Tian You Hotel, covering over 40,000 square meters, is a new business hotel located in the city\'s golden district, with 23 kilometers to airport, and 4 kilometers to Chaotianmen. This 29-story hotel offers 168 rooms and suites, each with broadband internet access. It also provides fully recreation and dining facilities.
- 23 km to Jiangbei Airport; - 2 km to Jiefangbei; - 2 km to Caiyuanba Railway Station; - 1 km to Wenhuagong.


text: PVG – codice aeroportuale IATA dell'aeroporto di Shanghai-Pudong, Shanghai, Cina

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Measurable metrics and other analytical data have become a vital part of the digital marketing age and are available in real time. It is also important to measure this data as it is a valid proof of success of a particular project or implementation of a specific tactic in business. The digital marketing business landscape is extremely dynamic and volatile and keeps on changing and therefore the need to measure success has become necessary too.
Total Traffic to Site: Observable changes in how the traffic flows to your website is enough to give an insight into the impact a particular marketing technique has had on it. During site traffic measurement, it is important to understand the number of unique visitors your website gets on a weekly or monthly basis than focusing on the number of page views or number of hit.
Sources of Traffic: By knowing the source of your site traffic and the keywords that help them get there is a great way to understand the keywords or phrases that need to be focused upon. While search engines may be the primary source for site traffic, other traffic sources can also be utilised to get similar effect.
Mobile Traffic: As the majority of users move towards using the accessing the internet through mobile phones and other smart devices, mobile internet is surely an impactful area for digital marketing. Since it opens up various revenue sources, mobile traffic is receiving higher attention from digital marketers. This metric allows businesses to structure their content more effectively, thus providing deeper engagement.
The main goal of a digital marketing campaign should be to convert site traffic in business leads or absolute sales and the following metrics provide the necessary insights to this conversion.
Bounce Rate: The bounce rate depicts the number or percentage of visitors who leave you website before learning about it any further. If a prospective visitor checks into your website after searching for it and leaves without clicking on any of the links, the visitor is considered to have "bounced". Every business wants its visitors to spend as much time as possible and thus lower the bounce rate, the higher the chances of conversion into a sale or sharing of information.
Cost Per Lead: Cost Per Lead (CPL) is the metric that denotes the lead conversion ratio of a specific campaign and the incurred cost, thus providing valuable insights on the profitability of a campaign. This is important since lower the costs of converting traffic into leads or customers, the more successful a digital campaign is.
Time spent on the site: If the targeted website visitor is spending more time on your website and the average time is higher, it indicates that you are engaging the visitor well. It also allows the business owner to gauge the relevance of the content on the page and whether it is enough for the prospect to trust the site and conduct a transaction.
Rate of returning visitors: The rate of visitors who return to your website can give a clear indication to the growing popularity of the website as it showcases the relevance of the content too. The return visitors also tell us if the content needs to be improved so that visitors who haven't converted yet can be targeted too.
Revenue Metrics will provide information if a specific campaign is profitable so the necessary changes and adjustments can be made in the content so better revenue and engagement can be expected.
Return on Investment: ROI or Return on Investment can be measured by traffic that is converted in fresh paying customers. This metric is also useful in identifying the specific area of the digital marketing campaign that is responsible for sales and revenue and which areas should be improved further.
Cost for securing a customer: While ROI is measured by the number of fresh paying clients over a specific period of time, CAC (Cost for acquiring a client) by getting the total marketing and advertising costs for a time period divided by the number of fresh customers created during that period.
Each of the above-mentioned metrics are a terrific indicator of the success of your digital marketing efforts. With the help of a professional digital agency in Mumbai, it is possible to extract the maximum value from the tools and leverage a successful digital marketing campaign.


Almost 50 years after former University President Derek C. Bok's administration instituted a novel framework for promoting racial diversity throughout the University's schools, the question of whether Harvard can—or should—pursue race-conscious admissions policies remains unanswered in the national discourse.
As the University faces a lawsuit in federal court over their admissions policies from one direction and an investigation led by the Justice Department into these policies from another, the legacy of Bok's efforts at diversification is on the line, according to University lawyers and affiliates.
For opponents of Harvard's race conscious admissions policies, however, the issue is not one of diversity, but rather equality. Those who have brought complaints against the University have said they believe current policies discriminate against Asian American applicants and, therefore, are in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The lawsuit and the separate, but related, Justice Department investigation aim to resolve this dispute. Now several years into legal proceedings, much remains at stake, according to Harvard affiliates, legal scholars, and opponents of the University's policies.
In Nov. 2014, Students for Fair Admissions, an anti-affirmative action group, filed a lawsuit against the University in the United States District Court in Boston.
After roughly three-and-a-half years of litigation, both parties have maintained their arguments as the lawsuit remains in its preliminary stages.
Legal experts anticipate significant progress, however, in the next several months. Throughout the summer, Judge Allison D. Burroughs will receive briefings and hear arguments on whether the case can be decided by summary judgement—that is, without a trial. Burroughs, among others, has suggested the case is likely to require a trial, and has tentatively scheduled one for mid-October. This trial would likely involve experts from both sides, including admissions officers and legal scholars.
University administrators have said they believe challenges to Harvard's admissions policies put the educational mission of the University at risk.
"There's a great deal at stake here. The kind of diverse student community that is the hallmark of Harvard College is one we wish to preserve and, in order to do so, we would like to continue to take into account the wide range of factors that comprise any student's being and any student's file," Faust said in a May interview. "Race is one of these factors, but it is only one."
For the Class of 2022, a record-high 22.6 percent of matriculants to date are Asian American. Also a record high, 14.5 percent of those planning to matriculate are African American. Latino students comprise 10.8 percent of the total, and Native Americans and Native Hawaiians 2.3 percent.
Edward Blum, president of Students for Fair Admissions and a longtime opponent of affirmative action, argued what's at stake in the lawsuit is primarily the continuation of what he said he sees as illegal discrimination.
"The motivation behind the lawsuit is to end racial classifications and preferences in university admissions," Blum wrote in an email.
In May 2015, several months after the lawsuit began, a coalition of 64 Asian American groups filed an independent complaint against the University with the federal Departments of Education and Justice, alleging that Harvard discriminates against Asian-American applicants to the College. The Department of Education dismissed the complaint. The Justice Department appeared to take no action.
Less than two years after the complaint was filed, in 2017, the Justice Department—now under the leadership of President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions—reopened the complaint and launched its own investigation into Harvard.
Some lawyers have said this investigation, as well the federal agency's April 2018 involvement in the SFFA lawsuit—in which the Justice Department filed a briefing calling for the unsealing of admissions data—have added a layer of complexity to the dispute.
Harvard has maintained its argument—namely, that it values diversity, but does not discriminate in its admissions processes. The University has repeatedly argued its policies do not discriminate against Asian Americans, and has maintained that the benefits of the diversity achieved by its policies are necessary to fulfill its mission.
As with the lawsuit, the 64 Asian American groups argued in their complaint that they saw Harvard's policies as fundamentally discriminatory.
Yukong Zhao, president of the Asian American Coalition for Education, one of the 64 groups, said his organization's belief that Harvard illegally discriminates against Asian Americans motivated the complaint.
Throughout both the lawsuit and the Justice Department investigation, the issue of access to admissions information that the University insists must remain confidential has loomed large.
The Justice Department requested documents including admissions data and files, as well as internal correspondence from admissions officers last fall. The University did not provide the documents until the federal agency threatened to take legal action. The documents which Harvard released were then offered for viewing to federal investigators under tightly controlled conditions.
This issue of confidential admissions documents later prompted the Justice Department's intervention in the Students for Fair Admissions lawsuit. In an April 6 briefing, lawyers for the federal department called on the U.S. District Court to unseal certain admissions data and publically file that data. The University's lawyers harshly criticized this move, including William F. Lee '72, who also serves as the Senior Fellow of the Harvard Corporation.
Several legal scholars said the Justice Department briefing, though it will likely have little practical impact on the lawsuit, may have signalled a desire on the part of the department to become more involved in the suit in the future.
Former acting Assistant Attorney General William R. Yeomans, who worked in the civil rights division of the Justice Department for over 26 years, said he believes the department's actions signify its leadership's support for the private litigation which is occuring at the same time as its own investigation.
"I think what that filing represents is a pretty clear statement that the Department of Justice wants the private litigation to go forward and they support the private plaintiffs in the lawsuit," Yeomans said.
Michael J. Klarman, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, said the department's public, formal intervention in a high-profile affirmative action case is in line with previous Justice Department actions.
"I think politically, this is an attractive issue for people who oppose race based affirmative action, because they ultimately portray it not simply as a violation of what they see as a 'colorblindness mandate,' but they see it as a form of affirmative race discrimination," he added.
Yeomans said the Justice Department generally has jurisdiction over racial discrimination for institutions that receive federal funding.
Yeomans also said, in the future, the department may join the ongoing lawsuit or file its own, but will likely closely follow the progress of the case regardless.
Many of those following the dispute over Harvard's admissions policies closely, regardless of what outcome they expect, said they believe that what follows in the next months and years may broadly impact the viability of affirmative action at private universities throughout the country. Some, including Cregor, said they believe the lawsuit will proceed in some capacity to the Supreme Court.
Vinay Harpalani, an associate professor at Savannah Law School who specializes in race-conscious university admissions, among other issues, said he does not see a point in cases like Harvard's going to the Supreme Court, as long as the political makeup of the court remains the same.
The United States Supreme Court has ruled on affirmative action cases in the past few decades.
"I don't know if they'll go to the Supreme Court," Harpalani said. "The Supreme Court has made a recent ruling. But I think changing the public discourse and raising other types of questions is, at least now, what I think is the bigger impact of these cases," he said.
The recent ruling was the 2016 Fisher v. University of Texas case—in which Blum supported the plaintiff—which a number of lawyers said they believe serves as a useful point of comparison for understanding the legal challenges brought against Harvard.
This case was the most recent Supreme Court case which upheld the legality of the use of race in the admissions process, though it set strict standards for the implementation of such programs.
The ideological composition of the Supreme Court, however, may become more conservative with Trump's possible future appointments, according to Yeomans. The Fisher case was narrowly decided 4-3, and cases such as the one brought against Harvard may have different outcomes if more justices critical of affirmative are appointed to the court.
Mishell B. Kneeland, one of the lawyers who represented the University of Texas in Fisher v. University of Texas, said she believes the courts have largely set up a legal framework for affirmative action and that the questions at hand in this case may be more societal issues rather than legal ones.


text:
Home > Press > ORNL finding goes beyond surface of oxide films
This figure shows the spectroscopic measurement (current as a function of voltage) and this as a function of temperature.
Reproduced by permission of The Royal Society of Chemistry
Better batteries, catalysts, electronic information storage and processing devices are among potential benefits of an unexpected discovery made by Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists using samples isolated from the atmosphere.
ORNL finding goes beyond surface of oxide films
Oak Ridge, TN | Posted on August 14th, 2013
Researchers at the Department of Energy lab learned that key surface properties of complex oxide films are unaffected by reduced levels of oxygen during fabrication — an unanticipated finding with possible implications for the design of functional complex oxides used in a variety of consumer products, said Zheng Gai, a member of DOE's Center for Nanoscale Materials Sciences at ORNL.
The findings are detailed in a paper published in Nanoscale.
While the properties of the manganite material below the surface change as expected with the removal of oxygen, becoming an insulator rather than a metal, or conductor, researchers found that the sample showed remarkably stable electronic properties at the surface. Gai emphasized that the robustness of a surface matters because it is precisely the surface properties that determine, influence and affect the functionality of complex oxides in catalysis and batteries.
"With these materials being a promising alternative to silicon or graphene in electronic devices, the ever-decreasing size of such components makes their surface properties increasingly important to understand and control," Gai said.
While this work provides a fundamental understanding of a material used and researched for catalysts, oxide electronics and batteries, Gai and lead author Paul Snijders noted that it's difficult to speculate about possible impacts.
"I always say that in basic science we are discovering the alphabet," said Snijders, a member of ORNL's Materials Science and Technology Division. "How these letters will be designed into a useful technological book is hard to predict."
Making this discovery possible was the fact the authors did their experiment using scanning probe microscopy in a vacuum system with no exposure of the samples to the atmosphere. This contrasts with the conventional approach of growing a sample and then installing it in analysis equipment. During such a transfer, scientists expose the material to the water, nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the air.
By studying pristine samples, the ORNL team gained a surprising new understanding of the physics of the material surfaces — an understanding that is necessary to design new functional applications, Snijders said.
Other authors of the paper, titled "Persistent metal-insulator transition at the surface of an oxygen-deficient, epitaxial manganite film," are Min Gao, Hangwen Guo, Guixin Cao, Wolter Siemons and Thomas Ward of ORNL, Hongjun Gao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Jian Shen of Fudan University, China. Min Gao and Snijders contributed equally to this work, which was funded by DOE's Basic Energy Sciences. A portion of the research was conducted at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences.
About Oak Ridge National Laboratory
UT-Battelle manages ORNL for DOE's Office of Science. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
About Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences
CNMS is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers supported by the DOE Office of Science, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE's Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit science.energy.gov/bes/suf/user-facilities/nanoscale-science-research-centers.
Ron Walli
Copyright © Oak Ridge National Laboratory
The paper is available at:
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Discovery may lead to new materials for next-generation data storage: Army-funded research demonstrates emergent chirality in polar skyrmions for the first time in oxide superlattices May 10th, 2019
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Watch a Rare Interview With Tupac From 1995
In honor of the 23rd anniversary of Tupac Shakur's death, MTV News reaches in the vault and unearths a rare interview with the late rap legend.
In the 20-minute clip, which was filmed in 1995, one year before his death, Tupac and MTV News correspondent Tabitha Soren take a stroll down the Venice boardwalk for an in-depth conversation about his past and future.
He starts off by explaining the origins of his name before discussing his move to the West Coast and why he dropped out of performing arts high school.
Tupac also opens up about his mother Afeni Shakur's cocaine addiction. "I love my mom. She the bomb to me so I love all her mistakes," he says, while admitting, "It was hard 'cause she was my hero. She is my hero."
During the interview, Pac tries on sunglasses ("I ain't my style. They not Gaultier"), gets a tattoo, and signs autographs for fans while reflecting on his childhood. "I was the total opposite of what I am right now. I was quiet, withdrawn, I read a lot, I wrote poetry. I kept a diary," he says.
He also gets candid about his biological father ("I still don't know who it is. I have never taken any blood tests") and how his life would have been different if his dad was around. "I'd have some discipline. I'd have more confidence," he says. "Money gave me confidence. The screams of the crowd gave me confidence. Before that I was a shell of a man."
Elsewhere, he admits that he tried selling drugs for two weeks, but stopped because he didn't know how to do it. He also shares his desire to have kids ("I think I'll be a very, very good father because I love kids").
At the end, Pac is asked if he will ever be able to live a normal, happy life. "No, but I'm going for it. I'm trying for it," he says. "And until then, I have to make the life that I do live as happy as I can and try to do the best with what I have."
Watch the full interview below.


text:
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Visit our News Section to view our monthly Newsletters and more!
GLOBAL SEAWAYS CREW MANAGER ELECTED IN THE POSITION OF DIRECTOR ON THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME EMPLOYERS COUNCIL (IMEC)
We are proud to announce that our Crew Manager Mr. Gkountaras Argyris has been elected in the position of Director on the elections of the International Maritime Employers Council (IMEC) during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) which was held on Thursday, 25th of May 2017 in Athens.
The International Maritime Employers' Council (IMEC) is the only international employers' organisation dedicated to maritime industrial relations. Established over fifty years ago, it operates from offices in London, UK, and Manila in the Philippines and represent over 200 shipping companies located all over the world. IMEC members are individual shipping companies, both owners and managers, large and small, operating all types of ships including dry bulk, container, cruise liners, livestock carriers, reefers and tankers. Together they operate more than 11,200 vessels registered in more than 60 different countries and employ in excess of 290,000 seafarers of 68 different nationalities.
Mr. Gkountaras has managed to be elected in the first place indicating the strong support and recognition received from fellow IMEC Members who attended the AGM and continued his already active course and participation within IMEC which began last year with his election on IMEC's Recruitment & Training Committee.
The U.A.E.
Copyright © 2015 Global Seaways Ltd. All rights reserved
We Love What We Do | Powered & Designed by VELA digital


text:
require 'spec_helper'
require 'resolv'

shared_examples_for 'a proxy server' do
  it 'should proxy GET requests' do
    expect(http.get('/echo').body).to eql 'GET /echo'
  end

  it 'should proxy POST requests' do
    expect(http.post('/echo', foo: 'bar').body).to eql "POST /echo\nfoo=bar"
  end

  it 'should proxy PUT requests' do
    expect(http.post('/echo', foo: 'bar').body).to eql "POST /echo\nfoo=bar"
  end

  it 'should proxy HEAD requests' do
    expect(http.head('/echo').headers['HTTP-X-EchoServer']).to eql 'HEAD /echo'
  end

  it 'should proxy DELETE requests' do
    expect(http.delete('/echo').body).to eql 'DELETE /echo'
  end

  it 'should proxy OPTIONS requests' do
    expect(http.run_request(:options, '/echo', nil, nil).body).to eql 'OPTIONS /echo'
  end
end

shared_examples_for 'a request stub' do
  it 'should stub GET requests' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/foo")
      .and_return(text: 'hello, GET!')
    expect(http.get('/foo').body).to eql 'hello, GET!'
  end

  it 'should stub GET response statuses' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/foo")
      .and_return(code: 200)
    expect(http.get('/foo').status).to eql 200
  end

  it 'should stub POST requests' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/bar", method: :post)
      .and_return(text: 'hello, POST!')
    expect(http.post('/bar', foo: :bar).body).to eql 'hello, POST!'
  end

  it 'should stub PUT requests' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/baz", method: :put)
      .and_return(text: 'hello, PUT!')
    expect(http.put('/baz', foo: :bar).body).to eql 'hello, PUT!'
  end

  it 'should stub HEAD requests' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/bap", method: :head)
      .and_return(headers: { 'HTTP-X-Hello' => 'hello, HEAD!' })
    expect(http.head('/bap').headers['http-x-hello']).to eql 'hello, HEAD!'
  end

  it 'should stub DELETE requests' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/bam", method: :delete)
      .and_return(text: 'hello, DELETE!')
    expect(http.delete('/bam').body).to eql 'hello, DELETE!'
  end

  it 'should stub OPTIONS requests' do
    proxy.stub("#{url}/bim", method: :options)
      .and_return(text: 'hello, OPTIONS!')
    expect(http.run_request(:options, '/bim', nil, nil).body).to eql 'hello, OPTIONS!'
  end
end

shared_examples_for 'a cache' do
  context 'whitelisted GET requests' do
    it 'should not be cached' do
      assert_noncached_url
    end

    context 'with ports' do
      before do
        rack_app_url = URI(http.url_prefix)
        Billy.config.whitelist = ["#{rack_app_url.host}:#{rack_app_url.port}"]
      end

      it 'should not be cached ' do
        assert_noncached_url
      end
    end
  end

  context 'non-whitelisted GET requests' do
    before do
      Billy.config.whitelist = []
    end

    it 'should be cached' do
      assert_cached_url
    end

    context 'with ports' do
      before do
        rack_app_url = URI(http.url_prefix)
        Billy.config.whitelist = ["#{rack_app_url.host}:#{rack_app_url.port + 1}"]
      end

      it 'should be cached' do
        assert_cached_url
      end
    end
  end

  context 'ignore_params GET requests' do
    before do
      Billy.config.ignore_params = ['/analytics']
    end

    it 'should be cached' do
      r = http.get('/analytics?some_param=5')
      expect(r.body).to eql 'GET /analytics'
      expect do
        expect do
          r = http.get('/analytics?some_param=20')
        end.to change { r.headers['HTTP-X-EchoCount'].to_i }.by(1)
      end.to_not change { r.body }
    end
  end

  context 'path_blacklist GET requests' do
    before do
      Billy.config.path_blacklist = ['/api']
    end

    it 'should be cached' do
      assert_cached_url('/api')
    end

    context 'path_blacklist includes regex' do
      before do
        Billy.config.path_blacklist = [/widgets$/]
      end

      it 'should not cache a non-match' do
        assert_noncached_url('/widgets/5/edit')
      end

      it 'should cache a match' do
        assert_cached_url('/widgets')
      end
    end
  end

  context 'cache persistence' do
    let(:cache_path) { Billy.config.cache_path }
    let(:cached_key) { proxy.cache.key('get', "#{url}/foo", '') }
    let(:cached_file) do
      f = cached_key + '.yml'
      File.join(cache_path, f)
    end

    before do
      Billy.config.whitelist = []
      Dir.mkdir(cache_path) unless Dir.exist?(cache_path)
    end

    after do
      File.delete(cached_file) if File.exist?(cached_file)
    end

    context 'enabled' do
      before { Billy.config.persist_cache = true }

      it 'should persist' do
        http.get('/foo')
        expect(File.exist?(cached_file)).to be true
      end

      it 'should be read initially from persistent cache' do
        File.open(cached_file, 'w') do |f|
          cached = {
            headers: {},
            content: 'GET /foo cached'
          }
          f.write(cached.to_yaml(Encoding: :Utf8))
        end

        r = http.get('/foo')
        expect(r.body).to eql 'GET /foo cached'
      end

      context 'cache_request_headers requests' do
        it 'should not be cached by default' do
          http.get('/foo')
          saved_cache = Billy.proxy.cache.fetch_from_persistence(cached_key)
          expect(saved_cache.keys).not_to include :request_headers
        end

        context 'when enabled' do
          before do
            Billy.config.cache_request_headers = true
          end

          it 'should be cached' do
            http.get('/foo')
            saved_cache = Billy.proxy.cache.fetch_from_persistence(cached_key)
            expect(saved_cache.keys).to include :request_headers
          end
        end
      end

      context 'ignore_cache_port requests' do
        it 'should be cached without port' do
          r   = http.get('/foo')
          url = URI(r.env[:url])
          saved_cache = Billy.proxy.cache.fetch_from_persistence(cached_key)

          expect(saved_cache[:url]).to_not eql(url.to_s)
          expect(saved_cache[:url]).to eql(url.to_s.gsub(":#{url.port}", ''))
        end
      end

      context 'non_whitelisted_requests_disabled requests' do
        before { Billy.config.non_whitelisted_requests_disabled = true }

        it 'should raise error when disabled' do
          # TODO: Suppress stderr output: https://gist.github.com/adamstegman/926858
          expect { http.get('/foo') }.to raise_error(Faraday::Error::ConnectionFailed, 'end of file reached')
        end
      end

      context 'non_successful_cache_disabled requests' do
        before do
          rack_app_url = URI(http_error.url_prefix)
          Billy.config.whitelist = ["#{rack_app_url.host}:#{rack_app_url.port}"]
          Billy.config.non_successful_cache_disabled = true
        end

        it 'should not cache non-successful response when enabled' do
          http_error.get('/foo')
          expect(File.exist?(cached_file)).to be false
        end

        it 'should cache successful response when enabled' do
          assert_cached_url
        end
      end

      context 'non_successful_error_level requests' do
        before do
          rack_app_url = URI(http_error.url_prefix)
          Billy.config.whitelist = ["#{rack_app_url.host}:#{rack_app_url.port}"]
          Billy.config.non_successful_error_level = :error
        end

        it 'should raise error for non-successful responses when :error' do
          expect { http_error.get('/foo') }.to raise_error(Faraday::Error::ConnectionFailed)
        end
      end
    end

    context 'disabled' do
      before { Billy.config.persist_cache = false }

      it 'shouldnt persist' do
        http.get('/foo')
        expect(File.exist?(cached_file)).to be false
      end
    end
  end

  def assert_noncached_url(url = '/foo')
    r = http.get(url)
    expect(r.body).to eql "GET #{url}"
    expect do
      expect do
        r = http.get(url)
      end.to change { r.headers['HTTP-X-EchoCount'].to_i }.by(1)
    end.to_not change { r.body }
  end

  def assert_cached_url(url = '/foo')
    r = http.get(url)
    expect(r.body).to eql "GET #{url}"
    expect do
      expect do
        r = http.get(url)
      end.to_not change { r.headers['HTTP-X-EchoCount'] }
    end.to_not change { r.body }
  end
end

describe Billy::Proxy do
  before do
    # Adding non-valid Faraday options throw an error: https://github.com/arsduo/koala/pull/311
    # Valid options: :request, :proxy, :ssl, :builder, :url, :parallel_manager, :params, :headers, :builder_class
    faraday_options = {
      proxy: { uri: proxy.url },
      request: { timeout: 1.0 }
    }
    faraday_ssl_options = faraday_options.merge(ssl: {
      verify: true,
      ca_file: Billy.certificate_authority.cert_file
    })

    @http       = Faraday.new @http_url,  faraday_options
    @https      = Faraday.new @https_url, faraday_ssl_options
    @http_error = Faraday.new @error_url, faraday_options
  end

  context 'proxying' do
    context 'HTTP' do
      let!(:http) { @http }
      it_should_behave_like 'a proxy server'
    end

    context 'HTTPS' do
      let!(:http) { @https }
      it_should_behave_like 'a proxy server'
    end
  end

  context 'stubbing' do
    context 'HTTP' do
      let!(:url)  { @http_url }
      let!(:http) { @http }
      it_should_behave_like 'a request stub'
    end

    context 'HTTPS' do
      let!(:url)  { @https_url }
      let!(:http) { @https }
      it_should_behave_like 'a request stub'
    end
  end

  context 'caching' do
    it 'defaults to nil scope' do
      expect(proxy.cache.scope).to be nil
    end

    context 'HTTP' do
      let!(:url)        { @http_url }
      let!(:http)       { @http }
      let!(:http_error) { @http_error }
      it_should_behave_like 'a cache'
    end

    context 'HTTPS' do
      let!(:url)        { @https_url }
      let!(:http)       { @https }
      let!(:http_error) { @http_error }
      it_should_behave_like 'a cache'
    end

    context 'with a cache scope' do
      let!(:url)        { @http_url }
      let!(:http)       { @http }
      let!(:http_error) { @http_error }

      before do
        proxy.cache.scope_to 'my_cache'
      end

      after do
        proxy.cache.use_default_scope
      end

      it_should_behave_like 'a cache'

      it 'uses the cache scope' do
        expect(proxy.cache.scope).to eq('my_cache')
      end

      it 'can be reset to the default scope' do
        proxy.cache.use_default_scope
        expect(proxy.cache.scope).to be nil
      end

      it 'can execute a block against a cache scope' do
        expect(proxy.cache.scope).to eq 'my_cache'
        proxy.cache.with_scope 'another_cache' do
          expect(proxy.cache.scope).to eq 'another_cache'
        end
        expect(proxy.cache.scope).to eq 'my_cache'
      end

      it 'requires a block to be passed to with_scope' do
        expect { proxy.cache.with_scope 'some_scope' }.to raise_error ArgumentError
      end

      it 'should have different keys for the same request under a different scope' do
        args = ['get', "#{url}/foo", '']
        key = proxy.cache.key(*args)
        proxy.cache.with_scope 'another_cache' do
          expect(proxy.cache.key(*args)).to_not eq key
        end
      end
    end
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Consulintel has provided hundreds of trainings, talks and conferences related to IT in the last years.
Considering our high specialization in IPv6 and our participation in a number of R&D projects, which also contributed to IPv6 awareness, dissemination and training/education/learning, we have accomplished a very high degree of expertise at international level, providing trainings in English and Spanish.
All the key issues related to the deployment, operation and maintenance of an IPv6 network are presented in a clear and easy, so the key concepts are acquired.
We offer both, theoretical and practical contents, tailoring the training to the customer profile and needs and including hands-on.
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Transition mechanisms: IPv4-IPv6 coexistence strategies, dual-stack, tunnelling, translation, transition mechanisms configuration.
IPv6 DNS: direct and reverse resolution, transport, root servers, DNS server configuration (BIND, others, Linux/Windows).
IPv6 security: IPsec, ND threads, SEND, privacy extensions, comparison with IPv4, other IPv6 security aspects, filtering.
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Host and router configuration: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Cisco, Juniper, Huawei, Hitachi.
Basic configuration, transition mechanisms, OSPF, IS-IS, BGP.
The training duration and final contents can be arranged according to the customers focus/model and other requisites such as number of PCs/routers for the hands-on, etc.
We also offer several labs of routers, which can be accessed remotely from any part of the world via Internet, for the hands-on.


text:
What ecosystem are most at risk with climate change?
What environments are affected by climate change?
Who are most affected by climate change?
What is the most threatened ecosystem in the world?
What are the different types of ecosystem?
What are the main threats of climate change?
What are the 5 major environmental problems?
How does climate change affect ecosystems?
What animals are affected by climate change?
What are some examples of climate change?
What are the 5 effects of climate change?
What ecosystem is under threat?
What major dangers are affecting all habitats?
What ecosystem is the most threatened in the United States?
Forests, tundras, and alpine areas are some of the world's most at-risk ecosystems to climate change, according to a new map published in the journal Nature.
Climate change is having serious impacts on the world's water systems through more flooding and droughts. Warmer air can hold a higher water content, which makes rainfall patterns more extreme. Rivers and lakes supply drinking water for people and animals and are a vital resource for farming and industry.
COUNTRIES MOST AFFECTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
GERMANY (Climate Risk Index: 13.83) …
MADAGASCAR (Climate Risk Index: 15.83) …
INDIA (Climate Risk Index: 18.17) …
SRI LANKA (Climate Risk Index: 19) …
KENYA (Climate Risk Index: 19.67) …
RUANDA (Climate Risk Index: 21.17) …
CANADA (Climate Risk Index: 21.83) …
FIJI (Climate Risk Index: 22.5)
The loss and continued threats to temperate grasslands were recognized in 2008, when the International Union for the Conservation of Nature declared temperate grasslands as the world's most endangered ecosystem.
IMPORTANT: Best answer: What are the main factors that affect Earth's climate quizlet?
The different types of the ecosystem include:
Terrestrial ecosystem.
Forest ecosystem.
Grassland ecosystem.
Desert ecosystem.
Tundra ecosystem.
Freshwater ecosystem.
Marine ecosystem.
The main threats of climate change, stemming from the rising temperature of Earth's atmosphere include rising sea levels, ecosystem collapse and more frequent and severe weather. Rising temperatures from human-caused greenhouse gas emissions affects planet-wide systems in various ways.
Some of the key issues are:
Pollution. …
Global warming. …
Overpopulation. …
Waste disposal. …
Ocean acidification. …
Loss of biodiversity. …
Deforestation. …
Ozone layer depletion.
Climate change can alter where species live, how they interact, and the timing of biological events, which could fundamentally transform current ecosystems and food webs. Climate change can overwhelm the capacity of ecosystems to mitigate extreme events and disturbance, such as wildfires, floods, and drought.
Animals Affected by Climate Change
POLAR BEAR.
SNOW LEOPARD.
GIANT PANDA.
TIGER.
MONARCH BUTTERFLY.
GREEN SEA TURTLE.
These include warming temperatures and changes in precipitation, as well as the effects of Earth's warming, such as:
Rising sea levels.
Shrinking mountain glaciers.
Ice melting at a faster rate than usual in Greenland, Antarctica and the Arctic.
Changes in flower and plant blooming times.
What are the effects of climate change and global warming?
rising maximum temperatures.
rising minimum temperatures.
higher ocean temperatures.
an increase in heavy precipitation (heavy rain and hail)
shrinking glaciers.
thawing permafrost.
IMPORTANT: What are the 3 P's of environmental health?
The areas most likely to be effects by this are salt water marches, mangrove areas, coastal wetlands, coral reefs and atolls and river deltas. OCEANS: With the change in atmospheric temperature due to climate change, the way in which the oceans move around the earth will change.
Pollutants such as untreated sewage, mining waste, acid rain, fertilizers and pesticides concentrate in rivers, lakes and wetlands and eventually end up in estuaries and the food web. Climate change: The emerging driver of habitat loss is climate change.
The greatest number of reported declines is among forest and wetland habitats and communities. (B) For ecosystems that have declined by more than 98% (i.e., critically endangered), the greatest losses are among grassland, savanna, and barrens communities.


Naoki is a non-verbal, autistic, Japanese author, who was just 13 years old when he wrote the book The Reason I Jump, a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind works. Now take a unique journey into his world of fascinating insights and magical storytelling in this augmented reality exploration of the North Kelvin Meadow and The Children's Wood in Glasgow.
The app has been created as part of an exciting new production of The Reason I Jump from National Theatre of Scotland, conceived by award-winning Scottish artist Graham Eatough and created with, and performed by, a group of artists with autism ranging from early teens to 60 years old. In this innovative adaptation, which took place in Glasgow in June 2018, the book became an experience, a mysterious journey through a beautiful outdoor maze designed by renowned Dutch collective Observatorium. Naoki describes a profound relationship between people with autism and nature. The outdoor setting of North Kelvin Meadow and Children's Wood in Glasgow offers an extraordinary environment for all of us to consider our place in the natural world.
In support of the production, this augmented reality experience gives permanence to the stories of Naoki and his gardeners, which populated North Kelvin Meadow and The Children's Wood in June 2018. Available for Android and Apple devices and downloadable from the Google Play store and the App Store, the app invites audiences to walk through the meadow in search of labyrinthine marker-points. Once located – and viewed through the app – the marker points begin to transform the surrounding space, once again filling it with the sights and sounds of the performances.
In June 2018, an update to the app was released. Working much in the same way, the update breathes life into the space, occupying it with music, stories and creative expressions gathered through a series of workshops with young people on the autistic spectrum, celebrating neurodiversity through storytelling.
This pioneering National Theatre of Scotland work was a unique opportunity to understand different experiences of autism and think about the many ways in which all of our minds work.


A walrus is a marine animal. It is very large and can be found in the waters of the northern hemisphere. There are three different types of walrus…however, they all can be identified by their tusks. Male walrus have been known to weight almost four thousand pounds in some cases.


text:
Barbarians Rising: Who's who in this epic new HISTORY series
We meet the cast of this groundbreaking docu-drama series to discover everything you need to know about the HISTORY show.
By Frances Taylor
Last updated: 31 August 2016 - 7.00pm
Barbarians Rising is a stunning new eight-part docu-drama series that brings to life to the rise and fall of the Roman Empire from the perspective of the underdogs and rebels.
Blending commentary from world renowned historians and notable contributors such as Civil Rights Leader Rev Jesse Jackson and authors Vanessa Collingridge and Lindsay Powell with reenactments of the legendary uprisings and some of history's bloodiest battles, the show airs exclusively in the UK on HISTORY (BT TV 327/379 HD).
Ahead of the first episode at 10pm on Wednesday, August 31, here's our quick guide to the stellar cast in the series, in their own words.
Steven Waddington (The Syndicate, Robin Hood, The Tudors) plays Fritigern
Fritigern was a leader of a Goths tribe who were abused and humiliated by the Romans after they took asylum in the Empire.
Fritigern took revenger on Emperor Valens and general Lupicinus with his Gothic horde and triumphed in an epic battle at Adrianople.
After the emperor was burned alive the Goths settled as equals and feared rivals for the Romans.
"I didn't know anything about my character so it was fun looking him up," said Waddington.
"I learnt more about him after I'd actually played him as there was more time to do that kind of stuff. And you hope – and the scripts were quality scripts.
"A lot of the information for an actor is there so you you're your information from there so a lot of that was there in the script itself."
"There's a certain amount of adrenaline flowing – so the fights look kind of real and they felt real. You know when it's phony and you'll always go again if it doesn't look real.
"So what we did, speaking for myself, seemed real. It was authentic. But sadly no-one got injured. There was no real blood drawn."
Richard Brake (The Bastard Executioner, Game of Thrones) as Geiseric
Geiseric was a leader of the Vandals, who seized Carthage from the Romans in AD 339 and transformed his tribe into the Mediterrranean's most formidable pirates.
In AD 455, Geiseric helped stage an attack on Rome that marked the terminal decline of the Empire, plundering the city and forcing Maximus to flee the city in terror.
"It's not just about long hair, wild men raping and pillaging their way into Rome. Especially my character, Geiseric was really shrewd and cunning," said Brake.
"And there was very little violence in the stuff that I'm doing – even though he had his moments, we actually were more interested in how incredibly intriguing he was in terms of the cunning he did to pull strings and make it all work. Timing is everything. So it's very in that way it's like Game of Thrones or Vikings. It was very much political.
"I've played some bad guys who are literally psychotic, obviously. Sociopaths. But the idea of bad guys really they are people that are just want something. And Geiseric just wanted a home for his people and some wealth. He was a bitter man for gold – he did go into Rome and take all of the gold, but he was just one of those characters that everybody perceives as bad. But in truth he just wanted what he wanted and went for it.
"I really like this idea that he wasn't this maniac, that he was incredibly smart human being. Today, he'd be an amazing politician if he was alive today."
Emil Hostina (Fortitude, Utopia, Harry Potter) plays Attila
Atilla is the famous leader of the Huns, who burst out of the Asian steppes and wreaked havoc wherever they attacked. They were swift, unbeatable warriors, driven by a desire for anything they could plunder.
Atilla's army and invasion of the Empire created some of the bloodiest battles of the ancient age and caused a refugee crisis.
"Atilla was a very good diplomat. He's mostly quick-witted," said Emil.
"He has a political purpose; he has an almost mystical power and is following a dream – no matter what that dream is.
"If he was around today he would not be a politician – I was thinking maybe an astronaut flying into space.
"He was so clever; he was so intelligent and so bold. He was probably bored of politics everything here on earth – he would go straight to Mars I presume. He has that kind of quality and energy and boldness."
Gavin Drea (What Richard Did, Love/Hate) plays Alaric
Gothic tribe leader Alaric was the first enemy to enter Roma as a conqueror in 800 years.
Following the death of Roman general Stilicho, 30,000 men joined Alaric's forces and he marched on Rome unopposed. He laid siege to Rome three times in three years and by the time he died in the Empire's image as invincible was shattered forever.
"Alaric besieged Rome three times and then finally entered it," said Drea.
"He besieged it and he wanted money and payment and the release of slaves which the Romans wouldn't give to him. The second time he met and he wanted to negotiate. The last time he met to have a treaty with them and they ambushed and attacked him.
"He tried to do the right thing three times – it wasn't his intention to destroy Rome. But he was finally given no option.
Barbarians Rising starts airs on Wednesdays at 10pm from August 31 on HISTORY, BT TV 327 (379 HD). It is also available to watch on catch-up on the BT Player.
HISTORY is one of the extra entertainment channels available for BT TV customers.
Find out more about BT TV >
Got BT Broadband? Get BT TV >
Credit: Elena Nenkova/A+E / History


text:
A Nation Must Think Before it Acts Hezbollah on Trial: Lebanese Reactions to the UN Special Tribunal's Indictments
Middle East Media Monitor
Hezbollah on Trial: Lebanese Reactions to the UN Special Tribunal's Indictments
Benedetta Berti
Middle East Program
On June 30, after a lengthy and much delayed investigation, the UN Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) finally issued the indictments of four individuals accused of having been involved in the plotting and execution of the assassination of Lebanese PM, Rafic Hariri, in February 2005.
Confirming the rumors that had existed in Lebanon since at least the summer of 2010, the first suspects to be indicted by the tribunal are also members of Hezbollah. Unsurprisingly, the release of the indictments has produced very strong reactions, both from within the ranks of Hezbollah's supporters as well as from its political opponents, further shaking the already precarious foundations of the Lebanese political system.
Hezbollah's response to the indictments has been in line with the group's long-standing position on the UN tribunal. The organization had opposed the creation of the international body tasked with investigating the Hariri assassination since its inception. However, in the past two years, its harsh criticism has turned into vitriolic attacks, culminating in Hezbollah's Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah's October 2010 denunciation of the indictments as a "war declaration" [1] and assertion that "the investigation is over." [2] In fact, Hezbollah's fierce opposition of the STL was the leading cause behind the "March 8" opposition forces' resignation from Saad Hariri's executive cabinet in January 2011, leading to the collapse of his government and to the rise of the more "friendly" government of PM Najib Mikati.
In this context, it is therefore hardly surprising that Hezbollah responded to the June 2011 indictments against its members by once again adopting a belligerent attitude. Firstly, the group has resumed its open attacks, accusing the STL of being a puppet of Israeli and American interests, tasked with undermining the "resistance" and causing internal strife within Lebanon.[3] In addition, the group's secretary explained at great length that the UN tribunal was a failed experiment due to "the incompetence of the investigation, the hostility of the team and their security background and the corruption of the investigators." [4]
Secondly, in addition to discrediting the investigation, Hezbollah has stepped up its campaign to undermine the tribunal by questioning the credibility of the witnesses and by reiterating its possession of evidence that implicates Israel in the Hariri assassination. The evidence, which is currently being probed by the STL, [5] is said to be similar to the alleged proof Hezbollah had provided to the STL team in August 2010. On that occasion, the information had been qualified as "incomplete." [6] Furthermore, Hezbollah has also been successfully pushing the government to focus on the so-called "false witness" file (claims about the existence of tampered evidence and people who deliberately misled the UN probe), hoping to further call into question the credibility of the indictments.[7]
Thirdly, Hezbollah has responded to the indictments by adopting a defiant attitude. Its Secretary General asserted that no political force or government would be able to arrest the suspects and added that: "I believe that not in 30 days or 60 days or one year or two years or 30 years or 300 years, they would find, detain or arrest them." [8] This declaration is particularly significant, as it captures Hezbollah's own self-perception of political and military strength—boosted by its current parliamentary majority and key role as power broker of the Lebanese political arena—as well as the group's notion of its fighters and weapons being above the law.[9]
Criticism of the STL has not been limited solely to Hezbollah, as the organization's political allies have also been questioning the investigation—albeit in a less confrontational manner—insisting particularly on the alleged "political" nature of the timing chosen to release the indictments (issued only a few weeks after PM Mikati announced the formation of his executive cabinet).[10]
At the other end of the spectrum, the so-called "March 14" forces, led by former PM Saad Hariri, have been equally explicit in showing their support for the STL and the investigation, with Hariri thanking the STL and affirming that "This progress in the course of justice and the Special Tribunal is for all the Lebanese without any exception, and it should be a turning point in the history of fighting organized political crime in Lebanon and the Arab world." [11] Showing unequivocal support for the STL, he added: "everybody be sure that intimidation will not help to break this will … The end of the killers' era has begun, and the beginning of the justice era is approaching."
What's more, in the weeks following the release of the first indictments, the March 14 coalition has become quite vocal in its criticism of both Hezbollah and the Mikati government. Regarding the former, members of the March 14 coalition have attacked Hezbollah's refusal to cooperate with the STL as well as its attempts to discredit the tribunal by questioning the evidence or qualifying the process as "political." [12] The coalition led by Saad Hariri has also linked Hezbollah's defiant attitude with respect to the tribunal with the group's refusal to respect the rules of the political game. On this matter, Future Movement member Ammar Houri asserted: "Nasrallah declared the State of Hezbollah on Lebanese territory, leaving a Lebanese mini-state to the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and telling him how to manage it … [Nasrallah] clearly said it is my decision, and I will not allow you to arrest or approach any suspect." [13] This same tone was later echoed by Saad Hariri himself during a July 12 interview, where he stressed his concerns over Hezbollah's "exceptionalism" and expressed concern over the group's weapon stores.[14] In parallel, the intensification of rhetoric with respect to Hezbollah has been matched by March 14's growing criticism of Hezbollah's allies in Syria, condemning the Assad regime's response to the ongoing internal unrest in Syria.[15]
Aside from attacking Hezbollah, the March 14 forces have been even more adamant in condemning the current government, defined by the pro-March 14 press as a "cabinet of wanted men," [16] and especially PM Mikati as Nasrallah's puppet. Specifically, the Saad Hariri-led movement has been urging the government to fully cooperate with the STL, while criticizing the government's current stand as weak and ambiguous.[17] On this issue, Future Movement representative Dr Mustafa Allush stated: "As expected, the government will work according to the concept of "taqiyyah" [dissimulation of faith under duress], which means talking about cooperating with the STL and its decisions, and at the same time succumbing to the decisions [of Hezbollah]." [18]
In this context, both Hezbollah and the March 14 coalition are resolute in their commitments to mutually exclusives outcomes—respectively, thwarting the STL vs. fully cooperating with it. It is therefore not surprising that sectarian tensions, already high in the aftermath of the creation of the Mikati government, have escalated since the release of the indictments.
The government, led by PM Mikati, finds itself in a predicament of attempting to balance seemingly incompatible goals: reassuring the international community, preventing internal strife, and remaining in Hezbollah's good grace. So far, the juggling act seems far from successful.
Since the indictments were issued, Mikati has worked to thwart criticism from the international community by stressing his government's respect of all existing international commitments and insisting on his intentions to cooperate with the STL.[19] However, these declarations have not completely put the issue to rest. The international community remains skeptical, [20] with most foreign governments acutely aware that the real political power resides with Hezbollah, rather than Mikati.[21] Meanwhile, the March 14 forces have urged the international community to halt its cooperation with the Lebanese government if it provides anything less than its full cooperation with the STL.[22] In addition, the new Lebanese Cabinet's policy statement with regard to the tribunal has been deemed "weak" by the March 14 coalition, characterizing it as ambiguous and possessing a non-committal tone.[23] Furthermore, Hezbollah has not been pleased by the Mikati's pro-STL declarations. For instance, after the PM's interview with CNN, where he reiterated its will to cooperate with the STL, Hezbollah MP Muhammad Raad urged the government to "withdrawal from the hands of the international tribunal because of its targeting of the resistance." [24]
Despite these seemingly antagonistic statements, the relations between Hezbollah and the PM are not under duress: Mikati needs Hezbollah's support to stay in power and he behaves in accordance to this predicament. For example, since the issuing of the indictments, the PM has been resolute in minimizing their impact, stressing that indictments are not verdicts and that, as such, one should refrain from pointing the finger at Hezbollah.[25]
Moreover, the government has been trying to brush the issue under the carpet by invoking the need to prevent internal strife.[26] In the past month, the President, Michel Suleiman, has been trying to revive a national dialogue between the different political blocs in order to foster reconciliation, but these attempts have not led to any substantial political change. In particular, the March 14 forces have asked, in addition to the government's explicit commitment to the STL, to include the issue of Hezbollah's weapons as one of the subjects to be discussed in the dialogue—a demand to which the Lebanese-Shia organization strongly objects.[27]
In conclusion, a month after the issuance of the STL indictments, political tensions within Lebanon remain high and the conflict between Hezbollah and its political allies and the March 14 forces remains deadlocked. Even so, the indictments have not provoked a political earthquake against Hezbollah, as many were hoping, especially as Lebanon's first deadline to apprehend the suspects passed without any substantial repercussion.[28]
In fact, the investigation leading to the indictments was painfully slow and the momentum behind apprehending the perpetrators of the assassination (and their foreign instigators) has largely dissipated. At the moment, Hezbollah—in addition to its military strength—maintains a solid grip on the Lebanese political system and retains its ability to marginalize the political forces that had been behind the "Cedar Revolution" and the creation of the tribunal. As such, the group is in a particularly good position to shield itself from the negative repercussions of these indictments. Even so, the STL indictments have tarnished the organization's reputation, mostly among the Sunni community, making it crucial to monitor how the growing Sunni-Shia tensions play out within Lebanon in the coming months.
^ Khaled Saghieh, "Dear Mr. Cassese," Al-Akhbar, September 27, 2010. (Available from MidEast Wire, September 28, 2010).
^ Hezbollah Press Statement, October 28, 2010. [The Speech Delivered By Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on the Conduct and Performance of the International Investigation Committee and the International Investigators Delivered on Thursday, October 28, 2010].
^ Transcript of Hassan Nasrallah's Press Conference, July 2, 2011 [The Speech Delivered by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah via Al Manar TV Screen in which he Commented on the Indictment Released by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon on Saturday, July 2, 2011].
^ Ibid.
^ " Lebanon's Al-Hariri Tribunal Probing Material Received from Hezbollah," The Daily Star, August 4, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Aug-03/Hariri-UN-tribunal-probing-material-received-from-Hezbollah.ashx#axzz1UiHFjrzl
^ "The Underlying Rejection of Nasrallah's Documents," Al-Quds al-Arabi , August 25, 2010. (Available from MidEast Wire, August 25, 2010).
^ "Miqati to Pursue False Witnesses Issue Further," The Daily Star , July 23, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jul-23/Mikati-to-pursue-false-witnesses-issue-further.ashx#axzz1UiHFjrzl
^ "Resistance Is Stronger, More Popular: Hezbollah," The Daily Star , July 11, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jul-10/Resistance-is-stronger-more-popular-Hezbollah.ashx#axzz1UiHFjrzl; His Excellency President Hassan," Al Watan, July 4, 2011. [Arabic] https://www.alwatan.com.sa/Articles/Detail.aspx?ArticleID=635
^ "Hezbollah, Syria and the Indictment," Al-Quds al-Arabi, June 30, 2011. [Arabic] https://alquds.co.uk/index.asp?fname=today\30qpt999.htm&arc=data\2011\06\06-30\30qpt999.htm
Jumblatt said Strife Will Not Erupt In Lebanon Over STL Indictments," YaLibnan, July 1, 2011.https://www.yalibnan.com/2011/07/01/jumblatt-said-strife-will-not-erupt-in-lebanon-over-stl-indictment/
^ Saad Hariri, Statement, June 30, 2011.https://futuremovementmi.org/saadhariristatementstl.html
^ "Lebanon: Reactions to Indictment Issued in Hariri Death Probe," Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel, June 30, 2001 (provided by BBC Monitoring Middle East).
^ Layal Abu Rahhal, "Deputy from Future Movement: Nasrallah Says Decision is Mine," Asharq al-Awsat, July 4, 2011. [Arabic] https://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?section=4&article=629482&issueno=11906
^ "Hariri: Nasrallah and Assad Decided to Topple Me and March 14," March 14.org, July 12, 2001
[Arabic] https://14march.org/news-details.php?nid=MzA1NjM4
^ Ibid; Nicolas Nassif, "Is the Kingdom Delaying the Return of Hariri not to Bother Mikati?" Al-Akhbar, August 4, 2011 [Arabic] https://www.al-akhbar.com/node/18302
^ Ali Hamadeh, "The Injustice of the Murderers and the Cowardice of the Cowards"
Annahar, July 4, 2011. (Available from MidEast Wire, July 5, 2011)
^ "Future Bloc: Policy statement a coup against the tribunal…" Lebanese National News Agency, July 1, 2011 (available from MidEast Wire, July 4, 2011)
^ "Lebanon: Future Movement official reacts to Hezbollah remarks on Tribunal," Al-Jazeera, July 3, 2011 (available from BBC Monitoring Middle East).
^ "Lebanese Cabinet Approves Policy Statement," The Daily Star, June 30, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jun-30/Lebanese-Cabinet-approves-policy-statement.ashx#axzz1Uz3sEWk2; Hassan Abdullah, "Conflict Confuses the Honeymoon between Mikati and Hezbollah," al Watan, July 20, 2011. [Arabic] https://www.alwatan.com.sa/Politics/News_Detail.aspx?ArticleID=63112&CategoryID=1
^ " France Puts an Arms Deal with Lebanon On Hold," al-Hayat, July 21, 2011. (available from MidEast Wire, July 21, 2011).
^ Mohammed Harfous, "European Ambassadors "Court" Hezbollah After Issuance of Indictment," al-Anbaa, July 19, 2011. [Arabic] https://www.alanba.com.kw/AbsoluteNMNEW/templates/international2010.aspx?articleid=213262&zoneid=214&m=126
^ Hussein Dakroub, "Mikati Fires Warning at March 14," The Daily Star, July 5, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jul-05/Mikati-fires-warning-at-March-14.ashx#ixzz1UzPPGOIL
^ Ibid; Rajeh Khoury, "Final] Word for Mikati or Hezbollah?," An-Nahar, July 2, 2011. (available from MidEast Wire, July 4, 2011).
^ Hassan Abdullah, "Conflict Confuses the Honeymoon between Mikati and Hezbollah."
^ "PM Miqati: Indictments not Verdicts, Accusations Require Evidence," Al Manar, June 30, 2011.https://www.almanar.com.lb/english/adetails.php?eid=20466&cid=23&fromval=1
^ Hussein Dakroub, " Mikati fires warning at March 14," The Daily Star, July 5, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jul-05/Mikati-fires-warning-at-March-14.ashx#ixzz1UzGXqvNB; "Jumblatt Praises Saudi Statements, Calls for Lebanese Dialogue, The Daily Star, July 07, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jul-07/Jumblatt-praises-Saudi-statements-calls-for-Lebanese-dialogue.ashx#ixzz1UzGwLH3v
^ "Hussein Dakroub, "Sleiman holds first round of consultations to revive dialogue," The Daily Star, July 30, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Jul-30/Sleiman-holds-first-round-of-consultations-to-revive-dialogue.ashx#ixzz1UzISAt29
^ Lebanon was expected to arrest the suspects within 30 days of the initial release of the indictments (July 30). On August 9, 2011, the Lebanese government reported to the STL and declared it had been attempting to locate the suspects, but it had this far been unsuccessful. The country now has an additional 30 days to deliver the indicted Hezbollah members to the STL, otherwise the tribunal will try the suspects in absentia. Hussein Dakroub, "Lebanon briefs STL on efforts to apprehend suspects," The Daily Star, August 10, 2011.https://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2011/Aug-10/Lebanon-briefs-STL-on-efforts-to-apprehend-suspects.ashx#ixzz1UzVrIuyV
Dr. Benedetta Berti is a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute's Program on the Middle East and Senior Advisor and Acting Head of the Policy Planning Division of the Office of Secretary General of NATO
@benedettabertiw
Understanding the Resilience of Monarchy During the Arab Spring
Over a year into the Arab Spring, a curious pattern has come to define the revolutionary wave that has swept […]
Opposition Groups in Syria: Myths and Realities
Revolutionary periods have a way of compressing history. Events unfold so quickly, and the flow of information is so dense, […]
WikiLeaks in the Arab Press
On November 28, 2010, WikiLeaks—a non-profit media organization known for publishing secret and classified information obtained from anonymous sources—released 250,000 […]


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'Gangnam Style' becomes most-watched YouTube video of all time
By Tech
Saturday Nov 24, 2012 10:59 AM
Danny Moloshok / Reuters
South Korean rapper Psy performs "Gangnam Style" at the 40th American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California, November 18, 2012.
By Brandi Fowler, E! Online
As it turns out, it's not just Justin Bieber's world.
South Korean rapper Psy's contagious hit, "Gangnam Style," just nabbed quite the impressive title from the Biebs' "Baby," becoming the most-watched YouTube video of all time.
Madonna goes "Gangnam Style"
The music video has earned about 803,761,000 views since it was first posted to the site in July. Meanwhile, the music video for "Baby" racked up 803,732,000 since it was released in February 2010, according to Billboard.
"#GangnamStyle just became the most watched video @YouTube!! #History," Psy tweeted Saturday.
Psy catapulted to international stardom this summer with the release of the hit single and music video, most recently performing the dance with Madonna at her New York City concert, and with MC Hammer at the 2012 American Music Awards.
Ironically, Psy became label mates with the Bieber in September, when he signed to Scooter Braun's Schoolboy Records.
Justin Bieber is all grown up.
PSY - Gangnam Style
Students in Beijing go "Gangnam Style" and trade their traditional daily exercise routines for the dance made famous by the South Korean rapper, Psy. TODAY.com's Dara Brown reports.
More from Digital Life:
'Gangnam Style' shatters Guinness record for most 'liked' video in YouTube history
Good Gangnam! This Korean music video has 117+ million YouTube views
'GIF' beats 'YOLO,' 'superstorm' as Oxford American Dictionary word of the year


Bonneville Power Administration chooses XR Geomembranes as above ground secondary containment solution.
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a major provider of electric power in the northwestern United States, has recognized the necessity of providing secondary containment at electrical substation facilities. However, because substations vary substantially in size, complexity, and the number of transformers, BPA needed a flexible membrane liner that was easy to install in a variety of configurations. XR-5 geomembrane manufactured by Seaman Corporation meets these requirements and is durable enough to withstand the toils of heavy equipment service traffic.
Substations typically contain numerous oil-bearing transformers which sometimes have very low levels of PCBs that could contaminate the soil below if a spill or leak occurred. To prevent contamination, environmentally sensitive power companies install above ground secondary containment systems with high chemical and oil resistance to contain any spills or leakage of oil.
Requiring only simple hand tools, the XR-5 is attached to existing transformer foundations using a basic metal battening system. The flexibility of the XR-5 allows the material to fit virtually any configuration. Plus, the substrate fiber makes it durable enough to withstand frequent service traffic, continual foot traffic, and extreme temperature variations. And its laboratory-tested strength withstands constant exposure to UV rays and hydrocarbon chemicals.


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Doubts raised over durability of e-passport chips
Chips within electronic passports are only guaranteed for two years, even though British e-passports are intended to last 10 years, according to the National Audit Office.
Lindsay Clark
Published: 08 Feb 2007 15:33
The NAO said that although the chips, which are designed to contain biometric data, have been tested in laboratory conditions, the ability of the chip unit to withstand real-life passport usage is unknown.
"The chip units have a two-year warranty but British e-passports are intended to last 10 years," it said in a report.
"The Identity and Passport Service is keeping this issue under review."
The Home Office said it had "every confidence" the chips would last.
The report also reveals that there was insufficient liaison between the Identity and Passport Service and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate about how e-passports would be read at border control.
"The Immigration and Nationality Directorate began testing the ability of electronic readers to cope with high volumes of e-passport checks in late November 2006," the NAO said.
"If readers cannot cope, the full benefits of e-passports may not be realised."
However the project was performing to budget, the NAO found. Total set-up costs, when the project closes in a few months' time are expected to be £61m compared to a budget of £63m. The additional cost of producing the electronic element of the new passports is estimated at £195m between 2005/06 and 2010/11. To cover these costs, the fee for a standard adult passport went up on 5 October 2006 from £51 to £66 and for a child passport from £34 to £45.
Sir John Bourn, head of the National Audit Office, said, "The Identity and Passport Service used sound project management techniques and made effective use of technical specialists to ensure the e-passports project was delivered on time and UK e-passports meet international standards.
"However, the full security benefits of e-passports will not be realised until UK border control readers are fully upgraded, and it is only then that we will know the impact of this new technology on travellers.
"To ensure future projects deliver value for money, the Identity and Passport Service should aim to improve its engagement with other parts of government, and develop greater in-house expertise to reduce its reliance on external consultants."
ID card costs on the rise
Introduction of e-passports
Read David Lacey's security blog
Read Tony Collins's IT projects blog
Comment on this article: computer.weekly@rbi.co.uk
Change of plan on ID Cards biometrics database?
By: Tony Collins
IPS to market ID cards to businesses
Steria to help CSC with passports - and maybe ID Cards
CSC likely to acquire about 350 passports IT staff – ComputerWeekly.com
Identity and Passport Service signs up five suppliers – ComputerWeekly.com


Plumbing is the main service that we have been offering for more than 30 years with an established reputation for quality, service, and customer satisfaction.
As a local family business we always do our best to be within a 25 mile radius of the Maidenhead area. This allows us to respond quickly to our existing customers. It doesn't matter what problem you have, if we have worked for you in the past we will make sure we get to you the same day of your call.
We understand that having a company work in your house can be intrusive and unsettling, but be assured we feel that you the customer being happy with us in your home is as important as the job itself.


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Q: Remove tiresome  in form builder in laravel collective I'm using Laravel collective form builder for building forms. I have used select like this:

            {!! Form::label('module', 'Modul'); !!}
            {!! Form::select('module_id', [$modules], $data->module_id) !!}

From the unknown reasons, the  tag appears in my code. I don't want it there, but I'm really unable to find a simple way how to remove it. Thank you for a help

A: Reviewing the source code for the package and the tests we can see that the optgroup is included if the array passed is multidimensional, you can see that within this test.
Reviewing the code you've provided we can see that you're creating a new array containing $modules:
Form::select('module_id', [$modules], $data->module_id)

Which means that if $modules is already an array, you're creating a multidimensional array. This is what the select() method is receiving:
[
 [
   "a",
   "b",
   "c",
 ],

There's no key present so the array is keyed numerically, starting at 0, hence the optgroup label value is 0. You should be passing a single-level array if you want to have a single level of options in your select, e.g:
[
 "a",
 "b",
 "c",
]

You can fix this by not nesting your array in another array, [$modules] becomes $modules:

    {!! Form::label('module', 'Modul'); !!}
    {!! Form::select('module_id', $modules, $data->module_id) !!}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Patañjali, in his famous work, the Yogasūtras (1.30), describes nine anta-rāyas or obstacles to the attainment of yoga. Anavasthitatva is the last in the list and also the most formidable one to overcome. With assiduous practice, a yogi can succeed in raising his mind to certain higher states but very soon it slides back to lower ones or reverts into the old rut. Deep-rooted evil tendencies like inordinate lust and love of lucre or mercurial irri-tability or crass selfishness are often responsible for this fall. By dispassionate and deep introspection, consultation with the guru and prayer to God, one can discover the root-cause and eliminate it.


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The society's annual bell ringing ceremony takes place in the very early morning of 15th April, between 2am and 3am. The Timoney Bell in St Patrick's Church grounds, Lahardane, North Mayo is used to commemorate the 14 Addergoole passengers who were on RMS Titanic when it sank. Mícheál O'Tiomnaidhe, the renowned Gaelic Scholar and folklore collector, erected this free standing bell in 1937. It is tolled at 2.20am. We start with slow knells for the 11 victims that drowned. This is followed by fast joyous rings for the 3 women saved. Many of the Society's bell-ringers are direct descendants of the Addergoole Fourteen.
Addergoole is the only location across Europe, where the sinking of the Titanic is acknowledged by the ringing of a lonely church bell in the dead of night. It's the big bell that's now silent for the rest of the year. We have done it each year since the memorial to the Addergoole Fourteen was erected in the church back in 2002.
As the bell tolls for that lonely hour in the dark of the early morning across the deserted village street of Lahardane, over the barren windswept slopes of Nephin and across the empty dark waters of Lough Conn, the custom is a solitary significant reminder of the passing of time and the ending of lives. The dead of the Titanic may have disappeared into the dark waters of the North Atlantic, but they are still recalled by the tolling of a bell in the silence and emptiness across mountains and plains of North Mayo.


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Q: how to extract particular data from json list in python I want to extract particular element from json list and I get my result from the code below:
result = CF.face.detect(img_url)

And when I print result I get:
[{u'faceRectangle': {u'width': 246, u'top': 196, u'height': 246, u'left': 113}}, {u'faceRectangle': {u'width': 217, u'top': 213, u'height': 217, u'left': 614}}]

Now if i want to get width of first faceRectangle I write:
print result['facerectangle']

and I recieve
TypeError: list indices must be integers, not str

How to fix it?

A: you result type is list so you need, get first element by index start from 0, and then you will have the dict and can get value by key:
print type(result)
print type(result[0])

print result[0]['faceRectangle']

A: If you want the width of the first faceRectangle, you have to get the first element of the list result[0], then the faceRectangle key result[0]['faceRectangle'] and finally the width key result[0]['faceRectangle']['width'].
print result[0]['faceRectangle']['width']


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Vaping and Opioid Addiction Accelerate Coronavirus Risks according to experts
Posted on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020 at 9:59 am in Latest News.
COVID-19 has had a huge impact all over the world but we are still learning about the virus and how it effects different individuals. We know that a patient's age has a major bearing on their likelihood of becoming seriously ill or dying from the virus, as do certain underlying health conditions. Experts now fear that opioid addiction and habits including smoking and even vaping can increase the risks of coronavirus.
It's too early to predict exactly how the pandemic will affect the opioid addiction epidemic that exists in the UK and many other parts of the world. There have been some suggestions that supply chains of illicit drugs will be impacted, disrupting the availability of the drugs in some markets. Others have warned that issues associated with coronavirus including social isolation, anxiety, stress and an economic downturn could lead to a mental health crisis. This in turn could fuel increased drug use and other social issues.
We could see a rise in drug use and other problem behaviours
Professor Rory O'Connor from the University of Glasgow said that if we did not address these issues as a society, we risked seeing an explosion in anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions, as well as 'problem behaviours' including addiction to drugs, alcohol and gambling. This could also lead to knock-on effects such as breakdowns in relationships and an increase in homelessness.
For those who already have a history of opioid addiction, coronavirus could also pose a more significant physical threat. The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) said that people who use drugs can be more at risk than others due to a number of different factors. Habitual drug users often have associated chronic illnesses or health conditions and this is particularly the case for those with an opioid addiction.
The EMCDDA said that the continent's older users of heroin and other opioids could be particularly vulnerable due to existing health conditions linked to their drug use and lifestyles. They added the specific example that the "prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) and asthma are high among clients in drug treatment, and smoking of heroin or crack cocaine can be an aggravating factor".
The centre also pointed out that addicts and substance abusers frequently gathered together to take drugs recreationally and often shared drugs or equipment. This could lead to an increased risk of spreading or contracting the virus, while the underlying health conditions could exacerbate the risks of more severe symptoms. Additionally, the stigma and marginalisation that accompanied opioid use could effectively put barriers in place that would affect the promotion of risk reduction efforts.
Opioid addiction and coronavirus
Heroin is one of the most addictive opioids and the most common opioid addiction definition classifies this addiction as both a disease and a brain disorder. Using the drug changes the structure of the brain over time, making it extremely difficult for the addict to resist their compulsion to use the drug, even when they know this will lead to negative consequences. Opioid addiction treatment medications play an important roll in many treatment programmes and any interruption to the supply of these medications can have a serious impact.
In a virtual presentation as part of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Spring Highlights Meeting 2020, Nora D. Volkow, MD, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), said that those with substance abuse problems could be suffering from an interruption in care, including access to medication and meetings of peer support groups.
Is Covid-19 more harmful to vapers?
There are also growing concerns that may be alarming to smokers and people who are addicted to vaping nicotine. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently declared that people who do smoke or vape could be more at risk of developing severe coronavirus symptoms.
"If you are a smoker or a vaper that does make you more vulnerable. If you are a smoker or a vaper this is a very good time to stop that habit and we will help you," he said.
The science appears to be backing him up although, as with many things about this virus, the precise extent of the added risk is not yet clear.
Dr Michael Matthay, the associate director of critical care medicine at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), said that it was 'highly likely' that both smoking and vaping could increase the risk and severity of pneumonia linked to the Vovid-19 virus. He said that this conclusion was based on previous studies of other pulmonary infections, but admitted that based the extent of any such risk was not yet known.
Is vaping addictive?
Nicotine is a highly addictive substance. E-liquids do not contain tobacco and they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, which are two of the most damaging elements of cigarette smoke. Most e-liquids do contain nicotine however, making vaping addictive. If you were to ask the question, 'Is vaping more addictive than smoking?' the answer could be a little more complicated.
Different e-liquids can contain different levels of nicotine but there's also the question of habit and psychological addiction alongside the purely physical release of dopamine.
Dr Rajy Abulhosn, medical review officer for Confirm BioSciences, told CNET that factors such as ease of use also played a part. He pointed out that a single Juul pod is roughly equivalent to a pack of 20 cigarettes, but added that the act of using the vaping system was much more convenient than removing and lighting an individual cigarette, especially when that might involve having to go to a designated smoking area outside.
Vaping can be a difficult habit to kick for all sorts of reasons but it could potentially increase the dangers of Covid-19, especially if used with THC oil (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis).
At the Spring Highlights Meeting, Ms Volkow said: "Last year we saw new phenomena of vaping associated with long injury that result in a death in some of the patients. It's now recognized that these cases of lung injury are associated with vaping of THC and when mixed with vitamin E that generate this reaction. This is a new technology and to our surprise when we believed that they were safe, that does not appear to be the case."
We have an experienced admissions team made up of individuals that are committed to helping people. Schedule a callback or contact us on 0800 470 0382


According to the new market research report on the "4K Technology Market by Product (TVs, Monitors, Digital Signage, Set-Top Boxes, Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, Projectors, Cameras, and Blu-Ray Players) and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, and RoW) - Global Analysis and Forecast to 2020", the total 4K technology market was valued at $18.1 Billion in 2014 is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 21.8% to reach $102.1 Billion by 2020, which includes an in-depth analysis of the products and geography.
Browse 85 market data tables and 83 figures spread through 159 pages and in-depth TOC on "4K Technology Market - Global Analysis and Forecast to 2020"
The term 4K is derived from the format of 4096 x 2160 pixels, and refers to approximately 4,000 pixels across the screen. Consumer electronics manufacturers use a slightly lower resolution than the true 4K in their new and upcoming models of televisions and monitors. The major advantage of 4K technology is sharper picture quality with vibrant colors.
The 4K technology market in the report has been categorized based on products: TV, monitor, digital signage, set-top box, smartphone, tablet, laptop, projector, camera, and Blu-ray player. 4K TVs held the largest share of ~49% of the overall 4K technology market, in 2014 and 4K tablets are expected to grow at the highest CAGR among all products. The 4K TV market is further segmented on the basis of screen size and technologies used. The products which do not contain the 4K display panels but use 4K technology in it such as set-top box, projector, camera, and Blu-ray player, for them the market size of the complete product is considered. Whereas, for the products which contains the 4K display panels such as TV, monitor, digital signage, smartphone, tablet, and laptop, for them the market size of the display panels is considered in the report.
The analysis of the 4K technology market on the basis of different geographic regions– the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW), has also been done in the report. APAC had the largest market for 4K technology in 2014, and RoW is expected to grow at the highest CAGR among all regions.
The report profiles major players along with their SWOT analysis in the 4K technology market. The market has been witnessing a series of new product launches, announcements, and partnerships across the value chain. The key players included in the report are Canon Inc. (Japan), Blackmagic Design Pty Ltd. (Australia), Innolux Corp. (Taiwan), LG Electronics Corp. (South Korea), Panasonic Corp. (Japan), Samsung Electronics Corp. (South Korea), Sharp Corp. (Japan), Sony Corp. (Japan), JVC Kenwood Corp. (Japan), AsusTek Corp. (Taiwan), Hong Kong Skyworth Digital Holdings Ltd. (China), TCL Corp. (China), and Hisense Co., Ltd. (China).


text:
Southampton researchers lead landmark £2m study to develop new whooping cough vaccine
New whooping cough study. Photo credit: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Researchers in Southampton are leading the UK arm of a landmark European-wide study to develop a new vaccine to prevent whooping cough.
The condition, also known as pertussis, is a highly-contagious bacterial infection of the lungs and airways caused by a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis (B. pertussis). It is spread through coughs and sneezes of someone with the infection.
It causes repeated coughing that can last for two to three months or more and affects mainly babies under the age of six months – the group most vulnerable to severe and sometimes life-threatening respiratory and neurological complications which require hospital admission.
Adults suffer a milder form of the disease compared to young children but can still have an unpleasant cough for up to three months. The first symptoms are similar to those of a cold and intense coughing bouts start around a week later.
Although antibiotics may not reduce symptoms, they are prescribed to stop the infection spreading to others.
The condition affects around 16 million people every year worldwide, particularly in developing countries, and causes around 200,000 preventable deaths in children.
Although a vaccine is offered to all babies in the UK – where 18 have died as a result of the infection since 2012 – it does not offer lifelong protection and is much less effective than it was 15 years ago.
Now, researchers led by Robert Read, Professor of infectious diseases at the University of Southampton and director of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, have launched a £2.3 million study to improve vaccine testing and development.
It forms part of a wider £24 million European project, PERISCOPE, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), involving experts from 22 institutions across 11 countries.
At the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, clinicians will inoculate healthy volunteers with nose drops containing B. pertussis and monitor their immune responses before giving them an antibiotic to clear the infection.
"This study is part of a landmark European project that aims to develop a better vaccine against whooping cough as we know protection by the current vaccine seems to be much less effective than it was 15 years ago," said Professor Read, who is also an honorary consultant at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
"To do this we need to know more about the immune response generated against B. pertussis and what kind of immune response protects against whooping cough."
Volunteers inoculated with B. pertussis will be admitted to the research facility, based at Southampton General Hospital, for 17 days, during which time they will have frequent reviews by senior doctors and nurses and regular nasal and blood samples.
In addition, the researchers will sample the air in volunteers' rooms and take samples from surfaces, while they will also be asked to dip their fingertips in a dish of water and cough or talk in a glass cupboard known as a 'cough box'.
The study is open to healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 45 years old, with compensation of up to £3,500 available to cover time, inconvenience and travel.
Anyone interested in taking part can call 023 8120 3853 or email UHS.recruitmentCRF@nhs.net.


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Tens of thousands attend March for Life rally in Washington
Pro-life advocates hold signs during the annual March for Life (CNS)
Tens of thousands of pro-lifers filled the grounds near the Washington Monument and marched up Constitution Avenue to the US Supreme Court on Friday.
This year's March for Life – which takes place on or near January 22 to mark the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decisions in Roe vs Wade and Doe vs Bolton that legalised abortion virtually on demand – was the first time a vice president had attended the rally, with one of the first speakers being Vice President Mike Pence.
Pence, who has marched at the event before as a participant and addressed it as a congressman, told the crowd that "life is winning" and assured them the Trump administration was behind them.
Kellyanne Conway, special adviser to Trump, and the first on the speakers' list to address the group, similarly got plenty of cheers when she said: "This is a new day, a new dawn for life."
The scheduled presence of the vice president, only announced the day before, required the rally perimeter to be fenced in and the crowd to enter through long lines that had formed at security checks.
Jim Klarsch, a member of St Clement Parish in St Louis is involved with pro-life work with the Knights of Columbus at his parish. In Washington on his second march, he said the experience was "empowering."
Standing alongside Constitution Avenue waiting for the march to begin, he said:
"You're part of a pilgrimage. You take that experience home and you live it," he added.
"This is a message of love," said Bridget Donofrio, from Washington, holding aloft a poster-board sign with words written with a black marker: "Respect all women born and unborn."
The city of Washington, fresh from the inauguration crowd and the women's march held the next day, seemed prepared for this march.
On the Metro, when two older women asked a young woman for directions and pointed to the group with signs that they wanted to join, the woman looked up from her phone and asked if there was a protest today.
"It's the March for Life," one woman said. A few seconds later she added: "It's not a protest; it's more of a celebration."
Tens of thousands brave Washington blizzard for March for Life
Nearly 50,000 people marched in Washington to mark the 43rd anniversary of landmark abortion ruling
Washington March for Life announces location and speakers
'Love saves lives' is the theme of the 2018 march
Donald Trump to address Washington March for Life
The President will address the march via satellite link


This is a re-post from our Hell House Design Blog,which is being incorporated into the umbrella group of Hell House Studios for easier maintenance and to better serve ALL of our customers.
After 40-50 hours of work in Photoshop and in Second Life (SL), I have almost finished my first creative clothing endeavor.... a White Medieval Under-dress for the *Oldtown RP Sim.
While there are many wonderful designers in SL, who make Medieval and Fantasy type clothing, I learn things better when I have a need for something.
It is speculated that the "under-dress", "chemise" or "shift" was worn as an undergarment to assist in keeping the "overdress" or outer garments somewhat protected from perspiration and dirt of the wearer. It is also supposed the weather was cooler and necessitated the layering of clothing.
That's right folks, using Nudge in Photoshop can make a Creator's life in SL easier and more efficient. It is a technique I have found very useful and wished I had learned the very first day I installed Photoshop.
Okay, so what does this have to do with my most recent project of trying to learn clothing in SL?
For anyone that has attempted to create clothing layers for SL, you know how difficult it can be to align seams. With the use of Nudge, you can easily move your selections one pixel at a time. It will assist you in being more precise with your placements of say buttons, trims, or additional elements.
Also, Nudge is great for aligning seams!
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OPACITY AND FILL?
I will be the first to admit that I flail around attempting to create textures needed for Second Life (SL). It is usually CHEAPER and quicker to buy a pre-made texture from someone else than to attempt to create my own. But, if you use someone else's textures, you don't have that satisfied feeling "I made that" nor, do you own the Intellectual Property rights of that item. Depending on the licensing and/or the Terms of Service (TOS), you may be rather limited in scope with certain textures purchased.
As I was attempting to learn to make SL clothing layers on a much needed chemise (I learn better doing an actual project I need) for a sim project, I had some difficult adjusting the transparency of a fabric layer.