as true hitmaking is hardly formulaic, it's not often obvious what keeps a song in the stream. Our Single Song Sunday series explores the various facets of heavy coverage, as a lens into folk music as culture. Today, a short treatment of the oft-covered folk tune Wayfaring Stranger — a song which the popular groupmind claims is "often classified as a "white spiritual" — helps us examine the religious origins of folk.
Throughout much of recorded history, religion has served communities as both as a community locus and as a carrier of song; as such, it is perhaps unsurprising to find a relationship of sorts between folk music and the church itself. As with any folk form, of course, context matters; to note that several songs commonly associated with Cat Stevens can be found in the Universalist Unitarian hymnal says something very different about both artist and religious community than pointing out that a move to the heavily Jewish neighborhoods of New York's Coney Island in the 1940s led to the recent release of a wonderful album of Woody Guthrie-penned Klezmer music.
Though it echoes similar terminology — bluegrass gospel, most obviously — the term white spiritual is striking and vivid; to be honest, I'm surprised to find that Google lists only a few uses of the term, most of which seem to be part of classical choral scholarship. The conceit that white audiences had their own spriritual song, which derived its rhythm and subject from their European ancestry, illuminates folk's origins in a way that is both new and suddenly fitting, creating a parallel path to modernity in stark contrast to the gospel folk which comes to us through african american blues music. Further, such a conceit says much about the context in which music evolved, and traveled, and spoke to and for the "folk"; exploring the term is a fine way to help reshuffle and rethink the origin of many songs which remain at the core of folk music today.
Cover Lay Down will return Wednesday for a preview of this year's Irish Connections festival, featuring Alison Brown, Luka Bloom, Crooked Still, Solas, and more!


The Goji Berry is native to the Himalayas and inner Mongolia where it has been used for thousands of years as food and for its health benefiting properties. The fruit are very high in antioxidants and vitamin C. They have a sweet and juicy taste comparable to cranberries or plums. The Goji Berry is a sprawling shrubby vine that lives for 5-8 years. The fruits are small and shiny red with oval berries about 1cm long with lots of small edible seeds in the center. Plants prefer a sheltered sunny spot with good drainage and respond well to pruning after fruiting which can help keep its sprawling habit under control. Lycium barbarum grows into a shrub 2.5m shrub.
Like dried Chinese dates, dried goji berry is another herb we use often in cooking nourishing soups. Consuming these berries is said to help improve eye sight.
The plant looked rather weak and straggly, and went dormant in Winter which got me a little worry. But as soon as Spring arrived the tree grew new leaves and doubled the height. I want to train the tree to a single trunk so I cut all the side shoots.
Planted in a bigger pot in April 2010.
Very fragile branches - snap easily. Leaves can be knocked off easily too. Needs a trellis. They are a bit of a straggly thing but I do like the dried berries so I am willing to tolerate it.
Deciduous but looks really really really sad when it's losing its leaves. Looks like it's sick but it's not!
Spring 2011: still straggly but I am hoping for fruit this year.
Yummy berriers. Very prolific bearer, specially receptive to organic liquid fertilizer and lotsof water.
also, they do not like wind, the leaves fall off very easily, even if you touch them. they grow almost like a vine, but if you cut them back they sprout up thicker shoots, they really are a weird plant. my recommendation is to, keep them in filtered sunlight for about 2-3 years then increase the sunlight until they take medium/full sun. they do seem to enjoy some fertilzation.
Have not had any problem with bugs eating these, but birds seem to like the taste of the leaves, or they like the twiggy looks of them to make nests.
Question: do i need another goji tree to help fruit proction?
Mine is flowering too. No, you only need one, you can multiply by cuttings and I was told not to prune because flowers appear at the end of a long branch. Good luck.
got any jujube seedlings for sale?
I agree with the earlier comment. I didn't prune the bush and this year had plenty of berries. But I am not sure if I like them very much - they leave a slightly bitter aftertaste from the skin.
Acquired in early Autumn 2009, it didn't have time to do much before hitting dormancy in Winter.
New shoots began appearing at the very end of August and these have grown a little in the fortnight since. Once the days are warmer and the moon is waxing again, I'll plant it out into the orchard bed.
No pests affecting it, touchwood!
Good source of antioxidants. No fruit yet and bush/vine is growing very sparcely.
A combination of factors led to the demise of the poor old goji berries...think it was a little bit too wet, then they got out competed by weeds because we didn't have a chance to mulch well...and then the sheep finished them off! Will try again though!
I ike the idea of growing my own, rather than paying someone to fly them here all the way from China. Plus we love eating them.
Comments: - Powerful antioxident, powerful anti aging and way way to expensive from the shops.
Listed as wolfberry - Lycium Pallidum. This is really drought tolerant!! and will grow between 1 to 3 metres in a thorny thicket.
It thrives on neglect and can get a bit crazy! It has long sharp thorns on it and creates a haven for lizards to hide under. Beautiful little mauve flowers followed by bright red berries that are sweet and tart.
Pest Control: Havent seen anything attack it yet.
Really hates full sun as a young plant. Mine is partially protected by a pumpkin plant but it is still severely sunburnt (receives ~4hours sun). Currently in the process of dying, I've moved it to a location where it will received 1-2hours of sun only. I water every second or third day. **I purchased in the middle of summer, usually 30C, some days above 40C).
ADDIT: Died. It caught a fungal disease and was quite sick.


The following is a guide for installing a glass digitizer and LCD screen on an iPhone 4.
It is recommended that you replace the entire front assembly - which contains the frame, the glass digitizer (touchscreen) and the LCD screen - if any of the components need replacing.
1. Before you begin the installation process, start by turning off the phone. This is done by holding down the power button on the top of the phone, then confirming the shut down.
2. Remove the sim card from the phone, by using an Apple-approved sim-removal tool or a paperclip.
3. We recommend using a magnetized screwdriver, as you will need to remove quite a few screws in order to replace the LCD screen and digitizer on your iPhone 4.
4. Using a philips screwdriver, remove the 2 screws from the bottom of the iPhone 4.
5. Next, gently slide the back cover up, about 3mm, then pull up the back cover from the top edge.
6. Since there are a lot of different screws and components to be removed and replaced in exact locations, we recommend creating a drawing outlining where each component goes. You can place the removed components and screws on the drawing to make it easier to re-install them later.
7. A virtual map will be displayed with the positions of screws and components, throughout the disassembly and reassembly process. The screws which are still present will be highlighted in green, while the absent screws and components will be shown in red. In the image you can see that the battery screw has already been removed, and the battery has been labeled.
8. The first component to remove is the battery. Use the provided tab and a putty knife, or another wide tool, to remove the battery.
9. Then, remove the odd-shaped piece that is near the battery mount.
10. You can now take the two screws off from the first fastening shield, as well as remove the fastening shield itself.
11. Following that, remove the vibrating motor after you remove the two screws holding it in place. There will be no connectors or cables to remove, as the vibrating motor connects via contact pins.
12. After that, remove the 5 screws that hold the upper fastening shield down. It is important to put the removed screws in the correct place on the map (drawing), as they are differently sized and unique to their place. It may be necessary to slide the fastening shield down a mm to pop it off its brackets.
13. A white circle will be covering the logic board screw. The white circle is used to indicate if there has been any water exposure to the iPhone 4. Remove the screw under the white circle.
14. Using a flat-head screwdriver, open the middle connector and peel the flex cable up. After that, disconnect the Wi-Fi antenna cable from the logic board.
15. The next thing that you'll need to do is to remove the 2 speaker box screws as well as the speaker box.
16. Next, we'll move on to the logic board. Remove the screw for the logic board.
17. Use a flat-head screwdriver to gently pick open the 3 connectors. This is best done from the right-hand side of the connectors.
18. The next connectors are for the LCD screen and the digitizer. It is best to pick those open from the bottom edge, again using a flat-head screwdriver.
19. The last connector to pick open, using the flathead screwdriver, is the camera connector, which is best done from the right side. After that has been done, you can now remove the camera.
20. The next component to be removed is the logic board. Make sure that the connectors are not in the way. It is recommended that you pick up the logic board by the bottom edge for removal.
21. There are 4 tiny screws that need to be removed next—one in each corner of the mid frame.
22. There are also 6 tiny screws with washers that need to be removed from the frame —3 screws from each side.
23. All of the screws and components have now been removed, and you can use a putty knife to remove the glass digitizer. The glass digitizer is glued in place, so we recommend starting at the bottom edge and working your way around the left side and around the perimeter to lift it from the mid frame.
24. You're now ready to remove the glass digitizer from the mid frame. Make sure that the LCD and digitizer connectors are not being caught, prior to separating the glass digitizer.
25. At this point, you can start to install your new glass digitizer. The protective plastic will need to be removed from the LCD screen prior to installation.
26. Make sure you feed the connectors through the mid frame. If they are not pulled through all the way, you will not be able to re-connect them on the logic board properly. Then, squeeze the top and the bottom edges of the front assembly on to the mid frame to catch the adhesive.
27. Your drawing will come in handy now that you are ready to replace the screws and components that you removed earlier. First, replace the side screws, making sure that the washers are present for each one.
28. Then, replace the 4 corner screws.
29. Next, replace the speaker box. Make sure that the left mount slides under the logic board, also make sure the Wi-Fi antenna is flush with the frame. Replace the 2 screws and re-connect the Wi-Fi cable.
30. The next thing you'll need to replace is the logic board. Make any adjustments necessary to the connectors in order to replace the logic board.
31. You can now reinstall the camera.
32. Then, replace the screw that was under the water damage indicator (the white circle). You may also replace the water damage indicator if needed.
33. Secure the 5 connectors to the logic board. You'll notice a distinctive click for each one, when it is plugged in correctly.
34 The top fastening shield can be replaced next. You will need to slide it in from the bottom in order to catch its mounting bracket. After it is properly in place, replace the 5 screws.
35. Next, reconnect the middle connector, which ties in the docking port to the motherboard.
36 Replace the vibrating motor next.
37.Replace the final fastening shield and the two screws.
38. Put in the odd-shaped piece next. This piece connects the battery ground to the back cover to provide better shielding and to diminish wireless signal noise. The final component that needs to be replaced, inside the iPhone 4, is the battery. Plug in the connector first, to make it easier to align. Go ahead and place the battery back in the bay and replace the screw.
39. The back cover can now be replaced. Place it down about 3mm from the bottom edge, then simply slide it in to place.
40. The final 2 screws need to be replaced on the bottom of the iPhone 4.
41. The sim card can now be replaced.
42. The last thing you need to do is to remove the screen protector from the glass digitizer.
43. Turn the iPhone 4 on, and you're done with the replacement of the front assembly.


Airtours - Book bargain family holidays abroad, from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean, at Airtours.co.uk.
Hagans - Our primary concern to cater for the leisure lifestyle that everyone dreams of, making your holiday an unforgettable experience.
Parkdean Holidays - Offers a range of quality accommodation, including caravan holiday homes, lodges, apartments and chalets.
Pontin's - Pontin's has 6 family holiday parks around the UK, offering a range of accommodations for different budget needs.
Richardson's - Provides holiday villages in and around the Norfolk and Sussex area for families and adults over 50.
Ski Hillwood - Offering Austria skiing holidays and France skiing holidays.
Small Families - Specialise in providing quality escorted holidays for single parent families.
The Holiday Place - Holiday planners and travel specialist providing wide range of family holiday packages around the world.
Travel and Holidays - Find the cheapest flights from top airlines with UK or worldwide destinations and find the best airline deals from local airports.


text:
Looking for Daddy Techbucks: Parallella needs funding
Mark Gibbs (Network World) 11 October, 2012 14:45
Amanda Palmer, known to her fans by the soubriquet "Amanda ****** Palmer" and wife of noted author Neil Gaiman, raised almost $1.2 million on Kickstarter back in May.
Let me make that clear ... $1,200,000! Actually it was $1,192,793 ... that's 119,279,300 pennies! Stacked on top of each other that's a pile 114 miles tall weighing some 408 short tons (but only if they are all pre-1982 cents, otherwise they'd weigh only 328 short tons as the US Mint changed the metallic composition of the US cent from bronze to copper-plated zinc in, natch, 1982. Of course, if you had a mix of pre- and post-1982 pennies then you'd be somewhere in between those weights, but I digress).
So, is Ms. Palmer going to change the world? Well, I think not, at least, not in anything but a cultural way. With that mountainous pile of cash (less Kickstarter's 5% fee) she's going to make a new music album and an art book and do a world tour with The Grand Theft Orchestra (if only I'd been able to afford the $5,000 pledge and have ukulele-wielding Palmer turn up for a house party).
And good on her. I like Ms. Palmer, I like her music, and I like her style, but why, oh why, can she raise $1.2 million for a music project when Adapteva, the company I discussed last week here in Gearhead and which is trying to bring ultra-low cost Parallella supercomputers to market, is struggling to reach its goal of $750,000?
As of this writing the Parallella project is funded to the tune of just under $285,000 with 17 days to go. Assuming backers will keep on appearing and extrapolating the trend to the project's funding close date of Oct. 27, the final funding might be roughly $660,000 which will be something around 12% short of the target and that, my friends, will be a real shame.
In the last few days Adapteva has released its Architecture Reference Manual and Software Reference Manual in an effort to show potential backers what they've got to offer. This is pretty cool because originally the company was going to release these documents only if they reached funding of $500,000 by the middle of their campaign. Given that these are commercially valuable materials that give away commercially valuable product details it is, as Adapteva's Kickstarter Update #4 notes "The release of the docs is a big scary step for us (point of no return)."
Why is Adapteva struggling to get funding for such a compelling project? I think there are several issues involved: First, Adapteva is just four people and that limits how much effort they can put into any additional projects alongside running their existing business.
Second, Adapteva isn't using social media particularly well which is a big mistake. They have, for example, no Facebook presence and only Adapteva's CEO, Andreas Olofsson, has a Twitter account with just 538 followers.
Third and finally and to my surprise, no Silicon Valley "high-rollers" are stepping up to add to the funding.
Given how many technology-created gazillionaires are out there you'd think one or two would step up and get this project rolling! Forget the commercial opportunities that the Parallella project offers; the educational opportunities offered by low-cost parallel processing should alone encourage a Daddy Techbucks to pony up ... or am I missing something?
I believe in the crowdfunding concept. Kickstarter and Indiegogo have shown that there's a real marketplace for launching novel ideas and that people really do care about innovative projects, but sometimes the hoi poli's investment ability just isn't enough.
So, if you get how cool the Parallella project is and how great its potential is then tell your geek friends to become backers or, at the very least, to tell their other friends about it. Maybe some of their friends will have deep, money-lined pockets and then, maybe, we'll get cheap parallel computing. Until then, it looks like we'll be hearing a lot more from Amanda ****** Palmer.
Gibbs is excited and dismayed, in parallel, in Ventura, Calif. Throw a few cycles to backspin@gibbs.com and follow him on Twitter and App.net (@quistuipater) and on Facebook (quistuipater).
Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.
Lead Generation Made MSPeasy: Tips and Tricks to Fill Your MSP Pipeline
Former rhipe CTO Cameron McFie hatches new firm


3 drops pure essential oil of Melissa into each 15gm pots.
Gently melt all of the above ingredients except Melissa oil into a double boiler until all combined. Pour this mixture into a heated Pryex jug & keep warm.
Prepare 15gm pots (these ingredients will make 10 pots) by placing 3 drops of Melissa essential oil into the bottom of each one. Then pour the liquid carefully into each. Allow to set before placing lids on pots.


text:
It's MAGIC: Yeast Mitochondria Make Cytosolic Protein Aggregates Disappear
As if powering the cell wasn't enough, mitochondria may also shoulder a share of its trash disposal duties. In the March 1 Nature, researchers led by Rong Li at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reported that in yeast, clumps of aggregated proteins congregate at the outer mitochondrial membrane, where a chaperone likely disentangles them before import channels funnel them into the mitochondrial matrix. There, the cytosolic riffraff meet their demise at the hands of matrix proteases. Dubbed MAGIC (mitochondria as guardian in cytosol), the process also functions in human cells, the authors claim. If extended to neurons, it could provide a tantalizing connection between two key pathologies in neurodegenerative disease: mitochondrial dysfunction and the accumulation of aggregated proteins.
"The beauty of this study is that it provides fundamental new information on how cells deal with intracellular protein aggregations," commented Russell Swerdlow of the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. He added that the findings may help explain why researchers have spotted aggregation-prone proteins, including Aβ, in the mitochondria, and support the idea that their accumulation could interfere with mitochondrial function in neurodegenerative disease.
Munching Mitos. Protein aggregates congregate on the mitochondrial surface, where Hsp104 untangles them prior to their journey into the mitochondrial matrix for degradation. [Image courtesy of Chacinska, Nature N&V, 2017.]
Mitochondria's claim to fame is the electron transport chain—the game of electron hot potato that produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP). But a few years ago, Li and colleagues observed yeast mitochondria doing something else: The organelles appeared to hoard aggregates on their surfaces. This held back the proteins from passing into budding daughter cells during asymmetric cell division (see Zhou et al., 2014). The clusters eventually dissolved, but not when the researchers disrupted the mitochondrial membrane potential using the toxin CCCP. This suggested that getting rid of the aggregates required fully functioning mitochondria.
For the current study, co-first authors Linhao Ruan and Chuankai Zhou and colleagues took a closer look into mitochondria's relationship with protein clumps. First, they asked which proteins tend to aggregate during heat shock, a classic condition of stress in yeast. Using cells expressing FlucSM—a variant of luciferase that aggregates in response to heat shock and serves as a magnet for other misfolded miscreants— the researchers purified associated proteins and identified them via mass spectroscopy. Among them were components of the proteasome, chaperones, RNA binding proteins, stress granules, and elements of the mitochondrial import machinery—including Tomm40 and Tomm70.
Because of the involvement of the outer mitochondrial membrane transporters, the researchers hypothesized that aggregates might have to enter the organelles to be degraded. In support of this, Ruan found that FlucSM persisted in cells lacking functional Tim23, an import channel in the inner mitochondrial membrane.
To see if tangled proteins did travel into the mitochondrial matrix, the researchers employed a split green fluorescent protein (GFP) system, in which the first 10 of 11 β-strands of GFP are ushered into the mitochondrial matrix via a mitochondrial targeting sequence (MTS), while the last β-strand is attached to some other protein of interest. Fluorescence occurs only when all strands meet up. Using this system, the researchers confirmed that upon heat shock, several aggregation-prone proteins, including FlucSM and TDP-43, crossed into the mitochondrial matrix, whereas inherently stable ones did not. High-resolution microscopy and biochemical experiments confirmed the passage of FlucSM and other aggregates, including Lsg1 and Tma19, into the matrix in response to heat shock. Hsp104, a cytosolic chaperone and disaggregator, was necessary for the translocation of FlucSM into the matrix. Li hypothesized that Hsp104 detangles protein "hairballs" on the mitochondrial surface, allowing them to squeeze through import channels.
Fluorescent MAGIC.
A split GFP (green) reconstitutes when heat shock (bottom panels) drives a GFP component that is fused with FlucSM into the mitochondrial matrix. There, it meets the other part of GFP, which is fused with mCherry (red). [Image courtesy of Ruan et al., Nature, 2017.]
What fate awaited the cytosolic emigrants upon their arrival in the matrix? The GFP signal waned after normal temperature was restored, pointing to degradation. Strikingly, inhibiting the proteasome or vacuolar proteases had little effect on the degradation of FlucSM, whereas poisoning mitochondria with CCCP did, indicating that the mitochondrial pathway was important for ridding the cytosol of stress-induced aggregates. The researchers found that the matrix protease Pim1 was required for this degradation.
MAGIC happened not only after heat shock. GFP signals also shot up in yeast at 30 degrees if the researchers inactivated Hsp70, a crucial chaperone that keeps cytosolic inhabitants neatly folded. Under these conditions, mitochondria became fragmented and ramped up production of reactive oxygen species, indicating they were under stress. The GFP signal persisted unless researchers blocked translation, hinting at a steady stream of misfolded degenerates flooding the matrix. Furthermore, so-called "super-aggregators," such as the RNA helicase Ded1, ended up in mitochondria regardless of heat shock, painting highly unstable cytosolic proteins as matrix regulars.
Finally, the researchers asked whether MAGIC happens in mammalian cells. Employing the split-GFP system in human retinal pigment epithelium cells, the researchers found that the amount of luciferase in the matrix correlated with the protein's stability: a super unstable variant, Fluc-DM, flooded the matrix, while Fluc-SM and wild-type Fluc passed into the organelles at lower rates. Li told Alzforum that ongoing experiments hint the pathway may operate in neurons as well, and that proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases may be among MAGIC's clientele.
Li speculated that MTS-containing proteins, which made up about 20 percent of those associated with mitochondria, steer co-entangled cytosolic ones toward the organelle. In regard to neurodegeneration, Li proposed that potentially toxic proteins such as α-synuclein or TDP-43 could build up in mitochondria and tax their energy production, especially as the organelle's function already wanes with age. This, in turn, could lead to further accumulation. The constant shuttling of mitochondria up and down neuronal axons to invigorate synapses make the organelles conveniently positioned to deal with clean-ups throughout the cell, she added.
As ongoing experiments in Li's lab investigate MAGIC in neurons, at least one neuronal example of MAGIC may already exist. Shirley ShiDu Yan of Kansas University in Lawrence previously reported that clearance of Aβ by mitochondria in neuronal synapses reduced Aβ burden and neuroinflammation, and improved learning and memory in mAPP mice (see Fang et al., 2015). In light of the current findings, Yan said she views that Aβ degradation pathway as an example of MAGIC in neuronal cells.
Flint Beal of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York added that the findings dovetail with work in his lab suggesting Aβ mingles with mitochondria in distal synapses. Li's finding that mitochondria undergo a stress response in the face of mounting cytosolic aggregates would also be in line with the mitochondrial damage, especially in synapses, observed in neurodegenerative disease, he said.
Leonidas Stefanis of the University of Athens Medical School in Greece was impressed by the findings. "Conceptually, this is very exciting. It challenges our view of the mitochondria as basically energy-producing organelles, and suggests that they may have a considerable and specific role in removing aggregated proteins," he wrote. "Given the importance of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases at large, and the therapeutic efforts underway to enhance endogenous clearance mechanisms to combat such protein aggregation, this discovery may provide a new therapeutic target for neurodegeneration."
Michael Lutz of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina commented that the findings provide mechanistic support for the role of the outer membrane channel Tom40 in neurodegenerative disease, including AD. The TOMM40 and ApoE genes are neighbors in the genome, and researchers led by Lutz and the late Allen Roses previously suggested that co-inheritance of these alleles predicted disease risk and age at onset (see Nov 2009 conference news and Oct 2016 news).
Mark Cookson of the National Institutes of Health commented that certain aggregation-prone proteins known to interact with the mitochondrial import machinery, such as α-synuclein, may be prime substrates for the pathway, or potentially foul it up. "Mitochondria have had a few surprises for us over the last few years, so I certainly wouldn't dismiss this," he said. However, he wondered about MAGIC's overall contribution to protein turnover in neurons, given the plethora of other disposal pathways available.
In an accompanying News & Views article, Agnieszka Chacinska of the International Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology in Warsaw, Poland, wrote that the work is a striking example of cross-talk between the cytosol and mitochondria. "It is becoming increasingly clear that maintaining a productive dialogue between cellular compartments is a crucial task—one that we are just beginning to understand."—Jessica Shugart
Russell Swerdlow
Loss of proteostasis occurs in neurodegenerative diseases in general, and in Alzheimer's in particular. This phenomenon, I think, is trying to tell us something important about neurodegenerative disease mechanisms. One possibility is that proteins aggregate, and that this directly causes neurodysfunction and neurodegeneration. Another is that dysfunctional, stressed, or dying cells develop and accumulate protein aggregates. A feed forward loop in which dysfunction begets aggregation which begets more dysfunction could also occur.
The beauty of this study is that it provides fundamental new information on how cells deal with intracellular protein aggregations. Here, Ruan et al. show that mitochondria themselves play a role in maintaining intracellular proteostasis, at least in yeast, but probably in mammalian cells as well. Who would have guessed that mitochondria are central players in a chaperone-mediated process through which parts of aggregated peptides are shuttled piecemeal into mitochondria, and then degraded by mitochondrial peptidases?
I think this study has potential Alzheimer's implications. Over the past decade multiple investigators have shown aggregable proteins, including Aβ, appear at or within the mitochondrion, raising the possibility that these proteins interfere with normal mitochondrial function. Alternatively these proteins may even potentially serve a physiologically relevant role that involves modifications of mitochondria function.
In defining this phenomenon the experimental design really only looked at the ability of aggregated proteins to access mitochondria. Its goal was not to address the question of why this phenomenon evolved in the first place. At this stage of the game this is fine. Plus, I loved the last sentence, in which the authors speculate that maybe a primary mitochondrial functional decline, such as occurs in aging, could through this phenomenon go on to have a protean impact on proteostasis. It will be interesting to see what spin-offs arise from this new observation.
View all comments by Russell Swerdlow
M. Flint Beal
This is a very well done study of broad interest to scientists interested in the link between misfolded proteins and neurodegeneration. There is a great deal of evidence that mitochondria play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, and proteins such as amyloid and α-synuclein are found either within mitochondria or in association with mitochondria-associated ER membranes (MAMs). The present paper demonstrates that aggregation-prone proteins can enter the mitochondria, where they undergo degradation. Increased import causes mitochondrial stress, which may contribute neurodegeneration.
View all comments by M. Flint Beal
Leonidas Stefanis
Ruan and colleagues present an impressive set of data indicating an important role for mitochondria as scavengers of aggregated proteins. They term this process MAGIC, and of course if you put a new name, especially such a tantalizing one, on a cellular process, you're onto something potentially very importan ... MAGIC is regulated, through the influence of Hsp104, by mitochondrial import, and by mitochondrial proteases, with a major role suggested for Pim1. Conceptually, this is very exciting, as it challenges our view of the mitochondria as basically energy-producing organelles, and suggests that they may have a considerable and specific role in removing aggregated proteins, something previously associated with other cellular organelles and processes, such as macroautophagy, the proteasome, and ERAD. These findings thus touch on fundamental aspects of cell biology.
Given the importance of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases at large, and the therapeutic efforts underway to enhance endogenous clearance mechanisms to combat such protein aggregation, this discovery may provide a new therapeutic target for neurodegeneration. The authors use an impressive array of cell biology and biochemical assays mainly in yeast cells. It is important that, under the admittedly somewhat artificial conditions of heat shock, MAGIC was a major pathway for aggregate clearance, compared to other established processes. However, generalization of the importance of this process to mammalian cells, in particular in an in vivo situation, remains to be demonstrated. A small set of experiments in mammalian cells does suggest, however, that MAGIC may be operating in such systems as well, but its comparative importance to other protein degradation systems and its role in endogenous aggregated protein turnover were not assessed. The exact molecular pathway of recognition and uptake of aggregated proteins into mitochondria also requires further elucidation.
View all comments by Leonidas Stefanis
Mitochondrial dysfunction is increasingly being investigated as a pathophysiological contributor to neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Several mitochondrial cellular processes are involved in the biogenesis, folding, trafficking, and clearance of proteins that maintain cytosolic proteostasis. This paper describes the results of biochemical studies in yeast to investigate the import of protein aggregates into mitochondria. Notably, in response to heat shock, protein aggregates form, interact with both cytosolic and mitochondrial proteins, and are imported into mitochondria. Translocase of the outer mitochondrial membrane proteins (Tomm70 and Tomm40), which transport peptides and proteins into the mitochondria, were found to co-purify with the protein aggregates, evidence for interaction. Defects in a cytosolic heat shock protein (Hsp70) were found to accelerate the import of misfolded proteins into the mitochondria and in turn increase mitochondrial stress.
To conceptualize the results, the authors develop the concept of mitochondria as guardian in cytosol (MAGIC), in other words, the mitochondria has a specific role in facilitating protein disaggregation in the cytosol by removing and transporting dissociated proteins into the mitochondria in response to stress. As a consequence, the dissociated proteins could accumulate in mitochondria and have an impact on development of disease. Genetic and biochemical data have supported a role for Tomm40 in late-onset neurodegenerative diseases including AD; the present study provides specific data on cellular interactions that may offer a mechanistic interpretation for this role. The results discussed in the paper and the approach are innovative in terms of stimulating new thinking about the underlying neurobiology of AD, specifically the involvement of mitochondria and outer membrane proteins including Tomm40.
View all comments by Michael Lutz
Shirley ShiDu Yan
Ruan et al. reported a novel mitochondrial function in yeast in preventing protein aggregation. The authors demonstrated that heat shock stress can induce extensive protein aggregates in yeast and that normal mitochondria play an important role in eliminating these unhealthy aggregates. This process depends on HSP104, TIM23, PIM1, as well as an intact mitochondrial membrane potential. Although there is significant distinction between yeast and mammalian cell mitochondria, the mitochondria as guardian in cytosol (MAGIC) pathway will also be expected in the human tissues, besides numerous recently discovered new functions for mitochondria.
Further studies to identify similar pathways in mammalian cells or neurons will be important steps in discovering therapy for neurodegenerative disorders. Our previous work had shown an important role of mitochondrial proteases in processing amyloid peptide generated in the cytosol, which can be an example of MAGIC pathway in neuronal cells. Presequenceprotease (PreP), a mitochondrial peptidasome, is a novel mitochondrial Aβ degrading enzyme. We have demonstrated that PreP was significantly reduced in AD brains and in transgenic Alzheimer's disease mouse models that overexpress human Aβ (Alikhani et al., 2011). Importantly, increased neuronal PreP activity attenuated cerebral and mitochondrial pools of Aβ, and rescued mitochondrial and synaptic function, as well as learning and memory (Fang et al., 2015). These results suggest that PreP functions as a peptide scavenger, clearing mitochondria of Aβ, and thereby protecting mitochondria against pathogenic peptide intruders. We also unexpectedly observed that increased expression of PreP not only degrades mitochondrial Aβ but also affects total brain Aβ levels, suggesting that mitochondrial Aβ is not just a "spilling over" from cellular aggregation and that PreP also has an important regulating effect on total brain Aβ levels. Given that exogenous or intracellular Aβ is capable of direct transport into mitochondria via mitochondrial channel proteins such as TOMM40, the receptor for advanced glycation end product (RAGE), or by an unknown mechanism, the mitochondrial pool of Aβ may undergo dynamic changes in different intracellular compartments, contributing to the balance of intracellular/extracellular Aβ accumulation.
Alikhani N, Guo L, Yan S, Du H, Pinho CM, Chen JX, Glaser E, Yan SS. Decreased proteolytic activity of the mitochondrial amyloid-β degrading enzyme, PreP peptidasome, in Alzheimer's disease brain mitochondria. J Alzheimers Dis. 2011 Jan 1;27(1):75-87. PubMed.
Fang D, Wang Y, Zhang Z, Du H, Yan S, Sun Q, Zhong C, Wu L, Vangavaragu JR, Yan S, Hu G, Guo L, Rabinowitz M, Glaser E, Arancio O, Sosunov AA, McKhann GM, Chen JX, Yan SS. Increased neuronal PreP activity reduces Aβ accumulation, attenuates neuroinflammation and improves mitochondrial and synaptic function in Alzheimer disease's mouse model. Hum Mol Genet. 2015 Sep 15;24(18):5198-210. Epub 2015 Jun 29 PubMed.
View all comments by Shirley ShiDu Yan
Las Vegas: AD, Risk, ApoE—Tomm40 No Tomfoolery 15 Nov 2009
Field Loses Another Pioneer with Passing of Allen Roses, 73 4 Oct 2016
Zhou C, Slaughter BD, Unruh JR, Guo F, Yu Z, Mickey K, Narkar A, Ross RT, McClain M, Li R. Organelle-based aggregation and retention of damaged proteins in asymmetrically dividing cells. Cell. 2014 Oct 23;159(3):530-42. Epub 2014 Oct 16 PubMed.
Bose A, Beal MF. Mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease. J Neurochem. 2016 Oct;139 Suppl 1:216-231. Epub 2016 Aug 21 PubMed.
So Immature—Aβ Stymies Mitochondrial Protein Processing 28 Aug 2014
Juvenile Lysosomes and Worn-Out Mitochondria Clog Axons in ALS Model 17 Jul 2015
Could Too Much Tau Be a Stretch for Mitochondria? 27 Aug 2012
Mitochondria Stumble Their Way Along Axons in ALS Model 6 Jan 2012
ABAD, aka ERAB: Mitochondrial Miscreant Returns 16 Apr 2004
Ruan L, Zhou C, Jin E, Kucharavy A, Zhang Y, Wen Z, Florens L, Li R. Cytosolic proteostasis through importing of misfolded proteins into mitochondria. Nature. 2017 Mar 16;543(7645):443-446. Epub 2017 Mar 1 PubMed.


text:
embargoed access
PhD Doctorate (2)
Least Relevant
Publication Date Asc
Publication Date Desc
Item Created Date Asc
Item Created Date Desc
Essays in Development Economics
(2022) Khan, Fatima Jamal
This thesis consists of three self-contained essays in development economics. A key theme common to all essays is the examination of various issues pertaining to economic development in less-developed countries from a microeconomic perspective. In the thesis, I explore methods of increasing human capital and the impact of negative economic shocks on mental health as well as behavioural preferences, focusing on adults and children alike. This is done with a view to highlight policies that can be implemented to improve outcomes for those living in low-income settings where access to resources is scarce and public safety nets are lacking. In the first essay, I assess the impact of a classroom-based positive psychology intervention on improving academic performance by conducting a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) with 899 school-aged children (10-14) years across 29 schools in Pakistan. I find limited evidence that the RCT had an impact on improving well-being measures. I find some evidence of improvement in the sense of agency in the short term, with those in the treatment group scoring 0.34 SD higher than those in the control group. There is also some evidence of improvement in the Mathematics, English and Urdu scores in the medium-long term; being in the treatment group is associated with 0.48 SD higher Mathematics scores, 0.32 SD higher English scores and 0.43 SD higher Urdu scores, and these results are statistically significant. I also find evidence that parental investment preferences modify the impacts of the intervention. Overall, the results suggest that young children require a support structure to succeed in their academic endeavours and while classroom-based interventions can improve learning outcomes to a certain extent, they need to be accompanied with the right support at home. In the second co-authored essay, we combine data collected just prior to the unfolding of COVID-19 with follow-up data from July 2020 to document the adverse economic effects of the pandemic and resulting impact on parental and child mental well-being in rural and semi-urban Pakistan. We find that 22% of the households in our sample are affected by job loss, with monthly income down 39% on average. Our difference-in-difference results show that job loss is associated with a 0.88 standard deviation (SD) reduction in adult mental health score (K10), a 0.43 SD reduction in a 'Hope' index of children's aspirations, agency and future pathways, and a 0.39 SD increase in children's depression symptoms. In addition, we observe higher levels of parental stress and anger reported by children, as well as an increase in reported prevalence of domestic violence. Overall, we document that the pandemic has disproportionately and negatively affected the economic and mental well-being of the most vulnerable households in our sample. In the third co-authored essay, we investigate the possibility that females and males had a distinct path in the evolution of competitiveness and cooperation. We conducted an experiment to elicit preferences for in-group egalitarianism and individual competitiveness for a random sample of 751 individuals in Sierra Leone (aged 18-85) to contrast the behavioural consequences of victimisation during the 1991-2003 civil war across gender and parental roles. Our data shows that mothers and fathers display the highest level of cooperation, yet conflict exposure does not affect them. Egalitarianism increases after victimisation only among non-parents, with the effect stronger for males who are the least egalitarian to start with. Conflict exposure tames everyone's competitive tendencies, but has the opposite effect for mothers, the least competitive in the absence of conflict. A sample of competitiveness among 191 parents from Colombia shows a similar effect. Our results imply that conflict, by closing gender and parental gaps in behaviour, selects for pressures to reduce within-group differences possibly to enhance internal cooperation. It primes individuals towards group and individual survival depending on both gender and parental role. Overall, the thesis provides novel insights into some of the many challenges faced by low-income populations, including education and a lack of public safety nets. It also explores the consequences of negative economic shocks on mental health and behavioural preferences.
Designing More Flexible Institutions: Theory and Applications
(2022) Sun, Ningyi
In this thesis, I study the question of how a policymaker should make a decision when the information is dispersed among social agents whose characteristics are interdependent, i.e., one agent's type depends on both her own signal and others' information. There are two challenges for the policymaker to make the institution more flexible. First, the interdependence of the agents presents difficulty to characterize the optimal mechanism by its implied multidimensionality. Second, the policymaker may face uncertainty over the beliefs of the agents and the equilibrium they would choose. This thesis contributes to the design of more flexible institutions by developing novel tools and methodologies to tackle these challenges. This thesis also demonstrates several important applications of the new techniques. Chapter 1 introduces a novel multidimensional majorization concept and shows the ordinal, topological features and convexity of the relevant function space. The new concept and properties are used to extend Myerson's ironing method for multivariate ironing of interdependent preferences. In this chapter, the multivariate ironing technique is used to solve a class of quasi-linear adverse-selection models with one principal and multiple agents. As demonstrated in Chapter 1, the optimal solution involves a particular partition of the type profile space. In Chapter 2, however, we consider all allowable partitions and introduce an innovative approach to geometrise these. Allowable partitions, with refinement-coarsening partial order, form a poset that can be represented by a Hasse diagram. The poset can be transformed into its secondary polytope in Euclidean space by the characteristic function. Chapter 2 derives not only the optimal mechanism but also determines the payoff environment in which one particular partition is optimal. Chapter 3 further introduces an admission-control scheme and derives the optimal public-control mechanism. The chapter examines two applications where public control plays an important role – supply chain regulation and club goods provision – to find the optimal policies for maximising social welfare. The chapter also provides some numerical examples to illustrate the characteristics of the optimal mechanisms with and without admission control.


Originally published on March 7, 2017 by BNP Media through the Building Enclosure Blog. In work as in my personal life, I am often thought of as "a data guy." Whether it is a personal activity tracker, a vehicle dashboard that provides a breakdown of fuel efficiency, a home energy monitor, or my daily perusal of MLB box scores, I tend to be immersed in numbers constantly. I often like to lean on numbers because they can provide some measure….
Originally published on December 28, 2015 by BNP Media through the Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing Blog. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) provides public access to long-term climate data for over 2,100 locations throughout the world in formats suitable for the publicly-funded EnergyPlus whole-building energy modeling software. These files are chock-full of hourly weather data of 30-year averages for temperature, humidity, wind speeds, and much more. For residential projects and other skin-load dominated….
Originally published on February 6, 2015 by BNP Media through the Walls & Ceilings Blog. In the new year, project teams committed to the 2030 Challenge are being asked to kick their performance goals up a notch. As of January 1, 2015, the energy performance target for new buildings, including major renovations, has increased from 60% below the regional average to 70% below the regional average. For project teams looking to possibly commit to 2030 Challenge for the first time,….


text:
WWE Headlines Videos
John Cena Confirms Vince McMahon Considered Turning Him Heel During Rivalry With The Rock In 2012
Talk of a John Cena heel turn in WWE has never gone away, and the Peacemaker star has now confirmed that Vince McMahon seriously considered heading in that direction a decade ago. Read on for details...
Filed Under: "WWE"
For years, WWE fans wanted to see John Cena turn heel. It never happened and likely never will, especially now he makes only sporadic appearances for the company. Those in attendance for RAW and SmackDown are so happy to see the Leader of the Cenation that even those who once chanted "Cena Sucks!" cheer him now, but a heel turn did very nearly happen back in 2012.
During a recent interview on The Pac McAfee Show (via WrestlingInc.com), Cena confirmed that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon considered pulling the trigger on a bad guy Cena prior to WrestleMania.
"I'm playing a character that, you know, like I said, is a character of virtue, a character that started as a generic wrestler, and then morphed into this hip-hop persona, then morphed into this character of virtue," the Peacemaker star explained. "To play the same character for a long time, that's a challenge. I remember Vince toying with the idea of possibly turning me heel for The Rock, The Rock I in Miami, and I told him, like, 'Hey, no problem, 100% I'll do it, but just remember that this is so...we're so deep in at this point, we can't do it and then jump back because we'll be sunk at both ends, so if we do it, I have to be the opposite of virtue, I have to be pure evil and we have to go all in.'"
"And he [Vince] decided against it," Cena added. "It's at that point, he was like, 'Listen, I don't think we're ever gonna do it.'"
A heel turn could have worked, but like Cena says, WWE would have needed to fully commit to it. Given the charitable work he does outside the ring and his many media appearances for WWE prior to becoming a Hollywood star, chances are this just wouldn't have worked in the long run.
A heel Cena is likely to forever be one of those "What If...?" scenarios in WWE, and we know he'd have done a great job with that based on his earlier runs in the company as a bad guy.
Check out the full interview below:
Finn Balor should be one of the biggest Superstars in WWE, but a new report suggests that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has given up on doing anything with the former NXT Champion. Find more details right here...